Showing results by author "Andrew Schmitt" in All Categories

The end of Earth's immunity period draws ever closer. The game board of grand space politics is set; pieces are down, lines are drawn. Native Earth factions now stand to defend their shared homeworld, and with them shoulder to shoulder are Humans from other worlds, the Miyelonians, the Geckho, the Jarg, the Cleopians, the Cyanids, the Esthetes, and the Crystallids—all those Kung Gnat was able to persuade. But the enemy is also extremely powerful.

Orcs and elves come streaming out of portals. People lose their grip and are transformed into afflicted. If this is a zombie apocalypse, it's a pretty weird one. The rules are simple: kill an orc or anything else—gain life energy, reducing your chances of becoming a walking corpse. But fail—and become a zombie, AKA an afflicted.

After sealing the otherworldly portal, Eric becomes a Magister of the order of monster hunters. From now on, as head of the once mighty organization, he gains power over all its riches. But Eric is aware that he won't be able do it on his own. And reviving what is popularly referred to as "the dead order" won't be enough. He also has to assert its right to exist because its ancient enemy is on the lookout!

Space is a dangerous place. Here, you're either a predator or soon to fall prey to a ruthless neighbor. And if you aren't tough enough to make it on your own, you'll need the backing of a formidable power to keep you safe from bigger fish. Earth used to have such protection—the great Geckho race. But unfortunately, the Geckho fell to an enemy onslaught, leaving planet Earth to fend for itself. And now, Earth humanity has precious little time to prove to their galactic neighbors that they are not to be trifled with.

Gnat the Devourer is becoming a more prominent figure in grand space politics. Sure, he may not be totally independent yet, but he has enough leeway to be able to differentiate Earth's interests from those of its Geckho suzerains and act exclusively for the good of his own kind. Gnat must balance obligations to his almighty suzerains against a desire to advance humanity's position in space, and his home planet's search for ever more allies.

After battling the hyenas, Eric gets a notification that something called a Place of Power has been found. That is the only clue that might help him get back to his native world. But there's a problem. The system needs mana to calculate a route. Eric simply doesn't have any, and he doesn't know when he will. That is because, due to the strange laws this world lives by, Eric's mana supply isn't filling up. But the Great System also exists here, though its laws are only partially functioning.

The war on Ofilia is heating up and the outcome will depend on our mana potion deliveries. So, what's the problem? Well, it's been a week since the System arrived on Earth, and that means high-level hostiles from other worlds could start showing up at any time . . .

The adventures of Dog of the Forgotten Pack continue! Hardcore mode, the future with all its ups and downs, and the struggle to survive in both the real and virtual worlds all await him. With no roof over his head while being hunted by the police, a ruthless corporation, and hitmen, our hero must hide and fight for his life. Every chance he gets, he dives into the virtual world as Dog of the Forgotten Pack, seeking to inch closer to his dream: the tantalizing yet distant treasures of Shadow Kane the Assassin.

At long last, an extraterrestrial civilization reached out and made the First Contact. However, no one on Earth took their communique for the genuine article. In a similar vein, very few people appreciated just how little time our new suzerains had promised to keep our planet safe. Regardless, the end of their message showed humankind how to access a mysterious game. The objective of this game is unclear. No one can say where its servers are located, and its inner workings are beyond comprehension.

Ceasefires have one big downside: They eventually come to an end. And when they do, once again game nodes are set ablaze, and platoons of Dark Faction soldiers threaten our customary world with destruction. The enemy has grown stronger and more numerous. To make matters worse, they also got their hands on even deadlier weaponry. They have learned painful lessons from previous encounters and adjusted their tactics accordingly.

In this world, steam and electricity are the favored sources of power. Science has taken the place of religion, while magic is unknown by all but peculiar outcasts. But the border between reality and the underworld here is extremely thin. Thankfully, the adepts of scientific knowledge have found success holding back the onslaught of infernal creatures. Electricity is stronger than magic, but even it is not all-powerful. A former detective constable for the New Babylon Criminal Investigative Police, Leopold Orso is illustrious.

The threat of the Medvedkovo portal is growing. War is going to break out on Ofilia before we've even begun to properly trade. Those in the Zhdanovsky group who haven't already turned afflicted from lack of life energy will soon begin to starve....

First encounters with other sentient races. New global trials and events. That's all well and good, but we have business on Earth. The time has come to bring people together and make a base in a Moscow overrun by afflicted.

New Babylon is the capital of the mighty Second Empire. Dirigibles drift over the city, steam trains race down its tracks, and the factory chimneys never stop billowing smoke, even for a moment. The hegemony of science is unquestioned, and yet magic hasn't disappeared from the world. It remains dissolved in the blood of those who are called Illustrious. Hardline reductionists find that hard to accept, but it is not in their power to change the longstanding status quo.

The objective is clear—to reach the original world and get to the bottom of what is going on here. But I don't want to waste decades on it like people from other worlds. In fact, I'd like to be done in a month. After all, am I a Keeper, or just a pretty face? However, the System is keeping me on my toes. Moscow looks more like a military training zone every day, and this strange slime has been oozing out of the metro.