AN: Hello again.
It's been a while...
...
Yeah...
I'm not sure if anyone wants to hear me make excuses for why I haven't been publishing... But if you do, read below. If not, skip right past the disclaimer.
...
This month just has been unusually stressful and distracting. The current Arc I'm writing wasn't as planned out as I wanted it to be. The interactions and scenes weren't as good as I wanted them to be compared with the next Arc which will have so many good scenes and events.
And I just don't have the time. I work on the weekdays, Sunday I'm occupied, and Saturday I'm playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Now, some of you may argue a video game is not a valid excuse for not publishing a chapter... but I would then make the counterargument that Breath of the Wild is more than just a mortal video game. And the Nintendo Switch is a tool crafted by the gaming gods, for the gaming gods. (You can plug it into a TV AND play with it in the car!? Shut up and take my money!)
But, besides that, yeah, I prioritize work that earns valuable money rather than this story I started for fun. I enjoy your reviews and am amazed at how many people enjoy the story, but I can't devote all my time to it. And I'm not -ing this because the quality isn't worthmore than the elegant tales other authors are weaving.
I'm still typing this story, make no mistake, and I'm sorry I haven't been making many Chapters. The only reason I'm pushing myself to publish this today is that I refuse to have a month where I've only published one Chapter.
It may be an empty promise, but once I have the planning for next Arc more organized, I will publish five Chapters in one week to make up for the lack of content. Don't quote me on that.
Congrats to colesate for getting last w - Chapter's riddle correct. The answer: History! Enjoy your cookie and your acknowledgement.
(::)
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd have blank maps be made out of just paper.
Beta: Myself
Chapter 79
Natural Enemies
[Cobb]
*Crick*
"Cheap-ass flint and steel! Bah!" I shouted as I threw my hands up in the air. My one and only fire-starting tool had just disintegrated. I probably should have felt lucky it had lasted me so long; I couldn't even remember when I had crafted it.
Soul and I were following Cara's parting instructions to the letter, burning specific spots and chopping trees down in the valley that made up the mountain pass. The same one Creepers were still streaming through to Ringwood.
Cara had claimed it would cut off the other half of the Creeper gaggle, but the results we were getting weren't promising. Although the fires we were starting were contained and focused, and they succeeded in burning the explosive Mobs or otherwise forcing them to move east, it didn't completely stop them from moving north.
From across the treetops, we spotted several billowing fires that just had to be Cara's work. One look at my map and the frantically moving white blip verified her location. She was working a lot faster than us, but, according to Soul, she was a professional arsonist and this was nowhere near the level of firepower she was capable of.
I wanted to punch him for that deliberately bad pun, even if it was unintentional, and I would've too… if I wasn't sure he'd punch me in the face afterwards.
Anyway Cara's fires were pushing the Mobs west and we were trying our best to bottleneck the Mobs, but it was a slow-going process. There were only three of us covering a mile-wide pass. It might have been different if we started a fire right in the middle and let it spread to the sides… but that would require leaping into the heart of that Creeper gaggle. We'd have to wait for them to thin out.
"Ugh. Soul! Got an iron ingot?" I couldn't make a flint and steel without one.
"I did… before I made this compass." He deadpanned, holding up the direction-bearing metal device. "Or this axe. Or this chestplate—"
"Ugh, that's just terrific…" I groaned into my hand. "Can I make fires any other way? Like rubbing two sticks together or…" I trailed off, but Soul just shook his head.
"I don't know. Cara once told me about an item called a [FIRE CHARGE], but I have no idea how to craft one."
"…Guess that means I'm on tree-chopping duty—Oh!" Soul had just tossed me his flint and steel. "Uh… thanks."
"Don't mention it." Soul replied with a shrug. "If anyone should be on tree-chopping duty, it should be me." He swung his axe as if to bolster his point.
I chuckled. "Yeah, well, if you ever need someone for fishing rod-distraction duty, I'm your guy."
"Sounds like a pretty niche field." He chuckled back.
We continued to work in silence, overcome with the tenseness of the situation. We were trying to save lives. I understood how important that was.
But… but I kept thinking about Wynn and Lenz. Wynn was a Captain and Lenz had already proved himself in Halstatt. But against this… what if they weren't strong enough.
"You thinking about your friends?"
I turned my attention away from the latest burning oak to look at the axe-wielder. He wasn't paying attention with his eyes, focusing most of his efforts on thinning the dense brush, but his ears were perked in my direction.
"Aren't you?" I replied.
He shook his head. "Most of my friends are either dead or out here with me. If it weren't for Cara I think I'd be completely indifferent to all this."
His words were simultaneously the saddest and most callous thing I have ever heard. "You mean Ringwood and its citizens don't matter to you?"
"I hate the Endward Cult more than I love the billion or so Crafters I've never shared a conversation with." He answered curtly. "A hero would, but a hero I am not. Maybe if it was someone I got to know…" He paused a moment, thinking back, only to dismiss a thought with a shake of his head. "Nah. I'm just doing this to stop the cult. I'm sure even the infamous 'Angel of Death' cared less about the people she was saving than she did the harm she was inflicting on those black-capped bastards."
His words almost made me drop my flint and steel. A cold sense of dread began to permeate my chest. "The… Angel of Death, you say?"
"Yeah. Don't tell me you've never heard of her."
"No, no I'm…" I paled a bit, remembering a dark-haired woman with blood-red eyes. "I've definitely heard of her. Just… uh… not her accomplishments."
Soul huffed in annoyance, as if the idea of not knowing who she was was a crime. "She's a total badass. Strong. Feared. Intimidating."
"Rides a pig."
"Rides a… don't make stuff up." Soul scowled, thinking I was joking. "She's declared war on the Endward Cult ever since she and her Paragons attacked their Southern Division."
"…I see."
"Her identity is a mystery, but her guild is one of the three most powerful factions in all of Minecraftia. I hear all of them are expertly trained and outfitted with rare gear and enchantments. Acceptance into such a guild is next to impossible. Nobody's closer to finishing off the cult than her."
"…I see."
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!
Brain: Angel of Death? Hmm… Hey, wasn't that what Carys kept calling herself when she was trying to kill us?
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!
Brain: Oh… Ooooh… Ooooooooooh, yeah, we fucked up there.
Yes. Carys_Angel. The most un-angelic, terrifying, crap-my-pants scary Crafter I've ever seen. The same one who had tried to kill me for accidentally killing and eating her pet pig in front of her.
The same woman who Floyd threw into lava, dead. The same woman who was a wanted criminal in Ringwood.
And apparently… the same woman who led a guild of super-powerful, and probably equally-scary, Crafters against the Endward Cult.
Brain: Yeah, we reeeeally fucked up there.
That was putting it nicely. She wasn't just a psychotic woman hell-bent on revenge… she was a psychotic woman hell-bent on revenge against the Endward Cult. This was that thing called a double-standard. It was bad when she was coming after Floyd and me, but perfectly reasonable for her to slaughter cultists.
But by killing her… hadn't we inadvertently aided the cult? If she was their greatest enemy, and we killed her… didn't that make us the cult's allies, in a way?
It wasn't intentional, but like it or not, we forced Minecraftia to take a huge step backward in its war against the Endward Cult.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—
"Oi! Cobb! Quit getting distracted, you're lighting yourself on fire there."
—uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!
I didn't even bother to notice the flames burning my skin; Too lost was I in cursing fate and for following my base instinct of hunger all those years ago when it was just me and a deadly woman's pet pig. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Heart: Cobb, it's… it's not as bad as it sounds—
Don't sugarcoat it you patronizing organ! I fucked up! Oh, Notch, did I fuck up! I helped a group of murderers by taking out their most vicious enemy! This… this is… there's not a word for how bad this—PLUTONIC! I'm using it! This is fucking plutonic times infinity!
Brain: …Told you it'd catch on.
And the worst part is how? How was I able to do that? How could I do what an entire Division of cultists couldn't… and not even realize until now the weight of such an act!? Why, if I had known who she was at the time—
Stomach: You would have let her live?
No! Carys was trying to kill us! I still wouldn't have saved her, but damn, I would have felt a little guiltier about it! Maybe I would have thought twice. I'm practically a bad guy now!
Bladder: Does this mean we get a volcano lair and get to sit in a revolving chair with a contemptuous cat in our lap?
Sure! Bust out the eye patch too while you're at it, because I'm the worst kind of scum!
"But anyway, I didn't mean to bring up the Angel of Death." Soul continued through my mental self-berating. "I meant to tell you your friends are fine. You've got nothing to worry about."
I frowned at the axe-wielder wondering how he could suggest such a thing. Was he just trying to calm me down by lying? "How can you be so sure? There's a gaggle of Creepers at those gates and more are swarming the Kingdom as we speak. Why shouldn't I be worried?"
"Well," Soul began carefully, "from what Cara told me, your friends were pretty worried about you when you went off to destroy that outpost. Sounded like they were terrified to think you might get yourself killed." All at once, my irritation turned to shame. I had thought not telling them would have been easier for them. At least then, they wouldn't have to grieve for Floyd like me. They didn't have to waste their time fretting over my supposed emotional stability.
I saw that I had been wrong.
"They were terrified for you, just like you're terrified for them." Soul continued, using his axe to topple another tree. "But you were fine. You didn't get killed. So I'm betting your friends will come out fine too. Just like you."
"Just because I got lucky doesn't mean they will." I shot back, glancing towards the Kingdom and feeling my nerves rattle with every distant explosion. "They're not me."
"All the more reason they'll be fine." Soul graced me with a rare smile. "They don't have the level of stupidity you have." He let out a bark of laughter at my annoyed face. "Don't worry about them. They're your friends, right? If they've been with you for so long, they probably learned how to pull solutions out of their ass."
"…Floyd didn't."
Soul's smile fell from his face, making me instantly regret bringing it up. I was about to apologize, but the axe-wielder beat me to it.
"I'm… I'm sorry about Floyd." He spoke softly. "If I had been nicer to him... if I had forgiven him… maybe he would have never needed to be with us that day."
"So why didn't you forgive him?"
"I was stupid, alright." Soul sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just lost Silent and… and I was angry at my own weakness, but it was easier to blame Floyd for his cowardice just like you blamed Cara for her bad leadership. I guess… in the end, neither of us wanted to blame ourselves."
I paused in burning a tall oak to focus on the sullen axe-wielder, looking lost and alone. His name did him justice: Lost_Soul.
"Well then," I shrugged, "I guess we're both stupid like that."
Soul let out a chuckle. "Yeah. Between us half-wits, we can just about make one whole-wit." He paused in his tree destroying to turn towards me. "Hey…"
"Yeah?"
"…No matter what happens… I've got your back out here."
I stared at the axe-wielder unflinchingly before slowly nodding. "Same here."
"Good!" He broke off awkwardly, turning aside so that I wouldn't see his flush face. "Just wanted to throw that out there." He mumbled while furiously resuming his work.
Oddly enough, his tough façade and the effort he put in to maintain it… made his words more genuine. He was telling the truth.
We were once rivals, each of us with two different ideologies. He knew of loss and acted mercilessly towards his enemies, sparing none. I was sheltered and saved by the kindness of others and acted out of mercy.
We both had a friend we wanted to draw to our own side through force or choice. But in our metaphorical tug-of-war, we tore Floyd apart. And now he was…
…
But we had both changed.
Lost_Soul could control his anger and grudge against the cult, at least too an extent. And I… I learned how to Creeper Flail! Oh—and—something about not running off by myself… maybe. Alright, as painful as it was to admit… I really was useless on my own.
Losing Floyd had been so painful… even more painful than cracking my head on that cliff or taking on those cultists. But fighting on my own achieved nothing. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
So either I go alone and die, or I bring my friends with me and feel worse than dead should one of them die.
Heads, you're screwed. Tails, you're fucked.
And now, here I was with Soul. A Crafter who had my back. Did that make us friends? I didn't like the idea of him dying so I guess that was as close as I could get, at least without knowing more about him.
A small smile grew across my face. I guess I could give it a try. Floyd would want that…
*Meow*
I stood straight and whipped my head around, scanning for the source of the noise. Soul did the same, his axe at the ready. Our talking had made us forget that there could be enemies in the forest. Mobs, cultists, deadly…
My gaze slid down the base of a tree before stopping at a lazy tail swaying in the air.
*Meow*
It was a… cat.
"Christ, scared the piss out of me." Soul grimaced as he relaxed his shoulders. It was a black and white feline with green eyes. It rubbed itself innocently along the tree before padding towards us.
I tried to relax my own shoulders, but there was something niggling in the back of my mind. "What's a cat doing out here?" I asked the axe-wielder who was paying the creature no mind.
"Beats me." Soul shrugged, hacking away at a stalwart oak. "They're animals like cows and pigs. Maybe they just spawn naturally. Anyway, if you have time to look at animals, you have time to burn down forests." He paused mid-swing. "Never thought I'd say that."
Soul was right. We had Creepers to stop. But there was just something about the cat that struck me as odd. I didn't want to turn my back to it.
I watched the feline pad over towards Soul. It made it about halfway before it suddenly stopped and sat down. Its eyes were attentive, staring at something I couldn't see. Maybe there were mice in Minecraftia?
Though… if that were the case… why was its stare angled up instead of towards the underbrush. Wouldn't it have flattened out if it was hunting something? Come to think of it, no prey would fail to see a cat sitting in the middle of a freshly cut clearing.
I didn't like the way it was staring towards Soul.
"…Have you ever seen a cat in a forest?" I asked, subconsciously taking a few steps towards the busy Crafter. I was trying to get between him and the cat.
"No." He grunted, clearly annoyed by the distraction. "I haven't. Hey, why don't you hold off on all your cat-related questions until after we've averted a crisis!"
I knew he was right. But… No matter how much I wanted to disregard the feline, the sight of it staring unblinkingly towards Soul had my hackles raised.
Maybe it was nothing though. Maybe I was just allergic to cats. I never had a chance to see any up close.
Unless you counted the time earlier today. When I saw that procession of cats being led around by culti—
My eyes widened just as a razor-sharp sword suddenly appeared out of thin air, suspended, and poised to strike. The cat was staring directly at the blade before it came down towards Soul's exposed back.
I was already running at him before I could cry out a warning.
"Oof!" He grunted as I tackled him out of the way. Behind me I heard the blade crash uselessly into the ground. "Cobb!? What the hell are you doing!?"
"Sword!" I cried out, doing a poor job of explaining the issue. I looked over my shoulder, just in time to see a flicker of the sword before it vanished into the same thin air it came from. "There's an invisible enemy!"
I rolled off the axe-wielder and pulled out my golden sword. My eyes flickered across the clearing, catching burning embers or splotches of Creeper greens. But no sign of our attacker.
"Are you sure?" Soul asked, arming himself with his axe. His eyes were diligently scanning just as mine were.
"I know what I saw." My head twitched as I heard a faint rustling from my left. Instinctively, I slashed left, only to whiff completely. Then, before I could I could return to my defensive stance, a sword materialized right in front of me and slashed me across the torso.
"Cobb!" Soul shouted, all doubts vanquished upon spotting an iron sword hovering in the air. He leapt forward and brought his axe crashing down where the sword had been hovering only to break a dirt block and nothing more. The sword was gone again.
"Gah!" Soul exclaimed when the sword reappeared, slicing towards his face. His iron helmet deflected the worse of it, but he still took damage. He twisted his axe into his trademark reverse grip before hacking wildly through the air around him. It was pointless. I could almost see the attacker taking a full step back to watch Soul tire himself out before countering. The attacker did just that, shearing a large portion of Health from Soul's knee.
He let out a frustrated groan. "This tactical shit's getting really old!"
"It's got to be the Endward Cult." I grunted as I got up and stood back-to-back with Soul. "They were leading cats down from Mt. Mur."
"So that black cat is Mr. Invisi-dick's, eh?" Soul grumbled as he furiously scanned the clearing. "Damnit, we don't have time for this!"
He was right. Cara was counting on us for her backfire. We had to stop the Creepers… so it made sense that the cultists had to stop us.
But fighting an invisible enemy… no wonder Spark had no trouble ambushing those cultists. It was impossible to tell where the attacker was. The sword was still visible, but only when the attacker pulled it out. Other items would probably have a similar effect. Armor too. Hadn't Spark taken off my armor first thing before making me invisible?
Maybe we could use that.
"Soul, I got an idea." I muttered under my breath as I reached into my backpack and pulled out a handful of emeralds. "Get your axe ready."
Soul seemed perplexed, but he nodded along, raising his axe to attack.
"Ready… NOW!"
I tossed the fistful of emeralds into the air like confetti, scattering them around us. One or two made their way back into my Inventory, a few fell into Soul's…
And three of them were sucked into thin air before they were suddenly suspended in the Invisible attacker's hand.
"There!" I pointed towards the hovering emerald long enough for Soul to dart around me in a heavy two-handed slash. Soul let out a roar of triumph.
But the attacker was a step ahead. The emerald was there for a second before suddenly vanishing, losing the axe-wielder his target. With nothing to make contact with, all the force he put into his swing spun him around and threw him off balance.
The attacker took the opportunity to punish Soul's mistake, and the sword appeared for a second before crashing into Soul's back. The axe-wielder was then kicked or punched (I couldn't tell) towards me where we both collapsed onto the ground. When I finally managed to push Soul off of me, the sword was gone yet again.
"We're fighting more than one guy, right?" Soul groaned, using his axe to push himself up. "Otherwise I don't think my pride can survive this."
"I don't think we're going to survive this." My head whipped around, nervously taking in the seemingly harmless forest. So much for the Filled Inventory Plan. The attacker must have had experience (and the backpack space) to switch out held items. He probably kept watch on how many empty slots he had at all times. If he ever got too full, he could easily retreat behind a tree and dump it before returning with a vengeance.
The good news was he couldn't wear armor without giving up his Invisibility advantage. He also couldn't hold his weapon at all times, just before he was ready to strike. Meanwhile, we had armor and could take hits… but not forever.
"Gah! This is so frustrating!" Soul cursed as he started to raise his voice. "Hey, Invisi-bitch!" He practically howled. "Show yourself! Fight me fair and square! None of this cowardly shit!"
Yeah, right. Like he's going to respond to tha—huh?
Up ahead, next to the patiently waiting cat, the iron sword materialized again and pointed towards us.
"The Endward Cult isn't here to fight fair." A deep voice drawled from the sword's position. "Why do you think we're getting Creepers to fight our battles? So long as there are Crafters clinging to life, the Endward Cult will do whatever it takes to liberate them. And right now, 'whatever it takes' is killing meddlesome fools like you!"
And just like that, the sword vanished, leaving behind a deadly silence. I felt anxious, every nerve in my body awaiting an attack like millions of coiled springs. My mind was whirring with thoughts of where the attacker was coming from next.
There was a soft rustle from the right. Then a soft rustle from the left. They could have been nothing. They could have been something. My breathing was picking up in uneven gasps. I was hyperventilating.
How much time even passed? A minute? Two minutes? Why wasn't the guy attacking? Why was everything so quiet when inside my nerves were screaming for me to run away?
Brain: Run, bitch!
It was getting maddening. I wished the guy would just do something already! It was better than all the waiting!
Smack!
I staggered as I felt something slap me in the face. It stung, but it wasn't the invisible cultist's sword.
It was Soul who had done it. "Calm down, Cobb. You're freaking yourself out." I rubbed the spot on my face while looking back at him. "This Invisi-bastard wants us to panic. So take a deep breath real quick and get back up. Ugh!"
Soul winced as a sword appeared and slashed him across the forearm. He ignored the pain, however, and threw a hand out to grab the unseen cultist. His hand fumbled on something, but whatever it was swatted his hand aside before the sword too vanished from sight.
"You got to help me, Cobb." Soul groaned while rubbing his damaged arm. "Didn't you say you'd cover my back? Then get off your ass and cover it."
…Damnit.
I followed the axe-wielder's advice and took a deep breath before getting to my feet. My golden sword was held before me and I was staring down the surroundings while my mind worked furiously in figuring a way around this enemy.
Soul was the same way with his back pressed against mine. "I have experience with potions. They have a time limit." He whispered under his breath. "We just need to wait the Invisi-bastard out."
"How long are you going to incorporate 'Invisi' into your insults?"
"However long it Invisi-takes."
"By the by," the cultist's voice drawled, echoing across the forest. "If you're hoping to wait me out, you'll have to wait a while. I'm stocked with seven more Potions of Invisibility… Visi-bitches."
"It's bad enough he's trying to kill us, but now he's stealing my clever insults!? I'll kill him!" Soul raged, downing a Potion of Strength before randomly swinging his axe in the direction the voice had come from.
What is he doing? I wondered, watching the axe-wielder's rage. He must know that won't work.
I was distracted long enough for the cultist to attack with his sword, knocking both me and Soul back into a set of trees. Before we could pick ourselves up, a blood-chilling hissing caught our ears and we flung ourselves to the side seconds before a Creeper explosion could kill us.
In all the confusion, we had lost track of the invisible cultist. "Grrr! I hate this!" Soul exclaimed, gripping his axe in frustration. "If I could just hit him once, I know I could kill him!"
His words were more than just empty boasts. I had seen his skill with an axe coupled with one of his Potions of Strength. Since the cultist had no armor, he probably would die in one hit. But finding him was just…
…
Wait! Can't I just locate him with the map?
I pulled out Brett's map of the area, searching for any white blips. I found two. One was to the east of the valley in which Creepers were pouring. That one was Cara. The other was to the west, near a small river. That one was me.
But how come Soul and the invisible cultist weren't showing up?
Soul was right near me, but even so I couldn't find a second blip. And on the Ringwood part of the map there should have been millions of white blips for all the citizens and guards. But there were none.
"How come I can only see Cara and myself on this map?" I asked aloud.
Soul had the answer as he looked over my shoulder. "The blips only apply with map copies. Placing one on an item frame sets a green blip, but Crafters holding copies will show up as white blips. That's why we gave Cara one."
Something he said made my brain come up with an idea. "…And how do you make map copies?"
"You'd need a blank map: A compass with paper surrounding it. But could you stop looking at that thing and help me find this—COBB! Where are you going!?"
I wasn't listening as I ran down a slanting hill towards the tiny river outlined by the map. There was more than one way to catch the cultist off-guard…
Kind of like me when the sword materialized in front of my face.
It came up high and dented my helmet, causing me to stumble and roll the rest of the way down into the river. Or was it a stream? It was pretty small, dotted with lily pads and sugar cane and shallow enough to only come up to my waist. That is, unless I was lying face-down in it.
I coughed up water as I crawled over to the edge, sword armed. Behind me I heard a distinctive splash that sounded too big to be an item or small animal. I spun on the spot and found the displaced water before swinging my sword upon the space.
"Agh!" The deep voice cried out as I felt my sword hit something. I tried to dish out one more hit, but the displaced water quickly moved away to the river bank. He had extinguished all signs of his presence.
"Clever. Very clever." The voice drawled, pretending to be calm while holding in a wince. After all, it was a Sharpness I sword I had hit him with and he had no armor. "Lured me into the water to see me. Well that won't work twice, I'm afraid."
"Afraid THIS!" Soul yelled, swinging his axe down where he thought he heard the voice. Judging by his scowl, I could tell he missed. The next instant, the sword materialized behind him and jabbed him in the back before batting him aside. Soul grit his teeth to endure it, but none of his counterattacks were hitting.
While he distracted the cultist, I paddled over to the opposite riverbank and knocked over some [SUGAR CANE]. It was a yellow-green, reedy substance, like a bundle of bamboo shoots, but I didn't have time to admire it. I quickly wrenched out my Crafting Table and arranged the sugar cane into a row of three to make…
Paper!
Just how the hell anyone figured out to make paper from sugar cane instead of paper cane was beyond me. Hell, I always thought paper grew on trees. But I had the nine pieces of paper and I just needed one more thing.
"Soul!" I called out. "Your compass!" The one he had told me about. "I need it!"
In between his frantic battle with an invisible foe, Soul somehow managed to withdraw the metal tool and throw it across the water like a skipping stone before I clasped it in my hand. I added it to the table with the paper, just as Soul told me, and found myself holding an [EMPTY MAP].
Great!... Now what? I looked between the empty map and my current map, shrugged, and just pressed them atop one another like I was stamping a seal. After a few seconds, I peeled them off of one another and let out a pleased cheer at the perfect copy I had just made.
Okay. Time to see if this works. I thought as I looked back towards Soul. The axe-wielder was still trying to hit the air with his strength-infused body, but was failing miserably. He was at least smart enough to jump into the river, figuring the cultist would have a harder time sneaking up on him.
"Hey, Invisi-Loser!" I called out, praying he would take the bait. "I've been thinking… are you invisible all the time because you're ugly? If so, then thanks for being considerate because I wouldn't want to look at someone with a gnarled foot for a face—Ow!"
That did it. The sword had struck me across the face with such force that the invisible wielder just had to have been offended by my latest comment. He followed up by trying to slice up my face, but my sword managed to catch the blow. I could feel his hot breath washing over me.
"Uh-oh. Was it something I said?" I forced a laugh despite the strength being put behind his sword. He was bearing down, forcing me to one knee. Just when my guard was about to break, he let up and retreated.
Damn! Missed my chance. I cursed as I sheathed my sword and stood crouched on the riverbank. "Soul, get ready with your axe!" I shouted without taking my eyes off of the surroundings. "We're ending this now."
"Is that so?" The deep voice drawled. "I'd like to see you worms try."
I reached into my backpack and grabbed a fistful of Inventory, holding it at the ready. This would determine the victor.
As I looked around, my eyes caught something dark by the trees on the opposite riverbank: The cat.
It was staring with its green feline eyes, but it was tracking something further downstream than either me or Soul.
…Can it actually see him? The cat was the cultist's. It was his pet. So did that mean it could see through his invisibility? Or did cats have some kind of animal sense for it? Either way, it was good news for me.
Not wanting to tip off the cultist, I turned away from the cat, pretending I heard a noise elsewhere, and slowly backed up towards the direction the cat was staring. Just as slowly as I was moving, the cat's stare was sliding as its master crept towards me.
I had my back to him. It was the perfect bait. But a few more words couldn't hurt.
"You must be a really bad cultist since both of us are still alive." I taunted, knowing the enemy was mere feet behind me. "I hope you don't get demoted."
The cat's eyes flashed as it saw something I couldn't. Soul's eyes widened as he saw what had to be a sword materializing behind me. His mouth was already opening to warn me…
But this time, I was a step ahead.
A threw the fistful of my Inventory behind me, catching the cultist with a face-full of emeralds before the sword blindly waved around, catching my shoulder. I fell back into the river with a splash while nearby I heard Soul surge forward towards the emeralds suspended in the air by the invisible cultist.
The next second, they were tossed onto the ground. Soul stilled as he lost his target.
"How many times do I have to out-think you numbskulls?" The deep voice drawled. I glanced down to the object in my hand and glanced over to where the cat was staring to confirm my suspicions. "I've been preparing for this day. All of us were trained to fight with invisibility. I can even throw my voice to confuse you! But thanks for the emeralds. I'll be sure to buy something nice… after I've killed you! Hahaha—!"
"Soul! Swing left!"
"Haha—huh? GAH!"
The invisible cultist's voice was punctuated by a cry of agony as Soul's axe whipped to the left, slicing into something very much solid and very much asking for it.
"What the… how did you—"
"He's trying to circle around! Look forward and throw a straight punch!"
"OOF!" I heard the cultist's breath explode out of his lungs as Soul used his enhanced strength to nail him in the gut. The axe-wielder, seeing that listening to me rewarded him with strikes upon the smug cultist, was following my commands to a tee, a vicious grin playing upon his face.
"What… my-my invisibility should be perfect… how are you—"
"He's behind you! Roundhouse kick!"
It was honestly like playing a video game character as the axe-wielder performed a passable roundhouse that connected to the cultist's face if the sharp sound of his teeth clacking together was any indication. I heard him hit the dirt and saw the disrupted grass as he leaned beside a tree.
"You…" he hissed, and I could only assume he was looking at me when he said it. "How can you tell where I am!? Where did I possibly slip up!?"
It was then that he probably saw the map I was looking over. The map I was giving my undivided attention. The map which now showed three white blips. Cara's, mine, and the cultist's after I tossed him the map copy along with those emeralds. I could only imagine his eyes widening as I heard an audible gasp of realization.
He probably tried to dig through his Inventory for the damning piece of paper, but he was too late.
"Soul! Slash the tree in front of you! Full power!"
"YAH!" The axe-wielder shouted to the heavens as he lunged towards the tree and sliced it clean in two. A log was broken and the two tree halves hung suspended before a shower of gear erupted from thin air. Several light gray bottles of liquid, an iron sword, the map copy, and the Head of the slain cultist were among the scattered bits.
Soul was breathing heavily, his eyes darting around in a restless haze. He was probably hopped up on adrenaline. After a few seconds of silence it began to wear off and he was finally able to calm down, axe back at his belt.
"He's dead." He commented needlessly. He even gestured to the fallen cultist's gear as if I needed proof.
"I can see that." I replied. "Uh… good job."
"Right. Yeah." He responded for lack of anything better to say. "Good instructions. The ones you gave me. They were good."
"What—Oh! Thanks…"
"Yeah… I… ugh." His face fell into his hands. "This is awkward."
"I know, right?" I let out a sigh of relief, happy he had broken the train wreck of 'verbal quips' our victory entitled us to. "I don't usually kill cultists… so…" I rubbed my head awkwardly. "I'm not sure what we should even say or do."
"I know what you mean." The axe-wielder nodded. "Usually there's no time to celebrate a victory since there's usually a crap-ton of enemies still around. I… I think I prefer that way more than this way."
"Is this the part where we come up with clever one-liners? Victory high-five?"
"Screw that. We almost died fighting this guy." Soul pointed to the discarded gear. "I'm not wasting my time coming up with catchphrases."
I fidgeted on the spot. "Can we at least do a victory high-five?"
Soul looked at me flatly, closed his eyes, took a deep breath through his nose, and then opened his eyes. "Sure. Just one." He raised his hand up high and I immediately leapt up to smack it with a resounding clap. I smiled victoriously and Soul smirked indulgently.
Then… it was back to awkward silence.
"So then… should we just go back to what we were doing?"
"I guess…?" He rubbed his head. "A little anti-climactic, but… yeah—Wait! We can loot him!" His eyes widened and he pointed eagerly at the cultist's gear. "I've never gotten to do that before! Then we can go back to the fires."
Shrugging in acceptance, I crept over to the gear with Soul by my side. I steered clear of the disembodied Head, finding them sickening, but Soul had no trouble picking it up and reading the name.
"Hugh_Mann… Oh, I get it." He deadpanned before turning the Head over and recoiling. "Eugh. No wonder he stayed invisible. Sure wasn't winning any beauty contests." He tossed it away indifferently.
"These might come in handy." I spoke aloud, catching Soul's attention. I showed him several of the light grey bottles. Potions of Invisibility.
"Only if we come across any more cultists. In that case, I'll take that." He grabbed the map copy I made. "This way, you, me, and Cara can see each other at all times, even if we're invisible. Good thinking on that, by the way."
"You did most of the fighting though." I conceded, not wanting to take all the credit. If it had been just me, that cultist would have ended the fight ages ago. And it was impossible to fight and look at a map at the same time; I would have only tipped him off.
Things really were easier when fighting together.
"That's all we're going to get out of this guy." Soul surmised, stuffing his belt with as many Potions of Invisibility as he could. I did the same, cursing how they couldn't stack and took up needless Inventory space. I grabbed the iron sword too. If there were any other cultists in the woods, they'd probably be just as prepared as Hugh_Mann. "Maybe this is how they're slipping past those Creepers?"
"Maybe…" I thought aloud. It would be easier to move around in this gaggle without having to worry about Creepers seeing you. That still didn't explain how they had been able to gather so many of the explosive Mobs. "I guess cats must be the exception."
"Hm?"
"The cat, the cultist's cat. It could see Hugh_Mann even though he was invisible." I turned to point out the feline, but paused upon realizing it was missing. "Hey, where—"
"Whoa!" Soul let out a yelp and I instantly raised my golden sword, expecting a fight.
Yet again, it was just the cat. Although this time it was rubbing against the back of Soul's leg, purring loudly. I couldn't help but snicker at the axe-wielder's shocked surprise.
"I think it likes you."
"Freaking cat." Soul wrinkled his nose, nudging the feline away with his leg. "Go on. Get out of here." But the cat didn't get the hint. Even when Soul managed to push it away, it would return on his other side, pressing its head against his leg and meowing softly. "Scat!"
While Soul struggled with the cat, I turned to look down both ends of the riverbank. We were pretty out in the open. Anything that wanted us dead wouldn't hesitate to ambush us now. Creepers or cultists… which one was worse again?
"We should get in back into the forest." I jerked my head away from the river and was already climbing up the bank. Soul followed behind me.
"Seriously, go away cat!"
The cat followed behind him.
[Lenz]
This was the single greatest idea I had ever come up with.
"No. Damn. Way."
So then why was everyone so against it?
"L-Lenz…" Erin laughed nervously. "P-please tell me you're not serious… surely, there must be other options…"
I sighed for what had to be the umpteenth time. "You people just are not seeing it. It is basic redstone." I pointed to the exposed water tower, the roof of which the eight of us tore up. They had no trouble doing the part of the plan I barely told them about. It was only when I told them the latter half of the details that they all got cold feet. "What part of my plan sounds like madness?"
"Not sure." One of the Crafters spoke in an odd tone. "Why don't you start from the top and I'll let you know?"
"Very well." I straightened my scarf and cleared my throat. "My plan is to use the explosive propulsion of TNT—"
"I'm out."
"Pass."
"—to-to fire the eight of us off like human cannonballs—"
"Oh, honey, you can't do this."
"—well, why not? Why not?" I stressed under the doubtful glares of those around me. "It is the same basic concept behind a TNT cannon. Setting off TNT in an enclosed watery space and taking advantage of the propulsion to—"
"Save the technological mumbo jumbo!" The same Crafter dismissed with a growl. "Look at the situation we're in. We need good ideas not mad ravings."
"I can see the situation we are in, thank you." I countered coolly. "All of us are desperate and stranded, but my plan is not the frantic ranting of a man who has lost all hope. It is not an empty ploy to appear as a capable individual. It is a plan grounded in science and tried-and-true logic. It will work because it has worked before… just under different circumstances."
"Lenz…" Erin raised a hand, but did not seem to know how to dissuade me. "Couldn't we just…"
"Say we go along with this madness." The injured guard spoke up, eyeing me carefully. "We—how did you put it?—we load this water tower with TNT… and… and we set it off all at once?"
"Precisely!" I nodded, hanging on to his interest. "The water should minimize the damage. Blocking with our swords might also help mitigate the blast—"
"Or blow us all up!" That same disruptive Crafter argued. "No way am I risking my life on some crackpot theory!"
"You think I would be proposing such a risky plan when I myself will be subject to those same risks?" I reasoned. "Our lives are tied together. This will work… I am sure of it."
The disruptive Crafter opened his mouth to argue, but a different Crafter beat him to it. "Even if the explosion doesn't kill us, the fall sure will. And even if we survive the explosion and the fall… we'll be up to our necks in Creepers." He gestured to the writhing sea of green below. "It's a contest for worst death."
I smiled confidently. "Not quite. For you see, gentlemen… and ladies, I am not just an expert redstone engineer. I am also an expert archer."
"Oooh, I get it." A Crafter nodded with that same odd tone I now recognized as sarcasm. "So you can shoot us before we hit the ground."
"No. But I can shoot us in the right direction." I held out my hands and framed the landscape of the Eastern District. "Just like firing an arrow, I can adjust the propulsion, the bearing, the hang-time… simple!"
"Yeah, great, you can shoot us at the nearest wall. Make us eight nice smears…"
How morbid. And inaccurate since Crafters had no bodily fluids to smear.
My eyes flashed behind my goggles as I framed our intended destination. "I will be aiming towards that." I pointed to the bundle of trees that made up the Eastern District's park. "There is a pond in there that can cushion the blow. The Creepers have not gotten that far either. If we land there, we will most definitely survive. From there we can run to the plateau."
I waited for further arguments only to be pleasantly surprised to hear none. Little do they know how difficult it will be for me to account for a Crafter's size and weight… given that TNT was the only thing I have fired. Not to mention, there is another problem with my plan…
"So… so you're s-sure this will w-work?" Erin asked timidly.
I hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "It will. I will make sure of it. But first I need to—"
"Hey! Jerry! What are you doing!?"
I was startled at the sheer amount of panic in the guard's voice. Looking down I gasped at the sight of the disruptive Crafter, now known as Jerry, climbing down the water tower.
"No way!" He shouted in a mix of fear and anger. "No way I'm risking my life in some crazy cannon! I'll take my chances with the Creepers!"
"Jerry, get back here you idiot!"
"It's too dangerous!"
But our protests fell on deaf ears. Jerry had already leapt upon the swarm of Creepers and was valiantly trying to knock them away with his sword.
He did not last ten seconds before five Creepers blew him up.
The explosion was so violent it shook the tower, demolishing several support beams. The structure remained floating (since Minecraftia), but three of us were shook from our precarious footing and sent tumbling down the tower. Erin was among them.
"Erin!" I shouted, lunging forward to grab her hand before she fell off completely. I was successful in grabbing her, only to realize my nerdy constitution had no hope of supporting another human being. With a startled yelp, we both slid over the side.
The next instant, the air was driven from my lungs as my gut impacted a wooden beam. Despite the pain, I wrapped my free arm around the wood and clung firm to Erin's hand with the other. The explosions below let me know of the fate that had befallen the two dislodged Crafters.
The same thing would happen if I let go of either the beam or Erin.
"Erin… try to climb up…" I clenched my teeth, feeling my arm tear itself apart. The housekeeper gulped, her eyes locked onto the Creepers below. "Erin… look away from them… just climb!"
Snapping out of her terror, Erin reached out a shaky hand and clung to my sleeve before pulling herself up. My arm screamed in protest, but I focused my mind on other things.
Redstone… Pistons… Comparators… Repeaters… Dispensers… time-delayed loops… ugh…
Finally, the housekeeper managed to pull herself up to a stable beam. She helped me balance myself and together we climbed back up the remnants of the water tower.
When we got there, the remaining three Crafters were more agreeable to my proposed plan. "Damnit, Jerry…" The guard mumbled, looking down upon the fresh craters. "What do you need to make this cannon work?"
I massaged my arm, trying to regain feeling in it. "First, I will need to set up a regular TNT cannon to thin those trees." I looked back to the park's dense foliage standing between us and the safety of that pond. "It will also help calibrate the cannon. Show us how far we need to be propelled."
"Won't you need a lot of TNT for that?" One Crafter pointed out.
I dumped the two stacks of TNT out and watched everyone's eyes widen.
"I should have enough."
[Cobb]
"Soul! What the heck!?" I cursed as I rushed towards a group of burning trees. Soul had neglected to chop down their neighbors and the fire was threatening to burn north towards Ringwood. I barely bashed them down with my new iron sword. "Cara said we need to control this fire."
"Don't look at me! It's this damn cat's fault. It's distracting me." Soul lifted his leg up, displaying the cat clinging affectionately to it.
"You can't ignore a cat?" I asked, my voice heavy with skepticism.
"Not when it's meowing and purring and hugging my leg, no." Soul grumbled, giving his leg a shake to try and dislodge the feline. "Hey! Off! We're busy committing arson, here. Also endangering wildlife and trees… but it's to stop bad guys, so it's okay!"
He shook his leg frantically, but the cat remained fastened to him, no doubt through the use of its claws. It might have been funny had we not been in a hurry.
"Seriously, you little cat-face, get the fuck out of here! Go catch chickens or something!"
"You know that cat saved our lives." I reminded, walking up to the axe-wielder to help remove the animal from his leg. "I wouldn't have known a cultist was nearby, otherwise. And it helped me locate Hugh."
"And I'm happy for that. That asshole deserved what he got, but now his pet is just bugging me!" He argued before turning his glare upon the cat. "Hey! We killed your master so leave us alone. We don't have any food for you!"
I hummed in thought. "You know… that may be why it's clinging to you."
"Huh?"
"Well, we agree this cat was Hugh's, right? It was his pet? He tamed it or something?" I rubbed my chin in thought. "And you were the one to deal the killing blow. Maybe the laws of pet ownership include an exchange of masters after killing the old one."
"Well, great, I guess, but what am I supposed to do with this thing!" Soul seethed, getting further frustrated by how tightly the cat was clinging to him.
"Well… whatever Hugh was doing with it, I guess…"
When I finally managed to pull the cat off of him, Soul grabbed it from me and proceeded to chuck it across the forest. The cat flailed in the air, twisting its body… yet somehow was able to land perfectly on its feet.
The next instant, Soul hefted me over one shoulder and carried me through the woods as fast as he could, away from the affectionate feline. Part of me saw the comedic irony in a toughened Crafter fleeing from a simple house-cat, but I kept it to myself.
Once it seemed like we were a suitable distance away, Soul dropped me unceremoniously onto the ground where my crotch hit a rock and began to take greedy gulps of air. Once my whimpering subsided, he was back on his feet.
"Okay... I think we lost it…" He breathed out, tilting his head in the direction we had run from.
"Um… Soul?"
"Yeah?"
I pointed down to his feet. He followed my gaze and didn't even react when he saw the same feline purring and rubbing its face all over him.
"…Well, there's only one thing left to do." Soul spoke in an expressionless tone. His eyes looked detached as he pulled out his iron axe.
"Soul…!" I moved forward and held back his arm before he could decapitate the poor feline.
"Cobb, get off!" He growled as he tried to wrench his arm free. Meanwhile, the cat began to lick itself, apparently uninterested in the irate axe-wielder trying to kill it.
"Soul, this cat saved our lives! We're already doing enough damage with burning down forests and endangering wildlife without heaping animal cruelty onto the list!"
The cat kept its eyes on Soul, meowing serenely.
"The cat must die!"
"Hugh is that you?"
At once, Soul and I froze mid-struggle. Our eyes darted to each other, conveying the same thought.
That voice wasn't ours…
We turned towards the rustling trees and watched as two Crafters stepped into sight. Both of them wore black leather caps and both of their eyes narrowed upon realizing we weren't the fellow cultist they were asking for.
They were also two people I recognized… and who recognized me.
"Well, well, well…" Spring_Fever spoke pleasantly, eyeing the two of us. "The people you find in the middle of the woods."
Spring_Fever… the same guy who had attacked Floyd and me the first time we met. He looked happy to see us and I had a feeling it wasn't because there was a Crafter jamboree going on. And just like before, he wasn't alone. Beside him stood Parallel_Parker, the other Crafter who had pursued us that day. His bow was drawn and his umber-colored hair was as shaggy as I remembered it.
And at their feet… were a pair of orange-striped cats.
Seriously, what's with all the cats today!?
"Cobby, it's been a while. How the heck are you?" Spring called over cheerfully, his orange hair reflecting off his drawn blade. His eyes slid over me before resting on Soul, and there was a definite gleam of familiarity there. "And Lost_Soul too? This is some reunion!"
He chuckled to himself while beside me, Soul's fists shook. His red eyes were full of murder as he looked upon Spring. He looked to be a second away from murdering him.
Spring, unbothered by Soul's murderous aura, peered over our heads as if looking for someone else. "All we're missing is Flawwed_Floyd and we'll have the entire 'escaped corpse' triune."
"You…" Soul hissed through his teeth. He took an imposing step towards the cultists, his axe held in a death-grip, and it was clear he was going to kill the orange-haired man even if it killed him.
But that wasn't why we were there.
"Soul, don't." I warned, reaching out to grab the axe-wielder's arm. Soul stopped abruptly, his hands shaking worse than ever. His breathing was coming out uneven and he looked to be struggling internally over something.
I looked between the cultists and Soul, watching their movements. "How do you know each other?" I asked Soul, though someone else beat him to the answer.
"Oh, didn't you know?" Spring continued casually. "I figured, since you and Floyd were a thing and Floyd and Soul… and Silent_Game were a thing…"
Spring ducked as Soul's axe embedded itself in a tree right where his head had been. The axe-wielder was beside himself with fury. "DON'T!" He bellowed at the smirking cultist. "DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK OF HIM!"
"Guess that's a bit of a sore spot." Spring laughed, working Soul's axe out of the tree and taking the time to examine it. He slid it back to the angry Crafter, daring him to attack with it.
It was like a light bulb had gone off in my head. These two… they were the ones that killed Floyd and Soul's friend. They were the ones who caused a rift in their friendship, that forced Soul to adopt his visceral position on strength. The same ones who pushed Floyd to join the Silver Intent. They were the root of it all.
Meanwhile, Parker scanned the two of us, the flint and steel in my hands, and the burning trees in the distance.
His eyes narrowed. "I see you're trying to stop the Creeper herd."
"Gaggle." I couldn't help but contradict.
"But it's all for naught." Parker continued, ignoring my word. "The Creepers are already in Ringwood. Even if you somehow block the valley, that's still millions inside. All the panic and Mobs behind tight walls. It's a powder keg ready to burst."
"Then Ringwood will just have to block with a sword." I shot back, confusing the pair. "But if you say what we're doing is all for naught, you'll have no problem with letting us go, right?"
"Oooh, close." Spring winced in mock sympathy. "No, we're just going to kill you anyway."
"…Figures."
"Well, what did you expect? We're the Endward Cu—" Spring cut off as his eyes zeroed in on the cat purring beside Soul's leg. His eyes turned to slits. "That's Hugh's cat."
"It was Hugh's cat." Soul corrected, scooping up the bundle of fur and—in an action completely contradictory to how he first acted—petting it warmly. "Before I killed him, I mean." He continued, relishing in the way Spring's face twisted in annoyance. "I just loooove this cat." He finished, rubbing his own face along the cat's flank. At that point, I was damn sure he was lying just to piss off Spring. And to great effect.
"So…" Spring straightened out, pointing his sword at us. "You figured it out, haven't you?"
"…Figured out what?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Figured out how we're pushing the Creepers towards Ringwood, obviously!"
…
...Huh?
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don't play dumb!" Spring continued, ignoring Parker's pleas to stop talking. "You've clearly figured out why we've got cats accompanying us through Creeper infested forests!"
"Um… We haven't…"
"You've clearly realized how we've gotten so many Creepers to Ringwood's doorstep! Go ahead! Try and deny it!"
"…Okay?"
"It's obvious that you now know the truth! I can see it in your eyes." Spring continued, breaking free when Parker tried to clamp a hand over his mouth. "I can see that you figured out the lesser known tidbit that Creepers are terrified of cats!"
Blank shock appeared on Soul's face and I imagine I looked the same. Was the cultist serious? Was he serious in telling us that too? My eyes flitted to his partner and saw him facepalm in apparent discomfiture. There could only be one reason for that reaction.
The idiot had unknowingly revealed to us crucial information.
"Spring…" Parker whined, his hand still covering his face. "I don't think they knew that until you told them."
"…What?" Spring asked with a hint of worry before he tried to recompose himself. "D-don't be ridiculous. Of course they knew. Why else bring the cat with them?"
"Yeah, we had no idea." Soul remarked flatly. "You're a dumbass." He added and I couldn't help but laugh at the orange-haired man's humiliation.
So that was how the cult herded so many Creepers. With cats! They probably spread out with the felines in tow and netted any Creepers they could find. The Mobs would fee in terror, unaware of the cult's true motives. With enough manpower and catpower… they could have pushed an entire group of Creepers in any direction. They must have pooled them all in an enclosed space in the valley, preparing for this moment. And when it was finally time to push them towards Ringwood, they had the felines ready to help.
As crazy as it sounded, the Creepers were scaredy cats towards cats.
Even the Mob book didn't know that. I thought to myself, remembering the detailed tome. There was nothing about cats in the Creeper section. Is it possible Herobrine overlooked it? Or had he never known it at all?
"Ugh. Okay… I'm man enough to admit when I've made a mistake." Spring raised his hand up in the air. "That's my bad. My bad on that one."
"Somehow I don't think 'my bad' will quite appease 4Blite." Parker replied flatly.
The orange-haired cultist paled. "Crap you're right. Well, then we'll just have to kill them."
"Right, because you weren't going to kill us before." Soul muttered sarcastically.
"Stop talking!"
Spring lunged forward, his iron sword slashing down. Soul's axe came up and deflected it in a shower of sparks. The next instant, Spring twirled around aiming a slash from the right. Soul barely knocked it aside before the cultist twirled again, this time going for a left slash. Soul braced his axe for the hit…
Only to let out a pained yelp as a Splash Potion of Harming caught him in the eye. Spring had switched in a potion amidst his spins.
The cultist let out a triumphant laugh before my iron sword stabbed into his side, staggering him back. He chucked a potion at me, but I dropped to the ground quick enough for the brew to sail right over me.
It left me wide open for one of Parker's arrows to pierce my shoulder, just as Soul struck a devastating axe into Spring's midsection, sending him skidding back to his partner. Spring and I scrabbled back to our feet and resumed our defensive positions.
"Huh…" Spring remarked with a pained expression. His hand was held at his side and he looked out of breath. "You're both stronger than I remember."
"Maybe you're just weaker."
"Well," Spring began, his face full of malice. "I wouldn't have killed your friend if I was weak, right?"
"Why you…!"
"Soul, hang on." I gripped his shoulder, whispering under my breath. "He's just trying to bait you. They want us to stay here. They want to waste our time."
The longer we waited, the more Crafters would fall to Creepers. If cats could truly repel the suicidal Mobs, we needed to get that information to Wynn or Iron_Lung as soon as possible. It was possibly their only chance for survival.
"We need to break away from these two and get back into the Kingdom." I glanced behind us to the cat still pressing its face against Soul's leg. "We need the cat too. You can kill these guys when Ringwood isn't in danger."
"Ngh… Fine!" Soul relented, taking a step away from the two cultists. "We're leaving, now. Follow us and you're dead."
"Really?" Spring challenged tauntingly. "I think it should be more like, follow you and you're dead."
"What? You think the two of you can stop me... and Cobb?"
"Why the pause on my name?"
"Oh, I know we can stop you." Spring smirked, looking at the two of us expectantly.
"Yeah? You and what armmmmm—" I hastily closed my mouth, not wanting to finish that sentence. My brain was screaming warnings at me.
Brain: Are you fucking stupid!? You never ask 'You and what army!' That's like… that's like up and asking for an army to show up!
Lungs: *SIGH*
Brain: I know! That's what I said!
"—mmmmmistice!" I finished.
Flat silence settled over the four of us for ten seconds before Soul's head fell into his hands.
"…What?"
"Yeah… armistice… you know, like an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop war for a certain time; a truce."
I definitely didn't quote Bladder's definition for 'armistice' word for word.
"Synonyms: truce, ceasefire, peace…"
"By any chance…" Parker raised a hand, catching my attention. "Were you about to ask, 'You and what army?'"
"Um… Noooooo…" I looked away, whistling innocently.
"You sure?" Spring chimed in. "Because it would really set up our latest big reveal. Like, the perfect cue for what we're about to show you."
"Well, it's a shame, but I guess you won't be able to reveal any of what you were about to reveal." I nodded sagely before shrugging. "Tough break."
"Damn, he's right!" Spring cursed before turning around. "Okay, guys! You can forget about coming out! He's not going to say it!"
There were several whines of disappointment before eight cultists emerged timidly from the trees, bows and swords hung limply at their sides as if they were children forced to stop playing to return home. They were all flanked by cats as well.
"…This is the group I sword vengeance on?" Soul asked in disbelief. Parker shared the sentiment.
"Spring… we can still reveal them. We're killing them anyway, who cares?"
"…Oh yeah!" Spring slapped his head in realization. "Cultists! Kill them… please."
Immediately, the cultists readied their weapons and closed in on us. Soul and I did the same.
"Ten on one? Ha! I've faced worse!" Soul taunted.
"…Again you're not counting me?"
His bravado was cut short, however, when all the cultists took out light grey bottles and upended them into their mouths. In an instant, the ten cultists circling us vanished, only to be replaced by hovering swords and hastily stowed away black leather caps.
"…Run?" I suggested.
"Run." Soul agreed.
The two of us sprinted into the woods, having no way of knowing if our pursuers were barely keeping up or right on our heels.
Invisibility is so damn, cheap!
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Stone Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 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 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00},1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Iron Helmet {Weak}, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Unbreaking I], 1 Iron Leggings {Weak}, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Leather Pants [Dyed Black, Unbreaking I], 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Black, Protection I], 9 Rotten Flesh, 46 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, 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, 13 Wheat, 2 Sticks, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 9 String, 25 Gunpowder, 27 Steak, 8 Cooked Mutton, 42 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]
Inventory (Soul): 1 Iron Axe, 1 Potion of Strength II {1:30}, 1 Potion of Strength II {1:30}, 1 Potion of Strength II {1:30}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Crafting Table, 20 Oak Wood Planks, 29 Steaks, 9 Emeralds, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 35]
AN: Soul's officially part of the Inventory List.
Action! Laughs! Cats! Truly this chapter makes up for the lack of content for over 25 Days, right?
...
Right.
Omake below.
Omake: Overshadow (Part 5)
Carys_Angel was pleasantly surprised.
In the initial planning of Overshadow, the invasion of Lunar Castle and the subsequent search of the commanding Hackers were supposed to take an hour or so. The reason for that being, with the enormity of the castle's grounds, finding two Hackers required caution and patience. Either one of them could spring on an unsuspecting Paragon and effortlessly kill them. With the exception of Carys (and maybe Z7), none of the Paragons could kill a Hacker one on one.
The teams were in close-knit groups, hunting for Griefers and searching for Crafters. The formations were designed to respond to aggressive threats instantly, ensuring the minimum loss of life.
But the search was cut short when, surprisingly, Carys stumbled upon her quarry in the first place she had planned to look: The throne room.
It was a vast hall with pillars built from solid emerald blocks. In the back, there was a golden throne with dark wood along the armrests and soft carpet along the seat. The throne was set before a crescent moon crafted from diamond blocks and inlaid with gold and emerald. Blue moonlight streamed through the blue stained glass windows along the walls, bathing the entire room in an ethereal sapphire.
It was clear that the previous owners of the castle spared no expense when displaying their opulence and class. Emeralds, gold, diamonds. The trinity of rare resources. Small stone carvings of wolves flanked Carys as she approached the throne.
Sitting atop it, looking indifferently upon her, was the Hacker currently ruling Nitebane: OcanDecagon. He fit the description Jillian had provided. Red hair, blue eyes, a simple t-shirt with a golden decagon on the front. Beside him was his beefy Hacker buddy, UrsonThePerson. She knew by his appearance. Built like a bear, tanned skin, bald, and eyes the color of honey.
They both had Hacker marks stretched over their eyes.
"Well, it appears something entertaining has shown up." Ocan remarked, not bothering to get up from the throne he sat lazily upon. Urson seemed tense, but he made no move to attack.
Smart guy.
"I do hope you'll be more engaging than the last clown we brought in here." Ocan grimaced as if remembering something disgusting. "I told him to juggle for us, but he stopped halfway, begging me to to spare his life. The nerve of—"
"If you're trying to make me want to kill you more you better save it." Carys called out uncaringly, taking pleasure in how it ruffled the Hacker's feathers. "I don't care about some begging clown. I don't care about any of the people you killed or plan on killing. I don't even care enough to listen to you prattle on for hours on end." She held out her diamond scythe and pointed it at the pair of Hackers. "I came here to kill you two, and no amount of talking, reasoning, begging, crying, or defecating yourselves is going to change my mind. Now are we going to fight or what?"
"Why you… how you dare…" Ocan's face flushed with anger, but Urson stepped forward.
"You are the Angel of Death." He spoke in a deep, rich voice.
"Yes I am."
"Then that would make the forces attacking our Griefers… your Paragons?"
"Right again."
"And you stand before us, talking of our deaths, as if it's a feat you are capable of accomplishing?" He narrowed his eyes. "Such arrogance."
"More like confidence. I'm prepared, after all." I gave a haughty smirk. "I'm not alone, either, not that it matters." At that moment, Carys' strike team burst into the throne room.
"Angel!" Anibal exclaimed while pointing at the throne. "I found the Hackers!"
"…Thank you for that." Carys spoke flatly.
Ocan and Urson looked unimpressed with the latest additions to her forces. "Ha! Even with all your Paragons, your chances at killing us are slim to none!"
"Oh, they're not here to fight." She commented offhandedly. "They're here to make sure neither of you run away after I start mopping the throne room with you." She glanced appraisingly at the two Hackers. "Urson is bigger so I suppose I should start with him."
"Hmph." The beefy Hacker scoffed before both his and Ocan's eyes changed. The whites of their eyes changed to a midnight black. Smoke encompassed them like an aura of death.
Carys smirked challengingly.
Hacks weren't anything she hadn't seen before. Kal underwent the same change whenever he manned up to face a worthy opponent… not that he ever did that with her.
"You seem to know who we are." Ocan stood up from his throne and glared at the masked harbinger of death. "But are you aware that we are not your average Hackers? That we are—"
"Level 2 Hackers? Yes, I'm aware." Ocan's mouth hung open in blatant shock. "In fact, I even know the Hacks both of you possess. And let me tell you, they won't make a difference." This time Urson showed a modicum of shock before he schooled his face back to calm.
"You… you can't be serious… you're mad!" Ocan countered with a shaky laugh. "Won't make a difference? We're Gods! Griefers and Crafters look upon us with awe and fear!... You should be looking upon us with awe and fear—bowing before us, even!"
"Bow? To you two?" Carys let out a dark chuckle. "You aren't Gods. You're weak nothings relying on powers to lord over other weak nothings. I bet neither of you have ever faced a challenge in your life." Her voice took on a steely edge. "As for me, if I backed away from every challenge I ever faced just because I thought I might die, I would be just like the millions of nameless weaklings populating Minecraftia."
"Yeah! You tell them, Angel!" Anibal whooped.
"…Thank you for that."
"Well then," Urson began, now cloaked in the dark Hacker smoke. He took out a diamond sword and pointed it at Carys' heart. "Perhaps you need a reminder of the power us Hackers possess."
Carys' smirked challengingly. "Perhaps you should come over here and remind me."
"Ooooh! Trash talk is going down!" Anibal cheered.
"…Thank you for that."
AN: Carys vs Hackers. Who will win?
Leave a Review or Fav or Follow.