Rise From The Grave; Who Woke Me Up...?

Whilst relishing in all his riches and the spoils he'd gotten from robbing the graves of the ancients, the rat wasn't expecting to see nor hear from his pursuer who was hot on his trail earlier. He jumped back in surprise, eyes widening as he sunk slightly into his treasure, already realizing that he was cornered. "What the-- How did youse find me?!?" He looked upon him and saw that windy serpent wrapping around him, which had apparently been following behind the rat in the stead of the man, in which he would narrow his eyes and his at him, "You dirty rat!! That's low!!! Get outta here before I mess youse up!!!" The same ferocity he had before became ever more intense now that he knew he was backed into a corner, and you know what they say about when a rat is backed into a corner... "You ain't gettin' nuttin' from me, y'hear!? Not a dime!!!"

"Yo, save it, guy!! Just cuz youse did me a favor don't mean I owe you nuttin'! Got me!? That was what YOUSE decided ta do, and that's all that was!" he didn't seem to be swayed by the words of this guy, nor was he willing to back down, it seemed. It was clear that he didn't trust this guy and his words, and figured that he must have had some sort of ulterior motives. "What's your angle?! You don't just save nobody unless youse want sometin in retoin, and I ain't givin' ya nyuttin'. So whatevah yer aftah youse can just turn right around and go find it elsewheres!! You ain't gettin' nuttin' from me, no way, no how!"

The rat was, naturally, still rather skeptical and relatively unreceptive to this man, but his words were making some sort of sense. "... Even so, how do I know you ain't trynna pulla fast one on me, huh? Now that youse seen all this gold, I betcha wanna just snatch it right up, huh?!" There still was hostility in the creature, as well as a hint of fear and great distrust, and it didn't seem like he'd be easily swayed. He'd been taught not to trust anyone, since, living with rats and rodents, they always looked out for number one, even if they went in a pack. It was the life for them; to run along with a pack of creatures that you knew were all simply running together because everyone thought the same way; 'If I follow this guy, there's something in it for me. And as long as I get there before the person on the left of me and on the right of me, I'll be alright. Anyone else doesn't matter. I just have to get there first.' That was the 'Rat Race,' so to speak, and he'd been running it and succeeding in it all his life. That's why he was the Rat King, and the only one left, at that. "Whatevah you're sellin,' I ain't buyin', pally, so youse can keep right on your way. Gowon, then." He was a little less hostile about it for some reason, but still pretty adamant about not doing anything.

"Ay, yo, don't come at my head like dat!" he snapped immediately at the harsh words, "I got my reasons, arright!?" However, it was clear that even in his hostility, he was hearing what was being said to him, and, given that he was indeed an intelligent being (one of the smartest rats, if he were a King), he would take these words in and begin to process them for what they were. "Hmmm... Ya know... Dat actually makes some sorta sense dere..." He seemed a little reluctant to admit it at first, especially since it meant also agreeing that he was this terrible creature that he was so hostile toward... And it kinda made him upset. But he wouldn't let that show on the outside, nor was he going to let the man know that it had gotten to him so deeply.

"... Ya know what? You ain't half bad. Don't take it to yer head or nuttin', but I see yer point, if nuttin' else." He wasn't after the treasure, nor after his life, it seemed, so there wasn't really an issue with helping this guy out. Not in the Rat King's book, as long as his life and his luxury were kept safe. "... M'kay, so, what, you trynna get outta here or sum'n? I got tunnels all ovah dis here morgue. How ya think I been survivin' so long. You thought this was de only hold I had, or sum'n?" He gave a greasy, grisly chortle, letting it ring through his thick and jolly fur, before rising from his treasure trove and walking up to the man, "C'mon den, I'll show yas tha way outta here." He didn't need any of that sappy stuff or any thank yous or anything, and would make that clear, "And save all the mushy crap, or I might change my mind. Just think of dis as a favor... A favor returned to youse for savin' my life and my treasure. Hyahahaha!" He turned around and motioned with his head for the guy to follow him, "'Sides. Those things are most important to me, so's I oughtta show ya's just how important they are by lettin' youse live! A charity to youse; since, ya know, I could just letcha die." With a crooked smirk and a few chuckles to himself, the Rat King would start off into the tunnels, where the man would either follow him or not follow him. Didn't matter; he had more than one hole 'round these parts, anyway.

"Yeeeaaaah, well, ain't too many guys you can trust..." That much was a fact, and the Rat King was very aware of that. "But hey, at least I can trust youse, pally! Enough, at least..."

He would lead them up and through an intricate nexus of underground tunnels, going down one of them without putting much thought, as if he already knew where he was going. "This way," he called out, taking Khrona up the path, "This one'll getcha up to the highest level I've gott'n ta. I dunno how much foither up it is, but'uh, this is how high I got. I ain't nevah seen the toppa dis place at all." Quite honestly, he wasn't even sure how far up he'd gotten Khrona, himself, but knew it was way up higher than wherever they were before.

"Oh, and uh, before ya go..." He would whip out from under his poofy fur a good sum of rare gems and jewels that he'd collected and was able to smuggle; many of them were worth more than gold and shimmered brighter than diamonds. There was only a handful, but naturally, a handful of rare gems worth more than gold was more than enough. "For yer troubles. Heh heh." A genuine gesture of kindness for Khrona that may be useful to him in the future, and to show that he'd not only earned the Rat King's respect, but also his trust. "Don't spend it all in one day, kid. Heh heh heh!"

"No prollem, pally. Take care." And with that, the Rat King would be on his way, right back down the tunnel that he came from... That is, until he was stopped by the extended words of the man still talking, who extended to him an offer that he almost couldn't refuse. He turned his head inquisitively, eyebrow raised with intrigue, then slowly turned around to meet his eye again, "You uh... You'd do dat for me? Even aftah what I did ta ya?" Yeah, there was definitely something different about this guy... Something special. It was weird, but... He almost wanted to take him up on his offer.

After giving it some thought, the Rat King devised a way that would quite possibly work out for the both of them. "... Well, I won't go witcha per se, but lemme lay sum'n on ya datcha might like... Howsabout you keep climbin' and I just com a'diggin' dese here tunnels right behindja? I ain't nevah gone farthah than dis before... Ain't seen a reason why I should. But if you keep goin' and get ridda the nuisances, den I'll provide excellent hospitality wit my tunnels for ya. Then I can get outta here and youse can have my skillful assistance navigatin' da undahground. How's dat?" In his eyes, it seemed like a win-win situation for the both of them. And if he could see the light of day and get some good food instead of these bones and flesh, it wouldn't be half bad, either. "Dat's my final offah, doe. Take it or leave it."

Mispair, who would immediately be transported beside her partner, the Phantom, would stand over the grave with an ominous blank stare on her face. She was please to see that the operation was completely successful, proving that he had effectively cycled through the entirety of the Past and back to the Present without any delay. This meant that the connections were already in place and there was no lag or issues in their timeline needed to be resolved in order for everything to be back to normal and in place as it is. "... Okaerinasai..." she muttered softly, nearly mechanically, yet genuinely. If all were proper, then that meant that all the pieces of the Piscean Chrysms were actively set where they were supposed to be. Otherwise, Mispair would have changed upon shifting, being automatically updated. "... What are we up to now? Getting to the bodies? They should be walking around aimlessly... Guided by the magnetic energies of the 4th whilst searching for the connection the two of us have in the 2nd. That can prove to be slightly dangerous if we don't get a move on."