AN: Sorry this is a day late. The site was going through some problems and I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. It's nothing serious (I don't think). Maybe just anxiety over all the crap going on nowadays.

The Capitol Building got stormed. That's a little time capsule stamp to show when in history this Chapter was published. It's also a New Year. 2021. Let's hope things are better than last year.

The Chapter might feel rushed, but that actually plays to the theme.

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

Chapter 176

Soul's Tale

[Floyd]

"What happened?"

The demand was made with my sclerae blackened and dark smoke pouring out of my eyes. My voice even seemed to carry a bit of dark power to it as it made the watching Paragons tense, save for Carys and Kalmarin. Noman was too busy retching on the ground, horrified by word that Akasha had been 'attacked by Hackers', and there was 'nothing left'.

Soul had been the only one to stay behind. He refused to abandon Captain Obsidian to his suicidal attempts after he was used and thought to be betrayed by Councilman McGahn. In reality, Jade framed McGahn and got Obsidian to kill the councilman.

The point was that Soul was in the Mesa Kingdom, and likely would have noticed a Hacker attack. That should've been one of the first things he'd share after meeting back up. Instead he kept his mouth shut, and I wanted to know why.

"Soul, what happened in Akasha after we left?"

"Nothing."

"SOUL!"

"Nothing!" He insisted, running a hand through his spiky, brown hair. "Nothing happened, alright! Not a thing!"

"Then what did we hear?"

"You heard a parrot! He's just regurgitating—no, he's making up nonsense." He amended. "He can string words together to make stuff up! That's it! That's all!"

"There's hardly a point to lie to them." Carys interrupted, her face unimpressed by our group's drama. "We all heard the cultist croak his last croak. The Hackers attacked that Mess of a Kingdom and the Endward Cult had to withdraw what they had. Not much, considering the ACC's work…" She muttered to herself.

"I'm not lying!" Soul exclaimed defensively, more towards Noman and me than the Paragons. "I-I'm just as shocked about Akasha as you are! I left the Kingdom before the Hackers arrived!"

"That's a lie if I ever heard one." Anibal commented, and I had to agree with the dark-skinned woman. "You wouldn't be trying to veer us off topic so often if this was the first of you hearing about it—"

"Would you butt out!?" Soul growled. "You choose now to take an interest in our group discussions!?"

"Quit dodging the question, Soul!" I shouted while the last of Noman's retching petered out. He was taking deep breaths to calm down, but his face was still a rictus of horror.

"Wiped out…" He kept muttering to himself. "All those lives…"

"Boy, when these Beginners have an episode, they sure do make it a soap opera." One Paragon noted, earning a chuckle from another. "Got any snacks to watch this with?"

"Tell us what happened! As acting leader, that's an order!"

"I-I don't know!" He stammered. Come to mention it, he looked scared, but not of us. Some haunting memory was replaying in his head and he desperately wanted it to stop.

My eyes snapped shut and my lessons with Kalmarin came to mind. To obtain the Strength Hack, I needed responsibility, independence, and not taking shit from nobody. With those thoughts in mind—and with Soul refusing to say what happened—I decided to take matters into my own smoky hands.

"If you're not going to tell us, then… I'll find out myself!" I declared, a surge of smoke enveloping me after my decision.

"What!? You can't!" Soul exclaimed with alarm.

"Oh yes I can! Speed Hack! I'll see Akasha for myself!" I spoke firmly. The direction was straight south. It would take days of running and stopping, but I'd see the truth with my own eyes. Noman got up on shaky legs and raised a hand.

"…Me too." He volunteered. "I have to know the extent…"

"You guys!" Soul snapped. "You can't just run off! There's… there's nothing there—Nothing wrong, I mean!" He hastily amended. "Just, agh, just hold up!"

"All of you better hold up." Carys halted my burst of Speed, extinguishing my smoke like a bucket of ice water. "Because I know you're not actually considering this fool's errand."

I hesitated when facing her. Independence and responsibility. "I'm going. And you can't stop me."

"Actually, I have a hostage archer that says I can." She retorted.

I stumbled, turning to face her. "I'll be back in a few days. I won't run… away?" The smoke that had coated my body in a thick layer of black was now beginning to rescind. I was taking orders, not making them, and Carys refused to back down when she had all the cards.

"First off, I can't imagine a more pointless waste of my time than traveling hundreds of miles to verify something you can get out of Dr. Do-Quite-A-Little and his ever-expanding animal circus. Secondly, you're not going anywhere without my say-so." Carys rested a hand on her hip. "Not unless you want your archer to go to pieces, anyway."

"Can't you understand that something terrible has happened?" Noman tried, oblivious to Carys' character.

"And what? What? Have you seen Minecraftia? Something terrible is always happening."

"This takes precedence!" I exclaimed, even as the smoke receded into my eyes.

"No, it doesn't." She dismissed. "You can already guess what happened to Akasha based on the information given. You just want to see all the destruction for yourself. So you intend to run all the way there with your half-baked Hack stalling every minute or so to see something you can already guess and risk getting captured by Hackers. What do you gain from that?"

"The truth!"

"If it's the truth you're after, grill your teammate. He obviously knows more than he's letting on. In the meantime, we've been riding all night. We need to vacate this area, find a good spot to camp, and get some much needed rest for tomorrow's death march through the desert."

"But—!"

"You have your orders." She stared me down. "Defy them and see what happens next."

She whistled with her fingers and spun one arm high above her. "Let's wrap it up!"

At her command, the Paragons all busied themselves with packing up, disposing of the dead cultists, and mounting their horses. The three of us were left on our own; Carys trusted we wouldn't dare risk defying her with Lenz hanging in the balance.

She was right.

"Son of a—NGGGGGHHHHHH!" I screamed, firing MultiAura shrapnel into the dirt. No control. No compromise. No responsibility. We were only there to follow her orders. Anything else would be met with reprisals. I wouldn't get the Strength Hack under her thumb, and there was no way I could sneak off to Akasha without anyone noticing.

Soul retreated back to his horse with his cat and parrot in tow. He refused to look at me or Noman, even as I glared into the back of his head. He definitely knew what happened. He knew and he kept it to himself!

"Floyd…" Noman's shaky voice cooled my frustration. "If Akasha really was attacked by Hackers… it's because of us." His blue eyes were wet. "Because we killed Winslow and Sandra. They came looking for them and we… we…" He trailed off with a choked sob. "How could I have messed up so bad!?"

"You did what you had to do." I rushed over and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Hey. Look at me. Look. You protected yourself. Winslow attacked you and you did what you had to do. We did what we had to do. Whatever happened isn't our fault."

"Then… then why is S-Soul trying to spare our feelings…?" He sniffled. "He couldn't tell us because he knew we'd blame ourselves… because it is our fault."

"You shouldn't feel guilty for protecting yourself." I couldn't have Noman thinking like that. "Would you have rather died?"

"Of course not! But…" He brought a hand to his chest. "You told me to counterbalance the evil with something good. I thought I made up for Winslow by preventing any death at the execution grounds, but… But then the evil just balanced it back to something worse!" He sobbed. "If Akasha and its people are truly wiped out, then what can I do to balance things? Should I even try!? What if I just make things worse again!?"

"…You keep trying anyway." I decided. "That's all we can do. You only get out what you put in. If you don't do anything, nothing will happen. You won't blame yourself for anything anymore, true, but you'll only exist in a neutral state forever. No good. No bad. Just… nothing." My eyes strayed to Carys as she mounted her horse. "We can choose to do nothing and accept the way things are… but I'm not satisfied with this." A flicker of smoke came back to my eyes. "I'm not letting her dictate everything we do."

"…I want to see what happened in Akasha." Noman nodded. "But not if it gets Lenz killed. We… we need to pump Soul for information. We have to know the truth."

"My thoughts exactly." I agreed. "We'll start there."

[Soul]

It felt like I was surrounded by enemies.

Now, I know that sounds exaggerated, considering Floyd and Noman were my friends, but thanks to the latest reveal concerning Akasha, I knew I couldn't talk to them without any mention of what went down. I could tell by their looks, they wanted me to spill. It got so uncomfortable that when I built our cobblestone shelter to sleep in, I had to move my bed outside.

The Paragons were no help. In fact, some of the low-end Paragons sat down and watched our group interactions like it was an engaging drama. Even Kalmarin seemed to keep an eye on us. Carys and Anibal largely ignored us, though Carys made it a point to come to me and mutter something before going off to bed.

"If you keep babying them all their life, it'll be a very short life."

Well, gee, thanks for the advice, Carys. I shot back with some of my own. "Sometimes you should let go of your dead pets."

…

I didn't really say that. I was afraid I'd wake up with Christopher Squawken dead. But I thought it! And I had the maturity and strength to keep it to myself. The same way I wanted to keep the secret of Akasha to myself.

Even if it wasn't much of a secret anymore.

It wasn't just about what happened and how Floyd and Noman would blame themselves like the innocent cinnamon rolls they were. It was on a personal level. There were some things a man had to keep secret, and I knew that if I was to tell them all of it, I'd have to tell them ALL of it. Full disclosure.

And I… wasn't ready for that.

So, instead of being with my friends in our cobblestone shelter, I was surrounded by my animal friends. Cat-Face, Long-Face, and Christopher Squawken. I laid out in bed and Cat-Face leapt onto the covers, snuggling into my chest. The small, warm pressure was comforting and I quickly fell asleep.

I was awoken not much later, considering it was still dark out. My eyelids slid open to reveal Noman standing over me, a worried expression on his face.

"We need to talk." He asserted.

I groaned and rolled over, trying to bury myself in the covers and away from the questions. Floyd proved more cunning when he shoved me out unceremoniously. Cat-Face hissed from being disturbed and looked ready to claw a Hacker's eyes out before I picked him up.

"Raaawk! Need to talk! Need to talk!" Christopher Squawken screeched in Noman's voice.

"We want the truth, Soul." Floyd demanded. "We're not leaving you alone until you tell us what went down in Akasha."

"I told you already!" I growled groggily. "Nothing happened! At least not while I was there. I left, stuff may or may not have happened—I wouldn't know—and then I met back up with you guys in Ringwood, that's it! Now go get some sleep and forget about it."

"We can't just forget about it." Noman said. "If we caused it, we deserve the right to know."

"You didn't cause anything!" I snapped. "You didn't make anything happen! You didn't know—!"

"Didn't know what?"

"That's—AGH! Doesn't matter! The point is you didn't know and you'll continue to not know if I have anything to not say about it! So there's nothing to blame yourself for!"

"…We need to know what to make amends for, Soul." Noman pleaded. I hated how he looked at me. I hated his selflessness. You'd think a guy wouldn't feel guilty to kill someone that nearly murdered him, but not Noman. He cared for all life. "We owe it to the people of Akasha to know what befell them."

I was about to struggle for a protest when a new voice cut through the night.

"What's there to tell?" Kalmarin, Carys' Hacker, stepped out from the darkness, tipping his hat in greeting. "When a Hacker is attacked, the Hackers attack right back. If those two really did kill Hackers, it makes sense that Akasha would be razed to the ground. It would've happened to Nitebane had I not intercepted Poulsen."

"You like to eavesdrop?" I accused.

"Only when you're screaming your head off." He countered coolly. "I'm on watch right now with Dyson. Might as well hear another Hacker siege." He sat down on the outskirts of our group, propping one knee up and resting both arms and his chin on it. "Go ahead and tell them what happened. They aren't going to back off until you do."

I wanted to argue, but one look at Floyd and Noman and I knew he was right. They wouldn't get a wink of sleep until they heard the truth. It was the only way to settle their minds, though it would do the opposite.

"Agh, come ooooooon!" I groaned, falling onto my back and glaring at the stars above. I wished cultists would attack right now and spare me having to tell my tale. No such luck. I shut my eyes and steeled myself.

"…It's not good, guys."

"We don't care."

"We want to hear it all the same."

"…You'll think less of me." I added in a smaller voice.

Their expressions softened in confusion before I breathed out an aggravated sigh and began my tale.

"It all started the day after you guys left. I was with Obsidian up at Indrad Rock…"

"Captain." I greeted, entering his room.

Glowing_Obsidian sat there, his grey orbs cloudy as he stared out his window. His black and cherry red hair was messy and his treasured iron Cleaver was laid out in the corner of the room. He hadn't touched it since slaying McGahn in a fit of rage. A small contingent of guards covered in orange-dyed leather stood over him. They were there to keep an eye on him. So he wouldn't do anything drastic to himself or to others.

"Lost_Soul…" His eyes sought mine. "My friend. I thought you and your companions already set off in your ship. Or is this another instance of my own blindness?"

"He's been like this all day." The guards informed. "He's been eating, but his spirit's been weakened. We don't know what to do."

"Did Councilman Mitr offer anything?"

"The councilman can hardly look at Obsidian after what he did to McGahn. Even after he threw Mitr in the Pit and plotted with 4Blite, the two were old friends. Mitr still refuses to believe the councilman cut a deal with the Lieutenant, even after the evidence we found." One guard shrugged. "Captain Chaara has her own problems to manage. She only just got back from presenting the Hackers their monthly tribute. We'll be safe for another month."

"C'mon, Obsidian." I stooped down and spoke at the Captain's level. "You can't sit around like a lump. It kills me as a warrior to see you like this. That's why I decided to stay. You need to get off your ass and go back to hunting down cultists."

"I can hardly tell the difference anymore." He admitted. "The man I served faithfully for years turned out to be collaborating with 4Blite to doom Akasha. I can't trust my own judgment anymore. Even now, I question those that've been let go and those that've been killed."

"So, what, you're going to doubt yourself forever?"

"No." He countered firmly. "I will trust in absolutes and act only when absolutely necessary. Only then will I take up my blade once more."

"Absolutes?"

"When death is certain."

I let out a harsh sigh. He was really facing a crisis. Before, he attacked suspected cultist meetings at a moment's notice, acting first and asking questions later. He took back villages. He killed hundreds of cultists.

Now, he vowed to act only on necessity. No winning the fight before it happened. No preemptive strikes. No action, just reaction. There were times you had to land the first blow. You had to catch your foe by surprise—

*BOOM!*

A rippling explosion shook the entirety of Indrad Rock, knocking all of us off-balance. Obsidian braced himself against his chair, his grey orbs glancing downwards towards the buildings foundations.

"What was that? TNT?" One guard asked, alarmed. "Are we under attack—?"

Three more explosions sounded off in quick succession, each one packing the same punch of an earthquake. The castle and structures built into the archway of stained and hardened clay that was Indrad Rock was trembling.

"I think that would be a safe assumption." Obsidian remarked as he shot to the window and looked down.

"Is it cultists?" I drew my axe. "Griefers?"

"Worse…" The Captain answered darkly before a caterwauling scream rent the air. Our hands flew to our ears to shut it out, but we were helpless to stop the stream of invasive words that followed.

"Attention, pitiful insects. This is your better speaking. Lord Quentin of the Hack Clan. I am using my powers upon your feeble minds, broadcasting my words across this lifeless husk you call home."

I grit my teeth. It felt like the words were being whispered to my bones. What were the Hackers doing in Akasha?

"We are not here for a poor tribute. We are here to see to the disappearance of two beloved siblings: Winslow_Downes and Sandradra. They visited your Kingdom, but not before checking in with us, and promising to return. They have not."

My eyes widened. Those were the Hackers Noman and Floyd killed. They were dead, but the Hack Clan didn't know that… yet.

"Sandra. Winslow. If you two can hear this, please show yourselves." The intrusive voice grew tender. More compassionate. "Our brothers and sisters are spread throughout this plateau, searching for you. We're worried for you, and we'd love nothing more than for you to come out and let this be a huge misunderstanding."

"And as for you lowly worms listening!" The voice thundered, earning a wince as it shook my skull. "If you see our missing siblings, or you know what befell them, and you refuse to tell us, know that this Kingdom's fate will be on your Heads!"

"I will broadcast to you all only twice more. After that, if our siblings still aren't found, you'll know the wrath of the entire Hack Clan."

The Hacker's voice faded away and I slowly uncovered my ears, my hands shaking despite my best efforts to stop them.

"C-Captain…?" One guard asked weakly, his legs wobbling. "Tell me this is a nightmare. P-Please let this be a n-nightmare."

"This can't be happening." Another guard quivered. "They can't have come here! Just because their blasted kin can't bother to check in—"

"Keep your voice down! They can speak in our heads, you don't think they can't hear us too!?" Another guard snapped before glancing fearfully at the ceiling. It didn't help that, at that moment, another barrage of explosions shook Indrad Rock.

"Why are they attacking!? We didn't kill any of them! This is just a big misunderstanding!"

I opened my mouth, but Obsidian strode over in two great steps and forcefully clamped my mouth shut.

"Guards." Obsidian commanded, a trace of his former authority returning. "The Hackers have made up their mind about us. They believe we've caused harm to their own. Whether we have or not doesn't matter—they've made their minds. This preemptive attack more than proves it. We need to evacuate everyone from Indrad Rock. As a symbol of authority, this place will be the first to go."

"Y-yes sir!" The guards filed out, happy to follow orders telling them to get the hell out. When the room was empty, he let go of my mouth and whispered harshly.

"I know your friend Nowhere killed Winslow. I saw him do it and I disposed of the evidence. Sandra is another matter—I don't know where her Head has gone. Do you know?"

"Ah, i-it was outside a restaurant." I struggled to remember. "I don't have the name."

"As far as I can tell, the two of us are the only ones that know what happened to them." Obsidian continued. "Don't fool yourself thinking telling the Hackers that will appease them and make them go away. They'll destroy Akasha either way, people and all."

I gnashed my teeth. "No! They can't! We-we have to fight them off! We can! If Cobb and Carys could, then—"

"As noble as it would be to pay the Hackers back for all the misfortune that has been heaped upon this once great Kingdom," Obsidian spoke quickly, "to combat numbers of this magnitude would be suicide. We cannot hope to stop the full strength of their clan."

Another serious explosion rocked the building. Out the window, I thought I saw smoke-clad figures whipping out of sight. Obsidian spared a glance before storming over to the corner and picking up his Cleaver.

"Right now, this is an absolute situation. There is no other recourse than to evacuate Akasha. The rest of the populace will be doing the same, even without the King's orders."

"I don't want to run!" I argued. "I'm no coward! I'm not afraid!"

"There's more to being brave than not being afraid, my friend." Obsidian noted solemnly. "You have friends awaiting your return. I'm sure they would be devastated should anything happen to you."

I felt a pang of regret remembering my farewell with everyone. Floyd, Cobb, Jade, Lenz, and Noman. They trusted me to look after myself. That's why they let me stay alone. I didn't want to run, but… I couldn't die without them here.

"Alright." I conceded. "Let's get out of here."

The Captain nodded. "Move swiftly and stay inside. Many Hackers can fly."

We crept quietly out of Obsidian's room and darted for the exits. His room was located at the pinnacle of the arch, right underneath the main castle where the King resided. We'd have to travel down the structure to reach the plateau and the buildings. Then, from there, we'd have to descend down to the ground level.

The other guards had the same idea. They were all rushing to the one exit ahead of us, clamoring over one another to reach it. People were getting trampled in their haste, there was shouting and terrified screaming brought on my traumatic Hacker attacks from the past. These men and women were supposed to be the backbone of Akasha—an enduring people. But in the face of Hackers, they fled like rats.

As we neared the staircase, there was a sudden, terrible explosion in the side of the corridor. Hardened and stained clay rained like confetti, forcing us to cover our heads. A gust of powerful wind blew in from the freshly blasted hole. It perfectly framed the two floating Hackers. One of whom I recognized.

"Look, Thed. Look how they run like ants. They must be guilty of something!" One of them, a female named Hannah_Harper, spoke. Smoke poured out of her blackened eyes and suspended her aloft as she raised a hand towards the mass of Crafters. "Time to break out the magnifying glass."

I ducked back with Obsidian as another explosion filled the corridor, wrecking the stone stairs and reducing the mass of guards to Heads and gear. A few more followed, intermixed with the dying screams of Crafters. Thed_Hearst was sending out dark slashes of his Reach Hack, wiping the guards out, even without suitable evidence of Winslow and Sandra's fate. They came in guns blazing.

"Back the way we came." Obsidian hissed, turning and waving off the guards that were just showing up. They took one look at the dark vapor getting hurled around and ran in the opposite direction. Back towards the center of the arch.

"Are we going to try the other way?" I asked.

"Too packed." He shot down. "It'll be a mad dash and other Hackers will likely be in waiting. We need the path less traveled."

Instead of going towards the other end of the arch, we went off a side route and started climbing up a staircase to the main castle at the top. More explosions shook Indrad Rock and spurred us on.

"How is the top of this thing the way out?" I asked.

Obsidian didn't answer. He pressed a finger to his lips as we neared the throne room.

Inside was a pale hooded figure, clad in smoke. I couldn't discern his face, but I could feel the power radiating off of him. Captain Chaara's fallen Head and gear lay nearby a quivering King. Wind was pouring inside from a hole blasted into the wall, buffeting the King's clothes.

"Where is Grosvenor_McGahn?" Entity 303 asked. His voice seemed to growl and echo all at once. "I request his presence. He understands how to address us. I feel that he is most suited to helping me locate our missing siblings."

"He-He's dead!" The King exclaimed. "Captain Obsidian killed him for collaborating with the Endward Cult! He can't help you! I-I don't know where your missing siblings are, but I can assure you we've done nothing to them!"

"And yet, we cannot find them." Entity 303 swooped down and grabbed the King by his neck, lifting him off his throne. "Given recent events, I'm understandably concerned when our brothers and sisters don't report back. Too many of us have fallen. Far too many for the Hack Clan to let stand. You better hope they show themselves, Your Highness. Otherwise, I'll do to you what I did to Tanner."

The King screamed as Entity 303 carried him out the hole he made and flew down towards the plateau. Another explosion shook Indrad Rock and Captain Obsidian urged me forward.

"Who was that guy?" I asked, referring to the one in the pale hood.

"Entity 303. Leader of the Hack Clan." Obsidian replied before pulling out a flint and steel and burning Chaara's Head and gear. He offered a silent prayer. "This is the only burial I can afford you, Captain. Take solace knowing your remains won't benefit thieves, killers, cultists, of Griefers." He gave a low bow before hurrying to the throne. "Help me break this."

"What's so important about an oversized chair?" I groused before complying and hacking away at the seat with my axe. As the foundations were torn up, I realized there was a ladder leading into the floor. "A secret passage—?"

"McGahn had it built in case of emergencies." Obsidian explained. "It leads to a minecart escape route that tunnels down through Indrad Rock and exits at the base of the plateau. Only McGahn, the Captains, Nephrait, and the King knew about it." He lowered his legs down and began to climb. "Guess Entity 303 showed up before he could use it."

I climbed down after him, clinging to the ladder as another series of explosions erupted. It was only twenty meters down that we found the minecart track. The tunnels looked dusty and were dimly lit by redstone torches. A single chest containing minecarts was left untouched.

Wordlessly, we took a pair of them and set them down on the track before pushing off. The rails sloped down and we rode over special powered rails of red and gold that sped us up considerably. Before long, we were rocketing down in a sloping pattern through narrow passages too small for a mass of Crafters to evacuate through.

It was hard to believe, but we were barreling down the archway of Indrad Rock. Down the inner walls and foundations. The corridors were likely filled with Crafters and Hackers, but we traveled through the narrow innards. From within walls and floors.

As we descended, the explosions grew in intensity. It got to a point where they sounded like they were right on top of us. But then, we sped on. The explosions grew fainter above us. We had slipped away unseen, leaving the guards behind.

It made me sick.

I hung on tight as the minecart made a couple of tight turns. The dim light made it hard to see, but I could just made out the cherry red streaks of Obsidian's hair ahead of me.

Then, the dark tunnel opened up to crater wreathed in yellow flames.

"WHOA!" I shouted as the cart suddenly dipped and I felt my stomach drop out from under me. The railway was broken! Obsidian's cart fell down just ahead and he abandoned it mid-fall. I did the same and jumped off to the side, right before the carts landed in the strange yellow flames.

Flames burned orange. Not yellow. Was this another Hack?

"The track!" I exclaimed, scanning the burning crater for any sign of where the track picked up. It stung my eyes, the flames were so unnaturally bright. "Where's the track!?"

"Forget the track! We need to move!" Obsidian commanded, dragging me away from the spreading fire.

We had wound up at the base of Indrad Rock. The base of the arch. An explosion had exposed the track and the yellow flames had spread to it. There were more yellow flames shooting out further down the street, mowing fleeing Crafters down like wheat. It was pandemonium as the Crafters fought to shelter themselves in the sandstone buildings or just dig their own escapes with pickaxes.

"Keep running!" Obsidian commanded. His voice was all I could focus on as I sprinted after his broad back. We forced ourselves through a sea of terrified Crafters as smoky missiles shot in all directions and buildings were torn apart.

"This is your second warning, worms." Quentin's voice broadcasted again, the words boring into everyones' minds like a drill. "Winslow_Downes and Sandradra have not yet been found. Your Captains, councilmen, and King knew nothing. Step forward with any information regarding our missing siblings, or our onslaught continues."

"WE DON'T KNOW!" Hundreds of people shouted. "PLEASE, SPARE US! WE DON'T HAVE THEM!"

"I will warn you only once more before the end. Speak up, or forever hold your peace."

I had half a mind to scream to that bastard that his brother and sister were dead, but I knew that doing so would get me killed and doom the kingdom. Akasha didn't have much time before his final warning, but what worse could they do? Akasha was exploding and on fire. Hundreds of Crafters were dying trying to escape.

Ahead, there was a dark smoky blur that, for one shining second, made me think Floyd had come back with his Speed Hack. But, when I saw it shoot from one side to another and reduce a crowd of Crafters to nothing, I knew that it wasn't Floyd. It was another speedster. A more dangerous speedster.

I pulled Obsidian back and away from the speeding blur and into an alley. Dying screams dogged us as we navigated the labyrinthine paths. The sky itself seemed to turn dark from all the accumulated Hacker smoke.

We popped back out near the Taamba Kaata Inn, Peedit and Kapila's place. It was as shoddy as ever, but there was no sign of the reunited couple. I could only hope they got out.

"Which way?" I asked, clutching a stitch in my side. "Obsidian, where we going?"

"…I don't know." He admitted, turning in place. Every direction seemed to have explosions and screaming. We need to get to the main stairs in the base of the plateau, but that's probably where all the Hackers are watching."

I thought for a while, my mind a panicked mess as I wondered of a way we could escape unseen. But then, I remembered how Floyd and Cobb had snuck in, unseen, in pursuit of a Book Burglar.

"Arquero's smuggler's route." I spoke aloud. "If it got around the guards, it'll get us around the Hackers."

"Where is it?"

"Um… uh…" I racked my brain, turning every which way to try and narrow it down. "The—this way! This way!"

I ran down a side-street with Obsidian on my tail. We used buildings as cover, breaking through damaged houses to avoid the Hackers outside. It wasn't about stealth. It was about running and praying the Hackers' backs were turned. People were dying by the second. We were all ants scrambling from a waterlogged anthill.

By sheer luck, we reached the abandoned sandstone building Arquero used to hide his smuggler's tunnel. We busted in and I scoured the place, searching for any ladders or tunnels. I then moved onto the basement, but found no buttons or switches to hint at a hidden passage or staircase.

Obsidian took out his Cleaver and started breaking bits of the floor and wall. "Keep looking!"

I tore out my pickaxe and followed his lead, recklessly smashing the sandstone walls in a vague attempt to find the—!

I stopped when my pick broke open a hollow space under the floor. The side paneling of a piston was uncovered along with it, and Obsidian and I quickly expanded it into a hole big enough to fit us. It was pretty dark, however, and I nearly shit my pants when a Creeper loomed up, threatening to detonate.

Obsidian's cleaver flashed and killed the Mob, reducing it to a pile of gunpowder and a Creeper Head. I silently thanked him and switched to my axe in preparation of all the Mobs to come.

We didn't have much time to dawdle, however. The tunnel was left in the dark, so it was full of Mobs. What began as a cautious endeavor soon devolved into a hasty sprint past Mobs with the occasional swing of an axe or cleaver. Creepers would explode, arrows would fly, and splash potions would get thrown. We bore it all with escape being the only thing on our minds.

It cost us each half our Health, but we finally reached the end of the smuggler's tunnel. We stepped out of the darkness and into the light.

And right in front of a smoke-clad Hacker.

"Huh. It was a secret tunnel." The man, Giovanni, remarked. Except for a pair of chainmail leggings, he was unarmored, but that didn't detract from his terrifying demeanor. He had the Hacker lines and the dark sclerae combined with orange eyes. He scratched at his short brown hair that seemed to hug his face. "One of you a Captain?"

Obsidian threw out an arm before me and stood tall. "I am."

"Cool. Looks like I lucked out." He stepped forward with his hands in his pockets. "You probably heard from Quentin, but I'm looking for my girlfriend and sister, Sandra. And, before you say anything, we're not blood related." He asserted. "'Sister' and 'Brother' is just a title. We care for one another, but it's more like we're all adopted. Plus, we can't be expected to date filthy vermin like you. No offense."

"I don't know where Sandra is." Obsidian spoke slowly. "We're just trying to crawl away from Akasha. There's no profit in killing us."

"Now, see, right away, why do you assume I'm going to kill you?" Giovanni spoke curtly. "Does anything about me scream 'Pest Exterminator'?"

"No."

"See? If you use your brain, there's nothing to be worried about. Now," he cocked his head, "about Sandra."

"We don't know where she is." I lied. "Nobody in Akasha knows. They would have said something."

"Not if they knew things would be worse." He countered without missing a beat. He began to bite his upper lip. "See, I know Sandra pretty well. She can see pretty far and through walls—we always fought how there was no trust between us. How I didn't have enough privacy." The smoke pouring out of him grew more subdued as his tone changed. "She was fun, though. We got along great when I first joined. I'm sure her Hacks would be seeing us tearing Akasha apart looking for her."

He nodded slowly before glaring at the pair of us.

"But then, I suddenly have all these doubts." The smoke around Giovanni began to pulse. "Like, what if she's someplace where she can't see this? What if she and Winslow can't show themselves because they're gone the same way as Alec and Ocan and Urson? What if the Captains are keeping her death a secret from us!?"

In a flash of motion, Obsidian pushed me back and darted forward with his cleaver drawn. He raised it and I knew the crushing force behind one of those swings as it fell towards Giovanni.

In response, the Hacker kicked out with one foot.

The air seemed to freeze.

In an instant, Glowing_Obsidian's body was incased in ice from head to toe. Additionally, his armor had been stripped of him, his iron cleaver spinning from his strength and landing in the sand behind Giovanni. The Captain's face remained frozen in brave fury. His eyes didn't blink. His muscles and face didn't twitch. He was practically an ice statue.

Giovanni turned his back on the sculpture, his foot pulsing with a thin layer of dark vapor.

"Strength."

He spun and performed a flying back kick, his smoke-covered foot striking Obsidian square in the chest. The ice sculpture shattered and scattered bits of the Captain across the warm sands. His Head landed last, staring emptily into the sky.

I fell back onto my butt, horrified by the suddenness of his death. It couldn't have taken more than ten seconds to kill such a powerful champion. A bulwark against the Endward Cult.

He was gone. Just like that.

"You want to take a swing at me?" Giovanni asked as he strode over towards me. I backed away frantically, forgetting the axe in my hand. "Hey now, don't get cold feet. You might land a hit before you're turned into an icicle."

Fighting was the furthest thing from my mind. Cobb always talked about his big fight in Halstatt where he faced down a Hacker… but this was the first time I was staring one down alone. Watching Obsidian die right before my eyes cemented how powerful these people were. I didn't have any gimmicks that could kill him in one hit. I was powerless, just like Glowing_Obsidian had been. I couldn't even pick up my axe.

Faced with imminent death, knowing I would die alone…

I'm ashamed to say I cried.

"Now that's just pathetic." Giovanni muttered in disgust. "Can't stand sniveling—"

He lowered his foot and I covered my ears as a third broadcast from Quentin rang in my brain.

"This is your final warning! Brother Null has searched every building in Akasha. There has been no sign or our missing siblings. All brothers and sisters are to clear out. Entity 303 is about to drop the hammer. Anyone with Flight, please help carry our siblings to Xavier so he can get them to safety. I repeat, anyone with a Flight Hack, please help transport our siblings to Xavier."

"As for the worms of Akasha, share any information about Sandradra or Winslow_Downes now or face oblivion."

Giovanni tilted his head up and clicked his tongue. "She really isn't here…"

He then turned back to me and crouched low so that he was eye level. I shirked away, but he grabbed my shirt to keep me there. All I could focus on were his dark sclerae.

"Lucky for you, I got places to be." He said. "So I'm gonna let this little mouse go. But not before you thank me by cleaning my boots." He threw me back and showed off his toe. "See, I got some filth on it after I shattered that Captain to pieces. Clean it off for me. With your mouth."

The demand caught me off guard and I trembled as the boot was held out to me. I wanted to growl and curse him out. I was no shoe-shiner. I wasn't a bootlicker! I was the proud axe-wielder of the Beginners!

For him to suggest I lick his foot like some lowly dog—!

I… I…

I bit back my protests and… and lowered my mouth to his boot before licking it clean.

"Ha! What a pathetic sight." Giovanni crowed. "This is your place, vermin. At our feet."

I swallowed my anger as I kept licking. I didn't want to die alone. I didn't want to die here like Obsidian. I was afraid. I wanted to live.

"That's enough." Giovanni snapped, forcing my head back. "Count yourself lucky to be in the presence of a shimmering God such as myself. I'm more merciful than our leader. What you've seen in Akasha is just the tip of the iceberg."

And with that, the Hacker kicked off into the air, suspended by his dark smoke. I waited breathlessly for a second until I was sure he was gone. Then, I ran with reckless abandon towards the stables on the outskirts. I grabbed a horse and took off.

I didn't even burn Obsidian's remains. I was too eager to leave to offer him that one, dead man's courtesy. I spurred that horse as hard as I could to get as far away from that Mess Kingdom as possible. That was the only thought on my mind. I just kept it galloping east.

As the sun began to set at my back, I threw one last look towards the anvil-shaped mesa. On last look at the sandstone buildings. One last look at the archway of Indrad Rock.

There was a floating speck of black high above the buildings. It seemed to hurl something at the mesa.

Then, the next instant, a giant black ball of smoke expanded to encompass the entire mesa, right to the base. The whole Kingdom was consumed by a large black sphere. It was so massive it blocked out the setting sun. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it.

And, just as quickly, the orb vanished, as did the Kingdom standing there. All that was left was a crater in the sand. The floating speck of black admired its work before flying to the southwest. Back towards the Obelisk.

Akasha was no more. Wiped out in a blink.

I spurred my horse to gallop faster, cursing my own helplessness.

And vowing never to share what transpired to Floyd, Noman, or the rest.

I kept my gaze on the ground as I finished my story. Judging by the silence, I could tell the others were just as horrified as I had been on the day it happened. The silence of the night threatened to swallow us up.

"The whole Kingdom…?" Noman dared to breathe. "Just like that…?"

"Just like that." I nodded. "The whole mesa just vanished."

"It was Nuked." Kalmarin piped up, attracting our attention. I almost forgot he was listening. "That's one of 303's ten Hacks. Nuke: A black sphere that can decimate any block and kill any Crafter within its radius. He never demonstrated it in front of us, but I'd hazard a guess that's what you saw."

"And those yellow flames." Noman continued. "Those were from the Stivali Magma. And those chainmail leggings on Giovanni were the Arcticum Arma."

"At the time, I thought it was some ice Hack." I admitted, resting my head in my hand. "I didn't want to tell you guys about this. Not just because you'd blame yourselves, but because… because I was ashamed. I-I felt fear." My hands shook. "Staring down Giovanni, I truly thought I was going to die. I licked his boots clean to survive. I ran like a coward!" I beat my fists into the ground. "I couldn't do a damn thing!"

"They didn't even know they were dead." Floyd shook his head. "They killed all those Crafters on an assumption?"

"The Hackers have lost more people than they're comfortable with." Kalmarin spoke. "What you need to understand about 303—and all of them, really—is that they are fiercely protective of their own."

"So are we." Floyd snarled, his own eyes darkening and the smoke prickling against his skin. "Doesn't give them the right to wipe out a Kingdom."

"I always thought the Endward Cult were the big baddies." I muttered. "But they're tame compared to what those Hackers were capable of. I saw hundreds—thousands of people dying in the streets. It was pure chaos. We can't fight them."

"We've proven that we can." Kalmarin assured. "Carys, Noman, Cobb. They didn't have a Hack to their name, but they killed a Hacker all the same. Carys and Cobb didn't even need artifacts."

Floyd nodded. "Thank you for telling us, Soul. I'm sorry you had to relive that."

"Thank you for telling us." Noman echoed.

"…I'm pretty lame, huh?" I chuckled sadly. "I gave you shit for running away, but I did the same, just with extra tongue." I covered my mouth in disgust, prompting Christopher Squawken and Cat-Face to nuzzle against my sides.

"You survived Akasha." Noman corrected. "And where there is life, there's hope."

"We survived our own little slice of hell in Ringwood." Floyd noted. "It wasn't Hacker level, but it was pretty damn close."

"…Language." I said, beating Noman to the punch for the first time ever. I smirked wryly at their faces and we shared a round of chuckles. Kalmarin glanced between us, confused.

"You guys are strange."

"We should get to bed. Only a little while until sunrise." Noman noted before inviting me back to our cobblestone shelter.

I accepted with a shrug. Now that there were no more secrets, I could sleep in the same room as them again. They helped me pack up my bed and move it into the shelter, and before long, we all drifted off to slumber land.

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, 64 Steak, 54 Steak, 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 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}

[EXP: 34]

Stratus the Horse

Inventory (Soul): 1 Diamond Axe [Sharpness V], 1 Iron Pickaxe, 64 Iron Ingots, 28 Iron Ingots, 20 Flint, 12 Gold Ingots, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV, Feather Falling IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Crafting Table, 1 Jukebox, 1 Music Disc {chirp}, 1 Bed, 1 Furnace, 24 Torches, 34 White Wool, 58 Dirt, 26 Pumpkin Seeds, 64 Cobblestone, 62 Cobblestone, 32 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Armor Stand, 64 Steak, 6 Cooked Mutton, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}

[EXP: 26]

Long-Face the Horse

Cat-Face the Cat

Christopher Squawken the Parrot

Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Leather Boots {Bottes Zephyr} [Dyed White], 1 Green Shield [Beginners], 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Milk Bucket, 6 Buckets, 2 Cobblestone, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 5 Ender Chests, 16 Ender Pearls, 5 Ender Pearls, 1 Nether Star, 54 Steak, 3 Phantom Membranes, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Enchanted Golden Apple, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots

[EXP: 26]

Snow the Horse

AN: Got a lot of Hackers, a lot of Hacks, a lot of artifacts, and Akasha's ultimate fate.

A assure you, this is a Humor/Adventure Story.

FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. PM. OC. FORUM. DISCORD. MINTS.