Love In A Sinking Realm ⊰BTS⊱ Steampunk

BONUS CHAPTER ➣ Fall Comes Before Wisdom

⊰᯽⊱┈ A few days prior ┈⊰᯽⊱

Yoongi landed the airship on the hillside. Hoseok hadn't spared a moment of rest, holding Jungkook in his arms and magically keeping him awake. He was pale as a ghost, suffering in excruciating pain. Puddles of all the blood he had lost dripped out of the door seal from the inclination of the ground.

Yoongi jumped off and helped his brother carry Jungkook out of the vehicle. The boy moaned and groaned, unable to hold his tears.

"Yoongi careful!" hissed Hoseok when their little brother let out a cry of pain.

They temporarily laid him on the sparse grass and moist soil. Hoseok started rummaging inside the ship for anything that resembled a blanket.

Yoongi gazed at the landscape.

"Wow...," he exclaimed, "What the hell happened here?"

Hoseok craned his neck outside to look at what had stirred so much awe in his stoic brother. Even Jungkook whimpered in the effort to glimpse.

The late afternoon sky was bright enough to shed light on the field of debris and ashes overlaying the entire land. The remains of a giant Eastern military airship bulged like a small hill, cutting the stream of a river. Burned corpses and animals carpeted the charred grass.*

(*Chapter 2 - Journey Without A Goal)

"Good Gods...," said Yoongi, magnetized by the morbid scenery, "What is this?"

In their astonishment, they failed to notice five dark figures approaching stealthily from the trees. A sharp crackle of a branch snapping under the weight of heavy boots, cut through the sound of the soft afternoon breeze, making the three boys jump.

Hoseok's hands engulfed in flames to his elbows, and Yoongi drew his weapon. The light from Hoseok's magic fire shed upon the strangers, who stepped back by the shock of seeing magic. But instead of fearing it, they all stared in admiration and amazement.

"Who goes there?!" shouted Yoongi.

The stranger leading the group raised his hands defensively. He had a large dagger strapped on his belt, which he did not reach for, nor did his companions.

"We're not here to hurt you, lad," he said with a rough, heavy southern accent, "We know why you're here."

The boys drew their eyebrows and exchanged a look.

"We are members of the Nelson clan. We live in these hills," he explained quickly.

Hoseok's heart gave a little thump.

"Nelson? You mean Eulissah Nelson?" he asked with a hopeful tone, the flames around his hands waning.

"That's correct. She sent us. She knew you were coming."

In a moment of silent confusion, Jungkook coughed out blood once more. His brothers immediately turned their attention towards him.

"Sir, we don't have much time! Our friend here is badly wounded, he needs a healer immediately!" urged out Hoseok anxiously while kneeling over Jungkook, "Please help us!"

"That's why we're here. Madam Eulassah told us. We brought this...," the man began saying and pointed at his men carrying a fabric rack to transport the wounded.

Hoseok and Yoongi nodded eagerly and helped the gypsy goons place Jungkook on the rack. Then they proceeded to climb the hill to the top where the gypsy camp was located.

Dawn fell quickly. The gradient night sky glowed with the light of a full moon. Flickering fairy lights hung from pole to pole, bonfires around each tent, and an appetizing smell of roasting food wafted in the air. In the middle of the gypsy campsite, a large, almost the size of a small house, colorful carriage stood out among the others.