Wings, Immortality, and a War of Trolls

When aging pilot Andre nearly dies in an airplane accident, he decides it's time to upload. He has his brain removed and scanned into Thousand Tales, a game where ordinary players compete with the AIs and former humans who live inside it. He takes full advantage of his new digital life, becoming a high-flying pegasus and learning the magic of the sky. He's just in time for a strange little war. The digital world seems overly cute at first, but there's more going on than people leveling up.

Spells and transformation are easy in this world, but building a society isn't. Can Andre fight in a way that will get his virtual land taken seriously, and equip his new friends to make a difference in the world of humans?

This story is also available as a book at https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B071V9B4JX ! A complete version of this story is going to be posted here, but the Amazon edition is much longer. Want more free content instead? Try https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01NCAER2M , a short story collection in the same world, or the preview of "Crafter's Heart" here on RR, or the version of "Crafter's Passion".