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I’ve… been here before.” Jax thought. It was the same place he had been in before Pomni told him about Abel.
He had been there for some time, and the light was getting brighter and brighter. Then, somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard something.
He heard the sound, but he couldn’t understand it. It grew louder and louder, turning into something palpable. Something he could grab onto.
“Jax! JAX!”
He burst out of whatever dream he had been having. When he opened his eyes, it was just his room. Something hit him hard from the front and the air was knocked out of him as he fell backwards. It was… Pomni? She had tears in her eyes, and her arms were wrapped tight around his neck.
“You were… I thought I was going to lose you…” She whispered. Jax jolted. “Was I…?” He asked, voice quavering. “Yeah.” Pomni said, squeezing even tighter. For once, Jax didn’t push her away. He just hugged her back.
After a long time, he finally let go. “I guess I owe you, huh?” He said, smirking. “What’ll it be? Labor? Entertainment? Servitude?”
“I don’t want anything. I’m just so glad you’re okay.” Pomni said, wiping a tear from her eye.
Jax shook his head. “I guess I’ll have to decide for myself then. Do…” He froze. “…do any of the others know?” He asked. Pomni shook her head. “Do you want me to keep it a secret?” She asked. Jax nodded. “Okay. Anything you need.” Pomni said.
She stood up and went to the doorway. “I’m going to go now, but call for me if you need me. Remember I’m here for you.” She said, and quietly shut the door. “Like I could ever do something so cringy.” He said, scoffing.
Calling out for her like a little kid? That would ruin his persona.
Pomni POV
The next day, Caine was sending them all on an adventure like normal. But Jax was acting really weird. Did he think Pomni wouldn’t keep her promise? She’d never been a snitch in her life.
“Good giddily diddily morning, my brainy bumblebees! Today you’ll be playing the Legend of Fae Forest! Travelers have been going missing while traveling through this fantastically fantasy forest! Uncover its dark secrets, and fight off enemies with newly improved fantasy weapons!” Caine exclaimed, snapping a portal into existence.
“Hey, let me go first.” Jax said, gently pushing Pomni back when they were going into the fractal noise.
“Jax! Leave her alone!” Ragatha said. “It’s fine, Rags. Right, Pom Pom?” Jax said, looking back at her. Confused, Pomni nodded.
After Jax checked the surroundings, or whatever he was doing, everyone went into the portal. “Okay Raggy, what’re we doing first?” He said once they had all entered the fantasy realm. Ragatha did a double take.
“Wait, I’m the leader?!” She exclaimed. “Sure, why not. Then I can make fun of you when you make dumb decisions.” Jax said. Ragatha and Zooble both groaned, but Ragatha started leading the party anyway.
The path was narrow, and the party had to walk in single file. Ragatha was in the front, followed by Kinger, Pomni, Gangle, Hax, and Zooble. The forest grew denser and darker the longer they walked.
“Um… what exactly are we looking for?” Gangle asked, shrinking back at a particularly dark shadow. “Caine said that people have been going missing… we might find a camp up ahead!” Ragatha said, pointing to a faint light further down the path.
When they arrived, it was just an abandoned campfire with a weapons rack next to it. “That’s spooky…” Gangle said. Jax’s ears perked up. “Get behind me, Pompom. I don’t think we’re alone.” He pulled a dagger that Pomni hadn’t noticed out of the ground.
“Wait, you’re protecting her?” Zooble said. “Be careful, Pomni, I wouldn’t trust him if I were you.”
“How can you be so cruel, Zooble?” Jax said, adopting his usual carefree expression. Zooble glared at him. Pomni nodded to them gratefully, but still stepped behind Jax. She couldn’t really explain why, but she trusted him more after seeing him so vulnerable.
An arrow shot out of the dark and hit a tree next to Pomni. “Get down!” Jax shouted. Pomni fell to the ground, and another arrow whizzed past her right where her head would have been.
Ragatha dashed over to the weapons rack and took a bow and a quiver of arrows, and Zooble took a longsword. Jax was deflecting arrows with his dagger with startling accuracy.
Pomni hadn’t gotten a weapon yet, so Ragatha tossed her a staff. Pomni caught it in one hand and started spinning it around as a sort of shield, back to back with Jax. “Did Caine give us enhanced physical abilities?” She shouted, shocked that she hadn’t dropped her staff yet. “Ha! You talk like an instruction manual!” Jax shouted back.
Pomni rolled her eyes. But something felt wrong, like they were missing something. She dropped her staff. “Where’s Gangle?!” She exclaimed. Zooble and Ragatha froze while Jax kept deflecting arrows.
“Holy *BOING*” Zooble said. “No, they can’t have taken her!” Ragatha said, trying to stay calm. “Looks like they did.” Jax said nonchalantly. Then his pupils shrank to dots, and Pomni felt why a moment later. One of the arrows had hit its mark, and the tip was sticking out of her chest.
The shock came fast, and the pain wasn’t far behind. It was throbbing harder with every heartbeat, and it was getting hard to breathe. How fast did Pomni usually breathe? She couldn’t remember. Had the arrow hit her lungs? Did she even have lungs? She was frozen in place, unable to move, call for help, or even scream.
“I… I think…” She croaked, but couldn’t say anything else. Her eyes were getting clouded over with black. Was she losing consciousness? She felt… heavy…
Jax POV
He heard the thunk from behind him, and heard Pomni gasping for breath and mumbling something. When he turned around, she was already collapsed on the ground.
His heart froze in his chest. “No. She isn't dead.” He repeated over and over in his mind. He dropped his dagger and scooped up the limp little jester.
A searing pain rushed down his ear and he saw an arrow with a bit of blood hit the tree in front of him. Once Jax broke through the treeline, it was daytime. Ragatha, Kinger and Zooble were behind him.
“It looks like they only come out at night?” Kinger said. Jax wasn't listening. He set down Pomni in a soft patch of grass and started examining the wound.
“I think you have some explaining to do.” Zooble said. “Eh? Like what?” Jax said nonchalantly.
“Since when do you care about anyone? Why would you save Pomni but not Gangle. What, are you in love or something?”
Jax froze. “Of course not.” He said stiffly. “Then why are you being so… nice?” Ragatha asked. “Can't tell you.” Jax said.
They kept talking to him, but he ignored them. Kinger silently handed him some gauze and assorted medical equipment.
Jax knew a little bit about first aid from his time in school before he dropped out, and was able to take out the arrow without Pomni losing too much blood. He quickly tied a tourniquet and went off to the woods mumbling something about getting firewood.
Pomni POV
When she opened her eyes, she was below a canopy of leaves. The wind was blowing, it felt nice on her face.
“Oh, hey Pomni! How are you feeling?” Ragatha said, walking up to her with a bundle of firewood in her arms.
“Achey.” Pomni muttered. She sat up and immediately regretted all her life choices that had led up to this point.
That’s good, I think! Or maybe that’s for burns? I don’t know a lot about first aid.” Ragatha said sheepishly.
Pomni looked at herself. The arrow was out, and in its place were some tightly wrapped white bandages. A little bit of blood was showing through.
“If you don’t know first aid, then who did this?” She pointed at the bandages, “And where did they get the supplies?”
“Kinger got them! I don’t know where they came from though… and believe it or not, Jax got the arrow out and patched you up. He looked concerned, and his ear got grazed when he was bringing you to safety! It even looked like he was trying to be gentle when he was carrying and treating you!”
“…Huh.” Pomni said. He had been acting like he was her knight in shining armor all day, almost as if… “Where is he?” She asked.
“Ah, exploring the woods I think! The arrows stopped when the sun came up, only a minute after you got hit. We’re going to look for Gangle once it’s dark again, since they might lead us to her.” Ragatha said, arranging the sticks into a teepee and then a log cabin.
“Do we know who ‘they’ are?” Pomni asked. “Jax got a look at one of them when he started chasing them off, and he said that they had black cloaks and masks and stuff like normal ‘cringy-*BONK* fantasy minions’.” She used finger quotes for the last part, which didn’t work very well with her hands.
Pomni stood up. Caine must’ve been working his magic, because her wound was hurting less and less. “Where is he? We have to talk.”
Before Ragatha could respond, Zooble came crashing out of the trees. “I found a hideout,” They said, “But there was a barrier around it.” Pomni clutched her chest, surprised.
Zooble saw Pomni. “Oh, you’re awake. You're looking for Jax, right? He's over there.” They pointed to the trees. Pomni didn't want to bother figuring out how they knew that, and nodded her thanks and walked where Zooble was pointing.
Jax was sitting by a tree, playing with sticks. “Jax. We need to talk.” Pomni said. Jax didn't look at her. “And this is the thanks I get for saving your hide.” He said.
“I already told you that you don't owe me anything!” She shouted. “That's easy for you to say! You saved my *BOINK*ing life. I'll do anything I have to, but I'm not just going to forget that.” He said.
“Well… you saved me. Wouldn't you call that even?” Pomni asked. “We both know those aren't on the same level.” Jax mumbled.
Pomni sat down next to him. They both stayed quiet for a while.
“I would do it again, you know. I don’t care about or even want any kind of reward. I saved you because you're my friend. And I would miss you a lot.”
“...I don't have friends.” Jax said. Pomni punched his arm. “Ow! What the *BOING*?!” “Of course you do, you *BONK*ing edgelord.” Pomni said.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and for once, he didn't push her away.