Day 12
The deaths of the first three forced the other rats to wait until more arrived. Or so I thought. I had noticed a low-level pack mentality among them. Individually, they were cowardly, only attacking the weak and the sick. They, however, grew braver the more of them there were.
I could tell there were more in the room with me. The sounds beyond my circle of light were increasing. I was also catching more movement. I looked around, dawning on me that I was surrounded. That was the worst position I could be in.
I curse under my breath. I gripped my club and lantern tighter.
Tension and fear were building in my chest.
The scuttling increased, and I watched as the hints of movement at the light edge grew. They were coming. I kept my head turned as I moved to get a wall behind me. I needed to cover my back.
As I was moving when they came.
No individual attacks, they came in force. It was hard to make out the numbers, but there were many. I began lashing out with my club when some jumped and kicked out with my boots when they got too close on the ground.
Around me came the squeaks of pain and the crunch of bones. Their numbers let them push toward me, and soon they were jumping, clinging to my legs, and biting. The armour sections stopped most, but I felt a sharp pain in several areas where they got through.
I gritted my teeth, pushing back against the growing pain.
I kept swinging this time, focusing on my legs. My log notification section and the column I was flashing to the point it was like a strobe. I had minimised it completely to focus on the fight. I ignored it and concentrated on getting them off me. I was hitting myself in my desperation as much as they were.
They just kept coming.
Some were even trying to climb up me as we fought. I kept knocking back, stamping, and hitting wildly.
It was turning into panic as they just kept coming.
I lashed out again and again, stomping down constantly. I missed often, but I hit, too. When I did this, I was rewarded with squeals of pain. I kicked any that came too close, sending them flying.
Suddenly, it was over.
I looked around wildly as adrenaline pumped through my veins.
Around me were bodies, but no signs of movement. The pain came with great intensity then. My legs and arms sent messages to my brain, screaming of their injuries. My knees were shaking violently, and I almost collapsed.
That was the most brutal and intense thing I've ever had in my life.
I was a bloody IT engineer, not some superhero.
I checked my health.
Health: 58/110.
"Bloody hell!" I exclaimed, looking at the numbers. I was down to nearly half of my health. I looked over my arms and legs, finding rips and tears across my clothing. The armour sections look battered as well, and blood was leaking from many areas.
I opened the notifications to get a basic sense of what had happened.
As I read down the list, I felt the effects of the disease sweeping through me. Combined with the adrenaline crash and injuries, I fell to my knees. Around me and even under me, there were numerous corpses of dead rats. According to the list, I had killed twelve, but I did not see that many around me.
My health decreased again by another 10 points, which I winced at, taking me to 48.
I put my lantern on the ground before me and dropped my club as I pulled my backpack off. I pulled out the canteen and drank greedily from it. My throat was dry. I emptied the first canteen within a few gulps. That helped, but not much. My health was still dropping.
I pulled several bandages from my pack and began applying them to the worst injuries. This was difficult, and I was forced to drop my army trousers to get to the injuries on my leg. Seeing the wounds made me grimace and wince at every touch.
I sighed in relief, but the number was not good when I rechecked my health.
Health: 43/110.
I breathed hard, then began to bring it under control. I am shaking still.
My breathing slowed, and I looked around more. I gather the bodies close to me. I make a small pile of bodies. When done, I stood slowly with my club and lantern. I leave my backpack for the moment.
I use
I dig through a broken pile of wood. My skill picked it up as it was only lightly covered by the wood. It was dirty, with signs of rat bites. It was small, and the brass lock was still secure. The keyhole was filled with dirt. I went back and placed the small box in my pack.
I walked slowly around the room. I find more bodies and add them to the pile. I avoid the other open portals to the different rooms. I hear sounds of more rats.
Twelve dead here and three more in the next room. Five left to find.
I pick up my backpack and put it on again. My health was low, but I had five more rats to kill. The disease was affecting me now. I am sweating hard, and chills are going up my spine. My joints were stiff and aching.
I walk to the left-hand portal. Standing in the open doorway, the light from my lantern filled the room. It was far smaller than the second room I had fought my way through. It was bare with a heavy layer of dust. I saw rat tracks through the dust, but no sign of them.
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Turning around, I walked over to the other portal. The sounds of scuttling were far louder now. I was sure I would find more rats beyond this opening. Like the last room, I stopped in the open doorway, allowing the light from my lantern to illuminate the room before me.
This room was far larger, with broken wood and scattered scraps of fabric on the floor. There was dust across most of the space, along with signs of rat tracks. I caught a few flickers of movement as the rats hid themselves from the light.
Part of me didn't want to go in—a big part of me. I was still feeling the pain and the fear from the last fight. I was actively questioning everything I had done to be standing here now. That included coming up with the idea of the third wave in the first place.
Logically, I understood what I planned to do when I conceived the idea. I knew that it would involve me becoming involved in violence and most likely meeting a very violent end. Being here, feeling it, and standing in hell, even smelling it, it was very different.
In my last life before coming here, I had never done anything like this before, and it was affecting me. I might be suffering from PTSD or something similar; the trauma and pain of the last fight are still fresh in my mind.
I stand there, my hands shaking slightly. It was from a combination of the disease and the fear of going into another violent situation. I didn't want to go in. I wanted to go back to the tavern in my bed. Hell, I wanted to go back to Earth and my old body.
A minute passes, then two. I do not move forward, nor do I move back.
The fear and the pain are loud. But there's something else inside of me. A quiet impulse that is getting stronger and louder. It reminded me why I came here, why I created the third wave—the reason why I left my old body and the approaching death guaranteed by it.
"I wanted to make a difference again," I said quietly, almost a whisper.
There it was, I named it in my mind and said out loud. Becoming old and feeble had shattered some part of me. I had lost my agency and control over my own destiny, and I wanted it back. I created the third wave to make this happen, and well, there was a price for that, and I was paying it right now.
I took a deep breath, coughing slightly on the dusty air, and stepped forward.
It was one of the most complicated steps I've ever taken in my life.
I moved my lantern around, getting the best view of the space before me. There was no rush of rats this time, and I was thankful for it. But they were out there.
I began prodding and moving things with my foot, club ready.
It wasn't low enough to reveal the first rat, which attacked me when its hiding space was revealed. It lept at me, and I kicked out by instinct. I caught it with my shin as it flew at me, knocking it back. It hit the ground and rolled, squeaking loudly. I followed it, and as it strained itself, I hit it with my club. There was a sickening crunch as my club shattered its skull.
I stood up straight and looked around—no signs of any more. I had to continue my exploration. As I moved further into the room, I illuminated the far side of this chamber. It was narrower but longer. I saw another open portal at the end.
I continued moving slowly forward, checking the broken wood and scattered pieces of rotting material. This revealed another rat that tried to flee, but I stood down, catching its tail as it darted away. These black rats were larger than normal brown rats, or even than the black rats of Earth, which made them remarkably slow.
It turned and tried to bite my arm and boot, but was stopped cold. My club finished off quickly after two vicious strikes.
"Three more, just three more," I said, it was almost like a mantra. I was tired and in pain, and black rat fever was taking hold. The counter wasn't down for the simple fact that I wasn't
I moved on.
The next portal was closed now, and I still have a few more places to check before I pass through it. I prodded and moved the debris as I moved forward. Another rat shot out to attack me. It took me by surprise with its speed, and it latched onto my shin. Thankfully, my armoured section there kept its teeth from penetrating through to the flesh.
I curse loudly as I kick with my leg to get it off. It was latched on tightly but had given up trying to gnaw through the steel. I hit it with my club, which makes her crunch, and screw the pain as it finally lets go. It fell to the ground and tried to escape, but its leg was broken. I quickly finish off.
I stand back up again, breathing hard. The fighting and the disease were taking their toll on me now. I was exhausted, but I still had rats to find. Thankfully, only two more are needed.
I walk into the next room and find something surprising. A circular stone stair went up to the ceiling in the middle of the room. The top had been sealed off, but the bottom base of the stairwell was still present. It indicated that a much larger building had stood here before, knocked down and built over. The stonework matched the walls and was from the older city.
Looking around the room by lantern light, I picked out a pile of rubbish in the corner. Upon closer inspection, I realised it wasn't just rubbish, but a rat's nest bloomed in my chest, and this could be the location of the last two rats I needed.
I carefully walked over to it, not wanting another ambush.
I began pulling apart the nest. I did so carefully with the tip of my club, which finally drew out the last occupants. Three rats charged out, attacking me to defend their home.
I met their attack with my club and boots. I kicked one, which allowed another to bite into my leg and exposed part, causing me to curse again in pain. The other bounced off my shin as the armour proved to be tougher than expected.
I could not get the one latch on to my leg off just yet as I stomped down on the one that had bound my shin. My boot collided with its skull, crushing underneath, and it was a sickly crunch. I saw a jet of blood and brain matter.
I felt sick but carried on.
The pain in my leg was only getting worse as the rat bit deeper. My club hit it, causing it to let go. I hit it several more times, missing just as many times as I swung.
The one that I kicked had impacted the nearby wall and was lying on the ground, stunned. It was trying to get out now, but it was vulnerable to my attack. My club finished off after a couple of hits.
I checked my status both visually and through my screens.
Health: 38/110.
I winced at that and looked at my armoured trousers. They were now clearly damaged, with many rips. My gauntlets were also damaged to the point where they needed repair. I leaned against the wall, tired, and another alert appeared.
"Typical," I said with a sigh. I just wanted to collapse here and sleep, but I knew I couldn't.couldn'td around and noticed something in the corner of my. In the opposite corner, just illuminated by my lantern light, I saw a broken box; on top of it was a large piece of badly chewed material.
I headed over to it, lifted it, and it appeared to be an old blanket. It produced a thick cloud of dust that made me cough as I moved it, but I realised this could work. I headed back, collected the three dead rats, and put them into it. There was enough material left to act as a rough container for now.
I headed back, collecting the bodies as I went, which was a slow and arduous proposition. I had to stop several times to drink from the remaining cantina. By the time I collected all the bodies together, I had drained two-thirds of it.
I returned to the sewers and began to make my way back to the stairs and the exit. The improvised sack I had created was heavy with rat bodies. Its weight was far more noticeable than it should be. The status debuffs were playing havoc with me. Eventually, I made it back to the stairs and began climbing them. When I finally reached the surface, I felt like I had run a marathon. I was sweating profusely, and my knees were shaking with exhaustion. I extinguished my lantern and, after a few attempts, reattached it to my backpack.
As the door closed and locked softly behind me, I was breathing the cool air like a drowning man rescued from the sea. It was far later than I realised that the sun was setting. I could see from the street that the first streetlights were being lit.
I opened my HUD map and added destinations. The first was the municipal building to alert the City's Workers that I was finished, and the second was the alchemist shop. The quest said to come as soon as it was completed to that location.
I slowly walked back to the street, then followed the directions to the municipal building. The two workers had told me that the city buildings were open all day and night for emergency reporting. Taking far longer than I should, I eventually arrived and walked in. It was clear that most people had left for the day, and there was a single receptionist behind the desk. He looked me up and down as I entered, his nose visibly wrinkled.
I knew I was quite the sight.
I informed him, as politely as I could, that the door needed to be read-secured. I told him I was an adventurer seeking access to the doorway, but I was now finished. He took down the door number and thanked me for reporting that the job was done. He seemed very happy to get rid of me.
Now, the alchemistalchemist'swas close to the merchant section, so it didn't take long to cross from Low Town into it. I was not moving very quickly and was mildly delirious from the black rat fever. Eventually, I realised I was attracting quite a lot of attention as I moved. I noticed several members of the watch eyeing me with great concern. One even approached me, but as soon as he saw the crest on my breast, he stepped away, leaving me to my business. It seems the watch knows when to avoid an adventurer unless asked to assist.
I moved into a part of the city's mecity's district I had never been to before. The shops here were different, all advertising that they were alchemist or medical establishments. The air also carried a distinct scent, with herbs and other strange odours that were identifiable. They ranged from pleasant to quite acidic.
I kept following the icon in the corner of my vision, which had me turn onto another street. It vanished, meaning I was on the right road. I looked at the shop signs, searching for the alchemists I needed.
Greystones Wondrous Alchemy and Potions.
I stood before the storefront, rereading the sign. The sign was very… Colourful. It matched the storefront, which was equally unusual. Many places had flashes of colour either through paint or light, but this store looks like someone vomited a rainbow over it. Then, through some sparkly dust, to mix things up.
I stood there for a few moments, weighing on my feet, debating whether or not to go. It was late, but the store still had a sign that said open. I wanted to go back to the tavern in my bed, but I needed to finish this. Once I am done here, I will go to the Adventurer's Guild to register the quest as completed, and then not get out of bed for at least four days.
That dream pushed me forward.
I opened the door to the sound of a bell chime and walked in. I looked around and realised this space wasn't what was expected. There was a U-shaped counter that dominated the whole room, and I was standing in a boxed area. Behind the counter were rows and rows of shelves, each with bottles of different colours and shapes. Most seemed benign, but if you were actually glowing. Behind one part of the counter, a young girl looked up when I entered. I suspected we were about to adopt the highly formal, almost mechanical style of speech that strangers use toward one another in this country.
She was smiling at first, but took one look at me, and it vanished. "Are you ill, sir? Do you need healing tonics?"
"No, madama, I do not. I'm here to see Alchemist Greystone." As I spoke, I repeated the mantra in my mind: Be civil. Be civil. My patience was sorely tested right now due to my condition. I walked towards her.
"I'm afraid my master is not available at the moment. He is currently engaged on several projects and not taking on any additional patrons or commissions." She seems slightly afraid of my approach. It could be my scent or the way I looked. Probably both.
I didn't say anything, just dumped the makeshift sack onto the desk, which opened to reveal a pile of dead black rats. Her face went white, then green, and I think she might be sick.
"Tell Alc "emist Greystone I have his delivery of rats."