“They’re ratlings. Or at least, I think so.” Anne said while contemplating Rick’s description.
The hunter was still being tended by the foxkin healer. Fortunately, except for two deep cuts on his ankle and abdomen, the injuries were superficial and could be easily healed by the biomancer. Hakon decided to only use healing essence on the deep cuts while the rest would be left to heal naturally. Even so, he still applied some ointment to accelerate the process and prevent infection. There were such things as overhealing and disrupting the body’s recovery mechanism.
The mood in the bookstore had improved considerably after the healer vouched for the hunter’s well-being and replaced the hurriedly wrapped dressings with the proper bandages. Only then, Rick had started recounting the events of his expedition.
“Ratlings?” Both the dwarves and trio asked almost at the same time.
“Well, there’re not many beings that fit your description… I’m not surprised that you haven’t heard of it.” Anne explained while serving everybody some tea, and after taking a sip herself, she continued.
“I have never seen one myself, only read about the rat-like beings in a few ancient books. The most… trustworthy mention comes from a travels’ journal of an elf bard from the times of old.” The bookmancer revealed before taking another sip. That particular story would need context, which would bring them to a discussion about the history of the continent.
Realizing that she had caught everybody’s uncontested attention, Anne decided to go all in. She left the room through the door behind the counter, which nobody thought strange; they knew she was going to get some books to work her craft. And three minutes later she returned carrying a handful of books, thus proving their guess right.
Talking about events from more than seven centuries ago was complicated since there were usually different versions of history. Which got even more difficult when going back to the time before the Wall as known records of that time were unexistent. However, ancient history had been the life work of some ancestors of her line, so she had enough material to dabble in it.
“Well, I’ll first refer to the work of one of my ancestors, ‘Mysteries of the Wall’ by Naera Wordkeeper. Little is known, both in rumors and facts, about the Wall. However, extensive research shows a progressive decay of the magic that keeps its existence, proving the rumors that the Wall was not always and one day it would not be. According to the decay, we can estimate the age of the Wall at – I’m updating the years – sometime between 1150 to 1560 years ago. Unfortunately, no records of such time remain, and only a few unrelated reports written at a later time mention what lies on the other side. The mainstream explanation theorizes that the spell of the Wall itself erased the records. Therefore, the only relatively reliable historical fact is the existence and demise of an empire on the other side of the Wall, referred to as the Old Empire, or the Fallen Empire, in the reports. ” The storeowner read the book slowly to allow them to digest the information.
Anne closed the book and left to prepare more tea while the others discussed what they knew about the Wall. More than anything, the book made them realize how little they actually knew about it. It was common knowledge that ‘the wall stood for a thousand years’, but they never questioned why or the truth of the statement. Asha and Dorgh had heard about the ‘Old Empire’ but only some vague tales. Soon, the bookmancer was back with more tea, and the next book followed.
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“Now, let’s move on to the ratlings. In the ‘Collection of references to the Old Empire’ also by Naera Wordkeeper, we can find the story of the elf bard. In my childhood years, my father took me to visit the Old Empire, way before its fall… At first, I was terrified of those rat-like servants, but then I became used to them. They can be humorous and so helpful. I feel bad for only rewarding them with my used things, but they seem to want nothing but it.” Anne read the report much faster as the subject was easier to understand. This time, she didn’t give them time to discuss and picked the next book.
“The ‘Odd creatures and other lifeforms’ is a compendium that gathers information and rumors about non-conventional beings. Ratlings are not part of the beastkin races, nor related to micekin. They do not have cores, and thus can not be considered magic beasts. In the stories, the ratlings are mostly referred to as servants that only accept knowledge or objects as payment. There are no indications of them being hostile, and some stories even describe them as easy to coward. ” She read before closing the book.
Both the trio and Rick, who were the most interested in a way to deal with the ratlings, didn’t know what to do with the information. They would rather hear about some weakness or a novel way of circumventing the problem.
The cave below the mountains opened many possibilities to them, the most important being a path to advance and the means to support their future studies and training. However, nothing came without a cost. To explore the cave safely they had to find a way to deal with those beings. The books might describe them as non-hostile, but the hunter’s injuries were proof enough of their danger.
Anne noticed the uncomfortable silence; it wasn’t difficult for her to guess the direction of their thinking. Yet, she just smiled and took another sip of the tea, giving them time to process the information.
“Currently, the ratlings are an obstacle to the safe exploration of the cave, but I don’t think that position is set in stone. I have a few more books here that might give you some ideas, free of charge, and I even marked the useful pages. I suggest you study them and then come up with a plan that leverages the ratlings instead. It’s always better to engage diplomatically than in battle.” The bookmancer advised while passing them the books.
“Now, excuse me. I believe I have some matters to discuss with Miss Asha regarding a common friend and that beast tied in my backyard.” Anne stated and then gave Rick an encouraging glance before turning to the elf.
The hunter dozed off for a moment; his eyes sparkled as if he had remembered something.
“I’m sorry, I almost forgot. I brought this game for the grey wolf…” He said while untying a fox from his back.
The loot wasn’t worth much, but it would provide some nutrition to the beast. Before entering the cave, Rick had set some traps around his hunting area. Sadly, he only got the small fox, which would end up as sustenance for his potential future familiar. He had been bringing food for the beast regularly, but nothing as expensive as meat.
Anne asked Moruh to take the fox and fed it to the wolf, and then invited Asha to talk in private. She left the counter and accompanied the elf to one of the furthest tables where they wouldn’t be heard. When they sat, the elf wanted to say something, but storeowner spoke first.
“I’ll not ask yours or your family’s secret.” She started, and after observing Asha calming down, she continued.
“Whatever the reason the Clows had to send an Overseer, thus risking breaking the borderland’s balance and war, I would suggest your father to delay word about this cave as much as possible.” Anne said directly without trying to be subtle.
The mention of the Overseer and the ‘suggestion’ left Asha speechless.
“It’s just a suggestion, don’t read too much into it…” She explained.
“I… understand. But how can we… convince Yana not to mention it when she learns about it?” The elf accepted the advice, still confused. Then, she asked a question that came into her mind.
“You don’t have to be concerned about her… It’s in her interest to keep it a secret, for now… I would pay attention to any… informants around her, though.” Anne answered.
Asha was shocked by the level of insight that the storeowner seemed to have. She wondered if Anne knew about everything, and if she even cared. Anne’s actions and confidence gave the elf a feeling that the bookstore was above it all. Above her father’s, the nation’s, and even the continent’s interests.