Pest very much didn’t wish to waste a day watching Viktor hitting his hand with hammers again. He took his pack and sword and quickly left the cabin. He didn’t have any quests, but he had an idea of something he could do.

Making the journey through the city many people gave him funny looks as he marched along. The journey took an extra-long time as he stopped each time to give everyone he met a respectful stare when his eyes met theirs.

He made his way to the den of Lynnea, the house still inviting and full of entrances. That was a problem he’d like to fix today. Being a respectful businessman, he knocked on the large, human-sized door. As last time a great commotion came from within foretelling of the arrival of Lynnea before she roughly shoving the door aside.

“Hrrrrmm,” she said and peered at Pest. “Well, what is this? Hrmmm?”

“More job.” Pest told her.

“What are you doing back here, Little Rat Slayer?”

[New Title Unlocked - a NPC has called you by an epithet. All will know of your deeds now!]

[Little Rat Slayer – You have killed enough rats to fill a casket!]

[15% bonus damage to Rattus genus of animals.]

Pest appreciated the auditor’s message for a moment as it would assist him with negotiations with rats in the future. Lynnea didn’t seem to notice his pause.

“No matter, are you here to rid me of the little nuisances again?”

“Yes, labor for coin.” He told her directly, as he found a direct approach in business was more beneficial than anything circumspect.

“Of-course honest work will get paid. You are lucky my Wilfred was a warrior and knew this language. He taught me, else we might have to do with grunts and gestures to talk,” she said was a little cackle and gesticulated.

“Yes. More coin. I will end nuisance,” he declared.

“One penny per five rats.” She said, just as she had said last time.

“Very well little fellow, I am Lynnea. Welcome to my home.” She said before shuffling to the side to let him pass within. A huge vase full of sticks, staffs, and brooms hindered her movement. Lucky for her Pest didn’t take much room and could pass by with space to spare.

They made their way through the clutter again, Pest taking some time to scan for anything that delighted him for collection later. Lynnea and he again shoved aside the remade pile of pots from in front of the cellar door and revealed stairs going down. Pest slinkied down them without needing to be told and was flabbergasted by what he saw. The rodents had come back. Not as many, possibly a third of the total from last time, but enough to be a serious obstacle in his business proposal.

Pest didn’t waste any time, he knew a proper businessman needed to change with the whims of the customer base. With a grimace of determination, he went about taking care of the job that needed to be done.

Sometime later found Pest resting after the slaughter. Lynnea again had emptied a crate, Pest thought it might have been the same one as last time, but that didn’t make sense to him. The crate was filled with dead rats when he left that day. Filled to busting. It was almost like the room had returned to the same configuration as when he had first descended into it.

Those thoughts came and went as Pest focused on Lynnea counting out the corpses as she tossed them into the crate. It only filled to around the halfway point this time.

“I will work now.” Pest said plainly, disregarding the gruesome task he had just completed. This time the fight went much easier. His skills had definitely improved since his first battle in this new form. A particular side slash that he had employed to meet the leaping rats proved very efficient. It had earned him an upgrade to his short sword skill level.

Pest rummaged around the cellar’s refuse until he found a broken crate. Using his knife-sword he pried at the crate until he had taken it apart. This gave him a new skill.

[Congratulations. You have unlocked the Deconstruct skill!]

He was certain he bent his sword in the process, but when he examined it, it was straight. This was a truly amazing weapon that Chairman Victor had given to him. He would have to give him a gift in gratitude when he returned to the cabin.

Pest took a broken piece of wood, a square that could double as a makeshift shield if he was so inclined. He skittered up a pile of debris to a hole that looked out into the tall grasses that surrounded the house. A pair of beady black eyes looked back. One of the nuisance rats was trying to come into the house.

Pest slammed the piece of wood against the wall covering the hole. He leaned against it just in time to head and feel a thump vibrate though it. A mad scrabbling of claws came from the other side. Pest looked around for something to hold the wood against the hole.

He remembered Viktor would pin them in place with small metal spikes. Pest didn’t have anything like that. He leaned against the wood and pulled out his sword. He stabbed at the wood but didn’t have the strength or skill necessary to drive it though.

Instead, he stabbed the knife into the softer earth and debris that made up the ground, he had to lean and stomp on the hilt to get it all the way in. Cautiously backing away from the wood he winced each time the rat on the other side slammed into it, but the sword seemed to wedge it into place quite well.

Two things happened simultaneously. First, he got a new skill notification scrolled across his vision.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Repair skill!]

Second, two rats from the holes on the left and right leapt at him. He had slipped up and missed them coming though. The leap, almost coordinated, tackled him off the edge of the debris. He flew a short distance before landing on his back and sliding down the hill of debris in a scree of loose junk.

The rats bit and clawed at his body. Unlike a human, Pest wasn’t defenseless without his new sword, he still had the natural weapons and speed of his ancestral race.

He struck back with his own bite. This wasn’t a game that Pest was new to. He was a seasoned and experienced negotiator. One rat was caught up in his jaws, just narrowly missing a crushed windpipe. He thrashed it violently side to side.

The other rat struck at his abdomen. He had a small measure of protection with his clothing. It didn’t help much, but the extra layer mixed with his fur helped defend his delicate innards.

The clothing was helpful, he might need to find some more, more protective pieces. He thought this as he scrabbled backwards through the debris that had cascaded down from the pile with him. These thoughts intrigued him. Before the change he would never have had such an errant thought during a negotiation. He hoped the lack of complete focus wouldn’t hinder his talents.

His thoughts went back to the matter at hand as he backed into something that knocked over with a loud clatter. He violently shook the rat in his jaws again. It still scrabbled at him. He had to admit it was strong to have lasted this long. He couldn’t release it yet, it might recover still pose a threat.

The bigger issue was the second rat that was tearing at him without any repercussions. Pest scrabbled at the ground, trying to gain more space away from his dogged pursuer.

His hands knocked debris aside flailed around looking for a grip that would allow him to regain his footing. Hands running through the bits and pieces, he gripped a fistful of it and had a new idea. Weapons. He brought up the handful and smashed it into the rat’s head. It recoiled in shock and blinked its eyes briefly disoriented by the unexpected rain of junk. Pest was likewise briefly distracted by a prompt scrolling across his vision.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Unconventional Weapon Use skill!]

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The auditor may have been a little generous with its definition of weapon there.

Pest’s hand found something hard and bulky, he gripped it and brought it around in a wide swing. It was a piece of something unidentifiable that shattered on contact with the rat’s head, an explosion of crumbled bits and dust from that something ballooned out.

The rat unfazed by the odd attack latched onto Pest’s arm. The rodent tried to thrash it, as Pest had done to its brethren, but wasn’t big enough to do so. The teeth stabbing into Pest being ripped back and forth did an adequate job of tearing up his arm though. Pest hissed and yelled, mixing old with new.

These nuisances were not stronger than he was. Not even close. These two had just gotten the drop on him when he had a small lapse of inattention. It went to show even the smallest threat could bring down a strong negotiator if the timing was right.

That was a new mistake for him to make, and he vowed it wouldn’t happen again. This new mind of his was smarter, had more room for more thoughts, but was less focused on the here and now. He would be mindful of this flaw going forward.

With one rat in his mouth and the other ravaging his arm with its sharp teeth and head thrashing, he was in quite the situation. But a good businessman didn’t forgo strong tactics at every small error. He again reached out to the junk surrounding him, something solid and heavy reached back. He brought the weighty thing around to slam into the rat’s head. It was a metal spike, just like the kind that Viktor used to put wood together with during his construction practice.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Knife Fighting skill!]

He sat up slowly, both his attackers gone limp. He released the one in his mouth and breathed in clean air. A rat air filter was not desirable during a fight. His clothing was shredded, but slowly mended themselves. Inspecting his lacerated and bleeding arm he wished he knew what trick the Chairman used to mend flesh.

Scrabbling from atop the debris pile drew his attention upwards. The rat he had blocked managed to move the wooden blockade to the side and was squeezing through the gap it presented. Pest grunted and slowly stood. The floor was littered with metal spikes like the one he just used, spilled from a knocked over bucket.

He slowly squatted down and gripped two of the spikes. He let out an involuntary hiss as his injured arm shot with pain. Insuring he could hold a tight grip on his new weapons he rose from his squat slowly. Brandishing a spike in both hands he glared at the rat as it flopped the rest of the way out of the pinched entrance.

“You want to negotiate?” He asked. Without waiting for a answer he rushing up the pile to meet the rat halfway.

***

Sometime later Pest slowly came up the stairs from the cellar. When his eyeline broached the top step he paused and watched Lynnea waiting for him. She was facing away from him and he considered her for a moment. She stared ahead of her at the wall like a motionless predator waiting for its prey. It wasn’t quite right to Pest’s eye though. Even the best predator would readjust their stance, so their limbs didn’t cramp after a time. It was uncanny how motionless she stood. Waiting for some prey to cross her path.

He also thought that it was strange she wasn’t taking inventory her collection or checking on its wellbeing. He would be constantly making sure every treasure and trade good was accounted for and in its proper place.

Pest finishes ascending the stairs and as soon as his foot touched the top step Lynnea transformed into the boisterous host he had met. She bustled around the kitchen sorting and stacking pots and pans like she had been doing just that the entire time he was gone.

“Miss Lynnea, I have finished. More rats to count.” Pest says to her.

“Alrighty dear, let’s check what you have been up to.” Lynnea says before following Pest down the stairs.

He inspected his good work as he descended back into the basement. The gaps and holes along the top of the cellar have been blocked with spare bits of wood junk. He had used the metal spikes to secure them in place. Many only halfway driven in or bent over. He had a difficult time hammering the nails into place with a rock, but after a few attempts the auditor judged him sufficiently skilled to lend its aid. It granted him one more skill, Construction. That new skill combined with Repair proved most useful.

It tired him each time the auditor led him through the procedures of plugging a hole. Quite often another rat would slide into the cellar to interrupt his work. He did discover that once a hole was sealed the rats no longer tried clawing or bashing through that hole.

He needed to rest often to keep his energy up enough to fight and repair. He didn’t want to use all his energy to quickly get half the holes covered, only to fall to the simple rodents while he was too exhausted to fight back. True exhaustion was settling in, but he felt good. A contract for a good client nearly completed. He knew all this effort on this endeavor would grant him many wonderful treasures.

“Wow, you really did get all of them little buggers, didn’t you?” Lynnea said.

“Yes,” Pest said simply.

“Let’s count them up, shall we?”

She began tossing the new batch of dead rats into the crate.

“One, two, three, four, five.” He counted out as she tossed them in. She made no mention of his improved number skills.

“By Frigg, what did you do to these rats, they look like pin cushions.” Lynnea said as she held one up by its tail, it had two metal spikes driven into it.

“I conduction a successful negotiation.” Pest informed her. He meant it, that specific fight had gained him a new skill called Dual Wield.

She continued counting out the four-fives worth of rats.

“Oh… Oh dear…” Lynnea announced. “I might not have enough coins for all these.”

“Okay,” Pest said as he looked at suspiciously.

“Instead of coins would you be willing to barter for some of my treasures?” she asked him. “I’m sure we could find something that would suit you.”

“Okay…” Pest said stretching out the word, this was almost verbatim of their last interaction he was sure this time.

“And since you went above and beyond, I have a special prize for you.” Lynnea said as they went up the stairs.

Pest was a little disturbed. She seemed to remember him, even naming him Little Rat Slayer, but she also acted like this was his first time here. She repeated her words and actions from last time.

He thought about this as he tossed treasures he dug out from her collection into his rucksack. He knew each and every item he grabbed was of value. He only stopped when she told him that he had collected more than enough to make them square.

She dug out a small wooden box from her piles and presented it to him. It was large enough that when open he could use it as a bed.. He got a urge to rush to the box, a feeling telling him that he would find highly valuable good within box.

He opened the dark wooden box to find a matching set of small weapons. The weapons were shaped like a knife, but with the blade more reminiscent of a sewing needle. There was a small attempt to make an edge along their lengths, but Pest knew their power lay in the tips. Striking like a fang more than a claw.

Relative to Pest they were large, nearly as big as Chief Ryan’s sword was to Chairman Viktor. A greatsword. He reached into the box to touch the warm leather that wrapped the hilt. At his touch the weapons slowly shrank down. After a moment they stopped shrinking and he took hold of them, they fit his grip perfectly and had a satisfying weight. He brandished them experimentally. He could make use of these.

“Thank you for your good work today.” Lynnea said as she saw him out.

“Yes.” Pest said.

As he left Lynnea's home, he thought it strange that the outside had no sign or scent of the rats. He wondered where that never ending trickle of vermin came from.

***

Pest had made his way back to the cabin and was showing off his new knives to Associate Halloway. Chairman Viktor wasn’t in the cabin, and Pest was excited to show off his new equipment.

“Yea, those are nice,” Halloway said, examining the weapons as Pest held them. “I had a set too. They are called stilettos.”

“Fangs.” Pest said while looking at them.

“You’d be the expert at those.” Halloway said with a smile. “The rat quest is an easy grind for a little bit of coin. But those stilettos aren’t great. Very low durability, they risk snapping off right inside of whatever you poke with them. If something blocks you, they are guaranteed to break. Not really worth the effort of wading through a small sea of rats.”

“Okay.” Pest said, slightly confused and offended.

His work at Lynnea’s had been worth the effort. Now she wouldn’t need help with rats anymore. Why hadn’t anyone bothered to fix the house for her? He considered Halloway with a respectful stare. Was Associate Halloway conducting bad business? He shuddered at the line of thought. Pest would have to keep an eye on him in case he needed some guidance. He carried the stilettos to the nest he shared with the chairman’s and flopped down. He dozed off as he contemplate good business practices and how best to impart that knowledge to his wayward associates.

***

A small rest later, he was awoken by Chairman Viktor’s return. Pest presented the Chairman his grand prize from the work today.

“Those are fucking wicked!” The Chairman said excitedly and stared at them for a moment, as was his tendency to do at new things he saw. “I see a small thing we can fix to make them truly awesome, but we will do that later. Let me use some leftover leather rig you up some sheaths or something for them.”

“Yes!” Pest responded happily. He was so happy to have Chairman Viktor. He knew he was bonded to him. But he also liked the Chairman, no matter his imperfections. He wanted to give him something from his collection today so he reached in his rucksack to collect it. He gripped nothing. He was confused and inspected the bag for rips, but there was nothing. He stuck his head into the bag but could only see darkness.

He nearly slipped inside as his instincts told him to dive down the tunnel and explore it. A hand gripped his body and pulled him out. He was suddenly sharing a stare with the chairman.

“I told you not to go in there.” Chairman Viktor said. Pest could feel the displeasure though their bond and more importantly the string of fear behind it.

“Lost assets.” Pest said as he hung limply. He was quite displeased with himself as well. Losing trade goods was unacceptable.

“Oh, let me show you.” The chairman said and set him down. “Damn you are big now. Like the size of a cat or rabbit or something.”

Pest watched as the chairman grabbed the pack and purposefully upended the bag. Suddenly things started to pour out at an alarming rate. The chairman let out a yelp and righted the bag ending the disgorging of trade goods.

Pest immediately felt relief his collection was safe and sound in the bag.

“Everything okay?” Associate Halloway asked.

“Yep, yep, Pest just has more stuff in his little pack than I had thought he would.” The chairman was blocking Associate Halloway’s view of Pests trade goods. Pest approved, shouldn’t let everyone know the extent of one’s personal stock. The chairman was hurriedly shoveling things back into the pack.

“Well, he is a ferret after all.” Associate Halloway said without bothering to look over.

Pest noticed the item he wanted to give Chairman Viktor and snatched it from the pile before the chairman was able to stuff it back in the bag.

“Quite the load,” the chairman said to Pest.

“Only half.” Pest estimated.

“Jesus, that’s a lot.”

“Yes,” Pest said with a toothy grin.

“You look like a shark.” The chairman said catching Pests grin.

“What?”

“Heh, never mind.”