AN: This Chapter of My Craft is chock-full of viewer submitted OCs. I'll reference and list them in the AN below.
Congrats to 3 (a guest reviewer) for getting last week's riddle correct. The answer: The second prime minister succeeded the first. I just wish the guest reviewer had a more noticable name. Enjoy your cookie, 3.
(::)
On with the Chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. Bwuh.
Chapter 120
Round One
[Cobb]
"Hello, Spleef fans!" A bellowing voice sounded over the cheers of the crowd. "My name is Boyin and I have the sensational honor of being the announcer for the Spleef portion of this year's Parkour Games! And let me tell you, I've got a feeling that this year will be the most pulse-pounding yet!"
The crowd cheered in assent and I looked up to spot the announcer perched inside a tiny stone commentator booth suspended above a trio of glass-walled arenas. Inside were multiple floors of snow.
I stood outside the trio of arenas, surrounded by two-hundred and sixty-seven other competitors. Captain Bak and Captain XoX were closer to the front, the latter being staunchly avoided by the others for fear of being targeted. A ring of Crafter-packed stands surrounded us on all sides, adding to the sense of worry that even one of them would recognize me from the wanted posters. Even though Zeppil didn't have them up, it didn't mean visitors from other Kingdoms wouldn't have seen them.
"This year's Games are brought to you in part by our recent alliance with the liberated Kingdom of Nitebane!" The announcer continued before gesturing down to us. "You may notice how each competitor has been given their own, personal shovel." I looked to the glowing iron shovel held stiffly in hand. "These shovels have been enchanted with Efficiency V and Unbreaking I, making them perfect for digging up snow in record time! Only the best for our competitors, and every level worth of EXP was provided by Nitebane's EXP churning factories!"
Nitebane. That was the Kingdom that had issued the posters for me and Floyd. For a second, I panicked, thinking their relationship with Nitebane would guarantee an awareness of our wanted status. But then, if that were the case, the posters should have been spread far and wide throughout the Kingdom. And there would have been at least a little bit of recognition from the guards. No, we were definitely still safe.
I relaxed into my original fear, performing poorly in the Spleef event. Why couldn't it have been fishing or a rotten flesh eating contest?
"For all you first-time spleefers watching, the rules are simple. Our pool of two-hundred and sixty-eight competitors will be divided into three groups and placed in the three arenas seen below." Boyin twirled his wrist before pointing to the glass-walled structures. "Each arena has five layers of snow and a bottom layer of grass. Today's preliminary round will consist of a five-minute timer," he pointed over to the far side of the stadium where a massive timer of black wool and redstone lamps stood. "A spleefer is out of the running if they fall through all five layers of snow and hit the grass. Whoever left standing after five minutes will advance to the Round Two Preliminaries tomorrow!"
"As for the rules of conduct, shovels can be used to push back players or dig out snow. The shovels cannot be thrown, and if you lose your shovel or it breaks, you will be disqualified. However, any snowballs you pick up while digging snow can be thrown! Hint: You should use them!" He added in a stage whisper.
"Now, I won't bore you all with the point-scoring system, since points are only awarded to the top fifteen players that make it to the third day. Just know that anyone who loses today will get ZERO points for their team and will probably be losers for all eternity!" At once, everybody glared balefully up to the commentary booth. "I kid, I kid! They'll only be losers until they get a new chance to win next year!"
Well, looks like the gauntlet's been thrown down.
In response to his words, the competitors adopted stern expressions and hardened eyes. The tension was palpable. They weren't here for anything less than first place and they'd do anything to get it. I had to think like that too if I wanted to get that airship.
At least the announcer guy was nice enough to outline the rules. All I had to do was last five minutes and not lose my shovel and I was set for the next round. Plus, I didn't just have to dig out snow; I had options.
Even better, when they were divvying up the competition, XoX and Bak were both placed in separate arenas from me. A lot of the guys in my arena breathed a sigh of relief not to be fighting such top-tier monsters on the first day. True, Bak's arena had two less competitors because of the uneven numbers, but it wasn't a big difference.
We all climbed ladders to reach the rim of the arena before leaping down onto the top layer of snow. My feet sank a bit into it, but it felt mostly solid. I had to remind myself that it was only a layer thick, and that a drop awaited me underneath.
Almost immediately, the other competitors spread out towards the walls. Probably for better position. With their backs to the glass walls, they could see the entire field of players without worrying about getting taken from behind. Some players even started making alliances, intending to weed out the weaker spleefers… like me.
The shovel shook in my hand and I somehow ended up stuck in the very center of the arena, facing opposition from all sides.
"Competitors! Are you ready!?"
"YEAH!" Came a mighty war cry from XoX's arena.
"YEAH!" The other Crafters echoed, their bodies vibrating with anticipation.
"No!" I shouted.
"Well, two-hundred and sixty-seven votes against one!" The announcer joked before slamming a fist onto a button. The timer lit up, displaying the five minute time limit. "Let's get ready to SPLEEEEEEEEEEEEF!" He shouted, signaling the timer to begin.
All hell broke loose.
[Floyd]
I had always considered myself a fast runner.
*PANT* *PANT*
And not just because I had a Speed Hack that allowed me to move fast enough to break the sound barrier.
*GASP* *COUGH-COUGH*
I mean, I didn't want to brag, but my Hack was fast enough run down the biggest tree in Minecraftia to save a free-falling Princess! In speed, my Hack couldn't be matched.
"Oh, God, my lungs! My lungs, they BURN!"
But, since this was a competition, Hacks were off the table. I didn't want to cause a panic. But I was still pretty fast. I loved Potions of Swiftness—probably why my Hack was Speed in the first place—and Jade was the only one able to keep up with me among our group of friends. So what if Lenz had the stamina of a lethargic asthmatic. It still counted.
*PANT* *PANT*
So when I heard the Parkour Games had a Sprinting Event, I signed up for it immediately, thinking I would do pretty well. I didn't think I'd get first, but I was confident I could place and get some points.
Oh how wrong I'd been.
"AUUUUGH! IT HURTS!"
The first round for the sprinting event was simply three laps around a mile long track. Only the top ninety runners would move onto the second round. It couldn't have been more straightforward.
And yet it was beyond exhausting for me. This must have been how Lenz felt anytime he tried to run. My lungs burned, there was a sharp pain in my chest, my vision was getting dizzy, and sweat dribbled down my face as if I was melting. My cursed armor was sticking to me in more ways than one.
Meanwhile, the runners that passed me looked as fresh as a daisy. They were breathing steadily, they weren't screaming about chest pains, and they kept their eyes focused forward. There was one competitor, Dizzy_Demi, that wore clown shoes—friggen clown shoes—and I thought how ridiculous she would look tripping over those things in last place. But no! She lapped me! She lapped me with those big goofy-looking shoes on and sniggered at me while I sucked in breath like a dying man.
With my Hack, I could beat them with my eyes closed. But I couldn't. Not with so many people watching.
The one good thing about watching so many professional runners was it made me realize how much energy I wasted running. For instance, jumping while running seemed to make you go faster, a fact I quickly keyed in to when everyone started jumping right when the race started. Another thing was the way I needlessly pumped my arms and had flat footwork. There were so many things I could improve upon.
And changing how I ran would probably help me reach greater speeds through my Hack.
On the third lap, I threw myself across the finish line, sliding onto my side and gasping for breath with eyes screwed shut.
Eighty-seventh place.
Three more players crossed the finish line after me before a firework went off, signaling that the second round of competitors was set. I had made it past the first day, but it was obvious my style of running wouldn't cut it.
With a derisive laugh, I recalled my nickname, the Blue Blur.
A shadow passed over me, blocking the sun.
"Water, sir?" A panting Crafter in red-dyed leather offered. In his hand, a bottle of refreshing water.
"Yeah… thanks…" I panted, shielding my eyes. "Just… just dump it on my face… please…"
The Crafter didn't bat an eye as he uncorked the bottle and dumped the contents all over me. I swallowed as much as I could, reveling in the heat being leeched away from my body.
"It's important to stay hydrated, sir." The Crafter smiled. "I have some spare bottles if you're still thirsty…?"
"No, no that's plenty, thanks." I rolled to a sitting position, shaking my water-soaked hair like a dog. "I'm, uh, still working on my sprinting technique." I made up.
"If you say so, sir."
Why is he calling me sir?
"Anyway, I guess I'll be competing with you tomorrow. But at thirty-fourth place, I doubt I'll make it to the third." He paused when he heard a commotion coming from Arena D: The Spleef Arena. "Sounds like XoX is working up a sweat. He'll have my head if I don't get him his liquid refreshment." He sighed forlornly before bidding me farewell.
I was happy to see the competition wasn't as cutthroat as every villain our guild ever faced. However, if that guy was catering to XoX, that meant they were on a team together. And he was faster than me at thirty-fourth place.
I better check out the Spleef Arena myself. Keep an eye on the competition.
Another uproarious commotion sounded from Arena D, startling several competitors.
…Or at least make sure XoX isn't wiping the floor with Cobb.
[Jade]
I bounced off a curved roof, leaping over a street and feeling lighter than air. Wind blew through my hair, a short curtain of emerald that stood out from the hundreds of Crafters parkouring across Zeppil.
Seeing how the games were named after this event, it made sense that Parkour would have the most creative courses. For the first round, I found myself racing fellow parkourists from Cloud Castle to one of the five hills surrounding the Kingdom. The catch? We had to travel by roof, poles, ledges, lampposts, niches, and everything in-between so long as it wasn't the ground. The moment a foot touched the ground, we were out.
But for a master parkourist, avoiding the ground was as easy as breathing. Beside me, a man with black hair and a green baseball cap—his name, low_bttry—proved this by somersaulting onto a line of fence posts bridging between two roofs and running along them with balanced poise before leaping onto and over the next roof.
Everyone was like that, remembering the cardinal rule of parkour by committing to and making wide gaps by the tips of their sneakers and shoes.
But balance wasn't everything. Speed mattered too, since only the top eighty to make it to the hills would move onto round two. That required some risk-taking; competitors recklessly leaping across impossible gaps just to eke out some distance. Once or twice, I watched some foolish Crafter attempt a difficult jump, only to come up short and fall on their rump.
"Disqualified!" A judge whistled before pointing at a fallen competitor. The judges were parkourists themselves, following closely and watching us like hawks. They hadn't missed a fall yet and wasted no time pointing out the losers.
I was probably in the top percentage, my experience with the parkouring guild, the Guerrillas, shining through. I swung on poles, bounced between buildings, darted over bustling districts, and slid down curved roofs. Looking around, there were only five or six other competitors keeping up. Captain Fo among them.
Oh, she remembered me, alright. After Soul rudely addressed her Prince, she must have taken note of all of us. She looked displeased not to have left me in the dust and, on the next street, she tried for a desperate jump to gain some distance.
She stumbled on the landing and slipped off, barely catching herself on the ledge of a stall, her legs held a foot off the ground and her arms straining to hold on.
I caught sight of her frustrated face and shot her a cheeky wave before leaving her in the dust.
I was playing it safe. Most of the jumps I could make were impossible for others, and I doubted I'd find any impossible jumps on Zeppil's streets unless I tried to clear three streets in a single stride. The other rounds would likely be harder, but for now, I could take it easy at my pace.
The ease allowed my mind to settle. And a settled mind often reflected on more pressing matters.
Like how I'd reveal myself to Cobb.
Floyd had already made it clear I would have to speak, and that I should do so simply because of the wonderful feeling of being honest and accepted.
But I was thinking about it in another sense. Cobb and the others were hunted by bounty hunters, and so far they had faced a great many threats.
It stood to reason that more threats would emerge before long, and I would be forced to reveal my skill with the cutlass just to keep him alive. It was an inevitability, and training him in parkour wouldn't ensure his safety.
Therefore, one way or another, my skills would be revealed. In that sense, it would be better to control how it was revealed to him, rather than leaving it up to chance.
But, on the other hand, we were all trying to win the games. Having an airship would be great for getting around and escaping ambitious bounty hunters. Was it right for me to reveal myself to the group when it was bound to distract them and throw off their performance?
Was it better to wait until the games were over?
It was while musing over these thoughts, while clearing the peak of a roof, that someone slammed into me. I was caught mid-jump and off-guard, my momentum being taken out of my control and forcing my body to angle towards the ground.
My eyes shot wide as I twisted my body like a cat, searching for an obstacle to catch myself on. Nothing was present on the crowded street below. The ground was coming up fast and my mind was drawing a blank. If I touched it I was out!
At the last second, I threw a foot down, stomping on a passing Crafter's head. He let out a noise of pain, but I was already stepping on another Crafter's head, albeit with less force.
I bounced off several heads, small noises of surprise or discomfort following me, before leaping off the last one and onto the railing of a roof. My eyes scanned the surroundings for the bastard that blindsided me, only to spot several other parkourists leaping above me. The competition had caught up.
"Good save." A judge stopped, watching me closely. "You're still in it, but you better hurry."
"I thought you were watching everything! Someone shoved me!" I called back, hoisting myself up.
The judge raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? All I saw was you making a bad jump." He leapt from his perch to another building. "Don't blame others for your slip-ups."
I bit back a retort as I followed the judge. There were more Crafters jumping alongside me. That push had cost me some time. And it was definitely a push. I could have made that jump in my sleep.
It was with narrowed eyes and tense nerves that I continued the course. I watched out for any parkourists that got close, though I noticed more than a few of the previous frontrunners being berated by judges further along. Seems like I wasn't the only one pushed, though I was the only one to have recovered.
The hill came up quickly, twenty or so competitors visible alongside it. With a final burst of speed and a few more exceptional leaps, I tied with a girl named Annette for thirty-seventh place.
Captain Fo was already there. She spotted my green hair and returned my smug wave from earlier. I tried and failed to brush it off. It looked like she had made tenth place despite her fall. And while she looked disappointed not to get first, she was content to have beaten me.
But she had only beaten me because someone had shoved me—had shoved several competitors. My eyes slid to the other top ten. Many of them were smiling, but not in any malicious way. It could have been any of them.
It was a problem for another time. For now, I was happy to have advanced to tomorrow's second round. According to the judges, the stage was to be the collection of ramparts, towers, and battlements known as Cloud Castle.
With the information for the next round relayed, we were free to check in with our other teammates and observe the other events. I was already running back along the roofs towards the Spleef Arena.
[Lenz]
I could not have asked for a more perfect event.
Two-hundred and sixty-eight archers enter. Eighty-five come out. The spots for the second round determined by a series of long-distance targets placed further and further away. First ten yards. Then twenty. Thirty. Fifty. Seventy. One hundred. And so on and so forth within the boundaries of the arena. Qualifying for the second round meant getting a bullseye on as many targets as possible.
To reiterate, I could not have asked for a more perfect event. Sniping long-distance targets was my forte, and with the promise of an airship honing my senses, I easily made the hundred-yard shot.
My competitors were less fortunate. Most of them couldn't pass the fifty-yard mark, making me feel infinitely more pleased with my skills. I was all but guaranteed a spot in the second round.
Still, in between shots, I noticed a few outstanding archers. There was a good chance most of them would make it past the second round and onto the third, making them my top adversaries.
Chen_Tzuyu : A thin man with steel-blue hair and a dark necklace who made the two-hundred yard shot with apparent disinterest and was still going strong. He had a blue tinted eyeshield over his eyes. The nickname the announcer gave him sounded oddly familiar. The Azure Jay? Where had I heard that…?
Pixel_Fox: A long-haired blonde with a sea-blue streak and… fake fox ears? I think they were fake, but they stood out, as did her exceptional shooting.
TheBlueEmo: Pale face, black hair, and wearing headphones. Likely to block out sound so he could make his shots. His eyes suggested a quiet intellect.
Sam: Simple name, but he managed the hundred-yard shot before bowing out, securing a spot for the second round.
WaitingDownHere: He had tinted glasses. Just like me! And… well, he missed the first target because of the glare through his tinted glasses. I had that problem a few times. He was out of the running early. I just took note of him because of his glasses.
And finally, Li_Wei and Ju-long: A pair of archers equal in skill, wearing the colors of Captain Fo and Captain Bak respectively. The Prince and Princess had spared no expense gathering talented teammates for their Captains. The two were comically glaring daggers at one another while making their shots, ignorant of the rest of us.
All of these names—except WaitingDownHere—qualified for the second round, myself included.
But… I kept going.
I did not stop at the two-hundred yard shot. I kept making bullseyes, over and over. Slowly, the others began to drop off, failing to keep up with the shots I was making. Li_Wei and Ju-long forget their rivalry when they noticed I was shooting circles around them. Neither of them could keep up.
I should have been happy simply to qualify. I should have been hiding my skills. But my burning desire for that airship overshadowed all else. I wanted to crush these people. To grind up their archer's pride and make them regret ever entering this event. I wanted them to realize the gap in our skill and forfeit before the second round even commenced.
My competitive spirit was burning brighter than ever, and I was going to keep making shots until my superiority was firmly established. No exceptions.
A high-pitched whistle sounded from the commentator booth. "Would you look at that? Lenzington, the Gray Eagle, is making Legolas look like a Legolamb! The other competitors can't keep up!" The crowd let out some enthusiastic cheers, but I kept firm focus over my bow. "Only one other archer is keeping pace, and the audience loves it!"
My eyebrows lifted, noticing that there was one archer matching me shot for shot. Chen was standing beside my shooting platform, his eyes sharing the same focus mine had as we both made the five-hundred yard shot. It was just him and me.
"Wait, wait!" The announcer called over the audience, his voice breathless. "This… it seems like we have a grudge match between past guildmates! The Gray Eagle vs the Azure Jay? Those nicknames are no coincidence! These archers are both Birds of Prey!"
Birds of Prey? My aim faltered for a second, but I realigned my arrow and took the six-hundred yard shot. The targets were getting closer to the stadium's boundary.
But what were the Birds of Prey? That sounded like something Mastah Veronica would call herself. Her many short-lived monikers were always named after birds.
Chen did not seem surprised by the announcer's claim. He kept making shots over and over, though I thought his eyes strayed over to me once or twice.
The crowd was in a frenzy, calling out our names and nicknames and the other competitors were captivated by the precision we showed, whispering to themselves worriedly. The color drained from some of their faces as they realized who the real competition was.
He really was good. Chen. We appeared evenly matched, both our bows breaking at the same time and having to be replaced before continuing. The audience could not look away. Finally, after making the eight-hundred yard target—a target so far-flung that audience members had camped out by it, confident nobody would shoot at them—the judges officially ended round one, claiming they would have to expand the stadium for us to continue. Neither one of us had given an inch.
I put down my bow, in no way satisfied with how things went. I may have qualified for round two, but I had also learned who I had to worry about. I lifted my yellow tinted goggles and looked to Chen as he did the same with his blue eyeshield. He gave me an appraising look before turning with a hum, walking off.
The questions about the Birds of Prey died on my lips as he was swallowed by the mass of archers leaving the stadium.
Chen. The Azure Jay.
There was nobody else on my radar besides him. He would be vying for the gold, just like me.
My fingers twitched in equal parts uneasiness and… anticipation.
I did not bother checking in on Cobbert.
[Noman]
"No, no, no, no…"
Hands tore at the tidy suit clothing me, wrinkling it. Desperate hands flew to my belt and backpack, digging deep into empty pockets. My neck twisted and contorted in an effort to look into my pack, only to injure myself. My hair grew disheveled. I spun on the spot, my blue eyes wide and scared.
Everything was gone.
It didn't mention this.
The Labyrinth myth never mentioned I'd lose everything!
I paced back and forth in the center of the Labyrinth, my mind jumping to one terrible conclusion after another. The Severe Shield was gone. My gifts from Notch were gone. My food was gone. Minecraftia was doomed. I was doomed. Something had reached into my Inventory and stripped it clean. How had something reached into my Inventory and stripped it clean!?
The Severe Shield was meant to be used to combat the Endward Cult and save Minecraftia. But now it was lost, and I had no idea what had even stolen it or how to get it back. The book mentioned none of this!
I pressed my hands against a wall, my eyes staring unblinkingly at the ground as tears began to well up. I cursed myself for not reading the entire myth. The last quarter of the book… maybe it did mention this, and it would be my fault for not taking a second to read it through. Now, it was too late. Both the book and my Inventory were lost. Possibly forever.
My eyes slid over to my arm before I felt another dull punch to the gut. My Hunger Meter. All my pacing and hair-tearing had worn away at a fourth of it. And with my Inventory gone, I had no food to replenish it.
The tale from the book came back to me. I remembered how the boy wasted away, lost in the Labyrinth with no hope of escape. He found his way, but that didn't mean I would!
"I-I got to get out of here…" Coming here had been a mistake without fully understanding the risks. I needed more time to figure how it worked. How it had teleported me and robbed me of everything. I needed to-to understand how to get it all back. I-I had t-to… to…
I whirled around, my eyes roaming over the tall walls. Surely there would have to be a return button. An exit button. An 'I'm not ready for this yet' button!
"Help!" I shouted out suddenly before realizing there was no point in calling. It was unlikely anyone had ever stumbled upon this place… wherever it was.
I looked up to the ceiling, and found it completely made out of redstone lamps. No sky in sight. So I was underground, then. Under Zeppil maybe? But then, someone would have dug this place up while mining.
I clutched my head again. I started to hyperventilate remembering all the gear I had lost. Emeralds. Food. Supplies. THE SEVERE SHIELD! It all came crashing back and I was threatening to pace the Labyrinth all over again, whittling away at my Hunger Meter all over again.
But I couldn't. Without food, I was destined to die in this Labyrinth. I needed to save my strength. That was the only coherent thought I had in my terror, and I clutched at it like a lifeline as I began to move through the maze.
I had nothing to use as breadcrumbs and no way to mark the paths I had to take, but there was that one thing the boy in the book had tried. You hug either the left or right wall and eventually you'd find your way out.
Though… it didn't work for the boy since the Labyrinth supposedly moved.
Either way, I kept a hand to the left wall, rounding a bend and failing miserable at trying to whistle through the ordeal.
How am I going to get back?
Will my Inventory even return if I finish this maze?
Is that a block of iron embedded in the floor?
Who built this crazy place?
How did they teleport me here!?
Where is here!?
Have I… have I passed that iron block before?
I stopped in place, looking at the iron block before me. Maybe the Labyrinth just had similar structures, but… it really felt like I had passed that block before. I narrowed my eyes, walking past the block but keeping it in my vision just before I rounded the bend.
When I turned back forward, the iron block was there waiting for me.
"Am I going in circles…?" I mumbled, backtracking around the bend, only for my eyes to shoot out when there was a gold block now embedded in the ground. "But… but that's impossible, I just came from here…"
I regarded the gold block warily, stepping over and past it as I hugged the left wall—oh, wait, I went back, so I should have been hugging the right wall. I quickly swapped walls before confusing myself further when I returned to the same gold block after turning the next bend.
"This doesn't make sense. How can I walk away from something… only to come right back to it?" There was probably a metaphor in there somewhere, something clever no doubt, but I really had to escape this place.
I took a step forward, before, on a whim, turning around to where the iron block had been. Rounding the bend, I let out a startled gasp upon finding myself at an intersection. And on the floor was a deep blue block of lapis lazuli.
"Nothing makes sense anymore." I spoke flatly. The Labyrinth was truly moving.
Or… was I the one moving? Being teleported back and forth and rounding the same bends until I did something different. Like backtracking.
This maze was unlike anything I had ever seen and I had no idea how much left of it there was to go.
"Calm down, Noman. Think." I spoke to myself, lacking any person to share my thoughts with. Good thing too. I would not have wanted someone else trapped in the Labyrinth. "Anyone who enters this place loses… everything. But whoever built this must have tested it first, right?" Why make an impossible trap? "So, then, this maze must be solvable… before a Crafter's Hunger runs dry. It has to be…"
Taking a chance at the lapis intersection, I went left. I found myself back at the iron block.
Another drumstick ticked off from my Hunger Meter.
"Please… don't make me starve in here…" I begged before retracing my confusing steps.
[Cobb]
Spleef, as it turns out, was the most brutal event in the Parkour Games. Kind of funny seeing how it was played with snowballs and shovels. But I could definitely see why the sport had its roots in Griefing.
As soon as the timer began, all hell had broken loose on that layer of snow.
The enchanted iron shovels they had been playing up were far more powerful than any shovel I had seen, digging up tracts of snow and whittling away our footing in mere seconds. I skipped back as one guy wearing blue leather plowed through where I was standing, only to teeter on the edge of a hole some other guy had dug up.
"Whoa!" I twisted my body, remembering Jade's Parkour lessons, and saved myself by performed a manly pirouette that I hoped Soul hadn't seen.
"Wooooo! Trying out for the ballet, Cobb? Do a split next!"
No such luck.
My face burned with shame as I had to employ my parkour training again, performing a split leap over a gap before my platform got dug out by two guys. They sneered at how goofy I looked, only to get dug out by another competitor with messy pitch-black hair and crimson eyes that had me thinking of Carys.
I let out an involuntary shiver, thankful that the traits belonged to a guy and that Carys was dead.
The top layer was a broken mess of snow. The more aggressive players went for anyone they could reach while the more defensive ones made little islands for themselves off to the side. Anyone that wanted to go for them was welcome to try at the risk of falling through the gap. There were some evasive ones like me too.
Figuring I could try offense, I raised my shovel and targeted a guy being double-teamed by two girls. His attention was occupied, so I snuck in quietly and dug out his footing. He gave a startled cry before falling down.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this—WAH!" I cried out as my footing suddenly got dug out from the layer below. Nobody had mentioned they could do that!
It was done by the guy I had just made fall. Cin_Spire. Long black hair in a ponytail and cold, grey eyes that didn't look too forgiving of what I had done.
"Sneaking up on me while I'm spleefing? That's cold, man. Colder than the snow under my boots." He lashed out with his shovel, digging away my footing and forcing me to back away. I bumped into someone else, and the two of us barely shared a glance before Cin dug us both out and to the level below. "Have a nice fall!" He taunted before darting off.
I got back to my feet before diving aside as the guy I had fallen down with, JackTheTimber, went for me. "Thanks a lot, jerk! You dragged me into your fight and now I'm at level three early!"
"Huh?" I looked around and saw what he meant. We were the only two on the third snow level. Everyone else was still fighting up above. It made for a much quieter, calmer platform.
But I knew there was a risk involved, too. There were only five layers of snow. The top layer had the most safety nets in case you fell. The bottom layer had none. If I fell through two more layers, I would touch the grass and be out.
I was halfway there, and the timer had only ticked through thirty seconds! I needed to last four-and-a-half more minutes!
JackTheTimber lumbered towards me, but I held up my shovel disarmingly. "Hold on! We… why do we have to fight? We're the only ones on this level, we can wait it out!"
"BOOOO! No waiting! I wanna see fighting!"
"Shut up, Soul!" I called back through the glass walls Soul was spectating me through. "Go cheer Floyd on or something!"
"But watching you bumble through this is fine!" He waved over a Testificate selling concessions. "Hey! Can I get a steak, how much?"
"Stop finding this entertaining! I'd like to see YOU down here!" I called back angrily before Jack tried to approach again. "Wait! Really. Can't we just wait until others show up before fighting? Why drag each other down?"
"Because you dragged me down first you ASS!" He plowed through my space, forcing me to roll to the side. I flicked out my shovel and switched to defense, making an island like the guys at the top had done.
Unfortunately, I wasn't nearly fast enough. Jack leapt over the gap I made before I could enlarge it and he had me on my toes as I kept backing up more and more…
Until my head bashed against the glass wall.
"NGHHHHHH!" I clutched at it, biting my lip with tears welling up. Jack stood over me, ready to doom me to the fourth level.
Only for a guy to land on him from above.
I scuttle away as the two devolved into a tangle of limbs and glinting metal. I subtly snuck in and dug a big hole before watching their tussle roll right into it and down to the level below.
"Looks like fortune is smiling on the Billionth today!" The announcer, Boyin, cheered. Though why he kept track of third level fights when there were more interesting fights going on above was beyond me. "Wait… Billionth…? Could he be…?"
I could hear the murmurs through the glass and saw confusion on many people's faces. From above, I heard someone shout out 'The Billionth? Where!?'
"Well, uh, well ladies and gentlemen, his registration information confirms it." Boyin chuckled nervously in his commentator booth. "King_Cobb is the Billionth, both in name and number. Wholly and truly!" He laughed aloud and suddenly I felt many eyes on me. "If those fabled myths are to be believed, we're standing in the presence of a living legend! A Hacker slayer!"
"Meh, he ain't so special."
"GET OUT OF HERE, SOUL!" I snapped.
"Make me, bitch." He said through a mouthful of steak.
"…Go Billionth!" Someone else shouted.
A few more people in the audience echoed those cheers, the support swelling into a sizable following of fans. Maybe they were victims of Hacker attacks to do so, but any enemy of the Hack Clan was a friend to them.
"Don't lose!"
"How did you kill a Hacker!? You were the first, yeah?"
"Did you have anything to do with Nitebane's liberation!?"
They were firing off questions between cheers and I barely had time to attempt to respond before I heard someone shout from above.
"What level is that Cobb guy on? I want to see what he looks like!"
"What if he's a monster? Bad enough XoX and Shadow are in this event, now we have to contend with a living legend?"
"I'm not one to shy away from a challenge. I wanna fight him!"
Brain: SHIIIIIIIIIIIT!
"Yeah, what's he going to do with us? These are the Games! Not like he can use his Hacker Slaying skills to kill us!"
"Yeah, I want a go! I want a go!"
"I don't see his name. What level you think he's on?"
Don't announce it. Don't announce it. Don't announce—
"King_Cobb is currently on level three!" Boyin announced.
"SCREW YOU, ANNOUNCER GUY!"
"I probably will! By my smoking hot wife!" Boyin bragged. "She's the best, I tell you. I don't deserve her. Say hi, honey!"
A woman in the audience covered her face in shame.
"Isn't she just the cutest? She's even cuter in the bedroom, believe me."
While much of the audience tried to bleach their brains of that imagery, spleefers started falling from the upper levels. To my horror, they were digging themselves down, giving up the top spot just to see how they stacked up against the Billionth.
"I wanna fight the Hacker Slayer! Where is he?" One of them shouted before pointing to me. "AHA! Fight me!"
"Nope!"
With a target painted on my back and spleefers closing all around, I positioned myself in a corner and dug a large trench separating us. I did it right this time, making my own little island where nobody could reach me. Frustrated Crafters with shovels waved back angrily, looking ready to attempt the jump.
"Oh, thank you God. This is the best." Soul laughed from the stands.
"SERIOUSLY! WATCH SOMEONE ELSE!"
"Three minutes remaining, folks!" Boyin announced. "No eliminations yet in the first arena, but, in a surprise twist, half of the competitors have dug themselves to the third level to challenge the Billionth!"
"And it's all your fault!" I screamed up at Boyin before noticing the snowballs filling my free Inventory space. If I couldn't use a fishing rod to bobber…
As one of the spleefers prepared to jump, five snowballs flew from my fingertips, one of them hitting him in the face by sheer luck.
"Bobber." I called out flatly, the action feeling wrong without the proper tool in hand.
Whatever. The guy fell into the trench.
Others tried to cross the distance, only to be met with a flurry of snowballs. They were light, easy to throw, and made a satisfying sound flying through the air. Like ender pearls without the risk of taking damage from warping. And they stopped people in their tracks as well as any bobber.
It was like a hail of bobbers!
"Bobber. Bobber. Bobber." I repeated, knocking five spleefers to the fourth level.
There! Let that be a warning to all of them. Don't mess with the Billionth.
"HEY!" I toppled backward as one enterprising spleefer fired back with a snowball of his own. It came from the upper level, though. I glanced up and saw the black-haired Crafter from before. The one that looked like a male Carys_Angel… if that was possible.
Abyssal_Shadow.
He was standing proud on the top level, everyone else having fallen to the lower floors. He tossed and caught a snowball in his hand before flinging the projectile down towards me. With little room on my island to dodge, I was knocked into the glass wall, bracing myself against it as best I could.
I whimpered when the other spleefers held up snowballs themselves and started pelting me from all directions. It was all I could do to shield my face and haphazardly swing my shovel in defense before I slipped and fell down to the fourth level. I landed badly on my back, the wind getting knocked out of me.
"Two minutes left!"
I groaned as I got to my feet, buoyed by the knowledge that the first round was more than halfway over. I could make it. I just had to last a little longer.
"Cobb! Get up!" My ears perked up hearing a feminine voice. I looked through the glass to see Jade leaning over the railing. "Come on! Haven't you faced worse than this? Show these guys what you can do!"
What I can really do…?
I pushed myself to my feet and darted away as the spleefers came down to challenge me. One of them charged in only to dart to the side, taking out a chunk of snow at my feet.
Commit…
Sneakers pushed off the snow, catapulting me over the missing chunks. I kept an eye on my footwork, missing every gap like I was tiptoeing around them.
"Yeah!" Jade cheered. "That's the way! Commit! I taught him those moves." She added to a nearby audience member, pride leaking through her tone.
JackTheTimber, still angry from earlier, got in my way next. He drew a line in the snow, widening it so I'd be trapped with the pursuing spleefers.
Commit!
I shocked both myself and him when my adrenaline-fueled leap cleared not only the gap, but the top of Jack's head. Mid-flight, I whipped an arm back and launched a snowball at him, knocking him into his own trap and down another level.
"OH COME ON!" He shouted in frustration.
I skidded against the snow, my head popping up to scan the area. With so little time left, everyone forgot about me in favor of clearing out as many competitors as possible. Snowballs flew, shovels dug in streaks of silver, bodies were falling left and right. I wiped hair and sweat out of my eyes just in time to dodge a flurry of snowballs aimed for me. I knocked down two other Crafters in the process…
And started to have some fun.
I know I had to win, but… but for a moment, I lost myself in the mayhem. The snowballs didn't hurt and you only ever fell a few blocks down at a time. It was good, harmless fun.
I parkoured across a few single blocks of snow, dodging snowballs as I went. Glancing up, I saw Abyssal_Shadow still lording over the top level. He wasn't going to risk his lead coming down. He was practically untouchable up there.
"One minute left!"
Floyd had joined Soul in watching my struggle. Seems like both he and Jade had finished their events. Whether or not they made it, I'd have to ask.
A few more bodies fell down and the announcer listed off the names as they did, but he was spouting them so fast it was impossible to hear. He was watching the other two arenas too. I caught Jack's name in there, but felt nothing for the angry man.
Then, while I was resting on an isolated island, content to wait out the clock, Cin_Spire caught my eye. He was staring at me from his own little island of snow, too far out of reach to be a threat.
He made a 'come hither' gesture. "Why don't you fight me like a real man, Billionth?"
"Because… I don't have to?" I countered, not falling for his taunt.
"I get it. You're scared." He accepted loftily. "I don't blame you. I am pretty tough."
"I already have Soul heckling me, I don't need this." I sighed. "Just… go away. We'll both make it to the next round."
"No guarantee we'll face off in the same arena again." He wore a lazy smile. "Why don't you hop on over here so we can have ourselves a good fight?"
"I'm not that good at parkour. Also, there's thirty seconds left."
"Plenty of time to wipe the snow floor with you."
"Are your ears not working? I said I—"
"Cobb! Your footing!"
The warning had come from the stands—from Jade. And, like my realization that killing random pigs tied in the woods wasn't the best idea, it had come to me far too late.
Someone had snuck underneath from the level below to dig out my snow island. I was so distracted talking with Cin, I hadn't noticed. I landed on the fifth and final level of snow before losing my balance and shouting out in alarm.
Because most of the snow had already been dug out.
It was riddled with holes like swiss cheese, and I had unfortunately fallen near one. I had wedged one leg and one arm onto the ledge, barely holding my weight up. I hissed under my breath as I fought to save myself, but I wasn't getting anywhere. Gravity was pulling me down to the grass below. I never knew grass could look so damning.
If I touched it, I was out.
A light thud alerted me to Cin_Spire dropping to my level. He did it purposefully, wanting to finish me himself.
"Don't get up." He taunted, walking over step by step, shovel in hand. "If it's any consolation, there's always next year." He said while digging out where my leg was wedged.
"…Couldn't agree more."
"Huh—!?"
I flung a snowball at his face at point-blank range, nailing his nose and blinding him just enough for me to reach out a hand and snag his leather armor. I made sure my grip on the ledge was still tight before slipping my leg free and letting gravity take hold. My body unwound, dragging Cin by his leather tunic and eliciting a strangled cry of alarm. My other arm was pulled taut hanging onto the ledge and I screamed out before letting go of the guy. He fell all of three meters, hitting the grass floor with a faint 'uph'.
"And Cin_Spire is out!" The announcer declared before the sound of fireworks went off. "And that calls it! The first round of Spleef is officially over!"
As soon as he said 'over', I let go of the snow, falling and landing on Cin's belly. He roughly shoved me off of him before pressing a hand over his face.
"Damnit… I lost…" I moved to stand over him. He peeked between his fingers. "You mind? Or are you going to gloat?"
I held out my hand. "Better luck next year." I smiled.
"Hardy har har." The pony-tailed man rolled his eyes before accepting my hand and letting me pick him up. "I guess I really screwed myself. Had to go poke the sleeping bear." He placed his hands on his hips and glared at me. "You better make it to the finals. That way I'll have the excuse that I had to face the guy that beat everyone else."
"Well," I chuckled, "if I wasn't motivated to win before, I definitely am now."
"Ass." Cin laughed before gaining an evil smile. "Actually, maybe I owe you one. After all, I don't have to face that monster."
"Huh?" He pointed to one of the other two arenas where I heard an earsplitting, roaring laugh.
"Uohhohho!"
"Unbelievable ladies and gentlemen!" Boyin announced from his booth. "As intense as these Spleef battles have been, Captain XoX, the Ogre of the West, has blown all of his arena's competitors out in just five minutes! Clearly, his name isn't just for show. This guy's a monster!"
Wait, what!?
I ran over to the glass walls of the other arena and saw only one man on the bottom level. XoX was beating at his chest, his red leather tunic torn off to reveal his rippling muscles.
"Uohhohho! I came for challenge! How many I have to face before true challenger shows!" He roared to the crowd. "Where is blue girl!? Blue girl better face me next round!"
No way… he's the sole survivor of that arena…? He took out everyone else!? That's eighty-nine people! And in just five minutes…?
"Er…" Boyin faltered slightly and I watched as some of the judges entered his booth to discuss with him. "Well…" he began, chuckling nervously. "I'm getting word that, due to XoX's… earnest efforts in the arena, we have a deficit of spleefers for the second round, so… ah… the judges will need to talk it over to decide how we split this pool up." He recovered fast. "But I can tell you that we have thirty-seven competitors qualifying from Arena 1, XoX from Arena 2, and twenty-four from Arena 3. That means tomorrow's Spleef Battle will whittle down these sixty-two competitors to a mere fifteen!"
"Uohhohho! Why wait for third day? Put all with me and I'll end it TOMORROW!"
"Wha—No, Captain XoX! You must follow the rules and—judges, somebody explain to him why we can't have that!" The announcer called over worriedly.
"No rules in arena! Only winners and losers!"
Seriously, where had the stoic and silent Captain from before gone? He wasn't this vocal earlier. It was like he was replaced with a barbaric, hollering ape! Did the heat of competition set his blood to boil?
"I sure do feel bad for any poor soul that has to face that monster." Boyin announced regrettably before the judges convened around him. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay, I'll tell them. Ladies and gentlemen, it appears the judges have come to a decision! They had expected ninety players to pass, but due to this unexpected development, the second round Spleef Battles will take place in one arena rather than the planned three."
…Say what now?
"Therefore, all sixty-two competitors will report to Arena 1 at noon tomorrow. Please hand in your shovels to be repaired. They will be handed back tomorrow before beginning the next elimination."
"Uohhohho! That's what I want!" XoX roared his approval, shovel waving around. "Face blue girl for sure! Crush EVERYBODY!"
"N-no! No!" Boyin argued. "Fifteen competitors have to pass! There has to be a third day! Otherwise the whole games will be thrown off—!"
"Don't care!"
"You will if you want to keep competing! Judges, calm him down already! He's too warmed up! Throw water over him or something!"
As if on cue, three Crafters wearing the same red leather as XoX scrambled into his arena. I recognized the one that had called me sir from earlier. They were XoX's team and they were carrying buckets of water and blocks of ice.
XoX stopped beating his chest and looked alarmed. "Don't touch me!"
"Captain, please, you need to cool off!"
The shovel swung, iron impacting flesh and sending one of them spinning to the ground. The crowd shouted in alarm. I think Soul let out a whoop of encouragement before Floyd smacked him.
"Don't wanna cool off!" XoX protested, his shovel flashing out again and slapping another teammate in the side. The third one, however, slipped in and pressed the block of ice to XoX's bare chest, causing him to shiver. "COLD! COLDCOLDCOLD!"
His body thrashed and an elbow flew, socking the guy in the cheek. The other teammates dove for the legs, pouring water and rubbing ice over the vermillion-haired monster.
"COLD! COLD… C-C-Cold… c-c-c-c-cold…" As if hibernating, the Captain dropped the shovel in favor of huddling in on himself, shivering. The three teammates acted like it was perfectly normal, rubbing more and more ice into his muscled chest, cooling him down in more ways than one.
Finally, the Captain returned to his usual stoic silence. He slowly tugged his leather tunic back on and went with his team without complaint. From the commentator booth, Boyin and the judges breathed a sigh of relief.
And why shouldn't they feel relieved. They didn't have to fight that monster tomorrow! And in a battle royale between all the best spleefers! All of the competitors who made it seemed to realize the same, most of their faces paling at the prospect. Captain Bak looked to be considering something while Abyssal_Shadow had his eyes fixed on the retreating XoX. Both of them had made it to the second round and were tough opponents I'd also need to worry about.
"Have fun." Cin_Spire clapped a hand on my shoulder, his smile taunting. "I'll be rooting for you." He said before walking past me.
"…Switch with me." I begged, only for it to be unheard.
The first round was over, the day done. Yet I handed in my shovel feeling anything but victorious.
The good news: I had made it to the second round.
The bad news: XoX had made it too.
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], 12 Snowballs, 1 Diamond Sword, 1 Banner {Beginners}, 64 Cobblestone, 47 Cobblestone, 1 Bed, 5 Dirt, 19 Torches, 34 Coal, 5 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, 22 Emeralds, 2 Gunpowder, 22 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, 1 Emerald, 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, 12 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, 36 Arrows, 16 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 16 Sugar Cane, 4 Cooked Mutton, 8 Paper, 5 Ink Sacs, 3 Leather, 5 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): 1 Diamond Axe, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 64 Iron Ingots, 55 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, 34 White Wool, 37 Dirt, 64 Cobblestone, 31 Cobblestone, 5 Stone Slabs, 33 Coal, 32 Jungle Wood Planks, 2 Sticks, 1 Armor Stand, 46 Emeralds, 37 Cooked Mutton, 8 Cooked Steak, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[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, 18 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, 23 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): {Empty}
[EXP: 20]
Beetroot the Horse
AN: All the Beginners passed the first round, but some challenging rivals are right there with them.
And Noman... poor, poor Noman... lost in the Labyrinth. With nothing to read.
OCs. I said I'd be packing this Arc with as many OCs as I could, so here's what we got.
From Ari-Dexel13: WaitingDownHere, Dizzy_Demi, and JackTheTimber.
From Exfinity: Cin_Spire.
From Khaos Lord of Creation: Abyssal_Shadow.
From GamerHD2158: TheBlueEmo.
And from Jewel moonstone: Pixel_Fox.
Other OCs might show up. Some will get more focus than others. Don't expect character arcs for all of them.
Review, Fav, Follow.