*Plink! drip!
Water from the sewer ceilings drips over the unconscious human. Soon, he opened his eyes.
"Where am I?". He asked himself.
"Because you had your eyes closed when you were carried away, I have no idea". Brian said.
"Anyways, I tried my best to keep the blood pressure steady and make the involuntary organs continue their jobs, worry not, our life is not in danger". Brian said.
"What will l do without you Brian... So what about the corrosive bites, how are they dealt with, I don't feel any sting". Kiitan asked.
"The corrosion only lasts few seconds, Syntax tried his best to heal the body". Brian replied.
"Tch, that bastard system, he didn't tell me about the corrosive bites of those monsters, now my body is battered with holes... Come out you good for nothing system, show your damn face!!!". Kiitan yelled.
"Kiitan, I would suggest you quiet down, look at where we are". Brian said.
"Huh". Kiitan looked at his surroundings, he saw that he was inside a cocoon-like enclosure.
"What! Since when do rats make cocoons". Kiitan said in an hushed tone, his face was panicking.
"I don't think it like regular cocoons, it seems to be made from dirt, they probably mashed it up with saliva to trap preys".
"Tch, Syntax, show your face, tell me how to get out of this predicament".
[Eat...]
"...eeeh!". Both Kiitan and Brian were stunned.
"What! You don't expect me to eat dirt mashed up with demonic saliva, eww ". Kiitan said with disdain.
"Yeah, ewww". Brian said to back Kiitan.
[...]
"You and that your fucking ellipsis, tch, I guess I've got no choice, bleh!". He said.
Kiitan began to bite and spits out simultaneously, his face was severely wrinkled out of disgust.
' if I die and reincarnate, I'll never ever do this again in my life, oh god, give me the strength to endure this inhumane torment, I'm sick, ugh'.
Sometimes later, he was able to free himself from the dirt cocoon. He steadily got up and tiptoes. Moving in his incognito mode, he saw many members of the Million's rat, all gathered together on something, eating whatever it was.
Kiitan was fearfully terrified, was he a snack to be munched on later after that unlucky thing? Not to think too much about it, he resumed his stealthy movement. He was moving and all seems to be going well, until...
"Oh no". Kiitan's heart skipped a beat, right in front of him, a lone rat stood. It looked at him with his blood red eyes, almost emotionless. Kiitan froze on the spot, not moving a single muscle, his eyes was quivering in fear.
What should he do, should he attack the rat or make a run for it. Looking at the situation, if he attacks, for sure that it will alert the rest, given that the two of them were close in distance with the rest of the Million's rat. Also, should he run, the rat will also alert the others and he cannot out run their multitude, he has had the experience firsthand.
He stood motionless looking at the rat. If he continues to tiptoe, the rat might not see him as a threat and leave him be. It seems to be the only option he and Brian could come up with at the moment.
Not wasting time, he resumed, he watched the rat, to see it reaction with the corner of his eyes. The rat also watched him with its emotionless red eyes. They both watched each other like they were having a staring contest, whoever bails first loses.
Not withstanding, they stared at each other till Kiitan reached a corner and was out of the rat's sight. Without giving any chance for hesitation, Kiitan made a run for it, he did not care whether he was chased or not, he ran.
The rat he was having a staring contest with seems to have a notion that something wasn't right, it crawled to the dirt cocoon, only to find it empty. Without hesitation, it alerts the others.
Kiitan was still running with all his might to a destination he himself knows nothing about, he just kept running and running, away from the marauding rodents. Few seconds later, the sewer begins to quake, he could hear numerous squeaking.
The sound was coming from the rat's lair and it was getting closer with each passing seconds. Kiitan has feared little things throughout most of his life, even when he was bullied because of his nature, he feared them not and would endure whatever that was done to him.
However, this event shook him to the marrow, he was filled with fear, probably because of the inbuilt instinct of not wanting to die. Not withstanding, he kept running, no matter how tired he became, he kept moving.
Reaching a corner of the sewer, he stumbled upon another frightful beast.
"Oh god, why have you forsaken me, why?!". He said, tears began to drop from his eyes, he is going to die again?
[ Ding! Monster encountered: Horned blue Adder...
Grade: ???
Class: ???
Level too low, please level up for more information...]
In front of Kiitan, a large blue serpent coiled, it was sleeping. It might have been inactive at the moment but it is still a ferocious beast, not to talk about it fact that the Million's rat are on a pursuit of him, he is in the middle of two beast that would end him in seconds.
His body was shaking in fear, what is he going to do. If he was going to die in the first place, why revive him, only to die a more gruesome death, again, this is beyond awful.
Brian, being a brain, was just as scared as his host and friend, he couldn't make any reasonable suggestions.
[... Do you need me to take you out of here].
Kiitan read this and was about to answer, however, he suddenly got an idea, through Brian of course.
The few seconds of rest brought the sense into them, they remembered, snakes and rats are natural enemies of each other, why not use that to their advantage.
"Thanks Syntax, but I reject". Kiitan said.
[...]
"Brian, let's wake the slumbering serpent up, she has a battle to fight on our behalf".
Kiitan looked around, he found pebbles and broken pipes, that should do the trick. He picked them up and looked for a suitable spot to hide from the snake's vision when it awakens. Then, he waits for the Million's rat to get closer.
As he heard the rats were nearing the corner, he began to throw pebbles and the broken pipes on the snake's head.
Disturbed in it sleep, the snake screeched aloud. It brought up it long scaled head that protrudes like horns, hence, it name 'Horned blue Adder'.
It flickered it tongue out, searching for the unfortunate one who dared to disturb it. Soon, the Million's rat made their way to the corner and met face to face with the horned blue adder. As with other organisms filled with enmity, the two large beasts gave a staring contest, accessing each other. Both are waiting to see who would strike first.
The Horned Blue Adder hissed loudly before opening its mouth, showing its long large fangs, dripping blue-like liquid. Without warning, it spits out its blue liquid venom towards the segregated rodents.
The Million's rat splits themselves into numerous individual rat to evade the venom spit, then they converge together, getting closer to the snake.
Reaching it, they rose high, getting to the sewer ceiling wall and fell over the snake, biting it and inflicting their corrosive bites on its body.
Like every beasts, the snake has evolved and developed a tough overlapping scale to adapt to the Million's rats bite. But notwithstanding, the corrosive bites were eating and the scales.
Without further ado, the snake spits out its venom on the rats. Just like the Million's rat, its venom also has corrosive element in it, albeit a little stronger. The spit managed to get the rats off its body. The snake went on to bite whatever it can catch from the Million's rat swarm.
Despite the gruesome and intimidating fight between the two ferocious beasts, Kiitan managed to get out of their midst but not without wounds in the process.
When he got down to escape from the skirmish, the snakes venom hits his angle and a lone rat bit his calf. He ignored the wounds and move along the sewer. He was limping and trying his best to get away from the beasts as fast as possible. He could feel and hear the tremor caused by their conflict.
Reaching a safe distance, he stopped to rest for a bit, his ankle and calf were killing him. Sitting and resting his back at a sewer wall, he pants, at least for now, he as escaped the grasp of the Million's rat. Though, he could still hear the tremor of their fight, for some reason, another sound has mixed in it.
Focusing his ears on the new sound, he got to know that the new noice was rushing rapid water, moving at an incredible pace.
He got up run, but who can outrun a rushing water, not even healthy humans can, talk less of a limping person, but he has to do something. He saw the water from where he stood, almost reaching the sewer ceiling.
"No rest for the wicked, sigh". He said and didn't attempt to run, he stood still.
In few seconds, he was swallowed up by the flooding water. Fighting desperately against the current, he swam like his life depends on it _ literally.
As he was swept away by the water, he noticed a ladder that leads up to the surface. He was elated for the first time. He went with the flow and brought his hand to catch the ladder.
He climbed the ladder with groaning and wincing. However, he could hear squeaking, the cursed squeaking, his heart raced, he doesn't want to know where it came from, he hurriedly climbed up and reached the cover that opens to the surface.
However, the cover seems stuck.
"Oh fuck, open! Gah!!! I'm not giving up, not when I've gotten here". He said.
Then, he could feel something walking up to his leg, he looked at it and saw the gray haired, red eye rat, using his body as anchor to combat the flooding water, but it wasn't alone, others were segregating to him in numbers.
He shook his legs vehemently and with his remaining strength, he forcefully opened the cover and quickly climbed to the surface. He closed the sewer cover in an instant. He laid flat on his back, breathing heavily and panting. Soon he heard a sound in his ears.
[ Ding... Congratulations, mission completed... Find human civilization...
Mission summary: Encountered the Million's rat...
Got kidnapped..
Escaped from them..
Encountered the Horned Blue Adder...
Instigated a fight between the Million's rat and the Horned Blue Adder...
Calculating rewards... Congratulations you are now in level 2...
Calculating supplementary rewards... Congratulations you are now in level 4... Passive ability aquired... Endurance ]
[Status: Name: Aanuoluwakiitan Omidiran... Age: 19... Gender: M... Energy: 68/100... Health: 49/110... Level:4, needs 200xp to level up... Powers: none... Profession: none...]
Kiitan looked at Syntax like never before, he was as happy as a king, he completed his first quest, but where is the said settlement. Upon the horizon, he could see houses and high-rises, he smiled.
"So the abandoned sewer is inside a human settlement, who would have thought". He said laying down.
**[End of first Arc]**