I hit the ground hard, and the wind was knocked out of me. My cloak's protective cocoon absorbed most of the impact, but the force of the blow had still been enough to send me sprawling.
<... 2025-04-18 15:09:15 +0000 UTC View PostI eyed Eryn as she held on to Arclight, grinning proudly. The bow was truly a work of art, and merging with Arclight’s gem had only improved it further, the lightning globule glowing like a golde...
2025-04-17 13:14:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe soul gem was warm in my hand, but nothing happened as I held it against the hammer. We just watched it for a long moment, half-expecting fireworks or something. When nothing happened, Roq began...
2025-04-16 16:57:57 +0000 UTC View PostWe sat upstairs around the dining table where Ma had prepared venison stew for lunch. Knut and Pa shared a mug of ale, while Ma, Eryn, Nabeeh, and I stayed with tea. Lysander had begged his leave, ...
2025-04-15 14:52:05 +0000 UTC View PostI stood in the forge, looking down at the table where the bow’s parts had been carefully arranged. The morning’s breakfast was still warm in my stomach.
Pa yawned next to me, his jaw crac...
2025-04-14 18:01:52 +0000 UTC View PostMy mind raced as Pa stood frozen with his hands deep inside Arclight’s carcass, his expression unreadable.
"What's happening? Did the old man finally realize how sub-standard this c...
2025-04-11 17:55:07 +0000 UTC View PostI held Eryn close, taking in her scent and warmth as we leaned against the smithy's wall. Last night had been spent eating and drinking at home, with baths for us all, including Roq who'd spent lon...
2025-04-10 17:21:45 +0000 UTC View PostBy the time we finally made it back to our place in Dawnwatch, exhaustion had settled deep into my bones. The events of the past day—the monster attack, the battle with the Juggernaut, my injury ...
2025-04-09 13:58:33 +0000 UTC View PostSometime later I sat on a cot in the medical tent, with Roq hanging from my belt, and Doctor Katherine sitting in front of me while frowning at my leg. A few guards with less serious wounds were sp...
2025-04-08 15:48:45 +0000 UTC View Post“Oh, this is really good,” I said, reading the new skill’s description.
NAME: Ironburst
TYPE: Active / Area Attack
DESCR...
2025-04-07 14:59:22 +0000 UTC View PostWhat did he just say? That he could hear the instructions of the Hive Mind? If that was true…then maybe we had a chance.
"Hey, you serious? Don’t screw with me now, buddy. Is that tru...
2025-04-04 17:02:52 +0000 UTC View PostI licked my lips, feeling my breath on my face inside the helmet as the guards fired on the second wave of monsters. They didn’t even exist at this point as my eyes were fully glued to the gigant...
2025-04-03 17:57:11 +0000 UTC View Post“Rift rot,” I cursed, touching my sigil and peering across the killing fields as the bells rang out, three times, and then kept on ringing. Monsters swarmed from the treeline, spreading out and...
2025-04-02 15:15:02 +0000 UTC View PostI sat on a cot next to Eryn when Commander Edwin entered the medical tent. We’d gotten the entire tent to ourselves as Knut’s leg and arm had been set and was being healed. While he could techn...
2025-04-01 17:43:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe gates of Sentinel Station slammed shut behind us with a loud thud. I closed my eyes, thanking the bells for our luck. Any longer, and who knows what would have happened to us outside.
... 2025-03-31 18:11:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Launchday!
Riftside 1 is now live on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited!
If you've enjoyed the story so far, would you please consider sharing it with a friend or dropping a review on Amazo...
2025-03-31 18:10:31 +0000 UTC View Post“By the smith’s own hammer,” I muttered as I opened my stat sheet, the numbers appearing before me. I pretended to look up at the glowing root as I went over the numbers.
...
2025-03-28 19:27:02 +0000 UTC View PostWe headed deeper into the cave system, through narrow and wide passages, our footsteps at moments silent and sometimes echoing. The only constant was the glowing roots dotting the roof. We’d pass...
2025-03-27 18:21:38 +0000 UTC View PostI stepped in behind Knut as we entered the Glowroot Caverns through the gaping hole in the ground and proceeded into a narrow passage. The air cooled and had a subtle dampness to it that clung to m...
2025-03-26 18:08:24 +0000 UTC View PostI stood before the quest board in the guild hall with Knut and Nabeeh to my sides, scanning the various parchments pinned to its surface.
"What about this one?" I asked, pointing to a yellow-...
2025-03-25 17:59:38 +0000 UTC View PostI tossed Karl a silver coin, which he caught with wide eyes. Before he could dash off, his gaze locked onto Pa's newly forged hammer resting in his lap.
"What's that?" he asked, voic...
2025-03-24 16:56:01 +0000 UTC View PostI awoke with a smile on my face. The double bed, delivered late last night, was better than I even imagined. It was quite possibly the best and most luxurious sleep I'd ever had. Sometimes, monster...
2025-03-24 16:55:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe artisan district sat in deep shadow between the second and third ring road. It was packed with vendors hawking their wares both from their shops and the stalls lining the streets. All the scent...
2025-03-24 16:55:25 +0000 UTC View PostI pushed open the front door, my face set in a sour mood and shoulders sagging.
The conversation with Edwin had left me with more questions than answers, on top of the mental tiredness ...
2025-03-24 16:54:06 +0000 UTC View PostI jogged over to the stairwell Edwin had disappeared into.
“Force him to answer our questions. I am ready to draw blood. For the group’s sake! Tell Edwin I will give him a love ta...
2025-03-24 16:53:47 +0000 UTC View PostThe violent shaking in the treetops grew closer, as if a tide of monsters were running through the forest, and soon we heard branches snapping and the rustle of leaves.
Knut hurriedly fastene...
2025-03-24 16:53:24 +0000 UTC View PostI walked over to stand next to Knut, who stood eyeing the sheer face of the mesa. His hands seemed to trace the contours of the rock in the air as he analyzed potential ways upward.
"Not bad,...
2025-03-23 18:19:43 +0000 UTC View PostThe forest was denser on the other side of the charred fungal plain, and we walked in silence for a while with the massive metallic trees growing so close together that in places we had to squeeze ...
2025-03-23 18:18:55 +0000 UTC View PostThe area around Sentinel Station was busier than ever as we passed through, with every able-bodied person brought out to fell trees or work on the defences. The town was beating back the wilderness...
2025-03-23 18:18:46 +0000 UTC View PostThe scent of cooking pulled me from sleep and I blinked myself awake. For a moment, I was confused by the unfamiliar ceiling above me. Then I remembered—I was asleep in my new room in our new hom...
2025-03-22 16:34:50 +0000 UTC View Post