Author Frank Morin

Ch 200 - A Government Official Asks For More Money

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED, BABY!!!!!

Wow, we've covered a lot of ground! Thanks for sticking with Lucas and his team this far. I love your enthusiasm for the story, your suggestions, and encouragement. Tons of story still to go!

Please do me a favor and tell your friends about Nexus Runner. The more readers join Royal Road or this Patreon, the more momentum we build toward launch day of Nexus Runner 1!

Many of you have posted reviews on Royal Road, but if you haven't, now woul...

Ch 199 - Epic Gear For Epic Guys

Crystal started pulling items from her inventory. They made an impressive pile. All the items were made of various metals from those huge pallets of rare minerals I’d gotten from the Colossus.

I still hadn’t gotten all the stuff I probably should have from the other piles of non-metallic loot I’d shared. Either people were slow, they didn’t plan to actually make anything for me, or they’d died already.

The items included a set of 5 platinum-looking rings. The identical b...

Ch 198 - Old Council, Same Blues

I followed the pair of former councilors to the double-sized, blocky castle in the northwest part of town I’d noticed earlier. As we drew near, I grinned.

“Is this thing made out of Legos?” I hadn’t seen evidence of the person with the block-building spells in a while, but it definitely looked like their handiwork.

Burns actually smiled. “Compliments of Vanda Lee, a rising star among my hunter scouts. Got a really unique class called Jenga Blade Dancer. She’s a brillia...

Ch 197 - Drama Club

Remaining Survivors: 302

Views: 82,423,916

Followers: 10,844,579

Favorites: 2,143,651

VIP points: 78,045,691

As we walked toward the center of town, Ruby explained that Port Royale was divided pretty much across the middle, east to west. On the south side of the line had gathered everyone who supported Elizabeth as mayor and her push to use the Expanse club to rack up VIP points. On the north side were folks who support the old council more.

Steve adde...

Ch 196 - Real Estate Challenges

The people nearby who hadn’t simply collapsed in exhaustion were also checking loot. Excited chatter built, and it sounded like most people got at least 4 levels from fighting so many high-leveled monsters.

My team did a lot more fighting and were a lot better at it. One of the benefits of sending them alone against the first horde was that they only shared experience among themselves, so they each got around 7 levels, pushing all of them up over level 50.

“Remember, choose yo...

Ch 195 - I Witness the Power of Potatoes

Using Tether Slide, I launched toward the other whale, leaving the critically injured one to smash to bloody pulp on the stones. As I shot across the sky, I passed through the softly glowing protective dome covering Port Royale and the rain ceased.

Despite the battles raging around the perimeter, the center of town seemed almost tranquil. Well, the people racing toward the walls to help fight, or fleeing toward the central castle to hide kind of broke the idyllic scene, but overall it w...

Ch 194 - I Get a Craving For Sushi

The giant Leviathan crab was moving forward with a slow but implacable stride and would reach the wall in minutes. Thankfully, its back cannons seemed to have a long reloading time.

I set my tether point on the front of its enormous carapace and Tether Slide yanked me into the air toward the building-sized monster. It didn’t really have a head, just two black eyes the size of tractor tires on the front of its shell.

Most of my weapons weren’t great at punching through thick me...

Ch 193 - I Remember a Really Bad Movie

“Nigel.” That’s all I had to say and the fluffy kitten transformed into his mid-sized flying lynx form, then loped ahead of us, quickly disappearing into the ruined city.

“He’ll scout ahead and warn us of any monsters.”

I led the way north up the cobbled street. Someone had actually taken the time to sweep aside most of the rubble, leaving the street surprisingly flat and clean, a straight shot almost all the way to Port Royale.

“I’ll help keep watch,” Stev...

Ch 192 - The Greatest Showman

I opened my menus and instantly spotted the new counters. How had I missed them earlier when I checked the timer?

Views: 23,692,388

Followers: 4,071,452

Favorites: 982,553

VIP points: 52,204,567

Those numbers seemed ridiculously huge. Live streaming had only been active for 2 days, and I’d been stuck in time dilation for most of that. No one could have watched my trek through the inner world, so how had I accumulated so many views already?

Cyrus had ...

Ch 191 - Whale Watching

We appeared on the edge of a bare, stone island at the edge of a vast lake. I blinked at the bright sunlight of late afternoon and looked around. A sheer cliff several miles north sported a giant waterfall. Mountains rose in ever-increasing tiers to the east and south, while a steep slope rose out of the waters to the west, leading up to a higher plateau. The sun hung low over the tall mountains beyond, painting the western sky a riot of gorgeous colors.

“Stage 1?” I asked, turning ...

Ch 190 - I Put the Gloves Back On

Hey, a quick update before we jump into today's chapter. A couple weeks ago, someone had suggested a fun idea - of giving Lucas a Mt St Helens loot box for blowing up that mountain onto the Ironwood Colossus. I'm sure you remember that epic scene.

Anyway, here's the bit I added to the chapter, and which I'll be udpating the chapter to include moving forward. Thoughts??

“Congratulations, Lucas! For detonating an entire mountain to gain the upper hand against an otherwise unstop...

Ch 189 - I Get a Knockout Punch Card

I blinked open my eyes and sat up. I felt surprisingly good for having been zapped by a magical lightning bolt. A quick scan of my stats confirmed my health and mana were full, along with a sizable orange bar of extra energy captured by my boots. I had another, smaller orange bar from energy my Magical Resistance had captured from that Vault Keeper’s magical club.

Looking around, I found myself in a pretty standard-looking jail cell, if jail cells were 40 feet across and all the bars ...

Ch 188 - I Try Outrunning a Lightning Bolt

“Well this sucks,” I muttered as I tried messaging again.

I was able to type out messages, but when I mentally clicked send, they just blinked. Somehow the enchantment ringing the cave still prevented communication and teleport.

How could she do that? Messaging was a system function. Only system-protected areas had the power to block it, as far as I had seen.

“Nigel, check the area and see if you can find an exit.” My shaggy buddy loped off.

I partially-trigger...

Ch 187 - A Meeting with Destiny

The sight of my precious ethereal blade jolted my entire system with hope, and also a boiling fury. Martin Briggs, that slimy murderer, had somehow gotten his hands on my sword.

“Time to die,” I growled, banishing Switchblade, catching Nigel, and mentally slamming down on my hotlist to trigger one of my few scrolls of short-range teleport.

The world lurched and we appeared right behind the Briggs. They froze, staring at the spot we’d just left, totally unprotected and oblivi...

Ch 186 - Steaks and Quantum Nectar

Just as we passed through the gigantic gate in the huge stone wall, Identify triggered.

“Eryndale Science Academy. Unique. This wonder of the multiverse was a jewel within the crown of the Ashen Covenant. Housing the brightest masters of the sciences and the arcane, the Academy pushed the boundaries of both, with its College of Magitek Innovators at the heart of the institution’s fame. There, they blended advanced technology, energy beam weapons, and space-altering arcane powers int...

Ch 185 - I Learn the Scent of Sunshine

As we passed a row of fruit-laden dwarf trees, I examined one closely. The fruit looked most like a really big version of those weird star fruit, if star fruit were bright purple. As I studied the fruit, Identify triggered.

“Temporary Promotion Fruit. Common. Sometimes you have to punch above your weight class, and this deliciously sweet fruit does exactly that. One of several keys to the Ashen Covenant’s unprecedented success in melding technology and magic, consuming a Temporary P...

Ch 184 - Negative PR

The world flickered and changed as my mind was dumped into another vision of stage 4. Instead of appearing hovering among the rafters with the gargoyles high above Queen Marisara’s huge, vaulted throne room, I appeared in a much smaller room.

Still bigger than most living rooms, the space was cozy compared to the throne room. Walls sheathed in golden wood planks, and colorful rugs spread across the flagstone floor made the space feel more homey. A wide fireplace was filled to bursting...

Ch 183 - My Name Gets Added to a List

Together, we scouted the plaza, following the entire perimeter and studying the ruined buildings that ringed the protective dome. They were the most solid buildings I’d seen so far. Still no windows or doors, but a few had partial roofs and interiors. Could monsters sneak up through those to launch attacks?

I hated the thought of knocking them down to create a better defensive buffer, but might not be a bad idea. At least the folks building the walls around town would have access to p...

Ch 182 - There's Rain, and Then There's Demon Rain

I tossed an elephant steak to my always-ravenous mammoth lion, then we raced back to the blast zone. All the monsters were dead, so I quickly looted them all.

Of course, I got no level, even though the monsters were much higher- leveled. As expected, even the common foot soldier Cogroaches were level 60. Monsters got an entire magnitude stronger once they hit level 50, like us when we permanented another spell and evolved our class, except more dramatically.

I might be the only pe...

Ch 181 - I Take A Walk in the Rain

I slowed Switchblade, dropping the hover bike to roll across the ground as we slowed in front of the 2000 foot cliff up to stage 3. Nigel unlocked his front paws from the restraints and back-flipped onto my shoulder.

“Why are you slowing?”

“Just taking a look around.”

To our right, a majestic waterfall thundered down from above, crashing into the northern edge of the huge lake. That lake had emptied when Noctarus and his ship soared up the waterfall and into the sky ...

Ch 180 - Some Like it Hot

Ten points for a dramatic entrance.

Elizabeth Maberly marched into the room and her outfit changed. The Tomb Raider look vanished, and suddenly she looked like medieval British nobility. Fancy gown with way too much lace and brocade, curly brown hair woven in fancy braids, and even a glittering diamond tiara. A faint scent of flowery perfume floated into the room, making me want to sneeze.

She assumed a snotty British accent and extended one hand, fingers dripping with rings. “Y...

Ch 179 - I Find Out About a Second-Rate Couch Potato

Still pondering the last chat with the Briggs, I returned to town and headed to the central castle used by the town leadership. I was shown into the council chamber where the council was meeting. All of them were present except for Elizabeth Maberly. She was probably sleeping off another all-nighter at her adult night club, The Expanse.

I expected to find the council celebrating the victory over stage 2 and excitedly planning excursions up to stage 3, but the mood in the council chamber...

Ch 178 - Shackletons Never Quit

Day: 12

Survivors: 381

The early afternoon sun felt great when I exited my castle base camp. The heavy fog that had covered the entire stage yesterday had been really oppressive. The town of Midmount Vale was bustling, filled with smiling people who strolled rather than hurried about their tasks. Many waved or called greetings, which I returned.

Ruby had been right. The town had a festive air to it. We’d defeated both of the stage bosses last night and many people had won ...

Ch 177 - I Set Up An Emergency Fund

I had to clear out a bunch of useless junk from the table, tossing it all into the sell pile, before I got a good look at the table. It was beautifully crafted, with the flat top inlaid with tiny colored crystals, forming a stunning image of some kind of burning phoenix in flight over a thick jungle. Wide, thin shelves situated below the front side of the table contained nothing but a single, blank map as wide as the table.

Intrigued, I extracted it and unrolled it across the table. May...

Ch 176 - Demon Hoarder

Even if I eventually made some kind of deal with the demons, no way I wasn’t going to check out the assassin’s vault. I wouldn’t consider selling it whole back to the faction the way I might for the elves.

Maybe I was being swayed by all the Earth fiction that always classified demons as evil and elves as wondrous magical beings. I didn’t think so, though. Velexis had proven herself a murdering, well, demon. The little I knew about her was enough to know I would hate her, regard...

Ch 175 - I Get An Invite to a Conference Call

“Please, stop!” a new voice shouted.

Sythrak had appeared next to Jeeves, his scales all glowing bright gold, a sure sign that he expected some kind of giant commission. The reptilian humanoid wore a tuxedo much like Jeeves, but without the top hat. He rushed to me and bowed deeply.

“Please pardon the unusual circumstances, and thank you so much for agreeing to see me so quickly. Please hear me out, good sir. I have information that will benefit you greatly.”

“You ...

Ch 174 - I Get an Upstairs Downstairs

I shrugged. “I just got up, remember? Did you all sleep in as long as me?”

“No, but we didn’t get out of bed until just before breakfast,” Jane said with a mischievous glance at Tomas, who flashed a smile in return.

Ruby shook her head. “I traded with a few of the other crafters this morning. Everyone is off to a slow start, still celebrating. The streets feel like it’s Carnival, but lots of people are wondering when the next migration will start.”

“I plan ...

Ch 173 - Breakfast: Superhuman Edition

Yes, this is the start of Nexus Runner 3!!

=============

I woke up at noon, feeling more rested than I’d felt since, well, since I could remember. Pushing my Night Mask of the Mauvari Catelaines off my eyes, I sighed and stretched.

The little marvel had worked as well as advertised. My health and mental resistances both glowed green in my status bar with the 50% boost the night mask granted. 8 hours of boosted stats was incredible. I needed to make sure to sleep more often...

Ch 172 - Stats Check & Full Stats Appendix

Today we celebrate reaching the end of Nexus Runner 2!

Yeah, that massive monster of a book is a wrap! Please share what you think?

Actually, this book is so big, I may have to split it. Haven't decided yet, but it's a possibility. Do you prefer shorter or longer litRGP books? If I release this whole thing as book 2, it'll probably top 240,000 words - which is a monster. Probably end up around 26 or 27 hours of audio.

If I do cut it, one option would be to cut it more or les...

Ch 171 - I Get to Play King

The huge wooden rafts supporting Lake Town had settled onto the bottom of the lake at a bit of an angle, with one side propped up on rubble from the broken giant stone array. By the time I arrived, people were already packing up their Base Camp tents and the other buildings constructed over the past few days.

Paul the mayor, one of the few who withstood the sleep spell thanks to a protective talisman he’d purchased from the system store, was busy trying to calm one rowdy group down an...