AN: This Chapter is super-duper late. Whoops.

You can see why I need a Hiatus. Which will be starting after this Chapter.

The title of this Chapter pretty much sums it up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add more Enchantments.

Beta: Myself

Chapter 62

Worst Day Ever

[Cobb]

"So there I was, armed with nothing but my trusty fishing rod and my own indomitable spirit—"

I could practically feel Wynn roll her eyes at that, but my story-telling was keeping Erin at the edge of her seat.

"—And then it hit me: Charged Creeper! And remembering how much Wynn praised my Mob Flail technique—"

"That's libel."

"—I swung that Charged Creeper right into Alec, destroying him in a shocking explosion."

Erin giggled at my pun before Wynn lightly slapped her arm. "Don't encourage him. Puns are the worst type of humor."

"Cobbert," Lenz whined from across the table. "You did not mention my own heroic moments. The pitfall. Carrying a wounded guard through Halstatt…I nearly got struck by lightning!"

"Oh, yeah! Erin, you should have seen it. Lenz built this amazing pitfall trap that took out over six-hundred—"

"Th-that's nice, Cobb." Erin interrupted. "B-but I'd much rather hear about how you rescued Miss Whispers than some redstone contraption." I didn't miss Lenz's disgruntled glare at Erin, nor did I miss Wynn's frown.

"He didn't 'rescue' me." Wynn folded her arms defiantly. "I could have handled them if I needed to, but…er…I opted to let Cobb have a try. Yes."

"You didn't feel the need to let me try when you drove a knee into my stomach." I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! I'm grateful you're letting me stay here! Please don't hit me!"

"That's what I thought you said."

Talking back and forth over Wynn's dining room table. I couldn't imagine a better way to start the day after a good night's rest. Lenz may have been upset about having to spend the night in an outhouse, but he agreed that he'd much rather be in the safety of Wynn's backyard than that park.

Though he was quite keen to change our money problem, listing off job offers from a newsbook.

"Novice Alchemist…Enchanter…Cat Salesman? Comparators! Where are all the redstone jobs?"

"This isn't Daymonte." Wynn commented, munching on her breakfast. "Here, redstone isn't as common. We have lights and doors, obviously, but we don't innovate like you redstone geniuses."

While Lenz groaned into the table, Wynn turned her attention back to me. "But speaking of jobs, I have some news for you."

I raised a brow. "You found a job for me that quickly?" I asked as I took a large bite of steak.

"You could say that." Wynn flipped her ivory hair before folding her hands over one another. "I think you should join the guards."

My eyes widened at that statement and I swallowed too quickly, choking on my steak. "Koff—gak!"

Erin was behind me in an instant, slipping her arms around and over my stomach and thrusting until the obtrusive piece of food was coughed out.

I massaged my neck and coughed to clear my airway. "Ugh…never tell me news like that when I'm in mid-swallow. Oh, and…thanks Erin."

"N-no problem, Cobb."

"…You can let go of me now."

"Oh! Y-yes, my bad!" Erin quickly leapt aside and released me before quietly sitting down, her face flush with embarrassment.

"So, you really think I should join the guards?" I asked the ivory-haired Captain.

She nodded. "We can always use more guards. The pay is good, it's morally filling, and you should bond well enough with the guards…seeing how they refer to you as the 'Fishing Rod Champion'."

"Oooh. I think I sensed some tension in that title."

"That's probably because I still don't like it." She spoke flatly.

"But come on! It defeated a Hacker!"

"Technically, the Charged Creeper defeated the Hacker." Lenz interjected, recovered enough from his redstone withdrawal to make a jab at me. "Though it is quite hard to believe. Hackers were always considered invincible beings. Yet for you to slay one…"

"I-I-I believe it's because Cobb is s-such a k-kind and caring Crafter that he managed to win." I could always count on Erin to have my back. Whether I'm choking or not.

"Well whatever the reason, I won't downplay that achievement." Wynn admitted. "Anyone that ever tried to fight a Hacker has ended up dead. We should all count ourselves lucky to still be alive." Wynn turned back to me, her face suddenly serious. "And you shouldn't boast about Alec's death."

My brow creased in confusion. "Why? He's gone." I could still remember his severed Head…and that smoke trail that shot up into the sky.

Wynn shook her head. "Alec was just one Hacker. There are still others, some maybe even more powerful than him."

"And?"

Wynn sighed as if whatever she was explaining was obvious. "Hackers have powers beyond mere Crafters. Think about Alec's powers. He could have rampaged in a Kingdom, killing God knows how many, and nobody would be able to kill him without realizing his one-hit kill weakness. Now just imagine what the other Hackers can do. A scope of powers at their disposal. Whatever they want, they get. And nobody dares fight them.

"Now imagine they hear about one of their fellow Hackers getting killed by a simple Crafter. They start to think that Crafter's tough, then they want to see how tough, and then they show up at your doorstep and kill you before you can say 'Charged Creeper Flail'."

My eyes widened as I processed all that. Yeah, it probably wasn't a good idea to brag. We had barely survived Alec and it wasn't hard to imagine that all-powerful Hackers would be so bored out of their minds they'd have nothing better to do than challenge a Crafter that killed one of them. Maybe they even had some sort of Hacker organization.

Sort of like Girl Scouts. Only with less estrogen.

Wait, what are girl scouts?

Brain: Well, they're girls. And their scouts. It's all in the title, really.

I know that, but—wait, no, I don't know that, I—Ngh! Normal Sense is too confusing!

A new thought crossed my mind. "Okay, so I won't brag about it. But what about the guards that came with us? Did you tell them not to talk about it?"

Wynn smiled proudly, giving her ivory hair a flip. "Of course I did. I think of everything."

"What about those Halstatt Villagers singing songs of Cobbert's heroic feats?" Lenz interjected yet again, causing Wynn's eyes to snap open.

"Er…so what do you say about joining the guards, Cobb?" I was amazed at how she could keep a straight face after such a terrible segue way. Clearly she neglected to consider the Halstatt villagers and how they would be overjoyed to praise me as their savior. Cobb: The Hacker Slayer. The Legend of the Billionth. And whatever else they had come up with.

But, seeing as how we had just saved a village from an army of Griefers, I'll overlook her negligence.

"Well, I'm practically a guard already." I replied evasively, not wanting to get Wynn's hopes up, if she even had any.

True, I needed the emeralds. I couldn't live off of Wynn's generosity forever, and asking Lenz to spend more than a week sleeping in an outhouse was just cruel. But being a guard…

I wanted to prove to Crafters that everyone had experience. That no single person is better or stronger, just because they've been around longer. Would becoming a Ringwood guard be the next step in my goal? And if not, then what would be the best next step?

"Take your time thinking it over." Wynn stated as she wiped her face with a piece of paper and stood up. "I've got some Captain business to be getting to anyway. I'll be back later tonight."

As she walked over to the wall to pick up her rapier and armor, I made to follow. "Hold on. You're just…leaving us? In your house? Unsupervised and all?"

Wynn fixed her amber gaze on Lenz and I and smiled. "I trust you two."

I was taken aback by how much faith she had in us. We must have really connected over the past few weeks.

"Because I trust you know what would happen if I get back and find something wrong with this house." Her face darkened and her pleasant smile promised pain if we so much as spilled water on the floor. "Right?"

"…Right."

"Good. Erin's in charge." Wynn swept out the door, pausing at the threshold to make one last utterance. "If you two are staying, you can help her with the chores."

And with that she closed the door, leaving the three of us in silence.

Chores? I glanced at the housekeeper who quickly looked away as if she had been staring at me. What kind of chores do we have to do?

"Yard work? Really?"

I questioned Erin as we made our way into the backyard. Even though I was grateful that Wynn let us stay in her home, and a few chores were a small price to pay in lieu of rent…

I honestly didn't expect to be doing yard work.

"W-we don't have that much to do." Erin tried to look at the bright side. Being a housekeeper, it was probably better to keep a positive attitude towards chores. "Lenz can handle the inside jobs. All we need to do is…" She pulled out a book from her belt containing a checklist. "Grow a set of birch trees to block the sun streaming through Miss Whispers' bedroom window, expand the pond, and…set up some new training dummies. Easy!"

"How…how is growing whole trees easy?" I scratched my head in confusion. "Is this another Minecraftia thing?"

"O-oh! Yes. I keep forgetting…well…" Erin pulled out some white powder from her backpack and a few light green saplings. "Bone meal, this white powdery stuff, can be used to accelerate plant growth. Sort of like nutrient rich fertilizer."

"Huh. That work for seeds too?"

She nodded. "I-It's quite the useful material, considering it drops from the bones of Skeletons."

She nervously handed me a bit of the powdery substance and I rubbed it between my fingers. For being crushed bones, it was surprisingly fine. "How long did it take to grind up this much bone meal?"

"Er…about a second." Erin chuckled before withdrawing a bone from her backpack and crafting it into bone meal instantly. "S-See?"

"…Ah." I replied, suddenly feeling stupid.

Of course! I mused sarcastically. Why would I think grinding bones into something would take any effort when most everything in Minecraftia can be attributed to putting things in a crafting table!?

With that explained, Erin and I set about plotting the saplings. I found it oddly hilarious watching tiny saplings burst into fully grown trees with just a few sprinkles of bone meal.

Bladder: Skeletons must take a lot of vitamins to have nutrient-rich bones like these.

Brain: Maybe they just drink a lot of milk.

After growing the final birch tree, we then started making some armor stands. Sticks and stone slabs, followed by some cheap leather armor to make them more dummy-like.

It was then that Lenz exited the mansion to join us. "Well, I fixed the lights. Turns out there was some leakage from the bathroom that broke some redstone."

"Very good." Erin nodded to the engineer before turning her attention back to the pond. "One job left."

"Did she say how much we need to expand this pond?" If she wanted this done purely to look aesthetically pleasing, then she should have been there to help us. Did she just trust our judgment?

"W-We only need to expand it to be able to fit the same amount of lily pads, but with more space in between." Erin rummaged in a lone chest before withdrawing two wooden shovels.

"Oh, no thanks, Erin." I waved off the wooden tool. "I have my own shovel." I withdrew the golden shovel Cosmic had gifted me, figuring it would be the best time to use it.

"Oh…um…one more thing, Cobb." Erin stopped me before I could dig into the grass covered dirt. "You…you probably don't want your clothes to get dirty so…s-so maybe you should…take your hoodie off?"

I paused to think it over in my head. "I guess dirt would stain pretty easily on my white hoodie." I conceded, causing Erin to look mostly pleased and a tad guilty at the same time. I concentrated my mind on removing my grafted clothes, and in response my hoodie faded into bits of light, leaving my torso covered in just my blue undershirt. "Okay, let's get digging—"

"M-Maybe you should take off your undershirt too." Erin interrupted quickly, her face turning redder by the minute. "Yard work c-can get pretty messy…"

I looked at my shirt, thinking it over, before shrugging. Just as I was about to will it off, a fresh thought came to mind. "Shouldn't you take your clothes off too?"

"Eep! W-w-what?" Erin looked hesitant. "I mean…I don't really think…that is…"

She was stuttering to come up with an excuse, but found herself incapable of speech.

"I do not think clothes in Minecraftia can stain, anyway." Lenz added, staring at Erin suspiciously. "You would think a housekeeper who does yard work would know that."

"Um…er…ah…m-must have slipped my mind! Aha-ha…ha." Erin backed off, driving her shovel into the dirt and determinedly not looking at either of us. With no more interruptions, I began to dig.

It was actually nicer working without my hoodie on. I could feel a faint breeze gently caress my skin, cooling it after all the hard work I did.

My mind couldn't help but stray to fighting those Griefers. Or fighting Mobs. Or fighting Alec.

Just working on maintaining Wynn's mansion was so…so…

Calm.

Is this what it's like to have a home? To have one set place to call your own? No camping, no picking your stuff up every night to move on, no desperate life-or-death battles every other day.

…

It was…different.

And something else was different too. I noticed after the tenth bit of dirt my shovel dug up. For some reason, instead of just picking up dirt, there was grass attached to it and the block was fittingly called [GRASS BLOCK].

"Uh…Erin?" I asked slowly, unsure of how to phrase my question.

"Okay, I admit it! I j-j-just wanted to see your chest! I'm sorry!"

"What? No! This isn't about that." I walked over to the blushing housekeeper, holding up the grass block. "I think my shovel's broken. Can I use that wooden one instead?"

"Broken? How could a shovel be…be…beeeeeee...?"

Erin was looking straight at the grass block in my hand like it was some precious jewel, her eyes wide with wonder.

"W-W-Where did you get that?" Erin stuttered, though this time, she didn't have that same blush.

"Yeah, see, that's what I was saying." I scratched my head, looking questioningly at the grass block. "My shovel just digs it up like this instead of just getting dirt."

"What are you talking about-ta-ta-ta-ba-ha-ba-wha?" Lenz, finally taking notice of the grass block, had the same reaction as Erin's. "Cobbert! Where…where did you get a grass block!?"

"From my…shovel?" I took out my golden shovel and looked at it more closely. "It's Enchanted with—"

"Silk Touch…" Erin murmured breathlessly. "Cobb…you…how long have you had this shovel?"

"Well, I just got it. Back at Halstatt, Cosmic gave it to me." I explained, still not understanding their awestruck reactions. "Why? Is it good?"

"Good? Good? It's better than good!" Erin slapped a hand to her forehead. "Cobb, do you have any idea how rare—how valuable—"

"This whole time! You had a shovel like that and you never told me!?" Lenz sounded betrayed.

"Wha—I…I didn't know what it did. I still don't know what it does!" There was a pregnant pause. "So what does it do?"

"Come with me." Erin replied with more force than I ever remembered her using as she dragged me through the mansion. Lenz followed, spouting off questions about how Cosmic could have gotten her hands on such a rare enchantment.

"Hey, Erin! Don't pull! What about enlarging the pond?"

"Later. Right now I need to show you the value of what you're holding. And there's only one place to do that."

"Um…okay? And that is?"

"The Ringwood Market."

The Ringwood Market was a packed street filled with vendors and buildings offering a number of wares and services. Foods. Potions. Armor. Weapons. Enchantments. It had everything a Crafter could ever need.

And yet, as we stood there waiting for Erin to emerge from a building, I couldn't help but realize it was my first time being there.

"Why have I not known about this place sooner?" You would think it would be the first place I'd go for gear.

"It is a mystery." Lenz hummed in thought. "Just a moment…have you ever had emeralds to spend before?"

"…No."

"Mystery solved." Lenz raised his glasses, peeling the market apart with his eyes; scanning for any signs of something. "But still no redstone! This is ridiculous. This must be a Kingdom of cavemen."

"Just try not to insult people." I warned. "One moment, you're just calmly chatting with somebody…and then before you know it, you get involved in criminal activities and have to go to a far-away Kingdom and—OOF!"

Something solid caught my leg, causing both myself and a random passerby to crash into the ground. Lenz managed to avoid getting caught up in the tumble of limbs, along with another Crafter that must have been companions with the guy that tripped me.

"Oh…ow…my bad. Totally my fault." A man with short brown hair and a red and grey checkered hoodie picked himself off the ground.

"No problem." I winced as I got to my feet. Even though it was an accident, it felt as if the guy had put a lot of force into hitting my leg. I took a full Heart of damage from it.

"I warned you not to run in a crowd." The brown-haired man's companion commented, sparking a one-sided argument between the two. One in which the brown-haired one did all the yelling.

Out of habit, I glanced up at their names. The brown-haired one, Darkened_Wing, wore a red and grey checkered hoodie, blue jeans, grey sneakers, and had dark blue eyes. He seemed like the loud sort, if his yelling was any indication

His companion, Lucky_Luis, had shoulder-length silver hair, and purple eyes. His ears were a bit…pointier than normal. He wore a black baseball cap, black-framed glasses, an orange jacket, a green t-shirt underneath, faded jeans, and black skater shoes. He seemed like the quiet sort, if his silence was any indication.

They were also both wearing iron armor.

"—it's not my fault they were having a sale on chicken." Darkened_Wing folded his arms seriously. "I need me some chicken."

"I'll get you your chicken, after you apologize." Lucky_Luis pointed towards me.

"I said I was sorry." Darkened_Wing frowned. "But since it's for chicken…" He made a laughably exaggerated bow, drawing out each word with a flourish. "I…Ammmmmmm…SoooooooOOOOoooo…" He stopped for a breath of air. "SoooooooOOOOoooooOOOOooooOOO…" He stopped for another breath of air. "SoooooOOOOooooooOoOoOoOo—"

"Alright, I get it!" I snapped, causing Darkened_Wing to grin cheekily. "I mean—sure. It happens. No big deal."

"See, Luis? He's fine." Darkened_Wing gestured to his companion. "I'm Wing by the way. And the quiet guy beside me is Luis. He likes long, awkward silences."

"Hello." Lenz nodded to the two. "My name is Lenzington, and this is my companion, Cobb. He likes fishing rods and talking to himself when he thinks nobody is listening."

Brain: He's on to us!

"Cobb?" Wing questioned, showing an immediate interest. "What a unique name. Were you thinking about corn while in the Void?"

"Look who's talking, Darkened_Wing." I countered. "How long did it take for you to come up with 'dark' in a black void?"

"Well since you asked so jerkily…sixteen hours. And my name is nothing to be ashamed of! I happen to like it."

"Why are you two arguing about names?" Lenz interjected, adjusting his glasses.

"Indeed. It's a pointless argument." Luis added, adjusting his glasses in the same way.

We watched them perform identical movements before Wing leaned over. "I think they're multiplying." He whispered.

"It's the nerd-pocalypse." I whispered back.

"Hey!" Lenz and Luis shouted at the same time before pointing at each other. "I am nothing like him! His hair is dark gray/silver and mine is silver/dark gray."

They both paused before turning to each other again, realizing their own similarities.

Wing and I gave a mock clap as if we were watching a mimicry performance.

Luis shook his head, massaging his eyes the same way Wynn usually did whenever I talked to her for too long about fishing rods. "Well, since we're all getting to know each other, how about joining us for lunch?"

"Great idea." Wing grinned before turning back to us. "You have got to try 'The Chicken Bucket's' cooked chicken special. It's sooo good."

"While I do like chicken as much as the next guy—"

"Not if the next guy's me."

"We're actually waiting on a friend. Who, as a matter of fact, has just come out." Erin walked out of the building, signaling to us that it was okay to go inside. "Maybe another time."

"Yeah. Another time." Wing stated as he glanced at Luis. They seemed to exchange some kind of message through their eye contact.

"Maybe we should exchange addresses." Luis suggested hastily. "If you could just tell—"

"Oh. Sorry. What was that?" I had been too busy watching Erin beckon us inside again. It seemed she wanted us to hurry up, going so far as to call out to us.

"I said that we should—"

"Cobbert, we should probably hurry." Lenz walked over towards Erin and I quickly followed, offering a short wave to the two friendly Crafters.

Though for a second it looked like they were disappointed about something. Almost as if a plan of theirs had failed.

Brain: That's an oddly specific way to describe what their faces look like.

Well then how would you describe it?

Lungs: *Sigh*

Bladder: Lungs said he would describe it as the look of two individuals who specifically knocked into you to start up a natural conversation to try and form connections to learn more about you until they fully gain your trust and proceed to stab you in the back. But that's only guesswork.

…

Brain: …Okay now that's oddly specific.

The building we followed Erin into looked to be a dimly lit theater with rows of seats facing a large stage. There were hundreds of people inside, shouting out numbers and raising their hands. Why Erin had dragged us there, I had no idea.

Erin walked up to a couple of burly guards barring a hallway that led to the back. But after the housekeeper spared a few words, the guards stepped aside to let us pass. I glanced at Lenz who just shrugged, similarly as confused as I was as to where Erin was taking us.

But we followed.

Past a few doors, we finally came to one labeled 'Auction House Director'. Erin knocked politely before a voice beckoned us inside.

Opening the door revealed a wide-eyed man with a white, bushy beard. "Hello, fellow Crafters." The man nodded. "I trust you have a good reason to meet me in person. Perhaps an addition to today's Blitz Auction?"

Blitz Auction? I internally questioned before watching Erin step up to the Auction House Director's desk.

"Y-Yes. We have an addition." She turned her head. "C-Cobb, if you could take out the grass block."

"Oho!" The director straightened in his seat. "A grass block, you say. Quite the addition indeed."

"If we can agree on a price." Erin finished, causing the Director to grimace for a second.

I quickly took out the grass block and showed it to the man. He had the same expression Lenz and Erin had, as if the grass block was something more than dirt with grass slapped on top. "May I?" He held out a hand as if to examine it.

I tilted my head towards Erin who nodded that it was fine.

The Director examined the grass block and rolled it around his hand to get a better feel for it. "Hmm. It's genuine alright. A true grass block. Tell me, where did you get such an item?"

"It was—"

"He has his sources." Erin interrupted, shaking her head to tell me to stop talking. "And should he get a fair deal for the grass block, he may be persuaded to bring more valuable items to this auction house."

"Yeah, I get the idea." The Director grimaced as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. "What say you to…a thirty-five percent auctioning fee?"

"Try another number." Erin replied coolly. The way she spoke regarding the grass block sounded like she was a seasoned veteran in haggling.

"…Twenty-five?"

"Eighteen percent, or," Erin stopped the Director before he could protest, "We could go to your rival auction house across the street. I'm sure they would be more than happy to accept eighteen percent "

The Director looked like he had to swallow rotten flesh as he reluctantly shook Erin's hand. "Fine. Eighteen percent. That's more than enough considering the merchandise. Just be sure to come my way if you need any more merchandise sold."

Erin smiled brightly before stepping back from the Director. "M-Mind if we watch how it sells?"

The Director handed the grass block to another Crafter, who promptly hurried away, before gesturing back towards the hallway. "Go right ahead. It should be ready to auction in a few minutes."

What's happening right now? I questioned as we followed Erin out of the room. From what I had just gleaned, we had given away the grass block to be sold in an auction house. But was it really that valuable a block?

"Why didn't you let me tell him where I got the grass block?" I whispered to Erin, taking the hint to keep it secret but also wanting to know. Come to think of it, Cosmic had said the same thing too.

'Just keep it a secret from the others.'

'I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.'

"C-Cobb is…so close to me…" Erin muttered before snapping out of her daze. "W-Well…it isn't a good thing to mention you have a shovel with…that Enchantment," She whispered under her breath. "It's incredibly r-rare and one of the most sought after Enchantments."

Wow. Cosmic gave me something like that? I couldn't believe something like that was nestled in my backpack. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't mention I had a Silk Touch shovel. It would just draw a lot of attention…and maybe danger by theft.

We stepped out onto the auction floor and took some seats near the back. "So why is it such a valuable Enchantment? What does it do?"

"The Enchantment we are discussing," Lenz leaned over to explain, "Has the ability to break blocks…without breaking them."

"…You lost me."

Lenz sighed before trying again. "Normally, when you mine something like…say…coal ore for example. Coal ore drops coal, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if mined with a pick containing the same Enchantment as your shovel, you would obtain the coal ore, unbroken, instead of the coal."

"Ooooh. I think I get it now."

So the Silk Touch breaks a block softly without ruining it. That's why the grass stayed on those dirt blocks.

"Mining with Silk Tough tools can obtain blocks that normally would be irretrievable." Lenz continued. "Ice, redstone ore, glass, bookshelves. They can all be obtained with that Enchantment."

"But then…why was that Director guy reacting like that towards the grass block?"

"Y-You'll see." Erin promised, leaning to rest her head on my shoulder.

She must be tired. I internally concluded before the Blitz Auction began before us.

As soon as it started, the auction floor became a madhouse. Seated Crafters shouting over one another and bidding for items presented on stage. At one point, a Crafter just threw emeralds at the auctioneer, shouting, 'Shut up and take my money!' before he was quickly escorted out.

Then came our grass block.

"Thirty emeralds!"

My eyes snapped open, shocked at the first bid.

Thirty emeralds!? That was three times what that mason paid me for those rocks! How could a single block be worth so much?

"Forty emeralds!" Another Crafter shouted out, flailing his hands to get the auctioneer's attention.

I clutched my chest, the bidding prices giving me a mini heart attack of pure shock.

"Forty-five!"

"Fifty!"

"Fifty-one!"

"Pick better increments, asshole! Fifty-five!"

"Fifty-five-and-a-half!"

"Now you're making me angry!"

The numbers jumped back and forth, steadily rising higher and higher. "What…what am I even watching?"

"Grass blocks, which can only be mined with Silk Touch tools, are valuable for terraforming purposes." Erin explained. "If a Crafter has ugly, inhospitable dirt, a grass block can serve as a source of grass. And like wildfire, it spreads to the other dirt blocks."

"Sixty-five!"

"But…" I couldn't take my eyes off of the auction. "But I don't get it! How can grass be such a big deal!?"

"It's for aesthetics, Cobb." Erin patted my shoulder. "And the only people who can afford aesthetically pleasing items…are the filthy, stinking rich."

"Sold for Seventy-five emeralds!" The auctioneer concluded, handing off the grass block to a Crafter currently flipping-off the crowd.

"Th-that was a pretty fair price, considering." Erin smiled at the awestruck expression on my face. "Eighteen percent of it goes to the auction house, though."

That didn't really matter. One of those grass blocks just earned me eighty-two percent of seventy-five emeralds. I wasn't good at complex math like that, but I knew enough to know I earned a lot of emeralds.

And I still had nine more grass blocks…and a shovel that could keep digging them up.

Cosmic's words came back to me.

'I'm sure you'll thank me for it someday.'

"Thank you, Cosmic."

Even after the minus eighteen percent fee, I came out of that auction with sixty-one emeralds. I had never had so much money in my life. I…I didn't even know what to start doing with it!

So I decided to try splitting it up with Erin and Lenz. At first, Erin dismissed the emeralds, saying how she was always happy to help. But after I grabbed her hands and forced the emeralds into them, looking deep into her emerald eyes to say how I couldn't have done it without her…she suddenly fainted from blush overload.

Thankfully, the same thing didn't happen with Lenz. The engineer happily accepted twenty of the emeralds, and, after I explained to him I had somewhere to check out, he reluctantly agreed to carry Erin back to the mansion.

Lenz lugged Erin onto her shoulder while she muttered something about a cute fisherman in her sleep. "Strangely enough, this is the second time this week I have had to carry around an unconscious woman."

At those words, a passing guard stopped suddenly and gave the engineer a questioning stare.

"N-No, wait. That—that came out wrong!" Lenz tried to rectify. "Stop looking at me like that! I would never drug up women. I would not even know how. I have the social skills of a pebble."

While he kept trying to explain his wording to the guard with decreasingly successful results, I walked on towards the Eastern District, intending to see if Floyd had gotten back from his Nitebane mission.

I had remembered him talking about the Silver Intent and how its headquarters was beneath a farm. Hopefully he'd be back and I could tell him all about my recent adventures.

However, as I passed a certain store, I had to stop myself. A rather showy sign caught my attention, depicting a Crafter looking into a magical book.

'Falcone the Enchanterer: For All Your Enchanting Needs!'

I scratched my chin in thought, glancing between the sign and the street, before ultimately entering the store.

It was dimly lit, save for some redstone lamps that were shining through gaps along the walls. In the center was a stone slab, positioned awkwardly given the orientation of the room.

"I'll be right there!" A voice sounded from the back before a purple robed Crafter with a pointy wizard hat stepped forward. "Ah! A valued customer! How may I help you, sir?"

"Er…hey." I replied awkwardly, not really used to paying for services. "I'm…looking to enchant something."

"Well then, you've come to the right place! Let me just show you what Enchantments we carry." The man, Falcone_Pawnch, stated before he clapped twice. "Erzl! Get out her, now!"

At his command, a Crafter stumbled from the back, carrying a book in his hands. His name was all messed up, 3rZ1lwkn, telling me he was a Jibberman.

He thrust the book out to me, which I promptly began to flip through. I nodded at all the Enchantments they had, the sight of them bolstering my decision to come there. "You have everything I need. Though…the tool I'm enchanting is a special case."

That piqued Falcone's interest. "A special case you say? Do tell."

I pointed to a few pages in the book. "I need this and this…and maybe this. And the item I need enchanted…is this!"

The enchanter raised his brow skeptically. "Is this some kind of joke? Why would you want that enchanted?"

"Can you do it or not?"

"Oh, I can do it alright." He assured, folding his arms to size me up. "But do you have the emeralds for it?"

I smiled as I flashed the twenty emeralds I had just earned. "To give you an idea, I just came in to a lot of money. This, right here, is pocket change."

"Hmmm. Now we're talking." Falcone smiled before accepting the item I handed to him. "However…I'll need a few days to enchant this. It'll also cost about…sixty emeralds."

Sixty? That was pretty steep, even with the grass block earnings I could make in the meantime. Time for some haggling.

"Forty emeralds."

He frowned. "Get out."

"Sixty emeralds it is!" We agreed, making me remember I was terrible at haggling.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Falcone smirked as I walked out of the store, disappointed over the price…

But eager for the enchanted item I would get.

Today was a good day. I thought to myself as I approached Granger's Barn, the headquarters of the Silver Intent.

I got a lot of emeralds, found a suitable source of income, made friends with those two random Crafters—what were their names again? Ling and Wuis?—And in a few days I'll have an awesome enchanted weapon.

The only thing that could make it better was for Floyd to be back. We'd share stories about our adventures over a drink or a walk.

I'd tell him how I stumbled upon a secret lab in Daymonte and fell into an alternate dimension of Endermen. How I found Herobrine's book on Advanced Mobs.

I'd be sure to include the part where I met my new friend, Lenz…but maybe exclude the part where he tried to kill me.

And how could I forget the Battle of Halstatt. The lightning storm, the Griefer army, Alec the Hacker, the Charged Creeper Flail.

I smirked. I bet whatever his mission was, he'll never be able to top the craziness I've been through.

And maybe Soul will be there too. He didn't think I was too strong, but maybe he'll change his mind after hearing my story.

I found myself searching more eagerly for the ladder beneath the hay bales as I contemplated how the conversation could go.

Then Floyd will tell me about his adventures in a vague attempt to outdo me. Though…maybe it would be fairer to let him tell me about his adventures first.

Yeah, then I'll downplay my own adventures, act like they were no big deal. All in a day's work for King_Cobb.

Finally, I found the ladder and climbed down it two rungs at a time.

He'll probably question why everything cool happens to me. Then I'll say how I didn't find it too cool when Alec was beating the crap out of me.

I landed on the ground and turned to take in what the Silver Intent Headquarters looked like.

Or when I thought I was lost in the End.

I walked forward, glancing at some bubbling potion stands in the corner. A few sounds from a set of doors caught my attention.

"—there was a Lieutenant. Never seen or heard of her before. She was the one that did it." A gruff voice explained. It was Soul's.

"Well, there's a silver lining in that, at least." A second voice, this one sounding older, spoke.

"Is that what you think of it?" A shaky voice filled with disgust spat. It was Cara's. "A silver lining for the Silver Intent? What kind of acknowledgement is that!?"

They were back!

Back from their mission!

Without a moment of consideration, I pushed past the doors and into a smaller room with a map across the back wall.

Three Crafters whirled to face me. First was Soul, his hand on the axe handle at his belt, before he relaxed upon seeing I wasn't an enemy.

Then there was a silver-haired man, who looked confused as to who I was. He reached for a splash potion, but stopped…

When Cara spoke my name. "C-Cobb. You…you're back." She tried to meet my eyes, but struggled too much before keeping them fixed on the floor.

Yeah. I was back. And so were Cara and Soul.

But…where was Floyd?

I looked around the room, as if the blue-nette was just hiding somewhere. "Where's Floyd?"

Cara turned to look away, unable to face me. And the expression on her face, I realized, was guilt.

"Where's Floyd." I repeated, a little louder and with more urgency.

No. He's fine. I'm worrying about nothing.

Nobody was answering me though. They all remained quiet, glancing at each other to try and decide something.

"Where is Floyd?"

He has to be fine. He's Floyd. He's probably just out mining or looking for me. He's a good friend like that, always looking out for me, even when I promised him I could take care of myself.

"Cobb." Soul walked up to me, his face as stoic and resolute as stone. "Floyd is—"

No.

No. No no no!

This isn't right!

This is wrong!

"Where is Floyd?" My voice was faint and my eyes blurred as tears leaked from them.

Soul's crimson eyes narrowed, but not out of hatred.

"Floyd's dead."

Inventory (Cobb): 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Stone Sword, 1 Golden Sword [Sharpness I, Unbreaking I]{Weak}, 1 Golden Shovel [Silk Touch I, Unbreaking III], 1 Wooden Pickaxe {Weak}, 1 Flint and Steel, 8 Cobblestone, 12 Flint, 22 Torches, 6 Coal, 10 Oak Wood Planks, 8 Oak Wood Stairs, 1 Oak Wood Door, 1 Clock, 45 Dirt, 9 Grass Blocks, 1 Water Bucket, 4 String, 1 Stick, 1 Bone, 5 Pumpkin Pies, 12 Cookies, 24 Steak, 40 Cooked Mutton, 1 Pumpkin, 1 Chainmail Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Unbreaking I], Iron Leggings {Weak}, Iron Boots, 7 Rotten Flesh, 21 Emeralds, 4 Item Frames, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Temporary Entry Pass}

[EXP: 25]

Inventory (Lenz): 1 Bow {Weak}, 1 Shears, 3 Levers, 4 Wooden Buttons, 3 Stone Buttons, 5 Redstone Torches, 59 Redstone, 18 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 1 Hopper, 1 Dispenser, 3 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Pistons, 10 Cobblestone, 10 Torches, 5 Sticks, 3 Redstone Lamps, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 12 String, 25 Gunpowder, 1 Carrot, 32 Steak, 13 Cooked Mutton, 64 Arrows, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Pumpkin, 20 Emeralds, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}

[EXP: 5]

Whelp, enjoy that totally non-cliff hanger ending for the remainder of this Hiatus. Happy Halloween! Mwahahaha!

...

Yeah, I'm a jerk leaving it off like that. Sorry.

I purposefully chose to entitle this Chapter 'Worst Day Ever' because it gives the reader something to dread. You see that title and you think something really bad is going to happen. You keep reading the chapter and see things are actually going great, but that title is still at the back of your mind. That was what I was trying to do. Maybe I succeeded, maybe I didn't.

As for the length of this Hiatus...I've rigged up a dart board with different clips of papers attached. Each one reads out a different month. I'm gonna throw a dart at it, and whichever month I get will be when the story resumes. Because I'm obviously not ending it with this Chapter.

Okay, here goes the dart...

...

The Hiatus will end in...April? No, no, no that's too far away. You viewers would turn into skeletons if you had to wait that long.

So how about...January! Yeah! A two month break and I'll be refreshed and ready for more typing! 'My Craft' will return on a mysterious Wednesday in January. As I've said before the last Hiatus, I need this time to recharge and refresh myself. And while I'm enormously grateful to all the readers who support this story, I need time to relax. I need this. All I ask is that you readers patiently wait.

But if you can't, you can always satisfy yourselves with other My Craft-esque stories. Apparently, some people liked my story so much, they wrote fanfics of my fanfic, which is just a fanfic about Minecraft.

Fanfiception.

Here's a few stories you can occupy your time with if you feel like reading about Minecraft.

Factions by AwakenedKarbon

Of Blocks and Mobs by Crafted Reality

Swords and Spells by SansThePunnist

So...yeah. See you all in two months or so. Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas...if you celebrate any of those. (^_^)

-Your Friendly Neighborhood Corn Cob

P.S. Please don't riot.