Veil of Shadows

Chapter 70. Stranger Things

Patch nearly drove herself mad trying to watch the four other apprentice at once. She couldn't do much beyond working herself into a panic, thinking of what might happen if one of them got hurt - if one of them died-

Myst, Dave's apprentice, shot into the air and then dove back down, knocking down soldiers like bowling pins with her wide, black dragon wings. When she finally tucked in her wings to prevent them from sustaining damage and rendering her unable to fly, she kept using the sword she kept on hand, slashing and stabbing.

She was supported by Olivia, Toxic's apprentice, who used her ice blade like a broadsword, with a two-handed technique, taking out infantry with heavy swings, as well as freezing them or giving them frostbite if they got too close to her snowy skin.

Jaddie, Wolf's apprentice, and her twin blades were, as expected, deadly. The four apprentices stuck close together, and Jaddie seemed to be everywhere at once.

She made sure that if one of the others let their guard down for even a moment, she was there, her glowing white eyes nearly blinding her opponents, making the most of the close quarters. Her strategy boiled down to taking out every enemy within striking range without hurting the other apprentices or other rebel allies.

Poppy, however...

Poppy, apprenticed to Pro, was the second human Hero Squad apprentice. She and Patch had bonded over that fact, even though most people never paid much attention to either of them besides their masters, who never once gave the impression that they were weak or deserving of less respect.

They were the only humans there besides Dave, since Pro had been turned into a slime hybrid and was temporarily taken out of action until she figured out how to work her newfound permanent abilities. Either way, Dave was a full member - he was nice, of course, and very supportive, but talking to him was sort of awkward.

Poppy was sweet, and kind, and she had been devastated by Patch's death.

She fought as well as any of the others, even without magical powers - as though she were determined to prove to the world that humans could make it. That humans could fight just as well as any magic-enhanced being.

That humans could still win.

But Notch's army just kept coming. For every man the rebels took down, another was there. It was endless, and exhausting, and the rebels didn't have the strength or numbers to keep it up for much longer.

Patch paused every once in a while to frantically try to contact Equinox, but there was still something wrong with the tether. There was nothing she could do, and no way to contact the Hero Squad. None of them could see her or hear her. She was invisible to them, so even if she tried, it wouldn't work.

He was their only hope, and he had vanished. Regardless of what had happened, people were dying. Patch couldn't just wander around and observe anymore. She had to do something.

But she was dead. There was nothing she could do, whether she liked it or not.

She almost wished Equinox would send her back. Snap the tether so she wouldn't have to be a silent spectator, unable to do anything or change any of the horrible things she saw unfolding before her eyes.

Myst took a slash to the wing; it tore the dark membrane and bled. Flying would be difficult, and aerial attacks were now nearly impossible. She was grounded.

Olivia's ice sword chipped as it blocked an enemy blade.

Jaddie took an arrow to the leg, yanking it out with a grunt of pain, sparing only a moment or two to watch the blood flow before she threw herself back into the fight with a vengeance.

Poppy took a blow to the side of the head that sent her reeling. Her ears rang and her vision blurred slightly, but she could still stand - could still hold her sword. So she did, and so she fought.

And then, suddenly, Seto was there. He pushed his way through rebels and soldiers alike. He glanced once at Patch, then ignored her, keeping his attention on the four living apprentices.

Patch wanted to scream in his face. Don't ignore me! Look at me! Don't hurt them!

He grabbed Olivia by the arm, unaffected by the dangerously low temperature of her snow body, and dragged her back away from the front line of the fight. The rest also fell back, prepared to defend her, even from the legendary SetoSorcerer, whom they'd once admired and looked up to.

"You all need to run!" Seto shouted over the din, and Patch froze, then walked through the battle over to them.

"Like hell we will!" Poppy shouted back. "You don't scare us!"

Seto's hands glowed with magic, and he shouted again "You four will not survive this battle! You must run!"

"And leave the rest of the rebels here to be slaughtered by you and Notch's army?!" Jaddie shouted this time, flipping the sword in her left hand and swinging it up, slicing the knee of a passing soldier, who cried out and fell to the ground. "I don't think so! We will never run!"

Seto fumed, looking at the warriors around them, locked in vicious combat. Blood sprayed, armor clanged and clashed, screams filled the air, bolts of energy and fire and all manner of offensive spells flew-

"You must survive!" Seto shouted, a new sort of urgency in his voice. "I can't stop this! But this war was not meant to be fought by you! I am willing to risk being charged with treason to save your lives!"

"If-" Olivia began, but she was cut off as the magic in Seto's hands enveloped the four Hero Squad apprentices.

"Hide yourselves!' Seto commanded, not listening to their refusals. "It is the only way you will be safe!"

Patch screamed when the four Hero Squad apprentices vanished, and threw herself at Seto.

She passed right through him. He saw, and watched her for a moment, letting her seethe in the knowledge that she could never lay a hand on him even if she tried, before turning back to the battle, charging his hands with magic, shouting a battle cry, and launching himself back into the fray.

Patch could only hope that they were safe. That he hadn't lied.

And if he had...

If he had...

Even if he had lied, she still could do nothing. Nothing.

Patch tried, one last time, as she watched rebels fall before the advancing Minecraftian army, to contact Equinox.

And she felt him...felt it through the tether. Felt his pain, felt the injury in his throat, how close he was to death-

"Oh God," she whispered, horrified. Everything had gone wrong.

Wait.

Was Ranger hurt?

Patch didn't know. All she knew in the moment was blood and the sounds of war.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ranger jolted back to consciousness, sucking in deep, gulping breaths as her eyes snapped open. Bright light blinded her for a moment, and she squinted against it. She was breathing, though - she was...alive.

Instantly, she forced herself to sit up, and almost collapsed from relief when she saw that all the others were there too. They were all together - they hadn't been separated. At least they had that. Everyone was alive - even Equinox, who was being tended to. His breathing was shallow and slow, and he was still unconscious, but for the moment there was a possibility he might live.

And then she realized that the others were staring up at something. Through the sparse trees overhead, they could see the sun - it was unobstructed, and it shone brightly down on them.

But something was wrong. Very, very wrong. The ground felt strange. The trees were even stranger.

Ranger looked up at the sun, and saw that instead of a square...the sun was a sphere.