Street Rat vs Sewer Rats [Quest: It's Always Rats]

[Ash]

The cracking light flickered across her ebony hawk and was dulled by the darkness of her horns as she walked, still trying to find her way back to the whole reason she was going through all this. Instead of attacking the rats on her way, she simply pushed them aside with her boots. It was upsetting how docile they were, not at all like the rats in games she's played before. In previous games, this same quest would have consisted of the swarms clogging up the walk way while she struggled with direction, and would attack her the moment she was in their sensor box. Only for her to slash at the air above them three times before the swarm of rodent's would turn into smoke or sludge as a sign that she defeated it. But this put so much realism to it that she didn't feel like slaughtering them mercilessly.

At some point she surfaced from her internal thoughts to find that she was lost. Sure, she's only been going in one direction and its all been following the same path, she could just turn around and go back to escape the way she came; but she had no idea how far into the city she was or what was above her. She wished she had borrowed a map from the guard. "No point in stopping now.." She groaned to herself and continued, this time taking a sharp turn in the direction she hoped would get her to her goal.

She could count the seconds by the dripping that was always present, the minutes, the hours.. She suddenly stopped and gripped her torch to tightly her knuckles turned white. She actually hated that sound, the constant dripping. It was a reminder that time was ticking away, it was irritating. But more so because it felt like every moment she wasted here, was a moment she lost in finding out what was going on with the original quest. She kept expecting a popup in her hub to tell her she missed her chance and to make her way back when the quest reset, that she'd have to star all over again in that freaking market place full of people that choked the air out of your lungs by just being near them.

Then suddenly she heard something crash against the stonework. It didn't sound as clear as glass - of which the stripped had enough experience with during bar fights; ones she was either bystander for or a part of. It sounded like a ceramic pot, or clay. Something dense hitting stone and cracking rather than shattering. She remembered the merchant, wondering if maybe his stock just slipped through the cracks of his storage unit and it wasn't rats at all but misfortune.

It was better to go check, she figured, and did so.

As she closed the distance she could hear some scratching, and heavy breathing; She could hear the clay pot pieces being pushed across the stone as something sought out what the pieces hid. She came across a new tunnel, and ducked under the hanging lip that separated the spaces, took a few steps and then stopped when her light found what she was looking for.

Indeed, somewhere between the size of a common house cat and a medium size dog, stood a creature of close relation to the common rat. The first one was right in the way of her path, the light banishing shadow to reveal the curved back that was turned to her. A quick glance and she guessed it reached her knees. She could see the edge of a second one, one that could have seen her if it picked up its giant head from whatever it was doing. She bit her lip in order to keep from gasping in surprise, her lip ring swiveling to be missed as she did. Not only did this mean she found the rats that had harmed the merchant's resources, but it could only mean she was close to her goal, yes? Yet, what was she going to do about this?

While the smaller rats have been plenty by docile, she hardly believed a creature as big as this would submit to a gentle nudge by her boot. At the very least, she didn't believe it would react pleasantly to it.

She had to think fast, even if they don't see her as a threat, it would be very bad to be caught off guard. And the one was one look away from seeing her.

As silent as night, as quietly as she could be, Ash passed the torch from one hand to the other before she reached for her dagger. She's already seen what The Claw can do on a large creature, if she could impale one she could probably handle dealing with the other by herself. Her fingers found the hilt of the dagger and ever carefully wrapped her hand around the thin handle, bare and circular instead of flat. She noticed it was cold in her hand, but she took it firmly.

Slowly she raised her arm, trying to blend with the background enough that the other one didn't notice her, with her blade gripped in her fist but her wrist straight and her eyes focused as she put the rat with its back to her in her sights. She was about to release the mechanism that would launch the weapon forward when she got the idea to line them up and see if she couldn't make a shickabab. She moved so precisely she began to feel sweat trickling down her temples, chest, back, and legs; between the pieces of leather and her skin. When they lined up in a good way, she took a deep breath and held it. As she released her breath she activated the device.

There was no sound, no thunder like a gun, as it launched across the space. She felt the power of the device shake her arm as the hook was forced through the air. She heard the slick sound of a hit as the bladed grappling hook spears through the back of one, and then the tip impales the one that could have seen her between the eyes. Everything was very still and very silent before the bodies slumped to the ground. Satisfaction rooted itself into Ash as she confirmed the kill, only for her heart to stop as she heard a set of paws slapping the stone and the sound of a air passing through a wet nose..