Floor 2: Swarm (edited)

A rustling and sudden chill woke me up. It couldn't have been that long of a rest.

"Why?" I grumbled at the disturbance.

"I heard someone."

That woke me up. Only to remember that only one group would be on the floor.

"Is it the others?" I lifted myself, offering the blanket to its owner.

He took it back into his inventory and walked ahead.

"If is it them, they may not be in one piece. There were screams."

"Maybe a rat? Upgraded from squeak to scream." I shared an out-of-the-wrong-time joke.

Ren just smirked a tad. He accepted my sense of humor.

"Soon they'll learn to form orchestras."

We followed the direction of the sound from Ren's description. Out of routine at this point, we kept to the walls and peeped at each corner. Eventually, the sounds of squeaks and battle reached us.

A swarm of a dozen or so rats surrounded a band of three. A one-armed swordsman, a buff shieldman, and a fire-blasting mage. They looked unharmed so far, but clearly on fumes. Puffing forced air in and out, while sweating up a pool.

Ren and I shared a look, weighing up our options. He began his deadly dance-like movements, while I casually walked over to the crowded bunch.

I couldn't help but smirk to myself for such a useful skill. While Ren caught one part of the swarm's attention, cutting them up as he went. I slipped in and stabbed a nearby rat in the back of the head

The surprised faces of our party turned into hopeful smiles and cheers.

The tide turned and the rats' number depleted into nothing. The found trio collapsed to the ground worn out. Ren and I watched the group wondering what led to this development. This floor so far seemed less of a danger and more of a hassle. No injuries and as long as one kept stealthy, relatively safe.

"Thank you." Laren puffed out. "We would've been goners without you."

"Those things chased us for a while!" Meril complained. "My poor hair." She played with it, poofing it to a proper consistency.

Reaver only gave a grateful nod, catching his breath.

Ren was less than impressed, looking rather annoyed.

"How could a bunch of rats, sneak up on you?" His question came with a pointed frown.

Laren and the others shared a look.

"We think we spawned deeper in the maze." Laren got up, trying to look authoritative. "There was a village of those rats. We tried to avoid them as much as possible, but there were too many. We ended up being pushed all the way here."

Ren cooled down and returned to his more laid-back persona in the group. The change was odd. He was open and vocal with me, practically in charge of this floor. Why back down to the background character so easily?

We decided we would have to go back using the trio's route. The rat's nest was likely closer to the center of the maze. It happened to be the same path that Ren and I were already following anyway.

The party resumed its ranks on the previous floor. Meril and Laren seemed closer now, he returned her attention. There was obvious flirting going on. Reaver was content to keep an eye out for trouble. Ren and I stuck towards the back, perhaps a built-up sense of them vs us.

Frowning at the thought of how comfortable I was getting with him, I tried to keep some distance. He only changed pace as I did.

"Tsk."

I caught a glimpse of an amused ass next to me.

We walked for a while in silence till Ren started shifting to his 'usual' self.

"So Fern, if you hate your name so much, why not pick something else?"

I rolled my eyes at my nickname.

"I spent my whole life with a shit name. I'm going to take my time picking my new one."

"So, it'll be Fern for a while then." He grins at me.

I sigh, giving up at this point. A swift nod in response. Satisfied, Ren skips for a few steps.

…

"There it is." Laren tilts his head at the destination. "The rat village." He subtly lowers his voice.

It had taken longer than expected to travel. The rooms on the way had much larger groups, that grew the closer we got to the village. The most recent rooms had seventeen rats. More troubling the rats got bigger. They were now around Laren or Ren's height. In the end, we took two days probably. Guessing based on the two rest periods we took when needed.

"I'll head in and take a look around." I start moving, but Ren grabs my arm. "What are you doing?" I tear away from his touch.

I wasn't hiding the fact that I hated being touched. He could have said something. Ren opens his mouth only to close it again. Shaking his head before sighing.

"I forgot your forgotten skill." He smiles sheepishly at me. His eyes widen in realization. "Let me hop in your shadow! Two sets of eyes are better than one."

I can feel my whole body shiver at such an idea.

"Oooh! That's such a cool idea!" Meril, miss peppy, cheers.

"Fuck no!" I spit out.

"Why?" The eager ass asks. His eyes practically glittering.

I bite down on my lip. Thinking of any logical excuse. Only to be shot down before I get a chance.

"Let's go!" Ren nearly pushes me, but I scoot out of range, giving a nasty look. He turns back at the others. "Stay hidden."

In the next moment, he disappears into my shadow. I can't help but tense up but I felt nothing at all. I let out a relieved breath.

"Thank god."

Still uncomfortable with the thought of someone being so close, I speed-walked towards the village.

It had tents made of dried skin tarps held up with bones. I didn't have to imagine what animal it was made of. Another steadying breath.

Big rats, little rats, even tinier baby rats. Scuttled about, trading, squeaking, and eating. The smell was nasty, waste was everywhere. The creatures had no sense of hygiene.

I walked towards the center of the village. Reaching a looming stone and wood dome structure, receiving a system message.

'Congratulations! You've reached the queen rat's chamber!'

'Floor 2: Get past the queen rat to the floor's exit!'