Remember the sacrifice... The story did not end... Find the bones and ash... Hide them from the Sun... Mark the grave that we did not flee... Tell the story...

Will it help you if we collect your remains, and bury them, and put a memorial on the hill, and put your story somewhere anyone can read it?

Put us to rest... End the story...

Okay. The Elf goes and gets the Dwarf-fairy and a Dwarf-demon and they start collecting bones and ashes, the demon mainly there for forensics but also for crafting a nice memorial plaque.

The ghosts pay a lot of attention to all of them, focused and silent. Time has washed away almost all signs of the remains, but the ghosts will lead them to what is left. The mutterings of 'vengeance' seem to be slowly replaced by 'make things right'.

The Elf will continue to try to elicit facts from them, checking against models the demon provides, so they can compose a thorough ghost story to put on the internet. The fairy collects all the remains and buries them. The demon puts a diamond plaque on top of the disturbed earth, This marks the graves of the miners who died here. Their story insofar as we know it can be found at - and then the URL.

The ghosts are very insistent that both WARRIORS and miners died here, and will wax eloquent, if slowly, about the great battle and their commitment to duty and purpose. More and more of them settle into the grave and go quiet as the work continues.

The last one remains, hovering near the grave.

It is over. The scar in the world now heals. Thank you.

They will adjust the plaque to add that some of the dead were warriors!

You're welcome, replies the Elf.

The last ghost sinks into the grave as well. This area is now entirely free of ghosts, as far as they can tell. The odd rats in the areas of the collapsed mine they did not retrieve remains from are still around, but have been avoiding them.

The Elf will go try talking to the rats, in case that works at all.

They flee again but just after that - Very, very faintly, more in impressions and sensations than anything like words, but just possible to interpret if you are specifically listening, not immune to mind effects, and strain-

Twoleg sniffing again. Danger? Don't know. Trade? Twoleg did not trade before. Vote do? Watch/Observe/Caution/Wait/Hide/Listen.

Trade? inquires the Elf.

There's hushed rat-conversation, and then a clearer and easier to hear- Small lives in hidden places, safe from cat and hawk. Twolegs have never talked to us. We are hungry lately. We have learned an old secret of the dragons. We make the Boom. Strong Fire-essence within, ready to burn. A good distraction, a good weapon. Boom is useful. More useful than food to a big twolegs?

Maybe. There is a spoken conversation, and the demon gives the Elf a dinner roll. Please do not Boom anything right now, but I would like it if you told me more about it.

We will Boom if you hunt us. The secret of making the Boom is worth very much.

Hit it hard and it Boom. Throw it and Boom. Want it to burn and Boom. We are one and many. One uses the Boom to save many if we must.

We are not here to hunt you, says the Elf. She puts the dinner roll down where they can get it.

What is that food trade for? We don't trust twolegs. You are friends with the cats. We think you are tricking us.

This is trade for what you told me about the Boom, she replies. I have not met any cats here.

A bunch of rats come out and start tearing up the roll, taking it back into their crevices.

You quieted the angry things. You make food from nowhere. You talk to us. All these things have never happened before.

We're not from this planet.

Do you desire secrets? Secrets for more food?

Yes, we can keep giving you food for secrets.

What secrets interest twolegs? Places to get food and water? The things that happened here? The ways of we rats? What we sneak and see of other beings?

We'd love to learn more about the ways of you rats.

The rat clans are not a proud people. Pride is foolishness. We live half-blind in the dark, always hungry and always searching. We are one and many - what one of us knows, we all know, linked by the essence and spirit of our Love. What one of us decides, we all decide, a family that knows each other better than ourselves. Though we are small, we are careful and observant and clever. No trick or distraction is beneath us. We use the small paths others cannot access, we use our secrets, we use our numbers, we use even our teeth and paws if we must. Hunted by cat and hawk and hunger, the rats yet survive.