Rhen shielded his eyes as he looked up to the misty clouds of the alpine chamber. He couldn’t even see it anymore. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Wyland, but he really hopped nothing went wrong with the aerial part of the plan, which was almost the whole plan.
Joseph led the team, two by two, down the softly trodden path. They hadn’t gone toward the Chimeti cave much since they discovered it, and so the way was packed with snow. Aki could’ve helped with that, but he n...
2022-06-29 15:00:06 +0000 UTC
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After three weeks of being followed around by orbeyes, they all finally fell into a normal routine. Rhen had discovered that the broadcast doubled as a hiring platform when he mentioned casually over dinner that they really needed more metal workers, and two days later his doorstep was bursting with people eager to share in the profit of Zephitz dungeon.
He also got a lot of join requests from people seeking the limelight. Aki was invaluable to that effect and became the de facto hiring...
2022-06-28 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“Just a little lefter!” Lowt yelled from the ground.
Rhen hung precariously off the edge of the broadcast tower and nudged the halfmoon projection disc to the left.
“Good! Come on down!”
Rhen released the brake on the belay harness and slid down the thick metal pole of the broadcast tower. The architect team had whipped up a quick design that everyone had come together to build in just under five days. Was it pretty? No, it was a black, knobby eye-sore positioned dir...
2022-06-27 15:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Henlo dudes! AHHH I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! So much that I ordered a cosplay of her outfit that I'm going to wear to DragonCon and MileHiCon this year! I'm super stoked, and you guys will of course get updates. I wish I had the time and skill to make the cosplay myself, but alas, I do not... Maybe in a few years I'll pick is up =P
Anyway, that's it my dudes, just wanted to show off some cool arts ^_^
~J.D. Astra
2022-06-26 15:00:04 +0000 UTC
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After meeting the Arannet’s contacts; Haru the media broadcaster genius, Felicity the advertisement specialist, and Xander the tech-man, Rhen was ready to head home. They agreed on a small up-front payment to get started, and a one percent royalty all around for the two and a half months they’d be putting on the show. Arannet supplied all the contracts of course, and when everything was signed that evening, Rhen was exhausted.
There were no trains out to Yu for the rest of the night...
2022-06-25 15:01:02 +0000 UTC
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The anima culminated in the palm of Rhen’s hand as he prepared to send himself for respawn.
“Wait, my friend. This is not over yet.”
Rhen looked over his shoulder to Aki. “You should go now.”
“Just wait,” Aki whispered urgently.
Tansi stood in Rhen’s periphery. He looked to her, confused. She gave him a smile so slight, Rhen wondered if he imagined it.
“I do not agree with the sentencing.”
The room burst again with chatter. Smit...
2022-06-24 15:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Henlo my dudes! I've got two big-ol glasses of water with me and am chugging to stave off dehydration. It's very hot in my house and for some reason I'm still walking on my treadmill >.< gotta fit in that cosplay I ordered (more on that Sunday with a cover reveal!)
Deathless Dungeoneers
Book 2 has been uploaded and scheduled out for the rest of the month! It'll end July 2nd and I would LOVE to start giving you DD3 chapters right away... I really need to finish writin...
2022-06-23 22:33:34 +0000 UTC
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Rhen’s leg bounced against the train seat. Arannet’s did something similar next to him, but her fine shoe did a click-click-click on the metal floor with every bounce. Aki sat across from him, his colors a muted blue. That didn’t give Rhen a lot of confidence, but then again, he hadn’t specifically cataloged all of Aki’s colors.
The script he and Jakira had worked on played over and over in his head. He was dying. He wanted to give a young boy hope. He wanted to save ...
2022-06-23 15:00:06 +0000 UTC
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The crowd was curious, everyone whispering and guessing at the letters Rhen had received. They’d find out soon enough.
Rhen climbed on top of a pile of concrete stone, elevating himself above the chattering heads. “Everyone join me at the inn in thirty minutes, please. I have something important to tell you, and something important to ask of you.”
He stepped down and the rabble grew louder.
“That wasn’t ominous or anything,” Jakira said with a cautious n...
2022-06-22 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Henlo my dudes! The Reluctant Dungeon is alive and well on amazon, and I need your help!
Currently sitting at 92k paid in store, and we need to get to 500! Just kidding, what a pipe dream ^_^
But if you could swing by to drop it a review, help get some organic lift, that would really help me out <3
Thanks so much for all that you do already! Laters mctaters!
~J.D. Astra
2022-06-21 16:59:25 +0000 UTC
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Aki guided the flat platform loaded with Welsh’s old machines down the river with Rhen’s guidance. As it turned out, Welsh had several machines Rhen could make good use of just sitting around at his dungeon, and when the auction notification went out, he was the first there. A few other owners of very small dungeons showed up to see what there was, but Rhen was the only one buying.
It was no wonder Welsh hadn’t bought Rhen’s dungeon plot. Everything in the area seemed t...
2022-06-21 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Rhen pushed his anima drill deeper into the Magnite rich wall that Joseph’s team had discovered. They were all currently off enjoying their time in the bath, while Olliat, Eli, and Derk got the Faust parents up to snuff for the Alpine chamber by farming some terrockens. They’d need cephaloshifter and blubberific before they could join them in getting out the critical ores.
All the delvers from the Welsh cluster—which was presently at auction to pay off some of Peter’s debt—cam...
2022-06-20 15:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Henlo everyone, I just wrapped up book 2 but I need to have the new realm named! I said I would run a poll in the book, and I feel like I should run a poll IRL too! Contribute your ideas for the beachy paradise ^_^
~J.D. Astra
2022-06-20 00:11:20 +0000 UTC
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Rhen spent the train ride back to the dungeon in absolute terror. His circular thoughts revolved around his choices: stay and finished the dungeon build only for the Desedras to sweep in just before everything was finished and take it out from under him, or run.
Sen was giving him the chance to run, he wanted Rhen to run, because then it would be no contest. Desedra would take over, and that would be that. But if he stayed, they’d have to fight him for it. He needed a plan.
2022-06-18 15:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Henlo my dudes!
Yes, I did forget to do the Thirsty Thursday Thoughts... I'm sorry. I'm in Burbank right now visiting the Disney Imaginarium R&D warehouse! Some of you know I did work with them a little while back and we're doing a "wrap" party now, hooray! Sorry so much for forgetting, though... I've just got water with me now, but last night was lemon drop martinis, and tonight, who knows!
Deathless Dungeoneers
Book 1 has a narrator selected, cover art is done, docum...
2022-06-17 18:52:37 +0000 UTC
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The train rocked from side to side and Rhen watched the supposedly sleeping Tsu’me.
She’d spilled all the beans.
Welsh had not only tried to get her to destroy the node by sabotaging Wyland’s machine—for which she had a damned blueprint—the fluffer had wanted her to raid the coffers on the way out. And it hadn’t just been a blueprint that looked like Wyland’s device, the old crafter had reviewed it scrupulously to confirm it was an identical match.
The...
2022-06-17 15:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Henlo my dudes! Monster Haven is coming out on Tuesday and I'm so stoked! For your patronage, you get yourself a shiny free pre-release.
It's absolutely not required, but I request with all my heart that you drop a review on release day. It would make me super happy, and it would really help my chances of getting organic growth and being seen by millions! You can find the amazon listing here: https://geni.us/Mons...
2022-06-16 18:50:18 +0000 UTC
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Rhen awoke surrounded by warmth. He opened his eyes to the sparkling purple crystals and black stone of the inn. Teal light swirled around, sending watery ripples across the ceiling. Water slid down a steep shoot on the right wall, warming the pool, and another drain led out the left side, slowly cycling water.
He was in the bath, but why, he didn’t know.
“The hot water accelerated your healing,” Aki said.
Rhen looked down to see he was nearly nude, beside a pair of ti...
2022-06-16 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Rhen notched an arrow of anima and fired at the first yeti. The projectile speared straight through its chest and into the head of the yeti right behind it. They both went down with a thud. Rhen wanted to kill as many of them in the dungeon as he could, making sure they had plenty of time to harvest their cores before they disappeared.
He backed up a few paces and fired three more shots, each striking their targets. Two more yeti down. The yeti were moving with angry purpose now, chargi...
2022-06-15 15:00:08 +0000 UTC
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The two teams had cordially crossed the lake together, and the race was on as soon as they hit the entrance to the Alpine chamber.
“Good luck out there, youngins,” Joseph said with a salute.
“And the same luck to you, old people,” Olliat said with a sneer.
“Great,” Bort murmured. “Babysitting.”
“Don’t you let anything happen to them,” Valine warned.
“I won’t,” Rhen and Jakira said at the same time, then smiled to one ...
2022-06-15 15:00:07 +0000 UTC
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When Rhen got back to the inn, several people were gathered and chatting with a grinning Arannet. They gave her a few pats on the back and retreated back to their posts when they saw Rhen.
He joined her at the paperwork table. “So, how are we going to show this bastard we mean business?”
“By getting some signatures done!” Arannet declared, holding a pen out for him.
Rhen groaned, but smiled and surrendered to the pen. Arannet had organized everything so that it f...
2022-06-14 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Rhen awoke warm in his bed. He moved, but stopped immediately when he noticed the arm tucked around his waist. Jakira mumbled something in her sleep and tightened her grip on him.
Rhen tried to inhale through his nose, but it was stuffed, and his head was throbbing. He sighed. Had he really cried himself to sleep in her arms? How unbecoming of the man Rhen senior had wanted him to be…
But still, he was grateful for her. If Rhen had left his room in that state, he didn...
2022-06-13 15:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Rhen used a chisel to make a cord notch in he bow-to-be and blew out the wood flakes. The dry, savory smell of black ashenwood filled the shop, as Barrek and Gil worked on making the new doors for the baths. Rhen had requisitioned some of the softer black ashenwood to create the bow he long sought.
He sanded the outside lovingly, giving attention to every inch of it. Nothing was on his mind but the most perfect bow. Strips of leather waited their turn on the workbench while Rhen attache...
2022-06-11 15:20:20 +0000 UTC
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“All I’m saying is, we can probably lob a flaming bag of terrocken dung into that big ass window without being seen.” Jakira slid through the snow on her side and bashed in the kneecap of the attacking yeti.
The yeti howled in pain and jumped back, more nimble than most. Rhen dashed around the side of it to see the blue syntial for what they’d dubbed as “snowball assault” activated. Rhen dropped into stealth in the cover of the pine tree, then leapt toward its spine with Ani...
2022-06-10 15:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Henlo my dudes! It’s Thursday already!!! I almost forgot thinking it was tomorrow... I’ve got water of course, because I’m slipping into bed to read some more of The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Deathless Dungeoneers
Book 1 is trucking right along toward publication. ^_^
Book 2 is at about 85%-90% complete ^_^
Book 3 ideas are coming together very nicely.
Thats it my dudes! No progress anywhere else haha. Catch you on the flip!
~J.D. Astra<...
2022-06-10 04:32:51 +0000 UTC
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Rhen wasted no time getting to the Welsh cluster, using tremor blast jumps and swift twitch to speed him on his way. Aki held tight to Rhen’s shoulders, unable to keep up in the river beside him. They passed Derk and Tsu’me along the way. The Sephine had shriek in terror, thinking perhaps Rhen had come to enact some vengeance on her. When they passed by without even a second glance, the indignant bard taunted after him, something like, “Good luck,” and a string of curses in her native...
2022-06-09 15:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Rhen awoke and threw back the shades Leslie had crafted for his window. Light from the rainforest chamber streamed in. He opened the window and took a deep breath of the warm, humid air. It was a relief in the depths of a dungeon.
Then movement caught his gaze in the underbrush. Rhen thought maybe just a deer-tailed jackalope, or maybe even a young terrocken exploring its boundaries, but no, of course not.
It was Tsu’me, slinking into the forest with Derk in tow.
Rhen sigh...
2022-06-08 15:00:08 +0000 UTC
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~ Pre-chapter note! Hey so, I'm writing this book kinda fast and so... here comes some more chapters faster! Schedule is now Monday-Saturday for the next few weeks.
-------------------------
They harvested the core from the yeti with much disgust and left most of its charred corpse to be absorbed back into the dungeon. Rhen couldn’t see much use for bones that reeked like death… but maybe an apothecary could have use for whatever poison gland it’d used to make that nasty bre...
2022-06-07 15:00:06 +0000 UTC
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“Test?” Tsu’me asked, wide-eyed.
Rhen nodded. “Yep. We’re gonna fight some yetis. Arannet, you can officiate some delver paperwork, right?”
“Uh, yep, let me just…” she turned yet another ring on a different finger and it lit up with a blue glow. Hundreds of sheets of paper going off into the distance were silhouetted in the magic anima glow, and she shuffled through them, mumbling. “Yep, here it is!”
She grabbed hold of the blue outline and pulled a sma...
2022-06-06 15:01:02 +0000 UTC
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The train jostled Rhen awake, sending splitting pain through his skull. The light was a nuisance, the sound was grating, existence was pain.
Ugh, why had he done this to himself?
Jakira was still sleeping, her head rested on his shoulder as she snored gently. Rhen tucked a stray strand of brilliant red hair behind her ear and smiled.
He remembered why he’d done this to himself.
Flashes of the four of them singing at the top of their lungs—well, Aki at the top of hi...
2022-06-03 15:01:02 +0000 UTC
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