The bomb exploded.
Red had thought he was prepared. He had thought that he had traveled far enough not to feel the explosion. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The bomb aboard the gearborn ship was powerful enough to throw him backward from yards away. This explosion was nowhere close.
Light overwhelmed him in an instant, and he had to shut his eyes to avoid being blinded. With them closed, he could still feel the overpowering glow attempting to sear through them from the sheer power of ten cores exploding simultaneously. They had gone all out on this bomb, and it had paid off.
The next thing that hit was the sound. A boom so loud it seemed to shake the very air around him. Had he been any closer, he was certain his eardrums would have ruptured. This power behind it must have been even stronger than the earlier one.
A wave of force slammed into him, and he felt himself get sent hurtling backward. Something heavy slammed into him as he flew. It was likely the pirate from earlier, but for the moment, Red didn't notice.
He crashed into the beach behind him with a thud. All the air was thrown from his lungs as he skidded like a stone, bouncing numerous times before finally rolling to a stop. Water lapped at him as he struggled to breathe. The sheer power behind the explosion was enough to make him nearly pass out.
After what felt like an eternity, air finally returned to his lungs. It was warm and tasted like the faint trickle of electricity. It wasn't the overpowering flavor like before an explosion, but simply the remaining residue left by his bomb. The tingle on his tongue managed to knock some sense back into him, and he forced his eyes open.
His head rang, and everything shook from the force of the blast, but for the moment, none of that was on his mind. Where was Derrin? His friend had been at the end of the cavern fighting the pirates. However, the explosion should have been enough to draw any attention away from his friend. With its sheer force, it likely damaged the hull of the pirate ship. That was if they were lucky. Red wasn't sure if he wanted to count on that.
He rolled and pushed himself to his knees. His vision blurred slightly, but it hardened on the distant cavern mouth. Smoke billowed outwards, black and eerie. It was powerful enough to nearly black out the entire ship. His gaze shifted downwards, and he found one of the pirates slumped in the sand.
The man had taken the full brunt of the explosion. In fact, it was likely thanks to him that Red came out of the blast as unscathed as he was. The pirate's shirt was smoking, and he lay face down in the sand. His hand twitched, confirming he was still alive. He didn't see any of the other pirates and suspected that they all had been hurtled away as well. Where they had landed, Red hadn't the slightest idea.
Staggering upwards, Red managed to catch himself from collapsing back into the sand. His vision swam slightly, but his mist began to aid him. The power it gave flowed throughout his mangled body, keeping him from toppling over. He felt like he was missing something, but what?
He glanced around the beach and spotted an object sparkling beneath the sunlight. His shockblaster. Red let out a sigh of relief. The initial explosion must have thrown it from his hand. He was glad it survived at least.
Trudging over, Red bent down to pick it up and paused. His gun was not, in fact, unscathed. The wiring was smoking and smelled like electricity. Red deftly removed the core with a muffled curse. His weapon was fried. The overwhelming electrical blast had tampered with its cooling system. That had prevented the makeshift weapon from overcoming the shot. It took its pain out on the wiring by melting it.
Red let out an angry curse and shoved the gun into his coat. This was a problem for later. For now, he needed to find Derrin and get out of the area. The pirates would converge on their location as quickly as possible. When that happened, their chances of escape would plummet.
He eyed the shadowy gloom with waryness. Red couldn't see more than a few feet into the cavern and remained where he stood. Anyone could come stumbling out of the smog, and they might do anything. His fingers tightened around his remaining shockblaster. The loss hurt, but it wasn't the first time something like that had happened.
"You bastard!" the voice came out croaking and ragged.
Red glanced at the fallen pirate who still lay unmoving. The only thing that had changed was that his head was facing him. Red stared at the man's glowering face. Blood streaked from his ears and nose. The pirate made no more movements; either he was too exhausted or too injured. Perhaps both.
"Well, you're the one lying in a pool of your own blood, so I wouldn't be talking."
The pirate sneered and attempted to move. He let out a ragged cry, struggling to sit up. His body gave out, and he collapsed to the sand again. Red opened his mouth to speak and froze.
Sounds were echoing out of the jungle. They were the sounds of breaking branches. His eyes widened. Waiting for Derrin was no longer an option. There were pirates coming. Red staggered forwards before breaking into a run. He needed to get to the cave. There, at least, he could hide and rest his injured body.
He reached the treeline just as a figure stepped on the beach. Red didn't wait to see if he was seen. A branch cracked beneath his foot, and he cringed, but forced himself onwards. His body ached as he strained it, trying to force himself to reach his destination. The sounds of the jungle echoed behind him, but he knew he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.
Red increased his pace. Running as fast as his body would allow. The weeks of marching around the jungle in fear of being caught paid off. His footsteps were far more concealed than those of his chaser. Each footfall rang true, but even so, he glanced behind him and thought he saw faint movement between the trees.
His hand tightened around his shockblaster. Turning back, Red leaped over a fallen log. Hitting the ground, Red cursed as the leaves crackled. He stepped, and his foot hooked a tree root.
Horror dawned on him.
His mind raced.
Nothing he could do.
He slammed into the moss floor with a crunch. He pushed himself up. Struggling to stand. He needed to move. He needed to go. He needed to…
"Don't even think about it," A hard voice echoed through the surrounding jungle.
Red glanced behind him at the pirate. He was a tall man with aging features. His hand rested on his belt, where a long sword hung. The Valencian military colors lined his body and seemed to blend with the surrounding green jungle. His eyes floated to the man's outstretched hand. He held a shockblaster. A shockblaster was trained on him.