#### Important Updates to Release Schedule and Priorities ####
Chapter is below if you don't care about all this.
Hey everyone! First, let me clear a couple of things up right away:
No, I'm not sick this time
No, I'm not announcing a Hiatus
No, I'm not announcing that Maze is being published (that will hopefully come later this year)
If you want to hear the full story, keep reading. If not, scroll down to the bold section about what's changing.
You still here? Okay then, grab a cup of coffee or some hot cocoa and sit by the fireplace while this bald old man starts to ramble.
I think one of the things I've been saying most in these announcements is that I'm running on fumes. That I'm feeling very close to burning out but not quite there yet. That's still very much true. I've been able to avoid burnout, but it's always been a struggle.
Then came these past couple of months. A lot of things happened, both good and bad. In the end, we went into the red for the month and had to dip too deep into our savings to make ends meet.
Here's the thing: Patreon is my main source of income. I sometimes manage to get a side gig here and there, but usually I just have Patreon. Now, because I live in Brazil, the small amount of money I get from Patreon goes a long way. But it's still far from being a significant amount, which forces me to look for work and try to get money in other ways.
That's why these past few days have been very hectic for Patreon. I was prioritizing a gig that would get us enough money to get by for a little while. But honestly, I don't like this. I keep saying I'm trying to make it work, but I really don't like the way things are unfolding. I wish my Patreon was more successful. I wish I had more readers for MAZE and Energy Eater. I wish things weren't as expensive. But that's not the reality.
So today, while I was talking to someone I consider a good friend, something fell into place. He helped me realize that while I'm right to keep chasing this dream, I'm not right in putting the readers first every single time. Not that I shouldn't take you all into account, but I need to be a bit selfish and put what I need first.
While we were having this conversation, I also got hired for a job. It's going to be a fun job related to games, which was my dream before writing became my dream, so I'm really happy about it. But this also means I'll have a lot less free time to write.
This works out well because I was already thinking about making some changes. These changes don't come from a place of anger or as a way to punish people for not joining my Patreon. They come from a place of "I need to do this if I want to have a real shot at making this financially viable." I hope everybody understands that the changes I'm implementing are not being taken lightly, and I'm only doing them because I realized I had my priorities in the wrong place. I need to focus on what's more likely to make me a full-time writer with an actual decent salary.
I always acted as if my priority was the free chapters, even when I told myself that wasn't the case. The people who read on Royal Road and other websites were the ones I always made sure not to let down, and I always acted as if the Patreon supporters would be more understanding if I had to skip a chapter or two. That's wrong, and I'm flipping it starting today.
Now I'm going to do my best to take care of the Patreons first, and only then will the free readers get their content. This doesn't mean I'm going to abandon the people who comment on my stories and read them on Royal Road, Tapas, Webnovel, or Scribblehub. I'm not going to treat them badly, but Patreon is the priority.
What's Changing
Starting this week, I'm going to pull back the release schedule for both Maze and Energy Eater until both stories are around 30 chapters ahead on Patreon.
I'm not going to completely stop posting on Royal Road, Webnovel, Tapas, and Scribble Hub, but instead of three chapters a week, you'll get one, maybe two. This will last for roughly a month (maybe a bit more), and then I'll return to the regular schedule.
Additionally: If I miss a chapter on Patreon because I was sick, couldn't finish it, or for any reason, I'm going to skip that chapter on the free release as well. This way, there will never be a situation where I'm reducing the gap between Patreon and free readers.
Patreon Tier Changes
Gold tier and above remain the default. They'll receive chapters on schedule every day with a proper schedule, and access to all chapters plus extra content.
Explorer tier will have access to content that Gold tier and above have two weeks later and the schedule will be more loose.
This isn't something I'm doing out of spite. It's because Patreon doesn't allow me to schedule changes to posts. If I want to open a post that was just for a specific tier to more tiers, I need to do it manually. That's why the Explorer tier will have this more fluid schedule. They'll receive chapters once I have a chance to change the settings myself.
Considering that my new job shift starts when chapters are usually posted, there's a good chance that Explorer tier will get chapters a bit earlier than 10:00 AM my time. Maybe an hour or two earlier. But on weekends and holidays, expect to receive them later since I'm old and want to sleep.
We have more possible changes coming in the near future. I'm toying with the idea of relaunching Maze, and I still don't know exactly how that's going to look, so there might be other changes ahead.
Also, since I'm starting a job at the end of next week, there's a good chance I'll struggle to keep up for the first month or so, just until I get used to the schedule, or until I learn how to type on the train, since the job is an hour and a half from my home.
Thank you again for all the love you show my stories. I cannot express how much this means to me, and thank you for keeping up with such a madness of changes that's happening. Who knows? Maybe with all these changes and the rewrite of Book 1, Patreon will blow up and I'll be able to go back to full-time writing in a few months.
But that's about it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
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We quickly grabbed the Rodenti and started leaving the village. A few of their children even came to say goodbye to their new friends. But unlike the adults, they held no grudge against the Rodenti. Sure, a couple of them were still sad, likely due to the fact they lost their parents. They were not channeling all that anger towards the Rodenti. Which, in hindsight, didn't make much sense. Children would be great tools to radicalize people if the chief wanted to make sure that everybody hated the Rodenti as he did. That didn't seem to be the case.
When Michael asked about the Rodenti, the children hadn't even known about their existence until today. According to them, the grown-ups were just going out to fight the witch, and sometimes they didn't come back. Knowing that the chief lied to them about what was actually happening left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not because I thought I should have spared him. But it just felt nausea-inducing to think about someone who pretended to be nice only to be so horrible to a different group of people.
Taking the path that the Rodenti knew and followed it until we were somewhat away from the village. Despite the fact that some of the people who were with us ended up getting hurt during the fight, Riley had suggested that it was better for us to first leave that place and then gather ourselves properly for a longer journey. And everybody seemed to agree with that.
We walked back to the Rodenti village and had them helping us get to the tree houses so we were able to spend the night. In the morning, we were going to leave this place and, hopefully, never look back.
There wasn't much talking during our journey, and I don't blame my companions. Astrid was carrying Rex since the Rodenti didn't have one leg while he worked on something using his stone-shaping skills. But I couldn't tell what.
After we crossed the battlefield, Riley approached me and said, "You know, for what it's worth, I agree with what you did."
"What do you mean?" I turned towards them.
"Making the decision to kill those people. I agree with that. I don't think we would have managed to save all the children without that. And I think that if one of the children had been killed, we would have ended up in a fight between the two sides."
Hearing that, I let out a sigh. "I appreciate the support. But okay, you say that all the time. Even though, from what I remember, you have decided on the lives of people more often than most. It was never really an option, you know? It just happens."
"I know. And it sucks. Someone needs to make the hard decisions. I don't know if I would have done the same."
"Even though you agree with me?" I turned toward them with a confused expression.
"But Riley nodded. It's one thing to say that you agree with someone making a harsh decision. It's another thing to make the hard decision yourself. I honestly am not entirely sure if I would have the mental fortitude to do that."
"So you're saying that you're glad you're not the one carrying that burden?"
Riley chuckled at my comment. "I wouldn't put it like that, but yeah."
I chuckled back. "Well, I'm glad to be of service. It just really sucks being in charge, you know."
"At least know that I got your back. And I doubt Astrid is going to complain. Especially after they tried to hurt Rex. I'm half sure she was about to start killing people if you hadn't moved first."
Turning to the Huskcarver, I paused, "I don't know. Maye if it was a human killing another human, the village would have taken things better. They were really angry when we left."
"Yeah, that's why I'm going to have the Rodenti taking shifts on watch during the night. It's better for us to be safe than sorry."
"I'll take first watch if you're too beat up," Riley replied.
"No, don't worry. I got this. You go rest at least when we arrive there. As long as I'm sitting down, I think I'll be okay too."
Riley just nodded, and we didn't say anything else until we arrived at the Rodenti camp.
Now that we were tired, climbing those trees was more complicated than it was supposed to be. And in just a couple of minutes, everybody was back in the tree houses, and most of the Rodenti were in their own places. There were also quite a number of empty houses that my companions and I could use, and I decided to take one closest to the human village. Just in case.
Just as everybody was settling up for the night, and I was about to open my skills to see what kind of powers I had gained, Michael entered the house and walked in my direction.
"Who do hell you think you are?" he asked.
I stared at him for a moment before replying. "Cassandra Ydorf. My last name is supposed to be longer, but Pops shortened it because he didn't like the full version. I'm a Black woman who lived in the Hidden Horn Village. I believe that's in Yellowstone Park, but don't quote me on that, and my parents died when I was young. Very young. That is actually my first memory. Oh, and I'm also the first human to get the System. And the first human to kill an Eater with her bare hands. Why do you ask?"
"And because you are all that, you think you have the right to decide who's going to live and who's going to die?" Michael asked, now shouting.
"I don't have any say in who's going to live. But I'm not going to let people who are threatening children get their way and walk out of a situation like that. Because they wouldn't be doing it just this once. ."
"What?" Michael asked. "How can you be so sure of that? Just because they were threatening kids now doesn't mean they were going to do that again."
"Then what exactly does that mean? When someone crosses that line? Do you expect me to believe that they are just desperate? That they are not going to try to do something like that again in the future? That it was a one-off thing?" I stood up, having to be careful not to hit my head on the ceiling of this house. Michael was now at my eye level, although he was still a bit taller than me. "Or do you think that if that worked one time, they're more likely to do that again?"
"I don't know. Different people do things in different ways. You can't predict the entire reaction of the human race based on a single interaction."
"I've seen people suffering at the hands of the cruelty of others. I am not taking that chance again. If people cross a certain line, in my eyes, they stop being human. They are just monsters like the Eaters who deserve to be put down."
Michael shouted, "Why do you get to dictate that? What about the rest of us?"
But I just shrugged. "You're free to make your own lines. I'm telling you, they crossed mine. And before you start with a tirade about how it's completely subjective and I can change that line at any moment, no, it's not. As long as you're not someone who enjoys killing people, someone who enjoys raping people, or someone who tries to kill a child for no good reason, I may not like you, but I'm not going to try to kill you. But if you cross one of those lines, then I have no problems making sure that you won't hurt anyone ever again."
"Just killing kids?" Riley asked. "I figured you would also want to kill people who abuse them."
I turned to the Novice Silken Witch. "That depends on your definition of abuse. If you're talking just people who are mean in general, assholes with kids, then no, I'm not going to kill someone just because they are pricks. I kind of want to, but it's not really fair, you know? But if you're talking about something more grave, if they beat up the children or something worse, then yeah, they also die. It very much depends on how far they go."
Riley nodded. "I see. But then what exactly is the limit on killing? Is it just about being a mass murderer? Because we are kind of heading that way."
I shook my head. "No, it's not about just the number of people. Because if you are like an executioner, someone whose job is to kill people who were sentenced to die, then that doesn't make you bad, you know? It's about killing people for no good reason aside from the fact that you gain some sort of twisted pleasure from it. If you're that kind of person, then yes, in that case, I don't think you deserve to live anymore."
"What the fuck is the matter with you two? Why are you asking the reasons she has to kill people?" Michael shouted, interrupting the conversation.
Riley just looked at him and said, "Because you are complaining to Cassandra about killing people. And she's explaining to you the situations when she might find it necessary to kill people. So in the future, you will know the types of circumstances that will lead to that. And then you can try to figure out a way to avoid that outcome. I'm not saying you have to agree with her. But you have to respect her moral code. The same way we have to respect yours."
"You're not respecting my moral code!" Michael protested.
"They took children hostage," Astrid spoke up. "If Rex and Cassandra didn't kill, children, and Rex could die."
The archer didn't have an argument against that. Yet, he still tried, "It's still wrong."
"I'd rather be wrong and have all my friends safe than be right and have them die," I replied.
Michael turned back at me with a look of mixed anger, confusion, and maybe sorrow? I couldn't really tell.
"I still don't like what you've done."
"Neither do I."
"Because then I shouldn't be around anymore."
Michael stared at me for a few very long seconds before sighing. "Fine. But the next time something like that happens, you either fix the problem before I need to step in, or I'm doing the exact same thing. That's non-negotiable." And he left the house, saying, "I'll take first watch. I need some time to think."
No one said anything for a few moments, with me just shaking my head and leaning back on the makeshift bed, making sure to put the pillow hat that Astrid had made me. Hopefully, Michael would feel better in the morning, and we wouldn't need to be having this argument again.
Now that I was about to check my new toys, I turned to Astrid and Riley and asked, "Did you also get a bunch of new skills when the witch died? Even some related to the dungeon core?"
"Yes," Astrid replied, her eyes focused on something I couldn't see.
"I did too," Riley added their hand passing through the air as if they were messing with something.
Understanding that they were busy I tought about checking my skills, but a question popped in my head first, "Do you know where Rex is?"
"With other Rodenti," Astrid said.
"He promised would sleep here but needed to talk to them first," Riley explained.
"Okay," I glanced at the Novice Silken Witch, "When did you start checking your skills?"
"I had already started when you and Michael were having an argument."
I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks for the support."
"What? This was between the two of you. I told you my stance on the whole thing already. I was fine with what you did."
"You could have had my back, you know?"
Riley shrugged. "Again, that's between you and Michael. I don't need to have anyone's back on something like that. Besides, it would only going to make him more upset. It's better to let him say his piece, and then we can go from there."
I rolled my eyes again but focused back on my System. My attributes had gone up, and the new skills that I got.
First, I decided to put the extra two points into Mind. Letting it get to 18. Using {Elemental Imbuement} together with my staff was starting to drain my mental ability. Whenever I tried to control the fire that was spreading on my weapon, things got very hectic inside my head. So that seemed like the best way to go about it.
'Sys, can you show me the skills I got from the dungeon core? And also, why did it take so long for us to get a skill from the core?'
[Dungeon cores do not understand skills in the same way that a person would. They are more intrinsically connected to the System, allowing it to perform functions on a more fundamental level. System required time in order to translate skills into something that was suitable for a human or Rodenti user.]
A window appeared in front of me with the skill information.
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Low Light Photosynthesis - Passive - Aspirant
While user is in the presence of sunlight, user has an increased Energy recovery. This effect is heightened in places with low sun exposure.
Energy recovery rate: 1 Energy every 8 hours.
Or every 6 hours if user is in a low sunlight environment for the entire time.
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'What the hell? That sucks. Why so little after so much time?'
[This skill was created to help the plant life survive in unfavorable conditions. The original version of the skill would also convert the sunlight into nourishment for the plant life inside the Overgrown Bunker. However, that aspect of the skill cannot be replicated to user Cassandra. The way in which a human and a plant absorb nutrients are too different to allow the skill to function properly in the same way. Hence, only the aspect of acquiring more Energy was maintained. And yes, it is a very small amount of Energy that will be absorbed from the sun. However, user is aware that skills can transform and evolve. It is possible that an upgrade of this skill would give user larger benefits.]
'That's fine and all. But I don't think I'm going to take that one. Maybe if I had some free memory slots I could keep it, but right now, it's just not worth it. I can't exactly just keep something like this in hopes that one day it becomes something better. It's much easier just to go hunting an Eater for its blood if I want to recover Energy quickly.'
[Acknowledged. Presenting the second skill acquired from the dungeon core.]
The System flickered, and another window appeared in front of me.
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Room To Grow - Passive - Adept
Reserved cost: 3 Energy.
A plant can only grow as much as its pot allows. Or so one thought.
Increases growth. Not constrained by physical limitations.
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I kept staring at that skill for a few moments, trying to understand what this was actually saying, but I couldn't wrap my head around it. It just didn't really make sense.
'Sys, care to explain that one? Or should I just call Proxy?'
[Proxy will be unable to assist in the understanding of this skill. System will do its best to explain its function to user.]
[Many of the things that revolve around user are bound by a certain limitation: User's physical body. Muscles can only grow so big before stretching the skin. Lungs can only take in so much air before needing to expand. This skill teaches particles to compress almost everything, allowing your body to function as if there was more space inside of it.]
'So basically, this is kind of like a way to increase my mass without increasing my actual size, right?'
[That a the correct approximation, although the actual effect would be somewhat different.]
'Does that mean that I can take in more particles as well?'
[System is unsure if this initial version of the skill will also influence how many particles user can take. If it does influence, then it could increase the amount of particles necessary for user to level up. While that can be considered a detriment, if it were to happen, user would be more likely to receive extra attribute points when leveling up. In addition, user would be more likely to acquire more powerful skills and classes when advancing. The reason for that would be the increased amount of particles on user's body, which would, in turn, allow for more complex instructions than the tier would usually allow. That being said. This does not mean that the new skills will be from higher tiers. Only that they will be an approximation of what an higher tier skill could do.]
I read the description once more and thought about what the System was telling me. This would basically be a double-edged sword. Yes, on one hand, I was likely to be much more powerful in the long run. But if it affected particles it should also make me take longer to level up. And that was maybe not be the best idea. Especially since I could need Tier 3 skills soon.
Maybe the difference in particles wouldn't be as great between the early levels of Tier 3 and my late levels of tier 2 with the skill in hand. But increasing my mass without making me look bigger could have its benefits. Creatures would assume I was much weaker than I actually was. I would be able to show more power than my body would allow. Maybe even being close to Astrid or something, despite our physical appearances being so different.
There was a myriad of possibilities, and for this particular skill, I liked what it could become. I quickly banked {Wild Steps} putting it in the temporary slot on {Memory Bank}. Then added {Room To Grow} to my skills.
Yes, it would be a lot of Energy reserved, but the possibilities were wild. In addition, there was something else going through my mind. The System always spoke about my Energy and Memory as if they were physical things. Maybe this skill could synergize with something else and allow me to increase my memory slots or even my maximum Energy quickly, instead of being something that ended up dragging me for a while.
[Acknowledged. System will perform the changes on user's skills. However, keep in mind that {Room To Grow} will not give any initial benefits. As in, there will be nothing that will change on your body right away.]
'Don't worry about it. I kind of figured that was the case. It's more about what the skill can do, not what it does right now. Let's check the other skills. Start with the spider chimera just to save what seems to be the best for last.'
[Acknowledged. User has acquired the following skill from the spider chimera:]
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Formless Bite - Active - Fledgling
Delivers a powerful blow utilizing the motion of a bite.
Chimera Spider
Taking a reference from the spider chimera, this variant allows user to utilize the force from the attack hitting the same location for increased power.
Cost: 1 Energy
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'It's another Formless one? That's nice. I wasn't expecting to get one. Especially not after reaching tier 2.'
[Since user still has the {Formless Series} skill, it is possible for System to acquire new Formless skills. All that is required is for user to interact with creatures that can provide a good frame of reference for the Formless skills.]
'Okay, good. I would hate to have that stuck on the tier 1 thing. But why isn't this one tier 2, adept, I mean?'
[Because from tier 2 and above, most skills that user can acquire can be from the tier user is currently at or lower. A reminder: lower tier skill does not mean any weak skill, but instead simply means that the skill uses a more basic function of particles to work.]
'Well, okay. I don't know why I was expecting something else. I only have two more skills to check, right?'
[That is incorrect. User has three skills left. Two gained by defeating Nithera, the Witch of the Night Trance, and one from leveling up.]
'Oh? That's great. Show me the ones I got from the witch first. I'm hoping that my level gave me something interesting.'
[Acknowledged.] The next window appeared in front of me.
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Sleep Casting - Passive - Aspirant
Some powers are too strong to maintain when you are awake. It is a good thing that when you sleep, your mind is capable of working on its own.
Allows user to maintain active skills or spells while user is sleeping.
If user is forcibly made unconscious, this effect cannot trigger.
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'So this is how the witch managed to keep up the chimeras when she was sleeping.'
[That scenario is likely. Or at least, such task was possible by using a version of this skill.] the System replied.
'I don't think I want that one since I don't have any skills that would benefit from it, but I'm sure Riley is going to love hearing about this one. Maybe even Rex,' I glanced around and noticed the Novice Witch seemingly resting already. 'System, can I hold off on that one? Just to see if Rex or Riley is going to want it? Because if they do, I might have to give up something.'
[System can hold off from showing the next skill until user is ready to make a decision.]
'Good enough, I guess,' I replied with a sigh and turned to Riley.
After hearing a quick explanation, they were already interested in the skill. It wasn't something that they got, but I wanted to finish my skills before talking about that kind of thing. Which basically made it clear that yes, I was going to keep it. But I would need to give up something, and I decided to get rid of {Formless Glacier Step}. I wasn't that sure if I would ever need something like that when Astrid was in the group.
Then came the next skill. And I instantly decided that I wasn't going to take it. It was an Adept skill called {Grafting}. And it would allow me to stitch living organisms together to attempt the creation of something new and unique. I don't care if this could help Rex have his leg back. I wasn't about to mess with something like that. The faces of the people mixed with the spiders were already going to be haunting me for a while. I didn't need this to make things worse.
Which left only one skill to check. The skill that my own class was going to give me. And I had finally gotten the powerful attack skill I was hoping for.
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Clash of Nature - Active - Adept
When in the presence of two elemental forces, your body channels their strength and their violence, delivering a powerful blow into your target.
User can use two different elemental forces to deliver a powerful attack.
Energy Cost: 3 Energy.
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