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Chapter 265 - Jas’perinar Kel’tanisik

Jas’perinar Kel’tanisik stared at the curious human in shock, unsure how to react to Zeke’s proclamation that he would “take care of the monsters.” He recovered from his shock just in time to reach out and grab the man’s upper arm; it was like grabbing a mountain. His skin was primarily normal, but when Jasper, as he preferred to be called, gripped it, he got the impression of an unmovable mass of metal. Still, he persisted because the alternative was death at the hands of the kob...

Chapter 264 - The Rainbow Forest

Zeke rolled his shoulders and, for the first time since ascending, embraced his transformed skills. Some, like [Unleash Momentum] and [Weight of Two worlds], were unchanged by the {Arcane Colossus} class. And [Mark of Companionship] had only gained a rudimentary tracking function. The others two had been completely reworked.

After activating [Metallurgical Repair], he immediately recognized the differences. The most obvious change had been that it was no longer an attack; as [Life Scyth...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 29 - A Grim Reminder

The wolves are nipping at my heels. I’m surrounded on all sides by people who want to take what I’ve worked so hard for. I don’t know how Jeremiah lasted as long as he did.

Nora Lancaster

I left Biloxi much as I’d entered, though I managed to get out without running into any more of Blue Epoch’s guards. When I finally left the town behind, I let out a sigh of relief. Performing that kind of a mission wasn’t a...

AMA Post is Now Live

I just wanted to let everyone know that the AMA post is now live.  I won't start answering questions for another hour (at 6PM CST), but you can go ahead and get the questions queued up now.  

I don't think it's a secret that I'd love to see quite a few questions!

Death: Genesis 2 Out Now!

Just thought I'd remind everyone that the second book in Death: Genesis is out now!  You can get it on Kindle, 2023-03-28 14:25:47 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 263 - The End of Pretending

Zeke hefted an armful of medium-quality blood mithril ore in his arms, and with a grunt, deposited it onto the cart. Once it was settled into place, he wiped his forearm across his forehead and sighed. He’d been at it for a week, and outside of that first skirmish with the reptilian kobolds, his life had devolved into monotony. He’d become so bore that, more than once, he’d considered eschewing Oberon’s hints at ephemeral opportunities in favor of forging ahead on his own path. The on...

Death: Genesis 2 Out Tomorrow (plus an AMA!)

I know most of you that actually have questions for me have probably already asked them either here or on Discord, but I'd love it if you all would head over to r/litrpg on Reddit for my AMA tomorrow at 6PM CST.  

Oh...and also, Death: Genesis 2 is out tomorrow on Audible and Kindle.  Check it out!

2023-03-28 01:31:05 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 262 - Westport

Tucker sat on the back of one of the wagons, his attention focused inward on the spatial storage that had come with [Alchemist’s Constitution]. It wasn’t full – not by any means – but its contents were far more robust than they’d been when he’d joined Athis’s caravan. He’d also made a fair bit of money in the last few weeks, courtesy of his ability to make various inebriants for the caravan’s guards and drivers.

Technically, they were poisons, but that could be said of...

Weekly Check-In (3/26/23)

This has been a pretty busy week for me, and for a lot of reasons.  As I've said, I was just able to transition into full-time writing, so I've tried to increase my productivity accordingly.  So, instead of doing ten chapters a week, I've increased it to twelve (or fourteen, if I'm feeling particularly frisky).  The good thing is that even though I'm writing more, my total hours worked in the week has now gone down a bit (because I'm not trying to work an extra job).  So, ...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 28 - Disaster Artist

I’m not looking for a fight, but I can’t back down. No one respects our strength anymore, and they think they can take whatever they want from us. The moment I let anything slide is the moment I start losing control of the Specters. And I won’t let that happen. Not after everything I’ve sacrificed.

Nora Lancaster

Biloxi’s defenses weren’t nearly as impressive as Mobile’s, but they still represented a signif...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 27 - Ruining a Life

I wonder if Mira is still out there. She was the instrument through which Jeremiah showed his disdain for me, but that wasn’t her fault. I tried to protect her, but I have no way of knowing if I was successful.

Nora Lancaster

“Do you have any more?” asked Calvin, looking at me with bloodshot eyes. His whole body twitched, and he shivered in the damp heat of the Biloxi night. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and whee...

Chapter 261 - The Mine

The next day, Zeke followed Jasper out of the barracks, a mingling sense of trepidation and excitement dancing in his stomach. On the one hand, he hoped it would be the first step toward completing his quest and gaining his new skill. Perhaps it was the opportunity of which Oberon had intended him to take advantage. But on the other, he had no idea what to expect in a dwarven mine. Would it simply be manual labor? Or were there dangers in the mines?

His instincts – and Jasper’s hint...

Chapter 260 - Starting from the Bottom

Zeke sat with his back against the wall, frustrated by his inability to access his storage space. He hadn’t tried to do so while he was being escorted across the tundra to Min Ferilik, but the moment he’d been left in the slave barracks, he’d attempted to summon one of the pieces of barbecued monster meat he’d gotten back in Bastion. And he’d been rebuffed, stopped by the same restraints that prevented him from accessing his skills. Then and there, he'd considered breaking the restr...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 26 - Setting the Hook

On the surface of it, Jeremiah shouldn’t have been that difficult to track. But he flitted around like a shadow, rarely ever staying in one place for long enough to pin him down. With me feeding them real-time information, it became a lot easier. For almost a year, I wrestled with the decision, but in the end, I just did what I always do: put myself first.

Nora Lancaster

I brushed my ring-clad knuckle against the key-r...

Chapter 259 - Caravan

Tucker stood at the edge of the forest into which he’d appeared after his ascension, looking out over the plain. Knee high grass danced in the breeze, and the bright sun hung high in the sky, obscured only by the occasional fluffy white cloud.  By any measure, it was an idyllic scene.

So, why were the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end?

There was danger out there, he was sure of it. The only question was whether or not he could handle it. Kneeling down, Tucker co...

Chapter 258 - Min Ferelik

The further Zeke descended, the more he could feel the mana tightening around his chest. He didn’t belong in these tunnels, and the weight of the mountain wasn’t shy about letting him know it. If Zeke had to make an educated guess based on the runes he’d seen on the columns outside, he’d have said that the pressure he felt was somehow tied to them, but without further study, he couldn’t be sure. However, he did notice that the dwarves seemed completely unaffected, which lent some cr...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 25 - Biloxi

I’m surrounded by incompetent people. One thing after another, everything has gone wrong since the moment I took over the Specters. Sometimes, I wonder why anyone ever bothers to be in charge.

Nora Lancaster

I sat on my hoverbike, one foot on the ground as I studied the town in the distance. It had some of the trappings of Nova, especially when it came to the atmosphere. It lacked the lewd holographic displays, but it ...

Weekly Check-In (3/19/23)

Alright - another week is in the bag!  Exciting, right?  I'm sure the passage of time has surprised us all with its inexorable march toward the future.  What is even more exciting is what happened during the past seven days!

Well, first of all, I got news from Podium about the releases we have scheduled for the rest of this year.  As many of you know, Death: Genesis 2 is hitting in a bit over a week (3/28, for those of you who rarely pay attention to my weekly rambli...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 24 - The Bayou

Regret is a funny thing. It’s not a constant, but when that feeling comes for you, it hits like a sledgehammer. Lately, it feels like it’s happening more and more, and I wonder if I might have been better off just swallowing my pride and enjoying the position I had.

Nora Lancaster

“What the –”

My assault rifle, which I’d loaded into one of the quick access slots in my Arsenal Implant, was in my hand bef...

Chapter 257 - Losing

Zeke trudged along behind the dwarves, his wrists bound together by metallic black shackles. A chain connected him to one of the dwarves – a particularly broad-shouldered stump of a fellow that looked like he’d been carved from granite. He was also one of the hairiest of the bunch, a trait which seemed to coincide with an incredibly angry demeanor. More than once over the last two days, he’d pelted Zeke with blows from the iron-bound cudgel he held at his waist. They didn’t really hur...

Chapter 256 - Full of Heart

Talia blinked as she took in her surroundings, which reminded her of nothing so much as the Farindale Forest where she’d been remade into a revenant. The atmosphere was oppressively bleak, and the very air smelled of death. She wasn’t the best with energy recognition or control – not like Zeke, who seemed to have a sixth sense for it – but even she could tell that the air would be deadly to anyone without a significant pool of vitality from which to draw as well as a solid foundation ...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 23 - All Natural

Both of my parents were prostitutes on Bourbon Street, dead from dust overdoses before I was a teenager. I sometimes wonder which came first – the drugs or the path that led them to prostitution. Some people love that kind of life, but I don’t think my parents were among that group.

Nora Lancaster

Leaving Nova City wasn’t as easy as heading from one district to another. There were rules about who could and could no...

Chapter 255 - Clear Eyes

Pudge had no idea what to do. Even as he lay on the bare earth, everything felt wrong. He had too many thoughts. Too many emotions. And too few legs. He pushed himself to his knees, studying his body. Everything had changed, and not just a little. The little man had explained everything, telling him that he couldn’t progress to the next plane in his old form. He’d claimed that monsters weren’t allowed to ascend. But Pudge was a special case, and because of his bond to Zeke, he’d been ...

Chapter 254 - The Tundra

For a split second, Zeke was falling through the air, but his momentum was suddenly arrested when he hit the ground. Fresh snow flew into the air at the impact, and it took him a long moment to gather himself. Slowly, he gathered his knees under him and pushed himself upright only to realize that he was absolutely freezing.

And entirely naked.

After looking around for a moment to make sure that there was no immediate danger, he retrieved some of the cold weather clothing he’d us...

Weekly Check-In (3/13)

Ugh.  I've been a bit under the weather the past couple of days, so the check-in for this week sort of slipped my mind.  But never fear - the sickness has been banished, and I'm feeling much better.  Which means it's time for everyone's favorite post (I'm sure you all look forward to this at least as much as eagerly as you await new chapters!).  

Okay - so, general news.  I've removed the post with the PDF for Death: Genesis 2.  If I waited any longer, it m...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 22 - You Scratch My Back...

For the longest time, Jeremiah neglected the Specters. The moment he took Mira out of the city, everything else took a backseat to her training. And everyone noticed. Did he think they would be okay with that?

Nora Lancaster

The next morning, I found myself standing in my room and looking at myself in the mirror. I had already activated Mimic, so I was wearing the identity of a Tier-3 woman with black ha...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 21 - A Day Off

There is nothing better than physically dominating someone. Once the bio-enhancers took hold, I really came into my own, and the knowledge that I could wrestle just about anyone into submission really did a number on my self-confidence. I’ve been leaning on it ever since.

Nora Lancaster

I sat beside Patrick, watching the city whip by as we rode the monorail to Bywater, which was home to the highest class shops I was li...

Chapter 253 - The Only Constant

“Any suggestions?” asked Zeke, glancing at Oberon, who was literally sitting on the edge of his seat. The dwarf leaned forward, his hands on his knees, as he waited upon Zeke’s impending choice.

“Can’t do that,” Oberon answered with a shake of his head. A couple of leaves fell from his hair only to dissipate into nothing before they hit the white floor. “Against the rules.”

Zeke sighed, then he looked his options over once again. They all seemed powerful enough, bu...

Chapter 252 - Class

For a moment that stretched into an eternity, Zeke hung suspended within the expansive confines of the void. Between his death and rebirth, Zeke had become intimately familiar with that endless stretch of nothing, so, in some ways, it felt like he’d returned home. However, contrary to his previous experience, this instance left his self-awareness intact. There was no acceptance. No contentment. Just a brutal awareness of both his insignificance as well as the unrelenting monotony that came ...

Mistrunner 2 - Chapter 20 - Nothing Worthwhile is Ever Free

After…I did what I did, I had to call in a lot of markers in order to take control of the Specters. Even then, my grip was tenuous at best. I’m not sure if it was worth it.

Nora Lancaster

I switched identities twice more on my way to Gunther’s Guns. No one had followed me, at least as far as I could tell, but I knew assuming things like that was a good way to get killed. So, every few blocks, I ducked into an alley...