Nothing Good Happens on a Monday

"Are you prepared for war?" He said.

"Woah woah war, at that point coming from a rat with scripture I'm not sure if it's funny or terrifying." I laughed boisterously, it probably leaned more towards funny. "But at ease, I'm not foolish enough to be war hungry."

"Then how did you find out about us and why did you attack our base?" He said with a slightly calmer tone.

"Oh we just spotted a bunch of you hustling a scriptshop downtown and just followed them here."

"So it was by coincidence?"

"Hmm...I suppose so." I said.

He laughed. Using his translation script his voice was just like a human's and so was his laugh, therefore I could tell he was laughing boisterously.

"Coincidence? How amusing. And here I thought you had been tracking us. You were just a fool." He laughed some more. "Only a fool would follow a pack of rats to the base of a tree."

"A fool huh? I guess I am." I laughed loudly. Sam and Carolina looked at me with curled lips and squinted eyes. They knew what I usually do after I laugh that laugh, you don't get to be around Barbatrous that long and not know what he's holding. "I suppose I am a fool yes, after all, it doesn't make much more than a fool to figure out who you are."

"Yes, I suppose we gave that away." He said interrupting his laughter. "After all what would a pack of rats do with scripts if they were not script users."

"I don't mean script users." I smiled.

"What?"

"Humans."

Silence fell, I wasn't looking at Sam and Carolina, but I could feel their astonished gaze. What struck me the most however was the rat's, Chief's gaze. Perhaps due to still lingering disbelief that I'm talking to a rat; I thought he would be shocked, for example gasp or answer with a very satisfying "what?!" With a look of horror on his face. But none of that happened. He just fell silent, staring directly at me, calmly. I'm not sure whether or not it was because he was a rat, but I couldn't read him at all. I had thought my brilliant realization would bring me pleasure but I only felt discomfort. It was at this moment that I began to take his words more seriously, it began to daunt on me that I may have opened a box that was meant to be closed.

"What makes you say that?" He answered breaking the silence. I couldn't find the heart in me to crack a joke so I just answered straight.

"It's simple logic. Only sentient beings can use scriptures, this tells me you're not some manifestation of a script I don't know of. So you are definitely real, but then how could you talk? To talk you would've needed to learn the language the scripts were written, if ordinary rats were capable of that they would've had centuries to do it. This rules out the theory this is some rat evolution. Then how can you talk? Well it is evident you're using the translation script, you managed to dig a loophole in the wording of the script where rather than translating it actually generates a voice identical to yours with the language chosen, using this loophole you gave yourself a voice, so this is readily explainable. So now that leaves only one question." I stopped talking for a moment.

"What?" Asked Sam who was also listening intently and broke under the suspense before Chief did. I had hoped to maybe break Chief's confident facade with this move, had he been so taken in to ask for the continuation it would've been me who had the upper hand, but unfortunately it seems that he is of more mettle than my men.

"The question, or rather the paradox that remains is that you can't use a script without being able to read and speak. Scripts are manifestations of the power of words after all. So you can't speak without a script, but you would need a script to speak. It's a paradox, a closed loop with no way out. Put it simply it's impossible for a rat to use a script. This leaves us with the very simple explanation that, well, you can't be a rat. You don't actually have to speak to use a script, you just have to imagine the words or speak with your thoughts, so a rat's lung is no hindrance. So put it simply, add all those together and the only answer is that he would have had to have that knowledge beforehand. That only leaves one possibility. He's a human."

"But dear, there's no script that can transform a human to a rat in such a thorough way." Carolina asked.

"No, there isn't. The human body is incredibly complicated, scriptography hasn't progressed enough for that. But Carolina, I don't doubt the facts even if I don't know how they came to be. And him being human. That is a fact." I asserted. You have to have confidence in yourself and your deductions, I wouldn't be much of a leader by doubting my own ability. And given Chief's reaction alone I could tell I was right on the money.

"But that's just elimination isn't it? You're just filling your ignorance with your common sense, don't get full of yourself." Said the other rat standing next to The Chief. If I recall correctly he called him squad leader. "The empty spot can be filled by Chief being human or it could be some level 4 script you don't know of. Or this could all be a simulation, you have never actually touched us to confirm we're real rodents with flesh. You're just grasping at straws, running wildly trying to elicit a reaction." He said in a deadpan tone. The second rat's tone was incredibly aggressive, he did not yell nor shout but he sounded menacing.

"Yes you're right. I am just stirring the pot, seeing what floats to the top. But due to this I also know that you're human too, but the rest of your colony isn't." I laughed. It all flowed through my head, it all kept connecting. Often when I concentrate well enough all the points connect. It's the best feeling in the world.

"Is it because I spoke? You think such flimsy logic will get you anywhere?" He asked. Each word that came out of his mouth only further enhanced my laughter. I couldn't contain myself. He just kept digging his own hole.

"You don't realize it do you? Speaking and thinking are two different things. Just because you speak the human language doesn't make you a human. If a rat were to learn a new language they would still be as uneducated and ignorant as a rat." A smile cut my face from end to end. This was the moment I was holding onto for so long. "Your arguments are correct Squad Leader. They are logical and sound. The type of arguments that could only be made by a human!"

A look of terror busts through Squad Leader's calm collected facade. He realized it too late, the better he defended his claim the more he weakened it. That was the best irony of it all.

"The best thing you should have done when I first mentioned it was to fall to the ground laughing." I continued to laugh.

Another era of silence fell, only my laugh perpetrated through the dead air. Did he think he could stand up to Barbatrous? You're a 100 years too early. I once even convinced Carolina to cook. Don't underestimate Barbatrous when it comes to mind games.

After a short moment of uninterrupted laughter I suddenly heard another laugh coming my way, it was a voice I instantly recognized. The Chief's.

"Brilliantly executed. You have us completely beat. You're interesting very interesting." He continued to laugh. "Tell me Barbatrous."

"W-what?" I was slightly thrown off by his sudden laughter.

"Would you join me?"