Edwin M. Griffiths

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 28,29,30

Chapter 28

Imbue Phylactery

Theo took several steadying breaths, all while Fenian babbled about being trapped in the realm of a necromancer god. The good news was that he had indeed killed Karasan, resurrected Balkor, and survived. But only just.

“I’m just happy more time hasn’t passed. Balkor has been lording over me as though he did me a great favor,” Fenian’s voice echoed through Theo’s mind. He held the crystal tightly in his hand, unsure of what...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 25,26,27

Chapter 25

Grinding

A world of worlds spread before Theo. Glass bubbles floated in a green void, each one filled with a tiny world of its own. After Drogramath described his realm, the alchemist was eager to replicate it in the Dreamwalk. It would be a worthy goal to catalog the way the patrons of the heavens formed their realms. He had learned that most created specialized areas, meant only for the strengthening of their masters. That only made him want to keep Tero’gal pur...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 22,23,24

Chapter 22

Chatting with Droggy

A calming breeze blew down from the mountains west of the Tero’gal Ocean. No one had come up with a better name for the places here. Things were always referred to as ‘the ocean,’ or ‘the mountains.’ There were many mountains within the realm. Certainly, there was only one ocean. But the cornerstones of history that saw things being named were lacking here. It just was, and the beings within the realm accepted it.

Drogramath adju...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 19,20,21

Chapter 19

Sulvan Flametouched

Shafts of sunlight filtered through the boughs of the cypress trees overhead. Theo and his group landed on the walls of Broken Tusk, right behind the dutiful marshling. Tresk turned, eyes narrowing the moment her sight locked onto Sulvan Flametouched. The alchemist expected her daggers to appear in her hand, then the attack that would follow. But she remained where she was, looking more puzzled than angry.

“What’s he doing here...

Update (1-18-2024)

Writing for book 5 has been going very well. I took about two weeks away from working on the next story to work on something else. I'll talk about some things with book 5 first...

I feel like book 5 hasn't had enough alchemy. I've been trying to get Theo to grind to 30 in a way that makes sense so I could explore the next tier for alchemy. Trying to make up for this around the chapter 35 mark, so I'm hopeful I can get some more alchemy in for this book. I think I'll ask the publisher ab...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 16,17,18

Chapter 16

Tram Ride

Theo squinted against the horizon. Wind whipped at his face, sending tears welling in his eyes. Those tears were pulled away by the force of the wind as the alchemist rode the tram. He sat crowded with other citizens of Broken Tusk, intent on seeing Rivers and Daub. Tresk held on with both hands, gritting her teeth and cursing the entire ride. When the train pulled into the station, everyone on board breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Screw tha...

Update (1-11-24)

"Weekly updates". Pah. Sometimes I miss a few, huh?

N&D5 is about half-way through being written, which is good. I think I like where it's going right now. There are a lot of new elements, but I think those things are coming together. I've been trying to do a lot of shifting focus between supporting characters. My theme has been that Theo was very powerful to start, but now his friends are catching up. There are things that they can do that he cannot, and he will become a average ge...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 13,14,15

Chapter 13

The Moon Landing

The soccer—football—whatever game went on for hours. Theo was horrible at the game, finding himself at a loss for where he should stand. Belgar was a natural. He did all the impressive sports things, even if the alchemist didn’t know what they were called. Of course, the souls within the realm had been playing the game for almost a year. And they weren’t playing with standard rules.

Salire and Theo sat in a chair by the sidelines, watc...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 10,11,12

Chapter 10

You Gotta Try

The damage to the eastern gate was extensive. Theo’s wards might have prevented a complete annihilation of the wall, but it didn’t stop the elemental from running wild. Chunks of frozen [Living River Water] had impacted buildings as well, adding to the list of things that needed tending. The alchemist picked his way through a field of the ice, watching as the precious reagent melted away. He couldn’t stuff his inventory full of the stuff fast eno...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 7,8,9

Chapter 7

Aarok’s Dream

Theo had grown to dislike laboring away in the Dreamwalk. When he went to bed that night, he corrected his thinking. The dream realm was a place to grind experience, while Tero’gal was the place where he could relax. With that in mind, he focused on raising his Drogramath cores, figuring they were the only way to increase his personal level. Now that both his cores matched in rarity, they leveled at about the same speed.

The alchemist rested i...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 4,5,6

Chapter 4

Tero’gal’s Sea

Rows of mycology caves stretched in every direction. Theo stood, tapping his foot on the hard-packed ground, staring at the dream-like creation. After he got the idea to spread his alchemy to the world, he realized they wouldn’t be able to produce industrial quantities of the mixture. He had spent most of the Dreamwalk working on a way to dumb it down, but that brought challenges. The alchemist let out a steady breath, then pushed off against one...

Update (12-15-2023)

Phew. This week has been... Not great, not bad. Middle of the road.

Oh, I guess this is important. Edits are done on book 1 of the Newt and Demon. Yeah, that process takes a while. When I was self-editing books way back when, it only took me a month. But these rounds of edits are far more effective. When I did it on my own, there were a lot of errors that got left behind. Not so much, anymore. I have no idea when stuff will release, or how that's going to work.

Once I get my feet ...

The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 1,2,3

Chapter 1

Tainted Soil

Waves lapped gently against the white marble pier below. Seabirds flitted overhead, joining their calls with the lapping waves. The salty scent of the ocean wafted with gusts from the bay. Sitting atop one of two towers, Theo Spencer looked out over the endless sprawl of water. It was only segmented by the chains of barrier islands, breaking some of the open ocean’s worst offerings. While the little port saw little traffic, a merchant’s ship was visi...

Update (12-8-2023)

Nothing crazy going on this week, but I figured I'd write an update anyway.

As expected, I haven't done much writing this week. Too many things going on. Christmas is coming in hard as I expected it would.

I don't know if N&D will run for this entire year without a break. I don't see any reason it wouldn't, but you never know.

Anyway, super short update this week. Thank you all for the support. Book 5 starts this release cycle for tier 3 supporters.

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 64,65,66

Chapter 64

Cookies and Poker

Theo stood on the walls of Broken Tusk as the day faded, expecting lightning to strike at any moment. The Season of Fire had been especially tame for rain, compared to the Season of Blooms. But the thunder he expected came in the form of demonic assassins, the sudden arrival of some errant prince to the Qavelli throne, and so on. But it didn’t come. The sound of peaceful insects drift in from the swamp. People chatted below about their day, and w...

Update (12-1-2023)

Okay, I'm just going to write a short update this week.

For some reason the holiday season has already descended into madness. I thought it was getting better, giving me more time, but then I got sick. This post is going to be as long as I can stand writing lol. Just feeling not great. Let's go!

So, first... N&D4 is done running as of Friday. I don't have a journal entry for this one, but... I don't know if I care. I might just write it later. I may put it off for however many...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 61,62,63

Chapter 61

The Underworld

Theo tapped his foot, glaring at the many people gathered in the town hall’s meeting room. There were too many people here for a decision he had already made. Aarok headed the table, a frustrated look hanging on his face. Gwyn, Gael, and Alise looked sheepishly off to the side, joined by their gaggle of administrative aides. It was only by the good graces of Drogramath himself that they had only wasted a few hours of the day debating something that ...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 58,59,60

Chapter 58

Beach Stuff

Hills rolled far into the distance, racing to the edge of the horizon. All parts of Tero’gal were unnamed and unexplored. A vast virgin landscape only explored by the spirits that lived here. Those lost souls seemed reluctant to explore with their master’s approval. Or perhaps they were happy enough with the growing village near the spring. Theo had fallen into the realm for some peace and was joined by Tresk and Alex. After some tea and sweets—pro...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 55,56,57

Chapter 55

Wards and Wills

It was always a good idea to get some fresh air after talking to Fenian. That guy had so many grand designs going on at the same time, it left Theo feeling drained. How could one man be so single-minded? The alchemist shook off the dust of ambition and went off to check on a few projects. Projects always made him feel better.

Outside of the manor, in the heat of the Season of Fire, things were normal. The alchemist stood on the road’s edge fo...

Update (11-10-2023)

Okay, so we're getting close to the end of N&D4. Yay. I like the ending to that book, and I hope you do too.

What I'm doing now is writing 3 chapters of N&D a week, and trying to get a secret project done before the end of the year. I don't think that's going to happen, depending on how absolutely exhausted that makes me. After that, I think I'm going to try pulling the patreon ahead on N&D chapters again. There's some math involved there with how many hours I have to work p...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 52,53,54

Chapter 52

Ward Upgrades

The concept of time was difficult to grasp within the heavenly realms. There were no guarantees on the progression of sections to minutes, then minutes to hours, within Tero’gal. Only a person’s willpower allowed them to see that passage clearly. But there was a distinct advantage to resting within the realm. Any effects brought by a bond with a god, increased attributes, or other system-generated mind-altering states of being were rendered inert. ...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 49,50,51

Chapter 49

Dragon’s Breath

Theo drummed his fingers on the table in his new lab. His night in the Dreamwalk resulted in predictable outcomes. The dragon was too strong for them to beat, and he doubted Tresk intended for it to be defeated. After a light breakfast, he came to the lab to inspect the new area and read his daily administration reports. While Ziz’s progress on the tower was predictable, there was an interesting note about Throk.

The Marshling artificer had...

Update (10-27-2023)

Happy halloweeeeeeen. Because I won't write another update before then.

I finished writing book 4, and it turned out better than I expected.  I shuffled a few things around, and ended an arc before I wanted to. But I have some plot stuff coming up to take its place. It was an old poll on this patreon lol.

Right... So, N&D4 is finished, but I don't really have enough chapters to take a break. So I'll be starting book 5 on Monday. These past 2 weeks have been very busy for ...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 46,47,48

Chapter 46

Throwing Stuff

It was easier to imagine the defenses of Broken Tusk in the Dreamwalk. Theo stood near the coast, imagining the walls that Ziz was working on. He imagined them further, sending them out into the bay, then constructing imaginary towers. He topped it off with the gate he wanted—another portcullis-style gate that would drop into the ocean on command. The walls would serve as causeways whereby folks could come out to check on the [Ocean Dungeon]. If Sle...

Update (10-20-2023)

Another week, more chapters. It feels like I just keep posting chapters because we have a streak. I was originally worried I'd get burned out, but... Big shrug. I feel fine. I keep coming up with new ideas, but that leads me to something I was rambling about on the RR chapter notes.

So, the longest series I've written before this was 2 books. And in those two books, I violated one of my new rules for writing. I change the way things worked too much, making the second book not really tra...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 43,44,45

Chapter 43

The Garden Party

Sarisa and Rowan had worked closely with Xam to get the garden party going. They organized the catering, which was easy enough, but also decorated the area. A large table dominated the center of the space. Magical lights hung from the iron fence. There was even a Broken Tusker playing a strange, violin-like instrument at the far end of the manor’s garden. Like most things in the town, the music was rough and raucous. The people set to gather there...

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 40,41,42

Chapter 40

Blessing the Temple

Comforting breezes didn’t roll through Broken Tusk during the Season of Fire. Theo had abandoned all hope of being sweat-free outside of the air-conditioned buildings in town. As with all alchemical experimentations, a cracked window was vital. The alchemist stood with Salire, looking over their batch of spirits from the previous day. They had created enough to run the three major restoration potions, but no more.

“Always take it one st...

Update (Week of 10-6-2023)

Not much going on this week. In a good way.

I'm taking today off this week, but that's about it. I let the Mechanist story rest for about a week, and I'm going to go through it today. I think it's good enough to move forward. According to my spreadsheet, that book should be ready for RR release before the end of this year. Of course, patrons are going to get first crack at it.

That story ties in directly to N&D, taking place between 450 and 500 years after book 8. I smashed to...

Update (9-29-2023)

Not much to say this week. Half of my week is dedicated to writing N&D while the other half is spent on exploratory writing. Thought I would hate this method of writing, but it's working out well. So long as I take good notes on N&D because... man, that story gets confusing.

Reading has been slow for me, but I'm about to finish up Deadman Walking by C.B. Titus....

The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 37,38,39

Chapter 37

Commanding the Realm

“This is the most awkward thing I’ve ever been a part of.” Tresk folded her arms, staring at the floating purple spirit.

Theo had suspected that Belgar’s soul would come back in one form or another. He had been entertaining the idea that the Dronon never truly died, and had only been snatched up by a god when he fell off that cliff. Now the picture was clear. When he died, his soul went to ascend to Drogramath’s realm. But he ref...