**二十四 (Chapter twenty-four)
eng: Escape
A/n: Thanks for 9k reads! The support I'm getting from this book is amazing, ily all! <33
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Wither
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The plan was simple. The Queen was to distract the Lord while Skeleton and I made our escape. The only issue was that there were no horses left for Skeleton and myself. We had to run to the border on foot.
"That sounds simple enough," Skeleton says with a shrug after we recite our plan. I still had little trust in the Queen, but given our situation I decided to just go with it.
"Once you two reach the border, there should be no guards. I already sent my advisor to collect all the guards for the day, so there should be no issues escaping. I needn't worry though, given the fact that you've successfully escaped once already on your own." Despite this fact though, what was starting to worry me was how weak I was getting. Every second in this realm was making my body weaker and weaker. I had already blacked out multiple times within the span of a few days.
"Allow me ten minutes to ensure that the coast is clear. Until then, it'd be wise to stay in your quarters with your friend, young Ash. Don't be frivolous and get caught too early." I nod and the Queen exits the room, leaving Skeleton and me alone.
"I still don't trust her...," I mumble. Skeleton sighs. "Unfortunately, we don't have much of a choice. If it comes to it, we'll have to fight our way out of here. I'm not too worried though. You put up a pretty good fight when you were possessed." I feel my cheeks flush. Good fighter? Since when? Without my powers, I'm as good at fighting as I am running.
If it comes to fighting, then... Goodness, I'll be useless.
Fighting? Most likely I'll be out of breath within the first few minutes of running. This thought alone starts to stress me out.
"Wither? Earth to Wither!" Skeleton lightly nudges my side, and I turn to face him. "Y-Yes?"
"Are you alright? You've been acting quite odd for the past few minutes..."
"...Well, look at the time. It seems ten minutes have passed." I grab his hand and slowly creak open the door to make sure the coast is clear. We walk through the hallways, an unsettling feeling washing over me at how quiet it was. Usually the halls were roaming with guards at this time of day...
We walk down over a dozen stairs. The exit was a few yards away. I could hear the Queen speaking quietly with the Lord. Now's our chance.
With haste, Skeleton and I exit through the back of the palace. There was not much back here, only a few ravines and abandoned crafting tables. The border was far from here, but we could manage if no guards catch us.
"This area is so... Open. I wonder why nothing was ever built back here...," I hear Skeleton mutter. We walk at a steady pace.
"Say, Wither... Why are we walking? We need to get out of here as soon as possible. C'mon." Skeleton picks up his pace, our steady walk turning into a full-on sprint within a few seconds.
Within a few minutes of running, I felt myself lagging behind him. It was getting progressively difficult to get air into my lungs with each step. My breaths were much shorter as I sucked in less and less air. It got to the point where my vision was starting to fog up.
We were about ten minutes into our escape when my body decided I couldn't keep running anymore. I stop abruptly, trying desperately to recover enough oxygen to keep going.
"Wither? Why'd you stop...?"
"Just... Give me a few... Seconds..."
"Seconds? Wither, we don't have any time to waste..." Though, as he finally makes his way back to me, he notices my struggle.
"Are... Are you okay?" He looked concerned. Too out of breath to verbally respond, I manage a nod. Skeleton was starting to catch on, though. He places a hand on my shoulder, and I tilt my head to look up at him. He studies me for a few moments.
Slightly flustered, I manage to say, "Let's continue now."
"Now hold up just a second," he says sternly, "You look like you're about to pass out!" Just as he says this, I start to feel a bit lightheaded.
"Don't... Don't be silly... I'm not going to pass out from running."
Even though you have for the past few days, my intrusive thoughts whisper. Skeleton looks skeptical. "...Yeah, absolutely not. Let's take a break." A bit surprised at his suggestion, I say, "But, Skeleton, don't you want to get out of here as soon as possible? I thought..."
"Even so, what good will it be if you pass out from exhaustion? Nuh uh. I'm not going to carry you from here all the way to the border. Besides, there aren't any guards in sight. Let's use this to our advantage and rest while we can." He calmly sits down, patting the spot beside him. I sigh, taking a seat onto the ground.
We sit in awkward silence for the next few minutes, the only audible sound was our breathing (well, mostly my breathing if we're being technical.) I stand up, extending my hand for him to take. "C'mon, we've seriously got to get going." He nods and takes my hand, and we continue our run to the border. I was feeling much better compared to how I was feeling earlier.
We keep a steady running pace for a while, before Skeleton abruptly halts to a stop. I give him a confused look. "Uhh, Skeleton...?"
"Wither, I... I promised someone that I'd help get them out of here..." I stare at him with a dumbstruck expression.
"C-Come again? Skeleton, you're telling me this now? Right as we're only a few hundred feet from escaping?" He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly before nodding. "It completely slipped my mind until now..."
"...Skeleton."
"I'm sorry! As I said, it completely slipped my mind!"
"...You're saying that you want to go back into town after we've come this far? Skeleton, this is our one shot at escaping. Do you realize how lucky we are to have made it this far? No, Skeleton, we are not going back into town." My grip on his hand tightens. He has a guilty expression across his face. "Wither..."
"Skeleton, no. That wither skeleton has lived here all of his life. He'll be fine as long as he doesn't break the rules."
"..."
"Skeleton..."
"...You go, Wither. I'll meet up with you later once I've found him-!"
"No! Skeleton, are you stupid?! You will be captured and killed by the Lord himself! We need to leave right now!"
"Then go, Wither! I'm not stopping you... I can't back down on a promise I made to him! He helped me save Slime and Creeper!" Skeleton says desperately, "It wouldn't be fair to him, I..."
"Skeleton, I'm not letting you make a dumb decision like that! What good will you be saving him when you're dead?!"
"I can't just leave him there..."
"Yes, you can. C'mon, Skeleton." He looks me in the eyes before pulling his hand away from mine. "I'm so sorry, Wither. Please, just go on without me." He starts running in the opposite direction.
"S-Skeleton! Are you crazy?! Get back here!"
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Panting, I stumble back into town. I was somehow able to keep a steady and consistent pace, but not nearly enough to catch up with Skeleton. He shouldn't be too hard to find though... He's basically the elephant in the room. In the town, rather.
That idiot... He's going to get himself killed...
Even so, you still ran after him, I remind myself. I keep a low profile as I walk through town. Luckily, the 'sun' was about to set. In this part of the Nether, mobs slept during the night.
"My prince!" I freeze in place as a citizen runs up to me, a delighted look in their eyes.
"Yes?" As much as I didn't want to interact with any of the townspeople, I couldn't just rudely dismiss them. They were my people after all.
"Have the prisoners been arrested yet? I'm worried for my children... We can't have a bunch of criminals on the loose!" A crowd starts to form around me.
"Err... I have yet to hear from the Guard myself," I say, "Though there is nothing to fear. Everything is under control, I assure you."
"O-Oh my goodness! Is that one of the prisoners?!" The townspeople suddenly start to scream in a panic. Oh no, please don't be...
...Skeleton.
Skeleton stood there like a deer in headlights. All the townspeople were in a state of panic, screaming and shouting. This could be a problem.
"I'll... I'll catch this prisoner! Don't you worry!" I shout, hoping that Skeleton is able to get the message and start running. The townspeople don't seem any less calm, though. Any moment now, the Guard will hear the ruckus.
Pushing through the townspeople, I run after Skeleton. Skeleton was holding the hand of another wither skeleton, which I assume is the one he made that silly promise to.
"Get back here!" I shout, drawing my sword. This'll all work out if the townspeople buy it. I just hope I don't run out of energy and end up passing out along the way...
The sound of horses catch my attention. The Guard was charging towards us at a fast and steady pace.
I scan through my inventory in hopes of finding something useful to slow them down. To my dismay, I only had a single stone sword. Seriously? Stone?
Despite how depleted my energy was, I was determined to make it to the border. I start to wheeze, my breaths shortening. My vision starts to cloud up again.
This is pathetic... Is running really going to be what gets me killed? Am I really that useless without my powers?
Suddenly, my body gives out. I fall to my knees, unable to continue running. I was almost unconscious.
Was this really the end? The prince of the Nether, one with incomprehensible abilities bested by asthma?
"Sir!" One of the guards knelt beside me. "My prince, are you alright? Don't exhaust yourself... The Guard will successfully arrest those criminals."
This was my chance. In a quick movement, I stand up and hop onto that guard's horse. I don't look back to see his expression.
Having a horse was a huge advantage. I almost instantly caught up with the rest of the Guard, my horse galloping past them.
"Skeleton!" I shout, "Hop on!" I extend one of my hands out to him, my other hand gripping firmly to the reins. We were only a few hundred feet from the border, and the Guard was hot on our trail. We had one chance to make this escape successful.
"Wither!" Skeleton shouts, "There's no way three of us can fit on that little horse!" He had a point. This horse was pretty small compared to the average horse.
Then an idea comes to mind. I quickly hop off the horse, abandoning it completely. The horse, now riderless, neighs and runs towards the other horses. The guards were momentarily stunned, quickly recovering.
"Skeleton, we're going to have to cut it close!" The guards were no more than thirty feet behind us, gaining on us fast. The three of us practically dive through the exit— which was a regular Nether portal.
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"Gah!" The three of us land headfirst onto the ground. I cough viscously, my lungs throbbing at the lack of air.
"...THE PRINCE CAUGHT UP TO US, OH GOODNESS-!" The other wither skeleton exclaims, hiding behind Skeleton for cover. He then notices my weak state, pulling out a sword and running towards me.
"W-Wait! He's good!" Skeleton hops in front of me defensively.
"Good?! He's the Prince of the Nether!"
Suddenly, multiple guards come diving out of the Nether portal, swords in hand. "My prince, you've caught them!" I let out a weak cough, pushing myself up onto my feet. My powers were coming back to me slowly.
The other wither skeleton seems horrified as the guards approach us. "Well, well. It seems one of our kind is unloyal."
Skeleton narrows his eyes, pulling out his sword. He stands in front of both of us protectively.
"Seriously? Do you really think a stray like yourself can defeat us with our own weapon? How cute." The guards all laugh mockingly. There were ten guards in total, and despite my full trust in Skeleton's melee combat abilities, I knew he wouldn't be able to singlehandedly defeat them alone.
I pull out my own sword and stand next to Skeleton. The guards seem surprised at my actions.
"My... My prince? What is the meaning of this?"
"How dare you question me!" I shout in response, "As your prince, I ask that you stand down immediately!" A few quiet gasps are heard.
"Sir... Those are criminals. We must arrest them immediately! The Lord will be furious!"
"Furious my ass!" I holler in response. Skeleton stifles a laugh at my use of language, but his expression quickly becomes serious when the guards start charging at us. Luckily for us, I managed to stall for just enough time to teleport the three of us out of there.
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Completed writing date: 9/22/23
Published on 10/8/23