My Craft Chapter 77: Blame, a minecraft fanfic

AN: Congrats to Laner13 for guessing last week's riddle correctly. The answer: A needle! And, yeah, you could argue it could be other things, but the answer I was looking for was needle. Enjoy your cookie and your acknowledgment.

(::)

This next puzzle is sooooooooo easy, that it's simply a matter of who reads this first.

Puzzle: You can see me in water, but I never get wet.

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 alarm blocks.

Beta: Myself

Chapter 77

Blame

[Soul]

"I have half a mind to let the cultists have him for the trouble we're going through." I spat as I chopped through some underbrush blocking our way. The trees were closer to the ground here, making it difficult to navigate.

"Don't joke about that." Cara reprimanded. "If the cultists find Cobb before we do, there won't be anything left of him."

"Maybe he should have thought about that before rushing after them. I mean, how reckless can one guy be?"

"Kind of reminds me of another Crafter I know." Cara muttered under her breath, no doubt aiming the insult at me. I had a retort ready regarding her failure in Nitebane, but I bit back and swallowed my words because she was still coping with it.

Plus… it wasn't really her failure. I was the one who screwed up. When I saw those cultists burn down Attila's community, I forgot about everything and focused solely on making the bastards pay.

Then Teal curb-stomped me into the dirt.

That had been a wake-up call. Not only about how much stronger I still needed to get, but also of how much I had left to learn. Caution, patience, control. If I had an ounce of any of those qualities, Floyd and Void might not have had to die.

And now, Cobb was facing the same situation with us rescuing him. For Cara's sake, I hoped it wouldn't turn out the same with the rescuer's sacrificing themselves to save the Crafter in peril.

He had balls though. Going after an Endward Cult outpost by himself. It was a level of recklessness beyond what I had thought Cobb was capable of. He always seemed so awkward and noodle-armed. Hardly cultist-killing material.

But Brett had called him a Hacker killer. That was supposed to be impossible… Hacker's were always spoken of with a sort of trepidation, as if merely uttering the word would unleash their fury upon you. Everything I heard told me that no Hacker had ever been killed by a normal Crafter.

So then how did Cobb do it?

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.

As we continued through the forest, Cara sporadically looking to the map in her hands, we came across a clearing with a large tree in the middle—or at least the remnants of one. The leaves were all stripped clean, leaving a bare oak tree. Spiders were swarming around the base, but they were docile with the sunlight streaming onto them.

"He was here a second ago…" Cara muttered, double-checking the map again. She let out an irritated huff. "First he goes to the mountain, then he goes towards Ringwood, then back to the mountain, then Ringwood, and now the mountain again? Why can't he make up his mind!?"

"Maybe he's being followed." I suggested, looking over the clearing. There were arrows embedded in the ground. Had there been a fight?

"You think the cultists are still chasing him?"

"Maybe. If he really attacked their base, I wouldn't put it past them to dog his steps relentlessly." Those words spurred Cara to quicken her pace towards the other white blip on the map. I matched her pace effortlessly.

"So… say we find him, and he's okay." I began, watching Cara carefully. "How are we going to bring him back to Ringwood?"

"What do you mean?" Cara kept her eyes locked on the map, prompting Soul to push her out of the way before she collided with a tree. "He's probably exhausted. Why wouldn't he want to—?"

"We don't know what he wants." I cut her off, causing her to jerk her head towards me. "What do we really know about the guy? He was more Floyd's friend than ours. From what you told me, Wynn_Whispers was a good friend of his too, and even she didn't know where he had gone or what was going through his head. So how could we possibly guess where his mind is right now?"

Cara sighed. "We'll convince him to come back with us then."

"You think he'll want to talk with either of us?" I asked skeptically. "He probably blames us for Floyd's death just as much as the cult. What if he doesn't listen? What if he attacks us? I mean," I scoffed, "I'll obviously fight him back if he does. Heck, I'll knock him out and drag him back to Ringwood if you give the order. But still, he's not gonna be happy to see us."

"…I know that." Cara gritted out between clenched teeth. "Truth be told, I'm hoping that facing him, the words will just come rushing out. And if there's time," she turned her eyes back to the map, "I pray he'll listen to me beg for his forgiveness."

"It wasn't your fault—"

"Please don't say I'm blameless, Soul." Cara pleaded, frowning slightly. "Don't ever accuse me of being innocent of all this. I'd rather you insult me than claim I made no mistakes that day. The empty space beside us where a blue-haired Crafter should be standing is proof enough… of… my…"

Cara trailed off, stopping cold in her tracks. Her aquamarine eyes were fixed ahead, quivering slightly. I followed her gaze and kept my expression neutral as I saw the Crafter staring back at us, a look of apprehension on his face.

It was Cobb.

[Wynn]

I had been at the Palace organizing a search party when the fireworks went off. One of them went off in the Northern District, the other in the Eastern District.

Both Erin and Cara had discovered something worth telling me, but I couldn't be in two places at once. So I decided to go to the Northern District first, where Erin and Lenz went.

A second firework was launched into the air, aiding my search for the housekeeper and the engineer. The two of them were waiting beside the Northern toll gate, a guard standing tensely beside them.

"What did you find? Anything about Cobb?" I was firing off questions like arrows, demanding some progress towards finding the fisherman. Erin nodded tremulously.

"Th-the guard said that a Crafter with brown-hair, green eyes like emeralds, a handsome face, chiseled arms, a smile that could light up—" Lenz coughed loudly startling Erin to continue with more pressing information. "…Sorry, er, it fit Cobb's description." She hid her blush well.

"It was just yesterday he was passing through." The guard informed. "I only remember him because he had a Silk Touch shovel and a load of TNT on him. Claimed he was going mining in a chasm, I believe."

"And you believed that?" I questioned, stepping into the guard's personal space. He shrunk in upon himself under my accusing gaze. "Couldn't you tell such an amount was dangerous? Why didn't you confiscate it? Why didn't you detain the Crafter in question?"

The guard was floored. "I… they…" He tried to come up with something to say, but was at a loss for words.

I pressed my advantage. "Because you neglected your duties, a citizen of Ringwood might be dead! I hope you understand the gravity of your mistake—"

"Miss Whispers, stop!" Erin stepped me and the guard, holding her hands out to keep me from strangling him for his ineptitude. "You're taking your frustrations out on this unlucky guard and you know it." Erin's words snapped me back to some semblance of composure. "We're not going to find Cobb like this. We need to keep calm."

Slowly, with my eyes sliding from the nervous guard to Lenz and then finally Erin, I relented. "You're right. Sorry, I… I lost my head for a second." Indeed, it was best I save my anger for Cobb rather than the poor guards that failed to stop him.

I can punish and scream at him all I want… after I make sure he's alive and well.

"So where did he go?" I asked, though the nervous guard had slipped away, apparently giving us all the information he had.

"We do not know." Lenz pointed out while adjusting his tinted glasses. "Logically speaking, if he exited through the northernmost toll gate, we should assume his destination is north of Ringwood—"

"But this is Cobb we're talking about." I interjected. "He doesn't do things logically. For all we know he could have left out this gate then doubled back south or east or west. All we really know is that he came through here with your TNT—"

"And that his target lies outside Ringwood's walls." Lenz finished succinctly.

That ruled out an attack on the cult's Northern Headquarters, but not one of their outposts. After hearing the amount of TNT he was carrying, I was one hundred percent certain Cobb planned to destroy one. The only question was which one.

A question that, hopefully, Cara would be able to fill-in. "Cara set off some fireworks in the Eastern District. She probably has some information."

"Then go." Erin gestured to the Potions of Swiftness at my belt. "You're the fastest one here. Lenz and I will go check Cobb's usual hang-outs and the toll gates. Maybe someone else saw him."

I nodded at the housekeeper's plan before turning towards the engineer. "Watch out for her, okay?" I waited for his nod of agreement before downing a Potion of Swiftness and rushing towards the Eastern District.

Even after running all over Ringwood, I was amazed at how tireless I was.

I guess that old saying was true: 'Fury makes the legs run faster.'

[Soul]

Welp…

There he was.

The elusive Cobb was crouched beside a dirt hill, looking towards us like a deer caught in the headlights. He looked apprehensive at the sight of us, but seemed to be perfectly healthy.

"Cobb…" Cara whispered again, taking a half step forward and reaching her hand out. But when Cobb's eyes darted to it, she shrunk back, unsure of how to proceed.

I had no such hesitance. "Looks like we caught you before you attacked the outpost."

Cobb's stare shifted to me. "I sort of already did that." He spoke offhandedly, causing Cara to stiffen.

"Oh yeah?" I tried not to sound too impressed. That outpost had been a heavily fortified fortress bringing forth no end of trouble to Crafters. "How'd it go?"

"Did Brett give her that?" Cobb diverted, pointing to the map resting in Cara's hands. The fact that he was changing the subject told me his outpost attack had been a shit show. "I guess he told you what I was doing… I knew I couldn't trust him."

"For what it's worth, Brett tried to keep it a secret." Soul defended. "I saw you leave Granger's farm. That's how I knew that Brett knew. And he's not the only one."

Cobb frowned at the two of us before turning his back, digging at the dirt hill with his bare hands. "What do you want?"

I looked to Cara, and saw how nervous she was at how to begin. Cobb was uncharacteristically sullen and distant, a far cry from how he had acted when Floyd was still around.

I gestured her to talk to the fisherman, prompting her to take a shaky step forward. "Cobb… we're… we're here to take you back. Back to Ringwood, where… well, it's not safe out here."

Cobb remained silent, not even taking his eyes off his work of digging into the dirt hill. I had the impression he was looking for something.

"It's not safe out here… for you." Cara continued, putting on a strong face and edging closer. "We don't want… we're worried you might… do something you'll regret." She skirted around the dark subject. "Wynn and Erin and Lenz. They're all worried too—"

"Then why aren't they out here?" Cobb asked, digging his hands deeper into the dirt hill. "Why are you two the ones sent to look for me?"

"We alerted Wynn of where you might be." Cara argued, not put out by Cobb's curt tone. "Everyone's looking for you because they're worried. What were you thinking trying to blow up an Endward Cult outpost?"

A dirt block broke under Cobb's efforts.

"I was thinking I had to blame someone for Floyd's death."

At once, the color drained from Cara's face and she stumbled back as if punched. "I… I…"

"Don't say anything." Cobb whispered, though Cara and I had no trouble hearing it. "Just go."

Cara looked at a loss for words, desperately trying to put something together. To buy her some time, I stepped up.

"We're not leaving here without you, Cobb." Soul warned, his hand already moving to the axe at his belt. "You think anyone's going to be pleased if we come back without a certain fisherman in tow?"

"Then tell them I'll come back when I'm ready." Cobb replied, struggling to keep the annoyance out of his tone. "Tell them I don't want any of them to come traipsing through the forest looking for me and dying in my hare-brained schemes! Can you do that for me?"

"Tell them yourself! Or better yet, don't plan hare-brained schemes that risk your life so nobody else has to throw theirs away to save your sorry ass!"

"Oh, so you came to save my sorry ass, eh?" Cobb stood up from his work and turned, looking incensed. "I don't recall asking for either of your help. We were never friends either. All you ever did was insult me."

"Only because you were easy to insult! Naïve and stupid! Just like a Newb!"

"Then why are you here at all!?" He shouted so that it echoed through the trees. "Why are you of all people looking to bring me back? Why care what happens to a stupid Newb?"

"Because it was what Floyd would have done!"

I was breathing heavily as if I had just run a marathon. My fists, which had been clenched tight, had suddenly relaxed upon my exclamation. Cobb looked to have calmed down too. He eyes me carefully, waiting for me to say more.

"Floyd saved your life. He didn't know you, but he saved you anyway." I continued, hoping Cara would find a time to cut in. "I couldn't… I couldn't let his only other friend die, okay!"

The words had been pulled out of me, but they were the truth. Floyd wouldn't have wanted Cobb to die avenging him. Just like I didn't want Floyd to sacrifice himself to save me. Or how I didn't want Silent to have died protecting the both of us.

I was always the one being saved when it counted. I always survived where others died. And I hated it.

"Cobb," Cara began, finally having thought of what to say. "I… you're doing this because you want to avenge Floyd. But don't you see? You have nothing to avenge. It wasn't your fault—"

"Stop talking." He warned, stepping away.

"—It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I was the leader that promised you I'd keep him safe—"

"I said stop!"

"—And even without the promise, it was my duty to protect them all." Cara shook her head, ignoring the pained expression on Cobb's face. "I'm… I'm so sorry." She fell to her knees, resting her head in the grass. "I'm so sorry and ashamed for what I did." Tears were dripping off her face, but she kept her voice strong. "I beg you to forgive me, but I refuse to give up being a leader. I want to keep learning so that this never happens again!" She didn't let Cobb get another word in, her apology was so belligerent. "I know you must despise me, but—"

"I DO!" Cobb shouted at her, causing her to flinch at the sheer volume in his voice. His face was twisted in fury and some deeper emotion I couldn't place. "I HATE YOU! I DESPISE YOU! I-I LOATHE YOU!" Now it was him who was breathing heavily as he looked down on Cara in disgust. "You keep taking the blame! You just don't stop! And you-you-you've accepted it, haven't you!?"

Confusion flitted across Cara's face. "W-what are you—"

"You think I didn't want to blame it on anyone else!? You think shouldering the blame was the first thing I tried!? WELL IT WASN'T!" He boomed, grabbing fistfuls of his own hair. "I didn't even think twice about pinning it all on you! I was eager—desperate to throw someone else under the blame train! It was too convenient to blame the bawling leader bearing the bad news! And then you just… just… accepted it! Said it should have been you who should have died so Floyd could live, when really it should have been me! AND I HATED THAT!"

All at once, Cobb sunk to his knees and grabbed fistfuls of grass. "I… I was so quick to blame you…" his voice had gone hoarse from all the yelling. "I was so quick to blame you, because… because I didn't want to blame the real person responsible. The one who wasn't there to save him." His green eyes watered significantly before he obscured his tears by shoving his face into the grass. "I didn't want to blame myself."

He let out a choked sob into the grass, allowing more tears to flow freely. Cara was in the same state, though with her head raised, as she gazed at the crumpled fisherman.

"I was ashamed." He mumbled. "Ashamed of what I said to you in my haste to blame. Ashamed of how I acted when I knew perfectly well how you must have been feeling. Your leadership issues, your insecurity… I wanted to care, really" he almost begged, "But… but all I felt was grief and hatred. You were just the scapegoat I directed it at. I'm… I'm sorry…"

Cara's arms were around Cobb before he could register them. She was crying into his shoulder, but was somehow able to smile through it. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Cobb. It really wasn't your fault."

"How… how can you say that?" His voice trembled as he reached out his arms to weakly try and push her away. "I said I hated you… I tried to blame you for Floyd's death. I was horrible to you! You shouldn't be able to stand the sight of me. So why… why are you forgiving me?"

"I told you, already." Cara laughed lightly. "It wasn't your fault. There's nothing to forgive, at least on your end. It's I who should be begging for your forgiveness."

"N-no." He sniffled. "I'm begging your forgiveness."

"I beg your forgiveness more."

"I beg your forgiveness times infinity."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

"What are you two talking about?"

I interrupted their heartfelt apology because I had something to say myself. They both looked up with tear-stained faces and bleary eyes. Utter confusion could be seen in their eyes.

"It wasn't either of your fault's Floyd died." I began, feeling some slight trepidation. "Cara, I kept telling you it wasn't your fault. And Cobb, you weren't even there!"

"Exactly!" He sniffled, letting go of Cara to stand up. "I wasn't there to save him. If I had been there, things would have been different—"

"What are you, kidding?" Soul scoffed. "If you were there, Teal would have played a tune with your broken bones! If anything it's my fault Floyd's dead!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah! What, did you think I was exempt from the blame train?" I looked from Cara to Cobb. "Well listen to this: I abandoned the group to go after those cultists, which led to the group rushing to save me, and Floyd to sacrifice himself for us. Therefore, I'm more to blame than either of you."

"Hang on!" Cara got up, sounding indignant of all things. "I was leading that mission—"

"I went against your orders—"

"Then that reflects badly on the leader—me—so that means I'm the one at fault. Not you."

"What kind of bullshit logic is that?" Cobb asked. "That's like saying if you rent a horse and it kicks someone in the face, you're responsible for kicking that someone in the face."

"Are you comparing me to a horse?"

"Cobb, don't take this away from me." Cara warned, jabbing Cobb in the chest. "I went through a pep-talk with Wynn and had to deal with days' worth of emotional trauma before accepting it was my fault. You can't just jump in and say—"

"Excuse me," Cobb interjected, sounding offended, "but I've been an emotional wreck this whole week! I was stupid enough to attack an outpost! Now would someone not responsible for a friend's death do that? Hmm?"

Somehow, the argument had devolved into a blame contest with each of us trying to attain full culpability for Floyd and Void's deaths. It was about as farfetched as you could imagine.

"I ran in to attack the cultists!"

"I wasn't there to help!"

"I was the leader!"

"Yeah, well…" I faltered, thinking of something before my eyes lit up. "Floyd was only there because I made him feel guilty!" I exclaimed triumphantly. "He wouldn't have even joined the Silver Intent if he didn't think it could repair our friendship."

"Oh, yeah?" Cobb countered. "Well Floyd wouldn't have even tried to repair your friendship if I hadn't have urged him to!"

"I—wait, really?" I looked, with genuine surprise towards the fisherman who only just now realized what he revealed. "You… you told Floyd to make amends?"

"Well… yeah." Cobb shrugged, looking away. "He looked so down that you turned him away… I told him a friendship that took effort to repair would be even stronger, but only if he kept trying."

"I… I never knew that." I was struck by those words. So Floyd joined the Silver Intent… because Cobb told him to keep trying. It was such a meaningful gesture that Cobb would urge his own friend to make more.

And it was something someone as innocent as Cobb would do.

"So… yeah…" Cobb finished lamely. "It's my fault Floyd died. I made him go back to you."

"But he only did that because he was guilty over running away." I commented. "Because a cultist attacked us and killed Silent."

"The same people that killed Floyd." Cobb sighed. "It all comes back to the Endward Cult, I guess."

It was then that Cara let out a faint chuckle that slowly grew into a hysterical laugh. Cobb and I glanced at her warily, wondering if she actually lost her mind.

"What's so funny?" I asked the leader.

"Us!" She exclaimed, giggling to herself. "This whole time, we've all been carrying guilt over the same death!" The three of us exchanged looks to one another. "We all thought ourselves to blame and had to suffer three times the grief, when really, there is only one thing to blame."

It took a moment before I understood what she meant, and judging by the grim nod Cobb offered, he knew it too.

The Endward Cult.

They were the true ones to blame for Floyd's and Void's death… and of how many countless others. How odd that the killers were the last ones we chose to blame for the deaths. We were too busy blaming ourselves.

Cara was right. It was kind of funny.

"I think I'm all cried out now." Cobb spoke loudly, breaking the ice.

"You might want to hold off on saying that until after Wynn gets a hold of you." The fisherman froze in terror at Cara's words. "She was pretty mad when she heard how reckless you were being."

"…How mad?"

Cara laughed. "Try 'nearly tossing Lenz out a window' mad."

Cobb fidgeted, looking smaller and frailer than ever. He tilted his head towards Mt. Mur and hummed to himself. "Is it too late to give myself up to the cultists?"

"Smart." Soul chuckled. "I assume death would be the least threatening thing Wynn has planned for you."

"…Yeah." Cobb rubbed his head, as if he could already feel an oncoming bruise courtesy of Wynn's fist. He also absentmindedly shielded his crotch, expecting some other kind of attack. "I guess I deserve it for worrying everyone."

"You're damn right you do." Cara leaned against a tree. "Does that mean you're ready to come back with us?"

Cobb let out a resigned sigh before nodding. "Best to get it over quick. I wouldn't want them to come out looking for me—"

The fisherman stopped abruptly as a sudden noise settled over us. It was something foreign to the forest sounds that surrounded us; a loud ringing with alternating notes that almost seemed to echo. It was almost like an alarm, and it sounded like it was coming from…

Ringwood.

In the direction of Ringwood, the alarm was blaring from across a great distance. From our position, we could just make out the edges of the stone and wood walls surrounding the Kingdom. A second later, jet black fireworks were launching up from behind the high walls. Ten fireworks at a time. Each one exploding in the form of a Creeper face that stuck out in sharp contrast to the placid, blue sky.

"Fireworks? Is there an occasion or something?" I asked turning to my companions. Cobb looked just as bewildered, cupping his ears to hear the blaring noise better.

But Cara looked absolutely horrified.

She stood, transfixed by the black fireworks that ceaselessly lit up the sky.

"Cara, what is it?" I asked urgently. "Is this for celebrating the Bounty Day? What's that noise for?"

But Cara was speechless. The only sign that something was definitely wrong was the look of terror in her eyes.

And seeing Cara look that worried and shaken… really made me feel worried and shaken.

[Lenz]

"Comparators! What is that racket!?" I shouted over the clamor issuing from the plateau. Even from our position in the Eastern District, the sound carried so well it required us to cover our ears.

It sounded like several hundred note blocks were being activated at the same time and set on a loop, creating a noise that could alert everyone in the Kingdom to drop everything they were doing and look towards the Palace.

If that was not enough, black fireworks in the likeness of Creeper faces were being jettisoned into the sky. It was quite chilling to see the gaunt expression peering down upon Erin and I.

Speaking of Erin, the housekeeper was handling the noise far better than I was. She did not even have to cover her ears… though she looked horrified nonetheless.

"Erin!" I shouted over the noise. "For Jeb's sake, when is this noise going to stop!? What is it, even?"

Erin shook her head, quivering slightly, but refusing to take her eyes off the fireworks. She said something, but I could not hear her, nor read her lips.

The noise went on for another minute before finally stopping. The fireworks, however, did not.

Tentatively, I unclasped my hands from my ears, hoping the noise would not resume. "What was that? I did not think Ringwood had the redstone capacity to utilize note blocks—Hey!"

Erin pulled at my shirt, urging me to move. "We have to find shelter!" She exclaimed, looking around with wild eyes. It was only then that I noticed other bystanders adopt the same attitude. They jostled us as they ran to farms, small homes, or any shelter available in the Eastern District. All of them were as wide-eyed and panicked as Erin was.

"Erin, what is going on?" I asked, demanding some kind of answer. "Why is everyone running? What was that noise?"

"It's an alarm!" Erin explained, pulling my hand harder and harder. "A Stage 4 Emergency Alarm! They only sound one off if there's something dangerous and Kingdom-threatening about to occur. A Stage 3 is a large-scale fire, while a Stage 5 is reserved for whenever a Hacker attacks!"

I felt the color drain from my face. A Stage 4… that would imply something between a fire and a Hacker, but what could possibly fit that description?

"We need to find shelter now!" Erin urged. "The guards will be mobilizing soon. Whatever's coming, it's dangerous!"

"But… but we still do not know where Cobbert is!" I argued. "We still have yet to find where Cara set off that firework! If either of them are caught up in this—"

The rest of my words were drowned out as the alarm sounded again. It was like it was reminding us to get out of harm's way.

But, as Erin began to pull me away towards a safe shelter, I worried whether or not Cobb or Cara was in harm's way too.

[Wynn]

Of all the worst times…

I tried to be angry, but I was too worried. A Stage 4 Emergency… just shy of a Hacker attack or some other ungodly catastrophe reminiscent of what occurred in Nitebane all those years ago. The alarm and fireworks had been set up to mitigate the damage and alert Crafters about the potential danger.

And of course, Cobb was outside the walls, probably with no idea as to what the noise even was. I never told him about the alarms or of the five stages of emergency.

Stage 1: Wanted Criminal on a rampage through the streets.

Stage 2: Violent thunderstorms.

Stage 3: Large-scale fire or flooding.

Stage 4: Invading army or Griefer/Cultist attack.

Stage 5: Hacker sighting within the walls. Worst kinds of crises.

And, with a pang, I realized that he wasn't the only one out there. The guards defending the railway project under construction. Cara, Erin, and Lenz. They were all at risk.

I was at the plateau when the alarms sounded, effectively turning my eardrums to paste. Some of the more experienced guards, who knew of the alarm system, sprung into action. They gathered swords and potions, armor and food, and began marching down the steps, Captain Iron_Lung leading them with shouts that could only faintly be heard over the noise. Other guards, inexperienced with alarms, simply followed what everyone else was doing.

The search party I had collected for Cobb (consisting of Solara, Noah, Liam, Spencer, and several other guards) followed me as I rushed to the Palace's fireworks alarm as it continued to spew forth jet black Creeper faces into the sky.

Climbing the steps two at a time, I burst into the alarm room, just as a lull in the note blocks occurred.

"What's the state of emergency?" I demanded of the guards overlooking the alarm. "Report."

"Ma'am!" The guard saluted before gesturing outside. "The guards on the walls and from the lookouts have spotted an oncoming assault against our Kingdom. They… they've never seen anything like it!"

"What assault?"

"It's coming from around Mt. Mur!" The other guard chimed in. "Both the Eastern and Southern toll gates are in their path!"

"Whose path? What's the emergency?" Couldn't they see they were making things worse by not telling me?

"They're… they're just so many of them—"

"What is it!?" I shouted, grabbing a fistful of the guard's shirt. "What's coming to attack us!? Is it an army or…" I trailed off, watching the guard point out the window towards the Southern toll gate.

I followed his gaze and nearly fell over in shock. The guard's shirt slipped from my unresponsive fingers.

The search party of guards that had followed me were equally alarmed by the sight before us. Many of them gasped in horror while others tried to shield their eyes.

Except for the ones that had accompanied me on my mission to Daymonte. Solara, Noah, Liam, Spencer. They were taking the sight far better than the others.

Because they had witnessed such an alarming sight before.

[Cobb]

I helped Cara up as we climbed the side of Mt. Mur. Soul was further up, but he had the unfair advantage of upper body strength. We didn't need to climb too high; Cara only wanted to see if she could get a glimpse at whatever was causing the emergency alarm to go off.

By the time we reached the same ledge as Soul, the axe-wielder was already staring out towards the Kingdom with a grim expression. I turned to have a look and let out a startled gasp.

Creepers.

Thousands of them.

Some of them charged with crackles of electricity, even though it was a clear sky.

Their distinctive green color was a lighter shade than the greenery of the forest below, making them easy to spot. But what was so alarming was how they almost seemed to bleed out from beneath the brush, gushing forward like flowing blood through an open cut.

Unlike other Mobs, they were immune to the sunlight. Indeed, they seemed to be basking in it as they made their way towards Ringwood in a tireless march.

"Those… those are the same Creepers from the basin!" I realized, remembering the long gaggle of Creepers that we only barely managed to cross. Cara and Soul seemed to remember that day too. Those Creepers had been traveling North, then… what had possibly made them loop back to Mt. Mur? What possessed them to move towards the Kingdom? Why were they so concentrated now when they where only wide enough to fill out a basin?

The ugly blotches of green that flowed from around the mountain and towards Ringwood's Eastern and Southern toll gates made me sick to watch. Even now, they were still emanating from around the mountain.

How would the Kingdom function with a gaggle of Creepers at their doorstep? Sealing the walls wouldn't do much good if one of them exploded. They'd seep into Ringwood and turn it into a minefield!

Watching all those Creepers trekking through the forest, around the mountain and towards Ringwood… reminded me of another instance of Creepers. Or at least Creeper Heads. It was in the cult outpost, when I found that map of theirs. And they had marked a path from behind the mountain to Ringwood's gates...

"It was them…" I realized angrily. "The Endward Cult… they did this! They planned this!" They had probably planned it since the first time those Creepers migrated through the basin. Wynn had even mentioned how unusual it was. Who else would have bothered to gather so many suicidal Mobs other than the accursed Endward Cult!

They were at it again. It wasn't enough that they harassed newly-spawned Crafters, or that they killed Silent and caused Floyd and Soul no end of pain, or that they killed Floyd himself and set up outposts to hunt Crafters down. They only desired one thing: The destruction of all Crafters. And they wouldn't stop.

And now they were aimed towards Ringwood, the Kingdom that was my home. The place where my friends lived…

My eyes narrowed dangerously.

They're not taking any more friends from me.

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, 19 Steak, 31 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, 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 had this planned since Chapter 29. Nearly fifty Chapters ago, and I planned it this far ahead. Some of you predicted it, what with the hints I dropped over the course of three or four Chapters. But still, I planned this. Let that sink in.

Creeper Invasion.

And what's worse is that everyone is separated. Cobb, Cara, and Soul are outside while Wynn, Lenz, and Erin are inside.

4Blite doesn't fuck around when he plans things.

The emotional bit of this Chapter had to be in the Cobb, Cara, Soul scene. Just the idea that three people could blame themselves for the same person dying, and yet refuse to accept that anyone else was to blame but themselves. It was comical in a sort of way... sort of...

Omake: Overshadow (Part 3)

"Sounds like Kal's begun the distraction."

High above Nitebane flew the Asmodeus. Standing in the bridge were team leaders Baltic and Jillian. The former was at the helm, steering the great airship between ruined skyscrapers with practiced ease. The latter was staring down below, watching hordes of Griefers meet Kalmarin's troops head on.

"Let's just hope they make it out safe." Baltic chimed up as he stepped atop a wooden pressure plate on his left and flicked a lever on a control panel. As soon as he did, the airship turned sharply to the left, prompting Jillian to brace herself against the wall. "Our men are down there too."

"Half of my men." Jillian clarified. The other half were in the loading deck below. Though Carys had specified they'd be far from the action, she saw fit to leave the Team Delta leader half her men. It spoke of how cautious she was towards Jillian's role in the plan.

"They're all Paragons. Just because they're not in my Team doesn't mean I care any less for them." Baltic continued, sparing the blonde woman a serious look. "Regardless of any victory we obtain today, I'd rather we all stay alive."

Jillian cast her eyes downward, guilty that, unlike Baltic, she didn't spare a single thought towards the men fighting down there that weren't her own. Baltic had a way of making everyone around him seem petty and selfish by comparison. He was just that noble and kind.

How he wound up in a guild full of cult-killing avengers boggled her mind.

Jillian walked up to the helm, careful not to step on the pressure plates that guided the airship's steering. She looked over Baltic's shoulder and her eyes widened.

"That skyscraper…" She pointed forward out the window to a burned and half-destroyed building. The damage looked recent. "That was supposed to be a community site…"

Baltic's eyes creased in concern. "…There doesn't look to be much left." He commented somberly. "You think the Griefers did that?"

Jillian shook her head. "No, that doesn't make sense. I received word not two weeks ago that this community was still alive. And my information is never wrong."

Just to be sure, Baltic guided the airship to circle around the remains of the skyscraper community. It was awful. There were signs of TNT and craters that splintered apart the building. Glass windows were hovering suspended from wooden walls—a clear indication of fire damage.

Worse was that there were parts still recognizable. One room was filled with beds. Half-destroyed mushroom farms were peeking out amidst cracked stone. Water was flowing down the side like blood.

"Let's move on." Jillian finally decided, looking away from the building's remains. "Please, Baltic."

Baltic was already steering the airship away. Jillian looked up only when the skyscraper was safely behind them.

She took a few calming breaths before standing beside the pilot and pointing elsewhere. "There are several other skyscraper communities… Some good ones in that direction. Let's just hope they're still standing."

It would be disastrous if Jillian's information was wrong, and the skyscraper communities were all destroyed. Those contained a good amount of Crafters, some of them Nitebane's inhabitants before the Tragedy. Their desperation to oppose the Griefers choking what was left of their Kingdom was necessary for Operation: Overshadow to work. If they were all dead, then—

Jillian let out a short gasp, but it wasn't one of horror this time. The skyscraper community she had spotted had bits of light filtering through stone bricks. Crafters could be seen navigating the structure or else shooting down Griefers trying to nerdpole up. It was still alive.

"You better get down there." Baltic commented, gesturing his head to the ladder behind them. "You're the one they need to see."

"R-right…" Jillian tried to steel herself, but ended up deflating. "Oh, Notch, I can't believe Carys has me doing this."

"Relax." Baltic soothed, barely needing to pay attention to steer the Asmodeus down. "You were a Captain in Zeppil, weren't you? I would think you'd be used to this."

"This is a big step-up from being a Captain." Jillian reasoned, wringing her hands in a desperate attempt to calm down. "Carys wants me to look like a leader. She wants me to look commanding to these people, but this is beyond anything I could have—"

"Jillian." Baltic guided the Asmodeus beside the skyscraper and flipped a lever to let it hover there. While in docking mode, Jillian and her team would be able to walk across from the loading bay. With that done, he left the helm and turned to fully grasp Jillian in his arms.

"Carys knows of your experience." Baltic reasoned calmly. "She knows you're a diplomat, and that you're level-headed. She wouldn't have you doing this if she didn't think you were up to it."

Jillian was nodding along, clutching at the compliments he was giving her.

"You've been the Captain of a Kingdom gripped by the Endward Cult." Baltic continued, fixing the blonde with a proud smile. "You know what it's like—what it surely must be like for these people—to be the best person to talk with them. To guide them. You just need to be yourself."

Jillian looked into Baltic's eyes for any doubt and saw none. He was good like that. What with his unquestionable faith in people. Hell, the guy could probably give a motivational speech to vagabonds.

That was probably why Carys had sent him with her.

Also because he could fly an airship.

"Thanks, Baltic." Jillian nodded, all signs of her anxiety gone. She turned to face the ladder, determination shining in her eyes.

Jillian and her men crossed over from the Asmodeus onto the solid ground that was the skyscraper. Ahead of her, several dozen emaciated Crafters stood weary, yet ready for a fight. They had makeshift weapons—anything they could grab—and were tense. They also looked like a small wind might knock them over.

These were people losing food, friends, and hope, living out their miserable lives atop a ruined skyscraper, whether for themselves or for others. But they were still a community. This was still their home. And they were determined to protect it for anything.

Jillian saw all this in their eyes, and decided what the best course of action would be. She stepped forward, slightly ahead of her men who looked on worried. None of them had their weapons drawn, per her orders. There was no sense in scaring these people when they probably couldn't even fight.

"Who are you people?" One of the emaciated Crafters yelled in a raspy voice. It was unfriendly, as if expecting hostility of some kind. Jillian saw she would have to build some trust first.

"We're not here to harm any of you." Jillian replied, making sure to keep her voice steady and loud. She needed to appear in charge at every opportunity, per Carys' orders. "We're here to talk. None of my men will even cross me."

She stood between the two groups of Crafters, arms held wide in a peaceful showing. Some of the emaciated Crafters—those too weak to hold up their 'weapons'—let their arms fall to the side, relaxing slightly. Others weren't so quick to trust.

"There's nothing for us to talk about." The Crafter who had to be the leader shouted. "None of us know you. You're clearly not from around here if that flying machine behind you is any indication."

"Yes. You're right." Jillian nodded. "We're not from around here, and you don't know us… but I'm very familiar with the situation plaguing this Kingdom."

One of the emaciated Crafters let out a derisive laugh. "Kingdom? If you're familiar with our situation, you must know that this is no Kingdom. Not anymore!"

"The Griefers own this land." Another Crafter chimed in, to the murmured assent of those around her. "It's no better than the wastelands."

"I know about the Griefers." Jillian continued, hoping she had prepared a good enough speech. "I know what it's like to live without hope, where you're constantly surrounded by things that want to kill you. I lived in Zeppil when the Endward Cult had a major hold in it."

There were some hushed whispers at her revelation as a few more emaciated Crafters let their weapons fall to their sides. They were listening to her.

"People were dying." She continued. "Friends and families were being torn apart. Nobody knew who they could trust—whether a cultist was standing beside you in secret, waiting to kill you in your sleep—so they eventually stopped trusting each other. Zeppil got to a state where I thought it would disappear."

She had the emaciated Crafters spellbound by her tale.

"But then the Paragons arrived." She looked to the Crafters who nodded in understanding. "The Paragons showed up and destroyed the cult's Southern Division. Before, when I looked at my Kingdom's streets, all I saw were people wasting away, much like all of you." At her words, a few emaciated Crafters glanced at the half-empty Hunger Meters on their arms. "But the Angel of Death—as ridiculous as it sounds—brought it all back to life! She rid us of the darkness choking us. Now, I look upon the streets of Zeppil to see bustling Crafters, talking and laughing with one another. Others going to work or… or deciding what they want for dinner. Mindless topics like that!

"Cultists were no longer a thing to fear anymore. People could talk with one another without having to bring them up. The only thing they had to worry about was if they could pay their rents on time, or if they could propose to the woman they loved, or… or if they would want to visit the theater or go for a swim or read a book! It was life! Life free from terror!"

Jillian looked to the emaciated Crafters before her. They were no longer tense, their weapons lay forgotten at their sides.

"You all remember a time like that, right?" Jillian appealed to them. "A time where Nitebane wasn't spoken of with sympathy, but with envy. Of where people all over the world looked up to this Kingdom—yes, Kingdom—as a place of advanced learning. Of the EXP Factories that brought wealth to its inhabitants. Or of the common events of life that made it a great place to live!" She could see the emaciated Crafters' eyes take on a reminiscent glimmer. Some were beginning to cry, having forgotten in their misery what Nitebane used to be. "Don't you all want to go back to that?"

"Of course we do…" The community leader spoke in a hushed whisper. "But… but the chances that the Paragons—"

"Forget the Paragons!" Jillian exclaimed, to the shock of the emaciated Crafters. The men behind her made no comment about how they were the Paragons. That was also on Carys' orders. "I'm here to tell you I brought my own group of people to save this Kingdom. To return it to its former glory. As we speak, my men are engaging the Griefers below, rushing Lunar Castle to drag out their Hacker leaders and slay them in the streets!"

The emaciated Crafters let out startled gasps and appreciative comments.

"I'm doing this because I hate to watch Kingdoms fall to such darkness and corruption." Jillian spoke with conviction. This was the moment of her big finish. "I want to see life return to these streets, just as they returned to mine. I want to be the Angel of Death for Nitebane!" She looked out to all the Crafters before her. More had gathered, hearing her speech midway, but were nonetheless floored.

"But I can only do it with your help." She held out a hand to the community leader. "All of you—all of us—working together. We can bring this Kingdom back. I know it. The time to run those Griefers out of our Kingdom is now! Together, with the other communities and my men, there's no limit to what we can accomplish. I only ask that you people find the courage and strength, after years of hopeless struggle, to take my hand."

That was it. That was all she had. Her speech had filled the air with words and without it, a silence took hold of every Crafter there. For one brief moment, she worried she had failed, and that the community would turn their backs on her or else claim it was a hopeless plan.

The cheers they shouted instead were deafening.

They seemed to swell with life, regaining their vigor and looking ready to leap into action at any moment. The leader of the community actually leapt forward and shook her hand. She returned it firmly, wanting to appear strong to these people to the very end.

A few more skyscraper Crafters came up, with word that Griefers were falling back from their attempts to climb up. They spoke of Crafters on horseback driving them off towards Lunar Castle and Jillian knew it was Kal.

The news emboldened the community in joining Jillian, offering their support in any way, whether with whatever paltry food they could scrounge up or else meager weapons or shelter. Jillian waved it all off, instead calling her men to bring forth food and cargo stored in the airship for the communities. The skyscraper Crafters' jaws dropped to the floor at the sight of steak, porkchops, apples, and every other food in creation, stating that Jillian should have led with that.

They gratefully accepted the food and asked Jillian what they needed to do. She simply told them to wait for her men to finish up the Griefers and Hackers. They seemed concerned that her men would have to face Hackers, but she assured them it would be no problem.

Carys was the one facing them after all.

Jillian promised to stay connected with the community and to alert the other skyscraper communities as well. A few of the emaciated Crafters said they would work to spread the word about Jillian and her men driving off the Griefers and returning Nitebane to its former glory.

It would save Jillian a lot of time.

After saying their goodbyes and handing over a decent amount of food so that the community would be full and ready to fight, Jillian and her men boarded back onto the Asmodeus and Baltic flew it off towards the next community.

"So," Baltic began when Jillian climbed back up to the bridge to guide him towards the next skyscraper, "how'd it go?"

A soft smile spread across Jillian's face. "One community down, several dozen more to go."

AN: The Omakes will pretty much be the Paragons for a while.