The World Around the Corner Read online

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  Praise for THE WORLD AROUND THE CORNER

  The World Around the Corner

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  A word about the author…

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  Also available from The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and other major retailers

  Dana stood two careful feet away from Jeff on the doorstep as he rang the bell. She was trying fervently to remember exactly what she had said, how far she had gone, talking with Badon online. Would Jeff expect her to, well, flirt with him the way she did with Badon? It wasn’t fair if he supposed she’d exchange provocative remarks with any guy just because she had talked that way, very mildly really, with Badon. But no, wait, it was Jeff she had been flirting with when she chatted so breezily with Badon. Her head was beginning to hurt.

  Praise for THE WORLD AROUND THE CORNER

  A quirky twist on a well-loved genre, The World Around the Corner brings you romantic comedy like you've never seen it before. Rick Ellrod has a talent for creating unique characters and plotlines.

  ~ Anne Garboczi Evans, author

  Having beta read several of Rick Ellrod's works, I've always been impressed by the intelligence of his relaxed, engaging prose. I look forward to the rest of the world reading his works, as well.

  ~ JC Kang, USA Today Bestselling Author

  Rick Ellrod writes sophisticated stories with appealing characters and fun twists. With The World Around The Corner, he has combined romance and LitRPG and shown that he masters both genres.

  ~Ashlinn Craven, author

  Parallel worlds. One quest to find a princess. Another to find a missing friend. In a clever mix of role-playing fantasy and real life, Rick Ellrod has crafted an engaging story full of wit, charm and romance.

  ~Laverne St. George, author

  The World Around the Corner

  by

  Rick Ellrod

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  The World Around The Corner

  COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Rick Ellrod

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Debbie Taylor

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Sweetheart Rose Edition, 2018

  Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-2075-5

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To Tiptonn, Ranlira, Gwydion, Andurs, Meerschaum, Emeraldice, Hulkxx, Outsydor, Pickleann, and the rest of The Henchmen

  Chapter 1

  Jeff Stanton yanked out his laptop and slung his backpack, with its cargo of student term papers, into a corner of his apartment’s study. His faculty office hours at the University had run late; his car was giving him trouble again; and his Heroes’ Calling guild had an early start time, in deference to the schedules of its East Coast members.

  He tilted the mike on its boom slightly and made sure the webcam was set to include the mat behind him. Gauging the late evening light, he slipped on a pair of snug elastic bracelets studded with small metal beads. The camera would pick up large-scale movements, but its sensors would read the positions of the chips in the bracelets more precisely.

  The martial intro music ended, and the Heroes’ Calling logo faded into swirling mists on the screen. The mists cleared in turn to reveal a rocky hollow shaded by a gnarled overhanging tree. A late afternoon sky shone deep blue above. The virtual environment felt more like home than the small Midwestern college town where he lived. A vacation home, perhaps.

  A campfire burned brightly at the bottom of the hollow. Jeff saw the back of his own character, Badon the warrior, seated cross-legged on the ground. Across from him was the wizard Archonis, who was wearing robes of a rather garish yellow, and Meretreia, a female bard in flared blue trousers and green tunic, lute slung over her back.

  Archonis executed a dignified bow as Jeff appeared, and he waved back. “Hey, Badon,” the wizard’s voice came from the speakers. A player chose the voice along with the character’s appearance, and Archonis had selected an impressively sonorous tone. “Ready for the weekend?”

  “You bet.” Archonis would hear Jeff’s words in Badon’s mellow voice, thanks to the filters in the software. “I’d apologize for being late, but I guess I’m not the only one. Hi, Merry.”

  “Hello, Badon.” Meretreia turned left, then right. “Pendragen was here a minute ago. He had to go offline.”

  “ ’S okay. How about Evanesce? Anyone talked to her lately?”

  “Not me,” said Archonis.

  “I haven’t.” Meretreia’s voice sounded feminine, but that too could be due to filters. “I thought she was supposed to be on tonight.”

  Jeff glanced over the guild roster and chat. Various other members were disporting themselves in exotic locales. Snowstorm the frost wizard and Montana the ranger were trying to run the Haunted Keep alone, with mixed results. Imagofer was in Aderrit, one of the major cities, buying new equipment. Eirik and Lyrania were discussing parties coming up over the weekend—Jeff seemed to recall they attended the same school and were acquainted outside the game. Rogann wasn’t on, although Friday night was one of the few times he generally made an appearance. Neither was the Pumpkineer; he was on vacation. Tomtom was–

  Next to Badon a burly armored figure shimmered into existence. This was Pendragen, chief of the Northern Lights guild. “Howdy, folks. I ought to be good for a while now.”

  Next to Meretreia appeared a tall woman with an athletic litheness and a mane of black hair. “Hey there,” came in dulcet tones.

  “Rosmara.” Jeff grinned and straightened up in his chair. It wasn’t really an adventure until Rosmara showed up. He typed a code, and his character on the screen clapped briefly. “Late again, huh?”

  “Didn’t want to disappoint you.”

  “But are rogues supposed to be so predictable?”

  “It lulls you into a false sense of security.”

  Jeff took a moment to appreciate the rogue’s well-developed feminine figure. Of course, there was no telling what Rosmara’s player looked like “IRL”—in real life. Jeff’s own Badon, for instance, was tall, brawny and black-haired, while Jeff himself was tall but wiry, with light brown hair. He had done a good deal of daydreaming about the corresponding possibilities for Rosmara. Of course, he couldn’t be certain Rosmara’s player was even female—though her conversation sounded feminine enough.

  At the bottom of his screen, a line of text appeared; the color and label told him it was directed to him privately from Rosmara. Hi, pal, it read. Good to see you!

  Jeff typed back, Likewise! How’s your week been? Aloud he said, “I’ll have to watch my back.”

  So-so, Rosmara responded. Couple of frustrating things.

  We’ll see if we can bring up the
average for you tonight!

  Over the speakers, Archonis was saying, “This may be everybody. Pen, is Evanesce going to be here?”

  “I thought so. I haven’t heard from her, though.”

  “What about Rogann?” asked Meretreia. “He knows her IRL, doesn’t he?”

  “Yeah, he’s her father,” said their leader. “I don’t think he’s been on lately either, though. We’ll go ahead without her.”

  “If we leave Ev behind, we can summon her the next time we reach a campsite,” Rosmara said. “But if she misses an important step in the quest, we might have to go back for it.”

  Jeff nodded to himself. “Hate to backtrack, but we’ll do it if necessary.”

  Glad you feel that way, Rosmara told him. Don’t want to upset her more than we have to.

  True. She’s been kind of touchy lately.

  “Okay.” Pendragen moved to the edge of the hollow. “Everybody ready to go?”

  There was a brief pause while people checked their status and applied beneficial spells or buffs. Jeff sharpened his sword.

  The group summoned their mounts, those convenient steeds that appeared and disappeared at will. Once the party was mounted, Pendragen led the way up and out of the hollow. A sound of horses’ hoofbeats came from the speakers. The group headed east along an unpaved road.

  Jeff hit the Continue button and his character moved forward automatically, leaving him free to type except to make minor changes in direction from time to time. You had family coming to visit, didn’t you? he asked Rosmara. Any trouble?

  Oh, no. My niece was here.

  How old is she?

  Eight. Bright kid, too. Takes after her Aunt Rosmara.

  Jeff grinned at the thought of the clever, capable Rosmara in charge of a little girl. Roguish?

  Oh, yes. But a heart of gold.

  Naturally. Bet she wanted to play HC. Jeff added a smile emoticon.

  lol—yes. We played a little. Also made an omelet, threw a football around…

  Well-rounded kid!

  Yes. It’s good to have a chance to get together. My brother & wife live too far away to visit much.

  She did say “Aunt.” That was encouraging. If Rosmara wasn’t a girl, Jeff had wasted a lot of good daydreaming.

  A group of dire wolves waited near the road. Pendragen led them in a wide semicircle off the path and back again. He steered clear of a vineripper growing on a nearby tree, probing the air hopefully with its green tendrils.

  How about you, Badon? Long week?

  Yes, but it’s over!

  Got the weekend off?

  All of next week—but I do have a couple things to get done. Jeff was going to have to take his car in to the shop again Saturday morning. He was fond of the old vehicle, but it was prone to developing new and innovative engine problems.

  “There’s the village up ahead,” Rosmara said aloud. They were emerging from the forest into a cleared area containing a scattering of thatch-roofed buildings.

  Pendragen halted, and the rest followed suit. “One minute. I think we will need to fight these guys, but not to the death.”

  Jeff called up the quest log and scanned it.

  Princess Aurelie’s abductors were seen fleeing east from Relekki. Pursue them with all speed. They may have stopped in the village of Puranda, on the border. Find out if the townspeople know which way the kidnappers went. If they are reluctant to speak, take whatever measures are necessary to find out where to continue the pursuit.

  “Yeah.” Jeff leaned back in his chair and stretched. “They’re supposed to give us the next step in the quest.”

  “How do you mean, not to the death?” asked Meretreia.

  “As long as they’re red, fight ’em,” said Archonis. “If they turn blue, hold off. Keep an eye on me or Pen.”

  “Okay.”

  The group advanced cautiously into the village and clicked off their mounts. People moving around the village streets had blue mouse-over labels, indicating friendly entities. They began to cluster around the players, with word balloons on the screen asking who the newcomers were and where from. Jeff quietly maneuvered Badon so his back was to a building wall.

  “Pretty basic mobs,” Archonis said. “This shouldn’t be too bad.”

  “I don’t know.” Rosmara had positioned herself behind a group of town guards. “These guards over here are elite.”

  “Ready?” asked Pendragen. When the others assented, the guild chief initiated the conversation with the villagers. This was largely pre-scripted and automatic, following the story line Heroes’ Calling had set up for the quest.

  Villager: Who are you, strangers?

  Pendragen: The king has sent us here from Relekki.

  Second villager: For what purpose?

  Pendragen: We are following the Princess Aurelie. Have you seen her?

  Villager: What do you want with her?

  Pendragen: Our orders are to bring her back to Relekki.

  Another villager: You seek to take her captive!

  Pendragen: No, we want to rescue–

  First villager: Stop them!

  The villagers’ labels turned from blue to red as they drew weapons. Jeff called, “Here we go!”

  The speakers emitted a medley of sword-clashing, grunting, and confused shouting. Most of the details of combat were automatic in this mode. Badon brought up a mighty two-handed sword and exchanged blows with his opponent.

  Incongruous strains of lute music mixed in with the battle sounds, and Jeff grinned. Meretreia the bard was producing inspirational music, enhancing their combat abilities.

  “Tougher than they look, Pen!” Archonis backed up to get out of melee range.

  “Check out the word balloons. It’s a retired army encampment.” The villagers were continuing to speak in overlapping confusion as they attacked.

  Jeff grunted. “Just our luck.” A woman in a peasant skirt beaned Badon with a frying pan. “Ouch.”

  Two more villagers closed in, swinging swords, and Badon’s health bar began to shrink more quickly.

  Rosmara the rogue was now translucent as she used stealth. She slipped in to sap one of his attackers from behind. The villager swayed on his feet, stunned.

  “Thanks, Rose!”

  “Don’t mention it!” She chuckled and spun around to strike at another of the attackers with a dagger. The showy spin, too, was part of the rogue’s programmed fighting technique.

  Jeff was ready for a little exercise. He took advantage of the moment’s lull to stand up, shove his chair to one side, and click a button to switch from automatic to manual fight control.

  Several irate villagers were closing in on Archonis. That wasn’t good. Mages were notoriously fragile—“squishy” was the cant term.

  Jeff stretched suddenly forward, bent one knee, and thrust his hands outward, triggering the Charge. Badon rushed forward, sword poised. Jeff drew back and joined his hands, gripping an invisible sword, and chopped diagonally down in a sweeping motion—what his martial arts instructor would have called yokomenuchi. Badon echoed the move, striking down an opponent.

  Twisting smoothly back and forth, Jeff executed a series of varied blows into the air. The webcam in front of him, and the sensors keyed to his bracelets, registered his movements and relayed them to his avatar on the screen. The manual attack was perhaps slightly more effective than the automatic routines, and considerably more fun. The ferocity of the warrior’s assault attracted attention away from Archonis—Badon had “gained aggro.”

  “Thanks,” the mage said. “I work better undisturbed.”

  “Disturbance is my business.”

  Across the square, a trio of burly soldier types had managed to detect the stealthed rogue. They rained blows upon her, and her health bar shortened alarmingly. Rogues were not precisely squishies, but they were not as resistant as the fighter types. “Oops! This is not good,” she laughed, and began to dodge backwards. The villagers followed.

  Beauty, and wit,
in peril! Badon charged forward and attacked in a flurry of steel. The villagers turned to face the greater threat and attacked the warrior. Jeff sighed in satisfaction.

  Rosmara was teetering at about one-quarter health. There was a flare of yellow light, and her health level sprang up again. Pendragen was on the job. This group lacked a true healer at the moment, but the paladin made a workable substitute. He was standing his ground a little to the left, methodically smiting a village guard while periodically casting healing spells on those who needed them.

  “Saved by the bell!” she said.

  “No, saved by the Bad.” Jeff chuckled, and caused his warrior to shake his sword in the air triumphantly. “Badon pulls it off!”

  “Always a good day when the Bad’s around,” Rosmara laughed. To Jeff she typed, Thanks, pal. You saved my life! She actually paused in the attack long enough to curtsy.

  My pleasure! Jeff clicked the automatic combat option back on long enough to type. All for one!

  And one for all!

  “All You Need Is Love”!

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” she responded without missing a beat.

  Jeff grinned. One of the things they had in common was a taste for mid-twentieth-century music.

  “I think we’re getting there,” said Rosmara. “Most of them are down to about twenty-five percent. Good going on the Zone of Weakness, Arc.”

  Jeff left one opponent dazed and moved to the next. “Yeah. It’s bringing them all down without killing them.”

  “Here they go,” called Pendragen. The labels floating over their opponents had suddenly changed from red to blue. The players’ ’toons—their animated cartoon avatars—were lowering their weapons, and the battle noises were subsiding.

  Jeff untargeted Badon’s opponent and the warrior sheathed his sword. Another preprogrammed dialogue commenced.

  Villager: Have mercy! We cannot resist you.

  Pendragen: We have no wish to fight. We only seek to bring aid to the Princess.

  Villager: You will do her no harm?

  This was a branch point in the plot line. Visible to all the players, Pendragen’s word balloon now offered three options.