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An hour later the issue was still unresolved, but Kreet, Kallid and Sigmundurr were at last alone in their room and able to talk privately again.

"Do you smell that?" Kallid was saying as he sniffed at the air.

Kreet smiled at him so that he would take her next words better than they might sound. "Kally, I smell so many things I don't want to think about I can't count them all. Which one are you referring to?"

"Mold. Rot. This room may look okay for now, but it's not."

"At least know what you're getting yourself into, Kreet," Sigmundurr added. "Let's go see how bad it is before you take this on. I don't think Pelor has anything to do with this place!"

Kallid continued, "Besides, where would we even start? It's like she said, if you had unlimited money and could get the building fully working again, what good would that be here in the slums? Kreet, to make this work we have to fix the entire neighborhood!"

Kreet looked at him for a long time. While Kallid hadn't known his wife for long, he had begun to read her mood already. She was thinking of something.

"What?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

"You're right. When you're on a sinking ship, the very first thing you have to do is plug the leak before you start bailing the water out that's already gotten in. I was thinking the leak was the roof here, but I wasn't thinking big enough. The ship isn't this building, it's the entire neighborhood. And the leak isn't in this building. It's below it."

Kallid's eyes widened, but Sigmundurr wrinkled his nose.

"Oh gods, don't tell me we're going to go down there!"

"She said the whole thing really started when the sewers stopped working."

"Kreet," Kallid said, his expression now more worried than ever. "You have no idea what's..."

"No, you're right. I don't. Look, it's just an idea, but it's the best one I've got. I'm willing to listen to others."

"You could go see the Bishop," Kallid suggested.

"In due time. But not yet. Kally, I feel drawn to do this - to help these people. If I can do that, maybe we can stay here - at least till the kids are hatched. Then we can move on. It may not be Pelor's will to do this, but it is my will. These people live worse than my clan did in the caverns, and it seems pretty clear that whoever is running this city doesn't care. At least we can go down and see what we can see. Maybe it's hopeless, but it can't hurt to find out."

"The hell it can't," Sigmundurr stood. "Look, if you want to do this, I'll be there with you - but the sewers of a city aren't a place for defenseless..."

Suddenly he went stiff.

"Defenseless?" Kreet smiled. "Who saved your ass from that giant spider?"

She let his mouth free.

"Okay, I get it. You did. Alright, you've made your point. You are determined to do this. It's your life, after all. You know I'm out when Elistraee comes back."

"Judging by the weight of my womb, I think I've probably got another month or two at least before that happens. So I think you're stuck with me," she said, freeing him from the spell.

"Okay. If the sisters are willing to sell, we'll see what we can do, right? If they don't, we'll leave the damn sewers alone."

Kreet shook her head.

"Oh damn. You're getting all goody-goody again aren't you? Where's the Kreet that fucked a bartender while drunk?"

"Hey!" Kallid complained.

"No one is perfect," Kreet smiled back, and kissed Kallid. "But I certainly don't regret it! Besides, you knew I was a cleric when you decided to come with me."

Sigmundurr grumbled. "Yeah. But i don't have to like it."

*********************

Marge was in the barroom when Kreet came down early the next morning while Sigmundurr and Kallid were still sleeping.

"Sleep well?"

Kreet shrugged. "Well enough. Have you thought about my proposal?"

"I have. I also have to tell you, you're making a mistake here. But I'm prepared to take advantage of your mistake. I'm not without ethics, though. I'll stay on here to help out as best I can. You at least need to meet my suppliers - thieves that they are. And Big Jake will be here in a few days. He may be your biggest problem."

"Can I meet with his boss instead?"

"His boss? Hell, I've never even met his boss. Not his REAL boss. You think he's going to come down here to the slums to meet a kobold?"

Kreet shrugged. "Worth a try. I'll ask Big Jake when we meet."

"You... really don't understand how things work here, Kreet."

"You're right. And I'll gladly take your help. But for now, I have another question. How do I get into the sewers?"

Marge looked at her oddly. "The sewers? How the hell would I know?"

"Well, it stands to reason there must be some way down there. Also, where can I get a map of them?"

"Kreet, I don't know what you're thinking, but I told you the sewers are broken around here. Have been for years. I hate to imagine what it must be like down there."

Kreet smiled. "I'll let you know."

Marge's eyes fairly bulged from her head. "You're going down there?! You're one crazy lizard. Look, get me my 10 gold before you go at least."

"Afraid I may not come back?"

"More afraid you will - without showering first. You need City Maintenance. But you need to be a citizen to even get in the door - let alone being... like you are. I'll go. Sybil will be down in a little bit."

"Thanks Marge," Kreet said, and Marge stood up.

"Can I get you something?" she asked, and Kreet was suddenly struck by the incongruity of the question. A human, in a human city, waiting on a kobold.

"I thought you said there was no service here," Kreet smiled.

"For a customer, there isn't. But for the owner of the Shining Skink...You go get me that 10 gold, I'll get you all breakfast."

Kreet nodded and went back upstairs. She returned with Kallid, having woken him when she got out the gold pieces from her dwindling pouch.

"Ah, the little 'bold too," said Sybil who was waiting when they got back. "Marge is making you breakfast."

Kreet took out the 10 gold, stacked it up, and slid it across the table to Sybil. "I need a bill of sale, signed by both of you."

"Can't write.. Marge can. An X okay? And you'll need to get an official stamp from the city for it to be legal. That'll cost you too. You really going into the sewers?"

"I really am. Can Marge get that while she's at the City Maintenance department for us?"

"Shouldn't be any problem. When she gets back from there, I'm heading home - to where my mom lives that is."

Marge came back carrying two plates, and sat them in front of Kreet and Kallid.

"Oh! What's this?" Kallid asked, not recognizing some of what was on the plate.

"Beans. Beans and eggs and a little bread and cheese. Sorry, not exactly a full menu these days, little man," Marge smiled, as much at the pile of gold coins as at the little kobold.

Kallid stood up out of his chair, a look of anger on his face.

"Now look, I know I'm smaller than you. I'm smaller than Kreet. I'm smaller than everybody here, but I'm no child! And I'm getting a little tired of being treated like one!"

"Sorry... Kallid, right?" Marge said, sitting beside her sister. "How old are you Kallid?"

Kallid sulked but didn't answer.

Kreet answered instead. The two women looked back at her husband.

"Hey, kobolds grow up faster than you humans! It's perfectly adult for us!"

"He's right about that," Kreet assured them. "Trust me. These little ones in my belly are growing like weeds too! I can almost feel them already."

She put her hands on her abdomen to demonstrate, then suddenly realized that she actually could feel them! It was a revelation that both thrilled and frightened her. Combining both the internal sense with her fingers, she could actually tell where her children were within her.

But something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Kallid!" she said, "I can feel them!"

But again Kallid could see that her look wasn't just the excitement of being able to feel her children within her. "What? What's wrong?"

"There are three," she said, letting the fact hang in the air.

She mustered a weak smile finally, and Kallid mimicked it back to her.

"Sorry Kreet. I didn't know! That night... I just assumed... Well hell, I don't know anything about female stuff!"

Kreet took his hand and patted it, assuring him she wasn't mad. "I guess I can get more pregnant."