Page 6 of The Glass Unicorn, Part 1 (Quest Wars #1)

“Here,” the woman said, leading us to a long table out back of her cottage. It was shaded by a massive oak. A well sat near the tree. Further back was a small pond. Beyond that, a field of corn waved in the breeze and beyond that, stretched the forest.

“You have quite the farm here,” I said. “I’m Erenye, and this is Thornhold, Brynn, Reggie, and Ray. We just got here.”

Technically, of course, the employees weren’t allowed to break the fourth wall, but we’d seen it happen before. Even though this was supposed to be an immersive experience, there were always going to be reminders of the outside world.

“I’m Liesel,” she said. “Let me go get the pie. Please sit and rest yourselves.” As she headed into the house, I turned to the others.

“I wonder what it’s like to work here. How often does she get to leave the game?”

“It wouldn’t be a bad job…In fact, it might be fun,” Reggie said.

“I suppose, but it seems like living in two worlds at once would get confusing after awhile.” Brynn turned around on the bench and leaned back against the table, stretching out her legs. “I have to say, it’s beautiful here. And it’s nice to get away for awhile.”

I decided to ask them how they felt about killing the creatures. “What happened when you had to kill the enemies we’ve faced? Does that…how are you dealing with that?”

“They’re Syms, not real,” Reggie said. “It’s just like being in a video game. You kill trolls and ogres all the time in the game.”

“I know, but that’s like watching a movie. This is reality?—”

“No, it’s not exactly reality,” Ray said.

“But I get what you’re saying. It’s one thing when it’s in your head or on the screen.

Quite another when we’re standing face to face.

But they really are Syms , Erenye. They don’t have pain receptors.

Think of them like corporeal holograms. They’re programmed to fight, programmed to interact the way they do, even programmed to shriek or scream. It’s all for show.”

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.