SHARDS OF REALITY: A LitRPG novel (Enter the Realm Book 1)

by Timothy W. Long

  “That’s called ‘downward dog,’ and it limbers up the hamstrings,” she said.

  Her hair fell over her face, but it was still easy to make out her green eyes.

  “Nice form,” Oz said as he strolled into the room.

  “Thanks, man,” I said.

  Karian smirked but stood and stretched again. “Were you out killing breakfast?”

  Oz had assembled a nice assortment of armor. He wore a chainmail coif and hard leather armor over his chest. His upper arms weren’t covered, but he had bracers over his forearms. His midsection bore a set of faulds that were a darker brown than his chest piece. His leather pants were black, and he had found some very sporting blue boots with red embellishments worked into the shafts.

  “I was sorting out all of the crap in the other room. There’s some kind of hard, food-like bread, but it tastes like a lump of saltines that were crushed and pressed together. But there are some berries worked into the bricks.”

  “I think that’s called hardtack,” I suggested.

  “Whatever it is there’s a lot, and it fills you up,” Oz tossed a small package on Karian’s bed.

  “That’s a good armor setup. Did you find a better weapon?” Karian asked.

  I needed to find some better gear in the other room so I could use some sweet ass leather armor, even better if it were jet black. Not that I needed to outdo Karian, I just thought it would look cool as hell.

  “I think so. It’s a level three sword, and I can’t actually wield it yet, but I guess I’ll be able to when I level up again,” Oz said. “Oh, and there are some scrolls in there for you, Walt. I looked at one, and I thought my head was going to split open.”

  “Magic scrolls?” I perked up.

  “Yeah, have at those things,” Oz said.

  “I haven’t tried magic yet. Have you done some?” Karian’s eyes quirked up.

  “I know one spell, but it only worked once. That bandit walked right through it yesterday,” I said.

  “He might have something on him. Maybe even one of those potions. One of them is useful for nullifying magic.”

  “Yeah. Keep at it. I don’t have the skill for magic, but if it’s your thing, I won’t judge,” Oz said.

  I grinned to myself because there was something I might be good at here after all. Not only that but Karian seemed impressed.

  “What do you guys know about this Falstace guy?”

  “Heard of him,” Karian said.

  “Didn’t someone mention him in Candleburn,” Oz chimed in.

  “We need to find out what he’s up to,” I said lamely.

  “Why? We got a good thing going. There are now three of us, and we’re about to go power level. Then it’s off to Weslori where we can spend some of the money we took from the bandits,” Karian said.

  “This is going to sound weird,” I said.

  “In a game world that can’t exist. I can’t wait for this,” Oz smirked.

  “This lady came to me in a vision and told me we have to defeat him. He’s a shard bearer,” I continued.

  “Wow,” Karian laughed.

  “Vision?” Oz said. “Are you sure you didn’t sample more than one of those potions?”

  “It’s so hard to believe that I had a vision, in a, what did you say two seconds ago Oz? In a game world that can’t exist.”

  “Could be a big quest,” Karian said. “Weird delivery but it’s not out of bounds for the in-game rules.”

  “There you go talking about rules again. You know a lot more about what’s going on here than you’re letting on.” Oz put his hands on his hips.

  “I don’t, though,” Karian said.

  “I don’t believe you,” Oz’s voice rose. “We’re stuck in this ridiculous place, and you know the how and the why. That means you probably know a way to get us out of here. Now stop bullshitting us.”

  I rose to intervene but before things could get any more heated between them, a figure loomed in the doorway.

  I spun to grab my mace, but I couldn’t even remember where I left the damn thing. Oz went for his new sword, but it fell out of his grasp. He cursed and ran back into the room that contained the weapons and gear.

  The person in the cave’s entrance was bigger than me, and he had broad shoulders and a wide stance. The shape of a bow rose over his right shoulder and arrows over this left. He stood in the poor light, and I couldn’t make out his face.

  Karian squinted her eyes and then let out a little laugh.

  The man strode into the room and put his hands on his hips. He looked at the three of us and one side of his face quirked up. In the light of the ever-burning torches, his face was so handsome it was like he just stepped out of a holo-mag. He even had a pencil-thin, reddish mustache clipped close to his upper lip.

  “Look at this sorry lot,” the stranger looked between Oz and me then his eyes settled on Karian. “Hello, darling.”

  She took a few steps and threw her arms around him.

  “You’re just so dapper,” Karian said.

  She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on the man’s cheek.

  My heart sank in my chest. What the hell? Karian had been here for a few days, and she already had a boyfriend?

  “Why thank you, darling. Good news. I’ve brought fresh game. Shall we stoke up the fire outside? By the by, noticed a few ruffians in the woods but they seem to be dead,” he grinned. “Your work, I assume?”

  And he had a British accent? This was getting ridiculous.

  “Partially. Oz and Walt here helped. Guys, this is Grayson; Grayson, these are my friends.”

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance, gentlemen,” he placed his right fist against his chest and lowered his head a fraction.

  Oz bowed right back at the guy, but I caught him smirking at me as he dipped his head in a pretty good imitation of the bow that Grayson had given us.

  “Yeah. Great to meet you,” I said.

  This guy was so ridiculous. I wanted to punch him in the face, but he was a lot bigger me.

  “Shall we get the venison on a spit, my dear?” he asked Karian.

  “For sure. You can show me how to cut ribs,” Karian said.

  “I shall meet you outside then. Hope you chaps can join us.” Grayson spun on his heel and left us with our mouths hanging open.

  “Something so familiar about that guy,” Oz said.

  “Isn’t he great?” Karian said enthusiastically.

  “Yeah, he’s really great. He seems perfect,” I said.

  “He should be. He’s an NPC, and I designed him,” Karian walked toward the exit before turning back to look at Oz. “You said he looked familiar? Did you ever see that old movie called The Princess Bride?”

  “That’s it. Grayson looks like Cary Elwes,” Oz burst into laughter. “Well played.”

  Karian offered us a little curtsey then went outside to learn about cutting deer into small pieces.

  “I have to admit she’s growing on me. But she needs to come clean with us about this stupid world. I’m not letting this go.”

  “Wesley?” I said.

  “Yeah. That’s the one. Let’s go eat.”

  “Seems more like a Robin Hood Men in Tights version to me,” I muttered.

  “Oh, yeah. I loved that movie when I was a kid,” Oz said. Then he burst into laughter. “Should I tell her, or would you like to break the news?”

  “What, that’s a comedic version of himself? I suspect she’s just fine with him the way he is.”

  12

  BUGS, GEAR, AND PUNS

  There are a couple of “secret” locations within AlgerTech. Not secret in the sense that men with guns guarded it, more like if you wanted to keep your job, you didn't ask a lot of questions. I heard that it requires an NDA that would make your head spin. Stuff like facing massive fines. Lots of locked doors on the lower levels.

  These employees had special keycards embedded in their hands. It wasn’t normal, not by a long shot, but the CEO always play
ed it off as a way to safeguard the company’s secrets. There was a lot of competition in MMOs, so it was hard to blame the company for wanting to keep their secrets, but his words always seemed like they came with a wink and a smile.

  There was a part of me that was profoundly curious about what happened downstairs. Who the programmers were and what fantastic new game they were coming up with. I assumed that the next game was going to be a sequel to Th’loria, and it would blow the socks off the current game. But I wasn’t sure how long I would wait to try it.

  Probably about five seconds. By the time it went into beta, I also assumed I’d be moving up in the company so I could test the game and not all of the components around the game.

  Plus I could use a raise if I was going to upgrade my VR gear. I wanted something faster and with better resolution. They had curved screens now that occupied your entire field of view. Plus a chair that engulfed you and provided gentle feedback. Man. That was going to cost me a fortune and if there was one thing I was terrible at it was saving money. My savings account could be summed up in three digits, and the first number was a one.

  I veered away from Oz, Karian, and Grayson, and went to the chamber where we had found all of the gear. Oz had indeed stacked the scrolls on a little table for me right next to the assortment of vials and tiny bottles filled with colorful fluids. I took the first scroll and looked at the symbols then quickly closed my eyes. The afterimage faded as well did the headache.

  The shapes faded away on the page, but not before they burned themselves into my brain. Nausea came, but it wasn’t as bad this time. I pinched the bridge of my nose and waited for it to pass.

  I shook my head and glanced at my HUD to find that I’d gained a little bit of experience. Not more than a sliver but it was sweet to see I would hit level 3 before much longer.

  Something moved in the corner of the room. I jumped up and took a few steps backward.

  It moved again. A pair of feelers whipped around between two bags then they withdrew.

  “Hey,” I whispered. “What are you?”

  The creature popped out of a bag. A bug the size of a small dog. It had a pair of multifaceted ruby eyes under the antenna I had just seen and nearly shit myself over. Brilliant green wings opened and fluttered.

  I’d never seen something like this in the game before. I let out a little gasp and stepped back.

  I had forgotten my mace, but there was a spear in the opposite corner of the room. I backed up a few more steps, and my hand closed on the haft.

  “Hey, we got a bug in here. A huge bug,” I called into the other room.

  The spear didn’t flop out of my hand assuring me that it was a low-level weapon. The tip struck the low ceiling so I lowered it until I could aim the pointy end at the bug.

  It hissed from a square mouth that bore tiny razor-sharp teeth.

  I jabbed at the bug, but it fluttered out of reach and spat at me. I ducked, and the mass splattered all over the wall. I backed into the hallway but not before I observed the goo burning into the rock. Holy Aliens, the bug could spit acid as a defensive mechanism.

  Karian and Oz crowded into the little hallway behind me.

  The bug crawled up a wall and considered me. I shot it a stare I hoped would burn it to a crisp.

  Wait. I had just learned a new spell, but what did it do? I could grab my book and see if it had appeared yet or I could let it rip.

  The images swam before my eyes as I focused on what I had learned.

  I launched the spear in frustration, but my aim was so far off it clattered off the wall and then to the ground. I brought my arms up and pointed at the bug then thought of the spell again.

  My hands grew cold as ice formed in a swirling vortex the size of a softball. Then a blast of the wind like someone had just opened the front door during a blizzard struck. A bolt of white shot out and splattered the bug all over the place leaving guts and chunks of ice plastered across the rock wall.

  My head throbbed for a few seconds, but then it faded. Half of my mana had been eaten up but holy shit! I’d just cast a bolt of ice and killed a mob.

  “Woah, you just cast a bolt of ice and killed that thing.” Oz clapped me on the shoulder.

  “It’s like you’re in my head,” I chuckled.

  “Whatever, dude. That was remarkable. Can you do it again?”

  “I can, but it will deplete my mana pool.”

  “That was impressive, Walt,” Karian said. “Grab a mana potion and bring it outside so you can practice.”

  “What a great idea. I tried to learn another spell, but it just hurt my head,” I said.

  “Probably too high of a level. Look on the corner of the scroll for a list of requirements,” Karian said.

  “I didn’t even think about that,” I said and mentally kicked myself.

  “Well, get on it then come outside, and we’ll cook up some meat. You can check out Grayson,” Karian said.

  “Uh, yeah. Cool,” I said but didn’t look at Karian.

  Oz came into the room and touched the wall. “Still cold. Amazing, brother. I guess you weren’t kidding about being a badass mage in the game.”

  “I don’t feel badass. I feel a little like a dumb noob who just learned a level one spell.”

  “That’s because you did,” Oz laughed. “Oh, see that brown satchel on the floor?”

  Oz pointed it out, and I nodded.

  “It’s got some stuff in there you might like. I put it together last night.”

  “You did? Thanks, Oz.”

  “You bet. Okay, back to lessons on how to chop up a dead animal from a smarmy British guy who is way too good looking to exist,” Oz said. “See you out there.”

  The first thing I did was pick up one of the scrolls I hadn’t been able to read. I unrolled it but looked away from the symbols. A couple of numbers sat in the corner. I squinted my eyes and read them.

  5 LE

  125 MA

  AOE 12 FEET

  15 DA ACID

  Woah. An Area of Effect spell that burned enemies. I slipped it into my bag and looked over another scroll.

  The third scroll had a different look. It contained more whorls and circles, and in the center of the mass, there was the outline of a blue cross. I peered at the writing in the corner.

  10 LE

  SELF AND COMPANION

  200 MA

  100 HEAL

  This was just the ticket. A healing spell. I tucked that one away as well and couldn’t wait to hit level 10.

  I grabbed the satchel that Oz had made for me and peeled back the flap. It took a half minute for me to stop grinning.

  “WELL LOOK what the damn cat dragged in,” Karian said as I finally left the cave.

  “Looks good on you, dude,” Oz said.

  “Thanks, Oz. This was all your doing,” I said as I ran my hand over my chest.

  “I didn’t do much. Just threw a few things in a bag,” Oz said.

  “Ah, look. A mage. Now we shall have a proper adventuring group. With Karian’s skills with long blades, the warrior across from me,” Grayson nodded at Oz. “And of course, me, the ranger, we shall prove able to overcome any and all obstacles.”

  “Right,” I said.

  Grayson had the deer laid out on its side and had already applied a very sharp knife. He dragged a bunch of guts out and tossed them into a heap. He lifted the deer’s split body open and dug around with the knife again. Grayson hummed a little tune to himself and then reached inside the cavity and came back with a big blob of red.

  “The heart. Care to partake?” Grayson offered the organ to me and then to Oz.

  I turned away in disgust.

  Oz looked like he was going to be sick.

  Karian grinned from ear to ear.

  “No one? Very well then. More for me,” Grayson said then put the heart into his mouth and took a bite. He pulled hard, and a chunk finally came free, then he chewed while blood dripped down his chin.

  “That is fucking d
isgusting,” Oz said.

  “What does it taste like, Grayson?” Karian asked him.

  “Like victory, of course.”

  I thought I was going to be sick again.

  OZ HAD FOUND a high collared deep blue robe that felt thick but also very supple. It had green runes worked into the front and back. The garb opened in the front and left a little bit of my chest exposed, but if we got cold, I could easily close it.

  The belt was wide and had large holes for hanging bags and possibly weapons. Even though the mace was heavy, it fit on a loop and sat comfortably next to my leg.

  My new boots had thick soles, and they were made out of soft suede, but there was an inner lining that felt comforting on my feet after the sandals. They weren’t an exact fit and ran a little too large, so I found some scraps of clothing and stuffed them into the toe.

  There were a bunch of medallions as well, but most of them felt like they were costume jewelry, except for one that had a few marks on the back.

  3 LE

  7 DU

  50 MA

  0 DA

  I tried to put it on, but it recoiled against my skin and burned like steam. I yanked it off and put it back in the bag. The satchel had a pair of large loops and would fit perfectly over my shoulders. As soon as I hit level 3, I was going to don the medallion. It had a star shape with multiple points, and there was a dark green gem the size of my palm set in the center.

  “I enjoy hunting quite a lot,” Grayson said. “When I was a child I used to bullseye swamp rats from the back of my pony. I was good at it, you know, the best in the valley,” Grayson regaled us.

  I coughed and looked at Karian and shot her a “really?” look.

  “What. I grew up on the Star Wars movies,” she said. “Luke was my favorite.”

  We ate well over the half of an hour as pieces of meat went on the spit. Grayson had been very diligent and stacked a fresh batch of firewood next to the flames. I took down my spit and blew on the crispy meat. Grease ran down the hunk and splattered on my hand. I shook my wounded appendage and then promptly burned my tongue when I took a small taste. It was so hot, I considered casting the frost spell near my mouth just to cool it off. The meat was gamey but also delicious.