Peacock’s breath puffed out. It hung in the air as a fine mist, taking more of his warmth with it. As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, so had the temperature, transforming the empty landscape from a red-hot wasteland to a frozen one.
He clenched his chattering teeth. Out of one hell into another.
Ahead stood more dunes and wasteland, leagues and leagues of mostly nothing, with the few creatures he had stumbled on being monstrous insects. A massive granite spider, an armor-plated cockroach big enough to swallow him whole. He’d abandoned his stealthy slither for a plodding walk out of sheer exhaustion, which meant being extra vigilant for incoming mobs.
As if on cue, a gigantic shadow careened over the dunes to Peacock’s left. Peacock flattened to the sand. Damn it, I wish I wasn’t covered in bright colors.
The shadow slipped over him, the sound of flapping wings pounding through the empty air.
Peacock’s stomach turned cold enough to match his exterior. Shit, that sounds like a dragon! He sunk his claws into the sand, frantically clawing at the soft ground. He burrowed deep, wiggling his hips and tail to further sink in before whatever flew over came back.
The flapping receded just enough to make Peacock think, for just a moment, maybe no one had seen him. Then it grew louder again until it was hovering right overhead.
ABILITY UNLOCKED: HIDE
Shit! Peacock bit his tongue, swallowing a shout. Dumbass AI’s trying to get me killed.
Thankfully, whether because of extreme fear or fatigue, he hadn’t jumped when Aisha so abruptly announced his new ability. Now, to hope his hiding was good enough to throw off the giant thing above him.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
With death looming and breath held, a ridiculous notion invaded Peacock’s brain. Do you need to breathe in a digital world? I guess not. I’m under sand. Not much air down here, yet I still feel like I’m going to pass out when I hold my breath too long. Weird mechanics.
A giggle threatened to come out. No, idiot, don’t laugh. Death by laughing has got to be the worse way to go. Heh, maybe this is how Viseral died before ending up hatching next to me. For some reason, this idea was even more hilarious, leaving Peacock about to explode with insane mirth.
A low growl cut it short. The steady wing beats shifted; two quick, strong flaps followed by the sound of the creature flying away. No, the dragon. Peacock was sure of it now. Zenith Flight was looking to capture the one who got away. Maybe he was even the first to escape.
Peacock grinned, careful to not let any sand in his mouth. Your cave isn’t so inescapable now, is it Nex? He couldn’t imagine the consequences for losing a prisoner was lenient. Perhaps Nex was being tortured that very second. Just you wait, your nightmares have only begun.
With those thoughts to warm him, Peacock squirmed out of the sand, scanned the now empty sky for good measure, then walked off into the frigid night.
*****
He didn’t know what to expect at the border of the wastelands. Most digital worlds still kept clear-cut borders, a holdover from their MMO roots. Still, this area took the idea rather literally.
The sand he had become intimately familiar with over the last two days as he crawled, walked, ran, and hid from the wasteland’s dangers stopped in an abrupt, jagged line that stretched far to Peacock’s left and right.
The cut in the landscape separated the wasteland from the edge of a tall mountain range on the other side. It was far too wide for him to jump, and without the ability to fly, he could have easily given into despair if not for the bridge made of rainbow-colored light that ran across the chasm.
This is why she told me to go south. Peacock dipped his head and sighed. Thank you, Alainn. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me.
In another time, another place, he might have been afraid of the shimmering, slightly intangible-looking bridge leading into an unknown landscape. Here and now, it represented everything Peacock wanted. Everything she wanted.
Peacock pushed off, shoving away his hunger, fear, and exhaustion as easily as the sand beneath his feet. He sprinted across the rainbow bridge, each strike of his claws causing the structure to sing out clear, beautiful notes. The melody filled his chest to bursting. For the first time, he felt free.