Morgan stood, panting and sweating, over the corpse of the blade abomination. Thanks to Bronwyn’s tracking, he knew they were called something else, but they looked like giant ants with swords for legs and humanoid heads. Blade abomination seemed to fit just fine. He and his two companions had been clearing passage after passage of the monsters, so many that they’d already each gained another level.
“God! I hope that’s the last of them. Where’s the next boss, anyway?” Bronwy...
2022-07-12 14:52:51 +0000 UTC
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“Morgan?” Olivia’s tone was concerned, and her voice was loud. Morgan snapped his eyes up from the text and groaned.
“Ugh, this journal is disgusting, but it’s like a car crash; It keeps pulling my attention. What did you say?”
“I said it’s about time for you to charge another gem, right? What kinds of things are in the journal, anyway? It’s the one from that guy that kidnapped Issa, right?”
“Yeah, let me get a gem started, then I’ll tell you about it...
2022-07-11 14:24:47 +0000 UTC
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Hope you're all having a good weekend :)
-Plum
On the third day of travel toward the city of Gelica, the grasslands gradually gave way to cultivated farmland, and travelers and local workers began to share the roadway with them. Victor had no idea what sorts of crops were being grown in the fields they passed through, but he enjoyed the smell of rich, irrigated soil and the blossoms on many of the rows of plants.
2022-07-09 18:05:19 +0000 UTC
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Bronwyn lay on her side, watching Olivia sleep. She wanted to reach out and touch her cheek or gently fiddle with her hair, but she didn’t want to wake her. She’d never been as close to anyone as she felt with Olivia, which was both wonderful and terrifying. She was starting to understand the agony Morgan had been in when they first were stranded by the teleporting pyramid. She could imagine her stress if she were forcefully separated from Olivia and didn’t know if she were safe.
...
2022-07-08 16:11:51 +0000 UTC
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Happy Friday, everyone! Just a quick update on my writing: I'm still getting 2k+ words a day done, but I'm in the midst of moving, so not quite hitting the pace I was hoping for this summer. In a couple of weeks, things should be settled, and then I can hopefully start doubling that number.
Let me know what you think of today's installment. Are things going too slow? Is the pace alright? We're moving toward a climax for book 2, but it might not be a...
2022-07-08 16:08:50 +0000 UTC
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While Morgan and Bronwyn sparred for maybe the thousandth time in the last week, Olivia sat on her pile of animal furs—Morgan and Bronwyn both had a disturbingly large supply of them—and practiced expanding and retracting her fiery aura. Ever since she’d received the massive boost in her racial levels from the silvery orb, she’d felt the fragment of her elemental nature far more clearly, and had a great deal more control over its aspect.
Not only was she able to expand the aura,...
2022-07-07 12:01:03 +0000 UTC
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“Wait, so what are these creatures called again?” Bronwyn sat cross-legged in front of Olivia, drawing on a sheet of paper while she listened to the stories and descriptions she read from the blue crystal.
“The first ones to arrive on the planet were called “Rehavash” which was a colloquial term that meant walking nightmare.” Olivia’s eyes had a blue glaze over them as she “looked” into the crystal. She said it was like a fancy database UI with folders filled with imag...
2022-07-06 13:49:37 +0000 UTC
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Morgan stood awkwardly, trying to figure out his balance with two enormous, completely foreign appendages sprouting from his back. He glanced over to where Bronwyn and Olivia sat, talking animatedly about their experiences. Olivia glanced at him, smiling reassuringly when she caught his gaze. She’d come through the racial advancement with only a few noticeable changes—her eyes smoldered more brightly, she was a little taller, though still shorter than Bronwyn, and overall just more beauti...
2022-07-05 14:13:16 +0000 UTC
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“What do you mean my ears are pointed?” Bronwyn slapped a hand up to her head and felt; sure enough, her ears were tapered to a definite point at the top rear.
“Not just that! You’re eyes are… I don’t know; the irises seem bigger and brighter; they’re absolutely gorgeous!” Olivia was kneeling in front of her, smiling broadly, and though Bronwyn found her beautiful and sweet, she was too stressed out to have her trying to placate her. She pulled away and scrambled to her ...
2022-07-04 14:28:14 +0000 UTC
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Happy Saturday, Patrons,
I'm so appreciative of all the support you've given me. Thanks for sticking with me into July :)
Here's my next Victor draft - I'm just sharing these with you as I finish them. I hope to have a bigger backlog someday, but I think I'd like to get 20+ ahead of RR on Patreon before I start worrying about regular release days for you all.
As always, let me know what...
2022-07-03 00:15:58 +0000 UTC
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Olivia cast one last Wind Gust, driving the fumes and smoke toward the far side of the hall and out through the open doorway. The bubbling black tar, all that was left of the massive insect corpse, had cooled enough to stop smoking. Sighing happily at a job well done, she turned to Morgan and asked, “Are they any good?”
“Hmm?” he swung one of the six identical swords back and forth, “They’re tough and sharp. I’m not sure what metal they’re made of, but they don’t seem ...
2022-07-01 13:21:58 +0000 UTC
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Hello, my dear Patrons,
I could see chapter 16 rubbed some of you the wrong way. I understand the concerns, and I'm thinking about them going forward, don't worry. I love the comment about how many times Victor has been knocked out. Poor guy - if he didn't heal from rage, he'd probably be at risk for early-onset dementia.
I tried to get this chapter out to you quickly because I wanted to put some concerns to rest. Let...
2022-06-30 16:59:44 +0000 UTC
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“Alright, Bronwyn, I’m going to let your double keep the attention as long as it can, then I’ll take over. You’re going to harry its flanks, trying to cut off those legs with your hatchets, right?” Morgan asked, peering through the half-opened door at the huge insect monster.
“Yes, as we discussed a dozen times now!” Bronwyn growled. Morgan knew he was being irritating, repeating the plan over and over, but he was really just filling time while they waited for Olivia’s e...
2022-06-30 13:11:52 +0000 UTC
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Happy to hear what you all think when you finish reading this one :)
-Plum
“What do you mean you didn’t attack me? Why would you attack me?” Thayla asked after they’d absorbed the Energy from their battle. She squinted at Victor as she jerked her spear out of the monstrous roladii.
“I mean, I was berserk. I’ve totally lost myself in the past when I berserk, but I think I’m starting to get some contr...
2022-06-30 02:20:28 +0000 UTC
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Bronwyn swung her hatchet at the clawing, frenzied giant centipede, splitting its carapaced head and sending it twitching to the ground. She stood behind Morgan, ready for the next insect to break past him. They’d been fighting their way through the long, downward-sloping marble hallway for what felt like hours. Every few minutes, a wave of the black, giant insects would come rushing up the hallway, clicking against the hard floors and walls, squeaking, hissing, chirping, and clacking.
<...
2022-06-29 13:43:32 +0000 UTC
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Olivia finished the last swirl of her new spell pattern with a flourish and smiled up at Morgan and Bronwyn. “Done!” she exclaimed, hopping to her feet. “Let’s see if it works!” She walked over to the chest, then looked at Morgan and asked, “What does your Void Vision tell you about this chest?”
“Hmm,” Morgan’s eyes had become dark pools, and he studied the chest for a moment. “I see bright Energy signatures within it, and maybe something shimmering around its surf...
2022-06-28 13:44:57 +0000 UTC
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Morgan looked at the giant tick and then back at his friends. “We sure we’re ready?”
“We could train forever or just wait until we solve the rest of this portal problem, but I think we should give it another try. We know what to expect now, and we have a plan,” Olivia said, pressing her lips together and nodding at her own words.
“Yeah, I’m ready. Sorry, your spell hasn’t improved yet, but I think the key is the strategy.”
“Yeah,” Morgan said. She was r...
2022-06-27 13:23:53 +0000 UTC
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Here's another :) Let me know what you think, please!
-Plum
“So it, um, excuse me, she is gaining levels or something?” Thayla asked, gesturing to Lifedrinker.
“Yeah. I’m not sure how it works—if she’s just changing as she gains consciousness, or if she will continue to grow in power as she drains Energy. Either way, I’m happy.” Victor stepped around a large clump of scrub as they climbed...
2022-06-27 02:56:16 +0000 UTC
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Hey, we're pulling way ahead of RR now. Summer's here - I'll try to keep the pace strong :)
Cheers,
Plum
Victor removed the shackles and gag from Thayla and folded a soft fur Oynalla had given him under her head. He sighed and sat back, watching her breath steadily with a smooth, peaceful expression on her face. The old woman watched him with a crooked grin, sipping from a cup of steamin...
2022-06-25 23:54:02 +0000 UTC
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Here we go, folks! Let me know what you think :)
-Plum
“You’re saying all I need to do is ride for a day to the west?” Tellen asked Victor in the sober light of morning, contemplating the strange cylinder on the mat between them.
“Yes, the way I see it, Belikot saw to it that I learned about this phylactery and then trusted my bull-headed nature to charge after him with it. He’s set up somewhere south o...
2022-06-24 20:05:11 +0000 UTC
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Happy Friday :)
There's a pretty big curveball in this chapter. Let me know how you feel: are you pissed? Happy? Ambivalent?
Thanks!
Bronwyn read the description again, her excitement still flushing her cheeks:
***Mirage Double - Improved: You use your specific Energy pattern to create a double that will act in your defense or attack a target that you designate. Further mas...
2022-06-24 13:50:04 +0000 UTC
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Morgan stared at the Heesporian plum and the wrapped package containing Randon’s Core Cake. Issa had said he should wait until he was at the threshold of a new tier before using one of the two Core improvement treasures, but he couldn’t decide which one to use. Would one of them be enough to take him into the next tier? His Core had been sitting at base nine now for a few days, even with half a dozen hours of cultivating each night after he and Bronwyn finished their daily sparring, so he...
2022-06-23 12:59:32 +0000 UTC
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Under the light of the two moons, Victor ran down the dirt, sometimes gravel, road. One of the moons had rings, and Victor wondered how that worked—did moons have rings, or was there another planet so close it looked like a moon? He wasn’t an astronomy expert, so he figured he’d just accept the locals' assurance that they were moons. The guard at the gate had said he’d have good light from the “the sisters” while traveling.
He’d been sorely tempted to take a room at the in...
2022-06-23 00:43:15 +0000 UTC
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The enormous marble doors had push plates at a natural height for human hands, so Bronwyn gave one a shove. The door glided open noiselessly with almost no effort. Another expanse of marble stretched before them, bordered by high marble walls, and Bronwyn realized it was a courtyard. Another door sat closed on the far side, about a hundred paces from where they stood.
“Should we keep going?” She turned to her friends, catching herself by surprise when her mirror-self also turned to ...
2022-06-22 14:18:28 +0000 UTC
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Morgan used Hollow Charge to tear over the ground toward one of the creatures, hoping to put some distance between himself and his friends so that he could use his point-blank burst attacks. As he closed the distance, a red flash of light speared toward him, fired from the stinger-like tail of the abomination. His charge’s secondary effect—protecting him from Energy attacks—came into play, and the red beam dispersed around him, and Morgan felt some of the Energy course into his pathways...
2022-06-21 14:45:53 +0000 UTC
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The enormous portal hummed ever so slightly, and the colors seemed to pulse from the center, shifting in tone just enough to catch the eye. Looking around it, Olivia couldn’t help but conclude that the destruction had originated from it. The buildings closest were mere rubble, and the level of destruction decreased in a wide circle. Back near the cavern entrance, the buildings were almost totally intact, and some of the tall ones even had thick glass still in the upper levels; perhaps they...
2022-06-20 14:23:38 +0000 UTC
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Took me a little longer this weekend, but it's a long one. Let me know what you think; I appreciate hearing the good and the bad :)
-Plum
The woodworker’s shop smelled like sawdust and varnish, and Victor was struck by memories of his Abuelo when he stepped through the door. He remembered his grandpa’s bald, wrinkled head bent over his table saw, carefully cutting through planks to make a bookcase or a box to hold hi...
2022-06-19 20:16:24 +0000 UTC
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Hey all!
I've been working behind the scenes on getting FWFW book 1 ready for publishing to KU and Audible. Today I've just spent five hours going through the copyedit notes on the manuscript. That said, I'm a bit behind on my weekend writing :) I'm still going to try to get you another chapter today, but it might come to you tomorrow!
Thanks all,
Plum
2022-06-18 17:32:13 +0000 UTC
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Hello Patrons! Happy Friday! So, I was typing this chapter, and when I finished the scene at the end, I looked at my word count and was surprised to be at 4200. I decided to go ahead and end it here and add on to the next chapter. Let me know if you think that was a mistake. Was this too boring?
Thanks for all your support!
-Plum
The portal’s cold pull lasted only a second or two, and then Victor...
2022-06-17 16:17:34 +0000 UTC
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Morgan looked around yet another empty, dusty building with no roof. He and the others had spent two days searching through the outskirts of the ancient city, and they’d come away with nothing but some old silverware and bits of petrified wood that might have once been furniture.
The day after their arrival to the city, they’d looked out over the wall to find the giant insects gone and their burrows filled in with loose dirt. Perhaps they were waiting for the next creatures or peopl...
2022-06-17 13:35:16 +0000 UTC
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