The motion of flight came naturally, which was good. Peacock needed all his focus to stay between the rows and columns. The membranes in his wings caught air and billowed out as he flapped. The display cases jiggled.
Peacock would have held his breath if he thought he could fly while doing so. Instead, he tuned into every fiber of his new appendages, pulling them up and down in as straight a line as possible.
The orbs drew closer. Peacock tried to ignore the growing clatter of disturbed items; each sound amplified as it broke the silence. Almost there, then I can get the hell out of here.
Peacock’s mouth went dry as he hovered in front of the artifact orbs. Cormac had given him a sack to grab them with, glaring the whole time while stressing to not touch the orbs. Of course, he’d had no intention of obeying.
He reached out for the blue orb. Pain erupted at the base of his right wing. Peacock gasped as his wing gave out. The other wing tried to compensate, his arms and legs joining in on the flailing as he spun and dropped. Shiiit!
Explosions came from all around, hitting Peacock like a shockwave as he hit the floor hard. Reverberations came from all directions. Pain spread from his wing to the rest of his body.
Harsh chattering came from behind.
Peacock shook his head to clear the stars from his eyes.
WARNING: HEALTH AT LESS THAN FIFTY PERCENT
Feels like it.
Items taken out by his fall lay scattered. Peacock squashed the urge to grab stuff while he took in his two assailants. A human, and the fox Beastfolk who had seen him in the alley. Peacock growled. Things were just getting better and better.
The Beastfolk barely reached the human’s shoulder and looked like a strong wind could blow her over if not for the myriad of weapons hanging off her leather suit. Her partner had his own menagerie of weapons—swords, daggers, bows. Most importantly, the man held a loaded crossbow aimed at Peacock’s head, while the Beastfolk held a staff pulsing with fire.
Damn. That explains the explosions.
The girl shook her staff and, to Peacock’s surprise, spoke in fluent Draconic. “What do you want with us, Dragon?”
Peacock opened his mouth, then closed it again. What did she mean? It seemed pretty obvious what he wanted, yet simply admitting his guilt felt like a trap.
The Beastfolk waved her staff and growled. “Are there more here? Answer me, or you’ll know what it feels like to burn slowly, with no reprieve from death.”
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“Sorry, too late for that.” The words slipped out before Peacock thought about it, his attention drawn to something glinting beside him.
She hesitated, her staff held out in front of her. Its flame-covered top washed the fallen items in a red glow, except for a patch to Peacock’s right.
Under a small pile of collapsed glass, metal, and velvet, two orbs glowed silver and green.
Peacock lunged for it as his assailants yelled. A sharp pain crossed the top of his tail, a crossbow bolt embedding in the wall behind him with a thwunk.
Peacock’s hands closed around the orbs, the feeling of glass shards digging into his palms and the growing heat of an incoming fireball almost lost in the chaos. He fought the urge to look back. Just get the orbs.
ARTIFACT ORBS EQUIPPED
ABILITY UBIQUE SIGHT SYNCED
UBIQUE SIGHT UNLOCKED
Peacock’s scales burst into flames.
BURNING APPLIED
WARNING: HEALTH UNDER TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT
No, I refuse to die!
ABILITY GRIT SYNCED
GRIT UNLOCKED
The third orb caught his eye, its red light blazing in the firelight. It lay an arm’s reach away.
Peacock reached for it as another crossbow bolt embedded itself in his chest. His arm flopped, useless, to the ground.
HEALTH BELOW ZERO
GRIT APPLIED
HEALTH RESTORED TO FIFTY PERCENT
ALL NEGATIVE STATUS EFFECTS REMOVED
GRIT ON COOLDOWN
Strength flooded back into his limbs, the pain dropping to a dull ache. Peacock roared and grabbed the last orb.
ARTIFACT ORB EQUIPPED
Now I just need to get the hell out of here!
ABILITY SANCTUARY SYNCED
SANCTUARY UNLOCKED
The air around Peacock grew molten. He tucked and rolled, the fwoomp of a fireball close enough to singe his backside giving him extra momentum. He was on his feet in an instant, legs pumping as he swerved toward the door.
Get out, get out, get out!
The air wobbled. Peacock’s stomach dropped as all sense of position fell away. Cool night air flooded in. Cold stone appeared beneath his feet. The blue-gray of the moon replaced the eerie red of the Beastfolk’s fire magic. Peacock spun in a circle. What the hell just happened?
Behind him, Krinios’ Central Building towered over all others, its torchlight burning bright. Four blocks stood between him and it.
Did I just teleport?
Angry yells echoed down the streets.
Realization hit. Peacock wasn’t the only one in danger. “Ferret!”
“Kind… of… busy, here.” Ferret answered breathlessly, nearly stopping Peacock’s heart.
Peacock turned another circle before remembering the enchanted earring stuck on his head. Right. Feel like I could have used that better.
Regardless of his oversight, Peacock could use it now. “They found me out, Ferret. Get out of there. The job’s not happening.”
“Wait… what about you?”
“I teleported out. I’m fine. Get out.”
“You wha….”
Peacock’s mouth went dry.
Ferret’s voice popped back up right when Peacock had decided he’d died. “Doesn’t matter…. See you… back at home.”
“No!” Peacock’s unsettled feeling he’d started the night with had blossomed into full-blown dread. The Beastfolk girl had told others about his existence, but it didn’t explain how she knew Peacock would be in the Central Building tonight. Only one other person knew about that. “Meet me at the spot we met.”
“Got it.”
More shouts came from the Central Building. Peacock hoped the guards were angry Ferret had vanished and weren’t taking their frustrations out on the Smallfolk. Either way, Peacock couldn’t afford to stick around. If Cormac didn’t know he’d escaped before, he definitely knew now.
Peacock merged with the shadows, slipping toward the city’s north exit. It was closest to the spot he’d told Ferret to go to, and with any luck, Cormac still didn’t know where it was. Peacock would meet up with Ferret and do what he should have done ages ago. Leave.
The north gate was in sight when the dragon came.