Interplay

By The Saber

The next level of gaming is here, with the participants fully in the game! It's all fun and games until the program gets a bug. Then things get deadly for Todd, Wanda, and Harry. And they are helplessly trapped in a virtual world of their own design.

Harry, Wanda, and Todd love to play role-playing games. Harry has designed a system where implants have been placed in each of their brains so they could see the adventure and take total part in the game. They each design their story, dress up accordingly, and the computer takes them to mythical and far off realms. This is all fun for the trio, until a bug gets into the program and they are trapped in a virtual world of their own making. All of the safeguards have been dropped, and they find themselves facing creatures and monsters only found in the realm of fantasy stories. With the very real possibility of physical harm or worse, they must escape a virtual world gone mad.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Saber
• Release date: Jan 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370339082

The Saber

Writer, artist, sculptor, make-up/mask creator, producer, director.Saber has done a little of everything in life and pulls from those vast banks of resources to write the stories published here. Please give me your comments - good or bad, but please be honest. It will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.One more... for a recommendation of my novel Darque Reflections , my favorite TikTok personality, @alexandramaylin had this to say... http://vm.tiktok.com/dgkre2/Check out my ebooks at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/saberbooksHard copies of 2 (at the moment) are available at most online book sellers.

Book preview

Interplay

(Part of The Imp and Other Tales Anthology)

By

Interplay

by the Saber

Published by Saber-Books, Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2017 the Saber

Smashwords Edition, License Notes (Note: if you copy and paste this into your manuscript, be sure to remove the paragraph returns that may appear at the end of each line) This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Interplay

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Interplay

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The wind is freezing cold, cutting through the thickest clothes as if you weren't wearing anything at all. You walk on the frozen ground, never sure if the ice you're walking on is over actual earth, or just covering water.

Every now and then, you hear the groaning of the ice as the pressure gets too great for the expanding mass, and then an eruption of icy shards sprays upward as a level area buckles under the strain. You never know when, or where, the next area will erupt.

The wind pushes you around and makes your footing unsure. The snow is blowing so thickly, and the clouds so completely cover the sun, that you can't tell where east or west is. There is only one way out, but you don't know which way it is. Polar bears wander at random, but if you wander north, you'll find the area is loaded with them. To the south is the old Eskimo cabin, where you'll find a clue, but not sanctuary. The danger of soft snow giving way under your weight and dropping you several hundred feet straight down, or into ice-cold water is ever present.

Your task is to find the Eskimo village and fire.

Sounds tough, Wanda. You sure you're up to this, Todd? Harry Slonders asked, the light shining off the freckles on his face, making him look more like Howdy Doody than a man of thirty-seven. His flaming red hair only added to the effect.

Yeah, I think I can handle it. After all, she's yet to stump the Great Todd Barret. Todd stood up with mock conceit, his chest out, a silly look of distaste on his face.

Why you conceited ass! Wanda shouted, whipping one of the throw pillows on the couch at him. He easily ducked out of the way, laughing at her.

Hey! Harry shouted, Careful! You almost knocked the lamp over!

Ok, Smarty! Wanda snapped at Todd. You give me one!

Wait a minute, Harry interjected. Aren't you forgetting that I'm playing, too?

Sorry, Har, Wanda apologized. He's just so irritating, sometimes.

Well, if it bothers you so much, you shouldn't have said I do, Todd jibed.

Oh, leave me alone! she pouted. Harry was smiling at the pseudo fight the Barrets were engaged in. This was mock fight 10,246. These were far better than the real battles they used to have when they were first married.

Todd scooted up behind his petite wife, and nibbled the back of her neck. She smiled and laid her head back, goose bumps showing on her arms.

Harry looked away, a pang of regret stabbing him in the heart. He had been happily married to Wanda's sister, Maggie, until she unexpectedly decided to leave him for another man. Not even Wanda saw it coming. The other man was killed by an unknown hit and run driver several months later, only two days after Maggie was found dead from a heart attack resulting from the crack that her new lover had supplied for her…

Hellllooooo! Ground Control to Major Harry. Come in, Harry, Todd said. Harry snapped out of his grim reverie and blushed a little, as if they knew what was on his mind. Todd was looking at him with that half smile of his that meant Todd knew something was bothering his friend, but he wanted to make Harry feel better.