My Craft Chapter 73: Bottom of the Backpack, a minecraft fanfic

AN: Hey. Hi. On with the Chapter.

IMPORTANT: I set up a new poll. It's on my profile near the top and it's a Character popularity contest. I figured to set it up just for the heck of it. Vote on your favorite My Craft characters. There's not a lot of memorable ones, but it's up to you, the viewer, to decide which one you like the best. Everyone gets one vote, so check out my profile to cast them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, Endermites would be a little more creative.

Beta: Myself

Chapter 73

Bottom of the Backpack

[Cobb]

I followed Brett into the Granger Barn, behind the hay bales, and down the ladder into the Silver Intent base. He turned on the lights and led me to the room with the large desk and the map sprawled against the wall.

"Just a moment." He said before approaching a chest in the corner of the room. I watched patiently as he rummaged around, pushing aside books and pieces of paper.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting you of all people to turn up at this time." Brett commented as he searched. "Asking for information and all. Surely it could have waited until the morning, no?"

I remained silent, tapping my foot to show I wasn't going to give him an answer to that. He got the hint pretty quickly, but moved on to another question.

"I'm no fool. I can tell what you intend to do with the information I'm providing." He turned to look at me. "You want to avenge Floyd." I stiffened and looked at the silver-haired man with a baleful glare. "I don't blame you. His death was a true loss for the Silver Intent." He held a hand over his heart. "He was a good man. You must be furious with Cara for leaving him to die. You might even resent the Silver Intent, thinking us responsible."

Brett fixed me with a sympathetic gaze. "Just know that Cara's actions do not speak for the rest of the Silver Intent. We would never leave a comrade behind, no matter the peril. I was so appalled by her actions that I reprimanded and stripped her of her leadership status. She won't be leading any more of our members to their deaths, I can assure you."

Besides blinking, I just let him talk. If he thought his words would make me feel any better, he was mistaken.

Brett waited a moment, as if expecting me to say something. When I didn't, he awkwardly returned to scavenging for whatever he was looking for. His eyes lit up when his hands withdrew something.

He walked back to the desk and laid out a smaller map before calling me over. "The Endward Cult currently consists of three Divisions." He explained. "And from what we know, each Division has a main headquarters and then some smaller outposts surrounding it." He pointed to the map, which displayed the Kingdom of Ringwood, Mt. Mur, and a few of the surrounding areas. "The Northern Division resides in Ringwood. Therefore—"

"So where's the headquarters?" I interrupted, not really caring for the whole story. I just needed a location.

"We don't know." Brett continued as if I had never interrupted him. "The cultists we've brought in have been surprisingly tight-lipped when it comes to the Northern headquarters. We know its somewhere in Ringwood, but beyond that we're in the dark." He then dragged his finger southeast of Ringwood, to a point in the mountains. "However, we have identified an Endward Cult outpost in the mountains. The cultists use it as a base from which they can hunt newly spawned Crafters."

My expression darkened at those words and my teeth gnashed in anger. It was just like when those two cultists attacked me in Miner's Warren… before Floyd saved me. Those cultists were hounding Crafters so close to the Origin Zone. Right after they spawned into existence.

It wasn't fair.

"It's the closest base we know of." Brett continued, tapping the unmarked spot on the map twice. "From what our reports say, it's a heavily fortified stone fortress built into the side of the mountain, closest to the peak. Regular Ringwood guards can't get up there without getting bombarded with arrows. Plenty of cultists." He tilted his head, gauging my reactions. "It'll be a tough time breaking in and an even tougher time breaking out. Probably a suicide mission—"

"Thanks." I snagged the map and stowed it deep in my backpack before making to leave the room.

However, I stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I can tell Floyd's death has upset you." Brett began as he walked around to face me. "And I think it's fairly obvious that you're going to pay that outpost a visit."

Two for two. He's on fire. I thought bitterly.

"Whether it's for Floyd or for all the Crafters slain every day by those heathens, the Silver Intent appreciates your willingness to fight the Endward Cult all the same. If you need any supplies—anything at all—by all means take it." He gestured to the potion stands littering the room.

My eyes strayed to the colorful potions promising enhanced abilities and a level of strategy I wasn't really capable of. Maybe if I knew how to incorporate them into my fighting style—if you could even call it that—I'd be more interested. But at the moment, they were meaningless in my eyes.

Brett noticed my disinterest. "Or I can send you some members. Not Cara of course." He hastily added. "But perhaps Soul? After all, he was Floyd's friend too. I'm sure he'd want to help."

My eyes narrowed at the silver-haired man. I didn't like the way he kept throwing around Floyd's name. Did he think it would win me over in some way? Because every time he spoke it, my gut felt a little heavier.

"…You really want to do me a favor?" I turned to Brett, looking down on him. "Don't tell anyone what I'm doing. Not Soul. Not Cara. No one."

The reasonable part of my head told me I was being a dumbass—

Brain: You're being a dumbass.

—But, at the same time, acknowledged that if I was going to attack an Endward Cult outpost filled to the brim with deadly cultists, the last thing I should do is tell everybody about it. Wynn, Lenz, Erin… probably Soul and Cara too. They'd all either talk me out of it or come along. I wasn't going to be stopped, and I'd rather risk my own life with my stupidity instead of anyone else's.

Brain: Still a dumbass.

Shut up.

"I'll keep it a secret." Brett nodded. And to my surprise, he didn't look the least bit worried over me. "After what you did in Halstatt, something like this should be no problem."

My eyes widened. "How do you know about Halstatt?" Didn't Wynn say that her guards wouldn't say anything? Who else would know that I killed a Hacker?

"Word travels fast." Brett explained with a wave. "Faster than a Swiftness Potion, I daresay. I make it a point to investigate those associated with my fellow members. And it can't be just a coincidence your number is one billion and a recent Halstatt story depicting a legendary Billionth slaying a Hacker has made its way to Ringwood. Just try and tell me the two are unrelated."

I didn't know whether it was good or bad for Brett to know I killed a Hacker. On one hand, the spread of information might reach another Hacker's ears and said Hacker would want to fight me themselves. On the other hand, Brett was probably only telling me what I wanted to know because he thought I was some badass in disguise. He said himself I'd have no trouble, but if he knew the details…

"Just keep it to yourself." I finished before shrugging off his hand and leaving the room. Although it was rude, I clambered up the ladder and left the barn with the information I wanted.

An outpost in the mountains… That was the only target I had. From what Brett described, it wouldn't be easy. Especially on my own.

I would need some top-class gear and a decent plan if I was going to storm that outpost and kill everyone inside.

Brain: So what's your plan?

I'm gonna storm that outpost and kill everyone inside.

Brain: …What about top-class gear? What have you got?

I was thinking of getting some anti-gravity guns. Dual-wield, obviously, and I'd just shoot them all around. Making them float and stuff. Then I could maybe get a couple of black-hole grenades, followed by a freeze-ray—

Brain: I was thinking more like swords and armor and less like imaginary shit because we don't have any of that.

…I see what you're saying. I thought to myself. Well, I have some dirt. I could probably throw that at them. And… uh… a sword I guess? Lots of food… not much else, really. At least in terms of what we're up against.

Brain: Then there's only one way to arm ourselves to the teeth like trained, testosterone-filled men. Shopping!

[Brett]

"Well, that went rather well." I laughed to myself as I walked over to the potion stands. I figured I might as well make some while I was up.

I deposited three bottles of water and placed the necessary base: A nether wart.

That Endward Cult outpost had always been an issue, being so close to both the Kingdom and the Origin Zone. The Northern Headquarters was one thing, but from the outpost, cultists were free to terrorize any new Crafters spawning in. Strategically speaking, it was a brilliant place to build a base.

I smirked as I watched the potions bubble and froth. I added some golden carrots next, intending to make some Potions of Invisibility. Using golden carrots would make a Potion of Night Vision, and then adding a Fermented Spider Eye would make Invisibility. Duration, level, and splash effect came after.

It was always a fine art, mixing potent brews. You had to know the right ingredients and the effect each of them had. It required a bit of coaxing getting it right, but nothing I couldn't handle.

Manipulation was a similar endeavor. More subtle of an art than brewing. A little coaxing there, a little sympathizing here. Knowing how to play on another's emotions to make them work for the greater good.

I had made a blunder with Cara, thinking she wanted to be alleviated of her guilt. She had gotten such useful information, and I thought telling her Floyd was a necessary loss would have won her over. Instead it had the opposite effect.

Cara foolishly believed that victory could come about without sacrifice. That you can keep taking and taking from your enemy without expecting anything to be taken in return. The idea was laughable. He'd rather have the information about the Endward Cult than the lives of two Silver Intent members.

I rolled around a spider eye, sugar, and a brown mushroom in my hand, mixing them together and crafting them into a Fermented Spider Eye. Once the Night Visions were ready, I added to new ingredient and watched the midnight blue potion turn a light gray.

And King_Cobb… he was offering a deal too good to pass up. He—a Hacker killer—was going to storm that irksome outpost with the intent of avenging his fallen comrade. Surely he'd be able to kill a good portion of cultists and bring the Silver Intent one step closer to erasing the lot of them.

And all it took was a little coaxing. A nudge in the right direction.

With a final simmer, the Potions of Invisibility were made. I couldn't improve the quality, given that you can't look more invisible, but I could extend the effect's duration and make them splash potions. Perfect for disappearing quickly or making others disappear. I turned back to my chest to grab some gunpowder and redstone.

King_Cobb was poised to attack that outpost. I'd honor his request by not telling a soul—more for my benefit than his—and he, in turn, would attack the outpost.

Even if it killed him.

When I scraped together the necessary ingredients, I returned my attention back to the brewing stands…

Only to discover that the Potions of Invisibility were missing.

I wasn't foolish enough to think I had simply misplaced them. Someone had taken them off when my back was turned. Someone was in the room with me.

"Who's there?" I called out cautiously as I withdrew an iron sword from my backpack. I backed myself against the corner so I could see the whole room. "Show yourself."

"I don't think I will." A voice whispered from somewhere in front of me. I was startled enough to raise my sword for a strike, only for a floating sword to appear out of nowhere and slap my hand away. My sword bounced off the wall and slid under the desk.

"Don't shout." The voice whispered again as the floating sword was held to my neck. He had used my own Invisibility Potions to surprise me. The irony was not lost as I held my hands up.

"Who are you?" I questioned calmly, realizing that the mysterious assailant wouldn't bother disarming someone they wanted to kill right away. He wanted something. "What do you want?"

The sword was pressed closer to my neck, causing a bit of damage as the invisible man must have leaned forward.

"What do you know about the Endward Cult?"

[Wynn]

It was late when I stormed back into my mansion with a frustrated huff. Questioning the burglars who broke in the other night took longer than expected. Mostly because they tried to sell me a story that Cobb and Lenz had a Silk Touch shovel in their possession and that they had broken in to steal it.

What a bold-faced lie that was.

If Cobb or Lenz had a Silk Touch tool they wouldn't have bothered to live in my mansion. They would have been able to sell enough grass blocks to live in the lap of luxury. Why settle for alternating stays in bedrooms and outhouses when they had a fortune like that at their fingertips.

There must have been another reason. But whatever it was, the burglars hadn't given it up. They were surprisingly persistent to my questioning. Naturally I wouldn't torture them—I found the action too barbaric, even for criminal scum—But after spending most of the day making threats and even calling in Iron_Lung for assistance, they stuck with the same story.

Apparently, they received a tip-off from an anonymous note that Cobb and Lenz were staying at my address and that they had the enchanted shovel. The burglars themselves worked as muscle for one of the auction houses, and I decided I'd have better luck asking around there.

But, oh Notch… I had gotten pretty vocal questioning them. It was a combination of mounting frustration and the fact that they broke into my own home that had me burning to know the truth. At one point, when I threatened to string them up by their legs over the side of the plateau if they didn't tell the truth, I scared two of them to the point of pissing themselves.

As much as I hated to admit it, Veronica was better at these things than me. She could get all the answers she wanted out of somebody with nothing more than a flower.

I let out an exhausted sigh before I opened the door to my home. I placed my rapier by the door, kicked off my leather boots, and managed the six or so strides to the couch before I collapsed upon it.

My face was smothered into the wool carpet that made up the couch, but my ears vaguely caught the sound of movement, followed by hushed whispers and stutters.

Erin. I relaxed, knowing my housekeeper was there. If I came home to more burglars, they wouldn't be around long.

"R-rough day?" The tremulous voice asked as a bottle of water and a cookie was pushed gently into my waiting hand.

"You could say that." I tore into the cookie, enjoying the sweet taste of chocolate… or more closely cocoa beans. It was all the same. "Those burglars were surprisingly resilient. I couldn't figure out what they were looking for here."

"O-o-oh?" Erin stuttered in a high-pitched voice. "O-oh? Th-that's… oh?"

I paused in my sip of water over my housekeeper's repeated words. She usually stuttered, but never repeated the same word multiple times.

Lenz was beside Erin in an instant, patting her on the back and whispering something to her. Erin turned to the engineer with a betrayed look, as if he had just thrown her to the wolves. Her green eyes darted back to me before she hastily cleared her throat.

"S-s-so… they didn't say anything?" Erin ventured carefully.

"No, they talked. I couldn't get them to stop talking after the threats I made." I shrugged indifferently as I sipped from the water bottle. "But—listen to this—they kept going on about how you have a Silk Touch enchanted shovel. That you," I pointed to Erin, "you," I pointed to Lenz, "and… ah! Perfect timing." Cobb just walked in through the front door. He looked apprehensive as I pointed to him. "And you. Those burglars said the three of you were at the auction house yesterday selling grass blocks. Crazy, right?"

A long, drawn-out silence was my answer as no one dared to speak. Erin's eyes bulged as her head spun to look at Cobb and Lenz. She looked terrified, guilty, and on the verge of tears all at the same time. Lenz's eyes were unreadable behind his tinted glasses… but the way he twiddled his thumbs spoke of his nervousness.

Cobb just stood near the door for a long time, his eyes focused on the ceiling, as he contemplated something. He was the one to break the silence, taking a deep inhale of breath before letting it all out.

"So…" Cobb began slowly, thinking how best to break the news delicately… before shrugging as if to say 'fuck it'. "So remember how we didn't have a Silk Touch Enchanted shovel?"

My eyes widened in realization. "…Oh no."

"Annnd remember how we didn't have a fuck ton of emeralds?"

"Oh my God… where…"

"Annnd remember how we didn't save Halstatt?"

"I called those burglars liars…" I thought back, feeling embarrassed more than ashamed. "I terrorized them so badly they pissed themselves…"

"Yeeeeaaaah…" Cobb stretched the word, rubbing his head awkwardly. "Well, long story short, we do now." As if to emphasize his point, he withdrew the shovel in question as well as a stack of emeralds from his backpack.

"You…" I growled, flexing my fingers as if ready to strangle something. Cobb's blatant way of telling me something he should have told me the second he got a Silk Touch Enchanted tool was irking me in a way that only Cobb could. "You… you…"

"Cosmic gave it to us after Halstatt." He explained, being smart enough to fall back so as to put the dining room table between us when I advanced. He foolishly thought a mere table could keep me from him. "She told me not to tell anyone, so—"

"So you told Erin and Lenz." I finished as I jumped onto the table and continued towards him. Cobb retreated further, circling the room. "You told them, but not me. Did it slip your mind?"

"I didn't know what Silk Touch was until you asked us to do those chores." Cobb protested. "And we're telling you now. Is two days really a big deal?"

"I spent the whole day… And they were telling the truth all along… guards were watching me work. Taking notes on how to interrogate… and… and…"

My eyes darted to my rapier leaning against the wall, and I quickly rushed over to grab it before facing Cobb once more.

"N-now, now, Wynn." Cobb held his hands up calmingly as he retreated beside the forms of Erin and Lenz. Both of whom were frozen in terror. "You wouldn't want to get violent."

"Erin. Lenz." The two stiffened at being addressed. "Leave the room. I need to talk with Cobb."

"Can't they stay?" He asked hopefully. "I'd feel a lot safer with witnesses."

"Leave. Now."

"W-well, I really should be getting dinner ready… away from here." Erin reasoned before bolting up the stairs.

"And I… better work on that outhouse." Lenz offered lamely before he turned on his heel and ran out the backdoor as if his life depended on it.

That just left Cobb and I.

I advanced closer with my rapier held aloft, to which Cobb backed away until he hit the wall.

"Come on!" He argued weakly. "We didn't know burglars would show up for it. And we needed emeralds."

I took another few threatening steps towards him. My rapier was held tightly and my eyes were solely on his. Once my looming shadow covered him, he shielded his eyes and lower region respectively.

"Just make it quick!"

Looking upon the cowering Crafter, I felt a bit of my anger fade. I was embarrassed over the interrogation of those burglars and also a little betrayed that Cobb kept the shovel from me at all…

But it really wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault really. It was just one of those things that happened. The past few days had been kind of busy, both for him and me. If he wasn't worrying about Floyd or fighting off burglars, I was off performing my duty as Captain.

And Cosmic telling him to keep the shovel a secret was reasonable too. As the burglars had demonstrated, anyone that knew of the Silk Touch Enchantment would do anything to have it. Even if Cobb had told me, Nothing would have changed. He still would have sold grass blocks, the burglars would have found out, and they still would have broken in.

With a deflated sigh, my rapier fell to my side and my eyes softened. "I'm… not going to hit you." A green eye peeked from behind Cobb's hands, looking hopeful. "I… I'm mad at the situation, but not at you." I ran a hand through my ivory hair as I thought of the right words. "If I could stab the situation, I would. But… but I guess…" I shook my head. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then why tell the others to leave?"

"Because my first instinct was to hurt you." I looked away in embarrassment, trying not to notice the flat frown Cobb directed at me. "Sorry."

"Sorry I didn't tell you… right away." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cobb rub his shoulder awkwardly. "I don't want you to think I don't trust you. I do. We've fought together and you've risked your life for me. It's just…" He paused for a few seconds, thinking over his words, before he fixed his eyes on mine. "There are some things that are harder to share than others."

"I know." I finished for him with a small smile. "Thanks for telling me. Though I guess I would have found out eventually. Something tells me you're not the best at saving money."

"I would deny that assumption… if I hadn't already spent them today."

I rolled my eyes, not at all surprised. "What did you buy?"

"Things I should have had fighting in Halstatt." He answered, pulling out a few things. "I traded in my old stone sword for a diamond one and I got an iron helmet to replace my chainmail one. I also took the time to clean out my Inventory. It was getting pretty full."

As he showed off his new gear, I couldn't help but smile knowingly. "Fairly high quality stuff. Seems like someone wants to win tomorrow's spar very badly."

"What do you—oh, yeah. Definitely." He laughed before smirking challengingly. "I'm just thinking of the face you'll make when you lose. There's no better reward than bragging rights."

"Is that so?" I matched his smirk as I took a swipe with my rapier, creating a small gust of wind that blew aside the strands of hair on his forehead. "Sounds like a challenge."

Cobb raised a brow at the disturbed strands of hair before quickly patting them back down. "I dare you to do that aga—"

I took another swipe before he could finish, shifting the strands the other way. I bit back a laugh as he fixed his hair and took a step back, bringing his arm up in defense for good measure.

"I dare you t—"

In a burst of speed, I rushed forward, pulling his defending arm down with one hand and, in one fluid motion, flicked the strands of his hair up with the tip of my rapier.

"Okay, okay! Geez!" Cobb whined as he furiously patted his hair back down. I chuckled amusedly, sheathing my rapier in a show of mercy. "If you're done proving how much of a badass you are, we should probably call Erin and Lenz back in. Let them know you haven't killed me."

As Cobb made his way to the backdoor to call for Lenz, I suddenly snapped at my amusement, remembering to ask something.

"Did Floyd get back?"

His hand stilled as it reached for the backdoor. "Huh?"

"Oh, sorry." I quickly apologized. "I thought you'd go see if he got back yet. I assumed that's why you got back so late, even after Erin and Lenz."

"No, I… I did go see if he was back." He spoke carefully, keeping his eyes on the door. "He wasn't… None of them were."

I cursed myself for ruining the mood. He seemed pretty happy before I brought up Floyd. Of course he doesn't want to talk about Floyd. He's probably worried sick about him. Sensing Cobb's oncoming depression, I spoke quickly.

"Well, don't worry. They'll be back any day. I'm certain of it." Floyd, Cara, and Soul. I didn't want to believe that something happened to them. But if it was the case, maybe I was just making it worse giving Cobb hope that they were all fine. I didn't know the finer details of whatever mission those three were on, but it was sure to be something Endward Cult related if Brett had any say in it.

"Thanks, Wynn." Cobb turned back to give me a grateful smile. "I'm not worried though. I know they'll be back."

Even though his smile seemed genuine, I noticed it didn't quite reach his eyes. They were an empty green that signified he had other things on his mind. What he was saying and what he was thinking were vastly different.

I didn't see his eyes long, though. For he quickly turned to call out for Lenz. I decided to do the same for Erin, given that she ran upstairs in terror. A quick assurance that Cobb wasn't dead would surely calm her down.

As I climbed the stairs, I couldn't help but realize I never brought up that, since Cobb had a steady supply of emeralds, he could afford a place of his own instead of stay in my home.

I only offered it to him because he didn't have a job and slept in a park. So now, there wasn't anything preventing him from moving out. If the idea slipped his mind, I should have reminded him.

…

Then again, there was no rush. Purchasing the right home took time, after all.

And it wasn't like he was any trouble having over.

[Cobb]

Later that night, I made sure Erin was gone, Wynn was asleep in her room, and Lenz was outside in the outhouse before I got out of bed and crept downstairs. There were still things I needed to setup before what came next.

I carefully nudged open the backdoor and peered out across the backyard to where Lenz was slumbering. Taking care to double check the surroundings, I tiptoed over to the outhouse. Lenz had already improved the structure, changing the door and wood to a neater shade. And if he bought that all at the auction house, then he also had the TNT for the cannon tomorrow.

Little did he know, he'd never get the chance to make it.

I pulled back the outhouse door agonizingly slow and winced as it creaked loudly. This is a new door! Why the hell is it creaking!?

Thankfully, Lenz's good eyesight didn't also translate to having good ears. He slept through the creaking, scrunched upon himself in the cramped space of the outhouse.

He could have at least expanded it a little. I thought to myself as I carefully rolled him over and got to his backpack. I moved many items aside, digging deeper and deeper for what I needed. Then, my eyes lit in triumph as I saw, between Slime Blocks and arrows, the TNT.

There was a whole stack of it, which I hastily scooped out and into my backpack. Lenz must have really wanted to impress me with that TNT cannon. I felt a little guilty over taking it, but ultimately decided I'd make it up to him by giving him half of my share of emeralds moving forward. Remembering Lenz's boring lessons on priming TNT, I also scooped up all the redstone on him. I had a feeling I was going to need it.

Once I had everything from the engineer, I carefully shut the door (not that he would hear it) and walked back to the mansion. Once inside, I mentally checked off the first thing on my list.

Wynn wasn't wrong when she said I was geared up to win tomorrow. That was exactly what I intended, but not against her in a friendly spar. My fight was with the Endward Cult. And just because I showed her some of the more expensive purchases I made, didn't mean that was all I had.

I snuck into the enchanting room and used the hallway light to guide me to the enchanting table. The book atop it was still perpetually floating, just like before when I had enchanted my gear.

I plunged my hand deep within my backpack, the place where I kept my most secret items, and dumped them on the table. The Advanced Mob-Slaying book, Brett's map of the Endward Cult's outpost, a set of leather armor without a leather cap, the Creeper mask I got off that burglar from yesterday, four chunks of lapis lazuli, three [INK SACS], and ten ender pearls which cost me four emeralds a piece.

I quickly got to work, spreading the ink sacs over each piece of leather armor to dye them black. The darkened armor would be my battle suit the night I attacked. A more sensible person would buy the strongest diamond gear for the best defense, but I had a feeling it wouldn't help against the amount of cultists I'd be facing.

So instead I went for stealth, thinking they couldn't fight what they couldn't see. The black dyed leather armor would conceal me perfectly during the night. As for my identity, I planned to keep that a secret in case any of the cultists survived and traced my name back to Ringwood.

That's where the Creeper mask came in.

The burglars yesterday concealed their names by wearing Mob Heads. Skeletons, Creepers, Zombies… and probably deceased Crafter Heads as well. Wearing one would obscure your name. Perfect for burglaries, or in my case, breaking into a heavily guarded Endward Cult outpost.

And of course, it wouldn't be fitting to wear a Creeper mask without bringing enough explosives to—sssssSSSS KABOOM!—the lot of them. That's where Lenz's TNT came in.

Once the leather armor was dyed black, I threw it atop the enchantment table with the lapis and watched as the ancient writing in the floating book glowed blue and became legible. I selected my enchantments carefully, with most of them being Protection, and finished by enchanting my diamond sword with Sharpness I. It wasn't the greatest option, but I couldn't over enchant. Wynn thought I was gonna spar with her using my new diamond sword. Nobody would spend so much for a friendly spar. If I enchanted it with Sharpness III or Fire Aspect she'd get suspicious.

With the enchanting done and no lapis or ink sacs left as evidence, I looked over Brett's map, memorizing the location of the outpost. Southeast of Ringwood. Deep in the mountains. It would take two or three days hiking up.

Or an afternoon if I used my ender pearls carefully.

There was one problem with that strategy, and it came from my book of Advanced Mob-Slaying. There was one entry that warned of using ender pearls recklessly.

[ENDERMITE]

[Description: Dark purple slugs with red mouths. Smaller than Silverfish, but move in a similar manner. Their sounds are similar as well, mainly involving hissing.]

[Tips: Endermites are small, meaning they are not easy to land hits upon. Their health is low at 4 hearts of health (the same as Silverfish), but they have a distinctively harsher bite that deals one-and-a-half hearts per hit.]

[As Mobs go, this one is perhaps one of the weakest I've encountered. The only unique thing about this Mob is that it only spawns from the usage of ender pearls. Perhaps the inter-dimensional space warping capabilities of the pearl opens a gateway into a dimension filled with the unsightly buggers, allowing them to enter our world.]

[Or perhaps it's just the universe telling us to stop spamming ender pearls all over the place.]

[Either way, Endermites disappear within two minutes of spawning. Endermen don't like them, and attack them on sight. They don't attack in packs and are extremely weak. So any Crafter that dies to one should be glad they don't have to live with that embarrassment.]

[The chances they spawn from a pearl are quite low, but if you really don't want to risk fighting them, don't use ender pearls. The worst they could do is surprise a teleporting Crafter. If you somehow find yourself facing one, you may either wait two minutes for them to disappear, throw splash Potions of Harming which work at exterminating the smallest of Mobs, blow them up, burn them, or use a Bane of Arthropods enchantment if you are truly desperate.]

[To summarize, they aren't much of a threat. Pretty much anything can kill them. Really. What a waste of an entry. Maybe if you're a Crafter with poor hand-eye coordination and drunk… then maybe they could be a threat? But otherwise, very uncreative and boring.]

[Weakness: Pretty much anything. Time.]

…

Okay, so maybe there really wasn't a problem using ender pearls. Endermites sounded like the Jibbermen of Mobs.

Alright. I thought to myself while shoving my Endward Cult assault gear deep into my backpack. Tomorrow night, I attack.

And I intended to raze that outpost to the ground.

For Floyd.

Inventory (Cobb): 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Golden Sword [Sharpness I, Unbreaking I]{Weak}, 1 Golden Shovel [Silk Touch I, Unbreaking III], 1 Flint and Steel, 8 Cobblestone, 12 Flint, 26 Torches, 5 Coal, 10 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Oak Wood Door, 1 Clock, 45 Dirt, 1 Water Bucket, 4 String, 10 Ender Pearls, 59 Redstone, 64 TNT, 5 Pumpkin Pies, 4 Cookies, 24 Steak, 40 Cooked Mutton, 1 Mob Head {Creeper}, 1 Pumpkin, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Unbreaking I], Iron Leggings {Weak}, Iron Boots, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Black, Protection I, Unbreaking I], 1 Leather Pants [Dyed Black, Unbreaking I], 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Black, Protection I], 7 Rotten Flesh, 63 Emeralds, 1 Map {Ringwood Region}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}

[EXP: 18]

Inventory (Lenz): 1 Bow {Weak}, 1 Shears, 3 Levers, 4 Wooden Buttons, 3 Stone Buttons, 5 Redstone Torches, 18 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 1 Hopper, 1 Dispenser, 3 Blocks of Redstone, 10 Slime Blocks, 64 Blocks of Quartz, 5 Pistons, 10 Cobblestone, 10 Torches, 5 Sticks, 3 Redstone Lamps, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 12 String, 25 Gunpowder, 32 Steak, 8 Cooked Mutton, 64 Arrows, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Pumpkin, 64 Emeralds, 64 Emeralds, 45 Emeralds, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}

[EXP: 5]

AN: More setting stuff up. More than you realize.

Not a lot of content for two weeks, I know. I wanted this Chapter to be longer, but found that where I ended it was a good stopping point.

One of the things I realized while keeping track of the Inventory is that things in Minecraftia are expensive as hell. You'd think a stack of emeralds would be a lot of money, but when you compare the stuff Cobb bought between this and last chapter, you'll see that everything costs a lot. I used the Villager exchange rate for the armor and weapons as well as the ender pearls. It freed up a lot of Inventory space for Cobb, but I was just surprised by it.

And then we have Herobrine's book of Advanced Mob-Slaying. Haven't seen much of it since Chapter 40, so I brought it back. Made me realize how stupid Endermites are in the grand scheme of things. I'd like to see what the Minecraft creative team were thinking making those things.

"Okay, so, we need a new Mob. We already have discount Slenderman and Porcupine-Fish, so we need something else. Something cool to catch the kids' attention. Any ideas?"

"I got it! What if we take a Silverfish, right, and removed the hairs, change it from gray to purple, chop off its tail, and make it sound exactly like a Silverfish as well as do everything a Silverfish does... except go into blocks. Oh, and it, like, spawns from ender pearls or whatever and we call them Endermites."

"...So... A smaller Silverfish... that only spawns from ender pearls?"

"That's right."

"...GIVE THAT MAN A RAISE!"

Yeah, so, if you couldn't tell by how I wrote Herobrine's description of the Mob, I feel that Endermites are a bit lame.

Omake below. It includes an OC, Kalmarin_the_Prophet, submitted by Kalmarin. Hope I represented him well.

Omake: Angel's Tool

Carys stood in the center of the room with her diamond sword drawn. The tip was pointed towards her opponent, a man with blue hair and a fedora. His own weapon, an iron sword, was held before him defensively. His hands trembled slightly, but that was understandable given who his opponent was.

Carys' crimson orbs locked on the man's sea green eyes as she took in his stance. Despite his trepidation, she noted how perfect his guard was. Most Crafters had a hole in their defense that she could exploit. But not Kalmarin. He was as experienced as they came. Older than her and nearly on the same level.

Nearly. Carys smirked to herself before darting forward.

In response, Kalmarin brought up his sword and blocked the angel's first strike. She followed up with a kick, only for him to swap sword arms and block it with his elbow.

Carys raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed, before avoiding a slash aimed at her face. She stomped down on his sword, trapping it beneath the heel of her boot, before delivering a sharp elbow to Kalmarin's chest.

The effect was immediate. Kalmarin's breathing was thrown off by the sudden jab, and as he struggled for breath, his defense was left to suffer. Carys pressed her advantage, lashing out with a series of sword strikes that Kalmarin barely had time to deflect on top of steadying his breathing.

Seeing where the fight was going if he didn't come up with something fast, the blue-haired man spun on his heel, whipping his iron sword around him to gain momentum. On his second spin, he lunged forward, aiming for Carys' neck.

He expected the angel to dodge or block. She did neither. As the sword was about to hit her, she threw out her right arm and had it bend around both the sword and Kalmarin's wrist like a snake. Next instant, a vice-like grip tightened on his wrist, stopping the sword from hitting her.

With his arm trapped, Carys took her own diamond sword and scraped it along his iron blade towards his eyes. The two swords screeched against each other, scattering sparks straight towards Kalmarin's eyes. He couldn't stop himself from closing them.

"Damnit."

"Mmhm." Carys replied simply as her sword struck Kalmarin's torso, followed by a kick that sent him crashing to the ground. She placed her purple boot over his chest, pinning him to the ground.

With a resigned sigh, Kalmarin let go of his sword and yielded.

Carys frowned in displeasure. "I thought I told you not to hold back."

Kalmarin chuckled nervously. "You… you noticed, huh?"

"Well, your eyes weren't smoking, so yes. I noticed." The Angel of Death moved her foot to Kalmarin's gut and put enough pressure to elicit an 'Oof!' "I wanted to face you at your best. That means Hacker powers and all."

"You weren't at your best either." Kalmarin shot back, earning another stomp to the gut. "Oof! You weren't using ender pearls or potions… or your Thorns armor."

"I don't see a reason to waste durability on a spar."

"And I don't see a reason to waste my Hacks on a spar. Oof!" Carys stomped twice for his backtalk. "Okay, okay! Quit it! You're gonna make me hurl… unless you don't mind getting chunks of rabbit on your boots."

Carys wrinkled her nose in disgust before removing her boot. "What I mind is you holding back. Operation: Overshadow is coming. And you of all people should know that on that day, holding back isn't an option."

Kalmarin's sea green eyes narrowed challengingly before he rolled to his feet. "Don't you worry. When the time comes, I won't show any mercy."

"I should hope not." Carys walked back to her original position, readying her sword. "Again. Only this time, don't…"

The angel trailed off as a Crafter entered the training room. It was another Paragon, Witige, with wild green hair and a scruffy beard. In his hands was a lead, with which he was using to guide a saddled pig.

Carys' crimson eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What is this, Witige?"

"Ma'am, if you'll excuse this interruption," he bowed low before the pig tugged him aside by the saddle, "I've come with a gift."

Carys arched a single eyebrow. "A gift?" Her eyes never left the pig, and her blood was already simmering before Witige even had a chance to explain.

"Yes. Yes. I—"

"Witige, don't!" A voice rang out before the blue-haired form of Baltic came sprinting into the training room. When he saw that Witige had already revealed the pig, he paled. His eyes darted between Carys and the sword held unnaturally tight in her grip. "Witige, we… we shouldn't interrupt them while they're fighting." He tried to beckon Witige back, whispering warnings under his breath. But the green-haired Crafter wasn't having any of it.

"Now Baltic. I'm pretty sure an exception can be made once the Angel of Death sees what I've brought her."

"Witige, please, you don't—"

"Let him speak, Baltic." Carys interrupted as she stepped forward. She made sure to look the picture of calm to alleviate Baltic's worries and not frighten Witige too early. "He says he brought me a gift. I'd like to see what it is."

Baltic's brow creased with worry. He was no fool. Even if Carys looked calm, he still noticed her tight grip on her sword.

"Speak, Witige." She gestured to the green-haired Paragon.

Feeling emboldened by the allowance, Witige shot Baltic a smug look before holding out the lead tied to the pig. "I heard your steed died in battle. So I figured you'd need a new one before Operation: Overshadow." He pulled the pig closer to him and knelt beside it. "Now it's no Mr. Piggles, but this pig won several races in Dover Plains. There's no pig faster or of higher quality than this one."

"Is that so?" Carys questioned, sounding interested.

Witige nodded eagerly. "It cost a small fortune buying it off its trainer. I got it in case something ever happened to Mr. Piggles. Lucky thing, huh?"

"Hmmm." Carys paced around the pig, acting like she was admiring it. "I'm confused Witige."

"Uh… eh?"

"I said I'm confused." Carys repeated softly as she knelt down beside the pig. "When you refer to the situation as 'lucky', do you mean how my beloved Mr. Piggles was murdered, or how you had a spare steed waiting to replace him?"

"I… u-uh…" Witige blanched under the question. Baltic looked on worried, noticing how Carys' grip tightened on her sword.

Kalmarin just shook his head. "She's got him by the balls." He whispered.

"If that's too difficult a question for you to answer, here's another one." Carys continued as she held the sides of the pig's head and tilted them back and forth. "When you planned to bring this pig to my attention, did you imagine it could even hold a candle to Mr. Piggles' worth? Or were you just not thinking?"

"I… I…" Witige gulped before quickly glancing down. "I-I just thought that…"

"There is no right answer here, Witige." Carys called back coldly before a flash of diamond raked across the pig's side. It squealed in pain and tried to scamper away only for Carys to pull it back by the lead. The pig was yanked off its feet and onto its back, exposing its defenseless belly for Carys to sink her blade into.

The squeals were extinguished in a splatter of raw porkchops and a saddle. Everyone in the training room was deathly silent as Carys tossed the lead onto the ground and stalked over to a shivering Witige.

"Here's what I'm thinking, Witige." Carys spoke softly, piercing the Paragon's blue eyes with her burning crimson ones. "When I see you bring forth a pig and tell me it's a replacement steed, it makes me think that you think I need one."

"I'm sorry, ma'am… I—"

She brought up her sword to scrape at his neck, silencing him.

"It would be one thing if it was a horse, but you specifically got me a pig. You thought any old sorry excuse for a swine could replace the time I spent with Mr. Piggles." She shook her head chidingly. "That is a grave oversight."

"Carys, he made a mistake—"

"Quiet, Baltic." Carys warned, never taking her crimson glare off of Witige. "I'm busy contemplating whether or not I should kill someone."

Witige whimpered slightly, edging his neck up as the sword was pressed closer and closer.

"And finally, you assume I need a new pig based off some emotional attachment I had for Mr. Piggles. You assume I'm in need of something and that I wouldn't be able to function properly. You assume I need pity and that this gift will provide the answer." Carys' eyes narrowed in anger. "You insult my strength of will, and that makes me very, very angry."

By now, Witige was reduced to a whimpering pile of jelly as Carys' eyes burned further and further into him. The sword at his neck was causing him damage and Baltic and Kalmarin were expecting the green-haired Paragon to burst into a pile of gear at any moment.

However, the tension was snuffed out as Carys pulled her sword away. Witige was panting for breath, desperately trying to calm himself down as Carys glared at him coldly.

"Make sure you let everyone know not to pull something like this ever again." Carys warned, sheathing her blade. "Now clean up that sorry excuse for a pig you dragged in here and get out."

"Y-Yes, ma'am. Many apologies m-ma'am." Witige kept his head low as he picked up the remnants of his pig and scurried out of the training room.

Carys was breathing heavily with her fists clenched tight as she began to pace the room. Baltic and Kalmarin kept silent as they watched her fume. Once she got to the wall, her hand shot into her backpack and withdrew an iron axe. She cocked her arm back and hurled the tool clear across the training room where it smashed through a window.

Carys' hands balled back into fists as her attention snapped back to Kalmarin, who flinched slightly. "Come on! Another spar!"

"Er… maybe later… after we eat a little?" Kalmarin ventured, hoping some time might calm her down. He made a mental note of never bringing up Mr. Piggles ever again.

"Fight me now!" Carys growled, marching towards the Paragon with nothing but her bare fists. She was halfway to him when Baltic stepped in the way. "Move."

Kalmarin was surprised the angel didn't just bowl through him. Baltic wasn't that strong, after all. He was good at potions, but wasn't an extraordinary fighter.

Baltic, however, was prepared. "You seem a little… unsettled after Witige's 'gift'. Perhaps you should take some time to calm down before—"

"I'm completely calm!" Carys shouted, grabbing Baltic by his collar and yanking him down to her eye level. "Do these eyes look unsettled to you!?"

Baltic's black eyes looked deep into Carys' burning crimson orbs. The sight alone would intimidate any Paragon into submission.

But not Baltic.

"All I'm saying is that you need a distraction." Baltic held up one hand to appease her while the other one reached into his backpack. "And I think I have one. Your order just arrived."

Carys raised an eyebrow. "My order? What are you—?"

"From Exter."

At those two words, Carys' tense expression instantly relaxed. Her anger drained away to be replaced with a barely restrained eagerness. "My weapon…?" She asked hopefully, to which Baltic nodded. "Show me."

At her command, Baltic withdrew the weapon from his backpack: a long diamond Scythe. An Exter exclusive, forged by the word-renowned blacksmith, Tinker.

Carys was breathless as she examined the weapon. Her grip on Baltic's shirt slackened, and she shakily held up her hands to await the tool. Baltic slowly placed it in her palms, watching as she wrapped her fingers around the smooth wooden surface. Her hands explored the crescent blade, marveling at its sharpness.

"It's beautiful." Her awed whisper carried throughout the training room, speaking of her satisfaction with the weapon.

"I can't believe he actually made it." Kalmarin commented as he marveled along with Carys. Tinker's weapons cost a fortune, and the blacksmith was very selective over who he made weapons for. It was an honor being given one.

Carys wasted no time testing it out. She gripped the handle with both hands and swung it, smirking at the sound it made as it cut through the air.

*SWISH*

She waved it around, spinning it over her arm, and watched as the light blue of the diamond glimmered in the lamp light.

"Now, he said it would take some getting used to." Baltic explained, though Carys was barely listening. "The weight and balance are different than a sword, not to mention it has properties of its own. It won't be easy to—"

Carys leaped into the air, her new diamond scythe trailing behind her before the sharpened edge buried itself into the floor, splintering the wood across a large area... and undoubtedly revealing one of the scythe's unique properties.

"—master." Baltic finished lamely, even while Carys smirked at him. She rested her scythe on her shoulder, enjoying the familiar weight it provided.

"It's perfect."

AN: An Angel of Death needs a scythe.