The Old East

The Old East License Notes: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Old EastCopyright © 2023David Burke Cover art copyright David Burke Table of Contents Forward by Author: Acknowledgments: The Story Up to Now Chapter 1 - Encroachment Chapter 2 - Stats 1 Chapter 3 - Domestic Bli… err, Chaos. Chapter 4 - Expanded Chapter 5 - Decisions Chapter 6 - Mistress of Secrets Chapter 7 - Breaking Through Chapter 8 – A-Rank Chapter 9 – Out of the Chamber Chapter 10 - Warning Shots Chapter 12 - Prioritizing Chapter 13 - Gods and Wives Chapter 14 - Fathers-in-law and Fairies Chapter 15 - Prison Chapter 16 - How Do A-Ranks Train? Chapter 17 - Rob the Builder Chapter 18 - Sabotage Chapter 19 - More Babies Chapter 20 - Keeping Up Chapter 21 - The Final Law Chapter 22 - Words with Fairies Chapter 23 - To be Wanted Chapter 24 - More Than Words Chapter 25 - Goddess, No Chapter 26 - Visiting the Mother-in-Law Chapter 27 – When A-Ranks Fight Chapter 28 - Surrender or Die Chapter 29 – Stats 2.0 Chapter 30 - Useful Chapter 31 - Controlled Chapter 32 - Repeatedly Chapter 33 - Building Morale Chapter 34 - Storm Wielder Chapter 35 – Overburdened Soul Chapter 36 - An Unexpected Meeting Epilogue Cast Racial Caps Stats at the End of Book 7 Forward by Author: The opinions contained herein are those of the characters and not necessarily supported or even condoned by the author. That may seem like the same thing, but you’ll have to trust me—it isn’t. The characters reveal the story to me, and I simply try to be a faithful scribe. I was prompted to say this because of a comment which Rob makes about tabletop gamers. It was rather dismissive and not reflective of my personal views, but accurate to what I believe Rob might have said or thought. This is a relatively minor issue, but sometimes it isn’t so minor. So speaking only for myself – but this is likely true with many authors – just because a character seems to have a particular perspective on life, politics, religion etc.… that does not mean I have that same perspective. Finally, with a cast this size, not every character gets as much screen time every book. I did not forget about those characters who were not in this book as much (Mursha and Daria). They will get their time in the sun. Feel free to let me know in your reviews or by messaging me who your favorite characters are. I can’t change overall plots, but if enough people are asking for more of a particular character… then I will be certain to heed that. Acknowledgments: No story is created in a vacuum. This story was created with the help of many people, actually too many to name them all. I’ll call out a few people though: First there is my editor: Dutch Palmer. Not only does he help me clean up my poor punctuation – and yes Dutch – I actually am allergic to commas, but he also helps arrange art and a myriad of other tasks. Second there has been a silent alpha reader who has helped me for some time. He never asks for credit and I’m far from the only author he does this for. He doesn’t offer feedback on grammar or things like that. He just tells me if something feels off or if the pace of the story seems right. I previously gave a nod to him by putting a character in the story The Story Up to Now Robert Case, a sheriff’s deputy in southern California, encountered a mysterious woman during a traffic stop. Despite her having made what seemed to be incredible, even unbelievable statements, Rob agreed to her proposal that he go to the world of Olimero. There, he could live out a full life, instead of dying in a shoot-out a few hours later. He didn’t know what to make of the strange woman but figured he had nothing to lose—after all, if she snapped her fingers and nothing happened, then he’d just bring her in. Of course, it turned out that the strange woman was a nature goddess, Sativa, and she was quite capable of transporting Rob to this new world. She was one of several gods who had created Olimero, with her being the chief architect. She brought Rob, as she had done