21 years after the events at the Phoenix Peaks.
I didn’t feel almost 60. Age and White Dove had their talons in some of my friends, those who’d deferred Immortality for now, and they looked a little older. Iona’s insane vitality meant she aged at an eighth of the speed a Systemless person would, and her changes were subtle. A few hairs had gone grey here and there from stress, but that was it.
For me? I’d stayed at the pea...
2024-05-29 02:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFifteen Years after the events at the Phoenix Peaks
Nina was the picture-perfect vision of a naive, rosy-cheeked and fresh-faced [Maid], excited to be working at [Countess] Brunswick’s castle.
Quite literally. She’d studied dozens of young human women, seen how attractive other people found them, then blended their traits and looks together to create just one of her many disguises.
It was tw...
2024-05-27 02:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHey all!
I wasn't quite sure if this week was going to be admin week, or next week. The week ending on a Friday makes it awkward, and I could go either way. I polled the mango minions on Discord, and in a 50-13 vote, they said admin week was this week. Okay, cool, admin week is this week!
Onto the schedule: Timing and dates nothing is changing, but my admin week in July is probably going to be early, and my admin week in June might randomly pop up unexpectedly.
I moved la...
Book 13's cover is here! I'm really happy with it (although the artist can NOT do eyes and it's frustrating, but after a half-dozen revisions on them I've accepted this is the best I'm going to get) But I'm excited to share it! It's some of my beta's favorite covers.
BTW: Yes, they're mangos, not lemons. A honey mango was used as a reference image, and they come in many many different colors. One of the reasons they're the best!
Ten years after the Eventide Eclipse returned from the Phoenix Peaks
“Sentinel Dawn. Excellent, I was looking for you.” A young-looking Katerina said the moment I stepped into the command tent. The [Legata’s] curse wasn’t one she could exactly hide from people - she had to delegate effectively everything, including putting on clothes and feeding herself. Fortunately, her [Empire of Nightmares, We Fight In The Shade,...
2024-05-18 02:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostSix years after the Eventide Eclipse returned from the Phoenix Peaks
The Celestial Supper was just as good as the first time I’d walked through its doors… by Ciriel, almost two decades ago. I was still slightly torn between ‘comforting familiarity’ as the insides of the restaurant remained unchanged all this time, and ‘eerie stasis’ as it remained exactly unchanged. I had to wonder - would I change my mind in the future, and go...
2024-05-17 02:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostEarlier the same day
Why had I wanted to return to civilization? WHY!?
Civilization had invented such tortures like lines and gate tolls and grabby toddlers with sticky hands. I ignored such nonsense somewhat existing around The Dungeon. That didn’t count, civilization was required there.
“Birdy!” The sticky-handed bandit in question tried to reach up and grab me
“Stop! Shh!” I held up my hand, Iona instantly cutting herself off midword, muscles rolling and tensing.
I brough...
2024-05-13 02:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe month the Eventide Eclipse returned from the Phoenix Peaks.
Iona started wheezing the moment we crossed the doorway to home, slapping her knee and letting her laughs echoing through our villa.
“The look on their faces when we told them to all put it back!” She pulled the shock-despaired face that had been identically mirrored on nearly a hundred orphans faces at the same time.
I started to involuntarily laugh.
Hello one, hello all, to another launch day! It's been almost six months since the last one, and I hope to pick up the pace going forward.
Point zero to get you all interested (Okay, frankly, I didn't want to renumber everything): Potential bonus chapter this week. It will be next week if I can't manage it.
First and foremost - the most current epub is attached to this post. There have been some edits since the last epub, most notably around Elaine's analysis of '...
2024-05-06 05:05:36 +0000 UTC View PostAN: The first blooper was ALMOST part of the chapter, but I just couldn't find a configuration that I was happy with. If enough people really like it, I might run a poll to see if I should make it 'official' or not. The rest of the bloopers are supposed to be funny. Enjoy!
=======================================
The scorpion stopped.
Then it reached out with an impossibly large claw, and with the speed, power, size, and surprise factor, suddenly targeted the...
2024-05-05 14:32:55 +0000 UTC View PostAN: Yes, I know this is an interlude at the start of the book, not the end of the last one. For a wide variety of reasons, I felt this was the better narrative option. Before you ask - yes, there is Elaine in this chapter.
========================================
The month the Eventide Eclipse returned from the Phoenix Peaks.
Nix.
Nothing. Apart from. To put an end to, to cancel.
Denial.
Refu...
2024-05-05 14:31:31 +0000 UTC View PostAuri was back on my shoulder, chirping loudly.
All was right with the world again. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders, years of concern and worry melting away with every brrrpt out of her beak. Iona and Fenrir landed next to me, giving us some space but clearly eager to make their own greetings.
Auri conjured up two flaming clones of herself, one circling Iona with frantic energy while the other one landed on Fenrir’s nose, and started...
2024-05-03 02:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostWe finally got a name for the Pyronox owl phoenix. Auri had apparently nicknamed him ‘Sasha’, and I wanted to facepalm at her naming choice. Kinda hoped a gigantic snake would eat him after he showed us where Auri was.
Fenrir returned to full size, and I think we managed to surprise Sasha with how quickly we were able to travel. Taking a suspiciously-meandering route, we didn’t encounter any true problems, although there was the occasional delayed attack b...
2024-05-01 02:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all!
Sorry, I completely derped. I'd commissioned this artwork for 'Descending upon the Northern Continent' then completely forgot to post it with the chapter!! My brain is swiss cheese, sorry!
*Sorry this one’s short! Things got a little wonky, and this was a natural break point. Next part is almost literally twice as long to make up for it.*
===============
I spent an endless moment taking it all in. The mountains, rising high into the sky before crashing down into the ocean. The harsh line between the storms and the peaks, a clear demarcation of territories. An indicator that even the dragons were respecting the phoenix’s home territory. ...
2024-04-29 02:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all!
Okay, first, the artwork! I've realized it's been a long time since some of it was posted, and I wanted to let people who've joined more recently get a shot at seeing it!
The first two posts are the book 13 WIP and the book 14 WIP. Book 13 is going to be called "Moonfall". I'll let you all speculate on the title and the cover :)
Note: I'm going with the one that has a cape, not the wings.
Second, I want to talk about book launches and my release cadence. Unti...
2024-04-28 15:26:15 +0000 UTC View Post“Why is it always snakes!?” I screamed to Iona as we sprinted through the dense jungle, a tiny Fenrir slowing down enough that we could keep up with him. Iona was sprinting straight towards a dense patch of bushes, my wife having complete faith in my abilities to keep the way clear.
With a thought, I obliterated a thick mass of undergrowth with liberal application of [The First Rays of Dawn], a few ashes drifting in the breeze the only remnants.
*Author’s Note: This chapter was originally much longer, but a long scene (1500 words) got cut and moved to bloopers. Basically almost half the chapter. Sorry! You'll be able to read the scene I couldn't QUITE nail properly when the bloopers chapter comes out, and maybe understand why I struggled so much.*
==========
We blazed out of the scorpion’s territory in a freezing gale. Naked + winter + north pole was a terrible mix, and we l...
2024-04-17 02:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostWith her gift of gab, miraculously not lying or even deceiving people in the slightest, Iona had somehow persuaded the relevant parties to let Fenrir fly around the North Pole. I wasn’t quite sure where lies of omission fell on Iona’s [Vow] - there were times when they weren’t allowed, and Iona was an endless chatterbox, then it swung back and Iona didn’t have to explain everything. Best I could tell, her understanding of the ...
2024-04-15 02:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostWoo!
After months of hard work, blood, toils, tears, and sweat, book 12 is DONE!
Sure, there's a few more chapters to post on Patreon, but it's all done, wrapped up, and is up on Amazon for preorder here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1PKL9MP
Since you're all my patrons, the epub is attached to this post. Feel free to grab it, and let me know if there are any issues with it!
Before anyone go...
2024-04-14 19:33:00 +0000 UTC View PostI had new skills! So many new skills!
It wasn’t an emergency, there wasn’t a fire or people dying, so I decided not to sprint as fast as I could to the firing range to test things out, or the flying obstacle course.
I simply… brisky strode through the paths, System-weirdness making me look like I was casually strolling through the boulevard, nevermind that I was going hundreds of miles per hour.
Hey all!
Bit of an announcement/information post.
Two parts to this. The first is a note on book 13, the second is a note on numbers and Elaine’s stats.
THERE ARE ARGUABLY SPOILERS HERE AND SOME VAGUE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE REST OF BTDEM. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. I’m not trying to spoil anything, but there are minor ones you might dislike.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
2024-04-10 13:26:31 +0000 UTC View PostAN: Sorry for the minor delay. Wish I could blame it on Patreon but nah, this one's all me. Enjoy!
================
I woke up and stretched, shifting my body around. Classing up space was a little unnatural. It was more akin to being unconscious than being asleep, and my body didn’t do all the little adjustments.
Iona was a blur of motion next to me, a tray of food rapidly being assembled from parts.
“Sandwiches?” She offered up a stack, a g...
2024-04-10 07:18:49 +0000 UTC View PostAN: Patreon still being dumb. Things are likely to look this way going forward.
====================
… In conclusion, the Pekari, controlled entirely by Anurak Sathirat, are net beneficial. The danger is real for anyone choosing to fight them. The pressure and, correspondingly, levels, are impossible without a genuine threat. Their targets are those who are sick or injured, no matter the disease. It is naturally questionable if blowing off someone’s hand only to regrow it ...
2024-04-08 02:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAN: Patreon is being SUPER dumb on multiple fronts. They've got some sort of delay in their processor, so my typing is on a 1-3 second delay which DEAR GOD is a pain, AND they've decided that all carriage returns should be doubled or tripled. I…
Its bad. Early chapter so I can see reactions
==========
A long, long time ago, in the Fourth Remus Empire:
“You’ll never believe what I bought today!” Susan grinned as she entered the t...
2024-04-04 18:22:16 +0000 UTC View PostElaine tried it out, now Iona's giving it a shot because it seems like fun!
I believe this way of sharing files will persistently work.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NlKdiE_7wGsgA1xSimYxkSfYbahtOcr-/view?usp=sharing
The first thing to do was to test [Event Horizon].
I summoned the skill in front of me, a small black disk with glowing edges appearing in front of me. With a bit of practice and testing, I found I could change the size of the disk, making it larger or smaller, and I could summon as many as I could think about. I found I could either have the disks ‘hold forever’, put a timer on how long they lasted, or dismiss them when I wanted to.
I c...
2024-04-03 02:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
The Cast:
Sifu-Sensei Vainquer, AKA Vainquer the Dragon
Story link: https://www.amazon.com/Vainqueur-Dragon-Maxime-J-Durand-ebook/dp/B081VRFXBM
Author link: https://www.royalroad.com/profile/107213
Fairy Thread Seeker, AKA Ariane the Vampire
Story l...
