Novel Full Chapter 472 - 472 Surprise Rats!
We now return to Kat's perspective.
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"Kat. I've found something here!" Kamiko's shout broke Kat out of her thoughts which still hadn't really gone anywhere. Kamiko's words had helped somewhat, but the worry and uncertainty hadn't truly left her, she just had a stronger seed of determination that let her know she'd manage. She would be able to get through the issues come what may.
So, Kamiko's shout almost come as a welcome distraction in many ways. Kat moved herself swiftly over to her friend and saw very clearly what she was talking about. It was the only place that didn't have rats piled up around her. A hole going into the dark, which really wasn't much of an issue for Kat, but she found herself struggling to really see what was going on down there.
"Step back I'll have a look" said Kat with authority. Kat knew she was much sturdier then Kamiko and any damage she might. Bending down, Kat stuck her head towards the opening and found herself immediately rearing back. As soon as her head had approached the gap in the wall, a rat had jumped straight for her face.
Kat's mind slowed as she took in the scene. What she thought was darkness she could see at the bottom of the wall wasn't darkness at all but RATS. If she thought it was a sea before this was nothing short of an ocean, a tsunami. Where before the rats had covered every spot of available ground, the rats in this hole didn't even have that courtesy. There was nothing but rat. The floor was nowhere in sight, and Kat's brief glimpse made it clear that the whole floor was at least three rats deep.
Kat's reaction was natural, trying to get as far away from the rat flying towards her face as possible, yet she was in no real danger. If she'd stayed longer she would have been able to tell the reason no more rats were flooding the upper level was because they couldn't. A layer or two of rats had been pushed above somehow and now the remainder lacked the strength to escape from their pit.
Still, seeing a rat flying towards your eye from what you thought was a dark hole elicited a very understandable reaction. Still, when a frightened demon capable of lifting cars decides to leap backwards, they really go for it. Kat slammed herself into the opposing wall, nearly clipping Kamiko with her wing
Kat felt the impact before her brain really caught up to the problem despite it's slowed state. She'd just been watching the hole get further away of course, so the sudden pain coming from her wings and back was a surprise she really should have expected. The crunching sound that Kat winced at wasn't helping her either.
*You know. It really says something that these earmuffs don't filter out the sound of my bones breaking. I'm not sure if what it says is positive or not but it certainly says something.* Kat let herself drop to a knee as the breath left her in an attempt to control the pain. It wasn't so bad, but her instinctual choice to speed up her mind meant she had a very detailed feeling of pain as the bones in her wings cracked and the ligaments tore around them all the while the bruising on her back formed and healed in a matter of instants, barely there long enough to add to the pain under normal circumstances, but with her mind slowed like this another thing to add to the pile.
Kat her Kamiko let out a gasp at some point, but Kat just focused on pushing her energy towards her wings to speed up the healing. It was a simple matter at this point, mostly instinctual, but she gave it an extra push mostly because she could. The pain no longer clouding her mind but certainly still present.
Kat ran through the memories that led her hear and was rather annoyed with herself when she quickly realised the rat had no chance of reaching her. Kat let her mind return to normal speed and felt her wings quickly fix themselves. The damage was superficial really, from her new rather warped standpoint. Her wings were by far the most fragile of her limbs now, and if they'd been reinforced with circulating energy would have been fine. Now she'd pay for it with a bit of pain which was a cheap price.
"Well. Kamiko. I feel like I should blame you for this really. You know how you brought up the pit of rats?" said Kat with a deadpan voice, and lacking the pain Kamiko thought really should have been present.
"Yeah…" said Kamiko drawing out the word, "wait… no. No, please don't… I have to be wrong right? That is not a whole filled with rats right? Please tell me it isn't?"
"It isn't" said Kat
Kamimo's mouth dropped open "How… how did you do that?"
Kat grinned, "I simply did as you requested. I did as you asked 'please tell me it isn't' thus I gave you the words 'it isn't'"
Kamiko was stunned. That wasn't a tactic she was aware worked on their inability to lie. The meaning was so clear, and Kamiko had to wonder if it was a nondem thing rather then a creative idea she'd overlooked. Still, it was something she'd keep in mind going forward. That was when the true meaning behind Kat's explanation caught up with her and she groaned.
"I didn't want to know. I shouldn't have asked. Now I know it's all just rats. Is… how bad is it?" asked Kamiko really not wanting the answer but knowing she needed it.
Kat sighed. "Perhaps I should spare you the information? I mean…" Kat rolled her hand as she tried to avoid answering the question none of them wanted to recognise. Still, there was nothing to be done. "Yeah it's that bad. Worse perhaps. At least three rats deep and the whole is barely big enough to fit is. In fact… I'm not quite sure if my horns will fit."
Kamiko raised an eyebrow at her friend and the rather large wings she had behind her. "You're worried about your horns?" asked Kamiko confused
"Yeah?"
"What about your wings?"
"Oh those won't be too bad…" said Kat "I can fold them up a bunch and worse comes to worse well… they can wrap around me… or break a little" Kat whispered that last part before going back to full volume to say "my horns though. They are rather tough and I'm not sure how well that would work out"
Kat was of course, downplaying her strength. She was not at fault for this, and Kamiko had missed it as well, but it was far more likely the rock would give way before any part of Kat if she was really trying. The fact there was a hole there already implied it was one of the weaker materials in the mines.
Before they could think on it too much though, a flashing light started to round the corner. Turning they saw stone, flicking his lantern on and off. Kat glanced at Kamiko who raised an eyebrow alongside Kat before they both shrugged.
When Stone saw them both looking at him confused he gestured towards them. He had earmuffs of his own now, unlike before but that was the only wardrobe change. Kat went to walk forward, but Kamiko grabbed her arm and pointed to the hole, before pointing at Stone then back at the hole.
Stone raised an eyebrow, not that the demons could actually tell, and looked at the point Kamiko had gestured to. Stepping forward to get a better look he saw that it must have been the hole the rats came from. Nodding in understanding, Stone moved forward and sealed the hole before gesturing the girls to move back towards the entrance
Once they did, he shifted more stone around him to create a massive arrow aiming itself at the area he'd covered over he backed up a few more steps before pulling stone from the wall and covering it completely. He then carved a basic rat into the wall and surrounded it with a hexagon.
He turned back to the girls before taking off his earmuffs and tapping his ears, indicating for them to do the same. When Kat took hers off the sound hit her even still. It was muted, not painful of course, but still like a low droning, and knowing most of it was the rats was not aw comforting thought.
"Right. I've come to say, good job, and the days over for you both. I was going to send someone else so I didn't have to come perfectly, but thought it best I come to seal it all back up again. Good thing too" said Stone, with a bit of false cheer. It was clear the rat corpses and the noise were not pleasant for the demon, but they were also somewhat routine.
"Thanks" said the pair, before Kamio continued "Though we also have something to mention. There was a lockbox a way back. We may wish to open it or at least pick it up"