Despite the fact they fought more scourgelings, the second wave went far better than the first. They knew what to expect now, and none was surprised by the heavy shielding over their eyes. Joy took out two in swift succession before turning to help the others with their battle.
The third wave increased the number of scourgelings yet again,...
2023-06-29 03:16:43 +0000 UTC View Post"Oh boy, oh boy!" Joy practically bounced from foot to foot in excitement, green-tinged canine teeth poking out from below her lips. “We get to fight scourgelings? Oh boy!”
Was it Arthur's imagination, or were those teeth longer and sharper than before?
He didn't have time to think about it, nor did he share in her excitement. Hi...
2023-06-27 04:15:18 +0000 UTC View Post"A dungeon," Arthur repeated, with a nod. "That means the prison we saw at the top of the mesa was more of... a holding facility?" He turned to look out over the top of the mesa, silvered in the setting moonlight. "Then the 'dungeon' must be the true place meant to hold criminals with longer sentences..." He trailed off when he caught the odd ex...
2023-06-20 03:40:21 +0000 UTC View Post(Note: I think you guys will like this next arc... You'll see what I mean by the end.)
Arthur was so excited he practically flung himself out of his Personal Space and back into real-time.
“Brixaby! Look what I found! It’s your card—"
But Brixaby had started speaking at the same time, equally excited. And...
2023-06-16 02:32:51 +0000 UTC View PostAs my Patreons, you guys get a free copy of All The Skills 2 before it comes out. :)
Follow this link:
(Edit: Took link down. See below.)
It will be active for the next week. If you have trouble downloading, or find this post after the link expires, please message me.
And, you know, please don't send to a...
2023-06-13 03:36:10 +0000 UTC View PostArthur dearly wanted to run to the shelf and explore the plethora of enchanted items, but he forced himself to wait until Cressida safely descended the ladder. Then, he placed the ladder back into his Personal Space. But they weren't done yet.
There was still the issue of the gaping hole in the ground, which, from the right angle, would be...
2023-06-13 03:09:23 +0000 UTC View PostThe big question was: Where would the Free Hive hide a stash of stolen combat cars?
Arthur had a pretty good guess.
It would have to be a place that was fairly inaccessible to the hive. A place nowhere else would go, and unlikely to have someone stumble upon it. Most importantly, it would have to be somewhere protected.
Arthur ...
2023-06-09 05:10:50 +0000 UTC View PostHi all!
I've been stuck in last minute book formatting hell, so I've been a little slow on Skills chapters this week. But fear not! As of an hour ago book 2 is all uploaded nice and tidy to Amazon.
Not only does that mean chapters real soon but, as Patrons, you get the eBook for free.
I'll be posting the free download link this...
2023-06-07 06:25:07 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a fine morning to travel to a destroyed village and fight the monster that did it.
Of course, Russell had to start the day off by being a complete shithead. It hadn't escaped his attention that Annika and I had gone off to run around and burn off some energy last night while he'd been fast asleep.
He confronted Annika just as ...
2023-06-07 06:10:27 +0000 UTC View PostSometimes, the abilities of cards created from shards were a complete mystery. At other times, they fit so perfectly that it was almost eerie. This combat card was of the latter variety.
Hey Man, Nice (Metal) Shot
Combat
Rare
This card grants ... 2023-06-03 05:19:57 +0000 UTC View Post
So, I don't know if it was because I was absorbing a monster core from a real-life powerful monster, or if it was because I was doing it through my hands instead of swallowing the thing... but hot damn it was a kick in the pants.
Normally when I swallowed them, it was a race against time to pull the energy around my gosling core before the...
2023-06-01 05:42:39 +0000 UTC View PostFrom hints dropped during dragon care lectures at Wolf Moon Hive, dragons of different ranks tended to mature at different speeds. Commons and Uncommons were the fastest, with Rares reaching full adulthood slower. The average for young adulthood was six months, which was why that was used as the benchmark for graduation.
It stood to reason...
2023-05-30 05:53:09 +0000 UTC View PostBrixaby flew on with his new stealth class fully activated. He was all but invisible to other dragons and people. But that meant...he was all but invisible to other dragons and people.
"Watch where you're going," he growled, having to rely on his skills to quickly take him out of the path of a brown dragon.
The big, lumbering brown d...
2023-05-23 18:28:24 +0000 UTC View PostBrixaby
From the day of his hatching, Brixaby knew he had chosen wisely. After all, the most Legendary card users, the best and the brightest, had all competed for his attention. But they had to earn it; weathering a scourge eruption and surviving a series of brutal duels, all for the privilege of approaching hi...
2023-05-21 06:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post"Get up, Seth," Ash commanded.
I gritted my teeth, attempting to rise, but it felt as if my limbs were made of jelly. They lacked any strength. I managed to hoist myself into a sort of half-crouch but couldn't muster the energy to fully stand. I fell back onto my ass, landing in several inches of churned-up mud.
Annika was bent over,...
2023-05-18 06:19:22 +0000 UTC View PostTwo Months Later...
Arthur awoke, groggy and disoriented. Something felt wrong. Why was he sitting slumped in this chair? And what was that awful smell?
"Are you awake now?" Flossy asked.
Arthur blinked, the world snapping back into focus. He realized that the older woman was standing right in front of him, holdin...
2023-05-16 06:10:54 +0000 UTC View PostArthur didn't pay strict attention during the rest of the visit, stunned and horrified by his revelations.
The former assassin had retreated to his corner, huddling with his knees drawn up to his chest, rocking back and forth. Brixaby, meanwhile, stared at Arthur as though trying to bore a hole through his head. It was clear he had reached...
2023-05-11 05:46:15 +0000 UTC View PostI reached for my spirit fire, but the spirit snapping turtle was faster. It opened its beaky jaws, revealing a hooked beak, and a jet of fire roared out.
"Duck!" I yelled, my voice swallowed by the deafening roar of the inferno surging towards me.
I threw myself to the side, landing in the squelching mud and rolling repeatedly. The a...
2023-05-09 23:25:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs I walked to the first of the three destroyed towns with an injured, veiled girl along with her underage brother—neither of which had their Totems yet—and behind a man that I barely knew but promised to teach me wonderful and mysterious things if I left home to follow him… I started to wonder if I had made some bad choices in life.
**Re-edited Nov '23**
Brixaby must have truly been feeling better because, as Arthur seated himself on Ghost, Brixaby landed on Arthur’s shoulders, twined a tail around the back of his neck, and complained that he was hungry.
"How long has it been since you've eaten?" Arthur asked.
Brixaby thought for a moment. "What counts? ...
2023-05-09 05:23:16 +0000 UTC View Post** Re-edited Nov '23**
Arthur had flown on the backs of dragons numerous times, and he had learned that each was a new experience.
The purples — of which Brixaby was one despite his dark scales — had four wings, all turned back so that they could rapidly beat the air. Some of the smaller Blue dragons also shared this f...
2023-05-05 06:08:47 +0000 UTC View PostAnnika stared at me as I explained monster cores. At least, I assumed she was staring; her head was turned in my direction.
When I finished, she remained silent for a moment before saying quietly, "I don't need your pity, Seth."
"It's not pity," I replied.
There was an awkward silence.
"Okay, maybe there's a little pity,"...
2023-05-04 06:28:53 +0000 UTC View Post*Re-edited Nov '23**
The woman, who briefly introduced herself as Flossie, practically dragged Arthur out of the cave. Then she switched tactics and pushed him towards the entrance of another one about twenty feet away.
This cave seemed to serve as her personal office or perhaps her home, as Arthur noticed a cot tucked awa...
2023-05-03 06:25:56 +0000 UTC View Post**Re-edited Nov '23**
Arthur went back the way he had come through the meandering, nonsensical hive. Tamya’s words echoed in his ears, lowering his mood. Though he had not been aware that there was a problem, he knew he had failed her and Len. He was supposed to be the leader of the class—even though he was in training himself. Yet all...
2023-05-01 05:36:32 +0000 UTC View Post**Re-edited Nov '23**
Arthur activated every skill within his stealth class as he explored the interior of the Free Hive. That, however, soon proved to be overkill. He let go of all but classic Stealth, Silent Movement, Heightened Awareness, and Concealment.
The combination of skills didn't exactly make him invisible, just unno...
2023-04-28 05:24:48 +0000 UTC View PostOh shit.
How many of those monster-core "pills" had I eaten? Six? Seven? It had been a while, but I was pretty sure that I ate one for a week straight hoping that it would grant me magic powers. I must have been functioning with baby brain at the time because I had been a god-damned idiot.
Did this make me a cannibal?
All this ...
2023-04-27 04:07:51 +0000 UTC View PostThis wasn't exactly the start of a new adventure I had imagined. For one thing, everybody was in a bad mood. Well, maybe not Annika. She sat in the cart looking a little bit like a Halloween ghost underneath all of her veils, so silent it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Walking beside the cart, her little brother Russel had a...
2023-04-25 04:37:10 +0000 UTC View Post**Re-edited Nov' 23**
Arthur reread the card three times, hardly not believing it.
Brixaby couldn't have plucked a better card for him if he had planned it. Then again, the man had been an assassin. It made sense that he would have a stealth card in his deck.
Still… a stealth class card was on a whole other level.<...
2023-04-25 04:30:29 +0000 UTC View PostIf I were back on Earth, the decision to go to a new city would be no big deal. Yeah, I’d have to apply to the government for a permit to transfer or get a visa to another city dome. But grease the right hand, and anything could be done. I would be off on the next underground train or, if I was feeling fancy, an enclosed AI taxi to the next ci...
2023-04-23 05:14:05 +0000 UTC View Post**Re-edited Nov '23**
Brixaby darted forward.
Instinct made Arthur catch his dragon in mid-air as he darted toward Chablis. He didn't think Brixaby was going for her heart cards – at least he was pretty sure – but the effect was striking.
Chablis and the three human councilors who’d gathered next to her b...
2023-04-22 06:17:04 +0000 UTC View Post