DWinchester

Death After Death PLUS 260-262

Ch. 260 - Loose Threads

As Simon rode north in search of the three zombies that his evil twin had noted on the map, he had a lot of time to think about life and death. He spent most of that time contemplating what he knew, or at least what he thought he knew to be true for people who weren’t quite so confined to the Pit as he was. 

He imagined that the same cycle of endless reincarnation that he’d been subject to before all of this applied to them, too, and that when th...

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 78-80

Ch. 78 - A Kingdom of Ash

The fighting was far from done when Var’gar ran out of people to kill on that blood-soaked street, but even after he finally rested his exhausted sword arm, the energy did not stop flowing. Life and death had mingled completely, and the Ebon Blade’s dark red runes glowed brighter than the light of false dawn as it drank it in. 

+117 Life Force. 

Even after spending so much on so many different upgrades, its reservoirs were still full...

Brewing Bad Ch. 146-147

Ch. 146 - Further Testing Required (part 3)

Once Lucas was no longer worried he was going to break something if he got out of bed, he got his ass in gear and back to work. The first thing he did was write a small note and tuck it into his window’s casing in case Danaria thought to look for him there. It was a long shot, but she was a smart girl, and he was sure it would occur to her to look for him eventually. 

If it didn’t, well, he had an idea about how to fix that to...

Death After Death PLUS 257-259

Ch. 257 - Dark Secrets

In the week that followed, as they slowly made their way back to Schwarzenbruck, but in all that time, Simon’s mind was never far from the things he read in the slender tome he’d stolen away. Whether he was helping to push their cart up a hill or helping to mediate the fair way to divide their loot, he couldn’t stop thinking about zombies. In particular, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way that Vaustin’s methodology had evolved so quickly over only...

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 70-77

Alright, today, as promised I am increasing the

Brewing Bad Ch. 140-145

Alright, today's the day. In addition to the no

Death After Death PLUS 244-256

Alright, as promised, I am bumping all of my ot

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 66-69

Ch. 66 - The Gates of Gulen-Dor

When its wielder finally woke, he didn’t bother to ask the blade what had happened. Instead, assuming the dark tusk was displeased with it in some way, he sacrificed a dozen orcs in its honor in a bloody spectacle as he lead his growing tribe in a prayer that was mostly nonsense. This was the last thing the blade wanted, but it devoured the souls just the same. 

+882 Life Force.
+12 Greater Monster Souls.

Being held by someone othe...

Brewing Bad Ch. 138-139

Ch. 138 - A Way Out

Without appearing like he was in a hurry, Lucas raced down the stairs and welcomed Heisenburgle into his gilded cage curtly but courteously. “You’re in better shape than I thought you’d be after what happened,” the gnome admitted as Lucas bent over to shake his hand.

“Well, I’m a hard man to kill,” Lucas answered brusquely. 

The gnome stiffened at the word kill and said, “Perhaps it would be better if we chatted in private.”

Death After Death PLUS 241-243

Ch. 241 - The View from on High

When Simon finally hiked through half of the Raiden Range and found Mount Elian, he did not go straight up it as he did on his previous ascent. From this direction, the path was treacherous, and it would have been counterproductive. Instead, he circled around it until he reached the monastery that he’d stayed at before, which happened to also be the start of the secret path to the top. 

They showed him just as much hospitality as they had l...

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 63-65

Ch. 63 - Endless Conquest

After Holmen, there were a dozen towns and villages in as many nights. The first couple were as empty as the lands that separated them. They’d managed to escape with their lives, at least for now. The Ebon Blade did not attempt to direct its army to run them down. Instead, it curved ever more northward, away from the most likely paths of commerce and flight. 

+2124 Life Force.
+187 Human Souls.
+14 Greater Monster Souls. 

Everyon...

Brewing Bad Ch. 136-137

Ch. 136 - Becoming a Better Dancer

Lucas spent the next two days acting like a man in mourning while he schemed. He received no letters or messengers, but he did have to spend a good portion of the day fending off innocuous flirting from the maids. Though they had become more subtle, they were no less persistent, and eventually, he found they were drugging more than just his wine in an effort to turn his head. 

It was never anything quite so obvious as trying to slip into h...

Death After Death PLUS 238-240

Ch. 238 - Unopened

The barrow mounds were just as dank and dreary as he remembered them, and even though he reached them at almost noon, huffing and puffing as he topped a final rise, a hint of mist still clung to the small, artificial hills. He’d done some research on this place over the course of several lives, and depending on the part of the world, they were either called the Dark Hills or the Crypt of the Reaver King.

Not much was known about them beyond that they were a ...

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 59-62

Ch. 59 - The Agony of Victory

The quarrels clattered around Var’gar almost from the first moment as he started to climb the rough stone. It was like a hard rain that paused only periodically when the men at the top of the wall reloaded. At the start, he was only one target among many, but even after he was struck twice, he continued while one of the orcs that followed him was hit badly enough that he fell to the flagstones below.

-18 Life Force.

The chieftain ignored tha...

Brewing Bad Ch. 134-135

Ch. 134 - Chains of a Different Sort (part 2)

As soon as he heard the noise, Lucas called out, “Occupied!”

That wasn’t so surprising. The Prince’s private villa seemed to have a standard of service that went well beyond anything that was expected at Parin Manor, as well as most of the other homes of the rich he’d visited. 

What was surprising was when the door cracked open behind him, and the maid's voice from earlier said, “Is everything to your liking, m...

Death After Death PLUS 235-237

Ch. 235 - A Demon in the Dark (Part 3)

This time, Simon’s instincts had been exactly right. He had no idea what this asshole was doing, but he was very clearly some kind of hydra, and every time Simon cut off one of his heads, another took its place. Or maybe each time he dies, there are two more, he thought, unsure of what it was he was facing. 

It didn’t really matter. If killing the demon didn’t stick, then he was going to have to go ...

Death After Death 225-227

Ch. 225 - Unearthed

The process of freeing him took hours, but eventually, he felt his coffin shift as it was pulled out of the wall. Then, those cursed swords were removed, and his coffin lid was opened. He was still in darkness, though, because Simon was too weak to even open his eyes. 

He could hear people talking, and the sputtering of a torch, but what the actual words might mean was well beyond him right now. It was enough that he could tell they didn...

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 56-58

*Patreon is now stripping out all my formatting when I upload. This is deeply irritating. I have tried to add all the italicized internal thoughts back in manually. I apologize if I missed one somewhere. I really wish they would stop breaking their own web site every week or two. What is it about italics and bold that really needed to be changed?!

Ch. 56 - Green Fields

Days later, when Var’gar summited the last mountain of the range, they were greeted not by f...

Brewing Bad Ch. 132-133

Ch. 132 - Aftermath

By the time soldiers arrived from the castle, nearly an hour had passed, and the flames which had consumed the manor had all but died. Despite Lucas’ best efforts, many of the servants and henchmen he’d tried so hard to save had suffered the same fate. That was where they found him, kneeling on the ground in front of one of the maids, who had passed away just as they’d ridden up. He was covered in ashes as well as the rags of what had once be...

Death After Death PLUS 232-234

*Note, Patreon is stripping out all my formatting when I post now. I have no idea why. I have added the italics to all of the internal thoughts again manually. At least I think I did. I apologize if I missed any.

Ch. 232 - Living as a Beast

Traveling, as the thing he was, was a slow, halting process that was far more precarious than his time traveling as a mortal. That was counterintuitive since he could now transform into a flock of ravens and soar dozens of m...

Death After Death 222-224

Ch. 222 - Break Out

It was only when they tried to use words of power rather than minor words of power that he noticed any real difference between the girls. Emma, the younger girl, didn’t seem to be able to do it. The effects of her spells came out with such little force that she might as well have been casting lesser words. 

She complained about that, but Simon dismissed it. “These skills take time, and right now, we do not have time for more practice,�...

What have I been up to?

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't had a chance to do much besides post chapters lately. Now that my most recent launch is done, and I have a minute to breathe, I have a whole pile of unrelated updates. I’ll keep all of them short, but they’ll add up anyway!

• Tenebroum 4 is available for Preorder here and ...

  2025-03-30 14:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 48-55

Ch. 48 - A Feeling of Loss

Brewing Bad Ch. 130-131

Ch. 130 - A Mad Dash

That was when it all went to hell. One minute, Lucas had the entire situation under control. He’d shown enough interest in the dragoness that he was all but certain he was going to be able to let her down nice and easy, and the next, Adin blundered onto the balcony. 

“Ahhhh, ssso thisss isss where yove been hidin…” he slurred, obviously drunk. 

“Hiding, no?” Lucas laughed. “Drinking in moderation, absolutely. You ...

Death After Death PLUS 229-231

Ch. 229 - Further Afield

Simon’s slumber was mostly darkness and dread, as it always was, but the few dreams that flitted through it were blood-drenched nightmares. The decent parts of his soul warred with the dark, primal parts, and not even the fact that the men he’d slaughtered so violently were bad people was enough to make him feel much better when he finally awoke. 

Drinking the blood of the living won’t take me any place I want to go, he told him...

Death After Death 219-221

Ch. 219 - Spilling His Guts

Simon spent the rest of that night telling her everything she wanted to know. On some topics, he was happy to be as forthcoming as he could be. That was especially true when it came to proclaiming his innocence regarding the worst things she accused him of. On others, though, she had to drag the words out of him one painful sentence at a time. It was those Freya delighted the most in. 

He learned some things, too, in the course of ...

The Blood-Stained Blade Ch. 41-47

Here you go! Another chapter avalanche! Enjoy!

Brewing Bad Ch. 128-129

Ch. 128 - Whirlwind

Lucas had expected that his return would be the top news around the manor for the next couple of days, but as it turned out, he didn’t even make the top three. That was impossible with Adin’s arrival and the scandal of his sudden engagement. That was hardly his fault, though. Though he had no idea he was going to be coming home the same day as the garbage that would one day be his brother-in-law, that wasn’t even the end of the surprises. ...

Death After Death PLUS 226-228

Ch. 226 - A Long Time Coming

Sixty-three years, he thought in disbelief as she explained what had happened since he’d been away. Sixty-three years bleeding in a box. Simon was floored. He’d known that it had been a long time, but not that long. He’d thought it had been a couple of decades, not six of them. 

That’s an entire lifetime, Simon realized. 

He was on, what, level 33? That meant that he was fifty or sixty...

Death After Death 216-218

Ch. 216 - To the Grave

At first, the men came at him one at a time. Simon fought each of them in turn, but none of those fights became grand duels. Some of the men were nearly as good with a sword as he was, but against the blade that he’d chosen for today’s combat, they were helpless. It cleaved right through their weapons and armor without any issues at all. 

Weapons like this will make me lazy, he reminded himself as he cut down his fourth opp...