Showing results for "The Rise" in Dark Fantasy

Adam must once again brace himself to contend with the shadow organizations controlling the eastern nations, and rumors of a miraculous elixir abound amidst news of multiple disappearances. Meanwhile, new threats and familiar foes seek to further complicate his life at Varidan. All the while, Adam’s search for his eternal foe unravels more secrets of the world.

Two years have passed since the fall of Octagon the Bitter and the dire warning from Order. The barrier that once separated the Five Kingdoms from the rest of the world is failing. Morgan is the first to encounter one of these invaders, signaling that the time has come for him to set out on his mission. He won’t be going alone, as he is sidetracked by an unexpected guest when visiting the Ruined City. Morgan can’t remain in the Five Kingdoms for long and must set out for Faeland, the continent of their enemies.

**See author's note on adult content below.** From the dark depths of the past, comes the tale of the first wizard of Illeniel. Daniel Tennick lived simply, a young shepherd with few troubles and little to occupy his mind, until the warden appeared. Daniel's power awakens, and he finds himself hunted by the servants of the cruel and uncaring forest gods. Trapped by his gift, Daniel will uncover the secrets of the deep woods and those who live there, a civilization created from the grave of an older one.

Matt's journey from desperate survivor to Dungeon Lord has forged him in blood and terror. With the Coronaught Queen vanquished and his domain flourishing, the days of scavenging scraps are over. But as his towers pierce the sky and his followers multiply, the drums of war beat ever louder.

Four hundred years ago, in the time before the Godfall, the demon hordes were unleashed upon the world of Elaria. Now, the world has shrunk to one small valley, the Valley of Auld, humanity’s last bastion. All those within its walls are protected. Elian is markless—someone who cannot activate skills—and he is one of the poorest markless there is. A miner, forced to leave the city and toil in the nearby salt mines. On their way to and from the mines, the miners are kept secure in a locked wagon. The wagon is not locked to keep them from escaping. It’s locked to keep the demons from getting in.

As a C-Tier Lifeblade, Ethan keeps his head down, works hard, and always hits his mark. His skills might not be flashy, but they get the job done—and in SlayerCorp's cutthroat portal acquisitions industry, reliability makes you valuable. He’s built a solid rep as the go-to healer who can hold his own in any situation, with a resume that's earned him the respect and admiration of his peers. But Ethan's biggest challenge isn’t in the dungeons he clears or the creatures he fights. It’s Lily Chen.

From the depths of despair to the pinnacle of power, Matt's ascension to Dungeon Lord has been a crucible of blood and terror. But the higher he climbs, the more precarious his perch becomes. As winter's fingers close around his hard-won domain, Matt and his beleaguered allies yearn for respite. Instead, they face a nightmare beyond imagining. The Coronaught infection sweeps through the land like wildfire, twisting human flesh into abominations that defy sanity. Grotesque mutations stalk the shadows, their hunger insatiable. In this maelstrom of horror, Matt must be more than a leader.

The rising wave of the undead has been stilled, the Lich Lord Daedalus defeated, and the dungeon is safe . . . for now. Now comes a time of growth, of calm and restructuring as the dungeon upgrades and the new alliances settle . . . but not all is peace and love. The gangs are rising, the asuras spread, and the dead never truly rest . . . The Age of Steel has begun.

Matt and many of his people are alive, and they've found a new ally, more or less, but the damage done to the dungeon and its future are beyond measure. Time and great effort are needed to repair the cracks, to seal the warping and to rebuild, but the world after the fall isn't somewhere anyone can afford to wait around in. Matt and his people must push on, they must grow, they have to rise up if they are to have any chance of surviving.

Betrayal cuts deepest when someone you love wields the knife. For Kellik, a once-rising star of Port Gloom's guild of thieves, it also leaves him floating in the bay, bleeding out and without hope or allies. Saved by an urchin and healed by a disgraced saint, Kellick is consumed by a single desire: to find out why his guild master ordered him cut down moments after passing his initiation trial. Burning with injustice, Kellik recruits a number of gorgeous rogues to his side: fallen assassins, dark elf witches, and unnervingly polite necromancers.

Far from the land she knows, Faythe is beckoned toward the secrets of her heritage. Through trials of her name and a challenge to her claim, does she have what it takes to rule? Faythe bears a future that haunts; Reylan harbors a past that lingers. At his side, what ignited in her heart is kindling, but letting her guard fall could break them . . . or make them stronger.

Three thousand years ago, the world fell into darkness, when the great black mouth of the Rot ravaged the land. Across the glorious library city of Aradabar, its dark tongues hammered down, leveling the glass towers of learning and entombing the bookyards in a thick blanket of lava. Only a single child survived the devastation: an infant with a prophecy carved into his skin, promising the rise of a hero powerful enough to slay the Rot for good. Now that child is a young man, beginning to question the meaning of his many scars.

Matt's just an ordinary guy, but when he's beaten, robbed, and left for dead, bleeding out at the bottom of a gully, it all has to change as he grasps frantically at his only chance for survival, coming as it does in the form of a glowing, dangerously pulsing light. With his reality forever altered, Matt must quickly find a suitable place to deploy the Dungeon Core, fighting his way through the hundreds of people between him and safety, because if he doesn't do it soon, a Core Detonation will solve all of his problems for him....permanently.

When an unexpected betrayal steals our sanctuary, only unity will save us. I trusted Michael and he betrayed us. With our sanctuary destroyed, we're on the run. Again. Shem and his watchers' step into the role of protectors once again but keeping a whole colony safe topside won't be easy. New threats stalk both day and night. The rules have changed. Time is running out. And for some of us, this journey will be the end of the road.

Kymaris has everything she needs to bring down the veil between Earth and the Underworld. If she's successful in completing the ritual, Earth will be darkened by evil. Demons will swarm our lands and the human race will be decimated. It's up to me to stop her. My fate is to thwart the prophecy, but I'm not sure what to do. While I may have some gifts, I am still merely a human facing the queen of the Dark Fae who holds unimaginable power.

The dungeon is surrounded, the refugees have made it to safety, but...they need food, water, space to recover and rest, and none of these things come cheap. That cost must be paid in mana. Mike and Kelly were sent to bring reinforcements from the park, but they're walking into a meatgrinder, one that will strip the life from them, then raise them to besiege those they love. Matt has only one chance...lead the refugees, forge them anew into a force that can face the undead, in their tens of thousands.

Matt survived the Dungeon's founding, and managed to gather a small, but dedicated team to him, but when he finds his is not the only Dungeon in the area, he has a choice to make. Attempt friendly co-existence, but lose the element of surprise, or attack, and risk it all? Matt has learned the consequences of being too trusting when the world collapses around you, but is the path of grim dictator any better? Can he trust those around him? When those he left behind seem to be abusing his gift?

This is the story of necromancer's apprentice. Krill will have to traverse many distant lands before he finally finds his dark destiny. Will he manage to survive?

The first battle is over and the people of the realms grieve for the fallen. Meanwhile, Aiden, Eliza, Kat, and Dyson return to the Earth Realm, fleeing accusations of war mongering, while Tember and Jaemes venture toward the elf tribes in seek of aid. They’ll need numbers for the coming battle and they’re not above fighting to get what they need. But no matter where they go, nowhere is safe. The enemy Fee have many traps waiting, and their victories seem only to bring more heartache, highlighting the terrifying truth that the enemy has them right where they want them.

Against Tember’s orders, Aiden, Eliza, and Dyson sneak into the Dream Realm. They want to save their friend, but instead, they snag the attention of Sureen in an explosion of mighty magic. Not everyone returns home. Scared for her mother in the afterlife, Kat and the witches rush to the Death Realm to hide Janine. Over her dead body will her mother, a captive among the rest, be used in Corbin’s plans.