Chapter 20 The Fate of the Duke

Deep under the world in a mossy vine covered dark tunnel, red beating eyes moved. The usually silent tunnel was now being disturbed by the footsteps of over a thousand rat and human feet. They were guided only by a few strange glowing plants on the cave floor, and green crystals protruding from the cave ceilings. They marched ever deeper and deeper underground through massive rat fortresses and winding tunnels.

'Yes yes, take man things to great mother yeeeessss.' Quiet skittering rat voices could be heard. 'What do you mean great mother? Where are you taking us exactly?' Cried out a man. 'grrrrr.' Growled a rat and then.'Crack crack!' Came the cracking of a whip. 'Aaaaaaa!' yelled the man in pain. 'Shut up, you filthy man thing. You no no ask questions. You only move forward. Yes yes.' The whip-wielding rat said. Hearing this hundreds of rats snickered, delighted by the man things suffering.

After that, no other voices were heard. The rats led the shackled human prisoners through the dark narrow tunnel paths. Only stopping for short breaks. The prisoners would be placed near the green glowing crystals, that's green glow emitted heat, drying their clothes and heating their bodies. During these breaks, the rats would also scatter around the cave to collect those strange glowing tentacles and fruit-like plants. Some of them looked like blue Juicy soft apples and some like small glowing blue berries. The strange wheat-like white tentacles were stashed away, probably for later consumption. It appeared like all the edible plants here were trying to attract you to them with their glowing bodies.

Amongst this group of prisoners was the Duke of Granada. During the siege of Cordoba, once the rats breached the walls they started to feast on all the humans inside the city. Such actions were too much for the Granadan men and this had led to a massive route. The rats had taken this as an act of betrayal and decided to capture and eat all the humans. Now the Duke marched with his fellow humans towards their most certain doom. But he was not afraid, for now, he could finally see her, or that is what he hoped.

As they continued forward he could see something. In the distance, he could see a dazzling light, mostly likely an exit to somewhere. As they approached the light he had to cover his eyes as the dazzling light hurt his eyes. Finally exiting the tunnel, his eyes slowly adjusted to the brighter lights. As he took his hand away from his face he was in awe. The sight was like one from a fairy tale. Gasps could be heard as the human prisoners were all stunned. All around them, for as far as the eye could see were glowing plants. It looked like they were standing in the starry night sky itself. They were in a massive underground cave filled with strange trees. Some had strange glowing tentacles and others had glowing fruits hanging off their branches. The cave was overlooked by great cave pillars, that went up for hundreds or thousands of meters he did not know, for he could only see their massive roots in the dim darkness. The whole cave was covered by moss and weird-looking plants. There was no sunlight only the blue and white glow of the weird-looking plants on the ground and the small fruits hanging from the trees. A few green crystals could also be seen in the surroundings. Though there were many small lights here, the cave was still extremely dim, only the outlines of the ground could be seen.

As they walked they could see strange creatures flying in the dark cave sky. They looked like bats but were completely pale white and the size of small dogs. Watching it he could see it swoop down, catching a 6-armed small dog-sized pale lizard. As it flew away the lizard struggled and let out some kind of acid. In pain the bat let go of it, making it fall towards the ground. But the lizard just opened its arms wide and started to glide down. It had small pieces of skin between its arms giving it such an ability. But there was no escape for the lizard as a big pony-sized bat swooped down and grabbed it, with its big claws, killing it in the process. The Duke just watched in wonder as it flew away with its prey.

Walking a bit further they came to an open field filled with what looked like glowing flowers and mossy tentacle grass. Watching the strange sight they could see a small jelly-looking creature eating the tentacle grass with its strange long mouth. It seemed to be blind as it just used strange glowing tentacles to feel around. The group just walked past it in wonder and continued forward.

After a while, they came into a great crossroad, surrounded by the strange glowing tentacle wheat. The crossroad was connected to hundreds of paths and one big road. From the other paths, they could see other prisoners coming towards the crossroad. Every prisoner was apparently being taken to the same place, down the big road. Now walking side by side with other prisoner groups they headed down the big wide road.

After a while, they came to a big open tentacle wheat field. There were hundreds of rats harvesting them. It looked like the wheat was being taken towards a big cave pillar in the distance. Focusing on the pillar the Duke could see hundreds of holes in the pillars ' roots and rats moving in and out of them. By the look of things, the rats were using the pillars as a home or storage.

As they walked past the massive field and into the distance. The Duke saw many different types of creatures along the way. All the creatures here appeared to be pale white and blind or at least they had white eyes. The underground creatures were truly horrendous, they were no animals but monsters in his eyes. It was no wonder that the rats desired to live up top, instead of the dim dark underground.

They marched for miles with sore feet they pushed on and on. Until they saw it, a massive gate made of stone and along it's side's were holes carved into the mountain making it look like the battlements of a wall. The gate looked like it was at least 80 meters wide and a massive 20 meters tall, it was truly made for a mighty swarm of monsters.

In front of the gate, they waited for a while until thousands of prisoners had gathered, then came the horn sound. 'Kiiiiiii Kiiiiiiiii!' Then came the loud thundering voice of the thick stone gate opening, outwards. In awe they all watched. 'How could such a thing even be opened, ohh I see.' Thought the Duke.

Behind the gate on an elevated long stretch of stone wall, were massive pale white giants who pulled on levers opening the gate. They were some of the most hideous things he had ever seen, they were definitely no rats.

'Move it!' Commanded the rats as they smacked the ground with their whips. 'Smack, Smack!'

Walking through the gate they were met with a barren rocky wasteland, only a few corners had moss and some glowing plants. This wasteland was dark, they could only see the road lit by a few gloving green crystal posts. In the distance was a massive black tower lit by green crystals and many fires of industry. Behind the tower was a massive cave pillar that spewed out magma, that came in a stream down and around the black tower's massive moat.

He knew that the tower must have been massive but as they walked and walked and walked, he realized that it was much bigger than he could have imagined. The black tower was made of some kind of dark metal. The tower's top could not be seen in the dark, but most likely it reached over a kilometer high. Around it was the mote of magma with only one large dark bridge going to the tower.

As they got close to the bridge he could see black armored rats guarding it. Unlike the ones he had fought with, these ones looked to be on a whole other level. Their armor shined in the light of the magma and there were only a few gaps in it, making them look impenetrable. Watching the black armored rat closely their eyes suddenly met and he felt it's hatred towards him. An ominous feeling crept over him, he felt like a small rabbit staring down a hungry wolf. Sweat ran down his face, he felt all his senses screaming at him to get away. Quickly he lowered his head and looked away not daring to look back again.

As they walked he could hear the other prisoners being whipped. Apparently the march had been too long for some, especially the children, it would seem. Even he was at the end of his ropes, they had walked for more than a day without stop. At this point it was impressive to see the children still keeping up somehow, but to him none of this really mattered. 'I am coming my love.' The Duke whispered to himself. 

Walking over the bridge he could hear louds of rat voices and the hammering of metal. Most likely the rats were creating their best weapons of war here. The rat armies on the surface were most likely just a scouting force, ment to test the humans defence's. 

Walking through the menecing looking black metal gate they came to a big courtyard that seemed to wrap around the tower. In the courtyard he could see rats crafting armour's and weapons as some rats inspected the wear's and bought items with strange glowing coin's made of the green crystals. Along the walls and the courtyard, dark armoured rat patrol's moved with great precision. Half of the patrols had dark metal shields and swords while the others had great dark glaives. There were also massive Rat-ogres wearing full body dark metallic armours and weapons of all kinds, standing guard. The Duke could not say how many of these elite warriors there were, but by the looks of things there were many. If such an army were to attack, not even the combined forces of Iberia could stop it. Only a unified western coalition could hope to match this dark rat army.

Then the inner gate of the dark tower opened as the rats lead them inside the pitch dark tower. Once they were all inside the gate closed and only darkness remained. Only the rattling of chains and the skittering of rats could be heard in the dark quite tower, as the rats pulled them by the chains forward.

After a while of wondering around the dark they were all stopped and a single large fire was lit. The massive room was lit somewhat, helping them to see. They could see all the rats kneeling towards the outlines of 3 massive creatures.

In the center was a massive 20 meters tall, bloated, fat, black rat sitting on a massive bone throne as many small rats clinged to it's many tits and sucked on its hundreds of small nipple's. It was so tall that only the outline of its head could be seen in the dark. On the right lay a 18 meters long, fat, bloated, four legged animalistic like rat. It didn't have a chair and just lay on a bone pile as rats sucked on its nipple's. Watching this beast like rat he could see it spassaming a little as a small baby rat was birthed out of it and other rats carried it away. The Duke was a little disgusted seeing this. Both of them were spitting out small rats every once in a while like it was just a small inconvenience. 

But then he turned to the final one. And the Duke was in awe, as he thought to himself. 'My Queen.' There on the left on a bone throne sat a 6 meters tall fat white rat. Just like the other ones she had rats sucking on its 6 tits. When they first met all those years ago she was but a 1 and a half meters tall rat, and now she was massive. Rats were truly amazing creatures thought the Duke. 

As the rats kneeled a big black rat. 'Ohh great mother's. I have brought you great meal. Yes yes.' Hearing this the people gasped in shock not believing what they heard, until. A deep menecing rat voice was heard from the biggest one. ' I am impressed, this is truly a impressive number of man things. Yes yes.' Then it asked. 'What is your name? Swarmlord.' 

The black rat was overjoyed to hear this and answered immediately. 'Ratbag is my name ohh great mother.' 

The Great mother as it was called nodded in approval as it said. 'Ratbag as a show of my gratitude for your work. I the great mother grant you mating rites with all of us for one day.' 

Ratbag was stunned, usually such privileges were only for the higher ups. Quickly he composed himself and said humbled. 'I thank you you ohh great mother for the honour.' 

Hearing all this the Duke was stunned and felt betrayed. Didn't the white queen promise to marry him when he won the throne? But now there she was not saying anything to protest these vile words. Was she already claimed? Meybe he just needed to wait, surely everything would be explained soon. The Duke thought.

Then with a wave of its hand the great mother sent Ratbag away and gestured for the first human to come forth. Seeing this the people panicked and tried to run and plead. But it was futile as they were all chained together. The rats just pulled them from their shackles and formed 3 lines, one In front of each mother. The Duke just watched as the rats beat and whipped the struggling and screaming people. 'Shut up!' Yelled a rat as it whipped a man. ' Snap snap.' 

The whip hit the man twice in the back and he yelled in pain. 'Aaaaaaa!' Seeing this the children started to cry. The rats were infuriated by this and proceeded to threaten them with weapons and beat them with metal rods, quieting the children down quickly. Only quite sobs could be heard as the people pissed them selves and shook in fear. But the Duke did not care, he only watched the white queen in anticipation as he was led to the line Infront of her.

In the middle at the front of the line a woman's shackles were released and then the large mother rat picked her up. She screamed and struggled, until the rat bit her head off and then proceeded to swallow her whole. Seeing this caused great panic amongst the people but they were quickly silenced once again. People started to pray and hope for somebody to come and save them. But one by one the prisoners shackles were released and they were consumed. The beastly rat just lay on its side as the humans were carried into it's mouth, as it was too bloated to move. The white queen was the slowest and most brutalist as she was the smallest and couldn't swallow the people whole. So limb by limb the tore the living people alive and ate them, colouring it's white fur red. The Duke was now horrified. This was not the once helpless, beautiful rat he had met years ago, no she was more of a fiersome beast now. 

The Duke watched as it ripped a child and her mother into pieces before him and then it was his turn. As the shackles dropped he felt his body stiffen in fear, hands trembling and sweat pouring down his face. With a poke to the back a rat sent him slowly walking forward. Seeing his doom coming he quickly got on his knees, infuriating the rat behind him and then he begged.

'My beautiful white Queen, do not do this! Remember your promise! Remember our alliance! Remember me! You remember right?' 

The queen hunched down a little as it watched the human curiously. And then she spoke, as she started to remember the past. 'Mm, yes I remember that pact with the man things. But I do not know you. For how could I, you all look the same.' then she grabbed the stunned Duke and lifted him to her face level.

We all look the same? What? How? Though the Duke in confusion as he spoke again in panic. 'No! Just look at me! It's me! Please remember!' 

The queen was confused, why was this man thing so persistent in her remembering it. All she saw was a well kept piece of meat, sure it was better than the rest, it looked cleaner and healthier. But hearing it's pathetic words annoyed her and she didn't want to hear anymore as she said. 'No!' 

The Duke gasped and then with a quick motion his head was inside it's mouth and he felt it's teeth press on his neck, choking him and then. 'Snap!' He died.

One by one the Humans were eaten and used as nutrition which the 3 mother's then turned into a new swarm of rats. And in order to keep the rats coming, Ratbag used his seed to fertilize the eggs and so the cycle continued.