…

Li Shun: “...WHY HAVE THEY BEEN TALKING FOR SO FUCKING LONG?! I've lost a good amount of the tension that made me scared!”

Brennan: “Do...Do you want me to bring it back? Hahah…”

Li Shun: “Don’t think it works like that, friend. With the THREE of us, locking our capabilities together against those TWO villains… how can we NOT win? How can we LOSE?!”

.

.

.

Ian: “Huh…? Hahah… hahaha – HAHA! How can we lose? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW...exactly how we can lose…? Tell me then, Li Shun. CAN 3 RABBITS FEND OFF OR EVEN POSSIBLY DEFEAT A HUNGRY AND BLOODTHIRSTY LION?? Because THAT’S how we lose!!”

Li Shun: “...If… If they go for the jugular…”

Brennan: “…”

Ian: “You…

Are you stupid…? You ACTUALLY believe 3 rabbits could take down a bloodthirsty lion?”

Li Shun: “...Y-Yes…”

Brennan: “Pfft...”

Li Shun: “Wait it’s really possible! If-If they are super rabbits specially trained for this sort of thing!”

Ian: “...Tres incroyable, bunnies have suddenly become ninjas in your mind. This crazy way of thinking cements it: we are completely doomed.”

Brennan: “Well. Hahahah… it was nice knowing everybody. I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep my promise with you mom, that I couldn’t fulfill your wish...”

Li Shun: “Can you guys just...NOT GIVE UP so easily?! We have a chance!”

Ian: “Ahahaha! ‘We have a chance’ he says! You really believe we can win against that guy with spikes on his shoulders or the girl dressed up like she’s headed for a cosplay convention?! PROVE IT! I need facts! Feats of your incredible abilities or prowess that will let me place MY faith in you winning. Because I KNOW that I don’t stand a chance against those two. Not one bit.”

Li Shun: “The GIRL! Most likely she is NOT a fighter! We only need to watch out for the GUY!”

Brennan: “…!”

Ian: “...What? What… Wha - What do you mean?? There’s NO way she would be dead weight – don’t be stupid!”

Brennan: “...Hey guys.”

Li Shun: “Remember!? What did she say to the guy?? We barely picked it up on your camera, but still – I HEARD what she said! I HEARD IT!!”

Brennan: “...G-”

Ian: “Oh yeah? Is it something that can, oh I don’t know… HELP US??! Because I’m not interested in miscellaneous informatio-”

Li Shun: “She’s a healer! If she HEALS then she can’t risk fighting! That’s like, common knowledge in-”

Ian: “In mmos maybe but this is REALITY!! It shouldn’t be that simple if she was sent here to ENGAGE US in battle!”

Brennan: “Gu- Guys?”

Li Shun: “Maybe she came to us because she would be in danger facing off against that monster in the girl's side!”

Brennan: “Guys?”

Ian: “I’m NOT DENYING THAT! Maybe she DID come to us because she’d be safer! But! That doesn’t erase the possibility that she possesses--”

Brennan: “GUYS!! Stop arguing and pay attention to me!!”

Li Shun: “...

...What is it?”

Ian: “…

...What do you want, you attention hog?”

Brennan: “...Why...don’t we - *SHAAAK!* Why don’t we just…

leave through a window?”

Li Shun: “Why...haha………..’’

Ian: “I’m such an idiot. I’m such an idiot – I’m SUCH an idiot…!”

Brennan: “Yeah...I was trying to explain-”

Ian: “Why didn’t you SAY so sooner?! They’ve probably gotten uncomfortably close to us by now!”

Li Shun: “We…We ca--!”

Brennan: “Because you two were ARGUING so much!”

Ian: “Fair point.”

Brennan: “I think we should choose a random path in the forest and follow it to the end.”

Ian: “Better than staying here. Hmph! Let’s go!”

Li Shun: “We CAN’T!”

Brennan: “…….Why?”

Li Shun: “Because I-”

Ian: “Yes, please explain WHY we should stay here with the scary villains instead of running AWAY from them! You’re not sounding all that smart right now, Li Shun.”

Li Shun: Because I CAN’T just...abandon them!”

Ian: “Who, the villains? You wan’t to STAY with the villains??”

Li Shun: “No, idiot. THE GIRLS! If we let them go, the girls will be next. I can’t do that. I can’t...I can’t abandon my code of honor.”

Ian: “Puhahaha! Code of honor?! You want to save somebody ELSE when your legs are quivering and your TEETH are CHATTERING?! Waiting until the villains come and find you isn’t scary enough, huh? Are you a freaking masochist or something?? Well play with your own life – NOT mine!”

Brennan: “Yeah, I mean...If we stay here we’ll only be getting ourselves killed – we might even endanger the girls FURTHER if we’re taken in as hostages to use against that ‘monster’. Besides...all of us are too scared to… to do anything. We’re not from the hero course…”

Li Shun: “I’M ALWAYS SCARED! Whenever I… When I would go around town shifting baddies’ attention away from those that need help...I was ALWAYS terrified for my freaking life! Do you think I want attention or something – thats’ why I’m saying this? NO!

...It’s just... I can’t imagine living with myself if I walk away from this threat!”

Ian: “We’re ‘NON - Combatants’ for a reason! ‘We’ equals NO COMBAT!”

Brennan: “Why...pretend to be heroes when we can leave and call for help from real ones?”

Li Shun: “AND WHAT IF THEY’RE DEAD BY THEN?!”

Ian: “!!”

Brennan: “!!”

Li Shun: “...You guys can go. I won’t force you to help me and I won’t ask anymore.

I… I need to do this. I have to PROVE that there’s nothing for those girls to worry about – be…. because…

*Deep breath*

...Haah.

‘Cause I want to be a HERO one day! A couple of villains won’t stop me from reaching my dream!”

Brennan: “…(A hero…).”

Ian: “...I’ll come back as soon as I get help from somebody on campus.”

Li Shun: “...Hey, Ian. Brennan!”

Ian: “...Yeah? What is it? Having second thoughts already? I knew you’d co-”

Li Shun: “...It was nice knowing you.”

Ian: “…!

Brennan: “!!”

They watched as the strong-willed back of their classmate grew ever more distant. Brennan was faintly reminded of his mother, and her words back home in the forest. Was he going to lose another person… inside of this damned forest? The very thought made him stiffen.

Ian gained a sense of distance from that ominous sendoff. He knew. His brain processed the need to give that message, when faced with deadly villains and no heroes to save them. But the feeling that came with his foreboding choice of words was truly heart-wrenching.

It was… a very strange feeling. They knew he was no match for the two opponents, but, for some strange reason... he instilled them with courage. Hope. The desire to improve and the strength to succeed over all obstacles. Facing danger so bravely, knowing FULL well the threat baring its fangs now was on a far greater level compared to those times before. Out in public where heroes responded quickly and in drones, even aspiring heroes were for the most part, safe.

.

.

.

But here? Most likely...

...Nobody would be coming to aid them. Not anytime soon.

…

Li Shun: “Calm down, me. Calm down. I’ve been over this … I’ve been through things like this before! Remember Mr. Disaster! Remember that time’s fear! I won’t run away!”

6: “Hmm. I wonder which room that voice came from.”

Li Shun: “!!!”

6: “Is it~ THIS ONE?!”

*BOOM!*

5: “Wrong~ How about~ THIS one??”

*Boom!*

6: “Nope~ Ahaha! This is fun!”

Li Shun froze at the doorway. Sparks flew from one end of the hall, but he couldn’t tell who they were coming from. All he thought about now was hopping through that open window and leaving with the others.

Fire? Explosions? That’s terrifying!

He can’t punch his way out of an explosion!

...But he had to. He had no choice – there was NOBODY ELSE! Maybe if he could lead them to the barrier, he could get that monster’s help? He’s sure everybody would think about her in a situation like this...her punch was terrifying.

.

.

.

but no. Monster or not, she was his classmate – a… a ‘civilian’ and a noncombatant’ student. He resolved himself with these final, remaining thoughts, and stood by the wall beside the door.

6: “Hmmm. This is tiring. 5? care to torch the whole place?”

5: “Can’t. The whole hallway including every room here will get torched, that’s true. But so will the girl’s dorm. And that means saying goodbye to 3 and 2.

6: “Pfft! Yea right. don’t pretend your fire skill is all that impressive. At most, you can light up a couple floors if you give everything ya got into one massive burst. There’s a reason we call your power ‘Torch’ instead of Pyrokinesis. You ain’t past C grade yet.”

5: “...Fool. My powers can at least burn through a building like this with ease – ask the boss if you don’t believe me! If I try to burn through the floor here, my powers will just release throughout the entire building. That’s why boss calls me 'torch’! Because this entire building would look like a torch! Your quip didn’t even make sense!”

6: “Whatever. I COULD just heal them all anyway, but since you’re too scared to be proven wrong then fine. I won’t force it.”

5: “…..(Stuck up little priest).”

The two went through about 27 rooms, destroying absolutely everything they could find with a flick of 5’s wrist.

.

.

.

No blood. No burnt flesh. No human screams.

Nothing.

5 and 6 became increasingly impatient – they were beginning to actually consider torching the entire building, or at least TRY to only destroy the boy’s half of the first floor.

Finally... they made it to the 27th room.

5: “6, I think this might be a bad idea after all. After this one last room, let’s just go ahead and torch the whole pla--”

*BAM!*

*CRACK!*

6: “See – I told you s-”

5 had just opened the door and turned his head to say his peace to his teammate 6 when suddenly a fist came crashing into his neck. The cracking was audible, and the damage dealt was clear. An average punch can deal somewhere around 120-170 psi – this is more than enough to crush the windpipe of an unsuspecting 19 year old.

But Li Shun didn’t know about such things. His only though was brought back to his earlier comment – and he continuously repeated it to himself like a favored mantra:

Li Shun: “If a Bunny aims for the jugular, it can even fell a LION!”

---