With a tremendous crash, a large hole opened up in the hull of the ship.

Instantly, the lower deck began to fill with water.

Kawao and Koru took a deep breath and dove through the freshly opened hole.

They had to be quick in the water.

They searched for an entrance to the sewer system.

Koru nudged him lightly and pointed to something nearby.

A metal grate.

They had to go through there.

With a small burst of energy, Kawao shot towards the grate.

He tried to slide through, but the bars were too close together.

With a bit more energy, he bent the bars slightly apart and finally managed to squeeze through.

Koru followed shortly after.

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After swimming a bit further, they surfaced.

All at once, they inhaled the sewage-polluted air and nearly vomited.

But their will was stronger than their gag reflex, and with one last pull, they dragged themselves out of the filthy water onto the walkways along the sides of the canal.

After a short break, they stood up and looked around.

Ahead of them, the path split in two directions.

"Which one should we take?" Kawao asked.

"It doesn't matter! As long as we don't end up in the army headquarters, we're fine!"

They decided to take the left path.

As they trudged through the canals, they kept changing directions, but eventually, they came to a dead end.

"What now?"

"There!"

Koru pointed to a barely visible ladder that clung to the wall.

They slowly climbed up, with Kawao going first to lift the cover at the exit.

When they reached the exit, he gathered some strength and lifted it very slowly and carefully.

"And? Do you see anything?"

"It looks like some kind of side alley. I can't see anyone! It looks safe."

He slowly pushed the cover aside and quietly climbed out.

After Koru made it out as well, he closed the cover over the hole.

They breathed a sigh of relief.

They had made it to Kurani without any problems.

The side street they were in seemed very deserted.

Trash was scattered everywhere, and one side was separated from the rest of the street by a metal fence.

On the other side, they could see some people walking along a clearly busier street.

"We should try to blend in with the crowd and find a way out of the city," Koru suggested.

Just as they were about to move, they heard a voice behind them.

"Who are you two?"