Legends of Pandora

Chapter 2 ~ Edmundium bridge ~

Ras’s group had sent for reinforcements after capturing the group, the reinforcements had brought a large transport vehicle with a rusted metal platform hitched behind it to move Bones, while the others were shoved in the back of a few prison transport buggies, the backseats fitted with bars and locks. Lagoon was harpooned by four buggies and guided along the Grassy landscape. The Andrewsarchus who had originally told Ryker of the group arriving on the grassy ark rode up beside the transport holding Nash, Skyla, Ron, The Chief, and a sea serpent. The hog-like creature had a metal saddle with a machine gun fixed to the top of it, riding the andrew was a Jerboa with a bite mark taken out of his ear. The Jerboa sneered at the prisoners as the Andrew rode past, Nash noticed the andrew had a glass eye. latched onto said prison transport was Ras. “Ras, the prisoners are secured, but I sense a dust storm brewing. We should make haste.” The Jerboa said. “Yea and fast!” The Andrew said, not knowing what “haste” means. “We should be to the Caldera region by then, we’ll wait it out in a cave.” Ras replied. The caravan reached the edge of the ark and could see a volcanic ark in front of them, the only problem was a massive gorge in-between them and the next ark. The only way through was a bridge made of corrupted element. The buggies stopped dead in their tracks. “Why did we stop?” Ron asked. “It’s almost noon..” Ras said ominously, with no hint of his usual humor. “What happenss at noon?” Seascale asked. Ras looked around, behind them was the dust storm, closing fast. “We don’t have a choice. HOW FUN! EVERYONE SADDLE UP, WE RIDE IMMEDIATELY!” Ras Shouted for all his men to hear. “But Boss!” The Jerboa started. “I said, saddle up Hermes!” Ras snapped. Hermes jumped back onto the andrewsarchus’s back. The buggies tore of towards the bridge, the group was still confused on what all the urgency was about, and then the Ark pillars began to glow. “What’s going on?!” Nash shouted at Ras. “Every day the arks burn away the element from the surrounding area, it grows back really fast, but in two minutes it’s all gone, and guess what we’re driving on!” Ras answered, just as the buggies drove onto the element bridge “THIS IS INSANE!” The chief yelled. “I know, isn’t it great!!” Ras said. They drove at full speed but the bridge was long, and they were out of time, the pillars blasted a wave of cleansing element, the bridge shook and began to crumble, “a bit early today heh.. that or my watch broke, Ras said looking at a clearly shattered pocket watch. Bones’ platform brought up the rear, but he was tied up. Another blast from the pillars and gaps in the bridge began to form, some of the bikes in the caravan had already fallen, and the buggy containing Seascale and the Pengujas was headed straight for a hole. “We musst esscape!” Seascale said urgently, Ping reached into the front seat of the buggy through the bars and grabbed at the mesopithicus driver’s keys, the driver was too busy dodging potholes that he didn’t pay any mind to Ping, but the passenger did, it was a noglin, who had Quan’s mace, he lifted the mace above his head in his mouth and swung at Ping, who lunged back out of the way, the mace broke a hole in the bars, allowing Seascale to slip out, he coiled around the noglin, who dropped the mace into the driver’s lap, the mesopithicus blurted out a scream and the buggy turned of course, aiming for the side of the bridge. “Everyone out!” Seascale said, holding the noglin down. They drove at Kairukus climbed out of the cage and through the sunroof, onto the roof of the car, Quan grabbing his mace on his way out, Seascale followed, leaving the noglin behind and retrieving his trident. They jumped onto the roof of the truckbed of the vehicle hitched to Bones’s platform, just in time, the Mesopithicus and noglin drove right off the cliffside. They are three fourths of the way along the bridge but another another pulse from the pillars made the bridge start to crumble from the middle, there was no way Bones’ transport was going to make it, it was too slow. “We gotta cut him free!” Lee said. “You’re right, hurry!” Seascale said. They jumped from the truckbed onto the trailer and started cutting ropes with their beaks and Seascale’s trident, the bridge was collapsing fast and they were barely outriding it. Bones was finally free enough to burst through the rest of his ropes, and he did, uneasily standing up on the trailer, “quick, get on my back!” Bones roared. The rest of the remaining caravan had made it across, and the trailer was nearly there, but a fourth burst from the pillars made the entire remaining bridge sink beneath them. Bones, with the others atop him, made one last risky move. He ran across the trailer, stepped onto the truck, flattening it, and lunged forward. Just barely making the distance and crashing down on the volcanic rock of the other side. A fifth and final pulse echoed through the air and the bridge was gone without a trace. The group and gang both cheered for Bones, despite the fact that they had inadvertently caused the deaths of three of Ras’ men. “Good work big guy! We could use a beast like you out here!” Ras said. Bones stood up, looking down on Ras. “Release my friends. Now…” he said threateningly. “Of course, the cages were merely precautionary anyway.” Ras said fearfully. “Precautionary for what?” Ron said. “Your safe trip to our outpost of course!” Ras said as if that was clear. “What outpost?” Nash said. “Um, Ras. We really don’t have time for this, the storm is almost to the gorge.” Hermes said. “Oh right, everyone this way!” Ras shouted, the group drove or ran a little ways down the hill, into a nice large cave. “Here we are! Ras cave!” Ras said. “He names every cave we go to after himself..” Hermes whispered to Nash. “Now, tell us what’s going on here. Why are we on earth, and why are there arks down here.” Ron asked. “Not sure how you got here, and I’m not the one to explain all that, I’m not the boss.” Ras said. “Then who is?” The Chief asked. “I am…” the andrewsarchus said ominously. Hermes slapped him on the head, “Now you aren’t Cerberus.” He said. “I just like saying that, heheheh.” Cerberus said with a chuckle. “Our real boss is a Yutyrannus, his name is Ryker.” Hermes said. “Real scary dude Ryker, you don’t want to cross him.” Cerberus said. “Ras has known him the longest, me and Cerby just joined this ragtag group.” Hermes said. “He’s right, I know Ryker better than anyone. Don’t question his orders and things go good. Defy him,” he gestured to his buzzsaw hand, “and things go bad..” Ras said. “Sounds like we need to meet this, Ryker fellow.” Nash said.