The Apprentice

A gruesome feast

## Trophies

Laurentius: *You must protect him, Amicia. Continue your mother's work.*
Amicia: *Me? But how? My parents tried and now they are both dead!*
Laurentius charges Amicia with Hugo's safety

"**The Apprentice**" is the fourth chapter in *A Plague Tale: Innocence*. It expands with more ways to help combat the rat swarms and introduces a new companion.

## Plot

### Synopsis

> Amicia and Hugo managed to narrowly escape the monastery, where hordes of rats had infested the catacombs. Rats fear light, so the orphans used the last rays of sunshine to move toward Laurentius' farm.
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### Summary

Amicia de Rune and her younger brother Hugo journey through the French countryside as the sun begins to set. They follow a small dirt road and spot a windmill in the distance and finding a dead Inquisition soldier, indicating they are both on the right path and that their enemy is nearby. The bridge crossing the river between them and Laurentius' farm is blockaded by Nicholas' forces, but they bypass through the forest where it narrows into a small stream. There they come across a garden where Hugo tries to play a happy game of hide-and-seek but is scolded by Amicia. Suddenly, the Inquisition soldiers retreat in a panic and Hugo is afflicted by yet another ringing headache, signaling an approaching rat horde and he becomes too weakened to walk, forcing Amicia to carry the boy. Slowed down, tired, and frustrated, Amicia voices some resentment for Hugo having had such a close relationship with their mother Béatrice, leaving her shut out.

As they get close to the mill, they come across a clearing in the woods covered with piles of countless slaughtered pigs and pools of blood. The setting sun brings with it the rats, who begin to tunnel out from the ground in hordes to gorge on the pigs, which the Inquisition hoped would keep the rats occupied. With Hugo able to walk again, the two use a moving cart carrying a lit brazier to help push through groups of rats, finally reaching the farmhouse. All is quiet, but Amicia remains on her guard as they sneak inside. Hugo's small size proves useful by entering a window and opening the door for his sister from inside. At long last, they meet Laurentius. Unfortunately, the magister is bedridden with the Bite and they are warned away by his apprentice Lucas, but the old man recognizes Hugo immediately.

Laurentius explains that there is an "ancient evil" in the de Rune lineage; in this case, it is in Hugo's blood. He and Béatrice worked for years to slow its progress but an event known as the "Great Break" it had quickened its progression as evidenced by Hugo's recurring headaches and dizzy spells. He charges Amicia with Hugo's safety, but the overwhelmed girl lashes out at the boy in anger, resulting in him becoming sullen. As the rats begin to invade the farmhouse, Laurentius warns that although the rats are dangerous, the main threat is the Inquisition who will tirelessly hunt for Hugo, and thus they need a place to hide. He decides they must head to the Château d'Ombrage, an old castle known only to a few learned alchemists. Lucas agrees to help, taking the children to the barn, where Amicia is forced to sacrifice a living pig to distract the rats much to Hugo's horror. Underneath the barn, they find Laurentius' laboratory where Lucas completes the "Ignifer", a mixture of alcohol and sulfur that ignites embers into a roaring flame that can be thrown by hand or shot from a sling, allowing new light sources to be created to drive away rats.

The children leave the barn to return to Laurentius, but before they can enter the house a rat horde tunnels into the building, knocking over a vat of distilled alcohol onto an open flame, causing an explosion and a massive fire. This kills Lucas' master and destroys his home in an instant, leaving the boy in a temporary state of shock. A horse careens past trailing a burning carriage full of straw and setting the windmill on fire, allowing the children to escape to a small boat on the river as many hordes of rats emerge from the ground, but are unable to follow into the water. As their boat moves downstream, Lucas looks back at his burning home in despair as the scene fades to black.

Navigation

* I – The de Rune Legacy
* II – The Strangers
* III – Retribution
* IV – **The Apprentice**
* V – The Ravens' Spoils
* VI – Damaged Goods
* VII – The Path Before Us
* VIII – Our Home
* IX – In the Shadow of Ramparts
* X – The Way of Roses
* XI – Alive
* XII – All That Remains
* XIII – Penance
* XIV – Blood Ties
* XV – Remembrance
* XVI – Coronation
* XVII – For Each Other