The Herobrine Quest

Chapter 61. You're Late

"Holy EnderDragon." Steph breathed.

Dave took one look at the enormous silhouette of the dragon, blocking out the sun and casting a huge shadow across them, and backed away. Toxic seemed to be frozen in place. For once, Blaze didn't blame her.

Blaze, Scarlett and King Jason created a semicircle-like formation. Ranger randomly thought that they looked like the Three Musketeers. She frowned slightly as she realized the disadvantage she had.

Ender Energy would have little to no effect on an Ender Creature. She was pretty much useless, unless she found a sword or bow to use. And she did not feel like doing nothing in the fight that would certainly ensue.

She looked to Toxic, who had recovered from most of the shock and had stood, her venom green eyes the only things that betrayed the untamed fury that burned within her.

With an internal sigh, she said "Toxic...I need a weapon."

Toxic turned sharply, looking at Ranger. For a second, she hesitated, then nodded. Quickly, she held out a hand, and a diamond sword appeared in it. Even Blaze took the time to be impressed.

Toxic tossed the reflective turquoise blade to Ranger, who caught it in one hand, testing the feel and balance. It was lightweight, but sturdy. Ranger felt like she could wield the blade for hours without growing tired.

The tip tapered quickly into a deadly point at the front of the sword. It was double-sided, and the cutting edges were sharper than Ranger had ever seen a sword be.

A wide crosspiece allowed her hand protection from any downstrokes, as well as compensating for the weight of the blade itself. Nodding briefly to Toxic, Ranger turned back to the others, who had also equipped themselves with weapons.

Wolf had the glowstone dagger and a firebolt that was still expanding in her palm. Blaze, of course, had fire. Scarlett, as usual, had no magic ready and was not in a defensive position. Calm and cool.

King Jason had somehow come into possession of a long, black-shafted pike with a polished gold spear point. He held it with two hands, his grip alternating.

One hand was gripping the spear upside down, the other right side up, allowing him more agility and movement. Not only could he use it as a spear, but he could also use it as a staff, knocking aside the dragon's attacks.

It helped that the pike was on fire.

Ranger suddenly realized the advantage she had. As a half-Ender Creature, she was also invulnerable to Ender attacks. So they couldn't hurt each other. This was going to be a very interesting battle.

A voice spoke in their minds. It was an ancient voice; just hearing it confirmed that the Ender Dragon had been alive since the dawn of Minecraftia itself. Wolf heard it say "Toxic, I do believe you're late."

Wolf turned to look at Toxic, who had summoned enough courage to look the dragon in the eye. The Brine hybrid almost felt bad for Toxic. The encounter with the dragon who had threatened to kill her father must have been a shock to her.

She didn't say out loud that Toxic looked like a frightened animal when the Ender Dragon moved toward her, as she preferred to keep her head in its current position, thank you very much.

Toxic replied "I apologize, Ender Dragon. I was held up in my mission. I was just about to-" The Ender Dragon cut her off with a heated glare. "You were just about to what? Turn against me?"

To her credit, Toxic's expression remained relatively emotionless. "No. I was just about to compete the mission." The Ender Dragon snarled "By getting yourself knocked out by the enemy? What an amazing strategy!"

Toxic flinched slightly, but replied "Please, if you would just give me another chance-"

"You pity them." The Ender Dragon said out loud suddenly, surprising Toxic, who blinked before replying a little too quickly "No, I don't pity them. I feel nothing for them. They are people, and nothing more."

The Ender Dragon chuckled and replied "Oh yes, you do pity them, despite what you tell me. You feel guilt. You feel remorse. You feel sadness. You feel pity." He spat the last word out like it was poison on his forked tongue.

"All the emotions I taught you to hide when you were on missions." He growled. Toxic didn't reply, didn't deny any of the claims. And that was just as condemning as admitting to them.

A cruel smile worked its way onto the dragon's mouth. "I can't very well have a disobedient assistant. Come with me, now, Toxic. You will learn not to be so dilatory with your missions. Your friends can come along to see the show."

And with a flash of light, they vanished. Not a trace of them remained in the shattered hall.