Coming Soon — Demon Healer Naberius: Volume Four!
Happy holidays, chums.
I hope you’re all as dandy as lions. The days have gotten cold and dark, yet I find myself more awake than ever (most likely due to daylight savings better aligning with my natural sleep habits). It’s hard to believe that I haven’t posted anything here since Volume Three’s release, but I think my problem is that I want to commit to a weekly schedule when that’s not viable with my current workload. I’m considering going for a monthly thing, as uninterestingly infrequent as that may be, but right now, let’s talk about what you came here for.
Demon Healer Naberius: Volume Four is on the way. As of this writing, it’s in the final stages of formatting, so it’ll be sent off to Amazon for approval as soon as that’s done. I think I’ve done enough of these to accurately estimate that that means it’ll be available within a week, but then again, Volume Three got held up because I needed to provide a signed letter from Peter Varnicrast giving me permission to put his novels up for sale.
It’s as stupid as it sounds. Don’t even get me started on the back and forth I had to go through with their support department.
But I digress. Once again, the bewitching Tostantan has provided the art for the novel, so after a brief intro, we’ll go over the new characters you’ll meet in Volume Four, accompanied by their formal art.
Introduction
An introduction to Volume One and Demon Healer Naberius in general can be found here. The introduction to Volume Two is here, and Volume Three’s is here.
Volume Four picks up right where the last book ended, with Nabby and Bosa going about their usual adventures while they prepare themselves for the most intimidating challenge set before them yet: a family Christmas party. Despite having battled monsters of all breeds and even confronted a Duke from Hell, Bosa finds herself hesitating at the prospect of seeing her father again after an argument resulted in them not speaking to one another for over a year. And considering the scandal that destroyed her idol career is sure to have reached his ears, how can she possibly face her family again?
She doesn’t know. But luckily, having a certain demon at her side will give her the courage to try.
Of course, while Christmas looms on the horizon, Nabby and Bosa will have to survive a day filled with nightmares, the terror of mobile games, and even an encounter with a hero from another world. As always, you can expect these tales to be lined with dry humor and light drama, and it is my sincerest wish that you’ll find as much joy in reading them as I had writing them.
I hope that whets your appetite. If not, then maybe taking a peek at the upcoming cast will help.
Characters
Tabitha Paloma
Race: Nekomata
Class: Nekomancer
Age: 25
Likes: Cats, yogurt, horror films, competition
Dislikes: Being called bald, heavy armor, stagnation
Skills: Nekomancy, stealth, reconnaissance
An obnoxiously competitive nekomata who has declared herself Nabby’s eternal rival after the demon accidentally called her bald. Their first competition was to find out which one of them loves the cartoon cat Sansei-san more, but Tabitha won’t rest until they know who’s superior in everything from algebra to mountain climbing.
Tabitha is defined by her obsession with competition. She’s never satisfied unless she knows she did her best, and she bounces back easily after defeat. Unfortunately, many people are annoyed by this, and she has a hard time forming relationships. She’s convinced herself that she’s simply not meant to have friends and instead seeks rivalries, though she’s immensely loyal to those who indulge her competitive nature. She tends to act before she thinks, and she dislikes receiving favors.
As a Nekomancer, Tabitha can amplify her senses and abilities with ‘cat magic’. She is joined by her nine spirit cat familiars, and together they specialize in stealth and reconnaissance. She tends to dress in thick clothes, and while she isn’t self-conscious about her hairlessness, she despises being called bald because (in her opinion) that word only suits old men, not adorable nekomata.
Fabia MacNamara du Bosa Nova
Race: Scylla
Class: None
Age: 43
Likes: Her family, swimming, orange juice, TV dramas
Dislikes: Needles, red meat, weak men, silence
Skills: Deception, child-rearing
Bosa’s mother and Maximillian’s wife. An orphan who spent her youth on the streets, culminating in her boyfriend disappearing after she got pregnant at the age of 16. She then met Maximillian and intended to defraud him, but after spending time together and seeing his passion for his work, she fell in love. Fortunately, Maximillian held feelings for her as well, and the two agreed to a quick marriage so as to raise their seven children in a happy and healthy environment. They’ve enjoyed a peaceful, loving marriage ever since.
While Fabia presents herself as a doting, scatterbrained mother, she is actually a sharp-minded lioness. She adopted a softer persona to balance out her husband’s stoic behavior, but her claws come out the moment something threatens her family.
Fabia wanted to let Maximillian and Bosa settle their fight themselves, but after a year of little progress, she has decided to take matters into her own hands. Her family’s annual Christmas gathering has become her stage, and there is no doubt in her mind that she can get her husband and daughter to reconcile—whether they want to or not.
Maximillian “MacMac” MacNamara
Race: Human
Class: Marine Biologist
Age: 47
Likes: The ocean, rock and jazz music, fossils, Bosa
Dislikes: Geese, slow drivers, talking
Skills: Marine biology, diving
Bosa’s adoptive father and Fabia’s husband, Maximillian is a famous marine biologist known for his autobiographical research paper/romance novel, MacMac’s Bewildering Expedition: Scylla is Incredible—the story of how he met Fabia. He fell in love with Fabia while researching the effects of scylla song magic on marine life, and after learning she was pregnant and destitute, Maximillian did what he believed any man would do: he married her and adopted her seven children.
Maximillian found great joy in raising his family, particularly Bosa, who shares his affinities for music and the sea. Unfortunately, they had a falling out that has resulted in a year of silence between them, and while they’ll cross paths at the annual Christmas party, only time will tell if doing so will help them reconcile or simply reopen old wounds.
A man of few words, Maximillian comes off as intimidating, but he is in fact gentle and passionate. He loves the ocean and has dedicated his life to studying it, and he feels marrying Fabia and adopting her children was the greatest moment of his life. He is an awkward conversationalist who tends to get set in his ways, but all it takes is a new wave to wash away his uncertainties.
Felix
Race: Orc
Class: Bartender
Age: 40
Likes: His wife, pasta, strongman competitions, massages
Dislikes: Hot drinks, rap music, eggs
Skills: Customer service, brewing
The stoic bartender of Stummelschwanz, the best pub nobody has ever heard of. Felix has been married to the pub’s owner Frauke for over ten years, and he enjoys running the bar most nights. He takes pride in his work and strives to provide the ideal customer service experience, and while his stature may be intimidating, his bartending skills are second to none.
Felix is the solemn pillar of Stummelschwanz—a unflappable man of quiet hospitality. He is the most professional member of the pub’s staff, a perfect counterbalance to Frauke’s nonchalance. He sees Casimir, his wife’s assistant, as a wonderful protégé, and he looks forward to passing on his secrets to good service.
The Sahavern
A deep-sea leviathan that measures about 300ft (91m) long and 40ft (12m) high. Resembling a cross between a dragon and an angler fish, there are an estimated 80 sahaverns in existence. They are violent and intensely territorial, but as their primary habitats are ocean trenches, there are very few sahavern attacks.
While sahaverns are classified as one of the most dangerous monster species, they display a curious behavior during the gahara crab’s hatching season. Gahara crab eggs are laid near the coast and only hatch under specific seasonal conditions that occur about every 10 years, and sahaverns rise to the surface so that the newborn gahara crabs can clean their bodies of built-up algae and debris. During this time, the sahavern becomes docile to an absurd degree—not even reacting to people climbing on its back—and will remain in an unmoving position for about a week until its scales have been cleaned. It will then return to the depths as quietly as it arrived.
Dr. MacNamara theorizes that a sahavern’s decadal appearance is actually vital to the long-term health of a coast’s ecosystem. He also discovered a sahavern lurking in the oceans near the city of Lulas and nicknamed it “Maximo”, after his grandfather.
Where can I find Demon Healer Naberius?
You can find all volumes in both ebook and paperback on Amazon. You can find Demon Healer Naberius: Volume One for $0.99 here, Volume Two for $2.99 here, and Volume Three for $2.99 here. All paperbacks are $9.99 and available through the same links. As you may expect, Volume Four will follow the same pricing structure, with a $2.99 ebook and $9.99 paperback.
For updates on the progress of Volume Four, please stay tuned to either this website or my Twitter account, @varnicrast. I’ll make announcements on both platforms as soon as it’s ready.
In Closing
Once again, thank you for your interest in Demon Healer Naberius. I hope this preview has been enjoyable and that you will consider picking up Volume Four. I feel fortunate beyond words that people have not only read my books but even taken the time to tell me they enjoyed them, so I consider it my privilege to share more of Nabby and Bosa’s adventures. Dear reader, my heart swoons at the thought of your eyes gracing these novels, so please, keep yourself happy and safe.
Merry Christmas.
