The bunny kid who wants to become the strongestt

Eleo yawned loudly, arms stretched wide like a sleepy bunny starfish. "Okaaay… I'm tired!"

Kenji let out a short, quiet breath, his expression neutral as always. "Same here," he muttered, rubbing his eye once before quickly folding his arms again.

Olorun pointed dramatically ahead. "Then onward, my sleepy crew—to the legendary Rest Lodge! Home of warm beds and even warmer blankets!"

They walked into the cozy, dim-lit lodge. Moss covered the corners, and magical lanterns floated midair, softly flickering. Right near the entrance, Tony's glowing eye caught a dusty framed picture on the wall.

He stepped closer. "Huh…"

The image showed four heroes—each striking a bold pose. A wild-looking cat girl with blades in both hands, a huge brute with a battle axe, a sharp-eyed archer mid-draw, and a robed mage with energy swirling around his staff.

The words carved beneath: "Protectors of Silvan."

Timmy floated up near Tony, tiny hands on his cheeks. "Whoa… what happened to them?"

Olorun scratched his head. "They probably got hit with the curse. Poof. Game over."

Tony crossed his arms, frowning. "Let's hope we don't end up in a creepy 'before' photo too."

Eleo skipped up to the front counter. "Hello?" He rang a small bell. No answer. "Huh. Weird…"

Kenji stepped beside him. "What is it?"

"There's no one here," Eleo said, leaning over the desk like he was expecting someone to pop out.

Timmy blinked. "That's… really strange. Shouldn't there be someone managing this place?"

Olorun flopped dramatically onto the front desk. "Who gives a damn! That means we can pick a room fast! I call dibs!"

He dashed down the hallway with everyone trailing behind, flung open Door #1 and stepped inside.

Only one bed.

Silence.

Then—Kenji and Olorun locked eyes like two warriors sensing war. Their auras practically clashed.

"Rock."

"Paper."

"Scissors—SHOT!"

Olorun's scissors cut Kenji's paper.

"YEEEEEEEAAAHHHHHH!!" Olorun leaped up like he won the lottery. "The bed is MINE! You see that, Kenji?! DESTINY!"

Kenji sighed with quiet dignity. "Damn it."

Just then, Tony strutted forward, cracking his skeletal knuckles with dramatic flair. "Hold it, muscle boy. You forgot the final boss."

Olorun's grin widened. "Bring it, bones."

"Rock, paper, scissors—SHOT!"

Scissors again. Olorun wins.

"YES!! That's TWO kills, baby!" Olorun pointed at the ceiling. "Is anyone seeing this streak?! Someone paint a mural of me!"

Tony slumped to the floor. "I should've punched you instead…"

Olorun spun around. "Alright, Eleo! Let's go, bunny boy!"

Eleo stepped up, face serious like a champion gladiator entering the arena. "Okay!"

They locked fingers.

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS—SHOT!"

Eleo wins with paper.

"I WIIIIIIIIIINNN!!!" Eleo did a triple spin, backflopped onto the bed, and wrapped himself in the blanket like a burrito. "I am the bed king!!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!!" Olorun dropped to his knees, slamming the floor. "My undefeated streak—BETRAYED!!"

Eleo stuck his tongue out. "Sorry, Olorun! Better luck next time!"

Suddenly—Timmy's tiny head popped up right next to Eleo's face.

"Yeah, Olorun. Better luck next time."

Eleo blinked. "Wait… Timmy? You didn't even play."

Timmy puffed his chest. "Yeah, but I'm super, super tiny. I don't take any space!"

Eleo nodded sagely. "Oh yeah. Good point. Me and Timmy are winners!!"

Kenji sat cross-legged in the corner, arms crossed again, watching all this with a completely blank face… until a tiny smile cracked at the corner of his lips.

Tony rolled onto the floor like a sack of bones. "If this bed doesn't collapse from karma, I'll be impressed."

Olorun laid flat, arms spread dramatically. "I was so close… So. Close…"

Eleo gave him a thumbs up from the bed. "You're number one in our hearts though."

"No I'm not!" Olorun shouted from the floor.

"Yeah, you're right," Eleo giggled, wrapping the blanket tighter.

Meanwhile: In the dimly lit mayor's hall, storm winds howled against the windows. Lightning briefly lit the room, casting long shadows of the four former heroes standing before the desk.

Budey leaned back in his oversized chair, feet propped up on a table cluttered with scrolls, half-eaten candy, and a single potted plant that looked suspiciously more alive than it should've been. A twisted grin stretched across his face as he bit into a sticky caramel apple, the crunch echoing in the quiet chamber.

The cat girl, Gatta, flicked her tail impatiently and crossed her arms. "Want us to take them out, sir? I can make it look like an accident. Slipped on some roots and—bam—snapped neck."

Bruto grunted and ripped off a chunk of meat from a giant turkey leg he'd brought into the room. "No need for tricks. I say we bust in and crush 'em. That bunny? He'd pop like a grape."

Freccia sat near the corner, methodically sharpening one of his arrows with a bone file. He spoke without looking up. "That swordsman... the way he looked at the picture. That wasn't curiosity. That was recognition. He's seen real war. Could be a problem."

Mago stepped forward, his long cloak dragging behind him, face half-hidden under his hood. His voice was quiet but cold. "If you'd like, I can erase them without a sound. Just say the word."

Budey waved his caramel apple dismissively. "No, no, no! That's the old way of thinking."

He stood up slowly, licking caramel off his thumb with exaggerated flair.

"At first, I was worried they might ruin everything… but now? Heh. Now I see opportunity." He walked toward the window, hands behind his back as he stared out into the cursed forest that shimmered with eerie light.

"I won't waste pawns when I can use them to play a bigger game."

He spun around dramatically, pointing the apple at them like it was a weapon.

"Yes… the plant monster can have them. Let it feast. That idiot rabbit, the shady skeleton, the tiny gremlin, even the swordsman and the godling—feed them all to it."

Gatta's ears perked up as she laughed darkly. "So we're not killing them… we're feeding them to your overgrown salad?"

Bruto let out a roar of laughter. "I like it! Nothing like watching prey get swallowed whole."

Mago smirked faintly, already turning to leave. "I'll prepare the seals. No one escapes that thing once it's hungry."

Freccia gave a single nod. "And if they survive, they won't be the same."

Budey leaned against the window frame, watching the cursed trees sway unnaturally.

"And once they're gone… the rest of the people in Silvan will be easy. One by one, they'll fall—roots in their veins, minds hollowed out, slaves to my master."

He took another loud bite of the apple, grinning through the crunch.

"Let's see if the little bunny's and he's friends courage still shines… when he's being digested."

The next day morning sunlight crept through the old lodge's wooden blinds, casting golden beams across the dust-filled room. Birds chirped faintly outside, and the smell of old wood mixed with morning dew hung in the air.

Inside, the room was a pile of limbs and tangled bodies.

Eleo lay sprawled out, limbs flopped like a ragdoll, Timmy curled on his chest like a sleeping kitten. Tony was face-down on the floor, one sock missing for unknown reasons. And in the center of the bed—

Olorun was lying flat on his back, arms folded like a dignified samurai at rest… with Kenji curled up on top of him, like a giggling sloth.

A moment of peaceful silence.

Then—

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Kenji's eyes shot open instantly. "What the hell—?!"

Olorun woke next, groggy but wide-eyed. "—HUH?! Who's touching my abs?!"

Both men screamed at the same time, jolting upright.

"AAAHHHHH!"

Kenji flailed back, elbowing Olorun in the forehead.

"WHY ARE YOU ON ME?!"

Kenji snapped, "Because you moved me on top of you!"

Olorun shot back, "Bullshit!"

Tony stirred on the floor, blinking. "Huh? What? Are we under attack? Did someone set fire to the floor again?"

Eleo sat up, hair a total mess, eyes half-lidded. "What's goin' on? Are we fighting? Is it breakfast time?" His head slowly tilted to Timmy. "Hey, why are you hiding?"

Timmy peeked from behind Eleo's back, trembling like a leaf. "Protect me, Eleo! I sense dangerous vibes!"

Eleo nodded seriously. "I got you, buddy. Danger's got nothin' on us!"

Olorun stood up, still fixing his wild bedhead. "The real danger is this samurai elbowin' me in the freakin' brainstem."

Kenji pointed sharply. "Sleep somewhere else next time."

Then—

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!

This time louder. Faster.

Tony stood up, yawning like a bored devil. "You guys keep arguing. I got this."

He walked over to the door, cracked his knuckles, threw on his suave smile. "Alright, alright, keep your petals on. Hello? Who's—"

Before the sentence could leave his lips, a massive vine-covered fist shot through the door, decking Tony square in the face and launching him like a cannonball across the room.

"—–UUUURGGHHHH—!"

Tony smashed into Kenji and Olorun, the three of them toppling over like dominoes, groaning in a tangled heap.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Kenji roared from under Tony's legs.

Olorun was wheezing, upside down. "That... was not room service…"

Eleo's eyes went huge. "Whoa… that punch was awesome!"

Timmy was practically vibrating with fear. "WE'RE GONNA DIEEEEE!"

As the dust settled, the ruined door swung open with a long, creaky groan—revealing the twisted, hulking frame of a snarling plant monster, vines writhing, flowers blooming on its shoulders, and sap dripping from its jaw like venom.

The leaf-covered monster roared with fury, vines lashing as it charged toward the heap of Olorun, Kenji, and Tony still recovering on the floor.

Its footfalls were thunderous, splinters of wood snapping under its heavy roots as it closed the distance fast.

But before it could strike—

"INK BARRAGE!"

Eleo shot out of bed like a missile, arms coated in swirling black ink. His fists blurred in motion, pummeling the monster with a flurry of punches. Each strike exploded with inky force, splashing black streaks across the walls and floor.

The final blow cracked the monster across the jaw, sending it flying back with brutal force. It tore through the lodge wall with a violent crash, leaving behind a gaping hole and a trail of dripping sap.

Timmy peeked from the bed, eyes sparkling. "Nice job, Eleo!"

Eleo wiped his brow, grinning as his fists steamed with lingering energy. "Thank you, thank you! I do take tips, by the way."

Olorun pushed himself up with a groan, brushing bits of broken wood off his arms. "How the hell did that thing even get in here?! Weren't the Tree Knights supposed to be guarding the place?"

Kenji grabbed both of his swords, slinging them over his back with purpose. His eyes were sharp. "I get the feeling... something happened to them."

Tony stood tall, cracking his skeletal neck dramatically. "No time to lose." He dashed toward the hallway without hesitation, coat flaring behind him.

"Wait for me, Tony!" Eleo called out, chasing after him with Timmy right behind.

Timmy leapt from the bed, landing nimbly on Kenji's shoulder and tugging his collar. "Come on, guys!"

Kenji and Olorun exchanged a quick look, nodded, then took off after the others in a sprint.

They barreled through the lodge, boots slamming the creaky wood floor, dodging broken beams and overturned furniture from the earlier attack.

But just as they reached the front entrance—

They skidded to a halt.

Outside, standing calmly, were Eleo and Tony.

Olorun blinked. "Ah. You guys waited for us. That's actually... kinda sweet."

But no one was smiling.

The group stepped outside—and froze.

The morning air was thick and heavy, charged with a sinister pressure. The village before them was unrecognizable. What once was a quiet wooded retreat had become a battlefield.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of plant monsters swarmed the land, blanketing the ground and trees. Their bodies twisted unnaturally, vines writhing like snakes, flowers blooming with black petals, and glowing red eyes pulsing with dark energy.

Some stalked on four legs, others towered with jagged limbs and thorned maws. The air stank of sap and decay, like rotting forests and old blood.

Eleo's jaw dropped. "Uhh… wow. That's a lot."

Tony let out a dry chuckle, trying to keep it light. "Yep. Looks like we're a little outnumbered."

Timmy's voice shook. "H-How did this happen?!"

Kenji's grip on his swords tightened. His voice was low. "I-I don't know…"

Olorun's eyes narrowed, glowing faintly with tension. "...The curse, maybe."

The dark wind howled through the trees.

And in the distance, something massive moved.