General Skills [3/5] Walking 8 Condense Mana 5 Breathing 6

Since I fought that last Rat Horde, I’d been wandering for far longer than I cared to admit. At some point I gained a level of walking, which I think does a better job to illustrate how long this was taking than anything I myself could say.

Not only that, but I was beginning to get hungry. It makes sense, I came here right after getting the job, and that was already hours after breakfast. Then there’s the fact that I was asleep for an unknown amount of time too.

By this point, I was getting annoyed. Especially since I realised that I seriously shouldn’t have just climbed through that hole, though to be fair, I thought that there'd be a single nest of regular rats, not these weirdly organised hordes.

I sighed and fell to the ground. I was lost, and didn’t know how to get un-lost so all I could really do was keep walking around until I got lucky and hope that I got out soon. Even with my Walking skill I wouldn’t be able to stay on my feet forever, and my legs were starting to get tired.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something hard scraping against stone, coming from somewhere around the next corner. Immediately, I was on guard. The first thing I’d heard in Gods only knew how long was strangely terrifying. It sounded like someone was scraping some kind of weapon on the wall as they walked, only I couldn’t hear anyone walking, so there was no way it could be that.

Unconsciously, I started to flare my Lightning, watching as its light danced around me. If this person was hostile I’d be ready, if not then it would probably be a little awkward, but at least I’d be able to ask them for help.

Slowly, cautiously, I walked up to the corner. It felt like such a daunting task, although I didn’t really know why. It was almost like there was something in my head telling me that I should be afraid, that the thing behind that corner could kill me in an instant.

I dimmed my Lightning as I approached, it would probably be best to try not to be seen for as long as possible, and finally peaked my head around the corner. But there was nothing there. I looked to the left and right and couldn’t see anything, not even further down the sewer. But no, that wasn’t right. I could still hear it so it must be here.

I heard something squeak and then a rattling sound, like a stick landing on stone, and looked down. There, at my feet, was a dark purple rat. It was currently trying to grab the stick it had dropped within its sharp teeth. Well, I thought it was a stick. It was too dark to tell at this distance.

Unhesitatingly I shot the rat with a Lightning Bolt, but somehow my aim was way off it stuck the stone miles from the rat. Of course, such a minor setback and I shot another, only for it to miss in the same manner.

This is one lucky rat. I thought, bemused, before shooting a blast from each hand. This time, the rat managed to avoid one only to be struck by another, causing it to fly a short distance, carried by the momentum of its run. The light which had suffused its tail also dimmed, and I tried to recall when it had lit up in the first place.

Regardless, I’d gotten the kill and could potentially try and figure out what it was doing- wait. Where was the kill notification? Was it somehow still alive? I thought it unlikely, but shot another couple Bolts just to be safe. Still nothing. Was it even real?

As I thought this, something seemed to shatter and I saw a group of 4 rats cautiously approaching me. The ground where that purple rat was had been scorched, so I guess I just thought there was one there for some reason? My head felt strange, and I grabbed it with my hands as the world began to spin.

The rats didn’t seem to care about that though, as they noticed my disorientation and pounced, scurrying up my limbs and torso in order to reach my throat.

There’s something I need to do here, right? But what?

Without really putting much thought into it, I did the first thing that felt natural and flared Lightning Generator as much as I could. Something strange happened this time, and instead of just appearing from my hands Lightning arced from every part of my body and struck the rats crawling on me. It didn’t kill them, but they were at least forced off of me.

My mind cleared in the short time that they were in the air, and in that moment I realised that they were here to kill me. One of the rats looked just like that purple one, so it must have been relevant in some way.

I didn’t have enough time to figure it out before the assault on my mind continued. It was confusing and frustrating and I wanted to lash out. That purple one, it was important right? I couldn’t remember why, so I decided to act.

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A Lightning Bolt full of half my remaining Mana blasted through the rat, locking its muscles in place and immediately clearing my mind. I had definitely used far more mana than I needed for that one, and I was left on just about a third in total. That should be enough for a few more Bolts.

I could think clearly now, which made my thoughts feel like they were flying at a mile a minute, it was frankly an incredible feeling. The three remaining rats looked cautious, but for some reason didn’t run away. Instead they ran at me from three different angles. Not that that would save them.

The one in front was the biggest, so I set my sights on the others first. I shot a bolt at the one to my right and stepped towards it at the same time, avoiding the attack of the front runner. Unfortunately, I didn’t think that these ones would have any ranged attacks and got hit by a high pressure jet of water. Looking over, I saw the rat pull more water out of the sewage, notably not even trying to make sure it was clean. I kicked the rat I was standing next to at it, but it just ended up falling into the ‘water’, which I felt a pang of guilt over. I could only hope that it died before it fell in there.

The larger rat had, at this point, turned around and was once again charging at me, though this time its tail was glowing a vibrant red. Unwilling to get a repeat of the Shadow General, I jumped over it and launched a Bolt at the hydromancer. It seemed particularly weak to it and the water it was controlling fell back into the water.

After watching its allies get dispatched so easily, the final rat seemed to realise it was outmatched and began to run away. I launched another Bolt at it, this one using the last of my Mana, but it was only momentarily stunned and continued to run, albeit slightly slower.

I probably shouldn’t let it get away, I wouldn’t want more of these things to come after me.

I ran after it, and felt a little embarrassed about the fact that it was definitely faster. For a few minutes I chased it, trying to keep my breathing even the whole while, until my Mana recovered enough for another Bolt.

This one also failed to finish it off, but it accomplished my main goal of slowing the rat down even further, so I couldn’t complain too much. Now that I was faster than it, I was able to catch up so that I could hopefully finish it off with a point blank Lightning Bolt. It seemed to realise that it was done for, because its tail flared brighter and it screeched so loud that I was stopped in my tracks.

Seriously, I could hear it echoing a full second later, that was insanely loud.

The rat looked at me with what I could only describe as defiance and then fell limp, dead without me having to finish it off.

Combat Cleared

1 Rat Mind General [Level 10] Defeated

1 Rat Water General [Level 7] Defeated

1 Rat Blood General [Level 9] Defeated

1 Rat Earth General [Level 6] Defeated

Reached Level 9

Proficiency Gained You Have Learned The Path Skill [Lightning Cloak]

Choose A Stat To Increase Willpower Wisdom Strength Agility

How many Generals are there? Also, you can learn Path Skills? I feel like this is the kind of stuff that should be common knowledge, surely people would be able to get a lot better at stuff if they could just get more path skills.

Thinking back on the fight, it felt like the only reason I survived was because I acted without actually thinking, and was able to resist whatever Skill that was whilst the Mind General was distracted. That might have only been possible because of my willpower, and I really wouldn’t like to have to go through that again if possible.

Plus, it’s probably good to focus on your strengths, right?

Robert Zeneki Lightning Adept 18 Level

9 Willpower

10 Wisdom

5 Strength

5 Agility

6 Path Skills

Lightning Generator

9 Lightning Bolt

7

Lightning Cloak

1

General Skills

[3/5]

Walking

8

Condense Mana

6

Breathing

7

These were some pretty big improvements for a single fight, but I was distracted by how strangely that rat, the Blood General, had acted as it died. Why would it sacrifice its life to do that?

I’d won this fight, but it sure didn’t feel like it.

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The rat was running this way for a reason, that much I was sure of, which could mean one of two things. Either this way led to the exit, in which case following it would let me finally leave and maybe tell someone about the weird stuff going on down here, or it would lead to some more rats that the Blood General was hoping to get help from.

It was better odds than any other direction that I could pick, so I set off Walking. I noticed those small marks at the foot of the wall as I went, which didn’t exactly fill me with hope after the last time I followed them, but these guys probably wanted to go outside every now and then, so marking the way out wasn’t too far out of the question, was it?

I sighed. This was just gonna lead to more rats, and I was just gonna fight them.

Dang it, I’m really starting to feel like an adventurer.