The sun was a rude, blinding menace, and Zyrha was already sweating.
She stood on a cracked plateau just outside her cave, sword slung across her back, Mira trudging beside her like a very unwilling child on her first forced hike.
"We're hunting," Zyrha said, trying to sound heroic. "It's exciting. Adventurous. There's danger, drama, possibly loot."
Mira blinked at her. "You stepped in bird poop two minutes ago."
Zyrha glanced down. "I was trying to look up for threats."
"Well, you should look down for hygiene."
[Reminder: Arguing reduces stealth efficiency.]
"Can it, DreadCore," they said in unison.
A moment of silence passed between them before they both grinned.
Zyrha stopped at a ridge and scanned the distance craggy rocks, scorched trees, a dried-up riverbed, and the occasional ominous dust swirl. Everything looked like it had given up centuries ago.
"Alright, DreadCore," she said. "Scan the zone. What we got?"
[Initiating Local Monster Scan…]Filtering by current threat range…Excluding creatures that could turn you into paste…Scan Complete.
Nearby Threat Detected:
Species: Rage-Tuft Hare
Level: 2
Disposition: Hostile
Condition: Malnourished, Angry, Possibly Possessed
Warning: Do not pet. Do not approach casually. Do not assume it's cute.
Zyrha squinted. "A… bunny?"
Mira groaned. "I did not wake up today to get murdered by an angry marshmallow."
[It is larger than average. Roughly the size of a goat. With fangs.]
"…Still a bunny."
[It also has four ears, glowing eyes, and a noted history of disemboweling novice adventurers.]
Zyrha turned to Mira. "We are absolutely fighting that bunny."
"I hate this job," Mira muttered, but she followed anyway.
They didn't have to walk far.
The Rage-Tuft Hare was lurking near a cluster of dried bushes, chewing furiously on what appeared to be a broken helmet. Its body was thick with mutated muscle, its fur patchy and coarse like someone had combed it with a flamethrower. Its front teeth gleamed like daggers, and it had four twitching ears stacked like a horrible crown.
It was making an unholy chittering sound.
Zyrha whispered, "Still think it's cute?"
"It looks like someone dipped a rabbit in madness," Mira replied.
"Perfect."
[Engage at will. Be advised: it has a short-range leap attack and unpredictable movement patterns.]
"Copy that."
Zyrha drew her sword, the iron blade humming faintly with stored indignation.
"Mira," she said. "Flank left."
"Define flank."
"Just move around and look distracting!"
The moment Zyrha took a step forward, the rabbit launched.
Not hopped. Launched.
It blurred across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as it hurled itself at her with all the speed and energy of a cannonball wrapped in fur.
Zyrha yelped and dove to the side, narrowly avoiding becoming bunny paste.
"WHAT IS THIS THING MADE OF!?"
[Rage. And possibly caffeine.]
Mira threw a rock.
It missed entirely.
"I'm helping!" she yelled.
"YOU'RE NOT!"
The hare spun, baring those freakish front teeth, and came at Zyrha again. This time, she managed to deflect the charge with her sword, but the sheer impact knocked her back and sent a bolt of pain through her shoulder.
"Ow. Ow. Why is it so buff?!"
[Your enemy is driven by centuries of inherited spite.]
Mira hurled another rock this time landing a hit directly on the creature's rear. The bunny squealed, spun around, and set its sights on her.
"Oh no," Mira whispered. "Oh yes," Zyrha said.
"Don't you dare let it charge me—"
The hare leapt again, and Mira screamed as she flailed and fell backward, barely dodging the deadly leap. She scrambled behind a rock, panting.
Zyrha rolled to her feet.
"Okay," she panted. "We are doing terribly. Time to stop fighting like two panicked ferrets."
Mira peeked out. "You got a plan?"
"…Not really. But I'm angry enough to improvise."
Zyrha focused, activating her Echo Thread.
The silvery line flicked to life, latching to the rabbit. Instantly, she felt the creature's emotions: white-hot anger, deep confusion, and a strange craving for dried mushrooms.
"Okay," she said through gritted teeth, "it's mad, it's hungry, and it might have unresolved trauma."
[New status detected: Slightly Disoriented.]
Mira blinked. "Can you, like, use the thread to mess with its head?"
"I can barely use it to eavesdrop on Jeremy's feelings."
"Okay, plan B?"
"YOU'RE plan B."
Mira ducked a small stone that had nothing to do with the rabbit. "Okay okay! Look—I can try to distract it again, and you hit it from behind?"
Zyrha grinned. "Now that is a classic strategy."
The plan was simple.
And terrible.
But it worked.
Mira popped out from behind a boulder and did the only thing she could think of: she screamed.
"HEY, FLUFFBUTT! YOUR EARS ARE UNEVEN AND YOU LOOK LIKE A CURSED SOCK PUPPET!"
The rabbit shrieked in rage and charged.
This time, Mira ran not in circles, not in a panic, but in a wide loop that kept the rabbit spinning and snapping after her. She hurled pebbles and insults with equal intensity.
Zyrha crouched low, sword ready, heart pounding.
She counted.
"Three… two…"
The rabbit lunged.
"…One!"
Zyrha sprang from behind, swinging her sword in a wide arc. It wasn't perfect—but it was loud, heavy, and full of spite. The blade smacked against the hare's flank with a satisfying THWACK.
The creature staggered.
Mira dove in, teeth bared, and bit the rabbit's tail.
"What—why?!"
"I panicked!"
The hare squealed, reared up, and Zyrha took the chance to stab its underside.
With a final, pathetic wail of rage and regret, the rabbit collapsed in a heap.
Silence.
Then:
[Target Defeated. Rewarding EXP…]
Zyrha fell back into the dirt. Mira collapsed beside her.
They lay there, panting, covered in dust and tiny cuts.
"…We lived," Mira gasped.
"Barely," Zyrha wheezed. "I've fought moss with less violence."
[Mira has leveled up.]
MIRA – Level 2 Unlocked
HP increasedNew Skill Gained: Burn Spark – Releases a small burst of heat from palms. Not impressive. But warm.Emotion: Gleefully Exhausted
Mira sat up, blinking.
"I leveled up."
Zyrha gave her a weak thumbs-up. "Congrats, hot hands."
"You didn't level?"
"Nope. Still two. Apparently leadership doesn't pay well."
They both looked at the rabbit carcass.
Zyrha groaned and got up. "Let's get that Monster Core and drag this abomination home. We've got a kingdom to upgrade."
Mira grinned. "So… we're really doing this."
Zyrha smiled, crooked and tired.
"Yeah. We're building a bunny-killer empire."