Land of Snow (1)

**A little bit earlier **

[Royal]

I groaned and rubbed my head. Huh I was still alive? How odd. I glanced around immediately noticing my rather wet body even though this place hadn't flooded. I gulped.

A shimmering barrier with a time stamp stood around me preventing me from leaving.

[1:03:15:33]

Just over an hour remaining, but who had put it here? They hadn't killed me, nor had they ignored me. Who and why?

Not to mention they touched me, but I didn't feel germy? Was it because I was unconscious? I shook off my thoughts. Would they be coming back for me in an hour?

A notification flashed in the corner of my eye.

Right! I had my recording stat running still.

I pulled it up shifting mentally through the time stamps. Then I froze...SnowLeps.

Okay the next part was way too embarrassing to talk about, but that aside, they were arguing over killing me or leaving me alive.

I reached up touching the back of my neck and just barely noticed the irregularity of it. They weren't kidding about those tracker chips being hard to find.

I winced and dug my fingernails into my neck avoiding the wave of sharp pain and tears running down my face. A few moments later a small silver square rested in my palm. I felt a trickle of blood running down my neck but I ignored it.

What to do now? I noticed some food and water left by them in a corner.

Heh, did they think I would be stupid enough to think they hadn't done something to it? Well considering the chip they probably hadn't, but I wasn't going to take the chance.

But I noted two things. One Blank was going to be okay. Two I still didn't know if I was going to be pursued as a traitor or not. Wait the chip! Oh that would work. All I had to do was wait, if it exploded in a bit then that meant they still thought I was a traitor and wanted me dead, if it didn't after a few days I could take a hesitant trip to town.

Okay well I'm still leaving this dark cave since I'm not going to instantly die. Should I thank Sly or be horrified...… let's just forget that ever happened. Well he used gloves so I guess it's like nothing happened, kind of….. ugh just never mind, out of sight out of mind or something like that.

I headed north into a forest. I always did like forest areas, so calm and peaceful. Even some wildlife if you were quiet enough. There was a cave a few miles up, I could make it a temporary house? I started to enjoy my little hike. I could of just flown but seriously take some time to stop and smell the pine trees!

This place was a state park before the whole AI incident. I really was lucky to live so close to one. I started humming to myself as I walked. It was a habit I picked up when I use to follow my geologist father around the wilderness, well before that happened...…

I entered a little valley area and stopped in front of a large pine. It looked so graceful. Then I walked a bit further to where an old, but short, dead tree was somehow still standing. It almost looked like it had a face, hehe poor tree probably would belong in some spooky story.

Suddenly the chip in my hand started to grow warm. I quickly tossed it away. Then paused I was probably over reacting and...….BOOM!

A loud explosion rang out as the poor dead tree finally got a funeral. Several pieces of sticks and bark crashed toward me and I held up an arm blocking most of it.

I hissed as a cut opened along my left arm dripping blood all over the snow. Oh how annoying it broke a vein. I gripped it trying to stem the bleeding.

Grumbling I looked at the spots of red on the snow and brushed my shoe over it trying to cover it up. I failed quite badly as the snow now looked like a poor animal got ripped to shreds.

"Oh never mind." I muttered.

Honestly, my luck seemed to really stink right now, could it get any worse?

I felt a tear start to form on my eye and quickly brushed it away. I wasn't going to cry like some five year old just because the world was a little unfair.

I removed my hand for a second and got more blood all over. At this rate it was going to become a problem. So much for my nice little hike.

I spread out my wings, I'd have to go find a set of herbs to make a basic healing potion.

At least this injury wasn't cursed by a beast to be no healing or something. Yeah thank the AI for coming up with more ways to make our life difficult.

I floated into the air and a certain necklace slipped out from under my shirt and into sight.

I sighed. I was also going to fix that. If nothing else maybe fixing it could somehow fix my relationship with Blank?

Eh who am I kidding, the chip exploded. I should stop with the delusions. They clearly still considered me a traitor. They wanted me dead, no now they would even believe that I was dead.

Rip I even killed off all of Team Red in a rage and didn't have any recordings of it. I had made one but I'd been so angry and determined to kill them all that I didn't realize it was on selfie mode.

I hovered about five feet in the air then just fell back into the snow. Tears streaked down my face, who am I trying to kid.

Forget being strong and all that other nonsense, no one's watching no one cares. I'm all alone and….. and….. I want something I am never going to have...…

I want Blank...

I clutched the broken necklace against my chest and started bawling.

I miss Blank,

I want Blank,

I...I.....sobs more.

....Blank...…..

At least he's safe. Blank is safe and well. As long as he finds happiness and everything it'll, it'll...

Some birds in the nearby tree fluttered off in alarm as more sobs rang out. These ones weren't even remotely quiet.

** A few hours later **

I stared down at the finished product. I hissed as a little blood from my wrapped arm got on it and I wiped it off. The potion had healed it almost completely, but ever since the game injuries system and reality started merging things got super weird in places.

I cleaned up the little opal until it gleamed. It had taken a lot more effort than I thought it would to repair it. Not only finding another opal stone of healing, but the actual silver in the necklace had broken in several areas and been a pain to properly fix.

[Necklace of Rebirth: Can heal any injury as long as used within 10 seconds of receiving. Breaks upon use.]

Finally fixed. A slight sad smile crossed my face then disappeared. The task of fixing it had taken my mind off things, but now they were back again.

I clutched the necklace feeling more tears start to well up. I moved to the back of the cave away from the light by the entrance. The back was dark and lonely, perfect for everything. I snuggled up against the wall. I had a sleeping bag in my inventory, but I didn't even have it in me to pull it out. Instead I embraced the cold rock below me.

How long until my eyes killed me by dehydration I wonder.

I should live, if for no other reason than making sure Blank has an amazing life. Yes from the shadows I would make sure that happened. There was no way I was going to let some monster kill him, no he'd grow old have five kids, possibly adopted, and maybe whine to his significant other once a week.

I can't go dying of dehydration now can I?

I pulled a water from my inventory and drank it. The inventory feature had only merged a few hours ago, but I was already finding it super convent.

I thought of Blank smiling and closed my eyes. Yeah that's how he belonged, smiling. Forever.