I sat on the floor of our new home, feeling somewhat unwelcome under my own roof thanks to the tense atmosphere. My eyes were locked on Nabeeh, and I waited for her to speak.
"Look, Ash, I'm not stupid," she said, taking a bunch of grapes from the basket. "After I calmed down a bit and thought about what you guys did, I can say that I understand, even though I don’t condone it.. You prioritized your team, and that’s fine. I wasn’t part of it yet, at least not in the way I am now...
2025-03-22 16:29:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
I watched as Pa dissected the three gemmed Shardfang carcasses we'd brought back. He’d insisted on doing so before elaborating on any ‘goodies’ for us. Not like I minded,
There was a certain comfort in watching him methodically slicing through the hide, allowing my head to spin and process what had just happened with Nabeeh. We’d screwed up with her, and I just hoped that I would get a chance to make things right again.
Knut leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed ove...
2025-03-21 13:20:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
A Platemaw emerged around the bend, its massive armored form knocking aside boulders and large chunks of rock with ease. Steam rose from its flanks. The beast had a shell like a fortress and jaws to snap a man in half. Its eyes fixed on me and it roared.
"By the shifting sands," Nabeeh whispered, her staff clutched tight. "What is that?
"That's a Platemaw," Eryn said, pulling an armor-piercing arrow from her quiver. "We've encountered one before."
Memories of m...
2025-03-20 14:19:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
I walked off, chuckling to myself as I left them stunned, and headed out of the gate.
No bell rang this time. Too many people were moving in and out for it to be useful.
“Those stats are not normal," Nabeeh said, rushing up to my side. "I've never seen anything—”
Her words trailed off as we all took in the transformation happening before us.
What had once been a simple cleared area allowing defenders to spot approaching monsters, was now being t...
2025-03-19 13:58:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
I breathed in the crisp morning air as I moved through a series of warm-up exercises in the small training yard behind our new home. The space wasn't much, just a patch of packed earth with a few wooden posts. However, it was ours and we planned to make something grand out of it once we could afford it.
“How did it feel to sleep in our new home," I asked Eryn. She sat on a bench by the wall, the only piece of furniture in the back yard. She was going through her arrows, checking them ...
2025-03-18 16:21:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
I squinted at the parchment in my hands, reading over the purchasing agreement for what felt like the tenth time. Maybe it was the excitement, or even the exhaustion of the last two weeks leading up to the dungeon run, and the two days of hard work since, but the letters just kept evading me. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the newly constructed house—our house—as Madeleine waited patiently, her broad frame blocking half the light.
"Everything's in order I guess," I said,...
2025-03-17 15:17:57 +0000 UTC
View Post
Rage pulsed through the mass.
Fury.
Indignation.
The breeding chamber had been filled with thousands of costly eggs, the result of countless resources and hours spent breeding, nourishing, and watching over them. It all lay in ruins now. Nothing but charred remains and goo littered the floor, the contents spilled uselessly across blackened wood. The offensive stench of burned biomass hung in the air and it bothered the creature more than it wanted to admit....
2025-03-17 15:16:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
The clash of mugs filled the Timberline as we toasted another round. The air smelled of wood smoke and new lumber, the tavern's scaffolding creaking softly in the wind, but not a hint of the chill made it inside.
“To killing the bastard Titanfang!” Wade whooped.
“To living through it!” Nina shouted back.
“To violence!” Roq boomed in my mind.
Eryn's shoulder pressed warm against mine as we sat at our usual spot, the benches creaking under th...
2025-03-16 14:50:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
I pushed open the door to Steel & Scale, my fingers intertwined with Eryn's. The familiar smells of hot metal, leather, and oil greeted us, mixed with the acrid smell from the fire. Ma and Pa sat by the counter, and her head snapped up at our entrance, eyes going wide and she practically vaulted over the counter.
“Ash!” She slammed into me, wrapping her arms around my back. After Roq's healing it didn't bother me anymore, and I was fine to be manhandled by anyone who missed me.<...
2025-03-15 12:52:36 +0000 UTC
View Post
The first thing I noticed was a splitting headache, as if Roq had redecorated it with spikes and flames, and each breath felt like it fought against iron bands. I blinked my eyes open to see tent canvas rippling overhead.
“Where the—”
“Ash!” Roq cried in my mind. “Finally! Do you have any idea how boring it is to watch you sleep endlessly? Though I must say, you did look rather peaceful. Almost... cute. Gah! Wait, what am I even s...
2025-03-14 16:52:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Vertigo gripped me as I stood in a massive chamber carved into the living heart of the tree.
We were at the very peak of the Twisted Titan, where the walls had split open like rotting bark, leaving gaping wounds that exposed the world below. Wind screamed through these openings, fighting to banish the decaying stench. From this godlike vantage, the black trees looked like pins stuck in a vast cloth, with Sentinel Station barely visible as a break in the canopy. The Metal Grove shimmered...
2025-03-13 15:32:23 +0000 UTC
View Post
Half an hour later, sweat dripped down my face, my helmet long since stored, as I yanked the one more armor plate free from the Titanfang's body. The wet sound of tearing flesh resounded all around me as Knut and I worked together to expose the softer tissue beneath.
Edwin had been busy while we worked on the worm. He'd explored the northern tunnel with his party, while Shay's had taken the east passage and Richard's had gone up. One by one they'd returned reporting dead ends.
Whi...
2025-03-12 14:51:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
I ripped Roq from the Titanfang's brain with a battle cry that echoed off the chamber walls, and was joined by Knut's deeper bellow, then Wade's shout, and finally Nabeeh's higher-pitched scream of victory, the sound filling the chamber.
Benedict cleared his throat and stared at us, one by one, then shrugged.
“I suppose that was actually a decent fight.”
“WHERE IS IT!?” Roq's voice thundered in my skull. “Where is my bloo...
2025-03-11 19:16:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
The second platform looked exactly as we'd left it, except Edwin's party had beat us back. Dean's scavengers huddled near the center. No fresh monster corpses meant nothing had tried to push through while we were out exploring.
Edwin walked over to meet me.
“Report.”
“Dead end,” I said, keeping it brief. “Blightpedes, Ring Beetles, Sap Seekers. Nothing special. No passages up.”
He nodded.
“Same here. Richard and Shay should finish downstairs soon....
2025-03-10 15:22:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Twisted Titan's trunk stretched upward until it vanished into the thick, low-hanging clouds. In the two short months since we’d been there the first time, rot on the dead side had spread, consuming nearly two-thirds of the ancient steelhusk's surface. Black veins throbbed beneath peeling bark, reaching deeper into the living wood like corrupted rivers.
I paused, letting my party pass me by, except Eryn who stopped next to me, studying the changes.
My first time here, I'd sim...
2025-03-09 19:59:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
The crackles of electricity made Pa's beard puff up as he pulled back from Arclight's corpse, fingers twitching.
“Damn thing won't let me cut it,” he muttered, shaking his arm. “Even dead, the lightning persists. How am I supposed to dissect it?”
I watched from the doorway, popping berries in my mouth. Despite being stored in my spatial overnight, the massive beast's body still sparked and sizzled.
“Did Roq sense anything else in there?” Ma asked, her hand warm o...
2025-03-08 19:55:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
The heavy guild doors swung shut behind me with a solid thud, cutting off the chatter. I drew a deep breath of the crisp evening air, trying to process everything that had happened, fingers brushing against the scaled armor Harold had insisted I change into before leaving. It fit perfectly.
“Can we PLEASE go hit something now?” Roq whined. I'd swiped him out of storage after receiving the armor. “All that talking made my head hurt. Which is impressive...
2025-03-07 15:37:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
My legs wobbled as we stood over Arclight's massive corpse, aftershocks of electricity making my muscles twitch and spasm. The beast's yellow fur stood on end, static crackling through it even in death. Blood pooled beneath its shattered skull where Roq had crushed through bone and brain, and where Eryn’s lucky arrow had hit either a nerve ending or dealt just enough damage to give us an opening.
“That. Was. AMAZING!” Roq's voice filled my head once mor...
2025-03-06 20:44:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
The beast's voice slammed into my mind like a hammer blow, making Roq rattle in my grip.
“Vannash’ Khazeesh. You should know, little traitor, that no one leaves the hive.”
“HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME, YOU FELINE SPARK BLOOM!” Roq's mental voice shook with fury. “We're going to rip you to pieces and feast on your entrails, you overgrown ball of yarn! We will cook you over a fire and then piss on your bones!”
I ...
2025-03-05 19:06:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey everyone!
It's my birthday today, turning 39, and have some exciting news to share.
Riftside is being turned into a Soundbooth Theatre production!
Thanks to Cassius, my co-writer, we've got a wonderful agreement with SBT to produce the audio version of Riftside, and I can't wait to hear them bring Ash, Eryn, Knut, and of course, Roq, to life!
On Royalroad the story now hit Rising Star #16, which is by far the best I've done before, and hopefully we'll continue ri...
2025-03-04 21:38:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
I scanned the steelhusk forest surrounding us, my enhanced senses seeming to pick up every rustle of leaves and Roq felt lighter than ever.
It had been difficult to fall asleep, with Ivan's crushed face haunting me every time I closed my eyes. But then I'd remember Ma's face when we told her the smithy was safe and Pa's relieved smile. My family was alive and safe. That thought had let me drift off into a surprisingly peaceful slumber.
I'd been up early for breakfast at the Hollow...
2025-03-04 21:29:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
The sun was already dipping by the time Eryn and I approached the Timberline. My new clothes still felt strange. Ma had adjusted some of Pa's old ones for me. They were tight around the shoulders and arms but loose around my belly. At least they weren't splitting at the seams like my old ones. And my body…it felt as if my soul had been transplanted into someone else’s. Even walking was taking a bit to get used to.
The regular rowdy noise came once more from the tavern, but we weren'...
2025-03-03 17:57:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Roq!” I mentally clutched at the familiar presence like a drowning man on a lifeline. “Help me!”
“Ash? How come I can hear you from the spatial storage? And… what's going on with your mind? It's fracturing… breaking apart and reforming? How fascinating! Let me see that a bit closer.”
Another wave of molten agony crashed through me, my muscles locked tight, cramping up.
“Class gem,” I managed to ...
2025-03-03 17:56:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
I took a long drink of beer, staring at the bottles behind the bar as I pondered Knut's words. There were so many shades to what he was proposing, as there were colors in those bottles.
“Give me a moment,” I said quietly.
Knut nodded and headed for the storage room, probably to check on our guest. I moved to sit at our usual beam, placing my mug and Roq on the worn wooden table.
“Let's discuss proper vengeance!” Roq said. “I'm thi...
2025-03-02 20:46:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
My arms ached from the repetitive motion of sanding, but I kept at it, using a mind gem every now and then to refresh myself. The charred wood of Ma's favorite rocking chair slowly gave way to clean grain beneath the Shardfang leather. The tough monster hide made excellent sandpaper, stripping away the fire's damage bit by bit.
Pa stood with me on the street, watching my progress. I'd been crafting all day, finishing the three armors we’d set out to do, and now Eryn was at the Hollow ...
2025-03-02 20:45:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
Roq still rested against the wall where I'd left him. I lunged across the room, nearly colliding with Eryn in my haste to get to him. My fingers closed around the hilt, and I squeezed hard.
“Let us show these cowards what happens when they try to burn down MY forge!”
I rushed to the window leading up toward the forge's roof where Enar was supposed to be standing guard. The shutters remained firmly sealed. How long did we have before the flames consumed everyth...
2025-03-01 21:44:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Ten mind gems,” Knut repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, gesturing with his beer mug for emphasis. He slumped against the workbench, staring at me with narrowed eyes. “Ten! How you do it? Tell me secret or I squeeze again!”
I shrugged, feeling the weight of his stare.
“I can't really explain it. It's just...” I made a vague gesture with my hands. “When I touch them, I can sometimes tell. Like feeling the warmth of a forge through thick leather, maybe? I'...
2025-03-01 21:43:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
I gently squeezed Eryn's hand as she laughed at Knut's latest story, making our walk back to Sentinel Station fly by. After keeping Roq in storage for a bit, my body felt fresh as if I'd spent a full day resting at home. There was also this warm feeling spreading through my chest. Was it satisfaction? It just might be, and not only over the ten mind gems awaiting harvesting, no, it was this feeling of friendship and camaraderie and family. Even after paying Knut what we owed him, we had enoug...
2025-02-28 17:21:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
I gritted my teeth as I brought Roq down on the back of the Shardfang's head, shattering the stone hide and skull beneath. It didn't even have time to whine and just dropped dead.
“YES!” Roq's voice thundered in my mind. “That's it! That's the one! LEVEL SEVEN! I can feel the power flowing through me! The raw strength! The AWESOMENESS!”
“Congratulations, Roq!”
I smiled at my weapon's enthusiasm and stepped back, bre...
2025-02-28 17:20:23 +0000 UTC
View Post
My hand squeezed Eryn's under the table as Ma placed a plate of her special cookies between us, the ones with nuts and dried berries she saved for celebrations, and for whenever there was terrible news. The smell of Pa's Ember Root whiskey filled the room, but the comfort of home now felt hollow. Our sanctuary was threatened by people who wanted to steal our hard work.
“We should have crushed them,” Roq said. “Ground their bones to dust. Why do you hu...
2025-02-27 22:33:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
