Hannibal Forge

Cataclysm War | Chapter 90: Wake the Dragon (First Draft)

Friday, August 12, 4 S.E.

Synthra ran down the streets toward the Main Gate—the Prosperity Gate—with her combat robes billowing around her legs, flanked by Bardulf, Parnym, and Kairi. The last had been an unexpected addition to their group, but the auburn-haired woman had marched out of Parnym’s quarters while tying up her hair, cheeks aflame, and had calmly demanded they take her to her brother.

Even ignoring the mortification on Parnym’s features, none of them h...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 89: Here There Be Monsters (First Draft)

Friday, August 12, 4 S.E.

Yarilla stared in muted shock at the swathe that had been cut through her people.

It had come like the judgment of the Heavens, a golden arc of divine retribution that had blown through the Svartfenn in a line of radiant power, obliterating ten Adepts in a single strike. When the dust had cleared, a radiant spear had been impaled in the earth, crackling with luminous power. An Elite from the Truthguard had tried to seize the weapon, and she’d w...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 88: So It Begins (First Draft)

Friday, August 12, 4 S.E.

Leonidas awoke to the sound of bells ringing throughout the City, snapping to alertness at the same time as his wife. Consciousness returned rapidly, and he glanced at Aylar, whose azure eyes met his with an echo of trepidation, but more prominently, calm determination.

“It’s time,” she said simply, reaching over to grip his face and kiss him firmly for a long, precious few seconds.

“Don’t die,” Aylar commanded, smiling at him w...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 87: A Final Compact (First Draft)

Thursday, August 11, 4 S.E.

Artur heeled Bucephalus toward the flat plain of earth that had been designated as the meeting spot, blue eyes narrowed in wary suspicion upon the approaching part of Fantasies in the near distance. With him rode Gwendolyn and Elijah, bringing only two people with him as agreed, while their erstwhile allies appeared to be comprised of the same number.

As the two sides drew closer, Artur narrowed his eyes as he identified the creatures they’d ...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 86: The Breath Before the Plunge (First Draft)

Thursday, August 11, 4 S.E.

Leonidas leaned on the guardrail on his balcony, as high as his chest, of the palace under the starlight, looking out over the brightly lit expanse of Dawnhaven after sunset in pensive silence.

His blue eyes swept over the vista of his new home with quiet consideration as he wondered what the morning would bring. The past three days had been filled with preparation and planning, ranging from force allocation to cautious arming of any citizen pa...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 85: Baron Cartellis (First Draft)

Monday, August 8, 4 S.E.

Following his orders to the Army and the Aegis of Avalon, Leonidas had moved swiftly. He’d met with Ceruviel and Uriel to debrief both Venerates on the reasons for his choice, including the cryptic warning from the Administrator he knew only as ‘Primus’, and both the Dusk-Lord and Dawn-Lord had finally agreed with his act of caution. Aylar had similarly been relieved by his actions, but had warned him not to overstay the lockdown, but had not deno...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 84: An Instinct (First Draft)

Monday, August 8, 4 S.E.

Leonidas awoke the day after his Tribulation with a quiet sigh of contentment. The hours following the Arena had been filled with little more than celebration and casual discourse, thankfully including the fact that Uriel had taken to the ‘GOAT’ comment positively after Aylar had explained it to the Dawn-Lord. His eyes drifted to his wife at the memory, and he realized that she’d already left the bed—only to recall, a second later, that she’d ...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 83: Quest Advancement (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

Leonidas stared at the screen silently and felt the [Aetherium] and Experience flow into his reserves, grimacing at the fact that his experience malus meant he only progressed most of the way to level 22. His eyes fell on the chest thereafter, and he bent down to it, retrieving the purple-cloth-wrapped [Bulwark of Radiance] and, more intriguingly, the [Map of Albion], which was itself encased in removable, tempered glass.

“Husband?” A...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 82: Really Big Chests™ (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

Leonidas swiped away the final alert with a shake of his head and turned his gaze at last toward the watching Venerates, smiling wryly at them.

“There’s a lot,” he said to them simply. “And more I need to tell you both about, but it’s not urgent. We should go meet up with the others first,” he continued, glancing toward his friends and family in the Royal Box. “They’re probably two seconds away from rushing the Arena.”

Ceru...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 81: Adept (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

SYSTEM MESSAGE

Congratulations, Leonidas! You have successfully initiated your [Tempering Tribulation]!

SECOND TEMPER

MIND TEMPERING

[Description]: Rarest of all those within the System are those that challenge the might of the Heavens, the domain solely held by the Divine. Once again, by merit of your force of existence as a Cataclysm, you have earned the attention of forces far beyond the understanding o...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 80: Secrets in the Blood (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

“Efficiency?” Leonidas questioned skeptically.

“Yes,” Primus said with the same smile. “Cataclysms, Your Majesty, are very dangerous existences. Your own experience in the Rite of Ascension showed you precisely where that sort of power can lead. The purpose of a Cataclysm is to create a state of enhanced urgency on an integrated world; to encourage the native populace and the colonizing Cultivators from other Integrated planets ...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 79: A New Path (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

“Hello, Your Majesty.”

Leonidas blinked at where he was, once again, standing in a room—though this time the environment was different. Instead of an interrogation chamber, it looked more like a luxurious hotel room, overlooking an infinite expanse of space with a single, rotating blue sphere suspended above and below. A glance told him it was Earth—Terra, as he had grown used to calling it—sitting in the black void of space.

The p...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 78: The Next Tier (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

Leonidas stood in the center of Dawnhaven Arena two hours after he’d delivered his orders to the newly formed Aegis of Avalon.

Ceruviel and Uriel had given their instructions to the Lance-Masters in terms of muster orders and armor alteration, and Leonidas had asked them to ready the Arena for his Tempering after they had. The Duke and Duchess had both confirmed that they’d already taken steps, Ceruviel during the Dusk Watch and Uriel during t...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 77: Aegis of Avalon (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

Leonidas exited the palace’s entrance in silence, flanked by his Dagger of Royal Guards led by Verity, and descended the stairs from the main doors. In the immense inner bailey courtyard below him, arranged in formal rows, were the full complement of the Lances of the Dawnguard and Duskguard, just over two thousand in total, ranked in order of veterancy from Lance-Masters down to Inductees. Per his request and discussions with Ceruviel and Uriel, they...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 76: Alchemical Conclusions (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

Xarina stared at the results of her alchemical analysis of the newly-crowned Archon-King’s genetics with faint disbelief.

“[This cannot be correct…]” she muttered as she surveyed the conclusions the System screen was showing her. By all accounts, she’d expected something, but not what she was reading—not in the levels that her assessment had revealed.

“[S+ Growth? Saint potential?]” she whispered in flagrant...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 75: The Need for Answers (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

Leonidas made his way to the private dining room reserved for the Monarchs and their family, Aylar on his arm, with a satisfied smile on his face. His crown was on his head, as Aylar had duly informed him it must be whenever possible, and he felt its weight passively—not in the literal sense, but as the symbol of duty that it was. They were already late, thanks to a short nap and a morning shower that turned into a two-person affair, and subsequently ...

PSA: Cataclysm War Chronology Fix

Hello Patreon!

Just a quick PSA to let you all know I'll be adding Day, Month, Year markers to every CW and CR Chapter retroactively, and re-organizing some chapters as well.

The markers will contain "S.E.", which stands for System Era. I will retroactively address this in Book 1 so it's clearer, after I finish Book 2 in its entirety, but for now this is your heads-up.

This means you'll get some currently unreleased chapters sooner, yes, but it also...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 74: Thunder of Patriotism (First Draft)

Artur Paendrag flexed his left hand idly atop his horse as the army moved on.

The latest settlement they’d encountered had been more of a pest than the last, but the Humanity Alliance had put them to the sword quickly enough, once they’d breached the rudimentary barricades that had been set up. The campaign was going surprisingly well, in fact, compared to the concerns of Elijah and his other advisors. They’d swept across half the distance to Dawnhaven with only token resistance o...

Sanguine Prince | Chapter 32: Rip and Tear (Second Draft)

3…

Arcturus breathed steadily in the way his father had taught him, working to regulate his airflow and ensure a calmer mind before he fought.

2...

He shifted stance one last time and moved to face the enemy to his North—one of two men—with the intention of breaking through him to gain positioning to watch the other three while he tried to remove one target immediately.

1…

His jaw clenched, and he tightened his two-handed grip o...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 73: The Queen's Desire (First Draft)

Leonidas took a breath as he came to a halt outside of his new quarters, glancing down at his wedding attire, and then looking right to the Royal Guards standing sentinel in the hallway. His eyes raked over the golden-armored warriors, and he chewed his lip for a moment before motioning over Leona, the Lance-Master on duty.

The woman approached at his beckoning, removing her plumed helmet and tucking it under her arm with a faintly amused expression.

“{Your Majesty,}”...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 72: Parting Words (First Draft)

Leonidas sighed as the last of the guests departed the Ballroom, leaving only his family, companions, and the former regents—as well as the Royal Guard, though he barely counted them. They were a permanent part of his life, as he saw it. At his side, Aylar laughed softly and touched his cheek, drawing his gaze down to meet hers.

“You look exhausted,” she mused, her blue eyes twinkling faintly. “Does socializing truly drain you so much?”

“It can do,” Leonidas responde...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 71: The King and the Shrew (First Draft)

“Leonidas is the Cataclysm?” Reginald demanded, and Leonidas was thankful for the privacy bubble as Kairi nodded boredly.

“A-Yup,” she said casually. “So that Quest you and mom got? Yeah, it’s Ace.”

Maryanne and Reginald stared at Kairi, and then looked at their son, who sighed quietly.

“Not how I wanted it to come out, but yes,” he said, feeling Aylar sliding her arm around him comfortingly. “I’m the Cataclysm. It’s a… long story,” he sa...

Sanguine Prince | Chapter 31: A Lesson in Basics (Second Draft)

Arcturus’ only reply to the incessant taunting of his inner subconscious was a low snarl as he stepped into the training room and looked around for Tylariel. His efforts were frustrated, however, by his own abrupt realization that he’d just stepped into what appeared to be a mix between a dojo—albeit a decidedly more ‘western’ one—and what he suspected was some sort of holographic training chamber. The former he could see from the weapons racked along the wall to his right, and th...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 70: Coronation Ball (First Draft)

“A marvelous speech, Your Majesty, just marvelous.”

Leonidas smiled politely at the words from Sayyad al-Musana, the Terran Merchant that had managed to gather a moment with him alongside his associates, all of them dressed in finery for the Ball. Two hours after his speech and Coronation, the Castle’s grand ballroom was alive with festivity, at the same time as food and drink were being supplied to the city at large. The celebrations would continue for two days and nights across ...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 69: Pendragon (First Draft)

Leonidas shivered as the experience flooded into him, and he transitioned to Level 19 immediately, thankfully one level shy of his Tempering. That would have been a highly unfortunate incident if he’d started Tribulating in the middle of the damn Palace. His eyes met Aylar’s, and she smiled at him lovingly.

“In anticipation of this moment, I have prepared the necessary accoutrements,” the Queen declared, nodding to Ceruviel, who stepped forward and snapped her fingers in imitati...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 68: Coronation (First Draft)

An hour after the wedding and the subsequent open-carriage celebration circuit ride through the city, observed by the high-positioned protective overwatch of the Royal Guard, with Ceruviel riding with them languidly to create a discreet [Psionic Force] shield in case of stray arrows, Leonidas stood with his left hand linked to Aylar’s right in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace, under the eyes of the Court and every notable individual within Dawnhaven—including his parents and the Unity ...

Sanguine Prince | Chapter 30: House Rubastra (Second Draft)

Arcturus stared at the armor on its rack within his walk-in closet, arms folded as he contemplated the gear. At his request, and with Tylariel’s instructions, the armor had been couriered from Luthaire’s showroom directly to the Rubastra Estate and had been waiting for him when he’d explored the expansive room he’d been given—though perhaps rooms were a better description. His quarters consisted of a living area one might find within any middle-class home on Earth, and an a...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 61: Army of the Nightlands (First Draft)

Thursday, August 4, 4 S.E.

“[You are certain that Xarina did not see through your misdirection?]”

“[I am certain, Matriarch,]” Yarilla replied dutifully, her gaze locked onto the imposing features of Yvrain. “[She was informed to await an update in two weeks following our meeting, with no indication that an attack would occur.]”

“[Good,]” the Matriarch replied steadily, while her lambent red eyes watched the ranks of Starhold forces ...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 67: Hallelujah (First Draft)

Saturday, August 6, 4 S.E.

Thirty minutes later, Leonidas stood in a filled venue, his hands clasped behind him, silently, as Bardulf and Parnym lingered at his side. He and Aylar had elected to have two accompany them each, and no more, to avoid overloading the ceremony. Bardulf and Parnym were both dressed in matching black suits, cut in Alteran style, with bowties that the Shadowblade seemed to find hilarious.

A sea of faces observed him where he stood...

Cataclysm War | Chapter 66: Father Witticker (First Draft)

Saturday, August 6, 4 S.E.

Leonidas’ carriage arrived at the Church, a Gothic white Cathedral erected five years prior to the Incursion, with a whinny of horses, and his gaze fell onto his parents, Bardulf, Parnym, and Ceruviel when it did. The journey from Ceruviel’s estate to the wedding venue had been relatively peaceful, aided by the three Lances of armed guards escorting the Carriage—one of the Royal Guard, one of the Dawnguard, one of the D...