She waited for the ding, but nothing happened.
Instead, she felt a prick on her arm. She looked at it and found a sharp thorn embedded in her skin.
Ouch! It stung her like a bee beast! She hurriedly took it out of the skin and found a blob of blood. The thorn had scarred her skin!
"Ding! Injury sustained. -5. Vitality 95. You will die when vitality becomes 0."
Arella's eyes widened in surprise! What was this? Before she could delve deeper, another thorn cut into her knee.
This time, she saw it with her own eyes! This Rabbit queen had a bow in her hand and behind her was a pile of similar looking sharp thorns!
"Ding! Injury sustained. -5. Vitality 90. You will die when vitality becomes 0."
Damn! What the world in Beast God's name was this? Arella frantically looked around to find shelter, but as far as her eyes could see, there was nothing but grass.
"Ding! Injury sustained. -5. Vitality 85. You will die when vitality becomes 0."
The thorns kept coming at her without stopping. Arella didn't have enough time to think, so she started running.
She began running toward the Rabbit Queen.
The Queen quickened her attacks.
Ding…ding…dings kept appearing in Arella's head. But she paid no heed to it. She had only one thought, she wanted to finish this as soon as possible. Because once she died, she would have to restart.
Thinking of the underwater tornado, Arella's steps quickened. She did not want to face that dizzying vicious circle again! So, she ran to the Rabbit Queen.
The Queen shot thorns ferociously. But it could not stop the oncoming girl.
"Ding! Injury sustained. -5. Vitality 35. You will die when vitality becomes 0."
Arella's hands were filled with red spots of blood. Her ankle was swollen and overall, she looked miserable. At this moment, she wondered if she would die of bleeding or exhaustion.
The thorns cut deep. She could feel pain and exhaustion. Was this what they meant by death by a thousand cuts? She knew not. Her eyes could only see the Queen, standing alone and fighting without a pause.
Arella admired the Queen's passion. The Queen had a cause and was fighting for it. Looking at the relentless thorns, Arella found a spark of motivation. She too had a mission! And she must fight till her last breath.
Her steps kept moving forward.
"Ding! Injury sustained. -5. Vitality 25. You will die when vitality becomes 0."
The Rabbit Queen, who motivated Arella, was now dripping with cold sweat! Her black eyes explored the situation and thought quickly. It dropped the bow and jumped into the nearby burrow.
Arella, who was about to extend her hand to grab the Rabbit Queen was stunned seeing its nimble actions. She too followed behind the Queen and went into the burrow.
Surprisingly, the burrow was as big as an underground tunnel. It should have been dark, but a faint reddish glow glimmered ahead. Arella followed the glimmer and realized that it was coming from the pearl.
The Rabbit Queen hopped frantically, going deeper and deeper. But it still carried the scepter. Hence, it became easier for Arella to trace the path.
"Queen, I told you this pearl is not ordinary. First the mermaids, and now this unknown enemy. I beg of you to give it up now. Countless fighters have died because of your obsession." A solemn and mature voice reached Arella's ears in the quiet cave.
She lightened her steps.
"No, my King! The fighters did it out of their loyalty to you! This pearl has healing powers. I am certain that it can heal you back to health. I cannot let anyone take it away from us!" The anxious voice was filled with reluctance.
Arella frowned. What was this all about? She stepped ahead and found a gold encrusted chamber. And in the middle of the chamber, was a huge bed.
On it lay an ugly brown rabbit. And near it stood the Rabbit Queen with the scepter. Around them were multitudes of gems and jewels.
"What this couple obsessed with gems?" Arella thought deeply. She was busy checking the surroundings when a shrill voice attracted her focus.
"You! How did you find me? Why didn't you lose your way in the numerous tunnels? Say what creature are you?" Her arrival took the couple by surprise. The Rabbit Queen took a protective stance and hid the frail looking rabbit behind.
Arella pursed her lips. She did not hide because other than the gems, there was no weapon. Thankfully, the Rabbit Queen abandoned the bow when she jumped into the burrow, otherwise, it would have been Arella's cold body greeting them!
"Speak Witch! What sorcery did you use? How did you find me?" The Rabbit Queen ferociously snarled. But she did not leave the bedside.
"It is glowing." Arella innocently pointed to the staff.
A perplexed and complex emotion appeared in the Rabbit's black eyes.
"Is it glowing red?" A steady, and manly voice attracted Arella. I was from the ugly brown rabbit. Despite the situation, it still lay nonchalantly on the bed.
Arella nodded in affirmation.
"Ah! I see. We cannot perceive red color. I am the King of Rabbits. Speak, what brought you here?" The King spoke calmly.
Arella was taken by surprise. She wasn't expecting to meet a sane rabbit. Since the beginning, they have been attacking her! Thanks to them, she was a bloody mess with a lot of pin point scars on her entire body!
"The pearl." She spoke succinctly. Her legs hurt and her arms were bleeding. She really did not want to waste any time and grab the pearl. But she couldn't be rude to people who were being polite.
So, she patiently answered. A nervous Queen clutched the staff closer to her in a death grip. The King soothed her by holding her hand.
"And then? What would you do with it?" The King inquired gentlerabbitly.
Arella's lips twitched at the question. Because actually, she didn't know! Should she be able to win if she held it in her possession? Or should she throw it in the water, because that's where it belonged? Or should she find the mermaids and hand over the pearl to them? She literally did not know.
Perceiving her silence, the King looked at her more deeply. This person wasn't a greedy witch. She had another purpose. The King's eyes had a flash of comfort. With her, their chances to live were higher.
"What do you want it for?" Arella asked in return. She could not be the only person answering.
"How does it matter to you?" The Rabbit Queen loudly cut in.
"Calm, my dear. The enemy doesn't mean any harm to us." The King tried to comfort his wife.
He branded her as the enemy and said that she was not harmful. Was he looking down on her? Arella did not know how to respond to that.
"You see! I am injured. My wife heard that the mermaid's pearl can heal me. But, till now it hasn't been of any help to us." The King spoke clearly.
Only then did Arella notice, that this Rabbit King had only three legs! Oh! Arella's eyes flashed with understanding. No wonder, the Queen was so obsessed. She wanted to heal her husband.
"Can I hold it for a while?" Arella asked politely. The Queen's eyes widened with reluctance but the King coerced her.
Even if she held the pearl, she heard no congratulatory message. Ah! Now she was left with two options, either throw it in water or hand it over to the mermaids.
"If it is of no use, then why not give it back?" Arella asked thoughtfully.