by Andrew Novak
"I'm sorry, General Eckerhart, sir," the captain said, not very confidently. "But you're retired. Your orders..."
"Eckerhart?" Lisa breathed. Her eyes widened. "But it's... Ruger..." she whispered.
This was definitely the necromancer. He did not look at Lisa – he walked almost right up to the defenders' officer and stared straight at the opaque black visor of the helmet. "Son, you will do what I say. Name, rank?"
"Captain Rolkins, sir!"
"Colonel Craig gives you orders. Right, Captain? Or maybe Lieutenant Rolkins? Do as I say, and Colonel Craig will be pleased with you."
The captain did not think for long. "Yes, sir!" he barked.
"Dismissed! And take your people with you. We can sort everything out ourselves."
While the defenders, armor rattling, hurriedly left the hall, the general looked at Chanber. The latter groaned and fumbled under the look.
"So," the old man spoke slowly and measuredly. "You will not change anything in Alterra, understand? The game will remain in the version that was downloaded today from these servers," the general waved his hand, indicating the buzzing metal cabinets that filled the hall.
"But, Mr. Eckerhart, you know from whom I receive my orders," Chanber tried to protest.
"I know," the general replied with lazy condescension. "Did they give them to you in writing, son? No? I thought they wouldn't. If you can't show me the paper and digital copies of the original resolution vetted by the board of directors duly signed and notarized, then there is nothing at all. I do not advise you to try to change the script of the game. So pass that on to your superiors. I saw Gaerthon, you understand? I saw Gaerthon".
Jack could only stare, watching this conversation. He managed to get into it with all these alphas... and even Eckerhart! Astride a gryphon or not, everyone was afraid of him. Holy hell, how they were afraid.
The general approached Lisa and took her by the chin with his black steel glove, forcing her to raise her head and look into his eyes.
"Eloise..." he said with a strange expression. And not in a growl, as he spoke with others, but quietly and slowly. "Why are you like this? Why did you run?"
"You killed me," Lisa muttered. She tried to look away, but Eckerhart held tight.
"So what? I killed you. But you know you were the best. Everything was just perfect with you. I've already started looking for a replacement in rituals, but these fools are not capable of anything. You have a talent, girl."
"She has other talents," Jack said cautiously.
"Ah!" the general released Lisa's chin and turned to Jack. "Is that you again, the hero? Do you know how much I will earn thanks to you? Eight hundred thousand, no less. I've just received an order for a new modification of the defender's armor, with improved electrical insulation. It's all because of your exploits, you know that, son?"
It was a strange thing. While the general was talking, everyone was afraid not only of interrupting him, but even of moving. Even the technicians in orange overalls... even Chanber. Jack himself felt something like that. He understood that he should not argue with this old warrior. It was probably better not to attract his attention at all.
The general bent down, raised his revolver and, uncomfortably working his fingers in black armored gloves, began to discharge it. The cartridges fell to the floor with a pounding.
"Here, take it," Eckerhart shoved the empty weapon to a dumb-stricken Jack. "There's still fire in you, son? These days one rarely meets a normal guy like you. Sartorius, he broke down after a couple of minutes of intimate conversation when I took his ass IRL. He told me everything he knew and then sent you a message under my dictation: 'Wait, do not enter Necroportal without me.'"
Jack nodded. "That's when I realized that our guild had disbanded for good."
"Right decision. I, you know, regret that among the Omega there are no fighters left. Ever since I commanded the suppression of the Insurrection-22, there's been no fun in my life... you think you might dare do something again, eh? Then I might enjoy life one last time."
"That's unlikely... sir."
"I also think so, son," the general shook his head sadly. "Alterra is the only thing left, then. You still opened the road to Gaerthon and, therefore, we will have new entertainment. Oh, Eloise, by the way. Give me back the Rod of Despair. I need it."
"She will," Jack said hurriedly. "And the Wand. And the rest."
"And the rest," the General repeated pensively. "The rest, too, of course. This girl has real talent. And my new assistant... she doesn't know how to die. It's boring, you know? Eloise, think you might still come back to me? No? Well, think about it. Do not rush. Now get out of here. In five minutes I don't want to see any of you here. Meet me on Gaerthon."
Jack hastily scooped the console, virt-helm and gutted backpack from the floor. He and Lisa quickly left the room. Eckerhart turned out to be a real psycho for whom the most important thing in life was to do what he wanted. Five minutes, that's all they had. They needed to hurry. Moreover, in five minutes the old bastard could still change his mind.
They climbed the stairs, crossed the hall, passed the courtyard and hurried deep into the Wasteland. Lisa did her best not to limp.
They walked past the frozen boats by the fence, past the defenders who looked at them thoughtfully stroking their emitters' handles. This was not a game. Miracles did not last long, so he set the maximum pace Lisa could withstand. They walked through the gray haze; the withered gray grass crunched underfoot as they strode across the gray earth under the gray sky. And somewhere ahead, beyond the yet unknown horizon, a lost continent was waiting for them.
End of Book One
(To Be Continued in Book 2. The First Player on the Lost Continent)
Game races:
Scands (fair-haired, white-faced) – high, strong, have bonuses to classes Warrior, Engineer. Race of warriors, are under the patronage of Ged, the god warrior. Registration in the game for a Scand worth a hundred coins.
The Achaeans (hook-nosed, curly-haired, swarthy) are often loose, short Bonus to the Merchant, Psionic. Under the auspices of the wise Zaratos, the God of answers. Registration – seventy coins.
Lahittes (fair-haired) – average build, strong. Bonuses to Adventurer, Warrior, Witch Doctor. They are under the patronage of Astra, Ged's wife. They have the ability to farm, work with petas. Registration – fifty coins.
Taunites (narrow-eyed, yellow-faced) – low, flexible, mobile. Have bonuses to classes. Warrior, Thief, Psionic. Under the auspices of Faceless, God of questions. Registration – fifty coins.
Areuts (sea nomads – race-outcast) – tall, flexible, mobile, bonus to Warrior, Adventurer. All abilities are lowered. In the past, riders on dragons, allies of the Dragon God. Registration in the game is free.
Gods:
Chronos -the all-good lord of the gods and people, past ruler of the continent Gaerthon, the God of Order, responsible for the passage of time. Disappeared from the world of Alter after the war dragons with demons. His disappearance is one of the two Great Secrets of Alterra.
Vecta / Necta the wife of Chronos, responsible for the change of day and night. In the daytime, Vecta, the all-embracing mother of all that exists, takes an evil appearance at night and, under the name of Necta, arranges all sorts of dirty tricks. Patron of Dark Magic.
Ged – a war god, "wounds".
Astra – the compassionate wife of Gerald, who heals the wounds inflicted by her husband. It is considered the discoverer of the first portal, patronizes travelers.
Faceless – the God of questions. In the monasteries of Faceless, monks practice martial arts, and pilgrims bring him their offerings – questions collected throughout the Alterra.
Zaratos – wise, but cunning god of answers. Known for the fact that his answers are always true, but they contain some kind of dirty trick.
After the disappearance of Chronos, the course of time was disrupted. Vecta, Herald, Astra, Zaratos and Faceless created two heavenly boats, the Sun an
d Shadris (the night star). They travel in the sky on these boats day and night and no longer condescend to the earth to people.
Dragon God- the ruler of Chaos, who ruled the continent Stoglav. After defeating the Demon King, Azeroth disappeared. His disappearance is one of the two Great Secrets of Alterra.
King of Demons Azeroth – formally is not considered the god of Alterra, but is equal to them in power. He fought the Dragon God for power over Stoglav. Creator of the art of necromancy. The demons who served him are still revered as savages of Stoglav (mobs), as tribal gods.
The States of Stoglav:
Havian – a state of the Scands The capital is Svetlograd, the largest city on the continent.
Maxitor – the state of Scands, the kingdom. The capital is Maxitown. Borders and fights with Nightmare.
Javatti, Sephiath, Bench – the state of the Lahittes, khanate.
The land of the Taunites – a multitude of small principalities that regularly quarrel among themselves.
Mal-Zaire – a cluster of islands at the mouth of the eastern arm of the great Chand River, the possession of the Achaeans.
Nightmare – in possession of the guild of necromancers.
About the Author:
Andrew Novak was born in 1971 in the vicinity of the city of Chernobyl which was soon to become tragically famous due to the nuclear disaster that turned part of the Ukraine into one large dead zone. Andrew drew on his childhood impressions of the catastrophe later in his writings. He was one of the original creators of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - a post-apocalyptic computer game inspired by the Chernobyl events - as well as the sci fi series of the same name. His S.T.A.L.K.E.R. books sold over a million copies, followed by the world of the Blighted Wastelands he described in his next series, AlterGame.
Andrew lives high in the Bulgarian mountains where he continues working on new books.
Want to be the first to know about our latest LitRPG, sci fi and fantasy titles from your favorite authors?
Subscribe to our New Releases newsletter!
Thank you for reading The First Player!
If you like what you've read, check out other LitRPG, sci fi and fantasy books and series published by
Magic Dome Books:
NEW!!
The Curse of Rion Castle (The Neuro Book #2)
by A. Livadny
Preorder Now!
NEW!!
Stay on the Wing (The Dark Herbalist Book #2)
by Michael Atamanov
Preorder now!
NEW!!
The Karmadont Chess Set (The Way of the Shaman: Book #5)
by Vasily Mahanenko
Buy now!
NEW LitRPG Series!!
The Beginning (Dark Paladin Book #1)
by V. Mahanenko
Buy now!
NEW!!
The Heartless (The Sublime Electricity Book #2)
by P. Kornev
Buy now!
NEW LitRPG Series!!
The Crystal Sphere (The Neuro Book #1)
by A. Livadny
Buy now!
Save $5.98!
By buying all three books of
Phantom Server LitRPG Series
by A. Livadny
or
Perimeter Defense LitRPG Series
by M. Atamanov
as a Boxed Set for $9.99 instead of $15.97!
You're in Game!
LitRPG Stories from Bestselling Authors
The Way of the Shaman Books 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
by Vasily Mahanenko
Start the Game! (Galactogon Book #1)
by Vasily Mahanenko
Phantom Server Books 1, 2 and 3
by Andrei Livadny
Perimeter Defense Books 1, 2 and 3
by Michael Atamanov
Mirror World Books 1, 2 and 3
by Alexey Osadchuk
Video Game Plotline Tester (The Dark Herbalist Book #1)
by Michael Atamanov
The Lag (The Game Master Book #1)
by A. Bobl and A. Levitsky
Moskau (an alternative history thriller)
by G. Zotov
The Sublime Electricity Books 1 and 2
by Pavel Kornev
Leopold Orso and the Case of the Bloody Tree (Sublime Electricity: The Prequel)
by Pavel Kornev
Memoria. A Corporation of Lies (an action-packed dystopian technothriller)
by Alex Bobl
Point Apocalypse (a near-future action thriller)
by Alex Bobl
The Naked Demon (a paranormal romance)
by Sherrie L.
More books and series are coming out soon!
In order to have new books of the series translated faster, we need your help and support! Please consider leaving a review or spread the word by recommending The First Player to your friends and posting the link on social media. The more people buy the book, the sooner we'll be able to make new translations available.
Thank you!
Be the first to know about new LitRPG releases!
Visit our
Facebook LitRPG page
to meet new and established LitRPG authors!
Tell us more about yourself and your favorite books,
view new book covers and make friends with other LitRPG fans!
Follow the latest LitRPG news on Twitter!
Till next time!