Hey ya'll, it's Enderdeath! I hope you're having a great day, and I hope to make it even better with this new chapter! This chapter has 1,522 words. NOTE: I do NOT own Mianite, any Youtubers mentioned, Minecraft, and really, I don't own anything except the idea.

Chapter 5

Wag was quickly learning that living alone was, well, lonely.

Sure, he had Khione, but whenever he talked to her, it was more of a one-sided conversation. He couldn't really interpret her nickering too well and there were times when she would go out into the desert all day and not come back until night.

In the meantime, Wag had created a small hut using materials that had colors close to the shade of the sand to avoid detection. Birch wood, sandstone, and acacia planks were the primary materials, but he was also quite frustrated because he couldn't make his home extravagant or he would be found. He couldn't even dig too far into the ground for fear of one of the mortals strip mining into his house.

Wag dipped his hands into a cauldron, the cold water soothing his calloused fingers. He cupped some water in the palm of his hands and lifted it to his mouth to drink. He sighed in pleasure and splashed the icy water in his face.

He blinked, the crystal droplets trickling down his cheeks. He pulled his hood farther over his head, making sure his face was completely hidden in the shadows of the cloth. He couldn't have anyone seeing the scars. Which reminded him of something he needed to do.

He hurried out of his house and stopped outside for a fleeting second. He glanced around, eyes wide and then started to run across the sand. It wasn't long before he started to breathe heavily but he kept on running. The heat from the sun warmed his robes to the point where the cloth had started to stick to his skin because he was sweating so much.

Wag swallowed and kept running despite the heat. His lungs started to burn for air and he began to stumble, feet sinking into the loose sand. Wag blinked back tears as a jab of pain pierced his chest; the need for a deep breath of air affecting his heart.

I have to get there, Wag thought, spotting a leafy green blur on the horizon. His vision swam and his legs began to feel numb.

Wag gasped, what little breath he had escaping his body as he tripped over something lying in the ground. He lay in the sand, gasping for air. Black spots danced across his vision and he closed his eyes, focusing on nothing but breathing.

After some time, he was able to catch his breath and he opened his eyes, searching the ground for what he had tripped over. He spotted an object half-buried in the sand and crawled over to it. He dusted the sand off of the surface of the object and squinted, trying to see what it was.

Wag cried out in horror as he was faced with a shining emerald in the exact shape of a star.

XxX

"James!" Tom sprang to his feet, his cloak billowing around his legs. "What happened to you?"

James smiled weakly, leaning heavily on one foot. Blood was smeared around the corners of his mouth, he held his left arm in an awkward position, and there was a gash across his back. He wrapped his right arm around the trunk of a nearby dark oak and immediately reeled back, revealing that his hands were crossed with cuts from a whip.

"What did he do?" Tom wailed, rushing over to his friend. James flinched away when Tom grabbed his shoulder.

"Watch the bruises," James hissed, eyes bright with pain. Tom released the young wizard's shoulder quickly and took a step back.

"You can't keep letting this happen to you," Tom murmured. James said nothing, but he closed his eyes and a silver mist began to drift from the trees. Tom also closed his eyes and a tinge of blue tainted the silver mist. The combined healing powers enveloped James in a misty blanket.

When James opened his eyes, the mist evaporated but his body was clear of all wounds. Bright red scars still stood out in a scary contrast to his flesh, but when James moved, he showed no pain. Tom opened his eyes again and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw James was healed.

"Why? I can heal myself every time," James replied to Tom's question. Tom shook his head furiously.

"That's not the point! You're letting that – that dung-faced excuse for a man beat you and you're not doing anything about it!" James started to tremble violently.

"You – you don't understand. When Carpmod get angry, he – he -" James broke off, unable to continue. Tom narrowed his eyes.

"Crap-mud," he muttered. James laughed, despite the situation. Tom couldn't hold back a smile, and before long, both boys were laughing at the ridiculous nickname for James's father.

Suddenly, James's laughing faltered. His silver eyes widened and he tensed up. "Get out of here," He whispered to Tom, voice low and urgent. "Run! He's coming!"

Tom shut his mouth and sprinted to the thorn bushes, diving over the brambles without hesitation. He almost started to run back to his village when he froze, a thought entering his head. He slowly turned around and crept back to the edge of the clearing where he crouched behind the thorn bushes, watching the center of the clearing from a gap in the prickly branches.

In the center of the clearing stood a burly, fine-featured man with a bushy black beard and cold brown eyes. Tom gritted his teeth, recognizing Carpmod from James's description of his tormentor. James himself was crouched on the ground, shaking violently with fear.

"Worthless excuse for a boy," Carpmod snarled, venomous tone making James flinch in terror. "I never asked for a curse. I never asked for you. No one likes you anyway. Don't you want to die?"

"N – no," James whimpered, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "No s – sir."

"Oh really," Carpmod sneered. "You know I could take this whip -" he snapped his whip in the air for emphasis, the sharp cracking sound echoing through the woods, "- it would only be a few lashes across the throat. Then all this pain would be over."

"No," James sobbed. "Don't – you can't kill me. Not – not yet."

"What do have that's worth living for, demon?" Carpmod growled, voice hardening. "I'm offering you relief, don't you realize this?"

Without waiting for an answer, Carpmod raised his whip and swung it down in a matter of a few seconds. James screamed as pain bloomed across his forehead, blood running into his eyes. Carpmod lifted his whip and swung again. He repeated the process over and over until James finally collapsed to the earth, his face and arms covered in blood. Carpmod started to kick the boy, whilst still whipping him. Each cut or bruise that James received was quickly followed by a cry of pain.

Finally, Tom couldn't take it any longer. He sprang out from the thorn bushes and ran in front of James, raising his arms to shield his friend from Carpmod's rage.

Carpmod froze, seemingly shocked by Tom's appearance. James coughed, hacking up blood and trying to squirm away. He didn't go more than a few centimeters before his limbs fell limp and he lay still on the ground, eyes closed and breath coming fast.

"I won't let you hurt James any more," Tom said firmly, staring Carpmod in the eyes. Carpmod lowered his whip, confused.

"Get out of the way," Carpmod said in a tone that suggested Tom was nothing more than a foolish puppy. Tom did not back down and met Carpmod's stare evenly with a glare of his own.

"No, I think you'd better leave my friend alone," Tom said, voice deadly calm.

"You're kidding, right?" Carpmod snorted. "Who would want to be friends with a mistake?" James sobs got louder for a few seconds.

"He's not a mistake, or a demon. You're the only demon here," Tom snarled. Carpmod's eyes filled with a murderous fury and he grasped his whip tighter.

"You're like him, aren't you?" Carpmod growled at Tom. "Another curse. Run back to your home, Curse, if you even have one."

Tom eyes flared with anger and he screamed; an invisible force suddenly sent Carpmod flying backwards into an oak tree, which he crashed into and fell to the ground. He lifted his head, cast a fearful glance at Tom, scrambled to his feet and ran out of the clearing, abandoning his whip.

Tom turned around and knelt beside James. He tore off a piece of his robe and used it as a rag to wipe James's face clean of blood.

"We have to leave now. Can you stand?" Tom asked. To answer Tom's question, James wordlessly struggled to his feet and stood shakily, but was standing nonetheless.

"Let's go. Before he finds us," James nodded and leaning heavily on Tom's shoulder, stumbled out of the bloody clearing. The two boys walked as quickly as they could manage and James sighed in relief.

"Thanks for standing up for me," James whispered.

"That's what friends are for," Tom replied, smiling gently.

Aw, poor James. Now everyone will be so sad. But to distract ourselves from the sadness, can anyone who reviews say who their favorite wizard of all time is and why? I can be as simple as mine, which is "Gandalf because he's just plain epic!" but feel free to elaborate!

Random Observation: I loved reading The Hobbit but I just couldn't get through The Fellowship of the Ring when I tried to read that.

Wizard QotD: "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good on this particular morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" - Gandalf the Grey, The Hobbit

TheAmazingQwerty: Aw, I'm sorry for making you cry! But I guess I made you sad in this chapter too...

Powertothepeople: And the cliffy is not yet resolved, either! In fact, it's just gotten bigger!