What ensued next was a chaotic mess of fighting and slipping on the oil, the whole party was thrown off because of the oil.
What would normally be a simple beast has become a difficult opponent. The rats seem to have adapted to the oil and were able to scratch with their claws at the right moment.
Aldrich tried to get back up but thanks to the constant attacks of two rats he always ended up falling and slipping.
He cursed in him mind but then breathed in deeply to remain calm. He examined his 'wounds' and it turns out they were barely scratches.
His skin was already very tough, these rats were weaklings even if he allowed them to scratch all day he wouldn't be too bothered. Seeing this, he stopped struggling.
He relaxed his muscles and when one of the rats closed in to attack him again he reached out with the speed of lightning and caught it.
It was over, once it was caught with Aldrich's strength he easily twisted it's neck until it cracked. The other one attacked at that moment, it seems like it thought that he was too distracted to deal with it.
Aldrich took out one of his throwing knives and it popped the rodent's eye causing it to attempt to flee at which point Cole jumped from behind and stabbed at it like he held a grudge against it.
It seems like he was still trying to make up for the trap thing.
Aldrich managed to get up and he saw that the last rat was killed by Frank, it was a clean cut. The rest were blocking the exit to the floor beneath.
That was a smart move that Aldrich didn't have time to think about, if the rats ran down it would make it hard to catch them again. Also it could put Huzon was waiting for them downstairs in danger.
"Ugh!"
"Are you alright?"
However it seems like some damage has been done. Emma was bitten by the rat in her left arm, the wound was not too deep but the poison was a bit of a problem.
"Nathan do you have something for this?" Aldrich asked since Nathan seemed to have something for everything.
"I have a very simple antidote but she needs to see a physician for a proper prescription," Nathan took out a flask and gave it to Emma, she drank it as he explained.
"Would they have an apothecary in this town?" Hellen asked, "we didn't have one in my village."
"I'm pretty sure they do, what with all the construction going on?" Aldrich reassured, "Emma you should go down and tell Huzon to come up here, I should stay out of the quest from now on."
"Come on," Frank said softly to Emma who had an unwilling expression, "I will go with you."
Aldrich knew that it was hard news having to withdraw from the quest but she already participated and so if they passed then she would pass with them.
Besides it was better to leave now before any life threatening danger actually happens to her. Aldrich had no intention to belittle her for her efforts at all, she was just unlucky, same thing almost happened to Cole a few minutes ago.
After resting for ten minutes Huzon and Frank joined them, there was only one stop left, the beacon.
The reason why they took so long was because apparently Huzon knew of two brothers in town who were versed in healing.
They weren't Clerics but they were Crestmasters who had healed many people in town since they came here. Huzon didn't know what class they were but Aldrich suspected that they were Glyphmancers since they could mimic the healing powers of Clerics.
This town actually had that many Crestmasters? Aldrich was truly impressed even a little shocked, and even the inquisition made a public appearance too.
Aldrich had a bad feeling all of a sudden, he decided that if the injuries weren't that severe then they would get out of here as soon as possible. This had the taste of something beyond his pay grade.
"Alright, everyone follow behind me and keep your wits about you, low level Haunting ghosts can only use some weak illusions as long as you are focused nothing will happen. Of course even knowing that you need tp keep in mind that something unexpected might happen."
After that warning Aldrich climbed on the ramp, since there was no more staircase and pushed open the trapdoor in the ceiling. Fresh air from the sea flooded into the damp lighthouse for the first time in a long time.
The sea breeze whips through this open-air room. A stack of wood, taller than an average human, sits in the center of the room, unlit and rotting.
A pair of struts and pulleys is affixed to one ledge, old ropes descending from them to the ground. An old, yellowed, skeleton in an oilskin coat and the rotted remains of other clothing lies propped against the woodpile.
The skeletal remains were once the lighthouse keeper, who decided to take his own life with poison rather than work with pirates or face blackmail and arrest.
Aldrich guessed that the ghost must be here logically and thanks to all the clues so far, now his ghost haunts the area. He was looking for the haunted object here, his first guess was that poison bottle.
As they climbed up, they stared at the skeletal remains warily, the ghost could also have haunted a bone from his old body or something. After Huzon climbed up, all of a sudden the wind picked up and then went completely still.
Light yellow smoke rose from the skeleton and condensed into the form of a man, he appeared as an old bearded man in a knit cap and oilskin coat.
Aldrich could hear a strange buzz in the air, the ghost didn't try anything nor did it display an aggression. In fact in looked at them rather happily as if in relief.
The buzzing continued and Aldrich realized, this was the ghost trying to talk to them.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶