Chapter 35: Derelict
It's a common belief that first impressions play a crucial part in the way one views something. So much so, that it's very unlikely that those initial impressions will ever wear off. While I don't fully agree with that personally, I couldn't deny that in this particular instance at least, it was evident.
I was standing in front of my old house, only instead of a simple wooden cube, I found a relatively intricate structure, with an inverted v-shaped, cobblestone roof, and a cobblestone frame. There was even a wheat farm near it.
Make no mistake, no one other than me had tampered with this building. I implemented these changes during my time of isolation, but it was the original, bare-bones phase of the house that had ingrained itself in my mind.
I pushed the door open, curious to see whether I'd be faced with any other surprises or not. I closed it behind me with a loud creak, a testament to its extended disuse. The interior was far brighter than I remembered, thanks to all the torches and the windows. For some reason, I had also been under the impression that it was more spacious than it actually was. Compared to my room back in the mansion, it almost felt cramped.
I leaned over the chest next to my bedside, and opened it gently. Everything was exactly as I had left it. Dirt, wood, some basic tools and armor, wheat, and even the note I had left behind on the off chance that Rana would stumble upon this place.
Once I made sure everything was in order, I lied down on my old bed, and felt all the exhaustion I had accumulated on the way here, hit me head-on. From the looks of things, I was going to take a day off before getting back on track. That way, I could also recover more efficiently, healthwise.
A nap wouldn't hurt anyone...
My 'nap' ultimately evolved into a fully fledged slumber. When I opened my eyes and saw the night sky through my window, I was astonished. That was the first time I had ever been able to sleep during the day - my time in the igloo aside.
Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), since it was dark outside, the valley was undoubtedly infested with monsters, leaving me with no choice other than to go back to sleep until the morning.
*Yawn*
At last, it was time to get moving. I got outside, always alert just in case a rogue mob would sneak up on me, and made my way towards the mountain that separated me from Cornelia.
That's when I was met with a choice.
'Should I climb up the mountain, or navigate through the underground tunnels?'
Although the former option would technically be faster, it would involve navigating through snow near the peaks, and I doubt it needed explanation why I couldn't stand the mere thought of that.
'Underground it is.'
...
Because it had been a decently long time since I last walked through these stone caverns, I found myself getting disoriented at times. Pathways that I thought led somewhere, actually led to dead ends and vice versa, and the torches I had placed didn't help much in that regard.
I even ended up coming across some ore veins I had overlooked during earlier spelunking sessions. It was rather unexpected , since I was under the impression that I had mined this cave complex totally bare.
In the end, the iron I found was just enough for me to craft a shield and a helmet for good measure, which left me feeling rather satisfied.
...
After further exploration - during which the idea that maybe scaling the mountain would have indeed been the superior option, I came across a familiar split pathway.
Going to the right was going to lead me exactly where I needed to be, but I didn't go there right away. A part of me was, in a way, eager for a rematch against that skeleton spawner. It may have been a foolish decision, but I walked down the left hallway nonetheless.
With every step I took, I could hear the cracking sound of bones becoming louder, so I had to take extra care, as I turned a corner. I soon saw a sign that told me I had made it just outside the dungeon; mossy cobblestone.
The entryway was just within reach. I snuck a peek, and immediately made eye contact with a group of skeletons. That spawner cage was within my peripheral vision. I swiftly retracted and raised my sword, right as an arrow flew by.
I gripped the hilt tightly, and gulped. I had to be ready for this...
The moment I saw a speck of the skeleton's light gray skull pop out in front of me, I swiped my sword downwards, which was followed by a satisfying crack. Two more skeletons met the same fate; taken down in one hit, before even being able to draw back their bowstrings.
I passed through the entryway once I made sure that things had quieted down, and placed a torch on the wall. My eyes homed in on the spawner, and decided to put down a second torch right next to it, so that I could examine it more thoroughly.
It turned out to be a solid decision, since that allowed me to easily notice certain details that I had previously overlooked. Dim embers were dancing in the center of the cage, and between them, was a shadowy outline of a skeleton.
Contents aside, the block itself also presented one particular peculiarity that I wasn't aware of until then. On every side of the cage, there was a symbol that closely resembled a skull. The fact that the eye sockets were faintly glowing red, added to the already sinister aura of the spawner.
As my eyes remained fixed on the embers, I began to wonder what would happen if I tried to mine it? Would I be able to store it in my inventory?
Willing to see this experiment through, I brandished my iron pickaxe and started swinging away at the interconnected bars. They began to visibly dent, until giving out completely, as the spawner vanished into nothingness.
Unlike any other block, however, it didn't leave a shrunken version of itself behind, but rather, some experience orbs, which were enough to bump me up to level 34. I still hadn't recovered all the experience I had lost when I enchanted my diamond sword, but that didn't really concern me.
Anyhow...
I was left standing in the middle of the now-empty, decrepit dungeon, not knowing what to think or feel. I inattentively checked the two chests, just in case there was anything I had missed, but that ultimately wasn't the case.
*Poof*
A hollow sound echoed from outside the chamber. I couldn't see what had caused it, but I was left on edge the moment I heard it. It sounded very familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason behind that.
When I peeked outside, I saw a cloud of purple dust, in the middle of which, one of the elusive endermen stood tall. Despite the fact that I had technically seen them before, in dreams and visions of the past, and heard of their abilities through hearsay, this felt like the first time I ever encountered one of these creatures myself.
As I craned my head upwards, recollection rushed through my head, once I met its alien yet recognizable gaze. I couldn't begin to guess how this thing ended up here of all places, but perhaps it was fate, if such a thing existed.
Its mesmerizing effect wore off soon enough, as the enderman began to shake violently. Its jaw slacked, as if it had gone unhinged, and it began producing those ear-splitting screeches that tormented me so many times in my sleep.
This was no dream, however. It was time I confronted my nightmares.
In the face of the auditory assault, I swatted the offender with my blade in an attempt to shut it up, but it teleported away before I could land a hit. The anticipation had me darting my eyes in every which way. I tried to listen closely for the signature teleporting sound it made, but my pounding heart was obstructing my hearing.
"Ẅ̸͇h̶̳̿ā̶̘t̷͈̓'̴̠̽s̸̜̉ ̷̧͌ų̵͘p̷̩̉?̴̼̀"came a deep voice from behind. I turned around as fast as I possibly could. Its arms moved at lightning-fast speeds, and landed right at the top of my head. That attack didn't come without a cost for the enderman, for I managed to land my first hit against it, causing it to stagger back.
Although my helmet absorbed most of the impact I received, my head still ached. I couldn't waste a single second on that though, for there was another bash coming my way. Wanting to throw my foe off guard, I swiftly placed two dirt blocks on top of each other, and ducked.
My makeshift pillar took the hit that was intended for me, but in the long run, it wasn't as effective as I had hoped. Doing something that totally caught me by surprise, this thing mined away the top block, leaving me with no cover.
That aside, I saw a suitable opening to land a vertical swipe, but my target teleported out of the way again, only to reappear to my left. I intercepted its first attack just fine by simply blocking, but the second one threw me off badly.
Instead of using both arms, only one came my way. Instinctively, I slashed at the appendage, meaning I was unable to defend myself from the second hit. Using its other hand, the enderman punched me square in the forehead. It hurt so badly, I was starting to see stars.
In a semi-desperate move, I swung my sword in the direction I last saw the offender, and it actually worked. The enderman teleported once more, but not in a different direction; it simply ended up a couple blocks farther away, down the hallway.
We stared each other down. Its posture was hunched and I got the feeling that the glare it was giving me held a lot of resentment, but I probably wasn't too far behind in that aspect.
"H̵e̷y̸!̷"
"...I don't know who you used to be, old friend…I'm sorry."
"̴.̶.̶.̴"̶
"Just...stay in my nightmares where you belong!"
With a jump slash, followed by a horizontal swipe, and a thrust to top it off, I landed the finishing blow. The enderman's dying screams reverberated over the caverns, until silence ensued.
I hadn't realized just how loud the fight had gotten, until it was over. My eyes lingered on the spot where the otherworldly being once stood. As easy as it would have been for me to simply leave, something within me prevented me from doing so.
I had just taken out something that used to be a potential friend, so it didn't feel right to just leave. Following that line of thought, I constructed a small pillar out of cobblestone, surrounded by wooden slabs and dirt. For the final touch, I planted down a dandelion.
I bowed in respect.
...
After walking up the rudimentary staircase I had built, I resurfaced at last. Breathing in the crisp mountain air was a rejuvenating change of pace compared to the musty atmosphere of the underground.
While I was navigating down the mountain, Cornelia was already within sight. I was too far away to really make out any potential changes, something that only served to amplify the feeling of suspense that was swirling at the pit of my stomach.
I didn't know what I was going to find once I would reach the village, nor how I was going to be treated. Would I be deemed a threat? Would the villagers treat me as a misguided wanderer? An outlaw? An apparition, even?
What if Cornelia was simply no more? I had no way to estimate the exact number of days that had passed since my exile, but it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine this small village succumbing to all the threats that had been plaguing it.
...
Taking a stroll through Cornelia's streets during noon was something that I had associated with energy, and life. People hustling by, each tending to their little jobs, until the time would come for them to cool off.
And yet, there wasn't a soul to be seen this time around. It felt as though I had stepped into an alternate universe, where the world itself was intact, only without anything to inhabit it, other than me.
That didn't apply just to the absence of the villagers, by the way. There weren't even any other animals around, either. No horses; no cats; no livestock; no wildlife. As a result, an eerie silence had enslaved every street and alley.
If it weren't for the subtle whistle of a breeze, accompanied by the crunching noise the grass made when I stepped on it, I would have started to worry I had gone deaf. For such a lively world, stumbling upon a place this devoid of life made me feel somewhat paranoid. As such, I was turning around frequently, just to make sure nothing would jump out at me.
Once I rounded a corner, I was caught off-guard by a strange whirring noise, followed by a hollow, metallic thump. The cause behind that sudden interruption of the silence turned out to be Talos.
The poor iron golem had seen better days. It was slouched against the wall of a house. Its arms had been torn off from the elbows, and an extensive gash spanned its chest. Its eyes flickered red for a moment, as it raised its stumps.
Not a couple seconds later, they slumped back down, as Talos deactivated. Even near death's doorstep, it still tried to obey its directive dutifully. I knew I was the one mostly responsible for Talos' state, but as I kept looking at it, I found that I couldn't recall leaving it in such a forsaken state. Maybe something had transpired in my absence that sealed its fate.
I continued my investigation of the seemingly deserted village for a while, until finally stumbling upon something, Or, rather, someone. They were sitting on the porch of the blacksmith shop, looking around dismissively.
When we made eye contact, they appeared alarmed for just a split second.
"Gordon?"
They gave me a half-hearted nod of acknowledgement, as I drew near them.
"What the hell happened here?"
"G'd question," they noted. "Ask that myself every night. 'What the hell happened?' 'Where did it all go wrong?'"
The blacksmith didn't appear willing to go into detail, but maybe that didn't matter much at the moment.
"Where is everybody?"
"...Hidin'."
"..."
Admittedly, I was at a loss. I wanted to push for some actual answers, but surely there were other, more optimal approaches. A more extensive look at the village, for instance, could yield some results, as there were still places I hadn't looked at. For instance, the inside of certain buildings.
"I'll be right back..."
"...Sure."
...
After checking the library and finding nobody, I decided the inn would be a good option. The reception was vacant, but I felt compelled to search the upper floor. So, I walked up the stairs which led to the hall that connected Rana and I's rooms.
There was a strange sound coming from my room that urged me to check it first. As I was just about to press the button that would open the iron door, a frantic cry stopped me.
"Do NOT touch that button!"
Looking to my left, I saw a panicked Catherine rushing up to me, with Emily not too far behind. They were breathing relatively heavily.
"Hello, there."
"Step away from that door immediately."
'What a bizarre reunion this is,' is what I thought, but aloud, I merely asked:
"Why?"
The innkeeper didn't even have to answer my question, for I learned the reason basically the next instant. An appalling growl managed to slip through the door, and the next thing I knew, a zombie tried to rear its ugly head through the door's small window. It startled me quite a bit, which prevented me from getting a very good look at it. I merely managed to make out a pair of bloodshot eyes glaring at me.
"What is that!?"
"Now's not the time for explanations! C'mon, get over here!" Catherine shouted.
"Alright, fine, just stop yelling!"
I was led downstairs by the cleric and the innkeeper, as if I were a scolded child. Once we got there, I was met with four other villagers, Gordon being one of them. Most of them were staring at me in disbelief.
We all got situated around a table, and Catherine addressed me after a brief pause.
"What are you doing here!?"
"I was in the area and decided to drop by. Mind explaining what the thing I just saw was?"
"Yes, I do! Why have you come here, Steve? Did you think you didn't cause us enough harm, and decided to return to add insult to injury?"
In order to better assess the situation, I remained silent. This villager who was talking to me - or rather, interrogating me, was practically unrecognizable. I remembered Catherine being a friendly individual, always eager to help others out, but too hesitant to confront someone directly.
On a related note, the rest of the townsfolk also had something different to them. I couldn't blame it on a single factor, but perhaps they had been struggling to recover from the raid for a long time. If that were the case, then it was understandable that the stress of survival weighed down on them.
"Nothing of the sort," I eventually clarified. "In fact, I am simply here to clear up a misunderstanding. Tell me, has Matilda arrived already?"
That seemed to have caused an uproar. Emily spoke up, to my surprise.
"What business would that filthy traitor have here?" she asked in might have been the sternest tone I had heard coming from her.
'I'll take that as a 'no'…'
"We're going to set things right. Until then, could you please tell me what that thing in my room was?"
The two villagers who had spoken beforehand appeared conflicted, but Gordon brushed that aside.
"You tellin' me you didn't recognize 'em? It's Sebastian, of course!"
"Gordon!" Catherine protested.
"Relax," the blacksmith spoke back. "Not like it matters..."
So, that's what it was. Sebastian got zombified at some point during my exile. Oddly enough, I didn't even realize their absence until it was pointed out. In any case, this chain of events couldn't have been more beneficial for the upcoming plan.
"You're in luck, then," I announced after snapping my fingers. "When Matilda arrives, you'll see first-hand the consequences of your hasty judgements and actions."
Naturally, my remark raised a few unibrows, but I wasn't going to elaborate. They'd just have to wait until the right time. While on the topic of time, I glanced outside the window, and saw that the day was slowly but surely coming to an end.
"You should all go get some rest, and I'll handle any hostile creatures that may approach your village," I confidently suggested.
"I believe I speak for everyone when I say we don't trust you," Catherine retorted with just as much assurance, which was met with hums of agreement.
"Don't worry about it; it's nothing I haven't done before. Besides, if I wanted to harm any of you, I would have done so already. It's not like you have much of a choice in the matter anyway."
It took a few moments of uncertainty and hesitation to elapse before they complied, and just like that, I willingly placed myself into the position of night protector once again.
During the time it took me to reach the well at the center of Cornelia, I was mentally evaluating the way I handled that confrontation. Admittedly, it felt unusual to be the one with the upper hand, especially if my earlier relationships with the villagers were to be taken into account.
At the same time, it was also satisfying, in a way. It's about time I brought them down a size.
...
The night's earlier hours were a fairly standard affair. Some spiders, a couple skeletons, the occasional creeper, so on and so forth. In all honesty, it almost seemed like monster activity had died down. Maybe the village's disarrayed state wasn't giving the mobs as much incentive to prowl near it.
While I was patrolling, I noticed Gordon sitting on the same spot they had been when I first found them; outside their shop, with their head resting on their hands. It didn't seem like they were doing anything in particular, so it struck me as odd.
"Hey! Shouldn't you be inside? It's not safe here."
They shrugged in response.
"Why bother?"
"...Suit yourself."
After following the suspicious sounds of grass rustling in the distance, and safely disposing of the creeper that was stalking nearby, I returned back to where I was.
"So... Do you want to fill me in on what went down here while I was away? I feel like I deserve to know."
The blacksmith opened their mouth to speak, but seemingly ignored my question.
"Ya seem t' have gott'n better at swingin'. I remember our first night here, when I nearly died to an explodin' creeper of all things. Heh. Good times," they reminisced with mirth.
I didn't say anything, instead opting to focus on my self-imposed duty. It wasn't until the moon reached its apex, that Gordon spoke again.
"Ol' Sebastian got themself into quite a pickle. That's when Emily 'n Catherine had to pick up the slack. Poor Cathie, though. Never seen 'em this stressed... Well, at least they're doin' a good job keepin' this place afloat, at least a little…"
They didn't say anything else, but I wasn't expecting them to. Regardless, I didn't feel the need to ask for further intel, as what I got left me feeling content for the time being. With everything I had learned, I could piece together a rather bleak picture, but I can't say I felt bad for them.
Did that make me a bad person?
"Anyhow. I'm goin' to hit the hay. See ya."
"Rest well."
...