Chapter 34: Odyssey
I stared at the letter.
Even after I had finished reading, I just kept staring at it. Then, I re-read it, which only served to amplify my sadness. I already had a feeling that Alex had been holding back during our goodbye, but actually getting to read her thoughts left me in pain. The last word I heard her say echoed. echoed. echoed… in my ears.
...
"Steve, how are you feeling?" I heard Matilda ask. I sighed.
"Not well."
"I don't exactly know what the letter said, but I'm sorry things had to be this way."
"Me too. Well, it can't be helped... It is what it is. No point in dwelling on it..."
In order to distract myself with something that could potentially lift my spirits, I decided to ask Matilda where the ladder she had climbed up from led to. In response, she informed me that this igloo was, shockingly, built over a hidden lab.
"While we're on the topic," she continued, "I discovered this igloo sometime before I left Cornelia, and I've been conducting some of my research in the lab below. Wanna check it out?"
"Yes, that actually sounds rather intriguing."
"Follow me, then."
She lifted the trapdoor and climbed down. I waited for a moment before following suit. At the bottom was a chamber slightly larger than the igloo's main room.
The floor, the walls and the ceiling were made out of various types of stone bricks. Some of them were chiseled, their square patterns providing a nice sense of visual variety. Certain spots were in less good condition, however. Specifically, moss was growing near the corners of the floor, whereas some bricks along the walls had cracked. A cobweb was even hanging in one of the ceiling's corners.
A counter made of spruce slabs had been placed near the right wall, and an idle brewing stand was resting on top of it. A lone potion was suspended in one of the stand's rings. Right next to the brewing stand, was a potted cactus of all things... Odd decoration choices aside, next to the counter was a cauldron filled with water. On the opposite wall was a single chest, right beside a red mat.
Probably the most peculiar design aspect, in my opinion, were the two empty cells on the wall across the ladder. I couldn't really tell what they could have once contained, for they were significantly narrower than the one that allays had.
"Sorry if it's a little messy," she said casually, while sweeping the counter. "I haven't been here in a while."
"I don't mind, but...this is a strange place to build a lab."
"I know, right? I was super surprised when I first discovered it."
"Would you mind telling me more?"
Her eyes lit up a bit at my request.
"Sure thing! You remember what I told you in regards to my old job, right?"
I couldn't deny that, due to recent events, the details were a little fuzzy.
"Weren't you Sebastian's assistant at some point?"
"That's right. I'd sometimes help by traveling from place to place, in search of relics, or ancient monuments and what not. So, one day, as I was sailing through the ocean, I stumbled upon this biome and, subsequently, the igloo."
"Interesting. What would you usually do here? Brew potions?" I wondered, while pointing at the apparatus. Her expression soured noticeably.
"This...is where I experimented on a cure for the zombie plague."
I could faintly recall her telling me something about that. If memory served right, it hadn't gone very well.
"Ah, sorry. I didn't know."
"You have nothing to feel sorry for."
"I know, but...still, it doesn't sound fair."
"What do you mean?"
I collected my thoughts, just to make sure I wouldn't say anything that could come off as weird.
"I understand the cure didn't go as planned, but even then, it was done with good intentions. I don't personally think that deserves outright banishment. It's only through experimentation that breakthroughs are made."
Matilda kept alternating between looking at me, and looking at the floor. Subsequently, she walked up to one of the cages, her back turned to me.
"The cure didn't fail," she ultimately said.
"What do you mean?" I asked, mostly to let her know that I had heard her. She took a deep breath.
"Can you guess what these cells held captive?"
"..."
"During one particular expedition, I found two zombified villagers roaming idly on the surface. I couldn't find any indicators that could point to who they used to be, so I decided to experiment on them, hoping that someday, I'd revert them back to normal."
"..."
She gave me a side glance.
"Getting them inside these cells was a pain in the neck, I'll have you know. But, I did it, in the end. And so, I started my research. I didn't always have the time to be here, but there were instances where I'd spend days on end, just trying to pull through."
"..."
"After a lot, and I mean a lot, of trial and error, I finally succeeded."
She walked up to the chest, and took out two of the items it contained.
"With the application of a splash potion of weakness, followed by the consumption of a golden apple, in a matter of hours, a villager can be healed completely of their illness. No long-term side effects noted."
I listened to her words as attentively as I could, but I was still mentally burdened by question marks, so I decided to get rid of at least one of those.
"Forgive me for interrupting, but does this work on regular zombies, too?"
If the answer I'd get was positive, that could potentially mean I could recover some of my old peers from before we were barred from the Aether.
"Sorry to disappoint you, dear, but I'm afraid not. I conducted various other tests on regular zombies once I joined the illagers, but absolutely none of them worked. The end result was always the zombie's death. The literature is also non-existent, so I strongly doubt its possibility."
I didn't really know how to feel about that outcome, but perhaps it didn't really matter in the end. Maybe it's simply not wise to try and reclaim something long since lost. Once again, what mattered most was the present.
"I see... So, what happened then? If the cure was a success, how did things turn out this way?"
"You see, as it would turn out, someone from my village, a wandering trader, had followed me into the lab, and found me as I was proof-testing my findings. Perhaps, they thought that I had been zombifying villagers, or that I was subjecting them to torture. I didn't know...but when I returned home, I found that I had been outlawed. I tried to explain my side of the story, but nobody would listen. So...I gave up."
Her voice sounded bitter, and with everything I heard, I couldn't blame her. All that, just due to a misunderstanding? I couldn't help but feel irked. In a way, I could relate to her experiences, but even so, I didn't know what the best thing to say would be.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," was what I ended up saying, but she didn't respond with anything for a while.
"It's...fine. Maybe it's my fault for not trying harder. To be honest, I don't really care anymore."
"Do you mean that?"
"..."
"Tell you what. From the way I see it, I'm gonna have to go through Cornelia to find the one I seek anyway. Do you want to come with me to set things right?"
It seemed as though she was deliberately avoiding eye contact.
"I don't know."
"In any case, you don't have to answer right away. In the end, it's your choice. Anyway, I'm going to bed; I'm already tired."
"Rest well," I heard her voice trail, as I climbed up the ladder.
Tomorrow would hopefully be the day I'd resume my trek, be it alone, or with company. Come what may, I could still only look forward.
Another day (presumably) rolled by, bringing me one step closer to perfect health. I still had a way to go, but I felt confident enough to finally go out. There were just a couple things left to check, before I could proceed.
I cautiously poked my head outside the entrance, and saw that it was early morning. The sky was clear, with only a couple of drifting clouds decorating it; a good start. Now, for the last thing that needed to be arranged...
I stepped back inside, and got to the lab. Matilda was still fast asleep, leaning on the desk. Her pointed hat had rolled off at some point during the night.
This situation put me in a tight spot. On one hand, I wanted to wake her up, so that we'd get going as soon as possible - assuming she would end up deciding to tag along, that is. Doing so would guarantee us the maximum amount of daylight for the start of our journey.
On the other hand, I didn't want to disrupt her rest. She had even given up the bed so that I could be comfortable while I was recovering...
As I was just going to make a decision, she suddenly started shivering, and her breathing got frantic. Her hands balled into tight fists, until she suddenly jolted awake. While she was collecting herself, I was left struggling to come up with something to say.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Even my question caused her to jump a bit. I asked her once more, a bit gentler this time.
"Y-yes. Just a bad dream. Anyway... Did you want anything?"
"...I meant to ask if you made up your mind about coming with me or not."
She still seemed a little dazed, so it took some time before I got a reply.
"I'll swing by later at some point, but I can't join you right now, I'm afraid. I want to check up on the others back at the base."
"I understand. They may be wondering where you've been... Thank you, again."
"You're welcome, dear. That's what friends are for."
That comment caught me by surprise, but I found myself smiling in agreement shortly after. It was strange to think that we had developed a friendship of sorts considering we started off as adversaries, but it was indisputable.
When we exited the igloo, she pointed me to the direction I should follow in order to reach the ocean.
"You have the wood to craft a boat, don't you?"
"I do. So, I suppose this is it, then?"
"Indeed. Listen, Steve. I don't know what you'll find or come across out there, but you'd better take care, okay? I mean it. If I find you floating upside down in the middle of the ocean when I return, I shall experiment on your body."
"...Woah, ease up! ...I'll be keeping that in mind, thank you," I noted, slightly uncomfortable. "Take care, too, Matilda," I later said. I hoped I sounded as grateful and genuine as I was feeling.
"Don't worry about me, dear," she winked. "Farewell!"
"Goodbye!"
With a wave, we each went our separate ways. Since I was heading east, the sun was shining right in front of my face. Even though the brightness was slightly hindering, I really didn't mind. In fact, I had missed sunlight so much after being restrained on a bed for days on end, I actually felt ecstatic to be moving in it again. With a slight pep on my step, I continued on.
Nothing really notable happened for the longest time; I was simply navigating through snow, unsurprisingly. Oh, how I had grown to loathe the cold. What I wouldn't give to be in a desert right now. Even the Nether almost sounded tantalizing. Anyway, that's enough whining…
In due time, I knew I had almost reached the ocean thanks to the characteristic smell of the fresh sea breeze. Once I made it there, I continued by boat. It wouldn't be until the temperature would start rising as I was approaching the coral reef that something extraordinary would happen.
A high-pitched, whistling noise pierced my ears. I didn't know what was making it, which led me to look around frantically in search of the source.
*Splash*
I whipped my head forward, and saw a fairly large, gray aquatic creature leap high into the air. Sunlight reflected off its glistening skin. It was a dolphin! In fact, there were two other dolphins swimming alongside it, one of which was considerably smaller. It was the first time I was seeing them from this close (as far as I could remember, anyway) and they were majestic!
Initially, I thought it just so happened they were passing by, but when I noticed they weren't going away, I began suspecting they were specifically following me, which I interpreted as a good omen. I couldn't help but wonder if their skin was as smooth as it looked.
That aside, I kept sailing through the sea well into the afternoon, accompanied by these playful creatures.
...
By the time sunset was upon me (or rather, us), I was starting to feel tired. Unlike the first time I sailed through these parts, I didn't have anyone else who could take up the task of paddling.
As much as I wanted to proceed and reach land as soon as possible, I felt like I needed to rest up for a bit. So, I rested my head on my hands, stretched my legs, and tried to take a short nap.
...
Before my senses could properly return, I felt the boat rock violently as I was sleeping. I forced my eyes open, fearing the possibility of getting caught in the middle of a storm again. When I sat up, however, I found out that the dolphins were headbutting my boat, pushing it in various directions as if it were a toy.
'Do these guys ever rest? How am I supposed to sleep like this?'
Judging from the new moon's position, it was around midnight, meaning I wasn't asleep for too long. If things were to continue like this, that probably wasn't going to change. So, I oriented myself to the east, grabbed the paddles, and moved onwards, followed by what may have been the most energetic animals I had ever come across.
...
The following stretches of time were a snoozefest, in a rather literal sense. A lot of it simply involved me paddling at a sluggish pace. The dolphins would go off somewhere - probably to hunt fish if I had to guess, though they'd reunite with me after a while.
That aside, I was trying to recall how much time it had taken me and the illager fleet to sail from my house, all the way to the frozen ocean, in order to estimate how much longer I had left to go.
In approximation, I'd be home by the coming sunset, give or take. The prospect made me feel high-spirited, yet also anxious, in a way.
...
After hours of repetitive arm motions, the peninsula I needed to reach, shyly jutted from the horizon. Even though my arms were aching a bit from paddling for so long, I decided to speed up anyway. If I'd keep it up, I'd make it by around midday - so even earlier than predicted!
My marine companions seemed to perk up as I was picking up speed, performing somersaults and leaps. So, encouraged, I kept at it, for as long as I could manage.
...It didn't take long for me to start losing momentum, but my resolve was unwavering.
...
After what felt like an eternity compared to the rest of the journey, I finally set foot on land again. My balance was off, and my knees were wobbly from sitting in the same position for such an extended period of time, so I didn't want to push myself too hard.
As I was standing there, drinking in the sight of what was the very first area I had seen since the downfall of the sky dimension, a strange wave of nostalgia hit me. I hadn't seen it coming, nor had I realized that a part of me missed this side of the world.
I could just about distinguish the outline of my house near the forest!
Now, to clarify, I didn't regret the time I had spent in the woodland mansion. Perhaps it was still too early to accurately judge, but maybe at some point in time, I'd look back at those days fondly. Even so, I never felt like I had reached a sense of normality while living with the illagers. It simply never actually felt like home, even with all the comforting moments...
An unexpected *splat* noise interrupted me from reminiscing further. I quickly looked toward the general direction the sound had come from, but it wasn't difficult to find what had caused it.
One of the dolphins from earlier had gotten beached.
I ran over to it as fast as I could, and examined it. It was the smallest of the three, though it wasn't exactly a baby. I was led to believe that it had simply miscalculated a somersault due to inexperience, but I was not knowledgeable on these things.
On that note, I didn't know what the correct thing to do was, but I knew that if I were to leave it be it would definitely die, whereas if I attempted to help it, it could potentially survive. With that in mind, after inspecting its body for any injuries and not finding any, I decided to push it back into the water.
It was way heavier than it looked and the fact that it would sometimes thrash about didn't make matters any easier. But, through the combination of strength and terraforming the terrain by digging away some sand blocks, the dolphin was able to rejoin its family. I hoped this poor thing wouldn't go through something like this again.
Once they reunited, they blew water through their blowholes, and swam away. Even though it was pointless, I felt compelled to wave them goodbye.
...
A/N: Hello, again! I have quite a few things to say this time around.
I feel obligated to point out that Matilda's backstory was strongly inspired by RetroGamingNow's deep dive on the witch. In a way, various popular theories influenced some of the lore behind this story (at least, to some extent), but none were as direct as that video, so I have to be transparent here.
In addition, while writing this chapter, I did some research on dolphins, focusing on their physical characteristics, their behaviors, their sleeping patterns, and even what to do in case you find a beached dolphin.
I learned you're not supposed to push dolphins back into the water, because the most common causes of beaching in our world are infections and injuries, so it's very likely that the dolphin will end up in a similar, yet even worse situation sometime in the future.
In an ideal world, you're supposed to call professionals who can nurse the animal back to health, but...no such thing exists in this story, so... Anyway, I'm sure that little dolphin is going to be okay. The Minecraft world differs considerably from ours in many aspects, after all.
Thank you for reading!