A. F. Kay

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Ruwen exited the tunnel at three hundred miles per hour and soared directly over a massive new magma pool, the heat from the liquid rock striking him like a blow. He had two seconds until he struck the ground, and tightened his stomach, pulling his legs forward. Reaching down, he removed the centipede scale from his left foot, but it remained attached to the bottom of his shoe, and the entire thing came off.

With only a moment left before striking the ground, Ruwen toss...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The idea of asking for Lalquinrial’s help made Ruwen feel sick. “That is awful.”

“Yes,” Blapy said. “And he will wonder why I need his help. It shows vulnerability, which is never good to reveal to a predator.”

They sat in silence for ten seconds, and Ruwen offered his last idea. “Can you dissolve the Pact?”

Blapy raised her eyebrows. “I wondered if you’d think of that. Yes, I can. But as bad as the surrounding chaos seems, it is nothin...

November 17, 2022 - Update

Happy Wednesday!

It is Wednesday somewhere, right? If not, then I might have failed to post the Hamma's Last Prayer chapters as I promised. Bad AFK.

Normally I won't post a mid-week update. I'll just release the chapters, similar to how I handled The Grey Warden. Today's update is, well, because I suck, and I wanted you to know I really did mean Wednesday releases.

In my defense, I personalized almost 100 books last night. They will be in the mail today. Those of you in the ...

HLP - Chapter 10

This book is now published on KU. KU has rules requiring no more than 10% of a book to be available by other means. Due to this restriction, I have removed this chapter.

If you wish to continue reading, please email me and I will send you the *.epub file or PDF for you to add to your Amazon device.

I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way. I am only doing this so I can remain in the KU program.

Thanks for your understanding.

AFK

HLP - Chapter 9

This book is now published on KU. KU has rules requiring no more than 10% of a book to be available by other means. Due to this restriction, I have removed this chapter.

If you wish to continue reading, please email me and I will send you the *.epub file or PDF for you to add to your Amazon device.

I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way. I am only doing this so I can remain in the KU program.

Thanks for your understanding.

AFK

HLP - Chapter 8

This book is now published on KU. KU has rules requiring no more than 10% of a book to be available by other means. Due to this restriction, I have removed this chapter.

If you wish to continue reading, please email me and I will send you the *.epub file or PDF for you to add to your Amazon device.

I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way. I am only doing this so I can remain in the KU program.

Thanks for your understanding.

AFK

HLP - Chapter 7

This book is now published on KU. KU has rules requiring no more than 10% of a book to be available by other means. Due to this restriction, I have removed this chapter.

If you wish to continue reading, please email me and I will send you the *.epub file or PDF for you to add to your Amazon device.

I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way. I am only doing this so I can remain in the KU program.

Thanks for your understanding.

AFK

HLP - Chapter 6

This book is now published on KU. KU has rules requiring no more than 10% of a book to be available by other means. Due to this restriction, I have removed this chapter.

If you wish to continue reading, please email me and I will send you the *.epub file or PDF for you to add to your Amazon device.

I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way. I am only doing this so I can remain in the KU program.

Thanks for your understanding.

AFK

HLP - Chapter 5

This book is now published on KU. KU has rules requiring no more than 10% of a book be available by other means. Due to this restriction, I have removed this chapter.

If you wish to continue reading, please email me and I will send you the *.epub file for you to add to your Amazon device.

I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way. I am only doing this so I can remain in the KU program.

Thanks for your understanding.

AFK

HLP - Chapter 4

This book is now published on KU. KU has rules requiring no more than 10% of a book be available by other means. Due to this restriction, I have removed this chapter.

If you wish to continue reading, please email me and I will send you the *.epub file for you to add to your Amazon device.

I'm sorry if this inconveniences you in any way. I am only doing this so I can remain in the KU program.

Thanks for your understanding.

AFK

HLP - Chapter 3

Chapter Three

When Hamma had visited the monster city two years ago, it had been to the outskirts, at night, in an area pulsing with colored lights. Now, though, the entire landscape shone with warm light from an artificial sun Blapy had created for her creatures.

The portal had delivered them to a town square in the middle of a sprawling city. Hamma recognized four-armed Clapping Brawlers, a loud group of goblins, their white, red, and black hats a splash of color moving down the...

HLP - Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Hamma ran out of the Black Pyramid’s library and into the hallway, slamming the door behind her. “Empty,” she called. “Ruwen hasn’t been in there.”

Lylan met her a moment later, out of breath. “Sift hasn’t been in his rooms, either.”

“No syrup smears anywhere?” asked Hamma.

Lylan arched an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” said Hamma.

Lylan laughed. “Not a one.” She winked at Hamma, then placed her wrist on the wall. “Let’s go ...

HLP - Chapter 1

[Authors' Note: Please see the November 12 update for details on what this story is about, who wrote it, and what to expect in the future. AFK BRB]

Chapter One

“Your boyfriend is late.”

Hamma jumped at the sudden sound. She blinked away the Abilities Display she’d been studying and looked up to see Ky standing in the doorway of the dining room. “Late?” repeated Hamma.

“Yes, late,” said Ky with an irritated sigh. “Again.”

Hamma sat up st...

November 12, 2022 - Update

Hi!

Go ahead and jump down to the news, I’ll wait.

Exciting, right!

Now that we got that huge news out of the way, I want to talk a little about this week’s chapters.

When writing the three chapters this week, they all struck me differently. The first, probably because I held this scene in my head for hours as I wrote it, exhausted me emotionally. The situation Ruwen got himself in and the method used to try and solve it took immense focus and concentration as I tr...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Ruwen felt like someone had mashed his body and burned it. The debuffs had disappeared, replaced by a line of buffs across the top of his vision. Notifications glowed softly in the lower right portion of his vision. The chicken moved away, probably joining the other members of the Savage Seven. He couldn’t tell where the light came from, and the pumice ceiling looked less than ten feet away.

For the second time that day, Ruwen realized he had no clothes. He lifted his...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

He floated in darkness. A darkness that felt familiar, but he didn’t know why. Releasing the stray thought, he returned to the calm and peaceful silence.

A vibration. The disturbance a cross between an itch and a tickle. He moved away, but the unwelcome sensation followed, and worse, it grew more intense.

Faint ringing combined with the vibrations making him…he couldn’t think of the proper concept…it made him different than before, and he wanted to go back...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Ruwen hadn’t used his full power since Rainbow’s End, and even then, the planet had lacked an atmosphere, limiting the side effects of moving at such speeds.

The air around Ruwen’s fist ignited, the friction caused by the sudden movement like a falling star. A pressure wave blossomed outward, containing both the compressed air and thunderclap associated with such quick actions.

The knuckles on Ruwen’s right hand shattered as his punch struck the soul ring....

Tring! The Black Pyramid has gifted you...

*begin unnecessary cruelty

*initiate wild speculation 

Big news and a huge surprise tonight. Wow, I can't believe I kept this secret for so long. Tonight's update will be epic. You could almost say it was an answer to your prayers...

*rubs hands together and laughs manically

November 5, 2022 - Update

Hi!

Where did Fall go? We had more snow this week here in the Rocky Mountains and once again I find myself asking why Fall seems to be the shortest season by about two and a half months. I’m not ready for winter and it only reminds me that the year is almost over.

Last week’s chapters didn’t get a second pass before releasing and they went out with some decisions I plan on changing. I won’t get into specifics here as many readers aren’t following along on Patreon, but th...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

With only a few exceptions, the demons Ruwen had seen in the chamber lacked any body Fortification and while their fighting skills were above average, they paled in comparison to highly trained Step practitioners.

Ruwen had told Sift he’d clear enough of the attackers to give everyone a break and hopefully provide enough time to understand what possessed Rung Four. To that end, he focused on efficiency, not beauty.

With spread arms, Ruwen ran through the massed ...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Torchy didn’t respond, and his heart rate increased dramatically. The Ash Specter pinched an area just under his left shoulder and pulled down. The glowing grey skin folded down like a pocket revealing a fist sized chamber. He reached in and removed four finger sized crossing stones, holding them out to Ruwen like an offering.

Closing Torchy’s hand over the rocks, Ruwen gave the Ash Specter a slight bow. “I will find my own.”

If Ruwen could convince the As...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The Ash Specter on the lavafall above Ruwen had a humanlike form but thinner and around seven feet tall. The heat radiating from the creature warped the air, making it hard to see any other details. The lava near the Ash Specter bubbled and exploded as its heat vaporized the liquid rock.

“These are my pools,” the Ash Specter hissed.

Ruwen treaded lava, keeping his head above the surface. Over a dozen Obsidian Eels, nine Magma Hounds, and a Cinder Mammoth had l...

October 29, 2022 - Update

Hello!

It is nice to be back at home after a week of travel. I had high hopes for writing time, but they were dashed with work related activities. I managed to write some on the plane, and my wonderful wife watched BAFK all night tonight so I could get a couple more chapters written even though she’d been a single parent all week.

It is really late, and I don’t have the energy to do my usual second pass on the chapters before releasing them. I’ll do that tomorrow or Sunday. ...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Ruwen stepped out of the rune gate into a clearing five hundred feet wide. Hundreds of stone pillars formed a giant ring around the open area, and they all had gate runes. The other Adepts grouped together, everyone looking around at their new location.

Mountains rose around them, blocking out the weak sunlight that storm clouds tried to smother. Distant thunder or possibly a battle between Gem Fortified fighters echoed off the steep sides of the nearby mountains. Cool ...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Once again, Ruwen sat cross-legged behind Rung Four, Sift beside him and the four buildings of the fortress around them. They all wore their traditional uniform, now with orange belts tied around their waists. Sift must have caught Tarot, or at least made a deal with the golem, as he’d regained his belt.

The Founders and Addas stood at the front of the group and Padda now held thirty-three yellow belts.

The Founders stepped forward and everyone stood and bowed.<...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 37

Author's Note - the next three chapters (37-39) are the first draft. I haven't even reread them due to time constraints. That means they will be much rougher than the normal chapters. Thanks for understanding.

Chapter 37

The group on the left had counted one more snail line than the right one, so they all moved in that direction. Forty minutes later, the lines had enough of a bend that Ruwen did his first calculation.

They all stopped and Ruwen sent a group of four Adepts do...

October 22, 2022 - Update

Hi!

This week, three worries that I had while writing book six returned for book seven. Specifically, I feel like I’m spending too much time in my current location and that takes me to my second worry: pacing. This is easier to determine when the book is done.

Which triggers my third worry, my deadline. I only have just over two months to finish book seven. Despite all the worry, I’m still optimistic about hitting the deadline, and since the books have always turned out just f...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Sift bit his lip and refrained from commenting. It looked painful for him.

“I think they’re traveling in lines,” Ruwen said.

The snails Ruwen had seen after the destruction with the Gloom Stalker had alternated direction between each line. “The snail lines alternated which way they crawled.”

Sift wrinkled his brow. “How can they lead us anywhere if they move in opposite directions?”

“I thought the same thing,” Ruwen replied. “But wh...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

When Ruwen returned, he found Sift leading Rungs Two, Three, and Four through one of the more complicated Viper forms near the entrance. Everyone stopped when Ruwen strode through the open gate.

“Hey,” Ruwen said with a wave. “I guess everybody’s ready.”

“The thunderstorm woke everyone,” Sift replied.

Ruwen kept the guilt off his face. The fight with the Gloom Stalker had not gone unnoticed here. He looked up at the clear sky. “The r...

Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Halfway back to the fortress Tarot reappeared, burying himself in Ruwen’s hair.

“You are really noisy,” Tarot said.

“I know. Which probably means questions for me back at camp.”

“Well, it is something to brag about. It’s not every day you meet a Realm Warden. And considering where we are, he is likely a Prime.”

The water here reached Ruwen’s chest, and he gently pushed a snail floating in front of him out of the way as he strode throu...