“Where’s Talbot?” I asked, noting the griffin’s absence. “It really seemed to want to play Realmshards with us.”
Halle cocked its head. “You would be okay with that?”
I nodded. “It seemed really bored earlier today.”
Halle laughed. “As was I. These Government bureaucrats I must negotiate with do not seem to understand that I will not allow myself to be studied. They are considering my other requests, but everything is moving slowly. It could be months before we actually reach a resolution about anything.”
“Ugh.”
“Ugh indeed. I will remain optimistic, however.” Halle vanished as the game finished loading, reappearing next to my character as its game avatar. A new avatar appeared—one of the avian races, with purple hair.
“Talbot, I presume,” I said, laughing as the avatar waved.
“This game seems simplistic, but I suppose it’ll serve as a slight distraction.” Talbot adjusted its robes. “Are you certain these clothes are necessary?”
“If you don’t wear some kind of armor, you’re going to have trouble in fights,” I warned.
“I can simply manipulate the code to avoid such an issue.”
I rolled my eyes. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“I am glad I can relax for a bit.” Halle’s game avatar stretched its arms above its head, then drew its healer’s staff. “It has been a long day.”
Smiling, I started casting buffs on our characters. “Think we can handle the next boss?”
“After what we already faced?” Halle chuckled. “Together, we can handle anything.”
Accompanied by laughter, we embarked on a new quest.
Acknowledgements
This book has been a rather long undertaking. Augment took roughly six months to complete, from conception to publication. Upgrade, as of its publication date, has been in progress for about five and a half years. But although at times it felt like I might never finish, I stuck with it, because Viki and Halle’s story has always been dear to my heart, and I wanted to see it through to its end.
I could not have done it without the support of my friends and family. Thank you, Michael, for all the hugs, chocolate, and comforting words. Thank you, Tom, for the caramels and pizza bribes. Thank you, Heidi, for cheering me on during the initial NaNoWriMo project and throughout the years that followed. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for regularly asking when it would be done (it finally is!) Thank you, Aunt T, for asking after your character (I hope you like how Chris turned out.) And thank you to my writers’ group for pushing me through to the very last draft.
Last of all, thank you, dear readers, for finishing this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed the story.
Thank You for Reading!
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About the Author
Fueled by chocolate and moonlight, Heather Hayden seeks to bring magic into the world through her stories. A freelance editor by day, she pours heart and soul into her novels every night, spinning tales of science fiction and fantasy that sing of friendship and hope.
Heather’s other publications include Augment, the first of the Augmented Duology, and a variety of short stories in the JL Anthology series.
You can follow Heather’s writing adventures on her website, Facebook, or Twitter, or through her newsletter.
Also by Heather Hayden
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