AN: Hey! Imma back! And with TWO Chapters instead of one!
Yep, you heard right! I got two Chapters (because I want this Arc done with as fast as possible so I can move onto the Zeppil Arc). You get one Chapter today (April 8th) and then the next Chapter Wednesday (April 11th). And, I gotta say, I think I did pretty good on them.
It'll also give you all the fair chance to know when a Chapter is published so you can guess the riddle. Timezones can be annoying, after all.
Speaking of riddles, congrats to AwakenedKarbon for guessing last chapter's riddle correctly. The answer: Electricity! Enjoy your Cookie and your acknowledgement.
(::)
Puzzle: I am black when clean. I am white when dirty. What am I?
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd fix it so I didn't need a stupid JAVA update just to play it. That's right! I can't Minecraft anymore! Go ahead and laugh!
Chapter 102
Jolin
[Cobb]
"Alright, let's take it from the top." I spoke with my hands on my hips. "The plan?"
Lenz stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Soul and I will enter Jolin to verify if your wanted posters have spread out this far. With our anonymity, we should have no trouble slipping through their security."
"Good." I nodded. We were hiding out in the branches of a tall jungle tree, overlooking the bustling toll gates below as Crafters entered and exited the Kingdom. There were no walls, but the toll gates allowed for Crafters to access stairs and vines that led up to the higher levels of the gigantic trees that made up the Kingdom. There was no other way to get to the wooden crisscrossing catwalks of the high branches other than the central toll gates.
Well… there was climbing, if you were into that.
The structure of the Kingdom was a hexagon of six unnaturally large trees with the colossal so-called Gift Tree towering even higher in the center. There was also a dip in the landscape; a sort of hollow in which the Gift Tree was planted upon. It wasn't touching the ground of the hollow, however, instead being suspended by thick, crisscrossing roots.
Getting around the Kingdom looked to be a hassle since I couldn't spot any rails or minecarts. There was an airship or two, but those were probably privately owned and not designed to ferry Crafters.
"And what are you going to do next?" I turned to the other half of the scouting team: Soul. I was more worried for him following directions than Lenz, since the axe-wielder had his priorities all over the place lately. If he thought mining was more important than food, I could only wonder what he would do in a new Kingdom.
Soul let out a bored sigh, annoyed to have to repeat what he heard at least five times. "Once we check if your posters are in Jolin, we'll signal you with our maps." He and Lenz held theirs up in response. "We'll throw our maps on the ground and pick them back up, making our blips blink, if we don't find your posters. If we do, our blips will stay solid instead."
It was a good method of signaling that Floyd had come up with after testing our maps. This way, we could signal one another from a distance.
"Alright, good luck you two." Floyd wished them well from his perch against the tree. "Come back soon with food if our posters are there. We could use a non-rotten-flesh-meal.
I would've been offended if I wasn't already munching on a chunk of the stuff.
"Cooked meats and vegetables, coming right up." Soul assured before heading to the vines and beginning his descent down. I gave half my emeralds to the engineer, sure he could find a use for them in Jolin.
"Remember, you're in charge of Soul. Don't lose him."
"He is hardly a dog." Lenz quipped. "But I will keep him on a short leash. Let us just hope you two are innocent men here. I wish for you to meet my pen pal, after all."
Someone like Lenz who enjoyed prattling on about redstone? Greeeeeaaaat.
"We'll see…" I replied evasively before Lenz followed after the axe-wielder down the vines.
Floyd and I watched as the two made their way to the toll gate. They covered the emerald cost and presented their items for inspection, before being allowed in by a pair of guards wearing brown-dyed leather caps. It must have been Jolin's color.
"Kind of a weird team-up, don't you think?" Floyd asked as he rested his back against the tree once more. "Lenz and Soul. The thinker and the fighter. They're like polar opposites."
"I guess." I shrugged. "They're less likely to be at risk that way, though."
"What do you mean?"
"Well if one guy is everything the other isn't, then they can face any scenario they come across." I explained. "Soul can use his brawn to beat up tough guys while Lenz can use his brain to redstone a way out. The team may be weird, but they'll be ready for anything."
"Except for when Soul eventually runs off to do his own thing." Floyd added, voicing my worries. "Because, really, what's Lenz going to do to keep him in check?"
"I dunno. Maybe his nerd powers will activate and attract every hostile presence to shove him into a locker or similar small cramped space."
"And Soul will step in to protect him?"
"He'll step in, but only in a 'nobody shoves him into a locker but me' kind of way. At least that's what I'm hoping for." I scratched my head. "But that's only if the worst happens."
"Cobb… where have you been your whole life? The worst ALWAYS happens."
"No… it—" I stopped myself from pointing out an experience that did, in fact, take a turn for the worst. "Er… hold on I think I can think of one exception…"
"Take your time." Floyd said leaning to rest on the branch, his head propped up by both hands. "We'll be here for a while."
[Soul]
I was an axe-wielder in a Kingdom with a giant-ass tree. It was like my destiny was staring me square in the face.
But given how it was labeled the Gift Tree and seemed to be revered or whatever, I wisely decided NOT to piss off an entire Kingdom by hacking away at it.
The Kingdom of Jolin was basically built around the tree. Wooden platforms clung to the bark and homes were made by boring into the thick tree. Not all homes were like this, as some were suspended from branches like cocoons, appearing to hang upside-down and yet still serving as functioning homes. Plenty of thin wooden walkways and catwalks hung suspended as well, connecting these homes in highly unstable ways that would have collapsed in a heartbeat if gravity was ever a factor.
The six trees surrounding the Gift Tree had similar homes attached or suspended. But the Gift Tree was by far the largest, with multiple levels and branches that spanned up to the very canopy. I had a sneaking suspicion the Kingdom's Palace/Castle/Royal Building where the King did his business was somewhere at the tippy top. What better place to lord over your people?
"Excuse me." Lenz walked up to the closest guard with a raised hand. "I hate to bother you, but could you tell us where we might find available wanted posters?"
The guard, who at first looked content to aid us, suddenly frowned in irritation. "You bounty hunters?" He asked with clear disdain.
"No, no. Nothing like that." Lenz waved away the suspicion, trying to get back into the guard's good graces. "We… just wish to see how safe this Kingdom is. We are travelers looking for a safe place to settle."
"Oh." The guard brightened before glancing between us awkwardly. "You, uh… you two are like that, huh?" He asked, holding up a hand and crossing his fingers. I didn't understand the gesture until he muttered under his breath, "I'm not one to judge…"
"No, we're not 'like that'!" I growled quickly, angry that he would think so. The Beginners were a sausage fest enough as it was without a guard making insinuations like that.
"What do you… oh!" Lenz suddenly caught on before shaking his head. "Repeaters! We are certainly not 'like that'! Not 'like that' at all!"
"Sorry, my mistake." The guard hastily apologized before pointing up the Gift Tree. "The Guard Barracks has whatever wanted posters left over or recently received. It's on the Canopy Level, though, way on top. Can't miss it." He must have wanted to end the awkward conversation by giving us the information we wanted.
"Thank you…" Lenz nodded, equally relieved to get out of this conversation as the guard returned to his business.
Getting to different levels required either climbing up vines along the tree or walking up a spiraling wooden walkway. We chose the walkway, since I didn't want to carry an out-of-breath nerd over my shoulder while I climbed.
As we started going up the spiraling walkway, I noticed that it wasn't actually where it began. It went further down into the hollow of land where the Gift Tree's thick roots laid. Crafters of all kinds were bustling to and from there, so there must have been something of interest at the roots.
Also, everything was made of wood. Everything. Wooden stairs, wooden slabs, wooden planks, wooden Crafting Tables, the list went on. Didn't these people know about fire? They were being more wood-centric than Ringwood. They should have named the Kingdom Ringwoodwood!
"I get that this place is in the middle of a jungle," I spoke to the only person I could, "but don't you think they could use different building materials? Cara could burn this place down in her sleep."
I noticed a couple passing guards shoot me suspicious looks at the mention of fire, so Lenz waited for them to pass before answering. It wasn't my fault the Kingdom was flammable.
"Jolin is the leading supplier of lumber in all of Minecraftia, so it makes sense they would use the ample resource as freely as possible." Lenz explained. "But, there is actually a story tied into it. I read about it in one of Alexicon's history books."
"Alexicon? Who's that?"
"The famous historian from Akasha." Lenz spoke as if it were obvious. "She presides over the Akashic Records. Comparators, she catalogues the history of nearly every location in Minecraftia with vivid detail and research! How do you not know of her?"
"Because I don't read History books." I explained with a shrug. I bet Cobb and Floyd would be just as clueless as to who this Alexicon was. Though she did have a cool name.
"Well you should try it some time." Lenz said pointedly before tilting his head towards the Gift Tree. "Now is a good time to start. See those signs?" He pointed towards the Gift Tree, where an ornate structure of varying logs displayed a series of signs. "My pen pal told me about the 'Path of Enlightenment'. The walkway leading up the Gift Tree is dotted with signs detailing the tree's history, as well as Jolin's. You can learn about them the higher we go."
"…Or you can save me the torture of reading by just telling me."
"Or you can use your eyes and read." Lenz shot back.
"Tch, fine." I growled, feeling like I was in school given a particularly annoying homework assignment. We moved closer to the tree so that it would be easier to read the ornate wooden tablet. There were other Crafters reading from it, also interested in Jolin's history.
And so, I came to understand Jolin's past.
[Long ago, when Crafters were just starting to walk the lands of Minecraftia, one of the First Ten Crafters, Grum, stumbled upon a jungle. Grum grew fascinated with the resources indigenous to the jungle biome. Cocoa beans, melons, ocelots, vines. He enjoyed exploring the biome, climbing and jumping from tree to tree, glorifying in the exploration and adventure of it all.]
[He decided to claim the jungle for himself by establishing a small settlement he named Jolin, in honor of how 'jolly' the jungle made him. Grum was never good at naming things, as evidenced by the name he chose for himself. And while the terrible name he chose has forever haunted us, we respect his perseverance in making this Kingdom what it is today.]
[And persevere he did! With the aid of his good friend, and fellow First Ten Crafter, C418, the word on Jolin spread, and more and more Crafters flocked there to settle and mine the fresh resources buried within the jungle's depths. The discovery of adding cocoa beans to wheat to make cookies added to the settlement's importance. For only jungle wood could grow the topping that made one of the sweetest desserts in Minecraftia. Crafters from across Minecraftia began demanding imports of the jungle wood saplings to farm their own cocoa beans. But Grum, the leader of the settlement, refused.]
[He monopolized the trees, commanding his guards to patrol the jungle for any Crafter that dared to steal them. The trees were his and his people's to do with as they pleased. No one else could enjoy climbing to the canopy. No one else could enjoy cookies unless they went through Jolin first. And the jungle saplings were heavily guarded. They would not be planted anywhere else. And any lumber sold would be as planks rather than logs.]
[Creating its own monopolized lumber and cocoa bean market, Jolin profited off the trees over night, expanding the meager settlement into a bustling city, and, eventually, a modest Kingdom.]
"Hey, are we at the top yet? My eyes are getting tired."
"We are making our way. It is a tall tree, after all." Lenz replied as he looked out. By then, we had reached one of the levels of branches where catwalks extended to the cocoon houses. They spread out pretty far and seemed highly dangerous; only a fence serving as a guardrail.
I also noticed that, despite the shade cast from the Gift Tree's canopy, the area was lit up. The torches were only part of the light source. Some type of golden glowing block dotted the underside of the canopy like fireflies, bathing the branches below in a strong light.
Now if only I knew where the market was so I could buy some diamond gear… I'll probably have to borrow emeralds from Lenz—
"Soul? Are you reading?"
"Huh? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I'm reading. Get off my back."
[After C418's efforts in spreading the word about Jolin, Grum owed the man a great debt. And so, Grum asked if there was anything he could do to pay him back.]
[C418 had a request ready. He wanted to settle land for his own Kingdom, and he made perfectly clear he intended it to be a Kingdom. This was no mere community. He wanted to build the largest Kingdom in Minecraftia. One that would outshine the communities-turning-Kingdoms that the other First Ten were setting up.]
[Yes. C418 wanted to settle land. And the only way to do so was to settle the water.]
[In Eastern Minecraftia, there was a large landmass surrounded by ocean that looked promising as an isolated area where none could challenge him or butt heads over borders. But to make the Eastern landmass his, and the Kingdom larger than all the others, C418 needed an exorbitant amount of wood to form the floating manmade islands and pathway of docks that he envisioned for his Kingdom. And he asked Jolin to supply the lumber.]
[Grum leapt at the chance to repay his friend and ordered the citizens of Jolin to take up an axe and topple trees, chop-chop. Demand was at an all-time high, so supply needed to match. When it came time for transporting the logs, C418 used a magical device to freeze over the ocean so that the Crafters could walk across and deliver the lumber.]
[However, in Jolin's haste to supply, they neglected to replant saplings in the wake of their massive deforestation crusade.]
"Rookie lumberjack mistake."
[Every day, more and more of the jungle would be toppled by Crafters who were too eager to sell to worry about saplings. Anytime it was brought up, they kept saying 'I'll replant them next time, I'll replant them next time," like a mantra. They put the 'pro' in 'procrastination'. And by the time Jolin had fully supplied C418 with the lumber he required, it was too late.]
[Jolin stood in a land barren of all trees.]
[Grum looked upon his Kingdom in horror. The jungle that had drawn him to this land was no more. The entire species of tree had been eradicated. No jungle saplings were left to recover the forest. And without any jungle wood, the Kingdom's cocoa bean and lumber industry fell to a crippling halt.]
[But Grum did not care.]
[With no more lumber on hand to make tools and weapons and the Kingdom's economy falling to ruin, Jolin's inhabitants left for other Kingdoms. It was mass exodus, which left Jolin a ghost Kingdom.]
[But Grum did not care.]
[No, all Grum wanted was the jungle back. He wanted to climb up the trailing vines into the towering trees. He wanted to enjoy cookies made from freshly plucked cocoa beans. He wanted to catch ocelots and tame them into cats. He wanted to discover the mystery of a jungle temple… without it being right there in the open.]
[Already his memories of why he settled Jolin began to fade. He was losing sight of what made the Kingdom great. He wanted it all back. He wanted to undo his selfish mistake of having all the trees toppled. He didn't know!]
["Please!" He cried up to the sky one day, alone in what was left of his Fort. "Please, give me another chance! I'll grow it all back! All I ask is one chance!"]
[Then, from the darkness, a small voice answered him.]
["Hello?" The small voice asked. Grum turned his attention to the base of his Fort, and saw a young woman with a red hood drawn over her head.]
["Hello?" The voice asked again as she took a tentative step forward. "Is… is this Jolin? I came by because I wanted to buy some cookies."]
["Aye, it is." Grum called back somberly. "But I'm afraid there are no more cookies to be had here. This place was once a shining jewel of the jungle, but now, because of my incompetence, it is merely a hollow shell of its former glory."]
[She took a look around the land devoid of trees. "I heard things were bad, but I never imagined this. Tell me, why did you cut all the trees down? Didn't you like them?"]
["Aye, I did." He called down. "But I wanted to repay the debt I owed to a friend. And I was too reckless to take things slow." He raised a hand to his face. "God, it's all my fault."]
["It's okay." The girl called up with an innocent smile. "We all make mistakes. What matters is that we learn from them." She rubbed the back of her head in thought. "Have you learned from this?"]
["I've learned that I'm a fool!" Grum cried while swatting at the ramparts. "Some King I turned out to be!"]
[The girl looked open the despondent King with pity before an idea struck her.]
["If you want the jungle back, just replant it!"]
[The King let out a bitter cry. "I would if I could. But there are no jungle saplings left. I hoarded them all for myself, and now thanks to my incompetence, the whole species of trees is gone for good."]
[But the girl remained hopeful. "Surely there must be one jungle sapling left! And it's just waiting for you to find it so you can replant the jungle." Seeing that the King was too ashamed to set forth, the girl decided that she would find the sapling. She told the King that she would find one and bring it back, so long as he would get up from his self-deprecating thoughts and do the truly difficult task of replanting a jungle.]
["And then, you got to pay me back in cookies!" The girl called up with an intense stare. "All the cookies I can eat. You got that?"]
[The King nodded at the absurd request, though he had a bit of hope in his heart that the girl would return with a jungle sapling.]
"Ugh… How much is left?"
"We are nearly to the top! Be patient!"
"They should have made this a movie! Or at the very least a puppet show musical." I grumbled while rubbing my eyes.
"How can you not appreciate the history you are learning?" Lenz complained with his arms resting on his hips.
"Look, I can already see where this story is going so there's no point in finishing it." I reasoned.
"Oh, right, like you can predict how this will end—"
"The little girl finds a sapling and gives it to the King, and then the King replants the forest and builds a giant tree to commemorate her gift, that's why it's called the Gift Tree."
"…That is not how it ends."
"Really? In what way is it different?"
"Er… in lots of ways!" Lenz tried to defend. "You could not be further from the truth."
"Alright, then how about we make a bet?"
"…What?"
"A bet. I bet fifty emeralds that the story ends exactly like I said it does. That way I can at least get some better gear out of this snore-fest history lesson."
"You do not even have fifty emeralds."
"I'll write you an IOU. So come on. Accept my bet. Unless you don't have the balls."
"I have plenty of the balls!" Lenz shouted, much to the laughter of the Crafters passing us by. "But you have to stick around for the whole story."
"Fine by me. Let's continue reading."
"Very well then."
[Cobb]
"I got it!" I shouted triumphantly.
"Yeah?" Floyd asked, peeking an eye open.
I turned to him with a smug smile. "You say that every situation we encountered got worse before it got better. But Halstatt was an exception!"
"You mean the village where you thought you were fighting an army of Griefers?"
"Yeah—"
"Only for things to get worse when you realized you had to fight a Hacker too?"
"Yeah—euw…" I trailed off in realization, rubbing my chin in thought. "Uh… Daymonte?"
"You got sent to another dimension full of Endermen."
"Nitebane?"
"Teal showed up. Nuff said."
"Mt. Mur?"
"Carys showed up. Nuff said."
"Ringwood?"
"I found you in prison. Or, wait, are we talking about the Creeper herd time? Because otherwise, yeah, Creeper herd."
"Miner's Warren?"
"Spring and Parker tried to kill us and I lost one of my best friends there."
"Uhhhhhh… what about when we first spawned?"
"Cobb, by default, everything got worse after we spawned because it was before everything else you just listed." Floyd rolled his eyes. "Face it; things go bad a lot where we're concerned."
"Hey, there were some good things too." I protested. "As bad as things got, we always survived. And things got better too. I beat Alec, you survived Teal, we killed Carys, we stopped the herd, Lenz and I became best buds, Wynn and I became best buds. So what if things got worse before they got better?"
"Is that how you stay optimistic all the time?" Floyd asked. "You just assume things will get better after they get worse."
"Well, when things are at their worst, they can do nothing but get better. Right?"
"Can't everything just stay average? Is that so wrong?" Floyd asked while leaning his head back. "One solid line of adequacy."
Brain: As if anyone would read this if nothing ever happened.
…What?
Brain: Nothing.
[Lenz]
"Now, moving on with the tale…" I announced as we got to the next level of the tree where a new sign altar was waiting.
[Weeks went by as the girl searched Jolin's lands for even the smallest of saplings. She searched high and low, delving into crevices and cracks where saplings could have fallen. But it was within the abandoned Kingdom that she found the answer.]
[For it was in a tiny run-down hovel that the girl found a potted plant containing a single jungle sapling. Perhaps the last jungle sapling in existence.]
"And she gave it to the King and he regrew the jungle." Soul filled in.
"Soul, listen to the whole story!"
[The girl was ecstatic. She carefully took the small sapling and carried it with her back to Grum's Fort.]
"And she gave it to him and he regrew the jungle." Soul repeated with rising intensity.
"No! That is not how it goes at all." I griped while the other Crafters reading shot Soul sour looks and complained about him spoiling the story. "Not another word from you."
"Tch."
[But the girl's elation was nothing compared with Grum's. One look at the sapling made him weep tears of joy.]
["By the wealth of Minecraftia, you found one! Thank you, thank you, little girl! A thousand thanks, thank you!"]
[And the little girl said, "Thank me with action. I'll return to this Kingdom one day, and I'll expect a fully grown jungle and a heap of cookies as my reward. Do not make the same mistake twice."]
["Never again, of that I swear!" The King cried. "No longer will I hoard the jungle trees for myself. I have seen what my greed has wrought. I will replenish the jungle, you shall see, and it will be better than before. And everyone will be allowed a sapling so that the jungle trees can spread all across Minecraftia. I will make this a reality. I swear upon my number as eighth Crafter!"]
[And with the promise made, the little girl left and Grum planted the gifted sapling in the heart of his Kingdom. Rain soon fell, but the King remained by the saplings side as it soaked in water and sunlight. He stood beside it, coaxing it to life, and putting all his hopes into it. He half-expected the thing to grow into a giant with all the spirit he poured into it.]
[But it grew into a regular-sized jungle tree instead. One that bore the jungle wood, as well as the jungle leaves that could be harvested for more saplings.]
[And so, Grum continued the process of growing trees. He delved deep into the mines and located mineshafts with chests containing moldy cocoa beans. He planted them on the new trees and continued to harvest them with wheat, already starting the supply of cookies he promised the girl. But he did so carefully. He had learned his mistake in honoring a promise recklessly. He harvested the cocoa beans and saplings moderately, ensuring there was enough to regrow and continue the reforestation cycle.]
[As more and more trees were planted, Crafters returned to help the King. Bone meal was used to aid in the growing process. The treeline was extended further and further outward, making a jungle denser and larger than before. The ocelots returned, scaring away Creepers and making the foliage their homes once more. More and more trees were planted until the jungle Grum loved so much had returned.]
[The King shared the saplings with all Crafters, inside and outside of Jolin. Anyone could grow the jungle trees. Anyone could grow cocoa beans. Grum was only too happy to supply them.]
[The little girl returned, happy to see the jungle, but even happier to see the mounds of cookies waiting for her. Grum thanked the girl with interest and the two became good friends.]
[And as for the first sapling the girl gave him; the sapling planted in the heart of Jolin…]
[Grum built it up with the jungle logs he harvested in moderation, creating the massive tree he had anticipated after all the hope he poured into that first sapling. It was the biggest tree the likes of which nobody had ever seen. A testament to how—with a bit of hope and hard work—a sapling could grow to a massive tree.]
[And, since he was terrible at naming things, Grum asked the little girl what he should name the monumental tree he had built.]
["That's easy!" The little girl said. "The Gift Tree!"]
[The Gift Tree has since stood as the Kingdom's shining jewel. A reminder of how the Kingdom and the jungle were both saved with a bit of hope and a helping hand.]
"THERE! Just like I said!" Soul held out an expectant hand. "Now pay up."
"Hold on!" I argued. "You did not predict the girl getting all those cookies, nor did you predict who named the tree—"
"You're arguing petty details here. I just gave an adequate summary of what happened. Pay up."
"I do not think those were mere petty—whoa!"
I let out a yelp as Soul hoisted me up by the ankles and proceeded to shake loose the emeralds hanging off my belt.
"Twenty-five… thirty-seven… forty-two…" Soul counted aloud as the green gems fell from my belt.
Memories of getting bullied for food by Crafters tougher and dumber than me crossed my mind. I had been helpless to stop them. I had to just stomach the bullying. I hated it!
"SoOoOoOoOoul!" I tried to protest through the shaking before I spotted some brown-capped guards edging closer. "Help! I am being robbed! HELP!"
"Wait, what!? Hang on!" Soul quickly dropped Lenz when the guards rushed over, swords drawn. "Stop, I know this guy. I was just collecting a debt! Really."
The guards turned to me. "Is this true, son?"
"Depends. How much is bail for petty theft." I asked.
"About thirty emeralds."
Hmm. Fifty emeralds if I let it slide. Thirty emeralds and Soul realizes the error of his actions and learns never to hoist me by my ankles again.
"I have never seen this person before in my life, officers!" I pointed accusingly at Soul. "Arrest him, please!"
"What!? Lenz, you son of a bitch!"
"Maybe next time you will think twice about robbing me." I nodded stiffly.
Cobbert had told us to stay together and had entrusted me to keep Soul in line. This was doing just that. After all, he would be a lot easier to keep in line while in a cell. And I could always pay his bail. It was the perfect plan.
"Ngh!" Soul glanced between the two guards advancing on him and quickly pointed to the sky. "Oh no! Someone's lighting the Gift Tree on fire!"
The guards whirled around to look where Soul was pointing, and Soul wasted no time grabbing me by the scruff of my shirt and throwing me at the guards. "You'll pay for this, nerd!" He called out before scooping up the emeralds he shook out of me and running off towards one of the levels of branches and hanging wooden structures.
"He's getting away!" The guards shouted as they untangled themselves from me and followed Soul. "Damnit, we can't let even a single criminal loose on these streets or it's our heads! After him!"
The two guards took off after Soul, leaving me fifty emeralds lighter and with a mild headache.
"That… did not go how I expected it to go."
[Floyd]
"What the fffffff…"
"Firetruck?" Cobb supplied helpfully.
I turned around the map I had been keeping watch over. "They're splitting up. Soul and Lenz are splitting up!"
"What?" Cobb leaned over the map and saw the same thing I did.
One of the white blips was slowly moving away from another stationary white blip over by where the Kingdom was.
"You think they ran into trouble?" Cobb asked, shooting a worried glance my way.
"Yeah. Each other!" I ran a hand through my hair with mounting frustration. I could see it now. Soul and Lenz having a disagreement in which the axe-wielder decided to go off and do his own thing. "Godamnit, Soul! Is it so hard to stay in one place?"
"Um… Floyd. The third white blip is back."
Now what? I internally complained as I looked at the map once more. Sure enough, the stalker white blip that had been following us was also on the map.
And it was overlapping with one of the others.
"…Shit, they're in Jolin too." I realized as I saw all three white blips in the same general area. "They must have snuck in while I wasn't looking."
"So…" Cobb glanced at the three white blips and had a nervous expression on his face. "Which ones are which again?"
"That's easy. This one is…" I made to point to one of the blips running off, only to pause when that white blip circled back, overlapping the other two blips. "Crap, this thing can't read vertically. They could be on different levels of that tree and be on top of one another."
"Wait, they separated again!" Cobb pointed to the three separate white blips. One was stationary, but the other two were moving around in different ways. "Lenz wouldn't be running, so I think he's the stationary one…"
"Unless he's in a minecart, boat, or other mode of transport." I pointed out, causing Cobb to make a noise of irritation.
"Right… uh…" He pointed to a random blip. "This one is Soul."
"How can you tell?"
"Because… it's Soul-shaped?" I shot him a look and he caved instantly. "I don't know, man! I don't know! Everything's getting worse before it gets better and I honestly thought we'd have a bit more time before this happened! I'm not prepared!"
"I'm not prepared either!" I shouted in full agreement. "Look at me! I'm panicking!"
"How are we going to know when they give the 'all safe' signal if we can't even tell which white blip is them and which is the stalker!?"
"I don't know!"
"I'm freaking out here, Floyd! I AM FREAKING OUT!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" I shook his shoulders and started slapping him. "Now do me!"
"Okay!" Cobb grabbed me by my shoulders and started slapping me in the face like a true friend. "Are you feeling better now!?"
"No! Your noodle arms aren't doing enough damage! What about you?"
"NO! My face hurts! You don't have noodle arms!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't skip arm day!"
"AHHHH!"
"AHHHH!"
[Lenz]
"…Well, I will have to pay for this later." I fretted as I completely lost sight of Soul.
Comparators! Why did he have to rob me!? I would have given him the emeralds if he did not shake me like a can of soda!
I sighed. Soul going off on his own was not a bad thing. He could always lose the guards with the Potion of Invisibility he still had on him. And since he had the map, he could always rendezvous back with us at any given time.
And when he did, he would probably hit me.
"Worries for later." I spoke with determination as I continued climbing the Gift Tree to the guard barracks. I still had to see if Cobbert and Floyd were wanted men in Jolin… before I messed anything else up.
Bullied or not, I should not have reacted like that. Soul could be in real trouble now.
Finally, the spiraling wooden path up the Gift Tree rose up into the canopy. There were more guards stationed here, but they took one look at me, growled something, and then let me pass. Though, I could have imagined it, but they looked to be giving me dirty looks.
Climbing through the dense foliage of the Gift Tree's canopy was surprisingly cool. There was enough sunlight being filtered in by the leaves, as well as enough shade and breeze to keep me from sweating after the trek it took to get so high up.
Then, just up ahead, sunlight started filtering in from a wide opening. My tinted glasses shielded me from the bright glare, and I climbed up to the top with little time to waste.
I was greeted by the sight of a large wooden fort, followed by a smaller wooden building. The Fort must have been where the King of Jolin lived. It was not ornate or luxurious, but seemed basic enough to accomplish what it was built for. It was completely made out of wood though, and not just jungle wood. It had logs and planks of all species. Birch, acacia, oak, dark oak spruce. It was all there. And the guard barracks (which I could only assume was the other building) was of the same material.
A pleasant breeze blew in from the west, cooling me down and relieving my fatigue. I held out my arms to catch it better and let out a satisfying sigh. I was higher than the clouds up there.
I was startled from my basking in the breeze when I was jostled by a passing guard.
"Watch it." The guard growled, even though he had walked into me.
"Sorry."
"Yeah, you should be." And with that, the guard walked off with two others, both of which shot me dirty looks.
Starting to get the feeling I am not wanted here.
But that was fine. I would not be staying long. I walked across the foliage that made up the floor and made my way into the guard barracks. There was a lobby with a desk in the middle as well as an empty wooden wall on either side. There were also a few doors leading off deeper into the building. It must have been where the guards slept.
More guards passed me by as I entered, and they all went out of their way to bump into me on their way out. Hard. If Soul were here, he would have bumped back and made a scene. Maybe it was a good thing I had not brought him along.
But why were the guards being so rough? Was it because I was an outsider?
I put it out of my mind as I walked up the desk in the center of the lobby. The guard stationed there was female, and she looked to be as scatter-brained as Erin.
"Oh, no, no… I mixed up the files again." She fussed as she took all the books out of one chest and carried them to another. "Now I need to go back and make copies of the old files and have them shipped out to the Hall of Records. Then I gotta double check the list of prisoners we have and… oh, I'm not getting to enjoy my break today am I?"
She kept speaking to herself, so I had to raise my voice over her. "Excuse me, miss? Miss?"
After a few more tries, the woman, Lisa_Lencher, finally acknowledged me. Though it was a bit… odd.
"Wawk!" She squawked, reminding me of a duck. She hastily cleared the desk of the files, haphazardly tossing them to the ground before she interlocked her hands and put on a nervous and strained smile. "Yes, how can I help you valued protector?" She practically shouted.
I was glad my tinted lenses were keeping her from seeing how oddly I was looking at her. "Hello, I was just wondering where you keep the wanted posters—"
"The wanted posters are kept on the bulletin boards on either side!" Lisa quickly gestured to the blank wooden walls to the left and right. "As you can see, there are no posters currently available since Jolin is the safest Kingdom in Minecraftia!" Her smile grew more strained and her eyes were fixed on my tinted glasses.
"That's… uh… fine. I was wondering if—"
"If you are looking for new posters, they are scheduled to be delivered in a few more minutes, though I cannot promise there will be any." She hastily added. "Please be patient with us, valued protector!"
My eyes narrowed. Something was definitely off around here.
"Hey!" A new guard walked in from one of the various doorways. He called out roughly to me. "Are you trying to pick a fight with our Lisa? She's doing the best she can!"
"Gordon, please don't make a scene." Lisa hissed under her breath to the irate and apparently named Gordon.
Gordon, however, paid the warning no mind as he walked right up to my face. I gulped and took a half-step back. "We're getting real sick of you bounty hunters showing up here every day. You see any posters around here? We don't need you to keep our Kingdom safe."
"Wh-what?" I asked confused before shaking my head. "No, no you have it all wrong. I'm not a bounty hunter." I held up my hands in surrender. "I just wanted to see if my friends… if my friends would be safe here!" I hastily amended. "They are very nervous about criminals, you see. In fact, we had to leave Ringwood since they had some very dangerous criminals sighted there not so long ago."
The criminals were my friends, but the guards did not need to know that.
Immediately, the hostility the guard first showed simmered down. "So you aren't a bounty hunter?"
"No. I have no need of emeralds." I quickly showed the green gems hanging off my belt, but that made the guard narrow his eyes.
"If you aren't a bounty hunter, where'd you get so many emeralds?"
"Selling grass blocks." I answered, causing his eyebrows to lift in surprise. "I was going to sell some more as soon as I got settled in. My friends and I just got here today."
Gordon the guard looked me over one more time. He focused on my dyed leather cap and my apparent lack of durable armor and let out a hum of approval. "I suppose not even an amateur bounty hunter would travel without iron armor. Sorry for the accusation." He held out his hand and I shook it, eager to end any conflict before it started.
"Oh, thank goodness." Lisa breathed a sigh of relief behind me before she sank into her chair. "I thought things were gonna come to blows between you two."
"Is there something wrong with bounty hunters?" I asked, causing Gordon to spit in disgust and Lisa to shrink in upon herself.
"They're all hedonistic pigs!" Gordon condemned without an ounce of doubt. "They think they're better than us guards and make a point of rubbing it in our faces at every opportunity. Can't wait for Princess Alaqua to kick them to the curb. Then maybe this Kingdom's spirit will lift a little."
With that parting remark, Gordon marched out the front door. Now that I was clear of being a bounty hunter, I noticed the surrounding guards had stopped glaring at me.
"What did he mean about the bounty hunters?" I asked Lisa, who was already picking up all the papers and books she had dropped.
She looked uncomfortable. "It's… a difference of opinion, I guess." She tapped the papers on the desk to organize them better. "The bounty hunters are a sore topic in this Kingdom because of the Law of Desideratum."
"So people are split about them?"
"…No." She sighed. "The guards dislike them. The people dislike them. Nobody likes them."
"Then why keep the bounty hunters around?" I asked, puzzled.
"Because of the Law of Desideratum."
"And what's—"
"Nothing a non-bounty hunter should concern themselves with." She smiled, pushing the topic aside. At least this time, her smile was not strained. She pointed to the door. "Looks like we got some new wanted posters in, if you still want to check for your friends. Though you have nothing to fear. No matter what, this Kingdom is the safest in Minecraftia."
I shot her a passing glance before turning my attention to the guard that just walked in carrying four snow prints that were the latest wanted posters. He walked up the board and started to put them up before he noticed me and shot me a dirty look.
"He's not one of them." Lisa called over my shoulder, ending the dirty looks as quickly as they began. I nodded to her gratefully before making my way over to the boards.
The first wanted poster was for a bald man with a hard face.
The second was for a ginger-haired girl with square-framed glasses, sporting a smug smile.
The third was for a sallow-faced man with greasy orange hair.
And the fourth…
Was for a dark skinned man with a beard that went down to his chest.
Oh thank God… I let out a sigh of relief. Cobbert and Floyd were not yet wanted here. Even if the bounty hunters were a problem, none of them would be looking for the two. They were free to enter the Kingdom.
While I was in the middle of breathing a sigh of relief, a hand reached out past my vision and grabbed one of the wanted posters on the wall before ripping it down. I glanced to the side to see who it belonged to…
…And was met with mismatched eyes.
I turned to face the new arrival, perplexed by the different colored eyes. Heterochromia was pretty rare, after all. One eye was black, the other gray, and both were regarding me with a quiet air. He wore a crimson trench coat with frayed edges at the tail. A black undershirt adorned with a white skull. Black jeans, red shoes, a white belt, and a midnight-black backpack. The lower part of his face was concealed by a black facemask and his black hair was tied up in a long ponytail. He was also clad in enchanted diamond armor.
The name above his head read Ciro_Che.
"Excuse me." He spoke softly as he reached over and proceeded to yank down the other three wanted posters. I moved out of the way to make it easier, noticing the bow that hung from his belt. A fellow archer. "I hope you weren't thinking about earning your dinner from these heads. I'm afraid they're taken."
"No." I replied evenly. "I just came to see how safe this Kingdom is." I tilted my head to the empty board. "It must be with how fast the posters are going."
His heterochromatic eyes narrowed. "Clearly… you are from out of town." He spoke disarmingly before making his way to the door.
A guard moved to get in his way.
"Move, please." Ciro spoke flatly, prompting the guard to do anything but.
"You, on the other hand, are definitely a bounty hunter." The guard growled before working his mouth and spitting in Ciro's face. "We don't want your kind here! Laws or not, we're better off without you."
Ciro blinked indifferently before he took a sudden step forward, causing the guard to reflexively step back in fear. But the bounty hunter made no move to attack. He simply pulled out a piece of paper from the guard's belt, wiped his face clean of the spit, and then slipped it back in the belt without harming a hair on his head. Then he stepped around the guard and walked out the door, taking the silence and tense atmosphere with him.
It was then I decided that, despite not being wanted here, Cobbert and Floyd were better off not crossing paths with that bounty hunter.
My eyes strayed to the empty bulletin board one last time before I took out my map and left the guard barracks, ready to signal Cobbert that it was alright to enter.
[Soul]
"That tinted-glass wearing fuck!" I barked out harshly after finally ditching those guards. "I was being completely reasonable shaking those emeralds out of him! I won the bet, after all."
As I fumed to myself with folded arms, I walked around the wooden catwalks that made up the level I was currently on. I glanced over a guardrail and saw I was about at the middle of the Gift Tree. Halfway to the top and halfway to the bottom.
So much for sticking together. I thought as I began to take out my map to locate the nerd. But then I paused as a thought struck me.
Did I really have to find him right away? Clearly, Lenz didn't want to keep an eye on me if he was fine letting a couple of guards cart me off to jail. Why would I be in a hurry to get back to someone who didn't want me around? Aside from, of course, shoving an axe down his throat.
"Nah, screw him!" I dismissed with a scoff as I shoved the map deep into the bottom of my backpack. "If he wants me back, let him find me. I got better things to do anyway."
Like getting some better gear. I smirked at the emeralds hanging off my belt. Surely they would be enough to buy some diamond gear. Though I'd have to find a market or merchant first.
I glanced around the level I was on and saw a couple of passing Crafters. "Hey!" I called out with a wave. The two Crafters looked perplexed, pointing to themselves as if asking if it was them I was shouting for. "Yeah, you. I'm new here and was wondering if you know a good place to buy diamond gear, enchanted books, or potions."
One of them shrugged, but the other one took a second to think to himself. "Hmm. What about… a bazaar…"
"I didn't think it was a bizarre request."
"No, not bizarre. Bazaar. Like a souk."
"The hell did you just call me?"
"Marketplace! A marketplace!" He finally shouted in exasperation. "Gods above, expand your vocabulary why don't you."
"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" I shot back. "And you shouldn't make fun of my vocabulary. I'm not a walking dictionary."
The Crafter rolled his eyes before pointing to one of the large, smaller-than-the-Gift-Tree trees surrounding the Gift Tree. "The baza—marketplace—is on that tree over there. They have a lot on offer so long as you can afford it. But what you're asking for might be a little out of your price range…"
"Thanks, but I think I can manage." I nodded back gratefully before hiking my thumbs into my backpack straps and heading towards the tree they pointed out. The lucky thing about the level I was on was that the wooden catwalks connected all the way to the outer tree. I saw other catwalks spreading out from the Gift Tree doing the same. It made a kind of spider web of wooden catwalks with the Gift Tree at the center.
Diamond gear, here I come!
[Cobb]
After the initial panic of our scouts splitting up passed, Floyd and I started to calm down.
"AHHHHH!"
"AHHHHH!"
Key word: Started.
"AHHH—oh wait." I looked back down at the map and nearly laughed in relief. "One of the blips is blinking! That's the 'all clear' signal."
Floyd stopped panicking and looked over the map, verifying what I saw. "Okay… Okay, this is good. This is good." He nodded to himself. "So that blip is either Soul or Lenz. But then…" He pointed to a different one. "This one moving away to one of the other trees. Is this the stalker? Or one of our own?"
I shook my head, unable to come up with an answer. It would have been easier if the blips were labeled, but even if such a thing were possible, how long would it take us to figure it out?
"…I think we should just enter the Kingdom now." I reasoned as Floyd returned the map to his backpack. "We're hungry and undersupplied. Knowing we won't be immediately hunted the second we step into Jolin is good enough for me. Let's head down there."
"I think you're right, but what about the stalker?" Floyd asked. "With him or her in the Kingdom, we'll have no way of knowing for sure which white blip is our friends."
"Well, the stalker has been avoiding us, right?" I rationalized. "Anytime we got to close, they backed off. Maybe he or she will keep their distance?"
"…I guess."
"Besides, if we don't get some food in us, we're going to starve." I gestured to my Hunger Meter and Floyd looked to his with worry. "We can't wait for the others to come back. We got to move now. I want me some mutton."
Floyd let loose a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, you're right. I just wish Lenz and Soul didn't make things more difficult by splitting up. And after we explicitly told them not to!"
"Maybe something happened. Like you said, things usually happen to us."
After climbing down the tree we perched ourselves in, the two of us made our way to the toll gates while taking occasional glances at our dwindling Hunger Meters. We joined the steady influx of Crafters passing through the gates and soon found ourselves on line. It reminded me of how we waited on Ringwood's toll gates way back when.
We finally made it to the front of the line. I held out my citizenship information for the guard to peruse and kept an emerald on hand for the cost. Beside me, Floyd did the same.
"The Billionth, huh?" The guard remarked with wide eyes as he looked over the information. He lifted his head to regard me and he looked positively awed. "You're the Hacker slayer from Halstatt, right!?"
"Er…" The other Crafters lined up beside us began to scrutinize me closely. They peeked over each others' heads just to get a glimpse. Floyd looked uncomfortable at the mention of 'Hacker slayer' and I couldn't blame him. He was like a cow standing inside a Burger King.
Whatever that place was.
"The Hacker Slayer? From the Legend of the Billionth!?" One of the watching Crafters piped up. "I thought that was just a bar tale?"
"Naw, man! I had a friend who lived there! He said it was the real deal!" Another Crafter interjected while two more jumped up to get a look at me.
I guess the people of Halstatt spread that rumor pretty far. "It's… uh… it was nothing." I tried to laugh it off while my stomach grumbled loudly. Any other time I would have soaked in the praise, but right now I was too hungry to care. "Could we please be let in? My friend and I need food, pronto."
The guard paused in his admiration to look at Floyd's citizenship information. He took a moment to look at it before passing it back without a second thought. "Right. Sorry. Need to remain professional." He apologized before glancing between Floyd and me. "I take it you two are traveling together?"
"That's right." I nodded, nearly thrusting my emerald forward for him to take so we could move on and get some friggen food. But the guard didn't immediately accept them.
"I gotta say though, it was pretty brave of you standing up to a Hacker like that." He praised, looking me up and down. "I wouldn't have believed it, but here you stand like a living legend." He shook his head with a laugh. "Makes me think…"
The guard paused in his speculation and I thought I saw his eyes narrow as he took a closer look at me and Floyd. What was he waiting for? Just take the emeralds and let us through. Unless… unless he's seen our posters.
I quickly shoved the idea aside. Soul or Lenz had given us the signal that Jolin didn't have our posters. There was no way he would recognize us. But then… what was taking him so long? Why was he pausing. Beside me, I could tell Floyd was thinking the same thing. The Crafters waiting beside us began to complain for the guard to hurry it up.
The guard broke the tension with a nervous laugh. "Sorry, just lost in thought. You reminded me of the Age of Heroes, is all." He quickly took our emeralds and moved aside to let us pass. "Your Inventory will have to be checked. After that, you'll be free to roam Jolin. Word to the wise: Just try to keep your Hacker-slaying reputation to yourself unless you wanna get swamped by admirers."
"Will do!" I let out a breath of relief that I didn't know I had been holding. The guard let us pass and a second guard quickly examined our Inventories. He pointedly ignored the Herobrine books and shoved an Entry Pass into both of our hands.
Not like I was complaining. As soon as we cleared the gates, we scrambled to the nearest dive bar— slamming emeralds on the counter—and begging for a freshly cooked meal.
Seconds later, the server came back out with half-a-stack of cooked porkchops.
Stomach: Too beautiful for words… should have sent a poet…
It wasn't mutton, but food was food. We tore into the meal ravenously, not caring that it cost us four emeralds in total. "I mean *gulp* Erin gave us ten times as much food as this, and she never asked for anything in return. Mmm."
"Pretty sure *burp* she was looking for a different kind of payment for that." Floyd mentioned between bites.
"What? She wanted gold ingots? Diamonds?"
"Cobb, you naïve fool. Never change." Floyd hummed as he chomped on more of the cooked meal.
After a few more minutes of eating in which we audibly made our satisfaction known, we were both contentedly full. Truly, hunger made everything taste better.
"I can't eat another bite." I sighed, patting my stomach and leaning back in my chair. Floyd did the same. Still, I called the server and shelled out more emeralds to order more food. It would be smart to stock up so that we wouldn't starve later. And with my Silk Touch shovel on hand, I could afford it.
"Thanks for your patronage!" The server slid the emeralds into her pocket and bid us farewell as we split the leftovers and stowed them away.
"So now what?" Floyd asked as we both lumbered out of the dive bar with full stomachs and high spirits.
"I guess we need somewhere to call a base. A place where the others can regroup with us as soon as they settle whatever problems they're dealing with."
"Right. There's gotta be an Inn somewhere along this tree." Floyd and I froze when we saw, up close, the spiraling wooden walkway that ran the length of the Gift Tree. "Well, we need to walk off this meal, right?"
"I miss Daymonte's elevators." I whined piteously before taking the first step.
And then another.
Aaaaand another.
"Okay, I'm convinced Lenz had Soul carry him at least partway up this tree." I panted as we reached another level. The breeze was picking up the higher we got. Floyd seemed unaffected by the stairs.
"I guess all that speed training I did helped with my conditioning." He commented before nudging my side and pointing toward something. "That sign says the 'Keebler Inn'. Why don't we try staying there?"
The 'Keebler Inn', as it was called, was much like the other structures hanging like cocoons from the Gift Tree's branches. It was a three-story building suspended by fence posts and built out of wooden planks and logs. Instead of glass windows, there were simple holes filed in with fence posts. And the way to get to it was a wooden catwalk that was also suspended by the same fence posts.
As far as I could tell, there were two types of structures on the Gift Tree. You could either have a suspended house connected to one another via the complex of wooden catwalks connecting the central tree to the outer six, or you could live in the tree itself. It was certainly thick enough that one could hollow out a home. And they were all accessible via the wooden path that spiraled to the top of the Gift Tree.
There were multiple levels of branches to settle upon, but Floyd and I decided on a level only a quarter of the way up the tree (since I was getting tired).
I agreed that the Keebler Inn would be a fine base of operations, and we quickly walked inside. There were potted plants holding saplings near the desk, and the person running the counter seemed polite and welcoming.
"Welcome to the Keebler Inn. How may I help you two?" The man behind the counter asked.
"What's the biggest room you have?" Floyd asked.
"That would be a five-by-five on the top floor. It's the most expensive, but it has a Crafting Table, carpets, a bathroom, two beds, a furnace, and even a brewing stand if you're interested in making your own potions. Rent for a day is three emeralds, rent for three days is eight emeralds, and rent for a week is sixteen emeralds."
So longer stays paid up front are less expensive than individual days paid separately. I thought before shrugging. Not like we were going to stay that long. Three days would be more than enough. Even with a room as small as five-by-five.
"We'll take it for three days." I passed the emeralds across the table and the man happily accepted them before opening up the trapdoor on the counter. "Right this way, please."
He led us to a small spiral staircase that went up to the third floor. There was a hallway with four doors, and he guided us to the one closest to the front of the Inn. Opening the door, he revealed a modest room with all the features he had promised and no foul odors. The beds looked comfy, the fence post windows could overlook two sides of the building, and the bathroom was divided by a small wooden wall. There was even an armor stand and some item frames hanging off the wall, along with a beautiful painting depicted a sunset behind tall purple mountains.
"I'll get out of your hair so you two can enjoy your stay." The man nodded before closing the door and leaving us to our new room.
I walked over to the beds and instantly flopped onto them, letting myself sink into the soft fabric. God I was tired. Peeking an eye open, I noticed Floyd examining the brewing stand in the corner.
I rolled over so that my face was smothered in my pillow before I shifted my neck so that only my chin was resting on it. "Hey, Floyd."
"Yeah?"
"Would it be irresponsible of me to fall asleep despite the fact that two of our friends are off on their own in a strange new Kingdom?"
"…Yes, but it's not like we'll do any good exhausted." He admitted before sitting on his own bed. "How about we nap for a little bit before heading out to find them."
"It's like you read my mind." I chuckled before rolling onto my side and yawning. "Just a little… nap…"
With a full stomach and a soft bed, I nodded off in no time.
It was dark when I woke up.
The room was dimly lit to keep Mobs from spawning, but outside the windows there was no sunlight streaming in. My internal clock must have been all kinds of messed up for me to wake up like this.
Floyd was resting peacefully on his side, out like a light. After days of traipsing through the jungle, it was nice to get to sleep in a comfy room for a change.
Bladder: Hey. Buddy. Nature's calling.
Oh, yeah, sorry.
I went into the bathroom and relieved my nagging bladder before flushing the toilet and vaguely wondering where the toilet water would go since we were hanging from a tree. Did it fall to the levels below? That seemed like it would violate all sorts of health codes.
When I got back to my bed, I snuggled deep under the covers and tried to tell my internal clock that it was still sleep time when something caught my ear.
"…elp…"
I wrinkled my nose and pressed my head deeper into the pillow, thinking I was hearing things. And I didn't mean hearing things like the voices in my head.
"…omebody… help…!"
Brain: It's just the wind. Go back to sleep.
Heart: The wind doesn't shout for help, Brain. Somebody's in trouble.
Brain: Or—now hear me out—somebody isn't in trouble, and we can go back to sleep. Doesn't sleepy-sleep sound good?
I grumbled to myself before kicking off the covers and moving over to the window. I woke up now anyway, might as well see what was going on.
As I looked between the fence post window, I saw, between two hanging buildings, a gang of Crafters crowded around someone on the ground. They were laughing and making animated gestures.
"Help!" A female voice cried weakly from amidst the gang. "Someone, please, help!"
"Damnit, where are the guards when they're supposed to be doing their jobs!" I complained before grabbing my gear and ducking out of the Keebler Inn. I didn't feel like waking up for Floyd for maybe five or six goons. Backlash would be enough to take them.
I hurried along the wooden catwalk towards the building where the cries were coming from. There was virtually nobody around, and the catwalk was only illuminated by strange glowing blocks hanging off the leaves.
"No! Please! Help!" The cries continued, spurring me forward. I edged around the buildings and saw the five Crafters laughing as they were doing… something to the prone woman in the middle.
"Hey! Scat!" I called out as threw out my fishing rod and yanked the nearest thug off of her. I pulled him towards me and used the Knockback on the handle to bash him back into the gang, knocking over two more. "Whatever you're doing to her, stop!"
"What are you, a guard?" One of the thugs growled as he stepped between the victimized woman and me. "We're just having a bit of fun. Just turn a blind eye and—"
"Please, help me!" The woman's voice cut the thug off, and that was all I needed to hear before I cast out again and snagged the lead thug by the neck of his shirt. I pulled at a certain angle and the thug found himself impacting a wooden fence post, his nose cracking under the pressure.
He pushed himself off it with a snarl and narrowed eyes…
Before I pulled on the fishing rod again. His face smacked the post.
"Post." I mocked shortly.
He pushed off again, but I pulled back with repeated tugs, causing him to smack his face into the wooden post over and over.
"Post. Post. Post."
"Ngh! Quit it!" He snapped, finally breaking free of the line and pulling out a sword before he charged me.
A bobber sailed into his face.
"Bobber." I uttered impishly.
I pulled back and cast out my line again. And again. And again.
"Bobber. Bobber. Bobber."
With a final hit to the noggin, the lead thug fell flat on his back, his eyes dazed. The other thugs quickly picked him up and carried him away while I brandished Backlash threateningly.
"We won't forget this!" One of them shouted out with a shaking fist before rounding the wooden building and disappearing from sight completely.
I returned the fishing rod to my backpack and focused my attention back to the prone woman. "I don't think they'll be bothering you any—"
"Thanks. I would've been in real trouble if you hadn't shown up."
My eyes widened at the sight of her even as recognition flashed across her glimmering purple eyes. The shoulder-length green hair that billowed forth like a curtain to frame her beautiful, fair-skinned face. I knew this woman. And by her bright face, it was clear she knew me too.
"Cobb? Wow! Long time, no see."
"…Jade?"
Brain: Oh God, the hormones! THEY'RE BACK!
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Golden Shovel [Silk Touch I, Unbreaking III], 54 Cobblestone, 19 Grass Blocks, 2 Ender Pearls, 28 Torches, 37 Coal, 62 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 24 Cooked Porkchops, 1 Water Bucket, 3 String, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Mending I, Unbreaking I] {Weak}, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 5 Emeralds, 5 Rotten Flesh, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}
[EXP: 23]
Inventory (Floyd): 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 30 Iron Ingots, 1 Fishing Rod, 2 Ender Pearls, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 24 Cooked Porkchops, 1 Potion of Fire Resistance {8:00}, 17 Gunpowder, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}, 5 Emeralds
[EXP: 29]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Bow, 1 Shears, 2 Levers, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Stone Button, 5 Redstone Torches, 9 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 28 Redstone, 18 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 21 Cobblestone, 25 Dirt, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 25 Gunpowder, 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Green], 2 Arrows, 18 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 16 Sugar Cane, 11 Paper, 6 Ink Sacs, 4 Leather, 47 Emeralds, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 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 {Jolin Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 12]
Inventory (Soul): 1 Iron Axe, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 64 Iron Ingots, 57 Iron Ingots, 12 Gold Ingots, 5 Ender Pearls, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Milk, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Anvil, 1 Bed, 1 Furnace, 35 Torches, 37 Dirt, 64 Cobblestone, 34 Cobblestone, 50 Coal, 38 Jungle Wood Planks, 58 Emeralds, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}, {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 40]
AN: Quick! Douse Hormones with cold water! It's the only way to supress them!
The Beginners are in Jolin, and there are just a TON of new faces. And some old ones too. In case any of you have forgotten, Ciro_Che is the Millionth and was first introduced in the Dover Plains Arc back in Chapters 46-51. I include this in case any of you want to go back for a refresher.
Jolin's backstory! Have any of you ever read Dr. Seuss' the Lorax? It's basically the Lorax.
The Kingdom is just a really, really tall tree, with little tree houses and catwalks. Keebler Inn is a subtle nod to the Keebler elves that live in a tree.
And Jade! We meet again! Nobody could have predicted her showing up again... unless they thought about it... even a little.
The complete Harry Potter series is aproximately 1,084,170 words. And it frightenes me to think I'm that close. Clearly I am an awful, awful writer. I gotta start cutting back on words. If I take out 'the', 'and', and 'fishing rod' I think I can wrap this up in 1000 words or less.
Again, I have no idea how people are able to catch up with all this. Should I even bother writing a separate chapter-by-chapter summary?
See you in like... three days? Three days.