This is gonna be a big one! This is chapter 20 of Pale fire, grab something to drink and/or eat and enjoy! I worked hard on this one to make it up to yall for being inactive for like a month <3
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The End was surprisingly quite hot and a humid warmth clung uncomfortably to Scott's skin.
"I think here should be good." Lauren calls out to whatever of her army she still had (the ones that she managed to escape once she noticed the corruption again) and Scott's army too.
It was an underground bunker, it was a few miles away from her kingdom but it still linked to the boarder of it if you went down the long tunnel.
Everyone was settled into rooms, it was quite packed yet in a cozy kind of way, i mean war IS scary and you wouldn't want to be alone during it.
———— Time skip
Scott was waken to a dry throat and a pool of sweat in his bed. The wether was almost unbearable. It had taken him a moment to realise what had awoken him in the first place, his communicator.
Jim<3 : Hey petal, we haven't spoken since you left. Are you safe?
Scott smiled at the message, he knew Jim was just as scared as he was.
Me: Hey Jim, I'm okay! We're at the bunker right now, though the wether here is driving me crazy!
Jimmy on the other end of the line, was smiling with relief that Scott was okay.
Jim<3: Yeah the wether in the End isn't too great. It's 1am for me, I'm gonna try get some sleep. Please keep in touch or i'll be worried out my mind, I love you<3
Me: Love you too cod boy<3
Jim<3 has liked your message
Scott sighed turning off his communicator and turning onto his side. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.
———— Time skip (Next day)
The cafeteria was dull and lifeless, nobody breathed a word.
All you could here was the odd slurping from someone drinking the watered down blackcurrant juice or the spoon clanking onto the side of the metal bowls of some plain old vegetable soup.
Scott leaned over to Lauren who was on the opposite side of the table. He kept his voice low and hushed.
"So, the plan for today?"
Lauren took a spoonful of soup and then continued to spin the spoon in the soup with a disgusted and unamused look, then answered Scott with the same hushed tone.
"Both me and you are going spying today, no army or anything but we'll take our communicators incase of desperate help. Obviously we're gonna need to take a few people to the end of the tunnel with us but they won't go out"
Scott nods and takes a sip of his drink. Then scrunches his face up in a grimaced way.
Lauren scoffs "It's god awful isn't it?"
Scott chuckles "Yeah, I'd rather drink Jimmy's swamp water."
"I'm sure you'd drink anything jimmy gave you, even if it was labelled with TOXIC on the front of it"
Scott rolls his eyes and laughs "I love him but that doesn't mean i'm THAT willing" And he gives Lauren a nudge underneath the table which leaves the both of them having a light laugh.
"He's good for you, that's why your gonna get out here alive, for both my sake, aethias and Jimmy's too."
Scott looks down at the table not answering that one.
"Scott I mean it, i'm really grateful that you've come out here to support me but.." she takes scott's hands in hers and the two lock eyes. Lauren looks serious yet desperate.
"No matter what happens, no matter what you see. You're gonna fight for your OWN life, your gonna fight even if you have my brains splattered all over your shoes and my blood all over your clothes, do you understand?"
Scott has a wave of sadness go over his face
"Lauren don't say that, your not gonna die. If you did, i'd be mortified and i wouldn't be able to go on."
Lauren tightens her grip on Scott's hands. "Scott." she breaths a hitched breath. "if i die, your going to leave, with however many of my people you can. Your going to also flee with your own army. and your going to return to your daughter and your boyfriend." she pauses "she needs you... aethia."
Scott lets a tear fall from his face "Lauren your my best friend, that's a lot to ask from me."
"I know it's a lot, but your Scott fucking Major and your a tough soul, Jimmy and Aethia need you." She smiles sadly "And if you die too, what your saying you'd do if i died, then they'd be the same. they'd be heartbroken."
She lets go of Scott hand.
"I promise Lauren, i'll keep fighting." Scott breathes shakily in defeat. "Even if something happens to you."
She gives a nod of approval and stands up.
"Right well, we best be on our way."
————
They had reached the end of the tunnel now, and Lauren was climbing up the long ladder with Scott following after.
Before they're too far up, Lauren calls down to the guards.
"Hey you two! make sure your eyes are on your communicators at all time!"
They both shout up a mixture of "Yes ma'am!" and "You got it!" and then Lauren and Scott continue to climb to the top.
Once at the top, they both throw up their dark hoods over their faces and tighten the cloaks over their body's, as to avoid any pestering from Ender-guards.
They make their way through some back roots before reaching the castle, Scott looks up at the deep red corruption, the same type of which Xornoth used before he was contained.
As of their current knowledge, Xornoth was allegedly connecting to Shubble in some ways, however the crystal was content in a ice figure that Scott had built around him. So the corruption couldn't possibly be him.
The two hop over the fence and past some Guards, when Lauren left whoever was spreading it he corruption had also seemed to brainwash her guards so they would instantly go after her if they saw her. Luckily for her, it was her own custom build castle so she knew all the twist and turns.
"Right, Climb up my shoulder we're gonna have to go through the vent system. As long as we avoid the Screechers, we'll be fine." Lauren whispered lifting Scott up into a vent shaft in the side of the wall and then shortly pulling herself up afterward.
(Lauren is taller than Scott btw which is why she was able to just climb in by herself)
"What's a screecher?" Scott whispers back, with Lauren directing him to the vents above the Throne room.
"They're like a mouse version of ender mites, however if they see something that isn't another one of them they scream... real loud."
"They sound fucking annoying.
"Oh trust me, they are... okay shh wait someones in there."
The two peer down and see a tall dark figure in Lauren's throne room, this person was recognisable.
Scott and Lauren's mind must've clicked at the same time because the two whipped their heads around to face each other with wide eyes.
Scott was about to say something before Lauren cupped her hand over his mouth, then pressed a finger to her own in a shushing kind of way. Scott nodded and kept quiet.
Atlas's deep voice rang out from below.
"It won't be long before Lauren and my pesky ex come to retrieve her kingdom back, I want you to keep and eye out."
The guard who he was talking too bowed with a small "yes sir" and then scuttled out of the room. Atlas sighed and sunk into the throne, in peace before a moment before a loud voice rung from the vents.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA" A high pitched scream went infront of the two, to reveal a small purple rat-mouse looking thing. A screecher. Lauren went to shut it up but with putting her entire weight on the vent, it collapsed below her and sent her falling into the room below.
Scott tried too catch her, however he had his communicator in his hand. Which he dropped. In a moment of panic, he took off and fled, to go and get the guard for back up.
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A/N
Ive spent a good hour on this chapter (1421 WORDS!!!) so i hope you guys enjoyed it!
Next chapter will unfortunately be incredibly sad, so get ready to shed some more tears!