The first shot was fired. A large fireball was launched at the castle, no doubt from Rythian. It had struck the castle hard, blasting the roof off of one of the towers. Duncan retaliated with an explosive from his TNT cannon. It appeared to miss, but I couldn't be sure.

I kicked my Ring of Arcana to life and begun to fly toward the location of the fireball. I had one and only mission, and that was to keep a promise I had made to the scientist that was currently under siege. I moved swiftly and stealthily as not to be seen by Rythian. I was sure he was still out for my blood to. But Zoey would understand.

I'd found the place where Rythian, Zoey, Teep, Ravs, Zyluss, and Daltos had set up a kind of military bunker. I activated my Cloak of Distortion and became invisible. I snuck around to a warded door that they used as an entrance and exit.

"Of course it's a warded door. Nobody can get in without a key," I muttered to myself.

I had two options. I could either hope there was a key nearby or try to break my way through the roof.

"Wait. Tee! He must have left a key in his tower!" I said, again talking to myself. I zoomed off toward the camp. The second I got there, I zoomed into the tower through the mouth. I opened a chest that contained a book and a firework. I pulled out the book and opened it. The first thing I noticed was the key. I slipped out from a page about halfway through. On the page was a message for me.

It read, "Maxwell, take this key and get Zoey far away from the war and the fighting. I can handle Rythian. When your ready, launch the firework near the bunker and I will create a distraction so you can get Zoey. And remember, protect Zoey. But protect yourself as well." The second I read the last bit of the message, I grabbed the firework and the key and set off for the battlefield.

Once I returned to the bunker, I launched the firework and opened the door. I could hear roaring, likely from Teep, creating a distraction for me. Fortunately, Zoey was at the back of the group. I reactivated my Cloak of Distortion and slipped into the bunker. I stood right behind Zoey, pulled a sack out of my backpack, and put it over her head. I didn't think she would go without a fight, so I just decided to do it my way.

I reactivated my Ring of Arcana and flew out the door, dragging Zoey by her wrist. I flew off towards my new underground base, located near the desert camp. I activated the wireless piston hanger doors and flew down to the bottom floor of the bunker, the solitary chambers.

I put Zoey down and took the sack off of her head.

"AH! Where am I?! Why did you take me?! RYTHIAN! RYTHIAN, HELP!" she screamed.

"ZOEY CALM DOWN!" I shouted.

"Maxwell? Why did you kidnap me?"

"I made a promise."

"A promise to do what? And for who?"

"I promised Duncan and Teep that I would get you away from all the fighting. I think Duncan is going to use some kind of last ditch effort to end the battle."

"You don't think..."

"Yeah. I think he's going to destroy his own castle and everything for miles around. I think he's either going to set off nukes or cause a forced nuclear meltdown or both. I'm sorry Zoey."

"But...Rythian..."

"He likely won't make it."

"No...I won't let this happen. Let me out of here, I can still warn Rythian to run, to get away."

"Zoey, you and I both know that I can't let you out. But that doesn't mean I can't leave. Come here and help me set up my new Iris Cam and Sound Transmitter."

"What's that?"

"Well the Iris Cam lets you see everything I see and the Sound Transmitter lets you hear everything I hear and everything I say, so I can keep you updated on what's happening."

"Ok...I guess I can do that."

After we had gotten everything set up, I set off to the battlefield. I knew Duncan would soon figure out that I had gotten Zoey out and would do whatever he intended to do. The closer I got, I could see the more recent carnage from the fight. After Zoey had seemed to disappear, Rythian must have gone into a fit of rage and blasted everything he had at Duncan's Castle. Because all that remained were some of the towers, the walls, and the reactor bubble.

I zipped towards the bunker and whipped out the key. I opened the bunker to find an unconscious Teep, an enraged Rythian, and a terrified Zyluss and Daltos. In his rage, Rythian must have changed, because his bandana was on the ground.

"Rythian," I called. He turned to look at me, his eyes a deep shade of purple, the black scars on his face extending right before my eyes.

"You! What do you want?!"

"I wanted to tell you the most important news you will ever hear your whole life." He moved at lighting speed, slamming me into a wall and put his Katar to my neck.

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?!" He roared.

"Zoey is safe." With that, his feet touched the ground and he moved the Katar away from my neck. "Safe?" He asked.

"Yes. She's back in my base in a blast-proof bunker. But you need to go to her. This place is gonna blow any minute."

"Ok. What about you?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'm gonna try to stop Duncan."

"Maxwell, be careful. If you don't come back, I swear I will send an enderman personally just to whack you upside the head."

"Noted. And Rythian, do me a favor."

"Anything."

"Tell her you love her." With that, I zipped out of the door. Amazingly, Rythian was quick enough to put his trusty Red Katar in my hands to use in the battle. If I lived to give it back, I would be sure to thank him. I flew towards the last remaining tower and flew in through a window.

I called, "Duncan!"

"Maxwell, get away from here. This place is going to be a crater in a few minutes." He responded. I turned around to find a bloodied, scared Duncan, slumped in a corner, with just a little amount of life left in his emerald green eyes.

"No," I responded, "I'm gonna stop that explosion. I'm guessing you overloaded the reactor, am I correct?"

"Yes, but..." I would never get to hear the rest of that sentence.

I dashed to the reactor chamber and used every my Wand of Excavation to blast through the glass surrounding the reactor. I opened the hatch and began to yank out the rods of uranium when I felt it. The blast of a mining laser.

I fell out of the sky and into what was left of the garden. I looked around to see who had attacked me. Then I saw him, standing there in his orange space suit, his beard looking as big and stupid as ever, mining laser in hand. Sjin.

"Sjin, what are you doing?! I'm trying to stop the reactor," I said difficulty due to the searing pain in my arm.

"I know. This whole war was part of my plan to take over this world, starting by taking out the competition. First Duncan and Rythian, then Sips, then Simon and Lewis, then you. You showing up just makes my job easier."

"Well jokes on you. Rythian's long gone."

"WHAT?! How did he escape?!"

"Like I'd ever tell you."

"Fine, if your going to be selfish, then I'll just finish you now." Then Sjin pointed the laser at me, pulled the trigger, and fired. Then he appeared.

A shadow, faster then lighting, zoomed in front of the red beam that had ejected from Sjin's laser. The figure had fallen to the ground, but was soon able to get back up. It pulled out a sword and forced Sjin into a wall. That's when I could feel that thing, that horrible thing, stirring inside me.

"You. You are the cause of all this. Your the reason she almost died twice. Your the reason that Hannah is an android! YOU ARE DISGUTING!" The thing began to become more violent.

"I may be disgusting, but you aren't even human." The thing was enraged and desperate to get out. I knew it would break out on it's own any minute.

"AND WHO'S FAULT IS THAT?!" That was the last thing I could remember until much, much later.

Duncan

At that moment, Maxwell's flesh began to thin and thin until I could see his skeleton pushing on his skin. Then he flesh seemed to snake towards the center of his chest until their was nothing but a red, glowing sphere. The first thing I noticed about his skeleton was that all of his bones we're a dark gray color. I knew then that, like Rythian, Maxwell wasn't exactly human. His outside was human, but his he had a wither skeletal bone structure.

The Wither Skeleton jumped up and pushed Rythian to the side. A black sword materialized in his hand and he held Sjin at knife-point. Sjin's eyes we're filled with something, something more than fear, mortal terror.

At that point, something even stranger happened. A massive enderman, most likely Rythian, slammed into the Wither Skeleton. grabbed Sjin by the neck and held him in the air. It was if the skeleton and the enderman we're fighting over who would kill Sjin. The skeleton retaliated by throwing the enderman towards a wall. The enderman didn't teleport in time and got slammed painfully into the wall.

Then the enderman started to change. It sprouted two more arms, much larger than the two it already had. The enderman made a sound that sounded like a roar and a it seemed to grow larger, but it wasn't actually changing size. It was if another creature of the same type was standing over it. It teleported toward the skeleton and threw him over the castle wall.

"STOP!" That was the call that seemed to bring the fight to a stand still. The enderman looked over to the direction the call came from and their was no sign of the skeleton. I couldn't see who called but I would recognize the voice from a mile away. Zoey Proasheck.

"Please stop fighting. I hate seeing you guys this way. Rythian. Maxwell." She started to cry and the enderman seemed to shrink down. Their still was no sign of the wither skeleton, and I started to get nervous.

Soon, the enderman turned back into Rythian. He flew up towards the castle gates, looking beaten and tired. I forced myself to crawl forward so I could see what was going on.

"Zoey, I'm sorry. I lost control. I thought that I had to be the one to..."

"Shhhhh. It's ok Rythian. I forgive you."

"Zoey, I miss you. No, I need you. No. Zoey Proasheck, I...I...lo..."

"I love you to, Rythian." That's when the skull appeared. It zoomed towards Rythian and Zoey. Rythian managed to push Zoey away from the skull but got hit. Hard. It sent Rythian flying over the gate. The Wither hovered over the wall, observing the effects of his first attack. There was no sign no Rythian. They something happened to Zoey, something I had never seen happen to her before.

Eight blaze rods began to hover and circle around her. Her hair began to go from a her normal red hair to a fiery reddish-orange, like an actually flame. After watching it for a few more seconds, I realized that it was actually fire. Zoey was transforming into a blaze. Her feet left the wall and her eyes seemed to be the heart of a wildfire.

It was like a true war, skulls and fireballs going back and forth at each other. I wished I could do something, but I could hardly move. If only I could reach my mining laser, I could at least create a distraction. If this battle continued at the rate it was, my castle, and everything for miles around, would be obliterated by the powerful entities.

Then came the loudest roar I had ever heard. It sounded like a lion, a bear, and a burning man all being blown around in a wind tunnel. Then came the sound of a rushing air and rushing water, like wings flapping and something hitting water, respectively. The skulls and fireballs stopped flying and the two combatants stopped and looked over towards the castle gate, the place that Rythian had been blasted out of the castle. Then the dragon flew high above the castle. It changed course and dived towards The Wither, roaring as it went.