Brent Stinebaker posts
Posts: 1067
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II-21 Manufactured Enmity
Getting sued or suing someone is the most common way people transfer funds in the Claimed Hells. I’d call it laundering, except that’s the entire point. There are so many Sin transference schemes going on that it’s impossible to keep track of who’s actually on whose side or where anyone’s loyalties lie.Which might just be the way Mepheleon likes. The bastard.Remember: the more everyone s...
II-20 Scion of the Celestial Flame (IV)
How does it feel to fight the Realmbreaker?I uh… it’s hard to describe… it’s like drowning. But even that’s too gentle. It’s like being trapped in a storm, and destined for defeat before you even begin. It’s an exercise in despair, into being overwhelmed.They keep coming. The attacks. From all angles, different forms and methods, and they all support each other, build on each other, ...
II-19 Scion of the Celestial Flame (III)
Celestial Vanguards.What to say about them?Say they’re enforcers of a long-dead god of purity carved into something that vaguely resembles the body of a person. Say their bright is more than flame—it heals as easily as it destroys. Say they can burn anything—even fire itself. Say they’re supernovas of destruction when they wish to devastate, and nigh-breakable bulwarks when their flames dr...
II-18Scion of the Celestial Flame (II)
The greatest gift I ever gave myself was becoming my own master.-Wei An Wei, The RealmbreakerII-18Scion of the Celestial Flame (II)An arrow the size of a tower burst out through a wall of storms, surging forth to reduce the young master to a smear. But Wei had sensed its coming via Dilation Echo—responded in kind. Instead of fleeing away from the attack, he Essenceshiftedinto a bolt of lightning...
II-17 Scion of the Celestial Flame (I)
Most of you who have been around know what dungeons or towers are. They're connections to other realms, other worlds—System-ruled worlds. Most of the time, you'll find them popping up during an invasion or a System Apocalypse.But every now and again, when two Systems fight and one loses, the destruction is not entirely complete. Parts of the vanquished realm linger. Pocket dimensions rem...
31-7 Shapeshifters (I)
Unable to establish connection. Fail to reach Constituent.Retrying…Retrying…Unable to reach Constituent.Constituent Shotin Kazahara's ontology has been altered. Constituent cognition and foundational mythology scrambled. Outside influence detected.A shard of the stillborn?Unable to confirm. Vote proposed: Motion to deploy a specialized strike team to retrieve Shotin Kazahara.Vote at 39.35%...
Brief Update
A forecast of what is coming up1. Book 1 of System Breaker/Though Tribulation Falls will be heading for official release on Amazon by mid/late December. The next book will follow a month after that. Expect at least 5 books for all of TTF (with some interesting implications at the end). Book 1 will run from Chapter 1 to 50, running 110-150k each.2. Heavy edits are in progress, which is why chapters...
31-6 Weight to Bear
Oh, Veylis, my dear sweet girl, the best people you will meet in this life are not the ones who seek to control you or the ones who seek to empower you completely.Both are acts of delusion.Both occupy extremes, extremes that do not aid a warrior.You want someone that understands you, that allows you to be who you are, but, when the time comes, when they see you approaching the edge, they reach out...
31-5 Gun’s Growing Dream
Certain spiders eat their mothers upon being born. Do you know this?I've seen this. I've seen this, and I find it an apt representation of our reality. We are all alone unto ourselves at first. That is our first loyalty—to survival, our own survival. We feast upon our kin. We learn cruelty and love from our lines so we can nurse and feed, whichever form that takes.But then we see the bre...
31-4 What We Lack
We were defined before our birth. The shape of our inclinations by genetic encoding—nature a blind craftsman, stumbling toward survival. The shape of our thoughts narrowed by culture, knowledge, and inherent biology. For even the wisest mind is wasted if its only input is darkness. And our reputation. The fabric of our legend. Sullied or gloried by those that come before.My father is Jaus Avanda...
II-16 Tower of Possibilities
Special transmission received.Decrypting details.Decryption complete.Good afternoon, Marksman.I represent a set of interests that have recently experienced a setback in the Claimed Hells. I'm sure you are aware of whom I speak.At present, our operations have been disrupted. And, due to this, our local assets cannot act as freely as they could before. Thus, we require a specialist. One with a s...
31-3 Moths and Flames
Having a trusted comrade is like possessing an entire other life at your fingertips.Perchance, did you ever take the time to think about what your friends could do, what your lovers could do, what your children could do, that you could never do? That you could never comprehend? That you yourself were the wrong shape for this world, which demands myriad configurations?Despite the limits of man, all...
II-15 Challengers (II)
A lot of us didn't ask to be here. A lot of us died at the wrong place, at the wrong time, where fate just smiled and sneered at us and took us away, spared us from an eternity of oblivion, and gave us another life.Some people found a use for that. Some people got lucky, became heroes of scattered kingdoms, of little lands of lost fantasy, spread out along with whatever the hell this is.But so...
II-14 Challengers (I)
The one policy I have for facing someone with a Legendary-Rarity Class Specialization is turning the fuck around and getting my ass out of there. Listen, I know some of you new guys don’t want to hear it, but you need to realize your ass isn’t going to be the hero in every story, okay? There are monsters down here—just absolute maniacs that love to do nothing but feed their Class and kill an...
II-13 The Contest of Conquest
As always, as we prepare for a brand-new invasion, a time of festivities and celebration is upon us—and a time for Sinners to become Saints Among Monsters. Indeed, I do hereby declare a Festival of Conquest, and in the fashion of the world we are about to invade, there will be a theme to our competition.Popularity. Dominance through recognition.For all that you have done, for all the Sins you ha...
31-2 Those We Lose
Death is a horror. This everyone knows but refuses to face. For the ones we lose mark us as well, deform our minds and actions so severely that, if our present self and past self meet, madness might become our final fate.For who could face a stranger wearing their own skin.Most learn to face this horror. Accept death. Hope that they stand among the lucky few to avoid a final end. But in my eyes, d...
II-12 Reflection
You know the true thing that makes us Trespassers special? It’s not how we can bond with any Class, any System, any magical or spiritual entity without suffering harm. No. What truly makes us special is that we can’t be consumed by Source. Because we are not conceptual beings. We are not spiritual beings. We, who originated from that cold, indifferent realm known as Earth, are matter. First an...
31-1 A Throne Divided
It’s all going to hell.It’s all going to hell, and I have no idea how to fix it.Our forces are scattered. Pulled apart in every direction. We’ve returned to using direct meta-transmissions—experience fighting Ori-Thaum means we still have our own networks; Heavens that can communicate with each other so we aren’t entirely in the dark, but the war hosts are dismembered. The Seraphs are mi...
30-18 The Silent Majority
We live in a world that’s built on the impossible. Anyone who tells you something can’t be done is bullshitting you or trying to stop you.Tell me what’s more likely? Fire learning to sing or a cold, scared, starving but also tenacious juv learning to survive another day in the Warrens?Well. I’ve seen fire sing. And it sings pretty fucking good.Tell me what’s more likely? That falling wat...
30-17 Imperfect Vessel
Despite his allegiances, despite the war, despite his very past, I will stand testament to these words:Aedon Chambers is what it means to rise. He is what it means to be a real man. A real hero.We were not allies. We are enemies. But still, he stayed to fight his shadow for me. For the idea of me. And for himself.I would not be here. And neither would Yaobi. And I would ask the Inner Council to co...
II-11 Blood Against Blood
You don’t need a powerful Skill to win. Sometimes, you don’t even need a higher level.Sometimes, the only thing you really need is a little bit of surprise. Something that no one knows you have—that no one sees coming.-The Trespassers’ CompendiumII-11Blood Against Blood"His class has changed, as has his level," the Shell said.The young master eyed his father, watching William Yu su...
II-10 Resolve (II)
“Mepheleon. It’s me.”“Ah. Sara. I have been waiting for this call. How have you been, dearest? And you are most welcome. I enjoyed dealing with your Inheritor infestation.”“You were just looking for a reason to clean them out before the invasion. Don’t use me as your excuse. I want to talk about the woman.”“What woman, dear? There is only one lady true to my heart—”“The que...
II-9 Resolve (I)
William Yu is a piece of shit. He’s a womanizing, amoral, greedy, fool of a motherfucker.He’s also my best friend. I owe him my life. I owe him more than I can give back.I can’t say he doesn’t have death or worse coming for what he’s done. But I can say this: his death won’t come from me, and I’ll see that son of a bitch suffer everything other than death if it is within my power.The...
II-8 Failures (II)
Say one thing about the Realmbreaker, say he’ll do about everything to hold up the sky for me while he crumbles away on the inside.What the damn fool didn’t see was that I’d do the same for him. I’d do the same and more…-Agnesia the Ashen DawnII-8Failures (II)As Agnesia collapsed under her grief, Wei’s mind stalled with indecision.He wasn’t sure what to do, nor did he have any experi...
II-7 Failures (I)
The perfect enemy one can face is themselves, stripped of all flaws, all weakness…And so too will such a foe become a perfect teacher as well.-Wei An Wei, The RealmbreakerII-7Failures (I)Wei’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. The pain was beyond words. So he just screamed. But still, nothing physical tore or bled, and nothing spiritual was expended. The suffering was purely in his mind, ...
II-6 Shell of Masteries (II)
Listen, Antediluvian rarity Skills are a fucking myth, okay? The only people who might get that are System hosts and chances are, that’s not you. And if that’s you, I’m going to give you some life-saving advice right now:Stop chasing rarities.Stop thinking in terms of Common is weaker than Rare is weaker than Elite is wearer than Master is weaker than Legendary is weaker than Mythical is wea...
30-16 Master of My Own Scars (III)
There comes a point where you must step beyond who you were before, to face all history and shed your scars. To cling to pain is to build your own cage and to seal your own fate.But to choose. To choose change is to go beyond, to make yourself wings from your past and present, and seek the skies of a future to be.For that is the highest form of belief. Possibility. The dream of what might be beyon...
30-15 Master of My Own Scars (II)
You know the worst thing I realized about my father?He was right about me.I was a piece of shit. I wasn’t worth it. I was pathetic. Every good thing that happened to me became true because of someone else — even when I did become a Godclad. Just learned it all too late. The Stillborn needed a better host. But it got me.It got me.Not even I want to be me.There’s no way I’m gonna win this wa...
30-14 Master of My Own Scars (I)
You wanna know who kills the legends? Who kills the pros?The juvs. The pathetic. The ones we don’t notice; choose to ignore. The gutter-trash with a gun that shouldn’t work, with a frequency blade they don’t know how to use; with a death wish, no sense, and nothing but a mad dream.Not the Godclads. Not some Guilder kill-team. Just… the ones we don’t think about. Because they got an open ...
30-13 The “Me” I’m Not
+Consensus: We have sighted the Pathborn in the tapestry. 21.1233% wish to engage. Bill acknowledged. Internal votes underway. 93.5331% are nervous about our chances. Love has a high risk of inflicting ontological damage upon our culture.Our culture.We must protect our culture.Vote to engage Pathborn failed. 33.94%. Majority (>50% threshold) has not been achieved.Second suggestion. Continue monito...
