Victor has seen better days. He just barely survived a savage showdown with the lethal warrior woman Rellia, which left minus a foot and apparently cost the life essence of his trusted magical axe, Lifedrinker. Then, much to Victor’s surprise, Rellia asks him to visit her. And she does so not as an enemy but as an honorable opponent who owes him for sparing her life. Rellia wishes Victor’s aid in claiming her family’s land stake in a dangerous far-off realm. In return, he’ll receive his own land and a place among the elite. But first, Victor must become even more powerful than he already is. To that end, he ventures into the wilderness, battling foes of every conceivable stripe in both the mortal and the spiritual realms in a never-ending storm of blood, and eventually uncovers a shocking truth. It turns out, he didn’t simply stumble into the world of Fanwath. He was deliberately brought there by a cabal of magic users with their own sinister plans. Now, Victor must find the cabal, learn why they stole his former life away from him—and make them seriously regret it . . .