Chapter 26
Problems.
“They are a four-man group,” Wesley told the assembled soldiers as they stood outside the bunker and looked over the empty expanse of sand at the still-burning fires slowly dying away and leaving charred corpses and smoke in thei...
2024-06-22 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 25
Besieged
“Up! Up! Up!”
Wesley tumbled out of the alcove he had been asleep in as someone banged the ladle against the giant pot over the fire.
“Everyone Up!” Peterson yelled as soldiers and civilians alike scrambled t...
2024-06-21 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 24
Go.
Wesley took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second and calming his rushing heart. When he opened his eyes, the sights were lined up on the first of the men leaning over the table. Letting his breath out slowly, he squeezed the trigge...
2024-06-20 08:10:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 41
The Battlecry.
“What’s the final count?” Nellie asked Salem as they watched the Imperial Line ship depart the station.
“Fifty-three,” Salem tossed a small metal box on the console.
The idea of their new trading part...
2024-06-20 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 23
Ready, Set…
Looking out over the expanse of white sand in front of him, Wesley had to admit it was damn near impossible to see the safe route, but he trusted the locals knew it well enough to tell the difference.
His guide led hi...
2024-06-19 08:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 22
Bad News.
Wesley dropped the wisp form the moment he entered the range of the Outpost. He had no idea what kind of defenses the place had, but he didn’t intend to trip any of them accidentally and end up smeared across the landscape merely a...
2024-06-18 08:10:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 40
A Held Breath
Salem sat in the center of the long conference table while Nellie sat on an elevated chair off to one side. At one end of the table sat Carter, a man she would dearly love to show the inside of an open airlock, while at the other...
2024-06-18 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 39
A deep breath
“When was this recorded?” Nellie asked as she watched the woman she hated being throttled. The scene was rendered in a visual spectrum that most would find impossible to understand. To Nellie and her enhanced senses, the comp...
2024-06-18 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 21
Third Floor
Wesley stepped out of the portal and into a very familiar-looking alley. He could even see the same poster stuck on the walls around the place. It was an immediate and unpleasant reminder of where everything had gone wrong. Followi...
2024-06-17 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 20
Ch-Ch-Changes
Wesley smiled at the sight of the safe room. It was nearly identical to the one at the end of the first floor, and the place almost felt familiar now. The first thing he did was check out the whole place, noting the differences b...
2024-06-16 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 19
Party of One
Wesley found himself standing on a pillar, all alone. Below him, a thick fog obscured everything from sight. Far in the distance, he saw more pillars, one with a large, hairy form on it that had to be Mace. Hawk Eye 2024-06-15 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Chapter 18
Orientation
The pamphlet itself was painfully cheerful. It seemed designed to be as irritating as possible, but he imagined they were more likely going for optimism. A drawing of a happily grinning trio decorated the front cover. A woman in a ...
2024-06-14 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 17
Wavering
Wesley didn’t even try and say anything, just leaving it to Pris.
Mace had seemed to be a really friendly guy up until they entered the dungeon, but since the moment he stepped aside in the first encounter and threw Wes ...
2024-06-13 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 38
Repercussions continued
“Councilman Hadrian,” Crush smiled into the comm pickup. “What can we do for you?”
“There are serious matters that we need to discuss,” Hadrian frowned. “I would much prefer to have this meeting over...
2024-06-13 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Sixteen
Party Time
The Wyrd Watchmen were dropped into what appeared to be an alleyway. Wesley immediately noted the similarity to Earth, but the others didn’t seem too surprised by their surroundings, so it was clearly something they had seen ...
2024-06-12 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 14
Don’t let the door
Wesley was dumped out the other side of the portal and into a grubby stone room. The windows were boarded up, and for a moment, Wes was sure Gem had done something to get him marooned in the middle of nowhere. Then the old...
2024-06-11 10:27:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 15
Taking Risks
“Bullshit!” Pru yelled.
Wesley had thought quite a bit about how to answer Mace’s question before he actually started talking. His first instinct, and second, and third, was to lie.
Malia’s warning, Gem...
2024-06-11 08:06:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 37
Repercussions
Nellie sat back and stared at the space so recently occupied by the hologram of a man she had considered a friend. Tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair, she ran the memory of the discussion through a couple of times, tryin...
2024-06-11 08:05:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 36
A Warning is Issued
The Council room had been cleaned up, and a new table found by the time the comm call came in from the Bly’s Rest. Duke had spent the time in between calming down and then spending almost a full day turning the entire Col...
2024-06-11 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 13
Delver’s Guild
Wesley Lancaster did his best not to look like a tourist while navigating the busy streets of the Unnamed City. He kept his head down, hands in his pockets, as he strolled, pretty much aimlessly, through the city's main thorou...
2024-06-10 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Twelve
The Road to the City
The old covered cart was not the most comfortable place to sleep, but it had the advantage of being something close to safe. It was the first time he had slept since the dungeon, but Wes was awake within a few short ho...
2024-06-09 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Eleven
Swamp Walker
The portal dumped him out in the exact spot he had left a few days earlier. At least the sun was up, giving him a fighting chance to orient himself and come up with a plan for the immediate future.
The dungeon was ...
2024-06-08 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Ten
Easy Mode.
Wesley Lancaster grinned as he leaned around the corner and fired off a Healing Flare. Okay, so maybe it didn’t have a tattoo, but he considered it a separate skill, so he named it.
Ducking back ...
2024-06-07 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 35
Plans and counter-plans.
“Tell me again,” Duke's voice was tinged with frustration as he sighed and leaned his arms on the council table.
“I can repeat it as many times as you like; the report will not change,” Hadrian’s voice ...
2024-06-06 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Nine
Onward
The next big room seemed to be a carbon copy of the one before it, right down to the boss itself, sat with a mace across its knees. Normally Wes preferred a little innovation and creativity in game dungeons. It turned out t...
2024-06-06 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Eight
Dungeon Wes
Wesley Lancaster slowly came back to himself. His mind was shattered, and while something had woken up a while ago, it took a long time before it was actually him again.
His soul ached. Wes was unaware a soul...
2024-06-05 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 34
What a difference a week makes.
Crush grunted as he swung the hammer with everything he had, already knowing he had lost.
“Yeah, that isn’t going to do it, Boss,” Cara offered helpfully.
“You think you can...
2024-06-04 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 33
A whole new Nellie.
“How’s our passenger doing?” Nellie called over her shoulder as the Indomitable lifted off the Caldera's surface at long last.
“I am doing very well, thank you,” Robot replied.
After much discussion, t...
2024-06-04 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Seven
The Ick Factor
Entering the swampy landscape around the village was like walking into a steam room full of rotten meat and plants. Which, as it turned out, was not too far from being an accurate description of the place anyway. Within a few...
2024-06-04 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Six
Loaded
Wesley stared down the sights, trying vainly to see anything in the gloom. Sundown in this world was no joke. First, the sky changed to a vibrant red and orange color, and five minutes later… pitch black. He had wondered the last cou...
2024-06-03 08:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post