Donner and Thalia: The Lair of the Rat God (Episode 1)

Chapter 6

6.

Donner was laying in his bed, thinking of that symbol. What could it be? What could it mean? Paul would know, Paul would have to know. Would Paul help them? That was the real question. He wasn't like Donner. He didn't feel the siren call to adventure like he did. But as worrisome as he was, he was the kind of person that if given a chance to help people, he would. Paul was always helping the younger kids when they scraped their knees and elbows, throwing a prayer on them to heal their scrapes and sending them back out to their child's play.

Besides, Paul hated rats. Once as a joke, Donner and Lenny released a rat, a regular rat, into his house. He was quite angry after that. But it was years ago, they had apologized and since then had shared enough pub meals and ginger beers not to worry about it anymore. Paul was a good friend.

Donner met back up with Thalia and Lenny the next day, "I tried making a copy what we saw, what do you think?" Donner said as he held up a piece of parchment, he used a quill to copy what he remembered of the symbol.

"It looks okay, I think it's pretty accurate," Lenny said as he looked over the hastily scribbled imprint.

"Lucky for you, religious symbols are simple by design," Thalia said, "I think this could be enough to show a translator. Are you sure Paul will help us?"

"I'm sure, maybe not help us in a fight, but he'll know what this is, he'll have to know," Donner said as he put the piece of parchment back in his pocket.

Before the three arrived at his house, Paul was buried deep in a book telling the contemplations of Thixmir. The deity of protection and life which his father and most of those in Kinleath preached the glory of at Church every week. Just under a hundred years ago, was said to have intervened personally with great rains to stop the machinations of a Balxador siege of fire to the croplands Hillshade's founders had planted at the start of the town. Paul didn't know which god he should give the most praise to personally. He had read about them all. Every god had at least one story about breaking the code of the Divine and saving the day for those who worshiped him. He had been well-read in every testament with scholarly expertise. Thiximir, the god of his father's church, the god of protection and healing. Balxador, the god of warriors and fire. Luxador, the god of luck and chance. Hexigal, the god of law and order. Necroix, the god of the death, the god with no writings or testaments about him. And Delephix, the goddess of love and fertility, his preacher father didn't allow Paul to read her testaments until he was an appropriate enough age to understand the value and importance of her work without blushing from embarrassment.

Paul was sitting in the family room of the small house his father added on to the side of the Church. His face was buried in another book as it always was when he wasn't doing work for his father, keeping the church the most elegant, well-kept, and well-fortified building in all of Hillshade.

Paul was pulled from the third volume of Thiximir's teachings by three raps at his door. He went to answer it, his father off doing mission work in the capital with his mother joining him. He opened the door to see Donner, Leonard, and Thalia standing outside.

"Here to gloat about your great adventure?" Paul asked.

"First off," Donner said, "it was a great adventure, and it's going to get greater, but I need your help," there was a sincerity in Donner's voice that made Paul rethink the initial dismissal he wanted to give that fool Donner.

"What do you need help with?" he asked, "Just tell me now so I can say no and not get killed," Paul leaned against the frame of the church door with his arms crossed.

"You're the smartest person I know. I was wondering if you could tell us what this is," Donner said as he reached for his pocket and pulled out his parchment. He unwrapped it and showed the crudely drawn symbol to Paul.

"That's the sign of a God," Paul said, "It's kind of obvious that's what it is."

"That's just it, why we came here, Which god is it?" Donner asked.

"I think I've seen this once or twice," Paul turned and went to his bookshelf, Paul's home had one of the most abundant bookshelves outside of the nearest library. The preacher's family had even older texts than Vibrus. Donner and company followed him inside. They watched as Paul ran his fingers over his wide selection of tomes. "I think it was here," he said, pulling out one of his books, "Demons and Demi-Gods," he put it on a table in front of the three and panned through it. "I think it started with an R," he panned through the pages as his friend's watched, "I found it!" he said with excitement, he turned his book around and showed a much more accurate depiction of the symbol then Donner had recreated from memory.

"What is it?" Thalia asked.

"It's the symbol of Rodentix, the God of rats, it's considered a lesser deity," Paul said.

"A Rat God," Donner said as he turned to the other two, "Are we seriously dealing with the God of Rats," he took a deep breath, "Why do I feel this much work is going to be worth more than twenty-five gold?"

"Rodentix had a cult devoted to him about a hundred years ago. His followers destroyed a town in 213 AE, overrunning it with so many rats that all the grain was contaminated. Everyone within three towns died of disease," Paul shivered, "I hate rats. If this is what you're involved in, I want no part of it," he said as he slammed the book shut.

"Wait, this was a god, with followers, the Rat god had followers?"

"Yes, the Cult of the Rat they were called," Paul said, "It was a fringe, very fringe, religious order that believes that when we die, our remains are consumed by Rats, therefore making rats the ultimate victors in the struggle of life and death. They haven't had a practicing order for decades."

"Well, they might have one now," Donner said, "We need to go back to that town, find out what's going on inside that house."

"I don't think this sounds like a job for us," Thalia said.

"We just need to find out what's happening, you've seen the Rats we've been dealing with, do you want those things infesting that town, and then ours? If this, Cult of the Rat, gets more power, there's no telling what they could do. I know firsthand that when a Rat is backed into a corner, it can be vicious. We should at least see what's going on. Our enemy is using this symbol to gather rats, who knows how far they'll want to go with it."

Thalia objected, "That woman made it very clear we shouldn't delve into this mystery, let them deal with it themselves, it's just one town with a rat problem, if it gets too bad they'll put a contract out," she said, "Knights can take care of it if it gets too out of control."

"I'm a Knight," Donner said, "I'm a Knight, I know because I filled out the paperwork. This isn't about the coin for me. I think we should at least investigate this. I signed a contract that said I would take care of a Rat problem, and I intend to see it through, not for payment, not for glory, but on my honor as a Knight and as a man," Donner said.

"What do you plan to do? If that woman is any indication, that town doesn't want anyone poking around that house," Thalia said.

"We'll go undercover, you know an invisibility spell, right?" Donner said.

"I do, but you, you," she rolled her eyes, "fine," Thalia stamped her foot, "I'll help you sneak in, find out whatever we can find out, but then we're out, do you promise?"

"Yes," Donner said.

"Do you promise?" she asked again with force in her voice.

"Yes, I promise, I just want to find out what's going on."

"Fine!" Thalia said before turning her back on Donner.

"Good, we'll head in tomorrow." Donner said to the back of Thalia's head, "And a great quest will have its first page written,"

"Don't you even," She said, holding her hand up. She huffed about what that idiot was about to drag her into.

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