"BEHOLD," The Poodle yaps, "THE WRATH OF KELSEY VAN KABRIL!"

{Uh-oh} Francisco thinks. {That doesn't sound good}

A small ring of flame erupts around the Kitsune, and starts to burn outwards.
One second.

The five-tailed fox looks down, transfixed by it.

The Poodle mage howls, scooping the flames around her into a ball that she flings towards the Kitsune.
Two seconds.

Francisco stares at the fireball and steps backwards off the platform and down the hole.

The burning sphere streaks towards the base of the structure.
Three Seconds.

Everything…

* * * E X P L O D E S * * *

The Kitsune is falling as the ball of fire hits the base of the platform. It is hidden from his sight by the boxes labeled 'Explosives'; The flame he can see, the expanding ring of fire, reaches the insides of those same crates at precisely the same moment. The five-tailed fox has the presence of mind to grab the rope as he drops beneath the street and explosion detonates around him. The heavy ceramic cover slams shut above him, cutting off the blast that shoots down around his hands. Tongues of flame still penetrate the perforations in the lid as the fox tumbles downward amidst the smells gunpowder and burnt fur.

The charred rope breaks from the Kitsune's weight, and his fall is abruptly stopped by the impact with the catwalk – just what Kelsey said would happen.

Francisco uuhhhs, shaking off the dizziness in his head caused by the fall. He looks around, not able to make out that much in the darkness, and puts a hand down on the platform to help himself up. "Ow!" he yelps, and puts that paw under his armpit. Feels a little burned.

The fox looks upwards. At least, he thinks that direction is up. He can just about make out the sounds from up above.

There is little to see, even after the Kitsune's eyes adjust to the darkness. A bit of light filters down through the holes in the sewer cover, enough to illuminate the catwalk directly below. The ceiling seems to be doomed, and unreachable. A piece of white in the black is on one of the handrails. Beneath the Kitsune, is the faint slurp of slow moving liquid, and not very far below, if the smell is any indication.

Picking himself up to his feet, Francisco looks around at the place. (I'm beginning to really hate these sewers,) he muses, wrinkling his nose up at the pungent smell below him. He walks carefully towards to the handrails, where the white object appears to be.

Two steps brings the Kitsune to the piece of paper. Kelsey's instructions were to run in the direction indicated; perhaps the Poodle didn't realize how dark it would be with the cover closed. There is just enough light to find the paper, not enough to read it.

Francisco strains his eyes, but cannot make out anything on the paper. He looks around, to forwards, and behind him, wondering which way to go. After pausing for a second or two, he continues down the catwalk at a brisk pace.

(I had to come this way to get this note,) Francisco thinks on his way. (I guess she would have left it on the way out?)

The light disappears behind the Kitsune. There is darkness, nothing else. He has to feel with his hands along the railings, and hope they are an indicator of what the catwalk will do. Slimy, soft objects flatten and smear under the kitsune's paws – some sort of residue on the bars. Perhaps it is best that there is no light to see exactly what it might be.

Slowly the five-tailed fox comes to the realization that he isn't alone. His sharp ears pick out the sounds of movement that isn't caused by his actions.

Francisco stops, and just listens for a moment, keeping quite still.

From all around the Kitsune comes the noise of tiny bodies scraping across stone and each other, with an encompassing clicking sound.

The sound makes the fox very uncomfortable, and he turns around, more than thinking about heading back the way he came from.

Visions of bugs to accompany those noises fill the fox's head. Large bugs, small bugs, all kinds. Their long multiple legs, hard bodies, with multifaceted eyes and waving feelers all advancing on him in the darkness. Each sound becomes a nightmarish insect with an attraction for fox fur. The darkness makes it impossible to tell how far away they are. It could be several meters… or… right there!

Something small and light skitters across the Kitsune's left hand.

Francisco yelps!! and shakeshakes his left hand, trying to get whatever it is off him. At the same time he tries to get back where he came from, trying hard not to slip, or step on anything.

The tiny attacker is dislodged as the Kitsune flings his arm around. Rushing back the way he came proves easy, though it is impossible to avoid stepping in, or touching things, in the absolute darkness. The five-tailed fox's feet squish through unknown substances, as his hands drag back through the goo on the handrails. Soon he has managed to return to the small platform that broke his original fall.

The multi-tailed fox doesn't stop at the platform, but instead carries straight on down the other tunnel, hoping this leads to the way out.

Francisco grumbles about that mage on his way. (So, she doesn't blow me up. Well, good. So she leaves me trapped in here instead? With BUGS) He feels like screaming.

Darkness claims the Kitsune once more, as he follows the wooden rails. After several panting steps, he realizes his breathing sounds much louder. Reaching out past the bars, the fox encounters a stone wall. A few steps further, and the rails disappear on either side. The catwalk has ended at a tunnel.

The Kitsune sighs. He tries to peer into the tunnel to see if he can get any clue to where it goes.

If anything, the stench of the sewer is a little less overwhelming in this direction; there is no light however, so somewhere is the best destination the Kitsune can determine by looking.

Francisco starts off down the tunnel, keeping his ears pricked for any bug-type sound.

No sounds come to the Kitsune's ears, except the quiet echoes of his own footfalls.

Continuing onward, Francisco is not sure whether silence is good or not. He decides on 'good', for now.

The next noise the Kitsune hears is the loud CRACK of his skull against stone as he walks into a wall directly ahead.

Francisco yelps! again. He didn't see that one coming, but then he can't see much at all down here.

The kitsune feels around to see if this wall is just a low ceiling, or a real wall.

His fingers tell him that it is in fact a wall, and that the passage has split in a T junction. The thought crosses the Kitsune's mind that he may have missed other side passages in his dark travel. A slight breeze comes from the right hand passage, the left hand one contains only still air. Mercifully, there are not further sounds, and the ceiling seems to be maintaining it's height.

(I think I'll take… Tunnel number one,) Francisco thinks, and feels his way into the right hand passage.

The passage continues. It's hard to get an idea of progress, nothing can be seen in the darkness, the walls remain featureless, time passes, but it is difficult to determine how much. If anything there seems to be a slight decrease in the smell of the sewers, though even that could be attributed to a declining sensitivity. Finally, one of the walls vanishes, and from the sound, the Kitsune has emerged into a large room which has a ledge near the wall, and a drop-off.

"This is ridiculous," remarks Francisco out loud. "How by Inari's name am I meant to find my way out of this maze?"

This is ridiculous…

… This is ridiculous…

… This is ridiculous

The grand dark room mocks the Kitsune.

Francisco grumbles, and tries to feel how far this ledge goes around.

The ledge would seem to continue. There are no corners to the room, instead just a slight curve. Soon, the Kitsune reaches some steps, going down.

Francisco dutifully follows the steps down, being very careful in feeling his way down.

Ten steps down, the Kitsune feels a warm splash ahead of his foot, as the staircase descends below the 'water' level.

Cursing quietly, Francisco stops and backs up a few steps, and sits on one of them, cradling his muzzle in his paws. "This is not good."

That was not a good idea either, as the fox squelches the residue on his palms against his lips.

Francisco gacks and spits, and rubs his muzzle against his arm fur. He is confused, and annoyed. No way forward, and icky bugs on the way back.

Strangely, the substance on the Kitsune's hands and face isn't what you would expect to find in a sewer. It smells almost pleasant, at least, pleasant in comparison to what it could be. The aroma resembles… laundry soap?

Yet, as good smelling as it may be, it's not nice to taste. "So," the kitsune says quietly. "I've found the sewer below the local laundry. Great."

Francisco still doesn't believe this helps him much.

A faint sound echoes in the room, splashing. It's difficult to determine where its coming from, or what might be making it. It could be something small swimming nearby, or something much larger moving closer.

The kitsune still decides the best option is to wait, and listen. Especially when he's not sure which way to make a retreat.

A point across from where the Kitsune is sitting seems to be getting brighter. As the noise increases, gradually so does the light, until the curving stones of a sewage passage are illuminated. Not long after, a flat-bottomed boat emerges, gliding along with a fluorescent lantern swaying on a long pole.

The fox on the steps rrrs? He waits a couple of seconds more to see if he can see if the boat is manned. And if so, who is manning it.

Strange misshapen rubbery figures sit hunched on the boat, staring at the gunnel. One also stands at the rear, poling it along and adjusting the tiller. A low murmuring comes from the seated forms, which have their bulbous heads held touching against each other.

Francisco considers his options. Call out for help, or let them go and wait for another. "Hey! Over here!!" he calls out. (Knowing buses back home, one wouldn't be along for ages)

"What?" A figure sits up, and turns on one 'eye' of his head, which is in fact a light. "It's agood thing you came down here to meet us, you nearly missed your shift you know R… oh, you're not him. You're some other fox."

"Um, yeah," Francisco calls back. "But I could still do with some help of getting out of here!"

"Oh. I thought you came down for some peace and quiet or something… well, we can give you a lift, but you'll have to sit through the whole shift. We just got started… " The figure in the rubber suit explains.

"Shift?" the Kitsune asks. "You're not a rescue party then?"

Francisco then wonders why someone would send a rescue party. He's just been 'blown up' after all.

"No, we're Maintenance team #13, and we're a few personnel short today. None of the Exiles showed." As the boat draws closer the five-tailed fox can see that this figure at least, is an older Jupani. Its difficult to determine what the others might be, as all their features are hidden by their protective suits. Only the open faceplace of the wolf reveals him.

"Ah, well, sorry to hear that. Maybe they were sick or something?" Francisco suggests. "How long is your shift anyway? I guess I could sit through it."

The boat bumps against the steps. The figure at the back walks forward to where he(presumably) will be able to push it free afterwards. "It's eight hours. You could wait here if you like, it probably would smell better, but we don't always come back the same way… "

"Er, well." Francisco considers his options. "Unless you know of a quicker way out of here?"

The wolf pauses to think, tapping a hand against an emergency inflation tab. "Well… you go up those steps you're on, follow the ledge around and down the passage. You pass… three. Yes, three side tunnels, avoid those. You're looking for one that ends in a catwalk across a wide open room. Now, there's a lid in there, but you can't get to it. Further, oh I'd say 10 minutes walk, there should be a ladder."

"Wasn't that one bricked over?" One of the other huddled figures asks, the voice oddly muffled by the helmet.

That sounds like the first passage he tried. "Um, have you got room in your boat? I think I'll tag along," the Kitsune replies after a moment.

The Jupani shakes his head, "No, you're thinking of access grate #37, over on Treetoe street." He turns back to the Kitsune, holding out a hand. "Welcome aboard, try not to touch anything and things should go fine."

Francisco looks at the various smelly things in the boat. There's not much he really does want to touch in here.

A space is made for the Kitsune. The Poleman pushes the boat away from e wall, and directs it towards another tunnel that opens just under the stairs. As the light fades from the room, the voice of the Jupani can be heard growing fainter with it. "Hey, you've got some soap. Better try and save that, there's a scarcity of it. You know, something about you tells me that sewers are a comfortable place for you. You relaxed about being down here. I'd bet my tail this isn't the first time you've been down here; oh wait you're a fox, make that second time you've been down here. Have you ever considered a job in sewer maintenance… "