The descend down the ladder into the smelly unknown was like travelling into an entirely new world. Pale was never before down here, so he was genuinely surprised by how cryptic and strange the city's sewers look. As if the trees holding the city on their leaves were spreading out their roots below the surface in search of water in the empty space below.
What the hell is this!? Man-sized tubes everywhere connecting platforms hanging from the ceiling. How the heck does this sewer system even work? And. . .on a much more serious note. I think I can suspect now what the horror stories meant with the 'last descend'. Poor souls falling into the void below, never to be seen again. I have to find the Kobold quickly before even worse happens.
To render the aircraft able to fly steadily in the air far above the ground, most of the ship not occupied by the city or its essential support got built as hollow as possible. A massive grid of lightweight metal beams held the panels around the ship's core in place. The sewer system especially got built to use the most out of the existing beams, expanding them into holding the fluids of the city pumping them to the sewage treating plant to restore the spent water again to crystal clear drinking water. The whole complex, no, the entire aircraft got built to sustain itself for weeks without landing.
As Pale finally arrived at the bottom of the long ladder, he struggled to breathe freely. Not only was the smell down here acidic to the fine nose of his, no the air itself tasted funny. As if it got saturated with strange substances rendering him feeling slightly dizzy.
Smells funny. . .feeling light-headed. This is bad. Have I packed my medical mask in my knapsack?
Hastily Pale searched through his bag, and luckily he was able to find a spare mask within it. . .remains from his protective gear dealing with the foster ice-wyrm, who merged with him, granting him now his cryogenic powers. A solid mouth and nose mask to protect his sensitive respiratory system from possible freezing attacks. The air filter could help to get rid of the giddiness from inhaling that strange substance.
Pale put the specially tailored mask on his face feeling the suction cups connecting with his scales. Due to his frills, he was unable to wear standard-issue masks, and his lack of external ears was only part of the issue.
Breathing now fairly freely again, Pale could finally begin searching for the emerald Kobold in this grotesque labyrinth. Looking around and trying to listen for any unusual sounds, steps or voices Pale searched the platform leading to the quadrant XNZ for the tiny lizard.
I really hope I find her quickly. I May have no fear of heights, but I still feel uneasy being able to look into the void below at any time. Better find her quickly and get her out of this hellhole.
Minutes passed, and nothing unusual happened. Then suddenly Pale heard from a smaller pipe across the platform an unusual noise. Following the scratching sound, he found a green head surveilling his every step out of the dirty pipe.
That must be the Kobold. . .at least this muddy head does remind me of one of these tiny darlings. Better make it count, Pale.
"Hello, small one. I am searching for an emerald-coloured Kobold, who is said to hide away in these sewers. I am a friend."
The moon-sized red eyes of the Kobold turned into small slits looking at Pale warily:
"What renders you to a friend of mine, stranger? You are for sure one of them. . .trying to drag me back into the hell I came from. But-"
A dry and sickly sounding cough followed by her throwing up a mixture of green sludge and rotten burgers cut her rambling short. Wiping her snout with an even dirtier rust-red paw fixed nothing. Pale's heart bled seeing the Kobold like that. He was sure that below that crust of dirt and sludge, beyond these flightless eyes layed a lovely personality he was eager to meet. But her current state was. . .difficult. Pale was no doctor, but even he could see that the Kobold needed medical treatment fast. That and a decent meal, a shower, some sleep; well everything.
Investigating the pipe the Kobold resided in, Pale realized that he had just this single chance. The pipe was too tiny for him to follow and lead across the void to a, for him, inaccessible platform. Carefully, trying not to make any wrong move, Pale sat down the knapsack containing the food and water he brought. He chose the following words carefully:
"I didn't get sent by anybody, little Kobold. I am here because I desire to help you out of this horrid place. Look. I am sure there is a reason why you are hiding down here, always on the run. . .starving to death in this breeding pool of illnesses. And I don't wanna know the reason for it. Just so much. I am worried, and I wanna help. Since I heard rumours about you, I couldn't stop thinking about your grim fate."
The Kobold's dim eyes lighted up a tiny notch, and she pushed herself through the Pipe revealing herself fully. The emerald Kobold was clothed in a torn to pieces butler outfit, revealing much of what it was designed to cover up. The green scales of the Kobold appeared dull and lusterless; black, unnatural spots covered parts of her body. She was completely malnourished, and her left arm looked oddly broken, flapping motivationless at her side. But still, even though all that dirt and sickness, across the dull and dizzy mind of that walking meter, Pale could see the elegant and smart Kobold she formerly appeared to be. Then it struck him. The Kobold talked to him in his native language, and he answered in that without thinking about it. A weak smile ran across the Kobolds face; her pointy ears were vibrating eagerly after spotting the fresh meal in Pale's bag:
"Y-you have my attention, stranger. Step back, and please let me take a bite before we continue."
"Sure, it is all yours. I am Pale by the way."
"Ev-", the Kobld suddenly stopped panicky looking to the left and right, "Uhm . . .call me Rustfeet, mister Pale. Yeah, Rustfeet."
Pale stepped back to make room for Rustfeet to take a look at the knapsack. His heart bled seeing her limping to her first decent meal in ages only to stumble and fall into a wet spot on the mouldy floor. She attempted to stand up but was not strong enough to get back on her two feet. Pale rushed to the Kobold's side and helped her, ignoring the stench of a mixture of many illnesses squeezing itself through his mask.
She will be not the only one having to visit a doctor after this day I assume. I am, however, oddly amazed that she still managed to walk a few meters in such a bad shape. Such determination; what a will to survive! I saw people dying from far, far less.
When Pale supported the tiny Kobold to stand up a wave of intense heat hit him, drilling right through his cyromancer aura. This Kobold had a horrible fever on top of everything else:
"Holy fuck are you hot!", Pale shouted out in a moment of surprise, trying to remain a firm grip.
Rustfeet looked over to his side, her eyes clouded, misinterpreting the statement fully and completely. Pale could feel that she was trying to lower her voice into an erotic tune, but her dry throat turned it into a pathetic squeaking:
"I know I am, you strong and beautiful hunk. Car-"
Rustfeet quickly shut up feeling now Pale's palm placed softly on her forehead channelling a thin layer of frost all across her body noticeably cooling the burning Kobold down. For a brief moment, Rustfeet's eyes became clear, and she started begging to her saviour in a weak and brittle voice:
"Please, mister. Get me out of here. I am scared. I will do everything to repay whatever I will cost you, but please. . .don't leave me down here."
"I will get you to the surface, Rustfeet. I have a warm bed and tons of food and water waiting for you in my inn. A doctor-"
Rustfeets eyes widened in fear, and she invested all her remaining strength to protest, wailing her broken arm helplessly around:
"No! Nobody can see me. They will find me and try to reclaim me!"
Pale put on the biggest grin he could afford without losing the mask softening his tone even more. The soft and gentle presence of his immediately calmed the scared Kobold down:
"No worries, I can cash in a favour to get a befriended doc to visit you. The rest will be covered by his oath of medical confidentiality. If you wanna remain anonymous for now, I will assure you that you will remain that way."
The emerald Kobold smiled weakly and immediately passed out in his arms. Pale held her in his arms while trying to remove his clothing belt.
This piece of cloth is nothing more than a mere accessory but might be able to aid me in carrying Rustfeet to the surface without hurting her.
Carefully Pale bound the Kobold into the cloth until she got strapped in securely to get carried up the ladder. And besides, did this contraption shielded him a bit from the oozing goo the Kobold was covered in. No idea what kind of illnesses could reside in that, so he should better not make too much contact with it, Pale mumbled to himself. Then he remembered, what else resided in his knapsack.
That's right! I think I might have a few ampullae of our famous medication with me. That strange mixture every visitor of Gemenskap has to take to prevent plagues from rising within the city. Able to suppress every known illness completely for a few days. I think I should take one of them and give Rustfeet one as well. Don't wanna spread something unwanted on the surface and be then the sole culprit of a catastrophe.
Pulling out the syringe he looked down at the passed out girl apologizing silently for not being able to get her to confirm the act of injecting her with something she was unable to agree to. A quick stick into his and then into her neck with a fresh sterile needle, and the waiting game began. The drug needed 5 minutes to start working accordingly, and until then Pale shouldn't attempt to leave the sewers. He thought back to the canal worker, who seemingly trusted him with being prepared for such a situation. . .or was simply completely careless regarding catastrophic-preventing regulations.
Pale looked down at the sleeping lizard, and the small grin reappeared on his face. Through the cloth he softly caressed Rustfeet's shoulder while humming silently:
"You will see, Rustfeet. The next time these lovely eyes will open, you will find yourself clean and. . .way healthier than now. And that in a warm bed with me at your side. I will promise you that, sweety."
