AN: Kinda wanted this to come out on a Wednesday. Like the good old days. No such luck because the editing for this mountain of text took a while. It wasn't because I was conflicted on a character design.
Anyway!
Nothing Happens. This Chapter. Skip It.
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd make Channeling Tridents summon lightning without having to strike an entity.
Chapter 223
Stepped Leader
[Kalmarin]
It was November 26th. Food was scarce, a terrible thunderstorm was pelting the Lacquerlands, and a passing Stigma had been sighted ahead. Number 5. Until it passed, we were stuck waiting at the base of an obsidian mountain. We had a cauldron out catching rain for drinking water and a campfire to dry us off.
To make matters worse, we received an update from Nitebane. Two more Hackers had shown up, along with Baltic, Z7, Lenz, and most of their group. Also, Cobb had somehow escaped his paralytic confinement to confront the Hackers. No word since.
It was Hannah and Thed who showed up. I reported as much of what I knew about their Hacks, but chances were they gained some news ones in the time since I last saw them. They'd be stronger for sure.
Carys was incredibly pissed to have had her orders disobeyed by Baltic and her Paragons, and even more pissed to hear that Cobb had escaped. The report wasn't even coming from Jillian but rather Baltic, and four Hackers went beyond our expectations based on our lookouts.
Naturally, all this was shout-discussed out of earshot of the Beginners, not that they didn't notice something amiss. If not from our demeanor, then by how Cobb's map blip had resurfaced in Nitebane. It appeared suddenly, and Floyd and Noman had noticed. The three Beginners were sat a good distance away from us with a campfire of their own, their bodies hunched over as they heatedly discussed what was happening in Nitebane. They were left in the dark about the number of Hackers, or that their archer was there too when his map blip showed him on the Cadboro Bridge.
Someone had to tell them. They deserved to know the threat their friends were embroiled in.
While Carys and Anibal were buried in their maps, I slipped away towards the Beginners, catching the tail end of their discussion.
"-showing if Carys said it got stolen?"
"Could the bounty hunter be holding it?"
"Something isn't adding up. They look worried." Noman commented, his eyes straying towards the Paragons before they zeroed in on me. He tapped the shoulders of the other two and they immediately went quiet, their eyes glued to me.
"I'm here to tell you something off the record." I spoke in a hushed voice. I spared a glance towards Carys, but she looked to still be absorbed with the maps. "It's about Nitebane."
The Beginners tensed up, but they remained quiet as they let me talk, informing them of the situation. Thunder boomed and rain pelted around our shelter, the light of the campfire reflecting in their eyes.
"Cobb and Lenz are both in Nitebane, as are four Hackers and their Griefer army. It's starting to look like the Hackers will join the attack today. I'm sorry to say that Cobb and Lenz are smack dab in the middle of it."
It was the worst news. They were already well aware of what Hackers are capable of doing to a kingdom. 303 may not be there, but four Hackers was enough to lay waste to an army. Nearly that many were involved in the Stigmata Wars in Exter. I felt awful being the bearer of bad news, but Carys wasn't going to tell them. She was preoccupied with her maps and sending messages that could never be read during a battle. I was prepared for a drop in the Beginners' morale.
"Oh, that's all?" Soul asked trivially.
I blinked in shock.
"...That's it? That's all? Isn't that enough?" I gave a nervous chuckle. "Cobb and Lenz are facing four Hackers in Nitebane! That's plenty to be concerned about!"
And yet, inexplicably, they stopped worrying. Their shoulders relaxed and their faces became less agitated, less anxious. They acted like I just told them Cobb and Lenz were safe at the Origin and not balls deep in Griefers and Hackers.
"Maybe you didn't hear me, but COBB AND LENZ ARE IN THE PATH OF FOUR ANGRY HACKERS." I hissed the words under my breath, my voice threatening to be heard by Carys. "They're in grave danger!"
"Nah, they got this." Soul dismissed before going back to cleaning his axe.
"Raaawk, they got this!" Christopher Squawken chimed in.
"But... I don't..." I trailed off, lost by their apparent indifference for their comrades. Was I reading this wrong?
"Kalmarin, we appreciate you letting us know." Noman assured. "We're not being callous. Of course we care for their well-being, and we hope they will survive this threat. However..."
"We already know they'll survive this threat." Floyd finished for him, the words earning a round of nods from the three.
"But... but these Hackers all possess Regen and a plethora of powerful and varied Hacks! How can you expect those two to-"
"You seem to have the wrong impression on which half of the Beginners is more stacked, so let me tell it to you straight." Soul spoke bluntly. "Who are Cobb and Lenz? A newb and a nerd, right? That's what you see? Well, guess what. Those two are way more than that. Much more."
"They don't have powerful artifacts." Noman granted.
"Or magic eyeliner." Soul added.
"But those two-" Floyd paused to scowl at Soul for that. "But those two have determination enough to make up for what they're lacking. I've seen them do incredible things."
"When the chips are down, those two dorks turn into dragons. You'll see." Soul assured. "Plus, it's not like any of this is new to them."
"...How do you mean?" I questioned.
"Well, who do you think are the original Hacker-Slaying duo? None of us were in Halstatt when it happened." My eyes widened at the implications. Cobb never had a Hacker or artifact wielder backing him in Halstatt? "An army of Griefers? A few Hackers? A community at risk? Even a thunderstorm while it happens! This is just Halstatt 2.0 for those guys. And if I'm not mistaken, they've only grown stronger since then."
[Cobb]
My chin hit the airship's roof hard enough for my teeth to clack together. Also, my ankle was killing me from where Jade swept with her diamond cutlass.
'Another point for me.' Jade declared haughtily. 'You need to defend better.'
'That's kind of tough when you're bouncing around like a kangaroo hopped up on caffeine.' I complained. 'Also, your body is slenderer.'
'Oh?' Jade posed provocatively with her hands on the back of her head. 'Tell me more of what you've noticed about my body.'
'I-I mean your blade is slenderer.' I amended with a blush.
'Oh yeah? Wanna switch?' She flipped the cutlass and held out it out handle first.
'And give up my only excuse as to why you're thrashing me? No thanks.'
We were on our way to Akasha after having escaped the Wailing Vale and another encounter with Carys. We had our fuel and we sabotaged Carys' new airship, so there was no chance of her catching up to us. Yet.
Jade took it upon herself to combine our parkour lessons with combat training, only she decided to select the top of the Asmodeus as our training ground. The red sands, dried up bushes, and impressive mesas of the landscape passed by below and we were high enough to fall to our deaths, yet Jade jumped and balanced on the precarious footholds with practiced ease. One good guest of wind could knock her off, but she maintained perfect balance. It was captivating. Or maybe I just thought her to be captivating.
'Okay. Sure. Let's talk about the real reason you're losing these spars. You keep looking down at your feet.' Her blade twirled in a loop in the air as she made her observation. 'Parkourists need to check the ground, sure, but they can do it in a glance. Running on branches and rooftops, our brains process dozens of footholds and handhelds we can use to traverse otherwise cumbersome terrain. We see it fast so we can use it fast. You?' She scoffed. 'You're staring at the ground like it's about to bite your feet off.'
'Well forgive me for worrying about falling - hey, whoa!'
'Stop. Worrying.' Jade bounced across narrow ledges and got up close before she swung her cutlass down. I blocked with my sword, but I remained rooted to the spot, unable to leap to a new location without worrying about missing a foothold. Jade wasn't so encumbered and made a point to punish me for it.
She sidestepped to a new ledge and struck from a different angle that I only just parried before somersaulting over my head and landing behind me. I spun to knock her away with my sword hilt, but she suddenly dropped off the airship. I let out a gasp, thinking she fell, only for her to shoot up like a cork and headbutt me in the chin. I wobbled backwards off balance, my arms flailing, my body about to fall overboard.
A hand seized the front of my hoodie and kept me from falling, though a diamond blade tickled my nose. Pretty amethyst eyes met mine as she raised a dainty eyebrow askance.
'I yield.' I surrendered.
She nodded, accepting the victory before dragging me back to my feet, the two of us in each other's space and in close proximity. I could feel her breath on my neck, smell the scent of apples that seemed to emanate off of her.
She grinned at me with lidded eyes. 'Feeling a little distracted, Cobb?'
Feeling like I owed her some payback, my hands flew to her shoulders and spun her around so that her back was facing me. Then I reached forward and hugged her close, my face burying itself in her neck. She let out a high-pitched squawk that soon devolved into a moan when I nibbled on her neck.
'What was that adorable sound just then?' I asked mischievously, hoping she couldn't see my blush that showed weakness. 'Maybe you're the one getting distracted.'
'I swear, Cobb, I'm going to get you ba - eeeeeee!' She squealed as I peppered her neck with kisses.
Oh yeah. I found her weakness. 'Not so tough when you can't hop around, hm?'
'Ahaha! Stop!' She started giggling when I reached up and started tickling her. She flailed enough to escape my grip, spinning around and smirking dangerously. 'You better watch your back, mister. Payback is a dish best served merciless.' She wiggled her fingers trying to scare/excite me.
We calmed down after that and took a break to enjoy lunch. The heat may have been dry in the mesa, but the wind cooled our skin quite comfortably. I had willed off my hoodie and Jade her green leather jacket. Jade also broke down what I needed to work on.
'You're not committing enough to parkour.' She summarized. 'I told you before, parkourists can't be worried or afraid when taking a leap, we have to trust our senses and act fast. Forget about how high up we are. Pretend there's a safety net. That's what I do.'
'You have no reason to worry about the fall.' I countered. 'You know you can make these jumps. You have experience to draw from. I'm not there yet.'
'I know you can make these jumps too, Cobb.' She assured me, one hand reaching over to rest on mine. 'You just need to believe in yourself and stop thinking about the fall. Commit yourself fully to something and you'd be amazed at what you can get done.'
'Even taking down Carys?' I asked skeptically. I still didn't believe her when she said it had to be me to do it.
'Enough commitment will see it done, but you need to commit to a whole lot more.' Jade spoke seriously. 'It'll take hard work, but so long as you're committed to working hard, you'll reach that peak. You'll get to that level.'
I went quiet as I thought over her words, a somber chuckle escaping me. 'You know, after stopping Alec, I felt pretty good about myself.' I confessed. 'I figured, hey, I'm strong enough to beat a Hacker. There's nothing I can't do.' I sighed. 'But then I lost to Thed. Then Carys. It's making me rethink exactly where I stand in terms of strength. Who I can beat, who I can't beat. I want to be strong. I want to be strong, so I don't have to be afraid of her, but I don't know if there's enough time to reach that point.'
'It's not a matter of time, it's a matter of succeeding.' Jade told me. 'Either you succeed, or you die. So, you might as well go all in with committing so you can die without regrets.'
I gave an exasperated huff. 'Thanks for the pep talk.' I said sarcastically.
[Nitebane: Warfront]
The spar on top of the Asmodeus faded as the pain all came rushing back. Cobb screamed with a closed mouth as a sharp burning pain twisted at his back. Cobb's spine was still within Thed_Hearst's vicelike grip. The Griefers had dispersed from their circle around the Hackers and were now arranging themselves away and near the chasm, ready to charge on the Hackers' signal. The four Hackers, meanwhile, were waiting on the seconds to tick by, waiting for the ultimatum to expire along with Cobb's pathetic life.
"Look at him. He's like a cockroach squashed under a boot." Hannah_Harper looked down her nose at Cobb. He was near enough to get a good look at her appearance. Ginger hair in a Gibson tuck style with a black headband on top. Well-endowed. Lilac wedge pump heels, black, sleeveless sheathe dress, lilac undershirt with long sleeves. Lilac eyes with the traditional Hacker lines stretched over them. Ginger belt and backpack. "He can't even walk with his broken spine. Let's watch him crawl around for his life." She then started humming something that Normal Sense was telling Cobb had the lyrics of 'When your legs don't work like they used to before.'
"What do you think? Been around five minutes?" Rrhys asked eagerly. "Why don't you do him now?"
"Can I do it?" Hannah asked with an intense gaze. "I practically raised Sandra."
"No. It has to be me." Thed said resolutely "It should have been me before, but I was lenient and weak. I let this one live at the Origin for Floyd. I should have killed him and taken Floyd back where he belongs. Maybe then Sandra and Winslow would..." He bit off his words before steeling his gaze. "One more minute. Just one more minute and we'll start. Get ready."
"We're still killing him even if they show, though, right?" Thed nodded to Rrhys. "Goody. This bastard made me buy that sob story. He made a fool out of us." He kicked Cobb sharply in the gut.
Cobb couldn't feel his legs. Everything was numb from the waist down after that enhanced blow to his spine. He was crippled with little time to waste.
Slowly, Cobb's hand inched to his belt and grabbed something tight, clutching it like a lifeline.
"Whatever you think you're doing, Darker Billionth, it won't save you. There's no escape." Thed promised, his grip tightening on Cobb's spine and making him cry out before it became little more than a whimper. Rain pelted his face and flowed into his eyes, nose, and mouth - threatening to drown him - as Thed kept his head pinned to the ground sideways.
"Take in your last moments, you insect. You cockroach. You parasite!" Smoke swirled around Thed, his anger fueling his power. "This all started because of you. All of it started because of you - because you challenged Gods. I let you slip away because it was what Floyd wanted, but you made him kill Sandra!" Thed was spitting he was so furious. "Well now I see you have to go. Today, I get to make things right. First you, then Carys, then the Lighter Billionth. Then I'll drag Floyd back kicking and screaming, and nobody will ever do what you did, not ever again!"
Cobb tilted his head and looked at Thed stood over him. The fisherman was still clutching the item at his belt. He was clutching so tight it hurt.
"You're scared."
"...What?"
"You're scared." Cobb repeated with icy calm clarity.
"What nonsense! I'm a Hacker! I'm not scared of anything!"
"You are. That goes for the rest of you back there too." The Hackers behind Thed bristled. "You're scared because people are standing up to you for the first time and you're suddenly on the losing end. It's making you make the wrong decisions. Choices you could've had are now out of your hands."
"Killing you doesn't seem like a wrong decision to me." Rrhys spoke. "And we're in full control. We know what we want. Your Head on a pike, in front of the Obelisk. A symbol of what happens to-"
"Darker Billionth...?" Cobb cut off. "That's what you called me. Where'd you hear something like that, I wonder?"
Thed and Hannah looked pissed.
"Darker Billionth." Cobb continued. "That's a term coined by the Cult. You must have heard them out to know it, which means you heard them out at all. It's because you're scared and desperate."
"You should be the scared one. You're going to die today." Llewellyn promised.
"Oh, I am, am I?" Cobb said to himself, still gripping the statuette in his hand. "I didn't jump down here without a backup plan. One thing you learn in the real world, boys: No one's dead unless you see their Hea-"
A black missile shot out of Hannah's finger, swerved around Thed, and struck Cobb's prone body with a devastating explosion. Spilled items and gear were kicked up like dust, and Cobb's lifeless Head looked back with empty eyes.
"You're dead, you're dead." Hannah smiled with a sigh of satisfaction. Finally, she had justice for her fallen brothers and sister - those she cherished and mothered like her own children.
"I thought I told you it had to be me!" Thed whirled on her, furious. "This was my chance to make amends! You took it away!"
"He's dead. Who cares who did it?" Hannah shrugged. "You can have Carys and the Lighter Billionth if... you..." Hannah trailed off, the dark sclera of her eyes going wide and prompting Thed to turn back around.
Cobb's items and gear that had been kicked up and scattered in the explosion quickly condensed along with his disembodied Head. It was like his scattering in reverse. Then, in a glimmer of green and yellow light - similar to the orbs of EXP - the items reformed into a whole Crafter.
"Achoo!" The freshly revived King_Cobb sneezed before whirling around upon the gawking Hackers.
"That's... not possible..." Rrhys muttered dazedly.
"N-No. No!" Llewellyn raged. "NOOOOOOO! IT'S JUST LIKE THAT DAY!"
In that moment, with Cobb gazing back defiantly, Llewellyn was reminded of that day another Crafter stood up to them. He and Cobb shared that same, fearless defiance - that same accursed look that filled Llewellyn with dread and told him this was one man they could not intimidate. He superimposed the two together as lightning flashed and illuminated the sky behind him.
"HE'S JUST LIKE HIM! NOT AGAIN! NOT ANOTHER HEROBRINE!"
Cobb skipped back, amazed that he could considering his back had been fucked up before. Seems the Totem of Undying did more than bring him back. His Hearts were ticking back up and seemed to have a buffer of golden Hearts on top of his regular Health. Cobb looked to his clenched hand and saw the last vestiges of the golden statuette float up before his eyes before breaking with an audible pop and fading away.
Good thing I had a Plan B. He thought, a bit of cold sweat mixing with the rain dripping off him.
He wasn't about to talk with Hackers without a little insurance, and his was in the form of the four - now three - Totems of Undying he picked up from the Raid he failed to stop.
Now wasn't the time to congratulate himself. The totem allowed him a moment in which the Hackers were too shellshocked to try and kill him right away. He needed to put more distance between him and them, but he needed a weapon.
He withdrew the first long-range weapon he had: Apostolos' trident. He had to fight at a distance while he picked apart their Hacks and awaited reinforcements. There was no more time for talking. The fight for Nitebane was on!
Brain, Heart, Blood: Let's do it!
"YOU CAN'T BE LIKE HIM!" Llewellyn continued to rage, his smoke gathering. Thed, Hannah, and Rrhys were also starting to shake themselves out of their shocked stupor and smoke up. "YOU CAN'T! YOU'RE NOT A GOD! I WON'T LET YOU CHALLENGE US!"
Cobb aimed Apostolos' trident, reared back his arm, and flung it straight at the gathered Hackers, hoping to distract more than damage them.
He was unprepared when the trident seemed to pull him along with it, his hand not letting go.
"Whoa, WHOA, WAAAAAAAH!?"
The world seemed to spin in a rush of movement as Cobb shot forward at impossible velocity.
"Agh!"
"Ulk!"
"OW!"
"AUGH!"
Cobb felt as if he clipped four different somethings before the world stopped spinning and he slid across the wet, rocky ground on his stomach, trident still glued to his hand. The four cries of pain belonged to the four Hackers he had just bowled through like a torpedo. Their heads darted to track him while he rose to his knees to marvel at what he just did. He looked to the trident in his hand.
The Riptide Enchantment seemed to glimmer when lightning flashed above.
Riptide... Cobb thought, running his fingers across the smooth handle. It turned me into a spinning torpedo. That's why Apostolos named his guild the Screw Divers. But it never worked before. Why now...?
The rain pelting his face sideways seemed to answer him. He looked up, his hands catching the drops as he did so and rubbing them between his fingers.
Rain...?
Someone appeared in front of Cobb in a blink before Thed buried a Strength Hack enhanced fist into his stomach. Spittle exploded out of Cobb's mouth before a follow-up punch cracked across his face, followed by another of Hannah's dark vapor missiles. He exploded in a shower of gear, only to reform in a burst of yellow and green light.
"Achoo!" He sneezed again, the remains of his second totem falling to pieces. He grabbed his stomach and cursed his wastefulness, even if the Quickswap training he did with Z7 and Lenz just saved his life. Two totems left!
"Why won't you die!?" Thed shouted half-crazed.
Cobb grinned. "You said it yourself. I'm a goddamn cockroach!"
Thed simmered, the dark smoke gathering around him. The Hackers behind him seemed to have fully regained their senses. They all had their smoke billowing and their weapons drawn as they darted or flew towards him.
Cobb gripped Apostolos' Riptide trident and flung it at them again, being taken along for the ride in a nauseating corkscrew. This time, he only felt like he nicked one of them. He slid along the soaked ground past them, the Hackers turning around to pursue.
Cobb quickly propped himself up and Quickswapped to his other trident - the one he picked up from the beach on the night of the storm.
If Riptide needs rain to activate, he thought, maybe Channeling is the same!
He reared back an arm and aimed the Channeling trident at the four oncoming Hackers. Just before he let it fly, he swore he could feel the hair on his arms raising, like when too much static electricity builds.
The trident was thrown and Thed and Hannah swooped up to avoid it while Llewellyn darted to the side. They were all expecting anothing corkscrew attack, not a flying trident. Rrhys was caught flat footed and had to brace himself for the hurtling projectile. The prongs speared into Rrhys' defensive arms with a resonant chime.
Right before a crash of thunder and a peal of lightning.
"""AHHHHH!"""
Thed and Hannah, having swooped up, caught a face full of lightning as it struck vertically along where the trident landed and into Rrhys. They screamed as they learned what three-hundred million volts feels like. Electricity crackled across their bodies and charred their clothes, hair, and skin before Rrhys fell over and Thed and Hannah nosedived into the rain-slicked ground. Their limbs were curled in upon themselves as they laid there groaning, the occasional jolt of leftover electricity in their bodies making them spasm.
Llewellyn broke off his attack to witness the damage in silent shock. He was so busy verifying his Hackers' safety that he ignored how the trident unstuck itself from the ground before flying back into Cobb's expectant grip. Minus the devastating bolt of lightning.
"So that's what Channeling does." Cobb spoke in wonderment. "Summons my own lightning..."
A groaning caught Cobb's ear as he saw Thed, Rrhys, and Hannah slowly getting to their knees. Hacker smoke was swirling around them, their Regen already having repaired the damage that-
Cobb threw the Channeling Trident again and zapped the three. They fell right back down, their limbs contracting from the electricity and hair standing on end. There was the slight whiff of ozone, whatever Normal Sense thought that was.
"Stop that!" Llewellyn's gaze snapped to Cobb's legs before the ground was destroyed out from under him. He lost his footing and landed in the subsequent crater before the trident returned to his hands.
A flash of lightning - not from him but the storm - lit up the sky and cast a shadow over him as Llewellyn leapt from above with sword reared back and coated in smoke.
Cobb tried to dodge but for Llewellyn destroying his footing again and unbalancing him. As such, all he could do was take the slash surging with Hacker Strength. Dust was kicked up from the impact and Cobb's body was thrust into the ground, his ribcage shattered, eyes bulging, and mouth open, too damaged to utter a cry of pain. A totem was in his hands, but it hadn't been used up. Llewellyn's strike didn't kill him - just brought him near death.
The Hacker tried to rectify that by surging forward with another strike that Cobb absolutely did not want to feel again. He threw out the Riptide trident - his weak throw not taking away from Riptide's propelling power - and was sent spiraling out of the crater and up into the sky - He wasn't expecting to go up into the sky!
Oh, shit! Cobb thought as his torpedo spin slowed to a stop before he began to fall back down to earth. The trident had only taken him maybe twenty meters into the air, but he was so low on Health that that would be enough fall damage to kill him. He couldn't blow another totem just for that.
Wait, can I just keep throwing this thing?
With precious few options, Cobb rethrew his trident in a different direction and found himself tugged along for the ride. Not only could he change direction horizontally, but vertically!
He couldn't Riptide forever, though. His velocity always dropped after going a certain distance. Fortunately, throwing straight up seemed to give him enough time to get another one off before he hit the ground. In that sense, he could ascend faster than he fell, but not forever. Each throw consumed durability.
After performing a few tests, Cobb torpedoed towards a couple of stone juts, his midriff snagging on one and making his busted ribs cry out in pain. He needed to replenish his Health.
He barely nibbled on a Chorus Fruit before spying a half-dozen dark vapor MultiAura missiles hurtling towards him.
At least give me some time to breathe, lady! Cobb finished the fruit and warped just slightly enough and off the jut to avoid the missiles. Then he threw his Riptide trident again and zoomed away. A few missiles struck the jut, but three others twisted after him as if they had minds of their own. Super.
Cobb threw his trident one way, then the other once he lost velocity. The sharp turns didn't shake the missiles for long. They followed him doggedly. Finally, he threw the trident through a quartet of crisscrossing stone juts, slipping through the narrow opening and out of sight. The missiles followed, but seemed to lose track of him, hitting the sides of the juts.
I gotta start breaking down their Hacks. They're all multi-leveled. Cobb thought as he took a nasty tumble, scraping across the ground head over heels. He clutched his ribs before swallowing a couple mouthfuls of Chorus Fruit. His mind started working.
Those missiles are Hannah's. Gotta be MultiAura, but they're different from Floyd's, or maybe Floyd's just haven't evolved to that stage. They're strong and can change direction, but they lost track of me as soon as I moved to an enclosed space. Cobb gazed at the leaning stone juts above him. She can guide them based off sight.
Then there's that Llewellyn. He broke my footing twice with just a glance. He breaks blocks in his line of sight. Cobb's side throbbed painfully as his ribs knitted back together. He also has Strength.
I know Thed's Hacks from last time. Regen, Blink, Strength, Reach, and Flight. He also gained that one that makes his voice louder and in your head. Hannah has Flight too, and I should probably assume they all got Regen.
Rrhys had that proximity damaging Hack from when he grabbed me. He probably has more. I'll have to engage again to figure him out.
Four against one. Not great odds.
Lightning crashed above and reminded Cobb about the tools at his disposal. He held his two tridents, one with Riptide, the other with Channeling and Loyalty. He also felt the two Totems of Undying still at his belt, and the other gear he brought out of his ender chest. Even without Backlash, he had a few fishing rods to work with. And, really, he had tridents. The most powerful fishing tool of all. He could make full use of this weather.
"I can do this." Cobb leaned his head back as he took in the storm. It was then he heard a chilling female whisper in his ear. Like a ghostly apparition.
"King_Cobb... reveal yourself..."
Cobb shot up, startled at the voice. He was used to hearing voices in his head, but not ones that sounded like that. He spun around trying to find the source, only to catch sight of his name above his head. This was an immediate red flag as Crafters couldn't see their own nametags, only the nametags of others. His, however, was five times larger, seemed to glow in the dark, and had his current Health Meter shown below it.
"There you are..."
A tunnel opened up from the large stone jut before him, Llewellyn and Rrhys emerging from it with weapons drawn, the former having used his block breaking Hack to dig through solid rock. Hannah and Thed flew in from the sides. The four of them somehow knew where he was, and Cobb had a feeling it had something to do with his enlarged nametag and Health Meter.
"REACH!" Thed screamed, slashing with his sword and sending a great crescent of solid smoke straight at Cobb. The fisherman Quickswapped to his Riptide trident and a fishing rod, his eyes on Llewellyn.
Predictably, the Hacker looked to Cobb's feet and took out his foothold, but Cobb wasn't going to fall for that again. The trident was thrown before Cobb started falling and he darted past the slash and assembled Hackers. He darted out the very tunnel they made.
...Dart Leader.
"You can't escape!" Hannah threw out a hand and had several dozen vapor missiles shoot out. They emitted a high-pitched whistle, screaming as they pursued him.
"Dart Leader!" Cobb cried out as he threw his Riptide trident a different direction, hooking around a stone jut. The missiles swerved after him with only a few crashing into the sides of the jut. Despite being out of sight, her missiles were tracking him. Or maybe tracking his enlarged nametag.
She did something to me just now. Cobb thought as he swapped his fishing rod out for snowballs. My nametag is larger, glows in the dark, shows my Health Meter, and can probably be seen through walls. All she had to do was say my full name. Just like how Landon could warp or give us stuff by knowing our full names.
Cobb threw up a barrage of snowballs like buckshot and watched as the dark vapor missiles struck them and exploded away from him. "HA! That freaking worked!"
His cheer was short lived when the stone jut he was behind opened up into a tunnel followed by a great crescent of smoke. It was so sudden and timed so well that it crashed into him in mid-air and sent him tumbling towards the ground. As the world spun around him, he chucked an ender pearl and warped onto the ground minus a bit of Health. The giant Health Meter over his head showed he lost five Hearts.
"REACH!" He heard the scream from above. Cobb leapt back as another crescent smashed into the ground where he'd been standing. There was Thed, flying with Llewellyn riding piggyback. The two's combination opened up that tunnel for the crescent slash to hit him. They had good teamwork.
Cobb swapped to his fishing rod in one hand and his Channeling trident in the other before he hurled it at them, crying out: "Stepped Leader!"
Thed's speed slowed as he had to swerve out of the way. The Channeling trident didn't summon lightning when it stuck into the side of a stone jut, but it did what Cobb had intended by slowing Thed and Llewellyn down. He tore out his Riptide trident and chucked it. "Dart Leader!"
He zoomed over the two Hackers before slowing down, taking the chance to flick out the fishing rod in his other hand and snag Llewellyn by his green garbs. Then Cobb threw his trident again. Straight up.
Corkscrewing up to the sky, high above the ground, his fishing line was still fastened into Llewellyn's clothes. He yanked up with all his strength and tore Llewellyn off of Thed's shoulders and up to Cobb's level.
Their eyes met at the same height before they both started falling down to the ground. Cobb corkscrewed towards and snagged himself on the tip of a tall stone jut while Llewellyn kept falling, his arms and legs flailing. The fall was high enough. Even with Regen, he wouldn't survive all the damage at once-
A dark and ginger blur flew up and caught Llewellyn seconds before he struck the ground. Hannah saved him. The muscular Hacker clutched his chest in terror before it morphed into fury towards Cobb.
The fisherman found the stone jut he was hanging onto crumble away under Llewellyn's furious gaze. He warped down with an ender pearl and suffered more damage before the Channeling trident returned to his hands. Then the missiles came screaming towards him.
Instead of taking off again, Cobb munched on some Chorus Fruit, both replenishing his Hunger Meter and warping away from those killer missiles. It was a smarter choice than recklessly Riptiding away when these guys could tell where he ran to. His giant glowing nametag was a constant hindrance to him catching them by surprise, and it wasn't going away.
There was a flash of green-yellow to his left and Cobb spun around to catch Rrhys coming at him with a sword. Rrhys and the iron blade were both clad in dark smoke, and it was all Cobb could do to dig through his belt and lash out with one of his golden blades. Sweeping Edge III, Sharpness IV.
The blades met, and Cobb took damage from the proximity Hack, but then there was something else. A grinding noise coming from his golden sword, as if the metal was being whittled away. The durability seemed to fade away as the sword crumbled to dust in his hand while in contact with Rrhys' smoke. With nothing stopping the Hackers blade, it kept going and nicked Cobb's torso, sending him back.
The slash wasn't enhanced by Strength, so it didn't hurt more than usual, but Cobb gave a shocked yelp as the part of his green-dyed leather tunic that got nicked had a black stain of smoke that spread across his torso. The leather rotted away, falling apart and off of him in tatters before fading into oblivion and leaving his torso unprotected.
Rrhys didn't stop there. He surged forward and slashed at Cobb's face. Cobb took the hit to the helmet and the same thing happened. There was a dark scratch in the metal that spread out, rusting the protective gear and making it crumble to nothing off of Cobb's head.
The hell is this!? His Hack is wearing away at my gear!
Cobb drew a new golden sword with Knockback and tried to sneak a stab in only for it to crumble as it made contact with the dark smoke enveloping Rrhys like an aura. Cobb was also taking damage from the proximity Hack. Rrhys gave a nasty smirk before reaching his free hand down and grabbing Cobb's iron leggings. Dark smoke spread out from his palm where he touched, and the metal rusted away before Cobb's eyes. He was losing all his armor!
Desperate, Cobb threw out a fist and clocked Rrhys in the chin. It landed since his fist didn't have durability, but it didn't do much damage either. Also, Cobb took further damage being in proximity with him.
Rrhys pinned Cobb in place by spearing his sword through his hoodie. "Now, brother!"
A blur coated in smoke streaked above, sword pointed down and rippling with Strength. Cobb's eyes widened and he willed off his pinned hoodie before rolling to the side and dodging Thed's devastating strike that buried his blade deep into the rock Cobb had been lying on. The impact kicked up dust, though Thed had no trouble picking Cobb out with his enlarged nametag.
"Reach!" Thed cried, spinning and dragging his blade out of the rock before sending out a black crescent slash towards Cobb. The fisherman dropped to dodge it before replying with a flick of the wrist and a cast line from one of his fishing rods.
As the line flew towards Thed, Rrhys stepped in front and tanked the bobber. It disintegrated on the spot before the eroding smoke went down the line and right up to the rod, making the durability wear away. The whole thing crumbled to dust in Cobb's hands and had him setting down a block of obsidian while Thed and Rrhys pressed the attack.
Cobb put down an End Crystal and ran off as they got near, chucking a snowball over his shoulder. It struck and the crystal detonated, not close enough to kill, but close enough to knock the two back and buy time for Cobb to get some distance and analyze.
Brain: Rrhys has some kind of durability erosion. Anything with durability can't be used on him. Don't dare risk the Channeling trident against him.
They're not giving me a chance to catch my breath. Cobb thought while tugging on his spare iron chestplate. Rrhys did a number on his armor. His treasured, green-dyed leather tunic was gone, and he had willed off his hoodie, reducing himself to his light blue undershirt which soaked up the rain.
Blood: Exhausting yourself without rest. This is why we trained your stamina all those days. You can keep going alone.
Cobb heard the screaming whistles of Hannah's missiles and took off with Riptide a second before they struck where he had been, and a second after a wall of cobblestone erected itself in his way. He smashed into it face first and groaned as he slid down and fell on his ass. Llewellyn destroyed the wall in an instant with a smoke-clad fist reared back to strike.
"Stepped Leader!" Cobb flung his Channeling trident and struck the Hacker in the midriff before a bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens, electrocuting him.
Cobb barely registered the charred Hacker falling over before the ginger-haired Hannah flew over and shot down dozens of missiles. Cobb used Riptide to take off again, but Hannah and the missiles flew after him like heat-seekers.
As he corkscrewed through the air, lines of cobblestone shot out of the ground in his way, courtesy of Llewellyn. Cobb narrowly dodged the first few, only to clip one and spin out. It was enough of a hindrance for Hannah to surround him with missiles and bombard his body all at once. His gear splayed out as he died only for his third totem to trigger and reform him in one piece. A light sneeze accompanied his coming back to life.
There's too many to fight. Cobb panted as he pressed himself to a stone jut. Their Hacks are too diverse. I have to pick them off one at a time.
Whether they had Regen or not, killing them in one hit seemed the practical way to go. End Crystals were the best bet, but he had to lure them in close. He only had one totem left, having died three times over already.
A smoky blur shot over a stone jut before zooming towards Cobb. It was Thed again. Cobb turned and drew a golden sword - his last one with Sharpness IV and Unbreaking III - hoping to get a hit in. As Thed raised his blade, he was intercepted by a whistling rocket that exploded in a massive shower of white sparks.
Cobb turned and saw Heather peeking out from behind a stone jut, the girl reloading her crossbow.
"Heather...?" Cobb spoke in confusion. "But then, if you're here-"
He broke off as several screaming missiles of inky darkness spiraled toward him. He knew he couldn't dodge in time, but he didn't have to as a splash potion struck him, slowing him down to make him immovable, but also boosting his Resistance to the max. A Splash Potion of the Turtle Master II. The missiles struck him all at once, but the damage was vastly mitigated so that Cobb barely felt what before could kill him. Then, just as quickly, the potion effects expired after the threat ended.
"Guess this potion does have practical applications." Baltic commented as he approached while tossing a Splash Potion of Night Vision at Cobb. "There. Should help you see with all this overcast."
It did help improve his vision, but Cobb had other concerns. "What are you doing here? You guys were last on the bridge to Oak Docks, weren't you?"
"We took a detour." Baltic shrugged simply. Behind him, Perry, Luis, and several alchemists and archers made themselves known. "We came to help, Cobb."
"No... No!" Cobb shouted. "You shouldn't be here! It's too dangerous for you to - there's too many Hackers!"
"Yet you're down here. You're keeping their attention so they don't steamroll past our defenses. Lasting as long as you have been is impressive in and of itself." Baltic commended.
"I'm here because I have to be! Jillian must've told you - I caused this, Baltic!" Cobb confessed. "I made this mess. You don't have to be here. You shouldn't risk yourself for a mistake I made!"
"Because we're not your people? And you don't want us to die? Guess what?" Baltic cut Cobb off before he could reply. "We're all your people, Cobb. We are."
Cobb shook his head in disbelief and remorse, tears coming to his eyes. He felt a great swell of camaraderie for these Paragons that came for him, ready to brave an impossible fight. "Even after everything...?"
"Because that's how it is. If you're willing to come out here alone, it means you're prepared to look after this Kingdom like you look after your own people. That makes us your people." Baltic smiled tenderly. "We didn't come down here because we like you, or because we think you're a good fighter, a good man, a good friend. Or because you're the best damn angler we know. We came down here, because you are one of us. That's all that matters."
Cobb felt the weight behind those words, his heart heavy as he realized he wasn't alone in this fight. After everything he caused, these Paragons - Carys' allies - were willing to put it aside to help him.
Heart: This is what I offer you, Cobb. What Brain and Blood can't. This is what I'm needed for.
Cobb's closed, small World of only his closest friends - Floyd, Wynn, Soul, Noman, and Lenz - grew a bit bigger as it welcomed not just Baltic, but Heather, Perry, Luis, and the other Paragons he had been with. Their names and faces joined the interconnecting structure in his heart that he cherished above all else. The vacant space that had been a hole since Jade had been filled and reinforced stronger.
He wiped his eyes and gave a watery smile. "O-Okay. Follow my lead."
"We're with you." Luis and Perry nodded.
Cobb and the gathered Paragons readied themselves as Rrhys, Llewellyn, Hannah, and Thed regrouped to face them.
"What is this, a roach farm?" Hannah wrinkled her nose while she floated with her power.
"Gather all the weaklings you want; it won't save you. And they'll die alongside you." Thed added darkly.
"There's one thing you're neglecting!" Cobb announced with a confident smirk. "The awesome power of - GET 'EM CARYS!"
The Hackers all spun around with weapons raised, expecting an ambush from the aforementioned Carys. As the moments passed and they scanned the stone juts, nothing happened. They turned back around to find that Cobb and the Paragons had all vanished, though Cobb's giant nametag could be found a fair ways away.
The Hackers simmered at being duped before chasing after the annoyance.
[Lunar Castle: West Tower]
"What do you MEAN it's not starting up!? Get this thing airborne!" Trish demanded from the bridge of the Sporr. The airship was docked at the West Tower of Lunar Castle, yet it refused to budge no matter how many times Alfonso attempted to start it up.
The Hackers threatened to attack in five minutes. She and Alfonso both heard the voice in their heads. They had to get out now!
"Work stupid thing!" Trish kicked the controls as if that would fix it. Nothing. "Damn it! What's the deal!? The furnaces are full of fuel! Did the storm knock something out or something?"
Alfonso sighed inwardly so as not to irritate Trish. Airships were weatherproof with zero chance of being affected by rain or lightning. The only thing he could think of was that it was sabotaged in the time since they arrived with the prisoner. As to what was sabotaged and how to fix it, he was clueless. He only learned how to pilot, not repair.
He caught something outside the window and tipped his hat back to get a better look. "Don't look now, but we've got company."
Trish pressed her face to the glass and narrowed her eyes at the blonde-haired queen standing out in the rain with a half dozen armed guards. Queen Jillian was armored up as well, bow in one hand and her other resting on her hip.
"You are hereby ordered to exit the airship!" She exclaimed.
"She looks angrier than an Enderman in a staring contest." Alfonso remarked shrewdly.
"You know what I think?" Trish murmured dubiously, a scowl marring a face still pressed to glass. "I think she has something to do with why the Sporr isn't starting up." Her hands clenched into fists. "This Queen thinks she's funny playing tricks on us. I'll show her something funny. I'll enjoy sucking up her Hearts and watching the light fade from her eyes. Come on!"
Trish stormed out with Alfonso lagging behind. The two crossed the gangplank to touch down onto the stone rampart that made up the west tower. It wasn't that big - only a ten meter radius. Definitely not a locale Jillian would select for fighting the wielder of the Vivlio Zythopoiias. Her six armed guards - Paragons and members of her very own Team Delta - stood at the ready, faces set in disapproving frowns. They also had cream-colored particles all around them, Alfonso noticed. For Slow Falling.
"Your Highness." Trish's face was all smiles as she gave an overexaggerated, low, sweeping bow. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"Did you perchance misunderstand what I asked of you?" Jillian tilted her head. "Help repel the Hackers."
"We were about to."
"Looks to me like you were about to fly off."
Trish gave a disarming giggle. "We only meant to fly to the front to better aid your forces when our airship-"
"I ordered you to remain in the Great Chamber until I ordered you otherwise." Jillian stated firmly.
A flash of irritation crossed Trish's face. "You presume to give me orders?"
"Are you in the habit of being paid up front to make a mansion, only to pawn off an outhouse?" Jillian countered smoothly. "You made the deal and took my money. That means you're obligated to follow through. You wouldn't want to earn a reputation for being half-baked, now would you?"
"Half-baked? Half-baked!" Trish snarled before pointing an accusing finger. "Cut the bullshit! You sabotaged our airship!"
"You sure it's not just overloaded? What with your massive ego and oodles of emeralds I compensated you with in exchange for your help. Help which I correctly assume you were never going to provide while you abscond with the payment like a common thief." Trish at this point was red-faced and shaking. "Even the incentive of helping your fellow Berserkers couldn't fix you. I never knew someone so rotten to the core."
"Shut up shut up SHUT UP!" Trish whipped out the Vivlio Zythopoiias and fired a bistre beam at Jillian, going right for the jugular. Jillian let it hit, though she canceled it out with ease with a sip of milk from her belt pocket.
"Throwing a tantrum when you don't get your way? How mature of you." Jillian noted dryly. She was using her finely honed words to get under Trish's skin. "But if you really want to start acting like an adult, either help us fight the Hackers like you agreed to or drop the book and get out of my kingdom."
"As far as I'm concerned, our deal was off the second you sabotaged our airship!" Trish snarled. "You worked against us first."
"You killed guards at Rosses Point." Jillian spoke coldly. "Don't think I didn't know about that. You have the nerve to demand a bounty from us when you massacred a village in cold blood? I was willing to overlook it for the sake of protecting this kingdom, but that book isn't worth spit while you're attached to it! LET IT GO AND LEAVE!" The queen's authoritative voice boomed over the lightning and even made Trish falter a step. It passed quickly, however. Trish's ego overriding fear.
"You want this book?" Trish waved it tauntingly before flipping the pages open. "Come and get it!"
Before Trish had the chance to buff herself up, Jillian and her guards leapt back off the floor of the ramparts. In that same instance, the floor exploded from several blocks of TNT, sending everyone falling to the floor below. Trish and Alfonso were most caught off guard, while Jillian and her guards floated down with Potions of Slow Falling.
Tipped arrows and whistling rockets were already aiming for Trish and Alfonso before they hit the floor. To his credit, Alfonso was able to Quickdraw his crossbows and intercept the rockets, sparing him a quick death. The tipped arrows still struck, afflicting him with Slowness, Poison, and Weakness. Trish took the brunt of the rockets while also buffing herself with Swiftness as a starter. It was enough to counter the tipped arrow of Slowness that would have otherwise encumbered her.
They ended up in a cylindrical chamber with stairs along the wall that led to the top. They were in the floor beneath the ramparts, the dimensions wider than above with stone wooden pillars dotted around. A chandelier of redstone lamps illuminated the chamber's interior. Above that was a massive hole in the ceiling from which rain was pouring in. Trish and Alfonso became surrounded by seven more Crafters, a few of whom they recognized from the battle at the Cadboro Bridge.
"I thought we saw the last of you!" Trish groaned as she sent a beam of Strength, Regeneration, and Swiftness at Alfonso to get him moving again. "These people protected Cobb. They're cultists. Why is Nitebane working with cultists? Are you all just defending Herobrine's land?" Trish leaned back as a dagger flew close enough to almost slit her throat. "Is that why I stopped siphoning Health off of Cobb? You gave him milk?"
She received no answer. Lenz aimed an arrow of Weakness at Trish only to have his weapon knocked aside by one of Alfonso's arrows.
"You can't outshoot me, boy. Don't even try." Alfonso warned the engineer who had to dive behind a pillar to avoid the follow-up shot. "Remember the bridge. You think on that, boy. This ain't the rookie leagues no more."
Lenz didn't let the Mocha Snipe's words rattle him. In total, it was fourteen against two, and Jillian set up ambush plans - the exploding floor being the first of many. Lenz couldn't be afraid to attack. Cobb was likely out there fighting the Hackers with Baltic and the rest, and that book could mean the difference between victory and a crushing defeat. He had to get it away from Trish and in the hands of someone truly deserving.
Trenay and Dwight directed light blue and red fireworks respectively at Alfonso. The cowboy drew both crossbows and extended his arms out while shooting, intercepting both shots and detonating the rockets at a safe distance. He missed the bottle crashing onto the floor near his foot before a cloud of maroon particles enveloped him. It was a Lingering Potion of Harming II, and it had Alfonso wincing as he dropped everything to escape it. Jillian's Team Delta members used bows imbued with Punch II to knock him back and keep him in the deadly cloud Witige kept refreshing while perched on the chandelier.
Seeing her partner in peril, Trish clicked her tongue and fired a beam of Resistance at him. Just as Jillian planned.
"NOW!"
Z7 threw herself in the way of the redwood beam, stealing the infinite Resistance IV effect to Trish's great indignation.
It was a plan Jillian devised with Lenz translating the finer details for Z7's benefit. Trish's buff support could be flipped to the Paragons' benefit in an enclosed space. The plan exploited their teamwork and need for each other. By focusing on Alfonso, Trish would support him with a beam that Z7 could take for herself.
With the field even, Z7 surged towards Trish, slashing with daggers and caring little for the slashes the Berserker replied with. The only time Z7 dropped her attack was when Trish tried zapping her with a potion beam. The assassin had to avoid all negative effects and steal all beneficial effects.
Since support aid wasn't coming, Alfonso had to save himself from the cloud of damage by ender pearling to the wall. He took further damage from the warp and had to shoot an annoying Endermite that spawned, but he was free of the cloud, his eyes scanning the room and taking in all the attackers and ambush points.
"We need to clear this room!" He shouted to Trish, shooting an arrow at Witige on the chandelier and forcing the Beta-male to roll out of the way. Trusting the woman could buff herself just fine, the Mocha Snipe backed out of the chamber and down some stairs, intercepting tipped arrows as he retreated.
Trish growled something before pressing her finger to the text of the Vivlio Zythopoiias to make a solid beam of dark gray and swinging it at Z7 like lightsaber. Z7 bent backwards to dodge, the beam brushing past her nose, before she jumped back and allowed Lenz, Trenay, Jillian, and Dwight to open up with gray, light blue, white, and red rockets respectively. Trish didn't bother dodging, instead tanking all four rockets while she selected Resistance, Health Boost, Haste, and Absorption.
"Dumbass!" Trish crowed. "If there was even a chance I'd turn against you, you never should have given me this Blast Resistant armor!" When the colored sparks and dust cleared, Trish was pristine before the rainbow of support buffs swirled to life around her. "You covered my one weakness! Fire all the rockets you want!" She goaded. "They barely broke through Resistance, now they're just tickling me!"
Witige threw a Splash Potion of Weakness down from the chandelier, but Trish simply countered it with a selection of Strength from her book. Nonetheless, it was important to keep hitting her with Weakness and Slowness to counteract her Strength and Swiftness. Trying to overcome the mountain that was her Health was pointless.
"Wish we had access to Blindness." Jillian groused before ducking a purple beam of Nausea. She looked to Lenz and nodded, prompting the archer to nod back and load an arrow of Poison. One of the other archers shot with a Flame Bow, igniting Trish in a splendid blaze. As she selected Fire Resistance on her book, Lenz directed his precise poisoned arrow and let it fly directly into Trish's eyeball, between the gaps in the diamond armor. The Berserker screamed at the stinging poison.
"AUGH! FRIGGING-!" Her eyes leaked tears from the stinging as she rubbed at them fruitlessly. Her other hand clutched the Vivlio Zythopoiias like a lifeline.
The bodies of Doyle and Shroud tackled her from two sides. They grappled, pulling her arms in different directions as they tried to wrench the book loose. Trish screamed something unintelligible before randomly pressing a finger to a potion text and waving the book around as much as she could. A dark gray beam of Blindness whipped around the blazing Berserker, catching the two assassins and reducing them to men grappling in the darkness for the artifact.
Z7 ran in to help only to catch an arrow to the knee. Even with Resistance IV, it made her stumble. The arrow came from out the window, but it was most likely Alfonso keeping watch on Trish from outside.
The damage to Trish's eye was healed by her Regeneration and she turned to the two blind assassins grappling onto her with a maddened gaze, her eyes red.
A bistre beam struck them both, doubling them over and siphoning their Health for the Berserker. Their grips loosened and Trish slashed one with her sword and kicked the other. Once she was free, she made for the closest window, tanking arrows and rockets without a care while selecting Slow Falling in her book. The cream-colored particles burst before her just as she flung herself outside of the enclosed space, her body floating out of sight.
"Damn. Milk!" Jillian cried out, two Team Delta members attending to Shroud and Doyle with buckets of the stuff. They cured their Blindness and Wither and Witige threw down a Lingering Potion of Healing to top everyone off.
Lenz, Trenay, and Dwight ran to the windows and shot rockets at the exposed battlements where Trish had landed. She used her body as a shield, tanking them and allowing Alfonso to fall back. The rockets couldn't hope to punch through her Blast Resistant armor and Resistance. Once the volley of projectiles ceased, Trish proceeded to buff her partner with every effect under the sun. They both had the unconquerable defense now.
"I saw her arm." Lenz relayed hurriedly. "She has an extra ten Hearts. Two red, eight gold. Total of twenty Hearts, but the gold ones will not regenerate once depleted. That is the most she can have."
"Won't matter if we can't whittle past Resistance." Trenay shook her head. "Why'd you have to give her Blast Resistance, ma'am?"
"I had hoped I could incentivize her. I was wrong." Jillian owned up to her mistake. "We try again. Catch her off guard and pry the book from her fingers."
"She and Alfonso are fully buffed, though. We can't focus on one while the other is about." Dwight said.
"Separate them. Z7 has the same infinite Resistance now." She gestured to the Jibberwoman with her bow. "Trish is unwilling to stow that book away. She relies on it too much to afflict us. If any of you get a clear shot at that book, you take it."
Lenz gripped his bow determinedly. They had to hurry.
[Nitebane Wall]
"Keep shooting!" Attila commanded from the wall. Paragons and Nitebane's hardy citizens shot arrow after arrow at the charging horde. Even the worst archers could hit something due to the sheer number of bodies being thrown. "We have a chance! The Hackers aren't attacking yet! They're distracted!" In the distance, Attila could make out streaking black missiles of smoke and chunks of stone juts crumbling away only to be followed by lines of cobblestone. Also, there were various lightning strikes in that area. Another Hack, perhaps?
She couldn't fathom why they weren't attacking after giving their ultimatum for Carys. Also, Floyd. Attila had recognized that name, remembering he was a Hacker that tried to help. Except he was a Lieutenant too? She didn't know how to feel about those wanted posters even with rumors that the Executive Cobb was imprisoned in Lunar Castle.
All she could focus her energy on was survival. It's how she learned to live in Nitebane. Doing whatever it took to survive, even if that meant smacking down an army of Griefers. They just kept coming, though. Thousands of Griefers rushing the walls with pickaxes and their bare hands, all of them willing to pry the wall down stone brick by stone brick.
"Excuse me, Captain? You are the Captain, yes?"
Attila whirled on a nerdy looking girl with square-framed glasses and a ginger bob of hair named InesTheInsipid. "Who are you? How'd you get up here? Why aren't you shooting!?"
"I'm Ines. A friend. And I will be shooting." Ines assured. "I just wanted your permission to lay out some turrets and was wondering where I can put them."
"Turrets!?"
"Yeah. Rapid fire, unmanned turrets. Load up arrows, fire charges, splash potions, rockets. Whatever you want."
Attila gawked. What was this nerd talking about? Who even was she? Ugh! She didn't have time for this woman! The explosive rockets were all gone anyways.
"I don't have time for you right now!" Attila turned back to the fight, giving the nerd a dismissive shooing motion. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of a war?"
"May I take that as permission to set up anywhere?" Ines asked, a dispenser in hand.
"Just stay out of the way."
Attila didn't want to drop TNT since it would damage the wall and allow the Griefers to spill inside. She really didn't want to take this battle to the streets after they just fixed them up, but she couldn't see a way to hold all the walls. Already she noticed the side to her left having difficulties.
"There. All done." Ines dusted her hands. Attila did a double take as two bulky contraptions as big as four Crafters and with six dispensers apiece were set up beside her. "Arrows, please?"
"Oh! I've seen one of these before!" Some female Paragon exclaimed. "It's a siege weapon! Here!" She rummaged in her backpack and handed over half her arrows to Ines. She loaded them into the dispensers before flicking a lever.
A flurry of arrows blasted forth like raindrops, the projectiles sticking two wide lines down the Griefers' forces. Those in its path turned into human pincushion or else died on the spot, their charge on the wall forgotten. The Paragons that weren't gobsmacked by the barrage whooped enthusiastically and cheered the rapid-fire turrets for all of four seconds until they stopped. The redstone dust powering it kept flashing incessantly, but no more arrows came out.
"More ammo!" Ines called out, placing hoppers on top of her turrets. "Feed it more ammo! Anyone with arrows!"
There was a moment the Paragons had to take to process the request before dozens of volunteers stepped forward, tossing in half their stock or outright all of it to further feed the death machines. Ines also accepted some and shoved them into the dispensers directly to get things moving again. The shower of death continued, riddling the Griefers and earning a collective cheer from the Paragons.
Attila couldn't believe the number of arrows per second those turrets were spewing. It was burning through arrows fast, but the arrows were burning through the Griefers faster. The army went around to avoid them, only for more barrages of arrows to pour forth from the left and right. More turrets had been set up, not by Ines but by someone else. They were slightly different in design, but they worked as intended, easing pressure off the wall.
"Someone keep loading arrows, please!" Ines politely asked over the agonizing wails of the dying Hackers. "I'm gonna set up some additional turrets in the gap spots, then make a TNT cannon."
"TNT cannon you say?" Attila asked, her eyes lighting up. "Ines was it? Um... may I help? I have plenty of TNT to spare."
"Yes, Captain." Ines smiled kindly at the shift in mannerisms. "On your orders."
[Nitebane: Warfront]
"The coward!" Rrhys insulted as he and Llewellyn ran one way through the stone juts, only to change direction when Cobb's nametag zoomed a different way. They couldn't fly like Thed or Hannah, the two doing a much better job keeping up with the corkscrewing trident. Occasionally, missiles were shot out, twisting towards the nametag, but none of them hit. "He knows he can't win so he's doing this to annoy us!"
"Like a buzzing fly." Llewellyn added, his AutoMine and SpeedMine combining to wear a massive stone jut in their way down to a nub they could walk over. It also filled his Inventory with a supply of cobblestone for FastPlace. "We have to kill him."
"No duh. He's made fools of us for the last time. Acting all emotional talking about 303-"
"That's not why we have to kill him." Llewellyn clarified, his words bewildering Rrhys for a moment. "We need to kill him because of that look in his eye - that defiance without a hint of fear. The same eyes as Herobrine without the same eyes as Herobrine." Llewellyn emphasized.
"I don't get it."
"Herobrine came to us before your time, but he had high-beam eyes. He didn't always, and we wondered what a lowly Crafter could be to achieve such power. A power rivaling our own." Llewellyn spoke the words with great distaste, as if admitting a Crafter could be their equal physically hurt him. "This Darker Billionth - this King_Cobb - he defends Herobrine's kingdom and walks in his footsteps - in his shadow. He can't be allowed to live, or he'll become more dangerous than you can imagine."
Rrhys didn't look to believe such a thing, but Llewellyn was convinced of it. That moment Cobb stood against them, he swore he could see the shadow of Herobrine in his eyes. He had to be killed. Not just for the Clan's fallen siblings, but for the future of all Hackers.
Finally, Thed had enough of playing tag with the insect. Llewellyn and Rrhys heard the echoing voice inside their heads.
"We're done chasing you, Cobb! Show yourself or we take our frustrations out on Nitebane! We know you're protecting it!" Thed's voice boomed. "Face your end like a man!"
Cobb's nametag stopped abruptly in one direction. Llewellyn and Rrhys could see it through the stone juts. At once, the nametag lowered itself to the ground and waited.
Llewellyn started mining out stone juts in his way to make a clear path to Cobb while Hannah flew in from above. Thed used Blink to appear motionless while his real body snuck in to finish Cobb unseen.
As they approached, Llewellyn and Rrhys noticed some other glowing objects other than Cobb's oversized nametag through the stone juts. They were just outlines. One at first, then two, then four. Glowing shapes of things the Hackers couldn't discern. They were far away from Cobb, however, so they ignored them.
Cobb awaited then with folded arms, stood between a pair of crisscrossing stone juts.
"Stopped running, have you?" Hannah asked while dark smoke swirled in her arms, ready to fly. Thed Blinked into existence behind him, his sword reared back for a Reach shockwave.
"Not just yet." Cobb remarked before whipping out his Riptide trident. "Dart Leader!"
He zoomed off above Thed's Reach slash and around the cobblestone lines Llewellyn erected in an attempt to cage him in. Hannah's missiles screamed after him while Cobb hurtled towards one of the glowing indistinguishable outlines. He floated down every time he fell, a Potion of Slow Falling keeping him airborne for much longer and allowing him to space out his trident throws. He could also see much clearer with the Potion of Night Vision Baltic gave him and heal faster with the Potion of Regeneration II.
But what Cobb really needed the alchemists to help him with was something that could leverage his Channeling trident.
"Stepped Leader!" Cobb cried out while throwing his second trident towards the ground. Towards the glowing outline between the stone juts. A bolt of lightning struck and Cobb grinned. "YES!"
"What are you grinning about?" Hannah screamed, her smoke-clad body gaining from right behind Cobb. "WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE HAPPY ABOUT IN THIS SITUATION!? YOU MURDERER OF MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS!"
The missiles flew at him and Cobb ender pearled to the ground to avoid them. The missiles flew off for a bit, losing their target, before they zoomed down towards where Cobb's nametag could be seen. They screamed as they hurtled close, but an alchemist doused Cobb in a Splash Potion of the Turtle Master and the missiles' damage was greatly mitigated. When Cobb could move again, Hannah was flying in low with murder in her eyes.
"Hey, Hannah!" Cobb exclaimed. "Wanna know how I crushed Alec_Bishop?" The veins in Hannah's face bulged in fury as Cobb swapped to a fishing rod and reared behind him, snagging the glowing outline.
She was away from the others. No one was there to intervene.
Cobb swung forward, the glowing outline transitioning into a glowing blue aura of a Charged Creeper as it was dragged out into the open. Spawned in the overcast darkness of the storm, given a glowing outline by a Paragon's spectral arrow, and charged with Cobb's Channeling Trident. He could make his own Charged Creepers.
Hannah looked to the Mob hurtling at her with visible confusion as Cobb shouted his best hope to the heavens. The same one that started it all.
"Charged Creeper Flail!"
The Charged Creeper bounced off Hannah on first impact before detonating spectacularly. Bolts of lightning dispersed from the blast, zapping rock in electrified grooves and leaving a massive crater at the point of impact. Stone juts were chipped off and Cobb had to shield his eyes from the brilliant explosion that caught Hannah unaware.
When the dust settled, Hannah's smoldering Head lay in the crater along with all her gear.
"Yes! Yes! I got one!" Cobb cheered. The Paragon alchemist that located the Creeper looked out from behind a stone jut, stunned at having witnessed and had a hand in a Hacker's death.
One down, three to go. Cobb thought with lifting spirits. The others are picking out Creepers from this storm. I just need to Mob Flail them at the other three and then this-
"Augh!" The Paragon alchemist cried out, his finger pointing to the crater.
Cobb turned and watched in horror as Hannah's smoking Head trembled. Tendrils of smoke floated off of it, connecting to all the gear that had scattered about. Slowly, the smoke started to pull the items together towards the still smoking Head. The smoke swirled faster and faster as the items drew close, a smoky tornado of deepest darkness obscuring the phenomenon from sight. Cobb couldn't see the specifics.
All he knew was that when the smoke dissipated, a stunned Hannah was back together again, very much alive.
"Oh, that is just the cheapest thing ever!"
"Says the unkillable cockroach who cheated death three times." Hannah scorned, still recovering.
"That's hardly the point. The point is - whoa! Aggghhh!" Cobb dodged a missile before zooming off as a dozen more blasted where he had been standing.
Hannah didn't immediately fly after him. She kneeled in place in the rain, still recovering, her Hacker smoke flickering slightly from how shaken she was. She hugged herself just to assure she was still there. She never had to use Respawn outside of practice, her Regen normally enough to protect her. She first used Respawn before 303 found her, before there was even an Obelisk to call home, while she was out in the wild and facing death. She didn't want to die, so she didn't. She only ever used it that one time before 303 and Null helped her temper it. They confirmed her mindset and feelings were strong enough to activate Respawn again, and only after years of rigorous mental training so she could do it unconsciously.
If she didn't have that Hack... she didn't even want to think about it.
"Damn him." She gnashed her teeth as she hugged herself tighter. "So that's what Alec felt in his last moments... and Sandra... and Ocan. Urson, Winslow, Poulsen." All of them felt that same hopelessness of death as it lunged for them with jaws wide.
"He has to die." Hannah swore, her smoke thickening around her, restrengthening itself along with her resolve. She pushed off the ground and flew up so fast she created a sonic boom in her wake.
Back to Cobb, the fisherman was corkscrewing through the rain, lightning flashing above and the boom of thunder close by rattling his hearing. He tried to keep his senses alert as he headed off to the next glowing Creeper outline.
Heart: That woman has a Hack that works like a totem of undying. She can't ever be killed.
Brain: She can if we can break her resolve. Just like with Sandra, if we take out another Hacker in front of her, her Hacks will weaken.
Liver: W-We'd be better off paralyzing her. She hasn't shown either Strength or Speed. Thed and Llewellyn can't be paralyzed, but Rrhys and Hannah can.
Was really hoping Charged Creeper Flail would take her out. Cobb thought sourly. He landed on a stone jut and located the next Creeper outline right under him. Now I just wait for a Hacker.
The sudden crumbling away of his stone jut told him one was close. He darted down the crumbling tip before leaping across and using his Slow Falling to parkour glide to another stone jut and keep on running.
Don't look down. Commit. He thought to himself as he leapt from jut to jut.
Llewellyn must have predicted where he'd land, however, since the next jut crumbled away as he floated towards it. Cobb kept floating down only to tank one of Thed's Reach slashes that scythed his gut and sent him slamming into another stone jut before sliding to the ground groaning.
"Those golden statues at your belt," Thed's words made Cobb hold his breath, "you had four of them before. Now you only have one. If you run out, will you stay dead?"
"Interesting theory. Thought you Hackers were all smoke and no brains."
"...You do realize you just insulted Floyd with that, right?"
"Shit! You're right." Cobb hummed. "Okay. What about, 'I thought all you Hack Clan people just blew smoke?' That works, yeah?"
Thed went still and Cobb quickly ate a Chorus Fruit before warping at random to avoid Thed's powerful sword thrust.
"A simple 'no' would have sufficed!" Cobb protested. Thed went still again, and Cobb took his chance. "Stepped Leader!"
The trident struck Thed's still form and the bolt of lightning descended. Though it wiped out Thed's fake body, the damage was real, and his real body materialized closer to Cobb, on its knees, with electricity dancing across his limbs. He was momentarily stunned, and a certain elderly alchemist took advantage with a Splash Potion of Slowness. Then Heather opened up with white rockets from her crossbow.
The Channeling trident spun back to Cobb, who caught it with one hand and scanned the stone juts for the glowing Creeper outline. As he did so, however, Rrhys ran in. Cobb reared back his trident only for his eyes to bulge upon spotting Rrhys' grin and the black aura of smoke surrounding him. Cobb remembered his eroding ability and kept his fingers on the trident, refusing to launch it as his arm swung and he spun with it.
Llewellyn was unbothered as he instead ran in with his iron sword clad in that same smoky aura. He scratched Cobb's iron chestplate and laughed gleefully as it began to fall apart. He then lunged forward with an extended hand, his target being the handle of the Channeling trident.
"Ngh!" A vein in Cobb's neck bulged as he yanked the trident behind him and out of the way with visible effort. Rrhys' proximity Hack still shaved off a bit of Health off the fisherman before his iron sword did a bit more damage.
Cobb slid back on rain-soaked rock, his iron chestplate falling off completely to reveal his light blue undershirt. He still hadn't found a chance to will his black and white hoodie back on with all the excitement.
"Heeheehee. Scared to lose your trident?" Rrhys taunted. "Bet it's got durability. C'mon, throw it at me again. I dare you!"
Cobb clutched the weapon protectively. Both tridents were too valuable to keep out with Rrhys still on the field. He had to be taken out.
But first, the Creeper! Cobb spied it being led closer by Baltic. Cobb hurled his trident once the alchemist was out of the way. "Stepped Leader!"
A lightning bolt lit up the stone juts and charged the explosive Mob with a deadly, blue, crackling aura. The trident returned to Cobb's hands shortly after, only for a guttural roar to sound from behind.
Cobb spun to face the shout and saw Llewellyn barreling forward, coated with smoke and with a diamond sword reared back to attack. Cobb's footing was taken out from under him with a flick of Llewellyn's eyes. He thought he finally had him.
Perry and Luis intercepted the charge, their swords going for Llewellyn's legs and tripping him up. He fell down and Baltic further encumbered him with a Splash Potion of Slowness II.
Now was a good time to zap him with Channeling. Unfortunately, Rrhys pressed the attack. Cobb put away his trident and swapped to his last golden sword. It was fruitless as it disintegrated upon contact with Rrhys' smoke. Cobb took a slash before kicking him away, his iron boots rusting away to join his chestplate. He had no more armor now. No more swords either.
"Not a fast learner, are you?" Rrhys mocked. "I don't know why Llewellyn is so scared."
"You won't have the chance to learn why." Cobb spoke coldly as he took out two fishing rods. "Because you'll be dead."
Rrhys scoffed before darting in. Cobb flung one bobber at Rrhys while his other bobber was flung backwards. Predictably, the first bobber disintegrated on contact with Rrhys' eroding smoke, the smoke flowing down the line and causing the attached rod to fall apart.
"Idiot! Stupid idiot!" Rrhys taunted.
He didn't see that the other bobber went to grab some potion support.
Cobb yanked forward and the elderly Baltic was pulled overhead into the fight, two splash potions in hand. One of Weakness, the other of Slowness. He threw them both down at Rrhys' feet, the glass breaking and the liquid touching his body.
Got him! Cobb internally cheered at the paralysis combo.
He was confused when the potion's liquid seemed to evaporate off of Rrhys' smoke like steam. No potion particles swirled around him. He wasn't paralyzed at all and instead reared back his sword and swung at the incoming, airborne alchemist.
The old man took the hit right to the side, his iron leggings and chestplate getting coated with smoke and rusting away as he was sent skidding across the rain-slicked ground, his body crashing to a stop at the base of a stone jut. He groaned in pain before shouting out in agony as one of Thed's Reach slashes followed up. The Hacker may have been zapped and slowed, but he would do his damnedest to rid the field of all the insects buzzing around.
Cobb's heart seized up as he saw how damaged Baltic got.
"You're an old little bug, aren't you?" Rrhys taunted as he brandished his blade. "Like my AntiPotion Hack? I'm immune to potions when I wanna be." He noted Baltic's low Health Meter. "Bet you're hurting after Thed's attack. Hope you're someone important to Cobb!"
Cobb threw himself between Baltic and Rrhys, a fishing rod his only weapon as he looked to the Hacker with a manic gleam in his emerald eye. Like a cornered animal at his deadliest. His shoulders were shaking.
"Scared for his life? Time you learn how powerless we felt hearing of our brothers and sisters' deaths!" Rrhys wore a sick grin. "HOPE YOU CRY SOME REAL TEARS FOR ME!"
As Rrhys charged, his body covered in smoke immune to weapons, armor, and potions, Cobb saw red and felt a frightening clarity take hold.
Blood: You have to kill...
Heart: ...because the person behind you has to live...
Brain: ...and there's one thing with a shot at enduring Rrhys.
Cobb placed down his ender chest and reached his hand in.
"No armor or weapon can stop my sword!" Rrhys shouted triumphantly. "Nothing can stop it from killing that old man! You can't protect him from the Hack Clan's wrath!"
There was a flash of blue and white that came from the ender chest as Cobb spun to meet Rrhys' smoke-clad blade of iron. Rrhys expected his slash to go through - to break whatever measly weapon Cobb raised to block with.
Rrhys' sword caught on a diamond cutlass.
The Hacker gasped, his eyes going wide as a grinding sound could be heard emanating from between the two blades. It sounded like something was breaking over and over, diamond being ground down to nothing and erased, yet both blades held firm. Tinker's weapons had that infinite durability; the works of a master and built to last. Cobb pushed back, his face screwed up with effort as the blades were locked against one another. While black wisps of smoke burst from the surface of Rrhys' sword, white sparks of Crit Aura exploded off of Cobb's cutlass as it endured enough erosion to disintegrate thousands of diamond swords. Cobb took damage from Rrhys' proximity Hack, but he grit his teeth and endured it like his blade. His free hand flicked out with a fishing rod and snagged something behind Rrhys before pulling it towards the two deadlocked fighters. Rrhys looked over his shoulder and went white when he spotted the Charged Creeper on the other end of Cobb's line.
Cobb was wrong. Rrhys did learn why Llewellyn was afraid.
Baltic doused Cobb's back with a Splash Potion of Strength that did absolutely nothing for Rrhys due to his AntiPotion Hack, and the fisherman was able to push forward with greater strength against Rrhys' iron blade before bodily tackling him to the ground in front of the Charged Creeper's feet. Cobb pinned the struggling, screaming Rrhys in place and took out his last totem of undying before squeezing it tight as the hissing sounded.
A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield as Cobb and Rrhys were blasted to smithereens. Lightning gouged the slicked rocks and every Crafter and Hacker present had to shield their eyes while gear was sent in every direction.
Only Cobb reformed in midair, his body sailing into a stone jut as he crashed to the ground with particles of Absorption, Regeneration, and Fire Resistance swirling around him. The remnants of his final totem dissipated on the wind of the storm. He sneezed before leaning up with a dazed expression, his head turning to follow a smoke trail exiting a disembodied Head with spiky, green-yellow hair and flying northwest towards the Origin Zone.
"What the...?" Baltic went from horrified to gobsmacked. "Cobb! Did you just die!? What just-?"
"AUUUUUGH!"
Blood: This is no time to celebrate. Get back up...
Cobb shakily got to his feet - a hand still gripping a fishing rod and another the cutlass - as a gutwrenching cry of grief rent the air. It was Thed who made that sound, and it was reminiscent of the sound Cobb made before he fell into a coma.
Hannah flew in, her eyes taking the scene and locking on the fallen Head of someone she considered her son. "No..." She gasped wordlessly. "Not my little Rrhysy..."
"Th-this can't be happening... This can't be happening!" Llewellyn erected a wall between himself and Perry and Luis, his dark smoke flickering as his resolve shook. His powers fluctuated. "Not Rrhys! Not him!"
"AUUUUUGH!" Thed screamed again, his body falling to its knees and his hands gripping chunks of his light-gray hair. "I DID THIS! I'M TO BLAME! I DIDN'T KILL HIM! I KILLED RRHYS BY NOT KILLING HIM!"
"Thed...?" Hannah tremulously spoke, but Thed ignored her, maddened by an unfathomable grief. He blamed himself for not killing Cobb. For letting him get this far. In his mind, he as good as killed his own brother due to his inaction. His negligence caused him to commit the one irredeemable sin of the Hack Clan: killing a sibling.
"THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!" Thed_Hearst continued to scream, his voice breaking and going raw. He screwed his eyes shut with smoke covering his body. "THIS IS A NIGHTMARE AND I CAN'T WAKE UP! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT ALL STOP!"
As his voice carried to the astonished onlookers, Cobb noticed the smoke around Thed billow and surge forth from his screwed shut eyes. It coalesced around his body. Grew darker. Intensified.
"GET RID OF IT ALL! I GOT TO GET RID OF EVERY MISTAKE!"
"Thed! Calm down!" Hannah cried. She flew to his side and hugged him through the massive smoke swirling around with him at the center. "Your emotions are out of control! You-you're Evolving into a Level 7!"
Evolving? Oh no... Cobb thought worriedly, realizing Thed was manifesting a new Hack in response to strong emotions. Grief, hatred, and him blaming himself. Cobb looked to Baltic, Heather, Perry, and Luis. "Go! Run!"
"I HAVE TO WIPE EVERYTHING OUT! WIPE EVERYTHING CLEAN! FREE MYSELF FROM ALL MY MISTAKES!" Thed screamed even louder, one eye cracking open and letting a surge of smoke gush forth. His icy-blue eyes found Cobb's. "STARTING WITH YOUUUUU! AUUUUUGH!"
Thed flung both arms forward just as Cobb Riptided backwards out of there. A small black orb was expelled from Thed's outstretched hands right before he collapsed, his smoke extinguishing all in one go.
The black orb flew after Cobb in a straight trajectory. It didn't swerve to chase him like Hannah's missiles, and it was only half as fast as Cobb, giving him plenty of time to escape. Still, Cobb felt the hairs on his neck raise when he caught glimpses of that black orb between the juts. Eventually, the orb touched one of those same juts.
And when it did, it expanded explosively.
Cobb's eyes widened as the surface of the black orb expanded rapidly, the smoky surface rushing towards him even while he was still corkscrewing away. Cobb changed directions fast, his body corkscrewing down and to the right at an angle and weaving through juts to escape the black sphere of smoke encompassing all of the terrain it touched.
Cobb leaned back as the surface threatened to touch his face and body. It first made contact with his left breast, the pain excruciating and incomparable to anything Cobb experienced. Worse than getting withered. Worse than getting tortured and starved for days. Worse than having Carys beat the shit out of him. It also caught his left arm and a piece of his face, the pain making him black out just before the sphere stopped expanding and held in place like a dome, part of the sphere going into the ground. The storm continued to rage above, lightning striking down to zap the black surface all while rain continued to pour down by the buckets.
Then, as quickly as it came, the giant black ball of smoke vanished, as did everything inside it. The ground, the stone juts, anyone unfortunate to have been inside. All that was left of them was a massive crater marring the land Herobrine chose to settle on. Water and lava flowed from underground springs, unleashed now that a chunk of Minecraftia's crust had been removed. Ores and caves could be seen along the sides of the crater. The great black orb was far enough from the Capital not to have affected the fighting or the city, but the destruction stood as a stark reminder of what a Hacker was capable of.
It was the same Nuker that 303 unleashed on Akasha, only it looked like Thed didn't have full control over his newly awakened Hack.
Cobb laid on his back near the crater's edge, barely stirring and with his arms and legs splayed out. His light blue undershirt had been forcibly willed off from contact with that great black orb of destruction, leaving him topless. The skin of his left arm up to the elbow was charred black, as was his left temple and cheek, and his left breast. The burnt skin was an unhealthy shade, burned from the same black fire inside all Hackers - the source of their black smoke.
Cobb's giant nametag could still be seen. It glowed in the dark like the luminous outline of someone stuck by a spectral arrow. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed as Cobb refused to get up, a trident and diamond cutlass in each of his open hands. The lingering Regeneration from the totem of undying was helping to heal him, but his skin remained charred black where he was touched by Nuker.
If he was cognizant enough to speak, he'd wish he brought more totems.
Inventory (Cobb): 9 Ender Pearls, 17 Obsidian, 1 Ender Chest, 51 Chorus Fruit, 49 Snowballs, 6 End Crystals, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Trident [Riptide III, Unbreaking III], 1 Trident [Loyalty II, Channeling], 1 Diamond Cutlass, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}
Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 53 Eyes of Ender, 32 Blocks of Emerald, 8 Emeralds, 1 Lapis Lazuli, 64 Books, 2 Books, 1 Enchanting Table, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Nether}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Bounty Days}
[EXP: 42]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Chainmail Helmet, 1 Dragon Head, 1 Chainmail Chestplate, 1 Chainmail Leggings, 1 Chainmail Boots, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Totem of Undying, 10 Ender Pearls, 1 Bucket, 1 Compass, 1 Bow, 1 Bow [Infinity], 1 Crossbow, 42 Arrows, 12 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Small Ball x 7, Gray x 7}, 1 Firework Rocket {Flight Duration: 1, Large Ball x 7, Gray x 7}, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 62 Dark Oak Planks, 57 Chorus Fruit, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}, 1 Red Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Gray Shulker Box {Pocket Box}
Red Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 1 Shears, 1 Lever, 9 Redstone Torches, 8 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 18 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 2 Fire Charges, 36 Charcoal, 4 Torches, 32 Pumpkin Seeds, 1 Book {Redstone Textbook}, 1 Book {Notebook}
Gray Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 1 Crossbow, 1 Crossbow, 1 Crossbow, 1 Crossbow, 1 Crossbow, 1 Crossbow, 1 Crossbow, 1 Crossbow, 53 Arrows of Poison {0:11}, 64 Arrows of Harming II, 57 Arrows of Harming II, 52 Arrows of Weakness {0:30}, 49 Arrows of Slowness {0:30}, 64 Arrows of Fire Resistance {1:00}, 64 Arrows of Healing II, 64 Arrows of Invisibility {1:00}, 64 Arrows of Leaping {1:00}, 64 Arrows of Slow Falling {0:30}, 64 Arrows of Night Vision {1:00}, 63 Arrows of Strength II {0:12}, 64 Arrows of Swiftness {1:00}, 63 Arrows of Swiftness II {0:11}, 64 Arrows of Water Breathing {1:00}
[EXP: 25]
Inventory (Baltic): 1 Iron Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Sword [Sharpness II, Unbreaking III], 1 Shield, 1 Bow, 1 Diamond Pickaxe [Silk Touch I, Mending I, Unbreaking II], 10 Arrows, 3 Brewing Stands, 1 Water Bucket, 28 Bones, 1 Ender Chest, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 20 Emeralds, 18 Cooked Chicken, 1 Lingering Potion of Slowness {1:00}, 1 Lingering Potion of Slowness {1:00}, 1 Lingering Potion of Healing II {0:05}, 1 Lingering Potion of Regeneration II {0:05}, 1 Blue Shulker Box {Pocket Box}
Blue Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 41 Glass Bottles, 64 Dragon's Breath, 59 Dragon's Breath, 37 Blaze Powder, 28 Nether Warts, 30 Soul Sand, 62 Phantom Membranes, 64 Blaze Rods, 18 Fermented Spider Eyes, 50 Carrots, 50 Melon Slices, 55 Rabbit's Feet, 48 Gold Ingots, 2 Gold Nuggets, 45 Gunpowder, 52 Redstone Dust, 46 Glowstone Dust, 52 Ghast Tears, 52 Sugar
[EXP: 32]
Inventory (Z7): 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 32 Cobblestone, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 21 Charcoal, 14 Torches, 9 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Cake, 9 Baked Potatoes, 1 Bucket, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Potion of Swiftness II {1:30}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Purple Shulker Box {Pocket Box}
[EXP: 47]
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, 1 Shears, 2 Iron Ingots, 8 Steak, 2 Sticks, 29 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]
Inventory (Soul): 1 Diamond Axe [Sharpness V], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 62 Iron Ingots, 20 Flint, 12 Gold Ingots, 1 Shears, 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, 61 Cobblestone, 32 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Armor Stand, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Exter Entry Pass}
[EXP: 41]
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 Iron Helmet, 1 Diamond Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 60 Nether Warts, 20 Soul Sand, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Shears, 10 Cobwebs, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Water Bucket, 5 Buckets, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Brewing Stand, 33 Glass Bottles, 4 Packed Ice, 1 Ender Chest, 16 Ender Pearls, 4 Ender Pearls, 3 Phantom Membranes, 61 Glowstone Dust, 29 Gunpowder, 18 Redstone Dust, 61 Blaze Powder, 62 Gold Nuggets, 61 Brown Mushrooms, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Exter Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {The Art of Peace}, 1 Enchanted Golden Apple
[EXP: 35]
Inventory (Kalmarin): 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Mob Head {Skeleton}, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness III, Unbreaking I], 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 22 Cooked Chicken, 30 Apples, 1 Bow [Power I], 36 Arrows, 12 Ender Pearls, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 40 Torches, 31 Sand, 12 Cobblestone, 21 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Water Bucket, 1 Lava Bucket, 1 Milk Bucket, 43 Coal, 1 Clock, 1 Compass, 1 Iron Pickaxe [Unbreaking I], 1 Wooden Pickaxe {Old Reliable} [Unbreaking III, Efficiency V], 1 Book {Meetup}
[EXP: 37]
AN: Rrhys rhymes with Bees! It was there all along!
If anyone is wondering why Cobb named his attacks Dart Leader and Stepped Leader, he picked up those names from Professor Fulgur's factoids about lightning. The useless information stuck in Cobb's brain, and now he can make his own Charged Creepers (during a storm).
In case anyone was wondering, here are the Hack stats on our four Hackers.
Level 5: Llewellyn. Regen, AutoMine, SpeedMine, FastPlace, Strength.
Level 4: Rrhys. Durability Erosion, Regen, AntiPotion, KillAura.
Level 6: Hannah_Harper Flight, MultiAura Missile, Regen, Respawn, HealthTags, PlayerESP.
Level 6-7: Thed_Hearst. Flight, Blink, Regen, Strength, Reach, Microphone Voice, (Nuker).
A few of you asked me if Cobb still had Jade's cutlass. You bet your sweet bippy he does! He kept it in his ender chest (where I purposefully don't show in the Inventory list) as a painful reminder of what he'd done, only to draw it out when he needed it most. Hence the reason I gave a little Jade flashback for him at the start.
This fight was all about showcasing the Hackers' abilities while Cobb struggles to learn new abilities to fight with. However, it goes both ways, with the Hackers themselves learning new abilities in response to his pushback. It's All Out Spaghetti up in here!
At least one Hacker is off the board. Now Cobb and his tridents are safe (even if he is out of totems).
Achievement Get! Cheating Death!
FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. DISCORD. FORUM. DONUTS.
