Thick layers of Arcane mana covered the perimeter of Sir Eri’Non’s rarely-used personal training room, keeping his fury from damaging his beloved ship. If anyone could see inside the inky interior, they would likely compare the ancient elf’s behav...
2023-11-27 21:52:16 +0000 UTC View PostI realized pretty quickly that there was no need for me to be hyper-observant of my roommate while we were both logged into the game. Surely, Rhona would message me when she pulled Bell in for a meeting – she’d probably message Bell first with some kind of urgent meeting request. I couldn’t see Rhona just transferring her with no warning. Besides,...
2023-11-23 22:08:02 +0000 UTC View PostAs my last class of the day was winding down, an icon on my interface began blinking, letting me know I had a message. I knew it had to be important because Lisa had allowed the message through during class. Seeing it was a meeting request from Rhona and knowing she was aware of my schedule, I figured the timing was no coincidence.
As the instructor b...
2023-11-20 20:33:02 +0000 UTC View PostFor low and mid-tier members: NEW CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN RELEASED! (High-tier should have already gotten their notification!)
I hope this method is working for everyone! Enjoy the chapter!
2023-11-16 23:38:26 +0000 UTC View Post“Do you think things will be like they are in the game when it happens?” Elaine asked as we ate our virtual lunch together between classes. Since learning that the Alliance had a virtual university in the Junction, she’d promptly enrolled and started taking classes every other day, aligning her class periods like I had. As a Beta Group beta test...
2023-11-16 23:29:46 +0000 UTC View Post“I still think we should have explored the area with Justin and his party,” Bell said with a pout as we prepared to enter the rift outside the Atlas office turned store.
Deni sighed. “I know, but I’d rather we level up a bit first, especially if we’re treating this like it’s real. Besides, scavenging isn’t likely to reward us with ...
2023-11-13 23:35:43 +0000 UTC View PostI finally did it.
Provided there are no issues with the file, Primer for the Apocalypse - Book One will be published to Kindle Unlimited and via paperback on November 17, 2023. That's six days from now. It is available for preorder now if you're interested.
Chapter 24 - A New Game Begins
I hadn’t held much hope that Rhona would be able to facilitate a change in the upcoming game release. Apocalypse Earth, or AE for short, was supposed to be a sort of practice run for the transition period immediately following reintegration. It was presented as the ‘prequel’ to Atlas Online, but most people saw it as a completely separ...
2023-11-11 16:28:02 +0000 UTC View PostA short while earlier.
Special Agent Rodney Jones glanced at the seemingly normal people enjoying their meals around them. It was unnerving to know that any one of them could kill him with minimal effort. Not only was he unarmed, his issued sidearm would do him no good in a facility run by magically enhanced alien infiltrators.
... 2023-11-06 21:26:36 +0000 UTC View PostI knocked on the doorframe of Rhona’s office, using the public entrance this time. It was late enough in the morning that all the Alpha and Beta testers were already logged in, so nobody noticed my approach.
“Emie! I didn’t expect to see you there!” Rhona said, motioning me inside. I left the door open. There was no reason to close it...
2023-11-03 20:22:20 +0000 UTC View PostIt took three more weeks and two additional prototypes to get the device working the way I wanted. After examining the finished product, Vasilla declared she believed it to be sufficiently different from the patented version for me not to have any issues. My only real complaint was that as a member of the Epikairos Sect, they were entitled to a portion of a...
2023-11-01 22:42:30 +0000 UTC View PostHaving sworn the oath and effectively joined the sect, I didn’t see much need to spend what little free time I had pretending to be part of the sect. However, with my new focus on creating a magical meal replicator, I was motivated enough to use the resources of the virtual sect to obtain materials to work with during the design and virtual testing phases.<...
2023-10-30 17:29:50 +0000 UTC View PostRefreshed by my meal, I was in a good mood when I appeared in Master Kairos’s greeting room. One of his uniformed servants was waiting for me and greeted me with a bow.
[Human –...
2023-10-27 21:52:44 +0000 UTC View PostAs she turned to approach, my new fake rival seemed to realize that we couldn’t explore the sect together as rivals. I could see her hesitation to continue role-playing, and ultimately, she stuck with the Young Mistress act and turned away moments before one of the robed outer disciples approached her.
Each new disciple was paired with a senior disciple...
2023-10-27 21:26:38 +0000 UTC View PostBecause I’d researched other players’ experiences with sects in advance, the skill and combat assessments were not a surprise. Without being able to measure the affinity strength of unawakened players, it made sense the game would compensate by having additional hurdles to joining sects. It made me curious if the requirements were differen...
2023-10-25 17:56:05 +0000 UTC View PostMy return to the past had brought about many changes thus far, though ...
2023-10-23 19:56:31 +0000 UTC View PostI was surprised to see Stella standing beside Rhona when I arrived at Rhona’s office. There was a tension present that I was unaccustomed to. Neither woman showed any outward signs of stress, but I’d activated the active form of Sense Intent, so I knew something was bothering both of them.
While I’d normally make do with t...
2023-10-20 16:24:55 +0000 UTC View PostIn a small research ship hidden in orbit above Earth, an irate old elf struggled to restrain his anger as his attempt to acquire his newest subject was rebuffed. When he saw the dual affinity scores for one of the individuals on the list, his curiosity had been piqued, and he’d targeted the monitor worn by the individual so he could acquire them once the...
2023-10-18 21:59:27 +0000 UTC View PostBefore our hands made contact, I paused. “Forgive me, Elder Kairos, but can we speak with Administrator Rhona before leaving?”
The Mage sighed and dropped his hand. I knew I needed to be cautious with the powerful Time Mage, but I couldn’t allow myself to be meek. I doubted the Patriarch of a high-tier sect would want a pushover as his disci...
2023-10-16 19:45:29 +0000 UTC View PostIt took three weeks for the first person to awaken in our office. Xavier Armsfield was a member of Alpha Group, meaning he was not part of any military but was likely still a government asset of some kind. I knew there were a few regular civilians in Alpha Group, but they were a minority. By the guy’s demeanor, I suspected he was part of one of the alphabet age...
2023-10-14 18:41:15 +0000 UTC View PostI spent a couple of hours playing with Amie as she rotated through the pile of new toys she’d gotten for Christmas. I was tempted to sneak off and squeeze in a delve while she napped, but I suppressed the urge. Besides, unless I wanted to return to the Tier Two rift in Antarctica, I’d have to wait to delve anyway.
Since reaching Tier Two a few weeks earlier...
2023-10-13 01:05:21 +0000 UTC View PostDespite the added st...
2023-10-10 22:35:25 +0000 UTC View PostThe rest of the delve was largely unremarkable. There were a few Time and Void creatures among the next series of mobs, but otherwise, it was the same as before. Aside from taking a few extra hits to defeat, the boss didn’t appear to be any different either. Even if it had changed slightly, I never gave the boss enough time to attack. My approach was...
2023-10-06 15:37:25 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m earning Alliance contribution points?” I asked in confusion. From what little I’d learned from Robert, I shouldn’t be eligible. “How?”
Mage Stella smiled brightly. “You became an Atlantis Alliance citizen upon awakening and signed a system-enforced contract to support the Alliance during the reintegration and transition. Tha...
2023-10-04 17:06:45 +0000 UTC View PostIt took me seven hours.
Seven hours of Mediation to contemplate Mage Stella’s insights and comments. As much as I hadn’t appreciated being abandoned in Antarctica, it was a lot easier to consider the Space Mage’s words when she wasn’t scrutinizing me from nearby. She was probably still judging me, but at least I didn’t sense he...
2023-10-02 13:38:11 +0000 UTC View Post“And you are sure she will be safe?” Rhona asked the violet-haired Mage next to her as she watched the budding Space Mage through one of the Alliance’s hidden satellites. Rhona hadn’t been confident in the other woman’s plans, but she’d given her consent when the noble Mage had come to her with the idea. Now, she just had to wait and see i...
2023-09-30 20:20:27 +0000 UTC View PostWhile I waited for the Space Mage to meet me at my new office two days later, I took a closer look at the tools on my workstation. The area was set up almost exactly like my Junction workstation, though the quality of the materials was notably better here.
I was just reaching for the Lightoak to start engraving one of the designs I’d made befor...
2023-09-28 15:56:02 +0000 UTC View Post“You don’t have to help me move in, you know,” I said one last time as my brother exited his car in the nearly empty parking lot and headed toward me.
The new housing complex for students attending one of the many virtual universities in the Junction was located within walking distance of the Atlas office. It looked much more like the condos or luxury...
2023-09-26 15:12:50 +0000 UTC View Post
