Chapter 90: Baba Yetu

Quite frankly, if the choice was between fighting the entire roomful of cultists to save Harvey or running, Pumpkin would already have been a blur in the distance. He didn’t mind Harvey, the man who had provided for his room and board over the last few weeks, but that wasn’t enough of a bond for him to throw his life away in a futile gesture, even if that still left him with eight to go. Fortunately for Harvey, the situation wasn’t quite so dire. Watching from the sidelines, it quickly became evident that the cultists were entirely focused on the sacrificial altar, where handfuls of rats were currently thrashing against the grip of an invisible hand, bleeding their last before the adoring eyes of the flock. There was a set pace to the ritual, such that one human was offered only after ten batches of rats, after which the rotation would begin anew. The offerings were all under guard, of course, such that Pumpkin had no confidence of getting close enough to do anything, but that didn’t mean the situation was hopeless.

Backing away back to the tunnel and well out of sight in case anybody chanced a look his way, Pumpkin returned to the System and did what he could to blow this conspiracy wide open.

[Will Swindell

Placing a call, please stand by.]

Calling Will still wasn’t working, meaning that whatever was blocking communications wasn’t limited to his level up experience.

[Ralph - Level 1 Cat

Placing a call, please stand by.

Call connected.]

“Jackpot!” Pumpkin grinned, because whatever was blocking Will from answering held no power over his newest acquaintance.

“Pumpkin?” Ralph answered, a note of befuddlement in his voice.

“Hey Ralph. You know that incredibly powerful protector of felines you mentioned earlier? Would you happen to have them in your Contacts?” Pumpkin asked, wasting no time at all.

“Of course. Every Cat who settles in Heaven’s Reach will get it at the annual gathering. We inform him of any threats we notice, and he protects us in turn. We are the hidden eyes and ears in the shadows, protecting the city in accordance with the pact between felinekind and the Guardian of the Walls. Why?”

“I found the missing rats along with a few human extras. I’m not sure what it is you saw, but I doubt they were being eaten, because they’re all being sacrificed right now, to a Shaper of Flesh, Changer of Ways. Sound familiar?”

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

“...I’ll be right back.”

[Call ended.]

Pumpkin didn’t have much to do except wait, having already played informant, so he settled down on his haunches to wait for a reply. In that time, two more humans lost their lives, screaming in a mixture of terror and defiance as their vital essence was consumed by the altar. Neither of them sounded like Harvey though, so he wasn’t overly concerned just yet; the rats, understandably, weren’t even a consideration here. Curiosity still compelled him to peek back into the cavern, where the difference in quality became apparent. Even to his limited vision at a distance, both men looked like vagrants, wearing little more than rags and caked in filth, clearly chosen for sacrifice on the basis that few would notice them missing. How exactly Harvey had gotten mixed up in this mess, Pumpkin didn’t know; what few dots he’d been able to connect were painting a picture he didn’t like at all.

[Ralph is calling.

Pick up? Y/N]

“What have you got for me?” Pumpkin asked at once, not bothering with the niceties as he picked up.

“Besides you, is there anyone on site that you’d prefer to live on?”

“Harvey Miller, an acquaintance of mine who got grabbed as a sacrifice. I was only able to uncover this mess by tracking his scent.”

“Harvey Miller, got it. Hunker down and enjoy the show, Schrodinger has agreed to enter the battle.”

“Great!” Pumpkin sighed in relief; the name wasn’t familiar to him, but the confidence in Ralph’s voice was reassuring nonetheless. “Do you need directions? I can remember the route I took after we parted ways.”

[Call ended.]

“I guess not?” Pumpkin scratched his head at the abrupt dismissal.

“Guess not.”

Pumpkin came very, very close to yowling, because that echo had come from right next to him, far too close for comfort given his proximity to the enemy. Spinning around, he found himself next to a small white kitten, faint tufts of hair raised on its head to resemble a crown, while a cheeky grin was glued to his face, belayed only by the anger apparent in his milky white eyes. He looked young enough that Pumpkin felt the urge to grab him by the scuff for his insolence, except for the fat that the numbers didn’t lie.

[Schrodinger - Level 77 Cat]

“That was fast,” Pumpkin deadpanned, doing his best to pretend his heart wasn’t racing. “How did you even find me here?”

“You are a Cat in Heaven’s Reach. I am aware of all my kin within these walls, once alerted of your plight, all it took was a bit of focus to find your exact coordinates. Hm. Your scent lingers on only one of the men, that would be Harvey, yes?”

“None of the other bums qualify to be my companion,” Pumpkin agreed, fully aware that he was condemning them to die; tough luck, but he had no obligation to care for strangers, especially not with the strange turn the night had taken.

He’d found Harvey, and uncovered a suspicious plot; he’d done his part, and everything else that was about to happen was simply beyond his control.

“Very well,” Schrodinger nodded, and slowly paddled into the cavern.

Unlike Pumpkin, whose brown coat blended quite nicely into the surrounding walls, the white kitten quickly drew attention from the nearest cultists. They didn’t immediately fly off the handle and try to attack or flee, leading Pumpkin to conclude that they were unable to see name tags, befores why else would they try to pick the Level 77 Cat up like a common stray? Not that this was permitted, because as soon as one of them got within touching distance, Schrodinger sighed softly and spoke.

“Secret Art: Wave Collapse.”