I nodded. “I know you’re right, and I’m trying to distance myself—” I stopped as Liesel returned, carrying a tray with two apple pies on it, along with a stack of dessert plates and forks. A jug of cider sat next to the pies, along with several glasses. Another nod to the outer world—china and metal utensils.

  She set the tray on the table and began carving slices of the pie, handing them around to us. “I hope you like it,” she said.

  “I’m sure we will,” I said. “It smells wonderful.”

  She handed round the dishes and we began to eat. Liesel was anxiously watching out over the vast field next to her house.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “I’m keeping an eye out for the skeletons. We’ve been under attack for some time from a nearby burial chamber, and nobody’s been able to clear out the creatures who live there.” She stared at us for a moment, then went back to cautiously watching the field.

  “Where is it?” Reggie asked.

  “About half an hour’s walk from the back gates. We started having problems with them for awhile. I think a necromancer stirred them up. One night, a group of skeletons showed up—five of them. My son and husband managed to fight them off. The next day, they went out to the chamber to take care of them and never came back.” She teared up, giving us a wistful look. “I’ve been looking for someone who could help ever since then.”

  This was the dungeon. It had to be.

  “Would you like us to take a look?” I pushed away my worries and reverted back into my character. Thornhold wanted a dungeon, and they were dangling one right in front of us.

  “Would you?” she asked, straightening up. “I’ve heard there’s treasure there.”

  I glanced at the others, suddenly feeling a shiver of excitement. All I had to do was remember, this was all a game, and my enthusiasm returned. “What do you think?”

  Thornhold’s eyes began to twinkle. “As Gimli said, You have my axe.”

  “I always wanted to raid a crypt,” Brynn said. “We could reach there before dark.”

  “I suggest we leave soon, then,” Reggie said. “Is the burial chamber in the forest?”

  “Yes—in the copse that buttresses up against the edge of my land,” Liesel said. “The chamber’s about half an hour walk into it. But you need to be careful. The woods are filled with snaggles, goblins, and other creatures.”

  Snaggles were a form of dark forest Fae, twisted and dangerous. They were a specialty creature, created for the world of Abarria. They were deadly, squat creatures that resembled a cross between goblins and orangutangs. And they ate human flesh.

  “I say let’s give it a go,” Ray said. “We’ll leave after we’ve eaten pie.”

  “Can we use your outhouse, first?” I asked.

  Liesel nodded. “I have an indoor commode. Magic, you know. You can wash up and take care of your needs before you leave. After you clear out the chamber, please, return and let me know you’ve taken care of things. I don’t have much in the way of rewards—but if there’s any treasure in there, you’ll have earned it.”

  “We’ll make certain to let you know,” I said.

  We finished our pie, then washed up and used the facilities. Oh, the joys of indoor plumbing. By the time we were ready to leave, the sun was creeping toward dusk, but we were running on excitement. Somehow, Ray’s reminder that the creatures we were facing were Syms had actually helped. Syms weren’t exactly robots or androids, but they were synthetically grown organisms, programmed to be exactly as they appeared.

  We crossed through the back field, skirting the crops, as the smell of the thicket wafted around us. There was a certain scent to the forests. Cooler, with a dewy moistness that came from rain splashing against the soil, the air was rife with the scents of fallen leaves, moss, and mushrooms.

  As we entered the forest, the light turned to early dusk. The trees provided an eerie shade, and I stopped as the quiet hush of the copse descended around our shoulders.

  “Spooky,” I said, glancing around. I wasn’t playing a part now, either. The energy of the copse felt edged with malevolence—as though it were seeping through the ground, through the trees and leaves and bushes. “Can you feel that? I wonder how they manage to—” I paused. “We’re being watched,” I said.

  “I know,” Reggie said. “I can feel them too. Whatever—or whoever—is out there, they aren’t friendly.”

  “Then we’d better be on our guard,” I said, turning to the others. The dungeon was near—somehow, I just knew. Must be the elf powers.

  “Remember how we take on crypts in our game. One in the lead, one holds a torch…always turn to the left when we’re in the labyrinth. Does anybody have anything to fight the undead? If there are skeletons, there may be zombies or ghouls.” Reggie stopped to transfer his spell components to a pack around his waist. It was a lot like a fanny pack.

  “I suppose I do,” Ray said. “After all, I’m the cleric. I thought I saw a holy-icon in my pack.” He began to unzip his pack, but Brynn stopped him.

  “Try the pendant around your neck,” she said.

  He snorted. “Right. I think I’m tired. We’ve been walking most of the day.”

  “Are we sure we want to go in there right now?” Reggie asked, pointing at the sky. “The powers of the undead are stronger during the night. We should have camped in Lisel’s field till morning.”

  “We should be all right,” I said. “Since this dungeon was programmed for us, we should be able to survive.” It was the only way I could force myself to go on, the malevolent feeling had grown so strong. We had to be near the burial chamber. Even though I knew this was a game, the feelings were very real.

  “It’s right over there,” Brynn said, pointing to a large pile of boulders.

  We looked, just in time to see several skeletons emerge from within the dark throat of the chamber. They were armed with swords, and bright red lights shined within their blackened eye sockets. Their bones were a yellowed ivory, old and fractured, but still held together by a magical glow.

  My daggers wouldn’t be that effective, and neither would my bow—skeletons weren’t affected much by sharp objects, but it was the best I could do. But then, I remembered that silver was usually effective against the undead. I pulled out the new silver blade. It was glowing blue. Maybe it wasn’t magical but the shopkeeper had been right—it was attuned to the undead.

  Thornhold and Brynn readied their weapons, and Ray held up his holy icon, whispering an incantation.

  “Are you ready? We’ll take care of these outliers and then head in,” Thornhold said.

  I nodded. “I don’t think we have a choice now—” I stopped as the skeletons moved closer.

  But before anybody could move—them or us—the ground began to shake. At first I thought it was something like a troll or an ogre, but it kept on shaking. How could an earthquake be happening in here? Unless…was the ground shaking out in the real world?

  “What’s happening?” Brynn shouted.

  The skeletons tripped, losing their balance. They crashed to the ground, along with a couple nearby trees as the quaking grew worse.

  “Crap, run—toward a clearing, any clearing!” Reggie said.

  We followed him toward an opening in the thicket that led into a grove, trying to keep on our feet. But it was too hard to run. The moonlight shimmered down as we fell to our knees. Trees crashed around us. What the hell was happening? We crouched, hiding our heads to avoid as much damage as possible, until finally the quaking subsided. Another moment, and the thicket was quiet—not even the sound of insects broke the silence.

  A few moments later, and I slowly stood, still a little dizzy. I looked around. The forest seemed different, though I wasn’t sure how.

  “What the hell happened?” Ray asked, rubbing his ass as he pushed himself to his feet.

  “I don’t know—Liesel! I wonder if she’s okay. That house didn’t look all that secure,” I said, thinking of our host. “We can come back and hunt through the burial chamber tomorrow. I want to check on her.”

  “Not a problem,” Thornhold said. “One thing I’ll say for being a dwarf. I didn’t have far to fall when I was knocked off my feet.”

  We all felt a little beat up as we made our way back through the forest. The silence was eerie—worrisome, really. Not a creature stirred, nor insect droned. Every few yards we saw a tree that had tumbled over. What the fuck was going on?

  We finally reached the back of Lisel’s field. Up ahead, flames were crackling from her house.

  “Oh hell, come on!” I started to run, grateful for the speed which being an elf had given me. Maybe it was better than being a Symcat, after all.

  We sprinted through the field, nearing the house. I was relieved to see Liesel safe and clear of the fire. She was trying to put it out, but it was a lost cause. If there were emergency personnel, they weren’t around.

  “Get those out!” she said, pointing to several chests in the house. Given one of the walls had crumbled during the quake, it was easier to get in and out to retrieve what we could.

  The blaze continued to grow and we backed away, to the table out back. Liesel quickly took one of the small cases we’d carried out and opened it. Inside was what looked like a mini-computer.

  Before she could turn it on, though, our Game-Guide watches all let out a high pitched siren for five seconds, then fell silent as a voice echoed out.

  attention! attention! all players and employees of abarria game-guides, this is not a test. we have an emergency situation. listen carefully for instructions.

  I glanced at Liesel, wide eyed. “Do you know what’s going on?”

  She shook her head. “Sshh…listen.”

  we have been attacked in cyber-space. every one of our company’s computers have been damaged. the software to transport you into the world of abarria has been corrupted beyond repair. all backups have been destroyed. we no longer can control the Syms within the world, nor can we help you if you’re harmed.

  “We’re on our own,” Liesel whispered.

  The announcement continued.

  until we can investigate the damage and determine the severity of this situation, i’m afraid you’re stuck within the game, on your own. we cannot transport anybody out and we don’t know when we’ll be able to retrieve you. we no longer have control over the syms. they are, for all intents and purposes, autonomous.

  We were stranded. It was like being washed up on a desert island. Only instead of Gilligan and the Skipper, it was me and my friends.

  please know, we’ll be working as hard as we can. while we can communicate with you, you will not be able to communicate with us. our apologies and sympathies are with you. do your best to stay alive. we’ll update you as soon as we know more.

  We stared at one another, speechless. Stranded in the game, unable to leave. And the Syms were no longer under the Game-Guides’ control.

  Liesel let out a deep sigh. “I…I…” She shook her head.

  “What do we do now?” I asked, trying to grasp what had just happened. I knew the reality hadn’t fully hit yet because instead of panicking, I felt numb. “Where do we go?”

  We turned to Liesel, waiting. She was an employee of the game. Surely she would have some sort of an answer.

  She stared back at us, then looked back at the house that was fully ablaze. “We need to find shelter. It’s going to be dangerous in Dusmaria, so we can’t go there. People will be panicking. There’s an abandoned house near here. If it wasn’t destroyed in the quake, we can go there for now.”

  “What about the other houses near the forest?” I asked.

  “I know one person who lives near the entrance to the forest. He’s another employee…but I suggest we wait for morning to check if he’s all right. Meanwhile, it will take about fifteen minutes to reach the house. Let’s go. Be on your guard.”

  My heart racing, I stood. Liesel instructed us to gather some of the last ears of corn from the field while she salvaged some ham and cheese from an outdoor pantry.

  As we headed out, hiking into the dusk, I glanced up at the sky. It was so beautiful, filled with stars. But beneath the surface, I could feel the fear rising. We were stuck in a game where a good share of the world wanted to kill us. My pangs over killing the Syms vanished, as I realized that what had been a game—an adventure—had now turned into our only reality for the foreseeable future.

  If you enjoyed The Glass Unicorn (A Quest Wars Adventure) part 2 will be coming out shortly. Or you can read it chapter by chapter by joining the Moon Minions tier on Yasmine’s Patreon.

  If you like her LitRPG, you might enjoy her urban fantasy. Shadow Running, book four in the Shadow Blade Series will soon be out. You can begin this series with Shadow Seeking.

  For all of her work, both published and upcoming releases, see the Bibliography at the end of this book, or check out her website at Galenorn.com and be sure and sign up for her newsletter to receive news about all her new releases.

  QUALITY CONTROL: This work has been professionally edited and proofread. If you encounter any typos or formatting issues ONLY, please contact Yasmine through her website so they may be corrected. Otherwise, know that this book is in her style and voice and editorial suggestions will not be entertained. Thank you.

  PLAYLIST

  I often write to music, and the Quest Wars Serial is no exception. Here’s the playlist I used for this book.

  Air: Napalm Love; Surfing on a Rocket

  The Alan Parsons Project: Eye in the Sky; Children of the Moon; Psychobabble; I Robot; Breakdown; One More River; Can’t Take it With You; Pyramania

  Alexandro: Milk (Bleach Version)

  Alice Cooper: Go to Hell; I’m the Coolest; Didn’t We Meet; Welcome to My Nightmare; Some Folks

  Amethystium: Shadow to Light; Autumn Interlude

  Android Lust: Here and Now

  Basil Poledouris: Column of Sadness/Wheel of Pain; Theology/Civilization; The Orgy

  Beats Antique: Egyptic; Runaway

  Bonnie Grace: Call the Herd; Tudor; Deer Hunt; My Soul Delights; Highland Hymn; The Fairy Dance

  The Bravery: Believe

  Broken Bells: The Ghost Inside

  The Buttress: Brutus (Instrumental)

  Celtic Woman: Newgrange

  The Chieftains: Dunmore Lassies (Instrumental)

  The Chorus of Life: Angel of Bells

  Corvus Corax: Ballade de Mercy

  Cream: Tales of Brave Ulysses; Strange Brew

  Damh the Bard: Obsession; The Two Magicians

  Dead Can Dance: Yulunga; Indus

  Deskant: As the Rivers Collapse; March of the Dead

  Donovan: Sunshine Superman; Season of the Witch

  Dragon Ritual Drummers: Black Queen; The Fall

  Eastern Sun: Beautiful Being

  Flight of the Hawk: Bones

  Faun: Oyneng Yar; The Market Song; Rad; Sieben

  Fluke: Absurd

  Gabrielle Roth: The Calling; Raven; Mother Night; Luna; Rest Your Tears Here; Zone Unknown;

  Godsmack: VooDoo

  The Heathen Kings: Rolling of the Stones

  Heather Alexander: March of Cambreadth; Camden Town; Black Unicorn; Black Jack’s Lady

  Hedningarna: Gorrlaus; Grodan/Widergrenen; Tullí; Ukkonen; Juopolle Joutunut; Räven

  Huldrelokkk: Trolldans

  Ian Melrose & Kerstin Blodig: Kråka

  Jethro Tull: Mountain Men; Mayhem, Maybe; Old Ghosts; Dun Ringill

  Leonard Cohen: The Future; You Want it Darker

  Low: Half Light

  Mannheim Steamroller: Walking in Straw Grass; The Second Door; The Fourth Door; The Sith Door; A Shade Tree; Lumen; Dancin’ in the Stars; Z-Row Gravity

  Max Ablitzer: Ghost Song; Windmill Song; Wind Song

  Miracle of Sound: Valhalla Calling; Ode to Fury; Superhuman; London Town

  Motherdrum: Big Stomp

  Mythos: Surrender; Icarus

  Nightwish: Slow, Love, Slow (Instrumental); Arabesque (Instrumental); Turn Loose The Mermaids (Instrumental)

  P.J. Harvey: Let England Shake; The Glorious Land; The Words that Maketh Murder; The Colour of the Earth

  Peter Gundry: The Forest Queen; King of the Woodlands; Caer—The Dream Weaver; The Elven Treasure; Lady of the Dawn

  The Pierces: Secret

  Queen: Another One Bites the Dust

  Rob Zombie: Living Dead Girl

  Ruth Barrett: Faeries Love Song

  S.J. Tucker: Hymn to Herne

  Savvun: Nordic Shine; Midnight Sun; A Cold Wind; Through the Storm

  Seth Glier: The Next Right Thing

  Sharon Knight: Ravaged Ruins; Mother of the World; Berrywood Grove; Well Below the Valley; The Captain’s Flask; Let the Waters Rise; Captain Blackheart; Star of the Sea

  Spiral Dance: Asgard’s Chase; Burning Times; Boys of Bedlam

  Steeleye Span: The Blacksmith; Rogues in a Nation; The Fox; Blackleg Miner; Cam Ye O’er Frae France

  Stellamara: Aman Doktor; Seven Valleys

  Styx: Renegade