Č•R•Ë•Ä•T•Ü•R•Ë of the D•Ë•P•T•H•Š

[deepwallow]

Let's be honest here: no one in their right mind would ever venture down into the sewers. It's disgusting- nothing but garbage finds it's way down there. Unwanted, unneeded things that no longer or never had a place on the surface. And so many things lie forgotten under the hustle and bustle of normal surface dweller lives.

And so, my dear children, it's no surprise those surface dwellers have completely forgotten the underground world of Dirgewater.

Sprawling out to encompass a space that no surface scientist could have ever imagined, a whole other planet practically thrives amongst the garbage and refuse of the upper world, basked only in the light of torches, the rare electrical lamps, and overgrown glowing plants.

Dirgewater conceited of many areas; some were abandoned underground subways and actual sewers, remnants of the life upstairs, and a reminder of the existence of the surface dwellers. Other areas were carved tunnels, where the underground citizens dug and clawed their own paths to connect to other places of Dirgewater. The most interesting and perhaps dangerous parts of Dirgewater however , were the enormous caverns that were naturally created and connected by various parts to Dirgewater. In these areas, many subterranean creatures and monstrosities made their dens and homes. Even with the twisted, crazy denizens of Dirgewater, these domains were often left alone by even the most curious adventurers. Areas such as the Bloody Pit, the Fanged Cavern, and the Howling Halls were best left alone .

Now, that wasn't to say that the rest of Dirgewater was safe. The madmen of the surface fled down to the murky depths, evading the 'justice' of the sun filled world. Down here, there was no one power, only sections controlled by thieves, murderers, and the cunning men who found their way or were born in the darkness of Dirgewater. Above ground sins were forgiven down in this underground world, but only if those sins could not be traced back to Dirgewater and bring the attention of the surface below ground.

For even though there were thousands of ways into Dirgewater from the surface, unless you were becoming a resident, you were as good as dead if you came from the surface. Some few were able to survive, shifting through the under ground, but they would return to the surface changed, twisted by the horrors and strangeness of Dirgewater

Crim only btw XD))

[CrimsonMoon]

Of course, the Above World had its fair share of danger and pests... But at least you could still see both coming. But this day, an urchin from the surface had fled to the temporary safety of the depths.

A boy had fled the grips of the light urchins and now stumble through the murky water, leaving a trail of dark red on the wall where he felt his way. He bled from scratches on his sun beaten skin and his already ragged clothing was torn to peices.

He limped deeper into the maze, avoiding everyon-... Everything he could. But alas, after seemingly eternity of getting lost in the darkness, he sank down in a small crevice of a cavern and curled up, trembling... He didn't belong in either world but where else could he flee to?

[deepwallow]

Ah, what a poor boy, like so many of the others who found their way into Dirgewater. Hurt and alone, cast out from the surface world like the sh*t he had to wade through. But would this one survive? Or would his blood attract the more aggressive of the denizens in this underground hell?

Suddenly , there was a small shuffling and a squeak as something tickled his ear.

It was... A rat. And a rather large one at that.

It stood on its hind-legs, sniffing the boy's ear curiously and licking some of the blood off the boy

[CrimsonMoon]

The boy jumps, nearly tossin the rat but his hand moves up to keep it from falling," Ah! Sorry.." He breathes in a cracked voice, wincing a bit... At least it had just licked him... Maybe he'd die from some horrible disease

[deepwallow]

The rat blinks at him, and there's an intelligence in those dark little beady eyes of his. He sniffs and licks the boy again before suddenly another tickling feeling appears on the opposite side of the boy as little paws plant themselves on his arm, another rat sniffing at his face and licking off the blood. From the shuffling noise echoing through the tunnel, it sounds like they aren't the only ones

[CrimsonMoon]

Scratch that... Maybe he'd get eaten by these both disgusting and adorable creatures. The boy leans against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest," Make it quick," he mumbles

[deepwallow]

A large number of the critters crowd up around the boy, sniffing and licking him free of blood as he is literally covered in the crawling, squirming mass of black fur. But the. There's a voice from down the tunnel. "What is this important thing you want to show me?" It asked. It sounded more like a growl than anything else, and it was barely understandable, but the words could barely be made out.

[CrimsonMoon]

The boy squirms uncomfortably, waiting for thousands of tiny teeth to dig in. The little paws and claws tickled and the smell was nearly unbearable but he was warm... Which was afirst in a long time.

He presses himself closer to the wall, trying not to squash his new companions as he shrank from the voice

[deepwallow]

Finally, around the dimly lit tunnel, came a humanoid creature. "What's this?" It asked, stepping forward. The rats parted as it neared, revealing this new creature. It was a giant rat, walking on two legs, dressed in rags. Its eyes were a solid red, with its face and parts of his arm devoid of the pitch black fur that covered the majority of it. The rats covering the boy moved off of him, staring up as the large rat man leaned in and sniffed the boy.

He scowled, murmuring "Surfacer..." Before he leaned back up, taller than the small boy. "Why are you here?" He inquired, crouching down to look at the boy before sniffing him again. "And why are you bleeding?"

[CrimsonMoon]

The boy winces away from the creature's smout and murmurs," I was beaten... Again," he replies softly," They wanted to beat me more so I ran into a tunnel..." Holds up his arms as if to shield his face from the rat-man, his mousey brown hair poking through his fingers

[deepwallow]

The ratman's eyes narrow as he looks the boy up and down . "Hmmm... An outcast...." He mumbles before falling silent for a bit. One of the mice starts to squeak to him. The ratman's ears perk up and he turns to the rat, listening to its squeaks as if it were talking. He frowns as he rat finishes up , glaring at the rat for a while before he finally sighs . "Oh all right." He says with a shake of his head before looking at the boy. "You, boy, come with me. Slaws here has convinced me to patch you up. You better hurry though, my generously only lasts so long." He growled before standing up and heading back down the way he came

[CrimsonMoon]

The boy pauses and stares after the rat-man. No one helped him. No one. But... Maybe... The underworld was different? He scurries after the creature, carefully skipping around the creatures that had helped him

[deepwallow]

The rats all skitter after the rat man as he maneuvers through the tunnels. Eventually , they come to a large opening were the sewage water drops down a bit. Instead of just a straight drop, there are huts and wooden platforms built spiraling down the large cylinder room. The rat man heads down the platform walkway, passing many strange creatures and people, who look at the boy curiously, warily, and suspiciously as the rat man disappears in a hut.

[CrimsonMoon]

The boy follows after the rat-man, nearly bumping into his back several times. He gasps te back of the rat's ragged hirt at one poit when a scaley creature reaches out to touch him.

[deepwallow]

The rat man frowns at him as they enter the hut. Inside, it's strangely alive with lights all coming from a cauldron. Over said cauldron, a young looking girl stands, murmuring something and sprinkling something into the large lot. She looks up when the rat man enters, revealing her right eye to be an icy blue while her left is a blood red. She has very long pitch black hair and is wearing rags as well. "Who's this that you've brought here? Covered in dirt and blood that smears?" She asked softly, speaking oddly enough in rhyme.

"Some Surfacer that Slaws thought I should help." He rat man replied in his almost non-understandable growl

deepwallow.deviantart.com/art/Changelin-witch-199567320

[CrimsonMoon]

The boy drops his gaze," I'm sorry." He breathes, his voice shaking slightly as he gazes down at the tiny rats around them

[deepwallow]

"Can you help him, Vixen?" The rat man asked. The girl got up and moved to one of the multiple shelves in her hut, pulling down some items before she motioned the boy forward. "Help this boy, that I can. But I can tell you are not a fan." She commented as the rat man walked over and leaned against the wall of the hut. He snorted, baring razor sharp teeth in a scowl.

"I have no use for surfacers. Not unless they stay. None of us do." He said drily

[CrimsonMoon]

" I'd rather stay," he whispers, crouching down next to the rat named Slaw and reaching out a finger to it,"... Thank you," he smiles

[deepwallow]

The rat sniffed his face and picked it as the rat man raised an eyebrow. Vixen spoke from behind the boy. "Hurry now and come here child- Whilst my temper is down and my anger mild." She reminded him with a faint giggle.

"I don't have all day, kid:" the rat man growled in a more direct way of speaking

[CrimsonMoon]

The boy yips and hurries to the witch, ducking his head and glancing at the rat sitting on his shoulder