Polly moved us to the kitchen table to eat, giving us time to rest while she finished preparing the food.
She gave each of us two acorn shells—one filled with a hearty meat stew she had been cooking earlier, the other brimming with sweet fruit juice.
We didn't say much as we ate; the food spoke for itself. It was, without question, the best dish any of us had ever tasted.
Polly could tell by the way we devoured it. "It's good, right?" she asked. We all nodded, still chewing.
"Told ya!" she laughed, already reaching to refill our portions.
Free food always tasted that much better.
As we finished eating, we got ourselves ready for whatever Polly needed help with.
"So—now for the trouble," she began. "I've got a rat problem. They keep me up at night. I've almost adjusted to the smell and sound, but this is the perfect chance to deal with them. Who knows when more of you will show up? They sneak into places I can't fit, but you surely can!"
We'd gone from giant bugs to giant rats. Talos Party Pest Control, at your service!
I figured that was about as much as we could do in this realm, but honestly, anything that helped was fine with me. Besides, each quest had been sharpening us bit by bit — we were getting better at combat, more capable, and more prepared to face the orcs soon. The rest of the party felt the same.
"Could you all handle it? I saw the way you fought those critters. This should be no problem for you."
We nodded.
"Thank you so much! One of their holes is just over here."
She scooped us into her palm and carried us into another room, stopping at a hole where the wall met the floorboards.
"Thanks again. When you're finished—and before you leave—make sure you blow that horn again."
As we entered the hole in the wall, stepping into what looked like a narrow corridor, the first thing to hit me was the smell.
Uri immediately covered his nose.
Rat markings.
I rinsed them away as we walked, trying to clear the path—and the stench.
We continued on until Uri alerted us that he was starting to hear little squeaks nearby. We readied ourselves.
As we turned a corner, there they were— light grey rats about the size of small horses.
They spotted us and immediately fled into grooves along the side walls.
"Those must be the younger ones," I said.
"If those were the babies, the adults must be huge," Alva said.
"Can't wait. Let's follow where they went," Talos said, eyes sharp as he led the way forward.
We climbed into the holes, the path sloping upward, and soon spotted a cluster of rats ahead—some small, some a few shades darker and as large as full-grown horses.
It seemed like the bigger they were the darker color they were.
They were gnawing on something I couldn't make out.
The smaller ones bolted up the pathway, and a few of the larger ones scattered too, but the rest held their ground.
"Let's go!" Talos roared, charging with his halberd raised. He swung hard, striking one across the body as Alva loosed arrows and Uri darted in to slash at the others.
The rats clawed and bit, but Talos and Uri blocked and dodged every strike.
They seemed to have that handled, so I turned my attention to more important matters.
I cleared away the rat waste as my party laid waste to the rats.
Two equally important jobs, of course.
Within moments, the area was cleared.
But there was one problem.
"What are we gonna do with the carcasses?" I said.
Immediately, Mr. Feathersworth fluttered over to the remains, opened a portal, and dragged them through.
I never thought a single crow would make such a good addition to the team. He had my stamp of approval if he ever wanted to become a permanent member.
"Why'd you send them to Wiz? That's rude," Alva asked, baffled.
The bird cawed in clear disappointment.
"He obviously sent them somewhere else," Talos said. "Now let's keep moving."
"The good news is the rats that ran off are leading us to the others," I said. "The bad news is we don't know how many there are—and the farther we go, the more we'll run into, until we finally reach their nest."
I couldn't help but think how pitiful it would be for our party to get taken down by rats of all things, after everything we'd survived.
That very thought lit a fire in me.
As we pressed upward, we came to another clearing swarming with rats—larger and fiercer than the last. They fought hard, and I cleared away the waste as needed. This stretch proved more troubling than before, but we eventually handled it.
As we climbed higher and entered a wide opening, it became clear—even without Uri's warning—that we were nearing the main colony. Hoarded materials lay scattered everywhere: straw, seeds, nuts, scraps of food, and, of course, the waste. Nearly thirty rats filled the space, skittering and squeaking about.
It was like a hidden society within the walls—some playing, others gnawing, eating, or curled up asleep. We had reached their central hub.
The stench was almost unbearable.
"This one, we'll need to handle differently," I said. "I'm going to enhance you guys. You ready?"
Talos, Uri, and Alva readied their gear, then gave me a firm nod.
"Okay. Here we go."
I cast the enhancements, and they surged forward.
Chaos ensued. The rats, not having detected us until that moment, were thrown into disarray—some bolting for escape, some frozen in shock, others lunging to attack, while a few still slept through the uproar.
Talos powered forward, his stature drawing most of the attention as he plowed through the horde — this wave made up of even larger, darker rats than before. Uri became a blur, his movements so fast I could barely track him, while Alva's arrows pierced through the chaos one after another, every shot hitting true.
Meanwhile, Mr. Feathersworth and I stayed on waste-disposal duty, me still watching closely for anyone who might need a heal.
Surprisingly, no one did. The others looked nearly flawless as they tore through the rats.
These vermin never saw it coming.
The battle dragged on for several minutes before we finally succeeded. As we cleaned up, Uri reminded us of something important.
"The rats that ran off went up there."
"You're right," I said.
There was yet another hidden hole in the wall.
"That leads to the roof void. The last few must be up there, we're almost done," Talos said.
"Aw man," Alva groaned. He was enjoying himself more than any of us. He'd probably forgotten about the handsome reward Wiz promised.
Honestly, so had I.
Who knew waste disposal could be so engaging?
We finally headed up and into the roof void.
Rats of all sizes lined the sides, but at the far end of the room sat a portly, dark grey rat. He lounged on a throne cobbled together from straw, cheese chunks, nuts, seeds, and waste. In one paw he clutched a bone, gnawing it clean, and on his head sat a crude crown made from a broken nutshell.
Was this...the rat king?
Some rats scurried to a far corner at the end of the room at the sight of us, while others squealed frantically toward the throne, trying to draw their master's attention.
Looks like word has gotten around.
The Rat King looked up from his snack, clearly annoyed. His cruel smile curled as he growled loudly and pointed his bone scepter in our direction.
We braced, my party still imbued with enhancement magic.
"If we can't beat a Rat King, we'll never stand a chance against the Orc King. Let's finish this," Talos said.
But nothing happened. Instead of charging, the remaining rats bolted to cower in the corner, huddling behind their king. He was left alone—us on one side, him on the other.
With a furious snarl, the king threw down his scepter and makeshift crown, then struggled to rise. He heaved once, then again, his rotund frame trembling with the effort.
How had he grown so massive? Had they been feeding him all their food? My eyes fell on the bone on the ground—ominously large—and realization hit.
He's eating his subjects. No wonder the others hadn't helped him.
At last, the Rat King hunched down, folding his body into itself, then rolled forward like a grotesque boulder.
Talos dropped his weapons, sprinted ahead, planted his feet, and thrust his arms forward, ready to stop him.
They finally collided, Talos slowly losing ground. Uri, without a word, leapt in to help, and that last bit of force seemed to stop the king's motion.
Alva—his tail!" I barked.
Alva darted behind the king and fired at its tail.
The Rat King let out a furious growl and rolled straight toward him.
"Woah!" Alva yelped, diving out of the way as his bow clattered to the floor.
The king rolled past and away. Uri shifted, creating space between himself and the rest of us to widen the battlefield.
The massive rat barreled into Uri—only for him to dodge with ease—then into Talos, who braced and parried the impact with his shield.
Alva sprinted after it, circling fast, looking for another shot at its tail.
This was the most I'd seen him move while firing.
The whole scene looked oddly like some kind of children's game.
Before things could spiral, an idea struck me.
Playtime was over.
As the Rat King rolled toward Talos again, I cast sticky glue across the floor behind it.
Uri sprang into action, instinctively sprinting toward the straw throne on the far side of the room, forcing the Rat King to react.
Taking this charge toward his throne as an act of usurpation, the Rat King veered in his direction—only to barrel straight into the glue.
With a screech, it locked in place, trapped mid-roll.
How many times do I have to say it? Stickiness is underrated.
We closed in on the Rat King, its rotund body still balled up, squirming but unable to move.
"A mouse trap. The oldest trick in the book," Alva said with a smirk.
"His tyranny is over," I added.
The glow of their enhancement spells faded as the fight came to an end.
From the corner, the cowering rats squeaked—this time in celebration.
Mr. Feathersworth came forward and conjured a portal—different from the ones he'd been opening all day.
We all pushed the ball of rat into the portal as Mr. Feathersworth expanded it as wide as he could. At last, the beast rolled through and vanished.
The remaining rats shuffled toward us—hesitant at first, then oddly grateful.
This was not how I pictured things ending.
Mr. Feathersworth opened another portal, and the rats eagerly scurried through one by one. The last rat stopped before me, setting down the makeshift nut-shell crown.
"You want me to be your Rat Queen?" I asked. "Tempting, but I've got loftier goals. Still—thank you."
The rat gave a solemn nod, then vanished through the portal.
We cleaned up the rest of the room, nearly desensitized to the stench by now, and followed Mr. Feathersworth back to the horn.
He blew into it.
"Oh!" Polly's voice rang out as she appeared, beaming. "Thank you so much! The smell is so much better already."
We smiled and nodded.
"I just wanted to see you off," she said warmly. "I really enjoyed your company—come back anytime!"
We waved as Mr. Feathersworth summoned the return portal, we stepped through.
I didn't expect to leave with this feeling, but part of me wanted to stay. That had been the most fun day of our journey so far.
We emerged back in Wiz's house—where he sat nonchalantly squeezing a cloudmite in one hand and munching on a papa seed in the other.
"Oh, you're back. Welcome back!" he said.
"You said not to eat them!" Alva exploded.
"Yes—because I wanted to eat them myself. Thanks!" Wiz said with a wide grin.
"They're not poisonous?" I asked.
"No. When did I ever say that? Anyway—how was the Land of Giants?"
He turned to Mr. Feathersworth. "How'd they do?"
The bird cawed in approval.
"It was fun," Talos said. "Way more fun than we expected—and we definitely improved from it."
"Well that's fantastic. You do reek, but that's fine," Wiz said, still chewing and squeezing.
"So... where's our gold?" Alva demanded.
"Gold? I don't have any gold," Wiz said matter-of-factly.
"The handsome reward? What happened to that!?" Alva shouted.
"Relax," Wiz said. "I've got a reward. For each of you."
"First, the rogue—he's the well-mannered one of the group."
Wiz gestured to Mr. Feathersworth, who promptly flapped across the room.
Woah what did I do?
"You know, I had a rogue in my party," Wiz said.
"What happened to him?" Uri asked eagerly.
"He died," Wiz said flatly.
We all froze.
"Of natural causes," he added. "It was actually really peaceful. Surrounded by family and everything. Or so I heard."
He glanced at the bird, who now carried a scroll.
"He was invited. I wasn't." Wiz shrugged and looked at the floor.
"A rogue scroll?!" Uri exclaimed, clutching it cherishingly. "Thank you!"
"You're quite welcome. That came from him. He doesn't need it anymore. Because he's dead. Now—next, the healer." Wiz turned to me.
Mr. Feathersworth disappeared, then returned with a worn leather-bound book.
"A whole hexbook? Those still exist?" I gasped.
"Oh yes. I was a Great Wizard, remember?" Wiz chuckled.
I'd never even thought about hexes until now. Because I'm just such a positive person, a ray of sunshine, right?
Right?
"Now for the warrior."
Mr. Feathersworth swooped back carrying a dented, rusted knight's helmet.
I couldn't believe it took me this long to realize Talos had never actually worn a helmet.
"Thank you, but I don't really need it," Talos said.
Wiz took it from the bird. "You're very headstrong—so keep your head strong." He tapped the helmet with his staff, and it shimmered into a polished, gleaming piece that matched Talos's armor perfectly.
"Whoa! Thank you!" Talos said, grabbing it in awe.
"Now for the archer," Wiz announced. "I'll get this one myself."
He disappeared upstairs and returned with a very fancy-looking bow.
"A recurve bow?!" Alva's jaw dropped.
"Crafted in the Elf Kingdom hundreds of years ago," Wiz said. "Faster, sharper—your arrows will fly leagues beyond that toy you carry now. And you can fire piercing arrows as well."
"Oh my goodness, thank you, Wiz! This is better than gold!" Alva said, hugging him.
"You're welcome," Wiz coughed. "Just please wash up soon."
I forgot the stench of rat waste still encapsulated us.
"Thank you not only for the gifts, but for an experience we'll never forget," Talos said.
"Fairy magic isn't so bad after all, eh?" Wiz grinned.
As the others left, I lingered for a moment. "Thank you again, Wiz. And you too, Mr. Feathersworth."
The crow tipped his little hat.
"You're welcome. Make sure that book comes in handy against those orcs," Wiz said.
"I will. But I mean thank you for your hospitality. You were kind and— for the record—you are my friend. Both of you," I said.
The bird squawked.
Wiz blinked, startled, then his eyes brimmed with happy tears.
"Thank you, Velara." Wiz said.
How? He'd never learned our names.
There was no end to his strangeness.
I rejoined the others, who were at the shore washing up—a wise move before we got back on the horses.
"Do you think we're ready to fight the orcs?" Alva asked.
"I do," Uri said.
"We looked good today—better and better with every quest," I said.
"We're close," Talos agreed. "But there's still one more thing we need to do. Remember?"
"Dragon," Uri said.
"Yes. We need to take down a dragon. Then we'll face the orcs."
We all nodded. It was the perfect final test. We had lost once, but now I was sure we wouldn't lose again. Tomorrow, we'd fight another dragon.
And this time... we win.