In a twisted version of the Old West, where Native American fables come to life, the land is teeming with blight and cessation. Skinwalkers, Bakwas, Urayuli, and even the dreaded Wendigo roam freely, constantly terrorizing humanity. In this unforgiving landscape, survival becomes the supreme dream, luxury an impossibility.
But hope lies in Ether, an eccentric substance that defies reason, and Sigils, granting individuals extraordinary abilities. So, as men and women from the burgeoning East venture into the treacherous West, they must navigate the nightmares that lurk within the wilderness and the horrors from above, below, and within.
Survival becomes a battle for the mind, body, and soul. Each step must be taken lightly, lest they fall prey to a grim fate—a forgotten corpse, a demon's feast, or the plaything of ancient and incomprehensible beings.
Fools tread where angels fear to gaze, yet not all fools let themselves crumble. Some are simply too stubborn to break.
____________________________________
What to expect
Fights - This world is a violent one, so expect gore, killing, and plenty of combat. But that's not all there is.
Adventure - A vast world that is centered on the Wild West and that period of technology mixed with the supernatural in every aspect from guns to the government.
Progression - Both character-wise and power-wise throughout the story. This does not apply to just the MC. Anyone can grow. Even enemies.
Power System - I've tried my best to make a unique system with a bit of mystery to it. It takes effort, introspection, and experience to grow. And... a little murder. Powers are complex, vast, and have their own restrictions. Oh, and Gods might as well be eldritch abominations for the most part.
____________________________________
Also, in case any are curious, most creatures, monsters, demons, and the like are based on native American and just American folklore/mythology in general. If you are ever curious about where something comes from, just ask in the comments, and I'll let you know.
Main cover by Fulminaire
Link to RR, in case you want to read there as it is crossposted
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/60315/tread-lightly-among-hearts-and-haunts
- Side Story 3 – A Rocket’s WishSep 25, 2024
- Side Story 2 – Aging Blades Aren’t DullSep 16, 2024
- Side Story 1 – First Day At HeartswordSep 9, 2024
- 530 – Heartfelt Cards – THE ENDSep 4, 2024
- 529 – One Foot In The DoorSep 3, 2024
- 528 – Moonshiny FuturesSep 2, 2024
- 527 – To MonkeyAug 30, 2024
- 526 – Good MedicineAug 29, 2024
- 525 – Bittersweet AfterclapsAug 28, 2024
- 524 – Let Up RainAug 27, 2024
- 523 – Wicket WidowsAug 26, 2024
- 522 – No Longer HumanAug 23, 2024
- 521 – The Roads To Heaven Are WeakAug 22, 2024
- 520 – Endlessly ExfluncticatedAug 21, 2024
- 519 – A Mother’s LoveAug 20, 2024
- Content Warning
All Rights Reserved- Completed
- 234 reading
- 74 plan to read
- 3 completed
- 3 paused
- 23 dropped
![Getting Warhammered [WH 40k Fanfic]](https://cdn.scribblehub.com/seriesimg/mid/39/mid_793486.jpg)
Cowboys meet Lovecraft
Tread Lightly is an interesting take on an apocalypse, drawn out over many years as humanity slowly loses the war against a variety of powerful and unique demons. The author takes elements of coming-of-age novels, throw in a dash of Western, a sprinkle of eldritch horror, and we're left with this work of art. The "magic" system is also very interesting, moving away from a lot of the overused tropes that are commonplace in this genre of books.
Overall this is definitely worth reading. The magic / progression is really interesting and isn't laden with system messages and blue boxes like many other stories.
Read More
Wonderful story, wonderful characters, love the MC and especially loved Marshall Travis
Read More
The premise reminded me of the Hard West game. If the story is as good in atmosphere as the game, then I won't regret trying. (But the AI in the game was bad, generations worse than XCOM2).
Read More
Just going to pump out a quick placeholder review as a precaution. The story has gotten to worrying levels of bad all of the sudden thanks to 'because the author said so'-itus.
Why is a creepy monster a nice man? Why is a seashell food? Why are there bandits out in the middle of a monster horde? Why does a genius forget to use their ability during a crucial moment? Why do they do it twice?! Why does that same genius act like a literal complete and total different person and overlook everything to jump to a wild conclusion? Why did some of these events lead to a completely ludicrous situation?
Because. The. Author. Said. So.
It's a shame, because the story is otherwise really good, and I'm going to continue reading it regardless. Going to drop it if it does it again, though. Disappointment is about all I can say about it.
Read More
A Foolhardy Charge of a Webnovel
This is a good story, but the protagonist seems to constantly be dealt crippling blows while being held together by grit and bubblegum. This plot armor has so far been explained away by the following; magic life-stealing gun, magical healing monkey's (wendigo) paw, and a legendary death-defying bloodline.
Which is all well and good, except that the protagonist seems to be incredibly set on dying. He consistently does the most reckless thing, which I will admit is in line with the fact that the protagonist is apparently fearless because of his bloodline. But, that does not excuse the sheer stupidity that also accompanies his actions.
He just survived a brush with death, got a cannibalistic healing artifact grafted on as a hand, and rushed a potentially mortally wounded friend/crush to a town in search of a doctor. He then runs into some deus ex machina and loses his friends, and after seeing his own wanted poster has what amounts to a panic attack out of fear that his friends will turn him in.
Which makes no sense! He's literally saved their lives numerous times, and one even fed him human flesh to keep him alive. Which almost certainly guarantees they at least hear him out, but instead of continuing to look for them (perhaps to try and usher them out of town or to make sure that they don't discover the wanted poster) he instead decides to... Hit a bar and start brawling with people?
Which can be handwaved through Earl's supernatural powers and him being both a snake and stupid, but it is just. so. damn. unsatisfying. Because it is clearly a way for the author to move into another arc without changing their writing pace, seriously, even with magical shenanigans the story needs to breathe.
Lastly; the pacing makes everything blend together, there is nothing to punctuate the events as it hops from action to action until it all becomes homogenous. The protagonist has literally been traveling for 46 chapters now without rest or catching a break, as he gets wounded or maimed in almost every. dang. chapter.
Read More