“Little rats, all my little rats.”

The Lord of the Dome inhaled the damp rotten air, his face plastered with an impish grin as he stared down upon the sniffing masses of his devoted followers.

“Yes, yes. Drip goes the water to the tune, no gloom, of my glorious realm.”

He sat down, leaned against a damp stonewall and took his night's meal from a torn, gray duffel bag. He chewed an empty juice box until his jaw went numb and spit the remnants aside. He didn’t like the taste anyway, too sweet for his tooth. After eating more objects discovered earlier in the day, he rubbed his long fingers together in defense against the shallow chill of his cavernous home.

A screech, followed by the sound of heavy metal being crushed, erupted somewhere above sending jolting vibrations up his back.

“What? What be this noise? Dare, dare you break the sleep of my ears?”

He stood and sniffed the damp air.

“You not know who I be?”

He craned his neck and twitched his ears, but the noise didn’t answer. Irritated, the Lord stomped his feet; his subjects scattered.

“Little rats, I apologize. Apologize, sorry I am. A disturbance, minor, minor it must be.”

He glanced up at a gleam of light from a rectangular opening from which the sound of a low moan caught his ear.

“This annoyance; discover, yes discover I will...to protect us. I go. Till then...be as you may.”

The Lord of the Dome worked his way up the wall, grabbing notch, lip and ledge, until he reached the narrow space. The portal, set at ground level on the edge of a hard path, the rim dribbled water down his front. He licked some to wet his lips, quench his thirst. He spit out the gritty substance mixed with his drink.

“Hmm, water; drip, drip; warmer here. Remember this, must remember.”

Outside, darkness held a comforting grip, broken only by a single glow atop a tall stem. The Lord could see well enough, for the vile rays had not yet appeared. Across the hard path, twisted metal still whirred for a second and slid into silence against a wall. Pained groans came from within. He considered going back, but the potential threat to his kingdom required closer inspection.

He squeezed through the opening, immediately two bright eyes charged him. He leaped away, dodging the monster, and crouched preparing for another attack. It roared in passing and was gone.

“Dark Eaters, light bringer, vermin wretches! Yes, damn, damn Dark Eaters. Find way to destroy them later. Lest time not right.”

A check revealed no more danger; he scampered to the wreckage. Inside a hideous creature whimpered. A huge rat devoid of fur, save a long patch on its nearly snout-less head; it squirmed feebly.

“Mutation. I've heard of such. This an ill omen.”

It moaned again and the Lord noticed the reason for its piteous cries. Pinched within the metal heap, a large piece of transparent stone pierced the rat's shoulder.

The Lord knew what must be done. He had helped many of his subjects before and this one was no different than the rest, though bigger and mutated.

“Fix the wound first, yes, before the life runs out. Then free, free it.”

He ran down an alley and found one of the boxes of instruments.

“Wondrous containers hold many a prize, if now can find what needed.”

Gripping the large lid, he tossed it up to flap behind the huge box, and leapt in. He rummaged through its contents, before raising his prize in the air with a triumphant cry.

 “Yes! Magic cloth of breaking water!”

He returned with great speed, nimbly on his hands and feet. It took only a moment, but he wrapped the wound at the base where the clear stone penetrated using the cloth he had found. His subject cried out at his ministrations, but seemed too weak to take notice of what actually occurred. The red water of its life stopped draining out.

“Another needed, find another handful of water-breaking cloth. Not may I remove strange stone without.”

He had gained some time.

Clambering from within the wreckage, he heard a distant wailing. It escalated to a high pitch and suddenly a bright rainbow of colors flashed from the dark further up the hard path. He rushed to hide and covered his ears as the sound grew louder and louder. The lights and sound came from a large square beast. The noise stopped as the creature came to a halt not far away. It split open and more tall, mutated rats scrambled out.

They ran to the junk pile and the Lord prepared to attack, scratching his nails on the ground. When they carefully removed some of the twisted shards entrapping his injured subject, he stopped, retreating into shadow.

“They be helping.”

He watched more intently, hoping to learn from their magic. He never knew such creatures existed above the Dome.

They left in their magical flashing beast, taking the wounded rat with them. He stared after them as they departed, then into the great dark overhead. The Eyes of Above still twinkled there but he saw them differently now. They were much more, the eyes of the greater Dome.

His true realm lay here. He was sure of it. He would be Lord of this greater Dome. Protected, protected, they must be.

Long nails clicking, he clambered up a nearby wall to perch atop a tiled roof.

"Rule over all rats of this Dome, surely it is true. I will do. Yes. Be your sovereign! My subjects, I am your Lord!"