Humanity has inherited a contested Dominion and a Patron intent on enslaving it. Others, too, gather, sensing weakness.
Can Jamie and Sierra defy the odds? Can they save humanity? And at what cost?
Enter the world of the Trials again and join Jamie on his journey to gather power and save humanity. Along the way, he will gather friends and allies, encounter old enemies, find new ones, and make surprising discoveries about himself, his power, and the dragons who started it all.
Continue reading the award-winning epic fantasy of one manâs journey to save humanity.
Humanity has inherited a contested Dominion and a Patron intent on enslaving it. Others, too, gather, sensing weakness.
Can Jamie and Sierra defy the odds? Can they save humanity? And at what cost?
Enter the world of the Trials again and join Jamie on his journey to gather power and save humanity. Along the way, he will gather friends and allies, encounter old enemies, find new ones, and make surprising discoveries about himself, his power, and the dragons who started it all.
Continue reading the award-winning epic fantasy of one manâs journey to save humanity.
385 days until the Arkon Shield falls
All beginnings are painful, be it a mortal birth or the creation of a new Dominion.
âAshara.
You have exited Wyrm Island.
I stepped out of the dragon temple to a darkened sky. Dawn was still about an hour away, and most of location seventy-eightâs residents had not yet risen.
Sierra. The village is called Sierra now, I reminded myself. I felt my heart clench as the settlementâs name evoked fresh memories of Mom. It still hurt every time I thought of her.
I was grateful to the commander for what she had done. Naming the village after Mom was a good thing, and it would preserve her memory. But I knew that my time in Sierra would be tinged with grief forevermore.
I shuffled into motion and hobbled down the templeâs purple steps. To distract myself, I considered Ericâs message again and what it meant for the future.
The orcs were hunting me.
It was not unexpected, but the speed and efficiency with which theyâd organized their search was more than a little scary. It had been only six days since I had slain Kagan and Yarl on Earth, and Iâd hoped for more time before they responded.
I mustâve revealed more than I suspected to the high shaman. Why else would the orcs be searching for me with such⌠fervor? The question, though, was what should I do about it?
Nothing. I swallowed bile. There is nothing I can doânot yet. As much as it galled me, I still lacked the strength to take on the orcs.
I worried that the orcsâ hunt would endanger Eric and Emma, but I couldnât help them either. I didnât even know where to find the pair, and until I grew stronger, I would serve them better by staying well away.
At least I have a name now and somewhere to begin my search. Splatterpunk. It was where the two lived. I needed to uncover everything I could about the sponsored gnomish city and its location.
I expelled a troubled breath. The truth was, I had only one viable path ahead of me: getting stronger. Only then could I confront the orcs and protect my friends. And heading north to the green-marked dungeon Marcusâ scouts had found was still my best hope of gaining power.
Reaching the bottom of the temple steps, I inspected the sled I had left waiting there. Its contents were still undisturbed. Taking up the sledâs leather straps, I wrapped them around my shoulders and began my journey.
â˝â˝â˝
The settlementâs northern perimeter had transformed drastically since Iâd last passed this way. A few days ago, when I had crossed here with Tara and the others, only open trenches had marked the boundary. Now though, even in the predawn darkness, I could make out the tall palisade walls.
At the sight, a pleased grin spread across my face. Iâd helped build this. Whatever happened from this point onwards, it eased my mind to know that the village was secure and its residents safe. Or as safe as anyone can be in Overworld.
âHalt!â a voice barked out.
I bit back a start of surprise and drew to a stop. The order had come from the direction of the gate. Narrowing my eyes, I tried to pierce the darkness but couldnât tell who was there. The speaker was concealed in the shadows cast by the palisade. If only you had some way to see in the dark, eh Jamie?
Cursing myself for a fool, I drew mana into my mind and cast night vision. A second later, my magically enhanced sight pierced the darkness, and the gate and its environs snapped into focus.
Two figures with raised weaponsâspearmen by the looks of themâstood in front of the barred gate. Guards, I realized. Both soldiers were squinting as they struggled to see me.
âIdentify yourself,â the first spearman growled. His face was bearded, and he held his weapon with the casual ease that came only with hard-worn experience.
âItâs Jamie,â I said.
The pair lowered their weapons with gratifying quickness. âMage Jamie?â the second soldier asked.
I nodded, even though the pair werenât likely to notice the gesture in the dark and resumed walking. As I approached close enough for the soldiers to make out my featuresâa face and head startlingly free of hairâthe last of the tension drained out of them.
âIt is you,â the second spearman said.
The first guard saluted. âSorry, sir. We didnât recognize you in the dark. With all the new fish in town and the goings-on of yesterday, we didnât want to take any chances.â
My lips turned down at the reminder. He was referring to the massacre orchestrated by the PKers. âItâs okay, sergeant,â I said, guessing at his rank. âI understand. And donât call me âsir.ââ I shivered theatrically. âThat only makes me feel old.â
Both guards laughed.
I gestured towards the closed gate. âAll quiet out there?â
The sergeant shrugged. âAs quiet as it ever gets in this damnable world. A few random howls and guttural roars. Nothing out of the usual.â He turned to his younger companion. âOpen the gate, Simmons, and let our mage through.â
My brows furrowed in surprise.
Seeing my look, the sergeant added, âThe old lady left word that you might come by. She ordered us to see your party through without delay.â
I hid a sigh of relief. Thank you, Jolin. I had half-feared the guards would not let me leave.
The soldierâs face crinkled in confusion as he peered behind me. âWhere are your companions, sir?â
âItâs just me, sergeant,â I said.
âOh,â he said, nonplussed by my response.
The next few seconds passed in silence while we waited for Simmons to slide open the wooden gate. Finally, the way was clear.
âThank you,â I said and stepped through.
âYouâre welcome, sir,â Simmons said. He hesitated, then blurted out, âWhen shall we tell the old lady to expect you back?â
I paused and turned around.
Simmons was looking at me anxiously, and even the sergeant looked eager to hear my answer. I suspected it was less for the commanderâs sake and more for their own that Simmons had voiced the question. The settlement had come to depend on meâperhaps far more than it should have.
I smiled reassuringly. âIâll be back. But I will be gone for a few weeks at least.â Alone and under-leveled, I expected it would take me longer than usual to clear the green dungeon, and from what Iâd learned through the Trials Infopedia, some dungeons took days to complete at even the best of times.
The sergeant saluted. âYessir. Any other messages we can carry for you?â
I had already penned all the missives I needed to back at the dragon temple. The first, I had addressed to Marcus, telling him of my suspicions that the riverbed itself was a source of ore. The second, I had written to Jolin, informing her of my planned route, and the last I had addressed to Lance.
I shook my head. âNo sergeant,â I said. âIâve seen to everything already. Farewell.â
â˝â˝â˝
The gate slid closed behind me, leaving me alone in the plains of knee-high grass. I suppressed a shiver of unease. The last time I had been outside the settlement, I had almost died.
But this time Iâm better prepared.
I searched through the packed sled and pulled out my wizardâs staff. Using the Focus as a walking stick, I waded through the grass, heading due north.
My immediate destination was the spider warren. I did not know the green dungeonâs precise location, but I knew the scouts who had found it were based at the settlementâs outpost at the lair. It would be less time-consuming to get directions from them than to search the foothills myself.
The first hours of my journey passed quickly, and not long after the village disappeared from the horizon, the sun rose in the east to banish the darkness. I breathed in the fresh morning air and watched the birds flit across the plains. Overworld was a pleasant worldâor would have been if not for the dangers it hid.
Despite my determination to remain alert, the tranquility of the surroundings beguiled me and eventually, I found my thoughts drifting over everything that had happened in the last few days. I could scarce believe some of what weâd accomplished.
Defeating the murluks.
Claiming the warren.
Establishing the settlement.
They were all feats to be proud of. Still, I worried we had not done enough. There was much yet left undone and little time.
Three-hundred and eighty-five days.
At best, that was how long we had. Before that, I had to rid the domain of the orcs and somehow unite humanityâs scattered settlements.
And that was just the beginning.
Even assuming we got that far, our future still looked bleak. What would the other races do once the Arkon Shield fell and humanityâs weaknesses were exposed? Invade? It was almost a certainty. Humanity couldnât survive on its own, I knew. We needed allies.
Allies wouldnât come easily or cheaply, though. We needed to secure valuable resources to trade and make ourselves strong enough that conquering us became more effort than it was worth.
I needed to see to my own advancement, too.
I had barely tapped into my Potentials and still had much to learn about my magic. There were also dozens of Feats and Traits I required and player ranks I needed to attain.
I rubbed at my temples. Become a force to be reckoned with, unite humanity, find allies, and expel the orcsâall before the Arkon shield falls.
Not a tall order at all.
I laughed hollowly. Attempting to accomplish even one part of what I planned was madness. Impossible, really. But somehow, I would do it. For Mom and all of humanityâs fallen.
I would not fail herâor themâagain.
But even I was not so foolish to attempt everything at once. Keep it simple, Jamie. For now, I only needed to focus on one thing: getting stronger. The rest would follow.
I hoped.
â˝â˝â˝
By midmorning, I entered the foothills. I kept my gaze roving over my surroundings, but nothing emerged to threaten me, and I reached the warren without mishap.
As I drew closer to the entrance, dragging the sled behind me, I saw that the lair, too, had undergone changes in my absence. Where previously the entry had been no more than a large hole in the side of a hill, it was now well fortified. Twin posts had been driven into the ground on either side of the dirt tunnel, anchoring a slatted wooden gate in place.
From inside the gate, two pairs of eyes stared out at me. âSomeoneâs here!â the first shouted.
âItâs our reinforcements,â the second added.
My brows crinkled. Reinforcements? As far as I knew, Jolin was not sending anyone out this way. I stopped in front of the gate and, while waiting for the guards to acknowledge my presence, I cast analyze on both.
The target is Peter Elroy, a level 21 human player and member of an allied faction, the Forerunners. He has no Magic, meager Might, meager Resilience, and mediocre Craft.
The target is David Steinhoff, a level 22 human player and member of an allied faction, the Forerunners. He has no Magic, mediocre Might, meager Resilience, and Craft.
Interesting, I thought. Analyze had revealed the pairâs allegiance. Was that because we were allied? The two were the first I had inspected since Jolin had formed the faction.
âHeâs alone. Where is the rest of his squad?â Peter asked worriedly.
âDonât you recognize him?â David whispered back. âThatâs our mage!â
âAre you sure? What if itâs an imposter?â
I peered between the slits. âGood morning, fellows. Can you let me in?â I asked, deciding to intervene. If I didnât, it looked like the two would go on ignoring me.
The pair fell silent. âUh⌠no,â Peter said. âSorry stranger, but we canât do that, not until youâve proven your identity first.â
I bit back a laugh. âYou could just analyze me yourself, Peter.â
A pause. Then a not-so-gentle thump.
âIdiot,â David hissed. âWhy didnât you think of that?â Peter rubbed the back of his head but didnât respond to his companionâs jab.
I smiled wryly. It was easy to forget some of the benefits Overworld brought. I felt a faint tingle ripple across my skin as the guards analyzed me.
 âYour identity has been confirmed, sir. Come on in,â David said and unbarred the gate from inside.
âThank you,â I murmured and slipped into the darkened warren. It was as dank and moldy as before, but the large stretches of cobwebs that had draped the tunnelsâ sides had been removed. Torches had been affixed at regular intervals in their place.
âWhere is your sergeant?â I asked. I knew from Marcus that a full spearmen squad had been sent to occupy the warren.
âWith the queen,â Peter replied.
I paused mid-step and swung back to face both guards. âThe queen? What queen?â
Peter and David stared at me. âYou donât know?â David asked with unmistakable surprise. âBut-but⌠why else would the old lady send you?â
I said nothing.
âThe creature showed up yesterday,â Peter said, âand since then, things have been⌠interesting.â
âI see,â I muttered, wondering what this development boded. âWhere is it now?â
âIn the final chamber,â David replied.
âThank you,â I called over my shoulder and hurried that way.
This was definitely an interesting read, and I'm glad the author/site was able to provide book one as I didn't realize (totally my bad for not reading completely) that I was signing up to review book two.
Since the pandemic started, I've found that it is much harder to focus on reading in my free time. This is not the fault of the authors or publishers, but I wanted to include that since I think it probably skewed my enjoyment of this book and ultimately my review. From what I've seen, quite a few people are running into this particular issue, so my hope is that whoever reads this review keeps that in mind as well.
What I did enjoy was the short paragraphs, which made for easy reading. I didn't find myself bogged down with unfamiliar vocabulary or unnecessary wording. Sometimes I wish the author had chosen more descriptive words, but that is definitely a personal preference. As someone who enjoys isekai anime, portal fantasy, and gamerlit or litRPG novels, this was a fun experience. For me personally, and I cannot stress that enough, I didn't find anything in this story that stood out above other novels I've read.
If you also enjoy gaming elements in your fantasy novels, you should give this series a shot. You may find that it hits your personal needs. The flow and pacing were well done and I didn't notice more than the usual amount of typos and grammatical errors. The author clearly knows what he is doing. He's also written a number of other books under this pen name as well as under Tom Elliot. I haven't read any of them yet, but I have added them to my (ever growing!) to be read list to investigate in the future.
Please consider giving this series a read!