Chapter 4 – Killing Instinct
The final zombie fell in a clatter. The glint of steel bathing in green blood, the poison dripping off like thick water.
"Wow... That was really amaz-"
I was immediately cut off by the blade in my own face. "Hold."
"Wh.. What?"
"Dude, I said shhhhhhhh-ut it." It was when I finally collected my nerves when I got a good look at the newcomer. He wore a suit of leather straps and steel plates. A walking tank, and yet... Their arrangement would allow for prime movements. He wore thick, brown pants that were tucked down into steel plated boots. Small metal spikes protruded from them.
And finally, his stern yet playful complexion. He had a large scar across his nose and cheeks. Short, brown hair was cut into a low mohawk, loosely shaved on the sides. He grinned, but there was a touch of darkness behind it.
His nose was small, like mine.
"... Who are you?"
"Ahhhh, come now! I told you's to shut yer yap!" He glanced around his shoulder, "an' now we've got company." Glancing behind him towards the tree line, I almost missed it myself:
Several zombies, two skeletons, and a creeper. The were pacing forward, a dark plague of malice purely intent on our death. The skeleton's primed their crude bows and pulled back on the strings to ready their arrows.
The creeper's black, glistening eyes were filled with a deep hunger, of which, considering their suicidal tendencies, would never be appeased.
"Oooh crap... Uhm, maybe we should be getting out of here?"
"Why? Scared, little one?"
"Well... Should I not be? I think that zombie on the left is holding a shovel..?"
"Hm. It sure is." He smiled wide, turning the blade from me to the ensuing threat. His back to me was when I spotted he wasn't ill prepared, neither. A personal pouch and a secondary sword hung loosely from several thick leather straps.
I would have assumed the sword was a backup, that was until he drew it into his other hand and began to slowly hop back and forth, as though getting himself into the mood.
"Ah... Are you going to fight them?"
"Yeah, of course."
"... Why?"
"Why shouldn't I be? They're pollute this 'ere forest, day in and day out, killing animals and the like. Animals which, frankly, could be feeding me. That's unforgivable, mate." What kind of resolve was that!? A moment of movement drew my attention to his pouch that was neatly slung over his left shoulder. A small cat popped its head out and purred up to his neck. "Oh, yeah. Mind watching Sally for me?"
"Sally?"
"Yeah, my cat. Sally."
Without even my regard, the cat hopped off and onto the ground next to me. It looked me over with a condescending watch, then settled its unnerving gaze onto my chicken.
"... No." That saddened the cat a tad, which then turned and sat on its side.
"Time to get to work."
"But, seriously, that's dangerous!"
"Best shut yer'self, Bambi. Watch an' learn." Dashing forward in a moment, he tore the enemy apart in a dance of silver and green gore. Two zombies fell to the ground in chunks, one skeleton failed to hide behind it's bow and was taken out by the force of his silver blade. The creeper approached nervously, but was immediately sliced into two pieces and used a meat shield. More creatures appeared from the forest beyond, but much like the former legion, fell to the mysterious warrior's blades.
Standing slowly while he was distracted, I took towards the cliffs with my chicken in hand. I saw the apple lost from the first day. It had gone brown and white from exposure and the fungus of the dirt. With a sneer, I began to slowly scale the cliff face. The chicken had gone limp in my grip, obviously now dead.
The stranger's pet cat watched me rise, meowing silently, yearning for attention of some kind.
Sweat began to fall heavily from my brow and diminished my sight. I was tired, horribly so, and sleep was a must. Glancing down over my shoulder, I saw the stranger kill the last of the zombies in a stylish fashion. He turned up to where I was about a third of the way up, then frowned before looking me dead in the eyes with a cold glare.
"Bambi! Where ya goin'!?" He almost seemed to laugh at me, but I could hear the malice behind it. Despite the fact he's the only person alike to me that I have ever met, something about him seemed dangerous. His ability to kill so nonchalant put me on edge. "Heh. Fine."
I could hear his slow foot steps. He wasn't wasting time, but he wasn't taking it neither. This was a game, now.
Cat and mouse.
I rose even further. No way he could possibly catch up at this point... right?
The entire cliff face suddenly began to shake violently, something below pounding into it. I lowered to surreptitious look down...
Full-on stones had been forcefully shoved into the cliff in a stair shape. With a twiddle of his fingers, several large boulders flew round his body with easy, like some form of magic! What was he!?
I rose even quicker, arms burning without relent. The cliff even further began to shake, stronger and stronger. Until a final boulder was launched nearly a foot from my hand. I nearly slipped by managed to catch myself. And, in a moment, I was face to face with him. He had climbed up the self-made steps with ease.
"What'cha doin' up 'ere, Bambi?"
"Wh-what are you?"
"Just an adventurer, like you. Only... One who's been doin' it for much long'er." His condescending look struck a cold feeling into my stomach. "So, Bambi -"
"Steve. My name is Steve..."
He smiled and tilted his head, sarcastically, "Steve. So, Steve, here's the deal. I'm sure you have some sort of living arrangement around her. I mean, seriously, what idiot wouldn't?" This one... "So, for saving yer life, all I would like for you to do is put out a bed-an'-bowl for me and Sally, 'ere." The cat was coiled around his thick neck, looking me down with its master.
"Well, I..."
"Then it's decided! Roomy."
"But, I..!"
"Let's go. See ya up top." With the toss of his hand, several more boulders slammed into the cliff side and he hopped up them with a trained ease.
"... You have got to be kidding me..?" And, before I could even consider it, the boulder were removed from the cliff and fell to the ground below, shattering into stone shrapnel. With a deep, tired sigh I continued the rest of the ascension to the top. Upon reaching the edge, a strong hand tossed my back onto grass. I breathed out, completely exhausted.
Never chasing a chicken again...
"Alright! Lead the way. I. Am. Tired!" You don't say..? Any pork chops at home maybe? Or beef? That chicken on the menu tonight?"
"... I have apples."
"Eh? I'm sorry? Sounds like 'ou said ya only got apples." His glare challenged me.
"Well... I have some mushrooms."
"Oh Notch... Seriously? Where the Nether have you been getting' by all this time? Under a big 'ol rock or some'tin?" I didn't even need to say anything, my look gave away the answer... "Ah... Well then, this changes everything."
"So you'll be taking off then?"
"Oh, Nether no. I'm stayin' 'ere. Can't go leavin' no little kid, wet behind the ears, in this messed up world." He was hiding something, I just couldn't pick up on what it was, exactly... "So... Take me to this cave o' yer's, then."
No point trying to get around it, I guess...
Standing I turned and led him back towards my cave. I vaguely remembered where it as located, but enough of the gathering had made it noticeable to both of us.
"So... No name for me to work with then, stranger?"
The question seemed to take him aback a bit, as though he had entirely forgotten to politely introduce himself between carving the zombies like roast and pointing the very blade at me.
"Ah, sorry mate. My name's Nicholai, boy. Best remember it."
"Nicholai?"
"What, got issues with it, 'uh?"
"No, not at all. Just an odd name, is all..."
"Steve is an odd name."
"I suppose..."
"Its a weird name."
He's insulting me now...
"Like that piece of bone that stabs ya in the mouth when eatin' steaks."
Huh?
"Oh yeah, forgot. Stevie's a vegi-man."
"I'm not a vegi-man... Just not cows or pigs."
"Why not?"
"Way I was raised."
"'Ell... Ain't no one out 'ere watchin' 'a now. Eat what's available. Otherwise you'd starve." He had a point, I guess...
"... What you name that under'veloped tree no one wants to tend."
"Ok."
We arrived at my camouflaged cave entrance. Nicholai saw through it in an instant. Brushing past it, he took in the seen in an instant. A skill he must have honed through countless scenes before now.
"This is pathetic." In a nutshell...
All that was in this room was some of my left gear, my stacks of wood, and a pile of thick leaves I had fashioned into a bed. And judged it accordingly.
"How are you still alive?"
"Not sure, anymore."
"Ah. Funny guy. Like that.
… What?
Well. In the morning I'll assist 'ou in makin' a proper home, t'en." From within his pouch he pulled out a shaded white roll. It was quite thick. When he undid the knotting it became undone and folded out into what looked like a sleeping bag of some kind. "I recommend on' of these, by the way. Or at least a real bed. Catch cold usin' leaves."
He layed out on his own near the farther corner of the cave. After dimming my torches, I laid down onto my leaves and draped myself with my cloak. It was warm and I was sleeping in no time... Exhausted...
"STEVE!"
Ugh... No...
"BAMB-IIIIIIIIIE!"
Crap... My eyes snapped open in a strained annoyance. Nicholai was about a feet from my face glaring down with an odd smirk. "... What?"
"... I's mornin', mate."
And that's all the deal... I turned under my cloak and tilted my head to the side, trying to look away and sleep further. There was a loud thump...
"Yee-ow!" Glancing over, Nicholai was sprawled out on the floor, getting himself up. "Man, looks like you's got some skills after all."
"...What?" I didn't do anything...
"Ah? You just swept me off me-h feet! Man, t'at's even better, untapped skills!"
"... What are you even going on about? Let me sleep..."
"... Hm! Fine. You're clearly set on t'is."
"You bet I am." Laying down and relaxing, I just ignored whatever he was talking about. Untapped skills? Yeah, right. That's the definition of me... Totally...
"STEVE!"
"Mother of Notch, what is with-" I swung my head up and immediately came up short when I headbutt Nicholai in the forehead, "gahh!"
He wasn't even in pain...
"Ha ha! That's the att'tude, t'ere mate!"
I shuffled up to my feet with a deep groan. "Fine. Fine, I'm up. What?"
"Well, as I said, it's survival time." Peeking out with one eye, rubbing my forehead with the base of my palm, I was honestly surprised to see how serious Nicholai had become. "You have a lot of wood here which could go to use, and honestly from what I've seen your magical potential sucks."
"My... what? Heh, you're trying to tell me there's a such thing as magic?"
"Of course."
It took me a moment, but it explained the boulders from the other night. "How did you...?"
"T'em boulders? It's magic, the most simple of them. A form of telekin'sis, though you can only lift your personal threshold. Mine is just higher than most. Everyone's varies, jus' don't go tryin' to lift more than you's can handle! When you try to lift a heavy rock you drop it, when you lift a heavy rock it'll tear at y'ur muscles 'emselves."
"Ok... I still don't have any magic."
"Well, you do. Just need to tap into's it! Most magic you get by absorbing it from the monsters you slay."
"... Really?" News to me... Monster slaying was good now?
"O'course! You absorb part of their ess'nce with every kill. An' that ess'nce fuels your latent abilities. Up to you how you holster 'em." He turned to my wood pile. "So, what was ya'z doin' w'it this 'ere wood, 'uh?"
"... A fence."
"Ah!? That's it? That's simple." With a twist of his hand, several chunks of wood lifted. He seemed to breath heavier after activate his so-called magic. The wood was forcefully manipulated into thinner planks and posts. With his other hand he shoved my make shift wall out and slammed the fence posts down into the ground. His breath was unsteady, he was moving too fast! But he didn't stop, and he even grinned when he noticed me grow slightly worried.
Before long it was done. A tall, wooden fence that went across the cave entrance. One section was even broke apart for quick exits and reentries. He began a slow moon walk backwards with a wolfish grin.
"And that. Is how. Ya do-o it!" He smiled, coming to a halt and picking Sally up off the ground. "Ain't that right, Sally? Ain't that right!"
I couldn't but to smile a bit in amazement... Why kind of world have I been missing out on up until now! I had a friend even now, when I couldn't have thought I'd get one! I'm being taught, I will learn...
Maybe this will all be worth it in the end, dad...
"Well. My work here is done."
Huh?
Nicholai suddenly went to leave, his gear together from the start. "W-wait! Aren't you staying? Help me learn, to survive?"
"Why? You seem plenty capable. Besides, I have an agenda."
"Well... I could help you with it, maybe?"
"Ah? Don't even know what it is I may be needin'."
"Well, whatever it is, I need to learn to survive properly. That much is evident!"
He seemed to think about that deeply. "Hm... I guess you's right 'bout that. No point in lat'nt power if ya can't access it. Fine. Pack up this cave, we can return back to it when our task is completed. Not like I have a set home, anyways."
I couldn't help but to smile. "Sweet!"
"Yep. So, get to it then. Anything you don't want getting either accidentally looted or go bad, bring it with you. We can leave soon, t'en." He actually seemed happy about this turn of events.
"Um... If I may ask, what exactly is this 'task' of ours?"
"Oh? We're hunting a man."
"A... Another man?" Why a human? Not a monster? Even a treasure?
"Yes. A relentless Temple Raider. He's cold, and dark. And he stole something very close to me. And I want it back, ASAP."
"Oh... Okay... Do you know his name?"
"No, I don't. But I have a feeling he'll be at a Desert Temple located not too far from here, just a several day hike west."
"Ah, I see." I thought it over. "So... What are we going to do with this... Temple Raider when we do find him?"
He smiled, "why, my quirky little companion. We kill him."
Dang it...