Betrayal, a taste I never could grow accustomed to. Blacksword began a war with the kingdom, do not deceive yourself into thinking otherwise. Taking weapons and other caravans, food, medicine, coin—these things over time can create a fundamental downfall of a power, especially during a time period such as then when war was a constant game played by those who sat in their thrones of power.

  And wars always have casualties. Ratty was betrayed by an informant, the bandit who came with him became a casualty of this war between Lord Blacksword and the kingdom.

  Have you ever seen a rat in a maze? Excellent problem-solvers capable of extraordinary creative feats. Despite their reputation, rats are highly social creatures with complex hierarchies and relationships. They form alliances, and demonstrate empathy toward their companions.

  Resilient.

  Adaptive.

  Tenacious.

  Tactical.

  Yielding.

  Resilient when facing overwhelming odds, Adaptive to changing environments and threats. Tenacious creatures that never give up despite setbacks. Their problem-solving makes them Tactical creatures, yet they are able to Yield when necessary, to fight another day.

  I would often play with the idea that this was why Ratty took such a name, when his real name was … ah let me not give any spoilers and allow you to enjoy the reveal later.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Still he showed all these things. Resilience when taking an arrow yet continuing to function despite blood loss and pain, even attempting to treat his own wound. Adaptiveness when he constantly changed his approach based on new information - posing as a drunk, using women as cover, finding a fish merchant connection.

  Tenacious in his unwavering commitment to escape despite multiple close calls with guards. He never abandoned his ultimate goal, pursuing it relentlessly through every obstacle the city presented.

  Showing his tactical mind through calculated movements - his approach to the guild building, deliberately creating distractions in the brothel, and strategic use of market crowds to hide his presence.

  Yielding when necessary - unlike mere adaptiveness which changes methods to achieve the same goal, yielding recognizes when to abandon certain paths entirely. He immediately changed direction when seeing guards block a route, and surrendered his original escape plan when circumstances required a boat instead.

  Of course perhaps some of those things are truly similar, but I did come up with the idea when I was incredibly young so forgive me for attempting to make it work.

  I'll admit my fascination with rats came from Ratty. Call this tome what you will, a diary, a biography, at the end it is but a mere story in the countless others. Personally Ratty is one of my favorite characters in this story, he is a crude little man yet he holds his own charm. His escapades make me curious about him, at times I feel awkward and other times I can't help but laugh. Banditry is all about survival and freedom, and Ratty is the freest man I have ever known.

  I wonder sometimes if Draven saw the same qualities in Ratty that I did. Draven was always selective about who he kept close, who he trusted. Everyone knew his reputation for pragmatism, yet still he kept Ratty around, perhaps his oldest companion. Ratty's the rat and Draven the hawk—one seeing the hidden paths below, the other watching from above.

  It is quite amusing if you think about it. And if you're not amused, well then go and grab some ale, then come back, I'm sure you'll find it amusing then, repeat the process if needed. Haha.

  Now, let us continue the story and see the fate of these two creatures.

  AVENTUS MONSTROUS