10 Chapter 10

The Villager turned Rat man was moving towards me.

[Corrupted Rat Man] Level [7]

HP[70/70]Abilities[???]-Must obey orders given by Rat Boss.

He has full health. That could be a problem. How can I stop him without alerting the guards?

If I don't the fat rat is gonna eat one of the villagers.

I shadow jumped ahead of the rat man, and waited in the shadows to see what he would do.

I decided to call him 'spot', due to the big white spot on his forehead, it was endearing.

Spot entered the first room, which had two rat men pacing about endlessly.

Spot walked up to the first one, looking at something around its neck.

I noticed for the first time that the guards had collars on, with numbers hanging from flimsy metal tags.

It quickly became clear to me that Spot had terrible eyesight. I could easily see the numbers on the tags from where I hid.

I hadn't thought about what I would have done if number 27 was in the first room. Thankfully it was numbers two and three, which meant that the 'Rat Hand Rat' must be number one.

I grinned as a plan formed in my mind.

Spot grunted when he realized it was the wrong number and slowly checked the next rat man.

I shadow jumped through the dungeon, at the maximum speed allowed with my current strength.

After a minute I reached number 27. I activated Telekinesis and tried to grab the tag from the collar. It was so flimsy that it easily came loose.

The rat man didn't notice as the tag flew through the air into my waiting hand. I quickly deposited it my inventory.

Ding! Telekinesis has leveled up!

Telekinesis[5/10]- A spell that allows the movement of objects with the mind. Otherwise known as mage hand. Has the full capabilities of a hand, but is invisible. Duration -4 seconds, Cost-4 mana- Weight Limit-50lbs- Number of Mage Hands[2]

Boom! Mission complete. Now that the number 27 tag was in my inventory, I didn't have to worry about 'Spot'. I felt much more at ease, but I still needed to deal with that fat rat and his bodyguard.

I decided to check out what was down the path I didn't take at the beginning. Maybe there would be something useful.

I decided to use the track skill while I moved along. The Breathing technique was constantly active, so it t was a simple matter to focus the field of magic that I kept around me.

"Past! Reveal to me your secrets!"

That was how MashaMura phrased it when teaching me. Perhaps with training, it can do more. Sadly my skill only shows imprints of what sensei calls Soul residue. Whenever you walk, or touch something it leaves this residue. With my skill I can only perceive this within a few days of when it occurred.

Looking with new eyes, I could see the footprints of the two rat men pacing in the same pattern. There was also a new set of prints cutting right through the room. They were leading in the direction I had determined to go, so I shadow jumped and followed them.

After a few rooms, the footprints moved to a spot in the darkness. There was reside on a crack in the wall. I inspected it and found a stone that could be easily moved away.

Ding!

You have found Right Hand Rat's Secret stash.

Gained Elephant Jerky[20]-Restores 20 HP per second for 10 seconds- Gives one permanent stamina.

Gained Super Sweet Snack Cake[20]

Restores 1 HP per second for thirty seconds.

Gained Key[Unknown]

That sneaky rat! No wonder he was so buff! He had a bunch of secret food he kept stashed away. I thought about this as I continued moving through the dungeon using shadow jump.

This key must go to something. Maybe a chest full of gold!

Who knows!

A few minutes later I had arrived at a dead end. At this dead end there was a cell with a seven foot tall black panther man chained to the wall. He had a large metal collar around his neck, equipped with a blinky red light.

Suddenly the patherman jerked up his head and looked at me. I heard a voice in my head. "Who are you?"

I was surprised. I quickly regained my composure and tried "thinking" to him in return. "Fox is my name, I'm here to save you and these villagers."

Surprisingly he seemed to understand me.

"Sadly, you cannot save me. This collar is rigged to explode if it is tampered with at all. The key has been lost for ages. There is no hope for me. All you must do is destroy the portal and the rats power will be cut off. The villagers will return to normal and he will have no more power over them."

"Are you controlled like them?" I asked the panther man. "Why would you tell me all this?"

"Because someone must destroy that evil Fat rat!"

The cell had plenty of shadows so I shadow jumped inside, instantly appearing next to the man. I pulled out the key and held it out to him.

"Right answer. I needed to know that you wouldn't just run off if I freed you."

Click!

The Panther Man's collar clicked open as he inserted the key. He removed it, and carefully laid it on the ground.

I felt a wave of pure power wash out from him and rush over me, overwhelming my senses.