Fantasy

Tales And Schemes: L

Goodmen, beware,

L is no hero. Some spun tales of his deeds benefiting one circle or another, but in the end, his actions benefit none but himself, for any particular occasion where his farce contributes something of substance, it would be nothing but a false, perpetual coincidence, hiding naught but the blatant desire of chaos and depravity. There is no heroism in his dark deeds, to his twisted lies and fabricated truths. We have seen his kind before, have felt the typhoons they are born within. He, through and through, to the smallest pieces of his wretched blood cells, is a lecherous entity which does not care for the world, his, ours, or the people that reside within it--if he even considers them to be so. My unreliable sources have shown otherwise.

This is not a heroic tale, yet I hesitate to deem it villainous either, for his intentions are incomprehensible. I retrieved his history from the fires he laid behind him, from the ruination of his tongue and sword, but his House is a subject in which even I do not dare to tread about. Let a different dolt ravage their mind in separating their fictions from their sins. I repeat, foolhardy learners, that this is a tragedy about an extremely patronizing human-like figure, who seems to account for naught but his own whimsical, impetuous, sinister desires; no matter the unfortunate outcome, for him, or for others.

Yet there, within the tribulations, lies a wicked lesson. It is hence I sacrificed my clear-mindedness in inscribing this, in an attempt to whisk the ramifications from the muck and excrement.

I have failed.

Goodmen, stay away, for insanity beckons his footsteps. They reside within his words, within his acts, and within his story. It is here, on these rotten pages in this very tome of misery.

Goodmen, I beg of you: Beware and begone.

Steamtown Chronicles 1: The Dark Market (An NPC Gamelit Novella)

Delmen MacDougall lived a relatively comfortable life compared to most. He had his enchanting shop, his flat above it, and his health. He even had a friend. Not everyone could make that claim. All he had to do was follow the mandates given to him by Governor Law, Steamtown's infamous steward. Non-citizens of Steamtown, called travelers, didn't make sticking to the mandates easy. They robbed him. They killed him, forcing him to resurrect. They hurled insults at him for being a dwarf or calling him an "NPC," whatever that was.

But when one traveler attacked his only friend in the world, Delmen eagerly abandoned his mandates and fought back. He earned himself a bounty that forced him to hide underground. Now a fugitive, Delmen must do everything in his power to gain his freedom again, and that means clearing his bounty by whatever means necessary. The alternative, being captured by the guards and locked up in Steamtown Stockades for the rest of his life, was not an option.

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The Path (Just Cause Universe Book 14)

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TRAPPED IN THE GAME

Vanitha is the world's greatest parahuman hacker, who can physically enter computer systems to control them from the inside. To relax, she's created a Hindu-themed multiplayer online role-playing-game called The Path. When a mystery presents itself, she goes to investigate the strange, new Malevolence.

It kills her.

She awakens inside the game as a new character, unable to use her parahuman powers to return to the real world. Nor can she access any of her administrative privileges. She can't even speak her own name. With no other options, she embarks upon a desperate quest to locate her body, a corpse run that may present her only chance to escape. All the while, the Malevolence is spreading like a cancer, rewriting and corrupting the game. It's a speedrun where failure will be lethal: get her body and her powers back before the Malevolence destroys the game and everything inside it-including her.

Maelstrom Book 2 - A Portal LitRPG Novel

Even gods tremble.

After a lifetime of suffering and service toward his kingdom, Graldin was shattered as the wicked god, Bardos, killed what he most cared for. The princess.

Thrust into a fantastic new world, filled with monsters and new dangers around every corner, he was driven by grief and anger. Graldin denied Bardos the only thing powerful enough to rival his own, divine might out of spite, and became a thorn in the god's side. Bardos, in his fury, destroyed everything and anyone within his reach.

Graldin's life took a turn for the worse after getting conscripted by force, to stop an ancient evil that threatened to destroy the capital city of Nyttherion and what remained of the old civilizations. An all-out war between Bardos, with his armies of self-proclaimed light, and the struggling races is forced upon them.

Will anyone survive the oncoming war that would engulf all of the living and the undead, or would the slate be wiped clean and a new game of suffering put in progress?

The Second Realm (Ten Realms Book 2)

When Erik and Rugrat entered the ten realms they didn’t know what was going on. They only knew that they had contracted the two week curse.

When entering the second realm they came to understand their character sheets, and part of the system that is called the ten realms. A place that the strong make the rules and the weak cling to them for protection and hope that they might be left in peace.

They passed through the trials of the Beast Mountain Dungeon, taking control of it and becoming the leader of nearly two hundred people.

Now in command of the Alva Dungeon and looking to forge a new future, they need more power, mana stones, dungeon cores, monster cores, if not then the Dungeon will stop functioning and they will need to relocate once again.

As they ascend to the second realm, Erik and Rugrat need to grow their skills, gain information and find a dungeon. It’s hardly ever that easy.

Hunter's Bond: Apex Chronicles Book 1

When Simon immerses himself in the game world of Apex as Arheis the Guardian, he finds a living, breathing ecosystem that feels more real than anything he’s ever experienced before. The creatures that inhabit Apex are cunning, ferocious, and a massive challenge for even the most experienced hunter.

In order to rank up in the Hunters’ Guild and participate in the most prestigious hunts, Simon will have to slay increasingly more threatening creatures and use what he gathers to craft powerful armor and weapons.

But a fearsome beast stalks the jungle, untouchable even by the Guild. To have any hope of stopping her, Simon won’t just have to level up and hone his skills--he’ll have to put his trust in his fellow hunters.

And for a lifelong soloer, that’s no easy feat…

Faithful Defender: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure Novel (Aelterna Online Book 2)

He's found his new home. Now he has to defend it.

Denel's goddess has granted him the title of Paladin, and with it, the responsibility of protecting the people of his village, both reptilian and otherwise. The threats facing the faithful of Goddess Watch are numerous, and the last thing Denel wants to do is sit and wait for the enemy to come to him. Isolated and far from player civilization, Denel must forge bonds and friendships with races that view his friends as nothing more than monsters to be culled. Unbeknownst to him, he's no longer the only digital resident of Aelterna Online, and the newcomers are out to destroy everything he's worked to create! What he's become is more than the system is prepared to accept; what will he be forced to do to survive?

Loot Lord: A Gamelit Fantasy Novel (Dungeon Land Book 1)

Idon and his friends are in the adventure shop business—and business is terrible. The dungeon boom of decades past is sorely dead. The economy is in the outhouse. And the Guild has a stranglehold on any remaining riches to be gleaned from the tapped dungeons in the area.

They’ll be lucky to keep their heads above water for another week, and that’s only if the Guild doesn’t break their legs to recover mounting debts. Things are looking pretty bleak, when Idon finds a rather peculiar sword during a last ditch effort to scrounge up some valuable loot to sell.

Armed with a secret that could solve all their problems, the three friends know they can’t let anyone find out about the amazing new dungeon levels and the undiscovered loot therein.

But where there is loot…

There is always lurking death. Maybe the violent thugs from the Guild will end up being the least of their problems. Find out if they can live long enough to become the lords of loot!

ERDE ONLINE - INSIDE: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel

Enter to play, win to escape.

It seemed like harmless fun at first, when Justin entered the world of ERDE Inside. He quickly discovers that the real game is trying to save his own reality.

Justin Schwartz is obsessed with ERDE, one of the most popular franchises in the world. The most recent iteration of the game has been in development for a decade, and is called ERDE: Inside, a virtual world that lives and breaths independent of its creators.

As part of a massive PR campaign, OMEGA-DEGA starts a contest for people to join the open beta of ERDE: Inside. Obsessed with getting in, Justin exploits the system to win a slot in the beta, but his actions don't go unnoticed. A hacker called Pnutxebra spotted Justin's exploit and blackmails the leadership of OMEGA-DEGA. Either they allow Justin into the game and trap him there until he finishes the Son of Schwarzvald questline, or Pnutxebra destroys ERDE: Inside so thoroughly they can't recover a decade of work.

Let the game begin.

The Lost City: The Realms Book Two (An Epic LitRPG Adventure)

The sequel to the bestselling LitRPG epic Barrow King.

“I cannot believe that idiotic plan worked.”

The only thing Gryph wanted when he entered the Realms was to find his missing sister. Then he pissed off a power-hungry god, got stuck in the undead hell dungeon known as the Barrow and nearly had his soul consumed.

Then things trended upwards, and with the help of a ragtag group of companions, Gryph escaped to a verdant paradise of magic and wonder. But when his exposed secrets lead to betrayal and murder, Gryph is forced to accept an insane quest or his new friends will face the headsman's axe.

Now, to stop a world-conquering zealot from capturing an ancient weapon of incredible power, Gryph must become the one thing he never wanted to be, a leader. Standing in his way are a group of crazed cultists, an army of deadly magical machines, and friends who no longer trust him.

And he is still no closer to saving his sister.

The Lost City, the sequel to the breakout hit Barrow King, is an overflowing cauldron of leveling, world building, humor, and action.

Anomaly (Somnia Online Book 2)

As Murmur reels in the wake of the secret her friends tried to keep, her grip on what is real and what is virtual begins to slip. What's more, she's no longer sure who she can trust.

Stalked across the continent by a rogue with a vendetta, Murmur is forced to dig deep and develop her abilities before she finds a knife in her back.

Suspicion surrounds the AIs as well. Their behaviors are too human, their reports too perfect. Shayla and Laria must uncover the truth before the system raises concerns and Murmur is lost forever.

Underworld - Through the Belly of the Beast (Underworld Book 2)

Surviving Lord Darius's attack has put Elorion's level over the top. He must soon leave the Mistress's Labyrinth for the unknown dangers of the Underworld.

There are three paths that stand before him. Should he absorb all the Blue Magic he can find, power level his fellow captives, or take on the bone palace alone?

The Underworld is waiting...

Trial and Flame (Chronicle Book 2)

It’s easy to get swept up in the current—for the world to pass us by.

An extra 168 hours each day lets us take some of that time back—to do and see more.

Though the fresh time aids and liberates us, it also serves to free the hands of our adversaries.

Still relatively new to the world, Dakkon and Cline are small fish in a very big pond. While hunted for a mark on their heads, they must find a way to live and to grow.

Blood Eye (Land of Dreams Book 1)

Life has been hard for John. Now he’s facing eviction and the loss of his precious freedom. If he can’t turn things around, he’ll be one of the have-nots living in the brutal Benefits Towers.

A friend gives him the opportunity to enter the fantastic Land of Dreams, a state of the art DreamStateVR game, and he jumps at the opportunity.

However, the idyllic village of Brunewood seems cursed. Innocent young girls are disappearing and the ill-fated conjunction of the three moons approaches—the Blood Eye. Dark magic will be unleashed, can John and his friends save the villagers from a horrible fate?

Blood Eye is a LitRPG/Gamelit novel. There’s no harems in this book, and no sex.

The Halfling Cleric: A LitRPG Adventure

When firefighter, Rob Saunders, is called to the scene of a raging fire and the floor beneath him collapses, he’s severely injured and rushed to the nearest hospital.

Luckily, the doctors manage to stabilize and ultimately save him. And so begins his slow rehabilitation. But with third-degree burns all over his body, Rob is in constant pain. He has trouble even functioning because of his injuries. That’s when he’s offered a spot in an experimental program that aims to provide relief through immersion in a VRMMORPG.

Rob accepts the proposal and discovers a wonderful world where not only he can find a new purpose in his life but also feel at peace.

However, not all patients using this technology share the same laudable goals. As Rob will quickly realize, the testing is also opened to people from other units…. Units where the disorder that is under treatment is of a psychiatric nature. Soon, Rob—as his in-game avatar Tolsar—will have to deal with griefers set on hurting others and destroying that amazing world.

House Rules: a LitRPG novel (Metagamer Chronicles Book 2)

Games were made to be broken.

Gary Burns has been kidnapped, thrown in a dungeon, and tortured for information. Worst of all, he’s been separated from his friends, so no one even knows where to look for him. Cut off from his support network, Gary uses the only tools at his disposal: a silver tongue and an insider’s knowledge of the game world that’s second to none.

With a makeshift party of former foes, Gary must not only escape his captor but plan for payback. Because nothing passes the time in a dank, lightless prison cell like plotting revenge. And when your adversary is a centuries-old lich with the might of an army at his disposal, death is a starting point, not a victory.

The Wandering Inn: Volume 1

(This novel is the e-book version of the free web serial. You may read the entire ongoing story at wanderinginn.com free of charge.)

“No killing Goblins.”

So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.

It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.

In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn.

She’s an [Innkeeper].

Sleeping Player (Project Chrysalis Book 3)

Wake up, Sagie…

Have you heard about what happened at Castle Airis five years ago? Don’t talk too loud, it's dangerous right now. They’re still looking for that certain wanderer. If you have any information, please, let us know.

How difficult is it to survive the human world, full of people hellbent on destruction, as a poor cat?

"People = danger," LJ knows that for sure. But maintaining a distance is not that easy when the home you care about is becoming an epicenter of a demon invasion. He has to be strong and know right from wrong, no matter what the voices whisper to him in his bloody and restless dreams.

Five peaceful years have passed since the war with the undead ended. Respite is over now. A war has raised it’s demonic sword. New, talented, and tricky high-level wanderers are ready to confront the threat or to cause even more destruction.

“Sleeping Player” is the third installment in the LitRPG series Project Chrysalis by John Gold. This story is far from its end. No wanderer has been able to reach Crossroads of Worlds yet, no matter how skillful and masterful they were. The gods are still afraid and filled with fear after what happened in Castle Airis, while officers of Chrysalis keep looking for pretenders.

It is time to wake up.

Dan the Barbarian: A Gamelit Harem Fantasy Adventure (Gold Girls and Glory Book 1)

When college sophomore Dan Marshall's life morphs into a hybrid of Penn State and a homebrew tabletop RPG adventure, he grabs his talking two-handed sword and hits campus, seeking gold, girls, and glory.

But even with two beautiful bad-ass women at his side, how can a low-level barbarian survive when he’s pitted against a fraternity of gnolls, a dungeon full of nightmares, and an apocalyptic death cult bent on destroying the whole world?

Warning: Dan the Barbarian is an over-the-top adventure novel intended for readers 18 and older. It includes explicit sex, graphic violence, a harem of gorgeous ass-kicking girls, and a foul-mouthed two-handed sword. Read at your own risk.