Anderson walked and walked his hand against the cold metal wall. Every step sent a jolt through his body. The wall around the clock was much larger than he could ever imagine. Yet he walk his goal had been set many days ago. He would not stop till he was inside the city.
The metal on his hand was cold, but it gave him hope. Hope that the cold would end. Hope that he could be warm. Hope he would be safe. So he walked. The snow crunching under his feet. A single centipede leg in his hand. The leg acted like a walking stick, letting his aching body not bare the full pain of every step. He walked for hours passing bodies of decaying creatures around the wall, and yet not for a moment did Anderson stop.
Then he stopped. Not because he found the entrance, not because his body could not continue, but because of the thing in front of him.
A single white rabbit sat in front of him. It eyes were a crimson red. One much deeper than even his own. That was not what stopped him though. It was the hundreds of crimson eyes that were staring at him. These eyes did not hold any warmth toward Anderson. Their gazes were all cold.
Then the one in front. It hopped forward slowly, non threatening. It moved closer. Anderson tried to step back, but his body didn't want to move again. For the first time since his command his body had stopped.
The rabbit hopped to him. It started rubbing against his leg. Anderson's heart which was beating way to fast started slowing down.
Then the rabbit bit him. The pain was cold and searing. Finally his body moved. He got into a combat stance using the centipede leg as a spear.
Quickly he stabbed the rabbit.
[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Albino Rabbit]
As the spell announced his kill the way of eyes moved.
There was one then two then four then eight. With ever second more rabbits came out of the forest. Ever second their numbers grew larger and larger. Ever second Anderson swung he spear.
[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Albino Rabbit]
[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Albino Rabbit]
[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Albino Rabbit]
[You have slain a...
They were weak but there numbers were monstrous.
He backed up more and more. The avalanche of rabbits was never ending. Anderson wanted to be warm and so he was. Bathed in the warm blood of the hundreds of rabbits. One after another they leapt at him.
He would strike them down as its blood would fly.
At first the blood was little, but the closer they got the more the blood piled.
The warmth of the blood did nothing but drive Anderson more to get more of its warmth one way or another.
"Command Slow" Anderson announced, voice blazing with the taste of iron from the rabbits blood. He wanted more. One of his four fingernails was pulled.
His plan to retreat had changed. He was hungry for more.
"Command weaken defense" Anderson voice rang out again as two more of his nail were pulled.
Now he wanted them all dead.
He moved as quickly as he could with his injured body.
[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Albino Rabbit]
[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Albino Rabbit]
[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Albino Rabbit]
[You have slain...
[You have gained a memory, Bloody Fur Coat.]
He killed more than thirty of the rabbits, but there were still too many. He wanted to kill them all, but his body wouldn't last. He realized this too late though. The rabbits had circled him. His body was shutting down. One knee on the snow. His vison was fading. He had forced himself to do much more than he should of.
So he made one last move.
"I command you to retreat." The air around him froze along with the rabbits' bloodlust as his last remaining fingernail and all ten of his toenails were pulled.
That pain was the last thing he felt as it forced him unconscious. However, the rabbits did not move to attack. The stayed. Unmoving.
Then just as it happened at the start a single rabbit moved.
Then two.
Then four.
Then eight.
The hundreds of rabbits moved away.
And so Anderson laid there just like he had a few days ago. In the cold hard snow. Freezing. Hours passed. Maybe ever a day and nothing happened. He did not wake as he did the first time. His body did not let him.
"Hey everyone check this out." A voice called out.
"What is it this time Darel, it better not be another corpse." Another annoyed voice replied.
"Well I don't think its a corpse. Well at at least not yet." The original voice answered.
"The hell you mean not yet." The unknown man peaked over the wall. "Holy shit that's a person. Call the medical team now."
The unknown man jumped over the wall landing in the snow right next to Anderson.
Coughing the man picked Anderson up. "What the hell is with this smoke, my lungs are on fire."
Covering his mouth he quickly headed back to the wall, grabbing onto the ladder Darel had lowered.
Getting to the top of the wall he quickly handed Anderson over to two medical personal, both of whom had put on masks after seeing the smoke the came with Anderson.
There the unknown man stood after the two had taken Anderson. Now turning to Darel he spoke.
"Why didn't you do something sooner? That boys life is in critical danger if the wounds are as serious as I think they are."
"Well sir, I couldn't make it out due to the smoke. I thought it was one of those monstrous Clock Works."
"Fine at least the boys alive. Also you were only following the rules when it comes to the Clock Works I get it, but you got to be more preceptive. Look for the hands they are the clearest sign of a Clock Work."