A Rattling Monster

Chapter 124: The Story of my Life

It only took 8 hours for the other side to answer. In the form of a strong dwarf called Thongril, he is apparently really important. When the commandant first saw him, he nearly fell on his knee. And that dwarf was not alone, he was accompanied by twenty ferocious warriors. Their armors kind of remind of the one from that dwarf, back in the sewers. Seeing so many people trying to enter the little room of the commandant, in the end, only I, my five wraiths, Bori, Thongril and four of his men remained inside. The rest was standing right behind the door, ready to enter at any moment.

And I said five wraiths because since I was safe, I canceled my [Veil of Darkness] that was costing me precious mana. And, the commandant Bori never complained about the additional wraith that appeared in his room. So, I thought that we were good on that point. Maybe it was a mistake for me, but each additional undead will be really appreciated in the future. Especially those wraiths, they are the only thing capable of surprising the assassins of the ratmen. Because even them won't expect something coming from the ground or the wall and trying to kill them. I just hope that the dwarves will see the same thing that I do.

So here we are, my army of undead on one side, the dwarves on the other side, and Bori sitting in the middle, where his desk was located. Since no one is willing to talk first, I can examine in detail the armors and the weapons of the dwarf warriors. Two of them were the same stuff that the dwarf in Ronta, except that their armors are shinier. The other two, on the other hand, are clearly here just because of me. Or should I say, because I am a ghost? They are wielding some strange flamethrowers, and I can see in their back the iron barrel containing whatever is activating that flamethrower. They are really prepared because that's probably one of the only ways to destroy me and my wraiths. And that's still a pretty good weapon against something with a fur, like the ratmen.

As for the dwarf called Thongril, he is carrying a huge axe in his back, something that can only be raised with his two hands. And a blue light is emanating from it, probably enchanted or something like that. I don't want to touch that axe either, I just have a bad feeling about it. I prefer the hammer from Bori, one that doesn't look capable of hurting something immaterial. And now, the silence is ruining the moment. But should I start talking? If I do that, will I disrespect them? To hell with it, let's try something.

-Greetings master dwarves, are you here to discuss the incoming war, sleek sleek?

At first, Thongril was looking at me normally, but when my habit kicked in, his eyes turned angry. I guess that it is quite common for a ratman to talk like that, at least my stuttering is gone. Good thing you warned me about that Oslo.

(Yes, but your operation seduction is a complete failure. I have no idea if he hates you more than when he first entered the room. And now, he is just looking at Bori, the poor soul is shaking on his chair. He is clearly desperate; he has no idea what to do right now. We don't know either.)

-Commandant Bori only told us about four wraiths and a ghost shaped like a ratman. Or, I can see five wraiths. Therefore, as a proof of your goodwill, you will not deny me the right to slaughter the additional creature of evil?

Gulp, I guess it is turning bad. So, he hates the undead and the ratmen, what great combination. I guess I have to accept what he is saying, I still have my [Veil of Darkness] on me. I activated it right before they arrived, just in case. So, if I need to flee, four or five wraiths won't really matter. But all that mana wasted, it is really sad. I order number five to put the head of his scythe toward the ground and float in front of Thongril. That way, they won't mistake it for an attack.

The dwarves are clearly worried about the moving spirit, but seeing the lack of attention that the wraith is giving, they recognize that number five is not a threat. The flamethrowers are still pointed toward me, but they haven't fired. As for Thongril, he grabs his axe, begins to raise it, and cuts in half number five. I can see the two parts of my wraith floating for a second, before fading. My hypothesis was right; this axe is dangerous for me. Even the ground is broken under the impact of the mighty axe. I am certain that if someone is under us, he just received a huge fragment of the ceiling on his head.

But now, they should be happy, since they have released a bit of their hate. And it is still a pretty good proof of goodwill? Letting them first kill one of my subordinates, and prove to them that they have the power to kill me as well. And the opportunity right now.

-So, master Thongril, are you satisfied?

-No, vermin, I am not. You are still a ratman, even if you are a ghost. Meaning that not killing you is already the extent of my patience. As for your proposal of alliance, I want to ask you something. You told commandant Bori that the ratmen have attacked you near Ronta. And that, since they have done such a terrible thing, you will hunt them and destroy their race. Now, I want to know, did you already did that to another race?

Gulp, tricky question. What can he know? To what extent, does he know my participation with the Tomb Kings? The destruction of the ritual of the djinns? The slaughter that I provoked on both Lucia and Atria, the fact that the holy kingdom of Aria is nearly destroyed because of me?

(I think that you should tell the entire truth. The only reason he is speaking like that, or questioning you like that, means that they know something else that what you told to Bori. As for what they know, it can be anything. Maybe they know your battle near Ronta, the one against the ratmen. Maybe they know that you were in Atria when it was destroyed. As for the rest, it is only speculations, they shouldn't have learned this. So, be honest, and everything will be fine.)

Yeah, everything will be fine, like confessing the fact that I killed nearly half of a million humans, razed their capital to the ground. Their principal ally I guess, just doing that probably made their assault against the city of Salazar a failure. We still don't know if it is me that destroyed Atria first or Salazar that destroyed the army. Maybe, the army even managed to retreat with minimal loses, meaning that a huge number of humans are working with the dwarves. That would be such a catastrophic situation for us. But fine, let's be honest.

-I am Sleek, an elemental of Death. I am responsible for the destruction of the Sand Empire, sleek sleek. The djinns were the servants of Salazar on this world and were the allies of the ratmen, and they had a terrible ritual. Something that used the life of living beings and turned it into death and a desert. I was allied with the Agorians or maybe you know them under the name of Tomb Kings, sleek sleek. They fought the djinns for thousands of years and saved all of you. In the end, I was the only survivor from the Tomb Kings and the Sand Empire was destroyed.

I watch my surroundings but see no changes on the face of Thongril. However, Bori is clearly shocked by what I am saying.

-After that, I traveled to the West and arrived in the Holy Kingdom of Aria. However, I was hunted by a group of humans, saying that my death will bring them a fortune, sleek sleek. I heard that some cult was targeting any undead and offering bounties in exchange for their bodies or the core inside their corpses. Furious, I march until I arrived at the capital Atria. There I hunted the criminals and outlaws roaming in the surroundings. But, that cult was not letting me have a free time, and they gravely injured me, sleek sleek. To repay that, once I was healed, I marched on the city and let them feel my fury. Afterward, I marched to the East and found Lucia. I did the same thing. Only near the third human city, the sign was saying Ronta, I encountered the army of the ratmen. Without even waiting for me to explain myself, they attacked. However, I had spread my army and was not as strong as before, especially after all those fights. So, I had to retreat, and here I am sleek sleek. Oh, and by the way, your tunnels are a nightmare, I got lost countless times and had to kill thousands of ratmen.