A Fallen Rose (Mindcrack FF)

Chapter 14: Soul Of Fire

Puase stared down Pak and Doc did to Vrijen, and Zisteau and Pyro to Elk. Pause had his hands hovered over the hilt of his blade for an alternative. Pak was still, and his hands were to his side, the same for his other three comrades. Pause was shaking immensely, and he had no idea of what had come over his friends.

"Pak..." Pause said, and Pak glared at him.

"Pause." Pak stated back plainly. The two once again silently stared at one another, before Pak looked up to the Nunsen volcano.

"We need to pass, Pause." Pak told him, and then looked back at Pause with slow movement. Pause, his hand still over his hilt, shook his head.

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that, Pak, unless you start explaining yourself." Pause calmly said, and Pak side looked Vrijen as he fearlessly glared down Doc, who was still holding his minorly injured shoulder. Pak then loomed back over to Pause.

"You want an explanation?" Pak asked. Pause nodded. Pak waited for a bit before he sighed, looking to his two comrades and nodding. Pak turned back to Pause and showed his sleeve. The fish were missing from both his sleeves, which Pause remembered them being like a protector from Herobrine.

Pause pieced it together as he watched Pak lift his sleeve, his mark that used to be a dull black now being a vibrant purple and glowing. Pak glared at Pause.

"There's your explanation." Pak told him, and Pause suddenly got a lot more nervous. Doc side looked Pause.

"What do we do? We can't attack them, their our friends." Doc asked.

"Just hold your ground. We'll deal with combat when it comes to it, but just for now, hold your ground." Pause ordered, and Doc gave off a nod in response. Pak looked back up to Nunsen, followed by Pause, both seeing a red like flare up top of the crater of Nunsen Volcano.

Pause and Pak gared at each other once again, each having one thing in mind at this exact moment of time: do not let the other get that gem. Pak swiftly unheathed his blade and charged at Pause, the Native-American Canadian's reaction being to jump out of the way of danger.

Pak brushed past Pause and towards the steep rock of Nunsen, Doc clashing with Vrijen and both Zisteau and Pyro trying their best to keep Elk from getting past them.

"PAK!" Pause shouted as he ran after him. Pause grabbed his bow and loaded an arrow to it's strings, aiming it at Pak as he ran and fired it. It gazed Pak's arm, and Pak stumbled, giving Pause enough time to catch up to him. Pause lept onto Pak's back and firced him to the ground, and held his swird to the back of his neck.

"Pak stop! That's enough of this! Whatever Dahrk and Herobrine are forcing you to do, you don't have to do! We'll find a way to help you!" Pause told him, and Pak chuckled.

"Help me? The only thing that can help me now is death, so why don't you get it over with?" Pak growled, and Pause forced him even more into the ground.

"Listen to yourself Pakratt! What is wrong with you?!" Pause asked.

"This Mark has it's ways Pause... it is stuck on me, on them! It can't ever come off..." Pak said sadly.

"We will find a way to help you, just you wait Pak." Pause told him, and Pak held his sword tightly in his hands.

"You keep thinking that, Pause. Until then, LEAVE ME OUT OF IT!" Pak shouted, and swung his sword. It grazed Pause across the chest, which barely caused blood to ooze out of the shallow gash. Pause was shoved off of Pak as Pak continued to run up the side of the volcano.

Pause climbed the volcano side, stumbling many times before managing once again to regain his footing steadily. Pause then continued to chase after Pak. Pak looked back and saw Pause chasing after him, and growled, grabbing his blade and started stabbing at the side of the volcano.

As he managed to carve a chunk out of the hard rock, molten lava  started to flow down the side of the hard surface. Pause gasped, and looked for any way of getting past this molten lava. Pause managed to swerve away from the lava's path, and climbed up after Pak.

Pak reached the top of the volcano and looked around, seeing that the glowing gem was incased into the rock's tough surface. Pak smiled as he wondered around the volcano's ring to grab it, but was tackled from behind as him and whoever had attacked him spiraled down towards the volcano's molten innards.

As Pak landed, him and his attacker were thrown away from one another. Pak slowly lifted himself to his feet, as he glared at the person who forced him down here. Pause. Pause held his head and looked around confused. His eyes met Pak's.

"Dammit Pause! Why can't you make this easier for yourself and go away!" Pak asked, and Pause took a step towards him.

"Because, Pak, I wont let you do something that you'll regret to have done in the future!" Pause answered. Pak growled at him, then remembered what he was after. Pak looked up and barely saw the shimmering of the Feure gem, as Pause grabbed his blaster from his holster.

Pause aimed it at Pak, as Pak once again stared back at Pause.

"Don't you move Pak, or else you'll have one hell of a headache when you get up in the morning." Pause threatened, and Pak glared at him. Pak could see his sword off to his left, so he made a break for it. Pause shot for him, but missed, but shot once more as Pak grabbed his sword.

The blast deflected off the diamond surface and back at Pause, knocking the blaster out of his hands and into the lava. Pak took advantage of this and started to climb the surface towards the gem, Pause following him in persuit up the side of the volcano. Pak and Pause were neck and neck towards the gem, until the two were about arms reach of the previous artifact.

Pause and Pak both reached for it at the same time and a blinding red light flashed at the top of the massive rock formation. The five fighting below stopped and looked up, each waiting and preparing oneself to see who had it. Then, Pak flew down to earth level and tumbled to Elk's feet.

As she helped him up, the two watched as Pause glided down on a wave of lava and fire. Pyro smiled as Pause landed a couple of feet away from his comrades. Pak stood up and glared at him.

"Congratulations, Pause... you... you got what you wanted..." Pak sighed, and turned to Elk and Vrijen. "And now... now we have to return to Dahrk and Herobrine bearing news of our failure..." Pak said, as they started to walk off.

"Pak wait!" Pause called, and the three turned back to the acting leader.

"You know you still have a home at the acadamy, you three. Come back with us." Pause begged, and Elk gave off a cheep smile.

"We know Pause. And when..  or... if we clear all this up, home is the first place we'll go." Elk told him. The three wondered a bit farther away and Pak grabbed his sword.

"Auf wiedersehen meine freunde, and good luck." Doc said, and the three disappeared. Pause placed the gem inside one of his sashes and joined his friends.

"Now, let's get going. We have a long trip ahead of us." He told them, and the four started their long trip back to the headquarters.