Chapter 30: Campfire Tales

This morning, much like the one prior, wasn't that meaningful. After I had my breakfast, I was once again faced with the question of what to do. Thankfully, inspiration came to me relatively quickly.

I found a quiet, almost secluded area that was close enough to the mansion for me not to lose track of its location, but also far enough away so that no one would see me. It's not like I was doing anything weird, or anything; I simply didn't want to draw attention to myself.

It was in this small clearing, where I could hone my sword fighting skills.

I tried various kinds of swings and arches against imaginary monsters. Now, I could have gone to find a cave, or some other dark area and practice against actual threats, but I didn't want to stray too far away. I should also note that I didn't have any plans to fight anybody; this was mostly for safety, as well as for the exercise.

So anyway, with my field of view being limited to the immediate area thanks to the surrounding trees, I was deep in the 'zone', not really paying attention to what was going on around me. After I performed a rapid spin attack, I stood still for a bit, panting. Once my eyes adjusted and managed to distinguish a pair of green ones staring back at me, I am not ashamed to admit that I was startled quite badly.

"Ah!"

"Nice moves."

Alex was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed. I could just about discern some mild amusement in her expression. How had she even found me? And more importantly...

"How long have you been standing there for?" I asked, slightly flustered.

"Not too long, if it's any consolation."

"...Did you want to tell me something?"

She nodded.

"I did. But, before that, umm, you look like a baby," she said with a small smile.

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

She pointed at the general area of her jaw. It then dawned on me that she was talking about my shave...

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I actually think you're pretty good looking," she added. "Anyway, I came here to ask if you'll participate in tonight's event?"

The event Matilda had told me about sprung to mind. I had almost forgotten about it, with everything else that had gone down these days. I never did give a definitive answer...

"Depends. What will we be doing?"

"We'll be going camping in the woods. I'd like it if you'd come with us," she stated plainly.

"...Might as well join you, then. It sounds kind of fun."

"Smart choice. I'll see you at noon, at the entrance, okay?"

"Yes, I'll see you then."

She went to leave, as I tried to resume my practice. I didn't get a chance to do so, however, as Alex spoke up again.

"Hold on..."

She walked back, closer than she was previously.

"Want me to join you?"

"In what way do you mean?"

She gestured at my sword.

"It'd be far better practice that way, and I could use some training."

"Okay, then. Beats having to imagine what my opponent would do."

"Thank you."

Curiously, she placed down a crafting table and took off her cloak. After a few moments, she faced me holding two wooden swords.

"Here. We can use these."

I accepted the 'blade', and after getting a feel for its weight compared to my diamond one, I took a defensive position, and we started off slow. Alex was on the offense, dishing out a small array of swings, which I was able to deflect fairly reliably.

"I should bring up that I'm not quite as acquainted with using a sword as I am with a bow," she claimed.

"Really? I didn't know bows are your go-to weapon..."

"They're a little situational at times, that's why."

We pressed on at a slightly faster rhythm.

"You're pretty good at this," she stated in between clashes.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you're trying to throw me off with compliments."

She chuckled a bit at that.

"I'd never do something so low."

*knock*

"Don't you believe me?"

"I believe you."

I was a little surprised that she was doing what was essentially small talk. Now, I could have simply misinterpreted, but that was what it seemed like. It felt a little awkward, especially when taking into account that the last time we spoke, was on the night before yesterda-

"Ugh!"

I clutched my bicep. The hit didn't hurt that much, but it definitely caught me off-guard.

"You spaced out there for a moment. You should focus a little more."

"Right. Won't happen again."

I got my act together, and we resumed. Up to this point, we were mostly static, moving only our arms to block each other's attacks. After this pause, however, Alex started circling and side hopping around me, which forced me to be nimbler, myself.

"Remind me, what's your favorite color?" I asked.

"It's green," she replied between clashes. I had a feeling that was going to be the answer I'd get, but still wanted to make sure.

"What about you?"

"Blue."

"Fitting."

"Likewise."

In spite of the increase in tempo, I was still able to keep up, but I couldn't find an opening to attack. After enough time had passed, in which we were practicing silently, she spoke up.

"Steve," she started. "Can you keep a secret?"

I hopped backwards, but stopped swinging.

"No, don't stop; keep going," she requested, and I did. She probably needed the sound of our swords hitting each other to mask her words.

"I can, but why?"

"There's something I want to tell you."

Her voice was just about audible in the midst of the battle.

"Okay...I'm listening," I replied, my voice around a similar volume.

"This is really important, alright? I've never told this to anybody, not even Matilda."

After parrying a swing that got really close to hitting me on the waist, I replied with, "I won't tell a soul."

She pressed her sword against mine, and after circling around me in such a way that our torsos were almost touching, she whispered.

"I've been considering resigning from my role as head of the illagers."

Her statement shocked me, which resulted in me almost getting hit again. Once I managed to put enough distance between us, I asked the reason behind her intention, as our match continued.

"It's just...not the kind of life I want to lead anymore. We already achieved our goal with the raid, anyway, so..."

I thought about it for a bit. Well, about as much as I could, given the situation.

"I don't really know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to share that with you."

"Okay..."

*knock*

"So, what will you do after?" I wondered out loud.

"I...haven't worked everything out yet...I'll have to think it through more..."

Although her reply was rather vague, I supposed it was justified. It must've been a very daunting decision for her.

This whole time, I was also trying to find an opening to attack, and yet her movements were quite elaborate, much like a wither skeleton's. Unfortunately for her, there was one thing she didn't take into account.

"Ack!"

She bent down to clutch her shin. For a moment, I got worried that I had put more strength in the swing than I should have, and that I had hurt her. Thankfully, my concerns were alleviated once she raised her head with a toothy grin.

"Alright, you won fair and square. You're a better swordsman than I."

She extended her hand, and I shook it.

"...so long as you keep your head off the clouds, that is..." she muttered slyly. I couldn't tell if I should feel embarrassed or flattered...

"Anyhow, just know this: There's no way I'm going to lose to you in shooting practice!"

That remark made me laugh, mostly because it sounded like something she'd genuinely say back in the Sky dimension, so there was a familiar sentiment to it.

"Ha ha, alright, I don't doubt it!"

Shortly thereafter, she stood up straight, and took out a clock. She inspected it and stored it once more with a sigh. She then retrieved her cloak and addressed me.

"I've got to get going. Thank you for the practice, Steve. I had a good time."

"Me too. I'll see you at noon!"

"Heh, you'd better~"

As she was about ready to leave, I remembered something vital.

"Alex, wait!"

"What is it?" she wondered, bewildered.

"There's something I want to give you. It's like a gift of sorts." I resisted the urge to fidget.

"...?"

"Do you remember that flower you told me about? The one that used to be your favorite?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well..." I presented a sheet of paper.

"Is this it?"

She accepted the drawing I had made yesterday, during the afternoon. Granted, I wasn't the best artist by a landslide, but I tried my best. Whatever the case may be, Alex still seemed impressed by the result.

"It...it is! But how?"

"I remembered it along with some of my other memories. It's called 'the cyan rose'. For the petals, I mixed blue dye from lapis and white dye from tulips, and then yellow and blue dye for the stem. I doubt it exists anymore, so this is probably the closest you're going to get."

"...Steve...I...thank you!" she exclaimed.

She appeared a little hesitant, almost as if there was something more she wanted to say or do, but ultimately, she ran away, a little awkwardly might I add. I fought back a grin. Our little practice session put me in a good mood, and I actually felt anticipation for noon to come by. Feeling fed up with training, I decided to stock up on some resources for the event, mainly wood, stone, and some food. I didn't know what I was going to need, but there's nothing wrong with taking some precaution.

...

By spending the remainder of the morning in the mansion's library, browsing through the selection of textbooks available, the time to meet up with the others rolled by relatively quickly. Once I stepped in the foyer, I was met with a cluster of pillagers who were on stand-by.

The murmurs were reverberating all over the lobby, creating a loud buzz. What surprised me the most was that even the allays were present, flying above us. From the looks of it, no one was going to be left behind.

After some inspection, I spotted Matilda and Vincent chatting near the doorway. With enough contemplation, I opted to weave through the crowd, and make my way towards them.

"Oh, hello there, dear," the witch greeted with mirth.

"Do you mind? We're talking here!" the vindicator protested.

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering what we're waiting for?"

"Boss told us to wait here until she'd return with the captain," Matilda explained.

"Ah, there they are!"

As if on cue, Alex and the captain showed up on the top of the stairs, meaning it was time to go.

...

It was fortuitous that we didn't have any other rival tribes to worry about. If we did, now would have probably been the ideal opportunity for them to ambush us. In our disorganized state, most of us would stand little chance.

Then again, maybe I was just feeling paranoid for no reason...

As we were treading along, I could see the biome gradually change. We were leaving the dense, roofed forest, with its overgrown mushrooms and lush grassy sod behind. The air was now less humid, but the temperature was cooler.

The forest we were entering, while far more open and spacious, had some trees that towered over the ones found in the previous woodland. By getting a closer look, I recognized them as some sort of variation of spruce trees.

The most apparent difference however, lied in the ground. The grassy coat gave way to a brownish-yellow material, called podzol. It was rather coarse, but even so, mushrooms still found a way to spread and multiply on it. Lastly, we'd occasionally come across large boulders made of mossy cobblestone.

The fauna, too, appeared to be different. Instead of the usual sheep, chickens and cows that infested the roofed forest, rabbits, a few foxes, and the occasional wolf seemed to have made this taiga biome their home.

The scenery; the cool, almost chilly atmosphere; the clear view of the sky; the earthly smell, and even the sounds the local wildlife produced, made for a very intense and vivid location, rather suitable for camping – especially when we'd get a campfire going.

At the center of the clearing, at a spot that was covered by trees on the west and the south, we settled down, and split up into three separate groups. Alex instructed a select few illagers to get the food ready, before turning to me.

"Hey, could you please place down some torches in the nearby area while I set up the campfires?"

"Yeah, I'll handle it."

This was a safeguard meant to prevent various monsters from spawning, if I had to guess. It made sense too; a creeper explosion would be the last thing we needed. Once I was satisfied with the lighting, and returned to the now set up camping site, it was almost sunset. A bunch of benches made of spruce logs were placed around three campfires, on which some raw slices of porkchop were perched, sizzling.

By this point, the allays had dispersed, wandering off into the forest to play. This casted a mystical blue hue over the environment, which enhanced the atmosphere further. I wasn't worried about them, either. With how well illuminated this place was, I felt assured that they would find their way back just fine.

Anyhow, it only felt natural that I sit with Alex's group. It was composed of mostly the higher-ups of the tribe, but a couple of low-ranking troops were there as well. I sat next to Vincent of all people. Not because I wanted to, but rather because that was the only available seat. Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad; we had reconciled, after all. Perhaps we could even get along, who knows?

On the log to our left sat Matilda with a seemingly random pillager, while on the log across ours, which had been placed under a tree, sat Alex with the captain. As for the one on the right, it was taken up by other people I didn't recognize. We began dining, and a few of us were having some lighthearted banter to fill the silence.

"So, what's in store for tonight?" one of them queried once most of us were done eating.

"Since we've all settled down in such a cozy fashion," Matilda responded, "I feel like this is the ideal time for a horror story. There is one in particular I'd like to share, if it's alright with you, boss?"

"Isn't it a bit too early for something like this?"

"I've been looking forward to sharing this for a while now... May I skip ahead?"

"...Sure. Knock yourself out."

Having received permission, the witch cleared her throat and began her narration.

"Gather 'round, ladies and gentlemen, for I am about to share with you a tale most disturbing-"

"We're already here, you dork," Vincent cut in, getting a couple of chuckles from the audience. Matilda didn't appear entertained...

"Excuse me, I'm trying to set the tone here! Be quiet now."

She continued with an exasperated sigh.

"Anyway...what I'm about to tell you is a tale that I discovered while doing research in an old library, built by the early humans. They called it, 'the legend of the silent city'..."

There was a brief pause, probably for dramatic effect.

"A long time ago, it is said that a gigantic creature of the utmost foul degree used to walk the lands we are currently in, stomping the ground with its two gargantuan legs. It is fabled that it was so tall, that the sensors on its head could brush the canopy of the tree we are currently sitting under."

I let my eyes slowly drift to the aforementioned tree. Such a being, should it exist, would be around four blocks tall, give or take. That made me feel a little uncomfortable...

"Its skin was a deep, goopy blue, allowing it to blend in seamlessly with the night. However, it was not a subtle presence, for its exposed heart would boom with every beat. It also held terrifying strength. It was allegedly potent enough to almost match the Wither, the god of death itself! Some sources even claim that it was downright invincible."

'The Wither?'

I couldn't stop myself from interrupting.

"Hold on, Matilda, is this just a fictional story, or did such a creature actually exist?"

Her response, which in hindsight I should have seen coming, was a mere wink. She then resumed as if I hadn't said anything at all.

"It is believed that this entity was the physical manifestation of nature's most cruel side. A natural disaster, if you will. With a swing of its mighty arms, it would terminate anything that stood, crawled or prowled on its path."

At the mention of the swinging of arms, unwanted memories of the iron golem nearly killing me flashed before my eyes, causing me to shake my head.

"For every creature it slayed, its heartbeat would grow louder. It even got to a point where its footsteps got muffled. The Wither despised this creature, so its three heads unanimously decided to kill two birds with one stone, and banish it underground, between deepslate and bedrock. Under normal circumstances, nothing would be able to survive such depths, but alas, a group of humans managed to not only do so, but also thrive, by building a city so large, that it's fabled it spanned an entire biome.

It was that exact city the Wither wanted to purge by trapping its inhabitants with the abominable being... You may have noticed that I've neglected to mention its name, right? That's because it didn't have one. Not at first, anyway. Over time, it would be referred to as 'shade', 'stalker', or 'the hollowed'. Its most recently documented name, however, was derived from its role of keeping the humans hostage in their own city. It was dubbed, the Warden..."

Matilda stopped once more to take an inquisitive look at each of us. We were all focused on her, anticipating.

"...The people tried to put together measures to thwart the Warden, or at the very least, escape from its wrath. Because of the time it dwelled underground, starved from the lack of sunlight, the beast gradually lost its eyesight, until it became completely blind, a fact that gave the humans hope.

They would move from building to building as quietly and as slowly as possible, so as to not get detected. They'd know to go quiet when they'd hear the volume of Warden's heartbeat increase. For that reason, they'd talk to each other in whispers, until eventually, they stopped speaking altogether. Hence the name, 'the silent city'.

And yet, even though they were surviving, they weren't living. This wasn't the life any of them wanted. They could tell as much by taking a look at each other's weary faces. Being constantly under the fear of a heartbeat getting louder was reported to be rather taxing. So, with an unyielding determination that only humans know how to achieve, they disregarded their sense of self-preservation, and assaulted the Warden simultaneously."

Silence took over our group for a little while, but it didn't take too long for Alex to speak up.

"So? Did they make it?"

The witch shrugged.

"Even I can't say for certain... The journal I found this tale in, didn't contain any other entries after this point."

The more I thought about it, the more disturbing this story really was. Could there really have been humans trapped underground somewhere, accompanied with such a monstrosity? In fact, could there somehow have been other humans out there in this vast world, barely managing to survive? The memories that I recovered, combined with what Alex had told me about the nature of the villagers, suggested otherwise. Even so, how could we be sur-

"BOO!"

"Gah!"

While I was deep in thought, Vincent thought it'd be a great idea to poke my sides. Needless, to say, it gave me quite a scare, which got quite a few laughs out of the others. I took a deep breath to calm myself and clenched my fists.

"Not funny," I deadpanned.

"I strongly disagree!" he retorted with a pompous smirk. "Besides, we needed a lighter atmosphere after that joy of a story."

"Well," Alex started, "I can't say I don't agree with that..."

"Oh, totally," another pillager agreed. "I wasn't gonna get a wink of sleep otherwise."

"See? You should be grateful!" Vincent finally commented.

"Alright, I get it."

Good grief, why did I have to sit next to this guy...? I mean, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I wasn't in the mood for more embarrassment today...

In any case, now that a 'lighter atmosphere' was established, in a strange coincidence, some pillagers from the other groups broke into a dance. Some of them were dancing individually, while others had formed pairs. The few of them who weren't participating, resorted to clapping in order to make a beat, or singing.

In the meantime, the allays returned from wherever they had ventured off to. Upon seeing the sudden dance, they decided to join in their own way, twirling and swirling around each other.

"Yo, Vinnie!"

A pillager from another group walked up to ours. He cleared his throat and spoke to Vincent.

"Are you up for a little jig?"

The vindicator thought about it for a moment - probably the longest amount of time he's ever spent doing so, if I had to guess.

"Sure, why the hell not?"

He pushed himself up and joined the others. Not a beat later, Matilda stood up as well, and addressed the captain.

"Won't you give me this dance, captain?"

The illager in question seemed put off, almost.

"Uh, ma'am," he asked Alex. "Do you grant me permission to-"

Alex waved off his question.

"Yes, you don't need to worry about permissions tonight."

"See? You have her blessing! So, what will it be?"

The witch put out her hand, and the captain accepted it. Just like that, Alex and I were left by ourselves again.

"Does this happen often? The dancing, I mean."

"Not inherently. We sometimes stage our events in places without the adequate space for it."

I shifted my focus from the cluster, over to its leader. She was resting her chin on her left palm. Her gaze was distant, and her expression blank. The usual. Suddenly, I got an idea. There was a sense of hesitation that was obstructing me from initiating it, but I casted it aside with a deep breath.

"Want to dance with me?"

Her head nearly slipped off her hand.

"What?"

I repeated the question.

"Steve, I can't do that!" she stated definitively.

"Why not?"

"Because...I'm the leader," she blurted. "I'm not allowed to do such things in front of everyone else. It will damage my image..."

I was sure there was at least some truth to that, but it still seemed like a flimsy excuse to me.

"Come on, Alex, I'm sure your followers won't think any less of you for having a good time."

I lowered my voice just in case, before adding another argument.

"If you're going to resign once this is over, then do images and esteems even matter?"

Upon saying that, however, another thought occurred to me.

"Unless you're being hesitant because you actually don't want to dance, in which case...I won't pester you anymore..."

She stared at me for a while. Her lips were slightly parted. I couldn't really tell what was going through her mind, but in due time, she worked up an uneasy smile.

"Do you even know how to dance?"

"Not really,"

I stood up and dusted myself off. Once I felt presentable enough, I extended my hand to her, and completed my sentence.

"But that's not what's truly important right now, is it?"

It seemed as though she understood what I was trying to say, as she took my hand with a shake of her head.

"You're a strange guy, you know that?"