Have you ever woken up, feeling zesty and giddy, only to find your good vibes smashed to pieces?

RabbitMaid practically bounced out of bed, a wide grin plastered on her face. Today was going to be a good night, she could feel it! But as she brushed her teeth, her grin faltered. Her reflection mocked her. There, staring back, was a tiny, unwelcome bump right in the centre of her forehead. A pesky bandit had invaded her flawless visage during the day!

Indignation burned in her eyes. She poked and prodded at the bump, squeezing with all her might. "The scoundrel!" she hissed, her voice tight with frustration. "Why won't it budge?" Twenty minutes of scrubbing and scraping yielded nothing. The intruder remained firmly entrenched.

Deflated, RabbitMaid slumped against the MirrorStone. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Why… why does it have to be right on my forehead!?" she hopped in frustration, her ears drooping. "I can't hide it… and everyone would see…" she whimpered, her voice trembling.

Then, a familiar slithering sound sent a jolt through her. Straightening up, she plastered a fake smile on her face just as the door creaked open. With a practised flick of her wrist, she whipped a hand up to cover her shame.

"Good midnight!" she yipped, her voice strained. Her Master's multiple eyes flickered towards her, their early dullness sharpening with suspicion.

"Good midnight." A single, lethargic tentacle responded. "RabbitMaid, is something wrong?" X inquired, coiling closer.

Her Master wouldn't be half-asleep for long, she knew. Panic clawed at her throat. Her hand pressed even harder against her forehead, wishing it would disappear.

"No! Nothing at all!" she squeaked, her voice unconvincing. She spun on her heel, but with a hundred eyes to contend with, it felt impossible to truly hide. "I'm just off to prepare your breakfast!" she chirped, hoping to make a hasty escape. Covering her forehead with both hands, she scurried away, praying her Master hadn't noticed.

But fate, as usual, had other plans. A thick tentacle snaked out, wrapping around her waist and pulling her back.

"No!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with fear. "It's not a good time! I have a terrible headache!" she lied, thrashing against the binding appendage.

"A headache?" a concerned tentacle flicked closer. "Why are you hiding your face? Let me see?"

"No!!!" she cried, shaking her head vehemently. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.

"I'm ugly now, don't look!" she sobbed. Despite her protests, a curious tentacle gently pried her hands away.

"A Horn?" Her master's voice boomed with surprise. "A horn! Fascinating!"

Disbelief washed over RabbitMaid's tear-streaked face. This wasn't the reaction she expected. "Yes! A horn!" she wailed, her voice thick with emotion. "A big, pesky horn! Right in the middle of my forehead! It's like a second nose! I don't need it!"

"[Inspect]," the tentacle twirled with barely contained curiosity.

Title: RabbitMaid

Class: [Maid] lvl.5

Magic Affinity: ???

Race: DemiMonster

Variant: Rabbit

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HP:80

MP:100

STA:120

CP:10

Skills

[Burrow], [Hop], [Mend]

Perks

[EnergyBurst], [Luck], [CareGiver], [MonsterCore: Medium]

Tags

[Beautiful +1], [Blessing of the Jackalope]

[Infertile], [Monster], [Branded]

The culprit for the horn was the obvious one. "Blessing of the Jackalope," X chuckled, his tentacle warm and teasing. He gestured with a flourish, his tendrils swaying gently, "not only does it grant you a whopping +40MP, but you've also unlocked your magical affinity, sort of..." His tentacle trailed off, a playful glint in his eyes. "How did you manage to snag this splendid boon? We must know!" He reached out another tendril, but stopped just short of touching the rabbit, who was now a quivering ball of fur and whimpers.

"I'm ugly! Bahhh!" The RabbitMaid didn't look up, her ears flattened against her head. Tears streamed down her fluffy cheeks, blurring the world around her.

X's smile faltered. "Nonsense!" he protested, his gestures firm but laced with concern. He wriggled closer, careful not to crowd her. "If anything, you're even more charming!" He reached out a single tendril, ever so gently stroking her back in a soothing gesture.

The rabbit's head snapped up at that, her tear-filled eyes wide. "What?" A tiny sniff escaped her nose. "Realy?" She tentatively raised a paw, wiping away a tear with a trembling finger.

"AbSoLuTeLy!" X boomed, a playful smile returning to his tentacles. "If anything, it should be a Beautiful +2!"

A flicker of hope sparked in her eyes. "You think so?"

"I know so!" X declared, raising a tendril in a mock oath. "You remain the most beautiful rabbit in the entire village. Now, with this addition, your beauty is simply unmatched. I bet everyone will be green with envy. Be prepared for those jealous looks!"

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The rabbit's face brightened considerably, a wide grin replacing her earlier tears. "Oh? Oh!" she squeaked, her voice filled with newfound confidence. "It seems I've been worrying for nothing!"

X let out a hearty laugh, the sound rumbling in his core. He reached out and gently ruffled her ears with a tendril, the touch surprisingly light and affectionate. "Any clue what kind of magic you unlocked?" he asked, his appendages hopeful.

"I'm so sorry!" she yipped, bowing her head low. "It remains a mystery!"

X chuckled again, the sound warm and reassuring. "Don't worry about that, my dearest," he said, his tendrils swaying gently. "Everything in due time, I guess." He straightened up, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes. "Now," he announced with a playful twirl, "it's best we get back to our tasks. There's so much to do!"

"Yes Master!" the RabbitMaid chirped, bowing again with renewed enthusiasm. The black horn jutted from her forehead proudly, a symbol not of ugliness, but of a new magical potential.

…

The HuntMaster traced the obsidian monolith with a trembling paw, its cold, smooth surface offering no solace. The monument, usually a coiling tentacle reaching for the moon, stood stark and unmoving tonight. Just like her own heart. Was it her sorrow that bled onto the stone, or did the moonless night truly cast a pall upon its obsidian surface? Perhaps it, too, missed the usual lunar dance, the way they both missed the moonlight's gentle embrace.

"Light to disperse all darkness," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper swallowed by the vast, inky expanse.

A sliver of hope, a faint ethereal glow, caught the corner of her crimson eye. It emanated from outside the workshop, a beacon in the suffocating darkness. Though faint, its presence pierced the gloom like a defiant beacon of hope.

"The Moon?" she breathed, a flicker of surprise crossing her features.

Now fully outside, nestled within Master X's writhing tentacles, lay a colossal crystal, its surface radiating the same ethereal glow as the missing moon. A fitting name, she thought - MoonStone.

"Master, did you steal the Moon?" she asked, her voice laced with a desperate longing, a finger pointing accusingly at the empty sky.

A chilling chuckle rumbled through the air. An unsettling grin, like a spiderweb catching the moonlight (or in this case, Moonstone light), spread across his appendages. "Ha-ha," he rasped, "good one, HuntMaster." He gestured vaguely towards the distant warren of fresh hunters. "How fares the latest batch? Ready for the Hunt?"

"As prepared as they can be," she replied, the words heavy on her tongue. She gestured towards the bloody aftermath of the recent ritual, a stark reminder of the price they had to pay.

"Excellent," X boomed, his massive form already turning away. "I shall join you shortly. A minor task requires my attention."

The HuntMaster watched him go, the moon-like glow a fading echo of the light he seemed to bring. Once again, she stood alone in the oppressive darkness. The silence pressed in, a physical weight pushing down on her already heavy heart. She was adrift in a sea of shadows, and Master X, her only light, a fleeting beacon threatening to disappear into the endless night.

…

RabbitGuard scurried through her burrow, leaping over the ever-present clutter. "Overslept again!" she muttered, frustration lacing her voice. Her cottontail twitched as she searched frantically. "Where did I put it?!" A low growl escaped her throat as she kicked at a pile of mismatched socks and half-gnawed carrots.

Suddenly, a triumphant squeak! She snatched a small object from the mess – a pendant. Simple in design, it was a single MoonStone shard strung on a length of thread. But to the RabbitGuard, it was a masterpiece. She'd stayed up late into the night, crafting it with her own paws, the very reason for her tardiness. "A bodyguard should be on time," she scolded herself, clutching the pendant tightly. Shame gnawed at her.

Hopping out of her burrow, she realized she was late. She'd probably find Master X by the obelisk. As she neared the monument, she spotted the HuntMaster standing alone, a solitary figure bathed in the obelisk's glowing glyphs. But it wasn't her stoic posture that sent shivers down RabbitGuard's spine. It was the unsettling glint in the HuntMaster's crimson eyes.

Suddenly, the HuntMaster turned, her gaze landing squarely on the pendant clutched tightly in the RabbitGuard's paws. A flash of something akin to hunger flickered in her crimson eyes. Instinctively, RabbitGuard tucked the pendant behind her back. This gift was for the Master X!

Clearing her throat, RabbitGuard forced a smile. "Master? Where is he?" she asked, hoping to break the tension.

The HuntMaster remained silent, her gaze turning back on the obelisk. After a long, tense moment, a single bloody finger flicked towards the distance. A silent answer, yet one imbued with a grudging respect.

"Thank you," RabbitGuard chirped, bowing deeply despite the HuntMaster's stoicism. With renewed urgency, she hopped towards the experimental hut, Master X's usual work area.

There he was, surrounded by a menagerie. A nervous rabbit and a coiled snake watched him intently as he held a tiny white spiderling, fresh from its moult. Relief washed over the RabbitGuard. It didn’t seem she was too late.

"Master!" she called, bounding towards him. "Sorry I'm late!"

One of his tendrils flicked dismissively, a silent reassurance. RabbitGuard clutched the Moonstone Pendant tighter. Master X was clearly occupied. It seemed this wasn't the time to present her handcrafted gift. Perhaps later, when the time was right.

“[Evolve],” he boomed, the voice echoing through the chamber.

The spiderling convulsed in a blinding flash of purple light, surpassing even the colossal crystal’s glow. RabbitGuard squeezed her eyes shut, the afterimage lingering even when she opened them. Her gaze fell upon the transformed creature. No longer the scuttling CaveSpider, but a majestic CaveWhisperer, though still unmistakably arachnid.

Despite the crystal's nearby radiance, shadows clung to the CaveWhisperer, obscuring its form. Yet, within the veil of darkness, eerie yellow orbs pulsed with an ominous light. A spindly, blade-tipped leg emerged, waving in a curious gesture rather than a threat.

"Aww!" the young rabbit beside her squealed. "Mr. Tread says thank you, Master!" She outstretched a paw, and the CaveWhisperer, with surprising grace, leapt onto it.

“Ahem,” RabbitGuard cleared her throat, hoping to cut through the cuteness. “Well done, Master. As a token of appreciation for your hard work, I have a small gift.” A blush crept up her cheeks as she presented the necklace.

“Jewelry?” A tendril snaked out, inquisitively examining the offering. “An interesting use of Moonstone," he rumbled, bringing the necklace closer to his eldritch eye.

“Heart-shaped! It's so cute!” the little rabbit chimed in, her eyes wide with wonder. "And it glows!" she clapped in delight.

“Indeed, quite lovely,” X agreed, twirling the pendant. He carefully positioned it around one of his tentacles, a smaller mouth clamping onto the string to secure it. "Thank you, RabbitGuard. This was unexpected."

His massive form enveloped her in a warm embrace, tentacles gently wrapping around her waist. A giggle escaped RabbitGuard's lips; her hard work had paid off.

"I wouldn't have thought," Shazara hissed, a calculating glint in her serpentine eyes, "that Master has a penchant for trinkets."

"Indeed I do," X twirled, his tentacles filled with amusement. "Flowers too. And all things wondrous!" he admitted without a shred of shame.

"Then, sss," Shazara hissed again, "perhaps you would accept this?" She unclasped a necklace fashioned from monster teeth, a crude yet oddly charming piece.

A similar mouth on another tentacle claimed the gift.

The little rabbit, wide-eyed and hopping nervously, stammered, "I'll, uh, make you one later, Master! From SpiderSilk!"

"Now, now," X soothed, waving dismissively, "let's not make a habit of this. Truly, there's no need."

"I insist!" the rabbit yipped, already hopping off with a determined glint in her eye, intent on crafting a bracelet.

"Alright, then," X sighed, a playful twirl completing his rotation. "It's time for the next Hunt. Shazara, I leave the care of our new acquisitions to you."

"Of course, Master. They will be well looked after," Shazara replied with a slithering bow, her eyes scanning the nearby cages.

X longingly wrapped a tendril around the glowing pendant. "Come, RabbitGuard," he urged, turning towards her.

…

The MasterChef stood proudly before her overflowing crates, a veritable cornucopia of delicious treats for the growing warriors and hunters. CarrotSnacks, BerryCakes, AppleSmiles, RootDelights – her pantry boasted a delightful array. A twitch of her ear alerted her to the familiar ‘sound’ of moonlight brushing against the nearby path. X was approaching.

With a flurry of activity, she licked her paws and brushed them against her face, ensuring she was presentable. After all, a good chef always maintains a clean appearance. But one thing struck her as peculiar – the sizeable orb X dragged behind him. It seemed cumbersome, and X, with his Darkvision, had no need for illumination in the night. She tilted her head, pondering the mystery.

Then, with a flash of pride for her own cleverness, realization dawned. “Ah, of course!” she chirped. "He can see in the darkness, but we cannot… Yes, that’s it!” she nodded excitedly, convinced she’d cracked a secret. "Our Master doesn't need to hide within the shadows. His magnificent form deserves to be admired in all its glory!"

As if to confirm her theory, her keen eyes darted towards the glinting pendant and necklace adorning X. The jewelry accentuated his already majestic form – a radiant king bathed in moonlight. Entranced, she watched in awe as his tendrils twirled and coiled, plucking boxes from her shelves.

“Something troubles you, my little chef?” his tentacle coiled gently.

Flustered, she stammered, “N-no, nothing at all!”

“No need for worry,” he soothed, a tendril affectionately rubbing between her ears. “Soon, we will replenish your stock of delightful ingredients. My apologies for overindulging during the festivities.”

A strange question escaped her lips. “Master, why do you shine so brightly?” she asked still flustered.

A hearty chuckle filled the air. “Ha-ha! Very good, MasterChef,” X boomed, lowering the massive crystal with one tendril. An amused tendril twirled playfully. “I’ve just learned the joy of gifts, so… Here, for you,” he said, offering a smaller, luminous stone. “So you too can shine just as bright.”

The unexpected gesture left her speechless. Tears welled in her eyes as she bowed deeply. “Thank you!” she squeaked, her voice thick with emotion.

By the time she lifted her head, X and the crates were gone. All that remained were the fading echoes of his laughter and the gentle glow of the moonlight emanating from the stone nestled in her paw. A new thought bloomed in her mind.

“Lightbringer…” she whispered, turning the luminous marble over in her paw. Could it be that his gifts… the jewellery, the light he brought – were not just adornments, but a symbol? A symbol of something deeper, a purpose she was only beginning to understand?