《Lucky Rabbit》 Chapter One - Truck-kun ¡°We need another guard at Third and Main.¡± Pandy¡¯s radio crackled, and she fumbled for it, trying to remember which button she was supposed to press to talk. The heavy brick tumbled out of her grasp, bouncing painfully off her knee and into the grass. Heaving a sigh, she squatted down, cursing the tiny skirt of the outfit she¡¯d been issued for this gig. A sharp pang went through her knee, and she touched the rising lump gingerly. How would she explain that on an accident report? ¡®I was attacked by my own ridiculously large communication device while attempting to answer a call.¡¯ Who even used radios like this anymore? They could have just called her cell, or maybe set up a group chat. She picked up the radio, poking at its buttons until it crackled to life. ¡°Um, hello?¡± There was a pause. ¡°Who is that?¡± She recognized the voice as belonging to her new temporary boss, Robert. Robert had clearly been unimpressed by Pandy since the moment he met her, but that was okay. Pandy was used to people being unimpressed with her. Frankly, she was unimpressed with herself most of the time. The important thing was to get through a full ten-hour shift without being fired. She really, really needed a paycheck. Depressing the button again, she said, ¡°This is, um, Pandora?¡± She winced. Why did she always say it like that? Like she wasn¡¯t sure if that was actually her name. ¡°I mean, Guard Six. I was on break, so I can come over?¡± Why Robert bothered to hold down the button so she could hear him heave a deep sigh, she didn¡¯t know. ¡°Fine. Do you know how to get there?¡± Pandy looked around. She was standing at the corner of Main and Sixth, so Third should be three blocks¡­that direction. Unless it was the other way? It didn¡¯t really matter. Worst case, she ended up having to walk one ¨C no, two, because she had to come back ¨C extra blocks to get there. ¡°Yes?¡± she asked, then cringed. She hated the way she never sounded like she knew what she was doing. Of course, that was mainly because she didn¡¯t. Working as a gig-worker and a temp, everything was always new, and by the time she settled into a routine, the day was over. Or she dropped coffee on her boss. Or her boss¡¯ boss. Or tripped over the edge of the carpet and ended up face down in a potted plant. Or- ¡°Just get here. The overflow parking lots are backing up, and we have some ticked off fairgoers. We just need more uniforms here. Try to look tough.¡± Robert¡¯s voice said he doubted she was capable of that, but she just said, ¡°Yes, sir,¡± and clipped the radio back onto her belt. Turning, she eyed the stalls surrounding her. Food was west, and games were east. Or were games west, and food was north? The sun was high overhead now, so that was no help. She could ask one of the overheated passers-by. That heavy-set lady with the pink hair who was fanning herself with a green ¡®Top Bank¡¯ flyer looked nice¡­ Then a little girl grabbed the woman¡¯s hand, dragging her away, and the moment was lost. Pandy ducked behind a booth advertising Real Croc Bites! and pressed herself up against the wall. She wasn¡¯t supposed to go back here unless a vendor had a problem, but she just couldn¡¯t handle the crowds for one more minute. She smiled apologetically at a sweating woman leaning over a huge vat of boiling oil, and barely managed not to trip over an electrical cord that looked as thick as her wrist. She did not think the harried woman would be happy if Pandy managed to unplug her fryer. Or fall in. Though maybe they would make the best of it by passing her off as Real Croc? After a few more such close calls, Pandy reluctantly made her way back out onto the crowded street, almost stepping on a baby in a stroller. Yes, in a stroller. Because it wasn¡¯t enough that she almost squashed a baby, she actually had to step up into a moving object in order to do so. She gave more apologies to the flabbergasted mother, then hurried to a pole, reading the sign posted there. Seventh street. She¡¯d had a fifty-fifty chance and had gone the wrong way. That was the story of her life. When she played Bingo, and they reached the last game, where only people who hadn¡¯t yet won were allowed to play, she still lost. She¡¯d never even made her money back on a scratch ticket, and when her one and only boyfriend ever took her to a casino, she actually managed to break a whole bank of slot machines. And not in a good way. No, there was only one way in which Pandy was lucky. So lucky, it seemed like every bit of good luck that should have gone into the rest of her life had gone there instead. Gacha Love. It was a mobile otome game ¨C a story-based romance game with a female protagonist ¨C where the lucky gacha mechanic was used for everything. You could spend real money to guarantee you¡¯d get a rare or better item, but Pandy never had money for games, even though she loved to play them. But from the moment she¡¯d started playing this one, she¡¯d never failed to get the best result possible when she pressed the bright red, heart-shaped, SPIN! button. She longed to dig her phone out of the ridiculous little fanny pack Robert had given her as part of her uniform. Besides her phone, it held a small first aid kit, a whistle, a four ounce bottle of warm water, and a key. She didn¡¯t even know what the key was for, but it was there, and there it would stay until she reached the end of her shift and gave it back to him, along with the tiny skirt and the white t-shirt with the word SECURITY emblazoned across the back. Stolen novel; please report. Instead of giving in to the urge, Pandy turned her shoulder into the crowd and began to make her way upstream. She knew from experience that it wasn¡¯t worth trying to find other people heading in the same direction as her and use them to ease her way. If she did, they would suddenly stop, turn into a booth, or, worse, abruptly decide they needed to go in the exact opposite direction and run her down. By the time she managed to reach 5th street, now having gone the three blocks that should have put her at 3rd, she was sweating profusely and her feet hurt. She was wearing her own sneakers, so it wasn¡¯t that her shoes were uncomfortable, oh no. Instead, she had been stepped on or run over by everyone from a toddler covered in sticky pink cotton candy to a clown on a unicycle. ¡°Six, where are you?¡± snapped Robert¡¯s impatient voice from the radio at her waist. She pulled it off and actually managed not to drop it this time. Pressing the button, she squeaked, ¡°Almost there. I, um, had to help an old lady cross the street.¡± Even she winced at the feeble excuse. Silence. Then, ¡°Move faster.¡± Pandy moved. She ignored the Pomeranian who tried to pee on her leg, the teenager who glared as if daring her to come within five feet of him, and dodged the father pushing a triple-wide stroller holding two sleeping cherubs and one red-faced toddler screaming for its mother. She passed 4th street, and finally made out the intersection of Main and 3rd. It was a mess. No wonder Robert had sounded so unhappy. Half of their not-really-security force were already there, as well as one harassed-looking young police officer. His patrol car sat nearby, lights flashing, parked at an angle that should encourage pedestrians to remain on the sidewalk. Said pedestrians were ignoring all attempts to corral them. Like thirsty mules who finally smelled water, they had their heads down and their eyes focused straight ahead. The lights and music of the festival called to them and they were Tired of Waiting. Unfortunately, the street after Main was still open to through traffic, and the drivers had had enough of waiting, too. There was a constant stream of pedestrians, and the cars were simply rolling very slowly through them. The police officer was on his radio, though he periodically looked up to yell at someone, driver or pedestrian, and tell them to wait. This wasn¡¯t really in Pandy¡¯s job description. The police were supposed to guide traffic. That¡¯s what police did. Pandy and the other nineteen ¡®guards¡¯ were there to be visible, help children find lost parents, and make sure no one passed out in the heat. Or, if they did, to make sure they were taken care of so quickly that no one noticed. Finding a familiar, albeit stressed and unhappy, face, Pandy hurried toward him. ¡°Mr¡­ Robert? Sir? I¡¯m-¡± Robert, a man in his late twenties or early thirties, which made him not that much older than Pandy herself, pointed toward the busy intersection. ¡°Get over there and convince those people to take turns.¡± He motioned to a boy barely out of his teens. ¡°Joe, you go with her. One of you take east-west, while the other takes north-south. Or do something else. I don¡¯t care, as long as everybody¡¯s happy and stays out of the darned road when there are cars coming.¡± Pandy and Joe exchanged glances. Pandy didn¡¯t often meet people who were as unlucky as her, but when she did, they knew each other. She recognized Joe, and Joe recognized her. They both knew things were not going to go their way, but they turned to Robert and said, ¡°Yes, sir,¡± anyway. If possible, things went worse than expected. Pandy and Joe tried to get the people to stop and wait. A six-foot-tall gorilla in a TOOL t-shirt almost walked over Pandy. Then they tried to get the cars to stop. Joe nearly got run over. They found themselves on the far side of the intersection, with pedestrians streaming around them and cars creeping by, counting on human beings to move out of the way of two-ton vehicles. Then the welcome sound of sirens reached their ears, and two more police cars pulled up. Officers got out, all competence and assumption of power, and the pedestrians finally bothered to look both ways before crossing the road, appearing shocked to realize there were cars trying to drive down the street. A policewoman in reflective sunglasses waved Pandy and Joe away with a patronizing smile and a, ¡°Thanks, we¡¯ve got it.¡± Pandy didn¡¯t even care. She just stepped out of the way, back onto the sidewalk with Joe. They gave each other relieved smiles just in time for Robert to arrive. Robert was not happy. Pandy and Joe were incompetent, and thanks to them, someone could have been hurt. Never mind that the drivers and pedestrians were fully capable of making their own poor choices. No, the whole thing was obviously all on Pandy and Joe. Pandy had heard it all before. Usually right before she was sent home, and another potential employer let her temp agency know she wasn¡¯t welcome back. That was okay this time, since she hadn¡¯t really wanted to take a job outside when the weather forecast called for ninety-five degrees and eighty percent humidity. She needed to pay the rent on her tiny but quiet apartment, though, so she tucked her chin and tried to look apologetic as she watched the way the police officers controlled the traffic. No one gave them any attitude, no, and she didn¡¯t think it was just the uniform. And then she saw him. A little boy, five or six years old. He had tousled, sweaty curls, and a huge grin on his face as he crept toward a lump of fluff trying to hide in a bush near the road. What was it? A head popped up, two long ears quivering as huge eyes stared at the approaching child. The rabbit was pure white, like a pet bunny, not the gray or brown of a wild animal. Had it escaped from someone¡¯s house or yard? The child drew closer, and the rabbit broke and ran, heading straight for the street. The police had just given the cars right of way, and a large truck groaned as the driver pressed their foot hard on the pedal, clearly eager to make up for lost time. The child gave chase. Pandy moved. The toes of her sneakers gripped the pavement, thrusting her back toward the road. Robert yelled after her, but Pandy ignored him. She ignored someone else for a change. Everything seemed to slow. The rabbit came to a quivering halt, directly in the path of the oncoming truck. The boy scooped up the rabbit, triumphant grin stretching from ear to ear. Pandy could see the gap where a missing tooth hadn¡¯t yet come in. And never would, if she didn¡¯t get there in time. The police had seen what was happening now, too. The woman turned, but she wasn¡¯t moving yet. Wasn¡¯t running. Pandy was. She pushed the little boy out of the way, seeing the way his smile became an ¡®O¡¯ of surprise and fear. He tumbled back onto the pavement, into the arms of an older boy who must be his big brother, given how alike they looked. The rabbit leaped out of the little boy¡¯s arms, heading straight for Pandy, who held up her own arms, catching it, startled into stopping in the middle of the street. And the truck slammed into them both. Chapter Two - Gacha To Pandy¡¯s surprise, death wasn¡¯t dark. In fact, when she first opened her eyes, she thought she must have had some extraordinarily vivid nightmare while sleeping in a park. The first clue she had that this wasn¡¯t true was the fact that she never slept outside. For someone with her luck, that was just asking for trouble. The second clue was the god. He looked like her idea of a Greek god, complete with draping white toga, muscles a steroid addict would envy, and a cleft chin. Why cleft chins were godly, she didn¡¯t know, but that and the tiny thunderbolts flying around his head like a halo were a dead giveaway. ¡°Am I dead?¡± she asked, then immediately regretted it. Honestly, Pandy was a little surprised every day she didn¡¯t wake up dead. She¡¯d lost count of how many times her apartment had caught fire, had a gas leak, or been invaded by disease-carrying cockroaches the size of golf balls. If the universe really was out to get someone, it was her, Pandora S. Boxx. The god raised his chin and his arms, flexing his very impressive pectoral muscles. ¡°Alas,¡± he said pompously, ¡°thou hast perished, fair maid! But weep not! For your valiant actions, thou shalt-¡± Pandy lifted a hand to her head, which was starting to pound. She waved her other hand limply, as if she were chasing away a persistent fly. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry,¡± she said, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡± Turning, she looked around at the glorious garden that surrounded them. Soft grass cushioned her bare feet, and riotous blooms covered the ground and nearby bushes. Trees laden with fruit drooped invitingly, perfuming the air with the scent of ripe apples and pomegranates. If someone had asked her to describe the Garden of Eden, this would be it. Wiggling her toes against the cool, soft grass, Pandy marveled at the fact that not a single blade of it sliced her skin. She had to wear shoes at all times, because any grass through which she decided to walk would invariably be sawgrass, which could shred a human leg to the bone in two point five seconds flat. For added misery, the taller blades were usually home to spittlebugs, which left foamy bubbles streaking her skin or clothes. A disgruntled cough pulled her back to her current situation, and she smiled at the god bemusedly. ¡°Actually,¡± she tried again, ¡°I just need to know where to go now. No need to bother with me. I¡¯m really quite self-sufficient.¡± Which was good, because the only thing her parents had ever done for her was give her a terrible name and abandon her in a box on the doorstep of a monastery. Not even a convent. No, they left a newborn girl at a building full of aging male ascetics. Fortunately, the monks called the police, rather than just leaving the infant to Jesus, and Pandy had been making do ever since. Now, the god just looked befuddled, which was much easier to deal with than angry. Most people who spoke with Pandy for long ended up with that look on their faces, so she was comfortable with it. The god coughed again, but when he spoke, his voice was mild, and he¡¯d stopped using all the fancy words. ¡°You¡¯re going to be reincarnated,¡± he told her. ¡°Oh!¡± Pandy was surprised. She¡¯d spent a good bit of time trying to figure out where she might go after death, since it seemed likely she¡¯d find out sooner rather than later. ¡®Nowhere¡¯ was actually on the top of her list, but Purgatory wasn¡¯t far behind. Pandy wasn¡¯t evil, but she¡¯d never done anything particularly good, either. The most she¡¯d ever done was try to be a vegetarian for six months in high school. A mediocre, undecided sort of place seemed about right for her. ¡°How does this work, then?¡± she asked, glancing around. Reincarnation wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d looked into much, but didn¡¯t people get sort of¡­ downgraded, if they didn¡¯t do anything to earn a step up? Would she return as one of the cockroaches she¡¯d so loathed in her last life? There was a certain poetic justice in that, really. It probably wouldn¡¯t even be that bad. Someone would squash her, and then she¡¯d get to try again. The god blinked. ¡°That¡¯s it? No begging? No pleading to go back to your life? No, ¡®I died too young, with so much of my life left to live¡¯ sort of thing?¡± Pandy shrugged. ¡°It wasn¡¯t much of a life,¡± she admitted. ¡°I was barely able to make rent most of the time, and the only boyfriend I ever had actually meant to ask out Patrice Dickerson, but got our desks mixed up when he left the note.¡± ¡°I¡­ see,¡± the god said, then sighed and ran his hand through his mane of lush blonde hair. ¡°Well, ah, you have two choices. You may return to your previous world as an infant, with no memory of your past.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. That wasn¡¯t terrible. Maybe she would get a nice family this time? Almost any family would be better than ending up in the foster care system, really. But then he went on. ¡°Your circumstances will be determined by your actions in your previous life. Your heroic death will be taken into account, so I doubt you¡¯ll be born into poverty, but-¡± His eyes slid away from hers. Pandy knew what that meant. She¡¯d probably be born to a yurt herder in outer Mongolia. Yurts were things people herded, weren¡¯t they? ¡°Or?¡± she asked. He tugged at his toga, revealing a little more well-muscled chest. Pandy knew an attempt to distract her when she saw it, though, and kept her eyes on the bridge of his Roman nose. Why did a Greek god have a Roman nose, anyway? ¡°You can play a game and depend on luck,¡± he finally said, almost grudgingly. Meeting her eyes at last, he grimaced. ¡°I¡¯d recommend against it, honestly. There are far more potential bad outcomes than there are good. The only benefit, if you can call it one, is that you retain your memories of your previous life.¡± Luck. The one thing Pandy had never run out of. Admittedly, it was all bad luck, but she had it in spades, as it were. Her shoulders slumped. If only she was playing Gacha Love. Then she might actually come out ahead in this mess. Slowly, she looked up. ¡°Can I¡­pick the game?¡± she asked. He smiled, as if things were finally going the way he¡¯d expected. His too-perfect pecs flexed as he raised his arms again. Objects appeared in the air around him, spinning in lazy circles. ¡°Dice?¡± he asked. ¡°Or cards, perhaps? Will you bet it all on a game of chess?¡± He didn¡¯t really look like the chess type, but appearances could be deceiving, and she barely knew her pawn from her queen. ¡°Gacha,¡± she said. His face fell, and so did his arms. One by one, the dice, cards, and game pieces vanished, popping out of existence as suddenly as they¡¯d come. ¡°What is that?¡± he asked, but his eyes were distant. ¡°It¡¯s like a toy vending machine,¡± she said, miming the pull of a lever. ¡°You put in money, and then-¡± He waved her to silence. ¡°I see, I see. This, then.¡± Stepping to the side, he revealed a gacha machine. It was straight out of Gacha Love, complete with the big red button that read, SPIN! Opaque plastic balls sat patiently waiting in a clear glass globe above the button. Pandy¡¯s mouth went dry. This was it. Did she accept the first option, returning to a world that had never really seemed to welcome her, or trust in the one form of luck that hadn¡¯t tried to stab her in the kidneys? Her hand lifted, but before she could push the button, her traitorous feet carried her backward. ¡°Can¡¯t I just¡­stay here?¡± she asked. ¡°I promise I can help with, um, whatever it is you do. If people cry, I can give them tissues and pat them on the back. If they get angry, I can, uh-¡± Nothing. Pandy was worthless at confrontation. The god¡¯s lip twisted. He was obviously unimpressed. ¡°This is the home of the gods,¡± he told her, sweeping his arm around. ¡°Mortals may not remain here. The only reason you are here at all is because of your heroic deed.¡± There he went with the heroic deeds again. What was the big deal? Anyone would try to save a child if they could, wouldn¡¯t they? She was pretty sure that even some of the villains in the comic books she¡¯d read in high school would rescue a helpless kid if none of the heroes were available to do it. She took another step back, away from the gacha machine and that too-inviting heart-shaped button. This wasn¡¯t a video game. This was some version of real life where gods played games for her future. If she pushed that button, she would end up as a flea on the butt of a camel somewhere in Australia. She¡¯d once read that there were camels in Australia, and there was no doubt she¡¯d be reborn on a continent where absolutely everything was determined to kill her. Again. Her eyes went back to the button. ¡°What would have happened if I hadn¡¯t been, um, heroic?¡± she asked. The god folded his arms, looking a bit like a Tyrannosaurus rex trying to stretch his teeny tiny arms across his massive chest. ¡°You would have simply been reincarnated, without the possibility of choosing another path.¡± Pandy pointed at the gacha machine. ¡°How is that a choice?¡± she squeaked. ¡°It¡¯s just another way of doing the same thing!¡± He clicked his tongue at her. ¡°But you¡¯ll remember your past life. Under the correct circumstances, that is a great boon.¡± ¡°Not if I come back as an amoeba frozen in ice on Mars!¡± She waved her hands in front of her face. ¡°Oh no, my pseudopods are too squishy! I can¡¯t invent books!¡± A decidedly ungodlike snort burst from his nose. He tapped his fingers rhythmically against his arm as if he was running out of patience, but she was almost certain he was actually laughing at her. They stared at each other, and finally he reached out and tapped the gacha machine. A series of little lightning bolts struck it, and smoke rose from beneath the button. ¡°Choose now,¡± he snapped. ¡°I will count to five, and thou must select a path. I have rendered the odds very slightly in your favor.¡± Sweat popped up on his upper lip, and thick, gross veins appeared on his neck and shoulders. He began to count, and he wasn¡¯t taking his time. Pandy slapped the button. Chapter Three – SPIN! ¡°-dy! Daddy!¡± It was a child¡¯s voice, and he was crying. Hiccuping sobs broke each call for his father, and Pandy wondered vaguely if he was all right. Then she realized he obviously wasn¡¯t, and somehow that was enough to allow the distant sense of curiosity to fade away again, leaving her floating in a dim, emotionless void. ¡°What is it, Thaniel?¡± The much-deeper voice sounded almost as distracted as Pandy. ¡°Where¡¯s Lian?¡± ¡°He¡¯s reading,¡± the little boy said, in a voice equally full of tears and disdain. ¡°He said I should just bury it. But it¡¯s not really dead, is it, Daddy?¡± At this, Pandy was actually glad she couldn¡¯t see what was going on. She got terribly squeamish at the sight of blood, and somehow she doubted if having no stomach at the moment would save her from nausea. That said, she¡¯d really like to get on with the business of being reincarnated, if that was what was going on. Or had that already happened, and she was listening from inside the womb of her new mother? Were the two people she could hear speaking her new father and older brother? There was a long pause, and then the man said, ¡°Ah, Thaniel-¡± in a terribly reluctant tone. In response, the boy dissolved into even louder sobs, interspersed with the occasional wail of misery. The man made several efforts at trying to coax him out of his complete breakdown, each time only managing to evoke more and more pathetic howling. At last, when it seemed like the boy would add vomiting to his repertoire of anxiety-inducing sounds, the father said, ¡°Oh! Ah, it seems I was, ah, perhaps mistaken!¡± in a tone that rang patently false to Pandy¡¯s ears. Not to the boy¡¯s, however, because he ceased his howling with suspicious speed. ¡°Really?¡± he demanded. ¡°Yes, yes. I just need to, er, take it into my laboratory for a few moments. I¡¯ll bandage it up, and it¡¯ll be good as new in no time.¡± The sound of footsteps followed these overly cheerful words, and then a door clicked closed with great finality. Pandy felt herself pulled along, which was a very strange sensation. She knew she was moving, but since hearing was her only functional sense at the moment, and she couldn¡¯t hear her nonexistent self being dragged through the ether, she had no idea how she knew she¡¯d moved. She also had no idea how she knew she was no longer alone in that void, but she was very sure she wasn¡¯t. Whatever was out there was very unhappy about the whole business, too. ¡°Not exactly what I was looking for,¡± the man muttered, distracting Pandy from the sense that she was being watched, ¡°but it¡¯ll do, I suppose. I almost had the¡­¡± His voice trailed off into indistinguishable mumbling, broken by some rather disturbing rasping and squelching sounds. Pandy spent the time trying to be as small as possible. Since she was, as far as she could tell, currently nonexistent ¨C or at least noncorporeal ¨C that should have been easy, but somehow it wasn¡¯t. No matter how she tried to move, hide, or simply vanish into nothing, the sensation of being watched only grew stronger. She was just beginning to feel like a particularly puny mouse being stalked by a puma when the man made a satisfied, ¡°Ha!¡± sound, then began to speak aloud again. The words sounded like gibberish, though Pandy had to admit she wasn¡¯t particularly well-traveled ¨C or poorly-traveled for that matter ¨C so it could have been Swahili or Klingon for all she knew. She¡¯d nearly had a friend in high school who spoke Klingon, but the other girl had had to move away after that unfortunate incident with the pickle. The man¡¯s voice rose in volume until he was almost shouting, and Pandy felt her spirit ¨C soul? ghost? ¨C begin to move again. Unfortunately, the other thing also began to move in the same direction, and soon Pandy realized she did indeed still have another sense. Touch. And her sense of touch was telling her that whatever she was brushing up against was spiky, scratchy, slimy, and somehow just very unpleasant in general. Something grabbed onto her, and it felt like she¡¯d just stuffed her face into a hat full of wasps. She¡¯d only done that once, but it was an experience to remember, and after she got out of the hospital, she¡¯d always been very careful to check inside any clothing items which were left outside. Pandy began to thrash, desperately trying to shake the thing off, but she only got a sensation of malignant amusement as pain began to mount. A very familiar object appeared in the nothingness in front of her. The heart-shaped SPIN! button looked a little the worse for wear, with a bit of smoke trailing up from a blackened edge, but without thinking, Pandy flailed her nonexistent hand toward it. In Gacha Love, the player had many choices to make, all of which could affect the game. Sometimes innocuous-seeming decisions, like which color hair ribbon to wear, had massively disproportionate consequences. Each time these choices were offered, the options available to you were limited or controlled by every other decision you¡¯d made before. Unless, of course, you used the gacha button. You could only use it once every four hours, unless you wanted to pay real money to reset the timer, but it would unlock one additional option that was reasonable, but would otherwise not be available. Most of them were useless, but of course, if you paid even more money, you could narrow down the possibilities to ones which would actually improve your situation, even if only by a little. Pandy had never paid money, so she was limited to the once-every-four-hours rule, but when she did spin, she always, always got the best possible option. Her character always had maximum affection with all four of the marriage candidates, and she had the best weapon and armor in the game. Once, she even ¡®inherited¡¯ a ¨C haunted ¨C mansion as a result of a spin that otherwise would have yielded nothing better than five hundred gold crowns. Now, when she saw that button hanging invitingly in empty space, she didn¡¯t even hesitate. Whatever her options normally would have been in this situation, she didn¡¯t like them at all. So she pushed the button. Instantly, it went through the usual series of flashing lights, the letters glittering like diamonds inlaid on its surface. A trill of music ¨C a single bar of the game¡¯s iconic opening song ¨C sounded, and the thing that had latched onto Pandy¡¯s soul like a leech suffering from a deficit of hugs was ripped away. Through her pain, Pandy heard a furious, reluctant shriek, which seemed to take a very long time to dwindle away entirely. Pandy herself felt the pulling sensation resurge, as if it hadn¡¯t been certain whether it should grab onto her or her attacker, and its decision had now been made for it. She was dragged through¡­whatever it was that she¡¯d been floating in, and deposited very abruptly into a body. Blinking open her eyes, Pandy tried to raise her head. It felt very odd, almost like she was still hovering just outside of her own skin, but she managed to move enough that the man gave a shout of glee followed by what Pandy might have described as ¡®maniacal laughter¡¯ under any other circumstance. In this particular case, however, she was just glad to feel a heart beating within her chest again, so she decided to be generous and simply call it boisterous. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. A dark blob resolved itself into a face as the man leaned down, gripping Pandy¡¯s face in a way that she felt was unnecessarily familiar. ¡°Thou shalt not harm me or my spawn,¡± he said, and Pandy wondered woozily who called their own children ¡®spawn¡¯. ¡°Thou shalt behave as the creature whose body you inhabit,¡± he went on, ¡°until such day as I release you. Nod thy head if thou understandest.¡± Why was he talking like this when he¡¯d spoken to his son in a perfectly normal way? He was a weirdo, and this was coming from someone who had been the weirdo for almost her entire educational and professional history. The only time she¡¯d managed to avoid that title was the summer she¡¯d broken her jaw and had to have her mouth wired shut, which gave the poorly named Pat Butts the chance to edge her out. Pandy nodded. It wasn¡¯t like she wanted to hurt anyone anyway, and she was pretty sure by now that whatever she was, it wasn¡¯t human. Which was just her luck. Even with a god¡¯s help, she couldn¡¯t manage to re-roll as a beautiful and fabulously wealthy human being. She wouldn¡¯t even have cared if she ended up as a boy. Tension drained out of the man¡¯s pale, sweating face, and he stood up abruptly, groaning softly as he rubbed his head. ¡°Still too weak,¡± he muttered. ¡°I can¡¯t believe capturing such a minor spirit took all of my power. Hopefully this will be enough to keep Thaniel happy, though, so it wasn¡¯t entirely wasted.¡± He started to reach for a large, heavy book, then stopped. ¡°Oh,¡± he mumbled. ¡°I have to give it back to the boy. Yes.¡± Surprisingly gentle hands picked Pandy up, supporting her floppy head and dangling hindquarters as he carried her back out of the dimly lit room. When he opened the door, the boy was there, sticks and leaves tangled in his wild golden curls. Enormous blue eyes caught on Pandy, brightening as he smiled so broadly that his face seemed like it might split from the force of his joy. ¡°You fixed her!¡± he cried, holding out his arms. The man deposited Pandy into the child¡¯s embrace, where she was immediately squeezed so tightly that she let out an involuntary grunt. -1 LF The mysterious red letters floated up into the air as the boy, Thaniel, asked his father where the promised bandages were. In response, the man gave a great sigh, but turned around and re-entered the building behind him. He was back a moment later with a long piece of cloth which was wound around and around Pandy until she doubted if a single part of her new body was still visible. ¡°There now,¡± the father said finally, giving the boy an awkward little pat that momentarily squashed his curls. ¡°I¡¯m glad the little thing was all right after all. Though it may, ah, be just a bit odd after such a traumatic experience. It¡¯s probably best if you watch over it for a few days, and then we can return it to the wild.¡± ¡°No!¡± Thaniel said instantly, lower lip protruding dangerously far out over his chin. ¡°I¡¯ve been asking for a pet, and you said I could have one!¡± His father looked trapped. ¡°A dog or a cat, Thaniel. This is a wild animal. It won¡¯t be a good-¡± ¡°Mommy would have let me keep it!¡± Thaniel sobbed, and this seemed to strike a fatal blow. ¡°Oh,¡± the father said weakly. ¡°Would she? Well then, I suppose¡­¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Thaniel exclaimed, clutching Pandy so tightly that another red number drifted away, and Pandy could have sworn she felt her bones creak beneath the pressure. ¡°You should, er, go¡­play, then,¡± the man said. Lifting Pandy¡¯s limp body overhead, the boy whirled around. Everything around them spun. By the time it settled back into place, the door had closed behind the father, and the boy was running again. ¡°Lian! Lian! Daddy fixed my bunny!¡± Ah. She¡¯d been afraid of that. Pandy hadn¡¯t been able to see much of herself as she was being manhandled and wrapped, but she was almost completely certain she¡¯d seen a paw covered in white fur speckled with something that looked disturbingly like dried blood. She¡¯d never had a pet herself, but it looked like a lucky rabbit¡¯s foot one of the kids brought to school in the fifth grade. Even then she¡¯d been dubious about how effective it could be. It obviously hadn¡¯t been lucky for the rabbit, had it? Still, it could have been worse. She could have been a skunk, or maybe a snake. She knew some people liked snakes, and she certainly wasn¡¯t going to tell them they couldn¡¯t, but there was something about those dead eyes and the knowledge that they were cold-blooded that gave her the squicks. Snakes were better than spiders, though, and spiders were better than centipedes, so all in all, being a rabbit was actually pretty good luck, at least for her. Thaniel threw open a door, which shuddered beneath the force of the attack. Racing through the opening, he lifted Pandy, holding her out to the figure hunched over a book and a pile of papers lying on a table. The older boy looked up, scowling, and Pandy was startled by his resemblance to the little one. His curls were shorter, colored like warm honey rather than sun-kissed wheat. His eyes were the same shade as his brother¡¯s, though, pale blue amidst dark lashes. More importantly, he looked familiar. Which was ridiculous, because there was no way Pandy had met these two children or their slightly creepy father before. ¡°What is it, Thaniel?¡± he said. He sounded tired but not angry, not exactly. Frustrated, perhaps. ¡°I have midterms next week. I need to study. I can help you dig a grave and have a funeral for that thing later. Maybe after dinner?¡± Thaniel beamed. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Lian! Daddy made it all better.¡± He paused, seeming to realize that perhaps throwing Pandy around like a limp fish might not be good for her. ¡°Well, he gave it bandages and everything, anyway.¡± Lian rubbed at his eyes wearily. He didn¡¯t look like he was more than twelve or thirteen himself, and Pandy thought he was much too young to look so stressed. ¡°Thaniel,¡± he said gently, ¡°The rabbit¡¯s leg was almost chewed off. It was already cold. There¡¯s no way anybody could-¡± Thaniel shoved Pandy into Lian¡¯s face, and she gave a protesting wriggle. It wasn¡¯t much, more instinctive than intentional, but the older boy jerked back, paling before he got his reaction under control. Reaching out, Lian plucked Pandy from his little brother¡¯s hands, ignoring the boy¡¯s protests, and began peeling back the cloth wrapped around her. It was actually a little embarrassing, because while she knew she was a rabbit now, she still felt like a person, and those were her clothes. Gentle fingers pulled at Pandy¡¯s legs, focusing on one of the back ones. When he pulled it out to its full extension, she saw that the white fur was absolutely covered in gore, making the fur stand up in dark crimson spikes, but there was no sign of the injury he¡¯d described. With a soft growl, Lian pushed Pandy back at his brother, then stood abruptly, scattering papers and causing his chair to scrape over the tile floor with a harsh sound. ¡°He promised he wasn¡¯t going to do this any more,¡± Lian muttered furiously. Thaniel stepped away from his brother, his little face almost frightened. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at Daddy, Lian,¡± he whimpered. ¡°I asked him to make her better. I cried a lot.¡± Lian paused, then came back to Thaniel, ruffling his hair much as their father had. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Thaniel. I¡¯m a little angry, but not at you. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± The little boy¡¯s fingers plucked at Lian¡¯s long sleeve. ¡°Daddy and Mommy argued, and then Mommy died,¡± he whispered. ¡°Please don¡¯t argue with Daddy. I don¡¯t want you to die, too.¡± The older boy blinked, then crouched down in front of his little brother. ¡°That was a coincidence. Father didn¡¯t hurt Mother. Her death was an accident.¡± Thaniel shook his head, but seemed incapable of further speech. His eyes welled up, and tears coursed down his cheeks. A bubble formed beneath his nose, then popped. With a grimace, Lian took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brother¡¯s face. ¡°All right,¡± he said reluctantly. ¡°Just this once. But please don¡¯t ask Father for things like this again. Next time I¡¯ll have a funeral with you, I promise.¡± The little boy nodded vigorously, and Lian returned to his chair. As he sat, he eyed the Pandy-bundle with suspicion, but didn¡¯t try to tell Thaniel to bury her again. Which Pandy was quite grateful for, all things considered, since she didn¡¯t think she was actually dead. At least, not quite. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m going to get back to studying, but Thaniel,¡± Lian hesitated, ¡°if that rabbit does anything strange, anything at all, you need to come tell me right away. Understand?¡± Thaniel nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I suppose you¡¯d better go to the kitchen and see if it¡¯ll eat,¡± Lian said reluctantly. ¡°But remember. If it does anything unusual-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come get you,¡± Thaniel said, and ran off, carrying Pandy away. Chapter Four - Bunny Life Being a pet rabbit wasn¡¯t a bad way to live. Thaniel made sure Pandy got the best fruits and vegetables from the kitchen, which was run by a bosomy woman named Marta who thought rabbits belonged in stew, but doted on the small boy. Pandy got to hop around in the garden, though at first Thaniel would leap on her if she made any motion toward the surrounding bushes, and once or twice she was fairly certain he crushed her skull. Fortunately, that never seemed to be a lasting problem, and over the course of a few weeks, boy and bunny became fast friends. Pandy quickly learned that Thaniel was five years, ten months, and a constantly growing number of days old. He and his father lived in a crumbling manor with three servants, two of whom were only there during the day. Pandy thought it was very funny that two people needed three others to take care of them, but as she got to know Thaniel¡¯s father, she understood. The Father was a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a tendency to walk into walls and forget meals. He would have been the perfect archetype of the absent-minded professor if he wasn¡¯t constantly doing something Very Unfortunate in the small tower he¡¯d made into his laboratory. Pandy wasn¡¯t exactly certain what the Very Unfortunate thing was, but The Father sometimes returned home far into the night, usually dragging long, heavy objects with a strong resemblance to corpses wrapped in carpets. Pandy quickly decided to stay out of his way as much as possible. The third member of the family was Lian, who was twelve, or perhaps thirteen. Thaniel adored Lian, and Pandy was fairly certain Lian returned the emotion, just in a more distant kind of a way. Lian spent most of his time away at school, and only came home on occasional weekends and long breaks. Pandy¡¯s arrival happened to coincide with the weekend before finals, which quickly led into the summer holidays, and Thaniel was very sad when he confided that Lian would be spending the summer with a friend, rather than coming home. ¡°Next year, I¡¯ll go to school, too,¡± Thaniel said, offering Pandy a limp clover, which she dutifully chewed. ¡°But I¡¯ll go to Falconet, not Kestrel. I¡¯m too little, so by the time I can go to Kestrel, Lian will have moved on. I¡¯ll never get to go to school with him.¡± He sighed, slumping forward so one of his golden curls drooped over his eye. Pandy momentarily wished she had hands so she could tuck it behind his ear and give him a hug, but then he flopped backwards in the sun-warmed grass, arms and legs splayed out so one hand nearly smacked her round bunny tail. Pandy thumped one of her big back feet in irritation. If she¡¯d been a normal rabbit, she would have run off or been killed half a dozen times already. Early on, Thaniel even forgot she existed and left her outside overnight, which she spent huddled beneath a tumbled wall, listening to owls and foxes just outside her small, safe haven. Still, other than a few minor inconveniences like that, her new life had been easy and safe. Thaniel was kind, if easily distracted, and he¡¯d only tried to put her in clothes and have a tea party once. Even that hadn¡¯t been too bad, other than the fact that her tail had been twisted inside the handkerchief pretending to be pants, and she hadn¡¯t been able to get it straightened out. Hopping closer to Thaniel, Pandy wriggled her head beneath his hand, so his fingers trailed down over her silky ears. At first, the boy didn¡¯t respond, but then he rolled over on his side and began to stroke her fur. To her surprise, he was sniffling softly, and tears stood in his eyes. He was a very happy child generally, even if he was more than a little wild, and it was unusual to see him cry when there weren¡¯t any adults nearby to twist around his little finger. ¡°Daddy and Lian wouldn¡¯t be gone all the time if Mommy was here,¡± the boy confided, reaching out to cuddle her against his chest. ¡°Everybody loved Mommy. We had a whole house full of servants when she was alive, and sometimes people even came to visit. Daddy ate dinner with us every night, and Lian was tutored at home, so he was there all the time, too.¡± Pandy perked up her ears. She was very curious about Thaniel and Lian¡¯s mother. All she knew was that Mommy had died when Thaniel was almost four, which would make it about two years ago. Since then, things had gotten progressively worse, with the vast majority of the staff quitting, The Father spending most of his time locked away in his tower, and Lian spending as little time at home as possible. Staring up at Thaniel¡¯s teary eyes, Pandy thought, What happened to her? as loudly as she possibly could. Not that she¡¯d ever had even the slightest inkling that Thaniel could hear her thoughts, but she somehow couldn¡¯t quite give up trying. Tears trickled down Thaniel¡¯s face, soaking Pandy¡¯s fur, and she fought her instinctive desire to wriggle away from the moisture and the too-tight grip. She didn¡¯t actually seem to need to breathe, which was a good thing, because the little boy was gripping her so tightly that she wouldn¡¯t have been able to anyway. ¡°Mommy and Daddy argued sometimes,¡± Thaniel confided, ¡°but they always made up. Mommy said it was important to always say sorry when you fight, and that arguing just meant you were mad, not that you didn¡¯t love each other any more. But one time, Mommy got really mad at Daddy, and she took me and Lian in a carriage without him. But the horses got scared, and the carriage rolled over, and Mommy¡­¡± The little boy¡¯s words were choked, and tears and other goop were well and truly soaked into Pandy¡¯s fur by now. She hoped that he would give her a bath, which he seemed to enjoy doing, because there was no way she was licking herself clean after this. Thaniel shifted Pandy in his arms, sitting up so he could pull down the collar of his shirt, revealing the beginning of a jagged pink scar. She¡¯d seen this a few times before, but Thaniel was shy even in front of her, going behind a screen to change into his nightgown or get dressed in the morning. ¡°Lian broke his arm, but I got hurt real bad, and Mommy died. Daddy came and got us, and by the time I got better, the servants were almost all gone, and Mommy was buried. Her grave is in the garden by Daddy¡¯s tower.¡± Thaniel sighed, wiping his face with his sleeve. ¡°I ¡®spect things will get better when I go to school in the fall. I can make my own friends, then.¡± He sniffled one more time, giving Pandy a worried look. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can go with me, though. I might have to leave you here with Daddy and Marta.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Pandy¡¯s eyes widened. The Father would forget all about her, and Marta would probably try to eat her, though she suspected she wasn¡¯t particularly edible anymore. Of course, there was George, the gardener, and Cassie, the maid who also nominally looked after Thaniel during the day, but they weren¡¯t much better, and definitely wouldn¡¯t take care of Thaniel¡¯s ¡®pet¡¯. George was an odd one, which was saying something in this house, and Cassie did as little work as she could get away with. Thaniel glanced away, looking out over the garden. ¡°Do you¡­want to go back to the forest?¡± he asked, as if the fluffy white bunny in his arms could answer. ¡°Daddy and Lian and Marta and Cassie all think I should let you go.¡± Actually, Marta thought Pandy should be dinner, so ¡®going free¡¯ would be slightly better. But what would Pandy do without her warm bed, fresh carrots, and safe house? Well, safe enough, anyway, so long as she didn¡¯t wander the halls after dark. Pandy no longer needed to breathe, though she usually still did ¨C out of habit, if nothing else ¨C but she also didn¡¯t sleep, and no matter how she tried, she couldn¡¯t force herself to do so. That led to many long hours spent watching Thaniel sleep, at least after she caught The Father and George hauling the corpse-like things through the house once or twice and decided wandering wasn¡¯t a good idea. Pandy shook her head, feeling her ears waggle around on top of her head. They would be sticking straight up, and her red eyes would be wide and frightened. She knew because she had also spent a good number of those long nighttime hours staring at herself in the mirror in Thaniel¡¯s room. She was a very cute rabbit, and honestly wished she could cuddle herself just like Thaniel did. Thaniel giggled. ¡°Maybe I can sneak you to school in a suitcase. You don¡¯t make any noise, and you never get into trouble, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be all right. We could-¡± ¡°Young master, there you are!¡± Cassie¡¯s voice was higher-pitched than usual, and her soft, cow-like brown eyes were wide. She was really a very pretty girl, with brown ringlets trailing down in front of her ears, and a lacy cap over the rest of her hair. She generally disliked spending time outside, saying that the sun was bad for her complexion, but here she was, hurrying toward them through the grass. Thaniel dropped Pandy and jumped to his feet, brushing at his clothes. Cassie was really the only person who got after him for anything, and it was usually because he¡¯d gotten mud or grass on his clothing. She was the one who did the laundry, and she didn¡¯t appreciate the extra work. ¡°The lord is looking for you,¡± Cassie said, pushing away Thaniel¡¯s hands so she could whack firmly at his rear, then tug sticks out of his tangled curls. ¡°Daddy?¡± Thaniel squeaked. The boy wasn¡¯t afraid of his father, not exactly, but he didn¡¯t bother the man unless it was something urgent, either. ¡°Of course I mean your father,¡± Cassie muttered, straightening Thaniel¡¯s shirt and pulling the collar closed so she could do up the top button. ¡°What other lord would come ¡®round this unholy place? If it wasn¡¯t for the pay and me saving up for my trousseau, I wouldn¡¯t be here either.¡± Seeing Thaniel¡¯s lower lip quiver, Pandy hopped over and pressed one paw on the boy¡¯s foot. He looked down at her and started to bend over to pick her up. Cassie snatched at his freshly tightened collar, making him choke as she said, ¡°Leave that filthy beast here. If it runs away, well, that¡¯ll be one less thing I have to clean up after.¡± As if Pandy created any work for the girl, other than some inadvertent shedding. She didn¡¯t even poop, which led to a question of where all the food she ate went, but Pandy spent as little time as possible thinking about all of the things that every living thing did, and she¡­didn¡¯t. ¡°Come along, Master Thaniel,¡± Cassie said, turning and hurrying away. The girl lifted her skirts high enough to show her pretty ankles and sensible black shoes, all in an effort to avoid the tall grass, which George hadn¡¯t cut yet this week. Thaniel hurried along after her, and if Pandy could laugh, she would have. There was a long smear of mud and grass stains right across the rear of his blue knickers, and Pandy couldn¡¯t help but feel a vindictive amusement at the amount of effort Cassie would have to put in to clean them. Usually, Pandy had nothing but sympathy for her fellow sufferers at the hands of ill fortune, but Cassie was so lazy and obnoxious that it was difficult to like her. Once the two were far enough ahead, Pandy hopped along after, finding that her ungainly gait propelled her forward more than fast enough to catch up. Rather than doing so, however, she hung back, watching and listening as Cassie led Thaniel around to the front of the house. The Father waited there, dressed in unusual finery. His hair was actually combed, and his face freshly shaved. His coat barely showed wear, even at the elbows and cuffs, and his shoes had been buffed to a high gloss. When he saw Thaniel, his face brightened, and Pandy was reminded that he really did seem to care for his sons, however absent he was most of the time. ¡°There you are!¡± The Father held out his arms, and Thaniel ran into them with barely any hesitation. The Father picked Thaniel up, perching the boy on his arm with surprising ease. Given how rarely he emerged from his tower, Pandy would have guessed that he had very little muscle tone, but he hefted the forty-five-pound child without difficulty. ¡°I¡¯m going away for a few days, Thaniel,¡± The Father said. ¡°Cassie will sleep here while I¡¯m gone, so you don¡¯t need to worry. I sent a letter to your brother, so perhaps he¡¯ll come back to spend some time with you as well.¡± For the first time, Pandy wondered if Lian was avoiding his father, rather than simply enjoying spending time with his friends. Would the older boy take the opportunity to see his brother without paternal presence? Thaniel¡¯s expression was conflicted. There was concern, probably over being left essentially alone in the big house, but it warred with excitement at the thought of seeing his brother. ¡°When will you be back, Daddy?¡± he asked. The Father grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure. More than three days, but less than a week, I hope. Marta will still prepare your meals, George will watch over the house, and, as I said, Cassie will be here to tuck you in.¡± Thaniel leaned in, wrapping his little arms around his father¡¯s neck, and planting a kiss on the man¡¯s gaunt cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll be all right,¡± he said bravely. ¡°I¡¯m almost six. I¡¯ll be going away to school in the fall, anyway, so I should get used to being away from you.¡± Now clear sorrow showed on The Father¡¯s face. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°But how will I get used to being away from you?¡± Pandy had never heard him say something so close to a statement of love, but Thaniel¡¯s embrace just tightened. ¡°It¡¯ll be all right, Daddy. I¡¯ll think of you every night, and we¡¯ll always be under the same starts. That¡¯s what Mommy said.¡± The Father gave a choked little chuckle. ¡°Stars, Thaniel. Under the same stars. And yes, she did say that.¡± He set the boy down, and Pandy hopped over beside Thaniel, sending up little puffs of dust as her big feet whapped the ground. She stared up at The Father, and he stared back. Finally, The Father crouched down, setting his hand on Pandy¡¯s head, just between her ears. ¡°Remember,¡± he whispered, ¡°act as you seem, and,¡± he hesitated, closing his eyes as his fingers pressed deep into her fur, ¡°protect this child.¡± Something seemed to clamp down on Pandy at his words, trying to find a purchase that simply wasn¡¯t there. It slipped away again, leaving Pandy wide-eyed and still. Protect. She was a rabbit. How was she supposed to protect anyone? But she would, even if it took the last of her strength and whatever remained of her very small life. Whether or not the Father had commanded it. Chapter Five - Adventures in Babysitting Pandy laid her head on her paws, ears raised as she stared at the door of Thaniel¡¯s bedroom. Ever since the Father asked her to protect the boy, she¡¯d found herself even more wide awake at night. Her body tensed at every rustle of curtains or creak of distant doors, and she couldn¡¯t drift off into the sort of blank contemplation that had gotten her through the long nighttime hours before. she thought, for what had to be the thousandth time. And just like every time before, she was surprised when it worked. Of course, it hadn¡¯t changed since the last time she looked, so she didn¡¯t really know why she bothered. Name: Pandy Species: Rabbit (Deceased) Age: 24 LF: 0/0 Mana: 0/0 Stats Skills That was it. It had taken her a while to realize she could even try it, because other than a few times when she¡¯d lost LF after Thaniel accidentally sat or stepped on her, this world seemed completely real. If she¡¯d been playing Gacha Love, there would be a green bar for her current Stamina visible on her screen at all times, along with a hotbar containing a few actions she used regularly. But there was nothing, other than this worthless status screen. And what did ¡®LF¡¯ stand for, anyway? It was obviously being used to indicate her health, but usually games used HP for Health or Hit Points. Was it Lots of Fitness? Low Frequency? Lack of Focus? That last was something many, many people had commented on in her life, but wouldn¡¯t a lower number be better in that case? She¡¯d even tried asking, but there really didn¡¯t seem to be any kind of Help screen at all. Concentrating as hard as she could, she thought, Nothing happened. In fact, nothing happened in an almost passive-aggressive way, as if something somewhere was mocking her attempt. So far, Status was the only thing that had worked. She had no Inventory, no Quests, no Relationship Manager, just a very depressing block of text informing her that she was, in fact, dead. Sighing, Pandy stretched out her neck, taking a desultory bite of the carrot Thaniel had left for her before he put on his nightgown and went to bed. To no one¡¯s surprise, Cassie¡¯s idea of putting him to bed was making sure he was in his room, then blowing out the lamp. The Father usually turned up at least long enough to tuck the little boy in, but now Pandy was left to do it, though her furry little paws weren¡¯t exactly designed for the task. Two chews told her the carrot was drying out, but Pandy managed to swallow it anyway. Better to finish it than leave half-chewed pieces for Thaniel to clean up. He was always worried when she didn¡¯t eat, though fortunately he hadn¡¯t yet realized that there were other biological necessities she couldn¡¯t fake. Flopping over on her side and stretching out her legs, Pandy wriggled, trying to scratch a spot on her back that had been itching ever since Thaniel went to bed. How was it possible that she never got hungry or thirsty, didn¡¯t need to sleep, but still got itchy spots between her shoulder blades? It was truly unfair, and Thaniel wouldn¡¯t wake for ¨C she checked the small pendulum clock on the mantle ¨C six more hours. With a tiny bunny groan, Pandy pulled up her status again, staring at it until she felt her eyeballs growing as dry as the carrot. A Strength of three had to be bad, but was reasonable given that she was, in fact, a rabbit. Of course, she could have been some kind of super zombie bunny, complete with maxed out stats, but no, she was just your run-of-the-mill undead rabbit. So, assuming that three was low, was the ten for Agility average? She certainly didn¡¯t feel like she was particularly slow or fast, and her hops were as ungainly as any other rabbit, so she was assuming that the scale was zero to twenty, with her Agility perfectly in the middle. Which left Intelligence. While she was glad that it wasn¡¯t bunny-standard, which would probably be a two or three, it didn¡¯t seem like twelve was much of an improvement over ten. Unless it was all based on normal rabbit stats, not human ones, and she was actually both incredibly weak and only slightly more intelligent than a normal bunny? Rolling over so she was lying on her back, she thrashed in place, paws waving wildly in the air. One of them went right through the Status screen, making it vanish back into the darkness of the bedroom. Thaniel¡¯s rooms were as large as Pandy¡¯s whole apartment back in her original world, consisting of the massive bedroom, a closet large enough for a family of four, and a room that was probably supposed to be a receiving or drawing room, however that worked, but in fact functioned as a playroom. The playroom held shelves of children¡¯s books, carved wooden toys, several music boxes, and a desk filled with paper, paints, and pens, complete with different colored inkwells. Giving up on the itchy spot, Pandy rolled over again and hopped to the floor, landing on the thick rug with a soft thump. The rug might be starting to show signs of wear, and it had the kind of stains that a young, active child produced, but it had clearly once been both beautiful and expensive. In fact, the whole manor reeked of old money, in that everything looked like it had once cost a great deal, but hadn¡¯t been properly taken care of in quite some time. Hopping over to the bookshelf, Pandy gently grasped a book in her long incisors. She backed up, tugging as she went, until it plopped out of the shelf and onto the floor in front of her. This was her favorite book, and fortunately whatever magic allowed her to understand the language of this world also allowed her to read their words. She wished she could flip through the pages properly, but the long claws on her front paws weren¡¯t designed for that any more than they were made for tucking blankets in around sleeping little boys. She often turned more than one page at a time, but when she tried to separate them, the thick paper threatened to tear, so it had taken her several read-throughs to be sure she¡¯d actually seen every page. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The story was one that seemed a little dark for a preschooler, but it was beautifully illustrated, and sometimes she spent the whole night minutely examining every picture. There were only a few words on each page, but they were well-chosen, aimed at teaching very young children a very specific lesson. Thou shalt not kill. More specifically, ¡®Thou shalt not kill, and then bring the dead back to life.¡¯ The story told of a young child, who met a stranger in the woods. In Pandy¡¯s experience, that was never a good sign for the rest of the story, and she was right. The child¡¯s beloved dog grew old and died, and the stranger ¨C now a trusted friend ¨C taught the child how to sacrifice other small animals to gain enough power to resurrect the hound. Eventually, of course, this was discovered, the stranger was revealed as an evil magician, and the child¡¯s father killed the magician, but not before revealing that the magician had planned to sacrifice the child as well. The whole thing was rather grim, but for some reason the pictures were full of energy and bright colors. Of course, for half the book the primary colors were various shades of red, but that didn¡¯t detract from their beauty. Whoever painted the original art had truly been a master of their craft. More than an hour passed as Pandy nosed at the pages, trying not to tear them. The pictures were incredibly complex, and every time she examined them, she found another secret mouse crouching between two leaves, a mischievous bluejay swooping down to steal a nut from a distracted squirrel, or a tiny fawn hidden in a sun-dappled thicket. The people were generic, often little more than blank faces and vibrant clothing, but the forest teemed with lovingly crafted plants and animals. The cover of the book thumped shut, and Pandy patted it. The title was simply Alex and the Dark Magician, and it had been written by what she guessed was a husband and wife team. The author was Bryan Conroy, while the illustrator was named Grace Conroy. To Pandy¡¯s mind, Grace was the one who made this book truly special, because while Bryan¡¯s words were clear and understandable, Grace¡¯s pictures were, in fact, magical. ¡°Whatcha doin¡¯?¡± Thaniel¡¯s sleepy voice made Pandy jump three feet straight up into the air. The little boy was standing in the doorway to the playroom, rubbing his eyes with a fist. His white nightgown trailed down to his shins, and his bare toes curled in the rug. Pandy, of course, couldn¡¯t answer, but she tried to push the book back toward the shelf with one of her long back feet. Thaniel saw the motion, however, and came forward, eyes widening as he realized what she was doing. Falling to his knees, he scooped up the book, clutching it to his chest as he stared at Pandy. ¡°Bad rabbit!¡± he said, and his fingers ran over the cover before flipping through the pages. To her shock, tears stood in his eyes. ¡°Mommy and Daddy made this for me. They gave it to me on my third birthday, and Mommy read it to me every night.¡± Pandy¡¯s eyes widened. They gave that bloody book to a three-year-old, and then Thaniel¡¯s mother read it to him? The same gentle, kind mother who everyone loved, and said things like ¡®we¡¯ll always be under the same stars¡¯? That mother? More importantly, they¡¯d made it for him? Did that mean they¡¯d had it printed and bound specifically for their young son, or had they really made it? Was it possible that The Father was Bryan Conroy, while Mommy was Grace Conroy? Did that make The Father Lord Conroy? Somehow she didn¡¯t think that sounded right. Didn¡¯t titles stay the same, even if the last name of the current lord or lady changed? In fact, now that she thought about it, something about those names rang a very faint bell somewhere in her memory. Had Thaniel or one of the servants mentioned one or both at some point? Putting on a severe expression, Thaniel said, ¡°You can¡¯t chew on things, Bunny. You have to take good care of toys and books, you know.¡± Pandy could hear the echo of the hundred times someone else had said this to him, and she let her head hang and her ears droop, hoping she looked like the very picture of rabbit regret. The little boy sighed, reaching out to gently pat her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The book is all right.¡± Pandy guiltily remembered the books that did have torn pages and tooth marks on the spine, but she¡¯d never actually seen Thaniel read a book before, so she didn¡¯t think he would notice. She certainly wasn¡¯t going to fess up. A soft, distant sound caused both of them to turn, looking toward the closed door that led out into the hall. It almost sounded like a footstep, but the clock said it was just past two in the morning. No one should be awake, much less moving through the house. The gardener, George, had his own little house on the grounds, so the only other person in the manor should be Cassie, who barely woke up in time to get dressed before Marta showed up to start cooking breakfast. ¡°What was that?¡± Thaniel asked, fingers tightening on the book until his knuckles shone white. He stood, starting to lay the book on the desk, then seemed to think better of it, instead clutching the small collection of leather and paper to his chest as if it was a lifeline. Another sound reached their ears, and this time it was clearly the scuffing of a foot over wood. A male voice muttered something, and Pandy¡¯s ears stood straight up. She remembered The Father¡¯s words: Protect this child. There was no compulsion to do so, but still¡­ Pandy was a rabbit, and Thaniel was a pampered little boy, not even six years old. How was she supposed to protect him? Did he even need protection? It had been three days since The Father left, which was the earliest he had said he might return. Maybe he returned home in the middle of the night and was coming to check on his son? Her eye caught on the window. It was open a crack, letting in the soft summer breeze. The heavy brocade curtains swayed gently, and for a moment, she wondered if they could hide behind the thick fabric. But if someone other than The Father came in, how long would it take before they checked the only real hiding place other than underneath the bed? In fact, Thaniel was heading for the bed now, still holding tightly to the book. He leaned over, preparing to crawl beneath, but Pandy softly thumped her back foot. Casting meaningful glances at the boy, she hopped to the window, looking up at the narrow opening. As she¡¯d hoped, Thaniel joined her. He looked conflicted as he examined the heavy window pane. He could lift it, but it was difficult, and sometimes it squealed loudly. ¡°We¡¯re on the third floor,¡± he whispered. ¡°Mommy and Daddy and Lian all said I¡¯d be in big trouble if I climbed out on the roof again. Daddy said he¡¯d nail the window shut. Let¡¯s hide under the bed.¡± Pandy eyed the window again. With a push of her powerful back legs, she leaped up to grab at the windowsill, her feet scrabbling at the wall. Thaniel reached out to grab at her, trying to snatch her back, but Pandy had already clambered up and squeezed through, so all he caught was her fluffy white tail. There was a soft pop, and Thaniel squeaked as it came off in his hand. -5 LF Right outside the window was a steeply angled section of roof, perhaps three feet wide. Pandy could feel herself starting to slip, claws scratching at the slate tiles, before a little hand grabbed her middle. Thaniel pulled her back, and she turned her head to see that he was half in and half out of the window, having pushed it open more quickly than she¡¯d thought he could. ¡°Come back,¡± he whispered urgently, and then they both stilled as they heard the clop of hooves as one or more horses shifted in the courtyard below. Instead of backing into the room, Thaniel scooted forward on his belly, his white nightgown standing out starkly against the dark gray slate. A dozen horses stood below, along with two men, one of whom gripped the arm of a white-faced Cassie. Her pretty brown curls were bedraggled, and she wore a nightgown not much different from Thaniel¡¯s, though it was a soft green color. She was saying something, though Pandy couldn¡¯t understand what it was, and the man holding her gave her a shake when she stopped speaking. ¡°That¡¯s not Daddy.¡± Thaniel whispered the obvious, and Pandy wriggled out of his loosened grasp, hopping off toward a wider section of roof. Lian¡¯s bedroom window was fifteen feet from Thaniel¡¯s, but it wasn¡¯t open, and the room beyond probably wasn¡¯t any safer than the one they¡¯d left behind. Pandy headed the other direction, toward a flatter area that led to The Father¡¯s tower, which stretched another two stories higher. Thaniel followed, crawling along the still-warm roof, his nightgown snagging on the corners of the tiles. Chapter Six - Gravity Works Pandy and Thaniel crouched, hidden in the shadow of the tower, as strange men went through the manor. There was quite a ruckus when they discovered that Thaniel¡¯s room was empty, and Cassie was taken inside, where they heard her calling for Thaniel. At first, it seemed the boy would go to her, but Pandy jumped into his lap, holding him down with the weight of her intention as much as her body. It seemed to work, because he stilled, and eventually the voice ceased. To Pandy¡¯s relief, Cassie was returned to the courtyard after that, though she was put up on a horse, rather than standing with one of the men. To Pandy¡¯s knowledge, the young woman had no more idea how to ride a horse than she did, and the nightgowned figure sat stiff and pale atop the huge beast. For the first time, Pandy paid enough attention to the lazy maid to realize that she was probably no more than sixteen, which made her eight years younger than Pandy was when she died. It took a surprisingly long time for someone to poke their head out of the window, probably because no one would imagine that a young child¡¯s first impulse would be to climb onto a slippery, sloped surface some thirty feet above the ground. The head belonged to a middle-aged man who glanced around, then withdrew again. A moment later another man climbed out, this one younger and clad in less armor. Beneath Pandy¡¯s long ear, pressed against Thaniel¡¯s chest, she heard his heart pounding so quickly that it seemed it might simply leap out and run away on its own. The boy was wide-eyed and silent, unmoving in his small sanctuary, beneath a narrow overhang on which sat a glowering gargoyle. Seeing that Thaniel wasn¡¯t going to move, and their pursuer was coming ever closer, Pandy pushed her back legs hard against the boy¡¯s grip. At this, Thaniel finally looked down at her, and Pandy wriggled free, though she remained precariously perched on his knee. Pushing as hard as she could, Pandy leaped, thinking, , as if it had ever worked before. To her shock, a message appeared in the air as she flew much further than she should have been able to, almost causing her to miss her landing. Hop successful. 12.5% experience gained towards next level. Pandy¡¯s paws splayed out as the gargoyle¡¯s head impacted her belly. It would have knocked the breath out of her if she still breathed. As it was, her back legs once again scrambled for a hold, scraping against the leering face and prodigious proboscis. The sound was terribly loud in the stillness, and the searcher¡¯s head whipped around to stare toward them, his eyes narrowing. Well aware that they were probably only still hidden because the man¡¯s eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness on the rooftop, Pandy managed to turn around, backing up as Thaniel stood and made a leap for her. His bare feet thumped on the roof as he landed again, and the man trying to find him began moving in their direction. Come up come up come up, Pandy thought. Thinking fast, she hopped toward the gargoyle¡¯s rear end, quickly jumping down and away from Thaniel¡¯s hands as she moved along the narrow ledge that circled the tower. There were more gargoyles stationed here, one every ten feet or so, but the protruding bricks on which they sat would make a decent walkway for a small child, and a difficult one for a grown man. Just as she was beginning to despair, Thaniel put his book up on the ledge, then laboriously pulled himself up after it. Snatching up the book again, he pressed his back against the wall and began to follow Pandy. The ledge ended just beyond his tightly curled pink toes. ¡°Bunny!¡± he said, in the too-loud whisper of children everywhere. If Pandy could have face-palmed, she would have, as the strange man hastened his steps. He had been proceeding quite cautiously, but now he hurried forward. ¡°Nathaniel?¡± he called, in a soothing tone Pandy would have trusted if he hadn¡¯t come in the middle of the night with a group of men who¡¯d terrified Cassie. ¡°We just want to talk to you. Something¡¯s happened to your father.¡± Thaniel ¨C Nathaniel? ¨C almost missed a step, his little face as white as his nightgown as he followed Pandy. The boy¡¯s eyes were huge and terrified, and for a moment, he glanced back toward the man, rather than watching Pandy. Pandy thumped a foot, then hopped a little further. If anything had happened to The Father ¨C and she wasn¡¯t saying it hadn¡¯t, since The Father was the sort of man Things Happened To, and rightfully so ¨C Pandy had no doubt that the men chasing them were the ones who¡¯d caused those Things to happen. By the time she reached the end of this thought, Pandy¡¯s head was spinning, so she focused on the next gargoyle. She and Thaniel had spent a great deal of time in and around the gardens, and she knew every part of the building, at least from the outside. If she could just get Thaniel to come on a little further¡­ ¡°Bunny!¡± Thaniel whisper-called again, and this time their pursuer¡¯s eyes locked onto the little ledge. If she could see him, surely he could see them, too, or did zombie-bunnies ¨C or whatever Pandy was now ¨C get some ability to see in the dark? That would be very handy, and she really wished she¡¯d figured that out and had the chance to test it before Thaniel¡¯s life depended on it. Why didn¡¯t her worthless stat sheet mention it? Dark Vision, level 10. How difficult was that? Pandy reached the next gargoyle, hanging back just far enough that Thaniel should be able to see her bouncing tailless rump. She really hoped she could reattach or regrow her tail, because a rabbit without a cotton pouf attached to its behind must look very strange. Had Thaniel kept the little ball of fluff? Looking up, she saw that this gargoyle was, ironically, shaped like some kind of horrific, deformed rabbit. The teeth were viciously curved and pointed, while the ears were ragged curves that looked like blades. It was sitting up, with long, scythe-like claws gripping the front of its pedestal, and Pandy crouched, swallowing hard. she shouted as she hurtled through the air. This time, no message appeared, and Pandy ricocheted off the statue¡¯s concrete side in what probably would have been a very painful way for any other rabbit. Clutching desperately at the monstrous toes, she wondered two things. First, what made her skill actually work the last time? Second, how much LF could she lose, exactly? If she went splat in the courtyard below, would that be enough to end her undead bunny existence? A little hand caught her by the scruff of her neck, and if Thaniel hadn¡¯t dropped his precious book in order to hold onto the gargoyle in much the same place, both he and Pandy would have discovered the answer to her second question, at least. The book fell surprisingly slowly, its pages flapping in the wind until it landed on the stones with a desultory thump. Thaniel gave a soft, pained sob at the loss of his beloved tome, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to pull Pandy back up. ¡°Where are you going, Bunny?¡± Thaniel asked, giving Pandy a little shake as he gasped for breath. Tears silvered by moonlight tracked down his cheeks, and there was a river running from his nose. Pandy looked up, pointing with her paw. There, above the twisted rabbit gargoyle, was a window. It was too small for the man following them, even if he could edge his way along this narrow shelf, and if Thaniel stood on the gargoyle¡¯s back, he should be able to reach it. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Thaniel caught his breath. ¡°I can¡¯t make it up there,¡± he told her. His voice trembled with fear, and Pandy leaned forward, pressing her face into his throat. She knew from experience that her quivering nose against his skin usually made him giggle, and though it didn¡¯t work this time, she did think he relaxed, at least a bit. The man behind them called again, this time to someone below. ¡°He¡¯s up here somewhere, Captain! We need more men, and a light, if possible.¡± A light? Were they going to throw candles up here? She hadn¡¯t seen anything to indicate that this world had electricity, but it was possible it was a relatively new discovery, and this poor neglected building simply hadn¡¯t been upgraded yet. Pandy began wiggling again, trying to indicate that she was going up, with or without Thaniel. This was a complete lie, of course, since her job was to protect the boy, and she couldn¡¯t do that when they were in two different places. ¡°All right,¡± Thaniel whimpered finally, having nearly dropped her twice in the last few seconds. He carefully swung one leg over the rabbit-goyle¡¯s back, settling into place as if mounting a horse backwards. The long ears bracketed the boy¡¯s back, and he shifted, trying to use them to stand up. For a moment, Pandy was afraid the stone would crack, sending them hurtling downward after all, but the statue was as sturdy as it looked, and soon enough she was being raised overhead so she could scurry into the deep window ledge. Immediately, she realized that she¡¯d miscalculated. The window was definitely big enough for Thaniel, and he could probably perch on the ledge with her for some indefinite period, but the glass was also sealed shut. All around the edges, she could see some kind of mortar or glue, holding the wavy pane of glass in place. Thaniel¡¯s little fingers clutched at the edge of the sill, and he pulled himself up on his toes, seeing the same thing she had. ¡°Bunny, that window doesn¡¯t open,¡± he said, as if she hadn¡¯t already figured that out for herself. Though, to be fair, she was a rabbit, so not figuring things out was probably par for the course. Pandy began scratching at the old mortar/glue, hoping that it was as poorly maintained as everything else on the building. It crumbled beneath her claws, and for once, she was actually pleased that no one ever bothered to take care of what had undoubtedly once been a stately, if not majestic, home. Thaniel¡¯s eyes brightened, and he stretched out his hand, trying to help, but squeaked and dropped back down. Pandy¡¯s heart would have stopped if it hadn¡¯t already, and she spun around, staring downward. The boy was clinging desperately to the gargoyle¡¯s ears, terrified but safe, and once he got back to his feet, she returned to her efforts. Suddenly, light flashed by outside, just catching the edge of her vision. She turned again, peering out to see an object, something like a lightbulb and something like a candle, moving away from them, back toward the main part of the roof. It didn¡¯t seem to be connected to anything, so whatever it was had to be charged. Was this world much more technologically advanced than she¡¯d realized? Pandy redoubled her efforts, chips of brittle gray material flying away from her sharp claws. Over and over, she thought, Where was the System when she needed it? That was it. One side of the window was as clear as she could get it, so she focused on the next. There was no way Thaniel could fit in here with her while she worked, and the boy was smart enough to figure that out. Every now and then she paused, looking down to see that he was hunkered on the gargoyle¡¯s back, mostly hidden by its broad ears as the light circled, trying to reveal their location to those below. Hopefully it didn¡¯t have a camera aboard, or their run of not-entirely-terrible luck was over. The bottom of the window came free, and the thick pane of glass sagged heavily, almost managing to pull the top from its adhesive without her intervention. Pandy stood on her back legs to scrape away the last bits, continuing to frantically call out the name of her theoretical skill. Had she only imagined the last message acknowledging her skill use? Or was Hop the only skill that worked? Only one side left, but there were multiple voices calling to each other now. It sounded like they¡¯d created a search pattern, which meant they¡¯d soon realize there was only one place Thaniel could be. Who would expect a not-quite-six-year-old to brave a narrow ledge in order to reach a tiny window that anybody with two brain cells to rub together would realize was probably completely sealed shut anyway? The window clicked, then leaned slowly away from its former resting place. It was incredibly heavy, nearly squashing Pandy flat before she managed to shove it back through the hole, where it fell inside the tower, shattering loudly. At the sound, the men¡¯s voices stilled, and Thaniel¡¯s pale face looked up at her from where he was huddled against the wall. ¡°Bunny?¡± he whispered, and Pandy stuck her head out, shaking her head until her floppy ears swayed wildly. Come on! she thought, seeing the light zipping toward them. Thaniel stood, and she moved backward as he pulled himself up, his little body rapidly filling the small space where she¡¯d been standing, shoving her backward. Her rear legs suddenly found themselves standing on nothing, and she ran like a character in an old cartoon, legs windmilling in space. Don¡¯t look down! It was always fine until they- She looked. There was nothing below her except a winding set of stairs, which she discovered as gravity asserted itself. She hit the steps with a loud thump and a pop that told her something inside had just broken. This wasn¡¯t the first time her body had made a sound like that ¨C Thaniel really could play a little too rough sometimes ¨C and last time she¡¯d hopped in circles for most of an hour before it fixed itself. -25 LF That¡­was a lot. But also not much, given that she¡¯d taken the edge of the stair right across her spine. Pandy lay there, belly up, sprawled and helpless, as Thaniel wiggled in through the window and nearly fell right on top of her. Fortunately, he managed to catch himself, lowering his body down so he only stepped on one of her paws. -3 LF How much was that now? Five from the tail, plus twenty-five, plus three, so she was down thirty-three points. She started at zero, so how far into the negatives could she sink? Was it a nice round number, like fifty or one hundred, or something strange, like, say, thirty-four? Or was her health effectively infinite so long as she didn¡¯t become bunny pat¨¦? Sobbing, Thaniel scooped her up, and Pandy desperately wished she could let him know that she was ¨C or would be ¨C fine. She did manage to move her head, turning so she could lick his cheek. His skin was salty and damp from all the tears, but it was worth it when he pulled back to stare at her with startled eyes. +1 Corruption Point for Drinking the Tears of the Innocent Now Pandy¡¯s eyes were as wide as Thaniel¡¯s. What was a Corruption Point, and why did she have a feeling that it couldn¡¯t be anything good? Unfortunately, Pandy couldn¡¯t move anything below her neck, so she must have broken her spine fairly high up. She blinked rapidly at Thaniel, however, and he hiccupped loudly. Twice. He must have been trembling, too, since her head was wobbling back and forth. ¡°Bunny? Are you¡­all right?¡± His voice was both hopeful and terrified. Pandy desperately tried to look innocent, though she knew from her long nights in front of the mirror that her red eyes made that difficult at best. Somewhere below them, a door was flung open, and footsteps began pounding on the stairs. If she was going to search the manor for anything related to a potential mass murderer, she would start with the dark, sinister tower lurking alone at one end of his home. That meant they¡¯d definitely searched this place at least once already, so it wouldn¡¯t take them long to check in any hiding places below. Up it was. Pandy flicked her eyes to the side, trying to urge Thaniel to start up the stairs. He¡¯d frozen like a deer in headlights, but now his brows drew together and he clutched her limp body to his chest as he whirled and ran upstairs. They passed a door that had clearly been broken down, then another, leaving them at the very top of the steps, staring at a door that was miraculously intact. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Thaniel whispered, and for another miracle, his voice was actually quiet. Pandy glanced at the handle of the door. Maybe it was unbroken because it was unlocked, so the intruders hadn¡¯t had to use force to get in? Thaniel put his hand on the doorknob, and it turned easily, letting them into a dark, cramped space that Pandy dimly remembered from her very earliest memories of this world. It was The Father¡¯s laboratory. Chapter Seven - SPIN! Redux Loud footsteps echoed up the stairs, and Thaniel whirled, closing the door. The sound of it was too loud, and if their pursuers hadn¡¯t known where they were before, they did now. But Thaniel was distraught and Pandy was still paralyzed, so the point was moot. They were about to be picked out like the last two M&Ms in an otherwise empty bowl. And now she wanted M&Ms. Which she would probably never have again, because not only should rabbits not eat chocolate, but there were probably no M&Ms in this world, unless she was actually in her world, and Thaniel¡¯s family were the crazy vicars living deep in the English countryside. Vicars? Lairds? What was the word for the rich people who only came out and mingled with the commoners when there were cute little country festivals and they had to judge who grew the biggest potato that year? Who cared? Focus, Pandy! Okay, they were trapped in the top of a fifty-foot high tower used primarily by a man who was either a mad scientist, an evil magician, or a complete nutjob, depending on the magical and technological level of this world. It was also possible The Father was some combination of the three, but really, that wasn¡¯t what was important. They needed to get out. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t go down, which had been Pandy¡¯s original plan, so now they were stuck. Any second now, one of those men would throw open the door and- The handle jiggled. Something thudded hard against the door. Quiet cursing sounded from outside. Didn¡¯t they know there was a little boy in here? They shouldn¡¯t be saying things like that where Thaniel could hear them. Pandy looked up at the boy. His blue eyes were huge, filled with tears, and locked on the shuddering door. Someone out there was bound and determined to break it down, but Pandy wasn''t sure why it hadn¡¯t just opened in the first place. Thaniel had barely remembered to close it, and he certainly hadn¡¯t locked it. Opening her mouth, she tried to make a sound. Rabbits weren¡¯t much good at noises other than quiet munching and terrible, soul-rending screaming, but she managed to make a loud enough gasp that Thaniel looked at her rather than the door. She twitched an ear, and the boy blinked. Once. Twice. Thaniel drew in a breath, and Pandy realized he¡¯d been holding it ever since someone tried the door. Now, he gasped, then looked around, his eyes darting around in the blackness, and she could tell that he couldn¡¯t really see. Fortunately, Pandy could see, at least a bit, and there was a familiar shape on a table to their right. So, Pandy could see, but she could neither speak nor move. Thaniel could speak and move, but not only couldn¡¯t he see, he was utterly terrified. Which she would be, too, if she wasn¡¯t fairly certain she¡¯d have to be made into hasenpfeffer in order to actually die. There was a candle right there, but how did she let the boy know? Slowly, haltingly, Thaniel began to move. He slid one foot forward until it touched something, then jerked it back. When nothing came after him, he tried again, and this time took a step, bringing him up to a piece of furniture that looked like it was probably a desk. Or a sink. Pandy could see, but not well. The boy reached out, clutching Pandy to his chest with one hand while he felt around with the other. His fingers brushed over things that looked like books, and then he yanked his hand back with a yelp. ¡°Something bit me,¡± he whimpered, holding up the offending digit. Dark fluid ran freely down his hand from a deep cut. It dripped onto Pandy¡¯s fur as Thaniel snuggled her close, crying softly. +2 Corruption Points for Bathing in the Blood of the Innocent Wait now. Unsurprisingly, the System didn¡¯t respond. Pandy was really starting to worry about what these Corruption Points were, and what would happen if she got too many of them. Thaniel was still sniffling, but he seemed to realize that he couldn¡¯t let a single small wound stop him from exploring. He moved to the side, switching Pandy to his other arm, which only led to more blood soaking into her fur. +1 Corruption Point for Bathing in the Blood of the Innocent Well, that was only one this time, but she had four all together now. Thaniel really needed to stop up that cut. Or put her down. Whichever. The boy made a triumphant sound as his fingers closed around the candle she¡¯d seen on the table. It was much larger than the slender tapers used in the rest of the house, but it would probably last quite a bit longer as well. Now, Thaniel just had to find a way to light it, and then they needed to find a Batpole down to a hidden Batcave, or maybe a flying carpet, or a teleportation circle. Pandy wasn¡¯t picky. There was light. There, at the end of Thaniel¡¯s finger, was a flickering golden flame. It only lasted for an instant, and then it was gone, but it definitely wasn¡¯t just a figment of her overactive imagination. Definitely. ¡°I did it!¡± Thaniel gasped. His arm tightened around Pandy, and if she wasn¡¯t already broken, that might have done it. The light flickered again, and Thaniel crowed in triumph. ¡°I told Lian I could do it, but he didn¡¯t believe me!¡± The next time the light flared, the candle caught, but it didn¡¯t burn with the clean yellow light Pandy expected. No, this flame was such a deep purple that it was nearly black, which went quite well with the black wax it was made of. It stank, too, filling the room with the scent of rotting meat and making Thaniel gag. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Flailing, the boy tried to put out the flame again, but instead, he knocked the candle over. It tumbled onto its side, and the fire licked at a piece of curled, yellowish paper covered in reddish-brown letters that sat on the table next to it. The paper caught, and Thaniel put Pandy down as he desperately began beating at the flames that seemed to jump from one dry, brittle piece of paper to the next. Pandy couldn¡¯t see much, since she still didn¡¯t have control of any part of her body below her neck. She did see the light of the fire growing, and Thaniel¡¯s shadow outlined on the wall as he picked various objects up, tried to beat out the flames, then threw the newly engulfed item away again. He was screaming for help now, and she was helpless. She felt something tug on her, as if trying to grab hold of the back of her neck, but it slipped away just as quickly. It was almost as if she could hear The Father¡¯s voice, telling her to protect Thaniel, but the crackling of the flames and the pounding on the door and the boy¡¯s desperate cries drowned it out. Everything burned. And then something snapped. Something that had wrapped around her, holding her in place, broke loose, releasing her¡­soul? Consciousness? She felt herself rising up, looking down at the bloody, broken body of a white rabbit with frozen, glassy red eyes. Your bonds have broken! Will you:
  • Return to Hell to face eternal damnation
  • Kill Nathaniel Conroy
Well, that answered the question of whether Thaniel¡¯s parents had really written and illustrated that beautiful book for him. What were the odds that a completely random man and woman ¨C yes, she was assuming gender based on their names ¨C named Conroy were unrelated to a little boy who was also named Conroy? But wait! Was that really what was important right now? No. No, the important thing was that the System was actually talking to her. Not only that, but it was waiting for her input! Now, what had it said? Helpfully, the words reappeared. Your bonds have broken! Will you:
  • Return to Hell to face Eternal Damnation
  • Kill Nathaniel Conroy
Uh, no? She absolutely was not going to kill Thaniel. She couldn¡¯t even if she wanted to. She was an incorporeal spirit. Wasn¡¯t she? Looking away from the pitiful bunny corpse, Pandy held up her own hand. The fingers were long, slim, and pale. The fingernails were painted a deep red, and each one came to a vicious point. What was that style called? Stiletto? She would have to find some fingernail clippers and chop those off as soon as she got out of this. They could hurt someone! Your bonds have broken! Will you:
  • Return to Hell to face Eternal Damnation
  • Kill Nathaniel Conroy in order to gain enough Corruption Points to remain on this Plane
Wait, wasn¡¯t this getting worse? Was that what Corruption Points were for? Did she have to use them in order to continue un-living? Pandy¡¯s incorporeal throat convulsed, swallowing hard as she looked around at the chaos caused by one little boy. The whole laboratory was on fire, with Thaniel in the center of it, completely overwhelmed, sitting down and clutching the body of his beloved pet bunny. The door still shook, but even the flames seemed to be flickering in slow motion, as if the whole world was waiting for Pandy to make up her mind. ¡°None of the above,¡± she shouted. Thaniel didn¡¯t even look up, so he must not be able to hear her. That was okay, though, because Pandy was talking to the System. Or was she? She was so used to video games that when she saw something that looked like a User Interface, she immediately jumped to that conclusion, but what if that wasn¡¯t right? ¡°Hey, you! God! Whatever your name is! The guy with all the-,¡± she gestured at herself, as if that would help anyone understand what was going on in her head. ¡°The muscles. And the toga. And the really pretty garden. I don¡¯t want to go to Hell or whatever, but I¡¯m definitely not going to kill Thaniel. I just want to get him out of here!¡± The last choice continued to hang in the air as flames slowly crept toward the weeping boy. He was beginning to gasp as the fire eagerly fed on the oxygen in the air. It must be hot, and he looked so frightened¡­ A button appeared. A very familiar button, shaped like a heart, with the word SPIN! printed in the middle in a very excited font. It was smoking a little, and one side of it looked slightly darker than the other, but there it was, and just like in Gacha Love, Pandy was faced with two options that she didn¡¯t like. If this really was her favorite game, and she pressed that button, a third option would appear; an option that would otherwise only have shown up if she¡¯d made a different choice at some point in her playthrough. It might be something as simple as gaining the option to wear a blue dress to a party instead of a green or yellow one, or it might be something game-changing, like being offered a chance to compete for the Prince¡¯s hand in marriage even though you decided to join the Agricultural Track at school. Pandy smacked the bejeezus out of the button. It flashed a brilliant red, the familiar music sounding a little tinny and off key. At first, she was afraid it wasn¡¯t going to work, but then it settled down, and the question reappeared, sharp white letters hanging in a cloud of smoke. Your bonds have broken! Will you:
  • Return to Hell to face Eternal Damnation
  • Kill Nathaniel Conroy in order to gain enough Corruption Points to remain on this Plane
  • Save Nathani?l C0nroy
Well, it might look a bit strange, but Pandy knew a lifeline when she saw one. ¡°C! I choose C!¡± she shouted. Options A and B vanished, just as they would have in the game, leaving only C, which turned a pretty, blushing pink. After a moment, it, too, vanished, and another message appeared in its place. Use One (1) Corruption Point to Extinguish Flames? ¡°Yes,¡± Pandy gasped, and something drained out of her, looking like a cloud of pure misery. It was black and moist, roiling more like oil added to a pot than any kind of gas. Whatever it was, it swallowed the flames, smothering them until Thaniel was surrounded by a ring of ashes. The door shuddered, the side facing them now charred and black. The handle turned, and it was flung open. A figure stood on the landing, limned by the bright light coming from what she could now see was a simple glass sphere, filled with some kind of liquid that glowed like sunlight. The light fell on Thaniel, in his sooty and bloodstained white nightgown, and the figure gasped. ¡°Thaniel! Oh, thank Ismara, you¡¯re alive!¡± Lian stumbled forward, falling to his knees beside his younger brother. The bigger boy¡¯s shoulders shook as he clutched at the smaller one, his hands tracing over Thaniel¡¯s body, lingering on a few burns and the small but deep cut on the side of his left hand. ¡°Lian?¡± Thaniel¡¯s voice trembled, and then he launched himself forward, little arms going around his brother¡¯s waist. He began to wail, the sound of a lost child who finally found his way home, and a giant hand seemed to wrap itself around Pandy, yanking her back into the body of an undead rabbit. Chapter Eight - Lore Check Thaniel was snuggling Pandy so tightly that she was surprised she hadn¡¯t lost any LF. Though even if she had, she wouldn¡¯t have cared, because she was fairly certain that the only reason she was still in one piece was because the little boy refused to let her go. Every time Lian ¨C whose full name, she now knew, was Killian ¨C leaned away from his brother, he glared at Pandy. Those glares were filled with so much distrust and dislike that she all but dissolved beneath them. In fact, she was certain that if Lian was only a few years older, he might well have been able to melt her to bunny butter with a look. Because Pandy had finally figured out where she was. Lian, the handsome, bookish lad who was trying to avoid his demon-summoning father, was Gacha Love¡¯s penultimate villain. He spent his school days winning over the heroine with his good looks and melancholy ways, leading many players to wonder why he wasn¡¯t one of the love interests. Of course, it was eventually revealed that he planned to lure the heroine away and sacrifice her in order to resurrect¡­yes, his little brother, who was killed by the heroine¡¯s father during a raid on Killian¡¯s home when he was away at school. Which made Thaniel the brother, who was supposed to be dead at this very moment. It also meant that the stern man leading the squad of soldiers was Clara Reedsley¡¯s father, Lord Captain Reedsley. Which also meant that by saving Thaniel, Pandy had completely broken the game. If Thaniel was alive, then Lian wouldn¡¯t be driven mad by anger and grief. At least a dozen other people wouldn¡¯t die as part of his plans, including one of the male love interests, though which one it was depended on which path the heroine chose. Of course, that also meant that Lian wouldn¡¯t summon a demon, and in so doing, corrupt his own Light magic into Dark. Which, in turn, meant that Lian still had his inborn Light magic, and had to know that Pandy was, in fact, something other than a bunny. Presumably, he¡¯d sensed it the first time he ever touched her, but still believed their father would keep Thaniel safe, so he hadn¡¯t forced the issue. Pandy¡¯s tiny bunny brain was spinning from the ramifications of her discovery, and she was running out of ways to say ¡°as a result of¡±, so she turned her attention back to what was going on around her. Which was a lot. Soldiers were turning the manor upside down, including Lian and Thaniel¡¯s rooms. All except this one. Out of either respect or concern for the small boy who had so nearly fallen victim to their unannounced investigation, they were keeping Thaniel¡¯s playroom for last. In fact, Lord Reedsley had even returned Alex and the Dark Magician to Thaniel, along with a cryptic remark about taking its story to heart. Lian and Thaniel were under guard, though that was supposedly for their protection. Apparently, someone had reported The Father ¨C whose name was actually Lord Bryan Conroy, Viscount Dunning ¨C for demon summoning. That part actually wasn¡¯t surprising, but Pandy had no idea who could possibly have done the reporting. As far as she knew, no one came to the house other than the family and their three servants, none of whom had any reason to risk their livelihoods by calling the authorities down on their master. Even Cassie, who was perpetually complaining about something, actually had an incredibly easy job, given that no one supervised her, and she did as little as humanly possible. Thaniel flinched as he shifted, drawing Lian¡¯s attention away from Pandy, which was honestly a relief. For a fourteen-year-old child, his pale blue eyes could give quite a withering glare. As soon as those eyes turned away from Pandy, however, they became warm as summer sunshine, and Lian ran a hand down his brother¡¯s arm to the injured hand. ¡°Are you all right?¡± the proto-villain asked his brother solicitously. Thaniel nodded. He¡¯d been cleaned up, his wounds healed by the cleric attached to the assault team, and he had on a fresh nightgown. Everyone had hoped he would go back to sleep, since it was still dark outside, but no such luck. Every time the curly lashes fluttered down to rest on pale cheeks, the boy would jerk upright again, his arms clenching around Pandy in the process. Pandy, of course, was very patient with this. That was only partially because her back legs still weren¡¯t working correctly. Mostly, she just wanted to offer Thaniel as much comfort as her soft, fuzzy body could provide. ¡°My chest hurts a little,¡± Thaniel finally admitted, releasing Pandy just long enough to rub at the thick scar just visible at the neck of his nightgown. Lian frowned, lifting a hand. It glowed a soft white as it passed over Thaniel¡¯s chest, not incidentally crossing Pandy¡¯s body in the process. The frown deepened further as Pandy felt a warm tingling beneath his touch. It tickled, and she sneezed. Use One (1) Corruption Point to resist Purify? Pandy thought sighing internally at the waste. She¡¯d actually gotten several more Corruption Points as Thaniel cried and bled all over her, so she still had seven, but every time Lian did this, she had to spend one, and it was becoming just a smidge irritating. Thaniel giggled. ¡°Oh, Bunny,¡± he whispered, leaning down to bury his face in Pandy¡¯s fur. She hadn¡¯t gotten a bath, so she was still dirty and smelled of smoke, but the boy didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re all right.¡± Well, that made two of them. Pandy hadn¡¯t been sure what to expect when a small horde of soldiers stormed into the burned-out laboratory on Lian¡¯s heels. Her consciousness was firmly back in her rabbit body, but she still hadn¡¯t been able to move, and when one of the soldiers lifted her limp form by its back legs, she thought her brief stint as a coddled pet had come to an end. But then Thaniel¡¯s tears had redoubled, and he reached out his blistered little arms for her, and that was that. ¡°Thaniel,¡± Lian said a little desperately, ¡°don¡¯t you want to go back to bed? The soldiers will be done soon, and they¡¯ll realize this has all been a terrible misunderstanding. You¡¯ll feel better if you get some sleep.¡± The little boy shook his head, and Pandy recognized the look on his face. For the most part, Thaniel was a sweet and easygoing child, but there were times when he decided he was not going to do whatever he¡¯d just been told to do, and this was one of those times. He usually wasn¡¯t blatant about his defiance, but somehow the thing would simply never happen. ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy?¡± Thaniel asked, not for the first time. Lian sighed. ¡°He¡¯ll be here when they find him, Thaniel,¡± he replied patiently. ¡°When things like this¡­arise, everyone involved is located and questioned. That¡¯s why they brought me here, too. As soon as they find Father, they¡¯ll bring him home, and he¡¯ll be able to explain everything.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The expression on his face directly contradicted the soothing tone of his voice, but Thaniel didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Okay,¡± the boy said, just as he had every time this was explained to him. ¡°I¡¯ll just stay up until he gets here.¡± Lian closed his eyes for a moment, looking as if he was praying for patience. Pandy wasn¡¯t sure why. He was a smart kid, so surely he¡¯d seen that coming. But now Lian switched tacks. He turned his attention to Pandy, holding out his hands. ¡°Why don¡¯t I give the rabbit to someone? It¡¯s filthy. Look, there are already stains on your new nightshirt.¡± They all looked, and it was true. Greasy black stains covered the front of Thaniel¡¯s nightgown in a roughly bunny-shaped pattern. Pandy could even make out two long ear-shaped smears along the neckline. ¡°No,¡± Thaniel said, and his expression shifted from ¡®passive resistance¡¯ to ¡®very active resistance¡¯. He pulled away from his brother, clutching Pandy protectively, and sniffled as tears rose into his eyes for the first time since the last time Lian tried this. Lian started to speak, perhaps to apologize, or perhaps to insist, but Pandy would never know, since the door opened at that moment. The soldier guarding it stiffened, then saluted and stepped aside as Lord Captain Reedsley entered. ¡°Dismissed, Frilam,¡± Reedsley said, and the younger soldier snapped another salute before turning sharply and leaving the room. Pandy¡¯s sharp ears told her his footsteps stopped just on the other side of the door, and didn¡¯t move away when it clicked shut. Frilam, Frilam¡­. Why did that name ring a bell in relation to Gacha Love? After a moment, Pandy remembered, and she would have snapped her fingers if she had proper fingers to snap. Clara Reedsley had a bodyguard named Frilam, and the man had been one of Killian¡¯s first victims. The assumption had been that the guard just got in the way, but what if Killian had actually been slowly picking off each of the soldiers who were present the night Thaniel died? Pandy shivered, looking up at the serious face of the teenage boy with his arm wrapped around his little brother. Somehow it was even worse to think that this loving brother had methodically murdered every single person who might have had anything to do with Thaniel¡¯s death. Whatever happened to her as a result, it was worth it to know that these two boys weren¡¯t going to be separated by a tragedy that left one horribly dead, and the other twisted into a monster. Reedsley pulled off his helmet, running a hand through the sweaty, graying hair beneath. He wasn¡¯t strictly handsome, with a nose that was a little crooked and quite a bit too large, but he had eyes of the same bright sky-blue as the prototypical Clara. Of course, they weren¡¯t shining with innocence and protagonist-power, and in fact looked quite tired at the moment. ¡°We¡¯re sorry to have frightened you both so badly,¡± he said, bowing his head slightly. He actually managed to smile at Thaniel, who was trying to hide behind his brother. ¡°We take reports of demonic activity very seriously, and giving no warning before our arrival is as much for your sake as ours. When those possessed by or controlling demons realize they¡¯ve been discovered, things can go¡­badly.¡± His blue eyes darkened, and he sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve found nothing definitive, exactly as you said, Lord Killian. Unfortunately, everything in your father¡¯s lab was burned beyond salvaging, though there¡¯s enough there to see that he may have been, ah, exceeding the limits of his license as a practicing necromancer. I wish it hadn¡¯t been sealed under a family lock. Then we could have ruled out any malfeasance much more easily.¡± Lian stiffened. ¡°But he is licensed, Captain. And if you have no proof that he, or anyone in this household, was practicing demon-summoning, then-¡± The soldier raised a gauntleted hand, stilling Lian¡¯s angry response. ¡°I said we found nothing definitive,¡± he said. ¡°What do you know about your groundskeeper?¡± Lian blinked. ¡°George? He¡¯s worked here as long as I can remember. Since Grandfather¡¯s time, probably. He¡¯s very loyal.¡± ¡°Loyal enough to help your father steal bodies from the local graveyard, or store demonology tools in his house?¡± Reedsley snapped, eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he was far from the tired and slightly apologetic middle-aged man he¡¯d seemed a moment before. ¡°No!¡± It was Thaniel who responded, and both men turned to look at him. The boy had set his battered but mostly intact book on the chaise beside him, and now he lowered Pandy to his lap so he could pick it up instead. Shoving it out in front of him, he glared at Lord Captain Reedsley. ¡°Mommy and Daddy wrote this book for me and Lian because Daddy met a scary man when he was a little boy. That man was bad, and wanted Daddy to do bad things with his Dark magic. They wanted Lian an¡¯ me to know to be careful, ¡®cause one of us might have Dark magic, too.¡± The little boy glared defiantly at the soldier, who seemed flummoxed. ¡°They never would have made a book like that if Daddy was the one being naughty. So I know Daddy was one of the good Dark elementalists.¡± He stumbled a bit over the long word, his knuckles white as he gripped the book. Lian and Reedsley exchanged looks, and then the older man rubbed his face. ¡°Lord Nathaniel, I¡¯m sorry if you felt I insulted your father. I have nothing but the utmost respect for those with Dark magic who choose to use that power in service to the kingdom. It¡¯s a difficult road, and often a thankless one.¡± He drew in a deep breath, focusing on Lian again. ¡°That said, we found definite signs that your groundskeeper has been illegally exhuming bodies, but no indication of what happened to those bodies. There were also certain herbs growing in a field nearby that are rarely used for any good purpose.¡± Now that the Father was no longer under attack, Thaniel sat back, scooping Pandy up again. She found herself pressed tightly against the solid cover of the book, and wiggled in response, glad to find that she seemed to have recovered complete control of her body. Her tail had even reappeared at some point, to her probably-excessive relief. ¡°Have you found George yet?¡± Lian asked, face tight. Reedsley hesitated, then shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he admitted. ¡°Young Cassie seems to know nothing,¡± that did not come as a surprise to Pandy, ¡°and Marta says that while she knew Dark magic was being practiced, she had no reason to believe its use was illegal. No one else in town had any idea anything was going on, including the local priest, mayor, and constable.¡± ¡°And how did the priest manage to miss freshly turned graves?¡± Lian asked sharply. ¡°I¡¯d be focusing on him, not the family of a man who actually went through the extreme rigors of getting and maintaining a proper license for Dark magic.¡± ¡°Which is exactly why we¡¯d like to speak to Viscount Dunning,¡± Lord Captain Reedsley said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he could clear all of this up. In his absence, however, we must continue to process the evidence as it appears before us.¡± ¡°And of course you had no idea my father was away,¡± Lian said. One corner of Reedsley¡¯s mouth lifted, the only sign that Lian had scored a point. ¡°Of course not,¡± the soldier said smoothly. ¡°That was simply an unfortunate coincidence.¡± A sharp rap came at the door, and Reedsley opened it. The soldier named Frilam whispered something to the captain, who nodded, his face settling into a grim expression. When the quiet conversation ended, Reedsley closed the door again, turning back to the two boys. With a deep sigh that sounded genuinely regretful, Reedsley said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you that the body of Lord Bryan Conroy, Viscount Dunning, has been located just a few hour¡¯s ride from Newham. It seems that he was on his way home when he ran afoul of bandits. He and the coachman died in the resulting fight.¡± Lian went utterly still, eyes wide and face drained of all color. Thaniel simply melted down. Grasping Pandy and his book, he began to wail, fresh tears streaming down his face. Pandy stretched up as high as she could, licking the little boy¡¯s cheeks comfortingly as he sobbed unconsolably. +1 Corruption Point for Drinking the Tears of the Innocent +1 Corruption Point for Drinking the Tears of the Innocent +1 Corruption Point for Drinking the Tears of the Innocent +2 Corruption Points for Bathing in the Tears of the Innocent Pandy ignored the messages, distantly grateful that she had gained a bit more of a buffer between herself and discovery. That¡­wasn¡¯t right, though. In the game, no one ever found out what happened to Lian¡¯s father. In fact, during the battle between Villain Killian, Clara, and her chosen love interest, Killian accused Clara¡¯s father of abducting and killing his own father. It was supposed to be yet another reason why Killian turned to evil. So what else had changed? How had Pandy saving Thaniel resulted in the Father dying at the hands of common bandits? More importantly, what was going to happen to Thaniel ¨C and Pandy ¨C now? Chapter Nine - One Chance Eventually, Thaniel fell asleep, tears still staining his face. When Lian tried to move away, Thaniel partially woke, and began crying again. The same happened when anyone tried to take Pandy, which meant Lian and Captain Reedsley were forced to speak where Pandy could hear everything. ¡°What will happen now, Captain?¡± Lian asked, expression as calm as if he hadn¡¯t just discovered he was an orphan. He was still a little pale, with red blotches high on his cheekbones, but otherwise he could have been asking about the weather. The soldier sighed, again ruffling his hair in what seemed to be a habitual gesture. ¡°Please understand, Lord Killian, that this is now a matter for the courts, or perhaps the Queen Regent herself. As neither of you are adults, a guardian will be assigned until you reach your majority. My paperwork indicates that your mother has also passed away ¨C my condolences ¨C and that she was an only child. I assume that means someone in your father¡¯s family will watch over you and young Nathaniel for the next four years.¡± ¡°Three and a half years,¡± Lian corrected, voice cold as ice. ¡°I¡¯m fourteen and a half.¡± One of Captain Reedsley¡¯s slightly overenthusiastic eyebrows lifted, and he said, ¡°Of course,¡± in an admirably neutral tone. ¡°For now, without knowing who that person will be, we¡¯ll return you to school, and Nathaniel¡­ I suppose I¡¯ll take him home with me. I don¡¯t have any sons, but my younger daughter will be pleased to have a playmate, even for a short time.¡± Lian¡¯s face hardened. ¡°I won¡¯t leave my brother.¡± ¡°Then,¡± said the captain with surprising gentleness, ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll both have to come with me.¡± That was exactly what happened. Thaniel¡¯s things were quietly packed up, and Lian claimed he didn¡¯t want anything, since most of his clothes and other possessions were at school. The Father had taken the only carriage when he left, and it was now part of an active investigation, so someone hired a run-down carriage from the nearest town, and in the morning Thaniel and a few small trunks filled with clothes were loaded up. Cassie was staying on. Her wages would be paid for by the estate, which Pandy was sure meant she would spend all day sleeping and braiding daisy chains while the house fell down around her ears. Marta no longer had anyone to cook for, so she was to be let go as soon as she closed up the kitchen. Still, she was there to fold the little boy in her soft and motherly embrace, and assured him that the moment he returned, she would be there to cook for him again. Thaniel cried again as they left, the carriage jumping and jerking over the washed-out dirt road, and Pandy took the opportunity to gather more Corruption Points, since Lian had already done his Purify trick two more times as he helped his little brother get dressed. She was glad that in spite of the slightly creepy name, she could actually comfort the little boy even as she regained her points. Once they were on their way, with the captain leading the way on his horse, one soldier driving the carriage, and another riding his horse along the road behind them, Lian pulled a thick book from somewhere and began to read. Seeing this, Thaniel sat quietly beside his big brother, opening and closing his precious book and generally mimicking everything the older boy did. Still, he was only almost six, and he¡¯d had a very stressful night and day, so eventually the tousled curls came to rest against Lian¡¯s arm, and the dark crescent of lashes lay still on his round cheeks. Lian failed to notice, engrossed as he was in a book with the riveting title of Quantifying Charms and Chores: A Compendium of Common Celestial Conjurations. It would have seemed utterly mundane, but the creators of Gacha Love truly seemed to enjoy creating lore for their otherwise uncomplicated world. There were books lying around everywhere in the game, and you could ¡®read¡¯ them ¨C or rather a summary of them ¨C without spending any Stamina. One of the love interests had a hidden requirement that you read at least ten of these books, which was a low bar given how many there were. Two of the others weren¡¯t affected by the number of books you read, and it became progressively more difficult to pursue a romantic relationship with the fourth if you read more than five. It was little details like this that made the game so unique. In any case, by her fifth or sixth New Game Plus, Pandy thought she had done everything there was to do. Then there was a ¨C relatively ¨C huge uproar in the GL fan community when someone managed to unlock a secret achievement by reading every single book in the game. This allowed them to keep one percent of the Stamina they earned in their previous playthrough when they started a new one. That might not seem like much, but each time they got it again, the perk stacked, up to ten percent. Over time ¨C a lot of time ¨C this resulted in a massively overpowered character at the beginning of the next playthrough, so the player could skip a lot of the grindy bits of the game. And, as it happened, Pandy had a lot of time on her hands, since she had no friends or family to lay claim to it. By the time she died, she¡¯d earned the ¡®Bibliophile¡¯s Bounty¡¯ achievement more than a dozen times, in hopes that if she did it often enough she would unlock yet another secret achievement. All of this meant that Pandy knew exactly what lay within Lian¡¯s rather pretentious-sounding tome. It was actually a quite useful collection of charms for things like doing laundry and washing dishes, often by making deals with the small elementals that inhabited this world. For example, Gleamglows, the weakest of Light elementals, were quite fond of sugary treats, and would gladly accept a cookie in exchange for using their sunshine-like glow to freshen clothes that really should have been relegated to the hamper several days earlier. The information within that book was every lazy teenager¡¯s dream. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. With Thaniel asleep and Lian reading about the best way to bribe an elemental to clean his toilet, Pandy finally felt safe in summoning her Status screen. When it was up, it covered a good bit of her field of vision, and it wouldn¡¯t do to miss Lian sneaking in another attempt at forcing her soul out of her body, or whatever it was he was doing. Name: Pandy Species: Rabbit (Deceased) Age: 24 LF: 0/0 Mana: 0/0 Stats
  • Strength: 3
  • Intelligence: 12
  • Agility: 10
Skills
  • Hop: Lv. 8 (12.5%)
  • Bite: Lv. 5
  • Scratch: Lv. 7
Corruption Points: 12 Well, not really surprisingly, that was no help at all, other than showing her actual number of Corruption Points, which she promptly decided to call CP, even though the only person who would ever know was herself. Still, it was always good to make sure that all the voices in her head were on the same page. So, that left her with about a zillion questions and no answers at all. If she was actually in Gacha Love, there would be multiple tabs to flip through, as well as an extensive Help section, explaining what each spell, stat, and skill did, and how to level them. Of course, Pandy hadn¡¯t had to use that in quite some time, so she thought about what she did know. First, she should have more stats. Strength, Intelligence, and Agility were only three of the original eight, which also included Looks, Style, Talent, Charm, and Reputation. Once the main character, Clara, triggered the romance flag with one or more of the male love interests, she also got an ¡®Affection¡¯ stat for him. There were technically twelve stats possible, though each of the love interests had a rival, and usually once one of the rivals became Clara¡¯s potential partner, the other one was no longer interested. That meant that without using the gacha mechanic ¨C allowing you to get choices you otherwise couldn¡¯t ¨C you would only have a realistic maximum of ten stats. Which was seven more than Pandy currently had. Some of these she could understand. After all, what did a rabbit need with Style, Talent, or Reputation? Looks and Charm, however, she should have by the bucketload, and it would be incredibly satisfying to see a few extremely high numbers on her otherwise pathetic Stat sheet. With a sigh, Pandy flopped backwards in Thaniel¡¯s lap, exposing her belly and letting her big bunny feet stick up in the air. She¡¯d finally gotten a bath that morning, if only so the dirt on her fur wouldn¡¯t ruin still more of Thaniel¡¯s limited wardrobe. A beam of sunlight slanted in through the small window, and motes of dust thrown up by the horses¡¯ hooves glittered like gold dust in the light. This sparkling ray fell on Pandy¡¯s fluffy, brilliant white fur, making it look like she held the same sort of soft radiance visible around Gleamglow elementals in the original game. How was it possible that a creature so adorable didn¡¯t even have a Charm stat? A hand grabbed one of Pandy¡¯s fluffy feet, pulling the leg straight out, twisting it one way and then the other. Lian¡¯s face leaned down, his blue eyes shrewd as he stared into her bright red ones. Darn her crimson orbs anyway. If she did have a Charm stat, she¡¯d probably lose two points just because they were so precisely the color of fresh-spilled blood. ¡°This leg was dangling by a single tendon and a scrap of flesh,¡± Lian said conversationally. ¡°Your body was cold, and rigor was beginning to set in. There is no way ¨C no way ¨C you were simply badly injured. Not to mention that Father is-¡± His face darkened, but he managed to continue. ¡°Was terrible at caring for even the simplest of wounds. Whenever Thaniel got a scratch or cut, Father would send for Marta, Cassie, or even me, rather than washing and wrapping it himself. He never could have performed the sort of healing that would be necessary to perfectly repair such a terrible injury, even if his magic worked that way.¡± Releasing Pandy¡¯s leg, Lian leaned back, glancing at his brother, who was still sleeping peacefully, head against the thin cushion and a little drool gathering at the corner of his mouth. ¡°But whatever you are, I don¡¯t think you plan to hurt Thaniel. Gods know you¡¯ve had plenty of opportunities over the last several weeks, since Cassie wouldn¡¯t know how to care for a child if someone handed her a manual written for an audience consisting entirely of idiots.¡± Well, that was one thing they agreed on, at least. ¡°Thaniel loves you,¡± Lian said after several seconds of listening to the muffled clopping of the horses¡¯ hooves against the packed dirt. ¡°So I¡¯ve decided to give you one chance. One. I don¡¯t know exactly what you are, but for all his failures as a parent, I do know our father cared for us. He wouldn¡¯t have given Thaniel a pet that posed a danger to him. At least not intentionally.¡± His blue eyes were cold enough to freeze popsicles when he said, ¡°But if I ever, for even one moment, believe you hurt my brother, or led him into temptation, I will make it my life¡¯s mission to utterly destroy you. Not just banish you back to whatever plane you came from, but wipe out every particle of your essence in such a way that you will never again exist in any form. Do we understand each other?¡± Pandy stared up at the young man, wondering how she had ever failed to notice that he was ¡®Killian the Villian¡¯, as he was popularly known on Gacha Love¡¯s wiki and subreddit. There was the scowl full of utter disdain that had inspired fluttering hearts in tens of thousands of masochistic teenage girls. There was the frigid gaze, the curled lip, and, of course, the single perfect lock of buttery golden hair curling in the very center of his forehead. Slowly, Pandy nodded, even going so far as to lift one front paw to her forehead in an attempt to salute. This gesture melted a single note of absolute confusion into the frosty glower. Lian nodded, just once, then sat back, staring into the depths of his book with a look scarcely less ferocious than the one he had turned on her. And now Pandy really, really wanted a popsicle. Chapter Ten - Game On! Captain Reedsley¡¯s home was surprisingly nice, until Pandy remembered that he was Lord Captain Reedsley. She didn¡¯t know what kind of lord, but whatever he was, it was good enough to have a beautiful two-story home sitting on at least a few acres of land. There was a wall and gate ¨C because who better than a soldier to know the world was dangerous and it was best to keep it out ¨C and Pandy¡¯s heart almost exploded in her chest when she actually recognized it. There was the ornate, swooping ¡®R¡¯ on one side of the golden gate, and when it swung open, it looked exactly like the opening shot from Gacha Love. In that shot, the ¡®camera¡¯ lingered lovingly on that bright letter R, and then the gate swung open as the intro music began to play. The camera zoomed up a winding country road to a house that was never quite clear because your view was moving too quickly. A swoop took you up to a second-story window, where you saw a lovely girl lying in her bed, white nightgown slipping from her shoulder, snuggling a toy¡­rabbit. The plush animal was something you never saw again, as the sixteen-year-old Clara put aside childish things when she entered high school, but now that Pandy thought about it, of course it was a rabbit. If she remembered correctly, it was brown with white spots ¨C or possibly white with brown spots ¨C and had the worn, well-loved look of so many toys that carried a child through from a toddler¡¯s nightmares to adolescent dreams of romance. As the horses pulled the old carriage down the well-maintained dirt road, and the house came into focus for the first time ever, Pandy drank it in. Most of the story events happened at school, of course, but Clara invited a few friends ¨C including any love interest whose romance flag had been set ¨C over for the winter holidays. During the short series of events that followed, the player saw the dining room, as well as the kitchen, library, training ground, or drawing room, depending on which boy ¨C or boys ¨C came to visit. The rest of the house, other than Clara¡¯s bedroom, was a complete mystery, and Pandy fully intended to explore every inch. Was it possible that a young Clara might even be here? That thought made her want to squee like a fangirl about to meet a K-pop star. Sure enough, as the captain pulled his horse to a stop, and Thaniel peered out of the window of the carriage, several people stepped out onto the front landing. The building itself was probably less than half the size of Lian and Thaniel¡¯s sprawling home, and entirely lacking in ominous towers, but it had a fresh coat of white paint, and the red roof tiles were all intact. The steps were simple, entirely without aggressive statuary of any kind, but their level stone surfaces were inviting and, as an added benefit, safe. The first person to walk down these stairs was a man wearing what could only be a butler¡¯s uniform. In fact, Pandy even knew his name. Dalton had been with the Reedsley family since he was only a little older than Clara, and had worked his way up from footman to butler. He had his own secrets, of course, but he was intensely loyal to his employers. He was also very aware that someone of his background would normally never have been entrusted with such a position, so he was very stiff and proper at all times. When Captain Reedsley dismounted by the steps, Dalton was there to welcome his master home. He accepted the soldier¡¯s coat, laying it across his arm as if it weren¡¯t covered in dust, and when he snapped his fingers, a boy appeared as if out of nowhere to lead the horse away. ¡°Thank you, Dalton,¡± the captain said. ¡°I trust my messenger arrived before us?¡± The second person on the steps spoke up. She was as soft as her husband was hard, with a round face, round eyes, and puffy brown curls piled high on her head. She had brown eyes that always seemed to be smiling, and wore dresses that belled out in broad skirts that could hide a whole hive of assassins, but seemed much more likely to spawn dainty cakes and iced cookies like some kind of enormous fabric cloche. ¡°Young Frilam arrived some four hours ago, dear husband, and we¡¯ve already made room for both of these poor children.¡± Her eyes, reminiscent of a warm chocolate fondue Pandy had spilled all over a customer at a particularly short-lived restaurant job, skimmed over her husband before landing on Thaniel¡¯s wan little face peeking out of the window. Extending plump hands, Lady Alice hurried down the steps, her skirts sweeping from side to side, entirely concealing her feet, so it seemed like she floated down to stand next to her husband. As the voluminous barrier descended, a girl was revealed. Too young to be Clara, this girl appeared to be only a little older than Thaniel. Her hair and eyes were the same color as her mother¡¯s, but she had a smattering of freckles across her snub little nose, and her slightly too-thick eyebrows were drawn together in a fuzzy little ¡®v¡¯ of annoyance or concern. This then, would be Geraldine, Clara¡¯s younger sister, who was away from home during game-Clara¡¯s holiday visit. Geraldine was mentioned occasionally, but in that way that indicated she was more of a background object than a real person. There were few details given about her, other than her age, though one of Clara¡¯s key conversations with Prince Kaden was discussing their shared love of their adorable younger sisters. No longer a mere plot device, the youngest child of Lord and Lady Reedsley gripped the skirt of her pastel pink dress as if afraid it might follow her mother down the stairs without her permission. For all that Lord Captain Reedsley had claimed his younger daughter would be glad to have another child around, that very much did not seem to be the case. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. There were two more men, younger than Dalton, standing to the side of the door. They wore uniforms consisting of white shirts beneath blue vests, and matching blue short pants with white stockings and polished black shoes. When Dalton turned and gestured to them, they passed Geraldine, coming down to begin unloading the heavy trunks and suitcases that were strapped to every available surface of the carriage. As they did, one of them brushed against the little girl, causing her to shift out of the way, briefly revealing the face of a fluffy gray kitten. It only lasted for a second, but Pandy felt as if the feline¡¯s yellow eyes bored into her where she sat in Thaniel¡¯s arms, staring out at their temporary home in giddy excitement. Pandy had come quivering nose to indignant whisker with a new enemy. In spite of its miniscule size and the pretty pink bow around its neck, Pandy somehow knew that this cat held a deep loathing for any furry creature that might enter the hallowed halls of its mistress¡¯ home. Whether that creature was a wild field mouse or the cherished pet of an invited guest wouldn¡¯t matter. That kitten was going to try to kill her. Of course, the joke was on the cat, because Pandy was already dead. Or at least dead-ish. Lady Alice flung open the carriage door, ignoring Dalton, who had stepped up to perform this action. Tears stood in the sweet brown eyes, and the woman held out her hands to Thaniel and Lian. ¡°Oh, my dears. What a long trip you¡¯ve had, and after such a terrible day. Come in, clean up, eat, and rest. Did Corbin even stop to let you walk around, or did he simply forge ahead with nary a will ye or nill ye? He¡¯s a dreadful taskmaster, my Corbin.¡± She was like a broody hen, ready to mother any chick she saw, and while Lian was having none of it, Thaniel was more than ready to be mothered. He fell forward into the little lady¡¯s arms, resting his cheek on her well-rounded bosom, tears already staining the soft yellow fabric of her gown. For a moment, Lady Alice actually looked surprised, and then her expression melted as she began to stroke the little boy¡¯s wild, silky curls, humming softly in that way some mothers did. Not Pandy¡¯s of course, because she¡¯d instead chosen to leave her newborn daughter on a cold concrete step on a chilly fall morning, but Pandy had heard her classmates¡¯ mothers do it when their children tripped and skinned their knees. ¡°There, there,¡± Alice said softly, ¡°don¡¯t worry. Nathaniel, is it? I have a lovely room ready for you, Nathaniel, with lots of sunshine and the handsomest, softest bed you¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Thaniel sniffed, looking up at his savior. ¡°Just Thaniel,¡± he told her, and Lady Alice beamed, completely ignoring the fact that nose juices had joined the tears staining her charming yellow dress. ¡°Just Thaniel, I¡¯m so very pleased to meet you,¡± she said, then smiled down at Pandy, who was pressed between little boy and pleasantly plump woman, such that only Pandy¡¯s soft ears, bright eyes, and pink nose were properly visible. ¡°And who is this?¡± ¡°This¡¯s Bunny,¡± Thaniel said, lifting Pandy out of her warm refuge. Her back legs dangled so that she had to suppress an instinct to kick in a futile attempt to regain her footing. Fortunately, those instincts were quite thoroughly distracted when Lady Alice withdrew a sweet turnip from¡­somewhere. Perhaps she really did keep a smorgasbord tucked away beneath her skirts? Crumpets strapped to her thighs, and biscuits between her toes? ¡°Ah,¡± Alice said as Pandy chomped into the turnip. Pandy had never liked turnips as a human, but as a rabbit they were one of her very favorite things. ¡°I believe Frilam may have mentioned you, though he didn¡¯t know your name.¡± The motherly woman smiled at Thaniel, eyes twinkling. ¡°Bunny is the perfect name for her. She is the very essence of a bunny, in fact.¡± Thaniel nodded solemn agreement, and allowed Dalton to help him out of the carriage, clutching Pandy beneath one arm as he did. Normally, she would have protested the awkward position, but she still had a mouthful of sweet, sweet turnip, so she didn¡¯t even wriggle. Lian was next, and his blue eyes were wary, but not resentful or disdainful. He held his book and Thaniel¡¯s against his chest as if they were armor or a shield. Lady Alice took in the neutral expression and his white-knuckled grip on the books and simply held out her hand, back upwards as if she expected it to be kissed, not shaken. Lian didn¡¯t kiss it, but he did take one hand off the books and accept the proffered hand, bowing over it as shallowly as he possibly could without actually being rude. ¡°Lady Reedsley,¡± he said, voice flat but not quite cold. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality¡­¡± More words hung there, unsaid, but Pandy wasn¡¯t sure what they were. ¡°However unasked for,¡± seemed possible, as did, ¡°Such as it is.¡± Lady Alice didn¡¯t seem to hear any of them, however, since she just smiled and wrapped her arm around Thaniel¡¯s shoulders before guiding the little boy back up the stairs, leaving his brother to trail along behind. Geraldine and her cat had vanished at some point, and for a moment Lady Alice looked around in confusion, but then she recovered and said, ¡°I have a daughter only a little older than you, Thaniel. Her name is Geraldine. She must be checking on tea. Our older daughter, Clara, is a bit younger than Lord Killian. Clara wanted to stay to greet you, but she¡¯d arranged to spend the day with a friend. She¡¯ll be back for supper.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be staying with my brother,¡± Lian announced, as if anyone had challenged this fact. Lady Alice smiled serenely. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve had adjoining rooms prepared for you, and there¡¯s quite a large bed in your room, Lord Killian, in case you wish to allow Thaniel to sleep with you.¡± Lian didn¡¯t seem to know what to do with that, almost as if he¡¯d expected some effort to be made to separate him from his brother. Lord Captain Reedsley had spent all this time speaking to Dalton and the other two servants, but now he rejoined them. Gesturing toward the open door, he said, ¡°Please, come in and make yourselves at home. They¡¯ve held tea for us, so as soon as you¡¯re ready, we can eat.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want tea?¡± Lian asked, shoulders stiff. ¡°We can send a tray up, or you can just lie down for a nap and rejoin us for dinner, or even breakfast,¡± Lady Alice answered easily. ¡°You¡¯ve had a dreadfully trying time, and we simply want you to be as comfortable as we can make you.¡± Once again, Lian didn¡¯t seem to know what to make of this, but Thaniel leaned into the woman, the top of his curly head barely above her waist, even though she wasn¡¯t particularly tall. ¡°Do you have cookies?¡± he asked. Lady Alice nodded. ¡°Cinnamon and apple, lemon shortbread, and a lovely butter cookie with sugar sprinkles.¡± Thaniel turned pleading blue eyes on his brother. ¡°I want cookies. Can I, Lian?¡± Lian was defeated, and he knew it. The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile that was almost genuine. ¡°We would be most pleased to join you for tea, Lord and Lady Reedsley.¡± The domestication of the villain had begun. Chapter Eleven - Crumbs and Claws The inside of the house was as lovely as Pandy had expected, and she drank in the sight of the broad foyer, with three doors opening off of it, and a staircase sweeping up to the second level. The carpet beneath Thaniel¡¯s feet was beginning to show wear, but it was meticulously clean and perfectly centered on the tiled floor. The banisters were equally worn by generations of hands gripping them as people made their way up and down, but they were also polished to a high shine. Dalton took Thaniel and Lian¡¯s coats, laying them atop the captain¡¯s so neatly that they almost seemed to have been pressed. It was still more than warm enough that the light coats were unnecessary, but male characters in the game were only shown without them in their own homes or after exercising. Apparently this world maintained that requirement, which Pandy thought was only fair, given the ridiculously elaborate dresses the women had to wear. Even the background characters and servants had layered skirts and lace trim everywhere, which made cosplay hard to do but beautiful when done correctly. But these people weren¡¯t cosplaying, and somehow Lady Alice looked perfectly comfortable in her confection of a gown. ¡°Geraldine?¡± Lady Alice called, looking around. ¡°Where are you, darling?¡± It took several long moments for the girl to appear, and people were just beginning to shift in place when the door directly ahead of them opened. Geraldine¡¯s freckled face peered out, and then she stepped into the open, plastering a smile on her face as she dipped a shallow curtsey. Her kitten was no longer hiding, but instead stalked beside the girl¡¯s little brown boots, the cold yellow eyes of a killer looking entirely out of place above the oversized pink bow. Alice smiled happily, looking from Thaniel to Geraldine. ¡°This is our younger daughter, Geraldine. Geraldine, meet Lord Nathaniel and his brother, Viscount Dunning.¡± The woman didn¡¯t seem to notice Lian¡¯s expression freezing over, but Pandy did. If she understood noble titles correctly, Lian would also have been ¡®Lord¡¯ until last night, when the Father¡¯s death was confirmed. He would have inherited his father¡¯s title, as well as his estate, but using it only reminded him of his situation. Pandy could have clicked her tongue in irritation. Things had been going so well, too. Geraldine straightened, saying, ¡°Pleased to meet you, Lord Nathaniel, Viscount Dunning. I do hope you¡¯ll enjoy your visit.¡± Her face was nearly as impassive as Lian¡¯s, but she came down a little harder than strictly necessary on the word ¡®visit¡¯. No, she definitely wasn¡¯t pleased to have company. Thaniel stepped forward, his own expression brightening as he lifted Pandy, shoving her in the direction of the little girl. Pandy¡¯s feet flopped, but she tried for her best Look of Innocence, though she knew it was marred by the crimson color of her eyes. ¡°This¡¯s Bunny,¡± the boy said. ¡°What¡¯s your cat¡¯s name?¡± Geraldine blinked, glancing down as if surprised to find the fluffy gray kitten at her feet. ¡°This is Miss Cupcakes. She¡¯s four months old. She doesn¡¯t like anybody but me. And Clara, I suppose.¡± Of course she liked Clara. Everybody liked Clara. And why wouldn¡¯t they? She was the protagonist, after all. The only people who even temporarily showed antagonism toward Geraldine¡¯s older sister were Killian, the four love interests, and a few girls who picked on Clara partially because they were jealous of her strength, but mainly because the boys liked her. Lady Alice¡¯s eyes shone with gentle mirth as she said, ¡°Cupcakes was supposed to live in the stable, but Geraldine simply fell in love with her. We¡¯ve never had a cat in the house before, but the creature is quite good at keeping out rodents and the like.¡± Ah ha! Pandy had known that the cat was a cold-blooded executioner of all things furry. Pandy might not actually be a rodent ¨C rabbits weren¡¯t rodents, were they? ¨C but she doubted the feline cared. And now she couldn¡¯t stop wondering if she really was just a glorified rat. But no, hadn¡¯t she read something about rabbits being related to horses? She held up one of her fuzzy white paws and spread the toes. Nope, definitely not a horse. A maid in a pretty blue dress with a ruffled white apron and cap approached from the right-hand door, curtsying deeply. ¡°Tea is served, my lady.¡± ¡°Thank you, Becca,¡± Lady Alice said. The maid held the door open for them all as they passed through, though as far as Pandy could tell the door was in no danger of closing on its own. The room on the other side of the door was a sort of half-conservatory, with the closest part an entirely ordinary room, complete with a round table piled with sweets, while the distant half was entirely made of glass, protruding from the rest of the building and providing light to a veritable jungle. There were even a few butterflies flying around, their colorful wings quivering as they feasted from bright flowers. ¡°Welcome to what my husband calls my Folly,¡± Lady Alice laughed, ushering them all toward the table. ¡°It¡¯s not a proper Folly, of course, but where I grew up, it never snowed, and after I came here, I became quite sad every winter, when we were closed up and the sky was cloudy for months at a time. After Clara was born, Corbin had this built for me, so that I could be surrounded by warmth and growing things all year round.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Pandy truly wished she could tell the woman how lovely it was. There was a Butterfly Conservatory in the city where she grew up, and she once got to go for a school field trip. Of course, that was before Bobby McAlister started squashing every bug he found and they were kicked out, but when she grew up, she¡¯d gone back to visit once or twice a year, whenever she had enough money to buy a ticket. Fortunately, Thaniel loved the outdoors. They¡¯d spent hours one day watching a butterfly spin its cocoon. Pandy had never had the time or opportunity to do such a thing before, and being able to simply sit in the grass for half a day, periodically munching clover and watching an insect shape its new home around it was only one of the many reasons she really didn¡¯t mind being a rabbit in this life. Unlife. Whatever it was. ¡°This is beautiful!¡± the little boy exclaimed, blue eyes filled with awe. ¡°Mama liked plants, but after she- Daddy didn¡¯t take care of them, and the servants quit, so they all wilted. George took care of the hedges and grass outside, but there were never any flowers inside anymore.¡± Lian looked at his little brother, startled. ¡°You remember that? You were so little, I thought-¡± He shook his head, expression briefly vulnerable before he caught himself and it all drained away again. ¡°Course I remember,¡± Thaniel said stoutly. ¡°Mama smelled like flowers, too. I keep trying to figure out what kind of flowers, but I think they all must have wilted, because nothing ever smells right.¡± ¡°Freesia,¡± Lian murmured softly. ¡°It was in her shampoo. Her hair always smelled of freesia.¡± Lady Alice¡¯s face brightened. ¡°Freesia was practically a weed where I come from. There were all kinds of things made from it, since it smells so lovely, but once you planted it, you couldn¡¯t get rid of it if you wanted to. I wonder if your mother came from the south as well.¡± ¡°No,¡± Lian said, the single word shutting down any further questions. Captain Reedsley cleared his throat, drawing notice to himself for the first time since they¡¯d entered the room. He laid a hand on his stomach, saying, ¡°I¡¯m ready for some tea if you are, Alice.¡± Lady Alice¡¯s hands fluttered in the air, the length of lace around her wrists looking like butterfly wings as she did so. ¡°Oh my, and I was the one who insisted you must be hungry after your long journey.¡± She clapped her hands softly, looking around at Dalton. ¡°Do seat us, Dalton. Becca, let Chef know we¡¯re ready.¡± Oh yes, Chef. The man featured in the event between Clara and Bastian, one of the love interests. The man was never named, but he chased the two from his kitchen with a cleaver, believing that they were thieves who had broken in to steal the expensive ingredients he was going to use for the holiday feast. Dalton did as he¡¯d been told, seating everyone in some abstruse order that made no sense to Pandy. However it worked, Thaniel was last, and he settled Pandy into his lap as Dalton slid the wooden chair toward the table. She had to duck her head so it wouldn¡¯t be crushed between Thaniel¡¯s ribs and the table¡¯s edge, leaving her beneath the table, staring at a slitted pair of yellow eyes. Then Thaniel asked, ¡°Can Bunny run around in here? I promise she won¡¯t eat anything she¡¯s not s¡¯posed to.¡± Pandy had no idea how he could promise any such thing, since any normal rabbit would absolutely munch on the many delicious-smelling plants filling the far end of the room, but of course she had no intention of doing so. ¡°Oh my, of course she can,¡± Lady Alice said, without a speck of hesitation in her voice. ¡°She and Cupcakes can keep each other company.¡± As Thaniel lifted Pandy from his lap and put her on the floor, Pandy stared at the terrible kitten. Was it her imagination, or was the feline beginning to drool? Pandy huddled next to the leg of the chair, hoping that Thaniel¡¯s table manners wouldn¡¯t suddenly improve, and she would get a few cookie crumbs, or possibly a small piece of cake. She certainly had no intention of moving away from the protection of the people sitting at the table; not while Miss Cupcakes was looking at her like that. Cups and saucers began to clink as tea was poured and confections passed around. A few pieces of sugary goodies did indeed make their way down to Pandy, along with a whole cookie containing raisins, which Thaniel Did Not Like. She was fairly certain that rabbits weren¡¯t supposed to eat them either, but fortunately Pandy¡¯s undead stomach didn¡¯t care. Overhead, conversation turned to the warm weather and lack of rain, followed by a very brief discussion of what hairstyles were fashionable in Knightmere at the moment. It was very brief because Captain Reedsley, the only person who might know anything about it, obviously couldn¡¯t have cared less. Still, he tried gamely until Lady Alice finally gave up trying to coax details about the ¡®big curls in the back¡¯ out of him and switched back to the weather. Meanwhile, beneath the table, a battle of wills took place. Miss Cupcakes lurked as only a cat could do, eyes glowing as she watched Pandy. Pandy, of course, was busy with the crumbs and raisin cookies falling from above. Similar crumbs decorated Cupcakes¡¯ plush gray fur, but the feline ignored them with regal aplomb, not even blinking when a particularly large glob of pink frosting landed on her nose. Pandy was certain that if she¡¯d been any other rabbit, she would have been terrified into making a break for the inviting overflow of vegetation. Even from here, she could see a dozen hiding places. The problem was, of course, that Miss Cupcakes was currently the same size or slightly smaller than her, which meant the cat could fit anywhere Pandy could. Besides, Pandy had her enormous, clawed back feet, and she wasn¡¯t afraid to use them. The beast might manage to claw her up, but it would heal soon enough. At least, Pandy was fairly certain she would heal, though what would happen if she was actually eviscerated was still up for debate. All of which meant that Pandy was going nowhere. No matter how the cat glared, or how often the long, sharp claws on her front paws were bared and sheathed again, Pandy sat next to Thaniel¡¯s feet. The boy even nudged her at one point, quietly suggesting she go exploring, as he would no doubt like to do, but Pandy ignored him as much as she pretended to ignore the cat. Of course, all of that changed when the front door opened again, and a pair of dainty slippers stepped into Pandy¡¯s view and paused in the doorway leading back to the foyer. ¡°Am I too late, Mother?¡± a breathless voice asked. It was sweet and melodious, slightly husky, but in a very pleasant way. Voice number six from character creation, if Pandy wasn¡¯t mistaken. Which she wasn¡¯t, because that was her very favorite. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer, including Pandy, which was when Miss Cupcakes decided to pounce. Chapter Twelve - Turbulent Teatime Pandy hopped backwards, but not fast enough. The kitten¡¯s needle-like claws sank into her haunches as she turned to run. -3 LF -5 LF -3 LF Ouch! Those claws were sharper than she¡¯d thought, and while she could kick Miss Cupcakes away using her powerful back legs, she was afraid it could seriously injure the cat. Still, she¡¯d allowed her rabbit instincts to make her turn away, so now she only had one response available. Balancing on her forepaws, Pandy kicked backwards as hard as she could. She felt her fluffy feet impact the kitten¡¯s equally fluffy face, and wished she could see if she¡¯d inflicted any damage. How much LF could a small kitten have? Ten? Fifteen at most? In Gacha Love, the weakest monster was the House Mouse, which could only take three points of damage. Miss Cupcakes hissed furiously, this time latching onto Pandy¡¯s rear with her teeth. Overhead, chairs were being thrust back, and Geraldine was on her hands and knees, grabbing for her cat, while Thaniel reached for Pandy. ¡°Oh, goodness!¡± Lady Alice said, lifting her skirts. Pandy was directly in front of her by now, and had an excellent view of the dainty slippers that covered her feet, as well as pretty, plump legs and lacy bloomers that came to her knees. Sadly, there was no sign of either miniature assassins or a stash of contraband confections. ¡°Bunny, come back!¡± called Thaniel. His shoulder bumped against Geraldine¡¯s, and the girl pushed him away, glaring. ¡°Miss Cupcakes, leave that filthy creature alone,¡± Geraldine snapped, and Cupcakes actually hesitated for a moment before biting down even harder. -3 LF -5 LF Oh no. At this rate, Pandy¡¯s tail was going to come off again, and there¡¯d be no way to explain how it grew back. It was bad enough that she was definitely short some large clumps of fur that would expose any scratches and bite marks the kitten had managed to inflict. This needed to end, and it needed to end now. Geraldine grabbed at Miss Cupcakes, and the kitten¡¯s teeth slipped off of Pandy¡¯s rump. Pandy took advantage of her moment of freedom to whip around, meeting the cat¡¯s wild yellow gaze with her own hopefully terrifying red one. The cat seemed unimpressed, swiping a paw toward Pandy with the claws bared in all their pointy glory. Pandy thought as hard as she could. She didn¡¯t really want to hurt the feline. In her past life, she would have melted over the adorable little fluffball. But she only had three skills, and Bite seemed like the one that would be most effective, while also being the lowest level. Hopefully enough to hurt without damaging the creature. Bite successful. 20% experience gained towards next level. If Pandy¡¯s teeth hadn¡¯t been firmly embedded in Cupcake¡¯s dainty pink toe-beans, she would have tumbled backwards in shock. The skill had actually worked? And worse, she now had a mouth full of blood, which was the second most disgusting thing she¡¯d ever tasted, after that time Jeanette Carter¡¯s big brother swapped her kool-aid for beer when she was eight. +3 Corruption Points for Mutilating a Defender of the Realm +5 Corruption Points for Drinking the Blood of a Defender of the Realm Wait, mutilating? And how was this kitten a Defender of the Realm? That was the title given to Clara and her partner after they fought the demon army. Because of course there was a demon army, which was entirely Killian¡¯s fault, not that he would admit it. Firm hands closed around Pandy¡¯s belly, and she was scooped up, paws dangling. She spat out as much of the blood as she could, which no doubt stained the fur around her mouth and made her look like a Vorpal Rabbit, out to slaughter and ravage the countryside. Meanwhile, Miss Cupcakes was yowling pitifully, holding up her bleeding paw so Geraldine and Lady Clara could coo over it. Dalton pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around the injured paw, all the while calling for Becca to fetch the doctor. As Geraldine turned away, clutching the kitten to her chest, Cupcakes stared balefully over the girl¡¯s shoulder, and Pandy knew this wasn¡¯t over. Lian ¨C because of course it was Lian who¡¯d picked up Pandy ¨C dangled her over the table as if she was a raisin cookie that had fallen on the floor. He opened his mouth to say something, but Thaniel reached out, grabbing Pandy away from him and cradling her to his chest in an unintended mirror of the way Geraldine held Miss Cupcakes. ¡°Are you all right, Bunny?¡± Thaniel asked, turning Pandy so he could examine her rear. ¡°You¡¯re all scratched up!¡± His arms closed around Pandy again, and he turned his own glare on the kitten and her mistress. Lian sighed, crouching beside his brother, though he gave Pandy a warning glance from those cold, villainous eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± he said almost gently. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be just fine.¡± Pandy bobbed her head. She would, indeed, be just fine. There had been a lot of red numbers floating around, but she was certain she¡¯d only taken fifteen or twenty points of damage. In fact¡­. She did a quick check and found her LF sitting at negative twenty-seven. That was¡­worse than she¡¯d thought, but still less than when she¡¯d lost her tail and broken her back, so she was confident that she¡¯d recover soon enough. It was too bad she couldn¡¯t just use Corruption Points to- Use Three (3) Corruption Points to cast Minor Heal? Yes! Yes, she definitely- Oh. No, actually, that would be a very bad idea. Lian was looking directly at her, and while Thaniel¡¯s age and love for her would convince him he¡¯d only imagined the wounds, Lian definitely wasn¡¯t as gullible. But it was too late. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Minor Heal successful. 100% experience gained towards next level. Minor Heal is now Level 1. Pandy¡¯s butt tingled, making her wiggle, and Thaniel clutched her tighter. That was good, since the little boy¡¯s arm should be blocking everyone¡¯s view of Pandy¡¯s posterior. She checked her Status to see how much health she¡¯d actually recovered. Name: Pandy Species: Rabbit (Deceased) Age: 24 LF: -7/0 Mana: 0/0 Stats
  • Strength: 3
  • Intelligence: 12
  • Agility: 10
Skills
  • Hop: Lv. 8 (12.5%)
  • Bite: Lv. 5 (20%)
  • Scratch: Lv. 7
  • Minor Heal: Lv. 1
Corruption Points: 24 Negative seven. Up twenty from where she¡¯d been only a moment before, but not yet completely healed. That was probably good, since anyone checking might just believe the injuries had looked worse than they actually were. Plus, she now had one more confirmation that this world was the same as the one in Gacha Love. The first spell the protagonist, Clara, learned was Minor Heal, and it always healed up to twenty points of damage. Geraldine, Miss Cupcakes, Lady Alice, and Dalton had left the room, leaving Lian, Thaniel, Becca, and Captain Reedsley behind. The Captain looked distinctly harried, and was rubbing his temples as if his head hurt. The pretty table and chairs were all in disarray, with spilled tea and soggy crumpets lying next to wilting flowers that had fallen from an overturned vase. Pandy bemusedly noted that the flowers looked tastier than the scattered lavender tuiles. ¡°Father?¡± a soft, girlish voice spoke. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry. I didn¡¯t think it would be a problem if I came home a bit early.¡± Everyone turned to look back at the door, where a teenage girl with black curls and sky-blue eyes peered in. Clara Reedsley stepped into the room, fingers tangled in the skirts that ended around her shins, revealing white stockings and black boots that buttoned up her ankle. She looked like the ¡®Clara¡¯ from Gacha Love¡¯s promotional materials, though one of the attractions of the game was the vast number of options for her appearance. The game was originally Japanese, and this Clara could have stepped from the pages of a manga. She was impossibly lovely, with pink cheeks, a rosebud mouth, and eyes that probably should have seemed far too large but instead added to her delicate charm. Captain Reedsley managed a smile that almost looked genuine and held out his hand for his older daughter. ¡°No, no, my dear. I¡¯m afraid Geraldine¡¯s kitten was simply unable to overcome her instincts. I¡¯m certain it would have happened eventually.¡± Pandy was sure he was right. Miss Cupcakes had had it in for Pandy from the moment she saw her. Clara¡¯s sudden appearance might have given the kitten an opportunity, but there was no doubt in Pandy¡¯s mind that the feline would have attempted bunny-cide in the near future. Clara nodded, and her hands released her skirt. She lifted her eyes, peering at Lian through thick black lashes as her father continued to speak. ¡°Lord Killian, may I introduce my daughter, Clara? Clara, this is Lord Killian, Viscount Dunning, and his younger brother, Nathaniel. I believe Thaniel¡¯s pet is named Bunny.¡± The young Clara, who had to be only twelve or thirteen at this point, smiled as she bobbed a curtsey. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to meet you both.¡± Any other teenage boy would have melted beneath that look, but Lian was made of sterner stuff. He was, after all, meant to be the only male capable of resisting Clara¡¯s innocent wiles for a full year. His eyes were watchful and cold as he accepted Clara¡¯s fingers and gave her the barest bow. ¡°My pleasure,¡± he said, before dismissing her. Turning back to Lord Captain Reedsley, Lian stiffly said, ¡°Would someone be able to show us to our rooms now? I¡¯m sure my brother needs some rest, and we should see to¡­Bunny.¡± ¡°Oh, I can do that!¡± Clara said brightly. She waggled her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m a Light mage, you see. I can even summon a Luminaris elemental. It¡¯ll clean up those scratches in no time.¡± One corner of Lian¡¯s mouth twitched in what Pandy was pretty sure was annoyance, but he was perfectly polite when he said, ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m also a Light mage, you see.¡± Pandy thought she could see Clara¡¯s infatuation spark to life right before her eyes. Light mages were as rare as Dark mages, and she¡¯d never met one before. Pandy was certain of that, because when she met Killian in the game, she¡¯d said as much. Of course, by then, Killian had been thoroughly corrupted, and used his demon to pretend he was still a Light mage. It was part of why he avoided Clara whenever possible. ¡°Oh,¡± Clara gushed, ¡°I¡¯ve never met another Light mage before.¡± And there it was. There was a bit more gush and quite a lot less lady-like reserve in the words than when she said them in the game, and this time she didn¡¯t stop there. ¡°Do you attend Kestrel? Geraldine and I have private tutors, but I¡¯ve begged and begged, and Father says I may go to Condor when I turn sixteen. I do hope to see you there. Or perhaps we¡¯ll become friends while you¡¯re visiting, and-¡± She clapped a hand to her mouth, lovely eyes widening. ¡°Oh, but Mother said you¡¯re here while your father¡¯s death is being investigated. How dreadful. Of course you¡¯ll be wanting your privacy.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lian said, ¡°we will.¡± He turned back to Lord Reedsley, leaving Clara with a lovely view of his shoulder. ¡°Our rooms?¡± Becca had returned at some point, and now Captain Reedsley gestured for her to come closer. ¡°Becca, please take Lord Killian and young Master Thaniel to whichever rooms Lady Alice had prepared for them.¡± Becca bobbed a curtsey, and smiled at Lian and Thaniel. She was older than Cassie, the maid who¡¯d supposedly watched Thaniel at home, but not by much. If she was eighteen, Pandy would eat her tail. If she could find it. ¡°This way, then, my lords,¡± the young woman said cheerfully, leading them out past Clara with a glance that absolutely wasn¡¯t one of triumph. Was it possible that the maid didn¡¯t like her young mistress? Surely not. Clara was supposed to be everyone¡¯s favorite person. Though honestly she didn¡¯t even have that many lines in the game, and most of them were innocuous at best. The player was supposed to be able to imagine themselves in her place, after all, so giving her too much personality was unnecessary and even counter-productive. From her position in Thaniel¡¯s arms, Pandy couldn¡¯t see nearly as well as she would have liked. The Reedsleys¡¯ home was done in neutral shades, with mostly dark wood, and there was a distinct feeling of comfortable wear about the place. Pandy did catch a glimpse of the library, which looked exactly as it had in the game, but of course they didn¡¯t linger, and then they were standing in front of a pair of dark wooden doors. ¡°Lady Alice gave Lord Killian the blue room,¡± Becca said, gesturing to the door on the right. ¡°And Master Nathaniel gets the yellow room. There¡¯s a door connecting them, so you don¡¯t have to go out in the hall to pass back and forth. When Lady Alice¡¯s friends visit, she usually gives them the blue room, and their children the yellow.¡± She clamped her mouth shut, as if realizing this was probably more information than she¡¯d really needed to offer, and opened the first door. Pandy could see immediately why it was called the blue room, because everything in it was either entirely or mostly blue. It was also distinctly feminine, with lace and flowers everywhere, and a pretty little blue-stained table with a mirror where a lady could sit to have her hair and makeup done. Lian had no reaction at all to the pretty room, merely striding over to a door half-hidden behind a blue and white wall-hanging. Opening it, he peered through, then gave a satisfied nod. ¡°Will our things be brought up soon?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t have much, so it¡¯s all been put away already,¡± she said, gesturing toward a closed wardrobe and dresser. ¡°We¡¯ve taken most of your clothes to be steamed and pressed, but your night things are in the dresser. Dalton will make sure you have a fresh suit and your shoes are shined before dinner. There¡¯s also a basin of water so you can wash up, if you don¡¯t have any cleaning charms.¡± If Pandy hadn¡¯t played Gacha Love, she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d have known just how irritated this made Lian. But the way his lips pinched together while his brows lifted was exactly what he did right before he insulted someone in such a way that half the time they didn¡¯t even know they¡¯d been insulted. To her surprise, he didn¡¯t tell Becca exactly what he was thinking, and instead nodded his head politely. ¡°My thanks. Though for future reference, I prefer that no one else handles my things.¡± Becca¡¯s brown eyes grew large, and she gave another of those short curtsies. ¡°I¡¯ll inform Dalton, my lord.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Lian said, then stood there, staring at her. Eventually, the maid seemed to realize she¡¯d been dismissed, and bobbed up and down once more before leaving the room. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Lian turned to Thaniel. ¡°Now,¡± he said, ¡°why don¡¯t you give me the rabbit while you go clean up? You have blood on your shirt.¡± Chapter Thirteen - Probably Not a Demon Thaniel looked uncertain for a moment, but Lian managed something that actually looked like a smile, and Thaniel brightened before handing Pandy off and hurrying toward the connecting door. As soon as water began to splash, Lian lifted Pandy so he could stare into her eyes. ¡°What are you?¡± he mumbled, turning her so he could look at her fluffy, blood-soaked rear end. It was quite rude, actually, and Pandy wished she dared kick him, but that was very definitely out of the question. Releasing one hand, he prodded Pandy¡¯s behind, sending a pang of pain through her. This time she did kick, though it was mostly involuntary, and he extended his arm, holding her further away from his pretty face. Oh no, it wouldn¡¯t do to scar up his perfect skin, at least not until the event where that was meant to happen. Lian crossed over to the bowl of water resting on an end table next to the dainty wooden wardrobe. The water was probably meant for washing his face or hands, but he callously plopped her entire rear end into it, causing red to stain the water and making Pandy give an involuntary gasp. It was cold! Leaning down, Lian let her go, and Pandy sat shivering in the shallow pool as he looked at her intently. ¡°Well?¡± he asked. ¡°What are you?¡± Oh. That wasn¡¯t a rhetorical question? How did she explain that she was just a dead girl mostly enjoying a second chance at life, albeit as an undead rabbit? Honestly, even the undead part had its perks, and if Lian would just go away and leave her alone, things would be perfectly lovely. Of course, Thaniel wouldn¡¯t be happy with that solution at all, so Pandy sighed softly. Lifting a dripping back leg, she scratched at one ear, sending a spray of faintly red-tinged droplets onto Lian¡¯s perfectly pressed shirt. He jerked back, jaw muscles flexing as he clenched his teeth, then glanced at the door into Thaniel¡¯s room. Crossing the distance, Lian quietly turned the lock, ensuring that his little brother wouldn¡¯t enter at an unfortunate moment. What that unfortunate moment might be, Pandy was a little afraid to guess, and she began eyeing the space beneath the bed, as well as the gap where the window was open slightly in order to allow fresh air into the room. Rather than doing something drastic, like trying to perform a ¨C what was it called? Autophagy? Autopsy! ¨C Lian rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his inner wrist. There, gleaming with soft silver luminescence, was the symbol of his magic. Instead of a flat image, like it had been in the game, this shifted, so slowly that even though Pandy could tell it was different from blink to blink, she couldn¡¯t actually see it move. It also seemed to be glowing through his skin, not on top of it, as if it was actually inside of him. It was still fairly small, since this was three years before the game really started, but eventually it would cover his entire forearm. The symbols could begin to appear any time after someone summoned an elemental for the first time, though it usually took a year or two to be more than a smudge rising from beneath the skin. While some people proudly showed off their symbols, most members of nobility kept them hidden. This was in part because the symbols sometimes formed on parts of the body that were far more intimate than a forearm, but also because an enemy knowing what kind of elementals you could summon just wasn¡¯t a good thing. When the main characters were in school, they all knew each other¡¯s levels and magic types, but once you graduated, that was private information. Of course, Pandy knew pretty much everyone¡¯s elemental type and summoning abilities, but she wasn¡¯t the type to go around blabbing other people¡¯s secrets, even when she wasn¡¯t a rabbit. Now, Lian thrust his arm at her, and the glow beneath his skin intensified briefly, then settled back into its gentle glow. Judging by his expression, that wasn¡¯t what Lian had expected, and he scowled, which was actually a good look on him. It was more honest than his usual bland agreeability, anyway. He shook his arm, as if the symbol was a malfunctioning television remote, and Pandy wondered with an entirely inappropriate but fortunately silent giggle if its batteries needed to be replaced. ¡°If you were a demon, this should have burned you,¡± he growled. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ve been too hard on Father, and he wasn¡¯t trying to summon a demon after all. Not likely, given the things I found in his lab.¡± He jerked his sleeve back down, fumbling with the button at the wrist. ¡°Are you an elemental? But you can¡¯t be. Father was a Dark mage, and only the strongest elementals can take physical form. A powerful Dark elemental certainly wouldn¡¯t look like,¡± he waved at Pandy with what she felt was an unnecessarily dismissive gesture, ¡°that.¡± This time when water sprayed across him, it wasn¡¯t an accident. Pandy shook herself hard, making sure a good amount of the water that had soaked into her fur found its way to the annoying young proto-villain. And to think, she¡¯d once written a very, very bad fanfic about Clara saving him from himself so they could run off together, get married, and have seven children! Lian spluttered angrily just as the doorknob jiggled, and Thaniel¡¯s reedy little voice called, ¡°Lian? The door¡¯s locked!¡± The rising note of panic in the boy¡¯s voice caused Lian to turn away from Pandy after one last dirty look. By the time he opened the door, Lian¡¯s face had settled back into an expression of imperturbability. That mask was promptly shattered as his little brother threw himself into his arms, sobbing loudly. ¡°Lian, are you all right? I thought something happened to you, too!¡± Thaniel cried, rubbing his teary face against Lian¡¯s crisp white shirt. Lian lifted his hand, gingerly patting the soft blonde curls. He cleared his throat. ¡°The door must have locked accidentally. We¡¯ll have to be careful when closing it.¡± Thaniel sniffled. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it open from now on. Can I sleep with you?¡± He turned his face up, teary eyes wide and hopeful. Even ¡®Killian the Villian¡¯ wasn¡¯t proof against a look like that. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Of course,¡± the older boy said with a sigh. He stepped back, gently disengaging the little arms, and looked down at his wet, snotty shirt. ¡°I suppose I should change now, too.¡± Nodding eagerly, Thaniel grasped his hand and pulled him toward the wardrobe. ¡°They cleaned all our clothes, and even fixed the holes! Well, Cassie tried to fix ¡®em before, but she never got the stitches small enough. But now you can¡¯t even tell where I slid down the big hill and tore my best pants!¡± Pandy remembered that one. They¡¯d been playing tag, and Pandy hadn¡¯t even thought about how steep the hill was as she hopped away. Then Thaniel had let out a terrible little shriek and tumbled right past her, into a thicket, which fortunately stopped him from rolling straight into the river that circled the estate. Cassie had gotten into trouble for leaving Thaniel unattended, and in turn Pandy and Thaniel had been stuck inside for five whole days while Thaniel¡¯s bruises and scratches healed. Lian opened the wardrobe door, staring at a tidy row of hanging shirts. They were all identical: white, with long, cuffed sleeves and a pressed collar. Beneath them sat a single pair of polished black shoes and one pair of riding boots, also made of gleaming black leather. Pulling out the sleeve of one of the shirts, Lian examined it closely, but apparently even he couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with it. His lips tightened, but he pulled the shirt out, followed by a simple gray dress jacket. Flinging these across the bed, Lian began to unbutton his shirt, and Pandy clapped her paws over her eyes. It was one thing to see his wrist, but something else entirely to see him half-naked. Even if he was meant to be devastatingly handsome and sexy when he was seventeen, he was currently fourteen, and a strange adult female watching him undress was just icky. Rustling noises were followed by familiar little hands gripping Pandy¡¯s belly. Thaniel hefted her, wrapping a small towel around her dripping body before turning so they could both see Lian, who was fully clothed again. Pandy had just heaved a sigh of relief when a tapping came at the door. ¡°M¡¯lord Killian? Lady Alice wishes to know if you¡¯d like the doctor to see to Master Thaniel¡¯s rabbit as well?¡± Lian¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he looked over at Pandy, who was now snuggled against Thaniel¡¯s chest in her usual position. He crossed to the door, opening it to reveal another maid, dressed in the same frilly blue and white uniform as Becca. ¡°Is the doctor a mage?¡± he demanded. The girl blinked, but recovered quickly, bobbing a curtsey. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Which meant the doctor was probably a Water or Nature mage, the two elements most suited to healing other than Light. Of course, Light mages were so rare that they were found almost exclusively in the cities, where they could demand higher prices for their services. After all, being a Light mage didn¡¯t automatically mean a person was kind and selfless. Even Clara could be played as Dark Clara, making only choices that benefitted her, though it was much more difficult to set the romance flags on that path. Pandy had only done it once, for the sake of seeing scenes that were only available in a Dark Clara playthrough, but she hadn¡¯t enjoyed it. Lian cut his eyes back to Pandy, smiling slightly. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°we wouldn¡¯t want poor Bunny¡¯s wounds to get infected.¡± The maid curtsied again before hurrying back down the hall, leaving Pandy to wonder what Lian was up to this time. It took only a few minutes to find out. The doctor was a surprisingly young man with deep brown skin and a cheerful smile. He prodded Pandy¡¯s backside a few times while she glared at Lian. Parts of the examination were quite personal, in fact, and the smirk on the villain¡¯s face said he knew she was aware of that fact. Eventually, however, the doctor, whose name was Edwards, handed Pandy back to Thaniel with a reassuring smile. ¡°Quite a healthy female rabbit,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job taking care of her, young man. I can hardly even tell she¡¯s been in a fight, which matches up with what young Miss Geraldine said about Miss Cupcakes only playing with her.¡± Playing? That cat had been out for blood, and she¡¯d gotten it! If not for Pandy learning Minor Heal, she¡¯d still be oozing all over the place. Pandy knew whose side Geraldine was on, not that there¡¯d ever been much doubt. ¡°You don¡¯t see anything else¡­odd about her?¡± Lian asked, leaning forward. Doctor Edwards frowned. ¡°No,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°Her heart rate is quite slow for a rabbit, but she obviously feels safe with young Thaniel here.¡± That was news to Pandy, especially since she hadn¡¯t been aware she had a heart rate. In fact, she was sure she didn¡¯t have one, so maybe something about the magic that animated her made it seem like she did? She¡¯d made sure to breathe while the doctor was examining her, though that was pretty much a habit by now. She¡¯d sometimes forgotten for the first week or so, and poor Thaniel had been terribly worried about her. Lian tried again. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she need some medicine or something? Maybe a healing spell?¡± Was he trying to see how someone else¡¯s magic reacted to her? Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to work, because Edwards smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m afraid my magic is all done with plants. I can offer you a salve to numb the wounds, or leave a poultice in case it begins to look inflamed, but I really think she¡¯ll be fine without them.¡± To Pandy¡¯s delight, Lian actually looked frustrated. He was definitely trying to get the older mage to do something, and Doctor Edwards wasn¡¯t cooperating. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going, then,¡± Edwards said, picking up the bag he¡¯d laid on Lian¡¯s bed. He reached into it and pulled out a little packet, which he handed to Lian. ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll need it, but here¡¯s a drawing poultice. Only use it if the wounds begin to look red or swollen, and you¡¯ll have to make sure she doesn¡¯t lick or chew the area. It won¡¯t hurt her, but it could make her feel quite nauseous, and rabbits can¡¯t vomit, so it would take a day or more to work through her system.¡± Lian¡¯s expression had closed down into his mask of civility, but his fingers clenched around the packet. Thaniel, on the other hand, looked very relieved, and followed the doctor to the open door. ¡°Sir?¡± the boy asked as the doctor started to turn away. Doctor Edwards looked back, his expression startled, and said, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is the kitty all right?¡± Thaniel asked in a rush. ¡°Bunny bit her paw pretty badly, and even though she was mean, I don¡¯t want her to be hurt.¡± The doctor smiled, crouching down so he could meet Thaniel¡¯s eyes directly. ¡°Miss Cupcakes did require a few more medicines than Bunny, and she won¡¯t want to use that paw for a week or so, but she¡¯ll be fine. In a few weeks, she¡¯ll be getting into Lady Alice¡¯s plants and leaving mice for Miss Geraldine again.¡± He leaned forward, lowering his voice conspiratorially. ¡°That kitten is a bit of a handful, you see. I believe I¡¯ve spent as much time with her as any of my human patients.¡± Thaniel giggled. ¡°Oh. All right.¡± He hugged Pandy to his chest. ¡°It¡¯s just, it¡¯d be awful if Bunny really got hurt, and I didn¡¯t want Geraldine to be sad, either. I don¡¯t think she likes me much, anyway, and if Bunny hurt her kitten, she¡¯d definitely hate me. But I think she¡¯s pretty.¡± A choked little gasp came from the end of the hall behind Doctor Edwards, and as the man straightened, Pandy caught a glimpse of green skirts and a white-stockinged ankle as someone ran off. Neither Thaniel nor the doctor seemed to notice, but when Thaniel returned to Lian¡¯s door, Pandy saw the older boy watching the now-empty hall with narrowed eyes. Chapter Fourteen - Friendship 101 The next few days fell into an easy rhythm that seemed to help Thaniel calm down. Rather than following Lian around, fretting about Pandy, and sitting quietly with a book and worried eyes, he actually began to show signs of his usual adventurous, even mischievous self. Every morning a maid woke the boys at eight for breakfast. Or rather, they woke Thaniel, because Lian¡¯s eyes popped open as soon as the first rays of the sun passed between the curtains, and within ten minutes he was sitting at a little blue-stained desk and studying. One of the many in-game books Pandy read in her past life had indicated that being linked to the rising and setting of the sun was one of the traits of a Light mage, but it was interesting to see it in action. It surprised Pandy the first time, and the young villain nearly caught Pandy perched on the desk, reading the book he¡¯d left out the night before. She managed to dive off and escape under the bed before he turned around, and after that Lian slid out of bed without disturbing Thaniel, got dressed, and spent the next hour or so reading while Pandy pretended she was sleeping. After breakfast, which consisted of a buffet-style selection of covered dishes, most of which would have made anyone health-conscious gasp in horror, Lian went back to his room to continue reading. Thaniel followed him for the first three days, but rebelled on the fourth. ¡°Lady Alice said we could ride one of the horses,¡± Thaniel wheedled, gripping Lian¡¯s hand as he stared up at the taller boy. ¡°I¡¯ve never ridden a horse before. Can¡¯t we?¡± Lian looked from his brother to the stairs leading up to the second floor where the bedrooms were. Pandy could almost see his desperation. Usually, he simply would have said, ¡°No,¡± and left, but this was Thaniel, the only person in the world he cared about, at least according to game lore. ¡°I suppose I can take him,¡± a grumpy little voice said. They all turned to look in surprise at Geraldine, whose thick brows were drawn down over her freckled nose. In spite of the fact that breakfast was served at eight, none of the family were ever there at that time, which relieved Lian and disappointed Thaniel in equal measures. Thaniel ducked behind Lian, much as Miss Cupcakes was half-hidden behind Geraldine¡¯s legs. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Lian says I need to study for school.¡± Lian sighed, so softly Pandy might not have heard it if she wasn¡¯t clutched against Thaniel¡¯s chest, and thus in between Thaniel and Lian. ¡°You¡¯re quite intelligent, Thaniel,¡± he said stiffly. ¡°You can study¡­later. They¡¯ll have classes in equestrianism at Falconet, and it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to have some experience. Many members of the nobility have been riding since they were your age or younger.¡± The little boy¡¯s face brightened, then clouded over again. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Lian glanced at the stairs again. ¡°I do need to study. My martial and equestrian skills are sufficient.¡± That was an understatement. In the way of all the best otome games, each of the love interests had their own realms of expertise. As the villain, Lian was as good or better than they were at everything, making him the perfect rival no matter who you decided to romance. Thaniel¡¯s face fell. ¡°I want to go with you, then.¡± His fingers tightened on the bottom of Lian¡¯s gray coat. Geraldine gave a little sniff, and both boys looked at her again, reminded of her presence. Her lips were pinched tightly together, and her nose was in the air, but the fists balled up in the fabric of her knee-length skirts said she was more nervous than she pretended. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me,¡± she declared. ¡°Do what you want.¡± Rather than moving toward the breakfast room, however, she turned as if to go back to wherever she¡¯d come from. At her heels, Miss Cupcakes gave Pandy a withering glare before limping after her young mistress. Showing more sensitivity ¨C or perhaps more of a desire to be rid of his little brother ¨C than Pandy had thought him capable of, Lian stepped aside and gave Thaniel a little push. ¡°Go with her,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be studying the relative merits of the compulsion versus ingratiation techniques for training elementals, and I need to focus.¡± Thaniel gave his brother a pleading look, but Lian was already heading for the stairs without looking back. Geraldine, on the other hand, had stopped, and was shifting from foot to foot as she waited to see what Thaniel would do, almost stepping on her kitten¡¯s tail in the process. Finally, Thaniel gave Geraldine a shy smile. Pandy hadn¡¯t really thought of him as a bashful child, but she had really only seen him around people he¡¯d known his entire life, and this was the first time he¡¯d left his brother¡¯s side since they arrived. ¡°Will you really show me how to ride?¡± he asked, a blond curl falling over one blue eye. Geraldine blinked. Her lashes were surprisingly long, thick, and curly, surrounding her rich chocolate-brown eyes. Now that Pandy had a moment to actually look at her, she was rather pretty, in spite of her heavy brows and a penchant for large bows and an excessive amount of ruffles. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t teach you how to ride. One of the stablehands will do that. But I can show you to the stable.¡± Reaching down, she scooped up the kitten, who gave a long-suffering mew as she was draped over the girl¡¯s shoulder, between her neck and a large puff sleeve. She started to walk off before Thaniel said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± If this had still been a game, the question would have triggered a loud growl from the girl¡¯s stomach, but she just made a face. ¡°I suppose, but everything Chef makes when Daddy¡¯s home is greasy.¡± Her expression brightened, and she glanced around. ¡°Come on!¡± Thaniel followed the girl through halls Pandy had never seen before. She¡¯d spent the last three nights wishing she dared explore, but between Lian sleeping just a few feet away and the fear that she might run into Miss Cupcakes prowling the house, she hadn¡¯t dared. It was thrilling to catch even brief glimpses of locations from the game. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The library looked almost exactly as she remembered it, though the curtains were yellow instead of blue. Would they be changed at some point over the next three years, or was this another difference between game and reality? How large would those differences grow between now and when the game was supposed to begin? The kitchen was the scene of another event between Clara and one of the male leads, and it, too, was subtly different from Pandy¡¯s memory. There were more pots and pans hanging overhead, and a large piece of spitted meat rotated slowly over the fire. She assumed an elemental was turning it, but it was so low-level that it had no physical manifestation. Chef was a Fire elementalist, something she knew from reading the diary he kept stashed behind the flour sacks in the pantry. As Geraldine, Thaniel, and their pets appeared in the doorway, a large man looked up, immediately noticing their presence. He looked very different than he did in Clara¡¯s event as a broad smile crossed his face and he doffed his tall, puffy white hat, bowing deeply. ¡°Ah! Ze lovely lady Geraldine,¡± he said, pronouncing Geraldine¡¯s name in a spectacularly fake French accent. The chef¡¯s voice actor only had one line in the game, and Pandy had always privately felt that the man had probably never been closer to France than eating French fries with his Big Burgernator. Of course, she¡¯d never posted that on the forums, even when someone else mentioned it, because how would she feel if she put her all into something only to have it mocked? Well, actually, she knew exactly how that felt, which was why she never said anything. Straightening, the cobblestone wall of a man, solid and round and gray, said, ¡°Are you lookeeng for an appel thees morning?¡± He laid a finger beside his bulbous nose, winking broadly, then seemed to notice Thaniel, even though the boy had been standing in plain sight the whole time. Looking comically shocked, he said, ¡°And ¡®oo is thees? Oo la la, what a ¡®andsome boy! Ees he per¡¯aps your suitor, Lady Geraldine?¡± Geraldine turned a brilliant shade of red and began to splutter. ¡°No! I barely know him! He¡¯s just some boy who-¡± Thaniel took a step back, tears already forming in his eyes. Seeming to realize she¡¯d just stepped in it, Geraldine jerked her chin up, grabbed Thaniel¡¯s free hand and said, ¡°So what if he is? And we do need apples. We¡¯re going to the stable this morning.¡± Thaniel¡¯s fingers spasmed, then closed around those of the little girl. He sniffled slightly, but managed a smile, and Pandy¡¯s heart threatened to burst from her chest. He really was adorable, and he definitely wasn¡¯t as all right as he was trying to pretend. Honestly, he could probably use a therapist, but as far as she knew this world didn¡¯t have them, so instead she pressed her soft nose against his jaw, her whiskers tickling him until he giggled damply. Geraldine glanced back at the sound, only then seeming to realize that she was still holding his hand. She released it, but not as quickly as she could have, and the red in her cheeks shifted from embarassed anger to simple embarrassment. Chef noticed, of course, gray eyes twinkling beneath heavy gray brows. He wasn¡¯t particularly tall, and he was rather soft around the middle, but when he was chasing you with a flaming cleaver in the middle of the night he was absolutely terrifying. Now, however, he only seemed like an affectionate grandfather figure as he gestured to a passing kitchen boy. ¡°Breeng Lady Geraldine a basket of apples, Charles. Allez!¡± The boy hurried off, quickly returning with a small basket of apples, many of which bore bruises or wormholes. The chef took it from him, then reached over and grabbed two perfect, shiny red apples from a counter nearby, startling a young woman who had been about to begin cutting them up for use in some recipe. She started to protest, then saw who had stolen her ingredients and just sighed and went off somewhere, presumably to get more apples. ¡°¡®Ere you are,¡± Chef said, extending the basket, now topped by the two beautiful apples. Geraldine took it, and once again the large man winked. ¡°Enjoy your outing, eh, mademoiselle? You must allow me to prepare your wedding cake someday.¡± The girl¡¯s cheeks flamed anew, and Miss Cupcakes hissed warningly at Chef. The man just let out a booming laugh and turned away, shouting at another boy to make sure he cut the potatoes into perfectly matching cubes. ¡°Come on,¡± Geraldine said, straining to hold the heavy basket. Thaniel reached out as if to take it from her, even though he was smaller than she was, and she snatched it away with a scowl. But when they reached the heavy wooden door on the other side of the room, she couldn¡¯t open it and hang onto her wicker weight, so Thaniel took one handle of the basket while she held onto the other. Together, they pushed open the door, stepping out into the bright sunlight. The two children munched on the glossy red apples as they crossed the training yard Pandy recognized from another of Clara¡¯s events. It was a beautiful morning, with a cool breeze carrying away the first of the sun¡¯s heat, and stilted conversation quickly became cheerful chatter between two children who usually had no one their own age to talk to. At first Pandy was surprised by the size of the stable, but once she thought about it, it made sense. For all that the Reedsleys seemed extremely wealthy to her, they were actually considered ¡®poor¡¯ by most of the nobles in the game. In fact, Clara was bullied when she first arrived at school because her clothes were simple and out of style. Lord Captain Reedsley was a cavalry officer, however, and lived on a sprawling country estate. Of course he had lots of horses, but once Pandy looked more closely, she realized that many of them were old or injured. There was a mare with only one eye, and a gelding whose tail was little more than a stump. Did Captain Reedsley take in all the horses who were hurt or retired from the cavalry? ¡°Princess Petunia is my favorite,¡± Geraldine gushed, crossing to an old mare calmly cropping grass near the pasture fence. The mare looked up as the girl approached, and her brown eyes sparkled as she caught sight of the basket of apples. Soon both Thaniel and Geraldine had placed their pets on the ground as they fed wrinkled apples to the horses who quickly gathered around. Stablehands watched indulgently as their charges lipped at the children¡¯s hair and hands, leaving drool that neither Thaniel nor Geraldine seemed to notice. With the two children thus occupied, Pandy and Miss Cupcakes found themselves once again face to face. The kitten stood between her mistress¡¯ stockinged ankles and glared at Pandy with all the venom in her tiny kitten heart, while Pandy attempted to look as innocuous as possible. In her previous life, it was all but impossible to convince anyone to take her seriously, even though she was a perfectly average human being. In this life, everyone seemed convinced that she was an unholy horror, even though she¡¯d never done anything except be the best possible rabbit she could. Life really wasn¡¯t fair. As the number of remaining apples diminished, the children began drawing out the activity, pulling back the fruit between bites and focusing on their favorite horses. Most of the others drifted away, including one pushy brown gelding who barely dodged a swipe from Miss Cupcakes¡¯ claws when he shoved his head through the fence and went directly for the basket. Pandy took advantage of the children and kitten¡¯s distraction, and hopped back toward the training yard. She had a few things she wanted to check out, and this was the best chance she¡¯d had since they arrived. Chapter Fifteen – Choices, Choices While the best items in Gacha Love were found in dungeons ¨C which were unlocked as you progressed through the game ¨C there were usually books or smaller items to be found in event locations. There were three such locations in Clara¡¯s house, and while this was three years too early for the events, it was possible that at least some of those items would already be there. The closest one was Chef¡¯s diary, but however nice the man seemed to be, she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d respond well to seeing an oversized dust-bunny paging through his private thoughts. That left the library and the training ground. The library was inside, but the training ground was conveniently nearby, so Pandy headed there. Her hops covered the ground with surprising speed, and she soon rounded the side of the house, seeing a path that split in two directions. One branch led to a small flower garden that wasn¡¯t used in the game. She could see a glass door in a glass wall at the far end of it, so that must be Lady Alice¡¯s conservatory and tearoom, which made sense according to Pandy¡¯s mental map. Jumping up onto a low bench, Pandy stood on her back legs, ears standing straight up as she peered off down the other branch. Yes, from her heightened vantage point, she could tell she was heading in the right direction. The event took place in the winter, with snow on the ground, but there was no mistaking the practice dummies and the small building where wooden swords and other training items were stored. Pleased, Pandy hopped back down to the ground, then headed for the building. There was actually a book and an item here, but she would start with the book. The item would be a little tricky to get when she was only fourteen or fifteen inches long and six pounds soaking wet. Of course, the book was inside the building, and she didn¡¯t have opposable thumbs, so she might end up leaving empty-handed. Or empty-pawed, as it were. She was cautious as she approached, but she didn¡¯t see or hear anyone nearby. All of her bunny instincts screamed against crossing the wide open area containing the practice dummies but she really had no other choice. Fortunately, no sharp-eyed hawk or falcon spotted her, because she had no idea what would happen if one scooped her up. Would it eat her, or would it take a bite and find that whatever she was made of had gone bad quite some time ago? Did hawks and falcons eat carrion, and did Pandy qualify? The question of her own suitability as a prey animal was driven from her mind when she spotted a single window, which was open just enough to allow a fresh breeze into the building. That made sense, because no matter how you tried to clean sweat-soaked leather, there was only so much you could do. It probably stank terribly in there. Well, she was about to find out. Concentrating on her back legs, Pandy stared up at the window and thought At first she thought it wouldn¡¯t work, but then her muscles bunched without her consciously telling them to, and she was launched through the air. Her face smacked into the window with an awkward thump, incurring three points of damage, but as she slid back down, her tail slipped through the gap, quickly followed by the rest of her body. Hop successful. 12.5% experience gained towards next level. The inside of the building was as musty and funky as Pandy had feared, and she wrinkled her nose as she hopped toward an open chest stuffed with damaged armor, such as studded leather tunics missing studs and a rusty chainmail cowl. Theoretically, apprentice knights were supposed to clean and repair these items, but of course it never actually happened in the game. They were just there to make the scene look more realistic, at least for the most part. In the game, Clara just pushed the chest aside, but looking at it now, Pandy was willing to bet that it weighed a hundred pounds or more. There was no way Clara could really have moved it, at least not without a Strength score that belied her size, and Pandy certainly wasn¡¯t going to be able to either. Of course, Pandy was quite a bit smaller than Clara, so she simply slipped into the dark and cobwebby gap where the trunk was pulled out so its lid could lean back against the wall. And there it was. One musty, dusty old book, which smelled of mold and whose cover crumbled slightly as Pandy shoved it back out into the open. That cover was gray and unreadable, but Pandy knew what it was: Barton¡¯s Handbook for Clumsy Warriors; Weapons, Woes, and Wonderfully Bad Decisions. Using her soft pink nose, Pandy flipped open the cover, sneezing as a cloud of black mold rose into the air. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t actually need to breathe, so she let it settle around her, covering her gleaming white fur in filth once again. It seemed she was destined to be dirty during her time as a rabbit. Her eyes quickly skimmed over the faded lettering, only half-conscious of smudges and holes in the pages. She was certain those hadn¡¯t been there in the game, but of course this was reality, or at least she had chosen to treat it that way. She had a feeling that believing she was in a fictional world would quickly lead to bad decisions, if not outright madness, and besides, Pandy was actually happy being a rabbit, digital or not. The author, who was presumably the eponymous Barton, discussed all sorts of simple weapons. There were chapters on knives, swords, spears, and bow and arrows, but also boomerangs, slingshots, and various fighting gauntlets. Pandy always read this book when she unlocked the training ground event, because not only did it count toward Bibliophile¡¯s Bounty, but it also gave the player the option to- CONGRATULATIONS! You may now select a weapon proficiency from the following:
  • Sw0?eth
  • Kn?aw?
  • ??¦Á???
Pandy stared in dismay at the words hovering in front of her. What was that? What was any of it? The book was supposed to grant her a weapon proficiency, yes, but it was supposed to offer the three that were most compatible with the way Clara had played to date. It took into account her skill and stat levels, which love interest ¨C or interests ¨C she had the greatest connection with, and what weapon she used when she fought in dungeons. All it did was grant a bonus ten percent to skill gains in that weapon, but it added up, making the end-game noticeably easier. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She shook her head. None of these made sense. Which made its own kind of sense, in a way. After all, a rabbit couldn¡¯t wield a sword or throw a boomerang, so she¡¯d known it was possible this wouldn¡¯t work. Best case scenario, she might have gotten a boost to her Bite attack or something similar, but this clearly wasn¡¯t the best case. she thought at the display, but it stubbornly hung there. she tried, then, Again and again she tried to dismiss it, even kicking and biting at it, but it ignored her, obscuring half her vision, demanding that she choose something. She was more than a little desperate when she realized she was overlooking the most obvious option. She should simply select one and move on. But the options were clearly broken, so who knew what they would do to her? Would she sprout the hand necessary to wield a knife, or implode into a tiny piece of bunny fluff? But there was one more possibility. If she used the gacha button, she could get a fourth option. If her luck held, that option would be the best one for her. Of course, if it didn¡¯t hold, and the new option was also gibberish, how would she know? Glumly, she stared at the letters, which almost seemed to pulse in the air. As far as she could tell, she could select one at random, ignore it and let it hang in front of her for the rest of her un-life, or try to spin a gacha. Only the last one was really tempting, but she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d been imagining the smoke coming from the button the last time she used it. Had that only been because she was standing in a burning room at the time, or was it because there was something wrong with the button itself? Deciding that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to just look at the button, Pandy thought, as hard as she could, while picturing the heart-shaped button in her mind. Usually, it hung in the upper right-hand corner of the screen as you played, constantly reminding you that it was there if you were willing to pay for it, but she made a habit of only playing until she used it, then quitting the game and not starting it again until the four-hour wait was up and she could get another free spin. When the button appeared, it was blackened on one side, only the letters ¡®IN!¡¯ still legible on the other. The smoke she¡¯d seen last time had changed from a slow trickle to something that indicated actual fire was on the way. Even its usually glossy surface was dull and cracked. Well, that wasn¡¯t good. Pandy edged toward the button cautiously, whiskers quivering nervously. Was this a sign that the button really was about to break? If so, would it take the whole¡­whatever this was with it? Or would she just be stuck with the default choices from here on? After all, there was no indication that one of the original choices wouldn¡¯t have worked, it was just that she couldn¡¯t read them, so she didn¡¯t know which one to pick. Pandy stood still, caught in such a quandary that she found herself completely unable to do anything. She didn¡¯t want this world to break. She liked being Thaniel¡¯s rabbit, for however long that lasted. Why had she thought it was a good idea to hop over here in the first place, rather than watching the boy learn to ride a horse? But she knew. Her position was temporary at best. If she really was undead, then she would continue to¡­exist, for lack of a better word, for the foreseeable future. Yes, Thaniel loved her right now, but eventually he would grow too old to carry a bunny with him everywhere, even one that didn¡¯t make messes and occasionally read books while he slept. Even if he didn¡¯t, she was certain he wouldn¡¯t be allowed to take her to school, which meant that her time with him was measured in months, if not weeks. And what would she do then? She didn¡¯t want to hop off into the forest and become a wild animal. That sounded dirty and dangerous, and even if she was effectively unkillable, she still didn¡¯t want to be torn apart by foxes or made into a hat by some eager huntsman. She also didn¡¯t want to be sent back to Thaniel and Lian¡¯s home, where she would probably be stuffed into a cage and forgotten. Even if Cassie did check on her now and then, she was sure the maid wouldn¡¯t slip her cheese or the occasional piece of bread coated in clotted cream, which was something Pandy had only discovered after coming to this world, and wasn¡¯t willing to give up. But for one brief moment, during that fateful fire, Pandy had had hands. They weren¡¯t her hands, since her nails never got that long before they broke, and her fingernail polish always chipped or smeared moments after it was applied. Still, as a human being, she could explore this world, and maybe even check up on Thaniel now and then, just to make sure he was all right. So this book was a test. If she could use this time of relative safety and ease to gather a few items and skills, she would be in a better position to take care of herself until she could find the one item that actually mattered: the Charm of Shifting Faces. The Charm was an end-game item, only used to trigger a series of amusing or touching scenes, where Clara pretended to be different people in order to watch a sort of epilogue. She acted as one of the villainess¡¯ companions in order to see her lose her position in the school and society. She could pretend to be someone in each of the spurned love-interests¡¯ lives in order to see how much they regretted not pursuing Clara fervently enough. There were several more, and in each one the character she pretended to be could change the situation; saving the villainess, soothing the boys, or making things worse for everyone. But Pandy had another use for it, if only she could get it. If she was right, she could become someone else, at least temporarily. The description of the item made it clear that it could only be used for a maximum of eight hours a day, but that would be enough. If Pandy could be a person ¨C almost any person, really ¨C for eight hours, then spend the rest of the day as a rabbit, she would be perfectly happy. At least she could get a part-time job and keep herself in carrots and turnips, and when she managed to embarrass herself and get fired, she could just look like someone else and start over. If she found a job she liked, she could even get hired for it over and over. Surely even she would eventually become competent if she did that! But here was a very large, smoking wrench in her plans. If she couldn¡¯t read the options the Charm gave her, how could she be sure she was going to spend the day as the right person? If she was hired for her dream job as ¡®Eva¡¯, and came back the next day as ¡®Max¡¯, she really would never be able to have any kind of life. It might almost be worth it to go back and lurk around Thaniel¡¯s home in hopes that someday he would come back for her. Not that rabbits were generally very good at lurking, but hopping just didn¡¯t have the same ring to it. Pandy shifted from foot to foot, disturbing the rectangle of black dust on the ground in front of her. The gacha button had never let her down before. In spite of her worry, the familiar shape of it was so very tempting, even if it was on fire just a little bit. If her worst fears came to be, and this whole peculiar existence ended, at least it would be over before she got any more invested in it. She didn¡¯t even need to worry about Thaniel any more, since she was sure Lian would take care of him from here on. Lifting a dirty paw, she reached toward the glowing heart. ¡°Stop!¡± cried a voice, and a thin-fingered hand reached out to grab her paw. Chapter Sixteen – The Universe is Surprisingly Flexible Pandy whipped around, desperately trying to look like anything except for a possessed undead rabbit who had been about to smack a suspiciously smoking magical button. Which wasn¡¯t difficult, really, because that was a pretty specific thing to look like. Honestly, she¡¯d never expected to see the person ¨C being? ¨C standing behind her again, so it took her a few seconds to process his appearance. The god wasn¡¯t buff, handsome, with rippling pecs and a spotless toga anymore. No, this bedraggled creature looked almost as pathetic as¡­well, her. She let out a tiny bunny scream, and the god placed a finger over her mouth, his skin pasting itself over her flat teeth until she backed up, trying to spit out the taste. ¡°Shh,¡± he muttered, eyes darting around the small building. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to be here.¡± That was the first thing about this encounter that Pandy didn¡¯t find surprising. She¡¯d assumed that once she¡¯d died and been reborn ¨C or whatever had happened, since there hadn¡¯t actually been anything like a birth, for which she was profoundly grateful ¨C that was it. The god did his job and moved on to the next pathetic soul. Right? But here he was, so skinny that his sagging clothing threatened to betray his modesty, looking even more desperate than she was. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, then closed it again. She was, after all, still a rabbit, and rabbits couldn¡¯t talk. Unless he was the System, and she¡¯d been talking to him all along? she thought at him loudly, only to see him flinch. ¡°Definitely don¡¯t do that,¡± he told her. ¡°Just talk. While I¡¯m here, you can.¡± Pandy cleared her throat, then said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Am I actually in Gacha Love? Why am I a rabbit? I can¡¯t just stay a rabbit, you know, even if it was kind of like a very stressful vacation for a little while. For that matter, why can¡¯t I even use the skills I do have? I¡¯m not only a rabbit, I¡¯m the worst rabbit ever! And everyone hates me, even though I¡¯m just a rabbit. Do you know-¡± Looking pained, the god raised a hand, trying to halt her speech. Now that she had her voice back, Pandy wasn¡¯t about to stop, however, and she continued, pouring out all of the questions that had plagued her. Yes, she¡¯d made the best of her situation, but who just made someone a rabbit and then abandoned them? This guy, apparently. Finally, the god stuck his finger over Pandy¡¯s mouth again, and this time she barely managed to resist biting him. She hadn¡¯t even realized just how much resentment had built up inside her until now, and she- ¡°It was an accident!¡± he hissed, and Pandy finally stopped, eyes going wide. He drew his finger back, absently rubbing bunny-spit from it with a disgusted look that made Pandy regret she hadn¡¯t bit him when she could claim that was an accident. ¡°Look, I¡¯d had a bad day when I met you. My girlfriend just told me she needed some ¡®space¡¯ to ¡®think about what she really wanted¡¯, and I¡¯m pretty sure the egg and chickpea protein shake I had for lunch had gone off. I really just needed to visit the little gods¡¯ room, you know? But you were so pitiful that I just felt like, maybe if I couldn¡¯t help myself, I could help somebody else. And Aglaea likes it when I¡¯m nice to people, so I thought if I told her about helping you, maybe she¡¯d get over whatever was bothering her.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not that that worked. I mean, look at me. I can barely pick up a bag of powdered egg white, much less toss her over the moon or lasso a dragon. She even sent me a message saying she was ready to talk, but how could I even face her like this?¡± He swept his hand down his body, and, yes, he looked a little like the kind of guy who¡¯d get sand kicked in his face when he went to the beach, but that was better than being the guy doing the kicking, right? ¡°What do you mean it was an accident?¡± Pandy demanded, then stopped. Now that she was actually listening to herself, she was shocked. How could her old voice come from her current throat? The sound was achingly familiar, and she suddenly felt her eyes well with tears. Her old body hadn¡¯t been anything special, but it was hers, and to her surprise, she missed it. Missed her tiny studio apartment and her computer and her games and her life. As pathetic as it was. The god pointed to the SPIN! button, which she¡¯d completely forgotten about in the heat of the moment. It no longer looked like it was about to burst into flame, but it was still smoking gently. ¡°Every now and then, one of us will give one of you a little¡­boost. You know? Make things a little better for you in your next life. Some gods offer an item, while others give the person a special skill. I figured I could make sure you became one of the central figures of the, the game you loved.¡± ¡°Is it a game?¡± she interrupted, suddenly desperate to know. He grimaced, then sighed. ¡°Yes and no. In an infinite universe, all things are possible. I just found a place where your game was reality. That was the easy part. The hard part was making sure it played out the way you expected. But I figured, hey, it¡¯s a year, right? And really I only needed to make sure that the events involving this one girl and the people around her went a certain way. At the end of that year, you¡¯d have had a fun time playing your game for real, and things could just go on from there without my interference.¡± Pandy stared at him. ¡°So, I was supposed to be Clara, three years from now, when she enters school? Just like in the game?¡± ¡°Ehhhhh, not exactly,¡± he mumbled, glancing away. ¡°You have really bad luck. Like, really, cosmically terrible luck. Translated into the kind of stats you used in the game, your luck stat would be in the negatives.¡± He waved his hand just over the floor. ¡°Like way, way negative. So I figured, hey, I¡¯ll bump it up just a bit, so she can be a character at the school. Maybe not be involved directly, but you could watch, right? ¡°But we¡¯re not allowed to just pick your situation for you. After all, if one of us decided we didn¡¯t like one of you, we could make things pretty terrible. Not that I¡¯d ever do that,¡± he hastened to assure her. ¡°No matter how much of a schmuck the client is, if they¡¯ve earned special consideration, we give it to them. That¡¯s the job, right? A little tweak here and there, that¡¯s one thing, but in the end, it¡¯s all up to fate.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He pointed at the button. ¡°Except that as soon as you touched that button, everything changed. Rather than just taking your luck to something not-negative, my boost sent it off the charts. Like, so high that you got an option that shouldn¡¯t have even existed. Not only were you sent to the wrong body, but you were sent to the wrong time, which means that rather than one year of minor changes to deal with, now I¡¯m powering four years of snowballing changes, and what was the first thing you do?¡± He glared. ¡°You go and change the foundation of the entire stinking story! Everything is different now, but my magic keeps trying to force it back on track, whether I like it or not, because I kind of forgot to set limits on it.¡± Pandy blinked. ¡°You forgot to set limits on it, and that¡¯s my fault?¡± The god opened his mouth as if to say yes, then stopped and rubbed his hands over his face. A few bleached hairs and some flakes of dry skin fell away, before vanishing back into whatever he was actually made of. ¡°Okay, no,¡± he admitted. ¡°That¡¯s God 101 level stuff. Always, always set precise rules and limitations around anything you do. Especially anything involving a client, because clients can screw up anything. But I really just wanted to have some, ah, time to myself before gathering some wild asphodel for Aglaea. You know? But I figured that at best, you might be, like, the heroine¡¯s maid or something. That¡¯d be great, wouldn¡¯t it? You could brush her hair and talk about girl things. Like that.¡± Pandy was starting to understand why this guy¡¯s girlfriend might need to ¡®think about things¡¯. Still, it would have been nice to be a maid in this house, then go on to Condor with Clara. Obviously, that wouldn¡¯t necessarily have ended well if Lian actually became a villain and started killing people who were close to Clara. But surely that wasn¡¯t going to happen now, which meant Pandy could just watch Clara and the boys dance around each other, all while giggling to herself like a rabid stan. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then,¡± she said, leaning forward. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Thaniel won¡¯t even notice I¡¯m missing after a few days.¡± But the god shook his head, carefully side-swept hair falling aside to reveal a rapidly receding hairline. It kind of looked good on him, if he just got a haircut and went with it. He had good bone structure under all those muscles. ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± he said glumly. ¡°The one thing I did think to do was to limit it to the end of the original timeline. That means four years before we can do anything else. But in the meantime, every time you use this,¡± again with the jabby finger toward the button, ¡°it provides you with an option that absolutely never should have been possible. The amount of power that takes is killing me!¡± Pandy started to answer, then stilled as something occurred to her. She¡¯d only used the button once since arriving in this world: to save Thaniel¡¯s life. ¡°You said you made it so the events involving Clara and the people around her would go the way they¡¯re supposed to. What does that mean, exactly?¡± The god shrugged. ¡°The way they do in the game, you know? I mean, I didn¡¯t play the game, obviously,¡± he wrinkled his nose, as if otome games were something icky he¡¯d found on the bottom of his sandalled foot, ¡°but it¡¯s just girl meets boy, falls in love, and saves the world. Basic stuff, right? I see that kind of thing all the time. You¡¯d be amazed how many of our heroes die in that kind of climactic battle, and just want a nice, peaceful life as their reward.¡± ¡°But in the game,¡± Pandy clarified, ¡°Thaniel is dead, Lian is a villain, and a demon-horde decimates the country before being defeated. That¡¯s what your magic is supposed to be forcing to happen?¡± He rubbed the back of his neck before shrugging. ¡°I mean, I guess so? I haven¡¯t really paid that much attention except when you call the button. I¡¯ve been busy. I still have to work, and I can¡¯t exactly afford to miss leg day right now.¡± He stuck out a skinny leg and flexed the calf muscle, which looked like a tiny mouse jumping beneath his skin. She tried again. ¡°So your magic ¨C the magic of a god ¨C is going to just keep trying to kill Thaniel?¡± ¡°I suppose so,¡± he agreed. ¡°For three years, ten months, and eight days, anyway.¡± She lifted a paw and pointed toward the button. ¡°And what happens if I push that button?¡± He winced. ¡°It uses up the remainder of my power. I go poof, and you go¡­somewhere else.¡± Well, that didn¡¯t sound good. At the moment she didn¡¯t really care if this terrible excuse for a god went poof, but not knowing what would happen to her was slightly concerning. ¡°Somewhere else?¡± The god nodded. ¡°When a god dies, it¡¯s kind of a big deal. We¡¯ve existed since the beginning of the universe, you know, and we¡¯re supposed to survive until the end. I¡¯m not,¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°not a particularly powerful or important god, in the big picture, but if I go, everything I¡¯ve ever done goes, too. It would be like I never even existed. The universe just kind of fills in that hole and goes on.¡± ¡°So I would have gotten a different god when I died?¡± she asked, suddenly even more conflicted. ¡°Not¡­necessarily,¡± he admitted. ¡°Each of us has our own criteria for who we help. My standards are, um, pretty low, you know. I get bored easily, so I like to keep busy. There¡¯s no telling if you¡¯d even be selected by anyone else. So you¡¯d probably just go on to wherever your soul was headed. Unless, of course, you didn¡¯t have a god, in which case you just kind of melt into the universal constant.¡± Well, that was a bucket of fudge. Pandy had attended churches, cathedrals, synagogues, and even spent a very memorable night awkwardly dancing beneath a full moon, all in an effort to be part of whatever foster family she was staying with at the time. None of it ever stuck, just like she didn¡¯t stick to those families. How was she supposed to know she wasn¡¯t allowed to drink the holy water or touch the scrolls in the big box at the front of the synagogue? In any case, she had no god, which meant it was the universal constant for her, whatever that was. ¡°What do I do then?¡± she demanded. ¡°Stop calling that button,¡± he told her instantly. ¡°Definitely stop pushing it. Just let things happen, and enjoy getting to spend a few extra years in your favorite game. I mean, you got to meet the villain and the heroine already, right? That¡¯s great stuff, right there. Do you know what I¡¯d give to meet Batbat? But no, I have to wait and hope that I get him when he dies.¡± Batbat? Had the god misspoken? But no, if it was true that everything existed somewhere, then there probably really was a bat that dressed up as a bat and went on vigilante missions to save Gothbat City. Pandy shook her head. No getting sidetracked. She was trying to figure out something very important right now. ¡°What if Thaniel doesn¡¯t die? Keeps not dying, I mean?¡± The god blinked. ¡°But he¡¯s supposed to. You broke your own game when you saved him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she told him fiercely. ¡°What happens?¡± ¡°I guess¡­nothing?¡± he said, though he sounded far from sure. ¡°If he stays alive until the game ends, then he just gets to live. The history of this world will have changed, but that¡¯s okay. The universe is surprisingly flexible about things like that.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m going to protect Thaniel for three years, ten months, and eight days. And if you help me, then I¡¯ll promise not to push that button.¡± Sudden hope brought color to the god¡¯s cheeks, but then faded away just as quickly. He looked around as a child¡¯s scream split the peaceful morning air. ¡°You¡¯d better get moving, then,¡± he told her, ¡°because my magic just did something.¡± He waved a hand, and Pandy felt herself lifted off her paws, spun around twice, and then darkness engulfed her vision. Chapter Seventeen – Air Elementals Are Flighty For a moment, Pandy felt like she was floating, and then she was surrounded by light and a high-pitched shrieking. Whoever was making that noise really needed to stop, but Pandy couldn¡¯t do anything about it right now ¨C not that she actually would, because that would probably just upset the shrieker even more ¨C because she was desperately trying to cling to whatever she was standing on. Opening her mouth, Pandy bit down on the brown object in front of her, which tasted like old leather and sweat. She really wished she didn¡¯t know what that tasted like, but there was that one time Kharyssa Miller stuffed a baseball glove in her mouth and shoved her into a locker, so she did, and this was it. She barely managed not to spit it right back out again, and forced her eyes open, only to see a broad blue thing bumping up and down right in front of her nose. The screaming hadn¡¯t altered one iota, but as she became used to it, she realized the thudding sound she was hearing was not in fact her heart, which wasn¡¯t beating, because she was already dead. No, the thudding was the hooves of an enraged horse, and the blue thing in front of her was the seat of Thaniel¡¯s shorts, bobbing up and down as said horse attempted to throw him off. Setting aside the question of why Thaniel was on a horse at all when he didn¡¯t know how to ride, from the brief glimpses she could get past his bottom and the saddle she¡¯d chomped, he was barely hanging on. His fists were tangled in the horse¡¯s mane, while the reins flopped around in front of him. The screecher finally paused for breath, and Pandy was barely able to make out a deep, male voice over the sound of hooves pounding packed earth. ¡°-the reins, lad! Sit back and hang on!¡± Pandy had ridden a pony once at a fair when she was about eight years old. Its handler had dressed it up in a unicorn costume, and it had been walking in docile circles for hours before her foster parents could convince Pandy to give it a try. They didn¡¯t yet understand about her luck, but she did, and nothing good would come of her sitting on a beast four times her size. She¡¯d been right, and she still felt bad about what happened to that mime. In any case, they¡¯d yelled things just like this at her then, and she¡¯d reacted much like Thaniel did now, which was to lean forward and grab the mane even more tightly. Of course, she¡¯d just ended up with two handfuls of tinsel and horsehair extensions, so at least Thaniel was doing a little better than she had. And there were no mimes in Gacha Love, thank goodness. But she had no doubt this was an attempt on the part of that idiot god¡¯s magic to ¡®put things right¡¯ by killing Thaniel. The god had agreed to help her keep Thaniel safe, and yes, she was here, but what good could she do while she was getting a root canal from a leather saddle? This was going to take drastic measures. she thought as she managed to get her paws beneath her. And, miraculously, it worked. Hop successful. 12.5% experience gained towards next level. As the horse went back down, Pandy went up. She flew into the air, much higher than she¡¯d actually intended, and heard the renewed scream choke off again as several people gasped. What? Like an airborne rabbit wasn¡¯t something they saw every day? As she came back down, she saw the long reins flapping in the breeze. Fortunately, they were made from one long piece of leather that was attached to both sides of the horse¡¯s leather halter thing, rather than two separate strips, like in old Westerns. That meant they hadn¡¯t fallen to the side and tangled around the horse¡¯s legs, effectively irretrievable and probably adding to the chaos. On her way back down again, Pandy bit into that loose leather strap. She fell for a moment longer before being brought up sharply when the reins snapped taut, yanking the horse¡¯s head to one side. Pandy wasn¡¯t heavy, being a fairly average-sized rabbit of around three or four pounds, but the force of her fall was enough to have an effect, and the poor horse let out an aggrieved whinny. She caught a glimpse of motion from the corner of her eye, and then a broad hand grasped the reins just above Pandy¡¯s teeth, pulling the horse¡¯s head down in a smooth, confident motion. The horse grunted as it strained to pull away, but the man attached to the hand didn¡¯t budge, and after a few prancing steps, the horse settled down. Immediately, more people ran toward them, and someone pulled Thaniel from the horse¡¯s back. The little boy clung to his rescuer, crying with hiccuping sobs that wrenched Pandy¡¯s undead heart. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it, since she was still dangling helplessly from the reins. Then someone else took the horse from the owner of the strong hands, and one of those hands grasped the back of Pandy¡¯s neck, lifting her up so a pair of gray eyes could stare at her with clear fascination. The man turned Pandy, examining her from every angle as she assumed a shrimp-like curl with her paws covering her underside. There was no need for anyone to look at her that closely, and if she could have blushed, her ears would be bright red by now. ¡°Is this the rabbit you mentioned, Corbin?¡± a pleasant baritone asked, and Pandy felt her fur shiver. She¡¯d always been a sucker for a great voice. Captain Reedsley¡¯s rougher tones replied, ¡°It is, Augustus. I don¡¯t know what it was doing there, however.¡± He sounded more bemused than upset, and when Pandy looked at him, it turned out he was the person holding Thaniel, and one big, calloused hand was patting the boy on his back soothingly. ¡°Want Bunny,¡± Thaniel¡¯s muffled voice said, and both men stopped and looked at the boy as he turned a blotchy, tear-stained face toward the newcomer. Thaniel held out his arms, little hands grasping for Pandy, and she was soon firmly ensconced in the warm space between the child and Captain Reedsley. ¡°What in the world happened here?¡± The Captain¡¯s voice rumbled beneath one of Pandy¡¯s ears, and with Thaniel still using the other as a handkerchief, she didn¡¯t understand the response. She did, however, understand when Captain Reedsley said, ¡°Geraldine?¡± Thaniel¡¯s head popped up instantly, and he stiffly said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t Geraldine¡¯s fault! She told me not to, but I didn¡¯t listen.¡± He hung his head again, a golden curl drooping disconsolately above his right eye. ¡°I wanted to show her that I wasn¡¯t afraid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Papa.¡± Geraldine sounded miserable, and her voice rasped painfully, making Pandy realize that she was probably the screamer. ¡°I know Misty only lets girls ride her, but I thought since he was such a little boy, she might not notice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not little!¡± Thaniel exclaimed, beginning to wiggle in Captain Reedsley¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯ll be six in,¡± he hesitated, blinking, then said, ¡°a week?¡± Fresh tears welled as he realized that he would be in a strange house without his father when he reached that milestone, and the gray-eyed stranger quickly tugged an actual cloth handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the boy. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Geraldine had a completely different reaction, however. Her freckled little face cleared up instantly, and she clapped her hands. ¡°Oh! We can have a birthday party for you, Thaniel! It¡¯ll be lovely! I¡¯ll have Chef make my favorite summer-berry tarts, and crumpets with jam and clotted cream. Miss Cupcakes will have to have a new ribbon, and I¡¯m sure Mama will help me buy you a wonderful gift!¡± Thaniel paused with his nose buried in the handkerchief, blinking owlishly at the girl. ¡°A¡­party?¡± Geraldine set her hands on her hips, flashing a grin. For the first time, Pandy realized that she was missing a tooth, creating an adorable gap on the left side of her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m the best at throwing parties,¡± she said with the confidence of youth. ¡°I have at least three tea parties for my dolls every week.¡± Above the children¡¯s heads, the two men exchanged glances. Neither of the children seemed to catch it, and when Captain Reedsley opened his mouth to say something, he was interrupted by yet another new arrival. ¡°Thaniel!¡± Lian barked, storming up to the group. ¡°The maid said you were almost killed by a horse. What happened?¡± He snatched his little brother from Captain Reedsley¡¯s hands, and Thaniel barely managed to hang onto Pandy during the transfer. Lian was tall for his age, but he was still only a slender fourteen, so he struggled a bit, then set Thaniel down beside him, keeping a protective hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Thaniel said, leaning into Lian¡¯s side. The older boy didn¡¯t allow much in the way of physical affection, and Thaniel was clearly enjoying this rare opportunity. ¡°I just bounced around a lot. This nice man stopped the horse before it could throw me off.¡± He smiled shyly at the stranger, who gave him a polite nod and a small smile in return. Pandy gave a little huff, though. Who had grabbed the reins and pulled the horse around so the ¡®nice man¡¯ could do the saving? She had, and she was fairly certain that at least two of her teeth were loose now, and who knew how long that would take to fix? But did anyone thank the rabbit? No! Except that someone did. The man Captain Reedsley had called Augustus bent forward slightly, those clear gray eyes locked on Pandy. ¡°I was only able to do so so easily because of the young man¡¯s pet. Bunny, was it?¡± Thaniel promptly held Pandy up, beaming in pride. ¡°This is Bunny! But how did she help?¡± Augustus actually looked a bit chagrined. ¡°I was trying to call my air elemental, but she¡¯s really quite fickle, as they tend to be, and she refused to come. Just as I decided I would have to try to grab the reins myself, Bunny flew through the air and grasped the reins in her teeth. That made it a simple matter for me to take hold of them, and from there, the deed was done.¡± Thaniel¡¯s mouth actually dropped open. ¡°Bunny flew?¡± The man¡¯s lips quivered in something that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, though it clearly wanted to be. ¡°Ah, no. I believe she actually jumped, but it was still quite impressive.¡± Thaniel pulled Pandy back in for a hug, and he buried his face in her fur. ¡°You¡¯re the best bunny ever.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Lian said, sounding very stiff and formal, ¡°fortunately we¡¯ll be leaving soon, so we won¡¯t have to worry about anything like this happening again. Obviously no one here is capable of keeping one little boy safe.¡± Said little boy opened his mouth, probably to protest being called ¡®little¡¯ again, but then his expression melted into sorrow as he said, ¡°We¡¯re leaving?¡± Augustus cleared his throat. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m terribly sorry, Thaniel, Geraldine, but the Queen has decided that she would like to speak to Lord Killian herself. I¡¯ve been sent to bring him back, and he¡¯s unwilling to leave Nathaniel behind. We need to leave first thing in the morning, if not sooner.¡± Thaniel¡¯s lip quivered as he said, ¡°But I was gonna to have a birthday party. A real one, like Mama used to have, not just some candles in a cake Marta made.¡± Lian¡¯s unyielding expression cracked, and he said, ¡°Father didn¡¯t make sure you had a party?¡± Thaniel looked down, scuffing his toe in the dirt. ¡°He forgot. Marta made apple cake and found a candle that was only half-burned for me to blow out.¡± Looking up, he saw the expression on everyone¡¯s faces, and quickly said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad! I didn¡¯t have Bunny yet, but I played outside all day, and made little poppets to be my friends, and they gave me acorns and buttercups as presents. Marta even sang me a song when I blew out my candle.¡± Pandy wished she could burst into tears the way Geraldine looked like she was going to. The tip of the girl¡¯s nose was bright red, and her eyes were glassy, but she blinked fiercely as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll go have Chef start a cake right now. The tarts take too long, but you can have some next time. Does it have to be apple cake?¡± Thaniel wrinkled his nose just a little. ¡°I don¡¯t really like apple cake,¡± he confessed, ¡°but Marta does, and I didn¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°What kind of cake do you like, Thaniel?¡± Captain Reedsley asked, his voice studiously unconcerned. He was looking a little teary himself, but was obviously determined not to let the boy see. ¡°Choc¡¯late!¡± Thaniel said promptly. ¡°That was Mama¡¯s favorite, and we would always have lemon sherbet with it. Daddy always used to tease her and say the combination was just like her, sweet and sharp!¡± Lian was staring at the ground by now, and without looking up, he said, ¡°You should stay here, Thaniel.¡± Everyone looked at him, startled. He turned away from his brother, his whole body rigid as he went on. ¡°I can get to the capital faster without you, and it won¡¯t do to keep the Queen waiting. I¡¯ll come back for you after¡­after it¡¯s done.¡± To Pandy¡¯s utter shock, Augustus reached out and gently patted Lian on the head. He patted the penultimate villain of the game! On the head! And even more shockingly, Lian allowed it! But of course Lian wasn¡¯t yet ¡®Killian the Villian¡¯, he was just a boy whose father had died, and who was probably about to have a very uncomfortable conversation with his monarch. Dropping his hand, Augustus said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave in the morning, then, and Thaniel can have a proper party on his birthday. We might even be back in time to celebrate with you.¡± He sounded like he thought that was an actual possibility, but a glance at Captain Reedsley and Lian told Pandy they didn¡¯t agree. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Captain Reedsley said. ¡°Her Majesty will want to ask questions about, ah,¡± he looked down at Thaniel, who was watching him with large blue eyes, ¡°the mission.¡± Augustus nodded. ¡°Done, then. Now, where is that elemental?¡± Looking around, apparently at empty air, he called, ¡°Cieris! Come here!¡± Everyone else looked around as well, but Pandy couldn¡¯t really look up, since Thaniel¡¯s chin was tucked against the top of her head. Thus, she was probably the first to see the knee-high dust devil swirl up to Augustus¡¯ polished black boots. It hesitated, then brushed against his leg, and he looked down, shaking his head. ¡°There you are. Carry a message back to the capital and let them know we¡¯ll be leaving early tomorrow.¡± The whirlwind stretched up, narrowing in something that could have been a nod, then swirled away, up into the sky, where it was visible only as it caught leaves and motes of dust that spun unnaturally. Augustus sighed, but his expression was one of affectionate forbearance. ¡°Air elementals are by far the least reliable of a mage¡¯s potential companions. I find myself envying Earth mages in particular. Earth is so very dependable, and can be turned to so many helpful purposes. Still, no one chooses their elemental alignment, and at least with Air I can be useful to our Queen as a messenger.¡± Captain Reedsley snorted. ¡°You know you¡¯re far more than just a messenger, Augustus. Now, shall we get the children inside and call the healer to look Thaniel over, just to be safe? Doctor Edwards keeps saying he should have his own room, given how much time he spends here, and I¡¯m beginning to see his point.¡± All eyes turned to Thaniel, who reddened. Shifting Pandy to one arm, he pulled his shirt down, his pants up, and shoved his wild curls out of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he insisted, before glancing sidelong at Geraldine. ¡°Though I ¡®spose I should clean up and change before lunch.¡± Lian actually laid an arm around his brother¡¯s shoulders, turning the boy toward the house. ¡°Mother always said a gentleman should never attend a meal unkempt.¡± ¡°What¡¯s ¡®kempt¡¯ mean?¡± Thaniel asked, and Pandy closed her eyes, relaxing in his arms. It seemed that the immediate crisis was over, and while she definitely needed to have a longer chat with the god, Thaniel was safe for the moment. Now, she just had to figure out how to keep him that way. Chapter Eighteen – Peacocks and Hummus Everyone except Lian and Clara gathered to eat. Clara was at a friend¡¯s house again, while Thaniel¡¯s brother claimed he needed to pack, even though as far as Pandy knew, the vast majority of his possessions were books and identical white shirts and black pants. Still, it was obvious to her ¨C and doubtless to everyone else over the age of eight ¨C that Lian didn¡¯t want to socialize with the Reedsleys, and no one tried to force the matter. Rather than being relegated to Thaniel¡¯s lap or the dark and dangerous bowels of the table, Pandy was given her own cushion at Thaniel¡¯s elbow. There she sat, while everyone offered her carrot sticks and slices of apple, and Miss Cupcakes glared with venomous yellow eyes from Geraldine¡¯s lap. Normally, Pandy would have enjoyed the attention and the treats ¨C even if the maid did spoil it somewhat by watching Pandy¡¯s rear end as if expecting her to poop in the treacle ¨C but she was too busy examining her status and trying to figure out what was going on. Name: Pandy Species: Rabbit? (Deceased) Age: 24 LF: 0/0 Mana: 0/0 Stats
  • Strength: 3
  • Intelligence: 12
  • Agility: 10
Skills
  • Hop: Lv. 8 (40.5%)
  • Bite: Lv. 5 (20%)
  • Scratch: Lv. 7
  • Minor Heal: Lv. 1
Corruption Points: 19 Her percentage toward the next level of Hop had gone up, but otherwise the only thing that had changed was the addition of a question mark after her species. Was the System no longer sure she was a rabbit? Or was the question mark a result of her own uncertainty? It was possible the magic had just created the character of ¡®Bunny¡¯ to give Pandy a role to play, but it seemed like a very odd choice. Then there was that brief moment in the midst of the tower fire when Pandy would have sworn she had very non-Pandy-like hands, but not fluffy little rabbit feet either. What she really needed to do was talk to that annoying but informative god some more. Then she remembered how he¡¯d flinched when she yelled internally. Quickly, she chewed and swallowed a mouthful of crumpet ¨C which was really just a biscuit with pretensions ¨C and thought, For a moment, she thought nothing would happen, which was really okay, because now that she thought about it, bothering a god while he was trying to power through ten million pull-ups or whatever gods like him did for fun was probably not her best idea ever, and even she had to admit that was a low bar. Then her head nearly split as a voice said, Pandy almost choked on her bite of sweet, sweet carrot as she said, the familiar voice said again, slightly quieter. She blinked. The over-loud voice grew somewhat plaintive. Pandy really, really wanted to know what happened last time, but she was already starting to get a headache, so instead she asked, There was a long pause. This time she wasn¡¯t sure if he was going to answer, or start making mouth noises while claiming that their connection was breaking up, the way one of her foster brothers had when his parents called while he was skipping school. he asked finally. She shook her head, then remembered he probably couldn¡¯t see her. Of course, he might actually be watching all the time, which made her feel rather squicky. Either way, she said, the god answered, relief plain in his voice. she said, holding up a soft white paw as if to prove that she was, in fact, still rabbit-shaped. The god wasn¡¯t listening any more, however. There was the sound of something like a very, very large gong, and he shouted, There was a sudden vacancy in Pandy¡¯s head that didn¡¯t seem like the usual sort of emptiness, and she was certain the connection between her and the god had been severed, for better or worse. All in all, it was probably for the better, though, because if rabbits could have migraines, she was definitely getting one. All right, so she wasn¡¯t getting an answer to the question of her species right now, and possibly not ever. It didn¡¯t actually matter at the moment anyway, so instead she chomped absently on a large and particularly juicy broccoli floret as she considered the rest of her status. Unfortunately, it seemed that while the god¡¯s appearance had banished the broken skill selection box, it had also made it so she didn¡¯t get to pick a weapon proficiency at all. It was possible that she could go back and read the book again, but she didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d just get the same glitched options. Until she could actually talk to the god properly, she was just kind of¡­stuck. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Well, except for one possibility. Now that she was certain she was in Gacha Love, and not some other game world, she could at least try to level up. Not that there were overall levels, not in the same way there were in other games, but she could improve the levels of her skills, which was effectively the same thing. Gacha Love took place over the course of one school year, when Clara was sixteen and her parents sent her off to Condor Academy in order to meet other young nobles and learn how to use her Light magic. Each ¡®day¡¯, the player had a certain amount of Stamina, which allowed them to do things like go to class, do homework, and attend social events. If Clara was in the right place at the right time, she might find herself in the midst of an event, whether that was bonding with one of the love interests or being bullied. If she chose to use her limited Stamina, she could use skills to improve her chances of success, and in the process, the skill¡¯s level would increase. Since gaining skills wasn¡¯t the focus of the game, the System for increasing skill levels was fairly basic. Once she¡¯d gained the skill ¨C whether by attending class, learning it from a person or book, or simply by trying something new during an event ¨C its level increased as it was used. It started out at level one, and was maxed out at level twenty. Going from level zero to one only required the player to use the skill a single time. Level two required two uses, three took three uses, and this pattern continued until level ten, at which point it became more difficult. This seemed fairly easy, and it was, but it was still limited by Stamina. During a normal playthrough, without buying or gaining any boosters with gacha, a player could barely max out one skill, and that only if they really focused on it. If you wanted a fairly balanced Clara, then you could get several skills to level fifteen or so, your favorite to level twenty, and leave the rest at ten. Any skill below level ten could become a liability, failing when it was needed most, and you¡¯d lose out on any stat increases you could have gained simply by bringing those skills to ten. Each skill had an associated stat or stats. The Fashion skill, for instance, raised Style by one point for each of the first ten levels. Any artistic skill added to Talent, while things like Politics and Eloquence gave you more points in Reputation. Once you raised the skill past level ten, you might gain an additional point in a secondary stat as well. Eloquence, for instance, was also useful in gaining Charm, but only at level eleven and above. Pandy didn¡¯t have most of the stats she was used to, but if this world really followed the logic of the game, when she did raise one of her skills, she should also gain points in one of the stats she did have. She could really use more Strength, for instance, since three seemed pathetically low even for a rabbit. Best of all, she didn¡¯t have Stamina. She didn¡¯t even need to sleep. That meant that if she could gain more skills and level those up, she could become the strongest, smartest, most agile rabbit in the history of rabbits. A bunny with a Strength of fifty could protect Thaniel much more effectively than one with a Strength of three. The trick was, of course, that up to this point her skills had only worked a small percentage of the time. It didn¡¯t matter what her potential was if she couldn¡¯t figure out how to access it. And, alas, a pleasant family luncheon didn¡¯t seem like a good time to test things out. Pandy peered around, noting that everyone seemed to be finishing their meal. They were back in Lady Alice¡¯s greenhouse room, and everything had long since been set to rights. The table was covered in a lovely white lace cloth. The dishes were simple white porcelain, but they and the silverware were buffed to an almost painful shine. There was a large bowl containing the remnants of a delicious salad, as well as some kind of meat on a platter and a tray of crumbs that had once been fresh-baked bread. Everything spoke to a prosperous but not overly wealthy family, who nonetheless took a great deal of pride in what they did have. Thaniel took the white linen napkin off his lap and covered his mouth with it before burping softly and muttering an apology. Geraldine giggled, but everyone else ignored it politely. The tips of Thaniel¡¯s ears turned a bit red at the sound of the giggle, and he slid down in his seat just a bit, wincing as he did so. Pandy caught the wince, and suddenly realized that of course poor Thaniel must be covered in bruises, especially around his rear end. Even if he weren¡¯t, he had to have strained some muscles while he was trying so desperately to hang onto the horse. And Pandy had the perfect solution. She thought as loudly as she could. Then, just because it seemed like a good idea, she added, Casting of Minor Heal successful. 50% experience gained towards next level. You have no Mana. Using Life Force instead. Healed Nathaniel Conroy for 16 HP. -8 LF Oh. So that¡¯s what LF stood for. A sudden stab of deep discomfort went through Pandy¡¯s body, and as it reached her posterior, something plopped quietly onto the table. Pandy quickly turned her head, and saw that her tail ¨C her adorable little fluffy cotton-ball of a tail ¨C had fallen off. It wasn¡¯t in the treacle, but it wasn¡¯t far off, either. Quickly, Pandy backed up until it at least looked like the pouf of fur was in the right place and checked her status again. Name: Pandy Race: Rabbit? (Deceased) Age: 24 LF: -8/0 Mana: 0/0 Stats
  • Strength: 3
  • Intelligence: 12
  • Agility: 10
Skills
  • Hop: Lv. 8 (40.5%)
  • Bite: Lv. 5 (20%)
  • Scratch: Lv. 7
  • Minor Heal: Lv. 1 (50%)
Corruption Points: 19 Well, that hadn¡¯t exactly gone as planned. She might not have Stamina, but she did have Life Force and Mana, which weren¡¯t in the original game. It looked like those were at least somewhat interchangeable, so even though she had no Mana, she could use some of her possibly unlimited health pool to use Mana-based skills anyway. Though if she was going to literally fall apart when she did so, there was a definite downside to it. The next question was, were LF and Mana directly interchangeable? She had used eight LF to heal Thaniel for sixteen. Was that the normal cost and the most the skill could heal, or was that all Thaniel had needed, so it used just what it needed to? And if she had used mana, would she have spent eight there as well, or would the cost have been different? Small hands scooped her up, and Pandy kicked out as she was raised into the air. Her back foot impacted her fallen tail, sending it arcing off the table, where it landed in a large pot containing what looked like a Monstera plant, except that the leaves were shades of green and purple, instead of just green. Fortunately, small children weren¡¯t known for their powers of observation, and Thaniel didn¡¯t notice Pandy¡¯s tailless state as he snuggled her up against his chest. Miss Cupcakes, however, did notice, and the kitten launched herself from Geraldine¡¯s lap as the girl also rose. Apparently some signal had been given, because everyone was standing, so no one commented on the kitten¡¯s sudden departure. Gray fur flashed in the corner of Pandy¡¯s vision as Thaniel began moving toward the exit after his new friend. Rather than clinging to her mistress¡¯ heels as she usually did, the small kitten jumped up into the large pot containing the Monstera plant, vanishing beneath its broad leaves. A moment later, she reappeared, a ball of white fluff clamped firmly between her teeth, and she gave Pandy a meaningful look before she vanished deeper into the large room, taking her prize to some hidden nest, where she could hide or, heavens forbid, eat it. That squicky feeling was back, but now it was directed at the vanished kitten. Pandy couldn¡¯t help but think of a crocodile, slowly swimming away with a clock ticking in its belly. Hopefully, Miss Cupcakes hadn¡¯t just gotten a taste for rabbit. Chapter Nineteen – Grinding Once Lian left with the mysterious Augustus ¨C much to Thaniel¡¯s dismay ¨C Pandy no longer had to worry about the older boy catching her moving around when she should have been asleep. She spent that night trying to figure out why her skills worked sometimes, but not others. she thought as hard as she could. Then, in desperation and because she had at some point sprouted a new tail, she tried, None of it worked, even when she tried adding a polite, onto the end again. This was absolutely the most frustrating situation she¡¯d been in since coming to this world. Pandy had, of course, been in much more difficult situations back in her own world, with the incident of the missing goat and the blow-up doll coming immediately to mind. Still, since being reborn ¨C or rather, rebodied ¨C life had been pretty good, and she hadn¡¯t worried too much about anything that went wrong, because, in general, rabbits didn¡¯t need to worry about anything that didn¡¯t try to eat them. Now, however, Pandy had a goal, and it seemed that her old luck had indeed followed her here. Somehow, she always managed to scrape by, but it was usually by the skin of her teeth, and she wasn¡¯t willing to risk Thaniel¡¯s life on how much tooth-skin she could afford to lose. No, she needed to figure this out, before something worse than an enraged horse came after the boy. she thought as she dragged her paw over the floor. Nothing at all happened, which was probably for the best, since the floor was made of a lovely walnut, and it would be a shame to see it ruined. she tried, giving the command a little boost by gathering her hindquarters and pushing hard off the ground. This actually achieved something, but since that something was moving her approximately a foot and a half across the floor, it wasn¡¯t particularly exciting. With a sigh, she let her legs slide out from beneath her, flopping bonelessly onto the floor. Her chin rested on the cool wood, while her paws splayed out in what was probably a very awkward pose. As she did so, the small gap beneath the door came into her sight, and she watched wide-eyed as four shadowy paws paced back and forth. The paws were covered in gray fur, and she instantly knew who it had to be. Miss Cupcakes had come for a midnight Pandy-snack. Carefully, Pandy gathered her own paws back underneath her. This was truly sad. She couldn¡¯t even protect herself from a six-month-old kitten, much less keep a god¡¯s magic from killing Thaniel. She felt a deep sense of helplessness as she watched a larger furry blob settle to the ground beside the paws. Miss Cupcakes was sitting, waiting patiently for Pandy to emerge. Pandy stood, trying to move as quietly as she could. If she could see Miss Cupcakes beneath the door, the kitten could undoubtedly see her as well, if she thought to try. Pandy padded back to the bed and hopped up beside Thaniel, only relaxing when she knew she was out of the feline¡¯s line of sight. Then she laid down, rested her chin on her paws, and thought. When had her skills actually worked? The first time was when she Hopped up onto the gargoyle while trying to hide from the soldiers. Then, a few minutes later, Hop had failed her again when she needed to reach the second statue. She had managed to Bite Miss Cupcakes ¨C which she still regretted a bit, even though the kitten seemed none the worse for wear now. Each time she succeeded, she was close to Thaniel, if not touching him. Was that it? Were they linked to the boy¡¯s proximity? But no, Thaniel hadn¡¯t been anywhere close when she used Hop to get into the weapon shed. He had been there when she used it again to grab the horse¡¯s reins, and when she used Minor Heal. What was different about the shed? Was the god already waiting for her there, or did the skills only work when he was watching her? She had no way of testing that rather creepy supposition, however, so instead she checked Thaniel¡¯s little face, seeing the dark crescents of his lashes lying against his cheek, and the steady rise and fall of his chest. He was definitely asleep, so if his nearness did affect her chances somehow, now was the time to test it. she thought again, and this time her hindquarters bunched up, sending her flying across the bed, limbs flailing as she tried to control the bounce. She hadn¡¯t even thought about which direction she was pointed, and now she found herself in freefall for a single terrifying moment before she thumped against the floor. Hard. Hop successful. 12.5% experience gained towards next level. -5 LF Oof. Pandy moved, then winced, and winced again as the bed creaked. ¡°Bunny?¡± Thaniel¡¯s voice was equal parts worried and groggy, and Pandy quickly hopped over, allowing the boy to lean over and scoop her up. His little arm was surprisingly heavy where it lay across her body as he promptly sank back into sleep. Pandy counted to a thousand before she even tried to move, then wriggled carefully out from beneath the pinning appendage. Thaniel muttered and rolled over, one hand fumbling for her before falling back into deep sleep. Only when his chest was rising and falling in a slow rhythm once again did she hop back to the edge of the bed. So, that had worked. But was it just a coincidence? Fortunately, her fall had given her a perfect way to test it. Backing up until her tail just brushed the lump of Thaniel¡¯s leg, Pandy thought, Casting of Minor Heal successful. 50% experience gained towards next level. You have no Mana. Using Life Force instead. Healed Pandora for 5 LF. -3 LF Once again, that deep discomfort tore through her, but to her great relief, no body parts fell off. In fact, she felt slightly better, with the pain of what she suspected was a cracked rib fading into a dull ache. Then something inside her shifted, and this time it wasn¡¯t a bone. Minor Heal is now level 2. +1 to Mana. A warm tingle ran through her, and as it faded, Pandy thought, Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Name: Pandy Race: Rabbit? (Deceased) Age: 24 LF: -2/0 Mana: 1/1 Stats
  • Strength: 3
  • Intelligence: 12
  • Agility: 10
Skills
  • Hop: Lv. 8 (53%)
  • Bite: Lv. 5 (20%)
  • Scratch: Lv. 7
  • Minor Heal: Lv. 2
Corruption Points: 19 And there it was. Pandy now had a single point of mana. She¡¯d also exchanged three points of LF to recover five, which was a very small gain. It also told her that rather than the skill costing a flat eight Mana or LF when it was used, it took half of whatever it healed, which meant that small injuries could be healed with little to no overall cost to her, other than the unpleasant feeling, at least when healing herself. Pandy quickly used Minor Heal once more, resulting in a gain of three LF and costing her one mana, as well as one more point of LF. She quickly used it again and again, resulting in another level of Minor Heal and another Mana point. Now, she had enough Mana to pay for four points of healing, but before it could regenerate, she used Minor Heal four more times, gaining another level in the skill and her third point of mana. Fortunately, it seemed that half points of damage rounded up, so she always ended up short by at least one point of damage, and should continue to do so, as long as she didn¡¯t actually allow her Mana to refill. Eventually, she¡¯d need to do that, but for now, she had work to do. If she couldn¡¯t prevent Thaniel from being injured, she could at least heal him afterwards. By the time the gray pall of morning lightened the curtains, Pandy¡¯s Minor Heal had reached level eleven. From here on, it would take quite a bit more effort to gain each level, but with ten mana, she could now heal twenty points of damage. So far, that was the maximum amount she had been able to recover, and finding that out had required a Hop up to the top of the wardrobe, followed by a precipitous drop down onto a pillow she¡¯d placed there to muffle the sound of her body impacting the floor. That was fairly unpleasant, but by now she was fully healed and tucked back under the covers next to Thaniel, who was just beginning to stir as the darkness of the room gave way to the pale light. The boy¡¯s bright blue eyes blinked open, his blonde curls and sleep-flushed cheeks giving him the appearance of the little drummer boy in Pandy¡¯s fifth foster-mother¡¯s manger scene. The woman hadn¡¯t appreciated Pandy¡¯s very reasonable comment that the boy ¨C as well as everyone else with the possible exception of the angels ¨C would probably have had black hair and a dark complexion, and Pandy had found herself at a different home by Christmas. ¡°Bunny?¡± Thaniel murmured sleepily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. The neckline of his too-large nightgown sagged over his left shoulder as he did so, revealing the edge of the thick scar on his chest. Pandy¡¯s heart clenched at the sight. This poor boy had already suffered so much, and somehow remained so sweet and open-hearted. He didn¡¯t deserve to be killed off just because a god with more muscles than brains hadn¡¯t bothered to put basic protections in place. Even Pandy could have done better than that! She hopped forward, nuzzling against Thaniel¡¯s hand until he smiled and stroked her ears gently. Outside, a rooster began to greet the sun ¨C though the same rooster had greeted the same sun several times now, starting well before dawn lit the horizon ¨C and Thaniel looked toward the window. ¡°D¡¯you suppose they¡¯ll really have a party, Bunny?¡± Thaniel asked. ¡°Just for me?¡± Pandy was certain they would, so she leaned against him reassuringly. She wished she could be herself for just a minute, so she could give him a proper hug. Of course, that would probably send him screaming and end up with her being sent to this world¡¯s version of jail, so maybe that wasn¡¯t such a great idea. Eventually, a maid tapped gently at the door and let Thaniel know that breakfast was ready. He quickly climbed out of bed ¨C no Hop required ¨C and got dressed in the nicest clothes in his meager wardrobe. Somewhere, he¡¯d found a white shirt with a round, lace-trimmed collar and a pair of long blue shorts with built-in suspenders that Pandy suspected were terribly out of fashion, since she didn¡¯t remember anything like them from the game. Thaniel showed no sign that he noticed, just pulling them on before throwing open the door. As he did, there was an angry yowl, and Miss Cupcakes scrambled away post-haste, hissing and spitting furiously. Thaniel blinked after her, then hurried to follow the sound of her feline curses. Pandy couldn¡¯t tell if he was worried for the kitten or just interested in seeing where she went, but either way, he quickly left Pandy behind. She stopped at the top of the staircase, staring down its rather intimidating length. Thaniel had carried her up and down every time before, but now here she was, and though she¡¯d had every intention of finding some time to explore the manor alone, she hadn¡¯t been planning to do it just yet. For one thing, there was breakfast waiting, and Thaniel could almost always be counted on to slip Pandy a bite of some kind of breakfast pastry along with the carrots and apples. Peering up and down the hall, Pandy perked up her long ears, watching and listening for any sign that someone was nearby. All was still, except for the sound of quiet voices coming from below. In theory, even the servants should be either serving breakfast or working in the kitchen. She doubted the Reedsleys could afford servants who did nothing other than clean the house, which was already so immaculate that she¡¯d think it was uninhabited if it weren¡¯t for the feeling of warm hominess that pervaded it. she thought, staring down the stairs. If this actually worked, it would probably hurt when she landed, but Pandy was beginning to formulate a theory, and she very much suspected that nothing would happen. Which it didn¡¯t, with such a profound sense of firmness that Pandy felt almost embarrassed for trying. So, no Thaniel, no skills. Except that Pandy had used Hop to get into the weapons storage shed. Which was part of the original game. The System seemed inextricably linked to people and places which were in or related to the game. While Thaniel hadn¡¯t been in it himself, his existence had been central to the plot, and apparently that was good enough. He seemed to have some kind of Main Character Energy that allowed Pandy to do things that would have worked in the game. Presumably, Clara and all of the other named characters would have a similar effect. Would Geraldine? She had been mentioned, but she was only important as a means of allowing Clara and Prince Kaden to bond over their shared love of their younger siblings. Of course, this was all very much supposition, but Pandy had a few ways to test her hypothesis. She would have to go to the library, the drawing room, and, yes, back to the training ground without Thaniel, and try her skills again. She should also find a way to spend some time near Clara, but the girl had been conspicuously absent ever since her unexpected arrival led to Pandy and Miss Cupcakes¡¯ impromptu battle and the resultant destruction of the tea party. But there was one more thing she should try. She¡¯d been putting it off because all the ways of gaining more Corruption Points were¡­well, icky. The best was rolling around in poor Thaniel¡¯s tears, but she didn¡¯t want to make him cry just so she could pretend to be a handkerchief. Plus, there was so much mucus involved in that option. Still, the first time she used Minor Heal, she¡¯d spent a few Corruption Points, rather than using Mana or Life Force. What if Corruption Points had something to do with the corruption of the game, rather than something far more disturbing? What if, in fact, she could use them to make the System do something outside of its usual functions? She¡¯d been avoiding them because they sounded like something Very Unpleasant ¨C an idea that was reinforced by all the bleeding and crying that seemed to be involved in earning more of them ¨C but maybe they were all right after all? Staring down the stairs, Pandy thought, Use One (1) Corruption Point to Hop? she answered, then immediately realized that she really should have used a hallway to test her hypothesis, rather than a steep set of stairs. As she went hurtling through the air over an increasingly distant floor, she sighed and tried to be happy that at least she would be able to grind out some more uses of Minor Heal. Sadly, this was really going to¡­ Hop successful. 12.5% experience gained towards next level. -27 LF ¡­hurt. Chapter Twenty – Détente As soon as Pandy hit the ground, she tried using Minor Heal. It failed, of course, so she gave in and used CP, bringing her Life Force up to negative two. From there she limped toward the library, chanting silently as she went. Casting of Minor Heal successful. 5.26% experience gained towards next level. Healed Pandora for 2 LF. Minor Heal triggered the instant Pandy set a paw inside the library. As far as she was concerned, that was enough to confirm the idea that a person or place from the original game was necessary for activation. If she could use Corruption Points everywhere else, then the only problem remaining was that gaining more CP required her to do some very squicky things. Fortunately, keeping Thaniel safe was best done in close proximity to Thaniel, so as long as she didn¡¯t wander too far from him, like she was right¡­now¡­. Feeling a sense of renewed urgency, she looked around the room. There were five books to be read here, and one of them granted a free Stamina refill. Now that she had LF and Mana, she was curious what she would get instead. Just refilling those wasn¡¯t nearly as useful, since they replenished naturally over time, but was this ¡®game¡¯ smart enough to adapt? Pandy longed to linger over the books, enjoy being surrounded by the room where Clara and Edgar finally spoke about something other than school, and just generally bask in the sheer Gacha Love-ness of it all. But she couldn¡¯t. While she thought Thaniel was fairly safe with the Reedsleys, she had no idea where he would go after breakfast, or with whom. If this world really was Out To Get Thaniel, it was thanks to Pandy¡¯s terrible luck and that idiot god. She owed it to the boy to stick with him every moment of every day for the next three years, ten months, and seven days. With a long, regretful sigh, she turned around, fully intending to follow the sounds of cheerful chatter to breakfast, and found herself face to furry face with Miss Cupcakes. The kitten was sitting in the doorway, blazing yellow eyes bright in her adorable gray-furred face. White whiskers arched away from her cheeks and above her eyes, giving her a somewhat surprised expression, but Pandy had no doubt that the feline had followed her here. Slowly, Pandy took a step backwards. She was still inside the library, which meant she should have her full array of skills available to her. Such as they were. But she really, really didn¡¯t want to hurt the cat. Pandy liked cats, though they, like most other animals, usually bit, scratched, or flew away from her. At the movement, Miss Cupcakes¡¯ eyes narrowed to slits, and she began to slink forward, her fluffy belly just brushing the ground as her tail twitched behind her. Pandy took another step backward, then glanced behind her, hoping to find someplace she could hide until someone came to find her or the kitten. It wasn¡¯t a perfect idea, but if she could just avoid actual battle, then- The moment Miss Cupcakes realized Pandy was no longer looking at her, she lunged, knocking Pandy over as eighteen needle-sharp claws dug deep into Pandy¡¯s flesh. Pandy squealed, because no matter how undead she was, being injured still hurt. Which really wasn¡¯t fair. What was the point of being dead if you still felt pain? Pandy had instinctively pulled her back feet up as soon as she felt the first prickle of claws, and now she dug at the cat¡¯s stomach with them, trying to force the kitten to release her at least long enough for her to try to run. Miss Cupcakes gave a growling hiss, but didn¡¯t let go. In fact, she clamped her teeth onto Pandy¡¯s ear and tore at it. -7 LF Something flopped against Pandy¡¯s face, and with some disgust, she realized it was her own ear. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t much blood, at least not yet, but now she was going to have to regrow an ear, and who knew how long that would take? It wasn¡¯t like she could just sit on it like she had her missing tail. The kitten continued to savage her as Pandy desperately tried to both protect her own belly and figure out how to get out of this situation without someone realizing she was far from a normal rabbit. Red numbers floated away from her with every tooth and claw that sank into her, and it wasn¡¯t like the fight was silent, either. Even if Pandy was holding in her screams, Miss Cupcakes had no such compunction, and the cat¡¯s yowls filled the library and hallway. There was nothing for it. Pandy would have to use her skills, and hope that the kitten didn¡¯t take too much damage. But which skill should it be? Bite was only level five, and in theory should therefore do less damage, but in Gacha Love, the difference between a skill at level one and the same skill at level ten was actually fairly small. Those levels were the ¡®free¡¯ levels, there to make new users feel that they were growing quickly, so they would continue playing even after leveling further required either excessive amounts of Stamina or real money. Then she had it. she cried. Her hindquarters bunched, and the kitten screeched in fury as she was thrown violently away from Pandy. The cat slammed against the wall on the other side of the hall with a force that made Pandy wince, but at least she should be relatively intact. Unlike Pandy herself. Hop successful. 12.5% experience gained towards next level. +8 Corruption Points for Badly Damaging the Defender of the Realm The library door had been wide open when Pandy entered, but during the battle it had swung half-closed. Now, Pandy stuck out a back leg, caught it with her toes, and pushed it shut. It was a fairly feeble push, but it was enough, and the latch clicked into place just as Miss Cupcakes gathered herself enough to lunge toward Pandy again, only to find that she was now on the wrong side of the door. The kitten hissed in righteous anger, and bloody claws scrabbled through the gap beneath the door, reaching for Pandy. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Most of the force of Pandy¡¯s Hop had been absorbed by the kitten¡¯s body, but Pandy herself had been spun backwards on the polished wooden floor, leaving her dizzy and breathless. Well, breathless for some meaning of the word that didn¡¯t actually require breathing. Now, she lay still, watching the little paws as they slowed, then lay still, barely twitching. Angry hisses died down to pained mews, then gasping whimpers. This was not good. Pandy had been trying to save Miss Cupcakes, not injure her more, but either the kick itself or the impact with the wall had clearly caused some serious damage. If Pandy hadn¡¯t been sure what ¡®badly damaged¡¯ meant in the System message, the way the kitten was acting would certainly have confirmed it. No, no, no, no, Pandy thought, and tried to force herself to her paws. Unfortunately, her own condition was no better than that of the cat, and she found that while she could move her feet, she couldn¡¯t convince them to hold her up. She could, however, dig her claws into the wooden floorboards and pull herself toward those tiny, deadly little paws, and so she did. Inch by inch, she moved, ignoring the feeling that bits that were supposed to remain inside and attached to her were, perhaps, not currently either inside or attached. She absolutely wouldn¡¯t look back to see what she was leaving behind, because Miss Cupcakes had only one chance, and Pandy was it. It seemed to take forever, but finally Pandy¡¯s nose touched the very tip of one of Miss Cupcakes¡¯ toes, which was still protruding from beneath the door. The kitten¡¯s head had fallen to the side some time ago, but at the contact, the single eye Pandy could see slitted open, and a rumbling, painful cough emerged from the small body. Pandy ignored it. She was out of Mana, thanks to her, ah, ¡®fall¡¯ down the stairs, and she couldn¡¯t afford to have any more of her bits fall off right now. That was all right, though. Use Two (2) Corruption Points to cast Minor Heal? she yelled at it. Casting of Minor Heal successful. 5.26% experience gained towards next level. Healed Miss Cupcakes for 20 HP. Casting of Minor Heal successful. 5.26% experience gained towards next level. Healed Miss Cupcakes for 18 HP. The yellow eye, which had been glazed with approaching unconsciousness, if not death, brightened, then blinked twice. The claw that had retracted into the little paw popped out again, pricking Pandy¡¯s nose. Pandy flinched, but the needle-claw didn¡¯t dig in any further than the top layer of skin. Pandy realized she¡¯d closed her eyes in preparation for a fresh onslaught of pain, and slowly opened them again when it didn¡¯t come. She found herself staring into Miss Cupcakes¡¯ eye. The kitten looked at least as befuddled as Pandy felt, but no longer seemed on the verge of death, which was good. Presumably, she¡¯d only recovered thirty-eight health because that was all she¡¯d needed to bring her back up to full. Did that mean she only had forty health total, and she¡¯d been two points away from death? Then Pandy, too, blinked, as she realized that this System message had been subtly different from the one she got for healing herself. The cat had recovered HP ¨C presumably either health or hit points ¨C while Pandy always got back Life Force. Had Thaniel gotten HP, too, but she hadn¡¯t noticed? Was the difference simply a matter of healing a living creature versus an undead one, or was there more to it? Well, it didn¡¯t matter, at least not at the moment. What did matter was that she was now lying in a pool of fur, blood, and¡­stuff, with a barely functional body. She needed to heal herself, as well, and do it quickly. she thought again, wishing she could afford to wait for her Mana or LF to recover naturally. There was just something about using CP that made her uncomfortable. Use One (1) Corruption Point to cast Minor Heal? she said, already tired of having to confirm that she meant what she said every time. It was like when she told her phone to restart and it asked her three times if she was really, really certain she wanted to do that. Casting of Minor Heal successful. 5.26% experience gained towards next level. Healed Pandora for 20 LF. Instantly, she felt better, and the ear that had been dangling just at the edge of her vision suddenly vanished. She carefully brought a back leg up to scratch an itch on her scalp, and found that the appendage seemed to have reattached itself. Miss Cupcakes had watched all of this from beneath the door, but while the cat¡¯s eyes were definitely still more than a little suspicious, they weren¡¯t blatantly hostile any longer. She¡¯d withdrawn her paws and was fastidiously licking the blood from between her toe-beans, but made no move to take another swipe at Pandy, even though her arch-nemesis was still within swiping distance. Speaking of which. Pandy tried hopping backwards, and found that her body was under her control once again. Not only that, but the squidgy bits she¡¯d half-expected to find strewn around behind her had also apparently gone back where they belonged. That was a very good thing, because it meant that while there were clumps of white fur all over the floor, there was no sign that a serious altercation had taken place. Pandy thought. It wasn¡¯t exactly the optimal time to be staring at numbers, but she still didn¡¯t have opposable thumbs, so now that the door was closed, she was stuck here for the foreseeable future. Name: Pandy Race: Rabbit? (Deceased) Age: 24 LF: -3/0 Mana: 1/10 Stats
  • Strength: 3
  • Intelligence: 12
  • Agility: 10
Skills
  • Hop: Lv. 8 (87.5%)
  • Bite: Lv. 5 (20%)
  • Scratch: Lv. 7
  • Minor Heal: Lv. 11 (31.56%)
Corruption Points: 22 And, yes, she was only one use away from levelling Hop. Better yet, she was now in a room where she should be able to use that or any other skill as many times as she liked. Not that she thought the Reedsleys would appreciate it if she bit and scratched up the room, but she could, at least, Hop. So she did, and every time she landed, she caught sight of the kitten¡¯s fierce yellow gaze tracking her. Up and down, up and down, finishing out level eight, then nine, ten, and, at last, eleven. With each level, her Hop became slightly stronger, taking her from about a five-foot jump to something that was probably a bit over six feet. With level eleven, however, she not only gained another few inches, but also a point of Agility. Finally. Strength probably would have been better, since that was her worst stat, but she would take what she could get. It had only taken her about forty Hops to reach this point, but apparently during that time someone had finally noticed that both cat and rabbit were missing. Feet pounded through the hallways, and voices began to call for ¡®Bunny¡¯ and ¡®Cupcakes¡¯ with varying degrees of concern. Pandy stopped Hopping and began to push the scattered hunks of her fur beneath the edge of a nearby carpet. She hadn¡¯t quite managed to get it all when a soft gasp sounded from outside. ¡°Oh, Miss Cupcakes, you naughty kitty! Did you trap poor Bunny in the library?¡± It was Geraldine, and her hands appeared just long enough to scoop Miss Cupcakes up. The kitten didn¡¯t even protest, and a moment later, the doorknob turned, revealing the little girl¡¯s pale, freckled face. She was obviously worried about what she might find, because relief brought instant color back to her cheeks as she turned and called, ¡°Thaniel! I found her!¡± The kitten stared down at Pandy as more feet pounded in their direction, and then she very deliberately looked away, pretending that the rabbit no longer existed as Thaniel ran into the room and scooped up his pet.