Arthur looked up, slightly out of breath. "Yeah! All done."
A moment later, the baker came trotting down the stairs, his apron still covered in flour. As he reached the basement and saw the collapsed bodies of the oversized rats, his face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Ohhh! You actually did it! They're all dead!" he said, bouncing slightly on his heels. "No more rat mafia stealing my croissants!"
He looked around, inspecting the mess. "Say, uh... what are you gonna do with the bodies?"
Arthur blinked. "What?"
"You know... the rat corpses. I can't exactly sell bread next to a pile of furry bodies. That's a health violation. Or at least... I think it is?"
Arthur stared blankly at the sprawled rats. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. What did one do with a bunch of bread-thieving, humanoid rat corpses?
"I… uh... I figured maybe you'd... compost them or something?" Arthur offered weakly.
"Compost?! They have bones, man! Also I'm pretty sure one of them was wearing pants."
Before Arthur could reply, Bounciechomie suddenly perked up.
Bloop?!
Its tiny jelly body began to glow faintly. Then, in a move that Arthur could only describe as "soft horror," Bounciechomie leapt off his shoulder, bounced once, and landed next to one of the rats.
And then...
Schlorrrrp.
It extended a small tendril... and began absorbing the rat.
Arthur's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, WAIT—!"
But it was too late. Like a living vacuum of gooey judgment, Bounciechomie proceeded to slurp up the rat bodies one by one. Each time it absorbed one, it made an oddly satisfying pop sound, like bubble wrap mixed with forbidden jelly.
Pop. Schlorp. Pop. Schlorp.
The baker's face turned progressively paler with every pop.
"Oh... oh dear..."
Arthur just stood there, arms half-raised, unsure if he should intervene or let the slime-creature fulfill whatever cursed instinct it was currently obeying.
Within less than a minute, the rats were completely gone. Not a claw or whisker remained. Bounciechomie rolled back toward Arthur with a smug wobble and a faint internal glow.
Bloop... bloop... (victory theme reprise—now with wet squelchy percussion).
Arthur looked down at his gelatinous companion, then back at the baker, who was now leaning against the wall and breathing into a paper bag he had somehow conjured.
"So…" Arthur said slowly. "That solves the disposal problem."
The baker gave a shaky thumbs-up. "Y-yeah. Great. Love it. Never sleeping again, but... love it."
Arthur patted Bounciechomie on the head. "Good job, buddy. Just... maybe warn me next time you go full horror movie on me?"
Bounciechomie let out a soft bloop that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.
Arthur sighed. "Anyway... about that free bread?"
The baker blinked, then quickly straightened up. "Yes! Of course! All the bread you can carry! I'll even throw in a sweet roll! On the house!"
As they walked back up, Arthur whispered to Bounciechomie, "Please don't eat all the bread."
Bloooppp...
Bounciechomie seemed to agree.
They stepped out of the dirt-floored room, and the baker grabbed a piece of paper. "Oh—right, please scan this to confirm the quest completion."
Arthur pulled out his bronze card and aimed the back of it toward the paper. A holographic screen appeared.
[ Quest Completed ]
[ Reward Received ]
[ 25 Silver Added To Your Balance ]
The hologram faded away, and the baker handed Arthur a loaf of free bread.
Arthur accepted the loaf with the reverence of a starving student receiving free pizza. Then the baker, true to his word, began enthusiastically stuffing a brown paper bag with more breed.
"Seriously," the baker said, jamming in a final baguette. "Take it all. I don't want any more reason for weird rat ghosts to come haunt me."
With a grunt of effort, Arthur hefted the overstuffed bag and slung it over one shoulder. It crinkled dramatically under the weight of artisanal carbs. Bounciechomie, now perched back on his shoulder, eyed the contents like a goblin dragon admiring its hoard.
"Alright, buddy," Arthur said as they stepped out into the midday sunlight. "We've officially completed our first quest. Our reward: complex carbohydrates."
The happiness didn't last long. Arthur walked home, already thinking about how to afford the expensive rent.
"One gold per night..." he muttered, his tone full of annoyance. "And every F-rank quest pays like garbage."
Bounciechomie stayed quiet on his shoulder, letting out a soft bloop as if trying to comfort him.
****
Arthur let out a long sigh as he arrived in front of Casca's house.
"This place keeps looking more like a haunted house once the sun goes down," he muttered, staring at the ceiling as it creaked in protest under the evening wind.
He pushed the door—only for it to swing open on its own before he even touched it fully. The hinges groaned softly, producing the classic low-tier horror house sound. A strange mix of herbs, dust, and who-knows-what-else greeted him immediately.
"Casca?" he called out, stepping inside.
No answer. Just the distant creak of wooden floorboards.
Then a scream echoed from the second floor.
"AAARGHHH!!"