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Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 59 - Vermin

Elijah shifted into his draconid form and attempted to adopt Guise of the Unseen. However, when he tried, the ability refused to cooperate. That told him two things. First, he was not alone. And second, they were watching him.

Flaring One with Nature, he tried to find his hidden observers, but even though the cavernous crack in the wall was only a dozen or so inches across, his ability couldn’t touch the sides. Apparently, it had scaled right alongside his decreased size. In some ways...

Chapter 473 - The Pillar

“At least it doesn’t smell down here,” Eveline said as Zeke looked around.  The chamber was clean, though he’d been in enough sewers to recognize the subterranean room’s previous purpose. 

“At least there’s no fecal fiend,” he muttered to himself.  “Or monsters performing rituals to summon one, I guess.”

“Indeed,” Eveline said.  She knew all about his history, so she didn’t need him to explain his previous expeditions into sewer system...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 58 - The Concubine

The smell of decay mixed with moist odor of drifting fog as Elijah approached the pile of servitors. None of them even twitched, and as he drew closer, he verified that they were dead. Perhaps they’d never truly been alive, though he suspected that he’d gained some experience from each one, because his levels had skyrocketed after killing the Creator. He looked at his status:

While five poi...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 57 - The Creator

Elijah had no intention of engaging the servitors in a straight fight. There were only ten of them, so he felt reasonably sure that, using Iron Scales, he could endure whatever they could dish out. Yet, if he missed even one attack, he ran the risk of becoming infected. And if that happened, he had nothing to stop it.

In other words, infection meant death.

So, with that in mind, he positioned himself at the edge of his range – which was around twenty yards. Then, he ducked behin...

Chapter 472 - The Cradle of Life

Talia crouched atop a pile of rubble, staring toward the city.  Behind her, the huge, green pillar that represented the dungeon that had poisoned the Cradle of Life with unchecked vitality loomed.  Yet, even with that deadly source of life so close, the whole of her attention was on the city.

Because something was happening.

“What do you think it is?” asked Baruk, standing at her shoulder with his huge sword strapped to his back.  He was still recovering from th...

New Art for Path of Dragons!

I just got this finalized piece (depicting Elijah's draconid form), and I wanted to share it. It's by the same artist (Rashed Al Aroka) that did the previous piece, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Anyway, I wanted to share it with you all!

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 56 - The Curse and the Cure

Anger coursed through Elijah’s entire body, gripping his mind with implacable fury as he laid waste to the monsters clambering across his scaley body. They bit, and they clawed, and despite his high Constitution and the durable nature of his Shape of the Guardian, they left him in ruins.

Yet, Elijah was no stranger to pain.

He could endure whatever the ghouls dished out. Not so for his companions. Fortunately, with every passing moment, they drew closer to safety. He hoped. They...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 55 - An Estate of Unrest

Cool night air tickled Elijah’s skin as he stepped through the portal and into the lighthouse tower. For a moment, he ignored the notifications announcing his entrance and informing him of the task he was meant to accomplish, instead focusing on his surroundings. The air wasn’t just cold. It carried with it a mostly unidentifiable odor that reminded him of a long-neglected basement. Yet, the environment didn’t support that imagined scenario, because he found himself in the middle of a f...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 54 - The Lighthouse

Elijah held his hand out in a gesture of greeting, introduced himself, then added, “Nice to meet you.” The male elf, who looked a lot like K’hana, though with black hair instead of white, eyed his hand warily, then turned his nose up at the offering. Elijah winced. “Ah, leaving me hanging. This is getting off to a great start.”

“Badu,” said K’hana admonishingly. “Be respectful.”

Badu grunted, then turned his back and headed toward the tunnel that would take him...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 53 - An Oddity

Sitting cross-legged in the center of the ritual circle, K’hana Tamira stared into the flickering candle flame. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not concentrate on her meditation. So, with an exasperated sigh, she let her shoulders slump in frustration and exhaustion.

“You fail because you lack focus,” said elder Hama.

K’hana glanced at the older elf, but bit back the scathing retort she so wished she could level at her unforgiving master. Like most elves lucky ...

Chapter 471 - Herald of Destruction

With a flex of demonic mana, Zeke grew into his colossal form.  Even as he transformed, he embraced his domains, one after another.  First came [Burden of Sovereignty], which served to weaken his enemies while augmenting his own physical attributes.  Dalamaya stumbled slightly, but her comrades fell to their knees under the weight of it.  Next came [Aura of Desolation], igniting the ambient mana with corruption that further enhanced him while digging through his enemies’...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 52 - A Soft Heart

A dozen elves, each no more than five feet tall, surrounded Elijah.  None looked particularly aggressive, but they were all armed with bows, spears, or wide-bladed scimitars with curved hilts.  Though, as peaceful as they seemed at first glance, Elijah was very aware that they were clearly waiting for him.  And given that they’d surrounded him, he didn’t think they were there on a social call.

“Whoa, guys,” he said, raising one hand toward the beautiful elf who’...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 51 - The Breaking Point

Sparks flew as Carmen hammered the red-hot billet of steel, and as she worked, she left her worries behind. Yet, even as the metal began to take shape, she couldn’t escape the reality of her failures. Over the past week, two more people had deserted in the dead of night without even bothering to say goodbye. If ever there was a judgement on her leadership, it was that the people who’d followed her out of Easton refused to even remain in the same town she occupied.

Her hammer fell, f...

Chapter 470 - Mistakes

The trip into the city was eye-opening.  Not because of the obvious damage from the ongoing conflict.  Nor because of the war-torn people he saw.  Each one looked ragged – even more so than their race would usually indicate – and thin, with expressions that said they were exhausted.  But that was expected, given everything Zeke had seen in the rest of El’kireth. 

No - what he found most interesting was the runecrafting work on the buildings.  He could...

Weekly Check-In (3/24/24)

Well - another week's gone, and there's been a ton of growth around here. So, there are lots of newcomers around. Welcome to all of you, and thank you for your support!

First of all, we finished Mistrunner yesterday, which was a huge achievement for me. I'm a bit sad about it, but I'm also relieved. Excited, too. So, there's a lot of different emotions going on. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Regarding Path of Dragons, I've only got about 5 more chapters to write i...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 50 - Catching Up

Healing Rain mixed with normal precipitation as a storm gripped the island, bathing Elijah and his coffee tree in ethera as well as life-giving water. There was a time when he might not have remained outdoors in such a storm, yet he found it comforting and rejuvenating in a way that had nothing to do with the effects of his spell.

It helped that the seasons had once again turned, with spring giving way to summer. With that, the temperatures had risen, giving the rain a soothing cast tha...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 49 - The Miracle Seed

“No!” exclaimed Nerthus. “Cease that behavior at once! That is not for eating!”

Elijah broke out of his brief musings on elven beauty to see that in the couple of short minutes since the deer had passed through his summoned gate and into his grove, they’d made themselves at home. And considering they were voracious eaters with a taste for Elijah’s grove berries, the results were predictable.

And in truth, so was Nerthus’ obvious exasperation. The little tree spirit i...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 48 - The Moon Well

Lightning cracked, and thunder rolled as a summer storm swept through the area, dumping a deluge of rain along the way. Elijah sat back, leaning against the trunk of an oak tree as he enjoyed the ambiance. To him, there was something comforting about a proper rainstorm – a combination of all five senses that coalesced to remind him of home.

Not the island, though considering its climate, that was probably accurate as well. Instead, he thought of his childhood, when he and his family w...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 47 - The Next Circle

Elijah slammed his fist into the concrete foundation. The impact hit with massive force, sending deep cracks to spread across the area. Then, Elijah scooped the pieces up, throwing them into a plastic, fifty-five-gallon drum he’d found in the displaced railyard. It was that discovery that had given him the idea that he’d begun to implement. Whether or not it would work was still a mystery.

Because for all Elijah’s knowledge, he only knew the basics of making homemade concrete. And...

Mistrunner 4 - Epilogue - In the Wake of Sacrifice

Many of you know that this is the last volume of Mistrunner.  As such, this chapter is the last in the series.  I won't claim that I'll never come back to this world.  I probably will.  But it'll be a different story.  

All things must end, and I count it a personal accomplishment that I could give this story a good conclusion.  I hope you all enjoyed it.

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 46 - Necessity

Roman’s face twisted in disgust as the stink of the unwashed mass of prisoners wafted into his nose. He asked, “Can we not wash them, at least?”

“We could hose ‘em down,” offered the warden. The fat man had somehow gained weight since the last time Roman had seen him, which only added to the air of disgust that pervaded the lowest reaches of the palace dungeon. “But they’d just get dirty again. Ain’t much reason for them to care about hygiene, as such. Most don’t thi...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 45 - Moonlight

A gentle breeze rustled the forest canopy, and the smell of blooming flowers danced in the air. Even in the shade, it was hot, but the Cloak of the Iron Bear kept Elijah from becoming uncomfortable as he followed his quarry. The hunters, for all their bluster, were terrible at their jobs. They moved with heavy-footed obliviousness, frightening any real game they might have targeted. In addition, they had yet to close their mouths long enough to look or listen.

“Shoulda smacked him for...

Chapter 469 - A City in Conflict

The next week was more of the same.  Zeke was continuously amazed by the level of destruction that had befallen the kingdom, but given that he’d just stepped out of a war, he wasn’t really surprised that it was present.  When warriors had the power of heavy munitions in their skills, a certain degree of devastation was inevitable.  However, what truly troubled him was the number of casualties.

“I never though I’d feel sorry of undead,” Zeke said, looking at a to...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 44 - A Small Task

“You ain’t never heard of shoes?”

Elijah looked up from his drink to see a burly man leaning against the bar next to him. Another one was on the other side, practically bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation. Elijah had been in enough bars to recognize when the local tough guys were spoiling for a fight.

In truth, he was almost willing to oblige them. But given his Strength, he didn’t think it would be satisfying. More importantly, there was every chance he’d end up ...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 43 - A Place of Power

“Can I help you, friend?” asked the man leaning against the door frame in the back of the shop. He was tall, though not nearly as tall as Thor, with a slender waist and wide shoulders. It was the build of a Warrior, yet Thor suspected that the man was no true fighter. However, there was a sense of menace about him that made Thor hesitate to force anything.

“I seek a Druid,” Thor stated.

“I’m an arm’s dealer, not a rumormonger,” he stated. “You want weapons? I’m...

Chapter 468 - A Wartorn Nation

Zeke ripped his leg free of the creeping glob of ooze that had wrapped around it, then bounded backward as another slapped down in the location he’d just vacated. It hit with a wet splat, then started to creep forward, leaving a trail of gooey moisture behind. Zeke barely noticed it. Instead, he waved his hammer, trying his best to dislodge the other bit of sticky, gelatinous muck from its head.

It resisted.

“Just use [Wrath of Annihilation] on the whole kingdom,” Eveline re...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 42 - Valosta

Elijah finally climbed free of the bog with a deep sense of relief that was so prevalent that it made him want to simply flop onto his back and rest. Yet, just because he’d found the edge of the mire, that didn’t mean he had fully left the swamp behind. The ground was still moist, and the same wildlife still pervaded the environment. So, he knew he still had miles to go before he could realistically put the swamp behind him.

So, he continued to trudge along, one facet of his mind fo...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 41 - Deserters

Carmen was in her element.

After spending so long away from the forge, she’d nearly forgotten how much of her identity had become wrapped around being a Blacksmith. But now that she’d been given access to a smithy – even if it was poorly equipped – she was reminded why she’d chosen the path of the crafter that first day of the apocalypse. At the time, she’d thought it was because of her past working with primitive skills, but since then, she’d come to recognize the simple ...

Mistrunner 4 - Chapter 57 - A Countdown to Extinction

There is freedom in hopelessness born of necessity. Striving toward a goal you think is impossible to reach can sometimes result in miracles.

Galatira Iamaxis

“It’s charging up,” Patrick said.

“How long?” I asked, racing across the room to one of the terminals. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I needed to figure something out. I didn’t need any further explanations to understand that the Templa...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 40 - Good People

Riding an alligator in the middle of a swamp was an odd sensation, but Elijah had to admit it wasn’t even the strangest thing to have happened that day. Instead, that label belonged the fact that he had battled – and defeated – a literal hydra, not unlike the one from Earth’s mythology only an hour before. It was just one more oddity to add to the list of curiosities he’d experienced since Earth was touched by the World Tree.

And he knew it wasn’t going to be the last, eithe...