Ch10. Protect the White Rabbit

Lost inside the swarming darkness, Miles tried to move, to walk, anything, but as soon as he motioned to do something, the tendrils of black mist immediately went at his nostrils, ears, mouth and eyes, invading him like a parasite.

Miles unconsciously grabbed his throat, scratched his eyes, even tried piercing his ears with his fingers, in a vain attempt to grab the tendrils of mist and shove it away, but the black mist simply kept crawling into him until there was nothing left on the outside, leaving Miles there, on his knees, panting heavily and bleeding from his new wounds. Soon after, however, as he stood there, catatonic, the system echoed:

[You acquired an attribute]

"Attribute?" Miles blinked several times, coming to his senses little by little. "But… But aren't attributes only granted to players above level 10, and within some seriously strict conditions?" He could not try to think of an answer to his question, though, because the system echoed in his ears again.

[Follow the White Rabbit]

"Ah… Ah… Ah…" Miles huffed out a tired sigh, gathered his already dwindling strength, and sprinted towards the exit of the cave, focusing as much of his thoughts on his muscles and the nimbleness of his movements.

As shitty as he still felt, leveling up was a good way to have his body healed enough to start again, and chasing the rabbit was a good opportunity to let his body settle, to allow it to assimilate the newly acquired stat points, so he not only focused on running after the rabbit – which was, incredibly, running way faster than any living being should, after gods knew how long it had spent trapped inside that cave – but he also focused on his perception of the surroundings and how his brain processed everything, even though the battle had left him sore all over.

Thankfully, his mind had recovered enough from the mental strain caused by the wraith's voice, to allow himself to actually pay attention to everything, even though the experience with the black mist left him wondering.

However, as Miles reached the exit of the cave, his mouth fell open, and he knew he had to leave any questions for later.

"For crying out loud… Seriously?" He shook his head and raised the [Cheshire's Gleam] one more time as he saw the White Rabbit leaping from one point to another in the swamp, avoiding the attacks of a myriad of monsters. "Do I even have to ask?" As if to answer his question, the system spoke:

[Protect the White Rabbit]

Miles didn't have time to dwell on the absurdity of his situation. The swamp stretched out before him, a murky, treacherous battlefield teeming with grotesque monsters.

Towering amphibian creatures with glowing eyes and jagged teeth lunged at the rabbit, their long, sinewy limbs slapping the swamp's surface with wet, echoing splashes. Smaller, insect-like creatures scuttled around, their chitinous shells gleaming with iridescent light as they hissed and spat streams of acid.

"You've got to be kidding me," Miles muttered, gripping [Cheshire's Gleam] tighter. "Fine, let's do this."

He sprinted into the swamp, the thick mud sucking at his boots with every step. The rabbit darted ahead, an agile blur of white, somehow avoiding every attack with uncanny precision. Miles, however, wasn't so lucky. One of the smaller creatures leapt at him, its mandibles snapping inches from his face. He swung the sword instinctively and the blade cleaved through the monster's body. It shrieked, its acid blood spraying across his arm and sizzling against his shirt.

"Great, and I'm supposed to protect the Rabbit? Really?" Miles hissed, shaking his arm as the pain seared through him. More creatures swarmed toward him, drawn by the commotion.

He fought desperately, each swing of [Cheshire's Gleam] becoming more labored as exhaustion set in.

The White Rabbit paused momentarily on a small stone covered with moss, glancing back at Miles with a curious expression.

"You're late," its voice easily resounded over the chaos. "You're late!"

"Miss what?" Miles growled, slashing through another creature.

The rabbit didn't answer, leaping to another stone just as a massive, serpentine beast erupted from the water behind it. The creature's elongated body glistened with slime, its scales reflecting the faint light of the rising sun. Its many eyes fixed on the rabbit, and it opened a cavernous maw filled with rows of needle-like teeth.

Miles' heart sank. There was no way he could keep up with the rabbit, not with that thing in his way. The serpentine beast lunged, its jaws snapping shut where the rabbit had been a second before. It roared in frustration, turning its attention to Miles instead.

'Fantastic!' He grunted, staggering. The beast struck with terrifying speed, forcing Miles to dive to the side. He landed hard in the mud, the impact knocking the wind out of him. Struggling to his feet, he raised [Cheshire's Gleam], the runes flickering weakly.

The beast lunged again, and Miles barely managed to roll out of the way.

His movements were sluggish, his body screaming in protest. He swung the sword as the creature passed, the blade scraping against its thick scales and leaving only a shallow gash. The beast roared, whipping its tail around and sending Miles flying into a nearby tree.

Pain exploded through his body as he hit the trunk, the air sucked out of his lungs. He coughed, tasting blood, and forced himself to stand. The serpent loomed over him, its eyes gleaming with malice. Miles tightened his grip on the sword, his knuckles white. He knew he couldn't win this fight, not as he was.

It was different from when he fought Serpens. The creature was strong, but it was a simple creature of the forest, fighting for survival like any living being. That thing in front of Miles now, was a monster born from the night in that strange place, filled with malice and pure, raw killing intent.

Weak as he still was, Miles was going to need a miracle, if he wished to survive.

The serpent lunged again, and this time, Miles didn't dodge. He stepped forward, driving the blade upward with all his remaining strength. The sword pierced the creature's underbelly, which Miles thought to be the monstrosity's weakness, just like when he fought Serpens, or even Tarhut, back then.

This time, however, the sword simply slid across the hard scales of the humongous thing, and Miles was sent flying against a tree, coughing a mouthful of blood and falling face-down on the mud.

[Cheshire's Gleam] slipped from his grasp as Miles tried his best to stay awake, but his vision blurred and obscured, and then, he felt nothing as a slight gleam of light caught his attention before he fell unconscious.