Conviction, page 23
Two hours later, Xeal was looking over the reports as the battle cleanup continued and the surrender of Habia’s navy was still underway and looked like it would take another day or so. Still, the only report that he cared about was about the attempt to first empty out the treasury and then overrun the royal palace with demonic weapon users. From what had been found out from the few who had been captured alive, a single masked figure who showed no skin was responsible for the 100 demonic weapons that Lucida had been able to locate. Thankfully, she had plenty of practice since the battle in Paidhia and had been able to guide Holly while they were still underground to them. Unfortunately, it had led to a fight and the distributor was quick to escape, though it was clear that they weren’t a member of Abysses End. Otherwise Xeal would have been alerted due to the contract that Leo had just signed, as such an attack would have violated the terms of the battle. No, it was the group of players riling up the city’s residents that had been part of Abysses End, but all it took was for Princess Bianca to make an appearance for that to be shut down. Still, this left more questions than answers as Xeal was interrupted from his thoughts by Princess Bianca, who was looking at him expectantly.
“What, do you want me to pat your head and say you did a good job?”
“Xeal, you know what I am waiting for!”
“Are you really in that much of a hurry to no longer be a princess?”
“Yes. Besides, if you ignore things for too long, an idiot might get an idea that they could claim the throne for themselves.”
“That would need to be someone with a death wish.”
“Like my father?”
“His wasn’t a death wish, more of a wish to die on his feet than to be executed as part of a spectacle.”
“Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?”
“You could have killed him. Heck, you could have tipped things in Enye’s favor enough that she could have as well. Yet you let him die after succeeding in forcing you to retreat and defeating the group you left behind. With that he will be remembered as a man who fought beyond his means and drove off the man who ended his kingdom, if only for a moment.”
“Don’t thank me. My goal was to kill every man who fought alongside him and leave him alone. I just fell short of being able to.”
“Sure.”
“That is my story and I am sticking to it.”
“Fine, be that way. Now, are you going to come with me so I can hand you the crown in front of the people, or not?”
“Hand it to Enye. It will have the same, if not more weight to it.”
“No, you will take the crown from me and then you will deliver it to King Victor and with it officially end this conflict.”
“Sorry, but that happens in ten days when you and Lorena play the final role that King Victor has in mind for you. At least before this war ends. I already know that he intends for you both to join my bed and well, we will see just what happens in that regard.”
“Right, we both know what is going to happen. You are just too busy right now and I have to be happy with at best a few dates per year. Now, let’s get going, or do you want me to start asking you like others would expect of me at this point.”
Xeal raised his eyebrow as he caught a mischievous look on Princess Bianca’s face, that would be more at place on Luna or Selene’s face. The slight bit of hesitation this caused him was enough for him to learn just what she meant as she continued to talk.
“Please, my most gracious lord, have pity on me and allow me to present you with my father’s crown in a manner that will let the world know that house Uladzimir has surrendered to you. If at that time it pleases you, you may even take me as part of your spoils of war-”
“That is quite enough, Princess Bianca,” interrupted Xeal. “Do that again and I will see to it that everyone calls you princess for the rest of your life and know that isn’t a threat to kill you before ending your family’s rule.”
“Shall we be on our way then?”
“Fine, I take it the others are waiting for us.”
“They are right outside. It took a bit to get them to allow me to be the one to fetch you.”
Xeal just shook his head as he was greeted by the sight of all his wives, save Austru, as well as many of those who had played key roles in the war. This was followed by a rather annoying walk into the city and to the palace, where Princess Bianca knelt in front of him and held out her father’s crown to him. At which point he took it and placed it on a pillow that Enye was holding, before walking away with it to symbolize that the crown was no longer the one that ruled there. With that done, Xeal had Bianca stand and follow him as the crowd dispersed and they returned to Nium’s capital.
Day 321 was spent focused on prepping for the official end of the war and planning for the events of Founding Day, where King Victor would declare the war over and reopen all of the teleportation halls. It was this announcement that had players looking forward to celebrating Founding Day more than anything, as it had been almost four in-game years since they had been usable. It would also make Nium one of three continents that would be fully available for players to travel across and the only one where threats of war were not a concern. Still, there would be a period of instability set to follow this as with any major changes, players were always quick to find ways to turn things to their advantage. However, Xeal was simply focused on making sure that this period would see FAE truly be recognized as a super guild, in such a manner that none could challenge it as he kept his focus on the future.
(*****)
Thanks!
Thank you to all of my patrons on Patreon, especially my knight-tier patrons Alexander Casey Donnell, Timelesschief, Christof Köberlein, Benjamin Grey, Daniel Sifrit, Michael Jackson, Jeffrey Iverson, David Peers, , Roman Smith, William J Dinwiddie II, Ryan Harrington, Michael Mitchell, Stefan Zimmermann, Grantland Case, Peter Barton, Peter Hepp, Kore Rahl, Joel Stapleton, Lazai, Richard Schlak, Shard73, Blackpan2, Thomas Watret, Adamantine, William Adams, Edwin Courser, Fred Rankin, Georg Kranz, William Puryear, AR Schleicher, Angus Christopher, Roy Cales, JOHNNY SMILEY, Thomas Corbin, Spencer Ryan Crawford, Outwardwander, David Guilliams, Bern DG, Christopher Gross, Ciellandros, ABritishGuy, PeeM, F0ZYWOLF, Dan Dragonwolf, Marvin Wells, Tanner Lovelace, Daniel Diaz, yo dude, Aimee Hebert, James A. Murphy, Mark reilly, Erebus Drakul Zaydow, tawshif tamjid, Kor Vang, nathrielos, James (Burnthemage), Fallen, Klaas Weibring, Whiskey, Mercury044, Austin Cargil, and Mark Neal.
(*****)
Afterword.
24 books, this was the number of books I originally planned for Eternal Dominion. However, as we all know by now, things do not always go to plan and several plots have found themselves taking longer than expected. So much so that there are still eight books to go (six of which I have yet to write) before we can bring this story to a close. Still, I do feel happy about reaching what I would consider the conclusion to one of the major plot lines of the whole story. With the unification of Nium’s continent, Alex/Xeal has closed the chapter on one of the major driving points of his life. While there still is the looming final conflict with Abysses End and reaching tier-8 in front of him, we are drawing towards the end of his story. However, don't worry, the curveballs, or perhaps in my case screwballs, are still coming and you can rest assured that I have plenty of them left to make these final eight some of the best books in the series. So, I hope you are all looking forward to entering the final quarter of Alex/Xeal’s story and also to the other stories I have planned, both in and out of the world of Eternal Dominion.
Speaking of other stories, I am pleased to announce that my second series, RPG’d Earth, is coming out January 1st! That's right, it should be up for pre-order right now and I hope that you will all give it a chance like you gave Eternal Dominion a chance. Ask for what it is about, well to put it simply, it is one of those stories where a tabletop RPG’s rules are suddenly applied to our world. Also, I am writing it with my wife, though for the most part we are writing our own sections, as her focus is on a character who will explore the world far more than the main character will. Together, the stories will work to paint a fuller picture of the world and just how chaotic things are as everything levels up. Now, as I am working closely with my wife on this one, a harem is a no go, though there will be a bit of bigamy still… I don’t have a problem, I promise… Who am I kidding, I just enjoy a bit of extra conflict, though as always, there will be no explicit scenes, so no worries for anyone there.
Alright moving on, I would link you to the book here, but at the time I have to have this finalized, I won’t have the book back from the copy editor. So, yes RPG’d Earth book 1 is on a really tight timeline, but I am writing this after officially finishing the first draft of the third book in the series, so I am confident that it will be ready for all of you to start the year with. Now, didn’t I say that I am moving on… Well, here I go. Soundbooth Theater is still hard at work as they attempt to get book 13 on their website by Christmas, but that is more of a we will see if it happens at the moment, as I think we won’t know until it is live. That being said, through book 16 is under contract and you can actually listen to the first book for FREE if you go to their website. As always, you don’t need an account or login to enjoy any of the free stuff they have there, as you can just click on the listen now button and enjoy!
Finally, as this releases, the holidays are in full swing as we are under two weeks from Christmas. So, regardless of if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia, Festivus or any of the many other holidays that are recognized as being in this month (seriously, I found a list with over 100 on it) I wish you the best. That being said, there are many, like myself, who tend to find this time of year particularly difficult for one reason or another. Personally, my issues are not tied to any tragedy or lack of family to celebrate with and now isn’t the time to get into why I have issues this time of year, but I do. Though, for a bit of context it is usually a 50/50 on if I will even be able to function for Christmas, to the point that I get physically sick, but only on that day. So, please understand that for many out there, this time of year is particularly hard for one reason or another, and I say that from experience. So, please remember that when spreading holiday cheer and give those of us who are less than enthusiastic, or worse, a bit of slack—especially with what is currently going on and has happened in the world this year. That said, I also recognize that due to all of that, this year we need more genuine holiday spirit than most as the world has far too much negativity in it, at least in my opinion. So, to all of you who are like myself, don’t beat yourself up about it, but try and do something to brighten someone’s day. Even if it is just calling a friend to catch up, or sending a letter to someone who you care about. Now take care out there and read more books!
Now on to the repetitive stuff. Did you know I have a newsletter and that by signing up you can get a free prelude novella for Eternal Dominion? Heck, it is really easy too. Just go to my website below and scroll to the bottom, where you will just need to put in your email address. Or you can go to https://BookHip.com/BAMDFBA, put in your email the single time and confirm it in your inbox to get the prelude and sign up for my newsletter in one go.
If you haven’t already, go to https://soundbooththeater.com/team/bern-dean/ and listen to the free shorts that are available there. If you do it through a web browser you don’t even need to create an account to do so, just select the listen now option. Zach and Annie have really gone above and beyond with their performances!
As always, if you feel I have forgotten something, feel free to reach out to me on Facebook through my page, or join my group. I am only one person and sending a message to my Facebook author page is the fastest way to get me to see it, as I don’t get alerts on my personal page when non-friends message me for the first time. That said, I will not answer personal questions, like where I live, even in a general fashion. Please keep it to my story, or my writing process.
If you would like a weekly extra that focuses on looking at the supporting cast and is not plot necessary but is canon, I publish shorts on my Patreon. The first several of which are currently available to my $1 patrons, who will get another one every four weeks, while my $5 patrons get one each week. If you want to see what these are like, I have put a few up on my Facebook group as well now. I also now have a $5.50 tier for those who want to read the first 5 to 7 thousand words of the next book a week or so early, as that is when I have it back from the copy editor. To be clear, I delete the extended preview just before, or after, the book it is attached to is released. Some may ask why the extra 50 cents and to that I give two reasons. I have had some patrons tell me that they don’t want the extended preview and it lets them ignore it. Also, it allows me to see just how much demand there is for extended previews.
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Thank you again for reading my story and I hope you return for the next installment of Alex’s tale. If you enjoy LitRPG and GameLit books, check out the following Facebook groups. Both are great and have helped me get my stories out to you!
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Bern Dean, Conviction
