My Craft Chapter 76: Words, a minecraft fanfic

AN: I don't like this Chapter. It makes me frown.

Even the Chapter title is bad.

But you're not here to hear me whine about my own incapable writing. You're here for the riddles. The answer to last week's riddle: A match! Congrats to JohnRyan117 Esp (damn, that's a mouthful) for guessing it correctly. Enjoy your cookie and your acknowledgement.

(::)

Puzzle: What has a single eye but cannot see?

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, I'd add collapsing trees.

Beta: Myself

Chapter 76

Words

[Cobb]

"So…" I ventured, walking beside the orange and black ninja. "Do you… always speak in book?"

Creation's_Spark considered that for a moment before shaking her head. I thought she'd follow up with a spoken word, but she was as silent as ever.

"…Right."

As soon as we had gotten away from that first group of cultists, I tried to head back south to climb up Mt. Mur again. As disastrous as my first attempt at destroying that outpost had been, I wasn't ready to give up. It was with thoughts of Floyd that I began climbing those steep slopes.

Spark had been quick to tell me that was a stupid idea. Or rather she kept writing how terrible an idea it was and offering me her words. The messages were the same, so I stopped reading after the first couple of books. I think that annoyed her though, since she then abandoned her polite book offers in favor of prodding my side painfully with the spine, demanding I read them.

She climbed along with me too. Even when I warned her about the cultists, she was right there with me, constantly nudging a newly written book into my side. She certainly made up for her silence with her determination.

So there I was, hiking up Mt. Mur with a mysterious ninja poking my side with a book. Just when I thought a bruise was about to form, I paused. Voices could be heard from higher up the mountain. Angry voices. I ducked behind some rocks and Spark mimicked my actions… though the occasional bump told me she was still nudging me with her book.

Up ahead, three black-capped cultists emerged. They looked irritated and sullen, armed with weapons and leading a precession of cats. They marched along the mountain, glancing down towards our cover as if spotting something, only to shrug and continue. They vanished behind a ridge of rocks, and their angry voices slowly faded.

...

It took a while for my mind to register that those cultists were leading a precession of cats. Black and white. Orange with stripes. Grey with dark speckles. They had quite the variety. But before I could wonder why a group of cultists were leading so many cats, I felt another sharp nudge into my side.

Something in me snapped and I quickly snatched the offending book and tore it open, just to read what was so damn important it had to be driven into my side across several miles of hiking!

[READ ME.]

My eyebrow twitched at the two words. That was it!? Spark looked pleased with herself that I finally read her book and quickly took it from my stunned hands, scribbling down something else before holding it open for me to read.

[WHY ARE YOU GOING BACK UP?]

Still angry at her first message, I decided to ignore her. This time more firmly. I wasn't going to let her book nudging get to me again.

I made to stand up, only to throw myself back down when another group of cultists emerged from around a bend. They, like the first group, were armed and were leading cats in their wake.

What's with all the cats? I thought to myself. Are they just walking their pets today?

Frustrated that I couldn't advance with so many armed cultists up ahead, I reluctantly sat back down. Spark took the initiative to hold up another book for me to read.

[ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE?]

I read the words carefully, though I pretended not to. Of course I wasn't trying to die. I was trying to avenge my friend. To make up for the guilt I was feeling for not having been there to save him in Nitebane. It was my fault he was dead. The fault was mine… and the Endward Cult's. So they were the ones that had to pay.

[ARE YOU IGNORING ME?]

I didn't respond to the ninja's newest words. If she couldn't figure it out by now, I wasn't going to tell her.

Irritated at my silence, Spark taped her chin with her quill before her eyes lit with an idea. She turned her back on me and leaned over her book, shielding me from the text. Then she scratched out her previous words and began scribbling something down furiously. It seemed the book would burst from all the writing she was filling it with. It was enough to make me raise an inquisitive eyebrow and make me subtly lean to the left to try and glimpse it.

But, as if responding to my clandestine glimpse, the ninja girl shifted her body to the left, obscuring the book once more. She paused a few times, hastily erasing some poorly chosen words in favor of vocabulary more deserving of the space.

What is she writing, a novel?

Curiosity getting the better of me, I tried to lean to the right to peer over her shoulder. Spark then shifted to the right, acting like it was a natural movement though I caught the mischievous glimmer in her eye.

She's just screwing with me. I realized with a frown, leaning back in a show of giving up. Well who cares. It's probably nothing important anyway.

A few moments later, Spark finished her writing with an elegant flourish and jabbed the page in what I assumed was a period. Then she closed the book and set it down before her before getting to her feet and, while still under cover from the cultists above, slinked away.

I stared at her as she disappeared from sight. It looked like she was heading back down the mountain. Then my gaze slid to the book lying before me. It sat there innocently, the sun shining upon its leather-bound cover.

What could she have written down? I wondered to myself while staring at the book. Was it some parting advice? Or maybe a way to get down the mountain? Or maybe some epic tale about her tragic backstory? The secret to her mute silence, perhaps?

Carefully, I raised my hand and leaned forward so that it was hovering over the smooth leather surface. I gripped it and pulled it into my hands, where pried it open and read the words she had labored on for so—

[YOU SHOULDN'T READ THIS IF YOU'RE TRYING TO IGNORE ME.]

While my brain was struggling between feeling angry and feeling like an idiot, I felt a hand on my shoulder and a face with bright orange eyes popped up beside me. Spark had returned; she never really left. Her body was shaking in a fit of silent giggles as she saw the look on my face after reading the book.

"…I hate you." I whispered, trying to sound furious but failing. Even I could appreciate the humor in her action. She had played on my curiosity, pretending to write something important when it was really just another attempt at breaking the ice.

Only this time, it worked.

"Thanks for saving me." I spoke softly, not wanting the cultists above to hear me. "I know I said it before, but—"

I was cut off as she handed me the book. I looked at it confusedly. It still had the same message on it. She then mimed a writing action and it was then I noticed the quill.

Oooh… I realized, writing down a message of my own.

[Thanks for saving me before. Sorry I've been ignoring you.]

I handed the book back and watched her read it before she smiled with her eyes and jotted down a response.

[NO PROBLEM. IT'S WHAT I DO. THOUGH I'M SORRY I DIDN'T HELP YOU SOONER WHEN YOU ASKED.]

I read over her message, pausing at the last bit before remembering those orange eyes after I fell off the mountain.

[So that was you! Why didn't you help drag me to safety?]

[I WASN'T SURE WHO YOU WERE. YOU WERE WEARING THE ENDWARD CULT'S COLORS, AFTER ALL.] She gestured to the black-dyed leather armor at my belt. [ONCE THE REAL CULTISTS SHOWED UP, HOWEVER, I KNEW YOU WERE A GOOD GUY. OR AT LEAST THEIR ENEMY.]

[And then you pantsed me.]

[AND THEN I PANTSED YOU, YES.] Her bright orange eyes smiled again. [I FIGURED YOU WERE IGNORING ME BECAUSE YOU FELT EMBARASSED ABOUT BEING SAVED.]

I flinched reading that and glanced aside. Spark took notice and I suddenly wished we were exchanging books between closed rooms. It was easier to keep emotion out of writing.

[I wasn't embarrassed.] I started to write something else, but then I crossed it out. That was another good thing about writing. You could choose your words more carefully and hesitation wouldn't show. [I guess I just wish I had gotten myself out of there.]

[BECAUSE…?]

[Because I wanted to know I could do it by myself.]

Spark raised an eyebrow at that. [REALLY? BECAUSE IT LOOKED TO ME YOU WERE ABOUT TO BLOW YOURSELF UP.]

[That was my backup plan.]

[WHAT WAS YOUR BACKUP BACKUP PLAN, THEN?]

I wisely chose not to answer that one. [What were you even doing out here anyway? Just wandering around near cult bases?]

[I ALREADY SAID IT'S WHAT I DO. CULTISTS ALWAYS TRY AND PICK OFF INEXPERIENCED CRAFTERS IN THE ORIGIN FOREST. THOUGH USUALLY NOT ON THIS SIDE OF MT. MUR.]

[I'm not inexperienced.] I put unnecessary pressure on the quill as I wrote. [Nobody is. Everyone has something to impart.]

She noticed the pressure I used in my writing and eyed me carefully. [YEAH. YOUR GEAR IS A BIT TOO ADVANCED TO BE FRESH FROM THE ORIGIN. WHAT NUMBER ARE YOU?]

I shook my head before writing out my response.

[I wish people would stop asking that.]

Spark held up her hands in a calming gesture. [OKAY, TOUCHY SUBJECT.]

[I'm not touchy about it!] Rereading my own words, I quickly went back and erased the exclamation point. [I'm not touchy. I'm just tired of people thinking they know what I'm capable of as soon as they hear how many digits are in my number. It's the same with everybody. And it's not like having more or less numbers makes you any better than anyone else.]

Spark chuckled silently to herself. [I COMPLETELY AGREE. IN FACT, WOULD YOU BELIEVE I KNEW A GUY THAT HAD SUCH A BIG NUMBER, AND—WAIT FOR IT—HE TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD?]

I raised an eyebrow at that. [REALLY?]

She nodded. [FUNNILY ENOUGH, I ACTUALLY BELIEVED HIM. HE WAS NICE LIKE THAT. REALLY INNOCENT AND CHARMING. HAD A REAL WAY WITH WORDS.] She paused her writing, raising her head as if reminiscing, before diving back into it. [SO, YEAH, ANYONE CAN DO ANYTHING. ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE IN THEM.]

I blinked at her words, remembering another event. […Would you believe a ten-digit Crafter like myself killed a Hacker?]

I saw her eyes go as wide as saucers. In her hands, the quill flew across the paper, eager to get her message down.

[YOU'RE PULLING MY LEG!]

I shook my head, smiling. [Swear to God. It was in Halstatt.]

[BUT THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE! AND BY A TEN-DIGIT—] She abruptly paused, glancing over her last words before hastily writing something else. [NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH TEN-DIGITS! TEN-DIGITS ARE GREAT! IN FACT, OUR HANDS HAVE TEN DIGITS! TEN-DIGITS FOR LIFE!]

[Alright, alright, enough of that.] I waved off her attempts at rectifying her slip-up. I really wasn't as offended as she seemed to think. [But yeah, I killed a Hacker.] I glanced up Mt. Mur, watching the cultists pass and sighed wearily. [And yet I couldn't destroy a stupid Endward Cult base. How lame is that?]

Spark tilted her head to gaze at me. [DID YOU HAVE ANY HELP WITH THE HACKER?]

I nodded.

[DID YOU HAVE ANY HELP WITH THE CULT?]

I wiggled my hand in a 'sort-of' motion. That brought on a look of disapproval from the ninja.

[DID YOU HAVE ANY HELP WITH THE CULT?] She shoved the same message in my face to which I reluctantly shook my head. [WELL THEN THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM! YOU THINK A SINGLE PERSON CAN TAKE ON A SMALL ARMY OF CULTISTS? I MEAN, SURE, THE 'ANGEL OF DEATH' COULD DO IT, BUT I THINK EVEN SHE HAD HELP FROM HER GUILD. YOU GOT FRIENDS, DON'T YOU? WHY NOT ASK THEM FOR HELP?]

The word Angel of Death jarred something in my memory, but I kept up my writing. [Well, what if I didn't want my friends to get hurt?]

[WHAT IF YOUR FRIENDS DIDN'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT?] She shot back, silencing me as I struggled to find a good argument.

I settled on, [One of my friends already got hurt. Forever.]

This time, Spark was the one silenced, in both words and quill. I didn't feel at all satisfied by it, though.

At once, all my grief began to flow onto the paper. [If I had committed, if I had chosen to side with him against the cult, I may have been there to save his life. By his side was where I needed to be, but instead I was off doing stupid, pointless junk elsewhere.]

The cultists above had long since passed so I was allowed to safely speak, but I still used the book, feeling it was easier.

[So what I saved a village. So what I drove off a Griefer army. So what I killed a Hacker. All of that is meaningless—]

At once, Spark kicked the book out of my hand. The leather-bound tome tumbled through the air before going over a cliff. I watched it vanish from sight before turning back to the ninja, who was now holding a new book and was furiously writing in it. She shoved it into my face and made sure I read it thoroughly.

[IT'S NOT MEANINGLESS!]

[THINK OF ALL THE CRAFTERS YOU SAVED! THANKS TO YOU, THEY GET TO LIVE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT LONGER. THEY GET TO SPEND TIME WITH THEIR LOVED ONES OR FORM NEW BONDS WITH OTHERS.]

I remembered Cosmic and Lucas. Leslie and Oswald. The Testificates and Villagers of Halstatt. Wynn and Lenz and the guards that stayed to defend it.

[THINK OF ALL THE GRIEFERS YOU STOPPED. THINK OF THE HACKER YOU THWARTED. BECAUSE OF YOU, THEY CAN NO LONGER HURT OR TERRORIZE ANYONE EVER AGAIN.]

That's right. Alec and Burke and LeShui. They were laying waste to so many villages. Nothing was stopping them until I showed up.

[IT WASN'T POINTLESS JUNK, WHAT YOU DID. IT WASN'T A MISTAKE.]

Those words stirred up something in my memory…

'How could saving someone ever be a mistake?'

I was the one that said those words… to Floyd… after he saved my life from those cultists.

He did that for me back then… he would have done the same for Halstatt if he were there. He wouldn't be worrying about where he should or shouldn't have been.

But…

"It was my fault he died." I whispered, watching drops of tears fall onto the pages. "I wasn't there to save him…"

Spark paused in her writing, watching my sobs mount as I began to break down for the first since the outhouse. I had been so stupid thinking I could absolve my guilt simply by destroying an outpost or two. And there I was, about to throw my life at the cultists for the second time, thinking it was what Floyd would have wanted.

But that wasn't true. He wouldn't have wanted that. He would've wanted me to live.

I felt Spark's hand on my shoulder, rubbing it in soothing circles. The small gesture was all the invitation I needed to let go of my grief. To cry it out.

And so, that's what I did.

[Luis]

Where is he? I thought with slight worry as I tapped my foot.

I was safely in the Inn we had designated as our hideout. It was virtually untraceable, and it was unlikely any cultists would discover that two members of the Paragons were residing there.

Unless, of course, one of residents was an idiot whom, when tasked to tail a certain target, vanished without a trace with the exception of leaving a vague note reading:

[Found a lead. Be back sometime.]

[-Wing]

I mean, what kind of message was that anyway? 'Be back sometime'? Why not just write be back between now and whenever? I tapped my foot impatiently at the Inn, awaiting Wing's arrival (if he would arrive at all) while perusing some of the documents and information I had managed to glean on my end regarding the mysterious King_Cobb.

Apparently, he had more of a reputation than previously thought.

For instance, his number at the Hall of Records was one billion; the first ten-digit Crafter. And while that painted a picture of an inept and inexperienced newb, his achievements described the exact opposite.

Guards had attested that he had slain the criminal Carys_Angel with a fishing rod. That one was an obvious lie, given that Carys had sent the letter informing us of tailing him and his companion Floyd (still yet to be seen). Also Carys was… well… Carys. The idea that she was killed by another was ludicrous. No, it was most probably a lie, fabricated to impress others. But if it got Ringwood to take down the wanted posters of her, I was certain she wouldn't complain.

Moving on to the more believable achievements of the target, several bars across Ringwood had been graced by traveling minstrels and bards. A few of them had described an interesting tale, in which a Crafter managed to repel an army of Griefers led by a Hacker.

And the Crafter was called the Billionth.

Even if minstrels and bards were known to play up events to be more epic, they usually held a ring of truth. Meaning that the Billionth, as he was called, had had a hand in stopping an army of Griefers and a Hacker. And since nobody in their right mind would admit to being numbered one billion, that meant it had to have been Cobb.

The story would have to be investigated further, but I was fairly certain I had discovered why Carys was so interested in tracking Cobb. As unskilled as he appeared, there was clearly something more to him.

And it was all going into the report.

Floyd's number was also at the Hall of Records, but he had yet to make an appearance at Cobb's side. The other guy, Lenzington, was also a person of interest as per Carys' instructions to find out more about Cobb's friends.

As I pondered to myself, the door to the room burst open. I jumped from my seat and raised my sword, expecting attackers.

"I am a detective MASTER!" The boisterous voice of Wing called out as he strutted into the room, grinning from ear to ear. His checkered hoodie billowed behind him as he shut the door and stood before me, looking pleased with himself. "You will not believe what I've been doing!"

"A little louder, please." I grumbled, returning my weapon to my belt. "I don't think the people across the hall heard you."

But it appeared my biting remark could do little to dampen his spirit. "I've just been in an Endward Cult outpost!" He exclaimed gleefully, causing my face to go pale.

"You what?"

He nodded eagerly as he reached into his backpack and began withdrawing several books and maps from its depths. "The other day, when I was following King_Cobb (oh, he dealt with those thugs we tipped off by the way—anyway!) He walked into this barn over in the Eastern District and, wouldn't you know it, there was a secret base hidden beneath the hay bales! The hay bales! But, below, there was this silver-haired old guy and he was making an Invisibility Potion. So I grabbed it, made myself invisible, and asked him why Cobb had been there and what he knew about the Endward Cult."

Wing paused, giving a satisfied chuckle at my spellbound expression.

"Turns out, he knew a lot more than I would have figured. He was named Brett… or was it Brent, I couldn't remember it… but anyway, he was in charge of an anti-cult organization known as the Silver Intent. And he told me quite a few interesting things…"

Wing trailed off enigmatically, no doubt enjoying the bits of information he was withholding from me.

"But most importantly, he told me that Cobb planned to assault an Endward Cult outpost soon. He pointed it out on the map for me, and I decided to let him live since the more people fighting the cult the better, yeah?"

"So then… these books and maps." I gestured to the documents Wing continued to pile onto the table. "Brett gave you them?"

"Wrong!" Wing smiled. "When Cobb attacked that outpost—on his own like a badass lone gunman—I masterfully followed him inside and used his attack as a distraction to find some choice information on the cult." He beamed proudly as he opened a few of the books he had grabbed. "I found notes detailing Ringwood villages the cultists are using as bases to harvest Heads. And I found several outposts marked on these maps! Carys is gonna flip when she sees this!"

"I bet she will." I nodded, impressed with my friend's efforts. "And nobody saw you?"

"Oh, they saw me." Wing smirked confidently. "But only the first guy saw my name. I killed him and wore his Head so nobody else would identify my name. Between the frantic goose-chase looking for Cobb, and I guess some explosions and a fire he started, I had no trouble making my escape."

I nodded. "Good. The last thing we want is to be identified. Our anonymity is our greatest weapon right now." I shifted through a bit of the books and notes Wing had brought. "Was Cobb able to get out okay?"

At those words, Wing froze. His eyes darted a bit, but he quickly closed them, feigning calm. "Yyyyeaaaah… Probably…"

I looked up from the notes with a slight frown. "You do realize that he's our mission, right? You did well to gather this, and I'm sure Carys will be impressed, but she asked us to follow him. It was a mission that took precedence over our involvement in Operation: Overshadow—"

"Hey, give me a break!" Wing protested, gesturing to all the documents he collected as if that were enough to justify forgetting about Cobb. "Documents, Luis! Documents! Eh? Eh? With this we can gather the Paragons and rid the cult of their Northern Division!"

"Is that so?" I asked lightly, double-checking the documents again. "There isn't anything here about the Northern Division's Headquarters."

"Why must you focus on everything I didn't do?" Wing grumbled with folded arms. "They didn't have anything about their major Headquarters. I got the impression that that was information too important to have lying around."

Shifting through the books and maps, I spotted something that piqued my interest. "Hmm. That's odd."

"What? Did I get something good?" Wing was instantly at my side, squashing his face next to mine to read what I was perusing. "Eh? It's just a list of inventory. Stuff the cult has stock of."

I turned to the brown-haired man, looking at him evenly. "So you don't notice anything odd about this?" He frowned, his face scrunched in concentration as he eyed the book. "Particularly regarding the cats?"

"The cats?" He sounded skeptical. "What? They're decent pets. Why would that be odd?"

"Because the inventory says they have close to five-hundred of them." I deadpanned, causing Wing's eyes to snap open. "Not only is that a questionable amount of pets, but it has no reason to be included in this list unless it mattered to the cult." I rubbed my chin as I looked more closely at the list. "Where did you find this anyway?"

"Uh… oh! It was in this map room, only the map was three-dimensional instead of on a flat piece of paper. It had mountains and villages marked and some Creeper Heads—"

"Creeper Heads?" My ears perked up.

"Yeah, I don't know why they bothered putting them on the map though." Wing frowned, thinking back. "Maybe it was to mark Mob sightings or something?"

I hummed in thought, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his theory. I had one of my own to explain the cats and Creeper Heads. The Endward Cult had already proven the lengths they would go to kill Crafters in Nitebane. But I hoped my theory was wrong.

Because if I was right, then Ringwood was in serious danger.

[Cobb]

After I had a good, long cry (which I made Spark swear never to reveal to anyone) the silent ninja persuaded me to forget about the outpost. With Mt. Mur at our backs, the two of us carefully made our way back down, picking through rocks and cliffs until we arrived at the base. From there, we walked in silence, my internal organs occasionally commenting on important matters.

Brain: Cobb, ask her the question.

Heart: That hardly seems appropriate!

Brain: It's a legitimate question! I wanna know if a mute makes a sound when they sneeze.

Lungs: W-we don't even know if she's mute by choice or injury.

Brain: A choice? Since when is being mute like being vegan? And you make it sound like I'm asking an offensive question.

Heart: For all you know, it could be.

Brain: Just think about it: How many times does a sneaking person do something noisy like sneeze or yawn or stub their toe and wince in pain at the worst possible time? But Creation's_Spark—if she really is mute—might not be able to do any of that. She's like the perfect ninja! Just replace her books with scrolls and give her some throwing stars and boom we got a kunoichi!

Heart: Brain. Shut up.

Brain: You're just jealous because I'm asking the real questions!

Heart: No, I'm annoyed because what you're asking is of no importance.

Brain: …Cobb, ask her if she has any kunai knives.

Ugh, fine.

"Hey, Spark." The ninja turned to me, eyebrows lifted questioningly. "Do you… have any kunai knives?" Her eyebrows rose higher and she tilted her head in confusion.

"I mean… you look like a ninja and all…" Why did I ever listen to brain? Now I looked so stupid. "So… is that a no on the kunai?"

Spark nodded her head slowly, not even bothering to spare her book to reply to such a silly question.

"Sorry." I apologized while rubbing my head sheepishly. "I guess I had kunai on the brain."

Brain: Not funny!

"I guess you don't have throwing stars either." I commented aloud, only to pause when I looked back to her.

My mouth hung open in surprise as I saw, held up on display and between her fingers, palm-sized metal shuriken.

Brain: YES! Damn, I'm good! I better switch my cell phone carrier so I can get more minutes because I'm calling things left, right, and center!

…What's a cell phone?

"Is that a Tinker's weapon?" I asked the Spark, to which she nodded proudly. She started to scribble something down in her book, only for an earsplitting scream to catch our attention.

It was so full of terror and desperation that Spark didn't even hesitate to drop the book and sprint towards the source. She pulled a potion from her belt and the look in her eyes was full of concern.

I didn't have to follow her. She was going to try and save whoever screamed. She said that was what she did. But she also said that saving people wasn't meaningless. And I agreed.

It's what Floyd would do. I nodded as I followed Spark's trail. The scream had sounded close, so I figured I wouldn't have to go very far.

I was right. Just ahead, in a small clearing, Spark stood with potion in hand. The clearing had a large tree in the middle, atop which several Crafters were hanging. Some were shouting in alarm while others put on brave faces. Others still were unconscious and being held up by their fellows.

And at the base of the tree, a green-haired Crafter was facing off against a small group of Spiders and Skeletons.

"Jade, look out!" One of the Crafters above warned as a Skeleton shot at the green-haired… woman?

Jade quickly spun around, gracefully evading the arrow by an inch only for a Spider to dive atop her. She struggled with the Mob, its pincers hissing madly as it tried to tear out her throat.

"No!" My hands flew to my backpack, pulling out my stone pickaxe, and I chucked it at the Spider atop the Crafter. The handle caught the oversized arachnid on its left-most eyes, stunning it long enough for Jade to kick it off. The Spider struggled for a bit, but I quickly finished it with a slash of my sword.

The other Spiders were climbing up the tree, trying to get at the other Crafters. Even though Spiders were neutral during the day, the shade of the trees was making them hostile. The shade was also enough to shield the Skeletons from burning in the sun.

It seemed like the Crafters had been traveling when they were suddenly attacked by Mobs. But there was about fifteen Crafters hiding in that tree. Were they so inexperienced that they didn't know how to fight them? The only one attempting to fight was the green-haired woman. Speaking of which…

"Thanks for the save." The green-haired woman, Jade, massaged her arm where the Spider had nicked her. "Another second and… I… I…"

The woman paused as she looked into my eyes, her voice trailing off as she seemed mystified by something.

She wasn't the only one ogling. For the first time, I saw her face. As in really saw her face. She was beautiful; She was fair-skinned, with shoulder-length, lush green hair that billowed forth like a curtain revealing a beautiful work of art. Her purple eyes locked onto mine and I saw something glimmer within.

"I… uh… I…" She hesitated, her eyes glancing away.

The moment was abruptly broken when an arrow hit her in the side, causing her to stumble away. Snapped out of whatever weird trance I was in, I looked to the offending Skeleton and quickly charged it, sidestepping every time it tried to shoot me. When I was close enough, I lashed out with my sword and killed it in three hits.

"You still alive back there?" I called before glancing at Jade again. Her eyes were still locked on me for whatever reason, as if I was the only thing in the clearing. There was something about the look she gave me that almost made me pause again, but I knew now wasn't the time for that. There were Mobs to deal with.

As I turned to deflect another arrow aimed at me, I felt a different projectile nail me in the head. I clutched my head and muffled a curse into my hand before checking the offending object. It was another one of Spark's books. The ninja was waving over at me and miming opening up a set of pages.

I snatched the book from the ground and opened it as she… mimed…

[TELL THE CRAFTERS TO CUT THE LEAVES!]

Cut the leaves? I thought in confusion. What'll that…! Oh!

"Hey! Everyone!" I shouted out to the terrified Crafters kicking at the climbing Spiders or cowering behind branches. "If you can't fight, get rid of the leaves in that tree!"

"What'll that do!?" One of the Crafters cried out in terror.

"You want us to risk our lives landscaping!?" Another asked incredulously.

"You want to live, don't you!?" I called up, barely batting aside a Spider that almost scratched a still mystified Jade. Why wasn't she moving at all? And why was she still looking at me? "Just do it!"

Seeing no other choice aside from waiting for the Spiders and Skeletons to kill them, the Crafters in the trees began breaking the leaves shielding the Mobs below from the sun.

Slowly, the tree grew barer and barer as thick branches once flush with green were stripped bare. A Spider pounced on me from behind, but Jade snapped out of her trance and pulled it off. I couldn't see Spark anymore as the Mobs closed in around me.

But, as the Skeletons grew nearer and nearer to Jade and I, the leaves were broken enough to allow the first ray of sunlight to stream through.

The effect was immediate. The hostile Spiders calmed down at once, their multiple eyes that were narrowed in hatred, slowly relaxed, gazing at the pair of us in mild curiosity. Meanwhile, the Skeletons hit by the light spontaneously burst into flames, flailing their boney limbs about wildly. They tried to find shade at the base of the tree, but the Crafters above had caught on. They used sticks and other on-hand tools to hack away the leaves more efficiently, and soon, the whole tree was bare, and the Mobs below were reduced to slightly smoldering piles of bones and docile Spiders.

"We did it!" One of the Crafters above shouted happily.

"We're amazing!"

"No you're not." Jade deadpanned as she stalked up to the tree and gave it a good kick. The vibrations sent seven Crafters falling to the ground. "Where were most of you when I was fighting off Mobs?"

"We were… er… keeping a high vantage point to… uh…" One of the Crafters began hesitantly.

"…To spot incoming dangers before they got to you!" Another finished for his fellow.

Jade glared at them, unimpressed by their explanation. "I suppose I should have figured as much, dealing with ten-digits."

"You're all ten-digits?" I asked while helping one Crafter hand down one of the unconscious.

Jade spun to face me, her cheeks growing red. "N-not all of us… I stumbled upon these guys at the Origin Zone—they're freshly spawned—and they asked me to help them to the nearest Kingdom."

"Really?" Another helpful Crafter like Spark? "That's pretty cool of you."

"Well, I am pretty great." She boasted proudly, puffing out her chest. "And we know how hopeless ten-digits can be when it comes to fighting."

"I'm actually a ten-digit too."

"Though who am I to say they're hopeless?" Jade immediately backtracked. "After all, they followed your brilliant plan to the letter."

"Oh, it wasn't my plan. It was…" I turned to search for Creation's_Spark, but the ninja was still nowhere to be seen. "Where'd she go?"

"Well whoever's plan it was, I can't thank you enough for helping us." Jade reached out a hand and shook mine firmly. "You should come with us to Ringwood. I could sure use the help keeping this lot out of trouble." Her purple eyes were captivating as she glimmered in the sunlight.

"Thanks, but," my eyes strayed to the last place I saw Spark, "I'm not ready to head back into the Kingdom. Not yet, anyway."

"Then maybe I can keep you company?" She tried instead, stepping into my personal space. "It's dangerous to be out here alone."

"What about those Crafters you were escorting?"

"Yeah, what about us?" A Crafter from the trees asked as he climbed down.

"They'll be fine." Jade dismissed with an exaggerated wave. "They're quite resourceful at climbing trees."

"Oh, don't blow us off!" Another Crafter protested angrily. "Come on, AceOfJades."

The green-haired woman shot the Crafter a displeased glare, making me realize that had to be her full name. AceOfJades.

"Can't you see I'm having a conversation with…" She took a moment to glance above my head. "King_Cobb."

"That's nice of you, Jade, but you really should go with them." I spoke, looking upon the fifteen Crafters. A few of them were regaining consciousness, but they looked timid and afraid of the new world Minecraftia was. Just like I had been. "They need someone to look to."

"Ugh… you're right." She conceded, pulling a dejected face before perking up slightly. "Maybe I'll see you around in Ringwood?"

"Maybe." I replied evasively, still uncertain as to why Jade interested me. Or why she was trying so hard to come with me. "It'll be hard to forget a face as pretty as yours."

Wait… why the hell did I say that!? I internally screamed, while Jade, caught by surprise, hid her face with a light giggle.

Brain: Aw shit! Hormones! We got hormones! Code red! Code red!

Heart: I feel so… happy!

What's happening!?

Brain: Heart is taking over vital thought patterns! We gotta shut down immediately before I'm compromised with lovey-dovey thoughts! Bladder! Hit the kill switch!

Bladder: I don't know… I think I… I think I enjoy feeling happy…

Brain: Bladder? Bladder!? Blast, we lost Bladder! They're dropping like lovesick teenagers! Must compartmentalize thoughts! Think manly things! Monster trucks! Wrestling! Knitting fluffy sweaters—! Oh, dear God it's happening to me now!

"I'll see you around then, Cobb." Jade shook my hand once more while my thoughts raged on and led the other Crafters out of the clearing in the direction of Ringwood.

As I watched them go, I slowly rested my back against the leaf-barren tree questioning the lingering feeling in my chest.

Brain: Stomach! Don't you die on me!

Stomach: I can't help it… I feel butterflies…

Brain: NO! Stay away from the light! Just think about food!

Liver: I-I'm still immune to the effects of love…

Brain: Liver, I don't give a damn about you. If you're not gonna be useful as a love-shield then zip it!

Liver: Waaaaaaaaah!

Lungs: *SIGH*

Brain: Of course I'm taking this seriously!

While that was going on, I spotted a book resting nearby. I'm pretty sure it was one of Spark's, but there was one surefire way to check.

[YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'VE GOT THINGS HANDLED. THANKS FOR HELPING SAVE THOSE CRAFTERS.]

[I'M SORRY ABOUT YOUR FRIEND, BUT JUST REMEMBER HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU SAVED TODAY. YOU ALLOWED THEM TO LIVE THEIR LIVES. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT.]

[I'M HEADING BACK TO MY HOUSE. IT'S ON MT. MUR (BURN AFTER READING). JUST PROMISE NOT TO GO ATTACKING ANY CULT BASES.]

[^_0]

[BUT ENDEARING WINKING FACES ASIDE… SERIOUSLY. DON'T GO ATTACKING ANY MORE CULT BASES. IT'S REALLY STUPID.]

I couldn't help but agree with the ninja's words. She was still a mystery, but she seemed nice. And she saved my life.

Not to mention, yeah, attacking an Endward Cult outpost by myself was pretty stupid.

Brain: Cobb. We must never meet that woman again.

What? Why? Spark was really nice and helped—

Brain: Not her! Jade! I barely managed to keep the other organs from going all heart-eyed towards her.

But she seems nice too… and pretty…

Brain: No! Bad thoughts! I refuse to let myself be swayed by your hormones!

I rolled my eyes at my overreacting Brain. Though, honestly, Ringwood was a big Kingdom. The odds I would see Jade again were probably pretty low.

And if Spark was safely returning home, there was nothing left to do but head back to Ringwood. Wynn and Erin were probably worried sick... though a small part of my brain told me that, for some reason, telling Erin about Jade was a bad idea.

A very bad idea.

Though Wynn would probably kill me after hearing how I almost died to the Endward Cult.

But I wasn't ready to head back yet. I still felt like spending some time to myself to think about Spark's advice… and about what happened to Floyd.

I still needed time to accept it.

So, after burning Spark's books per her instructions (probably to keep her home's location a secret) I set out into the forest again, munching thoughtfully on some cooked mutton.

Inventory (Cobb): 1 Stone Pickaxe, 1 Golden Sword [Sharpness I, Unbreaking I]{Weak}, 1 Golden Shovel [Silk Touch I, Unbreaking III], 1 Flint and Steel {Weak}, 15 Cobblestone, 12 Flint, 12 Torches, 5 Coal, 2 Oak Wood Planks, 2 Sticks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Oak Wood Door, 1 Clock, 43 Dirt, 1 Bucket, 4 String, 6 TNT, 2 Pumpkin Pies, 21 Steak, 34 Cooked Mutton, 1 Pumpkin, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Unbreaking I], Iron Leggings {Weak}, Iron Boots, 1 Leather Pants [Dyed Black, Unbreaking I], 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Black, Protection I], 9 Rotten Flesh, 63 Emeralds, 1 Map {Ringwood Region}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}

[EXP: 20]

Inventory (Lenz): 1 Bow {Weak}, 1 Shears, 3 Levers, 4 Wooden Buttons, 3 Stone Buttons, 5 Redstone Torches, 18 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 36 Redstone, 64 TNT, 64 TNT, 3 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 3, Burst, Green, Twinkle}, 1 Hopper, 1 Dispenser, 3 Blocks of Redstone, 5 Pistons, 10 Cobblestone, 10 Torches, 5 Sticks, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 12 String, 25 Gunpowder, 27 Steak, 8 Cooked Mutton, 64 Arrows, 1 Potion of Night Vision {8:00}, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Pumpkin, 64 Emeralds, 14 Emeralds, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}

[EXP: 5]

AN: I remember when I had a consistent, weekly schedule. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

I'm a tad dissapointed in this Chapter because it's kind of a filler Chapter. Compared with next Chapter, I felt this one was just to get the character from point A to point B.

Nothing important really happened. It's short.

Omake: Overshadow (Part 2)

Kalmarin let out a resigned sigh as he accepted the position he was facing.

Behind him, the combined forces of Teams Alpha, Beta, and Delta awaited his orders. Ahead of him, the broken skyscrapers of Nitebane climbed into the sky. From what Jillian had gathered, several of them contained communities of Crafters trying to make a life in the Griefer populated Kingdom.

Griefers…. Those were the opponents they were facing and the ones he was least worried about. The Paragons backing him could handle as much. It was the Hackers that worried him more.

Hackers. Plural. Carys had always said that Operation: Overshadow would pit the Paragons against the strongest beings in Minecraftia. A lesser man would be terrified, but Carys was no lesser man. She was a greater woman, one that had been twitching in anticipation, eager to sink her newest weapon into the Hackers' bodies.

While Kalmarin never considered himself to be among the strongest beings in Minecraftia, he couldn't deny that the Hackers he had seen were powerful. Level 3 Hackers were in a class of their own. He was only a Level 2. If the Hackers Carys was facing were Level 2 or higher…

He shook his head. Carys wouldn't die so easily. Tonight's events would be the culmination of months of preparation. Contrary to her eager recklessness, she had a plan for those Hackers. And if the two she had prepared for were the only ones there, then the Griefers would be of little importance.

What worried Kalmarin the most, however, was if he had to face a Hacker himself. Unlike most Hackers, he didn't enjoy using his powers. It made the others look at him fearfully—the fear had always been there considering his reputation as a Hacker—but seeing it in action made others shrink away. The dark smoke surrounding him and seeping from his eyes was always a menacing sight. He hoped he wouldn't need to resort to that tonight.

Carys never looked at him like that. She respected his power. And he respected her infinitely more. To the point where it frustrated her in spars when he refused to use his powers. It was a personal choice.

But if using them was necessary, he wouldn't hesitate. Tonight was too important to be ruined by his own insecurities.

He took another bracing sigh, before turning to the Paragons on horseback.

"Tonight, we drive the Griefer scum out of Nitebane forever." He didn't even have to yell the audience was so captivated. "Make the Paragons proud."

The army roared in agreement and, as Kalmarin spurred his horse forward and the Paragons followed in his wake, he felt ready to face whatever darkness resided in that ruined Kingdom. The very same darkness that gave him power.

He was ready to snuff it out.

AN: Back to the Omakes. So much more important stuff is happening with the Paragons elsewhere.