Hello! Ready for another Chapter?
Had to do a little bit of Minecraft testing for this one, but I'm satisfied with how it turned out.
Last Chapter was annoying to write since the romance took a long time to pen down. This one was much easier to plan and write, since Nothing Happens. Nothing at all. In fact, just go ahead and skip this Chapter. You won't miss much.
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd make a way to shoot arrows through solid blocks.
Chapter 243
Contact
[Lenz]
"...ho... hooooo... hooooon..."
"(Go on. Sound it out.)" I encouraged beside Z7. "Hoooneeey. Honey."
"Hoooo... hooooon... nnnn... nneeee. Hoooonneeee. Honee."
"(Great! You got it.)"
Z7 beamed at the accomplishment. "Honee iz seaweed."
"Sweet. Honey is sweet."
"Sw... sweeeeed?" She cocked her head.
"Sweeeeeeet." I emphasized patiently.
"Sweeeeeeet. Honee iz sweeeet."
I nodded. "(Very good. And I agree, honey is sweeter than seaweed.)"
"(I legit said honey is seaweed? Ugh. I suck.)" Z7 leaned back as she complained to the ceiling.
"(Practice makes perfect. You will get there.)" I encouraged. "(Just keep at it.)"
It was the afternoon of December 10th. Baltic's group and Attila's group were out checking for leads, and Dwight and Perry were off boasting in seedy pubs of the latest buildings they - meaning I - blew up. Z7 and I were waiting until night to go out, since our jobs were better done at night. Until then, the two of us had spent all morning practicing her common and verifying that the events of last night were real and not a dream.
We kissed.
Our friendship had evolved into some new kind of relationship. Not like Luis and Heather, though, or Cobbert and Jade. This relationship was entirely our own, with caveats and rules that no other relationship had.
For one, we were not dating. Neither of us really knew how to, to be fair. Being a nerd, I had zero past romances. And Z7 was a Jibberwoman - an outcast who steeped herself in loneliness. What did we know about dating? Nothing.
Plus, Z7 wanted things to be as good as they were between us, if not better. Not worse, though. Never worse. She could never forgive herself if things got worse when they were so good now. As she put it, she could never go back to cookies now that I showed her honey.
So, we agreed to just do things with each other that made us feel good, while also sticking to our daily routine of schooling each other in various subjects. The acts did not have to be romantic gestures, just feel-good things that released feel-good chemicals that both of us consented to.
Like last night's kiss.
The long, soul-sucking one.
I felt my face heat up at that memory, yet it was one I remembered so vividly. To the end of my days, I would never taste honey without remembering the night we shared.
And when we woke up that morning, Z7 greeted me with a casual kiss on the cheek, having moved her bed closer to mine last night. Shroud could no longer tolerate sleeping between us and Luis and Heather, claiming that the sweetness of two couples was giving him terminal diabetes.
It was strangely pleasant, yet indescribable. Nothing had changed regarding our leads with the cult, and yet everything felt brighter and more positive. I found myself thinking less about redstone and more about Z7, seeking out more intimate gestures with her.
"(Hey, Z7?)"
"(Yeah?)"
"(Would you want to... try... more intimate contact?)"
"(Like what?)"
"(Like...)" I nudged my hand next to hers, sounding hopeful. "(Holding hands...?)"
Immediately, she seized my hands and wove her fingers through mine. "(Like this?)"
"(...Yeah! L-Like that.)" I smiled with a bit of red dusting my cheeks.
"(Can I try something too?)"
"(Be my guest.)"
She let go of my hand for a moment before having her body fall so that her head was resting in my lap, her long purple hair draped across my legs. I tensed up, unsure of where to rest my hands until she reseized my left hand with hers and entwined her fingers. She closed her eyes and breathed evenly. Relaxed.
"(Er, what?)" I asked.
"(I saw Luis doing this with Heather, so I figured I'd try it out. See if I liked it.)"
"(And do you?)"
She nestled further into my lap. "(Mhm. What about you?)" She peeked an eye open and regarded me with a blush of her own. "(Does this bother you?)"
The weight and warmth on my lap was not unpleasant.
"(I do not dislike it.)"
She chuckled. "(Might as well just say you like it. Saves the double negative.)"
"(You sure it was not Luis laying on Heather's lap?)"
"(You saying lap pillows have double standards? Or is this just your indirect way of asking for one from me later?)"
"(Lap pillow? Is that what this is called?)"
"(I'm using your lap for a pillow, aren't I?)"
"(I see now why they call you the Slumbering Death. You can find anything to fall asleep on.)"
"(Why don't you tell me about your newfangled redstone if you want to put me to sleep?)"
"(Well, if you insist-)"
"(No! No, I was kidding! I'm awake now, I can't go back to sleep or I'll miss ambush duty. Not that I wouldn't mind having you as my personal pillow...)"
I shuddered slightly at her tone. She was not kidding.
"(Know any good pillow jokes?)"
She paused in thought for a moment. "(I ate an entire feather pillow last week.)"
"(Oh really?)"
"(Since then I've been feeling down in the dumps.)"
"AHAHAHAA-HAHA-AHAHAHA!"
I doubled over onto my side out of sheer laughter, disrupting Z7 in my lap, not that she minded. She propped herself up by her elbows and grinned at my reaction to her phenomenal joke. I was not overselling it; that joke worked on so many levels. Oh, comparators, there were tears in my eyes. My uproarious laughs echoed around the safehouse, earning looks from Teams Delta and Epsilon.
"Can't do it. I can't do it, man! I CAN'T TAKE THE DIABETES!" Shroud covered his eyes and ears as he rocked in a fetal position on the floor.
As I struggled to contain my laughter and regain my breathing, a sobering sight hit me.
Cobbert.
The fisherman's face was wiped of emotion as he turned around and left the room, closing the door with more force than necessary and slamming it on our intimate scene. My lingering giggles ceased.
His behavior did not go unnoticed by the rest of the Paragons, who shifted awkwardly before going back to their business. Z7, however, grinned at the departing fisherman, finding inspiration for another joke.
"(Hey, if Cobb ever has a pillow fight with Carys, he'd face the reaper-cushions. Eh?)"
I looked to where Cobbert had gone. "(Er, sorry Z7. Could you excuse me one moment.)" I let go of her hand, already missing the feeling and warmth, before I stood up. "(I need to go check up on Cobbert.)"
Sensing this was a personal matter between Beginners, Z7 nodded in understanding before standing up and moving to her Team. With that, I was free to follow Cobbert.
The room he fled into was... the bathroom... so maybe he had not been fleeing at all. But, just to be sure, I knocked once. "Cobbert?"
"I'm in the bathroom!" He snapped back.
It was the only room that had not been broken down by Aurand to make space for everyone.
"I want to talk privately. Let me know when you are done so I can come in." I replied.
He must not have been using the bathroom, for he opened it up right away and allowed me entry. It was a simple bathroom. Three-by-four meters with a tub, a sink, and a toilet.
Cobbert's face was eerily empty, like last night, as he stepped aside to make room. "What's this about?"
I closed the door and kept my voice low to avoid being overheard. "You know what this is about. Z7 and me."
Cobbert bit the inside of his cheek as he turned his back and hunched over the sink, his palms resting on the rim.
"...I don't care who you fall for. Not my business."
"I see you disapprove."
"What, you need my blessing? I'm not your dad."
"You are not being fair either, Cobbert." I put it bluntly. "I know it hurts being reminded of your relationship with you-know-who, but Z7 and I are not like that. Our relationship is just us doing feel-good things with each other. How can feeling good be bad? We are not dating."
Cobbert let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh, sure."
"I am telling you the truth! Listen. Z7 and I talked about this. We are not boyfriend and girlfriend. I just enjoy making her feel good and she enjoys making me feel good."
Cobbert whirled around to face me. "That's LOVE, moron!"
The exclamation caught me on the backfoot.
"What are you, stupid or something?" He paced before me.
"Do you have a powerful attraction to that girl? Do you want to know everything about her? Do you want her to know everything about you? Do you want to bare your whole being to her, craving with all your heart that she'll accept you, desire you, adore you? Does she feel the same way about you?"
I thought back to all the pieces of history we shared with each other. How I bared my bullied past and phobia to her. How she revealed her time as a slave who butchered warlords in Exter. She knew I liked redstone and flying, I knew she liked making people laugh and sweet things. Why did I commit those things to memory in the same way I would pieces of redstone information told in college lectures? I was invested in her, and, still, I craved to know more.
"Do the two of you want to be in a contest with each other to see who loves the other the most, and you don't care whether you win or lose?"
I thought back to last night's kissing contest. What were we trying to prove? Why did we go that far? Why was it so thrilling and engaging? Exciting and new?
"That's love!" Cobbert continued. "I don't need subtitles to see you two were made for each other. She lights up when she sees you." Cobbert grimaced. "Just like I did with Jade."
"...Maybe you are right. Maybe there is something more. Something I... would not mind pursuing. But I also know that no two relationships are the same. They are all different, and it is pointless to compare our situations. Our relationship is not guaranteed to end like you and Jade. If Z7 and I are both satisfied and comfortable with whatever we are, then there should be no problem."
"Oh, but there is a problem, and there is a point you've missed." Cobbert jabbed me in the chest with his finger. "It's a question of loyalty."
"What - I would never betray the Beginners! I am loyal to you!"
"I don't want you to be!"
I balked, confusion evident on my face.
"If love is heaven, then heartbreak is hell. I don't want to see you experience that. I don't want to see anyone experience that." Cobbert's hardened expression softened into a miserable grimace. The face of a broken man. "What Jade and I had... I don't know if it made her happy, but it made me happy. I want you to be happy. I do, really. And if Z7 is serious, I want her to be happy too."
"But..." His face twisted as he recalled unpleasant memories. "Jade and I made choices. We chose our guilds over our love, and this is looking like it'll turn out the same! We're allies with the Paragons now, but what happens when the cult isn't a factor anymore?" I paused as Cobbert brought up a point I had never considered. "If Carys declares war on us, do you expect Z7 to turn her back on her guild and run off with you? If she doesn't, are you going to run off with her?"
"Never. I would never run out or give up on anything." I spoke with absolute conviction. I was not a dropout. I was not a quitter.
"But don't you see what happens, then?" Cobbert implored. "Carys is out to kill everyone I care about, which includes you. Her Paragons will get roped in by association. There'll come a time where Z7 will be forced to make a choice, and, let me tell you, that heartbreak will hit you like a truck if she chooses her guild over you. I'd rather you just go with her if you love her so much!"
"And leave you to die against Carys? No!"
"This is your happiness you're talking about throwing away. I'd rather you be happy than heartbroken. So that there'd be a point to all the messed-up shit we had to live through." He swept his arms as he said that. "Like we said in the Stronghold, think about the future you want, Lenz. Don't let me or the past hold you back."
"And what about your future?"
"My future is one last fight with Carys." Cobbert spoke with certainty. "I can't run away from my problems, or blame them on someone else, or drag my friends into it. If I can't get her to forgive me for the pig, then we have to settle this once and for all."
It was a scary admission. I knew it was a long way off, yet I felt like it would be the battle of all battles. Like, Carys_Angel was the last enemy left to face, when all other enemies were beaten, and the fighters were at their peak.
"Knowing all this," Cobbert continued, "do you still want to have a relationship with this girl? Do you still wish to love Z7, even knowing you might have to be enemies one day?"
I initially struggled, knowing the day we became enemies would be the biggest pain of my life if Cobbert was any indication. It was a path of thorns. Pain was a certainty. A painful choice was inevitable.
But then... I thought about how happy Z7 had been lately. Me talking with her, the jokes, the warm fuzzy feeling I initially mistook for indigestion. Depriving Z7 of that light, hurting her, was such a detestable idea that I could not even entertain the idea of doing it. I did not want her to be alone. I was not one to abandon things. Not my education, not the Beginners, and not Z7.
"...I want it." I spoke quietly. "I want to love her. Even... even if..."
I trailed off, but Cobbert understood. He nodded grimly and sighed.
"Bring her in here."
I was caught off guard by the demand.
"Go on. Call Z7 in here." Cobbert repeated.
As unsure as I was about what he planned on doing, I acquiesced all the same. I opened the bathroom door and called to her in Jibberish. The assassin jogged over with a canted head, wondering why so many people were sharing a bathroom.
"(What? Did Cobb forget how to wipe?)"
I fought back a smile before turning back to Cobbert. "She asked what do you want."
"Good. Translate for me." Cobbert requested before beginning. "Z7. I have a question for you. Answer truthfully. If the Beginners and Paragons become enemies, will you side with your guild over Lenz?"
Z7 blinked a moment. She was not the only one stunned. This was such a direct question to ask. Not to mention, it was being asked right in front of me. I was curious, sure, but there was no guarantee she would tell the truth.
"(...I don't know.)" She conceded shamefully before looking up. "(What was your answer?)"
After translating for Cobbert, I answered. "(I swore to love you, but I also swore not to leave the Beginners. In a sense, choosing both is the same as saying 'I do not know'.)"
She blushed at the blatant confession. "(I can't choose one over the other. I've been with the Paragons for decades,)" she laughed dryly, "(and I've known you for a few short months, yet things are even. How? The times aren't even close.)"
I told Cobbert all this and he just nodded, as if he understood something we did not.
"Ask her if she loves you."
I felt a bit on the spot, but I asked all the same. Z7 parted her hair and moved her hand to lift my tinted glasses so she could look me in the eye.
"(I do.)"
My face heated up, and for some reason my eyes felt misty. She said it with such... intensity. And certainty. Was this how people felt when they were ready to spend the rest of their lives with one another? It was overwhelming. A warm, swelling feeling inside.
I forgot for a moment that I had to translate for Cobbert, but it looked like he understood what was said between us just by our looks. Maybe he was even remembering when Jade looked at him like that.
"Okay, then." Cobbert spoke emotionlessly. "Here's what we do. Because I'm your friend, I swear to kill the Eastern Executive and wipe out the Eastern HQ so that Carys will owe me one. Then I will make her agree to a one-on-one duel to settle everything, without anyone else being accountable." My eyes widened - and Z7 mirrored the action when I translated - at Cobbert's vow to help smooth out what would otherwise be a bumpy road. "That way, win or lose, you two idiots can stay together. Lenz, don't hold it against the Paragons if I die, and Z7, don't hold it against the Beginners when Carys dies. You just worry about making Lenz happy, and vice versa."
After translating all that for her, Z7 flashed Cobbert a grateful smile. "(I'll do my damnedest.)" She promised, her hand reaching up to entwine her fingers with mine.
"You are really going to kill the Executive yourself to make this happen? For me?" I asked, moved.
"I give you my random-ass-make-believe-like-it-means-anything blessing," Cobbert declared overdramatically, "just as long as you don't ever stop being my friend. And if you ever do get married, and I'm still alive, I get to be best man. Noman's the alternative, since he's already wearing a suit. Soul can be the, uh, wedding monkey? That's a thing, right?"
It was a little soon to be talking about weddings, and I made sure not to translate the part past his blessing. Z7 stepped forward and clasped Cobbert's good hand in hers.
"(Thank you. Your random-ass-make-believe-like-it-means-anything blessing means a great deal, and you're a good friend if you're willing to kill an Executive for him.)" She heartily shook his hand while I translated. "(I promise he'll be happy. I'm new at this love thing, but we'll keep fumbling through it with smiles on our faces.)"
Cobbert gave a sad smile. "My friends' happiness is my happiness."
"Ah, they join us at last!" Trenay greeted when the three of us exited the bathroom. Every member of the landing party was there; Baltic's group, Attila's group, and Perry's group had all returned. "You guys done airing all your drama out?"
"That was quite the bathroom visit." Doyle added suggestively. "What sort of kinky stuff is Z7 into to get Cobb involved-?" Z7 raked her daggers down Doyle's back, depleting his Absorption Hearts. "I'm hurt now..." He concluded in a pained voice.
"Don't... waste his Absorption like that." Baltic tried to reprimand before giving up halfway when he saw the damage was done.
"We just needed to sort some stuff out. We're all good now." Cobbert asserted with only a side glance to Z7 and I. "Our full attention is on the task at hand."
"Well, good, because we got great news, Cobb-sa - uh. Cobb." Daisy caught herself. "Jillian and Captain Fo came through with the negotiations with Oak Docks' King. They're lending five-thousand of their guards to our siege, led by the strategic Captain Paolo_DeLucca!"
"The Paolo_DeLucca!?" Cobbert exclaimed so overdramatically that it was impossible to miss the sarcasm.
"He's one of Oak Docks' Captains. His strength may be lacking, but he has the brains of a general. His help will prove invaluable for coordinating our forces to entrap the Eastern Division."
"Maybe you guys didn't hear me when I said, "FIVE-THOUSAND GUARDS!'" Daisy repeated with increased exuberance. "Plus, Zeppil sent four additional airships with troops to bolster our forces. With Zeppil's two-thousand, and the Paragons/Nitebane's three-thousand, we have a force of ten-thousand to lay siege to the Eastern Division!"
Quantifying things made it a much bigger deal to everyone, making them whoop excitedly. Ten-thousand was around the size of the Griefer army Rrhys and Llewellyn led, except these were battle-hardened Crafters. Guards and Paragons. Experienced in combat and able to think and form strategies. It would be worlds apart from what the Griefers could amount to.
Baltic postulated the Eastern Division had members in the thousands. This would even the scales. Maybe even tilt it in our favor.
"Just one problem." Neiro dampened our joy like a bucket of ice water. "We're still no closer to finding the siege target. Having the numbers is all well and good, but it's meaningless if we can't locate the damn cultists."
"She's got a point." Captain Attila sighed. "Alfonso and I got jumped by three more cultists this afternoon. We tried beating them into submission, but we ended up killing two before the third took the coward's way out. We need Beta-males to help with suppression."
"Our group is still tracking supply lines." Baltic countered.
"You found anything yet?"
"...Not quite."
"Then maybe it's better to fold you into our or Z7's team. With enough Splash Potions of Slowness and Weakness, we can secure some cultists and go to work on them."
"Well, your teams may have done squat," Perry boasted, "but Dwight and I are gaining a hell of a reputation. No two dudes are more infamous for sowing destruction and death. They may even write songs about us." He joked. "There's no seedy bar or pub in the kingdom that hasn't heard of our bombings. Once we ramp up to eight buildings tonight, it's only a matter of time before the cult recruits us."
"We don't have 'a matter of time'." Cobbert spoke up, his head shaking as everyone listened. "We can't wait. These buffs wear off on the 12th. Two days until we lose our biggest advantage, and all we've done with it is overpower some cultists. Plus, the 11th, tomorrow, that's four Bounty Days!" He reminded. One week since Carys' attack on the Obelisk. "We'll all be so distracted playing with new toys that our focus will slip. We need something today. I don't want to be cutting it close and losing our advantage in the middle of the siege."
"Even if we lose the buffs, we still have the totems." Eustace pointed out.
"Extra lives might not be enough."
Several Paragons looked contemplative at his words. I knew Cobbert wanted the best chance at beating the mysterious Executive of the Eastern Division. If that were to happen, we needed to locate their headquarters and attack within the next two days. Our window was short.
"Maybe it's time we scare them into the open." Cobbert suggested. "It's me they're after. If I announce myself - challenge them - won't they-?"
"Let me stop you right there by saying that is a horrible idea." Trenay shot him down immediately.
"Yeah, the cult doesn't owe you anything." Baltic supplied wisely. "They don't have to challenge you, and once they realize you're here, they'll definitely change their plans. They could even lay low and wait us out if they realize we have buffs."
Cobbert sighed but did not argue their points. Even he must have known it to be a long shot. In truth, it sounded more like he was antsy from being cooped up while the rest of us risked our necks hunting for leads. I could not fault him wanting to help.
"I know it sucks, Cobb, but it can't be helped." Trenay assuaged. "Oak Docks has guards patrolling the coast as we speak for signs of cultists. If anything happens, we'll hear of it. All we can do is continue our fishing attempts and hope we get lucky. In the meantime, however, we still need to finish coordinating our forces. We now have a fleet of ten airships, after all."
Cobbert sighed but nodded before asking how he could help. Team Delta started talking with him, pointing out sections of the Oak Docks map they had spread out along the wall. Occasionally, Trenay, Eustace, or Neiro would use their synced maps to send out messages to their amassed forces.
It was an impressive army. A thorough undertaking.
Also, maybe I could be allowed to pilot one of those ten airships.
Night descended and Z7 and I set off to our respective duties with our respective teams.
[Z7]
"Amm... buuu... uuuush..." I sounded out a common word. It was the word for 'ambush', which is what we were trying for now, but 'uneventful' was closer to what was really going down.
My feet were killing me as was in my vulnerable attire. Why couldn't one of the others switch with me? I waited in another disappearance site in the Canals District. My assassins were on standby, but there were no signs of cultists. Maybe the cultists Attila and I took down yesterday spooked them?
I passed the time practicing some of the few common words Lenz had taught me. I was slow to learn, and it was impossible to be able to hold a conversation with a Crafter other than the nerdling, but it was a step towards being heard by everyone. I wouldn't have to infer meaning through intent anymore. I could tell jokes and make people of all backgrounds laugh as hard as Lenz had.
That had been a good laugh. I thought fondly. I should think up some more material like that.
As the night and moon passed, my team of assassins seemingly gave up. They jumped down to my catwalk and shook their heads, looking disappointed. No bites tonight. It was time to pack up.
I turned my back to them and their voices and knelt down to massage my aching feet, having already willed off the cuissardes. Oooh, that felt good on the balls of my feet. Like I was leeching the pain away. You'd think having a replenishing Regen buff would spare you the aches and pains. I willed off my barrettes and let my hair fall in its curtain down my back.
Five things happened at once.
First, there was a distant explosion from somewhere far off. The echo of the Canals District made it hard to pinpoint.
Second, I felt something disturb my hair. A vacuum of air between the inside of my right arm and my body, the heat stinging my skin slightly.
Third, an arrow stuck into the wooden catwalk before me. It was at a diagonal angle in the wood, the feather fletching trembling from the impact.
Fourth, I heard many things tumbling onto the catwalk behind me. It sounded like dozens of apples falling and rolling on wood.
Fifth, the sounds of my assassins had ceased.
I turned my head from the arrow and parted my curtain of hair to see who fired the arrow. What I saw next made me doubt my eyes.
Three sets of gear were lying on the catwalk. The items spilled over into the water, disrupting the surface and making noises. Shroud's Head stared back vacantly, his eyes unknowing. The other two Heads were facing down or away from me.
My throat caught as I fought for breath, my eyes not believing what they were seeing. I stood up straight and called to a team that wasn't there, with words they couldn't understand.
Shroud, Aurand, and Doyle were all dead.
I whipped out my dagger and scanned for the shooter, my expression thunderous. I took a step forward as I checked all the high points on the nearby roofs. The arrow was angled diagonally, so it came from above. I traced the arrow's fletching to point me in the right direction...
...But all that pointed to was a long stretch of canal. There was nobody there.
But... the shooter had to be nearby!
I took a half step back as my dagger felt useless at my side. My head swiveled left and right as I scoured for the shooter. My heartbeat quickened as I processed the one crucial piece of information.
How could one arrow kill all three assassins when two of them had Absorption, Health Boost, and Resistance buffs?
Aurand had no buffs since he wasn't with us when Jillian did it, but the other two had twice as much Health, armor, and defensive Resistance. Even if they weren't holding totems at the time, no projectile could deplete all their Health in one shot!
...But in the event there was a projectile that could...
...Then my own buffs were just as-
My eyes widened and my Quickdraw experience kicked in, my hand flying to the totem at my belt just as an explosion sounded. The same explosion that preceded my Teammates' deaths.
I sneezed as I found myself sitting on the catwalk, my replenishing buffs gone and a totem floating in front of my face before it vanished with a pop, spent. A second arrow wobbled behind me, half-buried in the wood.
I just died. Even with my buffs, I died. A second slower on the draw and I wouldn't even have the capacity to think that.
I walled up. I grabbed all the cobblestone in my backpack, and I walled up. My heart pounded in my chest as I built a solid shelter with which to take cover in. My Hearts were ticking back up from the lingering effects of the spent totem, but the Regeneration, Absorption, and Fire Resistance were short term. They wouldn't last long.
Whatever was shooting at me and making those explosion sounds was powerful enough to kill in one hit. Not only that, but it could also kill multiple Crafters at once. That first shot went through all three Team Epsilon members and would have killed me too if it didn't miss by centimeters. I was a totem down, and I couldn't afford to let go of my second one for even a second. It was clutched tightly in my free hand while I built my shelter.
My finished shelter left me in total darkness before I set a torch down to light it up. Only then did I feel safe enough to start calming down. I had to put my priorities in order.
My teammates were dead.
Each of them held totems, a linked map, and a Head to be burned honorably. I needed to secure those three things so that the shooter - likely a cultist - could not recover and use them against the Paragons.
Trenay and Team Delta back at the safehouse probably already noticed Shroud's, Aurand's, and Doyle's blips vanishing. They had to know something was up, and there was a chance they'd send reinforcements to rescue the last blip - mine. But they didn't know there was a deadly shooter that could render their protection useless, so having them come wasn't a good idea.
I had two totems in reserve-
A high-pitched whistle sounded outside my cobblestone shelter. It was distant and muffled by the rock, but it grew louder and louder before ending in a crackle of sparks that made my shelter tremble. I stepped away from the shaking wall, a totem pressed to my chest.
There was a brief silence before another high-pitched whistle sounded. It was a firework rocket. It struck the outside of my shelter with a crackling explosion that shook the cobblestone but didn't pierce it. The shooter was firing rockets at me, but they couldn't pierce through rocks.
I relaxed slightly, even while more rockets periodically sounded and shook my shelter. What was the shooter doing?
I heard voices, then. Anxious, authoritative voices that made demands outside my shelter. Were they guards sent to investigate the explosions?
Whoever they were, they suddenly started shouting and screaming, their voices going out one by one as more frequent whistles and crackles sounded.
They're dead too. I thought with certainty.
The periodic whistles and crackles against my shelter resumed. The shooter had to know I wasn't taking damage. That's when it hit me.
He's keeping me pinned down. He's probably got other cultists approaching with explosives or worse. They'll crack this shelter open if I stay here. I need to move, but not before I secure those items.
I knelt down and closed my eyes, feeling the soft wood of the catwalk beneath me. The water of the canals was one-layer down. Easy to escape, but I needed a way to dispose of my team's gear.
Doyle had a flint and steel. I remembered. If it didn't fall into the water, I can burn the items with that. Then I can... run.
It was shameful to flee, but this was a fight I couldn't win. And, if I died, Carys would be out a powerful fighter.
And the Little Gremlin would be sad.
I dug my iron dagger into the wooden catwalk at my feet and began to saw. The tool was never meant for this, and was terrible at it, but I eventually opened a hole to the water below. I slid my legs in and dropped down, the cold chill of the water encompassing me.
I shifted my hair out of my eyes so I could look around. It was too dark, though. I couldn't see any of the items that fell over the side. I'd have to do an inventory checklist in my head despite not knowing how many totems my teammates brought. The maps and Heads, at least, I knew there to be only one of each.
I swam to the edge of the catwalk and resurfaced, but not all the way, and not without my second totem in hand. I took a furtive look and saw more piles of gear and Heads than there were before I set up my shelter. Some cyan leather helmets were included, proving they were guards. Also, firework rockets spewing black sparkles continued to periodically strike my shelter. They were coming from somewhere to the north. So far away I couldn't pick out a name or figure.
Where is this sniper shooting from!?
I also saw some cultists with black leather caps approaching from an archway that went over the canal. They were getting closer.
I scanned the catwalk for my guys' gear only for my eyes to widen when I heard a distant explosion.
I sneezed underwater and took in a lungful before realizing I was laying at the bottom of the canal with another totem spent. I reached for my third, and last, with trembling hands.
This shooter is too good.
I can't recover the items safely.
If I just swim away, I could lose them.
But the maps... They'll find out where our safehouse is.
And the totems... Extra lives for their higher-ups.
I closed my eyes as my time and oxygen slowly ran out.
...I got to go for it.
In my mind's eye, I thought about Lenz learning of my fate when I didn't come back. His worry and dread when he didn't even know what befell me. My eyes snapped open. I would not put him through that.
I am not going to die here and make Lenz sad. I'm going to make it back and see him again.
I am the Slumbering Death!
I banished my fear and propelled myself to the surface before clawing back onto the catwalk. The steady barrage of rockets had ended.
I immediately popped down two cobblestone and hugged it right as a distant explosion sounded. The arrow chipped my cover and stuck into the wooden catwalk with a vibrating fletching. After the arrow fired, I made a break for my team's items, ignoring the shouting coming from the approaching cultists on the archway. The sniper needed a moment to reload. I wasn't sure exactly how long, but I had one safety net left to verify.
My eyes roved over the scattered gear, spotting the Heads immediately. I grabbed them and placed my last two cobblestone to hide behind just in time for the distant explosion. The arrow chipped the edge again, whizzing across my hip in a searing heat before it stuck in the wood, wobbling.
The cultists leapt off the archway and splashed into the water, swimming towards me. More shouting. They were firing arrows too, though none as deadly as the sniper's.
I rolled from out of cover and grabbed two of the three maps, having spied them. I still needed the third map and the flint and steel! Where were they!?
I panicked and spent too much time out of cover. But I finally spied Doyle's flint and steel and map.
Another explosion. Another totem. Another sneeze.
My last sneeze.
I ignored the remains of the final totem and dove for the flint and steel, grabbing it and lighting everything up, including myself. My totem's Fire Resistance effect was in place, and if everything was burning-
Another explosion sounded and my heart stopped only for the arrow to strike the fire to the left of me.
The bright, flickering flames was the ideal camouflage.
I set the whole catwalk ablaze, not just to destroy any evidence and hide myself, but to dissuade the cultists from clambering onto it. They fired arrows still, and some of them hit, but compared to the deadly sniper, it was nothing my totem's Regeneration and Absorption couldn't tank. The totems and gear burned. I cast the maps into the fire and dove into the water, keeping my head under as I swam downstream. Another explosion sounded and an arrow shot past me in the water before losing all momentum and sinking to the bottom.
It was a lot tougher hitting an underwater target.
I swam as fast as I could, not daring to poke my head up for air even when it cost me Hearts. Only when I was out of sight of where those arrows and rockets had come from did I resurface, climb onto a street, and run back to headquarters.
I was shaken, jumping at the shadows I stuck to, my muscles tense as a spring and my heart hammering. I knew I should've been taking the long way back to avoid the possibility of being tailed, but I just wanted off the streets as soon as possible.
I wanted to be back safe. With Lenz.
[Rooftop: Canals District]
"Her stupid hair ruined me." Abyssmal lamented as the Paragon stuck to the water and swam out of sight. His one eye narrowed. "Don't sleep on me, Slumbering Death."
He knew her moniker from Mox's spies. He also knew she was one of the Angel of Death's five Team Leaders - her strongest fighters. Not dissimilar to the cult's own Lieutenants.
"Did you get them all, sir?" One of his 'backpacks' asked. His backpacks being cultists whose sole purpose was to hold stuff he couldn't carry, like ammo and TNT minecarts. "None of us can tell at this distance-"
"I got most of them." He put away his Piercing IV crossbow. "One escaped."
"But... not the most dangerous one, right?"
"...Let's not focus on the negative-"
"SIR!"
One of his six 'backpacks' facepalmed. "Why not take out the most dangerous one first, then pick off the weaker ones?"
"Look, I was going for a four-person Railgun collateral! They were lined up beautifully." Abyssmal defended hotly. "I would've had it too, but the girl undid her braid, and her hair covered her back. I one-in-a-billion threaded the needle in the worst way. She had those totems too." The Executive scratched under his eyepatch. "Her artifact buffs got toasted, though. Nice to know the Railgun is effective."
"You realize she'll warn the other Paragons, sir?" Another 'backpack' pointed out as he picked up the rail used for the Railgun. "She'll tell them about your arsenal-"
"What's she gonna tell them?" Abyssmal gave a dismissive scoff. "She's a Jibberwoman."
[Lenz]
I peeked my head up and saw that Dwight and Perry were chasing a group of straggling Crafters away from me and the building I was prepping for demolition. They pursued and shot arrows, all of them purposefully missing, to frighten them off. That had been a close call. Why Crafters were out when curfew was in effect was beyond me, but the two Paragons were keeping watch for me, which I was grateful for. Made my job easier.
Once the danger passed, I adjusted my Dragon mask and resumed setting up the TNT. This was the fifth building, a multi-story apartment complex in the Cuore District. Recently abandoned and slated for demolition. Perry provided me with a lot of TNT for this one.
I was going through the floors one by one, evenly spacing the explosives to leave no trace. The trick here was I had to set off the TNT from the top floor. If I blew up the bottom first, there was a chance the explosives above would fall through, ruining the chain of explosions and preventing the topmost TNT from igniting. It was a dangerous assignment, but, thanks to the Slow Falling buff, I had the perfect exit strategy.
When I reached the roof to plant the final explosives, I had to place some torches to see what I was working on. Jillian had not given us a Night Vision buff, as it would have impaired our sleep.
As the torch lit up the roof and I moved to plant explosives at the corners, I swore I heard a rush of wind from above. I looked up but saw nothing.
I shrugged and went back to work, finishing up with the last piece of TNT required to blow the building entirely. Opting to use a shootable wooden button connected to a redstone fuse as the trigger, I knelt down and placed it beside the designated TNT before leaning back to survey the scene. A final check, as it were.
"Looks good." I muttered to myself.
"Cool mask~!"
"WAAHA!" I jumped and spun, my hand smacking out and clicking the ignition button by accident. The subsequent hissing of TNT overrode all thoughts on who the feminine figure before me was. She had snuck up on me, but that did not matter.
I was running, shoving the girl away from the flashing TNT with my Speed and Strength buff aiding me. Bits of her long blue hair bounced against me as I shoved her.
"Move. Move. Move! Move! MOVE! MOVE!"
She caught on to what was flashing and hissing behind me and yelped before joining me in clearing the roof. I was faster with my Speed buff, dragging her by the arm. I aimed for the nearest side of the building, hoping Slow Falling for one was enough to suspend a second person.
The first blast sounded, triggering the nearest TNT, which then expanded to more TNT in a chain of explosions that dogged our heels. I really did a good job. Too good.
My Leaping buff gave me more air time as I leapt off the edge just as the last explosion sounded. The girl's arm was still in hand, an unusual crisscrossing texture gracing my fingertips.
"Hang on!" I shouted, trying to sound confident. My downward velocity was less than usual as Slow Falling worked against gravity.
But then my downward velocity lessened even more, and, in its place, my forward velocity sped up. Also, the arm I had been dragging was now dragging me. My body swung as I found myself dangled by one arm - a strong arm belied by its feminine physique. We were also soaring on the wind, much faster than Slow Falling would permit.
As the ground rushed below, I let out an uncharacteristic whoop of exhilaration. This was just like flying an airship, only faster! A second arm reached down, below my armpit, and secured me better as we zoomed around.
"Pretty cool, huh~? Bet you never flew like this before."
"This is incredible! Thank you-!" I looked up and my heart went still.
Teal_Larkspur was holding me up.
"L-Larkspur...?"
"Call me Teal!" She yelled over the wind, missing my fearful tone and question. "You're the new talent my guys keep mentioning, right? Glad I caught you."
I am being held by an Endward Cult Lieutenant.
I went quiet and timid in her grip, going deathly still and tense as I panicked internally. I was never supposed to go undercover as a recruit! That was all Dwight and Perry! I was just the guy rigging the explosions while they took all the credit! Getting caught was not part of the plan!
As we glided, Teal whistled appreciatively. "You sure did a number on that apartment~! Every bit of it got blown to bits! How many Heads you reckon you netted?" There was a pause in which she swerved left and right to jostle me awake. "Yoohoo~! Can you hear me down there?"
"L-Loud and clear!" I tried to bite back a stutter. "Er, sorry, this is just - you are the Teal_Larkspur."
"The one and only~!" She preened. "But don't be overwhelmed by my rank or transcendental beauty. I can't stomach any of that pecking order crap.
"Right! Right. It is just - you are famous-"
"Infamous more like~"
"And my nerves, you know."
"I hear ya~ Hey! You wanna go for another pass? I'm skilled enough to pull off some loop-de-loops if you're game~!"
"Er, sure! Be my guest."
"Guesting~!"
She angled her body down and we picked up speed, our tranquil glide turning into a breakneck hurtle. Then, just as we were about to crash, she angled her body back and we swooped up with enough momentum to perform a loop-de-loop. Craving to showboat with a bit of flair, Teal added a barrel roll, whooping energetically as we zoomed over the Cuore District.
The exhilarating feeling of the wind in my hair did not detract from the danger I was in. Floyd and Soul warned me that Teal was a destructive force of nature. She snapped Soul's neck like a twig, and her hands were under my armpits holding me up. Plus, Jade had to have informed the cult about the identities of Cobbert and the Beginners, so Teal had to know too. I was safe with my Dragon mask obfuscating my name, but what if she asked me to take it off? I would have no excuse to refuse, and then I would be exposed!
As I looked up, I caught a glimpse of the Wonder Wings - the elytra - on her back. Carys had wanted a pair of wings like that, though the Scouts had been out of stock at the time. Those wings enabled her to glide on the wind. That must have been how she snuck up on me. She never entered the building, but rather flew down onto it.
"How did you find me?" I asked, hoping it was a natural enough question.
Teal angled her body again, shifting into a gentler glide to allow for conversation. "I wasn't exactly looking for you." She admitted. "I was in the neighborhood, zooming around, searching for the bastards killing our guys these past few days."
"Um. What fiends! What are their names?"
"Psh, I dunno for sure, but based on there being no witnesses, I'm leaning towards those Paragons. Soon to be Para-Be-Goners once I get my mitts on 'em."
"Zing!" I forcibly laughed at her joke while internally freaking out. Dear repeaters, my acting was as bad as Dwight and Perry's.
Speaking of which, WHERE ARE THEY!? HALP! I NEED HALP!
"Anywho, I followed the smoldering trail of destruction you left in your wake and saw that last roof light up from your torch. Sorry for spooking you and ruining your work~ I'm an idiot when it comes to redstone." She chuckled at her own expense. "But thanks for getting me out of the blast range. Gosh, my heart was racing~! You may have just earned some brownie points with the cult for saving a Lieutenant's life. Though, come to think of it, is it considered saving someone's life if you caused the threat? Not sure." She hummed in thought while I kicked myself for not paying more attention to whom I was saving. "But I'll take it into consideration for the recruitment process."
"A-Ah, yes." I acknowledged shakily. "The recruitment process..."
"You do wanna join, right?"
"Oh, yes! Uh-huh. Definitely!" I nodded emphatically. No other choice but to. "Uh, but first, is it too much to ask if we can land? My arms are getting numb..."
"Oh! Yeah, sure~" She angled her body straight down, our speed going from tranquil to whirlwind. "Better tuck your legs in~!"
I did as advised, my eyes screwing shut as the Cuore District came up to meet us. I was sure we would crash into the gravel streets, but, at the last second, Teal righted herself and I felt my stomach whoosh into my shoes in a sharp swoop before all momentum died and we floated gently to the ground.
"Thank you for flying Larkspur Airlines~" She joked before releasing her hold on me. It was that simple.
I took a few steps forward to maintain a comfortable distance before I turned to face her fully. She was young and fair-skinned, with long teal-blue hair done in a bouncy waist-length ponytail, held up by a simple pink band. Shoulder-length bangs framed a seemingly innocent face and vibrant blue eyes, though I knew better. Her hair also had light blue highlights designed in a spiral that wound up her left bang before ending in a spiral along her forehead.
She wore a light halter top with a dark blue flower design emblazoned on her lower left side. A short blue sash-skirt with light-blue flower patterns covered her bottom half, but not by much, revealing slender legs clad in blue fishnet stockings. She also wore fishnet sleeves and sneakers of the same color. Her belt and backpack were teal-blue, just like her hair.
She did not wear a single piece of armor, nor did she carry a weapon on her belt. She had no need for them; her body was lethal weapon enough if Floyd and Soul were to be believed. I felt a trill of excitement, however, when I saw the light-blue leather cap at her belt. The Voda Shlem! Nowhere's artifact was right there!
And if I made a grab for it, I would be dead.
"Huh." Teal walked into my personal space, her bright eyes following something floating around me. "What's with all the potion particles coming off you?"
"Oh, ah, stew." I answered lamely.
"...Stew?"
"Suspicious stew. An extra-special-suspicious-stew."
"With that many effects - how the hell do you have that many Hearts!?" She gasped as she grabbed my arm and gaped at the Health Boosted Health Meter tattoo on display. "And some of these effects are ones I've never seen before! Daaaamn, you gotta teach Mar... Margaret... how to make that." She gave me back my arm. "Assuming you're cleared to join, I mean."
"Margaret?"
"His name isn't really Margaret, but I'm not allowed to share confidential blabety-blah until you're officially one of us. Otherwise, I'd have to kill you~" She teased, flicking my nose.
I did not care what sort of teasing lilt she said that with. It sounded less like a joke and more like a threat.
"And nice Dragon Mask." She said appreciatively. "I've got one at home just like it. My darling stud-muffin got it from SutsCo~ That where you got yours?
"Er, I could tell you... but then I would have to kill you. Ha-ha."
"Oooh, nice~ Right back at me~! You're quickwitted, you know that?"
What am I even doing right now? I internally cried at how cringy and awkward I was being. Thank goodness Teal was extroverted enough to stomach it.
"So this recruitment thing-" I began before Teal cut me off with a raised hand.
"Hang on. I feel like I'm talking to a blank slate. Why don't you take off that mask?" I felt my heart stop. "Get some air under there~! Show the world your pretty face~"
"W-Well... the thing is... I..."
"There's no need to be shy~ It's just us friends here." She spread her arms out to indicate the empty street. "And if any bystander shows up unannounced, I'll pop their head off with my bicep. They're good for that."
The shrill internal scream in my head reached a crescendo.
"Come on now. Take it off, take it off~!" She chanted eagerly.
With no available recourse - and checking I had my preloaded crossbows at my belt - I slowly lifted my arms with the air of a man sent to his execution, wrapped my fingertips around the edges of the Dragon mask, and, in one go, unmasked myself. My name and face were on full display.
I stared at Teal through tinted glasses.
She stared back before her blue eyes narrowed and her expression became disgruntled.
[Cuore District]
"Any sign of him!?" Dwight hissed as he and Perry ran over to the smoldering remains of the apartment complex. "I swear, are you sure you didn't see him jump!?"
"I-I don't know! I was preoccupied scaring off those stragglers!" Perry confessed. "Crap! I thought he was an expert with redstone! If Cobb finds out-"
"Forget Cobb! What's Z7 gonna do to us!?" Dwight panicked. "She just got a boyfriend, and we got him killed! We are so dead!"
"...Shit, you're right!" Perry realized. "O-Okay, so, if anyone asks, we ran into, uh, twenty - no, no, FIFTY - cultists, and Lenz - brave, brave Lenz - he sac-"
"We can't lie about it!" Dwight exclaimed. "Just... keep looking! Either for a body or a Head."
"This place is gonna be swarming with citizens soon. Oh, man, we are so boned..."
"Shut up and look!"
"HEEEEEY! YOU TWO!"
Dwight and Perry spun around towards the sound, spotting a blue-haired female with her arm wrapped around the neck of a gray-haired Lenz. A moment later, Dwight and Perry recognized the woman as the Endward Cult Lieutenant, Teal_Larkspur.
She looked angry. And she had Lenz in a chokehold.
"You boys got some nerve!" Teal snarled as she marched forward, dragging the engineer with her. She was using him as a hostage.
Although, her arm was rather loose for a chokehold. It looked more like she had her arm hanging around his neck. Lenz had a panic-stricken face at being towed along, but his eyes - visible through skewed tinted glasses - were silently pleading to Perry and Dwight to stay silent.
"Some nerve...?" Perry asked cautiously, his hand slowly inching towards his sword.
"Yeah!" She brought Lenz before her and pointed a finger at his face. "This poor fella has been doing all the work inflating your reputation with his bombings, and you don't even have the decency to credit him!?"
Dwight and Perry dropped their guard as they pieced together what she was saying.
"Propping up in bars and boasting when all you do is keep watch and clean-up. You make me sick! I can't stand it when others steal credit!" She fumed, releasing Lenz. The engineer almost fell over in sheer relief. And disbelief. Teal didn't know he was a Beginner? "The Eastern Division is a team! If you can't be team players, you're gonna bomb recruitment, let me tell you. This will negatively impact your standing."
"Uhhhh... sorry?"
"You damn better be!" She huffed. "You take advantage of this little guy again, we're gonna have problems."
"...It won't happen again." Dwight decided.
"Good." Teal visibly calmed down. "With that over, let's split, newbies. Civies will be here any minute. Did you gather the Heads of your victims?" At this, Dwight held up the Griefer Heads they had preprepared. "Nice. Bring 'em and I might be able to salvage what's left of your dignity. Stealing credit for someone's kills - that's nearly as bad as kill stealing! Ugh!"
Wordlessly, Dwight and Perry joined Teal and Lenz, the four of them jogging away from the scene as Crafters started to investigate.
They somehow were able to maintain their cover as recruits, but not without getting Lenz roped in.
They would have to play it by ear for a while.
[Z7]
I circled our safehouse a few times just to make sure I hadn't been followed. I was jumpy and nervous without a safety net, but escaping from that debacle and going as long as I had without incident had calmed me down some. Helped me to think rationally.
I stood before the door to the safehouse and glanced sadly at the trio of Heads in my arms. Shroud, Doyle, and Aurand. I would respectfully cremate their remains with all the honors of Paragon custom. It was all that was left for me to repay their service.
Bracing for a barrage of questions I couldn't understand nor answer, I knocked twice on the door and awaited a response.
It was Cobb who greeted me, his face hopeful before it turned disheartened when he realized who it was. He then noticed the Heads in my arms and his breath hitched. He said something and stood aside, ushering me in.
It looked like every member of our landing party was up despite how late it was. Trenay and Baltic were the first to greet me, their eyes on the Heads in my possession. I apologized, hoping they understood.
There was anger from Luis and Wing. I felt it radiating from them like heat, but not towards me. They probably guessed it was cultists when the map blips disappeared. Witige, Milton, and Gregory showed confusion and horror as they wondered how the assassins could've died with all their buffs and totems. Attila's fists tightened and Alfonso looked nervous. Cobb leaned against the wall at the news, having traveled with those three assassins for some time. They had gone with him to the End, after all. He knew their names. Someone as open as him was affected by casualties.
I had a sneaking suspicion it was the Eastern Executive - an exceptional archer - who killed my Team and nearly killed me. I wasn't able to tell Trenay or Team Delta about his one-shot-kill arrow, but that's what the nerdling was for. He could translate.
Now where was he?
"Lenz?" I asked in common, the word having been practiced enough. "Lenz. Lenz."
Cobb's gaze flicked up while everyone else averted their eyes.
"Lenz?" I asked again, my head swiveling to look at everyone, even as they refused to look at me. "Lenz? Lenz?"
Baltic said something that included 'Lenz', but I couldn't understand it. He and Trenay pointed to the map, but I still couldn't understand it.
I felt arms grab my shoulder and spin me around. It was Cobb. He spoke roughly, including the word 'Lenz', but I was still no closer to understanding. He must have seen the confusion in my eyes, for he turned his head and barked something to Daisy, his fingers snapping incessantly. Daisy rummaged in her backpack before withdrawing a book and quill, which she threw to Cobb.
The fisherman caught the book and tore it open, writing out some letters while the rest of the Paragons turned to discuss things with each other. It felt like they were all ignoring me again. Where was Lenz? He could translate. He would pay attention. He always paid attention.
Hell, where were Perry and Dwight? They were teamed up. They could tell me where the nerdling was.
Cobb dragged me over by my shoulder, his expression grim as I saw what he wrote down.
[ABCDEFGHIJKLM]
[ZYXWVUTSRQPON]
He then stared at the book intently, the quill slowly scratching out letters as he consulted the guide he had written for himself. The letters were written with such a heavy hand that the paper threatened to tear. His mouth was set into a thin line. He only wrote three words, but when he turned the book to show me, they stole my breath away.
[OVMA RH NRHHRMT]
[LENZ IS MISSING]
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV, Feather Falling III, Unbreaking III], 18 Obsidian, 7 Ender Chests, 43 Chorus Fruit, 48 Cooked Chicken, 64 Oak Planks, 64 Cobblestone, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 1 Bed, 30 Blocks of Coal, 64 Torches, 1 Lava Bucket, 1 Water Bucket, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 3 Glass Bottles, 64 Snowballs, 11 End Crystals, 16 Ender Pearls, 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash 2.0} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Lure II, Unbreaking III], 1 Trident {Awe} [Riptide III, Unbreaking III], 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Bounty Days}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Book and Quill
Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 35 Eyes of Ender, 30 Blocks of Emerald, 6 Emeralds, 1 Diamond Cutlass, 1 Iron Helmet [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Chestplate [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Leggings [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV, Depth Strider III], 25 Lapis Lazuli, 64 Books, 64 Glass, 64 Glass, 64 Glass Bottles, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Fishing Rod, 2 Books, 1 Enchanting Table, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Nether}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Bounty Days}
[EXP: 53]
Inventory (Lenz): 1 Chainmail Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Dragon Head, 1 Chainmail Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Chainmail Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Chainmail Boots [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Dagger, 16 Ender Pearls, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Compass, 1 Bow [Power IV, Flame I, Punch II, Unbreaking III], 1 Bow [Infinity], 1 Crossbow [Piercing IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow [Multishot I, Unbreaking III], 64 Arrows, 64 Arrows, 16 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Small Ball x 7, Gray x 7}, 16 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Large Ball x 7, Gray x 7}, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 52 Dark Oak Planks, 50 Chorus Fruit, 51 Cooked Salmon, 48 Apples, 9 Emeralds, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Oak Docks Entry Pass}, 1 Red Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Gray Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying
Red Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 1 Shears, 23 Levers, 9 Dark Oak Buttons, 21 Redstone Torches, 20 Redstone Repeaters, 17 Redstone Comparators, 25 Blocks of Redstone, 10 Hoppers, 13 Pistons, 24 Sticky Pistons, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 5 Fire Charges, 5 TNT, 36 Charcoal, 2 Torches, 32 Pumpkin Seeds, 1 Book {Redstone Textbook}, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {Honey Block Notes}, 5 Ender Chests
Gray Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 1 Crossbow [Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow [Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow [Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow [Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow [Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow [Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow [Unbreaking III], 53 Arrows of Poison {0:11}, 64 Arrows of Harming II, 57 Arrows of Harming II, 52 Arrows of Weakness {0:30}, 49 Arrows of Slowness {0:30}, 64 Arrows of Fire Resistance {1:00}, 64 Arrows of Healing II, 64 Arrows of Invisibility {1:00}, 64 Arrows of Leaping {1:00}, 64 Arrows of Slow Falling {0:30}, 64 Arrows of Night Vision {1:00}, 63 Arrows of Strength II {0:12}, 64 Arrows of Swiftness {1:00}, 63 Arrows of Swiftness II {0:11}, 64 Arrows of Water Breathing {1:00}
[EXP: 25]
Inventory (Baltic): 1 Iron Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Sword [Sharpness II, Unbreaking III], 1 Shield, 1 Bow, 1 Diamond Pickaxe [Silk Touch I, Mending I, Unbreaking II], 35 Arrows, 3 Brewing Stands, 1 Water Bucket, 64 Bones, 1 Ender Chest, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 20 Emeralds, 64 Cooked Chicken, 37 Cooked Chicken, 1 Lingering Potion of Slowness {1:00}, 1 Lingering Potion of Slowness {1:00}, 1 Lingering Potion of Healing II {0:05}, 1 Lingering Potion of Regeneration II {0:05}, 1 Blue Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}
Blue Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 41 Glass Bottles, 64 Dragon's Breath, 59 Dragon's Breath, 64 Blaze Powder, 64 Nether Warts, 30 Soul Sand, 62 Phantom Membranes, 64 Blaze Rods, 64 Fermented Spider Eyes, 64 Carrots, 64 Melon Slices, 64 Rabbit's Feet, 64 Gold Ingots, 64 Gold Nuggets, 64 Gunpowder, 64 Redstone Dust, 64 Glowstone Dust, 64 Ghast Tears, 64 Sugar
[EXP: 32]
Inventory (Z7): 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 21 Charcoal, 39 Torches, 59 Oak Planks, 4 Glass Bottles, 1 Cake, 1 Cake, 1 Cake, 24 Cookies, 38 Baked Potatoes, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Bucket, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Purple Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}, 1 Head {Dark_Shroud}, 1 Head {Doyle}, 1 Head {Aurand}
Purple Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 1 Iron Helmet [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Chestplate [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Leggings [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots [Thorns III, Projectile Protection IV, Depth Strider III]
[EXP: 47]
AN: This is the part of the Arc where things pick up.
RIP Shroud, Aurand, and Doyle. Shroud was actually a viewer submitted OC named Dark_Shroud from The Perpetual Shadow, introduced back in 128.
I had to do tests in Minecraft to see if there was a way for projectiles to pierce through solid blocks, or if the splash damage from fireworks would clip through walls. No on both accounts, so Abyssmal was just keeping Z7 pinned in her cobblestone shelter until his cultists surrounded her. I at least try to maintain Minecraft realism when possible.
FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. PM. FORUM. DISCORD. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.