Letting out a sigh of relief as the last of the giant rats bit the dust, Guard Lady got back onto her feet slowly, using her polearm as a maekeshift leverage device. When the archer rushed to her side, asking how she was, the half-elf smiled - though it was a smile of a somber and apologetic nature, rather than one of happiness.

"Ye- Yes, I'm fine, thanks." She answered, feeling a bit frustrated, a bit ashamed and a bit relieved. "I'm sorry I didn't stop them in time." She continued, looking at her feet. "They were a lot faster than I thought, and a lot more... Evasive then I expected." Of course, this was only her really first, actual battle, so mistake were bound to have been made - though this fact did little to comfort the girl.

Moving her free hand to feel around the area where she had been bitten, Guard Lady let ot a puff of air as she found the hole the rat had made in her armor. Luckily, the leather had been strong enough to not be bitten through, but it would require repairs if to remain useful once they left this awful place. It waas somewhat ironic though, the rat had leapt and aimed for her chest, but her ample... [i]Assets[/i] had caused the rat do bummp its head in them and instead bite down on her stomach-area - rather than her upper-exposed endowments. Perhaps she should consider buying a chestguard that covered that particular area next time...

The boy with the hood then disappeared for a bit, stating tht he was going scouting. For the duration he was away, Guard Lady kept a vigilant eye on the path behind them, determined to not let any more rodents sneak up on and ambsh them. Still, she had the time for some small talk and couldn't help but want to thank the arhcer properly.

"Thanms again, archer." She said, still peering behind them into the gloomy darkness. "You were really impressive back there. You moved and acted like those big, nasty things were nothing. You even saved my clumbsy butt." She let out a slight, forced laugh at the last part, again feeling somewhat ashamed and useless in the big whole. Both the archer and the boy had managed to take down marks of their own, yet she had been knocked on her ass and had to been saved. Sure, things like that could happen to anyone, but that didn't make her feel any better about botching her job.

When Shade returned and informed the two girls that there were more rats, Guard Lady only nodded. Of course this wasn't the end, they still had to find the nests where the rats bred and destroy them... Well, at least three of them. But where could they be? Rats usually just dug holes in the ground or hid in cramped, dark places... So what did a rat's nest look like? Especially one for giant rodents like these.

[i]Scshshcshscchschsssch...[/i]

"Wh- What was that...?" Guard Lady turned her head away from the hooded boy. Something sounded... Strange. Like raspy, scratchy fingernails rapidly scraping across a hard surface. It was different from the skittering of the rats, and sounded far more... numerous? Plentiful? Peering back towards the path behind them, from the faint glow of the lantern on the floor, Guard Lady saw it... The horror.

"Insects!?" She exclaimed in both surprise and alarm. And yes, insects - huge roaches to be exact. Cockroaches the size of regular-sized rats to be even more precise. A vast number of them too, marching in a mass of black, revolting scratching towards the party. But why? Had they heard the noise from the battle? Or did they sense the smell of blood and fresh meat from the dead rats? The reason wasn't really important now, what [i]was[/i] important was that there was a horde of giant cockroaches approaching them that numbered more than two dozen. Even if they stayed and fought, insects weren't like animals. They didn't back off or hesitate, they just pushed on and on, forging ahead mercilessly. Even if her halberd took out five in a row, the boy killed several with quick slashes and the archer took some down with her own blade, there would still be more than enough to reach and overwhelm them!

"This is bad! We can't stay here!" The half-elf exclaimed, feelinga  shiver run down her spine. But where to go? The path only led in two directions, and according to Shade, there were more rats up ahead. But going back meant running through the black, jumbling army of roaches. What were they to do?! Regardless, Guard Lady took her halbered in both hands and entered into a firm, staunch stance, waiting for the other two of her allies to decide what to do.