Author's Notes

Okay, see, I tried to write and publish this one as soon as I could. Hope you enjoy!

Now, Reviews!

GiggiEba, that's not the only thing Blight can do. But... well, it's the coolest thing. Besides making fruit. :D While Theridas May have been a little bit distracted with Pepper, give him some credit! He thought about both lady Anastasia and Ella before agreeing to anything. :)

ThinMint, yeah. Thank goodness :P I would very much appreciate you don't spoil the story. That's my job! :D

Anywho, on with the story!

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Eba's POV

It was very awkward for everyone to know that I had a demon. But everyone seemed to have warmed up to Blight by the third day. Occasionally, Simon would ask me/him a few questions, most of them related to being a demon.

And we have a new airship! Sort of. We have the parts and everything, but Simon and Thomas want to 'run some tests' regarding the weapons. I mean, everything but the weapons is finished. I already now how to pilot it! (In theory.)

Hence why everyone was gathered around the two guys. Simon was lugging around a long, boxy weapon, and Thomas dragged a large pipe-like thing. The rest of us waited to see what would happen. Simon finally dropped his box-thing and sighed.

"Okay! We are going to test the weapons before slapping them onto the airship. Any questions before we get started?"

Iza raised her hand. "Is it... dangerous?"

Simon shrugged. "It's supposed to be. At least on the business end. Which is why we're gonna test them." Izabell sort of shrank, but nodded.

The creeper boy clapped his hands. "Alright. With no further adue, let's begin. Which one should we test first, Thomas?"

The guy frowned. "Hm... I'm thinking the Gatling bow first. Y'know, cuz the cannon might not fare too well." Sarah stepped up.

"What's that supposed to mean, Tom?"

Thomas gave her a wry smile. "We're not sure if it'll work. The concept is pretty simple, in theory, but, uh... in practice, it might explode."

The skeleton girl gave us a shocked glare. "Explode??? That thing can explode???"

Simon nodded. "That's... kind of the point. The cannon is supposed to fire a heavy metal projectile through the use of a small, controlled explosion focused on pushing said proyectile in a specific direction."

We all gaped at him. Thomas chuckled. "We will explode a ball inside the cannon to push it out the barrel very fast."

Everyone 'ah'ed and nodded. Sarah still looked doubtful. Blight summoned himself a shadow. "If you want, I could test it. If it is dangerous, then nobody would get hurt."

Sarah nodded after a moment of hesitation. Simon picked up the body weapon. "Well, now that that's out of the way, let's get to some actual testing. This is the Gatling bow. It fires lots of arrows with a complex system of dispensers and pistons very rapidly. Commencing test in three... two... one..."

Simon pressed down a button on top of the contraption, and a series of clicks rang out. A few seconds later, a whirring noise started up too. That's it.

Then a few loud clacks were set off. And arrows began to fly from the box's front end, away from Simon. They didn't seem to have a specific target, and coated the forest with wood, flint, and feathers. Simon stopped it after a while.

"Okay... well, that worked. Sort of." He turned to Thomas. "What do you think?"

The guy shrugged. "You're the expert. I think it's arrow spread is too wide."

The creeper boy nodded. "Yeah. I need to work on the barrel. I'm sure the fire rate can be upped as well. But, that shall come later. Time to test the cannon, Blight."

My demon nodded and walked up to Thomas. He picked up the cannon with great difficulty. Simon pointed towards a little wooden stand beside him. "Bring it over here. Let me just go fetch the ammunition."

We nodded and the creeper boy took off. A few minutes later, he came back with a large bulging burlap sack. Well, he sort of dragged it towards us. "Right... here we go." He plopped it down beside the cannnon. Blight nodded and opened the sack.

"How do I load it?"

Simon pointed to one of the metal balls inside the sack, then to the 'barrel' of the cannon. "You pick up one of these cannonballs and pretty much shove it down the cannon. Then."

He pointed to some cylindrical cloth things that were also in the sack and pointed to a little ball at the end of the cannon. "You pull that little ball out and load one of these gunpowder charges into the compartment there. Once that's done, place and light a fuse on that little hole at the top. It should fire in a few seconds."

Blight nodded, and proceeded to load the cannon. It took him a few minutes, where both Simon and Thomas helped him out here and there. Soon, it was ready. My demon sighed and nodded.

"Okay. Stand back, guys. *ahem, beginning test in three... two... one..."

He lit the fuse with flint and steel Simon provided him and stood back. I watched as the sparks consumed the little fuse and entered the cannon. We waited, worry pretty much emanating from everyone.

I dropped to the ground as a sudden roar erupted from the barrel of the cannon. The tree that once stood proudly in front of it now lay in a tragic wreck of leaves, sticks, logs, and splinters. Everyone gasped. There was an annoying ringing in my ears which, thankfully, Blight dulled down.

I stood back up and looked at the cannon. There was a thin trail of smoke coming off the barrel, but the thing itself looked to be in working condition. Simon chuckled.

"Looks like this one was a smashing success. I'll get to work on the Gatling bow later. Thomas, could you help me clean this stuff up?"

Thomas nodded and began picking up sticks. When we began to help, Simon waved us away. "It's alright, guys. You just... go about your day, and uh... yeah. We're just going to test more stuff." He raised his hand before Sarah could speak. "Without. The use of explosives."

Sarah nodded, her mouth a grim line of barely suppressed hatred. I had to hold back a giggle.

Simon should be careful with the way he refers to other people.

Yeah, but that doesn't ever stop him. I think that's another reason why Izabell likes him.

How so?

Well, for example, he seems to always win every argument. Mostly through means of 'intimidation'. The way he talks, moves, his gestures-

I think it's one of the reasons you like him.

No, no no no. He's my friend, just like Sarah and Thomas and everybody else. Just like you.

Hm. What are we going to do today? Sparring?

I'm a little sick of sparring, actually. Why don't we... *gasp* I know! We could try out that big armor thing again!

The what?

The big armor! From when everyone met you!

The Dreadnaught Armor?

... you named it that?

I like it. Sounds... 'intimidating', like you said. Formidable.

It does. And it's better than just 'big armor'.

Let's head to the clearing.

I warped us to our training clearing and looked around. It had gotten increasingly bigger every time we trained, by accident mostly. Either one of us occationally ended up rotting a tree down. While we waited to come down from our high after that, I drew in my sketchbook. Thomas had already gotten me a new one with a blue leather cover.

I stood in the center and waited for my demon to summon the Dreadnaught Armor. Even the name got me giddy with excitement. Blight 'shuffled around' a little before speaking.

Right. This will pretty much drain us of energy after maybe ten minutes. But, like with excersice, employing it over and over again will make it easier for you to use.

Okay. I'm ready.

I felt Blight's rot-sand encircle me like the first time we summoned this set of armor. I began to rise after a while, and felt the strong metal build up around me. It took a few seconds, but I soon stared at the forest through the thick purple glass of my helmet.

I moved around a little, testing the black armor. Blight decorated the edges of every metal plate with purple, and there was now more cool sharp edges. And a sword! A big but surprisingly light longsword sat on a metal sheath clasped to the armor's back.

I drew the weapon. Wrath was carved on it's silver blade. I swung it experimentally, hacking at a tree. It did not rot, but there was now a deep, wide gash in it's thick wood. I took off the helmet with an odd smile.

"This is awesome. But really heavy."

Told you.

I walked around a bit more, occasionally 'attacking' the trees surrounding our clearing. Soon, just like Blight said, it became much too heavy and I felt bone tired. The armor dissolved around me and I fell to the ground. I lay on my back, my eyelids growing heavy.

You shouldn't rest. You might not able to sleep later.

I know... is there... something we could do?

Well... no. *sigh* Nap for a while, Eba. I'll wake you in twenty minutes.

Okay... thank you Blight.

I closed my eyes, allowing sleep to envelop me.

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Darkness's POV

I played with the soul sand for a while, unsure of what to make. It had been three days, and I had already summoned two new monsters. These ones were similar to some of my own, but much greater. More powerful. Bigger.

Trudy stepped through the small nether portal I had my troops set up in my throne room. She had slowly become braver, finally getting used to my presence. I gave her a smile, and she bowed shakily.

"M-my lord, there seems to be a problem."

I raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"

"Y-yes. With the troops. Your generals... they wish to speak to you."

I frowned and nodded. If there was a problem, then it would need to be immediately dealt with. I walked through the purple sheen of the nether portal and looked around. My generals were sending side me, but the troops weren't moving.

I stepped up to my Argonaut general. "Why is my army not walking?"

The shadow I had summoned jumped down from a nearby tree. "There is a chasm present, my lord. We have had to climb this bloody mountain just to keep up with your demands, but now it seems we won't be able to go any further."

I nodded and walked to the front of my army. There was indeed a chasm, but that might have been too vague a description. It looked like a massive giant had plunged his sword deep within the earth. It split the entire mountain in half.

I chuckled at it. "Now this is a chasm. But it is not a problem. Necronauts!"

The entire division of my army roared into the sky. I grinned at them. "I need all my endermen to begin building a bridge to connect both halves of this mountain. Wide enough for everybody to walk across. Move."

They immediately began warping into the chasm and collecting stone. They piled it up at the edge, creating the beginning of a cobblestone bridge. I watched for a few minutes before getting bored. My shadow stood beside me.

"This will take a very long time, Darkness."

"I know. But, alas, I need to be patient. Make sure my armada makes it in one piece, shadow."

I signaled for Trudy, and she dashed towards me. We stepped back through the nether portal. Once there, I turned to one of my monsters. It hissed at me, it's four long legs and thin green body quivering with pent up energy. I smiled at it.

"I need you to warp through the original portal. It is closer to your destination. To the west is a valley. Very pretty, mountains, forests and stuff, and a house. Destroy the house. Some of my troops should be there by the time you arrive."

It hissed again, and sort of crawled towards the fortress's exit. It moved similarly to a spider, but it was definitely not one. I watched as it turned a corner. The other monster growled at me, dry clacking emanating from it's body. I waved it away.

"Shut it. You'll get your chance soon. As will your brothers."

I began summoning another monster as Trudy watched. She always looked uncomfortable whenever I used the soul sand. It made me smile.

I sent her off to keep an eye out for my troops at the mountain. And summoned a few phantoms to have a means of communication connecting me and my little 'mini army' sent to obliterate my brother and his friends. I sent two of them off, one carrying a message.

Send this phantom back once you've received this letter. The other one is for you to send me a letter confirming your understanding and success in reaching the valley.

I sat back and stared at the half-morphed body of my new monster. Tall, one out of four arms. Not yet finished enough for it's skin color to become pronounced, but I knew it would be black. This one would help with the bridge once finished.

And when we're done with that, dear brother, he will be sent to meet you. I'm sure your friends will enjoy his company.

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Theridas's POV

Three days had passed since my first official date with Pepper, and we had two more dates since then, both ending in the same manner. Pepper's just... insatiable. So, here I was, shambling about the apartment looking for something clean to wear to our fourth date. Lady Anastasia watched disapprovingly with her arms crossed.

"Theridas, what on earth are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, my lady, but Pepper and I agreed to meet at the park today, under that big tree. I need to find some clean pants..."

The ex-Queen, stronger now thanks to Joel's medicine, walked up and held my wrist tightly in her hand. I turned to look at her, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. Lady Anastasia frowned at me, annoyance filling her amber irises.

"Theridas, I understand your relationship with Pepper is very important to you, but this tomfoolery must stop. Now that I am fit enough, we should go see the king and warn him of Darkness."

I stared at her, realization and guilt pooling within me. After a few seconds of stuttering, my mouth finally managed to obey me. "I-I'm so sorry, my Lady. I... you're right. I am so, so sorry. We'll go talk to the king right now. But... what about Ella?"

The young Ghast girl poked her head out from the bedroom. "Me? I can stay here. I'll protect the apartment."

We both smiled at her. Lady Anastasia spoke up before I could. "I'm sure you'd be great at defending our apartment, dear. But we shouldn't leave you here alone. Perhaps you should come with us."

I shook my head. "I don't think that's a good idea. I've heard that the king is... not fond of children, and very impatient. Maybe Pepper could take care of her."

Lady Anastasia turned to me, a hint of anger within her gaze. "Do not come up with excuses just so you can play with her some more, Theridas. You have thinned my patience to nothing."

She leaned in, her eyes now alight with rage. "Where do your loyalties lie, Theridas Norton? With a random woman you met on the streets? Or with your ruler for over two decades? When the dust finally settles, who will you side with?"

I gazed at my queen, frozen on the spot with genuine fear. I swallowed with difficulty. This was a dangerous question. Who would I side with? I was still a royal servant for as long as lady Anastasia lived. But... I love Pepper. Is that reason enough to betray my queen?

After a few moments of hesitation, I returned lady Anastasia glare with a steady gaze. I've made my choice. "I am a Blaze. Have been and will be, until my star ceases to glow. My loyalty is to you, Lady Anastasia."

The ex-monarch searched my eyes for any hint of doubt. But she would find none of it. My heart broke in my chest, throbbing with yearning for the beautiful creeper woman I had shared a bed with so many times.

I've made my choice, I told myself. I... have made... my choice. When the dust settles, after the battle has been fought, I will side with my queen.

Another thought swam in my mind. But for now... I will love Pepper. To every extent of the word. I will cherish every moment we share, long after we part ways.

Lady Anastasia finally nodded and let go of my wrist. I bowed to her. "My lady... I shall return with you to the nether after the battle. But for now, please understand. My loyalty belongs to you, but I belong to Pepper. We will deliver Ella to her, then speak to the king."

The ex-queen nodded with a tense expression. "Very well. Put on your best clothes."

I gave her a wry smile. "Um... they're dirty. And... ripped in some places. With a few buttons missing. These are my current best clothes."

She nodded again, and I began to open the door. Lady Anastasia quickly explained to Ella what we were going to do, and the little girl smiled exitedly. We walked towards Pepper's apartment complex in silence.

Once there, the gorgeous creeper woman opened the door with a smile which quickly turned into a confused frown after spotting my companions. "Theridas? What's wrong?"

I smiled gently at her. "Nothing's wrong, Pepper. We just need you to watch over Ella while lady Anastasia and I speak to the king."

Pepper nodded slowly. I had told her what our plan was, so she would be aware of the situation in cases like this. "Alright. How long will you be?"

Lady Anastasia took a step forwards. "Three hours at best."

The creeper woman nodded. Ella was already at her side, hugging her jean-clad leg. I caressed the little girl's head with a smile and turned back to Pepper. "I'm sorry to miss our date."

Pepper smiled and waved me away. "It's alright, hun. This is much more important than a date. Go on, then. Warn the king."

I nodded and began walking away. I heard lady Anastasia give Pepper a curt goodby before her footsteps began to follow me. It took us an hour and a half to reach the king's castle. Guards were stationed there, and stopped us.

Lady Anastasia convinced them, with great difficulty, that we meant no harm to the king. The guards let us pass after we proved to be what we said we were.

The king's throne room was the first thing you saw when entering the castle; a large, empty, white marble room with a tall ceiling, the throne against the wall directly in front of the doorway, and two doors beside it. The king sat in his grand throne, staring at us with naked disinterest.

"Who are you? Why do you believe that speaking to me without a moment's notice is of crucial need?"

Lady Anastasia bowed before the king, something I never expected to see. I bowed as well, and she began to speak. "Good afternoon, king Troyel. I am Lady Anastasia, ex-ruler of the nether-bound blaze clan."

The king scoffed at us. "Really? An ex-queen? Of the nether, no less! Why should I believe such blatant lies?"

Lady Anastasia matched his gaze steadily. "These are not lies, king Troyel. My husband has been killed by a demon, and my people have been enslaved."

The skeleton king narrowed his eyes. "A demon? There hasn't been a demon sighting for fifty years."

Lady Anastasia's mouth became a grim frown. "Then tell me why my husband is dead. Tell me why my daughter is missing. Tell me why I was thrown into a prison cell and left to rot there. Tell me why I had to leave my home behind. Tell me why everything has gone to shit."

The king's stared at us for a while before clearing his throat and answering. "Very well. Let's say I believe you. What is the purpose of this meeting?"

Lady Anastasia stood up. "The purpose is to tell you that the demon is coming here to wipe us out. Every last city and fortress."

The king raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like quite the demon, Lady Anastasia."

"It's name is Darkness. Over the course of the past month, Darkness has slaughtered every monarch from all four nether-bound clans, summoned an army of ten thousand monsters, and is on his way here."

The skeleton king frowned. "Summoned and army? I find that quite hard to believe."

Lady Anastasia stood her ground. "Are you familiar with the clan's history?"

The king let go a smug grin. "Of course. I take advantage of the Grand Library, just like any other citizen."

Lady Anastasia nodded. "Then you must be aware that the nether is home to the biggest untapped supply of raw soul sand, a material used by spirits and demons to create life."

The king sat back in his polished throne. "I'm guessing your demon got into the pantry."

"He is on his way here. My royal servant and I managed to arrive within a week, but that was because we took a shortcut of sorts beneath a mountain. It might take Darkness months to arrive, especially if winter comes before him."

The king nodded slowly. "Alright. You're telling me that Darkness, a demon, is threatening the realm with an army of ten thousand monsters? Hm."

After a few seconds, he nodded again. "Very well. I will alert my army and the other rulers of this threat. You need not be afraid, Lady Anastasia. I assure you, it will be taken care of."

The ex-queen nodded and bowed. "Thank you for your attention, King Troyel."

The king smiled. "You may leave."

We both nodded and left the castle. We were silent the whole way to Pepper's apartment, except for a few moments of conversation just before we arrived.

I had turned to lady Anastasia. "Do you think he trusts us? Do you think he believes?"

My queen kept looking straight forward. "No. I don't think he believes. But for the sake of the clans, I hope he does. Because nobody else will help us."

I stared at the night sky, thinking this over. "I hope he does too. But... even if he doesn't? I will fight. I have run from Darkness, but that hasn't helped. So now I will fight him. To protect those I serve, and those I love."

The ex-queen turned to face me. "By yourself?"

I gave her an awkward smile. "Y-Yeah. I mean, I'd rather not, but... I'll do so if necessary."

She smiled. "I don't think you would be alone. Pepper would fight beside you. She has a brawler's spirit."

A genuine smile pulled the corners of my lips upward. "Yes, She does."

We knocked on her door, and heard some shuffling and muffled cries of joy. Pepper opened the door with a big smile. "Hey, guys! How did it go?"

Lady Anastasia gave her a gentl smile. "It went well, Pepper. We have come to pick up Ella. Where is she?"

Pepper stood aside to reveal a smiling, well-dressed Ella. Her white hair was tied in a long, neat braid that went past her shoulders, draping over her back. Se was wearing a cute frilly white dress, white ballerina-style shoes, and a red bow on her head.

I kneeled down, and the young Ghast girl jumped into my arms. "Hello! Do you like my dress? Pepper bought it for me! And she did my hair, too! Look!"

She showed me her silky white braid. There where small flowers tucked between the white strands. I smiled at the little girl. "It looks great on you, Ella." I turned to Pepper. The beautiful creeper woman was smiling fondly at us.

"Thank you so much, Pepper. I'm sorry we're a bit late."

She gently waved me away. "It's okay, hun. I enjoyed my time with the little one. How about you, sweetie? Did ya have fun?"

She tickled Ella's side, causing the little girl to giggle. "Ah! Stop! That tickles!"

I turned to look at lady Anastasia. She stared at Pepper through unfocused eyes, a sad little frown tugging at her lips. What's wrong? Is she... is she regretting her choice to make me choose a side? Does she finally see Pepper the way I do?

The ex-queen noticed me watching her, and snapped from her stupor. She took Ella's hand and smiled gently at Pepper. "Thank you for taking care of her, Pepper."

The gorgeous creeper woman stood up and tucked her hands behind her back. "It was a pleasure, lady Anastasia. Honestly, I hope we could do it again sometime. Perhaps have a sort of girl's outing."

The ex-queen's smile widened. "I'd love that, Pepper. Thank you again. Have a good nigh."

We exchanged goodbyes (mine involved a thirty-second kiss) and walked towards our own apartment. Ella was chattering exitedly, telling us everything about her time spent with Pepper.

"She even made me a coin! Look!"

She handed over a small, flat, metal circle. The words For Ella where on one side, while the other had a beautiful rose engraved into it. I stared at it in wonder. There was a little hole on the top, as if it was meant to be a pendant.

"She made this?"

"Yeah! She brought me outside and set up a little table with metal thingies, and she melted a little nugget, and it became a coin!"

Lady Anastasia smiled at Ella. "It looks wonderful. You should thank her next time we meet."

"I did! A lot! She was happy, and I was happy."

We entered the apartment and I put down a bag of food on the little table. We stopped to purchase dinner on out way here. Pepper had given me some money so I could 'keep my peeps afloat'. We were supposedly going to ask for a job at the cousin's bar tomorrow.

I ate my share in silence, watching as Ella devoured hers and lady Anastasia gracefully bit into her own. Soon, Ella's excitement died down, and her head began to droop with exhaustion. I gently picked her up and tucked her into bed. Lady Anastasia soon followed.

I couldn't sleep, standing in front of the window and looking down at the busy streets. Then at the star-filled sky. That was what I loved most of this world, the sky. It was so beautiful, bright and dark, in constant motion. Definitely different from the nether.

I sighed and plopped down on the couch. Standing around wouldn't help anyone. Now, all we had to do was wait, wait and hope. Wait for Darkness to arrive, and hope that the king listened to us. That we have a fighting chance.

And that Monsul was wrong about Darkness's sword.

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Author's Notes

Hey! I actually published a chapter in a reasonable amount of time. Good for me, huh? :)

For those who don't remember, Monsul is the nether fortress's blacksmith. He attached a magma-stone to darkness's sword so it would and I quote; "It would shatter the worlds! All of them!" But, only with two Magma-stones. Darkness is missing Kaitlin's stone. FYI.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for your time and support! Have an awesome day!

~ LeMafiaKreb