Cursing slightly as he stumbled through the relentless dark, Lawrence felt about on the dusty stone beneath his feet and at last came up with some manner of wood clutched in one fist. Rooting through the pockets of his violet overcoat with the other hand, the mercenary came up with a small box that would have shone crimson had the chamber any light, and flipping it open he thrust the tip of the stick into the box. When he withdrew it, it was aflame, spreading light all throughout the spacious antechamber. Behind him, Domingo sneezed sand out of his nose; Lawrence replaced the pyri box in its pocket near his hip.
"Come on, you," he said over his shoulder to the sputtering treasure hunter, not bothering to keep the irritation from his voice anymore. "You wanted to have a look around, so you can just lead the way." And thrusting the burning pitch into Domingo's hand, Lawrence shoved his comrade down the gaping hallway ahead of them.
After traversing the gradually downward-sloping corridor they came into a much wider cavern, this one set high above a lake of glutinous magma; all that separated the pair of them from certain fiery doom was a series of interweaving walkways that were scattered pell-mell about the chamber. Domingo paused for a moment, weighing their many options with a glance, then continued on his way, veering off to the left. Interested to see how little time it would take his companion to get them lost, Lawrence merely followed silently.
They had reached a ladder; Domingo dropped the torch down to the suspended walkway below, then climbed down quickly to retrieve it. They were now only five feet or so from the frothing lava; every so often a pool of it would burst from the heat, littering the stone walkway with flecks of the steaming stuff.
At the other end of the immense chamber Domingo climbed up again, makeshift torch clamped precariously in his teeth, and Lawrence was already shaking his head bemusedly. Had they not just climbed down? But as they crested the ladder he saw that the platform they had entered upon did not come even close to the one they now stood on; the path snaked out before them, and disappeared into the darkness of another hallway.
Casting the torchlight upon the walls they found that the hallway led away to the right, and with caution in their steps they continued down another slightly downward-sloping corridor. The air felt close upon them as they descended, and then Domingo halted quite suddenly, causing Lawrence to smash into his back.
"What are you doing?" asked the helmsman tersely, but Domingo held up a hand and motioned for Lawrence to be silent.
"Do you hear something?"
Sure enough, now that Domingo had mentioned it, Lawrence could hear something. . . a distant rumbling, growing louder all the while. He turned quickly - just in time to see a massive boulder spinning down the pathway toward them.
"MOVE!" cried Lawrence, plowing Domingo in the back with a shoulder, and dropping the pitiful torch the treasure hunter sprinted down the hall away from the rolling stone. Lawrence continued to cast feverish glances over his shoulder, gauging the meager distance between him and the enormous rock, and when he turned his head forward he would shout for Domingo to pick up the pace.
At last the hallway leveled out and emptied into yet another chamber; they dove for cover on either side of the door, just as the boulder trundled past. There they slouched for many minutes, Lawrence panting, Domingo clutching a stitch in his side and wheezing.
Luckily they no longer needed the forgotten torch, for the chambers far below ground were lit with torches set in ornate wall sconces. Ahead a harsh ruby light glanced off all the walls, and the temperature seemed to be rising even though they were descending all the while; beckoning to Lawrence, Domingo moved ahead.
Author's Note: I put emphasis on the boulder in this chapter, because Lady Lanet specifically requested it. You were right - it was fun.
Meowzy-chan: Glad it holds your interest! I'll try to cook up something with Alfonso in it, since you requested it.
The Right Hand of Fate: You're right on both accounts; while I'm not 100 certain that Lawrence's sword is indeed a broadsword, it is a sword, heh. And Alfonso does carry a rapier. Thank you for your help. Aww...and the last bit of your review made me blush. You're very kind. It helps that the chapters are so short.
SilverKidia: Welcome aboard! Glad you like it!
Lady Lanet: I agree: Domingo is very sexy with a crossbow. Then again, he's sexy without it. Hope the boulder scene was up to your standards.
That's it for now. Enjoy!