by Aaron Oster
“Well, if neither of them want anything, I’ll have three orders of bar flies.”
Greg bleated again, lifting one of his hooves and slapping Hopps’s back.
“You got a real good sense of humor, kid! You heard him, Bernie! Three orders of bar flies.”
The bartender grumbled a bit, but leaned under and fetched a small bowl, then walked over to a barrel in the corner. Arthur watched with interest as he pulled the spout, and flies began buzzing out. Snatching a small net, his hand swished through the air, deftly catching the buzzing insects.
Eventually, he closed the spout and, pinching the wriggling net at the mouth, walked over to deposit its contents in Hopps’ bowl.
The flies, obviously, attempted to flee, but Hopps’ tongue was deft, snapping the buzzing insects out of the air.
“So, what brings you three here?” Greg asked as Hopps began making the flies disappear down his gullet.
Arthur and Talia had wanted to be subtle in asking about The Rat, but Hopps had no such compunction.
“We’re looking for The Rat. Have you seen him?”
Arthur slapped his forehead, and Talia twitched, her eyes flicking to the rest of the room to see if they’d been overheard. Thankfully, it seemed that after Hopps’ initial grand entrance, they’d all gone back to minding their own business.
“The Rat, you say,” Greg said, leaning forward and chomping into a miniature bale of hay the bartender had just set before him.
“Yup. You seen him?” Hopps repeated.
“Indeed, I have,” Greg replied, mouth moving from side to side as he ate. “What’s a kid like you want with a bastard like him?”
“Just looking for some information,” Arthur quickly cut in, before Hopps could say something truly damaging.
The Ram’s eyes flicked to him, and he sized him up, his mouth still moving from side to side with pieces of hay poking out both sides.
“What kind of information?” Greg asked, after a long silence in which Hopps had snapped up another dozen flies.
“The kind that would get you killed,” Talia said, finally losing her patience. “Now, can you tell us where we can find him or not?”
The Ram snorted, then tilted his head to the back corner of the bar, where a small black bird was sitting alone on a table, pecking at something in a dirty bowl.
“If you’re looking for The Rat, that’s her. I’d be careful talking to that one, though. There’s bad, and then there’s her.”
Greg shuddered theatrically, then went back to munching on his hay.
“Thanks,” Arthur said, rising from his seat.
Talia moved to follow, but Hopps stayed where he was, too distracted by the bar flies.
Probably for the best, Arthur thought as he wove his way through the bar. As he’d shown only minutes before, he had a big mouth.
The bird looked up as they approached, her eyes twin pools of blackness and her feathers shimmering oddly in the low light of the bar. The text on the wall flashed in Arthur’s mind as he approached the bird – Watch out for the Raven.
But, as he came closer, he saw that this bird was missing the distinct coloration of a raven and had a straight beak. This was no Raven, but rather, a Crow. That still didn’t mean he shouldn’t be careful around her.
“You the Rat?” Arthur asked, stopping before the table.
The Crow sized the two of them up, tilting her head to the side. Finally, her beak cracked open, and a dry, raspy, but unmistakably feminine voice asked, “Who wants to know?”
25
“We’re looking for some information, and we heard that you’re in the know,” Talia said, cutting in smoothly.
“Depends on what you want to know,” The Rat replied, tilting her head back into her bowl.
Arthur and Talia shared a look. They had to decide if they wanted to tell this bird what they were looking for. Even if she didn’t know why they wanted the information, she would know that there were people looking. And that could easily be used to track them down if she went to the wrong people with that information.
“We’re looking for someone,” Arthur said. “More specifically, someone that was taken by the Felines in a raid a few days ago.”
“Hmm,” The Rat looked up at them, an interested gleam in her coal-black eyes. “Now, what would a couple of ani-humans want with prisoners of the Felines? I’d almost think that you were survivors from said village, looking for revenge. Either that or you want to stage a prison break.”
Arthur and Talia shared another look. It seemed that they’d been right to worry. He was wondering if it might not be better to just kill her now to avoid any future risk. But then again, she was their best chance of finding the captured villagers, as well as Hopps’s mother.
“Sorry, can’t help you.”
The Rat then turned back to her meal, seemingly disinterested.
“What?!” Talia exclaimed, reaching behind her back for her hammer.
Arthur laid a staying hand on her arm, though he knew if she really was going to attack, there was nothing short of killing her that he could do to stop her.
“Why won’t you help us?” he asked, turning back to The Rat.
The bird didn’t look up from her food this time, answering with her beak buried in the bowl.
“Because it’s just not worth it for me. I can get far more by simply going to the Felines and telling them about you.”
“Then what’s to stop us from killing you here and now?” Talia growled, drawing her hammer and brandishing it threateningly.
“Oh, please. Take a look around you, honey. This place is filled with the worst of the worst: murderers, thieves, and rapists, and none of them would dare start with me.”
The bird looked up, meeting Talia’s eyes with her own.
“So, what makes you think that I’d be afraid of you?”
A low growl escaped Talia’s throat, and she took a step forward.
“Listen here, you…”
Arthur held out an arm to stop her, not looking away from the crow.
“There has to be something you want. What would we need to do in order to get the information we want?”
The bird cocked her head to the side once more, her eyes narrowing.
“Well, there is something…” she trailed off, eyes moving to Talia and then to Hopps, who was still sitting by the bar.
“Well? What is it you want!?” Talia finally exclaimed.
The Rat looked back to Arthur, ignoring Talia completely.
“Someone’s been stealing from me. I have, shall we say…goods coming into the city every other week. But for the past couple of months, someone’s been intercepting my shipments and stealing my stuff. I’d send my own people out if I didn’t think there was a mole in my operation.
“If you can stop them, not only will I give you the information you’re looking for, but I’ll even help you get into the Feline section of the city. It’s impossible to get past the guards unless you’re a Feline. I won’t tell you more than that, but if the people you’re looking for are in the city, that’s where they’ll be. So, what do you say?”
Quest Available: Rat’s Nest
The Rat, queen of Raya’s underworld, has offered you a deal for some much-needed information. Will you go along with the very shady and obviously illegal venture?
Objective: Kill the thieves stealing from The Rat
Failure: Allow the thieves to escape
Difficulty: C+
Rewards: 5,000 XP, Information on missing villagers
Will you accept?
Yes/No
Arthur accepted the request. Of course. Things could never be easy. They never were, though he didn’t understand why there were always forced side quests in these situations.
“Fine. We’ll go stop whoever’s been stealing from you. Where is this shipment coming in?” he asked, preparing for yet another sleepless night.
“On the east side of the city, by the fourth gate from The Swine. Better g
et going if you want to stop them before the shipment comes in. It’s a long walk.”
Arthur suppressed yet another groan but turned to leave all the same.
“You’d better pay up on that promise,” Talia threatened. “Otherwise, I don’t care how cocky you are. I’ll end you!”
“Come on,” Arthur called exasperatedly. “Hopps, you too. Let’s go!”
Talia threw one last threatening glare at the bird, and Hopps bid farewell to his new friend before joining them.
“So, where are we headed, mate?” he asked as they left the seedy bar.
“We’re going to kill some thieves who’ve been stealing from another thief,” Arthur replied.
“Oh? Sounds like fun!”
“Yeah, a freaking blast,” Talia grumbled sarcastically.
She was apparently still annoyed with how that conversation with the bird calling herself a rat went.
Well, Arthur thought as they began their trek to the east side of the city. At least violence always makes her feel better.
***
“Is that them?” Talia whispered, shivering a bit in the cool night air.
It was nearing midnight, and the three of them were crouched behind a pile of debris near the gate indicated by The Rat.
They’d been waiting here for nearly an hour, having found the spot much faster than Arthur thought they would. After finding a spot to stake out, they’d hidden and waited.
Hopps had begun drifting off immediately – it seemed that the frog could sleep in literally any situation. And while he didn’t mind waiting, it seemed that Talia wasn’t really built to sit and patiently stake out an area.
She’d begun fidgeting almost immediately, shifting positions constantly and grumbling under her breath. They’d picked a spot far enough from the gate that the two Feline guards waiting there couldn’t hear her. No one else was around, and not a single patrol passed through the area in the time they’d been there.
This told him that either the city was too large to have patrols in out of the way areas, or, the more likely answer, that The Rat had paid someone off to keep the area clear of all guards during a specific time.
It seemed that their long wait was now over, as the gate slid silently open, and two ani-humans came in, lugging a heavy-looking crate between them. The fact that the guards didn’t even look at them as they entered, assured Arthur of his earlier suspicion that they were being paid off.
“Looks like this is it,” he answered, nudging Hopps awake.
“Wazz happening?” he asked sleepily.
“It seems to me that the party’s about to start,” Arthur whispered, tilting his head to the pair of thugs lugging the box through the closing gates.
“How long do you think we’ll have to follow them?” Talia asked, her fingers tightening on the shaft of her oversized hammer.
She sure is getting antsy.
Arthur didn’t dare utter the horrible pun for the world to hear, instead drawing his dagger and watching the pair. They were heading in their direction, which was to be expected if they were delivering this to The Rat. He was sure something would happen soon, as it was way too quiet.
Arthur pressed a finger to his lips, then tapped his ear, motioning her to listen. Talia must have noticed how quiet it was as she nodded and got into a ready position. The thugs passed them, walking along the wall in a predetermined route. But they hadn’t managed to cover a hundred feet, when a section of wall slid aside, and four Feline guards moved out to surround them.
“What gives?” one of the thugs demanded. “I thought The Rat paid you off! When she hears about this, she’ll hunt you all down!”
One of the Felines stepped forward, presumably their leader, and laughed in his face.
“Do you really think we’re afraid of some Crow?” She gestured to the guards. “Kill them, then dump the bodies. I’m sure Captain Boris will give us an ample reward for whatever that conniving bird is trying to sneak in here.”
The thugs reacted instantly, dropping the crate and drawing weapons. But they were outnumbered and had been caught off guard. There was no way they were going to make it out of this alive.
Arthur slammed into the group leader, sinking his dagger into the back of his neck and killing him instantly.
The other three whirled as he seemed to appear from nowhere, shock clearly written on their faces. That was a mistake.
Talia’s hammer thrummed through the air, turning another guard’s head into a mushy pulp, painting the city wall with its contents.
“Hey! You can’t…!” one of the guards shouted, whirling towards Talia.
He suddenly found himself trapped up to his knees in clinging muck, and a second later, a rapid series of hammer-like blows reduced his face to a ruined mess.
The last guard suddenly found himself with three dead comrades and outnumbered five to one. He tried to run, but Talia’s hammer made quick work of him.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” one of the thugs asked, leveling his weapon at the three of them and looking suspicious.
“How about a ‘thank you’ for saving your lives?” Talia hissed, taking a threatening step forward and brandishing her bloody hammer.
Clearly, the short skirmish hadn’t been enough to vent her frustration, and she was now looking for any excuse to start a fight.
The two thugs stumbled back, raising their weapons nervously. They’d seen how quickly the guards had been taken out and likely knew that they stood no chance of beating them.
“Calm down,” Arthur said, sheathing his dagger. “We were sent by The Rat to stop whoever’s been stealing her stuff. Looks like it was the Felines all along. Not that I’m at all surprised. Anyone that looks down on others as much as the Felines do wouldn’t hesitate to break an agreement. Now come on, it’s been a long night, and I just wanna get it over with.”
Arthur didn’t know why he felt so exhausted, but he had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that there was a warm bed waiting for him back at the Boarmaid, and he was out here, dealing with treacherous city guards.
“Fine! But I’ve had enough for one night. I’m going back to the inn!” Talia said.
She then sheathed her weapon with a huff and stomped off.
Arthur shared a sidelong look with Hopps, who shrugged, then hopped after her. He wasn’t sure what was bothering her, but she’d been acting this way ever since their confrontation with The Rat. Perhaps she hadn’t liked that he hadn’t stood up for her, or that the bird had talked down to her. Either way, he’d find out once this quest was over and done with.
It hadn’t been a particularly hard quest. The attacking guards had only been level 8, with their leader being level 10, so it was easy to take them all out. The XP hadn’t been great, but so long as they completed this stupid mission, they’d get the information they needed.
“Um, thanks, I guess,” the thug said, sheathing his weapon. “So, The Rat sent you?” he asked as he and his partner lifted the crate once more and began walking, as though there weren’t four corpses lying on the ground around them.
“Yup,” Arthur replied, not particularly wanting to have a conversation with the thugs.
It seemed that he took the hint, because, after a single grunt, he went silent, concentrating on lugging along the heavy crate.
After about twenty minutes of walking, it started to become obvious to him that they were not heading back to the seedy bar where he’d first met The Rat.
“Where are we going?” he asked, suddenly feeling distinctly uneasy.
“To the drop point,” one of the thugs answered. “Shouldn’t be too much further.”
Arthur nodded, feeling his unease dissipate with the knowledge that this would soon be over. Then he could go back to the inn and get some sleep.
True to his word, they arrived at the drop point just ten minutes later. The two thugs groaned, allowing the heavy crate to thud to the ground, and knuckling their backs. They were standing in a
narrow alleyway between two buildings. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Up until now, Arthur hadn’t really thought much about where they were going. Suddenly, Arthur’s unease returned tenfold.
What the hell was he doing here, alone with two thugs in a dark alley? Why the hell had he allowed Talia and Hopps to just walk off on him, and, come to think of it, why had they just left?
Arthur felt his heart rate spike in alarm as he realized that something was very wrong. His hand shot to his waist as his Sixth Sense screamed at him, but it was already too late. There was a loud caw followed by a blinding pain behind his eyes. Then, blackness claimed him as consciousness fled.
26
Arthur came to as something bumped under him, causing him to smack his head against something hard.
“Ow!” he yelled, more in surprise than pain.
His eyes shot open, and he immediately tried reaching for his head but found that he was unable to. He winced as his head began throbbing, his eyesight slowly adjusting to his dim surroundings.
He was seated on a hard wagon bench in a space big enough for maybe two or three people, at best. The box had a few holes in it for air, but aside from that, it didn’t have a single window. His eyes traveled down then, landing on his wrists, which were bound in metal cuffs.
Well, I guess that explains why I can’t move them.
His armor, weapons, and any items he’d been carrying were missing as well, leaving him dressed in nothing but a loincloth.
Well, that’s attractive, he thought bitterly.
His head throbbed yet again, causing him to wince in discomfort. How had he gotten here, and more importantly, where was he going?
Arthur didn’t have to wait long for answers, as the wagon suddenly stopped. He swayed forward with the motion but, luckily, was able to remain in his seat. A bolt was drawn back, and the door slid open to reveal a tall ani-human with a longish nose and The Rat, perched on his shoulder.
“You!” Arthur exclaimed as soon as he saw the bird, and all his memories came rushing back.