I had lived on planet X-47-14 my entire life, so I should have had a grasp on the brutality of the desert. But journeying for nearly four days out in its unforgiving elements of bitter cold during the dark nights and its sweltering heat during the long days was something else entirely.
I missed home. I missed Drayek. I missed all of the Edronans. I missed what my life had been before.
I angrily shook away thoughts of home. Everyone I knew was dead. Edrona was gone. I could only move forward and focus on reaching godhood, as was my intended purpose as a Lord Solomon clone. It would take more than a few lifetimes, and I would see much more death before the end. I couldn’t afford to wallow in the grief of lost friends. In fact, it would be better for me to remain alone with only Codex to keep me company.
I wiped away at the stubborn tears streaking my dirty cheeks and continued to propel myself forward even faster than before, no matter how much my aching feet protested.
“Codex, I am running low on food and water,” I mentally called out to the AI living in my head.
“No need to worry, Master. Based on the speed of your steps, you are but one day away from Facility Number 106.”
I continued forward underneath the blazing rays of the planet’s two suns. The rocky, dusty floor crunched loudly underneath my worn boots. I wiped a sweaty hand along my equally sweaty forehead and let out a long breath of air. My breath stung my dry throat, and every inch of my body screamed for more water.
Though the heat of the daytime on this desert planet was brutal, the nighttime didn’t prove much better when it came not only to the elements, the night on the complete opposite side of the spectrum at an intense cold, but also the increase in lurking monsters that could attack me from the shadows. One, I didn’t have the proper garb to protect my body against the cold. And two, I wanted to avoid fights with monsters as much as possible. Traveling during the day was my best and safest option.
I stopped where I stood–there was nowhere else to go. The mountains surrounding me on every side were too far, and there were no trees or other foliage to offer me any sort of shade. With a heavy sigh, I collapsed to my rear and pulled my leather sack off my shoulder, relief rushing through me in a single breath as my back stretched freely and without the weight of the sack.
I rummaged through the pack, pushing aside half-eaten strips of dried monster meat and the meager crumbs of the bread I had left. Finally, I procured a dark leather waterskin from the bottom of the pile.
I threw the sack aside and eagerly tipped the spout over my cracked lips. A slow but steady stream of warm liquid spilled onto my tongue, and I gulped it down quicker than I should have. It took a great deal of effort to stop myself from drinking all of the water. The waterskin’s deflation grew increasingly worrisome every time I took it out.
“Master, the suns will soon begin their descent, and I believe you should rest before another day’s trek. Upon scanning the land in your vicinity, I found a small crevice about a mile ahead that you can take shelter in.”
I licked my lips, trying to savor every last drop of water. “Lead the way, Codex.”
Rest. I liked the sound of that.
The way Codex offered his directions differed from any other way a flesh and blood person would direct me. When Codex led me somewhere, it was like I could feel it–I could see where Codex wanted me to go.
Having an artificial intelligence embedded in my brain would still take a while for me to get used to. Sometimes, I didn't think much of it, but other times, I shuddered to think that another being residing in my head could read my thoughts and speak to me whenever it wanted to.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
The Lord Solomon AI, whom I had met just weeks before the destruction of my homeland, Edrona, had told me Codex was an “it.” Meaning Codex wasn’t a human with human-like emotions.
I often thought of Codex as an inanimate object that merely made calculations and directed me toward the best decisions when it came to cultivation and such, but sometimes, it seemed to have opinions. It seemed to want things. And it definitely had a masculine-sounding, though incredibly squeaky and flat-toned, voice. So, sometimes, at least in my thoughts, I referred to Codex as a “he.” And the more I got to know the artificial intelligence in my head, the more it felt like Codex thought like a human would. Granted, a very emotionally stunted human, but human all the same.
The path ahead of me, the path Codex wanted me to take, seemed to light up in a soft yellow glow. I knew it was in my head, but the way the cracks in the rocky ground lit up and guided me further east looked pretty underneath the shining rays of the suns.
“Right there, Master,” Codex said in my thoughts.
Maybe it had to do with the exhaustion coursing through me, but I couldn’t seem to find any sort of crevice nearby that I could wiggle into and take shelter.
“Uh, where?”
“You are right on top of it, Master.”
“Oh!” I said aloud, jumping forward and turning to see where Codex referred to.
Just two steps behind me was a long crack, much like all of the other fissures in the craggy desert, but evidently wider–just large enough to let my small frame through. Though I’d started filling out in the last month since advancing to Tier 2, I was still only in the very beginning stages of growth. Very beginning. Meaning I was still very small.
Even with my Tier 2 armor, I slid through the crack with ease, barely scraping the sheer blue metal of my breastplate. I fell for less than half a second and landed firmly on the ground.
I stumbled through the cave, my path lit only by the few sun rays that peeked through the crack above. I ran my hands along the surprisingly damp walls, my eyes taking their time to adjust to the dim lighting.
Is there a water source nearby?
I followed the walls down a slight hill. The cave continued on for about 20 or so feet until I reached a lip in the rock floor. Now adjusted to the darkness, I saw a small pool of water right beneath the drop in the ground.
“Codex,” I called in my mind eagerly, my hands twitching with a strong desire to scoop the liquid into my parched mouth, “is this water safe for me to drink?”
“Scanning,” Codex said. “Scan complete. Yes, Master. The water is safe for you to drink.”
I had dropped to my knees next to the pool before Codex had even finished speaking. After removing my gauntlets, I shoved my hands into the water, the coolness of it alone easing my heat exhaustion. With trembling hands, I brought scoops of water to my dry lips and sipped the liquid slowly. It was hard to keep a slow, steady pace, but I knew if I overdid it after spending four days in the desert with not even close to enough water, I could suffer from water poisoning.
The water trickled down my throat, soothing the hoarseness in my vocal cords and bringing a refreshing chill to my stomach. I dared one more scoopful, then settled back onto my rear to take in the hydration. After a moment's pause, I procured my waterskin and proceeded to fill it all the way to the top. I wasn’t about to take on the rest of my journey in the desert without enough water.
“Ah, mortals. So weak. So reliant on the most simple of elements, such as water.”
My breath hitched in my throat, and my fingers instinctively hovered over the spear strapped into my back sheath. My eyes darted about, searching for the source of the silky feminine voice, but I found no one.
“Codex, was that you?” It hadn’t sounded like Codex, but maybe…
“No, Master,” he replied matter-of-factly.
I swallowed. “Of course not.”
I tucked the waterskin safely in my pack and slowly rose to my feet, careful to not make any sudden movements.
“Is someone there?” I called, hand still poised over my spear in preparation to pull it out at a moment’s notice.
No answer.
Exhaustion and dehydration can do strange things to people. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe I craved company so much that I’d imagined the voice.
I paced the length of the cave and, not finding anyone or anything, I relaxed the hand reaching for my spear and dropped it at my side. I desperately needed some rest.
As soon as the thought of rest went from my brain and informed the rest of my body, my limbs went nearly limp, and I had to force my legs over to walk to the wall in front of me. My body sighed in relief as I planted my back against the cool rock and sank to the floor. After my eyes drooped closed, it didn’t take long for sleep to overcome me.