—— ? ——

  The aurora was blazing, the valley was quiet, and Simon dreaded every step.

  Kaelalin was pulling ahead of him as he fell into his thoughts. He figured that was fine, Simon could catch up to her easily enough. It wasn’t like she was truly going to leave him behind.

  But… Maybe she should.

  Now that they knew about the crafting realms, wouldn’t it make more sense for her to stay here?

  As they had been running, Kaelalin had told him she was going to keep working through the pattern on the map. She hoped she could discern if two of the hills were out of sync, or didn’t match the others.

  As if she planned to run to those next.

  Not going to happen. We get to this portal, and she goes inside. That’s what’s happening.

  He scanned the world around him. The aurora still lit the snow, the dim light refracting and splattering across the rolling terrain.

  As shitty as this place was, if there were a bunch of realms connected here that were full of crafting resources, what crafter wouldn't want to stay in this valley? It seemed idiotic to leave.

  For Simon, it didn't really matter. He didn't have a crafting class. Hell, the most he had made in his life were those macaroni crafts as a kid.

  But Kaelalin and Brian?

  He shook his head, sadness filling him. Tomorrow he was going to tell them to stay. They were going to complain, to argue. But he knew he was right about this. This place was far too good an opportunity to pass up.

  Like Maelis’ the ass hole said. This new reality revolved around power. Throwing aside that power, just because you didn’t like the people here?

  That would be a boneheaded move. Something Simon would do.

  He wouldn’t let them. If they were going to leave, it wasn’t for him.

  It would suck. But that was just the way of this new world.

  You just needed to embrace the suck.

  Or flip everyone off. Both worked. Kind of.

  His friends would get the resources they needed to advance and grow. Simon would get to leave this valley. Leave behind the shitty snow, shitty people and shitty little body munching bunnies.

  The thought made his focus snap to the present.

  He scanned for those bunnies. So far they hadn’t been attacked by a single fur brain this entire run.

  Simon picked up his pace and caught up with the Frost-kin. Once again her breathing was hard, her focus zoned in as she concentrated on just moving.

  Simon kept searching his surroundings as he ran. Where were the little assholes?

  Was his outfit that good? He tried to recall, Simon was pretty sure it had some feature that related to the furballs.

  He took one deep scan around, then nodded to himself.

  Nothing.

  Simon focused. He willed the section of the description to appear that dealt with those creatures

  >> Lagomorph’s Rebuke: A last-minute addition of metal filled with resentment allows the garment to absorb the lingering spite of slain lagomorphs, strengthening its enchantments.

  Interesting effect, but that wasn’t what he had been thinking about.

  Simon dismissed that section, did another scan, found nothing, then willed the next section to appear.

  >> Lagomorph’s Resentment: Nearby lagomorph-type creatures (hares, rabbits, hoppers, etc.) are provoked, either fleeing in fear or attacking in reckless rage. Effectiveness amplified against Aurora Hoppers.

  An icy chill, colder than the whipping wind, poured down Simon's back.

  His masterwork armor made the bunnies run or attack, revealing their location.

  No hopper had run from them. None had attacked.

  They hadn't seen a single one.

  Not during their run from Varnholt. Nor during their mad dash to the second portal.

  Not a single.

  Damned.

  Bunny.

  Simon’s eyes went wild as he scanned and scanned.

  Where were they?

  His mind snapped to the newest feature of his hood.

  “In life, these creatures adapted to the continual barrage from the valley’s Aurora.

  This adaptation is imprinted within their essence, an aspect woven into their very survival.”

  They hunted during the Aurora. People in town had scoffed and basically said “don’t go out when it blazes.”

  But they weren’t hunting.

  Shit.

  Simon reached over and grabbed Kaelalin’s shoulder, yanking her to a stop. The action surprised her, causing her to pull back. This knocked both of them off balance, the pair tumbling into the snow.

  “Simon what the hell!” Kaelalin shrieked as she got to her feet. “What are you thinking?!”

  Simon leapt to his feet, his eyes wildly searching around. “Kaelalin!”

  “What?!” She snapped, still breathing heavily.

  “Kaelalin, there’s no hoppers.” Simon frantically chattered. “There’s no hoppers!” He spun around, searching for any sign.

  His foot kicked into something. One of the hard rocks hidden beneath the snow.

  Wait…

  Simon started frantically digging, flinging snow to either side of him.

  “Simon what in the hells are you doing? We need go!” Kaelalin yelled, moving towards him. “Have you lost your god damned mind?”

  Simon ignored her and kept digging. Snow flew around him as he dug with insane ferocity.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Then his hands hit the rock. It was cold, but soft.

  He shoved the last bit of snow off the object and revealed what was underneath.

  White fur, speckled with black. Two ears. Four legs.

  An Aurora hopper. Unmoving. Frozen.

  Kaelalin had been saying something, but Simon missed it. The Frost-kin now stood behind him, joining in Simon’s stare.

  Simon pulled off his glove and put his bare hand to the creature's back.

  For a long, long moment there was nothing.

  *thump*

  It was so faint, if he hadn’t put his hand directly to it, Simon would have thought the creature dead.

  Why was it like this? Did they all do this? Then he remembered the skill he had gotten before his banishment.

  “Identify.” Simon whispered, Kaelalin mirroring him a second later.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE—-

  > IDENTIFICATION SUCCESS.

  > Aurora Hopper

  > Level: 4

  > Type: Creature - Lagomorph

  > Disposition: Ambush Predator, Aggressive

  > Description: Aurora Hoppers are a species of lagomorph that came from the realm ‘Galgoraun’. Their kind once faced extinction due to an Aurora Entity that fed upon the mental energies of sentient beings. Through forced adaptation these pack hunters survived, but the consequences rendered vast arctic regions uninhabitable, driving entire populations from once-fortified frozen strongholds.

  Numerous attempts were made to cull or contain the species. Fire mages scorched miles of snowpack. Master trappers devised an endless variety of enchanted and mundane snares in an effort to stem their numbers. One sect went so far as to create specialized hunters through a controversial blend of selective breeding and alchemical alteration.

  These pressures forced the species to develop several extreme adaptations. Two are widely documented.

  > Known traits:

  >> Aurora Siphon: Aurora Hoppers feed directly upon the rays of the aurora. As the parasitic Aurora Entity extracts vitality from sentient beings, the hoppers in turn draw sustenance from the entity’s radiance. This ability allows them to understand the entity to some extent. They can survive entirely on aurora-light, yet still hunt living prey to accelerate growth and reproduction.

  >> Dominant State: Originally developed as a hunting tactic, this state serves both offensive and defensive purposes. Hoppers can drastically reduce body temperature, metabolic rate, and presence, ranging from partial suppression to near-complete stasis. In this dormant form they can remain motionless for hours or days, ambushing prey, or evading detection from predators far larger and more dangerous than themselves.

  ——————————

  Simon read the result from the skill. Then he read it again.

  He stared at the non moving bunny horror that was apparently a scourge on the land.

  Now that part made sense to him. Simon could have guessed that.

  The problem? It was dormant. So dormant that it didn’t even notice him touching it.

  Which could only mean one thing.

  It was hiding.

  “Kaelalin.” He turned to her. “Back to the adapter portal.”

  He jumped to his feet. The Frost-kin was still kneeling, her eyes forward moving back and forth.

  “Kaelalin. We need to go.” Simon stepped to her and yanked her to her feet. “Right, the fuck now.”

  Kaelalin blinked, her eyes no longer reading. She turned and started to run.

  Simon ran next to her, his eyes scanning, searching every flake of snow near them.

  This gave him the perfect view to watch the snow turn dark.

  Above them, the aurora blinked out.

  “RUN!”

  —— ? ——

  The shifting light from above had provided a continual movement across the snow as the light refracted and reflected. Now, it felt as if the world had died, all movement seeming to hide from the darkness.

  At least that’s what it felt like for Simon and Kaelalin as they sprinted back to the portal of the adapter.

  Simon constantly searched their surroundings. Without the Aurora, it was difficult, the only light coming from the sliver of a moon above.

  It changed everything from dazzling color to pale silence.

  This was fucking bad.

  “Lets go, lets go, lets go!” he spat out, his feet pounding into the snow. For some reason Kaelalin was slowing. “Come on, we have to go. We need to move!”

  “Simon!”

  “No, no, no! We have move now!” Simon grabbed her wrist. He yanked her forward, trying to speed her along. “The Aurora’s gone, its fucking gone! Shit shit shit!”

  “SIMON!” Kaelalin snapped, tugging at her arm. She winced as she couldn’t break his vice like grip. “SIMON LISTEN TO ME!” She dug in her heels.

  “WHAT?!” Simon practically screamed, his eyes wildly searching for that thing. The creature of nightmares that could come from anywhere. “Kaelalin we have to run! We have t-”

  “You’re going the wrong fucking WAY!” Kaelalin screamed in his face.

  Simon froze, panicked eyes turning to her. Kaelalin was no longer wearing her tinted lenses and was holding the map in other hand. She gestured roughly forty five degrees to the left.

  “We have to go that way!”

  “Shit!” Simon said, his heart still pumping like drum. “Sorry!” He released her arm

  “It’s fine.” She replied, rubbing her wrist, “Now like you said, lets go!”

  Kaelalin sprinted in the direction she had pointed to.

  The two sped into the night.

  How far had they gone? Was it ten minutes away? Twenty? Thirty? He couldn’t remember.

  They had run pretty fast. But it wasn’t close to their fear induced speed they were maintaining.

  He peered into the distance, his eyes focusing. The lenses adjusted, allowing him to see further, but there was no sign of the portal. Nothing.

  This was such so stupid. I should have listened to my gut. I knew something was wrong. It was the fucking hoppers. They weren’t attacking! They always attack. just–

  “How am I so stupid!” his thoughts poured out of his mouth. “Stupid fucking plan. Why did. Fuck!”

  “Simon, you aren’t stupid. This was a –”

  Simon cut off her mental words. “Yes I am! This was a mistake. You should have stayed at the portal. We shouldn't have tried to find another one. I should have listened to my gut. What the fuck was I thinking?”

  “We’re going to make it there, Simon. We will.” Kaelalin’s grim determination flowed into his mind.

  “You don’t know that!” Simon hissed, then fell silent.

  “Just keep searching for the portal.” was her only response.

  They ran, and ran. Agonizing minute after agonizing minute. Kaelalin sounded like she was about to fall over.

  Then.

  Simon spotted it.

  A faint outline in the snow. Cleared stone. He directed his eyes to see, he had to see it.

  It was the portal.

  “Right there!” Simon cried out, relief pouring out of his voice. “There it is!” He gestured towards it, his vision returning to normal.

  It was still far, but within vision.

  “We’re going to make it Kaelalin!” Simon said, his voice filled with hope. “I’m no arguing on this, you are running the fuck into that portal and not coming out until morning. Got it?!”

  Kaelalin was heaving in air as she struggled to stay upright. Simon half expected her to argue, but instead her reply soothed his mind.

  “Got it. I’m diving in.” There was pause. “Please be safe, Simon. Please.”

  Simon nodded grimly and the two crested a rise, the portal fading out of view. Just two more slight hills and they were there.

  That’s when they heard the howl.

  Simon whipped around, keeping up a backwards jog as he hurriedly searched for the creature.

  The howl came again.

  He kept searching. His eyes danced across hillsides and open plains. Where was it? He searched distant trees, straining his vision to find it.

  Where are you fucker.

  No movement. No sign of it.

  Simon spun around and moved to sprint forward.

  He nearly ran straight into Kaelalin who had gained a lead. Simon dove to the side at the last moment and missed her. He rolled then jumped to his feet.

  “Kaelalin what the hell?! Why did you stop?”

  But the Frost-kin didn’t respond to his mental yell. She just stood, unmoving, her face frozen in horror starting towards the portal.

  Simon ran to her, his hand gripping the largest instrument he had summoned during their run. A shitty flute.

  His eyes moved and followed Kaelalin’s gaze.

  Simon froze.

  Ahead of them, a black mass stood on four legs in the snow. In the lower center of the mass, two glowing eyes stared back.

  It just stood there, watching them.

  Simon felt his throat constrict as he and Kaelalin stared back.

  No one moved.

  It was hard to make out every feature of the monster, but it was as huge and awful as he remembered. Four legs, glowing eyes, and its body seemed to drip black tar. Now that they were this close, Simon saw two things he couldn’t remember if he had noticed.

  Two long appendages extended from its back, their tips shining in the moonlight. The swept through the air like the feelers of some aquatic creature.

  “What is it doing?” Kaelalin asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  Kaelalin gulped. “Simon. I think it's intelligent. It’s between us and the portal. It's either that or it’s just lucky.”

  Simon gazed beyond the creature and saw the cleared stone.

  What the hell, were they going to do?

  —— ? ——

  Hope everyone is staying warm in this snowy weather! (Well, its pretty snowy for me anyways.)