Welcome to book 2 of Vainglory :)
If you notice some extra explanations in this chapter, it's because I figure people who read the books will need a little nudge to remember a few things from the first book. While I'm on the topic, I guess now is a good time to let you all know that I signed a 5-book publishing deal with Aethon for Vainglory. Hooray!
If anyone's wondering how that will affect my plans for my other pro...
2024-09-18 12:47:29 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy the chapter - thanks for all the commentary and predictions. They make the writing even more fun :)
Have a great day!
-Plum
Victor slept until nearly noon the next day, and when he opened his eyes, blinking in the diffuse light coming through the partially closed curtains, he was surprised by the silence and the fact that nobody had felt the need to wake him. With his head propped up o...
2024-09-17 16:22:04 +0000 UTC View PostHi all, and thanks for reading! I'll be working on this story whenever I have free time after writing my other chapters. Not because I feel like I have to, but because it's really fun for me. So, to keep it that way, I won't promise a schedule, but you should see a chapter or two or three a week.
Much Love,
Plum
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Tony drifted, mostly oblivious, but a voice wound it...
2024-09-16 20:11:21 +0000 UTC View PostHere we have the conclusion to Vainglory, Book 1. I hope you all enjoy it. I'll leave some commentary at the end so I don't spoil anything now.
-Plum
58 – Places to Be
Ward’s journey through nothingness was interrupted periodically by moments of sensation—hands grasping and lifting, bouncing, jostling, pain and discomfort, and the occasional muffled, soggy-sounding voices of people speaking nea...
2024-09-16 16:06:28 +0000 UTC View PostHi, everyone! I loved watching the responses to the 1st poll roll in. It's so heartening to get so much feedback and to hear that many of you are eager to try whatever I'm excited to write. I'll say this: it does make a difference for an author to be writing what they want to write. Chapters really fly out of my fingers when I'm having fun! :)
That said, I did a lot of thinking while I watched the poll and read the comments, and I think I'm going to alter my plans just a little: I'll st...
2024-09-15 18:48:08 +0000 UTC View PostHere's today's chapter! I hope you enjoy it. Have a great day, and I'll have your next installment soon :)
Thanks!
Plum
Victor sat alone in his quarters at Queen Kynna’s palace. He was tired—tired from the stress leading up to his duel with Obert, tired from the fight, and tired from the aftermath. When he’d gotten back to the palace, it had felt like a blanket of dread had been lifted...
2024-09-15 13:51:01 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone! I've been doing a lot of thinking about my next cyberpunk series. Before we get any further, let me be super clear: It's still early days. I'm doing these polls because I'm starting to plan, but I haven't written anything yet. I'm still working out my writing schedule for the near future.
How about a funny/sad anecdote? While shopping for publishers for Vainglory, I had a few conversations with various folks in the business, and invariably, the topic of Cyber Dreams and cy...
2024-09-14 18:50:42 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy today's chapter! One more chapter after this for book 1 :) Sorry for the cliffs; I know things might seem dark after the last chapter, but give me a chance to let things unfold, please.
-Plum
57 – Nothingness
Ward steeled himself, gritting his teeth against the stench of the filthy corpse. He’d been dead just a few minutes, but Nevkin had smelled like a carcass even before death. With dread...
2024-09-13 13:19:48 +0000 UTC View PostI hope you're enjoying the story :)
I know Ward's desire to have a "proper duel" with Nevkin is at odds with his behavior in Tarnish. Keep in mind what Haley's gone through, though, and Ward's rather paternal desire to see her made whole, mentally. He's worried about her going down a slippery path of murder and lies. He'd made a promise to Aldiss to carry out "justice," and, in that regard, Ward is also at odds with himself, wondering if he's even a...
2024-09-11 13:20:50 +0000 UTC View PostHere's the fight! See you on Sunday with the next chapter.
Obert moved through the sand like an adder. He kicked up sand with each step, weaving, and feinting, but Victor just stood still, aiming the point of his enormous spear at the man, bracing himself. In a fight between equals, minus the interference of Energy abilities, Victor didn’t doubt that a competent fighter with a spear could kill a master swordsman. It was simply a matter of reach. The pr...
2024-09-10 21:17:43 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
-Plum
Victor sat on a stone bench, one of several in the ready room of the arena at Westhome. He’d only caught glimpses of the city as they traveled from the portal hall, but he’d been rather impressed by its austere beauty. The streets were wide and cobbled with smooth stones laid so closely together that the carriage had hardly rumbled as it rolled through the city. The buildings were spaced apart from each ot...
2024-09-10 20:55:24 +0000 UTC View PostI hope you enjoy the chapter :)
Thanks for reading!
-Plum
55 – Right and Wrong
“Let’s rest in that patch of grass.” Haley pointed to a small, overgrown field on the edge of a nearby apple orchard. “I see a livestock trough by that old fence.” Ward saw what she meant and nodded. As they turned to the side of the road, she added, “I’ll keep a watch...
2024-09-09 12:38:17 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy the chapter!
Thanks, everyone! :)
-Plum
Victor stood behind Queen Kynna’s high-backed, hand-tooled, gold-filigreed chair and listened to her and King Vennar hash out the terms of the duel. The king sat in a similar chair on the opposite side of an equally ornate table. It was Victor’s job to appear imposing, and he did his best. Still, with his aura tightly in check, his armor all...
2024-09-08 19:28:44 +0000 UTC View PostOkay, things are getting heated up! Thanks for reading :)
-Plum
The mayor’s tale about Nevkin unfolded in bits and pieces at first, but by the time he got to the meat of the story, his words flowed like a punctured radiator hose. “So, I was there, in the tavern, eating some fresh biscuits and gravy, when I heard a horse pounding over the cobbles. Now, we don’t have any sort of town watch here in Applegrass; folks are...
2024-09-06 12:18:15 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy the chapter! Thanks for your patience; it's been a hectic day.
-Plum
As Victor’s words rang out in the hushed anticipation that hung heavy in the throne room, Queen Kynna’s eyes flew wide at their implication—a promise far beyond simply defending her beleaguered borders. The room was silent for several heartbeats—the assembled nobles seemed to be holding their breath—and then it erupted in a buzz of excited...
2024-09-05 20:23:08 +0000 UTC View PostHere's today's chapter! I hope you enjoy it :)
53 - Applegrass
As he read the tightly packed cursive, Ward felt his eyes drawn back up to the strange words of power. They hurt his head, and he knew they were dangerous, but it was like having someone tell you not to think of your favorite food or your high-school crush—just the suggestion was enough to make your mind go there, and it was the same way with the words; his min...
2024-09-04 11:47:34 +0000 UTC View PostHi, Everyone - I promised I'd provide a summary of the changes I made between my first version of Vainglory and the version that is currently on this site. That being said, there will obviously be a lot of spoilers here! Don't read this post if you intend to read Vainglory.
Spoilers below
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Seriously! Last warning! Spoilers!
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Okay, here are the main changes:
1. There used to be "anima" and "so...
2024-09-03 20:12:30 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy the chapter! Thanks for reading :)
-Plum
As he approached the gray stone city walls, Victor realized his earlier estimation was off; he’d been gauging their height based on the size of the people he saw. His mind had let slip an important detail Dar had given him about the folks on Ruhn—they were almost all giant-sized. With that realization, he figured the walls were closer to two hundred feet high. The soldiers...
2024-09-03 16:51:08 +0000 UTC View PostHi all! Just a little announcement to everyone on the status of Vainglory, my latest writing project:
1. On Royal Road, there are twenty chapters available if anyone who is currently a free member of my Patreon wants to give it a try. You can find the story here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/92631/vainglory-litrpg-progression-fantasy
2. Here on Patreon, I ...
2024-09-02 18:49:57 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! Looks like I'm getting a few people reading this new story - Thank you! I really appreciate seeing the comments and feedback - even just clicking that little heart to let me know you liked it, lol.
I hate to ask more of you folks who come here and support me - literally - but if you have a minute to stop by Vainglory's page on RR, I'd sure appreciate it if you gave me a rating, a review, or even just followed the story. I'm kinda stalling out on the Rising Star...
Enjoy the chapter! Thanks for all of your support and feedback :)
-Plum
Victor stood in his room, staring at himself in the mirror. The figure looking back at him was monstrous—huge, dragon-faced, with scales, leather, and thick, metallic plates hiding all but his muscular right forearm and strong, clenched fist. His armor had taken on a new kind of vibrancy since he’d fully imbued it at the Sojourn City Stone. He’d ...
2024-09-01 18:32:04 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
51 – Too Many Graves
Ward started for the man swinging the axe Haley’s way, but she didn’t need rescuing. In a move that left him blinking, she surged forward and planted a foot in his chest, knocking him sprawling. Meanwhile, the other three mercenaries ran full-out toward them, one with two short swords held ready, one with a spear not unlike Ward’s, and another with a wicked-looking axe. Ward spared a glanc...
2024-08-30 09:49:08 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy the chapter, folks! Hope you're having a good week :)
-Plum
Drobna laughed—an exhausted, wheezing laugh, but a laugh all the same—and fell to the sand, rocking side to side on his leathery shell as he clutched his sore shoulder. “Old gods, Victor! I’ve had enough!”
Victor grinned and leaned against his spear, the butt firmly planted in the practice ring sand. It was a bright, sunny morning, mad...
2024-08-29 14:28:39 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy the chapter!
50 – Messy
The orchard farm’s roadside stand sold, as Marshal Aldiss had suggested, cider, apple tarts, pies, and, of course, apples. A teenage boy in a tattered straw hat ran the stand and occupied Aldiss while Ward and Haley watered their horses at a nearby trough. Another group of travelers was on the other side of the road; they’d pulled their wagon into a clearing and were sitting around under a...
2024-08-28 18:11:29 +0000 UTC View PostLove to hear any feedback on this; is it believable? These dueling laws and such?
Thanks!
Plum
49 – Strange Laws
Later that evening, after they’d gotten their fill of a hearty fieldworker’s stew, Ward and Haley returned to their room and tried to fall asleep. Their good intentions met with the harsh reality of scratchy beds, poor ventilation, and minds awa...
2024-08-28 16:19:55 +0000 UTC View Post48 – Bath Talk
Children’s Crossing was a busy place. Haley and Ward had to wait in line to deliver their mounts to the stable, and once they got the chance to speak to the stable manager, Haley paid the hands a few extra glories to give Nutmeg and Wind Queen some extra attention. The hands agreed to cool down the horses, brush them off, and feed them some “restorative” oats—food she’d described to Ward as being alchemically enriched.
Mean...
2024-08-28 15:13:51 +0000 UTC View PostI hope things are making sense with the murder plot . . .
Thanks!
Plum
47 – The Crossing
They rode until noon before resting, and despite Grace’s help, Ward’s tailbone, glutes, and thighs were killing him. “Not sure how much further I can go today, at least on horseback. I can walk, though. Hell, I can jog.”
Haley looked at him from where ...
2024-08-28 13:16:42 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy! Thanks for reading and for all the support. If you read stories over on RR, I'd sure appreciate a follow and/or a rating for this story over there. I'm trying to get on "Rising Stars" for a little more visibility.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/92631/vainglory-litrpg-progression-fantasy
Have a good day :)...
2024-08-28 11:08:28 +0000 UTC View PostThanks for your support! Enjoy the chapter :)
Plum
On the third day of the fourth week of Victor’s new “routine,” Dar called him into the library late in the evening and asked him to sit down. Dar stood facing out toward the lake, but Victor saw a tea service arranged on the small table between two chairs, so he chose one of those two seats, wondering what the late-night meeting was regarding. This was the hour Victo...
2024-08-27 21:39:13 +0000 UTC View PostHi all,
My mom is elderly and needed eye surgery which is taking place today. I didn't quite realize the extent of the recovery, and I'm the only one of her children in town to help out. She has to keep her head facing the ground for 5 days, so I'll kinda be waiting on her a lot. Anyway, I'll be writing when I can, and hope to stay on top of my chapters, but they're probably gonna be later than usual.
For instance, I'll be about 6 hours later than usual getting my next Victor of ...
2024-08-27 13:27:01 +0000 UTC View Post