“This is for the lovely Beatrice and her merry band of heroes,” Patricio said, before strumming his mandolin with gusto and belting out some horrible-sounding tune. Why couldn’t people like good old-fashioned music without all that caterwauling?
“I agree with your earlier assessment, Florence, let’s get our deposit back and find someplace else,” Doug said, ...
2022-06-11 01:40:44 +0000 UTC View PostThe ebb and flow of the battle continued, the time marked only by the continuous upgrades to Hugh’s structures and units. His base leveled up repeatedly, with new and improved units being produced at the various factories. The several barracks that he had taken over were also upgraded, matching his main base. At level five Hugh started seeing the effects of the Assault Inf...
2022-06-08 19:33:27 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 14 is another short one, so I'm including 15 with it today.
With a jolt, the mage Falgorne appeared at his destination. His teleport had been difficult, as had most things since his injury. There would be repercussions back at the guild since this wasn’t his task, it was personal, and personal vendettas were forbidden as an adventurer’s gui...
2022-06-06 15:47:35 +0000 UTC View Post“Keep behind the infantry mech, let the AI units draw their fire before we jump in,” Hugh ordered as they pushed down the canyon. With the AI-controlled mech leading the way, his pod-controlled units were able to move without interference other than the occasional stray round from the inaccurate Ssath weapons. They pushed at the pace of the walking mech, which was slow, ...
2022-06-01 19:30:29 +0000 UTC View PostI have a short story for the upcoming Legendary LitRPG collection that I showed you the first chapter of a week or so ago. Here's the entire story, my take on a person being the summoned and not the summoner.
The Summoned Life.
Chapter 1: A Big Decision.
So, you want to know what it’s like for me? I can tell you that the life I have isn’t exactly an easy one, but I’ve ...
2022-05-31 14:09:53 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the initial excitement, they didn’t have much in the way of visitors. If Florence had to guess, them there wolves were probably the biggest threat in the area, so there wasn’t much else that could challenge their home. It felt good to be in her home again, but it was also missing something, it was too small and too empty for her taste. She missed all her babies and...
2022-05-30 20:20:32 +0000 UTC View PostThat big old alpha wolf was big enough to tear down the front door in only a couple of swipes. One of the splotches of fire fur, which Florence decided was the proper name for it, was on the alpha’s paw. When he whacked the door it burned a hole in it with each hit. The wolf didn’t wait for the paw strikes to burn the door down and once he had weakened it, the alpha char...
2022-05-27 17:00:48 +0000 UTC View PostHugh thought about the options in front of him, the obvious choice would be Human since he knew what to expect, but going with Ximkas might also be good, they were powerful mechs, even at low tier, and their firepower was impressive. He figured the mech type would also determine the rate of production and mechs that were more powerful individually, would also take longer to ...
2022-05-25 17:08:20 +0000 UTC View PostIt was becoming harder and harder for Florence to concentrate, but some crazy core instinct kicked in and she wandered off the path, guided toward the “right” spot for her home to be rebuilt. Now, this here stretch of road was in a rocky, hilly area, and there wasn’t a good cavern, cave, or even a deep hole in the ground that was appropriate. Instead, she stumbled over...
2022-05-23 16:34:49 +0000 UTC View PostToday we have chapter ten of cat core 3, it's a short transitional chapter so I thought I'd include the first chapter of something new I've been working on as my contribution to a LitRPG short story collection that will feature the work of several new and well known authors. It's called The Summoned and is my take on what would happen if instead of the main character being a mage summoning thin...
2022-05-20 14:59:03 +0000 UTC View PostA doorway on the far wall opened to reveal a continuation of the canyon they were in. Directly in front of Hugh were three structures, a command post, a barracks, and a smaller third building that was new to him. Hugh waved the team forward, their mechs stomping onto the rocky soil of the canyon floor, small puffs of dust were seen wherever their feet landed, and he worried ...
2022-05-18 18:54:52 +0000 UTC View PostBefore Florence had a chance to respond to George, her vision blurred and she found herself back in the core room, hand resting on a now rapidly crumbling core gem. Light glowed in the gem as it turned to powder, but unlike the sickly light coming from it before, this time, the green light from the gem seemed healthy, like a force of nature, not some kind of corruption from t...
2022-05-16 20:49:17 +0000 UTC View PostThe giant ape champion stood up tall and roared a challenge from both his mouths. It was an eardrum buster of a roar if Florence were to guess, but she and Doug weren’t affected, and Fizz just covered his ears with his hands and seemed to weather the ordeal well enough, another benefit of being associated with a core shard. With all four arms, it started beating its chest a...
2022-05-13 14:56:16 +0000 UTC View Post“This is interesting,” Dalven said as he opened the storage crate. As Hugh suspected, it contained a weapon to fit on the arm mount on his Ripper. A short, twin-barreled gun clicked into place and began tracking imaginary targets as the Yaelar tried it out. A pair of ammo cubes had also been stashed in the crate, and when they were inserted, Dalven advised he only had tw...
2022-05-11 20:32:13 +0000 UTC View Post“I don’t like that feeling one bit, but if this core thinks a little headache is enough to keep me out, he better reconsider,” Florence said as they reentered the dungeon. This time, there was no flood of creatures trying to stop them, and the place was eerily quiet. Doug had suggested that the dungeon might be at a fairly low level, despite having been around for longe...
2022-05-09 18:12:06 +0000 UTC View Post“Uh, hello there, young man, I suppose you’ve come back to apologize?” Florence asked, stalling for time. Her mana was gone, and the regeneration rate was too slow for her liking. She only had four points and it would take twenty-five to summon another kitty. If she could get the enemies to group up, the cooldown had expired on Instant Dungeon, and she could use that to...
2022-05-06 14:44:18 +0000 UTC View PostHugh covered the opening to the other building as his men made a mad dash to his location. They were quick, but the rippling sand told Hugh that whatever was lurking below was now close by, waiting for anyone to step off the concrete pad the storage building sat on. He wasn’t sure how to deal with that threat just yet, they sure didn’t lack enemies to fight right now. 2022-05-04 19:02:50 +0000 UTC View Post
“I better not get bit by anything in here. You know there are ticks and all sorts of creepy crawlies lurking in this mess. Doug, you remember Lulu Cramer’s boy, Joey, the one with the droopy eye? Yeah, well, he got bit by a tick and got the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I surely don’t want whatever the bugs in this place will give me,” Florence said as they blundered ...
2022-05-02 20:27:24 +0000 UTC View Post“I count eight of them, Florence, how do you want to do this?” Doug asked. Florence could feel old Doug was getting riled up. He was normally all hoity-toity and tried to act like he was a fancy pants gentleman, but she could tell he was itching to fight and wanted another chance to try out his tiger-sized body.
“I’m ready, let me at ‘em,” Fizz said, one of ...
2022-04-30 04:02:06 +0000 UTC View PostSorry it's a bit delayed, yesterday was a busy one and I fell behind.
Chapter 20.
Another passageway greeted them as they left the training zone. This time, instead of another steel-lined compartment, Hugh could see natural light coming around the corner. They readied their weapons and sent Private Burnette ahead to scout things out. He peeked around the corner, then cautiously wa...
2022-04-28 12:58:28 +0000 UTC View Post“This map is an enchanted item that I purchased back in my early adventuring days. It can scale up or zoom in as needed,” Shara said, pulling a large, rolled-up map from her pack that she spread over the table. After a few tries, Shara was able to teach Florence how to manipulate the magic of the map and as Florence looked at it, her ability to know the direction of the n...
2022-04-25 14:33:29 +0000 UTC View Post“Florence, I think you broke our gnome,” Doug said.
“Bah, he’s just playing around since he knows I’m mad at him for all this mess,” Florence said, trying to make gagging noises but having some difficulty accomplishing it.
“Stop with that, Florence, your clothing is a part of you, and you can clean it anytime you want. You can also dispense with your...
2022-04-22 14:27:59 +0000 UTC View Post“Nothing, sir, I don’t think there’s an interface here,” Marthman said. They had dug through the quickly disintegrating spider webs, and it was apparent that there wasn’t a logistics interface to be found in this compartment. Hugh knew they had to run into one sooner or later, but would they find it before all their mechs were worn down by the constant combat? Hugh...
2022-04-20 18:59:48 +0000 UTC View Post“So, how long you think we’ve been gone, Doug?” Florence asked, the pair pausing in the kitchen on the first floor. Bloodstains covered the floor and walls, evidence of the battle that had occurred there. It had been crazy. First, the adventurer’s guild sent them guys in to find out why everyone was dying. When they were leaving the evil adventuring party had attacked...
2022-04-18 13:29:07 +0000 UTC View PostWe're back with Florence Valentine and her cats as we start the final book in the series.
Prelude.
Berikoz exited the cat dungeon, satisfied he had dealt with any immediate threats to his person. Just outside the dungeon entrance, a party of pathetic adventurers waited, their eyes wide with terror as they gazed at the lich in all his splendor. Naturally, an aura of terror emit...
2022-04-15 18:30:31 +0000 UTC View Post“It looks like someone left a few goodies for us. There are three repair modules, I’d like each of you to take one, my mech is the best off of the bunch, so I’ll hold off on any repairs until yours are in better shape. The pistol will go to Sergeant Marthman, and the armor upgrades will go to Pack Monitor Dalven and Private Burnette,” Hugh said, handing out their pri...
2022-04-13 19:46:49 +0000 UTC View PostHere's the last chapter and Epilogue for Limitless Seas Book 2.
Chapter 38.
Instead of the continuation of a dark tunnel, Larson found the other side of the portal to be something else entirely. Hot, humid air assaulted him, the contrast between it and the cool ocean air he was used to was shocking. Something nudged him from behind as Ibn followed in his footsteps. Realizing his m...
2022-04-11 13:10:22 +0000 UTC View Post“It’s going to be dark before we get to the harbor, captain,” Shada said. They were cautiously approaching, having no way of knowing if any of the pirates had returned in their brief absence. As dusk fell and the fleet approached the harbor entrance, the glow of fires could be seen near the docks. A careful examination of the stronghold revealed that the pirates hadn...
2022-04-08 15:22:23 +0000 UTC View PostHugh wasn’t sure how he was going to cut through the metallic strands of webbing that held the spider’s prey. His plasma rifle could burn through, but it could do more harm than good in this situation. A tentative touch ...
2022-04-07 15:51:32 +0000 UTC View PostLarson started to ignore the warning, swimming toward a struggling civilian in the water. He reached her, an older child that was barely treading water. Larson grabbed her and swam back toward the Sea Venom as fast as he could manage. Once near the ship, Bug Bartholomew threw him two lines, one for him and one for the kid. A pair of crew hauled the girl aboard while the ogre...
2022-04-04 11:53:48 +0000 UTC View Post