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Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 39 - Choice

Time felt like it was moving in slow-motion as Elijah struggled against the fiddler crab’s oversized claw. Even as he levered it apart, he knew it was pointless. The girl, who was fiercely trying to scramble away from the hydra’s snake-like head, was going to die. He could see that as plain as day.

Then, he felt something coming.

Something big.

Something scaley.

Something alligator-y.

Bessy raced through the swamp with unmatched speed and barreled into the re...

Chapter 467 - A Different World

Traveling through the undead kingdom El’kireth made Zeke feel like a trespasser. Weeks had passed since he’d first passed into the land of the unliving, and every step had come with a cost. In a way, it reminded him of the times he’d trekked through various swamps, where everything seemed hellbent on killing him. No matter which way he turned, there was another deadly threat waiting to show him why he did not belong.

Some that had manifested were like the river monster that had in...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 38 - Man or Monster

“What are you humming?” asked Bryce, who was perched on Elijah’s shoulder as he made his way through the swamp. Because of her gangly height, she kept digging her knee into his neck, which was both annoying and awkward. So, he’d distracted himself by dipping into the facet of his Quartz Mind dedicated to monitoring his Domain. There was something altogether comforting about focusing almost entirely on his island, about knowing where everything was and where it was supposed to be.

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 37 - Murder

“Idiots,” said Roman with disgust as he looked out across the battlefield. The sun had long since set, and even though thousands of fighters had already fallen, the battle continued to rage. At one point, the sky had lit up with hundreds of spells, and of all sorts, but most of the Sorcerers and other casters had quickly run out of ethera. Now, the air was filled with the clash of metal on metal as the more physical combatants fought a bloody and, ultimately, pointless fight.

Roman ...

Chapter 466 - The Smell of Death

This is the start of Book Nine.  Bear in mind that it's intended as the beginning of a book, so some of this will be recap of previous events.

“This isn’t up for debate. None of you can come with me,” Zeke said. “If you want to argue, step outside, and if you survive the death attuned mana, you can come. Otherwise, I have to go alone.”

That did not go over well with anyone present. Pudge had taken it in more or less in stride, but Zeke could tell ...

Weekly Check-In (3/17/24)

I had a really good week this past week.  I got a ton of work done on both Death: Genesis and Path of Dragons, but the highlight was that I finished Mistrunner.  The last chapter is scheduled to hit later this week.  I'll admit that completing the series brings mixed emotions.  On the one hand, there's relief.  My workload over the past few months has been extremely heavy, and I'm looking forward to that decreasing.  I'll probably load myself up again sometime in...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 36 - The Alchemist's Daughter

Elijah could scarcely see the girl, as she was hidden in the branches, but he certainly heard her scream. He also saw the small fireball she tossed down at the hydra. It hit with a splash of flames, but the spell had very little effect on the monster.

And it was a monster.

Elijah was sure of that. He didn’t know precisely what made it so different or why he recognized it, but he was absolutely certain that the hydra was not of Earth. Of course, given its appearance, that should ...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 35 - Through the Swamp

Fireflies danced to the tune of croaking frogs as night descended on the swamp. In his lamellar ape form, Elijah waded forward, trailing his claw along the wide trunk of a cypress tree. And as he did, only one thought occupied his mind.

“I hate swamps,” he growled to himself. “I hate swamps so damn much.”

He cursed himself for not taking one of Marcy’s boats. At the time, he’d chosen to leave them behind because he wanted to be ready for anything that might attack him....

Mistrunner 4 - Chapter 56 - Whispers Overwhelming

Being the most powerful person on the planet doesn’t mean anything if the entire universe is arrayed against you. Sometimes, you’re just destined to lose.

Alistaris Kargat

As Gala shouted something I couldn’t be bothered to hear, I acted on instinct. Gathering the Mist around me, I embraced the structure of Teleport. At the same time, I wrapped myself in a protective barrier that, in my panicked state, I hoped woul...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 34 - The Missing Child

All the worst sorts of insects buzzed around Elijah’s head as he crouched beside a bald cypress tree whose roots and the lower reaches of its wide trunk were submerged in the murky water. Beneath his feet was mud, decomposed organic matter, and quite a few creepy and crawly freshwater creatures. He could feel each and every one of them with One with Nature, so it wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as it otherwise might have been. He’d walked through a swamp before the world had changed, an...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 33 - Eber

“I don’t like it,” said Carmen. “Seems too…I don’t know…”

“Gonna need a bit more’n that, boss,” Colt said, kneeling beside her. His stump of a hand rested on his knee while he shielded his eyes with his one good hand. “Looks like a normal town to me.”

“I know. I think that’s what’s bothering me. It just seems too peaceful.”

“It ain’t like the school,” he said.

Indeed, they’d spent most of the past few days scouring the area for...

Mistrunner 4 - Chapter 55 - A Fated Battle

I’m not special. Not unique. Yet, I’m surrounded by the best of the best. Gala. Alistaris. Even Freddy was strong for a Templar. But me? I’m only a little better than average. And Mira…she’s so far beyond even those others that she’s practically a different, far more evolved species. That scares me.

Patrick Ward

A sharp tendril of Mist extended from the black-clad mystic, aiming directly for my heart...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 32 - That Swamp Life

“Are you sure Delilah’s not going to be back anytime soon?” Elijah pleaded.

“I’m positive,” said Isaak. “And you’ve got sauce in your beard.”

Elijah extended his tongue as he awkwardly tried to find whatever sauce Isaak was talking about, but he failed miserably. The result was that Elijah ended up looking quite silly, but in his defense, he’d drunk far too much liquor at Atticus’ insistence. The other man was like a bottomless pit of alcohol tolerance, and e...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 31 - The Dolmen

In the wake of the hellish storm, the whole of Argos came together. In a way, it reminded Elijah of what he’d seen in Ironshore, which further confirmed his judgment of the city. It was such a sharp contrast to Norcastle. The people who lived in that city hadn’t been unhappy. Nor were they bad people. But they didn’t share a sense of community. Not like Argos.

Over the next week, Elijah pitched in wherever he could. Much of his time was spent healing, but he also volunteered to he...

Chapter 465 - The Fall of Adontis

“How many?” Zeke asked, looking up at Kianma. She stood near the edge of the pool of the Crimson Spring, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Seven-thousand,” she answered. “Mostly beastkin. Then humans. We lost a little over a thousand of the Ak-Kal Ra.”

Zeke shifted, sending ripples through the steaming water. In the wake of the battle, the kobolds had chosen a name for themselves. Ak-Kal Ra. In their language, it meant The Rescued. Or The Saved People. Exact definiti...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 30 - Sanctioned

A hundred guards, fifty to a side, lined the throne room. Each one was immaculately dressed in their formal, blue-and-white uniforms. Their boots had been glossed to perfection, and there wasn’t a thread out of place. Their hair was all identical – male and female alike – and each was armed with a gleaming saber. Being assigned to the throne room was an honor, but one that came with a steep price: conformity and perfection. Anything else would invite the ire of the Lord of Easton.

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 29 - Fellowship

The wind whipped the trees with an unmatched frenzy that reminded Elijah of the strongest hurricanes. Yet, he was hundreds of miles from the shore, which meant that the storm shouldn’t have been nearly so fearsome. Still, if the sustained winds were less than a hundred miles an hour, he would have been incredibly surprised. So, whether it made sense or not was irrelevant, and Elijah was forced to take solace in a cave that, judging by the smell, had only recently been occupied by some sort ...

Chapter 464 - Found Wanting

Silver light tore through Zeke, making him feel like he was being ripped apart, piece by piece. However, he maintained his wits enough to counter it by flooding [Aura of Desolation] with as much mana as he could manage. More, he shoved his Will into the skill as well. For the next few seconds, the two domains – for that was what that silver light clearly represented – warred, with either combatant pushing their abilities as hard as they could.

Meanwhile, they rushed one another, the...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 28 - A Sad Reality

“They won’t last much longer without rest,” said Theresa, the Chemist who’d so far kept everyone in Carmen’s group on their feet. “I don’t know how they’re still on their feet.”

“Constitution and Regeneration,” Carmen said, looking back at the ragged group of refugees who’d been banished from Easton alongside her. To say they looked dejected was an understatement, and she knew that they were on the verge of simply giving up. It was a glimpse into the sad reality ...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 27 - Human Nature

Elijah cursed himself for not traveling in his draconid form. Not only would it have allowed him to cross the wilderness much more quickly – even without the Dexterity and Strength boost it provided, the form was still much better suited for the task – but it would have allowed him to avoid the current situation entirely.

Because the men and women surrounding him were clearly not intent on hunting beasts.

There were twelve of them, all armed with spears, axes, and swords and w...

Mistrunner 4 - Chapter 54 - The Infinite Conquest

Fighting an invasion is difficult, especially when the forces are uneven. Because of that, desperate measures are often necessary. Moral sacrifices have to be made. Boundaries must be crossed. That is the only way we can hope to win.

Galatira Iamaxis

Space spread out before us, blocked only by a giant monstrosity of a ship called the Infinite Conquest. I had seen plenty of holographic models of the vessel, so its appearance wasn’t a sur...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 26 - A Pleasant Night

A fire flickered merrily in the shallow pit Elijah had dug. It wasn’t strictly necessary, especially with his new Cloak of the Iron Bear protecting him from extreme temperatures. Yet, there was something undeniably comforting about a campfire, especially when there was a spit with a venison tenderloin roasting above it. Elijah watched as the juices dripped into the fire, sizzling upon impact.

If someone had asked him before Earth had experienced the touch of the World Tree, he would h...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 25 - The Trinity

The moment Elijah leaped upon the Voxxian monster’s back, he got a surprise as his claws failed to find purchase. Instead, they skated off of a shimmering purple shield, and when he snapped out a bite, his jaws were entirely rebuffed. Still, via one facet of his Quartz Mind, he noticed a series of large cracks spread across the purple surface of the shield before it faded from view.

By that point, though, the monsters knew he was there, and they wasted no time before reacting. The big...

Chapter 463 - The Battle of Ivern

Zeke was disappointed.

[Wrath of Annihilation] had torn the dome-like shield completely apart, but the damage it had done to the city of Ivern was minimal.

“Minimal?” Eveline said, mentally focusing on the blocks of ruined buildings and slain Knights who’d been stationed on the outskirts of the city. “You and I have very different interpretations of that word.”

He could acknowledge the truth of that. However, given what he’d seen on the Mukti Plains, Zeke felt ju...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 24 - Increasing Sophistication

A gentle rain fell upon Elijah’s upturned face as he floated on the surface of a small pond. He could feel fish and freshwater eels, turtles, and frogs among dozens of other aquatic creatures. Most were larger than they had been before the Earth was transformed by the touch of the World Tree, yet the difference wasn’t nearly as dramatic as it had been in the ocean. Elijah could only suppose that was due to space, but it was just as possible that the area’s ambient ethera wasn’t strong...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 23 - A Strong Ruler

There were seven opponents, all of equal skill, though none had the benefit of Roman’s attributes. Even without the enhancement provided by the Seal of Authority, his level far outstripped that of his opponents.

But that didn’t matter.

He was better than them, and to a degree that made him almost a different species. Of course he would have the advantage of superior Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Still, he didn’t activate any of his spells or abilities, because that ...

Chapter 462 - Short

With a crack of thunder, the sky broke apart to reveal a sea of roiling flames and molten rock. For a second, nothing else happened, but then, a cataclysm of unprecedented proportions fell upon the city of Ivern, burying the dome of the Barrier in hellfire and brimstone.

Inside, Lord Adontis looked up and sneered at the expression of the massive spell. It was impressive. Powerful and destructive. Yet, it was not enough. The monsters – or more appropriately, whoever had harnessed their...

Weekly Check-In (3/10/24)

We've got another week in the books, and this was a big one.  Not only did Path of Dragons reach the front page of Royal Road (on the Popular This Week list, which means it was in the top ten in terms of views on the site), but the launch for Death: Genesis 5 went great.  It stuck in the top 1000 on both Kindle and Audible for the whole week (still in the top 2000 right now).  So, it seems pretty popular.   Big week all around.

In more specific Death: Genesis ne...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 22 - Breadcrumbs

Thor leaped backwards, fending off the Voxxian monster with his spear. At the same time, he used Ancestor’s Torpor, and a translucent spirit climbed out of the ground and wrapped itself around creature. From experience, he knew it was only visible to him, but the effects would be keenly felt by any enemy:

Ancestor’s Torpor

Summon an ancestral spirit that saps the Strength and Dexterity of your enemy. Duration   based on Ethera attribute. Curr...