(Before the chapter starts)
I apologize again, Desert Lynx!!!!! I REALLY didn't mean to offend you! I hadn't realized that you meant that it was well written, as I can be extremely stupid when I am upset!
I thank all of you for the supportive reviews, my mood really improved.
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*Horteka*
"I just don't understand. We can't find him anywhere!"
Hans rubbed his temples with his forefingers, trying to ease the headache that he was getting. "I don't understand either. It's like he disappeared or something."
Urala leaned against the hut that they were standing next to, thinking about any places that they could have missed in their search. She heard a loud smack, and looked up to see that Hans had just slapped his forehead and was muttering a string of curses under his breath. "Hans?"
"I can't believe that I was so stupid!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I lived here for almost six months, and I completely forget about the area where the Iron Clad had crashed!"
"Then we'd better go check that area." Her friend nodded, and the two of them left for that area.
A horrific sight met their eyes when they arrived at the clearing.
The ground was red with blood. Five bodies dressed in black were littered around the area in odd positions, and a sixth was lying on his face.
"...This is horrible..."
Hans merely nodded in agreement, fighting the urge to puke as he went to check one of the bodies. After kneeling beside it for a moment, he stood up and said, "Dead."
"We should check all of the people in this area; one of them might still be alive."
The other four assassins proved to be dead as well, so the friends moved to the sixth and final body.
Abruptly, Urala gasped and ran to the fallen person. Hans followed at her heels, but he didn't understand why she was doing this.
"Hans, help me turn him over. I really hope that this isn't who I think it is..."
The engineer did so, and his jaw dropped when he recognized the person.
"Gilder!"
"He's still alive!"
"You stay here. I'll go find Isapa. The priest may be able to keep Gilder alive." Hans sprinted out of the clearing.
Urala turned back to the fallen rogue and said, "I hope that you can get someone to help you in time, Hans. It looks like Gilder doesn't have much time left."
*Enrique's palace*
"Enrique?"
The young emperor looked up and saw that Ilchymis was standing in his doorway.
"Ilchymis, come in." After the chemist had seated himself, Enrique asked, "What brings you here?"
Ilchymis reached into one of the pockets on his lab coat and pulled out a folded note. "This note is what brings me here. It came to me in the mail, and asked me to give it to you. I don't know what it says."
The young emperor opened the note and began reading.
_Your majesty,
Someone freed our prisoners. This is an act against us, and therefore will not be tolerated. Be informed that we will not hold back any longer.
The Phoenix_
Enrique gritted his teeth.
--Who are these people, what do they want, and what will they do to get it? I really wish that I knew!--
"Thank you, Ilchymis."
The chemist nodded and removed himself from the room, leaving Enrique to ponder the meaning of this new note.
*Horteka*
"All right, now that we're here, where's Gilder?"
Clara laughed at Lilly's impatience. "I'll find him. You three stay on the ship."
Clara walked farther into the village, ignoring the protests coming from her ship. Walking up to one of the natives, she asked, "Excuse me, are there any visitors staying here at this point."
The young man turned to her and said, "Yes, three of them. They're in the elder's hut. Would you like me to take you there?"
"Yes, that would be greatly appreciated."
After a few minutes, they arrived at their destination. Clara thanked the young man, and entered the hut.
She gasped at the sight that greeted her. Hans and Urala were standing off to one side with worried expressions on their faces, looking at the person that Isapa was tending to. He had familiar brown hair and a bloodstained bandage around his knee.
--Wait a minute, I know that person...--
Realization of who it was his her on the head like a ton of bricks.
"Gilder! Wh-What happened to him?"
"We found him in a clearing in this state, surrounded by five dead assassins from that huge ship."
Clara looked at Hans, and said, "Bring him aboard the Primrose. There's more space, and the beds might be a little more comfortable for him."
"Until he wakes up."
Clara glared at Urala, who laughed and said, "It's true!"
"I agree with both of you," said Isapa. "We'll move Gilder to the Primrose, even if we wind up having to deal with an interesting situation if he wakes up."
I apologize again, Desert Lynx!!!!! I REALLY didn't mean to offend you! I hadn't realized that you meant that it was well written, as I can be extremely stupid when I am upset!
I thank all of you for the supportive reviews, my mood really improved.
-----------------
*Horteka*
"I just don't understand. We can't find him anywhere!"
Hans rubbed his temples with his forefingers, trying to ease the headache that he was getting. "I don't understand either. It's like he disappeared or something."
Urala leaned against the hut that they were standing next to, thinking about any places that they could have missed in their search. She heard a loud smack, and looked up to see that Hans had just slapped his forehead and was muttering a string of curses under his breath. "Hans?"
"I can't believe that I was so stupid!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I lived here for almost six months, and I completely forget about the area where the Iron Clad had crashed!"
"Then we'd better go check that area." Her friend nodded, and the two of them left for that area.
A horrific sight met their eyes when they arrived at the clearing.
The ground was red with blood. Five bodies dressed in black were littered around the area in odd positions, and a sixth was lying on his face.
"...This is horrible..."
Hans merely nodded in agreement, fighting the urge to puke as he went to check one of the bodies. After kneeling beside it for a moment, he stood up and said, "Dead."
"We should check all of the people in this area; one of them might still be alive."
The other four assassins proved to be dead as well, so the friends moved to the sixth and final body.
Abruptly, Urala gasped and ran to the fallen person. Hans followed at her heels, but he didn't understand why she was doing this.
"Hans, help me turn him over. I really hope that this isn't who I think it is..."
The engineer did so, and his jaw dropped when he recognized the person.
"Gilder!"
"He's still alive!"
"You stay here. I'll go find Isapa. The priest may be able to keep Gilder alive." Hans sprinted out of the clearing.
Urala turned back to the fallen rogue and said, "I hope that you can get someone to help you in time, Hans. It looks like Gilder doesn't have much time left."
*Enrique's palace*
"Enrique?"
The young emperor looked up and saw that Ilchymis was standing in his doorway.
"Ilchymis, come in." After the chemist had seated himself, Enrique asked, "What brings you here?"
Ilchymis reached into one of the pockets on his lab coat and pulled out a folded note. "This note is what brings me here. It came to me in the mail, and asked me to give it to you. I don't know what it says."
The young emperor opened the note and began reading.
_Your majesty,
Someone freed our prisoners. This is an act against us, and therefore will not be tolerated. Be informed that we will not hold back any longer.
The Phoenix_
Enrique gritted his teeth.
--Who are these people, what do they want, and what will they do to get it? I really wish that I knew!--
"Thank you, Ilchymis."
The chemist nodded and removed himself from the room, leaving Enrique to ponder the meaning of this new note.
*Horteka*
"All right, now that we're here, where's Gilder?"
Clara laughed at Lilly's impatience. "I'll find him. You three stay on the ship."
Clara walked farther into the village, ignoring the protests coming from her ship. Walking up to one of the natives, she asked, "Excuse me, are there any visitors staying here at this point."
The young man turned to her and said, "Yes, three of them. They're in the elder's hut. Would you like me to take you there?"
"Yes, that would be greatly appreciated."
After a few minutes, they arrived at their destination. Clara thanked the young man, and entered the hut.
She gasped at the sight that greeted her. Hans and Urala were standing off to one side with worried expressions on their faces, looking at the person that Isapa was tending to. He had familiar brown hair and a bloodstained bandage around his knee.
--Wait a minute, I know that person...--
Realization of who it was his her on the head like a ton of bricks.
"Gilder! Wh-What happened to him?"
"We found him in a clearing in this state, surrounded by five dead assassins from that huge ship."
Clara looked at Hans, and said, "Bring him aboard the Primrose. There's more space, and the beds might be a little more comfortable for him."
"Until he wakes up."
Clara glared at Urala, who laughed and said, "It's true!"
"I agree with both of you," said Isapa. "We'll move Gilder to the Primrose, even if we wind up having to deal with an interesting situation if he wakes up."