Tyler stumbled into the van, and Nick got up on the edge of the door so the rats went under the van. Tyler was panting, staring ahead as the mass ran, then turned right toward the car. “I’ll ask again. Anyone at all have a rat phobia?”

Grizzizzik rapped on the back door. “Open this up. We can’t hide in here forever.”

Derek glanced at Tyler, who nodded. “Stay in the van as much as you can. If this really is a swarm of demon rats, they will be immune to damage from rapiers and great swords.”

Hraktar was almost done unsheathing his great sword when he paused, glancing at his weapon. “Well, that certainly makes things difficult.”

Ezekiel pointed toward the van ceiling. “We stay on top of this contraption and blast them with spells.”

Again, Hraktar glanced at his partially unsheathed weapon. “I’m… not magical.”

“Oh. Right. Well….” Ezekiel trailed off, and Hraktar rolled his eyes.

Nick shot a look at Grizzizzik, who made a point to not look at him. Grizzizzik couldn’t be stubborn today. They needed all the magic casters available, because this was a lot of demon rats.

With a dull thud, Hraktar sheathed his weapon again. “I’ll hoist you to the top of the van. That’s something I can do.”

Derek hit a button, and the minivan beeped before the back door slid open. Grizzizzik grabbed the edge of the open door. “Let’s go!”

Hraktar motioned for Ezekiel to come over. The fighter helped the others get on top of the van before pulling himself up. Evelyn opened the side door, and Nick moved inside, closing the door after him.

“Should be an easy encounter. Just lob spells at the ground. Keep the lights on so the humans can see,” Tyler said to Derek.

Time slowed down.

Roll for initiative.

Nick grabbed the die and gave it a good shake. With the modifier, he got thirteen, total. Nick glanced up at the ceiling of the minivan, wondering what Grizzizzik would do. His rapier would be useless against the rats. The rogue refused to tell anyone about his magic based subclass, but Nick had a feeling Grizzizzik would reveal his choice tonight. There was literally nothing for his rogue to do facing a swarm of demon rats.

By the light of the car headlights, the swarm gathered together. Nick watched, his eyes growing wider, as the mass broke into four smaller masses.

Tyler shielded his eyes from the light. “There’s got to be forty rats in each group. This is insane.”

The first group skittered under the van for protection. Alejandra grabbed her seatbelt. “I think… we better buckle ourselves up again.”

“They can’t touch the real world.” Right as Tyler said that, the van vibrated. Nick held out a hand, almost to balance himself. Everyone turned to look at Tyler, whose eyes were wide. “Everyone buckle up if you’re not already.”

Evelyn scooted over so Nick could sit down. They saw a flash of light, and a beam of sacred flame headed toward one mass of rats, missing it completely. Nick frowned, then turned toward Rafael. “Don’t shoot them over there. Shoot the rats under us!”

Rafael pointed toward the floor. “They’re protected under the van.”

Nick glared while buckling himself. “It’s sacred flame. They get no benefit from cover.”

His old friend shook his head. “I don’t want us to get hit.”

Alejandra placed a hand on Nick’s arm. “Could you two possibly stop fighting?”

While they argued, Clarissa must have cast her bonfire spell in the middle of one swarm. They heard chittering and shrieks as some rats burned and ran around in a panic.

“Good one,” Tyler said to Evelyn.

The swarm Clarissa hit with fire scattered, but soon gathered again under the minivan. Derek placed his hands on the wheel. “Do I…”

Tyler shook his head. “You can’t drive without also jostling the characters up there.”

“True, but… if this minivan gets… if they can actually hurt my parent’s minivan…”

Tyler rubbed his face. “I need to… concentrate.”

Time slowed down for Nick. Grizzizzik’s weapons were useless right now. He mentally pulled up the rogue’s list of spells, but when he tried to choose one of them, a firm block came down on his mental ability. Nick’s nostrils flared. “You’re a magic wielder now. You might as well let your friends know.”

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“It’s not happening.” Being outside the minivan muffled Grizzizzik’s voice.

“You can’t skip your turn!” Right as Nick said that, time resumed, and nothing happened. Nick closed his eyes, his fingers curling into fists. “Goddamn rogues.”

The third swarm of rats scurried under the van.

“Just as a warning, I don’t think Hraktar can do anything,” Alejandra said.

“It’s… fine. Four swarms of rats are something our magical crew can take care of. And there are other ways to help,” Tyler said.

Derek partially turned in his seat. “Help Milo. He’s got to take one turn in order to make his cannon, but then he might need Hraktar to carry him.”

Alejandra smiled. “Yeah, he’d be happy to.”

Derek rolled down the window. “Did you hear that, Hraktar? Be prepared to brace Milo when he finishes his cannon.”

The fighter gave a thumbs up.

The last swarm of rats made it under the van. Once again, the van shivered. Nick grabbed the door, his heart pounding.

“Tyler?” Evelyn asked. “What’s happening?”

Their game master was kneading his knuckles into his forehead. “We’re going to be safe. As long as…”

“What?”

The van gave another shiver. Nick looked around and saw double. There was a part of the shiver that created a second, almost astral version of the van before it righted itself into the main van. His eyes widened. “What the hell?”

Tyler grabbed the edge of the door. “They’re creating a version they can manipulate.”

Derek gasped. “Will it hurt my parent’s minivan?”

“I’m-” Tyler tapped the edge of the door as he gathered his thoughts. “—pretty sure it’s going to be fine.”

“About how certain are you with that?” Derek asked.

There was a pause, then a flash of sacred flame slammed through the car and hit a swarm of rats. The hairs on Nick’s arms rose as the flames got close to him. He heard the squealing and the squeaking right under them as the rats got hit. Nick turned, seeing Rafael staring back. The message was obvious. His old friend did that nearest to Nick because he didn’t care if Nick got hit with sacred flame. He wasn’t about to lower to Rafael’s level, though. “Glad you listened to me.”

Rafael was about to retort, but Alejandra held up a hand to her brother before shooting Nick a look that pleaded civility.

Plants and vines sprouted from underneath the ground, and there was a squeal as it trapped the rats. The van gave another strange lurch. The projection of the van jostled, but Nick didn’t feel the movement. He rubbed his head. “This is giving me a headache.”

“That should give Milo time to finish the cannon,” Evelyn said.

Derek gave her a thumbs up. There was a loud amount of squeaking as it sounded like some rats broke free.

Again, time slowed down, and Nick went into his spells before again there was a block. It was like walking through a brick wall. Time resumed, and nothing happened. He glared at the ceiling. “Seriously, Grizzizzik!”

“Everything alright?” Tyler asked.

“He’s…” Nick remembered Grizzizzik’s threat, but at this point he didn’t care. “He asked for arcane trickster. The guy knows magic now, but he’s refusing to use any of it.”

Tyler turned around, frowning. “Grizzizzik chose arcane trickster?”

He answered by giving a defeated shrug. Another swarm broke free, no doubt the other rats chewing the others out of the vines.

Hraktar leapt to the hood of the car. Derek winced, no doubt checking to make sure there wasn’t a half-orc size dent in the hood. Milo leapt down, too, doing the final touches on his cannon. It looked like he created it from wood, which didn’t seem smart. It was shaped like a hastily carved rubber band gun, except the barrel had a huge opening. Milo whacked it with his wrench, and it began glowing red as he smirked. “I’m ready.”

Hraktar nodded, then lifted the mana fusor, turning him upside down and grabbed his ankles, dangling him over the hood of the van. Nick could make out an almost deranged smile on Milo’s face as he disappeared from view, holding his mana gun with both hands. “This is going to feel so incredibly satisfying!” Milo shouted.

A flame erupted from the cannon, smacking two swarms of rats. The vines lit up, too, hitting the other rats trapped in the entanglement. Nick had a weird sensation where he was certain it should feel hot, but felt nothing. The bottom of the van was on fire, and the rats screeched and screamed.

“Nice shot,” Tyler said.

Derek said nothing, his elbows on the bottom of the steering wheel as he stared ahead.

“Um, guys?” Milo asked. “I… I don’t think…”

“What do you see?” Hraktar said.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Pull me up! Now!”

Hraktar hoisted him up as the astral projection of the van gave an ominous squeal. There was a silence, then all at once, the projection of the van broke apart from the main van.

Derek tried to look through the front windshield. “Shit!”

Nick watched as another less solid version of the van stood at a dangerous angle. Grizzizzik tumbled off and landed on the ground. Ezekiel and Clarissa grabbed hold of the top and held on. Hraktar and Milo were catapulted into the night.

“Oof. Fall damage,” Derek mumbled.

There was a roar. Last time Nick checked, a swarm of rats wasn’t supposed to roar.

“Ooooooh shit.” Tyler grabbed his phone and scrolled through the list of monsters.

“Why can’t we see the new monster? It’s supposed to be right… there.” Evelyn pointed between Tyler and Derek, where the tip of the van was at an angle.

Tyler opened the door. “Clarissa! Ezekiel! Get off! Get off now!”

“What?” Ezekiel asked as Clarissa dropped next to Grizzizzik.

The creature that had grown from the swarm of rats picked up the copy of the van and threw it. Derek whimpered as they watched the astral projection vehicle slam into a tree. “Not the actual van,” Derek whispered.

Rafael unbuckled himself. “Ezekiel was still on it.”

Nick opened the door and scrambled out, feeling worried about the cleric. Ezekiel had become his character, too. “Is he okay?”

“He dropped to five hit points,” Rafael said.

Half. He dropped by half because some creature threw the van. Ezekiel, their cleric, should not be this squishy.

The entanglement burned away, and the swarm of rats was breaking up. Some of the earth rats ran straight for civilization, squeaking as they went. Nick narrowed his eyes and saw some of them had burn marks on their skin.

There was a thump of heavy footsteps, and Nick turned to see some strange, six foot tall rat humanoid creature. It had thick, rope-like muscles like it’d been in the gym for years. It wore a pair of shorts, like it had somehow worn clothes. The fur was an off white color, with beady black eyes and a long snout. It snarled at Clarissa.

Nick pointed at it. “Is that a wererat?”

Tyler backed away. “Shit just got real.”