With the potential of reward or further danger behind them, the investigating trio continued onward back to the other two who had remained on watch. There would be future time for the chest and whatever its contents were, if any at all, once they were done destroying the vermin that had indeed constructed such an elaborate domicile. In a way, one could almost feel sympathy for the creatures as Tracan did, that their lives and home were being destroyed as foul and odd little beasts as they were. They had done nothing but seemingly what nature commanded of them and the people of the [i]Marches[/i] launched out in destruction of them and this land again. A vicious, terrible cycle of its own variety - surely having lived on this stead even might well have come with dealing with such alarmingly dangerous intrusions from time to time.

The lantern and oil set, still safely burning inside its cage, the push into the next tunnel which the rats had came and attempted to flee pulled them at a sharp angle down further. The earth here was lighter, harder, far more dense and much more gnawed by the teeth of the creatures, and soon fed into another chamber with many awaiting mouths - both literal and figurative. Many young rats, with their beady, ferocious eyes gleamed at them, as did their wardens. Two very large [i]dire rats[/i] attended the nest and immediately went to its defense, followed by the even smaller though equally aggressive ones. 

Like a surging horde of fur and flesh propelled upon skittering, pale feet, they charged with wild abandon at them, plunging in a charge. Beaumont only had a moment of hesitation before he dared pull up his shield to feel the first rat slam into him and almost knock him down, the frenzied clawing scraping at its steely face. Shunting the beast down with a slap of the shield once it slid off, he raised his sword to retaliate only to feel the biting pain of the other rat hunched around his balancing leg and its head latched on to his arm. Its sharp teeth digging at him, de Brey had the wherewithal to interpose himself as best he could and take on the tide of smaller deadly vermin as they hurried behind the warren's keepers.

Swiping them back at first, the other man in armor was accosted by the horde of six, who slipped in and around him, gnawing at a leg or two only to be kicked and thrown off, batted with the butt of the mace or the lip of a shield. Despite this, they had drawn blood from him but de Brey's heroics had spared the paladin from perhaps disappearing under the surge of gnawing, gashing fangs. While younger, it was clear they were as monstrous as their elders, and the way in which they besieged the soldier made it clear dispatching the larger threats sooner rather than later would be essential...

[hider=Effects]
InItiative Table
Creatures - 13
Gorosk - 12
Renault - 12
Tracan - 7
Vah'lux - 2
Quentin - 1

Two of the larger, more mature [i]dire rats[/i] charge Renault Beaumont, one of whom misses its attack. The other hits and deals 2 piercing damage on a bite, wounding him further. Quentin de Brey is attacked by six younger [i]dire rats[/i] and is critically threatened, but not confirmed against, so only struck by one. Another by almost equally sheer chance beats his Armor Class. He takes 1 then 2 more points of piercing damage from their bites as well.[/hider]
[@BangoSkank][@Hellion][@Lord Wyron][@TyrannosaursRex]