by Dante Doom
The Iron Dragon
Dragon Kings of the New World
Dante Doom
Contents
Dragon Kings of the New World
The Iron Dragon
Blurb
Dante Doom
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Untitled
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
End of The Iron Dragon
Thank you!
Sneak Peek
Dragon Kings of the New World
The Star Dragon
The Black Dragon
The Iron Dragons
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
RELAY PUBLISHING EDITION, OCTOBER 2017
Copyright © 2017 Relay Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved. Published in the United Kingdom by Relay Publishing. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
www.relaypub.com
Blurb
Can two fugitives beat Draco at its own game?
Van and Sang are on the run, forced to log on and play Dragons of the New World from a dank basement hideout with borrowed characters while the world crumbles around them. Sang is losing hope after being fired by the CIA, but Van’s resolve is only growing.
When Allie reveals that her people defeated the Dracos by striking them directly, they know what they have to do, but there’s just one problem—their only access to the mysterious Dracos is through a game that’s rigged against them. When they learn of an online tournament that will make five players Pros—and access to the Draco compound—Van and Sang know they have to win at any cost.
Now, with the help of some old friends from the Iron Dragon mercenaries, as well as a few bold new recruits, Van and Sang must survive every punishing challenge and prove themselves to be the best players in the game. With an in-game rebellion brewing and spies targeting them in meatspace, it will take all their courage to face Draco’s bloody endgame.
Dante Doom
Dante Doom didn’t touch a videogame or fantasy book until his 23rd year on Earth. He started working at an old-school arcade—hired primarily, he was told, because of his “badass ridiculous name”—and from then his education began. They started him on the classics, a strict diet of Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Dig Dug, Street Fighter, and Rampage. Freakish proficiency. Beginners luck, they said. He was given well-loved copies of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern.
Devoured in days. Finally, he was invited up to the arcade owner’s private gaming room: Battletoads, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES), and Ghosts ‘n Goblins followed. Defeated, at last—maybe he wasn’t such a wunderkid, after all. But he didn’t give up. And that earned him a seat at the group’s D&D table. Many a happy day has passed since—he even beat TMNT’s Dam level and its health-draining pink seaweed.
Then a year ago, that same group introduced him to the new Fantasy-LitRPG genre—what Dante saw as the final stage in his education. Because, for him, it doesn’t get any better than LitRPG. The combination of an immersive fantasy world, gaming objectives and levelled progression makes for a fascinating storytelling experience. Inspired, he took two weeks holiday from the arcade, sat down and wrote the Dragon Kings of the New World series.
Find out what Dante is up to next at:
www.DanteDoom.com
www.facebook.com/DanteDoomBooks
Prologue
"Do you think what they're saying is true?" Fredlin asked as he stalked through the woods, bow in hand. Alongside him was his companion, Savorn. The two were busy searching for elk to hunt in the Great Forest of Alketho.
"If what's true?" Savorn answered, pointing at one of the bushes. They could see evidence of grazing on the corner of the green shrub. Saliva glistened off of the plant in the sunlight, indicating that an animal wasn't too far off.
"The rumors," Fredlin said, "about the Iron Dragons?"
"Oh, them again," Savorn said with a chuckle. "Look, I don't know what you're on about. They're a bunch of crazies and cheaters. Whatever they're yammering about is nothing more than silly myths."
"You keep saying that," Fredlin replied as he knocked an arrow onto his bow and crouched down, "but I'm not convinced. I mean, I was doing some reading on the internet last night and I saw more than a few articles talking about people found dead while playing this game."
"Yeah, because when an idiot decides to pop a ton of Cwake and spend 72 hours in a tube, they tend to die," Savorn said. "The Iron Dragons are just trying to use those deaths as a way to gain more people. It's ridiculous, really. I mean, first their leaders get kicked out of the game for cheating, and the next thing you know, they're all over the place talking about how evil Draco is. Just give it a rest already."
"There!" Fredlin said as he aimed his bow at a rustling bush. The words Legendary Elk hovered above it. He released the bow and the words Hit! Lethal Blow floated above the bushes. They heard the elk crash to the ground.
"Nice shot. I thought we'd be searching for that thing all day," Savorn said as she holstered her own bow and began to walk towards the bushes. Neither of them had seen the elk, but the game system's alert was guarantee enough that they'd been successful.
"Look, over the course of the last month, nearly 17 people were found dead after playing this game," Fredlin said.
"Are we still talking about this?" Savorn asked as she leaned over the bush to look at the dead elk. Its majestic white fur glistened in the sunlight, and the arrow had struck it clean in in the heart, leading to a quick and merciful death.
"Yes, we're still talking about this," Fredlin replied as he stopped next to his companion. He drew out his field knife and began to work on harvesting the meat from the animal. The words Butchering 00/100 appeared above him as he began his work. "The Iron Dragons posted something serious on Reddit yesterday."
"Yes, because an online forum like Reddit is the epitome of civil discourse," Savorn snapped.
"They were talking about some kind of cataclysmic event that'll be coming soon. And from the looks of it, it's gonna be serious stuff."
"Cataclysmic how?" Savorn asked.
"End of the world type stuff, for sure!" Fredlin replied. "Draco's been working with some kind of terrorist cell. They've been using the game to radicalize other people and get them to carry out missions. There's some kind of gas line in San Francisco that's reportedly being rigged to explode."
"A gas line? In San Fran?" Savorn repeated. "And Draco the video game company is behind it? Do you hear how crazy that is? I mean, I've been living in San Francisco for six years, and I've not once seen a video game company try to rig a gas main."
"I'm telling you, it's really convincing stuff
. I'm thinking about joining the Iron Dragons."
"You're going to join a bunch of nutjobs who think Draco is Al-Qaeda? I have no idea why we hang out," Savorn said.
"Well, you're free to join me if you want. It's not too far to reach their headquarters from here," Fredlin said as he finished butchering the elk. "And if I were you, I'd get as far as I could from San Francisco. That main's gonna blow up any minute."
Savorn sighed. "Look, Fredlin, I think you're crazy, but if you're serious about joining the Iron Dragons, I'm in."
"Really? I figured you'd give me all sorts of flack about it," Fredlin replied.
"I might think they're nuts, but have you seen the board rankings lately? The Iron Dragons just overcame the Kingdom of Gloran and the Kraken Gods Mercenary group. They're on fire," Savorn said. "But they don't let just anyone in. I assume you've got an invite?"
"Smart girl," Fredlin said with a chuckle as he dug out a small letter from his satchel. There was an image of a large dragon made out of iron emblazoned on the letter. "They sent this to me last night."
"Can you get me in, or do I have to prove that I'm insane before they consider me?" Savorn replied with a laugh. Then, in the distance, she heard a loud boom sound out. She paused and turned around to face the direction of the sound, but saw nothing.
"You alright?" Fredlin asked. "Hear another elk?"
"No," Savorn whispered. "An explosion, I think." There was another boom, and this time it had been closer.
"I'm not hearing anything," Fredlin said. "Maybe it's a –" His words were interrupted as the power to Savorn's game system was abruptly cut.
"What the hell?" she gasped once she realized that she was sitting in her bedroom. She fumbled for a moment, trying to regain control of her senses. Getting kicked out of the game sucked hard, and for a moment she felt as if she were going blind. After a few seconds passed, she was finally able to regain her senses long enough to pull the haptic goggles off.
A stinging sensation welled up in her eyes right away, and she began to hack and wheeze. "The…hell?" she gasped out as she fell to her knees and began to blindly crawl away from the computer. The smell of smoke was overwhelming. As she instinctively crawled toward her window, she felt little pricks of pain in her knees that were accompanied by the sounds of glass crunching. She yelped in pain as the sirens in the background began to grow louder.
Savorn grunted as she hoisted herself up, stumbling to the window. She needed air, and badly. Opening one eye, she could see that the window had been shattered. Sticking her head out the window, she tried to take a deep breath of fresh air, but felt only more pain as the smoke entered her lungs. In the distance, someone was calling to her, but she was beginning to lose consciousness from the smoke inhalation. Another explosion in the distance rocked the entire house. Holy crap, she thought as she slid to the ground. The Iron Dragons were right.
Chapter One
"Is this a good sign or a bad sign?" Sang asked as she pointed to the horde of players who were trudging toward the home base of the Iron Dragons. Originally, the plan had been for them to just stay in an abandoned castle for a few days while the entire team of mercenaries found a suitable home, but word had gotten out that this castle was the new base of operations. Now more people than ever were arriving to meet with the team.
"A bad sign, I'd wager to say," Van said as he leaned over the castle wall. He suddenly looked dead tired, and she realized that he must have just received some bad news.
"Did the main explode?"
"Took out an entire block," Van replied. "Just got word in from the team."
"How many dead?" Sang asked, bracing herself.
"Three hundred," Van said. "The worst part? It was a residential section."
"What?" Sang gasped. "I thought they were targeting the factory district!"
Van sighed deeply and shook his head. "It turns out that the information they leaked was just to mess with us. They were sending a message with that explosion, Sang. If we keep pushing, they'll kill more innocents."
"Well, they can think that'll scare us off," Sang replied, "but they're dead wrong. By the end of this, we'll kill every last one of those bastards."
Van shrugged. He didn't look nearly as enthused as he'd been at the start of the mission a few weeks before. It seemed that with each attack Draco levied against them, Van only grew more depressed.
"Look," Van offered, "I don't know about any of that. I’m just saying that we need to get this operation moving a little faster. We can't keep taking hits like this."
"If we let them push us to move faster, we're going to make a mistake," Sang replied. "We've only got one option: stay on the course. If we modify our actions because of their attacks, then we're only going to trip up."
"That's easy for you to say," Van said. "But you're not in charge of this operation."
"And you're not in charge of what happens outside of this game!" Sang warned. "We've got the full force of the government working from behind the scenes, so let them worry about stopping Draco in the real world."
Van shook his head. "I'm sorry, it's just not getting any easier. I thought it would, but… I think this job is going to kill me."
"If it's any consolation, it will probably kill the both of us. Now, come on – you've got some newcomers to welcome," Sang said as she patted him on the shoulder.
"I have no idea how you can make light of all this," Van said, trudging down the stairs to meet with the new recruits.
"It's an acute reaction to stress," Sang replied. "You can either laugh or cry. I'm choosing to laugh, because if I cry, I don't think I'll ever stop."
The gates to the interior of the castle throne room swung open as fifteen players entered. The lieutenants of the Iron Dragons were all present. There were Kylian, Bidane, Capello, and Sahara. They had been with Sang and Van from the very beginning of the mercenary company's formation and were all adamant about the fact that they believed the truth – that Draco was actually an alien organization. Jet had apparently told them as much, and they believed him wholeheartedly.
"Alright, team," Van said as he walked in front of the crew that had been patiently waiting for him. "Let's induct these newbies quick. And keep the alien talk down… that means you, Capello. The story is that these are terrorists."
"Lame," Capello grumbled.
"Yes, sir," Kylian said. "If you don't know already, there was an explosion."
"Yeah, I’m well aware," Van said quickly. "Now, shush. Here they come."
The gaggle of players walked up to Van. Leading them was a player that Sang could barely remember. There were so many members of the Iron Dragons now – nearly 500, and the number was growing with each passing week. Soon, they would have enough of a force to push into more Designated Reality Zones.
"Greetings, prospective members of the Iron Dragons," Van said as he held his arms up high. "My name is Van and I welcome you to our humble base. Now, I’m not going to mince any words here. Most of you know who we are. Most of you know that we aren't here to just play a fun game and have a good time. We are here for a singular purpose. To investigate and fight against a terrorist organization that works with Draco." Van paused for a moment and Sang glanced at the crowd, waiting for a few people to walk away, but no one did. That was odd.
Van continued, "Draco is actively aiding and abetting a terrorist cell working against the interests of the United States, as well as several other countries. No doubt you've heard about the deaths of innocent players who were playing this game. 17 people died three weeks ago, all within fifteen minutes of each other. 12 more were found dead a day later. One of our very own, whom we called Dolly, passed away due to health complications involving this game. So, I'm going to be honest with all of you today. We are not here to goof off. We are a resistance force. If you join us, you are agreeing to potentially risk your life for the cause."
"You were right!" came a voice from the center of the group. The players began to shift and step out of the way
to allow a young man armed with a bow to step forward. The name Fredlin hovered above his head. "There was an explosion today. In San Francisco. Six gas mains exploded at the same time, except the news is saying it's some kind of an accident. But it wasn't – you guys said that this was going to happen and that it was an attack!"
There was a commotion amongst the group. A few were surprised, but the rest seemed to take the news in stride.
"I had a friend out there!" Fredlin said. "A good friend. I haven't heard from her since she suddenly disconnected a few hours ago. Now, I don't know if she's dead, but I'm worried sick about her. You knew the truth about Draco and you tried to warn us. If that's not reason enough to join, then I don't know what is."
"Yeah!" cried someone else. "My brother died in one of those tubes. And if you're saying that Draco is responsible for that, then I'm gonna make those bastards pay."
The threat elicited cheers from the entire crowd. Sang was surprised to see such a high level of enthusiasm from them, too. This group was definitely comprised of a different caliber of player – perhaps that Reddit article was responsible for it.
"Good," Van said, "then you must know that we are a unit. We work together as a team, to ensure that we will all get out of this alive. The clock is ticking. Draco has started pushing their plan forward, and it's only a matter of time before they begin to enact a series of nuclear meltdowns. We have allies, but… but Draco's roots run deep. The boots on the ground in the real world are susceptible to spies, espionage, and sabotage. Already, this operation has hit a lot of internal resistances. Two key men were hospitalized the night after they agreed to support this operation."
