After cleaning up Vinny's room and a quick trip to the grocery store, Kaitlyn managed to get the house into a far more hospitable state. Once again, her ability to cook food that was actually edible ingratiated herself to the guy and his roommates both. Even better, the access to a full oven allowed her to experiment with a number of new recipes.
The weeks passed in a comfortable rhythm o...
2024-02-01 03:53:45 +0000 UTC View PostAs the sun began to rise the next morning, they got on their way. The town disappeared in the rearview mirror as their armored truck rumbled along the highway. Inside, Chad, Squawkers, the Major, and a group of soldiers sat clustered together like particularly misshapen anchovies.
The vehicle had been damaged in the attack, but not enough to render it inoperable. The main damage to the ro...
2024-01-31 05:35:37 +0000 UTC View PostThe living room and kitchen were an absolute mess.
When Kaitlyn reached the base of the stairs, she was greeted with the wreckage of the previous night's party. Red plastic cups littered every surface, a few of them on their sides in half-dried puddles. Used paper plates bearing half-eaten pizza or partial crusts filled in the gaps of what would have been empty space. Groups of mostly-emp...
2024-01-29 17:23:33 +0000 UTC View PostChad, Annie, and Squawkers stared at the newly-cleared piece of floor. It had remained remarkably intact compared to the holes surrounding it.
"I think that's it," Chad noted.
"Yeah," Squawkers snorted. "You think? It's pretty much screaming 'hidden trapdoor.'"
Annie shrugged. "Only 'cause the rest of the floor's busted to hell. Any idea about gettin' in?"
"Right here," ...
2024-01-28 22:06:41 +0000 UTC View PostAnnie helped lower Chad into a wheelchair. He'd initially protested that he didn't need one -- after all, he had clearly proven that his arm could move him along much quicker than his legs every could. But in order to avoid shooting himself across the countryside again, he eventually agreed to use a chair.
"All good?" Annie asked?
"Yup!" He shifted around to get a little more comfor...
2024-01-27 20:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostChad blinked. "Uh. Me?"
Major Geoffries nodded. "Yes, you. You might be the best shot at closing this thing that we have."
"Wait, how?" Squawkers asked incredulously. "You people have missiles and stuff, don't you? How is Chad your best shot?"
"It's not our first choice, believe me." The Major explained with a grimace. "We've tried a lot of things to deal with the por...
2024-01-27 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post/// HOO BOY
Sorry about the late chappies -- long story short, I went on a last-minute short-notice trip and wasn't NEARLY as productive as hoped. The trip was pretty good tho ngl.
ANYWAY, thanks for being patient! We're gettin' back on the grind now, more coming soon.
///
Deep underground in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, John slumped in his chair, ...
2024-01-27 05:32:46 +0000 UTC View Post"The fuck are you?" Vinny's blue eyes narrowed. "Am I supposed to know you or somethin'?"
"Nope." Kaitlyn straightened, rolling her stiff shoulders. "I just recognized you is all. Heard your name somewhere."
She was too tired to come up with a better excuse, but Vinny didn't seem to care. He gave a snort of his own and grabbed the beer from the railing, taking a swig. "Figures. So? ...
2024-01-26 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostKaitlyn rapped her knuckles on the front door and stepped back, waiting. The telltale bass of club music was just barely audible from inside rather than blaring at full volume. At least, for now. It meant that things were still just getting started.
A ruddy-faced fratboy opened the door, his stout frame filling the entryway. A floral-patterned shirt pulled tight against his broad shoulder...
2024-01-24 17:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostSunlight peeked through from behind Kaitlyn’s closed eyelids. She squeezed them shut more tightly, trying to block out the stabbing rays.
Not yet. Just a few more minutes.
As long as her eyes were closed, she could pretend that the prodding beams of sun were actually the lights of the Christmas festival. That the warmth wrapping around her was Philip's arms. She could eve...
2024-01-22 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post/// PATCH NOTES! I changed a thing or two in the last chapter, mostly minor stuff! The biggest is that I gave Chad a Demolition (E) proficiency for destroying the house. So there ya go!
///
Chad froze, looking toward the sudden sound. The deep bellow of the horn echoed across the landscape, but its source wasn't nearby. It seemed to be coming from much further away than he'd expecte...
2024-01-22 02:21:25 +0000 UTC View PostFor the first time in Chad's relatively short career, not as an arm wrestling champion but a defender of his town, he wished he had put more points into his legs.
His grandma was still several steps away, standing in the middle of the kitchen. She had turned around to face the mole emerging behind her, her rheumy eyes widening in surprise. But rather than run, she placed a hand on her hip...
2024-01-19 23:20:03 +0000 UTC View PostChad eyed the man curiously. Now that he was standing, it was obvious that Major Geoffries was a little bit shorter than Chad himself. However, his presence more than made up for it. Checking above his head allowed him to read the tag that hung there.
Army Major (Lvl 9)
Chad stuck out his arm to shake. "Nice to meet you, Major. You can call me Chad."
The Major...
2024-01-19 20:38:58 +0000 UTC View PostThe gazebo was an ornate wooden structure set back from the crowds and the music of the plaza. Of its eight sides, seven boasted lights hanging down from its eaves like star-studded curtains, while the eighth stood open with stairs leading invitingly up.
Kaitlyn shivered slightly as they sat on the bench, setting down their haul. Away from all the people and vendors, the wind once more re...
2024-01-19 17:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post/// I WAS SO CLOSE
IT WAS A FEW WEEKS OFF FROM CHRISTMAS
Oh, well. It's admittedly closer than I thought I'd get when we started. Just pretend we're still in December!
///
As Saturday rolled around, Kaitlyn found herself pacing nervously in her room.
What if… what if I'm wrong? What if he doesn't like me back?
It didn't seem likely. Not with how of...
2024-01-17 17:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostMajor Geoffries stood in the center of the destroyed forest, eyeing the crashed longship before him. His squad swarmed about the area, combing over the fallen trees and shattered wood for clues.
They'd been pulled from their other tasks deal with this mission, and none of them were happy about it -- Geoffries least of all. But evidently, someone had decided that this particular order was ...
2024-01-17 17:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostChad glanced at Jerry. "You picked a new skill, right?"
"Uh... yes, why?"
"Good. Time to test it out!"
"W-wait--"
With that, Chad ran toward the pack of coyotes, leaving the nervous Musician among the oaks.
I could just bean all these guys with a rock, he thought as he emerged from the treeline. It'd be pretty easy to just take em' all...
2024-01-17 05:05:52 +0000 UTC View PostHello hello all! I hope yall are doing well, cuz HOLY HECK AM I COLD RIGHT NOW.
For those of you who have been around for a while, you may know that I've been trying to test out whether this writing thing is feasible for a more full-time gig. The past few months have been doing just that -- testing my limits, exploring new stories, learning how to self-publish, the whole shebang. And it's...
2024-01-15 17:15:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe common room elevator dinged, its doors sliding aside silently. As usual, Philip stepped through the opening and made a sharp turn toward their table, settling across from Kaitlyn in one of the room's stiff-backed chairs. She looked up from her laptop as he pulled out his own.
"Hey, Philip."
"Good afternoon, Kaitlyn." He dipped his head formally. "I have reviewed the mat...
2024-01-15 17:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostIt didn't take long to find someone who needed a helping hand. Nothing major, of course -- Chad wasn't trying to throw Jerry in the deep end, here. A minor chore or bit of help around the town was just what they were looking for.
Annie and Squawkers stayed behind at the house to watch for other attackers sneaking about. Despite Gram Gram's newfound powers, Chad still had no intention of l...
2024-01-15 17:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostUnfortunately, answers didn't come nearly as easily as they expected.
When Chad started this conversation, he'd expected the biggest challenge to be getting Gram Gram to pull up the status screen at all. But it wasn't. They had failed to take into account a critical variable -- tech literacy.
"Oh, dear. Now it says 'traits' at the top, there." The old woman read out.
"Ok," Cha...
2024-01-15 03:19:33 +0000 UTC View PostChad heard Annie's quick footsteps as she hurried into the room, coming to a halt behind his shoulder.
"Everything ok-- what the actual fuck?!"
Yeah. That's what I thought.
Annie spluttered at the morbid scene as Chad's eyes roved over the back porch with horror. Some distant part of his mind registered that the cats had gained quite a few levels from their m...
2024-01-13 05:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe massive hull of the crashed longship towered over them as they approached, smoke twirling lazily into the sky above. Splinters of the dark maroon wood littered the newly created clearing where it had landed and carved a path through the trees, leaving a deep furrow of earth in its wake.
Chad took in the scene with more than a little awe. Despite the damage they'd done to the vessel, i...
2024-01-13 03:59:37 +0000 UTC View PostThe gym's glass doors slid open with a soft hiss, greeting Kaitlyn with a blast of warm air and driving music. The bass rumbled through her chest as the smells of sweat and rubber washed over her.
Yeah. This brings back memories.
As for what her goal was here, she wasn't entirely sure herself. It wasn't to rekindle what she'd lost. She was fairly certain of that, at least. ...
2024-01-12 17:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostA little under five minutes and a lot of massages later, the effects of Rallying Cry finally wore off. The entire group breathed a sigh of relief as their arms shrank back to normal size.
Despite all appearances though, the skill hadn't been entirely detrimental. A number of their group had apparently put the buffs to good use in their own fights. Even better, the constitution buff had ma...
2024-01-12 03:19:09 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day, when Kaitlyn met up with Philip to study, she still couldn't meet the guy's eyes. Nor the day after that. Nor later in the week at Chella's. Each time they came near each other, she could feel the thick curtain of words unspoken hanging between them.
It wasn't all on Kaitlyn's part, either. Philip himself seemed unsure of the situation as well. Every time they spoke, she cou...
2024-01-10 17:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostJohn slumped back in his seat with an exhausted sigh. Dark bags hung below his eyes, his shoulders taut with tension and stress. Before him stretched a large dark-wood desk, its surface scattered with classified documents, reports, and dossiers from the National Security Council and every corner of the government besides. A cold cup of coffee and a plate of half-eaten cookies joined the ever-gr...
2024-01-10 02:55:05 +0000 UTC View PostMore silver streaks shot through the air as the enemies began their assault in earnest. Shouts rose from among the humans as they ducked behind trees and recently pilfered shields for cover. Gunshots rang out as they began to return fire.
More silvery projectiles thudded into the tree near Chad's head as he skirted around its base. Looking at his left arm, a strange barbed needle jutted p...
2024-01-08 17:29:56 +0000 UTC View PostPhilip looked out over the horizon, shifting slightly where he sat. After a moment's pause, he began.
"As you have undoubtedly noticed, Serena and I live with our grandmother. That is because my parents are out of the picture. We receive no support, financial or otherwise, from them. My grandmother's age also renders her unable to work, and although she receives a small monthly stipend, i...
2024-01-08 17:16:50 +0000 UTC View PostSquawkers and Annie chatted with each other as Chad read over his newest skill options. As usual, there were three of them, and the first one looked quite familiar.
Blink - Now you see me, now you don't! Or you do, just a little to the left. A magician's favorite trick.
When activated, allows you to teleport to a location you can see up to (INT/2) feet away....
2024-01-07 04:13:52 +0000 UTC View Post