Hero Dawn Online
My fantasy LitRPG series HERO DAWN ONLINE is now available on the YONDER app! Other formats will be forthcoming, such as ebook, POD, and audio, from Aethon Books.
The full trilogy:
Hero Dawn Online 1.0: Shadow Blade
Hero Dawn Online 2.0: Darksbane
Hero Dawn Online 3.0: Thief of Worlds
The full trilogy:
Hero Dawn Online 1.0: Shadow Blade
Hero Dawn Online 2.0: Darksbane
Hero Dawn Online 3.0: Thief of Worlds
Hero Dawn Online world map:
Drake Steele is a new character in Hero Dawn Online, a fantasy MMO where he seeks loot and levels as a Shadow Blade, a thief that uses shadow magic. But can he find a life for himself in a world where his player is the master of Drake’s destiny?
Hero Dawn Online’s world is fully-realized, and even though its hero characters know they are in a game, they have little control of their existence within it. Drake, however, is capable of bending the rules due a strange exploit ability that only he has. Since he’s Level 1, he’s given a veteran hero to train him: Zesstra, a dark elf Shadow Blade who’s become jaded by her experiences in HDO. Drake slowly gains her respect, and affection, as he learns how to pick pockets, disarm traps, backstab, and travel through the shadows to gain the power to challenge HDO’s key villains: the Rite wizards, who summon creatures from other worlds to fight over the one where Drake and Zesstra live. The pair recruit other heroes to help them defeat the wizards: Azara, a demonkin Trickster that uses illusions; Zooka, an unpredictable gnome warp mage; Barnabas, a bawdy cleric of the goddess of love; and Kaalijan, a noble wyrmkin warrior.
Through guile, determination, Zesstra’s help, and his exploit ability, Drake will adapt to the rules of the MMO and the wiles of his player—while finding meaning for himself across HDO’s static yet vibrant lands.
Hero Dawn Online’s world is fully-realized, and even though its hero characters know they are in a game, they have little control of their existence within it. Drake, however, is capable of bending the rules due a strange exploit ability that only he has. Since he’s Level 1, he’s given a veteran hero to train him: Zesstra, a dark elf Shadow Blade who’s become jaded by her experiences in HDO. Drake slowly gains her respect, and affection, as he learns how to pick pockets, disarm traps, backstab, and travel through the shadows to gain the power to challenge HDO’s key villains: the Rite wizards, who summon creatures from other worlds to fight over the one where Drake and Zesstra live. The pair recruit other heroes to help them defeat the wizards: Azara, a demonkin Trickster that uses illusions; Zooka, an unpredictable gnome warp mage; Barnabas, a bawdy cleric of the goddess of love; and Kaalijan, a noble wyrmkin warrior.
Through guile, determination, Zesstra’s help, and his exploit ability, Drake will adapt to the rules of the MMO and the wiles of his player—while finding meaning for himself across HDO’s static yet vibrant lands.
Excerpt
Zone: Elentris
Hub: Elentran Vineyards
Hero Dawn Online 1.0 Loaded
Demo Version (Unregistered)
Character Creation
Drake found himself standing in a swirling, golden band of light. It emanated from the grapevine rows on either side of him, and rose past his head until it vanished into the air high above him. The light contained words and phrases he wasn’t familiar with, but one in particular floated before him, the letters arched and silvery.
“Character creation?” he muttered.
He glanced about the cultivated, grape-laden vines, and spotted full-body mirrors in between each plant. Mirrors that showed him naked.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” he cried, covering his crotch with both hands.
Drake spun about, seeking whoever had taken his clothes, but he slowly fell still as he witnessed the mirrors’ reflections. In each one, his appearance kept changing from one second to the next. First he was chubby with short red hair, then he was athletic, with black, trimmed locks. Then he was slightly taller, a little more muscular, with shorter hair. It was still black, but shoulder length.
“What’s going on here?” he called. “Where the hell are my clothes?”
In the mirrors, his skin went from an irritated pink to coffee dark, then morphed into a smooth, buttery tan. The reflective panes glowed green and vanished.
“Huh?”
The golden light flared around Drake, and three bars appeared before him, labeled ‘Strength’, ‘Agility’, and ‘Willpower’. The bars rose and lowered vertically. Each time one moved, his body felt…different.
Select Attributes: 50 Points to Distribute
As the Strength bar rose, his muscles grew a little larger. Biceps, quadriceps, deltoids, his pectorals—all rippled with physical power. He nodded with satisfaction, then kicked a nearby wheelbarrow. His bare foot snapped the item’s wooden frame.
Strength: 17
“See these muscles, asshole? Soon as I find whoever took my damn clothes--”
His stopped talking as the Agility bar rose all the way up.
Agility: 23
He felt lighter on his feet than a cat. Feeling empowered, he ran and leapt over one of the low brick walls that separated one variety of vine from another. He rolled in midair and landed on his feet.
Drake smiled. Whoever had done this to him was going to get it.
The Willpower bar didn’t rise much, though. Drake frowned.
Willpower: 10
“Hey, I’ve got plenty of that. I can resist anything.”
Select Power: 100 Points to Distribute
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Health 25, Stamina 50, Mana 25
Drake rubbed his chin. “Hmm, good, good. Now what?”
Ancestry: Human
Class: Shadow Blade
Novice Tier – Level 1
Trait: Charismatic
He regarded the floating words with puzzlement. “Um, what’s all that mean?”
Name: Drake Steele
"Well, yes, that’s me, but--”
The vineyard withered away with a dry, crackling noise. He cringed, expecting the same to happen to him. Yet the rows of grapevines, surrounding brick walls, and the wheelbarrows faded away as if they had been an illusion. The golden light still swirled about him—but now he stood in ankle-high grass beside a cobblestone road. Beyond it lay a flat coastline, distant walled hills, and a signpost that read ‘Elentris, 3 leagues’. It was a bright, warm day, like the threshold of summer. Two suns shone overhead; a light yellow sphere, and smaller white one. A hint of three moons—grey-green, silvery-blue, and orange-red—peered from behind a cloudbank.
“You can resist anything, can you?” a luxuriant, cultured female voice asked.
Drake wheeled around.
A woman, slightly shorter than he, leaned against a pile of crates near the roadside. She had grey skin the shade of a cloudy day, but it was smooth, unblemished. Her hair was silvery-white, tied back in a braided ponytail; her bangs framed her brows like a pair of drooping wings. Long, pointed ears rose from her locks. Her dark violet eyes measured him as if he were unworthy to be in her presence. She wore tight black leather armor and a cloak with the hood down. An assortment of daggers, pouches, scrolls, and vials hung from her belt.
“How come you’ve got clothes?” he blurted, then covered his crotch all over again. “What is all this? Where am I, and why the hell am I naked?”
The woman arched an eyebrow. “I see you southern thieves aren’t acclimated to the brisk wind here near the Bay.”
Drake’s cheeks grew hot and he fell into a half-crouch, as if that would hide his private parts better. “Listen, how would you feel to be naked out here by a roadside talking to a…what are you, anyway? Wait, did you say thief? Did you steal my clothes? And why did that vineyard crumble and disappear like that?”
She sighed and raised her left hand, palm-up. A purple oval crystal appeared above it, slowly spinning. He made out words on it, graphs, maps, and several images of the woman herself. One image looked like him, but with clothes on.
“Drake Steele, hmm?” she asked. “These new character names keep getting interesting. No one stole your clothes, Steele. You haven’t received them yet. You’re still in Character Creation mode.”
“What?” he asked. “What the hell is Character Creation?”
She rolled her eyes and spun the gem with her other hand. “I--”
He waggled a finger at her, then placed that hand back over his groin. “I’m not continuing this crazy conversation until you tell me who you are, Grey Woman in Tight Leather Who Knows My Name.”
With an annoyed gesture from her, the crystal vanished. She placed both hands on her hips and regarded him with amused frustration. “I am Zesstra Ghaun, a thief like you. A Shadow Blade, to be exact. That’s the class your player selected for you.”
Hub: Elentran Vineyards
Hero Dawn Online 1.0 Loaded
Demo Version (Unregistered)
Character Creation
Drake found himself standing in a swirling, golden band of light. It emanated from the grapevine rows on either side of him, and rose past his head until it vanished into the air high above him. The light contained words and phrases he wasn’t familiar with, but one in particular floated before him, the letters arched and silvery.
“Character creation?” he muttered.
He glanced about the cultivated, grape-laden vines, and spotted full-body mirrors in between each plant. Mirrors that showed him naked.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” he cried, covering his crotch with both hands.
Drake spun about, seeking whoever had taken his clothes, but he slowly fell still as he witnessed the mirrors’ reflections. In each one, his appearance kept changing from one second to the next. First he was chubby with short red hair, then he was athletic, with black, trimmed locks. Then he was slightly taller, a little more muscular, with shorter hair. It was still black, but shoulder length.
“What’s going on here?” he called. “Where the hell are my clothes?”
In the mirrors, his skin went from an irritated pink to coffee dark, then morphed into a smooth, buttery tan. The reflective panes glowed green and vanished.
“Huh?”
The golden light flared around Drake, and three bars appeared before him, labeled ‘Strength’, ‘Agility’, and ‘Willpower’. The bars rose and lowered vertically. Each time one moved, his body felt…different.
Select Attributes: 50 Points to Distribute
As the Strength bar rose, his muscles grew a little larger. Biceps, quadriceps, deltoids, his pectorals—all rippled with physical power. He nodded with satisfaction, then kicked a nearby wheelbarrow. His bare foot snapped the item’s wooden frame.
Strength: 17
“See these muscles, asshole? Soon as I find whoever took my damn clothes--”
His stopped talking as the Agility bar rose all the way up.
Agility: 23
He felt lighter on his feet than a cat. Feeling empowered, he ran and leapt over one of the low brick walls that separated one variety of vine from another. He rolled in midair and landed on his feet.
Drake smiled. Whoever had done this to him was going to get it.
The Willpower bar didn’t rise much, though. Drake frowned.
Willpower: 10
“Hey, I’ve got plenty of that. I can resist anything.”
Select Power: 100 Points to Distribute
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Health 25, Stamina 50, Mana 25
Drake rubbed his chin. “Hmm, good, good. Now what?”
Ancestry: Human
Class: Shadow Blade
Novice Tier – Level 1
Trait: Charismatic
He regarded the floating words with puzzlement. “Um, what’s all that mean?”
Name: Drake Steele
"Well, yes, that’s me, but--”
The vineyard withered away with a dry, crackling noise. He cringed, expecting the same to happen to him. Yet the rows of grapevines, surrounding brick walls, and the wheelbarrows faded away as if they had been an illusion. The golden light still swirled about him—but now he stood in ankle-high grass beside a cobblestone road. Beyond it lay a flat coastline, distant walled hills, and a signpost that read ‘Elentris, 3 leagues’. It was a bright, warm day, like the threshold of summer. Two suns shone overhead; a light yellow sphere, and smaller white one. A hint of three moons—grey-green, silvery-blue, and orange-red—peered from behind a cloudbank.
“You can resist anything, can you?” a luxuriant, cultured female voice asked.
Drake wheeled around.
A woman, slightly shorter than he, leaned against a pile of crates near the roadside. She had grey skin the shade of a cloudy day, but it was smooth, unblemished. Her hair was silvery-white, tied back in a braided ponytail; her bangs framed her brows like a pair of drooping wings. Long, pointed ears rose from her locks. Her dark violet eyes measured him as if he were unworthy to be in her presence. She wore tight black leather armor and a cloak with the hood down. An assortment of daggers, pouches, scrolls, and vials hung from her belt.
“How come you’ve got clothes?” he blurted, then covered his crotch all over again. “What is all this? Where am I, and why the hell am I naked?”
The woman arched an eyebrow. “I see you southern thieves aren’t acclimated to the brisk wind here near the Bay.”
Drake’s cheeks grew hot and he fell into a half-crouch, as if that would hide his private parts better. “Listen, how would you feel to be naked out here by a roadside talking to a…what are you, anyway? Wait, did you say thief? Did you steal my clothes? And why did that vineyard crumble and disappear like that?”
She sighed and raised her left hand, palm-up. A purple oval crystal appeared above it, slowly spinning. He made out words on it, graphs, maps, and several images of the woman herself. One image looked like him, but with clothes on.
“Drake Steele, hmm?” she asked. “These new character names keep getting interesting. No one stole your clothes, Steele. You haven’t received them yet. You’re still in Character Creation mode.”
“What?” he asked. “What the hell is Character Creation?”
She rolled her eyes and spun the gem with her other hand. “I--”
He waggled a finger at her, then placed that hand back over his groin. “I’m not continuing this crazy conversation until you tell me who you are, Grey Woman in Tight Leather Who Knows My Name.”
With an annoyed gesture from her, the crystal vanished. She placed both hands on her hips and regarded him with amused frustration. “I am Zesstra Ghaun, a thief like you. A Shadow Blade, to be exact. That’s the class your player selected for you.”
