Levi ended up leaving Elmire with Ward, since the two gremlins liked working together anyway, but since Peter was going to stay with their group Cassandra argued that they didn't need two ogres.
Levi readily agreed to take Drok with him and Gordon. That left the recruitment team with Greg and Slayer, Henry, Crimson, Ward and Elmire, Crackle, and Becca, while Levi and Gordon took the rest....
2022-05-19 15:37:40 +0000 UTC View Post[Edited May 27th: adjusted the calculations on leveling dungeons to better match actual projections.]
Levi initiated almost two hundred people over the course of the convention, not all of whom were even attendees. Once word started to spread, it snowballed fast. He succeeded in making contact with local Awakened, individuals like Drakonias who already had classes but were ...
2022-05-18 15:41:01 +0000 UTC View PostLaurence was in a bit of a tight spot.
Not officially, not technically. Everything had been going off without a hitch. He’d negotiated with a dozen players across the country, collected ludicrous amounts of crafting supplies from Levi’s list - and a few that weren’t on the list, but he knew would be appreciated - and spent an equally ludicrous amount of money...
2022-05-17 15:26:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Irene! Hey, heeeey, Medic lady! Over here!”
Irene turned, her eyes landing immediately on the nametag hovering above the head of a young man rushing toward her.
Drakonias: Level 6
(Fighter/Ranger)
She hesitated a moment, smiled and started toward him. “Drakonias?”
“That’s me! Wow, I didn’t think I’d meet anyone else Awakened here. Don...
2022-05-16 15:51:00 +0000 UTC View Post[Edited 5/14: changed Leana to Riana; just realized I have way too many L named characters already.]
Riana was unreasonably excited to finally be back to an anime con again. After three years of circumstances conspiring against her, she'd accumulated four full sets of carefully crafted character-appropriate armor she was dying to show off. There wasn't anything quite lik...
2022-05-13 15:56:01 +0000 UTC View PostIt didn’t take long to reach their destination the next morning, leaving most of the minions behind at the first dungeon they reached that was close to the venue with instructions to hold the entry room but not advance further. Levi hoped to have some new recruits to Awaken before the day was out, and it wouldn’t be any use if the dungeon was already cleared.
Levi never visited an ani...
2022-05-12 17:29:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs they continued south, Levi split off some of their minions into two side groups to clear dungeons on their own, with orders to catch back up with the main group as soon as they were done. Since their days-long trip on their own had been largely unproductive, he was sure to only send them to dungeons he could pinpoint with Mana Ping before sending them out.
They were barely a half hour ...
2022-05-11 17:36:32 +0000 UTC View PostLevi stood a bit straighter, watching tensely as Peter ran forward, closing in on the slime. Henry sprinted back into the fight ahead of him. Peter swapped weapons as he ran, switching out his crossbow for his scythe. He charged into melee range, screaming wordlessly, scythe raised to strike, then slashing down, glowing with Destructive orange light.
The slime took notice. Immediately it ...
2022-05-10 15:41:00 +0000 UTC View PostAt first, Levi thought the boss was a Nature Essence, but it was far too small for that. Only about as big as Becca, if she were curled up in a ball. Not that he’d ever seen her do something like that; she always sat square, with her feet tucked under her, shoulders hunched, head tilted to one side as she watched everything through slitted eyes.
No, it could only be a Spitting Slime. If...
2022-05-09 18:19:23 +0000 UTC View PostNature Dungeon: Level 2
This one was located in a parking lot, which had been blocked off with caution cones and hazard signs.
The blocked off area was quite large, and not centered around the barely-visible dungeon, but it was obvious that the locals had at least noticed something amiss.
The building nearby had a large dent along its side, the scrape leading ...
2022-05-08 02:17:35 +0000 UTC View PostLevi pinged the area, receiving a number of faint signals, none strong enough to be a dungeon. Probably other Awakened in the city. He was momentarily impressed that so many had managed to gain access to the system and level enough to show up, but considering the population density of the place it would almost be more surprising to find no one.
In his past lifetime, he'd never have guesse...
2022-05-07 19:37:49 +0000 UTC View PostThey had a website.
Cassandra showed him her custom-printed shirts for all of them, with the URL printed across the back in bold silver lettering, then showed him the site itself when he asked.
It… looked good. Professional. Utterly unlike the Doom Raiders’ amateur efforts. This looked like it had cost thousands of dollars and a professional designer. The sleek h...
2022-05-07 14:36:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe time passed surprisingly quickly, with Levi splitting his time between training Gordon or Peter, talking with Irene, and answering Cassandra’s occasional questions for her efforts online. Mostly on camera.
She insisted he introduce each of his minions, talk about their stats, the pros and cons of each class, explain the details of each type of elixir, and a hundred more questions an...
2022-05-06 12:34:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Since we’re going to travel on foot, we all need to be able to stamina drag if we don’t want anyone left behind. We can’t rely on cars any more.”
Gordon shook his head and sighed. “You don’t need to be so dramatic about it. I know, you want me to learn to use stamina and mana properly. Please, explain what in the world I’m supposed to actually do.”
Levi g...
2022-05-04 17:17:01 +0000 UTC View PostLaurence Haynes wasn’t good at lying. He would consider himself very good at deceiving - by omission, by selective truths, by insinuation and implication - but straight out stating a falsehood made him twitchy and anxious. He worked hard to conceal his tells, but when directly confronted he couldn’t maintain the deception with any degree of poise.
So when it came to flagrantly mislead...
2022-05-01 01:53:14 +0000 UTC View PostLevi again looked over the lists Laurence had given him. They were a tangible reassurance against his nebulous concerns of how much would be impossible to accomplish, the overwhelmed feeling that had followed him from the start beginning to fade.
The quantity of crafting supplies Laurence had located... this should be enough to keep him going for over a week without stopping. He'd be able...
2022-04-29 11:26:00 +0000 UTC View Post[Aster here, with a quick note: I have performed a minor retcon on Conduit - after comparing the posted text with my original story notes, I realized I'd accidentally broken the universe, so it has been adjusted to better align with what it was originally intended to be. '10% of Tamer’s experience is instead echoed to all active minions' (rather than 'additional'). That ...
2022-04-28 17:27:45 +0000 UTC View Post“Gordon… how many weapons do you have stashed in your trunk?”
Despite Cassandra's rushing, they still had two days before they needed to worry about reaching the convention, so they were taking their time with packing. And, in Gordon's case, clearing out his car.
Gordon shrugged. “You keep giving them to me.”
Levi held up a crossbow. “For you to use, not s...
2022-04-28 01:33:35 +0000 UTC View Post[Aster here, with a slightly delayed but fresh and shiny chapter for y'all. :) One quick personal note before we get on with things:
As a result of the power outage last week, some of the madness scheduled for last week has been rescheduled, so it looks like this week is going to be... another difficult one. I will do my utmost to continue to provide the usual five chapters a week, thoug...
"Get up, you're going to stain your clothing and goodness knows you’re not going to be able to buy replacements forever as long as you’re out of work." Gayle stood on the front porch, hands on her hips as she glared down at Levi. “They’ve been waiting for an hour.”
Levi was too weary to protest against her accusatory tone. He would not miss using his mother-in-law's as their hom...
2022-04-22 16:25:11 +0000 UTC View Post“Everyone in this timeline and their guns,” Levi grumbled. “Is it so much to ask that they practice using the weapons that will be effective against the invasion that’s coming in just a few months? It’s not like we have unlimited time to train, here. Every encounter they solve using a gun instead of gaining experience fighting is another reason they’ll be unable to survive ...
2022-04-22 13:42:01 +0000 UTC View Post[Quick note, in case you didn't see the update on last chapter, power has been restored and all is well with the world! I do still have some irl obligations over the remainder of the week, and losing two days to the power outage doesn't help, but I'm fully confident in my ability to resume standard scheduled posting next week and have high hopes for getting the remaining two chapters out so...
2022-04-21 16:09:00 +0000 UTC View Post[Heya! Aster here, with an even better excuse for being late this time. xD While I did know that I had a lot of things scheduled IRL this week, what I did not have scheduled was the massive snowstorm and resulting regional blackout which is still underway.
I'm sneakily posting this chapter at work because it was close enough to done that I could finish it from my drafts, but until I have...
Levi’s stamina was out, mana was out, and health was at eight.
Another few seconds in the corrosive and he’d have been dead. If the kalvex hadn’t abandoned the chase, he’d be dead. If he’d had even a fraction less stamina and been unable to heave the kalvex off him, he’d be dead.
On the one hand, Levi wanted whatever treasure it was this hidden boss guarded. Heck, the bo...
2022-04-18 15:26:59 +0000 UTC View PostLevi stared down into the dimness. Faint light glinted off something he couldn't make out, but it was far below. Easily fifteen to twenty feet. Once he jumped down, he wouldn't be climbing out easily, and there was no ladder or stair. It would have to be a blind jump.
Even worse, the opening was small, barely big enough for him to fit through. There was no way to fit his whole team down t...
2022-04-16 18:11:52 +0000 UTC View Post“How about we call you… Maggie.”
Gordon groaned.
Levi ignored him and brought up the magma snake’s stats, then a comparison against Crimson.
Maggie: Level 1 Magma Serpent +
Strength: 0
Health: 150/150
(+2/min)
Psyche: 1
Mana: 90/90
(+4/min)
Spirit: 0
Stamina: 50/50
(+1/min)
Crimson: Level 1 Magma Serpent...
2022-04-16 16:28:07 +0000 UTC View PostOf course, taming a giant snake with magma dripping from its fangs was easier said than done. Even as only a level 1 boss, the snake wasn't something to be taken lightly. While the little Crimson-sized snakes moved fairly quickly, this boss made them look slow.
Level 1+
(Magma Serpent)
Health 100%
No sooner had the door closed...
2022-04-16 13:06:36 +0000 UTC View Post"There's going to be lava around," Levi warned as they neared the entrance. "It's usually in pretty obvious crevices, but you have to stay alert. Do not fall into it, it's very dangerous."
Peter nodded seriously, relaying the instructions to his dilo, Henry, who also nodded. Greg the ogre was harder to convince and kept shrugging as though it didn't matter to him. When Peter very seriousl...
2022-04-12 23:10:58 +0000 UTC View PostLevi charged in, moving faster than the ogre could track, Destruction sword leveled at its chest. The ogre bellowed a challenge and stabbed its sword out at Levi, the two blades clashing in a screech of metal, but Levi's was enhanced with all his second-threshold mana while the ogre's was as mundane as they came. The ogre's blade sheared in half, a curving line scored across its entire length w...
2022-04-12 12:57:06 +0000 UTC View Post