A/N: Hey readers, here's the next chapter as promised... This time, the Grounded team convince Thero and Silvor to help them.

Three – Convincing Commoners

Doomesdaye

I glared at the two men. If His hordes had suddenly broken through the walls and started attacking us at that moment, I swear I would've done nothing but say "I told you so!"

As it happened, the hordes were nowhere to be seen and I continued to glare at the men.

After a while, Thero cleared his throat. "Ahem, alrighty then. So let's get things straight. Ye were all living happily in this village of yours, Groundedville, then ye were attacked by an army of monsters that acted too cleverly to be normal monsters. Am I right so far?"

Wingnuts nodded, cooling down and sitting back in his seat. In the frustration, him and I had both stood up. Thero continued.

"Then this thing yer friend said, Moohickyalah was it? That's gone missin', and you think it was Him that took it?"

"Yes," Jay said.

"Moohickyalah is Axle's partner," I explained. "One minute we were all there fighting for a lives, the next moment He appeared. We tried to attack him, but there was an explosion..." I frowned, not wanting to continue

"And when we could see again," Wingnuts continued, "Herobrine was gone. So was Moohickyalah."

"Okay, who's Axle again?"

I jerked my thumb in the direction of the sobbing drifting through the door.

"Ah, yer tearful friend. Well. I can see why he would be..." Thero's eyes gained a misty quality and stayed fixated on the teapot. He seemed to be thinking hard. "And they're still after yer?"

Wingnuts nodded again. "Last time we checked, they were barely a day behind us. They might be slower than us on foot, but they never stop. Ever."

"Hang on, they're tracking you? Right up to here?" Silvor exclaimed.

Thero frowned. "I just hope they don't smash down my house!" He looked around the walls. Then shaking his head, he began to pour cups of tea. "Dear Notch help you four..."

I grunted in return. "He hasn't done a lot so far. I'm going to check on Axle," I added to Jay and Wingnuts, before standing up.

Jay

"Here, bring him this," Thero said, handing Doomesdaye a cup of tea on a saucer for himself and one for Axle. He added a cookie to each saucer, then handed Wingntus and I a cup each also. Doomesdaye bowed his head in thanks and pushed the door open. It swung shut behind him.

Thero sat down in the chair Doomesdaye had vacated, stroking his beard. "You only answered one of my earlier questions," he said suddenly. "I also asked where you were going?"

Wingnuts and I exchanged glances. "We... We really don't know," I admitted. "We've just been trying to run for the past week, hoping to find some resources somewhere, maybe somewhere to make a final stand." I took a sip from the teacup, and sighed happily as the warm liquid trickled down my throat. I hadn't drunk proper tea in Minecraftia in a while.

"Well we can't help you on the 'final stand' area of things," Silvor said, frowning, "but I'm a blacksmith's apprentice. If you need some weapons or tools I could probably arrange it. What sort of stuff do you need?"

"Anything. But where do you work?"

"Questions, questions!" Thero interrupted. "Let's start with the ole' formalities. I'm Elefthero Pouli. Name's Greek in origin, no idea how I came to have it. I live in this 'ere cottage by meself, but Silvor here comes round every now and again for tea and a chat. Silvor?"

The younger man beamed at me and Wingnuts. "I'm Silvor Fox," he said, standing and bowing. "I live and work in the nearby town of Rivervale, not thirty chunks thataways." He waved his arm in the direction the plains biome continued in. "Nice enough place, but I think if you lot are wanting help, we're not a good place to come to. Population barely over forty people, mostly farmers."

"Agreed," Thero continued. "I don't wanna see that town in ruins. We hope ye don't mind if we say that we don't, uhh..." He looked away.

"You don't want us going near the town itself?" I suggested. I bit off a piece of my cookie. "That's fine. Honestly, we don't want any innocent people hurt. We understand completely."

Thero breathed. "Thank ye. Yer a good lot. Now, onto the subject of how we can help, I reckon that Silvor and I can get ye a coupla resources from Rivervale before sundown?"

"How does an iron sword each sound?" Silvor recommended. "On the house."

Wingnuts beamed. "Wow, that'd be amazing if you two could do that for us! But I think our injured friend here would prefer a bow and arrows if you have any available?" He gestured at me on "Injured friend".

"I'll see," Silvor said.

Thero glanced at me. "Heavens, ye should introduce yerselves to us!"

I chuckled, finally feeling comfortable around these two. "I'm Jay."

"Wingnuts," said Wingnuts. "Axle out there is the one who lost Moohickyalah, his girlfriend."

"And your friend with the pickaxe?"

"That's Doomesdaye," Wingnuts answered, taking a sip of his tea. "And that's basically us. We're all warriors, but we know how to smith, craft, and farm and all that. We've just all grown up being warriors."

"Fair enough," Silvor said. "Men of all trades, almost."

"Except knitting," Wingnuts added suddenly. "Doomesdaye tried learning to knit once. It was very messy."

Thero grinned. "I like yer group of friends. Yer a good bunch o' people, it's a shame such a disaster had to happen to ye." He sighed. "Well, I wish yer good luck. Believe me, I'd help if we could, but there's not a lot Rivervale can do, let alone us two. I don't reckon we should even tell 'em at the town. It'd just cause a ruckus, y'know?"

Wingnuts nodded. "Understood. Like we said, we don't want to endanger innocent bystanders if we can avoid it. Best keep 'us' quiet," he added, glancing at the door. I could hear Doomesdaye and Axle talking quietly, but I couldn't make out the words.

Suddenly a pain shot through my bandaged side. I winced, keeling over slowly on the sofa. Thero gave me a look of shock. "Ye right Jay?"

I nodded silently. The pains came and went. After all, I'd been injured for almost a week, constantly on the move, and I didn't even know how bad it was. It still tingled most of the time though. Moohicky had been the group's best healer, and with her and our belongings gone, the best the others had been able to do for me was bandage me up with loose clothes and shoelaces. Thero stood up and knelt down beside me. "May I?"

"Yeah," I said. The pain had already faded.

Silvor looked a little squeamish as Thero peeled back my bandages. "Ah," he said, "'s only a stab. Hasn't been infected or anything, yer lucky there." He peered closer. "Hang on." Without warning he pressed down on my ribs and another wave of pain passed through me.

"Ahh!" I gasped.

"Hmm," Thero said, "Looks like whatever hit yer, it nicked yer ribs and chipped the bone. It's healing well, but it'll be sore for a while longer. There's not a lot I can do about it but give ye fresh bandages."

He noticed Wingnuts staring at him. "How come you know so much medical stuff?"

Thero stood up. "My mother was a healer. Learned a few things from her before she died. Not much though, just a little bit of recognition of symptoms, how to cure a couple of basic sicknesses. That sorta stuff."

"Hey Thero," Silvor piped up, "You still got that painkiller brew? Made from cactus sap and honey or something?"

Thero glanced up. "Hey yeah! I still got a jar o' that. You wait here Jay," he said, then quickly went upstairs. He returned shortly with a tall bottle of greenish syrup, which he poured a little onto a spoon with. "Here, try a spoonful o' this." He held the syrup out to me. Hesitantly I sat up and put the spoon in my mouth.

The taste wasn't actually bad. It tasted a little like broccoli, but... sweeter. And there was a faint hint of something alcoholic in it too. I swallowed.

"That should take away the worst of the pain," Thero said. He pulled a smaller jar off a shelf and siphoned a little from the bottle into it. Capping it tightly, he handed it to Wingnuts. "Ye may as well take some with ye. Ye never know when yer might need some."

"Thank you Thero," Wingnuts said graciously. He pocketed the jar. I sat up, already feeling a little less sore.

"No problem," Thero replied. "Happy to be able to help a friend." He gave me a wink and I smiled back, taking another slurp of tea.

Doomesdaye and Axle walked in. Axle sniffed and looked at the floor, but he seemed better than earlier. The miner sat him down in the free chair, then put his teacup down on the table.

Thero looked to Silvor. "Right Silvor, I reckon you should head into town and grab these four a bunch o' blades, whatd'ya say?"

"Very well," Silvor replied. He stood up and went over to the door. "I'll be back in about an hour if I can fix a deal with my master. I'm sure he'll understand. I'll tell him you were raided by bandits and have nothing to call your own. Catch you later!" He left, slamming the door behind him.

Thero sat back in his chair. "Ah, he's a good 'un Silvor is. A little ambitious at times, but a good man."

Wingnuts glanced at Axle. "You okay there?"

Axle looked up at the concerned warrior. He nodded, then looked back down again. He had that blue jersey of his wrapped tightly in his arms. Well, let him have it. If it keeps him sane, it's good enough for us. I took another gulp of tea and allowed myself to relax.