Shardrunes

Omen of the Witchblade (OOTW) Early Access Chapters Begin Today!

This is going to be the largest amount of early access we've ever done before at a whopping 50 chapters so if you've found Mira interesting at all in Beastborne and would like to see what sort of trouble she'd get up to on her own, come check out OOTW!

For those of you at Diamond and above, I apologize in advance for the spam that Patreon will send your way from all the chapter uploads!

To begin with, we'll be posting all the current chapters here 10ch bu...

Beastborne: Dunes of Midnight (Book 7) Release Day!

Today's the day! The seventh Beastborne Chronicles book is finally out on Kindle Unlimited & Amazon, and what a wonderful way to kick off the new year!

Grab yours here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBFNCYGW

A new locale, new threats, new beast magic, and new allies await Hal in the Dunes of Midnight that surround the glittering city of Dalmanii! Far from home, Hal and his friends must navigate a tense ...

New Series: Omen of the Witchblade

Read it on RR: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/100617/omen-of-the-witchblade

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As I mentioned in the last post, Sohmer and I are producing a new series set in the Shardrune universe. Omen of the Witchblade features many characters you might be familiar with from other stories, but perhaps not in the way you might first expect.

For those of you with a keen eye, you'll ...

2024 Home Stretch Update

Hey everybody, James here with an update, hope you all (that celebrate) had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Now that the 4th book of Voidknight is wrapped up, Sohmer and I would normally be taking a break to work on the laundry list of behind-the-scenes stuff that usually goes into producing a book and audiobook after the relatively "easy" part of writing is done.

This time, however, there will be a longer wait. We're going to be taking a break from Voidknight Ascension, and I'll be tak...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 286 – Imperial Ambitions

Zarishna watched Sam go, frustrated, happy, and heartbroken all at once.

The inner turmoil was confusing. It felt too much like letting her husband disappear.

They were both Incarnates of War. Although they were different in many ways, they supposedly shared a piece of the same godsoul. The result toyed with her emotions.

In her own way, she had loved Sam. Not that she would ever admit that to him.

At first, she suspected it was because of the simil...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 285 – Homeward Bound

As soon as Sam stepped through the portal, the Lumanots burst out of him. One took up residence in the Pinnacle, while the other streaked off through the lightening sky toward another set of towers poking out from the dark waters of the sea.

The weight lifted from his shoulders, leaving him refreshed and eager. It was as if he hadn’t nearly been ground to atoms a few moments before.

“You beat up all the bad guys, huh?” Komachi asked.

“We did,” S...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 284 – Two for the Price of One

Sam struggled against the thrumming power of the Lumanot. It perpetually strained against his control, trying to break free. Containing it took almost all of his power, leaving little left for controlling it or his body.

That didn’t turn out to be much of a problem.

[Heavy Blade] became a gargantuan sword of silver light that scythed through the ranks of monsters as if they were nothing. Even Komachi’s music returned, paralyzing and enfeebling ...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 283 – Terror Returned

K’thran slithered forward, sending her minions to harry the adventurers who had given ground so readily before their assault. With the power of the Lumanot at Kel’brek’s disposal, they forced open any of the sealed doors the Empire loved to use.

Doors that would have funneled their forces into kill zones, splitting up the weakest and strongest to be taken apart by the assembly line of adventurers and warriors.

Not this time.

The alliance marched whe...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 282 – One More Light

The lightning was a dead giveaway to the element the Immortal was relying upon for his speed. In a normal fight, that would have spelled his doom. Good fighters, especially mages, could neutralize a known element if they were skilled and experienced enough. However, the Immortal’s speed increase made that a non-issue.

Even if somebody could counter the element, by the time they readied the skill or spell, the Immortal would have run them through.

Most people ...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 281 – The Eye of the Storm

Gray soon found himself swept up with the leadership of Sil’mara. Not only because he had helped to root out the bandits and kept Haman safe, but because Kai had been a vocal supporter.

“I only did what any decent person would do,” Gray said for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Nonsense, you kept my baby sister safe!” Kai said, putting one large, tanned arm around Leilani’s narrow shoulders. She looked happier than Gray had ever seen her on Relag...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 280 – Best Served Cold

The days following Relagia’s near-destruction and subsequent salvation seemed like a dream to Gray. The Skyshard of Sil’mara was larger than anything Relagia had even at its height, and it was growing by the day.

One group, however, was quickly finding out that they were not as welcomed as they had hoped they would be.

The raven-feathered bandits, having already lost their leadership, were struggling to find a place in this new world. It was obvious to anyb...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 279 – Duties, Honor, and Deeds

True to Zahif’s instructions, Sam was met with a “ladder” almost immediately. What the old man left out was that the thing was carved into a wall of stone. Each sharp-edged groove was cut deeply into the dense rock with ample space between. Most people would have to leap between the gaps to proceed up. Being larger than normal, Sam figured he would have an easier time of it.

“This is not built for Machi size,” Komachi said, peering up at the darkness. There...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 278 – Fated Strife

Talmuuz, Granserpent of the North, peered into the polished archaic mirror that the Granserpents used to spy on the surrounding environs.

“The grimal and the lamia must have patched things up after their recent spat,” he remarked thoughtfully.

An Immortal, hands clasped behind his back, stood stoically nearby. There was always one of the blasted Immortals around when the city was attacked. Despite being elevated to the status of Granserpent, one of the stro...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 277 – The Parting Glass

“What is this?” Zahif asked, indicating the wrapped present in the middle of the training hall.

“A gift,” Sam said.

Next to him, Komachi wiggled her rump with excitement. She had been instrumental in creating the perfect gift for Zahif. Sam could only hope that he liked it.

“I do not need a gift…”

“Nobody needs a gift,” Sam said. “That’s the whole point! Go on, open it.”

Zahif looked at it as ...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 276 – Food for the Soul

All around Sil’mara, things were changing. The Skyshard grew. People gathered under one alliance. Monsters were repelled. Nests were sunk beneath the clouds.

The golden leaves of the Sacred Tree tarnished into the rich colors of autumn. Red and orange leaves drifted down the riverbeds and danced through the crisp air.

The Skyshard had advanced enough to acquire seasons.

Haman reveled in it all, but he did not let it detract from his work. These newest a...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 275 – A Day in the Life

Sam wasn’t the only one hard at work.

His fluffy golden cat was beside him more often than not, despite having her own tutors. She learned a great deal about the various unique instruments of the Alzahan Empire and their own variations on healing magic.

From perfumers to invigorating dancers, the Empire had it all. With Zahif’s many connections, Komachi was able to learn at the knee of the best and brightest.

Of course, Komachi also knew the importanc...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 274 – Band of Apathy

Like most mornings, Sam awoke to Komachi batting his face with her paw. He snatched her around the middle, eliciting a yowl from the young cat, then buried his face in her fluffy golden belly.

His cat flailed and meowed boisterously until they were both fully awake.

Komachi slinked off to the foot of the bed and began grooming herself where Sam had ruffled her fur. “What’re those?” she asked, poking at the coffers with her tail.

“Oh yeah!” Sam s...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 273 – Imperial Profits

It was only later that night at the Scarlet Lotus that Sam bothered to look through his gains from the incursion.

He couldn’t deny that they were useful for progression. While they were ethically dubious, the people who stood in defense of the Empire prospered greatly.

The people were safe enough. Sam hadn’t heard of a single injury or fatality, though he knew from personal experience that there was no way to make that a guarantee.

Eventually, some ch...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 272 – What Remains

A floating island swarming with monsters descended upon the crumbling Relagia Skyshard. The long-necked creatures screeched for his people’s deaths. Scorching lines of red flowed up the monsters’ scaled bodies, driving the dinosaurs into a frenzy.

They would be stronger than any Gray had faced before.

It was all Gray could do to keep his beleaguered people together under this coming doom. Even the group of raven feathered bandits that had ambushed Relagia m...

[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 271 – Exit the Dragon

Quest Complete: Enter the Dragon

You stuck to your word and not only refused to use a weapon; you prohibited yourself from using your Void mana as well. Though not a part of the original quest, the additional self-imposed restriction has netted you greater rewards. The Empire is watching your progress closely. You gain the following:

Swordsman Experience

[Eight Trigrams: Dreadfang Style] ...