Town Guard: A LitRPG Adventure

TOWN GUARD ©2023 JAKE BRANNIGAN This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the authors. Aethon Books supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. Aethon Books www.aethonbooks.com Print and eBook formatting by Josh Hayes. Artwork provided by Jackson Tjota. Published by Aethon Books LLC. Aethon Books is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental. All rights reserved. CONTENTS ALSO IN THE SERIES Act 1: The Call of the Gods 1. A Rookie Adventurer 2. A Blacksmith’s Daughter 3. A Ritual In Green 4. A Charm Broken 5. A Love Delayed 6. A Shadower’s Hunt 7. A Casual Rescue 8. A Still Morning 9. A Level Gained 10. A Partner’s Accord 11. A Homecoming 12. A Mayor’s Meeting 13. A New Quest 14. A Pact Made 15. A Shadower’s Invitation 16. A Game With Drinks 17. A Candlelit Conversation 18. A Morning Hunt 19. An Escort Quest 20. An Elite Foe 21. Another Awakening 22. A Forest Tour 23. A Shimmering Threat 24. A Bold Rescue 25. A Lodger’s Deal 26. A Path Bestowed 27. A Selection of Skills 28. A Secret Boon 29. A Moonlit Goodbye Act 2: A Guard’s Life 30. A Brief Introduction 31. A Morning Departure 32. A New Uniform 33. A First Day 34. A Sealed Letter 35. A Pleasant Walk 36. A Not Safe Road 37. A Fresh Trail 38. A Guilecaster’s Ploy 39. A Forest Duel 40. A Guard’s Promotion Act 3: The Runaway Scion 41. A Blazer’s Gambit 42. A Tavern Disturbance 43. A Grand Discovery 44. A Tracker Turned About 45. A Suspicion Raised 46. A Lawful Dilemma 47. A Rain-Soaked Game 48. A Flame in the Dark 49. A Town Search 50. A Crystal Pouch 51. A Fugitive’s Flight 52. An Ally’s Return 53. A Hunter Unmasked 54. A Quest Complete 55. An Open Road 56. A Divine Interlude Thank you for reading Town Guard 1. Glossary Groups LitRPG ALSO IN THE SERIES TOWN GUARD SOUL SEER BLAZER TRUTH SEEKER ACT 1: THE CALL OF THE GODS ONE A ROOKIE ADVENTURER GLENN In just one more day the Gods would choose Glenn Redwood to become an Adventurer, and the idea of finally choosing his Class and resuming Luxtera’s Climb had him grinning like a besotted fool. He’d been stuck at level 5 for three months now—his experience would remain capped until he turned 16 tomorrow—and despite the fact that he bore no responsibility for his current circumstances, three months without gaining a single point of experience felt like a waste. Still, the Gods must have good reasons for imposing a level cap before one turned sixteen, even if Glenn didn’t understand them. To be fair, what mortal could truly understand the Gods? As he strode from the gates of Wolfpine, the small village he’d called home for almost sixteen years, waist-high stalks of bright green grass stretched away to the horizon. It was for this natural feature that his starter zone of Grassea was named, though the zone had more than just grass, of course. There was a large forest and an arid plain as well, and every bit of it had been hand-crafted by the Gods. Still, there were no mountains. Glenn hoped to see mountains one day. The brilliant orange sun that shone down upon Luxtera, a whole world made by the Gods, hung halfway through its journey across a clear blue sky. Grassea’s cool wind ruffled the tall grass like affectionate fingers through a child’s hair. The air smelled like damp earth and fresh bark, yet as pleasant as his zone was, Glenn couldn’t wait to leave. He’d felt the call to adventure from a young age, from the first time he read a story about such famed Adventurers as Mammoth Cloudcrusher and Glory Heartseeker and Benjamin Ravendust. Their epic Quests against the minions of the Challenger Gods were known across Luxtera, and the glory they’d earned for the Pantheon had made them both heroes and legends. Tomorrow, Glenn would turn sixteen and enter the ranks of those trial age, sixteen to seventeen. His experience would no longer be capped at 21,999/22,000. He could finally level to 5 and choose his Class: Duelist. Yet even so close to his dream, it wouldn’t do to falter before the Gods. So today, as he had so many days since he turned fourteen, Glenn hunted. A twig snapped from somewhere further into the Deepscorn Woods. Glenn’s grin grew eager. Once again, the Gods were challenging him to test himself against the Monsters, Demons, and Desouled of Luxtera... though he hoped never to face the latter two until he was much older. Even the low level Monsters of Grassea could still pose a challenge. While some in Luxtera chafed at the gauntlet thrown down by the Gods, the divine decree that