Cyber Mortality

Chapter 52:

"May, since you can fly it would probably be best if you scouted above us while we searched the ground," Flint points to a spot on the map. "We should start looking here. Vyra said they found symbols on a tree which led them to the last dungeon, so everyone should keep their eyes open."

"Will do," I nod. "I can probably keep myself in the air for an hour or so at a time. As long as the wind is favorable that is."

"Whatever works," Flint nods curtly before glancing back down at the map. "Meet in an hour then."

I summon my inventory and pull out my green carpet. After using it on Cliffton, I have decided that, due to the greater surface area, it is easier to fly for longer than myself on my own.

"We should see if we can find you some sort of squirrel suit sometime," Nyle grins when he spots me pulling out my carpet. "I'll bet it would be even better than a carpet when you're flying alone."

"Squirrel suit?" I glance up at him with a raised eyebrow. The carpet unravels in a blink and rests on the forest floor.

"You know, those suits that have wing kind of things attached to the arms and between the legs?" He holds out his arms. "I'll bet you could fly super fast."

"I guess?" I plop down onto the middle front of the carpet and pull up the front edge to hold in my hands.

"We will see you in a bit," Nyle waves while I summon a current of air beneath me.

The carpet flutters for a moment before lifting up and carrying me above the tree line. The wind blows my hair over my shoulder and whips it around behind my back. My lips split into a grin and I close my eyes.

"Amazing," I whisper before snapping my eyes back open. They dart across the horizon, through the trees, and to either side of me before I glance straight ahead again. For being trapped in a video game world, one certainly couldn't complain about the scenery. Trees span as far as my eyes can see until they meet towering mountains in the distance. The air smells of the green around me and the rain building in the clouds above my head.

Grasping the front of the carpet, I will myself higher until the air grows thinner. I take a deep breath and gather the air around myself imagining a bubble. After a moment the pressure on my lungs ceases and I can venture higher.

Once I crest above the first cloud layer I feel the pressure growing around me. My concentration falters for a moment as I try to keep the pressure away while also keeping the carpet afloat. I plummet a good fifty feet before catching myself. I purse my lips and look down at the carpet. It did make directional flying easier because of its surface area, but it was also hard to stay in the air and control the air pressure. I raise my hand and pull up my inventory and do the one thing Zephyr said to never do until I had mastered my wind control. 

Freefall.