A SHOCKING APPEARANCE

Iris dodged to the side, swinging her blade as three wolf-sized rats charged her all at once. Her [Storm Armor] lashed out, a surge of lightning shocking the closest rat, causing it to screech and jump away from her.

The second rat lunged at Iris with sharp claws, but she was quick to parry its attack with her sword. The third rat circled around behind her, trying to catch her off guard. Iris spun around with a susurrus of noise as her chainmail rippled and faced the rat head-on. She could feel the heat emanating from its body as it closed in on her, ready to pounce.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from upstairs, causing the rats to pause momentarily. Iris took advantage of the distraction and struck out, her sword slicing through the air and hitting the rat square in the chest. The rat let out a piercing squeal before collapsing to the ground. Iris turned her attention back to the other two rats, and nearly froze.

A pulse of red shimmered across their body before smoke started pouring from their maws as they moved beside each other, biting at the air, embers emitting from their mouth with every snap of their jaws.

Iris's heart raced as she realized what was happening. “No... not magical rats,” she muttered to herself as she backed away slowly. The rats continued to snap and bite, flames growing larger with each passing moment. She needed to act fast, but she couldn't risk getting too close.

With a flick of her wrist, she fired a [Spark] at one of the two rats. The lightning spell slammed right into its face, causing it to screech in pain and retreat, a ripple of red cascading across its body.

Her eyes widened as she realized that they had done something to resist her lightning.

Shit! Magical flaming rats that can resist lightning. What the F?

The other rat continued to advance slowly, flames licking at its fur and scorching the air around it.

It was almost as if every pore of its body was an exhaust for the fire. She pulled mana into herself and launched a Chain Lightning at the rat, the rat froze as the electricity coursed through its body, before the spell jumped to the body of the one lying on the ground, then back to her.

The first rat collapsed, its body twitching, and Iris's heart pounded in her chest as she watched in horror as the rat's body erupted in flames, sending embers flying in all directions.

Just as she was about to unleash another spell, there was a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head just in time to see the second rat lunge at her from behind, its jaws agape and flames spewing from its maw. With lightning-fast reflexes, Iris spun around and brought her sword down in a swift arc, slicing the rat cleanly in half. With a sickening thud, the body collapsed onto the ground. But then, to Iris’s surprise, the unexpected happened.

The two halves of the rat's body began to emit a brilliant glow, the heat intensifying with each passing moment.

Iris took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves as she turned to face the remaining rat as it stood back up. It was still smoldering, its fur singed and blackened from the lightning spell. But it didn't seem deterred by the attack; in fact, it seemed even more determined to get at her now that its partner was gone.

Iris gritted her teeth and prepared to launch another spell, but before she could even begin to channel her mana, the rat suddenly lurched forward, its jaws snapping shut just inches from her face. Iris stumbled backward, barely avoiding the attack, and swung her sword again in a wild arc.

The blade missed, and the rat lashed out with its claws in retaliation. Iris wasn’t quick enough to avoid the attack, and the claws caught her on the arm. The razor-sharp claws tore through the fabric between her vambraces and the bottom of her chainmail, causing her to cry out in pain.

She instinctively jerked her arm back, just in time as the rat tried, again, to snap at her with its jaws. Her [Storm Armor] lashed out with a jolt of lightning catching the rat in the chest, causing it to cry out and dart backward.

“Shit!” she exclaimed, wincing as she looked down at the deep gash in the crease of her arm. A quick cast of [Mana Conduit] connected her with her sword and she lifted it, firing [Spark] after [Spark] at the rat, which against all odds fled and dodged them.

Iris winced and moved to the side to see if she could see it but then noticed the glowing dead body.

The rat's body was starting to glow brighter and brighter, until suddenly it exploded with a deafening boom. Iris was thrown back against the wall by the force of the blast, she cried out in pain as she hit the wall and slumped to the ground, her ears ringing from the explosion. She shook her head, trying to regain her bearings.

Iris groaned as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, and saw that the entire basement was in shambles. The walls were cracked and smoking, the shelves and furniture were smashed to pieces, and the floor was covered in debris and rubble.

She looked around in shock, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Then, she noticed the glowing embers that were slowly fading away, scattered across the floor. They seemed to be the remains of the rat's body, still burning even after the explosion.

As Iris slowly regained her senses, she could feel a throbbing pain in her head and ringing in her ears. She shook her head to clear her mind, trying to remember where she was and what had just happened. And then she saw it: the last rat, the one that had survived the explosion, was still alive and charging at her.

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Iris gritted her teeth, quickly jumping to her feet and steadying herself. She knew she had to finish this, and quickly. The rat was closing in fast, its body still glowing with a fierce heat. She could feel the heat emanating from it even from where she stood, and she knew that if she got too close, she'd be in trouble.

Iris quickly channeled her mana, gathering it around her sword in a bright, crackling aura. She knew she had to end this quickly before the rat got any closer. As the rat charged towards her, Iris swung her sword with her [Arc Lash], the mana around it releasing in a blinding flash of lightning.

The rat screeched in pain as the whip of lightning hit it square in the chest, sending it flying backward several feet. But it didn't stay down for long. It quickly got back up, shaking off the effects of the lightning strike, and charged at Iris again.

Iris quickly stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the rat's sharp claws as they slashed through the air where she had just been standing. She swung her sword again, the mana crackling around it as her [Arc Lash] struck the rat once more.

With a final screech, the rat fell to the ground, its body smoldering and still glowing faintly. Iris stepped forward, keeping a safe distance from the still-glowing body as she scanned the room for any more signs of danger.

Her eyes went wide as that rat’s body started to glow.

“Oh, shit!”

She turned and sprinted toward the door, casting both [Arcane Capability] and [Rushing Wind] to increase her speed. Just as she was about to reach the door, the blast came.

Iris was thrown forward by the explosion, her body tumbling end over end before slamming hard into the opposite wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her, leaving her gasping for breath. Her head was spinning, and her vision was blurry, but she could still see the aftermath of the explosion: debris and smoke everywhere, the room in shambles. The glowing rat's body was nowhere to be seen, consumed by the blast.

Iris struggled to return to her feet, her muscles protesting against the effort. She could feel bruises forming all over her body, and her left arm throbbed with pain from the gash the rat had inflicted on her earlier.

Iris quickly scanned the room for any other threats, but it seemed that the explosion had taken care of everything. She made her way to the door, stepping over debris and avoiding sharp pieces of metal that littered the ground. As she reached for the door handle, she hesitated for a moment, wondering how the rats had gotten into the house. But, that wasn't a job for her. She didn't know how to investigate something like that. That's a worthwhile job for the Guard.

With a deep breath, Iris pushed open the door, stepped out, and made her way up the stairs, limping with every step.

As she hobbled outside, she passed by a completely stunned old woman. All it took was a look and the woman scrambled, rushing to a table to grab something and return.

The woman handed Iris a pouch that jangled as she grabbed it. Without a word, she nodded and made her way to where Mocha was standing. Iris didn’t even care to ask what the woman had done to create the distraction earlier.

Her horse gave her a concerned whinny, her ears darting around as if she were listening for danger.

Mocha moved forward and whinnied again, “Iris? Are you okay?”

Iris shook her head. “Nope. Add exploding Ember Rats to the list of quests to not take. I… I need you to drive. I am not sure how much longer I can focus. Everything hurts, girl.”

Mocha nodded her head and lowered herself, helping Iris onto her back, the horse using an ability that kept her stable and secure on her back. With one last look at the house, smoke coming from a window that led to the basement, she laid down on her friend’s back.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Iris? Iris!” a voice called out.

The adventurer in question rolled her head to the side and looked over, seeing Kaira and Tanith rushing over to her and Mocha. Iris groaned and slowly sat up, wincing as pain shot through her body.

“Hey, guys,” she said weakly, as Mocha slowly lowered herself, an ear pointed back toward Iris.

Her horse nickered softly as Kaira moved to Iris. The elf nodded to Mocha. “Don’t worry, girl. I got her.”

Mocha let out a nicker of confirmation and leaned slightly to the side so that Kaira could help Iris down, supporting her as she stumbled.

“What happened?” Tanith asked, his voice filled with concern.

Iris saw Sera standing behind him with wide eyes and her hands over her mouth.

Taking a deep breath, Iris tried to push through the pain. “Long story short, I took on a quest to clear out that rat from a basement. There were three. They had magic. They also exploded when killed. Ouchies.”

Kaira and Tanith exchanged a look of disbelief. “Exploded?” Tanith asked.

Iris nodded. “Yeah. It was… not fun.”

Kaira looked at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

Iris shook her head. “Not really. I need to...”

She tried moving away from Kaira but her leg gave out and the shorter elf caught her, pulling her closer. “Easy.”

Tanith put a hand on her shoulder. “We'll come with you.”

Iris smiled weakly. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.”

Sera’s eyes widened and she turned and ran off. “I’ll be right back! Get her inside!” she called out over her shoulder as she rushed off.

Iris turned her head as Tanith positioned himself on her other side. “Thanks, Mocha. Can you–”

Mocha neighed.

Iris nodded. “I know I don’t have to worry about you...”

Kaira called out to a pair of passing guards, gesturing for them to hurry over. As they arrived, they recognized Kaira and snapped to attention. “Ma’am!”

“Get a patrol to check out the scene where Adventurer Iris just came from. Magical beasts were inside, and they were able to create fire. Make sure there are no others,” she ordered, before glancing back to Iris.

Iris told them where the woman had lived, and the guards saluted Kaira and rushed off to follow the Guard Captain’s orders.

Kaira nodded. “Good. Now we will be able to file a report of your actions, that will attribute the monster kills to you, and that should count as a quest for the city. And, hopefully, figure out the source of these monsters.”

Iris smiled. “Look at you, looking out for me,” she said, unable to stop smiling as she stared at the cute elf.

Kaira rolled her eyes. “Let’s get you inside.”