"Good morning. Or maybe good evening."
"Hello. Need a hand?"
"Ma'am, out and about this early? Or is it this late?"
Annan walked through the underground city, greeting every Ratfolk he passed like an old acquaintance—preparing to become one of them.
Well, really, he was trying to reach the heart of the underground city without drawing attention. Whether he found an exit, a clue, or an enemy there, the Concealment and Olmedo Ray he had left should help him escape.
The ground rose gradually beneath his feet, and the "stars" on the cavern ceiling grew clearer. They were not glowstone, but nodes in a network of veins spread across the entire ceiling.
Even Martin could have seen that network was closely tied to Breeze City's fate.
Did it keep Breeze City from falling, or was it what would bring the city down?
"Those rocks look heavy. Need a hand?"
"Off to dig another tunnel? You should get some more help."
Annan kept talking to every Ratfolk he passed, though he never actually helped any of them. Gradually, he reached the center of the underground city—and found a Village.
The Ratfolk had built themselves a settlement underground.
Ignored by the Ratfolk, Annan entered the Village. Hammering rang out from a Blacksmith Shop-like stone building. At the anvil stood a... Rat Dwarf?
If Ratfolk and Giants could produce Brute Rats, Ratfolk and Dwarves producing Rat Dwarves was hardly surprising.
As he pondered that, a shadow swallowed him whole.
"Hairless thing... Get out of the way," a Brute Rat growled.
Annan obligingly stepped aside.
Annan's neat appearance stood out against everything around him, yet every Ratfolk seemed to ignore him. Their indifference made him bolder, until he climbed the central Mountain guarded by Elite Ratfolk.
"Thanks for the hard work, my fellow Ratfolk."