Author's Notes

I am very very sorry it took so long for me to publish this chapter. I had a lot of problems, among which were writer's block, fatigue, and an important exam. However, most of those are past, so now I can get back to work. Be warned though, the next few chapters might also take a long time to be published. Sorry. :I

Anywho, Reviews!

ThinMint, you will have to wait, sadly. :( And yes, the king is an idiot.

GiggiEba, technically, the general was already grouchy and the king just pushed him over the edge. For the umpteenth time. :)

And now, without any further adue, let's get on with the story!

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Third Person Perspective; Somewhere In The Forest

The monster left a trail of broken branches and crushed undergrowth behind it. Still, it made sure to move as quietly as possible. Stalking prey is half the fun of hunting, after all. No creatures dared come out of their hiding places. Everything was quiet except for the rustling of leaves as the monster pushed its way through the forest.

It straightened its tattered dark-cyan scarf, shivering from the cold. Its bones felt like hollow ice. The monster growled softly and made sure the bow's string wouldn't snap. The leather shoulderpads it wore held its quiver filled with arrows. The monster checked to see how many arrows it had before moving on.

Soon enough, the forest began to thin and bleak sunlight spilled in through gaps in the foliage. The monster peered out with narrowed eyes and smiled devilishly. There were plains beyond the forest, in the middle of which stood its targets. One, a sturdy-looking tall wooden building, and the small shapes that mulled about nearby.

The monster drew an arrow and nocked it into the bow, which was strapped to its wrist. The monster aimed its weapon at the closest person; purple hair, black hoodie and jeans, quite tall. They were accompanied by someone else, but that wouldn't be an issue. The best hunters could kill two birds with one stone.

The mutant skeleton drew back the bowstring and waited. As if on his command, both people lined up perfectly. The arrow would perforate them cleanly. Its target turned and caught sight of the monster, their eyes widening in alarm. But it was already too late.

The monster had let go, and the arrow sailed through the air.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Eba's POV

I walked around on the frosty plains with Blight at my side. Since Thomas wasn't allowed outside yet, we had barely anything to do. Simon didn't give us any tasks like Thomas did, so we had a lot of free time. And no idea how to use it. Basically, everyone was bored.

It was too cold outside for anyone to just sit around doing nothing. Sarah and Lila were practicing battle techniques with faux arrows and knives; Val was talking with Kaitlin, who used her flames to keep both of them warm; Jack and Adrian went out to hunt; Simon and Izabell were inside either taking care of Thomas or cuddling somewhere.

Blight shivered, letting out a tiny cloud with an exasperated sigh. "I hate this weather more than being a demon."

I smiled at him. Blight could, in theory, alter the size of his shadows, but he tends to stay 'regular size' which is about my height. I'm still a bit taller though! "Why?"

"Everything's cold and dead. Not exactly the ideal conditions for a spirit who needs to absorb life through decay."

"You haven't been experiencing the headaches, have you?"

"No, but still. I don't like winter."

"Is there demons that do?"

"Of course. There's lots of demons that are accustomed to many type of climate. Including this dreadful cold."

I always found it interesting when Blight spoke about demon stuff. "Which ones?"

"Um... some environmental demons like Permafrost and Avalanche."

"You're pronouncing them like names."

"That's because they are. As far as I know every spirit, wether it be demon or angel, is unique."

"Oh. That's cool, I guess. How many demons are there?"

"No idea."

Blight stopped and stared at the ground in front of him. Following my demon's gaze, I found a small flower still standing proudly among the withered blades of grass. Blight 'hmm'd.

"That's interesting. I didn't think there'd be any more flowers around."

I wasn't paying much attention to him anymore. "What a miracle," I said distractedly. Something had made a ruckus in the forest nearby. I scanned the foliage, thinking that Sarah would like to know if any animals were nearby. A shiver traveled down my spine as I caught a glimpse of something among the leaves.

A pair of empty eye sockets stared back at me, something metallic glinting menacingly right in front of them. I recoiled immediately, panic flooding me from head to toe. Blight tensed beside me as the metal thing shot forward.

Time seemed to slow down. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to move as an arrow hurtled through the air directly towards my face. I felt rooted to the ground, unable to run or move at all. My entire body felt cold, the same way it does when Blight takes over. Once second the arrow was two inches from my face and the next I warped out of the way.

I turned and watched as the arrow perforated Blight's shadow's forehead. Only the metal head came out the other side, both the shaft and feathers having dissolved to nothing because of Blight's rot-sand. The shadow crumpled to the ground, its body turning to dust.

I snapped out of my momentary panic attack, whirling around to face my attacker. The monster stood up, towering high above me, and walked out of the forest. It was even taller than the mutant creeper or zombie, and looked just as formidable.the monster smiled —smiled— devilishly and jumped into the air.

Blight summoned another shadow as the skeleton fell back down. The second it hit the ground the monster fired three arrows from its bow. I warped out of the way, watching as Blight's shadow was destroyed again.

Oh come on!

What do we do???

Call for help, of course!

I warped out of the path of more arrows and ran as fast as I could towards the house. Everyone that had been outside noticed the commotion and was charging towards the monster, weapons drawn. Kaitlin called for Simon before joining the others. Pain seared my shoulder as an arrow grazed it.

The skeleton began firing arrows like mad. Everyone dodged or blocked them to the best of their abilities. Jack and Sarah were firing their own bows from a distance. The skeleton put up its arm to block the arrows, then proceeded to pluck them out and shoot them back.

Simon dashed past me and chucked a stick of dynamite at the mutant skeleton. It fired an arrow through the weapon, causing it to explode. Simon froze. The monster shot at the creeper boy, so I quickly grabbed his hand and warped the both of us away. We landed clumsily on the frosty grass. Simon had the most outraged scowl I had ever seen on his face.

"Are you Alright?"

"No! I'm sick of all the fucking monsters and their innate abilities to fucking ignore my fucking explosives!"

I helped him up and turned to look at the fight. Already some of my friends had arrows sticking out of them. Adrian rushed in and tried to swing his obsidian broadsword at the skeleton, but the monster knocked him out of the way with its bow. Everyone was giving it their all.

Simon drew his shortswords and ran back in. I summoned my Needlepoint and followed him. The mutant skeleton nocked three arrows into its bow and jumped up into the air. It landed behind us and fired. I pulled Kaitlin closed and warped us away, just barely avoiding one of the arrows.

Simon ducked under the monster and began cutting up its legs. The skeleton growled and tried to knock the creeper boy away, but he was too fast. Everyone got closer and started attacking more fiercely. I helped Kaitlin get up and ran in to help. The blaze princess began growing fireballs at the skeleton.

The monster roared in frustration and jumped back into the sky. Everyone scattered, and only Adrian got shot when it came back down. I kept trying to help by warping my friends out of the way so they didn't get shot, but it's pretty exhausting. Blight was also helping, but his attacks didn't rot the skeleton's bones for some reason.

Why doesn't he rot?

It's a mutant. I can't rot mutants for some reason.

Oh... That's not good...

You need rest. Back off and get your energy back.

No... i need to help...

You'll be of no help if you collapse.

... Fine...

I warped away and flopped onto the frosty grass. I summoned an apple and bit into it. Blight had been right about the fruit he spawned; it was in no way poisonous. Jack had tested it, and, well, he didn't die, so... it's useful. I was too tired to flinch when Valory was thrown into the air by a hard back-hand blow.

I recovered somewhat and got back into the fight. Everyone looked severely beaten up. I got closed and jabbed at the monster with my rapier, causing it to grunt in surprise and try to whack me away. I managed to dodge the attack on time, though. Kaitlin was flinging fire like crazy, but the monster just narrowed it's eye sockets and kept fighting.

Whenever we got close enough to attack it, the skeleton would jump up into the air and land a few meters away. And when it does land, it fires a volley of arrows. I helped Adrian up after he was knocked away again. The wither skeleton had three arrows in him despite the armor he wore.

Everyone except me had arrows sticking out of them, but they didn't seem to even realize; they just kept fighting. Blight got taken down for the seventh time.

Grrr...

Did you just growl?

No. Come on, we need help.

I'm coming...

Do you think you can support the Dreadnaught Armor?

No... it's too heavy, and I'm too tired.

Right... just be careful.

Uh-huh...

I warped behind the monster and started attacking it. Simon ran in and stabbed a grey thing into the skeleton's leg, causing it roar in pain. He lit the fuse and dragged me away. I stumbled a couple times but managed to keep my balance. Suddenly, a ball of flame erupted from the skeleton's leg. This time I did fall...

Simon was at my side again in an instant. "You okay?"

I took his hand and got up shakily. "Just... tired. What was that?"

Simon pulled out another one of the grey things. It looked like a dynamite stick, except there was a knife blade on one end. "It's a spike-enade. Silly name, I know, but it is certainly useful."

I looked on as the mutant skeleton fell back on its wounded knee and roared. "Definitely."

Simon nodded and started running away, back towards the house. "Where are you going?"

The creeper boy turned back around. "Our friends are getting beat up. I'm going to go get the heavy artillery." Then off he went.

I sighed and drew my rapier once again. "Cuz that worked so well last time," I muttered to myself. The mutant skeleton pushed everyone away and took a couple staggering steps back. It began firing rapidly. I warped beneath it and started attacking again. The monster growled and picked me up.

Panic surged through my veins as it lifted me up to its face. I couldn't move; it was gripping my arms and legs too hard. I pulled an arrow from its quiver and brought the sharp arrowhead to my neck. It growled, a horrifying smile on its face. It pressed the metal edge harder against my skin, and I whimpered despite myself.

Then the monster let out a defeating roar and dropped the arrow. I cranked my neck to see Thomas and Adrian hacking away at the skeleton's leg. I felt relief wash through me at the same time as worry. Why was Thomas outside? He's supposed to be healing still! That didn't seem to stop him though.

The skeleton growled and let go of me. Blight used his rot-sand to keep me from hitting the cold ground too hard. Lila ran in, helping Thomas and Adrian. I could do nothing but watch as they manouvered around the monster's legs. Lila skillfully avoided its swipes and arrows, tossing knives back at it.

Thomas looked... exited. Like, wildly happy to be out and about again. Adrian's attacks were sluggish and uncoordinated. I got up and walked over to him. My vision was blurry, and it felt like I couldn't breathe.

So... tired...

You need rest. I can't give you energy, but I can stop using yours.

Okay... tha... thank you...

Adrián stumbled back, narrowly avoiding a swipe from the skeleton. I took hold of his shoulder before he could try to attack again and warped away to where everyone else was huddled. Adrian flopped onto the ground and groaned. Sarah and Izabell were helping the rest of our friends. Besides Adrian, Valory was in the worst shape.

A shadow fell over our little group. I looked up to see one of the airships sailing through the air towards the mutant skeleton. Simon was behind the wheel. The mutant skeleton knocked Lila away and aimed its bow at Thomas. The guy stood defiantly in front of the monster, broadsword raised in an attempt to block the arrows.

Sarah looked up and gasped. She drew her own bow and fired an arrow in the blink of an eye. It hit the side of the skeleton's head. The monster recoiled and missed its shot. Thomas took the opportunity to strike at the skeleton. There was a sickening crunch as its femur split in half.

The mutant monster fell on all fours, roaring in pain and outrage. Its attention snapped toward Thomas. The skeleton grunted and picked up Thomas. He dropped his broadsword and screamed in pain. Sarah was firing arrows relentlessly, but the skeleton ignored her. It pulled another arrow from its quiverand held it head-down by the shaft.

The monster growled and raised the hand holding the arrow, aiming to drive it through Thomas's head.

"Hey shit-head!"

The skeleton turned to look at Simon, who was poking his head out of a window where a cannon was set up. The creeper boy was scowling at the monster. "Here's a big FUCK YOU!"

Then he ducked back in and the cannon let out a thunderous roar. The heavy metal proyectile hurtled through the air—

And blew the skeleton's head to pieces.

The cannonball didn't stop, it just kept on sailing until it hit the ground. The skeleton's shoulders sagged. The hand that held Thomas let go and went limp. My friend landed with a dull thud on the frosty grass. Sarah was beside him in a flash. The skeleton's body started rattling wildly, as if it were having a seizure. I trudged over to help Sarah and Thomas.

The skeleton girl was staring in alarm at the skeleton's thrashing body. I embraced her and Thomas and then warped us out of the way. Suddenly, the thrashing stopped. The skeleton went still. And then it exploded, massive bones flying everywhere. Everyone hunkered down, hoping to avoid the flurry of concentrated calcium.

A rib dug into the dirt inches from my face, and I cringed back. Everything went still again after a few seconds. I looked up and scanned the area. Simon lowered the airship and slid down the rope ladder. "Everybody alive?"

Izabell got up hesitantly and looked around. "Yes... Valory, Adrian, and Thomas." She gave my friend a pointed look. "Need to be rushed into the med-bay; they are the most heavily wounded."

Simon nodded and helped everybody up. Thomas groaned but managed to stand. Jack began picking up all the discarded weapons. Lila plucked one of her knives from a nearby piece of spinal column. I summoned another apple and bit into It unenthusiastically. My mouth felt dry. We streamed into the med-bay, everyone but Iza and Simon flopping onto a bed.

I closed my eyes and let out a relieved sigh. The mattress felt like the most comfortable bed I'd ever lay on. I was practically melting into the soft material. The sounds of idle chatter lulled me to sleep.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Theridas's POV

"Take this to table six, Terisito. Quickly."

"Okay, sure."

Pepper and I were working at the bar late at night. I helped her serve the dishes and drinks, and occasionally kick out a couple of drunk patrons. It wasn't the best job ever, but it was okay with me. I spent almost half my life as a royal servant, after all.

I dropped off the plate at the table and rushed back to Ronaldo, who was at the counter serving some drinks. Pepper walked up to me with a smile. She looked utterly gorgeous in the gloomy orange light. I smiled back and opened my mouth to say hi when she turned around.

There was a guy maybe in his early thirties sitting alone right beside us. He had tapped Pepper's shoulder with a mischievous smile. "Hey, beautiful. What say you and me go have some fun elsewhere, eh?"

Pepper gave me a devilish smile and turned back to the man. "I'll have to pass, friend. I'm already taken."

Then she turned around and pulled me in for a deep kiss. I was caught way off-guard, and only started kissing her back after a couple seconds. Pepper was taking every last particle of oxygen from my lungs, rubbing my back with one hand as the other pulled my head even closer. She broke off the kiss after what felt like an eternity.

I could feel a goofy smile crawling onto my face as Pepper turned back to look at the man. He looked very uncomfortable now, stumbling for words and almost tripping himself as he tried to leave the bar with some dignity. Pepper giggled and kissed my cheek. "Well, back to work love."

"Uh-huh..."

It took me a few seconds to get my act together. Pepper usually takes her job seriously, but there are some days when she gets very frisky. Like today. She keeps giving me little winks and gestures from the other side of the bar, quick kisses on the back of my neck, discreet rubbing here and there... it's very distracting.

Thankfully the bar wasn't too crowded today, so not many people required my attention. Ronaldo is actually a pretty chill boss. He doesn't gift us stuff or anything, but he's pretty patient, so that's good. I walked over and stood leaning against the wall next to Ronaldo's counter. Pepper did the same right next to me and let out a sigh.

"I think we've done a good job today, right?"

"It's kind of hard when you're being so distracting."

I caught a glimpse of mischief in her dark-green eyes. "Oh? How hard exactly?" She kissed my cheek softly and rubbed my crotch with a hand. I pushed her back gently.

"Pepper, not now..."

"Aw, why not?"

"Because we're working right now."

"Our shift is almost over, hun. I think we should get a head start and... finish this at the apartment," she ended with a devilish smile. I chuckled nervously.

"Pepper, please..."

"Yeah?"

"Could... could you not? Please?"

She gave me cute pouty face but didn't back off. "Aw... come on..."

Thankfully Ronaldo called for Pepper, saving me from her lust for now. I love her, very much so, but it's really hard to keep up with her sometimes. Ronaldo closed the bar a couple hours later and sent us away. Pepper had cooled off a little, probably from the literal cold of the snow-covered streets.

I opened the door for Pepper and closed it behind me as I climbed in. The beautiful creeper woman took off her jacket, hanging it nearby. I took off my own jacket and cloak. She took them and hung them up. I hugged her tenderly from behind, tired after being up for so long. Pepper smiled and leaned against me, her eyes closed.

"You're warm..."

"You too."

"I love that... how warm you are..."

"Are you cold?"

"No, but that's not the point. Your warmth is comfortable."

I chuckled and hugged her closer to me. "You sound like you're pretty much asleep on your feet."

"I fell like that too."

"I'll carry you to bed if you like."

"Mmm, really?"

I stepped back and lifted Pepper off the ground, one arm supporting her back and the other beneath her feet bridal style. She let out a little giggle as I walked towards the bedroom. Pepper wasn't as heavy as I thought she'd be, which was a relief. I gently put her down on the bed, closed the door, and crawled under the covers beside her.

Pepper was smiling lightly, her eyes closed. I held her closer and placed my head in the crook of her neck. "Good night, Pepper."

"Good night love," she mumbled.

I fell asleep pretty quickly and, for once, had only pleasant dreams.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Author's Notes

Finally, finally, finally!!! Gah!

ahem* uh... sorry, I'm just glad to have finally finished this chapter. It took me forever. I'll try to do better next time, I promise. :)

Thank you so much for your time and patience. Have an awesome day!

~ LeMafiaKreb