Just a quick heads up folks.
First let me stress that me and the family are totally fine and in no danger, unless we sink into the lawn trying to go outside.
Having said that, the area I live in is currently under a flood warning and there may be disruptions to services (power/internet). My house is nice and high up, so we won't be underwater or anything, but if I don't get any posts up over the next while, this will be why.
Again, I'm fine, but do spare a thought for those ...
2022-10-13 22:03:17 +0000 UTC
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There were more candles burning than the night before. When Tyron had gone to sleep, he’d estimated there to be close to twenty of the small flames alight in the back of his mind. When he awoke, that number had grown. By how much, was difficult to say, many of the candles flickered so close to each other that determining an exact number was impossible. Even so, he was certain it had grown.
That meant Monty had not yet given up on his twisted ambitions. He was recruiting. The thought o...
2022-10-13 10:54:11 +0000 UTC
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The ant stared at them. Rillik, Elly, Drake and Lacos stared back.
A pause.
Rillik swore viciously, then began to turn the boat around, not bothering to hide his frustration.
“Let’s just kill it and get on the mountain,” Drake said. “There’s only one.”
Rillik didn’t bother answering, still openly cursing.
“There is never just one,” Lacos quoted the advice their leader had imparted earlier in the day, then he pointed over the monster.
Drake...
2022-10-10 10:41:34 +0000 UTC
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We will be one
Within, Within
Surrender the self
To him, to him
The darkest night
Will end, will end
The cage of our flesh
Will break, will break
But we will live
Forever and ever.
In him
Prayer and refrain from the “Lamentations: Spirit of the Great One”, written by Priest Beyn.
The mercenary city of Gl...
2022-10-09 22:58:41 +0000 UTC
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The Queen looked down on her children and felt joy swell in her heart. It always did when they thronged around her, looking busy and enjoying their lives. No matter what they did, the Colony threw their whole selves into the task, as an ant should, and she took great pride in the achievements of her children.
Even if that task happened to be fighting.
The number of her children throwing themselves into the battle continued to swell, and they fought with furious efficiency. Every c...
2022-10-08 13:18:49 +0000 UTC
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Obviously, I already have an answer to this question, but I'm curious what the readership thinks will happen, or want to happen.
So let me know what you want to happen to Dove going forward!
Only vote once, have at it!
2022-10-07 05:29:31 +0000 UTC
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Made a couple of changes to chapter 18 where Tyron picks his new Class. I added the following two lines.
You are able to advance Mysteries to the next stage.
You have been granted the Skill: Minion Modification. This allows you to change and improve undead that have already been created.
The first I'd just forgotten to put in, the second I added after consideration and discussion in the discord to give the advancement a little more oomph right ...
2022-10-06 08:12:23 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 1054 - Colliding Waves pt 2
Any conflict against demons within the third stratum is almost certain to end in failure. Not only are the native monsters resistant to, even empowered by, the conditions which are draining to almost all other life-forms, but the nature of the demon life cycle ensures that any long-term conflict will turn into a grind that cannot be won.
Over time, the larvae will mature and the demons will become the beneficiaries ...
2022-10-04 10:28:33 +0000 UTC
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Victor almost sagged to the hot stone floor of the stratum in relief when a runner finally made its way back to her command post with the news. The Queen had been sighted, still alive. Great news, they hadn’t been too late. Then came the rest of the message. She was under attack, a swarm of crazed demons surging out of the lower layers tearing into everything they saw.
The Queen (obviously) refused to retreat and leave her children behind, which meant they needed to go down and extrac...
2022-10-03 10:10:43 +0000 UTC
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What is it that a delver seeks? Many don’t devote enough thought to this question, because there are several answers, not all of them financial. Of course, the main fiscal return of any delve is cores and valuable monster components, that goes without saying. By defeating monsters and harvesting these rare and desirable items, a delver is able to sell these back to their mercenary company or guild and earn their pay, through which they support themselves, this much is obvious.
<...
2022-10-02 04:13:48 +0000 UTC
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SUPER late this time. Holy moly. Double Chrysalis coming tomorrow folks.
Kid, as much as I admire your colossal sack, I’m worried those same pendulous balls are blocking your vision, like a hairy, wrinkled blindfold. This is not a good idea.”
“In an unusual turn of events, I find myself agreeing with the skull,” Yor said. “There is too much risk involved. These are powers far beyond your ken. Perhaps one day, you will speak with beings such as t...
2022-10-01 11:00:25 +0000 UTC
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The practice of Delving into the Dungeon is as old as the Rending. No sooner had the desperate struggle for survival begun than people were throwing themselves into the depths, desperate to find the tools they needed to fight back against the onslaught.
Most died, but some didn’t, and even fewer actually became good at plunging into the depths. Being able to descend, fight, gather materials, and return alive, was exceptionally valuable, and therefore lucrative.
2022-09-28 01:34:15 +0000 UTC
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Dungeon Seers have long been a fixture in all of the major civilisations of Pangera; their capacity to detect some aspects of the inner workings of the Dungeon and its mana is an invaluable aid.
It can’t have been easy, in the early times, when exploration of the various strata was even more perilous than it is today. As more of the space was explored, and more was understood, it gradually became clear that the secret to the Dungeon, was mana.
How did it wo...
2022-09-26 11:37:46 +0000 UTC
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The tunnels between layers were uncomfortable at the best of times. Filled with smoke, ash and the bubbling streams of lava that made the heat unbearable, they were inhospitable before you took into account the demons prowling through them. Or worse, the remnants of demon obsession that simply refused to die.
Yet, for one nameless scout, this was, by far, the most stressful trip through the tunnels that she had ever experienced. The knowledge that the entire Colony was waiting ...
2022-09-24 11:41:33 +0000 UTC
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The Queen was having a great day. Her mandibles gnashed with joy as she rushed across the plains, the small demon larvae wiggling out of her way as she chased down her prey. It had taken some time to get down the pillar, avoiding the inhabitants of the plate city as her delegation made their way down below.
“Mother, surely now you’ve had enough. Isn’t it time to return and see to your tasks?”
The Queen continued to munch on Biomass as she replied.
“Yes, I do believ...
2022-09-23 12:31:56 +0000 UTC
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Re-wrote this whole thing, and that basically never happens. Still not quite happy with it, but its late enough already!
The skeletons moved with their usual lack of grace as they fought. Eerie silence surrounded the minions, advancing and cutting down the rift-kin without any utterance leaking from their glowing skulls.
Tyron was used to it by now, but every now and again, he was reminded of just how spooky his undead were in battle. No doubt this had served him ...
2022-09-23 00:50:54 +0000 UTC
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Ants flooded through the tunnels, called to action stations by urgent pheromone messages distributed by the still under development “automated noiseless announcement system.”
If Sloan had any hair, she would be pulling it out of her carapace right now. Instead, she had to settle for tugging insistently on her antennae with her mandibles as her brain tried to spin the logistics needed for the required movements.
“It’s fine,” she said to the other council members, who star...
2022-09-20 11:26:16 +0000 UTC
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The resources of the third stratum proved to be a boon to the Colony, but none more so than the Fire Iron, as we called it. Found in naturally replenishing reserves between layers, the precious metal had several properties that made it of enormous interest, especially to those like me.
Obviously, it was heat resistant, but to such an extreme degree that it was shocking to us. Our finest quality enchanted steel couldn’t compare to even the unprocessed ore.
T...
2022-09-18 12:04:04 +0000 UTC
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Odin had seen many things in his first life. The pressure that came with being a professional assassin, the piles of bodies he’d left in his wake, none of it prepared him for the Demon horde that surrounded him now. They stretched in all directions, the living carpet of small, gnawing demons of which he once was one, replaced with a fearsome menagerie of monsters that towered over the landscape.
There were thousands of them, tens of thousands. Each one a creature of obsession and powe...
2022-09-17 12:13:36 +0000 UTC
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The Queen crunched her demon prey with satisfaction. A strange, bladed creature, the monster had put up quite a fight before she’d been able to overpower it. There was something so gratifying about hunting for her own Biomass. She doubted she would ever get tired of it.
“This area isn’t secure, Mother. We shouldn’t tarry for long.”
There was something else that she was definitely tired of, though.
“We are perfectly safe, my child,” she gently ...
2022-09-16 11:32:39 +0000 UTC
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Tyron thought seriously for a time before he replied.
“Some of them we’ve discounted. Acolyte is the generic choice and I think we can safely discount that.”
“As I said, sometimes these generic choices are the right ones. We can assume that picking this will advance you down the path you’re currently on. You’ll get the option to summon new undead, more feats along the line of what you’ve already seen. Options to upgrade existing skills. All that shit. My guess is the...
2022-09-15 11:42:19 +0000 UTC
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“SHIELDS!” Advant shouted, her pheromones washing over the entire area in a mighty burst.
The two mages, thankfully, were quick to respond and a shield sprang into being around the large soldier, mere moments before the mess of vines engulfed her completely.
She lunged forward, mandibles snapping as she sheared through hundreds of the tough, living ropes, not noticeably making a dent in them.
“Need some fire?” Propellant asked, eager.
“Of course I want some d...
2022-09-13 11:39:25 +0000 UTC
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Tungstant woke from her torpor feeling just as tired as when she went into it. After her last… incident, she didn’t want to lose the time by being captured by they who would not be named, and made sure she got regular rest, but there was so much to do.
An infinite amount of work and a very finite amount of time to do it in.
She exited the rest chamber set aside for the carvers and began to make her way to the build headquarters. Traffic was heavy and it took her a while to mak...
2022-09-11 11:52:59 +0000 UTC
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The togas... holy moly I can't even.
2022-09-11 04:38:15 +0000 UTC
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Sorry this was late! Too many numbers....
Tyron stared at his new minions. The skeletons stared back at him. He frowned. There was something… different about them. He could feel it, but not identify it, like a word tingling on the tip of the tongue. He didn’t think it was due to their appearance, all skeletons differed from each other, simply due to human physiology.
He also couldn’t find anything unusual about the way the magick moved between him a...
2022-09-09 09:13:59 +0000 UTC
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Hah! You thought I was done with sports!
Hello my dear readers! I hope you are all well, snug, warm, and ready for another rendition of my adventures amongst the Colony. Within the second stratum, the ants certainly had built a kingdom for themselves. The wonders of Anthome seemed endless and with Emilia as my ever patient guide, we wandered the many tunnels and chambers, visiting historical sites, admiring the most incredibly detailed sculptures, carvings and artwo...
2022-09-08 08:11:13 +0000 UTC
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Feeling much better. Really want to get back to a regular schedule for you long suffering readers! Sorry! T_T
Going to push for five chapters this week. This is the last of the sporting events. Tolly up next! :D
For BoD readers. It's coming guys. There are lots of numbers in the next one and I'm taking a bit more time to make sure I do it right.
Peter and the steadily growing audience of farmers continued to beco...
2022-09-07 06:00:57 +0000 UTC
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Oh snap!
Upping the Ante is now available through Amazon and Kindle people! Bring the hype!
You can find it in this general direction: Wot.
If you have the time, please do leave a rating or review, as those really help pump the exposure of the novel higher.
Volume 3 is still deep in the edit but we are nearly there with it...
2022-09-06 06:50:02 +0000 UTC
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“I’ll see you later, darling,” Peter called.
“Enjoy your walk dearest,” his wife replied, amused.
He’d managed to get through his work in record time today. The tomatoes were ripening so he’d made sure to give them the attention they deserved, but he couldn’t remember a time he’d worked with such purpose and efficiency.
He’d even got a level out of it. He now had access to [Master Plant Tending (IV)]. His crops would be more vibrant than ever.
“Pe...
2022-09-03 11:54:35 +0000 UTC
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Peter looked out over the field and realised with a mild sense of surprise that his work for the day was done. The crops were watered and growing well, the weeding and pest control had been done. He eyed his fences askance, no, they were fine too.
He’d been a vegetable farmer for many years, but he couldn’t remember a time when his work was actually done. That wasn’t how farming worked. You spent the day slogging your guts out, elbow deep in filth and you went ho...
2022-09-02 11:28:30 +0000 UTC
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