Vowron Prime

Soulweaver 163: Grand Games

As they led us through decidedly not-flat terrain to our destination—causing Aerion to fall several more times and my anger to spike another few notches on her behalf—I had to wonder what all this secrecy was for. I supposed it was a good sign. That they cared about what we saw meant they were planning on letting us live after. Not that I thought they’d really manage to kill us before we managed to flee.

Even still, it felt a bit excessive, and when they finally deemed it appropri...

Ashborn 444: Operation Lifeline (Part Two)

Maiya waited patiently alongside Princess Ira and Ashani as Lord Reth paced back and forth, waiting for the other two of the Tribunal to arrive. It was, interestingly, Ira who received the bulk of Reth’s glances. Ashani was in her demon form, and so, aside from an initial appraising glance, Reth paid her little mind. Ira’s presence, however, must have had all sorts of thoughts flowing within his mind.

Good, Maiya thought. Each lady by her side was a card she could play in the...

Soulweaver 162: Worst Trip of My Life

I was wrong—the trip wasn’t bad at all! It was downright godawful.

It had been so long since I’d felt so sore, but the endless hours of jostling and bumping defeated even my stat-enhanced body. By her grumbling, Aerion wasn’t having an easy time of it either, though her lighter weight must have made things a lot easier for her. That, and the fact that she wasn’t decked out in plate armor. I swear, I’d have asked if I could change out if I’d known it was going to be this ba...

Ashborn 443: Operation Lifeline (Part One) (Maiya)

When Maiya pitched her plan to Vir, she knew she had a monumental climb ahead of her. Forget saving Riyan—merely getting the Pagan Order to aid her with nothing more than a note? While Maiya was certainly not averse to tackling a challenge, convincing the Tribunal to aid their sworn enemies would be a taller task than most.

Luckily, she wasn’t alone. Maiya was joined by her two anchors, Bheem and Yamal, who were conversing in a corner, and while she’d asked the Children to ...

Ashborn 442: Saunak’s Gambit

Vir rushed to the throne room, chest fillled with anxiety. Why had the mad Thaumaturge decided to appear now, of all times? Didn’t they have an agreement? That his reintroduction to the world be a gradual process, handled with utmost care? What did that old demon hope to accomplish with this?

“Well, go on then,” Vir said, bounding from roof to roof with Cirayus. “Tell me you told me so.”

“At my age, one does not take pleasure in such things, lad,” Cirayus said...

Soulweaver 161:Wrong Turns

NOTE: We'll continue with 2 chapters a week per story for now. I will make an announcement when we return to 3x a week. Thank you all for your patience.

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“Aerion!” I snapped, finally getting her to regain her wits. Upon realizing our predicament, she lithely jumped off me, assuming a defensive stance with Aurora already drawn. 

I was a bit more unceremonious, but in the next second both of us had our backs to each other, warily eyeing the encirclement.

My i...

Ashborn 441: A Future of Hope

Vir watched the army disperse with a measure of bitterness. Though he’d harassed them as much as he could on their way out, it amounted to l

Vir watched the army disperse with a measure of bitterness. Though he’d harassed them as much as he could on their way out, it amounted to little more than nipping the smallest leaves off a thickly growing weed.

Annas would regroup and return, and as much as Vir wished to vanquish them here and now, he knew that patience would pay handsom...

Patreon Status Poll for the months of my upcoming climb

Hello everyone!

As announced previously, I will be climbing Everest during the months of April and May. I had planned to halt patreon & RR serialization during this period, pausing patreon so nobody was charged. However, I've realized that I'll likely need to pause it earlier than planned, to ensure I'm able to dedicate the time and effort needed to ensure I'm able to climb safely.

However, there's another option - reduce Ashborn & Soulweaver serialization to one chapter ...

Soulweaver 160: Never Again

Aerion sobbed in my arms until she ran out of tears to shed and her knees went weak. Then we sat on the grass, and she just shivered against

Aerion sobbed in my arms until she ran out of tears to shed and her knees went weak. Then we sat on the grass, and she just shivered against my chest as I stroked her head. She was like a small animal. I couldn’t even imagine going through what she did.

Knowing your family was next in line for ruling the whole damn kingdom, only to...

Ashborn 440: Allies

Dance of the Shadow Demon was no mundane art. Indeed, there were many who claimed the Iksana ought to treat it as a second Ultimate Art. Or third, rather, if the tales were to be believed of their Lost Art, Reality Inversion.

When placed next to the Gargans’ Lionheart or the Bairans had Giant’s Hide, Dance of the Shadow Demon seemed to be in a league of its own.

Upon seeing the Chitran kothis kick and flail as they were dragged off into the Iksana’s mysterious shadow realm, ...

Soulweaver 159: Aerion’s Secret

The days passed merrily enough, at least until the party ended when Richard headed out, bound for Passion’s territory to the east. That was not an easy farewell, even if we were relatively certain we’d see each other again soon.

Due to the nature of the diamond-shaped Axius, traveling between territories was much faster if you headed toward the center—pretty much analogous to how planes used the curvature of the Earth to  take the shortest possible line. It was how Richard ha...

Ashborn 439: An Unlikely Gambit

Vir patrolled Samar Patag’s streets ill at ease. Every time he glanced at the city’s long-decaying walls, he wished he could be out there, helping his demons scout villages in danger of being attacked.

Yet now was not the time. Attacking the amassing Chitran armies too early would simply force them to disperse, possibly regrouping again at a later date.

No, to be done with the Chitran and establish the Garga permanently, Vir needed to deal a blow so harsh, it w...

Soulweaver 158: Skull Grugery

“Got nothin’ against the elves, personally,” our caravan leader, Grug, said. “Just that I can’t abide by criminals poaching on the innocent, you know?”

“Still, I have to wonder why they’re suddenly attacking people,” I replied. “I’m guessing this is a relatively new thing, or Domininum would’ve put a stop to it a long time ago.”

We’d pitched camp for the day, and I’d been walking by when Grug invited me for a chat beside his wagon. He’d moved a coup...

Ashborn 438: Councils and Stratagems

“Ashani? If you wouldn’t mind?” Vir asked, having just returned to his throne.

“It would be my pleasure,” she said. “Ladies? If you’ll follow me?”

Ashani led Ira and Maiya out, while Maiya brought the princess up to speed on her daring plan. With Ashani and Vir’s wolves present, he wasn’t overly worried about Maiya’s safety. Especially not since she’d regained her armor and orbs. She’d even brought back a few Communications Orbs, so they’d be in ...

Ashborn 437: Realmlords

“We never discussed this!” Maiya huffed as she paced around the low-ceilinged room adjoining the audience chamber. The Chitran had used this

“We never discussed this!” Maiya huffed as she paced around the low-ceilinged room adjoining the audience chamber. The Chitran had used this as a war room, and the large table at the center was full of maps and wooden pieces of various colors, delineating groups of troops, ballistas, and other weapons.

“I know, I know!” Vir said, ...

Soulweaver 157: Blinged Out

Our trip out was a hell of a lot more comfortable than our foray to the Cataclysm Dungeon. No sneaking through the forest at night on foot. No murder squads and ambushes. In fact, my only real complaint was this horse.

“Seriously, how do normal people not get their asses pulped?” I asked, shifting my position on the saddle. The saddle was a custom job to accommodate Aerion, the lighter, smaller rider, in front while I rode behind her.

Aerion turned and smiled. “You get used ...

Ashborn 436: Godking

The reaction to Saunak’s Automaton was somewhat more than Vir had expected.  “You think I overdid it?” he asked, scratching his cheek. Ciray

The reaction to Saunak’s Automaton was somewhat more than Vir had expected. 

“You think I overdid it?” he asked, scratching his cheek.

Cirayus guffawed. “I’d say that ship sailed when you outed yourself as a living god, lad.”

“Just smile and wave,” Maiya said tersely. “Smile and wave.”<...

Soulweaver 156: Outward Bound

NOTE: Last chapter before my scheduled 3 month break! I'll be back with a launch announcement on amazon, and maybe even a couple of bonus chapters if we can hit some rating goals :-D

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“Took you bloody long enough. Where’ve you been?” Richard asked as we approached his table.

“Well, y’know, trip preparations!” I said amiably. “Backpacks to sort, pack horses to rent. Tents, food, all sorts of stuff!”

Richard snorted. “That’s all ...

Ashborn 435: Procession of Divinity

Ira’s head was still swimming as she followed Maiya and her two friends to a large, underground cavern of sorts. She gazed up at the space i

Ira’s head was still swimming as she followed Maiya and her two friends to a large, underground cavern of sorts. She gazed up at the space in a daze, idly wondering how the cultists had managed to construct such a thing, but her thoughts were cut short when Maiya shrieked and ran to the other side, where a number of animals had been stabled. 2025-02-11 18:27:30 +0000 UTC View Post

Soulweaver 155: Best Day Of My Life

NOTE: I messed up the collection arc numbers - we've been in arc 4 until now, not arc 5. I just created a new arc 5 collection with this and the past couple of chapters. Everything should be good to go now, just that the arc numbers have shifted by one. Sorry for the confusion!

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As Aerion and I threw on nondescript robes and darted away from the procession as quickly as possible, I couldn’t help but wonder whether I’d inspired anyone, or simply made a fool of myself.

...

Ashborn 434: Realmwalkers

Princess Ira was more than happy to allow Maiya be the first to step through the shimmering oval Gate—well, the first person, anyway. Vir’s terrifying Ash Wolves boulder through, presumably securing the area.

Ira only hoped they wouldn’t cause a scene. From all that Maiya had told her of them, they sounded intelligent enough to know not to, yet Maiya’s knowledge came secondhand from Vir, and while Ira didn’t doubt the veracity of Vir’s words, she did wonder a...

Soulweaver 154: Worst Day Of My Life

As it turned out, thinking of building my own personal empire served quite well to distract me from the absolute torture that was being paraded around the city.

Seriously, if I wasn’t absolutely certain I’d done the right thing hiding my identity as a Champion before, I was now. I couldn’t even imagine being regularly trotted around cities on a parade float, on display like some trophy. No matter the benefits.

Judging by her facade of a smile, neither was Aerion. Being in th...

Ashborn 433: Welcome to the Demon Realm (Part Three)

“A-Ashani,” Ira squeaked. “As in…”

“As in the living deity from the Age of Gods I mentioned earlier, yep,” Maiya said with a smirk. “The one in the scriptures, said to have ruled the highest echelon of the gods with Janak and his daughter Siya.”

 “Pfft,” Ashani blurted. “All these silly tales. I truly wonder where they came from?”

Maiya had wondered how Ira would handle meeting Ashani, and the princess’ reaction did not disapp...

Soulweaver 153: Sir Grug

We ran for the temple, hoping to get out of the rain. Because for all our stats and abilities, pouring rain still sucked and I had the sneaking feeling it always would. Unless I Initialized an energy umbrella or something. An idea for later, maybe…

For now, we were happy to find refuge within Dominion’s temple’s halls. The thunderous rain diminished to a background white noise as we stepped inside, fully expecting the same slew of congratulations and questions from the temple staf...

Ashborn 432: Welcome to the Demon Realm (Part Two)

Princess Ira Kin’jal awoke disoriented and confused. Where was she? On a bed—that much was obvious. She was alone in a tent-like structure. How had she gotten here? Where was everyone? Where had Maiya gone?

The sounds of voices and activity outside prompted her to rise to her feet. Finding a pair of slippers conveniently placed nearby, she slipped them on and left the tent.

Ira stopped cold. A thousand questions popped into her head, all at once. Why was the soil so red...

Soulweaver 152: The First Rule of Economics

Cosmo put down two whisky glasses and poured out some 30 year old Scotch that probably cost more than I made in several months at my old job.

“Cheers!” Cosmo clinked his glass against mine, and we both took a sip. It was quite possibly the tastiest whisky I’d ever had. For how much they charged, it better be.

“So, why Tokyo?” I asked. “Hawaiian beach I can understand, but this?”

The bar was insanely upscale. A live band played smooth jazz in the corner, and fro...

Ashborn 431: Welcome to the Demon Realm (Part One)

Vir re-entered the tent after his conversation with Balagra, mind swirling with thoughts of the upcoming battles to be fought. Both on the f

Vir re-entered the tent after his conversation with Balagra, mind swirling with thoughts of the upcoming battles to be fought. Both on the field and in the royal audience chamber, where matters of state were to be decided.

Seeing Maiya’s body, however, drove those thoughts right out of his mind. If he’d been just a few minutes la...

Soulweaver 151: Electric Town

The white ‘congratulations, here are your rewards for not dying’ room looked identical to how I remembered it, with a massive projection of Dominion’s head and shoulders looming over us, telling us how we’d conducted ourselves with honor and… yadda yadda.

One could only listen to the same canned animation so many times before losing interest. I felt like something like this would earn a whole slew of one-star ratings back on Earth, but I suppose if your society was me...

Ashborn 430: Precipice of Life

Vir wasted not a single moment returning to Ashani, flying through the Gate without slowing. On the other side, Vir found a fabric medical tent and Tara’s team of nagas in their half-serpent form, assembled and waiting out front. Even Balagra was there.

“Who, uh… Wow,” Tara said, freezing in her tracks as she stared up at Vir’s horns. “Vaak? Is that really you?”

Vir released Aspect of the Demon God, and the horns melted away, turning into pure prana, as...

Soulweaver 150: Shut Up

The journey was worth it. After climbing down the stinking, fleshy wall of the whale’s mouth, we finally reached the glowing green thing. Which was, in fact, the whale’s core. It must have been dislodged when we blasted a hole out of its brain, because it was just sitting there, not connected to anything.

“Is it just me?” Aerion asked, staring at the orb in her hands. “Or is this one larger than the others?”

“Definitely larger,” I said. “The others were tangerine...