Piper stalked through the trees cloaked in her [Wraithskin] spell, loosing arrows at the advancing ratfolk. To the creatures, her missiles must have seemed like they were appearing from nowhere.

  After her first few deadly volleys, a few of the ratfolk tried to hide behind trees, but she kept moving, making it impossible to take cover from her deadly arrows.

  With each kill, a handful of notifications filled her vision, but she dismissed them. Once this was over, she could look at all the levels she’d gained. Right now, she needed to focus on stopping the creatures attacking her group.

  Even with her efforts, Basil was cradling an injured arm, and Althea was lying on the ground grievously wounded. The healer had been dragged down by a group of ratfolk, who had plunged their daggers into her repeatedly until Selene had shredded their ranks with her blades.

  Piper took aim at another ratfolk charging at Althea. She released, her projectile wobbling as it soared through the air. It slammed into the rat’s forehead, piercing its skull and sending it flying back. The creature hit the ground and twitched once before lying still.

  Drawing another arrow, she shot at a slinger approaching her group. Her missile struck its arm with a meaty thud. She raised her bow again but lowered it when the creature dove behind a fallen log. The ratfolk definitely weren’t stupid.

  She scanned the forest for another target. Aside from the slinger cowering behind a tree, she couldn’t see any more rat-like creatures. Had they won the battle?

  A quick count showed that there were seven dead ratfolk scattered around the forest floor. She wished she had thought to ask how many normally lived in a den. She didn’t want to let her guard down when there might be another dozen hiding in a nearby hole, ready to ambush them.

  As the slinger peeked around the tree, she rapidly drew and loosed; her arrow found its eye socket and sent it reeling back.

  Congratulations! You have slain a Ratfolk, Level 25.

  Piper lowered her bow and then dropped one hand to the quiver on her belt. She took the momentary lull in battle to feed a stream of mana into it to create more arrows. As arrows magically appeared, she kept a vigilant watch on the forest.

  After a few minutes, when no more ratfolk had emerged, she crept over to a thick tree trunk. Once she was out of sight of her group, she dropped her spell [Wraithskin]. Then she stepped out and waved to them.

  “Is that it?” she called out. “Did we win?”

  Althea pushed herself into a sitting position and glared at Piper. Her face was twisted with pain, and she held a hand to her stomach. Blood leaked through her fingers, indicating a serious wound underneath. “Where did you go? Did you run off while we were fighting for our lives?”

  Selene sighed and shook her head. “Look at the bodies, Althea,” she said. “I doubt the three of us killed more than a handful of the ratfolk. And who do you think killed whichever one cast that powerful spell at the start of the battle?”

  The healer glanced around at the corpses, most of them bristling with arrows. Her gaze immediately softened. “I’m sorry…” Her words trailed off as she sagged back to the ground. “I feel a bit dizzy…”

  Piper hurried over, but Basil had already grabbed a hold of Althea’s shoulders.

  “Heal yourself!” Basil urged, his features pinched. “All of us are fine, so there’s no need to conserve your mana.”

  Althea nodded almost imperceptibly before she touched her wounds one at a time. After each contact, the bleeding slowed before stopping completely. She wasn’t healed by any means, but at least she shouldn’t bleed to death now.

  Basil pulled a wad of bandages out of his pouch. “Why do you always insist on doing that? You’re going to get yourself killed someday.”

  “I had to save my mana in case any of you were injured.” Her words were tinged with pain, and she winced at the end. “What good is a healer who can’t heal their group?”

  “That’s foolishness,” he said. “Your wounds should always come first. Without you, there would be no one to heal us afterwards.”

  “My job is to keep you all healthy.” Althea gave a weak smile. “I knew a healer once who…” She coughed and cried out with pain. “I’ll tell you another time.”

  Piper placed the end of her bow against the ground and leaned against it. “What now?” she asked. “Do we head back to the city?”

  “No.” Basil wrapped a bandage around Althea’s forearm. It was the only one of the stab wounds still bleeding heavily. “Now comes the difficult part. We have to clear the burrow.”

  “You expect us to go in there?” She gaped at Basil. “You know that’s a bad idea, right?”

  “Regardless,” he continued. “We have to exterminate every last one of the ratfolk. If even a single pair escapes, they’ll start another den nearby and take vengeance on the local farmers.”

  Piper glanced over at the burrow opening, not liking the thought of crawling inside. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but since awakening in the tomb, she wasn’t a big fan of being underground. If she never had to crawl through a narrow opening again, she’d be perfectly happy.

  Selene spun a dagger on the palm of her hand, looking thoughtful. “If you’d like, I’ll take the lead in the tunnel. My class is probably best suited for close fighting.”

  After a second, Piper nodded. In the narrow confines of a burrow, her bow would be nearly useless, and she couldn’t use her demonic skills. It was better for Selene to take the lead, and she could help her out if needed.

  Basil rose to his feet and drew his dagger. “No, Selene. I need you to stay and watch over Althea. Piper and I will… finish the quest.” He grimaced at the last part, which seemed odd.

  Mentally shrugging, Piper followed Basil over the opening. The fire at the entrance was still burning, and it would be awhile until it burned low enough for them to enter.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  But the thought had barely entered her mind when a powerful jet of water struck the fire. The spray sent a handful of burning logs tumbling deeper into the burrow, and quickly extinguished the main blaze.

  Sometimes, she forgot that Basil had a class from the Water Realm. He had so many abilities that would have been useful back on a farm. Alfred would have practically killed to have someone around who could easily extinguish a fire or water the crops.

  They stood outside the burrow for a few minutes, waiting for the smoke to dissipate. When only a thin layer of haze clung to the opening, they dropped into the hole. The walls inside were scored with claw marks, indicating that the ratfolk had dug this out by hand.

  In front of them, the tunnel descended into darkness. Piper hesitated for a second, unsure of how they were going to see. Then Basil produced a tiny glowing sphere from his pack. She remembered seeing something similar outside the Aspirant’s Guild. It wasn’t an aetherstone, but it was clearly magic.

  Holding up the light with his left hand, Basil proceeded down the tunnel with his dagger drawn.

  After a few paces, a ratfolk came screaming out of the darkness. It was unarmed and wore what looked like a ragged dress. But the creature brandished wicked-looking claws.

  Before she could react, Basil rushed forward to grapple with the attacker. He slammed its head against the side of the tunnel. Then, he drove his dagger deep into its chest. Ripping the blade free in a spray of blood, he plunged it back into the attacker. With a pathetic moan, the creature dropped to the ground.

  Congratulations! You have slain a Ratfolk, Level 14.

  Piper frowned at the notification. She knew that the ratfolk were monsters. But it didn’t feel fair to be killing something with such a low level. But what other choice did they have?

  After Basil took a second to wipe off his dagger on the ratfolk’s tattered clothing, they continued deeper into the tunnel. After about 50 meters, they encountered a primitive wooden door.

  “Ready?” Basil whispered. “This is likely the main part of the den. Be ready for anything.”

  Piper nodded, gripping her own dagger tightly. If the fighting became desperate in there, she could probably sneak in a few [Tail Strike] and [Quick Claw] attacks. Though she’d be hard pressed to explain the wounds afterward. Assuming anyone would even bother to inspect the bodies.

  Basil reared back and launched a heavy kick at the door. The door bowed inward around his boot, the wood splintering. The second kick broke it off its hinges. They rushed inside to find an empty room.

  Tattered blankets covered the floor, and what must be crudely built stick cradles sat in the corner. The room stank terribly, like spoiled milk and waste. On the walls, someone had painted images of ratfolk slaying humans.

  “Emperor take me,” Basil cursed, kicking a blanket. “The mothers and children must have escaped through another tunnel. Perhaps we can still catch up with them.”

  It took her a second to realize that Basil had intended for them to wipe out the ratfolk children. Turning, she glowered at the taller man. “You wanted us to kill kids?”

  “The quest said to exterminate the burrow,” he said. “I don’t enjoy this anymore than you do. However, none of them can be allowed to leave this place alive.” Basil rubbed a hand through his hair. “Let’s see if we can track them in the tunnels.”

  When he moved to step forward, she intercepted him. “There’s no way we’re going to hunt down babies. I’m not going to let that happen.”

  Basil’s face tightened. “If they escape, they will swear vengeance for what happened here today. Within a few months, there will be dozens of adult ratfolk terrorizing the countryside. Is that what you want?”

  Piper opened her mouth to respond when her [Ambush Detection] blared a warning. Her eyes widened as she thought for a second that Basil was going to attack her. Then she felt a searing pain in her back. Twisting around, her mouth gaped open at the sight of a ratfolk driving a dagger under her ribs.

  Where had it come from? She wondered to herself. And why do I feel so cold?

  As the creature ripped the blade free, a waterfall of blood poured out of the wound. The world tilted as she struggled to breathe. With each pump of her heart, more blood sprayed out of the wound.

  “Piper!” Basil cried out, launching himself at her assailant. His blade rose and fell, and the pained screams of the ratfolk filled the narrow chamber.

  But Piper barely noticed the desperate struggle between Basil and the ratfolk. Her vision was darkening, and a terrible weakness spread through her limbs. If she didn’t do something fast, she was going to die.

  Faced with no other options, she activated [Demonic Blood]. Instantly, her skin glowed red hot, and a stinging sensation spread across her back. She could feel her organs reforming as her mana dropped precipitously. But as the sensation faded, she was able to draw in a shallow breath.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Demonic Blood has reached Level 34.

  Ding! Your racial skill, Demonic Blood has reached Level 35.

  This was followed by another notification.

  Congratulations! You have a slain a Ratfolk, level 39.

  She turned to look at Basil. The man was covered in blood, a dripping dagger held in one hand, with the crumpled body of a ratfolk at his feet.

  “Piper!” Basil shouted, grabbing her arms. “I need to get you to Althea!”

  “I’m… fine,” she gasped, still feeling woozy. “I… just need to sit down for a bit.”

  But obviously Basil didn’t believe her, and he tossed her over his shoulder like a ragdoll. She probably could have resisted, but she didn’t want to hurt Basil.

  As Basil raced down the tunnel, her back scraped against the roots hanging down from the burrow’s roof. But she barely registered the pain. All she could think of was their mission to exterminate a burrow full of children.

  Daylight beckoned ahead, shining with the promise of freedom from the burrow. Basil burst out of the tunnel already shouting for the healer. At the sight of them, both women rose to their feet. Althea hobbled over, already pulling fresh bandages from a pouch.

  “A damn rogue in stealth stabbed her in the heart,” Basil shouted, placing Piper gently down on the ground. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “I’m… fine….”

  Althea gently turned her over and pressed her hands around her back. “I can’t find the wound! There’s too much blood.”

  Basil knelt down, probing the area with his fingers. “I swear it was right here.”

  Piper tried to push them away, her world tilting again. Why couldn’t she breathe? Had [Demonic Blood] not healed her completely?

  Her heart raced in her chest, and it felt like she was being smothered. No matter how hard she tried to suck in air, it felt like she was drowning. A cold sweat broke out on her body, and her limbs trembled.

  “I’m choking!” she cried out, sitting up. “Something’s wrong with me!”

  Selene knelt at her side, taking her hand. Her dark eyes were like calming pools of midnight. “Just take a slow breath in and exhale. I’ll show you how.”

  Piper watched Selene inhale and then she began to exhale in time with the young woman. After a few breaths, her heart slowed, but the trembling remained.

  Althea pulled out a dagger. “I’m going to have to cut away her dress. I still can’t find the stab wound.”

  Piper held up a shaking hand to stop her. “I’m fine. Honestly.”

  Basil touched her shoulder. “You’re not fine. I’ve seen someone stabbed in the heart before. If we don’t heal you fast, you won’t survive.”

  “I… had a healing potion,” she lied. “I think it mostly healed me.”

  Althea froze with her dagger poised to slice open the dress, while Basil stared at her incredulously.

  The tall man rubbed a hand down his face. “That would have been nice to know before I almost put my back out running with you down the tunnel.”

  Her expression darkened as she remembered what he’d done. “You wanted to kill children!” she spat. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Basil seemed taken aback by her vehemence. “That was always part of the quest.”

  Piper turned to regard the others, who nodded their heads. “But they’re children,” she insisted. “It’s… wrong!”

  Basil tried to touch her shoulder, but she pushed him off angrily.

  Straightening up, he surveyed the surrounding forest. “Those children will grow up to be just like that creature that almost ended your life. Perhaps they’re still around here.”

  She leaned forward, resting her chin on her knees. If being a Wayfarer meant killing children, then she wanted no part of it. She would find another way to leave this city. Because she would never do a quest like this one again.