Another new TBB chapter to spice up your day! (Maybe) Enjoy!

Axel POV

Only a few more inches... His hand almost touched the pulsating artifact. If only I could reach... Too late. The golem's rock hard foot smashed on top of Axel's outstretched hand. Axel didn't even feel any pain. Because he knew now that hope was gone. Why had this world have to be so cruel?

The golem kicked Axel away from the shard. Its eyes spewed out purple flame, the trademark of evil magic. The golem from before. It attacked me. That was because of evil magic. But hadn't the golem helped him back up? And if the golem helped him before, why attack him now?

Then it all clicked into place. Someone must be controlling the golem to force it into commands like this. Iron golems never purposely attacked Craftians like him. The golem slowly walked to over where Axel was. The clomp of the iron sounded every time the iron golem walked.

Axel felt the cold metal grasp his neck as he was roughly yanked up from where he lay. Axel's toes were a few feet from the ground. He gasped for air. All he could see was the golem's cold purple eyes, with the fire pouring out from all sides.

The magic formed into a hand, and reached for his face. The worst way to die: possessed by evil magic and forced to kill your friends, until you are declared useless and die of corruption. The quiet amber quickly turned into a ferocious inferno, filing into either his mouth or eyes. He could feel his soul heave as the dark energy burnt it.

The golem opened his hand that used to be around his neck. He dropped to the ground silently. The golem then fell over, dead, from corruption of its soul. Yes, even iron golems had souls. The only living beings in the Overworld that had souls were Craftians like Axel, iron golems, snow golems, and villagers.

None knew how golems inherited souls. They were man-made, after all. Some believed in reincarnation. When you die, there is something magical called a respawn. That you died and were born again in the same or a different body. No one believed it except for the Notch believers. Being reincarnated into a golem? Now that would be pitiful.

Axel gasped, his body twisting and twirling this way and that. He was stretched in inhuman positions, and screamed bloody murder. Then the screaming gradually ceased, forming into a quiet chuckle. He lifted his face to the sky, and let out a strangled laugh of pain and possession. It was more like a scream.

He had visions of men in hooded cloaks, and of dragons made of dark fire. The evil manifested itself into an exact copy of him, but it was a shadow. "Why did you do this to me?" Axel asked the being. "Why didn't I do this to you?" Axel pondered that. "That iron golem was of no good use anymore, anyways." The shadow smiled. "You're much too easy to take down." A strike sent Axel flying into space. "Even for a pathetic Craftian." The shadow held Axel's face between his hands. "But you'll have to do."

Through blurry vision, Axel noticed the blue shard right next to him. If.. only...

"No, no, Axel." He said to himself.

"You can do that some other time." The shadow inside smirked. But Axel had an idea. If the deadly evil that had been contained in the shard got out, it would have to go back in. Axel swallowed, and threw himself onto the shard. Exorcising myself isn't as fun as I'd imagined.

Jed POV

Jed stared at the nervous doctor, practically prying into his soul.

"What do you mean, two more weeks?"

"Most of y-you is fine, s-sir, but w-we have to be s-sure."

"Most of me? What parts haven't healed?"

"Uh, l-lets, uh, see here..." The doctor stammered, frantically flipping through his papers.

"L-looks like, um, your third rib from the top, your left heel, and one of your t-tendons."

"Tendon, where?"

"W-what do you-"

"Where in my body are my tendons hurt?"

"Uh, I, your, uh, your left hand."

"Well, then. Wrap up my left heel, give me crutches, and I should be fine."

"S-S-Sir, that's against p-policy-"

"How many emeralds?"

"Wha-"

"How many emeralds to bribe you?"

"M-Mister, I can't be-"

"Fifteen."

The doctor's face cracked into a huge grin, a nice change from the nervous, pasty countenance from before. The doctor's voice changed into a whisper.

"Alright. I'll write you a quick pass. I need those emeralds, though."

"Check in the mail by Wednesday. It'll be there."

The doctor's pencil hurriedly scribbled across the paper. He handed Jed the pass. His name his unrecognizable through all the messy loops and swivels, but a signature was a signature. The doctor pulled out a cast and crutches. "Now let's make this quick."

West POV

West woke with a start, nearly hitting his already bandaged head into a table. Why was he injured again? Oh, yes. The utter failure from yesterday. Who'd even brought him home? It was incredibly challenging for anyone to climb up to his house, situated right on top of the tallest jungle tree. Not even Jed or Axel climbed up there regularly. It was, to say the least, intimidating.

He shivered, and something slipped off of his chest. A note, in Axel's clear handwriting. Catching it in midair, he read aloud, "Nice fail. Nurse said you'll be fine. Nothing broken. I'll check on you in a few minutes."

West wondered how he hadn't broken anything. He had, after all, tried 3 or 4 times to attack an iron golem. That never ends well, even if you have armour on. He also wondered how Axel had survived. They were both in a state of vulnerability. He was sure the golem could have offed them right then and there.

Axel came in without knocking. He seemed unusually pale. He held the shard in one hand. West's heart sunk. How'd Axel find out?

"Is there something you've been hiding?" Axel glared at him.

"I was, um, just about to tell you." West lied.

"I can tell when you're lying."

"Fine. I found the shard down in the hole. I'm pretty sure that's what unleashed the evil."

"I know."

"And then, I- H-How'd you know?" West swallowed.

"I knew when the iron golem possessed me." Axel's words were pure acid. "That's why the golem didn't finish us off, West. It passed on the evil to me."

West was speechless. Usually in cases where the victims were possessed, they never were the same. Axel was handling this incredibly well.

Only then he noticed it. Axel's right eye began to take on a tinge of red.

"Uh, Axel."

"I'm not done yet, West."

"Your eye-"

"WEST! I know my eyes are staring at you. I do that when I'm angry!"

"No, Axel. Your right eye is-"

"What? Blind? Hanging out of its socket?"

"No. It's... turning red."