AN: Whelp, Summer's nearly over. Time to go back to the hell hole that is school/college.

As I stated in the previous chapter, I'm accepting OC suggestions. But I realized that maybe putting those suggestions in the reviews wasn't such a good idea. They take up a lot of space.

Luckily, I've discovered a new-fangled fanfiction device called 'Private Messaging.' Turns out all you, the viewer, need to do is click on the PM button on my page and type away. So from now on send OCs via PM and I'll see if I can put them in or not. Restrictions and more details are listed in chapter 8.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, Deceivers would be a real Mob.

Chapter 9

Warren

[Cobb]

In hindsight, I may have been able to handle that better. I thought to myself as I rushed down the overgrown street.

Behind me, I could hear Parker sprinting to catch up. "Hey, Cobb! What's the matter? Don't want to talk anymore?" As he asked this I saw arrows whizz past me.

"No! I just don't want to be a human pincushion!" I shouted back as I took a sharp left turn into one of the larger abandoned buildings.

From my brief glances, the building looked spacious, with a non-crafting table, a crafting table, and some chests. There was also a lobby with an empty flower pot, some doors that led to rooms, and a staircase off to the side. It looked similar to a hotel.

Without a second thought, I sprinted up the stairs and readied some cobblestone. Once I reached the top, I quickly blocked the way up with some cobblestone before continuing towards the staircase to the third floor.

It looked like the third floor was more damaged than the rest of the hotel. Room doors and parts of the floor were missing. Some windows were broken. And it was dark, even with the sun being up outside. After navigating one particularly dangerous section of missing floor, I took out my torches to light up the area.

From what I saw, I realized I was on the topmost floor of the building. The staircase that led up to the roof was so destroyed that there was no way I could make the jump up there. The only place left to go was down the hallway that led to several rooms. Hopefully, vacant of Mobs.

I blocked the top of the second staircase to impede Parker further, but I noticed that I couldn't hear him anymore. Did he not follow me inside?

*fshhhh* *BOOF!*

A loud whistling followed by an explosion came from the broken window. The explosion didn't sound like a Creeper, and I looked out to verify. I managed to catch the slightest trail of sparks in the shape of a black Creeper face fade from the sky. What was that?

I looked down to spot Parker standing outside the hotel. He was placing something on the ground…something that shot up into the sky in a similar trail of sparks. The same whistling sound emitted from it before it burst 50 feet in the air in that same Creeper face shape. Is he using…fireworks?

[But would you mind waiting a moment. My partner is rather slow. I'm sure you know what it's like to wait up for a fellow Crafter.]

Crap! He's signaling for his buddy so they can double team me! And I'm trapped! I gotta…wait. Was he waiting for Floyd? I pondered before a greater thought hit me. Or was Floyd running away from them?

Now Parker's initial response and Floyd's frantic running made sense. Floyd had fled with Parker and his buddy in pursuit. It was only bad luck that he ran into me. Instead of finding him, Parker found me. But why are they trying to kill us in the first place!? I didn't do anything wrong…unless you count the architectural sin I performed just yesterday…But desperate times called for desperate measures.

[It's a shame people like that are forced to suffer…In fact, you might go so far as to say that they're…better off dead.]

Well sure I'm suffering with fighting Mobs and building stuff, but it's a whole lot better than the Void!

*TWANG*

I had kept my head out that window too long and the consequence was an arrow to the face, courtesy of Parker. "OW!" I yelled as I stumbled away from the broken window. My Health had taken 4 hearts of damage and my Hunger was lower at 3 corndogs. That did more damage than the Skeletons! How powerful is that bow!?

"You may as well come out quietly, Cobb!" Parker called from outside. "I'll end your suffering quickly! But if my partner gets here first…he won't be as merciful!"

I need a plan. Maybe something in these rooms can help? I checked some of the rooms for chests or useful items. "Is this the good cop, bad cop routine!?" I called back out to Parker to not let on of my searching.

"No, it's the execution routine!" He called out in a harsh voice. "You don't deserve to exist in this world! You're a greenhorn! And there's no better time to kill one than at the beginning of their existence!"

Damn! Another empty chest. All the rooms had the same size and furniture, albeit missing some beds here or windows there, but the chests were filled with nothing but rotten flesh…which I had to eat to keep my meager Hunger up. Ugh, I feel sick.

"Yeah!? Well, I disagree!" I shouted lamely, trying to hold my vomit in. Of course I disagree! I don't want to die, I just got here! Just say something else to distract him! "You big-*BLEGH*!"

"Uh…come again? I didn't quite—"

"You're an ASS!" I shout out again after opening and closing another useless chest. Come on, give me something! Anything!

"What's with all the yelling over here!?" I froze as I heard a second voice, and peeked my head a little to see who had joined the loud conversation.

I couldn't make out the name or any smaller facial features, but I did notice that this new arrival had orange slicked-back hair, an iron chest plate and leggings, a dark-grey undershirt with the sleeves ripped off, black bondage pants, dark blue sneakers, and a white bandana around his neck. Oh, and an iron sword hefted over his shoulder.

*GULP*

"Took you long enough. I was worried you'd gone off hunting by yourself again."

"One. Time. And you act like you've never been hit by a slowness potion before." I strained my ears to make out their conversation.

"I haven't."

"Congrats, I'll pick up a medal for you. Right after I get my 'I'm right and Park's wrong' medal." The orange-haired man joked with a grin before turning his attention to the hotel. "So Floyd's in there? Thanks for saving him for me." He took a step towards the front doors before Parker stopped him.

"Not Floyd. Someone else. His name is King_Cobb and I believe he's the Crafter we've been tracking."

"No way! Really?" He scanned the third floor windows before staring directly at me. I ducked in fear of making eye contact, but it didn't matter as he resumed his conversation. "Thought he exploded. But what about Floyd?"

"Couldn't find him. But I know he ran this way. He could be holed up somewhere in the warren."

"What!? You mean you lost him again!?" The orange-haired man whined. "But I wanted to kill him! He lit me on fire!"

"Sorry, Spring I was busy chasing Cobb." There was a pause and I was sure Parker was thinking of something. "But Cobb was here before me. Maybe he saw something?"

"Oooh, good point! Hey, Cobby! Would you mind answering some questions for me?" The man named Spring called.

Cobby? What kinda nickname is that!? But I need more time to search. "Sure, I just love 20 questions!"

"Heh-heh. Me too! We're looking for a blue-haired guy in a red sweater. About yay big." I peeked out to see his description of how tall the man they were looking for was. "Has these…weird lines that go across his eyes."

"Black jeans?" I asked

"Yes."

"Grey sneakers?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Tan-skin?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Goes by the name Flawwed_Floyd?"

"You've seen him!?"

"Nope, never."

I know I was in a tough situation at the moment, but it was worth pissing Spring off just to see his face shift from barely suppressed glee to sour disappointment. "Oh that's too bad…" He said as he looked down.

Parker slapped Spring on the back of the head. "What's wrong with you? He just described Floyd perfectly. Of course he's seen him!"

*GASP* "You mean…he was lying?" Spring sounded genuinely shocked and I had to remind myself which of these guys was the bad cop. I opened up another chest and was greeted with a different sight. A [BUCKET], a bowl of [RABBIT STEW], [LEATHER BOOTS], and a weakened [BOW].

"Let me handle the talking." Parker interrupted Spring before resuming his conversation with me. "Look, Floyd is more of a concern to us than you. If you tell us where he went we'll be on our way."

"But—" Spring interjected confused.

"SHHH!"

I quickly put on the leather boots and readied some dirt blocks before returning to the destroyed staircase. "I heard that 'SHHH!' You're not fooling anyone! And after that speech about me not deserving to exist? You can both go hug a Creeper!" With that I began forming a makeshift staircase to the roof.

"Well if that's how it is…Park, cover the building. Make sure he doesn't run away. I'm going in after him." Spring ordered confidently before entering the hotel.

The roof was collapsed above the stairs so I used my pick to bust through before hoisting myself out. Below I could hear Spring making short work of my cobblestone barricades.

The roof was made up of some new kind of block. It was flatter than regular blocks and I picked some up from the hole I made. [STONE SLAB].

I swapped it out for my shovel and destroyed as much of the staircase as I could before taking a look at the roof I was on. Besides the occasional hole, there was nothing of use.

I walked over to the edge to check how close the adjacent buildings were. The closest building was also three stories high, but the jump from one roof to the next was too far.

*TWANG*

"Whoa!" I cried out as I ducked below an arrow. Parker was still taking shots at me. Alright then, I'll take a shot at you! I withdrew my new bow and tried to figure out how to shoot with it.

I've got one arrow, but I've never shot a bow before! Plus, I doubt one shot will take either one of them out. My swordsmanship is pretty crappy too, and they have iron armor and swords! Fighting them is suicide!

But my only other option is to run. And if I jumped down from this height, I'd break something and then Parker will finish me off! What do I do!?

"C'mon, Cobby! You're making this tough for both of us!" Spring's voice came from the hole I made in the roof. He was nearly here. I fumbled with my bow in an attempt to bluff him to back off.

*ssssssssSSSS*

"Oh no! A Creeper now!?" I cried out as I searched for the source of the hissing. When are things gonna go my way for once?

The hissing continued far longer than any previous Creepers and an explosion erupted from the adjacent building's second floor. I could actually see the second floor as there was a large hole in the side of the wall facing me. And from it, I saw a familiar blue-haired man.

"Over here! Jump!" Floyd called out. Just as he did, Spring's orange hair came poking out of the hole. Without pausing to think, I took a few steps back for a running start and leapt across the gap. Parker shot a few arrows at me mid jump, but I roughly landed on the second floor, scathed but alive.

"Thanks, I—"

"Bow! Arrow! Now!" Floyd demanded snapping his fingers. I quickly handed him the damaged bow and my only arrow. As soon as I did, he held the bow towards the hole to face the roof I had leapt from. Five seconds later, Spring leapt across the gap with the grace of a gazelle and landed perfectly on the floor we were on…before Floyd loosed an arrow straight at his chest.

Quickly blocking with his sword, Spring was knocked back out the hole and fell to the ground with a muffled *CRUNCH* and a drawn out 'YEOW!'

After that, Floyd walked up to the hole and waved his arms around frantically. "What are you aiming at!?" He shouted before he quickly retreated as an arrow lodged itself in a wall a few inches from his face. "Thank you for the arrow." He said to himself as he plucked the arrow out of the wall.

I was amazed at how effectively he countered those guys. "That was…awesome!" I cheered with a huge smile on my face. But Floyd merely turned and looked at me skeptically.

"A Deceiver? You actually bought that crap?" He asked. I realized he meant what Parker said about a Mob that deceives…oh…I guess the only Deceiver was Parker. "Thanks for the bow by the way."

"Yeah, well thanks for blowing up part of this building." I responded as I held out my hand to shake. "I'm Cobb."

Alright that's a good introduction to make for meeting someone for the first time...

"Yeah, I know. Your name is above your head." Geez, this guy was hard to talk to. "Now if you wouldn't mind saving the pleasantries until after we get out of this mess, I'd appreciate it."

"Right. People trying to kill us takes precedence." I followed him down the hallway.

The building we were in appeared to be a school of some sort. Each of the rooms we passed held several desks and a podium where teachers were expected to instruct. Each room had a different carpet floor, but most of it had been destroyed or ripped up. Holes littered the floor and some desks and windows were missing too.

Pictures and frames were plastered across the halls and a banner hung from the ceiling. The banner was of a red apple emblazoned over a brown background. Other than that, the place was in ruins.

Floyd ran over to a staircase and placed a red and white block at the top. He motioned me over to get my attention and pointed towards one of the classrooms. I understood what he meant and snuck over to it.

"They ran into the school!" Spring's voice came from below. "Cover the exits!"

At that, Floyd pulled out some odd bits of rock and metal and sparked them together next to the red and white block. A block that had an odd collection of letters printed across it. TNT.

Wait, what?

*ssssssssSSSS*

Floyd rushed past me and leapt out a gap in the classroom's window. I took one last look at the ignited TNT before following his lead.

*BOOM*

I heard the TNT explode behind me as I landed badly beside Floyd who was busy picking himself up. Bits of wood and shattered glass fell on us, but we didn't stop to stare at the destruction. We ran.

Through the western fence, past trees and rabbits and other animals. We ran and ran and ran. Never looking back. Hoping to escape our dangerous pursuers.

Eventually we stumbled across a ruined old shack, which still looked better than my Crapshack, and we decided to stay there for the night. Just to be safe though, we dug underneath the wooden foundation and expanded the space as a sort of bunker before resealing the hole with dirt. I placed some torches for light and Floyd supplied a chest to store our shared supplies. And just like that, our shelter was made.

Inventory: 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Wooden Hoe, 1 Wooden Sword, 1 Wooden Axe, 5 Cobblestone, 1 Torch, 1 Stick, 13 Oak Wood Planks, 2 Wooden Pressure Plates, 1 Trapdoor, 1 Stone Slab, 3 Oak Doors, 1 Wooden Button, 1 Clock, 59 Dirt, 2 Signs, 1 Bucket, 1 String, 1 Bone, 1 Rabbit Stew, 1 Leather Boots, 11 Rotten Flesh, 1 Emerald

AN: Yay! Plus one friend.

Thanks to all my viewers and re-viewers and followers and favorite...ers. I know this chapter is short, but the next one will more than make up for it. Be prepared.

Also as a totally unrelated side note, how do you guys feel about hiatuses...hiati...the plural of hiatus.