Another World Story

Day Nineteen: Escape

It didn't take long for John and Rabbit to prepare. Rather, they didn't dare take the time to prepare at all.

As soon as Rabbit managed to gather the necessary medicinal herbs, it immediately went to find John outside.

Seeing the rabbit approaching, John, as if in a hurry, asked, "Have you gathered everything?"

The rabbit nodded to him, and without saying a word, grabbed the collar of his new clothes, which was a shirt, and quickly dived downwards to the ground.

John was somewhat startled by the rabbit's action and almost let out a shriek. Thankfully, he managed to control himself and crossed his arms in front of his face. John braced for the ground's impact but was amazed by the rabbit's skill instead. As if swimming in water, the rabbit maneuvered through the solid earth as if fish on water, and that too, while carrying him. Small debris of earth would hit him from time to time, but they were too small to do any damage. John just squinted his eyes, making sure not to get any into his eyes.

As they moved, John observed his surroundings. Although the surroundings felt like they were about to collapse around them, John didn't panic. Besides the fact that he couldn't do anything if that happened, he trusted the rabbit's expertise on Earth elemental magic. Though, if he was being honest, it was mainly the former.

John, quiet as a clam, just watched as the Rabbit navigated its way underground. From time to time, it would stop and look above them as if it was seeing through the thick layers of earth, though John didn't believe that it couldn't. After all, mahou is mahou. After stopping for a few seconds or minutes, the Rabbit would continue in another direction, but given the zig-zagging way they moved, John had a vague idea of what was above.

As John remained quiet for a long time, the rabbit looked at him and signaled if he was okay, using its foreleg fingers/thumbs making a circle, to which John nodded his head.

They had already discussed what to do and not to do the night prior. Though it was mainly the Rabbit telling him to be quiet and not talk along the way. And no matter what he heard, what he saw, he must not cower or panic. He just had to follow the rabbit along, and until they reached the area John was last at, they couldn't make any unnecessary noises.

To which John nodded his head obediently. Even if his Int stat was as low as 6 and his wisdom at 7, John wasn't stupid enough to not listen to an expert. After all, he had lived and survived for a few days in the forest alone, he knew what lurked there, especially that gaze he felt.

John was certain it wouldn't end with just that feeling of someone watching him. He had read plenty of stories about that kind of event after all, and he didn't want anything to do with those scenes.

As John was lost in his own thoughts, the rabbit suddenly stopped its magic and lay flat on the ground. John was confused and was about to check the rabbit's condition when he suddenly felt it.

*Tremor*

The surrounding earth was shaking.

John's eyes constricted as he also lay flat the same as the rabbit and quickly controlled his increasing hearth rate.

*Tremor*

Again, it happened.

John looked the rabbit in the eyes and saw terror in it. Its fluffy fur stood up as if electrocuted, and its expression darkened in a way he hadn't expected a rabbit was capable of.

And that's when he knew...

"F....!"

John almost cursed as he immediately covered his mouth, not letting even air pass through, as the heavy pressure of something pressed around him, no, around them as he saw the rabbit clawing at the ground. He knew it wasn't the same presence he felt earlier. No, it was vastly different. This was far inferior to that pressure. But still, to the likes of him and the rabbit, this pressure was enough to crush their bones to dust. And this, he felt the malicious intentions of something, and he had a vague idea of whom the pressure was coming from.

John gritted his teeth as his face and body buried deeper into the ground. The pressure almost crushing his organs inside. The rabbit? It was much better as earth was its most dominant element. Though from the looks of it, the rabbit wasn't able to use much of its power, or rather, it wouldn't dare to use it.

Time seemed to passed, seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? John had no idea how long it was, he only knew that he was about to die. Death that he was so powerless to control, to change, to.... fight for his survival.

"F*ck It!" John roared in his head as he pushed his hand to the ground, trying to rise from the pressure.

"DEATH?! Do you think I'm unfamiliar with death?!" he shouted, "Even if I die now, I WON'T f*king grovel!" He roared aloud, not caring anymore even if the monster above them heard him.

"AAAHHHHHHH!!"

Hearing the loud roar, the rabbit shot its blood-shot eyes in John's direction and was surprised to see the lad managing to hold his ground by sheer will. It tried to open its mouth to speak, but the pressure was so unbearable that it couldn't even speak, let alone try to stand up. That feat made the rabbit realize once more, the boy in front of him was the one that killed half a dozen Night Wolves, alone.

And as the rabbit watched, it was like some unknown power had unlocked itself inside him. The boy was finally able to stand up!

"No," it corrected itself. "The pressure is gone..."

The rabbit slowly stood up, as it watched the boy. He was still enraged, using his "dagger" as a shovel to dig upwards, as if he wanted to fight the beast above on his own.

Realizing this, the rabbit quickly jumped and took hold of John's collar and began to cast his magic again.

"W-wait!" John protested, but the rabbit didn't listen, it just continued to dig, but it was much faster than before.

John, seeing the rabbit's expression and reaction, immediately clamped his mouth shout, and tried to control his fast beating heart. Slowly, he took deep breathes as he let himself be dragged around by the rabbit. He didn't know what got into him, he just knew, no, he felt it, he felt that if he died here, he would never be able to come back to his real world, to his family.

And that thought made him want to survive. No, live, he didn't just want to survive, he wanted to live.

John stared at the way they came from and watched as it got further and further away from them. He didn't know what happened, why the sudden pressure just disappeared into thin air, and he wasn't glad either. It just meant that something much worse, much more powerful was outside, bringing the monster to submission. And that thought, didn't make John the least bit surprised or afraid. Because he knew whether he wanted to or not, *that* monster that lurks in the water, would come after him sooner or later. And when that happens...

"I'll let the me of that time think of a solution, for now... I need to rest, all that adrenaline just drained out of me..." He whispered as he slowly closed his eyes.