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Chapter 308: 308
The boar, enraged, charged at Flint with terrifying speed. Flint’s enhanced boots let him dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding the tusks. As the beast whirled to face him again, the ratwoman gave the signal.
"Now, Scraps!"
Scraps, crouched at the edge of the battlefield, pulled out a strange, long-barreled device with copper tubes and intricate gears running along its length. He attached a canister to the weapon, and with a sharp twist, steam hissed out as it powered up.
The weapon was a steam-bolt rifle, one of their more advanced pieces of tech, designed to pierce even the toughest hide. Scraps took aim at the boar’s vulnerable underbelly, waiting for the perfect moment. As the boar reared up on its hind legs, preparing to crush Flint beneath its hooves, Scraps fired.
The bolt shot through the air with a high-pitched whine, its tip glowing red-hot from the compressed steam. It struck true, embedding deep into the boar’s soft underbelly. The creature let out a deafening squeal, its body convulsing as the bolt delivered a shock of high-voltage electricity.
The boar staggered, its movements jerky and disoriented. But it wasn’t down yet. In its fury, the beast turned its gaze on Scraps, charging toward him with murderous intent.
"Time for the big guns," the ratwoman muttered. She reached into her belt and pulled out a cylindrical device, about the size of her fist. Flicking a switch, the cylinder began to hum, small vents on its surface releasing bursts of steam.
It was a magnetic disruptor, one of their secret weapons against magical creatures. Designed to interfere with the magical energy flowing through a target’s body, it could cripple even the most resilient beasts.
As the boar charged, the ratwoman threw the device with deadly accuracy. It stuck to the side of the boar’s flank, magnetizing instantly to the metal fragments embedded in the creature’s skin. With a loud crack, the disruptor activated, sending waves of energy coursing through the boar’s body.
The boar’s legs gave out as the disruptor scrambled its internal magic, turning its furious charge into a desperate stumble. It collapsed to the ground, twitching violently as its magical energy was torn apart by the device.
"Flint! Finish it!" the ratwoman barked. 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Without hesitation, Flint leaped onto the boar’s back, his gauntlets roaring with steam as he slammed both fists down onto its skull with all his might. The boar let out one final, pitiful squeal before its body went limp, steam rising from its wounds.
The ratmen stood in silence for a moment, panting heavily as the adrenaline of the fight began to wear off. The air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh and the acrid scent of steam and oil.
The lone ratman, still clutching his rake, stared in disbelief at the fallen boar. He had been certain that his life was over, but now, thanks to his comrades, he was still breathing.
But before he could speak, the ratwoman raised a hand, silencing him.
"We’re not here to chat," she said curtly, her eyes narrowing. "We saved your tail, but that’s all. You never saw us. Understand?"
The lone ratman blinked in confusion but nodded quickly. He knew better than to argue with the woman who had just taken down a magical boar.
Without another word, the ratpeople gathered their equipment, reloaded their weapons, and disappeared back into the tunnel from which they had come. Within moments, the ground closed behind them, leaving no trace of their presence.
As the dust settled, the lone ratman stood alone once more, staring at the lifeless body of the boar. He had survived, but the encounter left him with more questions than answers.
In the distance, hidden from view, Ikenga and Keles watched the scene unfold. The gods exchanged knowing glances.
"These ratpeople," Keles mused, "they may not have magic, but their ingenuity is... remarkable."
Ikenga smirked. "Indeed. It seems they have their own ways of tipping the scales. It seems our new destination has been determined"
The ratman meanwhile was staring wideyed at the dead huge boar, his ear twitched as heard footsteps quickly closing in from a distance. With quickness, he fell to the ground closing his eyes acting like he passed out.
The ratman lay motionless, his heart racing beneath his chest as he pretended to be unconscious. His keen ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps—several of them, hurried and growing louder with each passing second. The ratpeople’s fight with the boar had clearly drawn unwanted attention. His pulse quickened, but he remained still, limbs limp and eyes shut tight, playing the role of a hapless victim.
Through slitted eyes, he caught a glimpse of the figures approaching—a group of city guards, armed with spears and clad in their gleaming armor. At the forefront was a tall, imposing goblin mage, her long robes billowing as she strode forward. Her eyes were cold and calculating, glowing faintly with the residual magic she was ready to call upon at a moment’s notice.
The guards fanned out, surrounding the massive carcass of the magical boar. One of them, a grizzled veteran with a scar running across his face, knelt beside the ratman, his brow furrowing.
"Is he dead?" another guard asked, eyeing the ratman with suspicion.
The scarred guard leaned down, placing two fingers against the ratman’s neck to check for a pulse. After a moment, he grunted. "No, just passed out. Poor thing must’ve been scared unconscious by the boar."
The mage stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the area. She seemed unconvinced by the guard’s assessment. "Something doesn’t add up," she muttered. "A boar of this size wouldn’t have fallen so easily. And I can feel traces of... something unnatural." Her gaze settled on the fallen boar, her expression darkening.
She raised a hand, muttering a low incantation under her breath. A soft glow surrounded her fingers as she directed the spell at the boar’s body. For a moment, nothing happened—but then, faint, glowing traces of energy appeared, radiating from the boar’s wounds.
"Steam residue?" she muttered, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "There’s no magic here, just... technology."
One of the guards shifted nervously. "But that’s impossible, right? The city folk don’t have anything that advanced."
The mage straightened, her expression hardening. "Which means someone else was here. Someone who didn’t want to be seen." as she said that she looked down into the ground like she could see the tunnel below.
The scarred guard nodded toward the unconscious ratman. "What about him? Think he saw anything?"
The mage crouched beside the ratman, her eyes studying his limp form. She held a hand over him, the air around her fingers shimmering as she prepared to cast a spell of truth-seeking.
The ratman’s heart pounded in his chest. He could feel the tingle of magic around him, not wanting to find out what the mage was about to do, he had to force himself to open his eyes as he sat up in panic acting like he was scared awake.
The ratman bolted upright with a gasp, his eyes wide and darting in every direction as if he had just awoken from a nightmare. He let out a panicked squeak, scrambling backward on his hands and feet until his back hit the strong sturdy body of the ogre guard. His entire body trembled, his breath coming in short, frantic bursts.
The mage, startled by his sudden movement, withdrew her hand, the shimmering magic fading from the air around her. She narrowed her eyes, clearly skeptical of his dramatic reaction but intrigued nonetheless. The guards, too, stepped back, unsure of what to make of the ratman’s behavior.
"Easy there," the scarred guard said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. "You’re safe now. The boar’s been taken care of."
The ratman blinked rapidly, forcing himself to breathe slower as he clutched his chest, still playing the role of a frightened, disoriented survivor. "Th-th-the boar..." he stammered, his voice shaking. "I thought it was going to... to kill me!"
The mage remained silent, her piercing gaze never leaving him. She stepped closer, her presence commanding and unnerving. "You were lucky," she said coolly, though her eyes were still full of suspicion. "That beast was far beyond anything a simple ratman should be able to survive."
The ratman gulped, his ears twitching as he tried to maintain his composure under her scrutiny. "I-I don’t know what happened," he stuttered, avoiding her gaze. "I was just cleaning near the wall when it charged out of nowhere. I tried to run, but... but I tripped and blacked out." He glanced at the boar’s body and then at the guards, putting on his best look of confusion. "I didn’t see anyone else."
The scarred guard exchanged a glance with the mage, clearly buying the story for the moment. But the mage wasn’t so easily fooled. She crouched again, staring directly into the ratman’s eyes as though trying to peer into his very soul.
