Kieris may be a great and pure city, but every tree has a rotten fruit. And in case of Kieris the rotten fruit are the slums to the west of the city. While king Stolz tried to improve the situation, to this very day the area keeps being a center of crime, poverty, famine and disease, full of thugs and thieves that have no mercy whatsoever towards their victims. Many legends are told about it, like demons and ghosts roaming at night or cults that do horrifying and unholy rituals under the moon light. Of course these are just myths, but there's a particularly famous one, that originated from there and spread to the whole city: that in the sewers, under the roads, lies an army of blood hungry creatures, waiting for the right moment to strike.....

Records of Kieris, Chapter 7

"KILL THE MANTHING!"

Andrew was suddenly ambushed by an horde of hideous creatures, their eyes full of bloodlust. He didn't even paid attention at how they looked and quickly slashed two that almost got on top of him. Their blood was strange: it was red, but a much darker shade of it, mixed with sickly green and black. Definitely not pleasant to the sight. Andrew shot a barrage of dark bullets all around him, probably slaughtering most of them in the process. Those that survived returned to the darkness, terrified by the power of their so-thought prey. Andrew was thinking of finishing them, but he realized that Murgin still needed followers, so he restrained himself. He was about to speak, when a raspy voice came out of the darkness, carrying the sense of fear and surprise of its owner with itself.

"Hey, now, let's calm down lad, nobody wants to get hurt here, we were just saying hi!"

"That seemed quite the intimate hi, didn't it?"

"Maybe, most probably, true.... but, now lad, why don't we calm down and talk about it like the civilized men we are?"

"How about you don't try to eat me again?"

"Nobody talked about eating lad, nobody! Just a misunderstanding on our part.... i admit my boys exaggerated a bit right there, but you did get into our turf, so.... what's the deal lad? What do ya want from us poor, dirty, defenseless creatures?"

"First show yourself, then we'll talk"

"Ok, let's do this then mate"

Finally, a figure came out of the darkness: it was short, full of grey hair over its body, apart from its face and torso, covered by random rags and bandages found who knows where. His face was scarcely hidden by a black hood, and it had many bags tied to a belt. Its main features though were his long and sleek tail, long face and large ears. Andrew realized it was extremely similar to... a rat.

"Well, hello there lad, you seem surprised. Never seen a rat beastman before?"

"No... not really... Anyway, let's present ourselves. I'm Andrew, and you?"

"I'm Rakhs Black Hood, leader of the Creakers, the local tribe of rat beastmen, more popularly known as Kradlaits"

"Kradlaits?"

"It means cave crawlers in the ancient language of monsters. But we're not here to talk about language, we're her to talk about business mate, and now, i dare ask, what do you want from us?"

".... Before anything else, do you worship a Devil?"

"That's... a strange question. But, no, we don't, the drawings you see there are just common rituals of our tribes. Though why do you care lad?"

"Well, i'm here to offer you dark powers and protection.... in exchange you'll have to worship a very powerful being"

"You sound like one of those damn clerics, just more heretic. Now, lad, that sounds flowers and sunshines, but why should we trust you? We'll need to test you first, mate. Don't get me wrong, you seem fun, but i won't put the destiny of my boys in the hands of a random nobody, a human at that. Actually, the only reason i didn't kick you out is because i would fail very miserably"

"...Wise choice, i guess. So what's the test?"

"You see, lad, a gang of damn monster haters has been harassing us for quite a while. The Anti-Infestation, they call themselves, those self-satisfied twats. They keep getting into our sewers and beating the shit out of any of my boys they find. They're in the western part of the city, in the slums. Won't be hard to find them, we'll guide you right to them, just because i want to end this quick"

"Ok, that's fine. Though you seem awfully calm after i killed so many of your guys"

"Can't do squat even if i wanted to do, then again they're not even half a tenth of my boys"

"Damn, they're a lot... still, i can help them"

"What you saying lad?"

Andrew began casting a dark healing area spell, [Black Heal Area]. It worked like heal, but kind of the opposite way. Meaning that it would work perfectly with monsters or demons, but have difficulty with humans, elves etc. It also healed the undead and hurt holy-type fighters. While normally the effect wouldn't be extraordinary, Andrew put a large amount of mana into it, making it able of healing all the fatal wounds suffered by all the Kradlaits on the floor, who confusedly got up, under the shocked stare of their brothers. Rakhs was now gazing with his mouth wide open.

"Well, lad, i underestimated you a tad, it seems... i think it's time to show ya the way, don't you think? Just, don't stray off, else some of the dumb or crazy boys will attack you. It's a problem if my guys keep getting killed, even if you revive them"

"Fair enough. Now, then, lead the way, please"

"Yeah, yeah, let's go. It'll take a while, so be patient"

Andrew began following Rahks through the numerous tunnels of the sewers, in which he surely would have gotten lost into. Since he had nothing to do apart from walking, he decided to call Murgin, just to pass the time.

"Hey, Murgin, what do you think? It all went by quite fast, no?"

".... Yes, it was a bit fast, but i'm not surprised. After all you slaughtered them so easily, of course they want to get rid of you or, most likely, get on your good side. Then again, they may be leading you to some sort of suicide mission, well, suicide by their standards. Thought there aren't many options with Kradlaits. Either they'll be completely loyal, or they they'll kill you at the first chance they have. Either they're mad geniuses or they're mad idiots, there's no middle ground with them. At least that's how i remember these guys"

"I see... though i don't think they'd be a problem...."

"That's what you think! These guys can pull out some fucked up magic or an engineering abomination to wreck asses left and right. Also, if they were on Earth, Plague Inc. would be their favorite game ever"

"Jesus, they don't have limits, do they?"

"It's not really their fault.... for most of their existence they were basically slave to Quelias, the Mad Devil, and she's dangerouuuuus. Mentally speaking, of course. In regards of power, to me she was the equivalent of that kid that ALWAYS wants to play with you, then things get out of hand, and his parents blame you for it. Annoying, really. I bet her parents still think it's my fault she disappeared. Still, since she disappeared a bit before my "forced vacation" and i haven's heard of her since, i'm sure she's not coming back"

"Now that you said that the universe will use all of its powers to make her return"

"NOPE. SHUT UP. NOT COMING BACK"

"Villain return flag, placeeeed"

"Fuck you"

"Still, how do divine families even work?"

"Please, don't ask. It's complicated. Not really, still, more complicated than mortal ones. And i'm in a bad mood to talk about it"

"As you wish"

"Hey, lad, we're almost there"

"Ok Rakhs. Seems that it's time for me to go. Bye man"

"So many bad memories just resurfaced. Oh, that one time she destroyed one of my most powerful Altars. The rage, the rageeeeeee. Uuuuuugh, bye, and good luck"

Andrew finished his discussion with Murgin and finally reached his destination. Rakhs had led him to a ladder that would have brought him to the surface, right besides the main base of the Anti-Infestation gang. Black Hood and the few of his men that came were all trembling and moving nervously, not for fear, but for impatience.

"So, ya ready lad?"

"Always am"

"FANTASTIC! Now, the only thing you have to know is that some of them are fire mages, but nothing special, it should be very easy even with them around"

"Perfect, anything else?"

"Is it possible to make them die slowly?"

"Yes, but i don't really want to lose time.... i'll see what i can do"

"Thank you mate. Now let's start this party, shall we?"

Andrew began heading up the ladder, thinking in the most efficient method to eliminate the gang. He proceeded to open a small door that brought him to an alley, similarly to the one he entered in, with the difference that that this alley was much dirtier, full of mud and some suspicious looking stains. He ignored the lacking hygiene around him and noticed that the building around him were all made of ruined wood, with cracks and holes everywhere.

"These are the slums all right"

He heard many laughs and shouts coming from the building to his right, and he began to close up on the wall to listen.

"I got three orcs today bitches!"

"Really? I hunted fifteen armored goblins asshole!"

"So intimidating, gobliiins! Shut your trap if you talk shit like that! I got seven orcs just yesterday!"

"Who cares, those damn rats are the most dangerous! They'll eat your face like it was cheese!"

"..... I think i found them"

Andrew activated some of his scouting magic, to allow himself to see the layout of the building and the location of the gang members. There seemed to be forty something of them, quite a number to face in an enclosed space, still he could deal with them easily if he was careful. He searched the closest window and teleported to it with [Shadow Step], though he was reluctant to do so, since he feared to teleport right into the wall. He managed to reach the window safely, then opened it slowly and quietly, finding himself in the second floor. He didn't want to cause an all out brawl, even if it was basically night. He saw that three men were currently into a room right in front of him, speaking loudly between them.

"So, who's that guy that was talking with the boss right now?"

"Some noble who likes to see monster dead. Seems to be our biggest contributor"

"Damn, better not do anything stupid while he's here"

Andrew rejoiced at the convenience and timing of the men, then thanked them by casting [Poison Smoke] right into the room.

"Hey, what's t-"

"Aaag-"

"Uuuh..."

The men dropped to the floor quickly, not even knowing what happened.

"Now that i think about it, i should have left one alive..... Dammit, whatever, i've learned for next time"

Andrew then used his scouting skills again to find between all the people a man that at least looked like a noble. After a while, he managed to find someone that fit his definition of a noble below the main hall where most the gang was at the moment. He decided to reach him quickly, not before taking care of the rest of the scum. He wanted to do a favor to Rakhs, so he used an unusual method: he casted [Fog Of Rage], which would make everyone that breathed it go berserk and attack anyone or anything in sight. Since he didn't want to alert the noble, he gave it a fifteen minutes delay to work, along with an invisibility enchantment. He then proceeded to go for the stairs, which were guarded by two armored men. A black sphere would have been enough to take care of them. He casted the equivalent of a piercing round into their heads, with just enough power to stop at the second guy, without making too much noise. While he relied a bit on personal luck, the sphere pierced the head of the first guard with ease and stopped at the second.

Andrew remembered that corpses can't stand and quickly ran up to them to stop the inevitably noisy fall, and quietly hid them in a empty room besides the one full of poison. He returned to the stairs, seeing that they continued right to the basement passing behind a bar counter of sorts, also through the main hall. He used [Invisibility] on himself this time, easily reaching the end of the stairs, which led him to a rusted iron door. The gang was still making whatever mess they managed to do, not having any idea of what was coming to them. Andrew passed through the door, which wasn't even closed, obviously they didn't expect anyone to enter.

The door led to a narrow stone hallway, its walls ridden with mold, cracks and insects. The only source of light were the scarcely lit torches on the walls, which still managed to let Andrew see decently. He wandered the hallways of the basement, full of empty cages, some of them with chained skeletons, till he reached a door that led to the circular hall where the "noble" was in. He wasn't alone though, with him there were more or less twenty men, all armed and most likely eager to cut heads. Andrew first tried to listen what they where talking about.

"So, Mr. Anti, you think this'll be enough for your preparations?"

"Oh, ohohohoh, Lord Alse, this will be more than enough to take care of those rats. I must thank you for all your help"

"No need, after all your job is a gift to this city. The king is so occupied with the invasion he doesn't even realize the problems right beside him"

"You made a good investment Lord Alse, we won't disappoint you"

"I hope so. After all, in these days, men and weapons are not cheap as you may think"

"We'll make it so that none of your coins are wasted"

"I'm sorry, but i'll be taking those"

Andrew busted into the room, interrupting the discussion, and shooting down everyone inside. He thought of killing the gang, then the noble after interrogating him and finish it by taking the weapons and giving them to the rats, which would have made them much more friendly towards him. But he was shocked in seeing that most of the people in the room were just injured, only about six died. It seemed he didn't put enough power into it, probably even less that the one he used against the templars, he had underestimated the quality of their armors.

"WHO ARE YOU?!? HOW DARE YOU ATTACK A NOBLE?!?"

"Calm down, Lord Alse, we'll take care of this stupid kid. So, you think you're hot shit, don't you, ha? Just because you got some of my guys, now you can take me on? I'M THE FUCKIN ANTI-INFESTATION, BITCH!"

A huge hole suddenly appeared in the middle of the man's chest, his blood pouring out like a waterfall. This time Andrew put more power. The gang leader fell on the ground, whispering his last words:

"Fuckin..... anticlimactic...."

"Before you die, your gang's name's shit"

"BOSS! HE KILLED BOSS!"

"FUCK HIM!"

All the remaining men ran straight at him like madmen, while some remained in the rear, casting fireballs. Andrew pierced the first one that managed to reach him with Perditor, using him as a shield against the fireballs, since he was beginning to ran low on mana, mainly because he healed so many fatal wounds and began fighting in a short range of time. He parried four fireballs, then threw the body at his comrades, making three of them fall on it and get engulfed in the fire. Andrew may have not be skilled in actual fighting, but he still was smart enough to know the best methods to deal with dangerous situations. The burning men got up and began running around between the others and breaking whatever formation they were trying to do. Andrew took advantage of it by charging into the fire mages, easily overpowering them and killing them. Now only the normal fighters remained, after ending the misery of their friends. Though they didn't seem to be trying to attack, rather, they were backing up.

"FUCK THIS, RUN!"

"THIS ISN'T WORTH IT!"

"WARN THE OTHERS, IF THEY'RE EVEN STILL ALIVE!"

They got out of the room, not even thinking of looking back. Now only Andrew and the noble remained in the room.

"You just... let them go?!? You fool! They're going to warn every single thug in the slums!"

"That won't be a problem.... aaaaand... fifteen minutes just passed i think"

"Uh?"

"No need to worry, just.... something of a surprise"

"....What do you want then?"

The man, trembled, but kept his calm, he knew that panicking was never good in these situations.

"I'll need to know where those weapons are..... also, your guards, i doubt you'd come alone"

"The weapons are stashed right behind that door"

He pointed to a door to the other side of the hall.

"Regarding my men.... you just killed them"

"Oh. Yeah, i think i saw someone with better armor, i wasn't really paying attention though.... anyway, thanks and goodbye"

"WAIT! Why kill me?!? I can give you anything you want, money, men, the best weapons on the market! I can even give you information!"

"That is true... then, wait a second..... yeah, this is perfect"

Andrew began closing in on the noble.

"WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? STOP!"

"[Mind Control]"

"AAAAAAAAAAGH"

Andrew put his hand, which was now casting a purple light, on the noble's face, causing his eyes to glow of the same color. It was a very tiring process, which took all the remaining mana from Andrew, but after a minute it was finally done. He let go of him to see the results.

"So.... say your name"

"I am Lord Gius Alse, Count of Sunlen"

"Oh, shit, it actually works. Uhm.... yeah, from now on you follow my orders"

"Yes, master"

"Here's your orders:

1) You will stop attacking the Kradlaits in any way.

2) You will not say anything about what happened today in this place.

3) You will give me information, money and weapons whenever i ask you to.

4) Keep living your life normally till new orders.

Got it?"

"Yes, master, it shall be done without fail"

"Great, now, can't let you come back alone, it would be suspicious"

Andrew revived Alse's guards and made them so that they would obey and follow him as long as they weren't killed again.

"So, now, they'll protect you, so bring them home and do what you think is best. Just make it so that no one ever realizes they're undead"

"It shall be done, master"

"You think you can walk through the slums?"

"There is no problem, there's a secret pathway that brings right to the middle of the city"

"Perfect now go, but first let me give a good look at you, i want to remember your face"

Andrew looked at Alse: he was a middle-aged man, with dark blonde hair and brown eyes. He wore a long blue vest decorated with white and golden clothes, more fitting of some kind of bishop than a noble, which looked bigger than it actually was on his slim body. He had a symbol resembling a lion surrounded by a sun woven on his right shoulder. He may have actually had to do with the Church.

"Alse, does your family have relationships with the Church?"

"My family is one its greatest supporters"

"Lucky me. That'll be useful. Now, go, it's getting late"

"As you wish"

Alse disappeared through the same door Andrew came in, ready to follow his orders at any moment. Andrew was left with a small mountain of corpses and a huge mountain of weapons and newfound political power that would have helped him greatly in the future. Though he realized he would have to train with [Mind Control], since it took him so much energy for just one person, it was probably one of his most lethal weapons. He smiled a little bit in self-satisfaction.

"Well, i guess now it's time to warn Rakhs"

"Indeed, Andrew. Indeed"

"Oh, Murgin. What do you think?"

"What do i think? What i think is that with you, i'm gonna do great things kiddo, things that will remain in history"

"Thanks. Though it's a bit exaggerated"

"Not. At. All. Now, kiddo, soon it'll be time"

"Time for what?"

"Isn't it obvious? Of course...."

Murgin began chuckling.

"Time for War"