~Jimmy~
My eyes couldn't break away from the sight.
Screams ripped through the air of those searching for their loved ones among the chaos. There were already people searching the wreckage of the city, large buildings dangerous and crumbling in on themselves collapsing every few minutes. The crater was near the very center of Eastvale, the outside ring and bits of the wall still slightly intact but heavily damaged and unstable.
And it was all my fault.
I couldn't stay here.
I needed to find help.
I needed Lizzie. I needed Scott. I needed Fwhip to be okay. Yet a voice in the back of my head whispered to me that there was no way he had made it...
The landscape was a haze, the ground cracked and the air arid and scraping against my throat as I inhaled even more smoke. It was as if a hand had closed around my chest, restricting my supply of air, and forcing me to take even larger breaths of the toxic fog.
Throughout the muddled frenzy of my mind, I managed to form the most basic of plans. Find the others. But I hardly knew the area, nor did I know which way was which kingdom. I knew Gem and the Crystal Cliffs was to the west, and to the north was Joey in the Lost Empire, but I had no way to tell how far either were from where I stood. From where Eastvale used to stand.
I still couldn't comprehend the fact it was gone. My eyes stared at the ruins, processed the fact that all there was were piles of rubble and collapsing homes, flames raging where wood had caught fire, bodies scattered here and there with some stirring and some still as death. But I wouldn't believe that this apocalyptic sight was where the great city once stood.
I hadn't even realized I was unconsciously backing away, farther from the site.
My fault.
My fault.
My fault.
I didn't want to be here anymore. I should have stayed in Ora. I shouldn't have tried to fix things. I wanted this to disappear, to hide the consequences of my choices.
I was slowly retreating, my own breathing as shaky as my hands. I felt numb, but at the same time like I was experiencing every single negative emotion that made me want to sink into the ground and never feel again, my chest tight and my heartbeat so fast I could practically hear it beating in my ears.
I wanted to close my eyes, watery and stinging from the harsh, polluted and smokey air, and make it all go away. But no matter how many times I blinked, how many time I smashed the heel of my hand into the side of my head, it remained.
This was no dream.
I was still backing up, eyes locked on the destroyed site. That was, until I tripped.
My heel caught on something protruding from the ground, and I bit back a shriek as I fell harshly backwards, landing on my shoulder blades. Many rows of somethings poked into my shoulders, my sides and back throbbing from the impact against the ground.
With a groan I rolled over, my body aching and stinging and exhausted. Half of me just wanted to lay there, unmoving, let myself rot away like I deserved. Unfortunately for that half, the other was stronger and forced me to keep going. I lifted my head up, searching for what I had tripped over. It wasn't that hard to miss.
Train tracks. Miles upon miles of steel bracing and wooden brackets stretched before and behind me. I had walked right onto the track. Or rather, into it.
I got to my feet, brushing myself off which was pretty pointless. I was covered in debris, powder, and grime of destroyed buildings mixed with dirt and blood I hoped was my own laying in patches along my clothes and bare skin, sticky and uncomfortable. But at the moment, this was the least of my concerns.
I stared at the railroad for a moment, my thoughts pausing for the first time, my head blank. That was until an idea hit me like a blow getting thrown to my head. This railroad had gone to Eastvale...it must lead somewhere else, right? And hopefully, that somewhere would have help.
Without another thought, I began to follow the track, and before I knew it I was running again. With my back to the remains of Eastvale, I sprinted along the track, hoping beyond hope that it led to somewhere that could fix this...
But how do you fix such a great catastrophe as this?
I'm not sure how long I ran, how long my legs held up before I tumbled back to the ground, gasping and begging for oxygen. I couldn't tell if my eyes were opened or closed, if I was seeing nothing or everything at the same time. It was a blur.
I could hear and feel the continual earthquakes, but I couldn't tell from which direction it was coming from, where was the ground or where was the sky.
As soon as I sat up, my vision spun as if I was plummeting through the air. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to calm myself down. I was hyperventilating, or at least it felt like I was.
Slowly, I managed to prop myself up against the side of the track, taking in my surroundings. The ruins of Eastvale was nowhere in sight, but the orangey, smokey haze still hung in the air, and cracks from the explosions still cut through the terrain like jagged lightning bolts. The ground still rumbled, but it was weaker now, and more constant.
However, I had no idea where on Empiria I was. I was thanking a god I didn't believe in that I had this railroad to guide me to...wherever it headed, or else I'd be completely lost.
"Calm down Jim..." I murmured to myself through pants, clenching my hands around the torn cloth covering my knees. My knuckles were tainted white in moments from my grip. I closed my eyes again, trying to think and process and work out a more detailed version of my plan.
My thoughts, however, were cut off by a vibrating and small 'beep' from somewhere in my pocket. I frowned, racking my brain for what it could be before I remembered the little device Fwhip had given me nearly a year ago. He had given us all one, I'm pretty sure. A communicator of sorts, for emergencies.
I dug into my pocket, fingers outstretched to search for the little box I had decided to take with me this morning for some reason, before they closed around a metallic-y feeling thing just a little bigger than my palm.
Pulling it out, I squinted down at it through my slightly blurred vision. The clear-paneled screen was cracked, but I managed to see what had been messaged.
Sausage: WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING??
I froze, a lump forming in the back of my throat. Sausage was on the other side of the continent. Had this really affected somewhere that far away...? My own empire was just above there...
The small device dinged again a moment later.
Gemini: I don't know, but these are no normal earthquakes.
Joel: You guys are getting all shaken up over there too?
Sausage: Definitely
Gemini: Yes. I just had to evacuate Azurite... buildings are collapsing, fires are starting. Debris is falling out of nowhere...
Elizabeth: Watch the coast for tsunamis, especially you Joel, I saw a few possible starters. Who. Did. This?
I attempted to click the screen, attempted to answer, but it seemed to be broken. I bit back a short wail, wanting to curl up and pass away on the side of the railroad. Unwillingly, tears burnt the corner of my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to try and get them to go away. All I could do though, was watch their conversation...
Shrub: Is there a reason smoke is rising rapidly into the air near the Grimlands...
Gemini: Has anyone spoken to Fwhip recently!?
Sausage: Last I checked he was working on some new stuff for his forge... don't know if it could have been dangerous though, you know Fwhip and his tinkering.
Joseph: OH IF THIS WAS FWHIP'S FAULT HE'LL BE GETTING AN EARFUL AND THEN I'LL TAKE THAT EAR OFF!
Katherine: Joey what happened??
Joseph: Everything's GONE that's what!
Scott: Eh? What're we yelling about??
Sausage: I didn't know Scott knew how to use his communicator-
Scott: He doesn't. It's not Scott you idiot.
Gemini: Erin, why do you have Scott's comm?
Scott: I took it from him like to weeks ago. He never checked for it
Joel: *two
Scott: SHUT UPAJKASLJDKASDDKJajsjad
Joel: I'm not talking!
Scott: SAME THING
Gemini: Guys, calm down. We need to meet somewhere, this is clearly an 'all of us' problem.
Shrub: Where?
Sausage: There's that nifty spot in the Derelict Forest, near the center, remember?
Joel: Eh?
Sausage: Y'know, the place we were working on that would become the permanent annual meeting point instead of the Grimlands?
Joel: Ohhh yeah
Katherine: On my way
Elizabeth: Same here
Gemini: Okay, see everyone there
Sausage: Got it
The comm went dead after that, no more notifications coming through. I continued to stare at the slightly glowing screen, rereading over the conversation...
At least I knew where everyone was.
Now just to figure out how far I was from the Derelict Forest.
I struggled back to my feet, stuffing the device back into my pocket, glancing around before deciding my best bet would be to continue following the railroad.
I stumbled along, mindlessly wandering along the track. The land continued to be barren, dry and cracked. It was somewhat of a desert after all. It felt like I had been walking for hours, my feet hurting more and more with each step like nails were being driven into my heels. The scratch from the thorns and the rug burns along my elbows stung horribly now that the adrenaline rush had finally began to go down. I felt my scales scraping against one another with every movement, dried out and irritated from lack of water.
But that didn't stop me from getting excited when I saw greenery in the distance. Greenery accompanied by a river.
I froze, wondering briefly if it was a mirage of sorts sent to trick me, before making a dash for the area. Need for water drove me despite my exhaustion, faster than I thought I could go in this state.
I sped through the shrubbery surrounding the river, taking one look at the rather slow currents and clear surface before diving straight into the body of water.
I was instantly hit with a wave of coolness coating my entire body as I glided down through the water, spinning to shake the dust and grime off of myself. I surfaced moments later, taking my first deep breath that didn't send painful pangs down my chest, all my wounds soothed in the pleasant chill of the river. I shook my sopping hair from my face, blinking my eyes open.
Even if it was just for one moment, I managed to relax as the water seeped between my scales, curls of red puffing weightlessly through the liquid from the blood that had previously dried on my skin getting peeled away.
Then I remembered my task. Get to the others.
But now, I had a plan.
All the rivers, and I mean all of them, ended up spilling into the Aquilo Sea, the ocean which spanned the north of the continent, which means they all at one point had to flow north.
And I knew for a fact the Derelict Forest lay north of the Grimlands.
So now, instead of following the railway, all I had to do was follow the river.
I stopped moving my legs for a moment, letting the current guide me along, before beginning to swim with the current helping and pushing me along. I dove back underneath the surface, sliding through the water with ease and swerving gracefully around rocks protruding from the river bottom.
I peered through the particles of sand and dust gathering near the bottom as my tail swished and disturbed the fine grains. Eventually, though, I slowed my pace, my water filled shoes beginning to aggravate and slow me down.
I twisted, rolling slightly out of control in the water as I reached to unlace my boots and kick them off to float down to the riverbed. I also got my first look at the scrape induced by the thorn. It was bad, definitely too deep for me to fix on my own. Curls of fresh blood floated out to tint the water pink, clouds of contaminated liquid attempting to mask my fresh bouts of water sliding through my gills.
With a cough to get the iron tasting water from my mouth, I sped back down the river along the current, continuing my search for the forest.
~
My search ended with me swimming headfirst into a wooden stake driven into the river.
I yelped, my quiet scream muffled by a string of bubbles exploding from my mouth towards the surface, my head spinning. That hurt.
I looked up at what I had run (or rather swam) into. It looked to be a support to a dock...
I surfaced for the first time in a good hour or two, my head breaking the tension of the water. Even here, it smelt of smoke.
But I heard voices, several voices.
"...Jimmy didn't answer the discussion over comms, did he? Does he even know—" Came a panicked feminine voice I recognized well.
"Did the quakes even reach his empire though? Was it bad in Mythland, Sausage?" Another voice asked.
"Very. Black Dawn City is literally right next to Ora. He would have felt it just as much as I did." A third voice answered, worry lacing his tone. "Haven't heard from Pearl either."
"Same for Scott and Erin, at least since Erin's intrusion on our conversation... you think she told him where we were meeting or just...?"
"It would be an Erin thing not to."
I grabbed to the wooden planks that built the walkway, pulling myself up just enough to peer over it towards the people speaking. I spotted six people, all of whom I recognized. Lizzie paced back and forth, trident gripped tightly in her hand, her eyes locked on the ground and her jaw clenched. Joel stood nearby, clearly attempting to calm her down. Sausage and Gem were now holding a whispered conversation, Gem with...a black scaly creature wrapped around the brim of her wizard hat?
Katherine sat with her hands clenched around her skirt, something crimson leaving a trail over her forehead, cheekbone and down her chin. Joey stood, his expression twisted in more anger than I had ever seen it, his multi-colored wings flared in aggression.
With a cough I managed to fully pull myself onto the dock, gaining the attention of everyone else as I tried and failed to sit up, instead sprawling out on the wood.
"Jimmy!" I heard my sister half-shriek, her voice shrill, as the sound of several running feet filled my ears.
I couldn't bring myself to look up this time, all my injuries flaring up upon getting hit with the outside air. I felt a few gentle hands attempt to pull me up, rolling me over onto my back. I felt the scaly, cool hands of Lizzie slide behind my back and around my neck to help me to a somewhat sitting position. The first person I saw through my blurry vision was Katherine kneeled beside me, glancing me over quickly with her dark eyes.
"What happened?" Came Joel's voice, also from beside me as several of the others also crowded around.
I didn't even try getting a word out, my throat tasting raw and scratchy. Instead I leaned my weight towards Lizzie, resting my head in her arms.
I heard anxious murmurs from around me, too quiet for me to decipher in this state. I simply laid there, feeling Katherine mess around with my leg and injuries scattered along my arms.
It took a few minutes, but as soon as my breathing got back on track, my eyes fluttered open to gaze around at everyone.
"Jimmy where were you?" Lizzie demanded, her brow furrowed in worry.
"E...Eastvale..." I murmured, my voice hoarse and so quiet even I barely heard it.
"Eastvale-?" Gem's voice asked from somewhere above me. "With Fwhip- wait why were you in Eastvale??"
"Headpiece...Fwhip...experiment..." I managed to get out through deep breaths.
"If- if you were with Fwhip—" Gem began.
"And all signs of the quakes and destruction are coming from the direction of the Grimlands..." Sausage added on.
"What experiment?" The wizard demanded sharply, coming into my sight as she crouched in front of me. I finally got a good look at what was on her hat.
It was a baby dragon.
The miniature creature's scales were black as obsidian, purple reflections glancing off of its skin from the hazy light of the setting sun peeking dully through the clouds of smoke in the orange sky.
"Jimmy answer me!"
"We...we were trying...molecule duplication." I said, repeating what Fwhip had told me was the basics of it.
Gem's expression only got more panicked, her green eyes widening.
"And what happened during the experiment?" Katherine asked quietly, her eyes meeting my own.
"It...explosion." I whispered. "Everything's gone..."
"What do you mean by everyone's gone!?" Gem asked, her voice getting higher and louder the longer she spoke.
"Eastvale...gone..."
"Like- damaged gone or—?" Sausage began to ask.
"Crater. Completely gone. Nothing left." I coughed out, tasting blood again as Lizzie started to assist Katherine in helping me with my injuries.
"And Fwhip?! Where's Fwhip?" Gem started, the trace of tears building up along her waterline, the dragonling croaking quietly in a high pitched rawr.
I just shook my head. "I don't know... he was still in the lab when he told me to...to run... I couldn't find him after..." I said, my voice cracking as I spoke.
Gem closed her eyes, standing up quickly, her face now out of my sightlines.
"Gem he's probably fine—"
"Yeah but what if he's not!? I told him his stupid experimentations would get him killed someday I TOLD HIM—" She said, her voice breaking and muffled now.
"What's happening?" A voice called, cutting the wizard off, from farther out.
I twisted around to see a small figure dismounting a wolf nearly the size of a large pony just as they appeared in the clearing from the surrounding forest. She pulled a carved wooden mask in the shape of some predatory animal from her face, revealing two bright yellow eyes that shone through the darkness beginning to settle over the land as night came, like dim lamps.
"Shrub- you made it." Katherine said, turning as I did, relief in her slightly breathless voice.
" 'Course I did, now what's the problem?" The gnome asked, throwing her braid over her shoulder.
"The problem," Joey began, his arms crossed tightly and a growl resonating in his throat. "Is that Fwhip, like the idiot he is, set off some sort of explosion that destroyed his empire along with mine!"
"Joey you still haven't explained what happened—" Sausage started, attempting to reason with the furious avian.
"Debris! Hunks of debris rained on the empire like hail! The temples have all caved in! The jungle is on FIRE!" Joey snapped.
"Fwhip wa- is not an idiot—" Gem said, attempting to defend her brother, her voice quavering the slightest.
"Oh really, huh? His 'mistake' is destroying everything! What's going on in the other kingdoms, huh??? Nothing good! And he was a part of it!" He snarled, pointing at me with an accusing expression. "If the Count is dead I'll need someone to take my revenge on."
"You will not touch him." Lizzie said, her own voice low and laced with a threatening growl.
"Guys, cool it." Katherine said evenly, her jaw tight. "We'll figure something out. I...I don't think it's too bad in the Overgrown...I managed to evacuate my family and most of the citizens..." I paused, feeling a jolt of overwhelming guilt as Katherine's tone lingered on the word 'most'.
I watched in horror as Shrub began to slowly shake her head. "The...the fire's creeping in from the jungle...towards us." They said, speaking quietly, her expression twisted in worry.
"This is all my fault..." I murmured to myself, shivering slightly in the cold wind that whipped through the clearing, causing my scales to raise in my own version of goosebumps.
"Damn right it is." Joey snapped.
"Joey, I'm warning you." Lizzie hissed, before her tone softened. "It's not your fault Jimmy, it was an accident—"
"Even so, it's still mine." I replied, desperately trying to get rid of the shake in my voice, grateful for the chattering of my teeth that masked it the slightest.
Katherine frowned. "Let's get you warmer—" She began, looking up at both Gem and Sausage. The two nodded, both retreating backwards towards the rough circle surrounded by wooden stumps for seats.
As they did so, both Lizzie and Joel stood, helping me to my feet. My heels started to throb again as they led me over, staggering as I walked, towards the makeshift seats, sitting me down on one of the horizontal logs laid across the dirt.
Sausage stood near the middle, pointing his staff that I hadn't seen previously (and hadn't seen for nearly three years) towards a firepit-like ring of rocks within the center. He murmured something I just barely missed under his breath, a wave of heat that reminded me horribly of the first round of explosions extruding from his staff followed by a short blast of flames that lit the campfire.
In moments we were all sitting in silence around the blazing fire, all of us with expressions of hopelessness lining our faces.
They knew no better what to do than I did.
The hush that had settled over us, however, was broken by the beating of wings. My head snapped up, several gusts blowing in our direction and nearly putting our fire out. A small black shape rocketed towards the ground, wings unfurling as they landed.
Erin's knees nearly buckled upon impact, but she remained standing, straightening after a moment, her wings folding back behind her. She looked up at all of us, her expression set in annoyance, blood crusting along her hairline. She was clutching her left arm which hung slightly limp beside her, blood seeping between her fingers too as she glared at us. A moment later, Scott landed behind her, out of breath and looking very windswept.
"What on Empiria—" Gem began, standing up instantly at their presence along with Katherine. "What happened to you two!?"
"I was nearly crushed to death by falling buildings that's what!" Erin snapped, her glare intensifying. "Now what the fuck did you do to make the ENTIRE EXOR-DAMNED CONTINENT DECIDE TO START TANGOING WITH DEATH—"
"Erin calm down—" Scott started, still sounding slightly breathless. I noticed the blood strung through his hair, splattered along one of his antlers...
"You want me to calm down!? I'll calm down when I know what the actual hell is happening!" Erin said, swatting at Scott with her good arm, streaking even more blood down his sleeve where her hand made contact with his shirt.
"Oh that's nasty—" Katherine began, eyes locked on the large gash along the elven girl's upper arm.
"I'm very aware of that, thanks." Erin snarled, her fists clenching.
On top of everything, why did she have to be in a bad mood?
"Let me see, I might be able to help—" Katherine started, reaching out to try and take a closer look.
"Back off." She hissed, baring her teeth at the fairy, her wings flaring behind her defensively.
"Erin," Scott snapped. "cool it."
"Easy for you to say popsicle brain!"
"Excuse me—"
Their argument was cut off by yet more rustling. I looked around instantly, searching for where the noise was coming from just as everyone else did.
It only seemed to get louder, concerned mutterings echoing from the other rulers, until someone stumbled from the forest.
That someone, being Fwhip.
"Hi guys...I...I made it—" He said, wobbling on his feet. He was covered from head to foot in soot and ash, a large angry red burn crossing over his entire right shoulder and side, his shirt and jacket there burned away.
And then, he fainted on the spot.
"FWHIP—" Gem practically screamed, rushing forwards towards her brother. She dropped to the ground beside him, looking more distressed than I had ever seen her before. Tears ran uncontrollably down her face, splotched with red as she assessed him over quickly.
Katherine and Sausage had also rushed to their side.
Me?
I was speechless.
He was alive.
He was alive.
I would have stood up as well, run over to make sure he was okay, if not for the fact it felt like my legs were about to fall off.
"Scott get over here!" Gem demanded, her voice strained as her head snapped up, her eyes locking on my boyfriend.
Scott looked startled, having just been staring at Fwhip. "Wha—" he began while Gem got to her feet, storming over before grabbing onto his wrist and literally dragging him over towards where Fwhip had crumpled.
Scott yelped, staggering, and nearly falling over, attempting to tear his arm from her grip. He failed miserably.
Gem plopped back to the ground, bringing Scott with her, wearing a look of determination before slamming Scott's palm down on the burn crossing Fwhip's chest.
A look of realization spread across Scott's face, replacing the startled expression he had previously been wearing. A moment later, a thin layer of frost which must have felt incredibly soothing began to spread over Fwhip's torso and burn.
Katherine breathed a sigh of relief a few moments later. "He looks to be okay besides that...somehow."
"Oh thank the heavens..." Gem murmured, bowing her head slightly as she let go of Scott's wrist, instead clutching to Fwhip's limp hand.
"What did we miss?" Erin asked bluntly, not a trace of concern in her voice as she stared down at Fwhip, her brother, and those gathered around him.
I gulped, tightening my hold on Lizzie's arm that I had my own wrapped around. I didn't want to relay anything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours again.
"Fwhip and Jimmy messed with stuff and the Grimlands go boom." Joel explained matter-of-factly.
"Eh?" Erin said, scrunching her nose and tilting her head as she raised an eyebrow at the Mezalean King.
"What?" Scott demanded, his head snapping back up to meet my eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked after glancing over me, standing after completing the job Gem had silently set for him.
"He won't be once I'm done with him and Fwhippy." Joey said, having remained in the same spot the entire time. His expression was contorted in nothing short of fury, his tail feathers swishing angrily against the ground.
Both my sister and Scott glared at him instantly, before Scott moved to sit on the opposite side of me as Lizzie. He lifted my chin slightly, his touch pleasantly cool, tilting my face up to gaze into his. I watched as his eyes flicked over me, lingering on every one of my injuries.
"I'm fine, Scott." I said, though even I knew it wasn't very convincing.
"Sure." He replied rather sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "The world is falling apart, no one is fine right now."
I had to bite down on my lower lip to stop it from trembling, instantly tasting a fresh wave of blood as my canine pierced it. "And it's my fault..." I murmured.
"Jimmy, we already went over this, it's not your fault—" Lizzie began from my other side.
"But it is!" I wailed, covering my face with my hands, and swatting at both her and Scott to push them away. "I ruined everything!"
I felt two gentle hands just a moment later gently pulling my own away from my eyes. "It's okay." Scott reassured me, lowering his voice to hardly above a whisper. "Even if it is, it'll all be okay, alright?"
"Pfft, sure, go ahead and lie to him—" Erin said from a little ways away.
"Not. Helping." Scott snapped at her through gritted teeth.
I held back a small whimper, leaning into Scott's side and burying my face in his shirt now instead of my hands, clutching to him like a lifeline.
I felt Scott flinch the slightest before he relaxed, resting an arm around my shoulders, and rubbing circles on my back. "We'll figure it out, don't worry." He muttered.
I didn't look up for a while, listening to all the commotion going around me. I heard the whispered conversation of Shrub attempting to calm Katherine down after she had sat back down around the fire. Gem and Sausage were speaking quietly, still near where Fwhip laid. I heard the ruffle of wings, most likely Erin's as she was closer, while the elf attempted to get settled on one of the stumps. Joey seemed to be pacing, even his footsteps seeming angry.
There was still no sign of Pearl or Pix.
I bit back my worry. Talking about and pointing it out would only make the fact that they weren't here even more concerning.
I didn't want to be here anymore. I just wanted to melt into Scott's arms, forget everything that had happened, give my mind a moment to rest and not think about all the chaos that had been caused because of me.
Scott continued to whisper small, comforting words into my ear, ones that I was very grateful for. I tried to breathe normally, tried to remember I was safe here, at least for now.
Although, the fact tremors kept skirting across the ground, shaking the earth almost constantly, did nothing to help.
I didn't look up for a long time.
Not until I heard Fwhip's voice again.
"Wha's goin' on?" He said, voice slurred. I peered over Scott's shoulder, towards his form. Gem and Sausage were now helping him sit up.
"You fainted." Sausage said, keeping his voice quieter than normal. I watched as Katherine hurried back over.
"Are you dizzy? Do you need water?" She began to question.
All Gem looked, was relieved. She had flung her arms around Fwhip's neck, her face now buried in his good shoulder, her hat on the ground.
The little dragonling chirped, attempting to crawl into Gem's lap instead.
Fwhip looked incredibly disoriented, blinking rapidly as he took in his surroundings. Eventually, he managed to hug his sister back with one arm. "Everything okay? Did Jimmy—"
"Right here." I croaked, twisting all the way around to sit with my back to the campfire and the warmth from the flames, facing the group on the ground.
Fwhip's head shot up at my voice, also looking quite relieved.
"Fwhip, what happened? We barely got anything out from Jimmy—" Sausage said, earning a glare from me.
"It's...I messed up..." Fwhip groaned, going to move his other arm before wincing horribly.
"Stay still." Katherine scolded, beginning to dress the frost-covered burns with some sort of ointment. She was an absolute legend for keeping a first aid kit on her.
"Okay, okay it's just... what was I thinking?" He said, sounding a touch angry with himself as he spoke.
"What were you thinking!?" Joey demanded, his own anger remaining strong from earlier. "You've destroyed EVERYTHING! The fire temple is decimated! I barely got my own family out alive, what next?? Do I really want to go back to see all the carnage?"
"Rich coming from you parrot boy. You were the second half of a world-destroying power couple." Erin said, raising a skeptical eyebrow at him.
"I- well—" The avian spluttered, before letting his glare settle on her. "You can't talk either!"
"Mhm, I know. Still, hypocrite." She taunted, the smallest of smirks playing across her lips.
I didn't understand how she could keep that attitude in this situation, how she wasn't panicking like the rest of us.
Oh right. She didn't care.
Of course.
Joey opened his mouth to answer before clearly realizing he was not going to win this argument, turning away with an indignant huff.
"Gem- Gem what is that—" Fwhip asked suddenly, staring at the small creature that had now settled in the wizard's lap.
"Oh- her? Yeah um...you know that situation I uh, told you about? Well, meet Violet." Gem said, holding the dragonling up for him and everyone else to see.
It- she chirped, the frills around her horns flaring and ruffling for a moment.
Scott instantly tensed beside me, and I followed his gaze to look at Erin who had frozen as still as a statue, eyes glued to the so-called Violet.
"Wait- is that—" Fwhip started, his own eyes wide.
"Yup she hatched from the—" Gem began.
"Don't say it." Erin growled, her fists clenching at her sides.
Gem raised an eyebrow. "Don't say the ender dragon egg?" She questioned. "Because Violet is a baby ender dragon and—"
"Gah!" Erin exclaimed, cutting Gem off, and throwing her hands up into the air. "WHY."
Gem blinked, looking vaguely confused as she set Violet back down in her lap. However, now that Erin had gotten her attention, she didn't stay in Gem's lap.
The little dragonling twittered before clambering across the ground clumsily, like an infant just learning how to crawl, but startlingly quickly, towards Erin.
Erin yelped, instantly backing away but clearly not quick enough as the dragonet had latched itself onto her leg, beginning to scale her calf, her small talons hooked around Erin's knee.
In moments, Violet had made her way up Erin's torso, fastening herself around the teen's wing joint, the purple tint of her scales contrasting with the grey of Erin's. Erin turned violently, several panicked noises escaping her as she batted her wings to try and fling Violet off.
"Stop!" Gem said, also sounding panicked as she scrambled to her feet towards Erin and the dragonling.
"Get it OFF!" Erin said, twisting in strange ways, still trying to throw Violet off of her back.
"Stay still!" Gem replied shrilly, trying to follow Erin's movements and pry the dragonling from the elf's back.
"OW—" Erin shrieked as Violet was torn from her, her eyes swirling with red as she glared fiercely at the baby dragon.
Now in Gem's arms, Violet made a small whimpering noise, burrowing into Gem's chest before slithering up and perching on the wizard's shoulder.
Erin bared her teeth, hissing sharply towards them, her wings flared defensively, and her arms raised for attack. Red glowed underneath her skin, prominently flowing through her veins.
"Guys calm down!" Shrub said, throwing her small form between Gem and Erin who were both glaring each other down. "It's okay! We need to relax, this—" The gnome was cut off by a large rumbling of the ground, like the very earth was protesting.
Several shouts echoed in the clearing, including my own as many were thrown to the ground. I clutched tightly to Scott to avoid falling off of the log and into the dirt, closing my eyes. It felt like some large hand had decided to shake our planet like a snow globe.
A shriek sounded along with a large thud as something large fell to the ground. This tremor was nearly as violent as the first that had taken place during the explosion.
All I could do was hold on to Scott and hope it would be over soon.
It took several minutes, but eventually the quake began to die away, back to the slight rumbling that continued to shift the ground and all that was on it. I peered back up to see a branch had fallen, nearly crushing Fwhip, Sausage and Katherine who were still on the ground. It looked like they had all rolled out of the way just in time, all three out of breath and eyes wide.
"Oh great. Good job breaking the world Fwhip." Erin snapped, getting back to her feet as she brushed the dirt from herself. "Great fucking job..."
"We need to get back to our empires." Lizzie said, voice tense, from beside me. "We can't just stay here and hide."
"We can't?" I asked in a quiet voice. I'd very much just like to stay here and hide.
Scott shook his head. "No...she's right. We need to go back, help where we can and assess the damage once it ends..." I could practically hear him finish the sentence in his head.
If it ends.
There was a murmur of agreement among the rest, still recovering from the most recent shake.
"We meet back here?" Gem suggested, Violet perched on her hatless head as she leant down to pick it back up.
"Yeah...yeah back here...I need to check on Pearl." Sausage replied, nodding slowly, his eyes not focused on anything specific.
"You're coming with me." Gem added, tilting her head towards Fwhip.
"Gladly." Fwhip said with a small sigh.
I frowned as Scott got up. I didn't want him to leave, I didn't want any of them to leave. I didn't want to go back to Ora to see the reality of what I had done...
But, I too stood. Shakily, I might add.
"Jimmy it'll be alright." Scott reassured me, squeezing my hand for a moment before letting go. "I'll see you back here after, okay? Stay safe for me?"
I breathed out slowly, before nodding. "Mhm, okay. I will." I promised, looking up the slightest at him.
He let a small smile slip, resting his forehead against my own before stepping away towards his sister.
"Alrighty, let's go." Erin said, giving a short wave to the group. With a small leap and gust of wind, she and Scott were the first to take off, south towards the elven domain.
I felt a short clap of a hand on my shoulder as I watched them disappear into the sky, turning to see my sister.
"He's right, it'll be okay Jimmy. I'll see you tomorrow as well." Lizzie stated after saying her goodbyes to Joel, giving me a small smile before walking away towards the dock, trident in hand. She disappeared from sight as well, diving into the river, her slender form disfigured by water as she slid around the bend.
"It's the end of times Shrub..." I heard Joey say, catching a bit of his and Shrub's conversation.
"I sure hope it's not." She replied, mounting her wolf again. "C'mon Zodiac, back to the valley."
I glanced around the clearing one last time as everyone began to disperse, before following my sister's route and diving back into the river, continuing my trail north to pour out into the Aquilo Sea....
But I couldn't help the feeling of dread that pooled into my stomach. Dread that was as painful as a knife twisting in my torso.
I knew then, somehow, that I would not be seeing the rest there at the meeting...
Death seemed to loom on the horizon. Inevitable. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.
***
*gasp* an update so soon???
I know. It's a miracle. I'm amazing /j
But yeah, here ya go. It's a bit rushed, but it's good enough!
And guess what??? This wasn't even prewritten! I wrote FIVE THOUSAND words yesterday
Like writer's block who???
Anyways, hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon- it's a Joel pov!