Chapter 26
Are you nuts? Ruin asked.
Yes, he is, Uruziel said, stepping into view as well.
Sivart spoke calmly. Our opportunities to gather intelligence on the Outerverse are rare and none are firsthand. This is a chance to see what is powering these towers without you risking yourself.
It’s too dangerous, Ruin replied. These towers are obviously connected by a higher dimension—probably the twelft...
2024-10-26 05:32:23 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 25
The cold hit Ruin first. It sank into his bones the moment he stepped inside.
The air thickened. The darkness pressed against his skin like ink poured over his senses, muffling them. Sounds in the shadows—whispers, rustling—and the scent of aged stone mixed with ash. The surroundings shifted and stretched, the architecture bending as though reality itself could not decide how it should exist.
Ruin’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, and the darkness gave way t...
2024-10-26 05:30:50 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 24
The angular silhouette of the Dark Tower loomed ahead, a monolithic spire that climbed hundreds of feet into the ashen sky of the Destruction Realm. Suppressed energy charged the air and smelled like a lightning strike. Grains of obsidian coated the dead land underfoot, gritty and unwelcoming. It crunched under his boots as he walked side by side with Zylkin. The Shadowmancer moved with a quiet power, exuding danger.
They followed a narrow, winding path carved from blac...
2024-10-26 05:29:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 56
Ash's heart remained steady as the Hippodiles emerged from the canal, their large forms glistening under the glaring sun. Sporting the head of a crocodile on the body of a hippopotamus, the creatures snapped their jaws threateningly.
“I have these,” Ash yelled to Nomad, and moved to the left.
The Hippodiles charged forward, each step thunderous, shaking the earth. Ash dashed toward the two creatures barreling at him as he readied for a fight. His Root and Sola...
2024-10-26 02:55:42 +0000 UTC View Post
I asked the cover artist for some changes, and I think they did a great job. What do you think?
2024-10-19 07:03:47 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
This week was filled with appointments and my wife is travelling which left me with the two little ones. Thankfully family came to help me with the boys but my writing productivity was destroyed this week. I had really wanted to get a Divine Awakening chapter this week but it didn’t happen because of this.
I remained unhappy with the cover of book 11 so I contacted the cover artist. Thankfully he made some modifications for me. I had really wanted the cover to look more fant...
2024-10-19 06:59:59 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 23
Relief washed over Ruin, his tension draining away. "Thank you, Zylkin."
"Your path has been… unusual," Zylkin responded. "But the trials you’ve faced, the transformations you’ve undergone… they have forged you into something unique."
"Unique, but broken," Ruin countered, the weight of his unusable Harmony a constant reminder of his vulnerability. "I don’t know how to use my new shadow core, my soul is damaged, and the Destruction Realm is a mystery." 2024-10-19 06:57:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Chapter 22
Ruin relied on his Archangel senses to detect Zylkin approaching. Not that it was difficult, with every other creature in the vicinity fleeing in terror of Ruin's presence.
Zylkin emerged from a funnel entrance near the horizon but didn’t approach, probably puzzling out who Ruin was.
Scared the Prime Warden might flee before giving Ruin a chance to explain, he prompted Vex to teleport them to the funnel, appearing in front of the guardian in an instant.
Zy...
2024-10-19 06:56:38 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 21
"What are you going to do now?" Hamma asked.
"Unfortunately, I can't stay here," Ruin replied. "Now that I've seen you and delivered the manual, I need to focus on getting my body back and learning the Destruction Realm magic."
"Why are you able to be here so long when the other shadow creatures seem to avoid it?"
Ruin studied his feet, which had dissolved an inch of the floor despite his attempts to rein in his essence.
"A fundamental component of the...
2024-10-19 06:55:29 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
This was a tough week for me. Work took a toll and I had a lot of other appointments that made writing difficult. Because of that I only got one chapter written for book 11 and one for Divine Awakening.
We are already a good way into October. Travis needs book 11 sometime in January. That gives me around two months to finish book 11 if I want to get any revising done (which I need for sure). That means I am very behind.
Divine Awakening will suffer because of this. I pla...
2024-10-12 05:09:48 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 20
Ruin explained, as best he could, Deryssa Val’dor’s relationship with the Scarecrow Aspect and how a part of her remained in his head. He skipped the details about upsetting the Outerverse factions. The important thing was that one or more of those factions had agents here who might act against them.
“One more reason to keep the God Stone as secret as possible,” Blapy said.
“Maybe Lalquinrial is this bad guy,” Sift said.
“He’d be more powerfu...
2024-10-12 05:06:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 55
Ash carefully travelled down the southeast tunnel, Lesser Ripple pushing out before him. The rest of the group all left the cavern they’d rested in, advancing cautiously behind him, their footfalls echoing against the ancient stone walls—loud in his Solar Plexus enhanced senses.
The dungeon’s oppressive atmosphere clung to Ash like a second skin. The air tasted faintly of decay—an unsettling reminder of how long these halls had remained sealed away...
2024-10-09 05:43:41 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
It was a challenging week for writing as multiple factors conspired to rob me of productive writing time. In addition, I spent a lot of time thinking about the reactions of everyone in tonight’s two chapters. I’m not convinced that I got it right, but I think it’s close.
I’m going to hold off on revealing the cover of book 11 because my gut is telling me something is wrong. I want to think about it some more. I still have time to make another cover.
...
2024-10-05 05:21:50 +0000 UTC View PostPDF of tonight's chapters.
2024-10-05 05:20:27 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 19
With so much to explain, saying Varnoth’s name had been an obvious mistake.
“Where is Rami?” Miranda asked.
Ruin felt more vulnerable than he had in a very long time. If Miranda turned crazy, his only chance would be to retreat into the Destruction Realm, where he at least had willpower he could wield as a weapon.
“I'll explain everything,” Ruin responded, “but despite how upset you become, please know I have critical information that I need to p...
2024-10-05 05:18:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 18
Ruin stood at the boundary between the Destruction Realm and the Material Realm trying to determine the best way to approach his friends.
The loss of spirit meant Ruin couldn't summon Overlord. His core now contained condensed destruction essence, which he didn't know how to use. Harmony still didn't work because his current state was so out of balance, so demonstrating that wouldn’t be possible.
Ruin could still summon the Ink Lord armor and the Scarecrow Aspec...
2024-10-05 05:16:33 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 54
Two level increases unlocked far more spells, so many it forced Ash to filter them for utility in unarmed combat. He found six spells that might work well with his style.
Name: Iron Fist
Description: Unarmed attacks are enhanced with magical energy, increasing damage and allowing strikes to break through armor.
Max Charges: 3
...
2024-10-03 18:38:07 +0000 UTC View Post[Author's Note: this is a very rough draft. I have not even had the chance to reread it. I may update later once I've had the time to edit.]
Chapter 53
Ash recovered from the sudden endorphin rush almost immediately, but Bruja had disappeared. What had she done to him? He opened his notifications to find out.
He had a lot of them.
Ting!
You have completed the Quest – What’s Your Point (Cultivation Stage 1).
You have received...
2024-10-02 05:00:40 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
Writing went well this week despite not having as much time to write as I’d expected. I finished three book 11 chapters and two Divine Awakening chapters. The other item of note that occurred this week was a close to final version of Book 11’s cover. I’ll likely release that to Patrons next week.
The title will surprise everyone. This stems from the fact I changed the plans I’d made regarding the content of book 11. More details to follow on that.
I’ll try to s...
2024-09-28 05:01:15 +0000 UTC View PostProviding PDF versions was recommended to me. Let me know in the comments if this is valuable to you.
2024-09-28 04:54:56 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 17
Deryssa disappeared, and Ruin sat alone in the vault. Her words bounced through his thoughts, destroying every preconceived notion of power that he’d possessed. How could any entity’s strength be measured in universes. The scope of what faced him finally hit home as he sat frozen in place.
Ruin had always assumed he’d grow strong enough to counter any issues that might arise from the Outerverse. For the first time he’d glimpsed how far he needed to go.
Chapter 16
“Just a couple of small hiccups,” Deryssa hissed, anger dripping from the words. “How is that Class even possible? The Eld’rion family made it impossible for anyone outside their lineage to become Emperor.” She shook her head. “And only one Emperor can exist at a time.”
“There were a lot of conditions, but I met them all.”
Deryssa, still in disbelief, shook her head. “The Eld’rion control the Spire of Blessing and altered the Destruction Empe...
2024-09-28 04:46:51 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 15
Deryssa shifted with nervous energy. Ruin imagined she teetered on a cliff, unsure if he was her savior, capable of pulling her to safety, or the one who would push her into the abyss of despair.
Deryssa floated back to the table and sat. She pointed at the silver circlet on his bicep. “The original eight houses possess the Bands of Authority. The Heritage for that Array is predetermined, so it makes it easier to discuss. It did open an Array, correct?”
...
2024-09-28 04:45:37 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 52
Ash stood in the torchlit tunnel, anticipation thrumming through his body. This was the perfect place—isolated, quiet, and, according to Elder Phoenix, rich with what he called Spirit.
Taking a deep breath, Ash prepared himself. "Alright," he muttered. "Time to put the Elder’s teachings to the test."
Ash placed his feet shoulder-width apart, the stone cold against his bare feet. Crossing his hands under his navel, palms facing outward, he assumed the 'Cl...
2024-09-27 04:48:40 +0000 UTC View PostAsh stood in the torch-lit tunnel, his quiet breathing so soft it didn’t echo off the stone walls. The air held the faint scent of incense as smoke from the torches overpowered his sweat covered body. The moisture trickled down his forehead, dripping to the floor and mingling with the sand and dust. He should’ve waited until after his practice to shower with the flask.
The two hours of Bamboo Viper Step practice had passed quickly, and Ash’s muscles no longer tingled with the resi...
2024-09-24 19:19:59 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
My day job kept me busy this week, robbing me of mental energy, but I still managed to get five chapters written. The book 11 chapters are difficult to write as so many details need to be clarified before I can write them, requiring a ton of thought. In addition, I’m starting to feel the pressure of all this world building and the lack of action.
I got the cover back from the designer this week. It’s what I asked for but it didn’t grab me immediately like some of the oth...
2024-09-21 05:36:33 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 14
“Okay,” Ruin said, “let’s circle back to Aeonrial’s heresy and the ‘suspicious lack of blood magic.’”
Deryssa pulled herself away from the obvious despair she felt. “Aeonrial is a prodigy beyond description or comprehension. The Harmonic faction would rip the Outerverse to pieces to protect him. Despite the Harmonic faction’s power, the Spire controls all, and eventually even Aeonrial was forced to attend the Spire Academy. Before he left though, he ...
2024-09-21 05:35:24 +0000 UTC View Post