Shadows dashed across the tile roofs of the upper city. Their paws silently running. Skivret ran at the head, his white fur shining in the moonlight, and red eye burned with purpose. His muscles burned, warming him against the cold air.

  It felt good not to be burdened by the excessive gold. His body no longer felt sluggish, nor weak. His claws left marks in the clay tiles, and his powerful legs propelled him across the roofs with ease. The new strength was intoxicating, and he wanted more, but now was not the time for that. Skivret looked down onto the street. The building next door had a sign depicting an amulet with a large gem.

  Skivret turned and cupped his hands together. Nimble flew towards him, her paw landing perfectly into his grasp. With all his might, he threw her across the street. She flew across the street, landing effortlessly on the adjacent roof, but her partner wasn’t as fortunate. The wererat struck the roof’s edge and tumbled to the street below.

  “What was that?”

  Skivret hissed, lying flat on the roof as two guards stepped into their view. Their torches softened the intense moonlight.

  “Maybe it’s the Monster, or even the Lady of Wisps?” Skivret’s ears perked at their conversation.

  “Don’t tell me you believe that?

  “How else do you explain the murders?”

  “It most likely is a refugee that went mad. Virtues know they’ve seen true monsters.”

  “But didn’t the Duke acknowledge the monster exists?”

  “In the dark, anything can look like a monster.”

  Skivret watched as the wererat scurried into the shadows. From the other roof, Nimble loaded her sling and sent a rock flying. It crashed into the window of the jewelry shop. The guards jumped, drawing their swords and scanning the street. Their torches hissed as they waved them around, but their eyes were kept on the street.

  Skivret’s whiskers twitched in glee as he drew his sword. With a deep breath, he jumped off the roof with his blade pointed downward. His hind claws shrieked against the metal armor, and his blade sank into the soft flesh of the guard’s neck. The armored body crashed to the ground. The second guard was brought down when the other wererats piled onto him.

  Blood seeped between Skivret’s claws, staining the cobblestone red. He released a sharp whistle, summoning more wererats from the alley. The horde of rats swarmed into the store.

  “You four, take these bodies back.” Skivret ordered four large wererats. His whiskers twitched gleefully as he watched his people plunder their spoils.

  “That goes to cart three!” Preddie cried out.

  The empty reservoir bustled with activity. Wererats dumped full sacks of their contents onto the stone floor and sifted through it with purpose. Armor and weaponry were separated from jewelry, clothing, and other trinkets. A pile of corpses sat in the corner of the reservoir with a handful of wererats striping them bare.

  “No, that one needs to go to cart four! We don’t need to anger the Master.” Preddie stopped a group trying to pocket a necklace with a large gem. Two wererats carried in the body of a guard. “Strip the armor off that corpse. The armor needs to go to cart two and the body to cart one.” She pointed at the four carts at the end of the chamber. The children hung around them holding signs with corresponding numbers.

  “Cart one full!” The child by the cart shouted.

  “Okay Antwi.” Capcap cooed, patting the large ant. “Now listen to the nice mouse-people, don’t wander off, and don’t talk to strangers, understand?” The elithan ant clacked its mandibles happily. “Good boy, now go have fun!” The cart rumbled into the shadows of the sewers as another ant pulled cart appeared. “Antrew, did you enjoy yourself!”

  Preddie chuckled at the sight of the doting mushroom. Her paw gently rubbing her swollen belly. Soon, she’d have her first litter.

  “How are things going here?” The sharp scratching of Reviled’s claws drew her back.

  “Everything is going well master.” Preddie squeaked, looking at her notes. “We sent our third cart to the bone pit. Two carts to Camp Warren so that they can sift through the equipment, and a cart of gems to Camp Skivret.”

  “Excellent work.”

  “Thank you, but we still have a few more sights we need to visit. I’m glad that we haven’t lost anyone yet.”

  “Remain vigilant and double the patrols. The paladins escaped into the sewers, and we’d hate for them to interfere.”

  “I’ll see to it master.” Preddie said, “Perhaps we could request Cappy’s aid? Her ants could assist in scouring the sewers.”

  “Excellent suggestion. We’ll go speak with her.” Preddie gave the monster a wide smile as it passed her. She let out a huge breath once it was out of hearing.

  Reviled leered over the mushroom. “Cappy, we need to speak with you.” It said, looking around. “There are some… friends, we need your children to find for us.”

  “New friends!” Cappy cheered while dancing in place. “Then let’s go Big Meanie. My gam children will love meeting new friends.” She leaned over and whispered. “And it gets them out of my cap. They’re driving me crazy.”

  “Children will do that.” Reviled chuckled, picking Cappy up by her cap.

  The squeaks of the sewer rats echoed off the stone walls. The high-pitched squeal slowly turned to a deep growl as it faded into the dark tunnels. Yet, it was the silence that made the paladins feel uneasy.

  “Quit dragging your feet, friend.” Nial groaned under Torrn’s weight.

  “Sorry, everything still hurts.” Torrn grunted in pain.

  The smell of burning flesh wafted from the hurt paladin. The pale light coming from Regald’s sword illuminated the blackened flesh on his arm. Fresh blood oozed from the cracks, and Emir quickly wiped it away before placing his hands on the wound. The golden light of divine magic seeped into Torrn’s flesh, stemming the bleeding, but it did little to heal the burned flesh.

  “Once we find shelter, we can call upon Lady Urielle to treat you.” Emir said calmly, wiping his brow. “We should start looking for a way out. The last thing I want is to run into any more of the monster’s minions.”

  “Agreed.” Regald sighed. His eyes glanced into the darkness before them. “Hopefully, we’ll come upon a gate soon.”

  They continued down the tunnel slowly. Their ears perked at the sound of every rat and droplet of water. The shadows at the edges of their vision shifted, and their imaginations wrecked their nerves. Exhaustion made their legs heavy and their arms tremble, but they persevered through the night. However, a different sound made them turn around.

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  A low rumble echoed from the darkness, and it was followed by a sharp clacking. A shriek, clearly not from a rat, grated against their ears.

  “Quick, the canal!”

  They jumped into the barren canal and pressed themselves against the wall. Regald dismissed the light from his sword, enveloping them in darkness. Their heartbeats drummed loudly in their ears as they tried to make themselves as small as possible. Slowly, the opposite end of the tunnel glowed with the glow of torchlight.

  “I wasn’t sure of King Skivret’s plan.” They heard the sharp clicking of a wererat’s voice. “But we’ve made quite the haul.”

  “Yeah, I bet those humans weren’t expecting us to strike back at them.” Another voice cackled. “Think the monster will see us differently now?”

  “Maybe, but I don’t know if that’s a good thing. I feel that we’re not being told the whole plan.”

  “I don’t care, as long as I can build a nest and get a mate.”

  “I’m with you there! I think I’ll give this thing a swift kick to get it moving faster.” The light moved passed the paladins.

  “Don’t you fool! The last one to hit an ant was torn to shreds. I don’t want to be food for their entire hive.”

  The shadows grew as the light faded away. The rumbling of the cart and the small speck of light were the only traces left of the wererats.

  “Damn it, this isn’t good.” Regald said as he and the others climbed out of the canal.

  “We need to get out of here and report this to the Saint.” Emir said through clenched teeth. “We’ll need the Duke’s help to remove this hive on top of everything else.”

  “But we need to know where the hive is first.” Nial sighed heavily.

  “I’ll go look for it.” Regald replied. “You two get Torrn out of here.”

  “That’s foolhardy. We should wait until Torrn is healed.”

  “I don’t plan on fighting them.” Regald tried to ease their concern with a smile. “If I can find the nest, it’ll make our excursion to destroy it easier. We don’t want to wander around like last time.”

  “Let him… go.” Torrn wheezed. “Be safe.”

  “I will.” Regald let out a strained chuckle. “I’ll follow the cart. Hopefully it’ll lead me to the nest, and if it doesn’t, then I’ll leave for the lower city.” The other paladins gave him an apprehensive nod, and Regald quickly took after the wagon.

  Regald quietly ran after the wagon. Thankfully the creaky wheels hid the soft patter of his shoes, and the soft glow of their lantern helped guide him. He could make out the shine of metal underneath the lantern light along with a bundle of sword hilts peeking out of the cart.

  Regald started to worry as he followed the wagon through the winding tunnels into the lower sewers. The last time he was here, they barely escaped with their lives. He expected to hear the mindless moaning of the undead or the creaking bones of skeletons, but nothing appeared. The wagon moved through the tunnels unhindered. A few times it came upon a wererat patrol, which forced Regald to sneak pass via the canal. Yet there were no signs of Reviled’s other minions.

  The wagon disappeared around a corner, and Regald crept up to the wall to peek around. A massive wooden wall blocked the tunnel. The gates swung wide, allowing the wagon to pass. For that moment, Regald’s breath was caught in his throat.

  Lines of training dummies sat next to fully stocked weapon racks. In the corner, he could make out what looked to be a small forge. The guards at the gate wore metal breastplates and carried sharpened spears. At their hips were polished short swords. The gates slowly closed with a thud that echoed through Regald’s body.

  He turned away with a low growl. This wasn’t what he was looking for, but it was still important enough to tell the others. He crept back the way he came.

  Regald crept through the tunnels with his hand running along the wall to guide him. When he felt safe, summoned light upon his sword to illuminate his way. The tunnels felt more oppressive now that he was alone. The unease pushed him to increase his pace, and it made his steps echo down the tunnels.

  He felt lost without a map. Each tunnel looked the same as the ones he came from. The darkness made it difficult to notice any possible landmarks, or even where a gate might be. Regald could feel his heart beating in his chest, and it kept beating faster with each minute he was down there. He turned a corner and stopped abruptly.

  The light on his sword illuminated an oily black carapace covered in small hair. Two large ruby red eyes glistened in the pale golden light stared directly into his face, and two long antennae tickled the tops of his head. The elithan ant released a terrible screech that filled the tunnels and it lashed out at him with its mandibles.

  Regald jumped out of the way and struck back. His blade bit into the soft shell, coating it in black blood, The ant shook violently in pain and anger, and it ripped the sword from Regald’s hand. Left with no choice, Regald turned back down the tunnel, running for his life. The ant followed closely behind. Regald could hear the snapping of its mandibles, and its shrieking drove his legs to run faster.

  There had to be a way out! Regald’s eyes flashed desperately around, looking for any sign of an exit. Desperate, Regald took the next corner and was swept off his feet. He screamed as pain ran through his arm, and he reached out trying to push the large creature off him. The second ant wasn’t letting go.

  The ant that chased him caught up and latched onto his shoulder. Something pierced into his flesh of his shoulder, making the muscle burn in agony. Another sting struck his arm. He struggled to fight, but he didn’t have the strength. Caught in their grasps, they started dragging him deeper into the sewers.

  His head throbbed in pain as the venom coursed through his body. It was painful. It felt like fire burned through his veins, and the ants’ shrieking grated his nerves. The gravel of the stone walkways turned to soft mud, and the air became unbearable humid. The cries of many ants filled the black void, and it sounded like the cheers of children.

  New friend!

  Caught friend!

  Friend mean. Friend bite.

  The ants dropped him at the base of a rocky pillar, and he stared up at the army of ants clinging to the walls. At the back of the cavern sat the queen, but it was the mushroom on its head that drew his attention. It stared back at him with absent black eyes as it nibbled on a brightly colored fungus. When it noticed his gaze, the mushroom smiled and waved at him. Regald felt compelled to wave back, but his arms were bound to the ground in a thick mucus.

  “That’s one, but where are the others?” Regald struggled to turn his head, and he shivered as Reviled Legion stepped into the hive. Its sharp gaze held him in place. “Why don’t you ask him Cappy?”

  “Okay!” The mushroom cheered. “Where are your other friends, new friend?” The queen ant beneath it chittered in response.

  Where are the other friends?

  The words echoed in Regald’s head. He bit down on his tongue, trying to fight against the urge to speak. He struggled, but the urge to answer the mushroom grew. Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes, but remained strong.

  “Perhaps he needs more incentive.” Reviled’s chuckle scared him. “Why not let Antwuan give him a friendly kiss?” Regald went stiff in fear.

  “Good idea!” Cappy replied, lightly patting the ant beneath it. “Go on Antwuan, give him a big o’ smooch.”

  The queen slowly rose to its feet. It felt like the ground shook with each step. Thick saliva dripped from its large pincers, and the queen’s eyes burned with malicious light. Regald struggled in vain against his bonds until it was right on top of him. It sharp mandibles opened, and its tongue launched from its mouth faster than he could see. Agony erupted from Regald’s abdomen as the venom burned through his body.

  “I’m sorry about what happened tonight.” Priscilla whispered. Vaera laid across from her, buried under the thick duvet. She tenderly took her friend’s hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “I should have had Lana show you to the privy.” She pulled Vaera into a tight hug. “I’m sorry.” She cried.

  “It’s not your fault.” Vaera replied with a tight hug. “The Patron was the one to force himself on me.” Her voice trembled. “But I was afraid. It reminded me of the day when Lady Meridith was attacked.”

  “What happened?” Priscilla gasped.

  Priscilla felt Vaera snuggle into her shoulder. “Some men came into the tavern with a group of guards. They were loud and destroyed the tavern. A guard started yelling at me and attacked me, but Lady Meridith intervened. Her actions allowed me to escape with mom, but she stayed behind. They…” Priscilla could feel Vaera’s tears on her shoulder. “I remember the state she was in. She never left her room, and she barely ate. It was terrible.”

  “You won’t need to worry about that.” Priscilla comforted her. “You’ll stay here tonight, protected by Sir Kogna. Nothing will get you now.”

  “True.” Vaera replied. “And I’m sure that Master would avenge me like he did for Lady Meridith. He becomes scary when he’s angry.”

  Priscilla’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t imagine the decrepit old man being fearsome. Perhaps he sent out Kogna to avenge Lady Meridith? That would make more sense. However, Elizar always reminded her never to underestimate a magic caster.

  “What happened to the men?”

  Vaera’s breathing slowed. “He forced one to submit to his authority. As for the second, he killed him with his own hands. Apparently, he killed him at the bathhouse.”

  Priscilla’s heart stopped. She could only think of one person who was murdered at the bathhouse. Her mind raced, trying to speak the right words.

  “Do you remember the name of this man?”

  Vaera’s lips contorted into a confused frown. “I think his name was Maelon.” Priscilla buried her face into Vaera’s chest. “He was the one that violated Lady Meridith.”

  “No, brother wouldn’t force himself onto anyone.” Priscilla muttered under her breath.

  “Is everything alright?”

  Priscilla turned away from her friend. “I’m… simply worried is all.”