"Xephos, look out!"
THUNK!
Xephos gasped as he reached for his chest, eyes widened in fear and pain as the arrow embedded itself just below his wind pipe. Blood instantly started pouring from the wound, and the Spaceman staggered before his diamond sword fell from his hand. Xephos then realized he was suddenly on the ground, and he saw the skeleton that had shot him standing over him, already notching another arrow into its mangled bow. Suddenly, a diamond pickaxe smashed its skull in two. Xephos blinked, confusion and pain overwhelming him as he felt someone kneel down and hold him in their arms. His gaze shifted to see Honeydew staring down at him, tears welling in the Dwarf's eyes. He then saw Honeydew look up at someone beside him, and the Spaceman listened as their voices sounded miles away.
"Honeydew, stop…lost a lot of blood already…"
"I don't care, KP! We have to help…dying any minute now…"
Xephos only caught half of what they were saying as he lay limp in Honeydew's arms, the pain in his chest slowly starting to ebb away. It was sharply renewed, however, when the bloody arrow was removed from his wound, causing the Spaceman to grunt. His eyes slid closed as he felt a someone shaking him, trying to keep him awake. Xephos opened his eyes after a moment and managed to look down at himself. His wound was still oozing blood, darkening the shade of his red Starship uniform. He felt his legs start to go numb as he looked over at Honeydew again, Knight_Peculier bending over his shoulder. The Dwarf was barely holding back sobs as KP just frowned, but Xephos could see the raw emotion that lay behind his indifferent eyes. Oddly, the Spaceman managed to muster a smile as his companions noticed he was staring back at them. With his dwindling strength, Xephos raised a hand, and Honeydew quickly grasped it in his own.
"You're going to be okay, Xephos. We'll fix you up…" Honeydew told him, his voice quavering a bit as he spoke. He still sounded a bit distant to Xephos, but the Spaceman held his weak smile, having heard most of it.
"That's…highly unlikely, friend." He managed to get out. He felt his strength begin to fade as his hand started to slip out from Honeydew's. The Dwarf only gripped it tighter in response.
"Don't say that! We'll patch you up and we'll head to Icaria, where you'll get better treatment and-"
"Honeydew." Xephos voice grew stern, his smile fading for a moment. He grunted as he adjusted in Honeydew's arms, the loss of blood starting to affect his thought process. "Listen…Y-You have to go on without me. Israphel's going to enslave the world if you don't stop him. Just…watch it with the TNT without me, okay?"
Honeydew just nodded after a moment, his tears having stopped for now. Xephos then shifted his gaze up to Knight_Peculier, who had been watching silently.
"Tell Daisy I'm sorry I couldn't make it…" He said, partially joking. KP stared at him for a moment before he nodded.
"You were a fine man to fight alongside with, Xephos. I hope you know that." The old knight replied. Xephos could tell he was struggling to keep his emotions back that grim frown of his.
The Spaceman smiled again before he coughed, blood bubbling up in his throat momentarily before it started to trail out the side of his mouth. He felt his hand slip from Honeydew's grasp before the Dwarf's arms tightened around him protectively. Xephos closed his eyes and let his head roll to the side, his chest slowly rising and falling as blood continued to pool out around him. His entire lower body was numb now, and he felt the cold starting to creep up to the rest of his body.
So this is what it's like to die… Xephos opened his eyes halfway and looked at whatever was in his immediate view. He saw the beaten dirt path he and his friends had been travelling down only minutes earlier. Just a little ways ahead, the path sloped upwards and continued over a tiny hill, the first of Dawn's light becoming apparent on the horizon. Xephos felt his lips curl upwards slightly at the sight.
How pleasant. At least I get a final look at the sunrise before…ya'know…
Xephos simply watched as the sky ahead of him grew ever pinker, and the very top of the sun soon became visable over the crest of the hill. He thought he felt Honeydew's thumb brush some of his hair back out of the way, a few strands having slipped down over his forehead. Suddenly, Xephos' vision began to blur, and he let his eyes slip closed again.
His breathing stopped. His skin began to grow cold. Honeydew and KP shared a grim look. Both knew then that Notch had taken Xephos away to the Aether above, granting the Spaceman eternal peace at last.
Author's Note: Ugh, what a crappy week so far. I felt like writing this to vent a bit. Forgive me, Xephos! You're just so torture-able! *hugs Xephos plushie*
Anyway, for those who are reading my two other stories, SoI: Separated and Suspicious Science, here's a quick update: I'm a little unmotivated to write the next chapter of each (chapter 15 of SoI and chapter 3 of SS as of the time I'm writing this), mostly because both are just filler until the action continues in the NEXT next chapter. Don't worry, though; I'll probably sit down and crank them out in the next few days or so.
While Suspicious Science will probably only have four to five chapters total, I have the whole rest of Separated planned out, give or take a few details. YES. IT WILL HAVE A REAL ENDING AND NOT JUST LEAVE OFF WHERE THE YOGSCAST DID. You may rejoice. :3
*Sigh* Anyway, with that out of the way, I must go and continue with my really crappy week. See you all next time!
~DR