So the past few chapters were hard to write. Bob was always going to have to deal with his mother, and I feel like I foreshadowed that fairly well, but the actual events were hard to write. I'm taking care of my mother as her memory slips away from her, so clearly I'm not writing from experience. I grew up with both my mother and my father, amazing people who loved both each oth...
2022-03-10 08:32:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe library was still present, but Bob was disappointed by the discovery that the coffee and scone cart had disappeared. His stomach was roiling, and he'd hoped for some baked goods to soak up the acid. He supposed he ought to have considered that his mother might be present, but after a decade and change, the thought hadn't even occurred to him.
Seeing her had brought many me...
2022-03-03 11:50:31 +0000 UTC View PostBob looked up at the building and sighed. His time at UCLA hadn't really been bad. Fermilab had obviously been another matter, but his time here had just consisted of working, going to class, and studying. The grind, as it were, wasn't anything new to him.
He squared his shoulders and strode into the admissions office, where he was immediately accosted by a man ...
2022-03-01 13:16:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe water was clear, the white sand of the beach unsullied, and Monroe was curled up under the umbrella, having baked himself under the tropical sun for only half an hour before seeking shade.
Bob was alternating between taking short naps, swimming, and applying sunscreen. He was settling into the napping phase now, while Dave and Amanda were splashing around in the water.
He ...
2022-03-01 10:46:03 +0000 UTC View PostMy apologies for last week. I don't know what was wrong with me, but I slept for twenty or so hours a day for the entire weekend. I followed that performance by falling asleep at work Thursday and Friday nights. I seem to have recovered, mostly. As always, I appreciate your support. On to the story!
Bob was putting in the work. ...
2022-02-21 09:55:23 +0000 UTC View PostBob sat down outside the tavern in Holmstead and checked his messages.
Despite the range on the cell tower being limited, the messaging system had proven wildly popular. People would simply send their messages without the expectation of an immediate response. It was definitely a more relaxed attitude and one that he appreciated.
He had half a dozen messages, one each fro...
2022-02-10 13:33:02 +0000 UTC View Post"Bob!" Eddi's voice rang out across the tavern.
Turning, Bob spotted Eddi, Harv, and Elli sitting at a table with a man he didn't recognize. As he approached the table, Eddi hopped out of his seat and pulled another chair from the wall while the rest of the table shuffled a bit to make room.
"Good morning, everyone," Bob smiled at his friends, nodding his thanks to Eddi as he ...
2022-02-09 14:45:41 +0000 UTC View PostAgain, it must be stressed that Kellan's voice is that of Bruce Campbell. Burn Notice Bruce Campbell though.
"We understand, believe me," Mike and Eric were standing next to each other in a loose circle of ten other men. "It's just a matter of gathering and allocating resources," Mike gestured towards one of the men who was missing an arm. "You can ge...
2022-02-08 16:57:19 +0000 UTC View Post
It had been a week since Bob had surfaced, and he was feeling the strain. He'd had a nice dinner with Eddi and Wayna, then he'd started putting in the work. Sixteen hours a day, every day. He was accumulating mana crystals at a satisfactory pace, picking up between two hundred and two hundred and twelve crystals per day. That pace put him finished at ten months r...
"Of course, they cured cancer." President Elania Hartford wasn't having a fantastic week. The disappearance of nearly every disabled veteran in the country had made national news, despite her administration's attempts to squash the story. Now a hospice nurse, who was also missing, and a pair of unidentified men had distributed a miracle cure of cancer.
Elania di...
2022-02-01 17:13:00 +0000 UTC View PostSlept last night, again. Still, new chapter has appeared. Have no fear, there will be a complete system update description when it actually happens. I won't expect everyone to remember the little dribs and drabs that I delivered over the course of many chapters.
Bob ignored the sting of sweat in his eyes as he focused on the thin threads of mana. &nbs...
2022-02-01 14:05:34 +0000 UTC View PostEd fought the urge to rub his temples. "Madam President," he began, "this cannot possibly come as a surprise."
It was a bit of a thrill to speak so directly to the President of the United States. "The Old Guard made their position crystal clear. If we weren't going to make disabled veterans a priority, they would take matters into their own hands."
"Ed, they abduct...
2022-01-31 14:10:28 +0000 UTC View PostBob was hiding, and he had no problem admitting it.
The weekend had been an absolute shitshow. Eric had wound upbringing almost three million people to Thayland, and the number of people who had needed immediate regeneration had been overwhelming.
If it weren't for a couple of hundred Old Guard spamming Anima Blast, they would have lost people. Once Eric started emptying...
2022-01-26 15:31:59 +0000 UTC View PostJessica blushed fiercely.
"I forgot?" she confessed meekly.
Bob rubbed the bridge of his nose while his other hand sought out Monroe.
"Death and taxes," she could practically hear his teeth grinding. "The two certainties in life. Now I'll grant that the system provides a bit of a reprieve from the first, but the second remains immutable."
"Have you been keeping track at ...
2022-01-25 09:32:09 +0000 UTC View PostBob picked up the Summoning Affinity Crystal while his UtahRaptor tore apart yet another pair of monsters. He'd agreed to help the Old Guard with the Dungeons on top of the glacier, but he wasn't willing to completely stall his own progression. The days were long, but he was spending two hours a day in his Arcane Depths.
He spent an hour in the mornings practicing his...
2022-01-18 14:44:01 +0000 UTC View PostBob poured Monroe onto the table before slumping down into his chair. He'd expected to have had to have cast a half a dozen or so regeneration rituals, but Eric had brought nearly a hundred men, all of whom were in terrible condition. It wasn't just the wounds from combat, Eric had sought out what Bob recognized immediately as the homeless. Malnutrition, starvation, substance ...
2022-01-13 12:04:35 +0000 UTC View PostThidwell was dangerously close to smiling. Events had proceeded even better than he had hoped. Being a pessimist, the bar wasn't awfully high, but still.
He had bled Harbordeep. Bob's pamphlets combined with his own knowledge and access to his Dungeon, freely offered, had emptied Harbordeep of the people who were the most vulnerable to the predations of the Nobl...
2022-01-12 10:52:45 +0000 UTC View PostBob leaned back against the wall of the Dungeon. He'd finished building out another floor and was taking a breather before heading back up. He'd seen the effort that the Old Guard had put in back in Glacier Valley, where they'd truly impressed him with their dedication. That had paled in comparison to the work they'd accomplished at what they were calling 'The Redoubt.'
...
2022-01-11 11:04:53 +0000 UTC View PostElli was standing against the wall, watching as the elderly instructor gently corrected a young woman's stance.
Carol-Ann and Harv had dropped him off, Harv having extracted a promise not to do anything overtly magical, while they went off to purchase chemistry supplies. Elli understood better than most the issues with obtaining quality glassware, but Harv's enthusiasm was almost un...
2022-01-04 11:36:29 +0000 UTC View Post"Congratulations?" Austan said, his tone hesitant.
Bob let out a long breath and stood up slowly.
He'd been sitting for at least a few hours, judging by how stiff his muscles were.
"Thanks," Bob grunted as he slowly stretched, testing the tension. "How long did that take?"
"Just over three hours," Austan replied, "which is a little odd, as it looked, to my untraine...
2022-01-04 08:14:54 +0000 UTC View PostThe L.A. convention center was packed. Elli hadn't ever seen that many people in one place before, let alone under one roof. There were stands inside the building, each advertising a particular school of martial arts, proudly proclaiming their skills.
That wasn't too surprising, but what did come as a shock was watching children sparring, mostly bare-fisted or with protective...
Elizabeth dashed forward, bringing her sword down in a slash from her right shoulder, the blade shearing through the spine of the monstrous beast in front of her. It appeared that the monsters on the tenth floor of this Dungeon were a twisted amalgamation of a cobra and some sort of weasel.
It spat venom at her as it died, but she turned slightly to avoid it, only a few drops striki...
2021-12-28 10:52:41 +0000 UTC View PostEd looked at the report in front of him with a frown.
The Old Guard had managed to level up without incurring any losses, but the active-duty service personnel were experiencing casualties. It would be easy to attribute the losses to the lack of Affinity Crystals, which was an issue, but it would also be dishonest. They weren't delving any further than one level over. Fr...
2021-12-28 07:41:12 +0000 UTC View PostI bet you've all been wondering what Harv and Elli have been up to.
Harv looked at the carriage in awe as Jack pulled the cover off of it, storing it in the rear.
He'd seen some of the mechanical vehicles they had at Glacier Valley when he'd visited, but this was something else.
Dark blue metal reflected the sunlight, the color somehow seeming to have d...
2021-12-23 05:06:23 +0000 UTC View PostBob walked into the Adventurers Guild in Glacier Valley with a smile on his face. He'd wound up playing a barbarian in a pickup D&D game, and he'd had a great time. Everyone seemed to be predisposed to legitimately like him, and even after a few hours of exposure to actual Bob, rather than just the Legend of Bob, they seemed to like him more.
It was equal...
2021-12-22 12:10:21 +0000 UTC View PostBob had his eyes closed as he focused on the feeling of the mana rushing through his matrix before it ignited just outside. He was controlling the flows as well as delaying the ignition until the pattern was complete.
He ignored the sweat rolling down his face as he concentrated. Finally, he felt that the pattern was complete, and he released the mana he'd been suppressing, which filled t...
2021-12-22 08:50:07 +0000 UTC View PostBob wound his way through the crowd of excited, and in many cases, drunken Australians. He found Dave, Amanda, and Jessica sitting in folding chairs beside the Dungeon entrance. Bumping up against Dave's leg, he was looking the man in the eye when suddenly Jessica pulled him into her lap. "God, he's so cute!" She exclaimed as Bob struggled.
Bob dropped a portal underneat...
2021-12-21 13:10:24 +0000 UTC View PostAs the last of the Mana Crystals disappeared, Bob unclenched his jaw and staggered to his feet, wincing as his joints protested the hours of inactivity.
A wave of sound crashed over him, and he opened his eyes, then froze. There were a thousand or more Australians surrounding the stone slab that now capped their Dungeon, and they were shouting loudly, the conflicting voices unintell...
2021-12-21 05:28:34 +0000 UTC View PostMike swallowed a sigh while also trying his best to keep a grimace off his face.
"Mike!" Annisa smiled as she hurried across the tavern to claim the seat next to him.
Not for the first time, Mike had the thought that normal people who wanted to talk to you would sit across from you.
"Good evening, Annisa," Mike acknowledged the priestess, closing his eyes as he once a...
2021-12-20 17:11:42 +0000 UTC View Post"Dave, Amanda, Carrie," Bob greeted the group cheerfully.
He was having breakfast with them before taking a portal over to where the Aussies wanted him to help them build a Dungeon.
"Good morning, Bob," Dave smiled.
"I haven't seen you two in a while, how are you doing?" Bob asked.
"Heading to Harbordeep in a couple of days to farm up some Affinity Crystals," Amanda repl...
2021-12-16 00:17:35 +0000 UTC View Post