If you’ve played a video game, you’re probably familiar with the heroic journey undertaken by the main cast of characters-the quests, the fights with epic monsters, the loot. That’s all well and good, but have you ever stopped to think about what life is like for the little guy-the shopkeeper who equips your character or the farmer whose lot in life amounts to little more than a part of the scenery?

Life isn’t very easy for Eric. When there’s no crops to sow or harvest, this young farmhand ekes out a living as his village’s handyman and spends his days repairing the damage that inevitably follows in the wake of the adventurers who blow through the village. One day, after watching his mayor hand yet another adventurer the village’s savings, Eric begins to wonder-why must the village depend on sociopaths with swords to keep them safe? Why do the adventurers act so strange? Why is the mayor’s daughter kidnapped by trolls every other day? Questions beget more questions, and before he knows it, this young, simple farmhand finds himself deep in a conspiracy that threatens to shake the very fabric of his reality.

About the Author

Christopher Shank’s oldest memory is that of watching his father play Neverwinter Nights on his ancient Windows 98 Computer. Since his early indoctrination into the worlds of fantasy, Shank has devoted countless hours delving into the heights of human creativity. He’s walked the treacherous expanse of Mordor with Frodo and Sam, uncovered the mysteries of the Ring Installations alongside Master Chief and Cortana, and even stood beside Primarchs as they brought the light of humanity to the darkest reaches of the stars. After an honorable career in the United States Marine Corps, Shank retired to Clarksville Tennessee to be closer to family and devote the rest of his life to improve the lives of all those around him, and that starts with this book! Even on his worst days, Shank always found solace between the pages of a good book, losing himself to a world where good triumphs over evil and the hero always finds his match. To him, there’s something magical about breathing life to a world and then sharing that world with others. He hopes that one day, this very book might serve as a brief respite for the downtrodden and that in the depths of despair, a child might learn that within each and every one of us dwells a hero, just waiting for their turn to save the day.