Reck Well - Author

Desk of Reck: Some Days... are Harder than Others...

It's been a quieter week from me, and I wanted tell you why... not because I feel obligated to, but because grief is a tricky thing. Sometimes you need to hide. Sometimes you need to share.

I lost my eldest daughter, Miranda, about a year ago. It was very sudden. She lost her life in a drunk driving car accident. She was twenty-two and really on the cusp of her life. Last year Jen and I lived a horror no parent should have to.

There was a time period that I wasn't really sure I...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 63: Hook, Line, and Sinker

I put everything I could into the [Mundane] leap, terror throwing me off the shore. It was my worst nightmare. For a moment I dangled between the boulder and cliff, flying through the gap. My right foot smacked the stone, and I tossed my weight forward, slapping hard against the boulder. My body rebounded, and my feet dipped into the river. I scrambled, trying to gain purchase.

Richard undulated forward, leaving a thick, white slime on my hands as he crawled to safety.

“This isn...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 62: Homesick

We hoofed it to the Ceaparean Drift, eager to get to the zone before the event started. Being five days early meant that we had a luxury none of us had experienced really since becoming [Adventurers].

Down time.

Once Leo had shown the officials our invitation, they’d assigned us a camping spot in a copse of trees. The shade was welcome, as the Ceaparean Drift was essentially a desert.

"What are you going to do now that we've got camp set up?" Tandy asked as she strung up h...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 61: Red Tape

Richard was extra drippy.

“Alright, I found your slug. I’m going to head out.” Liv walked away, her hips swaying in her leather lace-up pants. A large part of me wanted to follow. Instead, I turned to my slug.

"Have a good time?" I asked Richard.

I did. That was a superior bathing facility. My sarcasm was lost on him.

"Welcome to the — Oh, it's you." The guild clerk's curiosity cut off abruptly. "The green room is open." He went back to his paperwork, ...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression: Chapter 60: What the Slug Giveth, He Taketh Away

"Where did she take him?"

"Gimi’s an alchemist in the Bath Quarter. He's probably fine. She does this sometimes, gets obsessive over an ingredient. The fumes have eroded her brains. I can take you to her place. My name is Liv. What’s your name, friend?" She stood, her body stretching unusually tall in front of me. I blinked. It had to be the drugs.

"My name's Cole." I tried to stand, but the world spun violently.

Liv signaled a server to bring two glasses of water. Sobe...

Stumbling Up: A Loster's Guide to Progression - Chapter 59: Collared

My heart quivered as Meredeath pulled my hand down a set of narrow stairs.

I felt like Minvi, my first girlfriend, was pulling me into the field after school.

We were about to do something forbidden.

The walls of the stairs billowed out, made of a velvet that sensually caressed my bare arms. They'd put me in a leather vest, leaving my farmer's tan on full display.

The stairwell had been in a back alley of the Red Eaves district. Painted black, with dim pinpoints of lig...

Desk of Reck: Interview with PopPop

Join me Thursday for a Live interview with PopPop on @ChattinStats on Youtube.

We're going to be diving into it with one of the biggest fans behind the genre: PopPop.

We'll dive into things like:
How long is PopPop's TBR?
How does he keep track of every litrpg discord under the sun?
What are his plans for PopPop's world?

He's everyone's PopPop, and one of the original members of the cornucopia. Come celebrate all things PopPop, and bring your au...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 58: Family Meeting

As family meetings go, the setup for this one could have been exponentially worse. Lunch wasn't a busy time at The Velvet Box, so we had a large booth to ourselves. Mistress Del had even given us a full spread for lunch.

Apparently, she’d been grateful for the closure we’d provided.

Everything was great until Tandy revealed she’d donated most of our [Dungeon Treasure Chest] to the orphanage.

"You did what?" Leo exclaimed, bits of biscuit flying out of his mout...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 57: No Statues for Slugs

"Cole, those kids need our help." Tandy wasn't wrong.

The kids needed help, no argument there. But what could we do?

Also, Leo was invested in the Hunt. My [Heartbeat] skill pulsed with his need to prove himself. If we didn't go it was entirely possible he'd go without us, and our team would effectively end. There had to be a solution that wasn't just one or the other.

"The invitation, though," I said what we were both thinking.

"I know." Tandy was at a loss as I was...

Desk of Reck: Stumbling Up Book 1 Complete! Celebrate!

[Rough Transcription]
Hey everybody, I thought I would just drop a quick video note for all of you. Last night, if you're on Discord, you saw I finished Stumbling Up Book One. The draft is done. Hallelujah. I'm catching up on the Patreon posts here. You'll see a bunch of getting posted the next day or two.

I've been sprinting hard. Prior to DragonCon I was writing trying to get to the chapters I'd written of the end of the book. I made it earlier this week. The last couple days I've...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 56: Refugees

Exiting the dungeon turned out to be a lot simpler than entering the dungeon. Now that we had defeated the creature controlling the dungeon, our mapping interface unlocked, showing the true extent of the maze. Traps were showed as disabled and the exit portal clearly marked.

The exit dumped us into an alleyway in the professional district, skipping the whole underground tunnel network. I can't describe how relieved I felt to breathe in fresh air and feel the heat of the morning sun on...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 55: One Last Question

Mira giggled as she helped chase down coins that'd rolled away as they scooped the money into bags that Andrew had provided.

Meredeath had walked over to the cages, examining the skeletons that had kept Mira company.

"See anything interesting?" I asked.

Her eyes turned to me, flashing green. I tried not to react, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that she was using her skills and powers almost constantly.

"We still haven't found Mistress Del's missing ladies."...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 54: Dreams in a Box

"You had a key this whole time?" Tandy looked at me like I was a total dumbass. I guess I deserved that.

What was I going to say? I was busy taking advice from a talking slug on picking sides in a continental Faction War against the [Corruption] that ended the last age.

“Yeah, I was having fun watching you all problem solve.” Wow, I was starting to sound like Richard. The little twerp was rubbing off on me too much.

Meredeath gave me a dirty look as she snatched the key...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Poll: How should [Your Mom's Party] spend their last day in Eddie's Mill?

Vote! If you want to vote more than once vote on Royal Road too (Chapter 51). I'll post your poll result here, and their poll result there :)

Thanks for being part of the Cornucopia!

Dragon Con Debrief!

Join Richey and I tonight to talk about Dragon Con!

Please bring all your questions!

Be prepared to learn the new slug greeting for cornucopia members, the source of slug art, tapeworm editing, and all the details on the fever dream that was Dragon Con.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 53: Bath Time

I can't describe the pain of having your body bored into by highly pressurized water. Thankfully, my [Gelatinous] skill was worth its weight in gold. I managed to survive the event. Now I just needed to stop screaming.

As my body flew, the chaos of the dungeon boss room was everything I’d hoped for. I button-mashed the controls so that both vats split open, spilling acid and sharks across the floor.

The Fat Berg bubbled as the sharks devoured it one toothy chomp at a time. The ...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 52: Sewer Stakes

Took you losers long enough. I would advise not coming into the room.

"What's that voice?"

"That's our sentient slug, Richard." Meredeath thankfully answered for me.

Peering into the room, the team was suspended from a cage above a giant bubbling vat of green liquid. The concoction looked deadly. Oily bubbles formed and popped with a sizzle, making me think it was an acid. Tandy sat, dejected with a yellow slug on her shoulders, up on his tail, tentacles waving at ...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 51: [Detect Trap]

Before I could reject the guy's offer, Meredeath smoothly interjected, giving me green-eyed side eye to shut up.

"You're looking for a child?" Her eyebrows raised.

"Yes, I'm a [Wayfinder]." Andrew raised his chin, as though being a [Wayfinder] meant something. Meredeath looked at me, and I shrugged. Andrew looked between the two of us, incredulous. "A finder of the lost? Protector of children?”

“Someone give the man a gold star. Why does that matter?” Meredeath was no...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 50: Dungeons and...

Meredeath demanded to go first, because of course she did.

Which meant when she dipped down into the shimmering hole, my last connection with [Your Mom's Party] disappeared.

[Heartbeat] echoed endlessly, waiting for a response.

Silence.

Meredeath was supposed to poke her head back through and let me know it was okay.

Nothing.

Then, the rope suddenly jerked before going completely slack.

Fuck.

Did I go after her?

If she needed help, I cou...

Dragon Con Day 1

Wednesday was a travel day. Met up with a few of the early con goers for dinner and drinks at the Westin, followed by late night karaoke at the Metro.

We counted down to midnight for the official DC launch! There may have been a few more hours of karaoke post midnight... Rob and Kat topped the charts on singing while Hunter (Hunted? ask him about the potential name change, I dare you. ) Mythos cut a rug on the dance floor, and Geneva and Joe earned cutest couple accolades.

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 49: Not Your Average Sewer Rat

"Richaaard! Tandy? Leeee-oooo!!!!"

We'd been wandering under the southern restaurant district for an hour. Back and forth, calling. I'd triggered [Molten Promise] on my hammer, turning it into an oversized torch. No crack or crevasse was left in the dark. We'd looked at our party [Map], and they'd crisscrossed the area so much it was hard to tell where they'd disappeared.

The empty spot in my mind that they inhabited was a raw, sharp wound. It was as though they'd been excised fr...

From the Desk of Reck: Dragon Con!!

So I'm writing this as I prepare to travel to Dragon Con tomorrow. If you're not already following me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dtp.reckwell/) , please do! I should be posting pictures of events and slug sightings.

Conventions are exciting times full of swag, ribbons, friends, panels, and random moments. I was very thankful of the LitRPG Con experience this year. Geneva and Emily put on an incre...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 48: Flirting with Disaster

“We never should have split the party,” Meredeath muttered for the tenth time. I didn’t see what the big deal was.

Tandy wanted to investigate the sewer junction, looking for rats. I thought observing the warehouse operations for the night would be beneficial.

It didn’t hurt that I ended up pairing with Meredeath. Or that Richard went with Tandy because he had a nose for rats. Whatever that meant.

It was a win for me, and honestly, I needed a win.

Too bad I ...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 47: One More Demon

[Heartbeat] tugged at me. I had to find Leo. He was spiraling out of control.

Eddie's Mill was less intimidating with a full stomach.

The city was divided into four areas: the docks, the shops, the residential district, and the professional district. There were smaller, specialized subdistricts. The Velvet Box was in the slums between the docks and the shopping districts called the Red Eaves neighborhood. The Adventure's Guild sat firmly in the professional districts, wedged betwe...

Desk of Reck: Pre-Dragon Con Updates and Events

Good day, everyone!
I've been working on an overhaul of the Part 3 chapters, and will post a bunch later today. Appreciate your patience!

I'm preparing for Dragon Con, headed to Atlanta Wednesday morning! Will try to do some posts from the events. Looking forward to seeing KT Hannah, Rose Reynolds, SourpatchHero, Richey, Jessica Threet, and Doug Lohse, as well as a slew of other Litrpg authors and narrators! Comment below if there's a panel, author, narrator, or event that you want...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 46: Progression for a Price

With a full stomach and aching feet from the day, I should have been asleep immediately.

I envied Richard. He was curled up on his half of the pillow in a wet spot of slime and drool. He even breathed in time with Leo's log-cutting snore.

Rrriiiiiip.

And then there was Tandy. Every night, she fell asleep practicing. She’d rip or cut her practice cloth, then mend it with a faint shimmer of golden light.

I’d cursed her with longer cooldowns, but the gods wer...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - [Bonus Chapter] Cole's Guide for Fanged Banana Slug Care

An Unofficial Guide to Fanged Banana Slug Care by Cole Thornfield

First page left blank

[Note from Cole]: Meredeath requested that I write up a quick pamphlet on how to take care of Richard since she's been in charge of him lately, added guilt by saying her PopPop would love it (can you hear my audible sigh?). Meredeath - I hope you know I wouldn't do this for anyone. Also, fuck you, Tandy, for all your feedback and 'structure' comments. Can't a guy just make a low-effort quick re...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - [Bonus Chapter]: [Loot Drop] for Richard

Richard watched as Rhi Voss talked to Meredeath, explaining the role she was taking upon herself.

It was almost poetic that he'd been relegated to unimportance, sitting on the remnants of a granite pillar as a mere audience member.

Richard replayed the scene from the afternoon.

“And you, Cole. Do you need a [Sponsor] as well?" Rhi's voice whispered to Cole. The old hag had smiled at the yellow slug as she continued, "You have earned it. I couldn't bring myself to kill Til...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 45: The Things We Carry

"I don't understand why we're here," Tandy said, as she sat on a bottom bunk bed in what could only be described as an attic hallway to nowhere.

"We are here because this room is a copper a night. And the mistress of the house was willing to take us in, even though we had no one to vouch for our character," Meredeath explained slowly, as though Tandy were an idiot.

I'd vouch for you.

"Like your opinion is worth anything." Sometimes, I just wish Richard would shut up...

Stumbling Up: A Loser's Guide to Progression - Chapter 44: The Hustle and Bustle

"Once we're into Eddie's Mill, we need to grab some rooms and take a look at the quest board." Tandy was doing what she normally did, which was ordering us around. I shared a smile with Meredeath. It was her turn to poke our fearless leader.

"I was planning on shopping first. I need to get my boots resoled, and that last leaf slime left a stain I can’t get out," Meredeath said nonchalantly, knowing each word was going to irritate Tandy. She reached up to pet Richard. "Besides, the slu...