[ WP ] You work as a sewage engineer in a fantasy metropolis with huge under-city catacombs .

The rat squeaked and scurried along the algae slick ledge until it ended, hopping off onto a glowing white orb, treading the submerged object before making several more jumps onto various pieces of floating debris. It paused atop a large, shiny black square and sniffed the air furiously. 
 
 “ Tipper! Over here, boy! ” 
 
 The rodent resumed its hopscotch, taking the ledge again when it resumed and turning a sharp corner, discovering the man and his barge wafting about near a large pile of severed deer heads. It ran over excitedly, almost falling into the brackish green and brown sludge that dominated the sewers. 
 
 “ Ah, Tipper. Take a gander at this, yah? Got about two, maybe three dozen of these lovely little beasts, just tossed aside. Probably from one of them stag orgies those floaty Gellers like to throw. Why, just give ol ’ Rudy here half a day with his trusty Zacto Blade, and we ’ ll make a pretty penny selling bone bowls to the ladies and Hallows Eve costumes to their kiddies! ” 
 
 Tipper hopped on the man ’ s shoulder and purred, nuzzling his grizzled, sloppily shaved cheek. It accepted a handout of morsels, swallowing them whole before jumping on one of the deer heads and with a prodigious speed, began eviscerating it. 
 
 “ No, no, boy! Even that ’ s got ta be done with precision, lest the shape warp. There ’ s a reason you and I are the number one Scrappers in Shadesville – we ’ re sticklers for quality! ” 
 
 The rat bowed its head and whimpered softly, which was met by a gruffly affectionate caress. 
 
 “ Ain ’ t no thing, little one, ” said Rudy, “ hey now, I know you always got some happy morsels to show me, ain ’ t ya? ” 
 
 Tipper squealed loudly and jolted off in a flash, only pausing at the corner ’ s ledge to look back and dance on his hind legs. Rudy pressed a red lever on his barge ’ s end and the multicolored collection of wooden planks and metal bellowed forward, its low end torque growling. “ Wait for Rudy, ya scamp! ” he yelled, “ some of us got half the legs and 100 times the mass! ” 
 
 The barge turned the corner sharply, evading the hodgepodge of floating debris with precision. Rudy controlled the surprisingly nimble beast with a small steering wheel connected to an anti-gravity ball that floated just under it. He had retrofitted the ball to disperse its waves along any solid matter in its field, which proved excellent for repelling the seemingly infinite barrage of discarded goods that made their way down. 
 
 The rat led the barge down several avenues, avoiding hazardous objects with ease. When Tipper had first run into Rudy – literally while following a heavy spice scene – the man was knee deep in robotic snakes, muttering to himself as he tried to extract their corroded power packs. Both sewer denizens had jumped back and stared the other down for several seconds before Rudy broke out into a raucous fit of laughter. He offered the rat one of his Soyrio rations and Tipper reciprocated by ripping the heads off several of the hidden active snakes in the bunch. Both had recognized the symbiotic potential of the relationship, and they had been inseparable ever since. 
 
 Tipper rounded a final corner and stopped abruptly, causing Rudy to brake with a start to avoid hitting the rodent. 
 
 “ Crickey there, boy! You got ta give ol ’ Rudy a bit more leeway. His reflexes ain ’ t as…oh, my stars! ” 
 
 They stood at least three meters across and six high, their neatly wrapped bundles packed tightly with thick ribbon wire. Despite the layers of grime and sludge residue, there was no mistaking the contents. The blue and white pills had become so infamous, so plastered on every Info Report, Holo Ad and Propaganda Plane, that even the Scrappers of the Deep knew their name. 
 
 “ Sweet Lord of Mercy, those are*Downers*, Tipper! Even one o ’ those boys would be enough to send both of us to the gallows, and there must be millions in there! I didn ’ t even reckon that many existed in the empire, much less Shadesville. ” 
 
 The rat grew noticeably perturbed, clacking his jaws and scuttering back and forth. He began clawing at the ribbon, severing several lines of it before Rudy was off his raft and mucking through the sludge after him. 
 
 “ Tipper, no! ” he shouted. “ We don ’ t want any evidence that we even came across this stash. Broken seals and our general whereabouts aren ’ t much, but the Enforcers can make 2 and 2 into 5 easier than I can add ’ em proper! ” 
 
 Tipper scurried to the top of the pile, jumping up and down incessantly. He raised his arms up and made a digging motion toward the surface, then lay prostrate on his back with his limbs splayed. 
 
 “ Oh, you get that idea right outta your head, mister! It doesn ’ t matter how rich we ’ d selling the stuff, they ’ d string us up like pikers. Wouldn ’ t even care that you were a harmless rodent, boy, your neck ’ d be right next to mine. ” 
 
 Tipper hopped down, landing on Rudy ’ s shoulder and bowing his head apologetically before nuzzling his cheek again. The man stroked his head, making his way back to the barge and setting it gently back toward the deer head. “ It ’ s an ambitious thought, buddy, but we ’ re doin ’ just fine, you know? 
 
 That night Rudy dreamed not of salvaged Sport Drones or discarded Levitation Cushions, but of twin gold towers a thousand meters high that glistened with rubies and sapphires. A series of ornate jade steps led up in a spiral pattern that turned green, blue and purple as the sun ’ s capricious whims hit them. Dozens of Gyrowhales floated around, each ready to be summoned on command. At the very top of the tower in a room made of polished onyx, Rudy sat atop a throne of puffy white clouds while across from him lay the woman in black, holding a single blue and white pill between her fingers. 
 
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 The Maypole Bazaar was in its usual full Sunday swing, and Rudy was sweating through his Scrapper ’ s uniform. He carried, in addition to his usual wares, a death sentence. 

