The plague ship joined the armada, in its last two days of voyage its entire crew died at least once, including the captain and high command, a few select crewmen managed to die so many times they almost broke the ship's record, held by one ,Marid Alestar who conveniently vanished after a short episode of bullying and abuse recorded but not reported to the captain.

"Quarantine barge ready sir", the tall nurse reported to his captain, "they should start coming aboard any moment now".

"Anyone too sick to walk you despawn and carry from the top deck", the orders were clear, "there is a muck monster lurking somewhere in there and we are not taking any chances"

"Understood sir", the man saluted and went to do his job.

"You don't really think it's a muck demon Koshua", Harani said with a smile.

"I don't care what it is Har", the quarantine admiral's voice was solid steel, "none of my people will be sacrificed for this captain Bactor's mistakes", spitting to the sea, "locking the muck hatch", shaking his head, "like a green eared rookie", clapping his hands in apparant rage, "nobody likes muck duty", letting go and leaning on the rails, "you still have to get people doing it or you see the consequences".

"Their furnace reports regular muck deliveries up until the hatch was sealed", Harani reported, "there were actually quite a few more deliveries made after the sealing"

Crinking his nose, "who goes around carrying muck barrels?" Koshua asked out loud.

"Someone who looted a muck carrier and didn't want to get caught obviously", was too simple an answer.

"Something went wrong on that ship", looking at Harani, "do you think someone abused NPCs and they spawned as rats and recognized their abusers?", a hard tale if true, "NPCs are terrible muck crew because they just let the blockers take the punishment and you still have to do the work", sounding grim, "bad luck could still be a big part of it".

"You weren't made admiral through faith Koshua", Harani stared at the moored ship, "don't buy your own crap for this stupid captain", the sails were slovenly furled, "someone fucked up on that ship", lines dangling in the wind, "dont let your trust in humanity blind you to the hard truths of being in a pirate crew", she jumped back and landed with a sumersault on the mast rail then vanished.

Healers cast purifying spells on every crewman that left the ship, removing their inventories with loot appraisals and hex boxes, some had to be sent to the furnace to deliver their muck barrels and were marked for later interrogation, some had barrels full of rats they claimed they got from looting plague rats on the last day of their voyage when there were hundreds of rats all over the ship and zero rations for anyone.

"Do you think we have to sink it sir?" Deroth sounded distraught.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Only if we can't find the source", turning to his second in command, "assemble the extermination brigade"

Thousands of rats scurried on every deck, scewering his fiftieth giant rat Garon couldn't believe such a scourge was not a guilder spell, "if we find guilder slaves in their muck pit I will personaly have that idiot captain on a muck crew for the rest of his life".

"You'd have to stand in line behind every other admiral and all the lieutenants for the emperor",  Dirwon replied while casting shocking grasp on the wall to get more of the furry monsters out.

"Fucking retard for letting this crap get so bad", Garon hacked another rat when he heard the screech, "bats are not rats with wings for fucks sakes", his eyes moving to scan the ceiling for the flying menace.

"I hate sonic attacks", Dirwon used thunderclap to shield them from the worst of it, "we should retreat and get some heavier spell artillery"

"We are almost there", Garon pointed at the stairs leading to the lowest deck before the pits, "lets just tag it on the map and move back"

"Famous last words my friend" Dirwon laughed and cast magic missile to break the bats' concentration and allow Garon to close the distance, all around them were sounds of battle as the extermination brigade was clearing the whole ship one inch at a time.

Looming before them was the looming dark hole of the broken hatch, "looks like something chewed on it", Garon said and tagged it on the tactical map, "think we cal hold until Cherry and Molt catch up?"

"I think if we stay here too long we will be smudges of ketchup", her voice quivered.

"Fine lets go back", as he spoke the hatch spawned a swarm of bats, each dropping a barrel full of a hundred rats, "shit", he said quietly resigning for his despawning.

"Blade wall", came the cry from behind them followed by, "good job".

"Buffeting winds", another voice said and the swarm of bats fell to the floor, "well done" she added.

"I was really hoping it was anywhere else", he almost recognized the voice, "I hate muck pits"

Frozen from the terror of seeing the hundreds of rats swarming toward them, Garon and Dirwon couldn't move when the emperor himself walked past them and jumped down to the pit, "don't worry chap", a heavy hand landed on their shoulders, "he can handle himself".

"Come out come out wherever you are", Garon couldn't believe the sweet voice came from the emperor, "I have a little potion for you"

"Why would I want your potion Human?" Sounding like a series of sqeaks and squeals.

"Oh good", the emperor sighed with relief, "you just saved me a priceless elixir of wisdom"

"Who are you?" The squeaks sounded breathless.

"Don't run from me", wood blasted in the dark pit, "my friends call me Slom", Garon couldn't believe the words he was hearing, "do you want to be my friend?".

"Humans can't be friends", squeaking in panic.

"Don't be that way", the emperor was begging, "you already mastered evolution for yourself and other NPCs", what was evolution?, "you can be my friend".

"My friends stabbed me in the back", the squeak almost sounding sarcarstic.

"Some people I called friends stabbed me in the back once", who was stupid enough to betray the emperor, "I turned the to my cabin furniture so they can always bask in my glorious self but neve talk unless I deign in my benevolence to give them the elixir of wisdom", pause, "you will have to share your secret with me some day", something dragged, "aha" the emperor exclaimed.

"Please don't hurt me", whoever was down there begged.

"I never hurt my friends", something dingled, "that's a nice hoard you got there for yourself", pause, "can I help you carry it back to our ship?"

"Ok but I know every item in there", came the sceptical answer.

A few minutes later the emperor emerged from the pit, the hands holding Garon and Dirwon released them, "shouldn't be any more pests coming from there", the man turned and walked behind the Emperor.