Chapter 106 – The Isolist and the Rat-Kin

Down below the chasm, where the Isolist defends their tribe against the rat-kin, the enemy of the Isolist who had been guarding the caverns of Morose for years. The Caverns of Morose was built by the Isolist when the sun flared up. Once upon a time, it was cold and dark, the Isolist prospered for years. They manage to build houses under the gray sky but it vanished when the sun appeared to coat the world. The Isolist retreated back to their caverns. They build their cities inside the Caverns. Morose, the leader of the Isolist was one of the founding fathers. The Isolist were naturally pacifistic creatures. But even creatures like them cannot sleep still near the rat-kins.

The Rat-Kins are vermin’s of this world. The Isolist are peaceful creatures. They are inherently good yet they could not stand the vermin’s who lives by filth. They can tolerate creates and even forgive dire monsters. But the vermin’s are filth. They are mindless creatures that live through cannibalizing. They only seek war and their way of life was built through crushing their foes and eating them. They are filthy. They pollute the land and they breed too fast.

Now in the caverns of Morose, the Isolist took their stand. The Rat-kin did something. They succeeded in calling the void through the space storm. It started when a rat-kin priest escaped from the craters. This rat-kin priest sacrificed the lives of its kin to venture to the vast desert where it detected the space storm. This space storm called forth many things from different voids. Beings, creatures, and malignant evil that was born from the randomness of the void, they invaded the realm while the rat-kind priest had a vision of their end. It was a simple vision that illuminated the rat-kin. This angered the rat-kind and it returned stealthily back to its home to proclaim the vision it had. Through the vision, they made shrines of their malicious god. The God of Vermins, Rak-Zal had acknowledged their presence. The God Rak-Zal was fairly surprised at the presence of these humanoid rats. It was amused to the point it bellowed and gave the vile beings sentient minds.

With the rat-kins enlightened. They have started carving weapons out of stones. They made bows and crossbows out of the hair and bones of their food. They captured the Isolist soldiers and fattened them like livestock. The Isolist of the Morose Caverns were getting uneasy. The Tribe Chieftain of the Isolist named Solero gathered his leaders. He called for their vigilance. The leaders nodded their heads and went away leaving only Sol-One standing still with his bug-bow across his back.

Sol-One wanted to know why the chieftain wanted to call for him. The Chieftain said his worries and Sol-One grew uneasy at the prospect of the rat-kin and the chieftain wanted Sol-One to stay vigilant. Sol-One, however, clenched his fist and spoke what he wanted. He wanted help from the other tribes. But hearing this made the Chieftain angry. He made Sol-One leave the longhouse.

Sol-One left the Chief’s longhouse with anger on his face. He looked at the village that he has stayed and grew furious at the thought of his home being destroyed.

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The Rat-Kin of the bellows roared. Their numbers have grown to the point that a single cavern could not sustain them anymore. Usually, it only takes one giant worm to feed the whole tribe. But now it took them a dozen or more. The Rat-Kin priest took the name Zal-Vak and frowned. He sat on his stone throne and watched his hungry kin. A five-foot-tall rat-kin approached Zal-Vak. He complained to Zal-Vak how little the food they got.

“Priest-Kin. We cannot continue longer than this. Many little Kin dead. Many fellow Kin hungry. I say we go for a campaign. Rat-Kin need food!”

Zal-Vak tapped his staff. He closed his eyes and opened it. “Rak-Zal says that it is time. Gather all Rat-Kin. Gather all weapons. We shall wage war and conquer the Morose.”

The giant Rat-Kin squeaks joyfully. He galloped away from the priest’s throne and went to its kin shouting war chants. The rat-Kin who heard the cry roared in a war cry. The small and the hungry rat-kin were given stone spears. Some were given crude stone weapons that were tied merely by veins.

The Giant Rat-Kin named Vol-Zak led the rat-kin out of the cavern. The Priest of the tribe watched them go. It tapped its staff and prayed to their God for glory.

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Sol-One stood alone in a blue-spotted mushroom tower that was turned into a watchtower. He was still fuming in anger and was trying to calm himself by guarding. But never would have Sol-One thought that in his years of guarding for the tribe. He would see a horde of Rat-Kin carrying weapons towards their tribe. Seeing this tide of vermins coming at them Sol-One sounded the alarm.

The People of the Isolist stiffened at the alarm. They are pacifistic but despite that, they were hardened veterans of attrition. They are hunters of the Caverns of Morose and as if a switch was turned. They armed themselves and went straight to their walls where they formed a firing line.

Sol-One stood along with his fellow leaders. The once gray soil of was now filled with squeaking vermins. He could see as many of them and it made him wonder how they could go grow so fast in numbers. But it didn’t matter for Sol-One and the others. They formed firing lines and troopers were ready to take the brunt of the first attacks. They formed a shield wall accompanied with spears.

The giant rat-kin bellowed at its kin. It pointed its weapon at the enemy and like a tide, the Rat-Kin engaged the Isolist. The Isolist tribe readied themselves like professionals. They propped themselves up and when the Rat-Kin were closed. They open fired and slaughtered the first wave with their bug-bows. The rest who went unscathed met the Rat-Kins. The Rat-Kin were not as tall as the Isolist but they had the brute strength. Some of the Isolist were able to kill but some died as fast when they got swarmed.

Sol-One continued giving his orders. It was then that the Isolist met eyes with the war leader of the Rat-Kin Vol-Zak. Their eyes met and murderous intent was clear in their eyes.

Then the battle below the Caverns of Morose started. It was a battle that the people above wouldn’t know.