Hello, readers. Welcome to another chapter!
Unfortunately this chapter is a fair bit shorter than others so, ah, sorry about that.
But I do have some things to say. But I won't put them all up here. Please refer to the ending author's notes for further info.
And in the meantime… here's the chapter! =D
Chapter 45: The Enchanting Book
…
The air is still.
Several hours have passed.
I'm lying down in my bed, the moon casting faint shadows into the room.
The events down in the cave still replay over and over in my mind.
I can't believe Diana… would actually do that.
She… she tried to kiss me.
…
I spent hours mulling over it in the back of my mind.
It's already midnight, yet I'm still wide away.
Susie's fast asleep next to me. Everyone else likely has gone to bed already. No reason they should still be awake, after all.
But even so, I'm still thinking about how Diana threw her arms around me, started leaning down…
…
It all happened so fast, now that I think about it.
I turn over in my sleep, facing away from Susie.
"And she almost managed to do it." I mumble, my eyes slowly growing heavy.
She would've managed to kiss me…
If it hadn't been for Silk.
…
Silk, Silk, Silk…
…
Many times, I've complained about her sticking her nose in my business plenty of times before.
But this time? This might've been one of the very few times I was both upset and relieved by it.
Lemme explain.
Back in the cave, Diana was literally a second away from connecting our lips together. I was little more than a stuttering, nervous mess.
But then, just before our lips touched…
"Cameron? Are you down here?"
Silk's voice called out from the passage behind me.
In that moment, Diana's eyes opened wider than I had ever seen them open before, and she almost instantly let me go and jumped to the opposite side of the cavern room.
Silk walked in, climbing the last step. "Oh, there you are. Susie told me you were down here, and she was starting to get worried."
She glanced to the side and saw Diana staring rather intently at the wall. "Diana? You're here too?"
Diana slowly turned, avoiding direct eye contact. "Erm… yeah… Cameron was just… returning something to me, and… we started talking, so…"
If Silk found Diana's response weird and abnormal, she didn't show it. "Huh. Alright then," she shrugged, turning back to me. "Anyway, Susie asked me to tell you to come back up as soon as possible."
I didn't say anything. I was still too shocked by what Diana had almost done to respond.
"Erm, Cameron?" Silk called out to me, waving a hand in front of my face.
I snapped back. "E-erm… r-right… erm… I'll… go back up now…"
I trudged off without a word otherwise. Silk seemed to watch me go, her expression confused. She turned towards Diana. "Something wrong with him?"
I was just within earshot to hear Diana murmur, "Oh… we just were talking about… serious things…" before reaching too far a distance to hear anything more.
The rest of the day was a blur. I remember talking. I remember eating dinner. I remember spending the rest of the day with my friends. I remember all of that, and on the surface, I was perfectly fine.
But inside, tucked away at the back of my mind, I would never forget what happened.
Finally, night approached, and me and Susie went to bed. She fell asleep almost instantly after lying down. But I was now free to think about the event to myself, over and over and over.
…
Should…
Should I have been excited?
Nervous? Afraid?
I mean, don't get me wrong, Diana approaching me like that was unexpected, which in it of itself was mildly surprising of it's own right.
But… everytime I think about it, and what I could've done… Silk's words always come back to me.
"Promise me that you aren't going to come between us."
I… I can't break that promise. The look that Silk gave me when we made that… I don't think I can take breaking it.
Silk would never trust me again. She'd disappear off to Notch know's where, and all she would remember me by is the guy who broke a promise to her.
That's not who I want to be remembered as.
'But… is it the same thing… if her friend approached me first…?' I thought to myself.
My mind mulled over the question for a few moments.
Eventually, I realized I was so tired, I could barely keep my eyes open any longer.
I sighed gently, flipped back over so I was facing Susie, and slowly closed my eyes.
We had a long day ahead of us, and I didn't want my own personal worries blocking me from doing an important job.
And slowly, sleep embraced me...
The next morning...
I opened my eyes to see the warm light of tomorrow.
Susie was still clinging to me in her sleep, like normal, making tiny sleepy noises.
I gently rubbed her shoulder, and she slowly woke up with a yawn.
"'Morning." I greeted quietly.
"'Morning to you too." Susie greeted back, yawning quietly.
We slowly got up and sorted our affairs, then entered the kitchen.
When we got to the living room, we were both mildly surprised. Diana and Silk were already wide awake, and from the looks of things, making breakfast for the house.
Silk noticed us first. "Oh, hey you two. Breakfast's ready."
Diana turned, but when she noticed me she blushed heavily and turned away.
'She must've been thinking about yesterday too…' I thought to myself.
Susie gave them a soft smile. She's been slowly loosening up to the two ever since they started living here, but this was quite a way past the normal amount I've seen her. "Oh, you guys didn't have too…"
"Diana suggested that we did." Silk indicated. "After all, aren't you two going to search for a cave today?"
We nodded, and Silk simply added, "Well there you go. Now come on and eat. Before it gets cold."
I gave Susie a sideways glance. For once, the roles the two normally gave off seemed to be reversed. Silk looked cheery and happy (not that she didn't normally, but today it was especially prevalent), whereas Diana was much more reserved, keeping to herself.
Apparently Susie didn't seem to catch it, or if she did she didn't indicate so. She instead slid into an open seat, leaving me to do the same.
Snowy and Andr soon came downstairs, drawn by the smell of food. They too were somewhat surprised by the breakfast thing, but they pushed it aside and grabbed the armchairs.
Breakfast was a lively affair. The talk at the moment seemed to be revolving around possibly expanding the house even further than what me and Susie had done long, long ago. There was talk of either adding a third floor, or a basement floor. I personally liked the basement idea a little better, the reason being that if Susie had patients more sensitive to light, they could possibly recover down there. Plus it would be easier and, arguably, much safer than trying to go up another floor.
The others seemed to agree. The plan was that by the time me and Susie came back from our expedition, the remaining four would try and devise a plan for how to go about the expansion.
Eventually, after some preparing, me and Susie were packed and ready for a trip. We planned on taking no longer than a day, two at the most. We had enough food packed to last us those two days plus three as emergency rations, fresh water, plenty of spare tools, my trusty map and compass (which I revised after moving into the house to be more centered around it, rather than that long nightmare I had before), and of course, camping supplies.
Snowy and Andr looked a little worried about the two of us going out on our own, but me and Susie both assured them that we'd be fine. In Susie's words, "I'm going to make sure he behaves, after all." Five out of the six of us found that funny. Guess who didn't.
Anyway, at five past noon, me and Susie exited the house, gave one last wave to the four, and headed off, in a south-easterly direction.
It was genuinely nostalgic to be back in the rugged forest, traveling with nothing but a few items and no real set destination in mind. 'Course, now I was sharing that experience with a friend.
Small talk kept happening on and off between the two of us. I think Susie was more than happy to have a time that was, honestly and truly, all to ourselves. No fear of being interrupted or anything by another person.
After a while, however, the thrill of starting our trip quickly grew rather boring. We knew what we were looking for: a cave. Problem was, that was easier said than done.
Everytime the ground ahead of us dipped down, we'd excitedly head towards it, only to find that it either didn't run that deep or that it was a small cavern, not connected to any cave.
By three-thirty, our spirits were running a little dry, so to speak, as was our appetites.
We picked out a nice spot atop a large hill and laid out a small lunch.
While we ate, I pulled out my map. "Okay… so we've travelled this far away from home now." I spoke aloud, drawing out the area with my finger.
"Right…" Susie murmured, munching on a sandwich while gazing at the map with me.
"So far, we've explored just about this entire half-circle area around our house, and we're right here at the edge." I explained, marking the spot our house was at with a pebble. "I'd estimate… oh, maybe a good fifteen, twenty minute walk from our house to the edge of this semi-circle…"
Susie winced. "That's already a pretty long walk… and we haven't even found anything either…"
"Yeah… I guess we only can keep searching around the other half… but just THIS took quite a while to begin with…" I murmured.
Susie looked at the map again. "Hang on, we didn't check this area out yet."
She jabbed a finger at a portion of the map still blank at the edge of our explored area. From what I could tell, the area was right around the way to get to Blockington. I guess I just instantly assumed we wouldn't find anything there since I've traveled back and forth a bit.
"Huh… forgot about that." I murmured. "That could be good to explore… how about we explore it on the way back? It'd suck to be literally right next to a cave around here, yet we'd just pack it up and head for the blank spot."
Susie agreed, so I rolled up my map for the moment and returned to my lunch.
It was quiet for a moment, and then…
"So… about… Silk and Diana…"
Susie looked a little uncertain about the words she was saying.
I gave her a second, before intoning, "Go on…"
"They… they seem to be nice." Susie started, picking at the crust of her remaining sandwich. "And… I think they really do mean to be helpful and honest."
"So you DO believe that they'd never hurt us?" I asked, hopeful.
Susie gazed at the ground for a moment, before looking up at me. "Yeah… yeah, I think I do. Like you said… I just needed some time to get used to them. Sure, Silk is a bit of a hothead form what I've seen, (I couldn't resist a snort here) and Diana is actually quite nice… but do you think they're still looking for a place elsewhere?"
I hesitated for a moment. But as we were in the middle of nowhere and were free to talk without worry, I slowly told her, "Well… actually… they may have found a place."
I slowly explained to her about Silk's finding a few days ago. "She… as far as I know, she hasn't even told Diana this. She wanted me to help her decide what to do."
"What… what did you tell her?" Susie asked hesitantly.
I gave her an honest answer. "I… I wasn't sure myself WHAT I should tell her. I mean, part of me was glad she managed to possibly find a place, but… at the same time, considering all that those two have already put up with… I'm not sure."
Susie studied my face carefully. A moment passed. Then…
"Cameron… do you like them? Like… more than friends?"
I sighed. I had feared that question. I gave myself ten seconds, in which I thought of many possible responses. But the one I gave her?
"Honestly? I couldn't be sure of that myself." I found myself saying. "Saying no wouldn't be truthful… but neither would saying yes… if that makes any sense."
Susie seemed to be judging my answer, and I could tell that she found that answer just as intriguing as I did, and I was the one who said it.
We didn't speak about it for the rest of lunch, leading me to believe that the conversation was over. But five minutes after we packed up and headed back on our way…
"Say… say you do like them." Susie offered. "Would you be willing to give them a place to live at our house?"
I stared at the slime girl. "Are you suggesting-"
"No, no… not yet. Not right now." Susie quickly answered, holding her hands up defensively. "I'm just asking, you know, if you really did like them as more than friends… would you want them to stay with us?"
I gave Susie's question a long while to answer, at least another five minutes.
"I… I honestly would… but if they can find a place that has the same views as them, then… who would I be to ask them to stay? Even if I really did like them as more than friends." I finally responded, cutting down tall grass in the way as I did so.
Susie seemed to appreciate my answer. She didn't ask anymore questions about the topic, but I could still see gears turning in her head about it.
Another few hours of travel still turned up nothing. Aside from nearly falling into a lake once or twice, we were fine, if not tired and ready to call it a night.
We still, however, kept going back around towards the blank section we discussed at lunch. Because of how close it was to the normal path I take to and from Blockington, we'd be able to explore it and then be able to, in theory, make it back home at a decent time.
For some reason… I had bad feelings about the area the moment we stepped in it, for no apparent reason. I chalked it up to my survival instincts kicking in, seeing as the sun was starting to get lower and mobs would be out soon enough, but even I had to admit that my instincts have never been this triggered by some unknown danger.
Susie also appeared more on edge than normal. "Something… something doesn't feel right."
"I know… like something's watching us, and at any second, something bad is going to-" I started to say.
But that's when I took a step too far, and suddenly slipped on loose dirt.
And fell into a sudden hole in the ground.
"WAAAHHH!" I screamed, taken completely off guard. I didn't even have enough time to call on Aira, I was too confused.
Luckily enough, some water had been resting at the bottom, and I managed to fall into it, saving me quite a bit of pain. I still landed pretty hard on the stone floor through the water though, particularly on my behind.
"Cameron! Are you alright?!" Susie yelled at me from above.
"Y-yeah! Kinda!" I called back.
"Should I come down there?" she yelled down.
"Yeah… might be for the best." I responded.
Susie quickly set up a nice little rope ladder I had made for just such instances, anchoring the thing against a tree near the hole and slowly and carefully climbing down.
"Ohh, I don't like when this thing swings around like this…" she murmured every time a draft blew the ladder slightly.
"It's okay, just don't look down and you'll be fine." I called up to her.
Eventually she made it to solid ground. She quickly came up to me, shaky. "Are you okay? You fell so far down…"
"I'm fine. Water broke most of my fall." I murmured, rubbing a spot on my butt.
"Can you still walk around?" Susie asked me, to which I was, just a tiny bit slower than normal.
"Good enough, I suppose…" I murmured, looking around the cave. "Where are we?" I then asked.
The area we were in was a circular chamber. As far as we could tell, this wasn't natural, this was carved into the ground by someone. But I didn't focus on that.
What I did focus on was in the center of the chamber, elevated on a small pedestal.
From here, it seemed like a large book with a slightly faded cover was present on the thing, just sitting there for the taking.
I slowly approached it, Susie right behind me. "What do we have here…?" I asked.
I started to reach for it, but Susie grabbed my hand. "W-wait! It could be trapped!"
"How?" I asked.
"I don't know exactly… maybe the book is rigged so that if anyone takes it…?" she responded, looking at the ground just below the pedestal.
I grabbed my pickaxe and mined a bit under and around the stand. Nothing. No redstone trails, no primed pieces of TNT, not even a piston. Just normal stone.
"I see nothing around this thing…" I murmured, filling the holes I created back in. "Let's just see…"
Slowly, my hand curled around the book and lifted it up off the stand. Nothing happened.
We backed off. Nothing. No hidden traps fired. No blocks attached to hidden pistons moved around. Nothing.
"Seems like we're good here." I murmured, flipping open the cover.
I looked at the book, and through various pages. But as far as I could figure, just about all of them were completely blank.
"Why would someone put a blank book in the middle of this room…?" I asked myself, flipping all the way to the back.
Suddenly, I noticed something, on the very, VERY last page.
It was faded slightly, but I could definitely make out a drawing of some kind: nine squares, in a three by three grid, with what looked like three very dark blocks in each bottom square and one more in the very middle, two sketches of diamonds on either side of the lone block, and… something else. A final square, in the top row middle collum, the square was slightly darker than the rest, possibly meaning something went here too.
I suddenly realized I was looking at a typical crafting grid, and this was showing me how to create… something. But there was more on the other side, scratched into the inside back cover. Someone had written words here.
"PUT THIS BACK. THIS BOOK LIES. DO NOT LISTEN."
Susie looked at both the picture and the words, and grew very concerned. "Umm… that sounds… rather ominous."
Despite agreeing with her, I had some… lingering urge about the book. Something… something about the book felt… interesting to me.
Susie still looked concerned when I voiced this. "I dunno… maybe you should just put it back."
Despite her voiced concerns, I was too curious. Someone had written the picture in the book, and the book looked pretty worn. Perhaps others had found the book and decided to create the item as well. I wanted to at the very least see what this thing would create.
So I shoved the book in my bag, then mumbled, "Maybe we should head home… I wanna look at this a bit more."
Susie slowly nodded, though I don't think she liked it.
The journey home was uneventful, but the book in my bag was my only focus. Someone clearly put that book there. Was it the same person that also scribbled the message? If so, why put it in the open for anyone to take? I mean sure it was underground, but still, it was right over a hole, and it wasn't even trapped. Maybe the ground had simply eroded away after some time, revealing the cave's position?
Questions started building up, and with little way to answer them, I simply shook my head, thinking that I'll only worry about the item that the book is referring to.
We made it home, and everyone was sitting around in either the kitchen or living room. Snowy and Diana were in the living room reading, while Silk and Andr were chatting quietly in the kitchen.
"We're back." I called out.
Snowy glanced up, saw my face, and then I remembered I had about three seconds to brace myself before I found myself flat on the ground with a loving wolf girl on me.
"Welcome home, Master!" Snowy gleefully greeted, cuddling me instantly.
"You'd think I'd remember that at this point." I groaned gently. "But I don't. I never do."
I managed to stand back up with Snowy still hugging me tightly. Andr soon asked, "How'd the trip go? Find a cave?"
"No… but we did find something else." Susie responded. She reached into my bag for me and grabbed the book, showing it to the others.
"A dusty old book?" Silk asked. "What's so great about that?"
"Not much… 'cept for the last page." I responded, finally managing to pull Snowy off me.
The other four turned to that page and saw the picture and the note. "Huh. That's… unconventional." Diana murmured. She seemed at least somewhat back to normal from what happened before, at least for now.
"Far as I can figure, it's some sort of crafting recipe… but nothing like I've ever seen." I responded, taking the book back and staring at the picture again.
"Are we gonna make it?" Snowy asked curiously.
"I don't know…" I murmured quietly, staring at the recipe a little. "From the picture, I'd wager that those blocks are either obsidian or black wool… and diamonds don't come by so easy…"
"We only have so many diamonds to spare…" Susie mumbled. "And the only obsidian that I know of would be down in the lower mine area, but… that'd be risky to travel to at this late. And I don't think any of us can even mine the stuff with our current equipment."
Even Andr begrudgingly agreed to that. "I would offer to grab some, but… even I can't pick that stuff up when placed down. It needs to be mined first…"
The room was quiet for a moment. Then…
"I-I… I can, um… possibly help with the equipment…"
I looked over at Diana, her cheeks bright red and her eyes refusing to look at mine.
She hesitantly reached behind her and pulled out…
My eyes widened. She had a fresh diamond pickaxe, probably not even used before.
The five of us looked at Diana quite surprised. "Where… where'd you get THAT?" I asked.
"I… wanted a stronger pickaxe, and… I did have some diamonds on hand, so… I just kinda made it." Diana murmured, blushing harder.
I glanced at the others. "Well… I guess that works then…"
I take the pickaxe from Diana, thanking her for it.
"I suppose I can run down there quickly, and grab the material we need." I muse, looking out. If I work fast enough, there should be JUST enough daylight to get to the cave, grab the obsidian, and then run back.
Andr then spoke up. "I can get you get you there fast, if you want."
I nod, seeing the plan start to fall into place. "Snowy, take this and grab the crafting table from upstairs for me? Just put it down here so I can craft easier." I asked, handing her my axe.
She nods, and runs upstairs. I slip my hand into Andr's, and in a blind we're in the cave.
I quickly follow the path, Andr right behind me, going deeper and deeper until we reach a lava pool.
Part of the lava still has water flowing over it, which is perfect for me. Carefully, as to avoid burning to death into lava, I start to mine out four of the obsidian blocks on the edge of the lava lake.
The process is slow, and the heat coming from the lava isn't helping. By the time I've finished with just ONE, I'm drenched in sweat, which is why having water nearby is so nice.
Eventually, after a very, VERY long process, I have four blocks of solid obsidian, and I take Andr's hand again.
We teleport back up to the surface, just outside the house. The sun is just dipping over the horizon, so we quickly duck back inside.
The others are sitting around, looking at the book when we enter. Snowy comes over to me first, saying, "Here Master. Crafting table is ready for you."
She gestures to the table in question, a chair next to it too. "Thank you. Good girl." I praise, giving her a short head rub. She giggles.
"Now then…" I murmur, taking out the four obsidian blocks and placing them on the grid like the book said. "And then diamonds…"
"Already got them." Susie replies, holding out the diamonds to me almost reluctantly. I can't say I blame her. I hesitantly place them on the grid, hoping that this item better be worth it.
"Now, for the last item…" I murmur, looking up at the others. "Any ideas, anyone?"
"Try this." Silk calls out, tossing me a ball of silk. I try.
Nothing happens. "Nope."
"Maybe this?" Andr calls out, handing me a spare ender pearl that she must've found upstairs.
I place it on the table. Nothing. "Nada."
"Ooh, I know!" Snowy replies, digging into her pockets. She pulls out, what else, a large chicken bone.
I humor her by trying. No result. "Sorry Snowy. Not bones."
Her ears droop a little. "Aww…"
I look at the book again. "I don't get it… why keep the last item so vague?" I mutter, staring at the space for the last item once more.
Until… an idea strikes.
"Unless…" I murmur, gently closing the book.
And I set it down in the spot.
For a second, nothing happens, and I reach to take the book back.
But… then the book, and the obsidian, and the diamonds… start shaking.
My eyes widen and I stand up, stepping back. My friends all wisely follow suit.
This never had happened when I try to craft something, so I think my fear was justified in that instance.
The items on the table rattle harder and harder, until finally-
BOOOOM!
With a loud explosion sound, light nearly blinds me, making me look away in fear. 'What in Notch have I created?!' I asked myself.
Slowly, the light died, allowing me to look back. On the table, there was…
…
A… a stand, a little less than a full block tall, made out of obsidian, and the top corners of the thing made out of diamond. And, in the center, on a soft cushion type fabric…
Sat the book. But now the book looked brand new.
It… floated. Just above the stand.
I looked at it, startled and afraid. Snowy clings to me, afraid as well. "W-what… what is that… Master?"
"I… I don't know…" I murmur.
Silk, in a stroke of bravery, hesitantly steps up to the item.
As she approaches, the book slowly rotates towards her, and once she's within a block away, the book slowly opens, the pages flipping around on their own.
She pauses for a second, surprised, before again reaching out and tapping the book.
Nothing happens.
She grabs the book off the stand. Nothing happens.
She looks at the cover of the book, now ornate with gold, iron and diamond detailing. She flips it open to the first page.
Then the second.
"Erm… well, there seems to be writing in these pages now…" Silk replies, confused.
Diana and Andr step up to her, looking at the book as well. "What… what is that?" Andr asks.
"I've never even seen that kind of writing before…" Diana murmurs.
I approach, along with Snowy and Susie. Andr passes the book to Snowy, who passes it to Susie, and then finally to me.
"Maybe it's… some kind of secret code?" Susie offers.
"Yeah, but… how did it suddenly appear when this… table… was made?" Andr asks, touching the table.
"Maybe some kind of seal was on the book…?" Silk asks weakly. "And crafting the item was the only way to release the seal?"
"But how could that be possible?" Diana asks. "I mean, it would've had to have been crafted before this, considering the writing in the book before-"
"Yeah, and once you craft something it's hard to turn it back to normal after all…" Snowy agreed.
"There's a lot of smart people out there." Diana reasoned. "Maybe someone knows how to reverse a crafting recipe?"
"Erm, guys?" I speak up.
"Forget about that." Susie spoke up. "Why would it be written in a language no one can read?"
"Guys?" I speak up again.
"Maybe we can translate it!" Andr reasoned. "After all, there must be a way to learn how-"
"GUYS?" I nearly shout.
The others turn to me. "Huh?" Susie hums. "What?"
I look back at the book one more time before saying,
"I… I can read this."
Huh. Useful talent.
You know, I wasn't actually planning on ending the chapter here. I initially wanted to keep going onward, but nothing just seemed to… fit, if that makes sense.
And since this kinda works as an ending in it's own way, I guess it works alright…
Though I do think it kinda sucks I had to end it kinda soon. I mean, when was the last time we've seen a 5000 word chapter from me?
In any event, I hope you guys did enjoy the chapter. It turned out pretty good, all things considered.
Several announcements to make today! Firstly, I have officially started my college life! Hooray!
And considering I only have work on the weekends, and I have a maximum of four classes on any week day, all ending well before the day is even half over… maybe I'll have more time to keep writing! That's pretty cool, no?
Second, you probably notice that by this point I've changed my profile image! That awesome image comes courtesy of a good friend of mine, MEESTER_SoupCan. I meant to shout him out last chapter, but I kinda forgot. So here's the shoutout now! =D
Third, you also might've noticed the change to this story's description! That comes thanks to another of my friends, freddylane1.. Cool dude all around, so hey!
Fourth, a fair bit late on this one, but we have now reached over 100 THOUSAND VIEWS! HOLY HELL! That is actually amazing! YOU guys are amazing! And to think this story started out as nothing more than a loosely planned out idea in my head! It's really awesome!
And finally, a bit bigger of an announcement is that I, for like the fifth time now, have another server again! But this one is a bit different! I no longer have to pay for it (which is why the others always went down before, in case you wondered), but the trade-off of that is that now I must manually start the server if people want to get on. And that can take a while, as it's a public server service, so… yeah.
If you still want to play on it with me, give me your in-game username, and what time in a PM. I'll then start the server when time gets around to it, and once it's up I'll send over the IP. Just know that once I give the IP, you'll always see the server if you save it to the list, but you won't be able to join unless I've booted it up. =p
As always, if you guys have any questions for me, send me a PM and I'll get back to you. And until next time guys, this is ButterHunter, and I will see you later, and until then…!
Stay awesome! =D
