There was no time to communicate, seeing the rats charging at them in numbers no less than a hundred instantly made Riku and the rest go into their battle stance and prepare for the upcoming battle.
A rat alone was no longer a threat to Riku and the rest unless they become careless and even then it's not life threatening however what they lacked in strength they made up with numbers.
A rat's claws and teeth that are sharp enough to rip their flesh as if they're made out of paper and speed that's faster than an average human multiplied for at least a hundred times.
The very thought that they had to fight that was enough for Rikka to hesitate a little after all. Unlike Eliza and Riku, her level wasn't as high but still the fights she had fought before have strengthened her will and her desire for power lit the flames of determination in her heart.
The narrow entrance of the passageway made it possible that they wouldn't have to fight a hundred at once, depending on their sizes six to seven rats would usually fit through the passageway as they jumped at Eliza and Rikka who were at the front.
While Rikka's dagger made it possible for her to kill a rat one after another, the disadvantages of the baseball bat can now be seen. Aside from lacking the proper techniques in using a blunt weapon, Eliza could kill a rat if she used all of her strength, she couldn't stop the momentum of the swing which left some openings for the rat to attack.
If it wasn't for the vest protecting her upper body and Kohaku and Riku covering for her, there was no doubt that Eliza would be suffering from major wounds already. The problem was even if Eliza didn't use her full strength, the rats would only be knocked on the side before charging back at her so she was more or less using twice the effort to kill a rat unlike Riku and Rikka who can usually stab the rats in one go.
"This couldn't go on for much longer, otherwise we'd be rat food here."
Riku thought as he couldn't see the number of rats thinning down as much as he wanted. The rats would usually be afraid and would run away when you kill a huge number of them but for some reason the rats they're fighting were vicious and relentless, continuously charging at their group.
It wouldn't have been an issue if Eliza and Rikka were doing fine but seeing the fight taking a toll on them particularly Eliza who's body is slowly being covered by wounds, Riku couldn't help but worry.
It is true that he could switch places with Eliza but the narrow passageway and the continuous assault made it hard to do so without causing any major harm to Eliza whose energy is slowly depleting.
Retreat was no longer an option unless they wanted to show their backs to the rats so Riku tried to think of ways to handle the situation.
He wondered whether now is the time to use the [Appraisal] while it was obvious that he needed information. The thing is the skill causes a major headache no matter how much he tried and he couldn't get used to it, it was only thanks to the increase in the Intelligence attribute that he could use it for a few seconds that's why he never bothered to use it in the middle of a fight where a single opening could end his life.
"I should have some time and I suppose I have no other choice."
He thought to himself as he used the skill [Appraisal]. Just like the time he first used it, various information appeared in his head whenever he looked at something or someone.
[Rat of a Different World, one of the organisms of a now destroyed world, known for their great ability to reproduce and their great numbers, these rats are one of the organisms that are considered at the bottom of the food chain. The young ones of the destroyed world's society consider hunting these rats as a game to play.]
The information of the rat popped up in his head as he glanced at one of the rats, while ignoring the absurdity of the information, he first looked at the walls of the passageway in hopes of making it collapse.
[Firm walls of a cave dug out by an organism]
Seeing the information provided the skill, Riku couldn't help but feel dejected, still not wanting to miss the opportunity, he looked at the rat at the back and he couldn't help but breathe in the cold air as he repeated the information in his head.
[Rat Commander, a rat of a destroyed world capable of controlling hundreds to thousand rats, rats known for their capability to get smarter as time goes on. According to some, a city known for their resilient soldiers was once destroyed by a Rat Commander leading an army of rats. It is a known fact that when one sees a Rat Commander they must call the attention of the soldiers for the Rat Commander to be killed immediately.]
[It is also noteworthy that if there's a Rat Commander in the vicinity, a Rat King or Queen is not so far away.]
Ignoring the last message, Riku couldn't help but repeat the capability of the Rat Commander. He couldn't help but ditch all plans of leaving as he didn't want to deal with a smart rat leading hundreds of rats.
At the same time he couldn't help but wonder why the ability of these rats aren't included in the information provided but looking back at the information he got, he concluded that the standards of the System must've deemed it weak and if it wasn't for the potential of the Rat Commander, it wouldn't have put that much information on it.
While cursing the absurdity of the System's standards he deactivated the skill [Appraisal].
All of these seems to have taken a lot of time but the truth is that ten seconds has barely passed and that it was thanks to the speed of the [Appraisal] and the increase in the Intelligence attribute that a lot of information has entered Riku's mind.
Thinking to himself that he should delve deeper into the information he got, he endured the headache he started to feel as he considered his options.
He had two options if he didn't include running away. It's either they kill all the rats before fighting the Rat Commander or he fights the Rat Commander and hope that in the meantime Eliza and Rikka could hold on and maintain the attention of the rats to them.
While there may have been other options, this was all Riku could think of and what his plans boiled down to. Truth be told both options were a gamble, if he chose the former there was no guarantee that the Rat commander wouldn't escape or become smarter while Riku and his group eliminated the rats.
As for the latter, it was a question of whether Eliza and Rikka could hold on and whether the rats would run away when the Rat Commander is dead.
He thrusted his spear towards a rat's skull as he asked loud enough for Eliza and Rikka to hear.
"I think there's a chance that the rat in the back is controlling all of these guys and I'm thinking of charging towards it, do you guys think you can hold on for the meantime?"
Eliza and Rikka quickly glanced at the back of the horde before focusing on the rats charging once again. They were most likely thinking about his assumption and as if they've talked about it beforehand, they nodded at the same time as they made a way for Riku to charge through.
Seeing them nod and the gap they made, Riku immediately ran through the gap and onto the side. The Rat Commander seems to have not noticed him and this further proved that they were being controlled seeing how the horde of rats just kept on charging at Eliza and Rikka. They would've normally noticed him immediately.
Trying to move as quietly as he can towards the Rat Commander, he tried to close the distance but the Rat Commander must've sensed him as it immediately looked at his direction. The Rat Commander was about to screech but not wanting to risk the Rat Commander calling for help.
Riku immediately dashed towards it as he swung his spear downwards towards its skull. The screech of the Rat Commander was cut short as it dodged to the right as its tail flew towards Riku's abdomen.
Riku jumped backwards to avoid the tail but he could hear the tail emit a sound like a whip crack. Riku couldn't help but get a little nervous when he thought about that tail hitting him.
Riku thrusted the spear towards the center of its mouth that looked like petals if it wasn't horrible looking. It moved to the left but the sharp point of the spear scraped the side of its head as its red blood dripped from its injury.
Seeing the injury Riku couldn't help but think that it was possible.