Chaos Bunny Part 1

Slowly, consciousness began to return as the hazy fog lifted and awareness took its place.

White light… What’s going on? Jordan wondered as he tried to piece together his memories. I was… right, I’ve spent the day working with the team on our strategy for the next round. Afterward, I drove home. There were police sirens, but I was tired and didn’t bother to look for the source. When the light turned green I drove forward and… right, a car smashed into mine. Then, where am I now?

The past events pieced together, Jordan tried to look around once more. The light was blinding, but he persisted, soon it began to recede and the surroundings came into focus.

The hell?! He couldn’t help but wonder as he looked around. What are the chances I got hurt really bad, and am now high on morphine?

The place Jordan found himself in was indeed surreal. A river of light snaked through pitch-black darkness. Globes of light floated across most of its surface, slowly drifting forward. With a shock, Jordan realized that he was also a globe of light, no different from the others.

“Hey! What the hell is going on here?!” No answer came. Unable to even tell if his voice carried or if It was only in his mind he stopped shouting and tried to touch one of the spheres only to discover that no movement was possible.

Calm down, panicking won’t make things better, Jordan told himself, his analytical mind kicking in to solve the issue facing him. Logically, there are only two possibilities here: this is a dream or the car accident was fatal and I died. There is no way to prove one is dreaming, though I seem to have too much control of my memories and mind for this to be a normal dream. Going with option two, what would this place be?

Taking another look with such a presupposition in mind, he could only swear. The globes are souls, and the river is… some sort of path to the afterlife? Ugh, whatever, this isn’t the time to dwell on the details, he stopped himself from wondering about different religions and the afterlife. Suddenly a nearby globe burst, its barrier disappearing, the flame turned into a beam of light as it flashed upward, disappearing into the darkness above. Was that a reincarnation? Jordan wondered.

Time passed. Every now and then, a bubble would burst, its flame flashing into darkness, but he wasn’t able to tell why it happened to those particular bubbles. With nothing to occupy his mind, the weight of his death slowly dawned on Jordan. He thought about those he left behind, the team he coached, his friends, his parents. He imagined their grief, and pain stabbed at his heart. He felt increasingly depressed at the realization that he would never get to do the things he had taken for granted, like hanging out with his friends or talking to his parents. After a while, memories began to bubble up to the front of his mind, from significant events to small, memorable episodes. Slowly, his consciousness faded away and he fell into a dream.

Time passed as he drifted along the river, submerged into the memories of his past life. Then he heard a voice, a whisper, really. Unable to make out the words, it left him feeling that it was something important, something he had to hear. Slowly, he was pulled out of his dream-like state, snapping to attention. Jordan tried to catch the elusive sound. Faint at first, it became increasingly louder, filling him with happiness and warmth. It made him promises of a great life, an exciting future, of things he wanted. He no longer needed to focus to hear it, now the voice reverberated through his whole being, pounding inside his mind, like a pulse. Suddenly the voice changed, instead of making promises it asked him to follow it. Told him to follow it. Demanded it.

Compelled by its pull, Jordan moved. To his surprise, he actually did move. Pushing the other globes aside, he floated after the voice. The darkness which shrouded the edges of the river retreated as he got closer, revealing an offshoot. Without hesitation, he followed this new path. The further he got the louder the voice became, washing over him like a wave. Soon, several dozen globes came into view, and he joined them. In front of them, was the source of the voice – an enormous globe. The size and brightness of its flame far surpassed the others.

Thoughts flitted through Jordan’s mind when he noticed more globes arriving behind him. I see, we were called here by this… being. But for what purpose? He didn’t need to wonder long. After a short while, the incessant voice stopped, and the large globe spoke.

“Thank you for heeding my call. I am Golderia, the Goddess of Prosperity on a planet called Melouna. I called you here because I need your help. A God named Thelean and his warmongering bunch threaten to undermine everything I’ve built and plunge the world into an unending war. I refuse to let it happen. But, the rules of my world make it difficult for me to interfere directly. That’s where you come in. Become my Champions and show the other Gods that I, Golderia, am the top Goddess of our time. Wealth, fame, power – join me, and you will have it all!” Her voice became increasingly passionate, and by the end, she was nearly screaming. Taking a moment to calm down, she continued. “As my Champions, you’ll be bestowed powerful abilities to help you advance, and you’ll have me in your corner. Will you be my Champions?”

I guess returning to my previous life isn’t an option, Jordan mused as he felt a pang of sadness. Then, should I reincarnate as a God’s Champion? I guess it’s better than being born during the Stone Age and being eaten by some cave bear, or worse, being born a peasant and spending your whole life in a futile attempt to stave off starvation, Jordan thought as he considered the offer.

“I will be your Champion,” he shouted, despite not knowing if Golderia would hear him or if his voice was only in his mind.

“Very well. Come with me, I’ll tell you more about Melouna and how things work here,” Golderia exclaimed after a short while, sounding quite pleased.

She begins to move and all the little globes follow her. Suddenly, she came to a halt and turned around.

“To think there would be someone so ungrateful!” She shouted facing the other globes. “You think my desire to be the most powerful Goddess is childish? Childish?! I’ve been around for more than three thousand years. How long was your life? Twenty-eight years? And you dare to call me childish?!”

She isn’t talking to me, is she? Jordan wondered as he got a feeling that all the other globes were staring at him.

“What? You got nothing to say for yourself now that I called you out? I guess some people are much better at mouthing off behind your back,” Golderia continued to rage, as she advanced, stopping directly in front of Jordan.

“But I haven’t said anything,” Jordan exclaimed as he began to panic.

“Do you take me for a fool? I know what I heard, and I know who said it!”

“But, I really didn’t say anything, I don’t know what you heard.”

“Deny all you want. It won’t change your fate. I don’t want someone like you as a champion, so you can just stay here and rot!” She proclaimed before turning around and leading the other globes away.

To his horror, Jordan discovered that he was once again unable to move.

“Hey! Stop! Don’t leave me here! I really don’t know what’s going on, I never said anything!” He shouted, his panic quickly growing.

This is really bad, Jordan thought. As the other globes moved ahead, the darkness began to close in. Swears filled his head, as he felt extreme frustration and fright. As he watched the last of the spheres move past him, his attention was drawn to a stationary globe.

Its size was half of the others, but its flame was much more intense, as intense as Golderia’s. Jordan wondered why he hadn’t noticed it before, as everyone else moved away, leaving the two of them alone.

“That was exhausting,” the other globe said, its voice sounding unbearably tired.

I can hear it! Jordan felt elated.

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll be quick. I am Xerx, the God of Chaos from the same planet. The Gods of Melouna are young and selfish, they fight and squabble with each other for dominance, ignorant of the danger lurking in the shadows. A powerful figure is needed to restrain the more wild of their champions,” the smaller globe explained. “That’s where you come in. Become my Champion, and rise above the rest!”

“So, Golderia left me here because of your interference. Why did you choose me?” Jordan asked curiously.

“Beggars can’t be choosers. I don’t have the energy to call dozens of souls, I don’t even have the energy to stay here. I had to act now and you were my only choice,” Xerx explained quickly. “After looking through your past, I’ve realized that this game you were an expert in has certain similarities to our world. You can slay monsters to gain experience, obtain levels, and skills and such. Your experience should prove valuable on Melouna.”

A game-like world? That’s kind of weird, Jordan thought before focusing on the issue at hand. It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice if I refuse, Xerx will just leave, and I’ll be stuck here, in the darkness.

“I will retain my memories if I become your Champion?” Jordan asked to confirm.

“Yes, otherwise there would be no benefit in picking you over the others.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll become your Champion,” Jordan exclaimed, a feeling of excitement washed over him. “What kind of powerful abilities will I have as your Champion?”

“About that, I don’t have enough energy to both reincarnate you and grant you abilities,” Xerx sounded depressed.

“Then I will reincarnate as just a regular human, in an unknown world, with no friends or allies? And you expect me to not just survive, but to exceed the other champions, who were bestowed powerful abilities? I am afraid you are putting too much faith in my gaming background,” Jordan said, if he had a physical form he’d be shaking his head in disbelief.

“There is another option. The Blood Trolls are conducting a ritual to obtain [Blood Drinker] an extremely powerful ability that allows you to permanently steal attributes, skills, and abilities from others. Using all of my remaining energy, fate could be altered so that you would receive this ability.” Despite being a globe of light, it felt like Xerx had a sly smile on his lips.

“Is there a limit to how many skills or attributes can be stolen?” Jordan asked, quickly evaluating this ability in gaming terms.

“No.”

“Damn! Now we’re talking,” Jordan couldn’t help exclaiming.

“Yes, it’s one of the most powerful abilities around. In fact, the most powerful creature on Melouna also has this ability,” Xerx voiced his agreement. “But, altering fate would take most of my energy, leaving just enough to reincarnate you as the weakest creature on the planet.”

“Ugh, then what would I reincarnate as? You not thinking of making me a slime, are you?!”

“A slime? Of course not. You would be a bunny,” Xerx replied.

A bunny vampire, huh?Bunnicula! Jordan chuckled. That’s actually not too bad.

“There is more,” Xerx’s voice brought him back to reality, “on Melouna, enlightened races can learn classes, which give them skills, while monsters can evolve their species. However, you wouldn’t be able to use either mechanic and would have to rely solely on [Blood Drinker] to obtain attributes, skills, and abilities.”

So, either a regular start without any boons, or an extremely weak start, and a permanent disadvantage, in exchange for a ridiculously powerful ability, Jordan contemplated in silence. Then a memory flashed in his mind.

“Hold on, don’t bunnies have terrible vision?” Jordan exclaimed, trying to recall the details. “Like poor depth perception, only being able to see a couple of colors. And, um, being short-sighted? Or was it far-sighted?” He mumbled unable to remember.

“Yes.”

“Ugh, don’t you expect me to fight? Ability or not, I won’t be any good at combat if I am half-blind and have no depth perception,” Jordan voiced his thoughts.

“I know. I’ll have to make it so you retain your human vision,” Xerx said in a despondent voice.

“Oh, you can do that? That’s great.”

“Not really. Adding this modification to your reincarnation, on top of altering fate, would completely drain my energy. I would go into a coma-like state, and then I would perish. Unless you can get me more energy.”

“How would I do that?”

“Gods get energy from the faith of their worshipers, as well as their Champions. The more renowned a Champion becomes, the more energy their God will receive. This will benefit you as well, so be sure to spread your name as much as you can.”

“I see. Then let’s go with the blood-drinking bunny, and I’ll do my best to spread my name far and wide,” Jordan made his choice.

“That’s what I wanted to hear. But, I want you to understand the responsibility resting on your shoulders. It’s not just your life that is at stake. If you were to die, I would do as well,” Xerx said in a grave tone.

“I understand. Rest assured, I’ll do everything I can to stay alive and get you the energy you need,” Jordan said sincerely.

A brief silence followed. Xerx sighed internally as thoughts flitted through his mind: I guess there is no point in going on about it anymore. It’s a gamble on my part, but I don’t really have a choice, I got to seize this chance.

“I trust you,” Xerx said simply, then changed the subject. “I’ll quickly go over the details now. You’ll be reborn in a dungeon. Find the Blood Trolls conducting the ritual and stay near them until you obtain [Blood Drinker]. Once you have it, the rest will be up to you.”

“Wait! Won’t the trolls kill me if I try to get near them?” Jordan protested.

“No. The monsters inhabiting the dungeon won’t care for your presence, at least not until you get the ability,” Xerx assured him before continuing. “Other things, once you’re reborn, focus on yourself and say ‘Profile’ it will bring up your information. Oh, I am running out of time. What else… right, after this, I’ll have no energy left and will go into a coma-like state. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to survive in that state, but it should be around ten years. However, the sooner you can revive me the better, once I have spare energy I could grant you additional abilities.” Xerx said, making sure to mention a benefit Jordan could expect to receive.

“I’ll do my best,” Jordan replied honestly, even as his vision was already fading.

***

His eyes snapped wide open and with a deep breath Jordan sat up. Feeling like he was underwater for a long time, and just now emerged on the surface. His head swiveled left and right as he took in his surroundings – a high, long, uneven wall on one side, and a cluster of trees nearby, blocking his view.

A new life, Jordan thought. The memories of his previous life flashed through his mind, filling him with sadness. Now’s not the time to feel sad, with an effort, he suppressed his emotions and focused on his current predicament.

Taking another look around he confirmed that his vision remained the same as when he was human, though the much lower eye level made everything appear larger. He then focused on himself for a few seconds, then chanted: “Profile.” A page-like window popped into his mind, concentrating on it, information began to flow into his brain.

Level 1 Bunny (Ambient Creature)

HP: 10

Ambient creature, huh? Well, that explains why I can follow the progression mechanism for neither monsters nor enlightened races. It also explains why monsters won’t attack me.

In video games, ambient creatures were creatures added to the environment to make it feel more real. Like squirrels in a forest or snakes and frogs in a marsh. They were more a part of the environment than something the players would interact with.

Examining the page in his mind further, Jordan noted that he could flip the page. Doing so brought up a new page titled ‘Abilities’ which had a single entry.

[Chaotic Interference] (100/100) Active, “The forces of Chaos are bending reality itself to your will, making the impossible possible.”

Hmm, Xerx never mentioned this ability. Or is it just a mechanism for me to obtain [Blood Drinker] and would disappear afterward? Time will tell.

The matter of profile settled, Jordan took a closer look at himself. White, soft, and fluffy, he really was a bunny. Lifting his front paw, he stared at the soft appendage tipped with tiny claws. Xerx said I could gain attributes, but could I really deal damage with these paws?

After inspecting his new form, it was time to figure out where he was. Hopping his way along the wall, he moved past the cluster of trees and was able to get a good look at this place. Xerx called it a dungeon, but it was nothing like Jordan expected. He thought of a dungeon as a collection of narrow tunnels and rooms, with a few larger areas. Instead, he saw an enormous underground expanse, some five miles long and three wide, the walls rose more than half a mile before meeting the ceiling. The sheer size of it defied the laws of physics, but then again, so did being reborn as a bunny.

It was more of a magical domain than a cave. Huge crystals embedded into the ceiling shone with yellow light. The terrain consisted of hills and plains, a small lake on the far side, a mountain in the center of the cave rose up, nearly reaching the ceiling. Forests covered a large portion of the expanse, the red bark and purple leaves made for a colorful picture, and filled Jordan’s head with theories about their growth without sunlight. The grass covering the floor of the cave was also purple.

Jordan continued to examine his surroundings when he heard the sound of snapping tree branches and a large form rolled out of the nearby forest, followed by another creature. The creatures were around fifty yards away, close enough for him to get a good view of them. The first one was a gorilla-like monster, about seven feet tall, sparks of electricity coursed on the surface of its dark fur. And emerging from the woods was a naga-like monster, the upper body of a bear and the lower body of a snake.

After slithering into a clear opening, the bear opened its mouth and shot out a nasty-looking liquid projectile. The other monster dodged it and retaliated with a punch that sent an electrical bolt at its foe. The naga swayed to a side, dodging the counter. Seeing how ranged attacks weren’t effective, both monsters began to advance, as they hissed and snarled at each other.

The distance between them quickly decreased, and the gorilla began to beat its chest, roaring a challenge to its opponent. The naga seemed unperturbed, coiling its long, muscular tail underneath itself in preparation. When the gorilla began to move forward again, the naga used its tail as a spring to propel itself at the other monster. It quickly wrapped its arms around the monkey, long, sharp claws on its forearms digging deep into the opponent’s back, while simultaneously biting at its collar bone.

The gorilla roared in pain and tried to pry the attacker off but to no avail. The naga meanwhile wrapped its tail around its foe’s legs, and then pulled it off balance. Once on the ground and under its full control, the bear-snake began to use its fanged maw to rip out chunks of flesh from the other monster.

The gorilla tried to punch the naga, but it couldn’t get enough force behind its punches. Roaring in pain and frustration, an electrical current ran all over its body, temporarily turning its fur gray, before being discharged into the naga. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, as the naga let go of its grip and began to roll on the ground shrieking.

The gorilla got to its feet and moved to finish its shrieking foe. A short leap through the air and two huge fists smashed into the naga, discharging an electrical shock. The damage proved too much for the monster, who fell silent. The winner of the battle began to snack on its defeated foe, using its fangs to rip out chunks of meat.

Jordan decided that he had seen enough, and was about to turn away from the gruesome spectacle when he discovered several humanoids had circled around the forest and were quickly approaching the two monsters. The gorilla was apparently too occupied with its meal to notice the danger.

One of the humanoids stepped forward and a beam of purple energy extended from its hand to the gorilla. The monster roared in pain, turning around to look at its new attacker, before trying to flee. However, the energy beam simply followed it, as if it was glued, and after a dozen yards, the monster collapsed to the ground.

The humanoids, numbering six, approached the two downed monsters and began to inspect them. Seemingly satisfied with their findings, they grabbed their corpses and headed in the direction they came from.

Jordan used this time to inspect the newcomers as well. Tall, lanky, but muscular, with bluish skin, they wore plain-looking shorts and used a variety of weapons. However, the thing that caught his attention was the red markings they had on their faces and bodies.

Could these be the Blood Trolls I needed to find? Jordan wondered. Unfortunately, not only were there many different depictions of trolls on Earth, but his new form with its lower point of view made even familiar things appear different. He just couldn’t tell if these creatures were trolls or some other species found on Melouna. Seeing the humanoids retreat, he decided to follow them.

*****

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