AcumenDarious: Thank you!
One thing about the Gone Rogue series is that it apparently reminds people of anime shows, manga or games (other than Minecraft)…which is funny, because that's completely unintentional on my part. Aside from researching the Mob Talker mod a little bit, I don't really watch a lot of anime.
Chapter nineteen: United we stand
"Prison's empty," Ari reported once she and Andr teleported back. "We did some extra looking around town, but we found nothing that indicates that Jack is here. We weren't spotted, as far as I can tell."
"At least we know a little more now," Athena sighed. "I guess we'll have to assume Jack made it through unnoticed. Whether he found a portal, though…"
Andr stepped forward. "I can look around some more."
"Teleporting makes sound—and light," Athena said. "It's risky."
"I've done it before," Andr said.
"And why shouldn't we sneak into the village, instead?" Cassandra asked. "Make less noise than your obvious teleporting?"
"Because it's easier for me to get away if I get surrounded or cornered."
Athena hesitated, then turned to Ari.
"What?" Ari said.
"What do you say?" asked Athena. "About Andr's plan."
"Why're you asking me?"
"Because you just saw her in action. How good is she at staying hidden?"
"Ah…" Ari paused, glancing at Andr. "Well, she…knows the basics, at least. In any case, I do think she has a point; if she gets caught, she can just teleport away."
Athena nodded. "Fine," she said. She turned to Andr. "But if they spot you, warn us. Maybe you can still continue searching for the portal if the village is on alert, but they'll start looking for other mobs too. The rest of us might have to hide in case they go out this far."
Andr nodded, then vanished.
A brief silence fell. "Are you sure sending her in alone was a good idea?" Mystia asked.
"I trust her," Athena said. "And if she can't make it out alive, none of us could."
Jack slowly came to. He was looking right at a ceiling.
Hera was sitting on the ground next to him. She stood up. "You're awake," she said.
Jack looked around. This was the prison's first room—the cave where he'd spoken to Áhýdan. Jack looked himself over. He was still wet. The water thing hadn't been a dream.
He sat up and dumbly looked at Hera. "What happened?" Jack asked. "Last thing I remember is…swimming." He looked around the room again. No water. No direct connection to the Trial he just survived.
He then realized Herobrine's mental influence had disappeared. He couldn't feel it anymore.
His lingering physical pain and tiredness were also gone. He reckoned Hera had something to do with that.
"You were just able to make it to the surface," Hera said. "You passed out on the shore. I took the liberty of healing you."
That last part confirmed his suspicion. Jack shook his head, scoffing. "What, Áhýdan couldn't come up with something harder for the Trial of the Elements?"
"Don't sound so insulted. Besides, you almost drowned."
"I should've. I was way too tired. I shouldn't've been able to survive that."
"The only reason why it was that simple was because of Blazette," Hera said. "If not for her, you would've had to travel over that void without help; if it wouldn't've killed you, it would've exhausted you further. Dad and I made sure Áhýdan couldn't do much more after that first phase—and you cheated it." She paused. "Actually, Blazette cheated it for you."
"What about the crystal?"
"You had it with you on the shore. I took care of it."
Jack paused. "Is Charlotte alright? Drake got her pretty good."
"She's fine. We made sure to heal her when we sent her back. Same goes for the other three. Not that they really needed it—though Blazette got pretty scared in that last Trial." She smiled. "And I think Minerva's ego got damaged after that misunderstanding with her evil twin in the Trial of Reality."
Jack glared at her. "You're really doing this, huh? Making jokes. Trying to make my last moments a bit more lighthearted."
Her expression fell. "We know what the last Trial is."
"Great. That's going to solve everything."
"It's a different kind of test. Áhýdan just calls it the Trial by Combat. A one-on-one fight against him directly."
Jack sighed. That was it. There was no way he'd be able to beat a creature like Áhýdan.
"What's wrong?" Hera said. "You have the advantage here. Dad and I have been fighting him directly this whole time."
"I'm not like you. He'll kill me."
She gave a small smile. "You don't have to become like us. We'll take care of that part."
Áhýdan appeared in the room.
Raulyn sat at the conference table in the Hunters base. He was alone, reading messages from nearby villages, making notes. Among the messages were job applications, reported sightings from other mob hunter groups and updates on certain mob-related situations. None of them described Jack's group.
He was done before long. He left. The other Hunters had their duties for the night. There was no need for him to watch them; Kai and the other two officers would take care of that. Among the newest Hunters they were the most skilled.
Raulyn walked towards his house, his pace quick. He was used to walking faster than others. It was a habit he had inadvertently inherited from his old mentor Karles, the man who had saved, trained and raised Raulyn.
He slowed his pace, aimlessly looking around the area. He was tired; at night he usually looked around in search of potential threats—many of Ironhand's inhabitants called him paranoid, and for good reason—but now he felt less tense. Maybe he was finally beginning to properly trust the Hunters' new recruits.
Something on the ground near a streetlight caught his eye. It was a pair of footprints embedded in the soft dirt. The prints were shallow, but definitely fresh. Very fresh.
Raulyn frowned. It was as if whoever had left it wore no shoes. Stockings, perhaps, but nothing else.
He shook himself. Even when relaxed, he was paranoid. This could have come from anyone in the village. Perhaps someone who only briefly needed to be outside and had not bothered to put on their footwear.
And, his cautious side thought, if that were the case, there should be other prints leading to a house, correct? No one would leave the village in the evening.
He sighed and shook his head. Fine. I suppose there is no harm in checking…
He looked to where the prints were headed. Or, rather, where they should have been headed.
There were no further prints in the dirt. No sign of this person having continued walking.
He checked the prints that preceded the ones he had found, tracking where the person may have come from. Another dead end, to his shock. It was as if the owner of the prints had appeared out of thin air, took a few steps and then disappeared again.
Raulyn's tiredness was suddenly gone. There was a mob in Ironhand. Possibly one with the power to fly, or perhaps a teleporter. For how long had it been sneaking around undetected?
Staying calm, he looked around. Kai and Morgana were nearby. He sped over to them. "You two," Raulyn said. "Alert the other Hunters. I think there is a mob in the village."
"Welp," Jack sighed, slowly getting to his feet. "That's it, then."
Hera moved in front of him protectively. "Stay back," she said to Áhýdan.
Áhýdan glared at her with his red eyes, embedded in the void that was his face. "It's been years…" he said. "No, it's been millennia since you put me here. I'm not going to let some human stand in my way, least of all one from Earth."
"Already did that," Jack dryly said. Despite the apparent absence of Herobrine's influence, he had a hard time being scared.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." He held up a hand, showing the fifth crystal.
"Good for you," Jack said. "But you were inside all of them, and the other four are gone. That can't be good for you."
"Yes…" Áhýdan nodded, suddenly looking more interested than angry. "Fine, I'll give you credit—you've got a better understanding of these things than I thought." He paused. "Doesn't matter, though. I've got more power over this crystal than I did over the others. It's enough to let me cross the border to the Overworld…or even your world, Jack."
Jack said nothing.
"If even the smallest part of me is able to make it past those borders before you kill me, I win. I'll be able to regain my power over time. But, of course, you won't care."
"I think I will."
"Oh, trust me—you won't."
Áhýdan leisurely raised his hand. An invisible force shoved Jack sideways off of his feet. He flew head-first into the rough stone wall.
Everything went black.
The church door burst open.
Startled, Christine turned to see two Hunters enter, their weapons drawn. She recognized Ilyoin and Zane, two of the newer members.
"What is this!" Christine demanded.
"Sorry, Christine," Ilyoin apologized. "There is a mob in the village. We think it is a teleporter. We cannot be too careful."
"A mob?" Christine said, shocked. She remembered what Jack had said. Should anyone ask—human or mob—I was never here. "I have seen nothing," Christine said. "Feel free to search this place. Just be careful; I do not want anything to be damaged…or disrespected."
They nodded, then proceeded further into the church.
Christine watched them. A mob sneaking into Ironhand, so shortly after Jack came here seeking the portal? A teleporter, of all things, staying hidden in Ironhand? If they wanted food, they could simply steal some and leave without any difficulty. And Christine knew the reports; one of the mobs Jack had been seen with was a teleporter.
No, the mob was here for Jack. That had to be the case. Teleporters were not common.
There was only one question, then: Was this mob here to help him…or to hunt him?
We know what the last Trial is, Hera had said. A one-on-one fight against him directly. You have the advantage here. Dad and I have been fighting him directly this whole time.
I'm not like you, Jack remembered saying. He'll kill me.
You don't have to become like us. We'll take care of that part.
…
How ridiculous is the idea of a supernatural being giving their power to some regular mortal guy? It was the question he'd asked Mystia, shortly before he left the Realm.
There are known instances—in stories, at least—where such entities temporarily allowed a mortal to use their power and knowledge, Mystia had responded. An entity basically merges with a mortal, becoming some kind of amalgamation. They have absolute control over their powers…
…the mortal's body and mind will decay and weaken for as long as they're merged with the entity.
There's an irony in that; entities are known to merge with mortals in the first place because they want to save that mortal from an otherwise unavoidable demise.
Jack woke up.
He didn't feel the pain he expected. In fact, it looked as if he'd only been unconscious for a few seconds. Áhýdan stood in the very same position as before, albeit in a more alert stance.
Hera was gone.
Jack looked up at Áhýdan's red eyes. The creature seemed wary. Nothing was left of his relaxed, composed posture from before. As if he was scared of Jack.
No. No, he wasn't scared of Jack. He was scared of…something else. Something Jack couldn't see.
The human slowly got to his feet. Only then did he feel it—some kind of power inside of him, burning and pressing against his skin.
There are known instances, Mystia's voice echoed in his head again, where such entities temporarily allowed a mortal to use their power and knowledge.
…becoming some kind of amalgamation…
An amalgamation.
…absolute control over their powers…
…because they want to save that mortal…
I told you, another voice said in his head. Hera. But this wasn't a memory. You don't have to be like us to beat him.
We are here, Herobrine's voice boomed. And we have one thing left to do.
Jack looked at the crystal in Áhýdan's hand. He recognized this moment. He'd seen it in the dream Herobrine had given him, albeit in a slightly different way. Herobrine planned this in the unlikely event that Jack survived the other Trials.
"Well," Jack casually said, remembering what he'd said in the dream. "Looks like the die has been cast…"
"Too late," Áhýdan said, holding up the crystal. "I'm inside the border…but you probably already know that."
Jack looked at it, sensing Áhýdan's beginning transition between worlds. It wouldn't be long now before he was inside the world borders fully, and he could travel from world to world at will. It couldn't be destroyed right now—not as long as Áhýdan was protecting it—and even if it could, part of Áhýdan would still stay alive within the borders.
But though the crystal was saturated with Áhýdan's power, it belonged to Herobrine. He hadn't been able to safely send a mob through this one, but maybe he could send himself.
Controlled by three different minds, Jack's body sped forward, grasped the crystal and followed Áhýdan through it into what lay beyond.
Andr hid in an alley behind a house. The Hunters had found out she was here. How?! She thought she'd been careful! She knew Raulyn was good, but she hadn't even seen him.
She gritted her teeth. Part of her regretted not killing him during their last fight. Now the Hunters were growing stronger.
Is that really what I'm thinking…? she thought. This whole ordeal with Jack really did get into my head. There was a time when she was fine just leaving mob hunters incapacitated. It was easy to do with her powers.
I have to be quick, she thought. I need…a map. There has to be a map here that shows where the portal is. Maybe she should take another look in the Hunters' base; if anyone had any records about an eldritch gateway to a fiery world of lava and death, it was them.
Two Hunters with glowstone lamps stopped to talk at one end of the alley. Andr froze, trying to stay hidden; she couldn't teleport without them noticing.
One of them was Raulyn.
"There is no point to searching, sir," the other Hunter said. "Not with a teleporter."
"Has it been seen yet?" Raulyn asked.
"No, sir. I think it is gone. Our strategy so far has not given any results."
"Then we will keep using it until it does."
With a swift, unexpected motion, Raulyn threw his glowstone lamp into the alley.
Andr felt the light on her before she could react.
"There!" the other Hunter cried.
Andr looked up at them—and straight into Raulyn's eyes. The chief Hunter frowned. Andr saw recognition dawn on his face. He knew who she was.
It didn't matter. She'd been found, but she wasn't going to give up. The Hunters' headquarters might still give her the means to find the portal.
First, though, she needed to warn the others.
She teleported.
The Nether rumbled.
Minerva froze, as did the other mobs. She strode towards the nearest window and looked out over the red area outside, searching for the source of the sound. Fires flickered, lakes of lava became restless.
Then the ground began to shake. Minerva almost fell, only to be caught by Blazette, who had begun to float.
"What's happening…!" Honetsu cried, keeping her younger sisters close.
A bright flash of light startled them all. It was accompanied by a loud crack that shook the whole fortress.
Minerva gasped. "That…" she said. "That was lightning…in the Nether…?!"
Lakes of lava outside began to float upwards, defying gravity. Fires turned an unnatural blue, and pieces of netherrack fell from the Nether's cave-like ceiling. The earthquake became stronger.
Then one of the fortress' walls suddenly fell apart. Each brick was individually removed from the structure, and they reassembled to create a bridge. A bridge from where the mobs were, directly to the nearest portal.
Go, a voice suddenly spoke. You don't have much time.
Minerva frantically looked around. Who'd spoken?! The other mobs were searching as well.
Hurry, the voice urged. It sounded like Jack. You have to get to the Overworld before the Nether collapses! It's your only chance!
For a moment the mobs remained silent. Frozen. In shock.
Then Minerva regained her senses. "Go!" she cried. "To the portal! Now!"
"Hey," Mystia said. "What…?"
Athena didn't listen. She focused on Ironhand; from what she could see from that distance, the streets had gotten busier. People were walking around in fast paces. From that distance, Athena couldn't tell if they were Hunters or not.
Andr had already warned the group about it—after which she'd immediately teleported back to Ironhand. She wasn't going to stop searching anytime soon.
"Looks like trouble," Ari said to Athena's right.
Athena nodded. "Andr wasn't joking about the village going on alert. I just hope she'll be fine. The rest of us should probably back off, though."
"I didn't mean Ironhand."
With a frown, Athena turned to Ari, who looked at the sky with apprehension. Athena followed her gaze.
Seemingly out of nowhere, dark clouds were gathering above Ironhand and the surrounding region. White and red lightning flashed, followed by quiet, distant cracks.
"Bad weather, huh?" Cassandra said. "Andr isn't going to like the rain."
"She can find shelter against the rain by just teleporting inside a house," Mystia said. "This is something else. Those clouds… They just appear out of nothing. And that lightning? No mob is powerful enough to conjure a storm like that."
Athena shook her head. "Then who or what…?"
"Herobrine?" Ari blurted out.
Cassandra scoffed. "You really believe that?"
No one responded. The air suddenly felt very tense as the realization of the possible danger dawned on them.
"If it is Herobrine," Mystia whispered, "there'll be nowhere to run."