As Kaden ventured deeper into the tunnels, the atmosphere grew even more oppressive. The darkness seemed to press in on him from all sides, and the air became thick with the stench of decay and dampness.
Navigating through the maze-like network of sewer tunnels was also giving him a headache. Why couldn't they have simply put direction markers? Just a few arrows to lead the way? Was that too much to ask?!
Tsk. Tsk. Chewing on the dry bread that he had looted from one of the other players, he continued walking through the tunnels, trying to find a way out.
As if this was not enough, once again, the familiar squeaking sounds echoed and another horde of rats came rushing at Kaden.
A few hours and two more hordes later… After what felt like an eternity of winding through the tunnels, Kaden finally noticed a faint glow emanating from a tunnel up ahead. "Alright. That has to be the entrance!" He dismissed his two summons and hurriedly jogged forward.
However, at the last moment…
Shriek!
A huge rat appeared in front of him!
The sudden appearance of the enormous rat startled Kaden, causing him to stumble backward. The creature stood taller than him, its beady red eyes gleaming with malice. Its long, wiry fur bristled with aggression, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth that protruded from its snarling mouth.
The rat lunged forward, its claws scraping against the damp stone floor as it closed in on him with surprising speed.
Ducking to the side, Kaden narrowly avoided the rat's initial attack, feeling a rush of air as the creature's claws swiped through the empty space where he had stood moments ago. He had only barely managed to evade it.
The next second he felt something hot trickle down the side of his cheek. Well, fuck! He hadn't evaded it completely!
He felt a searing pain on the side of his face. Touching his cheek, he realized that the rat's claws had grazed him, leaving behind a shallow cut that was now bleeding profusely.
Gritting his teeth, Kaden wiped the blood away with the back of his hand, his heart pounding with a mix of adrenaline and frustration. The rat was relentless, showing no signs of slowing down. It circled him, its eyes fixed on its prey.
By now, a few people had gathered around just outside of the sewer tunnel in what looked like a huge underground hallway.
These were the denizens of the underground belly and they all looked on with a malicious glint in their eyes as if they were waiting for Kaden to be torn apart so that they could jump forward and claim his belongings.
As the rat lunged at him again, Kaden tried to evade its attack, but once more he was no match for the higher-level beast. His whole body was thrown around like a rag doll, hitting the wall of the tunnel.
Ba ha ha ha! Ba ha ha ha!
Loud bursts of laughter echoed through the tunnels, mocking Kaden's struggle. However, the next second, a high-pitched screaming voice interrupted the fun.
One of the disheveled thugs stumbled and fell forward, immediately attracting the aggro of the huge rat. The laughter ceased abruptly as everyone turned their attention to the man.
"Ahhhh! Ahhhh! That damned dog pushed me in!" The guy screamed, pointing a shaky finger at the big black dog who was now right behind someone else.
As the denizens of the underground belly exchanged confused glances and looked, the culprit was caught in the middle of the act. Umbra indifferently pushed forward another chump.
Everyone was taken aback by this sudden development. On the side, Kaden sneered. Want to watch him be eaten by a giant rat? You have to pay a price too!
Meanwhile, the huge rat was having a field day. The presence of so many weaklings around it made the beast's spirit ignite into a frenzy.
Taking advantage of this commotion, Umbra silently appeared behind a few others and pushed them forward as well, resulting in half of the crowd entering the rat's aggro range.
The few remaining people, who had only moments ago been eagerly anticipating Kaden's demise, now stood frozen in shock and confusion.
They watched as the rat wreaked havoc among their ranks, their earlier sadistic joy turning into fear for their own lives.
The beast shrieked menacingly and pounced on everyone haphazardly, attacking them with ferocity. The crowd panicked and scattered, trying to avoid the rat's deadly claws and gnashing teeth.
And the root cause of all of this… Kaden… silently slipped away and entered the main hallway with a nervous chuckle, leaving behind the scene of the frenzied madness. He was finally standing in the infamous underbelly.