The cannon blast ripped through the night, shattering the relative calm inside the admin building. Kade flinched instinctively as shards of plaster and glass rained down, the impact shaking the floor beneath her boots.

  "Move! That wasn’t a love tap!" Kade barked.

  A second blast followed, closer this time, and the ceiling groaned ominously. Marines scrambled to their feet, the haze of confusion and exhaustion quickly replaced by sharp focus. Kade caught sight of Briggs and Myers already helping injured Marines toward the stairwell.

  "Lawson! Get these people moving!" Kade said. "We’re not dying in this gods-forsaken admin building. It’s not nearly dramatic enough."

  "On it, ma’am!" Lawson responded.

  Kade turned to look at the Marine commanding officer. He was already barking orders at the Marines, his voice rising above the chaos as they moved to assist the wounded. Satisfied that the team was moving and that no one would be left behind, she turned her attention back toward making her own way toward the exit.

  A third blast struck, this time tearing through the far wall. Moonlight streamed through the gaping hole, illuminating the dust-filled room in eerie streaks of light. Flames licked at the edges of the shattered windows, casting flickering shadows across the scene. Kade coughed, waving a hand to clear the air around her face as her mind raced to assess the situation.

  "Lieutenant! It’s the Widow’s Grin!" a Marine called out as they peered out the freshly made hole in the wall.

  Kade didn’t need to look. She’d already guessed. Still, she crossed the room to the shattered glass, peering out at the source of their misery. There it was, the Widow’s Grin, its lanterns swinging in the night, the faint outline of its menacing figurehead glinting in the moonlight. The cannons flared again, and a moment later another blast rocked the building.

  "Of course it’s her," Kade said, her tone sharp enough to cut steel. "This seems to be getting personal. Someone remind me to send them a nice thank-you note if we live through this."

  Briggs approached, his face smeared with soot. "The building’s coming down, ma’am. We’ve got several wounded and another with a busted leg. Can’t move fast, but we’ll get it done."

  "Myers!" Kade called, "the nearest alley?"

  "South side," Myers responded as he dodged a failing piece of ceiling.

  "Good. Briggs, start moving them down the building to exit on the south side." Kade paused.

  Her sharp gaze moved over the docks, and her gut clenched. Beyond the Widow’s Grin, firelight reflected off the water. She could see the fortified defenses of the dock ablaze, flames licking hungrily at the sky. Not the Talon’s berth, thankfully, but close enough to make her stomach churn.

  "Lawson," she called, "those docks are toast. We need to move faster, or this night gets even worse."

  "Working on it," Lawson replied curtly, hoisting a wounded Marine onto his shoulder.

  Kade turned back to the room. "Alright, Marines! Unless you’d like to stick around and test your luck against another cannonball, I suggest you hustle!" Her words were razor-edged, and despite the danger, there was a faint flicker of gallows humor in her voice.

  Dust and debris fell around them as the structure groaned again. The Marines moved with grim efficiency, dragging the wounded toward the south exit. Kade followed at the rear, her sharp eyes scanning for stragglers. The Widow’s Grin fired again, and the building shuddered violently.

  The group stumbled out into the alley just as another cannonball tore through the roof. Soot and sweat covered them, and they gasped for breath. For a moment, no one spoke, the gravity of their narrow escape settling over them.

  "Alright," Kade said. "We made it. Now, let’s make sure it wasn’t for nothing. Lawson, take point. Briggs, secure the wounded. We’ve got a burning dock and a bunch of bastards in a fancy ship who’d love to finish us. Let’s not give them the satisfaction."

  "Yes, ma’am," came the sharp replies.

  Shadows and the stench of smoke choked the narrow alley as Kade moved to the front and led her Marines in a hasty retreat. Her boots struck uneven cobblestones, each step feeling precarious as she scanned ahead for any sign of danger. The Widow's Grin had stopped firing for now, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the pirates adjusted their aim.

  "Keep it tight!" Kade said. "I want everyone in one piece when we hit the docks. That means no heroics! Keep this by the numbers!"

  "You heard the Lieutenant!" Lawson added, half-dragging a limping Marine while keeping his eyes darting between rooftops.

  The alley spilled out into a wide street, the kind that offered far too little cover for Kade’s liking. On the far side, another alley mouth yawned open, beckoning them toward relative safety. It was exposure Kade hated, but hesitation was certain death in their current situation.

  "Briggs!" Kade barked. "We’re crossing here. Fast and clean. Go!"

  The gunnery sergeant didn’t need to be told twice. He waved a hand forward, and the Marines surged into motion, the wounded supported on either side by their comrades. Kade stayed back a moment, her gaze scanning the street, then darted after them, her jaw clenched.

  The first cannon volley struck as they reached the midpoint.

  The ground heaved, throwing up chunks of stone and dirt. A split-second later, a second shot whistled through the air and obliterated the storefront to their left. Shattered glass and debris rained down, the force of the explosion throwing several Marines to the ground.

  "Up! Move!" Kade roared. "Unless you want to make those bastards’ day, keep going!"

  Another cannonball smashed into the pavement just behind them, sending shards of rock skittering across the street. Kade stumbled, caught herself, and pushed forward. Ahead, the Marines were hauling themselves into the relative cover of the next alley, dragging the wounded with them.

  The air was thick with smoke and heat, but it wasn’t just cannon fire wreaking havoc.

  Indistinct and monstrous shapes darted through the debris-strewn street. They moved erratically, limbs too long and bodies shifting with a fluidity that set Kade’s teeth on edge. One shrieked as a cannonball landed near it, sending the creature skittering sideways before it bolted into the dark. It looked like the corrupted renderings of a forgotten sea creature. More of them followed, a chaotic exodus of shadowy figures fleeing the bombardment.

  Kade barely spared them a glance. Monsters running for their lives? Fine by her.

  "They’re not shooting blind," he said as Kade made it across the street. "They know there is only one place we could be heading. We must have been seen leaving the building by them. So they know we're still in the fight."

  "Not going to disagree with you on that," Kade replied. "Let’s hope they’re wrong about how fast we can move."

  The group pressed forward, winding through alleys that felt narrower with every turn. Kade’s ears rang with each distant cannon blast, but they grew fainter as the Widow’s Grin’s guns seemed to shift focus. Ahead, the familiar smell of saltwater and burnt timber reached her nose, making her stomach churn.

  When they emerged from the last alley, the docks sprawled before them, illuminated by a hellish glow. Fires crackled across the once-fortified defensive positions, the wooden structures collapsing in on themselves under the relentless assault. And amidst the flames, shapes moved. Not the shadowy forms of fleeing monsters, but hunched and hulking figures that looked fishlike, with glistening scales and grotesque, elongated limbs.

  "Well," she said, "guess we’re not the only ones having a terrible night."

  Behind her, Myers stepped up, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene. "Fish people. All the commotion from the cannon assault must have gotten them riled up," he said, his tone both grim and matter-of-fact.

  "Let’s get closer, but keep it quiet. No sense advertising that they've got an enemy at their backs until we're ready to strike."

  The faint glow of the dock fires lit the battlefield ahead, casting a reflection on the water. Kade could see the chaos unfolding from their position behind the fish people's lines. The fortifications held, but barely. Attackers surged forward in erratic waves, their harpoons and tridents glinting as they clashed against the defenders. At the very rear of the enemy forces, a cluster of water-wielding casters stood in relative safety, their webbed hands weaving glistening shields and lances of water that disrupted the defenders’ volleys.

  Kade crouched low behind a stack of overturned crates, her Marines gathering in the surrounding shadows. Olsen stayed toward the back of the group of gathered Marines while Briggs knelt beside Kade with Myers and Lawson, scowling as he followed her gaze toward the casters.

  "There," Kade said, pointing toward the group. "That’s the key. We take out their magic support, and the rest won’t hold together long enough to put up a fight."

  [Analyze] Brine Stalker Stormcaller | Level: 6 | Status: Hostile | Class: Tempest Mage

  [Analyze] Brine Stalker Stormcaller | Level: 7 | Status: Hostile | Class: Tempest Mage

  [Analyze] Brine Stalker Stormcaller | Level: 7 | Status: Hostile | Class: Tempest Mage

  [Analyze] Brine Stalker Undertide Prophet | Level: 6 | Status: Hostile | Class: Dark Cleric

  [Analyze] Brine Stalker Undertide Prophet | Level: 6 | Status: Hostile | Class: Dark Cleric

  [Analyze] Brine Stalker Undertide Prophet | Level: 8 | Status: Hostile | Class: Dark Cleric

  Briggs nodded. "They’re clustered tight. Hit them hard, hit them first."

  Lawson shifted slightly, eyes narrowing. "We’ll need to move fast before they see us. No time for drawn-out maneuvers."

  "Fast is the only way we move," Kade replied. "We hit their casters, cut them off at the knees, and drive through to the wall. Briggs, you’re with me. Lawson, take half the squad along with Myers and cover the flank. Wounded hold here and keep this spot secure."

  "Make it count. Let’s remind them what happens when they mess with the SMC."

  Waiting a moment for questions or objections, Kade made a chopping motion with her hand, indicating for everyone to move out. In reality, Lawson should have been the one to come up with the battle plan, but she had been running on pure adrenaline. She would have to apologize to Lawson in private and thank him for not making her faux pas a thing in front of the group.

  The Marines moved in coordinated silence, slipping through the shadows until they were just outside the rear guard. Kade’s group fanned out, rifles raised, as they closed the gap to the casters. The Brine Stalkers were so focused on their assault that they overlooked the Marines until it was too late.

  "Now!" Kade yelled, her voice cutting through the din.

  The Marines struck with brutal efficiency. Crossbows loosed a deadly volley, bolts finding their marks with a thud. Two of the casters went down immediately, their shimmering shield flickering and collapsing. Kade surged forward, her cutlass slashing through the throat of another mage before it could raise its webbed hands.

  A cleric shrieked, its gills flaring wide, as Briggs impaled it with a savage thrust of his pike pole. He yanked the weapon free with a grunt, spinning to block another caster, lunging toward him with a jagged trident. Briggs parried the attack, then drove the blunt end of the pole into the creature’s chest, sending it sprawling.

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  Lawson’s team swept in from the flank, their axes hacking through the remaining casters with brutal precision. One caster summoned what looked like a bolt of water, but Myers’s blade cleaved through its arm before it could fully unleash the spell. The figure crumpled to the ground, and its watery attack fizzled harmlessly.

  In less than a minute, the enemy’s magical support lay in ruins. Without the casters’ shields and spells to anchor them, the Brine Stalker assault wavered. The front lines faltered, their movements disorganized as panic rippled through their ranks.

  "Push forward!" Kade yelled. "Drive them back!"

  The Marines surged ahead, exploiting the chaos. Tridents and harpoons clashed against pike poles and axes, but the Marines fought with disciplined ferocity. Kade ducked under a wild swing, her cutlass flashing as she opened a deep gash across a Brine Stalker’s chest. The creature hissed and stumbled backward, only to fall to a crossbow bolt.

  Then the Widow’s Grin joined the fray.

  The first cannonball screamed overhead, slamming into the ground with a deafening explosion. Shrapnel and debris rained down, forcing Marines, Brine Stalkers, and defenders alike to scramble for cover. A second blast followed, smashing into a nearby barricade and scattering splinters in all directions.

  Kade ducked behind an overturned crate, her heart pounding. She spared a glance at Briggs, who crouched a few feet away, gripping his pike pole tightly.

  "They’re not aiming directly at us, but they’re close enough to make it hurt," Kade said. "It looks like they're just trying to create chaos and slow everyone down."

  Peering out at the battlefield. Another cannonball struck, sending a plume of dirt and seawater into the air. The Brine Stalkers were scattering now, their resolve broken under the combined assault and bombardment.

  "I'd say they're doing a good job creating a mess of things. Real question is why?" Briggs responded.

  "Shit. It is a distraction! They're trying to keep us from reaching the Talon for some reason," Kade said as the realization dawned on her.

  "Keep moving!" Kade shouted. "We need to break through!"

  The Marines pressed on, driving several groups of Brine Stalkers into full retreat. Some fled toward the water, abandoning their weapons, while others fell under the defenders’ fire. The cannon fire from the Widow’s Grin continued to rain down, turning the battlefield into a hellscape of smoke and flame.

  At last, Kade spotted the fortifications ahead, their makeshift barricades glowing with the flicker of flames. With one last push, she led the Marines through the crumbling enemy lines and over the barricades. She vaulted the wall, her boots hitting the ground on the other side as she turned to cover her team’s retreat.

  Briggs followed close behind. "Casters are down, and the rest are breaking. They won’t hold much longer."

  Smoke and ash hung heavy in the air as Kade scanned the battlefield. The Brine Stalkers’ retreat was in full swing, their lines crumbling under the defenders’ assault. Shouts echoed from the fortifications, but Kade barely registered them. Her mind was already on the Talon. Naomi hadn’t thrown the Widow’s Grin into this fight for no reason.

  Lawson, Myers, and their group of Marines broke through the crumbling lines moments later. He quickly joined Kade and Briggs.

  "Naomi’s stalling us," Kade said as Lawson approached. "I’m going back to the Talon. Now."

  Lawson frowned. "The fight’s almost over. You think Naomi’s making a move?"

  "I don’t think…" Kade started before cutting herself off. She drew a steadying breath, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease. "I know. The Widow’s Grin wouldn’t waste cannonballs on a distraction unless they had something planned. And whatever it is, it’s happening on my ship."

  "Then let’s move. We can’t afford to wait," Briggs replied.

  Kade pointed at Lawson. "Stay here. Get the Marines organized and keep the defenses holding. The Brine Stalkers are done, but someone needs to mop up. Briggs, you’re with me. Four Marines. "

  Lawson hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Understood. Be careful, Lieutenant. Myers, you're with me."

  Without waiting for another word, Kade turned on her heel, her heart pounding as she started toward the docks. The Marines selected for the team followed close behind, crossbows loaded and axes ready. Briggs fell into step beside her, his grim silence a reflection of her own thoughts.

  As they moved through the wreckage of the docks, the urgency pressed harder on Kade. The chaotic sounds of battle faded behind them, replaced by an eerie stillness. The air was heavy with the briny stench of seawater and smoke, and the Talon loomed ahead, dark and imposing against the glow of distant fires.

  Something was wrong. Kade felt it deep in her gut.

  She quickened her pace up the ramp, her boots striking hard against the wood. The first thing she noticed was the state of the deck. Ropes laying like snakes draped in the sun, barrels overturned and cracked. Then her gaze fell on the bodies.

  Blood pooled around the three of them, where they lay sprawled. They looked to be members of a skeleton crew left aboard the Talon, while the majority helped man the dock defenses. Their attackers cut them down where they stood, their weapons lying near but unused. Kade’s throat tightened as fury welled inside her, threatening to spill over.

  "Damn it," she hissed.

  She forced herself to look away from the bodies, scanning the deck for any sign of Captain Voss. He should’ve been here. Her chest tightened at the thought of him dead, or worse, taken. Tactical now. Rage later.

  "Brine Stalkers, you think?" Briggs said. "Hit the crew while the battle kept everyone else busy."

  "Maybe," Kade said.

  Kade didn't believe it was the work of Brine Stalkers. The cuts were too clean, and the scene was too deliberate. Brine Stalkers had fought with savage brutality on the docks. This was quieter and methodical. Her gut told her this was the Widow’s Grin.

  "Eyes open," Kade ordered. "Nobody touches anything until the area is secure."

  The Marines fanned out, moving cautiously across the deck. Aiming their crossbows and bracing their pike poles, they advanced. Kade followed Briggs toward the hatch leading below deck, her senses sharp. Broken glass and scuff marks littered the deck. Signs of a struggle.

  Then came the sound of footsteps. Heavy. Rushed. A group.

  Kade’s hand shot up, signaling for the Marines to hold. The footsteps grew louder and closer, and then the hatch creaked open. Five figures emerged at first, then more stormed from the hatch, armed and rough-looking, their faces alight with shock as they took in Kade and her team.

  Naomi’s crew. Widow’s Grin.

  The silence stretched, taut and brimming with tension. Kade’s grip on her cutlass tightened as a fresh rush of rage surged through her. These weren’t Brine Stalkers. These were pirates on her ship. Her vision turned red, and her mind raced with the implications. Where was Captain Voss? What had they done below deck?

  The moment of stunned silence shattered like glass. Kade barely had time to register the Widow’s Grin crew bristling with weapons before the first of them charged, roaring with bloodlust. Her instincts took over, and she swung her cutlass in a sharp, precise arc, the blade meeting flesh with a wet, sickening resistance.

  The pirate dropped, clutching his chest, but Kade barely noticed. Her vision narrowed, and the world became a blur of motion, adrenaline, and rage. This wasn’t just combat. This was personal. These invaders weren’t just on her ship. They’d slaughtered her crew, left them bleeding out on the deck like afterthoughts.

  Normally, Kade prided herself on being the calm center of the storm, unshaken even when chaos raged around her. But not tonight. Her rage burned bright, fueling every strike as she threw herself into the fray.

  "On your right!" Briggs bellowed.

  The warning snapped her focus back just in time to sidestep a lunging pirate. The man’s blade whistled past her, close enough to ruffle her hair. Kade pivoted and drove her cutlass into his side, twisting hard before pulling it free. The pirate crumpled, gurgling, but another took his place almost instantly.

  Briggs fought beside her, his pike pole a blur of motion as he swept enemies back with brutal efficiency. One pirate swung a rusted cutlass at him, but Briggs caught the blade with the shaft of his pole, deflected it, and drove the sharpened end into the man’s gut. The pirate’s eyes widened in shock before he collapsed, and Briggs turned without missing a beat.

  "Keep moving, Lieutenant!"

  Kade's Marines held the line exactly as their training had prepared them. The clash of steel on steel mixed with the groans of the dying and the scuffle of boots on blood-slick wood. Crossbows fired in short, controlled bursts, taking down pirates trying to push through from the rear. One Marine went down with a knife to the thigh but still fired a bolt into his attacker before Briggs dragged him to cover.

  A pirate lunged at Kade with a wild swing; his blade aimed high. She ducked low, slashing across his knee to drop him to the deck, then drove her blade into his chest as he fell. The blood splattered across her boots, but she didn’t flinch.

  She glanced toward the hatch where the pirates had emerged. There weren't any more rushing to join the battle, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have more below deck. Her rage threatened to boil over, but she forced herself to stay focused. Tactical now. Rage later.

  The tide turned. The Widow’s Grin crew fought viciously, but Kade’s team was faster, better trained, and defended their home. Briggs gutted the last pirate on the deck with a decisive thrust of his pike pole, and for a moment, the only sound was the rasp of ragged breathing.

  "Lieutenant!" one Marine called from the stern. "Talon crew inbound!"

  Kade’s head snapped up. From the far side of the docks, the rest of the Talon’s crew, along with the former military remnants, sprinting toward the ship, weapons drawn. She spotted chief gunner Maleko in the group with his gun crews close behind.

  As soon as the crew hit the deck, they sprang into action. A few of them helped secure the wounded, but Maleko and his gun crew scrambled to the forecastle cannons. The massive weapons roared to life moments later, belching fire and smoke as they unleashed volleys at the Widow’s Grin still lurking in the harbor.

  Kade ran to the railing, watching as the first shot splintered into the Grin’s starboard side. The next found its mark near the forecastle, and a small fire broke out, the flames licking hungrily at the rigging. For a moment, it looked as though the ship might return fire, but no volley came.

  The Grin listed slightly, smoke pouring from its deck. Kade could see figures scrambling to douse the fire, their movements hurried and disorganized. Another cannonball tore through the aft, and a chorus of shouts rose from the pirate ship as it slowly turned away from the Talon.

  "They’re leaving!" Briggs said. "Looks like we put enough hurt on her to make them rethink a standup fight."

  Kade exhaled sharply, the tension in her shoulders easing only slightly. She stood on the deck watching as the Widow’s Grin retreated, her fury still simmering just beneath the surface. She should have felt victorious, but she could only think about the crew she’d lost and what Naomi was playing at. Despite the Widow's Grin retreating, Kade couldn't help but think that Naomi had achieved what she had wanted to.

  And Captain Voss. Where the hell was he?

  The Horizon Talon groaned underfoot as Kade strode across the blood-streaked deck, her cutlass still in hand. Around her, Marines were securing the last of the bodies.

  "Search the ship," she ordered. "I want every inch of the Talon checked. Lieutenant Bishop and Captain Voss are unaccounted for. Find them."

  Briggs snapped a crisp salute and turned to relay her orders to the Marines. Behind her, Lawson directed a group toward the hatch leading below deck. Kade didn’t have to look to know the men moved with urgency. They’d seen the smoldering anger beneath her calm facade, and they knew better than to waste time.

  She turned her attention to the quartermaster lurking nearby. "Cole, damage assessment. How bad are the sails?"

  "Sails are in tatters, Lieutenant," he said grimly. "Looks like they slashed the rigging, too. It’ll take some time to patch up, but we can get her moving if we work fast. Rudder chain’s jammed. It’s not broken, but it’ll need to clear whatever they obstructed it with."

  "Make it happen," Kade said. "No excuses, no delays. I want us underway as soon as possible."

  "Aye, ma’am," Cole replied, already moving toward the crew, gathering tools and supplies.

  Kade gritted her teeth, staring out at the distant waters where the Widow’s Grin had vanished. They’d boarded her ship and killed her crew. Not to mention whatever had happened to Bishop and the Captain. The Talon had been struggling through the cataclysm daily, but never like this. Naomi’s ship was going to the bottom of the ocean if it was the last thing Kade did.

  The sound of boots thudding against the deck interrupted her thoughts. A Marine appeared, supporting a bloodied and pale Lt. Bishop, who clutched his side, his breathing labored. Kade’s stomach dropped, but she didn’t let it show.

  "Medic!" Kade shouted.

  One medic hurried over, her hands already glowing faintly. That was new, Kade thought. The light was soft and subtle, and as the medic pressed her hands to Bishop’s side, the bleeding slowed. The man winced, but color returned to his face as his ragged breaths evened out. Kade made a note to ask the medic about it later, as it looked like they had received a cleric class. What other classes did they have at their disposal now? She knew what classes most of the Marines had, but suspected the crew would end up with a great range.

  "Lieutenant," Kade said, crouching beside Bishop. "What happened?"

  Bishop blinked up at her, his voice rasping but firm. "Naomi’s crew boarded us. The captain… ordered everyone to the docks to reinforce the defenses. Said if we lost the docks, we’d lose the ship. That’s when they hit us."

  "And Voss?" Kade pressed.

  "They took him," Bishop said. "They… they said they needed his command codes. The captain refused, but Naomi was on a clock. She said she had to get within cannon range of the admin complex to shell the building. She had to stop your away team before you could recover a copy of the map."

  "Where did they take him?"

  "Back to their ship and probably heading for Station Block Island, I’d bet," Bishop replied. "But you’re in charge now, ma’am. What are your orders?"

  Before Kade could answer, the crew received a quest notification. While it didn't provide any additional details that they didn't already know, it added a sense of urgency, as apparently, they only had forty-eight hours to rescue the captain. The notification didn't explain this time limit, but it was obvious that the captain would die within forty-eight hours unless the crew acted.

  Into the Widow's Web

  Quest Update! Naomi Darkmoor, the infamous pirate captain of the Widow’s Grin has abducted captain Voss of the Horizon Talon. Naomi’s motives remain unclear, but reports suggest she needed the captain’s command codes for an unknown purpose. The situation grows increasingly dire, and the stakes could spell disaster if her plans come to fruition.

  Difficulty: Impossible

  Completion Conditions: Rescue Captain Voss and return him to the Horizon Talon. If the Captain dies before rescue, or if the quest takes longer than 48 hours, the quest fails.

  Ship Rewards: 20,000 Gold, Return of Captain Voss, Two Magic Items

  Individual Rewards: 50 Gold, Experience, One Epic Magic Item, Two Magic Items

  Accept Quest? Yes/No

  "We’re going after them," she said, her voice low and dangerous as she accepted the quest on behalf of the ship. She turned to the gathered crew, her gaze sweeping over the bloodied Marines and weary sailors. "Our captain has been taken by them. They thought they could cripple us. They thought they could run."

  Her voice sharpened, cutting through the haze of exhaustion. "We’re going to hunt them down. We’re going to rescue the captain. And then we’re going to send the Widow’s Grin to the bottom of the ocean."

  The crew straightened, some nodding, others gripping their weapons tighter. Even Bishop, pale and barely upright, managed a grim smile. Kade turned back to the horizon, where the Grin had disappeared.

  "If they didn’t want us to get the map," Kade said, her voice tight, "then Naomi’s heading for Block Island." She straightened, cutlass still slick with blood. "And we’re going to be right behind her. Every damned step of the way."

  you may also want to check out The Grand Crusade. It is another story set in the Surviving the Simulation universe, but it follows a different cast of characters as they battle their own challenges. The one sentence pitch is simple. What does a paladin become when they get super pissed off with righteous fury?

  if you want to read ahead or dig into deeper background lore, join us on Patreon. Both Tides of Ruin and The Grand Crusade have advanced chapters there along with exclusive lore that does not appear in the books. Your support keeps the stories alive and growing.