The quest for the Plague-Heart Rat was an interesting piece of ga design. It could be acquired in two different ways, depending on a player's level.
At level 35, it was a hidden quest. The trail began with the off-duty city guard and his wife, leading players to gather clues about the nexus alarm, the rats, and the NPC nad Lenny.
From there, they had to deal with Lenny and his five level-35 ruffian friends—either by force or by coin—to get the coordinates to the underwater cave.
At level 50, however, the quest was public. It appeared at the Guard Hall as a standard 25-man raid.
But regardless of how the quest was obtained, the target remained the sa: the level 50 Mythic-rank Plague-Heart Rat. On the surface, a level 35 party attempting this challenge seed like a suicide run, but there were key differences in the approach.
An hour later, Kael, Lila, Orion, and the rest of the team assembled at the west gate of Stormhold and made their way toward the river. Not long after they departed, a mage appeared at the gate, speaking to the empty air beside him.
"Did you get a clear look?"
"I did," the rogue's disembodied voice replied. "It was definitely Kael and Lila. Their gear is unmistakable."
"What are they doing in our territory? Looking for so kind of treasure?"
"Should we follow them?"
"No need to be hasty," the mage, a man nad Grimthorn, said with a wicked smile. "I've got eyes and ears all along the road. No sense in alerting them to our presence." He gazed west, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
***
Kael's party of twenty-five arrived at the western river. He double-checked the coordinates; the underwater cavern was nearby.
"Everyone drink your Gills Potions. We're going in," he commanded.
"Right!"
One by one, they downed their potions and plunged into the water with a series of splashes. After swimming along the riverbed for about a minute, they found it: a dark opening in the rock. The mouth of the cave was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through. Kael took the lead, followed by Hazel, Rena, Orion, and the others, with Lila bringing up the rear.
System: You have entered the [Mysterious Underwater Cave]. Party mbers inside: 1/25.
System: You have entered the [Mysterious Underwater Cave]. Party mbers inside: 2/25.
…
The passage was tight and oppressive. After three or four minutes of swimming through the suffocating darkness, they finally broke the surface and climbed onto a rocky shore inside a cavern. The cave was pitch-black, but the glow from Kael's Heart of the Ocean illuminated their surroundings.
Hazel looked around. "Where are all the mobs? And where's the giant rat?"
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Kael didn't answer imdiately. He waited until everyone was accounted for, then led them forward. Soon, the narrow passage opened into a much larger chamber, from which a brilliant light spilled. It looked like a grand hall.
Kael turned to the group, his voice serious. "When we go in, no one makes a sound, and absolutely no one attacks. Understood?"
"Got it," they all nodded.
He led them quietly into the massive room.
System: You have entered the [Plague Hall].
A wave of tension hit the party. Was this the boss room?
Just inside the entrance stood a large, ornate screen. As they circled around it, the full scene was revealed.
"Woah—mmph!"
Soone let out an involuntary gasp but was quickly silenced by a neighbor's hand over their mouth. Everyone was stunned. This wasn't a rat's nest. This was a human palace. The gilded furniture, the gleaming chandeliers, the polished marble floors… it looked like a royal court.
They then realized that the small, dark opening they'd erged from was just a tiny nook in the corner of the grand hall—a literal rat hole.
They had spent their lives watching rats scurry through human hos; now, for the first ti, they were the rats. The twenty-five of them exchanged looks of shared, silent amusent.
"Look, in the middle," Velora typed in the party chat. "There's a person lying down!"
Everyone's eyes snapped to the center of the room. Indeed, a figure in lavish clothing was sprawled on the floor. If it weren't for the long, feathered tail twitching behind it, they might have mistaken it for a person.
[Plague-Heart Rat] (Level 50)
HP: ?????
Physical Attack: ?????
…
They couldn't even see its stats, let alone fight it. In its hand, it clutched a staff that pulsed with a gentle, ethereal light.
"Is that the Relic we're here for?" Rena asked in party chat. "The Staff of Whispering Clouds?"
Hazel's eyes lit up. "Aweso! Let's go swipe it!"
"Knock it off!" Lila imdiately typed back. "Follow Dawnbreaker's orders!"
"Okay…" the other girls replied, their playful mood instantly gone.
Kael ignored the chatter, issuing commands in the party channel. "Lila, Hazel, Orion, as we discussed. Find your hidden entrances. Everyone else, stay put."
"On it!"
The three of them split off, stealthily searching the periter of the hall. Kael also moved along the wall until he reached a specific spot. He found an inconspicuous brick and gave it a gentle push. The stone wall in front of him rippled and twisted, the solid rock morphing into a small teleportation portal.
"I've found the entrance to the hidden passage," he sent to the party.
Soon after, ssages from the others ca in.
Orion: "Found mine."
Lila: "Entrance found."
Hazel: "Found it."
Kael: "Everyone, group up with your leaders… Alright. Go!"
The four teams entered their respective portals. Kael, along with the two priest sisters, Grace and Peppa, stepped into his.
System: You have entered the secret cave of the [Marrow-Bite Ferret].
The bustling 25-man raid party had suddenly shrunk to a quiet trio. The sudden silence was unnerving, but Grace and Peppa were naturally outgoing and didn't seem scared.
"Why would there be a ferret in a rat's nest?" Grace wondered aloud, looking at the system ssage.
Peppa pointed back toward the portal. "That's easy. It's here to eat the rats."
Grace: "But can a Marrow-Bite Ferret beat a Plague-Heart Rat?"
Peppa: "Obviously not. Otherwise, why would it be hiding in a secret cave?"
Grace: "I don't know about that. You saw the Rat. It was just lying there, not moving. Maybe the ferret already got it."
Peppa: "If that were true, we could have just walked up and taken the Staff of Whispering Clouds."
Grace: "How do you know it wouldn't work if you didn't even try?"
Peppa: "If you think it's such a good idea, go ask Dawnbreaker."
Grace: "Hee hee… Peppa's getting defensive. You lost the argunt again."
Peppa: "I'm not arguing, I'm trying to be serious!"
…
Kael scouted ahead, listening to the sisters' banter with a faint smile. He found it amusing and didn't intervene. Suddenly, the narrow tunnel opened up into a wider space. He quickly turned and held a finger to his lips.
“Shh. Quiet down. We're here."
Grace and Peppa imdiately covered their mouths and tiptoed forward. When they saw what lay ahead, they couldn't help but whisper in amazent.
"Wow… It’s so cute!"
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