First and foremost, many things in this chapter were created by other users. Continue to the bottom to see credit. I did not make everything here.
And now for something else.
I have decided to withdraw my statement of this being my last story. I will continue to work on the site. This still means that Tales of Anascentia will be cancelled, but feel free to make any stories you want with it (just let me know in advance). Go to my profile to see what I have planned for the future! Also, I have uploaded a poll asking for your favorite character in The Diamond Compass. Why don't you drop by and give your input?
Yet again, I do not own Minecraft. Review if you like what you see.
A familiar scent was floating through the air. It was a strange, peculiar scent that was strange in the sense that it had never been sensed before. Frank would smell this scent and remember it yet know that he had never encountered it before. Serenade was the same way except that she was pinpointing the last time she had encountered such a mystical scent.
The sky was cloudy as the sand sea slowly transitioned from the peach color of the sediment to a massive plain of complete obsidian. No hills were seen for miles and the forthcoming rain didn't help the atmosphere one bit. Yet they pressed on, Frank keeping the lead despite suffering from a headache brought on by the split in his personalities.
Serenade kept watch on the duo's surroundings to make sure they weren't being watched, "So… What do you think this blade is like? The Obsidian Magma Blade? Where is it anyway?"
"Garfunkel already said," Frank said and pulled out his gun, firing a few bullets blankly at the ground, "The sword is somewhere in these plains. If we keep searching then we'll find it. The Obsidian Flats aren't the largest location in the world so we shouldn't have to strain too much."
"It would be a hell ton easier if you hadn't shot Orobas," Serenade scoffed.
This didn't hurt Frank emotionally in the slightest way. He just kept walking, shooting at random points; reloading his gun carefully; and then shooting wildly again. Finally he holstered it and crouched down, looking at the exact line where the ground met the sky.
Serenade crouched beside him, "What do you see?"
"Nothing. Just like this place is known for." Frank began walking again.
"Yeah, speaking of which," Serenade felt a bit uneasy in such a jarring location, "What is the history of this place? Did somebody just make a desert of obsidian? It disturbs me for some reason that I've never heard or seen this place before."
"The story goes that during the lifespan of the Thaumaturgists, one such screwed up badly and caused this complete mayhem to form the Obsidian Flats. The man disappeared and now we have this desolate little place. Interesting, eh? How one man can go ahead and make an entirely new terrain himself by accident? Gives a whole new meaning to 'man-made," Frank explained. He really did take interest in this type of history despite never delving into it like other philosophers would at his age.
Serenade stopped, "Thaumaturgists? Never heard that term before."
"Then I reckon you never heard of Thaumcraft before either," Frank began yet again, "It was a rare practice amongst users that required the use of minerals, elements found in the ground itself, and complicated construction. Not many were able to get too far into the subject but those who did were referred to as 'Thaumaturgists'; practitioners of Thaumcraft. That make sense? The man who created the Obsidian Flats screwed up with Thaumcraft and made this mess by himself."
While it was a lot to take in about a part of the world that Serenade never wandered into too often, she did begin to understand it bit by bit. Frank's little lesson began to become more realistic as the two continued their trek across the black surface. The only sound was their breathing and feet against the cold stone.
The sounds became more agonizing every second.
Every single minute.
Bang.
"What was that for?" Serenade asked.
Frank held out his gun, watching as a slight burst of smoke trailed from the mouth, "Had to break the silence. It makes me go crazy every now and then."
So they kept walking with gunshots being fired every minute or so. It wasn't the sound that was getting to Serenade; rather, it was the fact that Frank was wasting precious ammo at a consistent rate. By the time they actually got to where they would need to go, he would be out and they would be left to fend without proper weapons.
"You don't fight, do you?" Frank asked randomly.
"Huh? Do I look like a fighter?" Serenade commented on her shape.
"Not really. Just expected the daughter of the great moderator to be a bit more on the defensive side. Even if your defensive you should know how to handle a weapon of some sort," Frank said, spinning his gun around on his index finger.
Then the diamond sword came back into thought. Serenade didhave a weapon but gave it away freely to the man she loved for a mere day. Could things have been different if she hadn't given Sabre_Mace the sword and she had kept it instead? "Probably not," She thought out loud, "That squid in the sewers would have completely destroyed us if he was weaponless."
"What're you rambling on about now?" Frank asked.
Serenade's face turned red, "N-Nothing."
"Whatever. Looks like something is ahead," Frank said and began to pick up his pace. The two began to run ahead, crossing over the massive environement before falling backwards as a large wave of lava flew up from the ground. It went a meter or two into the air before crashing down. Frank was just inches away from coming into contact with the melted substance.
As he got back to his feet and retained composure, Frank approached the place that the lava had just shot out of. Upon further inspection, there was finally a change in landscape – a small pond of lava was the cause of the burst. Serenade walked around the puddle and continued walking before noticing that that wasn't the only pond of lava around them.
"Damn, looks intense," Frank remarked after noticing a field of lava holes littered around the Obsidian Flats in front of them, "At least we're getting somewhere now. If we're searching for the Obsidian Magma Blade and we've already come across lava and obsidian, then we've definitely come to the right place. Now it all comes down to figuring out what to do next."
"Well, let's think about it a bit," Serenade said, pacing around on the obsidian ground, "We're surrounded by obsidian, so there's that. But the sword is called the Obsidian MagmaBlade, not the Obsidian Lava Blade. Magma is usually underground, not above. Perhaps we're not looking deep enough?"
This made perfect sense to Frank, who immediately took that into account and began walking quickly around the puddles and ponds of lava. Since Serenade was correct, there would have to be an opening of some sort eventually, especially since they were already reaching the outer boundaries of the flats once again.
"There's nothing like an opening around here," Frank shouted angrily.
"Calm down, we'll find something if we look harder," Serenade said calmly and took another step beside a pond of lava.
The obsidian block sunk slightly.
Serenade fell over onto her side and called for Frank's help.
Frank ran right over and tried to help her up but pressed down on the block even more. Eventually the lava from the pond began to seep onto the lowered block just as Frank moved Serenade out of the way.
The block was covered with lava almost instantly, but that wasn't the profound moment that intrigued the pair – it was what happened afterwards. The block to the side of the block that was just covered with lava caught on fire and began burning furiously. It disappeared and a loud, ear-shattering rumble shook Serenade's and Frank's body.
All of the blocks around them began to slowly collapse into the ground, much like an inverted pyramid. The entirety of the Obsidian Flats was sinking with Frank and Serenade right in the middle of it. All of the lava ponds began to flow down toward the bottom, where a single block was placed at the lowest point. When the lava reached there, that block melted as well and the lava flowed right through.
"What just happened?" Serenade was awe-struck.
"Looks like those were decoy blocks," Frank thought and noticed a metal doorway on western side of the obsidian hills, "And we happened to be incredibly lucky to learn that. Let's see if we can move on from here with just as much ease."
Frank approached the metal door and opened it by simply pushing on it, something that he had never encountered with a metal door before. Serenade followed closely behind as they descended into the depths of the underground. Torches were placed along the walls as the stone steps kept taking them further into these seemingly ancient cobblestone hallways. They were incredibly narrow with spiders and cobwebs at almost every corner.
After walking down several hundred feet into the unknown depths of the underbelly of the Obsidian Flats, a double door stood in Frank and Serenade's path. Once it was pushed open, Frank stepped out and nearly fainted from where they had arrived. It was a magnificent lake of lava spanning miles to his right and left. A long cobblestone bridge stood in front of him, about fifteen blocks wide all the way down. The bridge connected the cave that Frank and Serenade had just exited from to what looked like a cross between a castle and a pyramid made completely of bedrock. A waterfall of lava flowed from the ceiling high above into the lake.
"Something tells me we're supposed to be here," Frank commented and began to walk across the bridge. Bubbles of magma would burst all around Frank and Serenade while they crossed over the cobblestone bridge, causing small fires to start on the bridge before completely disappearing.
Frank kept his gun in hand as they approached the castle. He pointed it forward and stepped slowly forward, keeping Serenade behind him in case anything was to leave at that very moment.
"Looks like we're safe," Frank said and calmed a bit at the front of the castle.
"Who built this castle?" Serenade wondered aloud, "It's almost unbearable to even walk down here. Imagine building an entire castle in these conditions!"
The temperature was incredibly hostile in the lower underground. With lava beginning a primary surrounding, it seemed literally impossible to do anything in such a scenario. No mobs were seen able to exist in these conditions, giving off an eerie sense of loneliness.
"Well, shall we?" Frank said and reached for the massive Redstone doors.
"No, you shall not." A voice shouted from above.
Frank, with his gun still in hand, aimed it above and pulled the trigger randomly. His bullet flew through the air before hitting the ceiling far above and disappearing. He looked down, still holding his gun carefully, while a figure jumped from atop the castle and landed perfectly on the bridge. This man was covered in complete silver except for his head where he had several different pairs of eyes on all sides of his head – red on the front, yellow on the back, blue on the left, and green on the right. He just stared for a second before taking a few steps forward.
Frank put his hand in front of Serenade and walked toward the stranger carefully, his gun lowered, "Did you just say that? Do you live here? What's your name?"
The stranger's eyes began to flash different colors before his red eyes returned to the front, "I'm sorry but no one else is allowed down here. This is my Bedrock Temple; my sanctuary of peace and prosperity. Having others down here will only tarnish said prosperity and make me angry. Trust me, I'm never angry."
"Who are you?" Frank asked again.
"Call me Tripwire if that helps," the man said and put his palms together in front of him, making his fingers into a circular shape and pointing toward Serenade and Frank, "Now leave."
Frank and Serenade stood their ground, although uncertain.
They immediately regret it.
A light blue light began to radiate from Tripwire's hands. It gradually expanded before completely consuming his entire body. It remained that way for a few seconds before minimizing to a smaller sphere shape with mist surrounding it. It looked like Earth in some way except for the lack of the green landmasses.
"Then stand and die," Tripwire said and held the blue ball out in front of him. It began to shine again before letting out a deafening piercing sound. The ball transformed into an incredibly massive laser that shot towards the castle at great speeds. Frank and Serenade leaped to the sides, just barely missing the large laser and keeping their lives, "Well, that was disappointing."
Frank stood up and pointed his gun again, "What the hell kind of stunt was that? We've done nothing to you!" He looked over at where the laser had collided with the castle but noticed that no mark was left. It had seemed like nothing had been there at all, "And how did you not completely demolish
this thing?"
Tripwire put his hands behind him and walked towards the castle doors, "Interesting."
"What?" Frank asked.
"You didn't even wonder where I had developed the ability to use a laser. Fascinating. Everyone that has ever crossed my path would ask that before I shot them dead," Tripwire held out his right hand and charged up another blue ball, "That one I just used was much more powerful than your typical laser. This one is probably much weaker but I'm considering sparing you now."
Serenade stood up and grabbed Frank's arm, "Let's get outta here! This dude is insane!"
Frank pushed her off, "No way. This seems like it would be a proper location for the Obsidian Magma Blade."
The attention of Tripwire went off as he twitched his head over to Frank, "Astaroth's Bane? Why in the world are you looking for such a treasure?"
"Astaroth's Bane?" Serenade looked over at Tripwire.
The stranger coughed and looked out across the bridge, "So you're here for Astaroth's Bane. Haven't had visitors in quite a while. The last one to get here was killed instantly but, well, I've moved on."
"We're not looking for this Astaroth's Bane," Frank sighed and grabbed Serenade's arm, "Come on, let's get going."
"But wait!" Tripwire shouted, "It is what you are looking for!"
"Shut it. We're done here," Frank shouted back.
Tripwire kneeled down and pressed the blue sphere into the ground. He then shot into the air, sailing over Frank and Serenade. He landed in front of them and stood up instantly, "The sword that can burn anything and everything, yes it is here! The name has been spread around as the Obsidian Magma Blade as a riddle. I didn't want people to be completely oblivious to the location of it. The name that you know it by is simply so that people can actually attempt to get here. You two seem different than most, though. Not something that I see often."
"Then what does Astaroth's Bane mean?" Serenade asked.
"There was an Endersend by the name of Astaroth that I had brought down. He was known as one of the strongest Endersend out there so this victory was something I would want to cherish forever. I crafted his powers into a sword of unimaginable power that no one has ever had the ability to retrieve. Are you two going to change my mind about that?" Tripwire asked. He seemed like he wantedthem to find the blade.
Yet again, Frank declined and went for the exit.
Just as they were about to ascend the steps to the above ground, Serenade escaped from Frank's grasp and went back to Tripwire, who was shocked by her return.
"Serenade!" Frank shouted angrily.
"Tell me," Serenade approached Tripwire, "That power that you have… What is it? You say laser but I say bullshit. What is it exactly?"
Tripwire looked over at Frank, who was returning as well, "That laser was a result of Thaumcraft."
That name rang a bell. Serenade and Frank recalled back to their discussion prior to descending downwards. Frank had explained that the Obsidian
Flats was formed by a Thaumcraft experiment gone wrong. What did that mean for this man?
"Thaumcraft, you say?" Frank began, "You're a Thaumaturgist?"
Tripwire nodded, "The last."
"I don't believe it."
Tripwire formed yet another blue ball, "How do you explain this?"
Frank had already lost.
"This is something that not many Thaumaturgists have practiced before. The power to create weapons or magic out of thin air has been the most dangerous practice since Thaumcraft could only reach its full potential if the proper equipment were utilized. Sadly, I lost my equipment long ago in a terrible accident and that led me to becoming one with the practice," Tripwire said and formed a green and then red ball, "I am basically Thaumcraft in the flesh. It's how I was able to craft Astaroth's Bane and make it the most powerful weapon in the world."
"So wait a second," Frank became confused, "You made this weapon and began to make it more well-known so people would come down here and then you would kill them?"
"You make it sound worse than it really is. Nobody has ever been able to retrieve Astaroth's Bane since it is located deep within the Bedrock Castle. Getting to the castle is the first step while getting through it is the second. If they can't complete the first, how could they possibly continue to the second? I merely test them to see if they are capable of getting the sword. Whenever we fought, they would always stand their ground which is why they've always ended up dying," Tripwire shot the green and red balls to the side, making a laser shoot out to the far walls, "It's also my plan to keep it away from Eligos."
"Eligos?" Serenade echoed.
"Or does he still go by Obsidian666?"
This news came as a shocker to Frank and Serenade. They walked over to the side of the bridge and leaned against its railing, "Obsidian666 is really called Eligos?" Serenade wanted to be sure.
"He changed it to that in case anyone from the real world was capable of understanding what he really was," Tripwire leaned against the railing with the others, "He may seem like a normal user when, in actuality, he is a virus that has corrupted Anascentia."
"A virus?" Frank was incredibly confused, "How the hell do you know all of this?"
"Because I'm from the Tech Apocalypse and, sadly, I'm one of the few who are aware of what it is."
"Tech Apocalypse?" Serenade recalled back to all the times that she had heard that term before, primarily when Exile attacked Sabre_Mace in the sewers.
Tripwire nodded and began to walk back to the castle, "If you are unaware, then remain that way. I'd hate to have your mind deteriorate into nothing. I've seen that happen to many times, primarily to my now deceased fellow Thaumaturgists, but no more. Are you going to go for Astaroth's Bane or shall you turn back now?"
The trio was suddenly interrupted by the presence of another figure. He appeared at the other side of the bridge, standing outside the double doors in a black trench coat. He had short, black hair with a large scar stemming from his left eye. He stared at Tripwire with eyes full of agony.
Slowly he stepped forward before removing a black handle from his waist underneath the trench coat. He swung the handle once and a white and red claymore erupted from its end. It was massive with various designs etched into it. Several spikes were placed into its flat sides. It looked incredibly heavy but the man carried it with ease.
"Sir Tripwire," the man said and swung the claymore, "Thaumcraft was categorized as extinct long ago. I expect it to remain that way. It's like having a government fall only for a king to still exist."
Tripwire formed a yellow ball and blasted it at the man, who dodged to the side, "Who are you to threaten my well being?"
The man remained in place, looking down, before looking up and staring at Tripwire angrily again, "My name is Octagon, sir, and Thaumcraft must remain dead."
"Ah, I see," Tripwire chuckled, "You desire the extinction of Thaumcraft when it is the very practice that led to the creation of Astaroth's Bane, which is what you are after. Is that it? You're not here to bring extinction. You are merely here for the sword. Now why do you want the sword?"
Octagon ran toward Tripwire and stabbed the claymore towards the Thaumaturgist. He barely dodged out of the way and nearly fell over the side of the bridge.
"My reasons are to remain to myself," Octagon held the tip of his sword to Tripwire's neck, "You're death shall serve greatly in the restoration of Anascentia."
"Ha, I get it," Tripwire kicked Octagon off and formed another blue ball, "You're here for Eligos, am I right? How absurd. That man cannot be trusted at all. He is completely insane."
"You're just angry because he didn't trust you when you joined."
"That isn't relevant to anything, Octagon," Tripwire shot the blue ball at Octagon, who rolled out of the way again, "Leave at once with your life. I won't allow you to go any further if you are working for that mad man."
Octagon sighed and snapped his fingers. A few seconds later an army of rebels began to file into the area, carrying all sorts of weapons. They rallied behind Octagon, who held the flat side of his sword to his chest. He smiled and pointed the sword to Tripwire, "Mad man? You just insulted every single one of us. Prepare to die."
Then it made sense to Serenade.
She jumped in front of Tripwire before he could proceed to killing Tripwire, "You're Octagon!"
"Move aside."
"You know SunRose then, right?"
Octagon remained still, shaken by the name.
"And Garfunkel?"
Anger was building up inside of him.
"And Sabre_Mace?"
He couldn't contain it anymore. He sliced the sword horizontally, missing Serenade. She fell backwards while Frank jumped in front of her, his gun cocked and ready to fire at Octagon.
"You know Sabre_Mace and the rest?" Frank was surprised.
"I'm surprised you know them," Octagon said and approached Frank, "You shouldn't be associated with those bastards. They oppose Lord Eligos and wish only for the world to continue in suffering. They only want The Diamond Compass so that Eligos can be destroyed and Anascentia can be the horrid wasteland that it has always been. Things could change but you won't allow us to continue."
Frank pushed the mouth of the gun to Octagon's neck, "You are sick. I've encountered rebels before and they are working for a pointless cause."
"Pointless? Not even close." Octagon said and pressed the handle of his claymore to Frank's chest. He pushed him back and approached both Serenade and Frank as they remained on the ground.
"Pointless in every way possible," Frank growled.
Octagon smirked, "That is no way to talk to a Noble Horseman."
A large beam of light shot through the air and collided with Octagon. He flew to the side of the bridge and fell to his stomach while the other rebels stood and watched. Tripwire slowly approached them, charging up multiple lasers with a don't-mess-with-me look on his face.
"You two," Tripwire said and prepared to shoot down the entire army of rebels, "Hurry and find Astaroth's Bane. I'll take care of them. Now that I understand who you truly are, I can trust you. These men, however, must be stopped. Hurry and go!"
Frank nodded and got to his feet. He got Serenade up and they began sprinting towards the castle. They reached the massive front doors and tried desperately to open them but they wouldn't budge, "Damn it! They won't open, Tripwire!" Frank cried.
A large green light shot through the army, sending most rebels to their sides and some into the magma below the bridge. He turned around and cursed to himself while the rebels got back to their feet. Octagon got up as well and dashed past Tripwire, heading toward Frank and Serenade.
"Frank!" Serenade shrieked after noticing Octagon approach.
"I'll kill both of you!" Octagon hissed.
"Don't you dare," Frank shouted, sending his left foot on a collision course with Octagon's chin, "Threaten Serenade. Doing that will only ensure that you end up in the Nether." Frank began kicking Octagon repeatedly in the stomach and sides before beating him on the neck with his gun. The Redstone Rebel fell over, half-awake but slowly losing consciousness.
Frank went back to helping Serenade push open the door. Finally, it began to budge slightly. The other side was dark but still gave hope to the two of them. After a bit more pushing, they finally could get inside. They slipped through the small crack between doors and looked back at Tripwire as he continued fighting.
"Go!" Tripwire shouted before shooting another laser. Multiple more rebels were defeated.
The doors shut with a loud THUD.
The room was completely dark to Frank and Serenade.
But they had each other.
There were quite a few rebels who carried shotguns with them. Those few stepped forward and began shooting at Tripwire, who was able to dodge them with ease. He continued to move out of the way of nearly every attack that the rebels launched at him while charging up another pair of lasers, this time both of them black.
He began to circle the group of rebels, slowly grouping them together into a bunch. Once this was accomplished, he used one ball to shoot over top of them and the other to actually attack from above. The group scattered almost instantly, with most of them finally dead.
As Tripwire landed, the remaining rebels all pulled out large gold swords. They began to slowly approach and taunt Tripwire, who was standing still and calm. He formed a green ball and then a blue ball. Once these were formed, he crafted them into a large sword, one unlike any seen before. It looked beautiful, like a hazardous plant with blue veins running through it.
"Let this battle end, my disturbed friends," Tripwire shouted and began to bash on the swords of the rebels. They began to break repeatedly while each of the rebels collapsed to the ground. They were no match for Tripwire. Not even close.
The last of the rebels were finally defeated. The bridge was covered in the bodies of those that had attempted to overcome Tripwire. He sighed and began to deconstruct the sword he had crafted when a large amount of dirt and dust began to rain from above. The shouts and cries of more rebels echoed through the stairwell and to the bridge, where Tripwire gulped loudly and stood his ground.
"Good luck," Tripwire uttered in memory of Frank and Serenade. As more rebels began to arrive at the bridge, Tripwire formed another ball and shot himself over to the center of the group, his sword ready to pulverize those confused over right and wrong.
He was scared of death for the first time here.
CREDIT:
I'd like to give 100% credit to Curtisimo for the involvement of Thaumcraft into the story, including the origin of the Obsidian Flats.
I'd like to give 100% credit to LightvsDark99 for Tripwire, the Obsidian Flats, AND the Obsidian Magma Blade.
While I merely combined these ideas, these two users helped to make my story better and I'm eternally grateful. Why not go ahead and give them a review or two? I'm sure they'd appreciate it.