Book The End Between Us, Chapter 3: Unbroken Bonds

Told ya another would be out shortly! ^-^ It was actually going to be released sooner, but recent events caused a change in the plot line, so I hope you can forgive me for that. I've already gotten about a third of the way through chapter 4, so that'll be coming your way soon as well. But enough chatter. Please take a moment and enjoy chapter 3: Unbroken Bonds. (P.S. If you haven't done so yet, please read through parts one and two respectively. Thanks!)

Chapter 3
[P.O.V. Lozzy]​

The clinks of metal on metal filled the air and made it sing with electricity. Everyone was engaged in battle and​

swords glittered in the light of the torches. I dodged nimbly out of the way as Monkey's sword crashed down, almost in slow motion. By the time he had noticed I was gone, I was already to the left of him. He brought his sword up to block but I was quicker and got a small jab in. It did next to no damage because of the P4 armor, but it definitely caught his attention. I danced to the side to avoid another slow blow and took the time to yawn. Everyone was always so clumsy. Suddenly, a rush of air behind me startled me out of my stupor and caused me to jump forwards past Monkey. I turned quickly on my heel and stared down both Monkey and Speedcell. I smiled lightly and curtsied, causing them both to hesitate a little.

"You wouldn't hit a girl, would you?" I said in a quiet, almost dainty voice. Speedcell started to relax and I took the​

opening, racing in and zig-zagging like a rabbit to avoid any incoming hits. My sword pushed forward for another quick jab, but when it was about to hit its target, Speedcell suddenly vanished. I hesitated and lost my footing, stumbling in a daze. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Speedcell pause and I whistled slightly. He was pretty quick on his feet too. I altered my direction and regained my balance, pushing off from the side wall and shooting towards them both. Monkey raised his sword above his head to strike once more and Speedcell seemed to freeze up. I ran straight in between them and dropped to one knee, sliding through and slicing across both of their shins. Speedcell, who had only P2, staggered and limped backwards, pulling out some mushroom soup. I glanced over at Monkey, who appeared to have failed to notice where I went.

I darted away towards my other teammates. Eil was holding his own against Pingwoo and Graff, but the same could​

not be said for Oracle, who was up against SillyPickles and Obelisk. They had him on the defensive, and even from here I could see a hint of panic forming in our team leader's eyes. I started to run over to help, but was blocked by Monkey lunging from the side. I cursed under my breath and parried the strike. Our blades slid off each other with a screech and I jumped back to glare at him.

"Do you mind?" I seethed. Monkey rushed forward again, catching me off guard and causing me to have to block​

head on. Our swords connected with a clang and I shook from the impact. Monkey leaned in closer as I struggled to keep his sword from cutting through me.

"No. I don't mind at all." He retorted, smiling. He knew I wasn't as strong as him and my arms were already​

beginning to shake from the effort of keeping him at bay. I looked wildly around the base for any help. Eil was still dealing with two attackers, but Oracle was being backed into a corner. Once he was there, it'd be all over for him. I looked around for Speedcell and saw him coming towards me from the right, hoping for a flank. I racked my brain for possible solution and the world seemed to hang in the balance with me. Suddenly, it all snapped together and the world came flooding back: the sound of battle, the trembling of my arms, the flickering of the light, even the glint in Monkey's eyes as he slowly over-powered me. I took the time to smile slightly and gritted my teeth, gather the last of my strength. I waited until I could see Speedcell in my peripheral vision, then looked right at Monkey and said through clenched teeth,

"I hate to disappoint you, but I need to go help someone really quickly." I then went limp and dropped to the​

ground, rolling out of the way of the soon-to-be-accident. The sudden change in balance caused Monkey to stumble, falling, into the oncoming Speedcell. The resulting sound made my heart soar. Checking to make sure I wasn't hurt, I also took the opportunity to check up on my teammates once more. Eil was still doing fine on his own, but he was starting to show some fatigue. Pingwoo was a very skilled fighter, so defending against both attackers must've been wearing him out. I wanted to go help him, but I knew Oracle needed me more. Dodging around the stunned pair of Apex teammates, I tore away straight towards Obelisk. He didn't even see me coming. My sword me hi armor, rattling me to the bone but puncturing through slightly. Obelisk howled in pain and spun around. I brought my sword back again and delivered a couple lightning-fast slices. He countered them all skillfully and used the momentum to deliver a crushing blow to my right shoulder. I crumbled under the weight and my sword fell from my hands; I couldn't hold it anymore. Above me, Obelisk raised his sword once more and I closed my eyes, waiting for the strike.

It never came. I opened my eyes and raised my head to meet Oracle. He was hanging onto Obelisk's arm and when​

he looked at me he appeared to mouth the words, "Get to base". SillyPickles was slowly chipping away at his armor and Oracle was gritting his teeth through the pain. I sat there in a daze, unsure of whether I should run or help him. We locked eyes and I could see his thoughts reflected in them. He nodded slightly and I understood what needed to be done. I grabbed my sword with my good arm and dashed away towards the exit. As I passed by Eil I called out to him,

"Eil! We're leaving! Let's go!" He stopped and stared at me, glanced back at Oracle, then stared back at me​

quizzically. I kept running and bowed my head to hide my tears.

"I'm so sorry, Oracle."​

...​

We made it back to base late at night. The warm glow from the furnace and overhead glowstone were a friendly​

site, but my heart was still heavy. My thought went back to the battle once more and I shivered. Galaxy ran in from the side room, his clothes dirty with potion ingredients.

"Welcome back guys! How'd the tracking... " Galaxy started to say. He trailed off when he saw my red eyes​

and limp arm. Eil came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"They knew we were there. It was a 3v6. We tried our best, but Oracle stayed behind. He'll be here shortly I'm​

assuming. " I sniffled quietly and trudged towards my room, ignoring Eil's requests to look at my torn shoulder. When I was in my private quarters, the pain suddenly came flooding back and I bit back my cries. I couldn't tell if it was my shoulder that was causing the pain, or the knowledge that I left our teammate, and my friend, to die. I stayed in my room, laying on my bed, long after the pop symbolizing Oracle's return had sounded. I ignored Eil's soft knocks and Galaxy's attempts at cracking jokes. It must've been around 3am when there was another quiet knock at my door. I, again, ignored it, but the knock came again, followed by Oracle's voice calling softly from behind the door.

"Lozzy? I know you're not asleep. You're a night owl." There was a pause. "I'm coming in, Lozzy." I was still laying​

on my bed in my armor when he came in. I sat up slowly and turned my head away from him. I heard him pull a chair over and sit down. He sighed slightly and I could hear his breathing in the quiet.

"You did the right thing. There was nothing you could've done. I shouldn't have tried to fight that..." He stuttered​

slightly and I glanced over.

"I left you there to die. Do you know how that feels? It feels terrible, Oracle. I could've used my left hand to fight.​

I could've led them away. I could've-"

"Lozzy be quiet. You overthink too much. It sucked for me too you know, but you and Eil got out ok and I'm fine​

now. We only lost my stuff." He interrupted. I nodded slowly. After all, he was right. I was useless in this condition. I took off my armor to better examine my shoulder. My arm still hung limp at my side and every movement made or contact with it caused me to stiffle a sob. Oracle took a closer look and began making a cast. It was almost definitely broken. He cursed quietly.

"I wish we had at least something to not call a failure." I agreed through clenched teeth. Oracle finished the​

cast and my arm was now tightly bound to my chest, safe from harm. I began to thank him, but suddenly Eil came marching in with Galaxy close behind. Eil reached into his pocket.

"So something like this?" He exclaimed as he withdrew an old book. Oracle gasped.
"How did you-" He started to ask, but was cut off by Eil.
"I snatched it while running out. Oracle, this leads us to something you'll never believe!" Oracle smiled brilliantly​

and I smiled next to him. I didn't know what this book was, but as long as he was happy, I was happy. As I watched Eil give a play-by-play reenactment, Oracle laughing along and Galaxy pretending to be team Meta, I realized I wouldn't want to be a part of any other team.

Thanks once again guys! Have some tags. I've heard that some of them aren't going through, so I'll also start a thread in the raid section like I did for ctf. I'll see you guys during the next chapter! Bai! ^-^

Tags
@0racle
@Eil
@Lozzylouise
@AnonymousGalaxy
@Speedcell
@SillyPickles
@PingWoo
@Colonel_Graff
@LegitMonkeyftw
@DemonicObelisk
@343weapon​

 

Yes thank you!

 

Yea. sorry about that. its done. ive just recently had a change in a relationship, so that coupled with studying for my finals has made me very unmotivated to do much of anything. ill post it early tomorrow.

 

Thank you, but I can't afford to take a break from brawl. I'm on the precipice of doing something amazing on here. ^-^