AN: Yeah, I really walked into the Ugandan Knuckles Meme with the way the latest character talks. Brother this and brother that. God I'm stupid. So determined am I to subvert this meme, however, that I blatantly refused to have the newest Hacker use 'the way' in any sentence.
Also, it's that wonderful time of the year when the recent reviews don't show up because of server malfunction and other techno babble. Rest assured, I'm still getting them, they just don't show up.
Anyway, this Chapter was a doozy so forgive me if it took a few days more to write.
Also, since someone asked, would you all wish for riddle puzzles again? I was kinda running out, but I guess I could look some up if enough people asked for them back. It's up to you guys.
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add Bolas.
Chapter 96
Essence of Smoke
[Noman]
I woke up safe and sound.
I hadn't been murdered in my sleep or whisked away to some godforsaken prison or else forced into slavery.
I had been sleeping soundly in the bed Old Man Bailey had kindly provided.
"Definitely not another Nana Widow." I said with a smile before getting up.
I stretched out my limbs and let a tired yawn slip free before I opened the bedside chest to sift through my armor. Everything was still accounted for. Old Man Bailey hadn't stolen anything. Even the Severe Shield was still safely tucked away inside my Inventory.
If anything, the chest had items that weren't mine. I assumed Bailey had used the same room and had simply forgotten to clean out the chest.
The items were hardly suspicious, though. Just a lone stick and a written book.
I picked it up and turned it over in my hands, reading the title. "The Art of Peace…"
Holding the book at eye level allowed me to glimpse movement from outside the only window. I lowered the book and saw several Crafters on horseback.
They were all surrounding Old Man Bailey in a semi-circle.
I put the book down and pressed my face against the glass to see what was happening. One of the Crafters on horseback was talking with Bailey, but the old man didn't look to be in a talkative mood. There were some muffled shouts that I couldn't make out coming from the other Crafters on horseback before one of them suddenly drew a sword.
Old Man Bailey responded by pulling out his stick and holding it before him. I was no expert, but it looked like they were about to come to blows.
I rushed out of the room, pulling my armor on as I did, and took the stairs two at a time before I took cover beside the front door. If they were enemies, I needed to be careful. Tentatively, I pushed the door open and peeked out to see what was going on. My hand slid to my belt but found nothing as I realized Bailey had taken my only sword.
I worried on how I'd defend Old Man Bailey without a weapon, but I needn't have bothered.
When I opened the door, it was to see the Crafters on horseback galloping away. Old Man Bailey remained where he was standing, unhurt and unperturbed by the disturbance.
He must have heard the door opening, because he turned to look in my direction. "Noman." He nodded curtly before tilting his head in the direction of the fleeing Crafters. "How much of that did you hear?"
"I didn't hear anything." I answered honestly. "I only just saw one of them draw a sword. Who were they?"
"Just some ambitious door-to-door salesmen." He dismissed with a wave. "They keep coming back with an 'offer I can't refuse', but I keep refusing them." He holstered his stick back into his belt. "It gets annoying after a while."
Since when do salesmen draw weapons? I thought, but didn't say. As absurd as his story was, it was his business. He could tell me as little or as much as he wanted.
"Well, I'm ready to work if that's alright." I said, figuring he would want to change the subject.
I was proven right by his relaxed smile. "That's the kind of attitude I'm looking for. We can start with fencing up the beetroot farm—some strange new Mobs were stepping on them last night. Then we can repair the chicken coop. And if there's time, we can feed the livestock."
I nodded along since I was pretty much clueless as to what needed to be done. If the only requirement for the work was a strong back, I was fairly certain I could carry my weight. And I owed the kind man for his hospitality.
As he led me around his property, tending to the jobs he specified, I got a better look at the landscape. His farmhouse was literally pressed against a dead-end of mesas; the layered, flat-topped buttes rising up on three sides to make a canyon. Meaning there was only one way out.
Water flowed down from the back butte and under his home, and I assumed that was where he got the water for his crops. There were orchards of trees for lumber and fenced in fields of wheat, potatoes, and carrots. The beetroot one was only half-fenced in, looking more recently built than the others.
"It's because the Bounty Day was a week ago." He explained as we chopped down trees for fences. "It was a fairly new crop that I found in one of the nearby villages and it took to the ground pretty easily." He patted his gut appreciatively. "The soup it made took to my stomach even better."
"You found these in a village?" I asked with interest. "Which one? All the ones I've passed have looked abandoned."
"…It was in one of those." He spoke with a noticeable dip in his jovial tone. "Anyway, we need to fence this up; otherwise Mobs might trample on them."
Again, it seemed I had stepped on a landmine in a warzone of touchy subjects. Thinking it better for me to just keep my mouth shut, I dove into my work with determined focus.
It was hard work, and the sun was constantly beating down on me, causing me to sweat profusely. I had foolishly kept my armor on, and since diamond armor didn't breathe, I was practically cooked by noon. Even taking my armor off didn't help, since my attire was a suit. A suit!
It was great for fancy parties and appearing like a gentleman, but was worse than useless in farm work! Oh God, it was so hot!
"Son, do you know that you can take that off?" Old Man Bailey asked while I was leaning over a fencepost looking ready to vomit. "Just imagine taking off that suit, and it'll happen. Otherwise you're just torturing yourself."
I blinked owlishly. I looked down at my sweat-soaked suit. I imagined taking it off. It disappeared in a sparkle of light, leaving me in a white undershirt that was no less drenched, but considerably cooler.
"Thank you for that information." I wearily said before returning to fencing.
After several more posts and the fence nearly being done, I noticed something moving towards us from behind the farmhouse. It had skin the color of dirt and dry, sand-colored cloth that hung from it like a second skin. It marched towards us with two others, their arms extended like Zombies.
"Is that the strange Mob you were talking about?" I pointed to the trio of monsters while taking a few steps back. They weren't burning up in the sun like regular Zombies. Their moans sounded similar, though more raspy as if with mummified throats.
"Those would be them." Old Man Bailey withdrew his stick and got into an odd stance before approaching them.
"Wait, I'll help you." I made a move to my belt before realizing a second time that my sword wasn't there. My eyes strayed to the crafting table and logs we were building with. "Just give me a second to craft a sw—"
"No!" Bailey snapped with such force that I froze in my actions. "No swords, boy! If you can't fight without one then just wait there!"
But… the Mobs… I thought as I made another move to the table, only for Bailey to stop me with a glare. How am I supposed to fight without a sword?
The same went for Bailey. As the dried Zombies approached him, he was defenseless with only a stick between them. How did he expect to damage them?
I was about to ignore his command and make a sword, figuring his survival was more important, when one of the Zombies was knocked off its feet. It growled in annoyance and got back up, only for Bailey to sweep out with his stick, tripping the monster again.
…What the?
One of the other Zombies advanced and Old Man Bailey spun around, his hands gripping his stick tight, as he lashed out with a solid jab to the chest. I clutched my torso, feeling the blow from where I was, before watching with amazement as the elderly Crafter fought the Mobs. His stick fell, again and again, cracking against skulls and arms and legs, unbalancing the monsters and forcing them to their knees.
This continued for a while before Bailey brought his stick down upon each of the Mobs, killing them. Bits of EXP and rotten flesh floated into his Inventory, but he paid it no mind. He returned the stick to his belt, let out a deep breath, and turned back to resume work on the fence.
"You going to stare all day, son?" Old Man Bailey asked, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. I glanced between him and where the Mobs were slain.
"Why… why didn't you use a sword?" I asked, forgetting how much the man hated the word.
He predictably frowned. "Didn't see the need for one."
"But… I don't…"
"Just drop it, son." Bailey dismissed as he walked past me. "I doubt you'd understand it anyway."
And so, with an awkward air between us, we finished the fence in silence.
[Floyd]
"Peace, brothers." The Hacker held up his hands, the gesture meaning next to nothing to me. If he was anything like the rest, he was as dangerous unarmed as he was armed. "You can point your blade to the ground. It is more likely to cause you harm than I."
"Stay where you are!" I shouted, causing the man to stop mid-step before retreating a few paces. He kept his movements slow and his arms raised. But even though he may have appeared harmless, I had no idea what he was capable of.
His hair was a curtain of light-gray that reached to his neck. He had serene, icy-blue eyes… with the dark lines stretched over. He wore a red, flannel, button-up shirt that was left open, revealing a well-defined chest. Dark jeans, boots, a light-gray belt and backpack, and finally a thin piece of red yarn that hung around his neck.
The dark lines were my primary concern.
"You're a Hacker." I began as I moved to stand in front of Douglass. The poor newb was paralyzed from the sight of the man.
"As are you two." The Hacker replied with a nod, prompting me to raise my sword higher to aim at his face. "Such an unusual reaction to the truth. Though, I suppose considering all that has happened…" He trailed off as he looked me up and down. "Perhaps this reaction is warranted, brother."
The Hacker took a few more steps back, giving me a large enough berth that if he attacked, I could grab Douglass and make a break for the Origin Zone. In there we were safe.
That is, if it worked against Hackers.
"Do you wish for me to leave, brother?"
"Wh—Uh… what?" I faltered at the Hacker's concerned tone, my sword lowering for only an instant.
"Well, it's just that I appear to have startled you with my sudden appearance." He explained, his hands still held up. "It was not my intention to do so. I merely wished to greet my fellow brothers and enlighten them about the powers they possess."
He moved a hand to his chest, but it wasn't a threatening act. "My name is Thed_Hearst. I'm a Hacker that has gone through all the things that you've no doubt experienced." His eyes roved over me again before turning apologetic. "More or less."
This… this wasn't going how I expected it to go. I had expected conflict. I had been ready for dark smoke to envelop him just before he killed us. I expected a fight.
This? This was just a meet-and-greet.
"Hello, I'm DouGlassCannon." The newb moved around me to wave. "B-but I guess everyone calls me Doug—"
"What do you mean, more or less?" I cut off Douglass, not wanting him to get too chummy with a Hacker. "And why are you here to greet us at all? How did you know we'd be here?"
The Hacker—Thed—glanced aside guiltily. "That's… it's a long story. One in which the answers might upset you, brother." He looked up, his icy-blue eyes locking with mine. "But you have been stumbling in the dark for too long, alone and afraid, with no one to answer your questions. You've waited long enough and it would be my honor to, how you say, 'fill you in' on the matters of your glorious heritage, brother."
Heritage? Why, oh why, was that setting off all kinds of alarms in my head. The way Thed talked and carried himself while addressing me spoke of some underlying issue of guilt. And it was only directed towards me.
While starting a conversation with a Hacker sounded like a terrible idea, I couldn't deny the sincerity in his words. Nothing he said sounded like a lie. If anything, it made me more curious. And he had yet to make an aggressive move. Was he confident that he could kill us at his leisure, or did he truly wish to talk?
Would Hackers even attack one another? He had called me 'brother', despite us only meeting a moment ago. What was up with that?
There was so much I didn't know.
And, like it or not, a Hacker was probably the best way to get answers.
"Alright." I lowered my sword, but kept it at my belt. "But if you try and attack us…" I trailed off, hoping his imagination would fill in the bluff I was making. Really, what could I do?
"I would never attack a brother." Thed promised as he put his hands down and closed the distance by a few steps. Not enough to cause me alarm, but enough to make it easier to hear him. He was being careful. "Not only is it against my code, but the Clan forbids Hackers fighting one another. We would kill ourselves out otherwise."
"Clan…?" I asked with a note of anxiety.
"Ah, yes." Thed sat down—another act to appear harmless—as he wove his hands together. "Almost all of the Hackers in Minecraftia—our fellow brothers and sisters—have joined under one clan: The Hack Clan."
In that moment, I did a remarkable impression of a clogged vacuum cleaner. Hackers were already universally feared, but now to hear they had banded together into some sort of hacker guild? The Kingdoms of Minecraftia would be shitting stone bricks.
"You said almost all of the Hackers." Douglass spoke up, catching Thed's attention. "That means there were some that decided not to join?"
"No." He breathed a disappointed sigh. "Every brother and sister we approached with the offer to join our clan has agreed. They did so with the intention of controlling their immense power as well as finding peers that would accept them with open arms." He shook his head with a growl. "No, the reason the clan is missing some members is because one of our brothers shirked on his responsibilities."
"What do you mean?"
"Whenever a brother or sister spawns, it leaves a certain smell… a lingering stench of smoke. It's faint—something that only lasts a day—but a sensitive Hacker can detect it." He glanced up to look at me with weary eyes. "I am afraid the scent of smoke has long since left you, brother. However," his attention turned to Douglass, "his is still fresh. I sensed him when he spawned, just as I sensed you coming here. While I didn't expect to find two of you, I am no less pleased. The more, the merrier I always say."
I gave myself a tentative sniff after his talk of scents and smells and I watched Douglass do the same. From the puzzled look on his face, neither of us had detected anything.
"The Clan has always been watching over the Origin Zone." Thed continued while fiddling with the yarn around his neck. "We always leave a Hacker to detect newly spawned brothers and sisters. We explain to them what they are and what they are capable of—what their heritage means—and we always manage to convince them to join the clan; where they rightfully belong."
I frowned. "Really? Not one of them wanted to go on their own? They all just willingly went with you? No struggle?"
"You make it sound like our purposes are nefarious." Thed joked, though I didn't feel like laughing. He quickly went on. "What I mean is, all we do is let a Hacker know that he or she is deserving of greatness. That they have been blessed with a power that we can help control. Whatever familial bonds occur after, brother, come naturally. It is one of the reasons our clan is so tight-knit."
"Yes. A tight-knit clan that feels the need to make a rule where nobody is allowed to kill one another." I spoke sarcastically.
"That… is an unspoken rule we all adhere to." Thed spoke seriously. "We don't harm our own. We don't kill our own. At worse, if a brother begins to act out, they are banished from the clan. But only for a short time or until they can redeem themselves. Poor Alec…"
The grief in those words, not to mention the name, made chills go down my spine. He sounded like he knew that Alec had died. I wondered how Thed would react knowing that Alec's killer was nearby.
My guess? Badly.
"If you always have a Hacker watching the Origin Zone, how come I was never approached?" I asked in an attempt to steer him away from Alec.
Instead, however, Thed's expression grew more agonized. "I… I beg for your forgiveness, brother." He spoke with bowed head. "Had I been there at the time, I would have welcomed you in a heartbeat. No brother deserves to be left alone like you were." He looked up to fix his icy eyes onto mine. "Even though this explanation comes to you late, I beg of you to forgive me."
"Um…" I felt like I was missing something. Thankfully, Thed was quick to explain.
"The most recent Hacker that chose to watch over the Origin Zone was named Kalmarin_the_Prophet. He switched with Giovanni and insisted on taking permanent watch. We hadn't heard for him in a while, but we figured it was because there was a cessation in the rate of Hackers spawning." Thed frowned. "However, when we saw posters with the picture of an unknown Hacker emblazoned upon them, we realized something was wrong."
Right. The wanted posters. It seems like my mysterious Bounty had grabbed a different kind of attention after all.
"Kalmarin should have greeted you and brought you to us." Thed continued. "I came here to investigate, only to discover that Kalmarin had abandoned his post for quite some time. Worse, without him here to tell us, we have no idea how long he stopped greeting Hackers for. Thus, there is an unknown amount of Hackers traveling the lands of Minecraftia, as lost and alone as you undoubtedly were, brother."
I hadn't been alone though. Even if I hadn't known I was a Hacker at the time, I had made friends with Soul and… Silent. They were the group I traveled with. Had Kalmarin or Thed been present, I would have been taken to the clan just like the rest.
It wasn't a matter of choice. Looking back now, the current me would have been suspicious of Thed's offer had he shown up. But as a newb in a strange new world, I would have accepted anything—especially if someone said I was powerful and special. Faced with the choice to travel with one group or go with a different group that promised you unimaginable powers? Any newb in a similar situation would take the latter.
Any newb…
My eyes glanced to Douglass for an instant and, sure enough, he was listening to Thed with rapt attention.
He was far too interested in what he had to say.
"It pains me just thinking about it." Thed pinched the bridge of his nose, recalling some painful moment. "How could Kal have left your fates to chance? He has no idea the danger he put you through. I pray he has a good excuse for leaving without informing his brethren; otherwise he will face banishment. Not to mention an earful from me if I ever see his face again."
His words, while delivered with determination, lacked any heat. It was obvious Thed was more concerned about his brother's safety than in punishing him. It was the same kind of unconditional care seen with familial relationships.
And from Thed's description, the Hack Clan sounded like one big family.
"You're… not what I was expecting." I said, surprising the gray-haired man. "For a Hacker, I mean."
"Oh, really?" He asked with a bit of amusement. "Forgive me if I come across as a protective older brother. A few of my younger sisters find me to be suffocating, but I simply can't help myself." He smiled sadly before casting his gaze to the dirt. "Though, I suppose I failed you by not being there when you spawned. I promise I will make it up to you!"
"Don't worry about it." I waved him off, unknowingly relaxing my guard. The conversation had just been that natural. "I took care of myself pretty well."
"Indeed." Thed agreed easily. "I don't know for how long you've been on your own, but it comes as no surprise you were able to protect yourself, brother."
"Well, I didn't do it alone—!" Wait, no!
His icy blue eyes crinkled in confusion. "What was that, brother?"
"Uh…" Crap, why did I let that slip? "Well… I mean…"
"So you weren't alone?" He cocked his head to the side, having heard my slip-up. "You traveled with others? But not your brothers…?"
"W-well…" I trailed off, unsure of how he'd react. Sure he was fine talking in the presence of Hackers like himself, but how would he feel about Cobb or Soul? I still had no idea whether the Hack Clan was composed of actual monsters or if the ones that attacked Halstatt and Nitebane were unrelated exceptions.
I had no idea how he'd react to my friends, just as I had no idea how my friends would react to my Hacker lineage.
"Oh, I think I understand!" Thed snapped his fingers in realization, startling me. "You allowed Griefers to travel with you, correct?"
Griefers? "Um…"
"You had me worried for a second." He laughed while resting his chin on his hand. "I suppose it makes sense, though. I bet those worms kissed the ground you stood on when you, how you say, 'flexed your muscles'."
"What do you mean?" And did he just call them worms?
"You know." He rolled his eyes. "Flexing your muscles. A show of force. Ah—a demonstration of your power."
He must have meant the Hacker smoke. Little did he know I had virtually no control over when it decided to manifest. It kept me worried, wondering when Cobb or Soul would turn to me and ask why I was smoking. Apart from claiming I was on fire, I had no idea how I would explain it away.
"The Griefers always flock to us." Thed explained with a pitying shake of the head. "They believe we are their salvation. That we can lift them to greater acts of grief. That we are the leaders with promises of glory. Ha!" His laugh was full of malice. "Have you ever heard of something so outlandish? As if we would use our gifts to benefit insects. Their place is to serve us and be grateful we tolerate their existence in the first place."
I didn't like where this conversation was heading. It seemed there was more to this guy than just being a protective older brother.
But before I could think up a response, Douglass interjected. "What are your powers like? Do you know how to activate them? I really want to try mine out." His mouth was tripping over his tongue in his haste to ask the Hacker his burning questions.
It made Thed focus on him and I watched in worry as an indulgent smile spread across his face. "Someone's eager." He fiddled with the string around his neck and closed his eyes, looking to be contemplating something. "I suppose I could tell you, or… I could show you."
When his eyes snapped open again, it was to reveal icy-blue surrounded by a sea of black. Smoke seeped from his eyes and spread across his body at a startling pace, causing me to reflexively step back and for Douglass to step forward. By the time Thed got to his feet, the smoke had fully enveloped him.
"Whoa…" Douglass marveled as he took another step forward. I reached out a hand to stop him, but was too afraid to get any closer. This was my first time witnessing a Hacker's activation—a Hactivation—since my own. And I still did not like the sight of it.
Thed didn't act any different. He even smiled and held out his arms, allowing Douglass to prod and examine everywhere the smoke spread. Thed's sclerae melded well with the darkness and caused his icy-blue eyes to stand out all the more.
"Alright, enough poking, brother." Thed laughed, pushing Douglass away. "The smoke you see is the physical embodiment of our divine power. It is so overwhelming and overflowing, that our bodies cannot contain it." He waved his arm around, letting wisps of dark smoke drift away. "Achieving this state is trickier than it looks. It requires you to look deep inside yourself and grasp the power—command it—to work for you. You can't be timid or polite. You really need to take charge."
He looked to us expectantly and I realized he was waiting on us to follow his teachings. And why wouldn't he? These were the kinds of lessons that won over newbs. The promise of power was too tantalizing to pass up, and Douglass was drinking it all in.
Douglass' face screwed up in concentration as he gripped his chest with both hands. He made a steady grunt of noise as he tried to follow Thed's advice. As he tried to reach for the power buried within.
He had no fear for it. He fully welcomed the prospect of having such power.
I didn't.
"Well, brother?" Thed asked patiently while looking to me. "Care to show us your power?"
"Ah… maybe later." I replied evasively. "A-anyway, there was something else I wanted to ask."
"Yes?"
"Is there a way for Hacks to be removed?" I asked bluntly. It wasn't the worse thing to say—I could easily claim it was because I was worried my 'power' would be taken—and I really wanted to know if it was possible.
"If such a process existed, it would be akin to removing one's own arm." Thed replied. "But no, brother. It is a power born from destiny. Ours, and ours alone. It cannot be taken away."
"Ah… that's… good to hear." Not for the first time, I felt my hopes plummet into my gut. I was stuck being a Hacker. Forever.
"I… I think I… PAH!" Douglass gasped as he fell on his butt, panting heavily. "I… I think I almost had it." He panted while rubbing at his eyes. "It was frustrating… like trying to hold water in my palm…"
"Not to worry, brother. It will come to you in time." Thed assuaged before cracking his neck. "Now, I believe I said I'd be showing you something. I would hate to disappoint."
Douglass' eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Are you going to show us a power!?"
"It's called a Hack, brother." He clarified. "And yes, I believe I can indulge you two with one."
Douglass bounced on the balls of his feet (he was barefoot), he was so excited. Meanwhile, I was glancing back towards the Origin Zone, wondering how long I could stay before they started to worry. If they sent someone to look for me or Douglass, they'd discover three Hackers trying out their powers.
I needed an excuse to part ways.
The smoky Hacker slowly raised his hand, holding it up before him. He pressed his fingers together, keeping our attention with the dramatic gesture.
What was he going to show?
Then, with a short glance between the two of us to ensure we were watching, Thed snapped his fingers and…
…
Nothing.
He just stood there, still as a statue, his smoke still billowing off of him. And we just stared at his motionless form. Slowly, Douglass' wonderment turned to sour disappointment.
"Er… was something supposed to happen or…?" Douglass trailed off, hoping Thed would explain that this was just him building up suspense. But the Hacker remained silent.
Silent and motionless.
With a suspicious thought, I approached the Hacker. With every wary step I took, I began to notice how still his breathing had become, how statuesque his figure was…
And how unblinking his eyes were.
"What's…?"
I trailed off as I felt a hand touch my shoulder at the same time Thed disappeared before my eyes. Douglass let out a cry of shock and I quickly whirled around to see who had touched me.
It was Thed.
But he had been motionless in front of me just a second ago. And, now that I noticed, he was motionless now too. His hands were held up in surrender, a serene smile plastered onto his face. His eyes stared— not at me, but into the middle-distance—unblinkingly.
He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. He was a statue once more.
At least until he vanished again. As if he had suddenly teleported away.
"Up here."
My head shot up to witness the Hacker, smoke still coming off of him, laid out atop a tree branch. His foot bobbed atop his knee and he looked down at us with a lazy smile.
"How did you…?" I paused again as I noticed his foot abruptly stop bobbing. His eyes were staring again. He was motionless.
I whirled around, taking my eyes off the Hacker in the tree as I looked left and right. I was beginning to see what his power was. The Thed in the tree wasn't real. The second he stopped moving he wasn't real.
Sure enough, another Thed appeared before me, back in the spot he had started from. His arms were folded though, looking impressed. "You caught on pretty quick, brother. The others will like that about you."
"Huh? Wait, what? What just happened?" Douglass questioned as he pointed to the tree and then to Thed. "First you were there, but then you disappeared and were there, but then you were up there and… and… How?"
"It's teleporting." I guessed. "Your Hack allows you to teleport. It's like an ender pearl without the damage, right?"
"Ah, close, but no, nothing as simple and mundane as that." Thed folded his arms behind his head and let out a deep breath. Immediately, the smoke swirling around his body dispersed. He had turned it off. "That was a Hack called Blink. And it is very difficult to explain."
"Blink?" I questioned. "How is it different from an ender pearl?"
"Well, you see, I'm not actually teleporting anywhere." Thed explained while fiddling with the string around his neck. "I had to climb that tree and move around to get into those positions. I didn't just instantly appear there… even if it looked like I did."
"I still don't get it."
"Blink is a rather cumbersome Hack. I suppose it's similar to, how you say, an out of body experience." Thed gestured to himself. "Imagine me as two entities: A body and a soul. Blink allows my soul to leave my body behind and flit about unfettered. Then, when my soul is in a position I wish it to be, I Blink so that my body rejoins it. It happens instantly, though, which is why it appears like my body is teleporting from one place to another. If you'd believe it, I had my soul circle around you two while you were staring at my body to do something."
"What? Really?" Douglass cocked his head to the side. "Did you poke us while you were a soul? Because I didn't feel anything."
"My soul can't touch you when I Blink." Thed explained. "The soul has no bearing on the world, just where I can reposition myself. At the same time, without my soul, my body can't move. It becomes still and vulnerable. Any damage the body takes at the time will be felt by the soul. Even after you throw an ender pearl you can still move, but not in Blink's case. It makes me incredibly vulnerable whenever I use it."
"Sounds like a pretty shitty Hack." I blurted without thinking.
Far from being offended, Thed laughed. "It is, isn't it? I certainly thought so when it first manifested. However, we do not always get to choose the power we call out for. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it will be the end-all solution. Still, I call out to it and it heeds my command."
Simple as that, huh? I thought as I gazed down upon my hand. I had been desperate when I called out to my Hack. It was a do-or-die situation and the power had been enough to overwhelm Teal…
But it didn't heed my command like Thed said. It was finicky. Sometimes it showed up at the worst times, others it only lasted less than a minute before crapping out. I never wanted the power in the first place, but a Hack wasn't something to be trusted.
"Wow…" Douglass had no such burdensome thoughts as he gazed at his hand forlornly. "I wish I could go all smoky. I want to know what Hack I have."
"Forgive me, brother. I am only a novice as a teacher." Thed apologized humbly. "But the others can do a much better job teaching you all the tips and tricks to it. I'll introduce you to them once we get there."
"…Get there?" I asked, suddenly alarmed.
"Well, naturally." Thed said as if it was obvious. "I'm taking the two of you with me. Was that not clear?"
Douglass perked up, looking excited at the prospect, but I took a step back. "Hold on. We didn't even say we'd go with you."
"I will!"
"I didn't say I'd go with you." I clarified. "Thanks for the offer, Thed, but I'd rather stick with my group than visit your clan."
"It is our clan, brother." He cocked his head to the side, perplexed. "And why would you prefer the company of worms when your brothers and sisters—the greatest company of all—would wish to meet you?"
"I don't think of them as worms." I spoke clearly. "They're my friends."
"…Friends?" Thed looked positively confused at the word, his head cocked to the side looking ready to blow. "I don't… why would you…"
"Hellooooooo! Floyd, you out here?"
All three of us froze at the sound that cut through the night. It was Soul, sent to look for me because I had taken too long. My eyes glanced to Thed, only to see those icy-blue orbs narrowed in annoyance. He wasn't looking at me, he was looking towards where the voice had come from.
"Wait a sec—" I tried before the axe-wielding Soul burst through the bushes at the worst time imaginable.
"Ah, there you are! What are you doing out here, playing hide and seek?" Soul joked as he stepped over the underbrush, only for his crimson eyes to stray to the unknown Crafter before him. "And who's this guy with the six-pack? Some passing Crafter or—"
"I am no mere Crafter, worm." Thed growled, all signs of his serene manner gone. "Apologize quickly and I might forgive your blatant oversight."
"What did you call me?" Soul growled back as he stomped forward, right up to Thed. "Listen, buddy, why don't you apologize… for…" He trailed off as smoke began to envelop the Hacker once more. The axe-wielder had time to widen his eyes, recognizing the smoke for what it meant about the person he was mouthing off to.
"Wait, Thed...!" I called out, but it was too late. He had already gone unnaturally still, his eyes glaring at Soul unblinkingly.
The next instant, Thed Blinked back into existence within Soul's blind spot, an enchanted diamond sword within his grasp. The dark smoke swirled around his arm, making it appear bulkier, before he swung out with a vicious slash.
Poor Soul didn't know what hit him as the diamond blade shattered his iron chestplate and crashed into his back with the force of a truck. I watched as his body went limp as it sailed through the air before getting clotheslined by a low-hanging branch, flipping once, and landing in a heap in the dirt.
"SOUL!" I called out in alarm as I rushed over to him. I knelt down and checked his Health only to go pale. Not only was he unconscious, but he only had two Hearts left.
That… that wasn't natural. No enchantment could have done that much damage and Thed didn't look to be using any Strength Potions.
Was this… another Hack?
Those thoughts had to take a back-seat, however, when Thed approached, his diamond sword held at the ready.
I glared up at him. "What's wrong with you!?"
"Huh?"
"You just… just…" I struggled for the right verb. "…bitch-slapped him!"
"Yes. That was sort of the idea." Thed placed a hand on his hip and looked down on us, smoke still seeping from his being. "Since it looked like he was one of your Griefers, I offered him the chance to take back his words. He should know a Hacker when he sees one. He didn't back down, so I showed him the ground."
"He's my friend, you jerk!" I shouted back, startling the Hacker enough for his smoke to dissipate. "He's not some crony or goon! He's one of my best friends!" I turned back to the axe-wielder and tried shaking him awake. "Soul, get up!"
"…I… I don't understand any of this." Thed swayed on the spot, jamming his sword into the dirt for support as he clutched his head. "You would… befriend these worms? But why? Why befriend those that would only hold you back?" Thed took a step towards me. "You don't deserve his company, brother. You belong with the Hack Clan. There you can be appreciated and accepted and—"
"I don't give a shit about your clan!" I shouted, causing Thed to flinch as if he was backhanded. I pressed on, however, pushing myself to my feet. "How can you call Crafters worms? How can you attack them so viciously!? Do all Hackers act like this?" I gnashed my teeth. "Is this the kind of stuff your clan endorses!?"
Thed looked like he didn't quite know what to make of me. "Crafters are worms, brother. They are fundamentality lesser beings. They don't hold a fraction of the power we possess, so why should we treat them as anything more?"
"Oh my God, they were right all along…" I whispered breathlessly. "Hackers… all the stuff they've done… all the people they've hurt… they weren't isolated incidents. Halstatt and Nitebane…" My eyes narrowed. "You're all just as bad as the Endward Cult!"
"How dare you compare us to those lesser Crafters!?" Thed roared as smoke billowed off of him once more. He raised his sword as if to strike me, but restrained himself enough to slash at a nearby tree, splintering it into logs with the same strength he had used on Soul. "…We should not be fighting each other like this, brother. As Hackers, we are the superior race of being. We are the rightful rulers of Minecraftia. We are the Gods of this world." He glared at me. "And Gods do not befriend lesser beings."
"Soul's no lesser being. He's the strongest Crafter I know."
"Really? Because to me he looks like an ant lying helpless in the dirt."
"He's stronger in different ways. He's a fighter. He never gives up. It's why I respect him."
"Enough!" Thed threw a hand out as if to dispel my words. "A Hacker should not respect a worm like him! He would only take advantage of your gifts, brother. He would manipulate you. Use you. And deny you the respect you deserve."
"He's not like that at all. He doesn't see me as less than him. We're equals."
"Calling you his equal is already belittling!" Thed shouted before pointing his sword at Soul. I moved to stand in his way. "Crafters like him are too weak to be our equals. Only our brothers and sisters deserve that right!"
"Oh yeah?" I taunted. "Then what about those two Hackers that died in Nitebane?" Thed's eye twitched in annoyance. "What about Alec?"
"Do not bring up our fallen brethren." Thed threatened lowly. "Whatever befell them, the clan will soon find out. We've already sent someone to Nitebane to verify—"
"If Hackers are as mighty as you say they are," I continued boldly, "then how come three of them have been slain? Maybe you're all not as invincible as you—"
I raised my sword up reflexively as Thed's smashed into it with the same force he used on Soul. I could feel my arm buckle and creak, but I held firm and was rewarded by only having my back slam against a tree, damaging my spine.
As I coughed painfully, I noticed Thed drop his sword. "What… what have I done?" He whimpered to himself while looking down at his empty hands. "I've… I've raised my blade against a brother…" The smoke around him vanished and he was hyperventilating with wide eyes. "I've… I've failed my clan… I've attacked my own flesh and blood…" He shook his head. "No… no… there has to be an explanation for this wrong…"
While he was in the midst of his episode, I glanced over to the downed Soul and the only other person available to carry him out of here.
"Douglass…" I called out, wincing as my back creaked with every movement. The newb was hidden behind a tree and was glancing between Thed and Soul with a terrified expression. "Douglass, help me get Soul back to the Origin Zone…"
"I…"
"Now!" I shouted, startling the newb. "Hacker or not, you owe him for helping to train you, right!?" It was a lame excuse, but I needed his cooperation. "So you get him to safety!"
I watched as Douglass seemed to consider the command. He glanced back to Thed for a moment, and then slowly turned to face me.
"No."
Blank shock showed on my face. "You… what?"
"No." Douglass repeated, glancing coldly at Soul. "I will not help him."
"Why… stop joking around!" I shouted at him. "Soul volunteered to teach you combat!"
"And I was trounced with ease." Douglass shot back. "The gap in our skills was so large, I knew I would never be able to catch up—or at least I thought I did." Douglass turned back to Thed with a hungry expression to his eyes. "Until now."
"You… you son of a—"
"Take a look, Floyd." Douglass pointed to the downed axe-wielder. "He was the one brought down with ease. All from a little smoke. With power like that… with power like that I might actually be able to survive this world." He laughed to himself. "And like he said… Hackers were meant to rule."
"Well said." Thed hissed as he slowly recovered from his plight. He walked over to Douglass and rested a hand on his shoulder; a gesture of trust. "Thank you, brother. You have cleared things up wonderfully for me."
Thed moved past the confused newb towards me, his pace slow and robotic. "Douglass understands what it means to be a Hacker. But you do not. Why, oh why, do you think that is?"
I pushed off the ground and tried to stand, only to crumple at the last moment. My back was definitely messed up from Thed's strike.
"It confused me at first, but I think I have an explanation to this wrong, brother." Smoke enveloped Thed once more and his icy-blue orbs locked onto Soul with deadly clarity. "They have brainwashed you, brother."
"…What?"
"They stole you away—the worms in wolves' clothing—and whispered lies into your ears." His face contorted in fury. "They manipulated you into thinking you were just like them. They seek to control you. To make you serve them."
"What are you—Nobody's brainwashing anyone!"
"Even now, you don't even realize." Tears fell from Thed's face. "They have wormed their way into your mind and refuse to let go. They're the ones driving us apart. They think it amusing to force brothers to fight one another!?" Thed raised his sword and aimed it for the unconscious Soul. "Don't worry, brother. I will save you from their control! The Hack Clan will not abandon you!"
It was no use. Nothing I was saying was getting through to him. He had already decided that I was not in my right mind, even though, to me, he was the one a few ingots short of a block.
He was going to kill Soul.
"Stop!" I held my hands out, standing between Thed and Soul. The Hacker halted and looked at me with unblinking resolve—
Wait, no, he wasn't moving—
Shit!
Instantly, I turned around and threw myself over Soul's body, just as Thed Blinked over us, sword poised to stab into Soul's gut. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but halted the strike all the same.
"Their conditioning is frightening. To make you think to throw your own life before theirs…" Thed muttered to himself in disgust before speaking to me. "Please, brother, I know it must be hard, but you must shake off their control." He pleaded as he knelt down beside me. "Please, I only want what's best for you—"
"Then stop trying to kill my friend!" I shot back, shoving him away.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Floyd." He recovered quick, readying his sword once more. There was real pain on his face. "You'll thank me for this later. Now stand aside…" His eyes narrowed with grim determination. "Before I make you."
Gone was his once serene visage. His protective nature was in full display. He was ready to do whatever it took to—in his eyes—rescue his brother.
I clung tighter to Soul, wishing my Health would regenerate faster and fix my back already. Thed struggled to find a gap in my defenses to get at Soul, before opting to pull me off the axe-wielder entirely. I felt both hands grasp my sweater and pull…
Followed by the twangs of two arrows.
Thed reacted fast enough, letting go of me and backing off before the arrows could catch him. What he didn't realize, however, was that someone else threw something at him.
"CAST!"
A fishing hook snagged the back of his shirt and yanked him towards a tree. Cobb emerged after, Backlash held firmly in one hand and a sword in another as the Hacker was pulled close.
Thed narrowed his eyes, before his body went still as it hurled towards Cobb.
Cobb timed his strike perfectly and slashed at the incoming Hacker with his sword… only to pass through nothing as Thed Blinked to stand to the left of the attack, arm reared back and smoke pulsing in the same way it had against Soul.
"Strength." He spoke lowly as his fist connected with the side of Cobb's head. The fisherman's eyes lost focus for a second as he was bodily punched through the air and crashed into the ground, rolling to a stop.
Checking only that Cobb was still alive, I hastily fumbled at Soul's belt, looking for any Potions he might have picked up from Brett or the Ringwood guards. My eyes lit upon seeing the rich red of sweet Potions of Healing. Three of them. And they were the higher-tiered kind, too.
I pulled them from his belt and spared a quick glance to Thed who was Blinking out of the way of arrows being fired at him. I assumed it was Lenz.
Oh, Gods, how am I going to explain all this to them. I thought, looking to Cobb and then Soul. They would surely ask why I was hanging out in the middle of the woods with a Hacker and if they were as smart as Lenz, they might start to question why we had the same dark lines over our eyes and what he had wanted with me and Douglass.
I shook those thoughts away, however. It was a problem for later. Right now I had to make sure we had a later.
The Healing Potions were splash, so I very gingerly smashed the bottle over Soul's head and watched as his Hearts filled up. He mumbled something under his breath and I took that as a sign he was coming to. Luckily, the Splash Potion hit me too, restoring my Health—and back—to normal.
As quick as I could, I dragged Soul over to Cobb who was weakly moaning.
"Hey, Floyd…" He spoke dizzily. "Did you catch the number of the truck that hit me?"
I smashed the potion bottle into his face, healing the damage he received. He shook the dizziness off and took stock of the situation.
"We're fighting a Hacker." He said pointlessly.
"Lenz is keeping him busy right now. Soul is," I glanced back to him, "…coping?"
"At least he had his map on him. Otherwise we would have never found either of you." Cobb struggled to his feet before turning to look me in the eye. "We figured a Hacker might try and approach you and Douglass."
My blood froze. "What… what made you think—?"
"Floyd. I know you're a Hacker." His words clutched at my chest with an icy grip. "I know about the lines over your eye. I know about all of it."
"I… I…"
"Now that that's out of the way," Cobb picked himself up, moving on as if it wasn't some mind-blowing secret, "let's go kill that no-good Hacker… no offense." He added.
I was shocked at his level of unresponsiveness. "You… you mean you don't hate me?"
"Of course not."
"But… but everything you and Soul said about—"
"Thinking back… it was pretty insensitive to say those things with you standing right in front of us." He replied awkwardly. "In our defense, we only spoke that way because we didn't think any Hackers were around. If we had known, we would have walked away before speaking behind your back."
His joke fell flat and he coughed to quickly change the subject. "Look, whatever you are we can sort out later. Right now, my friends are in danger and I could really use your help."
Taking the momentary reprieve for what it was, I shakily got to my feet and readied my sword alongside Cobb. It was a good thing, too. Because Lenz looked to be on the back-foot against Thed.
"Curse my short-sidedness for not making more arrows!" Lenz whined as he cowered behind a tree before Thed splintered it with his Hack, Strength. The engineer crawled away in the debris before his eyes lit up at the logs raining down on him. "Oh, that is just what I need, thank you."
"You're not welcome, worm." Thed replied before aiming a kick at the engineer.
Cobb's fishing hook got there first, dragging the engineer away from the kick that would have punted him like a football. He skidded to a halt at our feet.
"What do we do, Cobbert!?"
"Why are you acting like I have the answer?"
"Well, you are the one that killed Alec. Out of all of us, you are the most experienced for this."
"What did you just say?" Thed asked with murder in his eyes.
Uh-oh.
"You… you're the one that killed Alec?" Thed swayed on the spot, almost drunkenly in his fury. "You killed one of my brothers. You're the Billionth!"
"No! No—I—I'm not the Billionth at all, I swear!" Cobb waved his arms defensively. "In fact, just ask Helena back at the Origin! She'll set you straight!"
"And now… you manipulate another brother into serving you!" He raised his sword angrily and smoke started to coat the blade like it did his body. "Have you no mercy!? REACH!"
He swung his sword down, causing a great crescent of smoke to erupt off the end in a vertical slash. Cobb and Lenz were caught unaware by the strange attack, but I had the sense to expect the unexpected from Thed's Hacks. Plural. He had to have more than one.
I tackled Cobb to the ground, dodging the airborne sword slash that would have cleaved him in half. Lenz rolled out of the way on his own before setting a Crafting Table down and working the logs Thed had showered him with into sticks. Presumably for arrows.
"Stop protecting them, brother!" Thed shouted, rearing back the sword again and allowing smoke to coat it once more. "They must die for what they've done to you! REACH!"
This time, it was a horizontal slash that hurtled towards us. Whatever this Hack—Reach—was, it looked like it could emit his sword slashes like projectiles and hit Crafters from a distance.
Like a game of deadly jump-rope—that Teal would have probably found delightful—Cobb leapt off the ground, letting it pass below. The slash toppled the trees it struck like dominoes.
Thed was probably boosting it with his Strength Hack. Along with Blink, that meant he had three Hacks. And we still had no idea what abilities he was keeping hidden.
"Lenz, why did you have to tell him I killed Alec!?" Cobb hissed under his breath as he bent his body awkwardly to dodge the slashes.
"Apologies! I thought it might frighten him off. I now see it had the opposite effect."
"You think!?"
Finally, Lenz managed to mold enough sticks, feathers, and flint to replenish his arrows and he wasted no time putting them to use. Thed remained still, his blade held back awkwardly, as the arrows pelted towards him.
"Move!" I shouted, confusing Lenz who didn't yet know about his Blink ability. Thed vanished from sight—the arrows passing through where he had been motionless—and he reappeared next to Lenz.
"NO!" My scream was echoed by Cobb as Thed's sword, covered in smoke, fell towards Lenz's helpless face.
*SPLASH*
Thed's eyes widened as two Potions were chucked at his back. He was frozen again, but this time it wasn't because of his Hack. His eyes were darting in confusion as his body went slack, Paralyzed. His sword was stuck in a position poised to end Lenz's life, but unable to act.
As his body slowly started to wilt under the effects of gravity, Soul's face appeared behind him and, before he could say anything, the axe-wielder spun around in a roundhouse axe delivered to the Hacker's face, no doubt as a form of payback for the hit earlier. Thed tumbled across the ground, his body slack and going along for the ride, as he skidded to a stop against the base of a tree.
There was a moment of silence as we all looked on at the Hacker lying helpless against the tree, his eyes looking at Cobb, Lenz, and Soul with pure hatred.
"As soon as I get out of this Paralysis," he growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "you worms will be in for a world of—"
"Stomp hiiiiiiiim!" Cobb cried.
Thed's eyes widened with worry. It was almost comical as we all rushed over to the Paralyzed Hacker and proceeded to beat the ever-loving shit out of him. Cobb and Soul were stamping their sneakers and boots atop his body, over and over, while I settled for slashing with an actual sword. And then Lenz just kept taking shots from point-blank range, his arrows sinking into the Hacker's body.
As united we were in our beat down of the guy, we soon realized something was wrong. Smoke was still swirling over his body, and, though he winced from the pain, he was taking far more damage than he should have been able to.
After about thirty seconds, Cobb stopped, staggering back and panting for breath. "Damn, he has Super Regen. Just like Alec." Thed roared in fury. "Not that I know who that is…"
"Okay, so… what do we do?"
"Look for a Creeper." Cobb called out, his eyes already scanning the dark forest. "Or better yet, Lenz you got TNT?"
"No! I am afraid I used it all up saving you from Hunder!"
"Ugh, then we'll just have to find a Creeper. Soul, keep him Paralyzed with more potions-"
"Those were the only two I had."
"Oh... well... how long were they made to last?"
"Um… a minute and a half."
"WHAT!?"
"Perhaps if you start begging, I'll only kill all of you worms." Thed suggested with a grim smile. "Time's a tickin'."
"Okay, new plan!" Cobb hastily pointed south. "We run like hell to the Origin Zone!"
"Are you crazy?" Soul growled. "You want to bring him to Helena and the other newbs?"
"They'll be fine so long as they stay in the zone." He twitched his hand. "Probably. Look, we can't be here when he recovers! He could transform into the mighty Ōzaru for all we know about his powers."
"I agree with Cobbert." Lenz nodded. "We should go. Where is Douglass?"
"Forget Douglass." I said coldly. "He's sided with Thed. I'll explain later." I spoke the last bit in response to their questioning looks.
"Abandoning your own brother…" Thed whispered under his breath as we sprinted out of there.
Yeah, he was very, very mad.
"So, does anyone want to clue me in on why a Hacker is so close to the origin Zone in the first place?" Soul asked before he and I scooped up a winded Lenz. Damn his poor physical conditioning.
"Floyd's a Hacker. Douglass is a Hacker. Thed came to approach Douglass. He found Floyd too." Cobb ticked off his fingers. "Floyd probably refused his offer."
"I definitely refused his offer!" I said a bit defensively. "But he thinks you've all brainwashed me into being your companion and that you're using me for my Hacks."
"How dare he say that!?"
"Yeah, we're obviously only using you for your blue hair. I'm joking! I'm joking." Soul appeased when I was about to drop my half of the engineer. "So how are we going to get rid of him? He didn't look like the type to just let us get away."
"We'll figure it out." Cobb panted as we ran through the forest, his eyes flicking to the map in his hands. "We just need a Creeper Flail. Or a very high cliff. Or an enraged Leslie."
"What's a Leslie?"
"The iron golem in Halstatt—you were there, weren't you!?"
"Hey, my memory isn't like Helena's." Soul argued. "And how come you're not carrying this nerd?"
"Because I'm the leader. And as leader, I am delegating the task onto you."
"Tch…"
Any other conversation was halted so we could preserve our breath. We had to beat Thed back or else be in the 'world of [insert threatening noun here]' he had promised us.
Or, more likely, promised Soul, Lenz, and Cobb.
[Noman]
"All done."
Repairing the chicken coop had been a breeze, and after harvesting the wheat fields, we had fed the livestock. This was made all the easier since the cows just walked up to us as soon as we held out the grain bushels. We were even treated to the glorious miracle of birth.
Two cows started bumping against each other until a baby cow popped out.
…
The miracle of birth!
"You certainly have a lot of cows." I commented to Old Man Bailey. He had been relatively quiet after fighting those dried Zombies, only giving minor instructions. I wanted to try and break the ice.
"That sort of thing happens when I don't eat them, son."
"You don't eat them?" I asked, bemused. "But then… why raise so many?"
He raised an eyebrow before pulling out a bucket. "Milk."
"…And the chickens?"
"Eggs."
"So… you don't eat meat."
"I don't eat living things, no."
"But don't eggs hatch into chickens? Aren't they considered a living thing?"
The old man groaned. "If they can be stored in my backpack or belt, no, I don't consider them a living thing. Eggs can be unfertilized, after all. Baby chicks only pop out after I feed them."
"So you're a half-vegetarian?" I questioned, to which Bailey just shrugged. "That's an interesting choice to make. Any reason as to why?"
Bailey paused for a second, considering his words. He gave me a sidelong glance before turning away.
And then he said, "All life is a manifestation of the spirit, the manifestation of love. Each manifestation should be allowed free expression."
The sound of the wind blowing by and of mooing cows filled the air as I pondered Bailey's words.
"Do you believe that?" He turned around and asked, putting me on the spot. "Do you think all life should be allowed to live?"
"Well…" I thought about that for a bit. "I don't think killing people is right. And anyone that resorts to such an act without it being necessary is no better than a murderer. But…"
I thought about my mission to stop the Endward Cult. Perhaps donning the Severe Shield and killing Leadstripe back in Dover Plains would have been the smart move. The cult would have lost a Lieutenant and I would have been one step closer to finishing Notch's mission.
But, at the same time, I didn't feel right about ending a life. I wondered if there was even a way to stop them peacefully. The only thing I could come up with is that, by wielding all nine of Herobrine's artifacts, I would have enough power to 'convince' them to stop their crusade to end all of Minecraftia.
It was naïve, but it was all I had.
"Humph." Old Man Bailey scoffed as he turned his back on me. "If you even have to think about it, then you won't ever understand."
"Understand what?" I called out, only for the old man to ignore me.
With my last job completed and my debt repaid, I returned to the farmhouse to retrieve my stuff and set off. Old Man Bailey was hard at work in the kitchen when I arrived, though his gaze was focused on the picture of the dark-haired young man. It took him a moment to realize I was there, but when he did, he turned his head back to the Crafting Table he was working on. After a moment, he held out a stack of [BEETROOTS] and bread. He even slid me a few bits of sugar for my horse. The sword he handed over last, and very reluctantly.
"Your job is done. Thanks for the help." He mumbled without looking at me and I quickly got the hint that I was to leave. With a forlorn sigh, I gathered the foodstuffs and prepared to climb the stairs. "If you ever get tired of whole beetroots, craft six of them with a bowl. It's more filling that way."
I smiled at the advice. "Thank you, sir. Your hospitality was greatly appreciated."
He mumbled something that might have been nice, but I decided it was time I left. I had a mission, after all. And Zeppil wasn't getting any closer what with me waiting around.
I climbed the steps and moved to my room, straight for the chest. I opened it for a moment, but paused when I noticed the book. It was still on the bed where I'd left it.
The Art of Peace, huh?
Idle curiosity took hold again as I flipped through the book, stopping at a few pages and reading a few excerpts.
One page in particular stuck out.
[All life is a manifestation of the spirit, the manifestation of love. And the Art of Peace is the purest form of that principle. A warrior is charged with bringing a halt to all contention and strife. Universal love functions in many forms; each manifestation should be allowed free expression. The Art of Peace is true democracy.]
…
A manifestation of spirit…
Allowed free expression…
…
Those were the words Bailey used.
My light reading was broken by the sharp shriek of a horse. I looked up to the window and noticed a warm glow suffusing the sky that resembled the sun streaks of the sunset.
But with the mesa at our backs, there shouldn't have been any light from the sunset.
I felt a pit in my stomach as I got up to see what was going on. I let out a gasp of air.
Standing in a larger semi-circle than this morning was about twenty Crafters wearing mismatched armor, carrying weapons, and lighting part of the farmhouse on fire.
"Oi! Get out here, Old Man!" The Crafter in charge bellowed. "If you won't leave this hovel, then we'll smoke you out!"
I grabbed my sword and readied my armor.
With the prospect of arson, it was Nana Widow's place all over again.
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III], 1 Stone Pickaxe, 1 Stone Sword, 1 Golden Shovel [Silk Touch I, Unbreaking III], 1 Flint and Steel {Weak}, 13 Cobblestone, 2 Ender Pearls, 12 Torches, 5 Coal, 2 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Stick, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 1 Bucket, 4 String, 40 Steak, 60 Cooked Mutton, 48 Baked Potatoes, 1 Pumpkin, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Unbreaking I], 1 Iron Leggings {Weak}, 1 Iron Boots, 40 Emeralds, 1 Map {Ringwood Region}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 19]
Inventory (Floyd): 1 Iron Pickaxe {Weak}, 1 Iron Sword, 3 Iron Ingots, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 1 Potion of Fire Resistance {8:00}, 2 Flint, 8 Rotten Flesh, 6 Gunpowder, 22 Cooked Chicken, 32 Apples, 3 Wool, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots {Weak}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Entry Pass}, 4 Emeralds
[EXP: 25]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Bow {Weak}, 1 Shears, 2 Levers, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Stone Button, 5 Redstone Torches, 9 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 15 Redstone, 1 Hopper, 5 Pistons, 21 Cobblestone, 25 Dirt, 1 Minecart, 6 Compasses, 25 Gunpowder, 39 Steak, 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Green], 28 Arrows, 20 Wooden Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Pumpkin, 39 Paper, 6 Ink Sacs, 4 Leather, 4 Feathers, 64 Emeralds, 14 Emeralds, 1 Iron Ingot, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 8]
Inventory (Soul): 1 Iron Axe, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Stone Pickaxe {Weak}, 2 Ender Pearls, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Milk, 1 Iron Helmet {Weak}, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 5 Dirt, 64 Cobblestone, 10 Coal, 7 Oak Wood Planks, 9 Emeralds, 15 Cooked Chicken, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Map {Ringwood Region}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 38]
Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Shield, 1 Bow [Infinity], 34 Birch Wood Planks, 35 Iron Ingots, 19 Sticks, 13 Torches, 1 Bucket, 1 Crafting Table, 64 Beetroots, 64 Bread, 1 Birch Fence, 1 Bed, 1 Book {Notch Mission II}, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Dover Plains Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Dover Plains}, 1 Map {Mesa}, 1 Compass, 64 Arrows, 2 Glass Bottles, 12 Sugar, 7 Enchanted Golden Apples, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Blue] {Weak}, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots, 64 Emeralds, 64 Emeralds, 64 Emeralds, 64 Emeralds, 22 Emeralds, 2 Bones, 14 Rotten Flesh
[EXP: 7]
Carrot the Horse
AN: Look at it this way, Noman. You're not fighting a Hacker like Cobb is.
Did I just write an OP Hacker with multiple Hacks? Maaaaaaybe. Thed_Hearst, you can argue, is the driving force for the Identity Arc. he's not exactly a bad guy... okay he is a bad guy, but he's a reasonable bad guy, doing what he thinks is right and looking conflicted as he does it. Compared with Alec or Urson, he definitely has the better motivation.
Also, nobody make any mention of brother or Ugandan Knuckles or I swear to God...
Also, I had waaaaay too much fun writing the scene where the Beginners just stomp Thed like he's a cockroach. It's just so random and I really wish I could just re-enact that scene in real life. "Stomp hiiiiiiim!" For anyone who cares, it's a reference to a Very Potter Sequel. Youtube it if you like Harry Potter and you like to laugh.
The Art of Peace stuff may seem a little out of left field, but since Minecraftia has beliefs and cults, I figure there can be a little bit of freedom to it. It's also called Aikido and is a Japanese philosophy, religion, and martial art all rolled into one. Look it up if you're interested in learning about other cultures.
Or don't, because you'd rather look up the Harry Potter thing.
Whatever you want. I'm easy.
Leave a fav, follow, or review (I promise I get them).