Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The cave entrance was larger up close—about eight feet tall and six feet wide, with jagged stone edges covered in moss and vines. The smell hit Satou immediately: damp earth, animal musk, and something else... something metallic.

Blood.

His hand instinctively went to the crude sword at his side—dulled and chipped from the earlier battle, but still functional.

He activated his Minor Mana Sense skill, a faint tingle spreading through his body as he tried to detect any magical presence. The skill was weak, barely more than a whisper, but it was enough to tell him one thing:

Something’s alive in there. Multiple somethings.

Satou took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness.

His night vision kicked in fully, painting the cave interior in shades of green and gray. The entrance tunnel stretched about twenty feet before opening into a larger chamber. Water dripped from stalactites above, creating small puddles on the uneven stone floor.

And scattered throughout the chamber were bones.

Lots of bones.

Small animals mostly—rabbits, birds, maybe some goblins too judging by the size of a few skulls. Fresh kills and old ones, picked clean and discarded.

This cave is definitely occupied.

A sound echoed from deeper in the cave—a wet, chittering noise that made Satou’s skin crawl. His enhanced hearing pinpointed the source: three distinct locations in the main chamber.

Three creatures. Maybe more.

Satou crept forward slowly, his footsteps silent despite the loose rocks scattered across the floor. He pressed himself against the wall as he reached the end of the tunnel, peering carefully into the main chamber.

What he saw made him grimace.

Giant Cave Rats.

Three of them, each the size of a large dog. Their fur was matted and filthy, their teeth yellowed and sharp, their beady red eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. They were feasting on something—looked like a deer carcass, mostly eaten.

One of the rats lifted its head, sniffing the air. Its nose twitched.

Shit. It smells me.

The rat let out a high-pitched squeal—a warning to the others. All three rats turned toward the tunnel entrance, their bodies tensing, ready to attack.

Satou’s mind raced. Three giant rats in close quarters. His sword was dulled. His Stone Spit had limited range and accuracy. His Poison Fang required getting close—risky against three enemies at once.

Need to thin their numbers first.

He raised his hand and spat.

CRACK!

A stone shard shot through the air, striking the lead rat in the eye. The creature screeched—a horrible, piercing sound—and reared back, pawing at its ruined eye socket. Blood and fluid poured down its face.

The other two rats charged immediately, their claws scraping against stone as they scrambled toward him.

Satou didn’t wait for them to reach the tunnel. He activated Flame Spark, the small fire appearing at his fingertip. It was barely larger than a lighter flame, pathetically weak compared to the magic the human mages had used.

But it was fire.

And fire, he’d learned, had uses beyond direct damage.

He touched the flame to a pile of old, dry bones near the tunnel entrance. The bones caught immediately, the fire spreading quickly across the brittle material and creating a small barrier of flames between him and the charging rats.

The rats skidded to a halt, their red eyes fixated on the fire. They chittered nervously, backing away slightly.

Animals fear fire. Good.

But the blinded rat, the one he’d hit with Stone Spit was too enraged to care about fire. It charged through the flames, its fur catching alight, and lunged at Satou with murderous intent.

Satou dove to the side, the rat’s snapping jaws missing his face by inches. He rolled, came up in a crouch, and swung his sword in a wide arc.

The blade bit into the rat’s side ,not deep, the dulled edge barely penetrating the thick hide, but enough to draw blood.

The rat screeched and whirled around, faster than something that size should be able to move. Its claws lashed out, catching Satou’s arm and tearing through flesh.

Pain exploded through him, but he forced it down. No time for pain. Only survival.

The rat lunged again, jaws wide, aiming for his throat—

Satou dropped his sword and caught the rat’s snout with both hands, holding those massive jaws inches from his face. The rat’s breath was rancid, its teeth dripping with saliva and bits of rotting meat.

His arms trembled with the effort of holding the creature back. It was strong—much stronger than him.

Only one chance.

Satou opened his own mouth wide and lunged forward, his fangs extending. He bit down on the rat’s nose with everything he had.

His Poison Fang skill activated.

Venom pumped into the rat’s bloodstream—more potent than before, enhanced by all the previous uses. The rat’s eyes went wide, its body stiffening as the paralytic toxin spread through its system.

Satou held on, his jaw locked tight, even as the rat thrashed and tried to shake him off. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds, the rat’s movements grew sluggish. Weak.

Finally, it collapsed.

Satou released his bite and scrambled backward, spitting out blood and fur. His face was covered in the rat’s blood, his arms shaking from exertion.

But he didn’t have time to rest.

The other two rats had circled around the fire barrier and were approaching from both sides, their red eyes gleaming with hunger.

Flanking. Smart.

Satou grabbed his fallen sword with his left hand,his right arm was bleeding too much to grip properly and backed toward the cave wall. Can’t let them surround me.

The rat on his left lunged first. Satou sidestepped, bringing his sword down in a clumsy overhead swing. The blade caught the rat’s back, opening a shallow wound.

The rat on his right took advantage of his distraction, charging low and slamming into his legs. Satou’s knees buckled, and he crashed to the ground.

The rat was on him immediately, its weight crushing his chest, its jaws snapping toward his face.

Satou jammed his forearm into the rat’s mouth,better to lose an arm than his head. The rat’s teeth sank deep, piercing muscle and scraping bone.

He screamed.

But through the pain, through the panic, his other hand was moving. His fingers found a sharp rock on the cave floor.