Leap Froging. That's the plan

“So, what’s this grand idea of yours?” I asked Rachel, my snarky AI companion taking up residence in my head.

We hadn’t moved an inch away from the cursed castle yet. The horse I had brought with me was nowhere to be found, and there was a good stretch of open land between my current location and Templa, the town that was probably being overrun by monsters with sharklike teeth.

I needed to get there as soon as possible. I really hoped the little girl was okay.

“Alright, here’s what we do,” Rachel said, starting her explanation. “Combining both of your newly acquired abilities (I’m of course talking about Leap Frog and Sky Glider), you are going to run and jump all the way back to town. That’s it. That’s my idea.”

I took a second to think about it.

“That doesn’t sound like a very smart idea,” I replied, teasing.

“Well, it’s the only practical one we’ve got, so get to hopping, buddy.”

Getting into a runner’s pose, I placed my hands on the ground in front of me, bent my left knee at an angle, then stretched out my right leg behind me. I kept my gaze locked forward and ahead. “Don’t worry, Sun Fruit,” I whispered. “I’m coming.”

“Ready,” Rachel said. “Get set.” I arched my back slightly. “Go!”

I exploded into a sprint, running in a straight line across the mostly barren field.

“Alright, now!”

At the sound of Rachel’s command, I launched upward in a jump, shooting at least fifteen feet into the air.

“Shit…” I underestimated the Leap Frog skill. I was not expecting to go that high.

“Crap.”

I came crashing back down after losing focus, shifting into a tumble in order to control my descent, but that didn’t work, so I ended up slamming my back and rolling in the dirt.

“Hunter, you okay?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah,” I responded, gritting my teeth and wincing a little from the pain. “Let’s try that again.”

…

I resumed my earlier runner’s position, just as Rachel restarted the countdown.

“Ready? Set? Go!”

I took off running once more, building as much kinetic force as I could muster.

“Leap!”

Tightening my core, I launched up into a second jump, this time reaching heights of nearly twenty feet.

“Alright, now! Do it now!” Rachel shouted. “Activate Sky Glider!”

I recognized the technique.

I reached out both of my gloved hands in front of me, as if grabbing onto an invisible horizontal pole. Then, with a yank, I instantly shot forward through the night sky like a torpedo, the world around me blurring at the edges as I became a living missile.

It was a move we had practiced multiple times back on the island, and I couldn't believe I was finally executing it for real. However, those were only simulations on a computer. Reality, in the actual world, was much different.

I suddenly lost focus, my acceleration slowed, and because I wasn’t expecting it, I went crashing into a tree when I fell back down.

“Before you ask, I’m fine,” I told Rachel, coughing out leaves that had somehow found a way into my mouth when I crashed. I hadn’t hit the ground yet; I was still hanging on a branch.

“Well, thank you for helping me confirm you’re not dead yet,” Rachel sniped. “Now, get up, froggy. We still have some ground to cover before we reach town.”

Following her verbal jabbing, I sighed in exhaustion. I was so not looking forward to more crashing.

“Don’t worry, Sun Fruit,” I whispered underneath my breath again, while still hanging on the branch. “I’m coming.”