The day it all started was supposed to be an ordinary day.
For Sophia Rothmer, that meant escorting a new delver through a simple dungeon’s Tier One area. Sure, she knew her mother had seen a future where she ended up in another world on her own adventure, but that was months ago; it probably wasn’t going to happen.
For a group of offworld mercenaries, that meant damaging a dungeon’s instance core, snagging some extra treasure, and blaming it on either Sophia or her trainee.
For Dav Carolan, that meant exploring a new world. He may not know what’s going on, but he’ll figure it out; he always does.
The heist didn’t go as planned. After a disorienting and potentially life-altering trip through the place between everything known as the Origin, Sophia and Dav find themselves in a cave. They have no idea what happened to the bandits, no idea where they are, and Sophia seems to have lost her Skills.
It’s not an auspicious welcome to the Broken Lands.
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Updates daily for the first 7 days, then 4 days/week
--------------------
The content warnings are mostly to give me room to write; this fiction is not intended to be edgy, but there are times when someone is seriously injured and the Bad Guys sometimes do Bad Things. The characters also had lives before the story and they're ... not always happy.
No AI assistance was used in the writing, but there is AI art.
-----------------------
This story is released ONLY on RoyalRoad, NovelFire, and Patreon. If you're seeing this somewhere else, it was stolen.
For Sophia Rothmer, that meant escorting a new delver through a simple dungeon’s Tier One area. Sure, she knew her mother had seen a future where she ended up in another world on her own adventure, but that was months ago; it probably wasn’t going to happen.
For a group of offworld mercenaries, that meant damaging a dungeon’s instance core, snagging some extra treasure, and blaming it on either Sophia or her trainee.
For Dav Carolan, that meant exploring a new world. He may not know what’s going on, but he’ll figure it out; he always does.
The heist didn’t go as planned. After a disorienting and potentially life-altering trip through the place between everything known as the Origin, Sophia and Dav find themselves in a cave. They have no idea what happened to the bandits, no idea where they are, and Sophia seems to have lost her Skills.
It’s not an auspicious welcome to the Broken Lands.
-------------------
Updates daily for the first 7 days, then 4 days/week
--------------------
The content warnings are mostly to give me room to write; this fiction is not intended to be edgy, but there are times when someone is seriously injured and the Bad Guys sometimes do Bad Things. The characters also had lives before the story and they're ... not always happy.
No AI assistance was used in the writing, but there is AI art.
-----------------------
This story is released ONLY on RoyalRoad, NovelFire, and Patreon. If you're seeing this somewhere else, it was stolen.
- Chapter 1 – To Break a Dungeon
- Chapter 2 – Disoriented
- Chapter 3 – It Starts Calm
- Chapter 4 – Mechanical Bugs?
- Chapter 5 – Yes, you have to
- Chapter 6 – I think it heard us
- Chapter 7 – Shard of Kestii
- Chapter 8 – Hallow Choices
- Chapter 9 – First Status
- Chapter 10 – Wisp Dedication
- Chapter 11 – So, why are you here?
- Chapter 12 – You Did Wake Up
- Chapter 13 – Mana Manipulation
- Chapter 14 – Tunnel
- Chapter 15 – Gunk Slime Monster
- Chapter 16 – Devouring Moss
- Chapter 17 – Dead End
- Chapter 18 – Finally Outside
- Chapter 19 – Fallen Kestii
- Chapter 20 – Fallen
- Chapter 21 – Yes, Aunt Aymini
- Chapter 22 – Revina
- Chapter 23 – Snake
- Chapter 24 – Crossbow
- Chapter 25 – Advance or Retreat?
- Chapter 26 – The Easy Kills are Over
- Chapter 27 – Ruins Constrictors
- Chapter 28 – To Kill a Nest
- Chapter 29 – Back to Fallen Kestii
- Chapter 30 – So Few Wisps
- Chapter 31 – Mana-Warped Human (Sophia)
- Chapter 32 – Auras and Advice
- Chapter 33 – Just a Few More Questions
- Chapter 34 – The Lion of Catshold
- Chapter 35 – Aymini and the Lion
- Chapter 36 – War Mage
- Chapter 37 – Healing Beacon
- Chapter 38 – Peaches
- Chapter 39 – The L Word
- Chapter 40 – Final Purchases
- Chapter 41 – Attuned
- Chapter 42 – Final Steps
- Chapter 43 – Out of Kestii
- Chapter 44 – Black Bird
- Chapter 45 – Shattered World
- Chapter 46 – Smoke in the Distance
- Chapter 47 – Flaming WHAT?
- Chapter 48 – Rage Beavers
- Chapter 49 – Escort Mission
- Chapter 50 – Make It Rain
- Chapter 51 – Rain
- Chapter 52 – Who are you?
- Chapter 53 – Collected
- Chapter 54 – Terrible Descriptions
- Chapter 55 – Slots Not Included
- Chapter 56 – So Many Spells
- Chapter 57 – Former Registry Leader
- Building Blocks End Notes
- Building Blocks Character Gallery
- Warped Teaser
- Chapter 58 – Two New Beginnings
- Chapter 59 – Welcome to the Vocational Registry
- Chapter 60 – Apothecary
- Chapter 61 – What About Hallows?
- Chapter 62 – Meet the Quinns
- Chapter 63 – A Fifth
- Chapter 64 – The Hungering Spark
- Chapter 65 – Practice Yard
- Chapter 66 – Ten Years Ago
- Chapter 67 – Why did they Lie?
- Chapter 68 – Backwards Border
- Chapter 69 – What does Warped mean?
- Chapter 70 – Domain
- Chapter 71 – Convincing Lillah
- Chapter 72 – Miss? Are you all right?
- Chapter 73 – One Corpsevine
- Chapter 74 – Is that Loot?
- Chapter 75 – Yes, that’s a Corpsevine
- Chapter 76 – The Fire Room
- Chapter 77 – Shiny Rock
- Chapter 78 – Not Here
- Chapter 79 – Mana Specialization
- Chapter 80 – Mana Specialization … Attunement?
- Chapter 81 – Level Two
- Chapter 82 – Shedding Color
- Chapter 83 – Lady Essia
- Chapter 84 – Mission Briefing?
- Chapter 85 – Forest Memories
- Chapter 86 – Waves
- Chapter 87 – Under Assault
- Chapter 88 – The Real Threat to Casterville
- Chapter 89 – Too Hot
- Chapter 90 – Message from the Registry Master
- Chapter 91 – Challenging Assumptions
- Chapter 92 – Hide and Fight
- Chapter 93 – Healers Needed
- Chapter 94 – Taika
- Chapter 95 – A Cautious Approach
- Chapter 96 – Why are there two of you?
- Chapter 97 – Purple Blood
- Chapter 98 – Comfort Animal
- Chapter 99 – Half of Your Job
- Chapter 100 – Breakfast Thieves
- Chapter 101 – Leveled Challenge (Forest)
- Chapter 102 – Disruptive
- Chapter 103 – Choose a Door
- Chapter 104 – Four Hours
- Chapter 105 – Vine Mummy
- Chapter 106 – Summoner of Plants
- Chapter 107 – Tactical Retreat
- Chapter 108 – Round Two
- Chapter 109 – Death of a Corpsevine
- Chapter 110 – Challenge Cleared
- Chapter 111 – A Bounty of Choices
- Chapter 112 – Search the Greenhouse
- Chapter 113 – Search the Building
- Chapter 114 – It’s Not Alone
- Chapter 115 – Let’s Skip the Misunderstanding
- Chapter 116 – Shield of the Sun
- Chapter 117 – The Top Floor
- Chapter 118 – All Gathered Here
- Chapter 119 – Evidence
- Chapter 120 – A Frantic Defense
- Chapter 121 – A Long-Delayed Discussion
- Chapter 122 – Death Days
- Chapter 123 – Not Really Down Time
- Chapter 124 – Marked
- Chapter 125 – Spell Selection
- Chapter 126 – Shockingly Cheap
- Chapter 127 – Always too many choices
- Chapter 128 – Forgetfulness
- Chapter 129 – Dav’s Choices
- Chapter 130 – Sophia’s Echoes
- Chapter 131 – Testing New Abilities
- Chapter 132 – Finishing Up
- Chapter 133 – Shopping
- Chapter 134 – Farewell
- Chapter 135 – An Unwelcome Storm
- Chapter 136 – You can’t hold lightning
- Chapter 137 – Living Lightning
- Chapter 138 – How did it find me?
- Chapter 139 – Bleed Out
- Chapter 140 – Remnants
- Chapter 141 – Elsewhere
- Warped End Notes
- Warped Character Gallery
- Night Owl Teaser and Cover
- Chapter 142 – Not Without Surprises
- Chapter 143 – Autumn
- Chapter 144 – Lan’ti Glarewing
- Chapter 145 – Welcome to the Clans
- Chapter 146 – Challenge Trade
- Chapter 147 – Walk and Talk
- Chapter 148 – Spirits of the Woods Entrance
- Chapter 149 – Ghosts of the Woods
- Chapter 150 – Mist in the Sun
- Chapter 151 – Mist, Fog, Veil?
- Chapter 152 – Tripartite Spell
- Chapter 153 – Part the Veil
- Chapter 154 – Don’t Say More
- Chapter 155 – The End of Spring
- Chapter 156 – Climbing Bridge
- Chapter 157 – Amy’s Real Plan
- Chapter 158 – Waterfall Wall
- Chapter 159 – Stunning Touch
- Chapter 160 – Stay on the Path
- Chapter 161 – Should Have Known
- Chapter 162 – Solo Puzzle
- Chapter 163 – The Gift
- Chapter 164 – To Izel
- Chapter 165 – Izel
- Chapter 166 – Izel Vocational Registry
- Chapter 167 – Reintroductions
- Chapter 168 – Awfully Convenient
- Chapter 169 – Research
- Chapter 170 – Night Vision
- Chapter 171 – Shrouded Insight
- Chapter 172 – Affinity Goes Both Ways
- Chapter 173 – Aric
- Chapter 174 – I Said No
- Chapter 175 – Not Getting Married
- Chapter 176 – Colors of Magic
- Chapter 177 – Batcave
- Chapter 178 – Calm before the Storm
- Chapter 179 – Under the Sea
- Chapter 180 – Enter the Maze
- Chapter 181 – Mirrors and Feathers
- Chapter 182 – Mirrors and Smoke
- Chapter 183 – Temple of the Broken Sword
- Chapter 184 – A Broken Sword
- Chapter 185 – Hallowed
- Chapter 186 – Together Again
- Chapter 187 – Transcendent’s Task
- Chapter 188 – Onlookers
- Chapter 189 – Task Complete
- Chapter 190 – A Safe Place
- Chapter 191 – Plumed Domain
- Chapter 192 – Only Six Days
- Chapter 193 – Leaving Izel
- Chapter 194 – To Kill A Land Jellyfish
- Night Owl End Notes
- Night Owl Cast
- Lost Ruins Teaser
- Chapter 195 – Journey’s End
- Chapter 196 – Inside
- Chapter 197 – An Old Argument
- Chapter 198 – A little too blunt?
- Chapter 199 – Anchors
- Chapter 200 – Not a Bulletin Board
- Chapter 201 – The Upper Level
- Chapter 202 – Below
- Chapter 203 – Changing Levels
- Chapter 204 – Meatless Massacre
- Chapter 205 – Multicolored Mess of Bones
- Chapter 206 – The Approach
- Chapter 207 – Bone Remnant
- Chapter 208 – Psychic Bulwark
- Chapter 209 – A New Disturbance
- Chapter 210 – Hidden
- Chapter 211 – Upstairs
- Chapter 212 – Might Be Human
- Chapter 213 – Encounter on the Stairs
- Chapter 214 – Scout
- Chapter 215 – Othala
- Chapter 216 – Questions through a Translator
- Chapter 217 – The Fall of Kestii
- Chapter 218 – Archons
- Chapter 219 – Designed to Do
- Chapter 220 – Interspace Conduit
- Chapter 221 – Damaged
- Chapter 222 – Interactive Map
- Chapter 223 – A Way Out
- Chapter 224 – Through the Tunnel
- Chapter 225 – Thunder
- Chapter 226 – The Search
- Chapter 227 – Out of Mana
- Chapter 228 – Plumed Domain
- Chapter 229 – It Was A Trap
- Chapter 230 – A Small Celebration
- Chapter 231 – Hollow One
- Chapter 232 – Glue
- Chapter 233 – An Unusual Item
- Chapter 234 – False-Rock Seal
- Chapter 235 – Closing the Circuit
- Chapter 236 – Dark
- Chapter 237 – Request
- Chapter 238 – Unsealed
- Chapter 239 – Tiwaz
- Chapter 240 – Dimmed
- Chapter 241 – Chores
- Chapter 242 – Bait
- Chapter 243 – Summons
- Chapter 244 – Deeper
- Chapter 245 – Distal Recording Node
- Chapter 246 – UnMasked
- Chapter 247 – Only First Upgrade?
- Chapter 248 – A Favor
- Chapter 249 – Four Upgrades
- Chapter 250 – Second Upgrade?
- Lost Ruins End Notes
- Lost Ruins Character Gallery
- Into the Maze Teaser
- Chapter 251 – Final Hollow
- Chapter 252 – Fire Sprites
- Chapter 253 – Advantageous Trade
- Chapter 254 – Feat?
- Chapter 255 – Do I have something on my face?
- Chapter 256 – False Imprints
- Chapter 257 – Careless?
- Chapter 258 – Mazehold
- Chapter 259 – Checking In
- Chapter 260 – Sales
- Chapter 261 – Reunion
- Chapter 262 – Questions
- Chapter 263 – A Sad Reminder
- Chapter 264 – Shopping
- Chapter 265 – Deliberate Reveal
- Chapter 266 – Wands
- Chapter 267 – Came Out Ahead
- Chapter 268 – Soot
- Chapter 269 – Cleanout Day
- Chapter 270 – Sweetfire
- Chapter 271 – First Look
- Chapter 272 – Names
- Chapter 273 – Special Offer
- Chapter 274 – Unlock
- Chapter 275 – Audience
- Chapter 276 – Out at the Games
- Chapter 277 – Bai
- Chapter 278 – Arena Flight
- Chapter 279 – Winning the Bet
- Chapter 280 – Scheduling
- Chapter 281 – Spicy
- Chapter 282 – Breakfast Interrupted
- Chapter 283 – Noisy
- Chapter 284 – Back Room
- Chapter 285 – Under Siege
- Chapter 286 – Encased
- Chapter 287 – Wisps
- Chapter 288 – Sweetfire Happy Fun Balls
- Chapter 289 – Large Underway
- Chapter 290 – Wall Lizards
- Chapter 291 – Windows
- Chapter 292 – Chinchillas Jump
- Chapter 293 – Controls
- Chapter 294 – News From Home
- Chapter 295 – Closed Door
- Chapter 296 – The Garden
- Chapter 297 – Maintenance
- Chapter 298 – The Garden’s Purpose
- Chapter 299 – A Slip of the Tongue
- Chapter 300 – Creation of a Broken Sword
- Chapter 301 – What Next?
- Chapter 302 – Authorization: Tiwaz
- Chapter 303 – An Unexpected Offer
- Chapter 304 – Why do you look so much older?
- Chapter 305 – A Place with no Ears
- Chapter 306 – Exhibition
- Chapter 307 – Fired?
- Chapter 308 – A Choice
- Chapter 309 – Summer Dyleda
- Chapter 310 – Unexpected Guests
- Chapter 311 – News From Izel
- Chapter 312 – Some of us are trying to sleep, here!
- Chapter 313 – Coordination
- Chapter 314 – Into the Maze
- Chapter 315 – Fire Feathers
- Chapter 316 – Melting
- Chapter 317 – Hunger
- Chapter 318 – Ice, Fire, and Darkness
- Chapter 319 – The Mountain
- Chapter 320 – Zone Hopping
- Chapter 321 – Flying Fish
- Chapter 322 – Welcome to the Night Market
- Chapter 323 – Shopping
- Chapter 324 – Feathers!
- Chapter 325 – The Eidolon’s Test
- Chapter 326 – The Eidolon
- Chapter 327 – Fair Trade
- Chapter 328 – At the Gate
- Chapter 329 – The Guide Watches
- Chapter 330 – An Incomplete Expedition
- Chapter 331 – Crystal Clearing
- Chapter 332 – According to plan (Almost)
- Chapter 333 – Glowing Fish
- Chapter 334 – Decoding Doors
- Chapter 335 – Floating City Defense
- Chapter 336 – An Offer
- Chapter 337 – The King’s Tomb
- Chapter 338 – The Tower of Aura Weight
- Chapter 339 – The Climb
- Chapter 340 – Out of the Maze
- Chapter 341 – Establishing a Routine
- Chapter 342 – Invitation
- Chapter 343 – Single Team Maze Run
- Chapter 344 – Nettlefish
- Chapter 345 – A Choice Link-Gate
- Chapter 346 – New Hub Discovered!
- Chapter 347 – Return to the Night Market
- Chapter 348 – An Unpleasant Surprise
- Chapter 349 – Return to Mazehold
- Chapter 350 – A Forgotten Chance
- Chapter 351 – A New Task
- Chapter 352 – The Back Way
- Chapter 353 – Dyleda with the Blade
- Chapter 354 – Interrupted
- Chapter 355 – It’s Old
- Chapter 356 – It will hold
- Chapter 357 – To the Windows
- Chapter 358 – Spatial Resin
- Chapter 359 – Splitting the Party
- Chapter 360 – Third Upgrade
- Chapter 361 – Sphere Overhaul
- Chapter 362 – The Last Pieces
- Chapter 363 – Demense of the Arcane Coatl
- Chapter 364 – Arcane Demense
- Chapter 365 – Arcane Coatl Hybrid
- Chapter 366 – Equipment
- Chapter 367 – Third Upgrade Team
- Chapter 368 – Ansuz’s Quest
- Chapter 369 – New Data
- Chapter 370 – So What Now?
- Chapter 371 – The Secret Anchor
- Chapter 372 – Sweetfire’s Idea
- Chapter 373 – After Dinner
- Chapter 374 – The Maze Redux
- Chapter 375 – The Broken Lord’s Link-Gate
- Chapter 376 – Ghosts in the Atrium
- Chapter 377 – Powerful but Damaged
- Chapter 378 – Not So Weak After All
- Chapter 379 – Echoes of a Bygone Era
- Chapter 380 – The Empire’s Heart
- Chapter 381 – Tower Conquerors?
- Chapter 382 – Sigils of the Past
- Chapter 383 – Sophia’s Sigil
- Chapter 384 – Final Check
- Chapter 385 – The Tower Must Fall
- Chapter 386 – Judgement
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