"So, how are things with your family?" I ask Vile.

"Pretty much how you'd expect." she says with a rather dismissive shrug. I waited a bit for further elaboration which clearly wasn't coming.

"Uh, what are they like?" I ask, "I haven't met many rats before."

"You seen one, you've seen them all." Vile replies. "My family are noisy, ugly, greedy, and there are way, way too many of them. I could barely count how many great-great-grandchildren there were..." the rat looks over at me, "And you definitely couldn't."

I nod in response, just a little put off by her dig at my math skills which, admittedly, I haven't devoted any additional practice too. That's when I come to a realization. "Wait a minute, great-grandchildren? You're a great-great-grandmother?"

I don't even know how many generations that is, but it sounds like a lot!

"Of course!" she says, "You're not a puppy yourself... you must have at least a few kids running around..." the rat pauses, "Oh wait, never mind, I forgot that you were a virgin."

"That feels like an awfully person bit of information for a quest to give out..." I grumble a bit. Not that it's some big secret or something that I'm particularly insecure about of course. Well, at least I wasn't until now. Suddenly, it does feel inexplicably embarrassing.

"It was pretty obvious without the quest." Slave says with a grin. "It's clear that you're nowhere near as worldly and experienced as Mistress or myself."

"Oh, so you've had sex before, too?" The rat ask, with obvious interest.

"Of course! Lots of times!"

"With male cats?" Vile asks skeptically.

"Um... well, no, not exactly..." the black cat frowns.

"Wow, really?" The rat who's apparently the matriarch of many generations shakes her head, looking back and forth between the two of us. "That's it. I'm going to make a point of getting you two laid."

"Uh, that's really not necessary..." I say, not really familiar with that slang term, but able to grasp the implication of it. It feels like most things that the rat tends to say have rather similar and vulgar implications, so it's a pretty safe bet.

"Sure it is! I'm not running a convent here! I won't be happy until I know that both of you are properly educated in the pleasures of the flesh!" Vile exclaims, slamming a bald fist into her paw, her expression brimming with determination. As for me and Slave, we can only look to one another with nervous expressions. I felt particularly anxious at the idea. If the things that Slave do with Vile don't qualify as 'pleasures of the flesh', I shuddered to imagine what she had planned for me.

"Um, anyways, what's the deal with the church?" I ask, eager to change the subject, as I so often find myself when speaking to the rat.

"They charge for healing, of course." She replies. "Not a massive amount, but it adds up, and it's well beyond what many in this city can afford to pay."

That explains why so many of the poorer citizens seemed to be in need of healing services. I was less than pleased with the situation, however. "What, they don't offer their services for free? What happens to the people who can't afford it?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I think you know the answer to that." The rat says with an apathetic expression that bothers me somewhat, given the subject matter. "In the defense of the church, they're a large organization with a lot of staff and structures. They need to pay for it all somehow."

I give a light nod, but am not entirely convinced. Looking at the immaculate temple and the ornate garb of the priest within, it seemed clear that they weren't hurting for money. Again, though, humans are complicated, but I do have to admit that my faith in their kind has just been a little bit shaken upon entering this city. Nowhere close to the extent of Slave, of course, but it still kind of hurts. I guess that it's unreasonable to demand perfection from them. I'm certainly far from perfect myself.

I look up to see a woman standing across the street wearing an aggrieved expression. There is, of course, a quest marker above her head as well. I have a pretty strong suspicion of what sort of quest she's offering, and am very skeptical of my ability to help. Still, I can't help but try.

"My boy Thomas has been missing for two days now... have you seen him?" She asks, her voice downright panicked.

Quest updated, "The Lost Little ones". Find the missing children!

Okay, that's new... I didn't get that message before. More significantly, there's an actual waypoint now, pointing to the opposite end of town! I wonder what's changed? Maybe I just needed to get the quest from a certain number of people?

"We have to go!" I says with a little more enthusiasm than the rather dire subject matter deserves.

"What? Go where?" Vile asks.

As for Slave, she just sighs. "It's another quest thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it's a major one! Let's go!" I answer before running ahead just a little bit too carelessly, charging headlong into a repeated acquaintance of mine. "Oh, dear, are you alright?" I ask the crow, "Sorry, it was my fault that time!"

"Heh, that's quite alright!" She replies with a jovial tone. "I'm perfectly fine. Don't let me keep you from your business!"

I hear a soft grumble from Slave behind me, but pay it no mind. I did, indeed, have important business to attend to!

The city isn't a small place, and it's a moderate sprint to the destination, while leads us (I'm glad Slave and Vile, on her back, chose to follow), through the middle section of town and back to the slums. The even slummier part of the slums, if that's even possible. I find myself facing two things, well, both the same really, even if I react to it in two very different ways. It's a moderately sized yet run-down property which is set along the outer wall of the city.

More significantly is the quest marker, and not just any quest marker, but a fiery exclamation point, the sort which denotes a significant, rewarding and potentially challenging task.I considered that to be a good thing. Not so good was where it happens to be placed.

-Well, well well... so we meet again.

Now it's my turn to growl as I face my familiar yet not so familiar foe: Set snug within a comparatively crude wooden frame, and comprised of solid, riveted metal stands a door. Not just any door, either. I know that within my bones. A front door.

"You..." I snarl, having not forgotten my past trauma and near defeat at the hands of this vile enemy. Still, this is no time for grudges. While skeptical of my chances, I need to at least try to resolve this situation peacefully. "I have no quarrel with you. Please, stand aside and let me pass."

"Who's she talking to?" Slave asks Vile. I don't know how the rat responded, as my attentions are focused straight in front of me.

-No quarrel? Did you honestly think that I had forgotten my past humiliation? Things will be different this time, however. There will be no divine intervention to spare you from my wrath!

"I don't need any help to deal with a villain like you..." I growl before looking back over my shoulder to my rather confused looking allies. "You two stay back! This is my fight!"

Fortunately, neither the cat nor the rat try to argue. If I didn't know better, I would almost suspect that they didn't even recognize that there was a foe standing before me. That's fine, though. FrontDoor may have changed somewhat since last time, but he's not the only one. I'm not some unarmed and depressed pup anymore. This time I'll finish the fight for good!

---

Squire: "Finally, I get a proper fight this arc!"

Slave: "I'm not that this qualifies as an actual fight..."

Vile: "Shhh... just let her have this one."