In the morning, Elron strolled through the streets of the town, his eyes scanning for anything that could lead him to these elusive monsters. Market stalls lined the roads, alongside the occasional beggar pleading for coin. The brick-laid streets were a relief—he didn’t need to trudge through mud or deal with the stench of feces clinging to his boots.

He entered a few inns, each time adopting the same strategy: order a drink, tip generously, and see what the barkeep might share. The first time, the elf behind the counter had given him a suspicious look, as though questioning his sanity. But once they realized he was a well-established warrior in search of information, they quickly shifted their tone.

Unfortunately, nothing worthwhile came of it. Each lead was as thin as air, offering no insight into the dozen missing people. Elron sighed as he stepped out of yet another inn, his frustration growing with each dead-end.

As he exited, his attention was caught by the sight of Kael being led down an alleyway by a scantily dressed gnome. Elron’s brow furrowed, and he muttered under his breath, “What’s he up to now?” Curiosity piqued, he decided to follow.

The alley led him to the shadow of the city’s interior wall. Dirt and open space stretched before him—empty, except for the looming elven trees. Rounding one of the trees, Elron spotted a pair of cellar doors flung wide open.

Both of his hands instinctively rested on the hilts of his swords as he whispered, “No way Kael went down there,” feeling a sense of disbelief. He cracked his neck, resigned, and muttered to himself, “Ah, I have to stop sleeping on a couch.”

With a sigh, he descended into the darkness below.

As Elron descended the narrow steps, the air grew thick, and the distant sound of muffled voices echoed below. He quickly realized this was no ordinary cellar—it was an underground den for the wicked. Just as he reached the entrance to a dimly lit bar, a burly elf stepped in front of him, shoving him back toward the stairwell.

“You don’t belong here, my guy,” the elf said, arms crossed, blocking Elron’s view of the room.

Elron’s hand instinctively moved toward his sword, but he quickly regained composure. “I assure you, good sir, I belong here,” he said with a forced calmness.

The elf placed a hand on Elron's pauldron, his expression hard. “If you’re here to arrest someone, take it up top.”

Without missing a beat, Elron pulled a few gold coins from his pouch and placed them into the elf’s hand. “I’m only here to gather information. No one’s getting arrested today,” he stated flatly.

The moment the gold hit the elf’s hand, his demeanor changed. He walked away, leaving the entrance unguarded. Elron then stepped into the smoky, haze-filled room. It was larger than expected, complete with a bar, dancing poles, and the rhythmic thrum of drums and lute music. The air was almost unbearable, thick with the scent of sweat and something more pungent.

Taking a seat at the bar, Elron signaled for the bartender, who was polishing a shot glass. “What’ll it be?” the elf asked, eyeing him warily.

Elron removed his helm, his hair falling to his shoulders. “A pitcher of milk, please.”

The barkeep blinked, staring at him for a moment before realizing Elron was serious. Without a word, he left to fetch the drink. Elron barely had time to settle when a she-elf slid onto the stool beside him, her fingers instantly threading through his hair.

“Hey there, lug. What brings you here?” she purred.

Elron gently brushed her hand away, keeping his gaze fixed ahead. “I’m here for information, nothing more.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the only thing covering her was a thin veil over her face, but he forced his attention back to the mug of milk the bartender set in front of him.

“I’m looking for some missing people. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” he asked, keeping his voice steady.

She leaned closer, her breath warm against his neck. “So forward, are we? I might know something... for a price.”

Elron took a sip of his drink, his eyes still on the counter. “And what might that price be?”

She licked her lips and pointed to a set of private booths at the far end of the room. “It’s slow right now. Spend some time with me over there, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

Elron’s gaze briefly flickered over her naked body before he turned back to his mug. “I can’t. Unfortunately… I’m still in love with another.”

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She moved closer, her hands now massaging his neck. “That’s exactly why you need me. I’ll give you the half-elf discount,” she teased. “I know you guys have it rough.”

Again, Elron pushed her hand away, his tone growing colder. “One gold. You tell me what you know.”

Before she could respond, a loud crash echoed tWe hrough the room. Both turned their heads towards the source of the noise. In an instant, Elron vanished from his seat and reappeared inside one of the private booths.

“Help!” Kael’s desperate voice rang out as he struggled to push a small, furry woman off of him.

Elron grabbed the woman by the nape and hurled her into the wall. As she hit the floor, it became clear they were facing a bipedal rat creature, its mouth frothing. Elron drew his sword and slashed, but the creature was too fast. Sparks flew as its claws met his blade, deflecting it up and into the ceiling.

Before they could react, the creature shifted back into a large rat and scurried under the booth curtain, disappearing into the shadows.

Kael, still standing on a chair with his underwear around his ankles, exclaimed, “What the fuck was that?!”

Elron peeked out of the room, trying to track the rat, but it was long gone. He turned back to Kael, exasperated. “What happened?! I need every detail.”

Kael fumbled with his garments, still panicked. “Uh, well... she was—”

“She was what?! A ratman before or after you both started to have sex?” Elron demanded, his voice rising.

Kael continued to stammer, “No, I mean, at some point–”

“Pull up your pants and calm down. I can not talk to you like this,” commanded Elron.

Kael gathered himself and said, “Eh, hm, so here I was in this chair, having the absolute time of my life with this gnome–”

Elron put a hand up, and said, “Spare me the details. Next.”

“She said only to throw them coppers on her, which I did, but I ran out and threw some silver. That’s when her skin sizzled, and bam, ratwoman,” exclaimed Kael.

“So, we’re dealing with wererats?” he asked as he pintched his temples. “Were you bit?”

Kael smiled and said, “No, not exactly.”

Elron gagged, his patience running thin. “Let’s get out of here. Now.”

Both Kael and Elron quickly left the underground pleasure den, making their way back to the rental tree. As they entered, they found Slyra sitting on one of the kitchen stools, casually occupied with something in front of her.

Kael burst in first, his excitement barely contained. “Slyra! We discovered—”

“Wererats,” she said flatly, not even bothering to look up as she toyed with a small object on the counter.

Elron approached, piqued by her nonchalance. “How did you find out?”

She leaned back, pointing to a small metal cage on the counter. Inside, a large rat twitched and squealed in distress.

Both Elron and Kael crowded around the cage, their curiosity sparked.

“How?!” they exclaimed in unison.

Slyra poked at the rat with a silver rod, watching as it recoiled from the touch. “I overheard it talking to another rat in an alleyway. So I threw my dagger at it. Surprised it’s still alive, honestly.”

The two men watched as the silver rod singed the rat’s flesh on contact, the smell of burning fur filling the air.

“We’ve got the means to kill them,” Kael said, scratching his head, “but how are we supposed to find the rest?”

Slyra chewed the inside of her cheek, her eyes still focused on the writhing rat. “I’m working on that…”

Elron leaned in close, his face inches from the bars. “You said it talked in this form? Doesn’t look like it’s going to be saying much now.”

The rat layed on its side, tongue lolling, its labored breathing the only sign it was still alive. Elron rummaged through the living room, eventually finding an old healing elixir. He splashed it over the oily creature, watching as it rebounded almost instantly, standing on shaky legs.

With a sickening rasp, the rat spat, “Kill mes, you long-ears.”

Slyra furrowed her brow, jabbing it again with the silver rod. “I don’t like your tone.”

The rat hissed in pain, its skin sizzling on contact with the metal.

Elron leaned in, his expression dark. “Tell us where the rest of you are hiding.”

“Eat shit!” the rat snarled, clawing at him through the bars.

Kael laughed, shaking his head. “That went well.”

Slyra shot them both a look. “Shut up and think. What do wererats want most?”

The two exchanged glances. Elron shrugged. “I don’t know much about them beyond the name.”

Kael, however, paused, his brow furrowing in thought. “Money. They’re driven by greed,” he paused for a moment again and then finished with, “...and lust.”

Slyra smiled, clearly pleased with his deduction. “Exactly. So, what’s the price, you disgusting rat?” she said, pressing the rod into the cage again.

The rat batted at the rod with its tiny claws, hissing in frustration. “Nothing! Fuck you!”

Elron, familiar with the tried and true methods, dropped a large sack of silver coins onto the countertop next to the cage. The rat immediately flung itself against the bars, desperately clawing for the bag, its eyes glinting with greed.

Elron smirked. “As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.”

They all watched as the rat nearly injured itself in a frantic attempt to grab even a single coin.

“There are prettier pictures,” Slyra muttered, jabbing the rat once more.

“Give me the coins, and I tell you wheres!” the rat squealed, desperation creeping into its voice.

Kael slammed his hand on top of the cage, his voice firm. “Location first.”

The rat hesitated, its eyes darting between the group and the bag of silver. Finally, after a tense silence, it whispered, “The mines…”

Elron repeated the word, skepticism lining his voice. “The mines?”

Kael’s eyes lit up as the realization hit him. “He’s talking about the old copper mine just outside the town.”