Rabbit's Foot

I woke up in a beautiful meadow that looked foreign, but familiar at the same time.

Before I could process anything else a notification popped up that I couldn’t dismiss.

[You’ve been asleep for a while, and I didn’t feel like waiting for you to sort out all your shit when you wake up. I’ve forced your evolution process, so we can at least skip that part. And yes, that really is an accurate representation of your body. So have fun with that.—Cradon]

What’s accurate?

I looked down at my body and lifted my—

Huh? Where are my hands?!

Where my hands had once been, there were now stumps that didn’t even reach my elbows. Or where my elbows used to be, anyways. My whole body felt weird in this dream space, so I couldn’t tell what it felt like, but the sight alone was a shock to the system. I tried to replay the events in my head to figure out where the hell my hands went, and it suddenly hit me.

So. This was the price to save Corby.

I thought of my dreams of adventure. I thought of my love of swinging swords. I thought of my promise to find Allie. I thought of the people I would never be able to wrap my arms around again. My whole life had been upended just before I finally reached adulthood.

I didn’t have anyone to blame for this but myself—and that stupid fucking bird. And as much as it hurt, I still didn’t regret my choice. No matter what it cost.

Corby’s alive. I didn’t fail him. And I can’t give up on myself yet. I’ve got a species evolution and a Class to choose. I can find a way. No matter how long it takes, I’m not giving up on a single dream.

[ unlocked. Replace a general skill?]

I checked the description for the new skill.

Stubbornness: You have persevered against monsters, gods, and a scary older sister far stronger than you and remained determined, no matter how many times you failed or how many limbs you’ve lost. 1% Willpower per level.

I immediately ditched and added the new skill. removed. selected.

Alright, now let’s see all the notifications I missed during the fight.

[Your party killed an Ostrilorpe]

Hmm. Could be improved.

[You guys killed a dumb bird!]

Much better.

There were few more of those.

Apparently, I got credit for some of Corby’s work before I had arrived.

[You guys killed a big stupid acid bird!]

[Your Tutorial is now over. Try not to blow yourself up.]

The System can be really rude sometimes.

[You have the option to select a Class.]

[You have reached the threshold to evolve your species.]

[Rabbitfolk (Juvenile) has evolved into Rabbitfolk. +2 Zoom, +2 Sense, +1 Free Point per level.]

I took a deep breath. Alright. Time for classes.

System, can you filter out all the ones that need hands for optimal use?

[Classes available: Dancer, Runner, Bard, Way of the Foot, Scout.]

I had braced myself for the lack of options, but it still stung.

Dancer: You move with poise and grace, flitting about with elegance. Now wow others with your performances and charm them. +2 Zoom

Pass.

Runner: You love to run and do so constantly. Now run for hours without slowing down, and faster than ever. +1 Zoom, +1 Beefy]

A good safety option. I do love running, but there’s more to life than just that.

Bard: You love stories and sharing them with others. Now use your magical voice to enchant others and the world around you with your words. +1 Mana, +1 Willpower.]

I didn’t see that one coming. Magic sounds pretty damn cool. If I can learn one kind of magic that doesn’t need hands, maybe I can learn a kind that can help me use a sword. And I do love stories. It doesn’t completely feel like me, but I can see myself being comfortable with the role.

Way of the Foot: Forgoing the use of fists, you have dedicated yourself to fighting with your feet. Now hone your legs into deadly weapons. +1 Bonk, +1 Zoom.

This one I more or less expected. It’s pretty awesome, too. I could get into the idea of kicking the crap out of everything.

Scout: You’re fast and sneaky, able to get to an area before your party to scope it out. Now lead the charge and gain a better sense of your environment and your enemies. +1 Zoom, +1 Sense.

Another solid option. Getting good intel could help since I won’t be on the frontlines, at least for a while. Could also help with dungeon traps. But I don’t want to be that useless during a fight.

So it’s between Bard and Way of the Foot. Being able to fight now is definitely a great benefit. But this is a path for the rest of my life, and getting magic this early could really open up paths for me.

I hesitated for a moment.

No, I just gotta trust I can survive long enough. But is Corby going to want to still go with me after this? I know he loves me, but I can’t pretend I’m not a massive burden.

Just have to take the plunge. I’ll figure out the rest as I go. [Bard selected.]

I didn’t have time to read all of the skills as I was whisked back to reality.

…

Or not, I guess. Instead, I was in a weird void of some kind.

“Hello?”

Greetings, tiny mortal.

Oh, hey, Crayon.

You know that’s not my name.

I know, but it seems like a fun nickname!

*ahem* Anyways, our deal has been completed.

Oh right! Thanks so much!

…huh?

You saved Corby, right?

You’re not upset, or feeling betrayed or deceived? Not cursing me for tricking you into this?

What trick? You held up your end. I was willing to pay the price. So thanks!

You’re an odd little mortal.

Thank you!

I think I’m gonna be keeping an eye on you. As thanks for being so interesting, I’ll give you a blessing. Completely free of charge.

Something about his offer felt strange, but maybe gods were just weird.

Thanks!

…

I groggily opened my eyes and looked down. Sure enough, they really were gone. I kept trying to move them even though I could see they weren’t there. Not being able to felt like an intense itch I couldn’t scratch. Tears welled in my eyes.

Well, I guess I can’t scratch many itches anymore. That’s going to get annoying real quick.

“Nym?!” I heard a familiar terrified voice.

“H-hey, Corb.” I was trying to hold back my tears. He didn’t need to feel any worse.

“I was so worried about you! What happened?! I remember getting covered in acid; next thing I knew, the ostrilorpe was dead, and you were convulsing on the ground next to me.”

I hesitated. He wasn’t going to take this well. “I…made a trade of sorts. You got your health back, and I gave up some of mine.” I said the last part quietly, wishing he wouldn’t hear it.

He fell over on his knees with the most painful expression I’ve ever seen on his face.

Oh fuck, that pained face. My poor Corby.

I had to force myself to keep looking when all I wanted to do was run away. I hated hurting him like this, but I had no regrets about what I’d done. He was alive and could live out his dreams. I could survive him hating me if that’s what it took.

“W-why? Why would you throw everything you’ve worked for away for me.”

“Because you’re my best friend and I love the hell out of you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Besides, I haven’t given up on anything. I’m still going to be an adventurer, I’m still going to find my sister, and I’m still gonna be a sword master even if I have to strap knives to my feet.”

Ooh, that’s a good idea. Feet knives are on the to-do list.

I noticed that Corby’s face turned from horrified to horrified with a growing mix of guilt.

“Corby, what’s wrong? Besides the obvious thing, obviously.”

“ I have something to confess. Do you remember when I was carrying you back and I asked you to trust me?”

“Uh huh….”

“Well, um. I sort of used my species skill on you. The one I was blocking when I showed you.”

“So what was it?”

“…fe,” he mumbled timidly

“Say again? I couldn’t hear you.”

“It’s called !” He was cry-shouting now.

“Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. You. We.” My brain was short-circuiting a bit. I went to scratch my head, but nothing happened.

Right. No hands. That’s gonna take some getting used to.

“So um. What does this skill do exactly?”

“It gives us a boost to physical stats while we’re within 5 meters of each other.”

I stared at him. He was being shifty.

“It may also bond us for life…”

I stared harder.

“And might kill me if you die,” he whimpered.

“Corby! Get your ass over here so I can kick it!” I was fuming. “What the hell are you doing making death pacts with someone who was in the middle of dying?!”

“You were the one who risked your life first!” He protested.

“Yeah, but you didn’t know that at the time!”

Our yelling continued for some time before slowly giving way to laughter as we got the pent-up emotions out of our system.

“Well, aren’t we quite the pair of idiots?” I said.

“We sure are. See that bucket?” He pointed to the corner of the room. “That’s where I’ve been going to the bathroom for the past month. The doc thought that if your Vitality dipped any further before you woke up, that you might die, and the bathroom is 20 meters away. We counted.”

I laughed. Then looked down past my arms to the blanket covering my legs.

I don’t have pants on.

“Um, where have I been peeing and pooping?”

“Exactly where you’re thinking. I have uh, seen some things.” He blushed.

“Huh. Well, guess we better get used to it if we’re gonna be traveling together. If you still want to, that is…” I nervously looked at him.

He just laughed.

Rude jerkface! I’m trying to be serious here.

“Nym, what part of [Partners for Life] did you not get? I’ve always been ready to go with you no matter what. We’ll figure out how to deal with this together.”

I sniffled, failing to hold back tears.

Sweet jerkface.

We talked for a bit more before he eventually went home to sleep…and bathe. I still needed to stay for a few more days to rest, so I looked at my new class skills and stats.

Bard skills:

Sound magic: Harness the powers of sound and lace it with magic with your voice.

Sound Resistance: you are more resistant to damage from sonic attacks. +2% resistance per level.

Storyteller: You are a teller of tales and legends. It would help if you remembered them to tell them. You now have a better memory for stories and are more captivating when performing them.

Magic Orator: your words now have real power. Your words can slightly heal or wound enemies sentient enough to understand you

Musical Prodigy: you can pick up any instrument and quickly learn how to use it.

[You have been blessed by Cradon. You and those within 10 meters of you are unable to lie.]

Name: Nymia

Age: 18

Species: Rabbitfolk Lv. 15

Class 1: Bard Lv. 1

Stats:

Bonk: 18+1

Zoom: 42

Beefy: 7

Senses: 28

Brain: 15

Mana: 16

Willpower: 38+2

Free points remaining: 0

Class Skills

Sound magic Lv. 1

Soundproof Lv. 1

Story Time Lv. 1

Good at Word Stuff Lv.

Delete Soon Lv. Who Cares?

General Skills

Blades Lv 15

Dodge! Lv 15

Barefoot Lv 15

Sneaky Lv 15

Stubborn Lv 1

Species Skills

Rabbit’s Foot

Enhanced Senses

Forage

Burrow

Cuddles

Bonuses

Aliie’s Hat (+1% Bonk, +1% Beefy)

Crayon’s Blessing

My Beefy is how low?!

The only thing I could think of was the life force swap. But after doing some quick math (that may have taken me an hour), I realized that I had dropped down to 1 Beefy before evolving. Spooky.

Most of the new skills sounded great. Hopefully can get replaced soon. I didn’t really want to play music with my toes. I also started tracking the levels for individual skills. Now that we were out of the Tutorial, not everything would stay at the same level.

There are a lot of things to look forward to. It was a whole new life ahead of me. I went to put my hands behind my head.

Right. No hands. Fuck.

I had a lot of problems to deal with, but I could handle—deal with it. And I didn’t need to face them alone. I could still do this. I could still become an adventurer and find Allie.

And I would. I had to.