The ground shook violently every second and the waters thrashed around, even from a good distance, the beast’s presence was obvious to them.

“Keep running! Just follow the rat!” Ikari yelled.

Kayd slammed his feet through the water, exerting more and more force to push himself forward making the already turbulent waters worse.

Ahead, the faint glimmer of algae stuck to the rat was the only thing they could see in the dark, like moths to a flame.

Another deafening roar, more distorted than before shook the team, making them run faster and stumble around, desperately trying to get away from the beast.

The number of bones and other items grew as they moved deeper, even forming makeshift blockades as they sloshed around in the water, blocking the way ahead.

Kayd slashed away, splitting apart the piles of bones that once belonged to the forest’s people.

So many corpses…The only time I see this many bones is in old battlefields, not animal dens…

The sight of it was chilling, but there was little time to ponder on the sight.

Fatigue slowly went up their bodies, using more and more strength to keep going.

Turning back, the sight made Kayd’s panic deepen and almost caused him to stumble into the murky water.

The rat was closer than before, getting ever so closer to them no matter how fast they ran.

Ikari let loose arrows at the beast, each sinking into its flappy and wrinkled skin. Despite it starting to bleed, the beast only let out quick grunts from each hit.

But it didn’t seem to be in much pain, continuing its violent rush towards them.

Ikari continued launching arrows at it but to no avail.

“This thing is just eating them up like a hungry wolf! I don’t know if we can reach the next platform at this rate!” She yelled.

“We can maybe use one of the dynamite to stop-”

“No! We need all the dynamite we still have for the final platform!” Ishmael cut off Lia.

The rat released another distorted screech, disorienting the team. The chase had gone on long enough for the rat, the team must die.

While rushing towards them, it stabbed into the hard walls to its side and flung debris towards the team.

Rock and stone, from shard size to chunks splashed down into the water, a few struck each of them, adding more wounds to their bodies and even knocking them down.

The beast continued thrashing its long claws into the walls, tossing more and more rock fragments towards the team in a blind rage.

Water splashed around them, impeding their speed for a brief moment causing other debris, bone, armor, and weapons to pile up in front of them.

“How long is this damn place!?” Ikari yelled out in frustration.

“It’s much larger than the last time I went here!” Ishmael yelled in response.

The rat continued tearing the very structure of the tunnel, breaking its own claws from constantly digging into the hard rock, but it cared little, it only wished to kill the trespassers.

Above, chunks of rock began falling above the team and the rat.

Oh no…..

More and more chunks fell from the ceiling with each passing moment, and the tunnel itself began to shake.

The rat though didn’t care, even while rocks fell on top of it.

“That thing really won’t stop huh?”

“Up ahead! Looks like the end of the tunnel!” Lia pointed onward. A faint glimmer of blue light lay just ahead of the running rat.

That better be the exit

The sight made the team run faster, the rat behind them continuing its chase with no end or fatigue. Behind them, the tunnel continued to collapse, splashing down to the water.

The rat was the first one to leap into the light, disappearing from sight.

“Looks like the exit I’ve seen before, come on!” With the exit in sight, they pushed their legs to keep moving onward, riddled with wounds and bruised up from the debris.

A clump of rock smashed straight down on the back of one of Mian’s remaining teammates, he screamed as he fell, trying to get up.

Behind them, the rat stopped for a moment and scooped up the man. He struggled violently, trying to get out of its grasp.

“Kayd come on we need to go!” Ishmael yelled out.

“No, we can’t just leave him!” Mian yelled back, trying to rush back to the rat but Ishmael restrained him, urging him to keep running.

Kayd realized they were much farther now and he froze to look at them.

He sighed as the tunnel around him continued to collapse, unsheathing his sword.

He rushed up the beast with haste, climbing up its wrinkled skin while avoiding falling rock and stone.

The man continued to scream with blood covering his leather armor and face, stabbing at its hand to let him go.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

It opened its drool-filled mouth, releasing a stench that almost knocked the man out just by nearing it.

Kayd’s grip and haste slowed down, at this point he was unsure where he was even moving, simply hearing the screams and the putrid smell of the beast’s mouth, fighting in the dark.

Even lacking sight, he continued climbing upwards, sensing where he could be and where to strike.

At last, encumbered by fatigue, Kayd could hear the man’s screams just a few feet away, he realized he was standing on the rat’s arm.

Guided only by the smell and the closeness of the scream and shriek, Kayd stabbed through the darkness and felt his sword impale something.

A sliver of drool fell on his shoulder, realizing what he had just done.

He stabbed the beast in the mouth.

The man’s screams faded as he fell to the water below, released from the beast’s grasp.

Kayd jumped below just in time for the rat to grab at its mouth in pain.

The impact was broken with the water, and he could faintly see Mian’s teammate just above the water, trying to get up.

“Come on, get up and run out of here!” He yelled, hoisting up the man. There was no time to waste, and the path ahead became narrower as the debris kept piling up.

Mian’s teammate already ran far ahead while Kayd was just starting to move.

Behind him, the now enraged rat stomped on the ground, restarting its pursuit and shaking the tunnel once more and only worsening the situation.

Kayd moved past falling and floating debris, climbing and hopping from one clump to another just to gain more speed.

The light ahead grew in intensity, getting ever closer to it with the rat just behind him. Kayd could swear he felt the claw of the rat brush against his back a few times.

It released a final roar, this time more clear but guttural, as if Kayd’s stab fixed it, and only made it worse.

The light became bright, and he realized the way out was half the size of the tunnel.

The rubble in front of him created a bridge, and Kayd started to run unimpeded.

With one more step towards the light, Kayd leaped through, feeling his fear and tunnel rock behind him, but also the claw of the rat, giving a final parting gift before the debris consumed it.

He rolled on the ground before coming to a stop. The immediate pain set on him as the adrenaline and fear wore off.

A large claw mark was left on his back, jagged and deep while different parts of his body were bruised up or cut.

Lia rushed to his aid, and with a wave of her staff, the wounds and pain began healing and sealing themselves. But on her wrist, 3 bars remained.

“You alright Kayd?” Ikari asked.

“Eh, just bruises and cuts, I handled thousands before. Except the one on my back.” He chuckled, grunting as he tried standing up once the wounds fully healed.

The exit was sealed off, and any sign of the rat that chased them was gone, hopefully, dead and buried to not face it again.

Kayd stood up and took a look at his team. Apart from minor cuts and bruises like his, they were relatively fine, only needing some medicine from Lia. The same can’t be said for the person Kayd saved.

He lay on the ground a few feet next to Kayd, with Lia already caring for his wounds, and Quellin standing above her, making sure she won’t waste the healing spells they dwindling supply.

The beast left the man with a gaping hole in his stomach, slowly killing him by the second.

“Hey, Greenhorn. Are you fine?” Ishmael put her hand on Kayd’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Luckily got out before it collapsed.”

“Next time don’t freeze in place got it? That’s a common way greenhorns and mercs get killed. Apart from that good job on saving one of Mian’s subordinates.” She looked back at the sealed tunnel.

“Looks like it’s dead, hopefully, we don’t see anything like that again.” Ishmael walked off after talking.

Standing near the dying man, he could see Mian begging Lia to help the man further.

He could see it in Lia’s eyes. Desperate and at her limit to stop the bleeding while treating the man at the same time. She glanced repeatedly at her wrist, all the while feeling Quellin’s gaze behind her.

“The treatment isn’t working,” She glanced at her wrist again, “I cannot spare more of this magic, I’m strained thin.” She waved her staff for the eighth time, healing the man’s wounds and saving his life.

And with that, another bar was removed, leaving two now. And with no way of restoring it.

Quellin sighed behind him, catching Lia’s attention who got up from the ground and started bandaging a scrape on her arm.

“Are you ok? Any wounds that need patching up?” she stopped patching herself, offering the roll of white wrapping to Quellin.

“Minor wounds, they don’t need any heavy treatment. Your magic is extremely limited now, a suggestion is to increase requirements to administer it.” Quellin explained. Lia tilted her head.

“What do you mean?” Quellin cleared his throat while dusting off his armor with his hands.

“Use your healing when they are on the verge of death, critical injuries alone that don’t border death will only be treated and temporarily patched up until we may find a healing facility to handle them. If they have a puncture wound, cover it. If they’re missing an arm, heal it.” Lia looked hesitant, even surprised by what he said.

“But- They will feel pain and won’t be fully healed right?” She sighed, “Is this how it is on the battlefield? No wonder I wasn’t allowed by many to be on expeditions.” She placed a palm on her face.

“Through experience, you will understand further. Nonetheless well done on healing the majority of us.” She flashed a small smile at her accomplishment.

Looking around, they found themselves in a chamber far larger than the chamber they ventured into earlier. The ceiling and walls were adorned in a familiar glowing blue moss, almost intricate in their placement.

Above, the noise of muffled rushing water filled the silence of the chamber. Unlike the other chambers, there was only one hole, a giant one covered in darkness.

“Thanks for the assist mate.” The man thanked Kayd.

“No problem.”

Ikari looked ahead, staring at the hole, checking if anything lay inside it.

“Is this it captain?” She asked Ishmael who walked next to her. A determined expression was plastered all over her face.

“I’m sure of it, I recognize this chamber all too well. We’ll kill it and bury this den with the bombs.” A chime followed after Ishmael spoke.

Inside their pockets, a scrap of paper appeared.

At long last the splendor seekers have reached halfway to ending their first journey

Now what lies ahead shall be a taste of what they must face to finally end the journey

To reap the reward of their will and endurance in the first journey.

And now, once more they will be tested if they are not only fit for the title

But if they are fit for the paths ahead!

The paper disappeared, and with it, a new trial revealed itself to them.

The ground rumbled, and loud stomps echoed out from the hole, prompting everyone to prepare their weapons. Whatever it was now, they will eliminate the queen, the horde, and the den once and for all.

What disgusting thing from the den is fighting us now?