Ranma grunted, raising his head slightly over the foliage the trio were currently hiding behind, “I ain’t ever seen this kinda crappy set up.”
Theo frowned, peering over with Ranma. He couldn’t see very far as he was, only tiny specs of some one moving along the outer walls of the strange mechanical castle. The castle seemed to stretch one or two stories in height, the outer walls were covered by time in foliage and a strange looking moss. He couldn’t make much more then that out, fearful to use his magic to increase his sight if there happened to be a Mage within the disturbing structure checking for magical eruptions.
Pantha had better eye sight then most, being a sharp shooter with the bow, but even she couldn’t make out much more then what Theo did. They were simply too far away, and Ranma had refused to go forward anymore for some reason. Said it had something to deal with the darkness the two Mages had been feeling.
“What kind of setup is it, Ranma?” Pantha whispered to her friend.
Ranma sighed, lowering back behind the cover of foliage before grumbling, “Whoever the heck it is ain’t stupid, and has got to have some serious influence.”
“Quit skirting about the answer Ranma, just tell us.” Theo hissed to his friend.
“I can tell yah some of those guards ain’t alive, and some of em are.” Ranma said with a deep sigh.
Pantha didn’t understand the problem, but wisely kept her mouth shut else she appear ignorant. Theo had no such compulsions, “I get it. Living begins for the day, since an undead’s infravision would be greatly reduced by whatever the heck that thing is up there.” Theo pointed up to the top of the cavern, a large shimmering ball of light glowed, providing all below with artificial light and heat.
Ranma nodded, “And at night, when that fake sun wanes, the living’s vision falls short, but those damn undead would be able to pick up any heat source over a mile away.” He sighed, “Worse, they got the advantage of bein in a elevated position. This is going to be tough.”
“Maybe we should split up..” Pantha began to suggest, before Theo and Ranma silenced her with a glare.
“No, Pantha.” Theo spoke for the two of them, “Unless we absolutely have to, we aren’t splitting up again.” He had grown rather protective of his friends, even more so since they got lost in those damnable caves. He didn’t want to risk any of them, they had been his only support going thru those caves, the only reason he hadn’t just collapsed to the ground some where in there and let death take him.
Ranma wasn’t any different. Before their great blunder in the caves beyond, he had been rather pissed off at Pantha, so pissed it was beginning to border on absolute hate for trying to take his best friend away. That feeling had faded away some where in those dark caves, he couldn’t hold on to it when all three of them were suffering but forcing them selves to continue on. He had been very happy when they emerged into whatever the heck this place was, and for the first time in who knew how long he actually got to see his friends in full, instead of their Aura’s. He had used his Aural Sight to give him some type of infravision in those caves, as he was sure Theo did.
Shaking his head, he idly scratched at his growing beard. He really needed to shave the blasted thing, “Whatever.” He grunted, “I think I know a way in.”
“How’s that?” Pantha asked, rolling her eyes. Any plan Ranma came up with always got them in trouble.
“It’s.. not something I can explain in too much detail.” Ranma hesitated, nervously, “I made a promise never to use it again, but..” he sighed, “Guess that really don’t matter too much now. I’ll probably never see him again, anyway.”
Theo frowned, “More from your past?”
Ranma nodded, “Few years ago, I found out my dad created two schools of techniques that were based on sneaking into a house, or destroyin it. Or, that’s how he explained it.” He snorted, eyes growing distant as he retold his friends the experiences he had endured, “Yah, well, one day this guy Ryu Kumon shows up looking for pop. He had found my mom and was impersonating me, y’know? It pissed me off that bastard was the first person my mom believed was his son..”
Grasping a leather flask from his belt, he popped the top off and drank some of the water within, enjoying the cool crisp taste of his refreshed water supply. In those caves they had gotten to the point of having to ration their water to the barest margin, often times going hours before getting a cap full of water todrink.
“Anyway, I found out this guy’s father had been given a set of those techniques in exchange for food or some crap, only he didn’t warn the guy none. The technique’s name was Yama-sen-ken, the destructive side of pop’s techniques.” Ranma sighed, “Ryu’s father got killed when he was usin em. Anyway, Ryu got it in his head if he could get the other half of the school, the Umi-sen-ken, he could combine both sets of techniques and make some new school or some crap. I think pop had something to do with that, but I forget.”
“And these schools will help us get in?” Pantha asked, no skeptisim in her voice. The boy had slowly, over the past few days, been explaining his past. She wouldn’t believe that he came from another time if she hadn’t had time to get to know him, to realize the boy couldn’t lie to save his life. Having Theo there to confirm what he said helped too, she supposed.
“Well.. yeah, I can get myself in, maybe find another way in for you two ta use. Open the gate or some crap, that’s if..” he trailed off, looking uncertain about his words.
“If?” Theo pressed.
“That’s if the undead can’t see through it none, I dunno though, never ran into an undead while usin it.” He shrugged, “Guess I can try and find out.”
Pantha grimaced, “I’d rather not. There has to be some way in there that doesn’t put you in so much danger.”
Ranma grunted at that, but nodded, “Maybe.”
“Did you find anything else when you were scouting?”
“Yeah. Aside from the gate, and jumpin over the walls, only other way in I can see would involve dippin through the water supply that runs into the castle.” Ranma explained.
Pantha blinked, “Water supply? I haven’t seen any river or stream, just the occasional water hole. What water supply are you talking about?”
“Don’t surprise me none that ya didn’t see it. It’s a small waterfall leakin through the rocks on the other side of the castle. The hills there form a kind of dam that leads the water right smack dab into the castle, once there I got no clue. I checked around, couldn’t find a place the water exited.” Ranma scratched his head thoughtfully, still puzzled by that bit of knowledge.
Theo nodded, “So we have two possible ways to enter the complex…..
“Three.” Ranma quickly interrupted, but refrained from explaining further.
“Three then. Through the water supply, through the front gate, or through whatever way you have planned Ranma.”
“My way ain’t none too quiet, so if we do it that way be expectin a lot of fightin.” Ranma grunted.
Pantha nodded, “Which means no element of surprise.”
Theo and Ranma sparred each other a look, before shrugging and turning to Pantha while pointing, “You decide.”
Pantha blinked once, then twice, before snarling, “That’s not fair!”
Theo and Ranma chuckled, mouthing off at the same time, “Ladies first!”
Lets Look Towards
See other episodes by Matdeception
(Posted Fri, 30 Jan 2004 19:58)
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