Ikkred Pyrhelm:
The Rat and the Bull
Intro
Part One
Part Two: Mizzreek
Mizzreek was awoken by the armoured footfalls of a troop of stormvermin that crashed through his modest medical laboratory. He jumped up to his feet and grabbed a vial filled with a dark green solution. The stormvermin seemed to pale at this but were urged on by the bulk of the warlord behind them.
�?oAh, Warlord Frzsnee. I tol-told you to avoid those ahem dens of ill-repute. No-no worries, Mizzreek can help-aid you, for my usual fee.�?�
The Warlord snarled and pushed through his guards, brandishing a jagged blade. Mizzreek in turn bared his fangs mockingly and stroked his vial like a favoured whelp.
�?oLung Burst disease, Mizzreek�?Ts own improved version. State-state why you want-need Mizzreek before curing your lung-meat add-adds more to your bill.�?�
Warlord Frzsnee scowled and lowered his blade.
�?oThere is a Dwarf-thing surveying our tunnels�?� he growled.
�?oNast-nasty diseases them Dwarf-things are�?� Mizzreek sneered sarcastically. He let his tail quiver with joy at the Warlord�?Ts ire. There was a high likelihood that some other rat would receive the Warlord�?Ts fury, and that might mean more Warptokens for Mizzreek.
�?oWe need-need to know weaknesses, any-any ways to kill-slay the Dwarf-thing�?� Frzsnee stated, grinding his fangs at the surgeon-rat�?Ts lack of respect.
�?oAnd the usual wave of slaves didn�?Tt work-work?�?�
�?oNo-no, he and his goblin slave-thing kept kill-slaying them.�?�
�?oWait-wait, Dwarf-things don�?Tt have green-thing slaves.�?�
�?oWell this one did, and tusk-fangs. Not-not like any Dwarf-thing I have scent-seen.�?�
Mizzreek sighed and removed a dusty old tome from a collection of other ratskin bound books. The Warlord looked incredulously at this object. �?oWhat-what is that?�?� he questioned, pointing his blade at the strange paper bound device.
Mizzreek resisted the urge to roll his eyes. �?oMizzreek sometimes forgets that not all Skavenkind are ones for scent-seeing the past or learning for that-that matter. This in man-thing tongues is called a �?obuch�?�. Dur-during my time with Clan Moulder, until the Chimerat incident, Mizzreek made many-many studies and copy-wrote much-much on the creatures of this world�?� he gestured to the row of books. �?oAs you can scent-see, Mizzreek wrote-wrote much.�?�
The Skaven thumbed through the cracked pages before finding what he was looking for.
�?oThe Dwarf-thing in question, black-dark face-fur?�?�
�?oYes-yes�?�
�?oDid it ment-mention daemon-things?�?�
�?oHow-how do you know that?�?� Frzsnee hissed, suspecting that the surgeon had been spying on him. He brandished his weapon which was met with Mizzreek stroking his vial of painful death. He lowered his blade and glared at the rat.
�?oDwarf-things of the Dark Gods. Or one God-thing so reports say-squeak. Moulder has had some trade deals with them in the past. Many-many slave-things for more northern specimens as well as dark iron. Nev-never scent-saw one though. The Packlords I squeak-spoke to claim-claimed they were daemon-things in Dwarf-thing flesh, that they worshipped a God-thing or fire, and that daemons were their tool-slaves.�?�
�?oSo, they are unstoppable?�?�
Mizzreek gave a chittering laugh, �?oNoth-nothing is unstoppable. Though you would lose-lose many-many of this Clan is you try to kill-slay him. Poison will not-not work, he has his green-thing slave as a taster. That-that and he�?Td be resistant to most-most poisons and diseases, like-likely moreso than most Dwarf-things. Sure-surely a simple knife-thing in the back?�?�
�?oHe claim-squeaked that he has a bound daemon-thing that will break-break free if we kill-slay him.�?�
The Skaven surgeon ran his paw over his face. �?oThen why-why by the Horned One do you wish-want to ask me how to kill-slay him?!�?�
�?oRemember Clan S�?Tnezrik?�?� Frzsnee grinned nastily.
�?oAh,�?� smiled Mizzreek, �?oI see. I see.�?�
Within the shadows a small white rat scuttled by. It paused to regard the Skaven with ancient and twisted eyes before scurrying away.
