My Craft Chapter 29: Week, a minecraft fanfic

AN: Guess who's returned. Returned again. Cobby's returned. Tell a friend.

Guess who's returned, guess who's returned, guess who's returned, guess who's returned, guess who's-

...

What do you mean that's not how the song goes?

Bah! Well the point I'm trying to make is that I have, in fact, returned from my hiatus. I know I was kind of vague with the whole mysterious Wednesday in February thing. So hopefully, this chapter makes up for it. If it makes you laugh at least once, then I'll feel pretty accomplished.

I also put in a special story intro for Part 2 of My Craft, just below the disclaimer. Y'know, that little space between the top Author note and the chapter title. It's where I also credit my amazing Beta, Void of Shining Darkness.

And since I've put off the riddles for quite a while...Here's another shot at a Victory Cookie. Answer in a PM (or a review if you don't have an account) for a chance to be acknowledged next chapter...yadda yadda...blah blah.

Time for the Chapter already.

Puzzle: A man is pushed out of a 50-story building. He hits the ground...yet lives. How did he do it?

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, the days would last longer.

Beta: Void of Shining Darkness

*==Part II==*

Against all odds, Cobb has survived the first week. What a twist! But between staving off the ire of a vengeful killer, discovering the dark plans of the mysterious Endward Cult, and figuring out how to craft a damn piston, he may be in over his head. Good thing he has a fishing rod!...Is it too late to count him out?

Chapter 29

Week

[Cobb]

"This stinks." I grumbled to myself as I tried to catch up with the others.

*Clip-Clop Clip-Clop*

It wasn't enough that I got my arm broken (which was promptly healed by my health ticking up) or that I had to wake up early for Wynn's mission.

But worst of all was the steed I was forced to ride.

*Clip-Clop Clip-Clop*

Wynn had reserved ten horses from one of the barns in the Eastern District. One for herself (a pristine white), one for me, and one for each of her eight soldiers. Floyd's group was asked to purchase their own steeds, but the purple-haired woman had enough emeralds to cover them.

However, after wasting several minutes explaining to her soldiers the inadequacies of a fishing rod in combating Griefers, Wynn decided to cancel one of the reservations. She thought a change in steeds would be a suitable punishment for my 'misguided' influence over the guards.

*Clip-Clop Clip-Clop*

It's not like it took a lot of time out of our schedule. And it wasn't really my fault for being so awesome with the fishing rod. But still, she saw the need to swap my steed.

*HEE-HAW*

Ah, yes. The humble donkey. As quiet as Captain Iron_Lung and as fast as a three-legged horse. It was the reason I was having so much trouble catching up with the rest of the group.

Wynn preferred to call it a jackass…although it was hard to tell if she was talking to the steed or me.

It couldn't even wear any of the fancy horse armor that Wynn passed out. The only thing it could do was carry additional items through a side chest. Which would be great if not for the fact that the Captain permitted only valuable ores and items found to be placed in the chest. So I couldn't even free up Inventory space!

"Pick up the pace, jackass!" Wynn called from ahead of the group.

I frowned. Reeeeally sounds like she's referring to me…

Well, I just need to survive a week of this. I thought as I urged my donkey (whom I named 'Ace') forward. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

Just seven days.

{Monday}

We had been travelling all day through thick oak woods and grassy terrain. So far, no Griefers had attacked us, though Wynn rained on my parade when she explained that the further away from Ringwood we got, the more likely we'd find Griefers.

Night was approaching, so the Captain found an open clearing and declared it our camping grounds for the night.

"Alright, soldiers…and Cobb." I scowled at the ivory-haired fencer as she dismounted her horse. "It'll be dark soon so best make your shelters now. And they had better meet my standards." As soon as she finished her sentence, the guards scrambled to withdraw axes and chop down trees.

"Wait," I voiced as I carefully dismounted Ace. "We're building our own shelters?"

"Is that a problem?" Wynn inquired lowly, obviously trying to coerce me to back down.

"Yeah it is." My building skills were crap at best and mega-crap at worst. Architects would cringe if they ever saw the Crapshack I built. "A wall I can handle, but there's no way I can build a shelter, let alone one that meets your standards!"

Wynn smirked as she flipped her ivory-hair. "Well that's a shame. Because if you can't build a wooden, one-room shelter with a door, I'm afraid my men will have to follow shelter protocol." Her smirk widened at my confused expression. "It's a protocol that says any shelter not up to my standards must be dismantled. Good luck." She offered a wave as she strode off to make her own shelter.

"Damnit." I groaned and ran a hand through my hair while frantically trying to think of a proper shelter I could build.

Maybe Floyd could help out.

I turned to look for the blue-nette, but oddly found him atop a tree with Soul and the purple-haired woman.

"Now by building above the trees, we can reduce the chances of Mobs attacking." The purple-haired woman explained as she placed some planks down. "Kind of like a tree house."

"Sounds good to me, Cara…so long as you don't set it on fire in your sleep." Soul stated with folded arms.

"One. Time. And I'm not a sleep-walker…or a sleep-arsonist…if that's even a thing." The woman named Cara defended indignantly.

"Then you won't mind if I hold onto your flint and steel?" Floyd suggested as he held out his hand. Cara looked at the two of them as if it was the biggest act of betrayal before reluctantly handing it over.

"Hey!" I called up to the three Crafters with a comical ice-breaker. "How's the weather up there?"

Soul spat out some spit which landed dangerously close to my new tunic. "It's raining." He responded smugly.

I took the spit as a huge insult, but forcibly kept my face passive. "Do you guys have enough room for one more?"

"No weaklings allowed." Soul called down coldly as he resumed building their tree house.

The woman named Cara was far kinder. "Sorry…Cobb was it? But it would be better if just the three of us stay in a shelter together."

I turned to Floyd in the hopes that he could convince them to let me stay…before I remembered that he had to agree with Soul no matter what as per our agreement. So with a dreary sigh, I walked away from their tree house.

What am I gonna do!? I inwardly shouted while glancing at the shelters the guards were making. They were using wooden stairs for roofs! That was the kind of architectural detail I had to match!

Hell, Wynn was using a lighter shade of wood that she apparently brought with her to make her shelter. Talk about a waste of Inventory space.

How am I going to build a shelter when the best I can build is a half-decent wall!?

…

Unless…

"Alright, men! Let's see how you all did." Wynn announced as she strode forward. "Although I'm quite confident that only one person here has failed, it pays to practice the basics of shelter."

While she examined the guards' shelters, giving a few approving nods, I was sweating bullets.

Crap, crap, crap! She means me!

Brain: Cobb, calm the fuck down. It'll be fine.

But what if she—

Brain: She won't if you stay calm.

I took a deep, calming breath and stood beside my 'shelter' as Wynn approached. She stared at it in mild surprise, taking note that it was made of wood, had a door, and appeared as a fairly large and well-built shelter.

"Well, color me impressed, Cobb." Wynn congratulated with a smile. "And here I was expecting a pile of sticks."

"How do you color someone impressed?" I asked.

The smile fell a little from her face. "…I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that because I'm genuinely impressed with your work." She turned to address the guards. "Alright men, rest up! We're heading out first thing tomorrow morning! Don't forget to dismantle your houses when you're done! I expect you to construct the exact same shelters with the exact same materials for the next week."

As she left to retire to her shelter, I let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't noticed.

"Nice job." I turned to see Floyd eyeing my 'shelter' impressively. "You really went all-out for size."

"Heh heh…yeah…all-out." I chuckled nervously while subtlety blocking some of my shelter from view. "I bet your tree house looks way cooler."

"That's…actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Floyd laughed awkwardly. Behind him I could see an embarrassed Cara and a grumpy Soul. "Turns out Cara had a back-up flint and steel…and is a sleep-arsonist…so we don't really have a tree house so much as a smoldering stump."

"Oh really?" I smirked smugly. "So now you guys want to come to my shelter? Well I'm not sure if I have enough space—"

"Please, Cobb." Cara interjected with puppy-dog eyes. "Soul feels really bad about what he said. Right, Soul?"

"Like Hell I—OW!" He rubbed his shoulder where Cara just elbowed him. "Yeah, sure, I'm remorseful or whatever."

"Well…" I adopted a mock expression of contemplation. "Maybe if Soul asks nicely—"

"How about you just let us in before you get two broken arms in one day." Soul growled while displaying his axe menacingly.

"D-deal!" I agreed quickly while keeping my unbroken arms to myself. "But…there's something about my shelter you should probably—"

"Whatever it is, it can wait until after we move our beds in." Soul brushed past me and opened the front door of my shelter…

Only to stop dead in his tracks upon noticing the lack of walls from the inside. I had only built the front wall, propped up like a cardboard cutout (whatever that was), with the hope that Wynn wouldn't perform an elaborate shelter-inspection.

Or look at it from a revealing angle.

I just laughed awkwardly as the realization of my shelter dawned on everyone.

Floyd leaned on the single-walled shelter. "Cobb, I'm pretty sure shelters are supposed to have four walls and a roof. Not just…" He trailed off while gesturing to my creation.

Soul had actually reached for the axe at his belt while glaring at me before Cara restrained him. "Calm down, Soul! Four walls or not, Cobb offered us his shelter and, as guests, it would be rude to assault our host."

"Cara! Let me go!" Soul struggled to get at me while I cowered behind my shelter wall. "I just need to kill him a little bit."

"No! Bad Soul!" Cara chastised with a smack of the shoulder. "Killing innocent people a little bit is wrong. Besides, we can make this shelter work."

"Yeah," I defended defiantly. "And who needs a roof? I mean, it's not like it's raining or any—"

A sudden clap of thunder followed by a near instantaneous downpour cut off my defense.

"You just haaaaad to say that didn't you?" Floyd's dry voice cut in. A tone so dry that even the tremendous rainfall couldn't quench it.

{Tuesday}

I yawned loudly, trying to will myself awake after the lack of sleep I got the previous night. I didn't even think about making a bed, nor did I know how to make one.

Floyd, Cara, and the grumpy asshole were in a similar state, not getting much sleep with the rainfall and chilling winds that cut through my one-walled shelter.

However, Floyd was…worse off somehow. He looked far more tired than his companions. Almost like he didn't sleep at all.

As those thoughts floated through my head, I noticed that we were coming up to a wide river.

Wynn, once again leading the group, turned her horse to face us. "Alright, men. So far we're making good time. But crossing this river will put us straight into Griefer territory. So, before we cross, I suggest we do a bit of mining."

"Yes!" Shouted a short green-haired guard jubilantly. "My time to shine!"

"Settle down, Bitters." Wynn tried to sound professional, but couldn't keep the amusement from her tone. "You'll get your chance."

All the guards dismounted their steeds so I followed their leads. One good thing about Ace was that he was low to the ground. Easy to mount and dismount.

"Cobb, a moment." Wynn beckoned me toward her without taking her eyes off the map she was reading.

I sighed before walking up to her, already predicting what she was about to tell me.

"Any useful resources you find, you're to place in your Ass's chest. They'll go straight towards repaying your emerald debt." I nodded in understanding before she held out an iron pickaxe. "But you'll need this to mine out anything valuable. Don't lose it."

I nodded gratefully as I accepted the pick. "Don't you worry, Wynn."

"That's Captain Wynn or Miss Whispers to you." Wynn shot back with a glare before walking off to construct her shelter.

Sheesh. It's just a name. I turned to see everyone already mining for resources. Floyd and his group were fishing by the river to refill their food stores. I could faintly hear Cara's words.

"…I'll go make our shelter while you two fish for food. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone…"

I outwardly smiled from those words. It showed that Floyd was getting a chance to talk with Soul alone. I was happy that Cara had given them that chance (although was it intentional or not?).

Getting back to my mining orders I looked down at the iron pick in my hands and thought of Wynn. I'll show her. I'll get so many resources that my debt will be paid in no time!

And with a swing of my new iron pick, I dug straight down.

"Alright, let's see what you managed to haul in." Wynn stated to the line of guards standing before her. "Noah."

"Twenty-four iron ore, twelve gold ore, six lapis lazuli, Ma'am!"

"Good." Wynn stated while pointing to a supply chest in the middle of a semi-circle of shelters. "Hollie."

"Thirty-five iron ore, Ma'am."

"Spencer."

"Thirteen iron ore, twenty coal, Ma'am."

"Hmm. Solara."

"Forty iron ore, twenty-five gold ore, two diamonds, Ma'am."

"Oooh, well done. Daniel."

"…Five coal…Ma'am."

"Tsk. You know the rules, Daniel. The person who brings in the least resources has to take first shift. Micah."

"Thirty gold ore, one diamond, Ma'am."

"That's more like it. Liam."

"Thirteen iron ore, nineteen lapis lazuli, fifty coal, Ma'am."

"Good. And last but not least, Bitters." Wynn looked at the short green-haired man expectantly.

Bitters puffed out his chest proudly. "Fifty-seven iron ore, twenty-three gold ore, thirteen coal, eight diamonds, and one emerald, Captain Wynn."

Wynn applauded softly. "Well done, Bitters. Well done." The other guards joined in the applause reluctantly, upset that they couldn't match his resource finding talent, while Bitters bowed modestly.

After finishing her praise, the Captain turned to the final person who wasn't a part of her soldiers. "Cobb. You can present what you found now. And it better be good."

"Oh it is." I grinned confidently while digging through my backpack for the resources I found. I had made sure to keep an eye out for any unknown blocks, feeling that they'd be the most useful.

Sure, Bitters' haul was pretty good, but I was about to blow him out of the water completely.

I gripped a stack of the first resource I found and tossed it on the ground for everyone to admire. "Bam!"

Beautiful reddish stones cascaded across the ground, drawing the eyes of every guard and the Captain. I could almost feel their admiration.

"Pftt…"

The sudden noise caught my attention and I turned to see Bitters stifling a chuckle. The other guards were doing the same. Trying not to laugh at the resources I brought in.

What's wrong with it?

"HA!" Bitters couldn't hold back his laughs any longer. "What a Newb! He thinks granite is a valuable resource! He even brought a stack of it! Hahaha!"

"What?" My face began to heat up as the guards' amused expressions caught my eyes.

And Wynn?

Wynn was frowning deeply, her hair obscuring her eyes and fists tightly clenched.

Uh-oh.

"Wait!" I began in an effort to salvage things. "I-I brought more! Look!" I tossed out stacks of two other blocks I found while mining. One white and one gray.

However, instead of subduing their amused expressions, it only seemed to increase them.

Bitters, by that point, was on the ground, laughing hysterically. "Hahaha! That's diorite! And the other one is andesite! What a Newb! Hahaha! S-stop! The stupidity is too m-much! I'm going to b-bust a gut! Ahahaha!"

I grew more embarrassed as the faces of the other guards reflected Bitters' words. They were laughing so hard they were clutching their sides in pain. Euphoric tears were streaming down some faces and one was laughing so hard that their voice made no sound.

And Wynn.

Wynn was shaking in barely restrained anger with her hand at her rapier. Infuriated that I had wasted time collecting colorful rocks instead of valuable resources to pay off my debt.

A debt that would indefinitely be a thousand times worse if I didn't present something worthwhile.

"Wait I have more!" I tried one last time as I dug through my backpack. There was a gem I found that would surely win back a bit of acknowledgment.

…maybe.

"I found some blue gems besides some lava! I think they're diamonds!" I choked out to stop an advancing Wynn from stabbing me in the family jewels.

"Oh, this I gotta see." Bitters recovered from his laughing fit and fixed his eyes to my backpack, eager to see what 'resource' I brought up. Wynn released her rapier, but kept her hand hovering slightly over it, just in case I made one more mistake.

But not this time.

I pulled out a handful of blue gems and held them out for all of to see. "See? Eight diamonds."

I could feel the gaze of every guard and Wynn upon my hands. This was my last chance to prove my competence, else my reputation forever fall into the gutter of Newbiness.

There was a moment of silence as Wynn took a step back in shock.

Before the whole group erupted into mocking laughter. "He mistook lapis for diamonds! HAHAHA!"

What!? I inspected the gems more closely. Sure enough, they were the same gems I had used for my enchantments: lapis lazuli. In the dim light of the mining tunnel, they must have appeared the same color as Wynn's diamond gear.

Speaking of Wynn…

*SHING*

"No, please, Wynn! Not the balls!"

*STAB*

"AIIIIIIIIII!"

{Wednesday}

"Uh…Cobb?" Floyd questioned with a raised brow. "Why are you riding your donkey that way?"

I was currently sitting on my steed, both legs dangling over one side, instead of straddling him. My legs were clenched together with my hands protecting a certain organ from any further harm.

"No reason." I replied in an octave higher than usual. I cleared my throat and paid more attention to Floyd. "But forget about me. What's with you? You look exhausted."

He had dark rings under bloodshot eyes and he was hunched over his horse. The only time I saw him worse would be when he was almost poisoned to death.

He waved off my concern, almost putting too much force into his wave when he almost fell off his horse. "I'm fine. The picture of health."

"Have you…been getting any sleep lately?"

"Wha?" He slurred as he turned to address me. "Of course I've been getting enough sleep!"

"Floyd. I'm over here. You're talking to a tree."

Floyd lifted his eyelids enough to see that he was in fact talking to a tree before finally turning to me. "Yes. I have been getting enough sleep. My brain is functioning 100%."

Brain: Yeah, my bullshit detector is going 'ding!' He's definitely lying.

I looked at him skeptically, but I didn't exactly have enough proof to claim otherwise. "Alright. Just get extra sleep tonight."

"Mhm." He offered half-heartedly as he urged his horse forward, obviously wanting to escape the topic as soon as possible.

I frowned at his back. I better check what's keeping him up.

"WHOA!" I heard a shout come from one of the guards ahead as his horse reared up.

More horses began to rear up as well, knocking their riders to the ground. Distressed grunts and shouts bounced off the surrounding trees, but a more subtle sound caught my attention.

The sound of glass shattering.

"What's going on!?" Wynn shouted from the front of the group. The next instant, her pristine white horse reared up and flung her to the ground before bolting into the woods.

"Witch attack!" One of the guards (Liam, I think) shouted as he prepped his iron blade. The other guards readied their weapons while I spotted some purple robed figures darting between the trees.

A splash potion of maroon liquid launched from the trees and crashed at Cara's horse's feet, causing it to rear up. "Agh! Whoa, girl!" She tried to calm her horse down, but it was no use as it bolted into the woods, carrying her with it.

"Cara!" Soul called out as he turned his horse to chase after her. Floyd followed after him and I followed after, at a slower pace, on Ace.

Now if Soul was sent barreling into the woods…I might have had second thoughts about following. But Cara was a nice person…at least as far as I knew. Plus, Floyd would probably be worse off if anything happened to his Silver Intent associates.

"Go, Ace, go!" I urged my donkey as fast as I could to keep Floyd's iron clad figure and blue hair in my field of vision. While branches and leaves whipped past my face, I hoped that Wynn and her guards could handle their Witch attack.

I saw Floyd's horse burst through some foliage. I quickly followed and found myself in a small clearing. Cara's horse was knocked over, pinning her to the ground.

Soul and Floyd were just dismounting their horses and readying their weapons.

Because about four purple robed figures darted from the trees to surround Cara.

They looked like Testificates, with the big noses and folded arms, but Helena had never described ones with purple and green robes. Not to mention the odd pointed hat atop their heads.

And…that thing! That monstrous wart on their noses!

By God you could land an airplane on that thing!

…What's an airplane again?

"What the hell is that!?" I shouted, referring more to the blemish on their face than the actual creature.

"They're Witches." Floyd answered back without taking his eyes off the Mobs.

Meanwhile, Soul was busy trying to push the horse off of Cara. "C'mon…horse…budge!"

The Witches, however, were not willing to wait around. They withdrew different colored potions from their sleeves and flung them at Soul and Cara.

Cara quickly armed her bow and shot at one of the big-nosed assailants, but her efforts did little to stop the splash potions that assaulted her and her horse. A whinny of pain escaped the horse's mouth and Soul grit his teeth as the corrosive potions stung his skin. I noticed the familiar green particles representing poison as they swirled around him and the horse.

"Grr! Enough of this!" Soul growled as he took out his iron axe…and hacked at the fallen horse.

Another whinny of pain sounded as the steed vainly struggled to stand up. "Soul!" Cara shrieked. "What are you doing!?"

"Saving you!" Soul responded bluntly as he hacked once more into the horse. It let a strangled cry of pain before cutting off, disappearing in a puff of smoke and no longer pinning Cara to the ground.

Before Cara could argue, Soul scooped her up and dove aside, barely missing another crippling volley of potions.

Floyd was already taking the initiative, fighting two Witches at once, though I noticed his movements were sluggish. Though from lack of sleep or a Splash Potion of Slowness, I wasn't sure.

I tried to run over and help, but one of the Witches intercepted me by throwing an unknown gray splash potion at my feet. I scrunched my eyes, expecting some kind of damaging effect, only to be met with nothing.

I carefully cracked an eye open. I knew the potion hit because gray particles were swirling around me so I examined my arm. There was a tattoo with a dulled sword and a timer reading thirty seconds.

Shrugging at the mysterious potion effect, I withdrew my enchanted golden sword.

Time to test this thing out. I thought to myself as I swung the sword at the Witch that intercepted me.

Remembering how painful Carys' Sharpness Enchanted Sword was, I expected my own to do similar damage to the Mob standing before me. However, just as the blade was about to make contact, I felt my strength begin to wane. Either the blade inexplicably doubled in weight or my already minuscule muscles deflated, turning the sword slash into a sword scratch.

*Kekeke*

The Witch cackled at my feeble sword stroke and I became 60% sure it was because of whatever potion she threw at me.

I tried another strike, but it took all of my energy just to lift the sword above the ground. I was far weaker than normal!

Weaker…

...!

Is that it? She threw some kind of weakening potion at me? I thought frantically. Just how many different potion types were there? And where was the Witch even getting them from? Was she pulling them out of her ass?

While I struggled to hold my sword upright, the Witch pulled out a gray-blue potion and neared me. She smiled wickedly as another of my feeble sword strokes glanced off her purple robes and stuck into the ground. My strikes just didn't have enough power behind them.

She chucked her potion at the center of my chest, and I couldn't twist around fast enough to dodge. It shattered, dispersing gray-blue particles over my body before I felt ten times slower. A Weakness Slowness two-hit combo.

I sluggishly stumbled backwards, weakened muscles straining to keep me upright, before I collapsed onto the ground. My mind desperately tried to get my muscles moving.

Brain: OI! GET THE HELL UP!

But it took an insane amount of effort just to lift my hand, let alone move my entire body. I was stuck.

*Kekeke*

I looked up to see the Witch towering over me, my fear reflected in her cold purple eyes. I was expecting her to kick or claw at me, but instead she simply withdrew a sickly green potion from her sleeve.

Uh-oh.

It crashed onto my face and I howled in agony. The corrosive potion was burning my eyes and blurring my vision. I could feel my health ticking away from the poisonous effects and I was too immobilized to even attempt to wipe the chemical from my face.

But the Witch didn't stop there as I felt her chuck more and more potions on my helpless form. Alternating between Weakness, Slowness, and Poison to ensure I was effectively pinned and dying.

In hindsight it was stupid to engage a Mob I hadn't read in Herobrine's book. Just like the Stickman, the Witch was far out of my league. It was too much of an unknown.

And it was going to cost me my life.

Really wish the last thing I'd ever see…hadn't been that Witches wart!

*Keke—GREEE*

I heard the Witch scream above me followed by a series of hacks and swishes. I was still blinded by the poison in my eyes, but I'd recognize those hacks and swishes anywhere.

Although I really wished I didn't.

"I'm getting really sick of saving you, weakling." Came the gruff voice of Soul followed by the glass neck of a potion bottle being shoved into my mouth. Despite my embarrassment at being called a weakling, I felt a surge of strength pool in my chest from whatever potion was rushing down my throat. It had a burning taste, one that gave me a rush of courage, and I felt my weakness dispel instantly.

I could finally move, but the poison and slowness were still affecting me. Just the act of sitting myself up and wiping my eyes of the poison was made difficult by my sluggishness and injuries. If I threw myself back into the fight, I'd just be a burden. So, with great shame, I could only watch the Silver Intent operatives fight.

Soul had already downed a potion as dark red particles swirled around him, enabling him to attack the Witch head on. His axe whistled before crashing into the Mob's skull and knocking it back. Although were Witches he's, she's, or it's? I had to be positive when selecting appropriate pronouns.

…What's a pronoun?

Whatever. Witches are female.

I watched their fight to gauge each of their fighting styles. Soul's strategy seemed to be strong, relentless attacks before the Witch could respond. And whatever potion he drank seemed to suit his style perfectly.

Meanwhile, the Witch, despite being close to Soul, didn't even bother lashing out with a fist or a swipe. Instead she just rummaged in her sleeve for a proper projectile. It looked like Witches were incapable of close combat, relying solely on an assortment of potions to weaken and subdue an opponent.

They were also pretty durable. The Witch screeched in pain from one of Soul's slashes, but otherwise remained standing. They probably had more Hearts than the standard Zombie or Skeleton.

After another flurry of axe swings, Soul rolled to the left to avoid a Potion of Slowness. The next second, the Witch held a deep red potion up to her lips and downed it in one gulp.

It took me a moment to realize she just drank a Potion of Healing, restoring her Hearts to full.

I couldn't believe it! From all the Mobs I faced, Creepers, Zombies, Skeletons, Spiders, none of them were capable of tactical thought.

But Witches were different. They had a seemingly infinite supply of potions at their disposal and knew exactly what to do with them.

It was no wonder I'd been beaten so easily. Those Witches…

They were strong.

In my careful observations, I noticed an arrow whizzing into a nearby tree. I followed the shot to see Cara, recovered from her tumble and engaging a Witch with her bow. Her black goggles were down and through them I could see a calm focus in her eyes, her bow aimed directly at the Mob.

The Witch kept trying to get to her, but she just kept shooting the Mob back. And any potions the Witch chucked barely landed near the purple-haired archer, making the fight incredibly one-sided.

Then, on the other side of the clearing, was Floyd…or rather a silver and blue blur that could only be Floyd. The electric blue particles of a Swiftness Potion followed him as he circled the Witches, occasionally lashing out with his blade. The Witches tried to counter, but their Splash Potions missed by miles.

Even sipping Potions of Health didn't do much for the Mobs as Floyd's steady stream of slashes whittled their health down. At about the ninth or tenth pass he made, one of the Witches burst into EXP and a mish-mash of loot.

Wow! I thought incredulously. He's all over them.

Suddenly, I felt the sluggishness and pain fade away as three of the four timers on my arm hit zero: Slowness, Poison, and Weakness. The last timer must have been what Soul gave me as it displayed a sharp sword dripping with blood. My Health was finally allowed to regenerate.

Just in time to watch the fights end.

*HACK*

*TWANG*

*SLASH*

Three death wails simultaneously sounded as Soul, Cara, and Floyd finished their respective opponents. Nothing but gunpowder, sticks, and glass bottles remained of the purple-robed Mobs.

I knew I shouldn't have felt bad, being so useless against the Mobs. After all, Floyd and his group succeeded mostly because they had potions of their own. Fighting potions with potions, it just made sense.

But I was disappointed. My sword skills and enchanted gear were useless. And I was so eager to test them out too. Maybe even to repay Soul for saving my life.

Instead, all that disappointment was shoved in my face as Soul brushed past me towards his horse with a mutter of, "Don't make me waste a potion again."

I hung my head low, barely hearing Floyd check to see if Cara was alright.

What I did hear, however, was the sound of several explosions in the distance. And judging by the direction, they were coming from Wynn's group.

The last I saw of them, they were fighting Witches. But the explosions made it sound like they were battling a herd of creepers. Something was wrong.

"Another attack?" Floyd questioned as he turned to Cara. "What should we do?"

If Cara was supposed to be the leader, she wasn't doing a very good job. As she raised her goggles, the focus and determination in her aquamarine eyes was replaced with uncertainty and doubt.

And worry.

She seemed unsure on whether to rush towards the explosions, stealthily investigate the situation, or avoid any further enemies.

But Soul on the other hand...he looked edgy with an eager glint to his red eyes. He had no problem with charging straight into a fight. And with no orders telling him otherwise, he hopped on his horse and rushed towards the explosions like a moth to a flame.

Floyd looked between Cara, me, and Soul's fleeting form for a moment before deciding to follow. Although he was kind enough to leave his horse with Cara, the effects of the Potion of Swiftness still coursing through his body. In a blur of blue and silver, he was gone.

Cara just stood there, hand outstretched in some semblance of leadership, despite the fact that her team had just rushed to who knows what. I felt kind of bad.

"Um…Cara?" I called out to her and that appeared to have snapped her from her moment of uncertainty. "We should go. In case they need help."

"Wh-Oh!...Yeah…yeah, you're right. Sorry." She looked back at where her own steed died, sparing a parting glance before mounting Floyd's horse. She pulled down her goggles before urging the horse forwards.

I quickly found my own steed and spurred him forward in an effort to lift my own spirits. "Ride like the wind, Ace!"

Instead, the donkey let out an obnoxious 'HEE-HAW!' before slowly exiting the clearing, barely keeping pace with Cara.

"The fast wind, Ace." I complained wearily.

The forest was a mess.

The ground was littered with craters and the once dense foliage had been torn apart, apples slowly trickling down the destroyed leaves. Green-capped guards were engaging Crafters wearing a mix of different gear, varying from leather, iron, gold, diamond, and…some material I couldn't place that looked like a woven metallic net. And piles of gear laid strewn across the forest floor, though judging by the lack of green leather caps, I could tell that it didn't belong to any guards.

In short, it was a battlefield.

"Griefers." Cara whispered from beside me as she took out her bow and began shooting any Crafter wearing miss-matched gear.

So these are Griefers? I wondered curiously as I watched a few of them set up several blocks of TNT. They lit it up and retreated just as it exploded, tearing apart the ground and anyone near it. So they caused the explosions. They must have attacked after the Witches.

Wynn was engaging several of them at once, twisting and leaping to abnormal heights (aided by her Potions of Leaping) before swiftly swiping at them with her rapier.

I spotted Soul taking on several opponents as well. Despite being outnumbered, he wasn't the one in trouble. His axe cut through Griefers like a hot knife through butter.

Floyd? He was still aided by his Potion of Swiftness as he darted past enemies. Though this time, he had swapped to his flint and steel, opting to burn his opponents rather than waste his sword durability. The result was a racing blur leaving a trail of fire in its wake. How subtle.

While I was checking how Wynn's guards were holding up, I felt a sharp pain in my back sending me face first into the ground. I turned my head a fraction to the left to see a stone pickaxe sticking out of my back with a grinning Griefer attached to the handle. The name 'Lincoln_Logs' hovering over his head.

"Weak links shouldn't stray from the group!" Lincoln laughed as he lifted his pick to drive deeper into my back. I quickly rolled and withdrew my gold sword to intercept his strike, the point of the pick inches from my face.

"I'm…no…weak…link!" I grit my teeth in exertion as I pushed his pick back. I had already failed against the Witches and I wasn't going to be a burden twice in one day.

The Griefer's eyes widened before narrowing maliciously as he put more effort into his weapon. He was so preoccupied with killing me that he failed to notice putting all of his weight onto one pivotal foot.

If I can hit that foot…I can unbalance him! But…I need a distraction first…

"Hey," I began in what I hoped was a convincing tone. "…why is Carys_Angel behind you?"

"She's what!?" Lincoln's malicious pupils shrunk in fear and his confident demeanor vanished as he whirled his head to confirm my claim.

Too bad for him I was lying.

As soon as he turned his head, I kicked his pivotal foot and heard a distinctive 'CRACK' before watching him crumple to the ground. Immediately I was upon him and slashed with my gold sword. The damage I caused made him roar in pain and he desperately tried to pry me off of him.

As we struggled, I got in another strike with my sword, the Sharpness Enchantment doing its job as the Griefer writhed in agony, cries turning into whimpers.

I raised my sword to finish the weakened Griefer, but his eyes looked pleadingly into mine. He mouthed the words 'please' and 'sorry' while shaking his head. Begging me to spare his life.

I breathed loudly, sword raised above his neck, ready to end his life…but looking into his desperate expression…regret genuinely etched in his face…

I couldn't do it.

As I lowered my weapon, I heard Soul let out a harsh yell. I looked up and saw a Griefer with a bow aimed directly at Soul, the latter having an arrow lodged in his calf.

"Leave." I spoke under my breath to the Griefer as I got off of him and ran to help.

Meanwhile, in the corner of my eye, I saw a Griefer nearing Cara while dodging her flurry of arrows.

Two threats. Two enemies.

The solution?

A light bulb dinged in my head as I swapped my sword for my secret weapon.

"And CAST!" My battle cry sounded across the battlefield and drew the eyes of most of Wynn's guards. Even the ones engaged in battle.

I was about to prove my title as the 'fishing rod champion'…despite the ridiculousness of the title.

I whipped the rod so fast that the hook blurred while sailing towards the Griefer charging Cara. All the while, I was racing towards Soul's injured form. He was still keeping the enemies back with his axe, but the Griefer with the bow still had him in the crosshairs.

I didn't have to look to know that my hook had grasped some article of clothing belonging to my target. The slight tug was all I needed as confirmation.

My eyes were more preoccupied with the Griefer preparing to shoot Soul.

Only when I was a few meters away from Soul did I yank the fishing rod back. Things seemed to move in slow motion and I could feel the eyes of Wynn's guards (and even Wynn herself) as they watched my action.

The Griefer charging at Cara was yanked off his feet by the fishing rod and was pulled towards me just as the archer Griefer fired several arrows.

The Griefer sailed towards me.

The arrows were thirty meters away from Soul.

The Griefer flailed through the air.

Twenty meters.

I got in between the arrows and Soul.

Ten meters.

The Griefer was nearing the end of his arc.

Five meters.

In one fluid motion, I caught the airborne Griefer and held him in front of me at arm's length.

"Human Shield!" I cried out with scrunched eyes, just as the volley of arrows impacted the Griefer held in my arms. He cried out in pain, distress, and 'what the fuck' levels of confusion as he was pelted with projectiles.

However, his pain didn't last long when the final arrow took out his last Heart and he exploded, showering the ground with his odd assortment of gear.

The archer Griefer was bewildered by the sudden change in targets, but the real reaction came from Wynn's guards. Even in the heat of battle, there were awed expressions, shocked gasps, and other sounds of amazement. Even the Captain looked slightly amazed, until she schooled her features and refocused on her opponents.

She's impressed. I thought smugly while covering Soul.

He quickly got to his feet and pressed his back against mine as the Griefers surrounded us. "Don't think this means I owe you!" He growled in embarrassment. "You may have saved me this time, but I've saved you twice!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're the one making it a competition."

Honestly, Soul had a lot of nerve talking about life saving-debts in the middle of a Griefer attack. That kind of crazy, stupid nonsense…

…Was something that I would usually do! And he was stealing my thunder!

Heart: Cobb! Focus! And—DUCK!

"Whoa!" I ducked on instinct and avoided a sword swipe that was easily deflected by Soul before he dispatched the attacker.

Heart: Duck!

Another ballsy Griefer took a swing at me with a stone hoe. Again, beaten back by Soul.

Brain: Goose.

Brain's deadpan warning threw me off enough for a Griefer to sock me in the lower jaw. I skidded backwards and tried to recover from the stunning blow.

Heart: Brain, you moron! What were you thinking!?

Brain: The opportunity was too good!

Can you guys keep the jokes until AFTER I'm not in danger!? I internally screamed. Just as I was about to reach for my sword, I stopped and took notice of Soul taking arrow hits. Apparently the Griefers has wised up, opting to pelt Soul with projectiles instead of cross his axe.

But if I could get them within his range…

…

No! We'd have to work together for that to happen and Soul can't stand the idea of owing me, let alone cooperate with me! But if I don't figure out some way to make him listen—

Lungs: *Sigh*

Heart: Good thinking Lungs! Cobb, Lungs says that you're going about things all wrong! Instead of telling Soul what to do, try and make him want to do what you want him to do. Then he'll follow your lead!

Make him…want to...?

Heart: Work to his strengths. In what way would Soul actually want to help you?

…Ohhhh! I get it! Finally some helpful advice!

"Hey, Soul!" I called out as I readied my fishing rod. "You tired of not being able to hit these guys?"

"Gee Cobb, I don't know!" He replied sarcastically. "Is the sky blue!?"

"Actually, I'd say it was more of a cerulean—"

"YES!" He shouted exasperatedly as he dodged another handful of arrows. "I want to hit something!"

"Alright, then get ready with your axe." I called out as I cast towards one of the archers and snagged him by his pant leg. With a hearty tug, the Griefer was pulled off his feet and dragged within Soul's axe reach.

Soul raised his eyebrows in surprise, but only for a second before a grin broke his stoic mask. He raised his axe and swung at the downed Griefer, obliterating him like all the other enemies on the receiving end of his weapon.

"Again!" Soul called out as he readjusted his axe grip.

I quickly complied, this time snagging an archer Griefer by the sleeve and pulling him through the air. Soul leapt up and cleaved through his foe like—like an axe…through a body.

…Metaphors were hard to make up during battle.

Anyway, we continued our 'reel and hack' strategy until the surrounding Griefers thinned out. By then, Soul was smirking and twirled his axe menacingly, which inadvertently frightened what was left of our enemies.

"Nghh!...Fall Back!" One of the Griefers shouted while running into the thick woods. The other Griefers looked conflicted over abandoning their fallen comrades, but ultimately decided to run to fight another day.

"Like we'd let you escape!" Soul shouted as he prepared to sprint after them. I, however, grabbed him by his military jacket. "Wha—Hey, let me go!"

I wanted to tell him that hunting fleeing enemies when they no longer wanted to fight was unnecessary. But remembering my internal organs advice, I opted for a different method.

"This is Griefer territory." I explained as convincingly as I could. "They know these woods better than any of us. Chasing them is just going to get us lost and waste our time. And don't you have a Silver Intent mission to get to?"

At first, Soul looked annoyed by my interference. But after I said my argument, he considered my words. I could see it in his eyes as he put two and two together. And he probably killed enough Griefers to satisfy his violent streak.

But before he could reply, a loud shriek filled the air. It was the same strangled cry that sounded whenever a Crafter died.

Soul and I whirled our heads to see whether the victim was friend or foe.

What we saw was Floyd standing over a pile of gear with his iron sword held loosely. He had a pained expression on his face and looked a little worse for wear.

"Floyd. You alright?" I called out as I jogged towards him.

Floyd didn't respond as he sat down upon the grass.

With the last of the Griefers already fleeing into the woods, Wynn sheathed her rapier at her belt and turned to her soldiers. "Is everyone still alive?"

Several mumbles of 'ma'am, yes ma'am' ensured that we had all survived. Even Cara was alright as I saw her standing besides several trails of fire, black goggles over her eyes and flint and steel in her hands. Judging by the piles of loot surrounding her, I'd say she took out quite a bunch of Griefers.

Though, the weird thing about her was that she just stood there looking at us interact. She could obviously see Soul, Floyd, and I talk with each other. But, even though she was supposed to be the leader of their Silver Intent group, she didn't bother checking up on her teammates.

As she lifted the goggles from her eyes, I saw how hesitant and awkward she looked. She also looked depressed.

Then she looked surprised when she finally noticed me staring at her. She quickly averted her eyes before walking off towards Wynn.

What's with her?

"Hey, Floyd. What's up with you?" I heard Soul direct his question towards the blue-nette and I quickly turned to see what the matter was.

It was only then that I saw the Head of the Griefer that Floyd had just killed.

It was Lincoln. The guy that had stabbed me in the back with a stone pick.

The guy I had told to leave when he begged for mercy.

Floyd just looked straight ahead, not even turning to Soul as he answered his question. "That Griefer…Lincoln…he tried to kill me…he almost did too…but Cara shot him…and that gave me the chance to turn the tables."

"Okay…but that's a good thing. You defended yourself right?" I questioned tentatively, trying to shake the weird feeling of mine. I think it was a mix between betrayal and guilt. I had decided to spare Lincoln, told him to leave, but instead of follow my advice, he turned around and attacked someone else.

If he had killed Floyd…

Floyd just shook his head. "As soon as I had him pinned…he begged me for mercy…said he was just following orders…that he didn't want to kill anyone…But I didn't care. I killed him on the spot."

Floyd's words cut into me. He…killed a defenseless Crafter?

Soul nodded approvingly before giving Floyd a comforting pat on the back. "You did the right thing Floyd. That guy was obviously lying, saying whatever he could to escape his fate. If he had any remorse, he wouldn't have tried to kill you in the first place."

Floyd visibly brightened at Soul's comforting words. It was probably the closest thing to progress he had made in reconciling with Soul.

I should have felt happy for him.

So…why didn't I?

As if he remembered something important, Floyd turned to me looking apologetically. "I'm sorry, Cobb. I know you probably would have let him go…but I was fed up with people trying to hurt me…and trying to hurt my friends…I just couldn't stand it anymore."

I felt a pang of guilt over Floyd's words. Here he was, apologizing for killing a foe that had already given up. Only that foe wasn't as defenseless as he pretended to be. Lincoln used his lies to play on my mercy. And he almost killed Floyd because I was too lenient.

Maybe Soul was right.

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. "You…did what you had to do. Lincoln—the Griefer—told the same lies to me when I cornered him in our battle. Only I believed him…then he went after you. Soul's right. He was just saying whatever he could to live."

Floyd's looked surprised at my revelation before his expression morphed into disgust. "So the guy would have gone after someone anyway? And to think I felt guilty for killing him!" Floyd kicked out against Lincoln's Head in frustration.

Soul nodded with a frown. "You get it now? Those are the kinds of people we're up against. No honor. No morals. And dangerous."

I didn't speak against what the axe wielder was saying. Soul wouldn't have shown mercy to any enemy. And in Lincoln's case, he would have been right.

Being a survivor, Soul understood vengeance more than anyone. He was done taking chances. Done with loose ends that could come back and attack his friends.

But…that just wasn't me.

{Thursday}

It was around noon. The trees were beginning to thin out as we approached two looming mountains, one of which being obscured by ugly thunderclouds. After all the craziness yesterday, I was glad we hadn't run into any more Griefers. Just standard Mobs for the most part.

As for Cara, she had become pretty subdued after what happened to her horse. Not to mention she had to jog and continuously keep up her Hunger just to stay with the group. She was slightly faster than Ace, but not by much.

More importantly, after yesterday, a couple of Wynn's guards asked if I could train them in the ways of the fishing rod. My heart was telling me 'Yes'…but the look in Wynn's eyes was screaming 'Danger! Danger! Danger!'

So, in the interest of self-preservation, I went with Wynn's suggestion.

I looked ahead to see how Soul and Floyd were doing. I was expecting a friendly conversation, but instead discovered Floyd hunched over his horse, desperately trying to keep his eyes open. If Soul noticed anything, he didn't show it.

Son of a—when is he going to get some sleep!? In all of yesterday's excitement, I had forgotten to check on Floyd's sleep patterns. Though it didn't take a genius to figure out he stayed up all night.

Again.

Just when I was about to urge Ace forward to talk some sense into Floyd, the Captain cleared her throat to gather everyone's attention.

"Alright men!...and Co—"

"Still not funny the umpteenth time you've said it!"

The Captain narrowed her eyes but continued as if uninterrupted. "Ahead of us lie two mountains. Blitz Peak, and the vastly more infamous Caerbannog Mountain."

Several worried gasps pierced the air, one of which came from Cara, as the guards whispered among themselves fearfully. However the only thing I could register was how stupid the name 'Caerbannog' was.

Bitters was the first to voice his concerns. "Captain, shouldn't we avoid crossing that valley at all costs? I mean, with all the deaths—"

"I'm well aware of the risks, Bitters." Wynn replied calmly. "But the route between those two mountains is the quickest way to Daymonte. Otherwise, we'd be delayed by two days…and most likely cross some ill-intentioned Griefers."

"But…the Valley Beast will surely—"

"We're going through that valley." Wynn stated brusquely. However, she realized her mistake after seeing her guards share several hesitant glances. "But we'll do things carefully. Check the surroundings. Scope things out. See if the Beast is out of its cave. Nothing risky, I assure you." She speculated. "I will not risk the lives of my men."

The guards visibly calmed down, though faint trickles of fear still remained. Bitters grimaced in worry but otherwise remained silent, respecting his Captain's wishes.

It was very strange. Wynn's guards seemed confident in my eyes. Ready for anything. And after witnessing their combat prowess against the Griefers, it was no wonder why Wynn had handpicked them. Yet here they were, shivering in fear over the idea of trekking through a valley. One inhabited by a supposed 'Valley Beast'.

And even Wynn seemed to be scared of it.

But what could it be? What could risk the lives of guards so powerful? Was it a type of Mob? A Creeper that shot exploding lasers from its nipples? A Zombie the size of a building that breathed fire…and shot exploding lasers from its nipples!?

My excessive imagination involved a lot of nipple-based exploding lasers, but the fear of not knowing was starting to affect me.

What Beast lied within the valley?

I urged Ace forward to catch the rumors flying around concerning the unknown Valley Beast.

"…equal parts demon and unholy abomination…"

"…killed thousands…"

"…eyes as red as the devil's…"

"…teeth as sharp as daggers…"

Not hearing any nipple lasers, but still sounds like a terrifying monster.

As we continued towards the valley and nervous chatter continued amongst the guards, I noticed some signs ahead. And they were just as ominous as the rumors.

'TURN BACK!'

'DANGER! Valley Beast's Den Ahead! Leave Now To Keep Your Head!'

'Beware Its Monstrous Strength!'

'Otto's Discount Furniture! Great Chairs For Great Prices!'

Okay, so the last one was an advertisement rather than a warning. But still, I was terrified.

Instead of staying level with the ground, Wynn guided us towards a sloping trail with dense foliage for cover. She also made sure that our formation changed so we were more bunched up as opposed to a single file line.

Silently we trekked up the trail. Nobody dared say a word for fear that the Valley Beast was already watching. Listening to the voices carried by the wind. Waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander into its clutches.

Just what the hell are we facing!?

The trail split and leveled out near some dense shrubbery. Just behind the greenery was a cliff overlooking the entire valley below.

The valley was rather small and jagged with various boulders and rocks making up the terrain, some with deep gouge marks. Almost as if something clawed at them.

A stream may have existed at one point, but it was all dried up now. And where the mountains met the valley, there were only steep, rocky slopes, making the whole thing look more like a hollowed canoe.

Oh, and there was a bunch of gear too. Yup. Scattered around were piles and piles and piles of gear. Diamond chestplates, potions of various colors, swords and tools of all shapes and sizes, rare blocks. And Crafter Heads. Hundreds of them.

All that deceased Crafter gear was strewn about in a semicircle. And at the very center, indented into the base of one of the mountains, was a large, shadowy cave. Even the noon-day sun couldn't illuminate its sinister darkness.

And if ever there existed a site where a dangerous monster lurked, it would definitely be the spooky-ass cave.

It's always the spooky-ass cave.

And for once I seemed to be right as a few guards fixed that cave with the same terrified gaze. The others, as if they feared staring too long would cost them their souls, merely focused on their Captain for support.

Wynn's eyes narrowed as she peered over the bushes to determine if it was safe to cross the valley. Aside from claw marks and the hundreds of deceased Crafter Heads, there was no sign of any Beast.

I quickly sidled up to Wynn and spoke in a hushed whisper. "So, Captain Wynn," I began, remembering her title, "what can you tell me about this 'Beast'?"

Wynn kept her eyes trained on the cave, watching for any sign of movement. "This thing is worse than the rumors make it out to be." She replied grimly. "If the Heads aren't enough of an indication, the Valley Beast is capable of slaughtering hundreds of Crafters simultaneously. I was fortunate—or unfortunate—enough to survive an expedition crossing this very valley. But my companions…" She trailed off, but I got the picture.

And the picture was only getting scarier and scarier.

"On a scale of one to Carys…how terrifying would you say this thing is?"

Wynn raised an eyebrow, but kept her eyes focused forwards as she thought on it. "I'd say a solid Carys."

Damn…

"What does this thing even look—Gak!" Wynn shoved a hand to my chest, cutting off my words as her eyes widened in fear.

"There it is!" She hissed. "Everyone get down!"

I followed her orders (more out of fear than obedience) and the rest of our group followed. Floyd…yeah, Floyd was already passed out on the ground. Snoozing off all the sleep he didn't get.

I listened carefully for any sound of the Valley Beast, some roar or howl or slither, but heard nothing. Was it possible it was one of the strong silent types of Mobs? Like Creepers?

Curiosity winning over fear, I steadily inched my head upwards to see the Beast for myself. As my eyes cleared the bush and scanned the rocky valley for any signs, I felt beads of sweat collect on my brow. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I glanced this way and that, thinking I glimpsed a part of the creature when only it was a stray piece of gear.

But then I saw actual movement near the mouth of the cave. A dot of white against the otherwise shadowed cavern.

It was…

Oh, wait…no, just a rabbit.

I nearly shit myself thinking I had seen the Beast. The sun must have been getting to me to make me mistake a cuddly bunny for a deadly monster.

Although if the rumors about the Valley Beast were true, that adorable, white bunny wouldn't be living for very long.

I scanned the rest of the valley again, but found nothing resembling a monster. Where had Wynn seen it?

I leaned towards her. "Captain. I think the Beast went back into its cave."

Wynn carefully poked her head up to check, but her eyes widened fearfully before she ducked back down. "Cobb! It's still there!" She whispered.

"Huh?" I looked back across the valley, expecting to see something remotely monstrous, but there was nothing. Just a brave rabbit lounging in front of a figurative 'lion's den'. "Where?"

Wynn poked her head up again and pointed directly towards the mouth of the cave. "Are you blind? There!"

I followed her finger and squinted my eyes, while tilting my head to get a better look. "Is it behind the rabbit?"

"It is the rabbit!"

"Ah…"

…

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" I shouted in outrage, voice echoing across the rocky valley.

I couldn't help it. The journey to the valley had been one big build-up for some killer monstrosity. The tense atmosphere, the warning signs, the hushed whispers from the guards, Wynn's trepidation. And what was the pay-off? What was the big scary monster?

A damn bunny rabbit!

"THAT'S what you were so worried about this whole—MMPH!" A hand slapped down on my mouth. Fastest way to shut someone up.

"Cobb! Keep quiet!" Wynn half shouted, half whispered as she glanced back at the rabbit. "Blast! It's seen us!"

The guards began to panic at their Captain's words. A few of them were already in position to sprint back the way they came, while only two or three of them awaited Wynn's orders.

Soul walked up to get a better look at the 'horrifying' Valley Beast. "Is that really what we're so worried about? I was expecting some kind of fire-breathing dragon or something. There's not, like, some other dangerous creature using the bunny as a decoy?"

Wynn shook her head with her hand still clamped over my mouth. "I assure you two that that is no ordinary rabbit. It's the most demonic, foul-tempered rodent in Minecraftia."

I finally pushed her hand off my mouth to retort. "Oh, yeah? What's it going to do? Wiggle its nose? Shake its fluffy tail at us!?"

"How can you be so narrow-minded!?" Wynn shouted, not even bothering to keep her voice down. Probably because everyone was yelling and any 'Valley Beast' in the vicinity would have already killed everyone. "Just look at all the piles of gear and Heads! You think those just magically wound up there?"

"I was ready to piss my pants after the descriptions you made!" I argued while pointing to the innocent-looking rabbit. "Whatever Beast killed those Crafters couldn't have been something so small!"

Wynn dragged a hand over her face before taking notice that the rabbit was hopping towards us. "Nghh! I don't have the time for this! We need to leave before that thing gets any closer." Her guards looked relieved at her order of retreat as she got up to leave.

But I still couldn't believe it. "You're actually serious?" I asked incredulously. Soul too, looked skeptical at Wynn's claims.

"Yes! Now let's get out of here!" She rounded up her guards, but I stopped her with an outstretched hand.

"Wy—Captain Wynn. You're honestly going to let a rabbit delay us? I've seen you take out thugs bigger than that thing!"

Wynn scowled. "While I appreciate your compliment, 'that thing' is a killer beyond even my skills."

Were my ears working properly? Nothing about the situation made sense. There was no way a bunny rabbit could be ferocious enough to be the center of the 'Valley Beast' rumors.

Although…I was rumored to have killed the unstoppable Carys_Angel when in reality I was no better than the average Newb. Could it be the same thing for the rabbit? Was it possible that the rabbit had just been fortunate enough to push a Crafter off a cliff or into a hoard of Mobs, thus sparking the 'Valley Beast' legend?

Or maybe there was a bigger conspiracy at work. Maybe a group of Crafters were using the valley as a base of operations. And to keep nosy Crafters away, they fabricated a false monster and scattered Heads and loot around an innocent rabbit, thus presenting the illusion of a dangerous monster. The warning signs could also have been part of that ruse.

Or perhaps Wynn was just messing around. Trying to demonstrate my newbiness to her guards by convincing them to talk about a dangerous creature. All to see if I would believe that a rabbit could be a vicious killer.

Whatever it was, I was sure fiction was stranger than truth.

I shook my head in defiance. "Wynn…are you sure that rabbit is what attacked—"

Wynn silenced me with a fierce glare. "You think I'm joking around? You think I don't know when something tries to kill me? You think that thing is an innocent bunny!?" She seethed before confidently gesturing to the valley below. "Well if you're so convinced it's a cute, cuddly bunny, then why don't you go down there and give it a great, big hug! Go on!"

She egged me on while the eyes of every guard watched us carefully.

"Okay." I shrugged indifferently before I moved forward and slid down the rocky slope into the valley.

Behind me I could hear Wynn's frantic commands. "Cobb—No! I wasn't serious! Get back up here! Now!"

I just rolled my eyes. It sounded like she didn't want to admit to her soldiers that she mistook a rabbit for a threat. And although I was bound to follow her commands as per my agreement with Ringwood's King, technically, I was following her commands when she asked me to give the rabbit a big hug. I was just neglecting her other orders that were warning me not to get near the rodent.

As the slope leveled out, I was struck by how quiet the valley seemed. As if no living thing had ever existed there.

Over by the cave, the rabbit was slowly hopping towards me. It was probably curious about all the yelling and wanted to greet me.

How adorable!

As I walked forward to meet the rabbit, I took notice of some piles of gear containing a few bluish orbs I recognized as Ender Pearls. I quickly grabbed three of them, remembering how useful they were in escaping Carys.

I would have helped myself to some of the other gear littered around, but my Inventory was actually completely full. I had to shift through everything to see what to keep and what to toss. But seeing as how I was surrounded by rare ores, gems, superior armor, weapons, potions, and more, I was certain a little Inventory management could better arm me for battle.

While I was debating whether to ditch a glass bottle or a stick, the small bunny rabbit finally made its way over to my location. It looked up to me with a curious expression.

"Ah, hey there, little guy." I smiled as I moved to pet it. "You're not going to kill me are you?"

I said it jokingly, but before I could pet the small creature, I stopped as I noticed its eyes for the first time.

Blood red. With slit pupils.

…Since when do bunnies have slit pupils?

As soon as that thought registered, the bunny leapt with astonishing speed and fastened its shockingly razor sharp teeth into my wrist.

…

OW!

But the bunny didn't stop there. Still carried by the momentum of its jump, the bunny shot over my shoulder, teeth still fastened into my wrist, before it twisted in midair and flipped me over its fluffy bunny ears. Only at the zenith of the flip did the creature finally release its jaws, sending my spiraling towards the rocky slopes before I crashed with a sickening crunch.

I let out a low whine of pain as I struggled to comprehend what the hell just happened. Pain shot through my back and wrist as I struggled to my feet. And my Health Meter read that I took four Hearts of damage from that one attack. Though I was sure the damage would have been greater if not for my Protection Enchanted gear.

However, my damage assessment was interrupted as the bunny leapt at me with claws extended to rip me to shreds. I yelped in fear before rolling to the side a second before its claws raked across the rocky slope, leaving deep gauge marks where my head would have been.

…Okay. I sweat-dropped as I slowly backed away from the definite 'Valley Beast'. Maybe Wynn was right after all…

I withdrew my gold sword and swung at the tiny demon, but the Beast zigzagged between some boulders before coming up behind me. It knocked me to the ground with a swipe so powerful it felt like a sledgehammer to my exposed back. Then it sunk its teeth into my boot leg and swung me around before sending me skidding across the ground towards its cave.

"GAH!" I shouted out as I heard the sound of something tearing. When I finally skidded to a stop, I checked my Health again to see I was at three Hearts.

To make things worse, that last hit had torn my leather boots, destroying them and their protective armor. My leather tunic and leather cap were still holding up well enough, but realizing that Wynn's descriptions of the Beast were accurate, I knew I had to escape fast.

Again I tried to get on my feet, but I stopped when a shadow loomed overhead. I looked up and shrieked in horror at the furry Beast silhouetted against the sun. Its fangs were bared and its eyes looking particularly demonic as it lunged at me.

Panicking, I slipped getting to my feet and allowed the Valley Beast to land by my head before it gripped the scruff of my hoodie and easily lifted me in the air. It then proceeded to violently shake me back and forth like a ragdoll.

If it wasn't me being tossed around, the whole scene of a small rabbit brutally beating up a Crafter would have been hilarious.

Unfortunately, it was me.

The sights of the valley whirled and blurred in my vision as the Beast mercilessly shook me. "Wyyyyynnnnnn, heeeeeeellp! I waaaaaaaaaaas wrooooooooooooong! Horribly, horribly WROOOOOOOONG!" I shouted fearfully, but my distressed cries were too drawn out by the rapid movements. My neck was screaming in pain from the whiplash and I was screaming in pain from the whiplash!

Just when I thought the Beast was slowing down in its violent torture, it would speed back up again, apparently content in whipping me around until I exploded into a shower of gear.

"Cobb!" I heard the Captain's distinct voice and I felt my hopes soar. She had actually come down into the valley, right into the Beast's lair, to save me.

I always knew she cared!

"You're doing great Cobb!" She called out encouragingly. "Keep it distracted just a bit longer!"

…

That little, good-for-nothing—!

This is just like her bait plan with Kane's men! How could she be so cruel!? I'm going to die here, Wynn!

Judging by the slowing down of the Beast's shakes, I guessed that I didn't have long before it tired of jerking me around. Then it would most likely rip out my throat or something and 'poof'! No more King_Cobb.

The slower jerks and shakes enabled me to finally see what I was doing and where everything was. I spotted Wynn leading her guards up the opposite end of the valley. They actually had used me as a distraction to sneak past the Beast.

The traitors…even though it was my fault for being reckless…

Nope, screw it! They're traitors!

Floyd would have probably helped me…if he wasn't already dozing off. I saw Cara and Soul carry him across along with the guards.

The most fortunate thing going for me was that the rabbit was indeed slowing down with its shakes. So, taking the opportunity of actually being able to see, I reached a hand into my backpack to withdraw one of the ender pearls I had found. After all, they had already saved me from one red-eyed demon. What was one more?

Finally grasping the spherical object, I withdrew it from my backpack and prepared to lob it towards Wynn's group. However, during the middle of my throw, I felt my hoodie jerk quickly to the left, throwing my aim, and the pearl, far off the mark and into the sky.

Oh God…where is that thing going to land!?

The Beast, finally tired with its game of 'shake the Newb', slammed me into the ground, taking out another chunk of health.

I gasped for air as the attack drove the wind out of me while the bunny, done with its defenseless prey and satisfied with instilling newfound fear in me, simply hopped back towards its cave. But not before scraping a bit of dirt over me like I was some kind of turd it had taken.

I weakly crawled away, silently thanking whatever existing Minecraftia Gods that I was still alive. Remembering the pile of potions I saw among the dead Crafter loot, I sifted through it for any Healing or Regeneration Potions before successfully locating one. I had to toss the glass bottle in my Inventory to make room, but it was worth it as the pink particles of regeneration swirled around me. Plus, the glass bottle zoomed back into my Inventory as soon as I finished the potion, leaving me with two glass bottles.

As my Health gradually came back, I soon felt well enough to move from a crawl to a hobble. Once I was far enough away from the Beast's cave I heard someone running towards me.

I looked up expecting an awakened Floyd, but was surprised to see Wynn. "Cobb! Are you alright?" She kneeled beside me and checked my arm to verify my Health was, in fact, ticking back up before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Y-yeah…just a little…shaken up…" I said without realizing the pun I had just made.

Wynn draped my arm over her shoulder and supported my side with her other arm as she half-supported half-carried me out of the valley. I looked across to see that her guards were all waiting with bows drawn in case the Beast tried to pursue, though I doubted they would manage to hit the thing. Not to mention, the demon rabbit had already grown bored beating the crap out of me.

When we finally reached the other side of the valley, my Health was full enough to walk on my own. "Thanks, Wy—Captain Wynn, but really I'm okay to walk."

"Are you sure?" The Captain asked with concern.

"Positive." I nodded.

"Good." Just then she grabbed a fistful of my hoodie and lifted me off the ground. Her expression morphed from concerned to harsh in a second. "Because the next time you disobey my orders and do something stupid like that, you're going to WISH that rabbit killed you!"

"Uh…b-but technically…I obeyed your orders when you asked me to go give the rabbit a hug…so—"

"And technically you might find a certain rapier shoved up a certain hole of yours that may or may not inhibit your ability to go to the bathroom the same way again." Wynn threatened in a low growl. "Understand?"

I gulped and nodded quickly…only suddenly, I felt my entire being fade away through Wynn's grip. And with an instantaneous speed I was vaguely familiar with, I raced away from her and her guards.

In a blink, I was standing on the cliff of a tall mountain, taking a bit of damage from the instant teleportation. Apparently the ender pearl I had thrown had landed on the side of the Caerbannog Mountain.

I looked over the side where I could just make out the forms of the green-capped Captain and guards. Perhaps it was best to give Wynn time to cool off. She seemed quite upset.

So ender pearls hurt the user. Guess I shouldn't spam these things then. I thought as I held up my remaining two pearls.

…

But then how am I going to get down?

{Friday}

I munched on some cooked fish while Wynn checked the ores I mined. I had to store my weakened wooden pickaxe and weakened bow in Ace's chest just to make the space, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to gain anything.

It was nighttime and we had decided to make camp in a clearing. The other guards had already showed the Captain their haul and were now making their shelters. As for Floyd, he was still looking exhausted, albeit much happier, as he followed Soul while carrying shelter building supplies. Ever since the Griefer attack on Wednesday, the two had been getting friendlier with each other.

However, the third member of their team still looked gloomy. Cara sulkily prodded at a flower with a stick, not even bothering to give out orders as the 'leader' she was supposed to be. I wondered if losing her horse had had a larger effect on her attitude than her team realized.

Making a mental note to ask Floyd about her, I returned my attention to Wynn just in time for her to nod in approval before returning my ores. "Twenty iron ore and six gold ore. That'll do for now. Next time, be on the lookout for diamonds. They have a light-blue color to them. Not dark blue. Light-blue."

"Yeah, yeah. I got my mistake." I rolled my eyes as the memory of Tuesday's lapis incident crossed my mind. But since then, Wynn had been making it a point to teach me which ores were more valuable, what they looked like, and which levels of earth I was most likely to find them at. It made mining a lot easier. "Only problem is, my pickaxe is almost out of durability."

Wynn raised an ivory brow. "You went through a fresh iron pick that quickly? But it should have—oh…right…you wasted it on useless rocks." I could only scratch my cheek sheepishly. "I guess you can use the iron you dug up for a new pick, since you're using it to get more resources."

I nodded in understanding as I moved to place my crafting table, finishing my last fish in the process. Remembering the furnace recipe, I plunked down eight cobblestone, set the newly made furnace down, popped in a lump of coal and three iron ore, and sat down to wait.

While the iron cooked, my stomach growled in hunger. However, since I just finished one of my food options, I didn't want to waste anymore of the good stuff. Cookies, pumpkin pies, baked potatoes. All of them were such delectable choices. But I couldn't rely on the rich stuff forever.

So instead, I pulled out some of the old, dry rotten flesh. Although, was it possible for rotten flesh to go bad since it already was bad?

Those were some of the questions that I had to take a step back and ask myself.

*Arf*

My heart jumped at the sudden noise and I turned to see a white wolf wagging its tail and looking up at me. I had only glimpsed wolves in Ringwood, never getting close enough to actually touch one. Though this particular wolf looked younger.

"Uh…Wynn?" I called out, being careful not to do anything to antagonize the pup.

Wynn, however, ignored me. Content with building up her shelter.

"Wynn!" I called out again. "Did you hear me?"

"Oh, I heard you." Wynn responded without turning to look at me. "What I didn't hear was the word 'Captain'."

I frowned at her sass. "Captain Wynn."

"Yes, Cobb?" She finally turned around to see what I needed.

This woman…

"Are wild wolves dangerous?" I asked as I eyed the pup warily. Seeing as how a seemingly harmless bunny almost killed me, I was a lot more cautious about seemingly harmless animals. And the pup was as harmless as could be, still wagging its tail with its eyes focused on something else.

Wynn shook her head. "No. Wolves are only hostile if you hurt them."

I sighed in relief and moved normally knowing that the wolf was no threat. With the iron finally done, I withdrew and arranged it on the table, though I needed an extra stick to complete the pickaxe recipe.

As I was about to make the sticks, the wolf jumped onto the crafting table and knocked the ingredients all over the floor. "Hey!" I shouted annoyed as I picked everything up. The pup's only response was another bark as it kept its black eyes focused on something in my hand.

I followed its eyes and realized it was staring at the hunks of rotten flesh.

Wait…does it actually…want to eat the rotten flesh?

Just to test my theory, I held the rotten flesh closer to the wolf. Its eyes immediately lit up and it excitedly jumped up and down.

Then, when I moved the Zombie flesh away, its ears drooped sadly and its tail slumped onto the table with a dull 'thunk'.

Then, I moved it closer to the wolf again, and immediately its eyes widened in joy. Tail back up and wagging like mad.

Yeah, it definitely wants the rotten flesh.

"Sorry, little guy, but this is my rotten flesh." I spoke to the dog as if it could understand me. If I were any other Crafter, the pup would be feasting on the disgusting drop. But since I could actually stomach it, I wasn't willing to give it up.

Noticing my tone, the pup's eyes began to water and its tail sank along with its spirits. It actually turned and hopped off the table before padding away, tail dragging through the grass.

Seeing the pup's dejected form, I was suddenly reminded of the expression 'kicked puppy' and how it signified a being of pure joy becoming miserable. What I was doing, denying a young wolf the lowest of edible food, was equivalent to punting a small puppy. And the idea of the pup starving broke my heart a little.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine. You can have one piece." I held out a hunk of rotten flesh to the dejected wolf and saw its emotions do a complete 180.

It barked happily and chased its tail for a bit before it walked up to my hand and devoured the rotten flesh.

At that moment, I felt a genuine connection to the pup. We both were willing to stoop to the lowest forms of food to survive. "Haha. Guess you and I aren't so different."

The pup wagged its tail and stepped forward as if expecting to be petted. Unable to resist, I reached forward with my free hand that wasn't holding my remaining rotten flesh.

Only, as soon as I moved forward, there was a sharp gleam to the pup's eyes. It leapt forward, past my hand, and chomped on the strips of rotten flesh.

"What the—HEY!" I yelled in outrage as I lifted the hand holding the rotten flesh. The pup, however, was defiantly hanging onto them, its jaws refusing to let go. "Bad dog—er—wolf…Let go!"

I lifted the flesh higher into the air, but still the pup refused to let go. It just dangled along with it. "No, wolf! This is my rotten flesh! I already gave you some!"

I began to gently shake my hand, hoping that the vibrations would shake the pup off, but it just fastened its teeth deeper. It really didn't want to relinquish the sickening drop.

If I was the bigger person, I would have simply released the drop and allow the hungry pup to feast on the nourishment it so desperately needed. After all, I had tons of food at my disposal. Cookies, pies, potatoes. What were two hunks of rotten flesh in comparison?

However, I wasn't the bigger person and had a great appreciation for even the lowest of foods. So instead I shook my hand harder trying to dislodge the pup.

Eventually, it worked and the pup fell, letting out a soft 'arf' when it hit the ground. The wolf appeared to pout as it gazed up at the rotten flesh out of its reach while I smiled smugly.

But just as I was about to take a bite, the wolf leapt onto the crafting table before taking another leap onto my shoulder. It scurried along my arm before once again fastening its teeth into the drop, dangling off the ground.

"Persistent, little…" I growled as I began rapidly shaking my hand, even going so far as to swing it around. The pup flailed its short legs as it spun round and round, desperately trying to catch something to slow it down.

Unable to hold on any longer, the pup's teeth slipped off the flesh during my swing and it sailed through the air before crashing into a tree with a pained yelp.

My eyes widened at the obvious hurt I inflicted upon the pup. "Uh-oh."

The pup shakily got to its feet before glaring at me, its eyes now dark red instead of its normal black. Its mouth was drawn back into a snarl and its gray fur bristled, making it look larger than before.

*AROOOOOOOOOOOOOO!*

The wolf pup let out a loud howl that drew the attention of all the surrounding guards and the Captain. It was a howl that echoed through the woods. Almost as if it was a summoning call.

A few seconds passed before I noticed the surrounding bushes rustle ominously. Then, out stepped wolves. Dozens of them. And all much bigger than the pup I had injured. Their eyes were the same red, grey fur bristling, and all snarling as they focused solely on me. They were coming from all sides, completely ignoring the guards, and surrounded me in a sea of grey.

"Um…nice wolfies?" I offered nervously while fumbling at my belt for my gold sword.

At my words, the pup I had initially hurt let out a loud bark. And, like an awaited signal, it caused all the other wolves to surge forward to attack.

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" I shouted as I took out some dirt blocks. There was no way I could fight an army of angry wolves. So instead I tried to build a barricade like the one I built back at the Origin Zone. However, one thing I noticed as I built the dirt barricade was that I could jump and place blocks beneath me if I was quick enough.

So, with the sea of wolves closing in around me, I kept jumping up, placing a dirt block beneath me every other successful jump, and soon stood atop a tower of dirt. Below me the wolves snapped their chops angrily and leapt up, nearly biting my ankles. They howled furiously and took turns trying to get at me.

Just to be absolutely safe, I built up a few more dirt blocks so the wolves couldn't get me. I looked over to the guards, who were busy laughing at my ridiculous situation. "Um…a little help, please!"

The guards were wiping tears from their eyes before attempting to step forward, but Wynn stopped them. "Cobb, I warned you what would happen if you attacked that wolf. Now you've drawn a whole pack of them! If we attack, they'll just swarm us. It's better to just let them tire themselves out."

"What!?" I called out feeling betrayed, nearly slipping and falling to the wolves below. "So what am I supposed to do up here!?"

Wynn just shrugged, barely containing a smile. "Just wait them out. They'll give up…in the morning."

"The morning!? I can't…but…" I looked around frantically for any signs of assistance, but the guards merely laughed at my predicament. "You can't just leave me up here!"

Wynn smirked evilly at my pleas. "You'll be fine. Just be careful not to fall off in your sleep. Wolves don't tend to leave much of their…victims."

The way she said 'victims' made my blood run cold. I could see her let out a mirthful laugh as she and her guards returned to their shelter building. It looked like I was on my own.

I looked at the rotten flesh still in my hand. The wolf attack could have been avoided if I gave the pup the two strips.

…

"It was worth it." I accepted as I took a bite out of the Zombie flesh. I shifted to get comfortable on the dirt tower, trying to tune out the angry snarls below, as I attempted to get some sleep.

{Saturday}

The next day (after the wolves finally left), our merry band of assholes that leave Crafters stuck atop dirt towers at the mercy of a pack of rabid wolves!…*ahem*…came across a medium-sized, and walled-off village.

Wynn explained that the village was called Halstatt, a quaint community aligned with the Kingdom of Daymonte. Its inhabitants included Testificates and Crafters along with a small amount of guards to defend the sturdy cobblestone walls from any invading Mobs or Griefers.

Halstatt had a sizable quarry, which Wynn suggested the guards use to find useful ores. She was willing to offer the Village Leader, a Testificate by the name of Oswald, a percentage of any ores her guards brought up as a form of payment, but he waved her off. He was happy to show hospitality to non-threatening Crafters and refused to allow the Captain to owe his village anything.

Now, while it may have been smart to look for resources in the quarry, I had another idea. Emeralds were apparently a hard resource to mine, but remembering from Helena that Testificates could trade emeralds, I realized I had a golden opportunity.

Halstatt housed a lot of Testificates. Surely one of them would be willing to trade, even for lowly gear such as mine.

So, with high hopes, I walked past the walls and into the village while Wynn's guards entered the quarry.

"No deal." A Testificate with a white apron declined with a scowl.

"Oh, come on." I pressed, intent on trading an emerald out of the Leatherworker. "It's a decent deal."

"You call an emerald for one glass bottle a good deal?" The Leatherworker argued.

I scratched my chin contemplatively. "Alright. I see how it is. You're a Testificate who likes to haggle. One who appreciates a good bargain." I rummaged through my Inventory. "How about…TWO glass bottles? Eh, eh?"

And Floyd said I couldn't haggle. I thought confidently as I pushed the bottles across the counter.

The Testificate frowned. "The lowest deal I'm willing to negotiate is twelve leather for one emerald. No more. No less."

I began to grow worried. He wasn't budging on the price and I had no leather to offer. I needed to amp up my bargaining abilities to keep up.

I put on my most disarming smile and tried again. "What do you need useless leather for? It's itchy, it gets in the way—"

"You do realize I'm a Leatherworker, right?"

"—And you need to kill animals for it. Just think of all the poor orphaned baby cows you deprive of parents through your leather demands."

"…You're wearing leather armor right now, hypocrite." He accused in a deadpan.

I looked down at my green-dyed leather tunic and up at my leather cap before returning the Testificate's gaze. "No I'm not."

"Wha—Yes you are!"

"No. This is clearly 'I-can't-believe-it's-not-leather' leather." I bullshitted quickly. "Made from the finest leather substitute."

The Testificate opened his mouth to argue, but, thinking it better not to engage in a screaming match in his Leather Store and scare away potential customers, decided to drop the issue.

That still didn't mean he was going to accept the deal though.

"What would I even need two empty glass bottles for?" He inquired skeptically.

"Glad you asked." I answered eagerly. "Let's say you're traveling through a desert—"

"I've grown up in this village and have no desire to leave—"

"—AND," I interrupted "you need to carry water with you. The trusty glass bottle will be able to hold water for days."

"No kidding." The Testificate replied dryly.

"Swear to God. And that's just the beginning of it."

"You sure? Because it sounds like the end of it."

"It can…uh…" I hit a road block in my glass bottle marketing as I desperately searched for something else to promote. The Testificate just waited, not looking very expectant.

My eyes darted to his offered emerald sitting on the counter, gleaming in the store's torchlight.

My eyes darted back to the Testificate's and I finally thought of something to say.

"Zombie behind you!" I shouted and pointed dynamically behind him. When he turned to look, I quickly swiped the emerald, replacing it with the two glass bottles. "Pleasure doing business with you."

When the Testificate returned his attention forward and realized what I had done, he scowled angrily. And for some reason, mini storm clouds erupted over his increasingly irate face.

"Thief!" He shouted. "Return that emerald at once!"

"Look, I need this emerald to pay off my debts…and you'll thank me for those glass bottles the next time you need a portion of drinkable water."

More mini storm clouds billowed above his head and he began shaking furiously. "That does it! LESLIE!"

I blinked at his odd shout. Was Leslie code for something?

The Testificate sneered cruelly. "You'd best return that emerald before Leslie gets here."

I raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Why? Who's Leslie? Your wife?" I suggested humorously…

Before a loud tremor sounded nearby. The entire store began to shake as a thunderous and somewhat lumbering force approached, getting louder and louder. It was the unmistakable sound of footfalls against the ground and whatever was making them was surely large and heavy.

And I probably didn't want to stick around to see what it was.

"Okay! I'm sorry!" I apologized quickly as I returned the emerald and scooped the bottles back up. "I'll leave, okay? Just call off whatever that sound is!"

The Testificate just smirked smugly before pointing to me and making a running motion with his two fingers.

Hearing the loud footfalls getting louder and closer, I spared the Leatherworker a scathing glare before opting to get the hell out of there. As I exited the store however, I collided painfully with a solid mass of metal. I massaged my bent nose as I looked to see what I hit.

Only my eyes kept traveling upwards to see the full visage of the terror before me.

Red soulless pupils with blacks where the whites of its eyes should have been. Silver hair. A Testificate's uni-brow and limp nose. Long, muscular arms nearly dragging against the ground. Large, toned upper body with vines and small yellow flowers trailing down. Completely made of metal.

And above its head was the name 'Leslie'.

"LESLIE SMASH!" It roared as it swung its thick arms at me. I was too dazed by its appearance to dodge and found myself lifted into the air like a kitten and flung across the gravel road, over an adjacent block of houses and parallel road, and into another building before sliding to the ground.

"AGH!" I hissed in pain as I felt the equivalent of getting hit by a car.

…What's a car?

I checked my Health and gasped when I saw I lost three quarters of my full health to that one strike.

What the hell was Leslie!?

"LESLIE SMASH DISLIKED AND PUNY CRAFTER!" Another roar pierced the air as the thing known as Leslie lumbered between two houses to get at me. With a quick yelp I was on my feet and running away.

The good news was that Leslie was way slower than me. The bad news was that Halstatt may as well have been a labyrinth in my eyes. I had no idea where I was running to, only making sure to keep the walking, talking tank behind me.

I looked forward and spotted a thin alley between two houses. While I could easily squeeze through, I doubted Leslie could. So with a smirk, I dove for the space. Behind me, I heard Leslie struggle vainly to enter before leaving to go around with the exclamation, "LESLIE WISHES HE COULD SMASH SMALL ALLEYS!"

I exited the alley from the other side and scanned for a good hiding spot. However, I found something better: The village gate! Awesome!

And Wynn was standing by it…less awesome.

I stopped myself from flat-out running to her—no, that would have been too conspicuous—and instead walked at a brisk pace. I needed to act calm and convince her that we should all leave Halstatt before Leslie found me. After all, this was the woman who left me to the wolves…figuratively and literally.

And the rabbits…just literally.

So she might just leave me to the Leslie…also literally.

"Oh, Cobb. Good, I was looking for you." The Captain began as she flipped her ivory hair. "I was thinking I should keep an eye on you so you don't get into any trouble."

"Ha…Ha…trouble?" I chuckled nervously, a cold sweat already building on my face. "W-what trouble could I possible get into?"

She just shrugged. "Don't know. But I'm sure you'd find a way." She observed my face before noticing my barely concealed panic. Her eyes narrowed. "Just what have you been doing then?"

"Oh, me? W-well not much. Just…strolling through Halstatt."

She frowned as she leaned forward to get a better look at my face. "Cobb, you have a faint stutter, you're pausing between words, and your face is as pale as my hair." She leaned back. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." I replied a bit too quickly, which did not go unnoticed by the Captain.

"You were doing nothing? I thought you said you were strolling through the Village? So which is your story? Nothing or strolling?" Her interrogation skills as a Captain were beginning to shine as my panic visibly grew. She also studied my arm's Health Meter. "And you've taken a considerable amount of damage in an otherwise peaceful village. Care to explain that?"

"I…um…"

"LESLIE FOUND PUNY CRAFTER!"

I let out a girly shriek as I turned towards the oncoming mass of iron and terror. The ground shook beneath its feet as it lumbered forward, its eyes focused only on me. A few guards looked interested by the commotion, but after seeing how Leslie was handling the situation, they decided it best to stay out of the way of the 32 ton creature.

I heard a soft groan beside me followed by a facepalm. "Of course you would anger an Iron Golem."

Iron Golem? Was that what Leslie was? Made sense. After all, the guy did look like he was made of iron. But just what was he? A Mob? A Testificate? None of the Crafters or Testificates seemed to pay him any mind, so what distinction did he fall under?

But those thoughts didn't really matter. At the moment, the only distinction I had for him was 'threat' as he trudged towards me, thick arms thrashing wildly.

Wynn stood in front of me and drew her rapier. "Cobb, stay behind me. Iron Golems do tons of damage to any Crafters that attack them or upset the Testificates."

I cowered behind her, glad that I had her defending me. "You think you can beat him?"

"No." Wynn admitted. "That thing can kill me in two hits max and my rapier pokes through armor, not hunks of iron."

"Eep…" I offered unhelpfully as the golem towered over us, arms raised to hammer us into the earth.

But before his arms could fall, another Crafter blocked his way with outstretched arms.

"Leslie, no! Bad Leslie!"

Leslie lowered his arms with a guilty look on his monstrous face. "BUT…COSMIC…PUNY CORN-COBB IS UNPOPULAR!"

"I'll handle it, then." The woman named Cosmic argued firmly. "But no more 'smashing' from you until I straighten things out first."

"DAWWW!" Leslie whined as he hung his head low and trudged away. "COSMIC SHOULD CHANGE NAME TO COCKBLOCK!"

Satisfied that she got the golem to leave, Cosmic turned her attention to the Captain and I, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry about, Leslie. He's a bit eager on the whole 'SMASH PUNY CRAFTERS' thing," she did her best impression of Leslie's thunderous voice as she said that, "but he's a great guy…golem…thing when you get to know him. And speaking of getting to know things…I'm a thing! And my name's Cosmic. Like the galaxy.

"Sooooo…I'm guessing you two are out-of-towners since you almost met the business end of Leslie's fist. What brings you to Halstatt?" Cosmic inquired cheerfully.

Seeing that I was no longer in any imminent danger, the Captain sheathed her weapon and stepped aside so I was no longer cowering behind her. Though judging by the glare she sent my way, I could tell she wanted to know what I had done to earn Leslie's animosity.

The ivory-haired Captain turned to Cosmic with a sweet smile. "Sorry, Cosmic, but do you mind if I ask him some questions about Leslie first? It'll only take a second."

Question is, will it be a painful second for me or not…

"Sure thing." Cosmic replied with a beam.

Wynn nodded with a smile and, without having to turn her head, grabbed my hoodie as I was trying to subtly escape questioning. "Cobb. Explain yourself. Now."

Seeing how I was cornered, I began explaining everything that happened involving Leslie. I also took notice of the Crafter that saved me.

Her actual name was Cosmicxx. What did the X's stand for? I had no clue. But I did know that by saving me from Leslie, she earned a spot on my 'Crafters That Aren't Assholes' list. Just above low_bttry and just below Erin.

She had large faded pink eyes behind black-framed 'nerd' glasses and light pastel periwinkle hair worn in pig tails. She wore a large white sweater splattered with a multitude of colors that would put a rainbow to shame, as well as a pair of black jean shorts and pastel pink flats. Her belt and backpack were the same shade as her hair, but were partially covered in glittered stickers of hearts, flowers, and the occasional cat with the body of a toaster pastry shooting a jet of rainbows out its ass.

Charming.

Plus, the whole time I explained the Leslie issue, she just listened quietly with the same kind smile.

Once I finished, Wynn let out an exasperated groan and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Cobb, I get that you don't know things about Minecraftia, but I assume you'd have enough common sense not to steal from people."

"I wasn't stealing." I defended resentfully. "I offered the guy two whole glass bottles."

"Testificates are natural-born hagglers." Wynn explained. "They stubbornly settle on one price designated by their own wants and occupation. And arguing with their prices will make them dislike you and cause any Iron Golems to attack."

I opened my mouth to reply but was beaten to it by the periwinkle-haired onlooker. "Yep. Leslie guards Halstatt morning, noon, and night from Mobs, Griefers, and rip-off artists." She poked my chest for that last line. "So unless you want to get Leslie'd, I wouldn't tick off any more Testificates."

I paused at her blatant intrusion into the conversation. I was honestly thrown off by how naturally she felt talking to us. Like it wasn't awkward to just go up to strangers and start talking.

"What? Do I have something on my face? Is it a pimple? Or are my glasses freaking you out? It's the glasses isn't it?" She took off her eyewear and immediately her eyes squinted in effort. "People are always telling me these things are distracting. Too nerdy, they say. And I sort of agree, but I can't see three feet in front of me without 'em."

She pocketed the glasses and turned back to face me…or at least where she assumed I was standing. "That better?"

"Wha—No. Your glasses aren't a problem." I assured her awkwardly. "You just…I'm not used to people just walking up and talking to me."

"Psh!" She dismissed exaggeratedly as she returned her glasses to her face. "That's the only way to meet new people. Just walk up and taze 'em with fifty-thousand volts of optimism!"

She poked at my side, making a sharp 'bzzzt' sound and causing me to let out a small snort of laughter. I couldn't help it. I was ticklish.

Though the next instant, I pushed her hand away. "Hey, I'm glad that you saved me from…uh…getting Leslie'd, but that doesn't mean you can invade my personal space. I don't even know you."

"Sure you do. I just introduced myself. Now you go!" She wore an expression of mock consideration as she gazed above my head. "Though if I had to guess, I'd say your name is King_Cobb."

"Just Cobb is fi—wait! Why are you acting so nice to a complete stranger?" People didn't just help random strangers and smile like everything was gumdrops and rainbows. At least not anyone I've met so far.

Helena was nice, but not beyond mocking people. The only reason she helped me was because she had been helping spawned Crafters for five centuries. It was her job to be helpful.

Floyd ran the first time I met him. And even after that it had taken some time to fully become friends. Now I trusted him without a doubt…when he was awake and alert.

Wynn…kneed me in the gut, almost threw me in jail...and generally seemed to dislike me. Though now I wasn't too sure what she thought of me. She did show concern during the Beast attack, and had been willing to defend me from Leslie. But then why was she fine with threatening and injuring me for my small acts of stupidity? It was confusing to me.

Erin was nice, but probably because she thought I was an associate of Wynn's and not criminal baggage dumped on the Captain. As a housekeeper, it was probably her job to be polite to guests. She did a really good job at it if her politeness and fondness towards me was any indication…though I had yet to see another guest get treated so well be her. Hell, she was more courteous towards me than Wynn at times. Why was that?

Soul...definitely not kind. Harsh and stoic. And deadly. He disliked me for my mercy. My weakness. Yet at least it made more sense given how the whole Griefer fiasco went. My mercy almost got Floyd killed!

All of those interactions were normal…relatively speaking of course. But someone like Cosmic just coming up and talking to me like it was the easiest thing in the world. And generally being intrusive with her prods and touches.

She was an extrovert. And that was something I wasn't really used to.

"Well, Just Cobb." She chirped cheerfully. "I like to think that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. Unless of course they're offering you candy to get into their van. Then they're just kidnappers you haven't met yet."

"I…um…okay?"

Cosmic seemed nice…just a little overwhelming. Ironically, I would have preferred if she were sullen and cautious. Most Crafters I met usually went that route.

"Cosmic!" A loud male voice cut through my thoughts. It was another Crafter, standing beside some weird light fixture along the wall, waving to the extrovert. "Quit bugging those guys and help me out, would you?"

"Coming, bro!" Cosmic called back before giving me and Wynn a parting smile. "Hate to say goodbye, but a technician's work is never done." She gave a dramatic pose before skipping towards the light fixture.

My eyes followed her as she began some complicated work on the fixture, using some weird red dust and glowing red torches.

"She was…interesting." Wynn offered while grabbing my shoulder and guiding me towards the village gate. Probably to keep me from getting into any more trouble in Halstatt.

"Yeah…she was nice. But in a strange way." I replied as I returned my eyes forward, not really sure what to make of the bubbly extrovert.

Wynn let out a humorous snort at my description. "I'm just glad Erin wasn't here to see that."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Just all those touches Cosmic gave you…and her friendly smile—actually…never mind. It's nothing."

"No, tell me." I urged. What did she mean about Erin? What would Erin have thought about all those interactions?

And why the hell was Wynn smiling knowingly!?

{Sunday}

The next day, our group continued East. The terrain was getting rockier though still with an abundance of trees.

I had gotten a bit of ores from Halstatt's quarry, but, according to Wynn, not enough to pay off my debt; A fact that both Wynn and I regretted to admit.

As we rode on, Wynn gave us a warning to prepare for a fierce thunderstorm. Apparently Halstatt's Village Leader, Oswald, predicted a storm to hit that very day.

But, looking at the clear, sunny sky, I had to dispute Oswald's claim…

Buuuuuuuut then it started to rain.

Heavily.

And then there was lightning. Followed shortly by thunder.

Loud thunder.

Then I had to accept Oswald's forecast.

The rain was coming down in buckets, soaking me to the bone and making things generally miserable. Though one good thing about Ace the Ass was that his hooves were better along the rocky terrain than the other horses, and, for the first time that journey, I was ahead of the group.

But, being the humble person I was, I would never gloat about being ahead of—

Oh, wait, yeah I would.

"C'mon, Captain Wynn!" I called behind me with a barely suppressed grin. "Pick up the pace!"

Wynn huffed angrily and continually spurred her horse to get ahead of me. The horse bucked in protest, earning a laugh from me.

I was so focused on Wynn that I failed to notice what was ahead until realization hit me in the form of an arrow to the face.

"Gah!" I called out as I clutched my face in pain. I rolled off of Ace and immediately switched to my sword just as several more arrows flew towards me.

Mobs.

The sudden darkness caused by the storm clouds must have spawned them. There were Skeletons, Zombies, and deadly Creepers; all converging towards us.

Wynn shouted a battle cry and her guards sprung into action without hesitation. Slashing, hacking, pew-pewing, and laying waste to the monsters.

Soul was doing his axe-swing thing. Cara was pew-pewing with the other archers. And Floyd was struggling with both Mobs and staying awake. I ran to his aid and slashed a Zombie just before it could take a bite out of the exhausted blue-nette.

"I thought you said you were getting sleep?" I questioned him as I leapt at a Creeper with a Knockback Strike. The Mob was slammed back into a tall oak tree.

"I…did—am—getting sleep…" Floyd explained wearily while a Zombie clawed at him. He raised his sword defensively, but he was so exhausted he accidentally dropped it. "Ugh…my sword feels a bit lighter now."

"That's because you dropped it!" I heard Soul call as he buried an axe into the attacking Zombie. "Just stay back and let us handle this."

Us? I thought surprised. Since when did Soul rely on me for help?

He turned to me. "Oi. Do that fishing rod strat again."

Realizing what he meant, I nodded as I withdrew my fishing rod and began to draw Mobs towards us. Soul quickly spun his axe in a silver whirlwind of hacks and chops, turning the oncoming Mobs into littered drops on the forest floor.

"No…" Floyd argued as he tried to pick up his sword…and failed. "I can help…I can—"

"You won't be able to help anyone when you're dead!" Soul argued harshly between axe swings. "Just sit this one out."

Floyd clenched his fists and hung his head quietly, obviously upset he couldn't be of more use.

I really hoped the water falling from his face was the rain and not his tears.

After a few more waves, the Mobs began to peter out. Being close enough to Soul, I was able to get my fair share of EXP. And as an added bonus, the Zombies dropped enough rotten flesh to sustain me for a week.

Soul extended a hand to help Floyd up while I left to see how everyone else was doing.

*sssssssSSSSS!*

"Whoa!" I shouted as I leapt back instinctively. "Almost got me there."

A Creeper had snuck behind, nearly turning me into a smoking crater. But luckily I had managed to put enough distance between me and it to stop its suicidal countdown. Still, it continued towards me, desiring to end a Crafter's life.

I pulled out my golden sword to finish it off, but as I took a step forward, a bright flash of lightning filled my vision. I shouted in surprise as everything turned a blinding white. My eardrums exploded from the tumultuous clap of thunder and I felt a strong heat radiating from the area in front of me.

Holy crap! I think my life just flashed before my eyes!

Heart: Actually, Cobb, I think that was just lightning.

Oh…right.

Still blinded by the sudden lightning flash, I backed away from where I remembered the Creeper being until my back hit a tree.

Though the Creeper should be blinded too, right?

Slowly, carefully, I opened my eyes. Multicolored dots of floating light danced through my sight, making it hard to see anything. Plus, my ears were ringing, muffling the thunderstorm above and the companions around me.

But then my eyes caught something. The Creeper. It was still standing by a chunk of scorched ground, where I assumed the lightning had struck.

Though was it just me, or did it have a strange blue glow to it?

I shakily held up my gold sword as the Creeper approached. I was too stunned to attack, so I settled for holding my sword defensively in a block. The block would take the explosive hit and I would be unharmed. Easy-peasy.

As the Creeper slowly made its way to me, I noticed a flash of white out of the corner of me eye.

It was Wynn. But I was shocked to see the expression on her face. She looked terrified and her mouth was wide open as if she was screaming something at me. Though if she was, my ears were too messed up from the thunder to hear properly.

Seeing I wasn't getting her message, she began to wave her arms wildly to the side. Her eyes wide and pleading. I finally realized telling me to get out of the way.

Normally, I would have shrugged it off. Wynn probably had no idea that blocking a Creeper explosion could spare me the damage. After all, Floyd didn't. But looking at how desperately she was telling me to get out of the way…those eyes wide in fear…her mouth wide in an unheard scream…made me realize something was different.

That I should take the Creeper more seriously.

And looking back at the Mob only verified my feeling.

It wasn't just me seeing things. That Creeper really did have a blue glow to it. A crackling, blue force-field of electricity that seemed to pulsate with power.

And as the Creeper got close enough to begin its detonation, only one thought crossed my mind.

Creeper + Blue Electric Force-Field = Nope.

So I nope'd on outta there just as the Creeper exploded.

*KA-BOOM*

And it was a good thing I did. Because, even though I was outside its usual range, that one explosion was three sizes too big. Surges of electricity arced across the forest, scorching the ground and blasting me off my feet into a low tree branch. Chunks of dirt and torn trees pelted my back as I just laid there.

When I no longer felt any debris hitting me, I noticed my hearing was coming back as a faint voice grew more audible.

"Cobb...are you still conscious?" Someone grabbed my shoulders and turned me around so I was facing up. I saw long ivory hair and amber eyes peering over me.

"Uhnn…Wynn?" I mumbled as I tried to focus my vision.

"Oh, please don't have a concussion. I really don't want to have to explain Enchanting to you again." The Captain spoke to herself while holding up her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

I squinted to make them out. "Twelve-teen?"

She considered the answer for a moment. "Sounds like a Cobb response to me. You're fine." She lifted me to my feet and called one of her guards to bring over a Health Potion.

"W-what happened?" I questioned as Wynn brought me over to a chair-sized rock. "What was that explosion?"

"That," she began while taking a Health Potion from Bitters, "was a Charged Creeper."

I gratefully accepted the brew and downed it in one gulp, sighing as the healing relief washed over me. "Charged? Like with electricity?"

She nodded grimly. "They're rare. When certain Mobs are struck by lightning they…change. I don't know how, but the electricity in lighting reacts with the explosive compounds in Creepers. If the Creeper survives, the resulting reaction multiplies its destructive blast radius, giving it a pulsing blue aura, and transforming it into a Charged Creeper."

Most of what Wynn was saying was going over my explosion addled mind. And it probably would have gone over my non-explosion addled mind too. But the gist of it was that Creeper + Lightning = Not Super Fun Time.

Feeling sick from the shock of the explosion, I leaned my head between my knees and groaned lowly. Wynn just patted my back awkwardly. "Just…walk it off."

I then let out a short chuckle.

"What's so funny?" She asked seriously. "You almost died just now."

I looked up giving her a weary smile. "You were really worried about me, huh?"

Her eyes widened before she abruptly stood up, face slightly flushed. "D-don't be ridiculous! It's just that Erin would have been upset if the only thing I brought back of you was a smoldering Head! That's all." She folded her arms tightly and turned to her guards who were all watching the scene with interest. "And what are you all looking at!? Go and scout ahead so we don't have more Mobs to deal with!"

Her barking effectively scared the guards away and gave her a minute to compose herself.

My smile softened as I remembered everything Wynn did to tick me off over the past weeks. The stabbing. The subtle name-calling. The vague insults.

But then I remembered her actually worrying about my well-being. She came back to carry me out of that valley. She was willing to stand between me and an angry golem.

And that face she made when I almost got blown up.

…

I never wanted to see that face again.

But it all showed she actually cared…in her own way, of course.

"Captain!" One of the guards shouted as he ran towards Wynn with breakneck speed. "C-captain! Captain! We have a serious problem up ahead!"

"How serious?"

"That serious!"

The guard pointed towards a small rocky basin with a dried up stream in the middle. The basin was between two forested hills and was sprinkled with lonely stumps where trees used to be.

But that wasn't the serious part.

The serious part was the fact that the entire basin was filled with hundreds of Creepers. A sea of green explosive death that moved at a snail's pace across the basin. The herd was dotted with flashes of blue as lightning struck the basin, transforming any Creepers within the shock radius into Charged Creepers.

…

Well, fuck.

I mean, what else could you think but that? It was literally a herd of Creepers! Or…would it be a flock. A drove? A gaggle!

Sure. A gaggle of Creepers. That was the right word for it.

Mainly because gaggle was a funny word.

…

Gaggle.

"This is a serious problem." Bitters offered from beside me.

"Why are so many Creepers moving here?" One of the guards (Daniel or Spencer…I couldn't tell which) asked aloud. "Mobs aren't supposed to migrate…right?"

"Something must have spooked them." Wynn contemplated with furrowed brows. "Maybe some ocelots scared them from the Southern jungles."

"Captain." One of the guards (Solara, I think) whispered down from the tree tops so that the Creepers wouldn't notice us. "I took a look. The Creeper herd extends for several miles to the North and South."

Wynn cursed to herself at hearing that news. "Blast. We can't just abandon the horses to cross. And at the rate those Creepers are moving, it'll take a few days for them to pass."

"Oh, joy!" Soul grumbled sarcastically. "I knew this was a waste of our time."

"Soul…" Cara reached out a hand to calm down her companion, but Soul was having none of it.

"Don't give me that! We could have been clear of this if we just traveled Southeast to Nitebane. But instead, we just haaaaad to go through Daymonte. Now we'll be delayed even more!"

While Soul began ranting and the other guards listened to Wynn's orders on what to do next, I looked down upon the flowing gaggle of Creepers.

Those things are going to delay us? But…I don't want to just wait around for these things to pass. And Wynn really wanted to make it there and back on schedule.

She already lost out on her vacation time because of me…I can't let her get held up again.

Plus, if I can get them all across, she'll have to forgive my debt!

But how am I supposed to cross all these Creepers?

A tunnel underground? No. The horses wouldn't go for it.

A bridge over? We'd need more blocks than we have.

Or…

…

That's it!

I hurried over to Wynn and repeatedly tugged at her blouse sleeve. "Captain Wynn! Captain!" I called out excitedly. "I know how we can cross these Creepers."

Wynn pulled her sleeve out of my reach and fixed me with a tired glance. "Cobb, this isn't the time for ridiculous ideas. We've already decided to wait a few days."

"But if we wait a few days, then you'll be late getting to Daymonte." I explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was.

Wynn let out an exasperated groan. "Yes, I know that Cobb, but there's no other—"

"And I want you to be done with this mission as soon as possible. Don't you?" I smirked to her. "Unless, of course, you enjoy being in the presence of a selfless hero such as I."

She scoffed at my words. "Selfless? You? Ha! I would be overjoyed to be finished with this mission. The sooner I can be rid of you the better."

I smiled on the inside knowing her words were just a tough façade. "In that case, I'll just head down there and make a nice path for you."

Wynn's eyes snapped open at my words and she grabbed me by the hoodie. "Hold on! I didn't say I wanted you to throw your life away!"

"That won't happen." I explained while pulling my hoodie out of her grip. "I can block Creeper explosions with my sword. All of you can!" I called to the surrounding Crafters. I spotted Floyd's blue hair work its way past as he stood at the front of the group, tired but determined.

A few of the guards laughed harshly. "Block Creeper explosions? With a sword!?" Bitters mocked derisively. "Clearly that Charged Creeper must've rattled his brains!" More laughs erupted from the guards.

Wynn actually glared at them sternly before returning her attention to me. "Cobb, this isn't a joke. Those Creepers can kill you in an instant, don't you know that?"

I nodded confidently. I knew quite a bit about Creepers from Herobrine's Mob book. And apparently it was an unknown piece of information that swords could block the monsters' suicidal blasts. "Trust me on this, Captain. We can all clear a path through the herd if we block in a defensive circle—"

"He's nuts!" Micah called out to the general approval of those around her. The others guards had their own words to pile on.

"Doesn't he realize how many Charged Creepers are down there!?"

"Luck saved him from the Valley Beast, but it won't help against that!"

"He's a knucklehead mcspazatron!"

"Okay! That's enough!" Wynn shouted as she massaged the bridge of her nose again. "Cobb. This whole week you've done nothing, but prove to me your own stupidity and ignorance. You've almost died several times, and every step forward for you is followed by two steps back! Give me one good reason why this time will be any different!"

I stared back into Wynn's amber eyes as I thought of a suitable answer.

"You're right." I admitted ashamed. "I know I've messed up dozens of times because I didn't listen to you, or I didn't know what to do, or…or I was inexperienced." The memory of my 9-digit—sorry, 10-digit number flashed in my mind and I momentarily gazed at the rain-soaked ground.

Wynn frowned at my explanation. "Then why—"

"But this time is different because I actually know Creepers!" I interrupted, returning my gaze to the Captain. "More than anything, I want to show Minecraftia that experience isn't everything. That anyone, regardless of number, can have their own piece of knowledge to impart to others. That everyone is valuable enough to survive in this world!

"And right now, I have the knowledge, from personal experience, that blocking with a sword can survive a Creeper explosion. No damage taken."

I raised the gold sword from my belt and held it out. "So please, Captain, let me prove that for once, I actually know what I'm doing."

The entire crowd of guards went silent following my passionate speech, waiting for Wynn to give her reply. She focused her amber orbs on my emerald ones, searching for even the tiniest shred of doubt. The lightning crackled across the sky and the thunder boomed as she contemplated my words.

Finally, she gestured towards the basin. "Show me what you can do."

I smiled confidently and nodded before sliding down into the basin. I heard the frantic murmurs behind me as well as Soul's supportive words of "He's dead" and "I call dibs on his gold sword."

As I neared the bottom of the basin, three Creepers quickly spotted me and broke off from the gaggle.

Okay, I can do this. I can do this.

Brain: Obviously.

Heart: We're right behind you…er…in you…what I mean is—

Brain: And now you made it weird. Good job, Heart.

As the Creepers approached, I held up my gold sword in a defensive block, angling towards the Creepers and gripping it by the handle and by the flat of the blade. They began flashing and hissing.

Only, two of them stopped abruptly, breaking away in a fast-paced waddle from the central Creeper which was still flashing white.

Are…Creepers afraid of blowing up from other Creeper explosions?

*BOOM*

The central Creeper exploded, scattering bits of dirt and rock all over. Nothing but a smoking crater was left in its wake.

Well, nothing except for an unharmed Cobb!

"Ha! Suck it, Creepers! I read a book!" I shouted triumphantly as I slowly continued forward, blade still blocking, into the gaggle of Creepers. "And I'm INVINCIBLE!"

The Creepers heard my shouts and began to converge towards me. All of them looked pretty mad. Despite the fact that their 'mad face' looked just like their 'sad face' and their 'happy face'.

No problem. I can handle this many.

*sssssssSSSSS!*

*BOOM*

I blocked another explosion, skidding across the rain-soaked earth, but otherwise unharmed. My gold sword held firm, flashes of lightning dancing across its Enchanted reflective surface. The other Creepers scattered around in response to their detonating brethren.

*BOOM*

I made sure to keep an eye out for the blue, glowing Creepers. Sword or not, I was pretty sure I'd become smoldering chunks if I tried blocking one of them.

*BOOM*

I was slowly making progress, parting the gaggle of Creepers like Moses with the Red Sea.

…Who's Moses again? And why would a Sea be red? Aren't Seas supposed to hold water? Pretty sure water is blue, not red.

Ugh! Too confusing!

Okay. New metaphor. I was like a…Crafter…parting…a book.

Yeah.

But as more and more Creepers exploded, their brethren scattered about in a jumbled mess. It wasn't hard for some of them to slip past me and try for a sneak attack.

Hearing the hissing from behind me and to the left, I whirled around to block. But not sooner did I block that Creeper than two more approached my exposed back.

I couldn't face everywhere with my blade. I needed—

*BOOM*

As if on cue, an iron-clad Crafter intercepted the explosion with an iron sword, electric blue and dark red particles swirling around him.

"Thanks for the backup, Floyd." I nodded gratefully, keeping my back to his so defend ourselves better. Though I remembered he was still exhausted. "You good for this though?"

Floyd blocked another explosion with his blade. "Wow. You weren't kidding about the no damage." He mumbled to himself before meeting my gaze. "Yeah, I'm good. I had to ask Soul for a Strength Potion, but I can help—"

"For the record that's TWO Strength Potions I had to waste!" A gruff voice griped from nearby.

Soul had followed, preferring to hack his way past the Creepers instead of block. Though with the gaggle as dispersed as it was, he was able to handle it.

"Cobb!" Came a voice from above. I looked up to catch a sight of Wynn's ivory hair. She landed nearby, bright green particles emanating from her body. "Don't suppose you have a spare sword? My rapier doesn't block well."

"So long as you can tolerate a stone blade." I replied, throwing her the stone sword in my Inventory.

She scoffed, catching the blade. "You'd be surprised just how much I can tolerate." She began blocking approaching Creeper explosion too, expanding our two-man circle into a two-man-and-one-woman circle.

Half of the other guards were also joining the blocking. At first, they looked terrified. Eyes screwed shut and gripping their swords tightly in a block. But after the first few explosions and the feelings of relief and amazement wore off, they were more than used to it.

The other half of the guards, along with Cara, guided the horses through the basin. They simply followed in the wake of all the explosions and craters.

To be honest, I was expecting something to go wrong. Call it a nervous tick or paranoia, but usually when things went too well, it was only because something worse was fast approaching. It could've been a giant bolt of lightning charging all the Creepers in the basin. It could have been a giant mutant Zombie descending from the thunder clouds to tear us apart. Hell, it could have been Carys_Angel, back from the dead, to enact bloody vengeance against me.

But, strangely enough, pleasantly enough, none of that happened.

The storm began to cease just as we crossed to the other end of the basin. We climbed up the side, keeping the Creepers at bay, and when we were finally clear of the Mobs, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Sunbeams streaked through the clouds, bathing the landscape in an orange glow.

Then I heard something. Something small.

It started with one person. Wynn. Giving a slow clap. But it wasn't one of those sarcastically slow claps. It was one of those 'You done good, kid' claps. And it was directed at me. For me.

Then Floyd joined in, using every second of borrowed energy from his Potions to stave off exhaustion and applaud my efforts.

Then, shockingly, Soul joined in. Though his was more of the slow, sarcastic clap, it was also one of conceded praise. Even he couldn't find fault with my methods.

Then the other guards joined in, properly humbled by my show of experience. A few of them stepped forward to pat me roughly on the back. None of them were petty enough to deny me approval. Except for Bitters who refused to clap even once. He stayed on the outskirts with Soul, an irritated frown plastered across his face.

But I had more than enough overwhelming praise without him, so I didn't mind.

"Well, the Nether must be freezing over." Wynn commented as she stepped forward. "Because I do believe a newb just taught me something."

I looked at her hopefully. "Does this mean you respect my skills as an equal?"

Wynn considered me for a moment in fake contemplation. "Hmmm. No." I hung my head dejectedly at her words. "But it does mean that I'll take you a little more seriously from now on. Emphasis on little."

I quickly recovered from my disappointment with a smirk. "I'll take what I can get."

Wynn turned her attention back to her guards. "Alright, men!" I waited for her to add 'and Cobb', but she just continued on with her command. "We still have a bit of sunlight out, so let's continue on!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" They all replied as they got to their horses and rode ahead.

I walked up to my donkey, grazing by the rim of the basin, and patted him on the head. "Looks like I did good, eh Ace?"

*HEE-HAW*

"…Why'd I think you'd respond any differently?" I sighed before saddling up. I looked down into the basin and noticed the gaps made in the Creeper gaggle were slowly re-closing. Despite crossing such a mass of Mobs, it was still ominous watching them march North.

"This type of thing isn't natural." I jumped as Wynn's voice surprised me. She was behind me, already atop her pristine steed, waiting up for me to leave the basin. "So many Creepers in one place. I don't like it."

I nodded in agreement, before a thought crossed my mind. I grinned sarcastically. "It was a good thing I was here then. How fortunate that you convinced His Eminence to bring me along on this mission, right?"

Wynn's eye twitched at my comment. "I couldn't have known you'd be useful or not, so don't act like you were a godsend." She growled in mild annoyance.

"Don't sell yourself short, Captain." I continued with my grin growing wider. "I'm sure His Eminence would congratulate your foresight in recruiting a heroic and Creeper-experienced Crafter such as myself."

I laughed before I felt a rapier poke my neck. "I'm sorry, Cobb. What was that?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet purr, her smile promising pain. "It almost sounds as though you're mocking me with your sarcasm."

"N-nonono! Not at all! You're always right, and I'm always wrong!" I quickly spouted, not wanting a rapier to the nuts again.

She accepted my words and removed the rapier from my neck. "Not always. I would have never thought of blocking Creeper explosions with a sword." She tossed me back my stone blade which I fumbled with before catching it by the handle. "You must have been pretty desperate to have figured that out the first time you tried it."

I scratched my head sheepishly as we rode our steeds away from the basin and towards the main group. "Actually…it wasn't a complete desperate guess."

"Hmm?"

"See, there was this book Helena gave me to read. Back at the Origin Zone." I explained to the Captain who listened intently. "It was written by that Herobrine guy and it described a bunch of information on Zombies, Creepers, Spiders, and Skeletons…though it left out a few things."

Like Witches and Stickmen.

Wynn's eyebrows lifted for a second before returning to their original position. "So…the book described how to block Creeper explosions?" She asked hesitantly. And was that wonder on her face? Or something else?

"Yeah. There's no way I would've made it this far without that information on Mobs." I admitted truthfully. "It saved my life more than once."

Wynn didn't reply right away. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it a second later before adopting a complicated expression. I tilted my head in confusion as we continued to ride forward.

What's she thinking about?

"Captain?" I questioned, to which she responded with a calm smile.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of how your new fan club of guards would react if they knew you got all that knowledge from a book."

My eyes widened in fear. All that praise over my one good achievement. Only for them to discover it wasn't bravery, but book smarts!

"But I suppose we should tell them the tru—"

"Or!" I interrupted, raising my pointer-finger dramatically. "We can just keep that between us?" I suggested.

After the sarcastic teasing I gave her, I was sure Wynn wouldn't agree. She would get so much payback on me by ruining my one heroic moment.

Instead, Wynn nodded her head in agreement. "Your secret is safe with me."

She spurred her horse to pick up the pace with the others and, after taking a moment to overcome my shock and newly found respect, I followed her, albeit slowly, on my Ass, Ace.

Unable to see the fleeting frown adorning her face.

Inventory (Cobb): 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Stone Sword, 1 Golden Sword [Sharpness I, Unbreaking I]{Weak}, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Wooden Pickaxe {Weak}, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Wooden Axe, 1 Bow {Weak}, 1 Fishing Rod, 54 Cobblestone, 64 Granite, 64 Andesite, 64 Diorite, 12 Flint, 4 Coal, 8 Torches, 1 Minecart, 28 Oak Wood Planks, 8 Oak Wood Stairs, 1 Oak Wood Door, 1 Clock, 45 Dirt, 2 Signs, 1 Water Bucket, 3 Glass Bottles, 10 String, 3 Sticks, 2 Ender Pearls, 11 Baked Potatoes, 19 Pumpkin Pies, 42 Cookies, 1 Leather Cap, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Unbreaking I], 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 24 Rotten Flesh, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Entry Pass}

Inventory (Ace the Ass): 8 Lapis Lazuli, 34 Iron Ore, 10 Gold Ore, 13 Coal

Inventory (Floyd): Wooden Shovel, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Wooden Sword {Weak}, 1 Wooden Axe {Weak}, 1 Bow, 1 Flint and Steel {Weak}, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 3 Sticks, 37 Oak Wood Planks, 17 Cobblestone, 1 Oak Wood Door, 1 Minecart, 1 Book {Miner's Warren}, 1 Potion of Fire Resistance {8:00}, 1 Potion of Fire Resistance {8:00}, 1 Potion of Fire Resistance {8:00}, 1 Potion of Swiftness II {1:30}, 1 Potion of Water Breathing {8:00}, 2 Flint, 2 Gunpowder, 9 String, 14 Cooked Fish, 10 Ink Sacs, 2 Arrows, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Entry Pass}, 4 Emeralds

AN: A Chapter of over 20,000 words!? What was I thinking!?

Oh, yeah. I was thinking the viewers were starved from content. Thereby deserving a long-ass chapter to kick off Part II of the story.

...

In all seriousness though, I decided to make this Chapter into seven parts (1 part per day) to shorten the time spent between Kingdoms. Getting to Ringwood took so many Chapters and I really wanted to advance the story more than build up character-character moments. The result was a middle-ground that had both humor and touching moments...I hope.

Really hope I made you guys laugh. Even just a little. And I hope you guys got that Monty Python reference I made. Because there are, in fact, killer rabbits in Minecraft.

The seven ideas I used for the days were not all mine. AwakenedKarbon gave me the idea for Tuesday's prompt while Slenderbrine gave me the idea for Sunday's. If your prompt didn't make it, I hope you understand. I didn't hate the ideas, but the competition, in my opinion, was pretty tough.

In addition, I have three, count 'em, THREE OC additions this Chapter. Special thanks to iHasDeathNote for her OC: Cosmicxx. I just established her as a Halstatt character because she'll play a role in the future.

As for the other two OCs, I kinda cheated and put them in the Omake below. Special thanks to LuckyLuis for the OCs: Lucky_Luis and Darkened_Wing.

One more thing. On my profile, I have a link to a Map of Minecraftia that a good friend of mine 'Deez Nutz' drew over the hiatus. It's basically the world the story takes place.

Anyway, leave a fav, review, OC, follow, PM, what have you, and I'll see you next week...unless my internet crashes.

Omake: Valley Beast

Once upon a time, before even Cobb's existence began, there was a creature.

A creature as pure and white as the driven snow.

But this creature was not 'pure' in the good sense. No. It was pure in the most evil abomination of all Crafter-kind…sense.

It had blood red eyes, slits for pupils and was demonic in origin.

Its appearance was that of an innocuous bunny rabbit. Nibbling cutely on any vegetable in its vicinity. Its whiskers twitched at the faintest breeze. Its long ears bounced slightly with its movements and every so often it would stretch lazily across the rocks that made up its home.

But its home was all you needed to determine how dangerous it was. It lived in a cave of jagged rocks in between an undisturbed valley, as if man had never set foot there.

And if a Crafter ever did, only their disembodied Heads and gear would remain.

For decades, unsuspecting Crafters would wander between the valley of Caerbannog Mountain and Blitz Peak, seeking glory or rare ores.

Instead they found death.

Death at the adorable paws of the Valley Beast.

Piles of gear belonging to thousands of nameless Crafters lay abandoned at the base of the Caerbannog Mountain, awaiting the day a Crafter brave enough (or stupid enough) would risk death to claim them.

Eventually, the disappearances and rumors kept most folks away. Some over-confident and boastful warriors, dismissing the rumors as superstition, attempted to seek and kill the beast…

Only to never be heard from again.

That was the nature of Minecraftia. Some things existed that never should have existed. The Beast was simply a product of some cruel ironic joke, played by the universe on the unsuspecting Crafters of Minecraftia.

And so the legend of the Valley Beast was spread throughout the neighboring lands, ensuring that nobody would dare cross the valley while the Beast was outside of its cave.

The Valley Beast lay on its back, soaking in the warmth of the noon-day sun. Content to letting the day pass away.

No mortals had disturbed its home for…it wasn't even sure how long it had been.

And that was the way it liked it.

Suddenly, a voice was carried by the wind to its sensitive ears. A mortal voice.

"We shouldn't be here." The voice hissed. Male by the sound of it and terrified beyond belief. "I'm telling you we shouldn't be here!"

"He's right." Came a quiet second voice. Male again and slightly afraid, but doing a remarkable job of hiding it. "We shouldn't risk going straight through the valley. What if the Valley Beast—"

"If the Valley Beast is here," sounded a cold, composed female voice, "then I want to see it."

The Beast's eyes narrowed dangerously as it considered the woman's tone. Either she wasn't scared or she was putting up a charade for her companions. It was quite convincing too. The Beast almost believed her.

"What's the point of seeing something like that?" The more cowardly male hissed. "I'm all for a challenge, but this…this thing we're looking for…it's a monster!"

The Beast detected a small chuckle from the female. "I want to see how its reputation stacks up…against a true monster."

The Beast's ears perked up from that challenge. The woman obviously had a lot of pride in herself if she was willing to look for a monster.

It was almost a shame that she would get her wish.

A death wish.

The Beast stretched out and yawned cutely before hopping towards the sound of the three voices.

Although another sound caught the Beast's attention. It was the faint sound of a four-legged animal…yet different from the horses most mortals rode through the valley.

*CLOP-CLOP* *CLOP-CLOP*

It was a sound foreign to the Beast. Perhaps it would allow the intruders to approach so that it could see the source of the foreign sound for itself.

The Beast peered up from its position upon a rock. Standing at the rim of one of the surrounding rocky slopes, were the three mortals.

One male with short brown hair. The other with shoulder length silver hair and a non-leather black cap. Both riding horses.

And there was the woman, undoubtedly the leader of their little trio and flanked by the two males. She had spiky black hair and cold, red eyes.

And…she was riding no horse. After all, what horse was pink and had a snout?

"Oh, fuck." The brown-haired man gasped in horror as his eyes focused on the Beast's form. "We're dead! It's seen us! And now we're dead!"

However, the woman's eyes observed the Beast in mild curiosity. No hint of fear in her expression.

The Beast smiled to itself. It would be so satisfying to teach the woman true fear.

"Luis. Wing." The two men stood up straight at being addressed by their leader. "Wait here with Mr. Piggles."

Their eyes widened as their leader dismounted the creature named Mr. Piggles. "B-but Carys—"

"Wait. Here." She punctuated each word with an arctic glare directed to her companions, effectively silencing their protests. Then she slid down the rocky slope with a lazy expression on her face.

The Beast was ecstatic. It would get the opportunity to show the woman the true meaning of fear. And she had been foolish enough to leave her companions behind. They wouldn't have done much good, but they could have served the purpose of a distraction at best.

As the woman padded towards the Beast, she made a distinctive sound with her purple boots.

*tk tk*

It was a sound that annoyed the Beast. It was small, but against its sensitive ears was obnoxiously loud.

*tk tk*

The Beast longed to end that annoying sound. Longed to end the woman before it.

Longed to claim another victim to serve as a grim reminder to anyone that dared approach!

The woman was only a few feet away now. The Beast bared its razor sharp fangs and narrowed its red slit eyes as it prepared to attack.

The woman named Carys gazed insipidly at the Beast. She didn't even bother to arm herself with the assortment of swords at her belt.

And just when the Beast was about to leap…

Something…happened.

Carys barely moved. Just a simple blink was the only warning the Beast got before an unimaginable bloodlust exuded from her. The air felt ten times heavier. Her red eyes held a cold fire that threatened to singe the very flesh from the Beast's bones. And a dark aura enveloped her very being, transforming the woman into a demon far crueler than the Beast itself!

This…this wasn't a mortal…

Something was dangerously wrong with the woman!

The Beast shivered fearfully and shrunk like the innocent bunny it pretended to be. The killing intent surrounding Carys was just that powerful. Even her two associates on the slope were cowering from the sheer intensity.

…This was it.

The Beast was going to die.

A far greater beast had found it in the form of a raven-haired woman. The one named Carys_Angel.

How ironic. She was about as far from an Angel as night from day.

Just when the Beast couldn't take anymore of Carys' deadly aura, it vanished. As quickly as it came.

And Carys smiled at the Beast before gently petting it.

As her hand brushed across its fur, the Beast remained motionless. It dared not breathe for fear that it would set the woman off.

Finally, the demon known as Carys spoke. "You were going to try and kill me, correct?"

The Beast remained motionless, slit eyes tracking the hand that pet it. The hand trailed across the Beast's cheek, playfully flicking its whiskers before returning to the owner.

"Then, come at me." Carys spoke softly as she held her arms out, openly inviting the Beast to sink its fangs into her neck.

But the Beast didn't move.

"No?" Carys questioned with a raised brow and a small smile.

The Beast's eyes darted, but it didn't move.

"Yeah?" Carys questioned again, almost as if egging the creature on.

The Beast didn't move.

"No." Carys stated confidently as she lowered her arms. "You're going to let me and my companions pass. After all, you wouldn't want to delay us, right?"

The Beast didn't move but kept its eyes locked onto Carys'.

"I didn't think so." Carys laughed before turning around and whistling to her companions.

Mr. Piggles outpaced the two men and rushed to Carys' side. The men moved more slowly, obviously still afraid of the Beast despite their leader's assurance.

But they passed. And the Beast made no move to follow, nor did it make any move…to move.

But it kept its ears perked. Awaiting the moment that hell-spawn cleared its valley. Praying that Carys would never come back. The Beast thought it knew true evil whenever it looked at its own reflection, but clearly Carys had earned that distinction. She was the true demon.

"So…what did you think?" The Beast heard one of Carys' companions question their leader. Gauging what she thought of the Valley Beast.

Carys chuckled softly. "Oh please, Luis." She replied easily. "It was only a rabbit."

AN: That actually happened! Totally canon. Before Cobb ever spawned into existence...or angered that demon incarnate. *shivers*