At first, it was kind of awkward to explore the junkyard while being chaperoned by Randy, a stranger, who was obviously trying, and failing, to make small talk with me. Within a few minutes, I just began to ignore him, carefully looking in rubbish piles, inside cars, and even inside old trunks for any items that might trigger my ability, [Spirit...
2024-06-22 02:34:23 +0000 UTC View PostPeople had never truly asked me about all my strange gear before. I made a snap judgment–deciding not to ever tell the whole truth about it. Truth mixed with lies or misdirection would be best. Before traveling with Aldina, I probably wouldn't have even thought about it, but now that I knew my abilities were so different from others, spi...
2024-06-22 02:33:29 +0000 UTC View PostThe junkyard was across the street from an ancient, run-down strip mall that had already seen better days even before the end of the world. The windows of the salvage store in the strip mall and the next-door seafood supermarket had both been busted out, and judging from the debris outside, some folks had helped themselves at some point. 2024-06-22 02:32:38 +0000 UTC View Post
My bravery about the new quest that I had received, and my dismissive attitude towards it, melted away the longer I walked. Even though I had grown a lot recently, I still had terrifying, crystal clear memories of the giant casually ripping the roof off of my rental house.
A bounty on the giant was…a lot to think about. ...
2024-06-22 02:30:12 +0000 UTC View PostThis is reupload. I've changed a few minor things and I wanted to put that stuff on Patreon.
After all these chapters are up, I will take down the old stuff.
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Recap
Miles “Shrug” Lindstrom received a quest almost 2 years before the world ended. He took the idea of an im...
2024-06-22 02:29:22 +0000 UTC View PostMax was starting to get used to the trolly rides through Lance’s massive guild.
The area of the Patriot Guild where Max was led had far tighter security than any active teleportation room he’d seen. In fact, in addition to the standard Challenger-oriented security that he'd also seen outside all of the teleportation areas he'd seen, th...
2024-06-17 11:28:52 +0000 UTC View PostAs Max headed out for the day, he paid more attention than he ever thought he would in Vegas, studying the buildings. He noticed that several of the big casinos and other businesses were under new management; the names had changed and, in some cases, even the decorations and color schemes were different. The Vegas strip would still be brightly l...
2024-06-17 10:47:19 +0000 UTC View PostRight after lunchtime, the other goblins all knocked on Kevin’s door. He blearily answered and let them in. With all of them standing inside, the room suddenly felt very cramped. It was amazing how well the former prisoners had all filled out and recovered from their ordeal. When Kevin had first met Rock and the others,...
2024-06-13 20:03:26 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you sure you want me to have this?” asked Kevin. He held up the quartz key to the mysterious laboratory that the group ransacked two days ago.
“You asked that yesterday, too,” said Jagna.
All five of them were sitting around the campfire as Fili cooked dinner. It was a stew made with rab...
2024-06-13 20:02:33 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, while the others either prepared for the day or woke up the rest of the way, Kevin found himself making breakfast with Tomo. The generally quiet woman was unusually talkative and began telling Kevin a bit about her homeland as he cooked bacon and she prepared oatmeal.
She talked about her life slowly, but...
2024-06-13 20:01:38 +0000 UTC View PostMax held one bead between his fingers, an inert bead that he hadn't enchanted yet. He narrowed his eyes at the target, triggered Daliko’s “grasping limbs” ability, and his hand shot forward. He managed to release the bead, but it didn't come anywhere close to hitting the target. Instead, it zipped into the floor so fast that it penetrated ...
2024-06-10 04:22:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe way Blackmist Incident collapsed to be so small was turning into a real advantage, past just convenience. Now that he was back on earth, Max easily passed for a regular person. Some Challengers couldn’t do that anymore.
He’d been listening to morning talk radio and had learned that Challengers weren’t always welcome e...
2024-06-10 03:44:42 +0000 UTC View Post“So you had poison on you? And you used it on your sword before you surprised the ruin guardian?” asked Fili. The dwarf man wasn’t trying to hide his skeptical expression. “Why didn’t you say anything about this poison before or mention it to me? Poison is one of my specialties.”
“I wa...
2024-06-04 07:50:33 +0000 UTC View PostKevin darted forward, trying to deliver a cut, but the monster twisted and turned before he could land a blow. The defensive move hadn't been intentional, but it was still effective enough to rob Kevin's attack of all power. In frustration, he took a swipe at the creature's monstrous blade-tipped tail and managed to almost cut it. It was as if t...
2024-06-04 07:49:50 +0000 UTC View PostThe Mountain Fingers conferred at the edge of the ruins, far enough away from their target to speak comfortably.
"I was afraid of this," said George.
Jagna tapped a stick on her palm. The ork woman shook her head and said, "It really is the worst possible combination, huh?"
"That's right,"...
2024-06-04 07:49:00 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! This is a post where I act annoying and throw pride out the window because...I'm kinda scared. lol
Reincarnator Raised by Dragons is about a day away from hitting the first page of Rising Stars on Royal Road. This will significantly increase its discoverability on Royal Road, but that can be a double edg...
Kevin watched the fire blaze, large enough to light up the entire campground. Through a combination of magics by the adventurers, the flames would not be visible to anybody outside the actual campsite. It was mostly Tomo who hid their campground from prying eyes. Her wind magic, in particular, was exceptional for this purpose. Of course, any cre...
2024-05-27 20:15:11 +0000 UTC View PostChad walked rigidly next to Max through the heart of the Patriot Guild. Max's conversation with Lance had taken an extra thirty minutes, where they caught up with each other as quickly as possible. They did their best to reconnect, given the time constraints. After all, Lance really was a very busy man.
After their conversation,...
2024-05-26 17:02:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe new meeting room was smaller, simpler, and had a heavy, secure-looking door. Lance had led Max here alone, leaving all the others in the original conference room.
Now Max studied his friend again across the glass table. It looked like Lance had put on a little bit of weight since the last time Max saw him i...
2024-05-26 15:31:58 +0000 UTC View PostThe lobby was the same as always, all shades of silver and white, decorations dripping with aloof, impersonal class.
Kevin didn’t even need to go to the front counter of the guild. Four people were sitting on a few of the overstuff couches and chairs, waiting. They all stood as soon as they saw him and one of them,...
2024-05-25 14:47:48 +0000 UTC View PostA couple of days later, Kevin still didn't understand how he'd been able to further unlock the strange spoon that the goddess Morrigan had given him. However, his pasta had been a huge hit, and even with the restaurant's higher prices, the dish had been pulling in significantly more regular customers. Now, when Kevin worked in the kitchen, all h...
2024-05-24 16:32:23 +0000 UTC View PostKevin started with a very basic dough for noodles he was planning. Eggs, flour, milk, salt. He kneaded the dough for a while, rolled it through the rollers, and set it aside in the bowl he had been working in, sprinkling a bit of extra flour on top.
He’d made dough like this before, but after waving around [The Spo...
2024-05-22 23:21:39 +0000 UTC View PostWorking in the Elven kitchen was an interesting experience for Kevin. This was his first time actually getting to know any Elven people in this world, and he realized that there had been some holes in his education. For one, while he knew the basics of Elven customs, language, and even some of their rituals, he hadn't actually learned about thei...
2024-05-22 21:18:29 +0000 UTC View Post"Do you have any leads on finding us, or a new home?" asked Rock. "It's not that I don't appreciate your generosity, but I'm sure you understand that I'd like to make my own way."
"Yes, I get it," said Kevin. "After the conversation I had with the Magi Guild yesterday, I'm going to be taking a quest, or I guess a job in about tw...
2024-05-21 14:27:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe newcomer walked straight towards Kevin and didn't play coy about his intention to talk. As soon as Gesel got up, the stranger sat down and said, "Kevin Brightscales, I presume?"
"That's me. Who are you?"
"My name is Saimi. I have been dispatched to discuss your first outing with the Guild."
<...
Kevin waited in the lobby of the inn, anticipating the arrival of a representative from the Magi Guild to discuss job opportunities with him. He was unsure of what to expect from the entire process, but he had confirmed that it was nothing like the operations of the Fighters Guild and the Adventurers Guild. He’d been chatting with some o...
2024-05-20 14:22:30 +0000 UTC View Post“Master Kevin, there's somebody downstairs to see you.”
Kevin looked up from the newspaper he was reading and arched an eyebrow. It had been two days since he took his test at the Magi Guild. When he'd gotten back, the other goblins had been relieved. They’d been worried, and Kevin figured they’d also been glad when he...
2024-05-20 13:27:23 +0000 UTC View PostMax could barely believe his eyes as he stared out the window of the private plane before landing. Chad seemed to understand what was on his mind even though Max hadn't said anything. The former jiu-jitsu instructor-turned-adventuring-guild-leader sighed and leaned his head back.
"Yes, the compound is massive," he answered...
2024-05-20 03:28:10 +0000 UTC View PostMax sat on a private airplane that Chad had rented. The two of them were almost to Vancouver. Throughout the flight, Chad had been working furiously, using his laptop and speaking softly into his Bluetooth earbud. While Chad did what was necessary for a last-minute meeting in Canada, Max read years of news stories online, filling in his knowledg...
2024-05-20 03:26:12 +0000 UTC View PostSorry for the wait on these 3 chapters, but I think you're going to like them. :)
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Max pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, his eyes closed. He thought about what he had just heard over the last half hour while quietly listening to Chad. Of course, that had been after a short car ride from the parking lot the...