Chapter 11 - The Silent Stranger

The Nether is one of the most dangerous dimensions that only a few dared to enter. No trees or animals existed in the burning wasteland. It is only filled with lakes that could melt every inch of your body, flames that would never fade away, and odd creatures that can become deadly if you make a single mistake. It was a harsh and suffocating place.

But as many feared to set foot, one would somehow make this hellish land into her home. Her name was Veronica. She wore black and red clothes that made her seem like she was a dangerous assassin. She also had lava colored hair with a unique 'X' hairband, making a long ponytail at the back of her head.

No one knows why Veronica lives there. Everyone assumes that she never left the Nether because she wanted to challenge herself. Some even see her as the embodiment of the whole Nether itself.

Usually, people rarely see Veronica. In cases where some do meet her, Veronica would stay silent and ignore them completely. If they provoke her, they never make it back to their portals alive. Many also tried to talk to her but she uttered no words and only communicated with her blade. This made anyone who has heard of her flee as soon as she made eye contact with her red eyes.

Yet today, for the first time in a while, someone challenged her near a pool of lava.

"Finally, we meet once again, Veronica."

"..."

"Countless months, I've been planning for this day. You'll pay for what you did to my partner!" the stranger yelled furiously.

Veronica stared back at him in silence. She displayed no shred of emotion.

In rage, he threw his stone sword at the netherrack wall. Veronica turned to see where it landed and was instantly pushed into the lava.

The guy's face lit up as he looked down at the boiling lava. "I... I did it. I finally killed that murder." But his small victory soon came to an end as Veronica emerged from the molten pool.

Her body was burning as the flames from the lava covered her, yet her face never showed any signs of pain. It was as if she was resistant to the fiery liquid.

He backed away in fear. "W-What? How are you still alive?! The lava should've killed you straight away!"

Not playing around, Veronica instantly appeared before him, picked him up by his shirt with her burning hand, and tossed him into the same pool he pushed her in. The man screamed in terror as she returned back to her daily routine.

Jesse watched his friends work in the tree farm as he sat at his wooden chair.

I wonder if I missed anything important. The guys chop away the tough oak logs while the girls' collect apples from leaves, replant saplings in empty dirt blocks, and spread bonemeal to fertilize them. That is the normal morning routine.

Around noon, everyone would go down the mines to gather minerals, coal, lava, and water. We mostly used gold to craft golden apples while the iron and diamond we gathered were used to repair our tools. The liquids are still a reliable defense against the monsters. However, we don't need to go mining anymore since we've gathered more than enough materials at this point. We should skip that from today and focus-

"Hey, Jesse."

Jesse looked up to see Alpha walking with her unique diamond blade on her shoulders.

"I'm tired of waiting. How long are you going to sit there?" she asked with irritation.

I've barely gotten any rest. Shaking his head, Jesse stretched his hands. "Always in such a hurry. You never change."

Alpha walked back to the training ground. "Stop wasting your time. We don't have all day."

Jesse rolled his eyes and followed her. "My body needs rest, unlike you."

Both stood at opposite ends of the small arena with their blades ready. Alpha rushed in first with a horizontal swing. With haste, Jesse blocked her attack with his iron blade that was held in his left hand.

Alpha then proceeded with a punch with her metal fist. Jesse was about to shield her punch with his diamond blade but quickly realized that she was closing her eyes. Knowing what is to come, he analyzed his surroundings and within milliseconds, he managed to block the attack from behind. "You think that old trick will work on me again?" Jesse said.

"Heh. Getting full of yourself?" Alpha closed her eyes again. In that moment, Jesse felt something coming from him in every direction. He ducked down and looked above to see three wooden swords colliding against each other. Alpha quickly slammed the flat surface of her pulsing blade against Jesse's unguarded side, causing him to lose balance. As soon as Jesse recovered, he found her sword close to his face.

Putting away her weapon, Alpha gave a smug expression. "It's my win. Again."

"You learned a new move again, huh?" Jesse said as he took a quick bite of his golden apple.

"Sure did," Alpha picked up the wooden blades. "You may try to come at me as many times as you want but know that I will always be ahead of you no matter what."

"We'll see about that..."

"Guys!" The two turned their heads to see Petra running towards them. "Come here! It's an emergency!"

For the first time in forever, Veronica decided to enter the obsidian portal to the other side. Though, once she crossed through, Veronica immediately noticed that she was inside an obsidian room. Her portal broke and she was greeted with strangers. Their bodies were in tension as they pointed their weapons at her.

"Who are you?!" one of them yelled with a bow at hand.

Without giving a proper answer, she began to quickly climb up a nearby ladder.

"Hey! Wait! It's dangerous out there!"

She didn't care and opened the iron trapdoor. It was snowing outside. Usually, she hated this kind of weather, but for some reason the snow slightly burned her face instead. She also saw a bunch of glowing eyes in the fog. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice her. Going back inside and closing the door, she acted like nothing happened.

"Listen, red head." The silver haired women spoke. "There are lots of strong monsters roaming above us. If you try that stunt again, we all will be in danger... First, tell me your name."

The silent red head placed down her wooden sign. 'Veronica.'

"Never heard of you... Can you please communicate normally?"

Veronica shook her head.

"Mute I see. Well, my name is Alpha."

"Also known as the Silver Lunatic," Axel added.

Alpha gave him a threatening glare, "Axel, just because you somehow survived this apocalypse doesn't mean you are safe from my blade."

Axel looked way in frustration as he scratched the back of his head.

"Anyways, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"..."

Alpha grabbed her sword. "Hiding something from me?"

Veronica responded by giving a mighty swing with her golden sword. Alpha blocked her attack, yet to her surprise, she was flying crazy far till she crashed into the obsidian wall.

Quickly, Alpha stood up. "Was that some kind of super knockback?" she asked. Closing her eyes, Alpha punched Veronica in the stomach while time slowed down.

At least that's what she was planning to do, but as she approached her closer, Veronica moved at a normal speed to dodge the assault despite Alpha's time manipulation. "What!?"

For the first time in forever, Veronica smiled.

'Found You.'

Before time resumed to normal, she broke the sign quickly.

Jesse stepped in between them. "Could we calm down for just a second and not jump into any conclusions right now?" He turned his head to Veronica. "Hey, if you want to you could join and help us."

Alpha shook her head. "No, she won't! Just now, when I was fighting her, she definitely did something suspicious. Veronica could possibly be an enemy spy!"

"Alpha, it's been almost two weeks since we've seen Aiden or any of those Blazers," Jesse said. "And besides, we need as many people as possible. There are just too many Fogbeasts to deal with."

Veronica placed her sign down again. 'What are Blazers and Fogbeasts?'

Jesse looked surprised. "You don't know?"

'I've been living in the Nether and haven't returned to the outside world for quite a while.'

"Oh..."

"Impressive," Radar nodded with surprise.

Jesse began to explain. "Anyways, the monsters who are covered in black mist are called Fogbeasts. They are many times stronger than the normal monsters and they come in large groups. On the other hand, Blazers are basically people who can use special flames and are immune to fire. According to one of my friends who is a Blazer herself, there are many of them who work for our enemy. Not much else is known about them."

'I see.'

Petra nodded. "Also, the Fogbeasts are getting smarter recently and we need more strength to get to where we need to."

Alpha pointed her blade at Veronica. "No. We have more than enough."

Jesse looked at her. "Alpha, please don't."

"...Ugh. After everything we have gone through this week, I thought you were finally getting smarter... Never mind. I'll let Veronica join us, but I will keep a close eye on her."

Jesse shook his head. "Ignore her. Alpha can be a bit much sometimes. So, what do you say Veronica? We are headed to the End dimension to seek help from someone. Will you help us?"

Veronica nodded. 'Sure.'

For the past two weeks, it snowed nonstop and Fogbeasts continued to appear left and right. We did try to build a portal to the Nether, but it would always instantaneously break. Having no other options, we have dug a hole towards the Fortress. After we dug a good amount, we thought it would be an easy process, but soon after, the monsters gained intelligence.

The creeper variants began to explode through the ground while the other monsters poured inside and started attacking us. We were forced to act more as a team and defend ourselves against hundreds of black monsters until we managed to escape. We didn't want our progress to be lost, so we continued to dig through the same tunnel. We did it only when night fell since the heat from the sun powered those monsters greatly.

Also, in the past we were able to slightly make out what variant these monsters were. But now their black fog has become much thicker, making it impossible to see what type of monster it is. However, it is still possible to tell what they are by studying their abilities.

Of course we have improved the base design. It went from stone to obsidian to prevent the creeper blast. But that didn't stop the endermen and zombies from creating a hole in the wall. So, for the zombie variants who carried pickaxes, we added a lava walls. And for the endermen, we added some water defense. But the water was mainly used as an emergency if someone accidentally touches lava.

It unfortunately does take a lot of time to move forward like this, but to travel safely, we had to use this method.

We also included an iron trapdoor at our base. We leave it there in case any survivors find us. This was Jesse's idea and it seemed like it worked because Axel and Olivia somehow found us.

All our slow progress brings us to today. We have enough materials and food and a very long tunnel to the Fortress. And while some people here ignore me because of the things I've done, it never really bothered me. Though, every day, Jesse keeps pestering me to fight him. And I hate to admit it, but I started enjoying this so called 'training' of his.

Sitting down, I observed Veronica from a distance as she sorted through her new stuff that we've given her.

'Found You'... huh. Veronica, I feel like I know you from somewhere. Why do I feel so used to that name? Is my memory that bad? Is she really part of the original story? Or...

As I sat for a while, Lukas called out to me. "Alpha, let's go. Everyone is waiting."

I grunted and stood up. Everyone... Reunited with the YouTubers, who mostly avoid me, except Lizzie. The clingy Estella who would follow me anywhere. I'm still surprised that Radar, Jack and Nurm are even here. And with Jesse's whole gang here it feels a bit... crowded.

As everyone joined together, we made our way down the three-by-three tunnel. The people at the front would continue to mine away to the Fortress as the middle group would replace the stone walls with the obsidian we farmed back at base. I and some others protect the back, center, and front of the group. Hopefully we can dig without trouble today.

*KaBLOOM*

Estella and Lizzie in unison used their green flames to create a massive wave to annihilate a horde of monsters. While it looked like they won for a moment, another horde of strong monsters rushed in. The girls were already too tired to fight again since they used the flames countless times.

"That's good enough. Go back and rest!" shouted Alpha. "We will handle them!"

Alpha and Jesse rushed in and blasted their shockwaves with wrath.

*CLANG*

"— – – - - — · — - · —!"

An ambush to the left? Feels like an armoured zombie. As if I'd lose to you!

Fending off the Fogbeast's iron sword with her blade, Alpha punched its face. Next, she swiftly cut open a rift. This caused the black fog to get swallowed up and instantly killing the monster. Another arrow flew near her face. "Damn it! The archers have appeared!" Alpha clenched her flames and swung at the fog archers a few times.

"You don't have to tell me that!" Jesse yelled as he released his green flames at the bowmen.

"AAAH!"

Jesse looked back to see Olivia struggling against one of the Fogbeasts. He rushed in, pierced his blade through the monster's chestplate, and swung the dead body against the wall.

"Are you alright?!"

Olivia nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Jesse. My bow was about to break. I'm sure you know how bad I am at close range."

Jesse looked at Olivia's barely used sword. "I know." He turned around to see how the others were doing and noticed that some had broken armour pieces, and some were in bad shape.

"Jesse, behind you!" Olivia panicked as she saw three horsemen-like Fogbeats rushing at him. Jesse turned around to defend but it was too late. However, Veronica got there in time and flung the monsters with her golden blade. She then sprinted to help the others.

Confirming that there were no monsters nearby, Jesse backed up. "We've got too many injured! Quickly! Seal the tunnels!" he yelled.

The people who were still in good condition did their part to secure the tunnel from the ferocious Fogbeasts. One would build a wall of obsidian while the other poured water and lava to prevent the monsters from breaking through. The injured and exhausted had to heal and regain their strength for a while.

When things have calmed down, Jesse went to Veronica. "Thank you for saving my friend back there," he said.

"Yeah, thanks for helping out. That knockback of yours is insane," Petra agreed.

Veronica nodded. She turned and stared at Alpha.

Alpha looked uninterested. "You want me to praise you too? What are you? A kid?"

Veronica shook in disappointment and headed back to where their base was.

"..."

"Okay, let's go back to base and take a rest up for a while," Jesse said.

Radar raised his voice. "How long is this going to take? Because at the rate we will never reach that Fortress."

"We've been digging for quite a while today, so we should make it by tomorrow."

Stacy signed, "I just hope the path you're leading us is the correct one."

Jesse shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you? I know how many squares we need to travel to reach the Fortress. And I know we have dug close enough."

"I get that, but I feel like we're just going circles."

Petra stepped in. "We have already made this much progress and you're complaining now? If you have any better ideas, spit it out."

No one said a word.

"If you have nothing to say, keep it to yourself."

"Um, guys?" Estella looked around worried. "Have you seen Alpha?"

Everyone looked around but couldn't find her. Jesse's eyes widened. "Wait. Don't tell she is going to-" He smacked his face. "Everyone! We need to run after Alpha. Now!"

Found You

As I sprint towards my target, those words keep repeating in my head.

Who are you, Veronica? I didn't ask that question before because the other might see me as the enemy's true target and slow the whole progress down. Now that she's alone, this is my chance!

Just as she entered my file of vision, I yelled her name. "Veronica!"

The red girl halted her steps and turned around.

"I feel like I know you yet somehow I can't remember. Who are you?"

She placed down a sign. 'Your sister.'

Those words had my brain spinning. "Sister... Well, I did have a sister in the real world with the same name." I looked at her closely. "Just to make sure, what is my real name?"

'Aster'

"...Second question. Can you recall what I did to you with that glue stick while being in elementary school?"

Veronica's face showed irritation. She immediately placed down multiple signs. 'Yes. You pulled my pants out from behind and dropped that stick in my underwear. And that was while I was in front of my teacher no less. NEVER BRING THAT UP AGAIN.'

I was stunned. "So, it really is true. What about the others? Our parents or friends? Is Erika here too?"

Before Veronica could say anything, Jesse interrupted us. "Alpha! Stop this nonsense now!"

Hearing his voice, I sighed. "Jesse what is it?"

As the others caught up with their leader, Jesse drew out his Silver Memory at me. "You're planning to kill her aren't you?"

I put away my blade. "Not anymore. I'm not going to kill her after discovering that she's my sister."

Everyone except Veronica looked at me confused. "What's a sister?" Axel asked.

I pinched my flat nose and mumbled to myself. "Oh right. I forgot about that. There aren't such things as kids and parents in this world." I scratched the back of my head as I looked at them. "What I meant is that Veronica and I share the very same... um... blood? DNA? Well just know that we are connected in some way."

Jesse nodded. "So, do you mean that she is special to you? Like a best friend?"

"Yeah. You could say that. Though think of us as friends that have been together since we arrived in this world."

"Hmm... Okay."

"Anyways, let's go back. I need to catch up on a few things with my sister."

We safely made it back to base, had food, and are now resting till tomorrow. Since we only had a few beds with us, we had to decide who would sleep in them. It was decided that the girls got the beds and the guys would sleep on the obsidian floors.

But I, who didn't need to sleep at all, naturally got the position of guardian. Basically I watch the area for any suspicious movements while everyone sleeps. Which none happened.

Yet this time I wasn't alone. Veronica sat beside me as I stared at the black wall. "Hey, don't you need some sleep?"

'This body is both human and machine just like yours. I don't need sleep.'

I turned my head in surprise. "Oh. So, our bodies really are machine-like. But I shouldn't be really surprised since I did choose a skin that had machine-like properties. It's supposed to be based on a video game character that went by the name Alpha. That's why I changed my name... How about you? Did you have that kind of skin equipped before coming to this world? Because this is the first time I see you in that appearance."

Veronica stared at the wall silently, deep in thought. 'No. I didn't choose this skin myself. Someone else did. Actually it's more like someone modified it.'

"Huh... I see. By the way, what happened to your voice? Can you really not talk?"

'I've lost it a long time ago.'

"...And what about your memories? Do you remember anything about the real world?"

'Of course. How else could I remember that you're Aster.'

"Ah. You're right."

"So, your real name is Aster?" someone behind me whispered.

I almost jumped out of my seat. Looking back, I saw Estella panicking. "Hey, you gave me a heart attack just now," I said quietly in anger.

She looked down. "P-please forgive me. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that..."

I let out a sigh. "It's fine. Come sit here."

Estella quickly nodded and sat beside me.

"I kind of forgot that you don't sleep too... Wait. Does that mean you're a machine too?"

Estella looked at me, puzzled. "A machine?"

'She is like us too.'

I scratched my chin. "I guess it makes sense. But according to Jesse, her memory had been wiped out to some degree. Hmm..."

Shaking her head, Estella grabbed my hands. "Anyways, what name would you prefer me calling you?"

"Any one of the two is fine. However, I'd prefer Alpha over Aster. I think Aster sounds too girly for me."

'Talk about disrespecting our mother and father who gave us beautiful names.'

I rolled my eyes.

Estella tilted her head. "Huh? But aren't you a girl?

I looked away. "Oh. About that-"

*Slam*

Veronica gave a sinister smirk as she placed down her new sign. 'He is a guy.'

Estella stared at me blankly. "Um- You- I- I didn't know you were like that..."

Realizing what she meant, I shook my head in denial. "What?! N-no! I'm not a freak. I'm a man through and through. The only difference here is that I'm stuck inside a woman's body... A-actually now that I think about it, that does sound a bit freaky." I shook my head once again. "N-nevermind. Just know I'm not some kind of weird guy who likes to wear girly things."

She continued to stare at me. "Is that so..."

I nodded rapidly. "Yeah. That's why I want to return back home. It's so I can return to my real body that is an actual man..."

Estella giggled softly as she saw my anxious face. "It's okay, Alpha. No matter what situation you're in, I'll always follow you."

With my face heating up, I scratched the back of my head. "What an odd woman."

Veronica grinned.

I glared at my sister. "Veronica. Stop grinning like an idiot."

She didn't stop.

I stood up. "I need to check something out."

"Where did he go?" Estella asked Veronica.

Veronica simply shrugged.

-Next Day-

Returning to the tunnel after a good long break, the group continued to mine from where they last stopped. They somehow managed this for hours without any interruptions from the Fogbeasts. While many were relieved, some became more nervous.

"It's been awfully quiet since this morning," Stacy worriedly spoke as she mined the stone wall.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Lizzie said as she replaced the empty stone walls with obsidian. "It just means that we avoided them."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. And even if they did find us, Alpha and Estella will protect us with their crazy powers."

Stacy shook her head. "I don't get it. Why are you still friends with that lunatic? Even after the amount of times we've warned you about her."

Lizzie glanced back at Stacy. "I told you guys many times; I believe that she can somehow get us out of this mess."

Stacy returned back to creating the dark wall. "Whatever you say. You're lucky you haven't been stabbed in the back yet. You should probably watch your back next time you hang around Alpha."

"...It's just that there is one thing about Alpha that does worry me."

"I knew it." Stacy glanced at Lizzie curiously. "What is it?"

"I think this is good enough!" Jesse announced. Everyone stopped working and turned their attention to him.

"Really?" Stampy asked.

Jesse nodded. "Assuming I didn't miss count the distance, the Fortress must be around this area."

"Oh finally! I can rest my arms soon!" Radar jumped in joy. Raising his worn-out pickaxe, he was about to mine upward.

"Just wait a second!"

Radar stopped and glanced at Jesse. "Huh?"

"Let's not rush now. We don't know what is waiting for us on the surface. We need Alpha to confirm it first."

Alpha stepped up. "Right. Give me a moment." Digging a staircase up, she resurfaced through the ground and scouted the area. "No Fogbeasts or bad weather. It's safe."

"Perfect. Is the Fortress nearby?" Jesse asked.

She analyzed the distance. "About thirty blocks away."

Jesse turned his attention to the others. "Everyone, make a run for it!"

Following his command, everybody rushed out the tunnel and sprinted as fast as they could to the Fortress's minecart entrance. Alpha, who was already inside waited until the last person entered to instantly seal off the entrance with her powers.

Radar panted. "Wow. I can't believe it. We... we actually made it!"

"Yeah!" Axel exclaimed.

"Don't celebrate yet. We still have a long way to go," Petra said.

Axel placed his hands behind his head. "I know. But I'm just glad we somehow managed to make it here."

"Well, I'm gladder my whole body didn't turn into dust," Ivor said.

Alpha gazed back at them. "Are you guys done talking? Cause I didn't come here to waste time."

"Why do you always have to be a party pooper?" Axel said, annoyed.

Shaking her head, Alpha took out her sword and quickly vanished.

"Where did she go?"

"Probably to the End portal." Jesse waved his hand. "Let's go."

As I saw the group running through Soren's mob grinder (which wasn't working anymore), I stood up from the red carpet I was resting on. "While you guys were having fun, I finished setting up the defenses and cleared out all the leftover monsters."

Jesse nodded, "Thanks." He and everyone else gathered inside the obsidian box that I created around the portal room.

So, Estella, Lizzie, Jesse, and I will guard the portal room. The rest will go find Soren... At least that was my original plan, but Jesse won't give up his Amulet. Jack would've been a good option too since he seems like a strong guy, but apparently, he has already been to the End dimension and will act as their guide.

Veronica was the only one who volunteered to stay behind. I don't mind her, but I only shared my flames with Jesse and Lizzie. So, it could be rough if we are going to fight together. Well maybe it can work since she is a machine like me.

Jesse turned to his group. "We are about to enter the End. Everyone got their ender pearls?"

They all nodded.

"I guess that means we are ready. I'll go in first." Jack jumped in the portal. The rest followed.

Us four remained. With nothing much to do, I walked out of the portal room and sat near Soren's small bookshelf. Grabbing his first book, I yawned. "An Enderman's Redstone Creation, by Soren. I hope they come back before I finish reading every book here."