24) The Potter’s Dam

  I knew I wasn't going to have more than a few moments before the invaders reached the bottom of the shaft leading up to the tunnel at the bottom of the steps…

  Which wasn’t actually part of my Dungeon, but then it didn’t need to be, did it?

  Since the first Ratling had somehow smelled the broken glass, which I now realized I should have removed to prevent that from happening again, I now knew I couldn’t count on the illusion covering the door as the bottom of the steps to protect me.

  I had the Undine and the Skeleton begin to fill a crate with pots, plates, and mugs.

  “Viola? How many and how long do we have?”

  Through Caesar’s eye, I could see the Fairy close her eyes and turn to face the direction of the shaft. “Five of them. Four of them have knives and spears, and shields made of barrel tops. Which are pretty crappy, in fact, all of their stuff is shit. One of them looks empty handed and is covered up in a hooded cloak, but it looks a lot nicer than that first guy’s.

  "They seem to be following marks left on the walls to get here, and they are moving pretty slowly, trying to be careful, I guess. I don’t think they know exactly what happened to the first one.”

  Which meant I had a few minutes to work with.

  I let the Earth Snake continue closing off the bottom of the door except for a hole just big enough for it to crawl out through to appear at someone’s feet, but which would be too small for a Dread Roach to get through. And after the Skeleton made its way down the steps. I put the Stone Spider into play.

  There was no information as to how strong, or how visible a crystal web was, but I hoped there was at least enough time for it to spin a single strand of it at about ankle height for a Ratling. Right inside the illusion but below the bottom step.

  It would work, or it wouldn’t. I still wanted to try.

  They were coming to kill me, if I didn’t kill them all, I was going to die.

  Which would probably be pretty bad for Viola as well. Not that I would care since I would already be dead. But what happened to a Dungeon Fairy if they lost their Dungeon?

  … I’ll ask Unity. Asking Viola would probably just upset her.

  The Dungeon Fairy fluttered up close to Caesar’s snout. “Fell. They’re here.”

  At least the waiting was over. I sent my Innate Summons down the steps over to where the Skeleton and Nemo the Undine stood by a box of various things over the top of the shaft leading down. Peering over, the Fire Lizard could see the first of the Ratlings down below. A white muzzled one with a scar running over and under a gaping empty eye socket looked back up at Caesar with one of his hands on the slot ladder cut into the side of the shaft.

  It jumped back out of sight before the Skeleton could hurl the cooking pot it was holding above its head down at the Ratling's head.

  Through Caesar, I could hear it shout out, “Beast. Up high.” Apparently, he had only seen the Fire Lizard, not the Skeleton.

  The Ratling’s voice was shrill and squeaky. The voice that answered it was deeper, at least slightly, but somehow wet sounding. “Well, go and kill it. I could use the money from the Core.”

  Ha. Caesar doesn't even have a core...

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Hold up, he does. I am his Core.

  I think I dislike this 'Master'.

  There was a sigh, and the old Ratling spoke again. “Master… you wanted to talk to someone here. Someone who animated a skeleton. They might have a Beast for a familiar as well.”

  The deeper voice cleared its throat. “Ah, true. Very well." Then they yelled. "I wish to parlay!”

  ...Huh?

  Viola fluttered down next to Caesar while hanging well back out of sight from the top of the shaft. “It means he wants to talk Fell.”

  Hrmm. “Yes, I know what parlay means. But why, and how are we going to manage that? He can’t hear me unless I let him get closer to my Core.”

  Or I move my Core closet to him. Which isn't happening.

  The Fairy stood there scratching her head. “Then I guess I'm going to have to do the talking.”

  Shrugging, she poked Caesar in the ribs. “Make his Nibs lower that pot down and hold it at an angle near the top of the shaft.”

  I could hear a discussion down below as the deeper voice, the so called master, spoke to the Ratling. “Brute One, I think it’s just a random beast. You just going to have to go up there and kill so I can send Proxy Two up there.”

  Thankfully, as the pot now was more or less aimed at the shaft, my Dungeon Fairy could now interrupt their conversation as she flew up and began to yell into it with what I imagined to be her deepest voice.

  “Speak.”

  A younger looking Ratling stepped forward and peered up the shaft. It was wearing a cloak made from a cheap but newer looking gray cloth compared to the rags the first Ralting had worn. Its eyes glimmered with a green light from deep within its sockets, and it spoke with the voice of the one called Master.

  Proxy Two I was guessing, which meant whoever was speaking was… something.

  A Tamer maybe?

  It threw its hand out to one side and bowed. “I am Wernip Tord, of the Old Quarter Tords. And who do I have the pleasure of speaking to.”

  Viola spun around in the air and shrugged at Caesar before turning back to the pot.

  “Vee.”

  The Ratling bobbed in place with its hand still outstretched as if urging Viola to add more to that, then shrugged before continuing. “I seem to have misplaced one of my servants near here. My apologies if it intruded on your claim, but I was in search of a debtor who I believe to be hiding near here. Perhaps you know of him. Jerric Shobelson, also called Nictob?”

  I can see why he went with Nictob. Jerric… What were the Shobelsons thinking of to name their kid that?

  The Fairy looked at the Fire Lizard, and I shook the Fire Lizard’s head.

  Viola shouted into the pot. “No. Leave.”

  The Ratling stared up with its glowing green eyes for a moment before it stepped back with a command to the other Ratling. “Get up there, kill everything.”

  The older Ratling was the first to step up, holding up a battered lid from a barrel reinforced with scraps of leather nailed onto it to shield its face and a spear held poised to throw up the shaft. Even as three younger Ratlings slipped past him to begin to climb up the shaft as quickly as they could.

  The first one made it halfway up before taking a pot to the head that sent it dropping back down on top of the next one on the ladder below it. It nearly tore the second one free of the slots carved into the wall as well before the first one tumbled free to land in the arms of the older Ratlings who had cast his shield and spear aside to catch the Ratling who had taken a pot to the head.

  Growling, the elder turned and stepped out of Caesar's sight before it took a deep breath, and tried to reason with its Master. “They have the high ground Master, we don’t have the numbers to get up there.”

  The guttural voice laughed. “As long as one of you makes it up there, I can see what I’m up against.”

  Stepping back to help the fallen Ratling to his feet, the older one checked on the younger’s head wound before it once again stepped out of Caesar’s sight, dragging the younger with him. “Master, consider this…”

  I wasn’t able to hear the rest as the Skeleton slowly poured out a clay pot full of tiny shards of broken glass into the upraised faces of the two Ratlings, hesitating to try the slot ladder again as they stood there with their shields halfway raised above their heads.

  Viola was glaring at my Innate Summons, one foot tapping on the ground, and her hands on her hips.

  I had Caesar tilt his head at her.

  She crossed her arms and hissed. “Fell. I needed that pot to do Vee’s voice.”

  Oh. Yeah. Well, we were done talking anyhow. I would just have to explain that to her later on.

  The Master voice called out. “Withdraw.”

  As the grumbling Ratings backed away, blocking one last falling spatula with their shields, their Master issued a final warning.

  “We will be back Vee. In greater numbers, and better prepared. You have earned my ire.”

  My ire? Who talks like that? At least I can send the Undine down there by way of a Puddle Jump and get the pot back. Otherwise, I would imagine that Viola would never let me hear the end of it.

  I could hear the Master, Werlip, or whatever his name was, give out one last command before he ran away. “Brute Three, grab that pot. I could use that.”

  That... prick. Oh, you have earned my ire Mister Tord.