Waves of pulsing storming red, sparkling with the light from a sea of heart crystals. The hallways in the distance were filled, compacted and filled some more by the silhouettes of these creatures. From the floor to the ceiling, it was pure red, just bodies packed over bodies to the point they formed the cuboidal shape of the hallway.
Miles may have wondered whether these Hordred rats lacked common sense, to the point that they would gather and crowd over each other, but... the strange intentioned flow of blood in their circulation systems, suggested something else.
The beating heart crystals blinking in harmony with each other, the storm of crimson bodies surging towards him, it was strangely beautiful. It was a horde of blood sources after all.
A certain one-track part of his mind salivated at the sight, at the prospect of prey venturing right into his jaws, but these were thousands, tens of thousands of creatures.
An endless horde of goblin sized, perhaps even larger, containers of the divine nectar that was blood.
They might be mere vermin and pests, but when they arrived in such numbers, could he handle it?
The screaming winds blew past him, and his feet exploded with the maximal force of Nameless Movement.
Miles had no intention of finding out. He was already running away. No thirst could trump the logical reality of one man against a horde of fae beasts.
Nor could it make him forget what had just happened, ‘By Sidhe, how could they have known a rat was killed?’
Miles spared a glance, observing the masses of creatures collapsing towards his location from all directions. There was no hope of returning back to the safety of his cavern, for the entire mass of red was primarily gathered towards where he had come from.
Besides, while cold iron was an effective deterrent, it could not stop fae or fae beasts when they truly wanted to bypass it, let alone rats that literally ate the warding metal.
The opposite direction was much sparser and safer in comparison. Though it had a fair share of rats as well, it was a mere trickle compared to the tsunami behind him. But every single rat, even those, had one thing in common.
They were all moving towards his general direction.
‘Do they know where I am?!’
The bang of his boot against an errant rock almost caused him to lose his footing, forcing his attention back to reality. Realizing that undue distraction could be fatal, Miles refocused, setting his mind upon the motion of his feet, and occasionally observing the hordes of blooded figures through Blood Vision.
The wind blurred past him, as he moved faster and faster, bounding across the linear hallways.
He did not have much of a plan in mind, his only goal being to avoid the most populous areas and minimize exposure to these creatures as much as possible.
Miles succeeded well enough in that, but as he put more distance between where he had been, it quickly became obvious that the creatures were only gathering at the exact location where he had killed the rat.
In other words, they were not actually after him, and not aware of his exact location. A heave of relief had barely left him, when he was forced to come to a halt.
Just up ahead was a single creature, smaller than even an ordinary rat.
Unless he wanted to backtrack, there were no alternative paths. Even as he wondered what to do, whether he could afford to engage… he heard it.
A Screech.
An unnatural wail that reverberated through the air like a wailing siren. If the echoes of the sound reflected to his ears through the iron walls were any suggestion, it was that single rat.
Miles wavered no longer. He pounced forth, pushing his physique and agility to the limits of what he could handle. In a mere second he had passed through the hall, appearing directly above the clueless, screeching rat.
He didn’t even spare a second to look, only felt the crush of bones under his boot and the sound of screeching silenced like an abruptly cut song. Pity that he didn't get to Detect the creature and check its level first.
DING!
[You have slain {Hordread Rat Alarmer (Evolved)/ Bound Familiar (Enhanced/ Alarming Screech - Meager)}]
[Vawul|W̶u̸r̶k̵a̴n̵ Experience withheld.]
His gaze shifted, noting the erratic movement in the red presences around him. The creatures that had barely begun to lose him and spread out in search, were now converging again. Moving towards his direction in an instant, forming an ocean of red that pooled towards him.
A single alarm, or perhaps the death of a rat was all it took. He was a target again.
Miles cursed, preparing to move again, at least until he noted exactly where this was.
A Crossroads.
With sharp edges of the metallic walls extending out in diverging directions, there were four distinct hallways. That was when he realized the situation was even worse than he had expected.
‘Is this supposed to be a maze of some sort?’
Despite being floored by the revelation, Miles delayed no longer and ran out. As he set out in his maddened dash, with the wind his only companion, he witnessed more and more of this place.
'It really is a maze, a rat maze.’'
That was the nature of this Doorway, or at least, this region of it. And it was obvious that a maze would need solving.
At this point, it was not feasible to consider memorizing the different paths and leisurely figuring out a solution. Not when he was being hunted by thousands of fae beast rats.
Fortunately, there was no need for such barbaric or rote methods.
“Cadmus! Use the records of my movement and position variation and continue to do so. Detect the presence of the iron walls and whatever else you can to create a map of the maze! Then, solve it for a potential path of exit!”
The wind buffeted Miles’ voice, perhaps even carried away by it, but his command was received. The Lykaon ring beeped in the affirmative, beginning to pulse and vibrate as it gathered the requisite data.
After that, he decided to not rush like crazy, instead taking extra care in his movements and opting to wait when he should, prioritizing the avoidance of those creatures over speed.
While he left the matter of figuring out the maze solution path to the AI, he was not without responsibility.
The task of traversing through the hallways to gather as much data as possible was left to him. The more data he could allow Cadmus to have access to, the greater the chances of finding that specific data point that could become the key to solving this maze.
Miles knew that his request was not one that would be easily met. To solve a problem when the problem itself was not entirely known was quite difficult.
But he had faith in the Lykaon Ring, in Cadmus that could determine things that he could not, even sense and gather data beyond logical constraints. That was the nature of fae technology, the non-trademarked, non FaeTech kind available to the Corps at least.
Despite knowing this, for a moment a traitorous thought rose, placing doubt on whether there was even an exit to find in the first place.
That this Doorway would be one of endlessly sprawling hallways and giant rats, without an exit, without change…
But Miles trampled that discouraging thought before it could fester any further. With a deep focusing breath to re-center himself, he set upon his task.
He would be following the most generic of ways to solve a maze. Always turning left.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
A hand placed upon the wall Miles proceeded to dash through the hallways.
***
It only took half an hour of this for the strategy to lead him to a dead end, forcing him to turn back. His 'strategy' might be a complete solution to most mazes, but no one said it would be optimal.
Miles considered the masses of red infesting the paths behind him. Despite having moved at maximum speed, the distance between him and the blooded silhouettes had remained almost consistent.
This was entirely due to the sheer numbers of these creatures. He would be running away from a hundred, to get closer to a different hundred.
At least the majority were a considerable distance away now, gathered and cramped into the hallway towards the cross-roads where he believed he had killed the second rat. Their motions were also far less focused, spread out in many directions as if in an organized attempt to find his presence.
With his best attempts to avoid encountering the rodents, they were having a difficult time tracking his location.
The next hour or so continued with more of the same.
It was a frantic dash through a strange maze, avoiding the red presences as much as possible, trying to cover as much ground as he could, and yes, occasionally ending up at dead ends and being forced to backtrack.
Considering the sheer number of creatures, it was honestly surprising that Miles managed to avoid encountering them for so long, but such was the prowess of Blood Vision and his enhanced senses. Too bad, for it seemed that was not meant to last much longer.
Just up ahead was a gathering of blooded silhouettes, figures of rather unusual shapes. It was primarily two humanoid figures, tall enough to reach his chest.
They could be clearly identified by their beating heart crystals, but from their shoulders rose strange protrusions…
It took Miles a moment to realize that these protrusions had heart crystals of their own.
In other words, those were infant sized creatures standing upon the shoulders of the larger two.
His eyes narrowed. A quick consideration of the paths available to him revealed that unless he wished to trade these few creatures for dozens more by choosing some alternative path, he would not be able to avoid them.
No choice but to pass through then.
Miles let out a smoky breath, his grip upon the blood-caked rock spike tightening.
His other hand reached into his suit and pulled out the Caucon.
With a simple flick the tech pistol hummed to power. Just in case he failed to end this stealthily.
An exhale, and his focus settled entirely upon the creatures up ahead.
Miles would target the larger creatures first, with melee to conserve bullets. The smaller ones should be of no consequence, and he could just crush them with a foot.
It was a solid plan.
Excitement rushed through him as he exploded through Nameless Movement towards his prey. The distance between them shortened, when he started to feel something… strange.
His ears shifted, flicking almost involuntarily. It was as if there was something wrong with the sounds.
Yes, there was something here.
Miles could not hear the tell-tale echo of scuttling rat claws upon rock despite the creatures being only a short distance away.
There was no sound at all, as if a blanket of silence had been placed over the area.
Well, the wind still spoke, flowing over his skin and signaling the presence of the incoming creatures. His nose caught the scent of bloodthirst, tracing the strand to these creatures out on a hunt. Most importantly, Blood Vision marked them as literal targets of red.
So, whatever it was that may have been interfering with the sound, it was barely even effective.
A grin creeped over his face, and Miles’ dash became even faster, the wind itself becoming a gale that chased after him. His boots should have been near silent, not that he could hear it.
A surprise attack was ideal, but considering how Hordred Rat Alarmer had sensed his presence before…
The smaller silhouettes, those creatures upon the shoulders of the larger two, grew agitated. They shifted about, making no noise that he could hear, but the entire group they came to an abrupt halt.
The location they stopped at was quite inconvenient for him. As if planned, it was the middle of a junction.
Miles could see their heads move as they acted in eerie unison, scouting the different paths, searching for what had agitated their smaller compatriots.
He did not stop though, and soon, he was only a short distance away from the hallway in question. He no longer had the element of surprise, but hopefully he would have enough time to survey the nature of these creatures first.
So, the moment Miles stepped into the hallway, he called upon the identification skill causing six boxes of text to manifest over the creatures.
[Hordread Rat - Brute - Lvl. 12] was what was over one of the two larger rats. They were a human-sized muscle-bound variant of rats, reminiscent of the far too common Strength over-enhanced Fae humans. Miles had barely perceived that, when one particular rat, one of the smaller ones, managed to spot him.
Their eyes met, primeval intelligence shining within the beady eyes of the mangy vermin. Surprisingly, the four smaller rats were not of the 'Alarmer' variant.
No, Detect said the smaller rats were… [Hordread Rat - Sonokinetics - Lvl. 19]
'Sonokinesis? Manipulation of sound--'
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt, for all of a sudden that rat's mouth split open. Yes, split open.
Its muzzle sub-divided into four quadrants as if sliced right through. It bloomed like a grotesque flower, flesh rippling and blood veins pulsing within, but that bestial rat remained whole and alive.
The shape of the open maw almost formed a cone, one that was pointed right towards him. Then, the air vibrated.
The hair on his arms stood on end, and the wind screamed in painful, indignant agony.
Miles could swear he almost saw it, the movement of the sound, forming into ripples of air... and then it exploded, shot out like homing missiles.
It was by sheer luck and the prowess of his enhanced sense that he managed to react, just barely making it to the side of the hallway in a half-dodge, half-pounce. He managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, but it still hit the right side of his torso.
It was akin to a punch from an orc made of sound and air. Something in his shoulder snapped, and the next thing he knew, he was in the air.
His muscles spasmed, his ears rang, and he could feel something in his right ear had popped.
[Internal Bleeding detected. 0.4 BP lost. (Negligible. Not Considered.)]
Thankfully it seemed the suit had taken the brunt of the attack.
He was disoriented, his senses were marred, but somehow he managed to swivel in the air, and fall on his feet. The force of that single strike sent him skidding some more, finally ending up dozens of meters away, all the way at the end of that hallway.
[Conditional Undeath activated. All wounds healed. HP: 10/10]
The injuries were not serious, and regeneration made quick work of it. His shoulder popped back as it had been, and his hearing healed itself.
Miles could only growl in rage for being bested by a Sonokinetic rat. But things were just about to get a whole lot worse, for two of the smaller rats began to wail in that god-awful screech, sounding the alarm despite not being labeled Alarmers.
The fourth rat joined the former Sonokinetic, its face splitting apart in grotesque replication of the blooming macabre flower of flesh.
With two rats upon the shoulders of a single rat brute, each acting as potential miniguns of sound missiles he was left with little room to dodge.
Trying to run away would have him shot in the back.
But Miles did not allow himself to stew in nervousness or worry.
His anger and rage at the situation fueled his mental focus, but it didn't drive him.
Miles let out a single breath.
He was a little over a hundred meters away right now, the small rats barely the size of specks to his enhanced vision.
The wronged air seemed to wish for revenge, and it was more than willing to guide his hands, adjusting his aim like an omnipotent overseer. Quite a bit of tech weapons came with assisted or auto aim (thought it was not popular due to how easily it could be compromised). At that moment that was exactly what the flowing wind was to him.
Natural aim assist.
The air rippled for a second time but too bad for the rats, Miles was too fast.
BOOM! BOOM!
The fleshy flower heads of two Sonokinetic vermin exploded in bursts of red, courtesy of the Caucon. The remaining rats reeled in shock and the two smaller rats stopped their headless screeching, shifting their heads toward him…
To his shame, Miles reacted rather reflexively. This time failing to consider the wind and let loose another volley of shots.
BOOM! BOOM!
The movements of the rats made his aim waiver, and only one of the shots hit, barely managing to explode the chest off of a single smaller rat. The other missed entirely, wasting the ammunition.
The air trembled as the head of the Sonokinetic rat that had survived bloomed like a flower, aimed directly at him.
Cursing internally, Miles shifted his aim.
BOOM!
A single bullet, this time targeted at the much larger human sized rat brute upon whom this smaller rat stood.
The rat man’s head exploded like a balloon and the headless corpse cracked backward.
The missile of air had already formed, but with the corpse falling, it missed widely, and exploded into the cold iron ceiling instead of its intended target.
A sound akin to a strike of metal against metal rang out.
Sparks flew, and the attack ended only after it had drilled nearly halfway into the cold iron.
Miles was upon the final survivors in less than a second, and despite his mistake just seconds prior, Nameless Movement was perfectly timed. In a single motion made possible only due to his senses and the wind, his right foot lifted into the air, and his rock spike carrying hand pulled back.
Blood exploded splattering into the air and over him, from both above and below.
His boot crushed the downed Sonokinetic rat, while the rock pierced the throat of the rat brute.
The one under his foot was well and truly crushed, but the man-sized rat gurgled at the throat for a few agonizing seconds before collapsing lifeless onto the ground.
With that, the volley of notifications he had been ignoring so far Dinged into existence.
[You have slain {Hordread Rat Sonokinetics (Evolved)/ Bound Familiar (Enhanced/Sonokinesis - Lesser/Alarming Screech - Meager)} x4]
[You have slain {Hordread Rat Brute (Evolved)/ Bound Familiar (Enhanced/Super Strength - Lesser)} x2]
[Vawul|W̶u̸r̶k̵a̴n̵ Experience withheld.]
The rats were all dead now.
Miles' heart thundered, his body pumped with the power and vigor of fresh kills.
The blood and gore over the floor, in the air, and splattered over his suit, was something he was almost used to at this point. But it still remained an object of desire like no other. The only thing that had held him back was his sense of reason and general disgust of rats.
At least until the sensation that came next, managed to completely overshadow his thirst. Although it was weaker than the first time, it still caused him to shiver in unnatural satisfaction.
A hunt succeeded, a cycle complete, and another offering to the Great Mother above.
Miles could feel a familiar sense of satisfaction filling him with that something again, but it did not last.
As if that something had failed to find a place to gather in, the feeling dissipated into nothing. Regardless, he could not consider whatever that was for long.
Miles' gaze shifted elsewhere, upon the hordes of blood silhouettes visible through the walls.
His breath caught as he noted the expected explosive reaction, the Hordread Rats agitated like an enraged beehive, rushing towards his location with greater intensity than ever before.
Miles stayed still no longer, bolting away as fast he could.