Chapter 69
Epilogue
Theo Spencer,
5th Day, Season of Fire,
873rd Year of Balkor’s Betrayal
Well, the privacy of my writings is no longer in question. No living mortal outside the bond can tread in Tero’gal. Well, just to be certain I’m writing this entry in Axpashi. Yeah, it’s a strange language with many quirks. You can’t really understand it until you understand that it’s tied to the standard language of magic. Super h...
2023-07-07 11:01:41 +0000 UTC
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My new story "Summon The Great Spirits" is coming either this Friday or next Friday. Gonna follow the 3 chapters per week schedule as closely as I can. It may pause, unlike N&D, but I have half of a book written (30 chapters, 3k each).
Hooray.
I'm going to go back to writing Newt and Demon on the 15th, and try to do a reasonable run to get to the half-way mark of that book. I HAD the ending in mind, but now I'm not sure. I want to see if I can do more with that. Get that book ...
2023-07-06 16:56:31 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 66
Tero’gal
“Theo!” Tresk shouted. She struggled against the vines holding her tight, rolling herself over to protect Alex as she dug for her dagger. Each motion brought a wave of agony.
The Dronon said something in a tongue she didn’t recognize. Likely one of the damned demon tongues, but she could sense the confusion in their words. They all shared looks, even as the warriors in the group batted away hammers and awls. She didn’t like being toyed with....
2023-06-30 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
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I can't express how much easier it is to post early chapters by putting them in 1 post. It is legit just... It's a dream. I'll never go back. Screw that.
Anyway, updates. So, N&D book 3 finishes running on Patreon this week. Guess I should write more for book 4, huh? I've been working on my other project. One that I've had a lot of fun with. So I'll talk about that a bit.
The other project I'm working on is an adventure book. Plain and simple. Didn't really know what it was go...
2023-06-29 18:20:18 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 63
Khahar Departs
Sunlight filtered through the window in Theo’s room, casting shafts of light through the dusty air. He couldn’t remember the last time he dumped a bottle of [Cleansing Scrub] over his bedroom, but that was the least of his concerns. A barrage of system messages clouded his vision, worse than the particles of dust in the air. So many cores had rolled over to new levels that the window took up most of his sight.
[Drogramath Herbalist C...
2023-06-23 11:00:59 +0000 UTC
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I've neglected what... 2 weeks of updates? Well, there's a reason.
Firstly, you'll notice I haven't missed a release. Because I don't miss a release, baby!
On the 28th, N&D won't have missed a release for an entire year. That's some dedication right there.
Anyway, I've been working on a different story. I had 2 in mind that I thought I wanted to do before I realized something. When writing N&D the progress is slow. I don't mean kinda slow, I mean glacial. Be...
2023-06-22 13:41:03 +0000 UTC
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Tresk and Theo spent the rest of the day working on potions for Fenian. They didn’t limit themselves to what he’d requested, making anything that fit with his theme of defensive potions. Although the day was fading, they pushed to complete an example of a [Vigor Potion] with the [Refined Elemental Earth] modifier. Any chance to test the effects of a new modifier was a good chance, so he took it.
Theo held the completed vial up for inspection, noting the brown-yellow tone and flecks ...
2023-06-16 11:02:01 +0000 UTC
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“You can’t just send her out like that,” Theo said, locking his eyes on Aarok. The Half-Ogre wouldn’t give, staring right back.
“I’ll remind you what we are. By your own words, we’re a military force,” Aarok said. He didn’t budge, either in demeanor or position. “She’s the only one with an escape option like that. Now, do you mind letting my little soldier give her report.”
Theo felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Bal wasn’t the most powerful adventurer...
2023-06-16 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Theo stopped by the Newt and Demon to set the stills to work. Salire stopped him to discuss their current orders, going over the things he missed from the other day. The interruption would have annoyed him, but she produced 10 gold coins from nowhere. The shopkeeper had a sheepish smile on her face, holding the money out with a nervous hand.
“I heard about the town’s money problem,” Salire said. She was too nice for her own good. A person with less honor would have pocketed the mo...
2023-06-16 11:00:07 +0000 UTC
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An uneventful day was a good one. Theo had finished his work in the lab, finding his way to Xam’s tavern with his friends. Tonight’s meal was a variation of the wolf meat stew, this time infused with Karatan cheese. A single day after arriving in town, the Elves were settling in well. The alchemist could see their eagerness to forget the past, finding it a mirror to stare into. Alex pecked at some Zee bread, prancing around the table as they ate.
It would be wise to meet with Fenian...
2023-06-09 11:02:00 +0000 UTC
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An attempted murder wasn’t the best start to the Season of Fire. Theo sat discussing the issue with Aarok, staring out the man’s office window and idly responding. He was lost in his thoughts, pondering the situation. There had been attempts on his life before, but never on other members of Broken Tusk. That fact hit hard, but it came with good news. The contracts worked, and they extended out to protect his citizens. There was nothing to be done about outside forces, though.
“My ...
2023-06-09 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Theo sat at his regular table with Alise, Tresk, and Alex at the Marsh Wolf Tavern. It was clear they would need more places for townsfolk to eat. Xam was working hard to keep everyone fed with luxury meals, but for the first time she had to turn people away. The backup system of dried and fresh food stored in [Dimensional Storage Crates] would bridge the gap for now. Until then, the alchemist enjoyed his position of power, sipping on his moss tea and eating through the leftovers from the fea...
2023-06-09 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Xam’s feast was legendary. With food provided by Rivers and Daub, and the expanding production of Broken Tusk, she wove an array of dishes that brought the two towns together on the table. The Elves ate, despite already getting their fill, and were happy to socialize with their new neighbors. Theo and Tresk took a table outside, giving their usual table to the refugees and enjoying the hot evening air. It was only getting hotter by the day.
“Try this,” Tresk said, shoving a baked,...
2023-06-02 11:02:02 +0000 UTC
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The glittering portal remained open for far too long. Theo got more uncomfortable the longer the Bridge remained open, even after Fenian drove his Karatan team out from within. The Elven refugees seemed to march in an endless line, more than the original promised number. Alise and her administrators desperately tried to keep a count of heads, but it was impossible. The Bridge finally closed with a snap, the darkness from within retreating in moments.
“That’s a bit more than 250,” ...
2023-06-02 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Despite Theo’s expectations, there wasn’t a massive portal outside the town’s walls. No elves poured through, flooding Broken Tusk in the early hours of the morning. Instead, he had tea and ate a breakfast of sweetened Zee porridge at Xam’s tavern. The citizens of the town didn’t notice the absence of their military and administrative leaders, though. Tresk cradled Alex near the window in the Marsh Wolf Tavern, watching with interest as groups came and went from the building.
...
2023-06-02 11:00:05 +0000 UTC
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It's a light week for updates!
First part of writing N&D4 is going well. It's a fairly natural resting point after the events of book 3. Once I have a few chapters of that in the backlog, I'll work on getting the other book out on Royal Road and here.
Might almost be time to talk about it, but I'm still hesitant. Didn't go well last time, and I don't want to ruin it for myself. Well, I suppose there's nothing stopping me from stopping a story I've started... But I'd r...
2023-06-01 17:43:21 +0000 UTC
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It was hard enough to spend time away from the gosling, no matter how little, but harder still to leave once Theo had returned. The junior administration staff had things for the alchemist to look at, but Tresk promised to stay with Alex. Things had moved quicker than expected. The sudden meeting at Rivers and Daub increased the pace of an already hectic few days.
The town seemed more somber without their support staff and commanders. Theo found his way to the town hall, led by a gaggle...
2023-05-26 11:02:01 +0000 UTC
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Azrug was a man who took his job seriously. While he was absent from the Newt and Demon, he’d been working on a project. Theo felt pride flash through his chest when he saw the Karatan-drawn carriages, 2 in all. These creatures were unlike those being milked at Miana’s ranch. They were thinner and more muscular. Even their insect-like faces seemed sharper, meant for distance hauling and speed rather than milk or meat production. The carts they drew were open-topped, their wheels spiked wi...
2023-05-26 11:01:02 +0000 UTC
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There were a few wounds too grave for even Theo’s potions to save. No one died from the siege, but several adventurers were left with missing appendages. But even those who now hobbled through the streets of Broken Tusk were excited for the victory. An oversized crowd formed at Xam’s tavern as she cracked open casks of the nice mead. The alchemist got his mug and joined the celebrations, even as his stamina flagged. Work needed to be done today, even if no one had the energy to do so in t...
2023-05-26 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Whew Friday. Even though I write these on Thursday.
So, this is something I've experienced in the past. I left the last few chapters of N&D3 for this writing sprint. And switching from book 3 to book 4 on a dime has been difficult. That might be dramatic. I finished writing 3 today, and I'm looking for a starting point for 4.
Guess it doesn't really matter, because I planned on starting book 4 the first week of June, which means I'm ahead. I guess. Does it matter? There's chap...
2023-05-25 17:56:20 +0000 UTC
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Goblins stumbled through the swamp west of Broken Tusk. Theo stood, flanked on either side by [Lesser Copper Golems] with Alex perched on his shoulder. The gosling was excited to see the oncoming attack, but jumped and nearly lost her footing when the bombs went off. Throk was getting more creative with his defensive artifices, but they hardly seemed to matter. The alchemist stuffed the scared goose into his satchel, leaving enough space for her to poke her little head out if she wanted.
<...
2023-05-19 11:03:00 +0000 UTC
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“We can’t call him Cheepy,” Tresk said, frowning at the wiggling chick.
Theo and Tresk woke to the sound of a small chick chirping happily near the alchemist’s bed. It had a dark black bill, similar patterns around its all-black eyes, with a mix of yellow and gray downy plumage. Unlike an Earth chicken chick, which could easily fit in the palm of his hand, this one was large. Beepy, or whatever name the pair decided on later, was larger than the Dronon’s head. It chir...
2023-05-19 11:02:00 +0000 UTC
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Theo finished his second helping of Xam’s Zee and wolf meat pasta bake. He washed the meal down with some imported mead and let out a satisfied sigh. With the world conspiring to some unknown end, it was nice to get back to enjoying the little things. The Marsh Wolf Tavern was more crowded than ever, and the staff had set tables outside to accommodate each patron. The only stain on the pleasant meal was the pestering of citizens, asking for “cold juice” to power their new air conditione...
2023-05-19 11:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Alright. That's a wrap for my sprint on the unknown book. Let's look at numbers and see how I did. Note, if you're looking at these numbers and you think I wrote a lot, this was the start of a book. The EASIEST part to write.
Chapter 1 was written on April 21st, and chapter 36 was finished today.
Chapter lengths were basically all 3k.
27 days, 36 chapters, 108,000 words, 4,000 word per day average.
And the worst statistic: I might hate the book. Well, I think this one ...
2023-05-18 17:06:45 +0000 UTC
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Theo stared at the egg in his satchel. There were no cracks visible on its surface, just the same familiar sheen. He pressed his fingers against its surface and waited, but there was no movement. The egg had become such a fixture. The alchemist didn’t know what he’d do when it hatched. He didn’t even know what was in it, despite Khahar’s statement that it was simply a mundane creature from Earth. He shrugged it all off and returned to the Newt and Demon. While he could feel Tresk’s ...
2023-05-12 11:02:01 +0000 UTC
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Grand dreams sometimes died in the face of practicality. A system of pipes and tanks wasn’t off the table, but a simple organization of the lab’s storage crates would go a long way. The supply of unrefined essences was dwindling, giving way to only refined essences in Theo’s stock. While it wouldn’t be safe to dispose of those low-tier essences, it was easy enough to jam them all in a single [Dimensional Storage Crate] and forget about them for now. The process of organization had tak...
2023-05-12 11:01:08 +0000 UTC
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Theo dodged a downpour of questions from Throk, running from the center of town with the Marshling in pursuit. He lost him behind the town hall, circled around, and found his way to the new butcher’s building without incident. The old man would refuse to accept the new building, so it was best to leave him to it. In time, he’d accept the gift and use it to better the town. That was the way things always went with the codger.
The new building rested near the Adventurer’s Guild, acr...
2023-05-12 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Hooray. Another week gone. Where did it go? I have no idea someone help me.
So, the N&D chapters are coming along. Chapter 3.35 on Royal Road is especially impactful to the story. Hard to imagine that's the half-way point for this book. I haven't even written the ending, yet. But the text sits at 65 chapters, 195,000 words. That's without the end of the book, so there's a bit more to go.
In discord, we had a few readers posting interesting things. First was the art posted by <...
2023-05-11 17:20:17 +0000 UTC
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Theo had an arsenal of responses for Tresk’s assassin attacks now. The [Potion of Limited Foresight] gave him enough wiggle room to enact his plan, while the [Retreat Potion] allowed him to gain distance. Only when the Marshling summoned a literal army, would he die in the Dreamwalk, but still she wasn’t satisfied. There were several flaws with his tactic, all around the idea that he couldn’t drop his nuke if there was an ally nearby. While the [Tara’hek Dreampassage] didn’t work in...
2023-05-05 11:02:00 +0000 UTC
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Throk banged out an overly efficient design for the air conditioner in mere minutes. The man had a mind built for artifices, and Theo couldn’t help but think of the Demonic God Tworgnoth. The way the Marshling slapped together a treated copper frame, installed a fan, and worked the artificing internals within moments was amazing. It was a simple design. Too simple to meet the needs of the alchemist’s plan.
The entire point of the air conditioning project was to provide Sledge a way ...
2023-05-05 11:01:03 +0000 UTC
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