Back again! Once again, I'm sorry about the wait. I no longer have my iPod, and secretly have my mom's old iPhone, so I have no idea how long I'll be able to write. Long waits between chapters can still be expected, unless I have the motivation to write a bunch.
Thefanficcritic1337: Yup, he certainly is. Let's see how Krystal handles it, hmm?
Powertothepeople: Hey! Great to see you back! The Hero Cycle is a much bigger thing than the rule of three, so here's a bit of an explanation.
The Hero Cycle, also known as the monomyth or the hero's journey, is a theory by Joseph Campbell. Something about how every story that follows this pattern is basically a retelling of the same story over and over again, a hero with a thousand faces. There's a bunch of character archetypes and stages that it describes. Feel free to look it up, it's pretty cool. There's videos and diagrams and wiki pages about it. The videos we watched about it in class are "The Hero's Journey" by Glove and Boots on YouTube (funny and educational one. Focuses more on characters) and "What Makes a Hero?" on TedED (educational one. Focuses more on the stages).
So yeah, Hardly Human kinda fits the Hero Cycle. I didn't actually know much of anything about it before this year, so you can see how even unintentionally you can follow the rules of the monomyth. After all, stories have been following it since before it was even a theory!
Anyways, explanation over.
I'm sorry, but we're still not getting to the Notch confrontation. This chapter would have been twice as long if I had. But I thought it was better to give that its own chapter. Instead, valkyries!
Also, I painted a new cover image! It took forever to take a picture of it that looked semi-decent just because of the orientation of the painting. I like it.
Have a good day/night, Flowers!
Love, Laurel.
I needed to figure out how to approach Notch's castle this time. Last time there had only been one valkyrie, and Notch hadn't known we were here. This was going to be tougher, as I could see at least a dozen.
I also mentally noted that Notch had practically fallen silent, while the rest of the immortals continued talking. He didn't want to let them know that we were here in his dimension, where he thought he could gain the upper hand with us.
-How do you think we should approach this?- I quietly asked my brother, without looking over at him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug, 'No clue. If we want to avoid confrontation, we could possibly sneak around. I think they're sight-based like humans, so they might not be able to smell or sense us like you could'
'I vote for the direct approach. We could take them' Enderlox growled. He was still upset about me being hurt and he and Ty being overtaken and their body used to attack me. The ender half of my brother was so protective. It was nice most of the time, but he was going a little too far at the moment.
-No, Enderlox. I'm not sure we can, and besides, I don't think we should- I replied to the voice.
'How come? You don't want to get hurt again? Well, this time you have us, and you didn't use your powers last time! Come on, Sister! Please!'
That wasn't what I was thinking. I didn't care too much about being injured. I didn't want to kill, fall into Notch's hands, or be killed. We had to play this safe.
-I said no, Enderlox. We're not fighting if we can help it- I put a finalizing tone in my telepathic voice, making it clear to him that this conversation was over.
'What do you say, Krystal? There's not much cover, but the castle's on the edge of the island, so maybe...' Ty suggested, trailing off.
I grinned, finishing his suggestion, -Maybe we could fly under or along the edge of the island and sneak up like that? We have to circle around anyways. There's no way we're making it across the open ground here without being spotted. This is a better idea-
-Keep low!- I reminded him, not waiting for his response as I flew down and twisted my wings to slide into place under the floating landmass.
He followed without question, heeding to my warning.
The bottom of the islands were mostly stone, with dirt or ores here and there. We wouldn't be spotted here, all the way underneath the island, so I let my thoughts wander for a moment.
What were our friends up to at the moment? What was going on down in Budder City and Rikilyn? I sincerely hoped that the other three hybrids were safe and their secret remained undiscovered.
And what was Sky up to now that we had fled? Did he believe that we were traitors? That his convictions about me were true? I did not understand the oh-so-great leader of the Army. He had been the one to decide to make me a general, but he was also the only one who seemed to think I was treasonous.
Actually, many of the Recruits were fond of me. I had been the herald of their individual freedom, who had allowed them to strip away their falsities and show their true selves.
Would Sky's devotion to the god he worshiped blind him to everything else? Make him a danger to everything he stood for? Everything he and TeamCrafted had created?
I stared down at the barrier of clouds below me, their grays and whites swirling together. The only barrier between myself and the Overworld, and I simply had to fly down to get though. Not now, though.
-Almost there- I warned my brother, seeing the edge of the island coming up.
'All right' Ty was flying a few blocks behind me, in my wake. Like when birds flew in a v-formation. It eased the flight of those behind. Ty and I had tried it out a few times while traveling longer distances than this, swapping places every once in a while, and it generally seemed to work.
I fell silent as we approached the edge, though I was fairly sure the valkyries couldn't overhear our telepathic conversation. However, I still wasn't sure if Notch was aware that I was a telepath. The "all-seeing" god wasn't as omniscient as he acted.
Hovering below the edge, I glanced above me, checking to make sure that I couldn't see any of the winged women flying above. Then I signaled my brother to shift position, to move closer to me.
-We're less likely to be spotted if we stick close together- I warned him, keeping my eyes upwards.
On second thought, I could have planned this better.
For example, I could have used my enhanced eyesight from afar, and located an entrance on the side we we choosing to approach it from. But no, I was stupid and didn't consider finding a side or back entrance. So now we were sitting here where we would be seen the moment a valkyrie flew into sight.
-Stupid me. It's my job to plan, and I forgot to think this fully out!- I growled at myself.
Ty looked surprised, 'What's wrong?'
'She's blaming herself for not looking for a back entrance' Enderlox answered. His mental link with me was stronger than Ty's.
But it was too late.
The moment I spotted a valkyrie flying around the back of the castle, she spotted me too. My brother and I had no time to hide.
Ty covered his ears with a grimace when she let out a high pitched shriek. Even I winced.
-Dang it! I'm so stupid!- I cursed myself, slashing my claws at the stone above me in anger.
'Hey, Krys... I didn't think of it either. Don't blame yourself' Ty said, his mental voice quiet.
I let out a low growl, but couldn't be angry at myself much longer. I could already see the valkyries gathering above us, ready to attack.
-Come on. We might as well go meet them- I started flying up, towards the winged women. I made sure not to move too quickly, moving slowly enough to let them know I wasn't attacking.
Ty followed me, and I could hear Enderlox egging for control in this possible battle situation. They didn't forgive themselves for attacking me. Even if it wasn't them, they hadn't been there to protect me. Sometimes, I was sure that I was everything to them, especially Enderlox.
"Enderborns" A valkyrie greeted us, "Our queen wishes to speak with you"
I nodded to my brother, and let the valkyrie lead us across the field, surrounded by other valkyries who were glaring at us.
I ignored their harsh glares, walking with my head high. -Remember, act strong. They respect that-
'Sure, Krys... Sure...' Ty sounded like he didn't believe me, though I knew he did and was just distracted by the threat surrounding us.
We were led to the valkyrie with light blue wings, who I was fairly sure was the queen.
She greeted us with a smile, surprisingly. "Krystal and Tyler Ellis... The first surviving subjects of a genetic manipulation process that killed hundreds"
"So you know of our past, I see" I replied evenly, though I was seething inside.
She gestured to the valkyrie at her side, "Ever since you defeated Reika, I have grown curious"
The valkyrie beside the queen was the one I had first fought and won against. Reika must be her name. She had her head down and looked guilty. Of course she did, she was being publicly shamed by her queen for losing to me.
"You are a curiosity to me, Krystal Ellis. You act as though you have the brave heart of a valkyrie, but you are a coward and afraid to kill. Strange" The queen continued, inspecting me.
"Krystal is no coward!" Ty spat out, unable to take her bashing on me.
"Then tell me, why did she not do the honorable thing and slay Reika?"
"Because killing is not honorable in most societies. And it is against my personal morals" I said quietly, staring right back at the queen. "Simply because it is acceptable to you does not mean it is to me. I am not a valkyrie"
"I believe Krystal's actions in our battle prove that she is no coward" Reika suddenly said, her voice quiet out of respect for her queen. "One can be honorable without killing, I believe is what she said to me"
Her pale blue eyes suddenly met mine, and I knew what she was thinking of. My death-defying drop in our battle. As winged beings, neither of us liked falling towards the ground, and I had the feeling that I had awed and terrified her with that move. I had Reika's respect.
"Reika, you are not to speak. But, you do have a point. I can no more call Krystal Ellis a coward than I can call myself that. The valkyries tell me that you have proven yourself in battle prowess... I apologize, Krystal Ellis. I was swept up in my curiosity. You are a proven warrior, and I accept that it is against your morals to kill. Perhaps all this world needs is more acceptance" I was honestly impressed with the queen's speech.
"Thank you, Queen of the valkyries. I could hardly agree more" I said with an honest smile.
"The truth is, I am sick of being treated as though we are servants to Notch, running errands for him and keeping guard over his castle. I know you only wish to speak, but I also have a warning for you" She said, voicing her true emotions.
"What's that?" Ty asked.
"The valkyrie who controlled you... She isn't one of us. She works directly with Notch. Her name is Taro, and she has a rare gift. I apologize for her. I did not send her and I do not command her, but she attacked you nonetheless"
"What kind of gift is it?" I couldn't help but ask. Something that allowed me to see her in DreamSight...
"Gifts are common among our kind, I have heard that you yourselves have gifts, but Taro's is the rarest among us. Before she came along, it was considered a myth" Reika took up the explanation, despite the fact that the queen had told her not to speak. "Her conscious mind can leave her body and travel, influencing other beings' minds, such as Tyler Ellis's. We have no control over her... She answers only to Notch"
Looking down at the ground, my thoughts raced. This "gift" sounded oddly like DreamSight itself... What if I wasn't the only one who could access it?
"And are you warning us not to go or just to be on guard?" Ty asked, unaware of the conflict in my mind.
"I am warning you to prepare you for what is to come. You spared my life, Krystal. Though it dishonors me in the eyes of my peers, you showed me another kind of honor. I want to thank you for that" Reika nodded to me in respect, true gratitude in her eyes.
I saw Ty's eyes flashing with an "I told you so" Maybe he was right, maybe I did have an effect on people...
"Thank you. I'll admit, I thought you would have us killed on sight" I said to the queen.
She simply nodded, a smile gracing her regal face and lighting up her blue eyes, "We are not as devoted to Notch as he believes. Reika respects you, and that confused me. But now, I understand. You are good and true beings, children of the Enderdragon. I give you passage into the castle, but even I am not certain of what awaits you inside"