Speculative fiction, alternative worlds, futuristic, supernatural, horror
Aug 27th, 2020, 9:05 am
Everybody Loves Large Chests (#5,8,10) by Neven Iliev
Requirements: .ePUB reader, 2.5 MB + 624 KB
Overview: When I was little, I used to have dreams of making video games for a living. I didn't have a console, but the games I played on my PC blew my mind as a kid. The advent of MMOs was especially exciting. So it was only natural I'd want a job that was somehow related to this amazing thing I loved. Unfortunately, I've since been forced to abandon that dream when I realized the harsh realities of how horrible the video game industry actually is. I still somehow ended up working as a programmer though, which I enjoy quite a bit. So it wasn't all bad.

I still game extensively in my free time, with RPGs (both single and multiplayer) being my favorite genre. I was introduced to LitRPG through a variety of translated Japanese light novels, which really struck a chord with me. I also tried reading classics like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but I didn't have the patience for it. You can't engage people if you spend upwards of ten pages on just describing a god-damned forest or whatever.
Genre: Fiction > Sci-Fi/Fantasy

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Teresa (#5)
The war is in full swing. Following the unprecedented outcome of the siege at Fort Yimin, both the Republic and the Empire are forced to drastically reevaluate their plans for the conflict. With matters on the western front more or less settled for the moment, the warring nations turn their attention towards the eastern theatre. Winter looms on the horizon, threatening to deadlock the region and put a temporary halt to hostilities. With both sides planning to deploy bold and unconventional strategies on top of committing vast resources, it’s anyone’s guess which of them will come out on top.

Indeed, neither government is shying away from resorting to underhanded, questionable, or downright amoral means. The Gilded Hand has been stepping up their efforts to further Spymaster Edward Allen’s schemes. The Empire’s intelligence agency is also looking to field its most powerful enforcers in the coming battles. The Republic’s Foreign Intelligence Bureau is having a hard time keeping up, but they are not without their own dirty tricks. Rumors within the royal palace of the Horkensaft Kingdom to the east suggest that the dwarves and gnomes are on the verge of aiding the elven nation. Something that wouldn’t have been made possible without the Republic’s deep coffers, and the less-than-reputable individuals that fill them.

Boxxy T. Morningwood isn’t one of those shady contributors. If anything, it’s been steadily draining the government’s resources as it forces them to pay exorbitant fees to resolve issues that the monster itself creates. A trend it plans to keep following for as long as it can lie, cheat, and murder its way through life.

Which, barring something ridiculous like divine intervention, is poised to be a very long time indeed.

Stain (#8)
The world waits for no one. While Boxxy is off chasing shinies and delving dungeons abroad, Azurvale's shadows churn, fester, and ferment into a potent cocktail of trouble. Secret organizations maneuver behind the scenes, patiently advancing their nefarious plots. Government agencies lay in wait, ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble. Powerful adventurers gear up and train for the next challenge, uncertain as to what form it might take. In the midst of all this, a humble scholar arrives from a distant land wholly ignorant to the mountain-sized powder keg waiting for him. Explosives primed and the fuse set, the only thing missing is a spark to set things off, and who better to serve that role than a fiery redhead making her triumphant return?

It would appear that the universe once again conspires to put the Hero of Chaos in dire straits. However, in this particular instance, Boxxy is not entirely without fault. It doesn't know it yet, but the nasty surprises that await it are nothing more than the consequences of its own actions. As it turns out, butting heads with the seedy underbelly of civilized society has a way of stirring up an immense amount of trouble. Boxxy is aware of this, of course, though it doesn't care since it fancies itself an expert at deflecting blame and avoiding responsibility. For the most part, this is an accurate assessment. Unfortunately for the less-than-a-year-old monster, it has yet to learn one of life's key lessons.

Bad karma is like a stubborn stain - it never truly goes away.

Law (#10)
It would appear that, after two years of relative slacking, the Hero of Chaos is once again facing an ever-growing workload. Boxxy had been quite fortunate to obtain an exceptionally potent pawn with very little effort, but that was still effort it did not intend to expend. Sensing it might get dragged into things it really doesn't want to bother with, the creature makes haste to depart Velos and its orcs so that it may continue its private preparations for the upcoming Dragon Festival. Of course, it's never that easy. First, it has to make good on a deal it made to babysit not one, not two, but three spoiled brats. Normally it would just refuse, or at the very least just lock them up in a dungeon somewhere. Unfortunately, neither of those are attractive options when this job involves the deceitful shapeshifter's natural enemy - the Holy Inquisition of the Goddess of Truth and Justice, headed by Teresa's latest chosen Hero, Sigmund Law.

Boxxy really doesn't want to deal with any of that. It's got treasure to plunder, Levels to grind, and a bottomless pit of a belly to fill, to name a few things on its agenda. Aside from having better things to do, the very idea of this bothersome chore runs contrary to its monstrous instincts, not to mention it's absolutely nonsensical. What sort of weirdo thinks a wolf in sheep's clothing is the best candidate to look after three little pigs? The God of Uncertainty, that's who. It's a rare order from the big kettle himself, and Boxxy must comply or find itself stripped of the divine gifts that are vital to maintaining its public image. Between suffering through this inane task for the time being or watching its nation-spanning web of lies unravel, the choice is obvious. So, for better or worse, the industrious box gets busy figuring out how to squeeze 'babysitting' into its schedule.

Only to have those plans instantly shatter when it returns home to find the place in ruins.

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First 2
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10
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Aug 27th, 2020, 9:05 am

Traveling from 4-19 November. No reups during this time.
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Dec 16th, 2022, 4:38 am
Added Vol. 8
Dec 16th, 2022, 4:38 am
Feb 4th, 2023, 5:36 pm
Added Vol. 10
Feb 4th, 2023, 5:36 pm