I hit the ground hard, and the wind was knocked out of me. My cloak's protective cocoon absorbed most of the impact, but the force of the blow had still been enough to send me sprawling.
As the cloak unwrapped, I gasped for air and looked around frantically, trying to find whoever it was that just attacked us.
"Ash!" Eryn cried from nearby where she lay on the ground in what could pass for a small ditch.
"Stay down!" I wheezed, twisting my body about and almost frog-le...
2025-04-18 15:09:15 +0000 UTC
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I eyed Eryn as she held on to Arclight, grinning proudly. The bow was truly a work of art, and merging with Arclight’s gem had only improved it further, the lightning globule glowing like a golden thunderstorm. The Woodweaver spikes at each end glowed faintly purple.
“Greetings, wielder. I am Arclight. How does your pack know you?” a smooth, feminine voice purred in my mind, catching me completely off guard.
“I’m Eryn,” Eryn said, smiling wide.
...
2025-04-17 13:14:26 +0000 UTC
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The soul gem was warm in my hand, but nothing happened as I held it against the hammer. We just watched it for a long moment, half-expecting fireworks or something. When nothing happened, Roq began to strain mentally, at least I thought that was what he did, as he made strenuous noises directly in my mind. It sounded just…awful.
"Come to papa, you beautiful sparky bastard!" Roq growled. "Join with me! Become one with greatness and let me eat your soul! FUSE al...
2025-04-16 16:57:57 +0000 UTC
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We sat upstairs around the dining table where Ma had prepared venison stew for lunch. Knut and Pa shared a mug of ale, while Ma, Eryn, Nabeeh, and I stayed with tea. Lysander had begged his leave, heading to the Hollow Hearth for a rest, promising to return later and start working on the second bow.
Eryn stared at her bowl of stew, stirring at it with a spoon. I knew she was thinking of Stormstrider where it lay in the forge, crackling with lightning and just being a nasty piece of work...
2025-04-15 14:52:05 +0000 UTC
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I stood in the forge, looking down at the table where the bow’s parts had been carefully arranged. The morning’s breakfast was still warm in my stomach.
Pa yawned next to me, his jaw cracking and he winced, cursed under his breath, and let out a deep sigh. He took a deep sip of a tea so dark-red it was nearly black and shook his head.
The work table had been transformed into something between Ma’s product displays and Doctor Ridley’s surgical trays.
A riser blo...
2025-04-14 18:01:52 +0000 UTC
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My mind raced as Pa stood frozen with his hands deep inside Arclight’s carcass, his expression unreadable.
"What's happening? Did the old man finally realize how sub-standard this carcass of an overgrown cat truly is?" Roq asked. "I mean, I could have told him that. Nothing special about a lightning kitty compared to me!"
I shifted uncomfortably, uncertain how to read Pa's expression. Something was definitely off.
"I think Pa found som...
2025-04-11 17:55:07 +0000 UTC
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I held Eryn close, taking in her scent and warmth as we leaned against the smithy's wall. Last night had been spent eating and drinking at home, with baths for us all, including Roq who'd spent longer in a small bucket of milk than I did in the tub. Then we'd chatted in front of the fireplace, foregoing the Timberline for a longer rest. We all retired early to get a good night's sleep. The world waited for no man or woman, including us.
Roq was quieter than usual, still complaining abou...
2025-04-10 17:21:45 +0000 UTC
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By the time we finally made it back to our place in Dawnwatch, exhaustion had settled deep into my bones. The events of the past day—the monster attack, the battle with the Juggernaut, my injury and the consequent healing—all of it had taken a toll. All I wanted was to collapse into bed and sleep for a week. Or two…but that wasn’t going to happen, not with the newcomers to Dawnwatch.
I was surprised to see light spilling from the windows as we stopped in front of our home.
2025-04-09 13:58:33 +0000 UTC
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Sometime later I sat on a cot in the medical tent, with Roq hanging from my belt, and Doctor Katherine sitting in front of me while frowning at my leg. A few guards with less serious wounds were splayed out across the other cots, waiting for their turn.
With the death of the siege monster and the arrival of the unwanted reinforcements, the battle had turned to a 'normal' attack, if monsters crawling up our walls to tear our guts out could be called that. But as far as I knew, ther...
2025-04-08 15:48:45 +0000 UTC
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“Oh, this is really good,” I said, reading the new skill’s description.
NAME: Ironburst
TYPE: Active / Area Attack
DESCRIPTION: Slam the ground to summon a burst of steelhusk spears, impaling up to 15 enemies within range. Can focus all strikes on a single target, or divide strikes among multiple foes.
Mana cost: 40
"Worth the pain, wasn't it?"&nb...
2025-04-07 14:59:22 +0000 UTC
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What did he just say? That he could hear the instructions of the Hive Mind? If that was true…then maybe we had a chance.
"Hey, you serious? Don’t screw with me now, buddy. Is that true?”Hope bloomed inside my chest, and I felt a surge of energy. “Mhm. I’m not…screwing with you.”
"What is it planning?”
The siege monster hammered into the gate, and the sound that the gate made was a terrifying, resonant crack worse than anythi...
2025-04-04 17:02:52 +0000 UTC
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I licked my lips, feeling my breath on my face inside the helmet as the guards fired on the second wave of monsters. They didn’t even exist at this point as my eyes were fully glued to the gigantic siege monster.
"I know what you're going to say," Roq said. "But I have to say it anyway. We NEED to kill that monster. Like, kill it so dead, that even the hive mind won’t want it back"
The Rootwrought Juggernaut stomped across the killing fie...
2025-04-03 17:57:11 +0000 UTC
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“Rift rot,” I cursed, touching my sigil and peering across the killing fields as the bells rang out, three times, and then kept on ringing. Monsters swarmed from the treeline, spreading out and pushing in like a tidal wave, throwing themselves at the stake walls, the water pits, and going for the station’s walls. A glowcap exploded somewhere ahead of me as a fire arrow struck it, killing a bunch of monsters that were passing by. Another detonated right after, and another, and each deton...
2025-04-02 15:15:02 +0000 UTC
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I sat on a cot next to Eryn when Commander Edwin entered the medical tent. We’d gotten the entire tent to ourselves as Knut’s leg and arm had been set and was being healed. While he could technically move, he was under the doctor’s strict orders not to even get up or he’d face some…repercussions.
"How are you all doing?” Edwin asked, and Nabeeh stirred, yawning as she sat up, waving at the commander.
"Alive," I said. “Broken arm and leg for Knut, Eryn’s fingers wer...
2025-04-01 17:43:03 +0000 UTC
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The gates of Sentinel Station slammed shut behind us with a loud thud. I closed my eyes, thanking the bells for our luck. Any longer, and who knows what would have happened to us outside.
The watch commander sent out a group of guards as soon as we had been spotted, with three men taking Knut from me, lifting the warrior onto their shoulders and helping him stand.
"I can walk," Knut protested, but the words came out as a pained rasp. We all knew he was too proud to adm...
2025-03-31 18:11:43 +0000 UTC
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Launchday!
Riftside 1 is now live on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited!
If you've enjoyed the story so far, would you please consider sharing it with a friend or dropping a review on Amazon, because it would help us tremendously?
We've also got a post over on r/litrpg, and a thumbs up could really help too!
Here is the link to the book on Amazon if you think of anyone who might like it: https...
2025-03-31 18:10:31 +0000 UTC
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“By the smith’s own hammer,” I muttered as I opened my stat sheet, the numbers appearing before me. I pretended to look up at the glowing root as I went over the numbers.
NAME: Ash Aldrich
CLASS: Hammerlord
LEVEL: 11 (0/12)
STRENGTH: 44 (+1)
AGILITY: 23 (+1)
VITALITY: 32 (+1)
MIND: 18
...
2025-03-28 19:27:02 +0000 UTC
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We headed deeper into the cave system, through narrow and wide passages, our footsteps at moments silent and sometimes echoing. The only constant was the glowing roots dotting the roof. We’d passed several seemingly bottomless pits when we came to a larger room and I decided to stop at a particularly large hole.
"Look at this one,” I said, nodding to the dark hole in the floor. "Nabeeh, can you give us some light?"
She dropped in a Fireball and we all leaned in to watch the or...
2025-03-27 18:21:38 +0000 UTC
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I stepped in behind Knut as we entered the Glowroot Caverns through the gaping hole in the ground and proceeded into a narrow passage. The air cooled and had a subtle dampness to it that clung to my skin, seeping right through my armor. Above and around us, pale blue-green roots hung from the ceiling and stuck from the walls, emitting a soft glow that allowed us to see just enough not to stumble over our own feet.
The cavern was a mix of rough stone walls and dirt, seeming to have forme...
2025-03-26 18:08:24 +0000 UTC
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I stood before the quest board in the guild hall with Knut and Nabeeh to my sides, scanning the various parchments pinned to its surface.
"What about this one?" I asked, pointing to a yellow-coded quest near the center of the board.
Knut leaned in, casting a shadow over the parchment.
"Yellow difficulty. Not too dangerous, not too easy. "
Nabeeh peered around his shoulder, scanning the text.
"Glowroot Caverns... interesting. I've never encountered tho...
2025-03-25 17:59:38 +0000 UTC
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I tossed Karl a silver coin, which he caught with wide eyes. Before he could dash off, his gaze locked onto Pa's newly forged hammer resting in his lap.
"What's that?" he asked, voice filled with wonder. “It’s really cool. Are you also going out to adventure with Ash?”
Pa smiled.
“This, young man, is a legendary blacksmith's hammer,” Pa said with an almost sultry voice. It just sounded so…wrong.
Karl's mouth fell open.
"What's legendary...
2025-03-24 16:56:01 +0000 UTC
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I awoke with a smile on my face. The double bed, delivered late last night, was better than I even imagined. It was quite possibly the best and most luxurious sleep I'd ever had. Sometimes, monster hunting wasn't all bad. Especially when that hunting helped you afford luxuries beyond your wildest dreams.
I stretched and slipped out of bed. Today was forge day, and I was eager to see what Pa had planned for the monster carcasses we'd collected.
"About time you woke up,"
2025-03-24 16:55:40 +0000 UTC
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The artisan district sat in deep shadow between the second and third ring road. It was packed with vendors hawking their wares both from their shops and the stalls lining the streets. All the scents mingled to what I could only call ‘humanity’.
I walked in front of Eryn, clearing a path as more than ever people tended to step out of my way after my breakthrough. The extra head or so of height added to my previous above average left me looking down at most.
"I've never seen it ...
2025-03-24 16:55:25 +0000 UTC
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I pushed open the front door, my face set in a sour mood and shoulders sagging.
The conversation with Edwin had left me with more questions than answers, on top of the mental tiredness of my first overnight hunt and stay in Riftside. It had been an experience, but the commander’s warning had been like cold water thrown on heated metal before it could be hammered.
All I wanted now was to collapse onto something soft and not think for a while. Unfortunately, we didn’...
2025-03-24 16:54:06 +0000 UTC
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I jogged over to the stairwell Edwin had disappeared into.
“Force him to answer our questions. I am ready to draw blood. For the group’s sake! Tell Edwin I will give him a love tap if he tries to run off again.”
I climbed the stairs to find Edwin leaning against the wall, his gaze fixed toward the Rift in the distance. His posture was tense, and eyes watchful as if making sure no one was spying on us.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" I asked bluntly, s...
2025-03-24 16:53:47 +0000 UTC
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The violent shaking in the treetops grew closer, as if a tide of monsters were running through the forest, and soon we heard branches snapping and the rustle of leaves.
Knut hurriedly fastened the last straps of his armor and picked up his Thornwall shield—just as I finished securing my gauntlets.
"Ready!" Knut said, positioning himself at the front of our group.
The first Treeshaker landed on top of the last tree, grabbing on with its arms and all four legs, letting out a...
2025-03-24 16:53:24 +0000 UTC
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I walked over to stand next to Knut, who stood eyeing the sheer face of the mesa. His hands seemed to trace the contours of the rock in the air as he analyzed potential ways upward.
"Not bad," he said. “There. Cracks for fingers. Ledges for feet." He pointed to a zigzagging path up the cliff face. “Path up. Challenging, but possible.”
“Done this stuff before?" Eryn asked, looking up with apprehension.
Having spent her early life in caravans I doubted she’d spent ti...
2025-03-23 18:19:43 +0000 UTC
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The forest was denser on the other side of the charred fungal plain, and we walked in silence for a while with the massive metallic trees growing so close together that in places we had to squeeze between their trunks. The canopy above blocked so much light the ground was nearly bare, except for steelhusk roots and dead leaves.
“Fifteen mind gems,” Knut finally said, shaking his head.
“Unbelievable,” Eryn muttered. “We need more mushroom zones.”
“Told you it wa...
2025-03-23 18:18:55 +0000 UTC
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The area around Sentinel Station was busier than ever as we passed through, with every able-bodied person brought out to fell trees or work on the defences. The town was beating back the wilderness, turning it into a deadly and industrial zone.
"Impressive," Roq spoke into my mind. "Humans build walls to keep out monsters. Adorable, really. Not that it will do much if one of me would attack. I would cause such devastation that–"
"As if....
2025-03-23 18:18:46 +0000 UTC
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The scent of cooking pulled me from sleep and I blinked myself awake. For a moment, I was confused by the unfamiliar ceiling above me. Then I remembered—I was asleep in my new room in our new home.
I stretched, yawned and, sat up.
After crawling from my bedroll and dressing, I followed the smell, heading downstairs to find Eryn at work in the kitchen. Her golden hair was tied back and she wore a red and white apron as she carefully poured steaming tea into two cups. ...
2025-03-22 16:34:50 +0000 UTC
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