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"Come on, Bad! We can't hide in this stupid hole forever!" Skeppy cried, tugging Bad's arm.
Bad had forgotten that the human would need gold to hide from the piglins, and after walking through the portal, it had been a shocking discovery, and Bad felt terrible.
"I'm not going to risk you getting hurt." Bad said, shaking his head. "You forgot your pickaxe, so I'm going to find a safe way back to the portal, you stay right here . Skeppy rolled his eyes.
"No, I'm going to explore. I know you have an iron pick, and you said we could find gold here." Skeppy stated.
"I don't want to-"
"Risk it? Come on Bad, live a little!" Skeppy tugged Bad's sleeve again.
"F-fine! I'll let you go, but if you get hurt I'll-"
"You'll what?" Skeppy asked with a challenging stare, and a playful smile.
"I don't know." Bad confessed, kicking the floor. Skeppy giggled, and pulled the nether demon in for a hug.
"It's okay, we'll be safe." He smiled. "Plus, this is the chance to get some blaze rods for potions! And maybe the end?" Skeppy asked, tone sigustive.
" Maybe ." Skeppy cheered. "That doesn't mean yes!" Bad clarified. Skeppy just nodded.
---
"See? I told you we could get gold!" Skeppy said, examining the shiny new pair of golden boots that he wore on his feet.
"Yeah, yeah I'm just glad your safe-"
"Oh! What's that? We should go check it out! Can we, can we?" Skeppy pointed to a dark purple pillar made of bricks, that shot out of the lava and ended awkwardly like the rest had fallen off.
"I'm not quite sure, I've never seen one before, they must be rare." Bad said.
"Is that a blaze ?!" Skeppy gasped, awe in his voice. "We have to go see it, Bad! It's a nether fortress!" Bad froze at the realization. Skeppy was right. However, Bad didn't get to object before he was pulled along to the weird fortress.
"Skeppy, are we sure this is a good idea? What if we run into wither skeletons?" Bad asked, keeping a tight grip on Skeppy's hand, in hopes to not lose him in the twists and turns the fortress' tunnels took.
"What's a wither skeleton?" Skeppy asked, and then broke into a sprint, causing Bad to let out a surprised yelp. "Oh, a chest!" He smiled.
"Quiet! Wither skeletons are very tall skeletons, and they have stone swords. When they hit you, they give you the wither effect, which I've been told is super painful." Bad said hurriedly, trying to get his counterpart to quiet down.
"Sounds cool! But painful- Diamonds!" Skeppy cheered, pulling out three blue stones from the chest.
"Skeppy, please, I want to get you out safe !" Bad pulled Skeppy out from the hallway and into another, searching for an exit.
A group of three skeletons turned to face Bad. In a panic, Bad shoved Skeppy away, knowing the withers would not attack Bad unless provoked. Skeppy on the other hand, was a different story. Skeppy was an overworld creature. Skeppy, was to be attacked.
Skeppy just stood there, stunned out of his mind as Bad took out his sword, ready to fight the skeletons off.
"Get away from him!" Bad shouted, trying to get them away. He managed to anger them. Or, most of them.
Skeppy had pulled out his iron axe, throwing it in the direction of the wither skeleton trying to hurt him. Bad made the terrible assumption that Skeppy would easily defeat the skeleton, forgetting that for non-nether folk, they were a lot harder to defeat. After killing one of the two, he heard a pained cry, and the sound of a wither skeleton dying.
Quickly, he finished off his, watching the way the bones fell apart at his final swing, and hurried to the body on the ground.
"Skeppy? Skeppy, oh my goodness please, please be okay."
"I'm sorry…" Skeppy whispered.
"No, no, Skeppy, don't be sorry I should have… protected you better. Come on, let's get you home." Bad scooped Skeppy into his arms, trying to avoid touching near the gaping hole in Skeppy's side.
"Did they hurt you?" Skeppy asked, voice low of energy.
"You're asking me if I'm hurt ?!" Bad asked, slightly out of breath from running to the portal with Skeppy in his arms.
"Yeah, I mean-" Skeppy paused, hacking out a cough, which Bad noticed was filled with blood. Skeppy needed to get home fast. Faster.
"You mean a lot to me." Skeppy finished.
"Then stay alive ." Bad whispered, hope swelling in his chest at the sight of the purple portal.
"I can try." Skeppy whispered back, clinging to Bad tightly, shivering feverishly.
---
Skeppy had only gotten worse over the course of time it was taking for Bad to find the treatments, and put them together. So far, all he had managed to find, despite looking at every book he could find, was a regeneration potion, and that it was supposed to keep Skeppy alive until the effect went away.
So, naturally, Bad went back to the nether to gather resources, which, due to mobs being neutral to him for being a nether creature, was easier than expected. When he returned, he was greeted with a… scary sight.
The skin around Skeppy's wound had turned a midnight-black color, and the skin just outside of that was tainited of the wither effect, as it faded into Skeppy's normal skin color. Skeppy's eyes were cloudy, and it looked like he was off into space, drifting away from their home and onto death's doorstep.
As quickly, but as well as Bad could manage, which wasn't very well due to the intense shaking in his hands, Bad started to brew the potion. The books said the healing process after the potion would be quick, and easy. Bad was skeptical.
"How are you feeling?" Bad made his way over to Skeppy's bed, and felt his forehead. It stung with heat, and beads of sweat rolled down his face. Skeppy let out a small noise of discomfort.
"I'll take that as a 'not so well'. Don't worry, you'll be better soon." Bad said, running a hand through Skeppy's hair.
A noise from the brewing stand allowed Bad to know that the potion had finished brewing. Bad stood up quickly, running over to grab it.
"Okay, Skeppy?" Skeppy murdered some sort of gibberish, a good sign. "I'm gonna need you to sit up, and drink this, okay?" Skeppy didn't move this time.
"Skeppy, please? You need it to get better!" Bad's voice took a more panicked tone.
Skeppy slowly and shakily, reached out his hand, a silent plea for help. Bad took his hand, and once there was enough space, bad reached an arm around Skeppy's back.
"You're doing so well, Skeppy! Now, all you gotta do is drink this potion. It should help your healing." Bad smiled.
"Mhm… taste like strawberries…" Skeppy mumbled feverishly after finishing off the potion.
"Huh, weird." Bad murmured.
"Nice, though, I like strawberries." Skeppy mumbled again, so quietly, Bad nearly missed the statement entirely, before Skeppy fell asleep again. He looked in considerably less pain.
"Goodnight, you muffin." Bad giggled, pressing a soft kiss against Skeppy's forehead.
"Love… you too…" Skeppy slurred over the words in his sleepy state. Bad giggled again and blew out the torch. Finally on the road to recovery.