Rat & Will Chapter 24: Something's Rotten
The next two doors belonged to offices that actually looked recently used, though they weren’t currently occupied. Rat found a rather large stash in one. In the other…a back corner of the room contained an evil looking gold alter bearing familiar looking stains. “Goram’s poisoned fingers!” Rat would have broken the nasty thing, but she didn’t want to touch it.
Will stepped around her and stared at the crusted thing silently a long moment before muttering his own curses. “Been used regular, and recent too.” Without looking at her, he held out a hand and took hold of the little bottle she placed in it. Murmuring prayers, he poured the oily fluid on the altar. Then he pulled a match from a pouch at his waist, struck it, and lit the oil. More than smoke bellowed out of the foul thing, crackling and flowing like a wave towards the two of them.
The smoke-like wave hit an invisible wall just in front of Will and tried to flow around it. He gestured and Rat tossed a bit of red powder she’d pulled out after giving him the bottle at the altar. The smoke sizzled, and with a sound reminiscent of metal grinding against stone, finally dissipated, leaving a disgusting golden pile of trash. Rat held out another bottle in question. At Will’s nod, she heaved the acid at the thing. They watched silently as it boiled through blood, hair, gold, bone and wood. When the effects slowed, Rat added another bottle. Will grunted his approval and they looked around the rest of the room.
In a false bottom of a desk drawer, Rat found a small bit of coin and a collection even she wouldn’t pocket. A few items were valuable, but most, like the bit of frayed ribbon or cracked button weren’t. “Likely his…trophies.” She looked over at Will. “You think the loved ones even want to know?”
He avoided looking back at the still fuming pile in the corner. “About that? No. Likely they know already that the person is gone. Better to think it was quick.”
“Right.” Rat took up the box and carried it over to the altar, dropped the items in the pile and used another acid bottle on the lot. That business done, she left Will to mutter more prayers and went back to the desk and finished ransacking it. “Lots of papers. Probably good info for whoever takes on leadership later, but nothing for us. I don’t care who shit on who down here.”
“Right.” Will dropped a hand on her shoulder briefly, then sighed. “Next room?”
“Yup. Looking forward to it after that shite.” Rat didn’t look back at the mess. “Except it was making the noises, so…”
Will gave a strained chuckle. “Think positive. Maybe it will be kittens and flowers.”
Rat snorted, gave him an incredulous look. “Because that’s ever happened.”
“Then we’re definitely due.” Will grinned at her. “Can we keep the kittens?”
“No.” Said Rat.