The Manaverse

Rat Monsters Den

Southeast of the Slatewell Safe Zone

Jut kneeled next to Isabelle who was putting pressure on Joy's throat as the pugilist was bleeding out. "What about your big heal?"

Isabelle hesitated, looking torn. "If it's just a bleed debuff, I might be able to heal her through it without using today's charge."

Brick pulled a red potion from his pouch and handed it to Isabelle. "Maybe try a potion first?"

Isabelle pulled the cork from the bottle and poured it over they deep gash, the red liquid seeping into her wound.

The bleeding did not stop. For a brief while, Joy's HP did not drop any lower in Jut's vision either. However, it was only for a short time. Even with Isabelle trying to heal through the bleeding, her HP steadily decreased. When Joy reached twenty-five percent HP, Isabelle was not going to risk Joy getting further Potion Sickness and began channeling her big spell, From the Brink.

"I don't have a choice." She said in firm voice.

"We know. Don't worry about it. It just means we will have to be more careful moving forward for today." Jut reassured her.

For the first time, and likely not for the last time, Isabelle had to use the Spell as the name intended. The white light that poured from Isabelle's hands bled into Joy, the pugilist's body shining brightly until she was hardly visible. This was the first time Jut had seen the effect from the outside looking in. The glow turned Joy into a white silhouette for a second before the light started to fade. Her hands and feet become visible first, the light leeching from the rest of her in a steady flow. The last bit of light that faded was where the gash had been.

After all the light was completely gone, Joy moved her hands from her neck and sat up. Her hands were shaking as she looked far away for a few moments. The spot where the gash had been was now a tender looking pink. Then the woman looked at Isabelle. Even in the low light from Isabelle's lantern, Jut could see Joy's expression change from one of disbelief to intense gratitude.

Joy flung her arms around Isabelle. "You saved my life! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you." She repeated over and over again, her voice becoming quieter and quieter. Tears were streaking down her cheeks.

It took at least two full minutes for anyone to move away from the scene. The only ones who had even bothered to act as a lookout was Nox, Gunther, and Lily. Each stood at the opening to a tunnel and looked down them.

The Crusaders finished looting while at least one of the Ascendant Beings joined in on the watch detail. They decided that member was going to be Jut as he could see the rats' body heat if they were scampering up the tunnels, which more did from the other side not long after. This time the Crusaders were ready. They took down the five Monsters that approached with ease.

Diggy flipped a copper coin and the team went down the tunnel on the right. They unanimously decided to leave the larger tunnel for last.

With the recent, near death experience, the team was even more cautious going down the new tunnel. It was only wide enough for them to go one by one, so Isabelle followed behind Brick who took the lead. Jut took up the final position with his buckler shield and spear ready.

The tunnel forked off a few times, but the paths were short with a single rat or two to fight at their end. The main tunnel shaft, like the one they used to enter the Den, sloped downwards. It made Jut realize that the tunnel system, much like the cave the Dog Monsters' Lair had been in, had to be a magically expanded space. If it wasn't, they would be under water with how far they have traveled, unless the river wasn't as deep as it looked.

When they found the end of the main tunnel, it dropped into a room. The mouth of the tunnel had widened out so three of the team could pear down into the space. There was another set of rats. However, one was different from anything they had seen so far. Alex made the creature's tag pop into Jut's vision.

Lesser Den Mother Rat - Elite

Level 3

This rat was grotesque. She was twice the size of the other Stone Rankers with a distended body that was obviously pregnant with a litter of Monsters. Despite being so large around, her tail had a needle tip that gleamed on the darkness and her claws were more like sets of daggers ready to jab and cut them to pieces.

When the Crusaders first looked over the edge, the Den Mother dropped a baby Monster who was already able to scurry away from her, fully furred, fanged, and eyes open. The tiny Monster joined its siblings against the far wall.

In a disgusting display of violence, the ten babies all fought one another until five were left standing. Those that survived noticeably grew larger.

"Just when I thought this System was starting to look up, they make us kill babies." Joy cursed softly.

Jut shook his head in agreement. "I know, right? It's like it wants us to be the Monsters instead."

"They are still Monsters. They wouldn't hesitate to kill us." Brick added. "We need to take out at least five of these Dens. Let's get it done."

Before anyone could argue, which it seemed like most were about to, Jut pointed down. "I don't think it matters. They've seen us. I'd rather fight down there then up here."

Some of the team exclaimed in annoyance or realization while Brick just smiled. "Let's go." The Guardian jumped down the fifteen foot distance and landed between the Den Mother and her offspring, who were starting to climb the walls towards the team, and shouted. The team had covered their ears, knowing what to expect.

The pets didn't wait for directions, diving into the pile of young rats. Each, attacking one. During their brief conversation, the babies had reached the size of most Normal Ranked Rat Monsters.

Joy was right behind Brick and started laying into the Den Mother's side as soon as she landed. Diggy joined her on its other side and surrounded the Den Mother on all sides.

Isabelle and Jut fired their wands into the pile of rats as fast as they could while avoiding any friendly fire.

Unlike the other Stone Rank rats, that died as quickly as Normal Ranked ones did when the team had been Normal Rank, the Den Mother was bulky and could take a lot of attacks. Diggy's axe did not bite too deeply while Brick and Joy's strikes were cushioned by her bulk. Isabelle and Jut's blasts weren't doing too much to visible damage either.

However, the Den Mother was taking damage. With Brick's precise blocks and Joy's ability to dodge, she was not able to land more than a few strikes against the Crusaders. The fight was starting to end, and Jut wanted to deal a powerful blow.

He pulled his sword out and jumped across the space until he was right above the Monster. As he did so, his blade became coated in blue and green energies and he held the blade pointing downward. He also increased his weight dramatically, channeling as much Mana as he could into Gunther's Increase Density Skill. When Jut landed, the room quaked slightly. His blade had passed right through the Monster's head and pinned the Den Mother to the ground. She died under the blow, her body falling still.

Brick stopped a strike mid-swing. "Woah man. Call out next time."

Diggy also had to adjust his swing as to strike the side of the dead Monster instead of cleaving off Jut's head. "Right? I could have killed you."

Jut nodded sheepishly. "I didn't expect it to work so well. My bad. But see, my trust in you both paid off. I'm not dead."

Brick gave Jut a hand up, his annoyed expression hiding a grin. "Jackass."

Before Jut could retort, he looked up. Isabelle had cursed and jumped into the room with them. Behind her fell another set of one Stone Ranked rat and four Normal Ranked ones. On her way down, she actually shot a rat out of the air.

"I'm impressed." Brick said with a wide expression. "Nice shot." He brought his shield up to deflect a furry body into a wall.

Again, the new additions fell quickly. It was apparent that there was at least one more Den Mother. They looted the bodies around them quickly and scrambled back up the tunnel. They made it back to the first space before another set of Monsters was able to jump from the tunnel across from them and attack the team.

The only difference in the left tunnel was the amount of Monsters and branched hallways had increased a little. The Den Mother was level four and she had more than ten offspring who were all almost fully grown. There was at least fifteen with at three being Stone Rank.

Instead of speaking or being caught because of their lantern, the team leaped down as a group.

Brick shouted at the Den Mother, but not with his skill. He stood in the beast's path, his shield up, as she tried to push past him to get to Jut, who had used Infuriating Bark. The Den Mother focused on Brick almost immediately after he smacked her in the face with his club.

Jut, however, had reactivated Scaled Skin and Increase Density while under the effect of Consequence. He focused only on the center of the three Stone Rankers, letting the Normal Ranked monsters nibble at his legs. They did minimal damage and it allowed him to get the upper hand on the Stone Rankers quickly enough. It was Joy and Diggy's job to take out the other two, while the pets and Isabelle focused on the Normal Rankers. With the large amount of Vulnerability stacks the Normal rats had accumulated, they fell fast.

The second Den Mother succumbed quickly not long after, Diggy decapitating her almost as soon as he shifted to fight her with Brick. They looted her and set up a brief camp in the room once it was clear. Everyone except Joy drank potions and some water while they caught their breath.

When they were ready, they helped each other up through the hole and began down the final tunnel. Immediately after crossing into the third tunnel, the atmosphere changed. The Crusaders were silent as they worked their way down. There were many more branching hallways this time, some that lead into smaller chambers with a full group of six or seven rats. These rooms had more ore and herbs than they had seen so far too.

Working their way lower and lower, the Crusaders did their jobs efficiently. While the rats were mostly Stone Rank, they were still rat Monsters. Adding in the full precautions the team was taking, it wasn't that long until they reached their final destination within the Den. The Boss Room.

Unlike the rest of the Den, this room had light which was the soft blue color Jut associated with his Mana bar and the Lock Down barrier. It was coming from a florescent Crystal that grew from the ground in the center of the wide area. The space had to be nearly double the other Den Mothers' nests combined and had a nearly thirty foot drop to the floor. There were hard dirt and rock ledges that had been carved by sharp claws that staggered back and forth, allowing the rats to jump back and forth as the climbed up to head up the tunnel.

There was at least three dozen rats crossing the chamber or scaling the walls via the platforms. As the Crusaders had put their lantern up, the light coming from the crystal plenty to see by, they hadn't been spotted, but that was going to change and they would lose the element of surprise if they didn't act quickly.

Just beyond where the rats approaching them, the team saw the Boss. She was twice as large as the other Den Mothers', almost as tall as Brick's stallion. More than anything, she was larger around instead of tall. Her bloated body made some of them wince. She was also giving birth more rapidly than the others. Her tag appeared as the Crusaders readied an attack for the first wave. They learned exactly why the other Den Mothers' had been called Lesser.

Greater Den Mother Rat - Elite Boss

Level 4

The only real strategy they could come up with was to fight their way down to the Boss so they could limit the numbers of enemies they had to deal with. The first group fell quickly, followed by the second. It was when the third, fourth, and freshly born fifth waves charged as one when they felt real pressure.

Using a corner of the room, the Crusaders used a familiar formation. Brick and Joy flanked Diggy, making a semi-circle with a pocket for Jut and Isabelle. Once the mass swarmed them, Jut changed his weapon from his wand to his spear while Isabelle shot out into the crowd.

They left the corpses unlooted as they headed deeper into the Boss's nest. She watched them wearily while giving birth to more and more rats. She was almost like an automated machine that just spat out Monster after Monster. Despite her huge size and equally comparable weapons, being her claws and tail tip, the real threat was the four rats surrounding the Den Mother.

Den Mother's Guard - Elite

Level 4

These Monsters were much more in control and did not attack the Crusaders mindlessly. Their claws were finer than most, resembling long needles. Their fur was almost black and their tails unwrapped from their waist like living belts as the Crusaders approached.

Jut spoke to the team as they formed a loose formation. "The Elites look like speed based fighters, not power. They could have a worse bleed effect, too, based on those fingers. Be weary. Kill the adds first."

Everyone else either nodded or acknowledged his words as the Elite rats charged.

The four became blurs as they barreled straight for the group, each one targeting a different Crusader. Jut didn't know if he should be offended, but he felt like he should be offended, as none of them came at him. Instead of dwelling on it further, he moved to intercept the blur heading in Isabelle's direction.

The rat's needle fingers punched right through his buckler, almost hitting his face as he made it just in time. The force behind the charge would have been enough to knock him over if it wasn't for Jut's Firm Footing Skill. Not being ran over allowed him to retaliate with the sword he had drawn just before the attack.

Even though his special attack was blocked, Jut still received a stack of haste and went on the offensive. He lunged, slashed, deflected strikes, and seriously traded blows with the rat. Jut did take a few glancing blows on his sword arm and his leg, but as his Haste stacks increased, so did his ability to keep up then eventually outpace the Monster. He even took a little pleasure in seeing the rat's eyes widen once the beast realized the same thing. While his form was not perfect, and Jut did miss many, many opportunities to strike his opponent, his sword practice with Brick was paying off. With a final forward thrust, he pierced the rat through the chest, his sword sinking to its hilt.

Jut nodded to the rat. "Good fight, sir. Good fight." Was it his imagination, or did the rat tip his head just before Jut kicked the body of his blade? The rat was a corpse by the time it hit the ground.

Jut had just enough time to look around and see that the rest of the team had taken out their enemies too before a wave of smaller rats flooded over them. Had the team been Normal Rank, they would have been swarmed and likely eaten. However, the power gap was just too great and the Monsters were just too weak.

The swarm did exactly as was intended, however. It had allowed the Den Mother to waddle forward and into striking range. Brick was almost not able to catch the tail on his shield, the blow glancing off the metal where his heart should have been and into his arm, through his partial plate mail. He let out a grunt of pain but instead of falling back Brick turned his body abruptly. This caused the tail to make a sickening crack as he bent it in the wrong direction.

Brick would have lost the tug of war match if it were not for Diggy landing a heavy blow on the tail, severing the needle point. This caused the rat to scream as she fell back, rising on two legs fully. Her tone changed to one of pain as she birthed a new pair of the Elite Monsters and a handful more regular rats. The offspring all began to grow instantly, reaching full size in the moments before they jumped between the team and their mother.

It was Jut that called out as they witnessed the gross display. "Add phase. Regroup."

The team came together and readied for the flood to come. They barely made it as they were swarmed again. This time, the fight was harder and the team took more damage.

All seemed lost when both of the Elites managed to nearly gut Brick, even through his chest plate. However, Isabelle didn't waste time, touching the bracelet that had been the lantern to the Guardian's back. The same flash from early filled Brick's body and his HP jumped to full.

Knowing they couldn't let Isabelle get attacked during her maneuver, the Crusaders had formed another loose semi-circle around the Guardian and Healer, with Jut and Gunther each making themselves heavier and stemming the flow of regular Monsters.

Diggy grabbed one of the rats who had stabbed Brick by the neck and crushed it, not wanting to risk hitting a teammate.

Joy had yanked the other elite rat backward and landed blow after glowing blow into the Monster. It died quickly beneath her onslaught.

That left Nox and Lily to aid Jut and Gunther.

When the Guardian stepped forward once more, he looked pissed off and ready to take revenge. Brick pointed the tip of his club at the Den Mother."You need to keep a better eye on your children."

A guttural cry tore from Brick's lips as Jut, Diggy, Joy, Nox, Gunther, and Lily all charged the Boss with him. The only thing moving faster than the group was the blue bolts of power fired by Isabelle.

The Den Mother stood no chance. Any time she lunged her dagger claws she was met by a club, shield or battle axe that drove her attack back. Any direction she turned, she was met with Stone metal or a fist. The Crusaders were relentless. They had almost lost two of their team in this damn Den and they let Boss feel their wrath. Once the last of the life left the Den Mother, the team immediately went in to action looting and harvesting. The desire to get the Hell out of this hole was heavy on the air as no one spoke. Jut harvested the massacred corpse of the Den Mother first to wipe away the proof of their savagery before carrying out ritual after ritual.

As soon as the room was clear, Jut approached the crystal in the center of the room. Despite the left over gore around them, the beacon of light was unphased. He touched it with one hand.

Item: Magicite

Type: Node

Rank: Stone

Durability: N/A

Rarity: Rare

Quality: Superior

Description: A Stone Ranked Crystal formed in Dens and some Lairs. These Crystals can be converted into many things, but will usually create a Dungeon Core if left unattended.

Effect: Use to establish or construct any number to Manaetherical creations.

Jut let out a small whistle. "This thing has the highest rarity and quality I've ever seen." The rest of the Crusaders were gathered around Jut.

"Can we scoop it up and get out of this place? I'm ready to go." After Brick spoke, no one else said anything.

Everyone felt it. That same sensation of being well past ready to get out of there as they all walked towards the exit. A dark weight had settled over the Den. Not only had the System made them kill baby Monsters, but two of their number would have perished had Isabelle not had her From the Brink Skill. The whole encounter reminded them that the world they had known was gone in a very surreal way. And what was left over was nothing but a lot of nightmares and horrors just waiting to be discovered. They didn't even wait to be ejected from the Den, stepping out into the early afternoon sun at least three minutes before the structure collapsed and the mound that held the entrance faded away.