Zachary Scott

Chapter 114 - The Outpost

The blood and mud I’d smeared on my face was crusting into a thick mask that stung the edges of my eyes. The morning sun had barely moved since we were dropped from the airship, and it was low enough to be directly in our eyes as we all squinted for a better view at the wooden fort ahead.

It was relatively large and wedged into the valley, but I thought it would be possible to walk the steep valley walls on either side and pass the fort without too much difficulty. That wasn’t our p...

Chapter 113 - Melee

I could barely hear the screams over the roar of the crowds. Portals swirled and circled overhead or darted between fleeing slaves.

We were in a forest, and the trees gave some semblance of protection, but it wasn’t much.

To my left, a tree exploded with a crackle of electricity.

I ducked, shielding my face as bark pattered against my skin, each piece shocking me slightly as it made contact. I saw the spear hit an aspirant in the back. Blue buttery light encased her body a...

Chapter 112 - The Drop

The early morning hours had been a blur.

I reported to my “muster station” with Lyria and the other Aspirants. There, Silver Rank Thrask officials had put some kind of spell on us after confirming our final item and spell selection.

The feeling was incredibly strange. All my Iron Boons were suddenly cut off. My passives were inactive. All my actives but one were gone. And maybe worse of all? My face was fully exposed for anyone who cared to see.

Seraphel’s face.

...

Chapter 111 - The Eve of the Tourney 

The procession through Thrask felt like a march to execution.

Fifty slaves in chains. Fifty aspirants in worn leathers. Fifty nobles in gleaming armor. We moved through the streets in three distinct columns, separated by guards who ensured no group mixed with another. The symbolism wasn't subtle. Even in this death march, the social order had to be maintained.

Final selections were made yesterday, and I had easily made the cut among Aspirants, along with Lyria. Despite rising rapi...

Chapter 110 - Strong Foundations

It was only three days until the tournament, but right now, my mind was on the guild hall.

“The final gold piece has been contributed,” Hoot announced, his cosmic voice reverberating through the guild hall as I handed over the last coin needed for our task. “The treasury expansion task has been completed! All members will immediately exit their rooms and bear witness!”

Hoot raised his semi-transparent wings, magic dust trailing in their wake. His beak opened in a silent sh...

Amazon Pre-order and Launch Date!

Hey guys! I've been waiting to have an actual launch date for a while now, but it's finally here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FG89CQX2

You can pre-order the book on Amazon too if that's how you roll, and the support would be greatly appreciated. Just incase you've missed it in all the updates across the months, the version on Amazon is actually a relatively hefty revision compared to what you've read be...

Quick notes! We're publishing again, camping trip, etc

Hey everyone!

Someone pointed out that folks who downgraded to the free tier during the hiatus might not be getting notified that chapters are posting again, so here’s your official heads-up: we're back! I'm posting new chapters twice a week again.

Also, all Patreon tiers are staying at $1/month until Book 3 is finished. So many of you supported me during the hiatus, and this just felt like a small way to show my gratitude.

This week, I'll be up in Grand Lake, Colorado fr...

Chapter 109 - Noble Intentions

Vitus

The throne room of King Theon smelled of raspberry jam, beer, and sweat.

I stood at attention with the other members of the Azure Guard, trying not to let my mind wander as various courtiers droned on about grain supplies and trade disputes. The tomte king sat on his throne—a massive chair carved from a single block of granite that made his three-foot frame look almost comically small. But nobody laughed. Not when King Theon's beard was braided with actual...

Chapter 108 - Settling In

Sleeping an hour a night had an odd effect on my perception of time. Every day felt about thirty percent longer, which made it feel like time was passing that much more slowly.

Two weeks ago, I’d passed the Aspirant’s Guild initiation test with Lyria. Two weeks, but it feels like I’ve accomplished a month’s worth of progress in the short amount of time.

I rolled out of the cursed bedroll, brushed off some bed bugs and used Devour Mana to heal the itchy bumps they left all ...

Chapter 107 - Holding Back

The Aspirant's Guild occupied an entire block of Gloomglow, its high walls separating it from the chaos of the district. Unlike the ramshackle buildings surrounding it, the guild had been built with purpose. It had stone walls thick enough to withstand magical assault, reinforced gates that could hold off a siege, and archer slits that currently served as windows.

Curiously, the old walls bore claw-like scratches and magical scorch marks. I wondered how ancient those marks were, and gue...

Chapter 106 - Unseen Watcher

My body was tight as I stood, waiting and watching the three men with apprehension. I kept trying to stop feeling so damn confident. I had no right to be. These weren’t predictable monsters I’d learned to fight like the nightmaws back in Beastden. These were humans with unique class corestones. They would be full of nasty surprises, and I needed to keep that in mind.

“Remember,” I whispered. “Hold our ground. Let them come to us.” We were still behind the pile of crates. If ...

Chapter 105 - The Illusionist

We'd lost Kalcus's men somewhere in the market streets after several minutes of pursuit, but I knew they wouldn't give up that easily. Not if they'd gone to such lengths to track us down in the first place. Despite a few minutes of flat-out running, I was barely breathing hard as we slowed to a fast walk, trying to blend with the crowd while keeping alert for any sign of the black cloaks our pursuers were wearing.

“See anything?” I asked Lyria quietly.

“Not yet,” she said,...

Chapter 104 - Ask Me How I Know

Massian Rahma was almost precisely as Vitus had described him.

The tomte was grizzled and scarred, with one arm missing halfway through the bicep. His remaining hand looked like something had bitten through it and removed most of his fingers. An eyepatch hung over one eye, which, along with the wavy and curled black hair and beard, the trenchcoat, and the high boots, made him look like a pirate gnome.

Despite the damage to his body and the child-like size of the tomte, Massian sti...

Chapter 103 - On The Ropes

I was beginning to get used to the smell of the docks. Sort of. A specific type of crab squid was a popular ingredient in soups, and it gave off a “death smell” once it was exposed to open air for too long. Just as we descended the stairs from the second tier of the city to the docks, I spotted a fishing ship full of tomte arrive. A pile of the crab squids was heaped on the ship's upper deck, and it only took the stench a few seconds to hit us.

It smelled like sulfur and aggressivel...

Chapter 102 - Shieldy Guy

Lyria

It had already been three days since we arrived in Thrask and last saw Thorn and the others. I had given them all a comm card, and despite checking my personal space regularly for new messages, I had nothing. Somehow, the escaped slaves had vanished and left no trace.

Brynn and I agreed to take shifts watching the common room on the off chance that we caught sight of one of the escaped slaves or possibly overheard a piece of useful information about where th...

Chapter 101 - Suspiciously Successful

I wasn’t sure why, exactly, but I seriously loved being in Adventurer’s Guilds. The guild in Thrask was many times the size of the small frontier guild I first saw back in Riverwell. I was waiting in line, but didn’t mind. It gave my eyes plenty of time to wander.

On the upper levels, I saw adventurers lounging, chatting, or possibly strategizing for missions. I saw others speaking with guild employees who all wore the same deep green uniforms. Some adventurers were handing over w...

Chapter 100 - The Tournament Battleground

Talia

Soon, the soil here would soak up the blood, sweat, and tears of five hundred contestants ranging from the lowest slaves to the most promising young nobility. It was a beautiful thought, and I hoped our work would honor their sacrifices and struggle.

I was staring at the tournament grounds for the grand tourney of Thrask. A tourney the God King himself would watch and attend. Ithariel.

The thought of him being here chilled me down to my bones....

Chapter 99 - Welcome to The Guild

While the guild hall was essentially empty, I saw it as a blank canvas, full of potential for upgrades, expansions, and functionality I couldn't even imagine yet. With time, I hoped to turn this place into a hall bustling with activity and life as dozens or perhaps hundreds of guild members came and went. Maybe I didn't know the exact nature of the challenge ahead of me yet, but I did know gathering people to the cause would be crucial.

I just wondered if I would ever be able to openly ...

Chapter 98 - Finally Clean

The tavern's common room was bustling with activity when I finally emerged, slip space practically bulging with all my new and exciting loot. The room smelled like cooking meat, soup, and just a touch of sour, sweaty townspeople. The sound was loud and cheerful as dozens of separate groups laughed, ate, and silverware clattered on plates.

After the horrors of Beastden, I had to admit I was enjoying being back in a busy city. I knew danger was still out there, and very likely closer than...

Chapter 97 - In The Beginning, There Were Two

I gave the Epic Lone Dungeon Diver's Token a small rub for good luck, then held it up high.

“Is the Dimensional Guild Master aware that he doesn't need to raise the tokens in such a dramatic fashion to claim them?” Hoot asked.

“He's aware,” I told Hoot. Then I made a few unnecessary, ritualistic hand gestures just to get under his feathers before finally touching the token with mana.

“Congratulations! [Iron Armor Crate (Epic) (Iron)] has been upgraded to [E...