RinoZ

Chapter 1602 - Cracks

Reports came flooding in from all over the Colony at a frantic pace. There were problems everywhere. Tunnels were overflowing, channels were breaking, the hospitals were filled with mana poisoned soldiers, supply lines were stretched and the platforms were being pressed harder than ever before.

Solant was in her element. She synthesised the information at a carapace warping speed, making decisions to address the problems she could mix, and working to mitigate the ones she couldn�...

Chapter 1601 - Templar

Jern woke, feeling his head pounding in his skull. He groaned and tried to sit up, his vision swimming before finally settling, letting him see that he’d been moved into one of the barracks. One of the Colony members must have pulled some beds in here to lie the comatose Templar down.

Slowly shifting his head to the left, then to the right, Jern confirmed that he was indeed not alone. Alis was with him, along with Bertran, but he didn’t see the kids.

“Trean? Emilia? A...

Chapter 1600 - When Plans Go Well

[See? Everything’s fine.]

[I fail to see how this is fine, Master!]

[What do you mean? We aren’t going to die. In the next few minutes.]

[That we know of!]

[Look, I’m not saying it’s ideal, but it isn’t as bad as it could have been. There’s probably heaps of people out there who have it worse than us.]

[You threw yourself into the fifth stratum during a wave!]

[I mean… that’s… that’s true. On the other hand, we aren’t h...

Chapter 1599 - A Worthy Capture

“He’s really gone.”

“So… who goes up to report next time?”

Bluzoth couldn’t help but roll her eyes atop their stalks as she listened to the other slugs mutter amongst themselves. They’d all watched as Zluth had leapt into the mucus, certain that he would fail and die. Now they eyed each other suspiciously, wondering how they could manoeuvre their way out of having to report this latest failure to the Krath’lath waiting above.

Whichever slug landed th...

Chapter 1598 - The Prize

We are back! I'll start pushing out the chaps this week and we will soon be off and running! Whoo! Had a very nice break, thank you for asking, and I hope you're all doing well!

“Have you found it yet?” Chozth demanded.

There were a dozen, valid, excuses that Zluth could make, but he knew that each and every one of them would get him killed. Instead, he simply said “no”, and waited.

As expected, the powerful Krath boiled with raw rury, her eyes bulgi...

Chapter 1597 - Response

“There’s an emergency!” The scent burst through the command centre, filled with a level of panic and urgency rarely felt within Solant’s presence.

“Bring that scout to me immediately,” the general commanded, waving away the ants gathered around her.

Not waiting to be given space to approach, the scout simply rushed over, climbing upon the others still in her way.

“The Eldest has been taken!” she burst out. “The Eldest has fallen off the platform and ...

B5 Chapter 29 - An Army of Gold

I think I needed a break more than I thought! Much vegetating has happened over the past week, to the point I nearly grew roots!

It's been fun. I think I will keep the freeze on for another week while I catch up and then get ahead a little. It'd be nice if we started keeping to the schedule again, and would be good for my stress levels. Hope everyone is well out there!

“You think they turned back?” Worthy asked, his brow raised. The Hammerman ...

Billing Pause + Sick

I had a good run but my terrible luck of illness was bound to catch up with me eventually. After a family camping trip, everyone has come home sick. Winning!

After I catch up on the last week of posts which I still haven't done yet (one bod + 3 Chrysalis) I'll take the rest of the week off.

Naturally, I'll pause billing until things are back up and running again. Hope everyone out there is doing well. I'm going to vegetate in bed for a while.

B5 Chapter 28 - Beyond the Mountains

Sorry to keep you waiting!

Vien slowly, ever so slowly, clenched his fingers tight. Then he released them, patiently, ensuring the movement was as tight and controlled as possible. His muscles responded, his blood flowed, bringing back a hint of feeling and helping push the cold away.

Good. Do it again.

Perched in his tree, concealed by the frost covered foliage, the Imperial Scout repeated the simple process over and over again. Like a bear waking ...

Chapter 1596 - The Collapsing Star

Struggled writing this one.

There isn’t much time to think. I pump some of the Altar energy into my carapace, reinforcing it to protect myself, then pour all of the rest into my chomp. 

It’s a blessing the rest of the Colony has listened to me and given me some space. Almost a miracle. Ultimately, a miracle that saves a lot of lives.

It’s difficult to explain what happens next. The sensation of power floods through my mandibles. Ligh...

Chapter 1595 - The Sizzling Spectacle

You know… Gravity Compressed Diamond is really impressive stuff. It’s just so… so dense. Honestly, it might even give Tiny a run for his money.

I leap into the giant ball of oncoming mucus and it immediately splats me back down again, which is unpleasant, I’m not going to lie.

I half expected it to eat through my carapace in a matter of seconds, this is the fifth after all, but no! The diamond holds firm!

Well, my diamond holds firm....

Chapter 1594 - Sense of Danger

Krath engineering? Who knew that was even a thing?! Thick ropes of sticky mucus zloop down from above with remarkable speed, latching onto the platform and trailing off towards my still rotating gravity bomb. Some of them get sucked in and destroyed, but it isn’t long before my spell flickers out, allowing the slugs to connect the bones of their slime bridge.

I watch it all with a rising sense of incredulity. They really think they can make something out of mucus to carry the w...

Chapter 1593 - Invasive Ooze

These stupid net… ooze… things are super annoying! Fire won’t burn them off, and it seems as though the Krath have found a way to make them more resistant to the cleansed mana. They’re burning away, but so much slower than I would like! 

Every moment that passes they spread themselves further over my carapace, feeling their way around and trying to find a weak spot where they start to apply their paralysing toxins. It’s unpleasant, to say the least.

And that ...

Chapter 1592 - The Singing Won’t Stop

Theresant wasn’t sure what was happening. Brood Tenders ran everywhere outside the snailcare centre, checking readouts, consulting with experts. Musical experts were rushed in to listen and analyse, but none had any answers.

The snails wouldn’t stop singing.

Young as they were, as little as two months, the hatchlings were still weak, still growing quickly. These weren’t monsters, ready to fight for survival the moment they were born, and the Tenders were terrified of ...

B5 Chapter 27 - Greasing the Wheels

The Lady Lofis was of the direct line of descent from the Goddess herself. Her blood was of the highest purity, and her blessings from her ancestor were second only to the Chosen of Lofis herself. A noble of the first rank, she was an untouchable presence to everyone inside the building. They shouldn’t even be able to look at her.

Someone of her status was almost never seen outside of the Palace of Ascension. If the Emperor himself walked in the door, it would be only ...

B5 Chapter 26 - Administration

Note: Sorry, posted to wrong tier at first! My bad!

As every citizen of the empire knew, the Palace of Ascension was the most prized, most desired place to live. A literal castle in the sky, it housed the Emperor and those of the most pure blood, their servants, who themselves were minor nobility, the high-priesthood, including the Chosen of the Gods, and the top administrators of every department. Every lever of power, all of the most influential members of the final c...

Chapter 1591 - Rain of Slugs

As the Krath reach the purified mana, they begin to sizzle and steam, just like my carapace is currently doing. Before they even touch the ground, each and every one of them plunges a hand onto their own flesh, puncturing some critical organ inside. They dissolve rapidly, to the extent that almost nothing survives to reach the platform.

Lousy slugs! I was going to give them a good chomp! I deserve that! I’ve earned it!

“Try and burn these nets off me!” I ask the ants ...

Chapter 1590 - Tug of War

More and more of the nets shoot down from above, each of them targeting Alis from a different angle. I can’t move, she isn’t able to defend herself in the slightest.

Clever little slugs. You think if you stick a bunch of these to me then I’ll just fall asleep and you can drag me away? Don’t be ridiculous.

I lean back and swing my head in a wide arc, mandibles open wide. Snagging as many of the ropes between my jaws as I can, I loop them over and around my mandibles,...

Chapter 1589 - The Heat Is On

Another monster from the sixth arrived a few hours ago, which makes it the third one today. The mana level here in the fifth has probably reached its peak now, and it is deeply unpleasant. 

It’s a constant struggle for the wuffers to keep up, the blue mana is being consumed faster and faster by the more potent native energy and they have to chew through that potent toxic stuff at ever increasing speeds. For now, the safe-zone is holding. For now.

I know the vast bulk...

Chapter 1588 - Zluth Is Risen

A council of Krath’lath was a tense, if not deadly, affair at the best of times. The Krath’lath Zluth had known throughout his life were, for the most part, petty bullies, upstarts and thugs. Stronger than the others, or bigger, they were able to gain influence using the most crude methods. When such tribe leaders met, the outcome was inevitable: fighting, death and destruction.

But those had been petty leaders of minor tribes, such as his own Slee. Weak and irrelevant, their...

B5 Chapter 25 - Return 

The city was quiet when Tyron arrived, the sun fading over the horizon and the shadows creeping longer between the stone buildings. Worthy had remained behind for a little longer, helping the Slayers set up a more permanent encampment just outside the Broken Lands.

The rift, which they had tentatively agreed to call Stonebeast, would need to be constantly monitored from this point onward. The worst of the work had been done, clearing out the concentrated kin on this side of the r...

B5 Chapter 24 -  Lords of the Dead

As it turned out, the contract Dove had been compelled to sign was indeed very restrictive. Layers of constraints and restrictions that bound Dove’s soul so tightly he barely had room to wiggle. To describe it as onerous would be exceptionally generous; a slave contract was more one-sided, but not by much.

To get any information at all, he was forced to use his most forceful and intrusive methods, attacking Dove’s mind and soul, taking hold and squeezing, until a few little s...

Lit rpg con

Finally got around to booking my tickets today. I'm locked in, people!

LitRPG Con

Hope to see you there, July 18 to 20!

Chapter 1587 - The View From on High

After our tour of the docks and the facilities there, Emilia makes a final offer that I simply cannot refuse, dear reader! It has been an invigorating day already, but there is so much more to see. The domain of the Colony in my home stratum is a wondrous and well developed place, its grandeur and scenery are truly awesome to behold and there is, so I’m told, no better way to behold them than from one of the two floating islands that orbit the mountain.

“The Colo...