When Lawrence and Ilchymis had finally made their way down to the lower walkway, the three sprinted the length of the iron strip and pounded their way into the darkest depths of the mine. Down here, the floor was still the same stone-and-mud surface as it was naturally, and the corridors were lit with flaming torches, as opposed to the light fixtures that could be seen in the upper levels. Lawrence led them around a corner, where they came face-to-face with another four-man patrol party.
Domingo still had his crossbow out, and it only took him a moment to fit an arrow into the notch and let fly; the shot was awkward, though, as he had to lean around Lawrence, and it nicked off the soldier's faceplate, causing only minimal damage. That soldier was in the lead, and immediately sprang at Lawrence; the mercenary swept out his broadsword and parried his opponent's strike before lashing out himself. The strike penetrated the armor covering his adversary's midsection and bit into the flesh beneath, but he could not thrust the blow home.
But Ilchymis was standing by and had the time to prepare a deadly spell while his two comrades kept their attackers at bay, and from the back of the group he raised his arms skyward and shouted "Pyrum!". The force of the invocation sent a crackle of energy speeding through the corridor, and the ground on which the soldier's stood erupted with bubbling magma; Domingo and Lawrence leapt back with a yelp, and all four soldiers melted away into nothing. But Cupil rose up, tittering in alarm, and turning back the three saw another patrol party sprinting down the earthen slope to meet them.
They had been caught at unawares, and their pursuers knew it. Domingo dropped his crossbow to the ground and rushed forward to aid Ilchymis, who had no choice but to take a glancing blow to the shoulder and fall back with a cry; the treasure hunter just had time to draw out his kukris and rush into an attack, and his forward momentum cost him a blow at the back of his neck that nearly knocked him out. His curved knives drew two long lines of blood down the center of his attacker's chest, but the blows did not drop the man. Lawrence pivoted on the spot and lashed out, but missed badly; Ilchymis drew out a sacri crystal and dipped into it's healing powers.
Domingo's Gem of Fluidity increased his speed at just the right time, and he dodged around an attack that might have crippled him indefinitely; he hacked again with the kukris, and his enemy took a knee. With a word to Cupil, Ilchymis sent the Silvite creature into action; Cupil transformed into a club and bashed the kneeling soldier over the head, shattering his skull. Lawrence turned quickly, Warrior's Rune necklace gleaming a furious blue, and cleaved another soldier's skull in two, but the move exposed his back to another and he sustained a terrible blow between his shoulderblades.
At the back of the group, Ilchymis rose shakily and at last attempted to cast a spell. A minor flame spell licked the soldier's heels with tongues of flame, and while they were dancing around to avoid major burns Lawrence swept the legs out from beneath one with a low-swinging arc. Domingo dove back in, slashing furiously at the only soldier left on his feet, and while the kukris dug in deeper than they had during his previous attack his opponent somehow managed to keep his feet. But Cupil was there, ceaselessly aiding in the fray when he could, and the club-shaped creature smashed down on another head as a diversion.
Long enough for Ilchymis to cast another spell, but magical fatigue had set in and the attempt flickered and died.
Lawrence closed in for the kill, but the kneeling soldier managed to roll away and he missed completely.
Domingo stabbed down hard and sliced out one soldier's vocal chords, at last killing him, and vaulting over the body he threw his other curved knife with great precision; the kukri struck home in the last soldier's side, and he stumbled and crashed to his knees. Cupil transformed into a likeness of Domingo's curved knife and bit in deeply, and the struggling man at last fell still.
"I am sorry," Ilchymis apologized immediately, but Lawrence waved the remark away almost before the mage had finished.
"Forget about it. They caught all of us off-guard." With that, he handed Domingo a sacri crystal and took one himself; as they set to healing their wounds they at last chanced a glance around. The narrow corridor they were seated in ended in a single iron door, and after searching the bodies of the guards Lawrence came up with a single key on an old-fashioned ring.
Centime looked up. Here was the most motley assortment of men he had ever seen. "Erm... hello. You don't look as though you're Valuan soldiers. How in the world did you make it all the way down here without getting captured yourselves?"
Lawrence blinked once in surprise. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Centime. I used to captain the Blue Rogue vessel Ironclad, but it has been shipwrecked in the nearby city of Horteka for quite some time now." The older man looked tired, worn, and possibly beaten; Domingo felt very sorry for him. "The village was sacked, and the citizens who could be forced into manual labor were transported here to mine for MoonStones."
"And why are you down here?" asked Ilchymis kindly.
Centime's hands were twisting in his lap; he looked anxious and ill. "Because I am an engineer of no small renown; Admiral De Loco, who is in charge of all the happenings in Ixa'taka, ordered me to aid in the construction of a catastrophic weapon with which he could destroy the continent, and I refused. He had me thrown in here to help me change my mind." The Blue Rogue engineer ended with a derisive snicker.
"Is there such a thing as a Green Moon Crystal in these mines?" asked Lawrence, and he glanced out in the hallway to be certain that no soldiers were creeping up on them.
"I have heard of such a thing, but it is not here." Centime was on his feet now, and readying what seemed to be an antique pistol on his belt. "Allow me to travel with you, and when we have escaped the mines, I will tell you all I know of the Crystal."
Domingo and Ilchymis nodded; Lawrence ground his teeth in frustration to have yet another companion tagging along beside him. Then they all hoisted their weapons and filed out, prepared to fight the entire way.
Author's Note: Everyone please welcome Centime into the fray; it'll be loads of laughs from here on out!
The Yaoi Saint: I am flattered! Thank you very much!
DizzyVV: Blech, you like Lawrence? You can have him; he's much too snarky for my taste, XD.
Meowzychan: Bah! Alfonso and Gilder! Don't make me laugh! Gilder is way too good for Alfonso, XD.