How ridiculous! The Goopy One wanted to run away and go some delusional goal... Is he insane!? He'll be taken away for sure! How did he thought of that I wonder.. Suddenly the sound of clanging wood appeared behind him . The sound of a closed cask rumbling on the wooden shelf. Not again..

"Goopy One!" I growl as I turned to one of the 4 bloblets in my care, trapped in a glass bottle. "You're not coming out and that's final! Sewer king's orders!" The sound continues, bumping and rumbling, but more loudly this time. More desperate. "Fine! Have it your way!" The rat placed a pile of books in front of him to block his way. How desperate was he? I leveled my eyes to the small bloblet. "I'll have you know again Goopy One! I was there.. I heard them scream.. Twitch can guarantee that their dead! And Twitch speaks the truth!" The bloblet continued to push on, tackling the bottle again and again and again.. "FINE! BE LIKE THAT!" I shouted, pushing the bottle back a couple of inches. "I'LL JUST PROTECT MY KINGDOM MYSELF!"

I leave the lair, knowing that nothing much will happen. No one seemed to be invading.. Not yet.. I need a break to sniff the toxic air of his sewers. I let out a small whistle, signaling a roach to come out of my fur and into my hand. Someone I can talk to at last. "Roach.. Twitch isn't sure anymore.." I mumbled. "This whole week is awful! Worst I've ever seen! The humans.. They've been invading.. taking territory.. stealing more and more.. With armor and weapons and augments and stuff I've never seen used! And they're all coming for him! The sewer king survives through all of this for 1 subject.. and what does he do! Tries to escape into THEIR arms! Maybe Twitch should give him up.. End the torment now!"

The roach nodded in retaliation.

"What!? What do you mean no!" I shout angrily as the roach continues to wave its arms and legs. "I know Twitch doesn't give up in anyone's face, but this.. the Goopy One is going to murder us.. Whether he knows it or not! ...No ...No I don't know what happened that made him think like that.. ...I do what!? Twitch isn't walking into some trap! He's not investigating delusions!" I looked back to the direction of the lair in frustration. A faint sound could be heard echoing through the chamber. It's small, but I could catch it... Bump. Bump. Bump. It's him again, and it would never end..

"Fine," Twitch shouted at the roach. "But if this is some trap, Twitch eats your rations." The rodent prepared the crossbow strapped on his back and walked invisibly to the surface. "Where did you see him last time roach? Where did you find him?"

This was odd.. Too odd for the Goopy One to be in.. Usually he would say that he was at some weird center where humans communicate. Communicate against Twitch that is.. but this? A dried up cavern that smells of cobwebs and dust.. Those would be some interesting to ingredients to use. I should keep note, but why was he here? Suddenly as I followed my roachman's direction, we ended up in a room that was bare. It showed nothing but the usual spiders, webs, and a large box. Bare but one thing on top of the stone container, a picture of the creators.

I revealed himself as I began to approach the coffin. "What's under here then..?" The moment my finger touched the stone surface.. WOOSH!

The machinery activated behind me.. Something stabbed my back. My arms.. My flesh.. "Aaugh! Aah!" It was a trap! I knew it.. I knew it! I tried to run away before my captors could catch me, but running became walking. Walking became limping. I was so tired.. What happened? Was this some human magic stuff? It.. it can't be.. Toxic smoke can't get me.. The grey can't get me! What is.. What is this..? I tried to look up. To turn my neck to my captors. I couldn't.

"Huh. You're not the one that came in the cameras.. But you're here.. Hey! Get the bag in here! The boss would want to see this.." and everything faded out.

Bump. Bump. Bump. Let me out.. let me out of here! Please! I keep going.. Shoving myself to the glass surface.. It always worked last time, but I couldn't move. I couldn't break out! I need to do something! They need me.. Won't happen again. Bang. bang. bang. It's all futile from this angle.. What about the others. There are 3 more like me.. I just need to find them. I just needed to break out from one of them, and it's all easy from there.

I focused on 1 point of view in my eye sight. This little me is in some corner somewhere..On the floor.. I pushed the glass bottle so that it would fall to the ground. I slogged slowly to the opening of it, which was closed off by a cork. No good.

I focused on another. This one was on a shelf it seemed. On the shelf opposite to me. Some books covered it, but not to the extent that the other was. Great. I clanged against the glass surface to push the bottle down, and attempted to roll towards the edge. It required many attempts to push a book off, but once I did, I finally found my way out. I rolled the bottle over the edge. Crash! I was out. Now I had to find the others. My antenna was good at sensing others like me.. Where were they?

One was on a shelf. Another on the floor next to Twitch's bed. The last seemed to be under the end of Twitch's bed. Guess the rat wasn't really good at hiding places.. But how was he going to get them out. I started moving to the one on the shelf. I climbed through the cracks and the walls and met up with the one surrounded by books. Together, we pushed the books off and the bottle crashed. We formed together, and we started forming. A smaller version of me. Almost 3 quarters the size of Twitch. This felt uncomfortable..

After that, I grabbed the others quickly and easily. Shattering bottles with my green arms until I was me again. I looked out of the door. Twitch wasn't here. I'm sorry buddy, but I have to do this. I have to rescue them. I breathed in, and ran out. The catacombs. That's the only clue I have left..

I came to the catacombs to see something peculiar to say the least. A group of people huddling around a gray body bag. What was going on..? I snuck closer to see...

"I can't believe we caught the Plague rat himself.. I never thought it was real.. The boss did say he was connected to this whole.. incident.. It's almost time for the day to start.. Let's go people!"

I sat there, stunned and angry. They got Twitch.. How did they get Twitch!? They can't not at all... Not another person I cared about.. I was about to launch myself to it until I stopped myself.. Not now.. Not yet..

When they weren't looking, I snuck through the cracks so I could get into floor level . From there, I released a small version of myself. A bloblet to sneak into the bag. Quickly and quietly it slid over to the body and snuck through. I saw Twitch's unconscious body.. Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead.

I lay on top of his chest. Heartbeat. He was alive. I stared at him, scared. "It will all be fine pal. You'll be safe. Just like my parents.. Safe and sound. You can count on it.." I mumbled, from the cracks of the catacombs. I slowly went into one of Twitch's numerous pouches as they carried him to the man that now have my parents tortured and alone.