Chapter 33: Ch. 32 – Momo The Ripper

With the business agreement settled, Valerica released Viktor Mole, and Momo watched with amusement from her tower nook as he ran all the way back to Kalendale, not stopping once to catch his breath.

Momo smiled. She could do nothing but admire the impression Valerica had on people.

Retiring from the window, she settled into her nook. The small chamber in the attic of the eastern tower was quickly becoming her new favorite place to be. It was warm, and unlike the stablehouse, no random man or three-headed dog could disturb her.

While she did miss her cows, the family of undead rats who inhabited the nook were more than good company. She had revived them a few days ago, and once she trained Dusk to stop re-killing them, they settled into a happy little rhythm. She would feed them gutter cheese, and they would deliver her knickknacks they found around the sanctuary.

Most of these knickknacks turned out to be Valerica’s beloved golden baubles, which Momo was very happy about receiving. She figured eventually she’d collect enough that she could sell them back to the smiths in Kalendale. Valerica would make Momo run more quests to restock her supply anyway, so it was basically just a round-about, inadvertent way of Momo paying herself her promised salary. Be your own girlboss, and all that.

“Goodnight Vengeance, Retribution, and Frog,” she said with a small smile, draping a leaf over each of the rats as they nestled into her side. The names had just felt like a natural fit. Vengeance and Retribution were a pair of naughty twins, always fighting and playing tricks on each other. Frog, the runt of the litter, had frequent indigestion, and regularly produced a ribbit-like sound from deep inside his stomach.

Dusk meowed jealously, squinting at the rats with a murderous glint. Momo tutted, beckoning her over.

“I would never leave you out,” Momo insisted, and instructed Dusk to lay on her stomach. The cat obliged, and Momo laid a tiny leaf on her as well. The cat purred, satisfied.

“The never-ending life of a mother,” Momo sighed. With the undead animals snoring peacefully, she slipped into the corner of the nook, taking a look at the remains of yesterday’s parchment. There was quite a stack under the [Quest Complete] notice that she had yet to attend to.

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