The group was confident our barricade had been built sturdy enough to keep almost anything out and deter everything else. Naturally, all four of us were confused when Mariah mentioned footsteps.

“We don’t hear any footsteps.” Spear spoke up immediately.

“Yeah, it’s dead silent.”

“I hear something soft, almost like a tapping.” Knife said softly as he looked at Mariah with some confusion.

“Are they coming towards us?” Sebastian couldn’t resist contributing, not when lives were at stake.

“They are. And I hear more of them. They really do sound like soft tapping noises. Though I’m hearing.. Squeaks?” Mariah rubbed her temples gently. Focusing on her senses was clearly a difficult task, even with the stat boosts.

Sebastian looked towards the others. Spear, Jacob, and the other Lv. 2 looked back at him, though only the first three spoke.

“Rats?”

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The swarm didn’t understand what was happening. It did not see the blinding light, and it did not understand the concept of disappearing members, even if any did disappear. They did understand that the swarm needs to eat. They need to expand and devour. So they did.

For a whole night the swarm expanded like never before. All sorts of animals and beings consumed under their mass, not even the bones left behind as they passed through the alleys and roads of the city like a scourge.

Then they met it. The four legged beast. Covered in red hot fur, exuding an unmatched heat. It terrified the swarm. They had grown overconfident, not returning to the depths as the light of dawn covered the streets. They hungered for what they could not have, and now they would be punished for it.

Dozens of the swarm were incinerated and left behind to the beast as it did it’s best to run, to find their way back into the darkness below the city, where they can truly roam free and eat to their heart’s content.

When they found themselves running through a mass of gaps and holes in the road, they paid no mind to what was on the other side. Only that they must run from it. Their numbers surged through the barricade.

And on the other side? They feast.

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“Fuck!” Sebastian cursed, as if a swarm of rats could recognize the anger in his voice. What is it with him and pests? First oversized squirrels and now a swarm of rats! He ranted inwardly as he stepped backwards, his patrol group falling back with him.

Jacob grabbed Mariah by the arm and pulled her back, placing her behind both himself and Sebastian. Spear, Sword and Knife all followed suit, making a circle in which Mariah was hidden.

Sebastian gripped his Saber hard, eyeing down the approaching swarm, and

Identify!

[Lv. 1 Infant Rat Swarmling]

[A species of rat corrupted after The Light, on their way to becoming part of an immature hivemind. This rat has a hard bite but a weak body, meant to consume through numbers]

Sebastian didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. These rats were glass cannons, but Scorn definitely alluded to the swarm potentially being a hive mind. That was an idea he definitely didn’t like.

He bent his knees, gripped the saber and held it steady in front of him. The patrol group behind him found themselves in their own postures as they too got ready to face the swarm.

Steady. He felt power building in his legs.

Steady! He felt it surge up into his chest.

STEADY! He felt the muscles in his arms swell.

When the vanguard of the swarm approached, Sebastian brought the heavy saber up over his shoulder and swung it down across the rats, crashing into their sides like a sledgehammer

The pests were decimated by the swing. The saber first slashed through their flesh, before the leftover force travelled into their bodies and tore apart what was left. The strike left Sebastian panting as he felt every muscle in his body was wrung of its energy to support his swing.

[You have slain Lv. 2 Infant Rat Swarmling]

[Awarded 10xp]

[You have slain Lv. 1 Infant Rat Swarmling]

[Awarded 5xp]

[You have slain Lv. 3 Infant Rat Swarmling]

[Defeated higher level being]

[Awarded 22xp]

[You have slain Lv. 1 Infant Rat Swarmling]...

[You have slain Lv. 1 Infant Rat Swarmling]...

His constitution quickly healed the tears in his muscles as he brought his saber back to his side. Vertical slashes only targeted one enemy, so he stuck to his side slashes. The weight of the weapon really came through as he tore into the swarm.

Sword had a little more versatility as he did similar. In fact, the whole group did relatively well. Performance wasn’t the issue for Sebastian though.

It was durability.

His Inferior Saber was the best of the pile, and his constitution was probably the highest there. His weapon wouldn’t break, and even with this much effort he wouldn’t tire out for a while. But his group would.

Their weapons were shoddy, and their clothes wouldn’t do much to stop bites, especially if these rats were all levelled. Once their weapons broke, it was game over. But they were in the middle of the road, and the swarm had surrounded them.

Sebastian was deep into his thoughts when he heard a cry. A human cry.

He glanced over at the scream, only to see Knife being taken further into the swarm. His weapon was gone, most likely broken or dropped. The man continued to scream, only for Sebastian to see a rat crawl into his mouth. Knife’s eyes opened in a panic for a moment, before they were filled with viciousness.

Knife bit down.

His mouth instantly filled with blood and guts and the swarm released angry squeaks. Whatever reason they had for carrying him into the swarm no longer mattered as now they only wished to consume him as he did to their brethren.

Sebastian wanted to vomit as he watched the rats tear the man to shreds. Even whilst he swung his saber and killed more and more swarmlings, he had to watch as the man was torn in every direction and devoured by the mass of rats.

They couldn’t stay there.

“Mariah-” Sebastian turned to their DeFacto leader, only to see her puking her guts out within the relative safety the remaining four are giving her. She was useless. Her high perception had turned into a weakness in this battle ground of blood and gore. She smelled, saw, and heard more than anyone else present.

[Congratulations for reaching Lv. 3]

Sebastian saw the familiar blood red text. So what if he levelled up now? If he didn’t get out of there, the extra five points meant nothing.

They had four fighters at the moment. Spear didn’t help much, her weapon was meant for single targets. It can sweep, but that doesn’t kill.

Sword can pierce and slash, but the weapon is so inferior in quality that it does neither well.

Jacob was using a saber as well, but his was much lighter. His strength was clearly high, allowing him to use it with some efficiency. He was too occupied with protecting Mariah though.

Sebastian wracked his brain as he saw the swarm come closer, the pockets of space made by each sweep of his saber becoming lesser and lesser, and the space for the group to maneuver in following suit.

His thoughts were once again interrupted by another scream. Mariah had looked up from her vomiting only to see a rat that had been let through. He swept the area in front of him clear, earning him a few more notifications, turning just in time to watch Jacob push Mariah out of the way.

And right into Spear.

The blonde woman was quickly pushed out of formation, her stance broken. The patchwork spearhead impacted the asphalt road. There was a dull ringing noise as the welded blade shattered from the makeshift shaft, leaving Spear defenseless within the swarm.

The sight pissed Sebastian off, incredibly. With another slash of the saber, he quickly brought up his attribute menu.

[Attributes]

Strength: 14

Agility: 8

Constitution: 20

Intelligence: 7

Wisdom:8

Perception: 5

Attribute Points: 5

Without even a second thought he put every point into strength. He felt the warmth course through his body once again, his muscles filled with power, almost as if it synergized with his improved constitution. The saber no longer felt heavy in his hand, but like an extension of it.

He swept forth his saber into the approaching swarm and turned. Sebastian lowered his body, running straight towards Sword and slinging the man over his shoulder all with one movement, ignoring the skinny man’s frightened scream or the dropped weapon.

He was saving at least one person.

He didn’t glance back at Jacob and Mariah. If they died, they died, and if they lived, he’d give them a good punch in the face.

The situation felt eerily familiar. First, ambushed by pests. Then chased. He’d be even angrier if he wasn't reminded by Scorn that even now he was killing more of the swarm. his boots crushing their bodies underneath him.

Sebastian ran towards the building Sword and Knife had entered when making the barricade, the swarm following on his heels. He had long lost the luxury of paying attention to the blood red notifications popping up, entirely focused on escaping this swarm.

Rats leaped from their brethren among the swarm as he charged through, forcing him to deflect them or retaliate with his saber. Even with his improved strength, wielding the weapon with one hand felt difficult, and he couldn’t do it long.

The building was left empty, both an advantage and a disadvantage for the same reason. Less obstacles to run around, but less for the swarm too. He raged inwardly but tried his best to remain calm. They needed an entrance rats couldn’t get through, or at least not quickly.

“Did this building have any windows?”

Sword sputtered out sounds for a moment as he tried to collect himself. “Y-yes, every floor has windows and the bathroom on the first floor has them.”

He brought Sword with him into the bathroom of the office building, seeing the windows above the stalls, just big enough for a person to get through at a time. Slamming the door behind them, Sebastian tossed the skinny swordsman on the floor, locking the bathroom and pushing his weight against the only thing barring them from the horde.

“You need to open that window. Right the fuck now,” Sebastian glared at the man, freeing a hand momentarily to point towards the window with the saber. He only received a shocked nod in response. It didn’t take long for Sebastian to hear a click. “It’s done!”

“Go through first. Once you do, I’ll bolt from this door and out the window. They shouldn’t be smart enough to follow us through.”

Sword just nodded, doing as he was told. Weaponless, he felt he’d need to wait for Sebastian even if he didn’t say anything.

Feeling the door bang as an entire horde of rats pressed their weights against it, Sebastian felt like shit. That locked door would hold for maybe a couple seconds at most once he stopped reinforcing it. That means he’d only have five or so seconds to get out.

He didn’t like those odds.

Inhale, exhale. He felt the need to calm himself down, feel his strength and energy flowing through him. It would take everything he’s got to do this. He lowered his body, bent his knees, turned..

And he fucking ran for his life.