“Looks like Jump, Entry, and Slash, what do you think?” Ikara said, leaning against the window.
“Huh?” Rowan asked, startled out of his thoughts.
Ikara gestured. “Her skills. I’m betting on Jump, Entry, and Slash. I mean, she’s a dragoon, right? Gotta be. That class is kind of built on Jump, so that’s a gimme. Entry… that’s the drop she did off the wall. Lessened her fall damage. At higher levels, it’ll load all the damage she should take from the fall into h...
2021-08-12 20:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Rowan froze. He glanced around. Are they all going to jump on me at once? He backed up to the window, ready to hop back through.
After a few moments, the monsters turned away. Some skittered away or slithered into dark spaces, out of sight. A few eyed him up aggressively, edging closer.
The rat hunkered down, gnawing on something. Rowan locked onto it and inched closer. Alright. Now to draw aggro, but only for that specific rat.
He jogged forward, pacing al...
2021-08-11 20:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Ikara hefted a cinderblock at the bat. It knocked off the monster’s head. Stunned, it staggered to the side.
Before it could recover, Rowan ran over, grabbed a hunk of wall, and threw it. It smashed into the bat’s wing. Something cracked, and the bat screeched, angry. It charged at them, limping for the window at full speed.
Rowan snatched up his rake and met the bat’s charge head-on. The weight of the blow smacked into his shoulder, metal head singing from the hit, but the ...
2021-08-10 20:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Kaidu’s phone rang. He held up a finger and lifted it to his ear. “N. Kaidu, Hairdresser.”
Frantic, machine-gun speech came from the other end, too fast for Rowan to catch, but the panic transmitted itself perfectly. Poker-faced, Kaidu nodded once, twice, then replied in a language Rowan didn’t recognize. One more rapid-fire burst, and Kaidu hung up.
“Trouble?” Ikara asked.
“I’m needed at the shop. VIP client showed up. She’ll take nothing less than the bes...
2021-08-09 20:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The exclusion zone crept up on them, the way it always did. A smattering of closed-down shops, the rest struggling, or plastered with scammy advertisements, capitalizing on the cheap land. Potholes in the road. Burned-out vehicles and wrecks no one had bothered to collect. The further they went, the worse it got. The roads tangled with weeds. Shop windows gaped open to the wind, shattered glass scattered around them. Kicked-in doors hung off hinges. Shapes flitted in and out of the shadow, ne...
2021-08-08 20:00:02 +0000 UTC
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The Tower rose up before he knew it, monolithic as ever. Rowan blinked up at it, squinting against the sun. I’ll do it. One day, I’ll conquer that Tower!
“Take it down! Down with the Tower!”
“Crash the System!”
“Down, down! Down with the Tower!”
A dozen men and women in black and red gathered across from the Tower. Some carried signs, most of them showing the Tower crumbling. One showed a man drop-kicking the Tower, a big grin on his face. Anot...
2021-08-07 20:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The yellowjacket retreated, buzzing furiously. Blood spilled down his stomach, hot and bright. He grabbed his stomach and staggered, propping himself up with the rake. Betrayed, he stared up at Jude. “Why…”
Level Ten. Manifest unlo Level Eleven. Please choose a Level Twelve. Please choose a skill.
Cold, Jude’s eyes pierced through him. “I’m a Bug Hunter. Someone hired by the System to catch idiots like you who try to sneak past the System’s punishmen...
2021-08-07 02:44:43 +0000 UTC
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Rowan startled awake mid-fall. He reached out, desperate, and latched onto a throw pillow as he crashed into the ground. A second throw pillow toppled after him and bumped off his face.
“Ow,” he muttered. Blinking against the dark, he patted around for his bedside lamp. What time is it? How early am I?
Unfamiliar lights flickered all around him, bright white and yellow out the window, brilliant greens and blues into the kitchen. Where…
Right, Kaid...
2021-08-07 02:42:13 +0000 UTC
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The skillet popped and sizzled. Hissing atop it, the eggs turned from translucent to white.
“We’ll have to register you as a member of the party. Tomorrow, we’ll swing by. Long as we go during daylight hours, it should be pretty quiet in the reception office,” Rowan said, glancing at Ikara.
She nodded. “Good by me.”
“Kaidu, you alright with that?”
Kaidu nodded, eyes shut.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep. You haven’t eaten anything yet.”
Kaid...
2021-08-07 02:39:59 +0000 UTC
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White marble countertops. Spotless white walls. White leather furniture. Perfectly white rugs. White curtains, white plates, white cups, even the lamp in the corner was white.
“Dang,” Rowan muttered, turning slowly. How long would I have to save up to have a place like this?
“The guest room is over there,” Kaidu pointed across the room, at a closed door (white). “Use it as you please.”
“As we please?” Ikara waggled her eyebrows.
Kaidu ignored h...
2021-08-07 02:39:07 +0000 UTC
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“You’re back?” the healer asked, startled.
“Heal him,” Kaidu ordered, holding out a limp Rowan. His head drooped, and fresh blood poured down his shirt and pants.
“Holy fuck. Is he still alive?”
“Hurry up. I can pay.”
“Alright, alright, calm down.” The healer vaulted the counter and jogged to them.
“If I could’ve stitched him up, he’d be fine in a week or so, ‘long as infection don’t get him,” Ikara muttered under her breath.
...
2021-08-03 20:01:00 +0000 UTC
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White. Pure white.
Smoke filled his vision. Colors filtered in through it, a flash of black, a splash of red. He stepped out into the lobby, behind the receptionist.
Rowan’s vision wobbled. He pressed a hand to the wall and left a red handprint behind. Shit.
“Please don’t dirty the walls,” the receptionist snapped without looking.
“Er… sorry.” He fumbled out his rake and leaned his weight on it. Slowly, he stumbled toward the door.
“Holy ...
2021-08-02 20:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Kaidu slid out from under his shoulder. “Can you fight?”
Rowan caught himself with the rake. He glanced down at the plant. Leaves thrust upward from his stomach, disconcertingly bright. A dull ache emanated from the place the roots met flesh, but no blood leaked out, and neither did his HP drop. Rowan sucked a short breath and put a hand to it, delicately. That’s going to hurt when it comes out. “I’ll do my best.”
Kaidu nodded tersely. He wiped his sciss...
2021-07-31 23:50:16 +0000 UTC
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Rowan’s stomach grumbled. He looked at Kaidu. “Got any more of that mushroom?”
Kaidu pressed his lips together. He reached into his pocket and drew out a nearly-empty plastic bag of beef jerky and mushroom. Reluctantly, he handed over a piece of both. “I suppose you helped.”
“I suppose I did,” Rowan replied.
He sat down on the edge of the plains and ate the mushroom and jerky together. Beside him, Kaidu sat cross-legged and took one bite of each, interchanging....
2021-07-31 20:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Out into the sun. The disc hovered away, over the forest. “Get far enough away the ants won’t follow us,” Lancelot ordered Morgan.
The disc flew at a stately pace. The slippery surface gave just enough grip Rowan wasn’t afraid he’d fall off. Bored, Rowan scanned Terry’s two party members. Wonder what level they are?
Lancelot. Fighter, Lvl 8. Merlin. Mage, Lvl 8.
He frowned. Do they have a Scan-dodging skill, too? Actually… He ...
2021-07-30 20:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Slabs of earth dropped through the sky onto the bodyguard ants. Terry jumped back, avoiding the blast at the last moment. Dust flew through the air, mushrooming into a cloud.
Rowan waved his hand in front of his face, coughing.
All around them, ants streamed out from their holes and down the burst walls, chittering wildly, Flame flew all around. Their protector ant reached toward Rowan and Kaidu, but the rush of ants whisked her away.
From the hole, a man and a woman appeare...
2021-07-29 20:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Up ahead, the passage widened. Smaller ants of both colors scurried past, carrying wriggling grubs or fresh, wet eggs gently in their mandibles. Their guard nudged them again, urgently.
“What? You?” Terry shouted from behind them.
Rowan turned. Terry staggered toward them, nudged by a significantly larger ant. His guard took up almost the whole hallway, its thorax brushing against the hallway’s ceiling.
“Hey, A… Terry,” Rowan said. Damn, I just can’t make m...
2021-07-28 20:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Rowan sagged against the wall. His guts ached. His hand burned. A throbbing pain emanated from his feet. This is awful. Maybe I shouldn’t have challenged the Tower.
Immediately, Rowan shook his head at himself. He sat up firmly, lips pressed together. No. I won’t regret it. Even if I die, I didn’t make the wrong decision.
One impact after another echoed in the closed chamber. Dust spritzed over the ground.
“Kaidu, stop, you’ll hurt yourself,” Ro...
2021-07-27 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Rowan stood and looked over his shoulder at the green-glowing mushrooms. Or rather… what do those other mushrooms have that you don’t?
Curious, he walked to the primary mound and knelt, feeling the soil. Moist… but no more or less than my mound. A few pellets of what he assumed were ant droppings scattered here and there, providing fertilizer. He circled it slowly, brows furrowed. Why are you so much happier than those mushrooms?
A faint breeze sti...
2021-07-25 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Tunnels curled deeper and deeper into the earth. A few rays of sunshine filtered down here and there at first, but as they walked on, the sunlight grew dimmer and dimmer until Rowan had to fumble along the wall. He tripped over an ant, and the creature hissed and spat flame at him in anger.
“Dammit,” Rowan muttered.
“Studio Lighting,” Kaidu whispered.
A ring of light appeared behind him, almost a halo. It lit the tunnel evenly, in a very aesthetically pleasing way th...
2021-07-24 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The fall only lasted a few seconds before soft sand crumbled beneath him. He hurtled into the anthill, digging a hole through the carefully-piled sand. Glimpses of ants rushed past, quick visions of corridors through the hills At last, he thumped to a halt against a firm layer of earth.
Rowan sat up. Now I just need an ant.
Boots hurtled down at him. Panicked, Rowan rolled out of the way and barely dodged as Kaidu landed beside him, bending his knees slightly with the lan...
2021-07-23 20:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Branches dragged at their bodies. Brambles cut at Rowan's legs and arms, and sharp seeds cut his feet. The footsteps grew closer and closer, thunderous and unrelenting. Ahead, two branches split from the path.
"They go to the same place! Go left, I'll go right!" Rowan hissed.
Kaidu nodded. They sprinted to the branch.
"Give me back my boots!" the slender man shouted. He grabbed Rowan's shoulder.
Rowan threw himself to the side, out from under the man's grab, and swept ...
2021-07-22 20:00:04 +0000 UTC
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“Find anything?” Kaidu asked.
Rowan shot him a thumbs up. “I’ve got us a route.”
“What are the ants for?”
Rowan held up the bag. “Oh, these? I found their anthill--that’s the escape route. I figure we lure the combat party over toward the anthill, toss the ants at them, watch them flail and squish the ants, and the ants take care of the rest.”
Kaidu shook his head. “I found a swamp and wide-open plains, so we’ll go with your route.”
Rowa...
2021-07-22 01:29:26 +0000 UTC
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Author's note: Hey everyone! Did a major rewrite recently and realized I didn't post the chaps on Patreon! I'm gonna be posting the rewritten chapters as Draft 2s, so if you only want the cannon going forward, read those only! If you want the could-have-beens, the other drafts will remain. I think we might have a single release day when these chapters overlap with the others (or a triple release day?) but in any case, my apologies for the mistake!
I won't be posting the older rewr...
2021-07-22 01:24:25 +0000 UTC
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“I thought we agreed not to try and kill anyone. What happened to that?” Rowan grumbled, bumping along on Ruby's back.
“I didn’t try to kill anyone. It was a disabling attack,” Kaidu defended himself.
“Cutting her wrist open was a disabling attack?”
“If I wanted to kill her, I would have gone for the throat.”
Rowan pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrows. After a moment, he shook his head. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
“You...
2021-07-21 20:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Clutching her wrist, the wounded girl bared her teeth at them. “You fucking dweebs thought you could steal from us? What is this bullshit. You’re, what, level two?”
Beryl’s eyes flew wide. She scurried back, startled. “L—level fifteen? Topaz, get back!”
Hackles raised, the injured girl jumped away. “Level fifteen? These pieces of shit?”
Laughing, the slender man slapped the invisible walls. Loud banging reverberated in the narrow space. Rowan winced, ears a...
2021-07-20 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Creeping through the forest, Rowan carefully placed each foot, mindful not only of what might gouge his dirt-blackened soles, but also of crinkly leaves, dry twigs, and snapping pinecones from the occasional conifer.
Motion in the dark. Rowan froze. A millipede slunk by, this one only as thick around as his wrist, and vanished into the thick leaf mold. He shuddered and gripped the trowel tighter. The last skill point sloshed around in his mind, never far from his thoughts. I should ...
2021-07-19 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Sun set in the distance. Rowan watched it fall, one hand on a tree. “Crazy how they fit a whole star inside the Tower.”
“The Tower is mysterious, and no one fully understands how it functions. However, the best guess of our scholars is that the Tower is, in fact, a linked set of interdimensional gates, and each of the Tower’s floors is its own plane of existence,” Kaidu replied.
Rowan rolled his eyes. “I know. Everyone knows that. It was a joke, Kaidu. I’m not stupid...
2021-07-18 12:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Fire burst out above them. Red ants came to the edge of the hole and peered down at them, heads tilted quizzically. One stepped onto the sand experimentally and slid, sideways and out of control, until it reached Rowan. Hooked feet found a hold on his skin, and the ant climbed down his body.
“Oh shit! Oh fuck!” Rowan screeched. He slapped at the ant, knocking it off him.
The ant landed in the sand and swirled down toward the ant lion. Against the bulk of the ant lion, the larg...
2021-07-17 12:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Exhausted, Rowan pushed himself onward. Aching, exhausted legs protested his efforts. His shoes dragged at his feet. Red sores traced the straps of the flipflops, with blisters blooming where his foot bones and the sides of his feet met the straps. Every step brought sharp pain. Sticks and sharp leaves poked through the sides and caught between his foot and the shoe, but there was no time to stop and free them. He ran on, hoping they would fall out with time. Dammit, I should’ve changed...
2021-07-16 12:00:00 +0000 UTC
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