AN: Hey look. A Chapter you don't have to wait more than four weeks for. Neat.
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft.
Duh.
Chapter 114
A Hacker's Pride
[Jade]
Why, oh why, did Floyd have to show up NOW of all times?
The blue-haired Crafter—the male one—got up and rushed to the defense of the other blue-haired one—the female. Even though I could have kicked back up to my feet, I opted to slowly recover so as not to tip off my fellow guild-member.
Hiding my abilities was so incredibly frustrating. It had been liberating being able to freely fight beside Princess Alaqua, knowing she would never dare reveal my skills to the Beginners. But if Floyd ever found out, it would get back to the rest of the guild. And just after they had all decided to trust me.
I couldn't let that secret slip. I didn't want them to see me as some unbeatable trump card. I had to play the part of the new, inexperienced recruit, lest they burden me with the detriments of being the best.
So for the moment, I had to look feeble and weak. That would have been fine if it were just Dahlia the three of us were fighting.
But now that that archer was here, all bets were off.
"Ciro! Am I glad to see you!" Dahlia's shoulders loosened, her mood taking on new confidence. "What kept you?"
"Had to deal with a four-eyed archer." Ciro replied, eliciting a gasp from Floyd. "He's the reason the Berserkers you arranged for are late, but I took care of him." Mismatched eyes darkened. "For good."
"No…" Floyd whispered before he pointed his sword at the bounty hunter. "What did you do to Lenz!?"
Ciro raised an eyebrow. "What do you think 'for good' means, idiot? He's gone. Dead."
Floyd's arm shook. "No…"
"Commendable work, Ciro. You're well on your way to earning your prize." Dahlia complimented.
I cursed to myself. Cobb wasn't going to like this. Bad enough Floyd was barely reigning in his fury. What had Lenz been thinking challenging Ciro to a duel?
"The day isn't over yet." Dahlia threw her arm back, a haughty grin back on her face. "So long as the Princess dies, we can salvage everything. Do it, Ciro! Kill her and end this guild's feeble resistance!"
I cursed and moved closer to Alaqua, Floyd doing the same. Against Ciro's explosive bow, I doubted we would last long. He was too far out of reach. All we could do was hold out until help arrived. Even a Captain's arrival would be preferable to the Berserkers showing up to bolster Dahlia.
But, as her words echoed through the brambles, carrying with them a confidence that was completely warranted given the situation…
Ciro refused to move.
Dahlia turned. "Ciro, what are you waiting for? Attack."
"Hmmm…. No."
Dahlia's eyes narrowed. "What was that?"
"I said no." The bounty hunter actually kicked back, resting on the perch of leaves overlooking us. His mismatched eyes regarded us all with indifference. "I'm perfectly content to watch you struggle against them."
Dahlia's face twitched. "Is this some kind of joke, Ciro?"
"I mean, in a cosmic sort of way, it really is." The bounty hunter chuckled behind his mask. "Here we are, one of the largest guilds in Minecraftia and we're currently struggling with a group of wet-behind-the-ears Crafters." Another chuckle. "From where I'm sitting, it's the best punchline ever."
"The irony is not lost on me." Dahlia gritted out. "But I think you're forgetting something very important about why you should obey my orders."
"Because otherwise you won't give me my Journal Entry, right?" Ciro shot back, looking unimpressed. "For days you've been dangling that carrot on a stick, but given all the work I've done today—shooting those fools out of the ceiling and offing that pesky archer—I think I'm due an advance on my payment."
"That wasn't part of the deal—"
"The deal's changed." Ciro narrowed his eyes before chuckling. "Isn't that what you kept saying to me? How's it feel the other way around?"
"Enough of this!" Dahlia ran over to the ender chest she had initially set up. "Need I remind you who holds the Journal Entry?" She slapped the chest forcibly. "Right in here! The only way you get it is through me, and you won't catch even a glimpse of it unless you honor our agreement and kill Alaqua! What part of that aren't you understanding!?"
If Dahlia thought her threat would get a reaction, she was surprised when Ciro coolly shot her a mismatched glare.
"By all means, destroy it if you want." Ciro waved his hand. "Burn it. Drown it. Keep it locked away forever. It makes no difference to me. Because even if you destroy the Journal Entry, I'll know the artifact is still out there."
Artifact? The heck was he talking about?
"What… who…" Dahlia fought for words, her eyes quivering. "You think you're fooling anyone with your bluff? You care enough to kill for this! I know it! You think you can—"
"I think I have you over a barrel and can make any demands I damn well want." Ciro countered coldly, causing Dahlia to flinch. "Before, I had no leverage. No reason to demand the book in advance. But this guild has evened things out quite nicely." Ciro glanced to us before refocusing on the guild-leader. "Your plans have fallen apart to the point where they're both at the brink of success… and the brink of ruin."
"W-What is this nonsense?" Dahlia tried to play off, though her voice shook.
"The Berserkers have been delayed enough and the guards—the ones you sought to discredit—have proved their competence tenfold. Even now, the guards are scouring the Brambles, apprehending anyone who's not a guard. It no longer matters whether the Berserkers show up or not." His gaze slid to Princess Alaqua as she melted behind me. "She's the decider. Everything hinges on whether she lives or dies before the guards arrive. And you're running out of time."
Dahlia stared wide-eyed at the ground, Ciro's words taking hold on her mind and weighing heavily.
"So I feel confident saying I could demand the moon of you so long as I kill her." Ciro pointed his bow at the Princess, but refused to notch an arrow. He refused to make the shot. "So here's my counter-offer to you. Give me the Journal Entry and I'll kill her where she stands… or don't, and I'll walk away, leaving you to fail the Berserkers and go down in history—not as a capable guild-leader, but as the disgraced leech your schemes will always portray you for."
Dahlia's breathing started to pick up, her eyes darting nervously. She looked to be having a panic attack as the gravity of the situation hit her. Whatever it was, it looked like Ciro was extorting her.
"Do you hear it, Dahlia?" Ciro continued, causing the woman to flinch. "It's the sound of your guild losing its hold on Jolin. It's all crumbling away the longer you wait. All the wealth you stole is weighing you down and all the people you stepped on are reaching up with clawed hands to drag you to your grave." Ciro spoke with relish. "They'll crucify you for this. And all you have to do to stop it is hand over one little—"
"ALRIGHT! IT'S YOURS!" Dahlia suddenly screamed. She tore open the ender chest and yanked out a simple leather-bound book before chucking it at Ciro. He caught it adeptly with one hand and looked down on it with pleasant surprise. He skimmed a few pages, skipping to the last, and his stormy, mismatched eyes lit with excitement.
"Yes… Yes! It's all here!" He laughed with genuine elation. "So simple, and yet—"
"You're satisfied, right!?" Dahlia interjected, wringing her hands desperately. "Now kill the Princess and fulfill our agreement."
Ciro nodded, tucking the Journal Entry safely into his backpack. "Right. I will honor our deal." He raised his bow, pointing it at the Princess. Floyd and I rushed before her, weapons raised. Ciro narrowed his eyes. "I can't get a clear shot. Separate them."
"Oh, I can do that." Dahlia smirked, her diamond sword at the ready. Her eyes locked with mine, but were narrowed in delight. My guess is she noticed I didn't have my cutlass out anymore. Damn her, but I couldn't pull it back out. Not with Floyd there!
Dahlia darted in fast, throwing a splash potion of speed to do so. She sidestepped Floyd's slash and laughed when I had to purposefully hold back my attack to appear weak.
Then, with a cry of exertion, she shoved and kicked us both in the sides, opening Alaqua up to a clean shot. Dahlia twisted her body out of the way to make it even more so.
"Do it now!" She shouted.
No! I cursed as I reared back my arm, intending to chuck something in the way and pretend it was dumb luck. But I needn't have bothered.
Ciro was gone.
"Ciro…?"
In a bold move, Alaqua struck out with her sword, nailing Dahlia at her most vulnerable. The bounty hunter was spun around, before hitting the ground hard. She was prone for a moment, likely in shock, before her head jerked up to where Ciro had been perched.
"C-Ciro? Where are you? Ciro! CIRO, YOU COCKSUCKER!" Dahlia screamed, sounding demented. "WE HAD A DEAL! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT!"
She was so lost in her rage, she failed to notice Floyd and I lashing out at her and sending her sprawling across the leaves. Her body was a twitching mess, her voice hoarse from the screaming as she struggled to her knees.
"N-no…" She hacked. "I… I can't… I can't fail my guild…" Her eyes were saucers as she turned to look at the three of us. "N-now… I know I've m-made some mistakes…" She started.
"You can't be serious." Floyd narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward. "You can't seriously be trying to justify yourself."
"Indeed. You are a sickness to this Kingdom." Alaqua spoke unashamedly. "Least of all because you tried to have me killed!"
"Wh-what would you have done?" Dahlia ignored Alaqua, turning all of her attention onto Floyd. "We needed a price to motivate us, and Desideratum delivered. What choice did we have but to go along with it?"
The weakened guild-leader rose to her feet, her voice pleading.
"Maybe… maybe my guild and I abused it from time to time—"
"You made my husband kill himself!" Alaqua roared.
"But you can't deny my guild did good work for this Kingdom!" Dahlia shot back. "We filled the void caused by that Hacker. We protected people! So what if we extorted an emerald or two, it was for everyone's safety! We couldn't work for free!"
"You cost my people their freedom. Why else would they be protesting outside your doors!?"
"We were heroes! Floyd, please, don't doom this Kingdom. Kill her now and everything can be right again! The Berserkers can stay as the rightful heroes of this—"
"You're not heroes."
Floyd's reply was clipped and firm.
Dahlia scoffed. "Oh, and you are?"
Dahlia choked on her words and Alaqua and I backed up in shock as Floyd's eyes seemed to darken. Smoke poured from them, his sclerae turning black like the Hacker he was.
"A hero isn't someone who protects people for a cost." Floyd explained, his eyes smoking with anger. "A hero is meant to make people feel safe. Enyeto told me that." Floyd clenched his fist before his face, frowning at the smoke that was pouring out of him. Ashamed.
"People like me… have never made anyone feel safe, I'm sure. It's my people's fault all this even happened." The smoke vanished as quickly as it came, his eyes going back to normal. "But you and your Berserkers are no different. You've never once cared about giving Jolin a sense of security. It's always been about money and power for you. It's always been a job you could care less about fulfilling."
Floyd glared at Dahlia.
"You're no hero."
Dahlia's face twisted in frustration, her fingers pressed against the leaves and clawing at them. Bargaining with Floyd seemed to be her last hope. Come to think of it, she was going through a lot of the five stages of grief. Anger at Ciro. Bargaining with Floyd. And now she was spiraling into depression.
Good. Demoralized opponents made for easy fights. Floyd might even be able to do it without me.
My eyes strayed to the Princess, who even now was putting more distance between herself and Floyd. Her eyes were stricken and I had to remind myself it was because he had revealed himself to be a Hacker.
"Okay… okay…" Dahlia said, a note of derision in her tone. "I'm no hero. I suppose you all look like saints by comparison!" She looked up, accusingly. "Content to judge me when you yourselves are killers."
"I literally haven't killed anyone since arriving here." Floyd said.
"You haven't." Her eyes slid over to me.
Uh-oh.
Floyd caught her meaning instantly. "What, Jade? I don't recall her hurting anyone—"
"Then I must have imagined her deadly skills with that cutlass." Floyd's eyes widened his head whipping to face me.
"It's nonsense." I tried to head the accusations off, ignoring how Alaqua kept distancing herself away from Floyd. "She's delusional. Cornered and—"
"The Berserkers I sent to chase after you never returned." Dahlia interrupted, a small grin flickering across her face. "I imagine she had something to do with that. Those men had friends that mourned them."
"What is she talking about, Jade? You said they never followed us!"
"Floyd, don't listen to her. It's a trick!"
"Just look at her Inventory!" Dahlia got to her feet. "The diamond cutlass is there, plain as day."
As Floyd had his attention on me, he failed to notice how everyone was positioned. The Princess was too far away from Floyd, and Dahlia's eyes flashed as she threw a splash potion of speed at her legs.
The shattering glass was all the warning we got before Dahlia darted between our outstretched arms and shoved the Princess clean off the side of the leaves.
"NOOOO!" Floyd shouted as the Princess fell out of sight. There was pain in his eyes as he watched Alaqua's terrified face.
I focused on more pressing matters. Unsheathing my cutlass and not caring for the consequences, I turned on Dahlia with a snarl and slammed her head down into a branch. She was wearing an infuriating smile.
"Sorry. But all the King's horses and all the King's men won't be able to put Alaqua back together again." She taunted. Because she could.
"You…!" I reared back my cutlass, aiming for her neck, only for the Berserker to raise her arms in surrender. As if that would save her.
"Help! They killed the Princess!" She shouted suddenly, confusing me.
"Release her, criminal!" My head whipped to the side to spot the source of Dahlia's newfound confidence. Guards. Thirty of them. Swarming with weapons drawn and Captain Enyeto leading the fray.
I gnashed my teeth at the unfairness of it all. Dahlia had set us up beautifully, and with seconds to spare. Without the Princess, we would never convince these men of what she had done. But that didn't mean we couldn't make her pay for it.
I was going to run her through with my cutlass before the guards even had a chance to snag me—I was already surrounded with little chance to escape—but I had to stop when I saw the bodies Enyeto was tugging behind him.
Cobb. Lenz.
"Stand down, criminal." Captain Enyeto spoke, his voice deadly serious as he faced who he assumed was Alaqua's killer. He held a sword up to Cobb's neck, the implication clear.
"…You don't understand, Captain. This woman set—"
"I understand plenty." Enyeto remarked coldly, tears dripping down his face. "I understand the loss of my dear friend and that the circumstances are more than black and white. Now you must understand that I have a job I must do… despite… this… grief." He agonized as the guards surrounded us.
"Go ahead and kill me." Dahlia mocked, low enough that only I could hear her. "I've already won."
I almost did it anyway just to shut her up… but I held back. For Cobb's sake. With a strangled hiss, I pushed Dahlia away from me and stowed my cutlass inside my personal ender chest. It was the only thing I didn't want them to take. I held my hands up, but it didn't matter as the guards roughly apprehended not only me, but also Dahlia. Seems she wasn't as innocuous as she wanted to be.
But this was bad. Imprisoned by Jolin and suspected of assassinating the Princess. We'd be lucky if a lifetime in jail was all they did to us.
As we were carted off towards Cobb and Lenz's body, I tilted my head… and then had to do a double take.
Huh?
My head swiveled around, even as it was roughly shoved forward by the three guards holding me steady.
Where the hell was Floyd?
[Floyd]
"NOOOO!"
As Princess Alaqua fell away, her last moments to be filled with terror before the gruesome splat, I could only think one thing.
HACTIVATE!
Dark smoke billowed out of my eyes and passed over my body, empowering it with that familiar feeling of invigoration. I couldn't fully appreciate it with my mind wracked by anxiety.
I channeled the smoke into my legs and bolted the second I could, my Speed cutting through the Brambles and the guards crowding to apprehend us as if they were all in slow motion. I darted and slipped through them in a blur of dark smoke and blue hair.
Nine… Ten… Eleven…
I ticked the seconds away in my mind as I burst out of the Brambles and onto the top of the wooden walkway spiraling down the Gift Tree. I rolled with the fall, taking a few Hearts of fall damage but more importantly costing me precious seconds. A few bystanders let out cries of shock, but I filtered them all out before I shot forward.
Racing down the walkway was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was like the whole jungle was spinning as I corkscrewed around the Gift Tree, leaving a smoking blur in my wake. People leapt aside or else I swerved around them, but the only thing primarily in my focus…
Was the tumbling body of the Princess further down.
Seventeen… Eighteen… Nineteen…
Come on! Come on!
I urged my Hack to push myself faster, tearing down the path with reckless abandon. My thirty-second limit was fast approaching, but I was gaining on the Princess. She was only a level or two below me.
Now if only I had a plan. My first instinct was to race her to the bottom, but the fall would surely kill her! I needed to make a jump, force her body into the vines trailing from the canopy. They would slow her descent enough to save her life.
Twenty-two... Twenty-three…
Her body tumbled over itself, her voice screaming and garnering the attention of the people, who shouted out in recognition, demanding somebody save her.
"The Princess!"
"Someone do something!
"She won't make it!"
Twenty-five…
I was finally level with her, but that wasn't good enough. She was far enough away that I needed a running start… and time to intercept her! I needed more ground!
Twenty-six…
COME ON!
I pushed my body further. As far as when I fought Thed at the Origin.
Twenty-seven…
I pushed beyond that.
Twenty-eight… Twenty-nine…
Yes! That was it! I was four levels ahead of her. I just needed to make the jump! With all the speed I could muster…
My body shot left, cutting across the wooden path. My vision was dizzy from the spiral and my Hunger was on its last vestiges, but I couldn't throw up now. I was going to save the day!
Thirty.
All too suddenly, almost cruelly, my body stopped five steps before the jump. In slow motion, I could only watch in horror as Princess Alaqua tumbled into view. I had watched her fall, and now, I would watch her fall again, feeling more hopeless than the last.
It was crushing.
The numbness crept throughout my body, the Achilles Heel of my power. It was stalling out. My thirty seconds were up.
My body slowly fell forward, the world around me dulling. Thoughts rushed to the surface of my mind, almost as if they were catching up to my unimaginable speed.
…What kind of sick joke is this?
I risked the lives of my friends to make amends with this Kingdom…
And this is how far I got?
No… no… no…
My body lurched forward, now parallel with the wooden path.
Just…
NO…
My teeth gnashed together as I fought on, my eyes focused on Alaqua.
Why did I even do this? Huh!? Remember why you chose to do this, Floyd!
Time seemed to speed up as I fought through the numbness, my leg twitching slightly.
Yeah, you're scum! Yeah, Minecraftia would be better off without you!
But right here… right now…
You need to show the world… A HACKER'S PRIDE!
Smoke billowed forth from my eyes once more, flowing over my body with double the intensity. My numb leg was reinvigorated, throwing itself forward to catch me before I fell.
Thirty-one...
My limit…!
With a roar of exertion, I completed my run and leapt off the wooden pathway with the speed of a cannonball.
Thirty-two… Thirty-three…
The jungle passed by in a blur, my eyes narrowed to keep the wind out of them as I spread my arms as wide as I could. The second I felt something hit my arm, I dragged it in, hugging it closely as we rocketed over the Root District. I felt hands scrabble against my chest, felt Alaqua's panicked breaths on my neck, and heard her gasp of sheer surprise as we nearly soared across the clearing.
Thirty-four… Thirty-five…
The numbness returned with the force of a truck. The dark smoke extinguished, my eyes shutting from the exhaustion. My arms went slack around Alaqua just as we crashed into the vines. The Princess threw her hands out frantically, weaving them in between the vines enough to allow for a slow descent. My own body tumbled loose, now effectively drained.
Huh… I got five more seconds…
After all the training Lenz and I did, I never came close to pushing past thirty.
And yet… when I needed it the most, it pulled through.
Maybe it wasn't such a curse. Maybe…
As my body threatened to fall free of the vines ensuring my safe descent, I felt Alaqua's hand shoot out to snag my sweater, holding me aloft with great difficulty.
With a bit of effort, the Princess maneuvered our bodies to touch down upon the Root District, all parts intact.
Alaqua shouted something to some guards to get their attention and recognition flashed a second later as they all hurried over. My eyelids grew heavy and my Hunger was dangerously low. Exhaustion was too light a word for what I felt. Elation was much the same.
The Princess brought my body to rest upon her lap, her expression confused, as if she had no idea whether to thank me or recoil from me.
"You saved me…?" She half-asked, appearing to be in disbelief that she was even around to speak.
"…Obviou… sly." I wasn't tired enough for sarcasm, but I was getting there. God I could use a nap.
"But… but I don't understand." She shook her head, still confused. "Why would you go so far? You're a Hacker."
"Yeah… yeah…" I spoke tiredly, but Alaqua shook me awake, desperate for an answer. "An apology…" I muttered out. "For what my people… started…"
It was a Hacker that started Desideratum in the first place. Seemed only fitting one would end it.
"But, mostly, I guess… I did it… so I could be proud of something…" I smiled sleepily. "Not often a Hacker saves… the… day…"
And with that, I welcomed the sweet embrace of sleep, with the faint feeling of someone moving the hair out of my eyes.
[Cobb]
When I came to, I was immensely surprised to see both Lenz and Jade by my side. Even though the former was knocked out, it was leagues better than being dead at Ciro's hands.
Of course, the trade-off was that the three of us were kneeling, surrounded by nearly a hundred guards, and with our armor and Inventory cleaned out.
I felt Jade nudge me in the side. "Speak low so they can't hear us." She whispered.
"Jade, I'm glad you're safe." She raised an eyebrow, her eyes pointing out our current predicament. "Relatively safe." I amended. "How'd you get caught? Was the Princess saved?"
"…No. Dahlia pushed her off the Brambles." Jade pointed with her chin to the guild-leader currently arguing with a grief-stricken Captain. "She's spinning a story that we did that, though. And it looks like they're buying it."
"No…" I felt my heart drop into my stomach as I processed that information. Our attempts to rescue the princess had failed. And worse, my friends and I would take the blame. "I really screwed this up, didn't I?"
"It isn't your fault." Jade tried to comfort me. "We all agreed to do this. So don't beat yourself up. At least not before the guards do that for you." She hinted worriedly as the guards shot us furious looks.
As I was taking in some of them, my eyes alighted on the unconscious body beside Dahlia. "Hey, it's Brandr. What knocked him out?"
"I'm guessing Soul got his rematch or whatever. I think Floyd managed to get away too." Jade noted before glancing to Lenz. "What confuses me is Ciro told us Lenz was dead."
"So… he lied and let him go?"
"I suppose. Maybe he only said it as an excuse that he was doing a good job." Jade frowned at Dahlia. "He actually showed up and argued with her over some Journal Entry."
"Well, I'm guessing he got it since Alaqua is gone."
She shook her head. "He grabbed the Journal before Alaqua was pushed off. If the deal was her life for the book, he scammed Dahlia and fled."
That was a surprise. He had been spouting about what he had to sacrifice for 'the greater good'. Why would he betray Dahlia at the last minute? Was it possible he felt guilty?
"What happened to you, though?" Jade asked back.
"I had to fight the Captain and the assassin. At the same time."
"Ah. I guess that explains him, then." Jade pointed out the slumped over assassin, Oliver, being held steady by four guards. He was coming to and was spouting the usual nonsense about being a cultist and how I was his Executive.
Ass.
The other assassins—apprehended by the guards—were saying much of the same. They really were pinning the whole thing on us, and it was their word against ours.
To make matters worse, King Ahote showed up with the councilmen. They all looked shaken by the experience of having assassins invade the Review, but nothing compared to the furious face of the King when he heard what had befallen Princess Alaqua.
That was when a whole bunch of diamond-clad Berserkers chose to join the party.
"We heard about the trouble." The one at the front, Bob, announced while his companions panted for breath. Had they run a marathon or something?
"Well, as you can see, we have the situation under control." Captain Burmish spoke up, gesturing to the captured assassins and us. "Frankly, I'm surprised. What kept you so long?"
"Something blew up our airship." A pretty bounty hunter named Elizabeth grumbled. "I'm tempted to believe it was Ciro."
"That traitor." Dahlia spat. "He bolted when I was trying to save the Princess. I'm guessing he was in league with Cobb and the cult the whole time."
"Interesting theory, but I think we should question the prisoners first and foremost before jumping to any conclusions." Enyeto said, though his tone was somber. He was still grief-stricken over the loss of the Princess. He and the King were probably hit the hardest by it.
"Questioning? I see no need." The King spoke coldly before turning to the Berserkers. "If you are looking for something to do, you can start by executing these assassins where they stand."
There was a murmur of gasps from the guards and the apprehended assassins shared a worried glance.
Kill us? In cold-blood? Wouldn't there be a trial or something? Was the King that saddened that he no longer cared for us to be tried? Then again, why would he? His heir was dead.
But the assassins were Berserkers in disguise. With their masks off, Dahlia could see each one's faces as they silently pleaded with her to do something. She cleared her throat and stepped forward, the guards already leaving her with all the blame heaped onto ourselves.
"Your Highness, I understand your grief, but these men need to be tried for their crimes." She spoke softly, patting the King's shoulders. "Believe me, I want nothing more than for them to suffer for her death, but slaughtering them is not what the Princess would have wanted."
"I don't care!" The King snapped. "They need to pay for what they've done. All of them!"
"I agree, but you're not thinking calmly right now." Dahlia tried to mollify before she shot us a cruel smirk. "What if… only the masterminds of this scheme were executed? There were six of them, after all." My blood chilled as Dahlia walked up to stare into our eyes.
"Cobb and Floyd, of course. Executive and Lieutenant. Though I'm sure this one is a Lieutenant too." She grabbed Jade by the chin, forcing her to meet her eyes. "And then that archer over there, the axe-wielder who slipped away, and Ciro if we can find him."
"And what of the others?" One guard asked, causing Dahlia to look upon them once more.
"I think it best that the Berserkers take custody of—"
"Why? So they can't answer our questions?" Captain Enyeto stepped forward, a fire rekindling in his eyes.
"Now, Enyeto. I know you of all people must be torn apart by Alaqua's fate—"
"Until I get the full story of what happened, all these prisoners will be taken to the Root Cellar for individual questioning."
"Ah. Right. So you can botch up our chances of finding the perpetrators? I think not."
"If anyone botched up anything, it was you and your Berserkers! They showed up late while my guards handled everything. And you failed to protect Alaqua. One might even say you let her die!"
"That's too far!" Dahlia faked outrage quite believably. "I would never lay a hand on the Princess."
"How about two when you shoved me off?"
Dahlia's eyes widened comically as everyone spun around to inspect the truth with their own eyes. Enyeto's voice caught in his throat and a look of shock and then joy overcame the King.
Jade and I couldn't believe it either.
Princess Alaqua walked forward, the guards parting to let her through. Behind her, I spotted a head of sky-blue hair as a limp Floyd was supported between two guards. However, it was the manner in which they held him, almost gently, that calmed me more than anything.
I really wished I had some popcorn to watch the Princess tear Dahlia a new one. Beside me, Jade echoed that sentiment, her body leaning forward and her eyes eagerly watching on.
The Berserkers shuffled nervously, as did the assassins off to the side. They all seemed to back away from their guild-leader, putting her straight into the line of fire as she floundered for words.
"P-Princess Alaqua!" She stuttered, her pupils quivering in horror. "I-It's a miracle—"
"You pushed me off." Alaqua repeated, the words cutting through the crowd like a knife of cold steel. "Dahlia_Darko, you tried to have me killed."
Dahlia was a mess. She was breaking out into a sweat and was looking around for her allies to come to her aid. None dared to speak.
"N-now, the fighting was pretty hectic." Dahlia tried again. "I-It's understandable that you may have misunderstood—"
"I wasn't mistaken and I wasn't imagining things. You think I can't tell when someone's making an attempt on my life?" Alaqua cut her off cruelly. "No, Dahlia. I saw it clear as day. You pushed me off. You tried to kill me. And if it wasn't for him," she pointed a finger back to the unconscious Floyd, "or them," she pointed over to us, "then I would have fallen to my death!"
The looks the guards had given us were nothing compared to the ones they leveled at the guild-leader. This was a woman they already hated for exploiting Desideratum and the people. But to hear that she had tried to kill the Princess and then cover it up by pinning it on us? They were looking at her as if she was less than human.
"Uh… I… I-I-I…"
"Everyone listen up!" The Princess suddenly shouted, her voice carrying to all the guards. She pointed to Dahlia like a malediction. "This leech of a woman plotted to kill me today. She arranged for Berserkers to be disguised as assassins to sneak in and kill me, and when the Beginners tried to stop her, she pinned the blame onto them. She would have killed me if not for their brave and valiant efforts in saving my life."
Floyd was brought to kneel beside us, but I was still trying to figure out how Alaqua knew our guild by name. Had Jade mentioned it while protecting her?
"They did this," the Princess continued as she looked to Enyeto with a nod, "to maintain the grip they have upon the Kingdom we have sworn to protect. They did this because they saw a threat to the Law of Desideratum that they've abused to lord over our people for centuries."
The King looked horrified. He had placed so much trust in the Berserkers, but now he was looking at them with betrayal. "Dahlia… how… how could you?"
Dahlia had no words. No defenses. No schemes. In light of Alaqua's brutal revelation, she could only slump to her knees, destroyed. Her eyes were unfocused; her arms limp at her sides as she could only stare at the ground. Guards moved to surround her, but they needn't have bothered. She was a broken woman.
The other Berserkers, on the other hand, still had some sense. They looked nervous as guards surrounded them too. Their hands kept shifting to their weapons, but it was with unease. What, were they just going to kill the King and guards and expect Jolin to welcome them? This was something diplomacy, not violence, could solve. And with Dahlia basically mind-crushed, they were out of diplomats to step up to the plate.
"In light of their efforts to protect me, I find myself trusting their words more than any Berserker or assassin here." Princess Alaqua announced before turning to kneel before us. Were Princesses supposed to kneel? Even if it was just to speak at our level, it was overwhelming to me. "Who among you is innocent in this? Who are the other Beginners? Can you point them out from these assassins?"
Was she talking to me? Jade quickly nudged me back to my sense and I swallowed before speaking. "J-just the four of us and Soul. The rest were all the Berserkers' doing." She looked at me expectantly, so I figured it best to just tell them everything we knew. "Floyd caught wind of their plans when they requisitioned him from the Root Cellar. When we busted him out, he… he absolutely refused to leave knowing what the Berserkers intended to do. We did everything in our power to stop them."
"Including sending the anonymous tip to Captain Enyeto." I confirmed with a nod, causing the guards to grow restless.
"But then these Berserkers are all traitors!" One of them shouted, prompting guards to converge on the group.
"N-Now wait, wait…" A Berserker sputtered. "We… we had no idea of Dahlia's plans! We were merely responding to the distress call!"
That would be difficult to refute. As far as we knew, the only people who knew of the assassination plan were Dahlia, Brandr, Ciro, and of course the assassins. None of them would be eager to reveal the truth. However, either way, the Berserkers were abandoning Dahlia to her schemes. They were throwing her under the bus to save their own skins.
And they called themselves a guild.
"I think a little light needs to be shed on all of this." Captain Enyeto said firmly. "And we'll take the time to do so while we're questioning each of you individually. As it stands, the attempt on Alaqua's life is reason enough to take the Berserkers, assassins, and these Beginners into custody."
"What? Can't you just let us go? Floyd saved her life." I knew I was pushing it, but I didn't want us spending a couple of nights in a cell if I could help it.
"Saving her life doesn't change the fact that your compatriots were the cause of the fire in the bazaar two days ago." The Captain countered seriously. "Arson is a grave offense in this jungle Kingdom, no matter who you saved following it. Though it pales in comparison to attempted regicide."
The last jab was directed towards Dahlia, who remained listless—not even appearing to have heard Enyeto—as the guards took her away.
It was kind of funny actually. The guards were actually hesitant to apprehend the Berserkers, but not in the way you would think. The division between guards and Berserkers was centuries in the making. The guild of bounty hunters was despised for their greed by most of Jolin, so to be given a chance to legally arrest them? They were giddy they could hardly believe it. And they made no attempt to hide their scorn now that they didn't have to.
The guards took the Berserkers roughly, jostling and shoving them to get them moving. A cursing Oliver was dragged away, followed by an unconscious Brandr. Then the assassins and Berserkers—most of which could have probably broken free and escaped if they had any other place to go. Maybe they figured it'd be better trying to defend themselves as not being complicit in Dahlia's plans.
"Arson's fairly bad. I'll try and lighten the sentence." The Princess promised the four of us, despite only half of us being conscious. "I may remember grudges, but I repay my debts as well. Don't worry."
It wasn't the best confidence boost, but it assured me that someone would be looking after us. In that sense, we were leagues better off than the Berserkers. Besides, Floyd's been a lawyer before and that got me out of jail time in Ringwood, maybe he could do it again.
So it was with little resistance that Jade and I went with the guards that captured us. They were noticeably gentler taking us in—per the Princess' orders—and even carried Lenz and Floyd with them.
Of course, Soul gets out of spending the night in prison. So unfair. I thought as we were ushered down to the Root Cellar.
[Alaqua]
Though most of the guards and Captain Burmish left to take the suspects in, Captain Enyeto and I chose to stay with the King and the remaining guards tasked with protecting him. A lot had just happened, so it was best we got to talking with his Highness as soon as we returned to Fort Regal.
But when King Ahote suddenly collapsed to his knees, startling all the guards, I knew we had to reschedule that talk for right now.
"Your Highness!?" Captain Enyeto rushed to his side immediately. "Are you alright? I know that must have come as a shock to you…"
"How…" He ran a hand over his face, his voice wavering. "By Grum, how could I have let this happen…"
"Ahote…" I said softly, walking over to his other side.
"You warned me. You both did." The King spoke with a heavy heart. "I… I thought… I mean, I knew you were right. I knew that the people were displeased, but I-I…" He let out a grieved sob. "Gods, I just wanted to keep my people safe… like all the Kings before me…"
"We know, your Highness." The Captain patted the man on the shoulder. "We've always known how much you care for Jolin."
A bitter laugh escaped him. "I actually supported Dahlia. I saw her as one of this Kingdom's safeguards… and all the while she plotted to kill my heir. That was how much my trust was worth to her…"
"Don't let it bother you, your Highness. If she was willing to throw your trust away with both hands, I say good riddance."
"But it isn't a good riddance!" The King sobbed. "The Berserkers were our best line of defense! They'll be no peace between us and them. Not after this. How will Jolin survive?"
"With all due respect, your Highness, I wish you would not disregard my soldiers so easily." Captain Enyeto said, holding back his annoyance. "Hasn't today proved their competence?"
"Well of course, but—"
"Then let us worry about this Kingdom's safety. We always have…" He added quietly.
"…I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?"
"No, that was Dahlia and the Berserkers." I corrected.
"And it's my fault for allowing them and Desideratum to stay."
"…Well, you're not wrong. But this doesn't have to be the final say!" I quickly added as I helped the King to his feet. "Today can be the start of something better—for this Kingdom and for its people. And if we focus on all the things we did wrong, we can miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to set things right."
The King looked at me, confused. "You… you still have faith in me to set things right?" I nodded, to which he sputtered in confusion. "But… but I wrongly placed my trust in the Berserkers! The people have despised me for it, and when they hear of this attempt on your life, they'll hate me even more, I know it!"
"We all make mistakes, Ahote." I smiled comfortingly. "How many times did you drill that lesson into my head? A ruler is just as fallible as the everyman."
"Indeed. You allowed the Berserkers to stay because to do otherwise would jeopardize your people. My faith in you is still as strong as ever." The Captain added with a small smile of his own. "The people will forgive. Because, despite their unrest, I'm certain they still have quite a lot of faith in you. Just as I'm certain you can move forward from this."
"And you won't be going forward alone." I assured. "We'll be right there with you, letting you know if you're making any mistakes and protecting this Kingdom to our last breath. We swear it."
The King, having calmed down from our words of comfort, wiped the tears out of his eyes and smiled. "Thank you. Both of you. I won't let your faith in me be for nothing." He rubbed a hand over my head, much to my fake annoyance. "You truly have grown from a humble acorn into a remarkable oak, Princess."
"I still got some growing to do. And you still have a few years left before you retire." I shot back with a smirk. "So let's not waste time getting sentimental. The Review is still today, and I think we have some hasty laws to overturn."
[Bough Terminus]
[September 13th, 0145]
[I can stand by no longer. The Hacker grows bolder by the day in his attempts to locate the Destierro del Palillo. How he discovered I was in possession of it, I have no idea. The Bough Terminus was only recently finished, its purpose not yet revealed to the public.]
[But the fact remains that he will not rest until the artifact is his. I can't go another day knowing my cowardice is costing the people of this Kingdom their lives. I owe it to them to face this threat… even though I am certain to perish.]
[The Destierro del Palillo is useless against him. He possesses a superhuman speed among other abilities that will prevent me from landing even a glancing blow against him. Of this, I am sure.]
[Therefore, I will stow the artifact away, and bring something else in an attempt to fool him. My only chance is to convince him that the artifact was never here or never real, and that whatever information he was given was a lie. If all goes well, the Hacker should leave—at the cost of my life.]
[I will not lie. The thought frightens me beyond words. But I swore an oath to this Kingdom of mine. I built it from the ground up, watched it fall to ruin by my own mistakes, and rebuilt it through sheer endurance. I care so much for this haven in the treetops. Enough that I would gladly sacrifice my life so that it persists.]
[My heir is ready.]
[As for the artifact… part of me wishes to see it destroyed, but I know that I cannot. There is always a chance that its power could be used for a greater good sometime in the future. I will not deprive the future of that hope.]
[The Destierro del Palillo will lie in the Rose Heart of Jolin, awaiting the day a true hero requires its power. And while I initially hoped it would bring this Kingdom closer to the others, I must give up on this foolish pipe dream.]
[My only regret is that I will not see what the future holds for the Kingdom of Jolin. I know it will endure this Hacker attack, because it has endured before. The Kingdom is as hardy as the most indomitable oak tree, and the people even more so.]
[Best Wishes,]
[Grum, First Monarch of Jolin]
"A true hero, eh?"
Ciro slipped between the gnarled gates of the Bough Terminus, the Journal Entry held before him as he took the place in. Someone had recently illuminated it with torches. The place had been closed off until now, a product of a forgotten time. Nobody even remembered what it was for.
But Ciro_Che did.
Grum had discussed the idea for the Bough Terminus to Notch, who then shared it with Ciro.
The Bough Terminus was a remarkable idea of Grum's own design; a station that could send a Crafter to any Kingdom in Minecraftia. It was built to be a transportation hub.
The circular room with gates on all sides, labeled with signs to depict the nine other Kingdoms. Getting there would be as simple as facing the gate and letting the artifact do all the heavy lifting. The Destierro del Palillo, or Banishment Stick, was a simple stick enchanted with not Knockback I, not Knockback II, not even Knockback X…
…But with Knockback M.
Or Knockback 1000 in regular numerals.
One tap of the stick and it could banish a foe from one end of Minecraftia to the other. The full radius exceeded the Border. In other words, one tap could send a Crafter hurtling into the Border where they would be instantly fried to death!
…Provided nothing stood in their way.
The stick didn't do any damage by itself. The idea of the Bough Terminus would be to 'banish' a Crafter into one direction where an awaiting station would catch them in the Kingdom of their choice. That was why it was positioned so high up in the jungle trees. Up there, there were no obstacles.
The concept for the artifact wasn't too special. The Berserkers used similar Knockback sticks when controlling riots, but not cranked to the Mth level. It was normally impossible to get an enchantment that high.
But Herobrine figured out how using Command Blocks.
It was no wonder a Hacker wanted that power for himself.
But now, with the Journal Entry in hand, it would belong to Ciro. The clue was right there, plain as day.
[The Destierro del Palillo will lie in the Rose Heart of Jolin, awaiting the day a true hero requires its power.]
"The Rose Heart…" Ciro repeated as he walked to the center of the Bough Terminus. On the floor, between all the various gates that pointed to different Kingdoms, was a compass rose that depicted north, south, east, and west—the directions displayed by letters.
The Rose Heart wasn't a plant rose. It was a compass rose. And if the artifact lay beneath the 'heart' of it…
Ciro cracked open the middle of the compass rose with an axe, eagerly prying up the wooden planks. As he did so, he thought about the events leading up to this glorious moment.
He didn't even feel bad about abandoning Dahlia. The woman had taunted him with the Journal Entry for days, demanding his compliance at every step. It would serve her right if her plans crumbled to ruins at the hands of those Crafters.
At first, Ciro didn't think they'd win. In fact, he figured killing the Princess would be far easier when only five people would be getting in the way. Even if one was a Hacker.
But as the day progressed and Dahlia's plans got further and further away from her… Ciro realized that Floyd's words had been prophetic. Messing with that guild was a big mistake.
Hunderprest had paid for it. And now Dahlia would be paying for it too, since Ciro knew the Princess would have been saved by them. That archer he knocked out had done the impossible intercepting his arrows with his own. That level of skill was insane, and even more so since it came to him in the heat of battle.
After that, Ciro decided to cut his losses and escape with the Journal Entry.
Because he knew if he stayed, he would have risked crossing those people even more.
No, he made the right choice. Another pried plank only further convinced him as he spotted a small chest. With shaking hands, the bounty hunter tore open the chest. He let out an awed gasp at the sight before him, even though it appeared as a simple stick. His mismatched eyes roved over the surface, his fingers twitching excitedly.
Slowly, carefully, he picked up the Destierro del Palillo and inspected it before him. For the first time in history, a Crafter would be in the possession of two of Herobrine's nine legendary artifacts.
He would have to test it to be sure—find a Mob and give it a tap to see if it was hurtled from him so fast it appeared to vanish. But he could do so AFTER he fled the Kingdom. Chances were the Berserkers would no longer be welcome.
He fitted the Destierro del Palillo to his belt, right beside the Yanhua Gong, before destroying the Journal Entry that had led him to his prize.
And with that, Ciro_Che was one step closer to saving Minecraftia.
Inventory (Cobb): {Empty}
[EXP: 23]
Inventory (Floyd): {Empty}
[EXP: 29]
Inventory (Lenz): {Empty}
[EXP: 6]
Inventory (Soul): 1 Diamond Axe, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 64 Iron Ingots, 57 Iron Ingots, 12 Gold Ingots, 1 Milk, 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV, Feather Falling IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Crafting Table, 1 Bed, 1 Furnace, 1 Anvil, 35 Torches, 1 Splash Potion of Swiftness {1:07}, 37 Dirt, 64 Cobblestone, 31 Cobblestone, 5 Stone Slabs, 49 Coal, 32 Jungle Wood Planks, 2 Sticks, 1 Armor Stand, 48 Emeralds, 49 Steak, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Jolin Entry Pass}, {Ringwood Entry Pass}
[EXP: 48]
Inventory (Jade): {Empty}
[EXP: 25]
Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Black Shield {Slight Shield} [Blue Cross], 1 Bow [Infinity], 34 Birch Wood Planks, 35 Iron Ingots, 19 Sticks, 13 Torches, 1 Bucket, 1 Crafting Table, 7 Beetroots, 33 Cooked Mutton, 1 Birch Fence, 1 Bed, 1 Book {Notch Mission II}, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Book {The Art of Peace}, 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, 5 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, 60 Emeralds, 2 Bones
[EXP: 7]
Beetroot the Horse
AN: Ciro's got his priorities in order. Noman better get his ass in gear he's losing two to one in terms of artifacts.
Also, Soul seeing the guards and thinking, 'I ain't spending the night in prison, laterz'. And then he goes to an Inn or something. Probably orders room service while he's at it.
Floyd's Speed Run down the Gift Tree is one of those epic moments I really want to depict in this fic. Too bad I can't animate! (:P)
Next Chapter should end the Jolin Arc: A filler Arc if ever I wrote one. I mean, it isn't like anything important happened in the story, right?
Then we get to go to Zeppil! SQUEEEEEEEE!