Though he recalled falling down a hole within the curious tree, where he found himself didn't appear to be underground. The place he landed was the only spot of grass within a sprawling, eroded temple of cracked and faded limestone.
Ruins of an unknown place, though from the sheer scope of it all, finding himself looked down upon by statues that reached to the height of columns, it was undoubtedly once a revered keep.
'This is all under the woods...? No, where's the hole?' He questioned while looking up.
The hole he fell through was nowhere to be seen above, only the ceiling of splintered limestone. There was a single corridor to his right, though he didn't take any steps quite yet.
As he stood there for a moment, hearing the echoes of noises within the ruins that could be attributed to either age or what may be lurking, he questioned if he perhaps was dreaming. A quick pinch to his forearm confirmed that to be false; he was certainly awake.
Leaking from his nose was a warmth all too familiar, bringing his glove up to wipe it off. He looked at the blood on his hand before deciding to move, passing by the faceless statues.
'Shit...I feel lightheaded,' he thought.
He felt as if he was being watched by the statues, even if they were devoid of carved-in eyes, having to look up to make sure they didn't somehow move. That uneasiness settled in as he moved carefully, entering the corridor.
An unpleasant odor came off the walls, like that of rotten eggs. It didn't stir his stomach as he had smelled much worse, though what bothered him was the peculiar sensation with each step he took.
Bringing his boot down on a tile of the ruinous interior, it felt like small needles poked at the bottom of his foot; it wasn't particularly painful, but uncomfortable. Careful strides brought him further down the deteriorating hall, finding withered flowers that hung from the cracks in the walls.
'This place...none of it feels right. It just feels off,' he wondered.
It led into a compact chamber of washed-out limestone, only lightly decorated with deteriorated, silken curtains. The door ahead looked as though it was built for a mouse, being far too small for a person.
'What's up with this door? Is it for a rat?' He thought, half-jokingly.
He set aside the futile idea of the mouse-sized passage, looking at the only other object of interest. In the middle of the room sat a pedestal holding a note and a small, glass bottle of orange liquid.
Inscribed on the quaint parchment was a simple instruction: "Drink me."
It wasn't in his prerogative to simply indulge in whatever unknown substance he was told to consume, though he didn't see any other option. He removed the cork with a flick of his thumb, causing a vapor from the concoction to rise out, carrying with it a smell like that of ripe lemons.
'What is this stuff? I have to drink it, don't I...?' He reminded himself upon taking a whiff.
As hesitant as he was, his senses as an assassin didn't detect any poison in the substance, though that didn't mean it was without risk. Gazing at that extraordinary tiny door, he sucked in a breath before bringing the bottle to his lips in a swift motion.
'I guess this is happening then–I should be in bed right now...Instead I somehow ended up in this fever dream–I have to get back,' he urged himself, tightening his grip on his daggers.
As he faced down the vermin, it lunged right towards him, practically dragging its body across the soil while repeatedly chomping its teeth. He jumped to the side, letting it pass right past him in its relentless aggression.
It behaved rabidly, watching as it spun itself around, using its wired tail as a whip. Forced to jump up to avoid having his legs taken out, he found it immediately rushing him down again. Dirt was flung around as it clawed itself towards him, charging with its beady eyes locked onto him as though he were a pristine block of cheese.
"Give it a rest!--" He called out as he found the rat already close enough to smell its putrid breath.
As it snapped its buck teeth at him, he placed his hand on its nose before flipping himself up, letting it pass right beneath him before landing his boots on its black fur. Even as he stood atop its head, the rabid rat thrashed around, tossing and turning in an attempt to throw him off.
It seemed silly to even consider a vermin a threat, not worth plunging his blades into, though it was hardly seeming to be beneath him in his current predicament–
["Orcish Boost"] [4:59]
He flipped off of it, delivering a kick straight against its nose in the same motion. The sharp impact struck the hostile rat with such force that it was thrown back violently. It let out a shriek as it was tossed into the towering grass, leaving the young man to land on his feet.
'Did I...overdo it?' He questioned, catching his breath.
Delivering such a kick to the vermin seemed like it was a bit much now that he stood there, almost feeling bad for the poor rat. That guilt was swept away as quickly as it came as he witnessed a black mass once more emerge from the wall of grass–
"Shit," he mumbled, readying himself.
The colossal vermin leapt out like a raging bull, leaking blood from its nose, wasting no time in rushing him down. He felt the dirt rumbling beneath his boots as it closed in, bringing him to decide on his plan of action promptly–
"Sorry about this, big guy," Finn muttered with a sigh.
["Blink Slash"] [2:59]
He warped right beside it as it charged, plunging his daggers into its neck and pulling them out in the same motion. The seamless assault brought the rat to squeal before collapsing into the dirt some strides away. Fortunately enough, his natural inclinations as an assassin led his daggers to have found its artery, bringing a swift and painless death as it laid itself out.
["Rat defeated."] ["Anarch Coin x1 obtained."]
["Experience points: +5] [30505/50000]
["Assimilated ability from ["Rat"]: "Sense: Cheese" 1 / 5]