Separated

Chapter 25: Tomb Trouble

Xephos continued to chase after Honeydew, nearly slipping in the freshly-formed mud twice. He followed the Dwarf through a patch of trees and up a small hill. Honeydew was standing at the top, holding a hand over his eyes as he tried to squint past the thick torrent of rain. Unable to stop, the Spaceman slipped and stumbled before Honeydew grabbed the back of his collar. Xephos looked down to see a sudden forty foot drop, a small pool of water near the base of the cliff. If Honeydew hadn't caught him, he would have fallen straight off the edge.

"Thanks, friend." Xephos said, taking a few steps back after Honeydew let him go. The Dwarf gave a simple nod in return before both turned their attention back towards the dragon ahead of them, hearing Tinman's metallic movements coming up from behind. The lava pouring from the dragon statue's mouth lit up the area around it slightly, revealing that the molten material fell into black, churning waters below. Directly in front of the stone structure was an ocean, its end nowhere in sight on the horizon. Lightning flashed again, this time striking one of the dragon's obsidian scales along its back.

"Wow, did you see that?" Honeydew asked in amazement, pointing over to where he'd seen the lightning hit. Xephos just gave a nod before a sudden gust of wind blew past them, threatening to blow both of them off the cliff. Xephos held his footing until the wind died away again.

"We need to find some shelter for the night!" He yelled over the rain. Thunder sounded as lightning struck the ocean before them, somewhere near the foggy horizon far in the distance. Honeydew had to hold his iron helm atop his head to keep it from getting blown off as he looked over towards the Spaceman.

"Where? I don't see anything! Just a cliff and an empty field!" He called back, referring to the grassy field between the cliff they were on and the sea ahead of them. Xephos mentally cursed before he felt Tinman tap his shoulder again. He looked behind him to see the robot pointing at something off to their left, his single exposed eye glowing bright in the darkness. The Spaceman faced forward and looked where Tinman had been pointing, Honeydew trying his best to see as well. At first, all they saw was rain and darkness until lightning lit up the world once more. This time it revealed the domed building Xephos had noticed earlier. It sat a little ways off the shoreline, a large sandstone bridge connecting it to land. The building itself also appeared to be made of sandstone, much like the buried structure they had just been at over by the desert. The illumination from the lightning died away in an instant, barely giving the two heroes time to even process that it had even been there. Still, Xephos knew the general direction they had to head towards now, and that was all he needed. The Spaceman glanced down over the cliff before he took a few steps back, Honeydew noticing him do so.

"What're you doing?" He asked. Instead of replying, Xephos only entered a stance that showed he was about to break off into a sprint. The Dwarf's eyes widened in shock and minor horror as he tried to grab his friend as he ran by, only missing by an inch. Xephos ran and jumped off the cliff, entering a dive as he disappeared over the edge.

"No!" Honeydew ran closer to the edge and peered over, expecting to see Xephos' body crumpled and broken far below. Instead, all he saw was a ripple in the pool of water near the base of the cliff, and Xephos emerged a few seconds later. He swam over towards land before he looked up at Honeydew and Tinman, giving a wave and signaling for both to come down after him.

"It's plenty deep enough, trust me!" Honeydew could barely hear his friend's voice over the dull thud of rain all around them. Honeydew looked over the edge again, judging the distance between himself and the water. He gulped and took a calming breath, backing up and doing the same as Xephos had. After a moment of mentally preparing himself, the Dwarf took off in a sprint and jumped off the edge, beginning to fall fast towards the ground. After what felt like an eternity for Honeydew, he felt himself splash down into water. He let himself sink a few feet before he propelled himself up towards the surface, hand on his head to keep his helmet steady again. He took a breath and looked around, noticing Xephos waiting for him over on solid land. The Dwarf swam over, struggling a bit with his heavy armor, before the Spaceman helped him out of the water.

"Why do you keep scaring me like that?" Honeydew asked, giving Xephos a slight glare. "I thought you suddenly tried to kill yourself!"

"Well, I'm alive, aren't I?" Xephos responded, giving his friend a joking smile. In return he received a splash of water to the face, Honeydew having scooped up some with his helmet. The Spaceman sputtered and wiped his face as Honeydew looked up towards the top of the cliff again.

"I don't think Tinman's coming." He said, pointing upwards. Xephos looked up to see the robot peering over the edge down at them, his metallic grey skin barely visible in the dense storm. He seemed to shift uncomfortably.

"I don't think he likes the water." Xephos concluded. He turned and began to walk in the general direction he'd seen the sandstone structure. "Oh well, he'll catch up. C'mon, let's get into that building we saw already. I'm soaking wet and freezing."

"I suppose you're right." Honeydew replied, giving Tinman one last look before he turned and ran after his friend. After he'd caught up, both heroes began to run towards the sandstone structure, hindered only by a few zombies and giant spiders that had heard them sloshing through the wet grass. All foes were quickly cut down, however, and both Xephos and Honeydew could see the building just ahead of them now, dim torchlight now visible through the upstairs windows. Xephos stopped when he heard Honeydew cry out in surprise behind him, followed by a sharp hiss of pain. The Spaceman turned to see his old friend fending off a creeper, a deep red slash now across the explosive creature's body. It hissed again as Honeydew swung his pick into its skull. The creeper then fell over, dead, before another one came out from the fog to take its place.

Xephos ran back and grabbed Honeydew by the arm before pulling him into the water, thinking it faster to swim to the entrance rather than go around and take the bridge. Honeydew followed without question, the second creeper beginning to swim with its stubby legs after them. The two heroes quickly made their way to the door and climbed onto the end of the bridge, Honeydew already removing his crossbow from his bag again. With swift aim he struck the creeper in the head, the monster giving one last cry before it sank below the dark water's surface. Both heroes took a moment to catch their breath before they stood and headed inside, both out of the bone chilling rain at last.

The inside of the sandstone structure was small and circular. More odd runes were written all along the walls, very similar to the markings they had seen at the building by the desert. The room was dimly lit by a few dying torches, some areas of the room pitch black and not lit up at all. In the center of the lower floor sat an odd fountain, something that looked to be a giant throne directly above it on the second floor. Stairs led up to the upper area to their left, a few steps looking as if they were about to crumble away to dust. The entire building looked that way, in fact. Xephos slipped his coat off and began to wring water from it, not caring if it got wrinkled afterwards, as Honeydew started to look around.

"Oh my gods. Xephos, come look at this." Honeydew suddenly spoke up. Xephos slipped his trench coat back on and walked over towards his friend. Honeydew was looking down at an old coffin. The condition of the wood showed that it had been there for ages. Xephos fell in beside Honeydew and looked down at it, a nameplate barely visible in the bad lighting.

RIP Professor Grizwald

"Professor Grizwald!? Here?" Xephos asked in amazement. Professor Grizwald was a household name in Minecraftia. The famous archeologist was credited for many historic findings, his most famous discovery a long lost diamond mine of an ancient people, its contents still rich with both diamonds and other valuable gems. However, Professor Grizwald had gone missing on one of his adventures many years ago, and he was never found. The two heroes had never expected to find his grave here, of all places.

"I can't believe it. We've found Professor Grizwald's tomb!" Honeydew exclaimed, looking around the room again. "Or is it his tomb? Perhaps he was buried here by chance."

"Yeah, perhaps." Xephos replied. The two then headed up the stairs to the second floor, deciding to wait out the storm up there rather than on the ground level. The upstairs was empty save for the odd sandstone throne and large, arch-shaped windows that made up most of the wall. Xephos and Honeydew walked over to see the dragon statue a little ways down the shoreline, brightly lit up due to the lava flowing from its jaws. Xephos then gave a heavy sigh and sat down, leaning back against the wall as Honeydew did the same. Silence filled the room for a few long minutes, the only sounds the storm outside and the occasional crackle of fire from one of the torches. It sounded as though the torrent of rain had finally begun to die down, but it was still too hard to tell.

Honeydew looked over towards Xephos, who had his eyes closed and arms folded over his chest again. The poor man looked exhausted; not just from the long day behind them, but from other stressful events besides that. Honeydew frowned again, noticing the Spaceman's head rolled to the side. He couldn't tell if his friend was asleep or not.

"Xephos?" He whispered. "You awake, pal?"

After a second, Xephos opened his eyes and glanced over towards the Dwarf. "Yeah, I'm awake. What do you want?"

"What's really been bothering you?" Honeydew asked. After a brief pause, he continued. "Don't try and lie to me again, Xephos. Anyone who knows you can see that you haven't been acting like yourself, and I know you better than anyone."

Xephos just looked at the Dwarf for a moment, who simply stared back in return, waiting for his answer. There was a long pause before Xephos sat up straight, lightning flashing outside again. Honeydew blinked and rubbed one of his eyes. For a moment there, it had appeared that Xephos' stern expression had changed with the lightning flash. Although half of his face had been shaded out, it looked as though the lit half had been twisted into a sinister grin, and for a brief moment Honeydew thought he saw his eye glowing red. However, the lightning faded and Xephos looked like he had been, looking back at his friend with an emotionless stare. The Dwarf dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"I…I really don't want to talk about it, Honeydew." He said after a moment, his gaze falling away again. Honeydew noticed his friend grip his right arm apprehensively. He had seen Xephos do this many times out of habit, and he only did it when – whether the Spaceman wanted to admit it or not – he was scared. Honeydew frowned again before he placed a hand on Xephos' shoulder, causing the Spaceman to jump slightly.

"I can only guess what Israphel made you go through down in the Nether, friend, and I understand if you want to keep it to yourself. Just know I'm here for you if you need it, alright pal?"

Xephos looked over and stared at Honeydew for a moment, looking his friend up and down. After a moment, the Spaceman spoke up again.

"Honeydew…" His eyes suddenly shifted when he saw movement behind the Dwarf. They widenened before he reached for his sword on his back. "Creeper!"

"What?" Honeydew turned around to see a creeper bent over him, expression locked into a silent scream as it began to hiss. The Dwarf could only cover his face before the creature blew its fuse. Honeydew was tossed to the side, hitting the wall with a grunt. He shook his head as he tried to get his thoughts back in order. He then reached for his pickaxe and pulled the iron straightsword out of his bag, looking around as two more creepers began their approach. He didn't see Xephos anywhere, and he guessed that his friend had been tossed straight out the window. Although he was worried for the Spaceman, his focus remained on the two creepers in front of him. He decapitated one to his right with the sword before running for the stairs, heading back down to the ground level. Two zombies and a skeleton were waiting for him, the skeleton having already notched an arrow to its mangled old bow.

Hearing the creeper behind him, Honeydew waited for just the right moment to dodge the incoming arrow. He dashed down the stairs as he heard the creeper hiss before it was cut off behind him, the arrow killing it instantly. Honeydew then slashed at a zombie as he ran by, managing to cut off its arm. He then made his way towards the skeleton. Before it could fire its second arrow, the Dwarf cleaved its skull in two with his diamond pickaxe, the rest of the skeleton's body clattering into a pile of yellowing bones. Honeydew then turned when he heard a zombie directly behind him, and he managed to decapitate it before it could lay a decaying green hand on him. He was about to finish off the other undead when a third zombie tackled him out of nowhere, taking the Dwarf by surprise. Honeydew cried out and tried to keep the zombie's head out of biting range, knowing that a single nip could prove deadly.

Suddenly, he heard a sword unsheathe before the zombie was kicked off of him, a black shoe colliding with its head. Honeydew gave a sigh of relief before Xephos helped him back onto his feet. He noticed that the Spaceman was soaking wet again, streams of water dripping off of his coat and onto the floor.

"Could you have cut that any closer?" Honeydew asked, half joking. Xephos rolled his eyes before he turned towards the two zombies, both slowly shambling over towards the heroes. In an instant both undead were taken down by expert attacks. Both Xephos and Honeydew were about to sheathe their weapons when an arrow grazed Xephos' arm, managing to draw blood. The Spaceman gripped the injury as he looked over to see more monsters enter through the building's doorway. Two skeletons, three more zombies, and a giant spider.

The spider leapt at the Spaceman, its jaws already snapping at his flesh. Xephos swung his sword to block the attack, a little clumsy now with his injured arm. He heard Honeydew run ahead to take the mob of other monsters head on. Figuring the Dwarf could handle himself for the time being, Xephos raised his sword again to sever one of the spider's legs from its body. It jumped back and his sword stuck the floor. The Spaceman then watched it try to get to his left and sink its fangs into his leg. However, Xephos was ready for it, and with a well-timed kick he sent it flying back a few feet. While the spider was stunned, Xephos readied his sword in his hands and stabbed it through the abdomen. The spider hissed in pain before the sound died away, becoming limp as the Spaceman removed his sword.

Meanwhile, Honeydew had led the horde over towards the back of the fountain at the center of the room. He had already slain half of the group by himself; one skeleton and two zombies. Xephos made his way over before he slammed the hilt of his sword into the skeleton's spine, causing the monster to stumble forward. Before it could turn to send and arrow through his heart, Xephos followed up by striking at the ribcage repeatedly. After a few swings, the skeleton was unable to stay together, and the bones of the undead then collapsed in on each other, forming another pile on the ground. Xephos and Honeydew then worked together to finish off the remaining zombie, the undead falling fairly easily.

"I think that's the last of them." Honeydew said after looking around. He returned his attention to Xephos after a moment. The Spaceman had sheathed his sword and was now examining the wound on his arm.

"How bad is it?" asked the Dwarf.

"Not too bad. I think the bleeding stopped itself." Xephos replied, pulling down on the rip in his sleeve to study the cut closer. It hadn't been very deep, so the injury had already started to scab and heal.

"You're lucky that arrow wasn't poisonous, mate. Poison in the bloodstream would be impossible to treat out here in the middle of nowhere."

"I suppose you're right." The Spaceman then fixed his sleeve and began back over towards the steps that led to the upper half of the sandstone tomb. Honeydew took a step to follow him before he stopped, noticing something for the first time.

"Hey Xeph, get a look at this." He said. Xephos turned around and noticed that his friend was looking at the back wall of the fountain. The Spaceman headed back over and started to examine the wall as well. It seemed that part of the wall had once been a entrance to something, but now it was blocked off with a sturdy wall of obsidian. Carved into the black rock was a notice. Once again, the lettering was barely visible in the dim lighting from the torches.

DANGER

Tomb of the Dark Pharaoh Lehparsi

MAXIMUM QUARANTINE ZONE – Absolutely NO entry under order of High Templar Verigan Antioch

"The Dark Pharaoh Lehparsi?" Xephos asked, reading the notice once again. "I've never heard of him."

"Neither have I, but he must've been bad news a long time ago. Maybe he was like...Israphel's brother or something." Honeydew replied. He scratched his head under his iron helmet before he gave a glance up to Xephos. "Think we should investigate? A Portal might be down there."

"Nah, we should leave it for now." Xephos replied, sticking his hands in his coat pockets before heading towards the sandstone stairs again. "After all, we need to get back to Barbeque Bay and sort this map problem out."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The Dwarf replied, following his friend back upstairs. When Xephos reached the top steps, he suddenly froze and reached for his head, giving a moan as he did. Concerned, Honeydew rushed up to his side.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asked, giving the Spaceman a quick check up and down.

"It's nothing. Just a wave of lightheadedness, I'm pretty sure…" he steadied himself with the wall before another wave hit him, causing Xephos to moan and tighten his grip on his skull again. Honeydew grabbed his friend's shoulder.

"Xephos?" He shook the Spaceman when he became unresponsive. "Xephos? Pal? What's wrong? Answer me!"

After a moment, Honeydew got a response he didn't expect to hear in the slightest; laughter. Xephos gave a low chuckle before it began to grow into a mad cackle, standing straight and throwing his head back as he did. Honeydew pulled his hand away and took a step back, confused and becoming nervous. Xephos then looked over at him, an evil smirk now stretched over his face. He suddenly blood-red eyes reflected the dying torchlight menacingly.

"Xephos…?" Honeydew tried again. He reached for his pickaxe before Xephos grabbed his wrist with surprising reflexes, twisting the Dwarf's arm so he couldn't move. Honeydew looked up to see Xephos shake his head at him, chuckling to himself again.

"Oh Honeydew, I don't think you quite understand…" He began. As he spoke, his free hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword. He then slid the weapon from its place on his back, looking down at Honeydew with his terrifying red eyes.

"This isn't Xephos you're talking to anymore."

With that, he raised his diamond sword with the intent to kill. Honeydew could only close his eyes and wait for the end, but to his surprise, it never came. He cracked open an eyelid to see the blade dangerously close to his neck, stopped. He looked over to see Xephos looking down at him, no longer grinning like a madman and eyes having returned to their dull grey color. He released his grip on Honeydew before he stared at the sword in his hand, sliding it back into its sheathe a moment later.

"…I'm sorry." The Spaceman murmured after a moment of silence. He turned away so his back faced his dwarven friend. "I…I didn't mean…"

"You don't have to say it." Honeydew broke in. He knew Xephos wouldn't attack him on purpose. There was another brief silence before the Xephos spoke up again.

"I guess you can see why I've been a bit distant now, huh?" He asked. Honeydew just gave a nod.

"Yeah." He paused. "...You could've just told me."

Xephos was silent again before he sighed. "No, I couldn't have." He then took a step to walk along the wall, keeping his head down as he did. Honeydew just reached over and rested his hand on his friend's shoulder again, gripping it lightly. It was enough to make Xephos stop.

"I just want you know that this doesn't change a thing." The Dwarf told him, a rare tone of seriousness lining his voice. "No matter what, you're still my best buddy. We'll get through this together, Xephos. You can count on that."

Xephos kept silent again, and thunder boomed somewhere in the distance. The clouds had finally begun to part, revealing the moon high in the sky above. It washed the land in a greyish-blue light, pouring in through the tomb's large arch-like windows.

"…Goodnight, Honeydew." The Spaceman replied finally, lightly brushing the Dwarf's hand off of him afterwards. Xephos then walked over took a seat against the wall, arms folding over his chest again. Honeydew simply stared at his friend's silhouetted form before he sighed, taking a seat on the opposite side of the room. He figured Xephos wanted some space.

"Night." He replied, yawning soon after he did. Another silence filled the room for the rest of the night, both heroes drifting in and out of sleep. As Honeydew felt himself start to doze off again, his thoughts drifted back to Nubescu's prophecy once more. Her words suddenly began to make sense, and part of him felt stupid for not realizing this sooner. Indeed, Xephos was facing a challenge far more great than Israphel or the Sands, or any other threat the Dark Lord had planned.

The Spaceman was stuck in a battle against himself.