AN: What? Today isn't Wednesday.

No, but the Chapter is done, so I figure you guys can read it.

In personal news, I got my first Covid-19 Vaccine shot this week. I didn't feel too different after the fact, but it'll probably be worse after the second dose. I'm still wearing a mask, though. I just got that mask mentality, I guess. Keep washing your hands and stay clean. It's kept me well this long, so I'm gonna stick to it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd make those bubble streams NOT refill your oxygen.

Chapter 184

Choke Point

[Noman]

The raid—if you could even call three people a raid—was proceeding as planned.

The cultists within the desert outpost had been anticipating a Bounty Day and the uncovering of new knowledge that came with it. They hadn't been expecting an attack.

"It's him! It's the blue-haired Hacker!"

"It's the Beginners! Fall back!"

"Oh shit! The Lighter Billionth is with him too! RUN!"

…Or maybe they had been expecting an attack.

Drowned_One had encountered Floyd, so maybe he had a chance to warn the outpost. As it was, they fled down sandstone corridors at the sight of us; a blessing in disguise, as there were only three of us and I was none too keen on killing cultists.

"HEY! What about me!?" Soul raged, shaking his axe at the fleeing cultists. "I'm a big deal too! Lost_Soul! Jade must've told you about me!"

"Who's that third guy!?"

"Is it Cobb!? Oh, Herobrine, the Darker Billionth is—!"

"No, it's not him! Hair's brown, but he's not wearing a hoodie. I think he's just some hobo they picked up!"

"Well, thank Herobrine for that!"

"I didn't think it possible, but I hate these cultists EVEN MORE! RAUGH!" He ran them down and hacked away at any within reach. His Diamond Sharpness V axe was unrivaled in destructive power. One or two swings were enough to kill, and I watched as the gear scattered across the floor.

Sword and shield trembled in my grip.

"Think strong thoughts." Floyd muttered to himself before charging into the fray. Dark smoke poured from his eyes as he swung his blade. However, every time he struck a cultist, he let out a huff of disappointment at the damage dealt. "C'mon, Strength. If he can use it, so can I."

In between swings, Floyd would launch Multi-Aura from his free arm and riddle cultists from a distance. The corridor offered no cover; They used each other as shields in their mad dash to escape and more and more of them fell.

I looked on numbly, the Severe Shield clinging to my body. All I had to do was join in—contribute as little as tanking hits—and there would be casualties. The Severe Shield would see to that.

But… all life was precious.

A brave cultist—or a desperate cultist—saw my hesitation and decided to attack first. He ran up with his sword poised to strike. I could see the fear in his blue eyes—just like mine. How had his life gone to get him to this point?

As the sword came down, I flung myself aside. All I had to do was take the hit for the Severe Shield to kill him. I only needed to do nothing and I couldn't even do that!

I tore off my Severe Shield just in time for the cultist to safely land a hit on me. It hurt my shoulder, but I worked through the pain and brought up my shield with the Beginners' proud symbol emblazoned upon it. I struck his wrist and made him drop the sword, then I hooked a leg around his knee and tripped him up so that he landed flat on his back.

Spinning with the momentum, I raised my shield and backhanded his cheek as he made to stand. He dropped like a sack of bricks, insensate, but alive.

"This is fine." I told myself between short breaths, even as more cultists ran towards me. "This is working."

I suddenly darted forward and surprised the charging cultist. He was caught unprepared as a wall of metal and wood slammed into his chin, his teeth clacking together loudly. I then vaulted up, rolling over his shoulder and dragging him down before knocking him out with the handle of my sword. My knee came up just in time to strike a new foe in the gut. He choked for air for all of two seconds before I kicked his leg out from under him and then squashing him flat with my shield. He groaned faintly from underneath as I stepped atop my shield and drove an elbow into a third cultist's face. I grabbed his sword arm with both of mine and pulled it aside before bringing a leg up over it and kicking him in the face with the heel of my shoe. He stopped moving moments later, just like his friends.

It was taking a considerable effort to disable the cultists without killing them. In comparison, Floyd and Soul must've mowed down thirty between the two of them. One of them spared a glance my way and turned visibly angry.

"Noman, what the hell!? You're supposed to be killing them!"

"Lang—!"

"NO! You! Need! To! Kill! Them!" Soul punctuated each word with a swing of his axe, the ripping force behind it cleaving enemies apart. "They'll die anyway, so what's the difference!?"

I couldn't answer. Instead, I turned and subdued a fresh cultist, rendering them harmless. In my head, I knew Soul was right. They'd die whether it was by my hand or Carys'. I was only risking myself by dueling without the Severe Shield on. Still, my body refused to strike to kill. It refused to put on the deadly artifact.

I'd surely get an earful later, but I couldn't do any different.

"Don't let them get you!" A cultist screamed, waving his fellows to keep running. "Get to the choke point! Go, GO!"

Choke point? That doesn't sound good.

"Yeah, you fuckers better run!" Soul grinned triumphantly. "Soul is no hobo! He's to be feared! Killed more than some common Hacker!"

"Hey." Floyd protested lightly.

"You know what I mean. Come on!" He pointed with his axe down the corridor after the cultists. "Those cowards will lead us straight to the Nether Portal!"

"Hang on. They could be leading us into a trap." I chimed in. They would have had enough time to prepare something if they learned of Floyd. Plus, I couldn't discount that bit about a choke point.

"Are you just saying that so you don't have to kill any of them?" Soul shot back acidly, making me balk. "We got them on the ropes! Now is the time to attack!"

"We gotta show our strength." Floyd spoke to himself with a fist clenched before him. "Strength…"

He and Soul were already moving on ahead. I let loose a somber sigh before following after them.

Using the echoing cries of the fleeing cultists, we had a clear path to follow. For every crossroads of corridors, there was always one path with louder cries than any other. Any time we caught up with cultists, Soul and Floyd—as the vanguard—dispatched them and gained more EXP. The green numbers on their arms shot past mine and kept climbing with every cultist they killed. Soul went from Level 26 to 41 and Floyd from 34 to 44.

Each level up made them stronger and I was getting left behind at 26 solely because of my inability to kill.

"You're missing out, Noman!" Soul shouted as much as he turned a corner. "It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet with all the EXP we're…" He trailed off suddenly after coming to a new crossroads.

Every crossroads we'd encountered had had four directions. North, south, east, and west. Four different ways to go.

This time, however, two of the corridors had clearly been sealed up with obsidian. You could see the difference between the sandstone walls and the dense volcanic glass. That left only one path to go, and even that path had been narrowed significantly with more obsidian. Instead of ten meters wide, it was two meters wide—barely enough to fit two people at a time.

A choke point.

Also, bizarrely enough, flower pots dotted the sealed-off corridors. They contained flowers of all kinds. Dandelions, poppies, blue orchids, multicolored tulips. They were incredibly out of place with an obsidian backdrop, but the fragrance was overwhelming.

"Yoohoo~! Beginners!"

Our heads shot to the narrow obsidian corridor as a girl with strawberry-blonde hair and bright silver eyes stepped into view. She offered a pleasant wave as she smiled at us.

"Sorry to cut your EXP smorgasbord short, but I just gotta ask... do you think these flowers go with these walls? Be honest."

…What?

That must have been the collective response as Soul and Floyd shot each other a perplexed look before the former rounded on the girl.

"Fucking what? We don't care about your dumb flower arrangements. Are you a cultist?"

"Oh nooooo~! Someone insulted flowers, how original. Haha!" She threw her head back and gave a short and sickeningly sweet, high-pitched laugh. She recovered quickly, however. "Seriously, though. Are the orchids too much? Too blue? Not that there's anything wrong with blue." She pointed finger guns at Floyd's hair and winked. "Right, right?"

It was her winking face that triggered the memory of her. She had the same face on her wanted poster.

"You're one of the escaped prisoners from Ringwood." I called her out. Floyd and Soul's eyes hardened and they tensed up, no longer underestimating this girl.

"Indeed I am, little Daisy." She accepted with a slight curtsy and lift of her pink skirt. "Lemonada at your disservice. Former boss of the Dandelion crime family, black-market dealer, and avid interior designer. But you may call me Mona, full-time Plague."

"I'll call you the gristle at the end of my axe." Soul replied before charging her.

"Soul, don't! She's dangerous!" I shouted. Her bounty was the same as Jade's!

"She's trying to buy time!" Soul shouted back. "I'm not gonna waste time talking about flower arrangements. Besides, what good is interior designing in a fight?"

Mona gave a closed eyed smile as Soul bull-rushed her. A hand went into her belt as he passed through the narrow obsidian path she'd set up just for him.

He reared back an arm and swung forward with his axe, intending to cause enough damage to cripple the prisoner before she could use any tricks. He had all 41 levels of EXP behind that swing.

The swing missed as he stopped just shy of her. His eyes widened in alarm and he looked down to see himself caught in a couple giant cobwebs. Mona had placed them before her super fast, the narrow corridor making it easier to inhibit the axe-wielder.

"Nice axe you got there. I'm jealous~" Mona smirked as she pulled her own axe from out of her belt and directed it at the immobilized Soul. "You asked what good is interior design in a fight? Well… your destruction, for one~~~!"

She swung the axe like a badminton racket straight into Soul's temple. His head violently rocked to the side and his eyes grew hazy, even as the rest of his body was held firm by the cobweb. Helpless.

The axe struck his head a second time before Floyd blurred between the two using his Speed Hack. He performed a blinding fast dropkick that knocked the ex-prisoner down the narrow corridor and away from the dazed Soul.

It showed how desperate Floyd was for him to use Speed knowing it would debilitate him. Another hit from Mona would've killed Soul.

Mona slid along the smooth floor far longer than normal before daggering her axe in and slowing to a stop. She looked up with a pinched expression and a feral grin.

"Rhododendron feels like blowing his Speed straight out the gate? Just as the Red Dahlia Jade reported. You're as impressive as you are predictable."

At the mention of Jade, smoke surged off of Floyd and he shot towards Mona faster than before. In response, the ex-criminal simply rolled aside. Floyd tried to change direction and run her down.

I say tried because his feet weren't adhering to the floor.

It wasn't that the floor was smooth as I'd first thought. Mona had replaced it with ice ahead of time. Suddenly, all of Floyd's speed and momentum were forcing him past Mona and down the narrow corridor she had designed.

Slipping and sliding, he had no way to stop himself from crashing straight into a bed of cobwebs she'd prepared just for him. He stuck fast and struggled in vain to claw his way out of it while his Speed Hack whittled away.

And under those cobwebs were magma blocks that were slow roasting Floyd like a pig on a spit!

"Pfft, you're just like the weeds I regularly dealt with back home~!" Mona laughed that sickeningly sweet, high-pitched laugh of hers as she skated across the ice towards the immobilized and sizzling blue-nette. "One Bounty Day coming right up~~!"

An ender pearl landed between Floyd and Mona before I warped into existence with shield raised and resolve hardened. The ex-criminal's eyes widened at the shield in her path and suddenly she was the one slipping and sliding with no way to stop.

As soon as she got close, I shield bashed her face, her nose crunching underneath. She recoiled and slid backwards with her hands clasped over her line of sight.

"NNNnn!" She cried through her hands. "Daisies are supposed to stay innocent and docile~~!" There was a dangerous lilt to her words as her silver eyes pierced mine. "I thought you were the Lighter Billionth."

"Doesn't mean you should take me lightly." I shot back before checking on Floyd. His Speed Hack was still wasting away as he fought to free himself from the cobwebs. He had to keep his Hack on otherwise his body would shut down, but he couldn't move much while stuck so his internal clock kept ticking away. Plus, he was losing Health every second he remained stuck on those magma blocks. I had to get him off quickly. Soul was on the other side of Mona, his head lolling to the side and his eyes glassy as he sat in the sticky webs. Those hits to the skull must've concussed him.

In less than a minute, she had subdued them both.

Mona pushed her broken nose around with a dry crackling sound that must've been painful. With her other hand, she pointed her axe at me.

"You could've killed me if you wore that fancy chestplate of yours. What gives~~?" Just how much did Jade tell them about us? "Or are you trying to take me alive, hm~~? Bring me back to that prison to live out the rest of my days until the world stops turning~~? HMM~~!? Well, no sirree~~!"

She grew more agitated as she skated forward, her strawberry-blonde hair flying behind her. I raised my shield, leveling my gaze so I could see over the top of it. The axe struck with the force of a sledgehammer, my footing sliding along the ice.

"Rrrrr!" I grunted before violently pushing back. Only for her to quickly place a slime block behind her to bounce back. I had overextended and couldn't bring the shield back in time as her axe cracked down on my diamond helmet. My vision fogged over for a moment and I staggered as Mona's axe was brought around again.

*CRACK*

The next swing threw me for a loop and had my face impact the ice. The shock of cold kept me from passing out and gave me enough sense to kick against the narrow wall and slide back before an axe crashed into where my head had been.

"Noman, I'm at half Health!" Floyd pleaded, sweating from the magma blocks. "Get me off of this!"

"I'll be right there!" I called back desperately, earning a high-pitched laugh from Mona.

"You're funny~~!" She threw down a dirt block and used it as a foothold to swing down from an elevated position. I blocked it but slid further back on the ice. She then placed blocks on the narrow walls and used them to jump overhead. My head whirled to keep up with her movements.

"An invincible chestplate at your fingertips and you won't wear it! What a riot~~ In my business, if you can't fight back, you're dead~~!"

I dove aside as an anvil nearly crushed me to death. Mona didn't bother pursuing. Instead, she went after the dazed Soul, trusting that the searing magma blocks would take care of him.

"Without any ranged support, you guys are easy pickings~~!"

"Pardon my language, Noman, but fuck this bitch." Floyd spoke dangerously as he freed one arm and leveled it at the distant Mona.

Ebony spines shot out and flew down the narrow corridor before sinking into Mona's back. She let out a soundless wail as she was knocked past the dazed Soul and back out into the wider corridor.

"That's it. I'm done." Floyd's arms and body went limp and his Hacker smoke extinguished. I skated towards him and hacked at the cobwebs with my sword, freeing him. I then yanked him off the magma blocks and splashed him with a Healing Potion for good measure. "I'm beginning to wonder if all the escaped criminals are weirdos."

"I can see why her bounty is so high." I noted before dragging Floyd along the ice and towards the dazed Soul. Mona stirred slightly in the wider corridor, groaning.

"Soul, talk to me. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Eleven…teen?" He slurred before I freed him from the cobwebs. I then plunked down one of my ender chests and fished out some more Splash Potions of Healing before dousing him. I had plenty saved up from the time Cobb was in a coma.

Soul shook his head as his Health ticked back up and he regained his bearings. "Did I win? Did I kill the interior designer? I did, right?"

"She pasted you."

"Ohhhh nooooo…" Soul started before noticing Floyd. "Wait! She pasted you too! You can't move!"

Before he could retort, there was a loud cracking sound from the wider corridor. Glancing up, I watched as the obsidian wall blocking one of the other corridors was broken through by a diamond pick. A head of sea-green hair poked out shortly after.

Drowned_One.

The pious ex-criminal strode out, took a momentary glance at the three of us, and then stooped down to the prone Mona.

"Fear not, child. The Holy Water will not leave you to die in such a disgraceful manner. Water will be your funeral bed."

"Shut it, Seaweed." Mona complained as he bundled her up in his arms. "Why did 4Blite have to stick me with you?"

"I will make a believer out of you yet."

"Hey! We still have a score to settle!" Soul shouted as Drowned_One carried Mona back the way he came.

"Soul, let them go. Floyd can't move—!"

"NO! I need a head to hang on my wall!" Soul snapped, gripping his axe tight. "I made it out of Akasha for a reason, right? Everybody else died, but I made it out! It's so I can kill tough opponents like them!"

"Soul…" Floyd said sadly.

"NO! Letting them go means we'll have to fight them another day! I say we take them out today!" He ran after them despite our warnings. "Today is their last day!"

Survivor's guilt. It had to be. His escape from Akasha had affected him. It was the crushing guilt that was urging him to action. Only by diving headfirst into his mission could he find penance for running from the Hackers.

"We can't let him go alone." Floyd spoke helplessly. He still couldn't move because of the cooldown. "After him, Noman."

"Right." I nodded, carrying the blue-nette along my back.

We didn't have to go far to catch up to Soul. Turning into the busted obsidian wall, we spotted Soul slogging through some dark brown soil that looked to be made up of horrific faces of agony. It was laid all along the floor of the corridor.

"They're using Me Sand to slow us down!" Soul trudged at a snail's pace. "Another one of Mona's design choices!"

"Soul, we really shouldn't be going deeper in." I tried to reason with him. Then, in a low mutter, I added, "We should regroup with the Paragons and—"

"I'm not running with my tail between my legs without something to show for it!" He silenced my protest with a violent wrenching of his foot from the soul sand. "Screw this! Flower girl isn't the only one who can place blocks." He then tore out some dirt and placed it over the soul sand to create a convenient path. "That's more like it!"

He laid down dirt as fast as he could, his eyes flickering between the corridor and the ground. I climbed up with Floyd still recovering on my back. There was a good chance his cooldown would finish by the time we found the two ex-criminals. We'd have a better chance, then.

Frankly, I was more concerned about walking into another trap.

There was a faint glow up ahead as well as an end to the soul sand floor. Soul happily hopped off his dirt bridge and rushed forward into a large open room. Though, he soon yelped in pain and hopped around the floor as if his feet were on fire.

The reason being that the floor was a mishmash of magma blocks and soul sand in a checkerboard pattern. It was at least forty meters long and wide. On the other side, setting up the last of the soul sand, was Mona and Drowned.

"Well, aren't you a glutton for punishment~" Mona said sweetly, her gaze on Soul. "I got something extra special for you, Rafflesia~~!" Soul pointed at himself in confusion before Mona nodded with an eyeroll. "Yes you're Rafflesia. Floyd's Rhododendron. Nowhere's a Daisy."

"The fuck is a Rafflesia?"

"It's a flower. I have many pet names for people who remind me of flowers. Symbolism and all~~" She pointed dramatically at the three of us. "Rhododendron means 'danger' or 'beware'. A clear warning like the black lines over your eyes. And I already told you what Daisies represent." She then turned to Soul. "Rafflesia is a parasite flower. Something that only dooms the others they share company with. Or perhaps that's too mean~~! How about an Amaryllis, for your fallible pride~~?"

"What's the flower for death? I want that name for when I kill you."

"Sadly, that name is reserved for the Angel of Death. The Black Rose." Mona replied. "But enough small talk. I got a science lesson for you about blocks." She tapped her foot on the magma blocks beneath her. "Magma blocks create down currents while soul sand creates up currents. Just add water and presto~~!"

"What are you talking about?" Soul growled. "We're underground in the middle of a desert! How are you supposed to add water?"

"I'm glad you asked~~!" Mona's high-pitched voice sounded while Drowned pulled out a flame bow and directed it to the ceiling. "If you'll direct your attention up, you'll see the latest instrument of your doom~~!"

We glanced up and paled upon seeing TNT blocks along a sandstone ceiling. Also, was that water dripping down…?

"…We're under the Red River." Floyd deadpanned.

"Bing bong~~! Right you are~~! Drowned, tell them what they've won~~!"

"Thrash in the churning currents of the Holy Water until you submit." He intoned before releasing the flaming arrow. It struck an alcove of TNT and hissed in the silence created from our bated breath.

Then, with a devastating explosion, the ceiling crumbled and water began to pour in.

"Enjoy your spin cycle, my little flowers~~!" Mona giggled with a cheeky wave before Drowned wrapped an arm around her waist just as the water crashed onto them. I thought they'd be swept away, but instead they shot up like a cork in water, propelled by a stream of bubbles.

Soul sand in water made an upward current.

The water crashed into us at the same time and slammed us into the floor of soul sand and magma. We then separated as various currents pulled us in different directions. Floyd's limp body shot up while Soul's was dragged down onto magma. Mine went up half-way before getting pulled back down.

Streams of bubbles went up and down in spirals that tossed the three of us like ragdolls. Or, as Mona aptly put it, like socks in the spin cycle of a washing machine. No wonder she put the blocks in a checkerboard pattern. You couldn't move a meter in any direction without going from up to down or down to up. And the speed at which we were propelled!

I slammed into something that felt an awful lot like Floyd's body before spinning in a different direction. I held my breath as long as I could, but it was getting harder with every impact into the walls.

A gargling scream of fury sounded from Soul as he was swept towards and then away from me. Even if he could move, Floyd wouldn't be able to do anything.

I clenched my mouth shut in a desperate attempt to keep it from sucking down water. It only delayed the inevitable for five agonizing seconds before my mouth shot open and the drowning began.

…

How come I was breathing just fine?

I waved a hand through the water I tumbled head-over-heels through and found it was just as wet and enveloping as water should be. Yet, with my mouth open, I found myself able to breathe just fine. The Oxygen Meter tattoo on my arm showed I was full on air as well, so what was going on?

Floyd tried to say something but it came out muffled through the currents and water. The streams of bubbles continued to toss us around and yank our bodies in different directions. Yet it seemed like the other two could breathe just fine.

Maybe it was the bubbles? They served as air pockets formed from the magma blocks' heat or the soul sand's… soul stuff, I don't know. Fact was we could breathe without worry.

Had Mona and Drowned known this? Did they know about the air bubbles or did they assume we'd drown? Whatever the case, I didn't see those two thrashing about. They shot up from a soul sand current and were likely in the river above. We had to figure a way to do the same. If not, we'd be stuck until our Hunger Meters ran out and we starved to death.

I brought my arms in and doubled over as the currents swished me around. Bending my knees and bringing them up to my chest, I was able to hug my legs close and arrange my body into a ball. I felt the full brunt of the current as it bore through me, but I kept my arms locked around my legs, maintaining my ball shape.

I created a shield out of myself. My butt, back, neck, and shoulders would get pounded by the current, but my torso, gut, and hands were protected and allowed a degree of movement. I tucked my head down and cracked open an eye to see my belt as I fumbled for the Bottes Zephyr.

My diamond boots flew off the second I loosened them, swept away by the whirlpool current. I had to really fight to reach down my arms and put on the artifact. As soon as the white leather fit snug around my ankles, I abruptly stopped as an invisible air block materialized beneath me. The water calmed down and the bubbles ceased to churn within a meter of myself. My oxygen also started to diminish, but I paid that little mind.

Spreading my legs to create a larger air block platform, I lifted my chin and easily spotted Soul and Floyd spinning around. Floyd had recovered from his cooldown, but was now desperately attempting to free himself through the use of MultiAura. It was to little avail. The ebony spines were swept up by the currents, same as us.

Soul was just screaming and thrashing futilely.

The only way to stop the whirlpool was to take out the magma and soul sand at the bottom. Or at least take out a portion of them. Then we'd just be in a room full of river water.

The Bottes Zephyr could do it. It was a skill I hadn't made much use of, but the artifact could summon an invisible air block anywhere I walked before it would then vanish. As outlined in the Artifact List, it meant I could turn blocks into air, and then destroy them when the air eventually faded. The trick could even work on bedrock, accessing the unfathomable Void below.

Right now, wiping out the magma blocks and soul sand was my top priority.

I shimmied to the edge of my invisible platform and dove head first so the boots wouldn't activate. I also entered the nearest downward current, allowing the vortex of bubbles to drag me towards the magma block. My oxygen filled back up, allowing me more time.

The suction was incredibly powerful. My efforts to flip and right myself at the last second were thwarted and I ended up banging my head against the floor and bouncing off into an upward current. My arms flailed fruitlessly at the floor zooming away from me before I flipped around again and summoned air blocks to safely stand on.

Then I tried again.

Come on… I internally groaned as I was dragged down head first.

Again, I tried to flip before I touched down, and again I was unable to. Face struck floor. I floated off into another current before the boots could do their thing. The third time, I decided to try something else.

I only had two blocks to my name. Two chunks of cobblestone. I readied them in both hands just before diving. As the floor came up fast, I didn't even bother angling or righting my body. Instead, I placed the blocks as soon as I could before crashing face-first into them. I knew I succeeded when I didn't get blasted into a new current.

Now that two blocks of the floor were covered up, there was a calm point in the chaotic whirlpool enveloping the room. I stood atop the cobblestone as streams of bubbles buffeted the edges of my clothes. One misstep and I'd be swept away again.

I carefully located the downward bubble stream before stepping off my platform and onto it. The magma block vanished beneath the Bottes Zephyr and became an invisible air block, shutting off the stream drawing water down. Then I took another step forward along the checkerboard pattern Mona set up, turning a soul sand block into air. Another step for magma, another step for soul sand, and so on and so forth.

I shuffled my feet along the floor and systematically deleted the layer of magma and soul sand. Mona had only made it the top layer, so we were in luck. With the blocks creating the currents gone, the water above became calm and tranquil. It was when half of the room was cleared that Floyd and Soul managed to escape into the calmer waters. They shot me a thumbs up and started to swim towards where the ceiling was blown out.

With most of the room cleared and my oxygen levels falling dangerously low, I took off the Bottes Zephyr and made my way onto a soul sand block like Mona and Drowned had done. The bubble current propelled me upward and refilled my air, allowing me to shoot past Soul and Floyd and rocket out of the river's surface like a torpedo. I sucked in a grateful breath and washed my wash before the two joined me.

"Well that sucked and blew." Soul said, earning an eyebrow twitch from Floyd.

"Did you just—?"

"HEY!"

The three of us jerked our heads towards the angry voice. On the riverbank stood Carys and her Paragons, the former looking annoyed.

"Did you three enjoy your swim?" She spoke sarcastically. "Get out. Now."

I had the faintest feeling that we were in trouble, so I kept my mouth shut and instead swam to the riverbank with Soul and Floyd in tow. I reached a hand onto the sandy edge only to have Carys stoop down and drag me out by the collar like a kitten. Had she gotten even stronger?

"Yes, I'm stronger." Carys read my mind before tossing me onto the sand with a scowl. "I killed thirty cultists and went from Level 44 to 54. I have words for your failure down there," she spared a glance at Floyd and Soul dragging themselves out of the river, "but first I want to address you." She glanced at the green number on my EXP bar before I could cover it and her scowl deepened. "Your level hasn't changed."

"I… I didn't—"

"You didn't run into any cultists? That stream of unconscious bodies we had to clean up wasn't you?" She asked in quick succession before pulling from her backpack a couple stacks of Bottles o' Enchanting. "At least seventeen cultists were unconscious. That's seventeen-hundred EXP orbs, which equates into one-hundred-and-fifty-five EXP bottles. That's what this is." She shook the bottles violently. "I killed them myself, took the EXP, and then bottled every drop of it, since they were yours to kill. So why didn't you?"

Her harsh crimson gaze had me cowed and I couldn't offer a word of protest as she continued to verbally tear into me.

"You're Level 26. You could have used this to get to 38 and it would have been yours to do with. Yours to enchant with. Yours to strengthen yourself with." She let the bottles drop out of her hand and onto the sand before she set the spot ablaze with a fire charge and burned them out of existence. She could have used them to increase her own strength. Instead, she used them to send a message. Neither one of us batted an eye, although Soul lost it.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" He screamed, dropping to the burning spot and trying in vain to put it out. The bottles were already gone. "You bitch! Why would you waste all that EXP!?"

"That's what I want to know!" Carys snapped back. She was unconcerned at being called a female dog and instead stomped up and glared me into the ground. "We had three purposes for this raid: Weaken the Endward Cult, locate their Nether Portal, and strengthen ourselves! We kill them and take their EXP to increase our strength! How does that work if you're leaving them alive!?"

"I… I'm sorry—"

She shoved me hard and I fell back into the sand.

"You are fucking useless! I'm half wishing Cobb was here—and that's a pretty impressive feat considering how I feel about that massterbaitor." She added. "At least he's not afraid to get his hands dirty!"

Floyd interceded. "Hey, lay off—"

"WHAT! You want to stick up for him? Clearly you two don't have a problem killing. I can see your Levels went up." She nodded at his arm. "Didn't you think he was ready for this? Didn't he let you down?"

Floyd opened his mouth to protest, but the words never came. Instead, he clenched his fists and glanced away. The feeling that I let my friends down made me feel even lower. I deserved to be rebuked.

I bent my head low. "Sorry…"

"SORRY!?" Carys screamed, even more upset as Kal and Anibal had to hold her back. "What good is sorry!? You feel regrets? You feel remorse? But you'll still do the same thing! Your words are empty and so is that word! If you were truly sorry, you'd change yourself! I hate your kind the most! Grow up!"

Carys tore herself away from her Paragons and swung her scythe into the sand. She probably wanted to vent her anger out at me, but knew that there'd be little point to it. Instead, she kicked at the sand a few more times until her anger diminished.

"Moving onto other failures." She went on. "You were supposed to locate the Nether Portal. Instead, you got sidetracked and the outpost started to flood. We had to fall back and let the cultists evacuate. They probably collapsed their portal by now."

"What went on down there?" Anibal asked.

"…Another ex-criminal besides Drowned." Floyd reported. "Lemonada was her name. She… matched us."

"One woman matched a Hacker, an artifact wielder, and this extra guy?" Anibal made a point of calling Soul extraneous, earning a grunt. "She must've been tough."

"Don't give her too much credit." Carys spoke rudely. "One of her opponents was an invalid."

"She had traps set up. She and Drowned both." Floyd defended. "They had every move planned. They came out here; did you see either of them?"

"We just gathered here a few minutes ago." Kal shook his head. "If they were here, they're probably long gone."

"If we had a direction to follow, we could track them." Anibal glanced at the miles of desert in every direction. "Your guess is as good as mine as to where they went."

"A couple of levels and some more dead cultists. That's the gist of our success today." Carys spat the word, clearly upset. "Set up camp for the night. We'll head off in the morning." She started walking off in a random direction.

"Where you going?" Kal asked.

"For a walk. I can't stand to look at him right now."

It wasn't hard to tell who she was talking about.

"…I'm sorry." I repeated, the words being the only thing I could say.

The Paragons cleared out and started setting up camp. They left the three of us alone as we recovered from our failure of a raid. Floyd and Soul didn't say it, but I could tell they didn't agree with my way of doing things. They lost a friend to cultists, as did Cobb. The Beginners as a whole felt a deep betrayal at the hands of another. Yet, for all the pain they caused, I just couldn't bring myself to break aikido. Even the deaths I was accidentally responsible for weighed heavily on my mind.

What's my role in this war? I thought to myself while silently setting my bed.

Inventory (Floyd): 1 Mob Head {Creeper}, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Diamond Helmet [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 2 Iron Ingots, 64 Steak, 52 Steak, 2 Sticks, 31 Coal, 20 Torches, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 1 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV], 16 Gunpowder, 16 Ender Pearls, 2 Ender Pearls, 1 Splash Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Bucket, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}

[EXP: 44]

Stratus the Horse

Inventory (Soul): 1 Diamond Axe [Sharpness V], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 64 Iron Ingots, 28 Iron Ingots, 20 Flint, 12 Gold Ingots, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV, Feather Falling IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Crafting Table, 1 Jukebox, 1 Music Disc {chirp}, 1 Bed, 1 Furnace, 24 Torches, 34 White Wool, 23 Dirt, 23 Pumpkin Seeds, 64 Cobblestone, 62 Cobblestone, 32 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Armor Stand, 64 Steak, 4 Cooked Mutton, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}

[EXP: 41]

Long-Face the Horse

Cat-Face the Cat

Christopher Squawken the Parrot

Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Leather Boots {Bottes Zephyr} [Dyed White], 1 Green Shield [Beginners], 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Milk Bucket, 6 Buckets, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Water Bottle, 1 Water Bottle, 1 Water Bottle, 1 Water Bottle, 5 Ender Chests, 16 Ender Pearls, 4 Ender Pearls, 1 Nether Star, 51 Steak, 3 Phantom Membranes, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Enchanted Golden Apple, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Diamond Leggings

[EXP: 26]

Snow the Horse

AN: Noman is the kind of person Carys hates the most. She's long since accepted that this war is kill or be killed, whereas Noman keeps trying to preserve life, even when its inconvenient for him. What part can a pacifist play in a war? Her being upset is justified in this situation.

Also, got a couple of Mona scenes in. Just to show that the Plagues are a threat and should not be taken lightly. There are a ton of things you can do with placing blocks. Blocking with obsidian slows them down, laying down soul sand slows them down, laying down ice gets them to slip up, cobwebs stop them entirely, magma blocks eat away at their health, and, of course, she can nerdpole.

Next Chapter we'll be back with Cobb.

FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. PM. FORUM. DISCORD. CHIPWICHES.