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You held her close and stroke her hair, until you saw Lucca ahead stop, turn and look at you with a knowing smirk. You stiffened and your love must have understood, because she removed herself from your embrace. With your arm on her back, you gently guided her forward as Lucca resumed walking through twists and turns in the empty corridors and to a sealed metal hatch on the floor. It would have been hard to find the way on your own, though probably not impossible with some luck.
Lucca finished unsealing the hatch with a loud grinding noise by the time you reached her. A rusty metal ladder lead down in the darkness. "You two go first, I'll close it behind us." Lucca recommended and you nodded. There was no question on who would go first and you began climbing down immediately. You jumped the last few steps, stepped forward as you took your staff in your hands and peered into the darkness ahead, ready for any danger lurking. The only light you could see was what came down from the shaft above. Schala climbed after you, moved close to you and placed her hand on your back. Another loud grinding noise was heard from above and the light disappeared, leaving you in total darkness before another, narrower beam of light zoomed past you. Lucca came next to you, the front of her helmet shining brightly. "Chrono and Marle must have gone further ahead. I'll guide you." Lucca stated while she removed her gun from its holster.
You nodded and moved forward, where her light illuminated. Specks of dust were visible wherever the light shone. The walls were a dull, red corroded metal, with pipes throughout their length. A faint unpleasant smell permeated the air. You saw nothing of note in the area, until suddenly four pairs of small, red beady eyes looked at you maliciously from the darkness up ahead.
"Ugh. Great, more rats." Lucca remarked.
Rats? These were rats? They were easily as tall as your knee, and their teeth were long like daggers, now that you could see them more clearly. "Didn't Chrono and Marle say they'll clear the way?" you inquired.
"They must have missed some, it's an infestation. Let's get this over with.". Lucca began taking aim with her gun and you readied your staff.
But before you could attack, Schala broke her silence and spoke without confidence. "But um... they're living beings. Do we... do we have to kill them?"
Do you?
>Yes. They're just animals and they're in your way.
>Maybe not. Try to scare them away.
>Maybe not. Try to disable them non-lethally.
>Let Lucca take care of them.
>Other (Write-in)
