The moment Odys's messenger, Ailabella Stiano, appeared, the sense of danger behind them vanished.
Before Odys could ask for help, she raised a hand, sending a ball of light flying from her palm.
"Squeak, squeak!"
A shrill squeal sounded behind Odys. He and Cattleya turned to see a giant rat dressed in human robes fleeing as fast as it could.
Instead of scurrying like an ordinary rat, it walked upright. Its short limbs made it slow.
The light struck the rat, pierced its body, and burst out from within. It screamed in agony.
Then the glare swallowed it whole. When the light faded, the rat had turned to dust, leaving only a Beyonder Characteristic rapidly coalescing.
Odys turned to ask Ailabella several questions, but she raised a hand first. "We'll talk in a moment."
She hurried into the glowing room, and the light grew even more dazzling.
It still held a powerful attraction for Odys and Cattleya.
They took deep breaths and ducked into a nearby corridor. Only then did the pull weaken.
Odys rubbed his temples. "I never thought that monster would be a rat from this place."
The Mental Shock had left him dizzy and nauseated. It would take days to recover on his own.
Still, the shock had broken the strange hold on him and Cattleya.
"It must have swallowed a demi-god-level characteristic and survived by some stroke of luck." Cattleya pointed toward the glowing room. "Who's that?"
"My messenger," Odys replied.
With their extensive knowledge of mysticism, they both understood what had happened. The rat had swallowed a Mystic Scholar characteristic and, miraculously, survived without losing control.
It must have taken a long time to regain its reason. The scratches in the corridor had probably been left during the frenzy shortly after it swallowed the characteristic.