The party spent the rest of that day gathering information about the merchant quarter infestation and preparing for tomorrow's expedition into the sewers. Kelsa spoke with other adventurers who'd heard about the failed attempts, while Torvin visited smiths to check on armor repairs and possible equipment upgrades.

  Essa went to one of the city's temples to acquire additional healing supplies and report the goblin operation findings to the religious order. Arin, meanwhile, explored the guild hall and observed how Thornbridge's adventurers operated compared to Greengate's more casual atmosphere.

  The difference was striking. Here, contracts were treated like business transactions with minimal socializing. Parties formed and disbanded based purely on capability and payment rather than friendship or loyalty. The bulletin boards were organized by rank and difficulty, with strict enforcement of who could take what contracts.

  "Different world, isn't it?" A familiar voice said behind Arin. He turned to find Peck standing there, his bow slung over his shoulder. Peck's party had apparently arrived earlier in the day.

  Y E S M O R E C O M P L I C A T E D

  "That's Thornbridge for you. Everything's about reputation and results here. Mess up a contract, and you'll have trouble finding party members or getting good postings." Peck gestured to a table where his party was reviewing a contract. "We're doing cave clearance outside the city. Nothing too exciting, but it pays decent and builds a reputation."

  G O O D L U C K W I T H I T

  "You too. I heard you're taking the Merchant Quarter sewers. That's a rough one." Peck lowered his voice. "One of the failed parties was from my guild back in Greengate. They said whatever's down there hunts in packs and knows how to set ambushes. Watch your backs."

  W I L D O T H A T

  When the party reconvened that evening at the inn they'd rented rooms in, everyone shared what they'd learned. The picture that emerged was concerning.

  "Three separate parties, all Bronze rank, all experienced," Kelsa recounted. "First party went in two weeks ago with five members. They encountered something in the dark that killed two of them before they could retreat. Described the attackers as fast-moving, coordinated, with high-pitched squeaking sounds."

  "Second party tried last week," Torvin added. "Four members, all wearing heavy armor. They made it further into the sewers but got separated when a tunnel behind them collapsed. One member died, the others barely escaped through an emergency grate."

  "The third party attempted it just three days ago," Essa said. "They brought a mage for light and offensive spells. The mage reported seeing glimpses of large rat-like creatures before something bit through his defensive ward and nearly severed his arm. They retreated immediately."

  Arin processed this information. The pattern suggested creatures that were intelligent enough to use tactics, strong enough to penetrate magical defenses, and organized enough to set ambushes and traps.

  S O U N D S L I K E D I R E R A T S B U T S M A R T E R

  "That's what I'm thinking too," Kelsa agreed. "But dire rats don't normally set ambushes or collapse tunnels. Either these are unusually intelligent, or there's something else commanding them."

  "Rat King," Torvin said grimly. "Dire rats sometimes form hives around a dominant specimen that grows to enormous size and develops rudimentary intelligence. If there's a Rat King in those sewers, we're dealing with a coordinated swarm, not just random monsters."

  "How do we fight something like that?" Essa asked.

  "Carefully," Kelsa said. "We can't just go in swinging. We need to scout first, map the sewer system, identify where the rats are nesting, and find the Rat King if there is one. Then we plan a specific assault rather than stumbling around in the dark until something kills us."

  She looked at Arin. "That's where you come in. Your Stealth and Darkvision make you the perfect scout for this. Tomorrow morning, you'll go in first alone, map what you can safely reach, and report back. We don't engage until we know what we're facing."

  I C A N D O T H A T

  The rest of the evening was spent planning logistics. They'd enter through the merchant quarter access point, where workers had last reported sounds before fleeing. Arin would scout for two hours maximum, then return regardless of what he found. If he didn't return within three hours, the party would assume something had gone wrong and mount a rescue attempt.

  "Don't take unnecessary risks," Kelsa emphasized. "Information is more valuable than kills right now. If you see something dangerous, avoid it and report back. We need to know what we're dealing with before we commit to a fight."

  That night, Arin had difficulty settling into rest despite his exhaustion. Tomorrow would be his first major solo operation since the forest, his first time acting as the party's primary scout in a truly hostile environment. The responsibility weighed on him.

  Levi would have loved this challenge.

  The puzzle of mapping unknown territory, identifying threats, and finding the right approach.

  His creator had always approached problems methodically, gathering information before acting. Arin would honor that memory by doing the same.

  Morning came too early. The party gathered at the merchant quarter access point as the sun rose, finding a locked grate leading down into darkness. Kelsa had obtained the key from the guildmaster and handed it to Torvin.

  "Last chance to back out," she said, looking at Arin. "Once you're down there, we can't help you directly. If something goes wrong, you're on your own until you can reach the exit."

  I U N D E R S T A N D R E A D Y T O D O T H I S

  Torvin unlocked the grate, and the smell of sewer immediately wafted up, a mixture of waste, damp stone, and something else. Something organic and rotten that made even Arin's core pulse with unease.

  "Two hours," Kelsa reminded him. "Three hours maximum. Then we come looking, whether you're ready or not."

  Arin descended into darkness, his Darkvision activating automatically as light faded. The sewers were older than he'd expected, built from stone that showed centuries of water damage and repair. The main channel ran straight for about fifty feet before branching into multiple tunnels.

  Decision time. Which way?

  He activated Stealth, his essence immediately beginning to drain at the usual rate, and chose the rightmost tunnel. It sloped downward, suggesting that it led deeper into the system, where waste was collected before flowing toward the river.

  [-3 Essence per minute]

  The tunnel widened into a larger chamber where multiple channels converged. Water flowed sluggishly through a central trough, and Arin could see several exits leading in different directions. The smell was stronger here, almost overwhelming even to his less sensitive perception.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Then he heard it. Scratching. Multiple sources, coming from one of the side tunnels.

  Arin flowed silently toward the sound, keeping to shadows and moving slowly. The scratching grew louder, accompanied by occasional high-pitched squeaks that confirmed Torvin's theory.

  Dire rats.

  He peered around a corner and saw them, at least a dozen creatures the size of large dogs, all covered in mangy fur and festering sores. They were tearing at something, and after a moment, Arin realized it was a human body, probably a worker who'd ventured down here and never returned.

  [Dire Rat - Level 5]

  [Dire Rat - Level 4]

  [Dire Rat - Level 5]

  [Dire Rat - Level 6]

  Multiple Level 5 rats with one Level 6 that seemed to be directing the others. Not individually threatening to his party, but a dozen of them in these tight quarters would be dangerous.

  Arin carefully marked this location in his mental map and continued exploring, following the main channel deeper. The sewers formed a complex network, with side tunnels branching in multiple directions. Some were clearly maintenance accesses for workers, others seemed to lead to older sections that had been sealed off.

  He encountered more rats as he progressed, always in groups, never alone. They seemed to be patrolling the sewers in organized patterns, which confirmed the intelligence theory. Something was directing these creatures.

  After ninety minutes of careful exploration, Arin found what he was looking for. A large chamber deeper in the system, clearly a major junction where multiple main channels converged. And in the center of that chamber, surrounded by at least two dozen dire rats, was the Rat King.

  [Rat King - Level 10]

  The creature was enormous, easily the size of a horse, with fur that had mostly fallen out, revealing scarred and diseased flesh. One eye was milky white with cataracts, while the other glowed with disturbing intelligence. Multiple rats scurried over its body, tending to it like servants with a monarch.

  This was the source of the organization, the creature commanding the rat swarms. And at Level 10, it was at least as strong as Arin himself.

  He watched for several minutes, observing how the rats moved and communicated. They used a combination of squeaks and body language, with the Rat King occasionally making deeper sounds that seemed to convey commands. The swarm responded immediately to these sounds, organizing into groups and dispersing down different tunnels.

  This is the target. Kill the Rat King, and the swarm loses coordination.

  But attacking it directly would be suicide. Two dozen dire rats plus the King itself, all in a confined space where Arin's party would have limited room to maneuver. They'd need a better plan than a frontal assault.

  He was about to retreat when movement caught his attention. One of the side tunnels showed signs of recent excavation, with fresh dirt and broken stone. The rats had been digging, expanding the sewer system for some purpose.

  Arin followed this tunnel carefully, his Stealth burning essence steadily but keeping him hidden. The excavated section led to what appeared to be a basement or foundation of one of the buildings above. The rats had created a route into the city itself, probably how they'd been stealing supplies and causing damage.

  This is important. This explains how they've been so effective.

  As he turned to head back, Arin heard a different sound. Footsteps. Heavy ones, echoing from the tunnel he'd just traversed.

  A human emerged from the darkness, carrying a lantern and wearing worker's clothing. The man was muttering to himself, clearly unaware of what lurked in the sewers. He'd probably been sent to check on the damage and had no idea about the dire rats.

  Arin faced a choice. Let the man walk into danger, or reveal himself and warn him. The first option kept his Stealth intact and allowed him to return with his information safely. The second risked everything for someone who was stupid enough to come down here alone.

  What would Levi do?

  The answer was obvious. His creator would save the man, regardless of risk.

  Arin deactivated Stealth and flowed directly into the man's path, forming letters on his mass.

  D A N G E R R A T S E V E R Y W H E R E R U N N O W

  The man stumbled backward, his lantern swinging wildly. "What the—it's a slime! Gods preserve me, a red slime!"

  M O N S T E R S I N S E W E R S L E A V E N O W B E F O R E T H E Y F I N D Y U

  To his credit, the man only needed a moment to process this. He turned and ran back the way he'd come, his footsteps echoing through the tunnels. But the damage was done. The sudden noise and light had attracted attention.

  Squeaking sounds multiplied, coming from multiple directions. The rats knew someone was here now, and they were converging on this location.

  Arin activated Stealth again and flowed toward the exit as fast as he could move. Behind him, he could hear the scratching of claws on stone as the rat swarm gave chase.

  [-3 Essence per minute]

  He took a different route than he'd mapped, choosing speed over caution, flowing through channels barely large enough for his mass. The rats pursued relentlessly, their superior knowledge of the sewer system allowing them to keep pace despite his head start.

  A tunnel opened into a junction, and Arin saw three rats waiting there. Ambush.

  [Dire Rat - Level 6]

  [Dire Rat - Level 5]

  [Dire Rat - Level 5]

  They'd predicted his route and cut him off. Smart. Terrifyingly smart.

  Arin deactivated Stealth and used Charge, slamming into the Level 6 rat with enough force to knock it aside. He flowed past before the other two could react, but claws raked across his mass as he passed.

  [-18 Mass]

  Pain shot through his core, but he couldn't stop. More rats were coming from behind, and ahead he could see daylight filtering down from the grate.

  Kelsa's voice echoed from above. "Arin? Was that you?"

  H E R E C O M I N G U P F A S T R A T S F O L L O W I N G

  "Get clear!" Kelsa shouted to the others.

  Arin burst from the grate into daylight, his mass depleted and essence dangerously low. Behind him, rats poured up from the sewers, at least a dozen of them, squeaking furiously.

  Torvin's warhammer met the first rat that emerged, crushing its skull. Kelsa's sword took another. Essa's holy magic blazed, creating a barrier that the rats couldn't easily cross.

  "Fall back!" Kelsa commanded. "Let them come!"

  The party retreated from the grate in an organized manner, creating distance while continuing to engage the rats that pursued them. But after the first wave, the creatures stopped emerging. They'd made their point—the sewers were their territory, and they'd defend it fiercely.

  When the fighting ended and the surviving rats had retreated back underground, Arin checked his Status with alarm.

  [Current Mass: 168% of base]

  [Current Essence: 47/180]

  He'd lost significant mass and burned most of his essence between Stealth and the fighting. But more importantly, he had the information the party needed.

  "What did you find?" Kelsa asked as they moved away from the grate.

  R A T K I N G L E V L 1 0 I N D E E P C H A M B E R

  T W O D O Z E N D I R E R A T S W I T H I T T H E Y U S E T A C T I C S A N D A M B U S H E S

  Arin formed more letters, describing everything he'd seen—the organization patterns, the excavated tunnels into city basements, the Rat King's apparent intelligence. The party listened intently, and Kelsa's expression grew more serious with each detail.

  "A Level 10 Rat King with an organized swarm," she said. "That's significantly worse than we hoped, but it's also exactly what we needed to know."

  "Can we fight it?" Torvin asked.

  "Not directly. Not in their territory with them controlling the environment." Kelsa thought for a moment. "But if we can separate the King from its swarm, isolate it somehow..."

  "The excavated tunnels," Essa suggested. "If we could lure it into one of those and collapse the passage behind it, we'd face just the King without the swarm."

  I C A N L E A D I T T H E R E I F W E M A K E P L A N

  "That's risky," Kelsa said. "You'd be the bait, which means facing a Level 10 monster alone until we could join you."

  I H A V E D O N E I T B E F O R E

  "You have," Kelsa agreed. "But this is different. The hobgoblin shaman didn't have home territory advantage and backup swarms. This does."

  They debated strategies for the next hour, eventually settling on a plan that balanced risk with effectiveness. Tomorrow, they'd enter the sewers as a group, use Arin's knowledge of the layout to navigate safely, and set up a controlled fight in one of the larger chambers where they'd have room to maneuver.

  But tonight, Arin needed to rest and recover. He'd pushed himself hard during the scouting mission, and tomorrow's fight would require him at full capacity.

  As the party returned to their inn to prepare, Arin reflected on what he'd learned about himself today. He could scout effectively, map complex environments, and make tactical decisions under pressure. But he'd also discovered limitations—his essence drained too quickly when using Stealth for extended periods, and his relatively small mass made him vulnerable to sustained damage.

  I’ll be Level 10 soon. Once this contract is complete. And then Silver rank. One step closer to being strong enough for Vyrdan.