<div class="floatright">(https://mfiles.alphacoders.com/402/402340.jpg)</div><em>“We have a little group of rats over there. Show me what you got ladies.”</em><br/><br/>Gods, but he was arrogant.<br/><br/>While they’d been traveling Lesniya hadn’t been worried about the scenery on the road. Or her adopted sister’s mood. She’d been far too focused on studying the man who she had decided should get the brunt of her frustration and anger once this was all over and done with. Cerias didn’t miss anything as he moved, she was sure of it. A warrior like him had probably honed those instincts over the years.<br/><br/>If she was being honest with herself – which was absolutely not happening in that instant – it was pretty impressive. The arrogance came with enough to back it up. He was attracted to them, his trousers had shown that next to the river, but unlike every other non-familial male in their life, he hadn’t acted on it at all. Instead, he did what he said he would do and took them to the rats.<br/><br/>Still. She wanted to pick up every rock she found on the ground and chuck it at the back of his full-head of hair.<br/><br/>Arrogant paired with handsome too.<br/><br/>The plotting and planning in her mind helped take up the space of the hike. It swept away the feeling of her sore feet, her wet, yet clean clothes, and the heat of the sun beating down. She imagined all the different ways she could torture the man meticulously, throwing every brutish comment he’d made in the tavern to them back in his face.<br/><br/>Lesniya was almost smiling by the time the rat’s den. She’d show him. Then she’d even take his sword.<br/><br/>At the moment, though, as she looked over at Sophie, she drew her own short sword. All the while, she was trying not to cough, or worse yet, vomit, as the breeze brought a fresh hell of smell wafting their way. It was worse than the eels in the river. At least then, there was fresh water to cover most of the scent. Lesniya cleared her throat for a moment, putting her elbow to her nose just enough to breath through the fabric there as her eyes watered.<br/><br/>The visible rats were much smaller than those they had dealt with yesterday. It kept Les rooted firmly in place as she conquered her gag reflex. She returned Sophie’s nod as she still breathed through her elbow, and determinedly followed the Evenember into the muck.<br/><br/>At first, Les followed Sophie’s lead. She hacked and slashed with all her might and worked that pipsqueak of a short sword as best she could. Determined grit, a bit of actual knowledge, and the anger behind their situation was what got her three rattails in before she could feel her hand glowing with familiar energy. As a child, she’d been taught what to do with that skill. Rudementary lessons made to simply help her learn control. Once that was established, however, she’d either feared the power too much to use it, or didn’t have the confidence and drive to hone her skills further.<br/><br/>This time though, she reached out and<em>pressed</em>that energy forward towards a small-ish rat, freezing him instantly. It worked so surprisingly well, she did it immediately again to the rat’s companion. Chopping off their tails was a no-brainer then and Lesniya whooped with joy, jumping up and down as she wiggled in a victory dance.<br/><br/>“Absolutely easier!” She called out to Sophie, dropping her sword for the moment (a rookie mistake!) and picking up the tails. But soon, the dirt-covered weapon was back in her hand and she was looking around for another target. Her hand glowed blue, and she wiggled her fingers through the energy, grinning with delight.<br/><br/>That grin fell when three of the larger sized rodents decided to emerge from the den their smaller companions had escaped to. These ROUS’s were easily as big as Lesniya was. Lumbering, slow beasts, with wicked tails, and sharp, gharly teeth.<br/><br/>Quick on her feet, and now with her powers, Lesniya shot another freeze bolt at the rat on the far side, closest to her. It hit the beast in his forelegs, dropping his front half. But it didn’t immobilize him like it had the smaller rats.<br/><br/>“Uh oh…” Was all she could manage to murmur out as the other two snarled and trudged forward towards the girls.