AN: Ugh, I hated writing this Chapter. Fight scenes, man. Fight scenes.
This Chapter was inspired by the GTA V mission 'Lamar Down'. As such, I strongly urge the readers to play the appropriate music: The Lamar Down Mission Theme. Thank you.
Oh, and uh, Hiatus after next Chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. Bwuh.
Chapter 129
Beginners vs Paragons (Part 1)
[Asmodeus]
Brilliant explosions lit up the night. Bits of the battlement were churned and thrown up like a turbulent ocean, pelting the underside of the Asmodeus.
"Soul!" Lenz berated from over the controls. "I said press the bomb button once! Once!"
"Sorry, I thought you said twenty-once!"
"Would you listen to yourself? What kind of word is twenty-once? This is blatant overkill!"
"Think about who we're facing." Soul growled back. "The Paragons are among the Big Three. No way a little TNT is going to scare them off. It's scorched earth or bust!"
"The castle!" Noman bemoaned, clutching his face in horror. "You're wrecking the castle! This is not what good guys do!"
"Uh…" Soul pointed down at the smoldering ruins of the battlements. "Hey, look! There's Cobb! Let's go get him!"
"What have I gotten myself into…?" Noman took only a moment to ask this of himself before following Floyd and Soul down the ladder to the loading bay.
The Asmodeus descended slowly, its pilot careful not to touch any of the towers or structures. There was movement on the battlements as the dazed Paragons caught in the explosions tried to get their bearings.
Cobb was huddled against the ground, covered in debris and unmoving. Only his green-leather tunic distinguished him from the others. Jade, meanwhile, with her cursed brown-leather tunic, had recovered her cutlass and was engaging with the knife-wielding Jibberwoman.
Soul didn't wait for the ship to touch down. He placed his anvil out the doors and watched it plummet, a Paragon narrowly avoiding it by rolling aside. The Paragon did not, however, evade Soul's 'Death From Above' attack as the full weight of the axe-wielder crashed into him.
"You got a friend of ours!" Soul shouted, bringing his axe down on the guy he dropped on. Just as he was about to get in another strike, a blue-haired old man threw a Splash Potion of Healing at the two, fixing any damage. Soul whirled on the old man, Baltic, but was forced back as the downed Paragon kicked him in the gut.
Jade deflected an iron dagger aimed for her eyes only to scream through her teeth as a second one slid into her knee. Z7 wrenched it free but Jade swapped hands, landing a crescent slash against the assassin's shoulder.
"Hszoold." She mumbled before flipping back as Floyd, having jumped down, took a swing at her.
"Now who has the jump on whom?" He lashed out with his blade, but Z7 kept her distance and, oddly enough, regarded Floyd warily. Through her purple curtain of hair, Floyd saw her focus swivel between his footing and his eyes.
She was checking for Hacker smoke. She was afraid of his speed.
She didn't know it was a glass cannon, though.
Jade stood beside Floyd, urging him to keep going. "Whose bright idea was it to bomb the castle we were held captive on?"
"Soul's."
"I'm going to have some words for him." She winced as her knee fixed itself before ducking beneath an arrow shot from somewhere.
Soul skid to a stop between the two, his body full of adrenaline.
"Give us back our idiot!" He howled as two paragons rushed in.
Over on the other side, Cobb was turned over onto his back. His eyes slid open weakly, expecting an enemy.
"Cobb." Noman coaxed. "Come on. We're getting you out of here."
"Who… who's we…?"
"Your friends." He nodded off to the side where Floyd, Soul, and Jade formed a defensive formation. The Asmodeus finally touched down atop the ruined battlements, not too far away. "Their methods might have been a bit heavy-handed, but they got those Paragons on the run."
"No…" Cobb groaned weakly, trying and failing to roll onto his side. "Not enough…"
"Easy, I got you." Noman slid an arm around Cobb's shoulder and hefted him up. He then proceeded to drag him to the Asmodeus. "I got you. You're going to make it."
"N-Not enough…" Cobb shook his head, coughing. "Sh-she's alive… she's still alive…!"
No sooner had he uttered that than a hand shot out of some rubble. Noman stopped in his tracks, Cobb slumping out of his fumbling grip as a body crawled out of the ruins, shrugging off stone bricks and leaning on her scythe. Her gaze snapped to the black sails of the Asmodeus and her face was drawn back in a snarl.
"Who the fuck is flying my vessel? We had all his allies caught!" She practically screamed, her crimson gaze sliding back to the source of her hatred and the lone person standing in the way. She narrowed her eyes in cold hatred. "Another new face. Wing and Luis had nothing about you. You ruined this." She threw a Splash Potion of Regeneration and Swiftness at her feet before rushing Noman.
With wide eyes, Noman dropped Cobb in favor of his shield, just before Carys smashed into it. The broad, durable shield was a good match-up against the scythe's reach and design. The blade caught and the shield held, even if Noman's stance did not. He took a knee as Carys pressed down with all her might.
Then, just as quickly, she disengaged and swept at his legs. Noman barely got the shield in place before Carys used her Swiftness enhanced speed to take his back, raking her scythe against his armor. He cried out and took a wild swing in an attempt to shield-bash her, but Carys was too quick, skirting around his defenses and carving him up effortlessly.
This wasn't how she had been with Cobb. With her airship at risk, the time for games was over. No more pity potions.
"Kill them all!" She commanded of her guild in between slashes. "Kill them all, but the Executive is mine!"
Noman successfully blocked one of her slashes only to get whacked with the opposite end. She twirled her scythe and swung down, cracking the battlements and throwing Noman back.
An arrow stopped her from following-through.
Lenz fired again from the safety of the ship, his shots keeping the angel on her toes even if none of them landed.
"The archer…" Carys seethed, realizing who was piloting her airship. Her gaze flicked back to Cobb, noticing how the arrows were pushing her further and further away from him. "Not a chance…" She remarked before bolting forward. Lenz let out a panicked yelp and fired arrow after arrow to impede her, but the angel weaved her way past them all. She leapt into the air and landed a devastating drop kick upon one of Cobb's legs, a loud CRUNCH punctuating the battlefield. Cobb barely stirred, too dazed to feel his ruined leg, but the sight of it made Floyd's eyes darken. Carys seized his other leg and brought up her foot, poised to shatter it.
A smoldering elbow caught the side of her face first.
"You're out of your element." Floyd threatened angrily, his body swirling with dark smoke as he stood before Carys. His sclerae were a solid black, smoke pouring from his eyes.
Two… Three…
"Hacker measures!" Carys called out before throwing on her diamond armor. Floyd vanished in a blink, the result being him shoving the angel against a tower on the other side of the battlements not a second later.
"Augh!" He hissed, letting go of Carys as if burned. Her Thorns enchanted armor. Any damage she took was taken in part by the inflictor. She gave a strained smirk before throwing an ender pearl to another tower. As quick as she was, Floyd's Hacker Speed was faster, and he was allowed three quick-fire hits before she warped away.
He then darted around the tower before a pair of splash potions could seal his movements. Baltic was handing out splash potions of Slowness and Weakness to every available Paragon while reinforcing them with both Strength and Swiftness. The Hacker measures Carys ordered.
Ten… Eleven... Twelve…
Floyd had to make the best of it. He spied Carys downing healing potions, eagerly wanting to throw herself back in. How she still had the energy to fight, Floyd couldn't fathom.
But she wasn't close to the airship. The other Paragons were.
"We're all flying out of here!" Soul shouted, his axe deflecting a Paragon's sword aside and allowing Jade to sneak a stab in before skipping back. "Also, I'm a real fan of the Angel's work! Hate cultists almost as much as her!"
"Watch out!" Noman blocked a Potion of Harming with his shield while carrying a feeble and broken-legged Cobb with him. A sudden weight pressed against the top and he paled upon seeing Z7 crouched atop it.
The assassin used the shield as a springboard, her daggers whistling through the air as they found their targets. Soul recoiled as one was buried in his arm and Noman only just deflected it with his helmet.
"Make a ramp!" Floyd shouted while dodging splash potions.
Noman had the sense to angle his shield up and Floyd ramped off of it with all his speed, crashing into the airborne assassin and sending her hurtling away.
Twenty-two… Twenty-three… Twenty-four…
Floyd cursed as he had to dart out of the way of more splash potions. With the Paragons focusing on him, he couldn't afford a single second to sit still. At the same time, he had to defend the Beginners' path to the airship. In any other situation, he could have wiped these guys out. But they were keeping him on his toes, forcing him to prioritize evasion or protecting his allies.
All while the seconds ticked by.
"You think we'd let you cultists escape with our pride and joy!?" A Paragon fired an arrow, only for Jade to dodge it with a flip.
"You're lucky we're only taking your airship as compensation for this traumatizing evening!" Soul barked, bashing his diamond axe against Luis' helmet.
"Hurry up!" Lenz called out, aiming arrows after the recovering Z7. The assassin slid behind cover like a shadow, but Lenz suddenly cried out as a flaming arrow sunk into his chest. Carys' work. He burst into flames and was forced to retreat to the bridge before Carys could finish the job.
Which freed Z7 to pursue. She and Carys were the biggest threats, the two displaying skills that far surpassed the other Paragons.
Twenty-nine… Thirty…
Floyd decided to blow the rest of his time on defense. Taking out his flint and steel, he sprinted around the ruined battlements and made a perimeter of flames to keep the heavy-hitting Paragons at bay. The tool broke upon completion and Floyd rushed back—
Thirty-five.
The smoke died out around him and his momentum carried him across the ruined battlements where he rolled to a stop beside the Asmodeus' open doors. He panted for breath, the Hack having taken its toll. He couldn't move. And the airship was right there!
A rough hand seized his leather tunic, yanking him up and past the loading bay doors.
"We got them! Gun it, Lenz! Gun it, gun it, gun it!" Soul screamed into the speaking tube. Cobb was slumped beside the ladder, Jade and Noman panting and standing guard by the door.
At Soul's insistence, the Asmodeus began to rise. Burning arrows flew in, but were blocked by a shield or else thudded against the hull. Below, Floyd could see Z7 jumping over the swathe of flames he'd made only to stare uselessly at the airship lifting further and further into the sky.
Floyd felt like he could breathe again. They were out of there.
"Is he… Is he alright?" Noman suddenly asked, checking on Floyd. "What was all that smoke? And-And he was moving so fast…" He saw how he wasn't moving. "Did he get paralyzed? Why isn't he moving? Does he need milk—?"
"No, he… he doesn't need milk." Soul dragged the blue-nette further into the ship. "He's just a little winded. Help me get him up the ladder; I saw some bedrooms where he can sleep this off—"
"Cobb…?" Jade suddenly asked, shaking him lightly and shaking a bit herself. It drew everyone's attention as the fisherman refused to budge. "Cobb? Wake up. Please, wake up." His head was slumped forward, his expression dazed. His leg was bent unnaturally, covered with soot from the debris earlier. Carys had done a number on him for sure. How long had he been fighting that woman alone? "S-Somebody get a Potion of Healing! Cobb's in bad shape!"
A red splash potion was immediately thrust before his eyes, courtesy of Noman. The suited man looked horrified at the level of violence inflicted upon Cobb, and the trembling hands confirmed his level of fear. Even so, Jade gratefully accepted the brew and carefully tipped it down Cobb's throat. The effect was instantaneous, restoring his Health, fixing his leg, and causing him to stir.
"Cobb?" Jade pushed past Noman to kneel beside him. "Cobb, please wake up. Please be okay."
"…Hnn…" One of Cobb's eyes blinked open, his pupil lazily drifting from one face to another. "F… loyd… J-Ja… de…"
"I'm here, Cobb." Jade comforted, barely containing her tears as she took hold of Cobb's hand in hers. "We're all here. We got away."
Cobb's eyes, bloodshot from shed tears, began to leak once more as he took in the sight of his comra—his friends. Floyd was still alive. And Lenz was probably flying the airship and having a blast. And Jade was—
Something small, round, and the shade of blue was launched through the open side of the loading bay. As if in slow motion, Cobb's eyes widened fearfully upon seeing it impact the ceiling, followed by a raven-haired monster suddenly appearing where it had been.
Carys dropped from the ceiling following the sound of an ender pearl teleportation before she turned her burning crimson eyes upon Noman and Jade… and him.
"Be… hind you…" Cobb warned, causing the two to spin around just as Carys' scythe smashed into the floor before them. The weapon's wide attack range cracked the wooden floor, spreading out like a wave that knocked the three of them back.
Carys followed up by surging forward, her scythe spinning dangerously and having significant reach in the loading bay. Noman raised his shield and deflected the spinning scythe twice before a third twirl caught him in the shoulder. Jade rolled to her feet instantly and raised her cutlass. She waved it before her in a complex series of slashes that would have had any other Crafter dizzy.
Carys merely snorted before grabbing the cutlass by the blade, not even wincing at the damage it caused her, before slamming the handle of her scythe into Jade's gut. The air was forced out of her before Carys threw another ender pearl into the ceiling. In the blink of an eye, Carys was above Jade, her knees together and angled down.
The knee drop crashed into Jade's back, flattening her so that she was face-down, eating the floor. The next instant, Carys had her bow drawn, firing two quick shots at Soul and Floyd. The former threw himself over the latter to spare his paralyzed body the damage. The Flame Enchantment on her bow caused the axe-wielder to catch fire.
With those two distracted, Carys swapped back to her scythe and directed it at Jade beneath her. The scythe was positioned below her neck while one purple boot was grinded into the back of her head. Jade stilled in her struggles, realizing that one false move would have the scythe cutting into her neck. All Carys had to do was press down.
But she didn't. Instead, she took the moment to stop herself. Her burning crimson eyes, directed down towards the helpless Jade, shifted to look at Cobb.
The fisherman was frozen; too terrified that he'd provoke Carys into attacking. His eyes were wide with fear as he saw that diamond scythe reflect Jade's face. Sensing a burning gaze upon him, he tilted his head higher in time to catch her crimson orbs. Their intensity was as unforgiving as ever.
Carys saw that he was watching. She saw that she had his undivided attention with her blade at Jade's throat. She saw the fear in his eyes. And it split her face in a devious, shark-like grin.
Cobb knew what was coming next. How could he not after seeing a face like that? He desperately called out for her to stop, but his protests fell on deaf ears as Carys pressed down on her boot and yanked back on her scythe.
But her scythe wasn't budging. Behind her, Noman had his hands pressed against the handle of the scythe, his face screwed up with the effort of forcing it down. Meanwhile, Jade had her palms pressed against the floor, desperately holding her head up so that Carys couldn't slit her throat on that diamond edge.
Cobb's breath found its way back into his lungs. Nobody was dead yet. Everybody was still alive.
But with an agonized gasp, he saw Carys elbow Noman in the gut, trying to force him to let go of the handle. Noman brought his elbows in front of his chest in an effort to block the hits, but remained pushing down on that scythe, not letting up.
Carys was still trying to kill them.
Jade's hands trembled as Carys put more and more pressure on her head. Her palms buckled under the weight. She switched to her forearms, causing her neck to faintly scrape against the diamond edge.
That same thrumming rage came over Cobb as his vision became clouded by red. A faint ringing in his ear drowned out the shouts of Soul putting himself out and Lenz's panicked shouts from the speaking tube. Drowned out the wind whipping past the airship. Drowned out the curses Carys threw out or the shouts of help Jade and Floyd directed towards him.
A trembling hand gripped something with a handle at his belt.
Carys, finally fed up with Noman's interference, released her scythe and spun on the spot. Her fist connected roughly with the side of his face, causing the suited man to stumble back with the diamond scythe in tow.
It was at that same moment that the airship lurched to the side as if making a turn, and the whole loading bay tilted to the left. Jade held onto the bottom rung of a ladder while Carys slid away. Soul held onto the immobilized Floyd and somehow managed to keep them both from tumbling. But Noman continued to stumble back with the scythe, before he fell out of the open bay doors.
His hands scrabbled for purchase before he used the only thing at hand to drive into the floor: the scythe. It stopped his fall enough for the airship to straighten out, but he didn't get the chance to pull himself back on board.
Carys was standing over him, and she kicked his hand off the scythe before pulling it out of the floor. The suited man helplessly dangled from one arm, the high towers and castles of Zeppil passing beneath him.
"Don't know who you are." Carys spoke coldly with her scythe raised and poised to swing right into the arm hanging on for dear life. "But any friend of Cobb's is an enemy of mine."
"CARYS!" A guttural roar sounded behind her, startling Carys into spinning around.
Leaping at her in a heavy overhead strike was Cobb. The white stars of Crit Aura coated his blade. Despite his fatigued state, he gripped his sword with both hands, looking like he was putting his all into one last sword strike that would send Carys_Angel reeling out of the airship.
She reflexively raised her scythe handle horizontally to block. She was confident enough in her defense that a small smirk was already forming at how she would easily turn the tables on the fisherman.
That smirk died an ugly death when, upon making contact with the scythe handle, Cobb released his sword. The blade was stopped, but Cobb was no longer holding it. Instead he was crouched low, beneath Carys' raised scythe, and directly under her guard.
"Damn it—Oof!" Carys tried to pull her scythe back down, but it was too late. Cobb had already surged forward. Being so low to the ground, it was easy for him to tackle her center of weight…
Right out of the airship.
"COBB!" Everyone called out, with Noman throwing out a hand to try and grab any part of his form. His fingers only brushed against the fabric of his jeans as both Cobb and Carys plummeted down.
Thinking the two were as good as dead, Noman was surprised to hear two faint grunts coming from below. Glancing down, he saw Cobb and the she-devil land atop a flat wooden roof—Carys taking the brunt of the fall—before she kicked out against Cobb's chin, sending him rolling away.
"Hey! Quit gawking and grab on!" Noman looked back up to see Soul holding out a hand to help. He grabbed hold of it, and with a grunt of effort was pulled into the airship.
"We… we gotta get down there! We gotta help!" Floyd gasped, slumped against the wall as he saw Carys recover and go after Cobb. The airship was past the point where any of them could jump down safely and it was still moving, weaving between towers and ramparts. The last thing he saw was Cobb roll out of the way of her scythe before a tower obscured his view.
"Hey, nerd!" Soul called into the speaking tube. "Cobb body-tackled Carys out of the ship! Take us back around!"
A muffled 'Aye!' was Lenz's response as the airship lurched to the left. Soul kept a grip on Floyd while Noman helped Jade up.
*Zwip*
The next instant, Noman and Jade were knocked apart as an ender pearl landed and someone instantly appeared between them. The purple-haired assassin with the scarred face, brandishing a set of iron daggers in each hand.
"Proo." She jabbered incoherently. "Proo zoo lu blf."
Her daggers hummed through the air, scratching Jade's cheek and screeching across Noman's shield. The suited man kept low to the ground when the assassin tried to sweep his legs.
"She's just one person." Soul reassured, holding his axe in his reverse grip. "We can take her."
Floyd was about to agree before four ender pearls zipped in through the open bay doors.
*Zwip*
The female Paragon with long brown hair appeared by the wall, her iron sword drawn and her hazel eyes narrowed.
*Zwip*
*Zwip*
*Zwip*
A silver-haired Paragon with a black baseball cap, the ghoul-faced Shroud, and the blond-haired and red-faced Perry wearing enchanted iron armor and holding a diamond sword all teleported into the loading bay. And all of their eyes zeroed in on the Beginners.
"We've been boarded!" Floyd shouted into the speaking tube while Soul threw himself right into the fighting, between the Paragons and the immobile Hacker.
"Keep them away from the bridge!" Was Lenz's reply as the Asmodeus rounded the castle to make a pass for Cobb. Floyd couldn't really do much aside from relaying the situation, given his exhaustion. Worse, one of the Paragons, not understanding why he couldn't move, hit him with Paralysis.
"Bastard!" Soul shoved one of them away with his handle, only for another one to slash his side. The numbers were four against five in the loading bay—in the Paragons favor—but Floyd's immobility made it three on five. Luis, Heather, Perry, Shroud, and worst of all Z7.
Jade was the only one who could match the assassin, but there was always another Paragon against her. And Soul was stuck protecting Floyd. Noman seemed to be doing the best against Shroud.
"…Cobb's gonna have to wait." Floyd realized.
[Ramparts]
A body struck the parapet of the ramparts before sliding down with a groan. Cobb glared hatefully at the scythe-wielding monster as she produced an ender pearl from her belt.
"Sit there for a second. I won't be long." She reared back an arm, the pearl aimed at the Asmodeus as it rounded one of the towers.
Her arm stopped when her sleeve was caught by a fishing line. Her face twisted, glaring back at the fisherman before wrenching forward with both hands, the fishing rod flying out of his grasp. But by the time she turned around to lob the pearl, the airship rounded Cloud Castle, out of sight once more.
"Tch. Next time." She slammed the pearl into her belt pocket before chucking Cobb's fishing rod over his head and off the ramparts. He watched it fall mournfully, but flicked back to Carys knowing it was a mistake to take his eyes off her for too long.
Carys, however, had been busy taking out a Wither Skeleton mask and pulling it over her face.
"Wh-what's… with that…?" Cobb coughed, propping himself up as best he could.
"Nostalgia." She answered, spinning her scythe in the wind. Her expression may have been unreadable, but Cobb could hear the enjoyment bleeding through. "Twenty-five years ago I settled an old score up on this very castle. Wearing this very mask." Her crimson eyes seemed to glow in contrast to the dark mask, like she was staring out of darkness. "Tonight, I'll settle another one."
"Not… this time…" Cobb gasped, looking like a stiff breeze would knock him over.
Carys felt the same, planting a hand on her hip and exuding arrogance. "You look too hurt to fight. I almost feel bad wearing all this superior gear." She chuckled, kicking taking off her diamond chestplate.
Cobb grimaced. He knew that she was so far out of his league, but he hated that she kept rubbing it in his face, throwing him handicaps and pity potions and—
…
Wait…
Cobb's gaze slid to the ground, losing focus. It was stupid in hindsight, and Carys made him pay for it by shooting him in the shoulder. It wasn't her fire bow, though. Didn't make his shoulder feel any better.
"See? No armor required. You need another Healing Potion?" She held one up tauntingly. "You got to beg for it, though."
"Keep it… I'm more hungry than anything." Cobb grinned through a pierced shoulder. "Say, you know what I have a hankering for? Porkcho—"
An arrow stuck him in the eye, sending torrents of pain shooting through his body. He bit down on the scream of agony even before Carys appeared before him and rammed her knee into his groin.
Bladder: FUCKING HELL WHY!
"You… YOU…!" She was at a loss for words, the mask concealing what must have been a murderous face. "Never have I met someone so maddening… so deserving of death—"
"I know you haven't." Cobb spat back, opening his undamaged eye to glare lifelessly at her. "And yet, I live."
"Not for long."
"I wonder about that…" Cobb cocked his head, his expression lifting as if a man who finally figured something out. "You're far stronger than me. I'll admit it. I couldn't beat you in a million years."
"Buttering me up isn't going to make your suffering any less painful." She threw him against the ramparts, but Cobb rolled with the impact, hoisting himself over the parapet separating him from a severe drop. "What do you think you're doing."
"The one smart idea I've had all night." He laughed derisively. "Because… I've figured out your weakness, Carys."
There was a beat of silence, the only sound being the whistling wind for a few moments, before Carys burst out into laughter.
"Weakness? Me? I have a weakness?" She repeated, her scythe touching the ground as Cobb glared defiantly back at her. "I've laid waste to thousands of cultists. I'm the leader of one of the strongest guilds in Minecraftia. I've killed two Hackers to your one—"
"I still did it first."
"—And you're saying," she chose to ignore that last jab, "I have a weakness!" She spread her arms out invitingly. "Well, go on! Enlighten me! What is my great, glaring weakness?"
"You hate me too much."
Her head tilted ever so slightly, cocked in apparent confusion. "Is that it?" She asked after a moment. "I hate you too much? That's my weakness?"
"Yes."
"I might argue that that's a strength in this situation." She pointed her scythe at Cobb, but the fisherman surprised her by standing at the edge of the parapet. An inch further and he would fall to his death.
"You hate me so much," Cobb continued, happy she stopped laughing, "so, so, so much, that you couldn't stand the idea of letting me die on my own. You want to milk my suffering for all it's worth." Carys remained silent as Cobb kept standing on the edge. "I'm right, aren't I? Tell me I'm wrong."
"Okay. You're wrong." She scoffed. "What, are you going to save me the trouble and jump off? With your Health, you'd be dead as soon as you hit the ground. You won't do it."
"Yeah? Well—" Cobb swayed from a particularly powerful gust of wind and slipped off the parapet. "Eh?"
And suddenly he was falling to his death. Oh, God, and he was just bluffing! He didn't actually want to jump! Stupid wind!
The lower balcony was coming up fast and he didn't have wings or water to cushion himself. But then, something small blurred past him, striking the balcony below…
Before a masked Carys teleported into existence.
She caught Cobb with her body, saving him, only to lash out with a meaty fist into his face.
"IDIOT!" She snapped, throwing a splash potion into him to heal the damage. "What are you, nuts!? Who would willingly throw themselves to their death!?"
"Someone who doesn't want to see his friends die in front of him." Cobb countered, causing Carys to go silent. "But that's what you really want, isn't it? To make me pay. An eye for an eye." Cobb saw his fishing rod from where Carys had thrown it and crawled over to pick it up.
"You took off your Thorns armor at the start, not as a handicap, but because there was a higher risk I'd die attacking you. Those pity potions to keep me alive and healthy to watch you butcher Jade. I threw you out the airship, and yet you rolled in the air to cushion my fall." He coughed as the revelations kept coming. "Even when I keep trash-talking that walking strip of bacon you can't help but keep me alive… Because I'm only fueling your hate and fury to unimaginable levels."
He laughed picking Backlash back up and turning to face the livid angel.
"You can't kill me. You hate me too much. I'm annoying to a fault!"
I panted, wearing a triumphant grin as my declaration echoed off the castle walls. Carys tapped the handle of her scythe, her mask tilted to look up.
"You're right." She admitted. "Killing you by itself, while enjoyable, wouldn't really do it for me at this point. Not after all you've said and done. That was my mistake with GardenWalker." She shook her head. "I killed that bastard outright and razed the entire Southern Division, but that didn't make me feel any better. Not for long, anyway. The vengeance's execution was too shallow."
She fixed those blood-red eyes on Cobb once more, the action eerie.
"But right now? Keeping you occupied while my Paragons slaughter all your friends with you helpless to stop them?" She nodded slowly. "That's a poetic justice that I can get behind. And then, when your suffering is at its peak, when your world feels like it's crumbling around you, and you gaze brokenly at the decapitated Heads of your friends," she reared back her scythe, the skull mask a perfect symbol of the darkest death.
"Then, and only then, will you have my permission to die."
"Over my dead body."
Inventory (Cobb): Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Mending I, Unbreaking I], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots, 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Sword, 1 Banner {Beginners}, 64 Cobblestone, 47 Cobblestone, 1 Bed, 5 Dirt, 19 Torches, 29 Coal, 12 Jungle Wood Logs, 64 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 1 Bucket, 5 String, 21 Emeralds, 16 Snowballs, 10 Snowballs, 2 Gunpowder, 51 Cooked Mutton, 15 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] {Weak}, 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, 30 Iron Ingots, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 61 Cooked Mutton, 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, 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 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, 26 Arrows, 16 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 62 Cooked Mutton, 16 Sugar Cane, 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, 35 Torches, 34 White Wool, 37 Dirt, 61 Cobblestone, 33 Coal, 32 Jungle Wood Planks, 2 Sticks, 1 Armor Stand, 28 Emeralds, 64 Cooked Mutton, 24 Cooked Mutton, 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] {Weak}, 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 Diamond Cutlass, 1 Bed, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 61 Cooked Mutton, 17 Coal, 36 Torches, 30 Jungle Wood Planks, 64 Cobblestone, 29 Cobblestone, 24 Obsidian, 1 Water Bucket, 1 Bucket, 1 Compass, 1 Clock, 23 Emeralds, 2 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 Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Leather Boots {Bottes Zephyr} [Dyed White], 1 Black Shield {Slight Shield} [Blue Cross], 1 Bow [Infinity], 28 Birch Wood Planks, 35 Iron Ingots, 18 Sticks, 13 Torches, 1 Bucket, 1 Crafting Table, 54 Cooked Mutton, 2 Ender Chests, 1 Potion of Healing II, 1 Potion of Healing II, 1 Potion of Regeneration II {0:22}, 1 Potion of Regeneration II {0:22}, 1 Potion of Water Breathing {8:00}, 1 Bed, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Zeppil}, 1 Compass, 64 Arrows, 3 Sugar, 14 Bookshelves, 6 Enchanted Golden Apples, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Diamond Chestplate, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots, 10 Emerald Blocks, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 2 Bones
[EXP: 20]
AN: *Cobb holding a sword to his throat* "Surrender, Carys! I have the high ground!"
So yeah, scary Carys wants Cobb to suffer, and she knows killing his friends will do that, so she's holding off on killing him. She's not above breaking his arms and legs and dragging him around by a horse, though.
It's the Beginners vs the Paragons! Who will win? Who will lose? The conclusion to the Zeppil Arc will be next Chapter.
And after that... dun dun duuun... Hiatus.
Review, Fav, Follow, and check out profile for forum link. I keep it posted with Chapter updates.