Chapter Text
Jax, followed by Pomni, Ragatha, and Gangle, trudged across the golden dunes of a vast, open desert. Below them, deep chasms marred the rocky terrain. One wrong step, and they’d tumble over, vanishing into the endless void.
Pomni was holding a gold-plated orb, an ancient artifact from a nearby village. They were tasked with returning it to the village elder, but Jax had better ideas.
He suddenly stopped, causing Pomni to bump into him.
“Huh? What’s wrong?” she asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Jax draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her in close. “You should let me hold the orb for a bit. Give your arms a rest.”
“Pomni, don’t!” yelled Ragatha. “You know what he’s like. The moment he gets his hands on it, he’ll toss it into the chasm.”
“What? Moi? I’d never,” grinned Jax.
That’s exactly what he intended to do.
Pomni shrugged off his touch. “I’m fine. Anyway, we’re almost there.”
“Can’t you just enjoy the scenery for once?” asked Ragatha. “Why do you always have to cause trouble?”
“It’s not trouble; it’s fun,” argued Jax.
“Not to us,” glared Ragatha.
“Come on, guys,” said Gangle timidly. She glanced between Ragatha and Jax, unsure who to address. “Do we have to argue?”
Jax rolled his eyes. Since when did he listen to Gangle? She and Ragatha needed to lighten up and have some fun. There was nothing wrong with a bit of mischief. It’s not like he was hurting anyone.
“Jeez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” he teased, knowing it’d get a rise out of Ragatha.
And he was right.
“Urg, whatever, Jax. Just keep walking,” grumbled Ragatha.
“What if I don’t wanna?”
“Then stay here. We’re not your babysitters.”
Jax pretended to pout. “That wasn’t very nice, Raggie. You hurt my feelings. Am I right, Pomni?”
“Don’t drag me into this,” said Pomni.
All three of them were glaring at him now, giving him the attention he’d wanted from the start.
“Hey, this wouldn’t have happened if you’d just given me the orb,” said Jax.
“For the last time, we’re not giving you the—” Ragatha’s eyes widened. “Watch out!”
“Huh?”
Jax hadn’t been paying attention to where he was walking. He lost his footing and slipped over the edge, tumbling into a crevice. His body hit the ground with a thud, sending waves of pain through his back. But like always, it didn’t last long. It was impossible to injure yourself in the digital realm.
Once the dust settled, Jax realised he’d fallen into a rocky pit and would need the others’ help to get out.
“Are you okay?” called Pomni.
Jax could see the tip of her jester’s hat hanging over the opening, but she was too high up. The others were nowhere to be seen.
“I’m fine,” he answered. “Could one of you toss me a rope or something?”
Pomni disappeared behind the rocky edge to regroup with the others. However, after a minute or two, she still hadn’t come back.
“Hey! What’s taking so long!?” he shouted.
His voice echoed off the rocky walls back to him.
“…long…”
“…long…”
“…long…”
Pomni’s head popped over the ledge. “Listen, we’re just going to return the orb first, and then we’ll get you out.”
“But what about me?” complained Jax. “I can’t just sit here doing nothing.”
“You’ll be fine. Stay put.”
Then Pomni stepped back, leaving him alone at the bottom of a forty-foot crevice.
“Come on, guys! This isn’t funny!” he yelled.
“…funny…”
“…funny…”
“…funny…”
They’d left him. They’d actually left him.