All up, it took an hour and a half for the other two to return, leaving Ellen in the lurch the entire time. Sitting beneath one of the nearby trees, she’d sharpened her sword, organised their gear, and checked the perimeter three times before eventually giving up.

Blood rushing to her head, she rolled onto her side and levered herself back up to her feet. Now, stiff, cranky, and cold in the waning sun of the late afternoon, Ellen felt a headache brewing.

“Wosche,” Ellen lightly kicked his foot as he lay sprawled out of the grass, fast asleep.

He opened his eyes with a few lazy blinks, “Oh good, they’re back.”

Ellen left him to recoup himself as she waved the other two in, “How did it go?”

“Good, that Ien can sure talk though,” Teon laughed lightly, “He insisted on giving us a tour of their storehouse but we got a lot of stuff for traps and, look, three spears!”

Teon held the three spears up and one of the bags rolled off her shoulder, spilling an assortment of items over the ground to her side. Ellen jogged over and took the spears off of her first before grabbing one of the bags.

“It looks like a lot of stuff. Is that nets?” Ellen stared at the equipment that had fallen at Teon’s feet: several nets by the look of it, a bear trap, and a hundred or so metal tacks that were now alarmingly dispersed along the village path.

“It is. We were thinking of setting them in the air, and then we can have the net fall down when they start coming out to slow them down.” Riu responded curtly.

Ellen took another bag off Teon and tried to stay positive, “We can definitely see. Perhaps we do it last so we can get everything else set up before it starts getting dark?”

“We also brought some of the firewood for the fires. We bumped into the villager, Fern, and she said they were half an hour before they were ready to set the fires on the other side of the barn.” Teon said as she bent down to pick back up the third bag. She scooped the net and forced it back in the bag and then kicked the majority of the metal tacks into a pile with her foot.

Ellen smiled sweetly, “Indeed. I saw them before and helped them figure out how to send the smoke through the nest. But we can discuss it later, we had better get started. I think the metal tacks can go right down the hole and then we figure out how we can do the other traps while we work out our positioning?”

“That’s what we thought as well,” Teon shifted her last bag back onto her shoulder and Riu moved up to Wosche who had finally joined them.

“Bear traps? How big were these rats again?” he asked nervously while he grabbed two of the bags off of Riu.

Riu stretched her neck and turned back to Ellen, “They asked if we need any more help but we told them we can handle it.”

“Good, we can. We got this.” Ellen reaffirmed. Of course, the villagers asked if they needed help. When Viera had gone with them to Ien, he had not been happy letting them handle the contract. He hadn’t believed that they could do contracts so young. He’d change his tune by the end of the day, Ellen was sure. His and Thredrin’s.

Ellen followed Riu and Wosche as they moved back to the barn. Making a mental note to go back for the metal tacks on the path later, she hurried to make sure she made it before they got to the hole.

“The rats are big but they won’t be bear-sized, Wosche.” Riu tutted while she swivelled her bag around to her front.

“Ah, but you don’t know that. The fact that they gave us the bear traps means they think they can probably get caught in a trap this big,” Wosche said as he rifled through one of the bags that he had taken. Riu sighed while Wosche looked back at Ellen for support.

Ellen shrugged as she came in to walk beside Wosche, “I don’t think we will know until we see them.”

“Both of you.” Riu clicked her tongue and dropped her bag next to the hole. Moving past her, Wosche went all the way to the other side of the hole to drop his two. Ellen checked back on Teon before moving to mirror Wosche on the closer side of the hole.

Close behind, Teon caught up with her hands full of tacks, “Alright, so we have these and more in -” Teon looked at the bags for a second and then shuffled the bag on her shoulder, “Yeah, in one of Ellen’s bags.”

Ellen bent over to open the bags to find another net, a large bundle of rope and another hundred metal tacks spread throughout everything else. Pulling the rope carefully, she watched the tacks tumble back into the bottom of the bag.

“Alright, well, we can throw these down quickly and then we can set the traps on one side of the hole and have maybe one net held up over the hole and another one ready to throw if we need it?” Even as she tried to plan all they needed to do, Ellen felt overwhelmed but knew better than to rain on her friend’s parade.

Forcing her smile, Ellen asked Teon nicely, “We’ll need to find a way to get up high to set up a hook if we want to use these nets. Did they give you a hook or something to suspend the net?”

Riu and Teon shared a look before Riu replied, “They did not.”

Ellen sucked her teeth, “Ah then, it will be hard to organise the nets then. Maybe we focus on the other traps then.”

“We can figure something out if you want it? We’re happy to help.” A soft voice appeared behind Ellen.

It was one of the villagers approached, named Fern if Ellen remembered correctly.

“Fern, how are you doing? How is the fire?” Ellen hated how her own voice lilted to match the older lady’s tone.

“We’re about ready now. The fire pit is ready and we’ve got the steel roofing for the tunnel into their den. We were just wondering about the dirt bags because they’re not down the holes as of yet.”

Ellen felt a surge of blood rush to her cheeks, “Oh yes, we decided not to do the dirt bags until we had everyone back here again, just in case it spooks the rats. But Riu said you’d be ready in half an hour.”

Fern nodded, “About half an hour ago, yes. But we’re ready now. Did you want us to find something to set your net on?”

Ellen didn’t answer, choosing to instead look at Wosche, then Teon, before settling on Riu. Riu stared back stoically as she replied for them, “No. We can set up in the next ten and be ready. Perhaps if you can help us with the dirt bags though?”

“Done, we can drop them in. So ten minutes and we start the fire?”

Ellen jumped in to answer, “Yes. Ten will be fine.”

With a quick nod, Fern left around the side of the barn as quietly as she had come.  An uneasy quiet filled the space after her departure and everything hit Ellen all of a sudden.

Their first contract was upon them, with all four of them nervous but ready.

Ellen clapped her hands together loudly, “Right, well. We need to get moving. Wosche, can you set the traps out behind the hole towards the wall? I don’t want the traps anywhere near my feet. And Riu can you place a couple nets behind us in case we need them? And Teon, you take these tacks and then get to work putting them in the hole. Try and spread them out down there as far as you can.”

As soon as she finished, a blur of activity engulfed the side of the barn. Working on clearing the area of any sticks and loose rocks, Ellen took one of the nets from Riu and stretched it out between her hands. They were fishing nets,  big enough that the net sagged between her arms and with small delicate netting and a large cast. In all likelihood, the netting wouldn’t hold for very long, but with any luck, it would do in a pinch.

Unravelling the netting as she stepped backwards, she moved three steps before she tossed the net onto the ground.

Three steps away from where she’d stand. Ellen scowled but ignored the nagging feeling that the net was an utter waste of time. Grabbing the other questionable choice from the ground, Ellen hefted the spear in her hand. With a few pokes at the hole, Ellen readied herself.

“You don’t need to use it if you don’t want it,” Wosche smirked from the other side of the hole. With a look at him, then one at Teon, Ellen replied confidently, “No no, I will use it to start.”

With a brief smile from Teon, Ellen rushed back to her gear to collect her shield and sword. Not far away, Thredrin stood in the shade and met her gaze evenly as she approached.

Ignoring him, Ellen grabbed her shield and her sword. Her arm went through the shield’s straps and she then connected her sheath through her belt before unclasping the sword for good measure. Holding the spear one-handed felt odd to her but trying to work the spear into her shield arm felt much much worse. When it proved to be too cumbersome, she’d get rid of it and use her sword. It was no matter.

“Ellen, I can smell smoke,” Riu called nervously from the hole, spear in one hand and dagger in the other.

“Everyone form up. Teon and Thredrin in the back and the three of us around the hole. We skewer anything that tries to get out of the hole.” Ellen ducked down into Wosche’s bag and pulled out his scimitar before jogging over to the hole. She passed a nervous looking Teon checking her bijou containers one last time and then popping two of them into her hand.

Tossing the scimitar a metre or so behind Wosche, Ellen then returned to her position.

Wisps of smoke curled at the edge of the hole as the familiar smell wafted up into Ellen’s nose. Despite the stinging feeling on the edges of her eyes, she watched for any movements at the bottom of the hole.

Riu fussed with her spear, moving her hands around to see whether she could find a sweet spot that let her dual wield the spear while holding her dagger in her backhand.

Ellen showed her grip to Riu, “Like this. If you don’t feel comfortable, use your daggers instead. We have trained for this.” Ellen forced herself to sound confident. Adrenaline coursed through her body as the stench of the thick smoke filled her with uneasy anticipation.

A minute passed and all that changed was the sheer volume of smoke that funnelled out of the tunnels, quickly forming a haze around them.

Some commotion echoed out of the hole below her, but there was little to see through the smoke but the occasional glint of a metal tack.

“Have any of them come out yet?” Fern appeared around the corner, jogging over to them.

Ellen’s eyes flicked between Fern and the hole. With a dagger in her hand, Fern greeted them happily.

Keeping the shield between her and the hole, Ellen looked back at Fern, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to help out. Alix is looking after the fire and he told me that I should come over. I can fight.”

Ellen locked eyes with Thredrin to find him shaking his head.

“Come stay next to me. Use this spear on any rats that come near you.” Ellen said as she passed Fern her spear. Between her and the barn wall was the best place for Fern, Ellen surmised, close enough for Ellen to keep an eye on her. Hopefully far enough away that Ellen didn’t get stuck with the pointy end of the spear.

Taking out her sword, Ellen gave it a preparatory swing and felt immediately better. When the rats came out of their nest, Ellen was going to make sure it was the last thing they did.

A moment later, she was rewarded when a mass of fur emerged out of the darkness. Moving faster than she’d anticipated, the rat propelled itself out of the hole on Ellen’s side.

Reacting on instinct, Ellen placed her shield between herself and the rat, dropping down to minimise its options for attack. The impact never came as the rat appeared to her side, pivoting to run along Ellen’s right side and heading directly towards Fern.

As the rat pushed her side, Ellen propped on her feet and swung her hip out to catch it on the way through. The top of her hip smacked into its front shoulder as she body checked the sizable rat into the wall with a satisfying crunch.

Ellen followed the momentum to follow the rat into the wall, using her shield to pin its back legs against the wooden slats of the barn. Keeping her sword to the side, Ellen watched for an opportunity to strike but found very little as the rat snapped at the side of her shield.

More vicious than she’d imagined, the rat forced its way towards the side of her shield, whilst also managing to dodge her attempt to stab its jugular.

Ellen tried to compensate by shifting the shield further up its body but had little luck as the rat squeezed out towards Fern.

Waiting for her time to strike, Fern plunged the spear down into its left flank.

With a horrifying squeal, the rat tried to flee as Fern plunged the spear deeper into its side, forcing it to the ground.

Ellen rammed her shield back into place, this time moving her sword to the side to allow her to push its blade deep into the rat’s neck. Despite the rat’s struggling, her blade found good purchase and sank deep into the rat’s chest to meet Fern’s spear.

The rat snapped at her sword’s guard but had no luck as Ellen tore her sword back out again. Her second strike landed nicely on the rat’s snout, puncturing deep into its cheek and impaling the rat’s skull as sword met barn wall.

“Back, Fern.” Ellen ordered as she struggled against the rat’s surprising strength. Even with several deadly wounds, the rat fought to try and reach Ellen as she held it in place.

As the spear shot back, a sickening sucking noise and a torrent of blood followed in its wake and assaulted Ellen as she fought against the rat’s fury.

Then, as the rat went limp, Ellen tore her sword back and caught its life flickering out of its eyes.

Turning back to the others, utter chaos had taken over around the hole. Opposite her was Wosche with his back to the hole and fighting to control a rat that had been skewered with his spear.

Another half of a shaft was buried into the rat’s flank, with its end broken as the rat twisted and leapt to get away from Wosche and Riu. Wosche’s spear had managed to score a good hit on the rat’s ribcage, limiting its mobility as it tried to push past them to attack from the side.

Close by, Riu stood with the other half of her broken spear in her hand and a rare look of uncertainty on her face as she was caught between helping Wosche and watching the hole.

Another half dozen seconds and she was given no choice as another rat leapt out of the hole going straight for her.

Sailing through the air in slow motion, the rat got close to face height as it reached out to catch Riu flat footed. Too far away to do anything, Ellen moved her shield to try and catch the rat on its back leg before it moved well out of her reach.

A heartbeat, a flash in Ellen’s periphery and, then a fist-sized chunk of ice entered the fray. Collecting the rat mid-leap, the icebolt slammed into its head with a solid crunch, flipping the rat head over tail as it crashed into Riu’s side.

Ellen wasted no time traversing the edge of the hole to help Riu but found that there was no need as the rat bounced as it hit the ground before rolling back into the plume of smoke that came from the hole in front of them.

Face-down at the bottom of the hole, the rat twitched as it pawed at its broken jaw.

Facing the front again, Ellen decided against trying to stab into the hole, knowing she’d have to basically climb into the hole if she wanted any chance of getting to the rat as it died.

Setting back into her stance, Ellen waited anxiously at the mouth of the tunnel for the rat to either recover or die.

Standing to her side, Riu decided not to wait. With the tell-tale cock of Riu’s pistol, a boom erupted next to Ellen, blasting her eardrums as the bullet disappeared into the hole.

When Ellen looked again, the rat no longer twitched as its brains painted the bottom of the hole.

Shifting a step away from Ellen, Riu put the second bullet into the spine of the rat fighting Wosche.

“Reform on the hole, three down.” Riu called out loudly.

“Five,” Teon corrected in the back.

Risking a look back, Ellen found two other corpses to the side of her. According to the villagers, only one more to go.

A pair of beady eyes soon appeared as she refocussed on the hole. On a hunch, she feinted to the left, leaving a generous gap between her and Fern for the rat to use if it chose to.

Leaping over its dying friend, the rat took the chance to scramble up the side of the hole but found Ellen waiting for it as she jerked back into her position.

Going shield first, Ellen hunched down to catch the rat off-guard. Its head whipped back against the front of her shield and the pressure of its body pressed against the edge of the hole gave Ellen some relief. Before Ellen could get her sword through, Fern’s spear came from her side to bury itself deep in the rat’s back.

Flexing unnaturally, her spear bent far too much as Fern forced it deeper. With a loud snap, the spear shaft gave way right next to Ellen’s face.

Only just managing to close her eyes in time, Ellen recoiled back with a shove as her last goodbye as she stumbled away. Two steps back and she was hit by another rat as it sprinted out of the hole. Before she could react, its claws dug into her arm as it slammed into her stomach, knocking her off balance.

Normally, Ellen could have withstood the impact, usually with her shield catching the charge to mitigate the rat’s claws. But, with her staggered and her feet in a mess, Ellen had no choice but to tumble to the ground with the rat falling with her.

Hitting the ground hard, Ellen pushed the rat back as she rolled to the side, only to find the net waiting to embrace her.

First, Ellen’s right hand twisted at an odd angle as she scrambled to keep her sword in her hand and away from any of her vital organs. Her grip gave way and she rolled further along as her sword flipped into the grass nearby. Then,as Ellen desperately tried to stop rolling, her right ankle caught the bottom of the net as the rest of the net twisted around her shield.

Ellen covered her face with her right arm and struggled to drag herself away as she felt the rat jump onto her back.

With an elbow, Ellen batted the rat away as she limped through the netting. The further she went, the more the mesh dragged on her, pinning her shield to her side as she tried to escape.

The rat gave her no reprieve as it barrelled into her, scratching and biting where it could as it harried her.

As Ellen propped up on her left leg, she used her left hand to search her belt, struggling with the latch on her dagger’s sheath. Pushing away the pain as the rat tore into her shoulder, Ellen slapped at the grass near her to see if she could find her sword.

The cool side of her sword’s blade felt good on her fingers as slapped it several times. With the hilt just too far away, Ellen wasted no time in grabbing the blade and wrenching it across her body to jam it into the rat.

The tip of the sword found good purchase on the rat’s side, digging several inches in before its ribs stopped its progress. Kicking back the rat desperately tried to scratch as it struggled next to her.

Ellen ripped the blade back out and fumbled with the hilt as she forced her left arm up to cover her head. As the rat scooted down the shield, Ellen pulled her sword through the netting around her left arm and felt the net give as she pulled herself free.

Rotating to push the rat back, Ellen pressed her shield into its side as it tried to desperately untangle itself as well. After readjusting her grip down to her sword’s hilt, Ellen rushed to drive its tip down on the rat before it could recover.

A meaty resistance and a squeal gave Ellen the answer she wanted. She’d aimed higher than before, hoping to find purchase somewhere vital.

With a frustrated scream, Ellen shoved the rat back and propped herself back up onto her knees. The rat struggled beneath her, her shield on its back and sword lodged deep in its stomach.

With a twisting motion, Ellen pulled her sword back before ramming it back into the top of the rat’s skull.

Against Ellen’s rage and sharpened sword, flesh and bone gave way and the rat stopped dead in its tracks. Both of its back legs had managed to pull fast on the side of the net, locking them together as it twisted itself against her shield.

Slipping her left arm out from her shield, Ellen pushed the rat off her legs as she kicked against the net’s claustrophobic embrace. Using the side of her sword, Ellen cut through several key knots and tackle that restrained her before finally dragging herself back.

Another gun shot rang out around her as Riu and Wosche fought off two more rats at the side of the barn.

“El!” Teon shouted behind her as Ellen felt a rush of cold air whip past her ear. Ducking away from the ice bolt, Ellen dragged herself up onto her feet only to realise Teon’s shot had been directed towards Fern. Stuck against the barn wall with a rat on top of her was Fern, screaming as she tried to push the rat off of her.

Ellen snapped up onto her feet and left her shield behind. There was no time as the rat ripped deep into Fern’s shoulder, its teeth sinking deep into her clavicle as she tried to fight it off.

After only two steps upright, Ellen lost her feet again from something crashing into her from behind.

Before Ellen could react, Thredrin hurdled past her as he sprinted towards Fern. As he arrived his sabre flashed in front of him, slicing through the haunches of the rat. With shocking grace, Thredrin slid to a stop and wrenched the rat off Fern before it could do little more than flinch backwards.

Thredrin’s sabre flicked up once more, its tip spinning in a half circle before he buried it deep into the rat’s neck. With a spray of blood, he slit the rat’s throat and redirected it away from Fern cowering beneath.

“Back to the equipment! Ellen, get Fern.” Thredrin ordered, breaking Ellen from her stupor.

Hopping back onto her feet, Ellen focussed on watching for any immediate threats that would stop her from reaching Fern.

Squished against the barn wall, Fern was in terrible condition. Her right shoulder had taken the brunt of the rat’s attack, with blood pouring out of several wounds along her back. Her shirt hadn’t survived from the rat’s attack, with several glimmers of white amongst the blood and gore.

Bone. Ellen’s stomach lurched as she spotted the shoulderblade exposed beneath Fern’s sundered shoulder muscles. The damage the rat had done was extensive, with its teeth goring long gashes all the way up to Fern’s clavicle. Only a few centimetres away was Fern’s jugular, coated in crimson like most of Fern’s right side and hinting at just how close they came to disaster.

With a shudder, Ellen pushed the thought from her mind. First things first, they needed to get back to Teon and then they could see what could be done. With any luck, Suttrail would have a mender or even Viera could help if she had the runes stashed somewhere in her bags.

Dropping down to get face to face with Fern, Ellen gently grabbed her by left shoulder, “Fern, we are going to get you help but we need to move you first. We have to get out of here.”

“My fucking shoulder! I can’t move my shoulder!” Fern yelled back as she tried to push herself flush against the wall.

Keeping a firm grip on Fern’s shoulder, Ellen insisted on pulling them both up onto their feet. Fern fought for only a moment before she relented, letting Ellen slip under her left arm to prop her up.

Another crack from Riu’s pistol overcame the general din of fighting around Ellen, with Wosche and Riu yelling to one another about rats in the trees. Thredrin came on Ellen’s left side as she shuffled forwards, with his head swivelling as he kept watch.

Focussed on the front, Ellen was three metres from their gear, with Wosche and Teon making space for Fern between the bags as they waited. Several more steps and Thredrin disappeared from her side to join Riu by the hole.

Facing away from Ellen, Riu had turned away from the hole and stared into the forest with her pistol raised. Her second shot came suddenly as she aimed into the treeline, with its sound causing Fern to try to pull away as they fled.

Yanking her back, Ellen stayed close until they reached the bags and the others. Both Wosche and Teon cleared the way for her, concern clear on both of their faces.

With a look behind her, Wosche made a circuitous route to take up sentry between them and the hole, “Riu! On your left!”

Whatever was happening at the barn wasn’t her concern. Not yet at least.

Ellen eased Fern down carefully onto a pile of clothes Teon had made between the bags, careful to pivot Fern onto her good side as she collapsed onto their gear.

“Thank you.” Fern offered Ellen weakly before she departed.

Ellen gave her no response, wiping the blood off her hands and searching for her dagger at her side. The latch came away easily and Ellen switched her sword back to her right, preferring her dagger as a parrying blade.

Turning to Teon, Ellen tried to keep voice steady, “Listen, Teon. Wosche will watch for more rats but you need to stem the bleeding. Compress it, then strap it up as well as you can and then we can figure it out when Viera gets here. Fern needs you.”

A flicker of panic and then a firm nod was Teon’s reply before she went to her bags to search for supplies.

With a big breath in, Ellen checked her side to see how badly she’d been scratched as well. A few cuts on her ribs and possibly a cut on her lower back was the worst she’d received. From a quick brush with the back of her hand, there was only minimal blood seeping through what felt like a fairly intact t-shirt.

Content, Ellen turned back around to find the side of the barn in complete bedlam. Smoke billowed fiercely out of the hole in a giant black pillar that rolled up the side of the barn and out into the clearing around them. Dispersed through the grass were nine rat bodies, most the size of a beagle but with a few notably larger.

Close to the hole, Riu and Thredrin remained standing, back-to-back and weapons drawn as they watched for any more rats to come.

Leaving Wosche to watch over Teon, Ellen crossed the tiny battlefield. Her shield lay next to the rat that had attacked her. Both were wrapped up in the netting with a pool of blood draining down to the path that she walked.

Deciding against picking up her shield, Ellen pushed past to join Thredrin as he opened up a space to his right for her.

“Give the all clear,” Thredrin instructed Ellen quietly as she took up her defensive position.

Watching, waiting, Ellen saw nothing in the fading dusk light. The only sound was Fern screaming as Teon wrapped bandage after bandage around her chest.

Clearing her throat, Ellen announced loudly for them all to hear, “All clear.”