Title: Backward
Compatible
Author: Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark
Genre: Geek Romance
Synopsis~
Not
too long ago,
in
a town that,
depending
on your current location,
is
either not super far
or
actually quite close…
It
is a time of chaotic hormones.
Two
nerdy gents
home
for winter break
have
discovered a female gamer
at
a midnight release.
During
the break,
the
gamer trio manages
to
reveal the game’s secret boss,
a
hidden enemy
with
enough power to destroy
anything
in its path.
Pursued
by other gamers
who
want to be the first
to
beat this boss,
George
and Katie race to level up,
and,
in so doing, restore decency
and
sexual activity to their personal galaxy…
Excerpt~
“These
graphics suck,” George says and I look back at the screen. We’re standing in
the middle of the Estate, colorful orbs quivering ahead of us. We each have to
choose our starting advantage. Waterfalls shimmer in the distance and the
sunlight streams over multicolored stones in the courtyard.
“Amateurs,”
Lanyon concurs. “I mean, they couldn’t have five
waterfalls?”
“Your
ironic wit is mind blowing, but choose your damn orbs,” I tell them. I
consider. Magic, defense, offense, stealth, and charisma. I always go for magic
as a black mage, but I wonder if a druid needs something else. Screw it. I need
charisma in real life, too.
“Charisma?”
Lanyon asks. “No one ever picks charisma.”
“We’re
a party of a thief, druid, and a bard. We’re screwed regardless.”
“You
two underestimate the mighty power of my lute,” George argues.
“Did
you start with charisma?” Lanyon
asks.
“Hell,
no. I have charisma in spades. I started with stealth.”
“Great.
A stealthy bard,” I sigh.
“She’s
right,” Lanyon concedes. “We’re screwed.”
However,
it actually isn’t bad at all at first. We power through the Estate and make it
to the Yobanaria Dale with no resurrections and all at level ten. I’m
impressed. George hasn’t actually fought anything,
but he has some pretty awe-inspiring charm mastery already. I think I might
have a serious crush. He seals the deal when he buffs my hailstorm spell
without even being asked.
“Can
you guys watch El Thiefelo? My mom wants me to eat supper,” Lanyon says.
“Yeah,
we’ve got it,” I tell him. “The first boss is in the elven ruins anyway, so we
should grind a bit. I think he’s a twelve.”
George
and I explore the Dale, taking out bats and Joba spores. It’s fairly quiet,
except for when we combo with his charms and my spells and he yells out, “Eat
lute, bitch,” but it’s nice. We work well, almost inherently understanding each
other. I’ve never been able to play this effectively with anyone. I try not to
think about his eyes. Stupid boys, being cute and stuff.
By
the time Lanyon comes back, we’re all at level 12, although Lanyon leveled up
just by standing by a door while we played. Still, we are ready to take on
Balsa the Proud. As a black mage, it took me about nine seconds. Trees don’t
like fire. However, druids don’t have the same level of black magic and all
elemental magic is weakened by the need to draw from the elements nearby.
Sadly, trees seem to avoid storing fire runes in their villages. I expect this
to be a little more challenging. It might even take fifteen seconds.
“First
boss. Also known as the freebie bitch to sucker the young folks into a false
sense of security,” Lanyon announces as he runs into the center of Balsa’s
lair. The cinema plays and then, in a moment of pure absurdity, El Thiefelo is
squished as Balsa steps on him.
“Can
someone revive me?” Lanyon whines.
Trailer~
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About The Authors~
Sarah Daltry~
Sarah Daltry writes about the regular people who
populate our lives. She's written works in various genres - romance, erotica,
fantasy, horror. Genre isn't as important as telling a story about people and
how their lives unfold. Sarah tends to focus on YA/NA characters but she's been
known to shake it up. Most of her stories are about relationships - romantic,
familial, friendly - because love and empathy are the foundation of life. It
doesn't matter if the story is set in contemporary NY, historical Britain, or a
fantasy world in the future - human beings are most interesting in the ways
they interact with others. This is the principle behind all of Sarah's stories.
Sarah has spent most of her life in school, from
her BA and MA in English and writing to teaching both at the high school and
college level. She also loves studying art history and really anything because
learning is fun.
When Sarah isn't writing, she tends to waste a
lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies,
and simply staring out the window.
She has written
several books, most notably Bitter Fruits,
an urban fantasy in the Eden’s Fall series,
and the Flowering series, including Forget Me Not, Lily of the Valley, and Star of Bethlehem.
Social Media Links~
Pete Clark~
When he is not writing, Pete
tends to ignore everyone around him and obsess over sports.
Social Media Links~
Top
More than Ten:
Sarah’s Favorite Video Games:
1. Borderlands 1 and
2
2. Fallout 3
3. Persona series
4. Eternal Darkness
5. Silent Hill
series
6. Final Fantasy
series
7. Skyrim
8. Dragon Age series
9. Mass Effect
series
10. Fable series
11. Bioshock series
12. Magic: The
Gathering
13. Perfect Dark
14. Heavy Rain
15. LA Noire
16. Parasite Eve
17. Catherine
18. Zuma
Pete’s Favorite Video Games:
1. Bioshock
2. Resident Evil 4
3. Uncharted 2
4. Eternal Darkness
5. Goldeneye
6. Ms. Pac Man
7. Assassin’s Creed:
Brotherhood
8. God of War III
9. Dead Space
10. Silent Hill 2
11. Infamous 2
12. Portal
13. Defender
14. Super Metroid
15. Mass Effect
16. Castlevania
17. Call of Duty 4
18. Dragon Warrior
19. Perfect Dark
20. Arkham Asylum
21. Limbo
22. Rogue Squadron 2
23. Medieval
24. Parasite Eve
25. The Walking Dead
26. Metal Gear Solid
27. Team Fortress 2
28. Kagero: Deception
2
Buy Links~
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