AN: I am so sorry I'm being slow! but, my boss has managed to give me a 200% workload and I'm exhausted! (We are working on a solution, and it should be more manageable soon)

Hitting Rock Bottom

The house is strangely quiet in absence of the rats, the air thick as mud and reeking distinctly of unwashed bodies, mud, and piss.

Matthias moves in a daze and his fingers shake as he picks up a knife from the floor to cut over the ropes holding Berwald's arms to the chair. He hands the knife over so Berwald can cut over the remaining bonds by himself while he moves over to the other side of the room to take one of the knives stuck in the wall to cut loose Tino as well.

Behind him, Berwald practically growls as he tears at the ropes holding him in place and the creaks in protest under the rough treatment, threatening to give in.

Tino sobs behind the gag as Matthias works on his ropes with the knife that turns out to be dull from the number of times it has struck the wall. The instant he is free, Tino tears away the fabric from his face, heaving down a breath of air. He rushes across the room to Berwald and throws himself into his arms, breaking down completely and clinging to Berwald's tunic, sobbing loudly.

Matthias stands there like an idiot, watching them cling desperately to each other and the knife falls out of his limp hand, clattering to the floor. "What happened?" he asks, and his voice sounds painfully loud in the silenced room.

Tino remains silent, refusing to look up and Berwald curls his arms around him, shaking his head slowly to indicate he does not intend to reply either. Matthias bites his lip to keep himself from demanding an answer, but after his one-on-one conversation with the Rat King after their first meeting, he can understand not wanting to talk about it afterwards. He can all too clearly remember how the Rat King held him by the border of the no-go zone in Mudtown, with the guards preparing to shoot him for sport.

He can only imagine what horrors the two others have endured throughout the night and there is guilt chewing at his gut after spending his time with Lukas and not actively working on finding a district key to give up to the Rat King. The numerous knife-holes in the wall tells a story on their own and it is not a pretty one. Matthias is growing increasingly sure that the Rats have threatened Tino, thinking he was an easier target to pick on for fun, only for Berwald to snap at some point, break free and knock one of them clean out in retaliation. The knives might have been a later addition to their games, finding it entertaining to see how far they can push Berwald by threatening someone he obviously cares about to see when he snaps.

There are several smaller nicks in Tino's tunic and a few of them have stains of drying blood where the knives have either hit or missed their target, depending on what their actual target was, the human or the wall. Tino must have been terrified. One slip and he would be dead, and every time one of them threw a knife, he would have to wonder if this is when he dies.

Berwald hums comfortingly and runs his hand up and down Tino's back and the sound makes Matthias realize he has been staring and blinks before meeting Berwald's determined gaze.

"We are not spending a single night more in this place," Berwald says firmly.

"Where else are we supposed to go?" Matthias asks weakly, even if he agrees completely. He does not want to stay here after the rats' visit any more that the two others, but the Rat King leaves them with few options. The house no longer feels like a safe space and their few comforts in this world are scattered across the floor. "We have no place to go where he won't have his men follow and report back our position. They only have one key to the district wall right now, and we might lose them if we head further in the city but there are no places to hide there and they will find a way to copy that key soon enough so they can follow us anywhere."

"We go to the herbalist," Berwald says.

Matthias pauses. "Will she even take us in?" he asks hesitantly. His memories of the woman that took care of his injuries only a few nights ago are blurry at the best and completely missing at the worst. The memories that he does manage to conjure up however, does not paint the herbalist as the kindest or gentlest woman with harsh words and cold eyes.

"It's worth a shot," Berwald says. "Anywhere else is better than here."

Matthias can think of worse places, but for once, his better judgment makes him decide against listing them.

"I'll pack whatever is salvageable then, and we'll leave," Matthias mutters and bends over to pick up the closest items from the floor, which turns out to be one of his other tunics. It is hardly worth saving by now, covered in thick layers of mud turning it dull and grey. Lifting it up and shaking it out, it looks like someone have held it over a lit candle or a fireplace for a while, before cutting it full of holes as well, just to add insult to injury. He curses and lets the garment drop back to the floor knowing that no amount of washing or mending will make it usable again.

Meanwhile, Berwald carefully guides Tino over to a chair and has him sit down, even though Tino clings desperately to the fabric of Berwald's tunic. They exchange a few quiet words before Tino seem to agree to let Berwald go, but he curls in on himself instead and with his arms wrapped firmly around himself.

Then, with some hesitance, Berwald leaves him there to join Matthias to pick through their scattered belongings. He picks up one of the backpacks that seemed to have survived for the most part except for one of the straps. "They ruined most of our things that they decided not to steal for themselves," Berwald mutters darkly. He stuffs a few pair of leggings in the pack with far too much force. "The weapons were the first things they took, even had a fight amongst themselves for who would get what."

Matthias looks to the knives still pinned in the wall and raises an eyebrow. "One would think they had enough weapons with how many they left behind."

"Knives are far cheaper than the ones we had," Berwald growls. He gestures at the wall angrily. "Those are hardly worth the metal used to forge them."

They turn quiet after that, moving through the mess and picking up whatever is worth saving, leaving the house with barely anything to their names. Their coin is missing, which comes as no surprise and Matthias wishes they used more of it for themselves so none would have ended up in hands of the Rat King and rather with someone who needed it. A few of their older clothes have survived, probably not valuable enough to bother stealing and not worth the hassle of destroying purely for fun. Surprisingly enough, their stolen armor remains, but Tino breaks his silence to explain that the Rat King said he did not want them to becoming useless to him and wants them to be able to keep up the ruse of being guards.

Tino turns mostly quiet again after that and leads the way towards the herbalist's house. He almost looks as if he is drunk, and swaying on his feet and moving nothing like the graceful hunter he usually is. Berwald even has to stop him from walking straight out in a lit street in front of a group of guards at some point and the journey takes far longer than it should have, but eventually Tino stops before a small two-story building, swaying on the spot.

The first floor is obviously a store, the windows large and shows off various herbs and bottles of what must be various potions and poultices for sale, stacked neatly in glass shelves. The door also has a window of clear glass, making it seem friendly and inviting, designed to draw in customers walking past. On the second floor, the situation is quite different. All the curtains are dark and firmly shut, leaving no cracks to reveal the insides.

"This is the place," Tino whispers, still avoiding looking them in the eyes, his gaze flickering between them, but never higher than chest level. Scared is definitely not a look that suits him, and it seems to be driving Berwald crazy, because he marches right up to the door and hammers on the wooden frame hard enough to make the windows rattle.

When there is no answer, he does it again and then again until they can hear the sound of rushed footsteps coming from within.

The herbalist from two days before appears in the glass window of the door, wearing only a long nightgown and with her hair wild and unkempt making it clear she just rushed out of bed and her expression visibly drops at the sight of them.

She opens the door just the tiniest crack and clings to the door handle as if her life depends on it. "What are you doing here?" she hisses sharply and curses rapidly. "You should not be here!"

Berwald looks as if he is about to break down the door, so Matthias gently pushes him aside and puts on his most disarming expression. Staring right at her, he realizes that he should know the name of this woman, but for some reason it escapes him, and his head only hurts at his attempt to dig up a memory that is clearly not there. "We have nowhere else to go," he says gravely and strategically pushes Berwald further aside, so the herbalist has a direct line of sight of a pathetic-looking Tino.

It apparently works because she opens the door wide and let them through. "Get in before anyone sees you," she hisses and glances down the different streets before she practically shoves them inside, slams the door shut and pulls the curtains close behind them.

"Tell me why I Should not throw you out right this instant," she hisses angrily as she moves from window to window to pull the curtains closed and make sure there is not the slightest gap in the fabric to peer through. She keeps her voice low, but it does in no way diminish her obvious fury. "If the soldiers find you here, I am as good as dead and I am one of the only healers in this city willing to help those less fortunate."

When she is finished checking every single curtain, she whirls around with bright spots of anger coloring her cheeks and gives each of them a firm glare. "Did you know that ever since I took in your friend, my house has been under observation?" she snarls hysterically, and Matthias suspects there is a lot of fear fueling her fury. "I thought I was losing my mind at first, but there are so many times I look out my windows only to see people dresses in black rags creeping outside. They are there one moment, but when I look again a second time, they are usually gone."

Berwald looks he is biting down on his tongue to keep himself from snapping back at the herbalist while Tino sways gently on the spot, cringing under her anger. He looks like he is on the verge of being violently ill with how his complexion is slowly growing ashy with a tint of green.

Thankfully, the herbalist's resolve seems to crumble at the sight of him and she curses quietly to herself as her expression softens. "What happened to you?" She asks with a sigh and with one hand reaching out she steps forward to Tino who flinches away from her touch. She lets her gaze roam over him to take in the cuts and obvious bloodstains on his clothes and then she looks to Berwald and her brows knit together as she finally seem to take in the bruises covering most of his face. Her mouth drops open in shock and she instinctually steps back away from them.

"The people in rags happened to us," Matthias replies flatly. "They call themselves 'Rats' and they are making our lives difficult." He takes a deep breath, considering how much to share with the herbalist and not risk her following up with her threat of tossing them back out on the street. If she knows how much of a problem the Rat King is, she would not want them anywhere nearby. "They are criminals from Mudtown, and they use the sewage system to move around the city. We needed their help to make it through the gates and now their leader decided we owe him a favor. That is why they came to our home to prove a point and we can't stay there any longer."

"What makes my home any safer?" she says shrilly. "As I told you, those people are watching me. You've made me a target!" She tears a hand through her hair and begins pacing around the small shop. "Gods, I should have let you go to any of the other herbalists, let you be somebody else's problem!"

"You were in danger before you ever decided to help us," Matthias says quietly, deciding to take a risk. "I think you are just as incapable of helping somebody in need as we are." He pauses and the herbalist stops her pacing to look at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I think you decided to help us because it is in your nature to help other. Why else would you dedicate your life to herbalism and healing?"

Her mouth tightens into a tight line and Matthias takes that as his cue to continue. "We never wanted anybody to die, but if we were to stand by and watch events unfold that is exactly what would happen and I think you know that, and I think that is why you decided to help us despite the risk to yourself." He cannot seem to stop himself from talking now and the words just rushes out of him like a flood. "If you decide you want to turn your back and pretend everything is alright in the world, then we can't stop you, but then you will eventually have to tend to those injured in the coming fight and you will not be allowed to decide who you care for. The king will prioritize his soldiers and you will have to watch the innocent die around you and be without the power to change it."

The herbalist finally stops pacing around, and there is a defeated slump to her shoulders as the fight has left her. "Fine," she snaps. "You can stay in the spare room, but it will not be comfortable, there is only one bed and your friend already has claim to that."

"Thank you," Matthias sighs in relief. "The floor will do just fine. We just need a safe place to get some rest and recover for a few hours; we don't want to be a bother."

"It seems you have recovered well from your earlier head-wound," she says dryly, giving Matthias a sideways glare. "You are certainly sharper that I would have thought when I met you last time. I am glad to see you will not remain a drooling mess permanently." Judging by the sound of her voice, Matthias suspects she might have preferred it if he had remained incapable of speaking for himself. He can understand her frustration and sympathizes with her worries, but if she sends them away, they will have to fend for themselves on the streets that are swarming with guards and rats alike.

She nods sharply and with a swish of her skirts, she whirls around, heading to the back of the shop. "Follow me then," she says. There is a curtain at the back of the shop, and behind it, there is a narrow staircase leading to the second floor. She marches up ahead of them and opens up a door to what turns out to be a guest room. A narrow bed takes up the majority of space and on it lies Vilje.

Matthias' heart makes a jump at the sight of her, whether it is from relief or regret, he cannot tell. She does not make the slightest noise or movement as they all squeeze into the cramped space, surrounding her.

Tino finally looks a little more alert as he steps up to the bed. "I thought you said she would be alright," he says weakly, grasping weakly onto Vilje's hand without receiving a response of any kind in return, and looks to the herbalist with heartbroken expression. "It's been over two days since you took her in, why is she still unconscious?"

The herbalist leans against the doorway, rolling her eyes. "She will be just fine," she says dryly and even looks a little insulted at Tino's doubt in her abilities. "I will have you know the swelling on her throat is still quite severe and if the wakes up now she will only struggle to breathe and be likely to panic, possibly causing more damage to herself in the process. It is for her own best and so I have kept her asleep with a mixture of herbs and given her honey and broth to sustain her."

Tino's lips wobbles as he obviously fights back tears and he turns back to Vilje, stroking her cheek gently.

Matthias looks away from them. He cannot stand the guilt that catapults around his mind as the evidence of his disastrous leadership confronts him and lets him see just how much his friends has suffered because of him. He knows logically that they all made the choice to follow and trust him, but It is becoming difficult to understand how any of them manage to keep going, when each time they succeed, two new problems appear just to strike them in the face most times.

"So, this is where you will be staying," the herbalist says to draw their attention back to her, and she sounds more tired now than angry. "I don't have anything else to offer, but if you want me to, I can look over your injuries. Telling you to stay out of trouble will do no good I suspect, but at least I can prevent those wounds from becoming infected."

She might not notice, but Matthias sees how Berwald clenches his fists by his side, making the cuts on his knuckle open again when Tino nods meekly at her and says a quiet: "please."

She nods and turns on her heel, heading downstairs presumably to get supplies and returns only a few minutes with a basket on her arm, filled to the brim with bottles and bandages that she places on the floor before she head back down. When she returns a second time, she has a basin of water with her as well that she places on the floor. She then pulls out a chair from behind the door and gently asks Tino to sit down first

Berwald hovers close as she tends to Tino's wounds and Matthias has to admire her ability to work with someone watching her every move like a hawk especially when that person is Berwald, but she works as if there is nothing in the room but her and her patient.

There are many small cuts along his arms and one bigger on his side where the knives cut him, but luckily, none appears to be serious. She still ends up putting a few stiches in him before she gently wraps the wounds in bandages and flatly advices him to limit his movements and not agitate his injuries, making it obvious she believes them incapable of following through on that specific order.

Tino thanks her quietly and switches places with Berwald.

The herbalist sighs deeply as she begins work on her next patient and her mouth thins into a thin line of disapproval. When she finishes washing the smaller cuts on his face from the severe beating the rats gave him, she informs him there is little they can do but wait for the swelling to go away on its own and pray all his teeth remains where they should be. She washes the cuts on his hands and applies an herbal mixture before she wraps them up.

The gentle care she offers them is a sharp contrast to her attitude and harsh words and Matthias is reassured that his assessment of her is correct, that she is incapable of leaving people to suffer when she has the ability to help and that is a comforting thought when they are depending on her. The corner of his lip almost curls up in a half smile at how hard she fights to keep a cold exterior when it is all an act that he already called her out on. He tucks away in a corner as she works to keep out of the way and rubs absentmindedly at his wrist that draws his attention now that he has the time to lose himself in thought, it is like an itch that will not go away and it feels a little like someone is watching him.

When she is done, she gathers up her things and tucks them in her basket with a sigh. "It is still a few hours until dawn and I would like some sleep before I need to run my business. You lot should sleep while you can, and if you cannot, then you better we quiet. I do not want any of my customers to hear you and start ask questions or tell the guards and I will not risk my neck for you, no matter how much I sympathize with your cause." She hefts the basket up to rest against her hip, schooling her expression into a serious frown. "If the guards come looking I will tell them you threatened my life and I will send them upstairs and you will have to make your own exit from here."

She turns quickly on her heel and marches out in the hallway, slamming the door closed behind herself and seconds later, there is a second slam, presumably from her bedroom door.

Matthias heaves a sigh and a sudden exhaustion washes over him. The other two looks dead on their feet as well. If they all want to sleep at the same time, it will be a tight fit on the floor on what little room is left and the bed is too narrow to properly fit two, that is if any of them dare share the space with Vilje, fearing they might aggravate her injuries.

"Why don't you two sleep first and I'll keep watch for a few hours?" he asks carefully. "You've had a long night. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to sleep just yet."

Tino chews on his lip. "If one of you stand guard, I might be able to fall asleep," he says weakly and sinks to the floor closest to the wall and curls up, facing the room. He mutters a few more, incoherent words and falls asleep within seconds, his body desperate for rest.

Berwald pulls one of the cloaks from the backpack, draping it over Tino and turns to the window, peering through a narrow gap in the curtains with a stormy expression.

"Are you alright?" Matthias asks carefully and leans against the windowsill opposite of Berwald and with the edges of the bed right against his knees.

Berwald remains quiet for long seconds and keeps his gaze outwards. "Not really," he says flatly.

"I'm sorry, Ber." Matthias sighs. "What about Tino, do you think he will be alright?"

Finally, Berwald turns around to look him in the eyes. "I hope so," he growls. There is so much tension in every part of his being. His arms are crossed and his fingers are digging into the flesh of his biceps. The angry lines that crinkle his forehead makes him appear several years more than his actual age. "The things those rats did," he breathes angrily, trying to get control over himself again but the words still sounds more like a growl than actual speech. "It was just talk at first, nothing more than we expected; they were just trying to make us react in any way they could."

Berwald turns quiet and Matthias cannot stop himself from asking. "What were they saying?"

"Don't make me repeat them, Matt." Berwald breathes and closes his eyes as if the memory alone hurts. "They aimed for Tino the most, thinking he was the easiest to break, but he never did, no matter what they said. It took maybe two hours before they got sick of taunting us, don't know for sure. It felt like an eternity. Then they started ripping apart our clothes, still no reaction. Then one of them touched Tino, and it turns out I am the one that broke," he stutters over his words and it shakes Matthias to the core to see him succumb to his emotions, especially anger.

"He must have said something as well," Berwald continues, this time with a tremble in his voice. "I couldn't hear it, but Tino turned pale and I couldn't stop myself. I didn't even realize I was even close to breaking free from those ropes before I was on that guy and beating him half to death, and I wished I killed him, Matt. By all the Gods, I swear. If they had not stopped me I would have, and I would not regret it at all. I wish I could tear every single one of them to shreds"

Matthias remains silent for several long seconds in case Berwald has more he needs to share. "I am so sorry," He breathes eventually, his voice barely audible and on the verge of cracking. "I should have come back sooner."

"It is not your fault," Berwald interrupts quickly. "This is on them and them alone. Besides, what would you have done different? They outnumbered us five to one like the cowards they are. What is important is that they left and we are alive to find another way out."

"It feels like it is my fault," Matthias replies, and he knows there are things he could have done differently, but none that he can share. "I know we all made the choices that got us here, but I hate that you had to suffer while I was wandering around, mostly safe.

Berwald drags a hand over his face and sighs. "You can't keep taking all the blame. We need to keep focus on the mission." He sighs again. "Gods, I need some sleep."

"I'll keep an eye out," Matthias replies. "As I said, I don't think I can sleep right now, there is too much on my mind. He eases himself down on the bed, careful not to jostle the occupant and makes a tiny gap in the curtains to peer through.

"Just wake me when you get to tired," Berwald says. "You need rest too." He does lie down on the floor. He is slow and careful, but Tino still startles at the movement snapping awake and flailing before he realizes who it is and calms down, struggling to regain control of his breathing.

Berwald apologizes quietly and Tino curls up against him, clinging desperately to the fabric of his tunic, completely ignoring that Matthias is even present in the room and can see the whole display. It does not take long for Tino to fall asleep again and Berwald dozes off with him, both exhausted beyond their limits.

Matthias turns his focus on the tiny gap in the curtains to begin his watch. The room is at the back of the house and the window only gives a view of one of the back alleys. It is not a great vantage point to keep proper watch, but it is all they have available.

On the roof across the street, he can see a raggedly dressed figure perched on the edge of the roof, looking in his direction, but not appearing to see him through the curtains. It is no surprise, but Matthias still feels angry at the sight and agrees with Berwalds wish to tear them all to pieces. The king is cruel and evil and the entire Kingdom lives under his thumb, but the way the Rat King enjoys making people suffer and prolonging their pain makes him just as bad if not worse in his own way.

He turns away for a moment before his anger overwhelms him and his focus turns to Vilje, lying unmoving next to him. Her breathing is shallow but steady and it is a calming balm on his frayed nerves, a reminder that he did not cause her death with his stupidity. He grabs her hand and cradles it gently between his palms, thanking all the Gods that she is still alive.

He talks to her quietly, but keeps his eyes turned towards the widow and the Rat slouching on the neighboring roof. That way he will not have to look at the perfect handprint wrapped around her throat in dark blue and purple. He tells her about the events of the last few days, careful with his words even though it appears the others are asleep.

When he has told her all he feels he can, his attention drifts again, back to the mark on his wrist that he suppressed in the chaos. There is not much to see through the window anyways. It is not likely he will miss something important happening and he deems it safe enough to pull up the fabric of his shirt to look at the swirling red pattern.

He tries to see how much they can convey over the bond, trying to focus on the feeling of safe now that they have found a place to lay low for a while, but he has no idea how to interpret the feelings that wash over him in return, weakened as they appear to be with their increased distance. Still, he takes comfort in the connection, knowing Lukas is there on the other side alive and well.

When the light of daybreak creep through the tiny crack in the curtain, the emotions across the bond changes. The mark almost seem to grow warmer on his wrist and itches, much like a sunburn. Matthias feels his own heart beat faster in response to the apprehension and worry that rushes through him and leaves a bitter taste at the back of his tongue. It feels like a storm is brewing, the air becomes dense and harder to breath and despite the day growing lighter outside, his mind grows darker.

Then suddenly, an hour or so after daybreak, the connection goes silent.