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Epic Fantasy Adventures
by Richard Sparks

Tens of millions of viewers around the globe watch live as we go all out for glory in the World Championship of sword-and-sorcery. The others in my crew are Qrysta, a dual-wielding sword dancer, and Grell, the best damn Orc you’ll ever see with a battleaxe. In Real Life, I’m a retired teacher, and hard-core gamer; but in-game, I’m Daxx, an apex-level battlemage / healer. I built his avatar to be young and heroic – well, why would I want him to look like dull old me?

The virtual crowd in the arena goes wild as we win – but before our triumph can sink in, I’m hurtling off and away from the cheers, and my crew, and my actual living room on a wild ride to… somewhere very else indeed. Where I land all alone, in the middle of a wilderness of trees and hills and mountains, my only gear a crappy, noob-level sword and buckler.

And I’m not who I was IRL anymore.

I’m Daxx.

For real.

And I can hear wolves.

This is—or rather, was— me, IRL: the man behind Daxx, my heroic, young battlemage avatar, who I built myself. And who I now am. For real. As to where I am, and what the hell happened, and why, and where Grell and Qrysta are: well, I’ll just have to find out.

A stick
A stone
A book
A bone
Go down and down
For half a crown
A knife
A life
A throne

Dual-wielding sword- dancer. Moves like the wind and hits like a hurricane. Californian, so from her avatar I assume she’s Asian American. Cool as a cucumber—but rile her, and her tongue is as sharp as her blades.

The “tank” of our dreams, Grell is best damn Orc with a battleaxe we’d ever seen. An Aussie, at first he couldn’t believe he was crew with a bloody pom. When he saw how good the three of us were, he forgave me.

Rowan
Wicken
Roden-Quicken
Wiggin
Witchbane
Royan
Witchwood

Rowan

Wicken

Roden-quicken

Wiggin

Witchbane

Royan

Witchwood