Nineteen- Leaving Bridges

Del flew across the now all too familiar jungle one last time. The lush greens soaring by underneath the small hull of the Pretipice. Del had decided that he simply couldn't live with the shunning of the Nara'ki tribe. He owed them an explanation at the very least.

There was something in the back of Del's mind, a nagging voice that kept repeating this would be all for naught, but he had already decided to try.

Arish was noticeably annoyed with Del's decision. Dimmit also wanted to leave as soon as possible, but remained indifirent. At least he acted as such. Sal appreciated that about Dimmit, he always seemed to be along for the ride. He figured it was likely only because of Arish, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

Del landed the Pretipice outside the city's westernmost large woooden gate. The stone walls here having a thick brush surrounding them and vines spreading out over them.

Once again, Del left the Drenziens on the ship and descended the ramp with only Dimm. He approached the two guards at the gate, who both had sour looks to give him.

"Greetings." Del said with his arms raised. Dimm being forced to nudge himself between Del's shoulder and neck.

"What do you need outsider. There is no one for you to see here any longer." The guard to the right spoke. His voice was deep.

Those words cut through Del like a knife. Suddenly he was trying to hold back tears.

"I was actually hoping to speak with Nimlis." He said.

The guards looked at one another. The left one shrugged and nodded, and the one on the right let out a long sigh.

"Come." He said as he turned towards the gate.

The guard led Del under careful watch to Nimlis. Del could no longer look about the city. That wasn't sll though, something was off. There were fewer animals here than usual. The people have now a diffirent energy than before, many of the familiar green skinned natives Del was attempted to smile at only shot him dismissive glared in return. The people here were now diffirent, upset. Understandably so though, Del thought.

Nimlis was not in the temple as Del would have thought. Nimlis would have made an excellent chieftan, and Del knew he was t the only one who thought that. Instead though, Nimlis was in his personal hut on the further side of town.

After the long walk there the guard stopped Del just two steps outside the hit and went to knock on the door. He knocked three times and Nimlis answered.

"Five minutes." The guard said turning back to look at Del.

The guard then stepped to the right and posted up by the doorway. He intended to escort Del back it seemed.

"The five minutes is not needed. I have nothing to say." Said Nimlis.

He didn't move aside to let Del in. The guard looked at Nimlis and then back to Del.

"Nimlis please." Del pleaded from the outside of the small wooden hut.

"I have no quarrel with you Del. But I do not respect your ways. You put your own priorities before those of others, you talked our chieftan into something he should t hebe done, and you betrayed our way. There is nothing else to say on the matter." Nimlis finished with a shrug.

Del tried to speak up but Nimlis was already closing the door. Del stopped what he was saying and stared at the dirt ground beneath him. What had just happened?

He called by my name. He thought to himself.

"Are you ready?" The guard asked, giving Del all but a moment to think.

"Um… yeah." Del muttered, unsure of what else to do.

The guard then escorted him back through the city. Del wasn't feeling well, he felt tremendous guilt and shame. Even Dimm seemed to notice, he nudged himself into Del's neck, attempting to get a reaction but Del was too distracted, too lost in thought.

Soon enough, though he was still lost in thought, Del was escorted out of the Nara'ki city, the large wooden gate swinging shut behind him and the guard resumed his post. Del walked with shoulders slumped back to the ship.

Del boarded the ship and didn't say a word to the Drenziens, only receding to the cockpit. He sat there for a moment, taking pause before finally retracting the ramp snd flipping the engines on.

"We good to go?" Arish asked, clearly still ancy to leave.

"Yeah, I guess." Del muttered.

Without much more to say, Del took off. The Pretipice launching into the air and ascending out of Aerilia's atmosphere. A bittersweet note to leave on Del thought, but he had no choice. Some things simply couldn't be fixed. He had come to terms with that long ago, but that didn't make it any easier to bear when it was taking pls e before him.

The Pretipice left the planets atmosphere and headed in the opposite direction of the two moons, heading further away from the main Drenzien headquartered space station, Deimos alpha 1.