Alainn threw more of her food to Peacock.

Nex had called his bluff and refused to give him anything to eat. “No sense in wasting food when you’re not hungry,” he’d said flatly before walking out.

Asshole. Still, he’d avoided Nex’s quills. That alone was worth it. Peacock frowned at his own thoughts. Worth what? Killing someone?

He still couldn’t bear looking at Alainn. He deserved whatever consequences she decided on, yet here she was feeding him more of her meat. It made it even more difficult to look.

You were right, you know. He would have suffered more, and died anyway, if you hadn’t killed him.

Shock brought Peacock around to stare at Alainn despite his trepidation. What?

She popped a chunk of meat in her mouth, a bored look on her face as she stared into the distance. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad to hate having to do it, but there’s no point in being so hard on yourself. You couldn’t keep the guy from dying, so you ended it quick. It’s a great idea, really, and now he’ll be able to create a different character far away from here.

That’s right. We’re supposed to be able to die and change characters, aren’t we? With all the game rules he’d learned before not applying to Zenith Flight, Peacock had forgotten that was actually a thing. His heart dropped. Wait, is it? Or has Zenith Flight changed that, too? Rebirths are supposed to vanish when they die, too, but they don’t. What if they’re trapped here?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I… I hadn’t thought of that. I’d like to think the ‘great dragons’ of Zenith Flight wouldn’t waste the energy keeping a bunch of low-tier Rebirths from re-creating, but… I don’t really know. Alainn’s voice had steadily fallen as she talked, and Peacock was sure he saw tears sparkling against her green eyes.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Forget I said anything.

She sighed. No. You could be right. If you are, it’s something to keep in mind.

Peacock cast around for something to cheer her up. Their situation was awful enough without making her feel worse. Did you figure out anything new about how they’re cheating?

Alainn’s eyes grew wide for a second before she corrected her expression back to bored. Yes! When Nex created the arena, and cast the armor illusion, neither was a skill he knew, yet he cast them effortlessly. The triggers originated from Nex, but not from his character.

So… what does that mean?

I have an idea, but I’m not positive. I need more time, and maybe a distraction.

Alarm bells went off in Peacock’s head. That sounds dangerous.

Absolutely, but what Nex is using is in his inventory or equips. I need to get close enough to touch him, and I need to keep contact for about ten seconds. If I can do it, I can grab a copy of his character data.

So, if he’s using equipment to cheat, we might be able to use it, too.

Assuming we can get a hold of it, yes. Even if we can’t, knowing what he’s using could help me figure out more of this game’s programming language, and get me one step closer to making our own cheats.

Peacock’s tail swung back and forth. Then you’ll get your distraction. Just be ready.

Always. Alainn curled into a ball, flashing a grin at him before tucking her head against her side.

Warmth flowed through Peacock. He grinned back, even though he knew she couldn’t see it. With the two of them working together, Nex would regret ever capturing either of them.