Kate's first instinct on seeing the big flashing “Congratulations!” banner at the top of the site was to scroll right past it. It looked like an ad, the kind that gleefully dumped malware into an unsuspecting browser's computer the moment it was clicked.

  But after a moment's hesitation, she gave it a closer look. The forum had never done such blatant advertisements before, usually going for more subtle banners near the bottom of posts. It was run by fans, not the company who'd made the game everyone was there to discuss. So maybe it was an announcement?

  She read it again.

  Congratulations! Calling all top 500 support players for

  Swords and Spells! Great opportunity!

  That was definitely Kate, who had just managed to break into the top ranks in the last month, but how had it known? She was logged in, and had made several posts and comments before, so perhaps the banner only triggered for certain members? That was a bit of sophisticated programming for a site run by a handful of fans. She was intrigued despite herself, even if the wording still made it sound like an ad.

  I'd be a real sucker if it was, she thought wryly. Drowning in college debt, playing video games as desperate escapism in the few spare hours she had after homework and her part-time job, even the barest hint at something positive made her perk up. Maybe it was a tournament? If there was a cash prize, that was definitely worth a look. She was already struggling to keep up with her part of the rent. Her roommates certainly wouldn't complain of a windfall.

  She clicked on it, wincing internally, half expecting ransomware to pop up.

  When it directed her to an external site, she almost closed it immediately in a panic, but still she hesitated. The site looked professional. A quick glance at the URL eased her fears. She'd been directed to a page on the official Swords and Spells site. Eagerly she began to skim the brief article.

  Congratulations on reaching top 500 in the support role for Swords and Spells!

  Ready to put your skills to the test? Eager to try them out first-hand?

  Sign up now for an exclusive chance to do some good in the fascinating

  world of Giltar!

  Try out her skills first-hand? What on earth did that mean? She frowned at the unfamiliar name. She'd never heard of any map in the game called Giltar, though the sound of it certainly fit with the fantasy-based world it was designed to be. Was the company coming out with a new game? Was this an offer to join a beta? No money, then, but still interesting. She'd never gotten to participate in a beta before. And Swords and Spells was starting to wear on her a bit. The players skewed towards the toxic side, and she'd learned the hard way to stay out of voice chat. The few friends she'd made in the game had eventually wandered off to try different titles.

  Giltar might not be any different, but she could dream. She continued reading.

  Giltar will be unlike anything you've experienced before!

  You'll be pushed to the limit, and you'll have to build your class

  carefully to be able to help your fellow Heroes. This is a limited opportunity,

  so act now! Sign up now and be one of the first to experience this

  amazing adventure!

  Don't fret, every Hero will have a temporary Guardian

  assigned to help you start out in this brave new world!

  She leaned back in her chair, staring at the big red “Sign Up” button at the bottom. Right below it was a counter: 20/1000. Only twenty people had signed up? She looked around the page, trying to find a publishing date for the article, but there was none. She had no idea how long the offer had been up. It'd been a couple weeks since she'd last visited the forum, so she would have missed the offer if it had been up awhile. So either the numbers were low because it had just gone up, or a lot of people had shared her initial suspicion and assumed the banner was an ad, ignoring it.

  “Screw it,” she muttered, and clicked the button. Any escape from reality was welcome at this point. A shiny new game would be a welcome distraction.

  Her screen went dark.

  Kate's heart leapt into her throat. Malware after all. She'd just bricked her own computer. She opened her mouth to let out a scream of rage, but then something--

  pulled her.

  It was as if a giant hand grabbed her by the back of her shirt and lifted her right out of her chair at a speed that left her stomach behind.

  She didn't even have the breath to scream anymore. Everything went dark as if she'd been plunged into a cave, but still she felt that sensation of being dragged at a frightening speed. For a moment she thought she was going to pass out as her head swam wildly.

  Then abruptly she was released. Light snapped back on and she fell hard, all of the air knocked out of her body.

  She lay prone for a moment, struggling desperately to get her lungs to work, feebly churning her legs in an attempt to roll over. All at once air rushed back in and she sucked it in greedily before giving several whooping coughs. She managed to roll onto her back and lay there panting, eyes squeezed shut against pinpricks of tears. Her whole body felt battered, and her mind was reeling. What the hell had just happened?

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  As her ragged breathing slowly came under control, she became aware of several anomalies.

  First, she could hear birdsong. The kind she usually heard through the window in the mornings as she got up for class. But it was past dinnertime, or should be. Which made the light beating at her eyelids equally strange. On top of that, it didn't feel like she was lying on her threadbare carpet in her apartment. In fact, it felt more like...

  She dug her fingers into the surface to confirm. Grass. Dirt. She was outside somehow.

  Her eyes popped open and she shoved herself into a sitting position, head whipping from side to side.

  She was in some sort of field or clearing. Looking right, she could see the edge of a woods. It made her remember the view from her bedroom in her childhood home. To the right was more grass, going on and on seemingly without end. Grass and wildflowers, and not a single person in sight.

  “Get up, Kate,” she said from behind clenched teeth. Obediently but shakily she got to her feet, and immediately shivered. With nothing to block it, the brisk breeze going across the field cut right through her clothes. Glancing down, she realized she was still only in her nightshirt, which didn't quite reach her knees. Gooseflesh was already covering her bare legs.

  “This is a dream,” she said firmly, her voice sounding too loud in the empty air. “You fell asleep at your computer again and now it's time to wake up.” She pinched her arm hard enough to make her yelp, but nothing happened.

  Struggling to swallow her mounting fear, she turned in place, eyes and ears desperately seeking out any sign of life. A figure in the distance, a bit of smoke, the sound of nearby traffic, anything. But there was nothing but grass and birdsong. It was beautiful, she had to admit. Definitely the ideal spot to have a picnic and lay in the warm grass with a book, ants be damned. But this was not a planned vacation, she had been abducted here--

  Abducted. That word was eerily fitting, and the implications made her hair stand on end. That sensation of being yanked out of her apartment and dumped here was still fresh in her mind. She'd never believed in aliens, but how else could this be explained?

  She took in a deep breath to yell out for help, but choked on it in alarm when a bright translucent board popped into existence right in front of her face, covered in big bold red letters.

  CONGRATULATIONS!

  With a squawk of fear she staggered back from it too quickly and tripped over her own feet, falling to the ground hard. Hissing at the pain in her tailbone, she shot a quick nervous look upwards. The board had floated closer and tilted down helpfully so that she could read from her new seated position.

  Warily she skimmed her eyes over the text.

  CONGRATULATIONS!

  Welcome, Support Hero #21, to Giltar!

  You have made the brave choice to help out your fellow

  Heroes and the denizens of this world. Support Heroes are in

  high demand, and you have answered the call!

  What name would you like to go by?

  Name: _________

  Kate stared at the board numbly, then closed her eyes for ten seconds and opened them again. It still hovered there expectantly. She lifted a hand automatically, then lowered it again feeling silly. There was no keyboard anywhere.

  She cleared her throat, but her voice still came out a breathy squeak. “Kate.”

  The text immediately vanished, only to be replaced by a new message.

  Welcome, Kate, Support Hero #21!

  Previous tests have proven that other methods

  of communication tend to be frightening, so to help ease

  you into your new role, we have borrowed

  a system that may be familiar to you and others of your world.

  Important messages will appear on windows like this, though only

  you will be able to see them.

  Your appointed Guardian will be arriving soon to help

  you learn to navigate this fascinating new world. While you wait,

  please take the time to examine the contents of your complimentary

  Beginner's Bag. The tools within will help you survive until you

  pick a class and begin your path to leveling up.

  Please do not attempt to explore the area until you have

  equipped yourself, as there are many dangers in this new world.

  Good luck!

  Class? Level up? Was this some sort of insanely realistic VR? She pinched herself again, but the board-- system window? --and the field around her stubbornly remained.

  “Wait,” she blurted, glancing around in the grass. “What's a Beginner's Bag? I don't have one of those.” She scrambled to her feet and began shuffling around bent over, running her hands through the grass. She was sure she hadn't moved more than a foot or two from where she'd initially been dumped, but there was no sign of any bag anywhere. She dropped to her hands and knees and began crawling around frantically, pushing aside the grass. Still nothing. The hint of “many dangers” was not lost on her. Everything seemed peaceful now, but if someone or something was to show up and try to start shit, she had literally no way to defend herself.

  No bag. She had nothing. She sat up on her heels to glare at the window, but it had vanished. What was she supposed to do, just sit here and wait for her “appointed Guardian” and pray no monsters or whatever showed up?

  She got to her feet and looked around hopelessly, her eyes lingering on the nearby woods. She was tempted to head for them; she felt too exposed out here in the grass. But what if she went to hide in there and there really were monsters? Or her Guardian came to the field to meet her and then couldn't find her?

  She squatted down in the tall grass so it nearly hid her, hugging her knees to her chest. She would wait. What else could she do?

  So she waited.

  And waited.

  At one point she lifted her hand automatically to check her watch, but of course she'd taken it off because she didn't like wearing it at the computer. It was clunky and bumped against the keyboard. She lowered her hand with a sigh that caught in her throat.

  What was that?

  She cocked her head, straining her ears. She could have sworn she'd heard something.

  A moment later she heard it again: rustling, like something moving stealthily through the grass.

  And it was close.