19) Seeing eye to eye [ Rising up in the world ]

  ...what the Pit just happened?

  No seriously.

  Instead of dying, the one eyed Ratling, or Malico, had turned around and killed the Tamer. Is this something that the strange poison did that… I don’t know, freed the Ralting? Or was the Tamer just so exhausted by controlling all of his minions at once that the Ratling was free to act?

  And it seemed that I needed to come up with something to tell Malico to get him another option then continuing to come after me.

  Or Malico turning on the Goblin wasn’t going to do me any good.

  The only difference between the Ratlings coming at me under the Tamer command and them still coming at me under the one eyed Ratling orders was that the Rats would be fighting differently…

  And Malico, at least, was willing to talk.

  “Viola, I need you to go talk to that Ratling so that he stays down there.”

  My Fairy tapped the nail of her index finger against the top of my Core several times before she finally nodded. “Got it Fell. You want me to keep him talking until you pull something out of your… well, not your butt. Obviously. But while you figure something out. Got it. Bye.”

  Viola flew off toward the shaft, which reminded me. “Don’t forget there are still two of those Lizards out there.”

  The tiny winged woman stopped out in the hallway just before the stairs and turned to look in the direction of my Core. “Uh, yeah, those two.” She placed the back of her hands against her hips while wiggling her head side to side. “Don’t ‘you’ forget you got the shaft covered up.”

  Hrmmm… that would make it difficult for Viola to talk to the Ratlings down below. “Well, yes. Obviously.”

  I used the Hover Aloft ability to slide the board off the top of the shaft, at which point the two Lizards who been standing in the outer hallway in an uneasy face off with the Air Fish, or more precisely, facing off with the four knives the Air Fish was Hovering in the air, both suddenly burst into motion.

  In a scramble of four flailing legs apiece, the two of them half climbed, half fell, down the shaft, down to the drainage tunnel.

  With both of their eyes burning with a white light.

  The one eyed Ratling threw himself aside in time to avoid getting trampled by the fleeing Lizards, but some of the other Ratlings were run over, or had to dive into the channel running along the walkway they were bunched up on.

  Hrmmm… So, one problem solved? I guess?

  Of course, those glowing eyes would seem to indicate that the two Lizards the Goblin had said were rented were also Tamed creatures. More specifically, some other Tamer’s Tamed creatures, and that Tamer had been aware of at least some of what all had happened here.

  Including what I had done to those first two Lizards that had come up the shaft, and were in no condition to go back down it.

  Other than with a firm kick to send the corpse tumbling down from going over the edge, I guess.

  Something I was going to have to consider was this. Is this other Tamer something I need to worry about?

  ...probably not? I mean, it wasn’t as if Torb seemed to care much about the Ratling, and while a single sample of Tamers wasn’t all that statistically significant, I was guessing the sort of person who would get offered the Tamer class, and then choose to take it, would likely be just as uncaring about the creatures they had bound to obey them.

  Unless they just like having pets.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  ...for the moment, at least, I decided that I was not going to worry about it.

  Future Fell could deal with it, and since I was planning for that Fell to be a higher level than me, he would be better able to deal with it.

  Meanwhile, Viola had reached the top of the shaft.

  “Hi down there. You want the other two Lizards, I've got to warn you. They are pretty dead.”

  The one-eyed Ratling stood at the bottom of the shaft, one step away from where Viola could have looked down to see him. As the Fairy spoke, he tightened his grip on the handle of the elaborately carved club, and then glanced behind him as the other Ratling, who had been busy pulling the Rat men who had fallen into the drainage channel out of the water.

  And stripping the Goblin Tamer’s body down to a shiny set of underwear.

  Looking back up the shaft, Malico called out. “I don’t want to talk to the Fairy, I know better than to bargain with the Fay. I want talk to Fell. The talking Core.”

  “Well, no. You only get to talk to the Fairy Rat man. There is no way that I’m going to go out there. This whole talking thing might be a trap of some kind.”

  Viola nodded. “Sure. Come on up.”

  ...What?

  -Viola.-

  The Fairy looked back toward my Core. -Yep Fell?-

  -What, the Pit, are you doing?-

  Rolling her eyes up, Viola pointed down the shaft. -He said he wants to talk to you...-

  As I counted slowly down from ten, the Fairy threw her hands up above her head. -I’m also separating Malico from the rest of them so that we have the numbers when this turns into a fight. And if the Ratlings lose another leader… they might run. So don’t pull on my ears Fell, I’m doing my job.-

  -Pulling your...-

  No. Asking her to explain what she meant would just send the Fairy off on one of her tangents.

  And right now, the one eyed Ralting, after telling the other Ratling to wait for him to return or to avenge his death if he didn’t, was now climbing up the shaft.

  -I hope you know what you are doing Viola.-

  The Fairy made a back handed waving away motion over her shoulder before flying over to sit on the head of the Air Fish.

  After reaching the top of the shaft, and pausing to give the hole the Earth Snake had come from a narrow eyed look, the one eyed Ratling peeked over the top edge of the shaft. After looking all around the outer corridor, he winced at the sight of the one Ratling my Summons had killed.

  Then Malico clambered out to the shaft to stand to his feet to stand near the edge of the shaft, as if ready to jump back and drop down where four Ratlings were waiting with their arms out, ready to catch their elder.

  Pointing at the two dead Lizards, the Ratling asked. “Are you going to eat those?”

  I bet the goat would. Horrid creature.

  Viola told him, “All yours.” With a grunt, the Ratling dragged each of the dead Lizards over to the shaft, then dropped their corpses down to the Ratling waiting below. The bodies were swiftly handed off to other Ratlings, who immediately began to butcher them.

  And rather efficiently at that.

  After regarding the dead Ratling for a moment, the one eyed elder picked him up in both arms, somewhat awkwardly since the Rat man wasn’t letting go of his club to do so, and partially climbed down the shaft to gently hand the body over to the Ratling waiting down below.

  Surprisingly, the Rat men just laid the dead Ratling out on their deceased Master’s carrying platform instead of cutting open and skinning the dead Ratling like they had the Lizards.

  Less meat, I guess.

  Returning to the outer corridor, the one eyed Ratling faced off with Viola, who was now sprawled out on her belly on top of the Air Fish with her chin resting on her hand.

  “All Done Mister Malico.”

  The one eyed Ratling nodded. “Fell?”

  Viola turned her head to look toward my Core, “He's coming, but only to the top of the stairs.”

  -I am?-

  My Fairy narrowed her eyes in my Core directing, and firmly pointed her finger toward the stairs. “Yep. He’s coming. Right. Now.”

  -Move it Fell. Talking buys us time. But we need a face to face to keep him talking and not attacking.-

  Hrmph. -Fine. But when this goes wrong, it’s your fault.-

  Air Hover took my Core out of the bookshelf I had been hiding it in, and down the hallway to hover in the air at the top of the steps.

  With all of my remaining Summons all around it, ready to fall upon the Ratling the moment he made a move, regardless of how many of them fell to that club.

  Standing at the bottom of the steps, the one eyed Ratling looked up at my Core for a moment before he spoke. “Without a Master. All my people will start to develop Cores, and anyone can kill us on sight.” Malico hissed. “Pit. They would even get paid for it.”

  Taking a grip on his club with both of his hands, which I did not like, the elder Ratling began to speak again, “We either need a new Master and something to offer them, or at least some way of not dying.”

  The Rat man turned his head to one side to glare at me with his one remaining eye. “You got any ideas, Core, or do I come after you with everything I got before all your Summons are back in play?”

  Hrmmm… he had caught on to that.

  I needed more time. Badly.

  “An option? I can give you one. Or to be more accurate, I can get you other options. But you have to give me the time to level up so I can speak with my Liaison.”

  Unity coming up with something was really my only option here, or, if she had nothing for me, having enough time to go see her would hopefully also be enough time for me to get back to full strength.

  Malico glared at me, then slowly smiled.

  ...What the Pit happened to the rest of his teeth?

  The one eyed Ratling leaned his club over one shoulder. “We can do that.”

  Then the elder Rat man slowly brought the tip of his club forward to point at my Core.

  “If you give me something first.”