Showing results by narrator "Nick Podehl" in All Categories

Raised and trained in seclusion at a secret fortress on the edge of the northern wilds of the Kingdom of Ashai, a young warrior called Rezkin is unexpectedly thrust into the outworld when a terrible battle destroys all that he knows. With no understanding of his life’s purpose and armed with masterful weapons mysteriously bestowed upon him by a dead king, Rezkin must travel across Ashai to find the one man who may hold the clues to his very existence.

When it comes to action and adventure, every hero needs a good sidekick. Holmes has Watson, Batman has Robin, and Daniel has . . . Orrin. More like brothers than friends, they always have each other's backs. And as Daniel is the big, strong, handsome type, Orrin is more than happy to remain in his shadow at school, at parties, pretty much everywhere. Then things take a turn for the truly weird when a terrible accident catapults the pair into a world totally unlike their own, in which the rules of a role-playing game hold sway.

Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.

The second captivating installment of Aleron Kong's Chaos Seeds series. "We are life takers and heartbreakers," Richter shouted. "Let's go!" Richter and Sion are at it again! Even more of what you loved in the first book. Leveling, world building, awesome items, and what's that you say? Sure! Why not? What's a little necrophilia between friends? Join your favorite Chaos Seed as he answers the call of adventure and deals with the invaders, greedy dwarves, and a wood elf that keeps telling him he has a pretty mouth. Welcome back, my friends! Welcome back...to The Land.

Warning: You may have a huge, invisible spider living in your skull. This is not a metaphor. You will dismiss this as ridiculous fearmongering. Dismissing things as ridiculous fearmongering is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection - the creature secretes a chemical into the brain to stimulate skepticism, in order to prevent you from seeking a cure. That’s just as well, since the “cure” involves learning what a chain saw tastes like. You can’t feel the spider, because it controls your nerve endings.

The Tournament of the Sacred Sword sounded like exactly the type of thing Keras would enjoy: a series of challenges for thousands of contestants seeking a chance to fight for the Sacred Sword of Earth. He knew there would be challenges. It wouldn’t be a high-stakes tournament without a few high-profile assassinations and mysterious murders, after all. But Keras wasn’t ready to run into someone from his homeland, and he certainly wasn’t prepared for the revelations that came from their confrontation.

After concluding their first year at Lorian Heights, Corin and his friends catch a train from their native Valia to the distant country of Caelford. For most, this would be a simple vacation. Corin has other plans....

In The Land: Predators, the Mist Village has harnessed its power. With core buildings, professional fighters, and now their own dungeon, the settlement is primed to grow into a kingdom of true power and magic. The path to power has not been without risk, however. The MistVillage has been noticed. Evil nobles from the Kingdom of Law, bloodthirsty goblins from the Serrated Mountains, an undead lord with a penchant for human sacrifice, and fanatical kobolds from the Depths all plot the village's destruction.

Upon returning to Valia after his journey to Caelford and the Unclaimed Lands, Corin Cadence is confronted with a familiar foe—his own father. While his strength has vastly increased since his last encounter with Magnus Cadence, Corin knows that he’ll need every trick at his disposal—and maybe a few new ones—if he wants to survive a duel with his father intact. While Corin struggles with his family, his friends must face a second year at Lorian Heights with new classes, familiar but new chancellor, and deadly new enemies both on and off the campus.

A summer at his grandparents' South Dakota ranch is not 11-year-old Cooper Sullivan's idea of a good time. But things are a bit more bearable now that he's discovered the neighbor girl, Lil Chance, and her homemade batting cage. Even horseback riding isn't as awful as Coop thought it would be. Each year, with Coop's annual summer visit, their friendship deepens from innocent games to stolen kisses, but there is one shared experience that will forever haunt them: the terrifying discovery of a hiker's body.

After a congressman’s tortured body is found dangling from a Portland bridge, the FBI joins the Oregon State Police to investigate the case - and FBI Special Agent Ava McLane, still recovering from a bullet wound, hunts the twisted killer alongside the man who captured her heart, police detective Mason Callahan. But once a third body appears and all evidence points to a serial killer, the public furiously clamors for answers - and the couple’s relationship grows fractured under the pressure.

Corin Cadence has been summoned to meet with the Emerald Council, a political summit including the most powerful of all attuned and their closest political allies. His summons came with a dire warning—that war was coming to the nation of Valia. While Valia is no stranger to warfare, the circumstances of this invasion are dire. Valia's visage, Tenjin, remains missing. Many of the nation's leaders were slain during Mizuchi's attack, and others killed or injured through Saffron's machinations. With a critical power vacuum in Valia's leadership, few can be trusted.

What's that you say? You want more village growth? Well be careful where you stand, because the Mist Village just took a Viagra-Cialis sandwich, and there is a stiff breeze blowing! (I can make some more references if you're still not getting the point...did you see what I did there?)

Some say that in the city of Orlyn, godhood is on sale to the highest bidder. Thousands flock to the city each year, hoping for a chance at immortality. Lydia Hastings is a knowledge sorcerer, capable of extracting information from anything she touches. When she travels to Orlyn to validate the claims of the local faith, she discovers a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers. At the focal point is a prisoner who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships.

Cinder Shade’s life begins on a fateful afternoon at the bottom of a well where he awakens, bruised, battered, and bereft of all memory. His only understanding is a driving imperative to protect those who can’t defend themselves and become a warrior worthy of the name. He discovers within himself a peculiar gift, one in which the codes of combat are made evident and the language of steel is made clear.

Aleron Kong's number-one best-selling LitRPG saga continues in The Land: Swarm. The enemies of the Mist Village are moving, the storm clouds are gathering, what are Richter and Sion to do? Crush the game, that's what! More of everything you love in LitRPG: powerful items, epic battles, awesome quests, and in-depth world building! What happened to Elora? Where is the swarm? Did the rock giant make Richter jelly? What are the colonel's secret spices?

Rezkin lives—a secret known only to a chosen few. Now, Azeria is one of them. Joining forces, they avoid discovery while seeking the power to stand against Caydean's demons. A tale of ancient technology draws them to the land of a forgotten people. Can the secret treasure of the infamous Demon War help the rebels turn the tide?

Back when things were normal, Orrin the Timid tried saving his best friend, Daniel the Popular, from a runaway truck. But he failed, and the resulting crash landed them both in a world of magic, monsters, and levels. There, Orrin grew from a mild-mannered sidekick into a legit powerhouse, unlocking Administrator-level powers unlike anything else. Still, things are tough for the former zero.

With five of the Orbs of Peace still at large and threatening the world’s survival, Cinder and Anya set forth to acquire them by any means. But their efforts—be it through simple ruses, espionage, or even war—are doomed if they cannot first shatter the falsehoods that warp their very memories. Are they the Blessed Ones of prophecy or simply broken avatars? It is a question without an easy answer, hindered as it is by deceptions that aren’t so easily overcome.

Rising in the shadows, Rezkin is free from the shackles of power. But the darkness is his home, and there he stalks his foes. His friends, alone and scattered, face the war with an empty throne. Rumors of Rezkin's survival spawn hope and discord on the Souelian. Unable to put Rezkin to rest, Azeria chases answers. In the criminal underworld, she hunts the Raven, willing to extract the truth in blood.