Ian F. McClain

Even with his immense new power, James comes to realize that he is still playing into the hands of the System. If they are to free Earth and redeem the billions of dead, James and his crew will have to do more than journey into the pits of hell or slaughter countless armies of demons—they'll have to find the god-like forces orchestrating the apocalypse, break every rule, and utterly defeat them.

Word about the Tournament of Champions is out. The hunt for God armor is ramping up as players who want in on the action flock to Dawnshire and the other Champions’ strongholds to try their luck. Between that and Dirk’s agreement with Dead Hunter, his own quest to complete the Graydon’s is temporarily put on hold. To make matters worse, Dirk is faced with the unsettling realization that Dead Hunter isn’t just a good player—he’s a master. Graydon’s Champion will have his work cut out and then some if he wants to stay alive and come out on top.

Life in King’s League has hit a new low. Dirk has lost Graydon’s Sight to another player. For the first time since finding it, he is forced to navigate the game while tracking down the rest of the set. It’s the worst time to discover that Graydon isn’t the only god with armor to bestow, either. It becomes a race against the clock to collect the remaining missing pieces and devise a plan to get the helm back, all while keeping an eye out for old enemies.

Party at Dawnshire. Graydon’s Armor is bestowing its power on players throughout King’s League, and not all of them think like Dirk. When a vicious player-killer begins to wreak havoc in his own corner of King’s League, Dirk decides that the only way he can put a stop to it is by gathering up his friends and creating a balanced party capable of standing up against some of the game’s toughest challenges.

Dirk's epic run of success in King's League has drawn new gamers to Dawnshire, but not all of them are there to play nice. Rumors about mysterious Graydon's Armor pieces are quietly spreading across the Realms. It isn't long before someone attempts to take away everything Dirk possess as powerful forces conspire against King's League's newest player sensation.

For recently expelled college dropout Dirk Wilson, picking up and re-selling other player's scraps from cleared dungeons and side quests gone sideways is the only thing keeping him from living on the streets. Tired of ramen noodles, past-due notices, and feeling like his future is over before it ever started, Dirk decides that if he's going to make something of himself, it'll be within the game, taking advantage of the real-life payouts from selling in-game goods on King's League's River Market. But the game leaves little margin for error, and Dirk's virtual problems grow.

We were fighting on the wrong side of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news. The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.