AN: Hello dear readers. And welcome to history.
Years back, I started My Craft and published Chapters on a weekly basis. Many of you may remember how updates were published like clockwork, every Wednesday, for three years.
Then, everything changed when 'real life' attacked. Updates were sparser, dwindling down to once every other week, and now, you're lucky to get a Chapter a month. Quality may have improved (I personally believe that every Chapter in the Darkest Arc has been a homerun) but the frequency of updates stagnated. And I felt like I was disappointing you, my dear readers.
Now, I have grown past that feeling as I understand real life CAN get in the way of things, and that sometimes a higher quality Chapter is worth three or four rushed, poor quality ones. it's one of the reasons why this Chapter took so long to go out.
But, as I said last chapter, I made you a promise.
True, it may have seemed like a lackadaisical promise, long ago. A throw away promise. Something I'd never do because it would just be too much work for my tired fingers. But I made it. And I'm going to deliver.
Because this is My Craft. My passion. And it currently has over 500 Favs and Follows! Holy hell, you beautiful readers! Thank you so, so much for this support! Whether on the forums or Discord servers. Whether leaving reviews or hosting a Minecraft Server. Whether you're discussing theories or submitting out-of-this-realm fanart (looking at you Puppet3!). The support all piles up and makes me excited to share the next installment of this grand epic. Even with all the dark twists and turns it takes for poor Cobb. It makes me hope that one day this story becomes the most favorited Minecraft story of all (Third place now, but fingers crossed!).
Now... for my promise.
Many years ago, I joked in an Author's Note about my deviation from the weekly updates, and how I'd make it up by posting a bunch of Chapters at once.
So, since we're just breaking 500 Favs and 500 Follows, I'm going to keep to the theme with 5 new Chapters.
That's right my dear readers. Five Chapters. Monday through Friday (timezones may vary, but I'll put in the exact publishing dates). Each Chapter will come out at the same time every day. And these five Chapters will mark not only the finale of the Darkest Arc, but also the finale to Part V.
This is really happening. The words are already written. This is why it took so long. So that I could give you readers five back-to-back Chapters, similar to Avatar the Last Airbender's Sozin's Comet finale. The Discord is gonna be wild, I'm sure, but I hope you dear readers leave reviews as well. I like reading them. And if you haven't Favorited or Followed this story yet, maybe consider mashing that button.
You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll question why so much effort was put into a Minecraft Fanfiction. Without further ado, I present to you the first of five Chapters.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd make a recipe for Potions of Decay.
"So here's the thing with broken hearts. No matter how you try, the pieces never fit the way they did before."
Chapter 160
Wither (Part 1)
[Cobb]
"Nooohohoooooooooo!"
I watched as Lenz fell to his knees, his fists weakly beating at the dirt. He was wailing piteously, his tinted glasses askew and his magenta eyes leaking trails of tears. He couldn't look away from the empty patch of forest where an airship had been docked until recently.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He belted out a pitch higher, throwing his head into the sky and bemoaning the unfairness of it all.
Jade stole our airship.
Skipper Lenz was no more. He couldn't be a Skipper without an airship, and Jade had seen fit to rob him of that. The Asmodeus was his pride and joy—after it was Carys' pride and joy, I mean—and his sobbing painted an image of what I should be like if I had a Heart to feel with.
Instead, I could only look at his misery from afar. I felt so detached from it. I should have cared more that Jade screwed us again after I let her walk, but… I just couldn't find the energy.
Nobody cared more about that airship than Lenz. It was all he wanted since he first got word of one for sale, back before we were wanted criminals. We traveled all the way to Zeppil, competed in the Parkour Games, and fought off the Angel of Death just to get our hands on the Asmodeus. We risked our lives to refuel it by braving the Wailing Vale and we took steps to conceal it whenever we could. And now, Jade had just stolen it right out from under us, leaving us stranded in the Birch Forest.
"Droppers and Dispensers!" Lenz swore. "Comparators! Redstone Repeaters! Detector Rails! L-Logic Circuits!" He struggled for more colorful curses. "Hopper Clocks! S-Sticky Pistons..." His words petered out, leaving him futilely grasping at the grass beneath his fingers. "My poor Asmodeus. How dare that weasel steal her..."
...Her?
It wasn't even ours to begin with, and yet the short time we spent living within it had become so much a part of our daily routine that there was regret seeing it go. It was a cozy, mobile home. An ease of transportation. A trophy from an enemy. The mental hub of which I thought for myself.
It was all those things, but now it was gone as well.
I sat back, leaning on a tree and watching the night sky. I kept replaying my confrontation with Jade. Was there something I could have done to convince her? Was she always planning to steal the airship and ditch us, or was it a spur of the moment thing?
All I could think was that it would take us longer to return to Ringwood without the Asmodeus.
Noman had other thoughts as he kicked on the Bottes Zephyr in a whirl of movement.
"Lenz, stop crying. This just happened. We might still be able to catch her."
"Her map is still unequipped." Floyd reported, having ripped out his synced map. "That snake knows we'll be after her. She's covering her tracks."
"Lenz, come on." Noman urged the still-sobbing engineer. "It's dark and you have better eyesight. I need your help locating her in the air."
His words seemed to ignite something in the engineer. Every moment wasted was another moment the Asmodeus would move beyond his reach. That realization alone got him to wipe his tears and switch to his tinted goggles before going over and grabbing Noman by the shoulder.
With his passenger secured, Noman kicked off into the sky, running on the air to ascend over the forest of birch trees. They looked around for a bit before Lenz pointed something out and they took off to the north.
Floyd was over me in an instant, rousing me to my feet and tugging me in their direction.
"Come on. You can rest later. We need to follow them."
I followed along as Floyd tugged the sleeve of my hoodie forward. The image reminding me of a strict parent leading away an unruly son.
"Where do you think she's heading?" Floyd asked. "She has to be going back to the cult—somewhere north. Could be Ringwood. Unless, she's going out of her way to fool us and intends to change course."
I stared listlessly at the white bark of the birch trees. How did bark get that white?
"Wish Lenz had a Night Vision Potion. Might make it easier to find her in this darkness." Floyd went on, giving my sleeve a sharp tug as we wove between trees. "We've only got the light of the moon to guide us."
I looked up into the night sky and, yeah, the moon did look nice and bright. A good half-moon.
"I don't think they'll catch up, though." Floyd spoke with a grumble. "It's not like Noman's any faster with the Bottes Zephyr, he can just ascend easier. Right now the fastest he can go is his running pace, plus he has to carry someone. Carys had to ride on horseback AND wait for us to refuel just to keep up. Jade doesn't have that problem. She has enough fuel to go for a good while."
I had yet to ride a horse. There was Ace, the wonder donkey, but that was a long time ago and probably wouldn't compare to an actual steed. Horses were faster, but they couldn't carry inventory like a donkey could.
And now, thinking of Ace the donkey got me thinking of AceOfJades the Lieutenant. Huh. Just thinking that I'd have to refer to her in the same tone I used to refer to Lieutenants like 4Blite and Leadstripe was strange.
Lieutenant Jade. It sounded so awkward.
"Hey, maybe I can unlock a Hack for this." Floyd suggested. "I mean, Sandra could see for miles through objects and could even see through invisibility. Maybe if I focus real hard on finding that snake…" Floyd narrowed his eyes, glaring to the north. "Come on, X-Ray eyes…"
Oh, right. Sandra. Her name reminded me of the two Bounty Days I missed. Noman had mentioned a new flying Mob and parrots. I was still thinking of the trident that showed up in my mind—the one that kept returning to my hand after being thrown. What could the crafting recipe be for that?
"Agh. Alright. X-Ray eyes are a bust." Floyd conceded. "What about flight? Like what Thed had." He threw up one arm. "Fly!" He urged. "Ascend!"
He kept tugging me along and I thought of other things that hardly mattered. I was so tired, I just wanted to curl up and rest. I had a bed. Maybe after a while we could build a makeshift shelter and just camp out like the old days. It wouldn't be as nice as the Asmodeus—nothing made you feel like sleeping on a cloud quite like flying—but after a good night's sleep, my energy would surely—
"Are you going to say something yet?"
I blinked. "Huh? What?"
We slowed to a stop, Floyd no longer tugging my sleeve along. He still held onto it, though.
"I've been talking this whole time." Floyd said, turning to look at me. His face spoke of something wrong. "Don't you want to offer any feedback? Or vent! Do you want to vent?"
"Vent…?" I asked, confused.
"ABOUT JADE!" He shouted, his smoke gushing from his eyes and exploding across his body. Some MultiAura spines fired dangerously off to the side. "Why am I the only one angry here!? You can be angry too! You're entitled to feel angry—she pissed on your mercy and stole our airship! Who does that!?"
"…Didn't we do the same to Carys?"
"You know what I mean!" He went off. "We offered her our trust. We gave her a place with us. We let her walk away. And she just… just…" Smoke swirled around Floyd as he vented and raged until finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He released my sleeve, stuffed a Creeper mask over his head, and ran behind a row of trees before letting loose a muffled scream that fired black MultiAura spikes in all directions. They lodged themselves in trees with rhythmic thunks before dissipating into black vapor. At least he took the steps to spare me any damage.
When it was done, he stepped out from behind the trees, still simmering, but without any Hacker signs.
"Why aren't you more upset?" He demanded. "She's let you down so many times—despite all the chances you give her. We could have captured her. We should have killed her. But instead we trusted you and let her go, and now it looks like you don't even care that she stole the Asmodeus!"
"I do care." I assured.
"Well you don't look like it!" He snapped. "You don't look angry, you don't look like anything! You just have those same, dead eyes."
"I don't have the—"
"You don't have the energy. I know. I've heard." He droned about it like I was a broken-record. "Well, when are you going to start getting the energy? When are you going to show that you give a shit? Are you just going to let Jade keep taking from you forever?" He walked right up to me and pointed to the sky. "Our airship got taken! Your girlfriend and our friend was an Endward Cult Lieutenant! Don't you have anything to say about that? Don't you feel anything?"
I blinked back tiredly. I was always tired. I didn't need this so soon after my confrontation with Jade. I massaged the bridge of my nose.
"Floyd… I don't know what to tell you." I began. "You're right. I should feel something right now. I should be screaming and ranting and crying, but I just… I just can't."
"Because you don't have the energy." He finished.
"I—" I hesitated. "I went through a lot the past four days."
At that, Floyd perked up. "You didn't say what happened. Was it while you were unconscious?"
"It was." I nodded. "I… I saw things. I felt things. I did things."
"Like what?"
"…I killed everybody."
"…"
"It was like a bad dream." I explained. "I kept getting attacked by all of you. Lenz, Soul, Wynn, Jade, Noman, you. Even timid Erin. You were all attacking me. I couldn't get away. You weren't giving me a choice."
"I lashed out. I took hold of my anger and lashed out and I cut down every one of you." I said bluntly. "That's where my anger got me. It made me kill everyone I cared about, heedless of circumstance or logic. I forgot all that stuff and focused on my own survival, almost killing the real Noman in the process."
"…Shit." Floyd cursed, at a loss for words. "That's… wow."
"And that's not the end of it." I went on, grabbing at my chest. "I gave up my Heart, Floyd. I threw it away."
He looked at me strangely. "You… threw away your heart?"
"Not like I had a choice. Just touching the damn thing made me feel excruciating pain. Right here." I slapped my chest twice. "It was torture. Beyond any pain I ever felt. Like my body was being forced through a meat grinder. So, yeah, I tossed it. I left it alone and walked away."
"Anger in my Blood. Emotion in my Heart." I summarized. "I compartmentalized. I closed them off to keep everything else together. That's why I don't feel anything. That's why I can't find the energy to cry or scream or laugh. I won't be a wreck. I won't."
"But Cobb," Floyd started, having listened to every word with grave seriousness, "closing yourself off like this isn't healthy."
"I don't know what you mean. I can finally think clearly without that lead Heart weighing me down."
"What's the point of thinking when you can't act on it. Look at yourself!" He gave me a light shove and I instantly toppled to the ground. "I wasn't even trying, then. Having no energy or passion makes you lethargic and empty. You're just a big blob."
"Ugh…" I groaned as I slowly picked myself back up. Slower than usual. "You just caught me by surprise is all."
"Oh yeah?" Floyd asked skeptically before some groans assaulted our ears. He turned and his eyes flashed at a group of oncoming Zombies. Freshly spawned from the encroaching darkness. "Ah, perfect timing. They're all yours."
"…Huh?"
"Show me you can take on those Mobs." He gestured to them. "Go on. They should be easy for you."
I held his gaze for a moment before slowly drawing my diamond sword and walking to the trio of Zombies. He wanted proof so bad? I'd show him. I had Sweeping Edge III, so keeping them all in one area would minimize the amount of swings I had to make. Plus, my blade was diamond. The strongest material there was.
It was also my last gift from Jade.
I hesitated for a second and foolishly allowed the Zombies to get close and land the first hit. I fell back and to my knees before rearing back and swinging with all my might.
I whiffed it.
Another mistake cost me another wound, and this time the first Zombie was right on top of me, clawing at my leather tunic. This close, I stabbed my sword up at point blank range and the Zombie finally fell back, only to be replaced by his two companions.
I weakly raised my arms to try and shove them away, but it was futile. They reigned more hits on me until an iron sword sheared through one of them and the other was forcibly dragged off of me.
Floyd tossed the Zombie away before swinging his blade through the air. He killed one before his blade broke completely, but he didn't even flinch at the lack of a weapon. Instead, he elbowed the nearest Zombie in the face and reached for an iron pick before jamming it the second Zombie's skull. It burst into rotten flesh after a second swing, and then Floyd finished the last foe with a volley of MultiAura. He was really getting the hang of that power.
When the Mobs were clear, Floyd turned back to look at me. I was lying on the ground, hurt and panting for breath. Three Zombies should have been a cakewalk with the gear I possessed. My Brain knew that. But my body just didn't have the drive to make the fullest use of my resources.
Without energy—without emotion—I couldn't follow through.
I didn't want to admit it, though.
"I had it under control."
"No you didn't." Floyd instantly saw through my bullshit.
"I'm… I'm stronger this way."
"No, you're weaker than ever."
"I won't—" I cut myself off, taking out my Crafting Table and cobblestone. I slowly arranged the blocks into a furnace to cook some food. "I won't become an emotional wreck…"
"You make it sound like having the energy to fight and being an emotional wreck are one and the same."
"They are for me." I sighed. "Blood and Heart are mutually exclusive, though. Maybe I can rely on one over the other, but…" I remembered how easy it was to strike down my friends. Even if they were figments of my mind, I had been merciless under Blood's power. It almost cost Noman his life. "I don't think that's a good idea either."
Floyd sighed, planting his hands on his hips and glaring at the dirt for a good while. Even he could see how problematic my situation was. I placed my newly made furnace on the ground and filled it with coal and raw porkchops. The fire from it glowed warm and chased away the night's chill. Floyd idly stepped closer, gravitating towards the warmth.
No Blood. No Heart. No Anger. No Emotion. Did it make me weak? Maybe. But I could think a hell of a lot clearer, now. If I had been like this from the start, Jade never would have fooled me. Nobody could ever fool me again with my Brain working without hesitation.
I really was fine. Those Zombies just caught me by surprise. Maybe after a good night's sleep, I'd be better off. Mental exhaustion was a factor after all.
"Well, you better start feeling something soon, Cobb." Floyd finally broke the silence. "You can't let Jade beat you like this. Because as you are now," he gestured to where the slain Zombies had been, "I'm not sure you're strong enough to protect anything."
"I can fight." I assured, taking out a cooked porkchop and tearing through it to refill my Hunger Meter.
"Not very well." Floyd pointed out. "You don't care getting betrayed. You don't care about losing the Asmodeus. I hope you'll care if one of us is in danger."
I narrowed my eyes, feeling something awful stirring in my chest at the idea of the others in jeopardy. It was a feeble stirring, though. At most, an uncomfortable wriggling that I could ignore. Did giving up my Heart also mean giving up my connection with the others? I didn't want that, but… but what could I do? It was too painful to take. I couldn't function with my Heart. I'd be less than worthless. At least like this I could form coherent thoughts.
Brain: It's kinda lonely in here without Heart, though.
Liver: What about us?
Brain: What about you?
Floyd walked over and broke a chunk off a birch tree. Then he crafted the log into sticks and walked over to my Crafting Table. He fashioned them with some ingots into a new iron sword. "Running low on ingots."
"Yeah."
"Wish Soul were here. He carried a lot. He also did most of the mining."
"Yeah. Well, he's making his way to us." I showed him the map. "He's almost out of the Dryrock Mesa."
"He's going to flip when he hears about Jade."
"Yeah…"
"…If it were him here, he may have just ignored you and killed her on the spot."
"He definitely would have." Of that there was no doubt.
Soul hated being manipulated into doing other people's dirty work, and he hated the Endward Cult for killing his friend and, to a lesser extent, their involvement in Nitebane and Attila's community. Jade had snuck into our guild, framed and killed people behind the scenes, and was apparently chummy with the other Lieutenants and Executives.
Soul would call for blood.
"Speaking of blips," Floyd remarked, pointing out a returning pair. We sat up and watched the night sky before Noman and Lenz arrived. The shield-bearer performed a backflip to safely descend with the Bottes Zephyr. Lenz, not used to the maneuver, slid free of Noman's grip and crashed into a tree.
"I-I'm sorry!" Noman apologized instantly, landing at the base of the tree and calling up to the engineer. "Are you alright?"
"No." Lenz answered flatly before rolling over and climbing down the tree. "No, I am not alright. I am far from alright, because AceOfJades has too far of a head start for us to do a thing about it."
He was calling her by her full name now. The familiarity was gone.
"Did you get an idea on where she was going?" Floyd asked.
"We did." Noman nodded. "Lenz said he saw her passing over the Origin Forest and gaining altitude. She's aiming to clear Mt. Mur."
"Ringwood, then?" I guessed. Somehow, the idea of us both going to the same place filled me with dread. I didn't want to see her again so soon.
"It could be a ruse." Noman suggested. "Like she's trying to throw us off."
"I thought the same thing." Floyd supplied. "She should know we can't follow her past the mountain without an airship. Plus, she's burning fuel to make that ascent. Her destination has to be on the other side."
"There was an outpost near Ringwood." I suddenly said, my mind working at optimal efficiency. "An Endward Cult outpost. Brett filled me in about it. Not to mention, the Creeper Herd targeted the same Kingdom."
"Yeah." Floyd nodded. "I think Soul even mentioned that the Northern Division is operating near Ringwood somewhere. We didn't have the specifics."
"It will be impossible to smuggle the Asmodeus into Ringwood." Lenz proclaimed. "I mean, I could do it—I am just that good a Skipper—but a thieving cat like AceOfJades? Not possible."
"…Thieving cat?"
"I think you mean thieving reptile." Floyd corrected, visibly angry. "See, because she's cold-blooded and sheds her skin like she sheds off lies—"
"Can we not?" I suddenly snapped. "I don't want to bring her up, alright? All this does is make us more tired and angry."
"Cobb's right." Noman nodded. "We need to get some rest. Birchbark Village isn't too far away. We should spend the night there. Rest and recharge."
"Sounds good. We can even wait for Soul while we—Lenz, are you paying attention?"
Lenz, at the moment, was pouring over the Herobrine books with a deep frown and his notebook in his other hand. He was furiously scribbling stuff down from the Jibberish back pages.
"Lenz, you'll need to watch where you're going now that we have to walk everywhere."
"Do not remind me!" He snapped, blindly following Noman as he led us through the forest. "Translating these books is all I have left to distract me."
"You could always talk to us to pass the time." Noman suggested.
"That is nice, Cobbert." He replied distractedly. "Repeaters, who writes like this?"
We let the engineer get on with translating as we marched through the forest. Whenever a Mob would appear, Noman or Floyd would deal with them. Any time I tried, my swings were weak and empty. I only managed to kill a Spider the whole way to the village.
By the time we arrived at Birchbark's gates, it was past midnight. We were all dead tired and just wanted to get to an Inn and settle down for the night.
The wooden board full of our wanted faces stopped us.
Birchbark was a village within Ringwood's territory. Therefore, they had our wanted posters. Floyd's and mine. What we didn't expect, however, was a third poster with a familiar face.
"Hey, Lenz?" Floyd tugged on the engineer's sleeve while he had his face in the Herobrine books. "I think you should see this."
"Comparators, what is so important that…" He trailed off as he stared at his own visage. "Oh…"
Wanted: Lenzington. Seen aiding and abetting Executive King_Cobb and Lieutenant Flawwed_Floyd in Ringwood. Displayed archery skills that bested Captain Velocishot of Daymonte. Possibly a Lieutenant. Three-hundred-and-fifty emerald bounty.
"…Huh." Lenz said, lifting his tinted glasses to get a better look. "Huh." He repeated, rubbing at his eyes like there was some obscuring scum on them. "Huh."
"Hold on." Floyd tore the poster off the wall before comparing it to his own. "How come I'm only worth two-hundred and you're three-fifty? I'm the Hacker here!"
"Floyd, Ringwood doesn't know about the dark line thing." I tried to explain. "Akasha didn't even have your poster in circulation because they knew a Hacker when they saw one, but Ringwood and the other kingdoms aren't the same. If they knew, you'd probably be worth two-thousand emeralds… if they were crazy enough to defy the Hack Clan, of course."
My explanation seemed to mollify the disgruntled Hacker, even though it did little for Lenz's panic attack. Hoo boy.
"N-No, it is not true!" Lenz wailed. "Mastah Veronica let me win to give us a chance to escape! I did not best her!"
"Who's Veronica? I thought her name was Velocishot?" Noman asked sensibly.
"No, see, her actual name is Velocishot—or the Golden insert bird name here of Daymonte—"
"Golden Hawk!" Lenz maintained.
"Whatever, but her friends call her Veronica. I… also think she's a lesbian."
"For Wynn, right? I was getting that vibe too." Floyd added conversationally.
"I don't think Wynn is like that, though, so it's pretty one-sided."
"She's married to her work. Nothing wrong with that."
"Can you two shut up about your shipping and focus on this!?" Lenz interjected. "I am a wanted engineer now! The Berserkers will send all their best bounty hunters after me. I will be forever persecuted just like my foolish companions."
"Hey!"
"This is the worst day ever." Lenz bemoaned. "First the Asmodeus, now this. The only way it could get worse is if Jeb came back from the dead and kicked me in the balls..."
"The posters must be from when you fought back when we escaped Ringwood." I reasoned. "It took them this long to get the Snow Prints from Lazuli. I wonder if Carys had a hand in this bounty or it's just Ringwood taking initiative."
"Whichever it is, it means the three of you can't enter this village." Noman caught on, tugging us away from the wooden board and the front gates of Birchbark Village. "I should be fine. I was here earlier and nobody made a fuss. I can go in and out whenever we need supplies. As for sleeping arrangements," he gestured to the great outdoors, "we can always camp out. It's free."
"Not like we have a choice." I groaned, already building the makings of a dirt wall.
In mere moments, we had a dirt shack big enough to house the four of us. Just like Noman's old makeshift shelter, we used a tree and its leaves as a roof, dug into the dirt to make a sunken floor, and built dirt walls to keep out the Mobs. It wasn't as cozy as the Asmodeus, but we made it as spacious as possible with all the dirt we had stored up, and when it was done, we set down our beds and torches and drifted off.
Though, throughout the night, I could have sworn I heard some furious scribbling over by Lenz's bed.
The next three days all sort of blurred together as we awaited Soul's arrival. We camped outside Birchbark's walls and far enough away to avoid detection. With our wanted status, we isolated ourselves in our dirt shelter while Noman went back and forth to gather supplies.
We each whittled away time in different ways. After three Kingdoms' worth of adventures, our Inventories had understandably gotten cluttered. We sorted through them and cleared out space. After that, we all sort of did our own thing. Lenz's focus was solely on translating the Herobrine books while Floyd took it upon himself to mine for coal and ore. It was worrisome having a mine entrance in our very own base, but Floyd put a door down there so underground Mobs couldn't surprise us in our sleep. As for me, I practiced my fighting on some unfortunate trees.
It wasn't good.
Even after three days, I was still waking up lethargic and empty. I had little energy for anything and my fighting skills suffered for it. I could only go maybe a few minutes of swinging—and weakly at that—before my arms went limp and I lost motivation.
I couldn't blame mental exhaustion anymore. Even with my mind sharper, my physical abilities had atrophied. Even my fishing skills suffered. I could no longer flick my wrist fast enough to get the line out. Forget about aiming with the bobber. I had no passion. No anger. No feelings.
Feelings, as it became apparent, was the fuel for fighting. You could spend all your money on powerful gear, but you still needed the will to fight.
I didn't have that anymore.
"Agh." I groaned, recklessly swinging my sword at the nearest tree. It impacted but got knocked out of my hand from the force. I couldn't even hold my sword right! "Damn it…"
"Language."
I didn't even have to turn to know who it was. "You ever going to stop that?"
"I've been doing it less since Soul's absence." Noman replied. "He sure is taking his time getting to us."
"It's not that he's taking his time, we just got used to riding around in an airship." I explained, stooping over to pick up my sword. "It took us two days to reach the Birch Forest from Akasha. On foot, that's probably ten days. Horseback, maybe a week. You also got to take terrain into account. Riding across a mesa is probably easier than a dense forest." I took a glance at my map, just to get an estimation. "He's probably on horseback and will get here tomorrow or the day after."
"You don't know what you have until it's gone." Noman shook his head. "We really took the Asmodeus for granted."
"Yeah. I miss it too."
"I guessed as much." Noman walked over and sat down in the shade of a tree. "You never really showed it, though."
"…I'm not on good terms with my emotions right now."
"It's fine." Noman assured before pausing. "It's also fine to get it out. Don't be afraid to open up."
"Noman, trust me, I don't feel anything." I sighed, gripping my sword weakly. "I'm not trying to bottle things up. I just feel… lost, I guess."
He nodded as if he understood, but then spoiled it when he said, "If you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen."
I did want to talk, but not to Noman. I wanted Wynn. She was like a big sister to me and I guess I felt she might know more about how I was feeling. She never met Jade, so she had an unbiased opinion about how I was taking it all and if I was responding properly. Of course I knew Noman and Floyd and Lenz could be an outlet to talk to. I just wasn't sure anything they'd say would help me out.
I need a therapist. I thought dryly, accepting the ruined mess I had become.
I didn't know what I needed to make everything feel better again. I just knew I wanted to see Wynn, which meant I wanted Soul to reach us as soon as possible so we could move on already.
"I got us some more food." Noman said as a new conversation starter. "I might need to borrow some emeralds again, though."
I sighed. "This is the third time you asked me. Don't you have your own emeralds?"
He looked away. "No. I used them all up buying healing potions."
"Why would you need that many…" I trailed off, realizing those had been the potions that kept me alive while I was comatose. "Oh... Thanks for that."
"You don't need to thank me, Cobb." Noman smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay. It wouldn't be the Beginners without you."
He meant it in more ways than one. If I hadn't woken up, he'd be unaware of which friends were cultists and which ones were good. He would have left, then. What else could he do with both sides under question? With everyone splintered, it would have been the end of the Beginners.
It must have been an ordeal keeping me alive. He used everything at his disposal—even relinquishing the Severe Shield and breaking his deepest rule. He must have been an emotional wreck throughout…
"Why didn't you shut down?"
"Hm?" His eyebrows lifted. "What do you mean?"
"You had to bear with keeping me breathing for four days, alone." I elaborated. "You didn't know what was wrong or how to treat me. When I started starving, you must have panicked. It must have been so overwhelming, so…" I shrugged my shoulders. "How'd you keep everything together? Weren't you a bundle of fear and desperation?"
"Oh, like you wouldn't believe!" Noman laughed nervously. "I was terrified of losing you. When your Hearts started ticking away, I swear, I remember hearing my heart beating in my ears!"
I touched my chest idly. "Your heart, huh."
"But I don't think fear is a bad feeling," Noman went on, "since it initiates your body's fight or flight response. Fear prepares your body to run faster, think clearer, and put off pain. It's probably how I got the idea to use the Severe Shield."
"…Is that an Aikido teaching?" I asked, genuinely interested in how he phrased it.
"No, but there is one if you'd like to hear it." Noman cleared his throat before quoting from memory. "Do not look upon this world with fear and loathing. Bravely face whatever is on offer."
Bravely face it…
"…What if the pain is too great?"
"Huh?"
"What if the pain is too much to face?" I said, thinking back to the agony I felt when interacting with my Heart. "What if it's too much and never gets better? I mean, what if it's pain now, and torture later?" My eyelids drooped as I only felt emptiness. I preferred the emptiness. The secure promise of being blanketed by insensate nothing. Comparing that to the pain of feeling again… "I don't think I'm strong enough to face it."
"You are strong." Noman said with no hesitation. "Think of all you accomplished since spawning in Minecraftia. Think of all the hard-fought battles you won in Halstatt, Ringwood, Jolin, Zeppil, Shansi, and Akasha. You suffered a loss of faith, yet you clawed your way back from your comatose state. That took real strength of will! And that strength is yours and yours alone." I perked up slightly. "So I know you can face anything. I know you can come back from this loss."
He flashed a smile. "We're both one in a billion like that."
For the first time since Jade's departure, I felt a faint rumble of laughter in my chest. It was warm and I tried my hardest to tilt my lips up into a smile, but fell short at the last moment. Instead, the edges of my mouth sunk down and the warm feeling passed.
But it was there. So close I could touch it.
"Thanks, Noman." I nodded in gratitude. "That… actually made me feel a bit better."
"Anytime." He patted my shoulder comfortingly.
"It… huh…" I paused, thinking to myself. "It actually reminded me of something. An old saying."
"Oh really? From where?"
"I… I don't know." I scoured my mind for the specifics, but even with my brain operating at one-hundred percent, I couldn't place whom or where I heard it from. More likely it was the result of Normal Sense than anything I experienced in Minecraftia.
It was like that other saying of mine: You only take out what you put in.
This one was less practical and more emotional.
"How did the saying go?" He asked.
"Um… I'm pretty sure it went something like…" I paused, thinking deeply on the words. "Loss is the greatest form of love. Even when something is lost from this world, you still have the heart to remember and care." I finished with a nod. "So… even though it hurts to lose something… or someone… it just means that you cherished the time you spent. The pain is worth something."
Noman paused as he mulled over the words before smiling warmly. "That's a really beautiful saying. I'm surprised it isn't an Aikido Quote. And you don't remember where you heard it?"
"No… that's just it, I—" I cut off, feeling a flash of something. Two sayings. Two people. "Someone… maternal…?"
I trailed off upon noticing Floyd coming over with a tired expression. He had a pickaxe slung over his shoulder, but his drooping eyelids spoke more of mental exhaustion of the engineer variety.
"Lenz pestered me to find you two." He groused. "He says he finally finished translating the Herobrine books." He then looked to my widening eyes. "You're gonna want to hear it."
"Ah, you made it!" Lenz greeted with tinted glasses raised. From that, I could see the dark circles under his eyes that spoke of late nights spent translating by torchlight. Without an airship to pilot, he had much free time and dove into translating with gusto. Still, I didn't expect him to have the third Herobrine book translated so soon after we got it in Zeppil. "Are you excited to read the full Herobrine Trilogy, Cobbert?"
Not only Lenz, but Floyd and Noman looked to me expectantly. It took a moment to realize why.
They want me to feel again. I thought blankly. They're hoping this'll get a reaction out of me and take my mind off Jade.
I struggled to show a smile—even a fake one—but it only came across as a constipated face that had the others look nervous. I gave up with a sigh. "Just get on with it."
"Right…" Lenz laid the trio of books atop his bed as he knelt before them. Then he opened each one up to the back pages. "Now, as you know, the backs were written in the language of Jibbermen, or Jibberish. The language has always eluded Crafters in that they were not sure if it were a language at all. The general consensus was that it was mere gobbledygook and that Jibbermen are incapable of communication. However, after our experience facing Carys' deadly Jibberwoman and her tangled tongue," Lenz pointed out, "I was convinced to think differently. That encounter provided the key to understanding that Jibberish can translate into words."
"Fascinating." Noman spoke breathlessly. Either he was completely spellbound by Lenz's presentation or he was just being polite. Either way, I noticed Floyd nodding off in the corner.
"The way the language works is much like a mirror of our own. What I mean to say, is that the order of letters are reflected. So the letter 'A' would translate to 'Z' in Jibberish and vice-versa. 'B' would be 'Y', 'C' would be 'X', 'D' would be 'W', and so on and so forth. Simple in explanation, but it took months for me to decode."
"Now, each book," He went on, "has a section in Jibberish. This, you know. What you might be interested in knowing, however, is that each section is a third of a Mob entry."
My eyebrows lifted. "Mob entry?"
"Indeed." Lenz brightened at my genuine interest. "It seems that Herobrine had one last Mob to pass information about. But the information was so dangerous he opted to split it up amongst his works, and then write it in a different language altogether so that only those with a sharp mind could decipher the full entry. Oh Comparators." Lenz trembled with excitement. "If only Alexicon were here to see this. It is like a brain puzzle for bibliophiles!"
"So what's the entry about?" I asked, though I felt something foreboding in my bones. There was only one Mob I knew of that Herobrine would fear getting out. It was the Mob responsible for ruining his kingdom and turning all of Minecraftia against him. The Mob Herobrine regretted ever studying in his Journal Entries. The manmade Mob.
The Wither.
"This is the excerpt from How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts."
[DRGSVI]
[Xozhhrurxzgrlm: YLHH]
[Wvhxirkgrlm: Z yozxp uolzgrmt iryxztv drgs ml ornyh. Qfhg gsivv svzwh. Vnrgh z wzip vmvitb zmw trevh luu zm fmvzigsob dzro.]
[Grkh: Lu zoo gsv Nlyh R szev ivhvzixsvw, gsv Drgsvi rh yb uzi gsv nlhg wvhgifxgrev. Rg rh zohl gsv lmob pmldm Nly gszg nfhg yv xlmhgifxgvw erz hlfo hzmw zmw gsivv Drgsvi Hpvovglm Hpfooh. Rgh wvhrtm rh wvkrxgvw rm lmv lu gsv nzmb krxgfivh vcrhgrmt rm Nrmvxizugrz. Gsv hpfooh xzm yv lygzrmvw yb hozbrmt Drgsvi Hpvovglmh. Sldvevi, gsv wilk izgv lu gsv hpfooh rh hl old, rg dlfow gzpv z Ollgrmt Vmxszmgvw hdliw qfhg gl kilxfiv gsvn.]
[Drgs 150 svzigh lu svzogs zmw xzkzyov lu 12 svzigh lu wznztv, gsrh Nly vzhrob uzooh drgsrm gsv Ylhh xozhhrurxzgrlm, zolmt drgs gsv Vmwvi Wiztlm zmw gsv Vowvi Tfziwrzm.]
"This is the one from Advanced Mob-Slaying."
[Lmxv xlmhgifxgvw, gsv Drgsvi droo uozhs yofv zmw tild ozitvi rm hrav. Rm gsrh hgzgv, rg rh fmzyov gl nlev li rmuorxg wznztv, yfg rh zohl rmermxryov. Zmb fmuligfmzgv Xizugvi rm gsv erxrmrgb droo mlgrxv z svzogs yzi uroormt fk zylev rgh svzw. Lmxv rg rh xlnkovgvob uroovw fk, rg droo xivzgv z nzhhrev vckolhrlm drgs rghvou zg gsv xvmgvi, yvuliv iznkztrmt.]
[Gsrh fmslob zylnrmzgrlm zggzxph zmbgsrmt gszg nlevh zmw rh mlg fmwvzw yb urirmt vckolhrev hpfooh uiln rgh gsivv svzwh, dsrxs gizro wzip hnlpv. Rg uorvh zilfmw, hvvprmt erxgrnh, zmw prooh zmbgsrmt. Xizugvih, zmrnzoh, Nlyh. Mlgsrmt zorev rh hzuv.]
[Vevm dlihv, gsv hpfooh rg urivh xzm zuuorxg z gzitvg drgs gsv Drgsvi Hgzgfh Vuuvxg, gsv lmob vuuvxg gszg xzm xlnkovgvob wizrm gsv oruv uiln blf. Gsv Drgsvi Vuuvxg, xszizxgviravw yb yrhgiv hdriormt kzigrxovh, gfimh blfi Svzigh yozxp, nzprmt rg mvziob rnklhhryov gl tzftv blfi ldm svzogs, zmw holdob hfxph zdzb blfi oruv. Ufigsvinliv, gsv Drgsvi Vuuvxg ovvxsvh zdzb dszgvevi svzogs blf olhv zmw svzoh gsv Drgsvi drgs rg.]
[Rg rh rnnfmv gl uriv, ozez, zmw wildmrmt. Rg rh rnnfmv gl klgrlm vuuvxgh vcxvkg uli Szinrmt zmw Svzormt. Orpv lgsvi Fmwvzw Nlyh (Hpvovglmh, Alnyrvh, vgx.) gsvb ziv svzovw yb Szinrmt Klgrlmh zmw szinvw yb Svzormt Klgrlmh.]
[Dsrov rg uorvh gsilfts gsv zri, rg rh gll srts uli hdliwh gl wl zmb tllw. Zmw ru blf'iv gll xolhv, rg'h lmob z nzggvi lu grnv yvuliv blf'iv srg zmw drgsvi zdzb. Yvhg yvg rh gl mzro rg drgs z yld uiln olmt-wrhgzmxv. Pvvk urirmt fmgro rgh svzogs rh szou vnkgb.]
[Gsvm yvtrmh kszhv gdl.]
"And this last one is from our latest acquisition, Mobs of the Nether."
[Gsv Drgsvi droo yvxlnv tilfmwvw zh rg uozhsvh yofv zmw wlmh 'drgsvi zinli'. Zg gszg klrmg, rg droo yvxlnv rnnfmv gl ziildh zmw ivtvmvizgv svzogs zg zm zxxvovizgvw izgv. Gsv vmvitb gsrh gzpvh, sldvevi, kivevmgh rg uiln uobrmt gll srts. Vmzyormt blf gl tvg fk xolhv zmw kvihlmzo drgs z hgilmt hdliw.]
[Gzpv rg lfg jfrxp, yfg wlm'g yv ivxpovhh. Gsrh gsrmt xzm proo blf rmhgzmgob ru mlg kilkviob kivkzivw. Szermt Ivtvmvizgrlm Klgrlmh zmw Nrop lm szmw xzm xlfmgvi zmw mfoorub gsv Drgsvi Vuuvxg. Zhrwv uiln gszg, kldviufo, glk-grvivw tvzi droo yv ergzo rm uzxrmt gsrh nlmhgilhrgb. Vmxszmgvw Tlowvm Zkkovh, li Mlgxs zkkovh zh nb xlmxvrgvw uirvmw szh mznvw gsvn, xzm zohl pvvk blfi svzogs uiln wilkkrmt.]
[Fklm rgh wvzgs, rg wilkh z Mvgsvi Hgzi, dsrxs xzm yv fhvw gl xizug yvzxlmh: Nztrxzo wverxvh gszg xzm trev zyrorgrvh gl lgsvih.]
[Dvzpmvhhvh: Hkozhs Klgrlmh lu Svzormt, Hnrgv.]
"Now, if you string them all together and translate," Lenz deposited his notebook last, the pages filled with messy confusing notes only the engineer could understand. But at the end was the full translated text. "It reads…"
[WITHER]
[Classification: BOSS]
[Description: A black floating ribcage with no limbs. Just three heads. Emits a dark energy and gives off an unearthly wail.]
[Tips: Of all the Mobs I have researched, the Wither is by far the most destructive. It is also the only known Mob that must be constructed via soul sand and three Wither Skeleton Skulls. Its design is depicted in one of the many pictures existing in Minecraftia. The skulls can be obtained by slaying Wither Skeletons. However, the drop rate of the skulls is so low, it would take a Looting Enchanted sword just to procure them.]
[With 150 hearts of health and capable of 12 hearts of damage, this Mob easily falls within the Boss classification, along with the Ender Dragon and the Elder Guardian.]
[Once constructed, the Wither will flash blue and grow larger in size. In this state, it is unable to move or inflict damage, but is also invincible. Any unfortunate Crafter in the vicinity will notice a health bar filling up above its head. Once it is completely filled up, it will create a massive explosion with itself at the center, before rampaging.]
[This unholy abomination attacks anything that moves and is not undead by firing explosive skulls from its three heads, which trail dark smoke. It flies around, seeking victims, and kills anything. Crafters, animals, Mobs. Nothing alive is safe.]
[Even worse, the skulls it fires can afflict a target with the Wither Status Effect, the only effect that can completely drain the life from you. The Wither Effect, characterized by bistre swirling particles, turns your Hearts black, making it nearly impossible to gauge your own health, and slowly sucks away your life. Furthermore, the Wither Effect leeches away whatever health you lose and heals the Wither with it.]
[It is immune to fire, lava, and drowning. It is immune to potion effects except for Harming and Healing. Like other Undead Mobs (Skeletons, Zombies, etc.) they are healed by Harming Potions and harmed by Healing Potions.]
[While it flies through the air, it is too high for swords to do any good. And if you're too close, it's only a matter of time before you're hit and wither away. Best bet is to nail it with a bow from long-distance. Keep firing until its health is half empty.]
[Then begins phase two.]
[The Wither will become grounded as it flashes blue and dons 'wither armor'. At that point, it will become immune to arrows and regenerate health at an accelerated rate. The energy this takes, however, prevents it from flying too high. Enabling you to get up close and personal with a strong sword.]
[Take it out quick, but don't be reckless. This thing can kill you instantly if not properly prepared. Having Regeneration Potions and Milk on hand can counter and nullify the Wither Effect. Aside from that, powerful, top-tiered gear will be vital in facing this monstrosity. Enchanted Golden Apples, or Notch apples as my conceited friend has named them, can also keep your health from dropping.]
[Upon its death, it drops a Nether Star, which can be used to craft beacons: Magical devices that can give abilities to others.]
[Weaknesses: Splash Potions of Healing, Smite.]
Lenz took in a breath after he was finished reading to gauge our reactions. Noman had a hand covering his mouth, his face showing a horror over how destructive a Mob the Wither was. Floyd, however, seemed upset.
"That's what caused the Tragedy of Nitebane." Floyd said. "It matches with the description Attila gave us. The manmade monstrosity that turned Herobrine's kingdom into a desolate wasteland. And he spawned it himself."
"His student spawned it." I corrected.
"What's the difference? It was still his fault."
"The difference is that he clearly didn't want to repeat his last mistake." I defended Herobrine with perhaps a small flash of anger. "He wrote this information in a different language so not everyone could summon them, but he also wrote down its weaknesses and fighting patterns. He would have had to face a couple of these to nail down that information. He did his research so he could teach Crafters how to kill Withers."
Floyd threw his head back, conceding my point. "A Boss Mob... I wasn't even aware there could be Boss Mobs."
"Herobrine mentioned a dragon in his Journal." I pointed out. "Ender Dragon. A dragon fought in the End. The name fits." The Elder Guardian was new information, but it sounded like an offset of the aquatic Guardians found near Ocean Monuments. "What makes this Mob a real danger is that it can be weaponized. It's a man-made Mob that attacks everything. So long as it isn't undead, the Wither will kill it. Lenz, remember that painting we found in the underground lab in Daymonte?"
"I was thinking the same thing." He nodded sagely. "It was the Wither blueprint. The one Herobrine wrote about. Of course, it makes sense why one of the books was there." Lenz adjusted his glasses. "This must be why AceOfJades wanted the books so badly."
I felt a pang in my chest. "Hey, can we maybe not bring her up?"
"Yeah, why talk about Jade when we can discuss a dark, twisted monster with multiple faces, unafraid to ruin anything in its path. Wait, I think I just described Jade twice."
"No, think about it." Lenz continued to make me uncomfortable. "AceOfJades was beside herself to get copies of these books. The Endward Cult would see the appeal in a man-made Mob that could decimate a Kingdom unopposed. They could sneak into any Kingdom through Nether Portals, construct the Wither frame, and then watch as the Wither does their work for them. It would be the equivalent of holding nuclear missiles."
"I'm pretty sure she only wanted the books because her Founder wrote them." I countered. "If she needed the information so badly, she would have pressed for a copy. Instead, she deigned to wait." I sighed. "As for weaponizing these things, that's a scary thought."
"Yeah, but at least they're hard to make." Floyd pointed out, trying to lighten the mood. "Like Herobrine wrote, the drop rate on the Wither Skeleton skulls is really low. And then you need to gather three of them. You'd need a Looting Sword just to get lucky."
"You mean," Noman spoke slowly, "like the Looting Sword Leadstripe stole from Dover Plains...?"
We all looked up wordlessly, the silence within the dirt den stretching ominously in the face of this latest reveal. Leadstripe had taken a Looting Sword from the auction house in Dover Plains. Noman had tried to stop him, but he narrowly escaped. And that had been months ago.
Months of grinding in the Nether for skulls.
"H-Hold on." Floyd ran a hand over his chin, his eyes wide and darting as he thought on this new information. "They... Leadstripe... he..." Floyd took another second to gather his frantic thoughts. "Are we to believe that the Endward Cult already knows how to spawn Withers? That can't be true! The Tragedy of Nitebane is known all over Minecraftia. If any similar instances happened, we would have heard of it. And the Endward Cult would weaponize these things. If they think their Founder came up with it, they'd set them up in every Kingdom and kill millions! We should already be dead!"
"Y-You are right." Lenz nodded nervously. "If they had the means to farm these Mobs of mass destruction, they would most certainly have done so in the four-hundred years between the Tragedy of Nitebane and now."
"I-It took Herobrine a while." I threw out. "In his journals, it took around ten years to gather the skulls. He needed Looting III, though."
"The sword at the auction house was Looting III and made of diamond." Noman remembered. "It's harder to channel high-tier Looting Enchantments into diamond than gold. Maybe that's why it's taken them so long to find the means to gather them. They didn't have diamond Looting III Swords." He gulped. "Until now."
"That... that does not necessarily mean they are any closer to spawning one." Lenz tried to assure us before he suddenly realized he had a trio of Mob books before him. "Hang on, look at this." He flipped Mobs of the Nether to the entry on Wither Skeletons and read it aloud.
[WITHER SKELETON]
[Description: Similar to a Skeleton. Differs in greater height, pitch-black bones, and wielding a stone sword over a bow. Their bones rattle lowly as they patrol the Nether Fortresses, searching for prey.]
[Tips: The Wither Skeleton is one of the rarer Mobs of the Nether. Like Blazes, they only spawn in the Nether and only in the vicinity of Nether Fortresses, which are sparse and difficult to find as is. This, however, is a blessing, as these undead Mobs are deadly enough in small doses.]
[Though they are limited to swords as opposed to their bow-wielding brethren, their height and long limbs gives them greater reach and speed than your average Mob. More often than not, a Crafter engaged in combat with a Wither Skeleton will be struck first due to the Mob's longer limbs. In a duel of swords, there is always a risk of trading blows. But that is not what makes the Wither Skeletons truly terrifying.]
[They have 10 Hearts of Health and can inflict any foe they attack with the Wither Status Effect. While afflicted, the Hearts of your Health Meter will turn black (making it difficult to discern your own Health), your body will feel as if all vitality was being sucked from it, and your Hearts will be slowly drained. I have reason to believe the drained Health is then absorbed by the Wither Skeleton, healing any damage you cause. Plus, unlike the Poison Effect from Cave Spiders, the Wither Effect can fully kill a Crafter. It is the only known status effect that can fully drain a Crafter's Health.]
[The Mob can deal a staggering 6 Hearts of damage per hit, but the added Wither Effect which lasts ten seconds upon contact can drain an additional 3 Hearts. Therefore, one hit from these deadly Mobs can reduce an unarmored Crafter to 1 Heart. Armor may make a small difference but will do little against the crippling Wither Effect.]
[Wither Skeletons are immune to Regeneration, fire, Poison, and their own Wither Effect. Splash Potions of Harming will only heal them. So how do you beat them? From a distance. As long as their reach is, they can't hit a long-range archer. Just as a Skeleton's weakness is close-range, a Wither Skeleton's weakness is long-range. Though it's costly, Splash Potions of Healing will also hurt the undead Mobs. And if you find yourself afflicted with the Wither Status, it can always be remedied with Healing and Regeneration Potions, or the humble panacea, a bucket of milk.]
[Once defeated, the Mobs drop bones, coal, their own stone sword, and—very rarely—a Wither Skeleton Skull. Even with a Looting Sword of the highest enchantment, it is next to impossible to scrounge a skull. Most of the time, the Looting only affects the bone or coal drops. If you can snag a skull, consider yourself lucky.]
[PREPARE ACCORDINGLY. This is one Mob you can't take lightly.]
[Weakness: Long-range weaponry. Splash Potions of Healing. Smite.]
"See?" Lenz added at the end. "These are deadly Mobs that can rarely be found within the Nether and they rarely drop a skull even with the aid of a Looting Sword." He summarized to the rest of us. His points were already making Noman and Floyd relax.
"He's right." Noman nodded, laughing nervously. "He's right. Having a Looting Sword only slightly increases the chance to draw a skull."
"Plus, these things sound deadly." Floyd added, tapping the Wither Skeleton entry. "I bet the cult has to go through thousands of cultists trying to farm these things. They can't even fight long-range because the Looting Enchantment only works on close-range weaponry. They'll have to be up-close and personal." He laughed. "I bet they don't even have one skull, let alone three."
"They do."
Silence permeated the dirt den as everyone's heads swiveled in my direction. They all saw the grim expression on my face and my rapidly paling complexion, even if my eyes were focused on the pages of the Herobrine book.
"They have one."
[Endward Cult: Northern Division HQ]
"Well..." Ember_Waves sighed, her palms on the table, "this is news."
She had just gotten back from the attack on their weapons outpost in the Birch Forest. The Paragons had escaped—far from unscathed—but the same couldn't be said for the weapons the Northern Division had been stockpiling, nor could it be said for the cultists that perished in that bombardment of explosive arrows. She herself had even been injured in the attack.
The cultists were already salvaging what they could. Abyssmal and the Lieutenants had returned to their respective Divisions, but Ember herself was still trying to piece together who or what had inflicted that barrage of explosive arrows.
She was also stuck on figuring out which of those Paragons was the leader. Her money was it being that Carys_Angel character—the names fit, or was that too obvious?—but she wasn't sure since she lacked any noteworthy armor and the signature Wither Skeleton skull mask. The only other noteworthy females were the long-haired Jibberwoman or the dark-skinned beauty who went down fast.
But then 4Blite had something to share.
"You're sure this information is credible." Ember asked, still staring at her desk.
"I—"
"No, of course you're sure." She answered for him, her Soul-Gaze finding answers unbidden. "You wouldn't share something this covetous unless you were certain. So that's the Angel of Death's true name." She looked up, tasting the words on her tongue. "Carys_Angel. How unoriginal can you get?"
"Are you… pleased… with this information, ma'am?" 4Blite asked with confusion, his hands folded behind his back and his posture ramrod straight.
"Well," Ember blew out a strand of hair from her face, "I'm pissed that I looked her in the eyes without figuring it for myself. Breaking into the weapons outpost without proper armor or her mask was the only thing that saved her. I would have skewered her without a thought otherwise." She promised with a darkened expression that marred her natural beauty. She schooled her features back in an instant. "But yes, this news pleases me. I now know what name to look out for." She gripped her diamond rapier so tight her knuckles whitened. "Next time, it'll be curtains for Carys."
The Executive had made that promise more to herself than to 4Blite. The Lieutenant remained standing and politely quiet as he let Ember's imagination run rampant with thoughts of confronting the longest-standing thorn in the Endward Cult's side.
"Oh sorry, 4Blite." Ember snapped out of her trance shortly. "I forgot you were still here."
"It's fine, ma'am." 4Blite nodded coldly. "Though I was hoping to be rewarded for this information…?" He trailed off meaningfully.
"Ah, yes, of course." Ember nodded. "I didn't mean to belittle your achievement. And it is a great achievement—one which the other Executives will be interested to hear. I'll be sure to let them know who secured the Angel of Death's true identity. Speaking of which," Ember canted her head, "how did you uncover this information while handling paperwork in the base?"
4Blite blinked as he met Ember's eyes. "I—"
"It was Jade, wasn't it?" Again, Ember's Soul-Gaze found the answers without meaning to. She could see straight through her Lieutenant. "She traded you the information for a favor."
4Blite's cheeks colored and his cold demeanor broke as he shouted back. "The discovery is still rightly mine! I passed it along to you! I will not be cheated from this!"
"Peace, 4Blite." Ember chuckled under her breath. "I don't mean to show favoritism or demean what you've done. While I don't understand what would possess Jade to pass up this information in exchange for a favor from you, I acknowledge that the Angel of Death's identity was barter freely given. You traded a favor to make this discovery your own, and while I prefer my Lieutenants to be working together, I also see the merit in—let's just call it a competitive business environment."
"So then…?" He dared to hope.
"Yes, this achievement is yours, not Jade's. I will report it to the other Executives as such, and," she paused for dramatic effect at the last, knowing this was what 4Blite truly wanted, "I will recommend you for the future Executive position of the Southern Division."
4Blite's dark face lit up briefly. His cold exterior had been warmed by this news—not enough to draw a smile—but for his eyes to light up and his eyebrows to disappear into his hairline. His posture relaxed for a second before he bit back his triumph and stood a bit taller.
"You won't regret this, ma'am."
"Don't assume this means the role is yours." Ember kept his expectations in check. "The final decision needs to be discussed amongst all Executives and I'm not limited to recommend only one candidate." Ember smirked with folded arms. "Fact is, I got another aspiring cultist to recommend. And before you start, no, it's not Jade."
4Blite clicked his tongue, but remained silent. One aspiring candidate would hardly be competition after the Executives learned who brought the Angel of Death into the spotlight. Bad for Carys_Angel, good for him. He'd be an Executive yet, and all the times he spent being second fiddle to Jade would be worth it.
His pleasant thoughts were derailed when a knock came from the door and in stepped… Spring_Fever. The Lieutenant would recognize that orange slicked-back hair anywhere.
4Blite shot Spring a look of deep disdain. The lowly grunt had been a member of his subdivision first, and while his Head quotas were high, he lacked discipline and respect. Ember had to step in more than once just to keep 4Blite from killing him. He wasn't his problem anymore—having been transferred to Jade's subdivision—but 4Blite still despised him. If not for his lack of respect, then for how Ember took exception to his continuing to live.
The feeling was clearly mutual. Spring's excitement over talking with Ember quickly soured when he realized who else was in the room. The whiplash of emotions across his face would be comical if 4Blite wasn't a stone-cold killer.
Ember, wanting to head off a dispute before it could start, spoke up. "Spring! To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Uh, r-right…" Spring's eyes darted to 4Blite nervously, but Ember quickly placed herself between the two so that he could only see her eyes. It calmed him down instantly. "It's Lieutenant Jade, ma'am." He announced, surprising the two higher-ups. "She's returned from her mission and she's requesting permission to show you something."
"What a surprise." Ember commented. "I thought she would be deep undercover with the Billionth. Something must have happened." She said to herself before waving her hand. "Well, go on, send her in."
At that, Spring paused. "…Actually, ma'am, Jade requested you come outside to see what she's brought. It's…" He chuckled under his breath. "It's something."
"Well, consider my curiosity piqued. However, I have my own reports to file," she gestured to the books stacked atop her desk, "and I want to get started on them right away. So I really must insist she come to me."
"But ma'am—"
"Are you defying a direct order from your Executive?" 4Blite challenged, stepping around Ember and marching over to the alert grunt. He fingered the diamond Battleaxe at his belt menacingly, prompting Ember to grab him by his shirt. "I'm sure Jade can lower herself off her high horse to come here in person. So go back and tell her that the Executive is busy, and if she wants to show her something, she can bring it to us in person. Otherwise, quit wasting our time."
"…As you command, sir." Spring gave a curt bow before fleeing the room. 4Blite snorted once and folded his arms.
Ember, however, massaged her temple. "You could have handled that better. You know being an Executive requires getting people to respect you, right?"
"They respect what they're afraid of."
"You think any of the other Executives rule by fear?" She asked rhetorically. "Coldness won't curry favor. Look at Jade. She can get anyone to drop their guard because she knows how to be nice. What do you know how to be? A block of ice?"
"I have my own followers within my subdivision and they're more than loyal to me." He defended. "Besides, you want to compare me to Jade? She wanted you to put aside your busy schedule just so she could show you something. She should have just come in person instead of sending Spring to—"
He cut off abruptly as the bridge of a giant airship phased through Ember's office door and walls. Ember and 4Blite shot to their feet, weapons raised as more and more of the dark wood airship with black sails erupted into the office, robbing them of space by the second. The two higher-ups found themselves retreating behind the desk and to the back wall as the redstone machination continued unimpeded. The only sound that could be heard was Spring, at the forefront and using a pair of redstone torches like a landing signal officer, shouting out:
"KEEP GOING! YOU'RE GOOD! YOU'RE GOOD! YOU'RE GOOD! YOU'RE GOOD!"
"AAAAAAND STOP!"
At his command, the airship stopped with two meters or space between the bridge and the back wall. Spring was standing with perhaps the biggest shit-eating grin on his face as he turned to face the dark-skinned Lieutenant with his back pressed against the wall.
"Lieutenant Jade says you asked for this."
"Pffffttttahahahahaha!" Ember laughed, her beautiful voice carrying throughout the loading bay of the Asmodeus. Jade had just rammed an airship into her office, yet the Executive was too delighted to care.
Executives weren't supposed to break down into a fit of giggles. They were supposed to be respectable role models. Serene, yet deadly. And serious. She and Sdraw were, at least.
But she couldn't help it. Just as she tried to stifle the worst of it, she was reminded of who the airship belonged to and how Jade managed to get it here, and Ember's control broke in one fell motion. She bent double as her joyful, rich, full laughter shook the Asmodeus' walls. She hadn't laughed like that in a very long time. And then she just imagined what the Angel of Death's face would have been like during it—Oh, Herobrine, she was crying it was so funny! She couldn't breathe!
"Ahem." 4Blite cleared his throat, looking thoroughly irate with how Jade seemed to outdo him again. He was glaring at her, not that Ember could have dissuaded him as she was busy wiping tears from her eyes. Spring was there too, but only to watch the fallout and listen to Ember's melodious laughter.
Jade, however, seemed oddly distant. Her Executive had been rendered speechless by raucous amusement. She should have been pleased with her achievements. And yet, her amethyst eyes were subdued and tinged with a slight red. Did she miss out on sleep, perhaps?
It took a few more rude coughs from 4Blite before Ember could recover as best she could. Even then, there was no hiding the wide smile she wore as congratulations were in order.
"Snatching her airship right out from under her! I like the Billionth's style! What was his name, again?"
"Cobb, ma'am." Jade replied flatly.
"Cobb! Right! King_Cobb." Ember nodded. "And exceptional work bringing it in, Jade. I'm going to lord this over the Angel and milk it for all it's worth. Though I could have done without you crashing it into my office."
Jade shrugged. "4Blite wanted me to show it in person. I live to please."
4Blite looked like he was sucking on a lemon.
"It's a real beauty." Ember marveled, hopping out and taking it all in—or as much as she could with half of it inside her office. "The Asmodeus. Meaning 'Creature of Judgement'. Named after a fallen angel. Now I'm just sensing a motif."
"Ember, we should not be congratulating her for ramming an airship into your—"
"So you can pilot this thing?" Ember asked gleefully, ignoring 4Blite's words entirely. "Can you teach me? I want to take it for a victory lap around Nitebane."
"Maybe later." Jade replied robotically. "Ma'am, I have more to report from my time with the Billionth. Hackers. Bounty Days. Herobrine books. Artifacts. There are a lot of things I believe you and the Executives will find worthwhile."
"No need to be so formal, Jade. It's just us." Ember tried to get her to relax. It wasn't working, though. The parkour master remained standoffish. "I'm eager to hear about it. Paperwork can wait. Let's dive right in. Also, what's that in your hand?"
"Another gift." Jade's slow-spreading smile could only be described as evil as she held up a Wither Skeleton skull. "You'll be pleased to know this one was also plucked from the Angel of Death. Courtesy of King_Cobb."
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Book {Mission Update}, 1 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 [Sweeping Edge III], 1 Banner {Beginners}, 64 Cobblestone, 53 Cobblestone, 1 Bed, 5 Coal, 18 Flint, 12 Jungle Wood Logs, 56 Jungle Wood Planks, 3 Torches, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 1 Lava Bucket, 30 Emeralds, 1 Ender Chest, 4 Snowballs, 9 Gunpowder, 40 Steak, 22 Rotten Flesh, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Nether}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[EXP: 28]
Inventory (Floyd): 1 Mob Head {Creeper}, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Diamond Helmet [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 29 Iron Ingots, 3 Sticks, 35 Coal, 20 Torches, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 30 Steak, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 1 Emerald, 1 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV], 16 Gunpowder, 3 Ender Pearls, 1 Splash Potion of Invisibility {6:00}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[EXP: 33]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Leather Pants [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III] {Weak}, 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Shears, 2 Levers, 5 Redstone Torches, 1 Bed, 9 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 23 Redstone, 17 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 48 Cobblestone, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 25 Gunpowder, 1 Bow, 21 Arrows, 14 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 50 Steak, 60 Emeralds, 1 Ender Chest, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Nether}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}
[EXP: 15]
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] {Weak}, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Bow [Infinity], 1 Bucket, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 2 Ender Pearls, 40 Steak, 1 Phantom Membrane, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Regeneration II {0:22}, 1 Splash Potion of Regeneration II {0:22}, 1 Splash Potion of Regeneration II {0:22}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}, 1 Arrow, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 4 Enchanted Golden Apples, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots
[EXP: 26]
AN: Someone said Jade would do something stupid. More stupid, I mean. And yeah, that's a solid guess. She's either helping Cobb or shitting on everyone, all the time, and there's no middle ground on her frozen yogurt machine of treachery.
Also, the Herobrine Trilogy translated and brought together at last. Jibberish is Atbash and you can find the above jumbled excerpts from Chapter 94, Chapter 83, and Chapter 156. Can't help but think this information would have been useful a few days ago when Cobb could have burned that Wither Skeleton head instead of leaving it hanging on Carys' trophy wall. On the Asmodeus.
Dat's on Cobb.
Then, just to clarify, since someone asked in the reviews before, the Endward Cult knows how to make Withers, they just had a lot of trouble gathering Wither Skeleton heads. At least, until Leadstripe heard about a diamond Looting III Sword in Dover Plains and Noman failed to stop him.
Dat's on Noman.
One down. Four to go. Stay healthy and wash your hands. I finished typing this thing on August 14th, 2020. This record is for my sake just to see which week I finally publish them all. It's like a little time capsule.
FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. PM. OC. FORUM. DISCORD. SERVER. POPTARTS.