Dev wasn’t about to sit back and wait for the hell spawn to come to him; he strode forward and waded into the rats with the pent up fury of a berserker. Growling like an animal he swept his sword back and forth in great arcs driving the rodents back with his sheer ferocity. One of the rats reared back on its hind legs razor sharp talons slashing at the former knight’s throat. Dev brought his heavy sword down on the creature’s head cutting through its skull and neck splattering himself with blood and brain matter.

Pulling his blade free from the still twitching rat, Dev swung his sword down and to his right as another beast closed in turning sideways in an attempt to tail whip the enraged human. Sweeping his sword out, he neatly cut through the whip like tail but took the brunt of the hit to his right knee from the stump, impacting with the force of a club. Dev’s right leg buckled and he went down to one knee as the rat with the severed tail turned on him roaring in pain. Still kneeling Dev thrust forward with his sword. Grunting with exertion, he stabbed the rat through the roof of its mouth; the tip of his blade exploded from the back of the creature’s skull and wedged there.

Sensing a third rat approaching, Dev released the grip on his wedged sword and turned his attention to his left instinctively raising his hands just in time to save himself from the lunging beast’s jaws. Hot breath reeking of spoiled meat almost made him gag as he grasped a yellowed tusk in each hand. He couldn’t let the rat close its mouth as the opposing tusks would likely shear the fingers from his hands. With Herculean effort Dev forced the rodent’s head slowly downward trying to submerge it in the noxious water of the sewer which on his knees now lapped around his waist.

“Rhohadon!” Bellowed Khaz, invoking the name of the dwarven god of battle, he jumped high in the air from the walkway single bladed curved axe held above his head. The dwarf came down with all his weight and strength bringing his axe down as he descended directly on the broad back of the rat now wrestling with Dev severing its spine and cleaving it in half.

Sarel engaged the remaining monster slashing and moving with lightning fast strikes of his sword drawing blood with each stroke.

Still hanging back, watching for an opportunity to aid her companions, Kimba felt more than heard something approaching from the tunnel to her left. Her sharp ears picked up the clinking of armor and marching in cadence. Her almond shaped eyes widened in horror as her elven night vision cut through the shadows and pin pointed the source. Undead skeletal warriors advanced from the murky gloom of the adjoining tunnel. Ancient black armor still clinging to yellowed bones and tattered dry hides, their jaws clacking open and shut under high helms as they sang a voiceless battle chant. Fiery red eyes of hell spawn burned deep within fleshless skulls peering over rectangular wooden shields embossed with copper now oxidized a pale green with age.

As the undead warriors neared the widening conjunction of tunnels they picked up their pace banging their shields in rhythm with long curved sabers.

“Warriors approach!” Yelled Kimba to her battling companions, “we need to retreat!” She turned back to the advancing skeletal soldiers sheathing her sword and hoping morning had dawned on the surface; she mouthed the words of a defensive spell calling on the power of the sun. Holding her right arm outstretched a ball of brilliant white light began to form in her open hand growing larger as she completed the spell.

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