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Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 34.

Chapter 34.

“Is that thing going to make it?” Shada asked as they led their flotilla out from the stronghold’s harbor.

Bug Bartholomew had gotten the merchantman ready in record time and given how long it took to haul the cannon back down to the Sea Venom and get it back aboard, they didn’t sit around for long. The patch job on the hull was makeshift and there was barely enough usable sail to keep her on pace with the other ships. Bug Bartholomew had volunteered...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 33.

Chapter 33.

“Bring us in real close, Cassia,” Larson whispered to his ship, letting her guide them as they entered the harbor and approached the docks. It hadn’t taken long to neutralize the catapults defending the harbor, but the time they had spent did allow the pirates to reinforce their positions a bit better. Just off the docks, a few of the enemy was hiding behind a makeshift barricade, lobbing arrows at the Sea Venom from extreme range, but the bulk of the force ...

War Core 3, Chapter 15.

Chapter 15.

Hugh watched Captain Tran lead the infantry toward the Ssath base. He used the closest route which would likely avoid the fighting going on between the Ssath and the Yaelar. As his forces were closed in on the command post, they were spotted by a Ssath construction drone. The drone retreated toward the base, and Hugh could see the infantry mechs of the enemy defensive garrison maneuvering to counter his attack. There wasn’t much else out there, save for a single Ssath in...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 32.

Chapter 32.

“Sir, they didn’t have too much in the way of provisions, only a few days’ worth, but it should last a week for the prize crew,” Tarley advised after searching the Bountiful Land. Sadly, there wasn’t much in the way of loot aboard. Other than a small collection of coins in the captain’s cabin, the ship was bare save for the weapons and gear they scavenged, only a few of which were upgrades over the crew’s current gear.

“How’s the ship?” L...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 31.

Chapter 31.

“No, sir, don’t kill us. We’ll tell you everything you want, just let us live. Cast us adrift and we’ll do everything we can to help,” one of the pirates, a chubby man that looked remarkably clean for having been in a brutal fight. He struck Larson as the type to hide in the back and let the others take the risk.

“Tell me what you know and I’ll make it quick,” Larson said, raising his pistols to point at the man,”

“No, let me live, take me o...

War Core Wednesday, War Core 3, Chapter 14.

Chapter 14.

Hugh’s mechs patrolled outside the restricted area around the Ssath command post. They were alone for five minutes as the Ssath structures were quickly rebuilt by whatever method the GCA used. Once the buildings were whole, he could see the factories start producing units. Around that time, a pair of construction drones from the Yaelar arrived and to Hugh’s surprise, began to repair his mechs. It didn’t take them long before all ten of the survivors were operating at...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 30.

Chapter 30.

“Sail off the port bow!” Quix called out from the crow’s nest. They were only a day out from the pirate stronghold, and this was the first ship they had seen. This close to their target, it was likely a pirate vessel. The course Larson had set took them in a wide arc away from any of the well-traveled shipping lanes. He had hoped to make it to their goal without any warning, and the chase was on to see if they could catch the ship hovering near the edge of the horizo...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 29.

Chapter 29.

“As soon as the Lost Soul clears the mouth of the cove, cast off and take us out,” Larson ordered. The crew snapped to and prepared to push the ship away from the no-longer-rickety pier. His people had been at the estate for a short time, but true to his word, Larson had left the place better than he had found it. Before the morning meal they had decided on who would remain behind to assist Felicia and the alchemist Sarvo in creating more of the guns and the o...

War Core Wednesday! War Core 3, Chapter 13.

Chapter 13.

“There are five minutes remaining, you may want to start your forces on their journey, it will take time to approach the Ssath command post,” Harkona said.

“Okay, we’re on our way,” Hugh replied. He had pushed a link to the conversation out to Captain Tran and was a bit worried over what the Infantry commander would think of his decision.

“Captain, I assume you heard all that?” Hugh asked.

“Roger that sir, I’m not sure we’re doing the ...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 28.

Chapter 28.

“Fire as your guns bear, then reload with solid shot!” Larson shouted to the crew. They had floated a target on top of empty barrels and as the Sea Venom sailed past, the crack of the guns sounded one after the other.

“Absolutely pathetic! I give you the power to send a ship to the bottom in a single barrage and you can’t hit that target at a hundred paces,” Larson said, frustrated at the crew as they watched both shots splash into the water a doze...

Limitless Seas, Chapter 27.

Chapter 27.

Larson made his way back to the Sea Venom; they had a lot to do and a short time to get it done. On the way, he could see the recruits being put through their paces by Shada and Tarley. From what he could see, they were doing both basic shipboard drills as well as some sparring with blunted weapons to see who had any skill in fighting. Almost any sailor was good in a barroom brawl, but it took a different type of person to be willing to stick a piece of steel into...

War Core Wednesday! War Core 3, Chapter 12.

Chapter 12.

“They’re gathering for an attack, but it does look like the Yaelar are back online,” Hugh told Captain Tran. Tran was busy optimizing his forces in the trench line guarding the control point. Half the automated defenders had been produced and with their addition to the bunker defense, Tran had pulled out all but a section of infantry to man the trenches. With only twenty-two mechs defending the trench, he would have a hard time holding it for long, but he would do wh...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 26.

Chapter 26.

“Captain, good to have you back, how are things going with the others?” Tarley asked as the Sea Venom made its way to the dock. Lord Buxton must have sent a message out to give them free passage since none of the customs boats stopped by the city for an inspection, which meant no extra tax and no bribes needed to be paid to Harbormaster Willoughby.

“Things are just starting to look up, Larson said, inviting Shada and Tarley into the captain’s cabin.<...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 25.

Chapter 25.

Another boom sounded out over the estate, causing Larson to haul himself from the water and onto the dilapidated pier. They had been at it for a week, and progress on a working cannon hadn’t gone well. Everything that Bug Bartholomew and Felica tried, didn’t have enough strength to stay in one piece given the powerful blast that the sand created. He wasn’t an expert, but his gut instinct told him that the explosive sand was more powerful than regular gunpowder. It wo...

War Core Wednesday! War Core 3, Chapter 11.

Chapter 11.

“Make your move, Captain Tran, the Yaelar assault team is weakened and most of the Ssath forces are attacking the Yaelar command post,” Hugh ordered. It might be a mistake to assault the control point this early in the fight, but the opportunity was there to take it over with minimal losses. With both his foes weakened from the fighting, he just might be able to hold it for long enough to win the battle.

“Roger that, moving in,” Tran replied. His infantry wal...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 24.

Chapter 24.

Larson looked over the new ballista mounted on the bow with his gunner, Dredge. Bug Bartholomew had completed it earlier and while Larson hoped it would soon be replaced with a cannon of some sort, for the time being, it was their only siege weapon. The last of the supplies were being transferred over and they would be ready to sail as soon as that was complete. He would bring twenty of their most capable crew, and every officer except for Tarley.

Back at the docks, ...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 23.

Chapter 23.

“Now there was a reaction I didn’t expect. Come, let me get another blood sample, we need to document this,” Sarvo said. The elderly alchemist was swaying a bit as he tried to stand, a combination of the smack he had received from the ogre and the effects of the explosion.

“Hold on, I believe I know what happened, something similar was used to great effect in another place. Tell me, Sarvo, has this world never developed gunpowder?” Larson asked, finding it ...

Orcs in New York!

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 22.

Chapter 22.

“Bug Bartholomew, are you two okay?” Larson asked as Gilroy served the evening meal to the remaining crew that wasn’t out on leave. The ogre had tucked into his meal, rapidly cleaning out the first trencher of fish stew he was served, but now, the ogre only picked at the second plate, and the two heads were quietly muttering to themselves. If the loss of appetite for the ogre was unusual, speaking quietly was even more so.

“Uh, sorrys Cappin Larson, we’s go...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 21.

Chapter 21.

“Land ho!” The lookout called out as Stratwall Harbor finally came into view. The trip back hadn’t been difficult and gave both Larson and Tarley time to drill their crews. While not exactly a well-oiled machine just yet, Larson could see the crew’s improvements. Given the healthy share of treasure each crewman was going to receive when they arrived back in port, they were understandably excited to see their journey coming to an end. Larson was somewhat concerned o...

War Core Wednesday, War Core 3, Chapter 10.

Chapter 10.

With the signal tower complete, Hugh was able to bring Captain Tran up to a full two squads of infantry. At tier zero, his infantry didn’t’ have much in the way of firepower, but unless his opponents had some advantage that he was unaware of, Hugh figured his forces were on par with the enemy. Even if one of the other cores had some extra units at the start or a way to pump out units faster, it was too big a risk to push against one of the enemy cores this early in the...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 20.

Chapter 20.

Larson slowly regained consciousness, the long sleep leaving him groggy just as it had before. Thankfully, it appeared very infrequently, but there was little warning as to when it might happen. It was yet another danger of his new life, but he would take a long and uncontrollable time of sleep on rare occasions in return for the few seconds of sleep that his body normally needed. He was still in his cabin, but given the glow from under his door, dawn had broken over the h...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 18 and 19.

Chapter 18 is a shorter transitional chapter, so I've included 19 as well. 

Chapter 18.

“Are we missing anyone?” Chairman Raines asked the technician as he joined the virtual conference. Trey looked down on his notes for a final time as the meeting got started. He didn’t have much to do as the gaming team went through their summary. From what he could glean, Limitless Lands was still a huge success, but there was concern about improving the experience and a...

War Core Wednesday, War Core 3, Chapter 9.

Chapter 9.

They had gamed out most of the battle types that had been discovered, though the GCA still liked to throw a few twists into each fight. For a control point battle, there would be a critical location that the cores would have to seize. Once in control of that location, you would begin to amass victory points. How fast the victory points accumulated and how many were needed to secure victory was unknown, but as he flew through space and approached the conflict world, Hugh fig...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 17.

Chapter 17.

Once back aboard the Sea Venom, Larson wanted to review the changes from attaining a new level, but he would put it off long enough to see what kind of treasure they had managed to swipe from the Hypogean Realm. He called an officer’s meeting before they set sail back to Stratwall Harbor, including Wrend and one of his soldiers so they could split their haul.

“Hey, be careful, there, it wouldn’t be unlike the imps to rig that with some kind of trap,”...

Something Different.

I'm not feeling too well today, so I wasn't able to finish up the next chapter in Limitless Seas. Instead, I thought I'd post the first chapter of a new series idea I was working on. It's called the Deck Mage and is set around the turn of the century, and after an event that occurred years earlier that transformed the earth and brought magic back into existence.

Chapter 1.

One of the first things I learned on my long journey was that no matter how miserable you felt, no matter ...

War Core Wednesday, War Core 3, Chapter 8.

Chapter 8.

“Can we confirmation that George is okay?” Hugh asked as they disconnected from the battle observation mode, and the command staff regrouped inside the conference room.

“I should have something shortly, we’re not the only team asking,” Admiral Nix said.

“Dude, since when do the Ssath have giant tunnel lizard mechs?” Maddison asked, voicing the same question that Hugh had.

“The Ssath has been our focus since the battle for the Krixnas homewo...

Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 16.

Chapter 16.

With a wounded crewman being dragged along, the swim back was more of a slog. Larson took the wounded man from Ibn, his naga body much better able to manage swimming and hauling extra dead weight around. There was a new concern now, everyone was wounded in some way, and blood was leaking into the water around them as they swam. Larson could taste it as his lungs filled with water once more, and if he could taste it, the makon surely could. It was a bit awkward, keeping his...