The words stopped Thaden’s headlong rush for the Coalition building as he slowed down. Sitting on the uncovered porch of the large house where the rushing Human cheaply rented a room, the one Netherine in the entire town that was actually decent to Thaden was stretched out as if to catch the few faint rays of sun before they disappeared over the horizon. In some ways, the demonic-tigers were strong, fierce warriors that were capable of completely tearing someone like Thaden apart with a thought; in others, they were like big cats that enjoyed lounging in the sun. Arthrax, who wasn’t exactly a friend but was someone who wasn’t at all bothered by the Human renting a room from him, was probably even more sun-loving than most, as he was by far the oldest-looking Netherine he’d seen.
As Thaden came to a complete stop, he caught his breath before he answered. “I finally have enough to register with the Adventurer’s Coalition.”
“You’re still on that?” Arthrax asked, shaking his head as he sat up with a fluid-looking stretch that didn’t do anything to dispel the perception of the Netherine being a big cat to Thaden’s eyes.
“Of course. I told you before, I’m hoping that it will prove that I have a Platinum+ Rank in the Coalition.”
Still shaking his head, the old Netherine said, “I know what you said, but I’ll tell you again that it doesn’t work like that. You said you’re recently arrived from a developmental world as a Contender, right?” At Thaden’s nod, Arthrax continued. “Well then, you should’ve been informed that your Coalition Rank is reset back to Wood when you were sent here. More than that, any Levels and stats that you might have achieved in that other world are reduced upon coming here. Remember when I told you that only 10% of those Levels and stats are maintained when transferred to the ‘real’ world? That’s because Plangea is much different than the relatively ‘safe’ playground of a developmental world.”
Thaden didn’t know if what the old Netherine told him was true or not, even if he claimed his great-great-grandfather was apparently a Contender for his race back in his day. From what he’d been told, in those times when he ate dinner with the seemingly lonely giant tiger in the evenings, developmental worlds were simply ways to evaluate incoming races that were being included in the Assimilation System, and to provide a small portion of them the opportunity to become slightly stronger before they were sent out to help the forces fighting against the Persistent Adversary and its monsters. That ongoing conflict, between the System and the Adversary, was apparently even more intense in Plangea, with dungeons appearing at random pretty much everywhere, spilling out monsters as soon as they appeared. Arthrax didn’t seem to know if there were any NESTs nearby, which were essentially open-air dungeons that he’d had to fight against on Tarth, but he knew that they existed – and that there were things even worse out there… or so he’d heard.
Fortunately, the part of the world Thaden had ended up in was relatively quiet, with no major threats in the vicinity; from what he could tell, it was very similar to one of the starting zones of the developmental world, where there were low-Level monsters nearby, as well as only weak dungeons popping up every once in a while. Further out, of course, it became dangerous, such as in the jungle where he’d arrived and was found by the two hunters, and he was lucky that the pair of Netherine who had found him had decided to take him back to town rather than leave him in the middle of the dangerous jungle.
As for the whole “10% of Levels and stats” being maintained between the developmental world of Tarth and Plangea, he had to admit that it made a lot of sense. Tarth had been set up to teach the Contenders what to expect when they arrived on Plangea, while it also developed their skills when it came to organization, teamwork, and getting used to magical spells of both high and low strength; but the way things were set up, especially the way it was supposed to go without someone like Thaden or agents of the Adversary throwing a wrench in the System’s plans, was almost like an extended training or tutorial program. There was a clear progression system in place, as well as distinctly defined objectives, each of which were theoretically easy enough to accomplish if enough time and hard work was put into the process.
Even more than that, as he thought back at how long the entire developmental process was supposed to take, he had to admit that the rate of progression for the Contenders from Earth was quick. While his own progression was highly abnormal, from what he could gather from his ending evaluation, it was expected that most of the Contenders who completed the developmental world’s challenges would be extremely high-Level, perhaps all the way up to Level 700…
…all in something like 5 or 6 years, perhaps a few more than that. If that same rate of progress was translated to the Plangea, then it wouldn’t surprise him to see millions of people at Level 4,000 or 5,000 by the time they grew too old. Yet, that apparently wasn’t the case. According to Arthrax, the highest Level person he knew about around the area was only Level 45, and that was one of the Netherine Elders that essentially ran the local government.
When Thaden asked why everyone was so low of a Level, he was told, “It requires a lot more to increase your Level, at least in comparison to a developmental world.”
That didn’t make much sense to Thaden, as when he looked at the PICK he required to get to Level 2, it was only 100 – the same as it had been when he was Level 1 in Tarth. The difference, he learned, was that earning PICK was at a much slower rate than he was used to – as he’d earn something like 90% less than what he would get in a developmental world. After hearing that, Thaden realized that Tarth was like an accelerated Leveling event, where the Contenders were able to experience what it meant to become stronger, so that they would know what to expect once they got to Plangea. Yet, that accelerated Leveling was an illusion, as it wasn’t something that could be directly translated to their new lives on Plangea – but it gave them a headstart so that they could be useful to the forces fighting against the Adversary.
Back on Tarth, Thaden had been nearly god-like in his ability to heal and dish out damage – before it was all taken away. But was I really that strong? Or was I only “strong” for a developmental world? Based on his final Level of 575, he was the strongest Human on Tarth, but if he had transferred normally to Plangea, he would only be around Level 57 or perhaps Level 58 if it was rounded up. That was certainly stronger than the local Netherine Elder in charge of the local government, but how would that compare to the people on the front lines against the Adversary who had been on Plangea for longer than Thaden had been alive?
He didn’t know, nor did Arthrax seem to know. What Thaden did know, however, was that he couldn’t actually see the Level of anyone or anything over Level 10, as if they were too strong for him to accurately evaluate. Most of what he’d learned about the Levels of the Netherines in town had come from overhearing conversations and bluntly asking about it, and he discovered that the hunters that had rescued him from the jungle were only Level 18, and most of the Adventurers he’d seen around the Coalition had been between Level 8 and Level 25.
But what was even more interesting was that he hadn’t seen anyone in town with a Level lower than 4. When asked about that, Arthrax looked at Thaden as if he was stupid. “You know that there are other Classes that can be chosen other than ones that go out and fight monsters, right? With those Classes, we can Level-up through actions that don’t require killing things.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. PICK stands for Progressive Internal Combat Knowledge – so how do you earn that other than through combat and killing things?” Thaden asked.
The old Netherine seemed flabbergasted by Thaden’s confusion. “Why, because of your secondary Profession Class, of course. It’s where you can earn PECK, otherwise known as Professionally Experienced Crafting Knowledge, which contributes toward earning another Level just as PICK does for those who go out and kill monsters.”
Hearing about a secondary Profession Class had been just the answer he was looking for to get him past the rut he was in at Level 1. Unfortunately, it seemed as though everyone born into the world had access to this secondary Profession Class once they turned 10, and could change it at any time at the Adventurer’s Coalition. While it was possible that it was permanently locked away from Thaden, given that he wasn’t born on Plangea, he was hoping that reestablishing his credentials with the Coalition might just give him the ability to pick up one of these secondary Profession Classes there.
I just hope that the lack of anything referring to a secondary Class and this “PECK” stuff on my Character Report doesn’t mean I can’t get it.
Regardless of whether or not it would work for him, he had to try something. As it was, he was basically helpless against any monster he came across right now, as he couldn’t even wield a weapon to defend himself because of his Support Class, so if he had to spend a couple of years Leveling up through some sort of Profession Class before he could regain his previous abilities, then that was what he would do.
He had a few goals, after all, and being Level 1 with horrible stats wasn’t going to help get them done. First, he needed to find a way to travel around while discovering where Corinna, his somewhat girlfriend from Tarth, had ended up and reunite with her; while the System’s shenanigans made it so that the last time they met, she hadn’t even known who he was, he was positive that there was still something that could be rekindled between them.
Second, he desired some revenge against the Assimilation System. It was bad enough that it had stolen away millions of Humans before throwing them into the developmental world, where many of them were killed against the powerful monsters that inhabited the place, but that was before he learned about what happened when a new world – such as Earth – was incorporated into the System. Billions of people were sacrificed to provide the life energy to merge the newly integrated planets into Plangea, all without their consent or knowledge, all in an effort to deny these worlds to the direct influence of the Adversary. With a massive chunk of the Humans on Earth being recently killed to fuel this introduction into the System, Thaden wanted to put a stop to it all, hopefully preventing it from happening to some other unsuspecting world.
That was his long-term goal, of course, as that wasn’t something that he could simply accomplish on a whim. But it was still something that he thought needed to be done, because he honestly wasn’t sure if either the Assimilation System or the Persistent Adversary was more of a villain to the universe than the other.
But before he could accomplish any of those goals, he needed to find a way to Level-up and return to his previous strength.
“Regardless of whether it helps or not, I’m still determined to go,” Thaden told the old Netherine, who was starting to get up.
As Arthrax headed toward the door to his home, likely to start cooking dinner, he waved toward Thaden. “If you want to waste your coin, who am I to tell you not to? I’ll have a meal ready for you when you get back.”
At that, he left the sole Human within thousands of miles on the street as he passed through the oversized door. Thaden got back to what he was doing, noticing that the sun was even further down toward the horizon, and he didn’t want to have to navigate his way through the town when it got dark. Unlike most other towns and cities he’d visited in Tarth, there were no magical lights outside to illuminate the streets after dark; all of the Netherine had some sort of night vision that made it unnecessary, so it was unnaturally dark within the confines of the town after the sun went down.
Fortunately, it was only a matter of a few minutes before he arrived at the front of the Adventurer’s Coalition. The construction of the building was different from the rest of the town, as it appeared more like a ski lodge up in the Alps than the more modern façades of the nearby buildings, but with its oversized appearance – because all of the Adventurers were giant tiger-demons – it was still impressive.
Pushing through the wooden doors was a bit of a struggle, as with his poor Physicality they were abnormally heavy, plus he was tired from the day working out in the fields. With a few grunts, he was able to push them open far enough to slip inside, and he walked swiftly into the dimly lit Coalition lobby, which had a number of oversized cushions on platforms spread around the place, a few of which held Netherines lounging around like housecats, a few of them drowsily glancing around. When he walked inside, however, he caught the attention of every single person, including the Coalition workers leaning on the counters along the far wall.
He paused in his walk as at least a dozen heads swiveled in his direction, before they turned away, continuing the conversations that he’d interrupted – though he heard more than a few breathy chuckles that he couldn’t help suspect were at his expense. Ignoring it all, as he’d experienced worse both in town and back on Tarth, he walked up to one of the counters, which was positioned just above his eye level.
Standing slightly back from the edge, he did his best to look over top of it, before clearing his throat. The Coalition worker behind it was looking out over his head, pretending as if he didn’t see Thaden, and he sighed as he took a closer look at the tall Netherine.
The one thing that was the same about every single person he saw in town was that everyone was part of the {Desartis Faction}; based on what he’d learned before he ended up in Plangea, he knew that these Factions ran portions of the world and organized the fight against the Adversary, and were the primary source of those bidding in the Auction that “bought” the Human Contenders once they were finished with Tarth. Thaden didn’t go through the Auction, nor did he have any other contact with a Faction, so that was all he really knew about them; even Arthrax didn’t have much more information about it, as they were apparently just an overarching military entity that didn’t really involve themselves in “normal life,” or so he said.
He cleared his throat again. “Uh, excuse me?”
“Huh? Did one of you hear something?” Benalio asked, turning to one of the other Coalition Reps nearby, the smirk showing more than a few deadly teeth clear to Thaden’s eyes.
“No, I didn’t hear anything,” one of the others responded with a chuckle, playing along.
I really wish I had my old stats back, because I’d really like to cast more than a few spells on these height-ist idiots.
“That was me!” Thaden said, waving his hands over his heads, feeling like an idiot, himself.
“Oh! There is someone here! I apologize, I didn’t see you there,” Benalio said, quite insincerely, before dramatically leaning over the counter to look at him. “What can I do for you down there?
Rather than call the Netherine out for being a jerk, Thaden cut to the chase. “I want to register. I have the 3 silver required.”
“Are you sure you want to waste your money? I can almost guarantee that no one will want to Party with you.”
Thaden nodded, gritting his teeth at the disrespect. Stupid tall tigers and stupid Personality stat at 1! “Yes, I want to register.”
“Fine. Come with me.”
Turning abruptly away, Thaden had to practically run as he followed the large Netherine toward a set of stairs in the corner of the lobby. Unfortunately, he had to practically climb the enormous stairs, as each step was as tall as his waist, but he managed it well enough. By the time he was at the top, he was winded yet again, but he didn’t mind – because he was finally going to start getting his power back, one way or another.
(A spoiler-free recap of the events that occurred in the Earthen Contenders series)
Thaden was stolen away from Earth, along with millions of other Humans, to become Contenders; as Contenders, they were instructed to become stronger in the developmental world of Tarth. This world was kept separate from the rest of the universe, treated as a sort of incubatory area where the Earthen Contenders could learn about the Assimilation System that brought them there, as well as the Persistent Adversary, which was the source of the dungeons and monsters that threatened all sources of life.
Things didn’t turn out the way anyone expected, as Thaden was violently ripped away from his Training, which forced numerous anomalies upon him, the most important being that his Mana was, in effect, inexhaustible. Stuck with a Support-based Healer Class, Thaden managed to not only survive, but thrive, as he made his way through the developmental world he was sent to by finding a way to leverage his Class in a way that was virtually unheard of before he arrived.
By the time their stay in Tarth came to a close, Thaden had become the most powerful individual—by far—in the entirety of the developmental world, and he was looking forward to learning more about what the future would hold. Unfortunately for him, his transition back to the larger universe was anything but smooth, and he ended up losing almost all of the progress he’d made in Tarth, including his high Level, his incredibly robust stats, and all of his Achievements. In fact, the only things that he was left with was his Adventurer Coalition Rank and his Class, which included all of the spells that he had unlocked.
Now, finding himself on the Assimilation System’s world of Plangea, which is a massive culmination of thousands of planets and races incorporated by the System, Thaden must find a way to pick up the pieces of his sudden downfall, while at the same time figuring out how to simply survive in a dangerous world where his previous advantages are suddenly a curse….
Chapter 1
Thaden bent down and gripped the stalks of wheat in his left hand while he brought the sickle in his right hand toward the base of the stalks, before pulling the hand tool toward him. The sharp blade passed through the wheat like it wasn’t even there, a testament to what he assumed was an enchantment of some sort on the metal, and he quickly tossed the bundle of stalks that had been freed from the field to the side, joining the pile that he’d already started. Eventually, he’d use a few of them to tie the pile together, forming a sheaf of wheat that could easily be gathered up by some of the others working the field along with him.
Of course, every single other person around him was moving much faster than him, leaving him in their literal dust, so he was somewhat by himself at the moment. He stood up and arched his back, relieving some of the ache that seemed to fill his back every day, even as he wiped away the sweat that pored down his face despite the woven, wide-brimmed hat on his head. Fortunately, the ache in his body wasn’t as bad as when he’d started working in the fields approximately 6 months ago, but even if his natural muscles adjusted to the exertion over time, it was still exhausting.
“Hey! No breaks! I’m not paying you to stand around!
The sound of the Field Foreman shouting at him from somewhere behind him might have startled him months ago, but he was too tired to let it bother him. Instead, he simply bent over and gripped another bundle of stalks in preparation of cutting them with his sickle. The repetitive action was both therapeutic and monotonous, as his body was basically on auto-pilot as his mind was allowed to wander where it would.
The reminder from the Field Foreman about being paid made him mentally chuckle, as the pay he received was barely enough to live on. Then again, as he glanced up at some of the other Netherine, the tall tiger-demon race that were the primary inhabitants of the town of Felith, he could only conclude that his pay was based on his production compared to the other workers. Even the lowest-Level field worker, at Level 4, was practically a powerhouse of lithe muscles and deadly claws that they used to cut through the wheat so naturally that they reminded him of the farming equipment back on Earth that could harvest a field in hours instead of the days that it would take someone like Thaden to do the job. How they weren’t falling over in heat exhaustion as the black-striped, red fur covering them from head to toe absorbed the sun’s rays, he didn’t know, but he figured it had something to do with some innate heat resistance. He wasn’t sure if they were actually demons, even if the two black, curling horns on their heads sort of hinted at the origin, but either way, they didn’t seem bothered by being out in the sun all day.
Meanwhile, Thaden had his skin burned so much that it had, by necessity, been tanned darker than it had ever been before. His Natural Regeneration Competency helped to repair the damage that the sunburns produced upon his Health, but with his stats being so low, it didn’t take much to actually harm himself in the first place. Even something as simple as a cut on his skin from his sickle, which had previously been almost impervious to damage like that back in Tarth because of his high Physicality stat, took a few minutes to heal completely, and by that time he’d have bled on some of the wheat grain he was harvesting, ruining it by making it unpalatable by the residents of Felith.
That, of course, would then dock his daily pay.
It was so much easier when I could simply heal myself.
Unfortunately, despite keeping his Fortunate Catastrophe Class, which was—at its base—a Support Class based on healing, he couldn’t use even a single spell to heal himself or anyone else. He had dozens of spells that he’d unlocked while in Tarth, each of them at Celestial strength, and every single one of them was incredibly effective in preventing or healing damage done to someone’s Health. But because they were so strong, and he didn’t have access to spells of a weaker strength, they were far outside of what his Mana pool could handle. Even the least expensive of them cost over 1,000 Mana, and with his Mentality stat at 2, which brought with it only 20 Mana in his pool, he was far from being able to cast any of them.
That wasn’t anything new, however, because he’d had months to get used to being essentially powerless.
Once he had finally recovered from being forcefully transported to Plangea from where the Assimilator had been holding him after snatching him up from Tarth, the two Netherine who had found him out in the jungle-like area some distance away from Felith had dropped him off in the town and left him there for others to deal with. The town council had eventually found him a spare room that he could rent – as long as he quickly found employment of some sort. He had then spent the next few days leaning upon their generosity, which was actually quite a relief to experience, especially with everything that he’d been through, while he looked for a job to start paying his way.
As he walked through the surprisingly modern-looking town, which had buildings and homes that he didn’t think would look too out of place in rural America, he began to realize that finding a position anywhere within the town would be difficult, if not impossible. First, even though the buildings were constructed with a stone that almost looked like concrete, and the wood that was incorporated was exotic-looking and was likely taken from the jungle nearby, it didn’t take him long to see that everything was built on a scale that far exceeded his own. While he wasn’t exactly short for a Human at around 6 feet tall, the Netherine were—at the shortest—at least 10 feet tall, with the older and higher-Leveled ones he saw exceeding a dozen feet or more. Not only were they larger than him, but they were also stronger, faster, and could easily pick up things that were set higher than he could stretch up to reach. As he looked through storefronts in the strange, mall-like town marketplace, he felt like a toddler going into a grocery store where all the good stuff was located on the top shelves.
Being a fairly large town, there were plenty of positions that he could attempt to apply for, but his lack of height quickly proved to be a deal-breaker. Everything was designed for the convenience of the Netherine, and while he saw a few other races moving through the town every once in a while, they all seemed to be rather tall, as well; the result was that even something like being a cook was all but impossible because the counters and cooking surfaces were taller than him. He even contemplated being a server in one of the Inns, but with the tables and the bar being taller than he could easily reach, it wasn’t going to work.
With professions that weren’t necessarily dependent upon being tall, he found himself lacking in strength. It appeared as though, at Level 1, an adult Netherine was significantly stronger than an adult Human, so any construction jobs or anything that involved carrying heavy things was basically out.
Thaden also looked into a position that didn’t require height or strength, such as something that required some knowledge of logistics or math, but after only a few hours in town, he swiftly learned that his knowledge of the language the Netherine spoke didn’t extend to their written language. That made doing anything “office”-based pretty much incompatible with his current skills, so he was forced to look someplace else.
That was when he looked toward the Adventurer Coalition building in the town, which he was originally happy to see. Being a Platinum+ Rank in the Coalition, something that he’d managed to keep from his time in Tarth, he thought he might be able to take advantage of his Rank and find a way to regain some of what he’d lost. For instance, if he was able to party with a bunch of Adventurers to regain his lost Levels and stats, he could eventually cast some of his spells again. Some equipment that he could apply his Condensed Adaptable Mimicry Plate to, which was what the dozens of Adaptable Mimicry Plates he’d had before ended up as when he arrived in Plangea, could also boost his stats once again, which would also allow him to regain the power of his powerful Class.
Unfortunately, the Coalition had been filled with a bunch of stuck-up Netherines that looked at the rags that he had been given to cover his body and demanded to see his Badge. Since he didn’t have it, and also because his records weren’t officially recognized by the Assimilation System – and therefore by the Adventurer Coalition – they refused to help him, and was subsequently turned away. In order to officially apply (again), he had to pay the 3 silver-piece fee, which he obviously didn’t have.
His interaction with the rude workers inside the Coalition was only the tip of the iceberg to his troubles, as even when he thought he had found a job he might be able to do within the town, his Personality stat got in the way. At a Personality of only 1, the reactions of the populace weren’t as exaggerated as they had been in Tarth; while the Charee in Tarth had been outright hostile toward him, the Netherines wavered from sheer indifference to a mild dislike, none of which convinced any of the job providers to actually hire him for a job.
Eventually, there was only one real place that would even consider hiring him, so he was forced to venture out to the extensive fields that surrounded the town of Felith. Paid what he considered an extremely low wage, there wasn’t really any other option for him if he wanted to eat – because after the first few days of mooching off the generosity of the town council, they cut him off from receiving any assistance from them. Whether it was because he was a different race, or because they simply didn’t care what happened to him, they seemed to wash their hands of the whole situation. He thought it was likely the latter reason, because no one really seemed to comment on him being a Human, other than to remark on how short he was; they didn’t, in fact, even ask him where he come from, or why he had been dead and naked in the middle of the nearby jungle before the two hunters Resurrected him.
It was… strange. Their lack of curiosity was akin to finding an ugly, stray dog that was in need of food and healing; they had enough compassion to heal him and feed him until he was good to move around on his own, but then they ignored him and abandoned him to his own devices without any other support.
That brought in the thought of leaving Felith and finding someplace else to hopefully find some additional help, but there was one big problem with that: His Bonus Traits that came from his Fortunate Catastrophe Class. He looked at his Character Report once again, using his bodies automatic movements to peer at it while he continued to harvest wheat.
All single-target spells can now target anyone (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
You can now choose to have all single-target spells affect all allies, all hostile targets, or all targets within 180 feet of your location with a 100% increase in effectiveness (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
All existing wide-area spells and effects now have their effectiveness and range increased by 300% (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
All spells have their effectiveness increased by 50% (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
Fortuity is increased by 300% while in combat and for 30 seconds after combat is concluded (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
Fortuity will now have a visible, tangible effect when facing hostile targets 90+ Levels higher than the Fortunate Catastrophe (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
Allies within 900 feet of the Fortunate Catastrophe receive a 50% boost to their own Fortuity, but take 50% more damage (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
All hostile targets within 3 miles are drawn to the Fortunate Catastrophe and will ignore any allied targets not engaged in direct contact with those hostile targets (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
Any allied deaths within 3 miles of the Fortunate Catastrophe cumulatively increase the Fortunate Catastrophe’s Fortuity by 30% (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
All rewards are increased by 30%, including from Quests completed and Achievements earned; however, there is a Fortuity/1,000 % chance that rewards will be increased by 300%
Each spell cast by the Fortunate Catastrophe has a Fortuity/5,000 % chance to double in effectiveness; when a spell is doubled in effectiveness, the chance will trigger again, thereby quadrupling the original spell’s effectiveness; this process can be triggered up to 9 times in a row (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
Equipment:
Condensed Adaptable Mimicry Plate
Rarity: Artifact
Imprinted User Restriction:Thaden
Level Restriction:1
Durability: Indestructible
Usage Limit: None
Special Properties: Growth
Can be attached to and unattached from any non-consumable item to mimic and quintuplicate all of its effects
Additional effects can be unlocked upon the growth of the Condensed Adaptable Mimicry Plate
The biggest problem with leaving the town or its immediate environs like the fields he worked in, was one trait in particular.
All hostile targets within 3 miles are drawn to the Fortunate Catastrophe and will ignore any allied targets not engaged in direct contact with those hostile targets (From Fortunate Catastrophe)
Any time he ventured out away from town, he risked inviting any monsters out there to come attack him – and he had almost no ability to defend himself. The thought of using the sickle in his hand as a weapon nearly made him drop it, as his Class didn’t allow him to use weapons like that – but tools like the sickle were at least able to be used in a practical way like he was doing at the moment. As far as his spells were concerned, he ignored them for the most part, as they cost too much to cast; the only exceptions were the spells that were “Reserved,” as they simply reserved a portion of the Mana pool to start activate them—
—or that was how he thought they were supposed to work. Instead, as he tried activating something like Celestial Aura of Life, which was supposed to reserve a portion of his Mana pool as it activated, he was met with an error, something that he was unfortunately used to by this point, after dealing with the hostile Assimilation System in Tarth.
ERROR! Insufficient Mana to activate Reserved function!
He didn’t know exactly what it meant, but he assumed it was because a Celestial strength spell was supposed to be used by someone with a much larger Mana pool than he had at the moment. How large it needed to be, he was given no indication, but he intuited that it was probably at least enough that he could cast the lowest-cost spell he had in his spell list.
“Alright, wrap it up! You’re done for the day!”
The familiar words surprised him, and Thaden looked up to see that the sun had begun to set in the sky, and that he had somehow managed to make it to the end of his row. The other Netherine’s working in the field were nowhere in sight, meaning that they had likely finished some time ago, so it was only Thaden and the Field Foreman left.
“Here’s your pay. Glad to see you picked up the pace later in the day, so I didn’t have to dock you any.” Thaden numbly held his left hand out as he felt a few copper pieces fall into it, dropped by the much-taller Foreman. His boss then picked up the last pile of wheat stalks he’d cut and expertly wrapped them up, before they disappeared into his Inventory. Unfortunately, Thaden’s Inventory couldn’t even fit a single one of the bound sheafs, at Level 1 it was extremely tiny, but it could hold something his money. In fact, as he quickly deposited his pay into his internal space, which was only about a cubic foot in area, he looked at the money he’d been saving up, as well as the Condensed Adaptable Mimicry Plate that was inside.
For the millionth time, he took it out of his Inventory and held it in his hands, looking at the metallic-looking Artifact for any sign that his friend was still there.
“Sadia? Are you there?”
Unfortunately, just like every other time he’d tried to coax the giant squirrel out of the Plate, nothing happened. Sighing, he put it away even as he looked at his monetary reserves. Tired from the work of the day, it took him a few seconds to realize that he’d finally hit the threshold he’d been hoping for.
3 Silver, 1 Copper
He now had enough to register with the Adventurer’s Coalition, again, and he was hoping that it would finally give him the means to get away from this stupid wheat field and get back to fulfilling his other goals.
I should probably wait until tomorrow, but I’ve been saving up entirely too long to hold off any longer.
With a burst of energy that was born from the thought of finally taking back control of his life again, he ran at full speed through the field, bursting through the gates along the tall walls surrounding the town of Felith, before making a beeline toward the Coalition building.
I had a good semi-week off this week, though it was cut somewhat short when the audiobook for The Alternate Keeper came out. Still, I was able to relax a bit before I started planning my next book.
I should be able to start writing on Sunday (hopefully), but if I don't get the first chapter then, I'll at least have it ready to go for Monday. I'm excited for this, as I'm ready to begin the next arc in Thaden's story :)
On Wednesday the 17th, the 2nd and final compilation of the Magical Fusion series, Books 5-8, is coming out, and I'm going to try and get the audiobook to release at the same time. I'll be promoting it next week, so it may take some of my writing time away, but it is my last release until The Affinity Collector comes out in early January.
Plans for next week:
Sunday-Tuesday: Writing New Healer Arc series
Wednesday-Friday: Promote Magical Fusion Books 5-8 Compilation/Writing New Healer Arc series
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 is now out on audiobook! Miles Meili delivers another amazing performance of this OP MC LitRPG book at just over 14 hours, and I'm excited for everyone to listen to the second book in the Retrogression Keeper series.
After discovering that his presence in Derelya has a detrimental effect on the ambient energy if he stays in one place for too long, Bax is determined to keep on the move. Forced to go solo after his Party abandoned him, his entire goal is to learn more about the world he is duty-bound to protect, while also attempting to gain the support of the population – all despite being one of the despised Keepers.
On his travels, he stumbles across an individual who is just as much of an outcast as himself. Teaming up, Bax hopes to one day help the new addition to his Party get stronger and potentially even become another Keeper to join him in his efforts to save Derelya from the monsters that threaten it…
…until a Task to defeat a Remnant goes sideways. Despite eliminating the powerful monster, his new Party member is unfortunately killed soon after; in an effort to get her back, Bax accidentally does something that will change the world – and the entire Retrogression System – forever.
At only 8 years old, Weldin had just had his dual Affinities bestowed upon him by the Goddess Athera when he ended up in a Nexus Rift far exceeding his Level. To make it worse, the Affinities he ended up with, and , weren’t exactly the best when it came to offensive capability, and he struggled to kill any of the higher-Level monsters that stood in between him and his freedom. The lack of a powerful Ability to defend himself, as well as a lack of worldly knowledge, eventually led to his downfall.
But that wasn’t technically the end of Weldin’s existence, as just as his mortal form succumbed to its fatal wounds and his soul slipped away, a soul from another world was slotted into the empty shell to take over his abandoned body. This new soul was from Earth, and with it came a plethora of knowledge that could take advantage of his Affinities, in ways that his current world had never seen before. Even more than possessing otherworldly knowledge, the introduction of a new soul into Weldin’s body had seemed to initiate some other capabilities, such as the unique ability to unlock additional Affinities.
Now, all he has to do is clear a Nexus Rift where everything can easily kill him if he makes a mistake, navigate a world where those in power want to possess him because of his unique Affinities, and somehow survive an Academy full of 8-year-olds who have just learned that they have incredible magical powers – all so he can progress his personal quest to collect all of the Affinities he can.
I finished The Affinity Collector! I'm going to start releasing chapters for my $2 and $5 Patrons, and I've been working on editing it and revisions to finish it up to completion. I'll be sending it to beta-readers on Sunday, as I should be completely done with it.
I'll probably be taking Monday-Wednesday off, and starting on Thursday, I'll be planning for my next series, which is...
The continuation of the Healer series!
As for The Affinity Healer release, I'm thinking that it will be out at the beginning of January, as I already have a book coming out on December 17th -- which is my Magical Fusion Books 5-8 collection.
Plans for next week:
Sunday: Finish up The Affinity Collector and send to betas
Monday-Wednesday: Off
Thursday-Friday: Planning for Healer continuation series
Here's the cover I had created for The Affinity Collector, otherwise known as the 8 Year Story here on Patreon, and I'm hoping to put it up for pre-order sometime next week.
I was only able to get a single chapter done today -- but I can feel that the end is coming soon! Sorry for the cliffhanger :)
I'm taking the rest of this week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I'll be back to work on Sunday.
Next week, I'm hoping to finish my newest story, and I'm hoping to have a new cover for you all to see soon! I'll be working on Sunday through Friday next week to finish the book, which will be followed up by editing and getting it out to my beta-readers; also, once it's done, I'll be starting to release chapters to my $2 and $5 Patrons.
Plans for next week:
Sunday-Friday: Finish book and edits
For everyone who celebrates it, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! For everyone else, have a great weekend!
I had to stop a little early today, so I wasn't able to finish a second chapter, but the story is getting there! I estimate that there will be another 10 chapters or so before it's done, which I'll be able to knock out perhaps half of them next week, and then finish up the first week of December.
Next week, I'll be working with my cover designer on the title and cover for my new story, so I won't likely be doing any writing. Monday through Wednesday should theoretically be business as usual, and I'm hoping to get at least 5 chapters done. Thursday is Thanksgiving and I'll be taking it off, as well as Friday and through the whole weekend, as we'll probably be doing something with my daughter as she'll have it off, as well. I'll probably give you all an update on Wednesday.
After that, though, I'll be back to work on December 1st, to finish up my current story!
I'm getting closer and closer to finishing my new story! I estimate that I'm about 2/3 done at this point, and if everything goes well, I'll have it done by the end of the month, or early December at the latest. The holidays coming up will probably end up pushing it to early December, but we'll see!
On Sunday, I have a birthday party to go to, so I likely won't be writing that day, but I don't believe I have any other plans the rest of the week other than to write!
Also, a heads-up for my $5 Patrons -- I'll most definitely reach Chapter 30 next week, which will be the last one for my $5 Patrons until the book is complete, when I'll be releasing them leading up to its release on Amazon.
I'm really chugging along with the new story! I'll be thinking about the title and what I want on the cover soon, but if anyone has a suggestion, let me know.
I do know what the series is going to be called, though:
The Affinity Collector
Coming up next week, I'll be working a bit Sunday and will hopefully get a chapter done, as on Monday I have something I have to do and may or may not get much writing done. The rest of the week I should be relatively free to write, however!
As I wrote at the top of Chapter 15, all of my $2 Patrons have access to Chapters 1-15 of my new story, while my $5 Patrons will have access all the way up to Chapter 30 -- which will probably be another couple of weeks before I get there. Once the story is fully written, I'll be releasing chapters for my $2 and $5 Patrons all the way up to its eventual release on Amazon.
The release of The Alternate Healer went well! I managed to write a few chapters this week, despite the promotion involved in it, but I'm hoping to get a lot more done on my newest story next week.
On Sunday, I have my daughter's piano recital to go to, so I won't be working -- but Monday through Friday, I have no other plans, so I should be able to write all week without being interrupted :)
The audiobook is currently in production by Miles Meili and should hopefully be out sometime in December.
_________________
The Lone Keeper has an entire world to protect, but that world is about to get a whole lot bigger…
After discovering that his presence in Derelya has a detrimental effect on the ambient energy if he stays in one place for too long, Bax is determined to keep on the move. Forced to go solo after his Party abandoned him, his entire goal is to learn more about the world he is duty-bound to protect, while also attempting to gain the support of the population – all despite being one of the despised Keepers.
On his travels, he stumbles across an individual who is just as much of an outcast as himself. Teaming up, Bax hopes to one day help the new addition to his Party get stronger and potentially even become another Keeper to join him in his efforts to save Derelya from the monsters that threaten it…
…until a Task to defeat a Remnant goes sideways. Despite eliminating the powerful monster, his new Party member is unfortunately killed soon after; in an effort to get her back, Bax accidentally does something that will change the world – and the entire Retrogression System – forever.
This story contains an overpowered main character, LitRPG progression mechanics and stats, and isekai/portal fantasy elements. Contains no sexual content or harems.
To comply with KU rules, I have taken down the chapters I had posted for The Alternate Keeper. If anyone was still reading them, let me know and I'll send you a document you can read to finish it off!
As a reminder, The Alternate Keeper is coming out this Wednesday, October 29th:
I've now started my new book! I've been thinking about this one for months now and I'm excited to finally get it out of my head :)
All of the chapters of The Alternate Keeper should now be available for all my Patrons! As a heads-up, I'll be taking down the chapters next Monday to comply with the rules of Kindle Unlimited.
Next week, I'll be working on more of my new story, plus The Alternate Keeper will be coming out on October 29th! I'll be promoting that in between writing, so I won't have a ton of chapters done next week. In addition, my day on Friday will be short because it is Halloween, and I need to finish some last-minute decorations for trick-or-treaters later.
Plans for next week:
Sunday-Tuesday: Write more of the 8 Year Story
Wednesday: The Alternate Keeper releases!
Thursday-Friday: Writing and promotion of The Alternate Keeper/half-day on Friday
Another week, another audiobook release! Unbelievable Healer came out, and it took some of my attention while I finished things up, but I finished everything and...
I have The Alternate Keeper with beta-readers! I've been releasing chapters for my $2 and $5 Patrons, and all of them will be available before the book releases on October 29th. Speaking of which, the pre-order is now up:
Next week, I'll be taking Sunday and Monday off to finish up with a few things, while on Tuesday I'll be planning out my next book. We should see some chapters on Wednesday and Thursday of next week, while on Friday I'll be finalizing any beta-reader feedback and make sure it is all uploaded for the Book 2 Keeper release.
Plans for next week:
Sunday-Monday: Off
Tuesday: Planning for new book
Wednesday-Thursday: Writing of new book
Friday: Finalize The Alternate Keeper for publication
It's finally here - the final book in the Earthen Contenders series, Unbelievable Healer, is now on audiobook! Miles Meili delivers nearly 15 hours of overpowered healer awesomeness, and I'm extremely excited for everyone to listen to the conclusion of this arc of this series.
The final Developmental Phase is thrust upon the Contenders, whether they like it or not…
After inadvertently triggering the start of Developmental Phase 4 with the destruction of The Citadel, Thaden learns from his squirrel companion, Sadia, what the Wildlands has in store for him and the other Contenders. Unfortunately, despite his incredible power as a largely solo healer, he quickly discovers that in order to succeed in the final Phase, numerous additional people will need to participate.
In other words, he cannot do it alone.
The problem that arises is, sadly, an obvious one. While Thaden is powerful and more than capable of tackling many of the challenges that Phase 4 presents, the other Contenders in Region #1, let alone all of the other Regions on Tarth, are far behind the required Level to even have a chance of succeeding against the monsters in the Wildlands. And if he doesn’t find a way to get them to that point, then the deaths of not only every person in Region #1, but the entire world, will become an inevitability.
Will Thaden persevere when the odds of success are slim to none? Or will he do something unbelievably stupid and put the lives of everyone on Tarth even more at risk? Find out in the thrilling conclusion of the Earthen Contenders series!
This story contains an overpowered MC with a normally non-offense-based Class, LitRPG progression mechanics and stats, and isekai/portal fantasy elements. Contains no sexual content or harems.
I almost finished the book! Unfortunately, I think I stressed myself out too much by wanting to finish by today before I took time off for my anniversary and ended up giving myself a bad migraine, so I didn't get it completely done. There will be two more chapters, which I'll either be finishing up over the weekend or possibly Monday. After that, I'll be doing editing and revisions, and then taking the rest of next week off afterwards.
The week after that (Oct 19th), I'll be starting a new book!
Plans for next week:
Sunday-Monday: Finish Keeper 2 and put it up for pre-order
Tuesday-Wednesday: Revisions and editing of Keeper 2
A few more chapters done this week! The release of The Lone Keeper on audiobook took some of my writing time away, plus I spent Wednesday setting up my Halloween decor outside. I really want to finish this by next Wednesday, so I may end up working on Saturday in addition to Sunday to get it done.
The reason for my wanting to get Keeper book 2 done by Wednesday is because I'm taking next Thursday and Friday off for my anniversary, so I won't be able to write. So, that's good news for all of you, as you'll be a getting a slew of new chapters over the next 5 days :)
Plans for next week:
Saturday-Wednesday: Writing with the intent to finish by Wednesday
The first book in the Retrogression Keeper series, The Lone Keeper, is now on audiobook! You can now pick up nearly 14 hours of LitRPG awesomeness narrated by Miles Meili!
I'm currently working on the 2nd book in the series, which should hopefully be out by the end of October.
_____________________
What happens when a new Keeper recruit inadvertently eliminates not only the other recruits, but all of the teachers, as well?
At first, when Bax suddenly found himself transported from Earth to an organization of powerful, universe-spanning races, he was thoroughly confused. After he learned that his world was being forcefully inducted into something called the Retrogression System, which would introduce monsters to the Earth while eliminating all of the technology of the Humans living there, he understandably panicked.
Unfortunately, there was nothing that Bax or the Keeper Recruit program that he suddenly found himself being enrolled in could do about it. Instead, he was told that he had to learn how to be a Keeper, which was a powerful protector of the worlds included in the System in which the Earth was now a part. More than that, he was to become a Keeper Guide, a teacher of sorts for future Human Keepers once the Retrogression cycle began anew.
The only problem was that he had been transported from Earth while he was in the early stages of the flu he’d contracted from a co-worker. Bax’s experience being ravaged by the virus was unpleasant, to say the least, but he eventually recovered with enough rest. However, when he finally emerged from his room, ready to really start his learning as a Keeper Guide, he quickly discovered that the rest of the Cooperative seemed to be abandoned.
Now, what is a Keeper Guide recruit to do when there’s no one left to teach him?
This story contains an overpowered main character, LitRPG progression mechanics and stats, and isekai/portal fantasy elements. Contains no sexual content or harems.
I just got the cover back from my cover designer for Keeper Book 2, which I'm titling The Alternate Keeper! Thought I'd drop it here for you to check out before I put it up for pre-order later this week.
Well, I didn't get as much done as I wanted this week, but it's still progress! The release of the Magical Fusion collection on audiobook delayed me a bit since I spent some time giving out codes, and then I had a few family things that I needed to take care of. Still, I'm getting closer!
Next week, I anticipate The Lone Keeper coming out on audiobook, which will also delay me a bit, but I'll still be making more progress on book 2. In addition, on Wednesday I'll be setting up Halloween decorations, so I probably won't get much work done, but I'll be writing whenever I can.
In addition, I'll be at the Aurora Mini-Con tomorrow (I'll be setting up for it in a few hours), so if you're in Aurora, CO, come see me in the Aurora Public Library!
Now you can pick up the first 4 books in the Magical Fusion series in 72 hours of LitRPG audiobook awesomeness for just a single credit! Miles Meili does an amazing job narrating the series, and I hope you enjoy all of it!
Contains the first four books in the Magical Fusion Series:
The Fusionist
Academic ConFusion
Aetheric InFusion
Global DifFusion
A young man and his axe, along with a magical life he never asked for…
Larek Holsten is different from most people, living in the Kingdom of Androthe where his 7-foot-tall frame is looked at with suspicion and anger from its shorter residents; but as long as it helps him become the best Logger he can be, he doesn’t let it bother him all that much. He and his best friend, an axe with a powerful Fusion that causes it to become sharper and stronger than a normal tool, are feared by the trees in the magical forest north of his home, as he can fell the quickly growing monoliths faster than anyone else in the community.
Unfortunately, after visiting the local village, a deliberate misunderstanding lands Larek in trouble; as a result, he is taken away from his family and the only home he has ever known. Along the way, his dormant magical potential is discovered by those more knowledgeable than him, and he is ordered to attend some sort of academy for Mages.
The problem? Contrary to many who might jump at the chance of wielding powerful magic to fight the monsters that threaten the towns and cities around the Kingdom, Larek has absolutely no desire to become a Mage, especially when he has no choice in the matter. All he wants is to be allowed to return home to his family and to chop down the trees in the Rushwood Forest.
But once he discovers a unique talent that stems from his newly unlocked latent power, he might just have to stick around to see what he can do…
This weak-to-strong MC story contains LitRPG elements such as character progression and statistics, as well as a heavy crafting emphasis. No explicit sexual content or harems.
Next week, I'm hoping to finally get back on track without any releases! I'm shooting for another 10 chapters, and if I'm able to do that, I'm planning on finishing the week after; my goal is to have this book done by October 3rd, if not sooner.
Next Saturday (Sept 27), I have my final convention of the year for the Aurora Mini-Con! So, if you're in the area, you can come visit me in the upper level of the Aurora Public Library from 10 to 6.
Also, the audiobook for the Magical Fusion Collection (Books 1-4) might be publishing next week, but I'm not sure yet; The Lone Keeper and Unbelievable Healer audiobooks are also in editing, and will be available within the next 3-4 weeks or so.
Plans for next week:
Sunday-Friday: Writing Keeper Book 2/Prepare for Saturday's convention
You can now pick up the first 4 books in the Magical Fusion series in one convenient volume! The Magical Fusion Collection: Books 1-4 is now available on eBook and paperback, with the audiobook coming soon!
Contains the first four books in the Magical Fusion Series:
The Fusionist
Academic ConFusion
Aetheric InFusion
Global DifFusion
A young man and his axe, along with a magical life he never asked for…
Larek Holsten is different from most people, living in the Kingdom of Androthe where his 7-foot-tall frame is looked at with suspicion and anger from its shorter residents; but as long as it helps him become the best Logger he can be, he doesn’t let it bother him all that much. He and his best friend, an axe with a powerful Fusion that causes it to become sharper and stronger than a normal tool, are feared by the trees in the magical forest north of his home, as he can fell the quickly growing monoliths faster than anyone else in the community.
Unfortunately, after visiting the local village, a deliberate misunderstanding lands Larek in trouble; as a result, he is taken away from his family and the only home he has ever known. Along the way, his dormant magical potential is discovered by those more knowledgeable than him, and he is ordered to attend some sort of academy for Mages.
The problem? Contrary to many who might jump at the chance of wielding powerful magic to fight the monsters that threaten the towns and cities around the Kingdom, Larek has absolutely no desire to become a Mage, especially when he has no choice in the matter. All he wants is to be allowed to return home to his family and to chop down the trees in the Rushwood Forest.
But once he discovers a unique talent that stems from his newly unlocked latent power, he might just have to stick around to see what he can do…
This weak-to-strong MC story contains LitRPG elements such as character progression and statistics, as well as a heavy crafting emphasis. No explicit sexual content or harems.
I was able to get another chapter done today before I had to leave for the Colorado Festival of Horror! I strived to get more done this week, but after having been volunteered to write the obituary for my father and a few other family things that came up, I was only able to get 5 written. Hopefully next week will be more productive, but there will be a day or two coming up where I need to help on some more family matters, but I'm not sure if it will be next week or not.
As for what is coming up, I'll be at the COFOH today through Sunday, and as much as I'd like to say that I'll be fully back to work on Monday, experience has told me that I usually need a day to recover. Therefore, expect the next chapter on Tuesday of next week, followed by the release of the first Magical Fusion compilation (Books 1-4) on Wednesday!
I'm getting closer to Chapter 30 on Keeper Book 2, which will be the final chapter for my $5 Patrons until the story is complete; I'm not sure if I'll reach that next week, but I just want to give you all a heads-up.
Plans for next week:
Monday: Recover from convention/writing?
Tuesday: Writing Keeper Book 2
Wednesday: Release of Magical Fusion Compilation (Books 1-4)
It's been a bit of a rough week for me with my father's passing, but things are slowly getting back to normal. I'm not sure how many chapters I'll be able to finish next week, but my goal is around 5 to 6; there may be some days where I need to deal with some family stuff, so don't be too surprised if I miss a day or two.
Next Friday through Sunday, I'll be attending the Colorado Festival of Horror, so I'll probably post an update on Thursday.
Hey all, I just want to let my Patrons know that my chapters may or may not be a little sporadic over the next week or two.
Why?
I found out about an hour after I posted Chapter 16 that my father passed away, so there may be some times when I can't write as much as I'd like. I'm going to do my best to keep a regular schedule, because that is best for my brain right now, but don't freak out if I miss a day :)
