The
Virtual
Realm

Burning Skies (PG-13)
 

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Burning Skies

 

There was so much to think about in this strange new world, was it any wonder that Hank overlooked something so blindingly obvious? Not that trying to justify it helped at all, but he hadn’t realised how easily mistakes could be fatal in this crazy place. Had he known what to look for, he might have recognised the signs, but he was too busy worrying about monsters and other forms of sudden death to pay attention to something so “trivial” as the heat.

Hindsight is a marvellous thing, but he can’t help the past. He just didn’t know the signs. He didn’t know what to look for. He didn’t understand, even though he should have.

 

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That whining voice was driving him mad. Every few minutes that same whinge came from behind them: Can we stop, I’m thirsty. It’s hot. I’m tired. I don’t feel well. I’m thirsty.

Hank knew Eric finished his own water bottle hours ago. He closed his eyes for a moment against the burning glare of the four suns and counted to ten, very, very slowly.

This always seemed to happen, no matter what situation they were in. How were they ever gonna get anywhere with the Cavalier whining like this all the time? Was this going to be the pattern until they found a way home. His heart gave a nasty lurch.

But it was true that today, it was extremely hot and they were stuck out in the desert with no shade. The sand was baked to a hard crust that barely broke beneath their feet. There was no sign of it ending either, they were going to have to keep walking for days, most likely. There had been no hint of a timescale when it came to riddles.

The riddles themselves were confusing enough at the best of times!

There was so much new; there was so much to take in and so much to try and understand. They had all found it difficult to adjust. They hadn’t been there very long; a few weeks at most, and it seemed had that the first portal they tried to get to was across a desert, but that was just the way it was! Nobody liked it, but they had to trust that Dungeonmaster knew what he was doing. Their old Guide seemed to be the only one who knew anything about anything in this crazy place. If he said cross the desert, then that was what they were gonna do, regardless of what the Cavalier thought!

Eric had complained about something every day since they had arrived. Every. Single. Day. Without fail.

True, it was their first days in the Realm and none of them were used to the hardship and rugged life, least of all the pampered snob of a Cavalier, but they could have all done without his incessant complaining. It was driving them all mad; and more than that it was alienating Eric from the others; even if he had been an actual “friend” to start off with, he certainly wasn’t being very friendly at the moment.

They were all sick of him.

‘We’re gonna have to do something about him, Hank,’ Diana was saying. ‘He’s driving us all mad!’

‘I know,’ he said.

‘He never shuts up,’ said Presto. ‘Geez, talk about a broken record. Every day the same. “Can’t we stop, I’m tired, I’m sore, I’m hot. I’m thirsty.”’

‘I know.’

‘Anyone would think that he’s never been anywhere hot before!’ said Bobby.

‘I know.’

‘Sheila’s tried talking to him, but it just doesn’t help,’ added Diana.

‘I know!’

‘Every time we do anything difficult, or anything at all, he starts on again!’ said Diana, ‘he’s not the only one to find things hard, you know!’

‘I KNOW!’ snapped Hank, turning to glare at the startled Acrobat. ‘I know, ok!’

‘Sorry, Hank. I know you know. Sorry!’

He took a deep breath.

‘It’s ok,’ he said. ‘I’m sick of it too. But there’s nothing we can do. We’ve got to stick together and find a way out of this horrible place.’

‘We can leave him behind!’ suggested Bobby. ‘Just for a while!’

‘We can all speed up!’ suggested Diana. ‘And give our burning ears a rest!’

‘We can just ignore him!’ added Presto. ‘Maybe without an audience he’ll pipe down.’

Valid suggestions, all of them, but Hank hesitated. They should really split up, even though it was extremely tempting. They had never done anything like this before. Nothing in his life had ever prepared him for something like this; magic and dragons and one-horned men in skirts that rode fling horses. There was almost too much to understand, and he was afraid of making a simple mistake, and putting them all in danger. There were so many things that could go wrong in a treacherous place like this.

The whining voice grated through his head and he was suddenly very, very angry. That was the last goddamn straw!

‘That’s it, come on!’ he said loudly. ‘Let’s get going! The sooner we get out of the desert, the better.’

Presto, Diana and Bobby all grinned, with the only dissenting voice coming from Sheila.

‘We’re going faster? He’ll never be able to keep up! How will he know which way we’ve gone?’

‘There are footprints in the sand,’ said Hank, curtly. ‘I’m sure even Eric can manage to follow those!’

Oh, god, why couldn’t they get some peace!

Sheila had that look on her face, and he could easily guess what she was going to say. That was all very well, but Hank didn’t like the way she intervened; and she didn’t like the way that Eric enjoyed her attention either!

So he didn’t give her the chance to speak and just quickened his pace. Diana, Presto and Bobby (and Uni) all followed, and Sheila eventually joined them as well.

They talked amongst themselves, raising their voices to drown out anything else.

They just kept walking.

It had been a long time since anyone had listen to the Cavalier was saying anyway, and eventually Eric stopped talking.

He didn’t realise until a long time afterwards that Eric had stopped doing everything else as well.

 

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