jmclarke

IABD 41: The Foundations of Training

Grounding himself in the Realm in Dream, Matthias began to meditate.

Sitting in the middle of the dream village, he breathed in the cool air, his consciousness washing all thought away, letting his mind focus on his senses.

Doing so was surprisingly easy.

He had been practising meditation from the time he was a small boy who had failed his first affinity test for Life Enforcement, the practise had never felt so natural before.

When he’d meditated in the past, his min...

IABD 40: New Beginnings

“What in the name of every god and goddess is an enlightenment?” Matthias asked.

Polla beamed.

“An inspiration: a discernment into someone or the world around them as it relates to their Divine Breath. Cultivating is not a simple matter of taking in energy, reinforcing channels and circulation. There’s a component of spiritual understanding that comes with it: to truly advance and advance quickly, you must gain greater comprehension of yourself and the world. A warrior pra...

IABD 39: Death, Dream and Shadow

Matthias froze, his every instinct screaming.

Beggahasta’s eyes hardened like ice. 

The mage sat silently, her grey gaze drinking in every detail of the young greatfolk; it felt like nothing could escape her.

He hoped that she was just trying to trick him: maybe she knew nothing.

Maybe she knew very little and was just trying to bait him to get more information.

He would try not to give any away.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said.

“...

IABD 38: Departures

Matthias was faced with the most important decision of his young life.

Would he leave his home and family to develop a powerful foundation?

Or would he stay in Barrowgate and take a chance with his foundation: creating one that might be weaker?

He was torn. His mind in turmoil.

“You should not make your decision thoughtlessly.” Mistress Polla floated to the door of the meditation chamber. “I will give you time to contemplate and discuss with your family: this is ...

IABD 37: The Mage of the Vale and Foundations

Matthias’ heart sped up.

“Get back!” Bregindoure shouted.

The black carriage landed on the banks of Bear’s Head Pond, its cloud-horses stilling as it came to rest.

It had looked large from far, but up close, it was truly massive: less like a carriage and more like a building. Dwarfing some cottages, it perched between six wheels as wide as Matthias was tall, each forged from black iron. The spokes were shaped like tridents and stretching between them, were three axle...

IABD 36: Three Contests

Matthias raced down the dirt road, wind whistling past him, pines blurring around him. Ahead, his brother’s arms pumped, tree-trunk like legs churning the ground, runes burning on the backs of his hands as he sprinted.

His immense stride catapulted him forward at terrible speed, yet he ran as an amateur would, arms moving too wildly, legs out of rhythm and breath coming too quickly. 

Bregindoure hadn't ran since he’d been three and it showed.

Matthias threw himself ...

IABD 35: Youth

“Alright!” Valdor raised his sword, striking the pommel against his shield. A metallic clang rang through the courtyard of Sur Friya’s training grounds. “I’m ready!”

Matthias slowly brought his sword into guard position. Using the hook on his warhammer, he pulled down his visor. “So am I. Begin?”

Valdor’s grin vanished as he slammed his own visor down. “Begin!”

Unlike their last duel, there was no moment of both young warriors standing in silence, study...

IABD 34: Wounds that Heal and Wounds that Do Not

After spending Bregindoure’s first sunrise as a free man with each other, the Stonebreaker family finally went to their beds, sleeping a full day and night as though their minds and bodies needed healing from years of exhaustion.

During his sleep, Matthias had only trained lightly in the Dream-Realm, waking up more refreshed and energetic than even after his Awakening. He’d felt that something was off when he was in the Dream-Realm, but what it was, he couldn’t tell so, he’d put...

IABD 33: A Free Sunrise

With eyes locked on the Rune of Clarity burning on the back of Bregindoure Stonebreaker’s left hand, Eklund’s mind raced, raw panic gripping him.

A Rune that—if obtained—granted any rune-marked bearing the Rune of the Berserker, the freedom and rights most other rune-marked were permitted to hold in the High Kingdom of Evalmera.

Certain restrictions were still placed on rune-marked: they could never hold noble title within the High Kingdom nor could they join a priesthood�...

IABD 32: Eklund's Broken Sword

Matthias awoke with a lightness he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Even when he’d defeated his tormentors, Bregindoure’s plight was never far from his thoughts. 

Now, his brother was almost free.

But he wasn’t free yet.

There was more to do.

“Matt?” Beggahasta rose from her chair across the room. Nearby, Altaizar was sleeping, while nearby, Dagma was deep in sleep. “Matt are you alright, how did things go?”

Matthias beamed, giving her a thum...

Mark of the Fool 8 Audiobook + LIGHT NOVEL ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey everyone,

Today I am back for an eighth time to show you a brand new track...well, it's not brand new, it's the eighth instalment in a very old very long track! That's right everyone, it's time for Mark of the Fool 8 to release on Audible!

I would hold for applause, but Travis Baldree deserves the applause for his performance! I know some of y'all have been waiting so enjoy!

Find it through this link: 2025-03-19 19:39:19 +0000 UTC View Post

IABD 31: End of the Nightmare

Red light burned on the back of Bregindoure’s left hand, pulsing in time with the radiance of the Rune of the Berserker on his right one. The Rune that served as this nightmare world’s sun shifted in shape, warping in the blackness of the sky.

Matthias raised his arm, blocking the blazing light.

The blood-bog boiled.

Hot wind gusted through the darkness, ichor and skulls surged in red sprays.

“How dare you!” Nightmare-Matthias shouted. “You have become much t...

IABD 30: The Dream Slayer

Night had fallen over the mountains.  

The rains had come with it. 

A downpour lashed the Stonebreaker home, turning the evening miserable for the guards patrolling outside; they hugged their cloaks tight around themselves, watching the house. 

Their lord had ordered their number doubled; Earl Eklund feared the Stonebreakers would be planning something to rescue Bregindoure. Yet, he assumed their schemes would involve daring break-ins and violent escapes....

IABD 29: Spoils from Battle and the Music of the Soul

Matthias Stonebreaker stared up at the cloudy sky, wondering if he had lost his mind. 

He rubbed his eyes, blinked, glanced away, then looked up again. 

It was still there: a carriage of a dead black hue, flying smoothly as though travelling on solid ground.  

“What?” he gasped. 

“Mother…” Dagma murmured. “What’s-Ah!” 

Beggahasta grabbed her daughter, leaping from the top of the crevice wall.  

She lan...

IABD 28: Battle Against the Beasts

Matthias Stonebreaker strode toward the herd of gnoles, his cloak billowing behind him.  

His tentacle writhed from his shadow.  

His eyes were pure ice. 

The young greatfolk towered over the beasts. 

With hoots and shouts, the antlered creatures scrambled from the treetops and rushed from the underbrush, antlers sweeping, fur bristling, claws flexing as spittle ran down fangs and elongated jaws. 

His eyes never left the monster...

IABD 27: Stalking the Beasts

Matthias Stonebreaker charted the gnoles’ bloody trail through the wilderness. 

At first, it was easy to follow: dried gore, cracked bone, dozens of prints and deep drag furrows marked their path to the south east. 

Bits of rotting flesh, torn clothing and rusty bloodstains told a tale of how they treated their captives as they’d moved through the wilderness. The gnole herd was bloodthirsty, likely sampling some of the ‘meat’ they’d captured along the way. ...

IABD 26: Dreams, Harps and the Hunt

In the nights since Bregindoure’s capture, Matthias would enter his dreams.  

During those nights, his brother always had the same dream, or rather, nightmare.  

He was always in a blood-bog among islands of skulls. 

The Rune of the Berserker always burned in the black sky above him like a sinister sun. 

And Bregindoure was always a beast. 

The nightmare would begin with him feasting on the corpses of his family, while bodies ...

IABD 25: The Way of Stone

“The Way of Stone is all about force: creating force, channeling force, maximizing outgoing force, enduring and minimising incoming force. Sur Friya has trained you in the Way of Stone’s foundations—its stances, guards, strikes—but she doesn't know its higher forms. She does not know how it interacts with the energy of the body.” Beggahasta spun Tallis above her head, star metal blade gleaming in the morning sun. “Even before the giants married into the Stonebreaker bloodline, we ...

IABD 24: The Nightmare-Knights

Beggahasta squinted through the spring meadow, her eyes scanning the space where Matthias’ door hovered. “I don’t see anything. Nothing at all.” 

“Really?” Her son pointed to the portal again. “Not in that spot right there?” 

He saw the doorway to his dream-realm as clearly as he could see the sun. 

“No, there’s nothing there.” She looked at him. “What do we do now?” 

He shrugged. “I hardly know how this works. I didn’t...

IABD 23: The Blood Swamp and the Meadow

The hulking beast stared at Matthias, its red eyes piercing the dark.  

The barest remnants of his brother’s features lay in the monster’s face; Bregindoure’s familiar golden beard hung below a bear-like snout, crowned by an eagle’s sharp beak. Fangs like a tiger’s gleamed between parted jaws. 

The monster’s hulking body was the size of a large boulder, covered in a coat of needle-tipped, iron wire. Paws, like a tiger’s, ended wit...

IABD 22: Fears Within the Soul

“Mother, if it’ll keep Breg alive.” Dagma’s head hung low. “Then I’ll…I’ll do what Eklund wants.” A choked sob followed. “I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave, but…but if it’s going to help Breg…”  

The young girl’s body trembled. 

“No, Dagma.” Beggahasta picked up her daughter, hugging her tightly. “We will solve this. If you don’t want to go, then you’re not going to go. It’s my responsibility, not yours.” ...

IABD 21: Berserk

Matthias stared at the ragged hole in Bregindoure’s cell wall. 

He could hear his brother’s roars. 

Horror ran through him, all the way down to his core as his mind tried to catch up with what he’d just witnessed. 

“Stay here!” Beggahasta ordered. “I have to stop your brother before he hurts someone!” She raced down the stairs in a blur of power and motion. “Open the door! I have to get to my son!” 

Matthias stared after her as the...

I Am Become Death Table of Contents:

Welcome to the I Am Become Death Table of Contents! Please enjoy my little story.

Chapter 69 (Nice): Light and Shadow
Chapter 68: Exploring Down
Chapter 67: The Monk's Regret
2025-02-28 19:07:52 +0000 UTC View Post

IABD 20: Nightmares

There was no void beyond the infirmary door. 

“What…the…” Matthias whispered. 

Instead, there was Eklund’s courtyard, its shape twisted and hazy. 

Almost like— 

“In a dream.” Matthias gaped. “It feels like a dream.” 

The cobblestones were dark, large, edged in vicious looking spikes. Castle walls rose high around the courtyard, reaching toward empty, black skies. The stench of blood assaulted Matthias’ nostrils. ...

IABD 19: A Cautious and Patient Man

Earl Jan Eklund was a cautious and patient man. 

Thin and frail when young—a great liability in these barbaric realms—he’d learned to manipulate, keep his head down and most importantly, bide his time. 

One of his favourite sayings was: ‘a thousand knife thrusts are worthless compared to a single stroke delivered at the right time’. 

This mindset had paid off for most of his life. 

During the battle for the Eklund inheritance, he ...

IABD 18: Power Reveals

Matthias and his companions emerged through Eklund’s front gate, parting the crowd like a ship through stormy seas. Villagers reached out to touch the young man’s shoulders, giving him congratulations, and well-wishes. 

His eyes met gazes filled with shock, pride and even fear…but no pity. 

For too many years Matthias had been chained by pity, looked down on by so many around him. Even those that meant well. 

Today, that chain had been broken.  He w...

IABD 17: The Thrown Gauntlet

Haakon spread his arms, twirling his axe in one hand.  

“Come on, then!” He taunted. 

Matthias slid forward, extending his sword, waving the point back and forth as he edged closer to his opponent. Committing too quickly had often left him open when he’d fought the water replicas. He would not make the same mistake with Haakon; the warrior was much more dangerous than Siegfried and Petric. 

“Come on!” Haakon shouted. “I’m riiiight here! Gues...

IABD 16: Duels

First, there was the impact. 

An explosive shockwave travelled through Matthias’ hand and up his forearm, whispering of the terrible force he’d just unleashed. His limb was fine; years of training and two months of Divine Breath had strengthened it. 

The same could not be said for Petric’s jaw. 

Second, there was the crumpling. 

The Gift Wielder’s jaw held up against Matthias’ fist for all of a fraction of a heartbeat before it cracked, sh...

IABD 15: A Very Good Day

Kari, son of Haakon, was having a good day. 

A very good day. 

The end of summer had come—for the warm season was vanishingly short in the north of Evalmera—but at last, Kari was going home. Home to see his father, to return to his old haunts…and have a little revenge along with a celebration. 

And it seemed that the world was going to celebrate with him. 

The entire journey from the Temple of Jormgund at Mount Silence had been pleasant, weath...

IABD 14: The Realm in Dream

By the time Matthias Stonebreaker emerged from the forest, the sun had crested the western mountains; dawn’s light shone on his brother’s tower as he approached the door, drawing the attention of the night watch.  

“Who goes—” One mumbled, pausing as his gaze fell on the towering greatfolk. “Oh.” 

“I need to see my brother.” Matthias kept his voice low. 

The man flinched. “You’re back so soon, Lady Dagma arrived a few minutes ago,” he r...