deanhenegar

War Core, Chapter 5.

Chapter 5.

Hugh divided up his forces, assigning half the infantry mechs to each side of the resource gathering point. They were being cranked out a few at a time as each load of debris was gathered and processed. Normally, you never wanted to divide your forces, but the enemy couldn’t get at him without going through the resources station first and if the enemy attempted to take over the place, he would be in a good position to crush their depleted army.

He split his attentio...

War Core, Chapter 4.

Chapter 4.

Connecting War Core to planet x345z2. The scenario building cap is Level 1. Combat Cores are disabled for this scenario.

War Core, prepare for battle.

Hugh was once again hurtled through space toward another barren world. This time, he was approaching a planet full of deep canyons. The approach gave him little time to calculate a strategy, but it did appear the GCA was using the terrain to limit attack options and channel the fo...

Derelict 3, Chapter 16.

Chapter 16.

Active research completed on the bilge rat mine MOBS after several hours, allowing Slater to continue the progress on his cyborks. The newly developed mine rats, as he now thought of them, were tested against a few kobolds to see if the concept was viable. Based on his grenade rat, the mine rats had stealthy features, allowing them to blend in well with the background. Their only downside was the need to be in the correct position before triggering. The grenade rats only h...

War Core, Chapter 3.

Chapter 3.

Hugh’s view zoomed into the building he had been told was his command post. The building’s interior looked like it was filled on one side with an automated factory. Robotic construction arms were sticking out and the machinery idled with a low rumble. On the other side of the command post was a wall of communications gear, large antenna and radar-like devices extended through the building to the outside. Inside the factory half of the building, the machinery roared to l...

War Core, Chapter 2.

Chapter 2.

His uniform didn’t fit all that well, and the supply section in the underground base didn’t appear to keep a large stock of gear that was the right size for an out of shape older soldier. Hugh learned from the supply clerk that he was only the second one to come here for a full kit, all the others transferred from their active-duty units will full gear, only needing an item or two that had worn out. They also pushed him through administration, going over his pay, settin...

Derelict 3, Chapter 15.

Chapter 15.

“What thoughts did you have for our Derelict layout?” Pixi asked. Slater wanted a meatgrinder, but it also had to be entertaining or he wouldn’t hit the rankings he needed to. He would keep the shipboard theme but bump up the danger as much as he could. There was still some anxiety over whether his cybernetically enhanced MOBS would be affected by the disruption beams, so he would need to keep a blend of enhanced and regular MOBS for the time being.

“The boar...

War Core, Chapter 1.

Chapter 1.

“Okay, everyone, the practice exam is starting…now. You have thirty minutes to complete it and then we’ll review any problem sections,” Hugh Logan told the class. It was 7:45 pm which meant he had just over an hour to go. Teaching part-time night classes at Opportunity Tech was not where Hugh had planned his career to be at the age of forty. Still, at least he had a part-time job, even if it was low paying and didn’t offer much other than some free education benef...

Derelict 3, Chapter 14.

So, I intended to make the Administrator character teased in the last chapter a mind flayer, but it turns out that the mind flayers are the intellectual property of Wizards of the Coast. No wonder I haven't read many LitRPG's featuring them. I'll have to tweak the description of this creature a bit in the final version.

***

Chapter 14.

“And who might you be?” Slater asked the strange person seated in front of him.

“Why, I’m the one who controls this place. I...

War Core, Prelude

It looks like posting chapters from the other story won the poll. I'll have another Derelict chapter tomorrow, and I'll try to also post a War Core chapter each day. I've completed  twenty plus chapters of War Core, but I do need to polish them from super rough drafts to merely rough drafts.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think on the new story.

***
Prelude.

Battle World, Krillax 93.

“Zhukov, how are the shie...

Derelict 3, Chapter 13.

Chapter 13.

The entry compartment doors opened, and boarders started pouring in. The group was led by a pair of kobolds firing laser pistols wildly at anything they thought might be a danger. They were followed by a pair of heavily armored dwarves with the now familiar shields held up to protect them from any return fire. Behind the dwarves were six more kobolds, these were better equipped than the first pair and sported body armor and the more powerful laser carbines. Behind the last...

What would you like to see?

It may take me a few days between Derelict 3 posts and I was wondering if you folks would like to start reading another story that I have in the works or if posting chapters from two different stories might be confusing?

The other story is called War Core, something I was posting on Royal Road and pulled down when there were issues with piracy on the site. They have addressed many of the issu...

Derelict 3, Chapter 12

Chapter 12.

Slater’s Derelict was just about finished with the reset and while he waited for the next wave of challengers, Slater looked over the initial designs for the Franklin. There was a hard limit to how far his nanobots could permeate a vessel but based on his past experience, he felt he could do fine with an oversized battleship. There were several designs for the various human naval vessels in his database already, not to mention those of the gnomes he had acquired...

Derelict 3, Chapter 11.

Chapter 11.

Braeton System, Taskforce 14.

USS Phoenix

“Sir, the Chinese taskforce is in position,” comms advised.

“Set a course back the fleet,” Commodore Horne ordered. His reduced taskforce began to pull away from the defense stations they had been covering, heading back to join the growing fleet that was gathering nearby. His command had been stripped down to the Phoenix and three of his original destroye...

Derelict 3, Chapter 10.

Chapter 10.

The new entry hatches opened, and a team of six dwarves crept into Slater’s first compartment. His view wasn’t that great inside the room, his nanobots were still working on permeating the place and he was forced to use the views of his various MOBS. These dwarves were well enough equipped, with one holding a disruption beam device and the others scanning the rubble filled room with their laser rifles as they made their way inside. The contestants divided into two grou...

Derelict 3, Chapter 9.

It might be a few days before I'm able to post again, but I will have another by Sunday or so. 

Chapter 9.

There was some delay between the time Slater had finished his preparations and when the next batch of contenders entered his makeshift Derelict. He couldn’t tell if that was due to the lack of interest in his core after his humiliating defeat or if there was some other factor in play. When the red warning light and countdown started, Slater and Pixi were r...

Derelict 3, Chapter 8.

Chapter 8.

Several more waves of attackers were fended off by Slater. Each group seemed to bring a bit more challenge to the fight, but his continued core improvements countered the increased ability of the attackers as he added a fourth and fifth reaper drone to his MOBS count. Income improved as well, nothing too exciting, but the later matches were brining in 500 credits instead of fifty. During one break in the fighting, the Chixturax were allowed to bring in a fresh crate of supp...

Derelict 3, Chapter 7.

Chapter 7.

“So, Slater, why don’t we check out the new digs,” Pixi said. Slater sent a drone to inspect the hatch leading to the main corridor. To nobody’s surprise, it was locked down way past anything he could bypass. A cursory check of the walls of the compartment he was in showed they were absolutely swarming with active sensors. If he tried to eat his way out, the station would know instantly. He instead directed his nanobots to keep to the surface of the compartment, whe...

Derelict 3, Chapter 6.

Chapter 6.

“This place is a dump,” Pixi complained as Ixlab carried them into his shop. Slater was about to shush him before realizing the voice was in his head and the Chixturax around him couldn’t hear Pixi or Slater when the spoke amongst themselves. The shop wasn’t too far from the restaurant, the signs in front claiming that its proprietor could fix any tech for a nominal fee.

“Be nice, Pixi, we can do some amazing things with junk,” Slater thought back to his s...

Derelict 3, Chapter 5.

Chapter 5.

Faernan System, Taskforce 14, USS Phoenix

Commodore Horne, to the bridge, Commodore Horne to the bridge.

The announcement played into his earpiece, waking Commodore Horne. He had turned over the ship to his XO a few hours ago and had just fallen into a deep sleep when the announcement began blaring. The XO, Commander Wainwright, was the officer of the deck and wouldn’t have called him unless it was important....

Derelict 3, Chapter 4.

Chapter 4.

The kids dragged the bodies of the gnomes behind the counter and covered them with a tarp. Slater had his nanobots to begin processing the biomass, which would not only hide the evidence of their death but also provide some biomass for future projects. Without drones to assist in the process, it was going to take a while. The days of reprocessing a room full of victims in minutes after a battle were gone, but for now, he would do what he could. As his core repaired itself, ...

Derelict 3, Chapter 3.

Chapter 3.

“So, what’s the plan, Slater,” We either need to wait for who knows how long for our nanobots to dig into the station more, or we need to get someone to build us our first drone,” Pixi said.

“We’ve got people right here who might be willing to help us if we help them,” Slater replied.

“You mean the bugs? They’ll probably sell us off or destroy us if they knew what we really were,” Pixi said.

“I don’t think so, these two are kind of ...

Derelict, book 3, Chapter 2.

Chapter 2.

Slater felt something he hadn’t felt in a while, he felt satisfied. There were finally enough resources around him and he could feel his nanobots begin to expand into the machine he had been placed inside. His control over the device began to take shape and that control expanded, the machinery came to life around him. It was powered by his core and controlled by his will.

His mind was still fuzzy on what he was doing, but even though he didn’t have access to his d...

Derelict, Book 3, Chapter 1.

Time to start posting the new Derelict chapters. These will be going up as I write them, so there may be a day or two in-between chapters. Let me know what you think as the story progresses. Just like with my other posts, these are rough drafts and there's a lot that could change by the time it's finally published. I've attached some of the concept art for the book, but as you'll read, Slater isn't anywhere near ready enough for this kind of fight just yet. 

2021-01-08 16:02:53 +0000 UTC View Post

Cat Core, Chapter 35 + Epilogue.

We've reached the end of Cat Core, I'll start to post Derelict tomorrow. 

Chapter 35.

“Miss Valentine, can you hear me?” A voice called to her. Florence felt weak, it was a familiar weakness, even if it was one that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Her eyes popped open, the light causing her to squint. Wait, why was she squinting, a core gem didn’t squint.

“Good, you’re awake, tell me, are you in any pain?” A man asked, her vision was fuzzy, an...

Cat Core, Chapter 34.

Chapter 34.

The avatar roared in fury, it’s call pushing the rest of the cult onward. A half dozen of the cultists pushed open the door leading into the game room. They paused after entering, unsure of what they were seeing. The berserkers following behind weren't having any of it they pushed the cultists forward driving them further into the room, using the weaker ones as a shield to absorb any initial attacks. Her kitties were ready for them, Astrid and Jurgen charging out from un...

Cat Core, Chapter 33.

Chapter 33.

The Home for Unwanted Goblins exited into the laundry room. This time, the Avatar stayed toward the back of their mob and allowed its followers to bear the brunt of the attack. Cultists, emboldened by the cowardly retreat of the goblins, charged into the laundry as Florence’s two little mage kitties popped up from underneath baskets of clothing to launch their spells. It looked like her kitties wouldn’t have time to get a spell off when the first pair of charging culti...

Cat Core, Chapter 32.

There's a few chapters left of Cat Core, by then, I should have the first Derelict 3 chapters ready to go. 

Chapter 32.

“Eureka, as your people say, I’ve finally worked out the bugs on Kyo here,” Doug said. She moved her focus over to him, watching as the mechanical cat contorted before opening up a small compartment inside.

“What did you do? Did you break it already?” Florence asked, she weren’t any good with anything mechanical, and it sure lo...

Cat Core, Chapter 31.

Chapter 31.

Thumping started at the front door of Ben’s shop. The door was heavy oak and reinforced with straps of iron, but whatever was pounding on it caused the door to bow in. It would only be a matter of time before it was breached. Vanderman put down his crossbow and joined Nala and Ox to cover the door. Shara placed herself behind her friends, ready to lend aid when needed. Roland was still at his firing slit, shooting off arrow after arrow into the horde of cultists that wer...

Cat Core, Chapter 30.

Chapter 30.

Shara was jolted awake, sitting up as she tried to shake off the fog of sleep and remember what had woken her. It was getting cold and she was reluctant to leave her blankets to see what was going on. After sitting by the fire chatting with her friends, Shara had called it an early night. Was it Roland and Nala coming back from their hunt that had woken her?

“Shara, get up! There’s a problem,” Nala shouted from outside. With a groan she grabbed her gear and lef...

Cat Core, Chapter 29.

Chapter 29.

“It is time,” was all the woman dressed in dark robes said to the large Warband gathered around her. A bonfire blazed in the forest clearing they had gathered in, the faithful, the honored ones, and the prey, all were here, and her’s was the hand that would guide them. Her people had secretly arrived over the last few days, slipping in from villages, towns, and nearby farms to answer the call of their god. That she alone knew the voice of Kunrax was never questioned,...