THE PEAK OF OBLIVION - A Cultivation Adventure Novel

Chapter 11 - Golden Spirit Mouse

[TPO v1] [Ch. 11 - Golden Spirit Mouse] (#11)

Drip... Drip...

Drip... Drip...

Water dripped down the wall of the tiny cell, creating a constant sound like a metronome. Rin's expression was listless as he stared blankly at the floor. From the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a tiny fury mound that had previously escaped his attention in the gloom.

The tiny shape was lying in a corner of the cell, where the constant drip of water had formed a small pool. Rin frowned and cautiously nudged the thing with his foot. It flipped over, and Rin's eyes widened in surprise as he saw it was a baby mouse.

To find a mouse in a jail cell wasn't too unusual. However, this mouse was far from ordinary. Its fur was a peculiar shade of lustrous gold, though it was so caked in dirt and filth that at first glance, it looked to be a normal grey-brown colour.

At first, Rin assumed the mouse was dead. But when he disturbed it with his foot, its head moved slightly, and the two of them locked gazes. With some surprise, Rin discovered there was a degree of intelligence and emotion behind those tiny black eyes, a certain sense of fear and mutual understanding.

[No matter how dire my situation is, at least I am better off than this little guy.] Somehow, Rin got the impression that the mouse's expression was very much like his own bleak gaze at the moment, and he smiled wryly.

Rin awkwardly reached around with his manacled hands and fished through his trouser pocket. The guards had not bothered searching them when Rin and Nayla were captured, although they wouldn't have found anything dangerous regardless. All Rin had were a few scraps of jerky leftover from the meagre meal that Reinalt had given them, presumably to gain their trust.

With his manacled hands, Rin awkwardly reached into his pocket and broke off a small piece of jerky, tossing it at the baby mouse. He watched as the tiny rodent weakly moved its head and nibbled on the scrap of meat. Before too long, it had finished, and its gaze turned imploringly to Rin. The wariness in its eyes had vanished, giving Rin the impression of a puppy begging for more food.

"Oh fine..." Rin sighed and fished out another scrap of jerky. "But don't get too greedy! I hardly have any left, and who knows how long we'll be stuck in this place."

The mouse let out a barely audible squeak. It may have been his imagination, but Rin felt it was expressing its thanks for his kindness.

"You are very welcome! After all, us prisoners have to stick together." Rin smiled wryly.

Time passed, and the exhaustion and accumulated stresses of the day began to catch up with Rin. The trek across the wasteland had been long and hard. Finally, they found people and civilization, but then his initial excitement had been quickly replaced with betrayal.

Rin leaned back against the cold, hard wall and closed his eyes. Despite the uncomfortably cramped cell and the hard stone, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

...

[Rin... Wake up, Rin... You have to wake up...] A faint voice tickled the back of Rin's consciousness. It sounded oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it in his memory.

From somewhere far away, a scraping, metallic jingle was grating on his nerves. Rin opened his eyes.

"Airi...?" Rin squinted blearily at his surroundings.

The cell was unchanged. No matter the time of day here, no sunlight would ever reach these depths. Only the dim and flickering torchlight illuminated the dark stone walls. The pitiful wails of his fellow prisoners were the only sounds to pierce the silence.