Rogue realms book 1 a.., p.1
Rogue Realms - Book 1: (A LitRPG Adventure),
p.1
Rogue Realms
BOOK 1
R.A. MEJIA
MAC ROLLANS
© 2023
Published by Single Player Books LLC
All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Handler and Asset
Chapter 2 – Another Agent
Chapter 3 – Meet Burion Belov
Chapter 4 – Welcome to Mancer
Chapter 5 – A New Companion
Chapter 6 – Evaluation
Chapter 7 – Comparing Notes
Chapter 8 – Classes Begin
Chapter 9 – Control, Attunement, and Meditation
Chapter 10 – Culinary Coursework
Chapter 11 – Signore Barducci
Chapter 12 – Snooping
Chapter 13 – Lair Team
Chapter 14 – The Elemental Box
Chapter 15 – Being Charismatic
Chapter 16 – Watchers
Chapter 17 – Rest
Chapter 18 – Magical Food
Chapter 19 – Getting into a Routine
Chapter 20 – The Long-Awaited Match
Chapter 21 – Bog Rodent Lair
Chapter 22 – Mini-Bosses
Chapter 23 – Interlude I – Lulu Tidus
Chapter 24 – Lair Camp
Chapter 25 – Rodents of the Bog
Chapter 26 – The Plague Bringers
Chapter 27 – Rodent Bog Lord
Chapter 28 – Exodus
Chapter 29 – A Hero Among Us
Chapter 30 – Ancestral Orb
Chapter 31 – Shiny New Skills
Chapter 32 – Return to Routine
Chapter 33 – The Gauntlet
Chapter 34 –- Interlude II – Yui Nakamura
Chapter 35 – Survival
Chapter 36 – Rapid Growth
Chapter 37 – A Party
Chapter 38 – Party Crashers
Chapter 39 – Hunting the Hunter
Chapter 40 – Not Dead Yet
Chapter 41 – Water Everywhere
Chapter 42 – The Giant’s Throne
Chapter 43 – Yum Kaax
Chapter 44 – The Ultimate Hunter
Chapter 45 – Mana Cultivation
Chapter 46 – Light Work
Chapter 47 – Traitor
Chapter 48 – Hazardous Laboratory Lair
Chapter 49 – Behind Door Number One
Chapter 50 – Second Floor
Chapter 51 – Interlude III – Coach Liv
Chapter 52 – Amalgamation Mutant
Chapter 53 – Press Forward
Chapter 54 – Moving Forward
Chapter 55 – Shadow Agent
From the Publishers
Chapter 1 – Handler and Asset
Ben took a deep breath as he slowly opened the door and stepped into the dark hallway. On either side of him, small candles flickered, providing the only source of light, and casting eerie shadows that made him second guess his decision to infiltrate from this direction. A chill ran down his spine, and he knew that there were hidden dangers lurking in the darkness. Despite that, he steeled his resolve. He had come this far, and he wasn't going to fail now.
As he squinted, his poor vision, a legacy of his badger-kin ancestry, made it challenging to see in the low light. His Synesthesia kicked in, and the hallway lit up with a variety of colors. The cold stone floor was illuminated in pale blues and grays while the wooden beams came alive in an earthy green that he could almost taste. But most importantly, he could sense something else: a guard patrolling back and forth. Its presence was thick and menacing, a pine-made construct that moved silently on lubricated wheels, its outline illuminated by his altered vision in an ominous violet light.
He ducked into the shadows, activated Stealth and held his breath, hoping it hadn't noticed him. A deep-seated anxiety coursed through him as he watched its movements, the grinding of metal against stone echoing down the hallway. He caught a glimpse of its shining faceplate and dimly-glowing eyes—an artificial construct meant to keep out intruders.
His heart raced as he felt it draw nearer. The guard seemed to sense something in the air and stopped just short of where he was hiding. Its head swiveled back and forth, scanning the hallways for any sign of movement. Sweat beaded on Ben’s forehead as the construct’s sensors swept over him in a cold wave, searching for anything out of place.
The presence of the guard felt like a heavy weight on his chest. He knew that if it saw him before he was ready to be seen, it would be over for him. He stayed perfectly still until finally, after what felt like an eternity, the guard continued on its patrol. It moved away from him again, its metal treads leaving fading echoes.
Holding his breath, he waited in the shadows for the guard to pass before sprinting to the door at the far end of the hall. As he reached it, his heart sank when he realized it was locked. Without hesitation, he scrambled for the lock picks in his pocket and quickly fumbled them into the keyhole. With a few clicks and twists of his wrist, he felt two tumblers fall into place and opened the door into a silent chamber beyond.
Ben’s eyes adjusted to the dim light as he stepped into the room. A few pieces of furniture were scattered around, but it was mostly empty. He spotted some chairs, a desk, and a handful of filing cabinets. The bookshelves on the walls were stacked high, but the contents were unclear in the darkness.
He took a deep breath, relying on his enhanced sense of smell and Synesthesia to detect the aroma of pine and oil that he needed to distinguish between the furniture and guards. But there was no smell of either in this room, leaving him both confused and relieved.
His gaze darted around the room, scanning the objects on the shelves and tables in an attempt to find what he had come for. After a few moments of fruitless searching, he activated Stealth and slid across the floor with silent steps to the only other door in the room.
He eyed the lock on the door in front of him, much more intricate than the one he had just come through. Eight tumblers meant serious business. He bit his lip and quickly set to work, using his tools to delicately manipulate each tumbler. After what felt like an eternity, he felt a satisfying click, and the door opened with a quiet creak. However, his moment of victory was cut short by a loud alarm that echoed off the walls as he stepped through.
He cursed loudly as the lanterns above flared to life, abruptly ending the scenario.
“Always check for traps!” Lopez barked from above, his furred ears stiff with annoyance as he leaned back on the chaise, sipping on a glass of wine. It was barely past morning, and he was already drinking. It made Ben worried for his future if this was what his Handler was really like.
When he looked at that wolfman, he hardly recognized him. His thick beard had been replaced by a thin moustache and goatee, which was not the style in the Aulido Empire where Ben had been recruited. Also gone was the crisp, clean military uniform and the weapons he once kept on him at all times. He now wore white silk shirts with frilly collars as well as cufflinks with pearl buttons. It was so different from what he experienced when they first met.
It softened all the hard edges he had during that first meeting that had led him through an adventure of a lifetime, culminating with them fleeing from a deadly agent of the Aulido Empire and him becoming a junior member of the Shadow Agency.
It had only been a couple of months since they arrived at the estate Lopez called home in the Green Hills province in the country of Bueong. It was a continent away from his home country Aulido and their closest neighbor Rugir and their never-ending war. Traveling here was surprisingly fast. Lopez had paid for a portal to the coast, then just another month at sea and here they were. And as soon as they reached, Ben's training started in earnest.
“I can’t disarm traps. I don’t have the skill,” Ben snapped back as his mind returned to the present and his frustration flared at failing once again.
Lopez gave him a contemptuous flick of his wrist and scoffed, “I know you don't have the skill. You never will if you don’t even bother to put in the effort. It was a simple trap. A quick snip of the wire and you would have been in.”
Ben gritted his teeth and growled in frustration. The basement of his Handler’s manor was expansive, much larger than the house above. Its many movable rooms and hallways twisted and turned into a true labyrinth that seemed to bring a new challenge every time he entered. And as the session drew to a close, he could feel the lecture looming: Lopez’s familiar words precisely enunciated before he slowly paced the room, scanning Ben with those cold eyes for any sign of disagreement or misunderstanding. The same lecture, as though he hadn’t heard it enough times before.
“An agent is fast. Not only must we think quickly, but we must also be prepared to
Ben shook his head and started to look for the exit to the maze, recalling that the speech wasn’t the only thing that had become routine. He also underwent the same training every day. Each morning, he'd wake before the sun to make food, and then he was ushered into a labyrinth of corridors with traps and guards lurking in the shadows. He had to sneak around, pick locks, and search for the object Lopez had asked him to find, all while desperately trying to avoid being caught. The afternoons were spent on intense physical training: lifting weights, sprints, obstacle courses, training with weapons, combat maneuvers, and various exercises meant to improve his stats. In the evenings, he was required to expand his knowledge of languages and customs from around the world as well as study magical texts and develop his Mystic Skills. His Handler had given him a two-year timeline to achieve Intermediate Rank in both Linguistics and Sociolinguistics—a daunting task considering he had to learn several languages at once. To top it off, he hadn’t even specified what constituted an “acceptable” level of physical stats.
After half an hour of crawling through the endless maze, Ben finally spotted the stairs that marked the exit.
Lopez sat up as Ben arrived at the top of the stairs and reached into the magical satchel he always carried with him. He rummaged through it unnecessarily; the satchel held a lot more than its size would indicate and would have given him anything he desired with just a thought. With a satisfied look on his face, he pulled out a contraption of shaped glass and metal and handed them to Ben. “The reading glasses you requested,” he said with a smile.
Ben was exhausted, but the temptation of snatching the prized pair of glasses was too much. He put them on, fastening the wire hooks around his ears and blinking several times as his vision improved. Now, up close, he could almost see normally, but anything beyond a few meters remained blurred, and he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
“Fine, don’t thank me. See if I care,” Lopez complained playfully.
“Thank you. I . . . I just . . . Thank you,” Ben stammered, feeling incredibly grateful for the glasses.
His Handler smiled gently. “You are welcome, apprentice. Now off with you. Your smell is very offensive. Be sure to wash thoroughly, and please, use the parfume I gave you. Oh, and only use the reading glasses when you’re reading. Otherwise, you risk stagnating your Synesthesia skill.”
Ben suppressed a shudder at the mention of the “parfume” his Handler put in his bathroom. He thought the actual word was “perfume,” but Lopez seemed to relish using the other name. He smiled forcefully and nodded, knowing he had no intention to use the smelly stuff.
He removed the glasses, folding them carefully and putting them into his magical satchel, not bothering with rummaging. It was the same satchel Lopez had given him when he put him on the course to becoming a Shadow Agent. His Handler gave him a small look of disapproval but didn’t make a big deal of it.
The wolfman instead leaned back on his chair and smiled, sipping at more wine, more or less dismissing Ben until lunch, where he would be sent to the kitchen to prepare food for the both of them. Ben didn’t mind this at all. It was nice that his Handler was still encouraging him to improve his Cooking skill.
Lunch was a simple affair of beast cutlet, fresh bread, and a lettuce salad. When they finished, they pushed their chairs back from the table and made their way to the training room. The wall was lined with swords, shields, bow and arrows, and various other weapons. Rows of life-size wooden dummies stood in formation.
Lopez knew a lot about martial fighting, and he'd already tried teaching Ben Fencing, Archery, Kendo, which was a kind of Sword Fighting, or any one of a dozen or more martial skills. While he wasn’t expected to become a master at all of them, his Handler was trying to find the martial skills Ben had talent for. He already had Fighting and Knife Fighting at Intermediate Rank, but that was a fluke and only thanks to fighting through a lair that he was able to advance them that far. He didn’t really think he had a talent for either skill.
The tall wolfman, who had changed into a simple linen shirt and pants, cleared his throat, signaling the start of the session. “Grappling is different from the Common Fighting skill. Where the Fighting skill incorporates all aspects of combat with and without a weapon, Grappling is specific to combat without a weapon. Where Boxing is all about throwing punches, and Kickboxing is all about knee and elbow strikes, Grappling is all about gripping or seizing your opponent. And once you have your opponent, you can dislocate joints, break bones, or render them unconscious by cutting off blood flow to the brain. It is great for disabling without killing an opponent.”
Ben had learned that his Handler didn’t enjoy questions and just remained silent as he continued.
“Come closer,” the wolfman ordered, his normally aloof expression becoming serious as he pointed to the ground just in front of him.
Ben nodded and stood where he was told.
“We’ll start with some simple holds. I’ll demonstrate it to you, and then you’ll try it on me. Understood?”
His Handler adjusted his grip on Ben's wrist, his calloused hands gently but firmly tugging him into position. His arm felt like steel as he wrapped it around Ben's wrist, locking his hand into place by curling his fingers around it. His other arm went over the top of Ben's, then under his bicep, applying just the right amount of pressure to make Ben's wrist bend painfully.
Ben mimicked him, surprised at how quickly he could replicate the move. His movements were sure and confident as he followed his lead, not once misplacing his arm or scrambling the steps.
The wolfman seemed taken aback, eyebrows lifting as he tapped Ben's shoulder after he completed the technique and clamped down on his wrist. "Nicely done," he said in admiration. "You got that quicker than I thought. We'll go a little faster now."
He grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him into an armlock, twisting Ben's arm until he thought it would break. Ben had no choice but to submit, and then Lopez moved on to the leg lock, pressing down hard with his knee until Ben's breathing was tight and shallow. Ben felt the chokehold around his throat, and suddenly he had no air left. He was forced to endure more and more variations of the skills until he thought he could take no more.
Then it was Ben's turn to inflict some pain. His heart raced as he sprinted toward the wolfman. The movements felt invigorating and natural. Ben mirrored Lopez’s every motion from before, applying the perfect pressure to each twist and hold. In that moment, it felt like he had unlocked something inside him for the first time, and a smile spread across his face. They sparred until, finally, his Handler lay in surrender on the mat, tapping Ben's leg in defeat.
Congratulations! You’ve learned to hold your opponent to either injure or subdue. The Rare Skill Grappling has been added to your skill list.
When Ben told the wolfman, he clicked his tongue irritably and mumbled, “Figures.”
“Why?” Ben asked, wondering if maybe it was something his mother, a Shadow Agent who he’d been told had been killed shortly after Ben was born, was also good at.
The wolfman must have seen something of Ben’s thoughts on his face because his Handler shook his head as he answered, “No big reason. It’s not something passed down from your mother if that’s what you were thinking. I am just not very skilled with Grappling. It is also not very useful against most beasts. That said, it is extremely effective against other kin. I’ll teach you what I can, but don’t expect much. I would imagine you will develop it to a higher degree than I know within a couple of months.”
“So, this is just my natural talent in Fighting then?” Ben asked.
The wolfman nodded. “Yes, it seems like this is one of them. There will probably be others. We just need to find them. I still have a very long list of martial skills for you to try. However, now that we know where your talent lies, we can get you some related martial skills that will make you much more effective. But that is for later. I still have more Grappling to show you.”
