Just a small housekeeping thing - I'll be away from the office for the next 4 days. I've scheduled chapters for next week so no change in our regular chapter programming, but I won't be answering any messages.
See you Wednesday next week and have a good weekend!
2024-05-11 16:30:41 +0000 UTC View Post"Jason, Garet, hold the door!"
The warriors nodded and ran to the reinforced gateway with spear and polearm at the ready. Phuong trusted them and turned back to his task: slaughtering everything.
They were in a timed event and nearly at the end.
Phuong almost groaned with relief when his Adrenaline Boost recharged, because they had two minutes left to wipe out a whole damn bar...
2024-05-10 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post[You have defeated Chief Engineer Toofik, completing the mortal challenge and the dungeon Engineering Guild . You have earned enough experience for level 11. Please select a power to upgrade.]
Blake watched the goblin leader fall with a True Making spear lodged through his skull. The level was a pleasant added bonus, but he’d already ear-marked his next power for enhancemen...
2024-05-09 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Morning, sleepy. Time for breakfast!”
Mason blinked awake and found himself on the couch in the chief’s hall covered in a blanket. Haley had called from the kitchen, and he glanced at the dim light coming through a window and slowly remembered the amazing sex with Rosa and Haley. And then…
“You slept through the night,” Rosa said as she whisked inside carrying a plate a...
2024-05-08 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMason walked arm in arm with Haley and Rosa towards the chief hall, his mind still swirling. A part of him wanted to run full speed towards the mountains to check on the players, a part wanted to sit with Becky until she woke up.
But he couldn't be everywhere all the time. He wasn't a god who could go forever without sleep, without downtime. Even if his body needed less and less rest thes...
2024-05-07 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostMason stepped out in front of the great tree, feeling it radiate warmth and pleasure as his feet touched the temple floor.
"Oh, druid, it's...it's beautiful."
The old 'elf' woman knelt at the sapling and made some kind of maybe religious gesture, muttering quiet words. Mason thought of all the creatures who seemed to try and hurt the great trees for their own benefit, and couldn't h...
2024-05-06 14:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostMason was tired of getting blown up. And buried alive. And swallowed whole. He pushed at the floor and rose to his knees, blinking at what seemed to be a glowing blue and white mist. He still couldn't hear anything.
"Blake," he vaguely heard himself mutter, then felt his heart rate rising. "Becky! Streak?"
He swept his eyes over everything, looking for the others, but also for text ...
2024-05-03 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostRebecca followed Annie, keeping her Sacred Aegis active. It was essentially her usual Arcane Shield, except now it fully worked on one other person and still only drained her 'energy', which regenerated very quickly, especially due to another faster regen power. But the range of the thing was terrible, and she had to stay right on Annie's heels.
This was a problem.
The little redhea...
2024-05-02 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post"That's...not the door," Mason said when he got to the far end of the hall.
Blake had apparently dug or cut a path through the stone wall, though there wasn't any trace of rubble. Or even dust.
A few long-shot weapons still pinged and knocked bits of rock next to the players, but Blake's constructs were murdering anything that advanced too far. Most of the goblins didn't look keen t...
2024-05-01 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostBlake failed his Animate attempt for the second time and kicked the iron door.
"Ow. God damnit." He glanced at Pliny. "Any luck with the key?"
"Not yet, human friend. But getting closer." The strange but intriguing creature was intensely focused on his task, and Blake thought it best to leave him alone.
It turned out the 'key' was more like an 'Arcane Decoder' than a piece of ...
2024-04-30 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostMason hadn't exactly planned on 'sneaking', but he would have liked to at least gone unnoticed for a minute. Blake's constructs put an end to all that.
With the collective gait and volume of a small herd of buffalo, the five living statues lumbered behind and in front of their creator like sumo wrestlers in tap dance shoes.
Goblin eyes began to turn from every conceivable direction....
2024-04-29 14:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostMason forgot where he was when he woke. He smiled when he saw Becky's brown hair draped over his chest, pushing a little from her face until he realized they weren't in bed.
Then the reality of the goblins and looming battle came rushing in. A piece of Mason shouted 'we have no room for this softness. For loving women or relaxing our guard. We have to be ready to kill. Ready ...
2024-04-26 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMason hurried through tunnel after tunnel with Becky's hand in his, looking for somewhere far and private and comfortable enough to...settle in.
"Druid," Calypsa stepped beside him and held out a hand. "Are you searching for something in particular?"
"Ah. Somewhere...slightly nicer."
The nymph gestured to a dead end that looked little better than anywhere else, if slightly out...
2024-04-25 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMason and all the others followed new and improved Pliny through the winding tunnels. After the spider they were all a bit on edge, but Mason couldn’t hear anything nearby and frankly was starting to get a little bored.
“So, any cool new powers I need to know about?” he whispered to Becky.
“Um. I ain’t sure, exactly? I think I can shield you better. And make a wall.”
... 2024-04-24 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAnnie closed her eyes and forced her feet forward. She could do this. She'd survived the end of the world and the 'school' and all the things after. She could do this, too.
The door slammed shut behind her, the 'Martial' affinity symbol pulsing ahead.
"You stand in the hall of the Makers," a terrifying voice boomed from above. "What makes you think you are worthy?"
Tears forme...
2024-04-23 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostRebecca stepped into the dark and felt the girl freeze at her side.
"It's alright," she said, putting an arm around Annie's waist. "We'll do it together."
That seemed to help, or at least got the girl moving. As they walked in further little torch-globes lit along the walls, and Rebecca saw portraits of old, bearded men, as well as beautiful sculptures of athletic bodies. It all fel...
2024-04-22 14:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostMason was seriously stuck in the damn web. It didn't trigger his titles or Apex Predator, and though Duality of Strength was going crazy it seemed like strength was really not going to get him out.
The webbing just flexed like elastic as he pushed and pulled, the length of his limbs not enough to actually strain the material. He re-summoned his Claws and pulled himself free enough to star...
2024-04-19 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAnnie stared at the pretty, spinning dark, and breathed. "Holes in the world," she heard herself say. Like holes cut in a black curtain letting in moonlight, swirling and swirling and swirling.
"Stay together!" she heard Mason say. Why should he say such a thing? Of course they were together. Blake was back and he'd never leave again, and pretty soon when things were right he'd blow a gen...
2024-04-18 14:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostMason, an unhappy Calypsa, and the rest of the players followed 'Pliny’ up a winding path from the undead cavern. Blake soon had to dissolve two of his larger constructs, then three, with only one able to squeeze itself through the narrow passages.
"Not exactly how we'd like to start a fight," Mason grumbled. "Will we have time to get ready? Or will your tunnel take us straight to the '...
2024-04-17 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostMason obviously didn't trust the little half-dead goblin for a second. Still, the thing posed no obvious threat and he did trust in Blake's ridiculous luck to find just what he needed.
"Alright," he said with a sigh. "How can you help us kill the 'big bosses'?"
"This way, humans," the goblin grinned a nightmarish grin, then splashed back into the mist and acid.
"Wait," Mason c...
2024-04-16 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMason tried not to cringe at the incredible racket produced by Blake's constructs as they moved down the giant hall. One even slipped down a ramp and slid to the next platform with a metallic screech before righting itself.
"Sorry about that," Blake wiggled a finger in his ear. "Not really built for subtlety. Or agility. In fact they're really just built to fight giant, murderous orc king...
2024-04-15 14:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostBlake stopped with everyone else when he heard the alarm-like blare. He and his constructs were busily tearing apart the engineer's quarters looking for blueprints or runes, but weren't having much luck.
"Was that us?" he squinted and tried to hear the direction of the sound before he heard Mason shout something incomprehensible. He glanced at the others, then they all ran from the room a...
2024-04-12 14:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostThe entrance to the Engineering Guild was a long, narrow corridor that didn't even bother to hide its traps. Mason stared at the holes on the ceiling, the arrow slits in the walls, and what looked like large slots for some kind of blades to come out. He sighed.
"Send in a construct? Set off the traps?"
Blake frowned and inspected. "I could maybe deconstruct some of this. Plug some h...
2024-04-11 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post"We don't have much space, but when we do—John with me up front, Garet and Jason on our flanks. Seul-ki and Alex behind. Any questions?"
They all shook their heads, so Phuong led the others back down the winding 'Engineer' corridors, back to the main tunnels and the first branch that led to the wizards or the prospectors.
He held a strong grip on his innate blade, comforted as alw...
2024-04-10 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post"Good idea," Alex said as they walked down the large 'Engineering Guild' tunnel. "With Bomb-bait out front, I feel very safe."
"That's because they didn't blow you up last time," muttered Phuong, sounding somewhat less enthused.
"I save you, old man, no problem. Don't worry."
"Wait," said Garet. "Did he say 'bomb'?"
"Small bombs," Alex said with a shrug. "More like grena...
2024-04-09 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post"So...ya'll figure we should just...knock?"
Blake, Mason, and most everyone else gave Becky a glare.
"I'm just sayin'." She held up her hands. "Maybe it's like...a magic door."
Navi had identified it already, so Blake knew it was in fact not a magic door. Of course that didn't mean it wasn't booby trapped. Some kind of trap expert seemed a thing they were missing, and Blake ma...
2024-04-08 14:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostMason led his increasingly large and powerful pack of players across the forest, his mind on the battles ahead. He didn't want to get overconfident, but it was hard to imagine anything he'd seen in the forest posing a threat.
The only thing he could think of was another giant pack of goblins and trolls, but he doubted they could make such an attack again any time soon. According to Blake,...
2024-04-05 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostBlake ran along behind Mason like everyone else. Well, not exactly like everyone else. OK, and he wasn't actually running.
Realizing his brother would soon send them all on another wild hunt, Blake had taken the time to try a little experiment. Being carried like a sack of potatoes by a walking construct seemed entirely inefficient. Not to mention undignified. And he certain...
2024-04-04 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post"Sorry to bother you." Blake's voice popped into Mason's mind. "But the, um, scary hot nymph...uh, the tall one. Apocalypsa? God I can't remember any names without Mental Influence. No, no it started with a C. Callico? Whatever she's here and she says it's urgent. I thought this would be less intrusive than bursting into your room. Hey what's...wait, are you? Well that's just rude. Unbrotherly,...
2024-04-03 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as Blake left, Mason had Haley bring him Carl and Phuong. They sat and drank another cup of coffee, stuffing themselves with Haley's pastries as Carl explained what had happened leading up to the attack.
Mason told them they'd found Billy the Brewer, who'd been the one to bring them home much faster, and that he'd sent Streak to lead him back safely.
"That boy picked the wro...
2024-04-02 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post