Oasis

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Yes... I am sure we can make simple masks, if I soak them in a few herbal mixes it should stop any miasma... Probably at least, I've never actually done that before".
Lizzy admitted, one of her classmates would usually make masks if they ever needed to survive something particularly dangerous or foul smelling back in her student days, assuming the teacher hadn't already prepared safety mechanisms, which did happen sometimes, after all it was generally frowned upon to poison an entire class of apprentices.

"Ahh! Really? I sort of put that spell together on the fly... I'm honestly surprised it worked so well and didn't... Well, explode".
Lizzy seemed pleased by the praise, especially since she had panicked and done something as likely to backfire as it was to work, on the fly spell modifications was a quick route to blowing yourself up!
"Though I think I can use it again... As long as I have prep time, so archers shouldn't be too much of a problem... Metal weapons could be more difficult though".

"Freeing the wolves may not be possible".
Lumina warned.
"If they are controlled magically... It may be possible, but if the plague has... Driven them mad, then mercy may prove the only option".
It may not have been something Ratty wanted to hear but Lumina needed it's host to know that they may need to slay the wolves for self preservation, as well as to end whatever pain they may be living through.
The forest floor was littered with stray chunks of what likely had once been stone buildings, long lost to time, and it wouldn't take long to find one particularly large chunk of stone that seemed to be part of a ceiling, and could likely be shattered fairly easily.

 

[Fyrra]

"There's so much about magic I do not understand, but I think if I watch you more, I might be able to blend in better, and not appear to be... unusual." The ratling paused, musing aloud more than anything else. This could end up being one of those thoughts that led to a theatrically overblown production, but if nothing else it wasn't as though failure to keep a low profile in the spur of a moment was a terrible fate: confounding and terrifying strangers just brought with it this overwhelming sense of glee, just like contending with the limits of reality seemed to always do the opposite.

Was this what it meant to be a vile little gremlin?

"We may not get another chance to ready some masks. I've found our way down, and what it lacks in subtlety it carries in magnitude..." The creature grinned, giving off a creepy little giggle. "...or we could just, wrap some vines together and climb down carefully without announcing our presence. I could swing either way." The mental image of a little ratling stamping its feet, raising its hammer to the sky, and bringing down all the force it could muster upon the crack in the ceiling might have flashed in front of Lumina for just long enough to trip a few safety alerts.

"Is that my job? I guess it's my job."

And so the rat started gathering.... rocks? And placing them in its bag. Then it drew its sickle and started finding some proper vines to work with. It might lack the sturdiness of a proper rope, and this might be the absolute worst way to work on a budget, but desperation calls for urgency, or something. At least with the not-alerting-the-entire-garrison approach to infiltration, this left the burden of a cruel mercy for most of those stationed at the surface for later, after the important details were confirmed.

"Once we're in, consider your hand un-stayed. Nowhere to run but upward, and they seem indisposed to parley. Thoughts? Objections? Need to rest?"

If not, or if the time spent weaving cloth and vines itself was enough of a breather, the night was certain to be a long one.

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"I... Could probably show you enough to at least pretend you had a formal education, or at least enough that the average person wouldn't question you, it might even help you become better at using magic, a lot of what we learn is focused on making magic easier to use and control, or how to make minor alterations to spells we already know".
Ratty was fortunate enough to have Lumina there to take care of most of the things a trained mage would do themselves, but it couldn't be good to wholly focus on them for all things magical, not to mention that Lumina casting things seemed very exhausting and lacking in variability, Lumina could only do what they knew how to after all, as evidenced by them needing time to learn from things Ratty swallowed.

Lizzy quickly extracted several herbs from her pack and mixed them in a mortar with water, creating a strong smelling almost burning mixture that she quickly applied to two sheets of cloth, one of which she handed to Ratty.
"Here... It was a quick mix but this should stop any miasma in the air from making you ill... It should keep your mouth free of dust as well... I got quite good at making these while training".
It would make breathing a little harder, but that was likely better than turning out like those sickly wolves.
"Ahh... I think that going in quietly is best... There could be many more inside than what we saw, and I don't think I could risk using my more powerful spells in a confined space with so much dust and plant life... It could quite easily be disastrous..."
"Companion is correct... Barring any possible structural damage from such an entrance, flames can cause rapid ignition and spread of flame when interacting in fine dust within a confined area, Host would certainly not survive".

"I am prepared to enter, if we rest too long we risk being spotted by patrols... Assuming they have those... And I don't think those infected with this miasma have much longer that they can wait, I have never seen people or animals so sickly and weak looking before... At least not any that would live much longer".

 

[Fyrra]

Wrapping the cloth around its face, the ratling felt a ping a familiarity to the motion, not quite unlike the way it once wore a scarf through the cold seasons, though the addition of a medicated concoction did make the feeling just a little unpleasant. Or maybe just the smell. Having a sensitive nose certainly had its ups and downs. "So, that's a no on the quick and dirty, lob an ember into the combustible fortress and sort out the survivors plan?" Cue a chuckle. "Yeah, that would muck things up a bit. You can't cure an illness by setting it ablaze... unless it's bacteria or vampirism or something. Probably." Not to mention how much it would detract from the heroic image the syol people were building the duo up to be. Then again, it would be helpful to not have a spreading, heroic reputation... just not in this instance. Beating up the plagueridden and brainwashed with a hammer couldn't have been much better than sentencing them to a fiery doom in that regard.

But at least Lizzy seemed to be in agreement on not taking a break: the... patients? They were on a ticking clock, and that was if any of the herbs pulled from the jungle were of any use in this situation, or if eating the root of the rotting miasma could lead to an antidote in short order. Hopefully in the future there would be fewer instances of arriving to circumstances at their most dire, but as the rat-person weaved its vines together, the sense of urgency at least kept it from trying to experiment with knotting the weaved vines.

"Ugh.. Here's hoping we only need one set of these," the rat mused aloud while tugging one of the vine-pairs taut, "Doubt they're strong enough for us to climb back up, but maybe a descent..." Really, even if the vines only held up halfway down a level, that would be more than helpful.

In any case, the rat stood up and returned to that chunk of stone that looked like a piece of ceiling... and started digging around it, scraping a little bit with the warhammer's head. Then, as if to test the stone's sturdiness, the rodent raised its hammer up and let gravity carry the force of its swing. If that was enough to crack anything, then a full-force shattering was a waste of exertion, both physically and magically. Besides, picking out chunks of rubble created less of an opening for starlight to get through and alert the inhabitants, even if the end result would be a tight squeeze.

Once there was enough room to slide in, the rat poked its head in to get a look, and if no threats were located, a few loops around a jutting section of the stone were all the rat needed to tie the vine in and start climbing down. Then, once Lizzy made it in, the exploration would commence~

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Yeah... I am not sure the ruins would even survive such a large blaze, never mind the inhabitants, though there are a lot less plants here than I would have thought so maybe the fire wouldn't last long enough to become a serious threat..."
From her musing it sounded like Lizzy might be able to do some fire lobbing after all, though likely best not to resort to that unless absolutely necessary, better safe than sorry after all.
"Oh I think there are some diseases that are treated with fire... Or at least heat, vampires are no more afraid of flames than the average person... Though there are the Bakufu... Umm, probably best to leave history and stories for another time right?"
Lizzy stopped herself.

The force of the hammer falling left several large cracks and caused some pieces to fall away from the ancient, weather worn stone, making it easier to dig past, fortunately Lizzy wasn't very large and could accompany Ratty with little trouble.
The area they entered seemed like some sort of hallway, there were dim lights throughout, some stones were glowing but most seemed to have gone out, the dust was also thick here, mostly undisturbed, so there were not any regular patrols in this area at least.

Most notably though, was what seemed like a lit torch around a corner... And the quiet but still audible to ratty sounds of someone speaking with a somehow familiar voice.
"Gods damned ancient locks... Is it well made or just rusted shut?..."
Followed by the sound of boot on something soft and a crashing sound.
"Why did I even bother?..."
After a few more words it became clear, it was... Edric? That was his name right? Though it was anyone's guess what he was doing here.

 

[Fyrra]

Just from the little snippets of knowledge Lizzy had to share on the subject, it appeared that the local world must have been on a similar level of medical advancement as the rodent's home world, at least on the theoretical side of things: magic must have been pulling a lot of weight in the analysis and diagnostic stage, if not bridging the gap between herbs and precise chemical compounds. Or something. Also, apparently vampires were real here? Reaching into the void for knowledge on almost anything that wasn't human, dog, mammal, bird, lizard, or some other broad group usually produced nothing in the form of information beyond product of somebody's imagination; discard, followed shortly by broad generalizations like likes trees in the case of elves, or does not like cages in the case of wolves: stuff that could be assumed of many people in general. Or in the case of vampires, NOT FOR CHILDREN, followed by locks and label that seemed to say slay on sight.

One might wonder if Lumina shared their host's frustration with this, especially with the developing knowledge of things that one cannot reliably prove the absence of, like giant stalking predators.

"Yeah, another time," the creature replied to its friend before beginning the descent into a very dusty stone corridor. For a while the creature wandered, taking in the sights and the darkness, and the state of decay and ill repair, until a voice broke the awkward pseudo-silence of footsteps and airflow. "It couldn't be," whispered this rodent as it loomed toward the voice. It couldn't be that person, could it? What were the odds? First they crossed paths in a ruin like this one, and then in a village, and then once more at the campgrounds of the- no, wait, they didn't actually cross paths there though. But hey, it was one more loose end that needed taking care of, and the ratling had just the right tool for the job.

A rock!

The solution to all of life's problems!

Wait, no.

The creature slipped the stone it had produced back into its bag, fighting its impulse to do things the quick and dirty way like it planned to, and crept a little closer to the sound of the boots, depression, and crashing, Around to the corner it skittered, trying its best not to alert the fellow trespassers from whatever it was they were up to before it was... close enough to at least be able to give chase if the person took flight once more? But not past the corner, at least until after it spoke up.

"Fancy meeting you again, uh, Eddie. Eddie, right? We keep crossing paths, but it always seems like you're having a, what'stheword, a helluva time?" The ratling's ears flickered as it stepped past the corner, wary of a sudden strike in response to revealing its presence, but not wary enough to stop talking. "How've you been? You getting enough to eat out here? Last I'd heard of you, you an' Gurren were in a sticky spot but you got away. Is he on his feet too? Anything we can do to help?"

This was such a risk. Talking to other trespassers in the middle of an infiltration could only be worse if alarms were sounding, but at least these halls were mostly devoid of other inhabitants. Worst case scenario, the guy bolts and stirs up the hornets' nest... but even then, alerted guards in search of somebody else could become advantageous in its own way? But, it looked like for all the rat-child's talk of murdering people in cold blood and setting them ablaze, actually going through with a kill wasn't simple yet: another contradiction with the warrior persona its memories seemed to be fabricating.

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Lumina seemed surprised by it's host's own surprise... Even Lumie knew that vampires existed... Somehow, the source of this knowledge could sadly not be confirmed, in fact Lumina had assumed it came from Ratty so that was a whole other thing to worry about now.
"Vampires exist in several sub types, they are often viewed as monstrous and as such hide their existence... Outside several exceptions that is...
But have been confirmed to exist on many occasions".
Well hopefully that wouldn't turn out to be something for Ratty to deal with in the future, at least if they were anything like the stories from Ratty's old life it was unlikely for them to be running around a forest where it was exceptionally difficult to find fully intact housing for protection from sunlight.

"That's... Definitely Edric isn't it?"
Lizzy commented as they turned the corner and found the man in question, he looked worse for wear, now sporting a scraggly beard and many small wounds, his clothes had also seen better days but thankfully were still decent, the bags under his eyes also betrayed his exhaustion.
"Oh".
He didn't seem to know what to say at first, there was fear clear in his eyes but also... Hope? That was a weird combination to be sure.
"Umm... Hi... Lizard, and... Rat? I don't know your names... You're not here to kill me right?"

Assuming Ratty didn't suddenly decide to eat him, he would continue.
"Look... You were the most terrifying creature I'd met so far... But it's easier to deal with you looking like this... And no offense but I think I might be out of terror right now".
Whoa, he was so tired he was done with being scared for his life.
"I don't know how Gora is... Those goblin... Ahh, Uhar right? They grabbed him, I barely got away and followed them here, I thought I'd get help from those uhar at the camp but they're gone too".

 

[Fyrra]

The whole thing about vampires shared a few characteristics with elves and goblins, at least on the subject of whether or not they existed: at least on this planet certain things were easy to prove, but when it came to memories of the other place, everything was questionable at the best of times, and horrifying when combined with the if these beings were more or less documented in stories but never encountered physically, were they wiped from existence and is that how they exist only in the form of fiction line of thoughts. That is, this was all unpleasant territory to devote energy to, and for all the rat knew, sasquatches and hydrabeasts, and evil faeries, and winged fire-breathing lizards, and avian nightmares, and talking trees, and lizards whose gaze can turn you into statues, and tiny mining-lizards, and two-headed giant men that hungered for the blood of the peasantry were all real too, and judging from the presence of elves and goblins, they probably were. And what was with the fixation on scary reptiles, anyway? This was all strange, but not bewildering. After all, any bird-of-prey or large cat was a sign of danger for an overgrown rat. This was all just... easier to take in stride, with the local memories taking more precedence in the rat's little brain. It was easier to focus on the more important stuff.

More important things, like... that man-thing! He wasn't running this time! And judging from his haggard appearance, he probably wouldn't be able to escape and also survive the night without something or someone assisting him, but if his blunt words were truthful (and why wouldn't they be?), that no longer mattered... for some reason. Like, something so important that the normally prevalent fear of death in people had to take a step back. Speaking of fear, this guy knew exactly the sort of thing to say to make a rat very happy.

The creature grinned a big and toothy grin, flicking its ears and tail about in a manner similar to a predatory... housecat? This rat was the scariest thing that Eddie had met? That was amazing! A cause for celebration! And- wait, was?

"Well I'm here to kill and eat something, but you're not on the menu. And.. I'm scarier when I'm smaller? Innnnnteresting." The rodent did the creepy little tap-their-fingertips-together with a giggle, before shaking its head and getting back on-track. "But y'know, I got to thinking a while back, and I figured you probably wouldn't have been working with that loud guy unless you were in some sort of desperate situation, so it's not like I can just do to you what I did to him. But, uh, these guys? They asked for trouble." And whether firing arrows and trying to chase someone down in the name of a lord was actual malice or a cry for help wasn't really worth focusing on, the rat decided: it was here to break things and hopefully rescue wolves, and... maybe rescue a big man that makes Lizzy happy.

The rat-child tilted its head to the side as it walked around Edric's side, looking him up and down. "Speaking of trouble, are you sure you wanna do this alone? I don't know how hard to punch these guys yet, but, here, hold a moment." It opened up its bag again and started rooting around, pulling out a few herbs that might be useful? Maybe one of them was similar to that one that woke it up when it was magic-drained several days ago? Truth be told, the rat hadn't devoted much attention to inventorying what it was harvesting, and everything was just sort of haphazardly thrown into the bag with everything else: surely something in there might be good for fatigue and... wounds? Hopefully just bruises, considering the miasma.

The creature also offered up its harvesting sickle, with a little hesitation.

"I guess if we work together, you could borrow this if you think it would be useful? Just return it before you leave, or when we're done. My target is whoever's in charge of this place: you don't have to follow me that far if you don't want to, and there's no reason we can't find your comrade and break the kneecaps of everyone responsible for keeping him here first, except..." It paused, tapping at its face for a second. "...might wanna be careful what you breathe in. Whatever's floatin' around down here, it's bad enough that the people on the wall are masked up."

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Well... Yeah, I figured by now you're probably not too into eating humanoids... I saw you at the Uhar camp, and you certainly didn't seem to be eating them, you didn't eat that fat ass after he died either".
It seemed that at some point he had sat down long enough to use logic and realise he probably wasn't being hunted by a man eating rat, which could explain some of the reduced fear.
"Of course you are... You look more... Almost human now? I guess I'm more scared of things that aren't human shaped... Or I WAS until I saw the guards in this place... Something's not right about them, but whatever it is makes it really easy to sneak around, I would already be out of here if the cells weren't apparently enchanted..."
It seems Edric had already located the prison of this area, but his lack of ability to deal with magic was stopping him from freeing his friend.

"Truth be told... I don't think I CAN do this alone, I'm not a fighter, I've gotten into some scraps but nothing where my life was really on the line, I don't know how much of what I saw you do was the drink and what was real, but I figure the fact that you're here at all means you're strong and have a goal".
This guy was oddly insightful when not drunk and terrified.
In response to the offer he held up his hand where a ring sat.
"I'm good, as long as I have this thing I can keep going, what happens when I take it off though... Well that's something for tomorrow's me to work out".

"This man is showing signs of severe self enhancement overuse... Affects unknown".
Lumina helpfully commented, though it wasn't that hard to tell from regular observation.
He did however accept the sickle.
"Ahh... I actually know how to use this... At least if fighting people is anything like harvesting crops anyway..."
Lizzy had meanwhile been preparing a mask that she handed over to Edric, who quickly donned the scented cloth.
"Smells like Gora's sister... Umm... Thanks... Sorry I ignored you mostly when we travelled together, I didn't really know what to say?"

 

[Fyrra]

This was a lot to take in, but at the same time it all made sense: Edric escaped because he had something boosting him, and, even if it was a little awkward to suddenly realize that, to travel with Lizzy for however long they traveled together, he had to have kept quiet about a lot of horrible things to avoid angering The Thicc Booty, or whatever he said Mal's name was. Really, the whole thing was just a bad situation, but even the rat's smirk faltered at the thought of actually eating a person. Or just thinking about Mal in general.

"Eww... I mean, bipeds tend to be a little dangerous for my people to hunt. Most of us stick to prey our own size, or plants, or bark, but I guess if anyone would bite off more than a few fingers, I'd be the one to do it. I just... really didn't like that guy, you know?" The ratling stopped short of claiming to be human just yet, just to see whether this person was keen on becoming a friend or just taking advantage of someone offering their services and a proper weapon. Truth be told, it wasn't until Edric mentioned crops that the rat took an active interest in the guy's life beyond him being a friend of Gora, whom Lizzie seemed comfortable around. Now that he'd let it slip that he knew about farming, the ratling was very glad it hadn't lobbed a stone a few moments prior. The way the rat's ears suddenly flicked, Edric might have caught onto a change in expression to something beyond mere chatter.

It looked at the ring for a moment, mouthing Lumina's words 'severe enhancement overuse' just slightly above a whisper.

"Tomorrow's you might need some friends... and a bed, and a hot bath. Overstress is rough on a body, but I guess when someone important is in danger you don't really want to hear about how your heart might stop if you don't sleep it off. Not like we have the time, either, but I guess the important thing to remember is that crops don't hit back." Cue a blink. "So, yeah, sneaking's the way to go. I'll try to keep you out of danger if things get hairy or we have to rush someone. I just hope this isn't another round of shambling-corpses. Once was enough."

As far as voicing the rat's own goals, it's possible that Edric wasn't all that interested in hearing about heroics or the wolves or the plague, or that he could figure that part out from the abundance of medicinal plants being lugged about. In any case, the ratling moved on from Edric and searched past the crashed... door? Locked thing? Something was up, and the little thing was eager to get moving, even if it still wasn't sure which way to go. "So, you've even found the holding cells? You are frightfully brave to have done that much on your own, inexperienced or not."

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Hahh..."
He laughed the laugh of the tired.
"I doubt there was anyone who DID like him, me and Gora only joined up because the coin was good and we didn't have any other choice... Running away from home isn't the best idea it turned out".
So he was a runaway without any other options, not dissimilar to Lizzy except even less likely to want to go back home, perhaps recruiting him would be easy after all, especially if he felt he owed a debt after any aid rendered in this ruin.

Edric just assumed the odd movement was Ratty picking up on his exhaustion, the ring might let him keep going but he certainly FELT like he hadn't slept in days...
"It'll stop?... My family always said it would explode if I didn't sleep enough..."
He commented seemingly without reason.
"Don't worry about keeping me safe... I think I have had enough experience with that recently that I can hold my own".
Though he wasn't as large as Ratty remembered Gora or even the Mal being, Edric was in good shape, with Wiry muscle likely earned from the backbreaking work that was farming.

The room he had broken into contained what seemed like rusted hinges and locks, perhaps from chests and crates? But what was more notable were the many sun stones laying near those metal pieces!
"I uhh... Noticed the Uhar ripping those out of the places where the shamblers patrol... I think they're afraid of them or something? So I figured if I could get a bunch and somehow make them work... Maybe I could give them to the prisoners?"
He explained, revealing in that same sentence that there were multiple prisoners.
"I'm not brave I just... Gora's all I got you know? And I owe those Uhar who cleaned his arm all proper and gave me something to eat... So the least I can do is bust em out... Or try anyway".

 

[Fyrra]

Between the hoarded bunch of starstones all being hidden away and the allusions Edric was making toward whatever it was he was running away from to be out here, and the sudden resonance pinging deep in the mental voidspace, the ratling let out a long sigh. Yep. It's probably corpses again. Also probably not the rat's business to pry further, but if some part of it was able to relate to not having one's nest about, and leaving the entire nest behind, never to return? Maybe it was a good thing it didn't reach into the old memories often.

"And just like that, you've not only made it in and out of a hostile stronghold, but learned something important and figured out how to take advantage of it. That's pretty much all the hard stuff taken care of, apart from supplies, and getting everyone back to their homes safely, and finding somebody versed in magic on short notice, and working out who's crazy enough to throw at the big scary thing when something goes wrong... Yeah, no, this is gonna be your triumph and we're gonna help you seize it."

Petty vengeance could wait, right? And... plague victims? Well, perhaps not, but if a few minutes could be spared on the way down to have several fewer patients when the violent part of the mission was over, it was probably worth it on a... hypothetical level? Presumably removing people from dangerous cages and a toxic environment would also improve their health.

The ratling moved in and picked up the stones, passing them along to Lizzy and Edric, before packing a few away into its bag and drawing the warhammer back out. Sure, carrying lights might be bad for sneaking, but this was important. Once done, the rodent took the front of the formation and led them back out the corridor. "All right, just point me where we need to go. Let's go get your Gora and your friends."

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Undead are highly dangerous, my memories state that common practice is complete destruction... I suggest ensuring that the corpses are disposed of and no outsiders are informed... Else there is risk of considerable collateral damage".
The LAST thing that the forest needed was to gain the attention of outside powers for something likely viewed as existentially threatening like undead plagues if that was indeed what was happening, especially as the easiest (and therefore most likely) solution would be to start the greatest forest fire any world had ever had the misfortune of witnessing, other inhabitants be damned, or at least that's the impression Lumina gave off based on their admittedly clearly out of date memories.

"Well... Yeah, I was always smaller than the other kids growing up, learning to find advantages and stay hidden was just a given!"
Edric didn't seem to really understand how to take a compliment, managing to throw off his exhaustion induced apathy and show some embarrassment, it helped that... He really wasn't scared of this person anymore, mostly, Ratty would likely still have at least a brief cameo in his inevitable nightmares whenever he next slept.

"Right... The entrance was guarded but the guards kept their distance... I don't think they liked being spat at... And I found another way in that was only lightly blocked.
If we're quiet we might be able to talk to them but a full scale break out will bring a LOT of attention... If we can even open the cells".
Edric was good to his word and led them through a large crack in a wall that he seemed to have chipped away with a metal tool.
The guards were not within sight but there was torchlight somewhat visible down a hall.
And of course within the cells that bore surprisingly pristine looking bars and doors were Uhar, it looked like everyone from the camp, plus quite a few more, including the Elder, who was bearing a rather nasty looking wound but seemed stable.

There was some motion as they arrived, excited whispers that were quickly hushed.
"Ahh, our unlikely rescuer has returned... And I see he found some help".
The elder declared by way of greeting as Edric wandered over to where Gora was sitting, looking... Not great, but his arm was cleanly bandaged at least.

 

[Fyrra]

Infiltration made easy: with a cracked wall away from the guards' patrols, it was almost like having an entire brush to hide under while confounding the larger beasts of the jungle, though finding the cells also meant learning a few more unpleasant things about the operation: if the whole of the uhar tribe was here, then looting the place was out of the question. Most likely this fortress was their home and somebody got cozy while everybody else was panicking from the shroud anomaly. It also meant this could no longer be a simple rescue of a dozen or so people, and that getting everyone out was probably a job for a small army.

Once past the barriers, the rat in question focused mostly on the cells, thinking of different ways to potentially get them open. Seeing anything looking as pristine as the cell bars did in these ruins was just jarring, but that must have been either an effect put in place by the magic, or just a tell-tale sign of enchantment in general.

"No, I'd crack my teeth doing that.. and that would be too loud... ah, but what about- there's too many cells though.."

Whispering to itself, the rat puzzled between the base urge to gnaw or stress-test the bars with magic-and-pulling, hammer, stones, and fire, and while the fiery option did show some hypothetical promise, it was also bright, flashy, loud, dangerous, and slow: it might eventually get the job done if the magical enhancements couldn't ward off intense heat conductivity and a strength-boosted hammer swing or three, but not without alerting the entire guard.

Approaching the elder, the ratling opened up its bag of assorted foraged materials out of reflex, because if anyone would know what to do with them, it'd be a nomadic chieftain with a lifetime of experience communing with nature. Besides, letting Edric have a moment to speak with Gora alone just seemed right, at least for the time being: those two had been through a lot and didn't need a scary rat-thing all up in their personal space at all times, and if the imprisoned uhar were under the impression that Edric brought a rat and lizard here to help, why not let them believe that? If there was one thing a pair of runaways needed, it was more friends.

"Looks like we left too soon. What's the story, here? All I've got is that the guards seem to be in awe of power, and that they're willing to kill for the lord. Are they all uhar? How is everyone?"

Glancing between Lizzy and Edric, then back to the elder, this rat didn't want to spend more time than necessary near the cells, but it was looking more and more like the initial rush in and make everybody rue this day plan might see daylight after all. Besides, if the shroud-spell needed to be tested here, perhaps the cells might be the safest place for the prisoners, at least until some gaoler or warden got their head knocked around.

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

While looting the ruins was likely out of the question, there was still a perhaps even greater benefit to be had here, this would be another great debt owed by the Uhar, and as callous as it might be seen to take advantage of this... If Ratty did intend to mold a bunch of previously normal giant rats into a civilisation, having access to large amounts of help from the other locals would be needed, the Uhar were definitely going to have an even greater hero worship at the end of this though, before it was just one of what appeared to be many groups who were smitten with hero worship, but now the majority would know Ratty as more than just a story.

"These bars... They are composed almost entirely of magic... I am not certain of my ability to break them down".
Lumina stated, perhaps a bit embarrassed? After all their main thing was breaking down magic!
"Whoever created these... Is strong, and nearby... Unless... The stones are dark, perhaps they are... Being used?"
These ruins so far had tended to have some sort of power source, perhaps the darkened sun stones was more than just an intentional effect, but a sign of said source being hijacked, if so it could mean the mastermind would be more manageable to beat if it came to it.

"Most of us are well... There are some wounded... And some dead as well, those who hold us here are Uhar no longer, they cling to a long lost history, a desire to serve strength in the hopes of gaining their own, I know not of the Lord they claim to serve, but I can feel his presence, he is weak... But gaining strength quickly, and there are obvious signs of a ritual of some sort being prepared, I assume that is why we are still here".
Her voice was tinged with equal parts pain, anger and sadness, with perhaps some disgust as well, the lack of objections seemed to imply that the others there no longer considered their captors as Uhar.

"The leader... Or Lord or whatever... He's on the level below us... I saw some guards heading there to give him 'offerings'".
Edric declared from where he stood.

 

[Fyrra]

As bothersome as it was to think of this horrific betrayal and impending disaster as a way to call another debt upon these people, the ratling found its own way to reason this out for the sake of its... anxieties? Perhaps that wasn't the right word. In any case, the uhar and the syol both seemed very quick to jump into that mindset themselves, given how quickly the transformation ritual was prepared after the last excursion, but this wasn't about transactions and trading: this was about helping some friends out of a jam, because presumably they'd do the same for somebody else, if it were in their power to do so.

"No longer Uhar? We'll interpret that as your... consent, for what we are about to do," the creature whispered, before looking between Lizzy and Edric. "As exciting as a stress test on these would be, it would be too noisy, slow, and flashy, and if my worst assumptions are worth anything, the only argument that will sway these people to stand down is a cracked skull." Cue a blink. "You said the guards were giving offerings? As in, themselves?"

Between everybody looking sickly and shambling about, and showing some level of either fear or disdain of sunlight, and all the carcasses being left out under the stars, it all seemed to point to something... obvious, and possibly relevant to a conversation earlier in the night. Any number of things could fatigue a group of people, from breathing in an airborne virus, or over-exerting themselves without proper rest after fleeing from a scary shroud-thing, or losing a significant amount of blood, or just plain having a fever.

It was probably corpses again, right? But what if it wasn't? There was a source of water nearby...

"Ugh, I hope it isn't a giant leech or a tick down there. That'd be even worse than corpses again," uttered the little creature under its breath as it wandered back to the corridors, hammer in hand. There was torchlight around one of the corners earlier, it looked like... which meant fire wasn't completely unsafe to handle down here? But also, the guards appeared to be politely showing off their position as an invitation for ambush. Or it was an obvious lure, but in either case, tailing the guards would point the group in the direction of the way down, and depriving the overgrown leech of his food source was important too.

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Yes... Anything you need to do should be done... Uhar and not Uhar is an important distinction, I will be sure to tell you the history surrounding those terms another time, when none of us are in imminent danger".
The elder offered solemnly.
A chance to learn more about the history of the world, and an ally specifically would probably be important, since information was hard to come by at the moment, Lizzy had seemingly been somewhat sheltered and knew mostly about magic, the farm boys were farmers, not often the most well travelled, and even Lumina seemed to have a very fragmented set of memories, with what they did remember being heavily out of date.

"I would suggest not touching the bars... They are warded in quite a painful manner".
She lifted a hand slightly where it had been clutching a rather painful looking burn on her arm, it likely would be very unpleasant to attempt to eat them if they could do that.
"No... I wish they had, but they were bringing anything but themselves, animals mostly, as well as several Uhar before we arrived...".

Small flame could be safe, but this WAS a less dusty more trafficked part of the ruin, there was also a difference between holding a lit torch and blasting balls of fire at things, but still, it seemed at least in this area Lizzy would be able to cast some of her smaller spells.

Edric meanwhile had seemingly finished his conversation with Gora, standing up with a quiet promise to get him out of there soon, and returned to Ratty.
"Gora says that guard hasn't seemed to have moved in over an hour, either he is incredibly dedicated and disciplined... Or is fast asleep...".
Well, if they wanted to risk taking a prisoner of their own that could be helpful, and if the guard WAS asleep it could imply that the non Uhar were not extremely competent.

 

[Fyrra]

That the not-uhar weren't using their own bodies as offerings made more sense than using themselves: whatever this The Lord was, at least enough context with the title suggested that they viewed entities of lesser... something, as servants, and those servants would in turn be granted something in exchange for their service. Supposedly. For some reason the phrase pretty falsehoods came to mind, but no explanation followed it. Only assumptions. But again, the entourage kept finding things to discourage charging ahead and breaking everything in sight.

Or rather, Gora did this time. What a nice fellow, being observant like that.

"Ugh, yeah, leaving a witness alone could become a problem." - The last thing anyone present needed was a diligent guard following observe and report protocols: that could spiral out of control in a hurry. The way the message had been relayed, it sounded like that was unlikely, but a non-zero chance of being thwarted by being overly careless was still a chance, no? Besides, this whole situation was messy: who's to say these greenfolk were serving The Lord out of actual loyalty and not fear for their own survival? If they were running 'offerings' of other people and beasts, at the expense of their own health... then that's likely where the shamblers were coming from, and every moment wasted with a little dilemma like this could cost the latest batch their lives.

A prisoner would slow everyone down. End of story, On the approach, the rat-child raised its hammer for a side-swing, wary of a possible jumpscare: if the guard stood up, screamed, or drew their weapon, they'd have a powerful stomach-ache. If not, then the ratling was keen on doing this the stupid way: by stirring up the nest if necessary. Besides, waking the guard up would presumably reveal whether it's an actual corpse, dummy, or shambler posted. Why leave a surprise like that for later?

"We cannot stress enough how much we appreciate your lack of interference," the child said aloud, "but time is short, we are in a hurry, patience and mercy are in short supply, and this place is soon to have a rat problem. Would you be so kind as to point us toward the person in charge, and preferably convince anyone you can to stay out of our way? We have enough bodies to dispose of."

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Whether they served out of fear or loyalty or even just some sort of greed (assuming they were gaining something from the betrayal of their kin) could all be sorted out by the Uhar as an internal matter after this situation was resolved... However in order to resolve it there was a high likelihood of needing to do some severe hurting of them, hopefully the fact that they themselves were willing to kill would avoid any affect on Ratty's conscience.

The guard was sleeping at his post when Ratty approached, but he did wake up at least, so he wasn't totally useless, his armour was as raggedy as everyone else's but the sword leaning against the wall next to him was in surprisingly good shape.
Apparently the guard was none too smart, and was not overly intimidated by the sudden appearance of an armed intruder, though Ratty wasn't exactly the most intimidating to denizens of such a wild land, while outsiders might consider their appearance scary, to the natives such a look was cute if anything.
Half asleep still the guard clumsily reached for his sword, an unintelligible swear leaving his mouth before Ratty's strike inevitably made contact, knocking the short greenskin to the ground, fortunately his mostly leather armour didn't make too much of a noise and Edric made a grab for the sword before it could clatter against the ground.
"Uh... Well, is he okay?"
Lizzy asked, pointing to where the greenskin lay, not getting up, though on close inspection his chest WAS still rising and falling erratically, assuming this whole thing was cleared up he might even survive if the Uhar willed it.

"He seems... Unable to provide information..."
Lumina stated the very obvious.
"I have suggestions... Two plans to find this so called lord".
She seemed pleased to have potential to be helpful here.
"The first plan... This place cannot have many intact stairs, we should look for some and head down... As we know the lord is down".
The ruin did seem similar in structure to the nest so there was a good chance that finding stairs could be doable.
"The second relies on... Speed... You could strike the floor, I will strengthen the hit... We go down and seek the enemy before reinforcements arrive".

 

[Fyrra]

Test Subject 1: The Not-Uhar

Subject does not back down from a fight in spite of unfavorable odds. Subject also does not back down from unwinnable odds. Subject lacks the guile to feign submission and lead attackers into an ambush (when taken by surprise after being jostled awake). Mental state inconclusive. Possibly staying down to either flee or attack when not the center of attention, pending whether they're more afraid of getting smacked again, or retaliation from their friends for backing down. Teeth untested.

Falls from a single blow to the stomach. Appearance suggests subject is built for maneuverability, so being unable to take a direct hit should fall within parameters, but a blunt hit to the stomach should not knock a person out. How hard was that swing again? Robustness state inconclusive: further testing with somebody else swinging the hammer is suggested for the purpose of taking measurements. Double-tapping could possibly prove fatal.

Frayed leather armor does not provide much cushioning from a hammer-swing.

Untested against The Shroud.

Threat level: Low?

The rodent stared for four, six, possibly even ten seconds taking mental notes on its test subject, determined to make this waste of everyone's time count for something, even if it was just a second blade for Edric to hold onto. Truth told, whether and how many of these goblinfolk needed to perish was not a concern, and it mattered little to the ratling whether getting the minions out of the way was achieved through verbal intimidation or by other means, but now that it had a better understanding of the folk in question, the first two of its plans needed scrapping.

"Should be fine once he gets his breath back. Don't get too close unless you're ready to get bitten. That blow shouldn't have knocked him out..." - Or has lugging the warhammer around everywhere, throwing large stones, and getting into fights with relative giants just been a killer strength-training regimen? That was a solid hit, but if it had been boosted with Lumina's enhancement spell, would that have left an actual hole in the guard's body? - "Or at least, it shouldn't have. I could just be underestimating my swing... or the greenfolk's organs might be in different places than a human's and I might have hurt something? But that shouldn't be-"

Possible? Like a giant talking rat?

"Perhaps I missed the stomach and hit his rib... It's not important. In any case, new plan: I'm just gonna break their arms if they get in the way, and if they're not telling where the stairs are, then we'll just have to make some. It's gonna get noisy, but we weren't asked to limit casualties in the first place. If it gets too hairy I'll Shroud." Besides, Lumina's second plan would probably mean fewer bodies to clean up than the Trail of Bodies, River of Blood plan. It sort of felt like cheating the feel of storming a castle out of the whole situation, but if the rat cared too much about that it could just fight its way back out after The Lord had been disposed of. The feeling wouldn't be the same, but Lumina's plan was a good plan.

Pacing elsewhere in the corridor, the ratling stopped a moment in to pick a good spot for the new stairway... right in the middle of the corridor, rather than on the side, without a single concern for whoever might be standing in the level below. A quiet "Now how did Lizzy do this again?" could be overheard as the creature mused aloud, parting its legs and pulling the warhammer's head behind it for an over-arcing swing.

"We bear wrath in this dire hour
for our friends trapped in the slammer.
Get thee away from this tower
or taste ~*The Thunder Hammer!*~"

And with that, the rat swung with all the force it and Lumina could muster, up and over itself, and then straight into the flooring.