Winds of Freedom

Chapter 15: Down the Hole We Go!

{Pre A/N}

Just fixed some of the previous chapters, I realized that I sometimes mistake the present tense with past tense, sorry about that.

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Chapter 15: Down the Hole We Go!

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Relic Island – Outside the Crashed Egg-Bullet, Morning Hours

The aftermath of the Egg-Bullet's crash left a chaotic scene. Smoke billowed from the wreckage, and the sharp scent of burning metal hung in the air. Shattered robots and debris littered the landscape, with the train itself now a mangled heap of twisted metal. Its once-menacing presence had been reduced to ruin.

Neera and Gong had managed to avoid the collision, thanks to Neera creating an ice trail with her Cryo staff just in time, allowing them to land safely before the train hit the mountain. They now stood at the edge of the wreckage, their expressions grim as they inspected the damage.

"Sheesh, look at all this," Gong muttered, frowning at the destruction and scattered debris.

"We did what we could," Neera replied evenly as she glanced around and spotted several broken robots, some still sparking with life. "Let's clean up."

Together, they made quick work of the remaining active robots, easily dispatching them with precise strikes.

As they sifted through the wreckage, Gong's eyes narrowed, spotting two figures trying to slip away through the smoke. "Neera!" he pointed, gesturing toward the fleeing forms.

"Freeze!" Neera's voice echoed through the smoke-filled air as she swiftly used her Cryo staff to shoot an ice lasso, encasing the fleeing figures in a block of ice up to their necks. Vern and Leo, the two Shang Mu soldiers who had driven the train, grunted in frustration, now trapped and unable to move.

"Oh man, this stinks!" Vern groaned, his head barely poking out of the ice, while Leo growled in defeat as they watched the pandas approach them, stern looks on their faces.

Neera's tone was cold as she glared at the soldiers. "You've committed a grave crime. And you both will answer for this," she declared, before turning to Gong. "Move them for interrogation. And inform the soldiers stationed at the ruined temple to come here for cleanup," she ordered.

Gong nodded as he began dragging the ice-encased prisoners away, both grumbling and complaining as they were hauled off toward Shang Tu.

Once they were gone, Neera looked back at the broken train, sighing deeply. They had managed to stop it, but the cave entrance was now clogged with debris. Worst of all, the kids were nowhere to be seen. "Don't tell me they're inside..." she muttered as she sat down heavily, the exhaustion of the past few days catching up to her. She leaned against a broken cart to rest. "We'll figure it out... I just need... a little rest..." Her eyes closed as the weight of her sleepless nights finally overcame her, her body begging for the sleep she had denied herself.

As Neera dozed off, high on a nearby hill, Milla watched the scene unfold with wide, worried eyes. Clutching her yellow Chaos Emerald tightly, the little white dog's earlier excitement had turned into growing anxiety.

"Oh no..." Milla whispered, her ears drooping as she looked at the wreckage. "How am I supposed to meet the dragon now?" She let out a soft whimper, her hope seeming to fade. But just as quickly, her spirits lifted when she spotted the red biplane from earlier flying above the lush green mountain in the distance.