I thought I outgrew playing with toys.

Jason was positioned at the window of the client's livingroom. It was one AM, and he was beginning to think the man who hired him was just plain crazy. Toys walking in this ally in the middle of the night all on their own. More like dreams wasting Jason's time.

It was just when Jason was about to doze off himself a small glimmer of light from the ally below caught his attention. He leaned in closer, straightening his leather jacket, and realized it was a tiny automoton. It had a tin can in it's aarms and marched dutifully down the muddy stone street. Once it reached the end of the sidewalk, it dropped right into the sewer grate. Jason unlocked the window latch and lept into the cold night air. Oil and mud caked his boots, which he sneered at.

"Friggin motor city. Best bunch of roughnecks in earthland, dirtiest town. Love it here." He trudged forward, smelling the gasoline in the air as two motorheads sped past in a drag race.

The wizard jogged down the street, making his way to the center and drawing his sword. He used it to pry the manhole cover on the ground up. He kicked it asside and hopped into the opening. What little moonlight filtered through the sewer drains did little to aid Jason in the inky blackness. Tiny footsteps were Jason's guide down the disgusting corridor.

He ran his fingertips on the wall beside him as he walked, ensuring he stay in a straight line. He thanked the warrior saint for his thick combat boots, and prayed he wouldn't trip. He grimaced at the thought.

Pit, pat, pit, pat. The endless walking and sounds were mind numbing. Dripping all around him. The unobstructed marching of the toy soldier. The squeaking. Jason's eyes widened. Squeaking?!

Jason pulled a lighter from his pocket and flipped it. When the flame brightened his surroundings slightly, hundreds of eyes lit and stared back at him.

Jason stumbled backwards, barely catching himself and shuddering. They had surprised him more than anything. Nobody really liked rats. They hissed at him, and scattered. They were likely lurking just outside the flame's influence.

One rushed with all the annoying speed of a rat, at least the side of Jason's foot, at his leg. He sheathed his sword just as fast and grabbed it with his bare hand. A single squeeze popped it's entrails out it's mouth.

Three more followed it's lead. He stomped on one, punched one out of the air, and finished the third with a backhand against the wall. His sword was too bulky to use against enemies so small, and he cursed it.

He couldn't offord to put out his lighter. Fighting blind was worse than not fighting at all. He grabbed one attacker by it's tail and slung it against the ceiling. Two others he crushed beneath his boot.

Jason stopped, just after killing four more rats. He focussed his attention on hearing for a moment and realized something with anger. He had lost the footsteps of the toy soldier.

"Oh damnit." Jason had been traveling for some time, but saw light through the edges of a manhole cover a few meters away. He pulled his sword, running from the rats without so much as a second care. He pushed the cover up and jumped out of it with one swift movement. Just as he landed on the street he was blinded by headlights facing him. His eyes widened and his only reaction was to cover his eyes.

The headlights reached him and he let out a yell, only to find himself completely fine when they had passed. On the other side of him two motorcycles drove away into the night. Jason laughed at himself and straightened his jacket.

"I should get me one of those. Wonder if the garage is open."

Jason Ray put his hands in his pockets and began to walk down the sidewalk. With each step he was deep in thought. What do I do now? He was heading nowhere in particular. Parallel to the street he had started on, as a matter of fact. He was facing the highway in a few minutes, and just watched the cars pass back and forth while he thought it over.

He took a long intake of the city air. It was familiar to him, but only those who knew him well wou know that. That was to say, noone but Jason himself. He was born here. He knew these streets like the veins in his arm.

Jason was scanning the buildings numbly when his eyes locked on a shining on the other side of the street.

"There are more of them?!" He was mildly shocked for a moment. He figured it was a child's windup toy to be honest. Just going about a routine every night.

Jason jumped swiftly onto the top of a passing tanker.

"HEY WHAT GIVES DUMBASS?!"

The tanker swerved slightly as the driver yelled at Jason, whom paid no mind and jumped acrossed the tops of the next few vehicles. He landed on the sidewalk of the other side after a session of frogger, and hastily looked for the Toy Soldier once again. It was marching with a small screw under each arm. It was a model of a Rune Knight.

Jason walked after it. It didn't seem to notice him. Or at least, it didn't care. It simply gave a "hup hup hup" with each step. The wizard put his hands in his pockets and made himself comfortable with a stroll. He half wished he had some music to listen to.

Then, the toy dropped suddenly into a storm drain with no warning. Jason cursed. He rushed forward, looking around for another manhole cover to escape into.

Jason pried open the cover as before and dropped in once again. He landed down, the water and filth splashing. It's smell graced his nostrils, and he lit his lighter.

It's light spread about the walls, and Jason noticed the sewer was a great deal smaller than the last. He could touch both sides without stretching. This made Jason a bit uncomfortable due to his claustrophobia.

His stomach felt a bit sick, and he furrowed his brow. Replacing his sword to it's sheathe, he started begrudgingly after the soldier once more. It was a bit easier to follow this time due to it's constant "hup hup hup." Jason was trudging along in the muk, which reached his ankled. The soldier turned a corner, and he followed.

He was met with a growling just outside of what he could see, and his reactions were sluggish from the tight space around him. He knit his eyebrows and screwed up his eyes against the darkness.

It was a hiss and then a snap. Too far away from Jason to be an attack. The crunch of plastic made Jason curse under his breath as he realized what had happened. The ceasing of the constant "hup hup hup" of the toy soldier assured Jason of it's fate. Only when the sewer gator revieled itself on the edge of the light of Jason's lighter did Jason find the will to move.

He pressed his back against the wall as the enemy snapped once again, before it lowered back into the water. It was too shallow to completely hide itself, but still enough to float atop of and remain swift. Jason drew his sword and kicked his right leg to knock the head of the gator away and give him some time. He rolled around and stumbled away from his opponent weapon in hand.

In combat his heart raced, and his eyes swept around the sewer wildly. His fear grew.