Wednesday, 15 October 2025

#145 Riz Alone Part 2

Happy Blog Day Everyone

I think you all know the drill now, the week between chapters always gets the short end of the straw.

I wish I had more to say, I really do. I'm hoping to do some fun things soon enough, to try and turn things around but its going to take a lot of will power, and even more know how. The latter of which is in drastically short supply!

Get it done right, and I could be moving forward again, do it wrong...and its really no different to how things are at the moment. Guess I haven't got too much to lose.

Living in fun times.

At least someone else might be having fun though...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz



Was torn on wether to do this strip or just dive into the gags. As you can see, this is the direction I went. Might have been a mistake but it's far too late to deal with that now!

Live and learn, you live and learn.

Got two parts, possibly three if I want to do a Brennan returns scenario on top of it. What will Riz do? We'll find out...

That's all for this week.

Next time, Rose and Co will return as the biggest threat yet makes itself known! Alas though, our heroine is exhausted and currently unconscious, will she wake in time to prevent a tragedy? Time will tell...

Till then...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

Quick Links

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Volume 1

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Fade to Noir

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Hubble Bubble

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Ominous Orbs


Wednesday, 8 October 2025

#144 Riz Alone Part 1 + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 16

Happy Blog Day Everyone

At the time of writing, this blog post is several hours late (to say nothing of how late my daily #vss365 posts are on my social media channels!). No idea of what happened to my time keeping this week, but if you see it, please return it to me as I've still got a lot to do.

It's Phantom Dawn time again, and I know I've said it a lot, but this time, it is the bridge to the final arc of the story. Will it be good is a different question but before we get there, let's catch up with our favourite duo...hang on a moment...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz


Yup, another multipart adventure. I couldn't resist given Halloween season. What mischief will Riz cause all on his lonesome? Well, you'll have to find out next week.

An interesting error here, on the paper copy, panels 2 and 3 are the exact same colour. Not sure why my phone decided to brighten the middle one till it took on a different hue.

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 17

As stated above, this is the start of the final arc of this story and this chapter really should not have been this long, just being a transition and all. Ideally, this means that there should be 4 chapters left to do. We'll see if that's the case.

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index

















Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: Worst Time to Strike

     Neal and several onlookers rushed over to where Rose had fallen. He remembered the first time he saw her fighting one of the monsters, how the first use of that power had weakened her. He could only summarise that using it for longer periods, or even using more of it to fight stronger foes needed a recharge of sorts. At least, he hoped this was the case.
     Mason had already picked her limp body up, ready to move her to wherever she needed to be, while Kurz stood a little bewildered, till he realised who was carrying her.
     “Put her down you idiot!” he shouted.
     “What? Back in the dirt? What kind of idea is that!” Mason yelled in return. “We need to get her somewhere safe, I mean, what? Were you going to just leave her here!”
     “Crying out loud…No, I wouldn’t just leave her here…”
     “Good, then I was right to pick her up wasn’t I?”
     “That isn’t what I meant…”
     “You two! We need to take her back to the hideout, so now isn’t the time for pointless bickering,” Neal said, fighting the urge to bang their heads together.
     “Lead the way, I’ll make sure she’s safe and sound!” Mason puffed out his chest, as if he was immensely proud of his put upon role.
     “Why are you okay with this?” Kurz said to his grandfather, who brushed it off.
     “Right now, we have to get Rose some place to rest, anything else can wait.”
Kurz took one look at Mason, already following Neal, carefully leading the way.
     “Damn it,” he cursed himself.

     Back at the hideout, Si had been busy, the second he had heard of the trouble, he began packing for his escape, scouring the whole place for anything he thought might have been useful. This turned out to be not a lot, and those bits he did find, were simply too impractical to shove in a little bag. He also knew that his actions would be frowned upon, but he rationised it as being okay. Afterall, in the end of things, he wasn’t a fighter, he was the people person, the guy who made contacts. He’d go where the people where, and he assumed that the majority of people would be currently fleeing for their lives, leaving the town behind. He intended to do the same when he heard the monster’s roar, and the subsequent sounds of someone holding it at bay. Being as careful as he could have been ,he even peered out of the window to get a glimpse of what he’d be running from, but all he saw was the arrival of the big bug-like creatures, and their subsequent retreat. Then came the cheers that sounded larger than the screams had been. This was the confused state that Neal and the others had found him in when they burst through the door, Mason still carefully holding Rose.
     “Ah!” Si said, almost jumping out of his skin. “Who let him out!” he pointed a shaking finger at Mason.
     “I ask myself the same thing.” Kurz admitted under his breath.
     “This isn’t the time for this conversation,” Neal said sternly. “Mason, put Rose on the sofa the best you can. The beds upstairs might be better, but I’d rather she be somewhere in sight. That way we can keep a close eye on her.”
     Mason did as instructed, being ever so careful with her, making sure that she wasn’t disturbed.
     Kurz, for his part, had brought the sword with him, having found the weight surprising considering the way that Rose had been using it. He placed it next to her, still managing not to make eye contact with Mason, making it clear that he did not tolerate having to share the same space.
     “I think we’d better set up watches for the night, and we should be ready to get out of here at the first sign of trouble,” Kurz said.
     “You really don’t have to tell me twice!” Si said, butting into the conversation, and causing all the other participants to turn to him. “I mean…What happened to her?” he deftly changed the subject and pointed to Rose.
     “Rose fought off one of the monsters from the waste land,” Neal answered, trying to explain in as few words as possible.
     “She fought off one of the monsters? Are we sure that she’s not a monster?” Si countered with. “I mean, should we be standing close to her? Or is she like some kind of magnet that’ll bring the monsters to us?” 
     “Keep talking about her like that and I’ll hang you from that coat rack over there,” Mason muttered. “She’s clearly an angel sent to fight for us.” He said that last part in all seriousness.
     “I’m sorry, but why is the guy who beat me up earlier now standing with us like he’s part of the gang? Especially since he’s threatening me again!” Si followed up her earlier question, bringing it into the forefront.
     “I’m here because of her, not you two, alright?” Mason explained. “She’s giving me a second chance, and I’m going to take it, and that’s that.” 
     “Second chance? You think you deserve a second chance. Who’s fault is it that we’re in this mess? Who blindly served Finch again, the man who is trying to kill everyone in this town right now, by your own admission!” Kurz let his anger boil over.
     “I don’t think I deserve one, but she clearly does! That’s what’s important right now! Well, that trying to stay alive I guess, but I’m standing next to her!” Mason crossed his arms, and turned away from Kurz, who was standing looking incredulous over what he’d just heard.
     “You…” he began to mutter, till Neal interrupted their fight.
     “I’ll not have either of you acting this way while she is resting! You want to have another fight that badly go and do it outside! I’ve had enough of the bickering while the town remains in danger!” Neal’s outburst left him a little breathless. “If you want to do something constructive however, please go and stand guard outside. Now that night has fallen, it’ll be harder to see if any attack is imminent…” Neal helped himself down into a chair. “I’ll watch over her, until the Heaven’s Rods are working again, she may well be our last hope in surviving.”
     “I’ll take the first watch, could do with some time to think,” Mason announced as he left the room.
     “Thank god, he’s gone,” Si let out a small sigh of relief. “Are we going to lock him up again once we’re not getting eaten? Plus what about her, what the hell is her deal?” 
     “I don’t know,” Kurz replied bitterly, his rage deflated. He looked at Rose, before muttering again. “I just don’t know…Si, stay with granddad and see if he needs anything.”
     “What? Stay here? In this soon to be monster infested town? We could use this time to get the heck out of here!” Si had more to say along those lines, but a glare from Kurz put a stop to that. “...Or we could sit back here, let the doom come to us, you know?”
     Kurz still wasn’t smiling at any of this.
     “Fine, I’ll stay and help out your granddad. Happy now?” Si asked.
     “I wish…” Kurz said nonchalantly before turning to leave the room himself.
     “Where are you going?”
     “Mason was right about one thing I guess, I need some time to think.”
     “So you’re just going to leave me here?”
     “Do you want to go outside in the cold night air and be the first warning against monsters?”
     “Well when you put it that way…”
     “Good,” Kurz said as he opened the door. “I’ll be back in a bit to take over the watch.”
     Si watched as he exited the room, and then slumped into a chair next to Neal, who had been following their conversation, but declined to add anything.
     “...Sitting in silence it is…” Si let his head fall to the table.

     Mason had found a spot to sit on a rocky outcrop, the town just to his back, and the wide expanse of the wastes in front of him. The darkness didn’t bother him, and neither did the ethereal glow from the Phantom Dawn above, casting its strange light that twisted the shadows. Despite what logic would dictate, the light did nothing to dispel the inky blackness, instead it highlighted it more, giving it a dreamlike quality. He thought back to the first time he encountered such a scene, when he and his grandmother were travelling from town to town, moving by night to minimise the time in the sweltering heat of the days back then. He remembered how his grandmother had put on a brave face on what they were doing, trying to treat it like a game, despite fully knowing how much danger the pair had been in constantly. The theatrics she’d employed had stuck with him, and he considered that was why he’d been so theatrical being Finch’s underling. He knew he had to play the part of the hired muscle, without ever wanting to do the more extreme acts.
     One time, Finch wanted him to kill a couple who had been defiant to him. Mason responded by burning the house down in a grand fashion. Finch had been pleased but of course didn’t know that Mason had already paid off the couple to leave using what little money he had that no one else knew about. The flaw in this plan was that, aside from the reputation it gave him, Finch started asking him to do it more and more, with Mason have to resort to crazier schemes to keep his sanity intact. That was why he’d done what he needed to with Kurz’s group. He’d hoped to chase them away, yet it had been his facade that broke completely. To him though, maybe it hadn’t been a bad thing. It allowed him to escape from under Finch’s ever tightening grip, and he did get to meet her.
Mason looked around, making sure he was fully alone, and then he started trying to recite some poetry from his memory, turning half forgotten fragments into full passages. He repeated them to himself, wanting to commit them to memory, and then, he’d tell them to Rose, and anyone else who would listen, to get them to see that he was not who he appeared to be.
     “What are you talking about?”
Kurz’s voice startled Mason who quickly stood to face him, having just realised that he was able to get the drop on him insultingly easy.
     “N-Nothing! I was just…Er,,,Remembering old times. Why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be resting till your shift, or do you want to have a go again.”
     “I came out here to think, not to talk to you so don’t worry about that,” Kurz said walking to stand beside him, facing out into the wasteland. “My mum always told me that the wastelands were a paradox, full of danger yet full of potential…”
     “My granny used to say the same. Yet here we are, facing down the danger, yet seeing little of that potential, but then again…” Mason trailed off as he realised that Rose had come from the wastes, fitting what they were told quite well.
     “You’ve got a one track mind, you know that?” Kurz said, knowing what he was probably thinking about.
     Turning away so that Kurz couldn’t see his embarrassment, Mason cleared his throat.
     “Don’t know what you mean…” He voice trailed away to silence, as the pair stood there, looking out.
     “Why…” Kurz muttered.
     “What?” 
     “Why should I forget everything that happened between us?”
     “It would make life a bit easier if I didn’t have you yelling at me every time you saw me. I know I’ve done some bad things, though not as bad as the things you think I’ve done, but I had to do what I could to survive. You must have done the same right? Everyone is just trying to survive,” Mason explained, and the way he did it caused Kurz to look at him with a side eye.
     “I never pictured you to be the sort of person to speak like that.”
     “Would it be easier for you if I was just a brain dead devotee of Finch’s? I played the part I was given, portraying the person Finch wanted me to be.” 
     “You could have just walked away, you know. You choose to stay at his side.”
     “Spoken like someone who was never in that situation. It’s always easier to speak outside of the problem then to be in it. Finch took me in when I had no one else, he provided me food and shelter. I was still a kid…” Mason stated, his eyes never leaving some imagined spot in the distance.
     “What happened with your grandma?”
     “She…She put herself in the way between me and a monster. I was rescued by a group of people from a nearby town, but quickly abandoned. Apparently people will only care about rescuing kids from certain death while it gives them glory, any other time like they don’t give a damn.” 
     “So that’s when Finch found you…”
     “Yup…If you don’t mind me saying something though, your mother must have been a badass for Finch to send Eros after her. He only ever got used against Finch’s biggest threats…or when you screwed up badly while working for him.” 
     The turn of the conversation towards his own mother caught Kurz off guard, amd while there was a spike in his anger, he subdued it.
     “I never learned till much later what my parents were doing, or why Finch wanted them dead over it. I found the bodies all the same though, it was only through my grandfather that I learned everything. All I cared about then was hurting Finch and anyone associated with him.”
     “You certainly did that…” Mason rubbed his cheek from where both Kurz and Rose had hit him within the space of a morning.      “Funny though, or tragic if you want to look at it like that, we’re both orphans from different sides.”
     “I guess we are, we’ve both lost things important to us.”
     “Just like Rose.”
     “Had to work her into this didn’t you?”
     “No, listen. She’s lost herself. That could just be the tip of the iceberg as well, who knows what else she’s gone through. You don’t just forget things like that without going through something first. I mean, she lost an entire identity and everything with it.”
     Kurz hadn’t thought about it like that, and he was loath to admit it but Mason did have a point. Still, it didn’t erase the questions he had about her, and what she was, but at the same time, he never thought about what she was going through, or what she was feeling. He’d never treated her like an equals, only ever as a stray that his grandfather inexplicably picked up. He let silence drop in between them once more, thinking about every interaction they had and how he’d responded with her. He cursed himself, but at the same time, it left him confused, as it also didn’t change any of his concerns, they still needed addressing,
     Kurz was going to say ‘even so’ but never got the chance, as the silence was irreplaceably broken by another roar that shattered the bewildering peace that had settled over the town. It dwarfed what they had heard before in tone and volume, the ground itself reverberating.
     “What was that?” Mason asked in a panic.
     “Nothing good,” Kurz said through gritted teeth, trying to look out into the night, wanting to see some spectral shape that they could attribute the roar to. He made something out, a shape still on the horizon, one that was slowly getting bigger. He could see no details but he could tell that it was on another scale entirely.
     “We have to get people moving!” Mason shot up and started running back into the town.
     Kurz started back as well, but the shape was getting bigger all the time, and he knew it was going to be upon them…

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Next Chapter (not finished yet)

That's it for this week.

Till next time...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

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Wednesday, 1 October 2025

#143 Digging for Trouble

Happy Blog Day Everyone

It's an in-between installment today but sadly, I've got an announcement to make that I wish I didn't have to.

I've learned from the publisher of Daemon Soul that they are closing their doors, and this Daemon Soul is no longer available for sale. It'd only been out there in the wild for six months but I'd be lying if I said it sold well. As easy as it would be for me to pin the blame on market forces, the burden falls on me for not doing enough to promote it, and then there was the quality of writing...Yeah, the publisher did the best they could.

On the plus side, they transferred me all the rights back and formatted documents so I can try again, but the question is, would anyone even want to? Ironic as I did decide on attempting self publishing with this series before but editing costs made it a little out of reach for me.

So, yeah Daemon Soul now joins the Brennan and Riz books in limbo until I can finally sort myself out enough to sort them out. A tall order indeed.

I'll still write number 2 though as I need something to work on but I've also been looking at the two spin offs I've been tinkering with (Avalon Tales and Phantom Dawn, which is obliviously being serialised here) and seeing if a shift to first person will help them as they lack the kind of villain focused scenes I used in Daemon Soul itself.

Basically, watch this space.

Let's move onto something happier shall we?

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




...Well, Brennan brought this on himself this time. Not often you can say that! Trying a different approach with this one (not the first time I've done physical comedy in the strip but Brennan’s reaction is more rooted in the traditional comic strips ala peanuts or Garfield) and it worked quite well. The script underwent some minor revisions and isn't the best it could have been, but more importantly, I don't hate the artwork. I'll take that as a win.

That's all for this week, and I wish I had more good news but it is what it is.

I'll be back next time with more Phantom Dawn, but till then...

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

Quick Links




Wednesday, 24 September 2025

#142 Not Rizs Favourite Thing + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 15

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Chapter 15 of Phantom Dawn is here, concluding Rose's current fight, but how lomg will she get to rest? Better read on to find out.

Before that though, Riz is about to get an unexpected (and unwanted) surprise...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




As unbiased as I can be (that is to say, I'm not unbiased at all) the third panel here is my favourite that I've drawn in a while. The 2nd panel though, I tried a few things that didn't work as I wanted. That being said, its a fun look at Riz worst time of the week!

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 15

The final part of Rose's defence is here, following Mason's shock intervention last time. Was that enough to tip the scales? Better read on to find out!

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index
















Chapter 15


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Chapter 15: A Moment to Breath

     The monster came at her, its legs seemed to be pounding the ground with even more force than it had been doing. All the dust that was being thrown in the air reflected the dying rays of sunlight that had managed to break through the dominating cloud cover. Rose held her ground, preparing a swing, probably the only one she would get in given the pure force beating down on her. She knew she would have to make this count, and she intended to do that.
     Both Kurz and Mason wanted to pull their gazes away, but found they couldn’t, they eyes locked on the scene, trepidation rolling off them as sweat. Neither said a word, but their faces betrayed that intent, showing the fear. They also knew that Rose was the only hope the town would have, as neither of them were in the same league as this monster, and there was bound to be others lurking out there. Evacuating the whole town was a timely affair, something they didn’t have a lot of.
     Neal made his way to them just as the monster was unsettlingly close to hitting Rose.
     “Rose…” Was all he managed to muster, as his will to say anything else had left him as it had them.

     With every micro second that passed, the monster and Rose got closer and closer to their inevitable clash, yet Rose never wavered, there was no sign that she was going to flee. The contact point between the two arrived and Rose leapt into action, swinging her sword and using all the momentum that the monster had against it. To observers, there was only a sound of steel against flesh, and then nothing as the monster slowed down, and Rose, whilst in a different position now, looking like she had just landed back on her feet, was still standing.
     There was abated breath to see what the outcome was, as everyone tried to work out what exactly had happened.
     “Did she do it?” Mason whispered, being the first to speak again.
     “I…” Kurz went to speak, but movement from the monster caught their attention, bringing the focus back to it as it let out a chilling howl, one that made it quite clear how much pain it was in.
     To those looking, the reason for the howl became increasingly obvious as a large wound had opened up on its face with several of its eye stalks now missing. The creature started to thrash around, till it turned around fully, and saw Rose, pointing the now bloody blade at it. She didn’t say a word, not that she needed to, as the monster seemed to get the point, and ran, jumping over the girl who had done the damage. It didn’t take long for the creature to vanish on the horizon. With the large one now having left, the little ones also scattered away from the scene, with some digging their way underground once more. Then, less than ten minutes after it had all ended, a sense of peace settled over the town, indicating that the danger had passed, for now.

     The townsfolk had all gathered from their hiding places, and word quickly spread out amongst them over what had fully transpired. The awe which people had initially placed on Rose after how she had dealt with Mason had now been replaced with some fear. That she was strong they had accepted without much question, his skills being needed to deal with the very human threat they were up against then. Now, they had seen her fight against the monsters with seemingly equal or even superior strength, and they were unnerved in the extreme. Low mumblings about her true origins made their way to Kurz’s ears, and he kind of agreed with them, just like when he’d learned about her earlier feat. Humans could not stand against the beasts the way she had, not without either serious armour and equipment, even the famous trappers had to rely on cunning and traps.
     
     Mason had equally conflicting thoughts, but at the same time, things actually made a little sense to him, the way she’d manhandled him before, that strength. He’d called her an angel to be poetic, but he started to wonder if that was really the case. He knew he should have been scared, yet she was also the first person in a very long time to actually show him any warmth or concern. Monsters weren’t capable of that, he was positive. He had a different problem though, as many had also realised he wasn’t where he should have been, and while Rose was clearly the topic of choice, there were threats being made against him as well, trying to link him with the very monster they had just survived. If he went to Rose now, to check on if she was okay, he knew it would drag her into his own misdeeds. Still, he couldn’t leave her alone at a time like this. He went to step towards her, but he was almost knocked off his feet as something ran past him. Mason never saw what it was till the blur was in front of him. The shape only became clearer the more it got closer to Rose, that of a little girl. 
     “Misssss!” the little girl screamed out.
     Rose was still staring into space, holding the sword as though it was the most natural thing in the world to her. The girl ran straight into her, with a force that would have bowled most over.
     Looking down at the girl sobbing on her legs, Rose’s empty eyes showed no memory of who the girl was.
     “I was so scared!” the little girl continued, never once glancing up.
     “Cecily…” The name escaped Rose’s lips as she slowly returned to normal, the feeling that had overtaken her retreating to whence it came. It was at this point that the little girl did look up, and saw those friendly eyes again. While the adults around her had been wary, it didn’t matter to Cecily, she knew a hero when she saw one. Rose knelt down beside her, and hugged her tight.
     “I’m so glad you’re safe,” Rose said happily.

     Looking at the touching scene, Mason noted the reactions of the other onlookers now that the girl had effectively shattered the tension. Some, seeing the child running freely towards Rose, embracing her without fear, allowed their views to soften. Others still held the contempt in their eyes, but begrudgingly accepted that their lives had been saved, and it wasn’t the time nor the place to take things any further. Mason noted the couple of others who had chosen that moment to walk away, their disgust palpable. He didn’t want to take a gamble that their own views of him had changed so turned to walk away, not knowing where he was going to go.
     “Oi! Mister!” The same little girl who had ran to Rose, was now running straight at him, with a speed that he didn’t think was possible from one so small.
     “Hey! Wait, you’re going to hit me!” Mason yelled at her, but she didn’t listen, and like a wrecking ball, jumped into him, causing him to lose balance, falling over backwards.
     “Good grief, kid! What are your parents feeding you!” He croaked out.
     “Soup and love!” Cecily replied. “Miss said I had to keep you from sneaking away!”
     “Miss?” It took an embarrassing amount of time before Mason realised who she meant, and sure enough, by the time he cottoned on, Rose was walking towards him.

     Kurz was also watching the scene, but his own emotions were more mixed now then they were when Rose’s strength became apparent. He didn’t know what she was, that calm exterior she had presented with, contrasted sharply with the prowess she seemed to possess. He didn’t know if he should approach her or not, and ultimately, he declined to go to her, wanting to keep his distance, even if just for now. What this event did spark in him though, was the curiosity to learn more about her. Was this the extent of her powers, and what was she really. The way she was acting with Mason was also a cause for concern, as she’d been quick to befriend someone who was undefendable in Kurz’s opinion.

     Mason was still standing awe struck when Rose approached him, he saw she was about to speak, and started his own speech, pre-empting her:
     “My lady, I don’t deserve this!” He knelt down, and bowed his head before her.
Rose was taken aback by the outburst, but undaunted in saying what she wanted to say.
     “Thank you,” She presented the handle of the blade back to Mason, gesturing to him to take it off her. “I wouldn’t have been able to defend everyone without your help.” 
     “My…My help?” Mason stuttered. “I…I don’t know what to say to that.” He was still declining to look her in the face, afraid to see if she held the same judgment in her eyes that the rest of the town seemed to have, despite her kind words.
     “You don’t know what to say?” Rose repeated what he said, as it clearly made no sense to her. “Sometimes, if you don’t know what to say, just smile. It’s what someone once told me, I think…” Rose stated, seemingly confused by her own statement.
     “You think?”
     “It’s strange…Holding a weapon like this one,” Rose lifted the sword up, looking at her reflection in the blade. “And it feels like the most natural thing in the world. My hands feel comfortable holding something like this, even when I know that it’s only designed to kill. With that feeling, there’s other memories in there, fragments of conversations. I wouldn’t have discovered that, if you hadn’t lent me this. I doubt I would have been able to fend that creature off if I’m honest.”
     “If that’s the case, then please keep it. Consider it the first part of my penance.” 
     “Penance? What do you mean by that?”
     “It means that I want to atone for everything I did while working under Finch. In fact, the only person I want to be working under now, is you.” 

     While not everyone could hear the conversation, those that could, almost fell over in disbelief at this point. This included Kurz, who finally acted, walking over to them in a maddened rage.
     “What is going on here! We’ve just been attacked by monsters because someone, Finch sent, the Finch you work for, decided to wreck the town’s protection system. Then, you think it’s a good time to try and throw yourself on her feet? We are in this mess because of you!” Kurz yelled, he felt that his anger was justified.
     “I don’t work for Finch now! My contact with him was ripped up the second he sent Eros in! I failed so I became useless to him. Maybe I want to atone though? Ever think of that! My life literally changed because of her, heck, everyone’s lives have changed because of her when you think about it! Mainly because we’re all still alive right now and not some monsters snack!” Mason’s big and loud rant caught the ears of more people, with some giving approving nods, but refusing to join in the argument.
     Kurz bit his tongue at first, Rose was the sole reason any of them were alive as they certainly couldn’t have stood against that creature themselves, not as they were, even mustering a full evacuation had proven to have taken too long. He was still angry though, angry at the position they’d found themselves in, and at Mason for not bearing enough guilt for everything that had happened in the town over the years. He found Mason’s need to atone bitter in his mouth, it had only been getting caught out first by Rose, and then by Kurz himself that had led to this change of heart. Just when he had finally found the words to say, Rose interrupted the pair.
     “Is now the time for fighting like this? The danger is still out there,” Rose cast a look back into the wastes, unsure if the the paranoid feeling she was experiencing was because of the Phantom Dawn glaring menacingly down on all of them, or if something else unseen was spying on them, waiting for it’s own chance to strike.
     “She’s right, all this talk can wait till after we get what little rest we can, and organise a safe space for people,” Mason said. “Not that anyone is going to listen to me, but I bet you can get them to see sense, Rose.” Mason turned to her just as she started to waver a little, her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. “Rose?” 
     She took one step forward, the sword falling from her hand, and then collapsed, to the shock of everyone watching…

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I do apologise for the abrupt ending there, but as has often been the case lately, the chapter still had more to say but it was alresdy getting more lengthy then what I'd like for a story like this. Editing this one is going to be a pain for sure.

That's all for this week, hope everyone takes care.

Till next time...

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 17 September 2025

#141 Ah Meetings

Happy Blog Day Everyone

A short and sweet post for today, as these ones which end up sandwiched between two Phantom Dawn chapters end up being!

In other news, I've started slowly going back to Daemon Soul 2, nearing the end of the 2nd chapter after an onslaught of changes which I think I've added to the word count. Joy. At least from looking ahead, chapter 3 is more straight forward. I've also been casting my mind towards future plot points abd have settled upon certain things that I need to include during this draft. Why do it now? Because it'll be easier to make it work here knowing what's actually going on abd where word limit is only a *minor* concern, instead of during the last edit pass over where the word limit is the be all end all.

Can't say much about this plot point at the moment over than it involves Serena and her past. It'll also tie in with another plot line featuring her. Cypher may be the main character but Serena has got her fair share of things to do.

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




Don't you just love meetings? I'm not sure Riz does though! This one turned out alright I think, a rarity for me these days! Not too much to say about this one, I think it can stand on its own quite well.

That's it for this week, got to get cracking on Phantom Dawn Chapter 15, so till next time...

Keep on writing,

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 10 September 2025

#140 Riz’s Story Time Part 6 + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 14

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Chapter 14 is here, with some surprising developments (or not, depending if you've already sussed me out already). I  can actually see the ending from here, though we're maybe four chapters away at the very least. Once it's done though, I may give short Diversions a break till the start of next year (barring any breaks it'll probably be done in November) as I really should be working on Daemon Soul 2.

Of course, there's another story arc ending today...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




Well, there’s another story arc ended, and yeah, that's certainly one way to end it!

Wasn't as happy with the art on this one but it gets the job done. Also its only now that I look back on it and realise the errors, like forgetting to put the sound effect for the destruction of the planet (a nice pop would have sufficed) and the fact that one half of the planet is actually miscoloured. Never mind.

Now to think on what to do next week!

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 14

Remember last time when I said that this chapter had to be seperated because of its length? Yeah, it happened again. While the conclusion of this fight is round the corner, I felt like this portion was big enough already. So, the last part (of this fight anyway) will drop in two weeks time. Hope you enjoy this bit though!

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index















Chapter 14


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Chapter 14: Clash at Twilight

     It was the monster who made the first move, charging towards Rose on spindly legs. She braced herself for the impact, crossing her arms and taking the full hit. The strange feeling within her had already activated, allowing her to shrug it off, and with glazed over eyes, she stared at the creature and began to push it back, wanting to take it as far out of the town as she could.
Kurz arrived in time to see this show of strength and could scarcely believe his own eyes. The way her hair had slightly lifted up at it’s ends, as if some sort of power was radiating from her, he became aware of the gulf between them. One of the smaller creatures brushed past his leg as it scuttled by, bringing back to the moment, and he knew that for all his questions, he had to act now.
     “Let’s go, people! Head to the other side of the town!” He commanded. He then started to fight past the little ones, though they let him part through their crowd all too easily. He went to those who, in their attempt to get away from the creatures, made the unwise decision to climb up whatever surface was at hand.
     “Kurz! Where’s Rose!” Neal asked as he got there, out of breath from running as fast as he had been.
     “She’s fighting that thing!” Kurz didn’t even have to gesture, as Neal turned and took sight of the massive multilegged beast. At first he didn’t even spot Rose in front of it, holding one of its legs in place. He squinted and recognised her long red hair, and that she was doing a similar pose to when she held off the other monster before. He didn’t recognise the beast though, having had the displeasure of being chased by many of the fiends that lurked in the wastes. He felt powerless, not being able to help her, but he knew he had to leave it to her. She’d already proven herself once, the town depended on her doing it again.
     “Good luck, Rose,” Neal said, alongside a silent prayer, before he started helping Kurz with getting people to safety.

     Mason heard all the commotion outside, but being locked up, he was absolutely helpless. A monster could come crashing through the wall at any moment, and he would have no escape method. If he was lucky, it would lead to a quick death, but that wasn’t the way his luck tended at the moment, if anything, he’d suffer an agonising end as some organism digested him slowly. He shuddered at the thought of it and hung his head low. Even if by some miracle he wasn’t killed in this monster attack, what would he do then? His future wasn’t amounting to much at the moment as his failure had burnt the last bridge he had with Finch.
     “I’m so screwed…” He wailed, knowing that no one was around to hear him.

     While at first it seemed like Rose and the monster had reached a stalemate, as neither was pushing the other back. Rose’s focus shifted when she heard Cecily call out again. The little monsters had effectively stopped anyone from getting to her, leaving her hanging precariously off the Heaven’s Rod. Mustering some more strength, Rose started taking slow steps forward, and pushed the monster back. It wasn’t a great distance, but it was enough to create an opening, one she exploited by lifting her arms free and running straight at the creature and delivering a mighty punch that seemed to move the creature even more. Then, turning on the spot, Rose dashed towards the child, with a speed that seemed to surpass what she’d shown off before. It took less than a second to get over to where Cecily was, even less time for Rose to take her into her arms.
     “Uhh,” Cecily started to say as she noticed Rose’s eyes. “Are you? Are you okay?” The little girl didn’t know what was going on, how could she.
     Rose said nothing, instead, she eyed Kurz who had just finished helping someone down, when with very little warning, she threw the girl through the air, causing her to collide in Kurz’s arms. The pair looked in shock at each other with their new predicament, but before either could offer any protest, the monster struck back, causing the land underneath Rose to explode as it drove four of its legs into it. Rose was sent hurtling through several buildings, and the monster headed after her. 

     Mason had still been minding his own business when she crashed through the walls, almost causing the whole structure to come crumbling down. Miraculously it held, but only just.
     “Errr, Rose?” Mason called out. He was sure he heard the old man identify her with that name earlier when he was talking to Kurz. There had been other things he could have called her, but he thought it was better to leave them to the poetry he’d been drafting in his head while he’d been idling in the cell. Seeing no immediate response, Mason’s bottom lip trembled as he shouted it this time. “Rose!”
     She bolted up right, her eyes the same as when she displayed her strength against him before, which caused Mason to shudder, as if he’d felt the pain from that encounter all over again. Still, he was relieved to see that she was okay, extremely focused but okay. With a sigh of relief, he rested on the bars, and fell forward with them as they were no longer secured in place. It made an awful noise, and when he looked up in embarrassment, Rose was staring at him 
     “I…uhh…I’ll guess you want me to stay here?” Mason asked. Rose didn’t reply, she just kept looking at him, and as he scrambled to his feet, she moved quicker, appearing next to him in a blink of an eye.
     “Wait!” 
     Without letting say anything else, Rose pushed Mason out of the way as one of the creature's legs tore through the ceiling, landing right where the big guy had been a moment before. This proved too much for the old building, and it finally collapsed, Rose leapt up on to the creature's leg as it did, becoming clear of the debris She then started running across it’s length, heading for the main body.
     Mason coughed and spluttered as he pushed off the fallen timbers that had laid on him. He didn’t know if it was dumb luck that caused him to survive or if Rose had deliberately pushed him to a point where the least amount of things would fall on him, but either way the result was the same. He thanked his lucky stars but got to see the full situation for the first time. He saw the thing that Rose was fighting against, and the sheer size of it made his knees go weak. Gulping, he spared a thought about turning the other way and running. A chorus of voices started chiming off in his head, a mix of everyone that ever looked down on him, and those who scant few who believed in him. He looked around at the destruction that was already abundant.
     “Damn it…” He thought as he ran off.

     Rose had managed to evade all attempts the creature made to get rid of her, and had now made it to the main body, where the creature looked directly at her, its eyes emerging out of its head on stalks, bending around themselves. The creature didn’t know what to make of her, but all the same, it wanted rid of her. The feeling was mutual though, and Rose put all her strength into her fist, intent on ending it all with one blow.. She reared back, then punched down hard into what she presumed was the creature’s forehead. If the hit didn’t kill it, it would have certainly made it retreat. Neither of those things happened, as instead the point where she attacked was stretchy and pliable. Her fist simply went in a little deeper, causing the monster no injury, but in the state Rose was in, she was unable to fully comprehend what had happened.
     For Neal and Kurz who had been watching afar, they both felt dread rising from the pit of their stomachs.
     “Rose! Come back!” Kurz shouted, believing that there was no fight to be hard here. He was ignored, with Rose failing to even glance back at his direction.
     “ROSE!” Neal tried this time. But even when shouting with as much force as he could manage, it simply wasn’t enough.
     “If you two are going to help, then actually help!” Mason roared, surprising both of them. He was carrying a long object, bundled up in cloth. He held it like a javelin, then, with all his might, he threw it towards Rose. “Here!” he shouted at her. “You look like you could use this better than I could!” 
     “What are you doing out here!” Kurz demanded to know, forgetting the situation for a moment. “What was that you’re throwing at her! She’s trying to save all our asses!”
     “Yeah, I know that, which is why I’m doing something to help!”
     As they were arguing, the bundle of cloth sped towards Rose, losing some of the rags covering it as it did, revealing the handle of some kind of weapon. It was ornate to the point of being stylised. The rest of the weapon matched that of a sword, except the blade ever so slightly curved.
     “A sword?” Kurz said back to himself. “Where did you get that from?” 
     “My house. That was Finch’s first ever gift to me. It made sense to me that someone needed it more than I did.” Mason admitted.
     Rose caught the sword with a sign of brilliant reflexes, and immediately wielded it like someone who’d grown up around such weapons. The first thing she did with the bladed weapon was to cut some of the eye stalks off when they neared her again, and to deliver a nasty looking cut to the creature where she was standing. The monster convulsed and let out a horrible shriek. In its mad throes, it was able to shake Rose off it, and she rolled along the floor, ending up in a kneeling position, finding herself standing between the town and the monster once again, but this time, with a new advantage. She stood ready to meet the monster’s next charge…

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A little bit of a cliffhanger there, I know but you'll get the conclusion soon!

That's it for this week, so till next time...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening: Amazon,

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

#139 Riz’s Story Time Part 5

Happy Blog Day Everyone

A short one this week as I prepare the next chapter of Phantom Dawn (aka the rest of it that got split off from last week's installment). From a certain point of view there's a flaw in play about it, namely that it's a chapter dedicated to one single fight. While I've done this several times, I'm also aware of my short comings with doing this. I'm trying to get better with it, but please bear that in mind.

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz




The penultimate Chapter is here (Yes, that means I've thought of a way that ends this in three more panels)!

Gallows mech may seem a little familiar to those with passing knowledge to a certain Japanese multimedia juggernaut (starts with G, ends with M). Ironically it wasn’t meant to when I thought up what was going on but it sorta happened, as these things often do. Other details won't line up of course but tue inspiration is clear.

Will Gallows get his revenge for last week? Will Little Red Riding Bren get to Grandma's for whatever reason she was going in the first place?
Will Riz regain control of the narrative at all?

Find out in the final part next week!

Speaking of...that's it for now!

Till next time...

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

Quick Links





Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, Books2read