Chapter Forty-Six
Trouble comes in threes.
“We need to leave,” Malia hissed as she tried to sit up. “You know that.”
“You can’t walk,” Wesley insisted. The trip back had involved more of him carrying Malia than her walking under her own power. Being fed on by a wisp was having every drop of energy drained from you, so it tended to leave behind total and utter physical exhaustion even in those lucky enough to survive.
“You ...
2024-07-12 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 50
Scramble
“What are you doing here?” Salem glared at the trio as they stepped out of Paren’s lab.
“I was fixing a severed comm line,” Cix-El replied politely.
“I was accompanying Friend Cix-El,” Robot looked at the floor, avoiding her glare.
“I was bored,” the girl stared blankly up at her.
“All three of you are supposed to be in the shelter for the test!” Salem snapped. “Only Centrum units an...
2024-07-11 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Fouty-Five
Ruins
Wesley looked at the ruins and couldn’t help but feel they were somewhat out of place. He had been expecting something like a crumbling and half-rotten castle or perhaps a half-reclaimed village.
He could even have gone as far as a half-submerged pyramid. It had been bugging him for the last ten minutes as they crept slowly closer to the structure.
“Who builds a mansion in a swamp?” Wesley lost his battle wi...
2024-07-11 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Forty-Four
Swamped.
The familiar stench of damp rot and stagnant water washed over Wesley as he stepped through the barrier. It was strange, considering his experiences in those first few hours in the other marshland, but he felt a real sense of peace and relaxation.
His first flight through swampy marshland might have been one of the worst experiences of his life, but it was followed by some of the best. That first use of wisp fo...
2024-07-10 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 49
Final Plans.
“We have a total of seventy armed personnel,” Duke told them while his shadow Hadrian hovered behind him. “Of that, I estimate thirty at best to be well-armed and trained. Ten from my own people and the other twenty from my sister’s crew. It is just not enough to effectively attack both sites.”
“That depends on your definition of ‘effective,’ but you have yet to consider two things.” Carter beamed at th...
2024-07-09 08:10:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 48
Status Report
Cix-El waved to Robot as he walked over to join the shy man at the back of the crowded main thoroughfare. Everyone had gathered at the appointed time, and he watched as Salem rose on a small platform to overlook the crowd.
“Much is happening, friend Robot,” Cix-El said as he took a position next to him.
“I don’t think they are good things,” Robot replied. “I am worried.”
“There are good...
2024-07-09 08:05:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Forty-Three
Gearing.
Wesley looked down at his uniform and over at the two upgrade orbs. It was tempting, but his M1 needed more than just a single weapon mod. It had only been upgraded once, only once, since he arrived here, and it was only his new skill that kept it relevant at all. In a couple more tiers, he would be a rifleman without a rifle.
Of course, he could upgrade it later, especially now that they could actually make t...
2024-07-09 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Forty-Two
It’s not a bug; it’s a feature!
The moment they were outside the dungeon and back in his Domain, Malia bathed and went to sleep. Wesley, feeling the bone-deep ache of exhaustion himself, didn’t blame her in the slightest, but sleep was not the first thing on his mind despite his entire being aching for it.
Instead, Wes set up the new repair materials next to the ones he had organized before and then...
2024-07-08 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Forty-One
The Fallen Dungeon.
The first encounter room was not much of an improvement over the passage that had brought them here. It had rusty walls, a ceiling covered in pipes, and even more rust on the grating that covered a large pit beneath the room.
“Oh look, more rust,” Wesley commented drily as he saw the spikes glinting dully from the base of the pit.
“Here it comes,” Malia said with a nod to the far side of the r...
2024-07-07 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Forty
Lava world.
“If you don’t stop that, I swear I will leave you here,” Malia snapped after about five minutes of him hopping back and forth between the two zones.
“Cold, hot.” Wesley chuckled and winked. “Go on, admit you want to do it too.”
“I most certainly do not,” Malia sniffed. “I stopped that kind of thing years ago.”
“Aww, that’s sad,” Wesley said. “You should do things that make you ...
2024-07-06 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Nine
The Unexpected.
Malia and Wesley entered the Outpost, weapons in hand as they came through the door. The common room itself was completely empty, just as it had been every time they had come in here, but this time, there was a set of wet shoe prints heading behind the curtain.
“Claire?” Wesley called.
“Oh, hey,” Claire’s voice came from behind the curtain, but she was close enough to be on the other side of i...
2024-07-05 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 47
Timing is everything.
“It seems things have not gone your way,” Duke stood in the doorway of the comm room and crossed his arms.
“Ain’t it sad?” Brenda sneered as her fingers played over the fastening latch on her holster.
“In the circumstances, our deal has to be considered null and void.” Duke smiled, and not in a friendly way. “And just when we were starting to form a real friendship.”
“...
2024-07-04 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Eight
Dashing through the snow
“You are now officially a probationary member of the Errant Rangers,” Malia said as she tapped her badge against his.
They were back at the Outpost, the strange Claire having only emerged from behind the curtains for the briefest of hellos. Luckily, Malia was able to find the record book, a feature of every Outpost, and send a message through it to the managing member of the Errant Rangers...
2024-07-04 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Seven
Malia’s trail
Wesley stepped out of the portal, finding a much cleaner and nicer room than the ones he had seen so far. The previous Outpost was dusty and run down, built of dark stones with moss creeping around the edges.
The contrast with the pure white stones edged in a deep crimson color was stark but was at least hopeful. As was the complete lack of dust. It gave the whole place a professional air, even if it did lac...
2024-07-03 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 46
Sit and Kick.
“Downjumping!” Tri called as the newly christened Destiny popped back out of Transit Space and into regular.
“Weapons hot,” Vey called. “Aim for the engines, full spread!”
“Aye, Captain!” Quad acknowledged.
The frigate was dead ahead of them, still accelerating as it ran for the moon, but the microjump had gotten the destroyer in range.
Their laser arrays lit up, stabbing into the...
2024-07-02 08:10:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 45
Frig-it.
“Is this going to take much longer, Maxton?” Carter sighed as he tapped his foot against the enameled metal floor. The communications room was more of a notion than an actual thing, he had discovered.
Barely more than an empty room with an elementary comms package. It was a great example of something he had noted in every other aspect of the Colony as well. The big ideas were all there, but none of the details.&nbs...
2024-07-02 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Six
Just Passing Through… Again.
Wesley approached the Outpost a few hours after sunrise, having released his hold on the My Domain spell just a couple of hours before. He and his sims had spent the last two hours before they left cleaning, scrubbing, and organizing the entire thing. His plan was to test if it would remain that way, having specifically left his flint and striker in the middle of the main table. ...
2024-07-02 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Five
Tiering Up
Wesley leaned back in the chair and groaned, knowing there was no chance he had managed to avoid getting an excess of essence, which meant he was going to be forced to Temper yet again.
Tier 4 (873%)
Wesley’s eyes bugged out of his head the moment he saw that. If he had to Temper that many times…
Skill choice voided due to u...
2024-07-01 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Four
Settling Up.
Wesley seriously considered smashing his face into the wall a few times just to have a reason to rest. The healing tents had been doing a roaring trade for the last week, and there was no end in sight.
Even when the worst of the injured were all healed up, there were always more of them coming along. The injuries of the battle had now given way to the injuries of the reconstruction. It was crazy how many p...
2024-06-30 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Three
A Long Day.
Getting a meal seemed like a great idea right about then. It had been way too many hours since the glorious meat pies, and they had all been going non-stop. Making their way through the crowded streets without their guards was a lot more difficult, and it took them almost a half hour to find any sign of the mess hall for soldiers.
They found the one for the guards, for the civilians, and the Officer’s Me...
2024-06-29 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-Two
Not our job.
Wesley sat in the tent his squad was assigned to and stared into the faces of his Simulacrums. The rest of the squad was sitting on the other side of the tent, except for Split, who was sitting on the opposite bunk, staring closely at the Sara copy.
“What is she?” Split asked.
“I have no idea,” Wesley admitted. “Do you know what a simulacrum is?”
Split shook her head.
“See, I knew ...
2024-06-28 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 44
Adjustments.
“Just so we are clear,” Crush said with a lazy smile. “You are allowed to visit to deliver good news. It doesn’t only have to be bad tidings.”
“I didn’t make the universe; I’m just trying to live in it,” Nellie replied, her voice laced with the dry resilience that Crush found both frustrating and endearing.
“Yeah,” Crush rubbed the scales on the back of his head as he tried to adjust to this n...
2024-06-27 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty-One
Showdown on the corner.
An old military adage states that no plan survives contact with the enemy. This is not only very true but also a great indicator of what can go wrong when you don’t even have time to make a plan.
Such was the exit of the beleaguered defenders' forces under the command of one very young and, until the invasion, untested officer. They would probably have all been massacred instantly if the invaders had...
2024-06-27 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHey all!
I am happy to announce that the editing and formatting of The Rifleman went much better than expected and I decided to release it ahead of schedule.
So, if you have Kindle Unlimited where you live, you can head over there and read the rest of the story right now. I will still, of course, be releasing the rest of the book here on Patreon as planned. There will be no change to the release schedule either.
If you do happen to read it on Kindle or Unlimited and enjoy th...
2024-06-26 09:41:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Thirty
Fastest
Wesley settled himself on the roof as best he could, still grumbling about being made to climb rather than, to quote Split, ‘cheating.’ He would be sure to return the favor at some point, assuming they survived long enough.
Peterson and the others were down below, building small barricades in front of the half-breached section, while Wes, Split, and the newly christened Bitchy were on a roof each, overlooking th...
2024-06-26 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 43
Salvage Work.
“Elder Tw’ee,” Nellie walked slowly in case things had changed since they last met. People tended to get jumpy when beams of light from above tried to erase them from existence. Nellie knew that better than most. “I came to see if you needed any help?”
“Why would we?” Tw’ee’s strange eyes glinted in amusement. “The Clutch is unharmed. Safe and sound.”
Looking around, Nellie had to admit the w...
2024-06-25 08:10:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 42
Shifting Focus
Carter smiled warmly as he stepped off the shuttle while Maxton and two of her heavies gave everyone the evil eye behind him. The Imperial Line Security Service employed only the worst. Maxton had been on death row for the kind of wanton murder that shocked even Carter, but a little training and a lot of money ensured her loyalty and turned a wild dog into a weapon.
Scanning the crowd of angry faces around him, C...
2024-06-25 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter Twenty-Nine
Faster
“Fall back!” The call woke them in the middle of the night, feet pounding past the tent flap as lights came on all around the camp. “Fall back into the city! Everyone! Fall back into the city!”
“Up! Up! Up!” Peterson was pulling on his armor even as he shouted. “Take everything not nailed down and get your asses in formation next to the door!”
“It’s a flap, not a door,” Ben’Ta offered as ...
2024-06-25 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 28
Slowly
Split was already awake when Wesley woke. He watched her, standing at the entrance to the tent with the wind blowing that strange hair behind her. Her face was blank, and she didn’t have a thing to say. When she saw him watching her, she glanced over and nodded once before going back to staring.
Wes joined her vigil, watching out the flap while he stayed where he was so that he didn’t wake Ben’Ta.
“They’re comi...
2024-06-24 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 27
Routed
It would be great to say that his actions saved the flank from failing and that once the enemy retreated, everything stabilized, and Wesley was a massive hero. Of course, that wasn’t even close to what happened.
The vast majority of the defenders in that zone were severely injured or lying dead on the ground. In all, Wesley’s actions saved a half dozen people. The left flank was simply gone. With nowhere near enough ...
2024-06-23 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post