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Mistrunner - Chapter 16 - A Tender Side

I had plenty of advantages going for me. Training. Experience. Skills. But even then, I often found myself woefully outmatched when I went up against the aliens. My potential was higher, but they’d had decades to make the most out of what they had. And that made all the difference.

Jeremiah Braddock IIII

After a short drive through the town, we pulled into a sizable supply depot, where a host of burly men and women were waiting to unload the supplies we’d brought. The...

Mistrunner - Chapter 15 - Debts

The journey home was a depressing one, but I had to know who had survived the Initialization. When I got there, I was unsurprised to discover that, of all my friends and family, only my sister and her son had managed to survive.  Even after seeing so much death, that was a sobering thought.

Jeremiah Braddock III

“I don’t know what that means,” I admitted, staring at the skyline as we drew nearer to the city. The closer we got, the more decrepit the buildings lo...

Mistrunner - Chapter 14 - Hesitation

Everyone reacts differently to battle. Some people freeze. Others surrender to the adrenaline. Still others react indifferently. I always counted myself amongst the last category of people, but I sometimes wish I was the kind of person who would hesitate before killing. It would make me feel more like a human being and less like a purpose-made machine.

Jeremiah Braddock III

Panting, I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. Growing up in Nova City, I had seen plenty of te...

Mistrunner - Chapter 13 - Raiders

Stupidity and overconfidence cost us more lives than anything else. Entire generations had been raised on games, and they all thought that their familiarity with similar systems would give them an advantage in the new world. And in a few cases, they were right. In so many others, reality soon asserted itself. Death followed.

Jeremiah Braddock III

I sat across from Britt, trying not to let my discomfort show. But every bump in the road jostled me and threatened to throw me...

Mistrunner - Chapter 12 - More Complicated than Expected

When I first gained my skills, I thought they were underwhelming. Minor increases in fire rate and damage. However, when I reached the fourth tier, I realized that I’d barely scratched the surface of what was possible.

Jeremiah Braddock III

I awoke well before dawn. The cot wasn’t very comfortable, and my dreams had been wholly terrifying. Not a great combination for a good night’s rest. So, not wanting to disturb my uncle, whose snores were loud enough that I wonde...

Mistakes Were Made!

Some of you might've noticed that one of the upcoming chapters for Mistrunner was released a day early.  I'm really not sure how I flubbed it that hard, but I've removed it.  It'll be back tomorrow (when I release up to Chapter 25).  Sorry about the confusion!

Chapter 179 - Preparations

“It’s amazing,” said Zeke, holding up the breastplate. Like his previous armor, it was red, but it had white highlights along the ridges. Otherwise, it was unadorned, but the metal had a pearlescent sheen to it. “I expected it to have kind of a marbled look to it, though.”

“That’s not how blood mithril forges,” Taggert said, crossing his arms over his chest. He had finally finished forging Zeke’s new set of armor, and it had turned out better than anyone could have exp...

Chapter 178 - A Problem

Zeke sat cross-legged on the bare earth, his eyes closed and his breathing steady. Nearby, Pudge lay on his back as he grappled with a giant crab claw and trying his best to turn it into a proper chew toy. It was hard and dense enough that it could do a fair imitation, but if Pudge exercised his full strength, his jaws would crush it to dust. Which was a problem, because it was one of the most durable things Zeke had been able to find.

But Zeke wasn’t concentrating on his frustrated c...

Mistrunner - Chapter 11 - A Long Process

When I found out that many humans were working for the aliens, I didn’t want to believe it. Even with the evidence staring me in the face, I couldn’t fathom how someone could sell out their entire species. Now, I know that most people would’ve made the same choice. Greed is a powerful motivator.

Jeremiah Braddock III

Clutching a towel to my chest, I stared at the disgusting shower. It looked a hundred years old, and the grout between the dingy white tiles looked lik...

Weekly Check-In (10/29)

We are exactly a month away from the release of book one of Death: Genesis on both Kindle and Audible.  I got the audio files last week, and I'm super happy with how it turned out.  Eric Michael Summerer is an absolute rock star, and I couldn't have picked a better narrator.  So, I'm very excited about how everyone's going to react to it.

On next Wednesday, expect a pretty big chapter drop for Mistrunner, too.  I'll be starting to publish on Royal Road, and I want yo...

Chapter 177 - Accountability

Carlos sat at the bar, staring down at the brown liquid in his glass. His shoulders were slumped, and his dark hair made a curtain around his face. He didn’t usually drink, but it was a special occasion. After all, he’d just found out that he’d lost one of the few people in the entire world he considered a friend. As such, he felt justified in needing a drink.

“There you are,” came a familiar voice. Carlos didn’t need to turn to know it was Abby. “What’s going on? I was ...

Chapter 176 - A New Obsession

Jariq was a strange place, and it was wholly different from Talia’s home city in a number of ways. Some, like its location in the center of an unforgiving desert, were obvious. The sandstone construction as well as the city’s formidable walls were enough to make that clear. In addition, the city was dirtier – both in terms of the city itself as well as its denizens – than Beacon. In fact, it reminded her of Beacon’s outskirts, the base level where people were mired in squalor and li...

Mistrunner Cover Art

In preparation for publishing the first ten chapters of Mistrunner on Royal Road (when I do, I'll be dropping extra chapters here, too, so you all stay ahead), I've created the temporary cover art for the story.  It's not perfect, but I think it'll do for now.  Let me know what you all think!

Mistrunner - Chapter 10 - An Unfamiliar World

My training gave me an advantage, but even that wasn’t enough to guarantee survival. To survive the Initialization, I had to become something more than a soldier. I had to become an unrepentant, unhesitating killer. And I did. God help me, I did.

Jeremiah Braddock III

“It’s so green,” I muttered, my face practically pressing against the plastiglass of the car’s window. “How is it so green?”

Indeed, everywhere I looked was more vegetation than I’d eve...

Chapter 175 - Recovery

With a sharp exhale, Zeke emerged from the pool of the orange, semi-liquid substance. It had the consistency of pudding, and it had a habit of clinging to everything. However, over the last month, it had proved an invaluable healing aid. Without it, he wasn’t sure that he would have ever recovered at all, much less settle into his new strength. And he had gotten stronger, as well. The foray into the demon realm had been a boon, albeit one he’d barely managed to survive.

He threw his...

Chapter 174 - Cleanup

“T-that…did that just happen?” mumbled Carlos, mouth agape. Abby could sympathize with his reaction; she’d seen the aftermath of Zeke’s last explosion of power, so she thought she was prepared for whatever might happen after they stepped through the portal. But that was different. It was something that had happened to him. This time, he’d been the catalyst. He had acted, and the world had trembled.

Ever since she’d been reborn into the Radiant Isles, she’d heard stories ...

Mistrunner - Chapter 9 - Goodbye, Nova City

Humanity had grown soft. Pliable. Weak. The Initialization drove that point home. So many people had no idea how easy their lives really were. When society collapsed, they found out.

Jeremiah Braddock III

“I…thought…you…” I tried to get out between heaving breaths. It was a useless endeavor, so I pushed the thought to the back of my mind before redoubling my concentration on the task before me. I heaved the barbell above my head, holding it there for a ...

Weekly Check-In (10/22)

Alright, so this arc is about to come to close, and I have to admit that I was really happy with how it turned out.  I'm sure it's not perfect, but I enjoyed writing it.  I hope you've all been happy with it as well.  

Of course, just because this arc is coming to a close doesn't mean the story's ending (obviously).  There is a bunch of cool stuff I have planned (some of which I've already written), so as long as you all keep reading, I'll keep writing.  

...

Chapter 173 - Through the Door

As he swung his mace, fire coursed through Zeke’s veins. Every contraction of his muscles brought with it a cascade of agony that even his pain tolerance couldn’t begin to handle. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t let it stop him from doing what needed to be done.

When Tucker had left him on the stairs, he’d briefly enjoyed the vain hope that the shadowy reflection of the city’s walls would hold, keeping the writhing horde of angry demons at bay. When he’d touched upon that hi...

Chapter 172 - Sacrifice and Development

Tucker watched as Talia blurred toward the giant demon. Even as she darted forward, Abby loosed an arrow which blazed a silvery path through the air, striking the gigantic creature in the eye. It roared in outrage, hefting its axe for a huge, overhand strike. The weapon whistled through the air, and Tucker felt its pressure bearing down on him. He dove to the side just in time to avoid the blow, but the power of it shattered the surface of the shadowy pyramid. Black bricks sailed into the air...

Mistrunner - Chapter 8 - Secrets

Money. Power. Influence. It’s all the same thing, and its pursuit is the one constant across the entire universe. In that arena, humanity is a collection of amateurs.

Jeremiah Braddock

For a brief second, I was in two places at once. That disorienting feeling faded quickly, and I soon found myself pulling away from the pillar that had begun my journey into the Bazaar. For a long moment, I just stood there, my breath coming in short, shallow pants. Bending over,...