Game of Shadows and Secrets - Part 2

Ajax cleaned the dishes he’d left out in his hasty scramble back to the PIU, his Personal Immersion Unit, yesterday. He was still struggling with his sense of time. He, Missy, and Sky had spent an entire week in Legendary Rule, despite only a day passing outside it.

They had been doing well in the game, at least until Richard had shown up. The image of Richard’s smug face as he stood atop the city walls made Ajax squeeze the dish rag hard enough to squirt himself in the face.

He reached for a dish towel next to the fridge, noticing a dent. Had that always been there? It was driving him crazy; he hadn’t been able to cast another Arcane Bullet.

A ping came across his iLids, displaying a message from Sarah directly into his eyes. She wanted him and Reinhart to come over for dinner. He sent back that he was happy to come over. In truth, he was starting to feel like he needed a break from Legendary Rule.

He’d been through a wild game experience during the week they’d spent inside. Most games did not feel so real, so they weren’t as emotionally taxing. But after the multi-day escort and Missy’s kidnapping, Ajax could really use a sense of normalcy.

The reality of the game wasn’t all bad. After rescuing Missy, he had grown even closer to her, developing a relationship he had never experienced in the real world. Unfortunately, while he was saving Missy, the caravan they were escorting was wiped out. They had chosen to loot the wreckage to make the most of it. A part of him regretted it, but they had been petty assholes, so Ajax tried not to stew on it.

He had regretted the looting a bit more when he, Missy, and Sky had reached Tyren, the human capital, and were arrested and jailed upon entry. That had been enough to make him take a break from the game; a challenge for another time.

Ping.

© 2024 Ashley Dull (Audiobook): 9798347732104

Release date

Audiobook: 28 December 2024