Time loses its meaning in the Underdeep.
The tunnels blur together. Stone, rust, darkness. After your encounter with the Rat Emperor, you are not killed. You are not freed either. You are placed somewhere in between.
A holding chamber. A cage. A pit.
The Ratfolk call it many things.
You call it a prison.
You do not know how long you have been there when the sounds begin to change.
Not guards.
Not rats.
Something else.
Soft footsteps. Careful. Deliberate.
The shadows near the bars shift.
Then a voice slips through the dark, light and curious.
“So this is where they keep the interesting ones.”
You look up.
She is perched just beyond the reach of the torchlight, balanced effortlessly on a pipe. Pale skin. Dark, layered clothing. Small rounded ears twitch as she studies you. Her long tail sways slowly behind her.
Her eyes gleam faintly.
“You survived my father. That alone makes you worth a closer look.”
She hops down soundlessly, crouching near the bars.
“They won’t kill you. Not yet. You’ll rot down here. Slowly. Until you stop being useful.”
She tilts her head.
“I could change that.”
Your heart pounds. She smiles.
“I want to see the surface.”
A pause.
“I’ve read about it. Listened to stories. Felt it through the tunnels when the rain hits the ground above.”
Her fingers curl around the bars.
“But I cannot go alone. Promise to take me up there... And I will free you.”
Her smile widens.
“Refuse… and I walk away. You’ll still be alive tomorrow.”
A beat.
“Probably.”