Mike Carss

Duncan seems to know a lot, but there's a difference between "knowing" and "assuming" 😉 Also the town is fairly modest (akin to a very large village) and doesn't have any fortifications or walls. Any attempts to control what goes in and out of the town is essentially impossible. If the baron was a wise man, he'd ought to rectify that. Perhaps that's why the gryphon ash is such a problem there. It's easy to import and sell.

With a tired sigh, Sam shielded his eyes from the morning sun as he and Graeme approached Blakenhall Keep. Despite the shared bed, he’d slept terribly, although the knight’s warmth was not without its comfort. Upon riding through the open portcullis, they greeted a guard and stated their names. Expecting their arrival, the man gave a friendly nod, and with established efficiency had them swiftly escorted into the keep proper. This being Sam’s first time within a keep or castle, his fatigue soon

Yeah, more details about the gryphon ash, including where it comes from and how it's made, will be revealed in the next chapter.

Aside from how it affects the user, gryphon ash is that much different than alcohol. Both can dull preservational tendencies. The ash is just more potent in comparison.

@drpaladin, @drsawzall, your speculations give me a chuckle 😁 Fair warning: there's one more chapter to go before the "investigation" begins in earnest. They still need work out the contract details (bureaucracy amirite?) with Duncan. And in the process, they'll learn more about this substance.

While Graeme did mention this back in chapter 4, you're right. Sam doesn't fully comprehend how much he's helping, and Graeme is learning much about himself in the process.

The aroma of spiced meat pies hung in the air as Sam and Graeme rode through the market square. After days of plain fare catered by the wayinns, it was enough to cause Sam’s mouth to water. Upon finding the source—a cramped stall tucked between two loftier booths—Sam pointed it out to Graeme. A queue of customers, crowding around the edges, attested to its popularity. Sam dismounted and handed the reins to Graeme. “I’ll get you one, too,” Sam said, and the knight nodded eagerly in a rare sh

No doubt. More willing meat for the war machine.

An interesting prospect, but a lack of self-preservation coupled with not fearing the enemy could end disastrously. Like any recreational drug: for money.

The western afternoon sun kept them warm despite the cool wind at their backs. They’d left the forest behind an hour earlier, alleviating the apprehension Sam endured while keeping vigil over their surroundings. The remaining highwaymen appeared to have abandoned their two comrades to their fate. Farmland marked the final approach toward Blakenhall, and sure enough, in the distance lay a broad expanse of dwellings and structures. They nestled upon a broad slope, curiously unprotected by any form

The northwest road out of Brasbone proved to be a popular route, more so than at any other stage of their journey. Of all the riders they passed, most were traders, judging by their waggons. As a result, the wayinns were busier, which kept Graeme in his usual state—hidden from view. Sam longed to be alone with the knight again, to urge him to feel at ease with his helm off, his hood back. Unfortunately, he deemed that would be impossible until they found proper accommodations in Langscott.

Prepare yourself for the slowest of slow-burns. 😅 And even then, whatever happens behind closed doors will mostly be left to imagination.

Over the course of the next five days, their distance from the Rothgoraian mountains grew, bringing with it warmer weather. Rough hillocks and bluffs receded to vast forests. Instead of bare branches, the trees still held their leaves. It was as though Sam and Graeme were travelling backward in time. One particular morning, the rising sun cast its rays upon the yellow and red leaves, bathing the forest floor in a golden, enchanting glow. The beauty of it captured Sam’s heart, lifting the we

The second part of the series is currently being posted:

For those curious, the inciting incident for the story begins on chapter five, however the upcoming chapter contains an important scene, answering a question I'm sure many of you have.

Sam jolted up in bed, heart racing as he escaped the nightmare that had seized him. That damned bandit remained trapped in his mind—a forbidding presence he couldn’t shake. His clammy hands felt slick with blood, but in the dim blue glow of Graeme’s armour, he realised it was just sweat. Shadows spilt across the room, drawn out by the unnatural light, conjuring unsettling illusions. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up in bed, confused as to how sleep had managed to claim him unknowingly. He was st

Graeme and Sam rode into Reabury later that afternoon with the six extra horses in tow. The inn’s stables offered ample space for them all. Gabrian accepted the sacks of turnips graciously, then led them both to their room, completely unfazed by Graeme’s choice to remain concealed by his helmet. Perhaps Sam’s request to not question the knight’s eccentricity had spread. “I trust this will serve your needs for the night, gentlemen.” At that moment, Sam realised they would be sharing the

Sam never expected to abandon his modest life as a blacksmith’s apprentice, yet the harrowing death of his parents leaves him no choice. When the reserved knight errant Ser Graeme proffers him a place at his side, Sam grasps at the chance for escape, despite having no clear destination. With winter closing in, they aim to reach the city of Langscott before the roads become impassable. Their journey, however, is delayed by a chance encounter: an offer of coin too tempting to refuse. The task is far beyond their expertise, but to earn a living on the road, risk often becomes a matter of routine.

Sam stared blankly into his bedroom, still reeling at his decision to leave home. It’d all happened so quickly, as though Ser Graeme had ensorcelled him into agreeing. That was ridiculous, of course. Sam had already made the decision. Graeme’s invitation only made it easier to follow through. But now, he needed to decide what was important enough to take on a journey with no set course, and managing the limited space of his saddlebags was his chief concern. The poignant truth of the situat

I'm intrigued, and a sucker for new shiny writing tools. Being an offline desktop program and everything saved locally is certainly a breath of fresh air. That said, I've been using Scrivener for well over a decade and very comfortable with the interface, despite it being clunky compared to newer tools like Penpoint. I'm not interested in participating in the beta, but I'll be keeping my eye on it. Thanks for sharing.

Nice! I'll definitely be checking this out. She has a plethora of other fantasy stories available for free on her site as well. Bonus!

Thanks very much. 🙂

I was wondering how much of a nightmare it'd be, technically speaking, to change my username? For example, if it broke existing tag links (such as @mcarss) in existing posts, I'd agree it's not worth the trouble. But if the only "downside" would be that those following me might be momentarily confused by the change, I'd consider that okay. I'd like to change it to my actual name (Mike Carss).

Another factor for higher views on chapters is comments. If a chapter garners many comments (with readers and the author coming back to reply), that will inflate the viewer count. Honestly, I'd prefer if the system counted one view per member, regardless of the number of times they visited a chapter. Yes, that would bring the numbers down significantly, but it'd also provide a truer metric. In any case, thanks for all the information, @Myr. I find this behind-the-scenes stuff very interesting. And I'm looking forward to the updated forum software being deployed. Do you have a planned time window to go live, or is it a "it's ready when it's ready" situation? I imagine there's no going back to the old software if something went catastrophically wrong, so cautiously rooting out any bugs is a prudent decision.