AN: Hello. Time for another Chapter.
My daily life has been a little hectic since I'm doing holiday shopping for my family. Plus, I had to get my front teeth filled, and now my mouth is all different and chewing food is annoying. My dentist is suggesting I get my wisdom teeth pulled, but I really don't want to eat jello for two or more days with stiches in my mouth. I'm a coward, okay!?
Funny story, though. I had this terrible pain in my throat when I woke up, so I went to a doctor and she said it might be salivary gland stones. I didn't even know that was a thing, but yeah, they're little solidified bits of mineral in your salivary glands, and it hurts when you lift your head and swallow and stick out your tongue and junk.
The treatment? Suck on sour candy. Yeah. Apparently, the sour candy stimulates the salivary glands, helping to pass the stones. I normally don't eat sour candy, but I took some and boom, the pain went away immediately. It felt like magic.
It's funny how simple cures exist for certain pains.
Anyway, sorry to bore you. Here's the Chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add Sour Patch Kids.
Chapter 245
A Tense Talk
[Cobb]
"Northern Lighthouse. Today. Between noon and sunset. Six attendees, including one Beginner." Eustace reread the terms of the 'invitation'. More like an ultimatum. He then looked around at the gathered Paragons. "Are we really going to meet with them?"
"Of course we are!" I snarled. "If we don't, Lenz, Perry, and Dwight will be liquidated! What's the matter with you!?"
"He didn't mean it like that, Cobb." Baltic was quick to defend. "He's wary of this being a trap designed to lure those of our 'highest authority' and kill them."
"I don't care if it's an obvious trap! Lenz's life is on the line!"
It was already the morning of December 12th. I hadn't been able to enjoy the new Bounty Day stuff in light of Lenz's predicament, and now it was even worse. Our buffs would last a little longer today before fizzling out. What better way to use them than at this Northern Lighthouse meeting?
My eyes snapped to Trenay taking out her map to send a message, and I crossed the space between us in an instant before snatching it out of her hand. "Don't you dare bring Jillian or Carys into this! Nobody outside of our party is making this decision for us!"
Plus, I knew what Carys would say. 'Sacrifice the hostages and prioritize finding the Eastern HQ. I'm a bitch.' Maybe Jillian would be more understanding, but I wasn't taking a chance.
"Cobb, sir, we're not - Neiro what are you doing?" Milton turned to the member of Team Delta with the charred head. She was tipping back a Thick Potion.
"Drinking." She slurred nastily. "This whole thing has gone sideways."
"No more drinking! We need your full attention." He tried to grab the bottle, but Neiro kept it out of his reach before retreating to the bathroom.
"If the Darker Billionth has already made up his mind, there's no point in giving my input." Neiro called from out of the bathroom, followed by the sounds of her guzzling another bottle of Thick Potion.
"Cobb," Baltic spoke steadily as he approached with arms held reassuringly. "We're on your side, here."
"Well, it doesn't feel like it." I countered.
"Will you be prepared for what goes down at this thing?" Trenay asked seriously. "I will not sacrifice more Paragons without a plan, so what's yours?"
"We do the meeting." I began. "I'll be the Beginner-"
"And you'll need five willing Paragons to go with you." Trenay countered without backing down. "How do you intend to satisfy that requirement if you go rogue and disobey orders? You intend to drag us all there on your own? If you're not willing to cooperate, then this is no team, and you'll have no help from me."
"I-!" I shouted, my face red out of frustration. My fist tightened to the point of pain before I dropped it in defeat. "Please. I... I need your help. If Lenz dies-" I shook my head. "I can't... I can't do it alone..." I admitted.
As I stared at the floor with my shoulders hunched and my rage draining out of me, Trenay came forward and gripped one shoulder tight before using her other hand to lift my chin to look at her
She smiled reassuringly. "If we work together, you don't have to be."
I looked into her steady eyes and, despite my anxiety, trusted her.
"We're going to need Jillian's help to come up with a plan, though." She stated before holding out her hand. "Please, give me my map back."
I hesitated before handing her the aged paper.
"We're not going to leave Lenz, Perry, or Dwight to torment and death." Trenay assured, her grip tightening on my shoulder in a bracing manner. "But we do this smart. As an allied front."
I closed my eyes, remembering my chat with Daisy about not being the best choice of leader amongst our party. I looked to Baltic, Trenay, Attila, or Jillian as better leaders when it came to managing an army. I would always be the leader of the Beginners, just not the Beginners-Paragons alliance. Not when there were more promising candidates for the role.
"Alright." I sighed. "I'll... I'll follow your lead." My voice took on a desperate tone. "But if I lose Lenzington-"
"We're going to do everything in our power to rescue him. To rescue all of them." She stressed to the listening Paragons, who voiced their assent.
"Dv'oo tvg Ovma yzxp." Z7 swore with icy certainty, a dagger in hand.
Alfonso looked at his crossbow for a moment before tipping his hat forward and nodding. "We'll get the kid back."
Once we were in agreement, I sank into an open chair, mentally exhausted, and forced myself to patiently wait while Trenay sent her message to Jillian and, by extension, Carys.
[Lenz]
My body felt sore and stiff as I awoke on a cold stone brick floor. I cracked an eye open and saw a barred window beside a sealed iron door. My body felt markedly lighter and vulnerable. I could not feel my chainmail armor.
I sat up slowly as I took in my surroundings. I was in an enclosed cell. Four meters wide, eight meters long, and four meters high, with a single redstone lamp embedded in the ceiling to offer light. The cell contained nothing else. The only discernable way out was a sealed iron door on one side. There were a few iron-barred windows beside it. On the other side of the cell was-
I whimpered and scrambled away from that side. It was a larger barred window, only this one looked out into the ocean, which was now dark without my Conduit Power buff. These were the cells Lieutenant Larkspur showed us. The ones underwater. All containing her Survival Games participants.
My Thalassophobia flared up again and I had to turn away and face the corner just to steady my breathing. I was not breathing well, since the corner smelled faintly of excrement, but it was all I could do to forget I was in a stone brick box at the bottom of the ocean.
The smell was really bad, though. There were no bathrooms, so I only assumed past prisoners just did their business in a designated corner. Only, after years of Survival Games participants inhabiting these cells - cells I was unsure anyone washed regularly - every corner had to have been a designated bathroom at some point. The odor was not quite Tavern on the Sparks bad, but it still made me wish there was proper air circulation down here.
Once I calmed down enough so that my phobia was mitigated to mild trembling, I moved over to the iron door and examined it. No button or switch on the inside of the cell. Typical. I then went to the barred windows and tried to peer at an angle to see outside of my cell. I saw the end of a lever on the brick beside the iron door. There were also black-capped cultists patrolling the corridor of cells, keeping an eye on any desperate enough prisoners trying to break open the bricks of their cells with their bare hands.
I ran a hand over the bars, then the stone brick. I would break my hand before I broke any material my cell was made of.
Lastly, I got right underneath the redstone lamp on the ceiling and tried to jump up to break it. My fingertips grazed the air and nothing else. Even with a running start, my fingers came two meters short of touching the lamp.
I did not have anything to build with to reach it either. My Inventory had been stripped clean. My crossbows, my Totems of Undying, my rare tipped arrows, my devastating firework rockets, my high-tier enchanted bows, my Pocket Boxes, even the iron dagger Z7 lent me. No armor, no weapons, no redstone. I was well and truly trapped.
Am I going to die down here? I thought to myself, wishing I was back on the surface and not underwater.
If Larkspur could kill me, I would already be dead. Only reason I am not is because they want something. Intel, perhaps? Or leverage?
"Lenz...?"
I jerked my head towards the barred window and pressed against it. "Hello? Dwight?"
"Lenz... you're awake..."
The voice was Dwight's, but it was noticeable weaker. He was alive, though. His voice came from the cell opposite and to the left of mine.
"What happened? How did I get knocked out?" I asked.
"How do you think...?" This time, it was Perry's voice. It came from the cell to the left of Dwight's. "Teal... she knocked you out... brought us here..."
"Are you guys alright? You sound hurt."
"We got... the shit kicked out of us..." Perry replied harshly. "How do you think we're doing...!?"
"Sorry, sorry." I apologized.
"...It's okay." Perry gave up his anger so quickly, his voice feeble as I caught him grimacing. "She's been keeping us paralyzed with potions... she's also broken our legs..."
Dwight's breathing sounded labored and painful. "She tortured us for information... but we didn't talk." He let out a laugh that devolved into a painful cough. "The Paragons ain't no bitches..."
"...Did you say torture?" I gulped.
I had never been tortured for information before, even if I understood the concept. It involved subjecting someone to enough pain to get them to spill whatever information you wanted out of them. The one thing saving yourself from a world of pain is willingly divulging closely-guarded intel. Dwight and Perry likely had Paragon training to help withstand torture.
The Beginners never had that.
Suddenly, I heard light skipping approaching, along with a jaunty whistle.
"TEAL, YOU COW! RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT!"
The whistle stopped. "Oh, hey. It must be a day ending in a 'Y' because Lathrop's so shouty again."
I backed away from the barred window fearfully. It was Larkspur! She was coming right this way. I hunched over, hugging myself and shivering as I was caught between my fear of deep water and my fear of Larkspur.
The skipping grew closer and closer until Larkspur took up the space before my barred window. "Yoohoo~! Lenny~! You up yet? Rise and shine~" She saw I was up and pressed against a corner. She let out a happy noise and flicked the lever to my cell open. I shivered more noticeably as I recalled our 'fight' in the Simulation Room. Was I about to get my bones broken?
Larkspur sashayed in and gave me a wave. "Sleep well~? You're not too hurt, are you? I used some Potions of Healing on you after our... snrk... 'battle'." She used air quotes as she said that, making me feel inferior. I did the best I could. I was horrible at close-combat. She saw my downtrodden expression and responded. "Oh, don't take me too seriously, Lenny. I'm a battle junkie. Not your fault I fight guys like you for breakfast."
"...Why are you still calling me 'Lenny'?" I asked without looking at her. "The charade is over. You already proved your brilliance in maintaining a cover."
"Meh. Call it a pet name."
My eyes narrowed. "I am not a pet."
"You don't like the name, Lenny?"
"...That was what my bullies called me." I revealed.
"Well, now it's what your new best friend Teal calls you." She beamed happily.
I threw my head up in exasperation. "The friend thing was just a cover too, was it not? Just an illusion, just like with Lieutenant Jade."
"Now don't go thinking that." Larkspur admonished lightly, sounding hurt. "I happened to enjoy the games we played together. You should stop worrying about what sides we're on and just enjoy the moment, Lenny~"
"Enjoy the-? I am at the bottom of the ocean, terrified out of my mind, at the mercy of a cult of killers!"
"Oh, yeah. That's pretty bad." She winced before reaching into her backpack and pulling out food. "But at least you don't have to eat slop. You hungry? Here. I didn't want you to suffer the standard prison fare." She pulled out fruits, vegetables, meats, and stew. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got you a bit of everything." The cell floor quickly filled up with unloaded food. I regarded the Lieutenant and the food warily. What was she doing this for?
I could not deny my hunger, though. My stomach chose then and there to growl, earning a knowing grin from the Lieutenant sitting cross-legged before me. I sat down as well and accepted some rabbit stew and beetroots.
As I ate quietly, Larkspur smoothed out her sash-skirt and watched patiently with her big blue eyes. My gaze strayed over her head to the open cell door.
I swallowed and wiped my mouth. "You are just going to leave my cell open? Seems like a security risk."
"Oh, that?" She asked with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Something tells me you're smart enough to know not to make a play for it while I'm here. But don't let that deter you~" She added, shifting slightly to the left to allow me a clearer view of the open door. "Go on. See how far you get~"
Never had a sentence had more of a veiled threat than what she just said. Oh, she made it sound innocent, sure, but then why did I have the strange mental image of a large, blue-eyed cat playfully staring down a pitiful, gray mouse?
Even with an Inventory, there was no way I could outrun her to the door. I would get beat down faster than you can say 'Redstone Repeaters'. With that in mind, I gave a resigned sigh before looking away from the door. Larkspur gave a closed-eyed smile.
"See? Toldja you were smart, college boy~"
I made a noncommittal grunt as I accepted I was stuck.
"Don't be a sore loser about it, though." Larkspur leaned back on the heels of her palms. "I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us."
"...You put me in a cell with a clear view of the ocean and you made me murder an innocent person. Piss off."
"Okay, but aside from that." She tried to disregard. "I brought you good food. I'm sitting down with you, here with you. That's pretty considerate of me considering you were trying to infiltrate us."
"The Endward Cult infiltrated us first!"
"Yeah, and how'd that pan out for Jade?"
"She broke Cobbert's heart and sided with the Endward Cult. What do you mean?" I demanded defiantly. "If you are trying to say our situations are similar, I am significantly worse off than that traitor."
Larkspur's eyes narrowed as she watched me carefully. She pulled a complicated facial expression which combined confusion and appraisal.
"You really don't know what happened with AceOfJades?"
I forgot my anger in favor of confusion. "What do you mean? What happened?"
Larkspur gauged my response for a while before scratching her head. "Damn. Wish Ember were here. I really can't tell." She did not elaborate further. "Anyway, back to our discussion. I was just doing my part foiling your infiltration schemes."
"And entertaining yourself in the process."
"And having fun in the process. I like having fun." She conceded unashamedly. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't take it personal."
"Why do you even care how I take it? We are enemies!" I pointed out.
"Because we had good fun together. We're pals." She said it like it was obvious. "And I at least have to acknowledge that you saved my life. You rigged up the explosives to begin with, but you pulled me away from the blast zone~" She teasingly poked my nose, earning an annoyed swat that made her giggle. "You saved a Lieutenant~ Hmhmhmm~"
"So I am spared the torture you subjected Dwight and Perry to just because you have a soft spot for me?" I summarized.
"Well, no, I wouldn't say spared." Larkspur clarified casually, making me go still. "It all depends on you."
"...On me?"
"Yeah, see, you and the Beginners are kind of a hot topic at the moment." She explained while waving one hand. "You might know this, you may know that. Normally, we'd have Executive Ember conduct the interrogation, since she'd get the answers out of you as easily as breathing. Problem is, she's busy planning and setting up a duel in her territory. She can't just pop in, even though she really wants to."
A duel? Who is dueling whom? I thought to myself.
"Buuuuut, because we're curious little kitties and we'd rather have some answers than not, even if we're not sure whether they're true or false, I decided to take it upon myself to conduct the interrogation." She flicked my nose. "And because I'm such a classy, transcendental, reasonable friend of yours, I'm gonna cut you a break~ You get the chance to answer all my questions before I bust out the torture~! And let me tell you, Lenny, I won't be gentle~ Hmhmhmm~"
My heartbeat quickened and my breathing grew erratic as I processed what she was suggesting. Already the psychological torture was being put into effect. The good cop, bad cop. Trying to act like my friend. The carrot being the food, the stick being the threat of torture. There was no telling what information they wanted, or what sharing it would do to the Beginners and Paragons. I had to stay strong. I was about to say something to try to rally my courage, but Larkspur cut me off.
"But man, those Paragons out there are tough nuts to crack." She commented offhandedly. "They wouldn't breathe a word. Just kept insulting me. Made me kinda angry, not gonna lie, but even after breaking their arms and legs, they wouldn't talk." I shivered, my arms and legs flinching as Larkspur dragged her fingers down them. "Someone like you, with such brittle nerd bones, you wouldn't last ten seconds of that."
I gulped, my gaze holding on the floor.
"Those Paragons are also abstaining from food, making it even riskier to interrogate them." Larkspur frowned dispassionately. "I gotta heal them up regularly so they don't starve. I gotta pull my punches. It's such a pain extracting information out of them." Her pout evaporated, to be replaced with a brilliant smile. "But you're different, Lenny~! I know you'll help out a friend. You'll tell me everything I'm looking for, right~? Nothing but straight, honest answers from college boy Lenny, right~?"
My mouth felt dry under her scrutiny. I kept thinking of the painful snaps and cracks the Lieutenant elicited from Lathrop. What would having four broken limbs feel like? Would my mind mercifully pass out from the pain?
"Lenz." She dropped the nickname, her voice low and threatening. "Don't make me beat you till your legs don't work."
That was all I needed to hear to break first. Maybe a Paragon could stand up to her advanced interrogation techniques, but I did not have the same pain tolerance they had. I was weak, and I did not want to have my limbs broken.
I nodded shakily. "O-Okay... I will talk..."
Her smile returned. "Attaboy~"
"No... NO! LENZINGTON, YOU GUTLESS COWARD!" Perry roared from his cell, having overheard my shameful surrender. I did not even get hurt yet and I was already ready to spill my guts. "DWIGHT AND I LASTED THE WHOLE NIGHT, YET YOU CRACK IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES!? YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE-!"
"Excuse me one moment." Larkspur quickly stood up and jogged out of my cell, leaving the iron door open as she left. Perry's screams served as a constant background noise, even as the blue-nette opened his cell door and approached his prone body.
I was frozen in terror, unable to look away as the Lieutenant hauled the screaming Perry to his feet and dragged him over to the barred window. Then she brought his upper jaw down to the edge of the stone windowsill, held his head still so that his teeth were exposed and touching the stone brick sill, and then brought her foot up in a remarkable display of flexibility.
I closed my eyes as she brought her foot down against the back of his head in cruel approximation of a curb stomp. The sharp crunch and Perry's high-pitched, inarticulate scream through a broken jaw made me cover my ears and shudder even more horribly. I could still hear his agonized whimpers.
I thought it was over, but Larkspur proceeded to enter Dwight's cell next to do the same thing. I flew to my feet and pressed myself against the bars.
"Stop! I will talk! I will talk, I swear! Just stop! PLEASE!" I begged, trying to spare Dwight a considerable amount of pain. Larkspur looked over her shoulder with her fist holding up a defenseless Dwight by his clothes. She grinned.
"No can do, Lenny~"
She performed the same curb stomp on Dwight, shattering his jaw and making him scream in muffled agony. I looked away from such brutality, even as I heard Larkspur dust her hands and exit the cell before sealing them both and returning to my cell.
"Didn't want them interrupting our chat~" She sing-songed before sitting cross-legged on the floor. I must have looked miserable, for she tried to cheer me up. "Hey~ Don't feel down~ If you play your cards right, you may get to walk out of here yet. We need hostages to exchange for the Hack Clan's Hackers, after all."
So that was why I was being kept alive. Not just intel. I was one of Cobbert's irreplaceable friends - Jade likely told them as much. Cobbert would trade anything for my safe return, even Nitebane's safety.
"Okay, time for our Q&A. I'd stick to the truth, though." She advised. "We're gonna be asking your pals these same questions later this afternoon, so, if the answers don't match up, you can kiss your kneecaps goodbye."
"...I will answer as best I can." I spoke in defeat. She cooed happily at how submissive I was being. This was quickly going from bad to worse, but what choice did I have? I was never meant to be here! If I was not here, Dwight and Perry would have been fine. What did I have to gain by staying silent, other than the experience of being tortured? I was caught. I was not proud of it, but I had to cooperate with Larkspur or else endure a world of pain I was otherwise ill-equipped to handle.
"Okay, question one." Larkspur began. "When was the last time you saw Jade?"
I could not hide the confusion twisting my expression. "When-? She stole my precious Asmodeus." I recalled. "It was the Birch Forest. Cobbert offered her a chance to join us and leave the cult behind, but Jade refused and ran off with our airship. That was October 7th or 6th, I think. That was the last I saw of her." My eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking?"
"Jade's been MIA since the Wither attack on Ringwood." Larkspur revealed, surprising me. "If she's loyal enough to turn down King_Cobb's offer, there's no way she ran off. But then where is she? She might really be dead~!"
I blinked, not quite believing it. Larkspur had no reason to lie, though. In all my wildest revenge scenarios, the idea that Jade was already dead left me feeling hollow. What could have killed her? The Wither, perhaps? How would Cobbert take this? He seemed keen to forget about her, but this deprived him of the closure many of us Beginners felt he needed.
"...I was not even aware she might be dead." I spoke in disbelief.
"You know what? I believe you." The Lieutenant accepted. "You sounded like it's your first time hearing this. Let's move on, shall we?" She suggested before clearing her throat. "Next question. Identify your landing party and your forces." Larkspur asked next. It was a question I felt answering to be the biggest betrayal to the group, but one glance from Larkspur and a crack of her knuckles was enough to get me talking.
"...Um... our landing party has twenty-one members." I began, ticking off my fingers. "There is... me, Dwight, and Perry... Cobbert, BalticSkies, Trenay, Alfonso_Bialetti, Captain Attila-"
"Attila's with you? Really?" Larkspur noted with interest. "She's one traitor we've been meaning to clear off the board. Never pegged her as Captain material. Who else?"
"GregoryShistu, Milton_Bancroft, Witige, Hopeful_Heather, Darkened_Wing, Lucky_Luis," I continued to list, "Z7KHD9H, Dark_Shroud, Doyle, Aurand, Daisy_Amaretto, Eustace_Sterling, and Neiro_Wice."
The blue-nette counted on her fingers to verify the numbers matched. "Uh-huh. That checks out."
"...You believe me so readily?"
"I trust you~" Larkspur offered a lazy grin. "Besides, Abyssmal ran into four of your party, including the Jibberwoman with the woodchipper face. The girl escaped, but the rest are long gone. Now, about your forces~?"
I did not immediately respond, as I was horrified by her casual reveal that the Team Epsilon assassins - Z7's team - were all dead.
Shroud, Aurand, and Doyle... They are all gone...? I thought in disbelief, my expression strained. The Night-Raven had sent them all to oblivion. But how had he bypassed their totems and potion buffs? How was Z7 taking such a devastating loss? Was she okay? Hearing she almost died...
"Hey, Lenny." The incessant snaps of Larkspur's fingers demanded my attention. "Your forces. What are your numbers here in Oak Docks? I need an answer."
"Um..." I cleared my throat, recovering from the grim news as best as I could. Those three assassins fought in the End with us. I would miss them. Though, what would they think of me freely giving information to an Endward Cult Lieutenant? "We number around... ten-thousand."
"No fooling?" She pressed seriously.
"...No fooling." I confirmed. "Our forces combine the guards of Oak Docks, Zeppil, and Nitebane. We have a fleet of ten airships on standby off the coast."
Larkspur let out an impressed whistle. "Quite the party you got planned. I bet you're just waiting on our HQ location before you bring down the hammer." She grinned. "Too bad I thwarted you, huh~?"
I grimaced unhappily.
"Those numbers are a real problem. Especially now, since half of our forces will be preoccupied with watching that duel up north. I'd go myself if I wasn't stuck babysitting the HQ. What a drag~" She sighed forlornly.
I perked up slightly at that little tidbit of information. It sounded like there would be no better time to assault the Eastern Division than when this duel was taking place. If only Cobbert and the Paragons knew where to attack.
"Is King_Cobb the only Beginner in your landing party? Other than you, I mean."
"...Yes."
"We can expect him at the meeting this afternoon, then. Good. I'm eager to see what he's like in the flesh. And your other Beginner buddies are in Carys' party on the other side of the world, yeah?"
I was reminded of her superb questioning skills from the 'What Am I?' game. I felt I was losing in much the same way.
"Can you identify Carys' party?"
"...Ten members." The truth was dragged out grudgingly. "Nowhere_Man, Carys_Angel, Lost_Soul, Flawwed_Floyd-"
"Aaah, I'm familiar with them~" Larkspur smiled nostalgically. That was one way to say she tried to kill them.
"-Kalmarin_the_Prophet, Anibal_Whiteclaw, Ciro_Che, Albert, Spaatz, and Reuben."
"Good, and where are they headed?"
"...Exter."
"Mmm. More or less matches with what the Hack Clan told us."
"...Are you really allied with them?" I asked incredulously. "How could you possibly get them on your side?"
"It wasn't hard~ What with your lot killing them off~" She grinned. "They practically begged to join us. Though, between you and me," she leaned forward to whisper, "I expect this 'alliance' we got going on will have a rewarding but short future. Hmhmhmm~"
I raised an eyebrow at that. It sounded like the cult was planning to double-cross the Hackers. How though? And why?
"Next question." Larkspur moved on. "Herobrine. Know where he is?"
Of all the things, I felt like this was something I should lie about, knowing Cobbert would likely lie also. We suspected Herobrine was in the End, but that was information we would not share lightly. If Herobrine ever rejoined with the cult, Minecraftia would be doomed.
"No idea." I answered without flinching.
"What about a Dragon Egg? Ever hear of that? Know where we can find one?"
"A Dragon Egg?" I played dumb. This had been the very thing Cobbert suspected Herobrine and the Endward Cult to be after. "Is this some recent Bounty Day item?"
Larkspur did not elaborate further, instead going to her next question.
"Know of any End Portals?" She asked. "Or any ways to locate End Portals? Or what SutsCo has to do with it?"
Yes, I did. These questions were growing dangerously close to information we were privy to.
Funnily enough, it was information they could not extract anyway, even with torture. It was all thanks to the Scouts' Non-Disclosure curse on my tongue. I was forbidden from mentioning anything connecting SutsCo to the Scouts or the End, including where the End Portal was hidden in Daymonte. Larkspur could torture me until she was as blue in the face as her hair. I would not talk, because I could not talk.
In this instance, however, I lied again, trusting that Cobbert would give the same answers later.
"I do not even know what an End Portal is."
"I hope you're right. For your sake." Larkspur threatened before accepting my answer. "Maybe Cobb will have more to-"
"ABYSSMAL, YOU PIECE OF FILTH!" The voice of Lathrop roared from a few cells down. "YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE BIRDS OF PREY GUILD!"
"How can I disgrace something that no longer exists?" A male voice replied, making my breath grow still. Abyssmal? He said Abyssmal. That was Abyssmal.
"FACE ME, YOU COWARD!"
"I'll face you a hundred times and win a hundred times." I heard Abyssmal dismiss. "You're not the one, Lathrop. I'm here for another."
He then walked into view before stopping outside my cell. His one eye roved over the open door and the Lieutenant within.
Abyssmal - the Night-Raven - had shaggy jet black hair with bangs sweeping to the right that barely concealed his blood red eye. His left eye was covered by a white eye patch with a red 'X' painted across. He really did have only one good eye. He wore a dark-purple collared shirt with black outlines along with a grey undershirt and white jeans. His backpack and belt were the same shade of purple as his shirt and he wore black sneakers. Hanging from his belt were a variety of enchanted bows and crossbows.
My eyes, concealed by my tinted glasses, met his solitary eye. This was the greatest archer in Minecraftia. The Executive of the Eastern Division. The one who murdered Team Epsilon.
"Yo, Abyssmal~!" Larkspur leaned back and waved lazily. "I was just getting some info out of Lenny here~ I got some great stuff on-"
"Teal, can I talk with you outside real quick?" The Executive cut the blue-nette off. His tone was polite, but also demanding. It was an order, not a request.
Larkspur sighed. "What did I do this time? Fine, fine." She got up and dusted her legs off. "Catch ya later, Lenny~"
She slid past Abyssmal and out into the corridor, but the Executive lingered in my doorway for a little longer. He seemed to be sizing me up.
"So you're the Gray Eagle, huh?" He commented aloud.
"...And you are the Night-Raven." I countered back, getting to my feet and sizing him up the same way. "The greatest archer in Minecraftia. How can you aim long distances without any depth perception?"
"It's something that can't be explained to people who don't see it." He answered evenly. He did not seem to mind answering the questions of a prisoner. "Over the centuries, I've trained my eye to work as good as two. Better even. I don't even consider it a hindrance anymore." He shrugged. "Nothing escapes my sight... except for one foolish Lieutenant." He added in annoyance before exiting my cell and locking the door. I pressed against the bars and watched him off, even while Lathrop's shouts chased him away.
I could immediately tell how dangerous he was. His eye was always moving, observing details and parsing threats. He had to be attentive to make up for his missing eye. Even though his demeanor appeared lackadaisical, I could tell he was always on alert.
I had yet to see what he could do with a bow, but I expected him to be better than his reputation.
[Eastern Division HQ: Abyssmal's Office]
Once they were safely in the Executive's office, Teal relayed to Abyssmal all the intel she had gotten out of Lenzington.
"Carys and her group are on Sdraw's turf. There's a fleet of airships and ten-thousand troops on standby to attack us. Cobb, Attila, Baltic, and the Jibberwoman with the woodchipper face are here in Oak Docks." Lieutenant Teal ticked off her fingers while she idly toyed with the iron dagger she had pilfered off of Lenz. "What else, what else? Oh! Lenny has no clue what happened to Jade, or what End Portals are. Cobb might know more and be keeping it from his allies, but-"
"Teal." Abyssmal silenced her by raising his hand. He sounded tired. "This is all... exceptional intel. I just wish it was obtained through different circumstances."
"...How do you mean? This is perfect." Teal defended. "Sdraw's been looking for a hostage to get those Hackers out of Nitebane, and this is it. Lenny can be our hostage."
Abyssmal massaged his temples. "We can't use 'Lenny' as leverage. We can't use Perry or Dwight either. We can't use any of them."
"Why not?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, Teal, but if I were any other Executive, I would kill you right here and now." Teal recoiled at the blatant threat, confusion clear on her face. "How can you be this stupid?"
"...What'd I do?"
"You let those three look at our operations and our identities!" Abyssmal surged to his feet, his blood red eye glaring the Lieutenant down. "That's valuable knowledge! The Withers, the number of Portal Hubs, our hidden HQ. Maybe they even glimpsed a Hybrid. That's precious information we gain nothing by letting our enemies know!"
"O-Okay, so what?" She tried to defend herself. "We just have to silence them permanently." Already she was dismissing her 'friendship' with Lenz. She only indulged in it when it was convenient for her. When it entertained her. She had no qualms with dropping him at the first sign of trouble. "We'll kill them. Problem solved."
"That's precisely why we can't use them as leverage. If we turn them over, we turn over what they know about us. It'd be different if we kept them in the dark about us, then captured them, without them learning anything. All we can use them as is a shield against the Paragons, and a bluff to release a Hacker or else break up Cobb and Carys. But if they believe our bluff and turn over the Hackers to appease Cobb, and we don't turn over Lenzington - which we can't without jeopardizing our identities and our base - then Cobb will be more firmly allied against us than ever, all because you thought it was a bad idea to share."
"What are you blaming me for? I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You brought them here, even knowing who they were. All so you could entertain yourself." Abyssmal called her out dead to rights. "You played games with them. You whittled away the whole day toying with the enemy and allowing them to learn too much about us. Hostages don't need that kind of information, Teal! You put your needs above the group's. Haven't we satisfied your perverse lust for battle enough, kidnapping and caging Crafters so you can have game to hunt in your precious Survival Games? Then you pull a stunt like this? Mark would be ashamed."
Of all the insults, him saying Mark would be ashamed made Teal appropriately contrite.
"Ember would kill you over this." Abyssmal scratched at his eye patch as he let that sink in. "Sdraw would definitely kill you over this. No amount of intel is worth giving intel back."
"...Okay, I fucked up. You're right." Teal admitted. "I just wanted to have a little fun."
"Business before pleasure, Teal." Abyssmal advised with a scowl. "Discipline yourself, or else I can't protect you."
He waited until Teal nodded her assent before he continued. "We have a meeting to keep with Cobb and the Paragons. At the Northern Lighthouse. I can't go, though. I want to be there, but I'm leaving for the Northern Division HQ today. Right after this, in fact. I need to check our portal highways now that the Nether has been overhauled by the recent Bounty Day. Plus, I'll be escorting half our division there and ensuring Spring doesn't run away before the duel."
"So what are we going to do about the meeting?" Teal asked.
"Mark is going with you for the negotiations. He'll be masked, but I want him doing all the talking. You just stand there and keep our hostages' mouths shut. Don't let them pass on any messages. Clamp their lips together if you have to."
She nodded. "Understood. And Abyssmal, I'm really sorry-"
"Don't say another word." He cut her off. "What's in the past is done. Just do your job and watch over the HQ in my absence." She nodded obediently. "That fleet and those numbers are alarming, but as long as we have hostages shielding us, and they don't know where we are, they can't touch us."
[Cobb]
After working things out with Jillian... and Carys... we were able to decide on a plan we could all agree with.
Predictably, Carys wanted to ignore the hostages and kill every high-ranking cultist that showed up to this meeting, but Jillian vetoed it, bless her. Carys had also reached the outskirts of Exter's capital today, marking the beginning of her investigation into the Western Division. Floyd, Soul, Noman, and even Ciro were understandably worried about Lenz, but I promised them I would get him back no matter what.
Through Jillian, we were able to contact Team Zeta and set up some Stasis Chambers. Lenz probably could've whipped them up for us in a jiffy, but Team Zeta were just as capable. We set up six Stasis Chambers for the members going to this meeting. If anything went awry, like if it was an ambush designed to kill us, we could use the Stasis Chambers and some linked maps to warp right back in the same way Carys' group did when attacking the Obelisk.
"This wouldn't have worked for our infiltration team since any linked maps would've been confiscated." Trenay pointed out. "We could have gotten around this with a set extraction time, but then there'd be no telling if the infiltrators were ready to leave or not."
We also confirmed that using up a totem didn't remove our blips. Even if we died and came back, our blips remained on the linked maps. This allowed us to hold totems at all times in case Executive sniper decided to Railgun us to death.
The six people going to the Northern Lighthouse for the negotiations were Baltic, Trenay, Z7, Alfonso, Attila, and me. Three guys and three girls. The Paragons going were high authority enough, but they also weren't slouches when it came to combat. Everyone but Z7 had buffs until they expired at midday today as per the week-long caveat. Z7 and Alfonso in particular showed an earnest determination to rescue my redstone engineer. Z7 was obvious, but surprisingly, Alfonso had a soft spot for the gray-haired engineer.
"Why am I going? He vouched for me, he's my rival, I'd be as dead as Trish if he hadn't saved me. Take your pick." He waved his hand airily. "Fact is, you're gonna have to knock me out to keep me from going."
To get to the Northern Lighthouse, which was at the northernmost tip of the peninsula, we had to take boats and sail up the coast, avoiding Guardians when necessary. Alfonso rode with Attila, Baltic with Trenay, and Z7 with me.
As we sailed speedily along the water, Trenay made it a point to sail beside me and offer one last piece of advice.
"Cobb, they'll likely bring the hostages to the negotiations. They have to provide proof of life if they have any kind of demands. Otherwise, the hostages have no use."
"So they'll be there. Good."
"That doesn't mean we can mount a rescue." Baltic clarified. "They're expecting us to try to save them, and they'll likely have countermeasures in place to stop us. If we do something stupid, they could just as easily kill the hostages and run."
"There won't be anywhere they can run if they do that." I swore darkly.
"We're going to get them back. Not right away, but we will." Trenay reassured. "But to do that, I need you to drag out these negotiations for as long as possible."
"Why's that?"
"Trust me. The longer these talks go on while the hostages are in sight, the better our situation will be." Trenay swore. "Just keep them talking as long as you can, however you can."
I nodded. "Alright. I'll do my best. If worse comes to worst, I can always resort to my old fallback."
"And that would be...?"
"Annoying my enemies into time-consuming frustration."
Team Delta had given me the lay of the land ahead of time. The Northern Lighthouse was perched on a rocky shore just a few meters from the water. The boulders that made up the lighthouse's foundation had bits of sand packed between them. There was also a wide sandbank to the west that would be suitable for the cult's negotiations. We arrived a little after noon.
The cultists were there waiting.
They were hard to miss. We only brought six people with us as per their conditions. Meanwhile, they brought twenty-four black-capped cultists and one guy wearing a Creeper Head mask who I assumed to be their leader hiding his identity. There was no sign of Lenz, Dwight, or Perry.
"Bring enough people, you think?" I announced our arrival as we landed on the beach. The cultists tensed but made no move to impede us. They read my name, saw the mark on my face, and looked scared.
The one with the Creeper mask took charge. "To bring anything less would be an insult considering your reputation."
"And you are...?"
"The second Lieutenant of the Eastern Division." He introduced. "For obvious reasons, I'll be wearing a mask for the duration of these negotiations."
The six of us got out of our boats and took a defensive formation on the sandbank. The twenty-four cultists and one Lieutenant did the same. We already warned the Oak Docks guards to stay away from the lighthouse, as it would be viewed as a violation of the terms in the note. We could handle the negotiations ourselves.
"Attila the turncoat." The Lieutenant greeted, noticing the former cultist. "It's nice to see you fit in so well with whatever group you shack up with. You shed allegiances like skins."
"I never realized a cult so obsessed with death was for life." The Captain snarled back.
I pointedly looked around. "Where are the three hostages?"
"Somewhere close." The Lieutenant answered vaguely. "Close and safe."
"That's not how this works." Trenay's tone brokered no argument. "We honored your conditions and came here with only six. We demand the hostages be present for the duration of these talks. Either you show us proof that they're alive and well, or these negotiations are off."
"That's an awfully bold ultimatum. Do you all feel the same?" The Creeper-masked Lieutenant turned to me as he asked that. "Your dear friend's life hangs in the balance. Are you fine letting a Paragon speak for you where his life is concerned?"
My mouth tightened to a thin line before I gave my answer. "She hasn't said anything I disagree with. Show us proof of life, or I'll proceed under the assumption that you killed them. Id est, violently, savagely, and lethally."
A few cultists shifted nervously, looking to their Lieutenant for guidance. It was nice having a reputation to back up my mouth. They knew I wasn't just any old blowhard. I killed Hackers.
The Creeper-masked Lieutenant - the Creeptenant - considered my words before waving one hand high. In response, five more cultists - including one criminally gorgeous Teal_Larkspur - emerged from the lighthouse interior. They held the hostages between them. Two cultists each for Dwight and Perry, and then Teal holding onto Lenz. As they were brought into view, I realized they were all paralyzed by Weakness and Slowness. The cultists were the only thing holding them up. They also had their mouths covered to keep them from saying anything. I caught Lenz's terrified gaze from behind his lopsided tinted glasses. He looked unharmed, but Dwight and Perry each looked the worse for wear.
"What did you do to them?" Attila asked harshly. "You call this safe!?"
"Safe is relative. They're alive, but we never promised they'd be unharmed." The Creeptenant explained. "And now that you have proof of life, I would like to begin."
"Don't worry, Lenz." I called to him. "We'll get you out."
He closed his eyes tiredly while Teal leaned her head next to his and whispered something with a grin. I'm sure he wasn't harmed, but then there was always psychological damage that was harder to detect with the naked eye.
"Gzpv blfi gvmgzxovh luu srn." I heard Z7 mutter beside me while she glared at the blue-nette. She and Attila were mean-mugging Teal, an observation the transcendentally gorgeous girl noticed.
"What are you looking at, Scarface~?" She asked with a challenging grin. She also spoke with a flirtatious lilt. "You looking for a rematch~? Oh, my deepest condolences for your teammates~" Z7 didn't understand the words, but she understood the intent and tone enough to know she was being derided. "And what's with that look, Attila~? I'm not the one who turned her back on the cult."
"You arranged the bombing of my skyscraper community, you bitch! It wasn't even a mission! Because of you, Kate was-!" She cut off with a barely contained sob.
Teal drew a blank. "Kate... Kate... Kate, Kate, Kate." She tapped her chin while her other arm was wrapped around Lenz's mouth. "Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry. She must not have left an impression."
Attila made to lunge at the blue-nette, but Alfonso stopped her. The action also made Teal tighten her grip on Lenz's neck, threatening to snap it. That got me and Z7 riled up enough to shout at her.
"If he dies, none of you will survive!"
"Ovg srn tl yvuliv R qzn gsvhv pmrevh gsilfts blfi vbvh!"
Lenz's eyes widened as he understood the Jibberish threat towards his captor, but Teal remained oblivious to her language. She did, however, notice Z7's feral expression. It was angrier than she'd ever seen. More than what was usual for a simple rivalry.
"What's gotten your panties in a twist? You friends with this dork or someth-?" She stopped suddenly, her blue eyes going wide as she looked between Z7 and the engineer in her grasp. I could see the gears in her head turning. She experimentally leaned her head closer to Lenz's and nuzzled his cheek with hers. Lenz showed visible distress while a low growling started to sound from Z7's throat. At her reaction, Teal's face lit up with delight.
"Oh my Herobrine, no way~!" She cooed delightedly. A shit-eating grin split her face. "You and her, Lenny~? She's your Zearfoss~?" She giggled as she prodded at Lenz's cheek teasingly. "Star-crossed lovers from opposing factions~! Who knew she and I had the same taste in noodles~? Oh, this is too good~💙!"
I didn't understand what the Zearfoss thing was about, but it looked like Teal just put together that LENZ7 was a thing. Teal grew more affectionate and touchy-feely with her captive to purposefully tick Z7 off. However, it also had an effect on the Creeptenant, who kept glancing back at the two with thinly veiled jealousy.
"Teal, stop that!" He reprimanded. "What are you doing that for?"
"Oh, don't be jelly, Marrrr... garet." Teal caught herself from revealing the Creeptenant's real name. "This is too juicy not to take advantage of~! This little dweeb is the object of Scarface's affection~ That is soooo cute~!"
If Trenay and Baltic wanted this meeting to drag on as long as possible, Teal was doing us a favor. I was content to let the cult waste time. Throughout the exchange, Trenay and Baltic kept unusually silent. Their eyes were laser-focused on Dwight and Perry the entire time. They stared back with equal fervor. The two captured Paragons looked weak, suspended by two cultists each and with their mouths covered. Also, they must have been kept imprisoned someplace dark, for their eyes were blinking rapidly as they struggled to adjust to natural sunlight.
"No wonder she's giving me the stink eye." Teal giggled. "I would too if the enemy had my boytoy~ It feels good to be loved, huh Lenny~? Wanna blow her a kiss~?"
Lenz uttered an embarrassed groan into Teal's fishnet-sleeved arm, his face heating up.
"Gszg yofv yrnyl yvggvi kvvo svi szmwh luu nb mviwormt yvuliv hsv xzgxsvh gsvhv szmwh." Z7 threatened lowly. She had a dagger gripped tightly in one hand and a Totem of Undying in the other.
Whatever rivalry going on between Z7 and Teal, it looked like Lenz was caught in the middle. I knew the criminally seductive blue-nette could snap bones like pretzel sticks, so it was no secret I feared for Lenz's safety. Teal may have found delight in embarrassing the two, but she was still capable of great violence, and she could literally turn on a dime. She was unpredictable. A loose cannon. Of all the people to designate to hold him, why pick Teal? Wouldn't she be put to better use without a hostage to worry about? Or maybe they just thought that Lenz was the most valuable, requiring the best guard.
The situation needed to de-escalate for the hostages' sake. Z7 and Attila looked ready to tear into Teal, which would make Lenz the first casualty to go.
I swept an arm before Z7 and shot her a look while Alfonso kept Attila in check. Z7 met my gaze and must've realized her temper was getting away from her. It would do Lenz no good. She took a deep breath and eased up on her dagger.
"Get serious, Teal." The Creeptenant chastised the girl. "This is a hostage situation, and it's high time we made our demands."
"Yeah~! Mm~! You tell 'em Margaret! I love a noodle who takes command~💙"
"Are you two a couple or something?" I asked, both to try and stretch things out and also because I was genuinely curious. "Is he as transcendentally handsome as you are gorgeous?"
"Oh, stop~! You flatterer~!" Teal went giddy at the compliment. "But yes. Margaret is the handsomest noodle around~ Together, we make the ultimate power couple~! Right, Margaret~?"
"So our demands." The Creeptenant soldiered on valiantly. "We want the immediate release of the Hackers in your possession. Hannah_Harper and Llewellyn, to be precise."
I was hoping Trenay would take point here, but she was still staring at Dwight and Perry's rapidly blinking eyes. Baltic was doing the same, his mouth muttering words under his breath. What were they doing?
"We can't turn over the Hackers." Captain Attila made Nitebane's position clear in Trenay's place. "They're our shields. The second we turn them over, 303 will nuke the capital, and everyone in it!"
"That sounds like a you problem~" Teal grinned, delighting in Attila's plight. "Of course, with that Hacker-Slayer in your corner," she looked to me, "and all those buffs, you should have no problem repelling the Hack Clan, right~?" She held Lenz's face still, smushing his cheeks. "And look at this smushable face~ It would be a shame to separate it from the rest of his body. Isn't Lenny here more important than anything?"
I scowled. "Is that what Jade told you?"
"Oh, thanks for reminding me!" Teal slapped her forehead. "Whatever happened to Jade? One moment, Ember has her paying Ringwood's Northern District a visit, and then poof! She's gone!"
"You're telling me you lost her?" I feigned ignorance.
"Lost all contact with her. Totally MIA." Teal stated.
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" The Creeptenant asked.
Attila and Trenay showed confusion regarding the missing Lieutenant. Baltic momentarily broke off from staring at Perry to offer me a sidelong glance. He alone knew what I knew; Jade was gone. I wasn't quite ready to admit what the depraved part of me did to her, though.
"Once upon a time, we were inseparable, and I could tell you exactly who she belonged with." I shrugged without energy. "Now, I have no idea who she is, or where she is. She left me. I don't have anything more to do with her."
"That's so sad..." Teal commented. "She broke your heart. She did a lot of that, though. Know what she was called? The Poisoned Dagger. She had a history of infiltrating guilds, only to lead them to their doom. You were deceived by the best~" She mocked.
"Is that right?" My eyes turned cold and dead as I looked between Teal and the Creeptenant. "You two love each other?"
"You bet~!"
"Then cherish what romance you have while you can." I smiled darkly. "You never know when it'll all come crashing down."
My comment actually made Teal shirk away, even if she tried to laugh it off. I knew firsthand that losing the one you loved was enough to sap all your strength and turn you into a hollow shell. Teal could make fun of me now, but her tune would change the moment her love was ripped away.
"You don't frighten us." The Creeptenant chimed in. "We're holding all the cards."
"Then maybe we should talk about trading cards." I suggested. "You want to exchange our friends for the Hackers? What if I take their place?" Trenay and Baltic twitched at my offer, while the black-capped cultists showed a keen interest. "Let me be your hostage. You release Lenz, Dwight, and Perry, and instead you'll have the Darker Billionth as your prisoner. It'd be a better deal; you'd have a Hacker-Slayer at your mercy as opposed to a redstone nerd and a couple of extras." Perry and Dwight let out muffled protests over being called extras, but I was only downplaying them to appear more valuable. A trade, after all, would be in our interests, considering I could just warp out of their custody with my preset Stasis Chamber. Baltic and Trenay caught on to my plan, offering silent support as the cultists batted it around.
"While that is an attractive offer, as we have questions for you, we will have to decline." The Creeptenant spoke for the gathered cultists. "A deal this appealing is too good to be true. We have no idea what tricks you have set up. Maybe you have a way to escape our custody." I internally cursed at the Creeptenant's caution. "Besides, I believe Entity 303 made you a similar offer. He offered himself as a prisoner in exchange for his siblings' freedom, and you refused. We'll do you the same courtesy."
"Dress it up all you want. We all know you're never going to turn over those hostages." Trenay piped up. "They know about your base. Turning them over is tantamount to exposing the Eastern Division HQ. You'd never give that up."
"So you're saying I should kill them now, is that right~?" Teal adjusted her arms, making to snap Lenz's neck. I took a sharp intake of breath. Z7's fingers twitched to her dagger. Alfonso leveled his crossbows at the Lieutenant.
"If you kill them, this 'negotiation' becomes a bloodbath. You think you can stop us?" She chuckled. "These numbers don't mean shit. Not with the Darker Billionth on our side. And I gotta tell ya, killing his friend before his eyes will not endear you to him."
I let out an animalistic growl from the back of my throat just to drive home how fucked they'd be. The cultists shifted nervously, their hands on their weapons in preparation.
"If he dies," I swore to Teal, pointing to the Creeptenant beside her, "he'll be the first to go. I swear to Herobrine, I'll kill him first."
Teal eased up on Lenz's neck instantly. "Whoa, whoa! Lighten up, okay? I was just joshing~" She tried to de-escalate, a bead of cold sweat dripping down her chin. "Nobody has to die today, okay? We just want you to answer our questions."
"Questions?"
"Yes. Questions we've already asked Lenzington." The Creeptenant affirmed. "He's given us answers, and we expect those answers to match up with yours. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise Lenny here might be in for a world of hurt later~" Teal tried to regain her usual confidence. "So answer carefully~"
"So you went through all this just to ask me some questions?" I asked incredulously. "Why even bother demanding the Hackers if you were never going to turn them over to begin with?"
"We were hoping we could bluff you or else create a schism between you and the Paragons." The Creeptenant shrugged. "But the hostages still have their use. You won't carelessly go poking around for our HQ. Not while we have them as shields."
It was just like how we were using the Hackers to shield us from 303 and the Clan.
Baltic and Trenay continued to stare at Perry and Dwight's blinking faces while muttering under their breaths. Attila and I were doing most of the talking.
"Whatever. Ask your questions." I permitted.
"How many members are in your landing party, and how many Beginners are among them?"
I glanced at Lenz and saw him avert his gaze in shame. He talked. So I had to go with the truth.
"...Our landing party was twenty-one strong, and the only Beginners here are Lenz and myself."
"Correct~!" Teal beamed.
"What's the number of your troops here in Oak Docks?" The Creeptenant continued. Yet again, it was a question I felt Lenz had to answer. I didn't hold it against him, though. Maybe the Paragons did, but I was on his side.
"...Around ten-thousand, give or take a few." I shrugged.
"Corrrrrrect~!" Teal rolled her R.
"Where is Carys and who's with her?"
Ugh. I was gonna get an earful from Carys for this.
"She's in Exter with Floyd, Soul, Noman, Kalmarin, Anibal, Ciro, Albert, Reuben, and Spaatz. Satisfied?"
"Oh, very~" Teal ruffled Lenz's hair. "We're good so far, Lenny. Let's keep the streak going~"
"Where is Herobrine?"
"I don't know." I lied.
"Where is the Dragon Egg?"
"I don't know." I answered truthfully.
"Where is the End Portal?"
"I don't know." I lied.
"How do you find End Portals?"
"I don't know." I lied.
The Creeptenant stared at me for a long time. "Why do I think you're lying?"
"I don't know." I smirked as I repeated the same response. "Is any of what I said contradicting what Lenz told you?"
Judging by their faces, our answers lined up perfectly. It helped that I knew Lenz so well. Not to mention, those Non-Disclosure curses made it impossible for us to divulge what we learned in the End.
"You must know more than what you're telling us." The Creeptenant stressed. "We know you read Herobrine's journal entries, and Jade told us about your eidetic memory."
I wrinkled my nose. "You want me to write down every word of Herobrine's Journal Entries?
"While Ember would greatly appreciate that, we're willing to settle for an abridged version. Call it the cliff notes." The Creeptenant waved one hand airily. "We want to know where Herobrine located the End Portal that led to him obtaining his legendary High-Beam eyes. We know SutsCo is involved."
I felt a flash of panic, even while my face remained passive. "SutsCo? What do they have to do with-?"
"Don't play dumb. We can put two and two together." The Creeptenant stated confidently. "We're looking for End Portals, and SutsCo is selling bleached End Stone and renamed End Rods. They have Dragon Head masks for sale, we're searching for a Dragon Egg. We know the company is involved, even if we can't infiltrate them without our best agent, Jade."
Even if I wanted to tell them about SutsCo, I couldn't because of the Non-Disclosure tattoo on my tongue. Things were starting to look dicey for Lenz. All I could do was stall.
"What do you even want a Dragon Egg for anyway? What's your endgame?" I demanded.
"That's for us to know, and you to figure out~" Teal smirked. "Think of it like a game~ A guessing game~"
"Maybe you should take your own advice. Figure this shit out for yourself!"
"We're not above killing hostages!" The Creeptenant raised his voice back. "Lenzington may be our off-limits last resort, but what about these 'extras' you care so little for?" The Creeptenant whipped out two Splash Potions of Harming II and marched over to Dwight, holding the delicate glass bottles over his face. Dwight never stopped his repeated blinking, even while threatened. "Or maybe the Paragons care more than you?"
"Back away from him!" Baltic warned, finally speaking up for the first time this meeting. "If anything happens to the hostages, we attack!"
"If you attack, the hostages are all as good as dead~!"
"If they die, the Creeper-faced Lieutenant goes next, followed shortly by EVERY CULTIST HERE!"
My frenzied roar seemed to be the winning threat, as it made the Creeptenant pause for thought. It looked like he was doing a lot of fast thinking.
"Are you going to tell us where the End Portal is or not?"
"I can't tell you what I don't know." I lied.
He clicked his tongue before slowly retracting the Splash Potions of Harming. "It seems we've reached a stalemate. You won't tell us anything, but you don't dare attack while we have hostages. Meanwhile, we'd be foolish to kill them if you're as powerful as the rumors lead us to believe."
"Bullshit, I can take him~" Teal grinned challengingly. "Just like I took Lenny, here~ Just like I took Floyd and Soul, too~ These Beginners are pushovers, Margaret. Just warp out of here and I can fight unabated."
She was afraid of my lingering threat to the Creeptenant. He was her weakness. If I could grab him, she'd definitely make the trade for Lenz. How fast would I have to be to get him?
"No, Teal. We won't risk it." The Creeptenant cautioned the blue-nette. He was leaning towards de-escalation after things had grown so tense. He probably figured our buffs and totems would make killing us difficult, even with the advantage in numbers. He didn't know our buffs would run out in a couple of minutes. "The Paragons and Beginners need time to think on things. Four days. That's the time we're granting you." He decided, holding up four fingers. "Return here, same time, same location, four days from now. We expect concessions, either with the Hackers or with the End Portal information, King_Cobb. Otherwise, we start liquidating hostages, starting with this one." He jostled Dwight by his shirt. "You will bring the same six Crafters. If anyone else shows up, we won't be so forgiving."
I didn't know what to say to extend the negotiation, but Baltic took the decision out of my hands by stepping forward to conclude it himself. "We understand your terms. We will return here at the time and date requested. The same six. No deviations. No funny business."
"Good. Glad a fellow alchemist understands." The Creeptenant nodded to Baltic. "Negotiations require calmer minds, after all."
"Dv'iv ivzoob qfhg ovggrmt gsvn dzop zdzb drgs srn!?" Z7 snapped, jerking her head towards me. "Blf xzm'g gifhg gsvn zh uzi zh blf xzm gsild gsvn!" She looked frantic. It wasn't hard to tell she was worried leaving Lenz with the cultists for four days. What was even the point of prolonging this meeting?
"You'll keep the hostages safe?" I asked.
"Safe as the proverbial houses~" Teal patted Lenz's head while the engineer whined in distress. "Just don't go poking around where you're not supposed to. An egghead's skull is a fragile thing. Especially when you piledrive it. Capeesh~?"
"You know, I didn't think I'd like you from the minute I saw you. And now I'm sure of it." I told a bewildered Teal. "Pray to Herobrine that your drop-dead gorgeous looks never fade, because everything else about you is downright insufferable!"
Teal looked scandalized. She gnashed her teeth and dropped her teasing lilt to lay into me. "Excuse you! At least I don't have a face that looks like a bruised banana!"
"Even without my looks, I have personality, which is more than I can say for you!"
She gasped, affronted.
I was actually glad I could differentiate my feelings like this. Since Jade, I was worried I'd fall for any pretty face. Teal was beautiful, true, but it didn't make me attracted to her. This meeting had made that abundantly clear. Her personality and mannerisms were too unlikeable. Now that I had that sorted, I'd be ready to fight her at my best.
Today wasn't that day, however. She mean-mugged me with her arms still wrapped around Lenz, but the 'negotiations' had already concluded. Already we were backing off and returning to the boats. We could have used the Stasis Chambers for a quick exit, but we figured it would pointlessly alert the cultists. Another meeting was scheduled four days from now, on the 16th of December. The Stasis Chambers could mean our one surefire escape. An ace in the hole, as it were.
Instead, we clambered into our boats and sailed south along the coast, back to our safehouse. The lighthouse was just a speck on the horizon when our Vivlio Zythopoiias buffs finally wore off. We'd be more vulnerable for the next meeting.
[Northern Lighthouse]
"Fah! We could've taken 'em." Teal pouted after handing Lenz and the other hostages to some cultist grunts, far away from her and Mark's discussion. The magenta-haired Lieutenant was already removing his Creeper mask and storing it away now that Cobb and the Paragons were long gone. "Why'd you schedule another meeting four days from now? We should have decapitated one hostage, on principle, just for King_Cobb calling me insufferable! UGH!"
Mark shook his head. "This is why I'm the negotiator and you're the hostage holder."
"I thought I was the hostage holder because you have noodles for arms."
"We've confirmed," Mark valiantly soldiered on, "that Cobb knows about the End, even if he's not willing to tell us. We verified what Lenzington told us was true, which means we now know where Carys and the Lighter Billionth are, and we know how strong their army on our doorstep is. Which is why I scheduled a meeting four days from now." He turned to Teal's vacant expression. "Think, Teal. What happens in four days?"
"...Saturday?"
Mark facepalmed.
"The New Moon is on the 15th." He elaborated, earning a dawning look of realization from the blue-nette. "We can do a bunch of rituals at once. Next meeting, we'll unveil a plethora of Hybrids and really give the Paragons something to fear. They won't know what hit them. Additionally, we're short-staffed because half of the division is going to watch the big duel. Four days is more than enough time for that to conclude, freeing up Abyssmal AND Ember to join the negotiations and get the facts out of the Darker Billionth and Lenzington."
"Oh, shit! You're right! That sounds awesome~!" Teal gushed happily. "Hmhmhmm~ Cobb is soooo gonna get it once we got the Executives in our corner~ One glance from Ember's Soul-Gaze, and we'll get all the answers we want~" Her grin turned vicious. "Then it's goodbye, Cobb and Lenny~ Turncoat Attila and Scarface too~ I'll have the whole lot of 'em in my Survival Games~! Hmhmhmm~"
[Cobb]
As we sailed back, I suddenly stopped rowing and hunched over with a strained expression. The other two boats stopped as well, their occupants showing concern.
"We failed." I gritted out. "They still have Lenz... and we told them all about Carys and our forces." I screwed my eyes shut as I felt ashamed. "I screwed up! It was a disaster-"
"What are you talking about, Cobb?" Trenay asked, surprising me. "You were great!"
"...I was?"
"Of course." Baltic smiled reassuringly. "You dragged out the negotiations as long as we needed. You did your job. Now we know where their HQ is, as well as an entrance we can exploit by the boulders at the end of Rimini Beach."
"Not only that." Trenay added. "We now know the other Eastern Lieutenant is named MarkAble, and their Executive is the former leader of the Birds of Prey, Abyssmal."
"Come again!?" Alfonso blurted out, nearly falling from his boat if not for Attila. The news was a shock to me too, not least how they got that information. "The Night-Raven is the Eastern Executive!?" He shook like a leaf. "We... we gotta call it off. He's the best archer in the world! No Bird of Prey ever came close to matching his level. If we try to face him-"
"He won't be there. Nor will half of the Eastern Division." Baltic elaborated. "They'll all be away watching some duel up at the Northern HQ. Tomorrow is when it goes down, so tomorrow is the ideal time to strike. We just have Teal, MarkAble, and a few other things to worry about."
"How... how do you know all this?" I asked incredulously.
Trenay smiled knowingly. "Dwight and Perry told us."
"Dwight and Perry...? But their mouths were covered. How-?"
"Didn't you know, Cobb?" Trenay spoke with pride. "Every member of the Paragons is trained on how to use Morse Code. Both to send and interpret it. It's predominantly used in tandem with our linked maps, but there's another way to utilize it."
I thought back to the negotiations. How Baltic and Trenay focused on Perry and Dwight's rapidly blinking eyes.
"They... blinked Morse Code?"
"A strange scheme works over a clever scheme." Baltic noted wisely. "In the end, it all come down to basic training."
"Even if they're lacking in offensive skill, our infantry is better trained than those dullard cultists." Trenay remarked confidently. "It's the reason we know where and when to attack, and the reason we're not waiting around for four days. We're storming the Eastern HQ tomorrow."
So that was why they wanted me to stall. By drawing the cultists' attention and prolonging the negotiations, I gave Perry and Dwight enough time to blink out a message to Baltic and Trenay. We knew where their HQ was, how to get inside, their personnel, and the right moment to strike. Brilliant.
Trenay arched her eyebrows towards me with a wry smile. "So you wanna get back to rowing? We got a lot of our forces to coordinate."
Again, I was reminded how I wasn't fighting alone, even without any other Beginner by my side. I was blessed with talented leaders and brilliant minds. All from a guild that had been hunting me two months ago.
"Yes, ma'am!" I affirmed enthusiastically before grabbing the oars and rowing with redoubled vigor.
When we returned to our safehouse, we wasted little time getting the word out about what we learned. Carys and Jillian were floored to hear that Abyssmal was the Eastern Executive. From their reactions, he was a formidable foe, and likely the one who used a Railgun to shoot Team Epsilon dead. I translated to Z7 as much. The Jibberwoman added the name 'Abyssmal' to her shit list, right under Teal_Larkspur.
Lenz had a lot of respect for the Birds of Prey. He had encountered quite a few of them in his travels, vowing to surpass them as an exceptional archer. He must have been taking Abyssmal's Executive status pretty hard. Imagine the pinnacle of what you're striving for be your greatest enemy. It was a feeling I shared in relation with Herobrine.
Of course, Carys was upset the enemy knew about her, but she was more intent on us pressing our advantage and attacking the base immediately while their forces were away. This was our chance to do away with the Eastern Division once and for all.
Trenay and Team Delta coordinated our attack plan with the freshly arrived Captains Fo and Paolo. The airship fleet would transport our forces over the ocean where the underwater HQ was hidden. From there, we'd use Slow Falling and Water Breathing Potions to descend and break into the base. We'd be going in ten-thousand strong, matching the Eastern Division's reduced forces. We'd sabotage the two Portal Hubs, free the hostages, and take down anyone that got in our way.
An alarming piece of intel was a Wither Skull Grinder in the Nether, as well as a stockpile of skulls somewhere in the Eastern HQ. If those skulls were made into Withers, our mission would go from bad to worse. Securing them was another added mission, and Alfonso was dreading going in with the prospect of Withers hanging over him. It was the Wither's destructive carnage that made him turn to Trish for protection. He was hesitant to go, but he vowed to get Lenz out.
Everything was set to go. We would attack early in the morning, tomorrow. December 13th. Same day as the cult's mysterious duel. We didn't know what it was about, but it gave us the perfect window to attack.
All the vital members of the landing party and leadership set up Stasis Chambers in preparation for the big siege. A handful of Paragons would stay behind to trigger them if we needed to.
I looked at my own Stasis Chamber with unease.
That night, while everyone was getting a good night's rest for the big day, I slipped out of bed. My Inventory and armor was already set. I had everything I needed to fight at 120%. I just needed to 'adjust' my Stasis Chamber a smidgen.
We had used the canals to make the most Stasis Chambers, substituting blocks in places to make the individual chambers. My preset ender pearl bobbed in the water, the trapdoor open above it.
I took out an Eye of Ender and gave it a toss. It floated west, towards Daymonte, before dropping onto the wooden catwalk. I picked it up and lamented another failed End Portal search. The talk with the Creeptenant - MarkAble - made me keen on finding another portal. The cult didn't know that Eyes of Ender were essential to finding it. They acted like a compass when thrown, pointing the way. Only this time, the nearest End Portal was the same one we first found in Daymonte. There was no other portal this far east. Maybe on the western half of Minecraftia...
With the Eye of Ender dealt with, I returned my attention to my Stasis Chamber. It had a sign with my name labeled on it.
I quickly slammed the trapdoor shut on my pearl, triggering it and warping me into the watery chamber. I swam to the surface and pulled myself out before sealing the Stasis Chamber. I wasn't going to reset it.
"What are you doing out here, Cobb?" I was slightly startled only to discover it was the old alchemist, Baltic. He must've been on watch and I missed him. "Did you do something to your Stasis Chamber...?"
"Just a little insurance, Baltic." I assured.
"What do you mean?"
I smiled somberly. "You guys did splendidly today. You kept your cool where I couldn't, and now we have a plan to rescue Lenz and take down the Eastern Division. We'll go in as a team." I glanced away. "But I refuse to let any Paragon dictate when I get pulled out of there. I'm not leaving that base without my friend. This is just my insurance."
Baltic's face looked older. "You intend to go in without a safety net?"
"I got all the safety nets I need right here." I held up a handful of totems. "I'm not going to rescue Lenz only to warp to safety. No Paragon will get to decide that for me. I'm staying no matter what until Lenz is out of that nightmare." He was terrified of deep water, yet there he was imprisoned in it. It wasn't fair. "He shouldn't even be there. He should be finishing his college education."
"You think he'd want you put at risk like this?" Baltic asked seriously.
"Don't do that." I berated. "Don't twist this into me being selfish - I'm taking responsibility, choosing this for myself. No Paragon has to sacrifice their Stasis Chamber to follow in my foolish footsteps. Not Z7, not Trenay, and not you. I'm doing this to ensure I don't leave without my friend."
"Or die trying?"
Again, I held up my totems. "I can afford to die trying a few times."
Baltic nodded slowly to show he understood before he walked over to his own Stasis Chamber and closed the trapdoor on his pearl. I didn't have a chance to stop him as he warped into his watery Stasis Chamber and pulled himself out, soaking wet.
"Why'd you do that for!?" I hissed at him. "Don't follow my idiocy! I'm not leaving my friend, so I'm the one making the choice!"
"I'm not leaving my friend either." Baltic threw my words back at me. "Call it insurance. You're less likely to get yourself killed if there's another fool at risk, right?"
I couldn't help but smile. "You're one stubborn old man, you know that?"
"The Paragons and Beginners have done good work sticking together so far. We still need you to win this war, Cobb." Baltic spoke unwaveringly. "Whatever happens tomorrow, our fate is entwined."
"...Have it your way, you old codger. I'll keep you alive." I promised.
Baltic was a part of my World, despite being apart from my World. Regardless, his life would be one more responsibility I needed to hang on to for tomorrow's siege.
Hang on, Lenz. I swore in my mind. We'll have you out before you know it.
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness III, Fire Aspect I, Sweeping Edge III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Pickaxe [Efficiency II, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Helmet [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Chestplate [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Leggings [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV, Depth Strider III], 26 Obsidian, 6 Ender Chests, 43 Chorus Fruit, 46 Cooked Chicken, 64 Oak Planks, 64 Cobblestone, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 1 Bed, 30 Blocks of Coal, 64 Torches, 1 Lava Bucket, 1 Water Bucket, 1 Milk Bucket, 64 Snowballs, 64 Snowballs, 11 End Crystals, 16 Ender Pearls, 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash 2.0} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Lure II, Unbreaking III], 1 Trident {Awe} [Riptide III, Unbreaking III], 1 Trident {Shock} [Loyalty II, Channeling], 1 Trident [Riptide III], 1 Trident [Riptide III], 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Bounty Days}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Book and Quill
Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 35 Eyes of Ender, 30 Blocks of Emerald, 6 Emeralds, 1 Diamond Cutlass, 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV, Feather Falling III, Unbreaking III], 25 Lapis Lazuli, 64 Books, 64 Glass, 64 Glass, 64 Glass Bottles, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Fishing Rod, 2 Books, 1 Enchanting Table, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Nether}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Bounty Days}
[EXP: 53]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Apple, 1 Melon Slice, 1 Sweet Berries, 1 Steak, 1 Cooked Chicken, 1 Cooked Rabbit, 1 Carrot, 1 Baked Potato, 1 Mushroom Stew
[EXP: 25]
Inventory (Baltic): 1 Iron Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Sword [Sharpness II, Unbreaking III], 1 Shield, 1 Bow, 1 Diamond Pickaxe [Silk Touch I, Mending I, Unbreaking II], 35 Arrows, 3 Brewing Stands, 1 Water Bucket, 64 Bones, 1 Ender Chest, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 20 Emeralds, 64 Cooked Chicken, 35 Cooked Chicken, 1 Lingering Potion of Slowness {1:00}, 1 Lingering Potion of Slowness {1:00}, 1 Lingering Potion of Healing II {0:05}, 1 Lingering Potion of Regeneration II {0:05}, 1 Blue Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}
Blue Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 35 Glass Bottles, 64 Dragon's Breath, 59 Dragon's Breath, 64 Blaze Powder, 62 Nether Warts, 30 Soul Sand, 62 Phantom Membranes, 64 Blaze Rods, 62 Fermented Spider Eyes, 62 Carrots, 64 Melon Slices, 64 Rabbit's Feet, 64 Gold Ingots, 48 Gold Nuggets, 62 Gunpowder, 62 Redstone Dust, 64 Glowstone Dust, 64 Ghast Tears, 64 Sugar
[EXP: 32]
Inventory (Z7): 1 Iron Helmet [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Chestplate [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Leggings [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV, Depth Strider III], 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 21 Charcoal, 39 Torches, 59 Oak Planks, 4 Glass Bottles, 1 Cake, 1 Cake, 1 Cake, 23 Cookies, 36 Baked Potatoes, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Bucket, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Purple Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}
Purple Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III]
[EXP: 47]
AN: I didn't think this Chapter would take as long as it did, but I'm glad it's behind me, so I can work on the NEXT Chapter, which has a scene I'm really looking forward to. Huehuehue...
Ahem.
I had to do a lot of back and forth to piece together what the cult knows about the End. They know SutsCo is involved based on their merchandise, and they're looking for an End Portal, which they correctly assume Cobb knows how to find since he read Herobrine's Journal Entries.
Morse Code blinking! One of my cleverer ideas, revolving around the Paragons' training. They can withstand torture and they know how to communicate in hostage situation. Just another reason why being trained infantry ain't so bad.
Next time, the attack on the Eastern Division HQ begins. The next three Chapters are gonna be wild.
FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. PM. FORUM. DISCORD. SOUR PATCH KIDS.
