Author's Notes
Guys! The story has hit over a thousand views! Yay!
This isn't... that big a deal, but it makes me feel proud. :)
Reviews!
ThinMint, it is in no way an annoyance. :) But, Uh, please refrain from spoiling everything for everyone else, 'Kay? Thanks. :D
This chapter is... a bit dramatic. I'm not that proud of it, but I hope you guys enjoy.
Anywho, let's get on with the story!
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Lila's POV
It seemed like we had a small problem. Usually, Simon and Izabell spent their days together, and they would both be very productive. Now, Simon spends all day sulking and fucking things up. And Iza mocks him every time. I mean, I do too, but that is just such a sudden change.
It also doesn't help much that he is our lead engineer when it comes to the fucking airship that he wanted us to build. So far, we have made the hull asymmetrical, the balloon too small, the mechanisms too complicated, and the ropes much too weak. It's just... a mess.
Adrian and I are sitting under a tree watching him (Simon, I mean) kicking the shit out of a specific grass patch. He has his 'demobelt' on, which is why we are so far away. An angry creeper is dangerous when explosives are in the vicinity.
Adrian spoke first. "Poor guy." I nodded.
"Yeah. Wonder what's happened."
"Has anyone tried to talk to him?"
"No. Val asked Iza, but she wouldn't tell her anything."
"Does this mean they aren't a couple anymore?"
"I'm not sure. Probably. Actually, that might even be the reason why Simon's been acting so-"
A sudden explosion shook the earth. There was a large crater ten meters from where Simon is standing, and he's on the floor just staring at the smoke plume.
"... volatile." Adrian nodded and stood up.
"Where are you going?" He turned around and gave me an 'isn't it obvious' look.
"To talk to him."
"Um... okay. Just be careful."
"I will, don't worry."
"I'm not worried, I just don't want to be filling up craters and shit."
"Yeah, Yeah."
I watched him get closer. It was very much worrying to see Adrian walk up to a very unstable Simon. The creeper boy stood up and pulled another red stick from his belt, examining it. Adrian called for him. Simon turned, the explosive still in his hand. I decided to get closer to hear what was going on.
"You Okay, dude?" Simon shook his head and lit the fuse with a snap of his fingers.
"Yeah, man. Never better." He held the device in his hands for a few seconds before tossing it up. The explosion went off alarmingly close to the both of them, but neither one seemed fazed by it.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Honestly? Would fucking love to." Adrian put a hand on the creeper boy's shoulder.
"Well, I'm here to help. Explain." Simon sighed.
"Like four days ago, remember, after the war thing, I decided to share a room with Iza. In the morning, I got up and she made a show of cuddling with a pillow. I decided to play along and get her back."
He sighed again. "So I teased her. Sexually. I, uh... would love to engage her in that fashion, but my parents didn't raise a rule breaker. I had told her before that I wouldn't do anything in that area until the both of us were eighteen. But she though I had changed my mind when I started teasing her. It seems like such a bad idea now."
Adrian looked a bit overwhelmed. "So, uh... you just... did that? And now she doesn't want anything to do with you?"
Simon nodded. Adrian thought it over and spoke with a gentle smile. "I think she's just trying to get you back. You won't give her what she wants, she won't give you what you want."
The creeper looked shocked. "What? That's just so... stupid! And fucking... lords! I just... can't fucking even." He stood up and stomped off, another explosive in his hands.
I walked up to Adrian, who looked even more stunned. "So How did your talking go?" He grumbled and stood up.
"We should talk to Iza. This has gone too far."
"What gave it away? The fact that-" An explosion went off in the woods, "... The fact that Iza has been treating Simon like shit or that he seems to have completely lost his sanity and will to live?"
"It's not like he's suicidal or anything..."
"He's been chucking explosives like mad!"
"Okay, it's bad. Which is why we should be talking to Iza instead of arguing about this." The wither skeleton stood up and walked towards the house. Eba warped to the main entrance looking terrified, Thomas and Sarah poked their heads out from the main doorway, Kaitlin and Val stopped playing with Nightshade and watched. Jack was probably up in his room.
Adrian walked up to Thomas. "Have you guys seen Iza?" The slime girl in question walked down the stairs with messy hair and tired eyes.
"'M here... what's with all the racket?" Adrian frowned.
"We need to have a talk, Iza. It's about Simon." She rubbed her eyes.
"Oh. What about him?" I blinked.
"What about him? The guy has complete spiraled out of control!" Right on cue, another explosion went off in the middle of the forest. She stared at me with a confused gaze.
"What?"
"Have you seriously not fucking noticed what's been going on for four days straight?!?" She walked out the door and looked around frantically.
"Is he here?"
"No. He walked into the forest and began throwing sticks of dynamite everywhere." She turned to me, her face a mask of absolute horror and her mouth a small 'o'.
"What???"
I scowled at her. "Is that all you have? You two have been together for like a month, and that's all you have to say? He just played a little prank on you, for fucks sake! You didn't need to fucking... turn comepletely against him!"
She was obviously panicking now. "B-b-but... a-all I wanted was to get back at him, I didn't-... I didn't think this would happen!"
"Well it fucking did. You need to go talk to him before he kills himself." She began breathing heavily, and her knees buckled under her. "How the hell did you not realize what you were doing?"
"I-I don't know! I just... ignored him, and went against everything he said even if it broke my heart. It just... I... I didn't think it would affect him so much! He's always been very tough, and-and just sort of... emotionless, you know? I didn't think it would hurt him like this! Whuh... what do I do?!?"
Sarah placed her hand on Iza's shoulder. She was crying now, frightened tears running down her cheeks. "Talk to him, Iza. That's all you need to do." The slime girl stared at the skeleton for a while before wiping her tears away.
"Okay. I'll... go talk to him."
She stood up and walked into the forest, where a thin trail of smoke was floating up into the sky. We watched her stumble a few times on her way to the woods, but she determinedly kept on. Valory whistled and Nightshade perched herself on Val's shoulder.
She whispered at her phantom, caressing it's scaly head. "Make sure they're both okay." Nightshade chirped and took off, flying silently towards the forest. I shook my head, talking to nobody in particular.
"Those two have some serious shit to work out."
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Iza's POV
I wandered into the forest. There was a sickening smell of smoke and ashes. I was very scared. It was just a joke... I didn't mean to upset him! Oh... how could I screw this up so hard? More and more trees showed up with broken branches and deep cuts in their trunks.
After a few moments, I found the first crater. It was not that deep, and black char carpeted most of it's surface. I walked on. The second one was much bigger, and there was a little fire in it. Worry was crawling in my belly, but I kept going.
I found him just standing in a clearing, breathing heavily and with his pants stuffed in his hoodie pockets. There was no more dynamite in his belt, and the two shortswords he had made were on the floor. His hood was drawn back. I could see his messy brown-and-black hair waving in the wind.
I timidly inched closer. "Simon?" He didn't look up.
"Go away, Iza." It hurt to hear those words, but I kept moving.
"Simon, we need to talk."
"No we don't."
"Yes we do."
"Talk about what, Iza?" He looked up at me now, his eyes glare as sharp as steel and cold as ice. His lips were curled into a grim frown. "About me being stupid? A waste of your precious fucking time and effort? An absolute waste of fucking time?"
I flinched at his words. "No, I-"
"Then what exactly is there to talk about, Izabell? What else do you have to tell me, huh? That I shouldn't have been born? That I don't deserve to breathe the same fucking air??." My tears returned, and my heart ached.
"N-no! Please, Simon, listen to me!" I walked closer to me, but he didn't budge.
"Why should I fucking listen? All you've had to tell me is a fancy way to say 'fuck you'!"
"No! I'm sorry!" I reached him, and buried my face in his chest. That smell of ash and burning clung to his hoodie. "I didn't mean any of it! I-I was just... I'm sorry!" I held him in a tight embrace. I felt like my heart had been tore open. My hands trembled, and my legs felt weak.
He stared at me with that same dreadful expression. I couldn't look up, because every time I did, my heart broke a little more. "I didn't think it would hurt you this much! I just wanted to get back at you. I... I didn't... Fuck!" I began to shake, and held on to him tighter. He still wouldn't move.
"Please... I didn't mean to hurt you like this... It was just a stupid, stupid joke. Please... please forgive me. I... I didn't... I'm so, so sorry, Simon. Please forgive me." I looked up again. His eyes had glazed over, and his mouth was no longer twisted into that frown.
I couldn't breathe. My chest felt so tight, and my vision swam with tears. After a moment, he spoke up. "Why should I believe you now? What evidence do I have that tells me you won't just do it again?" I stared at him with shock. All the air had left my lungs.
"Wh-what? You... you don't believe me?" He stared at me, his eyes filled with deep sorrow. It was much worse than his rage.
"How Can I? Iza, you turned 180 degrees. There is no way I could forgive you just like that." The realization hit me. How could I believe that he would just let bygones be bygones? How could I be so selfish thinking that if I told him it was just a joke that he would take me right back?
"I... You're right. I could keep saying I'm sorry over and over again. But it wouldn't change a thing, would it?" I stared at him through the thin veil of tears in my eyes. "No matter how many times I said it. Do... do you still love me? Just a little bit?" He gazed at me for a long time before cupping my cheek.
"I never stopped. But I won't let you back in that easy. I know it wasn't your intention to hurt me this much. However, you abolished all the trust I had in you. I hope you understand." His words sank deep. My heart throbbed heavily, and my throat felt constricted.
"I do understand. But... can I earn it? Your trust? I-If I work hard enough, will you let me love you again?" He smiled gently, and it felt like the saddest little thing.
"Of course, Iza." He hugged me back, tears welling up in his dark-green eyes. I sobbed quietly, unable to hold it back any longer. He held me tighter, and began rubbing my back.
I managed to calm myself down after a while. Simon pulled his hood back on and picked up his shortswords. I watched with red, tired eyes. He caressed my cheek and walked home. I just kept staring after him. That's all I did for a while. Then I snapped out of it and followed.
Simon waved at everyone, but didn't answer any of their questions. He just walked right by them and locked himself in his room. I wanted to do the same, but Valory stopped me.
"Did He hurt you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Val. He didn't hurt me."
"Do you need anything? Have you sorted everything out?"
"*sigh*. I'm fine. And... it's going to take a while before we get back together. I kind of ruined it."
"Don't worry, Iza. I'm sure you guys will get over this. You were made for each other."
"Thanks. But... I need to lie down. Sorry." Everyone nodded and let me through. I walked up the stairs and flopped onto my bed. I knocked all the pillows off and stared at the wooden ceiling.
My eyelids grew heavy, and I fell asleep seconds after.
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Theridas's POV
"Theridas, I'm hungryyyy!"
I sighed in frustration. We had been walking for two days, the large stone wall getting increasingly bigger. I had begun rationing our food, and Ella wasn't very happy about that. Lady Anastasia looke too tired to complain.
"I know, kid, so am I. But we need to make the food last, otherwise we won't be able to reach the clans."
"But I'm hungry!"
"Yes, we established that. I know you're hungry, The grass knows you're hungry, the entire moor knows you're hungry. But there isn't much we can do about that."
The little Ghast girl whined But didn't say anything else. We were probably around two more days away, and that filled me with hope. We're so close. Lady Anastasia wasn't doing well, and I feared that she might've caught the wither while in that awful cell Darkness had kept her in.
Occasionally, some brave villagers or mobs from the other clans would open portals into the nether. Most of them shut down when they left, but we learned plenty from their visits. There were six clans, the Zombies, the Skeletons, the Spiders, the Creepers, the Endermen, and the Slimes.
The zombies are revered medics and healers, the skeletons are fierce warriors, the spiders are clever trappers, the creepers are skilled forgers and engineers, the Endermen are creative builders and the slimes are talented miners. Their buildings are stronger, and their medicine is more advanced.
I often wondered if my dad could've been saved had a healer warped through a portal. He died from the wither six years ago, and it still hurts to think about him. So, hoping against hope, I plan on taking lady Anastasia to one of their medics. Maybe they'll be able to help her.
We walked and walked, stopping when the sun went down. I kept watch for a few hours before creating a ring of fire around us and sleeping too. I hoped that it would be enough to keep monsters away, and so far it had.
On the fourth day, we arrived. I could now see the gate, and guards standing on either side of it. There were cracks and moss growing in the old stone bricks. From afar, we could see more guards stationed on top of the wall. I walked up to the gate, now feeling every bit as tired and hungry as my companions.
"H-hello? May we... May we come in?" One of the guards, a big man with full iron armor on, pulled out a notebook and pencil.
"State your names and business."
"Theridas, royal servant from the nether-bound Blaze clan." I called the others, and gently pushed lady Anastasia forward. "Anastasia, ex-queen of the nether-bound Blaze clan." Now I picked up Ella. She had stopped complaining hours ago. "And this is Ella, from the nether-bound Ghast clan."
The guard kept nodding and taking notes. Once I was done, he looked up.
"Why are you here?"
"To warn your kings. A-and to seek refuge." The guard put away his notebook and started laughing.
"Warn our king? From what, an invasion? Who the hell would be stupid enough to attack one of the most heavily fortified cities in the realm?" Lady Anastasia spoke gently.
"Excuse me, good man, but... what city is this?"
"This here's Veridon city. The largest skeleton city and home of the king's castle." He narrowed his eyes. "So? Tell me, who would dare try to attack us?"
I swallowed but kept my voice steady. "Darkness. He is a demon that took over the nether-realm by slaughtering every monarch except for lady Anastasia. He has been summoning a monster army for a week, and is finally ready to warp them here.
The guard looked skeptical, and I suddenly wished that I had brought the monster armor with me. "Well, can't see any massive armies. You high on something?"
I blinked. "High? I don't... know what that is. I'm pretty sure we are still on level ground."
The guard laughed again. "Right, forgot you guys couldn't get drugs in the nether. We'll let you pass, but only if you can prove to be who you are."
I nodded and summoned a fireball in the palm of my hand. Lady Anastasia did the same. The guard looked at Ella, and the young girl stared back.
"I was under the impression that ghasts spit fireballs."
"That's the monster. Ghast mobs are skilled gunslingers, but Ella is still much too young to receive a weapon."
The guard shrugged. "I suppose that's fair. You may pass."
He opened the gate, and we walked through. I felt a massive weight lifted off my chest. Finally. We are safe. But, even as I thought these words, a nagging in my stomach told me that nowhere was safe anymore.
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Author's Notes
I'm not sure about this chapter. Seems a bit lack-luster to me.
Anywho, thank you all for your time and support! Have an awesome day!
~ LeMafiaKreb