The roar of the crowd takes me by surprise. I look around into a sea of flashing lights. I’m in some kind of coliseum with giant video boards replaying my highlights of the tournament. Behind me, the screen shows the princess and I kissing, right before I go through the portal. Thousands of people fill the stands, cheering and clapping. Confetti rains down all around and fireworks ignite in the sky.
A firm hand grips me on my shoulder as a man’s voice echoes throughout the coliseum.
“The first ever champion of the Developer’s Tournament, Esil Allen!”
The crowd goes wild at the mention of my name. Wait, they said Allen. Does that mean—
“Ever since the news went viral, we’ve had everyone in our data department combing through files and records and are finally able to confirm that Esil is, in fact, the lost son of Howard and Isabelle Allen.” A man wearing a black suit with blond hair neatly parted to the side steps up beside me and lowers his voice so the crowd can’t hear. “We have a lot to discuss in the next few days, Esil. I want you to stop by our offices after the excitement from the tournament has died down. We’re glad to have you as a part of the Pangea family. I’m just sorry it took us so long to find you.”
“Uhm—” I don’t really know how to respond.
“We don’t have to talk now. I know you’ve been through a lot. I’m Benjamin, by the way. President of Pangea Online Entertainment. I wanted to be here to personally congratulate the winner. Now, let’s give the crowd what they’ve been waiting for.” He guides me over to the center of the stage.
“Many of you have been following along with Esil’s journey since the first quest, when an unknown player finished in the top five. More of you came to love him when you saw his daring acts in the name of friendship and loyalty in the second quest. But how could anyone not love him once we all found out that he was playing not for himself, but for his best friend’s mother? Esil, we think that what you’re doing is so great that we’ve decided to cover any medical costs that exceed the prize winnings of the tournament. But first, let’s bring out the two people you entered the tournament for. They are the reason you never gave up. Let’s hear it for Buzz and his mother, Maria.”
Buzz steps up on the stage, his arm wrapped around his mother. He basks in the applause, waving at the crowd. Buzz was made for the spotlight. He wears a black tuxedo with a bow-tie and Maria wears a long red dress. In Pangea, she is not the weak person I rode with to the doctor. They both smile from ear to ear. Buzz wraps his arms around me once they are close enough.
“You did it!” he yells over the crowd. “I never doubted you, but, man, I can’t believe it. That Firestorm though, your dad really knew how to build ‘em.”
“You look nice,” I say.
He runs his finger between the shirt collar and his neck, trying to stretch it out. “They made me wear this. Said I needed to look ‘presentable’.” He mimics the last word. Buzz releases me and his mother and I embrace.
“We’ll never be able to pay you back for this. I owe my life to you.”
“I just wanted to do what was right. You don’t owe me anything.”
Buzz and Maria stand beside me and Benjamin continues talking. I tune him out as he talks about my achievements and what this tournament means to the developers at Pangea. Honestly, I just want to go home and sleep. This day has been exhausting, to say the least.
I search the crowd for Grayson and find him sitting on the front row. He gives me a thumbs up, but otherwise, his face is stern.
I tune back in when Benjamin talks about the prizes.
“Not only will Esil be winning one hundred thousand gold, he will also be receiving one of the highly sought after Developer’s Chests. Even we don’t know what’s inside this one.”
Congratulations! You have been gifted a Developer’s Chest by Pangea Online. Would you like to open it? Y/N
I think I’ll open this one when there aren’t millions of eyes watching my every move.
“We will also be awarding prizes to the top three finishers. In second place, many of you loved to watch the feud between her and her brother Ryken, give a big round of applause for Aleesia!”
When the princess steps up to the stage, her eyes meet mine. Her dark skin and hair are so different from the girl I cleared a dungeon with so many weeks ago. I hope she doesn’t regret her decision. Unless she creates a new character from scratch, she is stuck as a dark elf for as long as she has that account.
She shakes Benjamin’s hand and then pushes Buzz aside to stand beside me.
“You didn’t have to push me through, you know?” I say.
“I know, but I wanted to. It’s not as if you could have stopped me.” She smirks.
“As runner-up, Aleesia wins ten thousand gold and a Developer’s Chest of her own.”
The crowd cheers for the princess.
“And in third place, the little camel that could, Dantos.”
The shrouded player who rode the camel in the second race moves slowly across the stage. Nothing is visible of the player under the shroud. How in the hell did he win third place?
“From last place in the second quest to third in the maze, your turnaround is nothing short of amazing. You have been awarded a Developer’s Chest as well.”
Brief movement underneath the shroud is the only acknowledgment Dantos gives.
“Now that we have our winners, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge all of the developers who played a part in making this tournament a success. Many tournaments take place every day all over Pangea, but this one will always be a place for the best of the best…”
We are ushered off the stage as Benjamin honors the developers. Nancy, the host for the last two stages of the tournament, flies her pegasus through the crowd, eliciting cheers.
Our usher tells us that there will be an afterparty if we want to attend, but I’m ready to go home. I need to make the arrangements for Maria as soon as possible. He leads us behind the stage to a portal. Before I step through, Aleesia takes hold of my arm.
“I’m glad you won. You deserved it more than anyone else.” The kindness in her eyes doesn’t match her deadly appearance.
“Thanks. I couldn’t have done this without all of you, though.”
She goes sheepish for a moment. “I was wondering…if maybe you still wanted to meet up now that this is all over.”
“I would love to. Actually, have you ever been to Pangea Headquarters?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I have a meeting there in a few days, maybe you could come along and show me around?”
“It’s a date.” She kisses me on the cheek and we step through the portal to our own destinations.
***
The treatment for Buzz’s mom is a success. The only downside is that there is a medication she must take for the rest of her life, but Pangea Online agrees to cover the cost. Buzz is like a new man when I have them over for dinner one evening. He goes on and on about what people are saying about me in the game. In his free time, he goes from world to world, telling the story of how I overcame the odds and won an impossible tournament.
I haven’t been out into Pangea since the tournament. I log in and sit with Fenrir in my home portal. Sometimes I read, sometimes I rewatch old footage of Merlin and I.
I miss Merlin a great deal. I’m sure the pain will fade eventually, but for now, in spite of all I’ve won, I feel a bit empty inside.
I’ll be going to Pangea Headquarters in a few hours to talk with Benjamin about my father and my place at the company. It’s hard to know what to expect. I don’t know anything about game development.
First, though, I need to meet up with Ordin. There is something I need to give him.
A group of dwarves surround the entrance to the Lion’s Head Pub. Since the tournament, Ordin has become the most famous dwarf in all of Pangea. He even has his own band that follows him wherever he goes. I notice a few familiar faces among the crowd. Glordin, and Tinker step out to say hi.
“Good to see you, Esil,” says Tinker. I embrace them all around the forearm in turn. “You have been a good friend to the dwarves and you will always have our help when you need it.”
He parts the others and allows me entry into the pub.
Ordin sits in the back with Klink. They both have two beautiful elf women on each side of them. Klink gives me a wink as I approach. Ordin chugs a mug of ale, some of it running down his chin.
“Esil!” he roars. “Good to see you, my friend!” He motions for the ladies to move and I take a seat across from him at the table.
“It looks like you’re doing well for yourself. You too, Klink.”
“Sacrificing yourself for the good of another on a stream watched by millions will do a lot for your reputation,” he laughs. “What is it I can do for you, friend?”
“Actually, I have something for you.” I take the Developer’s Chest from my inventory and set it on the table. “I couldn’t have won the tournament without you. Take it.”
The dwarf’s eyes brim with tears. “Esil, I can’t.” His voice is barely more than a whisper.
“You will. This is not a negotiation. I’m thankful for your help and I want you to have it.”
He nods and takes the chest off the table.
***
Pangea sends a vehicle to pick me up around noon. I take a nap on the ride and don’t wake until we arrive.
The vehicle door opens and I panic because I’m not wearing my filter mask. I frantically search through the car, looking for the mask. I find it on the floor and strap it to my face.
Someone laughs outside of the car.
“It’s okay, Esil. The air is breathable up here.”
Benjamin stands outside the door, wearing a light gray suit. His face is nearly identical to his avatar in Pangea, his blond hair is combed neatly to the side. He extends his hand and helps me out of the car. Blue skies surround us. Skies as blue as Pangea. I take off the mask and breathe in the fresh air. It cools my lungs in a way I have never felt before.
“I didn’t know there were places in the world like this.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about the world,” says the woman to his side.
I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Aleesia wraps her arms around me and gives me a hug. I bury my nose in her neck and notice the smell of—what—flowers? I don’t really know what they smell like, but I imagine that’s how they smell.
We let go and I take in her appearance. She is so similar to her avatar, yet different. Her ears are not pointy and her hair is darker, a few freckles line the edge of her cheeks, her eyes are a little more slanted, but there is no mistaking that it’s her.
“Let’s take a walk to my office and I’ll show you around,” says Benjamin.
Aleesia takes my hand as we walk. The outside of Pangea Headquarters is a complete mirror of the sky above. Every surface gleams, reflecting the world. Birds fly through the air, and trees blow in the breeze. Is this what the world used to be like?
We enter through a set of doors that open at our approach and walk through a lobby. Even the floors reflect my face when I look down.
Benjamin takes us to a large office. A glass table sits in the middle of the room with a large wooden chair behind it. A man in a holographic projection talks about the results from the Developer’s Tournament. The nicest haptic suit I’ve ever seen sits in the corner. Several shelves hold books that look like they are about to fall apart.
“Collector’s items,” Benjamin says when he catches me looking. “Have a seat.”
Aleesia and I take a seat in the two chairs across from Benjamin. He intertwines his fingers between his hands before talking.
“I heard about your visit at the police station. Unfortunately, everything they said was true. All of your parent’s property was sold off by the state after two years. I’m terribly sorry for that. Lucky for you though, your father did own a piece of the company. Not a huge piece, but a piece nonetheless. Enough that after all these years, you are now a very wealthy man should you choose to sell it. However, if I were you, I would hold onto it. Sell a percentage so that you can get yourself self set up, but don’t sell all of it. This company meant a lot to your father and I think he would want you to be a part of it. I can set you up with our finance department. They will help advise you on how to let your money work for you going forward.” Benjamin stands up from the desk.
“As for me, I have a job offer for you. It’s a brand-new division of Pangea Online, one that your father helped with many years ago. You would be the first person to try it out, report back to us and help us make changes with the product going forward.”
We walk down the hallway and come to a stop in front of a door with a touchscreen lockpad. Benjamin presses his hand against the sensor and a moment later, the door hisses open.
Inside, several men and women in white lab-coats buzz around the room. In the center, there is a tall cylinder filled with a light blue liquid. A facemask and several tubes dangle in the water.
“I like to think that haptic suits are just the beginning of the user experience. Yes, you can see and hear and touch, but there is so much more to life than that. What if you could smell the flowers as you walk through a field, or smell the iron in the blood of your enemy as you cut through his armor? What if you could taste the food you eat at a tavern or the lips of a woman as you kiss her? Pretty soon, Pangea is going to give that to people and I want you to help us.”
“What exactly is it you want me to do?”
“I want you to alpha test our full immersion unit.”
Acknowledgements
First, I should probably thank my mom. If she hadn’t bought me that Super Nintendo when I was in first grade, I doubt this book would have ever happened. I spent years playing Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda. Since then, I’ve always been a gamer. I lost years of my life to League of Legends. Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart are my go-to party games. When I discovered that that LitRPG was a genre, I knew my writing would never be the same. This book is the most fun, engaging, and challenging project I have worked on to date. And I can’t wait to write more.
There’s a lot of people to thank, so grab a cold beverage and watch the credits roll. First, I would like to thank Scott. You helped me with this story in its earliest stages when I wasn’t sure exactly where it was going. Caroline, thank you for your unwavering support. You’ve seen the highs and lows that go along with indie publishing, and I wouldn’t want to share them with anyone else. To my beta readers, JD, Micheal, Arthur, Ezben, Cory, Florian, Jennifer, Robert and Bas; thanks for finding the plot holes, the inconsistencies, and reading through the crap that was an unedited mess. You’re the real MVP. To my cover designer, Dane at Ebooklaunch, your cover is everything I wanted and more. I’d also like to thank those who read my earliest drafts at Royal Road Legends. Pangea Online has come a long way since then.
Finally, I’d like to send a big shout out to the LitRPG community. I don’t know any other community where the readers and authors interact in such a fun and amazing way.
To learn more about LitRPG, talk to authors including myself, and just have an awesome time, please join the LitRPG Group or LitRPG Society on Facebook. The jokes, memes and reviews will keep you entertained for days. The people aren’t half-bad either.
If you’ve made it this far, please consider leaving a review. Reviews and word of mouth are the best way to show your support for indie authors.
About the Author
S.L. Rowland is a nomad. Born in the South, he loves traveling and has road-tripped coast to coast three times over. He currently lives in the mountains of East Tennessee with his Shiba Inu, Lawson. When not writing, he enjoys hiking, reading, weightlifting, playing video games and having his heart broken by various Atlanta sports teams.
Find out more at: SLRowland.com
You can also follow S.L. Rowland on Facebook at: facebook.com/slrowlandauthor
Don't forget to sign u
p for S.L. Rowland's mailing list at subscribepage.com/PangeaOnline for updates on new releases, short stories and all things Pangea Online related!
Pangea Online Book One: Death and Axes: A LitRPG Novel Page 24