AN: Hey! I actually met my promise! Neat!
Hey! This Chapter has less humor and more gut-wrenching sadness! Neat!
I didn't think people would keep up with this story given its length. I mean, 50 Chapters is a lot. But I'm pleasantly surprised and happy that you are all still interested in my humble story.
Puzzle: You answer me, but I never ask a question. What am I?
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd have Slime Mobs reform.
Beta: Void of Shining Darkness
Chapter 50
Millionth
"After them!"
"Don't let them escape! They know too much!"
"They'll pay for killing our comrades!"
"Er…has anyone noticed that two of them look kinda green?"
"Don't be racist, Ted."
Noman, Righty, and Legoless were currently running away from a storm of angry guards.
The explosions and noises Ciro had made with his bow had gotten the attention of every available guard in Maplefrost's bunker. Upon arriving, however, the guards saw several of their comrades dead or unconscious, with only three Crafters present, all too shocked to form any kind of defense.
With one of the culprits holding the Voda Shlem the guards were tasked to…well…guard, it painted quite the compromising scene for Noman and his companions. Naturally, the guards assumed they were to blame, and began to chase them. Not only to avenge their comrades, but also to prevent any information leaks on Lord Maplefrost's Testificate farming.
"Crap! They're catching up!" Righty saw fit to warn, still a bit dazed after waking up from unconsciousness. Noman didn't even bother to cover his ears or mutter anything about obscenities. "Nowhere, pick up the pace!"
But Noman was only moving his body mechanically, with no emotion or urgency. He just kept following those ahead, not really caring if the guards caught up. He was too busy replaying events inside his head.
The fight.
Ciro's attack. The explosion.
Marble barely hanging off the edge…
And then he fell…
Marble's…dead?
No! No, I…I'm sure he's fine…That hole could have dropped into water or…or maybe he survived the fall. Yeah. He could have survived! He had to have of!
Noman ignored the small part of his mind telling him that the Scout was at half a heart of Health when he fell. And that drop into that hole…
I didn't have a choice. Noman tried to reason. The Voda Shlem was about to…I couldn't lose it again! This was what we came down here for!
The Billionth patted the light blue leather cap held securely at his belt.
Marble wanted to help me get this…urged me to get this, no matter the cost! It's just like he said…
'Scouts have to be uncompromising and stubborn to get badges. Like a boulder weathering a mighty river.'
Noman still wasn't a Scout, but the principle was the same. Marble would have wanted him to obtain the artifact…would have been glad to sacrifice himself for the greater good of Minecraftia. To rid the world of the murderous Endward Cult.
Noman regained a bit of his speed, catching up to Righty and Legoless ahead of him, even passing them. His thoughts were steadily lifting his spirits.
Marble…your death wasn't in vain…with this artifact, I'm one step closer to fulfilling Notch's mission and saving Minecraftia from the cult's evil. I swear on your grave, this artifact will…be…
Noman almost stopped in his tracks upon realizing something. Ciro had the Yanhua Gong. And he fell just like Marble had. If Marble was dead, there was a good chance Ciro was dead too. Meaning the Yanhua Gong was just sitting down that hole, waiting for someone to pick it up amongst all the other scattered gear.
And while explosive arrows didn't really appeal to the Billionth's non-lethal preferences, like the book had advised, it made a great siege weapon. Surely the Endward Cult would have a base or fortress. A place of residence or something similar.
How convenient would it be to have explosive projectiles to lower their defenses.
I need to get down to that bow! Noman thought covetously. It's not like Ciro will need it. Plus, it'll be for the good of all Crafters. I can't let this opportunity slip. Not when I'm so close to having a third of all the artifacts in my possession.
"Nowhere!" Righty shouted urgently. "We can't outrun these guards forever! Next corner we turn down, dig us out a hiding spot."
Snapping back to reality, Noman nodded before readying his wooden pickaxe. It was pretty weak, but he was sure it'd do the job.
Just as Righty had instructed, the three turned a corner and dug out a section of the stone brick corridor. Noman's pickaxe, however, broke on the eighth block, making the hiding spot a tight squeeze.
"Don't you have any other pick?" Righty shouted in exasperation while Legoless slipped into the hole.
"They went this way!" A gruff guard called from around the corner, followed by the echoing of stampeding feet.
"Fuck it!" Righty slipped into the hole as well, leaving Noman as the last to seal the opening with stone bricks. The three stood in absolute darkness with Noman pressing himself against the wall to avoid corrosive contact with either of the Slime-girls.
"Uh…Nowhere?" Legoless began tentatively, with the air of telling someone something odd.
"Shhh. They'll hear."
Staying silent, they heard the guards run past their hiding spot, with shouts of catching the culprits before Maplefrost heard of it.
Again, Legoless tried to speak up, but Noman shushed her, not wanting to risk being found. Not until the guards were well out of earshot.
Once they were, Noman breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, Legoless, what did you—?" Noman was cut off as he was pressed against the wall by something slimy, followed by the sharp burning pain. "Ow! I know it's cramped, but—!"
"Grgl…"
Hearing that, Noman's eyes widened. He couldn't see in the dark niche he dug out, but he had an idea what was happening.
With what little elbow room he had left, Noman used his diamond sword to break apart the wall sealing them in. It took longer, with intervals of pain caused by the Slimies behind him, but he finally managed to break the wall, causing light to flood in and everyone to spill out.
Noman turned to look at the Slimies and frowned. They no longer had the forms they once had, returned to their amorphous, though significantly smaller self.
Damage caused them to split apart. But close contact appeared to merge them back together. Stuffing them into that narrow niche unexpectedly put them back together.
However, without Bethany, the second Slime-girl, they'd never return to their original size.
The Slimy gurgled faintly, flowing towards Noman, but he already knew what to do. He fished inside his backpack for the Severe Shield and approached the wriggling mass. All it took was a strike to separate them once again. Back to Righty and Legoless.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Legoless sunk to her knees…or…rather if she had knees…uh…she sank in relief. "I was afraid we'd be merged forever again."
"That was weird." Righty commented while holding her right arm over where her heart would be. Noman vaguely noticed her arm had the Hunger Meter and the Meter with the bubbles on it. However, her Health and Experience Meter were on her left side, since she was missing that arm. "It's like we were nearly whole…only not. Without Bethany…" Her eyes widened in realization and she looked around. "Hey, where is she anyway? And that blond guy too? Did they escape down a different corridor?"
Legoless sank lower, this time in depression. "Righty…I'm so sorry…Bethany, she…she fell down one of the holes…along with Marble…"
"…What?" Righty looked to Noman, his grim face only confirming her fears. "That…that can't…I was only out for a few minutes…"
Legoless let out a pained sob. "Bethany…she can't be gone…it'd be like losing a part of ourselves…and Marble…we didn't know him long, but…but…" She was struggling to hold back the tears.
"Stop that!" Righty growled, staying strong. "Bethany is fine, alright!? And so is that blond-haired guy!"
"But…but they fell…" Legoless tried to reason, tears threatening to stream down her face. "And…and…Bethany…she was…blasted apart…"
"Shaddup!" Righty snapped, bonking Legoless lightly on the head. Apparently, Slimes couldn't damage each other with their corrosive surfaces. "She's fine, I tell you! I thought I knew everything about this form when we were glued together for all those years. But turns out, I still don't get it! We can separate and split apart, we may very well be invincible, super gods or something! So I'm not gonna believe that a part of us is dead! I mean…" She paused as her hand covered her heart again and her voice lowered. "We'd at least feel if a part of us was gone…right?"
Legoless sat there with a quivering lip before rushing forth to try and hug Righty. "Oh, Righty! You're so right…y!"
Righty bent herself unnaturally to dodge the hug. "Hey! No hugging! Or touching! I don't want to go through merging and separating again! Now quit your moping, and let's find those two."
Noman nodded in agreement. He wasn't too sure Marble and Bethany were alive, but he was going to head down there anyway to find the Yanhua Gong. Now, at least he wouldn't have to convince the two to come with him.
Legoless wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a small smile, but only to Righty. In fact, she was barely looking at Noman, even as they backtracked towards the room holding the auction items.
Though Noman swore he saw the Slime-girl scowl at him out of the corner of his eye.
Why is she…No, I must just be seeing things. Noman assured. She can't be blaming me for what happened to Bethany. It was Ciro who killed her. Not me.
And the same with Marble. It wasn't my fault. I had to choose between saving the world and saving a friend. Nobody can blame me for my choice!
I had to do it.
Upon returning to the room holding the artifacts, Noman and the two Slime-girls noticed that it was completely empty, the gear of Ciro's victims still spread across the cratered floor. In their haste, the guards must have prioritized apprehending the intruders as opposed to guarding the remaining auction items.
Lucky for them.
Noman searched the dead guards' loot for anything useful and came up with a water bucket. Poured down the hole, it would allow them to safely descend.
To make things safer, Legoless went first, then Righty, then Noman, each of them giving each other a wide berth so as not to bump into one another.
As they descended into the hollow space, they were struck by how dark it was. With only the limited light shining down from the punctured floor above, none of them could tell how large the hollow space was, or how far down it went. All they could do was go with the water's flow and hope for something to land on.
Below, Noman could hear Legoless sniffling. "This…this is quite the drop." She tilted her head up, looking only at Righty. "You…you really think they're okay?"
She was looking for confirmation, something to put her faith into. And though Righty didn't look her in the eye, she kept her voice strong. "Of course they're fine. No way Bethany is dead."
Noman remained silent. Whatever comforting words he could manage would sound forced and insincere. Legoless didn't want to hear them anyway.
*Cough Cough*
Noman's eyes widened at the sound. Coughs and sputters from below. He gazed searchingly into the darkness, trying to detect any movement.
"Ugh…first I fall and then water gets poured on me!?"
The voice sounded masculine, but Noman couldn't quite tell who it was. It could have been Marble…or Ciro.
"I had better get my Blind as a Bat Badge for this, because I can't see shit!"
It was Marble.
"Marble!" Noman called out, earning a startled gasp from the Scout below. "Are you okay?"
However, the only reply was silence.
"…Marble?" Noman tried again.
"Hey, blond guy!" Righty shouted. "Is Bethany with you? Is she okay?"
That earned a reply. "Well…I wouldn't say okay…she's…not herself…"
"Quit it with the riddles!" Righty shouted in annoyance. "Just tell us she's alive!"
"Don't worry!" Marble called back. "She's alive…she saved my life in fact—and made me earn my Piss my Pants Badge—But we're both okay!" For a moment, a small fire flickered below, illuminating the blond Scout—and a couple green specks along the floor—before being extinguished. "I hope you guys brought torches because my flint and steel is nearly out."
"Hang on…" Noman checked his Inventory and pulled out some planks. "I can make some sticks! So long as you have coal we should be able to make torches!"
However, once again, silence was the Scout's reply. It was almost as if he was refusing to answer Noman.
Once the group was safely on the ground and out of the flowing waterfall, they fumbled around in the darkness before finding Marble. "Ow! Slime Burn!"
"Sorry…"
"Here's the coal." Marble fumbled with something at his belt before presumably handing it over to Legoless, who then proceeded to hand it to Noman. Quickly turning his planks into sticks, and sticks and coal into torches, Noman set one down far enough away from the flowing water to light up the area.
Even with the torch's light, most of the cavern they had traveled down was shrouded in darkness. Where they had landed was perfectly flat, as if someone had carved into it. In fact, the entire cavern looked to be the remnants of a mine. Probably to supply the cobblestone needed for the stone bricks of Maplefrost's bunker and mansion.
The group stood upon a shelf of sorts, one that jutted from the walls. On the edges of the shelf, the cavern continued to descend into the pitch black emptiness. However deep was unknown.
How did they survive the fall? Noman couldn't help but wonder as he looked up. The distance between the punctured floor above and the shelf was far beyond what a Crafter could sustain in terms of fall damage. Marble and Bethany should have been reduced to pancakes along with…
Ciro! Noman began placing his other torches around the shelf, searching for Ciro's body or gear.
Behind him, Legoless and Righty were talking to Marble. "So how did you survive the fall? I was so worried that you…and Bethany…were…"
"Easy, easy." The Scout calmed them down. "First off, Bethany is the reason I survived. She fell down first after getting blown apart by Ciro's bow. Then…well…I fell down…" The anger with which Marble said that made Noman turn back around. "Anyway, I thought I was a goner, just falling without being able to see anything. Luckily, I was able to save face, limiting my cowardly scream to a mere seven-and-a-half out of ten instead of a full-blown ten out of ten.
"But double luckily, I felt something cushy catch me before I hit the ground. Or rather…somethings."
Legoless and Righty gasped, and even Noman couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Hanging off of Marble's head and shoulders were three mini Slime-girls, each no bigger than a rabbit.
"Is that…Bethany?" Legoless questioned as she gazed upon the three organisms.
"Yep!" The Scout lifted one up by his hand. "Cute right? These little things worked together to catch me before I became a Scout-pancake. And better yet, they don't sting me when I touch them." As if to prove his point, the three mini-slime girls crawled over his arm and down his legs before waiting along the ground. "Much like actual Slimes, it seems you can split until you reach this point. Though at this size, any damage can kill them."
"So when that explosion blasted them apart…" Righty adopted a contemplative expression, "Their bits just formed into three new and much smaller organisms."
"Yeah, only…I'm not sure how to put them back together." Marble held one of them up sadly. "Once Slime Mobs separate, they can't exactly reform."
"Actually, if I'm right, all they need to do is gather themselves together to reform Bethany." Noman commented helpfully, earning a scowl from Marble. The Billionth couldn't understand what his problem was, but it felt weird having all those dirty looks directed at him.
"Nowhere's right." Righty nodded. "Bethany bits! Reform into the crybaby we all know and love!"
Each one gave a small nod, before two of them slithered up the Scout's leg before moving across his arm and connecting with the third mini-Slime in his hand. Immediately, the mini-Slimes lost all traces of their features. They doubled…tripled…quadrupled in size, spilling over Marble's open hand and stinging him a bit.
Before he could place the forming Slime-girl on the ground, the mass became too much for him to carry. He collapsed onto his back as Bethany's left arm and legs formed, followed closely by her hair and features.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Legoless exclaimed happily at the fully formed Bethany. "You're okay!"
Bethany looked down sadly. "I'm…I'm sorry for worrying you so much."
"No. No." Legoless dismissed with a shake of her head. "I'm the one who should be sorry. For a moment…I truly believed you were gone…"
Bethany sobbed. "Well, don't be sorry. Because I'm sorry that you're sorry."
"And I'm sorry that you're sorry that I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry that you're sorry that I'm sorry that—"
"Can you please get off of me!?" Marble shouted in annoyance, causing Bethany to look down in surprise. She had apparently forgotten who she was stood atop.
"Oh no! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Bethany quickly jumped off, apologizing profusely. "I-I-I forgot that—"
"No more apologizing from you!" Marble shushed with a hand. "Or you!" He stopped Legoless before she could say anything. "In fact, there's only one of us that needs to apologize for anything."
Legoless nodded at that before turning to Noman. "Nowhere, don't you have anything to say to Marble?"
"Huh?" Noman blinked in surprise as everyone turned to look at him. "Uh…yeah, actually. Marble, did you see where Ciro landed?" At that, Marble's expression morphed into a frustrated scowl. "He had the Yanhua Gong on him so I want to check his gear."
Legoless frowned in annoyance. "Nowhere! That's not what I meant!"
"Then…what?"
Legoless opened her mouth to answer, but Marble silenced her. "Don't bother, Legoless. It's best if Nowhere just asks that helmet on what he did wrong. After all, it's obviously more important to him."
Noman recoiled at the caustic tone behind those words. Marble may as well have hit him. "Wha…what are you talking about? What did I do wrong?"
"You really don't know do you?" The Scout shook his head in disappointment. "I see you saved that helmet." He pointed at the Voda Shlem at Noman's belt. "No surprise. You cared enough for it not to let it fall down a hole."
"Is that what this is about?" Noman replied defensively. "You survived the fall, didn't you?"
"Oh, and that makes it okay?" Marble answered coldly. "Let me ask you something, Nowhere. Did you believe I survived the fall? Did you know that Bethany would be alive to catch me?"
Noman opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself, realizing the thoughts that had crossed his mind immediately after the Scout's fall. He closed his mouth, remaining silent as he fought for the right words.
"That's what I thought." Marble covered his face with his hand. "Y'know, for a second I thought you were actually torn over the choice you made. But as soon as you got down here, all you bothered looking for is that damn bow!"
"L-language…" Noman tried to muster tentatively.
"Even now, you don't regret choosing that Voda Shlem over me! You chose a piece of leather over a comrade! A friend!"
"Whoa, whoa." Righty piped up. Bethany was shivering in terror at all the yelling happening. "What the fuck are you two talking about? What happened…?"
Legoless turned to her. "While you were knocked out, Marble was hanging off the edge of that hole with half a heart. I couldn't grab him, so it was up to Nowhere to pull him out." She turned to scowl at the Billionth. "But then he chose to grab the Voda Shlem instead! He's the reason Marble fell!"
Righty's eyes widened in surprise before knitting themselves into a glare. One directed at Noman.
"Now hold on!" Noman tried to argue. "You don't know what it's like to keep having something within your grasp, only for it to be taken away each and every time. The Voda Shlem was…I had no idea if I'd ever see it again—!"
"And you had no idea you'd ever see me again, either!" Marble shouted back. "After everything I've done for you, after all we went through, you were willing to throw me away for a leather cap! Was that the extent of our friendship!?"
"No! Of course not!" Noman defended frantically. "I'm grateful for everything you've done! Without you, I never would have gotten this far…but…but…" Noman took a calming breath. "This is part of a mission—"
"Oh, bullshit!" The Scout sighed as he turned away from Noman's flimsy argument. "You and your mission are total bullshit!"
"First off, language. And second off, you don't get it. None of you understand." He turned to look at each one. "These artifacts are meant to save the world! To defeat the Endward Cult! You've seen how powerful they are! One of their Lieutenants was enough to almost kill us!"
Marble frowned. "Really? Because I recall us handling him pretty well until those guards tackled us—"
"It was a close call and you know it!" Noman was getting incensed by how little the Scout seemed to care about his mission. "That's why I need these artifacts! Without them, I don't stand a chance. This isn't like some…petty…insignificant…BADGE!"
He didn't mean to say it like that, but the damage was already done. Slowly, Marble lifted his head to look deliberately into Noman's eyes. "What did you just say?" He growled out lowly.
"Y-you heard me." Noman replied with a stammer, not really feeling pleased with himself. He had obviously touched a nerve.
The Scout took a step forward, getting up in the Billionth's face. "You don't know anything about what these badges are worth to me. About what the Scouts are worth to me. So don't pretend you know the first thing about either of them."
"I know that those badges are just random achievements thrown to you…stepping stones on a path to nothing!" Noman shot back.
Marble chuckled humorlessly to himself. "Funny. Because that's what I see these artifacts as." He grabbed the Voda Shlem from Noman's belt and held it up above his head. "Just stepping stones on a path to nothing."
"Give that back!" Noman shouted, leaping for the artifact.
"Just look at yourself. Like a pig with a carrot dangled above it." Marble tossed it to his other hand and halted Noman in place with a hand to his chest. "You claim your mission is to save Minecraftia? Yet you're willing to sacrifice comrades to get that far? How does that make sense?"
"You're not seeing the bigger picture." Noman argued, trying to lunge for the Voda Shlem again. "What's one or two lives compared with the thousands…maybe millions who'll die at the Endward Cult's hands!?"
"Nowhere!" Righty shouted out in fury, causing Noman to recoil. "If that's what you really think, you're a bigger idiot than Maplecock!"
"Wha…what?" Noman didn't even bother to cover his ears.
"No Crafter is going to accept their death so long as you tell them 'It's for the good of the world.' You can't just offer that with a shrug and walk away!" Righty's green eyes blazed in anger. "It's heartless!"
"Heart…less?" Noman couldn't believe what he was hearing. He quickly turned to Marble. "But…but what about your advice! You said that…that a Scout must be uncompromising and stubborn…able to weather a mighty river...Was that just a lie?"
Marble shook his head. "No. A Scout does need to be uncompromising and stubborn…willing to commit themselves entirely to obtain a badge…no matter how ridiculous or absurd…" He faced Noman fully. "But there's a cardinal rule held with greater respect." He fished out the badge book from his belt and turned to the first page, showing it to Noman.
[Never abandon a comrade to die.]
"…"
Noman read that line several times, taking in its meaning. It was just six words, but the conviction in Marble's eyes told him it was to be taken as seriously as the grave.
"A Scout can never abandon another Scout to die, Nowhere. Because if one dies, they can no longer earn badges. And that is the greatest emptiness for a Scout." He closed his eyes thoughtfully. "When I fell…I thought that was it…I thought I'd never know the joy of another badge—never feel that swell of accomplishment. To me, that was the scariest moment I've faced."
Noman looked down in shame, realizing how Marble must have felt. All the Scout had done had been to help Noman. Yet when he needed him…
He let him fall.
"I…I'm…"
Noman felt the Voda Shlem being handed back to him before Marble stepped away. "If you're truly sorry for what you've done, admit it. Then prove it," he pointed to the edge of the shelf, "by tossing that helmet over the edge."
Noman looked up apprehensively. "But…Marble—"
"No. That thing in your hand is just a piece of leather." Marble explained with a scowl. "It's not a Crafter's life. It's not your life. It's just an object you've been obsessing over this whole day."
Noman looked at the light blue cap held in his numb fingers. "But…after all we've—"
"Throw it away, and then I'll happily help you find your way down to retrieve it again. As friends." He promised. "But first, I need to know that it doesn't mean more to you than a comrade's life."
Noman gulped, his eyes darting to the Voda Shlem and back to Marble and the three Slime-girls. They were all watching him expectantly. Slowly, Noman approached the edge, the hand holding the Voda Shlem shaking slightly.
"It's just a piece of leather, Nowhere." Marble repeated. "Don't let it rule you."
Noman looked down into the dark abyss, his breathing a little faster, as he pulled back his arm, ready to throw the artifact down.
The artifact that he needed to defeat the Endward Cult.
The artifact that may be lost forever in the abyss below if he were to chuck it.
"Ngh…" Noman clutched the Voda Shlem close to his chest and backed away from the edge.
He couldn't do it.
Behind him, he heard Marble give a disappointed sigh. "Well, I guess that's that." He sounded so hollow, making Noman's feel ashamed of himself.
I'm sorry, Marble…I really am…but I can't take this risk…
"I'm on my own, then." Noman spoke aloud, not even turning to face the Scout.
"Yeah…" Marble answered after several seconds. "I guess you are…"
Noman placed the Voda Shlem at his belt once again, feeling something unpleasant twist inside his gut. "Did you see where Ciro fell?"
Marble growled angrily. "Even now, you're still going after his bow! When will it be enough, Nowhere!?"
"I understand why you're angry, Marble." Noman answered hollowly. "But…I need to see this through. I have to."
Marble looked like he wanted to say something, but bit his lip instead. "Fine. Bethany."
"Oh!...um…yes?" The sad Slime-girl asked while cowering behind Legoless.
"Did you see where Ciro fell?"
"Um…yes…one of my selves…er…saw him fall over that edge." She pointed towards the edge Noman was near. "Whatever's left of him is probably a ways down…but—"
"Thanks." Noman answered, walking up to the flowing waterfall and placing whatever spare blocks he had left to redirect the flow over the edge. He also put on his leather armor—with the exception of his tunic—to leave a space for the Severe Shield. He didn't know whether Ciro survived the fall, but he wasn't going to take any chances. If the crimson-garbed heterochromatic Crafter was still alive, he'd expect a battle.
Meanwhile, Marble walked up to the waterfall, intending to swim up it. Legoless closely followed him.
Bethany, however, looked torn between going with Noman and going with Marble. She was looking between the two, looking saddened.
"Come on, Bethany." Righty spoke, walking up to the girl. "We're getting out of this hell-hole."
"But…but what about Nowhere?"
Righty shook her head. "Nowhere's in the wrong, here. No way am I gonna follow a guy that values a stupid artifact more than our lives. This is for the best."
Bethany looked down dejectedly, before nodding. The two joined Marble and Legoless in floating up the waterfall while Noman prepared to float down.
"It's not worth it, Nowhere." Marble called out. A last message before parting. "It just isn't."
It was Noman's turn to answer in silence, as he slid up to the edge before being carried down by the water's flow.
The cavern seemed to stretch down for miles. Though Noman couldn't tell if that was caused by the sheer distance or from the empty lonliness.
He never thought he'd miss the idle absurdity Marble used to fill the silence. Traveling with him, while exasperating at times, was also comforting. A helpful ally…
Noman sighed. Well…at least if he hates me, he'll have those emeralds I gave him. I'm sure those will help him forget.
Noman tried to shake those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't focus on the others at the moment. He needed to remain vigilant to find Ciro's gear…or Ciro himself.
As he continued to flow down, Noman noticed a bit of light illuminating a new shelf. The waterfall poured across the shelf before flowing over the edge and deeper into the cavern's depths. He quickly left the waterfall, landing on the shelf, and walked up to the light.
It was a torch. But not Ciro's gear.
Noman frowned as he looked up from the torch, seeing another torch, then another, forming a loose path to the cavern wall. Then his eyes trailed up the wall, observing a sort of makeshift staircase made out of dirt, built along the wall.
Someone built that.
It seemed to trail up high—
*UHNN*
Zombies! Noman thought to himself as he withdrew his diamond blade. However, as he whirled around, he couldn't pinpoint the location of the Mobs. They were sticking to the darkness, just on the outskirts of the torchlight.
Noman backed away from the darkness until he was standing beside one of the torches. They wouldn't be able to sneak up on him if he stayed in the light. If they wanted to kill him so badly, they'd have to reveal themselves.
Predictably, that's just what they did. Three Zombies left the darkness and marched towards the prepared Billionth.
Zombies were no real challenge to him anymore. He raked his blade across the first one's head and sliced the second one right down the middle. His Sharpness diamond sword was really something powerful.
He hefted his blade to finish the last Zombie—
*TWANG*
Noman's eyes widened at the sound of a bow and the subsequent whistle of an arrow before an explosion blasted him forward. He bowled into the Zombie, knocking both of them over, before rolling across the ground.
That was the Yanhua Gong! Noman was able to process in his shell-shocked state as he groaned to a sitting position. So Ciro did survive the fall…
Another twang and whistle told him to move just before an explosion ripped through the ground where he was stationed. However, in his hasty roll, Noman forgot about the Zombie that was now in his face.
The two wrestled across the ground before the Zombie stood atop the Billionth, scratching at his flimsy leather armor. Noman held back the Zombie's face, taking care to avoid its snapping teeth, while he positioned the tip of his blade over the Zombie's center and thrust. The strike earned a pained groan before the Zombie disappeared.
Noman didn't have time to celebrate as another arrow came screaming towards him. With his Health low from all the attacks, Noman quickly donned his Severe Shield, quadrupling his maximum Health and allowing him to survive the explosion.
"Show yourself!" Noman called out to the surrounding darkness. "Your arrows won't do you any good anymore!"
For a long time there was nothing but silence. Then a voice carried itself throughout the cavern. An echo.
"I'd rather stay in the shadows if it's all the same to you." Ciro's voice taunted. "After all, what sniper would willingly give away their location?"
Noman bit his lip angrily. He made a good point. Noman couldn't fight what he couldn't hit. And the darkness was concealing the heterochromatic Crafter's position quite effectively. Meanwhile, if Noman stayed in the torchlight, Ciro would have no trouble hitting him.
"Besides…" Ciro continued. "I wouldn't want those pesky friends of yours to gang up on me. Where are they anyway?"
Noman felt that familiar something twist in his gut before he looked down in shame. "They're not coming…But I can handle you myself!"
"Sure you can…just like you're supposed to handle the Endward Cult all by yourself." Ciro mocked. "Notch really put his faith in the wrong Crafter."
Noman's eyes widened in surprise. "Notch…? How do you…what do you know about Notch?"
"More than you."
Another arrow came screaming at Noman from the left. He quickly backpedaled away, clearing both the arrow and the blast before they could reach him…
Only for a second arrow to impact the ground to the right of him, blasting him across the floor before rolling to a stop.
"Ugh…Who are you!?" Noman called out, both in anger and burning curiosity. This Ciro knew too much about the artifacts, about Notch, about all of it. Just what was his connection?
"I told you before," the voice carried throughout the cavern, masking the sniper's location, "I am the true chosen one." Another arrow shot towards Noman, forcing him to dodge. "The one that will defeat the Endward Cult and avenge Notch's death!" Several more arrows blasted apart the ground, littering the shelf with craters. "The one and only…MILLIONTH!"
With his Severe Shield equipped, Noman took the brunt of Ciro's explosions. Enduring blast after blast, until Ciro took a moment to rest.
"The Millionth?" Noman questioned to stall the sniper while he devoured some steak. He needed to refill his Hunger fast!
"That's right." Ciro called back, seeing no need to finish Noman quickly. "I was Notch's apprentice nearly four hundred years ago. I was his strongest fighter. One of his closest comrades…and yet…"
"And yet?" Noman ventured tentatively.
Suddenly, Ciro's voice became more malicious. "And yet he chose to put his faith in you—some guy he hadn't even met—over me! He chose to give you his Severe Shield! Left nothing for me but an empty space! Thinking I'd be happy with how things turned out!
"Well, I'll show him…I'll prove him wrong!" Several more arrows came pelting from the darkness. "It'll be I who eradicates the Endward Cult! It'll be I who obtains all nine artifacts! Not you! And not anyone else!"
Noman flinched in fear. There was no way he was going to reason with Ciro. Any thought of working together to defeat the Endward Cult was dashed by his vindictive diatribe.
He had no choice but to fight.
With that, Noman ran up to one of Ciro's launched arrows, ending to take it dead on. When it impacted, Noman was blasted back as the explosion ripped through his body, shredding his leather armor to bits.
But his chestplate held firm.
And since he took a hit…
"Gah!" Ciro shouted, feeling the effects of the Severe Shield's powerful Thorns Enchantment. However, his pained yell signified that he wasn't dead yet. He must have had strong Enchanted armor to withstand that backlash.
"Nice try, Ciro!" Noman exclaimed. "But clearly you missed a couple of facts about this chestplate! Any hit I take will hurt you more than it'll hurt me!"
Surprisingly, Ciro laughed at Noman's words. "You think you're invincible, don't you? You've had that Severe Shield for, what, less than a month? I've had this bow ever since I stole it, over two hundred years ago!"
Two-hundred!?
"I have more experience, and I've learned ways of getting around Thorns Enchantments!" At that, Ciro shot three arrows, each one slightly off from hitting Noman.
By the time Noman decided on which arrow to intercept, they had already impacted, their explosive splash damage throwing Noman back and into a wall. The Severe Shield couldn't stop explosive damage like that. Only precise strikes that actually landed.
"Not bad…" Noman admitted. "But you're forgetting I have two artifacts!" With that, Noman grabbed the Voda Shlem at his belt and wore it for the first time. He didn't feel any different, but then, not all the artifacts had a reaction.
Ciro laughed derisively. "We'll see…" Several more arrows shot towards Noman. While he couldn't see the water particles of the Voda Shlem's radius within the dim light, he had memorized the book's description of the radius.
It has a six-meter radius. That should be big enough to slow down his arrows. Then it should be a breeze to intercept them with the Severe Shield.
Noman saw the arrows drawing nearer. Ten meters. Eight meters. Six meters. Four met—!
*BOOM*
"GAH!" Noman cried out as he was once more flung to the ground. The arrows didn't slow down one bit!
What…what did I do wrong?
Ciro's laugh carried through the air. "See? I knew it! That helmet is useless in your incompetent hands! You lack the experience to harness its power!"
Several more arrows were fired towards him, and still the Voda Shlem refused to work. There had to be some kind of secret to get it to work. Something that he perhaps missed from Herobrine's description of the artifact.
But now wasn't the time to check it out himself. He had explosions to dodge.
Even with the added Health and Protection of the Severe Shield, Noman couldn't take many more hits. Ciro truly was a master of the Yanhua Gong.
"After I've killed you," Ciro taunted from afar, "I'll have enough artifacts to take on one of the Endward Cult's Divisions! If they thought the Angel of Death was bad…wait until they see what I'm capable of!"
Noman heard another twang, followed by an explosion directly above him. Looking up, he yelled in shock as several blocks of gravel collapsed through the blasted hole in the stone. He shielded his head with his arms as he was buried alive in gravel. All oxygen was cut off, and he could barely move trapped in all the loose blocks.
It was suffocating.
He desperately tried to break the blocks, his Severe Shield doing nothing to protect him from the smothering gravel. Outside the gravel, he heard the muffled noises of explosions as Ciro repeatedly shot at something. Noman's remaining Health was steadily dropping. By the time he dug himself out, breathing a sweet breath of air, he was already at three Hearts.
And worse, the entire ground surrounding him was reduced to a cratered mess. Ciro had blasted apart the floor of the shelf they were fighting on until he punched through towards the cavern's steep drop.
Noman was left half-buried in gravel, on an island of floating stone.
Only then did Ciro finally step out from the darkness, walking on the same level as Noman, as he raised his bow.
"As disappointing as I expected."
*TWANG*
He shot at the island beneath the gravel, the only thing supporting Noman, causing both him and the gravel he was buried in to fall further down below.
I can't do this! Noman realized as he frantically tried to escape his falling gravel tomb.
I can't win this!
Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Light Blue] {Voda Shlem}, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Bow [Infinity], 1 Wooden Axe, 13 Torches, 1 Bucket, 1 Crafting Table, 3 Stone Bricks, 7 Gravel, 1 Book {Notch Mission II}, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Dover Plains Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Dover Plains}, 1 Arrow, 2 Glass Bottles, 11 Steaks, 7 Enchanted Golden Apples, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Blue], 2 Bones, 14 Rotten Flesh
[EXP: 1]
AN: If you don't feel like this chapter was an emotional tearing-your-still-beating-heart-out-of-your-chest-and-replacing-it-with-a-bucketful-of-tears chapter...good for you. Then again, I'm not the best at writing sad things.
Noman vs Ciro. Billionth vs Millionth. The result...well...
Some of you actually thought Marble was dead, but this is a whole lot worse. Now Noman's on his own...and getting the artifact-loving crap kicked out of him.
But don't worry. This sad arc about Noman's obsession over artifacts will soon end. Next chapter will be the arc's conclusion, then we'll get back to happier waters. Like watching Cobb fuck around and pretend to know what he's doing.
I can hardly wait. (^_^)
Omake below. Also, if you could come up with Omake suggestions, PM them.
See you next week.
Omake: Prophecy
[365 Years Ago]
Somewhere in a swamp, beneath an oak tree's canopy of leaves, a group of Crafters were huddled around a fire. One of them, a bald man with beady black eyes, a brown tattered shirt, a black beard, and clad in diamond armor, was retelling a chilling tale.
"So…desperately hung over and in need of something to revitalize him, the young Hero placed a Crafting Table and readied his gold and his apple. He was intending to make a golden apple. Something that could restore his strength…" The bald man paused for dramatic effect, even as all the watchers sighed wearily. "But the Crafting Table…TOOK ALL HIS GOLD! OOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
The bald man continued to make spooky noises, even when faced with the uninterested looks his listeners were giving him.
"...oooooooh?"
"Notch, you already told us that story a million times." One of the listeners, a man wearing a billowing crimson trench coat and a black face mask covering his mouth, rolled his eyes. One black and one grey. "In fact, you've told us that story for every one Crafter that spawned before me."
"Well…it's a great story." Notch defended sheepishly.
"Yes, but we're trying to tell spooky stories." Another listener interjected. "I got one! Once upon a time, there was a Killer Rabbit—"
"Oh, not this again!" The man with the red trench coat dismissed.
"I'm telling you, Ciro! There really was a Killer Rabbit!" The second listened argued. "It had huge teeth and red slits for eyes! It almost killed me!"
Before anyone could reply, a wheezing cough cut through the pitter patter of rain. It sounded nearby.
"You guys hear that?" Notch asked seriously, all signs of his goofiness gone. "Sounds like someone's caught in the rain."
"Well, we better go invite them in." Ciro shrugged as everyone got to their feet and followed their leader into the downpour.
They all called out in search of the mysterious wheezing noise, trying to locate it as best they could. However, Notch was the one to find the Crafter in the end. It was an elderly woman with a hunched back, garbed in tattered robes.
"Excuse me, miss." Notch began kindly. "Do you have a camp nearby? Possibly separated from your group?" The old lady tried to speak, but was stopped by her wheezing cough. Unable to answer, she simply shook her head, no. "In that case, would you like to come to our camp until this storm blows over? The swamp is no place to be wandering alone, after all.
The woman paused to consider, before eventually nodding. Notch supported her as they made their way back, his other companions taking notice and returning as well.
Once returned to the safety of their camp, Notch handed the woman one of his cherished and trademarked Notch Apples. She devoured it hungrily, and breathed a sigh of relief at the soothing effects the apple had on her weakened self. Her wheezing coughs cleared up instantly.
"Thank you…kind Hero."
"Don't mention it." Notch replied kindly. "That Notch Apple was taking up Inventory space anyway."
"The gold used for that apple could have fed a village for a week."
"Not helping, Ciro!" Notch tried to shush him, but Ciro was already laughing jovially. The two always enjoyed pushing each other's buttons. They were assholes to each other, but that was what friends were for.
Even if their relationship was more of a master/apprentice kind of deal.
The woman looked onto Ciro with an odd stare. "You…" She pointed a finger at his heterochromatic eyes. "You…are number one million…"
"Wha…how did you know that?" Ciro questioned before narrowing his eyes. "Have you been spying on us?"
The old lady shook her head. "It is not I who has been spying…'tis the spirits. The spirits of the Void." She waved an arm into the air, shifting the smoke from the fire. "They see all, hear all, smell all, taste all—"
"Ew…"
"They are everywhere and nowhere. Beneath the earth. Beyond the stars. In the dark spaces of our minds. Wherever we can and cannot see, they most certainly lay."
"…Neat? I guess…" Notch offered politely, all while Ciro was crossing his eyes and making crazy motions with his fingers.
"Neat indeed." The woman continued, apparently ignoring Ciro. "I simply interpret the spirits, reading futures and fortunes and relaying them to those I deem worthy." She stared at Notch for a moment. "You are number two. The Second to spawn in all of Minecraftia. 'Tis no mean feat."
Notch's eyes widened in wonder, but Ciro was quick to squash those feelings. "You were Ringwood's King. I'm sure a lot of Crafters know who you are and what number is yours. It's not exclusive information."
The old woman's eyes narrowed. "I see you are a non-believer. Doubting the power of the Void spirits. Perhaps a demonstration will put your doubts to rest."
"Yes. Perhaps it would." Ciro countered before sitting back and gesturing for her to begin. "Well, go on. Read Notch's future."
The woman frowned before huffing and turning to Notch. "Hand me your palm."
Notch eagerly thrust out his palm into the woman's wrinkled hands. "Oooh, I hope there's a giant robot in my future!"
"But Jeb just made you one of those for your birthday." One of the other listeners pointed out.
"That was a medium-sized robot at best. Didn't even have any lasers." Noth mumbled to himself.
The woman stared at Notch's palm, her eyes widening and narrowing every so often. "Oh my…this is…this…"
"What is it, miss?" Notch inquired breathlessly.
"My guess? Dirty hands." Ciro laughed before getting a rib to the side.
"I see…I see that you have a bright light…deep inside…a light that shines brightest in the dark…but I also see a great darkness in your future." Notch focused his attention on the woman, surprise clear on his face.
"How can you see darkness? If it's so dark, it can't be seen."
"Shush." Notch chided before turning his attention back to the woman.
"This darkness…this darkness is closer to you than you think." The woman continued. "Closer in time or closer in place…I cannot be certain…I see…I see black leather caps…and Nitebane…"
"Nitebane?" Notch questioned. "But that's—"
"Oooh!" The woman shouted, closing her eyes. "This darkness is too powerful. I see…I see you…battling this darkness…such a destructive battle…my goodness! I've never seen something like this before!"
"And?" Notch urged. "What happens? Do I win? Or…or…?"
The woman's eyes scrunched together closer than ever. "I…I see that you cannot defeat this evil alone…nor can you defeat it at this present time…but I do see another light…One that burns much brighter than yours…a star…
"This star will present itself…when the world of Minecraftia has aged for five centuries…and this star…will defeat the darkness and save Minecraftia…probably…"
"Probably?"
"The Void Spirits are kind of iffy about it." The woman admitted.
"Oh this is ridiculous." Ciro dismissed. "Notch, you can't possibly be buying this."
"What will this 'star' look like?" Notch ignored Ciro, making the old woman smile mockingly at the heterochromatic warrior.
"I…I cannot tell the features." She admitted. "All I can tell you is that he will be known…as the Billionth!"
"The…Billionth?" Ciro questioned thoughtfully. The word sounded foreign to him, which it should have. The number of Crafters was not even a fifth of the way to a billion. And if this supposed Billionth was supposed to spawn when Minecraftia was five-hundred years old, that meant…three-hundred and sixty five years! That would be how long it would take to spawn him.
But that was absurd!
"Are you sure it's not the Millionth that's supposed to help Notch defeat this darkness?" Ciro questioned skeptically. "Because—and I don't mean to brag—but I'm quite formidable…"
"You are not the one." The woman announced clearly. "The spirits are very clear."
"But…" Ciro didn't even know why he was taking such offense to the ravings of an elderly woman. "I've been Notch's apprentice for—"
" Billionth. Not Millionth."
Notch hummed in thought while Ciro just grumbled. "Billionth…I'll keep that in mind."
"Wha—Notch!"
"It can't hurt to have the information." Notch reasoned. "Who knows? Maybe these Void Spirits know more than we're giving them credit for."
Ciro scowled at the old woman. "I seriously doubt it."
Just one letter…
AN: Just one little letter can make a BIG difference.