by Elemental on Tue Apr 09, 2002 11:16 am
Half an hour later, four of the five warriors stalked through the sewers, fully-armored and alert. Ryner led the way, his armor casting a reddish light that cut through the dark tunnels.
"How much longer until we find them?" Ronnie asked.
"How am I supposed to know?" Max's fists were clenched. "I hate wandering around down here. It's cold, slimy, dark... why couldn't Jance get lost on a sunny beach for a change?"
"Because", Liza answered with a dismissive wave of her hand, "the nearest beach is hundreds of miles from here."
They continued walking, following the large pipes that looked like they could be traveled through. For another hour they wandered, more or less silently, until Max stopped.
"Dammit", he said, punching the side of the pipe. "How long are we going to be down here? This sucks! All because of Jance, who just ~had~ to be in the way... The klutzy, no-account..." He stopped ranting suddenly.
"What's up?" Ryner turned around. "Max is quiet... something must be wrong."
Max was looking around in the darkness. "I don't know... I just felt something... like a presence. I don't know how else to describe it."
"Where did it come from?" Ronnie was obviously excited. "Maybe it's Jance!"
"I don't know where it is... I don't know how I did it. I was just walking along, thinking of what a dork he is..." Max leaned against the side of the pipe.
"Hey..." Liza's face lit up. "I think I know what's happening! Max, you're the Warrior of Soul... you're connected to life as a whole. I'll bet that when you concentrate hard enough on someone, you get a sense of where they are!"
"Makes sense", Ryner said. "Nothing focuses Max's mind like being pissed off."
Max scoweled at Ryner, but Liza stopped him from doing anything more. "Look, Max... if that's the truth, it'll make this much easier. Cool down, focus, and see if you can sense that presence again."
Max's shoulders lowered a bit, and he closed his eyes. "Alright. Anything to make this go faster." He paused, and for a moment no one moved. Then, after a time, he looked up.
"What is it, Max?" Ronnie looked up at the grey wolf. "Can you feel where Jance is?"
"Yeah", came the reply. "Not too much farther. He's wearing his armor, too. Somewhere in..." He pointed roughly through the wall of the pipe. "...that way."
"Into the wall?" Ryner sounded annoyed.
"Not into the wall," Liza said, "in that direction. We'll just keep going strate until the way turns. We'll find him in no time."
"This has hardly been 'no time'", Max murmured.
They kept on walking, at a faster pace.