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PftA Book 2 - Interlude 4
A/N: Remember, this is an Interlude, so it will not follow Emie's POV (even if she's in the 'scene').Interlude 4 – ReactionsThick layers of Arcane mana covered the perimeter of Sir Eri’Non’s rarely-used personal training room, keeping his fury from damaging his beloved ship. If anyone could see in...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 28
Chapter 28 – Bell’s AwakeningI realized pretty quickly that there was no need for me to be hyper-observant of my roommate while we were both logged into the game. Surely, Rhona would message me when she pulled Bell in for a meeting – she’d probably message Bell first with some kind of urgent meeting request. I ...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 27
Chapter 27 – Rhona’s NewsAs my last class of the day was winding down, an icon on my interface began blinking, letting me know I had a message. I knew it had to be important because Lisa had allowed the message through during class. Seeing it was a meeting request from Rhona and knowing she was aware of my schedule...
Chapter Release Notification
For low and mid-tier members: NEW CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN RELEASED! (High-tier should have already gotten their notification!)I hope this method is working for everyone! Enjoy the chapter!
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 26
Chapter 26 – Theories and Secrets“Do you think things will be like they are in the game when it happens?” Elaine asked as we ate our virtual lunch together between classes. Since learning that the Alliance had a virtual university in the Junction, she’d promptly enrolled and started taking classes every other d...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 25
Chapter 25 – Practice and Changes“I still think we should have explored the area with Justin and his party,” Bell said with a pout as we prepared to enter the rift outside the Atlas office turned store.Deni sighed. “I know, but I’d rather we level up a bit first, especially if we’re treating this like it’...
Announcement
I finally did it.Provided there are no issues with the file, Primer for the Apocalypse - Book One will be published to Kindle Unlimited and via paperback on November 17, 2023. That's six days from now. It is available for preorder now if you're interested.Conveniently placed product link... ;)This is my first p...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 24
Chapter 24 - A New Game BeginsI hadn’t held much hope that Rhona would be able to facilitate a change in the upcoming game release. Apocalypse Earth, or AE for short, was supposed to be a sort of practice run for the transition period immediately following reintegration. It was presented as the ‘prequel’ to Atlas...
PftA Book 2 - Interlude 3
Interlude 3 – A False Sense of PrivacyA short while earlier.Special Agent Rodney Jones glanced at the seemingly normal people enjoying their meals around them. It was unnerving to know that any one of them could kill him with minimal effort. Not only was he unarmed, his issued sidearm would do him no good in a facili...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 23
Chapter 23 – An Early RecommendationI knocked on the doorframe of Rhona’s office, using the public entrance this time. It was late enough in the morning that all the Alpha and Beta testers were already logged in, so nobody noticed my approach.“Emie! I didn’t expect to see you there!” Rhona said, motioning me ...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 22
Chapter 22 – Small AdvancesIt took three more weeks and two additional prototypes to get the device working the way I wanted. After examining the finished product, Vasilla declared she believed it to be sufficiently different from the patented version for me not to have any issues. My only real complaint was that as ...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 21
Chapter 21 – Foodie FocusHaving sworn the oath and effectively joined the sect, I didn’t see much need to spend what little free time I had pretending to be part of the sect. However, with my new focus on creating a magical meal replicator, I was motivated enough to use the resources of the virtual sect to obtain m...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 20
A/N: I updated this chapter (10/28) to add her swearing the oath and removing the last portion of the chapter since it felt a bit too... in the weeds.Chapter 20 – A Timely DiscussionRefreshed by my meal, I was in a good mood when I appeared in Master Kairos’s greeting room. One of his uniformed servants was waiting...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 19
Chapter 19 – PrioritiesAs she turned to approach, my new fake rival seemed to realize that we couldn’t explore the sect together as rivals. I could see her hesitation to continue role-playing, and ultimately, she stuck with the Young Mistress act and turned away moments before one of the robed outer disciples appro...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 18
Chapter 18 – Assessments and a New CohortBecause I’d researched other players’ experiences with sects in advance, the skill and combat assessments were not a surprise. Without being able to measure the affinity strength of unawakened players, it made sense the game would compensate by having additional hurdles to...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 17
A/N: This will be the last chapter before tier changes will be implemented on Wednesday. I'll only be posting one chapter per week to RR (Wednesdays) until things are settled. It shouldn't take very long, since you'll be getting three per week here on Patreon. Thanks for reading!Chapter 17 – Reconnaissanc...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 16
Chapter 16 – A Mild InterrogationI was surprised to see Stella standing beside Rhona when I arrived at Rhona’s office. There was a tension present that I was unaccustomed to. Neither woman showed any outward signs of stress, but I’d activated the active form of Sense Intent, so I knew something was bothering both...
PftA Book 2 - Interlude 2
Interlude 2 – Hidden ThreatsIn a small research ship hidden in orbit above Earth, an irate old elf struggled to restrain his anger as his attempt to acquire his newest subject was rebuffed. When he saw the dual affinity scores for one of the individuals on the list, his curiosity had been piqued, and he’d targeted ...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 15
Chapter 15 – Gifts and BenefitsBefore our hands made contact, I paused. “Forgive me, Elder Kairos, but can we speak with Administrator Rhona before leaving?”The Mage sighed and dropped his hand. I knew I needed to be cautious with the powerful Time Mage, but I couldn’t allow myself to be meek. I doubted the Pat...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 14
Chapter 14 – UnveiledIt took three weeks for the first person to awaken in our office. Xavier Armsfield was a member of Alpha Group, meaning he was not part of any military but was likely still a government asset of some kind. I knew there were a few regular civilians in Alpha Group, but they were a minority. By the ...
Some Story Art
A slightly older Emie.Emie in armorRobertStellaRhona
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 13
Chapter 13 – NewsI spent a couple of hours playing with Amie as she rotated through the pile of new toys she’d gotten for Christmas. I was tempted to sneak off and squeeze in a delve while she napped, but I suppressed the urge. Besides, unless I wanted to return to the Tier Two rift in Antarctica, I’d have to wai...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 12 (take 2)
A/N: After considering the reactions to the chapter, I decided to do another version. The first section is basically the same, but everything after that is what I'd loosely planned for Chapter 13. Of course, I didn't spend a day considering and revising it... So... I hope you all like this version better? Feedb...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 11
Chapter 11 – Delves and LevelingThe rest of the delve was largely unremarkable. There were a few Time and Void creatures among the next series of mobs, but otherwise, it was the same as before. Aside from taking a few extra hits to defeat, the boss didn’t appear to be any different either. Even if it had changed sl...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 10
Chapter 10 – Surprise Citizenship“I’m earning Alliance contribution points?” I asked in confusion. From what little I’d learned from Robert, I shouldn’t be eligible. “How?”Mage Stella smiled brightly. “You became an Atlantis Alliance citizen upon awakening and signed a system-enforced contract to supp...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 9
Chapter 9 – Schedules and BreaksIt took me seven hours.Seven hours of Mediation to contemplate Mage Stella’s insights and comments. As much as I hadn’t appreciated being abandoned in Antarctica, it was a lot easier to consider the Space Mage’s words when she wasn’t scrutinizing me from nearby. She was probabl...
PftA Book 2 - Interlude 1
Interlude 1 – Stealthy Monitoring“And you are sure she will be safe?” Rhona asked the violet-haired Mage next to her as she watched the budding Space Mage through one of the Alliance’s hidden satellites. Rhona hadn’t been confident in the other woman’s plans, but she’d given her consent when the noble Mag...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 8
Chapter 8 – Space Magic TrainingWhile I waited for the Space Mage to meet me at my new office two days later, I took a closer look at the tools on my workstation. The area was set up almost exactly like my Junction workstation, though the quality of the materials was notably better here.I was just reaching for the Li...
The Earthborn (A PftA Adjacent Story)- Chapter One
A/N: For those of you curious about what happened to Justin in the original timeline...This is the original POV my story was meant to follow. I decided to go with Emie's POV to make things easier on me, but I held on to the first bit of the original story anyway. I abandoned it when I started focusing on PftA, but ...
PftA Book 2 - Chapter 7
Chapter 7 – Moving In“You don’t have to help me move in, you know,” I said one last time as my brother exited his car in the nearly empty parking lot and headed toward me.The new housing complex for students attending one of the many virtual universities in the Junction was located within walking distance of th...
