CW: Death, Blood, and Gore Galore! Sounds fun, right? Okay, the gore isn't too bad. I just wanted to say "Gore Galore". Just be cautious with this chapter if you're uncomfortable with those things!

     The dragon lunged. The line scattered in different directions, shouts and yells erupting in the air. The beast's jaws closed on empty air, but only barely. While its sinewy neck was close to the ground, Henwy slid off and rolled to the ground, calmly brushing off any traces of dirt on his armor.
     Biffle rose up to meet him. The two clashed, true versus false, mayor versus dictator. Biffle brought his axe down on the man's shield, driving a gash into the protective barrier as it splintered.
     Henwy crouched low before springing forward, using Biffle's momentum against him. A sword flashed. When Biffle shoved him away, there was a long cut along his arm where there was no armor. It had already started to seep a red liquid.
     Sigils ran to help finally take down Henwy. Just as he got within reach to throw his trident, a large, clawed paw slammed down in front of his nose. The leviathan stared down at him. A snarl contorted its features and it opened its maw to let out a stream of fire.
     Sigils dove out of the way. Unfortunately, his leap brought him under the behemoth. Heat washed his back, and as he turned, purple fire danced in the spot he'd just been in.
     Its tail whipped around, colliding into the Mayor's Office. The building let out a groan as its right side buckled. Concrete fell in large clumps, sending smoke billowing in the air when it smashed into the ground.
     With another groan, the entire office fell. The Mayor's Office was no more.
     Being under a dragon just makes it all the more obvious how much larger it is than a person. It was as if a huge blanket had covered the sky. A blanket that wanted to kill him. A blanket that wanted to kill everyone.
     Sigils, trying to ignore the terror building within him, ran back into the light. He pivoted and hurled a trident at the monster. As he turned, his life flashed before his eyes. He was staring at the open mouth of a dragon. A mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.
     The trident struck it on the roof of its mouth. It recoiled, letting out a bellow of pain, and Sigils took the opportunity to escape. He scrambled over to Nico, who was firing arrow after arrow into the leviathan. From the looks of it, the arrows barely made a dent in its hide.
     "It's no use," Nico said, turning to the former mayor. "I might as well be shooting feathers."
     "We can't fight this thing. We need to escape. It's only a matter of time before-" Sigils was interrupted by a shriek that tore through the air.
     For a moment, the battle ceased. Henwy, Biffle, and Alxton, who had joined the fight against the false mayor, froze, staring at each other with wide eyes. Gold and Karan, slashing at the dragon's paws with swords and axes, leapt back as if the sound had come from the dragon.
     Oh no no no- Dread crept up his spine. The dragon roared at a small figure a mere few feet from its snout. The figure backed up, trembling, one hand pressed against his mutilated shoulder. Ambrew.
     As one, Sigils and Nico started running towards him. Fear lent them an extra burst of speed.
     Ambrew backed into a tree. He tried to move around it, but the dragon pressed its muzzle into his chest. Sigils could practically hear the man's heart racing. Ambrew's shoulder had a chunk missing from it. Blood streamed from the wound, staining both his clothes and the ground underneath him.
     All around, people were shouting Ambrew's name. Alxton took off towards him, his eyes wild and his ears flattened against his skull. Yet he would never get there in time.
     The leviathan's lips peeled back, revealing its deadly teeth. In a swift movement, it snatched Ambrew up and lifted him in its jaws. Blood streamed down the creature's neck. Ambrew's blood streamed down the creature's neck.
     The man screamed, pounding at the beast's jaws with no avail. With a shake of its head, it sent him flying. Ambrew's body, punctured by many, many fangs, crashed into the ground with a dull thud and a sickening crack.
     "Ambrew!" Alxton screeched, stopping in his tracks and staring at the corpse. Blood poured from Ambrew's open wounds. His skin split where he landed and, in some areas, the whites of his bones poked through flesh.
     The dragon's head snapped around at his words. With a roar, it lunged for him. Sigils got there first, tackling him to the ground. He heard the clack of teeth as its maw shut on empty air.
     "Go go go!" He shoved Alxton to his feet and the pair took off. Next thing he knew, Gold was beside him.
     "Sigils! I can get us out of here. I have a time machine. I just need time to set it up."
     "Go! Now! We'll buy you time."
Gold nodded and sprinted towards a meager hill. Beyond the hill, trees clustered together to form a grand forest.
     The Ender Dragon spewed flames after Gold. The man flinched and dodged them, still running towards the hill. The embers floated through the air, drifting in the sullen wind. They almost looked... peaceful. Innocent.
     Then one landed on a tree beyond the hill. Flames lapped up the bark, hissing and spitting as the wood crackled. Soon, the forest was aflame. Any remaining wildlife that hadn't fled when the dragon arrived now burst out in the clearing. Panic flared in a fox's eyes as it came crashing through a clump of bushes.
     It ran right for the monster. It didn't seem to see it.
     And it never would.
     A breath of flames descended upon the poor animal. It howled, writhing in the ground as it tried to put out the flames. The fire clung to it like burrs. A thick scent of burning flesh wafted through the battlefield. Then the fox lay still.
     Sigils slung his trident at the behemoth once more. It worked last time, right? However, the weapon glanced harmlessly off its scales.
     A startled grunt sounded behind him. He whirled, pleading it wasn't Henwy about to drive a sword through his heart.
He was partially right. The mayoral battle had wound up on the other side of the clearing. The exclamation was from Biffle as he tumbled into a bush.
     Henwy leered, holding a sword high over his head, ready to finish off his opponent.
     His trident may not work effectively against a dragon, but it would absolutely harm a human. Not even bothering to throw it, he jammed the weapon into Biffle's would-be killer.
     The trident's sharpened edges grated against Henwy's armor. The netherite protected him, but Sigils got what he wanted.
     "You and your tridents," Henwy hissed, spinning around to face him. "Do you use anything else?"
     "Why would I? Tridents are the superior weapon."
     Biffle clambered to his feet, striking Henwy in the back with his axe. It was clear the battle had taken its toll on both of them. Cuts both deep and shallow crisscrossed their way into both men's flesh. Blood dribbled from a gash in Biffle's forehead into his eyes. Henwy's weight was shifted on his right foot, favoring his left. Both gasped for air.
     Sigils swung his trident, grazing Henwy's face just under his eye. The false mayor was about to retaliate when Gold's shout sliced through the air.
     "The machine is up and running! Everyone go, now!"
     Everyone bolted, including Henwy. The dragon bellowed, searching for a kill.
     Only Sigils and Biffle remained. They watched the dragon spread its wings and howl its outrage to the world.
     "It'll tear the machine apart before anyone can escape," Biffle murmured, staring at it with dark eyes.
     "So what do we do?"
     "Someone has to stay behind." The way he said it made Sigils uneasy. Like a person who knew their fate was sealed.
Sigils could see where this was going. "Biffle, no. You're the mayor. You have to lead us."
     His brow furrowed. "You're right, Sigils. I am the mayor. And as the mayor, I have to protect my people."
     "You're sacrificing yourself. There has to be another way!" He glanced around, frantically looking for some other option. He wasn't going to let his best friend die.
     "Not in the time we have. Sigils, you have to go. If you don't, we'll both die. And I can't let that happen. They need you. You used to be mayor. It's my responsibility to protect them, and yours to lead them when I'm gone."
     Sigils opened his mouth to speak. To plead. Yet it was clear Biffle had made up his mind. And, Sigils thought with a bittersweet pang, if he's one thing, it's stubborn.
     "Here, take this," Biffle said, fumbling with the monocle on his face.
     Normally, Sigils would snap at him and tell him to put his face back on, but now he could only watch in silence and fight back tears.
     "I want to see the new land too."
Sigils took the monocle, watching the fake mustache attached to it sway in his hand.
     Time both flew and froze. Tears stung his eyes as he looked at his friend. "I'll make sure you see the new land."
     Tears slipped down Biffle's cheeks. "Thank you. Goodbye, Sigils."
     Sigils echoed his words.
     Next thing he knew, he was in the teleportation room. Gold stared at him with wide eyes. "Where's Biffle?"
     "He's not coming," He said, gripping the monocle tighter.
     Realization flashed through his eyes. His shoulders slumped, glancing at the entrance as if Biffle would burst through. Finally, Gold pressed a giant red button and shoved both of them into the pad.
     Dimly, Biffle's voice could be heard. "Hey, you useless bag of scales! You're slower than a snail! I dodged you three times already!"
     Sigils could just barely glimpse the outside world. Biffle, sword in hand, looking like a true warrior, up against a leviathan charging him with its maw wide open.
     Its jaws closed.
     Biffle screamed.
     Camp vanished.