AN: Okay, this is where the Zeppil Arc truly starts. Hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. Bwuh.
Chapter 117
Zeppil
[Cobb]
"What do you guys think?"
"…Needs more axes."
"Soul." Floyd warned. "I think it's great."
"It's lovely."
"Simple, yet easy enough to recall." Lenz commented with a nod. "Truly this is a momentous day for the Beginners."
I smiled at their approval for the design of our banner. We had been throwing ideas around for days about what colors and shapes to use, and the caravan merchants had been eager to comply, so to see the finished product filled us with pride.
The banner depicted a Crafting Table before a green backdrop; as good a symbol for the Beginners as any. Since a Crafting Table was usually the first thing a fresh spawn had to make, it seemed fitting. As for the green backdrop, well, I couldn't ignore my history with Ringwood. Adopting their colors was a sign of respect… and a reminder of home. Nobody begrudged my choice.
Designing a banner was trickier than I imagined, however. The caravan merchants had to put their banner through the Crafting Table multiple times with various dyes and combinations. It was a delicate process and sometimes they had to scrap their work for the simplest of mistakes. I understood the amount of effort it took by the end, and made no complaints when I handed over the ten emeralds as payment. I had to ask Jade for her ender chest and Lenz to take out some emeralds so I could replenish my wallet.
Traveling through the rolling hills of Zeppil consisted of much of the same mundane occurrences. We fought Mobs, hunted sheep, and shared stories with the caravan merchants. They were nice and, more importantly, gave us our privacy when we needed it. Now, with our banner paid for, they allowed us to lag behind and speak freely.
"So the Beginners officially have a banner now." Floyd remarked as I held up the flag, our mark proudly emblazoned upon it. "I wonder if, years from now, people will look at this design and recall stories of our greatness."
"Meh. The Silver Intent design is cooler." Soul threw out, already losing interest in the banner.
"Is the Silver Intent a guild?" Jade asked. "I've never heard of it."
"It's an anti-cult guild." I explained, earning Jade's interest. "Floyd and Soul do work for them on the side."
"Right. Let's not forget why we're going to Zeppil."
"Airship." Lenz chirped.
"Yes, Lenz, airship, but also—"
"Airship."
"Okay, we get it. You want an airship." Soul growled. "But Floyd's right. We got work from Brett to take care of."
"Oh?" Jade asked. "What is it?"
"That's an excellent question." Soul paused. "Floyd. Tell her what we're doing in Zeppil."
"…You forgot didn't you?"
"No! I don't forget things. I remember it perfectly." Soul defended with folder arms, his face twisting in concentration. "Something to do with the cult, right?"
Floyd sighed. "Maybe this is why Brett wanted me here and you in Akasha. Anyway, yes, aside from the airship—"
"Airship!"
"—Brett informed us that the cult is trying to regain a foothold in Zeppil."
At that, Jade scoffed. "After what the Angel of Death did? I doubt it. They'd have to be suicidal to cross her twice."
"You can say that again." Soul grinned smugly, no doubt recalling his hero. "The Angel of Death would end those fools if they even showed their faces. She's an unkillable force of nature!"
Floyd and I shared an uncomfortable look. While it was common knowledge that we had killed Carys_Angel, a recognized criminal, the other members of the guild and most of the world had no idea that Carys and the Angel of Death were one and the same.
"Whatever their thoughts," Floyd spoke over Soul, wanting to change the subject, "they're confident enough to launch an assassination attempt on Zeppil's rulers."
Jade's skepticism turned to open-mouthed shock. "What? That... they're building up their forces and the first thing they do is launch an unprovoked attack? That's the very definition of suicidal!"
"I thought it was weird too." Floyd replied with a shrug. "It's like a lion cub challenging a fully grown tiger. Makes more sense for the cub to build its strength before going for the kill. But I guess the cult can't afford to wait. They need results."
"Are you sure this actually happened?" Jade asked, still unconvinced. "Like, was it even the cult, or some pretender? Remember, the Berserkers masqueraded as cultists to try and kill the Princess, and they knew they would get caught."
"The report said that the assassin escaped, but that he was wearing a distinctive black-leather cap. That's the cult's symbol."
"But wait…" I began, taking Jade's side now that I was hearing the full story. "If he was wearing a black-leather cap the whole time, wouldn't the guards have stopped the assassin before he got too close?"
"Um…" Floyd paused, lost for an explanation.
"Yeah." Jade stuck out her finger. "And if he was wearing a leather cap, that meant his name was on full display. It wouldn't be too hard to track his address and number through his records. So how did he escape?"
"I… I don't know." Floyd struggled for an answer. "Maybe… maybe he swapped between a mask and a cap. Or maybe he had a Potion of Invisibility. Or I know! He wanted to die. Yeah, it was intended to be a suicide mission. Cultists died for their cause when they blew up Ringwood's walls in the Creeper attack. This is the same."
Jade shook her head. "Something doesn't sound right about this. Do you have the whole story? Maybe your guy Brett is—"
"Brett's information network is never wrong." Soul stated firmly. "If he said it happened, it happened."
"Alright, alright." Jade backed off. "I'm just saying that blindly believing everything you hear will get you killed one of these days. You should hear the full story of what happened from another source, just to be sure."
"Well, Brett did mention a Silver Intent base in the Kingdom." Floyd noted. "It's small, but I bet someone there can tell us what exactly happened. One of them probably even wrote the report."
Soul nodded. "Sounds like a plan. We'll check up with them—"
"Airship!"
"—Lenz, shut up! We'll check up with them AFTER we get you your goddamn airship!"
"Airship! Airship!"
"I swear you sound like a Pokémon half the time—"
"No, you fool!" Lenz snapped, pointing to the sky just as a large shadow passed over us. "Airship!"
We all looked up and gazed in awe as a flying ship as big as a house momentarily blocked out the sun before moving on at a steady pace. It didn't clear the tall hills, but rather weaved between them in its voyage.
Faced with the object of his obsession, Lenz took off after it like a man possessed, flailing his arms and shouting, "Wait! Please! Take me with youuuuu!"
"I've never seen him run like this before." Soul said with mock awe. "It's a miracle."
Ahead of us, the caravan merchants pointed at the airship and smiled to one another. Their shoulders relaxed and a general sense of relief settled over them. One of them turned and waved us over happily.
"Come along, friends! We've reached Zeppil!"
"Huh? Already?" I couldn't believe it. Those tunnels must have really cut our travel time because I figured it would take another week at least.
But, as we rounded the latest hill, the airship above us doing the same, we came across a manmade landmark that spoke of civilization.
A wall.
A giant stone brick wall that stretched between two incredibly tall hills. There were holes dotted along the structure at different levels, probably meant for archers to shoot from. At the base, there was a line of Crafters leading up to a single toll gate. The crown of the wall had a rampart structure, and I spotted a head or two peering over the side to look at us. Above that, the airship we saw easily floated over the wall only to be replaced by a second airship leaving the Kingdom. There were a few strange structures above the airships that I caught glimpses of, but I couldn't fully make them out.
Emblazoned along the wall was a banner blown up to massive proportions. It depicted an airship buffeted by strong winds.
This was Zeppil.
"Now that's a banner!" Soul pointed out.
I glanced between the banner in my hands and the large work of art along Zeppil's wall before stowing the banner away in mild embarrassment.
Catching up with Lenz wasn't hard. The poor guy had tuckered himself out running after the airships and was currently lying on the grass, catching his breath. "Air… ship…" He whispered, kicking weakly.
Soul rolled his eyes before hefting the engineer over his shoulder and carrying him along.
Meanwhile, Floyd and I waited in line. The caravan merchants were already Zeppil citizens and could walk right in so long as their cargo was checked. Soul gave the lead llama one more malicious glare before letting him go. He probably would have cursed the animal out, but he was more preoccupied by the statue standing watch above Zeppil's toll gate.
It was of a cloaked figure, standing tall atop a hill of demons, with a dark skeleton skull for a face. Below it was a sign. It read:
'The Gatekeeper to Oblivion: The Angel of Death.'
Floyd immediately looked away, even as Soul stared up at the statue with respect. Others did the same as they passed below it, clasping their hands together and offering a short prayer. The gate leading through the wall into the Kingdom was dark enough; I had no trouble believing Carys was the gatekeeper to oblivion.
I looked up at the statue unashamedly. While I felt a little guilty about what happened to her—considering how much good she did for Zeppil—I had long since accepted that it would have been either her or us that day. I made an honest mistake eating her pig, but she had completely flipped out as a result. No matter what that pig meant to her, it couldn't have been worth killing two people.
Looking at the statue, I took particular notice of the head. A black skeleton skull. I had never seen her wearing it when we fought… but the skull still seemed familiar to me. Like I had seen it somewhere before.
Just looking at that dark skull was giving me chills, but they were unrelated to what I felt facing Carys. It was something… darker…
What makes a skull dark like that…?
"Cobb!"
I jerked my head to the side, letting out a startled gasp as I did so, only to calm down upon seeing Jade.
"You okay? It looked like you were in a trance or something?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Huh? No, I'm fine." I waved her off, taking one last glance at the statue before stepping up to the toll gate.
Zeppil guards flanked the gates, wearing white-leather caps and keeping an eye on everyone. My voice hitched as we stepped forward and Floyd tensed as the guards looked us over. But nobody made any show of recognition. But it was only the glimpse of a notice board beside the gate that truly calmed me down.
The board had a bunch of wanted posters on it, and not one of them was of Floyd or me. But there was one for Carys_Angel. Seems her actions had her both famous and infamous around Zeppil. However, Ringwood had already taken down their wanted posters of her after I revealed she had died to lava. Wynn had mentioned that a Kingdom would send missives to other Kingdoms if a wanted criminal had been captured or killed, that way they could stop wasting time hunting for corpses and focus on other criminals.
If Zeppil still had their posters of her after two months since her death, that meant information getting to and from Zeppil was slow going. It probably had something to do with its distance and the cumbersome terrain. We were so far south from Ringwood, they had no idea Carys had been slain. But that also meant they had no idea we were wanted criminals!
YES!
Feeling more relaxed, I handed over my Inventory and Identification to be checked over as well as the one emerald cost for citizenship. The others followed my lead, and most of us passed without incident, save for Jade. The guards made a big stink about her taking in ender chests, claiming she could sneak in items without anyone being able to check. When they demanded her to empty its contents and submit it for checking, she argued back, stating they couldn't do that.
Naturally, the guild took her side in the argument. Lenz used his intellect to use big, official sounding words to confuse them, Floyd channeled his inner lawyer to ask to see the laws forcing Jade to reveal her ender chests, and Soul played the part of the buff muscle-head who spoke in growls beautifully.
With our support, and the disgruntled Crafters in line for being held up, the guards reluctantly let Jade pass. We were all given Zeppil Entry Passes at one emerald each. The ender chest rule was ridiculous anyway since anyone could have an ender chest full of illegal materials. They just had to buy one inside the Kingdom to bypass the toll gates. Even if they could ask everyone to come up to an ender chest and take everything out, they would have no way of knowing how much the person had stored away or what they were keeping hidden. They were just hassling her.
"Thanks, guys." Jade smiled, appreciative of the support.
"Don't mention it. We're a guild now; we take care of our own." I smiled back as we moved down the dimly lit tunnel. "And those guards have a lot of nerve, assuming you have something hidden in your ender chest."
At that, Jade's eyes widened before she glanced away. "R-right… about that…" She glanced back to Floyd who nodded encouragingly. She let out a sigh. "C-Cobb? There's… there's something I should tell—"
"Holy!" Soul suddenly shouted from up ahead. The axe-wielder and engineer were silhouetted by a bright light coming from the tunnel's exit. Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I hurried forward, leaving Jade behind.
Stepping out into the light with Lenz and Soul, it was difficult to determine what had brought on their exclamations. Was it the building-sized airships floating overhead as if they weighed nothing? Was it the chunks of grass and rock hovering hundreds of feet in the air like floating islands? Was it the mountainous castle, towering over all other houses and easily spotted at the Kingdom's heart? Which of these amazing things caught Soul's attention so?
"They got curved roofs here. Curved fucking roofs! This place is crazy!"
Lenz and I leveled a flat glare in Soul's direction, even as Floyd and Jade came forward to join us. They, at least, were reasonably awed by Zeppil.
Looking around, the best way to describe the Kingdom would be that it was a crown. A pentagon-shaped crown, with the sides beings the walls and the points being the extreme hills. Zeppil was nestled in the valley formed by five hills. Each hill was twice the size of the walls to allow airships in and out, which was exactly what they were doing at the moment. Lenz's head was spinning just keeping track of them all.
Since we were in a valley, it made sense that the ground sloped at a decline the closer to the center you got. The only exception was the castle in the center, which was built on a hill of its own. It wasn't as tall as the outer hills, but it seemed like every inch of space along it had some kind of wall or building or structure making up the castle. In that sense, it was the exact opposite of Jolin; Jolin had a center tree larger than the outlying ones while Zeppil's outer hills were large than the one in the center.
As for the houses with the curved roofs Soul mentioned, he was right. The houses were arranged along streets leading to the center, and every one had that same curved roof aesthetic. They weren't like the houses I had seen, but it gave the Kingdom a certain style. Merchant stands were also set up along the street, selling a variety of wares.
But Zeppil's wonders weren't confined to the ground. There were several floating islands; large chunks of dirt and stone that hung in the air like clouds, casting shadows on bits of the Kingdom. However, those parts cast into semi-darkness were lit up with redstone lamps and lights to ensure no Mobs spawned. They really thought of everything.
I watched as one of the airships touched down on an island above, staying there for a while as it either dropped off or picked up someone before continuing on its merry way. And, actually, it looked like they were building something between the islands. Something out of fence posts or wood, I couldn't tell. Lenz would have better luck spotting it… if he wasn't already drooling over airships.
"Repeaters and comparators, that one has an open-top gondola!" He pointed out, lowering his tinted glasses to get a better look. "It must be for public transit! Nowhere else can you find public transportation this luxurious! And that one over there has a sleek, streamlined design; it is undoubtedly for racing! That they even have enough airships for racing is fantastic!"
"Okay, Lenz. Contain your enthusiasm."
"How can I? This is the aviation capital of the world! Machinations of redstone with specialized Command Block innovations. And I am going to pilot one!" He vibrated with excitement. "I cannot breathe! I cannot breathe!"
"I guess this is what nerds do instead of sex, huh?" Soul commented unashamedly, not that Lenz heard him. He was too busy ripping out a book from his backpack and tearing open the pages.
"So we're really getting an airship?" Jade asked, moving some hair out of her eyes. "Is there, like, an airship merchant we need to find or…?"
"No, airships are usually too valuable to be sold on the market. They are built by a guild closely tied to Zeppil's royalty. A guild of builders and redstone experts known as the Crested Tempests. My—meaning our—airship will be obtained from a different source." Lenz smiled at a certain page in his notebook. "Aha! I knew I jotted the information down. The auction place appears to be in the Zhu District…"
I was reminded of the newsbook article that prompted our journey here. A wealthy Zeppil playboy died from a freak cliff-jumping accident in which he missed the water. His wealth and estate were mostly auctioned off, save for the thing nobody could afford: his airship.
Hopefully, we had accumulated enough emeralds to pay the grieving widows—yes, widows, the playboy had seven wives—the cost of the airship. If we needed more, we could always dig up some grass blocks with my golden shovel and sell them for top dollar.
"Onward friends!" Lenz shouted, pointing in a specific direction. "For airship! And friendship! But mostly airship!"
"Hey, what about the Silver Intent thing…?" Soul argued.
"After!"
"But—"
"AIRSHIP."
"Okay, fine, whatever."
With Lenz leading the way, the five of us traveled down the sloping street. Along the way, Lenz hummed a little tune and began to skip. He freaking SKIPPED! It was unnerving.
We passed a lot of merchants and Testificates offering some much needed supplies, but Lenz stonewalled us against buying anything, even the arrows he so desperately needed, stating that an emerald less could mean the difference between purchasing the airship and watching it go to some nimrod. His words, not mine.
I was happy for the engineer—he was finally getting what he had been looking forward to for weeks—but I could tell his enthusiasm was starting to grate on the others' nerves. Soul, especially, when Lenz began to quote chapters out of his Airship Piloting 101 book.
"Chapter One: Airship Systems. While the functions of an airship are operated via a complicated line of Command Block code, the activation of these codes is managed by the dashboard located in the bridge. The bridge, or control center, acts as the airship's brain, and the pilot must be aware of what every button and lever operates if he or she is to safely—"
"I don't caaaaaare!" Soul groaned, clasping his hands to his ears. "Good God almighty, make it STOP!"
"Chapter Seven: Airship Weather. Although meteorological variables such as rain or snow have no impact on the structural stability of your aircraft, they can result in unsafe, low-visibility situations in which you could be unable to navigate. You must always be aware of your altitude to—"
"Hey, Lenz?" Soul interrupted with a forced smile. "Could you define coccydynia for me?"
"I believe it is a pain in the butt?"
"Yes. Yes it is. Though I would have used the word 'ass' to better—" Floyd swatted the axe-wielder. "What? He's being one."
"Come on, Soul. He's earned this." Floyd whispered consolingly. "How many times has he come through in a pinch, hm? Besides, with an airship, we can get to Akasha that much quicker."
I actually hadn't thought of that. With an airship, we could fly to any Kingdom we wanted to in a matter of days. Getting around wouldn't a be a hassle any longer. For a brief second, my heart soared at the idea of returning to Ringwood—returning home—before harshly stomping it down. We were still wanted there. Until we weren't, going there would just cause trouble for Wynn.
What would Wynn think of me now, wearing Jolin's colors like this? I thought while patting the cursed tunic. I missed the good ol' green.
Down a few more streets with… different names… we arrived at an auction house that must have been the place because Lenz gave a giddy squeal before outright barging into the place.
"What are the chances he'll calm down after we buy the stupid thing?" Soul asked hopefully.
"Probably nil."
Another groan before the four of us went in after him.
The auction house was similar to the one in Ringwood. Nothing really stood out to us. Some Crafters stepped forward to admit us, asking if there was anything we needed.
"Yeah, we're with the gray-haired guy that just came in." I explained. "Which way did he go?"
"Oh, well, uh…" One of the auction house guys rubbed their head. "He got past me before I could say anything more, but I told him the merchant in charge of the Guo estate—Guo was the name of the departed gentleman—was in his office. Just down the hall."
He pointed us in the right direction and we politely thanked him. He seemed to want to say something else, but he gave it up with a shrug before going back to what he was doing.
As we went down the hall, we overheard someone speaking in an impossibly fast voice from one of the larger auction halls. Seems like they were in the middle of an auction.
There was only one door at the end of the hall and it was slightly open, so it must have been the right one. I was just about to tell the others to wait outside since five people entering a guy's office would get stuffy, but I stopped upon hearing a choked sob coming from the other side.
"Uh… uh… uh…"
"The hell…?" Soul strode forward and pushed the door open, revealing an office with tall windows overlooking the street, a man behind a desk, looking alarmed, and one engineer hunched over on the floor, tears sliding down his face.
"Uh… uh… uh…"
"Sir, are you okay?" The guy behind the desk, Gan, asked, sounding concerned.
"What did you do to him?" Soul immediately accused, brining out his axe. Gan pressed his back into his seat, his hand hovering over a stone button on his desk.
"Who are you people? Are you clients? If you mean to start trouble, I'll be forced to call security." He warned.
"We're friends of his." I explained, gesturing to Lenz as he continued to sob. "We heard about an airship, so we—"
At the mention of the word 'airship', Lenz's sobs increased in volume. The gray-haired engineer going so far as to bury his face in his arms.
"What's… oh no…" I quickly put two and two together. "You sold it!?"
"Yes, as I just told your friend here," Gan relaxed, leaning forward in his seat, "the airship—" Another choked sob from Lenz. "—in question was sold two nights ago. The buyer made an offer that all seven of Guo's widows approved of. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you were too late to make a bid."
"Uh… uh… uh…" Lenz sniffled. "Gone… gone forever…"
I felt bad seeing Lenz like this. A minute ago he was humming with glee, only to have it all torn away in the blink of an eye. Even worse, we had been two nights too late. If we hadn't gotten held up in Jolin, we could have made it.
The same thought must have occurred to Floyd, because he suddenly stepped forward, looking guilty. "That's crazy! Who would have enough emeralds to buy one of those things?"
"Yeah, that was supposed to be his airship!" Soul chipped in, getting surprisingly defensive for Lenz's sake. "Who'd you sell it to?"
"I… am not at liberty to say."
"Oh no, no, no." Soul stepped forward, placing his hands on the desk and getting aggressive. "I've just had to put up with this nerd's constant airship terminology bullshit the whole walk over here, so you're at fucking liberty. In fact, I'd say you're fucking obligated!"
"Soul…" Floyd warned. "We just got into this Kingdom. I don't think we should open hostilities this early—"
"Why the fuck not, huh!?" Soul rounded on him. "This guy ain't telling us who pilfered our airship. And why shouldn't he. Our money is just as good as the next guy's!"
"Not if the next guy is that guy." Gan pointed out his window.
Outside his window, we saw a crowd of people lining the streets as a set of pristine white horses trotted forward. The rider at the front, a gorgeous man with flowing blond hair, sent beaming smiles to the crowd, waving with one hand, and… throwing emeralds to them with the other. The crowds were howling support, getting to their knees to gather the gems the gorgeous man was tossing around.
"…Who the hell is that?" Soul asked angrily.
"That would be Prince Yukuo." Gan smiled with his hands folded. "He and Princess Daji split the cost of the airship—" Another loud sob. "—between their enormous riches. The seven widows couldn't refuse such a generous offer. Even with that wealth split seven ways, I'm sure those widows won't be widows for long."
Soul gnashed his teeth, his eyes darting to the still sobbing engineer before he rounded on Gan once more. "Then sell us a different airship! We got the money to—"
"Our auction house has no more airships on offer." He said with finality over Lenz's sobs. "You may try other auction houses, but I am afraid you will find similar results. Now, if there is nothing else you would like to bid on or sell, I must ask you to leave."
Soul clenched his fists, the feeling of despair lingering over us all. But no one was hit harder than Lenz. The engineer was still sniffling, though being asked to leave seemed to have prompted him to get to his knees. Floyd and I moved to help him up.
"M-maybe we can ask around…" Floyd attempted to cheer him up. "Just because he said there weren't doesn't mean…" He trailed off and I didn't even bother to say anything.
The airship was all Lenz wanted from this trip. And after finally getting here, and talking so energetically about the object of his desires…
It felt like we came there for nothing.
Soul, however, was still glaring outside the window, his crimson eyes focused on the man on the horse.
"...We're getting that freaking airship." He growled before he brushed past Jade and out into the hall.
"…Soul? Soul what are you doing? Soul!" Floyd raced after the axe-wielder who had already picked up speed. Lenz looked up worriedly, tears still in his eyes, as the rest of us followed them out into the street.
A flash of blue hair in the crowd was the only sign to follow as we chased after them. With a startled gasp, I saw Soul pushing forcefully through the crowd towards Prince Yukuo. Floyd was too far back to stop him and one of the other riders in the Prince's procession looked up in alarm at the axe-wielder growing closer. The rider spurred her horse forward to intercept.
"Hello, my adoring public that adores me, hello!" The Prince boasted as he threw emeralds like confetti. He started blowing kisses too. "Mwah! Mwah! Yes, your Prince is a generous man, is a man who is generous, yes!"
Soul pushed another man aside and walked out into the street, ignoring all the emeralds littering his path. He stood before the Prince's horse and stood his ground, even as the female rider caught up and formed a wall between the axe-wielder and the confused Prince.
"Hey, Prince Whatever-Your-Name-Is!" Soul shouted, silencing the cheers of the crowd and drawing everyone's attention. Floyd probably could have stopped him, but it would have revealed his Speed Hack.
"Mind your manners, peon!" The female rider shouted, brandishing her sword at him. She was clad in diamond armor except for her white-leather cap. "You dare to disrespect Prince Yukuo!?"
The Prince looked over curiously. "Why is there an angry man in my way is an angry man, why?" He asked in a strange way. "I thought I was fairly likable, is what I thought, fairly likable."
"Well I don't like you!" Soul pointed accusingly. "My friend was really looking forward to getting his own airship, only for you and Princess Name-Escapes-Me to swoop in and sink your talons into it!"
"You insolent wretch!" The female snarled, her horse rearing and threatening to stamp the axe-wielder's chest in. "Apologize on bended knee right this instant before I—!"
"Peace, Captain. Captain, be at peace." The Prince held up his hand and strode forward right when Floyd got there and started tugging Soul away.
"I'm really sorry! My friend flies off the handle easily. He didn't mean to anger you or your Captain." Floyd spoke fast, wanting to head off hostilities before they could begin. We ran out to help pull Soul off the street, Jade taking a moment longer to pick some emeralds off the ground.
The Prince regarded the five of us, but there was no aggression in his pale blue eyes. His Captain, however, looked to have enough aggression for the both of them. Fo was her name, and boy did she look like one. Her hair was just as blonde as the Prince's, but it was longer and had black streaks running down it. She looked down on us as if we were unsightly garbage.
The Prince looked around at the crowd of silenced Crafters and quickly threw out another fistful of emeralds to let them know they could relax. The crowd dove back in to claiming emeralds and the Prince flashed a brilliant smile to them all before turning back to Soul.
"You mean to say the airship we purchased was what you were after the recently purchased airship, you mean?"
"Um… yeah!" Soul yelled back, thrown off for a moment by how the Prince spoke. "Yeah, you're royalty aren't you? Shouldn't you already have your own private airship or something?"
"Why, indeed I do. I do indeed have one. One is in my possession already, indeed." The Prince repeated in his weird, unique way. "But, alas, my Captain does not. Captain Fo is airshipless."
"She's got a horse, doesn't she?" Soul replied. "What's she need an airship for?"
"Soul, just back off." I warned, trying to keep him from starting a fight. The Captain's hand was twitching at her sword.
"Soul… please…" Lenz pleaded, his eyes still misty. "I'm… I'll be alright… I don't n-need an airship…"
"Like hell you don't! We came here for an airship, and we're not leaving without one!"
"You misunderstand. There seems to be a misunderstanding." The Prince said, fixing Soul with his pale blue eyes. "The airship isn't my Captain's yet, it has yet to be won by her, my Captain."
"Won?"
"It is to be a trophy. The airship, a prize." The Prince smiled with his arms spread wide. "The Parkour Games are nearly upon us, and soon, the Kingdom will be hosting the Parkour Games once again."
Parkour Games? My eyes slid to Jade, our leading expert on parkour, whose eyes seemed to light up. It looked like she knew what they were.
"The Princess and I have always been heated rivals, you see. We have a bitter rivalry, us crown heirs." The Prince explained. "So much so, that we have our own everything. Our own airships, our own Tinker's weapons, our own horses, our own rooms, our own Captains!" He gestured to Captain Fo, who politely nodded atop her steed. "We each try to outdo the other with what we have, trying to one-up the other and prove superiority. And these Parkour Games are shaping up to be yet another clash between us!"
"We wanted to give our Captain's something nice to give them for their service, but either side is too stubborn to accept anything they haven't won against the other! So, we arranged a suitable challenge to sate all of our prides."
"My Captain Fo against the Princess' Captain Bak, our two Captains in teams of their own, battling it out in the Parkour Games. The winner of the whole thing gets the airship, which will be the prize to the winning team."
"And… if another team wins?" Soul asked, hopeful. Even Lenz was looking on with anticipation.
"Another team beating my Captain? My Captain, being beaten by another team?" The Prince looked skeptical, and the Captain scoffed beside him. "The airship and the glory is the prize to any team that wins the glory and the airship. But I handpicked only the best of the best for my Captain's teammates who were all picked, by hand, by me. Princess Daji probably did the same, did Princess Daji do. Beating both our teams in the events will be difficult a task to beat our teams."
"But the airship can still be won." Soul nodded, sending a smirk in Lenz's direction. "It's not out of reach just yet."
"If you can beat all the teams in the events you'll have to win in, then yes, the airship would be yours, if you win."
"Don't get your hopes up." Fo rolled her shoulders. "As my Prince's Captain, I wouldn't dare disgrace him with a loss. I'll win any event I'm given."
"And what are the events?" Floyd asked, catching on that we were entering this thing.
"The events are four events there are. Parkour…"
Jade grinned knowingly.
"Archery…"
Lenz's eyes twinkled.
"Sprinting…"
Floyd nodded his head.
"And…"
"Axe-cutting?" Soul asked hopefully.
"Fishing?" I mirrored his tone.
"Spleef!"
Soul and I recoiled. The hell was Spleef?
"If you wish to enter, do so quickly. Enter that is." The Prince pointed to the castle in the center of the Kingdom. "Registration closes tonight it closes, the registration. Oh, and… before I forget to forget…"
The Prince clapped his hands, and immediately Captain Fo jumped off her horse and crashed into Soul's back, pinning him to the ground.
"Ah! What the heck! Get off me!"
"You were taking a knee to him one way or the other." The Captain spoke tauntingly, dragging Soul back to his feet with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "For public disturbance, I can legally arrest you for up to a week."
"One day is enough, Captain. One day of imprisonment only." The Prince waved dismissively. "He is new here he is new. And I am nothing if not forgiving to my people, I am a forgiving saint. Mwah!" He blew the crowd another kiss, tossing out even more emeralds while Soul was taken away.
"Hey! Let me go! I have rights, damnit!"
"Looks like you won't be registering in the Parkour Games." The Captain mocked. "Not like you would have been much of a challenge. Captain Bak's the only one who can compete with me."
We went after Soul, and the Prince's procession was finally allowed to continue, though Jade went back for another handful of emeralds. I was appalled that she would forget about Soul for even a moment to take the Prince's money.
…
I went back and took ten emeralds before returning to the guys.
There wasn't much we could do, though. Not without risking our own imprisonment. Soul had gotten arrested on the first day entering a new Kingdom. I would have said it was a record… if Floyd and I hadn't have already done it in Jolin and Ringwood respectively.
At least it was only for a day.
And fortunately, the prison Soul was being taken happened to be in the castle where registration for the Parkour Games was being done.
[Noman]
"Are you telling me registration ends tonight!?" Eric shouted in disbelief. "Okay, forget getting a room. We need to get to Cloud Castle NOW."
"If you guys want, I can reserve us a room while you—"
"What are you so worked up for?" Sam interrupted, earning a frown from me. None of them ever listened to me. Even when I tried to help. "It won't take a day to reach the castle. There's no rush."
"Save it for after we get there!"
I sighed in annoyance, leaving Beetroot at a stable near the Kingdom's entrance. I hardly had the chance to appreciate the beauty of Zeppil before I was off running after the others. Not that my presence accounted for much. It was always the four of them talking. None of them swapped small talk with me. They even seemed to go out of their way to ignore me. I wondered if there was an exception to using aikido against people that annoyed you.
Well, if they were going to ignore me, then I wasn't going to waste my time getting to know them. I had better things to tend to. Like reading through the Labyrinth myth.
And while I couldn't read it while running, I had been reading it over the past few days. It followed the librarian's summary pretty well, and I had just gotten to the part where the boy gets whisked away to the Labyrinth.
It happened while the boy was counting sheep to fall asleep… like nobody ever did ever. Once he nodded off, he had a dream about drowning in a pit of snakes—charming—before suddenly being awoken by the barking of hounds.
Then, magically, the boy wound up at the start of the Labyrinth.
It sounded like the very definition of being magicked away. Though, was the boy just dreaming? It was tough to determine what was real.
One thing was for sure; as artifact leads went, it was pretty spotty.
After cutting through the Hou District, we finally ended up at Cloud Castle in the very heart of Zeppil. Even thought the hill the castle was built upon wasn't as large as the ones near the wall, it was undoubtedly an impressive geographical landmark. Just standing at the base of it and looking up overwhelmed me.
Dirt and stone were packed tight on the hill, with stone brick structures built into it. Towers and ramparts were higher up, but there were also a handful of trees so that the castle wouldn't be an eyesore. Judging from the design of the place, I assumed that the castle wasn't just built along the side, but actually extended inside the hill. The whole thing could very well have been a complex network of rooms and corridors.
I would have no way of knowing, however, since entry was forbidden without an invitation. An iron fence surrounded the whole castle, monitored closely by white-capped guards.
The registration area was a large wooden stall built just outside the castle's iron fence. There was quite a line, despite registration ending later tonight. The Parkour Games must have been a big deal.
Oddly enough, Cloud Castle was in close proximity of the Kingdom's prison. I knew this because a diamond-clad woman had just escorted a raging man with crimson eyes into the place.
"You guys see that?" Conrad asked us—asked the others—while gesturing to the prison.
"Yeah." Annette nodded, looking nervous. "That Captain is our competition. She looks pretty strong…"
"Then let's hope she signs up for the Sprint. I don't fancy my odds challenging her at Spleef." Eric paled while rubbing his wrists. "Seriously, why do those Captains need to bring their rivalry to the games?"
"What's Splee—?" I tried to ask, only to bite down on my lip as Conrad interrupted me. Were these people deaf!?
"Captain Bak is more troubling, I think. He's supposedly good at sprinting AND parkour. He could sign up for either one."
"The Captains probably have their strategy worked out with their teams. But they're not the only ones representing." Sam smiled. "Captain XoX is doing our Kingdom proud showing up."
"The Captain XoX!?" Eric gasped. "I didn't know that! I thought he would be too busy in the Arena! Crap, what if we have to fight him?"
"Who's—"
"If we're lucky, maybe the Captains will take each other out and give us a shot." Annette commented. "The competition's going to be fierce this year with that airship on the line."
Finally having enough of being ignored, I slipped away from the line while nobody was looking and ducked around behind the registration stall.
I groaned as I shielded my eyes. "What's with them? It's like I don't exist. They're the ones that asked me to escort them here."
…Was that all I was to them? Just an escort?
Maybe my job was done and it was time I left. I wished I could have gotten to know them better, but it wasn't for lack of trying. It was tough being the fifth wheel.
Better to just bury myself into finding that artifact.
"...ood, that guy finally took the hint."
My eyes widened as Eric's voice drifted in. I was behind the stall while they were getting closer. Had they found me?
"You'd think he would have ditched us the second Zeppil was in sight." Eric continued, his voice sounding annoyed. "Our team-up was just to get here, after all."
"I got the sense that he was highly naïve." Annette chimed in, earning a snort from Eric.
"Please, Annette. A toddler would have been less naïve than that guy. How in the hell can he be such a good fighter while simultaneously being that green. The guy sounded like a newb!"
My breath hitched and I had to cover my mouth to block out the sound. Still, I listened in.
"Personally, I found his good Samaritan nature to be the most annoying." Sam spoke next, the words tumbling free now that he had no reason to hold back. "Any time there was the chance of Crafters getting attacked, he wanted us to abandon our journey to go and look for them. As if looking for severed Heads would have helped anyone."
Annette nodded. "We had our own schedule to follow. We couldn't risk ourselves looking for others. They would have just been another burden to worry about. And if we stopped to look for every Crafter, we would have definitely been late to sign up for these games!" She let out a sigh. "God, it's such a relief to be able to talk about this."
A fist tightened around a bundle of my suit, scrunching it up as I glared bitterly at the ground.
I… was only trying to help…
"I know it feels good that he's not breathing down our necks anymore. Is it wrong I hope we never meet again?" Eric asked before laughing. "Guys like that are only good as hired escorts. Too bad he wasn't the strong and silent type, huh?"
"We needed his protection as a safety precaution." Conrad admitted. If enduring his naïveté for a few days was the price, better that than our hard-earned emeralds."
"Well, we didn't exactly endure him for the whole time." Sam commented. "We ditched him back in Zhuge, after all."
My eyes closed, even as tears started to leak out.
"Yeah! I thought he'd do his own thing, but instead he goes looking for the guys who ditched him." Eric shook his head. "How oblivious can you be?"
I hunched over, drawing my knees to my chest as I kept my mouth covered, muffling my sobs.
I... I had been so worried for them…
I thought… I thought they were in trouble…
"If he does come back, we'll probably have to ditch him again. Maybe we should think up excuses now."
"It should be after the games. He knows we're entering."
"Yeah, we'll just tell him to fetch us some potions or whatever." Eric threw out easily. "He'll believe anything."
I couldn't take anymore.
Slowly, without making a sound, and with tears sliding off my cheek, I backed away into the shadow of the registration stall and doubled back behind the prison…
Before I broke down into sobs.
"Bailey…" I choked out in between sobs. "What… what does the… the Art of Peace… say about this kind of-of-of…" The words were cut off as I buried my face into my sleeve, dampening it. I slid to my knees, my other arm braced against the prison as my body became wrecked with sorrow.
"I… I was just a tool to them…" I whispered. "They… they used me to get here…"
I tore open the Art of Peace and started flipping through pages. All the while, my tears were falling, staining the pages. What was the peaceful thing to do here? What was the right thing to do here? What was the most satisfying thing to do here?
If only Bailey were there. Or Marble. Or Spark. If any of them were there, I'm sure they would have told me to forget about those four. They would comfort me, tell me to dry those tears, offer words of advice that made me realize how little this problem really was.
Instead, I was alone. Looking to a book for comfort.
What was I feeling…?
I… I felt terrible.
And it was directed at those four back there.
It was sadness… and something visceral.
Something that made my mind wander to the Severe Shield in my backpack.
Those guys… they despised me for being good. For worrying about the safety of them and others. Maybe I shouldn't be worried about others anymore. Maybe it would have been better to go back to that stand, put on that armor, and-and—
My eyes focused on a line of text in the book before me.
[As soon as you concern yourself with the 'good' and 'bad' of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weakens and defeats you.]
It was like a storm clearing in my head. The words were just like what Old Man Bailey would say during his lessons. It was almost like he was there with me, talking me down, and it was that alone that made me stop and think.
What… what did I just think about doing? I thought in horror as I pressed my back to the prison and wrapped my arms around my knees. I was scared, thinking I had almost put on the Severe Shield to—
I shook my head. No! I couldn't think like that. No more dark thoughts like that.
I wiped the tears from my eyes, sniffling slightly, as I took up the Art of Peace and slipped it into my Inventory.
It… it hurt to hear them say all those things…
But I didn't do anything wrong. How could I have when all I was doing was trying to help? I didn't want people to die if I could help it, and if those guys didn't appreciate it that was their problem.
I took a deep breath, calming myself down and massaging the sore lump out of my throat. Since I was no longer obligated to return to them, it was probably best to leave and focus on finding the Bottes Zephyr.
Still, it was with a sullen mood that I walked back around the prison to find a place to stay. I was so preoccupied trying to remember if I passed an Inn while running here that I bumped shoulders with someone running out of the prison, the two of us toppling over.
"Sorry…" I automatically replied as I got to my knees.
"No, it was my bad. I was in a rush." A hand was held out before me, and I took it, allowing the man to help me up.
He wore brown-leather armor over a black and white hoodie. Brown hair, green eyes.
"Cobb? What happened?" A green-haired woman asked, peering over his shoulder.
"Nothing. I just bumped into someone. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Cobbert, we should get on line to register as soon as possible." A gray-haired Crafter with tinted lenses and goggles appeared over his other shoulder. "There is no telling how long the line will take!"
"Oh, yeah." He let go of my hand and patted my shoulder. "Sorry, for bumping into you, gotta go, bye!" The brown-haired man swept by me, followed by the gray-haired man, a blue-haired man wearing make-up, and the green-haired woman.
I watched the four go, smiling bitterly at how they were chatting animatedly with one another. None of it was forced. One look at them and I could tell they were a tight-knit group.
"Wish I had friends like that…" I murmured before turning and dragging myself away.
Alone.
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Leggings [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III], 1 Golden Shovel [Silk Touch I, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Sword, 1 Banner {Beginners}, 64 Cobblestone, 47 Cobblestone, 1 Bed, 5 Dirt, 19 Torches, 34 Coal, 20 Cooked Mutton, 12 Jungle Wood Logs, 60 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 1 Water Bucket, 5 String, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Mending I, Unbreaking I], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots, 25 Emeralds, 2 Gunpowder, 25 Rotten Flesh, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[EXP: 29]
Inventory (Floyd): 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Leggings [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword {Weak}, 30 Iron Ingots, 1 Fishing Rod, 2 Ender Pearls, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 4 Emeralds, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Diamond Helmet [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Leggings, 25 Cooked Mutton, 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 {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[EXP: 31]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Leggings [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Bow, 1 Shears, 2 Levers, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Stone Button, 5 Redstone Torches, 1 Bed, 9 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 28 Redstone, 18 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 21 Cobblestone, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 25 Gunpowder, 5 Arrows, 16 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 16 Sugar Cane, 13 Cooked Mutton, 8 Paper, 5 Ink Sacs, 3 Leather, 8 Emeralds, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[EXP: 15]
Inventory (Soul): {Empty}
[EXP: 49]
Inventory (Jade): 1 Leather Cap [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Leggings [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV], 1 Iron Sword, 1 Bed, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 31 Cooked Mutton, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 17 Coal, 36 Torches, 34 Jungle Wood Planks, 64 Cobblestone, 29 Cobblestone, 16 Obsidian, 1 Water Bucket, 1 Bucket, 1 Compass, 1 Clock, 26 Emeralds, 4 Ender Chests, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Dover Plains Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Lazuli Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[EXP: 30]
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, 58 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 Book {The Labyrinth}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Dover Plains Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Dover Plains}, 1 Map {Mesa}, 1 Compass, 64 Arrows, 2 Glass Bottles, 5 Sugar, 14 Bookshelves, 7 Enchanted Golden Apples, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Blue] {Weak}, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots, 64 Emeralds, 64 Emeralds, 60 Emeralds, 2 Bones
[EXP: 19]
Beetroot the Horse
AN: Looks like Nowhere is Now Here! Eh? EH!?
...I'll just leave.
But not before talking about this Chapter. As per usual, the Chapters named after Kingdoms talk about what the Kingdom looks like. Nestled in the hills, with floating islands overhead, Zeppil, the Kingdom of the Clouds!
And the Parkour Games! Only a quarter of them are parkour, but it's the title. And the winning team gets the Airship!
Also, don't get your hopes up, but I'll probably be cramming in a ton of OCs as team members for the various teams competing in the games. Don't send any more OCs thinking I'll include them, I'm drawing from an existing list. Don't expect character Arcs for each of them.