The Past Ahead - an Empires SMP AU

Chapter 25 - Search party

           Princess Katherine kept a hand on her ax, constantly looking around her to check for danger. It was difficult to do that when Pix had kust dropped a bombshell on them.

           "Scott's been captured?!" "Both of them," The Copper King corrected. "False was waiting for us in Chromia." "Xornoth must've asked her to take them out," Gem said. A few people flinched at her choice of words. "Why is False listening to Xornoth, anyway? Her eyes are blue, so she's not being possessed," Joel pointed out. "We can worry about that some other time! Scott's in trouble!" Shrub said, getting on a wolf. "Both of them," Jimmy added.

           "We don't even know where they are," Princess Katherine said glumly. "Well, they should be at either Cogsmeade or Animalia." Sausage said, thinking. "We'll just have to split up and check both places, then." Lizzie said. "We shouldn't split up up," Count fWhip of the Grimlands cautioned. "We're down even more members and we're vulnerable. They're probably expecting us anyway." "Then we'll just figure out which of the places they were taken and rescue them after that, when we're all together." Princess Katherine said confidently.

           "How do we tell where they are?" King Joel asked. "Because to tell we'd have to actually go to either Cogsmeade or Animalia, and with all twenty of us not split up, we won't be very sneaky." "But wolves are pretty sneaky," Shrub said, atop her wolf. "We're not letting you go to Animalia or Cogsmeade alone," Shelby told her. "I actually meant that we could go to Chromia and my wolves will pick up the Scotts' scent trail."

           It was slightly harder to get to Chromia than they expected. Lizzie had sent birds patrolling around to spy on them from the air; the wolves had to chase the avian spies away whenever they got close so they wouldn't be detected. When they arrived in Chromia, the wolves traced the ground where Pix told her they'd fought with False, but they couldn't smell anything.

           "False must've covered up her tracks," Shrub groaned. "We can't find her or the Scotts." "Oh no," Lady Katherine whimpered. "Guess it's back to splitting up, huh?" Joe asked. "No, still too dangerous," fWhip shook his head. "Guys, it's getting dark, maybe we should head inside," God Joel said, staring up at the sky. "We can handle a few phantoms," Sausage said. "No, I don't mean the phantoms, I mean the bats. They're Lizzie's nighttime spies, and we don't want Xornoth to know that all of us are here in Chromia." Everyone quickly ran inside various buildings. Katherine, Pearl, and Oli ended up in Scott's room, the three of them dragging two more beds inside to stay together to help make sure Oli was safe, and they fell asleep thinking of their missing friends. 

           Princess Katherine groaned as she woke up, feeling drowsy and wishing she could sleep longer. She was used to going to sleep late and still waking up on time, what with her secret hobby of monster slaying at nighttime, but being on the run from Xornoth was very draining. Plus, she was still recovering from fighting the corrupted or possessed emperors and from being electrocuted by poor Hermes. And for some reason her legs felt really sore and asleep like she'd been sleeping on them. The princess opened her eyes fully and saw why. There was someone standing on top of her. 

           Ketherine shrieked and jumped off the bed, and whoever it was that was standing there tumbled off and landed on the floor. As he got up Katherine pointed her sword at him, and Pearl did too, having been woken up by Katherine's scream. Oli sat up in bed too, frantically looking around. "What's happening?! What's going on?!" "What's with the swords?!" The strange boy complained, rubbing his head where he'd banged it on the floor. The emperors took a closer look at him. He had brown hair, llama ears, an animal-like nose, wool growing around his hands, llama feet instead of human feet, and orange clothes. He scowled at them. 

           "You, pink lady. What are you doing in Scott's bed?" "What were you doing standing on top of me?" Katherine retorted, still pointing her sword at him. "I was doing that all night, waiting for you to wake up." Well, that explains the fuzzy feeling in my feet. "Who are you?" Pearl asked. "And why were you just waiting there all night?" "Waiting for one of you to wake up so I can ask you what you were doing in Scott's bed." "Who are you?" Oli asked. The strange boy drew himself up sternly. "I'm Owen." He said haughtily. "Who are you, trespassers in Llama Land?" The three emperors glanced at each other. Llama Land? Just then the other emperors came rushing into the room, having finally made it there after being summoned by Katherine's shriek.