Getting off the ground, Kayd was face to face with hundreds of rats, all staring at him and the two teams with large and visible teeth.

The rest got up, seeing the same sight and giving different reactions. But most of them were the same, irritated and ready to fight, as long as they could escape this mess.

But the further Kayd looked, the more rats he saw, covering the entire pathway along with more on the forest trees.

“Sorry Mian, they came here all a sudden, and we didn’t want to risk it.”

Kayd gritted his teeth, his breathing fast, the fear rose once more, making his legs numb.

We just destroyed their breeding ground…How are they still here? Did we not kill the queen!?

Thoughts ran through his head, how could this have been possible, a detachment? Survivors of the crumbling cave? Or did they escape?

“Seems like the rats from earlier,” Ikari answered Kayd’s thoughts.

“We should have killed them all there,” He muttered with a bitter tone. Upon seeing their den turned into rubble, the squeaks turned to snarls and growls.

“I don’t think we can handle this much.” Lia moved behind everyone.

Ishmael stood up, but rather than the expected expression of terror at the sight, she blankly stared back.

“I have a way out of this,” She placed a few fingers in her mouth, and whistled as loud as possible.

Nothing seemed to happen, and the rats started creeping forward.

That’s it?

“A whistle? I’m pretty sure rats aren’t like horses, captain” Ikari spoke up, but Ishmael raised up her hand as if to silence them.

The rats stopped and turned silent.

The ground and their boots began to shake violently. And in the distance, rats were tossed in the air by something, and whatever it was, it was getting closer.

Ishmael whistled again, now yelling after.

A large claw slammed down in front of them, quickly throwing the vermin aside.

Pip

“Get on now!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. Everyone scrambled to the wooden structure, all the while Pip continued clawing and bashing down at the horde of rats.

The wooden structure became cramped once everyone got on, Kayd couldn’t even lift his hand and sword up correctly.

“Pip head out now!” The crab turned around and began fleeing, trampling over anything in its way.

Some managed to latch onto its back, climbing up the shell towards the team.

“Kill the grapplers!” Ishmael ordered. It wasn’t directed to anyone, not Kayd, but he felt obligated to do so. Mian snapped his fingers and a few of his subordinates immediately jumped out to aid the defense.

Kayd kept his balance outside the structure, his boots trying to stabilize on the trinket and treasure-covered shell of the crab.

Quellin jumped out on the other side, facing the vermin there.

Rats near the structure were immediately cut down and kicked off the crab while the ones below started jumping towards Kayd.

From the front, Pip tossed aside more of the pests and stepped on the rest, leaving a pile of dead behind him.

The amount of horde rats seemed to have grown larger than he thought, possibly a thousand were here or even more.

Kayd stabbed and slashed at the leapers, managing to hold them off. With each kill, more kept coming until a dozen or more latched onto the shell.

Kayd’s mind was starting to slow down, unsure how much more he could take from this, but his arms kept swinging, and his eyes spotted more targets.

Each kill now left him with a new bite or scratch mark on his body. Blood oozed out of the wounds, even blinding him and causing his boots to slip up.

As he delivered another strong swing, his boot slipped.

No-

A spike of horror traveled across his body at that moment, surrounded by rats ready to rip whatever flesh was left on him.

From behind, a hand reached out and pulled him back, stabilizing his feet. Ikari’s hand.

He turned around, “Thanks.” letting out a small chuckle with a smile.

“I can hold you all day, kill these things!” Kayd turned and faced the jumping rats, he couldn’t move around, now acting as a wall against the threat.

The killing continued, Mian’s subordinates though were more daring, with one running around while another held on, grabbing onto the structure like an anchor.

The crab breached through the mountain of torn clothes and weapons and started running down the road, leaving this cursed place.

Kayd killed the few remaining rats before finally becoming slumped, falling back onto Ikari’s arms.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ikari pulled him back onto the platform, setting him down as Lia started tending to him.

Mian’s people came back on the structure, joyfully laughing and embracing one another for a job well done, beginning to tend to each other’s wounds with makeshift bandages and vials of different colors.

“They act like best friends, even in such a place the bond is still strong.” She creased her brows together with a forced grin.

Lia healed Kayd’s wounds in mere seconds but continued helping him recover. She grabbed a few more vials from her bag, slowly making him drink it while putting Ikari’s cloak below his head.

Quellin remained stoic and emotionless, staring at the other team in disgust.

“Lack of proper greeting of superior and failure to go through with orders.” Quellin covered his face with his hand and let out a disapproving sigh.

Ishmael looked back at her crew with a satisfied face.

“Well done, one of three breeding grounds. Seems you can handle the weakest of the breeding grounds after all.” She placed her stained hatchet on her waist and grinned.

“It’s been good and all Ishmael, what about we race you to the river too?” Mian placed a hand on Ishmael’s shoulder, parts of his body were sealed in white bandaging but he still wore his prideful smile.

“Still as energetic? Alright, go ahead.” He playfully saluted her and gestured for his subordinates to start jumping off. They leaped to the nearby trees, quickly disappearing in the foliage, running from branch to branch towards their next destination.

Kayd violently coughed once Lia had finished treating him, moving back and leaning his back against the wood.

“Sorry if I didn’t ask if you needed potions- They were for restoring energy I swear.” She pleaded.

“Lia…It’s fine.” He briefly responded, calming her nerves. Standing up, Lia began treating the rest. 5 black bars remained on her arm.

At this rate, she may use it all up and we’ll be screwed.

“Lia,” He slowly got up with a grunt, “How about use your healing equipment first, healing seems best when we’re about to die.” She nodded her head, and the glow on her staff vanished. Her treatment is purely a blend of bandages and medicine.

Out of all of them, he was the most injured, while the others only had sparse wounds, the worst damage being their foul odor.

“Finally, those people are gone,” Ikari muttered, exhaling with relief, looking outside at the trees, trying to relax.

“You hate them very much.”

“Yeah, very much.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Is it fine to ask why?” She turned her body to Kayd, directing all focus towards him for her response.

“Why did you come here?” She asked, Kayd was surprised at first by her question but saw no problem replying truthfully.

“Envied my classmates and wanted my own titles and achievements.” He explained, she bent down and grabbed the cloak Kayd just used, smacking it a few times before wearing it.

“Got along with them?”

“Not a single bit,” He chuckled. The two sat down next to each other.

“They reminded me of something before, something I was jealous of.” She took off her necklace of skulls, looking at it with a gloomy expression.

“I told you this before, I just wanted some new friends. I couldn’t care as much for new trophies.” Pulling back the sleeve on her arm, she revealed a line of different symbols, all belonging to different tribes, vaguely familiar to Kayd on first inspection.

“I watched them and wanted to join them. Some I succeeded but I was simply tossed aside or used up like,” She paused to wear her necklace again.

“Mian had what I didn’t a simple and decent group of friends. Wonder why it was so hard in the forest.”

Kayd tried to think up a response while she explained her story. She was right that he heard of it before, but she said it so casually without much explanation for it.

“I wanted to keep it a secret, thought you all might be off-put with someone who joined different cutthroat gangs before.”

Kayd didn’t feel a single ounce of hatred for her, at this point he couldn’t care less if his teammate was a criminal.

“Doesn’t seem that bad, heck I’d be envious too. I heard those gangs are well known.” He laughed, hoping it could at least alleviate some of the pressure in their situation.

“I wanted friends, close ones. People you can drink with and trust to have your back in any situation. Mian had that, and I hated it.” Her entire personality seemed to change to something else, her right hand clenched into a fist.

Her eyes stared blankly at the wood in front of them. Kayd could barely understand but could see the contrast in their desires. He never saw friends apart from his master, only enemies and peers to beat. Something different from what Ikari wanted, perhaps making some won't hurt.

So that’s why she looked so pushy and almost desperate. And the whole hate for Mian.

“Perhaps we can start here,” She turned to Kayd, confused by what he just said.

“I wasn’t put off. Heck, I was even jealous of you. You gained more than me with that necklace of bones.”

“These things are nothing, meanwhile you have fast hands and even faster reflexes, never seen anyone cut a target with so much precision and speed. Wish I had that.” She finally laughed, flashing a brief smile.

Kayd never thought of befriending anyone on his journey, so far he didn’t think he needed one anyway, but right now he was stuck with new teammates in a new realm. And just after a while felt some kind of connection to them, even if they didn’t consider one another as friends, just strangers in the same place.

“We’re both jealous of something from each other,” Kayd chuckled, “We fought together enough, and this place is deadly when on your own,” he raised his arm, reminding each other of the time his arm was torn apart when he tried fighting by himself.

“You had my back, and I had yours. I don’t see why I wouldn’t befriend someone like you.”

“I did, and you helped me a few times before, but you sure?” Ikari asked, but Kayd's answer was certain.

“Yes.” She laughed, and Kayd could see her other personality return, becoming more lively and happy.

Ishmael turned her head to the team, “We’re nearing the river The second breeding ground of these disgusting creatures.” She announced.

Ikari got up with a smile, extending an arm out to Kayd, “You better be sure, if you’re lying I’d just push you to the nearest rat.” She laughed.

Kayd grasped her hand, getting hoisted up to his feet.

A friend in this realm, never thought of making one, but no problem with having one

The crab stopped, just ahead, the monotonous green environment was broken by a new sight. A large crystal clear river that flowed on downstream, there were no trees near it, only tall grass. A place best suited to relax, it felt enticing to Kayd.

A windchime rang in his ear and Kayd dug into his pocket, grabbing a new scrap of paper.

With the first breeding hole of the horde rats destroyed, the splendor seekers shall clear the remaining two, but unbeknownst to them, new threats will come to stop their path.

New threats, ominous message, guess I’ll see what it is.

He reassured himself, he faced thousands of rats already, what new threats would come from here?