Chương 27: White Fluff

At the beginning of the valley, there weren't any white flowers. As they moved deeper, white ones started appearing in the distance. They didn't pay them much attention. Then the further they walked, the more there were. Now, looking at the end of the valley, at the edge of the illusion, every white flower opened its eyes and looked toward them. The white flowers… they weren't flowers. Bright crimson eyes stared at them. It felt like they were looking straight at his soul.

There was still a hundred meters between them, so he couldn't see what they really were. They started running. Flowing from every direction. Hundreds. Clay unsheathed his sword, his face pale.

"What do we do? What are those?" he asked in quick succession. Adolin didn't react. He just watched. He needed more information before committing to anything. They kept getting closer. Moments later, he saw them. White, fluffy rabbits. Crimson eyes. Sharp teeth.

"Rabbits?" Clay said, his eyes widening.

"But there are too many of them." He raised his sword, his hands tightening around the grip. He was right. There were far too many of them. For a warrior. The question on his mind was how much of his strength he should reveal in the dungeon. Now that he thought about it… he really wasn't hiding anything. Not at all. That would need to change. Probably. Now the problem was getting closer. There were a few ways to deal with it. He glanced at Clay. He was already sweating.

Well, he didn't want Clay to miss out on all the fun. He needed to make sure he did his best too. Now, how was he supposed to do that? Ice Crystal. That would do the job. It was a spell that could encase an individual, or an area, in a crystal of ice. It was meant to immobilize the target or block off space. A good beginner spell for Ice Mages in his world. Perfect for this. He just needed to remove the ice-natured mana from inside the crystal so it wouldn't freeze them.

Make it act like a shield instead of something meant to freeze people. The rabbits didn't look too strong. Well, not individually. In numbers, they could be quite deadly. With the spell, he could encase both of them, then open a small gap so Clay could kill them in waves. That was perfect. Probably not for Clay. He muttered a few random words.

"…Ice Crystal." They were encased in thick ice. A solid crystal forming around them. Then the rabbits arrived. They slammed into it. Again. And again. The crystal remained pristine. Clay exhaled loudly, lowering his guard. His sword dipped, almost touching the ground.

"Great. You could've said something," he said between breaths.

"What's great? We still need to kill them to leave," Adolin said, his hands clasped behind his back.

"And how do we do that?"

"We? It's all you. I need to keep the crystal intact." He looked distraught, but managed to calm down.

"So? What do I do?" He was taking it better than Adolin thought. The rabbits were already gathered around them, slowly climbing atop one another as they made their way to the top of the crystal. The light inside the crystal was dimming. Clay looked around, searching for cracks or openings. He lifted his head, acting like he was pondering.

"I will open a hole, and you will kill the ones that come in. Simple." He nodded, preparing himself, then turned.

"Wait. You're going to close it after enough come in, right?" Adolin tilted his head. Well, he could. But should he? He wasn't sure. Time would tell. He shrugged.

"Wait!" Clay shouted.

"That's a bad plan!" The rabbits had already reached the top. There was almost no light inside the crystal. Adolin opened a small opening at the top, just wide enough for two rabbits to enter. The rabbits started pouring in.

"Fuck," Clay cursed. As the word left his mouth, he dropped into a stance. Both hands on the hilt, back straight, the sword held at shoulder height. His right leg stepped back, dug into the ground. As the first rabbit fell within reach— His sword moved. It split it in half. Blood splashed against the ice—and toward Adolin. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Wind Barrier. The blood fell harmlessly to the ground a meter in front of him.

That was close. He almost got covered in blood. Clay continued slashing. Dozens were already dead, and he was covered in crimson. He was still in the same stance, hadn't moved a step. The rabbits came crashing down, split in two. His blade moved faster than Adolin could track it. Like a whirlwind. He felt like this should have been awesome to watch. But it wasn't. It was… he didn't know how to describe it. He felt sick watching it. Just bunnies hitting the ground, split in two. His stomach churned. And the sound.

Wet. For the next five minutes, he just stared at the ground. But even that was starting to look disgusting. Blood slowly seeped from where Clay fought, creeping toward him. Well, he didn't mind the blood. He had been used to it for a long time.

"I… can't keep this… much longer," Clay said between quick breaths.

"You must," Adolin said. Clay didn't say anything else and continued fighting. The rabbits outside were trying their best to bite through the ice, but their teeth slid harmlessly along its surface. That was the stronger part of Ice Crystal. The sides were angled and slippery, so every blow was redirected, losing its momentum. Like the teeth were. There were a few weaknesses, but the rabbits only had teeth to work with. So they weren't getting inside anytime soon. It would take Clay less to kill them all. Probably.

The boy did look like he was working overtime. He would fall soon enough. The light inside the crystal felt like a party. It was pitch dark, except for when the rabbits fell. That less than a second—between one falling and another taking its place—was the only light inside. And Clay was doing a great job, timing his strikes even in the dark. He wasn't using any skills. Just his physical strength and technique. Luc would like the boy. Light erupted from his left. The rabbits were leaving a small gap in the crystal.

It gave enough light for Clay to be effective, but Adolin didn't like it. He stepped closer to the opening and looked out. About twenty meters away, a larger rabbit was preparing to charge. A horn sat on its head, catching the light at the tip. It charged. In less than a moment, it was upon him. He stepped back. Where he stood, a horn had pierced the crystal. The rabbit struggled to break free, but it couldn't. Adolin chuckled. Well, that was the weakness. The crystal was far from broken.

It would take a lot more of these rabbits to do it. Just as he thought that, light started pouring through multiple holes. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Thirty openings for the horned rabbits to charge through. He glanced at a few of them. His prediction was right. Thirty rabbits were about to charge and pierce the crystal with their horns. He clicked his tongue.

"What's happening there?" Clay asked.

"You should step one to the left, and one back," Adolin said, relaxed. Clay did it without a second thought. Crack. The horn punched through the ice where he had stood.

"What the fuck," Clay cursed.

"The bunnies stopped being cute," Adolin commented.

"Cute? They are not cute. They never were," Clay said, struggling with every word.

"They were. Before you split them in half." Clay's speed increased, his blade was now enveloped in mana. He was two to three times stronger. Adolin nodded approvingly. He used it before he could be overwhelmed and too tired.

"They are trying to eat me!" he exclaimed. Well, that much was obvious, so he didn't feel the need to comment.

"Say something." Adolin ignored him. The first attack was numbers. The second, the horned bunnies—piercing holes in the crystal. Then more. So what would they do next? He watched them. Then his stomach churned again. The first bunny that had pierced the crystal was being eaten alive by the others. Well, that made sense. After getting rid of the horned ones, they would have openings. They could start crushing the ice with their teeth. Make bigger holes. Invade through them. The rabbits were definitely not cute.

They were disgusting monsters. He spat. The same scene was happening all around the crystal. Everywhere the horned rabbits had pierced it. The translucent crystal was turning crimson with blood.

"We might have a problem," Adolin said.

"I can see that," Clay spat.

"And?"

"Open the crystal. We make a run for it." Well, that wasn't the worst idea he'd heard. It might even work. If Clay could make a path for them. If not, they would die a miserable death. Well, Clay would. There were also better options. But Clay suggested this one, so he decided to go with it.

"Tell me when you're ready," Adolin said.

"Can we outrun them?" Clay asked.

"Yeah."

"On the count of three," Clay said.

"One, two—""Three." Adolin opened a hole, big enough for both of them, and stepped behind Clay. Clay used a skill Adolin didn't recognize. His speed increased. He bolted through the opening and swung his sword, wiping out a few with a single strike. Mana gathered along the blade. Then he swung again. A bright arc flew out, pushing the rabbits aside.

"Now!" he yelled. Adolin moved left, through the path Clay cleared, and ran as fast as he could. Clay was already beside him, sprinting at full speed. Adolin chuckled. This was getting fun. He loved it. Small Boost. He cast it on his legs and ran even faster. He glanced over his shoulder. Hundreds of rabbits were charging after them, keeping pace. Murder bunnies. He liked it.

"Now what?" Adolin asked as they ran.

"We need to find the door to the next room and go inside it," Clay said between breaths.

"You said we need to kill every enemy in the room?"

"That's the easier way," Clay said.

"The other is to run past them and get into the second room." They ran for two minutes. Adolin could feel the end getting closer. The valley would end soon, and they would reach the illusion that acted as a wall. The murder bunnies were slowly gaining on them. Clay had sheathed his sword so he could run faster.

"There," Clay called out. A small opening was etched into the illusion. It looked like a cave entrance. Clay slipped inside. Adolin followed. They were inside what looked like a cave. A big one. Clay was breathing heavily, his hands on his knees. Adolin glanced back at the entrance. The rabbits were all standing outside. Something was stopping them from entering.

"That was close," Clay said.

"We made it."

"Why can't the bunnies follow us?"

"The monsters can't leave their rooms. It's always been like that. Don't ask me more." He tried analyzing it, but found nothing. A shame. He really wanted to learn more about dungeons. It was dangerous, and he was having the time of his life. Roar! Clay stiffened.