C_Mantis

Im Scrapping Chapters 31 and 32

I wrote myself into a bit of a corner and brought plot elements into the story sooner than I really wanted for the cool factor. I decided to rewrite from chapter 31 and am much happier with this new version. It will be out Friday 4/30/2021. 

I am sorry about the Tier 15 and 25 losing some of the extra chapters but I am going to try and make the ground back up this next week. So you'll still the three MWF chapters but there should be extra ones when I and my editor get them done. 2021-04-29 12:03:16 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 32 rewrite.

Thanks for the feedback, I really do like that you guys pointed out the flaws with today's chapter.

I am very much an amateur and this was a large deviation from the tone of the normal story. So for now we'll treat this as a interlude joke chapter at the end of the arc.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll get the new 32 out on Friday and try and get Tier 15, and 25 a extra chapter next week. (So 4).

I'm putting this in the vault of lessons learned. 2021-04-28 22:06:44 +0000 UTC View Post

Old Chapter 32/ interlude

NON OF THIS IS CANON. JUST A FUN SIDE READ OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN.

Chapter 32

As they entered the throne room, they found a man with long midnight black hair, and the pale skin of the monsters they had killed before.

The most striking feature of his appearance was his ruby-red eyes. They seemed to glow with a physical light.

The man didn’t have the exaggerated emotions of the others. He sat calmly and drank from a wine glass. It was hard to tell from their v...

Old Chapter 31/ interlude

I decided to change this chapter as well. I wrote myself into a bit of a corner and brought plot elements into the story sooner than I really wanted for the cool factor. I decided to rewrite 31 and am much happier with this new version.

NON OF THIS IS CANON. JUST A FUN SIDE READ OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN.

Chapter 31

Matt and Liz were in their tent. It was late, but with two weeks left of the training world’s six month period, he wanted to do something different.

The l...

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The following day, Matt woke up to a dark, empty room. Climbing out of bed, he padded into the living room, and saw that his boxes of food were removed from the table. He looked around, and saw that the trash was empty, and that Aster wasn't in Liz's room. With a quick check of his ring, he noticed that its counterpart wasn't in range.

Deciding to take a shower, he came back out to Liz when he was finished. She came in with a bag full of breakfast.

Testing the wat...

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

His blade was no longer lodged in its skull, as there was practically no skull left. A massive crater had been removed from the entire left side. The flesh and scales were peeled away at the edges, exposing fragments of bone that were still intact.

Everything in a one foot radius of where Matt embedded his blade in the serpent and unleashed [Mana Charge] was completely vaporized. Even the monster’s brain had been mostly destroyed. He could see bits and pieces leaking ...

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The next day, it was Liz's turn to solo the final fight. It was far less of a challenge for her than Matt had expected. The blood that she had collected throughout the rift allowed her to breeze through the boss encounter. Liz used the accumulated blood to create another blood golem, and smashed the bears and lizard shaman into paste.

The next day, she tried again, but this time she refrained from using her golem strategy. It was gratifying seeing her struggle, at least...

Chapter 27

Sorry about the delay. It shouldn't happen again. The extra chapter this next week should come out wednesday ish.

Chapter 27

Matt sat in the central gathering area. In the last week of delving, someone had created stone tables and chairs. Their creation was a source of entertainment, or problems, depending on how you looked at it.

The raised platform had turned into a debate stage. Currently, there was an incredibly pale man standing across from a magic archer. Ma...

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Liz set down the backpack with Aster in it, and let the fox free. Finally liberated, Aster sauntered over to the remains on the floor, and waited for her hearts to be extracted.

After the spoiled fox had her fill, they dispelled the reward distortion. It was a small reward of only four mana stones. Not great, but they were here for the essence, not the monetary rewards.

They started poking around the empty hut Matt had smashed through. Matt went over to the dead l...

Chapter 25

Tier 15 and 25 should be ahead by Tuesday night at the latest. I want it Monday night but its on the editor to get the time.

Chapter 25

“Get over here when you see this.”

Matt decided that he didn’t appreciate the tone of the message he woke up to. His blacksmith could have been a little more cordial, considering the amount of cash Matt was about to hand over to him. 

Only stopping to throw Aster in Liz’s room, so the mewling fox could go back t...

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The finals of the mini gauntlet were wrapping up, with Matt as an enthralled onlooker. The top ten in the rankings were mostly made up of Republican delvers and Empire guilders. The lesser guilds and people on The Path were unable to keep up with the gear and skills of those delvers with wealthy backings.

Liz told him that this would change when people on The Path hit Tier 8, and could round out their skill set a bit. Until then, the wealth disparity put them at a prett...

Dragon name

This is for the name of the dragon will also be on RR

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Matt fiddled with the skill shard in his hand. It was pretty.

It glimmered along with the high powered lights overhead. This was the fruit of his hard work and risk taking. He'd be using the skill for essentially forever.

The skill went into a band that locked and secured it to his wrist. The timer was set for two days, as he didn't have a core slot to dedicate the skill to.

That brought his thoughts to the future. He'd be close to the peak of Tier 4 when th...

DRAGON name needed. Poll Friday!

earth and fire type

lava/ magma

Male for now but if the name is good enough a swap is fine!!!!

Higher Tier and old. drop a comment and give a heat to the ones you like the best ones (10ish) will be up in a poll on Wednesday for RR and Pat to vote on.

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Matt removed his shirt as well. The man had a point. It would be humiliating to be beaten while naked. But he forgot that the inverse was equally true. Being beaten by a naked man was arguably even more humiliating.

Left with just his tight-fitting boxers, Matt stretched. If this was a show, he’d play his part. The crowd around the arena found his display amusing enough that he heard some whoops and cheers. He was even sure he heard a catcall or two.

Matt just s...

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Matt stood there with Aster in his arms. He looked at Liz like she was a completely different person.

He shook himself free, and walked over the smiling redhead. She had gotten the manacle off, and was examining her new spear with an air of affection.

That was the Liz he was used to. Happy and seemingly carefree.

He came up and congratulated her, “That was one hell of a fight.” He didn’t know what else to say.

She just waved him away, “Nahh. Th...

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

They sat there for half a day, napping and dosing as they could. When Matt wasn't resting, he was tenaciously researching, displeased with the clear gap in knowledge between Liz and himself. The lacking LocalNet of this barren training planet was a hindrance, however. It only had a pittance of information compared to a normal CityNet.

Once Matt had finished filling the city's mana reserves with the promised amount, they proceeded to the guild’s general store. Prices w...

Chapter 19

This one was fun to write.

Chapter 19

It was five days after the initial teleports to the training planet started, when they encountered the first group of Republic delvers.

It was a group of four. They were walking the opposite way in the canyon, and as they crossed paths with Matt, Liz, and Aster, they stopped. The group waved them down, and Matt received a message.

'A match for an equivalent prize? We are willing to wager a Tier 5 tailoring thread that in...

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

He and Liz talked long into the night about topics far and wide. He told tales of Aster's misadventures in the PlayPen. Liz seemed to particularly enjoy one about Aster trying to jump over a serving line, to get at some smoked rabbit they had been serving.

She came back with a story of her own, about her mother when she was still a Flame Sparrow. Her mother burned down her dad's tent while they were stuck in a blizzard, simply because he had bumped the stand the small b...

Chapter 17

Give props to my editor on this one. He spent two days trying to make sure the concepts stuff was understandable.

Chapter 17

The loud noise brought a barrage of fire and lightning strikes. Matt was able to roll under most of them. The combination of all those attacks hitting at once could pierce his [Cracked Phantom Armor], so he pushed as much mana into the skill as he safely could. 

Rolling with a sword was awkward, but he had practiced for this ...

Chapter 16

Rifts can be anything really. REMINDER THAT TOMORROWS CHAPTER FOR TIER 5 PATRONS MIGHT BE A LITTLE LATER THAN RR. Its a complicated chapter we are trying to make simple.  

Chapter 16

The group from the guild shouted again. After realizing their efforts were in vain, they sent Matt a message...

‘Leave now, or we will force you to use your emergency teleport.’

Matt sent back, ‘we were here first, go find another rift.’

All he rece...

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Aster and Matt left the odd double rift and headed out into the cold. There was another rift not too far away. It wasn't overly strong, but it gave him an odd sensation that caught his attention.

This rift was hazier than any he had seen before. It seemed almost immaterial, or like it was about to dissolve into the background of the world. It felt stable, so he decided to enter the rift.

The other of this rift was a clear blue sky with a chunk of the sky simply go...

Chapter 14

Rifts can get WEIRD. here is a odd one. Also a nod to one of the more unique stories on RR. (i only read a bit but the concept was interesting)

Chapter 14

Thirteen hours later, Matt lounged in the chair. Aster curled in his lap as he watched a movie on his pad. Sitting around and transferring mana was incredibly boring and didn't take much concentration at all.

The only problem was, he couldn't sleep. He could doze, but if he fell asleep completely, the mana left ...

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The first thing Matt noticed as he exited the small transport hatch was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Dark brunette hair in a thick braid rested over her left shoulder, and eyes like melted chocolate looked up at him as he cleared the entrance.

As he stood to the side of the hatch, he ever so briefly considered staying as long as it took to try and win this beauty’s heart.

With a shake, he freed himself of that notion. He didn’t want to stay here....

Chapter 12

The forest around Matt was covered in the thinnest layer of snow. It was almost see-through, giving a muted look to the area.

The rift was cold enough that he activated [Cracked Phantom Armor]. Not because of the ever-present danger, but to stop the biting wind.

It was a strange feeling. Matt couldn’t feel the wind, but [Cracked Phantom Armor] gave him slight sensory feedback. It was almost like wearing a thick jacket in the winter but not quite.

Aster was loving the cold,...

Chapter 11

Matt thought about Griff's words for the next few hours. He didn't know what to do. The risk was fairly high, but the reward was also great.

If he reached out to get the specialized researcher AI, he would have an AI to use, but in the process he risked letting important information slip. It was as if he was shouting that he had a unique mana producing Talent from the rooftops, and that was dangerous.

Mana was precious on higher Tiered worlds, where the general population didn’t...