The Prince and The Pauper

Chapter 29

"Well, we'd better get to work," the woman sighed. "If there's any survivors, that'd be a huge relief."

"Keyword 'if'," the tall man sighed.

They trekked around the gaping hold, minding the occasional loose rocks lest they slip and crack their skulls open by accident. Eventually, they had to go lower to get to the others while the three people called for a rescue team.

~.Royal POV.~

Astral and Black Mist were once again riding on Wattchimera's back as he climbed the rocks with his claws to keep a hold on the surface of them. He was an incredible climber, they both had to admit that.

"Do you know the way out?" Astral asked him.

"Yes. Believe it or not, I came from the surface. I was seeking shelter at the time, and underground seemed the best idea for me. Turns out it was the lair of a demented organization, and they offered me a place to sleep."

"And you took it?" Black Mist's mouth was open in a state of disbelief. "Why?"

"Why else?" Wattchimera scoffed. "Humans are always on the hunt for new species, and I didn't like their invasion of my privacy. This seemed like a good deal. We struck a bargain, which was that they would keep my place safe while I destroyed anyone who dared trespass." He sneered and landed on a rock. "They broke that promise, so now I have no use for the space they wanted to give me."

Astral and Black Mist shared a glance. "We could offer you a place," Astral suggested. "If we ever get back, I will talk to Father about this. He can set aside land for you and whoever you want to live with you without a deal. You will be free to do what you wish."

"That sounds nice," he purred. Then, he jumped on another pack of hardened dirt. "We should pick up speed, then."

~.Human POV.~

As they made it to the center of the hole, helicopters and other rescue vehicles surrounded the area. Paramedics, both human and of the Astral World, slid and flew down to the hole to get started with treating the injured. Rescue teams made it down.

"How long ago was this?" one asked.

"A couple of minutes ago," Akari said. "I don't know if there will be any survivors."

"We'll just have to see," a woman Astral Being said and clapped her hands. The rocks moved to her will and lifted, allowing the teams to go in and search.

In the corner of his vision, Yuma spotted a giant cat thing emerge out of the rubble. He looked over to see a chimera and two beings on its back. The colors were blue and black. Knowing what this meant, he shook Akari's arm.

"They're alive!" he exclaimed. "Look!" He pointed to where he saw them.

Akari took a closer look, shading her eyes from the sun. "Oh, yeah! There they are!"

The siblings waved to them, which caught their attention. They flew after them with Wattchimera walking in long strides, long enough to keep up with them without any effort at all.

"How did you manage to get out alive?" Yuma asked Astral the moment they got there.

"Black Mist put up a barrier to keep us safe," Astral explained. Then, he looked around. "What's all this?"

"These people are searching for survivors," Akari explained.

"Not sure if there's gonna be any..." Black Mist mumbled, fixing his messy hair. "I mean, that explosion was a big one."

Yuma nodded. "Yeah, it was. Still, there may have been people who sensed what was about to happen and did something to survive."

As the day dragged on, they saw few survivors. Out of those who survived, even fewer lived through the first aid treatment they recieved. They covered the dead ones in tarps.

Astral and Black Mist helped some. When it was too difficult for the humans to do something, either it was too heavy or something or other, they went down there and helped. By noon, they had almost everyone out.

"Where's Father, though?" Black Mist wondered. "I swear I saw him come over here with that group..."

"Wait, what!?" Astral looked at his brother. "You mean to tell me that we blew up that place when you knew that Father was in there!?"

Black Mist shrugged. "I figured he was smart enough to know if something was up."

Astral face palmed. "We need to go in there and check!" He pulled his brother into the rubble despite the protests of his friends and the humans.

They were careful to avoid any and all loose rocks lest they get smashed into bits. It would be a real dick move to die when they were looking for their father.

"Why didn't you tell me that he may be down here earlier?" Astral hissed angrily.

"Hey, you were out of it," Black Mist reliated. "You probably wouldn't even remember what I said!"

A valid point. "What about when we were reunited? I was in my right mind then!"

"Well, it was a little too late for that. Hell, he was probably already in battle, and even you said that a flash wouldn't get their attention."

Astral crossed his arms. "Yes, but if I had known, I would have thought of something different."

"I'm sorry, okay? I should have told you, but you know how bad my memory is in these situations."

"Yes," he sighed. "I know." He took his brother's hand and kept going. "Let's just keep looking. No telling whether he survived or not. He is an intelligent man, but he may have been too caught up in battle to notice."

Black Mist pursed his lips. "Yeah..."

Finally, they made it to the battle grounds. Since the humans made a tunnel through it, they could easily descend. Surprisingly, the machinery held well, forming a large shell. However, some of the machines were too weak to withstand the explosion, which caused the people to die.

The stench of death hung in the air. They covered their noses to block it out. Still, they smelled it. That was how many people died and laid there until everyone arrived. They could see the bodies that haven't been excavated yet. They laid in strange and impossible positions.

Then, one of the bodies caught their eyes.