The forest floor was much softer on Micro’s aching feet, but the dense foliage above was making it more difficult for him to see. He was starting to get used to walking on two feet, but he still tripped over the occasional rock, twig, and mushroom.
“Were you always this clumsy, human?” Blue teased the boy as he stubbed his toe on an exposed tree root.
“I wasn’t clumsy at all!" He defended himself proudly.
“I could turn on a dime, and my brakes were responsive-”
“I see.” She interrupted him.
“By the way, you’re sure, right?”
“About what?”
“There’s no speed limit here?”
“Stop it with the nonsense, boy.”
Micro didn’t feel like he was moving very fast for a human, but he didn’t like the uncertainty of travelling without a certain speed in mind.
“Wait, stop here for a moment.” Blue jumped off his shoulder onto the ground and approached a tree no different from any other.
“Do you need to use the toilet?” Micro asked.
“I can wait over here.”
“No, fool.” She snapped back, not looking away from the tree.
“Ah… That’s a shame.
She looked around the tree for a moment, and hung her head sadly.
“Are you looking for a vending machine? There don’t seem to be many of those around here.”
“No, to whatever that is…” With a disappointed look on her face, she jumped back up onto his shoulder.
“That hollow tree was home to pixies once upon a time. But it’s empty now…”
“Where did they go?”
“Captured and…” She sighed.
“I haven’t seen another pixie outside of a cage in a long time. Those creepy magicians…”
“They should just use normal batteries.” Micro replied kindly.
“This place is so strange.”
Blue shook her head to dispel the unpleasant thought of her kin’s plight.
“Enough about that. Tell me more about your world.” She spoke playfully once again.
“How did you get from there to here? Did you die?”
“My world?” Micro pondered for a moment.
“Well, it’s a nice world. Most of the roads are flat. There’s snow sometimes, and a lot of work to do. The old man was always busy…”
Micro smiled as nostalgic feelings washed over him, but his aching feet brought him back to reality quickly.
“But then that boy on his little phone walked in front of me and-” He grimaced and took a deep breath.
“There was a bright light, and then I was floating in the sky.”
"Your world sounds as boring as it is confusing. I'm almost sorry I asked." She interjected.
"Sorry..."
“So you were summoned to the immortal realm after you were in an accident.” Blue nodded sympathetically.
“I’ve heard of that happening before, but it’s rare for the summoning to go well.”
“She said I had to save her followers from somebody…”
“You mean the goddess, Nora?”
“Yes, that was her name.”
“She’s a wild one.” Blue sighed.
“Just forget about her. She’s a young goddess and her worshippers are crazy. Most magical beings are like that these days…”
“Aren’t pixies magical?”
“No, I told you, we’re more like cultivators.” She argued back.
“We use our own energy. We don’t just steal it from other things every time we have something to do. Magicians are the worst!”
“I see…” Micro frowned.
“So they steal fuel instead of buying their own.”
“You could put it that way.”
“People like that really are terrible.” Micro agreed.
“Not as bad as people who ignore traffic signs though.”
“If you say so.” Blue shrugged.
Their chat continued as the forest grew darker, and soon it was cold enough that Micro could see his breath in front of him.
“Hey, my exhaust comes out the front now.” Micro softly laughed as he waved his hand in the small cloud.
“It does get cold this time of year.” Blue was also starting to shiver, and the light she could produce was growing smaller.
“There’s a spot under that tree over there that looks extra warm. Go rest over there.”
Micro ducked under a branch, and the two of them found themselves in a dark, cozy spot beneath the dense overgrowth.
“Make us a fire, would you?” The pixie requested urgently.
“How does that work?” Micro asked back.
“What the…” Blue was too cold to comment on his ignorance.
“Just make a pile of sticks and twigs in that flat spot there and I’ll do the rest.”
“Alright.” Micro agreed. He picked up a branch to show Blue.
“Would a twig like this do?”
“Oh my… Yes! It’s fine!” The shivering pixie snapped.
“Hurry!”
Though he had some difficulty seeing in the dark, he eventually managed to make a modest pile of dry branches and leaves as directed by Blue, who then gestured for him to sit down beside her.
“How are you going to light it though?” He asked.
“I don’t have a lighter anymore…”
“Let’s see if I can manage this yet…” With her eyes closed, she held her hands together and took a deep breath. Micro watched closely as sparks formed at the end of her small fingers.
“Hah!”
With a shout, Blue threw a large spark into the pile of sticks, which steadily began to burn.
“I’m weaker than I thought…” She panted.
“I really was close to death back there.”
She looked at Micro and waved.
“Thanks for not leaving me behind, I guess.” Her face shone a little as she thanked him
“Well, I’ve never left a passenger behind, so…” Micro began to explain, but his attention was suddenly drawn from the grateful pixie.
“What’s the matter?” She asked while rubbing her tired eyes.
“I just noticed somebody sleeping over there.” He pointed in the direction of a bush, made visible by the orange glow of their little fire, next to which a man in rusted armour lay motionless.
“EEK!” The pixie screeched and jumped behind Micro.
“What’s the matter?” Micro asked.
“Should I wake him?”
“He’s dead!” Blue screamed.
I'll post here regularly until I've caught up with what I've posted on Royal Road.
Thanks for reading!
