I lurched to one side, the unfamiliar sensation of being on the cusp of death one moment and not the next enough to make me feel as if I’d just gotten back from twenty months at sea.

Still. Boy, was I glad I’d decided on a whim to attach that dog tag. I resolved not to part with this collar until I found another tag at least equally as useful.

Also, it appeared to have negated all damage that occurred at the point of impact, but not my previous injuries that were still in the process of healing. My hind legs still shook a bit with the effort of holding me up, so I consumed another two cores, and with several audible pops all of my bones snapped back into place.

A few other messages appeared as well, but I dismissed them without reading. There were more pressing matters—no pun intended—to worry about at the moment.

[Bubba!] Out of the courtyard rubble came Prometheus. He leapt into the air and onto my back. [I didn’t—how are you—I’m sorry!]

[Later,] I said. [We need to deal with this monstrosity, and fast. Unfortunately, my stuns don’t appear to have much effect while its moving. I’ll need to hit it when it stops to turn around.]

[That might be difficult.] Prometheus gazed into the distance, and I tracked with my own eyes to find the rat king making a wide U-turn back towards us. It was much too far away to hit with my stun beam, and by the time it was in range, it would be moving too fast again.

Dogdangit, there had to be a way.

[I... I think I have an idea,] Prometheus said. I glanced at him. [With my racial skill Enhanced Evasion, I should be able to get out of the way in time. I’ll lure it close to one of the walls, then when it stops to turn around, you hit it with a stun blast.]

[You sure you’re okay with that?] I asked.

Prometheus nodded. [My Speed and Agility are really high, and I still have fifteen free points left to pump them even higher. I can make it.]

[No, that’s not what I meant. Those are your friends and family in there, aren’t they? You sure you want to fight them?]

The little rat didn’t look at me. In the distance, the boss finished turning its lazy arc and started back towards us.

[Those aren’t my friends. They haven’t been for a long time. They’re... they’re a monster that needs to be put down.]

I didn’t say anything further. There wasn’t time. The rat king was already barreling towards us, so I dove between two large decorative stones that I hoped would be enough to keep the rat king from crushing me again. Prometheus dashed off in the other direction.

[Hey, over here! Over here! C’mon, come and get me!]

I watched the ball-o-rats hesitate, then swerve in Prometheus’s direction. He hopped up and down on a piece of rubble.

[That’s right! You’re no king of mine! C’mon!]

The rat king charged, the ground shaking as it rumbled forward. I burst from my hiding place and charged after it. The plan wouldn’t do us any good if I wasn’t in range to stun the monster when it stopped.

Prometheus disappeared behind the barreling monster. I pumped my legs after it, and the moment I saw I was gaining on the boss I let off another blast with my wand.

The monster jerked, rolled forward a bit further, then struck the apartment’s inner wall. It came to a stop.

Yes! I mentally cheered, not allowing myself to slow down to celebrate. Already the clock was ticking. My stun would almost be over before I even reached the boss. I charged faster, leapt, and ripped into the writhing mass of rats with my Claw Slash.

And the rats, much to my horror, ripped back. As my stun ended, they roared to life.

I had seen the writhing mass, had known what comprised it, but still, it wasn’t until this close that I saw what the rat king was in truth: dozens of rats all bound together, faces straining outward, teeth and claws gnashing, waiting to tear and rend the flesh from my body. Eyes stared sightless and dead as any zombie’s, but the rest of the bodies comprising the rat king were a flurry of lively activity.

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And I had thrown myself right into their midst.

Teeth tore out chunks of my fur, and claws left bloody ribbons in their wake. Even as individual rats squealed and died every time my claws sliced them in half, their brethren were quick to fill in the gap, paying me back ten times for every pain I brought upon them.

I growled, the sound low and primal in my throat, as my jaws tore into the rats around me, shredding them in a bid to win myself free.

Just as I finally did, I caught a brief glimpse of something. A pulsing gray heart, there at the center of the rat king, where all their tails connected. It was only for a moment, and then a rat bit my eye, and I was forced to retreat entirely.

The heck with this! I let off another stun beam, giving myself a blessed few seconds of relief. Without their teeth holding me there, I tumbled to the ground, managing to just barely land on my bloody paws. I limped away, using the precious seconds I had to try and find cover.

Prometheus came scampering up about the time the last of my wounds had sealed up. Only four commons cores required this time.

[It didn’t work!]

[Oh, it did,] I said, glancing back at the rat king. The boss shuddered and began to wriggle, getting its forward momentum started again. [I think I know where to strike it this time. Just keep it distracted until my ability comes off cooldown.]

That was still a good forty seconds away. Meanwhile, I had two more stun shots left. I fired another at the boss, to buy more time and distance for us both.

[We’ll have to make this one count. I only have one stun left.]

[I won’t let you down!] The little rat saluted, then scampered off to the side. I loped away, most of my aches gone after that healing but still a bit stiff in the muscles. I guess you can only regrow most of yourself so many times in a day before you start to feel it.

From the top of a broken fountain, Prometheus danced and waved. [Hey, over here you overgrown fur ball! You’re a disgrace to rat kind, you know that? Come get me!]

The rat king began rolling. I watched over my shoulder, loping towards my hiding place as the boss began moving faster. Only...

It was headed for me, not Prometheus!

I turned and lunged for the space between the decorative rocks.

Something seized my hind leg. I lurched to a halt, my legs splaying as I hit the courtyard floor. Glancing behind me, my eyes bulged upon seeing what had ahold of me.

The goblin chief. He looked frail and emaciated, but somehow, he held my leg in an iron grip. I kicked and snarled and snapped back at him, but he simply warbled his monstrous taunt.

And the rat king was stampeding towards us. The ground shook, and I could see the rushing wall of fur and teeth would be on us any second. I hit the goblin chief with my last stun, locking him in place. My hind leg slipped free.

It didn’t matter. The shadow of the rat king fell over me. I’d never make it.

Dead, twice in one day.

I growled as my vision filled with black and brown fur, my teeth an angry rictus of defiance. At least I would die on my paws, facing my enemy, just as a dog should.

The rat king loomed. My last seconds drew out as time seemed to slow... and purple light infused my vision.

There was the rat king now, some fifty feet away, spinning in the opposite direction. I stared, uncomprehending as to my salvation, when a tiny nose and two beady eyes suddenly appeared above my own.

[You’re alright!] Prometheus cheered. [I was worried I wouldn’t make it in time!]

I stared at the rat, my brain still trying to catch up with the situation. [How?]

[Oh. That. I, ah, realized I could put my new free points into my Mind stat. That gave me two additional charges with my teleport wand. I wasn’t sure it would actually work or if I’d still have to wait for the cooldown... but it did! And you’re okay!]

[Yeah.] My tongue lolled. [I suppose I am.]

Then my gaze turned back to the rat king. [What are we going to do about him? I’m out of stun charges.]

[Oh.] Prometheus deflated. [Yep, that’s a problem.]

[Actually, don’t worry about it. I’ll figure something out. Think you can draw him away again?]

The little rat saluted. [Of course!]

[Then do it. Here he comes.]

Prometheus leapt away, and I dashed back to my hiding spot. The rat king rumbled past, and I immediately burst out to follow. I’m not sure I’ve ever run that fast in my life, but I knew I didn’t have any window of error for this.

Ahead, I could hear Prometheus’s taunts. I didn’t see him dive out of the way, but I did see the rat king slam into the apartment wall. The whole building shuddered, and more debris rained down into the courtyard. I dodged around it all and leapt.

The boss had paused when it reached the wall, albeit briefly. Knowing how quickly it could accelerate, I knew I’d only have one shot. I hit the mass of rats and dug in my paws. Teeth sank into me, tore into my belly and shredded my fur. I howled and dug my paws deeper.

Almost... Almost... The rat king began to move. A shadow fell on me as the ground began to approach. I was going to be crushed in the slowest, most gruesome way possible.

Still I pushed in further. Almost... my face was buried in rats now, the flesh being torn from me. My lifeblood coursed down my neck.

Almost...

There!

I activated Claw Slash. My razor-sharp weapons tore through the gray heart at the center of the rat king’s mass. I felt it pop like a balloon.

The rats quit biting me immediately and began to shriek. It was an endless, ear-splitting cacophony. I thrashed and nipped and finally pulled myself free. As I sprang away, the rat king began to collapse in on itself. By the time I landed, it was little more than a mass of rotten black fur, no bigger than my head. Another few moments, and even that was little more than inky sludge.

My legs threatened to go out from under me as blood coursed down them. It took five more cores before the bleeding stopped entirely, and even then, I felt a bit achy.

But it didn’t matter. It was over. We had won.

I collapsed to the courtyard floor. My tongue lolled in pleasure, and I let myself relax for the first time since I left the shipyard that morning.

It was finally over.