We continue to push forward until the next wave comes from the front.

It only has two rats, but the wave after four rats.

A single rat tries to sneak up from behind but is swiftly slaughtered by the summoned dog.

Next, a wave of five rats from the front. After each encounter Lovia cuts off and collects the tails, putting them away in her backpack.

Subia keeps her crossbow ready but does not need to intervene again as Gareth handles most of the threats with me getting a kill or two on the bigger waves of rats.

It has been three years since Gareth has used the sword in any form of combat. He is as competent with the blade as ever. With the augmentation spells, it would take mastery of a weapon to beat him in martial combat.

Finally, with both Gareth and myself drench in rat’s blood and guts we reach the boss.

A gaunt rat, despite its fur hide, it looked like its flesh clung to its bones. It was the same size as the other rats. Still, it is the boss. The only noticeable difference is its starving appearance. Bosses always have several differences from the other monsters. Most of them are combat-related like giant winged gnats that breathe fire or like a horse boss with the acid breath, hypnotic eyes and hooves sharper than steel. There are innocuous differences: the horse boss also happened to be pink. This too will have other abnormal characteristics.

"We will play it safe and use a summon to kill the boss. Girls go back, Gareth guards them."

They walk away, retreating to a safe distance. I start to form the ball of mana in my right palm. Gazing into the heart of the swirling flux of brilliant blue with a ring of blue-ribbon forming and circling the forming mana.

It sleeps alone in the centre of a spherical room with smooth walls.

Where bosses reside is the only place that bear a touch similar to civilisation.

Not that it is important/ like the features of the rat boss.

I summon a Minoth Servjilik Mamba. A snake of the deep places. A magical mix of two planes. It has the power of a snake from the serpent plane with the environmental conditioning of the underground plane. I had summoned the snake once before, in the underground environment it is one of the apex summons.

I fire the summon far away from myself a few paces away from the boss who at the shine of the blue dome bounds away. Its sleeping posture is only been a pretence. The dome fades and the gargantuan snake appears into existence. The length of three carriages with the width of one. It took up about a fifth of the boss room in sheer size. Its faded black scales allow it to merge with the darkness.

Sneaking a few paces I touch its tail.

"Obey, kill and eat the rat, spit out the tail then stay still."

The summoned inky black mouth spreads its narrow neck-flap and hisses the sound echoing sending a tune of crippling fear that rings in my heart. The rat is still, cowering in a state of absolute terror. At the other end of the room, I am the same. Not even able to run away, clench my fist or even twitch a finger. The creature that I have bound is controlling me.

Am I still this weak?

Unaware of my struggle, the summoned snake speeds forward covering the distance in a blink. Somehow breaking out of terror the boss leaps out of the way from the venomous bite. Taking the chance to counterattack, the rat jumps towards the snake's face from the side, and the boss’s tail bends and stabs like a spear into the summoned snake’s eye. Piercing through the soft flesh. Bouncing away the rat lands and the snake's head snaps and with a lunge swallows the boss whole.

It turns its head to look at me, a single brown eye pierces my soul, the other bleeds. It gives off a sharp hiss then in a gesture oozing spite it spits the tail of the rat straight at me. Catching the tail with both hands, takes a mix of strength and my sense of balance not to falter and fly back from the shock of the impact.

I take a deep shuddering breath, to assuage my terror.

"Dispel." I whisper.

The blue dome covers the summon and fades, taking the snake out of the deep places with it.

I underestimated the boss, with its speed my contingency would have been irrelevant. Only by relying on the sheer power of the snake had my plan worked. I will need to be smarter in the future in my planning and how I use magic.

With a swipe of the hand, I brush away the drops of sweat that wet my brow. The snake was as terrifying as I remember. That hiss turned fear itself into a weapon. I have to commend the rat boss for being able to not only evade but severely harm the serpent from the abyss.

The sooner we leave this place and are under the open sky the better…

"The boss is dead, you can come." I shout my voice echoing off the walls.

Gareth with a bounce in his step comes into the room, the sisters trailing at his heels.

"Where is, it Master?" Subia asks.

"Where is what?"

"The thing that made that horrible sound, Master."

"I dispelled it."

Subia pouts while next to her Lovia lets out a visible sigh of relief.

"Here Lovia…" I motion the hand holding with the tail. "Take it."

She nods, her head a blur with the speed of the action. "I’m sorry." She mummers her eyes downcast.

"Why?" I ask keeping my tone neutral and suppressing my surprise at her words.

"I mean I should have got the tail first and not waited. I’m sorry for not doing that." She speaks words which barely escape her thin lips before the next join it as they join together like links in a chain. She hurriedly comes over her cheeks blooming scarlet and takes the tail her eyes to my chest pointedly not meeting my gaze.

"You are doing well, Lovia. This has been a new experience for you, far different from all you have known. Despite that, you have performed your job. It is okay to be scared when facing danger to be uncertain of what to do. Obey and all will be good. Got it?" I speak to her in a calm voice to reassure her worth and soothe doubt.

"Yes…"

"It seems you didn’t need any help August. All your caution over nothing.' Gareth speaks loudly hunched over the pool of blood that spills from the summoned snake which stains the ground half the room away.

I miss what Lovia quietly mumbles as Gareth rather rudely speaks over her.

"Lovia was speaking, do not interrupt her." I tell Gareth a scowl contorting my features.

"Sorry Lovia, I didn’t notice." He responds rather flippantly.

I exhale letting out the anger and irritation then take a deep breath bringing my mind come back into focus.

That was an overreaction on my part, I must still be rattled by the fear from the snake’s hiss. Actually, the presence of the summoned snake alone is enough to put my mind on edge.

"Master?" Subia asks. I hadn’t seen her come over or noticed Lovia looking at me concern etched in her expression.

A thrum of irritation pumps through my mind. They can tell. I lost control and got angry. Again in a matter of days first with Subia, let anger rule my thought.

Subia pulls me into a hug, her presence, the touch of her body interlinked with mine, her warmth and the comfort of having her affection. The confusion the mess of anger, shame and fear fade away from her light. She pulls Lovia and I have both sisters hugging me. Subia from the front and Lovia. I should have thought it strange yet I relish the moment, in the care of the two sisters. As the locus of their attention.

I have a goal, a dream.

Anger has no place in the dream. I let it go and cherish intimacy. With a hand on Subia’s and the other on Lovia, I give them both a firm squeeze.

"Thanks." I utter.

With no small measure of regret, I break apart the hug.

Standing side by side the sisters, whose bodies may be different but their faces though they have distinct differences are similar to a family. More than their faces the familial binding lives, from their countenance they bear the same expressions.

At the end of my utterance, they relax and their eyes glinting with pride. They smile, a twinkle in tandem as bright as a light of a star, with a warmth akin to the sun.

In the dark, they glow as one. Sisters, a family of only twins.

"We’re done, let’s make our way back." I call out to Gareth who is still observing the bloodstain of the summoned snake with fascination. He surreptitiously pockets vials which contain the blood.

A round of "Okay." and a "Yes, Master." answer back my command. We set off in formation. I resummon the Minoth bullmastiff.

We walk out of the boss room and it is not long until…

"Six rats!" Gareth shouts. I form two mana bolts, with Gareth’s two, we let them soar forth and four of the rats are dead. The last two Gareth easily cuts down.

My knife in hand, Lovia diligently cuts off the rat tails and puts them in her bag.

We determinedly push forward, making our way back to the beginning. We march through the dark to reach the exit.

"Six rats!" Gareth shouts.

Again.

Forming the mana, I shape the magic into mana bolts and let them soar. One misses with the rat's timely dodging. Due to the distance, it is unsurprising. With his mana bolts hitting, Gareth slaughters the last three in an act of skill displaying his ferocity.

Lovia is already springing to work as soon as the last rat is felled.

Subia keeps close by her side. She is always watchful waiting for an attack to come.

We reach the exit shortly afterwards. It doesn’t take long to reach the village and deposit the rat tails at the outpost. We collect 30 silver for the thirty tails and another ten silver for the boss tail.

At the outpost, there is an emergency quest to investigate the disappearance of the dragon from the mountain top. Our group has been drafted to search the underground tomb of an ancient mountain King who was buried long ago.

Our job is to scout the location, usually empty its undead having been scoured centuries past, and report back our findings.

We decide to stay the night at the outpost and venture out to search in the early morning when the sun is out and any possible undead weaker under daylight.

We each wash off at the well and I grab a new robe this one dyed black given away for free by the kindly Outpost Master.

We sleep in different camp beds at the back of the outpost, the rusted metal bed frame with a stretched cloth covering as the mattress.

I remember the days of our childhood. Of wars without end. Years later and I couldn’t forget, some night like this one I lay awake.

I sit up. The three were still soundly asleep their chests rising and falling with each breath. Putting on my robe I go outside, the cool breeze sending a shiver down my spine. I get a drink from the well, sitting back on the bed cup in hand I sip the water.

"Which one?" asks Gareth quietly.

"Trelvan." I reply with a whisper.

"The siege."

I remember trying to sleep as magic spells were flung by each side of the long battle. Never to land through wards but the sound, the possibility of instant death that just happened when a spell made it through the wards sometimes. The warmth of Gareth’s and Alessia’s bodies as they cling to each other bodies stiff with tension. Waiting night after night.

"It is okay, old friend" Gareth continues. "Game of cards?"

"It is alright. I will go to sleep."

"Sweet dreams then."

Shortly after I drift to sleep