Chapter seventeen: The Rogue
The glowstone's light returned to full strength.
Hunters and mobs stood side by side, frozen, looking around frantically in search of the teleporter. No one spoke. The hatred between the two sides of the group had been all but banished from the moment.
Finally Raulyn said something, breaking the silence. "What just happened?"
"I… I don't know," Athena said. "I knew she had been getting more unstable during this trip, but I didn't think it would come to this."
"She betrayed us," Blazette snarled from above.
"She has gone rogue…" Raulyn muttered.
Kai shared a glance with Athena behind him. He had expected Andr to attack the Hunters, but the mobs? Why would she turn against them?
They stood there for what seemed like an eternity, but Andr did not return. The lanterns didn't darken. Eventually the group began to relax a bit, but remained on guard. Not that there was much they could do against her.
"She does not trust us to help her," Raulyn said. "She wants to do this on her own. That means she knows the portal is in the Hills…"
Kai noticed the captain glancing at him.
"Is there something you wish to share, Kai?"
Kai sighed quietly. "In the mines, one of the mobs mentioned a rumor about an Aether portal in the Skyfound Hills, and how one of his friends had gone there in search of it."
"I shared that with the others," Athena added. "And now we're here."
"Anything else?" Raulyn demanded.
Kai sighed quietly. "I told her that you had a hunt there in the past."
Raulyn glared at him, but said, "I suppose even without you, they would have learned about the rumor and connected the dots once we got here. Yes, the portal is in the Skyfound Hills, where Drake, Tristan and I hunted the Red Wolf."
"Lorcan," Athena quietly corrected. "His name was Lorcan."
Raulyn glanced at her. "Even so, you still need us to find the portal itself. We should go. Keep our guard up in case the Ender returns. And now that the mobs do not have a means of transportation besides walking, we will have to make place for them on the horses."
"Great," Ilyoin said sarcastically.
Athena turned to Kai. Kai glanced back and ultimately gave a nod, responding to her unspoken question. I would be happy to let you join me, Athena.
They started moving. Slowly, at first. When Andr still did not return as the groups dispersed further and further, everyone began to relax a bit more. The weapons that lay on the ground were retrieved and packed.
Soon enough, everyone was back on the horses. Athena sat just behind Kai, as they had agreed. Minerva was coming with Rayallv—something neither of them argued with; they seemed to have some measure of respect for one another. Blazette floated above the ground.
The most polarized duo was Mystia going with Ilyoin. While the witch herself seemed to enjoy talking—and insulting the Hunters—Ilyoin typically remained silent. Where Mystia spent half the time happily supporting her argument that the Hunters' goal to kill mobs was dumb, Ilyoin just gave a half-annoyed, half-absent grunt. He gave the same reactions when she claimed that the potions she made with the limited resources she had were still more powerful than what the Hunters used; apparently she'd gotten the chance to compare one of their potions to her own at some point.
Ilyoin just ignored her. Maybe that was why Raulyn had Mystia go with him; Galen would have tossed her off his horse by now.
"Can't your horses go any faster?" asked Blazette.
"No," Raulyn said. "If the Ender reappears, it is better if we can organize more quickly. No matter how fast we move, we will not be able to outrun a teleporter like her."
Kai was beginning to understand why Andr was called the Ender. With that power, she could certainly end a lot of people.
A silence fell as they rode towards the unnaturally shaped structures ahead.
"Things are going to be a lot harder now," Athena finally whispered, sounding downcast. "Without Andr to back us up…"
"That…thing…that just happened," Kai said, keeping his voice down. "I thought she was only going to target the Hunters."
"So did I…but I guess she's got an agenda of her own." She paused, then quietly added, "I think she was holding back. She could've killed us all if she wanted. Unless she's got some weakness I don't know about…"
"You think there was some hidden goal to her fighting?"
"It's the only reason why she'd turn against us and leave so suddenly, rather than just teleport away to the Hills. I'm…kind of thankful she didn't just go for the Hunters though; if she had, they would've killed you then and there."
Kai was not sure how to respond to that. She seemed genuinely glad that he was all right. The feeling was mutual. With how things were going, maybe they could be friends even after this journey was over.
He shook his head lightly. No, Ironhand would never allow that. Athena would still have to live outside of human societies, and the Hunters would still be hunting mobs no matter how strong this temporary alliance became. Unless Kai defected, he would still be separated from her.
"The Rogue can instill fear," he mumbled, still trying not to let the other Hunters hear him. He counted on her enhanced hearing to catch his words. "That is another power he supposedly has; the ability to instill fear into his targets."
"You mentioned that…"
"And now you know why we are afraid of what he can do."
"But what if he doesn't intend to hurt anyone?"
Kai remained silent. For someone who had to fight to survive for her entire life, Athena had a very distinct sense of right and wrong, he had noticed. And he agreed with her; if the Rogue was harmless, killing him would not be right.
But he could not do what was right. To defend humanity, he had to do what was necessary.
They finally reached the Skyfound Hills. The valleys were wide enough for the group to stay on the horses. Kai found himself glancing around, and he could tell the others did the same.
Raulyn quietly looked around. The place looked vaguely familiar. He had been here only once, and that was during the day. If the oddly shaped mountains that loomed over him were not intimidating enough then, the dark of night only added to the Hills' overall unsettling atmosphere.
The mobs and the other Hunters were on edge as well. He regularly noticed them glancing around in search of threats that were not there.
Raulyn hesitated, looking before him. Where to go…?
"Raulyn…"
A strange yet vaguely familiar feeling washed over him, and he remembered. "This way," he said, steering his horse in the designated direction.
They passed more—presumably natural—structures. Enormous mountains shaped like crude portals. Hills shaped like spires—some of which carried a larger chunk of stone on top of them. A circle-shaped rock structure, held up by several natural pillars. Enigmas of nature. Or possibly even some lost civilization.
He saw a silhouette from the corner of his eye. He looked with a start, but it was gone. His imagination was playing tricks on him.
Or was it? That time when he saw the portal, he had seen a figure emerge from it. He had since assumed it had been the nervousness messing with his mind. But…what if it was real?
Not now, he thought. He needed to focus. The portal was his goal.
"Raulyn…"
"This way," he said, feeling strangely certain.
The others followed Raulyn further into the Hills. Athena wasn't sure how well Raulyn knew the way back to the portal, but he seemed pretty confident as he led them forward.
The Hills looked even stranger up close, with tall, unusual rock formations as far as the eye could see, standing there as if they were the most normal thing in the world. Calling them hills or mountains didn't describe how outlandish it all looked. Athena wondered if there were other locations like this.
Finally Raulyn stopped, and the others with him. Kai got off his horse, and Athena followed suit.
"This is it?" Minerva asked as she climbed down. "But where's the portal…?"
Raulyn didn't respond. He just walked in front, determinedly striding forward. Only then did Athena notice the opening the side of a nearby mountain.
With sword and shield in hand, Raulyn observed the opening in question. He seemed…hesitant.
Then he entered the tunnel. Galen was the first to follow.
Kai glanced at Athena and motioned for her to come with. She did so.
Soon enough the entire group found itself in the narrow tunnel beyond.
The tunnel ended quickly, leading to a small room.
And there stood the portal.
Raulyn looked into the luminescent pool that was the portal, suspended in a gate of glowstone. It was exactly as he remembered it.
He was quiet. As were the others. Seeing this portal was different from hearing about it. Portals to the Nether were known to exist, and people feared them. To see this…reflection…of the Nether portal was like a legend come true. And if the Overworld, Aether and Nether existed, who knew what other worlds were out there as well? The End? Jack's world…
"Raulyn…" something whispered.
The others flinched. Raulyn recognized the voice. It was the same strangely familiar voice he heard during his last visit here.
And once again, the portal's light grew stronger.
"The portal!" he said. "Watch the portal!"
Everyone scrambled into position. They made a formation with shields, spears and swords; the Hunters in front—each with a shield and a sword or spear—the Stray and the Wither Skeleton to the far sides, each half-hidden behind the shield of the nearest Hunter. Mystia hid directly behind the Hunters, rummaging through her bag, and the Blaze floated just above the ground—high enough to shoot fire at anything that came out of the portal, but low enough to quickly duck back behind the armed and armored wall of warriors.
Everyone's eyes were on the portal.
And the silhouette appeared. Just like it had before.
"Steady…" Raulyn hissed.
The light died down to its original strength. The silhouette stepped out of the portal, observing the group silently. It was too dark to see their face.
"Who are you?" Raulyn demanded.
No response.
"Are you the same one who appeared to me two years ago?" Raulyn said.
The figure nodded. "Yes."
Raulyn froze. The voice. He finally recognized it. That calm, stoic yet fatherly tone… It was a memory. A memory he had somehow retained over the years.
He finally recognized the silhouette.
Raulyn lowered his weapon. "Karles…?"
The figure stepped forward, allowing the Hunters' lanterns to illuminate his face. It was him.
The other Hunters backed away as Karles approached. Raulyn, however, remained where he was, looking the impossible in the eye. This could not be real. Karles was dead.
But Herobrine's letter had mentioned he was in the Aether, too…
The dead Hunter gave a smile. "Surprised to see me, are you?"
"We buried you," Raulyn whispered. "You were dead."
"Jack and Tristan also died, yet here you are looking for them."
"How…?" Raulyn was at a loss for words.
Karles remained quiet for a moment, looking Raulyn in the eye, not acknowledging the other Hunters or the mobs. Karles' eyes were just as how Raulyn remembered them. Seeing them now was…surreal.
"You have become a capable Hunter," Karles said. "Especially for one so young."
Raulyn did not respond.
"That other prodigy, Kai…" Karles continued, briefly glancing to the other prodigy in question. "He is roughly your age, and just as capable…but he still fails to command as you do. People fear your voice—even those who are older than you."
Yes—whenever Raulyn raised his voice, everyone in the room flinched. Always. Kai never had that, despite matching his skill as a Hunter. Raulyn supposed it was a matter of reputation; the mob hunters in Slaenone were not as famous as those in Ironhand.
"Fear," Karles said, "is a powerful weapon. Even against mobs. That is why you were able to defeat so many."
That made less sense. With how far mobs were removed from society, many of them had never even heard of him. Many mobs he had captured or killed did not know who he was, and his name was unfamiliar to them. Why would they fear him any more than they should Kai?
… What was Karles trying to tell him?
"If only you were told the truth…" Karles whispered.
"Truth? What truth?"
The older Hunter did not answer immediately. "What are the Rogue's exact powers, Raulyn? Name them."
Raulyn hesitated. "Its… Its two most prominent powers involve a human disguise and instillment of fear. It is suspected to—"
"Instillment of fear," Karles said, looking at Raulyn intently.
Something dawned.
Raulyn froze. No. No, that was impossible. "The Rogue was a member of the group that killed my parents," he reminded Karles. "That is why you took me in."
"Took you in? No. I initially mistook you for a human. Even then, your powers were developed enough to fool me."
Raulyn took a step back. Around him, mobs and Hunters looked on. Confused whispers traveled through the group.
"I stole you from your parents," Karles softly said, "thinking you were a prisoner. Once I learned the truth of what you were, I was unable to bring myself to kill you. So, I kept you hidden. Tried to integrate you in human society. You have been unconsciously using your powers since."
"That is a lie! My parents—"
"Were killed by you, moments after they killed me. Years after I took you from them."
Raulyn shook his head. "No. No, this is a trick."
"When Jack and Herobrine defended Ironhand, you were struck down. When you awoke, two of your Hunters saw your true form. Your powers were rendered inactive when you lost consciousness."
Was that when he was struck down by lightning? Raulyn vaguely remembered Kai and Flamma flinching when he awoke. Did they see what he truly looked like?
"Do you want proof of my claims?" said Karles. "All you need to do is shed your disguise."
"We are leaving." Raulyn gestured for the others to move. They had to go to the Aether.
"Try it, Raulyn." Karles raised a finger and tapped his own head. "Mob powers are instinctual. You have used them your entire life, and you control them."
Raulyn glared at him.
"Captain…?" Rayallv cut in.
"Quiet!" Raulyn snarled.
Mobs and Hunters alike recoiled at his voice. Not just Rayallv—all of them.
"What are you flinching at?" Raulyn barked to Galen and Ilyoin, who only grew paler as he spoke. It was not normal—they were supposed to show subordination, not terror.
No…
Was he…?
Raulyn took a breath. He…focused. He was not sure what he was doing exactly.
The Hunters froze completely.
And Karles showed a smile.
It was the Wither Skeleton that spoke first. "Raulyn… Your eyes…"