AN: Here we go. The fifth and final Chapter of the weeklong My Craft bomb. The conclusion to the Darkest Arc.

Let's get right down to it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add Caskets.

"The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming."

Chapter 164

N.D.Y.

[Soul]

The whole ride over, I'd been full of tense, nervous energy.

Fleeing on horseback from Akasha, I had been jumping at shadows. Depriving myself of sleep just to gain that much more distance from the Mesa Kingdom.

Jade's nickname for it seemed more appropriate given the circumstances. The Mess Kingdom…

I tried to put it all behind me, occupying myself with locating the group of losers I had come to care for. I used my linked map and searched for their white blips in the Birch Forest.

That's when I first noticed the missing blips.

First there were six others. Five in the forest and one in Ringwood—the one we gave the fresh spawns. Troy and Gina and the others. No reason to freak out.

Then, the day before the Bounty Day, the five in the forest became four, then two.

For four days, I was left wondering what the hell had happened. Four days, I rode my horse without rest, my eyes glued to my map and the white blips that were still there. Who was dead? Was anyone even dead? Why would they drop their maps? Were they trying to give me a heart attack?

Following what happened in Akasha, I couldn't help but fear for their lives.

But then, on the fourth day, close to sunset, the blips reappeared. Only two of them, but it felt like I could breathe again.

One blip remained off the grid. Cobb, Floyd, Lenz, Jade, or Noman. One of them was still unaccounted for, and I hated not knowing what was wrong. I hated not knowing what the group was going through.

…What if they needed me? And I wasn't there because I wanted to help Captain Obsidian. HA! A fat lot of good I did!

The four blips seemed to stay as they were for a while. They started moving north, towards Ringwood. Though… they were moving really slow for a group riding an airship. Their blips should have been making more headway, but instead they moved at a glacial pace. I was actually catching up to them on horseback.

What the hell is going on over there?

They stood in place for three days and that was when I figured out they were waiting on me. They probably docked the airship in a village or something and were waiting on me to catch up. Awfully nice of them. And while I was trying to reach them, it would give me time to come up with a believable story for what went down in Akasha.

The truth would come out eventually—it always did—but for Floyd and Noman's sake, it was probably best not to bring up how Hackers attacked Akasha as payback for Sandra and Winslow's deaths. They didn't need to know the finer details of what happened either.

Just as I was on the verge of something believable, the blips started moving again. They started moving fast. I was maybe a day away from reaching them when their blips suddenly started vanishing and reappearing in a sporadic path north. They were heading for the Origin Zone.

"What the…?" I spurred my horse onward, urging it to catch up. "This is just raising more questions!"

The sporadic blinking of their blips pointed to ender pearls being the probable cause, but why were they ender pearling at all when they had the Asmodeus? Why did they bother waiting for me only to take off NOW when I was so close? Why were only four of them accounted for and where was the fifth? Who was the fifth? Were they dead or missing or what?

I threatened to tear the map in two when the fifth blip finally reappeared. In Ringwood. THAT MAKES FUCKING SENSE!

I wasn't going to catch up to them. Least of all because their blips took a sudden leap from the Origin Zone to the base of Mt. Mur. All for of them, one at a time. It was farther than any ender pearl could be thrown.

At that point, the map raised more questions than answers and made my brain hurt. I wished the others were around to offer ideas, but as it was, I was a clueless muscle-brain. The most I could deduce was that they were gunning for Ringwood at breakneck speed. They were going to that blip that showed up after a week of being off the radar.

And they were making great time. I thought they'd have to struggle to climb over Mt. Mur, but they went right through it at the same pace I rode my horse. They must have found an old minecart track that cut through the mountain.

I didn't have that luxury. I'd have to climb over the top or circumvent the mountain on horseback until I found a valley or something. Some path of least resistance.

While I wasted my time navigating, the blips all appeared in Ringwood. My friends moved about—not like I could tell which was which—and then three of them winked out. Gone, like a torch being extinguished.

It took me seven days to finally reach Ringwood. Seven days of navigating rocky slopes and steep valleys on horseback. Seven days in which my only entertainment was watching blips move on a map. When they all reached Ringwood, there had been six white blips flitting about. But by the end of the week, there were only three.

Three maps.

Cobb. Floyd. Lenz. Jade. Noman. The Fresh Spawns.

Only three of them still had their maps.

And after two weeks of pulling my hair out worrying, I was going to get to the bottom of what those losers had been doing. So help me Notch, I'd get my answers.

My horse's hooves beat against the ground as I approached the toll gates. The casual pace I set slowly increased when I noticed the large gouges along the wooden outer wall that looked like it got struck by a TNT Cannon. The whole path leading up to the toll gates was littered with deep craters and piles of gear. No Heads, but the piles bore all the signs of murdered Crafters. The guards were the piles with the green leather caps and the set of armor. Even with armor, they had died.

"What did this…?" I asked myself, maneuvering my horse so that I wouldn't disturb the piles. It would be too much like stepping on bodies.

The outside in no way prepared me for what laid inside the ruined walls.

The streets were riddled with deep craters in which gear naturally pooled into. Everywhere I looked, buildings and houses were blasted to shreds of their former selves. I had walked past this very same gate dozens of times, but now it bore no resemblance to any of what I remembered. It was as if a bomb had gone off—no, a hundred bombs.

I instantly thought it was a repeat of the Creeper Herd that caused so much destruction, but even I had to question how Creepers could have gotten up to the tall buildings to detonate. Something got fired upon these structures. It was no Creeper that did it.

The gear was covering the street like a carpet. There were small paths—spots where Crafters had obviously walked through and were forced to pick up the fallen gear—but there was still so much. It reminded me of Caerbannog Mountain—the home of that killer rabbit that whipped Cobb around like a chew toy. The victims of that killer rabbit all dropped gear and it was left lying outside that monster's den. It was the closest resemblance, but even then, the amount of gear lying around hinted at a body count beyond what a killer rabbit could cause.

Death incarnate must have swept through Ringwood.

In the distance, I could see the plateau that rose from the center of the Kingdom, towering above the buildings for Crafters to look up to and admire. The Palace nestled atop it…

…Was in ruins. It was almost impossible to see from where I was, but the Palace walls and towers were ground to the very foundations. Same with the Guard Barracks. Only the Prison stood, and not by much.

"Even the plateau got hit hard." I contemplated. The other Districts might have been worse off, but I couldn't see them from the Southern District. I needed to figure out what went down. I needed to talk to someone.

Fortunately, I had three white blips to choose from. I unfolded my map and traced my finger over the blips. They were scattered about, but the closest one was actually to the west. I turned my steed in that direction and spurred it forward, stepping over fallen gear with a silent apology. There was no other way around with how it covered the streets.

Everywhere I looked, I saw more devastation. More exploded homes. More piles of gear. No people. No Heads.

No Heads…

That's when it clicked. It was the Endward Cult's MO. They gathered Heads and left the gear behind. It was what Spring_Fever did when he killed Silent. Just the thought of it had me gripping my axe in anger, realizing this was the cult's doing. They got their hands on some vile weapon or strategy and used it on the people of Ringwood. They slaughtered an unfathomable number of Crafters and picked out their Heads in the same manner one would take harvesting carrots.

The damage continued well into the Western District. I thought it was dilapidated before, but it had been luxurious compared to what it was now. Blast craters. Splintered buildings. Gear littering the streets. Roads ripped up like torn fabric. It was awful.

But one of the blips was down that way, so that was the way I went.

I tracked down the blip carefully, navigating torn street after torn street—and taking one or two detours where the roads weren't traversable—and I eventually wound up at the western toll gates.

Just in time to watch a smoke covered Floyd talk down a band of Griefers.

"My lord!" One of the Griefers exclaimed from his knelt position in the streets. "Why do you rebuff us? We can make a home from this ruin!"

"Yeah!" Another shouted. "Why, look at all that gear and food just lying there! Just over there I can see a diamond chestplate with enchantments." He spoke it like it was a holy artifact. "Do you know what I would give to have gear like that!? And all the food that's going to waste—!"

"I'm not going to say it again." Floyd threatened, his Hacker smoke on full display. He shot some MultiAura spines at the wall beside them, frightening the Griefers into silence. "This Kingdom might be ruined, but I'm claiming it for myself. Only myself!" He elaborated. "Now leave!"

"But my lord!" The Griefer tried again. "We will not take from your spoils. We merely wish to serve you. Allow us to inhabit these ruins and we will do your bidding! We will shower you in worship befitting a God of your status. I beg you not to cast us aside like the others—"

"What part of beat it don't you understand?" Floyd hissed before smoke swirled around him. He fired more spikes warningly and the Griefers cowered under his power. "LEAVE! And tell any Griefers you see that only death will await them if they set one foot in Ringwood!"

The Griefers quailed under Floyd's gaze and crawled backwards with their heads still bowed. Floyd kept his powers turned on until they were well out of sight before extinguishing them with a sigh. He rubbed at his eyes, groaning under great duress.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?"

He gave a jump at my words and whirled around as I made my appearance. No sooner had I dismounted my horse, than I found myself embraced by the blue-nette.

"Soul!" Floyd gripped my back tightly, his head burying itself in my shoulder. "You're back. You finally made it. Lenz thought it would take another day at the pace you were going."

"I rallied and rode through the night." I explained before pointing to the gates where the Griefers retreated. "You want to explain that?"

Floyd spared a glance before sighing. "It was Veronica's idea. With Ringwood like this, Griefers were bound to gravitate like they did with Nitebane. They see a ruined Kingdom as prime real estate—especially considering all the gear left lying out." He looked forlornly at the piles in the streets. "Anyway, they worship Hackers almost as much as they fear them. We figured this was the best way to keep them out. I've been scaring off small groups for a few days now."

"Okay, but how did this happen?" I asked instead, gesturing to the ruins. "How did the Endward Cult cause all of this destruction? What's happened since I left? Damnit, I leave you guys for a few weeks and everything falls to shit!" I said it like a joke, but Floyd was in no mood. "Is everyone okay? I only saw two other blips in Ringwood? What's happened with Lenz, Noman, Jade, and Cobb?"

Immediately, I caught how Floyd's Hacker smoke and anger flared at the mention of Jade's name… then cooled when Cobb's was brought up. My friend's face creased with worry.

"We… have a lot to talk about." Floyd sighed. "You're not gonna like a lot of it."

"Is everyone okay?"

"Not everyone who matters, no." Floyd spat sourly. "Lenz and Noman are alright. They're probably the blips you saw. They're out looking."

I arched a brow. "Looking for what?"

"Not what. Who." Floyd clarified, pausing to look me in the eyes. "Cobb's been missing for a week. We can't find him."

[Central District: Palace Ruins]

The Central District was in tatters when Veronica arrived.

She had been sent on an envoy mission from Daymonte. It was just a routine visit. Nothing major. She took a handful of red-capped guards with the intent to pass on King Rotjes' message to Miles, then spend the rest of the visit with her friend and soon-to-be-lover, Wynn.

Then she ran into Ringwood citizens going the opposite direction. She learned what had happened from them and her heart plummeted.

She and her guards rushed to Ringwood to see for themselves, despite the warnings of dark creatures that fired exploding skulls.

They had gotten there the day after the attack.

Veronica's easygoing demeanor evaporated as she ordered the small band of guards to search for survivors and take stock of the damage. She hurried to the ruined Central District, planning to coordinate with whatever Kings, heirs, councilmen, or Captains were left alive.

It was only Wynn_Whispers left. She had the highest rank and authority among the remnants of guards.

And she was in a bad way. The guards had found her in an obsidian-fortified cell in the prison, bruised and broken almost as bad as her spirit. Veronica's teeth split her lip after she learned what had happened to her friend. From what little the guards could coax from Wynn, she watched as an Endward Cult Executive slaughtered the council, the Captains, King Miles, and, lastly, Princess Deo.

After experiencing such a loss, the Captain was inconsolable. She gazed at the ground with empty eyes, her mind replaying the events that she was too weak to stop and the people she was too weak to save. Not only did she have survivor's guilt, but she felt like she failed her King and her home by letting Miles and Deo die. She had been mercilessly taken apart by Ember_Waves, a name Veronica would remember to look out for and have Daymonte arrange Wanted Posters for. Though, if she found her first, she would forgo the bounty and just riddle her with arrows. She deserved as much for what she did to Wynn.

Getting the Captain to make decisions was another matter. With the council and heirs gone, she had the most authority as the only surviving Captain. That meant the few guards that survived the attack would be looking to her for guidance and leadership. She must have known that, and yet she looked so lost. She couldn't focus. She couldn't find the strength to lead right away.

Veronica helped her out. One Captain to another. Veronica sent for Daymonte to send more guards over to help with dealing with the aftermath. She organized a census to be taken to get an idea of how many Crafters were left in Ringwood. At Wynn's suggestion, she had a handful of guards erect makeshift tents and shelters for the inhabitants to stay in. They were all built on the Central District to keep everyone together and make it easier to do a headcount.

Then there was the matter of the Griefers.

Not even a day after the attack, Griefers started invading in small parties. Nitebane was no longer a Griefer hub, but they saw an opportunity in Ringwood's misfortune. There was little difference between the Tragedy of Nitebane and the Tragedy of Ringwood, as it became known. So Griefers would be pouring in. Veronica and a few Ringwood guards repelled the first wave, but it would only get worse as the days dragged on.

That was when one of Wynn's friends stepped up. The alleged Lieutenant, Flawwed_Floyd. Also a Hacker.

The news had struck pretty hard and it was a good thing he and his buddies approached Wynn and Veronica without any guards as witnesses. Wynn was shaken, but she trusted them because of their connection with King_Cobb.

The same King_Cobb who was missing, along with ErinRunner. Wynn had her guards scour the smoldering ruins of the Northern District for any signs of her housekeeper, but she hadn't known that Cobb was also missing. The news only alarmed her further when Cobb's friends revealed that they hadn't seen him since the attack, but that he had gone to the Northern District to verify the safety of the Captain and her housekeeper.

And now the two were gone.

Furthermore, Wynn relived her encounter with Ember, and made note on how she claimed to have sent her Lieutenant to Wynn's mansion to find her. The news of Ember's Lieutenant made them scowl and it was then they pointed to another identified cultist, Northern Lieutenant AceOfJades, a traitor who infiltrated their group and pretended to love Cobb.

The news had the ivory-haired Captain clench her fists and gnash her teeth. It was the first flash of emotion other than sadness that the Captain felt since the attack.

To sum it up, the Captains and the Beginners deduced that Erin, Jade, and Cobb had all been in the burning Northern District some time during the Wither attack. And there was no trace of any one of them. Just a pair of obsidian blocks stacked in the smoldering wreck of Wynn's mansion.

Wynn commanded the guards to search every nook and cranny for Erin, but she couldn't have them search for Cobb as well. Cobb was still a wanted man, and the guards would question why they were searching for an Executive in the wake of a cultist attack. Jade, she could ask them to kill on sight, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't kill Cobb if they found him, so she reluctantly left it to the Beginners to search. They also promised to keep their eyes peeled for Erin.

But Veronica had the idea to have Floyd repel the Griefers. Being a Hacker, they'd revere and fear him in equal measure. If anyone could deter them from entering the ruined Kingdom, it was him.

And so, the days passed with Crafters getting counted, Beginners scouring the Kingdom, and Griefers getting scared off from entering.

Then one day, the guards gave a damage update.

"At the start of the year," Bitters reported morosely, "we had around one-hundred-twenty-thousand Crafters living behind these walls. Following the Creeper Herd in July, we had about one-hundred-seventeen-thousand. And after the attack of what you refer to as, the 'Wither,' we have a population a little over four-hundred." Wynn's head fell into her hands at the tremendous loss of life. Still, Bitters went on. "There's no guarantee all those unaccounted for are deceased. From Captain Veronica's testimony, many Ringwood citizens escaped the Kingdom before perishing. While I very much doubt they'll return any time soon, they are at least still alive."

"Meanwhile, we can't verify who's died and who hasn't because the Endward Cult stole all the Heads. We have nothing to ID except Citizenship Information, and that could take weeks of sifting through." Bitters blew out an exhausted sigh. "There's less to go off of from the victims of the fires. Any evidence worth noting got burned up." He paused a moment before adding something else. "We might have to consider the possibility that Erin is gone, Captain."

"…You are to keep searching." Wynn commanded.

Bitters shut his eyes and nodded sadly. "Yes, ma'am. Apologies."

"What's the status with the Districts?" Veronica asked, desperate to change the subject.

"It's not good." Solara, another guard, reported. "Northern District was burned down. I expect many influential Crafters will be out of home… if most of them weren't dead councilmen." She said grimly. "The Southern, Western, and Central Districts were where those Wither things got spawned, so that's where the worst of the damage can be found. We lost a lot of guards to the third Wither." She noted sadly, thinking of Micah, Noah, Daniel, and Hollie who perished in the first and third Wither spawning. "The infamous prisoners that escaped didn't help with the casualties. The prison's been cleaned out. Of the four-hundred Crafters we have left, ninety are guards—the ones from Daymonte are not included in this count—and the rest are fortunate citizens. Not a Testificate survived." She said last.

"How did the Eastern District fare?"

"That's the bit of good news." Bitters said. "All the cows got killed, but the Withers never saw a chance to attack our farms. We can still grow food so long as we allocate Crafters to work farm duty. With our numbers, we can scale back on the number of farms to tend to. Only a few should be able to feed the people we have here on the plateau."

"That is a bit of good news." Wynn nodded. "Have Liam and Spencer go with you. I want the four of you to arrange a group to harvest food. These people need to be fed as well as sheltered. It's all the comfort we can provide them at this time."

"Yes, ma'am." They saluted before getting dismissed.

When they were gone and it was just Wynn and Veronica, the ivory-haired Captain stood up from her desk.

Veronica was beside her in an instant. "Where are you going?"

"To search for Erin and Cobb." She answered back evenly before taking up her iron rapier. "If the guards have already given up on my housekeeper, I'll find her myself. I'll find him too."

"Let me go with you." Veronica offered.

"No." Wynn shook her head. "You should stay here in case a problem arises. You're the one people are relying on."

"What about you? You're a Captain, same as me. And this is your Kingdom."

"I can't be trusted with anything important." She muttered with self-loathing. "His Eminence would be alive to make the call if not for me, but I failed to protect him. I failed to protect Deo. I failed to protect my Kingdom." She gripped her rapier tight. "I'm not worthy of the title of Captain. I'm not even worthy enough to kill."

"Hey!" Veronica warned, grabbing Wynn by the shoulders and holding firm. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for what happened. You had to go through a Tragedy of Nitebane three times over with the cult's entire Northern Division piled on top. Nobody's blaming you for what happened… except you."

"How can I NOT blame myself when I watched that Executive cruelly stab—!" Wynn bit back a sob and shook her head, her ivory hair whipping from side to side as she refused to shed tears. "…King Mann trusted me to protect His Eminence." Wynn spoke bitterly. "That was my sole duty to repay his boundless generosity when he took me in. Either that, or give my life trying. I failed on both counts. I couldn't even honor His Eminence's dying wish to save Deo!"

"None of that is your fault." Veronica pressed, making sure to tilt Wynn's face up so that they could look at one another. "If anyone's to blame for this, it's that Executive. Ember_Waves." Wynn's amber eyes darkened at the name. A sentiment Veronica could share. "She and the cult are responsible. And they'll all get what's coming to them. I promise you that. But Ringwood still needs you, Wynn. It needs you to protect it. So don't lose hope."

Wynn closed her eyes, the words more than likely just bouncing off of her. Even if the guards didn't blame her, she'd always consider it her greatest failure to have been in the same room as His Eminence and that killer, and yet failing to stop the cruelty that followed. It was a struggle just planning the funerals.

"…going to look for them." Wynn mumbled. "I'm going to look for Erin and Cobb."

"May I…?"

"You can come." Wynn nodded, her breath hitching. "I-I just don't want you to think you have to—"

"Where you go, I go." Veronica said, leaving no room for arguments. "Come on. Let's go look for your housekeeper and that idiot you're so fond of." Seeing that Wynn was in need of cheering up, she added, "Considering Erin's infatuation with the fisherman, coupled with his recent breakup with that Lieutenant, I wouldn't be surprised if the two were in some basement somewhere having messy, week-long, rebound sex."

[Floyd]

Lenz had a way with explaining things. Probably because he was a redstone engineer and was used to explaining the finer nuances of technology to a bunch of idiots like us. He could set down bullet points and facts in an objective, straight-laced manner that the rest of us just couldn't—especially at the current moment. So after we regrouped with everyone at Soul's place in the Eastern District (after disappointing reports that there was still no sign of Cobb), I let him explain everything we went through to Soul.

His response was expected.

Soul smashed his fist through a table. "That bitch."

"Lang—"

"NO! Let me have this!" Soul argued. Noman pondered for a while before sighing in concession and gesturing for Soul to get it out of his system. He then pointedly covered his ears. "That absolute two-faced, skank-whore, slutbag! That fake, double-dealing, heartbreaking, cock-sucking, airship-stealing, backstabbing motherfucker!"

Leave it to Soul to come up with colorful curses.

"From this day forward, Jade's name will be synonymous with betrayal!" Soul went on. "Anytime we hear about a traitor, we'll say they got Jaded."

"I mean… jaded is already a word—"

"JADED!"

"Yes, of course, Jaded." Lenz nodded. "I for one feel no love lost between ourselves and AceOfJades. Ember_Waves knew all about Nowhere's Severe Shield. I expect AceOfJades told her everything about the artifacts."

"We're gonna rip her head off, right?" Soul suddenly asked the rest of us. "I mean, we have to after the crap she pulled. She fooled Obsidian into killing McGahn. She used him like she used us! We can't let her get away with it!"

"I'll help." I promised darkly, my smoke gushing from my eyes. The only one who flinched at the sight was Ciro_Che, who stood in the corner with his arms folded. I still wasn't sure of his motives. Noman vouched for him, but was that good enough? We had plenty of trust issues after Jade.

"I don't like her any more than you do." Noman said. "But we have no idea where she is. We passed her name and description to the Captains. Let them circulate the wanted posters. Then Jade will be just as hunted as Ember, 4Blite, Leadstripe, and Teal."

"Right. Because the Berserkers are soooo great at hauling in cultists." Soul spat sarcastically, the insult intended for Ciro. "Screw waiting! Jade's map was in Ringwood the night of the Wither attack! Wynn even said Ember sent Jade to the Northern District! She could still be around!"

"The cult left after the last Wither died." Noman dismissed. "Ember and the Lieutenants pulled out. I imagine Jade did the same."

"That doesn't mean anything! They've hidden before." Soul reasoned. "Brett said they've got a base somewhere nearby. We should look for it—!"

"It's already been found." Ciro piped up, his mismatched eyes focused on Soul. "Among the craters created by the Wither, the guards unearthed an underground network of chambers beneath the Kingdom. The cult's sigil was all over the place, but it had been cleaned out prior to the attack." He shook his head. "Empty chests, burned evidence, whole rooms cleared out. Only destroyed Nether portal frames remained. They relocated and covered their tracks. Searching the Northern HQ will just be a waste of time."

There was a moment of silence before Soul gestured to Ciro. "What's he doing here? Didn't he work for the Berserkers and Dahlia to nearly kill Princess Alaqua in Jolin? Why's he standing around like he belongs here?"

"My thoughts exactly." I echoed, glaring at Ciro. "You told me you didn't believe in heroes. So why did you come to Ringwood's aid?"

"If you remember that, then you'll also remember I said I was once Notch's Captain." Ciro replied coolly. "I wasn't going to stand by and watch his pride and joy wither away."

"Yet you'd happily allow Jolin to get squeezed for emeralds by the Berserkers."

"For the record," Ciro spoke through gritted teeth, "I'd like to point out that I betrayed—"

"Jaded." Soul interjected.

"Fine—Jaded Dahlia at the end, I didn't kill Alaqua, AND I let your archer friend live." He hitched a thumb towards Lenz. "The Berserkers want my blood just as much as you want Jade's AND I killed one of the Withers, so your distrust of me makes no sense."

"Maybe because you're competing in the Artifact Easter Egg hunt with Noman when it's him Notch entrusted for the job."

Ciro's eyes narrowed. "Notch didn't entrust anyone! If you'd been there, you'd know it was just some cockamamie witch in some backwoods swamp that—!"

"Stop! This is getting us nowhere!" Noman acted as mediator between the two sides. "Ciro's helping because we still have yet to locate Cobb and we need as many of us combing Ringwood as we can. And just because Jade's map was here doesn't mean she's here anymore. Ember was only using it to lure us here."

Soul and I forgot our distrust for a moment to look at Noman. "Lure us…? What do you mean?"

Lenz answered instead. "The Withers were only a means to gather Heads and destroy Ringwood, but those were not Ember's only goals. She was after something else. A drop off one of the Withers."

Noman nodded and fished out a diamond-shaped object from his belt. It glittered in the torchlight and drew all our attention like a magnet. "The first Wither we killed dropped this Nether Star. I grabbed it. Ciro banished another Wither to the Border. Thinking momentum-wise, it's likely that one died and the star got tossed past the boundary where no one can get it." Noman sighed. "As for the third Wither, Ember was nearby when it died and stole the star before we could."

"Freaking fantastic." Soul scaled back on the curse for Noman's sake, despite his fuming. "So they succeeded in what they weren't meant to do AND what they were meant to do. Sounds like they creamed us at every turn!"

"We stopped the Withers—"

"Ringwood's a mess! You stopped nothing! Isn't that why Ember gloated about it?" Soul asked to deafening silence. "I saw piles and piles of gear walking in—Ringwood doesn't even have the numbers to clean up the carnage! They won and we lost!" He threw his hands up, pacing his home. "That fucker Spring was here and he got away." I felt a pang of regret. "Jade's probably told those assholes all about us. Why didn't you at least kill her!?" His accusing glare was directed at me. "You're the one with the Hacker powers! She confessed to everything and you let her walk out!?"

"I wanted her dead the most." I growled, my smoke spewing forth. "I would have killed her, except Cobb ordered her be let go."

"She can be let go off a cliff! You didn't argue with him!?"

"I did. He said he didn't have the energy for it."

"That was the excuse he gave!?"

"Cobb just got his heart broken!" Noman defended. "You weren't there to see it. He just stepped out of a coma, yet he confronted Jade anyway. He asked her things that would have torn his heart to pieces and he never once shed a tear—not even after it was done. How could he have the strength to watch her get killed afterwards? He's not made of stone!"

"And where's Cobb now!?"

Soul panted in the silence, his furious exclamation drawing all of us to the missing presence in the room. It was a black hole that sucked away all light.

"The last you heard of Cobb, he ran off to the Northern District." Soul continued. "The same district on fire. The same district Erin was last. The same district Jade supposedly got sent to." Soul outlined the facts. "Isn't it possible that Cobb found Jade there? Isn't it possible that they fought? Except Cobb, as you said, isn't made of stone. He wouldn't have the energy to fight his ex-girlfriend. So he just stood and took it and maybe—!" He cut off at the last, his head wrenching to the side as he paced back and forth.

"…No." Noman shook his head. "No, Cobb wouldn't die like that."

"Cobbert's bested tougher foes." Lenz spoke up in defense next. "He is a Hacker-Slayer. He held off Carys. His skills with a fishing rod are unparalleled. He cannot be dead."

"It didn't have to be a Lieutenant." Ciro piped up. "It could have been a stray Wither projectile or the fires. Any one of them could have killed—"

"You're not a part of this conversation." I snapped. "You don't know him like we do."

"No, and that's why I can give an unbiased opinion on the matter." Ciro soldiered on. "You're all his friends. You don't want to hear the unattractive truth. I understand that." His mismatched eyes softened. "But you have to consider the possibility that your friends, King_Cobb and ErinRunner, are dead."

"No…" Noman said in a small voice. "No. He wouldn't."

"Then why isn't his map showing up?" Ciro asked. "If he's still alive, why doesn't he have his map? Why isn't he looking for you with it? Why can't you find any trace of him or Erin? Is it because the Endward Cult steals the Heads of the slain? Is it because his remnants got scorched in the fires?"

We were left speechless as Ciro listed fact after fact. We'd checked all his usual spots. The Inhouse—the secret base under the outhouse in Wynn's backyard. The park with the pond where he and Lenz camped out. The Silver Intent base under Granger Barn. The Palace grounds where he trained with Iron_Lung. We scoured every street in the Northern District before expanding our search to the others, even checking obscure places like the Crystal Catacombs, the Hall of Records, and the Razed Bar.

But it was like the fisherman had just up and vanished. And finding Erin wasn't bearing any results either.

Cobb had been around since the start. He helped me out of that bad place I found myself after Silent was killed. He encouraged me to make amends with Soul. He accepted my Hacker lineage without fear. He supported my plan to save Jolin from the Berserkers.

He was the leader of our guild. The leader of the Beginners.

It just… it just didn't make sense to write him off as dead. We had been through so much together. I half expected him to come waltzing through the front door with Erin in tow, acting for all the world like we worried for nothing.

The front door remained coldly shut.

"This is a situation where casualties cannot be confirmed." Ciro went on when nobody said anything. "There's not a person alive in Ringwood that hasn't lost an acquaintance, a friend, or a lover. Crafters fled Ringwood—that much is true—so there's no reason not to think they ran away to survive those accursed Withers." He conceded. "But Cobb's situation is an exception. He has a map that can be tracked. His location should be known at all times so long as he's carrying it. And he's not." Those last words were delivered like a hard truth. "Without a map… and without any explanation to suggest otherwise… there's a very real possibility that Cobb is dead."

"…Fuck this." Soul pushed off the wall, grabbed his axe, and pulled open the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To find that loser." He said before slamming the door so hard the paintings fell off the wall.

Noman wiped at his eyes and sniffled before nodding to himself. "I-I'll take another look. I might have missed something." He sat up and kicked on the Bottes Zephyr.

"Noman wait…" Ciro sighed. "Let me grab my stuff and I'll go with you."

"My eyesight cannot be matched. I can pick out that fisherman's hoodie from a mile." Lenz spoke confidently, marching out the door after them.

I was left last, my gaze fixed to the ceiling, wishing I could unlock the X-Ray and Long-Distant Vision Hacks that Sandra displayed. I'd been trying every night of a fruitless day searching. How much easier would finding Cobb be if I could just look through and across all of Minecraftia for his name? Yet the Hack wouldn't manifest, no matter how deeply I wanted to find my friend.

"If only I was a true Hacker…" I mused. If I had the invincibility and the control my 'brethren' displayed, Spring_Fever would have been nothing. Those Withers would have been nothing. The Endward Cult would have been nothing. I'd have crushed them all without a thought.

But how dark would the road be? How far would I fall? How long before I started to believe that Hacker superiority and sided with the Hack Clan?

I shut my eyes, wondering how much I'd give up just to satisfy my vengeance.

I took a few more minutes alone with my thoughts before going back out to look for Cobb and Erin.

[Noman]

We flew around the Kingdom and searched through the night with the aid of Potions of Night Vision. I'm ashamed to say we stole them, but not out of any desire to. I had the emeralds, but there was no alchemist left to accept them. Ringwood was a ghost town and Crafters left behind so much in their mad dash to escape… or die trying. The potions were all there, as were the brewing stands and the ingredients. Ciro knew a bit about brewing and was able to make them from scratch, but there was little point to leaving emeralds on the counter when I knew nobody would return for them.

It was just the way things were.

So we took the Potions of Night Vision from that ruined apothecary and took to the sky, scanning the streets for my missing friends. I had never met Erin in person, but the others spoke of her as an innocent housekeeper with a dying thirst for Cobb. How you're supposed to drink a person, I had no idea, but she seemed nice.

It was while we were flying that I offered Ciro something.

"Here."

"What's this?"

"A synced map." I replied, though he didn't accept it. "I had Lenz make some new ones for when Cobb gets back."

Since Jade and the Endward Cult likely had a copy of our old synced maps, it was in our best interests to make new ones that couldn't be tracked. We only held onto the old ones so long because they were the only way to locate Cobb… unless he was dead and his map destroyed, as Ciro seemed to think

Ciro still didn't take the map. "Why are you giving me one? I'm not a Beginner."

"You're an ally."

"Your friends don't seem to think so." He said. "You know, I'm glad you found people to rely on. I saw enough of their tenacity in Jolin to know they're dependable. You're better off throwing your lot in with them." He paused before adding quietly. "You might have to step up as leader, though."

"I don't believe Cobb is dead." I said resolutely. "He survived four days in a feverish coma. He's got a hard hold on life. That's why I'm out here. It's why you're out here too, right?" He kept deliberately silent. "Right?"

"I'm staying for the funeral." He stated. "Miles wasn't my King, but he was a Ringwood King and he faced his death honorably. And I worked beside Iron_Lung for years—that loudmouth and I were Notch's two Captains way back when. I'm staying to pay my respects tomorrow, but then I'm moving on."

"You could stay." I tried. "Ringwood's facing tough times. Wynn could use another Captain to help—"

"And then who would search for the artifacts? You?" Ciro asked rhetorically. "I care for Ringwood deeply, and it pains me to see it reduced to this," he gazed pointedly at the devastation we flew over, "but I'm no longer a Captain. I'm not meant to be here. I'm meant to be out there, tracking down artifact leads."

"Your people need you."

"All people are my people. And they do need me." He asserted. "They need me to gather the artifacts and stop the Endward Cult."

"You think that's the best way you can help?" I asked carefully.

"And what is it that you think would help the most, Noman?" He countered. "To protect a meager number of Crafters in an empty Kingdom? To leave the Endward Cult to you and just abandon all the years spent searching?" I could tell her was frowning past the facemask. "Take us down. I want to speak at your level."

I performed a series of backflips to descend to a shabby rooftop in the Western District. Ciro stepped away before turning and holding out a hand.

"I want you to turn over your artifacts."

"Not happening." I replied without missing a beat.

"You think you're the better choice to wield them?" He asked next. "Just because of some swamp-witch's prophecy and because Billionth is a letter away from Millionth?"

"I don't think either of us deserve them over the other."

"But we'll have to choose." He asserted. "Only one can wield all nine, Noman. Only one can be the cult's reckoning."

"Two of the artifacts are boots and two are bows. Not to mention there's a book and a stick. Unless the cult's reckoning has four arms and four legs, I can't see any one person wielding all nine."

"Only one can possess all nine, then." Ciro rolled his mismatched eyes. "I've been searching for centuries. I know Minecraftia better than you. I was Notch's closest Captain. It should be my responsibility. Not yours."

"Once upon a time, I would have believed that." I nodded. "But then I met the Beginners and I realized that the burden doesn't have to be one person's anymore. We have strength together. It's how we've survived this long. It's how we survived last week. And it's how we'll survive whatever ominous future the Endward Cult promises."

"Damnit, Noman." He hissed. "Why do you have to keep fighting me on this!? Why are you offering linked maps when you know you can't trust me? I'm not your friend! I tried to kill you for the Severe Shield!" He gazed at the boots on my feet covetously. "You don't know what it's like to dedicate yourself to someone—to follow them into battle and respect them and everything they stand for—only to be swept aside on some stupid prophecy. Notch trusted empty words over me, his loyal Captain and friend. It was like everything I did was for nothing when he turned over his Severe Shield and the fate of Minecraftia to you!"

I kept silent during Ciro's tirade. I could tell it was something he deeply resented, and yet he put aside that resentment to work together with me and save his Kingdom from the Withers. It was why I chose to ignore him almost killing me in Dover Plains. He knew when to shelf pettiness when the stakes were high.

"I'm sorry, Ciro." I finally said. "I'm sorry about what you went through, but none of that is on me. I'm less than a year old and I wasn't around to hear any prophecy or witness how Notch and Herobrine fell out. All I can say is that I'm here now. And I'm not turning over the artifacts." I stared unflinchingly into Ciro's mismatched eyes. "I have friends who believe in me. I'm not carrying the weight of the world alone anymore. So stop acting like it's got to be either you or me, and let's focus on how we can face the Endward Cult as a team."

Just like before, I held out a copy of the synced map, waiting expectantly for the masked man to take it.

He looked between the map and me with deep confliction before scoffing and turning his back. He didn't run off, though. He just rested his hands on his hips as he paced the roof, muttering to himself about 'stupidity' and 'nobility' and 'loyalty' and 'heroes'. His head swiveled and jerked, either looking to the night sky askance or casting troubled glares down towards the ground.

Finally, he tugged his face mask off and turned to march back up to my face. I held out the map a bit further.

He didn't take it right away.

"I have a lead on two more artifacts." He confessed.

My eyes bulged at his statement, but he continued without waiting for a response. "Arcticum Arma and Stivali Magma. I know where they are. I've known for a while now. That's the good news."

"Why haven't you gone after them?"

"Because the Hack Clan has them." His words felt like a death sentence. "That's the bad news."

I lost feeling in my legs for a little bit and had to sit down for a while as I processed the latest information. The Hack Clan—the family of superbeings—had two of the nine artifacts. Just like me and Ciro.

"It was after Herobrine 'warned' the Hackers about the existence of the artifacts. He never mentioned Notch's Severe Shield to them, but he mentioned enough to have them target the eight Kingdoms. Tanner, Qorn, Zipshin, Ferriday, Grum, Dinnerbone, Jeb, C418. The Hackers hunted down each and every one of them in search of the artifacts. Some managed to hide them away." He gestured to the Destierro del Palillo at his belt and the Bottes Zephyr at my feet. "Others weren't so lucky. C418 and Ferriday had to turn over their artifacts or else watch their Kingdoms face extinction."

The facts fit. Dinnerbone left the Bottes Zephyr in that Labyrinth. The Hackers wouldn't have been able to break through that easily. And Ciro had mentioned how his artifact had been stowed away inside the Bough Terminus, whatever that was.

Still, to learn that the Hack Clan had two artifacts—and that for the sake of Minecraftia, we had to rob from them—it was pretty heavy.

"For years I put off any attempts for the artifacts." Ciro went on. "Without the Severe Shield, I had no means of defense or offense to combat them. That's changed now that I have this." He held up the Destierro del Palillo with pride. "With this, their superhuman regeneration means nothing. The Obelisk is close to the Border too. I just need to give them a good swat and banish them to oblivion. What I can't do, however, is banish them while they're wearing the artifacts. Otherwise we'll lose them the same way we lost that Nether Star banishing the Wither."

Another good point. And yet…

"They could have other Hacks." I reasoned. "Floyd's said Hacks are fueled by emotion, and the Hackers could have a wide spectrum of powers at their disposal. You can't go alone."

"That's why I'm telling you this." Ciro said before swiping the linked map I forgot I'd been offering. "I'm willing to admit that I'd be out of my depth breaking into the hornet's nest alone. I need your help. I'm taking this so you can find me again when I decide the time is right to make a move. You help me with this, I'll split the artifacts with you fifty-fifty."

The idea of an alliance was tempting. Another artifact wielder would make stealing from the Hackers that much easier. "What would you need of me and when?"

"Not right now." He assured. "We need to wait for something to distract the Hack Clan. Something big that they can't ignore. Enough so that they'll split their forces into a size we can manage. Then we take out the Hackers with the artifacts and get the hell out of there before they can learn our names."

"Sounds pretty risky."

"You've got a better idea? Hell, if you're not up for it, give me your artifacts and I'll do it myself."

"No, no. I didn't say that." I clarified hastily. "But maybe the Beginners can come up with a plan of attack. We'll have more creative minds at work once Cobb comes back."

"Sure." Ciro sighed. "Once Cobb comes back."

"Floyd, then." I said, knowing Ciro wanted someone he could confirm was alive. "He's a Hacker. He might be able enter the Obelisk freely and help figure out who has which artifact and what powers we'd be dealing with."

"I don't know how the Hacker hierarchy is set up. Will they really welcome him?"

"Hackers treat one another like brothers and sisters. Floyd doesn't see eye to eye with them, but he might be willing to put his resentment aside if it means getting an advantage over the Endward Cult."

"…Then that could work." Ciro nodded. "You'd make a good leader. If Cobb doesn't show, I mean."

He still didn't believe he was alive.

"I'll be heading west, then." He nodded, waving the synced map. "I'll have it with me at all times. If I don't, I'm dead. I'll treat your blips the same way." Another subtle reminder of his thoughts on Cobb's whereabouts. "If you see my blip blinking, you'll know it's time to meet. Else I'll come find you."

"Sounds like the makings of a plan." I nodded with a smile. "I look forward to working with you."

"Just keep an eye out for any other artifacts." Ciro groused, lifting his facemask and setting it back in place. "I know for a fact the Endward Cult has the Voda Shlem and an old Berserker acquaintance of mine has the Vivlio Zythopoiias, but the Endabou—Jeb's weapon—is as much a mystery now as it was back then. I've no idea where he stashed it."

I made a mental note of that. Ciro really had done his research to keep tabs on the artifacts, even though he assured he had no idea where his Berserker acquaintance was hiding out in the world. He only knew where two artifacts could be found, and only because the Hack Clan all lived in the Obelisk.

Still, I knew more now than I did before. Slowly but surely, we were bringing the artifacts together, and having Ciro as an ally would be invaluable against the Endward Cult.

Notch knows, we had enough enemies as is.

[Nitebane: High-Moon Tombs]

Ever since the Paragons took command of Nitebane and turned things around, it became harder to sneak in without getting detected. The people were also abusing the hell out of the repaired EXP Factories, buffing their armor and weapons and learning advanced combat techniques from Crafters who swore undying vengeance against the Endward Cult.

Bottom line: Things would have been messy if not for Mark and his Potions of Invisibility.

"Why am I here for this?" Mark whispered as the cloaked figures crept across the cemetery of the High-Moon Tombs. Most of the gravestones had been destroyed in Teal's duel with Floyd months back. Nitebane hadn't seen a need to repair them. "I'm a non-combatant creeping around in a Kingdom that despises cultists."

"You also have a bombshell babe serving as your protector." Abyssmal groused. "Grow a pair."

"Hey, I don't want to be called a 'bombshell babe' by someone as greasy as you." Teal protested before hugging Mark's invisible body close. "Now, if you'd call me that~"

"Let me rephrase the question." Mark swatted Teal's groping hands and ignored her giggles. "Why am I here with Teal when you wish to be stealthy and unheard?"

"Hey Mark, wanna feel something nice~?" There was a pause as fine motes of light were dispelled from one of the invisible figures, followed by a high-pitched squeal.

"She just willed off her clothes! Abyssmal, get her off me! I can't touch her like this!"

"Well, if I must." Abyssmal said a bit too eagerly before groping towards Teal's playful giggles. He was unprepared for the kick that caught him in the nuts, drawing an even higher-pitched squeal.

"Back off Cyclops!" Teal snarled, hugging the invisible Mark closer to her naked chest. "This body is for Mark's hands only~!"

"Very covert. Much stealth." Mark deadpanned before dropping all pretense and dispelling the invisibility with a bucket of milk. His face was cherry red from embarrassment as he could feel but not see Teal's lack of attire. "Paragons! If you're lurking around somewhere, please show yourself so Teal will let go of me!"

"Aw, but I need my little snuggle-bug~!" She said with a deliberate squeeze. "I'm so afraid of this dark, spooky cemetery. I feel safer with you in my arms~"

"And I'd feel better if you put on some damn clothes, you exhibitionist!"

"It's not exhibitionism if I'm invisible~ Hmhmhm~" She giggled, pressing herself into Mark's back. "Oh, wait…" She dropped the teasing tone for a moment. "We're here. That's the tomb."

Mark took a look and could tell immediately which tomb Teal was referring to. It was shaped differently than the others, so it stood out. The front stuck out of the ground as a half-circle while the rest of it was half-buried. And sticking out of the tomb was an archway connecting a large stone circle over a clearing devoid of graves. The shining moonlight cast a circular shadow across the clearing.

There was a slurping sound before Abyssmal appeared, holding a couple blocks of obsidian. "You're sure this is the one?"

"Yeah, the one with the door that opens only at midnight." Teal replied. Abyssmal went to work building the Nether portal, positioning it at a specific spot and muttering numbered coordinates under his breath. "The walls of it were made of bedrock, so the only way in is by waiting till the moon is highest. But I already told you there was nothing but a stone altar down there."

"And what's under the altar, hm?"

"…More altar?" She guessed, earning a snort.

"Perhaps if you attended the last Gathering," Abyssmal scolded, "you'd know that Herobrine built this tomb as a test. He wrote about it in his last message for us, and specified that there was a hopper beneath the altar."

"…Like a grasshopper?" Teal asked, genuinely perplexed. She forgot to keep hugging Mark, but she willed her clothes back on and sipped some milk to become visible again.

"No, a hopper." Mark elaborated. "It's a redstone piece that can—"

"UGH! Boring redstone? All that complicated wiring garbage? No thank you. Not interested." Teal turned her nose up at the mere mention of the word, prompting Mark to roll his eyes.

"All you need to know about the hopper is that it can detect certain items." Abyssmal explained as he set up the obsidian frame. "Think of it like a key accessing a lock. At least, that's how our Founder set it up. There we are!" Abyssmal nodded at the finished portal and lit it with a flint and steel, the swirling purple substance taking shape within. He then stepped through, leaving Mark and Teal to themselves.

Mark gulped thickly as Teal flashed him bedroom eyes. "I-I think I'll go join Abyssmal—" He barely took a step towards the portal before Teal and her blue ponytail were in his face.

"So, hey, I was thinking," Teal sing-songed, hugging Mark's arm to her chest. "Tonight's supposed to be a big step forward for the Endward Cult. We should set up a party to celebrate~!"

"Abyssmal said things would be accelerating." Mark agreed. "But the way he said it made it sound like our workload was going to increase. Which, of course, means my workload is going to triple." He sighed.

"Which is exactly why we should unwind with a party~!" Teal bounced in place. "Let loose! Get freaky~! That way we can feel refreshed and ready for the next stage."

"You know," Mark rubbed at his neck worriedly, "it's kind of scary thinking about celebrating after what we pulled in Ringwood."

"Why? It's just a game." Teal replied innocently. "That's what Herobrine said, right? This life isn't real. There are no serious stakes except the privilege of existing in Minecraftia. Of existing here with you." She raised a hand and caressed Mark's cheek, smiling lovingly. "It's all just one big game, and I'm the best player there is. Nobody's really dying."

Mark sighed wearily, his gaze resting on the graves of the dead all around them. How Teal could say that in a literal cemetery was beyond him.

"You don't need to feel scared." Teal assured, reaching over Mark's shoulders with both arms and hugging him close. Her hair tickled his face as she whispered into his ear. "I won't let anything take you out of this stage. We're in it for the long haul."

"…So long as you still need me." He smiled with tired eyes, enjoying the tender moment without any flirty teasing.

"Of course I need you." She smiled softly. "Now… take off your pants~"

"Aaaand the moment's ruined."

"No, the moment can be enhanced with some passionate—"

"We're back!" Abyssmal announced. He, Ember, 4Blite, and Leadstripe had stepped out of the portal, but had waited and watched Teal and Mark for ten seconds before announcing their presence. What, were they curious to see if Mark actually took his pants off?

"Were you standing there waiting to see if I took my pants off?" Mark asked incredulously while Teal cursed herself for being too slow.

"No, I'm not a homosexual like you."

"I'm not a homosexual!"

"Then why rebuff Teal? It's the only logical explanation." Abyssmal shrugged. "She's playful, has smokin' thighs, and her hips don't lie. Plus, she's so flexible she could probably bend—"

"I'm sorry. Did we travel across Minecraftia with the keys to ultimate power to hear you blather about THIGHS!?" 4Blite snapped, a slight tick mark sticking out of his dark skin. "Or are we here to find out what Herobrine left us?"

"Thank you." Mark nodded gratefully before shooting Abyssmal a stern look. The Eastern Executive held up his hands placatingly before withdrawing the sponge Mark and Teal had taken from the Ocean Monument. "Ember, I trust you have the star?"

Ember didn't respond. Her head was titled down, her light-blue eyes looking like they were counting the specks on the ground.

"Ember?"

"Huh, what?" Ember jolted, looking around and noticing how everyone was staring at her. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"The star." Abyssmal repeated. "The Nether Star. You got it?"

"Yeah, of course." Ember dug into her belt pocket and withdrew the glimmering item. She tossed it to Abyssmal unceremoniously, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"You feeling alright?" Abyssmal asked.

It took Ember a few moments to realize she was still being talked to. "What? Sorry, I didn't hear…?"

"Are you feeling alright?" Abyssmal watched her with one eye. "I figured you'd be more excited about this. I mean, we're finding out what power Herobrine left us."

"She's distracted." 4Blite answered. "Jade didn't rendezvous with us. Likely got caught up somewhere."

"She had her orders." Ember voiced her own opinion. "She should have been back right away after burning the Northern District. The cultists sent with her couldn't find her either."

"Jade's a big girl." 4Blite dismissed. "She can take care of herself without us coddling her. She's your favorite, after all." Ember shot her Lieutenant a negative glare. "Or would you rather we stop everything because of her tardiness?"

"What about Sdraw?" Leadstripe asked, fixing his glasses. "He'd want to see this too. Is he coming, or…?"

"He's busy on an important mission." Ember offered as way of explanation. "And we're not waiting any longer. I want to know what Herobrine left for us." She put Jade's whereabouts to the back of her mind and walked with Abyssmal and the others towards the designated tomb.

It was timed perfectly, as the moon reached its zenith height in the night sky. A door opened along the side of the tomb, and the six cultists piled into it.

Down stone steps with bedrock walls lined on both sides, the cultists crept with Teal taking the lead. Before long, the narrow passage opened up into a bedrock-lined room with a smooth stone slab in the center acting as an altar.

"It really is bedrock…" Leadstripe muttered in wonder, running his hand along the walls. "The unminable block that makes up the foundations of Minecraftia. How did our Founder give it shape like this?"

"Through the power of Command Blocks." Ember answered.

4Blite's expression grew hungry at the mention of 'power'.

"Well," Abyssmal stepped up to the altar with sponge and Nether Star in hand, "time to prove ourselves worthy."

He dropped both items onto the altar and watched as they phased through in an instant. The hopper underneath the slab had sucked them up, recognizing the only items that it would accept. The key fit into the lock.

There was a mechanical click, followed by the motion of ancient redstone machinery beneath their feet. The cultists all drew their weapons, waiting on whatever was to happen.

Then, all of a sudden, the six cultists grabbed at their heads as a string of words bored into their brains. It was a sensation similar to the intrusive information gleaned from a Bounty Day. No blinding visions, however. Just words they could hear echoing in their minds and their minds only.

[My cultists. I offer you this. Go to the Morel Islands. The door will be opened, my cultists. My greatest research will be at your fingertips. Greater than even the nine artifacts. Go to the Morel Islands. Go and grow stronger and use that power to crush the Billionth and any others who stand in your way. Go, go, to the Morel Islands…]

Then, just as suddenly, some numbers flashed through their minds. Numbers that meant nothing to all but one of them.

"C-Coordinates…" Abyssmal panted, rubbing out an oncoming migraine. "Those were coordinates at the end. It's the Morel Islands."

"Ugh, that felt so weird…" Teal groaned, holding her head. "How come we saw words like that?"

"Must be more Command Block codes." Mark reasoned, recovering faster than the others. "We probably triggered redstone to make it relay—"

"Ugh, can't you explain it without bringing up redstone? I already have a headache." Teal griped.

"So now we have to go look somewhere else?" 4Blite stood with shoulders hunched and eyes narrowed. "Another location? Another test? Why can't he just give us the power now? We braved Withers and Elder Guardians and we're still not worthy enough?" He glared at the altar with cold fury. "How much further are we expected to follow this?"

"As far as it takes." Ember stood, her expression firm upon realizing the words that bored through their brains were Herobrine's. He trusted them to make it this far, and she wasn't about to stop yet.

"As far as it takes."

[Ringwood: Crystal Catacombs]

When a high-ranking figure died, there was always an accompanying funeral. It was a tradition to pay respect for their services and it had been done ever since Notch's death back in 150. That had been a grand event with millions of Crafters in attendance. All of them had come to pay their final respects to the selfless Crafter who championed the Age of Heroes.

Now the numbers were flipped. Many were dead and only four-hundred came to mourn.

Captain Iron_Lung. Captain Private_Showers. King Miles. Princess Deo. The whole grand council. Each one should have had their own funeral worthy of the sacrifices they made in the line of duty.

Instead, Wynn was forced to combine them all together. One mass funeral where the farewell speech's left behind by the dead would be read one after the other. Each deserved their own day to be mourned, but Wynn and Veronica were hassled enough searching for Cobb and Erin, taking stock of Ringwood's supplies and population, and figuring out how they were to move forward. Or if they even could. There were talks of incorporating the survivors into Daymonte's population since Ringwood was no longer secure.

Plus, she and Veronica wasted all of last night searching the streets for Erin and Cobb along with Ciro and the Beginners. They had yet to turn up anything.

So, with little sleep, Wynn rolled out of bed, washed herself as best as she was able, and went to the Crystal Catacombs to usher in the Crafters that showed up to mourn. Despite the state of Ringwood, she was proud to see that every Ringwood survivor—from guards to citizens—were in attendance. Cara and Brett. Bitters, Solara, Spencer, and Liam (the remainder of the Halstatt crew). Veronica. Even Ciro_Che—a former Captain—and Nowhere_Man—Cobb's latest friend.

Wynn found herself wishing Cobb was there too, despite his bounty and false status as an Executive.

Floyd and Lenz were in the same boat, having bounties of their own. They and Soul opted to wait until the Catacombs had been cleared out before paying their final respects.

The entrance to the Catacombs was normally via a spiral staircase in the Palace basement. However, due to the damage from the Wither attack, a new entrance was excavated from the plateau's outer shell. It was a rushed job—no different than a great big hole in the wall—but it allowed the mourners passage.

Remarkably, the plateau's tough exterior protected the graves and statues of Ringwood's past Captains and Kings from getting destroyed. The glowstone ceiling illuminated the immortalized faces of past Crafters. Notch included. His statue's beady eyes watched the funeral procession almost with sorrow.

Though the message on his grave displeased many a citizen.

[Here Lies Notch (#2). January 1st, 0000-March 25th, 0150.]

[The only way forward, is endward.]

It was a message left by Herobrine. No matter how much the people tried to destroy the sign and replace it with something befitting their king, they could not. Herobrine killed him and left the sign as a testament to his power. His words could not be overwritten. They'd endure for all eternity.

The procession continued to march, passing freshly built statues and marked plots. Normally, a Crafter's possessions and Head would be buried, but the Endward Cult took that away too by claiming the Heads.

Wynn passed Captain Iron_Lung's statue. Then Showers'. Then Deo's. And finally…

King MilesPerMinute.

The mournals all gathered around as Wynn stood before the grave and statue with a Written Book in hand. It trembled in her fingers as she looked upon her fellow fallen Captains, wondering why she alone deserved to live. Ember wanted her to tell Cobb something, but Cobb was nowhere to be found. She couldn't even do what that monster had spared her for—!

Wynn's breath hitched and she wiped at her eyes, struggling to keep everything together. The citizens were all watching her fall apart on stage. What sort of role model was she to be reduced to such a state? She had no reason to cry. She wasn't dead.

Nowhere_Man and Ciro stood near the front, their eyes watching the Captain with empathy. Everyone was looking on in empathy. They didn't truly blame her for what happened. It was as Veronica said, the Endward Cult were the culprits. All resentment was on them for the Withers they brought. And though nobody knew what made the three Withers vanish, the saviors responsible—the Billionth and Millionth—watched Wynn with the utmost respect.

Wynn cleared her throat, wiped her amber eyes free of tears, and opened up His Eminence's final goodbye.

She began to read.

[Floyd]

"You know, the first time I met him," I started, stooping down to sit on the stone floor, "I was trying to convince him that Cobb wasn't a criminal." I chuckled at the memory. "Wynn caught Cobb at the Razed Bar and had him locked up before presenting him to the King like he was a dangerous criminal."

"That right?" Soul chuckled. He, Lenz, and I had come to pay our respects to King Miles after the other mourners all filtered out. We missed Wynn's speech, but we were reminiscing about the Crafters who died in the Wither attacks. We sat before that big statue, the King holding a blaze rod like a scepter.

"Yeah, I was Cobb's lawyer." I stated matter-of-factly. It earned a snort of amusement from Soul. "What? I kept him out of prison. I made a damn fine lawyer."

"Sure, but if you think about it," Soul reasoned, "all you'd have to do now is flash your Hacker powers and the people would be cowed into giving you anything you want."

I frowned at the idea. "I don't like doing that, Soul. Scaring the Griefers away is already uncomfortable enough."

"You gotta learn not to let that stuff bother you."

"I am fortunate that Solara survived." Lenz piped up.

"Ooh, she your girlfriend, flyboy?" Soul teased.

"Without an airship, I am nobody's flyboy." Lenz replied somberly. I punched Soul in the shoulder for his lack of tact. "And anyway, no, Solara fought beside us in Halstatt. We defended the wall together." Lenz looked over his hands. "She is nice. I am glad she is alive."

"Cara and Brett are alive too. Even if they distrust you now, Floyd." Soul once again proved his lack of tact, bringing that up. "Did you get a chance to talk to him about those goose-chase missions he sent us on?"

"Not before my powers went off." I said bitterly. "Just the sight of Spring had me blow up. I got to work on my control."

"I should restock on arrows." Lenz suddenly said. "I used all of mine up fighting. And there is no telling what battles we might face once Cobbert returns."

Ah. There it was again. When Cobb returns.

"Are we just… waiting on something?" Soul eventually asked.

"Hm?"

"Like… we've been here a week searching." Soul tried to explain. "We've found nothing. So… how much longer should we search?"

"As long as it takes." I answered back, but Soul wouldn't have it.

"Is he even still in Ringwood anymore?" Soul tried. "I mean… what if Ciro is right. What if he's dead and we're just kidding ourselves."

"Cobb wouldn't die so easily."

"The Captains wouldn't die so easily either." He threw a hand to the stalwart statues. "None of them counted on dying. It happened. I just—" He pressed his forehead into his hands. "What if we're wasting our time here when he's being taken somewhere else? How long should we keep searching before we can agree he's not here? What are we looking for?"

"I…" Lenz faltered, his tinted glasses coming off. "I do not know. This feels so much different than when Nowhere took him. Cobbert ran off on his own." I could tell he was thinking back to the night we let him go to support Noman and his fight against the Wither. "We have no clue. We have no map to track. We scoured all of Ringwood and found nothing. Cobbert has yet to look for us." He looked up. "He would try and look for us, right?"

"Have you forgotten who we're talking about?" I said. "Cobb would rush into danger for any one of us. We're his friends. His family. He rushed to Ringwood, same as us, despite getting his heart broken in half. He pushed through all that pain for his home and the friends he had here." Another pang of worry at the thought of where Erin was. "He'd want to get back to us more than anyone."

"So then what's keeping him?" Soul asked.

I had no answer.

Silence permeated the Crystal Catacombs as we pondered on our friend's whereabouts. Then, our thoughts turned darker, towards the Endward Cult and those responsible for breaking us apart.

Ember. Jade. Spring. 4Blite. Leadstripe. They were all in Ringwood the night of the Wither attack. They had all played a part and had come away with a resounding victory.

We, the Beginners, were left with the bitter taste of defeat. One more Kingdom had been wiped off the map despite our best efforts. Soul was probably feeling it the worse for not being around, but I could have avenged Silent. I had Spring in my sights before I exploded.

So what if we killed Withers. So what if we stopped total annihilation. The Endward Cult was winning and our leader was missing.

Morale was at an all time low.

That was when Noman returned.

"Ah, hey. You guys are here. Good." Noman ran up to us and paused to catch his breath. My spirit lifted at his earnestness to find us.

"Cobb…?"

He shook his head and my mood almost plummeted.

"I was bidding Ciro goodbye." He explained. "He's off to the west. The Hack Clan have two of the artifacts we're looking for." My head shot up in alarm. "He's not planning to attack them." He assured. "We're thinking of joining hands on it, though. Split the artifacts if we help him."

"That's a bad idea." Soul suddenly said, his red eyes looking scared for some reason. "We should avoid the west—the Hack Clan for now."

"Why? Did something happen in Akasha?"

"No. Nothing. How would I know?" Soul rattled off in quick succession, earning confused looks from the rest of us.

"Well, we can talk about that later. Ciro's not prepared to rob them yet. Not without a reasonable plan of attack. I know you won't like it, but I'm sorry to say we may need you to make contact with the Hackers, Floyd."

He was right. I didn't like the sound of that.

"But that's not what I wanted to show you guys." He held up the written book instead.

Lenz groaned. "Do not tell me that is another Herobrine Book. We have had enough of those to last a lifetime."

"No, this was written by King Miles." Noman revealed. "It was his last words. Wynn made the speech and I thought it was pretty uplifting. She lent me a copy. Here." He opened up the pages without waiting for our permission. "We could all use a morale boost."

He cleared his throat and began to read the King's last words.

[If you are reading this, then I have died.]

We all deadpanned.

[Forgive me for stating the obvious, but it is a tradition for all Kings to start off with that line. I'm told Notch left behind the same words in his funeral speech, and, given the morose news of my death, I feel a bit of humor is granted.]

[I, King MilesPerMinute, am dead.]

[Scattered to oblivion where I shall no longer see or feel anything ever again. I'm sure many of you are suffering a great loss since my passing. There's a hole in your life and you can't find a way to fill it.]

[Or maybe, to some of you, I'm just some old fart you feel obligated to attend this funeral for and you just want the free food at the end.]

Okay, that actually got a laugh out of us.

[Whichever category you fall under, I hope you'll endure my final ramblings long enough for me to share one of the most important nuggets of wisdom I learned over the course of my life.]

[Anything is possible so long as you're alive.]

We all shared a look as Noman smiled kindly and continued to read.

[The world is a dangerous place, full of monsters and adversities. Some of those monsters spawn from the dark. Others spawn from the evil of this world.]

We thought about the Endward Cult again.

[If you live longer than sin, you'll know how often the world works against you or how every day can seem like a hopeless struggle against some oppressive feeling. Some of you might be so inconsolable by my death that you wish to give up on life.]

[Don't.]

[Pick yourself up, face that dark, oppressive world, and proudly proclaim N.D.Y.]

[Not Dead Yet.]

[If anything is possible as long as you're alive, then you can bounce back from anything so long as you're N.D.Y. Not Dead Yet.]

[It doesn't matter if you're beaten. Broken. Torn up inside. Or down so many Hearts that a stiff breeze could kill you. Because you're all of those things, but you're still Not Dead Yet.]

[I've had many a time where I've felt hopeless. I wasn't always a King. I spawned, just like you, and had to brave the wilderness to reach Ringwood. And every time I faced monsters or cultists, I found the strength to push on by telling myself I was Not Dead Yet.]

[And really, isn't that the most fantastic thing? Despite how the world works against you and wishes to see you fall, all you need is life. All you need is the burning thought—N.D.Y.—to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and endure a little bit longer.]

[Crafters endure. We endure by surviving. And we survive, because we're Not Dead Yet.]

[I know it sounds simple, but it's the truth. Ask anyone and they'll agree they're Not Dead Yet either.]

Another laugh. Warmer this time.

[So don't lose yourself in mourning. Me? I'm Not Not Dead Yet. But just because my time is over doesn't mean the rest of you have to drag yourselves down. So live your life. Be brave and stalwart.]

[Because unlike me, you're Not Dead Yet.]

[Signed, King MilesPerMinute]

Noman put down the book and looked to us with a teary-eyed smile. We were all in similar states. Soul was resolutely refusing to face us as he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. Lenz took off his tinted glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with an hopeful smile. I myself could almost feel a great surge of hope blossoming in my gut.

"It's good, right?" Noman asked. "The audience was on the verge of tears when it was over. I think Wynn felt a lot better by… the…" He trailed off as he heard slow footsteps approaching from behind.

We all swiveled our heads in that direction and a new hope settled over each of our faces at the glimpse of the black-and-white hoodie. The brown hair. The familiar name…

"COBB!" We collectively cheered as we dropped everything and made a mad dash for the fisherman. We enveloped him in a crushing hug, each one of us desperately trying to grab a piece of him. It was the build-up of days of fruitless searching only to finally have him safe with us. To finally know he was alive.

"Cobb, what happened!?" Noman asked first, kicking off the barrage of questions as he looked him over like a helicopter parent. "Where have you been!?"

"Why were you not holding your map?"

"Why did it take you so long to find us, asshole!?" Soul half laughed, half accused. "Don't even try to weasel out of an explanation!" He gave his brown hair a noogie.

"We've been looking all over you! Us, Wynn, Veronica, Ciro. We haven't seen you since you ran off that night!"

"What happened? Did you find Erin? We've been looking for her too?"

"Did you run into Jade? We heard she got sent up there."

"Cobbert, I am so glad you are safe!" Lenz sniffled. "We almost gave up hope."

"…Cobb?" Noman asked hesitantly, stepping back from the fisherman who had yet to answer any of our questions. The rest of us saw this and backed up to give him some breathing room too.

That's when we saw the distant look on his face. The empty green eyes with dark circles from lack of sleep. He looked like he was in a worse state since confronting Jade eleven days ago. He had let all the questions wash over him while he maintained that empty, thousand-yard stare, like he was looking right through us.

"Cobb…?" I asked, shaking his shoulder slightly. Only then was there any flash of recognition. His green eyes met mine and he held my arms weakly. "Hey, what happened? Are you okay?"

At that, he nodded and offered a bitter smile.

"N-Not Dead Yet…"

The fact that he was quoting such an uplifting speech should have been a moment of inspiration, except Cobb followed it up with a weary sigh and a tight grip.

"I lost Erin, Floyd."

The news felt like a dull punch to the gut. One more knife to the heart at the Endward Cult's hands. We all felt it—maybe Noman less so for being unfamiliar with the housekeeper. But the rest of us knew her personally. She was an innocent soul. A non-combatant. Nobody deserved to die less than her.

It was always in the back of our minds. Since searching for Cobb and Erin, the thought was always there that the both of them could be dead. Cobb was a fighter and had seen battles. He had a better chance, but Erin was ill-equipped and virtually defenseless. Still, it came as a harsh reality that the Endward Cult would spare no one.

"How'd it happen?" I asked, but Cobb ignored me in favor of meandering past us, the distant look back on his face. It was like he was wandering in a dream. All the burning questions about where he'd been and what he'd been doing were swallowed as I witnessed firsthand what the death of a friend could do to the fisherman.

He didn't have a set destination. He was just meandering amongst the graves. He even made a slow turn, as if he had overshot where he was going without meaning to. His face was vacant and his eyes were looking for things none of us could comprehend.

Finally, he came to a stop. He hunched his shoulders and settled his hands on one of the graves. The rest of us watched him cautiously as he sucked in a rattling breath before letting it go.

"Not Dead Yet." He repeated. His body seeming to draw strength from the words like a mantra. His back straightened and his knuckles tightened. "Not Dead Yet."

He whirled upon us and seemed to regain a bit of the old fire in his eyes.

"The Endward Cult wants a fight." He announced. "They crossed a line destroying Ringwood. Now, we're going after them." I felt a thrill of excitement, like what you feel before a big battle. "We're taking the fight to them."

"Fuck yeah!" Soul cheered, throwing his hand out, palm down.

"Language." Noman chided, but he was smiling as he added his own hand to the growing pile. "We're with you, Cobb."

"The Beginners will never falter." Lenz fixed his tinted glasses back on and put his hand forward. "We shall make them rue the day they targeted our home."

Looking to Cobb, I still saw small traces of that vacant expression and the lost eyes. But the determination was buried there, deep down. He hadn't given up yet. He wasn't going to let Erin's death be for nothing, and neither was I.

"For our friends." I joined my hand with the others, waiting for Cobb at the last.

"I wasn't ready to declare war on the Endward Cult before. I am now." He said before slapping his hand atop ours. The five Beginners stood together. Jade's betrayal hadn't broken us yet. "We're Not Dead Yet and we're going to make sure the cult knows it!"

"YEAH!"

A sarcastic, slow clap echoed behind us.

"My oh my, what a touching, canned speech that was."

We all turned around, drawing weapons without thinking at the familiar voice. Noman put on his Severe Shield. Lenz took out his bow. Soul whipped out his axe. I took out my sword and allowed dark smoke to pour from my narrowed eyes. Cobb took out Backlash and swept past us to take the lead position.

Carys_Angel strolled out into the open, flanked by a dozen Paragons. Some of them I recognized. The Jibberwoman with the long purple hair—Z7. The blue-haired old man—BalticSkies. Perry. Wing. Luis. Heather. Shroud. Then there were some new ones. A man with dark-blue hair, a brown fedora, and startling Hacker lines over his eyes—Kalmarin_the_Prophet. A dark-skinned beauty with ruthless black eyes—Anibal_Whiteclaw. They all drew their weapons when we did, yet not one of them attacked. They were content to flank their leader, Carys, as she strode forward, her boots clicking on the stone bricks in that annoyingly familiar way.

*tk tk* *tk tk*

"Don't know where you've been hiding," Carys went on, casually resting her scythe on both shoulders, "but now that you've met back up with your little band of misfits, we can begin."

"What do you want?" Cobb demanded, pointing Backlash at Carys. His eyes were hardened and radiating anger. His vacant expression evaporating as if it never existed in the face of this latest threat.

Carys grimaced, as if she was forced to swallow a mouthful of rotten flesh. Whatever she was about to suggest, it was obviously not palatable for her.

"I'm here to make an alliance."

Inventory (Cobb): 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, 32 Cobblestone, 1 Stone Pickaxe, 1 Bed, 5 Coal, 18 Flint, 12 Jungle Wood Logs, 54 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 2 Buckets, 1 Milk Bucket, 11 Ender Pearls, 8 Obsidian, 9 Gunpowder, 5 Steak, 15 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: 30]

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, 2 Iron Ingots, 2 Sticks, 31 Coal, 20 Torches, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 1 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV], 16 Gunpowder, 16 Ender Pearls, 2 Ender Pearls, 1 Splash Potion of Invisibility {6:00}, 1 Bucket, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}

[EXP: 33]

Inventory (Lenz): 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III] {Weak}, 1 Shears, 1 Lever, 9 Redstone Torches, 1 Bed, 8 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 18 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 48 Cobblestone, 1 Compass, 25 Gunpowder, 1 Bow, 11 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 7 Ender Pearls, 23 Steak, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 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 (Soul): 1 Diamond Axe [Sharpness V], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 64 Iron Ingots, 50 Iron Ingots, 20 Flint, 12 Gold Ingots, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Diamond Helmet [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, 24 Torches, 34 White Wool, 58 Dirt, 64 Cobblestone, 62 Cobblestone, 64 Gravel, 64 Gravel, 32 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Armor Stand, 14 Cooked Mutton, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}

[EXP: 27]

Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Leather Boots {Bottes Zephyr} [Dyed White], 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Bow [Infinity], 1 Milk Bucket, 6 Buckets, 2 Cobblestone, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 16 Ender Pearls, 5 Ender Pearls, 1 Nether Star, 7 Steak, 1 Phantom Membrane, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Book {King Miles' Final Testament}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}, 1 Arrow, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Enchanted Golden Apple, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots

[EXP: 27]

AN: Aaaaaaand scene. Part V is concluded. As is tradition, a - BUM BUM BAAAAA - Hiatus shall follow before the premiere of Part VI.

I know, I know. How could I possibly end Part V with a cut-off scene like that? The Beginners may have gone through the darkest of battles and lost most, if not all, of Ringwood, but there's still a glimmer of hope in their future... with Carys. Bet that's not a sentence you thought you'd hear.

A few end of Arc/end of Part V notes, in case you're curious. First, the Darkest Arc was probably the most tightly written. It's only nine Chapters long, but so much happens in that timeframe that it's astounding comparing the Beginners at the beginning, Chapter 156, to the end, Chapter 164. It's jarring thinking how everything could seem so happy and tranquil one moment, then devolve into dark and uncomfortable places for the characters to dig themselves out of. I can't think of one throwaway Chapter from these nine, and I consider that an accomplishment.

There's also a lot of cause and effect going on. Not just in the Darkest Arc, but in Part V in general. Particularly where Jade is concerned. Most of the inspiration for Jade's actions behind the scenes and some of the awful things she did came from Breaking Bad's Walter White. How Jade has to manipulate the situation and play off others' love and emotions so that it benefits her and, later on, Cobb. All the while acting innocent. Whether it was having Mirabelle write her own suicide note to get Beican to lead the Beginners to the coal reserves, or framing McGahn with a book written by 4Blite, Jade knows how to play it straight.

That's another thing. Jade. She's been part of the team since Jolin, even though she was introduced during the Creeper Herd Arc. Writing for her, I was originally going to have it that she was always pretending to be in love with Cobb, it was all a fake ruse, and that when she was revealed, he'd mean nothing to her. Been there, done that. Plus, it makes the reader disregard everything the character did on the grounds of "Welp, it was all an act and she's evil."

And I didn't want that. I felt it would have taken away from the character.

So instead, I made it so that there was a bit of a budding relationship going, along with a genuine camaraderie with the Beginners. They were a small guild, so it makes sense that Jade would get to know them more personally. It also made every time they escaped or won the day more thrilling. She didn't immediately fall for Cobb, it was slow. And even she prioritized Cobb's life over her mission. Hence, why she gave up Carys' identity to 4Blite for the framing book... and why she eventually got revealed. 4Blite's book was the key that made her facade fall apart. She made a mistake, and that mistake had repercussions that affected the whole team and forever changed them. Then she had to flee. And then she helped spawn a Wither and relay the intel to Ember. It all builds on top of one another and culminates in the Wither attack. Had the book not been discovered, the attack might not have happened. It's all cause and effect.

I think I really nailed Ember as a bad guy. She does all the bastard things you'd expect and she definitely has the skills to pay the bills. It's the first real time seeing an Executive in action, barring the fight with the Paragons at the weapons outpost.

The bit with the sponge and the nether star I've had planned since Chapter 28. It's why Leadstripe stole the Looting Sword for XoX. It's why Teal was sent to scout Nitebane. It's why Mark stole the underwater gear. It's why Mark and Teal raided that Ocean Monument. The Endward Cult is a widespread organization, and they have their plans running while the Beginners do their thing.

And finally, the subtle hints of an alliance between Cobb and Carys. The fact he sees her helping him in his fevered visions, or him resorting to Carys' Warp Raid in his duel with Jade.

That's about it. But there is one more thing I'd like to ask you readers for. I need OCs. 4Blite just got a lot of Ringwood's most Wanted Criminals behind him and I'd like to ask you guys for original characters. They're former Ringwood Prisoners, but now they swore their loyalty to 4Blite and the Endward Cult (but mostly 4Blite). Come up with crimes they may have been imprisoned for (maybe the infamous Blaze of 420), tell me their personality, their background, their appearance. Just follow the same OC prompts on my profile for this. I'm desperate for character ideas. I prefer you PM them to me or else send me a private message on Discord so I can jot them down and credit you for their creation. You know the drill.

Okay, see you all in Part VI. When will Part VI be? I dunno. Eventually, I guess. After I take a much-needed break to recharge my batteries.

This Chapter was finished on August 28th, 2020.

FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. PM. OC. FORUM. DISCORD. SERVER. POPTARTS.