The Muckrakers and The Rats in the Flour

Strolling through the town square under the summer Sun, brought with it a hopeful feeling among a trio. walking through the market Square brought with it a calming feeling yet the road to the bakery smelled like warm bread and bad choices. Syd walked at the front boots pressing happily against for cobbles. He wore a sleeveless tunic for the flaps like a banner when he moved, cinched by a belt far too tight. His broad arms were bare and dotted with old scrapes and scars. Over his back dangled a crooked wooden club which swung about as casually as one might be carrying firewood.

“Do you think we will be paid in bread for helping?” He asked aloud.

“Not if our fearless leader has any choice in the matter.”

The half elf hurried behind the taller of the trio.

The hem of his brown robes just touching the ground, careful not to brush against the mud and dust. Beneath his robes, just visible, was a neatly tucked burgundy tunic. The top the young boys head sat a black bycoket with a red feather tucked in, but the hat itself was large enough to cover much of his scalp, hiding all his hair. His pale skin seemed out of place under the light of the Sun and his green eyes constantly inspected his surroundings while the tips of his pointed ears clung to his head.

“Besides,” Lorphanis continued. “It would be better for us if he paid in coin.”

Barging between the two came the third member of the trio. His chin up, black hair slicked back and the sharp angles of his face were catching the light along with his sharp calculating eyes.

“This baker could provide us with work that could lead to greater things,” Edwin shared with a wide smile.

Edwin adjusted his orange tablet whip its red trim which seemed to glow in the daylight. Wearing his blue trousers tucked into his boots, he tried his best to appear as noble as he could.

“Mark my words,” Edwin said with confidence. “A humble baker would not summon adventurous of our reputation for a trifle matter. I sense intrigue, rival guild, something greater than us.”

Syd’s eyes widened. “Maybe there is a ghost?”

Lorphanis pinched the bridge of his nose. “And who would think we can deal with that?”

Edwin grinned. “Us brave adventurers.”

“We’re hardly adventurers,” Lorphanis loaned under his breath.

The trio soon arrived at a corner building on the edge of the market square. This building with its thick thatched roof that sloped low over the upper windows, on the ground floor, wide-paned windows displayed rows of golden-brown loaves across shelves to appear inviting. A sign painted with a smiling loaf of bread hung above the stone archway which served as a doorway.

“Here we are,” Edwin declared. “Be ready for anything.”

Pushing the door open, the shop itself was small inside with a narrow area for people to stand. The trio barley managed to enter.

Within the bakery was space where a tall table stood before a walkway parading toward the display window. From the far corner came the creaking of wooden boards as a figure descended the stairs, a broad chested man with wide arms and a disapproving expression. The three boys silently watched as the stocky stranger arrived and walked to stand behind the counter while keeping his eyes focused on the trio, looking down his nose at them.

“Are you these muckrakers people talk about?”

The baker’s voice was as cold as winter and carried with it distain as he glared at these three fourteen-year-old boys.

“That we are,” Edwin said without hesitation. “What caused you to reach out to us?”

The baker wrung his hands. “My cellar. Something plagues it, something foul.”

Edwin’s smile remained. “Say no more. The darkness will no longer fester within your- “

“Rats,” the baker’s voice interrupted.

The words fell like a dropped spoon.

“Rats?” Edwin repeated faintly.

“Aye,” continued the baker. “Great big ones. Bold as thieves, they snake at my stores and seem to mock my traps.”

Syd leaned forward eagerly. "Do they fight?”

“Something fierce.”

Syd clapped his hands excitedly. "A most excellent discovery!"

Lorphanis sighed long and tired, "of course."

Edwin looked skyward, as though seeking patience from The Four Divines. “And you would have us do what precisely?"

“Drive them off,” said the baker. “Slay then, eat them, take them as pets. I care not which you boys do. However, I can no longer endure their persistent scurrying.”

“Very well,” Edwin muttered. “For a good price mind.”

The baker’s eyes brightened at once before reaching into his pocket and presenting the trio with some coins. All three of the boys inspected the presented currency, Edwin opened the coin purse and took out a Copper Sparrow. There were six more in the purse. Edwin slid the coin back into the purse and then tucked it back into his pocket. The baker hurried around the counter and headed over to the stairs and then to a hatch in the floor. Yanking the hatch in one swift movement, the baker only revealed a steep descent into the shadows and the faint chorus of skittering below.

Syd reached for his club with a grin. “The chase shall be glorious.”

Lorphanis murmured an incantation, coaxing a small yet steady flowing orb slowly taking shape. “If you think so Syd.”

Edwin drew the dagger from his belt, sighed, and stepped toward the hatch. “Let it be known,” He muttered. “That I still expect greatness.”

One by one the descended down the narrow ladder into the dark. When the trap door closed behind them, the trio congregated under the floating ball of light. The muckrakers stood in the corner with their back facing the ladder, the orb illuminating only a small portion of the cellar. An early silence fell upon the room that brought with it a growing unease for the boys.

“Well,” Edwin said. “Let our search begin.”

The glow from Lorphanis’s conjured light hovers just ahead of Edwin’s shoulder, a small pale ball that bobbed gently as through it wished not to be there at all.

“It is…very dark,” Syd whispered as though darkness might overhear him.

Lorphanis clung to his friends, one hand raised toward the light, the other by his Syde. His voice came out calm and measured. “Cellars are oft dark by design. Sunlight spoils flour, and damp invites mould.”

A sack nearby seemed to shake all three frozen in worry. Edwin, who walked between the two, swallowed hard. “Nothing to fear,” he echoed. “Calm yourself. Things rarely move by themselves.”

The grit advanced with care, passing between rows of flour sacks stacked like white sentries, their cloth bellies building and dusted. Wooden crates lay piled at odd angles, their lids askew, some answer through and splintered at the corners. Syd reached out and gently prodded a sack which caused it to sag. He nodded, satisfied. “It’s just a sack.”

“Fetter your desire to fight,” Lorphanis suggested. “If you were to strike even a single bag, a cloud of flour would blind us.”

Faint skitters sounded from somewhere near them. Edwin tightened his hand upon his weapon. “Let us be swift in this.”

Another round of scurrying followed, many feet, very quick and soft which came from all directions. The muckrakers then heard another sound of collective knowing followed by many feet scurrying some more in the darkness.

“I fear they are watching us,” Edwin whispered to his friends.

The orb’s glow revealed small tracks in the dust as the trio looked down at the crisscrossing footprints.

They looked hurried. Flour had spilled in places, forming bright drifts where something had tumbled through. As the trio took notice, Syd crouched down and examined the marks with great interest.

“They walk in neat lines,” Syd said. “Very polite.”

“That,” Lorphanis added. “Is what worries me.”

The trio moved onward and the further they went, the thicker the darkness grew. Just then, one of the nearest create jolted slightly and Edwin jumped before pointing his weapon at it as his hand shook.

“Mind your step,” Lorphanis said quietly. “These boxes are organised on a terrible manner.”

Syd raised his club though he held it in reverse. “I’d rate leap at us, I shall fight.”

“That is hardly a plan Syd,” Lorphanis explained.

“If it works then I shall do it,” Syd retorted proudly.

The boys reached the other end of the cellar, where an open space between the crates and bags lay. Some of the surrounding sacks had been torn open in the corners and their contents scattered in great heaps. Within moments, the skittering grew louder. It started getting closer.

Edwin put away his weapon, yet his hand continued to shake. “I do not care for these rats.”

All three looked toward the edges of the orb’s projected range. None of them could see anything clearly beyond the edge of their projected illumination.

“These rats seem fairly and carefully organised,” Lorphanis addressed with suspicion. “Careful not to be seen.”

From the fringes of the light came a low chittering. Measured, almost thoughtful. A pair of beady eyes looked toward the trio and Syd couldn’t help but grin, baring his teeth.

“Hello little rat,” Syd said cheerfully.

The chittering stopped, for a heartbeat, the cellar was utterly silent. A single rat emerged from the darkness. It first appeared small with mottled fur and flour clinging to its whiskers. It moved bit with the frantic scuffle of its kin, but with a contorted purpose, it stepped into the light.

“This one walks like it’s a brave warrior,” Syd remarked as he raised his club.

Lorphanis fixed his eyes in the lone rat. “Something seems off.”

To the surprise of the trio, the rat lurched up and stood upright while keeping its eyes focused on them. Its shape loosened and flowed; bones began to shift with unsettling soft pops. Its fur began to recede, paws stretched into fingers, and in the space of a breath, the rat folded in upon itself.

What now appeared before the boys was a gnome, no taller than Edwin’s chest at three and a half feet tall.

He was wearing furs. His olive skin marked with bold blue body and face paint and his wild dark hair bound with twine and dried leaves. As he approached, the gnome carried the aroma of moss.

“It is rude,” said the scowling gnome. “To raise a club to one you have share stew with.”

Syd lowered his weapon in realisation as to who this figure was. “Oh. Hello Rasben.”

Edwin groaned softly in annoyance. “I knew this would turn sour.”

Lorphanis tiled his hat ever so slightly. “Good day to you. We did not expect to find you…as a rat.”

Rasben sniffed before crossing his arms. “The rat is a noble creature. It survives.”

Behind the druid, shapes shifted in the shadows as other rats withdrew from the darkness just enough to appear. All hundred eyes fixed in the trio like an audience watching a play. Edwin let out another sigh. “How is it you ended up in the baker’s cellar?”

Rasben straightened his back so much the gnome’s spine clicked. “Because Conner the baker, is a cowardly man whose tongue runs faster than his wisdom.

Syd tilted his head once again. “Is it about bread?”

“It is a matter of honour,” Rasben said darkly. “Two days past, I sought bread in fair trade. Conner called my clothes unclean and that my hair smelled like manure.”

Syd leaned closer to his cohorts. “And of lilac.”

Lorphanis winced. “That may not help matters.”

“My vestments are a gift from the sacred forest!” Rasben snapped. “He then ordered me to leave his establishment.”

Edwin slid his hands into his pockets. “I can see why.”

Rasben started to pace in a circle. “He bade me to leave and return to my hole in the ground and by doing so, insulted the Sacred Forest! For such an insult, I have brought with me many vermin to dwell under his home.”

Edwin eyed the frustrated gnome. “And you have sworn revenge in this manner?”

Lorphanis let out a gasp. “Rasben, Conner had brought us in to clear out the rats. We have even accepted payment for the task.”

Rasben stopped his pacing and once again fixed his eyes at the trio with a steady glare.

“Coins are light,” he said menacingly. “Respect is heavy.”

A silence filled the air with only the glowing orb which hummed faintly disrupting the tranquillity between them, casting long shadows across torn sacks and gnawed crates.

Syd smiled, wide and earnest. “Could I have one of your rats?”

Both Lorphanis and Edwin looked over to their dim-witted friend with furrowed brows and their annoyance visible. The half-elf stepped forward and over to the irate druid.

“Perhaps,” Edwin began carefully. “Maybe there is a manner in which we may resolve this peacefully?”

Rasben looked down his at the offer, but before they could speak further, Lorphanis stepped between his friend and the angry gnome.

“Might we be stepped into something beyond our remit?” the apprentice pondered in a hushed tone.

Edwin huffed. “Such a chance is rare indeed. Presented with the chance to serve as peace makers, we could earn both coin and prestige.”

Without hesitation, Edwin recoiled from the half-elf and walked to stand toe to toe with Rasben.

“What would you need to make peace and end this unhinged vendetta?” Edwin probed with his chest puffed out.

Rasben pointed his finger at Edwin with stern eyes.

“There will be peace,” he replied. “When I have been shown respect.”

Edwin rested his hands along his belt. “And…what form would respect take?”

Rasben lowered his hand. “Conner, the baker, shall offer an apology with meaning. And bread, of course.”

Lorphanis blinked. “Bread?”

“All of it,” Rasben stated. “Loaves, rolls, twists, and buns. His labours shall feed the forest.”

Syd’s eyes widened in awe. “That is a lot of bread.”

“It is the weight of his words,” the druid replied.

Lorphanis glanced between the rats, the gnawed sacks, and the gnome. “I fear he will not agree to this.”

Rasben scoffed. “Then I shall remain where I am and so shall my horde.”

Once again that uncomfortable silence reared its ugly head as things came to a standstill. Edwin sighed the sigh of conceding. “Very well, we shall speak with the baker.”

Rasben nodded once. “Go speak with Conner but be swift! The rats grow impatient.”

Syd waved cheerfully. “We shall return?”

The trio walked away from the gnome and as they went, the rats scurried away and formed a neat path back to the opposite corner of the cellar. Back to the ladder. All three boys climbed up through the trap door creaking as they emerged back into the light, the warm bright bakery. The smell of fresh bread no longer brought with it a sense of excitement. They met by Conner stood by the main counter hopefully. “Well?”

Edwin cleared his throat. “There rats are well organised.”

The baker furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Lorphanis stepped forward as his orb of light dissipated into fading sparkles. “They are under the guidance of a druid of the forest by the name of Rasben.”

The baker’s face darkened upon hearing that name. “That mossy fur wearing nuisance?”

Lorphanis continued. “Yes, that druid.”

Syd smiled. “He wants an apology.”

“Your previous encounter you insulted him,” Edwin added. “He also wants all of your bread as compensation.”

Conner broke out into a fight of laughter before regaining control of his faculties. “All of it? Because I argued with that forest dweller?”

“He feels wronged,” Lorphanis relayed gently.

“And this permits him the right to bring rats into my home and ruin my business?” The baker snapped. “He insults my shop, my craft and my livelihood!”

Before any of the boys could speak, the trap door to the cellar burst open. Rasben emerged and launched himself out from the trapdoor and strutted into

The bakery with his blue face paint vivid in the daylight and his eyes projecting disgust.

“You bestow upon me disrespect,” Rasben thundered. “You insulted me and my life’s work!”

Conner point his finger at Rasben, flour puffing from his sleeve. “You are nothing but a menace!”

The muckrakers stood quietly while words flew like stones.

“You have all the charm and grace of a land bound fish!”

“Look who’s talking!”

“The forest remembers your words.”

The air grew thick and the lanterns hanging from the ceiling started to shake Rasben raised his hands and slowly brought them closer together. He spoke a sharp guttural phrase that made the wooden floorboards beneath all of them tremble. From the cellar came a roaring skitter.

“Oh dear,” Syd breathed as he looked down to the ground.

In a moment, the doors to the cellar erupted with rats suddenly surged upward in a living tide, pouring from the hatch. Swarming over shelves by scaling up the walls by clawing at the walls. Rasben then held his arms wide as fur and tails flooded the bakery, as if he were proud of his work.

“Run!” Edwin commanded with urgency.

Without hesitation, the three boys bolted for the door, with Syd nearly carrying Lorphanis as they burst out onto the square. Once a good distance, the Muckrakers turned back to see those grey and black rats slam against the bakery’s glass windows with their tiny claws tapping against their transparent barrier. In a heartbeat, the windows started to crack before bursting outward with hundreds of vermin spilling out along with the shards onto the square.

Syd stared as if he were awestruck. “There are so many rats.”

Lorphanis adjust his bycocket with shaking hands. “Things seem to have unfolded unexpectedly.”

Edwin watched as the chaos unfolded with a disappointed huff. “There goes our chance at being peacemakers.”

Lorphanis shifted his face toward Edwin and noticed the dejected expression.

“Fear Not Edwin,” the half-elf said reassuringly. “At least no lives were lost in the effort.”

The bakery roared with squeaks, shouts and the smell of cinnamon flowed out onto the square, while Rasben’s voice rang above it all. Loud and unyielding. The tide of rats slowed. At the druid’s sharp whistle, the swarm broke its wild course and began to move with purpose. Streaming out of the bakery door and shattered windows, the rats moved not in a blind panic but in an orderly manner. Lines formed and they flowed into the street. Rasben then appeared and stepped out but was careful not to place his feet on his followers. The small animals began to gather at the gnome’s feet, circling him. The trio noticed how some of the mice, upon Rasben raising his foot, swarmed to get underneath it and hardly moaned when he put his foot down. He was stepping onto the rats and bent his knees. Swung over his shoulder was a full bag. The druid then looked over to the boys, he nodded to them approvingly.

“Balance has been restored,” he proclaimed.

The boys remained still and simply watched in disbelief as the druid rode his wave of rodents and carrying his prize.

As Rasben disappeared upon the back of his army, the trio noticed the bakery. Conner stumbled out, his apron torn, hair white from flour and face red with fury. He saw the boys and unleased his emotions.

“You!” he screamed. “You have ruined me!”

Edwin straightened up instinctively. “Now-now, good baker."

“How are we responsible?” Lorphanis asked.

“My shop! My bread is gone and all you had to do was to get rid of the rats!” Conner barked. “Give me back the money I gave you!”

Lorphanis stepped into Conner’s way as he drew closer, hands raised. “We might negotiate. We could assist in cleaning the bakery. I know a fantastic spell to deal with splinters most effectively.”

Syd nodded in agreement. “I can also sweep.”

The baker, his eyes beaming with rage, slowly drew closer with his breathing heavy. “Either you return my coin or I shall summon the catchpole!”

Edwin’s hand tightly closed around his small copper coins within his pocket.

“Never!” Edwin retorted.

He turned sharply to his friend. “Run!”

Syd took off immediately, without question. Lorphanis yelped and followed, nearly tripping as he bolted down the street. Edwin joined his friends while the enraged baker pursued them and bellowed.

“Come back here, you muckrakers!”

They scattered into the narrow roads within the village leading away from the village square. Syd vaulted over barrels, Lorphanis sprinting while trying to keep his hat on, and Edwin Looking over his shoulder to keep in mind his pursuer. As the trio disappeared around a corner, laughter echoed behind them as they went. The baker stopped at the end of one of the many winding streets, panting, fists clenched, and staring at an empty lane. From somewhere far off, Syd’s voice rang out.

“Good luck with the clearing!”

The wind carried the sound of rattling coins rattling and hurried footsteps as the three boys fled.