The Outsiders

Every system has exceptions — and in The Forge, the exceptions break the rules wide open. A demon hiding as a student, a monster blessed by a war god, a hero whose god dies mid-quest, a girl who manifests her own deity: eight standalone tales of protagonists who should never succeed, each cracking open one secret of how the divine patron system really works. Read them in any order. The Forge's edge cases, where the impossible becomes the explanation.

The Books

Book 1

Demon

To survive at the Academy of the Ascendant, Griff must be perfect. A demon hiding in plain sight, every prayer he recites and every battle he wins is a lie. He’s mastered the art of being an exemplary student, a model champion, until he discovers a divine secret that could unravel the very system he’s desperate to belong to. As the weight of his deception grows, Griff faces an impossible choice: protect his carefully built life or betray the only family he’s ever known. In a world where every champion has a god, the deadliest monster has none.

Coming soon

Book 2

Monster

For 347 lives, Torrin was just a number—a disposable monster in the academy, dying and respawning for the sake of others. Until a war god’s blessing changed everything. Now a monster with divine power, Torrin must convince a terrified village he’s not a threat, or face their rejection—and death for real. But as the village’s panic grows, Torrin questions if he’s truly worthy of purpose, or just another anomaly to be purged. With enemies closing in and his new fragile community on the brink, Torrin must embrace his monstrous nature or lose everything he’s fought to become.

Coming soon

Book 3

Godless

In a world powered by divine favor, Torben the smith has none. His refusal to kneel to a patron god brands him an outcast, but the village’s scorn soon curdles into terror. When divine retribution rains down, Torben’s unbelief becomes their only salvation. As the village elder’s apprentice, he must forge a solution where faith has failed, using the very hands the gods refused to bless. Book three of The Forge: Edge Cases delivers a standalone story about defying fate in a world that demands worship. Can a godless man save the pious? The answer will reshape everything they thought they knew about power.

Coming soon

Book 4

Drain

A gift meant to heal becomes a curse to steal. As a revered healer in her village, Rina’s hands channel divine grace—until a single touch unleashes a terrifying secret: she can drain power from the gods themselves. What begins as an accident spirals into an addiction, forcing her to steal blessings to survive, one sacred touch at a time. But every theft leaves a scar, and the village’s divine patron grows weaker. When the first victim collapses, the hunt for the hidden parasite begins. Can Rina restore what she’s taken before the system—and her world—collapses?

Coming soon

Book 5

Warriors

Torn from their world, a legendary warrior clan fights for its soul. Book 5 of The Outsiders follows Voric and his people, stranded in a strange land where they are neither gods nor monsters, but an anomaly. As they forge a fragile peace with the local hybrids, a new threat emerges, one their ancient weapons cannot defeat. The clan must confront a harsh truth: to survive, they must abandon the old ways and embrace a terrifying new power. But embracing this change risks losing everything they are. Can warriors forged in fire become something new, or will they shatter under the weight of their own legacy?

Coming soon

Book 6

Priest

Faith was the only weapon he ever needed—until the night it failed him. When his temple fell and his god fell silent, Varen the priest was left with nothing but ashes and a void where his devotion once burned. As the last survivor, he must rebuild a shattered community without the divine guidance that defined him. His blessing feels like a burden, his prayers echo in emptiness, and every act of faith requires a choice: cling to the god who abandoned him, or forge a new path. In a world where the rules are being rewritten, the true test of a priest isn't in serving a power, but in becoming one.

Coming soon

Book 7

Gnome

Trapped in a cave-in, Rissa’s near-death experience ignites a power she can’t control. As her divine surges threaten the stability of Gnome Hollow, the community’s suppression only makes her abilities stronger. Book 7 of The System Outliers continues the series tradition of exploring divine anomalies, as Rissa must innovate to save her home from both internal chaos and external raiders. With her power growing beyond control and the community’s safety hanging by a thread, she must find a way to harness the anomaly—or be consumed by it.

Coming soon

Book 8

Too Good

The god of Lost Souls is too good for his own fading divinity. In Saltmere, where the faithful are gone and his power finds only those destined to leave, Verenthos clings to existence. He’s a divine failure, until a mortal priestess arrives, matching his sorrow with an impossible faith. As a storm threatens to erase his last followers, he must embrace the very purpose that defined him—a god who helps the lost let go. Can he protect them by ensuring they don’t need him? The answer will redefine his divine purpose forever.

Coming soon