NOTICE: Tags will now be found in my random stuff and tags book! (Books that do not apply to this cuz I've already completed them: Anything is possible, The Nether, Winter Wasteland, Memories, Six Stone Souls, Against All Odds, and from now on, Delta 6)

ALSO ITS BEEN 2 CHAPTERS SINCE WEVE BEEN AT 3k. WHAT THE FUDGE XD

Warnings: None

     ~Mitch's P.O.V.~

"Y'know, I'm starting to think we should've prepared more first..."
"Cmon Jerome, it'll be like the old days. Wandering off completely unprepared... Having to live off the land. I mean it's really not that hard." I shrug, wincing at the sharp pain that ebbs up my side.
Jerome raises an unamused eyebrow. "Well I know that. But you're hurt, and if we get stuck in a bad situation, things aren't going to go well."
I sigh, rolling my eyes. "Then do you want to stop and gather materials? I mean we're in the perfect biome."
"Nah."

I face palm at the response, doubting I'll ever figure out Jerome's logic. To this he smirks, seeming well aware of this.

Right now we're picking our way out of this thick Jungle biome, with two goals in mind. One, find those mobs and see what they're up to. Two, track down Seto so he can fix my wounds. I'd be nice if we can accomplish both things, but if I had to choose one, it'd be finding Seto. One reason is that it'll be nice to see a friendly face, seeing as neither of us has seen another living soul since yesterday. Two, is that once I'm healed, I really wanna try and figure out these cool wings! They're a bit bulky, even if they don't weigh anything, and it feels as if they're really attached to me. But again, since they're made of light, it really messes up my senses. It'll definitely take a while to get used to them, but it's going to be well worth it. I mean, come on. Who wouldn't want to fly? At the thought I subconsciously let my wings unfurl a tad, shuffling them.

"Man, I wish these mobs had steamrolled a path through the jungle, rather than weaving through it. It would make this job a lot easier." Jerome grunts, wrenching his ankle free from a knot of vines.
I shrug. "I'm just glad we didn't have to fight any last night."

After leaving our old home, to embark on out journey, we had trekked all day through the Jungle. And once it became night, we were going to set up a temporary shelter, but strangely there were no mobs anywhere. Like they had disappeared off the face of the Earth. It's not like we don't know where they went-it's pretty obvious-but it's still strange. Unsettling almost. At any rate, it's safe to say I won't be missing this Jungle. I've lost count of how many times I've tripped or fallen, which becomes even more annoying and painful given my injuries. But thankfully it seems we'll be out of the wretched place in a few minutes, and finally into the Swamp biome Seto inhabits. Usually Swamp biomes are even more of a nuisance to get through, but Seto was gracious and set up bridges interlocking all the smaller islands and shores, as well as the huge centre island holding his tower.

"Hey Mitch... Do you think the mobs got Seto? I mean, they were headed this way. And if they really are the minions of that Herobrine dude, you'd think one of their targets would be one of the most powerful Mage's in the history of ever."
I cast a sidelong glance at him, ducking under a hanging vine. "I doubt it. He's got a scarily strong forcefield encompassing the Swamp, and an even stronger one guarding his castle. Even if by some weird occurrence the mobs got in, they'd be no match for him." I try to reassure Jerome, even though I'm trying to reassure myself more than anything.

Because if those mobs managed to kill Seto, I do NOT want to run into them. Even with a white gem. This isn't a game we're playing. And until Jerome and I track down those other white gems, I'm not going to feel safe. Even then, I probably still won't. Speaking of which... How are we even going to find-

"WOAH!"

Jerome and I both reel back as suddenly, our gems begin to glow, and five white tendrils of light snake from each of our hands. Instantly my muscles freeze, already having had a bad experience with strange white lights. But when I realize it's not hurting me, I slowly relax, letting my shock melt into curiousness.

"What... Are these?" Jerome mumbles, turning his hand around, and watching with wide eyes as the tendrils stay connected to his gem.

As Jerome plays with his gem, I take my time to see which direction my strands are heading in. Three of them are headed to the East, all faint and barley glowing. One is headed SouthWest, towards the direction of the Powers' kingdom. This line is glowing a bit brighter. But compared to the fifth and final line, it seems dull and bleary. This final beam of light shines blindingly bright, and it connects... To Jerome's. Our eyes meet, and we speak our thoughts in unison.

"They're leading us to the other White gems."

Instantly, years of training as a warrior and learning to look over all options kick in, and Jerome and I begin listing off our choices.

"Kay so we have a little problem here; none of these are going in the direction we're headed, but we still need to get to Seto's so I can heal. So we need to go there, but after that, we need to decide wether we should follow the mobs or find the others." I point out, gesturing to the tendrils of light.
Jerome nods thoughtfully. "True, true. Well let's see, if we go after the mobs, the benefit is that it's closer, and we not only gain important information, but we don't risk running into the KeyHolders. The cons are that it could be dangerous, a KeyHolder could very well be leading them, and the longer we wait to gather with the others the more Herobrine is going to wreak havoc and gain power."

       'KeyHolder' is the term we came up with for the four hybrids guarding the keys to Herorbine's domain.

"So we should find one of the others." I conclude, keeping it clean and easy-no questions asked. "So what one should we go find?"
Jerome presses his lips into a thin line. "I'd say the one closest to us. One reason being since again, they're the closest, and we don't risk running into trouble on the way. Two, is that he or she is on their own. It looks as if the other three are all together, or at least close to each other. If they meet a KeyHolder or a horde of mobs, they'll have a much easier time fighting them off than if they were on their own. Like this person." He plans, pointing at the brighter line for emphasis.
I nod in agreement. "Also, they'll be heading this way anyway, since the five of us are all in this general direction. We can meet halfway."
"That's it, then. Let's go drop by at Seto's, heal you up, restock on supplies, and then head off to find this person."
"Sounds good. Now, let's go. We've wasted too much time already." I urge, fanning my wings out for a moment.

Nodding each once more to seal the plan, we turn, and begin hustling towards the Swamp. This time, there's a new sense of urgency, as we've both come to realize this is a race against time.

~~~

~????'s P.O.V.~

The two boys nod, turning on their heels and setting hastily off to the Mage's domain-which I now recognize as Seto. Seto... That sneaky little sorcerer. He's been causing me a deal of trouble... I frown inwardly, instinctively scrunching up my nose at the thought of him. But then, just as I'm about to teleport away, my eyes are drawn to a soft white glint.

"Oh... What's this? They're white gems? How... Interesting. I'm sure he'll find this new information quite beneficial."

~~~
Question of the chapter:

Any guesses as to who ???? Might be?

Also

Fan art from Emogamer101 (thanks!)