[C-rank Mission] A Messy Backup

Mission Info:

Indra's sandals scraped against the concrete at the bottom of the ladder as he touched down in the sewers. Immediately the smell overwhelmed him and he began gagging, reaching for the cloth he wore around his neck and pulling it up over his face. It didn't do much to block the smell or contaminates, but the sewer workers he had met with earlier and sprayed some fresh smelling lavender or lilac into the mask and told him it would help. In some ways, it had as he didn't only smell raw sewage. Instead it now smelled as though someone had consumed a huge lilac bush...and promptly shit it all out. It didn't block the smell so much as...differentiate it and make something new out of it. Imagine being one of those shinobi trackers with a heightened sense of smell. Bleh. He muttered to himself, his voice echoing down the sewer chamber. Thankfully Kohaigakure's sewer system wasn't some ancient, archaic tunnel network that had long been forgotten. The village did a good job of keeping up with it and chakra infused orbs lined the roof to provide plenty of light to anyone unfortunate enough to have to work down here, so Indra could see all the way down the tunnel to where it curved several hundred yards away. The sanitation worker who had prepped him for this job had said that normally there's a small river of sewage between the two concrete walkways and occassionally it even becomes so full it spills over the sides and onto the path. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case here today as the "river" that usually was there seemed to be little more than a trickle of nearly stagnant green-brown water. It was maybe an inch deep, barely coming up over the bottoms of Indra's sandals if he decided to walk in it...though why he would, who knows. Further down the tunnel, periodically there were arched metal bridges between the two walkways, allowing workers to cross without having to step foot in the actual sewage. Though the village had a great Medical Nin staff and even regular civilian doctors, the less infections they had to deal with, the better.

Well, no time like the present. Indra said with a sigh, his nose adjusting and beginning to try to ignore the smells that wafted through the tunnel. At least he had stopped gagging, but according to the map, the journey was a bit lengthy from his entry point and he was already getting tired of talking to himself. He moved the mask down for a moment, biting his finger and drawing a line of blood across the tattoo on his chest. In a puff of smoke, Durga appeared in her normal place, clinging to his shoulder, her tail wrapped around the back of his neck to secure her in place.
Hey boss! What's the job? Who are we- Durga paused, the smell clearly kicking in. Truth be told, Indra wasn't even sure salamanders could smell and in hind sight, if they could, it was probably somewhat mean to summon her just to keep him company.
BLAAAAARGGGHHH! Durga proclaimed, spewing syrup capture field all over the floor and Indra's feet. He sighed, channeling chakra to his feet so he could easily move across it before beginning to walk.
Sorry boss, wasn't expecting- hngh, she choked back more vomit, wasn't expecting the smell, ya know? Where the heck are we anyway? Durga asked, looking around curiously. Indra noted her usual purple color had taken on a bit of a greenish hue, similar to how some humans looked when they became nauseous or sea sick. How strange.
No need to apologize, I have only myself to blame. It was a little rude summoning you into this...mess. Indra said with a sigh, We're in Kohai's sewer system, apparently there's a large blockage down this path that they need help sorting out so everything runs...smoother. Indra informed her as they passed several branching tunnels, he regarded the map, making sure they weren't veering off course. The last thing he needed was to get lost down here, that would be unbearable.
Oh, huh. Okay boss. Durga said simply and very...unlike her. Indra glanced at her with a side eye, seeing a large, dopey grin on her face and felt her tail swish back and forth excitedly.
What?
Oh, nothing. The salamander's grin only grew deeper.
Duga. Indra said flatly.
Okay so here's the thing I was thinking about, boss. Get this, right? You usually summon me to put out fires or trap bad guys or something, right? Right?
Indra realized he was actually supposed to answer this, Right.
Well there are no bad guys here and I really hope there aren't any fires because ooooh weeee, we'd be in trouble. I can't think of what my techniques could possibly do to help you dislodge a large poo blockage.
I don't think it's fecal matter, I think it might be- Durga's tail wrapped around and covered Indra's mouth before he could finish.
Regardless, the point is you didn't summon me to help, boss. You summoned me because you wanted someone to chat with. You wanted me to chat with. Me, boss! Isn't that great? Don't worry, you don't have to say anything, I love you too. We're just the two best friends who anyone could ever have, huh? Shh that's okay, you don't have to answer.
Indra rolled his eyes, his mouth still covered by the salamander's tail. It wasn't worth the effort to try to correct her, truth be told. Besides, her delusions made her happy and they weren't exactly harmful...as far as Indra could tell, so he let her have them for the time being while they walked.

As they rounded the bend in the tunnel, they came upon the blockage. A large section of concrete had caved in, with smaller bits of rubble making a loose wall of debris that blocked most of the sewage from flowing. Streams broke through, trickling through the cracks here and there, but the majority of the tunnel was blocked off.
Ooooh weee, looks like you've got your work cut out for you, boss.
Looks that way, yes. Indra said with a sigh, heightening his chakra enhanced strength and getting to work smashing the top of the rubble. The concrete ground to dust beneath his fists and though it was long work, it wasn't exactly difficult. The hardest part was making sure he broke the right pieces to not cause the entire wall to break free and drown him in raw sewage. Several hours later he was done and the river of feces and waste was running freely, he was also thoroughly soaked in it. He sat on the edge, collecting himself before making the trek back out.
Good job boss, I'm impressed. The smell only got worse and you didn't pu- Indra promptly leaned out over the river of sewage and vomitted, finally succumbing to the smell.
There it is. Durga said with a rueful smile.

Words: 1154/1000

Approved