The view was magnificent. Lush mountain peaks jutted out from snow white clouds like skyscrapers. The moon was so large and foreboding, it felt as if I could reach out and grab it. I could see the dark splotches, cavernous craters, and all the crags and ridges in between. The sun would be up in minutes, and the moon would disappear. Thankfully, the sun was at a much more normal size.

In the distance were floating islands, some just above the clouds, and others far above and below them. Cascading from a few were foaming waterfalls. And on one of these islands, there was a city, a grand city of countless spires huddled close together. The tallest being at the center, and flat land being at the very edges.

I sat on an arching cliff edge, on one of the tallest mountains of another floating island. The scenery was green and loud with life, fauna and flora dominating the area like the buildings of a capital city.  

There was no reason for me to be here. There was nothing that needed collecting or work to be done. I was simply here because I felt like it. And for that nonreason, I loved it. This simultaneous sense of freedom, but also that sense of peace one can normally only find at home.

But to me, this whole world was home. This Old World.

I raised my butt up by bracing my arms, then folded my leg from under me until I was standing.

I took one last look and inhaled deeply. 

Then I clenched my fists and held each of them above my chest parallel to each other, and jumped. Moments after my fall, a glider unfolded itself from my backpack like a bird’s wings, along with two handle sticks appearing where my clenched fists were. It wasn’t technically flying, but it sure felt like it, or I think it must be.

I could have twirled about and done some loopty loops, but I didn’t feel like it. The rush of air and g-force is still exciting, but I got most of my fly crazy out of my system the first go around. At some point, you just get used to it; the wonder of it all.  

So instead I went down to the flatter, but still slightly hilly land.  As I neared it, I jutted my legs out in front of me. At the slightly quick speed I was going at, I started a light jog as my first foot hit the ground, eventually catching up with my momentum and slowing until my pace was that of a leisurely walk. My glider folded back into my backpack. I ended up on a thin dirt path that went slightly up and down from the hills. The forest spread out from the path, leaving enough room to fit twice the span of my glider between, as it would have been hard to land among outreaching branches.

I did not know where I was going, but I had a feeling of anticipation all about me. I’ve only been playing for a couple weeks, so I knew there was still much of the World for me to see. And, normally, content was spread out at a compact density. You couldn’t wander around too long before some citizen required assistance, or before some foe absconds with some treasure. Yes, this land was one of simultaneous peace and conflict. Though the conflict wasn’t exactly real, since it was a game. But by that logic I could say nothing is real because it’s a game. But the peace is real because it’s a game.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

— — — — —

Thoughtless thoughts like these were had for minutes more… Until.

A low growl rumbled from the forest depths. Hungry amber eyes glinted.

— — — — —

Something was rushing at me. I could hear the crunch of twigs and parting of leaving. It lunged at me. Instinctively, I rolled away, mid-roll, pulling out from my backpack a long cylindrical object.

BANG!  

As it was in the middle of its second lung, it’s face a mere foot/3rd of a meter from mine, I shot at it. Its body fell past me. Hitting the ground with a whimper, then lay dead. 

It was a brown wolf.

I hate to do it, but it scared me, coming out of nowhere and all.

More rustling came from the forest. My gun, along with my body, snapped in its direction. I could just shoot it blindly, but I might miss, and in that time, it could lunge at me, or it might not be a wolf. It could be anything! So I waited…

The seconds made sweat materialize on my hands. Damn sweaty hands. They’ll be the death of me one day.  

Out from between two leaves that were so large it would have been comical if it weren't for the surrounding they inhabited,  came not one but two cubs. Probably those of that wolf, seeing how identical their coats are.

I sighed, knowing what had to be done.

— — — — —

“Puppies for sale! Puppies for sale!” I hawked. I had a stall set up in the city square, holding up one puppy from under its armpits as if I was displaying it as the newborn prince.

— — — — —

“It was awful, I was there for an hour before the two got picked up!” I said, sitting in a bar seat next to Abe. “I’m just glad I didn’t have to pay for a permit, or wait in a cue. I had to do extensive research before I could proceed!”

 “Pff, it probably didn’t take long at all.”

“Okay, fine, it didn’t. But that’s not the point. It’s precious time I’ll never get back!”

“Typical kids, makin’ a whole lot of nothing sound like the end of the world.” He said, in his strangely annoying sage tone.

“What are you, like 46?”

 He tilted his chin low, showing the seriousness in his eyes that were now over instead of behind his half-rimmed glasses, and said, “That’s 45.”

“Right, right, 45,” I said, far more defensively than I intended.

 “You could have just left them there, or killed them on the spot.”

 “They would have died either way, probably. I had no choice.”

He laughed a throaty, increasingly exasperated laugh, then said, “I tell you what you could have done, and you say you had no choice!”

I gulped down the rest of my beer and said, “Yeah yeah yeah, thanks for the talk, random NPC guy.”

“What?”

“Nothing, later Abe.”

Leaving the bar, I took a left, and then another. Suddenly, someone bumped into my shoulder rather harshly, nearly knocking me off balance.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” said the hooded girl or woman – it was hard to tell which – with a nod of apology.

“No problem.” I replied, nodding back. Then the two of us went past each other, on to the rest of our days.

I’m glad my slight of hand was high enough to contest the pickpocket and steal back my pouch.

Now when does a girl become a woman? It’s easy to tell with men because boys become men once they can grow a mustache, but women don’t have mustaches, or at least, they aren’t supposed to... Maybe I should stop limiting myself to American beauty standards…

Thoughtless thoughts like these were had for minutes more…

— — — — —

Author's Note

I probably won't write any more of this as it's not very exciting and it's pretty self insert, and I mostly wrote this just because I really felt like writing something. But I probably will continue it if I can't think of anything better.