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'The Day I Ignored my Minor Quest' The young woman clambered up the stone walkway -'It could practically be a mountain with this incline!' she thought- and halted before a wooden doorway three times her size. She only took a moment to catch her breath before she pulled on the handle and slipped inside. The chamber within was bare, decorated with only an altar here and there used to hold candles. It was hard to see, but that didn't worry the woman. She had navigated the path to the end of the room many, many times before. Looking up, she saw a dim shadow move slightly. "Guildmaster," she said as she lowered her head in greeting. An old man stepped into the light of a nearby candle. "You called for me?" He nodded slowly, but the woman noticed a sense of urgency in his eyes as he gazed at her searchingly. Was he judging her? "You are the only one..." he whispered. He grasped her left hand and held it tightly in both of his. "The rats..." he continued, ".. I cannot hold them back any longer. If you do not vanquish their leader, they will descend into our kingdom and take over our lives..." The woman blinked. He seemed so desperate she had almost believed him! Wriggling her hand out of the guildmaster's grip, she stooped into an awkward bow before stepping back slightly. "You spend too many hours holed up in this dark cave, old man. Your mind seems to be deteriorating! We have lived at peace with these rodents for as long as I can remember - heck, even for as long as I can't remember! They are no threat, believe me." The man protested feebly as she flicked her hand in a slight wave, turned on her heels and walked out of the guild. Muttering to herself about stagnant leadership, the woman glided down the path and headed towards the market. The sun had begun to wink behind the mountains that bordered the city and she had much to do before the sky darkened. Not giving the old guildmaster and his prophecy a second thought, she hurried on her way. - - - Brightness. Sunlight. Daylight? The woman groaned as she opened her eyes the next morning and stretched her limbs as far as she could. She shook her head vigorously to somehow jolt the tiredness out of her body and stood to begin getting ready for the day ahead. Something scurried across the floor. The woman let out a small yelp before her eyes focused on the dark blob huddled in the corner. It was only a rat. She let out a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't a bug! Her mind returned briefly to her experience at the guild the day before and she laughed. How preposterous - rats taking over the kingdoms! The woman gathered together her herbs, potions and finely-woven cloth in a large basket to take to the market (her sleeping potion made a killing among the all of the husbands out there) and reached out a hand to open the front door. It wouldn't budge. "Hm?" she muttered to herself and tried again, this time with more force. She ended up having to put down her basket and use her body weight to push open the door. Satisfied, she rubbed her hands together... and shrieked louder than she ever hand before. Her door had been blocked by rodents. They weren't just scurrying around, either - they were squashed into a knee-deep, living wall that had surrounded her small hut. They writhed and squeaked, writhed and squeaked. The woman stood there, speechless. Her door was eventually pushed shut again by the movements of thousands of rat bodies barricading the hut. The woman jumped nervously at the sound of the door slam. What was happening!? That old fool of a man had predicted this! She had ignored his warning, and now... The rats had covered the old hut by the time the sun had risen once more. The woman trapped within, however, would never see daylight again. Written by Sandrilene. | |