The Cave Rat moved first. I followed with the Vassals, tracking the ghouls toward the deeper passages.

A few steps later, the tunnel widened.

The crudely excavated earthen walls gave way to old stonework. An opening ahead looked out onto a larger passage.

The sounds beyond it were clear.

Smothered crying, broken breaths, and the heavy footsteps of humans moving over stone. Between them came the scraping of claws escorting them.

I lowered my body and looked inside.

More than a dozen humans walked east in a disorganized line. Some limped, while others supported the people beside them. Grave Gnawers moved along both sides of the group, shoving them with their claws whenever their pace slowed.

No one dared to stop.

They were not being dragged. As long as they could still walk, they were forced to continue.

One Grave Gnawer struck the back of a man falling behind. He stumbled, but the woman beside him immediately grabbed his arm and forced him upright again.

A slender creature walked behind the group.

Another Heart Skinner.

Its claws moved slowly from one captive to the next, not to injure them, but to ensure none fell too far behind.

An old man dropped to his knees.

He tried to rise. Both hands pressed against the stone, but his legs could no longer support his body.

The Heart Skinner stopped behind him.

The man turned and raised one hand, as though the gesture could still protect him.

Long claws pierced his chest.

His body jerked.

The Heart Skinner pinned his shoulder beneath one foot, spread his ribs apart, and pulled a still-beating heart from the cavity in his chest.

The humans ahead did not stop.

Some covered their mouths. Others quickened their steps without daring to look back.

The message was clear.

Those who could still walk would be taken.

Those who could not would be harvested.

I sent commands through the connection.

Assassin, stop the slender one.

Kobold and Cave Rat, break the front of the line. The rest of you, keep the ghouls away from the humans.

The Vassals moved at once.

The Cave Rat vanished through a gap beside the passage. Assassin climbed the wall while the Kobold lowered its body and rushed toward the front of the column.

I charged into the middle of the group.

The captives screamed and threw themselves down when the Grave Gnawers turned to face us. Their line immediately broke apart, but the Vassals did not pursue the scattering humans.

They struck their guards.

The Kobold slammed into a Grave Gnawer at the front and carried it down against the side of the passage. The Cave Rat emerged from a gap between stones, bit another monster's ankle, then vanished before the retaliating claws could touch it.

The captives scattered toward the walls. Some pulled at one another to avoid being trampled, while the injured could only drop to the ground and cover their heads.

My Heart Skinner Vassal lunged at one of the Grave Gnawers that had turned toward the humans. Its long claws seized the enemy's wrist, twisted until the elbow broke, then held it away from the captives.

The Goblin Leader and Assassin attacked from the other side.

I forced my way between them.

One Grave Gnawer tried to strike a captive crawling away. Abyssal Claw severed its arm before the attack could fall, and my next slash opened the side of its neck.

Blood sprayed across the stone.

Another monster lunged from the side. I lowered myself, allowed its claws to pass over my back, then drove the black-purple blade beneath its jaw.

Around me, the captive column dissolved into chaos.

Not every human managed to escape. One Grave Gnawer charged into the crowd and swung its claws before my Vassals brought it down.

Several bodies fell.

One of them did not move again.

The enemy Heart Skinner turned and fled toward the eastern passage.

Assassin pursued it for several steps, then threw its bone knife.

The blade sank into the back of the Heart Skinner's thigh. The creature stumbled but continued trying to run.

The Goblin Leader moved to cut off its path.

The Heart Skinner turned and swung both claws inward from either side. The Goblin Leader ducked, allowing the attacks to pass above its head, then slashed its serrated machete into the back of the monster's knee.

Its leg folded.

The Heart Skinner dropped to its knees.

The Goblin Leader stepped behind it and drove the machete into the base of its neck. The blade passed through flesh and scraped against bone before being dragged sideways.

The Heart Skinner collapsed face-first onto the stone.

The battle was over.

Six Grave Gnawers and one Heart Skinner lay throughout the passage. The captives gathered along the wall, supporting one another and keeping their distance from the purple-eyed Heart Skinner standing among my Vassals.

I absorbed their essence one by one.

[Heart Skinner Essence Assimilated]
[Grave Gnawer Essence x6 Assimilated]
[Warning: Assimilation Efficiency Decreased]

The essence spread through the connection. The wound in the Kobold's stomach began to close, while the old damage along the side of my Heart Skinner Vassal's chest shrank further.

However, the Mana reaching the Cave Rat did not stop.

Its small body stiffened. Mana spun faster inside it, overflowing through the connection like pressure seeking an escape.

[Vassal Evolution Available]
[Target: Cave Rat]
[Begin Evolution?]
[Yes / No]

The battle had ended, and the surrounding passage was secure.

I selected yes.

[Evolution Begun]

The Cave Rat dropped to the stone floor. Its back arched while small cracking sounds came from along its spine.

Dark-purple Mana enveloped its body.

Its dull fur stood on end before flattening tightly against its skin. Its legs stiffened, the joints shifted, and its body began to grow inside the cloud of black-purple Mana.

The Cave Rat shrieked.

The piercing sound echoed throughout the passage and traveled far into the darkness.

The captives flinched. Some covered their ears, while others turned anxiously toward the tunnel they had just passed through. Their fear was not only directed at the Cave Rat's changing body, but also at the possibility that the sound would attract the ghouls back.

A guard raised a stone with a trembling hand but did not dare approach. His gaze shifted repeatedly between the growing Cave Rat and the dark passage behind them.

The transformation had begun.

Its squeals grew increasingly hoarse as the Cave Rat's spine lengthened. Its hind legs expanded and shifted beneath its body, while its forelegs extended into thin arms with clawed fingers.

Flesh grew around its new frame. Its shoulders widened, a short neck formed beneath its head, and the body that had always clung close to the ground slowly rose.

It did not stand completely upright. Its back remained hunched, while both legs retained a shape that allowed it to run on all four limbs if necessary.

Its hairless tail lengthened and struck the stone floor.

The Cave Rat shrieked once more, louder than before. The sound made the captives turn back toward the dark tunnel, afraid the ghouls would hear it.

I sent pressure through the connection.

Quiet.

The shrieking stopped.

The black-purple Mana surrounding its body sank into its skin. The figure left behind was roughly the size of a full-grown village dog, but with a slimmer build and limbs that had begun to resemble those of a humanoid. Coarse black fur covered its back and arms, while its abdomen was layered with thinner, dark-gray fur.

Its new hands touched the floor.

The fingers moved one by one, as though it had only just realized that those limbs could be used to grip things.

Its head remained that of a rat. Its muzzle was elongated, its nose continued to twitch, and a pair of white front teeth protruded from behind its lips.

[Evolution Successful]
[Species: Abyssal Cave Ratkin]
[New Characteristics: Semi-Humanoid Body / High Tunnel Mobility]
[Passive Skill Acquired: Rending Bite]
[Effect: The structure of its teeth and jaw worsens bite wounds and prevents them from closing, causing continuous bleeding]

The Ratkin opened its mouth. Its two front teeth had grown longer and much sharper, while the rows of smaller teeth behind them appeared tightly packed and serrated.

Its bite would tear away more flesh whenever it pulled its head back, making the wound difficult to close and allowing the blood to continue flowing. It would not kill immediately, but it would be enough to weaken prey during a pursuit or a prolonged fight.

The Cave Ratkin turned toward me, then gave a short squeak while displaying its two new teeth. The gesture almost made it appear as though it were waiting for my evaluation.

Its new face reminded me of a Hunter I had once teamed with in my previous life.

Especially the two front teeth.

The corner of my mouth lifted briefly.

At least this one had a reason to look like a rat.

The Cave Ratkin looked at me. Its dim purple eyes blinked once, unable to understand the meaning behind my stare.

Better that way.

The captives continued staring at it with pale faces. Several pressed themselves against the wall, but none dared to make a sound.

Not far away, the blood of the old man whose heart had been taken flowed into a narrow depression along the edge of the stone floor.

Only then did I notice that the depression continued along the wall of the passage. The stones had been carved into a shallow channel leading deeper underground.

This place had once been constructed for a specific purpose.

The ghouls did not appear to have built it. They were merely using an old stone passage that had remained hidden beneath Barrowford.

The old man's blood followed the slope of the channel toward the east.

I sent my voice to Alden through the relay.

There are many living captives below. Gather anyone capable of helping. My goblins will escort them here.

The distance made the connection feel thinner, but my message could still pass through it.

I sent an order to Elongated Helmet and the Hobgoblin, who were still near Alden.

Escort the rescuers here.

Both turned and headed through the tunnel we had just traveled.

I ordered the Vassals to move away from the injured humans.

They stepped back at once.

The captives did not immediately relax. Some pressed themselves against the wall, while those who still had enough strength picked up stones from the floor and held them as weapons.

A guard with one broken arm stood in front of them. His face was pale, but he did not look away from me.

His gaze shifted toward my Vassals, then toward the ghoul corpses filling the passage.

"Did you come to save us?"

I did not answer. The dead ghouls filling the passage should have been enough to show that we were not one of them.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

I nodded.

Some of the tension left his shoulders.

Saving them had not been my primary reason for entering Barrowford. However, a group of people who owed me their lives might prove useful later.

I looked east, following the route the ghouls had used to transport their other captives.

The guard followed my gaze.

"They took more people that way," he said. "If you truly intend to help, there are still people who can be saved."

He drew a difficult breath, then raised his uninjured hand toward the east.

His arm fell back to his side.

A short while later, footsteps echoed from the tunnel behind us. Elongated Helmet and the Hobgoblin appeared first, followed by several people carrying rope, cloth, and boards for transporting the injured.

One of them immediately approached the captives.

"Did any of you see Priest Calvar?" he asked, then glanced toward me. “The one in charge here is looking for him.”

The guard did not answer immediately. His gaze returned to the east.

"I don't know for certain," he said. "Another group was being driven ahead of us earlier. If Priest Calvar was taken below, he's probably with them."

Ahead of us, the shallow channel filled with blood still led east.

Calvar might be there.

Whether he was or not, the answer waited at the end of that trail of blood.