Hey all!
Qing's Quest book 1 and 2 has done really well on Amazon, and has consistently been in the top 20'000 best selling titles on Amazon, which is really humbling.
Thank you so much to everyone here who helped me get my start, providing feedback, and just showing with your views that there was a place for my writing.
I really appreciate that.
For those who might not be aware, book 2 was published here on Royal Road, but under a different title, as it set the book up as a new story entirely.
It seems that was not the right way to do it, so I'm not removing the second book, and putting book 3 out here, so the trilogy will have only be in one place.
I have written quite a far in book 3 already, with 48/66 chapters available on Patreon, so I'll be putting the chapters out hot and heavy here, aiming for 3 per day, seven days a week, in order to get it all out and give you a chance to read it before the book goes live on Patreon.
Now, this is the draft version, so it is liable to change between now and Amazon. Just, you know, fyi :)
With that said, here's the summary of book 2:
Book 2 starts out with Qing’s pursuit of previous Mayor Rufus, who was revealed to be the Stygian Bonecaller, to rescue Cleo Chambers and prevent the resurrection of the Devil. He is accompanied by Knut, Jenny, and Morgana into the desert kingdom of Zylphadia, facing different challenges through the desert.
By the time they reach the capital, The Gilded Hold, they have conquered several foes, acquired a three-humped camel named Smokey, and sent the remnants of the outcast Zylphadian royal guard to Shadowgrove.
We also learn that Knut and Jenny have been banished from Zylphadia, because Knut had a rather public affair with Queen Ruqiya, something King Sharyar didn’t take too kindle to.
The group arrives at the Gilded Hold, a magnificent desert city by the sea, seeking information on Rufus and Cleo. Their attempts to gain the support of King Sharyar are thwarted by Wazir Augria, the Grand Vizier, who manipulates the king into turning against them, helped along by the the king recognising Knut. Accused of crimes and faced with arrest, Qing is forced into a duel with non other than Raul'cad, Rufus’ vampire servant.
Qing and friends realise they are too late. The enemy has already made allies of the powers that be. Despite Qing's martial efforts, the duel is rigged, the vampire flees, and they are declared enemies of the state.
Knut, Morgana, and Qing escape, while Jenny is captured. They seek the help of Jorik, a local barkeep and smuggler, who inform them Rufus has been seen in the palace.
Qing and friends sneak into the palace, helped by a palace guard who tragically dies on the way. They promptly walk into a trap, but is rescued by Princess Ghida, who flees with them, and is branded an enemy of the state.
They learn of Wazir's sinister plans involving necromancy and the raising of an undead army. Determined to find a way to stop him, they decide to infiltrate the Grand Library to obtain the Book of the Ashen Witch—a tome that holds crucial knowledge about the Devil's prison and how to prevent its unlocking.
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The princess leads them to the Grand Library, and uses her connections to get them inside, where they navigate deadly golems, intricate traps, and moral dilemmas.
Qing continues to grow in power, but all the magic begins to take a personal toll on him due to the imbalance of energies within his body.
Despite the challenges, they retrieve the Book of the Ashen Witch and uncover vital information about Cleo's importance in the impending ritual to free the Devil.
After overhearing a secret conversation, Qing gets a new quest which leads them to the Augrian Pyramid, where Wazir is conducting a soul absorption ritual. They arrive too late to stop the completion of the ritual, which grants Wazir immense power and transforms him into a lich. A fierce battle ensues inside the pyramid against hordes of undead and demonic creatures. Qing's party fights valiantly but is forced to retreat, realizing that they cannot defeat Wazir in his newly empowered state.
They return to Jorik’s kirathaane only to find out Jenny is being tortured in the palace, having been put into the Living Tapestry, a horrific torture device. Together with Ghida, Knut, Morgana, and Qing infiltrate the palace, but Raul’cad is there waiting for them.
They defeat him, and learn that Jenny is in the harem, and that Rufus is indeed in the palace, with Cleo.
After picking up Jenny, they head to rescue Cleo, but King Sharyar intercepts them, forcing them to flee by portal to Shadowgrove. Except Knut is killed and Qing is captured, imprisoned within the Living Tapestry. Qing manages to escape by using the using the shield of Petra’s Tear, and the cursed Bloodtide Cleaver, but the weapon's corrupting influence leads him to kill several bystandards on his way to escape via portal.
Back in Shadowgrove, Qing reunites with his allies and mourns the losses they've suffered.
But they know they have to go free Cleo, and defeat Wazir.
They gather a diverse force of allies, including Princess Ghida, Cedric, the villagers of Shadowgrove, and the Zylphadian royal guard.
Qing is also studying the tomes of spell masteries he has picked up, but they are massive books, and he barely makes a dent in it before they have to leave.
Baelor the blacksmith crafts a powerful new weapon for Qing, a glaive with the special ability to let him reduce gravity’s effect once per hour. He also gets new armour.
The group, now joined by Cedric, returns to Zylphadia via portal, defeating King Sharyar, whom Cedric heals of the corruption plaguing his mind, and restoring him to the powerful templar king he is.
By then, the romantic tension between Ghida and Qing has increased, and it is not reduced by the king forbidding them to be together.
They find Rufus’ chamber empty, but with a message from Cleo, indicating she is alive.
The demonic forces assaults the palace, and Wazir turns into a lich, and Qing and allies ride out and engages him in a climactic battle.
In the middle of the battle, Qing realises he can unlock the class masteries by clicking through the tomes, he doesn’t have to actually read and study them. He achieves Arcane Mastery and Bonecaller Mastery, and together with his allies, defeats Wazir, who blows up like a miniature nuclear bomb.
Having defeated Wazir, Qing unlocks Elemental Mastery, and gets a charge for his pyramid, granting him a second visit to Earth.
Despite their victory, they return to the palace to learn that Rufus has escaped with Cleo through a portal to Hell.
Instead of completing the ritual in Elrydisan, and summoning the Devil into the world, Rufus is walking Cleo through hell to the Devil’s prison, where she will be sacrificed to free the Devil.
Qing resolves to follow Rufus into Hell to rescue Cleo and prevent the impending catastrophe. While Cedric and the others work on finding a way into hell, Qing activates the pyramid and returns to Earth.
There he finds himself by his parents home, but it is empty. Instead, he encounters Blaine, his childhood bully who has alsobecome an Earth Champion, and completed his first quest, returning to Earth with a power. Blaine captures Qing, revealing he seeks to use the quests to dominate multiple worlds. While he works to force Qing to swear fealty to him, Qing narrowly escapes, but knowing that when he returns, he’ll be stuck in a locked storage.
Back on Elrydisan, they have interpreted the Book of the Ashen Witch, and now know where to go to enter hell. But, it requires them to cross the ocean. To do so, they enlist Morgana’s father, the pirate.
Right before the book ends, they unexpectedly find Knut alive. He had been captured and tortured by King Sharyar while he was still corrupt, but rescued by Queen Ruqiya, who joins their quest.
The book ends with Qing and Ghida sharing a kiss, as he and his companions prepare to venture by sea to another continent, and there, enter into Hell itself, to save Cleo, thwart Rufus's plans, and protect both Elrydisan and Earth from annihilation.