The drive back home was a quiet affair for the two Heberts. Both are disappointed for different reasons, such as where they came from.
It's been a few days since Taylor woke up from her coma due to the locker incident. It is an incident that the young Hebert doesn't want to remember yet haunts her very nightmares.
The smell.
The enclosed space.
And the fading laughter as she was left alone.
Just remembering the events makes her want to vomit.
Of course, after she had woken up, Danny Hebert, her father, wanted justice for her. But what justice can they have when the world is literally against them?
Emma, her traitorous best friend no more, has a lawyer for a father. Anything they throw at him will be thrown or rebuked by lack of evidence and more.
The school? Principal Blackwell is an incompetent yes-man. Taylor doesn't know why but there is no footage of what happened in the incident. With how big it was, there is bound to be a single video or better yet, footage in the hallways.
Conveniently, the hallway camera is broken in that certain hallway and there is zero footage at all.
They don't have a case.
They both went home defeated. Bringing nothing from their trip.
It doesn't help that her father is on the verge of shutting down again. Taylor can see the telltale signs. It's the same signs she once saw after her mom…
Nevertheless, she continued her day. She made sure to keep her dad company as he wallowed and apologized to her.
For neglecting her.
For not noticing.
For being a failure of a father.
She accepted it of course yet inside, a bitter part of her would say it's too late.
Too late.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
That night, Taylor lay on her bed restless yet the sweet embrace of darkness avoided her.
Not because of the emotional turmoil or the drama she went through but because of the blue floating screen in front of her face, disturbing her attempts to sleep.
"Go away," Taylor muttered, glaring at the screen.
The thing was there from the very start since she woke up from her coma. She already confirmed that she isn't a Parahuman, Panacea tested that after cleansing her body from all the infections she got in the…
Shaking her head out of the memory, Taylor continued to glare at the screen. Fortunately, it was invisible to everyone but her so she wasn't worried through the days where it continued to float on her face.
[Enter the Eternal Dungeon?]
[Yes]
[Yes]
It said Taylor can only deadpan at the options.
With a tired sigh, the teen finally relented and pressed one of the Yes buttons.
And so Taylor's life changed as she entered the dungeon.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The first thing that Taylor knew was the void. A place of pure darkness yet she can see clearly.
An oddity for sure and something to panic about.
Yet she's too tired of it.
Tired of school.
Tired of Emma.
Tired of school.
Tired of Dad.
Tired of everything!
She doesn't care anymore.
Then the blue screen came back. This time, she had an ensemble of choices.
[Warrior]
[Rogue]
[Healer]
[Mage]
[Ranger]
[Brawler]
[Painter]
Taylor isn't much of a gamer, that's Greg's position and she doesn't want to associate with someone like him.
For someone who has an interest in her, they are pretty cowardly.
She doesn't need him.
As for her choice, she just randomly decided to pick Warrior. It's basic, straight forward and plain.
Like her.
Now this is getting sad.
After she picked her choice, everything went dark.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 1]
[Welcome to the Eternal Plains]
Taylor woke up again to the blue screen greeting her. Gathering her thoughts and checking herself, she can feel that she's lying on the grass.
Very comfortable grass.
The air is also very comfortable, a soft and refreshing sea breeze brushing her. All around, she can hear the soft rustle of grass swaying to the wind.
This is kinda relaxing.
If this is her power, then she'll accept it. This is nice therapy for her.
Unfortunately, that line of thought was broken by something hard on her side. Something long, thick, and rock-hard.
Not like that!
It was a sword.
Taylor hadn't seen one up close or touched one so she clumsily handled the sharp weapon. Fortunately, she didn't cut herself but this begs the question.
Where is she and what she is supposed to do here? Relax?
Why the sword?
Then something soft landed on her lap as she pondered on the answers to her questions.
It was a rabbit.
A pure white fluffy rabbit.
"So cute." Taylor softly squealed. She's still a girl and she likes cute things. Not to mention, it's her first time seeing a real rabbit instead of pictures. It's also her first time touching one.
She's definitely in therapy heaven if this is her power. Having a cute bunny for animal therapy sounds good and the atmosphere of the place is very relaxing.
An open grass field that spans across the naked eye, good weather, and a bunny as a companion.
What can she ask more for a relaxing day after her shitty day?
As Taylor continued to pet and fluff the bunny's soft pure white coat, she never saw it coming.
It ripped her throat open, killing her in an instant.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[You have been slain by Rabid Rabbit]
"Eh?"
Taylor blinked as she found herself once again in the void. Her hands immediately went to her throat, feeling the phantom pain of her throat being ripped open by the sharp incisors of the cute rabbit.
She is very confused.
Once again, she was given the same starting choices. She picked the Warrior immediately.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 2]
Taylor found herself again in the Eternal Plains, still confused about what just happened.
This time, her hands immediately secured the sword for her safety in an unconscious move of self-preservation.
Then she saw the rabbit that killed her, still covered in her blood and viscera.
Taylor blanched.
"Nice bunny?" She squeaked.
The rabbit pounced on her, tackling her on the stomach with enough force to knock the wind out of the teen and send her tumbling to the ground with wide eyes.
It then descended on her and ripped her throat open, again.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 3]
One of Taylor's eyes twitched in restrained anger as she raised her sword at the devil disguised as a rabbit.
She doesn't know how or why but this damned rabbit had killed her twice when she somehow came back from the dead.
Is this her power? Then she takes back everything she said earlier about being a good therapy session.
Cause right now, she wants blood.
Okay, not exactly blood. She hasn't killed once in her life even if it's something insignificant like insects and small animals. The thought of killing something makes her sick, especially against a person even if it's Emma or the bitch trio.
Unfortunately, this rabbit pushed her enough to make an exception.
"Come back here!" Taylor roared as she chased after the fast-moving rabbit, waving her sword around and clumsily trying to swing at it. Unfortunately, the demon rabbit must have eyes behind its head because every strike she threw at missed or outright dodged.
It's starting to frustrate the girl at this point.
Suddenly, she felt a shiver down her spine.
The rabbit is no longer alone.
There are now two of them.
Then rabbit ears started popping out of the grass around her.
"Motherfucker." Taylor muttered a curse. She was lured like a Bass to a fisherman's boat.
Being bitten to death was a nasty experience.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 7]
[Rogue run]
Taylor screamed hysterically as she ran away from the rabbit horde.
Why did she think trading her sword for two tiny daggers was a good idea?
In the end, she was drowned in an avalanche of white fluffy death.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 14]
[Fighter Run]
A rabbit went flying in the air as Taylor punted the poor thing. As for the girl herself, she is currently using a rabbit like a living nun-chuck as she starts beating back the rabbit horde.
The poor thing.
I meant her and not the rabbits.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 20]
[Mage Run]
"Burn! Hahahaha!" Taylor cackled madly while wearing a wide-brimmed hat akin to a witch as the entire field was set ablaze after she threw a bunch of fireballs.
Now this is therapy. The firepower is just a bonus.
Then something caught her eye.
"Is that rabbit wielding a bow and arrow?"
Those were her last words before an arrow pierced her skull.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 46]
The sound of swords striking each other echoed in the Eternal Plains as two warriors faced each other in mortal combat.
One is a disheveled teenager, her glasses curiously missing, holding a battered yet still serviceable sword.
Facing her is a gallant and small warrior, a rabbit in full armor. It wields a short broadsword as big as it is, swinging it with grace and strength despite its size. On its free hand is a small yet battered round shield. It was filled with scratches and marks, courtesy of its opponent.
The two warriors fought each other with ferocity, striking at each opportunity, countering at each block, and punishing every single mistake.
Until a fireball exploded on them.
A sheepish-looking rabbit with a wizard's hat hopped away at the burning bodies.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Run 69]
Taylor is getting a feel of what her power is.
It was like a game.
A repetitive game that involves her dying again and again till she completes her task. Although she had the option to quit, she found out after repeated deaths, that Taylor won't give up till she finds and completes that task.
That task was the complete annihilation of the damned rabbits.
She had used up all the classes she could use in the starting point, the void, and had begun to optimize her runs per death.
Currently, the Warrior has the best chance of beating the rabbit horde.
With her height advantage and a sword's reach, cutting down the rabbit's numbers is child's play. The only problem is when those bosses or elite rabbits come.
There are four of them.
Warrior rabbit in full armor set and weapons.
A Rogue rabbit that would stab her from behind with daggers.
An Archer rabbit with a bow
And a Wizard rabbit that's not scared of friendly fire.
The last one killed her mostly because of how vicious it is with fireballs. Granted, she can use her magic by using the Mage class but she would be immediately overwhelmed by the other bosses by losing a weapon cause the Mage class doesn't give her one.
Only the Warrior class gives her a decent weapon in the form of a sword.
So she began to use the Warrior frequently, learning how to use and wield the sword effectively through many deaths.
Slowly but surely, she became proficient in the way of the sword.
Enough to go on a one versus-four against the rabbit bosses.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Taylor clicked her tongue as her sword smashed against the rabbit Warrior's shield for the 6th time in the current fight. Immediately, she tilted her head to avoid an arrow heading its way to her head, letting it pass over her ear before kicking away the rabbit she is clashing with to jump away from a thrown fireball.
She's been fighting these murderous critters for 5 minutes and she only managed to kill the rabbit Rogue after predicting its attack from behind, allowing her to catch and stab it.
After that, it became a slug in trying to take down the rest.
The rabbit Warrior's shield and sword were the first obstacles. She can't get past it to kill the last two, which is throwing potshots at every chance, stopping her from finishing the rabbit Warrior.
A solid team indeed. But if this keeps up, Taylor has to come up with a plan to break the pace or she'll tire herself out and make a mistake.
A mistake would mean death at this point.
Clashing against the fully armored rabbit, Taylor began to come up with a plan.
This time, she decided to punt the little critter off her space, sending the armored rabbit towards the Wizard rabbit who didn't have enough time to dodge out of the way. They ended up in a heap with the poor fireball-slinging critter at the bottom.
Taylor huffed, satisfied to hear something snap from the pyro rabbit. Immediately, she went after the Archer who began to fire arrows at her. Unlike before, Taylor easily swatted or dodged each incoming arrow with ease. Repeated deaths and practice made her adept at timing her strikes keeping up with the movements at point.
Before the bow-wielding rabbit knew, its head flew in the air as Taylor cut off its head with a swing.
Two down.
No time to celebrate though as the rabbit Warrior blindsided from the side, bashing her with its shield. It sent her flying away in a heap before she immediately rolled away to avoid the incoming fireballs. The ensuing explosions barely grazed her as she recovered. Even from afar, she feels the heat coming from the burning fields around them.
The Wizard has to go next.
But before she can enact her justified assault on the pyromaniac rabbit, the heavily armored rabbit is once again on her with renewed ferocity, forcing Taylor to defend herself with equal ferociousness. Their swords were a blur as they both tried to outplay each other.
The rabbit beat her in terms of speed, attacking in a relentless and steady stream of attacks against her. Luckily, Taylor's height and reach advantage nullifies her opponent's advantage which allows her to keep up against the critter.
The problem is the shield.
Out of nowhere, the rabbit swipes their shield against one of Taylor's sword strikes, causing the girl to curse out loud as she was forced to let go or risk having her fingers broken from the unexpected parry.
Again.
As such, Taylor didn't hesitate in her next move even as the fluffy little devil stabbed her leg.
She punted it, hard.
A resounding crack echoed in the burning grasslands before the rabbit fell, its neck broken at an awkward angle.
Taylor winced at her injured leg. Despite the pain, she ignored it to focus on the last rabbit which is now charging up for one last attack.
A suicide attack that would blow up the entire area.
Without a word, she immediately retrieved her sword and threw it like a disc towards the rabbit.
Its head fell shortly as her sword passed through.
Taylor collapsed in a heap, ignoring the heat, blood, and viscera to rest.
She had done it. She killed the killer rabbits and it only took her like… A few deaths.
A chuckle came out of her, turning into a giggle before it became a full-blown laughter. It was a beautiful laugh, full of joy and happiness yet to anyone, it would be a disturbing sight to see a girl laughing her ass off on a burning field surrounded by dead rabbits.
Yet Taylor didn't care.
Because for once, she felt alive.
The thrill.
The struggle.
And her triumph.
It was exhilarating.
She liked it. Very much so, she even forgot why she was doing this to begin with. All she remembers is just wanting to take revenge against the bunny that ripped her throat open and it escalated from there once the rest of the horde or Warren (idk) joined in.
It was fun.
Discounting her injuries, she had a lot of fun. Who knew learning swordplay to kill rabbits would be fun and therapeutic? More than once she pictured the rabbits being the Bitch trio.
Heck, she even named the first rabbit that killed her Emma.
Suddenly, the blue screen appeared once more.
[Eternal Fields Cleared!]
[Pick Reward!]
[Upgrade Current class]
Or
[Acquire Second Class]
Taylor looked at the two choices with uncertainty. Both choices had merits. The Warrior class has certainly cemented itself to her for being a consistent class in fighting. Not to mention, her swordplay is probably passable at this point. Getting an upgrade is very welcome.
But having a second does give her some utility and she certainly needed it. Especially that she lacked range despite her long arms and sword reach.
It took her a few minutes of brainstorming before she decided.
She took the upgrade.
In her mind, it's better to focus on one class for now. She already has her plate full in mastering her swordplay which she would probably take as a hobby. Getting a secondary class would divide her focus and might lead to mistakes.
Fortunately, her Class Upgrades are pretty generous.
[Warrior]
[Knight]
[Lancer]
[Barbarian]
[Soldier]
[Samurai]
[Hero]
She frowned at the Hero class. A bitter yet familiar feeling swelled in her chest.
She ignored it.
No more.
Instead, she began to scout and read the choices she had to optimize and have a better time than before.
If the rabbits are the preview of what she will be put into, then she needs a good foundation to keep up.
Afterwards, she decided on her choice.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Weeks later…
It's been weeks since the Locker incident but Emma's still running high. The locker incident is probably the most ambitious and dangerous thing she had done with Sophia and they managed to pull it off without a hitch.
Minus the cut in her allowance from her suspicious Dad, they came out of it smelling roses.
"Girls, check it out. Taylor's here." Madison suddenly said, pointing at the noticeable girl in the distance entering the school hall.
"Huh? Didn't know she would have learned her lesson by now." Sophia mused with a grin, "Looks like she's a masochist for punishment. You girls wanna find out?" She asked.
"You have to ask. I'm in." Emma replied with Madison nodding enthusiastically. Messing with Taylor is something Emma wouldn't pass up.
The girl is just too weak. A prey in a world filled with predators like her.
A notion that is shared by Sophia.
Slowly, they began stalking the unsuspecting teen as she began to rummage on her new locker after her last one became unusable because of the incident. Sophia almost scoffed at how easy it is to sneak on the taller teen.
For someone bigger than her, Taylor's a doormat. A prey for predators like her. A certified loser whose only role in this world is to become a victim. She almost pitied her.
Almost.
Reaching behind the unsuspecting teen, Sophia reached on her shoulder to turn her around.
Sophia felt pain.
Bewildered, she can only feel her head pounding in a massive headache as her forehead is pressed against the locker. Not to mention, her arm is burning by being stretched and locked awkwardly behind her.
"Oh. Sorry." Herbert's meek voice reached her ears as Sophia looked behind and realized what happened.
Taylor smashed her forehead on the locker and had her in an arm lock.
A growl escaped on Sophia's lips. Taylor must have heard it as she immediately released the growling teen yet Sophia's anger didn't dissipate. It was ignited even more as she looked at Taylor's expression.
Disinterested.
She's looking down on her. Her, Sophia Hess is being looked down upon by a mere prey like Taylor.
Taylor's gonna pay.
"You bitch." Sophia growled, rubbing her arm before approaching the taller teen.
"Sorry." Taylor apologized yet again it was moot.
Because she's still looking at Sophia with the same disinterested expression. Looking down on Sophia. Seeing her not as a predator but as something lesser.
Sophia hated it.
"Don't fuck with me!" Sophia snarled before throwing a haymaker at Taylor's jaw.
The sound of bone crunching echoed in the hallway as other students watched the ensuing fight. Emma and Madison giddily watched the confrontation, wanting to see the taller teen to be put in her place. Hearing the sound of bone breaking, Sophia smirked. Weak little Taylor couldn't even dodge, her fist planting on her lower jaw, forcing her head sideways.
Then Sophia felt pain.
"Fuck!" Sophia retracted her fist, looking at her now broken fingers. Her eyes are wide open, not believing what she is seeing.
Emma and Madison gaped as Sophia staggered away from Taylor, holding her broken fingers with teary eyes.
How?
Blinking, Taylor looked down on Sophia without empathy to her plight.
"You should probably get that look on." She said before walking away with her bag to her morning class, dismissing Sophia like she was nothing more than an ant.
At that moment, Sophia finally noticed something different to the teen.
Taylor is standing straight. Not the meek and hunched-over girl who failed to hide her presence because of her height. Weak little Taylor is standing tall, walking away, and ignoring her and everyone else.
Like they didn't matter.
Not to mention, Taylor wasn't wearing her glasses. Her messy hair was now done in a ponytail that oddly suited the taller teen and she was dressed rather snuggly.
Before, Taylor only wore heavy and baggy clothes. From jackets to pants, they're all baggy and ugly.
Yet now here she is, wearing a tank top under an open jacket paired with skinny jeans that fit perfectly to her long legs.
She's got an ass too.
"The fuck?!" Sophia muttered.
Then suddenly, a pair of bunny ears peeked out of Taylor's bag before disappearing.
What the hell is happening?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter End
Gamer Taylor
Primary Class: Knight
- Knight
A heavily armored melee specialist excelling in durability and defense. The Knight draws enemy attention, shields allies, and sustains themselves with natural regeneration, making them a stalwart frontline protector.
Secondary and Tertiary Class:
N/A
Current Dungeon Clear:
Eternal Plains (Almiraj Territory/Danmachi)
Current Dungeon Progress:
Trial of the Enduring (Knights Realm)
Author's notes.
This one is rather a slow burn due to the theme I'm going for.
In this story, it will focus more on Taylor's healing.
Brockton Bay conflict would be just nothing more but side stories.
It's because when I studied Taylor's character in depth, the girl had issues like a lot.
So this story is the metaphorical healing of Taylor Hebert's character until she's ready.
Ready to throw down against Leviathan
(Spoilers)
Also in this chapter, Taylor's healing starts by giving her a purpose. A goal and something to distract herself.
Because at this point, Taylor is broken.
Unlike in the main universe where Taylor got insect powers in the story, here she got nothing.
Zilch.
But she's a gamer!
Nope.
She's not a gamer. Well, she doesn't know. All she knows is that her dungeon runs and the blue screen is part of her hallucinations or dreams like that. Not to mention, the changes are pretty subtle. Taylor didn't gain powers overnight or something like that.
What she earned is experience and skill. Experience as a fighter and skills corresponding to her class. The Knight skills are pretty subtle too. It gave her minor durability and passive regen as mentioned in the description.
This isn't the typical MC who knows everything. This is just a clueless girl whose life is in shambles after so much shit she has gone through.
As for Emma the Rabbit? Let's just say that the rabbit has some bad blood with Taylor like Emma the human.
Now that I think about it, it feels like Taylor is Alice in Wonderland.
Ha.
Peace out.