Vowron Prime

Ashborn 326: May The Fastest Demon Win

“Begin!” Thaman’s voice thundered, and the race was on.

Having had ample time to prepare, the vast majority of the contestants scrambled madly through the Gate, trampling over one another and hurling prana attacks at each other to be the first to get through.

Vir, Shan, Cirayus, and Tara watched the...

Soulweaver 47: It's Weasel Stomping Day!

Congratulations! [Nobleman’s Steel Shortsword]’s Ability [Venom Strike] has leveled up to F - 3.

Congratulations! [Nobleman’s Steel Shortsword]’s Ability [Venom Strike] has leveled up to F - 4.

The messages kept coming in as Aerion ripped into the Weasels, even as I stood ...

Ashborn 325: Trial by Ash

Vir stood in front of the enormous Ash Gate, pretending to be as shocked as everyone else. Murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd of nearly four hundred, and it didn’t end there. Grandstands had been erected nearby, forming a ring around the Gate, and thousands of spectators watched, cheering, and hooting for ...

Soulweaver 46: Ambush

NOTE: Wanted to mention an edit I made to ch 34 - now, the soul crystal Greg gets from the dragon not only bestows stats, but also has an ability. Description below:

— Obsidian Dragonfire: Imbues the strength of the black flames of a Trial Guardian. Caution: VERY HOT!
- - -

“So tell me abo...

Soulweaver 45: Venomous & Skunky

I slept miserably. Something about sleeping during the day just didn’t agree with my body, and I found myself waking up mid-morning with just a few hours of sleep. I took some moments to wipe away the cobwebs before noticing Aerion was gone. Likely Hunter’s Guild work.

Getting up, I put my clothes on—yes,...

Ashborn 324: A Meeting of Lords 

When Thaman, Raja of Clan Baira, wished to speak in private, Vir hadn’t expected the demon to ask him to meet at a location in another district in one hour. And he certainly hadn’t expected to meet the demon alone. Thaman had emphasized that not even Cirayus ought to attend.

After seeing Tara off t...

Soulweaver 44: Layer Up

As I found out on the way back to the inn, wearing three layers of pants was just not doable. This wasn’t thin, synthetic clothing you could easily layer with, after all. Even the fine-woven stuff I’d bought was decently thick. Making matters worse, my jeans were never built as an inner layer.

Even without ...

Ashborn 323: The Fighters Banquet (Part Two)

As Vir stepped into the ballroom, he thanked the gods for his prior experience escorting Tia in Avi. It hadn’t been much, but it was enough to make himself not look like a total fool.

Even, slow strides, to allow Tara—wearing high heels—to maintain her rhythm in those precarious shoes.

The situation...

Soulweaver 43: [Common] vs [Uncommon]

Note: I gave RR a bonus chapter on Monday. Expect a bonus on Friday for patreon to catch us up to 12 again.

I returned to the inn too tired to do much of anything. Aerion was already asleep—she liked to rise early—and so, I had the inn staff heat some water for a quick bath before I also crashed.

Taki...

Ashborn 322: The Fighter’s Banquet (Part One)

Vir’s meeting with the Clanlords hadn’t lasted long. After congratulating him and exchanging pleasantries, the two departed, citing that they were eager to converse more at the function later that day.

Cirayus had told him on the way back home that they wanted to be the first to see him. It seemed both the ...

Soulweaver 42: Blacksmith… Recycler

It turned out the answer was ‘as soon as possible’, and so I ran back to the inn and quickly grabbed my laundered jeans and shirt that had been drying outside our window on a clothesline. I wore them under the clothes Aerion—the stingy, penny-pinching Aerion—bought me. That she’d gone out of her way to get ...

Ashborn 321: Qualification Duel (Part Two) 

Vir faced off against Tara at a distance of ten paces. They were both unarmed and unarmored.

“Alright, so the rules are pretty simple,” Tara said, cracking her neck. “First to yield, be pushed out of the ring or knocked out, loses. No Chakras. No tattoos allowed. This is pure, basic, physical combat. Anyt...

Soulweaver 41: Rejected

“Get lost.”

“Wait! I’m telling you, I know a bit about metal! I know you need to heat iron to get it white-hot to bend, and that different metals have different melting points. And that better steel has more carbon in it!”

I was wracking my brain to come up with every morsel of useful info I cou...

Ashborn 320:  Qualification Duel (Part One)

NOTE: Looks like Patreon is now including the collection below the chapter, so I'll leave out the links from now on as they're redundant.

Vir followed the Bairan registrar down the halls of the Colosseum, along with Cirayus and Shan.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is finding a proctor right now? Everyone’...

Soulweaver 40: Stale Bread & Fresh Plans

NOTE: Turns out patreon includes the collection at the bottom of each chapter now, so I'll omit the links from now on.

I stared at the hard bread and the soup before me. I couldn’t say it smelled especially good, but as they say, hunger is the best seasoning.

I ripped off a piece of bread and soaked it into th...

Ashborn 319: Tournament Registration

There were so many giants walking around that Vir was fearful he’d be trampled upon. He felt like a child in a city built for adults, which was likely how most children felt growing up in any city, and he suspected parents must have had a similar issue with young children—maybe they wouldn’t be outright stepped...

Soulweaver 39: Basecrest

I didn’t know how long I slept, but considering how refreshed I felt, I guessed I’d finally gotten my long-awaited twelve hours. Actually, maybe even more, judging by the bright sun shining through the window, blinding me.

I rolled over and found that Aerion’s bed was empty.

Shit.

My stomach l...

Ashborn 318: Camar Gadin

The city was oversized.

That shouldn’t have surprised Vir—he’d imagined it would be. It was, after all, built for giants. Yet there was a difference between knowing something and seeing it in person.

Vir had imagined the walls would be taller, the gates wider and sturdier. 

Only, he hadn’t imagi...

Soulweaver 38: Crossroads

I returned to the real world as sober as I’d been the moment I’d stepped into Cosmo’s bar. With what was coming, I wish I wasn’t. 

With heavy steps, I trudged back to the inn, not knowing if Aerion was waiting for me, or if I’d find an empty room. I barely even noticed the thunder and the rain. 2024-04-05 18:24:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Ashborn 317: To Baira

Shan awoke soon after, looking no worse for the wear. He loped around, the same as ever, and were it not for the shaved fur, Vir wouldn’t even have known the wolf bore a tattoo.

“I imagine that’ll grow back rather quickly, thanks to all the prana that beast stores within him,” Cirayus comment...

Soulweaver 37: The God of Order

NOTE: Another double length chapter today! Think you'll enjoy this one :-D.

“Greg! Buddy! Long time no see! Drink?”

“Cosmo… We need to talk.” I said, feeling my frustrations simmer at the sight of the tuxedo-wearing white-haired deity, overpowering the surprise I felt from being dragged to his bar aga...

Soulweaver 36: Aerion’s Dilemma

NOTE: Double length chapter! Enjoy!

The moment she touched the stone tablet, Aerion was transported elsewhere. Not physically—she could still feel her body, frozen in place in Dominion’s temple—but her mind had been taken to the top of a vast volcano. Magma erupted, spewing forth ash and lava. L...

Ashborn 316: Shan Empowered

NOTE: I'm trying out the patreon scheduling feature for the first time. This week's chapters will all release at this time, and I'll plan the same going forward as well.

Aida looked at Cirayus, who nodded. “I know what you’re thinking, lass, but this wolf’s a bit special.”

“I c...

Soulweaver 35: Entering Axius (Arc 2)

There was no warning or fanfare. One moment, we were in that white room, and the next, I smelled cow dung.

Light rain fell from a dark, cloudy sky, and thunder rumbled somewhere far away.

I lifted a shoe and found it sticky and caked with wet mud. A small wooden palisade stood some distance away. A mud ro...

Soulweaver 34: The Spoils of War

For some reason, I thought killing the Trial Guardian would magically warp us outside the dungeon. Maybe with a pile of rewards and a whole page of level-up notifications to go with it.

I didn’t even get a single System Message. And I was just as deaf and injured as I had been moments earlier. This was odd. B...

Ashborn: Art for Camar Gadin

Soulweaver & Ashborn Schedule Announcements

Hey everyone, some announcements for both Soulweaver & Ashborn readers.

Soulweaver readers:

As stated in chapter 1 on RoyalRoad, starting next week (April 8th), Soulweaver will release 3x a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Ashborn readers - a slightly longer message:

...

Soulweaver 33: Dances With Dragons: Not Recommended

The moment I heard the Obsidian Dragon’s screeches, I thought something was wrong. Not that I was an expert on dragon-screech, but this one sounded twisted. Warped with anger. 

I doubted very much that lobbing a bomb into the ravine would’ve done that. Actually, I was worried the thing wouldn’t even ...

Chapter 32: Commando Aerion

Aerion moved through the burning forest as fast as she dared. Skirting the edge of the blaze lengthened her route considerably, but there was nothing to be done about that. In just a few hours, the dragon’s ravine would be inaccessible, ringed by fire. 

Strapped to her back was an Aural Siege Bolt, albei...

Ashborn 315: Giant Granddaughter Thaumaturge

“Shan. Keep watch. Push me if you see anything. Or anyone,” Vir said, sitting cross legged on the cracked clay soil of the Bairan countryside.

If there was one thing Vir loathed, it was wasting time. Rather than sit and wait for Cirayus, he had a better idea.

Closing his eyes, Vir entered his mindscape and sum...