429: Rat Rescue (conclusion)

Rat Rescue (conclusion)

It took Nix a few minutes, but he succeeded in finding a piece of metal. A loose spring from underneath the bed frame gave him the tool he was looking for as he climbed onto the metal frame of the bunk.

Rat-Fajii couldn't help but sneak a peek at Nix when the grinding started. He held the rusty spring in his hand and was rubbing it vigorously against the frame. Time seemed to slow drastically, as the two Nether rats watched the third stubbornly scrape away with the spring. After several minutes, Fajii finally spoke.

/Ratpack: Fajii: Nix... What are you doing?

/Ratpack: Deidra: That isn't going to wor...

Her sentence was interrupted when the first spark flew, and the entire room flashed in a brilliant red flame. Nix was thrown off the bunk onto the floor. A moment later, he sat up, his yellow eyes trying to blink away the spots in his vision. Small tendrils of smoke rose into the air from his fur.

*Cough*

Almost immediately, Elan Mtui stirred. He mumbled something and moved one hand.

/Ratpack: Nix: Was that flash loud?

/Ratpack: Fajii: No.

Nix glanced toward the door. and scurried toward it.

/Ratpack: Fajii: It's barred from the other side.

/Ratpack: Nix: The three of us should be able to handle it.

Fajii led the team back into the walls, and with a few minutes, they exited into the connecting room. Nix could hear the coughing of Elan through the locked door, and although it took an effort, the three of them were able to unbar the door.

/Ratpack: Nix: Detonation team, be ready.

/Ratpack: Pon: Finally.

Nix nudged Rat-Deidra with his nose. "Try and get him awake."

/Ratpack: Fajii: He needs fresh air.

Rat-Nix walked around the room.

/Ratpack: Deidra: What's the plan?

A loud bang came from the room; the Breach Commander managed to roll off the bed and was on the floor.

/Ratpack: Nix: Blow shit up, Elan leaves the house with everyone else. Then he finds someplace safe to wait until his abilities are accessible.

/Ratpack: Fajii: He's on the move.

Rat-Nix turned toward the doorway; a pasty looking dragon spawn crawled through on his hands and knees.

/Ratpack: Nix: Get back in the walls, and find the quickest way up.

Rat-Deidra was keeping pace with her son; he managed to sit up and lean against the wall. "Let me know when your abilities can be used."

Elan nodded groggily. "I will. Thank you for helping me."

Rat-Nix watched with interest. Although Deidra was obviously not a doting mother, in this instant, her affection for her son was clearly evident. "On your feet. We're on borrowed time; once we get out of here, we can find you someplace to rest."

/Ratpack: Fajii: Rooms down here are just storage; there's a clear route to the stairs.

Elan used the wall to slowly get to this feet. "My head feels muddled; I can walk."

/Ratpack: Nix: Time to go. Does he know what he has to do?

/Ratpack: Diedra: I told him. Walk out of the house with everyone else, then find someplace to hide until he can open a breach.

/Ratpack: Fajii: There are a few people lounging next to the stair exit on the first floor.

/Ratpack: Nix: In the walls, time to go.

Nix scurried back into the next room and then entered the wall. Deidra was obviously unhappy about leaving Elan, but she followed along. The Ratpack trio reunited at Fajii's location near one of the floor vents. It seemed to take forever, but only a few minutes went by before their Elan made it to the stairs.

/Ratpack: Deidra: He's in position.

/Ratpack: Nix: We just need one explosion to start. Do it, Pon.

/Ratpack: Pon: Bonzai!

A moment later, an explosion shook the house; it triggered off a succession of explosions that were much stronger. Rat-Nix nodded in satisfaction when the doors and windows rattled in the House of Kane.

Dozens of people emerged from multiple directions, all running for the exit at the same time. It was here where Elan Mtui emerged from the basement and fell in behind them. All three rats scurried across the floor as the House of Kane emptied out to investigate the disturbance.

/Ratpack: Nix: We'll head to the infusion platform and stay in place until Elan manages to leave.

/Ratpack: Semmi: Can I go next? Pon took out the tavern and two nearby buildings.

Elan Mtui kept his pace to a walk, although still dizzy, he managed to follow a large group of people from the House of Kane. He ducked into one of the fountain gardens close to the central square, after splashing water on his face he sat behind a large statue and waited. From the actions of the spectators, this was thought to be an accident.

Nix led the other two Nether Rats back into the infusion probes, he squeezed in into the line and waited. Another five minutes went by before he received the news.

/Ratpack: Deidra: He's out Nix, Elan opened a breach directly into my sanctuary.

/Ratpack: Nix: Detonation team, finish up.

Nix scurried down the line, just as several explosions rocked the city at the same time. A few minutes later, they exited into Inferno City.

/Ratpack: Pon: It killed me to blow up all that booze.

/Ratpack: Wind: Literally.

Rat-Nix stopped next to himself, opening his mouth to retch.

*Blech*

/Ratpack: Pon: The hell are you doing?

After several tries, Rat-Nix managed to spit out the two vials of gold liquid. He uninhabited the puppet and picked it up along with the prize.

"Nix?" Deidra was staring at the vials. "Where did you get those?"

"Found 'em." Nix stowed them in his inventory and started removing the rings he had pushed up his rat legs. One by one, he gently removed them without damaging the puppet.

/Ratpack: Deidra: You took Jargon's heritage rings?

/Ratpack: Nix: These are mine.

Nix turned one over in his hand and examined it.

Ring: [Unidentified].

******************

"NO!" Jargon's roar of anger shook the entire city. The dragon stared at the empty cell; his dark eyes lit with rage and confusion. "HOW?"

He tore through the ceiling of the basement and burst through the front door before changing into this dragon form. The magnificent gold beast turned its eyes on his Talumbir. It only took a few seconds to verify. Gone... Elan Mtui was no longer in his city.1

For the next hour, all of Talumbir huddled in fear as the dragon rampaged in the street, dozens of buildings were leveled or burned in his anger. By the time he regained control of himself, the city was thick with the smell of smoke.

Talon clenched his jaws together, to stop them from chattering. He knew without a doubt that Jargon could easily kill him in a fit of anger. He stood in front of the door to the main house when his master returned.

Jargon walked by his champion without speaking. Somehow, Elan had escaped. Were their traitors in the House of Kane? A secured Dragon City couldn't be breached into. He entered his office and sat behind the desk, immediately realizing something was wrong. His gold pen was sitting on top of the desk.

He reached for the third drawer, a cold chill running down his spine when he noticed the empty container next to a hastily scrawled note. "My rings..." He glanced at the note; it had a rough sketch of a male appendage with the words "Jargon Sucks" written next to it.

Talon was knocked down by the blast that destroyed the Main House of Kane. The Golden Dragon appeared in the middle of it, blanketing the compound in flames. Without thought, the dragon spawn ran for his life.

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