Small Town Dragon Tamer: A LitRPG monster tamer story Read online

  SMALL TOWN DRAGON TAMER

  S. G. SEABOURNE

  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.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2022 by S. G. Seabourne

  CONTENTS

  Summary

  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

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Afterword

  SUMMARY

  Meet Harmony: A canny duelist in the world’s most popular monster fighting video game. When she receives a message promising fame and adventure through dragon taming, she jumps at the chance. Getting in on the ground level of a new hot game is the opportunity of a lifetime. What could go wrong?

  The next thing Harmony knows, she’s been transported to a world where she is the character, dragons are real, and the duels have become life or death.

  ONE

  It was the perfect day for a monster hunt.

  I let out a happy sigh as I walked through the grassy fields of my local park. The sun was high in a clear blue sky, a slight breeze lifting through my ashy blonde hair. The playful shouts of running kids were interspersed with the occasional raised voice of a parent calling them in.

  I only paid enough attention to make sure I would not run into anybody or step on a picnic blanket.

  My head bowed over my phone as I tapped furiously in the duel of my monster’s life.

  On the screen, my underpowered monster, a Dearie, battled a Gollum four times his size. It looked like a spritely Bambi squaring off against the Iron Giant. My Dearie’s opponent had more XP, and a couple of basic, though powerful move sets. Most were elemental-Earth based.

  My Dearie was smaller with some life nature-based moves that did nothing against the Gollum’s iron and earth skin. By every measurement, my Dearie was weaker.

  But my Dearie had a special attack up his digital sleeves: Hearts of Justice.

  If I fought smartly, I’d have a chance to win.

  I swiped left and right to dodge blows from the Gollum’s slow but strong punches and kicks.

  The nimble deer-like sprite on the screen was able to avoid most of the blows, jumping over meaty, oversized fists.

  All the while, I kept my eyes on the health bar.

  Finally, mine had only a sliver of red remaining while the Gollum was almost at half. I stopped my Dearie, and with frantic tapping, keyed in the special attack I’d kept in reserve for the entire match.

  A smart opponent might suspect that something fishy was going on. My Dearie had been bounding around the fighting arena like his hooves were springs. Now he was locked in place.

  Hopefully, my opponent would think I’d given up and just wanted the fight to finish.

  No dice. I spent way too much time and energy on this monster and acquiring this finishing move set.

  The giant, ham-size fist came in a flourishing roundhouse punch intent to bottom out the last of my Dearie’s health. My opponent was getting fancy.

  A split-second before it struck, I released Special Attack: Hearts of Justice.

  A pink glittery shield filled with hearts encased my little deer creature. Antlers sprouted from his forehead, taking it from ice-skating Bambi to weirdly handsome, fresh-after-winter Prince Bambi. It bowed its head to take the blow full on. As soon as the fist connected, the screen flashed.

  Abruptly, the health and power bars swapped places. My Dearie was nearly at full strength.

  I heard a dismayed shout from somewhere across the field. Absently, I pulled my hair to the side, shielding what I was doing. My eyes didn’t leave my phone’s screen for a second.

  This was a total overpowered trap move — my Dearie’s specialty, but it required a crazy amount of setup in return. My Dearie could use no offensive moves in the entire fight prior — dodging only. Other special attacks were out of the question.

  Really, the other guy should’ve seen it coming.

  He could have taken my Dearie down with a special iron pincer grip or an earth spike. But no. He wanted to punch the life out of my monster bit by bit.

  This was what he got. Now my special attack was used, I could strike back.

  The antlers hadn’t disappeared. My Dearie was still in Prince Bambi mode. He charged forward to headbutt the reeling Gollum once, twice, three times. They were tiny hits, like attacking a boulder with a fly swatter, but the other monster wasn’t trying to dodge.

  From the angry shouts I heard across the field, the boy playing him was too busy having a tantrum. Honestly, the Gollum was so overpowered that I might have still been in trouble if he had played smart, instead of emotional.

  It was over before the boy got back control. The Gollum’s health bottomed out, and an animation took over where it swayed and fell flat on its face.

  Winner! Sister Harmony and her Dearie!

  “What the hell, man?” screamed a voice.

  Finally, I looked up from my phone to see a boy about my age, seventeen or so, leap up from a bench around the skating area of the park. He looked around accusingly, watching for somebody else playing intently on their phones.

  With the local duel mode on, players could see approximately who was where, though it wasn’t exact. He would know I was in or around the park, but the chances of him realizing it was me were slim.

  Or so I thought. I wasn’t quick enough to look away, and his gaze fell on me.

  His face darkened, and, picking up his skateboard, he charged my way.

  Oh no.

  He was pissed, and he had every right to be. Not only had he lost a fight he should have won, but we had also been playing on ‘Pink Slip’ mode. That meant I was now the owner of a brand new Gollum if I chose. That was why I bothered to duel local players. You couldn’t play for monster pink slips if you fought online players… well, not without cheating mods.

  This game meant too much to risk getting my account perma-banned. I played clean.

  The angry boy was still making a bee-line to me. No point in trying to run away. Not with my bad foot.

  I quickly ducked my head, selecting “YES” to collect my prize. I wanted the Gollum and got busy overwriting its digital title with my information. The Gollum might be all fists and no brain, but I won him fair and square. If he didn’t go into my own stable of monsters as shield tank, he would net me probably a good twenty dollars on the Monster auction house. Not bad for fifteen minutes’ worth of work. It beat flipping burgers.

  Filling out the new owner info let me have a look at the details of the Gollum’s title.

  Suddenly, I knew why the boy was pissy.

  This wasn’t any regular Iron and Earth Gollum. This was a lady Iron and Earth Gollum.

  Most monsters in the ga
me were male. It was… a whole uncomfortable thing. The original game came out in Japan in the early eighties. Since then, the only concession to ‘equal rights’ had been to make the females as strong of fighters as the males. Generally.

  However, the ratios were way out of whack, and any player with a brain in their head used the rare female monsters to make more monster eggs, if you know what I’m saying. My hatchery made almost as much as duels. I’d be earning more, but females were hard to come by.

  Yes, not only was I a total sell-out to my gender. I was a backyard monster breeder. Go ahead and judge me.

  “You are going to have sooo many boyfriends,” I muttered under my breath.

  That boy was an absolute fool to put her in the duels, much less fight for pink slips.

  Speaking of, he hadn’t slowed a step. I had seconds at best.

  After saving my new owner information, cementing the lady Gollum as my own, I force-closed the app and opened a social media feed just as the boy charged up.

  “That wasn’t fair! You cheated!” he snarled.

  I glanced at him, shock coloring my features. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. You’re giving my Gollum back.”

  He snatched my phone out of my hand before I could react.

  I thought he had been pissed, but I didn’t think he would go that far. I felt my cheeks heat in a blush. “Give me back my phone, you creep!”

  Ignoring me, he looked at my screen, frowning when he saw my social media feed. Then he started tapping through the main menu, looking for my game app.

  I had hidden it on the fourth page.

  “Help,” I yelled, turning to the park at large. “This guy is robbing me!”

  Yeah, it was a low blow, but come on. I’m a hundred-twenty pound girl with a foot that turns inside. Hell yes, I’ll play a damsel in distress. “Help! Someone help me!”

  A look of uncertainty flashed on the boy’s face, and some of the very nice families with some very bored dads were starting to look around.

  “Give me back my phone!” I yelled again, loud, so everybody else could hear.

  “Look,” he said. “Trade me back my monster and I’ll leave.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  “My Iron and Earth Gollum?” He paused. “You were the one dueling me, right?”

  I widened my eyes and shook my head. I wasn’t above lying, either. A female monster was worth at least ten times a male.

  “Hey, what’s going on here?” A man walked slowly towards us. He had a total dad bod, but that still meant he outweighed this skater boy by a good seventy-five pounds. He frowned at the two of us.

  I had the distinct pleasure of watching the boy realize there was a very good chance he was hassling some rando girl.

  But I had underestimated his ego.

  He sneered, “Bitch,” and then threw down my phone as hard as he could. It hit the hard ground with an ominous snapping sound.

  “Hey!” I yelled, but he had already taken off in the other direction, running.

  With a sigh, I scooped up my phone and turned it to look at the damage. The case was meant to prevent cracks, but like everything else I owned, it was cheap. A new spider web crack had appeared on the top corner.

  My erstwhile hero, Mr. Dad-Bod had finally come up. “Are you okay, Sweetie? I saw what happened. Do you want me to call the cops?”

  I sighed. “No, no point. I don’t know who that was, and he’s gone now.”

  He sidled closer. A little too close. “Is there anyone you want me to call? Parents?” Pause. “Boyfriend?”

  With a piercing whistle, the referee in my head threw out a red flag. Time to go.

  “No, but thanks for your help.”

  I turned and limped off. Thankfully, he didn’t call out or follow. Still, I kept half an eye on him until I was halfway across the park again.

  Maybe I should have given the snotty boy his Gollum back….

  Nah.

  He didn’t have to accept a duel with pink slips to the winner. What did he want with my little Dearie, anyway?

  After power cycling my phone, I checked the crack. It was shallow and didn’t seem to affect the touchscreen. I could deal with it.

  But if the cracksspread, I was out of a phone… and my one and only source of income. It wasn’t like the director of my group girl’s home would spot me another. I’d have to wait for another donation drive for poor wards of the state.

  With another sigh, I made my way over to a friendly gazebo. The virtual overlay on the app indicated that’s where a monster stronghold lay. Sometimes, wild monsters spawned nearby. It was my favorite place to farm, and I could occasionally get rares that could make me a few dollars on the auction house. Especially after I trained them up with move sets, first. I had a couple of skill books left over from a championship—

  My thoughts faltered as I looked at the screen.

  It had turned bright blue.

  “Oh, no, no…” I muttered. “Is this the blue screen of death?”

  Then, to my surprise, a message popped up over the blue.

  Greetings. You have shown skill and aptitude in monster hunting, but have you considered dragon taming?

  “What?” I asked, looking around. “Is this a joke?”

  Or… could this be an introduction to a new level in the game? I kept abreast of the player’s community to make sure I didn’t miss any important events that could earn me monsters and loot, but…

  The message changed again.

  The world of Aurelia desperately needs your skills. Fame, fortune, and adventure await. Would you like to join?

  Yes/No

  “Is this for real?” I asked. “Some sort of beta?”

  The blue screen and message didn’t look like the game’s normal UI. I’d never heard of anyone being contacted this way, either.

  But if I could get on the ground floor of a new game… I’d have a leg up on the competition.

  What did I have to lose?

  I clicked yes.

  There was a sharp jerk, like someone had painlessly hooked me from the inside of my ribs and pulled up. And then, abruptly, the world around me vanished.

  TWO

  The next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of a forest.

  "What the—?"

  I spun around, and as usual, my bad foot failed me just when I needed it most. I landed on my butt with a thump.

  I felt a familiar surge of exasperation. Not only was one leg an inch and half shorter than the other, but the foot turned inward at the ankle. That messed with the muscles and tendons, weakening the entire leg. I'd been used to it all my life, but it still sucked.

  I was always falling like those girls in YA dystopian books who were klutzy at everything except for weapons and martial arts. And, I didn’t even have two bland but equally handsome boys to choose between.

  Anyway, sitting in a weird forest was just as useful as standing in a weird forest. I craned my head up to look at the sun-dappled trees overhead, then around. No roads. No park-like open fields. Just more… forest stuff. Trees and bushes with a smattering of grass.

  Where was I? How did I get here?

  Two warring theories flashed in front of my eyes. The first was basically me being transported here in a column of glitter ala Star Trek. The second, more realistic, theory said that the too friendly guy had bopped me over the head and dumped me in the woods somewhere. And I had survived. Somehow.

  I looked down at myself. I wasn't injured. No bruises, and not so much as a wrinkle to my clothing.

  Star Trek theory one, creepy serial killer theory zero.

  Except Star Trek wasn't real, and I was really in a forest. There was a bush within arm's distance. I reached out and touched a branch, feeling the leaf in between my fingers.

  Real. Not plastic.

  "No, seriously, where am I?"

  I grabbed for my phone which had fallen beside me. The cracks had spread and the screen was bl
ack. The last fall seemed to have been one too many.

  I felt my first trickle of fear. How was I supposed to call for help, or figure out where the hell I was without GPS?

  I remembered the message I had mistaken as an invitation for a beta from the game devs.

  A… strange feeling took hold in my chest. I was a disabled gamer who made her spare cash off of mobile games. Hello, of course I’d read my share of Light and Webnovels. Isekai’s were my jam.

  I had accepted an invitation and found myself here. Was I in another world? It seemed more reasonable than Star Trek transportation.

  Some experimentation was in order. I cleared my throat.

  “System?”

  A message popped up before my wide eyes:

  Welcome to Aurelia, where adventure favors the bold!

  Travelers from other realms have changed the course of Aurelia's history before — for good and ill. Now the world has become stagnant and a new voice is needed to lead the way. How will you put your stamp on the world?

  That was.. wow.

  I felt like I should be afraid. A normal person should be afraid. Maybe overwhelmed. Shocked. Wishing to go home?

  I felt none of that.

  “This is awesome!” I struggled to my feet again, grinning like an idiot.

  No more group homes where I hoped the newest in the constant roommate carousel wasn’t too emotionally maladjusted. No more fighting monster duels on the mobile app of the week until someone invented a bot crafty enough to game the system, or the devs locked all advancements behind paywalls. No more worrying about which college I had to attend, but couldn't afford.