AN: The answer to last week's puzzle: A Die! 6 faces and 21 eyes...which can be represented as dots. Congrats to gs gaming for answering correctly. Enjoy your cookie and your acknowledgement.
(::)
Also here to say that I really like reading the reviews you guys leave. I like gauging your reactions and any review is good as long as it's the truth.
(And to 'The Ravenclawed Demigod,' I'm fine with the length of the reviews your sending...I'm bringing this up in the AN because your PM thing is disabled.)
Puzzle: We are little airy creatures, all of different voice and features. One of us in glass is set. One of us you'll find in jet. Another you may see in tin. And the fourth a box within. If the fifth you should pursue, it can never fly from you. What am I?
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, boats would not explode upon impacting lily pads.
Beta: TheWritingReader
Chapter 24
Breather
[Wynn's Mansion]
Wynn liked to believe that she was very tolerant towards others. Sure she was strict and perhaps a tad biased towards criminals, but it was only because, being the bloodsucking scum that they were, criminals deserved it for endangering the lives of the Kingdom's Crafters.
As for general citizens, she was polite and formal, confident that her own reputation would create a mutual relationship of respect and allow for minimal interference or prejudice.
And most of all, Wynn prided herself on her patience.
After decades of dealing with King Miles' naïve personality and Erin's incessant ramblings, the Captain learned the best ways to deal with both the simple-minded and the nervous-Nellies.
There was nothing that could run her swell of patience dry.
…
Except for Cobb.
"Hey, Captain Wynn. What's that thing?"
For the umpteenth time, Wynn looked up from the book she was reading to glare at Cobb's innocent question. She followed his finger to see what new object of wonder he wanted to know about.
"That's a cauldron." Wynn replied while biting back the outburst of annoyance she was feeling. "It's used to wash dyes off leather armor."
"You can dye leather armor?" Cobb asked in amazement as he took off his leather cap. "Because brown really isn't my color. Maybe a blue or green. What do you think, Captain? Blue or green?"
"I don't care."
Cobb frowned. "Well fine. I don't need your opinion anyway."
Wynn sighed in relief as Cobb walked away to whatever distraction he was occupying his time with. She knew having Cobb stay in her house would be unpleasant considering what happened at the Palace, but she had no idea it would be so bad!
He asked the stupidest questions about everything! Of course you can dye leather armor! The Captain was literally wearing white dyed boots! Some simple common sense would have spared her such a moronic inquiry.
Ever since last night it had been like that. First, Erin kept insisting that she stay the night because of all the 'supposed' work still needing to be done. But she adamantly refused to sleep in the guest room, opting instead to give it to Cobb, even though the Captain had already designated a small outhouse in the backyard as suitable quarters for the criminal.
Then Cobb suggested bringing another bed into the guest room so that both Erin and he would have a place to sleep…to which Wynn immediately shot down. The offer may have been a good idea were it not for Erin's…emotional state and Cobb's obliviousness to said emotional state. Putting the two together in the same room overnight was just asking for unnecessary drama.
The situation was resolved when Wynn convinced Erin to go home, making sure to tell her that she'd give Cobb the guest room…and then five seconds after she left, Wynn 'convinced' Cobb at rapier-point to sleep in the cozy outhouse.
But now that it was morning, Cobb continually bombarded her with questions.
Captain Wynn, what's that?
Captain Wynn, what's this?
Captain Wynn, should I stick this in my mouth?
It was exhausting! Like explaining rocket science to a five-year-old!
Usually with Erin, the Captain would just tune her out since her ramblings rarely demanded any kind of response. Not to mention Erin would cut off any comments you'd make with even more ramblings. It was better to stay silent and let her tire herself out.
And His Eminence only required small lies as response to his naïve personality.
But Cobb was just…just…
Stupid!
"Hey, Captain Wynn." Cobb returned holding a wooden hoe. "What is this tool supposed to do?"
Again, Wynn put her book down and addressed the hapless Crafter. "It's for farming. You use it on dirt so that you can plant crops."
"Hmm." Cobb weighed the tool in his hand. "So…I can't use it as a weapon?"
"Not unless you're very skilled with it."
"Alright thanks." He promptly chucked the tool in the fireplace and watched it burn.
So that was what he was doing: cleaning out his Inventory. Probably for the best seeing as how all he had was useless garbage.
How did that old Crafter quote go again? 'You are what you carry.'
"Alright, I think I'm…mostly set for the trip. Got my best gear handy." As he said that he whipped out his fishing rod.
Wynn stopped herself from rolling her eyes at the tool. "You won't get much time for fishing where we're going."
"Yeah, well, since we're traveling through Griefer infested territory and this thing managed to kill Carys_Angel—y'know that person you and your guards couldn't manage to kill?—I figure it's good to bring."
…
THAT DOES IT! NOBODY INSULTS THE COMPETENCY OF MY GUARDS!
He lifted a cookie to his mouth, but it never reached its destination as Wynn knocked it out of his hands with a swipe of her blade.
He gasped before pulling out his fishing rod. "How dare you attack that cookie! That cookie never did anything to hurt nobody!"
"That's a double negative!" Wynn snarled. "And I'm tired of your bullshit stories! You want to prove to me that your flimsy fishing rod was a match for Carys? Then try and best me in a duel!"
Cobb looked hesitant for a moment at the prospect of challenging Wynn, but quickly recovered his confidence. "Fine! I'll fight you and I'll win. And when I do, you'll finally take fishing rods seriously!"
"Don't hold your breath." Wynn scoffed as she led Cobb to the backyard.
"I won't. After all, I'm not underwater." He said as he took off his leather armor.
"…Do you even think before you talk?" Cobb just shrugged. "Also you can keep your armor on. It won't make a difference since the rapier can bypass armor defenses altogether."
"What!? How?"
Wynn just shrugged. "The thin blade can pass right through the chinks in any armor…even if I can't see them."
The backyard was Wynn's pride and joy. It had a small pond with lily pads, some training dummies for archery practice, an arrangement of colorful flowers, and a garden of potatoes, carrots, sugar cane, and watermelons.
Wynn and Cobb took positions across from each other. Cobb with his fishing rod held back, ready to whip forward and cast. Wynn with her Rapier held in an experienced stance. She certainly wasn't going to go easy on him. But it wasn't because of any desire to inflict pain upon the criminal filth that tricked the King, snuck into the Kingdom, and annoyed her to no end.
It was just a friendly duel between unpleasant acquaintances.
No animosity whatsoever.
"On the count of three!" Wynn shouted as she tensed herself for battle. "One…Two…Thr—"
"Wait." Cobb interrupted to which Wynn stumbled forward, unprepared for his sudden interjection. "Is it 'one, two, three, go' or just go on 'three?'"
"It's on the count of three!" Wynn shouted back as she rebalanced herself.
"Yeah, but, like…it could go both ways. I mean—"
"When I say 'three' that signals the fight to start!"
"Alright. So three it is?"
"Three it is." Wynn got back to her original position.
"Okay. Just wanted to clarify. Didn't have to go biting my head off..."
"…I'm going to stab him in the face." Wynn mumbled under her breath as she began the countdown again.
"One…Two…THREE!"
Wynn sprung forward, her rapier an iron missile aimed for Cobb's face. He quickly moved his head out of harm's way and aimed a blunt strike with the handle of his fishing rod. Wynn ducked and slipped into Cobb's guard before lashing at his exposed belly.
He hissed in pain, but remained standing, even as Wynn pelted him with a barrage of quick stabs, taking out seven hearts of health easy.
She finished her onslaught with a swift kick to the gut, sending him tumbling back.
He laid on the ground panting while Wynn simply polished her rapier.
Finally, he shakily got up to his feet. "You…you almost killed me with that last hit!"
"Please." The Captain dismissed with a flourish of her blade. "I already told you that I can't have you dying on me. When I combat criminals, I'm always keeping an eye on their arms, watching their Health Meter, gauging how many hearts they have left, and adjusting my strategy accordingly." She pointed the rapier back at him. "That last hit was purposefully meant to 'almost' kill you. But not quite."
Cobb waited for his health to regenerate while the Captain circled him, her ivory curtain of hair gently flowing with the wind. "Are you still convinced of the combat capabilities of a fishing rod or are you going to switch to a more effective weapon?"
"I'm…uh…the first one!" Cobb shouted as he darted, not towards Wynn, but towards the pond.
Wynn sighed before giving chase.
Just like a criminal. Running away. She thought as she easily gained ground on Cobb. He was far too injured and inexperienced to match her pace. A few more hits and he'd learn his lesson not to make up stories about his 'all-powerful' fishing r—
Just as Cobb was about to reach the pond, he abruptly stopped on one foot and used his momentum to pivot, casting his fishing rod in a wide arc as it whipped through the air…and fastened itself to Wynn's blouse.
He then yanked forward, surprising Wynn as her forward momentum increased, sending her soaring over his head and into the pond. It was a similar move to the one she saw him use at the Razed Bar.
"HA! Fishing rod for the win!" Cobb cheered as he held the tool over his head, grinning like an idiot.
Wynn, after attempting to erase the memory of her being tossed into the pond, rose to the surface, embarrassment etched upon her face, and began to swim back to thrust her rapier into a certain Crafter's private area.
But just as she was nearing the bank, a bobber nailed her in the head, pushing her back to the center.
Cobb had cast the fishing rod, not to hook, but to 'bobber' Wynn in the face and prevent her from getting out.
Seeing this, Wynn began swimming to the opposite side of the pond where Cobb wasn't waiting. But Cobb rushed to the other side faster than Wynn could swim and bobbered her in the face again. Only this time he punctuated the action with the word 'bobber.'
"Quit that!" Wynn shouted as she tried another side of the pond. But Cobb kept cutting her off and sending her back to the center.
"Bobber."
"Bobber."
"Bobber."
"KNOCK IT OFF!" Wynn screeched.
"Not until you admit that fishing rods are cool! Bobber." Another cast knocked Wynn back to the center. The casts weren't even causing any damage, they were just damn annoying! Almost as annoying as the brown-haired Crafter using them.
Finally, Wynn had enough. She didn't want to wait for the rod's durability to break so she thought of something else.
She hoisted herself out of the water by one of the many lily pads floating around.
"Hey!" Cobb shouted in distress. "How can you stand on lily pads? They're plants, not pontoons! They shouldn't even be supporting your weight!"
Wynn smiled to herself as she prepared to end the fight with the next attack.
She sprung into action, parkouring from lily pad to lily pad and dodging Cobb's frantic 'bobbers' before reaching solid ground. Cobb attempted to push her back into the water, but Wynn caught his hand and used it to flip over his head before knocking him out with the handle of her rapier. His fishing rod slipped from his unconscious grip.
"Finally, some peace and quiet." Wynn commented with a smile as she dumped Cobb into the outhouse and returned inside to finish her book.
Hopefully, before Cobb woke up.
[Floyd]
"So the Silver Intent has operatives all over Minecraftia?" I asked.
"Yes." Brent confirmed as he walked up to a large map strung up against the wall. "From the icy tundra of Lazuli to the towering hills of Zeppil. From the sunny shores of Oak Docks to the barren badlands of Exter. North, South, East, and West. The Silver Intent is still small, but it has secret hideouts in several of the Kingdoms."
Brett got in between Soul and Cara and hugged the two of them. "And we're always happy to accept new members."
"We should only take in people of actual skill." Soul commented sullenly as he refused to look me in the eye. Brent just shot him a look.
Cara, on the other hand, remained silent. I wondered if she was basing her impression of me from Soul's words and attitude.
Great. So two people are giving me the cold shoulder.
"So how many other operatives are situated here?" I asked, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"A few." Brett replied. "We prefer quality over quantity. Our other operatives have proved time and again that they're good people, worthy of trusting. Given the chance, I think anyone can earn trust." The silver-haired man looked to Soul as he spoke those words and Soul just snorted. "I rent them one of my farm cottages and they live here. You might see them later, but right now they're on missions outside the Kingdom…and speaking of missions."
Brett let go of Soul and Cara and walked over to the map again. "I have a rather dangerous mission that needs to be taken care of." He turned to me. "Sorry to have to start you off with a tough mission right-off-the-bat, but this one is important and requires at least a three-man team: You, Soul, and Cara."
Soul groaned as he walked over to the wall and folded his arms. No doubt he was less-than-jubilant about us being on a team. I wasn't so happy either seeing as how two-thirds of the team didn't want to talk to me. Not to mention, I really wanted to help Cobb on his envoy mission to Daymonte.
What if one mission clashed with the other? Which one should I choose?
"Now, here's the mission." Brett began as he took a seat behind a desk. "The Silver Intent has enough influence in Minecraftia to become a serious threat to the Endward Cult. But they don't really know about us and we can't exactly put up flyers declaring war on them."
"Which is why, I've thought up a solution."
"Staying quiet and not alerting them of our presence like a bunch of idiots so that we can secretly continue to build up our forces and catch them unawares?" Cara suggested with a deadpan, eliciting a chuckle from me. She noticed the laugh and smiled a little before returning to her neutral expression.
"Close, Cara." Brett clarified with a smirk. "We're going to formally declare war on them in the most audacious slap-to-the-face way possible!"
"Hell yeah, we are!" Soul grinned as he looked pumped up for whatever plan Brett had. "We gonna hit their base? Kill a few hundred cultists?"
Brett shook his head. "I said audacious, not suicidal. There's a difference." He walked up to the map and pointed to a grey chunk of land by a large ocean, near the very southeastern edge. "This is the Kingdom of Nitebane, a ruined monarchy in shambles and the Griefer Capital of Minecraftia. But it's also infamous as the place where the Endward Cult originated."
Brett shuffled through some papers in a chest and took out a smaller map which he laid across the table. It was of a pristine white city and labeled Nitebane.
He pointed to a rather large circular building. "Here. It's called the Center of Planar Trade…or at least it was before Nitebane turned to shit." He looked sad as if recalling a great tragedy. "It's in ruins now. Griefed and torn apart and looted of anything useful…except at the top of its domed roof."
"There, you'll find the banner of the Endward Cult. A symbol that they once existed there…and a promise that they'll return and reclaim it from the Griefers." He went back to the chest and pulled out a banner. A black flag with a silver horseshoe dead center. "So, as the ultimate insult, I want you three to head over there, remove their flag, and place ours up there. And then every time the sun rises, the first thing those sunbeams will hit will be our banner. Illuminating it with a warm glow to symbolize the Silver Intent's goal to serve as a light of hope to the people of—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get it." Soul interrupted uncaringly as he accepted the banner from Brett. "You're a poet and we really don't want to know it."
Brett narrowed his eyes. "Just for that, I'm putting Cara in charge of the mission. She appreciates my poetic words."
"Whoa, whoa! Hang on!" Cara stepped forward. "Brett, I've never led a team before. Maybe it would be better if you went instead."
Brett just waved away her concerns. "I'm kidding Cara. I'm not making you team leader because you appreciate my poetry." He put a hand on her shoulders. "I'm making you leader because you've been to Nitebane before. You know the landscape. You know the area. You think things through rationally, and it's about time I test your leadership skills to see if you have what it takes."
Soul patted Cara's other shoulder comfortingly "Yeah. Also the alternatives are me or…" He trailed off as he once again refused to look at me.
"Now, this mission requires a three-man team because…Cara!" Brett pointed to her as if expecting her to fill in the rest of the answer.
"Oh…um…" Cara thought for a moment. "Griefer filled territory?"
"Precisely! Ten points for Cara!" Brett congratulated while Cara lit up with joy at her recently acquired 'points.' "It's a dangerous and lawless Kingdom, and getting there is no walk in the park. So you better stock up on supplies. You'll be leaving in a few days."
A few days…ugh great. Just when I thought I could redeem myself.
Soul's gonna be pissed.
I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't go on this mission."
"Oh, big surprise." Soul remarked sarcastically. "Not two seconds and the coward's already trying to back out."
"Soul." Brett silenced him with a stern look before turning back to me. "Why can't you go on this mission? Didn't you want to make amends?"
"I do. But I already promised someone…if it was any other reason, I'd drop everything and follow them to Nitebane. Despite the dangers." I kept my eyes fixed to Brett's light blue ones. "But I have another friend leaving on a mission soon, and he needs my help too."
"Another friend? Now I know you're making shit up." Soul interjected with a sneer. "Who would possibly—"
"Soul! Stop it." Once again Brett silenced Soul and even Cara placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "What's the mission?"
I raised an eyebrow, perplexed at his interest. "An…envoy mission. To a Kingdom called…Daymonte I think."
Brett smiled. "Well then you're in luck! Daymonte just so happens to be on the way to Nitebane."
My eyes widened in surprise. Does that mean I can help two friends at once? If I accompany Cobb to Daymonte…I'll have fulfilled my promise to him and I'd be free to join Soul and Cara…but would Cobb be able to make it back safely?
"Hold on a second." Cara interrupted my thoughts as she stepped towards the map and pointed to a dark grey 'X'. "This is Daymonte. Directly to the East of here." She moved her finger diagonally southeast. "And Nitebane is here."
"That's more southeast than Daymonte." Soul interrupted with a scowl. "We'd be going out of our way!"
"It would add a few days tops." Brett waved off their concern.
"We should be working effectively." Soul defended. "Going to Daymonte would be a waste of our time."
Brett frowned before addressing me again. "Who's leading the envoy mission?"
"Captain Wynn_Whispers."
"Ah! Perfect." He clapped his hands in elation. "She and I happen to be good friends. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you three tagging along."
"But Brett—"
"It would be better if we travelled as part of a larger group." Cara commented as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Griefers and Mobs would be handled quicker too. It could be worth the extra days to have safety in numbers."
"Cara! I thought you had my side on this!" Soul exclaimed in outrage.
"We are on the same side!" Cara defended heatedly. "I'm…just trying to think like a leader."
The argument Soul was about to make seemed to die in his mouth and he took a deep calming breath.
"I'll take that as an 'it's settled'." Brett remarked cheerfully. "The three of you will accompany Captain Wynn's group…provided she grants permission of course. Floyd, can I trust you to pass that on to her?"
I nodded, happy that Brett had a connection with Wynn to even arrange cooperation between groups.
"Good. Just say it's a precaution for your group's safety and I'm sure she'll agree. Now before I forget, Floyd, you could use some armor for the journey." He turned to Soul. "Would you mind taking him to the mine? I'd send Cara, but I have some important leadership business to discuss with her."
"Is that an order?" Soul grumbled.
"It's a request…the group should all be better armored, for the good of the mission." Brett clarified wisely.
Soul merely looked away before beckoning me to follow. We quickly scurried up the ladder and as I climbed out of the hay bale pile, I realized by the sun position that I spent almost an entire day underground. It was quite easy to lose track of time when there were no windows.
I remembered that I was set to meet Cobb at the park that night. Hopefully, mining for iron wouldn't take too long.
Opting to travel in silence, we set off towards the mine Brett was talking about.
[Wynn's Mansion]
"Aaaaaaand…done." Wynn closed the novel she was reading and let out a sigh of relief. It was always such an accomplished feeling finishing a book.
And Cobb still hadn't woken up. He was still in the outhouse, like the piece of excrement that he was.
Eventually, however, he would wake up and the Captain would be forced to endure his idiocy.
…
Perhaps I should reinforce the outhouse with obsidian. Wynn thought to herself. And if Erin asks, I could just tell her it's to keep him safe from Kane's men.
In reality though, him staying at the mansion was enough of a deterrent. Criminals wouldn't dare set foot in her home…not unless they wanted a re-education in the definition of 'pain' shortly followed by life sentences.
And, admittedly, having Cobb over drastically limited the amount of words Erin spat out. She was so shy and stuttery on her own, but in Cobb's presence it increased ten-fold.
But Wynn knew she couldn't just lock him in the outhouse…well…she could, especially since he had days worth of cookies. But the neighbors might worry if they start hearing the yells of a trapped human-being from her backyard.
So where did that leave her on options? She had to stay with him so he wouldn't try to run away and so that Kane's men wouldn't kill him on sight. But his questions were grating on her nerves so much she would sooner shoot herself with her own bow!
What she really needed was a professional baby sitter. Someone responsible she could dump Cobb on and not have to worry about, freeing her up to enjoy what little vacation time she had left.
But who could…
…
"Aha!" She shouted in realization. "Yes. He's probably training by the barracks but…he could take Cobb off my hands…just for the day…just so I can be fully refreshed for the journey."
Suddenly, the back door swung open as Cobb stormed inside. "Wynn! Why did you dump me in the outhouse!? And where's my fishing rod?" He patted his belt but couldn't find it.
But Wynn had more pressing matters to deal with. Like getting Cobb to a babysitter.
"Say Cobb," she began in a voice dripping with sweetness, "I'm really sorry for knocking you out. I was just trying to show you how limited your combat style is."
"I'm still trying things out." He defended as he withdrew a stone sword from his Inventory. "My swordsmanship is good enough at taking out Mobs…but Crafters are way too unpredictable."
That's it! Now was her chance! "Well," she began tentatively, not wanting to tip him off, "if you want some lessons in sword fighting, I know the perfect Crafter for you."
"Who? It's not Erin is it? Because, while her cookies are to-die-for, I don't think the same rules apply to combat—"
"It's not Erin!" Wynn snapped before schooling her features back to calm and understanding. She had the patience. "He's a Captain, just like me. And he's really nice."
"Really? Nicer than you?"
Her eye twitched, but Cobb didn't notice. She had the patience damnit!
"Yes." She managed to say through gritted teeth. "A lot nicer. He'll be sure to teach you the finer aspects of swordsmanship."
Cobb ran a hand through his hair, thinking the offer over, before he finally nodded. "Sure sounds good. So, where can I find him?"
"Just follow me." Wynn cheered in her head as she left the mansion, Cobb following behind. He'd be in for a rude awakening when he saw just how 'nice' the other Captain was.
[Cobb]
I was a bit wary of Wynn's personality change. The last time that happened, she changed my sentence so that I'd be going through dangerous territory.
But maybe it truly was genuine. She was irritable before and snapped at me…and my cookie, but maybe she just needed to blow off steam…by trouncing me in battle. And now she was going to take me to a nice guy that would teach me better swordsmanship.
"Thanks for doing this, Captain Wynn. I really appreciate it." I thanked her as we ascended the plateau's steps. We were heading to the Palace again.
"Oh no need to thank me." Wynn replied with a rather sinister smile. "In fact you might not want to after…" She trailed off, causing me to raise my eyebrow in alarm.
"Uh...what's that supposed to—"
"MOVE YOU MAGGOTS!" Came a thunderous roar. "I WANNA SEE YOU SWEAT! YOUR PERSPIRATION FEEDS ME!"
I covered my ears to keep my ears from bleeding. "Who the hell is screaming?"
"What!?" Wynn shouted. At least I think she shouted. Her question was muffled by both my hands and whoever was screaming. Her hands were covering her ears too in an attempt to tune out the loud yells.
"Who's screaming!?" I yelled again.
"Yes! Someone is screaming!" Wynn answered, not quite understanding my question. "Follow me! I'll introduce you two!"
"Why would I…is he the Captain you talked about!?"
"Yes the weather is nice today!"
"That's not what I said!" I shouted trying to get my message across. "IS HE THE—"
"CAPTAIN WYNN!" The roar sounded closer as a man with a green ponytail and goatee, dark blue eyes, a white button up gakuran (how do I even know what that is?), tan jeans, and wearing diamond armor. "IT'S NOT OFTEN I FIND YOU COMING UP HERE TO WATCH MY MEN TRAIN!"
"I'm actually not here for that." Wynn explained with a cringe, most likely due to the ringing in her ear. "And could you use your inside voice?"
"WHAT!? THIS IS MY INSIDE VOICE!" He shouted with a clap on her shoulder. The guy reminded me of a drill-sergeant and I was beginning to have second thoughts about him training me.
But if Wynn said he was nice then—hang on!...She lied to me!
"I'm hoping you could teach this Crafter," she grabbed me and shoved me towards the loud man, "the basics of swordsmanship. He's going to be journeying through Griefer territory in a few days, and even if he says he doesn't want to train anymore…keep him occupied for the rest of the day."
"Wynn." I whispered pleadingly. "Don't you dare hand me over to—"
"VERY WELL! I WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR A SPARRING PARTNER…SINCE MY MEN ARE A COUPLE OF NANCIES!" He somehow managed to belt the last part out louder, stunning me with his voice and enabling Wynn to make her escape before I could stop her.
She rushed to the edge of the plateau and, to my surprise, just leapt off. Did she realize how high up we were!?
"Wynn!" I shouted out as I ran to the edge. I looked over just in time to see her land perfectly fine before she sprinted back towards the Northern District. "How did—"
"NOT TO WORRY, CORN COBB! MIND IF I CALL YOU CORN COBB!?" The green-haired Captain somehow snuck up behind me, alarming me all the more with his blaring roars. "WYNN HAS LONG SINCE EQUIPPED THOSE WHITE BOOTS OF HERS WITH THE FEATHER FALLING ENCHANTMENT! ANY FALL SHE TAKES, SHE LANDS LIGHT AS A FEATHER!"
Feather Falling? Enchantments? Those terms were still new to me. A lot of things were still new to me. And, as much as I hated to admit it, if I was going into dangerous territory in a few days, I'd have to learn those new things to better defend myself.
Which left me hesitantly following the green-haired Captain…Iron_Lung (how appropriate), to learn better fighting techniques.
"YOU KNOW WHAT!? I DON'T THINK I LIKE THAT NICKNAME!" Captain Iron_Lung loudly voiced his opinion. "I THINK STRING BEAN WOULD BE A MORE APPROPRIATE VEGETABLE TO NAME YOU AFTER! WHAT WITH YOUR FEEBLE STRING BEAN ARMS AND SUCH!"
I waved my arms in front of me. They really were like string beans, but I wasn't going to admit it and give the Captain the satisfaction.
"WELL SOME SPARRING WITH ME OUGHT TO CHANGE THAT!" He gripped my shoulder tightly and I winced in pain.
I miss the Origin Zone!
[Noman]
I was back at the Inn with Spark. She had given the guard the slip the other night, but needed me to purchase another night's stay at the Inn while she stayed invisible.
After paying another two emeralds I sat on the bed while Spark read Notch's message to herself. Even though Notch had specified not to trust anyone…I felt that after everything she's done, Spark deserved to know.
Having her join me on the mission though…I wasn't really sure. She was capable at crafting gear and definitely knew more about items, but at the same time, she wasn't a fighter and constantly stuck to stealth.
And she already had a life, and a goal to help inexperienced Crafters. Was it really right to ask her to leave everything to help me?
Spark closed the book, signaling she read the entire thing and immediately began scribbling stuff down.
[I'M SORRY YOU HAD TO FIND OUT THAT NOTCH WAS DEAD. I HAD NO IDEA.]
[I MEAN, PEOPLE ALWAYS REFERENCED HIM AS A LEGEND AND THE FOUNDER OF THE NOTCH APPLE, BUT THAT'S ALL I REALLY KNEW OF HIM. I SPAWNED WAAAAY AFTER HIS TIME.]
"Notch apples?" I inquired while she scribbled more stuff down.
[OH RIGHT! I REMEMBER THAT TOLL GUARD MENTIONED YOU HAD TEN OF THEM! THEY'RE PRETTY EXPENSIVE ACTUALLY.]
I pulled one of the 'Notch Apples' from my inventory. I had never looked at it closely before, but now I noticed it had a glow comprising of every color in the rainbow.
[IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS NOTCH IS FAMOUS FOR. HE DISCOVERED THAT PLACING BLOCKS OF GOLD AROUND AN APPLE COULD FORM SOMETHING CALLED AN ENCHANTED GOLDEN APPLE. HE LATER NAMED IT A NOTCH APPLE AFTER HIMSELF.]
[IT'S ACTUALLY PART OF A FUNNY FOLK STORY I'VE HEARD.]
She mimed turning a page.
[WEARY AND WEAK ONE NIGHT, NOTCH SOUGHT TO CRAFT A GOLDEN APPLE TO REGENERATE SOME OF HIS HEALTH. HE WAS SO WEARY, THAT ON THE CRAFTING TABLE, INSTEAD OF SURROUNDING THE APPLE WITH GOLD INGOTS, HE SURROUNDED IT WITH BLOCKS OF GOLD.]
[AND AFTER MISTAKINGLY DISCOVERING THE MOST POWERFUL REGENERATIVE ITEM IN MINECRAFTIA, THE FIRST THING HE SAID WAS: 'THE TABLE ATE MY GOLD!']
I laughed lightly at that comment. Mostly because it seemed that the Notch I was building up for so long as a legendary warrior…was just as normal as anyone. In fact he seemed a bit…dumb?
[I SUSPECT THAT'S WHY RINGWOOD'S BANNER IS OF A HAND HOLDING UP A GOLDEN APPLE.]
[IT'S A SYMBOL OF HOW THE GREATEST THINGS CAN COME FROM MISTAKES.]
I had to reread that last line. It was like one of those motivational sayings. And it even had a story tied to it.
I'm definitely going to keep that piece of advice for later use. But back to the whole Notch business.
"If Notch was in the Catacombs, then he was a past King. Does anyone know how he died?"
Spark was already scribbling down her answer. And from the looks of it, it was a big one. She kept crossing out and rewriting words, and her quill danced across the pages. I wondered what complicated answer she could possibly be writing down.
And as she handed me the book, it read:
[I DUNNO.]
[^_0]
I dragged a hand across my face. She had purposefully over-exaggerated her writings to make me think she was writing a novel for an answer.
But with all the book reading, another thought crossed my mind. "What about history books? There has to be something detailing his death, right? Maybe it'd give us a clue to what 'great evil' killed him. Is there a library you can maybe take me to?"
Spark nodded eagerly and was already taking out an invisibility potion. But before she could drink it, I stopped her hand, to which she raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, it's just…" I began hesitantly, not knowing how to breach the topic. "You don't need to be invisible all the time. And you're wasting all the potions you got."
She blinked in surprise before avoiding my gaze. She looked sad and shook her head before again attempting to sip the potion.
But I wasn't going to let up without an explanation. Again, I caught her hand, firmly but gentle, and lowered the potion. "Why don't you want to be seen?"
She didn't move for a moment, as if thinking over her response, before scribbling something down.
[IT'S MY OWN CHOICE.]
And while I read the book, she chugged the invisibility potion before I could stop her. She grabbed my hand while vanishing from sight, and led me out of the Inn.
But I noticed a change.
Her hand that was once so warm and kind…now seemed stone cold.
Something's definitely bothering her…and I bet it's the reason she keeps drinking those potions.
[Floyd]
My pickaxe swung into the rugged ore, excavating it from the stone walls of the mine. A few more and I'd have enough…for iron boots.
The mine was located in the Western District and was primarily for pulling coal out of the ground. But any mineral was fair game and any Crafter allowed to mine…so long as they either paid an entrance fee or gave up 60% of whatever they found.
Being flat-broke, I chose the latter.
I turned to glance at Soul, who was staying quiet, though obviously hating the fact that he had to accompany me. His iron pick hammered into the ground rather violently, giving me an idea of how angry he was.
As I dislodged another chunk of ore, I munched on some fish to refill my hunger. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Soul look towards me. But as soon as I checked, he went right back to his mining. Almost ripping the ore from the ground.
I sighed in exasperation. "Alright look." I began, thinking of the best way to break the tension. Sometimes it was easier just saying something to get the ball rolling. "You hate me. I was a coward and ran away and you hate me for that."
"But…but I hate myself too." I ran a hand through my blue hair and realized how tired I was. "I hate myself and I hate that I have to live with this…this regret."
"But right now, I'm trying my damnedest to go on. To make amends…to…" I closed my eyes as I took another steadying breath.
Soul wasn't looking at me, but at least he had stopped his mining to hear me out. That was something…right?
"I'm willing to go on because I know…knew Silent. And I know that he wouldn't want either of us to be wallowing in sadness over anything."
"We both want to stop the Endward Cult. We're part of a team now." I reasoned. "And you can keep on hating me…but for Silent's sake, please, just stop with the petty silent treatment crap!"
My last words reverberated off the stone walls, leaving a long silence in their wake. Soul was still crouching in his corner, not bothering to look back at me.
After a while of expecting a response, I slowly turned back to mining.
It was after my eleventh piece of ore mined that he spoke.
"I'll trade you some iron for some fish."
I paused mid-swing and turned to see if my ears had not deceived me. Soul was holding up some iron ore and his eyes were focused on me. He still had a sullen frown on his face, but this was progress!
I quickly fumbled at my belt for some fish, preparing to toss him ten. "You don't need to trade me for them, I have enough fish to sha—"
"Iron. For. Fish." He interrupted as he narrowed his eyes.
It was enough to make me momentarily stop my search for the fish, before I acquiesced. He deftly caught it before tossing the iron ore to me. He had mined a lot. Almost enough to meet my needs and the 60% charge rate.
He easily tore through the fish, ravenous over the effort he put into mining. When he finished he wiped his mouth, gave me a curt nod, and returned to mining.
I watched him for a moment before returning to my excavation. Only I wasn't really paying attention or searching for iron.
I had found something of greater value.
Progress.
[Silver Intent HQ]
"Brett. What are you thinking sending those two on the same mission? Can't you see they get along like fire and TNT!?" Cara exclaimed with her hands on Brett's table. "And what about me? One brooding loner with a tragic back-story I can handle. But TWO!?"
"Relax yourself, Cara. You'll get stress lines otherwise." Brett smiled as he stood up from his seat. "I'm sending them together because I want them to reconnect."
"Soul doesn't seem to want that." Cara supplied while folding her arms. She honestly didn't have anything against the new guy, but with his current relationship with Soul, befriending one likely meant angering the other.
She wasn't winning any leadership awards for ostracizing the new guy, but loyalty to elder members...albeit only by a few days...took priority.
Also…on an unrelated note…she was shy around strangers.
The same happened with Soul. Cara was immediately off-put by his depressing mood. But, over time, things changed.
Well, his personality didn't really change, he was still as depressing and cynical as ever…but Cara knew how to handle it better. Like an acquired taste. And the two had become…standard friends.
"What they want doesn't interest me." Brett announced and Cara had to see to make sure it was Brett that said it. He spoke it so coldly. "What matters is how they'll affect the Silver Intent."
He placed his hands behind his back and walked up to the map plastered across the wall. "Did you know, Cara, that people are willing to fight harder if they feel indebted to someone."
Cara just blinked in response, not quite getting what he was saying.
"If Floyd repairs his friendship with Soul, he'll be indebted to the Intent for giving him that chance. And the two of them will have each other to rely on. What I'm doing is making an investment towards Floyd's loyalty." He turned to face Cara. "And that is worth far more than any fair-weather mercenary."
"Which is why I want you to make sure they have plenty of time with each other to…hammer things out." He placed a hand on Cara's shoulder. "Think of this as an extra credit leadership opportunity…to work on the fundamentals of teamwork."
"I…I don't really feel comfortable doing that." Leadership was one thing, but Cara didn't want to manipulate them into becoming friends. That just felt wrong.
Brett gripped her shoulder harder. "We can't think about what's best for ourselves, Cara!" He shook her a little. "What we're doing is to completely eradicate the Endward Cult from existence. We need the absolute loyalty of every member…including yours."
Cara blanched as she tried to extricate herself from Brett's grip. But Brett held firm.
"That's what being a leader is all about. And if you can't carry that burden…" He pulled her so close their noses were touching. "Then you're a liability."
He abruptly released her and walked past to exit the room, not even bothering to look back. He was no doubt going to brew more potions…but Cara was shivering. She had never seen Brett like that. Hell, she had never been alone with the guy before. He was always so calm and friendly…just where did that manipulative side come from?
Was that what being a leader meant? To sacrifice morals for results? That couldn't be right!
Just…just what have I signed up for. Cara thought fearfully as she leaned on the table for support.
It was the first time she saw the dark side of being a leader.
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Stone Sword, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Wooden Pickaxe {Weak}, 1 Wooden Axe, 1 Bow {Weak}, 26 Cobblestone, 12 Flint, 4 Coal, 8 Torches, 1 Minecart, 18 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Clock, 37 Dirt, 2 Signs, 1 Water Bucket, 12 String, 5 Cooked Fish, 23 Baked Potatoes, 54 Cookies, 1 Leather Cap, 1 Leather Boots, 1 Crafting Table, 3 Rotten Flesh, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Entry Pass}
Inventory (Floyd): Wooden Shovel, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Wooden Sword {Weak}, 1 Wooden Axe, 1 Bow, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 3 Sticks, 57 Oak Wood Planks, 15 Cobblestone, 55 Iron Ore, 1 Oak Wood Door, 1 Minecart, 1 Book {Miner's Warren}, 2 Flint, 2 Gunpowder, 9 String, 1 Pufferfish, 12 Cooked Fish, 10 Ink Sacs, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Entry Pass}
Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Diamond Sword {Sharpness I}, 1 Bow {Infinity}, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Wooden Axe, 1 Crafting Table, 2 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Book {Notch Mission II}, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Entry Pass}, 1 Arrow, 1 Glass Bottle, 49 Steaks, 10 Enchanted Golden Apples, 64 Emeralds, 31 Emeralds, 2 Bones, 1 Gunpowder, 12 Rotten Flesh
AN: I really needed this chapter as a breather, considering my last chapter was 13,500 words or so long. It jumped around quite a bit.
The most enjoyable parts for me were the 'fight' between Cobb and Wynn and, strangely enough, the golden apple story.
But overall, this chapter was mostly set-up. For what you may ask?...oh. You didn't ask?
...Well...whatever...I don't care. (Y_Y)