My Craft

by OnTheCobb

Devoid of memory or purpose, a new Crafter is pushed forth into the unforgiving land of Minecraftia. Armed with nothing but his wits, he must…well…actually he's pretty witless. Hopefully he won't get killed in the first week. Hopefully.

165. Enemy of my Enemy (Part 1)

AN: Hey everybody! Did you miss me? I imagine quarantine is still a thing and you're bored with nothing to read, so I'm happy to present the latest installment in the grand My Craft epic.

During this hiatus, I was actually able to plan out the rest of the story. I had the Arcs I wanted to write, but I never actually got the chance to string them together. They always felt disjointed and detached.

But now that I've recharged, I've been able to map everything out. There's only a few Kingdoms left to be visited, but there are plenty of memorable moments I'm excited to pen down.

I'm also going to try my darnedest to bring the humor back. This is a Humor/Adventure story and the last Part/Arc was fairly dark. Probably the darkest this story will ever get (no promises). So I'm going to strive to deliver the laughs and bring a little levity.

I'm looking forward to Part VI. I really am. So let's kick it off with the traditional Part Intro. Enjoy!

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I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add Alliances.

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-In Loving Memory of Antoinette Rogers-

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*==Part VI==*

In the wake of betrayal and loss, Cobb could never have expected—or wanted—an alliance with Carys_Angel and the Paragons. The Endward Cult's meteoric rise threatens to swallow up all of Minecraftia, and Cobb knows he can't beat them alone. Having the Angel of Death on their side could give the Beginners a glimmer of hope. So long as she and Cobb don't kill each other first…

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Chapter 165

Enemy of my Enemy (Part 1)

[Floyd]

Running into Carys and her gathered force of Paragons in the Crystal Catacombs wasn't the least expected thing of the day. No, that honor went to what she said afterwards, with all the statues of Ringwood's past Kings and Captains serving as our witness.

"I'm here to make an alliance."

Cobb's reply was instantaneous.

"Fuck no."

Carys' grimace broke into a shark-like smile. "Good answer."

And then the two charged one another. Cobb with Backlash and Carys with her Diamond Scythe. One of the Paragons shouted something in dissent, but the rest of us were so preoccupied trying to catch up with the last thing she said that we didn't immediately join the fight.

Carys reared her arms back, winding up for a swing. Just as I was sure the tip of her scythe was about to make contact, Cobb threw an ender pearl behind him, warping a step behind and out of reach. It was so fast Carys overextended. She spun with the miss, however, intending to bring it back around, but Cobb got to her first, crashing Backlash into her torso and watching her get flung to the foot of one of the watching statues. Even then, Cobb winced as the tip of her scythe caught his ear before she was thrown back.

Carys ran back in with an ender pearl at the ready only to get struck at Mach 4 by my Hack-infused body. My smoky eyes watched her fly from the impact before a pearl was thrown to the side and she reappeared, her boots skidding to a halt.

I dashed towards her again, only to stop short and throw myself back as a pair of splash potions struck my intended path. Baltic had more at the ready and he was looking at me imploringly.

"Please, wai—!"

I didn't listen as I threw one arm towards him, my anger flinging a dozen barbs of MultiAura in his direction. The Paragon with the blue hair and fedora—Kalmarin—intercepted, his own Hacker smoke in effect. The MultiAura struck…

And suddenly he was behind me as a sword crashed into my back, flooring me and drawing a painful cough. What was with his strength!? Or was that another Hack? How had he even gotten behind me?

Kalmarin raised his sword again, but I sped off with my Speed just before it fell, cracking the stone bricks like they were graham crackers.

"Nowhere, bow and arrow, please!" Lenz shouted before Noman passed him an Infinity bow and a single arrow. Lenz didn't have ammo, but he didn't need any with the Infinity Enchantment. With that, one arrow could be a thousand.

He fired at the approaching Z7 who strafed and dodged the arrows with ease before darting low and close. Lenz may have been in trouble if not for Noman swinging his sword wildly and warding the assassin off. He had the Severe Shield on, but she seemed to know this, jumping back and keeping a watchful eye from a safe distance.

The dark-skinned beauty, Anibal, crashed into Soul, the two vying for dominance, but with Anibal's eyes looking over Soul's head.

"Move it! I wanna see the artifacts in action!" She complained.

"Who told you about them!?" Soul demanded.

Carys dove around a statue after Cobb, the two of them weaving between the statue's legs as they chased one another. Carys dodged a swing but felt the wider impact from the Sweeping Edge.

"Leveled up your gear?" She guessed. "Or did you steal it like you stole our Asmodeus?"

"Says the bitch who stole my Silk Touch Shovel." Cobb replied acidly. "At least I'm wearing something diamond. What about you? Pick up that iron getup from a bargain bin?"

"I won't need diamond for this." Her boot struck Cobb's unprotected chest and she whipped out a bunch of ender pearls before tossing them. Cobb did the same.

"Warp Raid!"

"Warplash!"

Carys' eyes flashed with recognition, then anger. "Did you just—!"

The two warped all over the place, scythe and fishing hook swinging and missing in a fight that was honestly hard to keep track of. When the final pearl landed, both combatants were knelt on the ground with a good chunk of Hearts gone.

"I didn't steal anything!"

"It's the same fucking word!"

"Warplash uses a fishing rod!"

Carys pulled out a bow and Cobb parkoured up a statue's legs, dodging Carys' flaming arrows. However, he was shot by one of Carys' other Paragons and started to fall off.

"Cobb!" Noman leapt into the air with the Bottes Zephyr and snagged the fisherman by the hoodie. Cobb's hard green eyes were focused on Carys when he gave the order.

"Toss me!"

Noman complied, hurling Cobb towards Carys with both arms. The fisherman spun with the throw, his diamond sword shearing through the air as Carys brought her arms back, her muscles tensing. When she swung, she didn't intercept the blade, she intercepted Cobb's side, right where his kidneys were.

His face twisted from the pain, but he bit his lip and snagged Carys' pant leg with his fishing rod so when he was knocked away, he pulled the string taut and had the Angel of Death fall back and crack her head against the stone bricks. She grimaced, but rolled to her hands and knees, her blood red eyes alight with adrenaline.

"Carys—!" Baltic tried to say something, but the Angel of Death shot forward. "Carys! Stop! This isn't what we agreed on!"

Noman perked at the old man's words, but I didn't pay it much mind. I only had a few seconds of Speed before I crashed. I went after the assassin this time and let Lenz fire arrows at Kalmarin. I started off with a volley of MultiAura, but the assassin darted behind some statues before hurling a dagger towards my eye. I tilted my head and had my helmet deflect it, but then I had to fall back when the other Paragons started firing arrows. It looked like they were leaving the skilled fighters for the one on ones while the grunts stayed back and provided long-range support.

They couldn't match our archer, however, who intercepted each and every arrow before they could hit me. The Paragons gawked at the display and I felt a swell of pride for Lenz.

Soul swung his axe into Kalmarin, who not only met the blow, but pushed back with so much strength that Soul was batted aside like a ping pong ball. Noman flew down and tried to land a hit with the Severe Shield, but an archer on the Paragons side fired an arrow first. It struck Kalmarin, who suddenly warped behind the one who shot him and away from Noman.

It's some kind of warp ability. He warps behind whatever strikes him. I mentally surmised. That, plus his Strength. He's equal to or greater than a Level 2.

Cobb and Carys were busy hacking away at each other with their weapons. Both of their expressions displayed the utmost contempt and loathing for one another. They may have been saying stuff to get under each other's skin.

"Must be hard getting around." Cobb spoke carelessly. "First your pig, then your two airships. Any modes of transportation left?"

"What happened to that girlfriend of yours?" Carys taunted. "She wither away?"

Carys' head jerked back as Cobb delivered a vicious punch to her lower jaw. Backlash sent her skittering away and the Angel of Death rubbed at her mouth with a curious expression before her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Okay."

She was about to surge forward, only for a body to stand in her way. "Move Baltic!"

"Carys, stop this! All of you stop this!" Baltic shouted so that everyone—even the firing Paragons in the back—could hear him. "We agreed to try an alliance—!"

"The pig-killer gave us his answer." Carys dismissed. "Which means it's time for Plan B: Kill them all while Cobb watches."

Cobb bolted forward, his sword raised, but a body stood in his way this time. And it wasn't Baltic.

"Out of the way!" Cobb shouted at Noman. The fisherman craned his head and moved his body in an effort to keep his furious eyes locked on Carys. Noman held him back, matching his movements and trying to calm him down.

"Wait, Cobb. Please, just wait a second." Noman repeated over and over, despite Cobb clearly not listening to him. "Look. They're not fighting us right now. We're all just standing around."

He was right. As soon as Baltic stood before Carys, the other Paragons lowered their weapons. They were still holding them. Their fingers twitched and they watched us with tense expressions, ready for combat at the slightest sign of aggression. They only held off because of what Baltic shouted.

"We agreed on an alliance." Baltic spoke deliberately. "You even pulled me aside and warned me to stop you in case something like this happened. We agreed on it. Not this." He gestured to the two sides sizing each other up. "This causes problems for us all."

Just before my Hacker powers crashed and my smoke extinguished, Soul stood beside me and helped prop me up. To the Paragons, it would look like I was still standing and agreed to a ceasefire. The reality was I was a sitting duck and at their mercy if the fight continued.

In comparison, their Hacker, Kalmarin, extinguished his Hacker smoke and looked pointedly at me. He could still stand on two feet. He didn't have a cooldown and had full mastery of his Hacks. That's where we differed.

"You think we'll fall for that?" Cobb shouted, still trying to get around Noman for all the shield-bearer was trying to stop him. "An alliance? That's the trick you're resorting to? How stupid do you think I am?"

"On a scale of one to ten? Seven-hundred."

"Carys, you're not making this any easier." Baltic admonished.

"Tell him that. Hey! Norman!"

"Uh—ah, i-it's Noman—"

"Let the dumbass fight. I'll go a few more rounds." Carys rested the scythe on her shoulders. "It'll let both of us work out some stress."

"Fighting amongst ourselves is only doing the Endward Cult a favor." Baltic's words seemed to have Carys grimace and look away. He pushed her back by her shoulders, making sure he was staring her in the face. "If we want this alliance to work, we have to do a better job explaining ourselves first."

"Easy, Cobb. Easy." Noman held Cobb down before turning his head. "What's this about an alliance?" He asked.

"It's just what it sounds like. No tricks." He was quick to assert. "This is a genuine offer. A proposal that we unite against a common enemy. We're asking for your help in stopping the Endward Cult."

"You mean like how you tried to stop us in Zeppil?" Cobb was quick to point out, his voice carrying to all the Paragons. "I mean, because we're all cultists, right? That's why you were after us, right? That's what you wrote on our wanted posters, right?" With every sentence, Baltic averted his eyes.

Carys just shrugged. "I made a mistake."

Cobb laughed harshly, the sound so very un-Cobb-like that I had to verify those sounds were coming from him. "You made a mistake? That would imply you didn't know any better, and I think we both can agree you knew what you were doing that night."

There was a small smirk on Carys' face, even if her Paragons were quick to defend her.

"What was she supposed to believe when you came back unscathed from that outpost you attacked? Or how you knew how the cult were herding Creepers?" Perry accused. "Did you just coincidentally hear it when a cultist announced it in a theatrical display?"

"YES!"

They scoffed, but Baltic looked troubled, along with Kalmarin and Anibal. They could probably guess more about Carys' motives for lying and knew she wouldn't make such a careless mistake.

"We were wrong." Baltic made sure to assert. "I apologize on her behalf—"

"I want to hear her say that." Cobb snapped.

"Fat chance, clown." Carys replied, only to quirk a brow when a smile spread across Cobb's face. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about clown wigs." He said innocently.

"I apologize on her behalf." Baltic resumed. "But no one was killed and both sides stole from one another. You our airship and us your Silk Touch Shovel."

"And the Anemoi. And Carys' skull mask." The Paragon named Heather added from the back. Everyone turned their attention on her and she quailed from the stares. "Uh, sorry. I'll shut up now."

"Dsviv'h zrihsrk?" The Jibberwoman piped up. Lenz's head swiveled in her direction and he looked to be replaying the words in his head, letter by letter. He took out his notebook and started scribbling.

"What did she just say?" Soul asked angrily. "Also, since when have the Paragons had a Hacker on their side? I feel like that's big news."

"They were probably just copying us." Cobb cut off Carys before she could begin. "They're unoriginal like that."

"We had a Hacker first, asshole." Carys sniped. "In fact, Kal's the only reason you have a Hacker. Otherwise the Hack Clan would have gotten their mitts on him."

My head jerked to meet Kalmarin's gaze. He what? Was he the one on lookout for Hackers at the Origin Zone? Had that been his job before he up and left? Left and joined the Paragons by the look of it.

"This is good." Batlic tried valiantly. "We're talking things out. This is progress."

"SHUT UP!" Cobb and Carys shouted at the same time before glaring back at one another.

"Don't talk to him like that!"

"You shouted same as me! What's the difference?"

"The difference is I'm his leader, not you!"

"And you're not my leader! Yet you're telling me who I can and can't shout at?"

"If I was your leader, I'd kill myself!"

"Carys! I suddenly have a desire for you to be my leader!"

"Christ, this is bad." The one called Anibal rubbed her head awkwardly. "I've never seen her like this, have you?"

"It's news to me." Kalmarin shook his head. "This alliance doesn't seem like it'll work."

"At least one of you has sense." Cobb complimented. "You're not just following this one's orders like a couple of pawns."

"Cobb." Noman cautioned. "Can we let them finish without taking shots at them?"

"We already are. Or does Lenz not shooting count?"

"Excuse me!" Lenz waved, though not at Cobb or Carys. Instead, he pointed to the assassin. "Z7. That is your name, right?" The assassin quirked a brow as Lenz read from his notebook in a disjointed mismatch of a garbled dialect. "Zrihsrk… hglovm… uiln fh." He looked up hopefully when he was done.

Z7's eyes widened from beneath her curtain of hair. She took a half step forward, more broken word vomit pouring from her mouth.

"Sld xzm blf fmwvihgzmw dszg R hzrw? Blf ziv mlg z Qryyvinzm."

"Too fast… too fast…" Lenz gave up trying to keep track with his head and started scribbling down all the words as fast as he could. On paper, Jibberish was easy to translate… in a few minutes. But based off hearing, it was such an odd mismatch of consonants and sounds that it was nearly impossible to tell what letters were being said. Our engineer had only just learned the basic of basics.

What little interest he earned from the assassin was soon lost when he didn't immediately reply. She stepped back into the ranks of the Paragons, her hands idly turning a dagger.

"As I was saying," Baltic stood beside the scythe-wielder and held her by the shoulder, squeezing tight, "Carys wants an alliance between the Paragons and the Beginners to destroy the Endward Cult. As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Therefore—"

"She's not my friend."

"I'm not his friend." Carys echoed. "There's enough dislike between us to fill the Void. Any cooperation between us would be grudging at best. Even the word 'allies' wouldn't quite fit this joining of forces. It's more of an alliance of convenience to make our job easier."

"The Paragons are one of the Big Three guilds, unparalleled in combat strength." Soul growled, the Paragons preening slightly at the praise. "What do you need us for?"

"Bait." Carys said simply, taking relish in how it set Cobb off.

"You fucking—!"

"Language." Noman chastised before turning to face Carys. "Explain."

Carys rested a hand on her hip. "We read the testimony of your friend Captain Wynn and we know about the artifacts and your mission, Norman."

"My name's not—"

"Save it, Noman. Her intelligence isn't evolved enough to comprehend your name. She'd only hurt herself trying, and we wouldn't want that." He smirked as eldritch fire seemed to burn in Carys' eyes at the comment. I wouldn't be smiling if I was him.

"…We know about your mission, Noman." She corrected. "We know that you represent a threat to the Endward Cult, and that they'll want to keep tabs on you to—actually, before that," she pointed between Noman and Cobb, "which one of you is the Billionth? Your Citizenship Information says it's you, but having the artifacts means it's you. So which is it?"

"We're both the Billionth." Noman interjected before Cobb could say anything. "Ember calls us dark and light, but she considers us both to be the Billionth. She made that clear when she spoke with us."

"And she left that Captain alive to pass Cobb a message." Carys muttered. "She spoke with you too. There's an interest there." She smirked. "Means we have twice the bait."

"Gotta tell you, you're really not selling us on this alliance by calling us bait." Soul groused.

"The bait isn't you. It's them." Anibal specified, pointing to Cobb and Noman. "If the Endward Cult have shown an interest and they firmly believe you'll be the cult's demise—"

"Which is a load of hogwash if you ask me." Carys added.

"—then they'll be more eager to kill you. They'll have to make contact for that. Carys is suggesting that if we work together, we'll have an opportunity to fight them when they show."

"The Executives are sneaky fuckers." Carys supplied. "They never show themselves unless they're sure they have the advantage. Sort of like last week, when the Withers attacked." The memory was a pang of regret and failure. "Unless we flush them out, they'll do the same shit they always do. They'll restock. They'll gather their forces. They'll hit harder. Only this time with Withers in their arsenal."

The implications were horrifying. They wouldn't have the skulls right away, but what if they got their hands on more Looting Swords? What if they could devote more manpower to farming in the Nether? They could get around with their portals and summon Withers in every Kingdom simultaneously if they wanted. We couldn't be everywhere at once.

"You see the problem. And why we feel we need an alliance." Baltic spoke. "We don't mean to make it sound so callous by calling you bait—"

"I do."

"—But we need some way to draw them out into the open."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Cobb said. "The Endward Cult already knows who you are."

The revelation had many of the Paragons shifting in worry, but Carys ended it with her words. "They know nothing. They just saw me at an outpost without my mask. My scythe hasn't been recognized as my weapon, yet. They're none the wiser."

"That's where you're wrong." Cobb hiked a thumb to the rest of us. "Do a quick headcount and see who's missing since our fight in Zeppil. I'll wait."

Carys narrowed her eyes. "Your girlfriend die or something? So what?" She then flashed a smug smile. "Wish I could have seen the look on your face when she croaked—"

"She's not dead. She's a cultist." I filled in, causing Carys to jerk her head in my direction. "A Lieutenant of the Northern Division to be precise."

"…You're screwing with me."

"I wish we were." Lenz spoke somberly. "She betrayed us and stole your skull and, more importantly, the Asmodeus."

There was a prolonged silence as the Paragons processed this information. A few of the high-tiered members—Baltic and Kalmarin—exchanged troubled looks. They relied on anonymity just as much as the Endward Cult's Executives. Carys' revealed identity as the Angel of Death meant she'd be hunted and targeted. Even the lowest cultist grunt would notice her name and report her movements.

Not to mention, due to Cobb's efforts, the Hack Clan knew she was responsible for the deaths of their brethren in Nitebane. Both the Hackers and the Endward Cult would be gunning for her. She didn't yet know about the former, though.

"Aha… haha…"

Carys covered her mouth with one hand, her blood-red eyes brimming with malice and humor as she bent double and started to laugh.

"Hahahaha!" She clutched her sides as she looked to Cobb with a teasing smirk. "Now that you mention it, she did seem a lot out of your league."

Cobb's expression became livid and his hands balled up into shaking fists. It was the most emotion I'd seen on him since Jade broke his heart. He clearly had his energy back if he was making an expression like that.

"Ahaha! Now it all makes sense!" Carys wiped a tear from her eye. "The only way anyone would date you is if they were under orders from a cult of killers. AceOfJades truly took one for the team."

"DON'T MENTION HER NAME!" Cobb seethed, spit flying as he threw his body towards Carys. Noman held him back with difficulty while Carys kept egging him on.

"What's the matter? Don't like me talking about your ex? Who, by the way, wouldn't have betrayed you had you let me off her in the first place. Looks like I was right about one of you being a cultist after all!"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Cobb hurled. "The only thing on your mind that night was making my life a living hell!"

"Warranted, given how you've exposed my identity to my enemies." She cocked her head. "Good job on that, by the way."

"Jade didn't know anything about you until you showed off the skull at Cloud Castle!" Cobb countered. "I didn't make you come after us!"

"Ooooooh, yes you did." Carys spoke in a threatening growl. "You did the second you took away Mr. Piggles."

"Mr. Piggles was a—!"

"We are NOT opening up that can of worms!" Baltic's voice drowned the two out. "Now look. Both of you. There's no reason to point fingers when the outcome doesn't change. The Endward Cult now knows who Carys is."

"Yeah, so you don't need us. You can be your own bait." Cobb said quickly. "Leave us out of it."

"That's where you're wrong." Carys said, a smirk spreading across her face. "This means I need you idiots now more than ever." She stamped her scythe into the stone bricks. "The cult'll be preparing ambushes for me. I'm the thorn in their side that they want dead. They'll be ready for me and the Paragons. What they won't be ready for… is you."

Cobb balked.

"I'm willing to admit that your little band of misfits has done a lot with less." Carys conceded. "You fought off three Withers with those toys of his." She gestured to Noman. "You've… outmaneuvered us once or twice. Though we've still got more Hackers under our belt than—"

"We killed three."

Carys cut off with a strangled hiss and I had to just roll my eyes and smile at the pettiness in Cobb's voice. Leave it to him to make this a pissing contest.

"Yeah, we killed three so far." Cobb said offhandedly. "One more than you, but who's counting?"

Carys was counting by the look of it. She grit her teeth with more pressure than a hydraulic press. "You kill them all yourself?" The words sounded dragged out of her.

Cobb's eyes darted. "…My teammates did."

"Two vs one?"

"…No."

"Then I'm very happy for your accomplishment, but it's hardly the same as dueling two Hackers at once." Carys made sure to make that point clear, regaining her confidence. "In fact, some might say that fighting two Hackers is nearly impossible. Takes a skilled hand and a sharp mind."

"We still took out three."

"Oh dear. Petulant whining? You really should be above that." Carys spoke condescendingly. "As I was saying, the Beginners have useful skills. You're resourceful. You have a few trinkets to act as crutches." She canted her head. "The Paragons have the numbers, the military might, the organization, and the general superiority."

"Not superior enough to stop us from taking your airship." Lenz muttered under his breath. Cobb smirked in approval, but Carys' eyes zeroed in on our archer who flinched as if he was being melted by her eyes.

"If you'd recall, we had four of you apprehended that night and at our mercy." Carys pointed out. "Given enough time and information, the Paragons can prepare for any scenario. The only times we lose are when outside reinforcements intervene. Factors we can't account for. You only escaped because of Noman and the axe-wielder."

"What about the Wailing Vale?"

"We weren't expecting an invincible super chestplate."

"…Touché."

"Point is, the Endward Cult can't prepare ambushes for both of our sides." Kalmarin supplied this time. "The Angel of Death, the Billionth, us Hackers," I stiffened at being mentioned. "Joining forces would be in our best interests."

"Of course you'd think that." Cobb spoke coldly. "We'd be the ones pulling all the weight."

"Excuse you?" Carys posed dangerously.

"Uh… Cobb…" Noman tried, but Cobb kept going.

"What exactly do we need you for? Following Jade, we've had our fill of bitches we can't trust." Carys' red eyes narrowed at his words. "This 'alliance', as you call it, is nothing but a joke. A trick to get us to drop our guard so that you can stab us in the back. You can't beat us any other way."

"I could beat you seven ways to Sunday right now." Carys pointed her scythe at him. "Want me to prove it?"

"Sure thing. Hey, ask your Hacker for backup. I'll take you both."

"Cobb—!" I said alarmed, finally regaining feeling enough to move. He was acting more reckless than usual. "What are you thinking calling them both out? You don't know what other Hacks he's got."

"Don't you worry, Floyd. I can fight my own battles. Kal, don't interfere." Carys jerked her head.

"Carys, fighting them doesn't get us anywhere." Kalmarin tried to stand in her way along with Baltic. "If anything, it makes them want to trust us less."

"Can you trust less than zero?" Cobb quipped.

"And what about my trust, Kal?" Carys swatted his arm aside. "You think I can fight beside this sorry excuse for a Crafter when he's been throwing barbs and showing clear aggressiveness?"

"Not like you're doing any better." Anibal muttered from afar.

"Carys, do you want them on our side or don't you?" Baltic asked. "What matters more: Killing the Beginners or stopping the Endward Cult?"

At those words, Carys lowered her arms and relaxed her shoulders. Her blood-red eyes were contemplative as she observed Cobb, Noman, and the rest of us. There was definitely something there. Some resentful feeling. However, the fact that she didn't instantly have a reply meant a part of her wanted this alliance.

Even if the other part would have preferred to make Cobb suffer.

"I want this to work." Carys said unenthusiastically.

"So then give them a reason to trust us." Baltic urged. "Let them know why they need us like we need them."

Carys sighed but nodded before pushing Kalmarin and Baltic to the side. She fixed her eyes on Cobb and Cobb alone.

"I've been fighting the Endward Cult longer than you." Carys started. "I have a greater history with them. So while my anger with you is fresh, the older wounds are deeper. That's the only reason I can give you for why I won't be stabbing you in the back. At least," she gave a shark-like smile, "not until the Endward Cult is properly taken care of. After that, we can go back to killing each other."

"Still not getting why we need you. We can take the Endward Cult on our own."

"No you can't." She dismissed. "Take it from someone who's fought them, you don't have what it takes. It's not about individual skill." She clarified before Cobb could argue. "It's manpower and resources. Your group is good when it comes to running away. But do you think you can lay siege to an Executive HQ with just you five? Do you think you can kill every cultist in Minecraftia with your skills alone?"

Cobb bit his lip, unable to answer.

"We've been at this longer and we've got the organization, the influence, and the manpower to chip away at them. You?" She smirked. "You're a newb in way over his head." Cobb narrowed his eyes. "You still don't want our help? Then say so right now so I can settle this and move onto the bigger threat."

The implication was clear as Carys held her scythe, daring Cobb to reject her offer. Behind her, the Paragon grunts readied their bows. A few of the higher-ups armed themselves.

On our side, Noman shot Lenz and I a look before his eyes darted to Cobb real quick. I could read between the lines, guessing what he was trying to convey.

Cobb gripped his sword. "Fuc—"

"We need time to think this over." Noman cut in. I was there too, muffling Cobb's words with one hand so Noman could Aikido talk our way out of this.

Even with Noman's artifacts and my Hacks, we were outnumbered. Carys likely ran her Paragons through our abilities and what to watch out for—it was how they had anticipated certain moves during the brief fight. They had come into this prepared. They probably also came expecting Jade to be present since they didn't know she was a Lieutenant prior. Without her to worry about, they could focus more of their attention on the rest of us. Like Carys said, they planned for encounters. No outside force would come to our rescue this time. We were all known quantities for them.

"We're not giving you any time. Either make a decision now, or—"

"We'll give you a day to think on it." Baltic cut off, earning a scowl from Carys. He directed the next part to her. "This is a big choice. We should give them the time to consider. The fact that some of them are thinking it over is already better than King_Cobb's flat rejection."

Carys mulled it over before resting a hand on her hip and shouting to us. "You'll have until tomorrow to make a decision."

"Don't hold your breath." Cobb spat. "Or do and die of asphyxiation. I don't really care."

Carys ignored him. "Don't look for us, we'll find you. And in case you have any silly ideas of fleeing Ringwood," her eyes glinted dangerously, "not only will you be forfeiting your chance at an alliance, you'll also be forfeiting your lives. Until then, we'll let you enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

She waved her hand once and the gathered Paragons filed out. Past the statue of Notch watching over us, they exited the Crystal Catacombs, taking much of the tension with them.

---

"I can't believe she followed us all the way here." Cobb muttered as he peered out the window of Soul's house, scanning the desolate farmland for Paragons. "Actually, I can believe it. This bitch has nothing better to do. Hunting me down is probably her number one hobby."

"Cobb." Noman hurried over. "Relax. We walked all around the Kingdom to confuse them before sneaking back here. No one followed us."

"You don't think she has invisible spies watching our every move?" He shot back. "They're probably out there right now, planning how to get us."

"She gave us until tomorrow." Lenz pointed out. "I think they care more if we try to flee prematurely. They have eyes somewhere."

"She'd be a fool not to keep tabs on us." Cobb peeked out the window again. "You guys should stick together at all times and stay inside. Noman, keep your Severe Shield ready. Do you have milk in case she tries to paralyze us?"

"I do." Noman nodded.

"I got nothing on my side." Soul reported from his window. "With the flat farmland, we can see for miles in any direction. Only way the Paragons can get close is if they have invisibility or they're tunneling under us."

"We can't rule anything out. She wants to target my friends. If we—" Suddenly, Cobb's eyes snapped open. "Wynn…" He whispered before running over to the door.

"Cobb, wait!" Lenz shouted. "Wynn and whatever guards remaining are huddled together on the plateau. Mastah Veronica is with her too. Carys would not just attack them unprovoked. The Paragons would not see the point. Besides, we really need to discuss this alliance—"

"NO!" He shot it down immediately. "There's nothing to talk about. This alliance is a terrible idea and I don't want to hear another word about it. I…" He faltered. "I need to see Wynn. I need to go check on her." He was already moving. "You four stay here and be on guard. I'll—"

"YOU CAN'T VANISH AGAIN!" Noman shouted, his furious voice stopping Cobb cold. The weeklong accumulation of dread, panic, and worry had finally exploded in a burst of frustration that could be felt in each Beginner. Seven days without a word that he was safe. We all felt the same, but Noman was the one who broke first, his voice speaking what was on all our minds. "We were worried sick about you for a week! We searched everywhere but couldn't find you! You just up and disappeared! We thought you were dead! Why didn't you have your map on you!? Why didn't you look for us!? What were you doing for seven days!?"

Cobb remained silent, his hand hovering over the doorknob. His back was turned to us, so I couldn't get a read on his face. We understood he must have been in a dark place following Erin's death, but we were his friends. He had to know we were there for him. He had to know he could tell us anything. The burning questions we thought to ourselves all week needed answers. What had happened in the Northern District that night?

He chose to ignore the questions, his face firmly towards the door. "I'll have my map at all times. I promise I'll be back and we can… discuss this." He spoke the words stiffly, obviously opposed to the alliance with Carys, before sweeping past the door.

"Don't walk away, loser!" Soul shouted. "Hey! COBB!" The door slid shut and Soul cursed under his breath before simmering down in his seat. "Christ, he's like a different person since Akasha. You think this is because of Erin, Jade, or Carys?"

"All of the above." Lenz surmised, his glasses off and showing sympathy. "We have all felt much loss and betrayal in a few scant weeks. His distaste for this alliance is understandable. He trusted someone only to be betrayed, and now he is expected to trust someone he absolutely cannot trust. His near-instant rejection of the offer shows he is trying to learn from his mistakes and trust less."

"We should all have trust issues after what happened." I said. "But he doesn't even trust us with what happened a week ago or where he's been since. I hope Wynn can get something out of him." Though I didn't want to tag along to witness the Captain's grief after Cobb told her of Erin's fate. That would be too painful to watch. "What are we going to do about the Paragons? They're watching us, I'm sure. We try to run, they'll be there to kill us."

"About that…" Noman rubbed his head nervously and I could already tell what he was about to suggest.

"No way we're allying with them." I said quickly. "That was just a trick to buy us more time, right? They would have killed us on the spot if we rejected."

"What's your impression of Carys, Floyd?" Noman asked. "You and Cobb fought her in the past over a… pig?" He asked like he was unsure. "What are your thoughts on her?"

"She's a psychotic killer with an oversized gardening tool trying to turn Minecraftia against us all over a pig."

"Yes," Lenz interjected, "but putting that aside—"

"That's a lot to put aside, guys."

"—Do you think her offer of an alliance is genuine?" Lenz asked. "Do you think she would swallow her hate towards us in favor of her hate for the Endward Cult?"

"Considering she was petty enough to make us wanted criminals and chase us all the way to Zeppil, no. I don't."

"The Angel of Death and the Paragons obliterated the Southern Division of the Endward Cult twenty-five years ago." Soul spoke up, his arms folded tight. "I don't know what sort of grudge she's holding, but nobody would go that far in gathering strength if it wasn't personal. She's out for blood. Same as us."

"Yes, but which grudge is stronger?" Lenz asked. "Which grudge would she be willing to tolerate?"

I thought about it. Technically speaking, we had yet to kill a Paragon—sans Mr. Piggles. We stole the Asmodeus, sabotaged the Anemoi, beat her to Hacker-Slayer, and humiliated her time and time again.

In comparison, the Endward Cult probably killed Paragons in their ongoing war. They also did something to Carys that made her inclined to build up the Paragons into one of the Big Three guilds AND decimate a quarter of the Endward Cult. Like she said, those scars ran deep.

"…Maybe." I decided, making the other Beginners perk up. "Maybe she'd be willing to team up if it gave her a better chance at destroying the Endward Cult. But that's a pretty big maybe."

"…I think we should try for it." Noman spoke quietly, his hands clasped together and his forehead resting on them.

"Excuse me?"

"She had valid points." Noman continued, looking to me. "We're skilled and we have the artifacts. She has the influence, the manpower, the experience, the planning. Her other Paragons—especially Baltic—looked like they wanted an alliance to work. We're all targeted. It makes sense to join forces against a superior enemy."

"Easy for you to say." I countered. "You didn't see her after Cobb killed her pig. She was relentless. She wants him to suffer, which means she'll want to kill all of us first."

"Killing us doesn't get her closer to defeating the Endward Cult." Noman reasoned.

"Um, what about following us to Zeppil? Did that bring her closer to defeating the Endward Cult?" I asked sarcastically. "She couldn't even admit she made up we were cultists. She had to lie to her underlings."

"Baltic, Kalmarin, and Anibal seemed to guess that." Lenz filled in. "Carys may be the leader, but those high-tiered Paragons seemed able to sway her. Similar to how we might have to endear Cobbert to this idea."

"You're taking Noman's side on this?"

"I am taking the practical side." Lenz asserted. "Cobbert may have the ambition to wage war on the Endward Cult, but that does not change the fact that there are only five of us. Five Crafters." He held up his hand, showing all fingers. "Against the entire Endward Cult and its Lieutenants and Executives and farmed Withers. We are sorely outnumbered. And given our recent trust issues, I very much doubt we are in the mood for recruitment."

Damn it. I hated when Lenz made sense. Particularly when it was for an idea I was against. Even if one of us was a Hacker and another possessed an invincible chestplate (that Ember could bypass), the Beginners were a five-man band. If the cult spawned Withers in every Kingdom, there'd be no way for us to deal with all of them. We would have to fight through divisions-worth of cultists and Lieutenants just to catch a glimpse of an Executive. And by then, we'd be too exhausted or dead to make a difference.

"The Paragons have the numbers." Lenz continued. "Cobbert may not want to admit it, but they do have more experience hunting cultists than we do. They have control over Nitebane and they are hard at work transforming it into a powerful Kingdom. Carys robbed us of any chance at influencing a Kingdom when she made us wanted criminals. She is now our only source of troops."

"They're tough too." Soul added. "Like I said, it's personal for them. Most of the Paragons want vengeance against the cult for a friend or loved one. Their vengeance is what made them stronger. Having one of the Big Three guilds at our backs would go a long way in fighting the cult."

"And you're so sure showing our backs to them is a sensible idea?"

"They won't stab us in the back. Not right away, at least." Soul corrected. "It wouldn't make much sense. They had the jump on us today and could have wiped us out. We were evenly matched, but your Hack ran out and they had grunts with bows offering support. Half of us could have died back there. Instead, they let us go." He shrugged. "Not much to gain if they were only going to kill us later."

"So all three of you are for this alliance?" I asked, incredulously. "I don't believe it. We must be in deep shit if we're seeing Carys as the savior."

"I don't want to lose like this again." Noman revealed with a pained expression. His words dampened the mood and I could tell he was referring to the ruined Kingdom. "I don't want to feel like we're dancing in the palm of Ember's hand again. It's infuriating to think how she set everything up. At least with this, she won't be expecting it."

"Indeed." Lenz nodded. "Assuming AceOfJades relayed to her all she knows about us, she would also know that we are at odds with the Paragons. We can use that information against them." He smirked. "They would never expect an alliance between two guilds that fought each other to the death. We can catch them by surprise."

"Carys needs us just as much as we need her." Soul supplied. "She only blindsided the Southern Division because they were blatant and out in the open in Zeppil. The other Divisions are more covert, so she needs juicy bait to lure them out of hiding." He gestured to the group. "We're that juicy bait. She kills us, she'll be the only target left. She'll have to be on guard the rest of her life."

"I see your point." I sighed. This really was a bad idea. An awful lot of risk… and an awful lot of reward if it paid off. The Paragons—and Carys in particular—must have felt the same or else they wouldn't even try this.

There would always be the chance, though. The chance they would turn on us out of petty revenge. The only comfort then would be that they'd join us in oblivion shortly at the hands of the Endward Cult.

"…Carys made it clear this is only gonna last until the Endward Cult is out of the picture." I said, already won over to the idea. The others saw my consent and brightened immediately.

"We will be cautious." Lenz promised. "We would be fools to lower our guards after the incident with AceOfJades. We shall keep our eyes open."

"We'll get tougher too." Soul swore with a nod. "Tough enough to deal with them after the Endward Cult is brought down."

"And we'll have more artifacts." Noman added. "I… actually have a lead."

"Oh good! Where?"

"The Obelisk."

"NOO!"

The sound startled us as we turned to stare at Soul. He was up on his feet, his red pupils dilated and his fists clenching and unclenching nervously. I wasn't even aware he could get nervous!

"I-I mean… uh…" He shifted in place, fumbling for words. "The Obelisk is a bad idea. Yeah. The Hackers. Very bad."

"…Well obviously." Noman agreed. "I'm not suggesting we recklessly charge into them. But Ciro tipped me off that they possess the Stivali Magma and the Arcticum Arma."

"Hacker powers mixed with artifacts." My brow creased from the new information. "Won't be easy nabbing them."

"Ciro and I talked about possible plans… including having you ingratiate yourself into their confidence." Noman suggested uncomfortably, knowing my feelings on the matter. "It was all just hypothetical." He added hastily. "Just spitballing ideas. A Hacker could get close without arousing suspicion."

"It's an idea. A bad one." I added. "But that seems to be the theme today. Bad idea after bad idea. You realize I'm not the largest obstacle to this alliance plan, right?"

Noman, Lenz, and Soul all nodded, their thoughts going to the only absentee.

"I was just the warmup. How the hell are we going to convince Cobb to team up with Carys_Angel?"

---

[Wynn]

Following the funeral and a tearful speech, Veronica and I returned to the plateau and resumed our discussion.

"The troops I asked from Daymonte should be here soon." The blonde nodded. "Remember that Cross-Kingdom railway you pulled for? Well the swamps were as untouched as we thought and we got enough iron reserves to make it. We're already a quarter done. It'll speed transportation a bit. We can send over guards and you can send over refugees."

"It's still a long trek to the railway. They'd have to walk three-quarters of the way. And I can't imagine how we can finish construction the way things are now." I sighed. "More guards would be a godsend. We can't rely on Floyd's Hacker status forever."

"Yeah… that still weirds me out." Veronica shivered. It wasn't her fault. Hackers were widely feared, and Floyd was no exception, even if he was the exception. "You sure he won't flip and turn on us?"

"Floyd is Cobb's friend." I spoke firmly. "The two are tied together—wanted together—and I trust Cobb."

"Yeah, but not all of the people Cobb trusted were good." Veronica noted, thinking of Lieutenant Jade.

"I want Snow Prints for Ember_Waves and AceOfJades immediately. All of Minecraftia will know the crimes they committed." I spoke severely. The Northern Division was fully known now, and it was full of liars, killers, and traitors. If it was the last thing I did, I'd see them all dead or rotting in the same cell they threw me into. "Have the guards seen any sign of Erin?"

"No." The blonde shook her head. "And I don't think the Beginners have found Cobb either. Noman didn't look very hopeful at the funeral."

"We'll just have to keep looking, then." I tried to put up a brave front, even though internally I was worried out of my mind.

Suddenly, there was a loud sipping noise. My eyes snapped up on reflex where I saw a floating milk bucket. Someone was invisible in our tent! Veronica and I both sprung into action, loading a bow and whipping out a rapier respectively.

The milk was drank. The invisibility dispelled.

The fisherman revealed.

I felt my breath get stolen away as I lowered my rapier and took a step forward. Cobb stood in place, his emerald eyes cast down as he couldn't dare look at me.

I walked right up to him, our bodies maybe an inch apart. Still, he averted his eyes, ashamed. What did he have to be ashamed of? He wasn't the one who let his king down.

I blinked past tears as I tilted his head up to finally get a good look at him.

He had changed. He looked more mature now, even though it had only been a few months since he fled Ringwood. His eyes were colder, more distant. Dark rings formed from many sleepless nights. A product of Jade's betrayal. I placed a hand on his chest and felt his broken heart beating anxiously. The bright emotion and fond silliness had been beaten out of him. He was stronger for it. Wiser too. But hardly the same. I wasn't looking at a wide-eyed newb anymore.

"Cobb…" I spoke full of sympathy, lifting a hand to touch his face. No tears leaked from him. Had he already cried it all out?

"Erin's—" He cut off with a hitched breath and I could already tell what he was going to say. "She's gone, Wynn. I'm sorry."

And then the dam broke. I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around Cobb. He accepted wordlessly, hugging me just as tightly and rubbing my back as I openly sobbed. Veronica politely turned away and stood guard at the tent entrance, ensuring we wouldn't be disturbed.

"I'm so sorry…" Cobb mumbled into my ivory hair.

"F-For what?" I asked back.

"For Erin." He closed his eyes. "I ran to the Northern District. Everything was burning. And when I got to your mansion, I saw—" He cut off with a high-pitched sound coming from the back of his throat. "I was too late. I wasn't here for you. I should've been here for you. I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you needed me. I'm so, so sorry, Wynn. I'm sorry."

"How…" My chest hitched. "H-How did she die…? Did you see who—?"

"The fires." The words sounded dragged out of him. "It was the fires that got her."

…That didn't make any sense.

Erin was smart enough to avoid the fires. There was a pond in our backyard and an underground base under the outhouse. She could have gone to either to extinguish herself.

There was also a pair of obsidian blocks at the mansion's ruins. That had been the only clue. Someone had blocked the backdoor with obsidian. It survived the fire even if the rest of the mansion didn't.

I pushed away from Cobb to look him in the eye. "Who was it, Cobb?" I demanded. "Who was the one that killed Erin? Was it the Lieutenant with the green hair? She was there, right?"

"There's no one to revenge yourself on." He asserted with distant eyes. "I'm sorry, but Erin died in the fires."

My lips quivered and I gripped his shoulders tight. "What happened? Why were you missing for a week?"

Cobb shook his head. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. I should have been. I should of."

"Answer the questions!" I yelled suddenly, the noise likely attracting attention, though I cared little. "Who killed Erin!? Why can't you say it!? What did you do!? Why did Ember want me to pass you a message!?"

"Ember—?" Shock flitted across Cobb's face. "What message—?"

"She spared me so I could tell you who spared me!" I screeched, tears pouring down my face. "That's the only reason why I'm alive and Miles and Deo and Iron_Lung and Showers are dead! Because I knew you!" I broke down, beating futilely at his chest. "That's not enough to deserve to live… It's not…"

He hugged me tightly and I just sobbed into his hoodie, him repeating the same stupid words that strangely soothed me.

"I'm so sorry. I should have stopped her. I should have been with you."

"…I'm sorry too." I apologized.

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"For Jade." I could feel his back stiffen. "I'm sorry she broke your heart, Cobb. I'm so sorry."

"…Was my own fault." He mumbled into my hair. "You told me not to trust anyone. You're smart like that. I didn't listen, but now I know better. I'm never trusting anyone else ever again."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that wasn't what I meant. He was clearly hurting. We both were.

"You truly cared for her, didn't you?" I guessed. He gave a shaky nod. "You offered her your heart." Another shaky nod. "I'm so sorry, Cobb. You didn't deserve what she did to you. And she's going to pay for it." I pulled myself back and held his face with both hands so he could see my fierce amber eyes. "Justice will come. For her, for Ember, and for the whole Endward Cult someday. I swear to you."

"I know." He nodded with empty eyes. "I know."

---

"It was reckless of you to come up here."

"I had to see you. And I picked up some invisibility potions from an alchemist shop."

"You mean you stole them?"

"I left emeralds on the counter." He sighed. "Not like it matters with how things look."

"…You're right." I sighed. The two of us sat at my desk, just talking. After our one-sided sob session was done and both of us felt better, we distracted ourselves with idle talk. Cobb told me about some of his adventures in other Kingdoms and why he had such a high bounty on his head. Carys_Angel was the Angel of Death and she survived her fiery demise (Cobb allowed me a well-deserved 'I told you so'). I told him about the state of Ringwood and—reluctantly—about the night of the attack.

"You said Ember had a diamond rapier?"

I nodded. "She's a better fencer than me. She wasn't even trying and was able to fend off two Captains. I caught sight of her EXP Level. It's… it's unreal, Cobb." I shook my head. "She's at Level 105. I don't think she's ever enchanted anything in her life. She's just been stockpiling for however long she's been alive."

"I'll keep that in mind." He said. I could tell by his expression he was thinking of how to combat her.

"You can't fight her, Cobb." I implored. "Please. If you have to listen to anything, listen to this. She was faster and stronger than me without trying, and that's with fighting two Captain-level opponents at once. She could have easily killed me like she did Showers. You don't stand a chance."

"…I know."

"Then why are you making that face like you're going to try?" I accused, pointing at his determined expression. "This isn't like in Halstatt. Alec lacked combat ability. Ember's different. You can't hope to beat her in close range. If you have to, long range is your best bet, but even then she's so fast… She's bound to have a counter ready."

"She's stronger than Carys." He said to himself. "And she can see through lies."

"Where'd you hear that?"

He ignored that question.

"What about Carys' presence in Ringwood? Do you think her alliance is really a trick? The Endward Cult are her enemies too."

He also ignored that question.

"What are you going to do about Ringwood?" He asked instead. "Is a new king going to be elected or…?"

"I… I'm not sure. Normally a king or queen would handpick an heir to succeed them. Then, in the event they stepped down or, in this case, died, the heir would be elevated to monarch. If there is no heir apparent, the choice is left up to the council to select a candidate." I shook my head. "There's never been a precedent where Ringwood's been without a monarch, an heir, AND the entirety of the council. I can't even ask the senior Captain since he's gone too."

"Geez…" Cobb murmured. "Couldn't you elect yourself? You're already taking charge—"

"I'm not worthy enough to be a Queen." I cut him off. "This is only temporary. I—" I paused to weigh my words. "I'm not so sure it's a better idea to hold out and hope citizens return or abandon the Kingdom entirely."

"You want to run?"

"I have to preserve what little we have left." I clarified. "We have less than 1% of the population remaining. We don't know how many are dead or ran away. Daymonte's assistance can't sustain us forever, and I'd rather not split their forces in case the Endward Cult decides to target them next. I'm sure King Rotjes and the council in Daymonte are thinking the same." I shook my head. "They're only extending their aid because we helped them with Alec and because Veronica is sticking her neck out."

Cobb tilted his head to look at me. "It's not your fault, you know."

"I was there." I protested. "I was in the same room as His Eminence and Princess Deo. I could've done more. I could've stopped her."

"If anyone's to blame, it's me." He spoke, his voice heavy with guilt. "Jade took advantage of my mercy and brought Ember all the information she needed to attack. Erin and Miles' deaths are on my hands and you've had to inherit my mistakes." He didn't shed a tear, but he rested his forehead on his fists. "I understand the position you've been forced into, Wynn. I know what it's like to have others look to you to lead them when you don't want the burden. I was picked to lead the Beginners because I was the most trusted. The responsibility to keep my guild alive has been daunting."

"But I haven't lost faith in you." He said, the words providing an unbelievable source of comfort. "If you choose to lead, you'll find that others haven't lost faith in you either. They'll step up—just like my guild—and reach out to support you." He shrugged. "You can opt to leave it to someone else, but I don't think there's a person alive that would make a better leader than you. You're dutiful. You're smart. You can skewer a man's balls." I burst out into laughter for perhaps the first time since the attack. "And… if it's alright to say it… I think the fallen Kings and Captains would want you too."

Just when I thought I cried myself out, I found tears leaking out of both eyes. I wiped at them with my arm, smiling softly.

"Thank you, Cobb."

I sucked in a calming breath and waited for the tears to cease. I took control of my hitched breathing and gave my ivory hair a quick flip to dispel the somberness. The time for mourning was over. I had to hold my head high. To give up now would be like spitting on those that died and letting Ember win.

"WorkingMann." I suddenly said.

"…What?" Cobb faltered.

"WorkingMann. He was the King before Miles." I explained. "He's also the one who rescued me and made me a Captain. He stepped down as King a while ago, but he might know the traditions on how we can elect a new monarch."

"Is he still in the Kingdom?"

"He retired to one of the outlying villages." I said. "He won't want to return to the throne, but he was beloved in his time. The people won't dispute any heir he elects. He'd also be a valuable advisor."

"Now that's thinking on your feet." Cobb nodded, impressed. His eyes darted as there was a sudden shout from the front of the tent.

"Hey, Bitters and Solara!" Veronica shouted loudly. "Funny seeing you here outside Wynn's tent! What are you doing outside Wynn's tent?"

"…Trying to get inside Wynn's tent?" Bitters said in bemusement. "Are you feeling alright, Captain?"

"Of course I'm feeling alright outside Wynn's tent!" Veronica spoke louder. "Thank you for asking, Bitters trying to get INTO WYNN'S TENT!"

"I should go." Cobb said quickly, pulling out an invisibility potion.

"Wait." I said, rummaging into my backpack and holding out some green dye. "Here. So you can dye yourself a new leather tunic."

He passed a hand over his unarmored chest and nodded in fond remembrance. "Green. Ringwood's colors." He accepted the dye. "I'll wear it with pride."

"I know you will." I waved my hand. "Now get out of here, you scoundrel. And try and get some more sleep."

He nodded before downing the potion and vanishing into thin air. Not a moment too soon, as Bitters, Solara, and Veronica swept into the tent. They missed Cobb's footsteps exiting behind them.

"Captain, we came to report—" Solara paused, spotting the dried tracts of tears on my face. "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am. We can give you some privacy and come back—"

"It's alright, Solara." I waved down her protests, feeling the weight in the back of my throat lessen. "I just learned that Erin perished in the fires." Solara gasped while Bitters closed his eyes in stoic silence.

"I'm so sorry, Wynn." Veronica spoke sadly. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Yes." I said firmly. "I'd like to prepare a private funeral for her tomorrow. After that, we can arrange an envoy to Denzel's Grove to meet with WorkingMann. We need a former King's guidance on how to move forward from this. Can you handle that, Bitters?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Bitters saluted before hurrying out to make the necessary arrangements. Solara and Veronica remained.

"Are you sure you're alright, ma'am." Solara asked.

"I'm grieving." I answered instead. "All of Ringwood is grieving. But… people still have faith in me." I gave a watery smile, the burdens lifting slightly from my shoulders following my talk with Cobb. "I can't let them down."

The two women smiled supportively. They still believed I could lead Ringwood.

"So, you said you had a report?" I asked.

"Oh, yes!" Solara held out a book. "Good news. The group from Nitebane are offering us troops and aid and would like to meet with you tomorrow."

My lips pressed into a thin line. Before my talk with Cobb, the news would have been a huge relief. Now, knowing a criminal was behind the Paragons and the activity in Nitebane, it made me think twice about making any deals with them.

But what choice do I have? We can't reject aid.

---

[Floyd]

Instead of meeting back up at Soul's place, Lenz suggested we talk in the privacy of the Inhouse—the pristine white bunker Lenz constructed under the outhouse by Wynn's mansion. There was no mansion anymore after the fires burned the place down to the foundations, but the outhouse was left untouched due to its distance from the hedges and wooden structures. It was the only standing structure left in the Northern District. Everything else was ash.

It was already dark out. Each of us stepped inside the outhouse and clicked the wooden button to open the floor and fall into the cushioning pool of the Inhouse. Noman's reaction was the best, having never seen our secret base.

We were greeted by a large, pristine, white room made out of nether quartz and lit by a series of redstone lamps along the ceiling. In the center of the room was a sofa made up of wooden stairs and red carpet. There was a small table along with chests, a crafting table, and a shelf containing item frames.

There was the wall overflowing with levers, buttons, repeaters, and dispensers. All of them were labeled by signs, indicating their uses. Then the odd redstone contraptions hanging from the ceiling that Lenz never bothered to explain.

The kitchen sat in the corner with an island-counter, ten furnaces, a fridge, a set of brewing stands, and a cake button recently filled by… Erin. She must have kept the place tidy and stocked while we were gone. She didn't have to, but she did it anyway on top of her housekeeping duties for Wynn. (Just the idea of her darting about the Inhouse, dusting and tidying for our sakes, left a dull pang in my gut.)

Towers of bookshelves were arranged in the corner along with some modest reading chairs, an enchanting table and anvil, and little desk lamps. Cobb, carrying some green wool, made a copy of the Beginner's banner and placed it against the notice board on the back wall, right beside a large map of Minecraftia.

The massive room led out into a small hall with six or seven doors that were bedrooms intended for future Beginners. Noman tentatively picked out one of the vacant ones while the rest of us visited our old rooms.

It was a miracle the place survived the attack. Even if the caretaker hadn't.

"Cat-Face!" Soul cooed, finding the black and white feline with green eyes waiting in his room. It was the same cat that kept the Creepers away during the Creeper Herd attack. Cat-Face meowed in greeting before bounding up into Soul's waiting arms and pushing its head into his chest, purring loudly.

Lenz and I hid a snicker, but Noman made the critical mistake.

"Oh, that's so adorable—"

Red eyes flashed angrily. "What, you thinking a guy can't get chummy with cats and be manly at the same time? Huh!?" Soul held Cat-Face protectively. "Cats are manly! Cats have claws! They're the epitome of indifference, just like me!" He held up Cat-Face by the front paws, the simple cat blinking serenely at Noman. "There's nothing adorable about this!"

"Uh… sorry, sorry. My mistake." Noman apologized before leaving Soul's room and going to Cobb's with some wooden planks and iron ingots. "Cobb, can I get the Beginner banner real quick?"

"Uh, I gotta make a copy." He took out the banner with the Beginners symbol emblazoned over it: A Crafting Table over a green backdrop. He put sticks and green wool together before then copying the banner and handing one to Noman. "What do you need it for?"

"I needed a new shield." He explained, popping an iron ingot and planks into a Crafting Table to make a brand new shield. His last one had been lost to the Withers. Then, he combined the banner to give his shield the Beginners' symbol. "There we go. Have to represent, right?"

We all needed new gear. Lenz needed armor even if he was too frail to carry anything heavier than chainmail. Not to mention arrows. Noman had given him his Infinity bow, but Lenz insisted he needed a regular bow.

"Infinity arrows cannot trigger buttons or pressure plates." He explained. "There is no substance. As an engineer, having solid arrows is just as important as having an infinite supply."

"I wonder if Tinker ever made an archery weapon?" Noman wondered aloud.

"Oh, I would love to have a battleaxe." Soul said greedily. "I hear they have a knockback effect. And they look so cool."

"I saw 4Blite's." Noman nodded. "The cult seems to have a preference for the blacksmith's works."

"…What do you mean?" Cobb asked sharply.

"Well, Ember had the rapier, Leadstripe had the dagger, J—the cutlass," he hastily amended, even though Cobb caught it. "And 4Blite had a battleaxe. They employ Tinker's weapons."

Cobb wasn't listening anymore, though. Instead, his head was tilted down and he was murmuring under his breath. "…he had a regular diamond axe last time."

"Must've leveled up." Soul shrugged.

Cobb didn't say anything more on the subject, instead turning our focus to our backpacks and the jumbled mess of items within.

"If we're going to go after the Endward Cult, we can't have pointless stuff weighing us down." He pulled out some ender chests he 'found' in the abandoned markets. "What's the recipe for these things anyway? Is it just eight obsidian in a chest shape? They're useful to have in case we need extra Inventory space."

"Cobbert," Lenz began hesitantly. "We need to discuss the alliance with the Paragons."

"…Right." He hissed, stopping what he was doing and joining everybody in the main room. "So, we're not doing it."

The outright rejection was expected, but he spoke it like it wasn't even a question. As if there was no need for discussion.

I knew this wouldn't be easy. I thought.

"Listen, Cobb." Noman spoke measuredly. "I know you and Carys don't—"

"Wait. No, no, no." Cobb bolted up, his eyes flicking to each of our faces and seeing the same thing. "You're all against me on this? You all think any kind of alliance she offers is genuine?"

"If she wanted us dead, she would have killed us today." Soul pointed out.

"She was trying to kill us today until I fought her off."

"Cobb. She had us outnumbered. All her best Paragons were there. She had a Hacker." I stressed. "One with better control of his powers. If she chose to continue, I would have stalled out and died first. Then Soul or Lenz. Then you, then Noman. You would have suffered, and she could have gone on her merry way."

"You don't know that." He gritted. "And you make it sound like we wouldn't have taken any of them down. We could have killed that Baltic guy and Noman could have used his Severe Shield to take out a few others."

"So then both sides would have lost fighters." Lenz speculated. "And that is not what Carys desires. That is why they stopped."

"We think this alliance is genuine." Noman added. "They know about the artifacts and what they can do. They know the cult is targeting us for our Billionth status. They think we know where Herobrine is." He frowned to himself. "That's the only reason Ember and Jade let us live this long." Cobb tightened his fist at the name drop. "It's the only reason we're alive."

"I thought we were alive because our guild could handle anything." He accused, his voice sounding betrayed. "We're the Beginners. The ACC, the Berserkers, the Paragons, the Hackers, the Withers. None of them could kill us because of our own strength. We'll overcome the Endward Cult the same way. We don't need the Paragons to—"

"We are five people against a widespread organization." Lenz spoke bluntly, cutting Cobb off. "They have more men. They have structure. They have weapons—more weapons if Ember obtains whatever Herobrine left her. We cannot fight them all by ourselves."

Cobb clicked his tongue before starting to pace back and forth furiously.

"Carys has obliterated a quarter of the cult. That's one more quarter than we have." Soul said. "She has a Kingdom in her back pocket—two if we're counting Zeppil. Her guild is one of the Big Three."

"Well if she's so great, why don't you all join up with her!?" Cobb snapped angrily.

"Cobb!" Noman gasped, hurt. The rest of us felt the same. He was never this aggressive.

"Well it sounds like you've already made up your mind, so why are you asking me for?" He snarled, pacing back and forth like an incensed dog.

Soul stood up with a scowl. "If you'd bothered to stick around earlier, you would know why we need this."

"We don't need this!"

"Yes we do! The Endward Cult is too powerful!"

"How would you know!? You weren't even here when we needed you—!"

There was a rush of movement before Soul's fist struck Cobb right in the face. The fisherman fell back against the couch and we all shouted in alarm, but Soul placed both hands on the armrests, trapping Cobb, before leaning forward so his hot breath washed over his face.

"You think I haven't thought about that?" Soul hissed through his teeth. "You think I haven't been berating myself when I could've been with you from the start. I would have killed Jade the second she showed her true colors. If I was there, I could have stopped all this. Instead I was in Akasha trying to fix someone else." Cobb glared back defiantly. "I get that you're having trust issues and dealing with a broken heart and grief, but the rest of us are going through our own kind of shit, yet we can still think clearly when it matters."

He pushed off the couch angrily, glaring down at Cobb who had since gone eerily still.

"We. Don't. Trust. Carys." He punctuated each word. "We trust you. And we're not stupid enough to lower our guard again after Jade. We know how much the two of you hate each other's guts, so don't think we're stupid enough to forget all that. It's insulting."

Cobb closed his eyes, taking in an even breath.

"You can't deny that she's been at this longer than we have. She's had the time to build up her forces." Soul outlined. "She's strong. I haven't fought her like you, so you probably have a better idea on that." He nodded in understanding. "But like it or not, we need the Paragons to destroy the Endward Cult once and for all."

Cobb leaned forward, resting his arms between his legs, and stared at the floor. His green eyes were dark and contemplative, rolling everything Soul said inside his head.

"Carys already made it clear that the Endward Cult is the bigger threat." Soul said. "What do you think? Paragons or Endward Cult?"

"The Paragons." Cobb spoke without question, earning a collective groan. "The Paragons are the bigger threat."

"You are only thinking in terms of our safety." Lenz chimed in. "The Endward Cult is a threat to every Crafter living in Minecraftia. However, the Paragons—or more specifically, Carys—is a threat to us. You refuse to work with her because she desires our deaths and your suffering."

"And what's wrong with that?" He snapped. "You know what she wants. You saw how eagerly she wanted a fight. This alliance is just a trick to kill you all. She only wants to use us as bait!"

"Then we use her right back." I said, seeing a different way to convince Cobb. I saw him perk up.

"What do you mean?"

"We can use her as bait." I repeated. "The Endward Cult knows who she is. The Hackers too." My gaze slid to Noman who lit up in understanding. "She doesn't know that. And she'd make a big enough distraction to lure the Hackers away."

"The artifacts!" Noman caught on. "Cobb, there are two artifacts at the Obelisk."

"There are?" He was eager to forget about Carys, though Soul looked troubled at the mention of the Obelisk.

Noman nodded. "If Carys is planning on using us as bait, I see no reason why we can't do the same. We can use her to draw the Endward Cult and Hack Clan out into the open. Then we can sneak in and grab the artifacts."

"And the artifacts would give us a better chance against Carys…" Cobb spoke to himself, his mind elsewhere. "If we get all nine, we could destroy the cult ourselves. We wouldn't need her anymore."

"Uh… well… we'd still need her forces—"

"We could banish her across Minecraftia with a flick of a stick." Cobb went on. "We could blow her up. Inflict her with permanent wither effect. We could warp her off a cliff. Burn her. Freeze out her armor."

"…What is he talking about?" I spoke aside to Noman.

"He's referencing what all the artifacts can do. Here." He passed me the Artifact List. "See for yourself."

I randomly flipped the book open to a page, reading the strange names and descriptions.

Voda Shlem…?

As I read more, however, my eyes widened.

"I've seen this before." I said aloud, earning everyone's attention. "This artifact. This blue leather cap. Teal used it when we fought her in Nitebane."

"Yeah, Ciro said something similar." Noman spoke uncomfortably. "The Endward Cult possessing an artifact is a real problem."

"We'll just have to steal it off of her, then." Cobb announced. "Soul, Floyd, Teal's part of the Eastern Division, right? Where is that?"

"Oak Docks." Soul said immediately. "That's what Attila said anyway."

"Then we'll go to Oak Docks." Cobb nodded, though Lenz gave a noticeable shudder. "We'll find the Eastern Division and get our hands on the Voda Shlem. Then we can worry about the Hackers and the artifacts they got."

"We'll have to use Carys and the Paragons, though." I repeated, causing Cobb to stiffen. "We'll keep our guard up. We will. And we'll use her influence and resources only until we've gathered all the artifacts." Noman made to protest, but I shot him a look to be quiet. I knew we would still need the Paragons for any real chance at beating the cult, but the priority for now was convincing Cobb. The Paragons would need an answer in the morning. An answer from our leader. "This alliance will only be temporary, Cobb. We understand the risks. We're still on your side… we're still your World."

Those words alone seemed to calm him down. He relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes.

"…Do what you want." He muttered before turning his back and walking to the Inhouse exit. "Just so long as you keep her the hell away from me."

As the fisherman was rocketed to the surface via slime blocks, it was as good as an approval we'd get from him.

---

[Cobb]

What the hell are they thinking?

My thoughts were a swirling torrent as I kicked open the outhouse door and paced the backyard, prowling around the pond with hunched shoulders.

Have they forgotten what she tried to do to them?

I wanted to scream and rage about the ridiculousness of it all. An alliance with Carys!? And alliance with CARYS!?

I didn't want an alliance with anyone. I was done putting my faith in others. Only five people mattered. That was my World. Everything else was not my problem. I closed myself off from all but those five. Those five were the only ones I could truly trust.

And yet, it sounded like everyone was against me! Everyone! Even Wynn thought the alliance was genuine. It didn't matter that I knew better, they all just jumped on top of me!

Has everyone lost their minds!?

Blood: You can't rely on anyone but yourself...

It was starting to look that way. Oh sure, they said they'd be cautious. They said they'd be careful. But shouldn't they have been that way from the bloody start!? If they had, Jade wouldn't of—

I found myself stood before a two-block high obsidian structure. It was what Jade used to barricade the door when she escaped. Wynn's mansion had burned down, but the obsidian was still there. A bitter reminder of who had been there and what she had taken.

I rammed a fist into the volcanic glass, feeling my bones creak painfully from the unyielding block.

I ignored the pain as I pulled back the same fist and slammed it back. Again and again, snarling through broken fingers as I took out all my anger of the stubborn block. It stood as defiant as ever, requiring something stronger than flesh and bone to be broken. No matter how hard I hit it, no matter how many blows I rained down, it wouldn't budge.

I beat the obsidian until my right hand was a mangled mess. The pain didn't bother me. Anger and rage had shoved pain aside. It made me belligerent. It made me a better fighter. I didn't need a Heart. I didn't need to feel pain or grief or loss.

And I didn't need Carys_Angel.

---

[Obelisk]

Two men rode across the savannah south.

One of the men, Sdrawkcab, was the picture of calm. His blue suit was tidy and free of dust and he looked more at home addressing an audience at a podium than he did galloping across a savannah. He kept his light-brown hair spiked at the front, though the biome's harsh climate built up a sheen of sweat along his forehead. He dabbed at it with a block of ice to cool off, offering his companion the same.

The other man, Boric_Shaww, looked far out of his depth. He awkwardly refused the proffered block of ice, but only because he was unsure of how to act with Sdrawkcab. The man was the King of Exter! What was even the etiquette for when a king invited you for a horseback ride beyond Exter's border?

It started off fantastical enough. The king had requested an audience with Boric. He was just an average guy living in Exter, and yet the king wanted to meet him. It was so surreal! And when Boric finally met with him, the king dismissed his royal guards and waited for them to filter out before asking Boric something in private.

"Have you ever wondered about those dark lines over your eyes?"

Boric hadn't. He never really bothered wondering about those lines, figuring they were makeup or something. He didn't think they were anything special.

And yet they were. They denoted him as a Hacker.

Boric didn't believe it at first. Hackers were those feared superbeings living in the savannah. They wielded dark smoke and used it to do unspeakable things. They attacked during the Stigmata Wars and killed King Zipshin and so many other kings all across Minecraftia. They were an existence to be feared and spoken of only in hushed whispers.

He worked as a waiter for heaven's sake! How could he compare to one of those malevolent superhumans?

However, Sdraw assured him he was in fact a Hacker. His powers had yet to manifest but would appear in time depending on his emotional and mental state. How he knew that was beyond Boric, but the king had a way to prove it.

That was what led them to their current weeklong horseback ride. Boric wasn't privy to much of the details and Sdraw refused to explain himself further. He didn't even bring any royal guards with him.

However, the further they went… and the closer they got to that dreaded stone monument, the more certain Boric felt that they were heading to the Hack Clan's domain.

It was a horrible idea. The Hackers were already Akasha's problem—the Mess Kingdom had to offer tribute once or month of face destruction—without throwing Exter into the mix. Did any of the guards even know the king was out doing this?

Finally, Boric put his foot down. He slowed his horse to a stop and beseeched the mad king to consider the consequences of such a trip. The Hack Clan would obliterate the two of them, regardless if Boric was a Hacker or not—which he still didn't believe.

Sdraw countered by swearing that Boric would be perfectly safe.

"If anyone's at risk of dying, it's me." Sdraw said.

That didn't make Boric feel any better. He drew the line, saying that if Sdraw took one step further, Boric would turn his horse around and flee in the opposite direction. He had his own safety to worry about.

After a moment, Sdraw accepted Boric's terms and turned his horse around. Then, with the Obelisk in sight over the next ridge…

Sdraw set down a series of fireworks.

Boric paled when he saw the colorful rockets fire off into the night sky and explode in a shower of dazzling lights. The colors and noises stuck out sharply. It would be like a beacon to the Hackers.

Without delay, Boric spurred his steed in the opposite direction and galloped away while Sdraw dismounted his horse and knelt submissively in the dry, savannah grass. He clearly had a death wish, but Boric wanted to live.

He made it about fifty meters out before a stream of blue flames erupted and stretched high like a wall, barring his path. He had never seen blue fire before, but it quickly spread amongst the dry grass and made it impossible for the man to flee. He turned his horse around, but two more walls of blue flame erupted from the savannah, effectively boxing him back towards Sdraw.

Then, in the light of the blue flames, figures wreathed in dark smoke emerged. Hackers. Four of them, with a fifth floating down from the sky. Boric fell off his horse in fright, crawling backwards on hands and knees. As scared as he was, he couldn't look away from the Hackers' faces.

He noted the similar dark lines over the eyes.

The Hackers noticed too. Where at first they looked cold and aggressive, upon noticing Boric's Hacker lines, their faces switched to surprise, then relief, then finally warmth.

"Brother!" One of the Hackers—a female with gold boots—exclaimed before running towards Boric. The man threw both hands up over his head and shut his eyes in terror, only to feel a tight embrace as the Hacker enveloped him in a crushing hug. "I'm so sorry I almost burned you! I didn't realize who you were!"

"Serafina, quit smothering him! Can't you see the poor dear is terrified?" Another female Hacker chastised before coming over and crouching down to Boric's level. She had a motherly aura about her. "Hey there. My name is Hannah. Hannah_Harper. But you can call me your big sister. We're Hackers." She traced the lines over her eyes. "Just like you."

Boric trembled like a leaf as the two Hackers observed him closely. No comforting words or gestures could mask the fact that these were killers standing by him. They had powers beyond his imagination—like those walls of blue fire. And one of them was floating and all their attention was on him and he just wanted to go back home and wait tables, wishing he'd never followed Sdraw in the first place—!

Boric conked out from the overload of thoughts, Hannah and Serafina fussing over him worriedly.

"Hey, what about this guy?" One of the other Hackers piped up, closer to Sdraw. "His eyes are shut, but he's got no lines. We can kill him, right?"

"I delivered one of your brethren to you." Sdraw spoke up, still kneeling in the grass submissively. "Have I done something wrong?"

"Your existence angers us, worm." Another Hacker said, kicking Sdraw harshly and knocking him on his side. "You didn't 'deliver' anything. It was a happy accident that one of our brothers showed up. For us. And it was a grave mistake for you to set off fireworks within our sight."

"I was merely signaling you so as not to face the entire Hack Clan." Sdraw explained, wincing through the pain yet remaining submissive in both posture and tone. Aggression would only bring destruction. "A smaller number would be more approachable."

"So you planned for us to come out here and kill you?" The same Hacker laughed. "You must have a death wish."

"I see I've upset you by bringing you one of your lost brothers." Sdraw spoke quickly. "The blunder is mine—one I will not repeat with the others I've tracked down."

"No talking your way out of this, Shut-Eyes!" The Hacker proclaimed before rearing back a fist coated in smoke, radiating destructive power.

The flying Hacker—Entity 303—intercepted the strike with his own body, the strength behind the blow dissipating completely. The striking Hacker balked and fell back, his own smoke momentarily shutting off.

"303? Wh-Why did you get in the way…?"

Entity 303 ignored the question and instead whirled around and seized Sdraw by the collar of his suit. He dragged the shut-eyed man off his knees and into the air. Then, with a flick of his finger, shot forth five smoky projectiles that orbited the pair in violent trails that whipped up the wind. It was like a miniature hurricane with Sdraw and Entity 303 in the middle.

Entity 303's voice growled/echoed in the night. "What others have you tracked down?"

"I know things." Sdraw's voice became more measured and steadier, as if he wasn't being suspended in a swirling vortex of deadly Hacker missiles that whipped faster and faster around them. "I know that a Hacker shirked his recruiting duties at the Origin and cost you many of your brothers and sisters. Now they are scattered across Minecraftia and you don't have Sandra's long-distance and X-ray eyes to help you search. Yes," he said quickly to stave off Entity 303's anger, "I know about that. I know things. Things that will anger and upset you, but also things that will intrigue and interest you, including where some of your missing brothers and sisters are living, lost and afraid, but also alive. Boric was but one. I can bring you more. I can help you find your lost family. That is," he tilted his head slightly, "if you'd spare my life for just a few moments and let me explain myself?"

Entity 303 narrowed his eyes from beneath his pale hood. "A silver tongue and honeyed words. You remind me of Herobrine." The smoke missiles whipped faster, closing in on Sdraw dangerously.

"Fitting, as I was his protégé." Sdraw admitted, even though it only made the missiles whip more violently. "I'm also an Executive of his Endward Cult."

"He made pawns out of us to eliminate the kings." The anger was clear in 303's growl/echo. "He manipulated us and only lived because my powers couldn't harm him. Are you as durable as your master?"

"No." Sdraw spoke simply. "I am as mortal as any man. I have no tricks. No powers. No hope of survival should you decide to kill me." He smiled serenely. "All I have is my intellect and my beliefs to sustain me. I don't believe you'll kill me today. I believe I have piqued your curiosity enough to earn an audience. I have more to say—more that will anger you, and more that will motivate you—and it is no exaggeration to say that the information I possess will change the way you perceive Bounty Days."

"And if you're wrong?" 303 growled/echoed. "If I decide to just kill you now and prevent another serpent from slipping filthy words into our ears, what then?"

"Then… I made a mistake." He accepted. "I mistakenly thought I could reason with superior beings with the proper amount of barter. Upon my death, it will become a lesson etched into my soul."

"What are you rambling about? There won't be a lesson to learn from when you're dead."

"On the contrary." Sdraw countered. "The Endward Cult believes in Next Life. When you pass from this world, you move onto another. But I see it in a different sense. From the nostalgic feelings all Crafters possess, we feel our experiences from a past life. We feel them, but we can't recall them. They are lost to our memory, but not our instinct. Therein lies the true worth in Next Life."

"I believe that for each life we pass through, we build up experience. Experience we cannot remember but experience we can feel. An archer in this life would have a strange talent for the bow in the next life. No memories to speak of, and yet it would just feel natural. I'm sure I was a politician in a past life, and my ascension to king is just the natural path my soul takes. Just so you know, I'm—"

"I know you're the King of Exter. I keep abreast of current events when my brothers and sisters could be out there at any time." 303 shot back. "It's also how I know I have leverage over you, since 'Endward Cult Executive' and 'King' are two titles that should not overlap."

Sdraw smiled. "Perhaps it was my intention to give you dirt on me? That way you know you can trust me not to betray you. One word and you could ruin me."

"One word and I can have my Clan ruin all of Exter. I don't need your charity."

"But you do need food." Sdraw shot back, making 303's eyes widen. "Granted, you may have an excess following your siege of Akasha, but I'm willing to bet you're not the farming type and that you slaughtered the livestock without any thought of breeding them."

303's silence was telling.

"Yes, you can kill me." Sdraw accepted. "But my soul will endure. The soul will always endure. And it will take this lesson to heart: I cannot negotiate from a position of weakness." He gestured to the Hacker floating him off the ground and the five smoky missiles thrashing around them… though were they starting to slow down? "The only reason I push myself past my limits is so that my soul can gain more experience for the following life. My soul was made to hold influence and political power and intellect. Any experience that nurtures such growth and truly tests its mettle is welcome. This was as much a test of my limits as it was a genuine offer of an alliance!"

"Alliance!?" Serafina crowed from below, finally fed up with Sdraw's monologue. "Listen here, bug! Us Hackers look out for our own! And maybe Griefers if we're feeling generous! But Crafters and cultists are peasants compared to us! There's nothing you have that we would suffer an alliance for!"

"Do you know what Bounty Days mean for your fellow Hackers?" Sdraw asked. "Do you know the name of the Billionth that killed Alec in Halstatt? Do you know how Sandra and Winslow perished?"

"They're not dead! Nobody in Akasha saw them die!"

"I heard otherwise." Sdraw noted. "All I'm asking for is an audience. Time for me to explain the benefits of an alliance with us."

The swirling missiles of smoke whipping around him slowed down to a tranquil pace before 303 fired them off far away. They blasted apart dirt and grass instead of Sdraw. 303 still held him aloft.

"They're dead then?" He asked solemnly. "Winslow and Sandra? They're both gone?"

"…I'm certain." Sdraw nodded.

Slowly, 303 lowered the two of them to the ground. Sdraw stood up under his own power and 303 released his blue suit.

"…I will acknowledge that you brought one of my lost brethren." 303 growled/echoed. "You will have your audience. Only after will I decide whether or not to kill you on the spot."

Sdraw nodded. "All I ask for is a chance."

---

AN: No Inventory list here. I'm saving it for next Chapter.

Typing this out, there was a lot I had to address. I'm hoping I got a few laughs with the interactions between Cobb and Carys. There'll be more of that next Chapter. There was so much going on I had to split it up, not just so the audience can process it all, but to give the characters a little time to process things as well. This isn't just a decision that can be greenlit in the same chapter. Cobb very clearly doesn't like this and is already contemplating the quickest way out of the alliance. Or else he wants to make it as least unpleasant as he can.

Most of the support for this alliance is coming from the calmer minds. Noman, who can forgive, and Lenz, who thinks pragmatically. Soul can see the benefit, but he and Floyd aren't eager to trust again after Jade. And an alliance with an enemy is the worst thing for a fisherman with recently developed trust issues.

Also, Sdraw is on the move. A few of you guessed he was off to negotiate with the Hack Clan. Just as Cobb and Carys are seeking shaky alliances, so are the Endward Cult and the Hack Clan. Just a bit of parallels to draw. It's why there can be no better title to this Chapter than 'Enemy of my Enemy.' It was either that or, 'I don't like you, you don't like me, we're an unhappy family.'

The former rolls off the tongue better.

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