Chapter 8: The Brink of Discovery
Hello again, everyone, and thank you so much for your patience. I know it's been a while, but I've started to wonder why it is that I write. Why I enjoy it. Why I even try. The answer is hard to explain, but one of the big reasons is because it's an adventure for me. When I write, it's almost like exploring another world, watching its inhabitants interact, and just coming along for the ride. I almost forgot how much I truly love the feeling, but I've remembered again. I remember now that I do it because writing these stories makes me feel like there's more beyond what we know. Other worlds out of reach of our own. Again, thank you very much for being so patient with me as I sorted things out, and I'll get back to updating regularly now. Enjoy the chapter!
Kch-kch-kch
Something skittered through the dark cavern system of Kinghill Valley, using its many legs to carry its body through the impenetrable blackness.
Kch-kch-kch
The creature chattered again, snapping its scarlet jaws in annoyance. It was hungry once more, but there was nothing to feed on. No animals. No monsters. No Crafters. It had devoured them all already. It knew it must move on from this place, despite the wonderful network of damp, gloomy caves it had grown fond of. It knew that its hunger was much more important than that. Creeping towards the surface, it made little noises to itself, conversing with the only one it could. It was tired of being lonely. Tired of simply devouring. It needed a companion, hungry though it may be.
The creature shivered, causing its many large, armor-like scales to click together, creating a grating noise. Yes, a companion was just what it needed. Peering up at the sunlight blearily, it squealed, angrily glaring at the brightness. It didn't like sunlight. The warmth, the brightness. At first, the sun hurt it, but that was when it was weak. It had grown stronger since then, and, though it still detested the light, it could bear it without feeling actual pain.
With a raspy hiss, the creature poked its little reptilian head into the sunlight, rapidly curling and uncurling its tail in distaste. Horrible thing, the sun was. One day, it planned on eating the sun, but that event was too far into the future to be concerned about. Its claws clicked against the stone as the creature scuttled across the rocky gash in the earth, then darted up the sides of the rift and leapt out into the open. It needed food first, then it would focus on finding itself a companion. Stretching its long neck for a better view, it gazed around, its vibrant green eyes searching the area like spotlights. A few pigs munching on grass caught its attention, and it scuttled over, paying no attention to the trail of mangled, dead grass and plant life it left behind. It rushed up to the pigs, flashing out with its razor sharp talons. Within moments, all three pigs were nothing but sliced up meat, and the creature feasted, soon soothing its angry stomach.
It could feel another Change coming. Its scales bristled, and the spikes encircling its neck rose into the air at the thought. Yes, a Change would be good. This was going to be a big Change, it could already tell. At least that was something to look forward to. The creature shuddered, already moving on. It had no interest in pondering things or wondering what was to come. What did it matter? Fight, eat, Change, sleep, kill. That was all that had ever interested it. But now, all the sudden, here was this new longing for companionship. Was it part of the Change? No matter. All it cared about at the moment was fulfilling its longing. Whipping its head around to search for possible candidates, it settled on a small hen. Indeed, nothing large was necessary, seeing as the creature itself was only about as large as a sheep.. It hurtled up to the hen, but the poultry startled, scrambling out of the way. Odd. It had never before known patience, and this new concept interested the creature. If it waited, the hen calmed, eventually returning to its mindless task of pecking at the ground for food. Slowly, very slowly, the creature crept up to it.
It had never before used its claws for anything other than gathering its meals, but now it used those same claws to reach out to the hen. Come, animal, it whispered within the confinement of its own head. The hen jerked, then looked up in surprise. Had the hen heard the creature? Suddenly, for the first time, a single question entered the creature's mind.
Come. Uncertain, the hen waddled forward, then quickly backed away. This was new. The creature could feel the Change already beginning as it experienced foreign events. It closed its two eyes for a moment, then returned its attention to the hen. It was getting bored of the hen's resistance. It wasn't used to waiting for anything. It reached out to touch the hen's back, stroking the chicken with its tail. It longed to connect with this small, insignificant hen, but why?
Suddenly, the hen shuddered, and it went through what looked to be a Change. Its eyes darkened into the same beautiful red as the creature's own skin, and feathers suddenly puffed up, giving it a fluffy, yet alarming, look. The creature felt an unknown presence in its mind. Cluck, the presence said. The... chicken? It appeared they had linked minds. The creature felt a sudden happiness, accompanied by a new urge to make sure of the hen's alliance. Sit, hen, it commanded. The hen, whose eyes were suddenly glassy, sat, looking rather odd plopped there on its rump. The other chickens seemed terrified, but the creature couldn't imagine why. This connection, this linking of minds, filled the creature with what felt like true joy for the first time. This was what it was born to do! It could feel it in its bones. The creature's body vibrated violently, then the full effects of the Change ripped through it, shaking it right to its core. It chittered happily.
It was much bigger now, about the size of a cow, and its claws and teeth were suddenly suited for hunting bigger things. Its mind had Changed too, and now it was full of questions and understandings. Was the Changing going to advance more quickly from now on? That's what it felt like. The creature stared down at the chicken, uncaring of the hen's now disturbing appearance, or the way all animals and mobs had suddenly run away. It had a companion, and already its joyful heart was singing more, more, more! It would find more companions, the creature decided, commanding the chicken to follow along behind it.
~Ellie~
New moon had come. And a new moon meant keeping my promise to Peter. I sat on Parsley, waiting impatiently for Peter to make his appearance. Sure enough, his front door swung open, and out he tramped, a stuffed inventory bag at his side. I laughed. "What's in the bag?"
Peter raised a brow mysteriously. "I just have a few errands to run," he replied smoothly. I chuckled. "A few errands? What, buying a new house, are we?" Peter simply snorted, not deigning to answer.
Instead, he hoped on his thoroughbred, Chestnut, who let out an excited whinny. The two trotted up to me, and I motioned with my hand. "Shall we?" Peter, beaming with excitement, nodded his head, and off we set, our horses cantering in unison. As we rode, I caught myself staring at Peter. His glittering emerald eyes, his wind-swept hair, the faint pink on his cheeks as he looked back at me... I flushed, casting my glance towards the road in front of me.
The village wasn't that far away, only a half day's ride, but it was already noon, as I'd had a few patients to take care of that morning. It was refreshing to be able to ride Parsley again, and I grinned over at Peter, who returned the smile, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Once we had been going for a while, I relaxed enough to make small talk with him. I hadn't seen him much lately, due to extra work and a few traumatizing run-ins with a certain someone, so we spent at least an hour catching up and gossiping together. The heavy sound of our horses' hooves created a steady rhythm as we chatted together, and I leaned back in my saddle happily. Peter seemed to be in an especially cheerful mood today, and he constantly cracked jokes, keeping us both shaking with laughter. Time flew, and before we knew it, sundown was already on its way, the sky lighting up with brilliant colors of gold and orange.
A village was looming into view, silhouetted by glorious rays of golden light. I brushed some tangled strands of hair out of my eyes to clear my vision, my cheeks pink from the sun and wind on my face.
"It appears we have arrived," Peter commented in a haughty voice. "Indeed, my good sir," I giggled. We slowed the horses to a stop, and I slid off Parsley, the gravel crunching beneath my boots. "Should we eat first, or visit Mac?" I questioned. Peter thought for a moment. "I say we eat. I'm sure Mac has quite the story to tell, and frankly, I'd rather listen on a full stomach."
"Agreed."
We both took a moment to fish—literally, as Peter pulled out a codfish— food out of our bags and eat it, licking our fingers when we were finished. Then we led the horses to the nearest stable. Peter volunteered to pay the rent fee, and we left the horses in the owner of the stable's care. Mac's house wasn't too far from here, I knew, so I grabbed Peter by the hand, intending to lead him to our friend's house.
Peter blushed furiously, and I quickly let go, my cheeks heating up as I realized what I had done. "This way," I stammered, jogging down the street with Mac's house on it. Hopping up his front steps, I rapped on the front door, and soon, a timid-looking boy with short black hair and freckles opened the door.
"Yes?"
"Hey Mac," I exclaimed brightly. "We were dropping by and just wanted to visit you!"
Mac stared incredulously at us for a moment. "Ellie? Peter?!"
"Hey, bud," Peter piped in. Mac's chubby face slowly spread into a grin, and he through the door open wide, wrapping me and Peter both in a tight hug. "I've missed you," He murmured forlornly. I chuckled. "It hasn't been that long. It's only been a month, really."
"It's felt like forever! So much has happened, I have to tell you. Like, first of all, I'm pretty sure ghosts haunt this town! Like, this paper bag on the road moved on its own! And then, there were, like, three iron ingots I saw lying around and they just disappeared a minute later! Oh, AND—"
"Alright," Peter interrupted, trying not to laugh while obviously exasperated at the same time. "Can we come in? It'd be more comfortable for you to tell us if we were sitting down."
I winced at his blatant words. "Please?" I added. Mac bobbed his head. "Of course, how rude of me," he apologized. We shrugged it off as he led us inside, seating us on a comfortable, squashy blue couch. Then, without pause, he proceeded to tell us about a long list of ordinary things that were apparently evidence for 'ancient spirits.' I was used to this, so I waited patiently for him to finish.
Finally, he paused to take a breath, and his eyes somehow widened even more than they had been a minute ago. "I saw Herobrine."
I glanced at Peter, who was fighting a grin. Pursing my lips, I quickly turned away so I wouldn't end up bursting out laughing. Seeing our reactions, Mac huffed. "I really did! He screamed 'Boo!' at me and then disappeared!"
Peter's shoulders began to shake as he tried not to laugh. I personally already knew Herobrine was very much real, but the very idea of that terrifying demon screaming 'boo' at anyone was a bit much for even me. I took a calming breath, determined not to laugh. Crossing his arms, our friend pouted, which only resulted in the two of us letting loose. "You guys!" He protested. "I... I can't help it," i wheezed, choking on my own laughter. Peter was brushing away tears as he straightened up. "If you really saw Herobrine, you know you wouldn't have lived to tell the tale, right?"
I frowned. I'd seen him, but I knew Peter still didn't really believe me. He had just been being nice to soothe me. I need to prove it to him sometime, I decided. But that could wait for later. Mac was sputtering in protest. "I... I really did see him! And— AND guess what?! He's been possessing the animals to act all cuckoo! I can even show you one!"
Peter paused. "You can? Right now?" He asked skeptically. I was equally suspicious. Really? Possessed animals? Mac nodded. "Grab your swords and come with me!"
Our swords?!
We obeyed, following Mac out the door as he led us to an open, grassy field with a small herd of pigs huddled together. I glanced at Peter, who was smirking. "Just wait," he mouthed. I snickered.
Mac gestured at the animals. "Go and see for yourselves, but be really careful," he warned. I scoffed. Then one of the pigs, a big boar, looked at me, snorting and twitching its head back and forth. The animal's reddish eyes bore into me, and without my wishing it, an image of a crazed, sick Enderman flashed before my eyes. I stumbled backwards as Peter swore. "Holy Phantoms, what's wrong with it?!" Mac lifted his head. "Possessed, like I said," he huffed. I shook my head slowly. "I don't think so..."
Mac glared at me. "What do you mean?! I provided— WATCH OUT, IT'S CHARGING!" The boar was charging, its plump body jiggling as its stubby hooves carried it forth. I slid to the side as Peter brought his sword down on the creature with enough strength to have finished it off in one blow. Instead of dying, however, it squealed furiously, ignoring the damage done to its thick hide.
"Reeeeeeeeet!"
"What the— it's just a pig," Peter cried, slashing to finish it off. It took three more blows before the pig vanished in a puff of white smoke. A pile of moist, raw meat was left behind, but none of us wanted it. "Leave it for the zombies," Peter muttered. I nodded in agreement as he tucked his sword away. The wind blew the last of the smoke away, and I turned to Mac. "I think we've seen enough."
The other pigs were starting to eye us, all with that same unnatural focus, and Mac hurriedly agreed. "Back home, then." We followed him as shadows began to grow as the sunlight diminished. Many villagers were already inside, and a few last straggling Crafters were packing up their things to go home.
The moment we were in Mac's house, Peter let out a flood of questions. "What was wrong with it?! Why didn't it die at first?! I had a diamond sword! Why was it so aggressive?!" Mac held up a hand, a I-told-you-so expression on his face. "Only one explanation: Herobrine." Peter shook his head, but now it looked like he was having second thoughts. I kept silent. Mac wouldn't believe my story even if I told him, no matter how gullible he was.
As the boys continued to argue about the 'evidence,' I began carefully reviewing the encounter with the Enderman. Did the Enderman and the pig have the same sickness? It would make sense. Unnaturally aggressive, that creepy twitchiness, the unblinking stare. If Herobrine and I had tried to face the Enderman, would we have been killed? Was it unnaturally tough, too, or did the boar just happen to be extra powerful? Or... a new thought crept into my mind. Had Herobrine possessed it and made it chase us in order for him to gain my trust? I narrowed my eyes. In the caverns, he had seemed genuinely afraid, and it wouldn't make sense for him to repeatedly attempt murdering me, only to have a sudden change of heart. But then again, he had seemed to know what was going on. What had really happened back there? I had a feeling I was on the edge of uncovering something big. I just needed a little help. A little push. I needed someone who knew more.
I bit my lip. Would it end up being a suicide mission? Possibly. But something very wrong was going on here, and I needed to find out what it was, even if it meant finding Herobrine.
"Ay, Ellie, what's bothering you?" Peter's voice ripped me out of my thoughts, and I flinched, my gaze flicking over to him. "Nothing!" Peter squinted. "You sure? You look really pale."
"It must just be the lighting," I lied. Pete shrugged. "Alright."
The rest of the evening was spent talking to Mac and making plans for tomorrow. I had a lot of things to do here, and I only had three days to get it all done. It would be a busy next three days for sure, but I could do it.
Mac kindly lent us his couch and the guest room to sleep in, which me and Pete fought over. I finally agreed to sleep on the couch when he made a sarcastic remark about me needing to sleep like a princess. While I could've argued about that, I was tired and I had too much to think about to feel like pushing the squabble any further.
For hours after the house had fallen quiet, I lay awake, puzzling through my jumbled thoughts. Haunting images of the Enderman kept me up long past midnight, and when I finally fell asleep, it was to nightmares of white-eyed demons and grasping, coal-black claws reaching for me as I drowned in a sea of lava.
So I actually wrote this while listening to Alpha and then Kyoto. Turns out, I really like C418's songs. Over the past few months, I've forgotten how music can inspire me. Well, have a nice day, read, review, do whatever makes you happy, and be sure not to mistake slime for lemon jello!
-Mirror
