The city was massive. Thick stone walls stretched toward the sky, dotted with even taller, round towers.
The lights Peacock had seen in the distance shone from an orb in the top of each tower. Each orb was the size of Peacock’s middle and did a fine job of illuminating a large area in front of the wall, including the small windows down each tower. Glittering arrowheads stuck out of the holes, giving the wall an all too familiar spiky appearance.
Why is it always spikes?
Peacock tucked tighter behind a cluster of emerald-green vines. Fortunately for him, the city sat in a separate zone next to the edge of the mountain region. Here, jungle trees grew dizzyingly high into the sky, while more vegetation covered the ground than Peacock could identify.
He shifted back and started the slow, careful trek around the giant wall. This side of the wall had no doors or ladders. That was fine with him. He had no intention of stepping foot in the city. However, it also had no mobs.
The walls continued out of sight into the thick vegetation. The sheer scale of the place gave him renewed hope that it was a starter city, but until he found some prey in his level range, he wasn’t holding his breath.
The jungle floor enveloped Peacock as he crept along. Vines wrapped around his hands and feet, huge ferns clung to his sides, fallen logs forcing him to slide over and under in a serpentine pattern.
Peacock loved every minute. The jungle reached for him, pulled him in, made him feel safe. The word fit, his memories said so, yet the idea had become so foreign. It was like his first bite of fresh food, incredible in a way he couldn’t have imagined, and a sensation he wanted more and more of.
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Rustling in the undergrowth a few body lengths away caught Peacock’s attention. He homed in on it.
On its current path, whatever was making the noise would come close to Peacock as it passed. A fine opportunity to see what lived in the jungle outskirts.
Peacock went still and waited, equal parts fear and hope coursing through him. He didn’t want to leave the welcoming arms of the jungle. He needed this to be a lower-level mob.
Slowly, the creature moved closer, until finally, he could see what was hidden within the plant life.
The outside of the creature shone a metallic red-brown, and for a second, Peacock feared he’d found another scorpion. But no. Although the plants still obscured most of it, the face was clear enough.
The smooth, oval head, the round black eyes, the wickedly curved pinchers. An ant, one nearly half his size, but an ant. Even better, above its head hung black words, declaring it to be level five.
Peacock grinned. Finally, something he could kill, instead of the other way around.
He led with his claws, aiming for what passed as an ant’s neck. The ant was quicker than he expected. It spun, mandibles clacking, and caught both of Peacock’s claws across the side of its face.
Pop.
Its eye caved inward, squirting yellow slime. Peacock’s vision immediately misted over. The smell of old, dirty socks soaked in week-old cabbage juice filled his nostrils.
The ant screeched, a sound that set Peacock’s teeth on edge, and scuttled back.
Peacock struck again at the now blurry insect and hit empty air.
Shit. He blinked rapidly. Come on, eyes. Work with me!
The ant didn’t wait. It trilled. A dark blur flashed closer as a sharp sting bloomed in Peacock’s chest.
HEALTH BELOW FIFTY PERCENT
Damn it. He’d forgotten he’d hurt himself while climbing out of the ravine. He had to end this fight, quick.
Peacock swiped again, missed. Anger roiled up. No way was he going to be bested by a level five bug. No way in hell.
He reared back as the blurry ant attacked and ignored the feeling of a mandible sliding down his arm. He had one attack ability. Time to try it out.
Peacock inhaled, the air in his lungs going from the cool mist of dawn to seething hot. He embraced the fire and breathed it out.