"Get up!" Sky was jolted out of his slumber by a frantic voice. Ian was shaking him, eyes wide. "Hurry! Something's wrong!"

  "Wh-wha?" he mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. His back ached from the hard wooden floor.

  His exhaustion was immediately forgotten when he heard the screams outside.

  Sky grabbed his sword, standing and looking at Mitch and Deadlox, who were standing at the door with their heads together in a quiet discussion. He could hear them as he drew nearer.

  "...can't be Jason," Deadlox was saying. "We'd hear horses. He and his team always travel on horseback."

  "What could it be, then?" Mitch replied. "Zombies wouldn't attack in the daytime, and creepers never travel in groups of more than three."

  Sky opened his mouth to join the conversation when he was interrupted by one side of the house being smashed open. He turned, sword in hand, and nearly doubled over in laughter at what he faced.  

  "A squid?" Ian raised his eyebrows. "You have to be kidding me. How did a squid break open a house?"

  "It d-d-didn't. I d-did." Something stepped up behind the squid. It was mostly humanoid, minus the tentacles for hands and feet. It had light blue skin and a seaweed-like mop of green hair. Something—scars? Veins? Tattoos?—stretched down its cheeks from beneath the eyes like tree branches.

  "You look disgusting," Mitch said honestly. The creature took a surprised step back, clearly not expecting that reaction.

  "Excuse you!" it roared. "You should not judge one by their looks! In fact, I find you humans very d-d-d-disgusting!"

  "So do I," Deadlox volunteered.

  "You aren't helping, sunshine," Sky informed him.

  He scowled. "Don't call me 'sunshine.'"

  "Surrender all of your valuable items and your d-death will be swift!" the creature howled. As a reply, Sky charged it and ran it through with his sword. It shrieked once, dark blue blood spurting from the wound, and fell motionless to the floor.

  The smaller squid scurried away.

  The group left, knowing that the squid would return with friends. They reentered the forest, despite Sky's protests that they should help the villagers. It was left unspoken that there was nobody else to save.

~

  Ashley scrubbed the last of the dye from her hands, scowling. "I don't see why you can't stick with your natural hair color."

  "Because blonde hair gives me a more menacing look, idiot," came Jason's reply. "Brown doesn't go well with crimson."

  "Okay, then next time you need your hair dyed, don't call on your sister." She stared at her stained hands, disgusted. "This dye is ruining my skin." She trudged out of the bathroom and towards the door.

  "Wait," Jason called. "When you go, I want you to have several hundred 'Wanted' posters made. Have them sent to neighboring kingdoms."

  "Why are you so obsessed with these people?" Ashley groaned. "It's becoming a pain in the neck." 

  "I want the demon and the Brine alive," he continued, ignoring her.

  "And the other two?"

  He waved his hand. "Kill them. I don't care."

~

  The four trudged along for a long time without saying anything. The only sounds came from nature and the snapping and rustling of plants as they pushed through them.

  It gave Sky some time to think. He had just killed a living, breathing thing. Yes, he had done that before. Most people had to kill monsters. And he had killed animals for food. This was different, though. The creature had been able to think and speak. It was almost human. He comforted himself by reminding him that it would have killed him and his friends.

"We can't go into another town." After hours of silence, Ian's voice startled him. 

  "Why not?" Sky said stupidly, already knowing the answer.

  "We've been attacked at every place we've entered. At the village, we were attacked by squid hybrids. At the city, we were attacked by..." He went silent, glancing at Deadlox, who pretended not to notice.

  "But we can't roam around forever," Ian continued. "We need a home. A base."

  He went silent for a moment.

  "Construction takes a while," Mitch commented. "But it'd be worth it in the end. Maybe we don't have to build the entire thing. We could use a cave or something."

  "That actually may work," Sky said, excitement beginning to rise in his chest. "We could clean up and block off the back of a cave, and decorate it, and arm it, and put lasers on it!"

  "Lasers?" Deadlox snickered. "What are you, six?"

  "Maybe not lasers, Sky," Ian chuckled. "But this could really work! We could have a home! We could form a special team!"

  "A team? That's ridiculous." Deadlox crossed his arms skeptically.

  "Well, I don't see you offering any ideas, sunshine," Sky huffed.

  "Stop calling me 'sunshine!'"

  "Sword Squad!" Ian declared. 

  "That literally sounds like a bunch of girls," Mitch informed him. "Team Mitch. I'll be the leader."

  "Team butter!" Sky cried, holding his sword up so that it glinted majestically in the sun.

  "Squid Slayers!"

  "Immortals!"

  "Only two of us are immortals, idiot," Mitch scoffed.

  They all went silent again, smile on their faces as they thought of the ridiculous names they had thrown out.

  To Sky's surprise, Deadlox broke the silence with a good suggestion.
 
  "Team Crafted?"

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Sorry that I took so long to update!
*totally didn't forget that I was writing a story*