Since this worked better than expected the last time— I'm announcing my next project here and, given how big of a story I expect it to be, I'm announcing it as a potential duology: Beyond the Dread Gate and Within the Spiral City (Books One and Two, both working titles). The story is intended as a dark fantasy reimagining of The Odyssey with the flavor of Bloodborne. I've put a summary below: The city of Dredgate was cursed: misfortune and evil magic consumed it, its monarchs have vanished and the city's inhabitants abandoned it decades ago. Now blood-thirsty monsters and doomed souls roam the streets and environs within the city's walls. Time bends back on itself inside Dredgate: anyone who enters may be lost for days or weeks at a time, if they escape at all. The only souls willing to enter are Hunters, brave explorers who go searching for the city's lost riches and for "dross," objects afflicted by Dredgate's reality-warping magics—for a price. The greatest source of riches within the city is the King's Heart, a treasure trove of gold and dross said to be found at the city's center, one so great that it would make any Hunter rich beyond his wildest dreams. Many Hunters have sought to find and extract the Heart. None have survived or succeeded. Rex is the oldest Hunter still in the game, compelled to continue exploring Dredgate, going back again and again, unwilling to abandon the city to its dark fate. When he's shown proof that the King's Heart is real and offered a share of the reward to retrieve it, Rex leads one last expedition to locate the Heart and get it out of Dredgate—if he can survive the trip. These books (assuming two books are needed) will be released sequentially when they're finished. For those curious, I intend to start on Armistice (Spellswords Saga Book Four) after Dredgate is complete. As before, the covers below are AI mockups simply presented for flavor purposes and do not represent the final product. Thank you.