A/N: Chapter two is here! I'm running out of author note content now, so enjoy...
Digital Flux
Chapter 2
"Time is ticking, if you don't decide then I'll have to choose for you."
"How about I leave you to decide for yourself. Take a look around this place, carefully mind you, and decide yourself if you want to help or not. I'll give you a week here before I return and if you still wish to return then I will send you back." Desperation was clear in the voice.
"A week? A day is too much, let alone a week!"
"A fair compromise. You keep your life and I get a single chance to persuade you. You have my word that I will return you if you haven't been convinced after a week. I will not bother you during that time either."
"You're a voice without a source, all I have is words dumbass!" I sighed deeply. "Fine! You have a week. After that I am gone! And you better make sure you keep to your promise."
"I will return to you in a week. Try not to get yourself killed."
I was left where I stood, unknowing if the mysterious voice had left or not.
I mimicked the voice in a mocking manner. "Try not to get yourself killed! Who the fuck does that voice think it is?" I scoffed and punched a tree. "Damn it! I'm no better off than before!"
A thunderous crash before me reminded me of the proximity I was in with that large thing I had moved towards earlier. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea now.
Just as I began to turn and run, a rather large red reptilian head exploded out of the trees. A single amber eye the size of a car gazed at me with a hunger I had never seen before.
"Shit!" I took off like a bullet from a gun, going anywhere but where that thing was. I risked a single glance back and saw the head push its way out, the large red body following as it began to run after me. Not good.
On hindsight maybe listening to the voice was a good idea, when it told me not to get myself killed. But, as most people will tell you, hindsight is a useless thing.
I ducked and weaved between trees while the red thing simply plowed through them. It was gaining on me with each step it took, and it was running pretty damned fast. My adrenaline returned, pushing me faster than usual as I literally ran for my life. If it wasn't for the imminent danger I was in, I would have marvelled at the speed the red dinosaur thing was moving at.
Something very hot whipped past me as the ground to my right exploded upwards. I dodged the debris as best as I could, though not able to miss the fair size rock that dislocated my right arm on collision. I let loose a single yell of pain but didn't stop running, at least it wasn't broken.
Another wave of heat raced past as I saw what looked to be a fairly large fireball slam into the trees in front of me. This thing was shooting fireballs at me now? Wasn't it enough that I was being chased by an obviously faster large red dinosaur thing? Obviously not.
More debris dodging ensued, I successfully avoided all the large chunks this time, as a third ball of fire flew overhead. I decided a change of direction was in my best interests and angled to my left. I was rewarded with an open clearing, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all.
Stopping here was suicide so I continued on, even though the open ground gave me zero cover. A fact proven when another fireball followed me out of the tree line. How I avoided that was anyone's guess but it impacted to my right, sending a shower of dirt down on me. I wiped my vision clear and continued back into the forest, the dinosaur thing following much closer now. I could hear its breathing as it closed in on me.
Having to duck and weave again slowed me down while that thing simply barrelled through every obstacle. I found this out when a large clawed hand swatted me from my current course, sending me flying through a few trees myself.
I landed in a heap, my dislocated arm useless at returning me to my feet. Picking myself up and brushing off the leaves that clung to me I simply waited for the dino to finish me. I watched as it methodically paced towards me, lips pulled back with savage glee at finally catching me. Even if I had anywhere to run to I would be caught within seconds, escape was futile.
Death was mere seconds away when it stopped and looked to its left. I was barely able to make out a muffled shout before a hail of white things slammed into the side of the dinosaur. Dumbfounded I observed the towering red form disintegrate into nothing, that was a death I had never seen before. Just where the hell was I?
Out of the frying pan and into the fire was the phrase that ran through my mind as I saw a yellow and white humanoid fox thing appear before me. Standing roughly six foot tall it easily dwarfed me. Yellow fur adorned every part of its form, except the tips of its ears, tail, hands and feet, as well as the front of its body. Those were white, with a white mane down the front of its chest. Black claws tipped its hands and feet, both with only three digits. Two purple arm guards made up its only clothing, with the symbol for yin-yang on them. Matching symbols in purple decorated the front of its thighs, while a single waved purple line traced under each sapphire orb set in a sea of black, making its eyes look almost soulless. Three small spikes looking like miniature wings protruded from each shoulder. A humanoid fox? Large red dinosaurs were one thing, but this wasn't making any sense at all.
Then, just to make things even weirder, if possible, it spoke.
"You gave me quite a bit of trouble. I am not impressed."
Feminine, threatening and most certainly dangerous with the tone she used. My chances of survival had dropped even lower if possible.
"Trade one deadly creature for another, come on then. Do what you're going to do, I haven't got all day."
The fox blinked once. "And what might that be? You think I wish to delete you?"
"Delete, kill, exterminate. Pick your poison, it's all the same in the end."
"As much as that would make my life easier, I am not here to kill you. I was sent here to protect you, though why is beyond me."
Oh great. Just what I needed. I preferred the impending doom scenario to a babysitter. "Then you best leave then. I don't need some thing watching me. If I am to die here, so be it. At least I'll screw that voice over."
Another blink came my way. "'The voice', that's what you call it? It sent me to you."
"Then you really can piss off. Anything said, done or sent by that damned voice can go to hell." I thought it was going to leave me alone, not send something to 'protect' me.
The fox crossed her arms. "I am a being of my word, if someone asks me to protect someone then I will. I am not leaving until 'the voice' tells me so."
My arms went up in the air with exasperation. "Fucking brilliant. Now I am deemed unable to do anything without a babysitter."
"You think I want to watch your scrawny arse in case you stumble into danger again? I wasn't given a choice either."
I stabbed an accusing finger to the fox. "Hey! This is your damned world, you can sodding well keep it! I want to go back to mine, not tramp around here for the rest of my life!" I had had enough. Turning on my heel I limped away from the vixen, not wanting to be near such an annoying creature. Sadly she followed, easily keeping pace with me. "Go away! I don't want or need your help."
"Like it or not I will accompany you. I was asked to do so and I will keep my word."
I scoffed in response but remained silent otherwise. I really didn't want to be here, wherever 'here' was. My arm was beginning to annoy me with its uselessness, so I did the one thing I could to rectify it.
Pulling the sleeve of my shirt up off my shoulder I slammed it into a nearby tree. It hurt like hell but I succeeded in popping it back in. At least it wasn't useless now, it just hurt a lot. I got an inquisitive look from the vixen at my actions and gram of pain, but she got nothing from me. I adjusted my sleeve back and carried on.
I had walked until the sun began to set, I had no concept of time here. There had been silence between me and the vixen as I wandered aimlessly around the forest. By the time the sun touched the horizon I had left the forest and entered a wide plain. Only then did the fox speak again.
"We should find shelter, night is fast approaching."
I didn't stop or turn to address her. "Off you go then. I'm going to continue walking."
"It's dangerous here alone, even more so at night."
"Your point?"
"My point is you have an almost zero chance of survival if you continue on now."
"And..."
"Do you not value your life?"
"Not really. Life is just that, life. I grew bored of mine years ago." I only said the truth to shut her up. It worked too, if only for a few minutes.
"Whatever happened to you in your past to make you the way you are, you need to put that aside for the night. You will die if you carry on, no one else will know of your fate."
"No one cares anyway. What's the difference if I die here or in my world? I'll get the same amount of attention." I realised just how depressive I sounded, but in the mood I was in I really didn't care.
"Either way, you need to stop. You can rest your leg and walk faster in the morning." Clever tactic there. I might just do that, besides I was beginning to feel tired.
"Fine!" I stopped dead where I was. "Any suggestions?"
She turned around and gestured with her paw. "The forest provides adequate shelter for us, for tonight at least that's our best option."
Without a word I headed back the way I came, returning to the tree line to find somewhere to sleep for the night. The vixen followed as usual.
An average sized tree offered a suitable perch for me so I climbed up and settled down. I was joined by the fox as the perch was larger than I first realised. I laid down with my back to her as a gesture to leave me alone.
A twig snapped nearby. Leaves rustled as something moved through them. I heard the vixen tense up and mumble something I didn't care to hear. If we were being shadowed then they could take me away from this shit.
I heard her jump away to confront our stalker but I made no effort to do anything. I wasn't one to welcome death, I just acted that way to try to make her leave me alone. It wasn't working though.
I heard the sounds of what I guessed was combat coming from a reasonable distance away, but my attention was drawn to my right instead as something landed on my perch. I guessed it was the vixen, but I had to correct myself when I was yanked up and pressed against the tree by what looked to be a humanoid wolf.
"It's not often I find easy prey. You don't look like much, but you'll do."
"Go to hell. I'm bored already." I only seemed to piss it off more.
I was dropped from where I was held, the slight drop causing me to stumble. I looked up to see the wolf lunge at me. I managed to roll away before it hit me and got behind it. I wasn't a fighter so decided to go for a sucker punch attack to its back. I underestimated the wolf's resilience as my hit seemed to do nothing.
It mocked me with a smirk. "Nice try weakling."
"Why thank you." I mocked right back.
I dodged another swipe and rolled under a third. While I was underneath I delivered another sucker punch to its gut, again doing nothing so I decided against offensive tactics. The wolf snarled and leapt at me, I wasn't going to be able to dodge this time as its arms were spread wide.
I was all set to be skewered when a yellow blur whizzed past and locked the wolf aside. Quick as a flash the vixen stabbed her claws clad in blue fire through the base of the wolf's neck. I watched as it too dissolved like the dino from before.
The vixen dusted herself off. "Sneaky, sending one to make a distraction while another comes for you. I should had seen that coming." She turned to me. "Are you hurt?"
For the first time since I had first encountered the vixen I had no hostility within me. Despite how I had been and what I had said in the way I said it, she had saved my life.
"No. I'm fine." She quirked a brow at my neutral short reply. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For saving my life."
She really did quirked brow this time. "I thought you didn't care if you lived or died?"
"I had to say something to get you to leave, didn't I?" She seemed confused again. I didn't feel like explaining things. "I'm going to try to rest again."
Without another word I resumed my place were I laid before and attempted to dose. My thoughts were plagued with this fox saving my life, I wasn't used to social interaction so had no idea what to do. It was easier for me to act like an asshole than try to be socially acceptable.
I found sleep soon enough, ending my first day in this strange new place.
