Synopsis: PHX

Here's what we all know:

1: PhanTasai'i Hero X is the best-selling Fantasy adventure RPG series EVAR.

2: Starting as an 8 bit graphic adventure game and evolving to fabulously rendered CG graphical fighting based game, over the last 15 years the original game and its eight sequels have sold billions; their characters are cosplayed all over the world; their fanfiction is, well, yeah ^_^.

3: The series is nicknamed PHX (pronounced "FIX") by its fans.

4: The tenth game is coming out this summer and the gaming world is abuzz because there are NO details on it, not even what platform it's running on. Speculation is it's a MMORPG, but not even so much as a screenshot has leaked to the press... let alone the Internet.

5: The game's creator, Jesse Santana, was brutally murdered by three cosplayers shortly after the release of the second game. His sister Grace was seriously wounded during the attack, but survived. His widow runs the company now, along with his business partner/art director, despite the negative associations the family has with this game. PHX is their only product.

6: Jesse's son, Jordan, is now twelve. One day he'll be the richest kid in the world.

7: Jordan has never played the game. He prefers Tiger Woods golf on a Wii.

Here's what very very very few people know:

Those weren't cosplayers. Those weren't costumes, and they weren't playing.

And now they're BACK. They've come for Jordan and for Grace... so they can finish what they started.

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As a one sentence pitch, this story is to "Final Fantasy" what "Galaxy Quest" was to "Star Trek," only not so funny.

Much of what I'm doing with it, including the concept illustrations, is being posted on my writing blog:

http://arlenecharris.blogspot.com