Stargazer_hfy

Book 4, chapters 1-5

1. Chapter 1
   

“Hagi, watch ou

Book 3, Chapters 46-Epilogue

1. 46. Routine
   

My group of ten bodyguards were whisked along with me when I fast traveled, and Tarisha was waiting for me outside the portal hub.  She called her wyvern, and I jumped on its back, and we were off into the sky, with my endgame guardians circling around us, before the small group of Travelers who had been waiting for us realized I was there.

“Is it...

Book 3, Chapters 41-45

41. The Poison Grove

I remembered back

Book 3, chapters 36-40

1. 36. Arbitration pt. 2
   

Th

Book 3, chapters 31-35

1. 31. The Peories
   

After su

Status update

So....Hiatus over.

I'm rather disappointed that so few of my patreons stuck around, but I can't really blame them when the feed was updating irregularly and running on backlog.

I plan on fixing that.

The $3 tier will now get five chapters on friday instead of one until it reaches the end of book 3, at which point I will reevaluate.

The $5 tier will get the remainder of b...

Book 3, chapter 30

1. 30. Madame Inquisitor Trenac
   

My mansion in North Shire was far from complete.  The foundation hadbeen completed, in The Divergence, but my regression of the timeline had undone most of the good work that Randal had done for me.  Fortunately, he was just viewing the setback as an opportunity to improve the aspects of building with literal magic that he h...

Book 3, chapter 29

29. Diapers and Paperwork

I was reading a number of reports and holding my baby brother, Rain, with my free hand.  It had been a week since the string of battles, and I was still exhausted.  Exhausted, but victorious, and finally the joy of winning was starting to eat through the malaise that had plagued me in the immediate aftermath.

Being around Mother and my new bro...

Book 3, chapter 28

28. Audience

I wanted to spend the night at Niles’ Inn, but in the end, duty called.  I did spend some time talking with Sophia, mostly about light subjects after getting the heavy ones out of the way.  However, I received word that both the inquisitors and representatives of Marquise Peori had arrived in North Shire.

Rather than spending another Fast Travel, and po...

Book 3, chapter 27

Sorry this is late, lost track of time.

1. 27. Friendship
   

Sophia has come online

I paused with fork full of meat halfway to my mouth at the notification.  I looked over to Thomas the Administrator, who, true to his word, had been keeping me company.  “Sophia just came online.”

“How do you feel about Sophia, Hail?” Thomas asked.<...

Book 3, chapter 26

26. Victory?

And just like that, the battle was over.  I did not move from the Temple of Thedum; I remain sitting in my throne, while the many combatants who had been with me were portaled back to wherever they had been when the battleground had started.  Except, of course, that they would have traveled into The Recent Past.  They no longer had the ability to return to...

Book 3, Chapter 25.

25. The Battles for North Shire Pt. 4

“I don’t suppose one of [Spellblade]’s secret spell is [Invisibility], is it?” Jess asked me as we watched both sides exchanging salvos of magic and missiles in the streets of my largest town.

“I was hoping someone on your team would have that for me,” I admitted.  “Why are they attacking Ebbyvale?”

“It’s how the...

Book 3, chapter 24

24. The Battles for North Shire Pt. 3

“So what’s it like, being you, anyway?” Jess asked.  “I’ve asked the other Natives, and they all give the same answer.  But the admin says you’re different, so I thought I’d ask.”

“What’s it like to be you?” I asked.  “To live on earth?  To not live under time dilation?  And I understand you hav...

Book 3 Chapter 23

23. The Battles for North Shire Pt. 2

The fighting was fierce.

The battle was long.

We would be victorious, even if I were to die.

Morale was spiraling back and forth.  It had started at ten thousand for each team, but as the battle progressed and entire teams were wiped out en mass it could fluctuate hundreds of points at a time.

Compared to that, I was but...

Book 3, chapter 22.

22. The Battles For North Shire Pt. 1

Thedum telling me that I would find no condemnation from him for my actions did not ease my conscience, for it also meant he could provide me with no repentance.  I checked with Eclipse for a second, but she was just excited that I’d used her sword in a duel that would become infamous.  She was never one for moral quandaries to begin wit...

Book3, chapter 21

21. Conviction

It wasn’t until twenty minutes after the duel had ended and Corinth said “So yeah, I guess Hail is a stone-cold killer now,” that I realized I had just killed a man in cold blood.  I remembered my angst when I had thought that maybe Gyudue was like me, and like other Natives.  Now, it wasn’t that I didn’t care.  But Voss had been an enemy.  H...

Book 3, chapter 20

20. Spellblade

We stood in opposite corners of the Arena, Voss and I.  Corinth stood with me, holding my Rapier formally before handing it to me, hilt first, so that I could draw it while he held the sheath.  I chose the option to return to my inventory the vessel which contained Shalasmir, which had been Father’s final gift to me before leaving my world behind, perhaps fore...

Book 3, Chapter 19

1. 19. A Wager
   

“You have seventeen favors with Eclipse?” Zimmer asked as we walked through the streets of Zhesa city, heading back towards the portal facility.  “Oh man, do you know what you can do with that?”

I paused for a second, because one possibility for what I could use a Favor for occurred to me just then.  Drawing my blade, I said “Eclipse,...

Book 3, Chapter 18

18. The Beggar’s Court

Eight men and women stood waiting for us in the parlor in a mix of extremely dated clothing.  The clothes had been very well cared for, but were patched and moth-bitten in places.  Still they wore them with pride, and each of them greeted me properly when Port introduced me, deliberately and properly, as “Earl Hail Jeoran of North Shire and Thor...

Book 3, Chapter 17

17. One Last Thing

Marquis Peori was ready for us, of course.  Two honor guards were waiting with two valets to welcome us into his home, and the moment I showed him the core I had reclaimed, he showed me the documents that he had prepared formalizing our alliance.  The bones of the agreement was that he would purge any of the bandits which escaped my lands into his, and ...

Book3, chapter 16

16. The Rozen Guardian pt. 2

Except for the Giant Voles, we faced little resistance until we reached the heart of the dungeon.  It had only taken us about an hour of ‘clearing trash,’ which, according to Thena, was a miracle for this particular dungeon, where it was common to get lost and face sub-bosses with very minor loot along the off-branches of the path.

While there...

Book3 Chapter 15

15. The Rozen Guardian pt. 1

We emerged from the second portal into dry and desolate forest, but the forest bordered on a hedge.  The hedge was in poor health, with the leaves dead or dying and the brambles visible.  But this was undoubtedly where we were meant to be, judging by the swirling white mist that indicated we were at a dungeon entrance.

“Oh my,” Thena...

News

So for those of you who haven't heard, book 3 is complete.  The Malkios tier has access to the entirety of it, all fifty chapters, including the prologue and epilogue, and a few bonus chapters as well.  The schedule of the other tiers remains unaffected; $3 gets 3 chapters ahead of royal road, and $5 gets ten chapters ahead of RR.

I'm going to take a hiatus from writing for a wh...

Book 3 Chapter 14

14. The Marquise

We left the officer’s bar behind us, and mounted up outside.  The Marquise’s city manor was in the north district, and it didn’t take us long to arrive, with the streets being relatively clear due to the lack of Travelers in The Recent Past.  As predicted, saying my name and displaying my personal crest was enough to get us into the Marquise’s wai...

Book 3, Chapter 13

13. Drinks After

The witnesses from the army all cheered at the outcome’s pronouncement.  My few witnesses were more subdued, as they had just witnessed me fail in my goal.  I hadn’t meant to duel Keithan to a draw, but to defeat him and earn an audience with the Marquise, his true father.  It was a setback, but one that I had planned for.  I was not so conf...

Book 3, Chapter 12

12. A Duel of Honor

The barracks arena was one of six official dueling grounds in Zhesa City, although most Travelers who wished to settle their differences in combat, or simply test their mettle against each other, did so in the corners and back allies of the city, or outside its gates.  Only official challenges were resolved in official duels, as the results would be witnesse...

Book 3, Chapter 11

11. A Cuckoo

Thena has invited you to a party

Accept?

Yes

No

I quickly accepted, of course, and with my new interface I could see the details of my parties status.  I had foolishly hidden them before, whereas now they were off towards my left.  I had to glance with just my eyes to see them.  If I turned my head, the interface moved with me, s...

AudioBook Preview!

Narrated by the Talented Matthew Bridges, I'm pleased to share with everyone the first 5 minutes of the audiobook production of my novel!

Prologue: Thomas

<<Thomas>>

I'm treating this like a bonus chapter.  Everyone gets it at the same time.  Chronologically, this take place between books 2 and 3.

If you do not take action soon, I will.

--Thedum

Thomas Richtor stared at the threat on his work computer, then glanced over at the security camera. &nbs...

Book 3, Chapter 10

10. Portals

Author's Note: Last chapter until next Friday, when the releases begin on Royal Road.  See the news post if you haven't already

There’s a phrase I learned on Earth.  Hurry up and wait.  That’s what I was doing now.

There were plenty of things to do.  Mostly I just needed to be seen.  Although the workers who were ru...