34 Second Wave [II]

Lucian quickly stabbed down at the rat that had just hit his shack, taking out one of its eyes but not successfully killing it. His next jab only glanced off the moving creature's side, causing a minor scrape and scaring the beast back. He cursed under his breath and ran to the Southeastern side of the shack, picking up the ten remaining spears and placing them nearby.

Lucian began throwing the spears like javelins in a desperate bid to slow the beasts down. His aim was terrible, but he needed to keep the monsters from slamming against the wall all at once. The first throw arched over the beasts, meters overhead. The second landed slightly to the left, causing two of the rats to falter.

It was his third throw that managed to slow their pace, as the spear stuck in the ground just in front of the largest of the four creatures. The beast stopped completely, leaving the monstrous rats staggered and only one running at full speed. Lucian tossed three more javelins and finally managed to land a lucky hit on the one furthest back. The creature fell to the ground and didn't try to get back up.

"Four left..." He grabbed two of the last four spears and waited for the frontrunner to get closer. The moment it came within a few meters, Lucian threw out one of the spears, impaling the beast's thigh and bringing its sprint to a crawl. In its anger, the rat hobbled toward him, and if it weren't for the gigantic rat that was closing in, he would have tried to finish it. The largest of the group was at least a meter tall and close to three meters in length!

Lucian watched as the final, somewhat smaller rat passed the large one. The big one didn't seem to be in a hurry as it closed in on Lucian, and he watched its movements warily, hoping that it wouldn't try to jump onto the shack. He didn't think the few weak pillars would hold with the creature's weight and his own.

"Not much choice, it seems," He picked up the last two spears with a malicious smile. The final small rat tackled his small fortress, and he leaped off the edge, using his full weight to drive two spears through the back of the rat. The beast let out a pained cry as it was pinned to the ground, and Lucian dashed to the side with the last of his spears.

He shoved the spear into the side of the wounded rat and made a break for his shelter. The rat squealed behind him, and he could hear the snorts and noises of the largest beast not far behind. Lucian dashed into the propped open door of the shack and leaped over the threshold. Once he reached the center of the room, he turned and watched the entrance expectantly.

Just as he'd planned, the oversized rat followed behind him, and the moment it crossed the threshold, its body started to jerk. Lucian smiled, knowing that the beast stepped on the smaller of the saber-cat tails that he'd left hidden in the doorframe. It wasn't as potent as the adult's, but it was enough to stop the beast's movements for a second, and that was all that Lucian needed.

He reached behind his back, swiftly pulling out the hatchet-like dagger and sprinting toward the giant rat. The blade crackled noisily, and the hairs on his body stood tall as he wielded the weapon. Before the rat could get over the shock of the tail, Lucian drove the dagger into its neck, cutting into the beast and sending a surge of electricity through its body.

The massive rat spasmed in the doorframe, and Lucian grinned as he swung the dagger repeatedly until he'd finally hacked off the beast's head. He pushed the corpse out of the doorway with his foot and began tracking down the injured survivors as he hummed his tune.

His first target was the rat he'd stabbed just before running into the shack. It was weakened and bleeding out, only needing a single strike to finish it off. He sheathed his primary weapon and pulled out the two spears causing a wet, squelching sound as he pulled the weapons from the body.

"Hm. Hmmmm. Hmm," Lucian was practically skipping as he tracked down the one rat that was still running around the western side of the Tile. It didn't take him long to find the creature and use it as target practice for his makeshift javelins. He had to chase down his projectiles a couple of times but still managed to skewer the beast on his fourth throw and finish it off with his dagger.

"That should be it..." Lucian muttered, waiting for Ed to sing his praise. "The first two are definitely dead. Then there were the three fro-"

He turned quickly as soon as he realized that he'd missed one of the rats, only to find it creeping up behind him. Lucian pulled his dagger, cursing at himself for wasting its charge when he used it to slit the last beast's throat. This rat wasn't injured at all and looked fully recovered from the adult sabercat's tail.

The rat leaned back on its haunches, ready to leap toward him. Before it had the chance to act, a small, yellow streak flashed from behind the beast and slammed into it. Lucian jumped back, almost as stunned as the rat by the sudden interruption. The rat fell to the ground, twitching as if Lucian had struck it with the Imbued Paralysis.

"What the fuck?" He looked around and saw a familiar face lying nearby. The little green rabbit casually scratched its torn ear with one of its back legs and watched Lucian as if waiting for the man to do something. His mouth opened wide when he noticed that the usually bright streak of yellow in its fur had become dull. "Well then, you're welcome to sleep in the shack any time, little fella!"

Lucian shook his head, unsure of what to think of the strange rabbit that seemed to be obsessed with following him around. He walked over to the spasming rat and ended its life with a few quick stabs to its throat.

[Wave 2: Success]

[Mission complete: Grading commencing]

[Time to next Wave, calculated]

[13:23:59:59]

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