Moving Night

[Smudge]

After his warehouse had been burnt to a crisp, Smudge really needed to find a more permanent place to crash, which is why he'd asked none other than his Motley mate, the one and only Degnar , although truth be told its probably best there was only one. Smudge wasn't too sure what would happen if there were two.

It'd help the rat population, for sure.

Reaching the spot where he knew to meet his partner in crime, Smudge had the very few possessions he owned slung over his shoulder in the guitar case. Pacing in small circles, Smudge kept an eye, two ears and a pair of rather effective nostrils out for the Darkling to greet him.

[Degnar]

A metallic sound was heard as a manhole cover got tossed aside, allowing the Darkling to emerge from the depths of the Sacramento sewage system. Spotting the one-eyed Ogre, Degnar gave him a little wave as he walked over to him.

"Hey," he said to the Blightbent. "I hope you brought a flashlight." A rare smirk formed on the corner of his lips as he said those words. "If not, you should probably stick close to me."

[Smudge]

As Degnar joined him, Smudge gave the Darkling a pat on the shoulder glad to see his Motley mate. When he mentioned about a flashlight, Smudge just shook his head. "Nah, man, but I can ligh' up my head on fire. Does tha' help?" he said with a grin.

[Degnar]

If Degnar actually knew what a facepalm was, he would've probably used such a gesture at that moment. Instead, he settled for shaking his head slightly. "Nah, we don't need to use your head as an improvised torch," he said to the Cyclopean in his usual tone. "At least you don't have a lot of stuff with you. Its pretty dark down there though, so make sure you stay close."

With those words, the Darkling gestured for Smudge to follow him. He proceeded to start the descent down the manhole. "Make sure to get that cover back in its place," he said as he began to climb down slowly. "We are gonna need to get you one of those helmets miners use, the ones with a little flashlight on them."

[Smudge]

As he began to follow Degnar down the ladder, Smudge nodded as he set the cover back in its place securely. "Got a helmet, just don't 'ave a light on it. Gotta big-ass wasp head instead." The Ogre grinned, a lopsided feature that really wasn't pleasant. "How far down is it, Deg?" he asked, not concerned, simply....well, ok, concerned. It was the first time he'd been in a sewer.

[Degnar]

Degnar quirked an eyebrow about the wasp head comment, but it wasn't like Smudge could actually see his face. "A wasp? What the..." he let his words trail off, focusing on not loosing his footing on the way down. "You'll have to show me that sometime." The Darkling continued descending into the darkness beneath them.

"Hmm, I think we've got another ten, fifteen yards to go before we hit bottom," said the Tunnelgrub in response to his motley mate's question. "It won't take us much longer...but make sure you don't slip. Last thing I need is you falling on my head." With those words, he continued to climb down.

[Smudge]

"Sure thing, bro," Smudge said as they descended the ladder, one step at a time, focusing on not falling and crushing Degnar's neck. Somehow though, Smudge thought that even if that were to happen, the Darkling would survive. Bit like a rat.

"Besides, even if I did fall, ya'd be okay. I'm light as a feather, me. Yoga, pilates and a strict diet, sure as sure," Smudge said with a rumbling laugh that echoed in the darkness.

[Degnar]

The Darkling shook his head and snickered a bit as they continued to descend. "Right, light as a feather...how could I forget?" he said in return, playing along with his motley mate's words. "We are almost there, so watch your step on the way down." A few seconds after saying those words, Degnar hopped off the ladder as he landed with a splash on the puddle beneath them.

"It's a little wet down here," he announced to the Ogre. "I hope you aren't wearing your fancy pair."

[Smudge]

As he got to the bottom with Degnar, Smudge was chuckling. "Shit, man, ya coulda told me before 'and." He looked around, eyes struggling to adjust. "Righ', which way, Deg? I can't see shit."

[Degnar]

The Darkling let out a soft chuckle, a rare occurrence for him. "Here, just follow me," he said to Smudge, making a gesture that the one-eyed Ogre probably couldn't see. "Or the sound of my voice, that should help a bit." With those words, the Tunnelgrub began to lead his motley mate down the tunnel.

As they walked, the screeching sounds of rats could be heard nearby. "Like I told you, plenty of rats down here," said Degnar as he continued to move forward. Eventually they reached a sealed metal door, which the Darkling knocked on a couple of times. "This is it," he said to the Blightbent. "Home, sweet home."

With those words, the Archer touched the door while channeling his own Wyrd to empower the gate that would allow them entrance into the Hollow. Once the Hedge gate manifested in front of them, Degnar gestured for Smudge to step through.