Chapter Seven

Moira took a moment to breathe. She felt too hot, her chest tightening. How could she do this alone? She didn’t know anything about this world. As much as she didn’t like Cyrus, at least he was there. She felt like someone had suddenly ripped away her training wheels.

Duke pawed at her arm, grabbing her hand and pulling it towards him, reminding her, she wasn’t completely alone.

“Thanks, buddy.”

She clenched her teeth and pushed down her fear. Bottling it up inside her. She wasn’t alone. She had Duke. And she needed to pull herself together and get them both out of this forest as quickly as possible.

She picked up her bow. The pale-yellow wood shined brightly from the layers of polishing. It was sanded so smoothly that it felt like butter in her hands. She pulled a brown leather quiver from her back and pulled out another arrow. She positioned it, pulling the bowstring as far back as possible, took a breath, and let go. This time, the arrow flew true and hit the sickly looking tree with ashen bark. It sank deep into it’s trunk.

Ding!

New Skill: Archery lvl 1

Moira pursed her lips. She could do this.

As she practiced, Duke stayed alert, observing the forest and scouting ahead for danger.

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She kept practicing until the two suns reached their apex. Moira stopped and glanced up at the sky.

“Duke, let’s take a break, buddy.”

Duke ran back toward Moira. She sat down on the forest floor. Vibrant flowers littered the floor, displaced by the same type of obsidian rock that she’d used to carve out her misshapen spear.

“Alright, bud, next on the agenda is food and water.”

It was well past lunch, and they had no supplies beyond the aforementioned spear and bow. They had used the rest of the lizard meat up the day before.

The white leaves which had provided some much-needed light earlier in the morning were now heating up the forest, causing Moira to sweat and her throat to dry up. Duke panted, straining from the heat.

Moira’s archery skill had leveled up to level 4 during the morning, but she hadn’t seen any wildlife to hunt during that time. She also hadn’t heard or seen any sort of river or creek throughout the morning.

“This place is leading us in circles.” She slammed her fist into the ground in frustration.

Duke pressed his head against her chest and then looked up at her before he frantically licked her face, then he stepped back and stared at her intently.

“What is it, Duke?”

He barked back at her and ran a couple of steps ahead. He faced her again and barked impatiently. When she didn’t get up, he stepped back and pushed his head at her legs, urging her to get up.

“Do you want me to follow you?” she asked.

Duke barked again in a demanding tone, sneezing in frustration.

“Alright, alright, I’ll follow your lead.”

Moira pushed to her feet and gestured for Duke to lead the way. He wagged his tail and bounced forward, sticking his nose in the air. He sniffed for a minute, circling Moira. Suddenly, his ears perked up, and he turned to look at her for approval before bolting forward.

Moira ran after him, trying to keep pace with him. Trees whipped by, and long grass tangled against her ankles. They kept at a steady speed for several minutes before Duke slid to a stop in front of some iridescent foliage. He pushed it aside with his snout and considered the view before wagging his tail and bounding back to where Moira stood several feet behind him.

He pressed her forward through the foliage; she brushed it away from her face as she pushed her way through the tall grass and vines.

The sound of running water greeted her first. A song of delicate notes that escalated into fast beats as the water crashed against the rocks. She parted the last of the greenery aside, spotting a trickling waterfall with vivid turquoise water. The waterfall cascaded down a small rocky shelf glimmering in the sunlight before greeting a languid pool that flowed into a creek.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Duke sauntered forward, unphased by the serene beauty of the glen, and bent down to take several long laps of water. Moira watched, remembering her own parched throat. She cupped some water in her hands and guzzled. Her thirst quenched, she sat down on the grassy bank.

“Great job, Bud.” she cooed, reaching her hand over to stroke his curly hair as he lapped up some more water. He wagged his tail, continuing to drink the creek water. Moira laid back in the long grass and looked up at the sky, enjoying the quiet moment. They were safe for now, but for who knows how long that would last? The sun shone on her face and slowly lulling her into a relaxed state, as her eyes fluttered closed.

Duke growled softly, his eyes flicked to the edge of the glen and back at her. Moira’s eyes popped open, and she quietly grabbed the bow from where she had placed it beside her. She felt its weight in her hand and slowly stalked closer, squinting to see what was scaring Duke. Finally, she saw it, creeping into the glen—a fuzzy, white bunny. Moira looked back at Duke and rolled her eyes.

“Ready for some dinner?” she asked Duke.

Duke whined, taking several steps back, and tentatively looked back at the bunny. He whimpered softly and lay down. Moira ignored him, raised her bow, and stalked closer to her prey, trying not to spook it. When she was within twenty feet, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched it. She aimed carefully at the bunny, but before she let go, she used Analyze.

Bloodthirsty White Rabbit of the Silivea Forest

Level 8

Special Abilities: Razor-sharp teeth, Teleporting

“What—the fuck?” Moira said, lowering the bow. The rabbit turned toward her as it heard her voice.

Voop!

Abruptly, the rabbit was in front of her. She took a couple of steps back, trying to distance herself from the rabbit. It leaped up snarling, showing 2-inch-long fangs that its muzzle had hidden. Moira slapped it, trying to push it away from her neck. The rabbit found purchase on her arm, ripping into her skin.

Moira fell to the ground, crawling backward, away from the rabid bunny. Duke ran forward, snarling at the rabbit. Before Duke could reach it, the bunny teleported back in front of Moira.

She pushed to her feet, trying to make some distance between herself and the rabbit. It flew towards her, and she kicked it, making impact. It flew back a couple of feet, Moira used those precious few seconds to grab the arrow that had fallen from her bow. She turned just as the bunny appeared again, biting her leg. She slammed down and jammed the arrow into its neck with all of her strength. The rabbit sagged to the ground and stopped moving.

Ding!

Congratulations! You have defeated the Bloodthirsty White Rabbit of the Silivea Forest!

Congratulations! You’ve reached level 6!

You now have 5 free attribute points available.

Even in death, the rabbit still hung onto her leg by its teeth. She grabbed it by its neck and pried it off. The rabbits’ teeth ripped at her skin as it broke free. Blood poured out from the wound, soaking the grass at her feet.

Would you like to loot the Bloodthirsty White Rabbit of the Silivea Forest?

Yes/No

Moira selected yes and watched as it combusted into swirling inky smoke. She applied pressure to the wound on her leg, but blood seeped out from between her fingers, dripping down her leg and pooling in the grass below.

“What I wouldn’t do right now for one of those health potions?” she muttered.

Ding!

(1) Water Pouch has been added to your Inventory!

(1) Healing Potion has been added to your Inventory!

(5) Rabbit Jerky has been added to your Inventory!

Moira scanned the clearing. “That was a little too on the nose.”

Duke barked in agreement; his ears pressed back against his skull.

She brushed off the uneasy feeling and focused on the slot with the healing potion; it appeared in her hand. She pulled off the cork stopper and shot it back. The healing potion was warm as it slid down her throat. The sensation spread through the rest of her body, burning hot when it reached the bite on her arm and leg. She sighed in relief as the pain dulled to a slight throbbing. After a minute, it disappeared completely. Only fresh pink skin marked where the bite wounds had been.

“Okay, now for the food, thank god. I’m starving.”

Duke stared at her intently, placing his paw on her leg.

She thought of the word Inventory again and then selected the slot for rabbit jerky. Five thick slices of brown jerky appeared in her hand, far too much meat to have come from a small rabbit. She focused on two slices, mentally adding them back to the slot in her Inventory. They disappeared. Duke stuck his nose in her face, sniffing at the jerky, looking up at her with his large brown eyes, his eyebrows bent upward in an obvious plea for the jerky.

“Just let me split it in half first, bud.”

She tore one slice in half and handed it to Duke. He snatched it, gobbling the jerky down in seconds. Knowingly, she waited a moment before handing him the rest of his portion.

Moira took more time than Duke to get through her half, but she still wolfed it down. She sighed, her stomach full for the first time since they’d landed in this strange world. Moira walked back to where she’d thrown her bow on the ground and added it to a slot in her inventory, along with her quiver and spear. Then she removed the water pouch and filled up her water. By this point, night had fallen, and the leaves on the trees were glowing.

“Well, Duke, I guess we’re camping here for the night.”

He trotted over to her, laid down against her side, and grumbled happily, content with a full stomach. She stroked his fur and rested her head against him, but she stayed awake, watching him sleep for a while, not quite ready to close her eyes again after the altercation with the rabbit. Everything clearly wanted to kill them, even the rabbits, and she didn’t want to let her guard down.

After several hours she closed her eyes to rest, but kept aware, waking up at the slightest groan from Duke or the crinkle of leaves.