jmclarke posts
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IABD 13: Power Stone
Everything Matthias had read about Divine Breath in the past two weeks had been clear: every cultivator could only have one Tower.A cultivator’s Tower was intrinsically linked to their soul, and just as a soul could not have more than one body, a soul could also not have more than one Tower. And yet—as clear as the sun in the sky on a cloudless day—there were the two Towers in Matthias’ soul.It was undeniable.More of Altaizar’s words echoed through his mind in that moment:‘Don’t always trust something just because someone wrote it...
IABD 12: Divine Tribulation
Matthias witnessed every movement in the rain, felt every touch of the wind, smelled the richness of the earth, heard the crackle of electricity and tasted ozone on his tongue.But most of all, he felt the lance of agony impaling his chest. His muscles locked, his scream frozen as his throat and lungs spasmed.Pain redoubled as the lightning plunged deeper into his body, driving through skin, flesh and bone, striking at his core. His soul flashed before his eyes, but all he could do was watch as the lightning pierced its ‘chest’.As his soul t...
IABD 11: The Brewing Storm
On the morning of Matthias’ Awakening ritual, he woke from dreams of mist and shadow, and dressed in the dark; his shadow-tendril placed his cloak over his shoulders while his fingers closed the fastenersWhen he made his way to the door, he took nothing but the clothes on his back and two holy books: one for Lykosion and one for Enheduanna. After a final look around the room he’d grown up in, he closed the door.Tip-toeing down the hall, he paused in front of Dagma’s door, cracking it open.His sister was fast asleep in her bed.“Dagma,”...
IABD 10: Ready to Live
The tendril of utter darkness was fused to Matthias Stonebreaker’s soul, growing like a sprout that smelled of decay. For most, the sight would have driven them into an all-consuming terror.But Matthias had nearly died not so long ago.And to him, the darkness felt natural.Curiosity, not fear, was what dwelt inside him, and he reached out, touching his soul, noticing how warm and comforting it felt. Though, when he brushed against the darkness—“It feels cold.” He drew back. “Like ice. Yet…it feels the same as my soul.”His soul felt...
IABD 9: Blood's Drop
“The Caliber System of Power.” Altaizar clenched a fist before him. “Is a simple and sometimes imprecise way of categorizing a Gift Wielder’s or Life Enforcement Practitioner's skill, or strength and proficiency with their art. However, Divine Breath is a different beast: a cultivator of Divine Breath grows by raising and ascending their Spiritual Tower.”“I read something about Towers in one of your manuals.” Matthias glanced in the direction of Altaizar’s library on an upper floor.“Ah yes, the manual you were in the middl...
IABD 8: A New Path
“Master Altaizar?” Matthias grabbed his notes, shooting up from the chair. “What…but how?”Altaizar folded his hands behind his back. “My protections are to leave your family unharmed, but my magics still alertme if someone finds a way through my defences: the wind whispered of mischief in my tower…and here I find you, looking very mischievous, Matthias Stonebreaker.”“B-but you were days from here!”Altaizar chuckled. “Powerful, clever mages have ways to move so swiftly they shame the very winds.” His eyes flashed. “And ...
IABD 7: The Mage's Tower
Matthias’ eyes adjusted to the darkness within the mage’s bedchamber.Strange objects, curios, ornaments and specimens filled the room: exotic fruits and colourful insects floated in crystal jars, preserved in silently bubbling liquids. Tapestries of jungles, cities, deserts and other faraway places hung from the walls: some places he knew, many he didn’t. He saw a painting of a towering spire standing over a colossal city.“Wonder where that is?” he whispered, moving past it.On the opposite side of a massive four-poster bed stood a sin...
IABD 6: When Nothing Changes
For a long moment, Matthias considered breaking into Altaizar’s tower.It was—as far as he knew—unguarded. Eklund’s efforts to post his own guards at the tower, at one time, had ended with Altaizar chasing the screaming bastards down the mountain. The mage used no guards, instead placing powerful magics designed to do unfathomablethings to any intruders to his home.Those magics were also set to leave the entire Stonebreaker family unharmed. Matthias had even wandered into the tower as a young boy, playing with Altaizar’s cloaks until t...
IABD 5: Runes and the Pillars of Power
“I know it’s a lot.” Matthias finished his story.“It’s more than a lot, little brother!” Bregindoure hissed, his eyes bloodshot. He gripped the bars, turning his knuckles white. “You nearly died. You fell from a cliff, cracked your head, had a dream about someone awakening to Divine Breath, then youawakened to Divine Breath—”“I thinkit’s Divine Breath, at least,” Matthias cut in.“Right, you thinkit’s Divine Breath, forgive me.” Bregindoure massaged his temples. “I’m a little hung up on how you grew a tentacle o...
IABD 4: Exploration in Darkness
Startling awake from dreams of mist and shadow, Matthias realised he was in his room, in the same bed he’d outgrown last winter.Music was filling the air, flame crackling in the fireplace, flickering firelight over his desk, chair, and an old toybox.Dagma snored softly in that chair, her head resting on his desk, the pelt of a brown bear wrapped loosely around her. The pelt was their mother’s, it was normally clasped around her shoulders with a gilded brooch the size of Matthias’ palm, but for now, it warmed his sleeping sister.His head s...
IABD 3: The First Waking
There was no colour, yet there was light.Shades of grey painted a massive chamber lit by colourless flame blazing in scores of iron braziers. The room seemed to be some sort of temple, with two imposing statues towering high, one in the front and the other in the back.The first was a representation of a man with pointed ears and flowing hair, clutching a book; he was Melakar, God of Mind and Magic.The other was a woman with pointed ears and gems pressed into her flesh; she was Laurahasa, Goddess of Secrets and Sorcery.A god of magic that was kn...
IABD 2: Cursed
Matthias Stonebreaker did not notice the ambush until it was too late.His grip tightened on the ruins of his brother’s gift, while his eyes focused on the tower rising from the forested valley below.He did not catch the movement atop the boulder beside the road.A form peered at him.It leapt.Its weight landed across his shoulders, one limb curling around his neck. He cried out when something smacked the back of his head. Matthias reached for his dagger, only pausing when he heard the giggling.The evil self-satisfied giggling.“Dagma?” He ca...
IABD 1: Living in Shadow
“Tonight, we kill death.” The necromancer rocked the baby in her arms. “And you will help us do it.”The mage knelt on a disk of stark white stone in a circle of obelisks shrouded in deepest black, bonfires burning at their peaks. Shapes writhed in the flames—whispers hissing—a sickly-sweet stench drifting from the smoke.Full moons—one white and one black—watched from among the stars.“We must hurry!” cried another voice.Three hooded figures rushed between the obelisks, drawing symbols in grave soil with their bone-staves.The ...
I Am Become Death Launches Right Now! Unpausing Patreon!
Hello everyone!At long last, it is time. It's been months in the making with health issues and all sorts of complications, but at last it's here.I have unpaused patreon! Feel free to sub, but remember the first 6 chapters are free if you're signed up with patreon! To read ahead, sub to Sage or Chosen or Fool. I'll be building chapters into the Champion tier in the next two weeks.The Table of Contents for this story will be going up after all the chapters are up! I can't set it up beforehand, lol.Alrighty folks! Enjoy the sto...
I Am Become Death Launching Tomorrow!
Hello everybody! I am confirming that tomorrow, I will launch I Am Become Deathon Patreon. So when you get like...6-20 emails depending on your tier, don't be surprised, lmao.So how's this going to work?First of all, the first Six Chaptersof the story will be available for all patrons to read for free. You just need to be a member.Marks of the Sage will have up to chapter Ten.Marks of the Chosen will have up to chapter Twenty.After a little more time, I will be increasing the chapters that all tiers have up to 6 ahead for Marks of the C...
Mark of the Fool Book 9 Launches on Kindle! Also Book 8 Audio News!
Greetings and salutations!Woooooo book 9 launches today! Thank you all for your support this entire time, and I am very happy to be here. Without you, I would NOT be here! It's crazy to think that it's been 9 books. Just to warn you due to the length of the series spiralling, book 9 ends a little bit differently than it did on patreon and RR. I'll let you find out the end point. :)So as always, downloading an rereading the book on kindle unlimited helps me out, but-as always-YOU DO NOT HAVE TO do this. Honestly, your patience during...
Health Update + Launch of I Am Become Death Date + Webcomic Update
Hello everybody!Been a bit, hasn't it? I've been focused on recovery and writing when I can as my condition clears up.Now, I know a lot of you have been worried about my health, so I'll update you on that first. Had an MRI. Actually had to drive to the States for it (the waiting list in Canada is about 2 years long in many places) and got it.Turned out that my brain's normal and healthy! No degenerative diseases. My doc thinks it's a mix of restless legs and an ear/sinus infection that messed up a bunch of nerves. Says it...
An Update + Audio Announcement!
So hi everybody!Let me start off by saying that I have been avoiding posting this, but I’ve put it off as long as I can.In short, I’ve been having health issues.Before you panic, they’re not life threatening or anything like that. Long story short, around September, I began to notice balance issues. They didn’t go away, instead progressing to dizziness, tingling and other symptoms like muscle spasms and twitches.Went to my doctor.It seems that I have fluid swelling in my inner ear that is pressing on some nerves in my skull, causing all...
Mark of the Fool 8 out in ebook and paperback!
Hello my lovely patrons!Been a bit, hasn’t it? I’ve had a lovely break and am currently working on I Am Become Death. Expect that to drop sometime probably in November, though maybe earlier.In the meantime though, I wanted to announce that book 8 has come out in ebook and paperback today! You can find it in the links below. That’s Book 8 of 10….yeah, as it turns out, what was supposed to be book 9 was so big that it had to be split so that we could get paperbacks for the whole series, lmao.Anyway: Link! https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Fool-...
A Dragoncon Announcement (Book Signing + Rune Seeker 4 launching today!)
Hello everyone!I hope you all have been having a great time this end of summer! I've been chilling, enjoying my break and catching up on a lot of irl stuff I've been putting off, haha!I've also been reading your comments on the ending and I am super pleased with them. Seriously, they've been so touching to me.I wish to express my gratitude. And heck, I might be able to express it...in person.That's right! I am pleasedto announce that I will be attending Dragoncon!This is a pretty large convention in Atlanta, Georgia taking p...
Chapter 907: Generals and Legacy (Final Chapter of Mark of the Fool + Afterward)
“Shall we go?” Alex asked Theresa, offering his arm.“Yes, let’s,” Theresa whispered, her hot breath on his ear.Together, husband and wife linked arms and made their way toward the exit.Only for the doors to abruptly burst open.The music ended.All dancing did too as the doors kept swinging, banging against the wall as though gripped by a scouring winter wind.Loud footsteps came next, echoing from the hallway. A hallway that was in utter darkness.Theresa reached for her blades, shouting, patting her empty scabbards. “Alex, my swords a...
Chapter 906: Celebration
The Golden Dragon was perched on a hilltop in one of the wealthiest areas in all of Generasi; a massive building that resembled a small castle of white stone with hulking golden towers. Curving through the restaurant’s spires was an immense dragon statue, plated in gold, seeming ready to launch into the sky.The interior was palatial, crafted of marble, mahogany, crystal and brass. Its walls were lined with fine oil paintings and murals. Fountains, standing in the middle of multiple dining rooms, sprayed water the colour of the sea into the ai...
Chapter 905: The Circle
The doors opened before Alex and Theresa, revealing what waited beyond: the Temple of the Traveller.Long ago—when they’d first found this place—what had waited there was fire, death and Ravener-spawn. The goddess statues were there then, standing in defence of the silent chamber, their fire-beams blasting anything that moved. Worker-silence spiders had ambushed their unsuspecting party, coming up behind them, but the goddess statues had unknowingly saved their lives…even if they’d also come close to frying them in their fire-beams.Hov...
Chapter 904: A Wonderful Life
Theresa Lu looked up at her father in silent wonder.His words kept echoing through her head.To your wedding day.To your wedding day.To your wedding day.Those words were true.After all this time, more than two years since Alex proposed to her on the beach, she was going to marry him, her partner, her best friend and lover. The thought sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach and made her face flush.For as long as she could remember, they’d been with each other, and she’d loved him her whole life. Today was the day they’d be joined a...
Chapter 903: Where We Are, Where We're Going
More than a year and half had passed since the destruction of the Ravener in Thameland, and life in the City at the Centre of Creation—the city of wizards—had changed in certain ways.Shrines to the Traveller had spread throughout Generasi and its countryside. While the city had maintained much of its separation from the divine, no one could deny that faith in the Traveller had taken hold there. She was an active goddess, and kind, and it was well-known that her followers were cared for, whether in Thameland, Generasi or elsewhere.Folk who h...
Mark of the Fool 6 audiobook launch (Chapter later today after editing is done)
Helloooo everyone!So I usually like to do these announcements at the same time as I post my chapter for the day but...I'll level with you, editing is taking a bit and won't be done for at least another hour or two.So I'll just announce this now!The audiobook 6has launched and you can find it here: https://www.audible.com/pd/Mark-of-the-Fool-6-Audiobook/B0D94THHPZIf you've been waiting or have friends and family waiting, well it's arrived! I hope y'all enjoy and I thank you for walking this journey with me.P.S. If you...
Chapter 902: An Eternal Opportunity
“Death’s not gonna take me until I’m damn good and ready for it,” Alexander Roth declared. “As a matter of fact, it won’t everhave me. I’ll have itwhen I decide it’s time. There’s too much I want to do, too many people I want to spend an eternity with—” He looked at Theresa. “—and too much I want to explore to just let my journey end, not until Idecide it’s time to go to the after-world.”He reached out, picking up a bottle. “So, full disclosure, I’ll be drinking mine.”“So will I,” Theresa said, reaching f...
Chapter 901: Chaos in the Wild and Order in the Material
“All of Och Fir Nog’s leadership collapsed. By the time the smoke had cleared and the last Ravener-spawn gasped its final breath, folk realised that there weren’t anyone around to tell them what to do. And that’s about when everything went to shite and the whole realm collapsed within a fortnight, turning into tiny, squabbling kingdoms. Everybody that had two followers just declared themselves kings and queens even if they ruled over a single village.”“Smokin’ hells,” Alex swore. “There must have been someonefrom Aenflynn’s ...
Chapter 900: A Funeral and a Person of Means
Alexander Roth, General of Thameland, floated through the skies over Greymoor sipping a glass of cool apple-lemon cider as he watched the sunrise.The warmth of a summer wind tousled his hair, and the scent of his drink filled his nostrils.He listened to the sounds of birds chirping nearby.He listened to the rustle of the trees below him.And he mostly listened to the sounds of Ravener-spawn below.Alex looked down.“I guess, I should be calling them Claygon-spawn now, not Ravener-spawn anymore, or something like that,” he whispered.Below, a ho...
Chapter 899: Planning for the Next Thousand Years
What would you say to—in a thousand years or so—joining mycabal?Baelin’s words echoed through Alex’s mind.It took him a long moment to remember to breathe.“Are you serious?” Alex asked, taking a deep breath.“I would not joke about something so important.” The ancient archwizard looked at Alex closely. “In my cabal, each of us is allowed to extend offers to potential new members, and—if the candidate is interested—then the cabal will convene, discuss the candidate’s history and deeds, then enter a period of time where we ...
