New Game

Chapter 13: The Road Ahead

Aquila could feel his cloak flapping about behind him as a light gust blew through. The three of them had followed the path west of The Town of Crossings for most of the day; at first they had come across a few cheery players passing them without a care in the world, but the further along the path they went, the less players there seemed to be. At first the road had been green and lush, making Aquila question what was so off-putting about this part of the land, but the more they walked, the more the grass turned from a vibrant bright green to a deep yellow, and then the grass began to give way to hard brown dirt.

The once vibrant fields, full of flowers, clovers and dandelions that had surrounded the Town of Crossings, were now patchy at best, with only the occasional flower here and there; and certainly no life about the place. The more they continued, the more the grass decreased, and the more the barren dirt increased.

'I'm starting to see why they call it the Lonely Planes, hey,' Slie joked, 'it's pretty lonely out here.'

Aquila tried to fake a laugh – but it wasn't convincing. Not only because things were getting slightly unnerving, but also because he didn't really find the joke all that funny.

They continued onward, well into the afternoon, and a little into the night. Slie attempted to make conversation a few times – but for the first time since Aquila had joined them, they mostly travelled in silence. By the time the sun began to set, the grass had all but disappeared, and the dirt itself had hardened quite a lot; though their sleeping rolls did a good helping them to forget that was the case. They were also back to setting up watches during the night, and warding the area; which meant that their sleep would be broken.

Unfortunately dinner was quite bland that night. Nixie served them toast with butter. She was concerned about conserving supplies.

'We just don't know much about the area; and when we'll be able to buy next, or even what we'll be able to buy.'

'I used to hunt for us when we were on the road and low on supplies,' Slie explained, 'before you joined us.'

'And what's stopping us from hunting now?' Aquila asked.

'Look around – have you seen anything to hunt around here?'

It was true, Aquila realised, the area around them had gotten quite sparse, both in terms of vegetation – and he only just realised, in regards to animal life too. He did see the occasional bird swoop through, but those moments were few and far between. On top of that, he wasn't sure if his shooting skills were accurate enough to actually hit one of them.

'You've got a point about conserving supplies Nixie,' Aquila said, and he meant it too. Nixie wasn't one to be stingy, so if she thought it best to be careful with their food, it meant that they probably should. Aquila just didn't understand how in a world where they didn't actually need to eat, it still felt so unnatural to go without the basic meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Indeed, he turned in his bedroll that night, longing for something more substantial.

Sleep was about the only thing that felt untainted from the effects of the game. It took him at about midnight, but even then, it wasn't consistent. He was woken for his watch at twelve and only got back to sleep at four in the morning. He dreamt in the same way he would have in real life. He dreamt of Sophia and Alex – he saw them getting into the pods. They were the same pods that held them captive. The laboratory was around them. It was exactly the same as it had been when the odd receptionist had led them down there; like he had been transported back in time.

'Sophia, Alister, maybe we shouldn't do this,' Aquila said.

Sophia stepped out of the pod. Nobody seemed to care. She walked right up to him and placed a hand under his chin. Her skin was cool and soft.