The Lord and the Merchant

“You have performed the most secret ritual of the Rat God, my Lord.” the old rat spoke as the Man moved away from Nivel’s embrace. He looked away, embarrassed.

The rat scoffed. “There is nothing to be ashamed of! All of our champions have done the same. It is a great honour.”

Nivel nodded. “You have begun the most sacred process of Katabasis, my Lord.”

“Kata…?”

“Descent, then ascension. Only by descending will you understand the truth of this world, and by ascending you will bring that truth to those who need it.”

“You mean those on the streets above us?” I hate them all.

Nivel smiled, then frowned.

“You’ve forgotten your name, haven’t you? It’s not in your memories at all.”

He held his hand to his head. “Can you stay out of there, please? I don’t need anyone else inside my head.”

She laughed. “Very well, my Lord. But you need a name!” She turned to the attending horde of rats waiting patiently. “What shall we call him?”

They chittered excitedly.

"Baffo!" one squeaked. A wave of laughter fluttered through them. Even Nivel couldn't suppress a giggle.

"Very funny little one, but remember to be respectful."

The adventurer had no idea what they were talking about. By some quirk of his oath he knew that they were talking—they were using words from the city above—but it was like his head didn’t want to understand them.

"Rodere!"

"Dente!"

Something twinged in his mind when he heard that name. Tooth? He shook his head. "No, not that one."

"How about Zanna then?"

“No.”

“Grattare!”

“No!”

“Gatta?”

"I don't like any of these!” His anger boiled over, and too late he realised what was wrong. The names from the world above were making him mad. “I will not take a name from the city!"

The crowd cowered in response to his outburst. Some larger rats adopted a fighting stance, bristling their fur and hissing.

"I'm sorry, I just... I hate them. Their words sound like knives right now."

Nivel gently took his hands in hers. "The shadows share your pain. All of us here, we know what it is like to be trampled and cast away by those above, simply for trying to live." She smiled suddenly. "If their words sound like a knife, then I will give you a name like a knife. We will call you Kralle."

"Kur-awl?"

"K r a l l e. It's a word from my homeland: it means 'claw'." She held out her hands like claws when she said it. "Humans fight with mind and hand, but my little ones fight with tooth and claw. You're fighting for them now, so you're their claw."

"And you're their tooth?"

Nivel beamed. "I would be honoured to be the tooth of every rat, that they may be forever gnawing and well fed."

"Ah... that's one way to look at it." He thought for a moment. "Lord Kralle, huh..."

He was suddenly aware of the eyes of the rats glowing in the darkness around him. Slowly, they began speaking.

"Lord Kralle... Lord Kralle...", their voices louder and louder until they were shouting.

"Lord Kralle! Lord Kralle!" Their cries echoed down the endless tunnels soaking with refuse, and seeped into the foundations of the city. Those above who listened closely could hear the hunger of the city growling below, eager to eat every last body thrown into its depths.

"LORD KRALLE! LORD KRALLE!"

The rats danced and dove upon each other in a manic frenzy, their joy forcing them to jump and cheer his name.

Why are they cheering? he wondered. I haven’t done anything for them yet.

No, but you will. Nivel’s voice answered in his mind. For the first time, they have hope that their lives will be more than fighting over scraps. They have hope that you’ll save them.

Kralle held out his hand and they stopped instantly. The air was deathly still as they watched his every motion. They were all disease-ridden, disgusting, ravenous vermin... and they loved him. A realisation came over him, that he felt a deep kinship with these beasts and he loved them in return.

Power crept over him as they awaited his command. He drew the darkness into his hand, tendrils of shadow wrapping around him.

"Rats... as your Lord and protector, Kralle promises you this: they will fear every shadow, every skittering paw, every eye in the darkness… because we will make them fear. We will take revenge for every last wrong inflicted upon us!" They answered with another loud cheer.

He turned to Nivel. "My goddess, Kralle promises you this: I will protect every last little one of this city from those who would hurt them—from those who would hurt us!" She grinned excitedly, her eyes lighting up with magic. The rats continued their party, cheering his name and jumping over themselves.

Kralle's thoughts turned inwards. He found himself eager, hungry even, to take revenge. This was a new feeling for him. He wondered if this desire was really his, that he was excited now because he finally had the power to really make a change… or if the darkness around him was seeping into his mind.

That was a question for later, he thought. We’ll answer that after we’ve gotten our revenge.

—

It was midnight in the shopping district. The buildings surrounding Kralle were all two or three storeys and stocked to the brim with nicer clothes and finery than he’d ever touched. The guards would invariably chase him away whenever he got close to this area as a child, and he barely had enough money as an adult to buy the essentials, let alone something from this street.

Old instincts combined with this being his first real excursion above ground since taking his oath made him a little unsettled, but the cloak of shadows spell gifted to him as part of the oath was comforting. It eased his mind to be able to wrap himself in shadows and hide from prying eyes at any time… especially since his wounds had only just healed, and his left eye was completely blind.

Still, now that he was the Rat Lord, he had to honour the request Nivel had made. Kralle knocked on the door of a shop, identical in his eye to every other shop along the street.

He waited.

No answer.

My Lord… you aren’t thinking like a rat yet, are you? Nivel’s voice echoed in his head. He sighed.

Kralle crept around the back of the building and almost tripped over a fence protecting a neat garden. It was a little unusual in this part of the city to dedicate that much space to anything other than more shops.

Moonlight shone on the flowers, making them appear ghostly. He had no idea what any of their names were, but their reds, whites, golds, and purples made him pause. The garden overlooked a canal, the open space ensuring just enough light got in to let them grow safely.

His attention was caught by a clump of yellow flowers with golden bells. Daffodils, one of the most common around the city, were growing in between the other fancier flowers like they’d snuck in. His sister loved them, and sometimes they would scrounge a basketful together to sell to an alchemist. He moved to brush his fingers along them before remembering why he was here.

Remember, just like I explained it. Nivel’s voice echoed in his mind as he approached the back door. Kralle held his hand up to the lock and focused his power, calling on the darkness within him.

He whispered the spell. “Shadow Tendril.” A small tendril of pure shadow slid out of his hand and poked around in the lock. He shivered; sensations from everything it touched were transmitted to him and the metal was freezing cold in the night. A few moments of jumbling the mechanism, and it clicked open quietly.

The door creaked as it opened to the pitch black shop. Nobody was there. Kralle walked in and locked the door behind him, then sat down at the counter.

“Wouldn’t it have more impact if I waited by the shrine?” he whispered.

A little voice squeaked from within his cloak’s hood. “It would, yes, and it’s good you’re thinking about how imposing you look, but your sneaking skills…” Nivel had transformed herself into a rat again, complete with green eyes and gold teeth that flashed in the night.

He scoffed. “I opened the lock fine, didn’t I?”

“Of course. After I reminded you. Anyway, he’s coming now.” Nivel hid back in his cloak as the footsteps approached.

Sitting at the counter of the fancy shop with the flower garden, Kralle tried to look as much like a Lord of darkness as possible as the owner came into the room carrying an oil lamp. He had olive skin, darker than most residents of the city, and was dressed in a well-made suit that had no Family markings. His carefully groomed hair and beard had perfectly positioned patches of grey to give him the dignified appearance of age, and his heavy rings adorning his fingers suggested he was a successful merchant indeed.

“My Lord Kralle, I’ve been expecting you.” The man bowed. If he was unsettled by this stranger appearing in his shop late at night, he didn’t show it. A flicker crossed the man’s face when his eyes caught Kralle’s blonde hair, but he quickly fixed his expression. Did I imagine that? Kralle wondered.

“I am Jasper, the servant of our mistress, and by her will I am your servant, too.”

Jasper carefully walked over, placed the lamp down, then suddenly grabbed Kralle’s hands in his own. A wide grin spread across his face.

“When the great Nivel whispered to me, I was elated! I’ve been praying to her for some time. She’s a local deity, did you know? Nobody prays to her outside the city. Anyway, she helps the lost and lonely and many years ago I needed to pray for someone like—”

Kralle held up his hand. Jasper caught himself and cleared his throat.

“Jasper, thank you for listening to our lady’s command. I am to stay here for as long as I need to serve our lady, and you will take care of my food and lodgings, correct?”

The man bowed. “Of course, my Lord. The Lady has heaped many blessings upon my life, and I would be a man of great dishonour if I did not do as she asked.”

“Very good. Please prepare some bread and tea, and—” he was suddenly aware that underneath his cloak of shadows he was still wearing rags from the prison. “A set of clothing… and a bath.”