The Prince and The Pauper

Chapter 28

After a few minutes of telling the others what they were thinking, there was a silence between them all as they took in what they wanted to do.

"You're going to do what!?" one of the men shrieked. "What will that accomplish!?"

"We are going to cause an explosion," Astral reiterated. "This will stop the battle."

"But your allies are there," Yuma objected.

"I barely know them. They may have helped us, but I really trust no one outside of those I have communicated with and have become close to. All of you had better move away from here. Us three can do this." He was referring to himself, Wattchimera, and Black Mist.

The humans shared a glance. They supposed it couldn't be helped. They would have to leave it to them.

The taller of the men sighed. "Fine. We'll be finding a way to the surface and helping the survivers to the top. Follow us when you're done."

The three nodded and watched them leave. Black Mist looked at his brother.

"Ready?"

Astral nodded.

~.Human POV.~

They looked thoroughly for some kind of slope that would lead them to the surface. After all, it was stupid to have an underground lair without a way to get to the surface.

"Where do you think it is?" Akari asked the men while her brother looked around curiously.

"We would have to know the layout of this place and all the tunnels before we make a good guess," the short one said. "If we know how this is all laid out, we'll have a clear idea."

Yuma pointed to a slim light ahead of them. "Would that be it?" he asked like it was obvious.

"Yeah, I guess that would be a clue, but how do we-" He was cut off by the sight of Yuma climbing rocks to get to the light. "...I guess that works, too."

They followed and climbed.

~.Royal POV (Astral and Black Mist).~

Astral and Wattchimera charged their electricity while Black Mist plotted out the right place to set the explosion.

"So, I set the fire first before you two ignite the explosion?" he asked to confirm for the twentieth time.

"Yes," Astral said, charging every ounce of lightning he had in him. "A small fire. Then, keep feeding it when we send the spark. That should make an explosion."

Black Mist nodded. He spotted a place that would be perfect. Chanting something under his breath, he sparked a small, unnoticeable flame there. Just the right size.

"There. You two done?"

Wattchimera nodded. His electricity was stored in the mouth of his snake tail. "On your command."

Astral finished charging. "Now."

The two shot their lightning at the fire, and Black Mist fed it more at the same time. They got the desired effect.

~.Human POV.~

Just as the last person breached the surface, a huge explosion exploded from the way center of the clearing they were in. They had to move away from their current location to not get caught in the explosion!

"They actually did it!" Yuma exclaimed. "Are they mad!?"

"I think so, yeah," Akari mumbled. "They must think the same of us for some of the things we do."

The two humans led them to a safe distance. Once there, they watched the crumble of what used to be THEIR lair. On the bright side, THEY would be no more after this. That was certain. Now, they had to make sure their allies were okay, but there was a possibility that they all died after this.

Maybe even the princes and that chimera...

Well, whatever the case, they now had to help with getting people out.

~.Royal POV.~

Under a bulk of rocks and debris, a black barrier thing pulsed silently like a heartbeat. Under the pulsing, Black Mist was pushing and pushing to get the rocks off so that they wouldn't be crushed by the time they got out.

"Any progress?" asked Astral, who could only watch.

"Some. I've managed to get some rocks off, but there's still a while to go," Black Mist reported, straining under the pressure of making the rocks move. "It's especially hard to get the big ones out of the way."

"Take a break if you need to. Nothing good will come out if you end up passing out."

"He's right," Wattchimera said. Then, he got an idea. He laid down and tucked his paws under his chest. "This may sound like a far-fetched idea, but what if you let down the barrier?"

Both princes gaped at the chimera. "Are you mad!?" they exclaimed in unison.

"Maybe, but I have a plan. I will protect you with my body." He stood up again.

Astral looked up at the chimera. Yes, his bulk would allow them to go by unharmed. They could stand right under him without any troubles. The only downside was if he got seriously injured.

"Are you sure you can take the pressure of these rocks?" Astral asked with a skeptical look. "There definately is a possibility that you could get crushed, and your lightning would do nothing against them."

"I'm sure," Wattchimera confirmed with a nod. "Now, get under me."

They did as they were told, and as soon as they did that, Black Mist let down the barrier. Immediately, tons and tons of earth fell upon them. All three of them moved with surprising speed and in synch with each other out of the way. Wattchimera took the brunt of the falling stones while the two under him were well protected. He owed it to them after what he put them through by nearly killing him. Yes, he heard the cry of anguish of the younger brother. It was heart-rending.

As soon as they were out of it, Astral and Black Mist emerged from under the chimera safely.

"Are you okay?" Astral looked up at him, noticing the bruises and occasional cuts some stones made. "You took all the damage."

"I'm quite alright. No need to worry." Sure, he was hurting a little, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

~.Human POV.~

They reunited with the woman some of the way back to the explosion site, so they walked together. They walked in silence for the longest time until they got there, where a huge, gaping hold with tons upon tons of rock were stacked on top of each other. There were most likely no survivors.