Author's Notes

Well this one's up early...

I actually had trouble writing this one. There wasn't much for me to actually add; no Theridas POV or Darkness POV because nothing interesting is going on there. So yeah, it was pretty troublesome.

Anywho, Reviews!

GiggiEba, actually, the memory isn't as important right now. Yeah, poor Theridas. He's more depressed than confused, though. Thanks for the support!

ThinMint, no, not that long a rest. Thank you for the support!

Anywho, on with the story!

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Sarah's POV

I brought two plates of food into the med-bay, one for Tom and one for Jack. The stray smiled and thanked me for the food. Thomas was asleep, fidgeting as if in a dream. I sat down in the cot next to him and put the plate aside. His mouth formed a small frown, and his eyes moved about under his eyelids.

I grabbed his hand, hoping to comfort him somehow. As soon as my fingers touched his, Thomas jerked awake. He looked around, breathing heavily. I stood up and held his hand in both of mine.

"It's okay Tom, it's okay. It's fine, it was only a dream. Don't worry, everything's alright."

He stared at me through unfocused and frightened eyes before taking a deep breath. "S-Sarah?"

I sat down on his cot and hugged him. "I'm here. It's fine. Were you having a nightmare?"

He shook his head. "I-I don't... this... I need some fresh air."

I nodded and gently helped him up. Jack stared at us, confused and worried. "Uh... that's probably not a good idea. Izabell will chain him to the cot if she finds out you brought him outside."

I looked at him over my shoulder as I helped Tom limp out of the med-bay. "She won't find out."

Eba waved at us from the dinner table, and I smiled back. She looked plenty curious, but didn't get up to follow. I opened the front door and helped Thomas stand leaning against the wall. He took a couple deep breaths trying to calm himself down. I closed the door quietly behind me and waited.

He eventually turned to look at me and smiled. "Thanks. I really needed this."

I placed my head on his shoulders and looked up at the starry sky. "What happened? Why did you look so scared?"

Thomas pulled me closer, his hand on my hip. "I... had a dream... or maybe it was a nightmare. I closed my eyes for a second, and when I opened them, I was lying on the ground of a dark white room."

I hugged Tom and waited for him to continue. He had a worried frown, and his hazel eyes were filled with fear. "I looked around and everything moved. A blank wall appeared in front of me. The color of the wall reminded me of you, your pale skin and shiny, beautiful hair."

I smiled against him. "But why were you scared?"

He sighed. "Because of what happened afterward. The wall just... lit up with loads of screens, all of them pictures- memories -of you. I saw our first kiss."

I was about to speak, but he kept going. "I thought that Simon would be able to figure out what this was all about, and the screens changed from pictures of you to pictures of him. All of them memories."

I got an idea of where this was going. "Did you see a memory that frightened you?"

He shook his head. "I hope it wasn't a memory. I didn't recognize anything. but it was so vivid... I was in a village. And everything was on fire."

I frowned and pressed even closer to him, my head now on his chest. He hugged me tightly. "The houses were collapsing. I ran into one and helped someone out, but then the roof fell on top of me. When I woke up, it was raining and three people were looking me over. I began mumbling nonsense and... and then I died."

I tensed up as a wave of dread flooded me. I pulled away just enough to look him in the eye. "You died? It must have been a nightmare, Tom. I mean, you're here! There's just... you're not dead!"

Thomas looked very uncomfortable now. "I know that. But it just... it felt so real. Do... do you know anyone called Stephanie? Or a guy called... Jay, I think? Do those names ring a bell?"

I shook my head. "No, never heard of them. But don't worry. It was just a dream. Nothing to worry about. You're okay."

Tom made a mock grimace and touched his chest. "Define okay."

I smiled and hugged him tightly. We stared at the sky for a while before Tom started shivering. I helped him limp back inside. Thankfully, Izabell was helping Simon prepare dinner, so she didn't notice Thomas's short absence. He lied back down on the bed and sighed. Jack had been toying with a piece of lint and looked up.

"How did it go? Did Izabell see you?"

I smiled. "Do you see Izabell anywhere?"

He shrugged. "I guess not. How are you doing Thomas?"

He turned to look at the stray. "Better. I'll be fine, just was cooped up for too long."

Jack nodded and went back to his distracted playing. I sat down next to an untouched plate of food and suddenly remembered why I had come in here to begin with. The dish was now cold, so I picked it up and began walking towards the kitchen.

"I'll be back in a second," I called over my shoulder. Thomas nodded and got himself into a more comfortable position.

Everyone was beginning to sit down at the table, but Simon and Izabell were still in the kitchen. I walked in and tapped the slime girl's shoulder. She turned around in surprise.

"Hey Sarah. What are you doing here?"

I showed her the cold plate of food. "Could you reheat this?"

She took the plate and placed it on top of the stove. "Wasn't it for Thomas?"

"Yeah, but he was asleep at the time. That's why it got cold."

"Oh. Okay. It'll take a few minutes to get warm again."

"That's fine, I can wait."

Simon walked by and opened the oven, muttering as he brought out the bread. I stood aside to let them work. Izabell gestured to the dish and gave me a thumbs up before returning to cutting up dandelion for a salad. I turned off the stove and picked up the plate. It was very hot, and I almost dropped it.

Once it had cooled enough for me to pick it up, I brought the plate to Thomas. He and Jack were having a conversation regarding the room that Tom and Simon wanted to build under the house. I sat down on the edge of Tom's bed and set the plate beside me.

"Here. I thought you might've been hungry."

Thomas eyed the plate hesitantly for a moment before picking it up. "I'm not that hungry, but I guess it'll go to waste if I don't eat it."

Jack smiled. "Hardly. Valory gives any leftovers to Falconheart, even if it's just salad. The phantom eats it as well."

Tom 'hmm'd in amusement and surprise before digging into his food. I kissed him goodbye and joined the others at the table. Izabell was starting to serve everyone's food. I ate in silence, answering Eba's occational questions about Tom's health. Simon called the lights out once everyone was done, and I walked up to my room.

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Simon's POV

The sun was even more annoying during winter than any other season. Its harmful (to me at least) rays reflected off the clumps of snow that were beginning to amass here and there, as well as the frost on the grass and trees. Everything was much too bright. I rarely took off my goggles during the day.

I was leaning against a tree at the edge of the forest. So far, no massive mutant anything else had crashed through it and attempted to murder everyone. But I still didn't trust the forest. I never kept my eyes off the foliage enveloped by the wintery darkness. A few creepers walked about, and the few critters that still lived here.

Most animals had either migrated or just fucked off in panic after the battles. Our stock of meats was dwindling rapidly. Well... at least the mutton was. And the pork, because Valory kept giving it to Falconheart. Lila and Sarah still went out hunting but came back with less and less meat or leather. And wool, which we need a lot of to make blankets and warm clothing.

I watched as the skeleton girl and Valory trained together near the house. Sarah was wearing padded leather armor so that Falconheart's sharp claws didn't hurt her. From what I could gather, the phantom was supposed to knock Sarah to the ground while the skeleton tried to whack him out of the sky with a training sword.

Izabell was inside tending to Thomas and Jack, Lila and Adrian were talking together under the shade of a tree (no surprise there), and Kaitlin was with Ara. The creeper was helping Kait take care of the egg, giving her tips and words of encouragement. She told me that it should be ready to hatch in less than a month.

The blaze princess had been ecstatic, barely able to contain her giddyness. She made a bed of sorts for it that was placed next to hers in the penthouse. She kept it warm with blankets and pillows, cleaning the smooth surface regularly. Ara was preparing her for what would happen once it hatched.

"Baby creepersss are notoriousssly missscheviousss. They need ssspace to roam freely. Don't fret if he or ssshe misssbehave; while it may not look it, they lisssten to everything you sssay and do learn to act properly."

Kaitlin nodded with a wistful smile as she finished polishing the egg's green shell. "Okay. I'll try to be patient with him."

"We don't know if it'sss actually a he."

"But I'd like it to be a he. I'll take very good care of him, you'll see."

"I'm sssure you'll try. You are a very capable perssson."

"Thank you."

I began fiddling with another project, turning away from the lovely scene. It was a weapon this time, or a kind of rough draft. I had recently started thinking about minecarts, and the possibility of motorized travel on foot. This gizmo I was working on was not motorized, but it would make swift travel much easier.

I had studied everyone's fighting style, finding out that most of our friends were heavy hitters; Thomas, Adrian, Eba, Kaitlin, Sarah, Jack and Valory did most of their fighting in place. Izabell doesn't fight. The only ones that do run around and attack with any sense of tactical combat were me and Lila.

The cave spider threw her poisonous knives while dashing about, occationaly closing in to cut a few throats. I decided that she would appreciate this little invention of mine very much. I forged up a set of iron boots her size (Val helped me with measurements) and eight small metal wheels. Throw in a few axles and a way to connect everything together and bam.

Awesome metal rollerskates.

Once Lila got the hang of them, she'd (in theory) be able to move much faster, making her that much more efficient in combat. I still haven't told her and won't until they're ready. So far I've tested many wheel alignments to find out which would suit her best, and it seems that when the wheels are in a straight line, they have better 'steering' and acceleration.

This also means, however, that they are harder to balance and get less traction on soft ground. Thankfully the balance issue can be resolved with practice, and the dirt is hard from the cold and frost. Even in summer the ground would be rather tough underfoot. Overall great skating conditions.

Also, if I find a way to make wheels out of better material, traction won't be a problem on most floor types. I wanted to experiment on sap from a couple trees because of its consistency when hardened, but that would be dealt with some other day. The iron wheels would do for now.

I finished bolting the first set of four wheels to the iron boot and put everything away. "This is harder than I thought it'd be," I muttered to myself. Even with my careful and meticulous designing, some of the axles and bolts just didn't want to stay where they were supposed to. Sometime I had to use my trusty pocket knife to file down some of the metal.

My hands were sore after struggling so much with all the bits and pieces, so I decided to leave it alone for now. I let my thoughts and emotions wander, letting out frustration and child-like excitement at my invention. Eventually, my mind trailed back to Iza. I breathed a sigh of contempt, remembering all the sweet times I spent with the pretty slime girl.

I saw the house's door open out of the corner of my eye. Izabell walked out, straightening her lime-green hoodie. I broke into a smile and started walking towards her. The slime girl looked very cute as she tied her hair back in a ponytail. She always made this sort of scrunched-up face as if it was frustratingly hard for her.

She noticed me watching and started walking towards me too. She had a big smile on, her cheeks tinged with red from the cold. I smiled back and gave her a hug.

"Are they alright? Healing properly?"

She nodded, moving to stand by my side. "They are healing exceptionally well. Jack might be back on his feet in a few more days. Thomas's rib will still take a while longer, but he'll be able help out soon. I know he's been itching to build that workshop thing under the house."

"He's not the only one."

"You could start on your own, you know. To get a head-start."

"Thomas would feel cheated if I did that. We agreed to work on it together. I'm pretty sure Jack wants in too, probably to have something to do more than anything."

Iza nodded and closed her eyes. I love her steady devotion. There is just something heartwarming about knowing she's always thinking of me. Sarah let out a surprised shout nearby. I turned in time to see her fall on her back with a dull thud. Falconheart gave a shrill cry of triumph and landed beside Valory, who was stifling a laugh with her hand.

The spider helped Sarah up, dusting her off were the skeleton girl couldn't reach. "You did great! Both of you," she added when her phantom chirped. "Are you okay, Sarah?"

The skeleton girl nodded with a smile as she began taking the padded armor off. "Falconheart really caught me off-guard with that weird spin thing."

Valory giggled. "You mean the 'barreling swoop'."

The skeleton girl looked up, surprised and amused. "You named it that?"

"I like it! And it seems that Falconheart does too."

The spider bent down to caress the phantom's scaly head. Falconheart hopped back once before giving in and letting Valory pet him. "We practiced that one for a long time before he got it right, but it was totally worth it."

Sarah nodded and started walking towards the house. "I'm going to check on Tom. Good luck with your training, Val!"

"Thanks! Bye!"

The spider picked up Falconheart- well, she let him hop onto her forearm. He was much too big to rest on Val's shoulder like Nightshade had. She turned towards us with a smile. "Hi guys! How are you?"

I returned her smile. "We're both doing great. Looks like Falconheart's training is coming along nicely."

Valory butted heads with her phantom. "It sure is. Soon he'll be the most skilled and fearsome phantom ever."

Izabell trailed her hand down Falconheart's back. "I can believe it. How are things coming along with Jack?"

Z's question surprised me, but I kept my mouth shut to find out what she was talking about. Valory frowned a little. "He's still got his heart set on Lila. I really wish he would just let her go and take notice of me for once. It's very frustrating."

Everything clicked into place instantly, but I still didn't speak. Izabell gave Val a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. Jack may be pretty dense, but he'll get the hint eventually. And don't feel jealous of your sister. This shouldn't cause any problems between the two of you."

Valory nodded, her good humor coming back. "Alright. I won't. Thanks, Izabell." Valory blinked, apparently just remembering I was here. "Uh... could you keep this a secret? I don't want to confront Jack about it yet. I don't even think he'll listen," she added sadly.

Smiled at her as encouragingly as I could. "I won't tell a soul. And you might be surprised at what your words can do. He's actually pretty fond of you and Kaitlin."

Valory's eyes gleamed with hope. "Really?"

"I would never lie to my friends. Just give him some time."

Valory smiled and nodded. "Okay. Thanks. Well, I'm off to continue training!"

We waved goodbye as the spider walked towards the forest. Izabell pressed closer and sighed. "Thanks for that. She's been feeling pretty down lately because of it."

I shrugged. "Well, it's true. What do you want to do?"

Izabell opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it. "I don't know," she said after a while. "I was just glad to see you, and didn't give any thought to something we could do."

I looked around the frosty and grey-skyed plains. Ara and Kait were still talking, so were Adrian and Lila. Valory had disappeared into the woods with Falconheart. I considered a few options before getting an idea.

"Do you want to help me with a project of mine?"

Izabell smiled. "Of course. What is it?"

"Just a little something for Lila. Let's go inside."

"Okay."

We walked towards the house and I explained the gizmo to Iza. She like the idea quite a bit, and said she'd be more than glad to help. I closed the door gently behind us. Izabell took off her wool-lined hoodie and stared at me with embarrassed eyes.

Maybe we could... uh... Y'know... m-make out before getting to work?"

I chuckled at her bashfulness. "I guess so. Your room?"

Her cheeks were bright red. "Uh-huh."

I followed her up the stairs, waving hello at Thomas and Jack as we passed the med-bay. Izabell entered and I quietly shut the door.

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Third Person Perspective; Veridon City Castle, skeleton king's throne room.

A soldier clad in bejeweled iron armor walked up to the king who sat on his polished stone throne. The monarch eyed him coldly. The warrior bowed and spoke.

"My lord, I've been meaning to ask you... what are you going to do about the threat those blazes informed you about the other day?"

The king snorted in annoyance. "Absolutely nothing. There is no threat, general. That old bat is just crazy. You haven't seen any massive armies looming in the distance, have you?"

The soldier looked a tad discouraged. "Well, no my lord, but-"

The king stood up suddenly, cutting off his general. "Then what is the problem? Surely you've got more important tasks to do than worry about half-assed rumors. Leave."

The soldier hesitated for a second before bowing again. "Yes, my lord." Then he hurriedly left the throne room. The soldier was seething under his calm poker face.

How can he be so foolish? How dare he insult me like that!

The soldier sighed, letting out some of his anger. He walked outside and wandered towards one of the many blue buildings set in almost every street corner. He knocked on the door and somebody inside opened it. The man looked surprised to see a soldier of such rank standing before him.

"General Anderson. What a pleasure to see you."

"Afternoon, Church. Where's the rest of your patrol?"

"Th-they left, sire. To have lunch. I'm the only one here."

The general narrowed his eyes. "Then go fetch them. Your lunch break doesn't start until four."

The soldier gave him a shaky bow. "Of course, General."

He left the building and hurried down the street. The general entered and closed the door.

A warrior of my rank attending the common folk at a pod. What a disgrace.

He took off the bejeweled armor and walked out a different door, this one leading to a larger room with a counter. The general sat down in front of the counter and sighed again.

If that attack just so happens to be real and we both live through it, I'm going to start a fucking mutiny.

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Author's Notes

I want to thank Neo Roybot8 for favoriting and following my story! (I know Thanks is a bit late, but still)

There's really nothing else for me to put here... uh, The story has 2k views, so that's pretty cool...

Thank you all so much for your time and support! Have an awesome day!

~ LeMafiaKreb