Well this too long enough. What a cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter eh? Ya mad I made you wait this long to find out what happens? Well. Stop whining if you were 'cause here it is! Chapter ten of my book!
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The Guardians of Life: Justice
Chapter Ten-
Under the Sands

Under the sands, Aerobolt was surprised to find himself mesmerized by how peaceful it felt to be suspended and encased in a tomb of sand. He had been submersed for what? 40 seconds? So quiet… it put Aerobolt in a trance. He couldn’t hold his breath very long, but the peaceful silence around him kept him calm. He knew it was far from peaceful, however. He was going to suffocate down here, he knew. He couldn’t say his goodbyes to Shade and Storm. They didn’t even know he was dying. How long would they search for him, only to realize they will never find him?
Huh. So this was it. He had left Hydyraen to live the life he wanted to lead. Never would he have imagined he chosen death. Sixty seconds under the sands, and he started to feel his lungs beginning to ache. ‘My Bane, Fire? Huh. Nope. It apparently was Earth all along…’ he thought almost without realizing. His brain was beginning to grow starved of oxygen. He began to see images of Hydyraen and his past life there flash through his mind, and all the tribulations he’d endured. Ninety seconds under the sands… and he could see his life reeling through in his mind… it seemed so real… but it wasn’t anymore. His lungs were practically screaming for relief at this point. One hundred seconds under the sands. Without warning, a faint almost indiscriminate voice echoed in his head. They repeated themselves over and over in his collapsing mind. ‘Go down… go down… go down…’ He knew going down was where he was going. He had no idea if he stopped sinking or not. Why would he need to go further down? It would mean he’d be further from the surface. It would mean, he’d be further from life. Death would be waiting for him down there.
One hundred twenty seconds under the sands, and he tried to create an air pocket, but he was too weak, and the sand too thick to shift around. Somehow, he felt that he stopped sinking. There was no explanation, but his dying mind felt that the sinking had stopped, or was he so out of it, was it an illusion? Was the voice an illusion too? Was going down really the answer? Unconsciously, he found himself digging and squirming his way downward. Then without warning, his footpaws hit cold air. Air!? Real air!? A cavern under the quicksand!? Aerobolt couldn’t believe his luck! Aerobolt continued to move downward, despite hardly even feeling himself moving. The cold air around his paws was starting to disappear. Was it an illusion? Or was he starting to go numb? One hundred fifty seconds under the sands, and the lack of oxygen was not making him tired anymore. He felt like he was drifting away. Drifting away, like in that dream he had the other night. He was dying… but relief was right there! Salvation was too close!
No! Don’t give up yet! Never give up! Where was that coming from? That hardly sounded like a voice anymore. Aerobolt hardly had any consciousness left. He wasn’t even controlling his body anymore! He couldn’t feel anything anymore. His vision began to go darker. He didn’t think that was possible at first. But he couldn’t think anymore. All he could do, was continue digging down… One hundred eighty seconds under the sands, and a rumbling sound that sounded so far away resonated in what was left of his consciousness. He couldn’t tell if it was even real. Wait. Question? He was hardly even conscious anymore. He was suddenly becoming more aware of his thoughts. Had he broken into the cave? He couldn’t grasp at any genuine thoughts yet. The next thing he knew, he had blacked out.
Oh how his lungs ached and stung! That was enough to jolt his consciousness back to life. He could barely breathe. Breathe!? Yes! He had broken into the cave! But how come he couldn’t breathe well? When he found he could move his jaws, he suddenly found himself coughing weakly. He continued to cough for what seemed like forever, until they became stronger. After several more minutes, he was vomiting up an alarming amount of sand and mud. Right then he found himself gasping for air, taking in as much air as he could. Never had he thought air felt so good. A cave like this can’t have much oxygen, but he did not care. He tried to get to his paws, and was startled to see how badly his limbs shook; standing was such a chore. He did not care, for the realization sunk in: he had survived, somehow, someway! He was still alive!
But where on Nyethra was he now!? Under the desert and in a cave, definitely, but how s he going to get out of here!? He looked around in the darkness and found a faint orange light to his left. Wait. Light? Was someone living down here!? Maybe they could help him out. He staggered in that direction, stumbling along the cavern walls. Then a sickeningly familiar voice sounded from within the light.
“I told you! I don’t know!”
Shade! She sounded close. But whom was she talking to?
“We saw you had a third fox traveling with you lot! He must be the one we are after! Now for the last time! Where is he!?” snarled a rough voice. “If you refuse to cooperate one more time, you and the cub will breathe no more!”
There was a whimpering sound at the mention of the word “cub”. Someone else snarled, “Shut up!” A sound of ripping fur, followed by a squeal of pain reached Aerobolt’s ears.
Storm too! The bandits must have found Shade first then. Now they must be trying to find where he went.
“We got separated in the sandstorm! Then you lot grabbed me! How am I supposed to know!?” Shade spat.
The kobold growled in frustration, a sound of breaking glass followed. “This is ridiculous. I should have killed all three of you when I had the chance. If I am going to find the other one, I need the two of you alive! I think you two do know where he is! Do not lie to me fox. You all are too good at that! It is time someone put you in your place.”
That does it! A sudden surge of strength blasted through Aerobolt as he sprung from his hiding place, and fired a bolt of dark energy at the source of the voice. It missed by a couple of inches, and instead shattered one of the bottles on a shelf next to him. Shade and Storm were tied up in front of him, unable to act. They gasped in surprise when they saw Aerobolt. The kobold didn’t even flinch.
“Well, well, well. It looks like he came to us.”
Aerobolt realized in dismay that there were two other kobolds in the room with him when he felt two bodies brush his tail to prevent his escape.
“How bold of you to join us. I must ask how you found this place?” the apparent leader asked.
Standing his ground, Aerobolt replied warily, “I fell in. That does not matter; are you going to release my friends?”
The leader laughed, “You must be kidding yourself if you think we are going to do that without our fee, do ya!?”
“Fee!?”
“That’s right. We went through the trouble of capturing these two foxes. The vixen held a pretty good fight. Don’t you think we deserve a little something for our troubles?” the leader sneered.
“You-“ Aerobolt snarled furiously.
“What? Does my bargain sound unfair?” the leader stated mockingly.
Aerobolt growled deeply. If it weren’t for the fact that he almost died, he would’ve taken them all out by now. Even now, he is still feeling too light headed, but no way he is going to back down! “That’s no bargain! It is a threat! And theft!” he snarled.
The leader had walked over, right behind him, somewhat shoving the other two out of the way. Aerobolt tried not to seem intimidated. “Isn’t it always like that with you customers? You are all impossible to please,” the leader said softly. Then his voice hardened. “That’s the deal. Take it. Or die.”
Aerobolt had one idea. He prayed it would work. “Hm… Let me consult my friends about this.”
“So there was treasure on those two! That vixen lied to me! I told you foxes were nothing but worthless scummy liars!” the leading Kobold growled mostly to himself.
“Shade!” Aerobolt hissed, making sure the Kobolds are not listening to him.
“What are you going to give them!? We really do have nothing!” Shade hissed back.
“Storm’s Thunder Gem! What happens if a different Force is used on it?”
“It will explode. I see what you are going to try and do, but the blast will likely kill all of us and cause the cave to collapse,” Shade explained in a low voice.
“What I went through to get here, this will be nothing,” Aerobolt started, dusting wet sand off of himself, “Isn’t it possible to generate a protective barrier using a Force of some kind?”
“Maybe… It would have to completely neutralize Thunder for it to work though… Like Fire and Water? They neutralize each other. Same thing goes with Light and Darkness. And Earth and Wind. Problem is, Thunder cannot be neutralized.”
“Will you hurry up?” the kobold leader suddenly growled impatiently, making Aerobolt jump.
“I’ll be right with you!” Aerobolt called back. Turning back to Shade, he lowered his voice again. “Well uh… I remember hearing about lightning being directed into the ground and such when I was in Hydyraen… Is that true, or were they messing with me like they always do?”
“Smart fox. Earth is very unorthodox to use, but… it should be enough… Still it is our best option, though if it gets us killed, I will kill you. Storm’s pouch is that small one to your right. Inside the biggest pocket is a hidden compartment. His Thunder Gem should be there.”
Aerobolt had located the small pouch Shade indicated. Inside it were mostly sweet looking fruits. Just as Shade said, there was a flap inside that no one could have found without knowing about it. He felt around inside until he hit something hard. Instantly his fur stood on end. That had to be the gem. He pulled it free. The little stone looked just like topaz. Perfect.
Bringing it over to the Kobold, who glowered at him, he said, “This is all we have.”
Of course, the first thing the Kobold said, “What the hell happened to your fur? Don’t answer that. Is that topaz?”
“Yes, sir,” Aerobolt nodded.
The bandit, who thought for a moment, then said, “Eh, it’s not ideal. I would ask for more, but you were the only one who decided to cooperate in the end, so I will accept this.”
Aerobolt gave him the gem. Instantly his fur fluffed out against the static. Yelping in surprise, the bandit dropped it, along with his dagger. Seizing his opportunity, Aerobolt grabbed the dagger and cut the ropes binding Shade and Storm, yelling, “Shade! Now!” as he blasted the gem with Dark Energy. Shade flung her arms up, and a thick section of the sandstone floor rose up to the ceiling, sealing them from the bandits.
The bandits had no time to react. They could only manage a strangled, “Huh!?” before the gem exploded violently behind the shield. The cave around them shook ominously as the screams behind the wall were halted by the sounds of the room collapsing on the other side. Pieces of sandstone fell on the three foxes’ heads as the rumbling finally began to subside. Shade was growling. Trying to keep an entire space like this stable during a collapse like this must be pretty hard. Storm’s eyes were clouded with fear; his Bane was Earth! How could Aerobolt have forgotten!?
The quaking had stopped, though Aerobolt was unsure, because his legs still shook violently. It was a good thing there were two exits in the hideout. After all the bandits needed an escape route. In the end it will now help the trinity instead.
“We did it!” Storm said gleefully.
“We sure did! Let’s get out of here. It is starting to get uncomfortable down here.” Aerobolt said. “I have had it with sand! I cannot wait until we are out of this hell of a desert!”
Shade’s handpaw was already poised to open the door. “Now we need to get Storm a new Thunder Gem too… We have a lot of explaining to give Thor when we get back.”
Aerobolt stopped. “Thor? Isn’t that the GOD of Thunder? Are you pulling my leg here!?”
“No! Not quite the GOD of Thunder! He is the top, the Arch Guardian of Thunder. Thor is just the name given to each Arch Guardian of Thunder.”
Storm had gone out the door, but he returned looking still shaken. “Miss Shade? It is about to become night. Should we stay here for the night?”
“Is it already? Alright. We need to take care of that cut of yours anyway. Are you all right? That looks very painful,” Shade stared at the gash on Storm’s shoulder. It was still bleeding.
“I’m okay. It only hurts lots when I move my arm too much,” Storm said.
Shade began rummaging through her pack. “Plazma had better brought first aid supplies. …You don’t mind, do you, Aerobolt?”
“Are you kidding me? I want out of this desert NOW! But… I understand… You won’t believe how exhausted I am.” It was true; his ordeal, and the Kobold Bandit incident drained all his energy away. No matter how badly he wanted out of this desert, no way he could make another step!
“There… How does that feel?” Shade had finished wrapping gauze on Storm’s shoulder.
“I can barely move my arm,” Storm said in a melancholic voice. Poor cub. This must be hard for him.
“It’s supposed to restrict your movement so you won’t open that wound again. Remind me to change that tomorrow morning,” Shade said.
“Those were the only Kobold Bandits right? No more will come while we are sleeping, will they?” Storm asked nervously.
Shade embraced him in a comforting hug. “Of course not,” she said softly. “Two bunk beds. Four Kobolds. That wouldn’t make much sense if there were more.”
“Nothing makes sense anymore,” Storm’s muffled voice came as exhaustion.
Shade picked him up with exceptional strength. “I know. But one day, it will.” She set him down on the top bunk, directly above Aerobolt. “You don’t mind, do you Aerobolt?”
Aerobolt was already falling asleep. “No…” he mumbled. Just as Shade climbed into the other bunk, he asked, “Shade?”
“Yes Aerobolt?”
“What are the other Arch Guardians’ names by any chance?”
Shade said, “Well you already know mine and Thor’s… but there is also Sylph, Gnome, Nereid, Salamander, and Seraph. All of us serve under Fielra and protect and rectify the Forces of Life.”
“Wow. I cannot wait until I join you guys,” Aerobolt whispered.
Shade’s response echoed in his mind until he drifted off into sleep, “I can’t either… You will be a part of our family… Forever…”
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Wanna start from the beginning? Here is Chapter One! http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11187661/
Here is my series' index! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5340298/