The Alternate Keeper

Derelya awaits. Bax must keep moving - his presence drains ambient energy. Abandoned by his party, he teams with another outcast. Jonathan Brooks' The Alternate Keeper sees a Task go sideways, threatening to change the Retrogression System forever.

The Alternate Keeper continues Jonathan Brooks' Retrogression Keeper series as Bax takes on his role as protector of Derelya, the world he's duty-bound to defend. However, his responsibilities come with an unexpected complication: his presence in any location has a detrimental effect on ambient energy if he remains too long. This discovery forces Bax to adopt a nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving from place to place and never settling down. It's an exhausting existence that complicates his ability to build relationships or establish any kind of permanent base of operations.

The situation becomes more challenging when Bax's original party abandons him. Now forced to travel solo, Bax must balance multiple competing objectives. He needs to learn more about the world he's sworn to protect, understanding its geography, cultures, threats, and systems. Simultaneously, he must attempt to gain the support of the local population - a particularly difficult task given that Keepers are widely despised. The population views Keepers with suspicion and hostility, seeing them as harbingers of the Retrogression System that threatens their way of life rather than as protectors against monstrous threats.

During his travels across Derelya, Bax encounters an individual who proves to be just as much of an outcast as himself. This meeting offers hope for ending his isolation and provides an opportunity to form a new partnership. Bax sees potential in his new companion and begins to hope that he might help them grow stronger over time. His ambitions extend beyond simple companionship: if his new party member can develop sufficient power, they might potentially become another Keeper to join him in his efforts to save Derelya from the monsters that threaten it. Having another Keeper would dramatically improve their chances of protecting the world effectively.

However, circumstances take an unexpected turn when the pair receives a Task to defeat a Remnant - one of the powerful monsters threatening Derelya. The confrontation itself proves successful; they manage to eliminate the dangerous creature. Yet despite this victory, tragedy strikes soon afterwards. The loss of his party member devastates Bax, who finds himself desperate to fix the situation. In his frantic effort to reverse what's happened, Bax makes a decision and takes an action that has consequences far beyond what he anticipated. What he does in that moment of desperation will change not just Derelya but the entire Retrogression System itself.

Jonathan Brooks, author of Magical Fusion, Earthen Contenders, and Dungeon World, expands the scope of the Retrogression Keeper series whilst maintaining focus on Bax's overpowered main character journey. The LitRPG / GameLit elements continue to provide detailed progression mechanics, with Bax's abilities and understanding of the System growing throughout his travels. What distinguishes The Alternate Keeper is its exploration of the costs and consequences of having power without guidance - Bax must make critical decisions that affect entire worlds without having proper training or mentors to advise him.

For readers who enjoy isekai / portal fantasy with progression fantasy elements, protagonists facing isolation and hostility whilst trying to protect ungrateful populations, and stories where desperate decisions lead to world-changing consequences, The Alternate Keeper delivers compelling character development alongside the satisfaction of watching an OP MC navigate increasingly complex challenges.