Maddie is the NPC with attitude! Plagued by old injuries that won't heal, she's enticed into accepting a deadly escort mission. Of course, it's to cross the damned desert... and in the middle of Tromoal breeding season, no less. But the lure of enough cash to fix herself up and help out a close friend, too...? That's a siren's song she can't ignore. Puatera Online is a harsh world, even for the people who have to live there. Good thing Maddie is tougher than cured leather, because she may have just bitten off more than she can chew.

With her charge, Alex, safely delivered, Maddie drowns her pain in a local bar. Leaving later that night only to discover Alex has been beaten and robbed, his own quest failed. Politics and cash aside, she aids him. Once more they cross the desert, this time where Tromoal and enemies are born.

Forging a new quest, Maddie and Alex unite the desert runners in order to find enough food to feed the Tromoal through their birthing. But there’s descent into chaos at the mayor’s farm on the discovery of a stolen Tromoal egg and the fact he’s hoarding zombie cattle. Maddie's choices are limited, but her fight isn’t.

Taking the day off work to surprise, Andy, with a ticket to the hottest fantasy VRMMORPG. Emma returns home to find his cheating ass in bed with her sister. Throwing them both out, Emma sits slugging back the wine they’d just shared. Drunk and devastated she almost blows his gift, but watching the adverts for the amazing fantasy world depicting monster’s mayhem and adventure. Emma keys in her name and details – Akillia-F-22 and decides to take on Puatera Online.

With her future decided, 18 year old Jessica and her sisters sneak off for one last night of fun. Breaking into their mother's lab the three of them are thrust into the glitchy online world of Puatera.

Dahlia has spent her entire life in Lila's shadow. Being the quiet twin, Dahlia shied away from sports and never excelled in any of the ways her sister did. Yet, thrown into the glitch-filled world of Puatera, her sister is no longer there to protect her, forcing Dahlia to uncover hidden strengths or be buried by her weakness.

Always a fighter and a gamer, Lila finds herself in a dungeon with two dumbass guardians and a monster to kill. After she escapes the dungeon, her gamer life is then enslaved to a demon who has only one thing on his training her to kill his new opponent, an NPC named Maddie Vies.

With her quests and life becoming more and more complicated, Maddie must forge ahead to protect those she loves and defend her home from the impending war.

CONTAINS ALL 3 BOOKS of The Desert Sequence: Desert Runner, Desert Born, and Desert Storm. Follow NPC Maddie on her journey of self-discovery. Through the deadly desert plains to the inner programming that makes her who she is.