My Craft Chapter 83: Bounty Day, a minecraft fanfic

AN: Another Chapter written. This one I wrote too long, methinks. There was a lot to cover though. Such as the official change from 1.8 to 1.9! The Combat Update!

I was busy too, so I could only send my Omake to be Beta'd. Hopefully there are no major mistakes in my writing. Wishful thinking, I know, but I can dream.

It's been a while since a riddle, so here you go. Guess it correctly to enjoy a delicious (metaphorical) Victory Cookie as well as acknowledgement for being such a smarty pants.

Puzzle: My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin I am quick. Fat I am slow. Wind is my foe.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add throwable shields.

Beta: AxeHelix

Chapter 83

Bounty Day

[Cobb]

My eyes fluttered open as my senses went through their routine startup that accompanied waking from deep slumber. The unfamiliar polished ceiling threw my brain into a whir of confusion and fear until I realized, with a relieved sigh, where I was. I then settled back into bed, snuggling deeper into the comfy covers.

Even if he constructed it behind our backs, I was grateful to Lenz for our bunker.

I hadn't been yesterday, of course, when Wynn had effortlessly rounded us up and proceeded to dole out swift retribution. The word 'retribution' can be synonymous with 'ball stabbings'. Even while lying in bed, I still felt soreness down there. I assume it was the same for the others. How Floyd and Soul had managed to waddle home in such a state boggled my mind.

But, after listening to our side of the story and reprimanding us, Wynn cooled off. She was still angry, obviously, but less so than when she first found out. It wasn't like she could dismantle the bunker, so she allowed Lenz to keep it, but only because its existence didn't ruin her backyard. As an added condition, however, she requested a monthly rent for the space we were occupying. With our Silk Tough Shovel, money was no object.

A good thing too, because Lenz had spared no expense building our bunker, or as we decided to name it, the Inhouse. How great a name was that! It fit perfectly.

Nobody would ever think a dingy outhouse would hold such a secret. Though the mechanism Lenz built both to enter and leave through the outhouse was complicated enough to make my head spin. He tried explaining how it worked, but couldn't help but state all the complicated problems he had to work around. Something about slime blocks sticking to the walls and jamming the elevator, I had no clue. He could have just built a ladder, but that wasn't the Lenzington redstone way. No, he had to over-complicate it. Let lesser mortals climb.

Maybe Lenz just had a thing for secret bunkers since our adventure in Daymonte, but I couldn't deny how impressed I was in his efforts. Even with the building crew he paid, he did a good job.

He was sleeping in one of the other unoccupied bedrooms, nursing his own injured lower half. He didn't complain about it though, no doubt seeing the Inhouse well worth the emeralds and injury. The same could not be said for Floyd and Soul, who got nothing but pain.

I felt bad for Floyd, and maybe even a little bit for Soul, and promised to make it up to them somehow. Maybe I'd invite them out to eat or something. That would be nice.

As I mulled over my drowsy thoughts, I rolled over in my bed so that I was lying on my side. My eye winked open slightly before I closed it, let out a yawn, and settled deeper into my feathery pillow.

…

My eyes shot open when I realized I had seen someone standing over me. Green eyes that practically glowed in the dark were watching me intently. I leapt out of my skin and my covers and collapsed in a heap at the foot of my bed. I heard a terrified 'Eep!' followed by the person trying to scamper away, only to be tripped by their own two feet and fall on top of me.

Long black hair fell over my eyes, obscuring my view, but I could tell by the weight over my chest that the person was female. I moved my hands to her sides to push her off of me, but found it difficult since, whenever my palms settled upon her hips, she'd wiggle around and whimper. I pulled my hands away instantly, thinking I'd hurt her, but became even more confused when she pressed herself further against me as if craving my touch.

Finally, when I pushed the girl's hair out of my eyes, I saw that it was none other than Erin, cheeks burning and positively quivering with embarrassment. "I w-w-wasn't watching you sleep! I swear!" She exclaimed, simultaneously looking for a place on my body she could rest her hands to push off while also looking unsure of where to touch.

She settled for a handhold on the floor beneath my armpit and used it to roll herself off of me. She then kept rolling away, putting as much distance between us as she could, before hitting the wall with an 'Oof!'

While she clutched her head, whining cutely with her face pressed into the carpet, I got up and rubbed the drowsiness out of my eyes.

Time to get up, I guess. With one last longing look at my bed, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and turned to the housekeeper. "Soooo… why are you here?"

"I w-wasn't watching you sleep! I swear!" Erin repeated, waving her hands before her. "Not at first…" She added under her breath before her face grew several shades darker and she had to cover it with her hands. "UAHHH! No! Forget I said that!"

I groaned into my hand. Erin always got embarrassed whenever she talked to someone. Even when it was a familiar guy like me. What did I have to do you help her get over that?

"Look, Erin, stop hyperventilating. You've got nothing to be embarrassed over." I started out before getting an idea. "Would it help if I looked away?"

Erin peeked through her fingers at my suggestion. "W-well… actually…" She spoke timidly. "If… if you wouldn't mind…" She kicked at the carpet shyly. "Could you… cover your face?"

"…Cover my face?" I asked. "And that'll help?"

"W-well… I-I-I…" she stammered a bit before replying with a small nod.

Well, if that's what the lady wants…

I rummaged through my backpack and extracted the pumpkin I had picked up during my venture in the End. I slid it over my head, feeling my hearing and sight dull, before turning back to the shy housekeeper. "Better?"

The effect was immediate. Her hands fell to her sides, no longer covering her face. She didn't need to since the color had already begun to fade, returning her face to its pale complexion. "Y-Yeah. A lot better." She smiled happily. "Thank you."

"Good." I rubbed my pumpkin awkwardly. "I'm just sorry I have a face you'd rather not look at." I joked.

Apparently Erin couldn't take a joke because she suddenly started freaking out. "N-no, no, no! Your face is perfect! Beautiful, in fact—I-I mean, ah, d-don't worry about… I'm a weird g-girl." She laughed nervously. "I say weird things when I get nervous. Ha ha… ha… ANYWAY!" She stood ramrod straight. "I'm here because Miss Whispers wanted me to wake you up! Because, today's the Bounty Day!" She squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

My eyes widened. Holy crap, it was! I had forgotten in all the confusion and ball stabbings, but today was the day everyone was buzzing about. The introduction of new items and gear that would forever change Minecraftia. Wynn had only mentioned it a thousand times. She was probably more excited than me.

"I'll be right up." I nodded to the housekeeper before scrambling over to my bedside chest and pulling out my gear. Armor, weapons, potions, food. Useless junk. Delicious rotten flesh. All set!

I rushed over to the door where Erin was waiting, but bumped my pumpkin head on the door frame before falling on my back, dazed. "…I can't see so well with this thing." I announced to Erin who reached down to help me up immediately. "Can I take it off?"

"N-not yet." Erin stammered with a blush. "I'm n-n-not yet ready…"

I sighed. "Then I guess I'll need someone with gentle hands to guide me up the elevator."

Erin's face split into a jubilant smile.

"LENZ!" I shouted, earning a muffled clatter from the adjacent bedroom. "Get your gentle hands out here! There's a Bounty Day today and I need you to help me find the exit!"

"Comparators! I forgot!" The engineer exclaimed. "I will be ready in a tick!"

"Problem solved." I turned to Erin, only to see her staring despondently at the floor. "Something wrong?"

"N-no, no." Erin sighed. "Just… wishing the universe would throw me a bone…"

"It's okay, Erin." I comforted. "I can throw you a bone. And then you can catch it. You don't need the universe for that."

"…It's a good thing he's cute."

"What was that?"

"N-nothing!"

"So… how is this supposed to work, exactly?" I posed to the Captain, pumpkin still on my head. She didn't question it and Erin was content not to fill her in.

We were all stood in the backyard with a crafting table between us. Over to the side was a chest Wynn had stocked with basic materials. The intent was to use them for recipes as soon as the Bounty Day allowed.

"Well, we're not entirely sure." Wynn admitted with a frown. "The Testificates say the last Bounty Day happened five-hundred years ago, so we don't have a precedent to go off of. Supposedly it's just poof, new items."

"Just because the recipes pop into existence, does not mean we will know what they are." Lenz reasoned from my left. "There could be thousands of possible combinations of items and orders. Though, with the amount of people in Ringwood poised to test out recipes, the probability of discovering something new is quite high."

"Actually…" Wynn looked aside in shame, "There's less people than you'd think. I signed an order to have all guards working today. Only the Captains have the day off to enjoy."

I couldn't help but grin cheekily at the Captain. "How underhanded. Who are you and what have you done with Wynn? Owowow, I'm sorry!" I immediately apologized when the Captain twisted my arm. She let it and my arm go with a huff.

"The Kingdom needs guards protecting it at all times. Especially now, while we're still dealing with the aftermath of that herd. This is the weakest Ringwood has ever been." She turned her gaze to the plateau to the south, looking worriedly at the palace. "His Eminence has been suffering nights of unrest since the attack. The cross-Kingdom railway has been delayed until the forest grows back. A quarter of the treasury funds are being allocated to repair the Kingdom's damages. And the people feel unsafe; they're terrified of further cultist attacks." She let out a worried sigh. "Morale has been quite low. I secretly hope this Bounty Day will lift everyone's spirits."

Lenz and I hummed in agreement. If not for the cultists, today might have been more of a joyful holiday. Instead, Ringwood's mood was somber and tense. The only consolation was that the Kingdom now knew about the advantage of cats, and would be prepared for Creeper attacks in the future.

"Things will get better." I comforted the Captain with a supportive smile. The action was half as effective since it was covered by a pumpkin. "I'm sure this Bounty Day will make everyone forget all about the cult."

Wynn smiled sadly. "Are you saying that because you believe it or because you know it's what I want to hear?"

"It's what you want to hear AND I believe it." I countered, making the Captain chuckle. "Really. The people of this Kingdom are strong. Plus, they got a great pair of Captains leading them. The cultists are stupid to think they can destroy all that."

Wynn flashed a genuine smile, all traces of her sad mood gone. "Well, I suppose nobody would recognize stupidity more than a certified fool." She teased good-naturedly. Didn't stop me from pulling a face.

I was about to retort too, when a sudden stillness grabbed my attention. The faint breeze blowing at my back suddenly died out and the sounds of Minecraftia became muted. The others noticed immediately and Wynn had her rapier drawn instinctively to respond to the bizarre phenomenon.

Was this… the Bounty Day?

I glanced up and nearly choked when I saw the normally radiant sun appear dull and flat. The clouds too had lost their fluffy appearance and luster, and had stopped with the breeze, looking more like a break in the sky's color than anything natural.

More disturbing was the silence, though. It would be one type of silence if none of us was talking, which we were. This was like an advanced silence where even the sound of our feet treading on grass became silenced. Nature itself was holding its breath for the Bounty Day.

And then… there was a ripple.

I don't know how else to describe it. A ripple of flowing numbers and signs, dyed in a rainbow hue, fanned towards us from the South. Space seemed to distort upon contact with the ripple, similar to the waves of haziness one sees on a hot summer day. Everything the ripple spread across regained its luster and sound and it went at an ever-increasing pace.

I held up my arms defensively when it was about to reach me and I saw Wynn do the same. The ripple passed, making me feel as if some great oppressive force was blanketing me in its shadow, before moving on. Just as it passed, my head throbbed as if something intrusive had shoved itself into my brain. I clutched my head to steady myself and saw a brief image flash through my mind. I saw it as if from a third-person perspective. It was of myself… with my iron sword in one hand and my golden sword in another. I was wielding them both at the same time.

As soon as the image had come, it was gone. I barely registered what I had just seen before I heard Wynn let out a gasp of shock. She felt the same unknown pressure leave her shoulders and speed off further North. Lenz did the same and Erin collapsed to her knees in fright. All of them clutched their heads, though. All of them looked to have something flit across their minds.

My surroundings returned to life. I whirled around as the breeze and temperature and natural sounds resumed now that it was safe enough. The ripple sped on past other mansions, past the tall walls of Ringwood, and beyond.

It was something indescribable and frightening in how little we knew about it.

That was the precedent we set for the Bounty Day.

"What… what was that?" I was the first to find my voice and speak what was no doubt on all of our minds. Then I thought about what else had been on our minds. "Did anyone else see something? In their… brain?"

"I did." Lenz muttered, clutching his head worriedly. "That vision I saw… it was… where had that come from? I saw myself dipping arrows into potions. Tipped… arrows?" His eyes widened. "Tipped arrows!" He exclaimed breathlessly.

"I-I saw something too." Erin whispered, slowly getting to her feet. "I-It felt weird. Like something was slithering inside my head." She shuddered. "But… but I saw myself making a reddish soup using some kind of fruit—no, a vegetable. A… red vegetable? What was it?" She bit her lip as she tried to recall what it was.

"I saw someone trying to attack me." Wynn muttered while idly tracing her temple with her fingers. "The sword was coming right for me, so I raised my arm and blocked it with a… with a…" She screwed her eyes shut trying to picture the fleeting vision before her eyes snapped open and she rushed to the chest, grabbing a handful of sticks and planks before dumping them on the Crafting Table. She hummed with interest as she changed the arrangement of sticks and planks, trying to unlock the secret item she had seen.

While she was busy doing that, I glanced down at both my hands. Left and right. What I had seen in my vision… if all of us had seen different things, then that meant the rest of Ringwood had undergone a similar feeling. Visions of new things, bestowed upon by the Bounty Day.

Were the visions tied with a Crafter's wants? A housekeeper and cook, Erin saw food. Wynn and I were used to combat so we saw ourselves fighting, and Lenz was an archer so he saw tipped arrows. Was it just a coincidence, or was the Bounty Day purposefully showing us what we ourselves wanted to see?

Well, if it wanted me to see myself wielding two weapons, I was all for trying it out.

I reached one hand up towards my backpack, but then paused. If I'm going to do it right, I may as well try…

I reached both arms up and into my backpack, grabbing two sword handles. Instead of only being able to pull out one, I found I was able to slide both of them out of my Inventory.

"Mmm… I can't quite picture what the food was." Erin muttered dejectedly. "C-Cobb, what did you—Oh wow!"

Erin exclaimed in surprise as I managed to withdraw both my iron and golden blades and hold them both before me. The sensation was weird, since I was only ever able to hold one item at a time. To now hold two at the same time…

Wynn and Lenz turned their attention on me and looked awed as I gave the swords a few test swings. "How are you doing that?" Wynn demanded, her amber eyes alight with interest. "Show me."

"I just used both hands." I explained before returning them to my backpack, only to draw them out again, separately. "I can pull them out one at a time. I think it's just given me one extra hand to fight with."

Erin followed my instruction, reaching into her own backpack to withdraw eggs and cooked mutton. "H-Hey, I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" She waved her laden hands excitedly, earning a laugh from me. You'd think she just learned how to make diamonds from coal.

"Amazing…" Lenz marveled at his hands now filled with redstone and repeaters. "With this new skill, I could… I could…" His tinted glasses glinted in the sunlight. "I could wire redstone TWICE as fast!"

Face met palm in the ultimate gesture of exasperation. My eyes slid over Lenz, who was busy reveling in his new, godlike skills, to Wynn, who growled under her breath at the Crafting Table she was working on.

"What are you trying to make?" I asked, wanting to help. However, Wynn shooed me away.

"No. I'm figuring this out myself." She mixed the wooden planks and sticks in the shape of a sideways sign, but let out a dissatisfied grumble when nothing came of it. "I'll get it to work."

[Noman]

"What did I… just witness?"

I had just been crossing a mesa on horseback when I saw some kind of… ripple approach from the East. I had tried to outpace it, but it was too quick and it had enveloped me and my trusty steed, Carrot.

I felt a pressure—a looming shadow—and then some mental image flitted across my mind. It was so disorienting that I slipped off my horse and into the orange sand.

It was a third-person image of me, wielding an object I hadn't known existed. It looked stalwart and sturdy, though. Capable of enduring the sharp edge of a sword.

The pain in my head dissipated, and I quickly picked myself up. The ripple that had passed continued West and spread out to encompass the entire mesa. I waited until it was out of sight, obscured by the horizon, before I felt safe enough to move.

I returned to my horse, calmed it down, and fed it some sugar before setting down my Crafting Table. I fished out some planks and sticks and tried to make sense of the vision I had. Having a tool like what I had seen could be useful. Even more so since it meant I wouldn't have to resort to violence.

I moved the sticks and planks around and nearly cheered when I thought I had it… only to realize it was just the recipe for signs. Still, I persisted with every combination of planks and sticks I could think of. Still, the tool eluded me.

What am I doing wrong? I thought to myself, trying to concentrate on the image I had seen.

It was strong.

It was sturdy.

It had wood. I had to have wood.

But then again… could wood stop the force behind an iron sword? That was what my vision had shown me.

Wood was weaker than iron, though. So the only way the tool could ever have a chance of standing up to an iron blade was if…

…

If it was reinforced with iron!

I reached into my backpack and pulled out some iron ingots before adding them to the pile of gear on the Crafting Table. There were a lot more combinations with three items to juggle, but I knew the basic shape they were supposed to form. Crafting only required a little common sense and, at times, creativity.

Still, the tool didn't appear. I tried limiting the amount of sticks and toying around with the wood to iron ratio. The tool didn't need much iron. Just a bit around the edge. Or maybe it did need a lot of iron? Maybe the whole thing had to be made of iron?

It was by accident that I nudged the sticks off the table. I stooped down to pick them up, but paused when the Crafting Table showed I had made something. I glanced down in awe, memorizing the recipe, before I pushed them all together and made the tool.

The thick [SHIELD] fit naturally onto my arm.

It was broad, covering most of my front. I rapped a fist against it and smiled at its sturdiness. It had iron pegs and edges, even though only one ingot had been needed for the recipe. The shape of the planks had been odd, looking nothing like a shield, but I couldn't deny the result when I was holding it on my arm.

Though… how was I supposed to fight lugging the shield around?

It was big enough and strong enough to block swords and arrows, but how was I supposed to retaliate? Did I have switch from shield to sword?

I wish I had a Mob to practice on, but it was still daytime. So instead, I packed up my gear, climbed atop my steed, and rode on to my destination.

The Kingdom of the artifact known as the Bottes Zephyr.

The Kingdom of the Clouds, Zeppil.

[Cobb]

"Ugh! What is wrong with this stupid recipe?" Wynn practically slammed the materials onto the table, her frustration mounting as she consistently failed. "Shield! Work, already!"

"You're making a shield?" I asked, causing Wynn to click her tongue. "We could work together to figure out the—"

"I told you I can figure it out myself!" Wynn shot back before she returned her attention to the table. Her hands were a blur as she tried out every possible combination of planks and sticks. She wouldn't be satisfied unless she figured it out for herself. "I'm not stupid…"

"Nobody said you were." I tried to calm her down, but I caught Erin shaking her head. She beckoned me over and whispered under her breath.

"When Miss Whispers gets like this, it's best to leave her to it." She explained. "When she struggles with something, she won't let it go until she's mastered it. Why, I once saw her get so worked up over not mastering a fishing—Cooked fish!" She quickly amended. "Y-yes. The recipe for cooked fish. Not a fishing rod. Never a fishing rod." She coughed awkwardly into her fist, but didn't say anything more.

I hummed in thought before getting an idea. "Hey, Wynn." I called over, causing the Captain to whirl around with an irritated frown. "We're gonna try out some other recipes, but that shield item sounds really cool. If anyone can figure it out, it's you. So please let me know as soon as you solve it."

As I predicted, the Captain's frown reversed into a confident smile. Her amber eyes gleamed with determination. "You'll be the first to know. Just you wait." She turned back to the table with razor sharp focus. "Something like this is nothing for me." Her frustration forgotten, Wynn dove back into crafting the shield, this time experimenting with iron ingots and logs in addition to the planks and sticks.

Well, that takes care of that. I thought happily before checking in on what Lenz was working on.

He was taking notes down in his handy-dandy notebook. "Truly fascinating…" He muttered to himself while biting on his quill. "But which theory is more likely?"

"Which item are you trying to figure out?" I asked.

Lenz looked up from his notebook and lifted his tinted glasses. "It has nothing to do with the Bounty Day. I was just wondering about the relationship between Creepers and cats." He frowned as he jotted more notes down. "Why was one afraid of the other? What is their connection? The possibilities and theories are endless… though I think I may have narrowed it down."

"Alright, let's hear it then."

"Right. I have four possible theories."

"Go on." I prompted.

"One: A vicious childhood incident involving a cat and the cat's claws scarred the Creepers for life. Two: Creepers are allergic to cats. Three: Cats are so evil that Creepers fear them. Or four: Cats use their psychic abilities to repel all Creepers." Lenz nodded to himself. "Those are the four most likely cases."

"…No kidding?"

"As serious as the requirement of a repeater every fifteen meters of redstone." He had no idea how high that analogy flew over my head—wait, a second! Shit! That was why the TNT I rigged at the outpost didn't blow!

I felt so stupid for not thinking there was more to redstone than a few bits of dust and a switch. It was much more complicated than it sounded, and it made me appreciate Lenzington for actually studying such a topic.

"Hey, Lenz."

"Yes, Cobbert?"

"You're really smart."

"Ah, so you think I am onto something with my Childhood Incident theory, hm?" He smiled proudly as he jotted some notes down, completely misreading my praise. "I assume the cultists spent quite some time deducing the Creepers' weakness. They are as cruel as they are methodical…"

"Now if only they'd be as dead as they are methodical, we might just have a moment of peace."

The harsh growl could only be the voice of Soul, as both he and Floyd entered the backyard. They were limping slightly with blocks of ice held against their lower halves. It wasn't difficult to imagine why.

"Oh, hey guys." I waved awkwardly before chuckling nervously. "You… uh… still recovering from Wynn's rapier?"

"Yeah, thanks for that." Soul growled. "Remind me to get you rotten flesh for Christmas."

"Sounds delicious!"

"…I just can't win with this guy." The axe-wielder groaned before leaning against the outhouse for support, the ice nestled between his legs.

"We came here to compare visions." Floyd explained. Though he looked quite sullen about it.

"Don't mind him." Soul waved away my concern. "He's just pissed because the vision he got was lame."

Floyd narrowed his eyes. "It isn't fair! I'm passing people in the streets getting excited about visions of new purple blocks and enchantments and what do I get?" He folded his arms. "Brewing stands require blaze powder as fuel. I feel cheated!"

"So did Brett." Soul chuckled. "The guy didn't expect the Bounty Day to take away from items already existing in Minecraftia. He had to convert half of his blaze rod reserves to fuel, which means he's lacking ingredients and has to order more. Never seen him so irked. Cara burst into a laughing fit over it." He added with a smile.

"What did Cara see?"

"Something about beetroot—or is it beetroots?—I don't know." Soul shrugged, even though Erin's ears perked up immediately at the new food source. "I, on the other hand, saw some weird new Mob."

"…A new Mob?" I asked with interest, already taking out Herobrine's Advanced Mob-Slaying and searching the pages.

"Yeah, it had this blocky sort of outer shell, but the inside was a tiny head." Soul furrowed his brow in thought. "I think it shot projectiles or something. The vision wasn't too clear."

A blocky Mob with a shell that shot projectiles. Flipping through the book, I found there was nothing matching Soul's description. Witches, Endermen, Silverfish, Endermites, Guardians, Slimes. None of them were the Mob he talked about.

The only other available space for information was the back of the book, which was written in a strange, undecipherable language.

[Lmxv xlmhgifxgvw, gsv Drgsvi droo uozhs yofv zmw tild ozitvi rm hrav. Rm gsrh hgzgv, rg rh fmzyov gl nlev li rmuorxg wznztv, yfg rh zohl rmermxryov. Zmb fmuligfmzgv Xizugvi rm gsv erxrmrgb droo mlgrxv z svzogs yzi uroormt fk zylev rgh svzw. Lmxv rg rh xlnkovgvob uroovw fk, rg droo xivzgv z nzhhrev vckolhrlm drgs rghvou zg gsv xvmgvi, yvuliv iznkztrmt.]

[Gsrh fmslob zylnrmzgrlm zggzxph zmbgsrmt gszg nlevh zmw rh mlg fmwvzw yb urirmt vckolhrev hpfooh uiln rgh gsivv svzwh, dsrxs gizro wzip hnlpv. Rg uorvh zilfmw, hvvprmt erxgrnh, zmw prooh zmbgsrmt. Xizugvih, zmrnzoh, Nlyh. Mlgsrmt zorev rh hzuv.]

[Vevm dlihv, gsv hpfooh rg urivh xzm zuuorxg z gzitvg drgs gsv Drgsvi Hgzgfh Vuuvxg, gsv lmob vuuvxg gszg xzm xlnkovgvob wizrm gsv oruv uiln blf. Gsv Drgsvi Vuuvxg, xszizxgviravw yb yrhgiv hdriormt kzigrxovh, gfimh blfi Svzigh yozxp, nzprmt rg mvziob rnklhhryov gl tzftv blfi ldm svzogs, zmw holdob hfxph zdzb blfi oruv. Ufigsvinliv, gsv Drgsvi Vuuvxg ovvxsvh zdzb dszgvevi svzogs blf olhv zmw svzoh gsv Drgsvi drgs rg.]

[Rg rh rnnfmv gl uriv, ozez, zmw wildmrmt. Rg rh rnnfmv gl klgrlm vuuvxgh vcxvkg uli Szinrmt zmw Svzormt. Orpv lgsvi Fmwvzw Nlyh (Hpvovglmh, Alnyrvh, vgx.) gsvb ziv svzovw yb Szinrmt Klgrlmh zmw szinvw yb Svzormt Klgrlmh.]

[Dsrov rg uorvh gsilfts gsv zri, rg rh gll srts uli hdliwh gl wl zmb tllw. Zmw ru blf'iv gll xolhv, rg'h lmob z nzggvi lu grnv yvuliv blf'iv srg zmw drgsvi zdzb. Yvhg yvg rh gl mzro rg drgs z yld uiln olmt-wrhgzmxv. Pvvk urirmt fmgro rgh svzogs rh szou vnkgb.]

[Gsvm yvtrmh kszhv gdl.]

All it was good for was giving me a headache, and I couldn't fathom why Herobrine would publish so many paragraphs in an unknown language. Not even the knowledgeable Lenz could read it.

So there was nothing about other Mobs. I frowned at the thought. If the last Bounty Day was over five-hundred years ago, that meant it was before Herobrine and Notch's time. For five-hundred years, Herobrine only studied existing Mobs.

He had no way of studying Mobs that had yet to be conceived.

So then… the Bounty Days had the potential of bringing even more unholy abominations into Minecraftia. Only this time, I wouldn't have Herobrine's tips on how to fight them.

…Unless I discovered them myself.

Yeah… yeah, I could do that! I could write a separate book on all the new Mobs emerging from the Bounty Day! I could catalog them and make notes on their weaknesses, just like Herobrine! It'd be fun! And it would allow me to leave behind knowledge so that the less experienced Crafters could learn and evolve.

The more I thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. I'd find the new Mobs and take notes on them.

All I had to do… was find out where such Mobs would spawn. Hrm…

There was also another matter to take care of. My gaze shifted to Floyd, who was being comforted by Soul. Those two were still members of the Silver Intent, which meant they would still go after the cult if given the chance. They'd actively attempt to thwart any evil, Crafter-killing plans those Lieutenants came up with.

Which put them in danger.

Though considering what the Endward Cult had done, we were all in serious danger. Those guys were persistent enough to gather all those Creepers and they probably had powerful people backing them up. 4Blite had nearly killed Soul and Teal had nearly killed Floyd.

It was obvious the two would still go on missions, though. Dangerous missions that put their lives on the line. Before, I hadn't been sure whether or not I had the conviction to help Floyd fight those guys. But after Halstatt and that outpost—No! Even without those two experiences, I still would've gone with them. Because experience didn't matter to me as much as their lives did.

Plus… well… since I had inadvertently killed the cult's greatest enemy, it seemed only right to try and balance it out. I wouldn't be an Angel of Death, but I could be a Cobb… of Death?

Still working title!

But I could still fight against the Endward Cult in my own way! And while I was at it, why not fight the Hackers too? They were just as terrible as the cultists! Even more so because they went unopposed and thought themselves invincible.

Well, we'd see how invincible they were when facing a Creeper Flail! Hah!

But to take on the Hackers and cultists… and any other cruel assholes out there, I'd need help. Like the Paragons, I needed a specialized team or faction. Like a guild!

And that's where everyone else came in.

"Hey, guys? Can I have your attention?" I called out to Floyd, Lenz, and Soul. They all turned to face me with varying degrees of puzzlement. I cleared my throat and offered my most confident smile.

"I want to form a guild. Want to join?"

"Fuck no."

The answer had been so immediate that I felt my smile break before slipping off my face. Then again, with the pumpkin over my head, the others probably didn't notice.

How could Soul be so cruel? I thought as I looked to the frowning axe-wielder. I was even being polite, the bastard!

"I'm already involved in the Silver Intent, so why would I want to join a guild?" Soul continued as if to justify his curt response. It was more for Floyd's sake than mine.

"Well…" I began, hoping to somehow win over Soul and his superior strength, only for someone else to interject.

"I-I'll join your guild, Cobb!" Erin hopped around excitedly with her hand in the air. "It w-w-would be an honor to work with an adventurer like you."

"Give it a rest, Erin." Wynn called over from afar. "You don't want to be in a guild with Cobb. I've seen him involved in more trouble than Crafters twenty-times his age."

…She wasn't wrong.

"And you." She pointed at me without so much as looking up from her Crafting Table. "Do you even understand the obligations and demands of starting a guild? Or did you just hear about them recently and thought, 'hey, what a neat idea'?"

"Um… a little bit of the second one… maybe?"

Wynn sighed and prepared to explain, but Lenz beat her to it.

"Minecraftia is filled with powerful guilds and factions, Cobbert." The engineer launched into full PowerPoint presentation mode as he addressed his audience. "Guilds have been formed since the beginning of Minecraftia, with the first one being the First 100 whom travelled the world, setting up the land for the ten King—er… nine Kingdoms—we recognize today.

"Today's guilds, however, have more manageable goals than the ones of the past. They recruit amicable, skilled, or outstanding Crafters to swell their ranks and then pool their resources to earn emeralds, slay Mobs, search for powerful gear, or simply help out their community. The guild system serves non-combatants as a service. It is this service that supports the Crafters of any Kingdom!"

"I thought that was the guards' job?" I called over to the expert on guards, an actual Captain.

"The guards handle criminal activity inside a Kingdom." Wynn explained. "They get paid by the taxes levied on the Crafters they've sworn to protect. Guilds can work both inside and outside of a Kingdom, and even between Kingdoms if they had to. Guards don't have that kind of jurisdiction… not unless a Crafter forces our hand."

Judging by the way she was trying not to smile while looking at me, I could tell she was remembering Halstatt. No jurisdiction indeed.

"Not that this isn't fascinating to listen to, but can you hurry it up?" Soul asked sarcastically while leaning against the outhouse. "I want this presentation about guilds to be over with."

"You could always leave if you're bored." I commented.

Soul scoffed, but remained where he was standing. He was just as interested in the guilds as the rest of us. He just didn't want to admit that to Lenz.

"I shall continue, then." Lenz cleared his throat. "There are many guilds existing in Minecraftia. According to a recent guild survey published in the 490's edition of 'Guild-y Pleasures', there are over seven-hundred guilds, with members ranging from five to eight-thousand."

Eight-thousand!? I internally winced. That's way bigger than Alec's Griefer army. They couldn't all be fighters, though. Maybe some of them were support roles, supplying food and potions or else raising horses.

"Then," Lenz announced with a dramatic pause, "there are the Big Three. The largest and most powerful guilds in Minecraftia."

"I'm guessing the Endward Cult is among them… or the Hackers." I thought I saw Floyd flinch, but when I turned it was to see him as nonchalant and attentive as ever.

"No on both accounts." Wynn chimed in. "Guilds need to be publicly recognized to be official. That means they need to be registered to a guild hall and not perform deeds that would label them as criminals."

"Brett mentioned that the Silver Intent couldn't apply for guild status since it mainly works as information gathering." Floyd filled in. "An organization like that needs to be kept secret."

"As an aside, I'll mention that a Hacker did attempt to register herself and her fellow Hackers as a guild, just to see what would happen." Wynn said. "The Crafter at the registration desk had no choice but to approve them, even though it was pointless. Hackers would never be seen as anything more than unstable murderers, so their supposed guild would only involve them making demands of other Crafters and intimidating them into compliance. They were just messing around."

"But not all Hackers are like that, right?"

Everyone looked towards the blue-nette who had uttered those words with a mixture of surprise and disapproval.

"I mean…" Floyd instantly backtracked, trying to reword his argument. "Going so far as to call them all unstable murderers… they can't all be like that, right?"

"What are you saying, Floyd?" Soul asked, pushing off the outhouse and marching over to him. "What the hell are you even saying!? You just got back from frigging Nitebane! You've seen what those Hackers have done with the place! Have you forgotten about Attila?"

"No! But I just… I just thought—"

"And I told you about Alec, didn't I?" I interjected. "I told you about how he attacked villages and gathered Griefers. He terrorized Daymonte! He nearly killed Wynn!"

Floyd, facing opposition on all fronts, was quick to back down. "Y-You're right… I'm sorry." He bowed his head and kept his gaze glued to the ground. "I just thought… no, never mind. I-I wasn't thinking. They're all rotten to the core." There wasn't much emotion to his words.

To defend them like that after seeing Nitebane… Did something happen between him and a Hacker?

"Ahem. Well, as Wynn aptly stated," Lenz continued as if nothing had happened, "Hackers and cultists, while numerous and powerful, are not publicly recognized as guilds. The Big Three, however, are. And their motivation boils down to the three great motivators of all time: Wealth, Revenge, and Satisfaction."

"Hmm. So one of the Big Three guilds work for sex?" Soul questioned. "That's pretty ballsy."

"Not that kind of satisfaction!" Wynn shouted, lobbing a stick at the axe-wielder which he batted aside with, what else, his axe. Wynn, however, lit up at the absence of a stick on her Crafting Table. "Oh… I think I got it!"

"Now, who can tell me the names of the Big Three in the order of motivations I just presented. Anyone?" Lenz looked at us as if we were students required to participate in a lecture. "Anyone at all?" A shaky hand was raised. "Yes, Erin!"

Erin tremulously lowered it. "W-well, I heard about the… the Berserkers? They're the ones that work for money."

"Quite right!" Lenz praised enthusiastically, causing Erin to smile. "The Berserkers are a guild of bounty hunters that chase down wanted criminals from the Kingdoms. They also agree to work for private clients, but only if the pay is too good to refuse. Nowhere do emeralds flow more freely than in the Berserkers' guild.

"Now for the second of the Big—"

"Ooh! Ooh, ooh, ooh! Pick me!" Whether faking it or not, Soul did a good imitation of a know-it-all student with the answer to a question. His hand was stretching to the sky and waving wildly. "Come on, pick me, pick me! Pick me or I'll slash you with my axe!"

"Soul, how about you!" Lenz quickly called him out to avoid pain. "Another of the Big Three is…?"

"The Paragons, duh!"

Oh, here we go.

"The Paragons are the coolest guild in Minecraftia!" Soul gushed. "They're full of badasses and they don't take shit from anyone! My kind of guild." He added to himself. "Plus, they're led by my personal hero, the Angel of Death!"

"That is correct!" Lenz congratulated while I took the time to whisper to Floyd who the Angel of Death really was. Then, while Floyd's eyes widened with oh-we-done-fucked-up levels of panic, we silently agreed to never share that information with anyone, especially Soul.

"The Paragons seem kind of scary." Erin muttered from the side. "I know they're trying to help get rid of the cult in their own way, but… but naming their leader the Angel of Death seems like overkill."

"That's because there's no better kill than overkill!" Soul shouted back, frightening the innocent dark-haired girl. "If you think the Paragons are scary, it's only because they've had to claim that image to terrorize the cult! And it worked, because those cultists are running scared, quaking in their boots! I wish I had that level of intimidation!"

"Keep screaming like a lunatic and you're half-way there." Floyd countered, earning a laugh both from Erin and from me.

"So there you have it." Lenz concluded with a clap of his hands. "The Big Three represent what all guilds aspire to be. So, Cobbert, in the interest of forming a guild—"

"Hang on," I counted on my fingers twice before saying, "I think you skipped a guild."

"No I did not." Lenz spoke with a straight face.

"You think we can't count to fucking three?" Soul growled, sounding offended.

"I think you are misusing the word 'fucking' as an adjective instead of a verb." Lenz responded disdainfully.

"Fucking think again you fucking nerd. It's a versatile fucking curse, being an adverb, adjective, noun, or verb. Which means I can utter it however the fuck I fucking want because I'm a fine fucking grammatical genius. Fuck."

[Noman]

I had to stop to clamp down on my ears. Even though nobody was uttering any profanities—I was the only Crafter for miles—I couldn't help but think someone, somewhere, was swearing like a fiend.

"Language…!"

[Cobb]

"So fucking tell us what the third guild is!"

"Oh, for the love of redstone!" Lenz exclaimed, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. "The Scouts! The Scouts! The third guild is the Scouts!" He didn't bother hiding the disdain from his tone. "How those foolish Crafters ever managed to become recognized is mind-boggling!"

"The Scouts?" Soul questioned. "Never heard of them."

"Then consider yourself blessed!" The engineer shot back. "For that particular group of Crafters is a chaotic jumble. The Scouts pride themselves on satisfaction, which to them equates to asinine achievements in a perpetual idiot contest! They make no sense!" Lenz breathed in a calming breath, centering his thoughts. "Apologies. I just… really dislike them. They have the numbers and resources, yet fail to use them for anything productive. One big gaggle of idiots."

"Sounds like a guild full of Cobbs." Soul commented, much to my chagrin.

"A guild… full of Cobbs…?" Erin mumbled to herself as she fanned her face. Even though I was wearing the pumpkin, she still went all red-faced. What did I do this time?

"I got it!" Wynn exclaimed proudly as she raised her finished item into the air.

It was a shield. A strongly built and sturdy shield, to be sure.

"Amazing!" I gushed, knowing the praise would make her more pleased. Erin recovered from her embarrassment to follow my lead, acting impressed with the Captain's efforts. Even Soul and Floyd took an interest in the new weapon.

"Is that a shield?"

"Can that thing block arrows?"

"H-how did you figure out the recipe?"

Wynn snubbed her nose. "It was quite the challenge, but I cracked the recipe by using only planks and an iron ingot. You need to arrange the wood in a Y-shape, and then put the ingot in the pocket of the 'Y'."

Soul and Floyd gathered around the table to try and make their own shields. Wynn looked over their work, just to see if they were on the right track or not, before properly joining our conversation on guilds

"Berserkers. Paragons. Scouts." Wynn listed. "The best guilds in Minecraftia. They'll be your competition if you decide to form one of your own. I take it this means you've turned down my offer to become a member of the guards?"

"Oh… yeah." I scratched my cheek sheepishly. I had honestly forgotten about that. "I appreciate the offer, but I just think… I just think a guild would give me more freedom to accomplish my goals."

Wynn shook her head with a smile. "I can tell you forgot about my offer. You never planned on forming a guild. You didn't even do your research on them. Why else would you need Lenz and me to explain them to you?"

Crap. I've been found out.

"Well, after hearing about guilds, I still think they're the better option." I admitted. "As for my goals…"

"Does it have anything to do with the Endward Cult, Hackers, or both?"

Damn. She could read me like a book. In fact, had she gotten more perceptive since seeing me crying in the outhouse?

"I thought so." Wynn sighed. "Why is it you can't have normal goals like getting rich or earning EXP?"

"Well, the golden shovel already takes care of one of those—"

"Rhetorical question." She cut me off. "If you're going to form a guild, however, you're going to need to register it. And to register, you need a minimum of five members. How many have you got so far?"

"Uh… well…" I fumbled, only to receive a comforting pat on the shoulder from Lenz.

"I hope I am not being presumptuous asking if there is an available spot for an engineer in your guild." He said in what could only be a Lenzington way. "We could use the Inhouse as our base of operations." I was going to ask him to join anyway, but having him volunteer made him seem more reliable. His archery skills would come in handy just as much as his redstone skills.

"I-I-I could join—"

"No you can't." Wynn sighed, dragging Erin away by her dress. "Those idiots intend to fight cultists. Try again when your combat arsenal is more than just hurling eggs."

"B-B-But it's not fair!" Erin whined, flailing her arms around with watery, green eyes.

I felt bad for the housekeeper, but Wynn was right. We were going to be fighting dangerous killers. Even with having myself taking killing blows for the others, Erin would be ten times more vulnerable with her lack of combat experience. She couldn't join our guild.

But that didn't mean I couldn't make her feel important to us.

"It's a good thing we had all those emeralds to pay for our base." I commented loud enough for Erin to overhear. "Without them, we'd be helpless to start a guild. We're so fortunate we had someone to help us fund everything." I nudged Lenz in the arm. "Right?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Erin perk up, her tears long forgotten at my words of praise. She knew how instrumental she was in selling our grass blocks for tons of emeralds. I saw her smile at our acknowledgement. We didn't forget how important she was.

"Oh, quite lucky indeed." The engineer nodded happily, following my lead. "And we have Cosmic to thank for giving us that Silk Touch Shovel."

Erin's smile shattered in seconds flat.

Okay, scratch that. Lenz wasn't following my lead at all. His denseness in catching hints and detecting sarcasm, coupled with his low level of social interaction, was adding to his list of cons.

"No, Lenz! Not Cosmic! Erin!" I hissed with a forceful smile. "The girl who sold our grass blocks for us and makes us delicious food!" I jerked my head towards Erin to not-so-subtly tell him to praise her accomplishments.

This time, he caught on. But his praise wasn't needed, since Erin was back to blushing and red-faced over my words. I think it was a good thing, though. She had a pleased smile after all.

"You guys still talking about forming a guild?" Floyd walked into our conversation, brandishing a new shield. Beside him was Soul, holding his newest creation rather awkwardly. "If you need another person, I'll join. I might have to juggle my Silver Intent missions with it, but hey, what are friends for."

I smiled at the offer. Yet another friend I didn't need to ask to join. Even with the Silver Intent on his plate, he was willing to help me out.

Then, there was Soul.

"I still don't see a reason to join." The axe-wielder shrugged with great difficulty, the shield getting in the way. "Brett has solid information about the cult and has us going on missions against them while also investigating possible leads on cultist identities. How could you possibly compare to that?" He asked gruffly. "What do you have to offer that Brett doesn't?"

I had to think carefully. What Soul wanted above all else was to combat the Endward Cult. But Brett had a widespread information network on that specific topic. There was no way I could compete with that. Our guild only had three members so far!

"Well…" I began searchingly, only for Lenz to interject.

"As a member of the guild, you will be adequately compensated." The engineer said. "With the Silk Touch Shovel, I imagine our guild's income will be far greater than whatever this Silver Intent organization provides, even without including payment for services rendered."

Whatever he said looked to be the magic words. Apparently, the Silver Intent didn't pay its members anything. Like the Paragons, its members were working for vengeance alone. But vengeance couldn't pay the bills.

"Sold!" Soul smiled. "Floyd and I will happily join the… whatever your guild is called."

"We don't have a name yet, but it's comforting to know your loyalty can be bought." I said sarcastically.

"Hey, food and armor don't pay for themselves."

"Give it a rest, Soul." Floyd chided. "We both know you would have joined regardless of whether they paid you."

"Don't tell them that!" The axe-wielder hissed. "Even if we're willing to work for free, we should still ask for money. Also some guild perks. Got anything like that?"

"Well, we can allow you to dorm in the Inhouse's spare bedrooms. But that is all." Lenz rubbed his chin in thought. "Soul makes a good point, though. Our guild needs a name—and one other person—before we can register it."

"I-I-I can join!" Erin squeaked. "R-really! I can support you from the—"

"No, Erin." Wynn pulled the housekeeper away before she could make her case. I felt bad for rejecting her from joining, but I ultimately figured it would be for the best. She wasn't a combatant and, let's face it, having her on the team would mean wearing a pumpkin for the rest of my life.

With our testing of new items taken care of, we all moved into the mansion for some breakfast. Or brunch? We were hungry slobs, alright!

"Well, if it's another member we need, I say we look for a female." Soul advised as he sat down at the table, the arm holding his shield having to bend unnaturally to fit. "Because, right now, the guy to girl ratio is looking like a sausage party."

"Sausage party? What do you mean?" Lenz inquired innocently. I was quick to lean over and explain it to him in hushed whispers so Wynn couldn't hear. When I was done, his face wrinkled in disgust. "Oh…"

A smug smile spread across Soul's face over Lenz's reaction. He went to snub his nose at the engineer only to smack his face with the shield still attached to his arm. At that point, Soul had had enough, wrenching the shield off and throwing it onto the floor.

Only for it to bounce back up and bang his chin.

Lenz hid his smile well. "Quid pro quo, Soul?"

"Quid pro go fuck yourself."

"Focus, guys." Floyd snapped his fingers, gathering all our attention. All except for Erin, who heard a rapid knock on the front door and left to go see who it was. "We need a fifth female member for this guild. Our options are Cara and… um…"

I was about to throw out a name, only to realize Floyd had already said it. That was fine though, there was still… um… Erin and Wynn were probably out since one was a housekeeper and the other was a Captain with enough on her plate.

"…Holy crap we don't know any other women do we?"

"No." Lenz held out a hand, thinking back. "No, no." He repeated after a minute of thinking. We waited a few more minutes until his eyes lit up. "Solara! She may be a guard, but she is a she. Why not ask her?"

"Didn't you hear Wynn? Guards have their own responsibilities inside Kingdoms. They can't worry about guilds."

"Oh, brother. This is going to end up like a sausage party isn't it!?" Soul groused. "Are you telling me we can't think of a single woman to join our guild?"

"Well…"

Just as Floyd was about to comment, Erin came shuffling over to Wynn, her face stricken with panic. Every one of us turned in our seats to watch the housekeeper make her way around the table. "M-Miss Whispers, Miss Whispers, Miss Whispers!" She cried out urgently. "There's… th-there's… at the door…"

Another series of rapid knocks came from the front door, drawing our attention for a moment before we snapped back to Wynn.

"What is it, Erin?" The ivory-haired Captain's interest was preoccupied with testing her rapier out on the new shield.

"It's… ah… it's a Code Blonde!"

At the mere utterance of those words, Wynn's eyes went as wide as saucers. She placed her hands on the table and stood up, her body leaning to the side as if a bird poised to fly away. Her eyes darted to the door, where a third series of knocks hammered onto the wood.

"…Cobb, I request the use of your outhouse base."

"It's actually called the Inhouse—"

"I request the use of your Inhouse, then!" She hissed, startling me.

"Uh… sure, I guess."

"Good. As for all of you," she looked around the table, "if she asks, I'm at the Palace."

"If who asks?" Floyd's question went unanswered as Wynn bolted to the back door as quickly and silently as she could. I watched her rush to the outhouse where she slipped inside, pressing the button that took her to the Inhouse underground.

At the same time, Erin approached the door that now sounded like a jackhammer was being taken to it. She paused just in front of the door, took in a deep, calming breath, and tried to appear nonchalant as she opened the door.

She only got a third of the way before it was thrown open, knocking her to the ground and allowing a different Crafter to dramatically somersault into the living room. The hair was a flash of blonde that seemed vaguely familiar.

In another second I realized why.

"Caw caw! The Golden Cro… Hey!" Velocishot, or Veronica as her friends called her, looked around the room with growing displeasure. "Why are there so many ugly dudes in here!? The air reeks of testosterone and overcompensation!"

"Wha…?" Soul, like all of us, was still in shock at Veronica's dramatic entrance. What exactly was she doing here?

"Captain Veronica!" Lenz recovered the fastest, calling the blonde by her title. It made sense since she was the Captain of his home Kingdom. It also saved me the trouble of explaining to Floyd and Soul that, yes, the mysterious blonde burglar was actually a Captain and had the authority to break into homes.

…Probably. I wasn't going to call her out on it.

"Oh, good, a fan." Veronica smiled as she walked up to Lenz. "I seem to be in the wrong mansion. If you could just tell me where Wynn lives I'll be out of your hair."

Lenz tilted his head. "You are not mistaken. This is Wynn's mansion."

"Oh?" Veronica looked around the mansion once more before glancing suspiciously at all of us. "Hmm… Then where is she?"

"Oh, well she's…" Floyd looked over Veronica's shoulder to see a recovered Erin furiously waving her hands and shaking her head. "…she's gone to the Palace. Lot of work to get done. I don't know when she'll be back."

"Well, darn! I wanted her to see my spectacular entrance." Veronica stomped her foot before helping herself to a seat at the table. Erin shuffled over to the kitchen, keeping out of the blonde's view. "Oh, yeah, so, why are four guys in Wynn's home? I didn't think she got along with males…" Her eyes narrowed at those words, eyeing us warily. "Or is this some kind of sausage party for Erin." Soul held back a chuckle, though he leaned forward in his seat, looking at the blonde Captain with newfound interest. "Oh, speak of the devil… Hey, Erin!"

The housekeeper spilled some bottles after being addressed so suddenly. "O-Oh… Miss Veronica... a pleasure t-to see you…" Her body language screamed uncomfortable.

"And a pleasure to see you too!" Veronica cooed, causing Erin to turn away. "Oooh, you're just adorable! I could pinch those cute, chubby cheeks of yours… and I'm not talking about the upper ones."

"Oh… lesbian… that's a shame." Soul went from interest to indifference in the span of six seconds, instead turning his head to stare out the window.

"Oh? And what's so wrong with being a lesbian?" Veronica tilted her head towards the axe-wielder, a hint of irritation in her tone. "What's the shame?"

"It's a shame that you're beautiful, but will never be interested in me."

Veronica smirked. "Good answer." She relaxed, propping her chin up by her palm as she regarded the axe-wielder. "You're not half-bad looking yourself. Maybe if your hair was longer and whiter and that thing between your legs dropped off, I'd give you a shot."

"Hate to break up this incredibly uncomfortable conversation, but do you mind telling us who you are and what you're doing here?" Floyd asked with no small amount of discomfiture.

"Hmph. I could ask you the same thing." Veronica leaned back to prop her legs on the table. "Buuut since I'm waiting for Wynn to get back, I guess I can do story time. It's not a funny, ha-ha story. Or a sad, touchy, feely story. Just a story."

"Can you get on with it?" I bluntly urged, only for an arrow to swiftly embed itself in the wood of the chair I was on. Right above my shoulder.

"Shut it, pumpkin head before I give you an arrow for a nose." Veronica made a show of twirling her bow back into her belt before speaking. "I'm a Captain, the Golden Crow of Daymonte—"

"I thought your moniker was the Golden Hawk. Ah!" Lenz pulled his hand away from the table where an arrow had buried itself between his fingers… without injuring him.

"The Golden Crow of Daymonte." Veronica continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. Lenz seemed more interested than offended, marveling at the accuracy of the shot. "Anyway, I was sent here on an envoy mission to see how the cross-Kingdom railway was going. Imagine my surprise when I hear a swarm of Creepers passed through. I figured I'd talk to Wynn to get a better assessment of what happened. That and to squeeze her close to my generous bosom." She snickered.

Yeah, I can see why Wynn needed to hide from her.

"Your turns." Veronica leaned forward to address us. "Why are four guys in Wynn's home? Oh, and that sausage party thing was a joke. No way Wynn would allow that in her home. This is actually the first time she's invited me over."

"Since when does breaking and entering count as being invited—whoa!" I dove aside as that last arrow almost struck me in the center of my pumpkin face.

In my haste, I banged my chin on the table. My pumpkin went askew, teetering slightly, before slipping off my face. My name and face were revealed to the world once again.

Veronica's eyes widened. "Oh, hey! You're that jumpy guy! Wynn's little brother."

I wasn't prepared to hear that title. Little brother? There were no siblings in Minecraftia. Everyone spawned from the same Void. It probably just meant she considered me a good friend. I was practically a little brother with all the questions I asked her.

It was more than that, though. Wynn hadn't seen Veronica since Daymonte. Which meant that, before Halstatt, Wynn had already thought of me as someone she had to care for.

In that moment, I felt a great rush of affection towards the ivory-haired Captain. But not too great. She was my older sister after all.

Anyway, what was Veronica talking about?

"So I guess you're here to visit Wynn too." Veronica tried to make sense of things, turning to each of us. "And you decided to invite your friends too. Is that right?"

"Actually, we live in the ou—here. We live here." Lenz hastily covered his slip-up. Veronica couldn't know that we lived in a secret bunker, because then she would know of said secret bunker and might search it for a certain ivory-haired Captain.

"You… live… here? All of you?" Veronica twitched in her seat, her smile turning dangerous. "That's funny. Four guys all living under Wynn's roof… and she doesn't even let me come over!" She sounded quite upset.

"It's nothing to get worked up over." I hastily tried to appease her. "We just don't have a place to stay since the Creepers blew up our homes. Wynn's just doing the right thing—"

"For four guys? A likely story!" The blonde accused, getting up from her seat. "I knew something was going on between you and her! She tried to convince me you were more of a brother to her, but now it's clear! Inviting so many guys to stay at her mansion! A mansion that conveniently runs out of beds, forcing the men to share with my beloved Wynn!"

"What!?" I recoiled, but Veronica lunged over the table to grab a handful of my hoodie and pull me across. Floyd and Lenz moved to help while Soul just sniggered in his seat.

The bastard.

"Admit it!" Veronica demanded, her face filling my vision. "You and Wynn have slept together! You probably plied her with Awkward Potions to lower her inhibitions. Then you had your way with her…"

*SMASH*

As if the situation wasn't already tense and nonsensical enough, the latest sound of shattering glass made all of us jump and whip our heads towards the source.

Only to find it was Erin… with her tiny fist balled up and run through a window. Her black hair fell before her face in dark curtains, and, from within, I saw… had her eyes always looked so menacing?

"Erin…?"

Hearing her name, the housekeeper's eyes regained focus. She blinked in confusion before turning to the smashed window her fist was occupying. She contemplated the fist for a second before pulling it out and looking slightly embarrassed. "O-Oops, my hand must have slipped."

Slipped and crashed into a window. Sure.

She must have realized how lame of an excuse that was, for her face lit up and she shuffled away, trying to look as small as possible.

"I-I'll just go… fix the window…" She mumbled before hurrying off in search of glass.

Erin's little distraction proved effective in getting Veronica to let go of me. She was back in her chair, staring at the door Erin had left through. There was a dawning sense of realization on her face as she looked between the door and me. It got to the point where a knowing smile had spread across her face.

"Ahhh. I get it now." She nodded knowingly. "Wynn's playing wingwoman. Very crafty."

As Veronica laughed to herself, all traces of hostility towards me gone, I couldn't find it in myself to care for what she had figured out. I was simply glad she was calm. She was so emotionally draining and extroverted, it was no wonder Wynn needed to use our bunker.

The question was how long could we convince her that Wynn was still at the Palace? The Captain couldn't hide in the Inhouse forever. Right? She couldn't expect us to entertain the blonde ball of energy all throughout the Bounty Day.

…

…RIGHT?

-Inventory (Cobb): 1 Fishing Rod [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III], 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, 10 Steak, 30 Cooked Mutton, 1 Pumpkin, 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, 9 Rotten Flesh, 46 Emeralds, 1 Map {Ringwood Region}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}

[EXP: 21]

Inventory (Floyd): 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Shield, 1 Bow, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 3 Sticks, 3 Ladders, 8 Cobblestone, 1 Oak Wood Door, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 1 Potion of Fire Resistance {8:00}, 2 Flint, 2 Gunpowder, 9 String, 10 Ink Sacs, 8 Cooked Fish, 3 Wool, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 5 Arrows, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 4 Emeralds

[EXP: 20]

Inventory (Lenz): 1 Bow, 1 Shears, 3 Levers, 4 Wooden Buttons, 1 Stone Button, 5 Redstone Torches, 17 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 24 Redstone, 64 TNT, 15 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, 13 Steak, 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 Shield, 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, 21 Steaks, 9 Emeralds, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}

[EXP: 35]

AN: Will Cobb and friends pick a guild name better than 'Cobb and Friends'? Will Wynn ever leave the Inhouse to face a flirty blonde? And will Veronica call herself the Golden Penguin before the day is out? Tune in next week for the answers to all these exciting questions.

Same Bat Time. Same Bat Channel.

Omake below.

Omake: Second Place

The Bounty Day could not have come sooner for Carys.

It had been a weird feeling when a sudden pulse of energy had enveloped her, and the intrusive vision of herself dual wielding her scythe and ender pearls had been strange, but she was pleased to have experienced them. She was pleased just to have something to do.

With Jillian officially in charge, she, a wanted criminal from Ringwood, couldn't reveal herself to the people of Nitebane and had to stay shut inside Lunar Castle. After exploring the grounds and keeping to the shadows, she was starting to feel stir crazy. If only Cobb were there, she could at least get some laughs over putting him through the torture chambers.

The Bounty Day was the next best thing. It finally gave her something to do. Her other Paragons had received similar visions, but the dual wielding was proving the most promising. It allowed her to change up her fighting style in new and creative ways. Even though her scythe was stronger with two hands, she could swap between a sword and potions or a sword and ender pearls depending on the situation.

Baltic had been upset over the requirement of blaze powder to fuel brewing stands, but that was a minor grievance. Shields, tipped arrows, new enchantments. Those demanded her full attention. Any new combat items needed to be committed to memory and mastered. She needed every possible advantage she could get.

The cult's Executives were likely doing the same. She couldn't afford to slack off.

As she was practicing a new move involving a handful of ender pearls and her sword, Kalmarin walked in. Carys had to shield her eyes, however, because the Hacker was, for some reason, shining.

"So this is where you were." Kalmarin commented, lighting up the dark dungeon Carys had deemed her training room. "You know, there are other places you can train without being seen."

"I suppose you would know." Carys countered. "Can't have Nitebane seeing your face when they know what a Hacker looks like."

Kalmarin nodded somberly. He was as under house arrest as Carys. Nitebane knew what those lines over his eyes meant. One glimpse of him would start a panic. Masks were always an option, but Carys preferred her Wither Skeleton mask to any other.

"I'd rather train down here, though." Carys returned to her training. "Higher ceilings and all. Excuse me for a moment."

She pardoned herself as she held the handful of ender pearls before her and threw them all into the air. In the time it took them to hit the ground, she threw a splash potion of regeneration at her feet and readied two of her sword.

The pearls hit the floor consecutively at different points around the Angel. As soon as one made contact, she was teleported over to it. She unleashed a swift slash before warping away to the next location. Another slash, but she was already gone by the time Kal had tracked her.

She warped all around the small dungeon, taking damage from each ender pearl as she went. But she was always fast enough to launch a strike before being teleported away. Plus, her regeneration potion was managing her health without her having to lift a finger.

It was a move that required lightning fast reflexes, both to process one's surroundings after getting warped and to lash out at an enemy before the next ender pearl landed. That level of reaction speed was difficult for a Crafter to manage.

Then again, Carys_Angel was no mere Crafter.

"Haaa." Carys breathed out as the final pearl landed her before Kal. Her blades slashed towards his face, but she stopped them at the last moment, trying to startle him.

He didn't even flinch.

"Impressive." He praised.

Carys smirked. "Impressive enough to make you fight me with your full Hacker powers?"

"Not even close."

"Hmph." She scoffed, sheathing her swords with a flourish. "Well, I suppose having two Hacker kills under my belt will have to sate me."

"Don't sound so disappointed." Kal countered as the Angel sauntered back to the center of the dungeon. "The Hack Clan will have definitely noticed those smoke trails in the sky. What we're experiencing now may just be the calm before the storm."

"Which is why I'm currently sitting on my hands, not preparing myself in the slightest." Carys shot back sarcastically as she withdrew her diamond scythe and twirled it through the air in a series of fierce slashes. She threw the weapon in the air, where it spun like a baton, before launching a flurry of punches and kicks with startling agility and power. She was just in time to catch the falling scythe, her hands finding the smooth handle and unleashing one last slash that impacted the ground and cracked the stone bricks.

"Don't think I'd get full of myself over killing a couple of weaklings." Carys called over her shoulder. "Those two Hackers were just that, drunk off their own power. Thinking themselves invincible. Ha!" She laughed while jabbing with the handle of her scythe. "Their only purpose was to die and to hand us the fate of this Kingdom. And in their death, I've become the first Crafter to slay a—"

"Second."

"Right. The second Crafter to slay a—" Carys froze in her training, her mouth hanging open on her last word and her blood-red eyes widening a fraction.

"Uh—I mean, y-yeah, you're the first to do it." Kal quickly corrected, coughing lightly into his fist and trying to play it off as a slip of the tongue.

"..."

Carys slowly lowered the arm holding her scythe and closed her mouth before turning to her trusted Paragon. "What did you say?"

"I… nothing!" Kalmarin shook his head, arms raised defensively. "It's just… well… rumors tend to… No, no. You are the first Crafter to kill a Hacker." His attempts to sound certain were foiled when his eyes darted to the side for just a fraction of a second.

Carys noticed.

She fixed him with her merciless glare. "I've been standing here, celebrating my triumph over the Hackers, and being the first to make the bold statement of actually having killed one… and you say there's another?" Carys demanded.

"N-No, I…" Kalmarin faltered. "It was just a slip of the—"

"What 'slip of the tongue' can make one word turn my accomplishment entirely on its head!?"

The next thing Kalmarin knew, Carys was holding him up by the collar of his coat. She lifted him over to the dungeon wall where she pinned him there.

"What did you hear?" She snarled under her breath.

"N-nothing! Really!" He replied, hoping she would just drop it and him.

She didn't.

"If it were 'nothing' you wouldn't have brought it up in the first place and tried to pass it off as a 'slip of the tongue', now answer me!" Carys demanded, shaking him like a limp kitten. "What makes you think I'm the second Crafter to kill a Hacker?"

"Fine! There were rumors!" Kalmarin relented. "Baseless rumors, really! A few of the Paragons went to a bar and… and they were singing praises about Hacker killers, but it wasn't describing Jillian. It was describing a man!"

Carys felt her fingers loosen on Kalmarin's coat, and the Hacker fell only to quickly recover by landing on his feet. She backed away from the wall and stared down at her boots, feeling at a loss for words.

Someone else had killed a Hacker first?

"B-but it's just a rumor!" Kalmarin waved his arms as if to dispel the topic. "It's probably one of those old myths they tell to give Crafters hope against the Hackers. Nothing about the story sounded genuine. They called it the 'Legend of the Billionth', after all—"

"Where did this happen?"

"What?"

"In which Kingdom did this happen?" Carys asked urgently. "Where was the Hacker killed?"

"Well… in Daymonte, a village called Halstatt, I think. But it doesn't matter!" Kalmarin tried to reason. "Jillian's taking the credit anyway and she saved a Kingdom through it. Compared to that, one measly village isn't much to get worked up over—where are you going?"

"To find Baltic." Carys stormed out of the dungeon, her scythe at her belt. "I need him to fly me to Halstatt."

"What!? You're kidding!" Kalmarin had to jog to keep up as Carys took the steps two at a time. "What happened to keeping a low profile and staying hidden? Just to investigate a rumor—"

"I need to verify if and when a Hacker was killed." Carys cut off without looking at him. She strode down hallways with a purpose, her crimson eyes scanning the bustling Paragons residing in the castle for any sign of the airship pilot. Her boots clicked against the stone floor in that same familiar rhythm.

*tk tk tk tk*

"But… but what about training?" Kalmarin tried instead. Half of him wished he hadn't brought up the rumor to Carys, but the other half was glad to get it out of the way. If Carys had found out later about the rumored 'Legend of the Billionth' after lording over her triumph for so long, she would've been livid.

As she was now, she was… only mildly incensed.

"I can train on the way there." Carys' eyes flashed upon seeing a familiar head of dark blue hair. "Baltic!"

The head of Team Beta turned away from a discussion he was having and looked upon the Angel of Death with a surprised smile. "Carys! I see you've decided to get out of that stuffy dungeon and get some fresh air."

"Yes. And there's no better fresh air than on a flight to Halstatt. Let's go." Carys didn't even bother waiting for a reply, hooking her arm through Baltic's and wrenching him away from his conversation. The two Paragons were too scared of the Angel to be offended by her interruption and wisely backed away.

"Wha… Halstatt?" Baltic questioned as he struggled to keep pace with Carys. She was practically carrying him to the Asmodeus. "Isn't that all the way in Daymonte? Seems out of our way for a breath of fresh air."

"We won't be there long. I just need to check on something."

Baltic didn't miss the expression she was making. It looked like she had just played a game, only to discover that she had been cheated out of her winnings.

Baltic seriously wished some other Paragon knew how to pilot an airship.

The flight took four days, but upon arriving in Halstatt, Carys was quick to question the locals, who all seemed to have a unique spin on the 'Legend of the Billionth'.

"So, like, he came in on a donkey, you know. And it was as lame as you can imagine."

"He was kind and gentle, with the face of an angel."

"He tried to sell me bottles for emeralds. Bottles! But, he did save our butts, so, I guess I forgive him."

"I don't know about any Hacker killer. When I heard about the incoming Griefer army, I bounced. I still can't believe this village is still standing."

"Your face looks sort of familiar… are you some sort of celebrity?"

"Him and this other guy talked about a redstone trap… thing? I didn't understand it then and I don't now, but it killed a good chunk of those asshole Griefers."

"I saw the Hacker with my own eyes! Dark smoke was swirling around him! He had the devil's power, he did!"

"This white-haired woman kept attacking and attacking, but none of her moves did a thing! I was really scared…"

"And then out of nowhere, this guy shows up and throws the Hacker and his underling off the girl! I wish I had someone that reliable, hmhmm~"

"The lightning just kept getting worse and worse. It was almost like the Billionth was controlling it…"

"The Billionth was all like, wham, pow, kastang! He killed those Griefers without breaking a sweat!"

"The Billionth was summoning lightning to strike down the Hacker, but that wasn't working either! So instead…"

"…He gets a Charged Creeper…"

"…And yells CHARGED CREEPER FLAIL…"

"LESLIE WASN'T THERE FOR THAT PART! WAS STUCK AT BOTTOM OF WELL! IT SOUND PRETTY EPIC, THOUGH!"

"And the Creeper blows up the Hacker in this insane explosion of lightning and debris…"

"He made the Griefers run away just by tossing the Hacker's Head at them! He didn't even have to raise his sword!"

"It was probably the most epic thing I've ever seen."

"The Billionth's a hero. No other Crafter could have done what he did."

"His name? You know… I can't really remember…"

"His number stood out to me more. A ten-digit Crafter slaying a Hacker. Kind of makes you think you can do anything, yeah?"

"I'm happy enough Halstatt was saved and the Griefers repelled, but to witness history in the making…"

"That Billionth…"

"…he was the first…"

"…the very first…"

"…to slay…"

"…to kill…"

"…to decimate…"

"…to blow up…"

"…to stop…"

"…to end…"

"…a Hacker! Er… miss, are you okay? Your eye seems to be twitching a lot."

"I'm fine." Carys seethed, turning on her heel to stomp back to the airship. After questioning thirty or so of the villagers, she had to accept the facts.

The 'Legend of the Billionth' wasn't just a legend. It was real.

She wasn't the first to kill a Hacker.

She was the second.

Just thinking that made her clench her teeth in frustration. How… after all her planning and training, how could someone else beat her to the punch? How could someone else take on a Hacker? Minecraftia was supposed to be full of spineless wimps! Her Paragons were the exception to the rule. They were strong and feared.

And then this… this Billionth shows up out of the blue and kills one without any sort of planning or preparation. From the sound of it, he had only been passing through Halstatt before deciding to help. And for the battlefield to be Halstatt. There was no strategic advantage in saving such a measly village or its weak-willed people.

So why did he do it!?

It made no sense!

And how could he, a ten-digit Crafter, have done something that took her years of research and training to accomplish. She had to bolster her forces. She had to make a plan for ruling Nitebane. She had to research their powers to the letter or else leave fate to chance.

He couldn't just skip all that! And yet he did!

He was outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered. Yet he won! He killed a Hacker first! They were already singing his praises! He had thrown her accomplishment into the dirt! What did it matter who was second to kill a Hacker when the Billionth did it first? It was enough to make her blood boil!

There was no way someone of that caliber could exist outside of the Paragons! The Paragons had the strongest—!

…

Hmm…

A smile slowly crept upon Carys' face.

Yes, someone like that couldn't exist outside of the Paragons. And shouldn't.

Carys had recruited and trained the most promising Crafters across all of Minecraftia. She took in strong-willed individuals or those with strong hatred towards the Endward Cult and stoked the flames of their strength until they were efficient, cold-blooded killing machines.

So why not do the same for this Billionth?

Carys padded back to the airship, which was receiving quite a few head-turns, before boarding and signaling Baltic to depart. By the time she reached the bridge, they were well in the air.

"So… did you find out what you needed to know?"

"Yes, I did." Carys grinned. "It seems I am not the first Crafter to kill a Hacker. I… cannot pretend that doesn't disappoint me." She mumbled, her grin falling a little before coming back twice as strong. "But the Crafter known as the Billionth deserves that title more."

"The Billionth?" Baltic pronounced the words slowly as if mulling them over. "I've never heard of him."

"Neither have I until now." Carys admitted. "It's interesting how a Crafter of such a high number could accomplish such a feat. To overcome a regeneration Hack through quick thinking and a Charged Creeper. Crude, yet effective." She hummed in approval. "I must meet him."

"I know that look." Baltic muttered while turning the airship Southeast. "That's your 'I want to recruit him' look."

"It's only natural." She shrugged, lounging back in her seat. "Strong individuals seek out other strong individuals. And considering how much the rumors have built him up, I daresay I'd want to try my hand at fighting him." She smirked as she looked out the window.

"I can only imagine what fearsome training that Crafter could be doing as we speak."

"Who raided the cake dispenser!?"

Cobb whirled upon his fellow guild members, his hand violently clicking the 'Cake Button' only for no delicious desserts to be falling into his lap. He looked beside himself with rage.

Floyd, Lenz, and Soul all looked up wide-eyed and guiltily. Three deer caught in the headlights, with frosting coating their faces and cheeks stuffed. A half-eaten cake lay upon the table between them.

Cobb stared back, flexing his fingers as if he was going to strangle one of them. "Don't you dare finish that cake." He hissed warningly.

Soul gulped down the dessert clogging his throat, opened his mouth to say something, and then changed his mind by stuffing another piece of cake into it.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Cobb lunged at them, but he was too slow. Floyd and Lenz had joined in on scarfing the treat and were now forcing it down with buckets of milk.

Floyd leapt over one of the chairs, badly banged his leg, and scampered back to his designated room, albeit with a slight limp. Lenz hopped out of Cobb's reach before scurrying off to his room. Soul simply pulled Cobb's hoodie over his head and tightened it before spinning him around and shoving him into a nearby chair. By the time Cobb had regained his senses, the axe-wielder was closing his room's door.

The cake was gone.

Cobb sobbed exaggeratedly over the finished dessert, dreading the arduous journey he would have to take to get Erin to make him some more. Oh, the woes of being him.

"I cannot be outdone!" Carys surged to her feet before marching to the loading bay to continue training.

"I need to be in top form if I am to keep up with this Billionth. He won't be interested in joining the Paragons otherwise."

AN: At least she killed two Hackers. Even Cobb hasn't done that.