With Lawrence leading them, he small group of adventurers moved through the mysterious mists of the Lost City of Rixis. As the sun dipped below the horizon they proceeded to set up camp at the bottom of a sloping, grassy hill, and after Ilchymis struck up a fire the others settled in to sleep. By the light of the Green Moon the ring on the mage's finger assumed its natural sate, and together Cupil and Ilchymis gazed out over the eerie city at twilight.
It was much larger than the mage had anticipated, with mounds of ruins to the north in the same alabaster marble they had seen before. There was no visible path forward, just several passages through the crumbling marble and no way to see what lay at the end of them. A few hours later Ilchymis roused Domingo, and the treasure hunger settled in to keep his round of the watch.
An eerie breeze drifted through the clearing, rifling his ebony ponytail, and at the same time there was a rustling in the bushes nearby; Domingo sat up quickly, casting his frightened gaze around, and he could just make out a shimmering figure in the foliage on the hill. He looked to his companions - all three were slumbering contentedly - and with surprising grace and stealth he stole away from the campsite toward the strange apparition, brilliant blue eyes glittering with curiosity. The bushes in which he had seen the disturbance were swaying gently in the breeze, and after a thorough search he found nothing out of the ordinary. Something brushed against his leg and an involuntary yelp ripped from his throat; tittering nervously, a violet-hued Cupil floated up beside him, and breathing a sigh of relief Domingo beckoned to the little creature, glad of the company. A twig snapped nearby, but Domingo, distracted by Cupil winding into a ring around his finger, did not hear it.
Neither did he see the shimmering, translucent figure dart out from behind him and duck behind a weathered alabaster pillar.
Loosening a purple-bladed kukri in its sheath Domingo moved further still from the grove in which his friends slept, and what he saw next froze him in his tracks - the hazy, poorly-defined figure stepped out from behind the pillar and beckoned to him before moving away into the mist.
With a cry the treasure hunter sprang after it, sprinting as fast as he could, but quite suddenly the ghost disappeared as Domingo sprinted - right off the cliff face. Fingers scrabbling he sought a hold but found none, and was certain he had reached his end, but then Cupil formed a different shape, stretching and elongating at a swift pace; one end coiled around a tree at the top of the cliff, and the other end descended with Domingo.
He lunged for it; Cupil's ropelike form held fast, and Domingo crashed into the rock face and hung precariously, panting for breath. He reached up a hand to begin the ascent, but his arms were shaking so badly that all he could do was hang there and pray his strength would return. But now his hands were growing sweaty, and Domingo began to slip slowly down the rope.
Gritting his teeth the treasure hunger willed his arms to comply, and though his whole body shook with protest he managed it; after a few minutes' worth of excruciating climb he collapsed on the hill while Cupil, equally exhausted, resumed its natural form and similarly lay inert upon Domingo's chest. Eventually Domingo found the energy to get up and stumble back to the campsite, and though he looked all around with the keen eyes of a professional treasure hunter he saw nothing but darkness and heard only the mournful howl of the wind.
Author's Note: Updates at last! I hope my loyal fans are still out there, waiting for me...
Derek Barona: Lollercoaster, yeah, Domingo does pretty much everything with a goofy flair. Even the impossible stuff.
Meowzy-chan: What is it with you and yaoi?! Why I oughta...
Dizzy: Thank you as always, dearest!
Syek: Tee hee!
greekapino: Glad you like the story, but the decision to write yaoi in it rests with me. If I want it to happen, it will, and it will be your choice whether or not to be mature enough to continue reading it.
Deathzealot: Hey, I didn't really want to kill them off, but I love exploring the unknown. Glad you like.
SsVespertine: Thank you oh so much!
Sad Fallen Angel: Glad you like; wish granted!
Let us now continue with the updating, shall we? Onward!