Danien scratched his left shoulder. The slave crest branded into his flesh still burned, but the heavy purse at his side made up for it. The soft cloth felt strange against his skin. He was used to the rough clothes normally worn by the lower citizens, and the finer garments felt like they were about to fall off his body. It felt… wrong, especially since they were walking through the sewers.

“Is something wrong Danien?” Reviled looked back at him.

“No boss, I’m all good.” Danien smiled as he tried to hide his discomfort. He hadn’t expected the new king to be a towering metal monster.

“Address the master properly.” Meridith scowled at him.

“How come?” Danien snapped. “Oria gets to call him boss.”

Baron gently placed a hand on Danien’s shoulder. “It’s perception,” he said, “You’re leading a group of knights. That means you need to act in a manner that appeases the upper echelons.” Danien groaned.

“They’re correct.” Reviled chuckled. “That’s why you are to shadow Baron until we’re ready to create the order.”

“Yes sir.” Danien readjusted the cape over his left shoulder. “Forgive my rudeness, lady Meridith.”

Meridith smiled. “That’s quite alright, Sir Danien. However, I would use the word insolence instead of rudeness. Expanding your vocabulary will help with the illusion.”

“Thank you for the advice.” Danien nodded. “This is getting tiring boss.” Reviled laughed which sent a shiver down his spine. “Why are we in the sewers?”

“We’re checking in on our other forces,” Reviled said, “Apparently, they have something to show us.”

Danien looked at Reviled in confusion but continued to follow. When they rounded a corner, he gasped at the sight. A makeshift wooden wall blocked the tunnel in front of them. It was lashed together with rope, and had broken weapons and shield strapped to it. a large double gate sat open with two wererat guards standing at attention.

The wererats saluted when they approached. “Welcome back master!” They bowed as they passed.

Danien was amazed at the sight of the wererat camp. He knew they existed, but he pictured them to be like rat nests. Nothing but junk piled together in a great heap, instead he stared at a functioning tent city. It reminded him a lot of the slums. Wererats sat by tents and stalls hawking wares. There was a band at what he guessed was a makeshift bar, and he was surprised to see a blacksmith pounding out a pan from an old breastplate. The colorful tents gave the camp a beauty that was accentuated by the lamps made from broken bottles.

The wererats eyed them as they passed, but none seemed to concern. A group of wererat kids stared at them in awe as they passed. They came to an intersection when a loud shriek came from the other side.

Danien shook as a giant ant with a large trident shaped head crest approached from the other side. It was easily eight feet tall and it was wide enough that it had to walk over the canal. He was shocked at the sight that he didn’t notice the small mushroom riding on its head while singing.

“Big Meanie!” The mushroom stood up waving at them with both arms. The ant cried too with its antenna twitching happily.

“Cappy,” Reviled said, “What are you doing?”

“Scaredy Mouse asked me to help find some of his friends that were lost.” Cappy gave them a pout. “I tried to help them, but they hit me!” The ant clicked angrily. “It hurt my feelings at first, but then one bit my head, and then I realized they were hungry.” Cappy nodded sagely. “If being Antwuan’s mama has taught me anything: it’s that a good meal makes everyone happy. So, I’m going to tell Scaredy Mouse to throw a party!”

“We see.” Reviled chuckled.

“Boss,” Danien whispered, “Why are you talking to a mushroom, and what’s with the giant ant?”

“They are part of our group.” Reviled patted the Antwuan’s head.

“Yeah, we’re the leader!” Cappy cheered.

“We’re going to see Rench. Care to come?” Reviled hummed.

Cappy gave them a dumb smile. “Okay, let’s go see Crafty Mouse.”

Danien tried to keep close as the giant ant followed behind. He yelped when the insect’s antenna gently brushed against his cheek and arms.

“No! Antwuan, behave.” Cappy scolded her pet. “Sorry, he’s in his rebellious phase.”

“She, Cappy,” Reviled called, “Antwuan’s a female.”

“Nooooo.” Cappy snickered. “Antwuan’s a boy. That’s why I named him Antwuan.”

Reviled growled but ignored the comment. They continued down the tunnels with the wererats eyeing them in fear. Danien wasn’t sure if it was because of the machine or the ant.

They slowly made their way through the bustling markets into a section of the camp that was less crowded. Instead of tents, trash was piled alongside the tunnel walls with the rats scurrying through them. An old rat was organizing broken pieces of glass bottles and using the torchlight to shine color on the wall. A slim rat in a wrap dress sifted through torn pieces of cloth, she set aside any that had bright floral patterns. A large rat was using a broken hammer to remove the bent, rusted nails from broken boards of wood.

“What are they doing?” Danien looked at them in confusion.

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“Gathering resources,” Reviled said, “Any trash that’s found is brought here for the crafters. Then they use these materials for the benefit of the camp.”

Danien nodded as they came to an empty reservoir. Sitting at the base was a large wooden structure surrounded by a host of wererats. A large albino wererat stood by with a small white rat and brown, tailless rat next to him. Every turned to watch as Reviled dropped into the reservoir.

“Master, thank you for coming.” An elderly grey rat coughed. “We’ve begun building a replica of your machine to help us when the parts arrive.”

“We can see that.” Reviled chuckled as it walked around the structure. “Are there any insights you can give?”

“We can’t give ya much.” The old rat sighed. “There seems to be a magical element to the Grand Phylactery that we can’t replicate. All we can build is the housing which should be large enough to house someone of your size.”

“Makes sense,” Meridith said as she approached, “Are you alright Preddie? You look a little… swollen.”

The white rat twitched her whiskers. “I’m fine Lady Meridith.” She rubbed her belly which caused the brown rat to growl. “I’m currently with my first litter.”

“Congratulations!” Meridith smiled. “What about you Nimble?”

“Good question.” Nimble sneered at the albino. “When can I expect a litter, Sire?”

A deathly quiet surrounded them.

“You’re are bodyguard.” The albino cleared his throat. “Not to mention, master Reviled may have need of you.”

“Don’t put the blame on us Skivret.” Reviled chuckled as it petted Nimble. “We’d gladly give Nimble the time needed breed her own litter.” Nimble’s whiskers twitched happily as she smirked at Skivret.

Skivret sighed in defeat. “Very well Nimble. We can try for tonight.”

Skivret’s ears twitched nervously. “Nah, I don’t think I should.” She crawled up Reviled’s leg and hung off its shoulder. “Master Reviled may have need of me.” Skivret stared at her in shock. “Bein’ ignored don’t feel good, huh.”

“I’m sorry, Nimble,” Skivret said.

Nimble smiled as she dropped to the ground. “It’s okay sire,” she said, “I’d love to have a litter with ya.”

“How sweet!” Everyone looked up at Cappy who hung off Antwuan’s head. Antwuan started clicking excitedly and she released a loud shriek. “What’s wrong?” Cappy gawked as the ant started shaking violently.

With a final shake of her head, Antwuan sent Cappy flying into the reservoir. Everyone watched in shock as the giant ant stormed down the tunnel away from them.

“Come back!” Cappy cried.

“Master!” Meridith looked worried at the crying mushroom.

Reviled released a growling chuckle. “It’s time.”

Meridith yelped as Reviled picked her up and cradled her in its right arm. It ran towards the edge, grabbing Cappy and tossing her into Meridith’s grasp, and jumped out of the reservoir. Danien and Baron tried to follow, but the monster had disappeared by the time they got out.

“How are we supposed to follow them?” Danien groaned.

Baron chuckled and held out his right hand. Shadows gathered in his palm, and it slowly took on the form of a black rat. The rat’s beady red eyes stared straight ahead, and Baron casually walked down the tunnel.

----------------------------------------

Reviled continued to chase after Antwuan, but the ant was slowly pulling away. It had shifted Meridith into a bridal carry with Cappy safely held in her grasp. Antwuan jumped over a large canal. Reviled growled and used Hollow Step to teleport over the gap so it wouldn’t lose its stride.

“So that’s what that feels like.” Meridith laughed as she held on tight. Reviled laughed along but kept its attention forward.

“Quick Big Meanie!” Cappy pointed as Antwuan turned down another tunnel.

Reviled slid as it turned the corner, and they stared into a gaping black hole. A tunnel had been dug out of the sewer’s stone wall. It was tall enough for a person to stand upright and wide enough for two.

“Seems Antwuan’s been busy.” Reviled slowly investigated the opening.

“Antwuan’s been in a rebellious phase.” Cappy sighed. “He’s been runnin’ off lately and digging all sorts of tunnels. I tell him not to, but he keeps on doing it.”

“Master is…” Meridith pressed herself closer.

“Yes, she’s building a nest.”

Reviled stepped into the darkness. It stepped carefully with its claws digging into the earth. The tunnel slowly slopped downward. Meridith’s breathing quickened and she kept eyeing the darkness, but she seemed to calm down when Reviled tightened its grip. Eventually the tunnel evened out and led into a large opening.

“Ignite Flame!” Meridith conjured a dozen balls of ghostly blue flame and sent them to illuminate the cavern.

Marks covered the walls with crumbled stone littering the floor. Piles of viscous goo covered the floors, and it filled the space with an oppressive humidity. Molted chitinous plates trailed towards the back of the cavern where Antwuan sat nestled against the wall.

Antwuan sat there chewing on a pile of viscous material. Her hindquarters shook and an egg slowly extracted itself from her body. Seven eggs with thin transparent shells nestled against the ant queen’s body.

“What’s he doin’?” Cappy looked at the eggs in confusion.

“Antwuan’s laying eggs Cappy.” Meridith chuckled nervously.

“But… boys don’t lay eggs… right?” Cappy’s eyes slowly widened in understanding. “Antwuan’s a girl!”

Reviled sighed. “We’ve been trying to tell you that.”

Cappy shrieked in desperation as she looked to the eggs. “Then, those are my gam-babies.” Antwuan shook as another egg slowly appeared. “Nooo!” Cappy jumped and fell face first on the ground. She scurried over and tried to push the egg back in. “Stop! I’m too young to be a gam-gam,” she cried.

Antwuan shrieked loudly and pushed the egg out. Cappy screamed as the egg fell on top of her. The egg muffled her cries as she flailed her limps in despair.

“Master, won’t this cause problems for us?” Meridith smiled sympathetically at Cappy.

“Perhaps.” Reviled slowly approached the ant. “It’ll take time for the nest to mature, but if would be a problem if someone found it out.” It sighed in frustration. “We need someone who can keep a proper eye on the sewers, preferably a powerful spell caster. We… may have to consult with mother about this.”

“Why not rely on Skivret?”

“The wererats are still undergoing training,” Reviled said, “I’d say they could easily fend off less experienced adventurers and perhaps the guards, if they’re in small groups, but they aren’t ready to fend off high-ranking adventurers or the entire army. We need someone more powerful and more cunning.”

Master, are you alright? Baron’s voice sounded in Reviled’s head. Danien and I found the tunnel, but… I don’t think it’s wise for us to come in. Don’t want to dirty our clothes, you understand.

“We do.” Reviled chuckled. “We’ll be up shortly.” It watched as Cappy lifted the egg and sat up. “Well, what are you going to do?” Reviled teased her. “Are you going to let your grandchildren starve?”

“No.” Cappy sniffled. “I’m going to be a good gam-gam and take care of my family.” She shoved her fists into the folds of her cap and dusted her spores around the cavern. “I’ll be a great gam-gam!”

They watched as Cappy ran around sprinkling her spores everywhere. Small mushrooms sprouted out of the ground and along the walls. Soon, the cavern was covered in thousands of small, newly sprouted mushrooms.

“We’ll leave you to your family.” Reviled chuckled as it turned to leave.

“Okay, I’ll be here!”

Reviled slowly ascended the tunnel, it’s claws digging deep into the dirt.

“Won’t the mushrooms kill them?” Meridith looked back down the tunnel.

“Elithan ants have an immunity to poisons. It stems from the necrotic magic that formed them.” After a long hike, they could see Baron and Danien standing in the torchlight. “You two missed quite the show.”

“A pity.” Baron smiled nervously. “However, master, I fear there is something else you should know. I recommend we return to the tavern.”

“Very well.” Reviled stepped past them. Despite the possibility of bad news, Reviled couldn’t help chuckle at the fortune that it had witnessed.