"Why do they always gotta send the Rakin?" Morgan asked himself as he climbed down the sewer grate.
His paw-like hands grasped each rung of the service ladder as his small raccoon-like frame descended into the city maintenance tunnel. It was sweltering in the tunnel. It was mostly due to the steam pipelines running under the city, especially when some of them would randomly blast hot steam through the exhaust valves to relieve pressure.
A Rakin is a beast-like creature from the nature plane of existence, known as the Faeywilds. Some had crossed over from the Faeywilds via a magic gate early in the creation of this world known as Koruo. Not a common race, the Rakin are rare and widely unheard of. Morgan was one of the few in the city of Linava.
Linava, the floating city, powered through magic and science floated above the land of Valoria, a nation in the middle of Koruo.
" Couldn't Gnomish Piping Inc. at least hire a team? If it's so dangerous why am I the only one going into the tunnels?". He asked himself as he began looking for the leaking mana valve.
" How are you doing down there Morgan?" His gnomish supervisor called down from the maintenance hatch as Morgan grabbed a wrench out of his belt to loosen a valve.
"Alright down here. No sign of the elemental and I'm diverting the Mana now," Morgan replied.
Mana piping was a tricky business. The mages needed a constant flow throughout the city to keep the gargantuan island the city floated atop of staying in the air. As a byproduct of Mana piping, the Mana tended to leak in the underground tunnels, producing elementals of a different variety.
Today, Morgan had been briefed, a Mana leak birthed an earth elemental in the tunnels. Luckily it wasn't his job to deal with that big monster. He only had to divert the Mana flow to a bypass to keep the lower quarter of the city from falling out of the sky, Though none would have minded if the lower quarter disappeared. Except perhaps Morgan himself, after all, he did live there.
Hissing began coming out a few pipes above Morgan and a low rumble could be felt. Morgan quickened his pace, quickly shutting off valves and redirecting steam flow to a bypass.
"Only one more valve to go," Morgan said as he quickly fastened the wrench.
The valve was stuck and he was struggling to break it loose. The rumbling was getting louder. Struggling he put all his weight into the valve. It creaked slightly and finally loosened.
" Morgan! I'd get outta there before that elemental compacts you," His supervisor yelled.
Quickly, Morgan finished un-tightening the final valve. The rumble seems to be getting closer. Shuddering pipes began shooting scalding hot steam across the tunnel. Effectively cutting Morgan off from the maintenance ladder.
"Damn it!" Morgan exclaimed." Captain, I can't get through! Hot steam!"
The rumbling grew closer, shaking up more of the pipes.
"You'll have to find another exit, We'll try to distract the elemental!" The captain yelled.
Morgan quickly turned around to see a rock elemental rolling its way through the pipes and ducts, causing multiple pipes to burst to spew water, steam, and Mana. Morgan quickly ran towards a nearby connecting tunnel. Behind him, he heard the gnomes shouting trying to coax the elemental towards them. The elemental had ignored them and gone after Morgan though.
Morgan nimbly squeezed in-between the various pipes and valves as he searched for an escape route. The elemental not far behind was barreling through the pipes busting them and spraying hot steam and Mana everywhere. Suddenly a large rock flew past him and burst a sewage pipe in front of him. The water poured out of the pipe, dousing Morgan.
"Disgusting," Morgan said as he continued running.
Morgan continued running through various tight niches in the piping system. Each time he thought he'd lost the elemental it would burst through the ground not far behind him.
" I need to slow it down somehow," He said to himself as he ducked a stone hurled at him by the elemental.
Morgan quickly ran down the tunnel looking around for anything to help him. He passed a water pressure release port. Skidding to a halt, he pulled out his wrench from his belt and quickly began loosening the valve.
"This better work!" He yelled, mostly to himself.
Waiting for the elemental to appear Morgan watched as the release port began dripping water onto the tunnel floor, one more good turn on the valve would release a geyser of water.
The earth elemental turned down the tunnel and barreled towards him.
"Not yet... Not yet... Now!" Morgan yelled as he pressed all his weight into the wrench, turning the valve to full open. The water, from the release port, slammed into the earth elemental pinning it against the wall. Its sandy earthen body lost mass as the water washed parts of it away, leaving a stone humanoid pinned.
"Yes!" Morgan exclaimed triumphantly.
The water started to lose pressure. Morgan's eyes grew wide and quickly he turned and ran down the tunnel.
He was almost to the maintenance hatch, a few more turns, and a long stretch and he was home free. As he ran he could hear the elemental stomping it's way through the tunnels behind him.
Morgan made the last turn and could see the maintenance ladder. The hatch was even starting to open. He looked back and saw the elemental was gaining on him.
" Run!" His captain yelled as he stuck his head into the tunnel through the maintenance hatch.
I better be getting paid hazard pay for this, Morgan thought to himself.
Morgan was about thirty feet from the entrance when the elemental slammed him into the tunnel wall. Consciousness was slowly beginning to slip away for Morgan. He felt as if a giant had thrown him down a mountain.
"Shit, Morgan is down! Someone tell the summoner to hurry it up!" The gnome captain yelled as He jumped down into the tunnel.
Morgan was nearly unconscious as he tried to crawl towards the exit ladder. The elemental was lifting its boulder-like foot to squish Morgan. His captain's hand grabbed Morgan's leather harness strapped to his body and quickly pulled him from beneath the stomping boulder, being dragged by his captain, Morgan watched the elemental lift the foot for another try.
Luckily a runic circle lit up around the elemental's feet and in a blink of an eye, the elemental was gone. Morgan looked up to see his captain yelling and dragging him towards the ladder. At the top of the ladder, a purple and white-robed figure held a small stone. The figure disappeared as Morgan's vision started turning black.