I looked through Rat's eyes and saw what looked to be a cellar. I sift through Rat's surface thoughts without activating the contract's punishment, but it's filled with dreams of wealth and power until we hear a loud thud above us. Suddenly, Rat's mind is filled with dread and frustration as we listen to voices above us. I can't understand what they say, but Rat seems to recognize them. I skim his surface thoughts again and see 3 dangerous individuals of immense height working with Rat. They seem to push all the dirty jobs on Rat while taking the lion's share of anything of worth. 'I'll prove to them who really stands at the top and who should be truly feared.' Thought Rat as he smirked about how to punish his abusers. I feel frustrated having to deal with this creature. His mind is so scattered and drifting to do other things besides the reason I was summoned, but repeatedly redirecting him seems only to work as long there aren't new stimuli. My hunger seems to shift in my frustration, and I realize maybe I don't need to hollow out his to get him what I want. What if I add the humiliation and anger he felt when that noble stopped him so it's constantly persistent? A constant fog of rage and desire for that one ring in his mind should clean up his thoughts. At that moment, though, as I add the fog, I feel him even more frustrated and his thoughts become even more frantic. 'Yes, I'll show them just like I'll show that fat bastard. Yes, first them, then the ring.' Well, I guess that worked somewhat, but now he is charging out of the basement to get to the 3 men. I just gave up and let Rat run to his fate.

POV: Rat

'Finally, I'll show those bastards, but first, let's use this new power.' With a thought, I become flat against the wall as my body becomes a shadow. Most of my body size is the same but flat against the wall, and it's as if I had my back against the wall and I couldn't turn around to look at the wall. The darkness of the basement is easy to see through as I rise to the door of the basement and slide through the tiny gaps between the wall and the door gap a hallway that is too fucking bright. In my pain and anger, I attack the nearest mage light and I manage to snuff it out. That makes some of the pain go away, so I attack the rest of the mage lights until the hallway is pitch black. 'Damn, that hurts, so I guess I can't be in this form in the sun, or I might just die.' As I think over what happened I hear those bastards again, but they sound like they are in the main room. 'If I want to get one over those bastards I should lead them over her-NO! Fuck that! I have this power, and I'll show everyone how much better I truly am. Then I'll get that ring back and strangle that fucking noble with my own hands.' My imagination goes while picturing putting everyone in their place as I return to my normal body and leave the hallway.

As I enter the main area, the light illusion makes my eyes hurt as I hear the bastards at the bar ignoring the few others in the room. I stomped over to them and yelled. "Look who showed up." The bastards turn to look at me, the big one gets up and starts to walk over while the shady one just laughs. The small one looks at me like I have a second head and is about to say something, but the big one interrupts. "It seems this damn lizard needs to be taught a damn lesson talking to his betters." He says before trying to grab me, but I renter the shadows and move away, but then I'm forced back to my normal body. I feel the illusion of the room pulling at me and trying to contain me in this way. 'No this can't be happening!' I try harder to enter the shadows as the big one gets over his confusion and starts to circle me while the shady one joins him. The small one seems to say something that makes them wary, but I'm too focused on trying to flatten myself until I say fuck and just drop onto the floor and grab the floor. My brain feels like it's going to explode, but I'm able to grab something and it snaps. The room is plunged in shadow and I can enter my shadow form again. The bastards and everyone else in the room look confused, but I don't waste my time and rush to the big one, stabbing him with my dagger, but I miss. I tried to slash him a few times more, but it didn't work. One of my wild attacks seems to attack his shadow, and he gets a cut instead. 'Wait, how could there be a shadow when there is no light? Probably demon magic.' I think, before stabbing his shadow several times until the big one falls over. I rush to the shady one while he is pulling out a scroll. I stab him a few times until he seems to burn the scroll and the room is suddenly filled with light. I'm blinded and in so much pain when the small one points a stick at me and I feel a similar feeling as before, pulling on me trying to get me in my regular form.

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I run out of the hideout for the life of me under the full moon's light. After reaching a few blocks away, I returned to my normal form. 'Damn, that fucking hurts, and it even stings out here, but I managed to escape. If I wait a bit longer I could probably go back and - No, my ring first, then I'll come back when their guards are down.' I decided as I left the abandoned district and towards the east wall.

POV: Demon

Damn, that was draining, but I finally got this damn bastard to head to the ring. The worst part besides the light was helping Rat destroy the illusion of that damn room that seemed to be part of something bigger. The illusion hid the rotting walls of that abandoned mansion and kept the room lit without any 'mage lights' or any source of real light, but there were several other parts besides the illusion that felt like hands and eyes that were doing something and keeping Rat from using some of my powers. Since, in the eyes of the contract, that meant I wasn't doing my part of the deal, I forced Rat to the floor and grabbed one of the strings of magic that was woven into that room and pulled until it broke. It worked, but damn did it drain me. At this point, I just want this to be over, but the contract keeps me here and until one of its conditions is met I'm stuck. Well, at least I got some joy in destroying those 'mage lights' or whatever they are. They just looked like bundles of strings of magic tightly woven into themselves, but eating them was tasty. Let's hope this noble has a few more lying around.