I landed within the tunnel.
"All right, she's here. Let's get going."
A strange fey said with authority.
I felt something on my shoulder. I turned my head to see a fey that looked nothing like anyone I've ever seen before.
He didn't have any wings but had four arms instead. He also had a natural armor in the form of an exoskeleton.
"Get up, we're getting you out of here."
I held out a hand and he pulled me to my feet.
I looked at the rest of the group and was in awe.
"Come on."
The fey that pulled me to my feet brought me back reality and I followed the group.
My mind; however, was amazed.
They were so different from one another. I was used to different colors but not shapes. I heard that all fey had some part of them that struck out as insectile, but I never expected this.
Exoskeletons on various parts, stingers added in places, I swear that there was a moth that was releasing pheromones to make her less appetizing.
The rescue team helped the rest of the captives and I make it through the tunnels. Through the twists and turns of whatever part of the building we were in.
The tunnels were musty, dark, and cool. Most of what we saw were the wooden supports the tunnels carved into. They weren't damp per se but gave the image of an endless void that we were falling into.
Along the way, the occasional rat would approach. They gazed from a distance with a neverending stare. They had an unnerving intensity that seemed unnatural.
They would always stay for a few minutes before leaving. Every time they would wait for us to look away, just for a second, and by the time we looked back they were gone.
I had heard and read about creatures like these before, but nothing prepared me for what happened next.
I was exhausted from the climb, so I couldn't move as fast as the others. I had stayed at the back of the group near the rear guards in case something happened.
I felt something tap my shoulder. I assumed that it was just another fey that wanted to tell me to hurry up or something.
I turned around and saw a rat biting into the neck of one of the rescue team's members. His face was twisted into an expression of pain and helplessness the light left his eyes. He had his arm raised towards me with blood on the fingertips.
The other two members of the rear guard were in a similar situation. The rats had done it in a way that made absolutely no sound or warning.
The one in front locked eyes with me and the world froze. There was no sound other than the dripping of blood.
[FIRE!]
I summoned a blast of flames with a wave of my hand causing them to drop the bodies and squeal in anguish.
I screamed as I started running back towards the rest of the group.
A couple of other stragglers heard me and turned around. They started running and yelling.
"The rats! The rats are coming!"
The rest of the group took notice and started panicking. A couple of guards started running to help me.
[FIRE][SLOW1][FIRE]
I knew I couldn't outrun them so I just started casting spells.
I scattered fire around the area to keep them at bay while I retreated. The flames grew with the tunnels
*Skreeee!
A rat leaped through the flames and the others followed.
The rats rushed through the tunnels like water.
[SLOW2]
Finishing the spell from earlier, the rats' speed suddenly halved.
I was pretty drained, but the guards from earlier finally caught up.
Reaching into his bag, one of the guards pulled a handful of dust and slammed it into the floor.
The rats, that were already slowed, slammed into the invisible barrier he conjured up.
'My turn.'
The other guard already used his dust to get the spell matrix going.
It glowed with magical energy as it rotated in midair. It glowed brighter until the spell let out a blue light that bathed the rats in energy.
It only lasted a few seconds but the damage was done.
The rats looked around, blinking at their surroundings in confusion. Then they saw the other rats and heck broke loose.
They were scratching, biting, and clawing at their former allies in a horrific display of carnage. I noticed that their eyes had a weird sheen to them.
"Hey! Do you want to get attacked?! Get going!"
I jolted back to reality and booked it towards the rest of the group.
Safe to say that I made sure to keep up from then on.