Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with yet another, repeat, another chapter from VOiD. I apologize for the delay, I don't usually take this long, but I've been distracted by the Swords And Sandals franchise lately. Plus, my internet was down and crap yesterday and the day before. -_- If you've never played a game from the Swords and Sandals franchise, then I deeply recommend it to you. :D Anyway, now for my replies to reviews!

Replies To Reviews...

Somebody10101: Thanks, I personally enjoy Eragariss, don't you? I'm thinking about having him and Brizarg appearing later in the story.

Enderwolf: Yah! *brofist and brofive* Fo sure, brother! XD Yeah, I was wondering how Vanessa would defend herself, that seemed like a great solution. I'll think about putting in the Poptart mod sometime, yeah.

BfheadGamer: BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL FTW!

Kyle McShade: You... Work with code? That's so awesome. I wish I could try that; maybe you could give me lessons sometime!

Enderdude: Sorry dude, it's just wordplay. You know, I was making a reference to the name Geek Squad. Heard of them? You know the computer nerd group that's involved with Best Buy? Yeah, those guys.

Guest: Is that your mouth open in utter shock of this chapter's epicness?

Guest: Welcome to which troop?

Now then, that's all said and done, so let's get on with the story you've been waiting patiently for!

Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with another chapter from VOiD. Last time on VOiD we watched as Mark and his friends were captured by a nefarious band of griefers named the Grief Squad (heh heh I love wordplay). During the battle with the leader (Jenx) and his associates, Vanessa was zapped by the evil—but nevertheless stupid—sorcerer Eragariss, but the power was absorbed into her book "Moby Dick", letting her transform it into whatever weapon she chose. After defeating the Grief Squad and their leader, Mark found out that Vanessa actually had fun, REAL fun, for the first time in years, but unfortunately, she was still not able to admit it. Now we watch from many different views, seeing how different key characters are handling life at the moment in time, and as we come to Mark and the gang, we watch as they get a visit from an extremely important individual.

Now, let the story commence!

Chapter 9: Higher Expectations

Meanwhile, the Glitch was exploring its newly taken castle. It'd tried to go out with its virus army to explore the Minecraft world, but for some reason there was no trace left of the Balance Core. Infuriated, the Glitch fled back down deep into The Void and entered the Void Palace, which it believed to be in better use already compared to how Salutem used it. The Glitch slithered around through the formal dining room, its gargantuan red mouth curled up slightly into a grin. This is where it had its fight with Salutem, but considering it was double-scythe vs bludgeon, the Glitch won in an instant.

"Ben, has the castle been completely searched of any life besides my viruses and I?" it asked, turning to Salutem's former right-hand man—the now enslaved virus—Ben.

Ben slowly bowed, spreading its darkening wings to either side.

"Yes, Lord Glitch." he muttered reluctantly, grumbling under its breath. "The rest of Salutem's virus-protection programs have been turned back into viruses."

"Good... Now that that is done, we must focus on a new priority. I am going to send a large group of my best viruses deeper into The Void to search for Salutem. If I am to gain my full power once again, I must take over Salutem and merge with it, only then will I return to my greatest form as I had twenty years ago."

Meanwhile, Salutem was still on Buenomalo deep inside The Void. It had watched as night fell and everything around would mutate, and it was horrified. It was very early in the morning, so the sun hadn't risen, and as Salutem passed a mutating flower that shot fire at it, it said,

"I created this planet as a safe-haven; this is not how I expected to see it next."

Salutem slithered through the mutated landscape, and thankfully, whatever its white plasma touched would return to normal from the curing programs inside. Salutem thought that maybe it could be a way to restore Buenomalo to its former glory, but then again, the Glitch probably mutated all of its army, and there was no way Salutem would be able to cure the entire planet by itself.

All of a sudden, there was a screech from above, and Salutem dived into the trees below without looking. Once hidden in the trees, it looked up into the sky and saw a fleet of black plasma masses flying in. They were after Salutem.

"Oh no... This is too soon." whispered Salutem.

As the viruses above flew overhead, Salutem sank into the ground to remain hidden. Hissing noises came from above, and Salutem heard this,

"The cured trail ends here... It's fresh, too. Lord Glitch said to exterminate Salutem, and if I am correct, Salutem is nearby, so we'll be able to fulfill the mission quickly. Let's find the rest of that trail!"

The viruses above shuffled away, their hissing and buzzing fading away until it was gone. Salutem was too close; there was only one way to get away, though it didn't like the idea...

Norman and Lizzy ran across the clean tile of the airport. They were going to miss their flight if they didn't hurry. Lizzy had become a environmental activist in the means of occupations, so she had no problem running long distances—she liked to remain fit at all times. Unfortunately for Norman, it'd been twenty whole years since he'd become athletic in the Minecraft Dimension, and wasn't exactly the fastest person in the world, so they had a problem.

Thankfully, they didn't need any bags, just a couple of packed meals for the plane trip. They were going to visit an old friend of theirs in New York, New York. His name was Professor Explotar. Professor Explotar was the person who had accidently created the Glitch from the past, but also the one who absorbed the two Glitches from past and present—or at least what was the present at the time. He was the only other person on Earth who knew of their connection with the world of Minecraft. He might, just might be able to get them back through.

Finally, they reached the stewardess at the gate, who was startled by their running approach. Norman handed her the two tickets, said thanks as courtesy, and then rushed through the door with his wife in hand before the lady could ask questions. They walked down a glass hallway that was among a couple hundred other glass tubes in the building, a transparent maze, for a while, following the signs to their plane. Once they reached the end of the tube they stepped through the door to their plane. It was really more like a jet—being rich and all, they got first-class service on a private aircraft.

Norman and Lizzy walked around in the jet, which was large enough to act as an entire luxury home. Before they could really walk around, they'd have to buckle up for the ascent, so the two of them sat down near the front of the jet in the reclining leather seats, buckling their seatbelts. They didn't have to wait for anyone, of course, so as soon as they had clearance to take off they flew into the air with their expert pilot. Now all they had to do was wait for the plane ride to be over.

Norman and Lizzy got out of their seats once the pilot announced that it was safe, and they both headed over to the pool room. Yeah, they had a freaking awesome pool room IN THE JET. Inside was a forty foot-long pool and large hot tubs on either side. Classical music played from the speakers in the back, casting a soothing mood over the room. They both headed over to the hot tub on the right. They didn't have swimwear, they were just in shorts and T-shirts, so they just sank into the water in what they were wearing. They'd be able to dry off extremely quick once they were back in Minecraft, so it didn't really matter; they just needed some time to relax from their recent ordeals.

They immediately began to talk.

"Norman, I'm afraid for Mark and Vanessa's lives." murmured Liz, dipping all but her head into the warm water.

Norman sighed and put a hand on her back, caressing in a comforting way.

"Yeah, if I had known the Glitch would go to the extent of taking our kids, I'd have personally kicked its giant shadowy ass."

Liz gave a weak smile, but it was almost immediately replaced with a frown.

"But how did the Glitch take away Mark and Vanessa if it's been in The Void for twenty years? I thought we sealed it up for good."

Norman scowled and muttered,

"I have no idea," he started to drum his wet fingers on the tile next to him. "Professor Explotar said that the E.S.C. supercomputer was foolproof. I guess not..."

There was a silence, but then Lizzy spoke again.

"Well, now I'm just worried what will happen if we can't find Mark and Vanessa and bring them both back. Doctor Manstriff doesn't know any of this, he thinks that their comas will keep them unconscious possibly forever, he doesn't know where the wounds are coming from that appear and disappear at random. He has no idea they're still alert and awake in the game, if he even somehow knows what the game is. If he takes them off of life support, Mark and Vanessa will never be able to come back to Earth, they'd be stuck as Minecraftians forever!"

Norman shushed her quietly and put a finger to her lip, then brushed a bunch of frizzy red hair away from her face.

"Liz, we'll find them and bring them back. I know that the E.S.C. wasn't able to contain the Glitch forever, but Professor Explotar still is a professional, he'll be able to help us find them somehow. We just... We just need to relax for now, you and I have both been through a lot lately, we deserve to kick back for a while. We have a whole 2,905 miles to cover before we reach Berlin, we might as well enjoy the hours we have alone."

Liz put on another smile, but this one was genuine this time. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Norman, and kissed him.

"Norman, I love you."

"I love you too, Liz."

The morning after Mark and the gang were kidnapped by the Grief Squad, everyone awoke early. They were ready to get going and be done with this tiring adventure quick. Unfortunately, it was a very cold morning, because Chiller Manor was very... Chilly. Mark was shivering when he woke up, reluctant to leave his covers. He saw others already up and getting ready to leave, so he too rose out of bed to prepare for when they actually left.

As Mark was punching away his bed he heard Mickey's tiny little yawn inside his head, and the small silverfish crawled up from out of a crack in the zipper to poke his head out and look around.

"Good morning, Master Cobweb."

"Mornin' Mickey." he muttered tiredly.

Nobody really talked much; the atmosphere seemed muffled by the chill, making it hard to feel cheerful much. Mark rummaged through the food chest nearby, mumbling about lack of sleep, and pulled out a porkchop and a loaf of bread. He tore the loaf in half and wedged the porkchop in the middle, and he sat down on his bed to eat his sandwich. As he was eating he thought about his mom's home cooking, which made his stomach moan. Thinking of his mom made his throat tighten, and tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. Through blurry vision he saw Adrian approaching and blinked rapidly so he wouldn't notice any tears. Adrian held out a stick in one hand and in the other the iron frying pan that he called his weapon. Mark was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of eggs. Sizzling in the pan were three large fried eggs, light and fluffy and looking to die for. Mark put down his sandwich and took the frying pan and the stick.

"Thanks," he mumbled, spearing an egg with his stick. "I needed something besides meat and bread."

Adrian grinned and tipped his cowboy hat.

"Yer welcome, partner."

Mark smiled and rolled his eyes at the accent. Adrian tapped the rim of the frying pan and added,

"Yeah, it's not a problem at all. I can get as many chickens as I want as long as I've got that infinite seed supply."

As Adrian was walking away Mark stopped with the speared egg almost to his mouth. Adrian only walked three steps when Mark stood up and stopped him, turning him around.

"Wait," he said, eyeing Adrian suspiciously. "You've got an infinite supply of seeds?"

Adrian nodded and said,

"Well, grass is my Block power."

Mark stared at him for about five seconds.

"Your what?"

Adrian rolled his eyes and said,

"You know, the Block power that you get when you turn fourteen? Really? You have no clue? Here, I'll show you."

Adrian turned to his right and made a big show of waving his hands at the stone block next to him like he was going to place a block, only without anything in his hand to use. All of a sudden, many stalks of grass appeared from nowhere, right on the stone, no dirt required. Mark gawked at the grass grown from the stone and muttered,

"Wha...?"

Adrian grinned wider at the sight of Mark's amazement, and he started pointing all around the room, making grass appear wherever he aimed his hands. Mark started laughing, his hand to his forehead. It was amazing what he was seeing, he'd never seen anyone do that, it was the stuff of game-hacking. His and Adrian's amusement only last about ten seconds when Adrian pointed in the wrong direction at the wrong time, because a bundle of grass grew up from the top of Gabe's head—he'd been walking over to see what was going on. Gabe yelled out and clutched his head, tugging at the grass growing out of his scalp. This attracted both Vanessa and Kelsey, who swarmed Gabe concernedly, trying to help him with whatever the heck just happened. Lucas also jumped up, trying to grab the grass and get a handful of it. It was sheer chaos, and both Mark and Adrian burst out laughing at the sight of Vanessa and Kelsey swarming Gabe.

It didn't last long, because Rexum came in the room about ten seconds later through the entrance doors to the throne room, his green robes swiveling back and forth, his misty eyes glaring icily at the scene before him. Apparently, he'd been meditating outside in the quiet and had heard the uproar. He pushed past the laughing Mark and Adrian and raised his golden oak staff up to tap Gabe on the head. The grass blackened, shriveling away from his scalp, and his two female admirers and the overexcited Lucas stopped swarming him. There was a silence as Rexum cast his disapproving look around the group. He stared at them, and they stared at him. Finally, he spoke.

"Young people... So loud..."

Muttering to himself, Rexum left the room through the large dark doors again. Everyone exchanged looks, and it didn't take long for them to start laughing again—except Vanessa and Gabe, of course. After a few seconds they quieted down again and Mark shook his head with a smile, saying,

"Man, Rexum can be the coolest wizard of all time, but his mind's still wired like an oldie."

Vanessa cast her own disapproving look at Mark, her mouth in a frown.

"Yes, well, as a human being gets older the chemicals in their brain begin to break away over time, which can cause—"

Mark held a hand up to stop her.

"Here's what I hear: Blah, blah, blah, science, science."

Lucas chimed in with,

"Yeah, you could MARRY Rexum, you two have so much in common! You both hate noise and fun!"

Bonbon must understand jokes, because she started hissing, her usually droopy Creeper face curling up into a smile. Vanessa stormed away, probably out to join Rexum in the quiet outdoors. As everyone calmed down and walked back to their own activities, Adrian turned to Mark and said,

"Yeah, that happens sometimes. I've done it to myself before; it takes a whole month to shrivel away. Here, since you obviously don't know what Block powers are, I'll explain." he and Mark sat down on the stone floor as he launched into his explanation. "Basically, at the age of ten you go into a school to learn about the world of Minecraft and what's what. After four years you have a final exam that tests you on everything you learned. Your scores determine what Block power you receive. Minecraftians are divided into five groups: Veyacrafts, Dungeoneers, Oddblocks, Mobwhisperers, and the Groupless. Veyacrafts and Dungeoneers are the most common. Veyacrafts are people like farmers and miners, ones who like to prosper, and not just survive, but THRIVE! Dungeoneers are like the warriors of the Minecraft Dimension; they defend this world from hostile mobs and stuff, and if you're really good you can get into Notch's army called the Slayers. Oddblocks are usually rare, and definitely unlucky to be put into. If you become an Oddblock that means you got a Block power from a block that's not useful in the other two categories, like Cobweb powers or Dragon Egg powers—you're dad had Cobweb powers, and I think he had a friend with the power of Dragon Egg. Oddblocks basically get jobs no one else wants."

"How'd you know that my dad had Cobweb powers? That's just our last name."

"You're dad—and mom—are legends, everyone knows that. He didn't use his powers much, I heard. Your mom had the Block power of Cake, so she was a Veyacraft. Anyway, back to the explanation. Mobwhisperers are the rarest of all, they've got the power to communicate with mobs. I believe your friend Lucas's mom is a Creeperwhisperer. I dunno if Lucas is, though. Just an example, if you can hear that silverfish of yours you'd be called a Silverfishwhisperer." Mark silently agreed with himself to tell Adrian later that he really could talk to Mickey.

"Pfft, creative name, yeah right." scoffed Adrian, as he was shifting his cowboy hat into a different position. "Anyway, what you REALLY want to avoid being put in the last category, which really isn't a category at all. If by some chance you fail the final exam or just get really, really bad luck, you receive a Block power featuring a block that was never implemented by Notch into this world, or a block that was removed and no longer exists. The Groupless usually don't belong in society, they're left in the dust. I myself got the Block power of Tall Grass, so like I said before, I've got an unlimited supply of seeds, technically. It still costs me energy, but I'm just sayin'."

The rest of the morning continued on as it was before, gloomy and cold and most of all boring. Around noon they all took up their stuff and walked outside to find Rexum and Vanessa, talking about all the FACTS of life they find interesting.

"You know, I have always wanted to learn the full history of the creation of dimensions, and how different it compares between the view of it by humankind and the people inside each one, if there really are other life forms existing besides on Earth. I'm sure it would be enriching, don't you think?" Vanessa murmured, her eyes wide like they get when she's learning something.

Rexum smiled and replied,

"Well, I am very glad that you have chosen to live a life of knowledge. Education these days seems to scarcely exist in the perfect way it once was, what with all those hoodlums who promote the media."

Mark and Adrian stifled their laughter as they were passing by; it was completely ridiculous to them. Adrian whispered to Mark, saying,

"I hated school back on Earth; all ya had to do was READ and THINK. And LEARN! Ugh, the fact that yer sister over thar is so entranced by tha' kinda stuff is a bit sickenin, partner."

Mark nodded and muttered,

"Welcome to my world."

Another half an hour of boring academic conversations later, Rexum and Vanessa stopped talking to let Mark step up in front of everyone to announce their next plans.

"Alrighty, well, um... Now that we've, um, gotten free, um, from those cloaked guys... Er, we can keep following the, uh, Master Compass. So, let's go."

His announcement wasn't the best, but it sufficed. Once Gabe had come back from Chiller Manor after retrieving Felix they headed off again, and Mark took out the Master Compass to guide them once more. They walked east for a while, stopping to rest every hour. Mark and Adrian talked a lot, laughing with each other for a lot of the trip, making stupid jokes. At one point around 4:00 in the afternoon Kelsey came over to see what was so funny, and she came in upon the two guys when they were exchanging tons of anti-jokes.

"Hey, why'd the little kid drop his ice cream cone?" asked Mark.

"Why?"

"Cuz' he got hit by a bus!"

They both laughed, and Adrian even slapped his knee. Adrian caught his breath a few seconds later and said,

"Why did little Jimmy get a cut on his finger?"

"Why?"

"Cuz' he fell in the woodchipper!"

They continued laughing aloud, but a few seconds later Mark grunted when he felt a punch on the arm, and looked up to see Kelsey standing there, her hands on her hips.

"Guys, that's mean!"

"No, it's hilarious!"

Kelsey muttered something before walking away from them. They continued to give each other their jokes for a while, and soon they were both tired from laughing, especially Mark, who fell over in hysterics from one of Adrian's really good jokes. Another couple hours later the sun began to set, so they all stopped to set up camp. Rexum set down the Eyestone again for their protection. Thankfully, there were trees nearby, so Gabe was able to go and take a pee. As Gabe was heading into the woods nearby Lucas found Mark setting up his bed and pointed him out.

"Hey, I wonder how Gabe got the Human Waste mod on his hands!"

Mark snapped his head up with a disgusted look on his face.

"Ugh, I didn't know there was such a thing. Why would anyone WANT that? Isn't it better that no one has to go?"

Lucas shrugged, setting up his bed next to Mark's. Vanessa came over a few moments later with her bed and set it down on Mark's other side. She sat down and tapped Mark's shoulder, then pointed to Gabe disappearing into the trees.

"That Gabe guy is kinda cute, don't you think?"

Mark's eyes were wide, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You... You think he's cute? You're attracted to him?" he slapped her on the back and gave a chuckle. "Man, this is great! You're actually attempting to be social!" Vanessa was still looking out into the woods when Mark realized something and said, "Oh man, but, um, Kelsey is attracted to him too, you know. Plus, she's... Um..."

Vanessa turned to look at him and said,

"What? What has she got that I don't? A spotless face? Slim body? BREASTS?! Well?!"

Thankfully, Mark was saved from the wrath of Vanessa the next moment, because Rexum quick bolted towards him, knocked Vanessa and Lucas out of the way, and tackled him from his bed, landing them three blocks away from where he was before. Mark coughed out grass and dirt and pushed Rexum off of him.

"What now?! Oh, what in the name of... What...?"

Where his, Vanessa's and Lucas's beds used to be was a small crater, smoke pouring out of it. Adrian came over to see what was going on too, and what they all saw rise up from the smoke was all-too familiar. It was the Glitch, its gigantic shifting plasma mass moving this way and that, its wings outstretched. Hold on, this Glitch was actually giving off a bright white light. It was white! And its eyes and mouth weren't magma-red but instead a calming blue color. The strange version of the Glitch bowed, its wings turning to fold together.

"Hello, Ultra Hero and Great Heroes of the third chapter of the Divination of Dimensions. I am Salutem, ruler of The Void, king of the Void Palace, fourth ruler of Minecraftia."

Everyone stood transfixed at the sight before them. No one ever would have expected to meet Salutem in purpose. Salutem turned to look directly at Mark, and he said,

"Hello especially to you, Markus Cobweb, Ultra Hero of the third chapter of the Divination of Dimensions. I have come for a very important reason, but I must make this quick, for I am completely exposed to the Glitch's viruses while I am visible." Nobody said a word, some of them were even afraid they'd be turned into chickens by some of Salutem's voodoo. "I must inform you that this quest that you must fulfill has more pieces to it than you have been told. Yes, you must use the Master Compass to guide you to the Void Transport, guiding you to the Void Palace, and finally guiding you up to the Aether Palace where you will place the Balance Core on its pedestal. But, have you any way of getting the Balance Core from out of the bottle you carry? Surely, by now you must have realized that ordinary means will not work to break the near-invincible glass that protects the block." Mark's stomach lurched as he realized that what Salutem was saying was true.

"You see, when the Balance Core was created by the ancient Mastermind, it was sealed inside a glass bottle made from the concentrated energy of Notch's power, only to be broken by one weapon, and one weapon only: the Hammer of Notch. You must obtain the Hammer of Notch in order to break it open.

"Secondly, how do you suppose you will be able to handle the block? In order to place a block, even the Balance Core, you must hold it in your hand and gesture at the area you want it to be placed. The Balance Core is an extremely powerful block, the most powerful of all, and the only ones who can touch it without being destroyed is the Mastermind, the one who created it. In order to handle such a block you would need the gloves of the Mastermind, which in history were named the Gloves of Gloom and Glad. They were crafted from the ancient essence of the Spirits In Between, who used the sadness and the happiness in their memories to give to the Mastermind, who crafted two gloves, one of black and one of white, so that in the future if the Balance Core were to ever be brought out from its bottle the Mastermind could once again touch his creation. But in order to keep the Gloves of Gloom and Glad safe, the Mastermind bonded to their powerful fabric of good and bad, and now they cannot come off.

"So, what you must do is recreate what the Mastermind did, and find the essences of sadness and happiness. The only place this essence can be found now is in the potent tears of the Glitch and I, the only bad and good essence-givers powerful enough for the job left in the universe. I will now weep for you, giving you a tear of happiness, then you must find the Glitch and steal a tear while remaining unnoticed. As individual tears, it is possible to hold them without being annihilated."

Salutem bent over, and they all watched as a glistening white tear dripped from the calming blue of its left eye. The teardrop was as big as Mark's hand. Salutem let it drip onto its wing, and then extended its wing out to Mark. He approached slowly, and then held out his left hand over the glistening white teardrop. It rose up and the cool wetness touched his hand—it actually felt like water. The teardrop let out a burst of light for a few seconds, and when it was gone Mark was now wearing a pure white glove on the hand, just like the one the Mastermind had on his nimble-fingered left hand. He flexed his hand, and the watery white glove moved with him, comfortably fit as though it were made especially for him. He looked up again at Salutem, who continued its monologue.

"So, what you truly must do is first reach the Void Transport using the Master Compass in your hand. Then, once you are inside the Void Palace you must steal both the Hammer of Notch and a black tear of sadness from the Glitch. The Glitch keeps all of its most powerful weapons in the secret treasure room beneath the throne. I built it myself, see, and if I know the Glitch—which I certainly due, considering that it and I have the same way of thought-processing, technically—it would have put the Hammer of Notch inside the treasure room for safety, but only if it has already stolen it. I am not sure if the Glitch has the Hammer of Notch, or if Notch has kept it protected, but you must obtain it either way.

"You should be able to find a black teardrop of sadness somewhere in the treasure room, because I myself give away tears of happiness every month to help others in the Minecraft Dimension, and since the Glitch has possessed everything of mine to be its own, there should be a collection of now-black teardrops hidden somewhere in the room. Once you get it you should be able to bring it around your hand into the second glove, then you will have both of the Gloves of Gloom and Glad. If the Hammer of Notch isn't there, then just take a teardrop with you.

"Once you have what you need, get into the room directly behind the throne, there will be a group of portals that were used for us rulers to visit each other through. The Glitch has stopped all connection with the Aether for now, so building a portal will not work. The only one left that still maintains connection is the one that the Glitch is using to send its viruses into the Aether. Please, I know that this all sounds extremely complicated, but you must do it! You are the only ones capable of defeating the Glitch once and for all!"

Suddenly, there was an unearthly screech in the distance, and Salutem whirled around to look in the direction of the screech.

"The viruses are following my trail, I must leave! Good luck, heroes!"

With that, Salutem sank down into the ground with a *POP* without another trace. Everyone just looked at each other for a moment, taking occasional glances towards the crater where Salutem was moments ago. Another few seconds of silence later, Gabe approached them, coming back out through the trees. When he caught sight of everyone looking at the crater, he said,

"What just happened here?"

Nobody really answered his question, but Mark thought to himself this,

"Man... Just when I thought it couldn't get any harder... Well, I guess that we'll have to prepare to sneak past the Glitch, which, as far as I can tell, will NOT be as easy as expected."

Awesome! It definitely looks like someone has befriended Mark for sure, right? Who doesn't love the western kid? Plus, FIRST LOVE TRIANGLE! I'm pretty sure Vanessa is WAY out of Gabe's league. That doesn't mean she won't stop trying, though.

Now then, MORE QAA!

To the Glitch: I'm okay with that. Lily and Norman are goody-goody. I like the idea of ruling the universe. It's a good idea so I support it.

The Glitch: Ah yes! I finally have some support! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I shall recruit you ASAP!

To Quinn: Where are you right now? Norman's son might need some help from you:

Quinn: Hey, I'm just hanging out in the Author's mind right now, in that empty void of sub-conscious thought. Yep, I came out of his brain, and now I'm back again! *fourth wall shatters, sending a shard of its nonexistent dimensional fabric into Quinn's eye* Owie!

To Norman or Notch (whoever who can answer better): What happened to the magnet block thingy?

Norman: You mean the Magnomatic I got from Book #1? *fourth wall shatters once again, and the Fourth Wall Repairman comes in grumbling about his job to fix it for the billionth time with his magical Wall Hammer* Actually, it's kinda complicated, but all of the items from Book #1 are stored where my friend Quinn is right now, in the Author's subconscious, only to be brought out when the Author chooses to put them into the story. Trust me, the Magnomatic WILL make a reappearance later.

Notch: I agree with Mr. Cobweb here, the Author has stored it in his subconscious thoughts. Simple enough, right? *fourth wall rumbles dangerously as the Fourth Wall Repairman is fixing it with his Wall Hammer*

To Norman: No I will not tell you anything about Mark. Vanessa turned her book into a weapon, though.

Norman: You... I need info, kid! Give me anything you've got! And what do you mean she turned her book into a weapon?

To Vanessa: Did you actually have fun when fighting with "Moby Dick"?

Vanessa: Er, no... *avoids your gaze* No, definitely... Not... Now shush, I, have to meet with Gabe... Goodbye... *walks away to go swoon over Gabe's chiseled face*

To the Glitch: Die! I shall conquer even you with my army of flying monkeys! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I EVEN STOLE YOUR LAUGH! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA HA!

The Glitch: LIES, FOOLISH FOOL! I am the greatest evil being these dimensions have ever known! I SHALL DESTROY YOU WITH MY NONEXISTENT EYEBROWS, THAT'S JUST HOW SKILLED I AM! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

To the Glitch: Get a life.

The Glitch: No, not ever! I am the OPPOSITE of life, you twit! I am WORSE THAN DEATH! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! CRUMBLE DOWN, YOU PEASANT!

To Patrick Obsidian: Are you alive, and if so, where?

Patrick: Oh yeah! Right now I'm playing ping-pong with Quinn inside of the Author's—*Fourth Wall Repairman steps in and screams, "DON'T SAY IT! This fourth wall here is unstable, and EVERYBODY keeps blowing it to pieces by talking about the Author! Keep quiet until I'm done!" harrumphs and walks back to working on the fourth wall with his Wall Hammer* Okay, geez! That guy has issues.

Alrighty then! I feel sorry for the Fourth Wall Repairman! Anyway, for next time, how will things get along between Vanessa and Kelsey now that they both are in love with Gabe? Is bitterness ensured? (Heck yeah!) How will Mark get along as friends? Will EVERYONE just get along somehow, will we ALL just give out world peace and play Pass the Parcel? (That's a reference to a question I got a few chapters ago. ;D) Plus, now that they know that there are two extra pieces of their quest they need to find, will they still be able to save all the dimensions from the Glitch's wrath in time? Find out next chapter in VOiD!

But for now, this is Pastrinator64, and I'll see you later with chapter numbah ten!

*throws sugar bomb, disappears in a cloud of fine white sugar*

Byyyyyeeeeee...

~Pastrinator64 [~]