A yelp and a gurgling sound came from behind the overgrown rat. Amihan stabbed the one that Dumog tripped over. While the one in front of Dumog was distracted, he launched himself towards the torch. He grabbed it, but it brought him to the striking range of the rat. It swung its machete downwards. Jacked came in between them, the blow bouncing off something that Dumog didn’t see. The rat took a step back.

The rats regrouped with each other, as did the humans. It was three versus three now, but there was not enough space for them to fight at the same time.

“Tch, it was Ratfolk, not regular rats. That old hag didn’t tell us!” Jacked was livid.

“I had my suspicions, the locals called them rats in another town. Normal rats aren’t common in this area because of a certain mage a few centuries ago,” Amihan explained.

“Aren’t we at a disadvantage? Unless one of you can see in the dark,” Dumog waved his torch back and forth, warding off the Ratfolk.

One of them threw a rock at Amihan, she swatted it away with her knife’s scabbard. Amihan was about to strike back but Jacked was in the way. With no space to attack properly, she decided to make the first move.

“I’m going to lure one or two of them to the other side of this divider. You two should be fine on your own,” she said without consulting the rest of the team. Amihan grabbed the rock and threw it back into the darkness, it hit something. She didn’t know how many were following her, but she managed to lure them to her in the dark.

Dumog and Jacked had their backs toward each other, touching. The torch wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the whole room, their opponents remained unseen scurrying in the shadows. It circled around them trying to find an opportune time to strike, they could hear its claws scraping against the stone.

“I’m going to give that bitch a talking to, if we get out of here,” Jacked whispered to himself angrily.

“Yeah, ‘if’,” Dumog continued to swing.

Amihan tried to go for the nearest wall she could find. She wanted to eliminate a direction to defend from, having her back against the wall would help her against the unseen attackers. From the sound of scurrying feet she counted two enemies.

Doubts of joining a team invaded her heart once again. This was a situation that never wouldn't happen if she operated alone. She wouldn’t be in this situation if she didn’t help Dumog in the forest.

A swing came from above, she dodged it by ducking. She counter attacked with a quick jab of her knife. It poked the leather armor it was wearing. Amihan realized it wasn’t the time for doubt, she had to put an ounce of trust in them. Just enough to not worry that they would die and leave her with more enemies.

They thought that they were the ones with the advantage now that it was a two versus one situation. But in the darkness they were still blind. It didn’t matter that they outnumbered their enemy if they couldn't land a blow.

“You have any plans, Sir Archmage?” Dumog asked, he had no choice but to wave his torch back and forth to try and get a sight of the Ratfolk.

“Don’t get funny on me, man. I always have a plan, though they usually pop up when I don’t need them anymore. So by the time we’re safe I’ll have one for you. Trust the process,” Jacked laughed it off, nervously.

They weren’t the only ones having trouble and formulating plans to kill the other. The Ratfolk that Dumog and Jacked were against had circled them for quite a while now. Both parties were hesitant to make the first move. So it decided to run back to the hole they had made prior, to call for reinforcements. A few more Rats were on their way now.

“Fuck it!” Jacked ran towards the sound and tackled the Ratfolk, it yelped in pain.

But it was too late, sharp claws against dirt and stone could be heard from the tunnel. Dumog tried swinging and kicking at the one Jacked wrestled. He hit Jacked more than the rat and he was barely doing damage due to its thick hide.

Dumog panicked, he could hear Amihan on the other side of the room. She was in a scuffle of her own. He had to do something about the incoming rats. Flashing his torch around the room, searching. Barrels and bottles of rum were the only things he saw. This triggered a childhood memory.

He and his cousin had just finished watching an action film. It was the final battle. The main character lit up a rag soaked in a bottle of rum. Then he threw it at the enemy, dousing them in flames. He had tried that in his cousin's house one time with his uncle’s collection. This ended with him nearly burning the house down and beaten up by his uncle.

Alcohol was flammable at a certain proof, and they were under a bar. Dumog started rolling the barrels down the hole, he heard some of them hit the incoming Ratfolk. While Jacked and his opponent were wrestling on the ground Dumog grabbed its clothes, dipped it in the barrel and lit it with the torch. He tossed it into the hole alongside the open barrel. Not knowing where they were going, he continued doing it. After a while the ground below shook.

Amihan had killed one of them already, but the other ran back to the other side. She saw it push Dumog to the side and jump into the hole. Jacked was still on the ground with the last Ratfolk in the basement. They rolled around in the darkness bumping into things. After seeing Dumog toss the lit barrels into the hole she got the idea and started helping him. It should give a message to the Rats to never come to the bar again.

Jacked won his fight and incapacitated the Ratfolk. He picked it up and threw it in the fiery hole as the two were filling it with barrels. Reaching into his sleeves, he brought out bottles and vials to go along with them. Amihan and Dumog looked at him, wondering what they were for.

“Just something to supplement the explosions and fire,” his chuckle filled with malice.

“Why didn’t you use any magic during the whole fight?” Dumog wondered why he hadn’t seen his master perform magic other than making potions for erectile dysfunction.

“It would have killed us all. This room is far too cramped to fight in. Even she decided to move away from us,” he pointed an accusatory finger at Amihan.

“Does he even know what you specialize in?” Amihan asked.

“No, he hasn’t taught me anything!” Dumog felt like he was getting scammed.

“I’ll teach you soon, don’t worry. We have to train your body first though. My kind of magic is taxing to the body,” Jacked chuckled.

From the tunnel, hot air blasted at them knocking them to the ground. It was strong enough to toss the three of them across the room. Dumog thought it’d cause him to get knocked out again, but it didn't. They covered up the hole and got ready to go back up the stairs. Their first mission was somewhat of a success, there were no more Rats in the basement. Thoughts of leaving the group once again linger in Amihan’s mind. Jacked on the other hand wanted a long talk with Sinta. The trio climbed up the stairs.

Jacked was about to go off on the old lady, but the smell of a fresh meal stopped him. On one of the tables was a meal for a group of people. Just in time for supper.

“Oh wow! You guys are done already? Right on time, the meals are done,” Sinta exclaimed, she still had her apron on. The hard work she did for the meals was seen on the stains on it. “I heard some rumbling, hope you didn’t get hurt that much. Go on, sit before the food gets cold,” she ushered them to their seats.

Amihan appreciated the gesture, but she wanted out of the place. She didn’t think it was worth it to bother with people anymore. She went where she left her bag, it wasn't there. Pulling her knife out, she grabbed Eeya and pressed it on her neck. “Where’s my bag!?” She demanded.

“It’s by the table,” Eeya said, tears streaming down her face. “There was a hole in it. I thought it would be fine to patch it up. I didn’t touch anything inside, I swear,” she was sobbing.

“It’s just a misunderstanding, dear. We’re not here to harm ‘ya,” Sinta reassured her.

“Sorry,” Amihan said under her breath, embarrassed from her overreaction.

“We thought the reward for the Rats was too low, so this was the least we could do for you,” Sinta explained. “We had posted the job a few weeks ago, no one would take it. So, thank you,” she smiled. “Now, let’s eat!”

It was the first time Dumog and Jacked ate fresh and hot food in a while. Jacked lost all reason to argue with the old dwarf now. Dumog was just happy to eat after a job, content with the effort he had put in. Amihan on the other hand, felt guilty about threatening the hostess. She decided to stay for the meal, thinking the talk with the boys could wait.

They all ate and told stories on the table, most of the time it was Jacked or Sinta. She told stories of when she was an adventurer, it was how she met her late husband. He was a brewmaster, did business and adventure with alcohol. A giant wagon trailed him around with all of his brewing equipment and supplies, a magician of his own kind.

“Speaking of alcohol, why not grab a bottle downstairs now that the rats are gone,” Sinta asked Eeya.

“About that, we kind of used it to fend off the Ratfolk from climbing the tunnel they made,” Dumog confessed.

“Oh, is that so?” A hint of sadness in her ancient voice.

“Sorry,” the trio was starting to get embarrassed with all they’ve done to the small bar.

“Hahaha,” Sinta cackled from her belly. “That’s something my husband would do,” she smiled at the memory of his antics. “Before you leave, I have one more thing to give,” she ran up the stairs.

Jacked slumped in his seat, hands over his face. “I can’t believe I was about to scream at her for the Ratfolk mix-up,” he said aloud. Eeya was still there and heard everything, she wished that she hadn’t. Burdened by the knowledge.

Sinta came back down with a dusty box in her hands. She handed it to Dumog, gesturing for him to open it. Inside were a pair of old leather boots, they had plates of metal all around, a big round one covered the toe box.

“These were my husbands, I guessed you two had the same size feet. He was big in certain parts for a dwarf,” she giggled like she was a century younger.

Dumog wanted to cry, his feet were in pain ever since he came to the world. He finally had some semblance of protection. “Thank you,” he said, teary-eyed.

Jacked felt guiltier by the second. Before they were shown out the door, Sinta gave them their pay. He received it reluctantly.

They stepped outside, the nightlife of the pleasure district had begun. A lot of workers were calling on the pedestrians for a ‘good time’. It was a mix of men and women. Dumog swore there was something in the air to make people seem more attractive and alluring in his eyes. A few steps away from the bar and Eeya started chasing after them.

“Ms. Sinta said that you guys could stay on the second floor if you didn’t have a place to stay,” she said in between breaths. “We have a lot of vacant rooms.”

Dumog and Jacked seemed ecstatic at the idea. On the other hand, Amihan was unsure. She was already thinking of what to say to the boys before she left. But seeing the warm expression from the shy hostess made her think again, this group thing could work if she tried. The worst thing that could happen is her being alone in the end, something she was familiar with. And with the old dwarf being an ex-adventurer, it could lead her closer to the place she was searching for. Amihan nodded, accepting the offer.

The two men cheered and danced around her chanting, “Not homeless,” over and over.

***

Mother woke me up from my nap, I didn’t think it was for my learning yet. She was very distressed. I could tell she was crying. But she was more worried than when I got stuck between the two boulders last year.

It was very hot and I couldn’t breathe.

She dragged me outside the house, blinding me with orange and yellow lights. It was like how my father described the outside world. I didn’t imagine it being that hot though. Our house had fallen down, enveloped in the light of the outside. Something was preventing me from breathing, it was similar to the gas that me and my friends discovered coming out of a hole.

Amber liquid fell from the breathing vents above. Mother shielded me from it, covering herself in it. She screamed and pushed me back, making me trip on my tail and fall on my butt. I asked her why, but she screamed again, ordering me to step back.

There it was again, the light my father described, the one that consumed my home. I remember now. He called it the Sun, I think. A piece of the Sun slowly fell from the ceiling, it landed on mother.

She cried, I still hear it right now in my mind. I screamed and wept as she did, as the Sun consumed her. I wanted to grab her and yank her away from the sun, but I was too afraid. Too scared to be consumed by it too.

Someone dragged me away from my mother, our neighbor. He had a bad back but he was able to carry me away as I pounded on his back. I wished he never took me away from her. They gathered us all, out of reach from the fury of the Sun.

I stared at the ceiling as more of the liquid poured on our homes. Then as I was wondering where my father was, a familiar figure dropped. He was supposed to be gathering food for the upcoming hibernation season. But he came back to the village not with supplies, he had become the Sun itself. An orange ball of destruction up in the air. He fell, consuming the rest of our homes.