Chapter Fifty-One
I was teetering on the edge of a deep slumber, currently in the position informally known as ‘loafing’ while resting at the foot of my own bed with a thinner blanket draped over my back. It was warm, especially when the kitties came and laid down next to me to share their heat.
At the moment, though, they were off gallivanting through the house, doing their own kitty-cat things. Cats were famous nocturnal, but that wasn’t quite true. It was...
2025-01-05 06:14:21 +0000 UTC
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The January Index!
New Year! New index!
Link is here: LINK!
2025-01-04 09:05:55 +0000 UTC
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Epilogue
“I’ve had worse,” Crystal said, then she groaned as she tried to sit up. Glass and loose metal crunched under her, and she quickly recognized where she was... more or less.
This wasn’t the first time she’d been thrown into a car. There was a very distinct feel to being embedded in someone’s sedan or... in this case, someone’s mid-2010s SUV? She glanced up to the front of the car, making sure there wasn’t anyone there. The car’s cen...
2025-01-04 02:46:16 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Fifty -
Sharp, unfortunately, spent a solid half hour talking up the blonde before we finally left. It was mostly a litany of excitable babble that had me wanting to cringe to death, Nine Lives perk or no.
Doubly unfortunately, the woman took the prattle as complementary and seemed to actually enjoy it. She laughed at Sharp’s exuberance and then took some time to show off her equipment.
That part, at least, was somewhat interesting. It was ha...
2025-01-03 05:48:42 +0000 UTC
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AN: Still not sure about the volume name! But this is a start!
Prologue
“Catherine?” Lucy asked as she stepped out of the elevator into the parking garage and was instantly hit with some regret.
Why wasn’t she wearing pants? Why did she go down to the parking garage in flip-flops? Why didn’t she at least have socks on?
“Fuck, it’s cold down here,” she muttered to herself as she crossed her arms for warmth. The doors into the garage...
2025-01-03 00:46:29 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Ninety-Three
It came as no surprise that someone in the position of Empress or Emperor would run into people that could be considered traditionally attractive.
Honeypots, of course, but also normal functionaries and officers of a high enough to afford well-tailored uniforms and cosmetic enhancements. Mars prided itself on having a healthy, happy populace, and that often translated into a culture that prized physical health.
Basically, the average Mar...
2025-01-02 03:48:28 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-Two
“Booksie!” I cheered, though I tried not to be too loud about it.
I was meeting the Bun out by the side of a large warehouse that Amaryllis hd rented out for the occasion. It wasn’t the prettiest building, but it was one of the only ones in the entire city large enough to accommodate dragons, and the side walls were designed to be opened up already.
Right now, it was set up as more of an open pavilion than a warehous...
2025-01-01 22:18:37 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Nine
It was Monday morning, which meant another day at the range.
We arrived bright and early, unloading from an auto-taxi with a large duffel bag that I sat in so that Sharp could carry me about without much fuss. Being that it was so early, I might have expected the place to be closed, but Clemus wasn’t that sort of man.
“Oh-hoh, so you’re back,” the old man said. He was sitting on his rocking chair, cane across his lap. “Well...
2024-12-30 21:57:16 +0000 UTC
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Isabelle’s Little Idea by TheWackyWombat
Isabella shot a quick glance at the kitchen, before stealthily crawling across to the living room. Jane was sitting at the table, doing ‘Adult Stuff’, and she wanted to know what that was. Sure, she was only six, but she was learning new stuff from Sir Froggington every day, she could be helpful. After she made it to the couch she slowly peeked over the top, just enough to see the table.
“Issi… what are you doing?” Jane ...
2024-12-29 19:23:28 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Ninety-Two
“I’m afraid that we have a problem,” Ivil said as she watched over her... fleet of companions.
They were gathered once more in the main living space onboard the Sappho. Twenty-Six was sitting on a narrow fold-out couch usually pressed up against the wall between Aurora and Pixie. The little mechanic shifted herself a little, then shrugged. “What kind of problem?”
“I’ve been invited to a dinner... event, and I need to...
2024-12-28 22:50:44 +0000 UTC
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Vasilisa the Brave - Epilogue
She was named by her grandmother.
That woman had been good to her, to everyone. Tough as nails, but with a heart of burnished gold. She believed in fairytales and magic, and on seeing a new baby girl in the family, she decided that her name would be Vasilisa, and she would be brave.
And brave she was. Too much so, maybe.
When she grew, she found that others were sometimes in the wrong. She never shied away f...
2024-12-28 00:14:00 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Eight
The next day, or at least the next day’s morning, was spent rigorously testing Sharp’s new perk.
It was... potent. But it was also not impossibly strong. I suspect that we had traded strength for utility with Sharp’s choice, and that was totally fine.
First, we looked up some ground rules for her ability.
She couldn’t reach into her pocket and pull out anything. No, instead, it seemed as though she had to either know which t...
2024-12-27 19:14:59 +0000 UTC
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Epilogue
Delilah stood on the edge of a field. To her left were rows upon rows of flowers. Small, red things with black centres. Her hand trailed down to her side and she gently pinched one of them. She imagined that it was soft, but her gloved hands hid any such thing from her.
Behind was a clearing. A wide space hidden by a raised hillside where cars and transports were parked. The media was here, because of course they were, but they were being polite. Professi...
2024-12-26 23:56:17 +0000 UTC
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And happy Holidays!
Posting this week might be a smidge slow! But we'll be getting back to our normal schedule by the end of the week!
In the meantime, thank you so much for being there with me this year! It means the world to me <3
2024-12-24 12:53:17 +0000 UTC
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Kittypunk Christmas Special
“Hmm,” I said.
Sharp sighed.
“Maybe... but no.”
I felt Sharp’s grip shift ever so slightly so that she was holding me on her other arm. She shook the arm I’d been resting on out. Had it fallen asleep? I suppose that was possible, I’d been resting on her arm for a solid hour or so.
“I don’t get why this is taking so long,” Sharp said.
“That’s because you don’t u...
2024-12-22 10:17:45 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Fifty
Crystal remained behind to watch over Vasilisa. Their magical shielding around her was wearing out rapidly, even when they put a little more power into it.
They could secure it better, but then... Alice was wary of all the magic in this space.
Above, the storm roiled. Its centre was a twisting, writing mess of dark clouds that twitched and moved against the very wind that created them. She could sense the magic pouring out of this place like a ...
2024-12-21 08:12:27 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Seven
Sharp wrote down the next few perks to pick from with the speed borne of someone who desperately wanted to get something done now. I think she was genuinely worried I’d send her to bed without picking anything if we weren’t fast enough.
Of course, I wouldn’t actually do that. She’d get her time to pick tonight. It wasn’t like she needed a bedtime.
“Okay,” Sharp said. “I wrote down the rest to the end of that row. ...
2024-12-20 12:24:15 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Eighty-Five
***
There’s actually another option as far as mechanized units go.
“Oh?” I asked. I was still looking at the smaller, lighter mecha that was apparently within my now very much reduced price range. “What’s that?”
Since you want to prioritize protection, what about a heavier, more armoured frame? It wouldn’t have the stealth capabilities of your previous machines, but it would make up for that by being signi...
2024-12-19 12:29:41 +0000 UTC
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(I was supposed to make this post a while ago, oops?)
Teddy Bears on Brigade has its own shirt added to the LitRPG Forge featuring... Teddy!
50% of the proceeds of the shirt go to our very own WackyWombat!
Also, don't forget to use the Patreon-exclusive discount code Birbo for a neat 5% off!
Link: 2024-12-19 06:20:42 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Ninety-One
The elevator continued to accelerate the deeper into the station it went until, finally, it stopped with a lurch that might have made the average person crash into the ground. Ivil weathered it without even a dip of her knees, but she still didn’t appreciate the ride.
It was more about the implication than anything else.
If a house gusset arrived at your place, you ensured that they were comfortable and welcome. You didn’t let them ope...
2024-12-18 11:15:00 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Six
As soon as we crossed the wide ditch behind the warehouse to use the shrubbery Sharp and I were both hit with a couple of notifications. I couldn’t see her own, obviously, but that didn’t stop me from knowing that she’d received something. Her gasp, in time with my own pop-up, was an easy enough tell.
Tech Has Levelled Up!
Tech 2 > 3
Cool Has Levelled Up!
Cool 1...
2024-12-18 04:34:20 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-One
It took nearly an hour, but eventually it was determined that none of the contents of the box were dangerous. Well, not dangerous in any sort of obvious way.
We had them all laid out on a table within the building the city had let us use. Amaryllis had been right earlier when she listed everything out.
There was a letter, a clock, a book, and a small bouquet of flowers.
“So... what do we start with?” I asked.
...
2024-12-18 01:02:51 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Eighty-Four
***
“What’s this one even called?” I asked as I gestured to the mech carrier.
The changes I’d asked for weren’t too extreme, I don’t think. It mostly came down to adding sofas in the little command room in its centre and an integrated mini-fridge. At least, at first. I started to have fun with it after that.
The centre-most space, designed to hold two mechs, was replaced by a small mobile garage. Nothing too comple...
2024-12-17 01:41:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Five
“Uh, this feels dangerous,” Sharp said as she looked upon the labour of our work.
We had to pick up a few essentials and bring them back into the gas station’s washroom. Fortunately, the stench around the place kept most people at bay, and this was one of those automated gas stations with no real workers. The drone at the counter was either AI or--more likely--remotely controlled by a person in a third-world-country for pennies on the hour...
2024-12-16 01:33:27 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Ninety -
The Sappho was directed to the centre of the station, towards a smaller docking bay near the space where the ‘stem’ met the ‘cap.’
Ivil was interested to note that the insides of the hollowed-out moon was filled with several large buildings, as well as an outer ring near the top of the stem. It looked to her like one of the ancient station rings for one of the earlier artificial-gravity stations, reworked and reto...
2024-12-15 02:26:37 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Nine
Alice expected to discover Fractured Time at any moment, but instead they kept moving further and further into the bowels of the power plant.
Long tunnels stretched out before them, ankle-high water, the constant and potent stink of burning metal in the air, and very little light except for what Crystal was providing. Were she the kind of person who could still feel common fears, then maybe she might have been creeped out by the sight.
It ...
2024-12-14 03:14:43 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Four
Sharp and I walked back and forth across the front of the warehouse twice.
Twice was as far as I would allow. There was an old adage about once being an event and twice a coincidence, and generally speaking that was true. People noticed if something happened twice, but it took three times for them to start suspecting a pattern.
If you offed someone that was part of an organization and you were talented enough to make it seem like an accide...
2024-12-13 23:56:02 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Eighty-Three -
***
I think, before you start spending points on a new mech, you should decide what you’re looking for in a new vehicle.
I frowned at that. “What do you mean?” I asked. Wasn’t I just looking for a bigger, better version of my last mech?
Generally speaking, most weapons can be divided into two broad categories. The specialized and the general-use. A handgun is a general-use weapon. It can use different a...
2024-12-12 21:20:13 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Eighty-Nine
Ganymede stations approached. Or rather, they approached it.
The station was carved into the side and centre of a small moon, and that had led Ivil to imagine a certain... shape to the station.
Stations and habitations stuck to the side of asteroids and lost dwarf planets weren’t entirely unheard of or uncommon. Stone was a decent radiation shield, it was tough and could serve as a good anchor, and it was heavy and stable. Some bracing ...
2024-12-11 23:34:37 +0000 UTC
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I'm a smidge bored! Last time I did one of these was... well over a year ago, back in 2023, so let's do another?