Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with another chapter for Hourglass!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's 2015 and I'm ready for a fresh year to work with! The only bad part is that my Christmas break ends after today, so that sucks buckets. For all those of you who already have school, I give you my condolences. And for all those of you who still have a fair amount of vacation left to enjoy, I say...screw you. XD Just kidding! More like lucky you! :D
This chapter was definitely a slower one for me. I don't know why, exactly, but it just has. Maybe it's because I have to wake up for school tomorrow. -_-
Anyway, I actually did get some reviews for his one, so here are my replies!
Replies to Reviews
PrincessLyoka: This is actually the third book of the series, PL. Before this one is The Glitch and VOiD. The first one was always the best in my opinion.
Stormblaze101: Aw, thanks! :3 It does mean a lot to hear you say that. And I'm glad you read the snippets.
Badgerman: Oh yeah, I'm back! I just couldn't stay away! :D Thanks to you as well for reading the Sugar Lords bits. Also, I just thought it would be funny to call it the Diggy Diggy Hole. I'm probably going to have a dwarfish character added in at some point. Maybe even a whole clan! XD Also also, somebody asked for them to return a while ago, but it just didn't quite fit in with the way everything was going, so I kept it out.
And besides those three replies, I got a lot of QAA from you guys! Check it out after you're done with the chapter!
Now, let the story commence!
Chapter 19: Same Ol' Gang, Same Ol' Thoughts
Norman found it surprisingly hard to keep his eye on Professor Batson as he led the way through the crowd, flying overhead to keep from colliding with the face of any innocent bystanders. Thankfully, the casino they were traversing—the Ingot Island Casino—only stretched on for 66 more blocks, so the crowd thinned out as they entered a directional hallway. There was definitely a lot less racket.
A maze of halls stood in between them and the center of the MGM Grand. A collection of signs stood in front of the extensive split, directing them on where to go. Professor Batson finally stopped, fluttering down to settle on one of the signs in front of them.
"Are you able to find your way from this point, young chaps?" he asked politely, giving them all a glance.
Norman smiled lightly and replied,
"Yes, Professor Batson, I think we're good from here."
The tiny professor nodded in agreement and flew up into the air, ready to take off towards his fellow top graduates of Gentlemob Academy for another game.
"Then I do believe this is where I leave you to your business."
As Professor Batson flew over their heads, Kelsey waved to him and called,
"Thanks for your help, Mr. Batson! We couldn't have gotten through without you!"
Batson did a little bow in midair, absolutely pleased to receive her praise.
"Ah, 'tis nothing! Any time you require my assistance, merely call!" he declared, then pausing before adding, "A dog whistle will do."
He laughed heartily at his own joke before bidding them farewell. All of them looked at each other with nervous anticipation, ready to get this rescue mission on the road—to count: Norman, Kelsey, Astrid, Darcy, Bailey and...
Adrian.
Adrian Grass, a normally cheery individual, stood there amidst them and failed to look enthusiastic. Minute earlier, he'd been sent back into his body to take control again. He merely stared absentmindedly at his cowboy boots, thinking to himself,
"I expected to feel relief when ah got out'a that prison...all I feel is dread..."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up suddenly, almost bonking Kelsey in the nose with his forehead. Her eyes were full of care as she studied him, trying to figure out why he was so low.
"You okay? ...partner?" she said, giving a small smile.
Adrian couldn't help but smile at the little nickname, and so he tried to keep it on his face as he stood back up, cracking his back.
"Oh, ah'm fit as a fiddle! Just a bit tired, 's all."
Kelsey didn't seem to be convinced, but she let her smile stay, patting Adrian on the shoulder again.
"Okay...well, if you do need to talk, just let me know, kay?"
He nodded, putting his best face forward (is that even a saying?) and joining in with the group, letting himself be taken in by their charisma. Norman stepped forward, reading the sign in the very middle of the throng. Once everyone quieted down, he cleared his throat and read it aloud.
"Diggy Diggy Hole ^ 50 B."
He glanced up at the hallway that stood before them. Sure enough, its end was within his render distance. He could see a big set of doors at the end and a giant sign that said, "DIGGY DIGGY HOLE," in caps just above it.
"Well, that was rather painless." he said, giving his best not-bad Obama face.
Darcy squinted at the sign in the distance, a gleeful grin spreading across his cheeks a few seconds later.
"Well, ace! I thought we weren't within a cooee of the place, but now we're so bloody close! I can almost taste the jewels! Still, it's too bad I didn't get to play any two ups back there."
Six misfit heroes made their way down the hall, the doors at its end coming closer with each step they took.
"We're not here to gamble, remember?" said Bailey, looking over at Darcy disapprovingly. "We're here to save the world. And the universe. And its dimensions and so on."
Astrid walked along with her hands in her pockets, also looking disappointed. She glanced up at Bailey and replied,
"Yeah, yeah, Mrs. Creeperwhisperer. I'm with Darcy here! I couldn't even finish my game with those Gentle-dudes back there. If we're gonna be stuck in Blocks Vegas a while and also be on a mission to save everyone and everything from the Glitch, we might as well have a little free time, right?"
Kelsey and Adrian murmured, slightly-sorta agreeing with her. Norman shook his head and replied,
"I think Bailey's got a point. We have no time to waste, honestly. Besides, what's there to do for fun in this place? Gambling is so impractical."
Astrid snorted and jogged up behind him, lightly punching him in the shoulder.
"Hey, why so stiff, Cobweb? You should be enjoying yourself! Have some fun, dude!"
That word. He hadn't been called stiff in a surprisingly long time. He started to remember being called that all the time by...Liz. Of course, at that time, he called her Lizzy instead; she sometimes even pulled him into calling her "Fizzy Lizzy" or "Silly Lizzy." Whatever she was in the mood for...
Just thinking about her made his spirits drop 75%. It had been just over 48 hours since he witnessed her death, but for some reason it felt so far away, like a horrible memory of the past...
Quickly, Norman shook his head harder, trying to rid himself of all those thoughts. Thinking about her death always made Norman feel hopeless without her, always picturing her beautiful face being torn apart by the Glitch's black hole of a mouth. Instead, he thought of the way he would avenge her, the pure torture he would cause the Glitch once he had the chance. This really was their final chance, so he wasn't about to slip it up a third time.
"Ugh. And now I'm going off on another mental monologue. I really should stop doing that!"
Norman and the gang reached the door 50 blocks later. He lifted a hand to the two door handles, pulling the double doors open to let everyone through. As he entered the next room, his breath was taken away by just how different it all was.
Unlike every other room in the MGM Grand, the center of the complex was entirely covered in pure ground, luscious grass growing everywhere. Trees of all kinds dotted the gradual hills: oaks, dark oaks, spruces, birches, acacias, and even a couple towering jungle trees, all full and striking.
A stream flowed just in front of them, emptying out into a nearby pond. A small lake was held at the other end, several streams branching out from it and weaving together in an intricate pattern. A group of horses could be seen drinking from one stream along with an assortment of other small creatures. In fact, the entire area was inhabited by passive mobs, moving about without a care in the world.
"Now, now, don't judge me...but I think I might cry at this beautie." muttered Darcy, wiping his moistening eyes.
They all stepped forward into the jade and aqua wonderland, admiring all that was around them. After hopping over the first stream, they encounter a colony of rabbits that were bouncing along their way. For some reason, they all swarmed Kelsey, jumping up on her legs and trying to reach something in her hotbar. They all smiled and looked over at her, a bit curious. Kelsey laughed and suddenly whipped a small stack of carrots from her hotbar, giving them all out to the bunnies.
"I was hoping to have them for a snack later, but oh well!" she said with a laugh; she was always a sucker for animals.
Norman watched the bunnies act cute for about five seconds before snapping out of it and realizing that they were all getting super distracted again.
"Alright, alright, they're cute. Still, we need to get to the Diggy Diggy Hole! Just look over there."
They reluctantly turned away from the bunnies, much to Norman's satisfaction, and allowed their eyes to widen as they took in this new sight. Now that they were getting closer, they found themselves tackling the slopes of the center hill; even from their distance, they could see just how big the hole truly was. They stopped when they were at the very top and stood at the edge of the gaping crack in the hill.
The Diggy Diggy Hole was basically an unbelievably massive hole dug into the center of the hill, extending further than they could see, even with the torches along the walls. A thin walkway lined the walls, gradually lowering into the crevice, which must've been the only way down there.
The longer Norman stared at it, the more he was reminded of the Mechablast Factory from way back in the day. He nudged Bailey in the shoulder and said,
"Hey, Bailey! Does this remind you of anything?"
Bailey didn't have to think for very long to know what he was talking about.
"The Mechablast Factory, that's right! Remember when you accidently pushed Danny down into it and he freaked out?"
They both chuckled as they reminisced. Those sure were the days. Back then, everyone got along so well and there were so many good times. Now, though, their group's chemistry was all messed up.
"Oh, what I wouldn't give to get together with the old gang again..."
President Joe Camera strolled down the halls of Diamond University, taking in all that was going around him. It had been a little over a month since the academy had been destroyed and they were still rebuilding. The finest Veyacrafts around the Overworld worked hard around him, remaking everything that had been destroyed by the Glitch on that day. It was quite the sight to see.
Joe let himself wander for quite a while, observing all the business going on, but found himself coming to a halt when he reached the trophy case, which was one of the only parts of the building that remained unscathed, shockingly.
His eyes drifted from iron blocks to gold blocks to diamond blocks, reading each of their labels. On the bottom of the display were regular things like awards for sports championships; they had one of the greatest baseblock teams in the entire Minecraft Dimension, if you could believe it. He took pride in all his students.
Then he allowed his gaze to travel back up to the top. There stood the three shiniest trophies in the entire case—real trophies, taken straight from the mod. The left one was to commemorate the first Diamond University, which showed a picture of its founder, Mason Mushroom. The one on the right was a memorial for himself, an award saying that he was the number one president of all the existing universities for his deeds to the dimension.
Lastly, there was the one in the middle. He was certainly part of it, but not the center. This trophy held a picture that was precious to him. It was the picture that he himself took during the last minutes with his quest team. Young teenagers Norman Cobweb, Lizzy Cake, Danny Bedrock, Bailey Creeperwhisperer, Quinn Dragonegg, Calista Cactus, Narcissa Cauldron and his adolescent self stood in the frame, happy campers all around.
It was enough to make him tear up.
Quinn Dragonegg lied on his back, staring up at the sky from the treetops. It was a bit of a routine he'd kept even since he first settled there as a teen. The sky was usually more beautiful, but for some reason it was a bit patchy looking, like the textures weren't coming in very well.
"Probably just a glitch." he thought to himself. "But maybe it is just my imagination...it has been a while since, well...Doughbelly..."
Doughbelly had just up and a month and a half ago, no warning, no goodbye kisses. Course, Quinn had grown used to his white chocolate Enderdragon leaving to go hunt down some food rather than just eating itself all the time; he would be gone for a few days at most and then come back to happily greet his master.
This time, Doughbelly had been gone twenty times longer than ever bother. He'd been hopefully for the first week, but after that he decided that Doughbelly was gone for good and he still didn't understand why.
It was at this time, while thinking about his beloved companion, that he heard a sudden thundering coming from the distance. He sat up quickly, pulling his Slingshot out of his hotbar and readying it with some cactus ammo. He saw trees shaking in the distance, every few seconds hearing the crash of a giant's footstep. The shudders of the trees came closer and closer, the footsteps getting louder and louder. Louder, closer, louder, closer...
And then it stopped.
Quinn sat there with bated breath, waiting carefully. Whatever it was, it would show its face soon enough. He waited for a long time, minutes perhaps...nothing.
...
...
...
Out of nowhere, a GIGANTIC FREAKING SPIDER hurtled out of the trees and into the air. Quinn screamed and launched his ammo at a rapid pace, pelting the airborne arachnid like there was no tomorrow. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the beast lost speed and fell back down to the ground, crushing the trees beneath it. Quinn stared at the monster, watching it for any sudden movement. When nothing happened, he looked closer and saw that all eight of its red eyes were gouged out, the entire body lying there in a ragdoll state.
A few seconds later, Doughbelly himself flew up from the cover of the trees and landed right on top of the spider, squashing it into the ground and lying flat on his back. It took a little while for Quinn to recover from his shock, but when he did he leapt down off the tree and used Doughbelly's doughy belly to cushion his landing. The big guy's long neck allowed him to extend his dragon head to meet Quinn face to face. Quinn hugged him around the nose and said,
"Doughbelly, you naughty, naughty boy! Where in the Overworld did you go to?!"
His words were scolding, but his tone was grateful. It had been much too long since he'd seen his dragon pal. He let go of Doughbelly's nose and walked along the dragon's stomach to the edge, peering down at the dead spider giant. He looked back at Doughbelly, who looked quite proud of himself.
"Is this what you've been out looking for this whole time?"
Doughbelly let out a happy pant and playfully spit some choco-dough in Quinn's face. Quinn laughed, a little teary-eyed still to finally have him back, and then wiped it all off. He sighed and lied back down on top of Doughbelly, using his soft stomach as one big pillow. Thinking of that spider, which he recognized as the corpse of Tanglera, he instantly thought of the old gang with Norman and Lizzy. Those were the days!
He could only imagine the happiness he'd feel to see those guys again after twenty long years in the wilderness. He even wondered how they were doing back on Earth—as far as he knew, everything was all peaches and cream with them. He had no idea about their return, obviously.
If he did, however, he would've tried to find them in a second.
Day ? (I've lost count!)
Life is alright in the End. It's a little cold, but otherwise okay. Being the new keeper of this inter-dimension dimension is pretty taxing on my free time. I miss the years back in the village. What I wouldn't give to get back to the Overworld for a well-deserved vacation!
Anyway, I must admit that I'm at least a bit satisfied to be doing this. I mean, if they offered this position any more than two years ago, I would've been too afraid to take it! I was quite the scaredy-ocelot back then. I mean, I might not be here today if Quinn had been around to take the position. I don't even know where he lives anymore. He basically just disappeared into a forest one day and never showed his face again.
It really is horrible how Queen Enderdragon died. I remember when I came into the End on my first day and saw her baby dragon body being taken away to be buried. There was a puncture wound in her chest and blood everywhere and...ugh, I shiver just thinking about it. Either that, or it's the chilly atmosphere here in the End. It's always cold here.
At least Boysenberry is enjoying himself. The three-tailed dork is always flying around hyperactively, acting like there's nothing to worry about at all. I'm just glad I've been able to keep him alive all this time. Most people either run away when they see him or try to kill him right then and there. I'm guessing that the sight of an Enderdragon with three tails is pretty scary. At least he's a Frienderdragon, though; otherwise I might not have had so much luck for the past twenty years.
There is one thing I wish was different. It's enough having to keep a watchful eye over this dark, desolate place, but doing it by myself? Yeah, it's pretty lonely out here, even with Boysenberry to keep me company. And warm. I wish that I could get a chance to see Norman and the others some time. It's been quite a while! I can still remember the day that he and hippie Joe got me out of that cave.
Good times, good times. Well, I've pretty much said everything I can think of. I'm probably just going to ramble again tomorrow, but oh well.
~Calista Cactus
The lab got pretty quite at night. Only Narcissa Cauldron remained in the dark, silent atmosphere. Often, Professor Explotar would allow her to stay after hours to think to herself with no one to disturb her. Even at age 100, crippled from the waist down, he still decided to put everyone before himself.
At the moment, she sat in a wheelie chair in front of the gigantic portal to Minecraft that they maintained in the lab, watching the reddish-purple plasma swirl violently inside the black frame. She absentmindedly scooted closer and further from it, occupying her short attention span with the simple entertainment that a wheelie chair could provide.
Deep inside herself, however, she let her thoughts run wild about whatever came to mind at the time. At the moment, it was her previous adventures in the Minecraft Dimension. Her time in The Glitch had been rather short-lived—of course she was aware of her fictional properties as a story character—and yet it felt like such a long, exciting ride for her.
She remembered when Norman Cobweb, Liz Cake and the other members of their group visited her in the Nether Jr. twenty years ago, not afraid of her due to her strange appearance, not at all whatsoever. Their interest in the mutant clans intrigued her and they even let her join them in their quest as they set off to defeat Bacon the Bloody. It was the first time that she actually got to try out using Swig & Splash offensively and she found it absolutely invigorating!
She breathed heavily through her oversized witch nose at the remembrance. Twenty years was too long of a time, even for a half-witch. It saddened her because she realized that it was the first she'd ever felt something than loneliness—besides her constant curiosity for dissecting mobs and mixing them into drinks.
"Well," she finally said, wheeling back and craning her neck to stare up at the ceiling, "I sure hope I get to see them again, perhaps in another dimension. All is possible."
Even Danny Bedrock, our favorite loveable jerkwad, was having nostalgic thoughts about his old group way back in his younger years...
Actually, he was conked out on a bed in his mom's basement somewhere in the desert, so all he was thinking about was food.
So...yeah. That's about as interesting as Danny gets, I guess.
Norman sighed, pushing old thoughts from his mind, and glanced over at the nearby sign. This one he also read aloud.
"WARNING! This experience may cause: crying, screaming, projectile vomiting, amnesia, spine loss, embarrassing accidents, and explosive diarrhea."
Just then, the faint sound of an explosion could be heard. A few seconds of silence later, Astrid broke the air with this:
"Big deal! I had all that stuff this morning!"
Norman wasn't sure how that helped the situation besides making it ten times more awkward. Thankfully, they only had to stay there, stuck, for a little while longer before another player appeared; a guy with a Psy skin came jogging up the hill seconds later. He stopped when he saw them and grinned the biggest of grins.
"Are you all heading down into the Hole?" he inquired, crossing his arms.
They nodded simultaneously and Norman stepped forward to greet the new face. The two shook hands.
"Norman Cobweb."
The Psy guy just kept smiling and replied,
"XXXasdfaroffdsaXXX."
Far Off looked down into the hole and pointed with his thumb, adding,
"Anyway, you guys look new, so I'll clue you in about this place. The Hole consists of about two hundred different paths—and I know this because I just finished doing 'em all—and each one will be home to a certain kind of jockey. Not just your average spider jockeys and chicken jockeys, though! There can be just about anything riding anything down there, so you better be prepared for just about everything you can think of.
"If you can manage to find your way through the maze, the ultimate gem awaits at the end. It's a mod gem that was said to never have been implemented into this game because of its unpredictable powers...or something along those lines."
At the mention of fantastic treasure, Darcy pushed to the front of the group and blurted out,
"What do they call it, mate? The gem, I mean."
"It's called the Arcuniris. I think it's got some Latin translation, but I'm not sure." wondered Far Off, thinking about it himself.
At the mention of Latin, Norman immediately thought of Vanessa. If only his brilliant daughter were here! She knew Latin like the back of her hand. Kelsey thought there was something familiar about its name, but she waved the minor idea away. The lot of them looked pretty optimistic at that point. Treasure? Interesting new mobs? Sounded like an adventure!
And then Far Off said something that drowned out their optimism in the blink of an eye.
"Oh yeah, and nobody has ever come out alive except for me! Still, even I haven't found the Arcuniris!"
Norman groaned, rubbing his eyes with a pained expression. Well, THAT was quite the newsflash! It looked like this was going to be a lot harder than he originally thought. Of course, he thought it was going to be extremely difficult in the first place, but he ignored that part.
Darcy appeared to be totally undeterred by the possibility of death, so he walked closer to the edge of the Diggy Diggy Hole and tried to get a better look.
"Mates, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get my fossicker on!"
Everyone thought that the Australian airhead was leaning a little too far for comfort, but they said nothing. Just then, as he watched Darcy act like his usual self, Adrian heard Ben's voice again inside his head.
"Adrian! The Glitch says to give him a little nudge down into the hole!"
Adrian's stomach knotted up at his words and he thought right back to him in defiance.
"But he'll die if ah do that ter him! You think ah'm mad?!"
"C'mon, cowboy! Kick him now! There's water at the bottom anyway!"
"I don't believe ya! Yer full o' buffalo chips!"
"Well, if you don't do it, then you'll have to suffer yourself! DO IT!"
Ben silenced, his last words echoing in Adrian's mind. Adrian knew not of the suffering he'd be caused, but was it worth it? Was there actually water at the bottom, or was he about to commit cold-blooded murder?
And then, before he could make up his mind, Darcy finished the job himself and lost his balance, falling forward and dropping like a stone into the pit with a single scream. They all leaned over the edge to try and see what was happening, careful not to repeat his mistake, but he was soon out of sight.
"Oh, do you guys want to join in on the fun?" said Far Off out of the nowhere, sliding behind them and giving them all a good shove.
None of them had time to react before they all found themselves plummeting into the hole, their cries vibrating the walls as they fell. It looked like the end for all of them!
Yeah, yeah, it's the end, blah blah blah. They've gotten out of tougher scrapes than this one, right? ...right? XD I'm only joking. I can't just kill everyone like that! You'll still have to wait until next time to find out what happens, though.
And now for the QAA!
To Glitchy: You do realize that just killing Norman rather than all his friends would be much easier?
The Glitch: First off, never call me Glitchy. I despise pet names! Secondly, my plan shall be orchestrated in the way I choose, not the way YOU choose! Haven't I already said that it is perfect?! Because it IS! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
To the Gentlemobs: Is there a Professor Horseson or a Professor Rabbitson? And how did you become so intelligent, anyway?
Professor Chickenson: Not quite yet, but that is a fine possibility for the future! I am entirely open to the prospect.
Professor Cowson: We would be most receptive towards new professors, but the only individual to have joined rather recently is Professor Batson.
Professor Batson: I do hope so, chaps! It would be an honor to be joined by two more fellow Gentlemobs. Professor Chickenson informed me that the SOSKG can only recruit fellow professors—doctors, in Doctor Squidson's case—if we just happen to come across them. Gentlemobs are modified mobs of the utmost rarity. I was a mod down in the Secret Stash before now, but since I was intelligent enough to escape, I did so and entered the new world!
Doctor Squidson: There are no other professors besides sirs Chickenson, Cowson and Batson, at least as far as we are aware of. If we ever happen upon another Gentlemob, I personally hope for another doctor such as myself. Ah, if only there is a Doctor Jellyfish living somewhere in the Overworld and we may cross paths with him some day.
To Aukoni. Awkony, Aukone? Oh, whatever: Don't trust strangers! Also, don't enter mysterious cubes.
Auconi: A-U-C-O-N-I! Auconi! Anyway, I just wanted my grandfather's old boots fixed, alright? Can't a guy have a simple request without being shoved into a deathtrap? Still, this particular deathtrap was pretty frickin exhilarating. *grins wickedly*
To Astrid and Darcy: You do realize that literally all of existence rests upon your shoulders right now? Get a move on and stop gambling!
Astrid: *waves a hand* Aw, come on! We've still got, like, ten days!
Darcy: Yeah, what she said! I think I can speak for the two of us when I say we don't wanna be bored shitless for the entire trip!
To Norman: The casino contains command blocks. Command blocks teleport people. Time is running out. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.
Norman: Yes, but those command blocks are probably protected by the admins that run the MGM Grand! I can't just hack it out of nowhere. *pulls out the Magic Hourglass and checks its master timer* And I'm perfectly aware that we're short on time! We only have nine days, eleven hours and thirty-six minutes left!
To all the participants of the shouting contest: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Astrid: Wow...that was pretty good. Not bad, kid!
Amya: BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Wait, am I even doing this right?
The Glitch: Laaaaaaaame.
To that random zombie guard who Evan tried to shoot: Wouldn't it be easier to turn your head 60 degrees rather than 300?
That random zombie guard: *stares you down* You makin' fun of my flavor, savor?
To the mutated bed: So, what do you get up to these days?
Mutated bed: BLAHGGARDFBRAFJFDIJERKDABDFJAAABLA! *uses old translator* I'm still stuck where I was before, sitting in front of the Invacuo City ruins. It's pretty lonely out here. *tries to sigh, but it's a bed...it can't*
That's all the QAA I've got for you today! But before I sign off, here's the next Sugar Lords snippet. You get to meet the Squid Army's never-before-seen leader!
Pastrinator64 hopped down without hesitation. He didn't understand why everyone hated squids so much in the first place, so it was just another mob to him. Besides, he'd heard stories about these squids having the power of flight, brief glitching abilities, and their specialty of clouding their opponents' minds with their derpiness. They sounded like a pretty capable group to him.
When he landed on the aquamarine tiling, all the squids around him stopped talking and just turned to stare at him, all cross-eyed, all silent. He suddenly felt extremely awkward, but was saved when Nwinds floated down to him—using his telekinesis, of course, and carrying Kyle on his back. The two of them landed beside him and looked around at their new audience.
"Why are they just staring at us?" muttered Pastrinator64.
"They're trying to take over our minds with their derpiness since we're technically intruders. If we were normal Minecraftians, we would already be under their influence. For us, all they'll do is cause us to feel rather uncomfortable." explained Nwinds, glaring at several of the cephalopods.
Kyle grinned and he too took a glance around at all of them, a bit amused.
"Hey, why can't we just force them to join us? You should just put them all under your own mind control, Nwinds! They've probably got brains the size of cocoa beans."
Nwinds shook his head and replied,
"That won't work. See, these guys are so stupid that their brain filters out any intelligence whatsoever, including my own. It's another one of their idiotic but amazing powers."
Pastrinator64 had no idea about that last power, but it was impressive all the same. A few seconds later, the silence was broken by a girl's sharp shouts from somewhere unknown.
"Who are you inktruders?!"
The three of them exchanged confused glances. Fish puns? What the heck?
"How dare you enter my water temple!"
All of a sudden, Pastrinator64 recognized the voice that echoed through the structure. It was impossible what he was hearing, but there was no doubt about it. Kyle recognized his look and asked,
"Wait, do you know who this is?"
He nodded slowly, eyes quickly widening as somebody floated up into view from the waterfall that filled the center of the room.
"It's...it's...not possible! She's a fictional character!" he said, staring at the mysterious girl.
She laughed a shrill, slightly fake-sounding laugh and poked her head out of the dark waters, revealing herself.
"I am Squid Girl, emissary of the sea!" she declared proudly, giving all of them an evil look.
Pastrinator64 slapped his own forehead and silently cursed at the author for making this real. And then he decided he would do over 9000 push-ups because HE'S the creation and the AUTHOR can make him do whatever he wants! Seriously, I'm the author, so I do what I like!
"This just got weird." he grumbled.
If you actually know what Squid Girl is, then you're one of few. It's not exactly one of the most well-known animes out there. Don't you judge me! XD It's actually pretty good!
Well, that's all for now! I hope you enjoyed chapter numbah nineteen, 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 [~]