Life Line

Lysander was tired of online RPGs. He began playing the RavenLands: My World Online virtual reality fantasy game with the intention of kicking back and having some fun. Ember was deaf in the real world. When she logged into RavenLands, she could hear, but not read lips anymore. The two met by literally stumbling over each other. Two days later, the logout button disappeared, trapping thirty-six thousand players in the game. Ember and Lysander teamed up to find out how to disconnect from RavenLands. They had to act quickly, as their real bodies were in danger of dehydration and starvation. Early on, they realized that the monsters, dungeons and treasures were glitzy distractions. Playing the game was playing on their enemy's terms. They won their freedom by cleverly exploiting weaknesses in the game system itself. They led a demi-raid, competed in an arena run by flamboyant undead and caused a great change in the land. Everything didn't go their way, though. Ember and Lysander were forcefully separated in a dungeon and they had to deal with numerous hostile players. As the death toll increases, they push at the edges of the game and force an important person out of hiding. Later, when many players die in a raid, they resolve to do whatever it takes to win their freedom.