Novels by Jordan Dabel

Pain. That was all I could feel. The drawback of Shishin, using one hundred percent of your muscle mass, was that your muscles would start to tear themselves apart. It was painful and possibly deadly. It was hard to breathe; I felt as if something heavy were on my chest. My entire body ached, and I had a raging migraine. Slowly, groggily, I opened my eyes. I didn’t recognize the opulent room that I was in. I looked down at my chest and saw Ellie sleeping across my body. I smiled and lifted my arm slowly, painfully, and patted her head.Ellie lifted her head, and a tear fell down her cheek as she mumbled in her sleep. I smiled and patted her again, saying, “Ellie, if you keep laying there, I am going to suffocate.” She smacked her lips and sat up. Her bleary eyes met mine, and she sat bolt upright. Her hand went to her mouth, and she started crying so hard. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I consoled her as a few tears came from my eyes as well. We hung on to each ot

Tired. That is the only word that could describe me at this point. My companions and I had been fighting through an entire day and night against hordes of strong monsters, giants, a fallen angel, and finally culminating with that giant monstrosity of a gargoyle. I was tired. However, I would find no rest, not as long as this being, this Demon King, still drew breath. Sabnock stood there in front of his throne with a bored expression on his face, holding his ax in both hands. I stood, shoulder to shoulder with my companions. These three people, whom I have grown closer to than anyone from my old world, had become my family. But still, there was Sabnock, and here were my companions and I, stressed and tired. I remembered the only other time in my life that I had been this exhausted before.I could still hear my sensei yelling, “Is that really all of the resolve you have? Stand up, control yourself, and let that primal beast out. Roar and growl if you must, but you must control it and th

As we stepped through the shattered remains of the massive doors, we entered the entrance hall of the Demon King’s castle, a cavernous space that exuded both grandeur and menace. The walls, constructed from a glossy obsidian-like stone, rose high into the vaulted ceiling, lined with towering columns adorned with intricate carvings of twisted designs that seemed to writhe in the flickering torchlight. Dimly lit chandeliers hung from above, casting eerie shadows that danced along the polished black marble floor.Along the walls, doors of dark wood stood sentinel, leading off into various chambers. Some of these doors were ajar, offering tantalizing glimpses into rooms that might once have been opulent but now lay in ruin. A damaged library, its shelves overturned and books scattered, hinted at a once-vast repository of forbidden knowledge. A sitting room, its furnishings draped in tattered velvet, bore silent witness to gatherings long past. And a small dining room, its table set for a

Breathing heavily from our battles, we raced back to the army. Alvin created a small opening in the wall to peek through. The battle was over, and our army was victorious. He dropped the wall completely, revealing the scene to our comrades. Smiles spread across their faces as they saw the three dead giants and the last of the demon generals lying on the ground. An enormous cheer erupted from every soldier at the sight. Thousands of goblinoids lay dead on the battlefield, while we had suffered only minor casualties. The men and women were mostly tired, but every last one had a grim determination on their face, ready for what came next.“We have made miracles here!” I shouted to them all. “You have taken down an army of enhanced goblinoids with very few casualties, many times larger than our own! The giants that would have leveled our resistance lie dead at the hands of Ellie, Eve, and your Lord Alvin, and the final general of the Demon King lies dead at my feet. We can do this; we can

Alvin stood tall, facing the towering giant before him, gripping his golden sword with resolve. Encased within stone walls, his only escape lay in defeating the behemoth and rejoining Jordan and his wife, Eve. The giant bellowed, kicking furiously at the stone barrier, but it remained unmoved. It then turned a hateful glare towards Alvin. Undeterred, Alvin smirked, and the giant roared with renewed ferocity, charging at him with thunderous steps.Alvin sprinted forward, narrowly evading the giant’s massive swinging fist. With agility and precision, he circled around and slashed at the giant's Achilles tendon, bringing the colossus crashing down. Without hesitation, Alvin ran up the giant's back and plunged his sword deep into its neck, severing the spine in a swift, lethal strike. Withdrawing his blade, Alvin wiped it clean on the giant's tunic before releasing his section of the wall. The battle was over in mere minutes.Nearby, Eve faced her own giant. Hearing the commotion from Alv

As I stand here, only held in place by Ellie's comforting embrace, the haunting words of General William Sherman echo in my mind: “War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it, the crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.” Later on, the quote was often simplified to “War is Hell, the worse it is the shorter.” The truth of these words becomes painfully clear as I survey the desolation around me—the aftermath of my fire spell that engulfed an entire city. We arrived here with hope and righteousness, but after our first clash with the Demon King’s forces, and the loss of hundreds of soldiers, there's a somber heaviness in the air.Work immediately commenced to clear the valley of fallen rocks and boulders leading to Sabnock’s castle. I'm grateful for the soldiers' swift action as I lean on Ellie for support.“How are you feeling?” Ellie's eyes betray her worry and concern.I muster a weary smile. “I'll be okay,” I reassure her. “Just a bit tired. With some rest, I'll be ready to