Author's Notes

Uh... sorry for this chapter being late. I was kind of busy. :I

Reviews!

GiggiEba, well that was kind of the goal for Pepper's personality. :P Don't fret, Blight will soon be revealed to the rest of the gang, you just have to be patient. :)

ThinMint, I thought so too! And, well, things would be much easier if milk (or water) could cure diseases. However, (Y'know, in my little world) all Nether mobs are 'allergic' to water. So I guess they're... hidro-intolerant? :P

Anywho, on with the story!

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Darkness's POV

I watched as the last few monsters of my Necronaut division passed through the portal. All that was left were the Demonauts, and that would take longer because of the ghasts; they could only fit two at a time through the portal's frame. That's why I only summoned 100 of them.

Things took longer since Theridas escaped. He may have been a coward and simpleton, but fuck was he efficient. Now I'm stuck with a different servant, a maid that seems to fear me and my generals much more than even Theridas did.

"Trudy, what's the status on my army?"

The young woman swallowed. "W-well, th-the spooky ones are through, a-and now we're only waiting for th-the explody ones."

I nodded. Despite her apparent lack of wording, I understood almost everything she said. Almost.

"Good. I should go and be commanding my armies. I will not return." Her eyes widened.

"Wh-what? But then... wh-who are you leaving in charge?" I smiled.

"Someone I trust very much. Oh." I was walking away, but then turned around after having remembered something. "And You're coming with me." She hugged herself tight, that pretty little face of hers becoming a mask of genuine horror.

"M-m-me??? Wh-Why?" I rolled my eyes.

"Because you're my royal servant. I need you there to help me command my armies. You will be periodically returning to the nether to check up on things. And when the war begins, you can cower here if you like."

My words seemed to calm her down somewhat. "O-Okay... Wait, but wh-who are you leaving in charge?" My smile returned.

"Who else but me?" I extended my arm, and black flames erupted from it. They fell to the ground, and began rising as they forged another being. Trudy stared wide-eyed and took a step back. After a few minutes, a being who looked just like me stood before us.

I gestured towards it. "This is a shadow, a temporary vessel which I can control whenever I like. Otherwise, it will act on it's own accord." The vessel turned to face Trudy and bowed. The scared blaze didn't know what to do.

"W-Wait, so are you leaving you in charge???" I smiled.

"Yes. Now come on, Trudy. We have armies to command and captains to shout at."

"Y-yes, my lord." As she passed by the shadow, I made it wink at her. Trudy blushed and walked faster. Her response made me chuckle. Before we passed through the nether portal, I turned to the shadow.

"My brother will arrive soon. You are to engage him and his friends, understood?" The shadow nodded.

"I shall burn him to a crisp."

I smirked at it. "You won't be able to." Then I turned and passed through the thin violet screen of the nether portal and emerged on the other side.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Kaitlin's POV

I woke up in cold sweat for the third time this week. Tonight's dream was about my father again. Last time it had been my mother. I didn't mention this to anyone, and it was beginning to drive me insane.

I walked downstairs to find everybody else already having breakfast. I sat down in between Jack and Adrian as always. Jack kept staring at Lila, which was nothing new, but there was a sad little frown on his face as well. Sarah served me my plate of steak and dandelion salad.

"Good morning, Kait. How did you sleep?" I smiled.

"Very well, thank you." The skeleton girl nodded and sat down next to Thomas. He was chatting with Simon about airship designs and the sort.

"... too slow and heavy."

"Well, If we add a secondary propeller, we will be able to negate most of that weight. And vertical speed would improve."

"But then we would burn through fuel much faster and would need to carry more."

"Not if we used redstone. It's much lighter, and it gives us much more freedom when it comes to mechanisms and such."

"We don't have any redstone."

"All we need to do is find some."

"Hm... mining trip, you say?"

"Sure. I could bring some explosives and speed things up."

"Just be sure to not bring down the whole cave."

"No promises."

Simon smiled as he spoke the last sentence. I shivered just thinking of being underground. If being up here was cold, then down there things would be absolutely freezing. Eba had been eating distractedly and perked up when the guys mentioned mining.

"Could I tag along?"

"Of course. Do you want to go with, Z?" The slime girl looked surprised that Simon had spoken his pet name for her, but nodded eagerly.

"I-I'd love to, Simon." The creeper nodded and returned to his meal.

Once everyone was done eating, the four people designated to go mining geared up. Simon took his 'demo-belt', an iron pickaxe and a burlap sack full of torches and a rope ladder. Thomas brought his pick and a sack filled with apples. Eba and Iza carried a pick each.

We said our goodbyes and they left towards the edge of the valley. I walked over and sat down beside Valory, who was playing with Nightshade sitting cross-legged on the grass. I pet the scaly head of the phantom.

Valory smiled at me. "Hey, Kaitlin. How are you doing?" I smiled in return.

"Fine, thank you for asking." Nightshade chirped, and Valory caressed her clothed back. Phantoms were like small dragons, but dark blue and didn't breathe fire.

"How did you get Nightshade?", I asked. Valory smiled fondly at her pet.

"Well, it's a weird story. You know how Lila and I met Thomas, right?"

I nodded. The 'gang' told me the story many times. Val continued.

"I had a crush on Thomas the moment Lila brought him to our little cave. He is one hell of a beefcake, no doubt about that, and seeing him tied up and at my mercy was just..." she blushed and turned away.

"*ahem* Exiting. Anyway, when Thomas and Sarah hooked up, I just felt... so depressed. I couldn't sleep, didn't sleep, for five days. Sarah walked up to me, trying to make things right. I, uh... I was pissed. In the end, I kind of lost it. Just walked into the woods."

Nightshade chirped again, and I pet her tail. One of it's scales was chipped.

"That's it?"

"No. I actually performed the Moonlit Dance." Valory proudly puffed out her chest as she spoke. "It is a traditional thing that spiders do." I nodded at her humorous explanation of the dance.

"We do it at night so phantoms will come out and watch. In the end, if a spider performs it correctly, one of the phantoms will fly down to him or her."

I nodded and stared at Nightshade. The phantom stared back at me. She had funny little goggles on. Valory caressed her back. "She was the last one. I make her robes so she doesn't burn up. She seems to like them, too."

"Can one spider have multiple phantoms?"

"Well... yeah. But it's kind of hard to tame multiples at once. Our teacher, mine and Lila's I mean, had three of them. She supposedly tamed them all with a single dance. But you can also tame them one by one. Your current phantom or phantoms will dance alongside you, except they'll try to ward off the others."

I blinked. "Really?"

Valory smiled. "Yes. That is actually a good way to tame strong Phantoms. Only the brave ones will go to you if you already have a phantom."

I nodded. Nightshade chirped and flew off. I gazed at her agile figure until she became a tiny speck in the sky.

"What happens if I try to tame a phantom?" Valory placed her chin in the palm of her hand thoughtfully.

"I don't know. I could probably teach you the dance, but I've never heard of a mob from a different clan owning a tamed phantom."

I summoned a fireball and played with it. Valory's eyes lit up.

"Wait! You can make fire!" I blinked at her.

"Yes. I'm a blaze."

"No, I know that, but like... that's it! Phantoms like fire too. You could make some at night, and maybe some would appear. Then you could try to tame one."

I nodded, smiling. "We should try it at some point."

"Yeah, we should."

I talked with Valory for the rest of the day, helping her stitch together another tiny cloak for Nightshade. We had an amazing time, and I almost forgot about my nightmare.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Eba's POV

We spent an hour in the caves without finding anything but iron and coal. I even found a small lump of gold! But no redstone. Iza was guiding us deeper, saying that redstone would be plentyful down here. Blight was being fidgety, and a dull throbbing pulsed lightly in the back of my head.

I don't like this.

What?

Being so far underground. There's nothing for me to rot.

Why is that a problem?

Do you feel that headache too?

Yes.

It's because I haven't absorbed the life of something in a long time. ...and Because i don't like being underground.

But then why didn't we feel the headache up on the mountain? There was nothing to rot there.

Yes there was. Beneath the frost was mountain grass. Not very filling, but it kept the headache at bay. There is nothing here, however. Not even a few mushrooms.

Will the headache get worse?

To the point when you feel like your skull is being cracked open and burnt from the inside out.

Kind of like when you possessed me.

Um, yeah. Sorry about that.

It's fine. Uh... how do we fix it?

We can't unless we find some grass or perhaps a spider. They aren't undead.

Why is that important?

Undead mobs don't satisfy me since they have no life-force. Spiders aren't undead, and are actually very lively.

Ugh... don't tell me you eat spiders too!

Only small ones. They are the crunchiest.

Ew, Blight, no! Don't say that!

Hmph. Keep your head in the game.

Ugh...

We wandered for a few more hours without a trace of redstone. The headache was getting worse. We soon encountered a bright pool of lava. Iza warned us to keep away, and began mining a separate tunnel. Mining was very easy down here with Blight's strength, and I was usually the one in the lead.

We broke through the rock and into a large cavern. There was a few monsters which Simon quickly dispatched using his shortswords. There was three tunnels branching out from the cavern. Iza led us down the middle one.

She had been in the lead, and an exited gasp escaped her. I walked up to the slime girl and smiled. She had found redstone! Simon quickly began to mine it with my help. Iza and thomas kept mining forwards so we didn't waste any time. In total, we gathered 27 redstone... bits? Clumps?

Dust piles.

Oh! Right.

We also stumbled across a dungeon! Or... not a dungeon. A mob spawner. It was for zombies. While Thomas broke the spawner, I looted the chest. There were a few pieces of wheat and stale bread, as well as a Golden ingot and a dusty old saddle. Blight got very exited over the wheat.

Hide it!

What? Why?

So I can rot it, dummy! Don't let them see it or they might get suspicious.

Why can't I just tell them about you?

Because I'm a demon! Just... hide the wheat.

Okay.

And walk up to the walls.

Why?

They have vines. I can rot those and take the edge off our headache.

Okay. What do I do?

Pass your hands over them. I'll do the rest.

I nodded to myself and walked towards the nearest wall. Just like Bligh wanted, I passed my hand slowly over the thick green vines. I felt the familiar and comforting trickle of Blight's rot-sand passing from my arm to the palm of my hand. I felt as the headache dulled down.

Ah... that's better.

Do you feel the headache as much as I do?

No, it's much worse for me. I've actually been dampening down the pain so you could focus.

Really? Does... does that hurt?

Yes. But it's alright. Please keep going.

Oh. Okay..

The vines that I touched turned black from the bottom to the top. Thankfully no-one noticed. Soon, the entire spawner had black vines, without a single one left. I felt the pleasure of absorbing the plant's life-force now that the headache was gone.

I forgot how good that felt...

Focus, Eba. I don't want you to end up hurting one of your friends.

What? Why would I hurt them?

If you think rotting plants is pleasurable, then you would comepletely loose it after rotting a more complex living organism.

What??? B-but I would never hurt my friends!

I'll make sure of that, don't worry.

Oh. Well... thanks. I, uh, I thought you might end up making me attack my friends at some point. You know, because you're a demon.

I made a promise to you, Eba. I'll keep you and your friends safe to the best of my abilities.

Thank you, Blight.

A couple more hours into our mining trip, we found more redstone. We now had 73 dust piles! Monsters were everywhere at this point, and Thomas had told me to warp everyone out.

"Uh... I'm not sure if I can."

"Why not?"

"Well, the more stuff I warp, the more energy it requires. I could pass out from this."

"Oh. Can you do it one at a time?"

"I... think so."

"Okay. You and Iza-" An explosión interrupted him. Simon had gone ahead to make sure no mobs were around, and he dashed from the tunnel with a grim expression.

"Monsters. Lots of them. We need to go now."

I heard groaning behind me and turned around. There was threee zombies and a spider blocking our path. I let out a breathless shriek and took a few steps back. Blight snarled in my head.

You need to warp everyone out.

I-I can't!

Yes you can. I'll help you.

Oh, but...

You can do it, just focus.

... okay.

I pulled everyone close and held them tightly. I could hear the monsters as they approached, their unholy sounds comepletely unnerving. I shut my eyes tight and focused on our home.

Then I warped.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Theridas's POV

I woke up sitting on the couch with Pepper stretched out across it. Her head was laying on my chest, and my left arm was draped over her waist. I craned my neck to take a peek at the bedroom. Both Ella and lady Anastasia were sleeping there. I used my right hand to caress Pepper's orange hair.

She rolled over, now resting her head on my lap. I smiled and poked her in between her ribs. She twitched but didn't stir. I poked her again and she mumbled.

"Mmm... please no... sleepy..." I chuckled quietly and poked her a third time. She groaned and snuggled up to me. "No..." I gently shook her.

"Come on, Pepper. You need to wake up." She groaned again and turned towards me without opening her eyes.

"Why... it's Saturday..." I didn't know what that was, so I poked her again. She grimaced and lazily opened one eye. "Please... I want to sleep." I smiled lovingly at her.

"I know, darling, but we can't just stay here. We need to take lady Anastasia to the medic." I hadn't brought the tired ex-monarch to the doctor simply because she looked much too tired. I hoped that if I gave her another day she would feel well enough. Pepper gave me a cute pouty face.

"Aw... fine." She slowly sat up and stretched. She let out a moan as she did so. "Ugh... I hate waking up this early on Saturdays."

"What are Those?" She whirled around to face me, her mouth a small and shocked 'o'.

"You Don't have Saturdays?"

"Uh... no?"

"Does that mean you just work every day?"

"Of course." She looked utterly taken aback.

"How do you not lose your sanity?" I gave her a small frown.

"What do you mean?"

"I can barely wait for the weekend to arrive without going mad. You are supposed to take a break from working to do stuff! Like taking walks or sightseeing or getting insanely drunk at the cousin's bar!"

I smiled. "Well, there really isn't much to see in the nether. And we don't have any alcohol there." Pepper held her head as if she was afraid it would fly off.

"HOW DO YOU PEOPLE LIVE???" I gently shushed her and pointed to the bedroom. Pepper calmed down.

"Most people don't work full time. We have on or off days, pretty much. Everybody helps out at some point, wether it's with building or mining and whatnot. But my father and I come from a long line of royal servants, and that is a full-time job." I swallowed, a wave of grief passing through me. "Or... it was."

Pepper noticed, and gently gave me a hug. I hugged her back. She began rubbing my back gently and held me tighter. "I'm sorry, hun. We'll take your friend to the medic as soon as she wakes up." I nodded and gave her a squeeze. She pulled back, sat up, and walked to the window. I followed her.

The city was still very new to me, and the view from our window was mesmerizing. There were colors and crazy signs, crumbling buildings and wooden homes. Some of the structures were beautifully built, with amazing detail carved onto their stone walls and roofs. There were even a few misshaped gargoyles.

Pepper sighed. "It's a very big city, don't you think? How will we ever keep it safe?"

I turned to face her. I had, of course, told Pepper about Darkness's plan. She took it much better than I expected. But this was new.

"We?" She smirked at me.

"Yes, we. I'm not going to let you have all the fun, sweetheart." I smiled fondly at her. I knew she could protect herself, but the thought of Darkness hurting her was terrifying.

"And I don't want you to get injured. All we're going to do is talk to the king and warn him about it. I'm sure his forces will be enough to protect the city." Her smirk turned into a frown.

"No, they won't. Not if that army is as big as you say. If we can get the king to listen, he will probably begin recruiting civilians as well." I looked back out to the bustling streets.

There were square stone buildings on some of the street corners, with guards stationed at their doors. I wonder what they are. Pepper shook my arm, and I turned to face her.

She was pointing to the bedroom with her thumb. I nodded and walked over. Lady Anastasia was trying to sit up without disturbing the still sleeping Ella. The little girl had been chatting excitedly with Pepper all day yesterday, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I helped lady Anastasia up.

"How do you feel today, my lady?" She gave me a tired smile.

"Better, Theridas. Thank you." I nodded and lead her to the living room. Pepper was leaning against the wall, staring absently at the window. I made sure that lady Anastasia could stand by herself and walked up to the creeper woman. I hesitated, and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Pepper blinked and turned to me with a smile. "Hey, you."

"Hi. Can you help me take lady Anastasia to the medics?"

"Of course, love. Follow me." I handed her the keys, and she swiftly opened the door. I extended my elbow out to lady Anastasia, and she held onto my arm. I helped her walk down the three flights of stairs, which she did without much difficulty. I held Pepper's hand with my free one.

We wandered the streets for a while, occasionally stopping at a few stands along the way as per lady Anastasia's requests. We had bought her a cloth bag in which she carefully stored everything we bought; it ranged from colorful candies to beautifully carved wooden figurines.

We arrived at a 'pharmacy' after about an hour. Pepper had us walk up to the counter to wait for one of the attendees to help us. She waved one over.

"Hello. My friends and I were wondering if the doctor was around." The man nodded and pushed his thick-rimmed glasses farther up his nose.

"Yes, he's here. Second door to the right." Pepper smiled at him.

"Thank you." She ushered us towards and inside the doctor's office. He was a thin man with dark hair, similar in build and height to me. Except for his skin tone and eye color; his were a brilliant blue, and his skin was lighter than mine. Pepper smiled at him.

"Hey, Joel." The doctor smiled back.

"Pepper! I haven't seen you in a while. Still off partying at the cousin's bar?"

Pepper giggled and stood beside me with an air of pride. "Well, I was, but not anymore. See, I have a new boyfriend." She rested her head against mine. I felt very awkward under the searching gaze of the doctor. "And He doesn't go whoring around every night."

The doctor chuckled at that. "What do you know. Another victim fell to the mantis. What's your name, champ?" He extended a hand out to me, which I shook. He was stronger than I thought.

"Th-Theridas. Nice to meet you." He smiled and raised an eyebrow. There was cold hatred in those eyes, and it unsettled me.

"A gentleman, too. Nice to meet you Theridas. My name's Joel. I was Pepper's boyfriend once too. Breaking up was the best decision I've ever made." I chuckled nervously.

"Well... I'm sorry to hear that. But, uh... lady Anastasia needs medical attention." He turned to pepper with his eyebrow raised in curiosity. That eyebrow was bugging me.

"What's with him?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "He's from the nether. And this," she gestured towards lady Anastasia, "is the ex-queen. We think she may have caught the wither." Joel nodded and gestured for us to follow him.

He patted the bed that was beside his desk as he searched through it's drawers. "Why don't you help your queen up here, the-the-Whats-it." I helped lady Anastasia sit down onto the bed. She handed me the cloth bag where we had everything. The doctor came up with a little gizmo.

"Right. Open your eyes, miss." Lady Anastasia did as she was told. The doctor searched them with the device, which was apparently a sort of focused lamp thing. He hummed to himself as he worked.

"Any pains?" Lady Anastasia nodded.

"My legs have been aching, as well as my shoulders and neck."

"Has your head been hurting at all?"

"A little."

"Do you feel tired? Unnaturally so?"

"Yes, very tired."

"Hm. I'm sad to say that you indeed have the wither. But, that can be easily fixed. I'll be right back." He then rushed out of the office and closed the door behind him. I turned to look at Pepper, who gazed at the closed door with distracted want. It made me feel even more nervous, even skittish.

"Uh... Pepper?" She snapped out of it and turned to me with a smile.

"Yes, love?"

"I, uh... you didn't tell me he was your boyfriend." She rolled her dark green eyes.

"He's my ex, silly. You don't have to worry about anything." I gently clapped my hands together and mumbled quietly.

"But I do worry. I... I don't like him. And he really doesn't like me. What if he gives Lady Anastasia the wrong medicines?" Pepper giggled, and it did nothing to soothe my shot nerves.

"He would never do that! It's against the law, and the only thing he loves more than drinking with his friends all night long is his job. Fucker would never screw it up in any way." I nodded, still worried. Pepper sighed and gave me a comforting hug.

"Don't worry, babe. He was right about our breakup being for the best. Besides, I have you now. I don't need anyone else." I swallowed.

"B-but, why me? I don't have a job. I don't even know how things work over here. I'm not... strong or manly or anything. I'm just..." I pulled away a little and stared at the floor with a frown. "I'm just a scared young man hoping for the best." Pepper gave me a brilliant smile.

"No, You're a brave soul that helped an ex-monarch and a young girl escape from a demon. You know what caught my eye when you were sitting at that table?" I looked up at her, curious.

"What?"

She cupped my cheek. "Your gorgeous amber eyes. You had a piercing gaze, the light giving them a beautiful glow. Your strong shoulders." She place one hand on my left shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"The way you were dressed, breathtaking in your fancy cloak and dark clothing." She inched closer, the smile never leaving her face. "Your voice. So manly, yet the words that fell from it were those of a worried child. I love that about you." She gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"I love that you worry. About everything. You look and sound so cute when you're feeling flustered. My heart melts every time." She kissed me again, and I took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. She pulled away a few seconds later.

"I love you. Because you're so pure. You are the cutest guy I have ever met, the bravest and strongest, the best and most wholesome person on this earth." I blushed at her words. Does she really think that?

I gave her a sheepish smile. "R-really?" She giggled and threw her arms around my neck.

"Yes, really. I love you, Theridas." She kissed me once again, and I couldn't help but cave in. The kiss felt so needy and desperate. But that was probably me. We pulled away as soon as we heard Joel's voice say 'thank you for coming'.

We turned to see him and lady Anastasia rising up from their chairs. I felt my worry returned, along with curiosity. What? When did he come back? Pepper looked just as surprised. He smiled at us, that sharp edge in his gaze making me crawl under my skin.

"If you two lovebirds are done, maybe you could help your friend. I gave her a regeneration cure, and a bottle of Vigor. She should rest, but that potion will give her some energy back in case she needs it."

I nodded, still in shock. Pepper was fixing her hair, tying it back in a ponytail. "Thank you, Joel. How much do we owe you?" He stared at the ceiling distractedly before looking back at us.

"3 golden nuggets." Pepper grimaced and pulled out a wallet from her jeans pockets. I pulled off my father's diamond ring and handed it to Joel.

"Is this enough?" The medic stared at it with wide eyes.

"Uh... more than enough. I can't take that." I shook my head.

"Please. It's the only way I can pay you." He stared at me for a moment before nodding. He took it, and dropped the ring in his desk drawer.

"Well, then. I see why Pepper likes you know." The creeper woman stared indignantly at him with her mouth agape.

"Joel! Are you insinuating that I only love him for his money?" The doctor shrugged.

"If that's the way you want to put it." Pepper looked more angry than shocked now.

"How dare you? That is not-" I interrupted her with one hand and picked up lady Anastasia's cloth bag.

"Thank you, Joel. Have a good day." The doctor nodded without taking his eyes off Pepper. I gently pulled her by her wrist towards the door, where lady Anastasia was waiting. We left without another word and walked back towards the apartment building. Pepper was seething all the way.

"The nerve of that pompous bastard! How fucking dare he? I should have clobbered him for that!" I waited calmly and paitiently for her to finish ranting. We actually arrived at the apartment before that, however. I nodded at miss Brekelbaum, who stared at Pepper with irritation.

I unlocked the door to the room and was greeted with a crying Ella. She ran from the bedroom and hugged my leg tightly, wiping tears off her face. "You're alive!" Smiled at her, confused, and picked her up and into my arms.

"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we?" She sniffled and wiped more tears off her cheeks.

"I woke up and none of you were here... I thought Darkness had caught you!"

I felt a sharp pang of guilt. How could I have left the poor girl by herself? How could I have been so stupid? Pepper immediately stopped talking and took Ella into her own arms.

"We're alright, babygirl, See? I'm sorry we left you behind. It won't happen again, I promise." The girl snuggled up to Pepper's chest. She was sobbing lightly, but had visibly calmed down.

"*sniff*... o-okay. Where did you go?" I closed the door and helped lady Anastasia walk towards the bedroom. I could hear Pepper gently speak to the scared girl.

"You know lady Anastasia has been sick, right?"

"*sniff*... yes."

"Well, We took her to the bastard of a doctor so he could cure her."

"What's a bastard? *sniff*" Once I made sure that lady Anastasia was fine, I walked over to the doorway and watched as Pepper wandered around the living room with Ella in her arms.

"Nothing, sweetie, I'm just angry at him."

"Why?"

"He said something about Theridas that I didn't like, that's all."

"What did he say?"

"Oh, I can't remember. Why don't we play something, huh? Would you like that?"

"Yes please!" Pepper gently put the young Ghast girl down. We looked at each other for a moment. I smiled, and she returned the gesture. I walked over to her and held her calloused hand. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I blushed.

Ella emptied the satchel bag where I kept all of our clothes and pulled out a few rag dolls. Pepper smiled at the little girl and sat on the ground beside her. I smiled fondly as they played, watching them from the couch. I felt very happy at this moment, the happiest I had been since my father died.

My smile widened and I looked out the window to the lovely moors. The happiest I've ever been, really. I wondered, just for a second, what would happen if Pepper had been a nether mob and Darkness hadn't taken over. Would we still have fallen in love? What would a life with her be like?

I turned back to the gorgeous creeper woman and the young Ghast girl. They were still playing excitedly, and the sight made my worries melt away. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen.

And to think, if Darkness had never invaded I wouldn't have met Pepper. The thought brought my eyes back to the emerald moors. Oh, If only the three realms weren't in danger...

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Author's Notes

I'm sorry it took so long for me to publish the chapter! I had been so busy, and didn't have time to finish it. I hope it's length is enough to make up for it, though. :D

5.5k words long! I probably could have kept going, too...

Anywho, thank you all for your time and support! Have an awesome day!

~ LeMafiaKreb