LeetlePublishingCompany

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.87 (318)

Seated across from each other near the front table, Battle Leader Averett was once again arguing with Lady Verina. This time, it was over how much fiscal reserve should be reserved for the Wacko’s upcoming deployment versus what percentage of income should be reinvested into House Walker’s local holdings.

Meanwhile, former captain of the Dorchester Army, now Knight Harold Angelton, focused on the information in front of him, cross-referencing what he was reading with what he was see...

Stars Above Chapter 1

“Every gain or positive in your life will come at a cost.  One which will be paid by either you or someone else. It is an indisputable fact of life.  What one takes, another loses.  What time you spend on one pursuit was the time you didn’t spend on another.  Master one skill at the cost of your others remaining left untrained.  Acquire a resource, and that resource is no longer available for anyone else.  You are responsible for the choices you make, and the...

May '25 Situation Report

Hey all,

It's been a bit since I've done one of these, and I've been putting this one off for too long. Now, don't freak out too bad, because I'm not dropping Nero or anything. However, I have been falling further and further behind on the chapters as I'm sure many of you have noticed.

I'd like to be able to claim some serious health problem, or even offer you a cool story about being arrested at the border after a bachelor party or something. But, I can't. Honestly, work has...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.86 (317)

Fidgeting with the robes she was being forced by circumstance to wear over her well used armor, Natalie Keening lamented the fact that her ever growing position in House Walker required such alterations to her loadout. Although, she did understand the reason why. After all, in order to project a more professional appearance, she needed to dress herself up a bit.

But that didn’t mean she had to like it.

She’d spent years happily doing nothing more than guarding city caravans to...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.85 (316)

“Wait, say that again,” City Lord Cosgrave demanded, her tone laced with an undercurrent of venom.

Shuffling her feet awkwardly, the third heir of House Thornton, Lady Dacey Thornton, replied, “Well, they said that they agreed with us. According to the three leaders of the faiths that I met with, they’ve already investigated the matter thoroughly. Lord Walker is neither a planar lord nor a god, demi or otherwise.”

Eyes narrowed in suppressed rage, City Lord Cosgrave dema...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.84 (315)

The conversation between Archmage Jennings and Nero carried on for quite some time. They chatted away long enough for Ms. Davis, Nero’s subconsciously fate-reading super-maid, to make multiple deliveries of fresh coffee, bring in two servings of snack trays, and personally provide a bottle of some very specific wine that Jennings never asked her for but delighted him anyways.

It was, all in all, a surprisingly delightful way for Nero to spend the remainder of his day. Somehow, the con...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.83 (314)

Unwilling to wait for the blood to fully dissolve itself into the ether, Noxie Crusher wiped down his axe head with the rag he always kept looped through his belt. His current mood was about as foul as the beast’s corpse he’d just slaughtered. They’d been on the march for days, and the continual interruptions by these reality wrinkles and their beasties were getting on his nerves.

“Hey, Crusher! How far do ye think we are from the human’s city? And what are the chances we’ll...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.82 (313)

While he could have confronted her, addressing his suspicions logically and maturely, Nero instead opted to sit in silence and enjoy his coffee. Although some might disagree, he preferred to see his choice as evidence of him having learned restraint. Too often, he’d voiced his internal conspiracy theories only to be proven wrong, ending up looking like an idiot.

‘Personal growth for the win,’ he congratulated himself while half-heartedly munching on a finger sandwich.

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.81 (312)

For Vera, participating in a conversation with this many people through a singular ping wasn’t something all that new or unfamiliar to her. As the head of Precision Shipping, she’d often found herself in meetings through the use of the Thought Hub rather than being there in person. And realistically, considering how often her subordinates were forced to attend to matters throughout the city, it was simply a matter of practicality to manage her people that way.

But for the others cur...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.80 (311)

Quincy sat confidently, radiating authority like a true leader in front of his comrades, doing his best to exude a sense of strength and competence. While they weren’t exactly panicking yet, it was clear that events over the past few hours were beginning to overwhelm them. Not that he could blame them. He himself was feeling uncentered by the recent news they’d been hearing.

“None of this changes anything! The Walker was already planning to leave the city! Altering our plans now w...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.79 (310)

While Nero stood slackjawed, his entire mind was busy working in unison to understand what Angelton was telling him.

“... So, between the guard and the army, they should likely be able to keep things from getting too out of hand. But, you should keep in mind, their goal will be to maintain order, while ours will be to get you to the estate without any incidents,” Angelton stated firmly.

Pausing for a moment, Angelton then added somewhat hesitatingly, “Until you and the rest ...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.78 (309)

“No, No, No! You… I mean WE can’t form a religion for him. Did you not even READ the material you got from the archives?!?” Nicholas practically shouted across the table.

Vera, to his immediate right, was reclining comfortably in her chair at the head of the table, thoroughly enjoying seeing her man so worked up. His love of science, which almost reached the level of obsession or self-destruction, manifested itself in many ways that never failed to amuse her. Like now, his need ...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.77 (308)

Standing at the table, Cathleen pointed to the memory being shown. “At this point, I’d estimate around 30% of our forces were out of the battle. Between the shield mages being overstressed, and our healers running out of center, the reappearance of Lord Walker and the arrival of the dwarves was well-timed. Now, I think I’ll turn the floor over to Knight Angelton for his analysis of the Kobalds who came through the portal, and how they’re different from the ones we’ve been fighting,�...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.76 (307)

Although still physically present in the room, Jennings’ mind was so busy it was as if he weren’t actually there. Nero’s words were currently rattling around in his head like hooligans, destroying any semblance of order.

‘Have I spent my entire life looking at the world all wrong?’ he wondered.

The concept of science has been and always will be sacred to him. He believed in it the way zealots believed in their gods. So hearing an entirely different concept ...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.75 (306)

Not having access to the Thought Hub, all she could do was steam in her somewhat violent thoughts. Over and over again she replayed recent events on a loop in her mind. And having been waiting for over an hour, she found herself reaching the end of her patience.

‘Either that hells be damned man-child gets back here soon, or he’ll return to find that I’ve already handled it. And for once, he’ll find himself having to clean up after ME!’ Queen Merrissa Newling prom...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.74 (305)

On the 34th floor of the Tower of Magic in Hennings, the capital of Oglivarch, Calvin Sanderson rushed through the halls as quickly as he could… while trying and failing to maintain the requisite level of decorum for a mage that is. Although there weren’t exactly rules against running through the halls, it was commonly understood that mages needed to present themselves as unflappable and dignified. After all, proper time management skills along with unparalleled self control were the bedr...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.73 (304)

Lately City Lord Cosgrave had been wondering whether or not the initial headache Lord Walker had caused her months ago had ever truly gone away. While not trying to be too melodramatic, she felt as though she’d been suffering from a daily migrane since he’d arrived.

Acknowledging the thought while not dwelling on it, she allowed herself to lean a little more deeply into her chair’s backrest, trading the appearance of proper posture for some sorely needed comfort. It was a concessi...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.72 (303)

Natalie Keening was beginning to realize that she wasn’t as in control of the situation as she thought she was.

After the ambush by the kobalds, when the fighting began to die down, she’d taken the opportunity to reconnect with the Thought Hub. With her status merited a relay connection to the city through the Battle Hub, she’d been able to finally upload everything she had been preparing. Up until now, she’d been relying on a communications orb, severely limiting what she could...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.71 (302)

Looking back on how the conversation with Nero and the others had gone, Jennings couldn’t help but chastise himself over how little effort he’d put in to his side of the conversation. With the comparatively small amount of attention he’d been providing his sub-mind, the part of his mentality that had been representing him, he wouldn’t be surprised if Nero dismissed his poorly presented ideas and instead decided to follow one of the others’ recommendations.

He’d been too dist...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.70 (301)

Archmage Jennings slowly wove his hands through the air, using them as an attenuating focus point for his mental evaluation of the surrounding ether. Letting himself float like a kite in the middle of the dark cavern, the majority of his attention was entirely focused on what he was doing.

The singular essence light he maintained above him provided the only source of light in the entire chamber. The former throne room, now completely devoid of life, remained filled with piles of rotting...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.69 (300)

With the end of the battle nearing, and the fighting tapering off, Mike had come over to see what had caught everyone’s attention.  Not wanting to interrupt, he’d taken a seat among the crowd, keeping his head down.  For nearly an hour he’d listened, enraptured by what he was hearing.

Mike knew that he’d never been all that much of an intellectual.  Not because he didn’t like learning or schooling in general, but because he’d always preferred the practical app...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.68 (299)

Merrick stepped back, carefully maintaining his footing. His left shoulder was burning from holding up his shield, and his panting was making his side hurt. But luckily, he could tell that the battle was finally almost over.

Over his link to the Battle Hub, he heard, “All right Wackos! That should do it. Everyone back up slowly. 10 units distance at minimum. Maintain your spacing!”

Not wasting time or energy interpreting the orders, he just did as he was told. He’d ...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.67 (298)

Merrick muttered a curse under his breath while stumbling backward.  After regaining his balance, he glanced down at the kobald corpse currently ruining his footing before reaffirming his stance and hiding behind his shield.  To his left and right, he could see the other Wackos had similarly backed off, preparing themselves for their next coordinated attack.

Hiding his movements behind his shield, he temporarily sheathed his sword before reaching out with his hand and gesturin...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.66 (297)

Out of options and desperate, the kobalds had given up on direct confrontations and instead had begun hiding behind piles of rocks and poorly constructed spell-stone barriers. Unfortunately for them, all that did was delay the inevitable. With there being only a few hundred enemies still alive, Cathleen had chosen to put Angelton in command of the remainder of the fighting. The man had both the necessary experience with situations like these and the capability of making the most of this train...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.65 (296)

Even though the room he’d chosen for the meeting wasn’t all that impressive, it would serve his purpose well enough.

With his fingers steepled in front of his chin, Former Evaluator Quincy leaned back in his chair in thought. Lacking anything urgent to do, he waited patiently for the remaining members of his party to appear.

Two of his team of former evaluators had already arrived and were seated alongside him. As usual, Mortem was making no effort to hide his impatience. The ...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.64 (295)

In the bowels of the keep, the command center hummed along like a well-tuned machine. The walls were filled with monitoring stations, each being manned with dedication and skill. Everyone present went about their tasks in a coordinated dance, filling the ether with a sense of calm determination that permeated the entire room. It was clear that the army’s overall functionality had improved drastically with all the experience they’d been getting.

On the central dias in the middle of t...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.63 (294)

“Harrison! Take teams 11 and…” she paused for a moment before continuing, “9 and reinforce Billings. We need to keep that group cut off and contained. And tell him to stop chasing down the runners. Let the scouts handle them,” Cathleen ordered before shooing Harrison off like an intern.

Returning her attention to the central battle lines, she raked her eyes across the fighting. Her instincts screamed at her to join the battle, but she knew that her place was here. A good battl...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.62 (293)

Merrick reached out to carve his spell form, carefully manipulating the resulting spell construct to join with the shield being maintained over the tunnel’s opening. He could feel the mental presence of the surrounding mages incorporating him into their combined identity. Well used to the sensation, he allowed part of his mind to merge into it without issue.

Meanwhile, most of his attention remained on the fighting that was going on outside the tunnel. While he couldn’t see everythi...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.61 (292)

In Knight Angelton’s decades of experience, ambushes of this scale were rare. Between scouts with observation pillars and their corresponding perception abilities, along with mages capable of scrying their route forward, organized military forces intending to spring traps of this magnitude were unlikely to avoid notice. And even on the rare occasion when ambushes like this did occur, they were usually comprised of either monsters or beasts with stealth abilities.

If or when a soldier ...

Nero Walker, Book 4 Ch.60 (291)

Seated among the leading members of the Adventure Society in Hennings, Mage-adept Hana Sovros was somewhat distracted by the new and improved secret council hall in which they were currently meeting. The tall recessed ceiling along with the specially ordered ornate stone table in the center of the room gave their proceedings a certain amount of gravitas which had been lacking up until now. All in all, it was quite the upgrade from their comparatively less-than-impressive meeting room in the T...