5.) Giant Rat Den pt.2

"Maybe I should summon my map?" Standing before three tunnel entrances, Dawn scratched her head, confused about which one she should choose.

Summoning her map, Dawn saw a blinking red dot that was farther ahead inside the middle cave. "Hmm, I wonder if this dot indicates danger or my target?" Dawn pondered out loud, feeling Neko-chan nuzzle her cheek.

"I'm just going to take a leap of faith and trust my gut instincts." With her mind made up, Dawn entered the middle tunnel, walking down the long hall when a ghostly chill caress her skin and triggered goosebumps.

"I can feel danger lurking up ahead," Dawn muttered.

Exiting the tunnel Dawn entered a large field with numerous Giant Rats and against the wall, sitting upon a chair that looked to be barely standing was a rat twice as big as the others with a gold toy crown sitting upon its head.

When the obese rat saw Dawn, it immediately became angry and released a screech that bled her eyes as the others read this as a sign. A sign to eliminate the unwanted guest.

"Oh shit" Dawn cursed. "So good news and bad news. The good news is I found the Giant Rat King. Bad news, I just walked into a death trap!"  The only human in the cave screamed and ran for dear life as the horde of rats rushed to attack her. Some managed to land scratches on her legs and arms.

One Giant Rat used its paw to smack her body into a wall. 'Fuck! It hurts all over! Why do they make this stuff look so easy in fiction!?' Dawn's entire body ached.

She screamed when she saw a Giant Rat charging in her direction, but before it could attack, purple flames engulfed its body. A white blur raced over and protectively stood in front of Dawn, bearing its fangs at the horde of rats.

"Aww, thanks, Neko-chan, for defending me!" Dawn felt nothing but gratitude towards the kitten when she received yet another notification.

{The skill Contractor is unlocked! The player can now enter a contract with Neko-chan if Neko-chan desires to do so.}

"Huh?! What does it mean that I can now enter a contract with Neko-chan?!" Dawn did not know what was going on and became even more confused when a scroll of paper magically appeared in her hand.

{Required Signature of Monster or Demon:_}

-The user can form a contract with any monster or demon but only with their consent.

-The contractor can fuse with any of those who have entered a contract with the contractor but only one per day.

-The user must treat those who have entered a contract with her with respect! No abuse!

"I understand none of this?!" Dawn clutched her head in frustration and yelled. "What am I supposed to do with this? Walk over to Neko-chan and request its signature? Wait! Do cats even have a signature?!"

While Dawn fretted over the ludicrous notice the system presented her, Neko-chan walked over to the parchment paper that had dropped onto the ground.

Almost as if it could understand the words written on the paper, the kitten lifted its ink-black paw and stamped it on the spot where the contract requested its signature.

Dawn was brought out of her turmoil after seeing another notification pop up, which read: {Contract is complete! The Player can now fuse with Neko-chan!}

"Fuse?" Such a word made Dawn recall an old anime from her childhood where the characters would do a funny little dance before fusing together. But instead of a dance, a purple spell circle, that nearly blinded Dawn, appeared underneath her.

Neko-chan's body changed into a small spirit ball that fused with Dawn's soul as purple flames erupted from her body.

The horde of Giant Rats stared at Dawn with fear and confusion, their king included. From the sea of flames,  emerged but her appearance had changed dramatically. For starters, her brown hair now mimic twins buns with the rest hanging past her nape.

Instead of a grey hoodie and jeans, Dawn's current attire consisted of a latex leather bodysuit with the sleeves and pants cut short. The bodysuit was painted black and showed off Dawn's well-endowed chest that she usually kept hidden underneath her oversized hoodies and sweatshirts.

A black choker was worn around her neck. Covering her arms were her fingerless lace gloves, and on her feet were thigh-high black leather boots. Looking down at herself, Dawn flushed at her appearance and tried to cover up her chest in vain.

"This entire wardrobe screams Catwoman; except it's the super naughty version!" said Dawn, only to due backflip in the air when one of the giant rodents tried to sneak an attack on her.

Along with the new suit, a pair of cat ears followed by a long feline tail were added to her new appearance.

Before a Giant Rat could claw her face, Dawn, sensed its movements and leaped about seven feet into the air like an agile cat. Her new amethyst cat eyes glowed. Her body was attached to the ceiling; the nails elongated into razor claws.

Glaring at the group, Dawn attacked them with fierce speed. Every stab wound would engulf the rats in flames. Sitting upon his throne, the Giant Rat King was doused in fear, watching his underlings fall one after another upon Dawn's vicious attacks. Before long, Dawn had taken out the entire group and stalked her way toward the king.

"Surrender, and I'll give you an easy death. Resist, and I'll make it painful as possible." Dawn's cold threat angered the Giant Rat King, who opened its mouth to release a snarl that bounced off the walls of the cave.

"Okay, so you pick the hard choice." The Giant Rat charged at Dawn, ready to sever her limbs and feast on her corpse.

"Nightmare Illusion!" From Dawn's outstretched hand, a purple flame skull flew out and attacked the Giant Rat King.

"Sweet Dreams~!" The petite girl's lips curled into a cruel smile as she watched the Giant Rat King thrash in its spot, its painful cries echoing throughout the cave. Seconds later, flames sprouted from the Giant Rat King's body.

'Enjoy being tormented with illusions of your most painful fears while the flames slowly eat at your flesh.' Turning her attention away from the Giant Rat King, a notification popped up.

{Congratulations, you have completed the mission! Rewards have been transferred!}

Dawn looked at her coins and saw the deposit from the monster she defeated; plus, the rewards from the mission had all been transferred, bringing her total to 500 coins.

"Not bad if I do say so myself!" Dawn felt proud of herself. The adrenaline she felt earlier was fading from her system as her transformation with Neko-chan came undone.

Smiling at the kitten, she picked it up and summoned her system to looked at her status.

{Name: Dawn}

{Rank: Pawn-Lvl.6}

{Skill: Contractor}

{Banker: She-Who-Shall-Not-Be Named}

{Coins: 500 coins}