Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with another chapter from Hourglass. I thank you all for your patience, for I have started my very first Hunger Games fanfic and there are actually people looking at it! I heard that's a rare thing nowadays, so I've been trying to keep up with both stories.

Anyway, I am here to tell you now that I have decided on the winner of our little OC challenge! I have accepted D4sssy's OC: Auconi Diamondore. If your OC didn't get in then please don't feel bad because I'm going to have other opportunities for you to submit your OC's in the future. Thanks!

Now then, for replies to reviews!

Replies To Reviews

spark n' Jetz: I had the idea to bring in Mayor Mushroom and was just like "AWWWWWWWW YEAH!" I love that guy so much now that he's a total psycho.

Kyle McShade: Ugh! Homework! Don't we all hate it? Yeah, I realized that the OC promise thing was forgotten pretty quickly so I'm just not gonna promise anything for this story because I know I'll forget that too. XD Just like I forgot to mention I had a girlfriend.

Volcanic the hedgehog: Man, I am such a weirdo, right? XD

badgerman: A. Sorry, dude. I had a lot of OC's to decide between. :/

B. Thanks!

C. I was getting a little creeped out by myself, so I just decided to kill it off.

D., E., F. and G. (All answered in QAA)

badgerman: That's okay. You seem like you're fairly new with Fanfiction. You are, aren't you?

Nwinds: 1. Okay, good. I've been trying to get myself to read each of the chapters beforehand but I end up getting all jittery about posting.

2. No, I'm just trying to avoid that. I'll be explaining the block concepts and mods later within the story, so...yeah. I just don't want to complicate things.

3. He was saying that he didn't want to get there with the rest of the Knights of the Blocky Table and find out that the powerful figures were gone, disappeared, POOF.

4. I saw the error from earlier and fixed it, so thanks! :D

5. You've never heard "back in 'nam" jokes before? It was something that Martin included in his speech when he was talking about wanting to teach Jeff how to live off of one leg.

6. I couldn't agree with you more. I was starting to truly creep myself out, so I'm just like "nope" and had her die.

7. Well, it's only natural; you're like the most intelligent out of the group!

8. Thanks again! I'm not sure what the posting timeframe will be, though. It won't be a regularly set date, probably. Because I'm currently writing my first Hunger Games fanfic and people are actually looking at it, I've been trying to juggle both of them.

Alright! I'm all done with that, so how about we get on with the next chap?

Now, let the story commence!

Chapter 4: Devils, Diagnoses and the Dead

The sun may have been absent, but rays of light filled the throne room, yet. Gathered in front of the six great thrones were Norman and Liz, who were awaiting those other teenagers to get there. Norman and Liz were just staring at the ground in an awkward silence that was so heavy it was like it weighed down the air.

Neither of them were ready to experience being back in the body of a teenager, so both of them were moving around uneasily, adjusting to the new kind of movement, perspective, vision, etc.

Norman and Liz were both still testing out the hotbars on their arms, but Norman was also fidgeting with the F3 device on his left wrist. He still remembered the day when they met the SOSKG (Society of Splendidly Knowledgeable Gentlemobs) and Professor Chickenson gifted him with that magical gray button that could map the exact location of wherever he was. He couldn't really feel it as he was flexing his wrist, but there was that faint sort of pinch that he couldn't shake off.

About a minute later, Adrian, Kelsey, Vanessa and Astrid approached them with Blockpacks over their backs. All of them had been called to the throne room for a very important announcement from Farixz.

The four of them had been talking amongst themselves as they were walking over, but as soon as all of them were together they ceased all noise and just stared at the two former adults in front of them. Moments later, Astrid lifted a hand and tried to grasp thin air.

"Whoa. You can almost feel the awkward."

To save them from any further awkward silences, Farixz materialized in front of them, Serisdo and Thorvon right behind him. He cast his wings to either side in a welcoming gesture.

"It has been over a week since we all gathered inside of the throne room. I welcome you all..."

Adrian absentmindedly twirled his iron frying pan around in a circle.

"So, what's the big announcement, partner?" he spoke, his southern accent a familiar sound in their ears.

Farixz cast his gaze around the room, observing the horrific paintings spread across the walls of the Unforgiven Spawn.

"I have called you here today because you shall be beginning your vital journey in only a short while—twenty-three minutes, to be exact."

Kelsey's eyes widened and she held out her hands in shock, saying fretfully,

"We're already leaving? But why so early?"

"Heroes, there has been an urgent forthcoming vision from Serisdo that I cannot ignore and it regards the safety of Sycallion the Sixth. It is against the rules of this prophecy for me to inform you exactly what, but what I can say is that it involves the greatest evil entity the universe has come to know."

"The Glitch?" suggested Vanessa.

Kelsey shook her head as she recalled the speech that Farixz had given them long ago. A single name burned its letters into her mind as it became clear, and so she spoke.

"No, not the Glitch. Somebody infinitely worse than the Glitch."

They all turned to look at Kelsey in question.

"Who could be more a devil than the Glitch?" muttered Adrian, hoping there was no such thing.

Kelsey's face was sincerely grave as she lifted her eyes to each of them and replied,

"Only the Devil himself: Satan."

"99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall! 98 bottles of beer on the wall, 98 bottles of beer! Take one down—"

"Martin, just shut up."

The three of them, Jeff, Martin and JB, were meandering off into the wild jungle in search of the woman that JB had been talking about. As Jeff and JB walked side by side, staying far away from Martin, who was marching along happily while singing "99 Bottles of Beer" in a very hearty tone. JB looked over at Jeff with a concerned look and said,

"Why is he, um, mentally unstable? I mean, he tried to spit-roast me."

Jeff eyed Martin strangely, pondering this for a moment and then immediately came upon his answer.

"As he's said, he's been living off of mushrooms, so he must've eaten from a bad patch at one point, or something. I only realized this a half hour ago, but he's convinced himself that his name is Martin and not Mason, like his REAL name, so there must be some unnatural nutrients in his system that are messing with his brain."

JB pursed his lips as he took another glance over at Mason Mushroom, who was bending over and beginning to stop and smell the flowers. And speak with them. And taste them.

"Yes, that seems like a good explanation." he commented, raising an eyebrow. "But this old lady might be able to help get your, well, acquaintance here get some medical attention."

"Fair enough. Just as long as he doesn't sing the rest of his song, I'll be happy."

Auconi Diamondore was a very interesting fifteen-year-old to figure out what with his appearance coupled with his personality. His skin was tan and his muscles were plenty, giving him an odd appearance considering he was only 5'7" and 110 lbs. His body was quite battle-worn and there was a noticeable scar going down his face, starting above his right temple and curving down to reach the top of his cheek. He was wearing a set of scuffed-up leather armor and carried a wooden pickaxe. Underneath his helmet was a full head of strangely green hair as well as piercing electric-blue eyes, which darted this way and that, always alert.

He'd been mining for a while, hoping to find something good with his measly little pickaxe. He would use his powers to make a better one, but he had his reasons not to. Auconi jumped down from a three-block ledge and landed roughly, breaking open the bottoms of his leather boots.

He breathed heavily in annoyance with the boots and took them off, staring at the split material. He chucked them aside, as they were now useless, and continued on. He was already near to starving, so the last thing he needed was to lose his armor, which was threatening to fall off as it was.

Suddenly, as he was about to turn left down another rugged hall of stone branching off from the main tunnel, he heard uneven breathing just around the corner. His whole body tensed and he quickly switched his pickaxe with a wooden sword. He quieted his breath, keeping himself well-hidden from whatever creature was around the corner. Finally, he decided that what he was hearing was the sound of a Creeper breathing. He mustered up all his focus and let his fighter instincts take control; he leapt from around the corner and charged!

But he was almost immediately stopped by the frightened scream of the creature around the corner. When he looked down below in that small cave and saw another Minecraftian lying there on the floor, crying with raspy breaths, he was frozen in shock. This girl, about fifteen, looked like she hadn't eaten in at least two days and that she'd just been in a fight. She had straight auburn hair down to her shoulders and a slim build, making her look younger than she was.

But before noticing all that, Auconi felt his stomach turn and his hormones flares. She was stripped down to just her bright-red panties and bra, exposing most of her body—her slender arms and legs, her cute belly with the piercing on her belly button, and her adorable pedicured feet. AND her rad boobs.

Still frozen in shock, Auconi felt himself become instantly fifty times sweatier, somehow. He just stood there, his mouth agape, drooling over the unfathomable sight before him. The girl on the ground was staring tearfully at him, her dark chocolate eyes reddened from the hours of weeping she'd endured.

"Who a-a-are you?" she whispered, her voice cracking.

Although his mind was running wild, Auconi couldn't bring himself to words. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, but only a little unmanly squeak came out. She gritted her teeth at him and moaned,

"Please...take me...out..."

It took him a second, but Auconi finally mustered up his self-control and formed some words.

"I, uh, don't—"

"G-get me out! OUT!" she screamed, then lowered her head and started sobbing into the chilled cave floor.

Auconi was going to try and attempt to speak again when somebody else behind him shouted out unexpectedly,

"Eh, Auconi! Don't mind me, I'm just standing here, waiting while you take your bloody time!"

Auconi whirled around and saw his...acquaintance, Darcy, just standing there, leaning against the wall of the entrance tunnel he'd been in thirty seconds ago. Darcy was taller than him by three inches but as just as skinny. He had extremely tan skin and lanky limbs, his hands unusually nimble. His short, curly hair was colored dishwater blonde and could just barely be seen underneath his beige fedora. He was also wearing armor, only his was diamond and sparkling new.

"Let's get a move on!" he said, gesturing back down the tunnel.

Auconi didn't move a muscle, but instead started to ponder how Darcy couldn't see the near-to-naked hottie right behind him. A few seconds later, Darcy lowered his arms and sighed angrily, glaring at him.

"That means get off your fat date and c'mere, you dill!"

Darcy marched forward and made to grab Auconi's arm and drag him off, but then noticed the girl lying on the ground shaking. His eyes widened a lot, but he had more self-control than Auconi and kept himself composed.

"Well, I'll be grinning like a shot fox! We got ourselves what looks like a little chickie baby in her grundies!"

Ugh. He hated it when Darcy talked full-Australian; he had no idea what he was saying half the time. Coming to his senses, Auconi returned a glare at Darcy and muttered,

"Okay, enough. Let's just get her to our place so she can recover, okay? Then you can batter her with your stupid "Australian charm" all you want."

Darcy shrugged, got a greedy eyeful of the girl and replied,

"Alright, alright, don't leave me earbashed!"

He bent down on one knee and lifted the girl's chin so that their eyes locked for a moment.

"And what do they call you, mate?"

Controlling her quivering lips as well as she could manage, she murmured,

"Morgan Ironbars."

"Well then, Morgan," declared Darcy, helping her to her feet and grinning with poise. "my name's Darcy Lava! This bludger here's Auconi Diamondore."

She looked between the two of them, still afraid of their real intentions. This whole experience with Lalita had scarred her for life, so she wasn't about to trust anybody fully, yet.

"I j-just want to get out of here, please..." she whispered, her voice croaky.

Darcy's smile widened and he grasped her hand, leading her towards the tunnel with confidence.

"Veg out, Morgan. You look a bit peckish, so we've got lots of grub at our place to share."

Morgan was unsure about anything at the moment, but the idea of food got her stomach growling angrily at her, demanding satisfaction, so she went along with it. If worst came to worst she'd have to steal some armor, food and a weapon and run away during the night or whenever she could. It was better than staying in the cave, at least.

Meanwhile, behind the two of them, Auconi was grumbling about Darcy's immediate actions. He'd always been the more conservative one with girls, but Darcy was quick to everything, especially on this topic.

"Alright then, I'll just bloody follow you up this bloody tunnel 'til we get to the bloody top and help this bloody girl get some bloody food. Bloody, bloody, bloody, bloody." he mimicked.

As he followed behind the two of them, steaming, he wondered why he had even teamed up with Darcy in the first place. He and Darcy were not what you would call friends, exactly—more like partners, so to speak. He was even beginning to recall their first time meeting.

Auconi grinned with the astonishing adrenaline that coursed through his body. Despite the fact that the zombie horde was advancing on him from just twenty blocks away, the thrill for adventure stimulated all five of his senses, hardcore mode style. He loved that feeling!

"Auconi, get yourself together!"

He jerked his head to the side in alert and remembered his two friends, Hugo Ironore and Kirby Coalore. The three of them were hiding in the shadows of a small cave entrance in the ground, keeping hidden from the sudden onslaught of zombies that had attacked them minutes ago. A few seconds was all it took for him to register that it was Kirby that had snapped him to attention; Kirby's voice always cracked. He looked really serious about getting the heck out of there and he said,

"We've got to get back to Outpost Ten or we'll be this horde's dinner! Get your head out of the fight and let's escape through this cave while they're still far enough away!"

The grin widened even further as Auconi hoisted his sword up and declared,

"You underestimate our abilities, Kirby! We can take them all, pick 'em off one by one if we need to! Only a coward would run away from such a potential battle!"

Kirby reached over and grabbed his collar suddenly, pulling him in so they were staring at each other dead in the face.

"Listen to me! If we don't get out of here, the zombies will definitely outnumber us! Hugo's been bitten in the head, my weapon's junk now and you've got a nasty, probably infected, gash on your face!"

Auconi lifted a hand to his face and cringed as his fingers made contact with the bleeding crevice that stretched from his right temple to his cheek, his hand coming back spattered red. He'd received this injury from a tank of a zombie sporting full diamond armor plus a blade of the same material. Auconi glanced down to see Hugo resting up against the wall beneath the ledge of the tunnel's drop-off. There was a small hole gored into his head where a zombie had bitten through his skull and tried to suck his brains out. Even though confidence filled him in the moment, Auconi gave an involuntary shudder at the sight.

"You can stay here if you want to die, but I'm taking responsibility for once and getting me and Hugo the fudge out of here!" exclaimed Kirby, looking accusingly at Auconi.

Auconi really was quite shocked at how Kirby was acting. Usually, this guy was fun-loving and full of spirited energy, but now he was acting all solemn and crap. This totally ruined his fiery mood and so his grin was replaced with a grimace.

"Fine!" Auconi spat, glowering at Kirby with a sudden anger. "You can flee like a weakling and I'll stay here to fight for all that is good in this world! I can only wish you good luck, friend."

Disappointed, he lowered his gaze to the stone floor on his last word, breaking eye contact with Kirby. He could only hear the uneven footsteps of his pal as he walked off into the blackness of the sloped tunnel, struggling with the heavyset body of Hugo leaning on him.

It was the fifteen groans and gurgles of the zombie horde that brought him back to full attention. He didn't know how much time had passed since Kirby had left with Hugo, but it must have been longer than he thought, because as he looked up above he was able to just barely dodge the zombie that fell into the hole with him. It was the tank zombie decked in diamond and it was leading the other zombies towards what it thought to be a free meal.

Auconi slashed at the zombie's diamond armor as it advanced, returning with slower stabs of the sword. He was able to avoid the returning blade well enough, but finding a weak spot was difficult, because every time he tried to hit it, more zombies jumped in front and were sacrificed. So, Auconi continued to back up as he fended off the swarm. His diamond sword was already about to snap in half from its excessive use over the past month, so he was pretty much running out of options.

For the first time in his life, Auconi Diamondore decided that he was going to run from a fight that, even though he wished it to be true, he could not hope to win.

He turned around and sprinted down the tunnel, hastily placing torches in front of him as he went so he wouldn't run into more trouble unexpectedly. Unfortunately, he'd been so focused on getting away that he didn't notice the tall cliff in front of him; he took one step too many and unexpectedly found himself falling into the pitch-blackness of a gigantic cavern.

He freefell for almost seventy blocks before splashing hard down in an underground lake. He could only see a faint orangish light above from where he'd fallen from, but he was so far away that even the cries of the zombies weren't loud enough to reach his ears.

All of a sudden, there were footsteps of someone walking near him and the flare of lava dissipated the darkness around him. Using his little bit of strength left after the impact, Auconi turned his head lightly to see the person standing at the stone rim of the murky water.

"Crikey! How'd you end up down here, mate?"

Auconi didn't answer; the wind had been knocked out of him from the impact of the water. He was still trying to regain some breath as it was. When there came no reply, the Austrian dude stepped down into the water and waded out towards him, eventually having to swim another three blocks.

"You better not be bloody cactus, or I'll have to call myself a drongo for getting my draks wet."

In his mind, though, this was basically what Auconi was thinking:

"...the heck?"

Just because I'm paranoid, can you all just tell me how you like the three-way storyline? I might change things about it in the future, but I'd like a second opinion.

Now for QAA!

To Mushroomman: How were you in the jungle and the final battle at the same time?

Mason: "Which battle are you referring to?"

To the Glitch: I bite my thumb at you, sir!

The Glitch: "Do not fret; I will bite your thumb for you! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

To the merry band of universe savers: Stop procrastinating. The end of all existence is dangerously close.

Norman: "If I had my way, we would have gone immediately after arriving in this weird dimension. I'm going to avenge my son! The Glitch is definitely going to be brought to its knees and I am going to make sure that I am the one responsible for it being deleted!"

Liz: "I'm extremely of anxious about going back into the Minecraft Dimension now that I'm a teenager again. In my time spent there, I endured so many horrible things, probably more than everyone else. I had my eye gouged out, sexually assaulted by a slimy prisoner on that skeleton ship and I was kidnapped and tickle-tortured by Slenderman for a half hour straight. Besides that, I got roughed up so many times emotionally and physically, so I had possibly more bad experiences than good. These thoughts and more are what are preventing me from feeling safe in the world again. Thankfully, though, I've got Norman."

Adrian: "Returning ter Minecraft might jus' be the thang I need ter git my monster-slayin' skills back! I'm lookin' forward ter it, ah'll admit. I mean, there's the matter o' the Glitch being out dere, but ah'm willing to take ma chances."

Kelsey: "No, no, no...I can't go back to Minecraftia without Mark! First, I died and came here, but then I met up with him again for those blissful weeks and it was heaven! Then, Mark died this time, only now he's surely gone forever! I'll be stuck thinking about him the entire time I'm there, I just know it."

Astrid: "Hell yeah! I can't wait to get back there! Just imagine all the possibilities! Danger! Adventure! Monsters! Adrenaline-pumping fights to the death! And besides, we'll be going to Blocks Vegas! BLOCKS VEGAS! Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to go there?! When I do leave Blocks Vegas, I'm just gonna be like, "Well, f*** the old saying, I'm telling all my friends about what happened in Vegas so they can be strawberry jelly!"

Vanessa: "Personally, I feel rather torn about returning. I would like to see to it that Rexum does not die in vain, but at the same time I am highly skeptical about the dangers out there, even with my magic. Magic from this dimension cannot possibly be even remotely close to the power of that of a dimensional virus. There are good and bad sanctions here and I'm currently trying to weigh the outcomes before we depart."

To Doughbelly: Awww! Don't feel lonely. I'll play chase with you!

Doughbelly: *wonders where the voice in his head is coming from*

To the Glitch:
That's cool, but when I'm decked out, it is you Im gonna slay. That's cool, but when I'm decked out, it is you Im gonna slay.
I threw a splash potion,
Swing my sword with downward motion,
Drown you in a lava ocean.
Help me, help me, I need more supplies.
Drop sand on your head,
Then shoot you 'til your dead,
Every time I hit you, you turn red.
Help me, help me, my power will rise.
Blow you to the moon,
Its gonna be day soon,
I can make lightning strike you.
Help me, help me, I need more supplies.
Push you from a height,
Multiplayer boss fight
I attack when the time is right.
Help me, help me, my power will rise,
And I will make you die.

The Glitch: "Ah...alright then."

To Blackberry: /fix Blackberry, /tp Blackberry Norman

/dimensioncode/: You do not have permission to use this command. You do not have permission to use this command.

Whew! Lots of questions, there. Well, how about another Sugar Lords bit?

Pastrinator64 raised the angle of his flight, leading everyone upward until they passed the top layer of clouds. Floating just above the browned white blanket that hovered low over the planet, Pastrinator64 activated his sugar-level x-ray vision and scanned in all directions. Instantly, a giant red blotch only about a mile away appeared in his vision and he blinked rapidly, making sure that this was legit. He deactivated his powers and glanced back at his team.

"Alright, guys! This thing's just a mile north of here, so it's time to inspect. Lower your power as much as you can; whatever it is might've already noticed us when we were coming in."

They all did so, using another of Master Mapley's techniques, Kakin Bēru, that allowed them to lower their power levels to that of a passing bird. Pastrinator64 also deactivated his Super Pasty mode by grabbing the Powertart and sliding it back in his pocket.

"ILTRTGS and Kyle, you get underneath this thing. Nwinds and Volcanic, you get above it. Pixelized and Pikale, you split up and take it from the right and left. Luvr and I will get out in front of it. I want all of you to use Seishin-Tekina E to get an image of the entity so we can assess it from all angles, then retreat five miles south of here so we can register what this thing truly is. Got it?"

They all murmured in agreement before splitting up, flying in all different directions to do their duty.

I'm having a lot of fun giving all of their abilities names. It's just like Dragon Ball Z only a whole lot weirder. :3

Well, that's all for now! I hope you enjoyed chapter number four, and I'll see you all LATER!

This is Pastrinator64, your fellow writer and reader, signing out!

*throws sugar bomb and disappears behind its cloud of fine white sugar*

..Goodbye for now...

~Pastrinator64 [~]