The Untouchable Rat

Chapter 14: The Untouchable Rat

"I was born with nothing, so I just stole everything."

― Casper (LS 1210)

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Year 1212, 22nd day of the 4th month- Hayton ~

Axel's POV~

While Lucian was visiting his aunt without any rest. We all had two days off.

Lucian told us before he went to the castle, " We will stay here for three days as I need to catch up with my aunt. You guys should have some fun, Mavis give everyone some spending money. Also if you guys can, check out the church… We might get some information."

He left after saying all that in a hurry.

'He must really miss Lady Oriana. Well she is a mother to him after all.'

She even took good care of me when she was in the capital.

Mavis called me, Celine and Spike the new addition to the group, and gave all of us a pouch.

'It feels heavy.' I thought as I weighted the pouch on my hand. So I gave a look at Mavis.

"Well his majesty did tell you guys to have fun so you can use that for what you like." Mavis chuckled and gave me a wink that made my body get the creeps.

"HEY WHY IS STINKY'S POUCH BIGGER THAN OURS?" Right on que Celine and her loud voice came into my ears. I looked at her and grinned unknowingly.

She might have taken that as mocking her as she pouted and glared at Mavis.

On the other hand Spike was shivering for a whole different reason it seems.

"L-l-lord M-mavis wh-hy did y-you give me so much money?"

Looking at his pouch's size and the contents of my own I guessed he might have gotten around a big silvers worth of coins.

"Horse boy how much did you get?" Celine inquired as she wanted to compare.

"U-umm… One gold and five big silvers my lady."

Hearing him I felt a serious annoyance towards Mavis… 'Was he playing with us?'

'So One gold and five hundred silver he got. That sure was generous of Mavis, giving a servant so much money.'

"I got the same amount!" Said Celine. Her annoyance died down a bit. It seemed she didn't mind getting the same amount as the servant or more like she didn't understand any extra implication.

'I don't know if her stupidity is good or bad…'

"How bout you stinky?"

"Hmm I got the same amount as you guys…" I replied with a sigh.

"IMPOSSIBLE YOU LIAR!!! LOOK AT YOUR POUCH."

I didn't feel like explaining and gave my pouch to Celine to inspect.

When she opened, all she could see were a hundred small silver coins and fourteen Big silver coins. She gawked at the amount of coins, but even an idiot like her knew what was happening.

We all looked at Mavis who seemed dying of laughter.

'This Bastard…' I think everyone had the same thought.

We shot him another glare and went out the store after I exchanged the small silver for a larger one with the shop clerk. Who seemed amused as well.

'An accomplice for sure…'

Celine decided to go shopping and dragged Spike with her to be her bag carrier.

'I wish you would rest in piece my horse caring friend.' I prayed a bit for spike who I am sure would wish to die after a day shopping with Celine and I went towards the church.

Lucian did say to pay a visit.

And I am very sure he meant to inquire around the church and not the church itself….

I just thought of something…

*SLAP*

I face palmed myself.

'HOW CAN I BE SO STUPID!!!'

Yes, I was stupid… really stupid.

All I thought was Mavis playing a prank on me with the coins but now I understood what he wanted to convey. Sigh…

I walked back to the shop where I saw Mavis still sitting on a chair behind the counter sipping on tea.

'I really am going to get an earful from Master later.'

I just went towards him and extended my hand.

He looked at me with a smirk. Threw a pouch full of coin and remarked, "Five minutes, hmm not that bad."

I didn't want to argue so I left for the church.

.

After a while of going around, I found many beggars begging around the church.

I went to the ones that weren't in a group and started by giving them a silver coin.

"May the deities bless your kind heart traveler." He didn't seem really happy or anything and said the practiced lines.

I knew I might have gotten a good sample.

I smiled and asked, "It has been a long day, Has it not? Say kinsmen, Heard any word in the air lately?"

The beggar looked at me once and blandly said No and ignored me.

I put one more silver in his plate and he seemed unimpressed.

I was getting annoyed but I kept my patience and dropped five more silvers.

That was a lot of money for a beggar. 10 coppers make a silver after all. And you can get a decent meal for five coppers at any taverns. And one night at an inn cost around seven to ten coppers if the lodging is just the bare necessity.

After paying him a total of ten silvers he smiled at me and motioned me to follow him.

After following him to a uncrowded alley he started whispering.

"There hasn't been much happening around the area lad. The church seemed more busy recently.

But haven't seen any priest or the likes coming strolling about.

But lots of travelers coming to these parts which is … unusual.

People don't give two shits about the church normally after all."

It seemed more travelers coming to the church but the priests are missing. Meaning they are preparing for something big or they want to move back to Haranhaul.

Rorengar Had the Sealing Blade so it did not really believe in the Deities that once saved humanity from the Lunar Severance. Most people here believe in the Heroes that drove the Deakin Champion to the brink of death and gave their own lives to seal him in the blade.

Most Rorengari citizen reveres and prays to their ancestors and the heroes same with the elves. The reason why Lucian was once made to marry the princess of the elves as both kingdom share similar beliefs and both had heroes as ancestors.

On the other hand, Churches of the four divinities lost influence on these lands and mostly shirked towards the south east in Haranhaul some in the other countries.

"Anything else that might be interesting in town?" I asked the beggar who was happy about the coins.

"Hmm… ah yes, if you see a child running into you… stop him and don't let him run."

He said something idiotic and took off. I guess that's all the info that my money could buy from him.

I went around doing the same thing to a few more beggars. And I started to feel someone following me a few times. But whenever I tried to trap them in alleys I always lost them.

I shrugged and thought about getting some food in me before looking around so I asked around for a good tavern.

While walking I felt a child no taller than my thighs run into me. I felt my body slightly off balance. Odd…

He wanted to run off saying 'Sorry mister…'

But my body already moved on my own and I tried to pin him down.

'Shit my reflexes from Master's training.'

But to my surprise he moved in a weird angle dodging my hand kicking at the wrist while he was falling.

Used the force of the kick to spin around an d get on his hands.

Then used a peculiar movement like a cat. Used his arms as if springs and launched both his legs at my chest.

I avoided him with my reflex only to see him smirk.

He didn't really plan to hit me. He was using the chance to run into the crowd.

'I can't believe I was played by a rat…'

I noticed my hip felt a little off.

'My purse…..'

I was mad.

Really mad.

Last time I was so angry was when I beat a side family kid to half dead when he talked shit about my sister.

*Shatter*

I could hear something shatter in my mind.

Something was bursting out of my body. It was… intangible… Had a bit of white color with some red mixed in but It was transparent.

'I unlocked aura I believe… Now to exterminate a rat.'

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Casper the Untouchable Rat's POV~

'Damn! That white haired freak was so scary. I almost got pinned down.'

I was running through the crowd as fast as I could. I knew I wasn't his match if he became serious.

I was a thief of course. A thief cannot be caught. I even had a title from the townsfolk 'The Untouchable Rat.'

I was never caught. And people cannot hit me either.

It's not because I am super strong or anything it's just.

I don't really know.

I don't remember having anything from the time I could actually remember stuff.

I used to beg for food and get hit all the time.

I was hit and punched before given something to survive by.

I used to go to this old fat guy who loved to slap and kick me but he was generous enough to give me something to eat after.

Sometimes rotten fruits but they were still food.

I didn't mind him hitting me and kicking me. He seemed to get happy after hitting me and being hit was normal.

I didn't mind as long as I could eat.

Yes, I was happy to eat.

One day while he fat man was whipping me in the alley an old lady saw and shouted for the guards.

My food provider was apprehended. The closest thing I had that gave me food, my family was apprehended.

The old lady looked at me with a kind smile and said, "Now that bad man would not torture you anymore dear. You are free."

Free?

Who will give me food?

The old lady left.

Everyone left.

I walked around for days before finding a bit if food in the trashes.

'That bitch.'

I was hungry again.

Very hungry.

I was walking through the market and seeing so many good things in front of me but I cannot eat them.

No one gave me anything when I begged and cried for a bit.

I was ignored and shooed away.

They said I stink.

I didn't know what that meant.

I could just walk away.

I started eating dirt with grass. It tasted weird.

One day I saw a boy older than me in the market taking something from the vendor without asking and running away.

I didn't understand what happened.

I went to the vendor and asked him. He looked at me with anger and started beating me shouting "THIEF"

What was a thief?

I don't like being beaten if they wouldn't give me food.

For the first time I moved out of the way from the mans punch.

Surprisingly it was very easy.

"If you want to hit me you need to give me food."

Yes that's how I remember things worked. The man seemed shocked then more angry and tried to beat me more.

I kept dodging. It was easy. I asked him If he will give me food if I let him beat me and he just seemed annoyed and sent me away.

I was disappointed. Maybe I should've let him hit me?

I went towards the direction the older boy went and I actually seen him on the ground bleeding from his mouth.

I curiously went to him and asked what happened.

He got up after a bit and licked his cut lips.

He looked at my appearance and thought I was like him so he wasn't really annoyed but he didn��t want to talk.

While he was getting away I asked him why he took without asking.

He looked at me and said with an evil grin, "We who were born with nothing can take everything as long as they do not see us or touch us."

That turned a gear in my head.

So that was the rule.

No wonder.

No wonder other people looked healthy and didn't look like me.

No wonder they had more than what I had.

I understand now.

After that The rumors of the Untouchable Rat started.

Coming back the to present situation.

I never got touched because I knew how to calculate the enemy.

U knew which one's I should steal from and which I should avoid. I wouldn't want to steal from those aura freaks or what ever people call them.

I saw another rat crushed to death from the invisible force alone when he got caught, That was,

Disgusting.

I picked today's target seeing he was young but.

He is a freak. A trained freak. I need to run faster.

As I was running as fast as I could I felt something behind me. It felt familiar.

It was aura.

I saw two crimson red eyes staring at me and running towards me.

"SHIT."

I turned towards one alley and break for a conspicuous exit as fast as I could.

And after another half hour of cat and mouse chase I was hiding under some rubble as I was out of breath. But I think I lost him.

*Huff… Huff*

"That freak was so scary, I am tired as hell."

I was just relaxing when I heard someone beside me,

"Well let this freak show you what to do with little rats shall we?"

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[A/N: The currency of the Known Realms are a bit weird I know but it seemed appropriate from my perspective,

10 Copper= 1 Silver

100 Silver= 1 Big Silver (Platinum Coin)

10 Big Silver = 1 Gold

others,

1000 gold = 1 Small Mana crystal

1000 Small mana Crystal= 1 Large mana Crystal (Crystal currency only used by Master Wizards)]