Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

30th of Cylus 719

Setri had a rat problem, or so Rakvald had gathered from the notice that went out to the surrounding city. He'd dealt with his share of rats in his time, those little creatures that got into the feed stores, and left little presents behind by way of spoiling the supplies. They were thought of as pests around here, or so it seemed, whereas in Quacia they were yet another food source. A prolific food source that never seemed to run out.

But Rakvald wasn't there for lunch. He had in mind to chase and capture a few rats and see what he could make from them. Of course, he'd investigate as the job called for, where the rats were coming from, and whether or not there was some underlying issue that was bringing about their appearance. Rakvald thought it might just be that they improperly stored their food. Rats loved taking advantage of improper storage. Sometimes they managed to burrow in themselves even.

Crafty creatures for their size, a rat could be quite the pest. Rakvad wanted to see if he could domesticate a few, and start a little colony on which he might perform his curious experiments in evolution. He didn't dare do such experiments on the last heir to his lineage of pigs, Flappy. Not merely because he felt it would be a betrayal of his flokke's trust, but also because he'd come to think of the pig as a friend.

So, Rakvald arrived with a set of cages at the house where Setri was said to live. He knocked on the threshold to the dwelling, and poked his head in, "Hello! I here to rat!"

Squeaks issued from the dwelling. Apparently the only one home was the rats infesting the place. Then he remembered the notice mentioned that Setri would definitely not be there. Very good, very good. That gave him license to deal with them as he would. He was sure that Setri's family would pick up whatever mess he left behind. For now, he had a bit of rat taming ahead of him.

He'd considered the ways he might tame these rats. Often enough, rodents were shy creatures, prone to hiding whenever something larger than them was about. Rakvald had to show them that he was no threat. It might take some doing, but he would bring them out of their shell one by one, and then... Pounce! Throw them in their cages.

Well, perhaps it wouldn't be quite so dramatic or sudden. Rakvald wanted to be gentle with the creatures. He had high hopes for what he might do with them, afterall.

They'd probably prove invaluable in several aspects, both in his knowledge of graft, as well as a source of revenue. He could begin a little pet shop of sorts, or set up during festivals to sell them as little pets to children.

But! He was getting ahead of himself.

He sat down in the middle of the cabin, and waited. He could hear them scurrying and scratching at the crawlspaces within the home. Their little claws and squeaks and pitter pattering of feet. They were apparently large too, as he spotted a few who were scouting him out of their little hidey holes. Grown large on the fat of the land, no doubt.

Quacia was a hell hole compared to this Desnind, as far as he could tell. He didn't know what possessed him to stay there for so much of the past century. Perhaps some of the fear mongering of the world outside had rubbed off on him. Desnind was a veritable honey comb of life and life-giving environs. Everything about it sprung with new potential.

Rakvald glanced about. None of the rats were forthcoming. He sighed, and began laying down some peanut paste all around him. Taking a dollop from a jar and flinging it at various distances from his sitting position. The paste he smeared on his hands as he did this, leaving a little taste of it there, so he could further coax the rats to get comfortable with him there.

Soon, rats began appearing, becoming less shy with every passing moment, and entranced by the scent of the peanut paste Rakvald had brought from the market.

He knew very well that rodents couldn't resist the smell of nuts, let alone the taste. While he was predominantly a meat eater, he ventured to sample the peanut oil left on his fingers, and perked up at its sweetness.

"Hmmm!" He hummed, watching as more rats came out to see what the commotion was about.

As they began to ignore him, he wondered if they could even see him.

He moved an arm to test what they would do. Not at all to his surprise, at least half of the rodents scattered at the slightest movement from him. The rest doubled back to grab the bits of peanut paste before scurrying into their hiding places. He took note of the characteristics of the ones that hadn't scurried away outright. They were lighter in color, while the darker rats had stronger instincts of self preservation.

He knew he'd have his work cut out for him to charm those darker rats. But he did have a plan for the light ones, that had shown potential for malleability.

He continued to fleck peanut paste all over the place, becoming a bit of a pied piper of peanut paste. The rats became more and more comfortable with his presence, and were less bothered by his every moment. The ones who had a stronger self-preservation instinct however, would not be convinced that he wasn't a threat.

He set the cage traps down, and placed peanut paste on the pedals.

This done, he withdrew from the cabin, and went off to see what he could find elsewhere in the city.
Within a break or two, he did come back, only to find that half of the traps were full, the rest had been eaten by the rats, yet cleverly skimmed around the pedal, without activating it. Clever little critters.

He collected the cages full of rats, and brought them back to the Steading on the middle levels of Desnind. Once there, he deposited them within the pig pens, out of the way of the pigs, so they would not be bothering the poor rats. Then he headed back to the infested house.

On arrival, he set up some new traps, this time taking a whole new tactic. An animal's mind was often simple, concerned with but a few things. Fucking, eating, and sleeping. Rakvald had been focusing on the creature's need for food. He knew their focus would be on such a target, yet a few of them had shown an propensity for exercising caution when pursuing the target of it's hunger. That was where their focus was.

So he moved the food further back in the cage, beyond the pedal that would close the trap. These, he set down in poorly lit areas of the room, so these shy and cautious creatures would feel free to pillage the contents of the cages.

He retreated, and sat in the middle of the cabin, waiting to hear the report of the cages closing. It took a break or two of waiting, during which he concentrated on his breathing, trying to contain his excitement.

In time, he heard the cages clack shut. One after the other.

These, he found to his delight, were full to the brim of dark rats, with all the appearance of being healthy and hale. He would spirit them away to his Steading.

The next few days, he'd visit the cabin and assure himself that the place was free of rats, for the most part. A stray cat that he'd tamed from days before, was in his arms. He pet the furry little creature, and let it loose in the cabin. If there were any stragglers or babies left after the rats had scrammed from the cabin, it would see to their disposal.

Rakvald met Setri at the cookfire, where she'd been left to camp. She looked up on his approach, and he smiled at her, "Rats gone lady! Took care it."

"Oh thank you!" She said in common, standing immediately and letting a string of what he supposed were Xanthean blessings fly.

"I left cat behind, to deal with last of rats, if any remain. Don't alarm, okay?"

"Oh yes, thank you again! As long as I'm not infested, I'll be happy. And thank you for the cat, I suppose?" Setri shrugged, and went off to find their way home.

Rakvald meanwhile lingered by the fire. There he dreamt and imagined how he would utilize these rats in his future business.