I'MZ BACKZ

HIZ

No Iz didntz havz sugarz whatz youz talkingz aboutz…

DJMidge-Sorry about the long wait for an update and this might be a shorter chapter. I blame school!

(Both) Guests- Here you are! *throws chapter in to the air*

MyDimension- MWAHAHA EVILNESS lol

Bilbo Swaggins- YOU GOT IT! Did anyone else get that? (I think it was Sips that TOOK AN ARROW TO THE KNEE LOL)

Wolverrina-My soul was removed to make room for all my sarcasm! ;)

Lomadia Pov

I shot one, two, three creepers as they reformed. I hear a loud crash from above and flinch.

Around me, the others are taking out creepers left right and center, but we're becoming weaker. I lost sight of Reyanna a while ago. Toby was being dragged, half awake, to a safer spot by Zoeya as Martyn covers them. Kim's still fighting next to me but her skin's dangerously pale from blood loss and I fear she'll collapse any moment now from the arrow in her leg. Sips is being treated by Minty as Sjin, his leg now bandaged takes on creepers with Honeydew and Xephos. Ridge covers them with his golden desert eagles.

I take down another creeper before it can get to Rythian, who's taking out uncountable mobs with his red katar.

I hear a loud clatter and roll away from the shattered bow on the ground, coming up on one knee. I look up for a split second in time to see a familiar blue hoodie duck and hear a faint thunk above.

So that's where Reyanna disappeared to, but why on Minecraftia is she up there alone!

I hear feet pounding on stairs above and return my attention to the battle in front of me. I cover Lalna as he puts away his mining laser, the battery dead, and pulls out a sword.

I hear shouts from above again and make the mistake of looking up. All I see is a flash of white, blue and black before I am thrown forwards by a creeper blast.

I land hard but luckily my armour isn't too damaged and takes most of the impact. I get up and find myself get up next to Teep and Nilesy.

Suddenly, there are more creepers than ever and my first thought is we're doomed.

"Oh, bloody hell."I swear.

I swing at another creeper, refusing to give up yet, and see the glimmer from my engagement ring's gem and renewed strength shoots through me like a bullet. I hear more shouts, a loud crash, but I learned my lesson from last time. Reyanna has to fend for herself for now-I can't help her at the moment.

Rythian and Zoeya seem to be getting tired of this constant bombardment. They're next to each other now, and then Rythian shouts; "Get down!"

I hunker down and watch.

He drives most of the creepers back into a large group. He steps back quickly. Zoeya dashes forward and shoots fire at them all.

It's hard to see what happens next because there's suddenly a dark magical shield around the creepers as the fire ignites all that gunpowder.

BOOM!

With the explosion ringing in my ears, I get up in time to see only about half a dozen creepers still alive. They're dead in seconds, though.

Everyone starts to regroup in the center but Xephos. He doesn't even warn the others before he starts flying up to attack Israphel.

I'm never, in a million years, going to let him fight his biggest enemy without me.

Not. A. Chance.

"Xephos, wait!" I shout as I activate my flying ring and shoot after him. I look up and I swear I saw a flash of shadows above but I dismiss it as Xephos draws his sword.

"Xephos!" I shout again, but he doesn't respond. He had to have heard me. I'm getting worried now. He was being really quiet yesterday, and the day before that, too. Why?

I finally reach the level my fiancée and his enemy are fighting on and stop short.

Where's Reyanna? She was up here!

I don't have much time to worry about that, though, because Xephos should be winning, but Israphel's summoned a sandstorm around him. I'm helpless to stop anything and all I can do is watch them fight for long seconds.

Then it happens. Xephos, slowed by the sands, can't react in time as Israphel feints and then swings his sword, only just grazing the spaceman's shoulder. Stunned for a split moment, he's shoved backwards and his trusty diamond sword goes flying.

"No!" I scream, but neither of them pays any mind to me. Xephos, unarmed, is pushed up against the wall and Israphel raises his sword, savouring the moment of victory.

I won't be able to reach them in time, not possible, even if I flew.

I don't think about what I do next. I grab and notch my bow and aim at the pale throat. The arrow sinks in deep and Israphel stumbles back in shock. He glares at me, hatred visible in his eyes, and I see him mouth something that chills my bones.

Beware my revenge. If I can't get you, I will kill your descendants!

Then he crumbles to dust. I drop my bow and sling it over my shoulder as I run to help Xephos. "I'm fine, Lom." He says, but I check his shoulder wound and his various other but minor wounds anyway.

"Are you okay?" He asks me as I finish fussing over him.

"I'm better off than most of them." I say, leaning into him. He wraps his arm around me, and I'm so glad we're both alive that for a moment I couldn't worry about anything. But this moment passes and Israphel's last threat whispers in my ears.

Kill your descendants! He hisses.

…he respawns every decade or so… Ridge's voice warns me.

Right then and there, I promise to myself that if Israphel ever shows up and harms our children, he will suffer slowly and painfully for as long as I live.

Then another thought strikes me and I gasp. Xephos looks concerned.

"I thought you said you were oka-" "Xephos, Reyanna was up here before us and she's not now!" I say quickly. Xephos immediately understands what I mean.

"I'll check the floors below, you check above. The others will be coming up soon." He gives me a quick peck on the lips and rushes to the stairs, grabbing his sword on the way.

I fly up to the next floor, then the next and land. This is the highest floor, and it's full of support pillars.

Please let her be okay! I think, but something tells me that with the Dark Lord still on the loose the Aether the gods might be a little bit too busy to help me.

I'm walking slowly through the pillars when I smell a metallic scent that's become all too familiar in the last few days. And then I see it, too.

Blood.

And it's purple.

I spot her and rush over. "No, no, no…" I trail off. I heal owls more often than humans but something like this is obvious enough to tell what happened. I bend down next to her and gently shift her shoulder to the side, releasing a few puffs of purple smoke that I don't pay attention to because I'm watching for breathing.

There.

Her chest barely rises and falls with each breath she takes. Purple blood seeps onto the hard sandstone floor from her hairline, and her skin is nearly as pale as Kim's was. But it's her throat that tells me what happened best. It's mottled already with deep purple bruises showing where her air was cut off. I grab a bandage from my pack and wrap her head. She's breathing and alive, but I'm not a nurse. For humans, anyway.

I rush to the edge of the balcony and scream to the others that she's up here and to come quickly. Sure, maybe I could have done that more calmly but seconds count and I think I might be edging towards hysteria.

Rythian's at my side in a matter of seconds in a puff of purple particles and I show him towards she is. He drops to his knees at his side, taking her pulse. Xephos and Zoeya are there next and then Xephos is wrapping his arms around me and I'm trying my best to not cry. I see Zoeya's adjusting the bandage and then Rythian's picking up his younger sister bridal style, careful not to hurt her more.

"We can't help heal her properly until we're back at the Stronghold." He says calmly but I pick up the faint tremor in his voice. He fears for his sister. I feel Xephos nod his head against my shoulder. I intertwine my hand in his and he squeezes it tightly.

Wait, them?

My silent question is answered as the others come flying up to us. Martyn's holding Toby just as carefully Rythian holds Reyanna, but I can't see Toby's injuries, and I think he might be damaged internally. Kim's still pale and she leans on Minty even when flying. Sips, too, requires assistance from Sjin. The others aren't so bad, but every single one of us in injured except Teep. Might be nice being a dinosaur.

A loud crack sounds and a shudder goes through the building.

"One final trap." Xephos realizes as the floor shifts dangerously beneath us. We shoot up into the air.

"Here!" Ridge shouts, from where he hovers next to Honeydew, who's already smashing a hole in the sandstone with his pickaxe. Once it's large enough, we get out quickly and fly away. Behind us, the tower comes crashing down.

It's a second before the sound catches up.

CRASH!

We where almost in there when that happened! I can't help but think.

The Stronghold's already in the distance when Kim suddenly plummets past me, limp.

I drop Xephos' hand and dive after her, Minty hot on my tail. We manage to catch Kim, but dangerously close to the ground.

"It's the Sands." Minty says as we fly back to the others.

"We're all getting weaker." Ridge nods grimly, and the others echoed it.

We finally reach the Stronghold. All of those recruits and soldiers we saw are asking questions but the Templar shoos them away so we can treat our wounds.

"Xephos…" I say when we're finally alone.

"Yeah?" He says. I swallow hard. I have to warn him. "Something Israphel told me before he turned to dust…"