Delworth led the six of them into the sewers, splashing down into black gunk that burned the nose, smelling like a mixture of vomit and urine. And for the first time in a while, Hector lamented his enhanced sense of smell. But he put up with it—they were doing this for safety, and some discomfort could hardly stop them.

  As they walked, pushing back the inky darkness with their flickering torchlight, the smell of the sewers faded. The pungent smell gave way to a light stink. It wasn’t much of an improvement, but Hector was thankful.

  It wasn’t the only thing he appreciated, though. As they continued to move, the group noticed the floors getting drier, the small black river of sewer water dried up, the dripping stopped, and the echo of their footsteps changed.

  They had been walking for a good while now. If Hector had still been a mortal, he wouldn’t have doubted that he’d have some blisters. Sandals weren’t exactly hiking shoes after all. But he didn’t, and thankfully, the only complaint came from Marcus, whose boots were apparently a bit too dirty for his liking.

  “We’ve entered the cave network now,” Delworth said, glancing back at Hector.

  He nodded, glancing at Mirae and tightening his grip on her hands. His sister had held up better than he’d thought—she’d even refused his offer of a piggyback. She was tough, but she’d have to be tougher still in the future. “That’s good to hear,” Hector said.

  He mentally pulled on the system, calling up the description of the Talent he was essentially betting their lives on.

  With a flash of white, a text box materialised in front of him, the light from it falling onto his chest, deepening the folds of his shirt. It was a wonder no one else could see it. The system affected reality, but seemed not to be a part of it. Exactly what the system was, wasn’t clear, but that didn’t really matter, did it?

  ————————————————

  ///: Gentle Sanctuary (Common): The user can summon a shimmering sphere with a radius of ten meters centred on the user. The sphere emits a subtle aura that will repel any rank 1 beasts, as well as purifying the air against pollutants and allergens. The temperature within the sphere’s influence will remain comfortable.

  The sphere will last indefinitely as long as the user does not leave. Further acquisitions of the gentle sanctuary will increase the Talent’s effectiveness.

  [?○○] (1/3) Casting Time: 30s Duration: Indefinite [limited]

  ————————————————

  Hector frowned, biting his bottom lip. Anything they set up with this might not be too permanent. This Talent would be great as a temporary measure, but they’d need to figure out something long-term for when he was away. Or he’d have to pass the Talent on to Mirae.

  His sister glanced up at him and squeezed his hand. “Are you alright, Hector?” she asked. Hector gave her a tight smile, but she shook her head. “It’s going to be alright—we will get through this.”

  “Yeah,” Hector said, turning to gaze back to the front.

  A few steps ahead, Jodie strode forward. She held her torch high as her head turned from side to side. Keeping her eyes peeled. It was a good instinct. According to Delworth, the mercenary groups rarely explored these caves—not enough reward for it.

  That, and it required far more resources to push an expedition underground than above. With the major expense being light, wood wasn’t free, and the wealthy controlled mana crystals. Your average mercenary company couldn’t afford to waste money on that.

  “I really wish we had planned a bit more before doing this,” Lincoln grumbled from Hector’s side, rolling his shoulder. “I could have brought those mana stones we took from the Farmhands.”

  Hector sighed.

  Or at the very least, a lot more torches. I hope we get to where we are going soon, or it might be more difficult to get out of this place than I’d planned.

  Jodie glanced back, her blue eyes narrowing at Lincoln as her ginger hair flickered in the torchlight as if it were ablaze. “Oh, I don’t know if you realised or not, but these two are kind of being hunted right now. So you will have to forgive us for being in a rush.”

  Lincoln’s head dropped, and Hector turned his gaze back to the front. Lincoln was right, in a way. They should have had more time to prepare. But from what had happened in the alley, it was obvious they’d made the right choice.

  The Collar Gang had already put the word out, and people were looking for him. If they’d stayed any longer, who knows when various gangs or the Collar Gang themselves would have swarmed them?

  A sharp skittering of claws on stone sounded up ahead, followed by low squeaks like a duck had somehow swallowed a mouse. The group came to a stop. Hector moved Mirae behind him, and his gaze swept to Delworth. “What was that?” He asked the boy.

  Delworth brought his finger to his lip, thinking for a moment, before tapping his forehead as if it all made sense. “I may have forgotten to mention that while the lower levels most definitely have mana beasts on them, the upper levels aren’t exactly too empty. I mean, when you think about it, it makes sense, all these people, all this filth, something’s gonna want to eat it. It’s like the crows in the city dump.”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  A soft padding and scraping grew closer. One thud, then another, then another. Each step was a whisper of anxiety in the darkness. Not small creatures, no—something with some weight.

  Hector glanced back at Delworth, his gut knotting as he dropped into a stance. It was one thing to know what you were facing, and another entirely to have it be a complete unknown. “Delworth, what the hell is that thing?” Hector asked.

  As the steps got closer, they multiplied like raindrops at the start of a storm. Two sets of footfalls, then three, then four. Just beyond the edge of that flickering darkness, a group of something was gathering, and they had locked onto them.

  “If my guess is correct, it should be a patrol of hairless rats,” Delworth said with a nod. His face then fell as he glanced backwards. “I would say we should leave, but with how far we’ve come, they would catch us before we could get out.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lincoln said.

  “No, I’m not joking,” Delworth replied.

  Lincoln stared at him, his mouth falling open with disbelief.

  Hector just sighed and turned back to the footsteps. If they couldn’t run, it would have to be a fight. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be too many—it sounded like just four. “Jodie, give the torch to Marcus. You and I will handle the front,” he glanced towards Lincoln at his side. “You will watch our backs and stop anything that gets past.”

  Lincoln nodded.

  The group shifted into action, Jodie passing Marcus the torch while Lincoln had the others gather towards him. Hector stepped to the edge of the flickering light, narrowing his eyes and wetting his lips. Waiting.

  But he didn’t have to wait for long.

  The hair on the back of his neck spiked. He leapt to the side, slamming his shoulder into the dirt and tugging on the [Volt Runner] Talent. To his side, a large hairless creature shifted, throwing itself back onto its feet as its dried skin rippled. It locked eyes with him, and Hector snapped to his feet.

  Across from him, another creature barreled out of the darkness, aiming for Jodie. Its sharp fangs, the size of his hand, glistened in the torchlight as it opened its mouth to chomp on her.

  Ducking to the side and sweeping her foot out, Jodie knocked the beast to the ground.

  Hector turned back to his own. The static on his legs flickered, churning through the fabric of his trousers before arcing back in. He blitzed towards the beast as purple static crackled to life in his hands, morphing into a purple knife as he slammed it forward.

  The hairless rat lunged for him. Hector jerked, stepping to the side and slashing the knife into its side.

  Flesh parted in a spurt of blood as the creature let out a howl, staggering away in a scuffle of dirt and clacking claws. He’d wounded it, but it wasn’t down. He blitzed forward again in a blur of motion, his mana-forged knife dancing through the air, bouncing off teeth and carving through flesh. The thing was tough.

  A sharp screech came from behind him, and Hector zipped to the side. Another hairless rat barreled past, slamming into its companion with a crunch, causing the two to crumble into a mess of limbs. Hector spared a moment to check on Jodie.

  The girl weaved around two other rats as they clawed and snapped at her. Taking each missed step and overreach, Jodie used the creatures against one another, having their attacks land on each other rather than her. It was proving to be effective, if slow.

  The creatures’ skin wept with blood, their sizable teeth now chipped and cracked. Their low squeaks had become frustrated and angered.

  Hector glanced at his rats before purple static crackled into life on his palm, surging into the shape of another knife. “Jodie, use this,” he said, tossing the knife in her direction as his two rats clumsily got back to their feet.

  The knife tumbled through the tunnel with a flicker of purple static. With a low clap, Jodie snatched it out of the air, and Hector shot towards his foes. A guttural squeak echoed through the chamber—she’d put the knife to use.

  The bloodied rat let out a low squeak and stepped back from Hector, while its friend reared onto its hind legs, letting out a squeak in challenge. Though he dwarfed the thing, if it got a good bite in, he’d be in a world of hurt. But he pressed on, sidestepping a wild swing from the beast. He plunged the knife deep into its skull.

  Hector then leapt up and twisted through the air before cracking his heel down onto the blade’s hilt. The knife cracked through the creature’s head as the force slammed it into the ground with a crunch, blood spraying from the wounds as its body stilled.

  The bloodied rat bolted past him in a rush of wind, its feet skittering across the dirt as it made for the darkness. He wouldn’t let it get away. Who knew what trouble that would bring? Hector willed the static he’d built up to activate.

  The creature, mid-stride, seized up. Its body slumped to the ground, kicking up dirt as yellow arcs of static zipped across its skin. Hector let out a sigh. It was finally over. Purple cracks of static churned to life in his palm, forming a knife as the one in the hairless rat’s head dissipated.

  He stopped next to the spasming, bloodied rat, and plunged the knife into its head with a grunt, cracking through its skull with a spurt of blood, the warm liquid hitting his cheek as a wave of calm washed over him.

  Hector dropped his head and let out a heavy sigh, which shook his chest. He was exhausted. Today had been more than just a long day. He wasn’t even sure when it would be over. So much had happened, and it was still happening.

  Wiping the blood off his cheek, Hector turned his head to the others. “Is anyone hurt?” He asked. Off to the side, Lincoln stood with the three others huddled around him. Mirae had a firm look on her face as their purple eyes met, and she nodded.

  “I’m all good,” Lincoln said. Hector rolled his eyes at him and turned his head to the others.

  They nodded. Standing next to the bodies of two dead hairless rats, Jodie weighed the purple knife in her hand as she examined it. Her eyes narrowed, their blue shimmering in the torchlight. Was there something wrong with it?

  “You alright, Jodie? Did they get you?” Hector asked, crunching across the dirt as he strode over.

  “What is this even made of? It’s sharper than you’d think.” She glanced at him, raising a brow. Hector raised his own. “I don’t understand,” she continued. “It looks like a normal kitchen knife, but it’s so sturdy.”

  Hector shrugged and pulled on the Talent. The knife in Jodie’s hand crumbled, its form turning into flakes of light and floating off into the air.

  The ginger girl dropped her hands but held his gaze. Hector shook his head. “It’s a Talent. I’ll explain more in the future. Who knows, maybe I could help you awaken something similar.”

  Jodie raised an eyebrow at that before a look passed through her eyes, and she shook her head. She rested a hand on her hip and let out a sigh. “How are you doing, though? They didn’t get you, did they?”

  Hector shook his head, turning to Delworth as the boy walked over with the others. “I think we need to talk. What else is down here that we should know about?”