Jason shrugs, “Though that last one can already be done, just regulated by the System. I’m a good example of that, even if I went in the opposite direction. Like, there are probably people out there who have done the exact opposite of what I did.
“And in here? I’m sure someone native will have tried it. Though just as equally, I’...
2023-11-15 16:21:19 +0000 UTC View PostThen, without any fanfare, the next wave starts. Though it seems that the puppeteer last wave must have been a fluke. While certainly not an easy fight, the beasts simply charge forward without any sign of outside manipulation.
This actually made Courtney even more annoyed, since it pointed towards the puppeteer being seen as just another ...
2023-11-15 16:20:36 +0000 UTC View PostAnd while all that drama is happening with Ace and Doyle plans around it, the world advances. Up the river, Melonie Bennett was also having her own problems. It was a bit of an ironic twist, really.
Her problem had gone from people not wanting to accept the system, to almost cult-like worship of it. And it was only “almost cult-like” b...
2023-11-10 11:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostIn the dungeon, Doyle went on, not caring about the changes Ace had put into place. Well, not that he didn’t care, so much as it didn’t affect him. While Ace could make some changes within the dungeon, it didn’t alter anything Doyle was doing. Even with the system, there was only so much people can do when it came to dungeons.
Though...
2023-11-10 11:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostYep, I was a bit stupid today. Got hurt and maybe be in trouble? Will have to wait and see on the trouble. I don't think it will prevent me from writing chapters, though money might be a problem for me depending on how things pan out. I've got some reserves, but I don't know how things will go. Blarg. I guess I should be thankful that nothing wa...
2023-11-08 23:23:25 +0000 UTC View PostCourtney rolls her eyes, “So what? We don’t have the only kind of talent that matters? Are we doomed to failure unless we find a ton of rare resources?”
Jason laughs, “I think you took the wrong lesson from what I said.”
Rosha tilts her head to the side, “Pretty certain you just went and pissed on the concept of being tal...
2023-11-08 11:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostCourtney frowns for a moment longer before sighing. “This was all inevitable, wasn’t it?”
Jason laughs, “You already had the various powers floating around. It was just a matter of time before one group or another figured out how to use it. And to be honest? I wouldn’t put it past the various large groups to already have a rudime...
2023-11-08 11:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's Note: Modern Engravings took the lead in points early on the fifth and held it all the way to the end and is thus the winner
Below are the full prompts as the poll doesn't allow the full text. In the case of ties the first option that got there wins. The short story will be finished by the end of the month.
Near-Protagonist ...
2023-11-04 17:44:26 +0000 UTC View PostAce’s choice caused many reactions out in town, except nobody really knew what was happening. Sure, the officials, such as they were, had some odd things happen during work. Outside of that, though? No one else was directly affected.
Though some would debate you on the definition of “directly”. Ace, however, decided to go with the de...
2023-11-03 10:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostNope, no transitions at all, just going from a desolate plains to a rocky hill country. The change is so abrupt that some hills have a cliff facing the plains, as if something had cut the hill in half. Maybe the lack of transitions is the result of those Titanic beasts in the distance? I didn’t particularly pay attention to such detail.
...
2023-11-03 02:26:20 +0000 UTC View PostWith the wave over, everyone relaxes. And then Courtney gets angry. “A puppeteer monster? Sure, swarms and insect colonies have something similar, but actually puppeting others? That just isn’t done! What kind of nonsense is NeoRealm trying to throw at us?”
Jason shrugs, “Pretty sure I’ve heard of worse even deeper into the Deep ...
2023-11-01 17:23:04 +0000 UTC View PostOnce it was pointed out, Jason was able to notice the pattern. Yes, each individual monster was attacking wildly. However, when they moved, it was too ordered. Which might have made the fight drag on, except Jason was willing to bet it wasn’t the Deep Wilds doing this, so one of the monsters that arrived with the group was the cause.
Now...
2023-11-01 17:22:28 +0000 UTC View PostOnce again I'm here to ask all of you for short story prompts! I'll take the more popular ones as decided by the number of hearts (or that I particularly like) in the comments and make a poll at the start of the month. The winner will be made into a short story of a thousand or so words.
Not many rules on what you can suggest at the moment...
2023-10-31 14:48:50 +0000 UTC View PostWithin the timeless space beyond creation, where all of everything could fit an infinite number of times, there was a new order. Well, “new” is a little bit of a misnomer, what with the whole “timeless space” thing. Can’t even really say “at the moment” and mean anything. Good thing those who exist in that non-space are more than c...
2023-10-31 14:44:46 +0000 UTC View PostPaths aren’t meant to limit you. Any limits being placed on you through a path, is a limit you have already accepted, even if not consciously. We can see an example of this in Doyle’s goats. Through a path, he limited them to being beasts. Doyle would not have humanoid goats in his dungeon. Even if one stumbled in and died, such a creature i...
2023-10-27 11:42:37 +0000 UTC View PostIt takes a little bit of planning, but Ace does figure things out. He had originally planned to take it slowly, induct new people as they marry in or are born to the inner circle. This was mostly so it would be easy to turn away others, but admittedly, they had already broken that when the wolfkin showed up and they inducted the Selas.
Tho...
2023-10-27 11:42:01 +0000 UTC View PostThey didn’t retreat. At least not on the first day. Though even the third wave had still been entirely composed of normal beasts. Well, normal as far as NeoRealm goes. While a badger with a snake tail and fangs would be quite an oddity irl, it wasn’t actually magical or anything.
More interesting was how the beast waves showed up. Now,...
2023-10-25 12:41:50 +0000 UTC View PostThe time it takes for Jason to finish this reasonably sized building is measured in days, during which Rosha and Courtney are scouting out the area. Of course, anything they find only has a coin flips chance of still being there in a month. Though for the moment, knowing what dangers there are is quite important.
Biggest of those dangers i...
2023-10-25 12:41:10 +0000 UTC View PostIt took the town about twenty days before they managed to figure out the trick with the twelfth floor. While they did that, Doyle focused on rune-less arrays and formations. That might sound odd, after all, isn’t the point of such things to use runes and such for magical effects?
This assumption is accurate enough. In fact, any array or ...
2023-10-20 12:06:08 +0000 UTC View PostOf course, in crafting, Energy can easily do most things Qi can do. It does have a bit of difficulty for the more fancy Mana based stuff, so no raising a stone house out of the ground. It can, however, do a good imitation of touch tk.
Touch telekinesis, a classic super power used to explain why a super strong character can lift stuff witho...
2023-10-18 14:33:34 +0000 UTC View PostOver the next two days, the group wandered back and forth through an area that was just about the center mid and right paths. Not that it took them that long to find a clearing. Rather, they found too many clearings. Despite how shallow this place was, it was still the Deep Wilds and thus the terrain could shift at the drop of a hat.
The g...
2023-10-18 14:33:28 +0000 UTC View PostMy hurried retreat ended up taking me further into the wasteland. I had a good reason for this. After all, the colossal beasts might just be vegetarians, while I knew for certain the mantids wanted my flesh. Oh, and being so big I thought they wouldn’t even bother looking at me.
I turned out to be half right. Those giant beasts weren’t...
2023-10-17 03:07:55 +0000 UTC View PostAfter people figured out that runes from their past could work, Doyle quickly lost interest. Well, that isn’t quite true. While he avoided leveling his rune skill, that didn’t mean the runes weren’t of interest to him. He just already knew all the runes people had figured out, if only because they all basically came from the same source. A...
2023-10-13 14:03:54 +0000 UTC View PostOver the next couple weeks, things began to change within Wolf’s Rest and presumably the world, though Doyle and Ally can only observe the town. Now, you would think that the old runes and symbols suddenly having genuine power would be noticed right away. After all, Ally had been watching one person in particular who had been attempting a magi...
2023-10-13 14:02:53 +0000 UTC View PostThe night was not peaceful. It was honestly to be expected. While the settlement had specially designed the repellent to target the snakes that came along with the giant beast. That didn’t mean others weren’t affected.
Many beasts and monsters had been driven away from their homes by the smell alone. Unlike the snakes, though, since th...
2023-10-11 11:41:40 +0000 UTC View PostNext morning everyone is very happy they didn’t leave yesterday. Even with a favorable wind and precautions, they could smell the repellent in the settlement. Just a whiff was enough to wake everyone up.
Though apparently the bad smell by itself was more of a side effect. The reason it took a few days to set off wasn’t because they wan...
2023-10-11 11:41:05 +0000 UTC View PostDoyle looked down at what some would generously call a cluttered mess. Symbols from cultures the world over were all clustered between a pair of circles. Why two circles, one inside of the other?
No reason, Doyle just felt it was easier to target the space inside of the inner circle than it would be to target something else. Oh, and this w...
2023-10-06 10:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostJason steps forward, “What if we don’t want a clearing? Could we instead claim a bit of the forest or some such? Maybe a puddle and grow that?”
Callen Stalfos smiles, “An interesting question! To some degree you could probably manage something like that. Except you won’t. You’re going to build a house and probably clear some ar...
2023-10-04 12:17:00 +0000 UTC View PostCallen Stalfos points towards the lake near the middle of the map. “Now I probably don’t need to warn you, but avoid the lake. Sort of a hot spot for the beasts that don’t plan to attack right away.”
Courtney nods, “I would say not just the lake, but the entire area between the lake and the settlement. Though I suspect the best p...
2023-10-04 12:16:28 +0000 UTC View PostBelow are the full prompts as the poll doesn't allow the full text. In the case of ties the first option that got there wins. The short story will be finished by the end of the month.