[Author's Note: I'm sorry about not getting this chapter out on time. I also regret not getting any book 11 chapters out this weekend. You would think I'd know by now to keep track of things as I go, but I didn't with Ash and so it took me a long time to build the character sheet with all the changes. In addition, some important quests get unlocked in this chapter and I needed to plan all those out. For book 11 I literally spent four solid days working through some issues. They are solved eno...
2024-08-20 07:07:45 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi!
The week started out well for me and I was excited to write the book 11 chapters. Unfortunately, I hit a wall called worldbuilding that required me to get critical details down on paper. This proved far more difficult than I thought as I couldn't decide how many or what details to reveal.
I hate being rushed into a decision on this type of thing so I decided to give myself more time to think about it. That means no book 11 chapters tonight. I will do my best to get at least on...
2024-08-17 00:03:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
[Author's Note: I reposted the contents of this chapter on 9/11/23 because I made a few small changes around Tokens->Currency.]
Chapter 35
"You're a little jumpy," Bruja said.
"You came out of nowhere."
The little goddess’s clone displayed the same attitude as the original. Bruja put her hands on her hips. "How can I come out of nowhere when I'm everywhere?"
Ash didn't care to argue the semantics. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Somewhat. I believe the...
2024-08-16 22:38:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
[Author's Note: When Everest speaks to Ash in this sequence I mistakenly had her refer to Blast when I meant Fletcher. I've changed it below to be correct.]
Chapter 34
Ash sighed with relief when Relay regained consciousness. He initially resisted the idea of moving her, but the captain seemed somehow certain that Relay would be fine and their timeline was too important to delay.
The captain accepted the new coordinates without comment, and the helicopters were headed there ...
2024-08-14 17:03:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Izzy entered the hangar to find both Nomad and the captain already there. When the captain caught sight of Izzy, she broke off from Nomad and headed Izzy’s way.
After dragging the pack through the narrow opening of the hangar doors, Izzy shouldered it again and moved to meet the captain.
The captain didn't speak immediately, instead pulling Izzy twenty feet toward the side of the hangar, away from the soon-to-be flow of people entering the door.
"What did you see?" the cap...
2024-08-12 21:17:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
[Author's Note - This chapter contains a lot of information. I'm not sure how much will remain. This is similar to the problems I had in book 9.]
Chapter 5
“Void take me,” Varthon said. “How do you know that?”
“That’s a long story,” Ruin replied. “Basically, a friend has memories that include that guy.”
“The two royals and myself are the only ones I’m aware of that would know Aeonrial’s name. Since I didn’t tell you, and the Val...
2024-08-11 21:49:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi!
I wanted to get six chapters done this week, but only managed four. The book 11 chapter is with the editor, and I’ll release it this weekend. Thank you for your patience while I work through the kinks in my process.
I never got a chance to sign and send out the paperback copies of book 10 and Cevin’s Sword, but will make every attempt to get that done this week.
I appreciate your support of these stories so much. Thank you.
Take care,
AFK
2024-08-10 06:26:45 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 32
Ash returned to the small office and the portal disappeared. He looked closer at the belt and found an inscription along the inside.
Lord of the sky, I pray for your blessing and humbly ask the assistance of your noble swans. May their wings shelter me, embrace me, and guard me on my journey.
What Ash had taken for a plain black belt carried a faint design almost like a hologram. It consisted of black swans and seemed impossible to craft into...
2024-08-09 20:28:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
[Author's Note - sorry once again for being a day late. I'm still having issues getting coordinated with the editor. I appreciate the patience.]
Chapter 31
"What's wrong?" Lir asked.
Ash pointed at the small goddess. "You don't see her?"
"I do not. You are likely experiencing a visual projection which is unlikely with this template."
"I remember this place," the Bruja said.
"What would happen if you already had a template?" Ash asked Lir.
"I am...
2024-08-08 20:01:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 30
Ash glanced around, taking in the celebrating team members and marveling at Nomad's genius. Stitch and Patch both knelt next to the, now seated, Nomad, who was recovering from his nasty shock. He glanced up and gave Ash an approving smile.
“Shamrock. Nomad,” Captain Riegel said from behind the chairs.
Ash turned to find Colonel Rogers with the captain. The two medics helped Nomad to his feet.
“You okay there, old man?” Shamrock asked.
They walk...
2024-08-06 21:04:45 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey all!
My editor and I are out of synch because it took me too long to get the chapters to him. What that means for you is that the chapters might come out a day or two later than normal. This problem shouldn't last long as I get ahead on chapters and my buffer is larger.
In the worst case, I'll post the unedited chapters and fix them later if it takes too long.
Thanks for supporting these stories. It means the world to me.
Have a great week.
Take care,
...
2024-08-05 20:47:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 4
Rami nodded as if she expected that answer. "Is that why my mom is so upset with you?"
"Yes, among other things. What is your name, if I may ask?"
"Rami is fine for now."
The silence dragged out, and Ruin shifted uncomfortably.
The movement broke the spell and Varthon jumped at the opportunity to change the subject.
"Who and what are you?" Varthon asked Ruin.
"My name is Ruwen and I’m a human from the Material Realm."
"That is obviou...
2024-08-03 08:33:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 3
Any hope of getting out of this situation alive disappeared as Miranda continued. Ruin and Rami both stumbled backward to get out of the way of Miranda’s clone, which seemed to get bigger the more she spoke.
Ruin’s Identify ability still worked and displayed some basic information.
Name: Varthon the Abyssal Lord
Species: Void Wyrm
Type:
2024-08-03 08:31:32 +0000 UTC
View Post
Tripwire marched quickly to the board, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
Izzy had long since decided the man was insane. She guessed his age to be around twenty-seven and she considered his survival a near statistical impossibility.
Tripwire actually enjoyed this activity, making him easily the worst adrenaline junky Izzy had ever met. She didn’t like thrill seekers.
Izzy had dated a rock climber her freshman year in college, but it hadn’t lasted—for obvious reasons. ...
2024-08-02 22:08:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
Izzy waited nervously in line behind Patch. She hated this routine because she didn’t understand its purpose, and it seemed sadistic on Nomad's part.
Captain Riegel appeared, and Izzy hoped for a moment she’d stop this, but the Captain strode toward the chairs and not Nomad. That's when Izzy noticed him.
Izzy forced her gaze to remain fixed on the back of Patch's neck, but she could feel the force of the newcomer’s presence. Her intense concentration caused the icons around ...
2024-08-01 22:05:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 2
“Speaking of Hamma,” Ruin said, “do you remember that blessing she gave me? It let me harvest the good and bad luck from what I killed?”
“Yeah,” Rami responded. “The Mythical buff. She created it out of the priceless luck potion you gave her.”
“You know how I couldn’t use that luck before—I could only redistribute it on others. Check this out.”
Ruin projected the new luck-based ability.
Name:
2024-07-30 06:49:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
[Author's Note: This chapter is still a little rough as I'm trying to refresh the reader's memory of how we ended book 10. I know right now that is fresh in everyone's memory but it won't be like that 6 months from now.
I have chapter 2 done as well, but it needs about 30 minutes of work before I post it and I'm already really behind on my writing schedule today. So, I'll go over it and post it tonight after I have the kids in bed.
It's exciting to be starting book 11. It's going ...
2024-07-29 21:22:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ash met the remaining five members of Nomad’s team on the way to the circle of trust event. All of them tended toward the reserved and quiet end of the spectrum, and Ash guessed they were among the brightest in their fields.
Blueprint was a combat engineer from the Army Corps of Engineers. She had a lean but athletic build, with her brown hair pulled back into a practical, no-nonsense ponytail. Her hazel eyes were sharp and focused, and set in a tanned face. She carried a determined e...
2024-07-29 20:39:21 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi!
The Tenth Muse audio was released this week, and I placed the Ash story up on Royal Road. Neither one went as I’d planned. Due to some unavoidable delays the audiobook ended up releasing on the same day as the latest release of the largest series in LitRPG making it harder than usual to get visibility. Speaking of visibility, I encountered the same problem on Royal Road where climbing out from under fifty thousand other stories is proving very difficult.
Both experiences are...
2024-07-27 07:01:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 26
Nomad shook his head in wonder. “What gave the C4 away?”
Ash pointed at Blast. “He’d never leave residue on his hands. He’s not the type. Bomb guys are like meth chemists, they’re borderline OCD. It’s driving him crazy that you guys didn’t give him time to wash his hands.” He turned to Grizzly. “He was too tense, and too eager to talk, both characteristics of people hiding something.”
Nomad looked at Grizzly. “Well? We still have time if yo...
2024-07-27 06:28:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey!
I wanted to let everyone know that I started book 11 and I’ll try my best to have a chapter up this weekend.
Thanks!
AFK
2024-07-27 06:11:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey!
I wanted to let everyone know the audiobook for book 10 is available. Enjoy!
https://www.audible.com/pd/B0DB2M9VKN
Thanks for your support!
AFK
2024-07-24 23:12:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 25
Ash followed Nomad into the briefing room.
Charts and maps covered the far wall, and a seventy-inch TV hung on the wall to his left. A table and podium that were probably intended for the open area were pushed under the TV, which confirmed what Nomad hoped would happen here.
Glancing to the right, Ash surveyed the nine men and women in combat khakis. They all sat in the front row of the stadium seating, their expressions ranging from neutral to faintly hostile. He...
2024-07-24 21:08:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
Thanks for supporting the patreon and making things like this possible.
AFK
2024-07-20 06:09:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey!
I’m releasing the initial chapters of Divine Awakening to Royal Road next week and as part of that process I’ll post new chapters here on Patreon.
I got pulled in a lot of directions the last couple of weeks and didn’t make as much progress as I would’ve liked with the Ash story. I think some of that is due to the massive push I made to get Book 10 ready by early July, and my brain wanted a little break.
I released a map of the continent that Uru’s lands are o...
2024-07-20 06:04:23 +0000 UTC
View Post
First, nothing changes regarding Divine Apostasy chapters (which I hope to start on book 11 later this month). This update is about Divine Awakening only.
I still plan on releasing Divine Awakening to Royal Road this month. I've had some delays getting new chapters written which is the only reason it hasn't happened already.
In preparation for this I'm aligning the tiers to reflect the most common approach for Royal Road to Patreon distributions.
Specifically, the Root Tier ...
2024-07-17 20:33:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
Finally after many months the map I ordered has arrived. I'm working on making options available for posters and stretched canvas prints.
I think it turned out great, and I hope you agree.
Have a great day,
AFK
PS-I lowered the resolution because the original was huge. Hopefully what I attached here still looks great. If it doesn't I'll resend. Thanks for your support!
2024-07-16 19:03:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 24
Ash reviewed the three Notifications. The first referenced a new title called Perception Oracle, and when he focused on the name, a popup materialized with descriptive text.
Ping!
You have earned the following Title…
Perception Oracle
Requirement: Awakened Third Eye Chakra coupled with another Awakened Chakra
Attribute Bonus:&...
2024-07-15 22:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi!
I don’t have a buffer of chapters yet for the Ash story, so this first week or two will be a bit erratic. I’ll release one chapter tonight and then one tomorrow that I just got back from the editor. I’ll try and get a third out this weekend as well.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the search for an appropriate series name for the Ash story. I spent another few hours on in today with BRB and FCAFK and had a breakthrough. I pulled back and thought of the bigger p...
2024-07-13 08:15:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 23
Ash blinked as he regained his bearings after awakening his Third Eye. The experience left him speechless. The psychic weight of the ocean-drop in his Third Eye—impossibly large—granted a new solidity to his perceptions.
Nomad had a lean, athletic build, with eyes a striking shade of hazel. His perceptive gaze gave Ash a sense of intelligence. Nomad’s military approved short hair had hints of grey at the temples, and while he looked relaxed Ash sensed the coiled v...
2024-07-13 08:13:57 +0000 UTC
View Post
