Raising his arms to shield himself, Pieter charged through the rats blocking his path – the creature leapt and snapped at him as he bolted between them, one managing to hook its claws into his tunic, and scuttling up his back. Stumbling, he tried to pull it off – before he could get a grip on the little beast, it had buried its incisors in his cheek, hot blood coursing down his face.
Crying out in pain, the Initiate of Ranald grabbed the creature, hurling it back into the darkness. Behind him, Lothar was still holding his ground, trying to keep the swarm from engulfing him – and doing a surprisingly efficient job. The soldier’s sword flicked out as one particularly large rodent leapt for his throat: cleanly bisected, the rat’s corpse tumbled away in two opposite directions, drizzling its brothers with its blood.
Raffy’s shout echoed down the tunnel, the bounty hunter turning and beginning to run – Pieter made to follow suit, but the pack that had blocked his path were not giving up so easily, leaving Lothar for the swarm as they scurried after the retreating duo. As he turned to flee, Pieter realised he had never before fully appreciated how fast a rat could
run.
The first of them nipped at his ankles, others running up the tunnel walls to either side of him as Raffy receded into the distance. This could be a very one-sided chase...
Spoiler
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The pack turns and engages Pieter again.
[roll0] - miss
[roll1]
Meanwhile, the swarm recoiled from Lothar’s flashing sword, the soldier’s blade having proved its edge – wondering for a moment if the creatures would turn tail and flee, Lothar took a wary step back as the chittering of the furry tide began to increase in volume, those at the back scrambling up over the backs of those in front as they worked themselves up into a rabid frenzy. It would only take one of them to dare the range of the sword before the wave of rats crashed down...
Spoiler
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The swarm spends a turn psyching itself up, as per the Frenzy talent.