The holy flame encircling Holly's mace was wavering, a dying ember against the encroaching darkness. The rabbits, their life unnatural, snarled their defiance, their voices like grating stones against the wind. Each venomous syllable was a blow to the flickering flame, shrinking it further, a pitiful ember against the growing gloom.

Holly's hand trembled as she lowered her weapon. Her voice, a hoarse whisper, echoed the despair in her eyes. "I have… We have failed," she managed, the words tasting of ash on her tongue.

Del, her face etched with defeat, adjusted the unconscious Priscilla on her shoulder. "I know," she replied, her eyes scanning the scenery, looking for a way out. "Holly, what do we do?"

The weight of her armour, once a comforting shield, now felt like a suffocating tomb. “What do you think?” Holly fumbled with the armour clasps, the heavy plates crashing to the corrupted earth with a finality that mirrored their situation. "We run!" she barked, her eyes staring with accusation at Del.

Del looked around, searching for the missing artefacts. “And how about Priscilla's rod?” She failed to see where the Sanctuary Rod was blown away. “And Edge’s tome?” she remembered. Surely it was too dangerous to let the rabbits have it. “And…” And Khan’s greatsword was on her mind too. She saw the massive weapon, it was discarded by the boulder where he died. “Too heavy…” Del concluded in frustration.

Holly's voice was a whiplash. "There's no time! Use your PathFinder and get us out of here!" Her command didn’t befit the woman who had once been a beacon of hope.

The collar around Del's neck tightened, an unpleasant manifestation of Holly's authority. A bitter taste rose in Del's mouth. “[PathFinder],” she invoked. “This way!” she pointed.

The PathFinder activated, casting a shimmering line through the chaos. It was a lifeline, a desperate gamble on survival. Priscilla, a dead weight on her shoulder, and Holly, a specter of her former self, were all that mattered now. Del sprinted, her feet pounding the earth in a frantic rhythm. The air was thick with the metallic stench of blood and fear. Rabbits, their forms blurred by the speed of their flight, lunged and snapped at their heels.

Bursting through the breach, they plunged towards the concealing embrace of the forest. A final glance over her shoulder revealed the ravaged village and the multitude of corpses slowly stirring back to life. The rabbits, for now, were too slow and too Weakened to give them a good chase. Perhaps this was the last grace of the CleansingFlame, a welcome one since the gift of the CleansingFlame, the blessing the deity had provided, ticked down to its last seconds. The empowering effects disappeared by the time Del reached the twisted treeline.

As the trees closed around them, the last vestiges of the buffs faded. The scent and aura of corruption were back in full brutal swing, insidious shadows were pulling at their minds once again. And in the heart of Del, a darkness stirred, a mysterious force that had been momentarily imprisoned. The ChaosMote, a ticking time bomb within her chest, began to pulse with renewed vigour. Its whispers, once distant and muffled, now carried with clarity.

Whispers were ringing inside her head like the bells of the Cathedral. The ringing echoes were the opposite of cleansing and holy, they were corrupting and dark: ‘Consume me! Devour me! Gain power! Be Free!’. It was a promise of oblivion, of ultimate power, and it was dangerously close to breaking free.

Del ignored the insistent whispers gnawing at her consciousness, forcing her focus to be sharp. The world within the Forbidden Forest was a scene of twisted nature. A crimson carpet of grass, each blade serrated like an assassin’s dagger, stretched out to an unnatural horizon. Towering, skeletal trees, their branches gnarled and twisted into uncomfortable shapes, cast long, dancing shadows across the alien-looking forest. The air was thick with a metallic scent, a blend of blood and something more sinister, a perfume of primordial evil.

Del’s boots sank into the yielding crimson turf, each step a struggle against the viscous ground. The grass seemed to writhe and squirm beneath her feet, as if alive and hungry. Strange, fleshy growths, reminiscent of cancerous tumours, dotted the crimson expanse. Some pulsed with an eerie inner light, while others seemed to twitch and contort. A disgusting, fleshy vine, thicker than Del’s thigh, snaked its way across their path. Its surface was covered in pulsating nodules, each one an eye-like orifice staring at them with a feral, animatic hunger. She leaped over it, paying no mind.

Del felt like she was dreaming a wicked nightmare. This felt like madness! Why did they even come to this nightmarish place? Despite such thoughts, Del pressed on. She's a Scout, she will navigate through this nightmare!

Holly, her face contorted in desperation and fear, fought to keep pace. Del could hear the strain in her ragged breathing, a haunting echo of their shared despair. Dell too was struggling, the weight of Priscilla was beginning to tell on her, her movements growing slower and her steps less agile.

Surely Holly would find Priscilla lighter? After all, she had more strength. Yet, it was clear Holly intended to force her to carry the priestess all the way to safety. A wave of resentment washed over Del. This seemed so unfair, so...unheroic!

Suddenly, the terrain shifted dramatically. The crimson grass gave way to a familiar expanse. In this clearing, the tumour-like growths were all withered, ravaged by Dark or rather Death magic. In the middle, there was a lone stump, its wood still smouldering. A cold dread crept into Del's heart as she realized where they had entered.

Through laboured breaths, "What is... the meaning of... this?!" Holly gasped, her chest filled with disbelief. Her grip on the mace tightened, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Del couldn’t answer. Her mind reeled at the realisation. The place they had emerged into made no sense! It was the same clearing where Edge had destroyed the monstrous tree. And despite that fact, her ever-loyal skill continued guiding her towards the centre of the clearing, towards the withered stump of the tree. Her trusty skill never lied, not once, so she had no reason not to trust it.

"I don't know," Del replied, her voice a shaky whisper. "But we need to keep moving."

They pressed on, the PathFinder insisting towards the withered stump. The ground beneath their feet was uneven, treacherous, and littered with strange, withered roots.

"Where are you going?" Holly asked, her feet careful not to step on withered roots.

"I don't know," Del replied, her voice barely audible. "But this is where the PathFinder leads us."

Finally, they reached the centre of the clearing and the withered stump of the monstrous tree. The guiding glow flickered and died, leaving Del enveloped in an eerie silence. Why did her skill guide her here? A sense of foreboding washed over Del. This place was wrong, utterly and completely wrong. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was closer to her real goals than she had ever been before.

“Del?” Holly questioned, her face somehow both angry and terrified at the same time.

Suddenly, a detection skill pinged Del. Something was approaching. A dark, shadowy figure rustled behind the depths of the forest, its form indistinct in the twilight.

"We need to leave," Holly panicked, her eyes darting from tree to tree wildly. "Now!"

“Sorry, something went wrong,” Del apologised. “Let me try again, [PathFinder],” she set the destination to the nearest town. But…

[ChaossBlessed cancelled PathFinder]

Impossible! What’s happening? What’s this ChaosBlessed?

"Huh?!" Del exclaimed, panic squeezing her voice. "[PathFinder], [PathFinder], [PathFinder]," she tried again and again, each time setting a different destination.

[ChaosBlessed cancelled PathFinder] - the skill kept failing.

"Del?!" Holly clasped Del's shoulder, her grip strong to the point of being painful.

"..." Del struggled to accept reality. "What is this… chaos..." she uttered.

The nearby leaves rustled. The hidden presence deep within was growing obvious.

"They're here..." Holly realised, her mace hand trembling.

"My skill, it's broken!" Terror and panic overwhelmed Del. They had to move and quickly... But where? Without her guiding skill, it was... they would get... “Ah!” Del grasped her head, insidious whispers were growing hard to ignore - 'Consume me, consume me now,' it hissed inside her skull.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Tch!" Holly clicked her tongue. "If you can't get us out, what use are you then?!"

Del's elven ears twitched, her keen eyes catching the glimpse of the rabbits. Diminutive tuffs of white, brown, and other colours of coats were moving behind dense overgrowth. They were surrounding them!

"We'll have to fight..." Holly gripped her sacred weapon. The holy flame lit the mace, but it was weak, barely a flicker. Holly tensed, ready for the fight, but then a calculating glint flashed inside her eyes. "Del, give me Priscilla and then... use that ChaosMote."

"Huh? What?! No!" Del stammered, almost losing grip on Priscilla.

Holly reached out to grab the priestess, flinging Priscilla over her shoulder. "We need power, Del! Use it!"

This was outrageous! Del didn't want to consume that thing! What for did she struggle against it for so long?! And Holly's behaviour was suspect. Del narrowed her eyes - Was Holly planning to abandon her? To send Del against the horde of resurrected rabbits while Holly herself attempted an escape???

"Use it, [SlaveCommand]! Buy us time!" Holly commanded with vile authority, turning to run back into the forest.

The collar tightened around Del’s neck, a vice-like grip that seemed to seep into her very soul. Her struggles were futile, a desperate struggle against an unseen force. As if to mock her torment, a cacophony of laughter erupted from the shadows, a chilling chorus of madness. It was a sound that scraped against the raw edges of sanity, a nightmarish symphony of mirth and malice.

Before Holly could reach the edge of the clearing, she halted abruptly, her breath catching in her throat. Standing in her path was a creature breaking conventional norms, an amalgamation of human and rabbit but not quite - a DemiHuman. Another DemiMonster!

However, her form was undeniably beautiful, with long, flowing ears that framed a face of ethereal loveliness. Large, doe-like eyes, typically symbols of innocence, held a chilling gaze of sly intelligence. Her fur was silvery and fluffy like cotton, it begged to be petted and caressed. Moreover, she wore excellently crafted clothes, a dress more fit for a noble than a monster. Perhaps this rabbit was more civilised than others?

Yet, there was undeniable darkness that clung to the rabbit like a shadow. A monstrous horn, black as obsidian, protruded from her brow, contrasting with her delicate features. Her lips, curved in a knowing smile, held a promise of unspeakable cruelty. And despite the maternal aura that seemed to emanate from her, something in her eyes suggested a predator, a creature of pure, unadulterated evil.

Pointing her mace at the creature, "Demon!" Holly roared, her voice a thunderclap in the still air.

The rabbit, or abomination, giggled, a sound that curdled the blood. "Demon? Me? And what are you, if not a destroyer of worlds?" her voice was a rasping whisper, filled with searing hatred. “It’s you, murderer and the slayer of innocents, who is the Demon!” She spat, abandoning the whispers.

In an instant, the clearing was overrun by a horde of these horror-like creatures. Their forms were hunched and smeared with blood. Their flesh was pink and lumpy where limbs had been reconnected, and countless scars marked their bodies. But it was their maddened eyes, and that uncanny ear-splitting smile which was the most unsettling.

Holly's resolve hardened. She raised her mace, the holy flame flickering in reply to the challenge. "I am the Hero!" she declared, her voice a defiant cry. She dropped the limp body of Priscilla, her heart heavy with sorrow. "Del, use that cursed thing already and help me! [SlaveCommand]!"

The collar tightened again, merciless vice imploring Del to obey Holly's command. Del's body convulsed as she fought against the overwhelming urge to consume the cursed mote. She was losing in that fight. A wave of nausea washed over her as she realized the terrible price she was about to pay.

[Do you want to Consume the ChaosMote?]

[Yes/No]

A cold sweat broke out across Del's brow. Her mind wavered, a flicker of delusion igniting within her. Perhaps there was another way, a way to defeat these horrors without resorting to such a drastic measure. But the weight of Holly's command, coupled with the growing threat of the encroaching horde, forced her to obey.

"Yes!!!" she screamed, her voice filled with despair.

A surge of power coursed through her veins, a dark and intoxicating force. The world around her seemed to shift and distort, as if viewed through a prism of madness.

[Warning! You have gained Taboo]

The whispers, once a constant torment, fell silent. A surge of power, raw and untamed, erupted from within her. It was as if a dormant volcano had awakened, its fiery energy coursing through her veins. Her body, once frail and vulnerable, transformed. Strength, endurance, and magical energy surged through her, a tidal wave of power that washed away her weakness. She felt invincible, a goddess of destruction.

[Warning! You’ve failed the Divine Quest]

[Warning! You will receive a penalty]

[Error!]

[ChaosBlessed forced race change!]

[Dark Elf > Corrupted Elf]

[Chaos Quest: Embrace the Chaos and welcome Order in Chaos as your patron deity]

[Special Reward: Break:SlaveCollar]

[Do you want to Accept the Quest?]

"Ha-ha-ha!!!" Del's laughter echoed through the clearing, a song of madness and triumph. "I Accept!"

The quest cleared, replaced by a sense of liberation. The heavy collar, a symbol of her enslavement, shattered into pieces. The icy metal hit the floor with a clang, marking her escape to freedom.

Holly's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the transformed Del. Her already dark skin grew a shade darker, turning as black as obsidian. Her eyes, once keen and inquisitive, were now filled with the vortex of swirling shadows. Her teeth grew sharper, and so did her nails. Del changed in small but significant ways, her form growing more wicked. The once familiar elf was now a creature of taboo and corruption, it was almost as if Del now belonged in this alien landscape. "Del? What happened?" Holly stammered, her brow wet with cold sweat.

"Ha-ha-ha! I'm free! I'm finally free!" Del's laughter echoed through the clearing, a chilling sound fit for a monster.

"But the rabbits!" Holly spun around, her grip tightening on her mace. "We still have to face them. Help me or we'll die."

"We? Ha-ha-ha!" Del's laughter turned into a cruel sneer. "I don't think so! I’m free to do as I please! Ha-ha-ha." The PathFinder, her once reliable companion, had miraculously reactivated. A glimmer of purpose ignited within her, a flicker of ambition. "Ha-ha-ha!" she cackled, her voice filled with a newfound arrogance. "Good luck with your Quest!"

Holly lunged forward, her hand outstretched, but Del was already slipping through the encirclement of rabbits. The creatures, their forms still torpid but menacing, swarmed around Del, their claws and weapons swinging at empty air. Del moved with an unnatural grace, dodging and weaving through the chaos with a cold efficiency.

"That wench!" The horned rabbit clicked her tongue, her eyes narrowing. "HuntMaster, catch her!"

A chorus of replies echoed through the clearing as the rabbits, once disorganized, began to coordinate their attack. The horned rabbit turned her attention back to Holly, a cruel smile spreading across her face. "Let's end this, shall we? Let's avenge our Master!"

In reply, a surge of power coursed through Holly's veins. She raised her mace, the holy flame burning with renewed intensity. "For the CleansingFlame!" she cried, her voice a battle cry.

“For the Master, [Rally]!” A familiar rabbit, someone who should not be alive, shouted a rally of her own. The rabbits, their forms a blur of motion, charged.

A tidal wave of rabbits engulfed Holly. Her eyes darted frantically across the horde, her mind racing as she ran a rapid Inspect. Aside from what she knew now was a mere Maid, the rabbits were Weakened and Level 1 - every single one of them. A thousand weaklings against a Level 39 Hero. The odds were still in her favour, or so she desperately believed.

"The good and the just will prevail!" Holly roared, her voice echoing through the chaos. "In the name of the CleansingFlame, I shall strike you down!" The holy flame on her mace flared to life.

With a flurry of blows, she sent several rabbits flying. Kicks and elbows found their mark, a brutal dance of violence. But the horde was relentless. [Care], [Care], [Care] - the horned rabbit's incantation echoed through the fray, negating her attacks.

Holly lashed out once more, her mace crashing down with brutal force, shattering bones and sending shattered remains of fur and flesh scattering across the ground. But no matter how many she crushed, the pesky maid kept healing them. More and more rabbits lunged at her, their nasty eyes burning with a hunger for revenge.

She swung and kicked, desperation fuelling her every move, but it was like fighting a tide of relentless, snarling shadows. Then she felt it—paws, cold and unyielding, clamped around her arms, legs, and torso. Their claws dug into her skin, piercing through her clothes, while their rope-tight grip squeezed impeding her movements. Each movement she attempted was met with unbearable resistance. Her body was trapped in a suffocating prison of paws and rage. Still she thrashed and struggled, her strength waning with each passing moment.

"Let me go! I am the Hero! I won't die like this!" she screamed, her eyes filling with tears.

The rabbits' laughter echoed, a chilling, merciless sound that filled the air with evil glee. Hundreds of crazed, bloodshot eyes locked onto Holly, their pupils dilated with madness. Then, with a sickening sensation, she felt their paws sink into her flesh, claws tearing through her skin like knives.

The rabbits began to use Burrow, a seemingly insignificant skill, but in their frenzy, it became a weapon of unimaginable horror. They ripped at her body and flesh, their claws gnashing as they tore away greedy chunks, leaving gaping, bloody wounds.

“Gah! No-ooo!” Holy roared in protest. “No-no-no!” Her own screams were drowned out by the ceaseless cackling.

The rabbits laughed, their voices twisted and monstrous, delighting in the agony they inflicted. Chunk by chunk, they stripped the flesh from Holly’s bones, exposing the ivory beneath. Rich crimson blood oozed from the gaping wounds, pooling and seeping into the cracked, parched earth below.

“…” Holly opened her mouth to speak, but only blood gushed forth. Her throat had been torn open, rendering her voice silent. The fire that once burned so fiercely in her eyes began to dim, yet in the fading moments, she caught a flicker of the CleansingFlame. Knowing warmth awaited her in the afterlife, she faced her end with a faint, bloodied smile.

The rabbits, like rabid dogs, continued to claw and gnaw at Holly's remains, scattering bloody chunks of flesh across the clearing. The Hero was slain, her body desecrated beyond recognition. The rabbits, now stained with her blood, began to glow as golden motes of experience bathed their fur, each one gaining a level from their grisly feast. Then, a mote, larger and more brilliant than the rest, blinked into existence. The horned rabbit, her paws trembling with excitement and greed, reached out to claim it.

“Let’s hurry back!” she urged.