The Stray

2-37: Sewers and Slimes

"Are we allowed to do this...?" Timothy asked as V hefted up the manhole lid with barely a grunt. He braced himself for true nasal agony, but it mostly just smelled humid. "I mean, it was locked."

"And I snagged a key! It's fiiiiine." V waved him off with a grin. "Ain't like Craw wants this to be his problem."

"And I surely do." Timothy grumbled under his breath. He'd changed out of his dress into some of V's junkier clothes, and he felt ridiculous. Her shirt went down to his knees and then some, and it was tied around him with a cord belt so it would be less baggy.It was gonna fall right off him if he stepped wrong, an' was already showin' off his shoulder. With a growl, he cast his fifth sticking spell to try and glue it back on.

V hadn't changed, though... Because he was going into the sewers alone. He gave her a grouchy look.

"Look, I can't fit down there." V explained hastily. "I'm about half again as tall and wide as they're built for, t'say nothing of weight." She was pretty huge. His annoyance softened just a touch.

"You called ahead while I was changing, right?"

"Yeah, I called Cassie. Everyone who needs to know you're there will." She grimaced. "I asked'em to keep it mum, but..."

"Slimes. Right." Timothy sighed and rubbed his nose. "Alright, level with me. Is this safe?"

"The sewers are safe!" Her face didn't make it look safe. She caught his skeptical look and huffed. "They're just gross, okay? Your only worry's what'll happen when you catch up with our friend."

The wolf sighed, and counted off the rules on his fingers. "No killing, no maiming, no cursing, no threats of violence... Unless our friend shoots me first, I assume."

"Right. Now, I'm supposed to stick by ya, so I'm gonna go ahead and put a walkie talkie spell on us, okay?" She put both hands out, and focused. A little nimbus of energy formed, and flew to land lightly on his left ear. It grew a sort of tendril of light close to his mouth, before vanishing. She made another for herself. "There." Timothy jumped as her voice came from around his ear.

"Oh, I never learned this one." Timothy smiled a little. "Is it, like, aether, sound, and... memory?"

"Mostly, yeah. I'll teach ya later. Oh, and before I forget..." V wove a spell quickly, a sort of shimmer of white and blue energy, which rushed at Timothy. He knew a blessing when he saw one, so he let the spell take him, and the spell soaked into his fur and clothes like cool water. "And this?"

"Filth ward. Y'still won't want to step in anything. Lemme make you a filter mask spell too—"

"No need." Timothy wove a wind mask of his own. "Safe, is it?"

V crossed her arms. "Alright, look, man, if you want to breathe sewer gases..."

The witch held his hands up. "No, no, I'm good. Is that everything?"

"Yeah... listen, I'd be right there with ya if I could fit, I promise," the dragoness sighed. "This is all for the good of the town and your spiders and—"

Timothy's scowl softened. "I know. Sorry for grousing— ain't no point complainin' when a job's gotta get done. And hey," he even smirked, "Can't be worse than the Snarling Groves. Cover me, hun." He addressed that last part to Mandy, who was wrapped in a magic bubble. With that, Timothy clambered down into the sewers.

++++++

The wolf had expected squalor, and stink, and frankly untenable levels of filth. Both because, duh, and because of V's own reactions. He'd felt a little naked coming in here in moccasins and wards instead of good, honest boots!