by Dante Steel
Superheroes Online 1-3
Boxed Set
Dante Steel
Contents
Dragon Hunter
Vampire Hunter
Shifter Hunter
Author’s Note
Other Books By Dante Steel
About the Author
Copyright © 2018 by Dante Steel
Cover Artist: curanmor166
https://www.deviantart.com/curanmor166
Typography: Dark Matter Book Covers
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Created with Vellum
To all real-life superheroes.
Dragon Hunter
Chapter One
Gary Johnson’s twenty-fifth birthday was in a week. Great, right? Not really. He didn’t have much of anything to be excited about.
For one thing, his job was shitty. Not literally but he was a trash collector. Not exactly a reason to get out of bed in the morning with a smile on his face.
For another, his birthday was the anniversary of his parents’ death. The three of them had been driving to the zoo for Gary’s tenth birthday when another car spun out of control and railed theirs. Gary broke his legs, but his parents didn’t survive.
Yes, both of his legs. Thankfully, they both healed properly, but the boy who once had been the fastest in his class was now middle of the pack. He never did regain his full speed. Worse, he had been dumped into a foster family that already had seven other kids. He ran away two years later and ducked the authorities every chance he could. They only tracked him down twice, and he escaped those families too.
For the past five years, he had been living on his own. At least he had a steady job, and he finally had enough for two month's rent, so he was moving into an apartment tomorrow. Life could be worse.
But still, it sucked monkey balls.
The Vicks beneath his nose only helped so much as he grabbed a trashcan. Gnats and other creepy crawlies were all over the bags, and the stench suggested something had either rotted away or died inside. He couldn’t dump it into the back of the dump truck fast enough and tossed the can aside. As soon as he put his foot on his perch, he gripped the handle and slapped the side of the truck so the driver, Jorge Rodriquez, knew to drive up to the next house. So on and so forth.
The day was hot, muggy, and disgusting. Gary was dripping with sweat by the time they had finished half of their route.
Jorge halted at a stop sign and leaned his head out the window, turning toward Gary, who was hanging onto the side of the truck.
“Did you bring lunch, or you want to make a stop?”
Gary grimaced. “Not hungry, man.”
“No? Why not?”
“You really need to take your turn back here,” Gary grumbled.
Jorge laughed. “Not my fault you don’t have your license, chico.”
“Yeah, well, considering I won’t own a car in forever…”
“I could teach you how to drive,” the Hispanic offered.
A car honked behind them, and Jorge flipped the driver the bird.
“Teach me road rage you mean,” Gary said with a laugh.
Jorge shouted something, but Gary wasn't confident he heard him correctly as the truck zoomed forward. Something about road rage being important.
To Gary's surprise, Jorge didn't stop at their traditional destination—the park. They liked to go there and eat, mostly because Jorge wanted to help out the single mothers. His mother had raised Jorge by himself until she had died shortly before Jorge graduated high school. Of course, Jorge ended up dating some of those single mothers. Jorge liked to think he was a lady's man.
Gary just liked to listen to the children laugh. He hadn’t had much reason to while growing up. Watching them run around, playing tag, and swinging up too high brought a smile to his face.
Instead, Jorge parked around back of a giant duplex.
“Time for you to fatten up some,” Jorge said, “and meet mi familia.”
“Aren’t Italians the one who try to cram food down your throat?”
“Does it matter? You’re skinny as a rail. Come on.”
Jorge climbed out, and Gary jumped down. The two entered the house through the back door, and loud exclamations immediately sounded. So many people, young and old, crowded the place, and the scent of seasoning hung heavy in the air. Jorge’s cheeks were kissed by just about everyone, and after Gary was introduced, he got a few kisses too.
Soon enough, Gary found himself at a huge table, sitting in front of a big plate of some kind of food that he had never seen or tried before.
“What is this?” Gary asked, hoping he didn’t sound ignorant.
“Seafood paella.”
Gary pushed his fork through the mixture. There was seafood, of course, white rice, and snails. He tentatively tried a bite. Delicious. Gary dug in, and Jorge grinned from his seat across from him.
“Jorge,” a teenage girl said.
Nicoletta? Gary had heard too many names to keep track. She looked to be about nineteen, twenty, and so much like Jorge that Gary would’ve thought they were brother and sister, but she had to be a cousin.
“Are you going to get the game?” she asked.
“What game?” Gary asked.
“What game?” the girl repeated in a shriek. “Are you living under a rock? Everyone’s talking about it!”
“I’ve been living on a friend’s couch,” Gary said dryly. “I don’t have a game system or games or books or much else.”
“Nicoletta, I will get the game,” Jorge said, but the teen was gaping at Gary.
“You don’t have any game system? Please tell me you have a phone.”
“I do.” Gary shifted and yanked it out of his pocket. It wasn’t an impressive phone. In fact, it was a dumb one.
Nicoletta frowned and held out her hand. He handed her the phone, and she examined it. "What's the point of a phone that isn't a smartphone?"
“I don’t know,” Gary said with a smirk. “Maybe to make calls with. You know, like phones are supposed to.”
“But what about texting? And social media? And—”
“And I can call my friends and be social that way.”
“All two of your friends,” Jorge joked.
“Yeah, well, you aren’t one of them.” Gary laughed.
“You’ll let Gary play, won’t you?” Nicoletta asked.
“I’m not much of a gamer,” Gary protested.
“That doesn’t matter. It’s gonna be the most epic game ever. Seriously!”
“I’m sure,” Gary said, rolling his eyes.
Jorge shrugged. “It does seem like it will be a lot of fun. Come on. Wouldn’t you like to be a superhero?”
“A superhero?”
“Yeah. It’s an RPG,” Nicoletta said. “Role-playing game.”
“Okay…”
“You put on your headset and gloves, and it’ll be like you’re actually in the game. It’ll be amazing! You might be able to fly or be super strong or—”
"Have super speed," Gary said, thinking back to all of those races he had run and won, and all of the ones he hadn't bothered to enter because he knew his speed wasn't up to snuff any longer.
“Exactly!” Nicoletta beamed. “So you want to be a speedster, huh? I want to have telekinesis. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
“Just don’t go all Carrie on everyone,” Jorge joked.
“What about you, Jorge? What do you want?” Gary asked.
“I want my charisma to be off the chart. All of the ladies will flock to me and—”
“Only in your dreams,” another cousin said.
Soon, everyone was talking about the game and what powers they wanted, and Gary couldn't help but smile. It felt amazing to be around so many people. Although a few of the younger kids were squabbling, there was a peace and happiness here that Gary longed for. The friend he was staying with, Wyatt Hunter, was studying to be a doctor and worked all kinds of crazy hours. Gary hardly saw him, so Gary basically felt as if he lived alone already. The isolation of his new apartment wouldn't faze him. At least he hadn't thought it would, but after seeing this, seeing a vast extended family, Gary couldn't help but wonder what it might be like to have a family, to have a ton of friends, to actually go out and explore.
But with what money? And you couldn’t just make a family out of thin air.
In the game, though, Nicoletta had made it sound like just about anything and everything could happen. Virtual reality. Maybe it would be fun.
Not that Gary could afford the console or the headset or the game.
Moving day was so simple it was almost a disgrace. Two boxes contained everything Gary had. Thankfully, the apartment was furnished because otherwise, Gary would have to sleep, eat, and sit on the floor.
Wyatt was busy working, so Jorge offered to drive Gary over.
“Thanks, man,” Gary said as he carried one of the boxes to his place. He had already filled out all of the paperwork and handed over the money to his landlord, a tall, beefy man by the name of Charlie Primer. The key felt like it was burning a hole in Gary’s pocket.
“No problemo, chico.” Jorge grinned, his teeth blindingly white compared to his dark complexion.
They climbed up the stairs and down the hall to number 367. Jorge was looking at the next door over and shook his head.
Gary pinned his box against his hip and the wall as he shoved his key into the lock. The knob turned, and the door swung open with a loud creak.
“WD-40, my friend,” Jorge said.
“Yeah, well, maybe if my next paycheck isn’t all blown on food.” Gary placed the box on the floor and motioned for Jorge to do the same with his. “Thanks, man.”
Jorge grinned. “Don’t thank me yet. I have to grab something. Be right back.”
Gary nodded and went to work. Wyatt had given Gary some hangers to keep and a few other essentials. The two had met in high school before Gary ran away for good. Wyatt was supposed to tutor Gary, who hardly went to class and so was failing. After Gary dumped that family, Wyatt kept tabs on him and mentored him anyhow. Without Wyatt's help, Gary never would've gotten his GED. His friend was a genius, and Gary knew he'd kill it as a doctor. He just wished they could spend more time together hanging out.
Someone bounded up the stairs and waltzed into Gary’s place. Jorge stood by the hideous, straight-out-of-the-seventies couch and held out another box.
Gary approached from the small bedroom and frowned. “What’s this?”
“A present. Go ahead.”
“Like a housewarming gift?”
“Si.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Don’t worry. It didn’t cost as much as you think.”
Gary accepted the box, and his frown deepened. It was heavier than he expected. He laid it down on the coffee table and hesitated.
“Go on, chico. What are you waiting for?” Jorge plopped onto the couch and grimaced. “You sink,” he complained.
“Better than the floor,” Gary said.
“True, true. Now open it, or else I’ll open it for you.”
Gary undid the flaps and stared at the inside of the box. “You bought me a console?”
“It’s secondhand. I got it at a garage sale for next to nothing. The headset too. Don’t worry. It all works. I checked it out already.” Jorge leaned forward and began to lift the items out of the box, including a game.
“Superheroes Online,” Gary murmured, surprised. “We’re going to play your copy?”
“Nah, man, I got you one so we can play with each other. Form a superhero team! We’ll crush the dragons and other monsters like they’re nothing!”
“That’s awesome.” Gary had a thought and laughed. “You just don’t want to play with Nicoletta.”
Jorge groaned. “Seriouso. She already set up her avatar and took the quiz—”
“There’s a quiz?”
“Si, to determine what your superpower will be. She is insufferable because she has the ability of a fire elemental, and she’s pissed.”
“Ah, no telekinesis for her, huh?”
“Yep. Some people have been playing for hours already, and so far, no one’s been able to unlock more than one ability.”
“Can someone do that?”
“That’s what Nicoletta is banking on, but who knows? Maybe eventually, if you reach a high enough level or if you complete certain quests or if you gain a magical artifact. Who knows?”
Gary’s head was swimming. “This all sounds complicated.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Jorge handed Gary the headset and then tilted his head to the side. “You have played games before, right?”
“Not many RPGs. Never owned a console before that was mine, and at some of the homes, the older kids hogged them. I played a little here and there at friends’ houses, but not much.”
“You’ll love this. It sounds amazing.”
Jorge got to work setting up the console, and in no time, they both had their headsets on. Gary couldn't believe how immersive the game felt right from the get-go. He was lifting his hand, and he could see it, but now, he was wearing nothing over his arms, not the white, long-sleeve T-shirt he was actually wearing.
“You can pick your name, your appearance, your attire, all of it. First, though, you have to take the quiz, in case you want to base your clothes on that,” Jorge said, his voice almost too loud through the headset.
Jorge began to mumble to himself as he went through the quiz, and Gary reached out and tapped the button that said Start Quiz.
A question popped up in white lettering. What is your favorite color?
Easy. Blue. Gary clicked it.
If you saw a little girl drowning in a rapidly flowing river beside a drowning dog, what would you do? Save the girl? Save the dog? Save yourself by walking away?
What a terrible question. Gary did prefer dogs to cats, but he couldn’t turn aside a girl, so he clicked Save the girl.
If you won a million dollars, would you waste it all immediately? Donate to a church or charity? Save it?
Actually, Gary would spend some and keep the rest, but that wasn't an option, so he settled for saving it.
On and on the questions went. Most had multiple choices, but some he had to type in the answers. For his greatest fear, he put that he was afraid of dying without making a difference. For his greatest strength, he struggled before just typing his compassion. Maybe a stupid answer but it wasn't an easy question to answer.
The quiz also asked about his parents, if he had siblings, what his favorite subject was, what his ideal profession had been while he had been a child. Gary grimaced as he typed in a sprinter in the Olympics.
Finally, he got to the end, and the screen flashed, Determining superpower. Determining superpower. Determining superpower.
“Aw, man,” Jorge griped. “That’s shit, man.”
“What’s wrong? What did you get?”
“I’m a mage,” Jorge groaned.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Gary asked.
“Not when you’re in a superhero game. Besides, mages never have high charisma. I might be decently powerful in other games, but a suped-up one? I’m nothing. Worthless. What about you? How did you make out?”
Gary stared at the screen as the game finally revealed his superhero ability.
Superpower: none.
Gary blinked a few times and then squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. The words remained floating in the air for a few seconds longer before Gary could see all kinds of eye shapes and colors and hairstyles to pick and choose from.
“Hey, chico, don’t leave me hanging,” Jorge complained. “What are you?”
"I'm a dud." Gary yanked off his headset and flopped onto the couch. Jorge was right. It did sink in terribly.
Jorge removed his headset and furrowed his brows. “What do you mean? You’re a mage too?”
Gary shook his head.
"You only have fire? Metal fists but the rest of your body is weak? You can fly, but you're afraid of heights? Stop making me guess, man. Just spill it already."
“I don’t have a superpower.”
Jorge gaped, his jaw dropped. “Seriously? That’s not cool. Not cool at all. Here. Restart and try again.”
So Gary restarted, but the game wouldn’t let him start over. Somehow, it knew he was there again, and it wanted him to pick out his appearance.
“Well, you could stop having amazing blue eyes that the girls go gaga over,” Jorge joked.
“You’re just jealous because you look like you were dumped into a vat of brown,” Gary said, but his tone was more flat than amused.
“True, true.”
Gary shrugged. His eyes were blue in real life, but no girl had ever told him they were amazing. He hadn’t been with many girls. Who wanted to be with a bum like him?
I’m even a bum in the game.
“I’m sorry, man,” Jorge said.
Somehow, the screen had shifted after Gary entered the part for the avatar, and he could see Jorge. His friend was trying to determine which nose to go with. It was crazy how detailed the avatars were.
“Not your fault,” Gary mumbled.
