Quill carefully stepped towards the trap door, half expecting it to suddenly burst open with some crazed drooling monster whose favorite meal being his innards.

“You know I'm starting to suspect all this fighting and being surrounded by hostile forces isn't doing so great for your psyche.” She happily chipped in with a comment he couldn't tell was being serious or just taking the piss.

“Of course this is having a negative effect on my psyche. Any sane person would be feeling the negative effects of constant bloodshed, killing and fighting on the edge of survival. And don't you dare say it.”

“Say what?”

“You were going to say something about it being good that I'm not actually sane. So don't say it.”

“Oh my gosh, you can read my thoughts and know what I'm about to say before I say it. We truly are destined for each other aren't we~.” He could practically taste the sheer exuberance from her voice but before he could respond that she was just predictable, more knocks on the trapdoor echoed through the hall.

“How rude, interrupting our moment like this! Might as well answer it seeing as how it will probably just keep interrupting.”

“This is going against my better judgment but okay.” He mumbled as he headed towards the trap door, putting away the slightly damaged throne which removed the blockade. He quickly jumped back several paces, taking his crossbow out and aiming it towards the trap door.

“The blockade is gone, you can open the door, but slowly.” He shouted out loud enough that he believed whoever was in the tunnels could hear.

The trap door opened slowly and a pair of rat kin hands stuck out of the crack followed by a voice “Take ease human. I mean no harm. Would only be detrimental to me if I did”

Quill softened a little but still remained ready as Ssevinac lifted up the trapdoor and hopped onto the floor. He made a hand gesture behind him followed by a couple of squeaks before turning back to face Quill “You seem on edge so I have told the few guards accompanying me to stay behind in the tunnels would that be okay?”

“ yeah… yeah.” Quill rubbed his forehead as he lowered the crossbow. “Sorry it's been a very long” he paused for a second. “However long it's been, it's been very long… not even sure if that makes sense.”

“In an odd sort of way it does.” Ssevinac looked around before turning to face him “is Iirilac dead?”

His tension quickly came back as he stood on guard. “Yes.” he answered carefully “We were going to ambush the rat kins that were sent to kill me but got caught in a battle between both their forces and the roaches. I’m afraid Iirilac didn't make it.”

Technically the truth even if it was a lie by omission, but seeing as how he didn't know if there was a skill that could detect lies and truths he decided it was best to tell the truth even if he was leaving out a few details.

“I don't know why you're so worried even if he had a skill that was like that, the fact that you didn't break the contract and lose a bunch of levels means you didn't kill him and you didn't betray him. I want you to imagine me winking at you right now.”

He ignored her comment as he monitored Ssevinac closely. Thankfully he didn't seem like he was going to suddenly attack him as he spoke. “I was afraid of that human. When he didn't contact me after I got the notification that the King was dead I was afraid he had died in battle. Though I had expected it to be with the King and not in the tunnels. A fate that he did not deserve.”

He looked somber and Quill felt like he could see water building up in his eyes for a second before the Rat Kin became stoic. “Human, if you could show me where he fell, I would like to secure his body for a proper funeral assuming it is not too late.”

“I can show you on the map right now if you so wish.” He answered as he took out his map, pretending to get out of his pants pocket to avoid suspicion on the storage ring.

He showed Ssevinac the dome that Iirilacs body lay in, Ignoring the nagging guilt that tried to eat at him while doing so as the Rat Kin nodded. “If you'll excuse me for one moment I am going to send some of my guards to collect his body”

Quill nodded and watched the Rat Kin head back into the tunnels.

“Now that we're alone, are you done ignoring me? You know if you continue to ignore me, even when we're around other people, I might start Start suspecting that you are hanging around people just to ignore me. If that's the case I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands and start isolating you from everyone. I'm sure you don't want that right?”

he suppressed to shiver and quickly shook his head “No, no, I don't want that.”

“Then?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“I promise I won't ignore you even when I'm around other people. Also I'm sorry!” he hastily added that last part just to be safe.

“Aw! Good boy. at least you noticed your mistake.”

Ssevinac emerged from the tunnels, dusting himself off a bit which offered a welcoming distraction. “I have a request of you human, if you are willing to hear me out.”

Before Quill could respond her voice chimed in. “Testing testing one two three, are you sure you aren't ignoring me?”

“I'm not ignoring you, see? But I am in the middle of a conversation so please…..” And now he had rhymes in his head, damn did he just want to lie in bed.

“Um… human.” Ssevinac spoke with some hesitancy dragging Quill back to the present trying to tune out the laughter from her.

“Sorry, what was your request?”

The Rat Kink eyed him in an expression that he couldn't quite read due to the fact that he had a literal rat face but If you were to hazard a guess, they were definitely thinking he was losing it. “ My request is that you let me bring my people back here. there is much more room and it will be easier to defend.”

“Oh that's it? yeah sure, I don't really care.”

“Now I know you might be hesitant t-... wait what?” Ssevinac usual calm and collected demeanor broke slightly.

“I said yeah sure. Even if I was staying here, which I'm not because I have to kill the roaches due to the contract I have signed, I still wouldn't care. Besides, that station you were keeping your people in seemed in a pretty miserable state. No offense.”

“No! None taken! That was exactly why I was asking. I was just a little surprised you agreed so quickly.” He answered

“So am I actually. Why did you agree so quickly? I mean he isn't on the kill list… yet... But he's still untrustworthy, as are his people.”

Thankfully he could answer both of them in one go and not look like a crazy person. “It's not really a big deal, your people will get slaughtered or at least will suffer more casualties if they stay where they are right?”

“That is correct.” he answered with some hesitation.

“Okay so it's really not a hard decision now is it?”

“No. I suppose it isn't.” he seemed a little contemplative at that which unfortunately stretched into an awkward silence.

“ Well…. I can see you are going to be a very busy rat so I am just going to take off now.”

“Ah! One moment human, if I could ask a favor. Would you stay and guard the station while I gather my people and bring them here? I don't want the roaches to claim this area while it is left undefended.”

“Yeah I can do that.” he answered with a small sigh. While he did want to take care of the roaches as soon as he could, he didn't want to leave Ssevinac and his people high and dry like that. Plus he could also just use the extended break and if he was being totally honest, that played more of a part in his decision than anything.

Ssevinac nodded in respect “Then I shall hurry, thank you again human.” And the Rat Kin jumped back down into the tunnels with Quill shutting the trap door and placing the throne back on top.

“You and that soft heart of yours. Personally I would have said to just go and kill the roaches while letting them fend for themselves. It's not like you actually owe them anything. Plus you are kind of on a time limit here.”

“It's not about owing them, it's about doing the right thing. If I can minimize the casualties, even if it's only a hypothetical, why wouldn't I?

“As for the time limit, it's not like we actually know how much time I have because this faulty, buggy, piece of shit system doesn't actually tell me anything. So might as well keep going as I have been going. If the system wants me to complete these quests in a timely manner it would tell me how much time I actually had left.”

“You know you talk about saving lives but aren't you about to commit a genocide on roaches?”

Quail smiled a little at that which quickly earned a response from her “Oh no you don't. You are not keeping whatever you're planning from me here. Spill.”

“Well the contract I signed has a clause in it that if both Ssevinac and I agree, we can nullify the contract. And the system quest simply states that I need to destroy the spawners for the roaches. I don't need to actually wipe out the roaches themselves. So I am thinking that if I can get the roach king to agree to a peace treaty with Ssevinac maybe I can avoid doing that kind of genocide.”

“Okay and how are you planning on accomplishing this?” he could tell from her voice that she was skeptical.

“No idea but I figured I'd at least ask for a meeting with the roach king to figure out what he wants and kind of go from there.”

“Very well I will follow your lead. But try not to be too upset if things don't work out quite as you want. Also I reserve the right to say I told you so when it does go the way that I think it does.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence”

“Oh, I have total confidence in you. I just don't have confidence in everyone else and you will need everyone else to go along with what you want.”

She had a point there, still though he felt the need to try anyway. He was pretty sure any sane person in his position would try to do the same.

There wasn't much left for him to do except to wait. Sure he probably could have continued testing his various limits to see how strong he was, fast, Etc. but A. he didn't really feel like it anymore and B. if he was to be attacked by roaches he wanted to make sure he was in top condition.

He did wish he had some way to monitor the tunnels though. Having his enhanced hearing on helped but he didn't know if the roaches had rogues or assassins that could move quietly. Now that he thought about it though, wouldn't a dead cursed sin mean that the Metro tunnels were a little safer to travel through? He'd have to warn Ssevinac about that just in case there was a sneak attack.

He laid down next to the trap door and throne, keeping his ears open for any possible movement beneath him but otherwise just stared up at the ceiling admiring the beautiful artwork above.

Who knows how long he just laid there. Not to hammer home a point but he really did not have any concept of time left inside of him. This was only one of the things that were worrying him.

When he slept all he dreamed were tunnels, rats, blood and hands trying to grab him. When he tried to think about trees, the sun, animals, and the moon, he couldn't help but shake and nagging feeling that the memories were off. Like What he remembered wasn't what it actually was.

“Well it's a good thing you have me at least.” her comments snapped him out of his own thoughts.

“I need to get out of here” was his only response