A beast slumbered in every man.
Kairos had seen it time and time again. During a raid, Travian pirates knew better than to break ranks and maintained their iron discipline. Even old rivalries were put aside, and enemy crews could trust each other completely.
But afterward, when the fight was over? When the enemy had been routed? The discipline collapsed, and darker emotions flooded to the surface. A sinister rage possessed warriors and turned them into savage animals. Even command...
2021-02-27 09:01:05 +0000 UTC
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After 50 days stuck in Amazon limbo, the second audiobook of Vainqueur the Dragon is now available on Audible! Hallelujah!
Narrated by Jack Voraces, this audiobook covers the second volume of Vainqueur (The Year of the Rogues), and includes outlandish adventures such as the Law-fu battle with a malicious genie, an epic raid battle in the distant north, and Vainqueur's long struggle with rampant inflation! The Averagist Revolution cannot be stopped!
...
2021-02-25 12:32:53 +0000 UTC
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The Pandamobile was… well everything Ryan had expected.
A Dynamis-made copy of a second-generation Fiat Panda, covered in white and black fur to mimic an actual panda. It was comfy and cute, with a panda doll dangling from the rear-view mirror. A complete lack of imagination packaged by a corporation too lazy to make a custom car.
If the Panda hadn’t given him the keys beforehand, Ryan wouldn’t have touched the thing with a nine-foot pole. And even then, just putting his han...
2021-02-25 08:08:23 +0000 UTC
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“So you say the high-security labs are so reinforced, they would survive missile strikes?” Ryan asked Nora as the group walked through the hospital’s hallway, guided by the Dynamis nurse. The Panda hummed a song to himself, while Wardrobe carried flowers and chocolates in her arms.
“Yes, the tinted glass windows outside are just for show,” the Architect explained. “Separate energy generators keep the whole floor running without any external help needed, and the alarm system ...
2021-02-23 08:22:52 +0000 UTC
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Sitting on a sofa right next to the inactive plushie, Ryan stared into the abyss of the Tyrrhenian Sea. He found it relaxing to wake up to the sight of silent darkness and mutated fish, especially after he had grown used to New Rome’s noisy environment.
Each ‘apartment’ was a carbon copy of the other, each tenant free to decorate their own as they saw fit. Ryan had of course brought his entire wardrobe, and thrown euro bills everywhere to protect himself from the specter of Vladim...
2021-02-20 08:55:13 +0000 UTC
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Sea monsters were a fact of life for sailors everywhere.
These orphaned children of the sea gods roamed the oceans, preying on ships and coastal communities alike. The adults were more than a match for a whole ship, and the most powerful of them could sink entire fleets. Some like the fearsome Charybdis had become so infamous in their depredations, that people avoided their territories like the plague; they were the gatekeepers of the wilderness, the frontier between civilization and th...
2021-02-20 08:55:04 +0000 UTC
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Ryan Romano died countless times, by his hand or that of someone else.
But there was one death that trumped them all. The death that made him stop caring, and taught him to enjoy life. The perfect death, that no one should return from.
This is the story of this death.
This is the story of Monaco.
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- April 1st 2017, France, Village of La Turbie.
The sun was falling behi...
2021-02-18 08:42:21 +0000 UTC
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Ryan had to give it to Hector Manada. In spite of being far richer than Augustus, he didn’t show it.
The CEO of Dynamis lived in a three-floor manor of yellow stones within walking distance of his company’s HQ, north of New Rome. The property was big, but nothing compared to Mount Augustus; the architectural style reminded Ryan of South America’s XIXth century properties, though Hector had also gathered a sizable collection of mesoamerican artifacts in his garden. Statues of Aztec...
2021-02-16 08:42:02 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone,
The first volume of The Perfect Run, covering chapter 1 to 50, is now available on Amazon Kindle! Hallelujah! It also means the book will now be included in the bundle sent to Dracolich patrons at the end of each month.
Other link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WL8CS8B (Cover by Vitaly S. Alexius).
I would be thankful for any review. It helps the book get visibi...
2021-02-14 18:36:15 +0000 UTC
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“I’m losing him!” Wardrobe panicked.
It didn’t take long for Ryan and the Panda to locate their allies, who had turned the rubble of a collapsed building into a shelter. Cosplaying as a masked surgeon, Wardrobe had raised an improvised hospital tent from whatever material she could find.
She had managed to stitch up Atom Cat’s stab wounds the best she could, but Felix remained in a state of shock. Shroud, meanwhile, was losing blood at an alarming rate in spite of her be...
2021-02-13 08:40:14 +0000 UTC
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Kairos faced his mother, both sitting around the kitchen table. The young [Hero] wore armor and his magical spear, ready to raid, while Aurelia dressed with wolf pelts. A single feather glowed between the two of them, a promise of hope, and an apple of discord.
“I cannot, Kairos.” Aurelia scowled, shaking her head. “I cannot decide.”
“The more we wait, the greater the risk of theft.”
“What do you want me to say? That I want a son raised from the dead over the d...
2021-02-13 08:40:04 +0000 UTC
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Hi guys,
As some of you know, I've been talking about a Vainqueur the Dragon webcomic/webtoon adaptation for a while. I'm pleased to say the project is well-underway.
Though I'm bound by a confidentiality clause until it's out, I've been granted permission to show you some of the character concept arts early. Here are, in order, His Majesty Vainqueur Knightsbane, Minion Victor, Kia Bekele, Furibon th...
2021-02-11 17:07:31 +0000 UTC
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It was May 12th, and Team Quicksave the Pandas had assembled.
As he drove towards Rust Town, Ryan hoped this battle would go better than Vulcan’s doomed assault against the Meta-Gang. The time-traveler had gathered everyone he could call upon, provided all the necessary intel, and he wore a cashmere suit. Everyone would soon move into position, Shortie included.
The die was cast.
Atom Cat remained silent at the car’s front seat, having outfitted his costume with...
2021-02-11 08:37:02 +0000 UTC
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Felix the Cat didn’t say a word on the way home. Not a single one.
Ryan drove the two of them back to the Optimates Tower in the early evening. Their group and Enrique had decided to leave the gathering separately, to avoid raising suspicion before tomorrow’s operation. Eventually, the courier parked his car in front of the tower’s gates, but Atom Cat made no move to exit it.
“Hey, kitten, I know it must feel terrible,” the courier said. “Believe me, I understand what ...
2021-02-09 10:14:59 +0000 UTC
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Ryan felt a ping of nostalgia as he drove on the highway.
It had been more than a month worth of loops since he first arrived in New Rome, and he missed driving into the wasteland, Mad Max-style. The world seemed open to him, all roads leading to a different quest. The courier could never anticipate when he would face a random encounter, whether it was a band of road warriors engaging him in a car chase or a mysterious hitchhiker out for blood. As much as he enjoyed civilizatio...
2021-02-06 09:54:49 +0000 UTC
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Kairos was many things, but an oathbreaker wasn’t one of them.
As promised, he had funded Nessus’ entire celebration party; an act which unfortunately destroyed most of his remaining funds. For everyone’s safety and to allow Andromache to participate, the party took place in the city’s outskirts, in a meadow right next to the forest. The sun had fallen behind the horizon, campfires illuminated the darkness, and songs drowned the rustling of leaves.
Kairos came to ...
2021-02-06 09:54:39 +0000 UTC
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Time to choose this month's Past Fragment Interlude, between two tragic backstories.
1) A Death in Monaco
Have you ever wondered what was the worst way to die? What death made Ryan stop caring and become a true chaotic spirit? Watch as our beloved courier challenges Monaco, the most dangerous place on Earth, and achieves the perfect death!
2) Pandamania: Roaring Thunder!
Heroes aren't born, they'...
2021-02-05 11:36:32 +0000 UTC
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“You’re not a human,” the film scriptwriter said. “You are a panda who drank a human-shifting Elixir.”
Ryan remained silent a moment, before exchanging confused glances with the Panda and Atom Cat. All three of them sat in chairs next to a cardboard cutout showing Wyvern transforming into a dragon, and faced two Dynamis screenwriters with very strange ideas. “I’m sorry?” the Panda asked, sinking in his chair while in human form. “That’s not my tragic backstory!”
2021-02-04 09:38:52 +0000 UTC
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Ryan had to give it to Dynamis. The company spoiled its heroes rotten.
Enrique had granted the courier a full penthouse suite, located on the Optimates Tower’s twenty-fifth floor. Ryan slept in an apartment-sized bedroom, with a plasma screen TV and an unbeatable picturesque window view of the city. The suite was fully stocked with amenities and tastefully decorated, with no inch of ground left without a carpet; each piece of furniture had been carefully selected to create an atmosphe...
2021-02-02 09:15:59 +0000 UTC
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For a long moment, Ryan didn’t say a single word.
He had put his mask on a side of the table, near the chessboard, and kept looking at his steaming coffee cup. The courier could lose himself in the bitter darkness of the soft, delightful drink.
Anything to alleviate the tension in the room.
“Your cup is not poisoned,” Livia said before clearing her throat. She wore a black turtleneck, classy, but casual. “If I wanted you dead, you would be.”
“Poison wouldn...
2021-01-30 07:58:08 +0000 UTC
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And the whole thing started so well!
Right after Ryan punched Psyshock’s jaw out, Shroud revealed his ‘presence’ and unleashed glass shards in all directions. The situation quickly devolved into a chaotic melee, while the pets in the animal shelter howled as one.
Shortie immediately fired at Psyshock with her water rifle, the liquid forming a three-meters wide bubble around the Meta. The malevolent telepath struggled inside, unable to escape the liquid prison. Meanwhile, Rak...
2021-01-28 08:35:02 +0000 UTC
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I ended up making a Genome generator for the Perfect Run, with a dedicated channel on the Discord server. Have fun: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_R5e8gJ2qpFFkNmaLuMnC_Of0PYoAUpGGoJ8lc8oER4/edit?usp=sharing
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“And right in front of us, you can see Rust Town’s famous orphanage, whe...
2021-01-26 09:58:37 +0000 UTC
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As it turned out, Wardrobe had an entire floor of Il Migliore’s tower dedicated to her.
Ryan and the Panda waited inside an elevator, as it slowly climbed towards their destination. The duo could see the sun illuminate New Rome through a glass window, Ryan glancing at Rust Town while his sidekick sang a Spider-man cartoon tune to himself.
It was May 10th, and Psyshock would soon attack the orphanage.
Ryan’s cell phone buzzed to the tune of I Got You, Babe
2021-01-23 08:41:03 +0000 UTC
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Kairos and his mother walked across the docks, moving towards the Savage.
Once Pelopidas’ pleasure cruiser, the ship had been repurposed by Serras’ crew into a raider ship. They had reinforced the hull with a powerful spiked ram, added ballistae at the front and back, and even dyed the sails black for added spookiness; the pirates had chosen a bloody skull for their symbol, hoping to inspire terror in all those who would look upon it.
Kairos hadn’t heard much from S...
2021-01-23 08:40:56 +0000 UTC
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No matter what Wyvern said, Enrique ‘Blackthorn’ Manada had to be a sinister criminal mastermind.
As he waltzed into the man’s office, Ryan realized it wasn’t just his fashion sense or icy behavior. Almost all the plants the Green Genome collected were poisonous, and one of the fish in his Japanese pond was a fugu pufferfish, infamous for its neurotoxins. Though Ryan knew from experience it tasted wonderful, if prepared well.
Yeah, nothing suspicious about that ma...
2021-01-21 08:53:42 +0000 UTC
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“So, let me get this straight,” Wyvern asked, floating above the street outside Ryan’s hotel bedroom. “You came to New Rome hunting for the Meta-Gang, who managed to uncover a cache of Mechron tech beneath Rust Town. You also strongly believe that someone in Dynamis, probably Hector—namely, my employer—hired them to harass the Augusti.”
“Pretty much, yes.” Ryan nodded, wearing nothing but his underwear.
Wyvern smiled. “Am I being pranked?”
Was ...
2021-01-19 09:11:21 +0000 UTC
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Since The Legend of Kairos is now mostly crowdfunded through Patreon, I thought about offering you patrons a choice about a future story arc, starting in February. Each arc will focus on a specific aspect of the story, so choose well.
- A Kingdom of My Own (Townbuilding, Dungeon Crawl, and Monster Taming)
With his new [Monster Lure] skill, Kairos can't help but attract monsters to his location, endangering his hometown. With no other choi...
2021-01-17 15:55:44 +0000 UTC
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Crafting was an art.
While in theory, one could craft without the System’s help, it took decades of training and still yielded a large chance of failure. Skills shortened the process, removed the margin of error, and subtly guided their user all steps of the way. The higher the skill rank, the better the result.
Kairos could sense the difference. Now that he had the funds and skills needed, he had established a rudimentary workshop at the back of his house, near the kitchen. A t...
2021-01-16 10:47:31 +0000 UTC
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- Spring 2018, farm near Firenze, Italy.
An eighteen-years old Ryan Romano kicked the laboratory’s door open, naked as the day he was born. “Braindead!” he shouted, raising a rabbit plushie above his head. “I did it! I did it!”
His ‘roommate’ Alchemo, who had been busy operating on an extracted dog’s brain, raised his head at Ryan. This lanky cyborg had bones made of brass, steel pumps for organs, and glass for veins; his hands ended wit...
2021-01-16 10:47:27 +0000 UTC
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Standing in the middle of a white, underground experimentation room, Ryan let out a groan. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Too late, asshole,” Jasmine replied, as she used a screwdriver to close the armor’s lightweight alloy chest plate, leaving only the courier’s head exposed. Eugène-Henry Schrodinger meowed at her side, looking at his master with curiosity. “But I added a urine-recycling system if you want to drink your own piss.”
“Charming.” Ryan’s body ...
2021-01-14 10:30:16 +0000 UTC
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