deanhenegar

Cat Core 2, Chapter 19.

Chapter 19.

“There goes poor Zork. I thought that going to this world would mean all the cheaters were gone, but here we go with four pally again,” Florence complained as the party finished off the last threat in the master bedroom. Just like the most popular build in Dungeon Delve, here were four paladins, clearing her home out with their cheating ways.

“Well, at least we’ll have our first adventurers to make it to the second floor. Don’t compare these adventurers to ...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 18.

I made a name change on the story. Larah, the young party member was too close to Shara, especially for the audio version. Her name has been changed to Jess. 

Chapter 18.

“So that’s it, nothing too deadly, just some strange cats as the defenders in the place. No other monsters or beasts, just cats?” Junior asked.

“Yes, sir, other than a pair of traps, the only defenders we encountered were overgrown cats,” Jess replied. Handling information for th...

War Core Wednesday! War Core 2, Chapter 9.

As a head's up, you may notice some discrepancies in this chapter compared to the information in earlier chapters. I've changed some of the battle parameters, with the GCA eliminating the ability to upgrade units, or build additional structures. I changed things in the previous chapters to reflect this in my manuscript, but haven't taken the time to edit the  earlier chapters here on Patreon. I've also introduced a new battle mechanic in this chapter, a new and potentially risky way for ...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 17.

Chapter 17.

“Who do we have this time?” Doug said, watching a fairly ordinary party make their way onto the front lawn.

“I don’t know, but with their gear, the first floor should be just about their speed,” Florence said.

The party had five members, the two in the lead sported leather armor reinforced with chainmail in the critical areas. She figured that armor design must be the most popular starter gear for the warrior and tank types. One of the pair had a long...

More War Core upgrade path information.

I was tweaking some things on War Core 2 and thought I'd share the Barracks upgrade tree. 

Barracks/Armory addon is 100 resources, the following are resource costs to level and the various level unlocks. Infantry mechs improve each level with accuracy, fire rate, durability, and maneuverability. 

Level 0: 100. Infantry mechs unlocked.

Level 1: 200. Armory addon unlocks. Basic targeting, imp heat sink, enhanced armor upgrades.

Level 2: 250. Machine ...

War Core Wednesday! War Core 2, Chapter 8.

After the chapter, I've attached some of the reference information I keep on hand while writing War Core. Let me know if you'd like to see more detailed information like this in the future. 

Chapter 8.

The second drone that had been sent out to find the enemy went dark as Hugh waited for resources to be gathered and his units to be built. His drones had each headed in a different direction when they left the base. When his forces took control of the debris field ...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 16.

Chapter 16.

The party started out with Larah in the lead, twin axes in her hands. Behind the warrior, Florence watched Tipp scrutinizing the hallway as he scanned for traps. This left the pair of mages at the rear, a perfect target for Florence’s kitties. Just as she suspected, the two hatches near the mages opened and out charged Buddy and Princess. The cats landed devastating slashes on the back of each mage’s leg, causing both to howl out in pain and blindly unleash their magic...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 15.

Chapter 15.

“I guess it’s that time, ain’t it?” Florence said. Excited to reopen her home and nervous that everything wasn’t how she wanted it just yet. Hopefully, the early groups of adventurers wouldn’t make it past the first floor, and she would get the funds and time needed to build out and populate the rest of the place before it was seen.

“And here we go, it shouldn’t be long until the first ones arrive, given the burgeoning settlement outside,” Doug comm...

War Core Wednesday! Book 2, Chapter 7.

Chapter 7.

There hadn’t been a whole lot of time to build units, and the five mechs that were heading toward him were about the size of a medium mech. The attackers resembled a chrome ball that rolled at a brisk pace through the canyons, their path leading them to Hugh’s command post. To defend himself, Hugh had sixteen infantry mechs and one of the new M3 light mechs. In addition, the construction drones were all complete and eight of his defensive garrison were online and ready ...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 14.

Chapter 14.

“Matron, I believe the dungeon must be near, look,” Larah said, stating the obvious. They had been traveling through low hills and rocky scrub for the last few days and from the tracks, they were heading in the right direction. People didn’t venture out in the Crag Steppes unless they had a purpose.

Once they made it around the bend of yet another large hill, they saw signs of civilization, or at least the beginnings of one. A dozen campfires burned in the smal...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 13.

Chapter 13.

“Okay, it's bare and ugly, but the home design is done. I just have to push out the front lawn and build what he planned for the new entrance,” Florence said. Doug perked up from where he had been fake napping on the rocking chair pillow.

“Very good, let’s get to work with our defenders, shall we?” Doug asked.

“Yep, and first off is Spud’s promotion. Come here my stinky little boy,” Florence cooed to Spud who, for once, l...

War Core Wednesday! War Core 2, Chapter 6.

Sorry it's late tonight, hope you enjoy the chapter. 

Chapter 6.

The second stage of the Ximkas Hegemony invasion of system px51a2 has begun, the attacker is making the following demands.

Ximkas Demands:

1. A maximum command post level of 10.

2. No air units.

3. No combat pod support.

4. Command post starting level of 5.

2021-06-24 02:36:08 +0000 UTC View Post

Cat Core 2, Chapter 12.

Chapter 12.

“So, what did I miss? I assume from the fact we’re all still alive that our forces were victorious?” Doug asked as the little kitten popped back into existence next to her rocking chair. I had nearly eaten Florence up waiting for him to return. She really wanted to make her upgrade choices, but a promise was a promise.

“Of course, we won the fight, and not only that, but I’m also up to level six and we’ve got a whole lot of decisions to make,” Florence ...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 11.

Chapter 11.

“Get ready kitties, we got some unwanted guests to deal with,” Florence called out.

“Be wary, Florence, these aren’t your usual monsters,” Doug warned as creatures emerged from the cloud of dust. It was more of the spiders, the ones that had already raided her home several times. The problem was, the spiders kept coming, too many for her to count. To make matters worse, the invaders were right on her doorstep, with only the master bedroom between them and h...

Story time and a cover reveal.

It was the summer of 1980 and my ten year old self was bored. This was the era before the internet and it was far too hot in Garden Grove California in the late morning/early afternoon to play outside with friends. I was reading the newspaper (we had these things on real paper back then) and waiting for my mom to finish watching her soap operas so my sister and I could play something on the Atari 2600, who's wood-grain stickered exterior was calling our names. 

Mom passed down the ...

War Core Wednesday, book 2, chapter 5.

Chapter 5.

Hugh was transported back home, the trip through space would always amaze him, no matter how many times it happened. He approached the earth, racing toward the false oil rig off the California coast where the base was situated. His vision darkened briefly while he reconnected to the base systems. When his sight returned, Hugh found Admiral Nix and Agent Smith standing next to his core. The techs had placed a row of indicator lights on the side of the core itself, showing th...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 10.

Chapter 10.

“So, this lot looks a bit less prepared than the elves, don’t you think?” Doug asked. He was right, the five adventurers approaching their home were definitely newbies. What gear they had was mismatched and they didn’t have the confident, but cautious, stride of seasoned adventurers.

The group consisted of four human males, who all bore a resemblance to one another, making Florence think they were related. Joining the brothers was a single young female. From ...

Cat Core, Chapter 9.

Chapter 9.

Like before, the spiders stabbed at the front door with their spiky legs. Shadow, Obi, and the summoned kitties had done well, whittling the number of attackers down to two, with a third spider alive, but unable to move due to the damage to its legs. In the living room, Bhargath stood just inside the door, ready to engage the invading critters. Once the big guy had their attention, Tater and Midnight would leap down from the ledge over the door and smush them spiders good.<...

War Core Wednesday! Book 2, Chapter 4.

Here's a peek at a level five and level nine human light mech. The M-22 has  improved armor, speed, and firepower over the previous T-7 light mech. 

Chapter 4.

Captain Cartwright decided to add to the Ximkas troubles, capturing their sole resource gathering point with one light mech with the other keeping tabs on the enemy combat forces. The enemy light mech held its posit...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 8.

Chapter 8.

“There, the hallway is done,” Florence said as they made the final touches on her latest room. The wallpaper had to be just right, and she hated when the patterns were placed wrong. Tabitha Long’s sitting room had that problem, her grandson had put up the paper and didn’t quite line things up correctly. Every time she visited; Florence found herself distracted by looking at all the errors. She didn’t know how long core gems lived for, but it was sure to be far too...

Cat Core, Chapter 7.

Chapter 7.

“Matron of the initiates, you are summoned to the scrying chamber,” the young page said, handing her a scroll with the seal of the knight commander. With a sigh, she closed the tome she had been reading. The library inside the Brilliant Keep was her favorite place to find some solitude amid her busy day. Standing, Matron felt all the aches and pains that were the result of a lifetime of questing in service to the light. Those pains were becoming harder and harder to ign...

War Core Wednesday! War Core 2, Chapter 3 and the illustration of an old foe, the Krixnas infantry mech.

Chapter 3.

Hugh’s light mechs moved into range of the Ximkas construction drones. By the time the T-7’s were ready to fire, the last of the defending mechs were down, and eight construction drones survived to try and claim the resource gathering station. Heavy rounds hit the nearest pair of drones, taking them out of the fight, but also revealing that they were...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 6.

Chapter 6.

Florence decorated her master bedroom just like it had been before. The oversized bed with frilly dust ruffle hid Chubbs from sight, while Zork preferred to sleep among the plush animals and pillows that covered the head of the bed. Side tables with lamps and a dresser were created, and a large mirror finished out the room. Florence then pushed out her home to make room for the hallway that led from the living room to the master bedroom. There was a long way to go, but she ...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 5.

Chapter 5.

“Stop your fussing, Doug, Tater and Midnight can take care of that critter,” Florence said.

She was frankly terrified but didn’t want to let Doug know it. Hacking away at her front door was a spider the size of a refrigerator. Now, not one of them little fridges that folks put in their rooms and offices and whatnot, but a good-sized kitchen one. Florence hated spiders and had always been most terrified of the black widows. The creature at her door had the same b...

War Core Wednesday! Book 2 chapter 2.

Chapter 2.

Hugh felt his mind being drawn away from the conference room. Like his previous pre-battle negotiations, his consciousness found itself seated at a table, the system controlling the negotiations seen as a blurry figure at the far end of the table. There was a slight pause, which Hugh interpreted as the Ximkas making their demands.

The first stage of the Ximkas Hegemony invasion of system px51a2 has begun, the attacker is making the following demands.<...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 4.

You can see how excited the real life Tater is for his return to duty in book 2. 

Chapter 4.

Florence set her rewards levels to average. She still felt that they were far too generous to be called average, but Doug had finally convinced her that it was the best level to keep adventurers happy. Happy adventurers were much less inclined to try and destroy her core. She had also forgotten how slow the income for her home accumulated without adventurers inside. A...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 3.

Chapter 3.

The old man pulled out a scroll and started chanting as he cast the spell written upon it. With a flash of light, Florence found herself and the adventurers suddenly outside and under the night sky. They were near a road that cuts through rolling hills and stretched as far as she could see. Florence looked around, but her whole experience in this world consisted of the view from the front door of her home and this place sure didn’t look anything like it. She weren’t non...

War Core 2, Chapter 1.

Chapter 1.

Hugh grouped the remnants of his attack force into a single unit. He had started with a hundred infantry and twenty light mechs, but now had just twenty-two infantry and seven light mechs remaining. Air support was being built, but it was unknown if they would make it in time to protect his remaining troops. Back at the command post, his barracks and mech factories had already queued up replacements, but for every unit he produced, it seemed his enemy had three or four.

Cat Core 2, Chapter 2.

Chapter 2.

Welcome, human! You have been selected among the billions of your kind to be granted a great honor.

“Just hush with all that nonsense. I know what’s a going on and you can just go ahead and send me to my gem,” Florence called out, noting that it was the same prompt that had appeared the first time she had died. These here administration folks were just getting lazy as far as she was concerned. She surely didn’t like floating here without a bod...

Cat Core 2, Chapter 1.

Chapter 1.

“Pairings are up, this is the final round of the tournament,” Bobby shouted across the crowded store. Florence thought the young man looked a bit frazzled, but she decided to cut him some slack. There had been a bigger-than-ever turnout for the event, the winner of the tournament would be invited to the Dungeon Delve regional championships.

“Who are we up against?” Doug asked. To the others around them, the cat gave a little meow, but Florence could understand...