Chapter 37
“Florence, are you awake?” Doug asked.
“Yeah, I’m here. Is everyone okay?” Florence asked, connecting to her home once again.
“We’re all good. Sabrina’s just coming to,” George said.
“Great. Let me get a look at where we are and all that,” Florence said. This was Sabrina’s first time transforming into a core, so it was understandable that it would take her a few extra minutes to sort things out.
As far as Floren...
2022-08-22 12:54:13 +0000 UTC View PostTwo chapters today since they're shorter ones.
Chapter 35
“Stop the pain!” Aaron shouted as the lich did something to his core.
“Quiet, fool. That’s feedback from something not of my doing. I need to focus,” Berikoz snapped back. Normally he’d reinforce his will with some kind of torment on the bothersome core he was housed in, but the pain this core was currently feeling proved to be enough. He placed the pain; it was feedback from one of his ...
2022-08-19 12:51:41 +0000 UTC View Post“It’s a bloodbath,” Tran said as the waves of missiles hit. The two nearest stations poured out point defense fire, their tier six defenses included nearly a hundred of the weapons. Too many targets overloaded the point defense and missiles started to hit home, pummeling the stations. The rugged design of the defensive station could stand up to several hits, but with nearly a hundred missiles slamming home within seconds of each other, the nearest stations ceased to ...
2022-08-17 13:36:07 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 34
Florence’s home expanded once more with the new level she had gained. The passage from the attic, where Spud lived, had opened, and a stairwell now led from the attic to the final area of Florence’s home: the backyard. First was the side yard that ran alongside the house. On the lawn there waited Spooky, Sun Wukong, Lizzy, and Scamp, all of whom looked overjoyed to be back with their kitty and gnome friends. Just past the side yard was the graveyard, wher...
2022-08-15 12:12:12 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 33
“I hope you can clean this off my coat, Florence,” Doug complained as he followed Sabrina to her core room. With Sabrina’s dungeon being slime and vermin based, lots of gross stuff was on the floors, walls, and even dripping off the ceiling in spots.
“You know you can do that yourself whenever you want to,” Florence replied.
“Sure, but here I am, making the journey for you. The least you could do is show some compassion and help a cat ...
2022-08-13 15:41:54 +0000 UTC View PostAnother infantry mech walked off the assembly line and Captain Tran ordered the soldier operating it to the airport, continuing the plan to get at least one mech at each victory point to secure it while they built up their forces. Confirming that the last of the tier one infantry upgrades were researching and that nothing needed his immediate attention, Hugh checked back on the space battle.
Hugh had only been away for about half an hour overseeing his command post, ...
2022-08-10 14:12:33 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 32
“Oh dear, do you want to take this, Florence?” Doug asked.
“Sure. Move out so that goopy thing can see you,” Florence said, projecting her voice through Doug. “Hey, can you hear me, core?”
“Yes, I can hear you, but the question is, who are you and how did you end up right on my doorstep?” the other core asked. Her voice sounded like that of a polite and rational young teenage girl, not a screeching monster.
“Sorry to barge ...
2022-08-08 15:40:02 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 31
“So this is it? This is what I risked my guild for? What I spent resources on?” Scythe said, looking disgusted at the growing pile of loot on the floor. These were minor reward chests designed as special prizes for lower-leveled adventurers. Scythe’s people had cracked open over a hundred of them so far and found mostly copper coins, some common items, and the ubiquitous kitty doilies. A few weak healing and mana potions were in the mix, as well as a da...
2022-08-05 17:45:40 +0000 UTC View PostAt the twelve-hour mark, the stations had all reached tier four, except for the ground-based stations, which seemed to make slower progress. Instead of just system defense boats, the stations he was watching in the asteroid field also sported a pair of true shipyards, one smaller yard that had unlocked at tier two, allowing the stations to build frigates, and which now at level four switched over to making destroyers. The larger shipyard, the newest addition, starting to c...
2022-08-03 22:41:49 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 30
“I could get used to this,” Doug said, stretching his tiger-sized body across the comforter of the bed. He had been enjoying the free room that Scythe had given them more than he should have. Their rooms in the inn were nice enough, but Florence really didn’t need sleep, so she was kind of just bored most of the time. After fighting for her life or walking day and night to reach the next dungeon, she wasn’t sure what to do with the time on her hands.<...
2022-08-01 14:30:24 +0000 UTC View Post“Everyone gather up, this will take a second,” an older man, one of the rogues, said. There wasn’t time for introductions or anything other than to do as he said, though Florence was sure tired of other people trying to order her around.
The chanting reached a crescendo and she could feel pressure in her ears as mana poured into the spell this guy was casting. At least he wore something other than robes. Florence supposed being a mage in a shady organization me...
2022-07-30 13:52:23 +0000 UTC View Post
I wanted to share the cover art sketch for Cat Core 3, we see Florence and the rest of the gang posing before their next adventure.
2022-07-28 13:12:41 +0000 UTC View PostWhile the command team planned for the space assault, Hugh tried to touch base with some of the other cores. It turned out that comms were limited for the cores stationed in the conflict world. Once the Ssath arrived, he, and the other cores, could monitor the fight through a general interface that let them view the overall progress of the battle, but they would be unable to communicate with anyone else.
If and when the Ssath entered orbit over the conflict world, he...
2022-07-27 16:55:13 +0000 UTC View Post“We shall let you live, for the time being, but we need to know more about how you can track Berikoz,” Stirman said as the cloud disappeared along with the wall of force.
“Well, I can sense the nearest corrupted core,” Florence said.
“Tell us what you know about these corrupted cores. We’ve been eliminating his phylacteries and thought we had found the last. Our diviners fear he is hidden somewhere they cannot locate. I believe a corrupted core may ...
2022-07-25 13:41:57 +0000 UTC View PostFlorence squirmed and tried to get out of her bonds. The floor she was lying on was filthy and who knew what sorts of critters were crawling around in the rotten straw that someone had piled in the core to serve as a bed. She was just about to summon a kitty to claw up the ropes binding her when they disappeared. It turned out they were just magical constructs, not real rope, and the spell that conjured them must have run its course. A further inspection of her cell confir...
2022-07-23 01:31:26 +0000 UTC View PostYour core is being transferred to the conflict system, please stand by.
The GCA announcement was followed by Hugh’s consciousness taking another trip through space. It’s strange how even something as amazing as a trip through space to an entirely different world can eventually seem mundane. Hugh had an even harder time sightseeing on this trip. This coming campaign could mean the end of humanity. Nearing the conflict system, Hugh could finally se...
2022-07-20 21:36:36 +0000 UTC View PostI missed posting on Friday, so I'll drop two chapters today!
Chapter 25.
“Should we send it all, or leave some defenders here for an emergency?” Florence asked. She was torn, she would have limited control over her defenders when they ran off to attack, and her home was still open to the surface. If a random critter walked in and wanted to snack on her core, it would be tough to fight it off without a home full of defenders to wear them down. On the other hand, not sending e...
2022-07-18 14:24:08 +0000 UTC View Post“He’s back!” Hugh heard Maddison shout as his consciousness returned home.
“Hugh, welcome back. We need to debrief right away, the Ssath are on our doorstep, and we don’t have much time to get you plugged into the fight,” Admiral Nix said.
“Sir, the combat pods placed in stasis by the GCA are starting to come online. We have seven survivors,” One of the medical staff announced.
“Good news, now I need the command team in the conference ro...
2022-07-13 17:10:58 +0000 UTC View Post“Here we go Zork and Chubbs, show mama how good you fight,” Florence said, trying to encourage her babies to do their best. She wished that she had something that could help them, but the mana was gone, and other than Patricio, who had just started a new tune that he claimed would make Chubbs fight better, they were on their own. The master bedroom and her two champions were as ready as they would ever be.
The Stone Piercer led the way, the champion looking much ...
2022-07-11 14:33:03 +0000 UTC View PostHugh woke coughing, his first act in his new flesh and blood body was to swallow wrong. Painful and annoying as the experience was, it was real, and he was back in his body. It was the same rundown hospital room that he had previously revived in, the place looked like something from the eighties, with the only high-tech piece of equipment being the core placed in the center of the room. Clothes were laid out for him, an Army uniform and combat boots. After getting dressed ...
2022-07-07 00:30:56 +0000 UTC View Post“Not only are they cheating by changing the size of their champions, but they’re also not dissolving and getting all grody from being away from their core. These guys must be far enough away from the other core by now,” Florence asked.
“I think they can feed off any core energy, but take heart, our defenders can do the same when we take the fight to the other core,” George explained. He was turning into a right smart fella, kind of like Doug, but without th...
2022-07-05 13:35:17 +0000 UTC View Post“Well, there goes my theory of the other core being depleted of defenders,” Florence said as the enemy continued to push into the tunnel connecting their two cores. While she expected there to be a good number of attackers, there were tons of low-level units along with what looked like some champions. The majority of the attackers were what she expected, troggs and wolves, but there were more of those fiery dwarf-looking things and some additional fire-based creatures ...
2022-07-01 23:58:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Ibixan, I congratulate your core on another victory, Durhass remains our premier war core,” Great Leader Shadax said.
He was new to the position of Great Leader but had learned enough in his brief time as a senator to mask his true emotions. This last hatchling of his foe, a foe that he had slain and consumed to seize power, was too well regarded to eliminate. It was a danger to his rule, but a minor one he could allow to stand for the time being. The war core D...
2022-06-29 18:11:07 +0000 UTC View Post“Will this do?” Patricio asked, sounding fed up with the whole adventure.
Florence had made him sneak out every night to scout out the area around the dungeon. An increased guard presence covered the front entrance, so they were focusing on finding a good location a bit further out. Since Florence could stay in her core form as long as she needed, she could afford to be a bit further away, tunneling wasn’t all that hard for her when she was a core. Patrols were...
2022-06-27 15:59:59 +0000 UTC View Post“While I would like to see a better return on our investment, I agree that it’s time for us to leave,” Patricio agreed, leading the party back through the first floor of the dungeon.
“Hurry up Fizz!” Florence shouted. The gnome kept falling behind, and even Florence had been outrunning him. She could tell the dungeon defenders were gaining on them, and the last thing they wanted was for the entire horde to corner them inside. At least outside the dungeon, t...
2022-06-24 16:53:02 +0000 UTC View PostHugh waited, wondering what exactly would happen now. He assumed that he would be transported back to base, but there must have been some kind of delay. He had experienced pain, loss, and the fear of defeat, but the hardest thing to endure as a core was the wait. It wasn’t that Hugh was impatient, it was more that he was never really sure if it would end. What if he was dead and this was all there was, waiting, alone in the nothing. Before too long, new prompts appeared,...
2022-06-22 20:58:39 +0000 UTC View Post“Well, looks like this dungeon is going to be disagreeable, so get ready for a fight folks,” Florence said, pulling on her mana to summon one of her kitty defenders. Fizz still hadn’t fixed his zapper gun yet, so he was using the crossbow contraption he had been working on. Doug hissed at the approaching wolves, moving to take on his natural enemies, while George just growled and seemed to grow even more hairy as he stomped his way toward them weird guys with the clu...
2022-06-20 13:59:23 +0000 UTC View Post“Excuse me, ma’am, didn’t see you there,” a man said, bumping into Florence as she returned to life and stumbled out of the alley that she had been killed in.
“No problem, I didn’t see you there either, have a nice day,” Florence replied. Normally, she would give the man a piece of her mind for running into the elderly, but she was a bit confused over how this whole returning to life deal worked. Michael didn’t give her all the details on the process ...
2022-06-17 13:49:37 +0000 UTC View PostIt took time for the Hive of the Widow to replenish its numbers, and during that time, the battle continued in a similar pattern. Hugh’s troops would push the Ssath back toward their base, only to be obliterated by the enemy core. During this time, resources continued to flow in, a few granted with each kill that was made. They kept all their piloted mechs well back from the Ssath core, not wanting to risk being run down by the faster enemy. Whether through some upgrade,...
2022-06-15 19:09:04 +0000 UTC View Post“I think you broke the bard,” Fizz said as Patricio sat there babbling to himself as he read the contract over and over, trying to get his head around it.
“My question is why didn’t we get this option with Shara and her party? They would have been much more helpful than this one,” Doug asked.
“You can bet that will be one of the first things I ask Michael when we’re done with this quest. Any ideas George?” Florence asked.
“I think it was...
2022-06-13 16:23:29 +0000 UTC View Post