𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕖𝕤 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝔸𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔸 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕞

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟿

"I thought phantoms had incredibly good eyesight or something?" Peony commented snidely once Ethereal was within earshot. He let out a muffled growl as he fell in line to fly alongside them as they continued walking.

"They do," he replied, "but ever since I was caught in that explosion... That blast did something to my eyes."

As Aspect glanced behind him to peer at Ethereal, he stopped in his tracks, and Peony nearly found herself walking right into him. But she stopped herself, following his line of sight to where Elude stood, glancing away from Peony as their eyes nearly met. The enderman had one of her long, thin arms clutched close to herself and she was just barely trembling.

"Elude, are you alright?" Aspect questioned, fidgeting slightly with the string of his bow.

She nodded slowly. "I just got hurt back at the fortress. But it's not that bad. I can make a bandage or something for it once we get back to the Overworld." She assured them.

Aspect still looked uncertain despite her words, shifting on his feet for a moment before he asked, "Is it okay if I take a look at it?"

The enderman nodded again in reply, tentatively turning over her forearm to reveal a large gaping wound that oozed something thick and black, hardly noticeable against her sleek, dark skin.

"That doesn't look... normal." Ethereal implied, his eyes furrowed in concern, green eyes glazed with urgent worry for his friend. For their friend.

The skeleton gently took Elude's arm for a moment, and although the enderman seemed apprehensive, she didn't pull away at his touch. He peered at it for a few moments with a dismal sigh. "She must have been cut by one of those guards' swords," he concluded, shaking his head slightly. Behind him, Peony could glimpse Spectral stiffening.

But Peony couldn't help but feel relieved at that remark. The hopeless hints of expression on Aspect's face still worried her though. "Okay, so she got cut. That's not a very big deal." She pointed out. It was obvious to her now by the anguished glint in Elude's magenta eyes just how much pain the wound was causing her. But surely, she could hold out until they constructed the portal. "We can make sure it's treated properly when we get back to the Overworld."

"I'm afraid it's worse than that," Aspect began, "Wither skeletons can secrete a deadly poison that they usually cover their weapons with." Elude flinched slightly as he caught a bit of the oozing dark substance that seeped from the wound on one of his bony fingers. But it didn't seem to hurt her at all. "By the look of her cut, that guard must have done the same."

"Deadly...?" Ethereal's voice was barely more than a whisper as he echoed the skeleton's words. "Is there a way to stop the poison from infecting her?"

"I've heard rumors about a cure, but I have no idea what it is, or where it could be." He glanced down at his feet as if he felt guilty breaking such harsh news to all of them. "All I know is it isn't anywhere in the Nether, otherwise it would be fairly well-known information." He glanced at the female skeleton a few steps behind him for her confirmation, and she nodded.

"So, what you're saying is..." Peony's voice trailed off and she found that she couldn't even bring herself to say it. There had to be another way! Maybe she could find that remedy. But where would she even start?

Aspect nodded slowly before continuing. "If you don't get her that cure soon, she'll die."

Stabs of both horror and disbelief went through her. Deep within, she knew it already, but it hurt her so much more to actually hear the words said aloud. All of a sudden, she was reminded of her mother's disappearance. The endless days of her absence that left peony to wait patiently until it finally sunk in that she was gone forever. Peony couldn't go through that. Not again.

She tried to distract herself, peering ahead of the group where dark figures towered on the horizon. It looked a lot like the blackstone village near the portal that they had initially come through. The village where they saw those unsettling pig-like creatures with rotting skin.

But as they got closer, Peony realized that there were no creatures in sight, and all of the buildings looked damaged, if not completely destroyed. It looked almost as if the creatures who lived there had been attacked and perhaps forced to evacuate. Or maybe they met an even worse fate.

A long moment of silence fell over them all as they approached the vacant area. Aspect still had his gaze cast toward the ground, and Spectral kept glancing toward Elude as if making sure she was still okay from where she followed behind. That fact alone was enough to send ripples of worry shuddering through her. Surely, Spectral was the most knowledgeable of them all about her own poison, so if she seemed worried about the enderman this early on, how long would it take for it to affect her?

It wasn't until they were surrounded by halfway caved-in structures, that Ethereal broke the awkward silence that had settled among them all. "Maybe there's a creature who can help Elude," he pondered aloud, "or rather, a few creatures. There's a mansion in the dark oak forest where I know some pretty skilled healers reside. They know a bit about enchanting and alchemy and redstone and all of that, so I wouldn't be surprised if they had some knowledge on nether illnesses as well."

"Riiight. Because some creepy mansion in a dark forest sounds very safe and trustworthy." Peony remarked.

"They're a bit... odd, I'll admit. They act as if they have some sort of deep secret lurking within that place, but overall, they welcome any creature in need and are willing to help them to the best of their abilities." He explained. "Besides, I don't think any other creature will be able to help Elude. That mansion might be our only hope."

"Darn. Why am I stuck here in the Nether while you four get to go off and have fun adventures without me?" Spectral spoke up, crossing her arms in a dramatic way.

"I don't think fearing for our friend's life is a 'fun adventure.'" Peony snarked back at her, and Ethereal hushed her with a harsh growl. The wither skeleton didn't reply to that, glancing at the ground and looking as hurt as her skull would allow her to appear. Peony knew she was only trying to lighten the mood, but she couldn't help but feel angry at absolutely everything at that moment.

"You could always come with us," the phantom invited with a wave of a tattered, indigo wing. "I'm sure the presence of a wither skeleton would cause some suspicion, but you could always live in hiding with Peony."

"Definitely not." The human said firmly, giving Spectral a harsh glare for a few moments before returning her attention to Ethereal.

"I appreciate the offer, but I can't leave my dads behind like that. They'd be worried sick about me if I left without a word." The wither skeleton answered. "But don't worry, I won't leave until I know for sure that you made it into the Overworld."

"You don't have to do that Spectral," Aspect spoke up, directing them all to a sheer wall of netherrack that bordered the abandoned village. "You've already helped us enough as it is. I don't want you getting in trouble for being absent for so long."

"Pshhh. The worst possible punishment the higher-ups could give me is to force me to fight in the war as a soldier. But even then, my dads won't let that happen." She replied with a slight shrug. "I'll probably just get scolded and sent away to guard the prison again." She said with a sigh.

They all found a small alcove just big enough for them to build the portal, the duty which Peony and Aspect decided to take up, receiving all of the obsidian Elude had gathered from the throne room. Peony silently hoped it would be enough to construct the frame.