Bonus Chapter 2: An Ordinary Day
Steve
'Is this really me?'
That was the most prevalent thought I was having as I stared into my reflection. I was peering over a cauldron filled with water, and I struggled to recognize the person that was looking back at me.
A long time had passed since the last time I saw myself without facial hair, so the sight of my bare face threw me for a loop. That said, I thought it was better this way. I had shaved my wet beard by very carefully using a sword. I got cut once, but at least it wasn't too noticeable...
On the plus side, I didn't have to do any cleaning, because the cut hair faded away on its own after a while.
Anyway, I felt pleased with the outcome over all, and while this was something I had been planning to do regardless, Alex's remark from last night gave me the push I needed. As for what preceded the remark...I didn't know what to feel.
As such, I decided to leave the mansion and take a walk through the woods. Surely that would help me sort my emotions at least a little.
I didn't encounter any familiar faces while on my way out, which was rather convenient, considering I didn't have to explain my sudden excursion to anybody.
By the time I had left the woodland mansion's vicinity, and started my aimless wandering, it was still morning. I could have gone on and acknowledged the scenery, the atmosphere and the like, but I felt like that would've been blatant avoidance of more pressing matters.
…
'What am I supposed to do?'
This wasn't the first time in my life where I felt a lack of direction. The most recent example I could think of was the time period after I was banished from Cornelia, and before the illagers found me. It wasn't a time frame I liked to think back on...
Unlike then, it seemed that now, I was facing the opposite problem. While I was alone, I had no real options that would grant me agency or control over things. This time around, while I did have control, I didn't actually know what to do with it...
The only reason I joined the illagers in the first place was so that I could take out their leader and be reaccepted into Cornelia. Suffice to say, there was no chance in hell I was going to do that now, but it was still mildly amusing to think back on what my mindset was.
In any case, that was the reason I joined this tribe. The reason I stayed was to give Alex a chance to prove she was telling the truth about my past. As time showed, she was being truthful in the end, but what was I supposed to do now? Leave?
I...wasn't sure I wanted that.
Sure, my relationship with the illagers was arguably as cold as the one with the villagers had been, if not even colder, but in my mind, that was something I could put up with. I could put up with Vincent's lunacy, and Matilda's dubious reassurance, because they were worth it.
Alex and Sunbeam, I mean.
Both of them had grown on me in a way I couldn't quite pinpoint. Sunbeam in particular clicked with me pretty much immediately; I simply hadn't realized it right away. There was something about that sweet, ghostly creature that really resonated with me.
As for Alex...
I couldn't organize my thoughts and emotions with as much ease as I would've liked, but...I really cared about her. Deeply and honestly. I didn't know when exactly she had snuck up on me like that... Was it after I got my memories back, or before?
To be completely honest, our shared history didn't play as big a part in shaping my feelings for her as one would assume. I think what I truly admired about Alex the most is how under her cold and distant façade, lied a considerate, upstanding, and caring person.
I saw that in the patience she'd show me, in the way she'd defend her followers, and in the guilt she had expressed toward the vex incident. I knew that I had been right to reassure her last night during her short outburst.
So, with all that said, what was the problem?
Well, there was one thing...one individual rather. An individual that meant a lot to me...
Where could Rana be? Had she recovered? Was she even...alive?
The time we spent together felt so distant, like it had happened ages ago. And yet, the more I thought about it, remembering how happy we used to be, the more I started to realize that she was still very dear to me.
So what was I going to do about it? Leave Alex and Sunbeam behind just to find a person who might not even reciprocate my feelings?
I couldn't do that… It could ruin my current relationships... Even bringing this up to Alex could seriously hurt her feelings, and I didn't want to risk that.
…
What a bizarre predicament this was...
There were two women in my life, both of whom I...loved, but I also potentially had the power to hurt at least one of them... I just wanted what was best for both of them...
That being said, I didn't even know what was best for me. What did I want? I couldn't even think of something to do for today. This was the first day in a while where I wasn't being dragged along by somebody, and yet I wasn't doing anything noteworthy.
I could build; gather resources; practice fighting; fish; exercise, and so many more activities, and what did I decide to do? Nothing. Just wander around aimlessly. It was almost as if I couldn't function on my own...
'If I can't decide what to do for just this day, how am I supposed to decide my future?'
...
Had I really been so dependent on others? Why was this so hard? Thinking back, this might have been the first time since the first few days I had spent in this world, where I could truly do basically anything I wanted, and yet taking the first step felt so daunting...
...
After some contemplation, a structure came to mind in a flash. It wasn't anything too spectacular, but I could give it some special meaning once it got built.
With the materials I had in hand, I was able to craft some wooden fences, an iron bar, four cobblestone staircases, and a lantern. Those were all the materials I was going to need.
I placed down a dark oak log, and surrounded it with the staircases. That way, only the top side of the log was exposed. On said side, I stacked five fence posts on top of each other.
Building any structure this tall was tricky, since it required me to build something that would serve as scaffolding. Usually a dirt pillar would suffice, as was the case here.
Back on track, I placed a cobblestone block on top of the fence post, and connected an iron bar to it. At the edge of the bar, I added the finishing touch; the lantern, which was facing west.
And so, my road light was complete!
As I had imagined, it wasn't anything spectacular, practical, or even meaningful on its own, but I was still strangely proud of it. The building process definitely cleared my head, as well, which allowed me to come up with an idea on what to do.
It may not sound revolutionary, but I figured it'd be best if I stayed with Alex for now. I'd get a better feel for our relationship and dynamic that way, which would help moving forward.
Again, that may sound silly for a plan, considering it's what I had been doing this whole time, but it seemed like the best option now that I was thinking clearly. Taking one day at a time...
And so, I continued on my way, letting my mind wander over various other ideas on what to do for the rest of my walk.
Alex
At the first sign of sunrise, Alex fluttered her eyelids open. Today was going to be a continuation of her regular routine, after yesterday's 'day-off'. The day prior had slowed down various activities, but Matilda's efforts were adequate enough so progress wasn't hindered too much.
The tribe's leader groggily rubbed her eyes, and slowly worked her way out of her bed. Being at the top of the hierarchy, her bed was of a regal, four-post design. Her room was fairly sizable too, with enough space for a bookcase, a table with a potted daisy, and an ornate wall decoration, where three banners were hanging. She quite liked the privacy the room offered, even if it felt a little too empty as of late...
That aside, it didn't take long for her to get ready for the day. She swiftly put on her usual attire, her cloak included. It was the only personal item that was left of her mentor. In spite of their...complex relationship, Alex kept his cloak as a way to commemorate his good deeds.
Not to mention, she thought it looked nice.
Once she washed up and had a quick breakfast, she exited her private quarter with no further dawdle. First stop of the day was the conference room, which was on the second floor, same as her bedroom.
It was one of the bigger rooms of the mansion. Inside, was a large, U-shaped table, with seven chairs placed along its sides. Most meetings would take place with only five people present, though, and each of the occupied seats were marked by a potted white tulip. Thanks to the large windows and the chandeliers, the conference room always had the appropriate lighting for a meeting, even in cases of emergency.
When boss stepped in, the usual faces greeted her. Matilda was sitting on the chair that was to the right of the one meant for Alex. She was busy writing something down in her notebook. The new captain, on the other hand, was sitting on the left, uptight.
The two other chairs held a pillager representative, and finally, Vincent, who was leaning back on his seat, his crossed legs placed on the table's surface. He was too spaced-out to notice that the meeting was about to begin. Alex sat on her chair, and spoke up.
"Good morning, everyone. Let the meeting commence. What have you brought to report?"
In a manner that clearly showed how many times meetings like this have been conducted, one by one, the attendees gave their report. Vincent was the first to do so, not bothering to sit upright. It was a behavior Alex was used to. The fact that the rowdy vindicator actually cooperated with the others like this made her not want to push her luck by correcting him.
"No suspicious individuals roamed around last night, boss. No suspicious mob behavior, either."
As a vindicator, Vincent's job was to patrol the mansion and be on the lookout for any unusual activities, regardless of whether said activities came from illagers, or hostile mobs. In terms of the latter, he was also authorized to use force against the threat, a freedom he enjoyed immensely.
"Ah, as a side note, the anvil's busted, so we're gonna need a new one," he added.
Alex winced internally at the news regarding the anvil; those were quite costly to craft in terms of iron. That, when combined with how quickly they broke down from use, rendered them an iron vacuum.
Be that as it may, the evoker praised the vindicator for his diligence, and gestured for the witch to go next.
"Research for the potion of strength is going strongly, boss, but our blaze powder supply is slowly dwindling down. It'll last us for a while, but if we keep relying on potions, a trip to the Nether will be necessary, I'm afraid. I've got nothing else of note to report."
Alex strongly hoped she wouldn't get any other reports of this caliber. The Nether wasn't a place anyone liked to spend time in, and the fact that they depended on it for supplies was a huge weight on her. Anyhow, the captain was the next person in tow.
He was a mostly silent person, which caused a few instances of miscommunication between him and his underlings. Had been in the position for only a few days, after the previous one was killed in the raid, and while clearly inexperienced in a few aspects, Alex still thought he had potential with his strategic prowess.
"The troops are continuing their regular training regimen like normal, and yet, with no long-term operations on the horizon, they're starting to loosen up."
"That is to be expected. With our main adversary out of the way, there is no real reason to subject the troops into a rigid drilling. Simply continue on like normal, captain."
"Yes, ma'am."
The representative gave the last report.
"The crops are growing without a hitch thanks to the new lighting system. The libraries have picked up quite a bit of traffic ever since the raid, so, good thing we have so many of them. Also, uh..."
"...What's the matter?"
The representative tried to lay down the subject in the most diplomatic way possible.
"You see, ma'am, there've been complaints about...our newest human member."
This piqued Alex's curiosity. Matilda didn't appear surprised, while Vincent displayed no reaction, simply keeping his attention on his axe.
"Why is that?"
"To put it quite bluntly...he's scary."
She drew a sigh upon hearing that. To be clear, that was a perfectly legitimate concern for the illagers to have, but it was largely unfounded in her eyes.
"I can personally reassure you that he won't do you any harm if you leave him be. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Alright, ma'am... Lastly, I'd like to point out that a lot of people are wondering what we're going to be doing for the lunar event."
"I see. I've been thinking we all went someplace else this time around. I've had this idea of going camping in a clearing in the woods, maybe. You may share this with the others, but I haven't finalized all the details yet."
"Yes, ma'am."
Alex wrote down all the basic points of the reports in her logbook, before turning to address everyone in the room. Once they all confirmed that they had nothing else to bring to her attention, she adjourned the meeting, and they all went their separate ways.
With that out of the way, Alex continued down the list of tasks – a list which never seemed to shrink. Deciding to take care of the easier tasks first, she got to the first floor.
Once the anvil was replaced, she exited the mansion and stepped out into the courtyard. Groups of pillagers were doing their standard shooting practice, off in the distance. Scrutinizing their performance wasn't something she'd do very often – that was the captain's job, but it wasn't unheard of, either.
She walked up to them, reasoning that this was a good time to evaluate them herself. She crept up to the targeting area so as to not disturb the pillagers, or break their concentration. After observing them for a while, her attention was drawn to a particular trainee, who was having trouble with her accuracy.
Upon closer inspection, she found the root of the problem.
"You're pulling the trigger too fast," she noted. The pillager nearly dropped her crossbow.
"A-ah, ma'am! I'm sorry; I didn't hear you coming, and I was too absorbed in my practice, and-"
With a raise of the hand, the trainee's frantic excuses came to a stop.
"As I was saying, you're pulling the trigger too fast, and it's throwing your mark off. Here, I'll show you. Take aim."
The subordinate obeyed, and Alex slowly guided her finger, until the trigger was pushed. The arrow was then released, and it shot off right into the target's red center.
"There. Be mindful of that in the future."
"Th-thank you, ma'am!"
Ensuring that nobody else in the shooting ground needed any help, Alex re-entered the mansion, and headed towards her next destination. It was time for what was probably her favorite task.
She wound up in the allays' room, and entered it by swiftly breaking and replacing the blocks that made up the wall. Once inside, the little ghostly creatures surrounded her. Alex took the time to hug each and every one of them, nuzzling their happy faces. Alex's expression was neutral, but she was beaming on the inside.
There were 7 allays in total, and the evoker had found some ways to distinguish them from each other, mainly by looking for the subtle differences in their facial features, or the vast differences in their personalities.
Sunbeam was among the group, but Alex didn't want to give her special treatment at the moment. Instead, she instructed all of them to form a circle on the carpet. As everyone took their place, she pulled out a book that she had picked yesterday.
Like most times, Alex chose to read a story from an anthology collection, so that her listeners wouldn't get lost in a large narrative. While she wasn't an expert at narrating nor reciting, the allays were immersed anyway, and felt satisfied when the happy ending came around.
Next objective on the list was to head to the office and brainstorm some ways to address the topics that were brought up in today's meeting. Before doing that, however, she inserted a music disc into the allays' jukebox.
The music disc was titled 'Wait', and had a blue gradient near the center. At a moment's notice, the allays started to sway to the rhythm.
Upon exiting, Alex left the gap behind the wall untouched, so that any allay who'd like to wander the mansion for a while, could do so. She didn't want them to feel confined, and trusted them enough to not leave the safety of the building. They had never done so in the past, in any case.
Having that settled, she finally sat down at her desk in the office. She placed down her journal, and brandished her quill. As she was jotting down potential plans for the upcoming event, her train of thought was disrupted by a series of knocks on the wall.
Turning her gaze to the entryway, Alex saw a pillager standing awkwardly, fidgeting their hands. Unlike the allays, the leader had a far tougher time distinguishing her followers, so only when the pillager spoke, did she realize it was the same pillager she had helped earlier during practice.
"I don't recall summoning you...?"
"You didn't, ma'am, but this is very important!" she stated frantically.
Alex let go of her quill, and sat upright.
"I'm listening."
The pillager took a deep breath, and spoke in a gradually more confident tone – a stark contrast to her previous frantic mannerism.
"I...I...I love you! I love you, ma'am!"
"...?"
"You're so cool, and beautiful, and compassionate..."
"..."
"Please, ma'am, will you go out with me?"
"..."
"...?"
Once she made sure the abrupt confession was over, Alex clicked her tongue before responding.
"Lucy, was it?"
"That's right, ma'am..."
"I'm...flattered you feel that way about me, but a relationship like this wouldn't work."
"But, why?"
"I'm your leader. A relationship between me and any of my subordinates would be imbalanced. Not to mention, I'm just...not interested."
"...okay..."
Noticing the disappointed look on Lucy's face, Alex drew a sigh, and tried to provide at least some comfort. The concept of a human and an illager becoming romantic partners wasn't something she was fond of, but she wanted to at least give some proper closure.
"Look; I'm not mad at you for stating your feelings. It was a courageous thing to do, and I respect that. You should probably look for someone from your circle who'll appreciate you, okay? You're dismissed."
"Alright. Thank you, ma'am."
No one else disturbed the evoker from then on, which gave her the chance to iron out the final details for the event. By the time she was finished, it was about noon. Only one task remained for the day, which she went to handle after a quick meal, as well as after all the allays got back in their room.
Still on the first floor, Alex stepped into a completely empty room, that was between the cells and the storage room. Due to its obscure location, very few people passed it by.
With the coast clear, Alex pressed a wooden button that had been placed on the floor. It was made of birch wood, making it indistinguishable from the rest of the room.
Once pushed, the button emitted a redstone signal, which triggered a hidden mechanism that was made up of redstone dust and pistons, special devices that had the function of pushing and pulling blocks.
Just like that, a one-block gap on the floor was formed, which uncovered a ladder going down. The gap would only remain open for as long as the button's signal could charge the redstone – a few seconds, to be clear.
In one swift motion, which was only achieved thanks to the sheer number of times she had done this, Alex jumped down the hole, not bothering to catch the ladder. The birch plank shifted back to its original spot above Alex's head, covering the floor once more.
This left the redhead to fall down the dimly-lit gap. Right as she was about to make contact with the hard, wooden floor, she whipped out a water bucket, and spilled its contents, which rushed down to the bottom.
Just as it had done back in her spelunking session with Steve, the bucket created a source of water, which allowed Alex to land unscathed. It was a risky technique, which could result in her getting hurt badly if done incorrectly during big drops. But, after a lot of practice on safer conditions, and even more failures, she had managed to master it.
Satisfied, Alex scooped up the water source, and the bucket was filled once more. The streams that had diverged from the source, dissipated.
Guiding her attention to the chamber she ended up in, Alex unsheathed her sword, and hacked away at a few cobwebs that were obstructing her path. The chamber itself was barren, not containing any structures, builds, or decorations.
The walls were made of birch planks, but that's as far as the top portions were concerned. The lower segments of the walls, and even some spots on the floor, were made of natural materials, like stone and dirt, a sign that no one had altered them.
The only things of interest in this place were two blocks; a chest, and a spawner. A spider spawner, to be exact. It was discovered by accident a while ago. Alex didn't know how these peculiar blocks came to be, nor did she know their inner workings.
She suspected that the Ender dragon, or perhaps the Wither had something to do with them, but she didn't have any concrete evidence to back those suspicions up. In any case, that didn't matter right now.
Due to the area's low lighting – courtesy of the moody redstone torches, the spawner was able to function, creating a cluster of spiders in slow, yet consistent intervals. Once that happened, Alex would swiftly dispatch the wriggly arthropods, and harness their experience orbs.
The reason for this activity clearly wasn't entertainment; this task was a snooze fest for the most part. No, it was so that she could maintain a high enough level to reliably use the jaw attack in case of an emergency.
The powers of the evoker require levels to be sustained and used, lest they start eating away at their holder's strength. In addition, this was an ideal opportunity to hone her fighting skills, not just with the sword, but also with her preferred weapon; the bow. It wasn't often she had the place to use it, and it wasn't as practical as the sword, but she found it more satisfying to use.
Satisfaction aside, as Alex continued fighting, her mind drifted off due to the monotony of the process itself.
She thought back to the events that transpired during the last couple days. Someone she held so close to her had regained his memories. He had finally recognized her for who she used to be, and who she was currently. Under any other circumstance, she would've been overjoyed.
And yet, what was their future going to be? What would their lives be like moving forward? She simply couldn't tell...
Another spider met its end.
It was funny, in a way. Alex had tried so hard to come up with a way to restore Steve's memories, but she hadn't thought of what to do once she did.
*Slurp!*, went the spider, as it turned to smoke.
Would he want to live with them? With...her? Like they did back in the sky dimension? She...liked the thought of that...but couldn't bring herself to hope for something like that. Steve hadn't expressed any such desire. Granted, he wasn't the most expressive person anyway, and of course, there wasn't enough time for him to think about this, either. It had only been a day, after all.
*Whoosh*, went the arrow, slicing through the air.
In retrospect, with how busy Alex had been during the preparations for the raid, she didn't have to worry about these things. She didn't have enough time to stop and think about the future, or even the present, for that matter.
All that mattered, was to initiate the raid, and execute it with as few losses as possible, while also sending Cornelia to ruin in such a way so that both her as well as her followers would be satisfied. They also had to do it in such a way, so that Steve would join them... That thought only reminded her of the current problem, bringing her full circle.
In a way, she had ripped Steve's old life away from him. She tried to reason with herself, arguing that the villagers were vile, and they would've hurt him given an opportunity. But even so, the spite she felt directed toward her when she met him at his house, made her think that he liked his old life.
So why would he even want to stay with someone who had done so much damage to him?
Sure, he had given her a chance when she brought it up back in their mining expedition, not to mention, her intentions had been good, but she still felt guilty.
This whole situation hadn't even crossed her mind back during the preparation phases. She had simply wanted to do this no matter the consequences.
No matter the consequences... Much like her mentor...
'No…'
'No! We are not the same! I'm not like you!'
In a fit of frustration, Alex took out the freshly-spawned spiders in one fell swoop of the sword. She was brought back to reality when a jingle notified her that she had reached level 48.
Having calmed down, she plunked down a regular torch, which glowed brightly enough to disable the spawner. After storing the spider eyes and string she had harvested in the nearly-full chest, she climbed up the ladder, and spent what little of her day was left relaxing, tending to her favorite flowers.
S̵̘͇̟̹̑̿͒̓̿́̍̏̑̈́͗ͅư̷̧̪͎̳̯̪̳̏̋̑̽̆͛̒̋̔͊͌̋̕ǹ̴̡̞̖̥̺̯̹̑̍̌̈͑̿̉̈͛͝͝͠͝b̷̹̫̎̒̂̈̄͐̿͗͛-̵̱̜͕̦̳͗́͜͝ͅ
...
The Little Allay's Big Adventure!
By JustMC
Once upon a time, in a world far away,
was a girl whose smile was bright as a day.
/
She lived with her pals, high up in the stars,
a place where death was even less than sparse!
Come high noon, they would all come down from the heavens above,
and land on the ground, where they would build what they loved.
/
They had a vision for a city so grand,
they couldn't help but let it expand.
/
Breaking blocks and placing blocks, like pebbles on a mosaic,
the foundations of the city were quickly being laid.
/
One day, however, as the sun was going down,
unbeknownst to them, they were about to get bound.
Bound and constrained by an unbreakable spell,
they had to bid their old home a bitter farewell.
/
Now they were afraid of the reaper's cold grip,
for the distance between the two was merely a trip.
/
And yet, they all carried on,
in golden memories, their city to don.
/
As for the girl, her smile never faltered;
her charms and her quirks were left unaltered.
/
Until one day, she crawled on her bed, frail and ill,
and soon they buried her, under the hill.
/
The people in grief tried to move with the flow,
but failed to hear the voice from below.
The girl underneath tried in vain to speak up,
yet with her new form, she didn't have any luck.
/
"Mommie!" she called. "Daddy!" she cried,
but nobody heard her, despite all her tries.
Gone were the words that made up her speech;
she could only let out a jingle and a screech.
...
The moon said, "Hello!" and the sun said "Goodbye!",
while the girl was losing hope of ever getting by.
/
In the midst of her sobbing came a crack and crunch,
as the dirt that covered her was removed with a punch.
At the sight of the sky, she let out a squeal,
oblivious to the one who had broken the seal.
/
She turned her head up, and mostly saw black,
as two glowing, purple e̷y̷e̸s̶ were staring right back.
With a poof it was gone, out of her sight,
but the girl rejoiced and yelled in delight!
/
With her new wings, she dashed through the air.
To anyone else, she was a blue, zooming flair.
/
In her mind, her new nature unraveled,
and so, she embarked on a grand travel.
She flew over oceans, meadows, and cliffs,
and came across deserts, and jungles, and rifts.
/
But she soon grew tired, so she landed to rest,
completely unaware of her imminent arrest.
She was captured by a fiend so vile,
it was certain she'd be staying with it for a while.
...
Trapped in a cell, in a place she didn't know,
once more her freedom, she was forced to forego.
/
She wasn't alone, there were others like her, too.
But deep down they knew they were going to meet doom.
For the fiend's intentions were tainted by malice and greed -
'the end justifies the means' was its personal creed.
/
Until, a beacon of hope showed up to save the day!
With a swing and a slash, the fiend would be slain.
A human in green, with long orange hair,
fought with vengeance to make things fair.
/
The two clashed fiercely, like two males of a pack,
until, at last, the fiend was pushed back.
/
The human stepped closer, and reached out her hand,
as exhaustion pushed the girl to settle and land.
Finally safe and away from harm,
the little fairy rested in a pair of loving arms.
/
And just like that, the little allay's big adventure was complete!
A/N: It's been a while since the last time I uploaded a new chapter, hasn't it? At least, that's what it feels like to me… I hope you liked this bonus chapter! I'd like to talk about the last sub-story for a bit. Needless to say, I'm not a poet, but I tried my best, and it was my first attempt at a fairytale-style structure XD.
I'm considering uploading the allay's poem as its own story as well, but I haven't decided yet. Ah, also, with the new texture for the vex, it seems as though the relationship between it and the allay is now clear. Thank you, Mojang, for actually helping me with my story this time!
And thank you for reading!