[Killroy's]Eeek, those be rats. RATS!(Antar)

[Bob Barton]

The rats were out there somewhere in the fields? Maybe. Antar's logic was sound. But Bob could have sworn that the squeaking noises begun from the trees behind him. They could have came from there since if they lived out in the open fields Killroy would have known from a long time ago and taken preventative measures. Like bigger fences so the rats cannot get through. So while Antar concluded the rats came from the fields, Bob assumes that they came somewhere from the wild. Not that he was going to tell Antar that. Bob will let the man take the lead far to the front and fail finding the rats nest. And if they really did find the rats nest in the end, he would be far behind enough to ditch the man and escape.

"I call Antar!" Bob quickly shouted out. Who were his choices of partners? One of the two terrified attendants who smelled worse than death and Antar who was death incarnate himself. That was a very easy choice. Bob will stick to Antar like glue and just depend on him to get through the crazy, hungry, cannibal rats. If it all ended well Antar would be able to kill all the rats for him no problem.

After everyone made their choices of partners, Bob took the trophy and put it away somewhere at the stables before they left. "This is mine" he claimed. No one would want a severed rat head anyway but you will never know what people want to steal in Sunberth. That and after all this Bob wanted something to show for it. When he tells the story of how he magnificently protected everyone from a pack of rats at the taverns, he was going to need some proof so he won't get laughed out.

[Antar]

Antar slowly walked behind Barton and swatted him lightly on the back of the head as the attendants whirled around about their own business. "The name is Anthony!" Antar hissed softly as a reminder. Bob knew from before whenever Antar was on a job that he was to be addressed as Anthony. No matter what. No and's, if's, or but's.

Besides the last thing Antar liked in this world was anyone messing things up more for him. Though he had a sneaking suspicion if anyone in Sunberth would truly try to do anything to him, it would be that Darik fellow. So he was biding his time and waiting. Just waiting for the real troubles to start. Rats? Rats were going to be a petching cakewalk compared to that.

Soon enough they began to venture out towards the fields, and Noth watched the troublesom attendants with pitchforks scanning the grounds for any rat signs. He snorted a little, there was too much horse scat around to tell which was different from rats. So he did the next best thing. He turned to stare hard at Bob. "So... got any ideas Bob?"

[Bob Barton]

"Alright I got it, I got it!" Bob blurted out when "Anthony" swatted him. He did not have to be such a hard ass about it. Today was just a social thing. Going on a field safari and hunting a few rats. Why did "Anthony" have to be so serious about it. If Bob had his way, he would just call the man !@#$%

Bob thought differently than Antar. Who cared about Darik anyway? The boy was not all there. More importantly, he was not here. The thought suddenly came to his mind. Here they were and Darik was no where. He should share in the suffering too, instead of playing around somewhere in Sunberth. Sometimes Bob wondered how Darik even got anything done in his job at all? It he was here now at least he would make fine ratbait.

Which was what they needed. Bob did have an idea on how to draw out the rats. It was exactly what he accidentally did at the start of all this. Though it was lucky in a sense. It gave him enough time to run to safety. But he was not going to say that straight. What if someone found out? "Ideas? Maybe. If the rats are hiding we could try and draw them out. Like using those two for bait." he said pointing at the attendants. Obviously thei won't be bait, but Bob hoped that Ant...hony would pick up the hint and think of baiting the rats out.

[Antar]

You know something your not telling me?" Noth asked, "Besides, those two are already bait, just by walking out there and not a single rat's attacked 'em yet. That means the nest is on the outside of the fields and I think you know where."

Thinking back to his ride in he knew he spotted a midget running across the fields towards the kennel. Probably along the lines of... Looking around he traced Barton's tracks back across the field to a copse of trees outside the fences. Comparing the angle from what he'd seen on the road the rats had to come from over there. If that was the direction the rats had come from there should be a nest or entrance burrow near there somewhere in the shrubbery. And... that was probably why Bob was so cheery about searching over here in the fields.


Yelling to the attendants he cried out. "Hey New plan. We're going to check the treeline." Notching an arrow to his bow, Antar looked in Bob's direction before gesturing towards the trees. "After you Bob. Besides, the other attendants should be going in first." Thinking of his profits, Antar just wished this day to end so he could get back to the finer things in life. Like selling that bloody nuit's who attacked him horse.

[Bob Barton]

Bob started to hold his breath when Antar confronted him. Did he find out that Bob accidentally lured the rats to him? While it already meant that the rats were near the grounds and possibly about to attack, some people might just want to blame him. No matter what, he was not going to tell Antar a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. Bob exhaled in relief when Antar's suspicions were more of Bob knowing where the rats came from rather than Bob throwing food around.

Petch, he figured it out. Bob eyes followed the movement's of Antar's head until he saw that Antar was eyeing those same trees he thought the rats came from. Those trees were tall and dark. The rats could even be waiting in ambush for them. Maybe rats was not that smart but Bob could not discount that possibility. One step in and "WHAM!" the rats are on them all. Tearing them apart piece by piece. Bob had to try his best so that Antar would not want to go there.

"You know what Antaaa-hnnny? We don't need to waste everyone to go to the same place. We could continue the searching here in the fields ourselves, and just send the weak non-combatants to the trees themselves. At least we'll know they are safe." Bob tried to cry out while Antar pushed him forward. His ruse failed. Antar was just too headstrong to even consider Bob was trying to trick him into thinking the woods were safer than the fields. Bob didn't care if the attendants would die. Just as long as he didn't. Let the attendants walk into the rat's first. Once they screamed, Bob will be running obviously at the other direction.

[Antar]

"Yeah... right Bob. Sure... let's stay here where it's safe, just for the moment. And not do what we came out here to do? Gods above Bob, do you have any backbone at all? Aren't you petching angry at these rats enough already that you want to exterminate every last one?" Noth hissed as he began to push the dwarf forwards."Besides, if we haven't seen anymore coming this way, there's probably only a fe-"

He cut himself off as one of the attendants who had preceded them into the woods came out and paused waving their arms over their head. Doubling his pace he marched towards the man and got a little closer"Hey, we found it."
"Any sign of more rats?"
"Yeah, only one big one though, bigger then the rest. It's got itself half backed down into a burrow under an old tree in the middle of the grove. When we got close enough it started hissing at us but didn't seem to move from the spot unless we approached. Like it was protecting somethin'''

Smiling a bit at the news, Antar turned to Barton. "Well it seems that it could be the momma' rat. Once we take care of her, we can burn out the nest to kill any baby rats inside. So here's what I suggest Bob. You keep in sight of the rat but don't get too close until I sneak around to get a good shot with my bow. Now, once I feather an arrow in it, it might charge, so be a little wary. You keep the two attendants with the pitchforks ready to charge in and use them as spears to make sure it doesn't move. Got it? That way there's the least risk to any of us."

[Bob Barton]

Of course Bob wanted to stay where it's safe. "What kind of fool would run into danger?" He would have nodded his head for Antar, if he didn't already know that Antar was completely serious about exterminating every last one. "My backbone is no good for me if I'm already dead." The man was just too bloodthirsty to see the dangers.

One of the stinky people started coming closer. Lucky Antar intercepted him before he got too close to Bob that he would be able to smell his stench. That was the good news. The bad news was "You found a rat...and it was a big one?!?" It sounded like a rat which was considered big after all the other rats they were forced to kill would be a lot bigger. And this one is cornered enough to fight with everything it got.

Especially if it was as Antar said that it was the mother rat. Don't those things give birth a lot? There could be more rats waiting just to swarm anyone who would harm their mother. And what least risk? "Least risk to you? You will be hiding and then who else would the rat charge. Me?" Bob was not stupid. He has already been working in Killroy's for too long that he knew that the animals took his small stature as easy prey.

"How about...you stay as far as possible from the rat but still allow it to see you?" If Antar wanted to suggest something like this he needed to take the most risk. "Then I will take the boys with me around the area" where it was safer "and once we are settled and hidden, we'll give the signal for you to shoot your bow" just the way things should be, with Bob not in front of danger. "Once the rat charges you we will come out of hiding and spring our ambush on it." It was the perfect plan. More importantly, it allowed Bob the least risk.

If Antar accepted, Bob will get to work with the attendants to execute his plan. If not, Bob was still not going to follow Antar's plan which he saw was more risky. He was going to go to the nearest tree which will be between him and the rat and hide behind it. Right until he hears the chaos start.

[Antar]

'The kind of fool whom might realize that less danger to solve a problem now meant less of a hassle later.' Noth thought to himself as he continued pushing the dwarf forwards towards the grove. Blessed Akajia, he sometimes wished the man would shut up and realize his excessive squeaking like the rats to say all the reasons why he shouldn't be the one to take any risk at all was enough to make Antar wish to separate Bob's vocal cords from the rest of him. Didn't he petching realize that the greatest danger lay in sneaking around the nest for a simple reason? If there were any baby rats ready to swarm then they'd come towards the nearest thing... which would be him in order to get a shot at the mother rat from above.

At least Noth felt himself capable of using enough djed to fireball the nest beforehand if he needed to. But dodging a full blown charging momma' rat... that was the most absurd thing to ask a wounded man to do. "Bob, you realize with this injury I have no choice but to sneak? If I go anywhere near the sight of the rat and it chances to smell the dried blood from my wound; I have no doubt it will attack instinctively. No... I have to sneak downwind of it and take a shot. An arrow should wound it enough to slow it down even though it probably will charge at you. But your fellow attendants running from the sides should be fast enough to skewer on their pitchforks it if you're far enough away. Once the beast is skewered, they should be able to hold it enough time for you to put your sword into its skull. So you'll just have to forget your damn fear, move fast, and kill the petching thing! I can't move that fast on this leg, and you can't shoot a bow. So it's going to have to be you. Buck up, Bob and do your best. But to limit the chances of it attacking you pre-emptively stay as hidden as possible till your ready for your part. Besides. From the angles, you should be able to see me sneaking up on it without it even knowing I'm there."

Without waiting for another word, Noth stopped pushing Barton towards the trees, and stepped back with a cold smile towards the three men as he began to limp around the copse of trees to get downwind. Very shortly, he was beginning his quiet approach towards the nest. Crawling upon the ground, carefully hand over hand.

[Bob Barton]

Despite all of Bob's protests, Antar started shoving him forwards towards the trees. Injury his ass. For an injured man he is doing well to have enough strength to push other people forward. And what was that cold smile. "You are really enjoying this aren't you?" Bob asked. All the talk of killing and the assertiveness seem to come naturally for Antar. But he didn't have to force Bob to do the same.

"You heard the man" Bob turned to look at the attendants before he began "you'll be the ones to hold the giant rat with your pitchforks!" Those men were just as bad as Bob was. They came on and on with all sorts of excuses. Until finally, Bob had enough. "If you don't get your butts moving, I'll scream. Scream and run. Yes sure the rat will be alerted and chase but I will have a head start. I can't say the same for you two since well, anything can follow your stench." he said pinning his nose again.

After they pulled themselves together, Bob pointed at two of the trees to the side. "So you will be going there, and you will be there. Just make sure you keep hidden and quiet. You don't want the rat charging you instead right?" giving a grin of false bravado. "What are you waiting for? Go! I want to get this over and done with." he said with a voice a little bit louder.

Bob waited until the pair had their backs turned before going up to the tree right behind him. He put his cane under his pits and reached a hand to a branch. Then his leg went up to give him a lift. Opps, if he reached out the other hand, the cane will drop. So he grabbed on the cane and tried to grab the branch while holding the cane. After a few attempts he finally got it and used his other leg to give him a boost. Now he was higher, he stood with his back leaning on the trunk. Two legs on different branches to balance out his weight.

Standing as still as possible, Bob took out his sword from the cane. "Hey rat, over here!" he shouted waving the sword. This was the stupidest thing he had ever done. Lucky he was higher than the rat can ever get. Rats don't climb do they? Regardless it was too late. He already got the rat's attention.

[Antar]

Shifting through the brush of the copse of trees was a horrible thing for him. Sure, his pants and the bandage kept things fine with his wound but that didn't mean a few shots of pain didn't make their presence known in his leg.

Crawling end over end Noth made his way towards a small rise which gave him a clear view of the center of the grove. A large tree turned over on its side was where the burrow the man reported was. A burrow found underneath it's root system where a large rat, about the size of a large dog was backed inside and hissing outwards at anything that moved. Including Bob in a tree on the far side. For a moment, the creature lunged out of the burrow, hissing and spitting and whipping it's tail about in a display meant to ward off anyone that moved before it backed itself up again into the burrow.

Coming close to the downed trunk, Antar waited for the wind to shift in his favor. It wasn't long before the wind was coming from the direction of Bob and the others, making it suitable to begin his approach. Pushing up from the ground, Antar climbed his way to the top of the downed trunk and began to walk himself forwards slowly to gain an angle on the rat. He was right above it now, and reached back behind himself to unlimber his longbow and notch an arrow from his quiver.

Stilling his breathing he drew his bow and waited for the rat's display to occur again as it scented the other three men and he spared a quick glance towards Bob to see if he was ready. Ready or not, an opportunity presented itself when the mother rat bounded three half leaps out of its burrow to begin it's warding away again. Taking the shot, he fired, striking the creature in the back from above. The arrow piercing through the gristle and fat of the hide as the queen rat, blinded by sudden pain, instinctively began to charge towards the sources of interlopers it's presence could find.

Straight towards Bob, sitting in a tree...