"Zoey, give me the sword." Rythian muttered holding his hand out. She hastily shoved it into his hand. He paused for a second, focusing, and stepped. He instantly appeared in front of the mob, directly in front of Teep.
"When I say run we're gonna make for the portal, ok?" Rythian called to Teep and Zoey. They nodded, Zoey already clambering out of the pit. He waited, watching the group inch closer warily. They eyed the mage carefully, hissing through jagged teeth. He waited till he could feel Zoey's presence behind him and then struck. He darted forward and stabbed the leader through his emaciated stomach. As the troops around him stumbled away he turned and dashed, grabbing Zoey's hand.
"Run!" He yelled. The Endermen recovered from the surprise strike and took pursuit. The smartest of them teleported immediately, only to be cut down or shot. The portal was just a few meters away, drawing closer each second. Rythian heard a roar behind him as the Queen took flight. He ran even faster, lungs burning. They reached the base of the portal only a few steps ahead of the horde. Rythian boosted Teep up onto the slightly floating platform and Teep in turn pulled up Zoey. The horde was almost upon them as Rythian felt a dexterous tail wrap under his arms and pull him onto the portal's frame. He gave Teep a brief nod, all the thanks time permitted to him. He spared one last glance at the creatures, jaws unhinged in rage, before stepping into the cold starry air that housed the portal. The last feeling he was aware of was the warmth of a hand against his.
Falling. That was the feeling he awoke to. A cold rush of wind blowing his blood matted hair wildly. He opened his eyes quickly, seeing the forest and swamp rushing towards him. And he didn't have his flying ring. The thought snapped the last bit of sleep from his brain. He became aware of Zoey's hand, still entwined in his. Her eyes were still closed, her hair flashing like fire in the sun's rising light. His gaze skipped to her hand, and the ring on her finger. He grinned and grabbed it off, moving his grip to under her shoulders so not to dislocate her arm. He activated the ring, forced to draw on his own energy without the Klein star, and abruptly stopped his descent. Slowly, carefully, he lowered them to the ground. Just as he was landing he saw a slight splash in the distance, a large green mass hitting the water of the lake. He smirked as he saw Teep's head surface, the dino's powerful legs pushing him towards the shore.
"We made it Zoey." He muttered, picking her limp form up and heading towards the welcoming black castle.
"And you have a lot of explaining to do." She murmured, snuggling closer to his chest. "After a nap." She yawned. Rythian smiled, she was right. He had so much explaining to do. Tomorrow.
Fin.
A/N: so this brings a close to our little adventure. I will happily write any alternant endings requested. I do realize that I left all the other scientists to fend for themselves, but hey, Rythian was a bit busy. Please review!