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A few bruised knuckles later both Kreet and Sigmundurr stood beside Kallid. The channel that led to the slum area was much smaller and had only one walking area to the right of the ditch for the water, but it was still tall enough for Sigmundurr to stand upright in the center - especially since it was dry.

"Well, if you're ready," Kallid said. "I can't imagine this will go far before we see what's going on in there."

Kreet nodded and Sigmundurr took up his hammer again. Kreet led the way with her light-staff but the other two stayed close behind her should there be a problem. Kallid may not have been able to do much, but instinct runs deep when protecting your mate and he was ready to do anything necessary should danger arise.

In fact, they had walked in for only a few minutes before they saw the problem. A wall of rough stone had been erected, completely blocking the channel ahead.

"Well, so much for your theory about each hole being blocked. They just blocked the whole thing!" Sigmundurr noted, reflexively pushing at the stone. "I'm no stone mason, but this looks pretty old and hastily built."

"But effective," Kreet noted. "Do you think you could knock it down?"

"Only one way to find out. You guys better get back. The funk of 30 years probably lies behind this!"

The kobolds backed up and Sigmundurr gave the wall a powerful blow. The cracks became evident immediately.

"Oh shit," Sigmundurr called back as a foul stench assaulted them.. "Oh gods! Hold your nose! Are you ready for this Kreet? Kallid? It's gonna be bad."

"Wait a minute. Kallid, let's tie ourselves up to something. Just in case."

"What to? There's nothing here really!"

She looked around and had to agree. "Sig?"

He nodded and they all tied themselves to the big man. Then he took another swing. A rock fell from its mortar and liquid began pouring from the hole.

"Oh Pelor help me!" Kreet wept as the fumes came on in full.

"Kreet?!" Sigmundurr called back. "I think I've weakened the wall enough!"

She looked back and saw the whole thing now bowed outward and the stream was rapidly gaining. Blessedly it became a bit less thick.

And then the wall gave way entirely. Kreet closed her eyes and held Kallid's hand tightly as the onslaught began. Her staff was swept away only seconds before Kallid too was lost to her grip. But the sudden pull on the rope around her waist let her know that - somewhere behind her he was still tied to her. She didn't dare open her eyes, and wished she'd taken a deeper breath before it had hit, but now she had to just do her best to hold onto the rope. How Sigmundurr was managing to stay in place she really didn't know.

It felt like it went on for an hour, and she realized she wasn't going to be able to keep holding her breath much longer. She rapidly scanned through her magic, but she couldn't think of anything that might help. Briefly she despaired of her life and that of her children who might never be born, while at the same time worrying that the rope around her waist might be causing them harm within her.

But she could do nothing but pray, so that's what she did. It calmed her just enough to prevent the inhalation of the muck flowing past her for the few more seconds she needed till she felt the flow lighten. Her head finally emerged from the water around her, though she couldn't open her eyes yet. The flow was still far too strong to stand in, but at least she could breathe again. And scream.

"KALLID! ARE YOU OKAY?"

"KREET!" she heard Sigmundurr yell from ahead of her. "KREET, I CAN'T HOLD MUCH LONGER! IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO?"

She thought briefly about her Hold Person spell, but she knew instinctively that it worked only on the person himself. It wouldn't magically stop the water from pushing him away from whatever he was holding onto, and it wouldn't keep his hands from releasing against their will.

She had a strong healing spell, but she wasn't sure if it would help in this situation. He wasn't injured, it was his stamina that was failing. But it was the only thing she had. She wiped the muck from her eyes just long enough to see the vague form of the big man ahead of her, then closed them again and cast the spell - hoping it would at least help somewhat.

Whether or not it did, they would never know. But every second that he managed to hold on was a second that more of the filth washed past them and the pull lessened with each one.

"KALLID!" she called again, trying to turn around. She heard a gasp behind her, and she began trying to pull him closer with the rope.

Ahead, in panting breaths Sigmundurr called back, "I've got a better hold now. I'm on the other side of the wall. Where's Kallid?"

She pulled the rope faster as the flow continued to lessen. Finally he surfaced and grabbed her hand, gasping for air.

"Oh Kallid!" she cried, pulling him to her. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, still breathing hard. "Okay! Rope moved!" He showed Kreet that it had slid up to just under his arms. "Couldn't... get feet underneath."

Kreet raised her eyes upwards and gave Pelor a short prayer of thanks.

"Kreet?" Sigmundurr said in front of her. "I know you two can see fine but. I'm blind up here."

"Sorry Sig," she said, conjuring a ball of light in one hand while helping Kallid. The water was still rushing past, but it had cleared up quite a bit and was not too far from being clean, though it was still quite a slog going upriver.

Once they got past the wall, the three rested as best they could against what remained of it.

"I'll knock the rest down in a minute. So, are we done here?"

Kreet thought about it a moment. There was still a lot of sludge coating every surface right up to the now-low ceiling of the sewer.

"Can you smell anymore?" she asked, not answering his question.

"I don't think so. And for that I am very grateful," said the big man.

"And you?" she asked Kallid.

"Nothing. I think my snout is overpowered."

"Sense of smell overload," she nodded. "But we can breath. I think we must have opened up some of the drains at least. But this muck - it's going to have all the building sewer lines clogged up still."

"We can probably clear those from above," Kallid suggested.

"Probably," she agreed. "But it would sure be nice to have our own working lavatories when we get back to the Shining Skink. I think I have an idea - if we can clear at least ours."

They worked their way deeper in, though the muck was up to the kobold's knees and the space became narrower. They did pass some street drainage areas, now cleared of the clog that let in some light which Sigmundurr appreciated - as well as some blessedly fresh air. They reached the point where the road to the Skink must have been, but the side channel that led that way was too small for Sigmundurr to continue. Kreet and Kallid continued on, eventually having to crawl their way through - though in that area the muck was dry and hardened and hadn't been reached by the rainwater. Finally they found what they decided must be the pipeline to the Skink itself.

It was too small even for Kreet with her decidedly wider hips, but Kallid enthusiastically soldiered on until only his feet were in sight.

"It turns up here," he called back. "Totally full of... dried mud."

Yes, Kreet thought. Mud. It was just dried mud. No need to think of it as anything else.

"Can you loosen it?"

"Trying to get my dagger out. Hold on, I'm going to back out so I can get it in front of me."

He completed the maneuver and went back. She heard him picking away at something, then suddenly a screech came and Kallid wiggled backwards quickly.

Then she heard Kallid crying and spitting.

"What is it? Do you need me to pull you out?!"

"No. It's okay. It's cleared. It's just... no. You don't need to know. You don't want to know."

Kreet decided he was right. She didn't need to know. He was alright, and the sewage pipe to the Skink was cleared. They wriggled backwards till they were out and met Sigmundurr, who was sitting near where an overhead drain was seen, with occasional gusts of fresh air blowing in.

"So?" he asked. "How'd it go?"

Kreet looked at Kallid, who was still spitting whenever he got the chance.

"We got it done, Sig. That's what matters."

They worked their way all the way back to where they'd entered the sewer, stopping to let Sigmundurr knock down the remains of the wall, and carrying the stones back to the Cloaca Maximus spillway, safely clearing the last of the blockage.

"Who on earth would have done that?" Kreet pondered as they were approaching the light outside. "It's awful!"

"I don't know the why, but it's a good bet the government had something to do with it. They could have sent some people in here to clear it if it had been someone else's work," Sigmundurr pointed out.

"I don't care right now," Kallid said mournfully. "I just want to get out."

The light from the spillway grew and the noise of it increased as they approached, but it was less than it had been. Once they were on the stone stairs, they picked their way back up in the waning sun of late afternoon.

"I lost my staff," Kreet complained as they regrouped atop the bridge.

"And I lost my hammer. But hey, we did the thing, right?" Sigmundurr said half heartedly.

Kallid began to vomit over the side, and Kreet rubbed his back to comfort him as best she could. When finally the convulsions subsided, he weakly turned back with a smile.

"You did a good thing, Kallid," Kreet said, and she kissed him. The gesture was a purely human one, but it was one she liked and he accepted it happily.

Some passerby looked at them but Sigmundurr's expression kept them away as much as the stench which all three were blessedly no longer sensitive to. Then they trudged their way back to Block 104. Victorious they may have been in their quest, but that was certainly not the portrait they presented to the residents of block 104 when they got back.

"Marge?!" Kreet called while standing outside the front door.

"Oh Gods!" she heard the ex-proprietor call as she neared the door. "What's that smell?!"

She knew the answer when she looked at the three. There was not an inch on any of them that wasn't caked in filth. But the old lady was also practical.

"Go stand over there, under the balcony. I'll get Sybil and we'll douse you with water. This is no time to be modest either. Take that garbage off yourselves first.. We'll burn it all later."

"But... everybody's looking at us!" Kreet protested. "Can't we go around back or something?"

"You will not set foot inside my property until you're cleaned up. Not one foot!"

"It's my property," Kreet said under her breath, but she knew Marge was right.

She looked to Sigmundurr, who was already stripping. He obviously would have no problem.

"Well, I guess we get to introduce ourselves to the neighbors a little early?" Kallid said hopefully.

A crowd was gathering, and Kreet realized that she might as well take the opportunity. By now the rumors of the kobolds in the Inn must have been rampant anyway.

"Hi everybody," she said. More than a few gasps were heard in the crowd.

"Yes, we can talk," Kallid followed her, just to clear up any doubt.

"Look," Kreet continued, "We know you don't see many kobolds around here like us. And apparently none that can speak your language. But we promise you we're... civilized. I'm Kreet, and this is Kallid, my husband."

"Husband?" she heard one of the women repeat.

"Yes, and dutifully married. And that big man over there is our friend, Sigmundurr."

"What religion would kobolds be married under?" said another.

"Well, in fact we were married by a goddess named Elistraee. A goddess of the Drow in fact, but..."

That set a good number of them grumbling, but the crowd was growing. She saw faces looking out of windows in the building across from them now.

"It's not like that! In fact, I am a Cleric of Pelor. I know you might not believe it now, but I am! And in the coming months I hope to prove it to you."

"Why are you covered in shit?" asked a young man, maybe still a kid. But it set everyone laughing, and for that at least Kreet was grateful. Mentioning Dark Elves, even if true, wasn't a popular thing to say here.

"Thats..." she began, but Kallid tapped her shoulder and she saw Marge was now waiting on the balcony with a bucket. "That's a bit of a story that I'd like to tell you. However, before I can do that, I have to take a shower with my friends here. I don't mind telling you that we are not the type of people... well, we ARE people. Just kobold people! Anyway, we're not the kind of people that go outside naked normally. Really we're not! But, as this man here so honestly observed, we are currently covered in shit. And frankly I'd rather stand in front of you wet and naked than continue to stand here like this. And so..."

She took off her clothes as quickly and as un-provocatively as she could manage and moved to stand under Marge.

"So yes, I now stand before you, a naked kobold woman. But at least I'll soon not be covered in shit. As I'll explain shortly though, I would like to point out that it's your shit I'm covered in!"

With that, a bucket of blessedly clean water rained down over her head and she rubbed herself clean as best she could. By the time the second bucket began, she felt her sense of smell returning. It was a psychological blessing only though. At least she knew the odor was no longer coming directly from her, but from the dirty water than ran to the curb much too slowly.

Kallid went last as Kreet accepted a towel from overhead and dried herself off, no longer caring that she was naked in front of strangers. The towel may have been threadbare and worn, but it smelled like the cleanest thing she had ever smelled.

Kallid directed the second bucketfull into his mouth as he coughed and spat it back out, rinsing and gargling. That set the kids across the street to laughing and he smiled weakly as a towel was dropped down to him finally as well.

By now the crowd was beginning to make themselves comfortable, sitting and watching this spectacle, but they seemed now to be less offended and more genial.

Kreet wrapped the towel around herself and continued her little speech.

"Now, let me tell you why we were covered in your shit. I am told that some thirty years ago, your sewers stopped working. I am also told this neighborhood was once a thriving district in the city. I don't need to tell you that it has gone downhill ever since."

A murmur of assent rolled through the people.

"Well, today Kallid, Sigmundurr and myself have repaired that sewer. Your bathrooms and toilets won't work right now - they're too clogged up. But the main lines beyond are now cleared. The drainage from the streets will work again. In time you can clear up your clogged pipes as well. But to prove what I tell you is true, I invite you all to come into the Inn. Give us till sunset to clean ours up, but ours are now working. And until we can get the rest of yours going... well, you're welcome to shit in ours!"

A minor cheer went up through the crowd and Kreet smiled inwardly. This might just work! She was afraid the next statement might be too much for them, but she decided to hazard it anyway. She was on a roll.

"And with this minor miracle from the Lord of Light, Pelor, we'd like to invite you to a re-opening of the Inn as well. Not tonight - we haven't even begun to get things back in order - but we will, and as fast as we can. We're going to rename the inn too. From now on it's no longer the Shining Skink. It will now be known as...

She thought rapidly, realizing she was going too fast. She hadn't thought this through as well as she should have. Her instinct was to rename it the Wicked Kobold as a way of perhaps finding someone who actually would recognize the name and help in her search for her old life. But no, she was embarking on a new life. Besides, the name had a negative connotation which - as a devotee of the Lord of LIght - she knew she shouldn't promote. The Naked Kobold would certainly be appropriate, given what her neighbors had just been witness to.

But no. Not even that felt right. She needed something that would be seen as positive. She needed these people to see her and Kallid not as monsters, but as something safe - even cute. It wouldn't give them the respect they deserved, but she couldn't demand too much when they were still strangers here.

The children had the answer. In their innocence, they hadn't looked at her as frightening at all. They had had the right name...

"The Baby Dragon Inn!"