Timothy Nugent Author

Interlude - New Mission

Captain Jeremy Jackson shifted uncomfortably at the dining room table alongside two other team leaders. In the past month, he and the others had entered the spatial distortion dozens of times and killed what seemed like hundreds of aliens. 

Our teams can’t survive this meat grinder much longer.

Over the last few weeks, half their soldiers had died. Of the original six teams, only three now remained.

By now, Jeremy had learned to keep his mouth shut. Scott Pet...

Chapter 67 - Biding His Time

Shortly after he retreated, the sound of combat ended, and Blake’s eyes fixated on the posted score.

Your Team: 4

Opposing Team: 13

Shit!

The Koza were already halfway through the objective. If they eliminated twelve more Manders, Blake would be stuck in the miserable caves forever. Without his Flame Shield active, he felt like he was being cooked by the oppressive heat. He could not imagine bein...

Chapter 66 - The Race

Blake drank deeply from his water bottle as he sat beneath the rock overhang. He had just completed a scenario, and sat before the portal to rest before he entered his next. 

The chill air brushed against his skin.

Ah… That feels good.

It was the beginning of April, three days after he evolved his Mind Blast. In that time, he earned enough nano to fully fund the faction hall upgrade, and finally supplied their landlord the nano he pledged to provide.

Th...

Chapter 65 - The Next Evolution

Blake unleashed a Mind Blast against the Mander on his left to interrupt its cast, and thrust his sword forward. It pierced through the throat of the monster before him and became lodged within. 

Rather than take the time to extract his weapon, he left it behind and bashed the third Mander with his shield. Once the enemy was stunned, he grasped the knife at his belt and pierced the monster’s left eye. 

Blake whirled.

The last living Mander was across the small ro...

Chapter 64 - The Morning After

Blake squinted his eyes and raised his hand to block the sun’s rays. The steady clang of hammers was an alarm he could not turn off.

I really need some curtains and earplugs.

He pulled the sheets over his head, and tried his best to ignore the steady rhythm, yet sleep evaded him.

After he returned to the faction town, brother in tow, he was informed that the treasury was empty. Further progress would be stalled until the nano coffers could be refilled. 

Chapter 63 - The Escape

Blake avoided nine additional police vehicles on his journey back to town. Not all were from the sheriff’s department, either. A mix of tribal and even Show Low police were sprinkled in the mix.

By the time Blake reached the fire tower, Montgomery and Jeff had eliminated the remainder of the Ursa and waited next to the portal on the Ursa side for their reward to materialize. 

Montgomery had been correct that his speech would draw in the territorial Ursa. Blake still interna...

Chapter 62 - Rescue Mission

“That’s messed up…” Montgomery croaked as he kneeled with his back to the headless man. A pile of vomit lay before his friend, a testament to how much the scene disturbed him. Yet, he did not flee.

Blake nodded.

“Yeah, he needed to die, but I went a little overboard. I guess I was holding in a bit more anger than I thought.”

Montgomery glanced up at Blake, a disbelief written across his face. “Ya think?”

“We should go,” Jeff advised his friend and p...

Chapter 61 - The Final Straw

Montgomery and Jeff circled each other warily, spears raised. Their shields held awkwardly at their sides, as they had not yet learned the corresponding skill. Blake considered having them learn Shield Mastery, but ultimately decided an extra point in Physical Power would serve them better against the tough hide of the Ursa.

Jeff’s knees bent as he thrust his spear forward to test his opponent’s response. Montgomery blocked the jab with his shield, and counterattacked. Jeff easily d...

Chapter 60 - The Screw-Up

“What’s wrong, Blake?” His mother asked at his obvious distress. “Is everything okay?”

“No. It’s not. Here, see for yourself.”

Blake navigated his interface and requested a holochat with his brother. A moment later, Oliver appeared within his vision, and he immediately made the holo visible for everyone present to see and hear.

“Hey bro,” Oliver greeted him nonchalantly, while he occasionally glanced nervously over his shoulder. When he noticed their moth...

Chapter 59 - Growing Pains

Blake laughed late into the night with his old friends at Montgomery’s parent’s house. It was the first time he had met his friend’s family, as they died shortly after Invasion day. 

They were nothing like he expected. His mother was warm and kind, while his father was reserved, but friendly. He was not sure how they produced someone as unique as Montgomery, and could only assume his friend’s personality was due to nature, not nurture.

Their loss was the one topic gua...

Chapter 58 - Friends

The taxi drove Blake across town, north of the loop, to a small fire station near a private airport. He left his driver parked outside, crossed the road, and entered the firehouse.

He found himself in a large common room with a full kitchen, which included a refrigerator, sink, and dishwasher. To his left were multiple unused twin beds. On his right was a round table with four young men seated around it. Piles of poker chips were next to the players, and each held a hand of cards. They ...

Chapter 57 - Money

Blake stepped inside the brightly lit, narrow room. On his left was a row of reclining chairs with short stools, and on his right a long table with chairs on each side.

Damn. She’s not here.

Only a single worker occupied the room. The young woman focused on a customer and had yet to look up at Blake’s entrance. He hesitated as he considered what to do. Finally, he came up with a flimsy plan.

“I have a meeting with Jessica, is she here?” he said confidently a...

Chapter 56 - Rejection

Blake shuffled to the parked Ryde in shocked disbelief. He had not only failed to convince his friend to join him, he had narrowly avoided the authorities as well. 

I can’t believe he told me no.

It never occurred to Blake that Rajesh may refuse him. 

Was I too familiar with him? Maybe I should’ve treated him with more respect. Ugh. I’m not groveling for him.

The moment Blake heard Rajesh’s trademark rudeness, he could not help but f...

Bonus Stat Block Chapter

Hello! Someone asked me to post Blake's full status, so here it is!

Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity

Combat Classification - Level 1

          Chi - 19%

          Mana - 52%

          Psi - 61%

  &...

Chapter 55 - Rajesh

To Blake’s delight, the Stoltar not only helped them harvest more Breshian Broadleaf than they needed, but aided them in retrieving all the other off world materials as well. The last thing Blake expected on an arboreal, low gravity world was vast stores of granite, yet they found a vein capable of easily supplying their short-term needs.

Despite the additional help, they worked through the night and late into the next day before they were finished. Unlike his friends, Blake had yet t...

Chapter 54 - Bird Season

Blake peered through his rifle’s scope at the avians as they approached. The rifle was supposedly sighted in for a hundred yards. Unfortunately, the Stoltar were much closer than that. At only fifty yards, they overwhelmed the eight times magnification.

However, it was child’s play for him to hold the rifle steady and manually adjust as they glided directly toward him. When he felt the timing was right, he held his breath and gently pulled the trigger. 

The crack of the r...

Chapter 53 - Evolution

After he reviewed the notification, his eyes focused on Jenthores once again. The leader sat on his wooden chair and stared at Blake silently.

I should really Analyze him.

Blake assumed that mana was the only energy type the avian held. He was used to fighting the monstrous, barely sentient creatures such as the Ursa or Manders. However, the leader was intelligent, capable of choosing multiple classes. 

He used the skill on the captive leader.

...

Chapter Rewrite

Hello all!

Due to helpful feedback, I have rewritten the second half of the recent interlude and updated it. The substance of the chapter is the same, but the details have changed. Please let me know if you prefer this version over the old.

Thanks!

Chapter 52 - The Stoltar

Blake entered the void, the warm Phoenix sun was replaced by endless nothingness. A moment later, a message appeared before his eyes.

Protect the flock of Stoltar to complete the scenario. If more than two of your charges die, you will fail.

He cursed.

Thank God I brought the gun.

While protection scenarios were easier for his morals to digest, they had one of the highest failure rates. Since he was on his own, this missi...

Interlude - Despicable Measures

Captain Jeremy Jackson was pissed.

Over half of his team was missing in action and presumed dead, yet Scott Peters, his CIA handler, wanted to send them in for a third time. 

He glanced at each member seated around the medium-sized table in the dining room of a small apartment. He assumed it was one of the many properties the CIA owned. Beside his boss, Scott, sat three others from the CIA he did not recognize. They held blank expressions on their faces throughout the debrief...

Chapter 51 - Phoenix

Almost two days passed before Peter found a rifle for his son. His online foray was a bust. Every listing in the local area pointed to a gun store, which required a background check and registration. After the failure, he enlisted Kuruk in the endeavor. The native had an uncle that was willing to part with his old hunting rifle. 

For the right price. 

That price was set at twice the value of a similar piece. The rifle shot .338 Lapua ammunition, and could hold five ...

Chapter 50 - Special Materials

Blake bashed his shield into the level two Mander’s face, while he simultaneously cut off another’s tongue. Both monsters were stunned and unable to cast. He focused on the last, and ignored its jet of fire as he rushed through the heat plume, shield first. 

When he bowled over the immobile creature, its flames immediately sputtered out. With his vision no longer occluded by the blaze, he found the dazed Mander and quickly finished it off.

He quickly scanned the tunnel fo...

Chapter 49 - Family

“Thanks for the ride, Oliver.”

“No prob, Bro,” Blake’s brother replied, nonchalantly. “I was running out of internet anyway.”

Blake snorted and shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother’s arm shaking as Oliver gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. 

Should I take over driving?

After a few seconds of silence, where Blake remained undecided, Oliver broached a new subject. “So… How long until I can start le...

Chapter 48 - Increasing the Difficulty

You have re-entered a combat scenario you have already completed. Would you like to increase the difficulty?

Yes.

Blake shot out of the void, Flame Shield active, as he landed hard on the dim cave floor. The high temperature of the Mander’s home only served to empower it.

Once he confirmed the area was clear, he navigated the narrow corridor, longsword and buckler in hand. He was fully rested, rejuvenated, and recently raised his Magica...

Chapter 47 - Back to Work

“You know, I haven’t seen your mother this enthusiastic in years,” Peter beamed as he dodged a particularly large pothole on the county road. Blake relaxed in the passenger seat as he listened to his father talk. “Not since she got laid off and started helping out at the restaurant, at least.”
 “Mom always did like organizing things,” Blake agreed.

His father nodded. “Yeah. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I didn’t realize she was depressed before this. Any time ...

Chapter 46 - The Power of Spells

Blake held his spear at the ready as he was ejected from the void and onto the Ursa’s world. He immediately surveyed his surroundings to ensure he was alone. Once his safety was confirmed, he searched the surrounding terrain for the supplies they needed.

Well, there’s plenty of rock. Hopefully there’s some wood around here too.

The sun beat down onto his position at the bottom of a gorge. The gray rock sides were almost vertical and rose over thirty feet above his h...

Chapter 45 - Show and Tell

The doubt on their landlord’s face was telling. Over the last fifteen minutes, Blake had painstakingly detailed past events, while his mother stood silently behind him. 

“And I’m just supposed to believe all this horseshit?” Mister Grayburn asked, acerbically.

“If proof is what you need, I’ve got all you could ever want,” Blake said confidently.

“Uh huh…”

“Mister Gray… actually, what’s your first name? Calling you ‘Mister Grayburn’ is...

Chapter 44 - Obstinate

“What the hell’s going on?” Blake muttered to himself from the passenger seat as Kuruk drove through the low gate. 

Three semi-trucks with flatbeds full of wood and other supplies were parked on the field just inside their leased property. It was evening, and the sun was low on the horizon.

“I dunno,” Kuruk answered his rhetorical question. “They weren’t here when I left.”

“Just go ahead and park here,” Blake ordered. “I want to see what’s happen...

Chapter 43 - Choices

Select a basic chi spell to learn.

An extensive list of abilities appeared before him. As he glanced through his options, he considered spells such as Hardened Shell, Invigoration, and Alacrity. Blake mentally filed them away as future options. He planned to choose from these and more over the next few levels, as they would greatly improve his fighting capability, but they would have to wait.

Instead, he focused on a basic chi spell, which he desperatel...

Chapter 42 - Omni-class

Blake’s body was killing him, literally. The broken fingers on his left hand continued to throb with each beat of his heart, and the right side of his face was frozen in place with heavy burns. His hunger was unending, as if it were eating him from the inside. 

As he hobbled down the Mander tunnel, he suddenly let out another wracking cough from the heat which crisped his lungs. He hated to think what they looked like.

Over the last three days, the fire-absorbent kite shiel...