Giant Rats.

“No, Jane wanted to change it up. Let’s see our options.” John had a look at the Spawn Table.

“So I still can’t get past the Gap.” He informed her, “Already knew that. What else is there in that Tier 3 of yours?” Rave asked and jumped on his back. She peeked over his shoulder and stared intensely unto the air like that would somehow make the window visible to her as well. In the meanwhile John was trying to keep his balance. “Ya need to level your strength up a bit.” Rave whispered into his ear, the sudden boner he got from that and her body pressing against him wasn’t helping his stabilizing efforts. “I want to be carried like a princess!” “Well, maybe you should act like one then!” John mocked as he finally found a steady stand. “Ruuude.” Rave laughed and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Now out with it.”

“Well aside from Treants, Tier 3 also contains Giant Rats and Half-Orcs.” John read off the list. “Half-Orcs, huh. I wonder if they are Half-Orc and Half-Human or something else?” “Well, as before that in Tier 3 there is the Hobgoblin I would guess that they are the other half.” John argued. “We will go with the rats though anyway.” Rave decided, “Why is that?” John was curious. “Because I just got a cute little Kitty.” Rave grinned “What better target then Rats?”

He couldn’t argue with that so he created the instant dungeon (After Rave got off his back). The change was immediate. Like disgustingly so. The other two dungeons had some wind-up or spawn time involved but the rats were right there and the fuckers were aggressive.

A swarm of Rats stormed at the trio without a moment of hesitation. Black fur covered their body, as long as John’s leg and skinny to the point of malnourishment. Sharp little claws scratched over the branch-covered forest floor as they hushed around like oversized shadows, dragging their long dark-red tails after them like trails of blood.

Of course, those weren’t particularly intimidating all things considered. “I got this!” Rave said with a smirk. The coppern wristband lighted up and Copernicus jumped to the ground. He hissed at rat which, intimidated, stopped in their ****. Instead they formed a giant ring around the group. Come to think of it John hadn’t looked at the Sun Cat itself yet with his skill.

“Wow!” He was amazed. Those were some impressive Stats and Level. Interesting that he still had Libido though. Apparently even Elementals liked to fuck. “So, Jane.” Copernicus said and turned to his summoner. “As I said I am not particularly interested in fighting so you go have fun with this.” Out of the cats golden fur sprang two waves of light that wrapped themselves around Rave’s legs below the calves.

“There you go. I will hang out on that tree over there until you are done.” Copernicus jumped over the mass of Rats still held back by his presence with a single jump and then climbed a tree until he found a branch that looked comfortable. From there he looked down, tail dangling and cleaning his paws.

“What does that even do though?” John asked but was quickly reminded that this wasn’t the time to ask questions as the Rats, emboldened by the apparent retreat of their natural enemy, started squeaking aggressively. “Who cares, let’s just punch them!” Rave shouted and jumped into the fray. John thought that unwise. However high your level was jumping into a pile of gnawing teeth seemed like a very bad idea.

Rave landed and the bands of light on her feet sent out ripples of Light that pushed back the opportunistic jumpers much the same way Moira had pushed back Rave with her shockwaves. Rave swinging her left leg in a kick revealed however that those Lights weren’t that simple. Once her foot connected with the rat she was targeting the band of Light produced a forward flying golden band from where her kick had arched.

‘So it is some kind of afterimage attack.’ John theorized as he watched her going. Indeed each of her kicks or stomps had one ripple following afterwards. The strength of each individual ripple seemed to depend on how much energy Rave expended between raising her foot of the ground and connecting with a target or the ground. When she connected with a target the ripple started along the path that her leg, more exactly the bands themselves, had taken and then spread like a wave away from Rave’s position. If she connected with the ground instead it just sent out a ripple over the ground. It was quite artful now that Rave was in full motion, kicking and punching her enemies as new waves of energy rippled through the air, following older ones that dissipated after having travelled a few metres. It reminded John a lot of a motion game, just in reverse.

“Master!” Aclysia pulled him back into reality by grabbing a Rat that was jumping at him by the neck in mid-air. “Whoops, got complacent there for a moment.” John apologized, “Thank you, Aclysia.” “You are welcome.” She answered with a slight smile of being praised and broke the Rats neck between her fingers, causing it to vanish a second later and leaving only a 5$ note. “Okay, so you take this.” John handed her the Sword of Glory. Next, he triggered Gnome’s materialization and finally used Possession on a nearby tree. All of which cost him a combined of 17 Mana per Minute. If he just had more freaking mana to play around with he wouldn’t feel so bad about using Gnome’s powers and Mana Ray.

“Aclysia you attack them but stay close enough to come to my aid. Gnome you protect me, with your powers if need be. Have at it!” John declared his strategy and the tree he possessed bent over. Thick branches swiped away Rats like the oversized Pests that they were. How effective that strategy was at killing them John didn’t know but he guessed fairly at sending dozens of rats flying was bound to inflict at least some damage.

Rave on the other hand was still at the centre of a Light Storm and she seemed to have blast doing it. The difference between before and after the contract was also visible on just how quick she reacted to new threats, how far her punches catapulted away that Rats and the speed of her kicks and movements.

It was a very one-sided battle but the Rats just kept going. Aggressive little fuckers that they were they stormed into their own demise with only the thought of food in their pitch-black eyes. Aclysia fought to the left of him and fought them off with ease as well, swinging the Sword of Glory in calculated attacks that always killed at least one of the attackers while denying others the chance to pass by to John. In front of him Rave held the field and to his right Gnome had erected a wall (Using his mana of course) with the only opening being where she stood.

Well, actually he should Observe Gnome as well while she was still corporeal.

Well, that was some high ass strength. Pretty much what he expected from an Earth Elemental though. ‘Those rats really die in droves though’ John though as he whipped away another swarm with his tree body as his actual body yawned, ‘Boss Spawn shouldn’t take long at all.’

And there he was. The Rats that still remained hid somewhere underneath the trees or just ran as the steps of something big shook the ground. John saw a giant humanoid waltz towards them. He was at least five metres tall and had grey fur. Legs short and comparably long arms, both ending in clawed rat feet like extremities, he turned his long head at the group and screamed in a warcry, revealing its teeth that reminded John more of a shark than a rat.

‘No epics? Disappointing.’ John thought. “Okay, so…do we even need a strategy for this?” John asked but Rave was already on the case. She jumped up the the Rat Ogre’s face and delivered a fairly impressive mid-air roundhouse kick. The Rat Ogre stayed on his feet however which, as it turned out, was exactly what Rave wanted as she used him as a platform to jump at the branch where Copernicus was sitting, “Let me cuddle you, you selfish kitten!”

Copernicus, not having expected that at all, was suddenly ripped from his lying position by Rave’s fondling hands. John found the whole scene amusing but it also left him with a five metre Rat Ogre while his girlfriend was busy landing. As always there was an easy fix to that. Gnome sucked away half of his mana and the giants feet first fell into holes in the ground which were then quickly refilled, cementing him in the ground.

“Well, let’s see if you can take more than two Mana Rays.” John said and pointed his palm at the creature. First wind-up time saw the beast struggling and screaming as he tried to free his stubby legs from the prison. He failed and so the first Laser like beam hit him in the chest. Fur burned away under the impressive strength of the attack. The Rat Ogre seemingly didn’t care, painless as he was, but still he thrashed as he felt his time coming to a close. The second wind-up began and a three seconds later the Rat Ogre was struck by the Mana Ray in the chest again. This didn’t kill him but he was heaving heavily, something must have been broken or otherwise been damaged by the crackling mana.

“Aclysia, finish him off please.” John said, unable to use a third Mana Ray due to Mana restrictions. “Of course, Master.” Aclysia said and stabbed the Rat Ogre where his heart was likely to be. The next moment he dissolved and left his loot.