AN: I really hammered this one out. I'm pleased with how it turned out, even though it gets hectic for a little bit near the end.
Today marks the last Chapter of Part VII before my scheduled hiatus. I'll go more in detail in the closing Author's Notes when I talk about the Arcs for this part.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add Zonai Devices.
Chapter 236
Of Billionth Lighter
[Nitebane: Outskirts]
It was the sunset of December 4th when Cobb and Jillian returned with Thed_Hearst. Perry and Dwight supported him between them since the Hacker was blind and paralyzed.
Predictably, 303 and the Hackers were outraged.
"What are you trying to pull!? The deal was for Hannah_Harper!"
"Wow, way to make Thed feel unwanted." Cobb quipped.
"That isn't - that is to say, of course we're happy to see Thed, but - WAIT, WHY AM I TRYING TO EXPLAIN MYSELF TO VERMIN!? Where's Hannah!?"
"I made the executive decision to veto that." Jillian told them boldly. "You'll get Thed. End of story."
303 scowled, but it was another Hacker who chimed in. "Have you forgotten the fate of your villages hang in the balance? When we inevitably get our revenge, they won't be spared. The collateral damage will be on your-"
"My advisors and I didn't make this decision lightly." Jillian cut him off, her tone all business. Seems she had a handle on her courage, Cobb was proud to notice. "And there's a new deal. You'll get Thed with the understanding you won't use him or any other Nuker wielders to decimate any more kingdoms." She made a point to glare at 303 as she said this. "If anything like Akasha happens again, you can kiss Hannah and Llewellyn goodbye."
"You are out of line." Entity 303 growled/echoed.
"I'm looking at out of line in the rear-view mirror. Now do you want him or not?"
"303, just kill these insects." Thed tried to be brave. "Don't worry about me."
"Quiet. You're getting released." Cobb told him.
They couldn't see it, but 303's face was scrunching up furiously beneath his hood. Still, he reasoned it was better to have any Hacker back. Thed might even have intel on where his siblings were imprisoned. Hannah and Llewellyn would just have to wait a while.
"Turn him over."
The exchange went off without a hitch. Cobb and Jillian knew there was no point stalling. With the Obelisk's portal out of commission, Carys had all the time she needed. She either succeeded or failed by her own power.
They gave Thed his milk and let him walk back to his clan just like that.
303 and a few others Hackers came forward to fuss over Thed and check him for injuries. They asked him dozens of questions and Thed struggled to answer them, his face twisted in shame over being held prisoner by bugs.
"A few points before we conclude this." Cobb chimed in after the Hackers had fussed over Thed enough. His voice grabbed the attention of 303 and the rest. "I killed Rrhys and Alec because I had no other choice. Now that I have choices," he inclined his head towards the Vivlio Zythopoiias in Jillian's firm grip, "I will make an effort to take Hackers in alive. Not just because their deaths will upset you, but because having more hostages to trade will keep this kingdom alive. You can prevent this by simply not attacking us," a burst of smoke puffed out of 303's hood like a frustrated huff, "but I sincerely doubt that's gonna happen."
"You better believe it." Youssef_Dreadnought threatened. "You are by far the most stubborn cockroach we ever met. Worse than Herobrine."
"You've threatened our way of life. You've bloodied the clan's nose." Quentin spoke lowly. "Everything was fine before you showed up. And everything will be better once you and yours are gone."
"Naw, that was never going to work." Cobb smirked as he spoke skeptically. "Sooner or later you'd have met someone like me. Someone like Carys. Someone like Jillian. Someone who's as protective of their own as you." He pointed to 303. "This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. I didn't kill any Hackers in malice, and it was always to protect my family. The both of us are willing to do anything to protect our families."
"Then you know why I'm tolerating the Endward Cult."
Cobb's confidence faltered slightly as he and Jillian stared at 303.
"Maybe the Endward Cult is right in wanting to rid the world of people." 303 continued, his words going into dangerous territory. The idea that the Hackers would willingly join the cult's crazy crusade was terrifying as it was unprecedented. Even the Hackers behind 303 were confused by their eldest's sudden change in allegiance. "I certainly wouldn't mind a world with more room, devoid of the Crafters that plague and abuse us, all to myself and my family, where only siblings that spawn from the Origin deserve a chance at life." His words grew cold. "Imagine it. A world where wecontrol who exists in it. Only Crafters bearing our mark are welcomed into it, as well as the Griefers who struggle. The rest are aborted. In that sense, the Endward Cult and Hack Clan are alligned."
"Now hang on-" Jillian tried.
"Teaming up with the Endward Cult is a bad move." Cobb warned. "If you think Crafters are duplicitous, the Endward Cult are the lowest of the low. Take it from me."
"I have little choice now that you and yours have shown that God's can bleed." He told him plainly. "I wouldn't mind a world-wide cleanse if it meant making a world safe for my family and the Griefers. No more vermin to pester us."
Cobb didn't have any words. There was always a possibility of this cementing an alliance between the Endward Cult and the Hack Clan, but to see it slowly becoming a reality was a little worrying. It was fine when they were using each other, but how much closer would they get once they realized Carys attacked the Obelisk and killed however many more siblings.
Cobb went quiet.
"Get out of here." Jillian barked harshly, her voice growing louder to be heard by the Hack Clan. "Leave Nitebane's lands or we'll execute a Hacker! Get out of our sight!"
"Seems something finally rattled you." 303 spoke idly. "I suppose that makes it worth it."
"I said GET OUT!"
"You better take good care of my siblings." 303 told her. "You don't want to know what happens if you don't."
With that parting remark, the Hackers and Griefers left. They filed out through the portal leaving Nitebane and its capital untouched.
Jillian didn't wait for them to go as she sent out a hurried map message to Carys. Cobb stared at the retreating Hackers with a troubled expression.
They were in a fight with the Endward Cult, and if the Hack Clan were willing to get in their way...
...then they'd fight them too.
[Obelisk: Giovanni's Room, 58th Floor]
After having ender pearled to the stairwell from his fight with Espen, Ciro_Che climbed the stairs to the fifty-eighth floor, where Giovanni's room was located. He knew Noman was ahead, but that Giovanni's room would be the first place to check. That, and there was green fire on the upper floors barring his ascent. He saw through the mezzanines that the fifty-ninth, sixtieth, and sixty-first floors were all inaccessible.
So Ciro settled for Giovanni's room. The door was already open, and when he crossed the threshold - stepping in water as he went - he saw he wasn't the first, or even the second, to get there.
Carys heard his arrival and spun with her scythe raised before relaxing upon realizing it was an ally. "Geez, Ciro. Announce yourself next time. I almost fileted you like a fish." The snow fox Shiroyuki barked in assent.
Ciro looked past Carys and saw Noman resting on his knees behind her, his head hanging and his eyes downcast. He was kneeling in a puddle of water, but he didn't seem to care. Lying beside him, knocked out and in a puddle of running water, was a female with flaming hair that matched Serafina's description. Ciro verified it was her by her name - her hair obscured her Hacker eyes - but all the former Captain cared about was that the Stivali Magma's golden boots were on Noman's feet and not hers.
"...You took it?" Ciro asked needlessly. Anyone with eyes could see that. "You really got them without killing her?"
He was astounded. This was the woman who killed two former kings. For months, Ciro ran through dozens of scenarios on how to claim her artifact, and most of them involved staring at her disembodied Head. To see her separated from the artifact while she yet lived...
Ciro was beyond impressed at how Noman upheld his Aikido beliefs.
"The 'without killing her' is just a formality to be remedied," Carys cut across callously, "but yes. Noman's impressed me. How about you, Ciro? Got anything to color me impressed with? Since you separated from Noman and it took you this long to get here, I'm assuming you fought a Hacker?"
"Espen." Ciro answered. "Had him fall to his death. You?"
"I blew Xavier to bits." Carys stated offhandedly while counting off her fingers. "That's fourteen Bounty Days we can expect."
"...Fourteen?" Ciro asked, both in confusion and disbelief.
"Take a look." Carys gestured to the frozen pillars that Ciro only just realized were frozen Hackers. Eleven of them. "You want to chip in?"
"...Chip in?"
"Lend a hand breaking the ice." Carys spelled it out, her scythe raised as she approached one of the frozen Hackers. "Though I'm sure Noman will protest-"
"Wait, what?" Ciro's voice halted her. "We've got the Stivali Magma. We should be hunting for the Arcticum Arma now, not wasting our time killing Hackers. Where's Giova-"
"This won't be wasting time. It won't be a second." Carys raised her scythe only for Ciro to cut across her and block her way. Her eyes narrowed. "Move."
"We don't have the luxury to go killing Hackers when Giovanni could be gone any second. Or the other Hackers could return. Or, hey, your people could be dying." He emphasized seriously.
"My people can handle themselves," Carys shot back, "and we sabotaged their portal to prevent such a thing from happening." She checked a clock at her belt before shoving it under Ciro's nose. "See? Sunset. The trade went down and the Hackers are probably moving through the Nether now. They still need to wait for the cultists to fix the portal before-"
"We don't know that. We shouldn't fool around, especially for a group of Hackers that, for all we know, are guilty of nothing."
Carys scoffed. "Since when have you cared about guilt and crimes when you worked for those corrupt Berserkers? Or has Noman touched your heart with his good deeds?"
Noman didn't say a word or react. He remained kneeling in the water, seemingly indifferent to Carys and Ciro hashing it out. Again, Carys tried to get around only for Ciro to block her path. Her expression grew more unamused by the second.
"I thought you were fine with killing these lost ones. That's what you said."
"I said I was fine with taking them hostage if it meant securing the artifacts. Artifact secure, and corpses make for bad hostages. What's killing them going to do?"
"Grant us more Bounty Days." She shot back without missing a beat. "More tools to work with. I prefer that to trying to recruit them. If their loyalty is anything like Pheodora's, they're worth more to me dead than alive. Hence, why I'm aiming to stick them with the sharp end of my scythe. Now if you'll excuse me-"
"You said you knew when to quit when you were ahead." Ciro blocked her again, this time taking out the Destierro del Palillo, which Carys noticed with narrowed eyes. "This is that time. This is you being ahead. I didn't agree to help to make Bounty Days. I came for the artifacts. We got one, now we need the other. It's as simple as that, so back off."
"This will take fifteen seconds," she growled, "or it would if you didn't keep getting in my way. I call this picking up an emerald on the road to the bank. I'm here, they're there, I'm doing this." Carys' eyes flickered as she heard a groan and Shiroyuki's angry barking. "Oh, look. We woke her up."
It wasn't just their voices that roused Serafina from her unconscious state. The flowing water Noman put down when he was on fire had been lapping at the Hacker's face. She stirred slightly, groaning as smoke pooled around her body in an effort to repair the damage that had been done.
Carys veered towards the recovering girl and used the end of her scythe handle to violently flip her over and into the bedroom wall. Serafina clutched the back of her head and whimpered as she slid to the floor. Her occipital bone was still hurting from Noman's Resound technique. It was beyond anything a Hacker could've been prepared against, and it left her groggy and her senses rattled. Her smoke flickered as she struggled to control it.
"Not at your best, are you? I don't know what you did to her, Noman, but I'll stop belittling you for a year if you teach it to me."
Noman didn't utter a word. He was eerily quiet, still kneeling in the pooling water.
"You... you won't... won't touch... my s-siblings..." Serafina slurred through a concussion. She tried to get to her feet only to collapse when Carys knocked her arm out from under her with contemptuous ease. "Urgh... I'll... I'll kill y-you..." The Hacker threw out a feeble kick before realizing she wasn't wearing the Stivali Magma anymore. Then she looked up, her hazy vision catching Carys' name and her eyes going wide. "C-Carys_Angel...?"
"Finally caught on, have you?" Carys glared at her before she raised her arms in a matter-of-fact way. "This is it. This is how it ends for you and your siblings."
"Wh-What? N-N-No!" Serafina went pale, then went red-faced as she fought to her feet only to crumple against the wall. "I... I... I won't let you... hurt my... my precious siblings!"
"Seems you've hurt them enough letting them chill in here." Carys' idle words were like a dagger to Serafina's heart. "What are they, grounded? And they're about as 'precious' as collectible toys left in their packaging. You think they want to live like this? Frozen and unaware? I'm doing them a favor killing them."
"You're wr-wrong!"
"No." Noman finally spoke up. "She's right."
The cold, callous way the normally empathetic Noman spoke those words had Ciro, Serafina, and even Carys unsettled as they turned to him, still kneeling in the pooling water. It was just so unexpected.
"Noman...?" Ciro ventured uneasily.
"She's... right." Noman repeated, his voice tired. "She's right."
Carys looked confused for a second before she lowered her scythe and turned to give Noman her full attention.
"Aikido... means all life is precious. All life is worth saving. But..." He shook his head. "This isn't saving lives. If I could freeze every single person and end war, what's the point if everyone's left preserved in suspended animation? They're not living. Death would be kinder."
Ciro's eyes widened. He of all people felt that Noman would be the strongest supporter for letting the lost ones go. Instead, he was siding with Carys.
Carys stood still as she looked at Noman. There was something in her crimson eyes as she nodded slowly. Some burgeoning repect for the shield-bearer that had nothing to do with him apprehending a Hacker. He was stronger now than he ever was with the Severe Shield.
"And you!" Noman pointed to Serafina, who appeared transfixed by his words. "You allowed this. These were people who were scared and lost after their lives had been uprooted. How could you stand aside and let these people - people you considered family - exist like this without any awareness, or feeling, or free will? How could you permit Giovanni to do this?"
"I... I... was..." Serafina shook her head, stunned. The concussion had nothing to do with it. "S-So many of our siblings have d-d-died this year. I-I-I was just... looking out for them..."
"You were looking out for yourself." Noman cut her argument down, making her flinch. "You didn't want them to die. This only benefits you. You're not the one who had to give up living to become a frozen statue. You think any of them want this?"
"No... no... I..." Serafina sounded desperate as she tried to plead and reason with herself. As she sought some words to deny him. "I-I wasn't... I thought it... I would never..."
"But you did." Again, Noman cut her down. "You didn't thaw them. You were fine leaving them like this. This is sick!"
Noman grimaced as he slowly rose from his kneeling position. "I'm so tired..." He sighed. "So, so tired... of fighting to keep people alive. It seems like the harder I fight for something, the more people resist. She adamantly refused to thaw them out. Why should I bother when she'd rather keep them like this? She doesn't care about them. Why am I the only one trying to save everyone!? I'm sick of it!"
"There you go." Carys goaded him on, a small smile on her face. She liked what she was hearing.
Noman was in full rant now. "I just pushed myself to peacefully resolve a fight, and all this Hacker can think is that we're a threat to her siblings! I told her we just needed the artifacts! An artifact she said she needed to thaw out her siblings! An artifact she was never going to use on her siblings!" Serafina shrunk into herself against the wall. "I just... can't... do this anymore..." Noman's voice petered out as his arms went limp at his sides and he showed exhaustion. He massaged the bridge of his nose. "I can't keep doing this. Everyone's against me. It feels like they don't want to live. They don't want peace." He shook his head tiredly. "So be it."
"Th-That's..." Serafina felt like the words were a death sentence. "What... What does that-"
"Shut up!" Carys barked at the Hacker. "Don't talk to him. Don't even look at him." The Hacker lowered her gaze, shivering and silently mouthing words to herself. Carys strode up to Noman who was still hunched with downcast eyes and she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "This is the right thing, Noman. I won't say it's pretty - it's pretty ugly - but this is the kind of world we live in. Kindness and mercy," she shrugged one shoulder, "there's just no place for it. There's no shame in admitting it. That's growing up."
Ciro couldn't believe what was happening. It was looking more and more like this was going to happen. He didn't want to argue too much against Noman. Not when he held the artifact. However, for the former Captain, seeing a pure soul like Noman get beaten into submission like this by the cruel, unforgiving world they lived in...
It was like watching innocence lost.
Ciro felt killing the lost ones wasn't just needless, but needlessly cruel, but he was outnumbered here. If this was Noman's decision... he had to honor it. It was his hard work that beat Serafina and won the artifact. It was his call.
Ciro slid the Destierro del Palillo back into his belt and stepped back to let things play out.
Noman patted Carys' hand on his shoulder. His blue eyes were beseeching as they roved over Carys' face in search of reassurance. He needed to know this was okay. He needed to know this was the right choice.
"Carys, I..." Noman hesitated. "I don't think I can watch it. I'm not ready for..." He shook his head. "If you're going to do what you're about to do, I can't be here when you do it. I'm not strong enough to... I don't think I can witness it."
Carys blinked as she stared at him.
"Yeah. I get it." She nodded, stepping aside and gesturing to the door. "Go. I'll wrap this up fast."
Noman nodded and stepped past her, his eyes refusing to look at Serafina or the frozen Hackers he just consigned to death.
"P-Please... don't..." Serafina begged, either to Carys or to Noman. "Please don't hurt them..."
"Quiet." Carys told her bluntly. She was just waiting for Noman to leave before she'd start carving them up.
"This is my fault..." Serafina struggled to stand only to crumple again. "You can do it to me... just not them..." Fat tears slid down her face. "Please... Just me... Not them..."
"Oh, I'll be getting to you in a minute, I can promise you-"
In the half-second Carys looked away, Noman's hand moved like lightning as it yanked Carys' Stasis Map out of her belt pocket and flung it to the other side of the room.
Carys whipped her head, looked down, saw what was gone, and looked back up into Noman's apologetic but steady face all in the span of a second.
"You clever son of a BITCH!"
To Carys' credit, she reacted in a split-second, whipping her scythe around, not at Noman, but rather hurling it towards the nearest frozen Hackers. It spun in a violent, razor-sharp disk, the trajectory she chose perfectly poised to kill the most Hackers she could. She warped out shortly after throwing it, her Paragons back in Tinker's mansion activating her Stasis Chamber in response to her Stasis Map leaving her person. Shiroyuki whined piteously in her absence.
Noman and Serafina cried out as the scythe was about to crash into the first frozen Hacker, but Ciro intercepted it, his hands coming up and skillfully catching the scythe by the handle before spinning it around his body and slowing down the momentum so that it came to a halting rest. Noman breathed a sigh of relief.
"Cannot believe you just did that." Ciro shook his head in awe.
"Fighting her would just risk breaking them." Noman gestured to the frozen Hackers. "I had to do the one thing she'd never expect: Take her side."
"Wha-What?" Serafina whimpered in a small voice, utterly confused. "What? Wha-What? What just...? What? Why...?" She looked to where Carys disappeared. "Where did she go? Where...? How...? What...?" She looked to Noman, who just sent away her would-be killer, then to Ciro, who just saved her siblings from getting shattered. "Why...?"
The Hacker was further bewildered when Noman took off the Stivali Magma and, to Ciro's horror, threw them back to her. She looked at them questioningly, then back up to Noman. "Huh...?"
"You know what you did was wrong." Noman spoke firmly, his blue eyes unfaltering as they gazed into Serafina's. "It's up to you to set things right. We're not doing it for you. It's got to be you."
Serafina looked back at the golden boots in her hands before her gaze flickered to the eleven frozen Hackers. She had an expression of dawning realization that slowly morphed into deepest shame.
A short ripple of green fire later and the eleven Hackers were thawed out. Many of them cowered or screamed like their frozen poses suggested was their last moment of awareness before they saw that they were all back to normal. They took one look at Serafina and recoiled in fear, towards the two mysterious figures who were not Hackers yet at the Obelisk. They unconsciously gravitated towards them, proving their connection to Crafters more than Hackers.
Serafina saw this and fully realized her own mistakes as well as the clan's. She took off the Stivali Magma, placed them on the floor, and then bowed low to her eleven siblings, her forehead scraping the floor.
"I am so sorry." She apologized sincerely, her words affecting the Hackers. "I stood aside and let them imprison you because I thought it was for your own good. It was really for my own good. I... I saw you as lost children in need of saving. I never stopped to think about how you were feeling. Please forgive me. I will never, ever let them imprison you again." She rose from her bowed position and scooted backwards into the corner to free up their path to the door. "Go. I won't stop you. Nobody will ever keep you here against your will again. I'm... I'm done forcing you how to live your lives. Stay if you'd like. Go if you'd like. It's your choice, just... please, find it in your heart to forgive your foolish older sister and this foolish family."
Half the lost ones swept past her without a word, slowly at first, then picking up speed when she was behind them. Two or three were slower to vacate, glaring at the woman hatefully before leaving without a second glance. Noman and Ciro could tell those glares hurt the Hacker more than anything.
It came as a surprise when three of the lost ones - Nyabi, Talcott, and Vanessa - came up to Serafina. The Hacker looked up hopefully as Nyabi stooped down to eye level.
"Thank you for giving us a choice." The lost one spoke kindly. "I know it wasn't easy."
"I-I..." Serafina sobbed unrestrainedly before reaching up and hugging the girl. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't want anyone else to die!"
"It's... okay." Talcott spoke awkwardly as he attempted to comfort her. She reached up and pulled him into the hug too. "Oof! We-We're still leaving! This isn't us choosing to stay!"
"I know. I know..." Serafina smiled as she wiped some of her tears away. "You have your own lives, and I... I have to accept that." She let out a shaky breath. "Just... just please be careful. And know you'll always be family. And, and that you'll always have a place to feel loved."
"This is so whack." Vanessa shook her head. "Being on terms with a genuine Hacker. You really won't drag us back here?"
"No. Never." Serafina swore. "I'll-I'll speak to 303. He never would have let Giovanni or Null freeze you guys. I'll make them let you go. I'll insist on it if I have to."
"I suppose that's the best we can ask for." Vanessa sighed. "You're pretty cool going against 303 for us. Definitely best sister." She smirked at the happy sob coming from Serafina.
"We said it when we got here, but, now that you're listening, you should hear it again." Nyabi told the crying Hacker. "We don't want to be Gods. We have friends, and a life. We have enemies too-"
"I'll kill them."
"No, no, none of that!" Talcott admonished hurriedly. "She means people we don't get on with. People who irk us, but we don't view them as insects."
"We have people who help us and people who are a pain." Vanessa took over. "But we don't want to be like you great destroyers. No offense but the Stigmata Wars leave quite the bad reputation. It's cool and all we have access to powers, but we don't want to become those powers. We'd want to help people with them. Not what you do here."
"Do you get that?" Nyabi asked. "We were brought up having to survive Minecraftia, but we made it thanks to the help of others. We banded together, lost good men and women, made a life for ourselves. We know compassion and kindness from Crafters. Maybe that's... just something the clan never had or got to have."
"I... I understand." Serafina nodded. "You've already chosen your lives. We were the ones wrecking them." She bowed her head. "I'm terribly sorry."
The Hackers exchanged a few more words before ending the discussion on good terms. It was then that the lost ones turned to Noman and Ciro. "Who are you guys anyway?" Talcott asked. "Did Exter send out a rescue party to get us back?"
"Not exactly, though we are here to rescue you." Noman answered. "I just wanted to give Serafina a chance to rescue you herself. She made the right choice." He nodded to the Hacker, who looked uncomfortable being addressed by him. "Just know that we're not here to hurt anyone, and that we'll do everything in our power to get you all home and away from here. Whatever you want to do, we're here for you."
"You sure about that, Noman?" Ciro asked quietly. He had gone over to retrieve the Stivali Magma and now held the boots securely in his arms. "We still got an artifact to grab."
"We're more than capable of doing both." Before Ciro could argue, Noman continued. "I'll get you the artifact, Ciro. I promise. But you need to help me get these people out of here."
Ciro sighed before giving a grudging thumbs up and shoving the Stivali Magma back into Noman's hands. He won them after all. As for Carys' scythe, he held onto it. She'd really be sore if she didn't get that back.
"Can you three catch up to the other lost ones - sorry, uh, the other Hackers from Exter?" Noman amended. "Tell them to wait for us. We have transportation to get you home." Nyabi, Talcott, and Vanessa all nodded before leaving the room. Shiroyuki scurried after them on all fours.
It was just Noman, Ciro, and Serafina now.
Serafina hiccupped away the last of her tears before steeling herself and standing before the two Crafters.
"Don't expect me to thank you."
Noman and Ciro stayed silent.
"Don't think this makes us friends either. As far as I'm concerned, you're still a couple of bugs." She faltered slightly. "Just... highly venomous bugs... that can kill me."
"I can accept that." Ciro nodded.
"I won't ask how many of my siblings you killed or had a hand in killing since you're acquainted with the Angel of Death... I'll just assume a lot." She added uncomfortably. "I definitely don't feel good about that. And, yeah, I killed Crafters and kings so, by the same token, don't go asking me how many I killed. I don't know how to feel about all this. I really don't, but I know I won't be thanking you. I don't ever want to see you again. Take the artifacts and don't ever come back. You understand?"
"Yes." Noman nodded.
"Okay. Good. There's just one last thing." She spoke awkwardly. "If... if you do encounter someone from my family... just... just don't kill any more of them. Please?" Her voice turned pleading near the end.
"I will do everything in my power to save a life," Noman spoke firmly, "even if it means standing against the Angel of Death."
Serafina knew she could trust those words, having seen him in action.
"Good. Now get the fuck out of here before I change my mind." She gestured to the door and Noman and Ciro left at a brisk walk.
On his way out, however, Noman chanced a glance back and saw Serafina slump against the wall with her eyes closed and head angled towards the ceiling. She was exhausted both physically and emotionally. "What's to become of this clan...?" She asked herself before Noman hurried after Ciro.
Noman liked to think he changed her, if only a little. If Kal could be good, so could she.
The lost ones, or the Hackers from Exter, were waiting for them a few floors down. Shiroyuki was with them too. Apparently, there was no way down since Ciro wrecked many of the floors under floor fifty. The lost ones were without a means to escape, though Noman was quick to issue orders.
"Okay, listen up! Our goal is to get you all out of here! We're here to help you." He commanded their attention with his confident words. "Has anyone here ever flown an airship?" One of them, Shaan, raised his hand. "Good. We have an airship docked along the Obelisk. It's a bit of a jump to get to, and the ship will be tight, but it'll fly you all away from here and back to Exter, or wherever you decide to go."
"We can't go back to Exter! The king sold us to the Hackers!"
"He was trying to save the kingdom, cut him some slack."
"Oh, so you were fine being loaned out and held against your will?"
"Stop, STOP!" Noman shouted over them, quieting them. "Time is of the essence. All of you need to help us, and each other, out, okay? Follow Ciro." He pointed to the former Captain who waved lightly. "He'll get you set up in the airship and protect your getaway."
"What are you going to be doing?" Boric demanded.
"You're not leaving us, are you?" Caesar asked fearfully.
"No, I just need to see to my other friends." Noman checked his linked map and saw Soul still on the east side and Floyd still on the west side. Hopefully it was them still holding their maps. "I'll be right back after I see to them, okay? Just hang in there, everyone. Be brave. I'll be right back."
Ciro grabbed his arm. "I'm not leaving without the Arcticum Arma. We won't get another chance like this."
"I'll find Giovanni." Noman swore. "I can counter him with the Stivali Magma."
"You better." The former Captain let him go. Noman kicked on the Bottes Zephyr and flew out a hole in the wall, much to the astonishment of the eleven Hackers from Exter. "Okay, quit gawking and follow me!"
Ciro slipped into his old role as a Captain as he issued orders. He led them to a demolished bedroom on the side where the mail delivery airship was still docked. Green fires raged above and wind whipped across their faces. Landing on the airship would be a bit of a drop, Ciro realized. The Hackers wouldn't do it.
"Ugh, I'll be right back." Ciro disengaged from the group and leapt out of the building to land deftly upon the top of the airship. He balanced himself against the top, wind whipping his hair around, before climbing down the side and into the loading bay. From there, he rushed to the cockpit and brought the airship up to where the Hackers were waiting. He made sure to pull up incredibly close for the scaredy-cat Hackers afraid of a little leap, enough for the airship to partially clip through the Obelisk.
"Okay, all aboard!" Ciro shouted. He turned in his chair, awaiting the Hackers to climb in and cram themselves close together in the loading bay. There was nothing. "Hey, get the lead out! It's not a scary jump!"
Still nothing.
"Goddamn it." Ciro got out of his chair and rushed to the loading bay doors. When he opened them...
...he saw Null standing before them. The eleven Hackers were rooted to the spot in the half-demolished bedroom. Ciro could see an unconscious Kalmarin and a barely conscious Floyd limp in Null's grasp.
Null turned to Ciro, even as the former Captain readied his artifacts.
"What are you doing with my siblings?"
[Obelisk: East Side]
On winged boots,, Noman raced towards the east first to check on Soul, Anibal, Dyson, and Stayer. Since Anibal had the Severe Shield, he was more afraid for the safety of her opponents. Any Hackers that challenged her would die the second they lashed out. Same with the Griefers.
Sure enough, Noman spotted a massive army of Griefers below. They were packed tight save for a large circle that the Griefers seemed to be distancing themselves from. Noman narrowed his eyes to discern that the person in the circle was Soul.
"Soul!" Noman shouted as he got closer, drawing the eyes of the surrounding Griefers. Soul was quick to shout back.
"THEY GOT ANIBAL! HELP HER!"
Noman felt his hair stand on end as he followed where Soul pointed and saw a figure encased in ice. Giovanni's work, yet the Hacker was nowhere to be found. It made Noman tense, but he quickly landed amidst the Griefers and switched his Bottes Zephyr out for his new boots, the Stivali Magma. He threw out a simple kick and unleashed a wave of green fire just like Serafina had done. The Griefers recoiled, recognizing the boots, the flames, and the technique. They scattered in a panic not to get burnt. Noman's intention wasn't to attack them - he was merely thawing out Anibal - but the Griefers fled all the same, shouting all sorts of things.
"Why does he have the boots of our Lady of the Flame!?"
"First Lord Marshall, then Lord Giovanni, now Lady Serafina!?"
"Who are these people!?"
As soon as the green fire touched the frozen Anibal, the ice encasing her melted away with a hiss like steam. Her triumphant expression morphed into confusion as she gained awareness. She looked around and saw Noman with the Stivali Magma and Soul with the Severe Shield and Arcticum Arma. "...What happened?"
"I just got here." Noman told her as he carefully took off the golden boots. Soul made to join them, albeit at a slower pace. He was hungry and couldn't run. "Soul? Dyson and Stayer...?"
In answer, Soul shook his head grimly. He showed the pair of Heads cradled in his arms and Anibal let out a gasp.
"No way. No way this happened." She shook her head in denial. "I-I had the chestplate. I was winning. I was in control. I was - where's Giovanni?" She demanded.
"He's finished." Soul told her with savage pleasure. "But he hid himself in the crowd of Griefers and froze you. He put on the Severe Shield and came after us next."
"Why didn't they warp away!?" Anibal screamed.
"They wouldn't leave you." Soul told her bluntly. "Even though they could've... and should've." As per tradition, Soul honored Dyson and Stayer by using his flint and steel and burning their Heads. It was a warrior's burial. Nothing was left for the Endward Cult to collect. Anibal watched them burn with a mournful and wrathful look.
"You really killed him?" Anibal demanded. "How? How'd you do it? Did you make sure he suffered-?"
"I did all I could and settled it fast." Soul told her brusquely. He was hurt, hungry, exhausted, and not in the mood to argue. He also had an iron cleaver in his hands that Noman recognized from fighting Captain Obsidian in the Akashic Records. He wondered if Soul got it from Giovanni.
Noman passed Soul the last of his cooked mutton to fill his stomach, which he greedily devoured. Behind him, Cat-Face and Christopher Squawken waited patiently. It was a miracle seeing those two animals alive when Dyson and Stayer didn't make it. Noman felt a crushing feeling in his chest remembering all the time he spent traveling with those two. Now they were gone forever.
Noman knew there'd be time for mourning later once they got everyone out of the Obelisk. He spared a glance outside their group and saw that the Griefers weren't attacking. They were stuck grappling with the notion that Marshall, Giovanni, and Serafina were gone (even though Noman knew Serafina was still kicking). The takeaway here was that the Griefers weren't about to attack.
"Give me the Severe Shield." Anibal growled as she turned upon the army of Griefers. She took out her rocket-loaded crossbows and made the Griefers shiver. "I'll wipe them all out."
"Fat chance. You going mad with power caused this mess to begin with." Soul growled back. Anibal whirled on him, her expression thunderous.
"Don't you dare accuse me for their deaths." She threatened almost quietly. "Don't. You. Dare." She held out her hands. "Now give me the chestplate so I can make them pay."
"Anibal, we need to leave now." Noman stood between her and Soul. "We have the artifacts and Carys is already back at the mansion." Noman neglected to mention she was sent against her will. "You don't even have any armor on." It was true. Her armor and her treasured weapon were both gone after being frozen off and lost to the tide of Griefers. She still had her trusty crossbows, but now wasn't the time to go on a crazy revenge crusade.
"The Severe Shield is all the armor I need. I need to make them pay!" She snarled.
Noman stood in her way. "I know you're upset. I am too. But keeping you and everyone else alive takes precedence right now. The raid is over. We have the artifacts. Discard your Stasis Map so we don't have to worry about you."
"Worry about me? Worry about me!? WHY!? Because I'm the weakest!? Because I couldn't be trusted even with the strongest artifact of the nine!? Because people died on my watch!?"
"I never said that-"
"Give me the artifact, then!" She cried furiously. She was distraught. Irrational. "Give me the artifact so I can take it out on them! I want to kill Hackers and Griefers! I'll make them hurt for Dyson and-"
Noman moved without thinking, enveloping the dark-skinned girl in a crushing hug. The woman squirmed and screamed at him to let go, beating her fists futilely against his chest until her strength failed her and she finally broke down, falling to her knees and clinging to Noman.
"...It's my fault." She sobbed. "Why didn't they leave me? I w-wasn't there to pro-protect them. I made it easy for Giovanni..." She cried into Noman's shoulder. "I d-don't know what's w-wrong with me. H-How could I be so st-stupid...?"
"You're not stupid." Noman consoled her as he ran a soothing hand against her head. "Everything's going to be okay. You need to go back to the mansion."
She shook her head. "N-No... what about Albert? And K-Kal? Are they...?"
"I haven't checked on them yet, which is why I need to go to them next. We're wrapping up." Noman spoke steadily. "You're not in a state to fight, Anibal. Please, warp back. Ciro's fine, I just saw him, but Soul and I need to find Floyd and Kal and Albert. We need to go now, okay? Can you warp back for me? Please?"
"I c-can help." She tried to argue. "I can still fight. I'm good to keep going."
"You don't need to push yourself. It's not your fault." Noman tried to make her understand. "Please, Anibal."
"You're n-not brushing me off like this!" She resisted. "I'm done when I say I'm done. I'm not tired! I can do things! Let me fight!"
"The fight's over." Noman told her firmly. "Espen, Xavier, Giovanni, Marshall, Serafina. There's nobody left to fight-"
Just then, an explosion rang out across the savannah. Noman, Soul, and Anibal turned and saw several more explosions go off on the Obelisk's middle floors. Right where Noman left Ciro and the lost Hackers.
"You sure about that?" Anibal challenged.
Noman and Soul checked their linked maps and confirmed their worst fears.
[Obelisk: 51st Floor]
Ciro let loose a volley of explosive arrows from his Yanhua Gong, all of them missing the super fast Hacker who proceeded to body him at mach four into and through a demolished bedroom wall. Ciro groaned as he slid to a stop before kicking to his feet and swinging blindly with the Destierro del Palillo. By sheer luck, it made contact with Null as he raced inside, banishing the second-eldest Hacker outside and towards the Border. Ciro fell back on his butt, gasping for breath through several busted ribs.
"Ciro, sir!" One of the lost Hackers called from the mezzanine. "Are you alright?"
"No!" Ciro choked out honestly. Shiroyuki barked out in support from beside the lost Hackers.
The former Captain shambled out of the ruined bedroom and used the wall to support himself. "Kal! Floyd!" He shouted desperately. "Talk to me! Tell me you're awake or something because I can't do this!"
It wasn't the first time he sent Null flying into the Border with the Destierro del Palillo. This was the third time. Despite getting sent into the Border over and over, Null survived it, and the fall, and always raced back with his Speed Hack. His Invulnerability let him survive outside the Border.
More than any other Hacker, Ciro felt 303 and Null deserved the title of God. They were on another level.
Like a bad penny, Null turned up; He arrived in a rush of wind before Ciro and the other lost Hackers. Kalmarin and Floyd were stuck recovering against the wall, Shiroyuki trying to lick Kalmarin's face back into consciousness.
"Espen, Giovanni, Serafina, Xavier, Marshall." Null spoke in a soft, unforgiving echo. "Where have my siblings gone? Why aren't they stopping you? What have you done with them!?"
Ciro tried to scramble into a defensible position only to get slammed into a wall by a massive, blackened hand. He flailed in Null's grip, choking, his legs thrashing wildly.
"You try and steal away my siblings?" Null demanded as he squeezed the former Captain tighter and tighter, cutting off his air. "You miserable vermin."
"I'm... tapping... out..." Ciro choked out before yanking loose his Stasis Map and letting it flutter to the ground. "All... the time... I can buy... Noman..."
Ciro warped out of Null's grasp, making the Hacker twitch in confusion. Any thoughts on a Potion of Invisibility were quickly ruled out. Null just lost all feeling of Ciro.
"That's the second time that happened. What is this?" Null questioned before he turned to the eleven lost ones on the mezzanine. Or, well, thirteen lost ones if he was including Kalmarin and Floyd.
"Why shouldn't I include them." Null mumbled to himself before spreading his arms out to the thirteen Hackers. "The lost ones. Together again. Look upon Kalmarin_the_Prophet, all of you." Null ordered the frightened Hackers. "He's the reason you're lost. Him and his stubborn defiance lay at the root of this. You were deprived of your birthright as Gods because of his selfishness. He had a duty to bring you to us, and he rejected it - rejected you. Look upon him! Cast your blame upon him!" Null made him out like a pariah.
"Kal rejecting us... was the best thing he could have done for us." Floyd gasped out from the wall. He was bruised and battered, but he still had the backbone to balk. "He let us have... a life."
"You have no right to talk, Floyd. You're more lost than anyone here."
"You say lost... I say, finding my own path." Floyd spoke, weak but defiant. Dark smoke flickered out of his eyes as he tried and failed to shoot out MultiAura spikes. "We're not going your way, and you can't... beat it... out of us."
A few lost Hackers murmured their agreement with Floyd.
"Beat it out of you? No." Null shook his head. "I'm just going to put you on ice until you're ready to listen."
"...What?" Floyd sounded shocked. "What... do you mean... put on ice?" His eyes widened. "You... froze... them?"
Before Null could answer, a high-pitched whistle rent the air. Null sped away from the rocket and the subsequent explosion, his smoky eyes tracing the flight path and happening upon Anibal_Whiteclaw. "More vermin."
He vanished in a rush of wind, but Anibal kicked into the sky wearing the Bottes Zephyr. Null was left dumbfounded as he halted below her and stared up. She was inexplicably out of reach now. She loaded another rocket and fired down, the explosion doing nothing against his Invulnerability, but the firework's sparks doing plenty to blind him from seeing the burst of green fire roaring towards him.
The flames hit him dead on, his blackened body catching a fire that could not harm him. The flames came as a surprise since he knew who they should belong to. He saw Noman wearing them on the other side of the mezzanine and was about to rush him when a pair of splash potions doused him with Weakness and Slowness. Null stumbled from the debilitating effects before Soul jumped down from an upper floor and kneed Null in the face with the Arcticum Arma, canceling the emerald fire but also encasing Null in a block of ice.
"How'd you like a taste of your own med-ice-ine?" Soul quipped only to be booed by Anibal and his parrot. "Bah." He took out his new cleaver. "Everyone's a critic."
"Soul, wait, he's subdued-!" Noman tried to stop him, but Soul swung his cleaver into Null's frozen figure and shattered the ice.
But not Null.
Soul's eyes widened as the cleaver struck Null's skin and stuck. It was like Null was made of bedrock; he didn't give an inch. Null - now no longer frozen - glared at the Arcticum Arma on Soul's legs and not Giovanni's and made his own assumption. He grabbed Soul by the throat.
"What did you do to my family?"
Anibal and Noman rushed in to help just as Null threw up a hand and bellowed, "ForceField!"
A massive black shockwave of smoke centered around Null expanded outwards and struck Soul, Noman, and Anibal all at once. This was another of his nine Hacks. A defensive and offensive attack mixed into one. A forcefield that attacked everything around him. Anibal slammed into a wall and was only kept from sliding down it thanks to the Bottes Zephyr. Noman's legs struck the mezzanine railing, making him topple head over heels off the side. Soul skidded to a stop, tanking the hit only thanks to the Severe Shield's protection.
Once he had a moment, Null cleared away his Weakness and Slowness with his Zoot Hack. Then he went after Soul in a spinning tornado of black smoke. His FightBot Hack. Even after getting hit with six different artifacts, Null was still going.
If Soul was hoping the Severe Shield would work against Invulnerability, he was dead wrong. Null never took any damage as his black tornado of smoke crashed into Soul and brutally pummeled him. Null didn't let up like with Kalmarin. He kept shredding into Soul with the aim to mince him to pieces. The Severe Shield's protection and quadruple Health was the only thing sparing Soul's life. It was incredibly painful, though.
As an agonized howl tore itself from Soul's throat, Anibal screamed for him to stop before firing a rocket from above. Null disengaged - not that he needed to - and sped around the room to build up momentum. Then he used a ruined piece of wall like a ramp and leapt at Anibal in the air, rearing back a massive, blackened fist and slamming the space she'd been.
Anibal's Stasis Map fluttered to the floor, the girl having noped out of there just in the nick of time.
Null stared at his giant fist as he pondered how Anibal escaped. He was sure he killed her, and yet there was no Head or gear. The vermin had a way to keep escaping him.
Null sped away from another burst of green fire. Noman was back, his shield raised as Null slowed to a stop before him.
"You stole that from Serafina." Null echoed softly.
"Your sister is alive! We're just trying to leave-"
His words were cut off as a massive fist collided with his face and sent him spiraling into the ceiling with a resounding crash. His limp body then fell down and landed heavily upon the wood floor.
"Vermin should never be seen, nor heard."
"Stop it!"
Null twitched his head towards the noise. It was Nick_Chaos, a lost Hacker. Null looked at him with disbelief.
"These insects have come to harm you. To poison your mind. It's what they do, my siblings. Go find a safe room and wait for-"
"He saved us!" Nyabi chimed in. "He came to rescue us!"
"The only one harming us is you!"
"Let us go home!"
"Leave those guys alone!"
"No - listen to me - you don't understand-"
"We understand perfectly!" Boric stuck his jaw out. "You froze us to keep us here against our will! We're not your siblings, we're your hostages!"
Floyd sat forgotten by the wall, his ears picking up what was being said and coming to the same horrible conclusion. "He froze them...? He really froze them...? His family...?"
Floyd's smoke pulsed in response to his emotions.
"Taking away their free will... their awareness. How could they do something so horrible to their family...?"
His black smoke seemed to warp and bend around him. Almost like it was inverting to distort space like a black hole.
"They think they're soooo perfect..." Floyd droned furiously while bracing himself against the wall "That they know what's best..."
"This is for the best." Null echoed Floyd's words as he approached the eleven Hackers. They moved in unison, many of them getting between Null and the Beginners. Null narrowed his eyes. "So now you poison them against me?"
"HE'S GONNA RUN AROUND YOU!"
A scorching-hot trail of smoke fired out from Kal's eye and broke Null's foothold just as he was about to speed around the lost ones and attack Noman. Kal was expecting it, since that was exactly what Null did to Adina all those years ago.
"HE'LL NEVER TAKE YOUR FEELINGS INTO ACCOUNT!" Kalmarin warned the eleven lost ones as he stood on shaky legs. "DON'T EVER LET HIM DECEIVE YOU! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS WHOLE FUCKED UP CLAN! YOU DON'T NEED IT!"
"YOU'RE A BLACK SHEEP, KALMARIN!"
Null made to charge only for a smoke-clad feminine figure to land on him from above and slam him into the floor. Kalmarin and Noman gasped in shock, and Null fought to see who it was with widening eyes.
"Serafina you idiot, what are you doing!?"
"Protecting these kids!" Serafina screamed before choke-slamming Null into the floor. The lost ones cheered her on as she did it.
Kalmarin was floored witnessing his former sister standing up to Null. "Sis...? You-"
"Kalmarin, use your map!" Noman cried out desperately. Kalmarin snapped out of his stupor and tossed the Stasis Map from his belt. His sister spared him a glance and Kal sent her a grateful nod, a small, warm smile worming its way onto his face. He watched Serafina wrestle with Null until he was warped away.
It was only the Beginners left to escape.
"Everyone. Everyone! EVERYONE IS POISONED!" Null snapped as he blasted Serafina off of him with his ForceField Hack. The woman whimpered as she struck the floor only to get flattened by a gigantic blackened fist. "IT'S SPREAD TO TAINT MY CORE FAMILY! YOU CRAFTERS ARE A CANCER!" Null ran over to Soul and hoisted him up by his throat before tearing the Arcticum Arma off his legs. He was going to use it to freeze everyone. Before that, he enlarged both his fists and wrapped them around Soul before putting every ounce of Strength he had into crushing him. Like a submarine under tons of water pressure, the Severe Shield began to buckle and Soul began to scream. Slow at first, but growing more and more agonized as his quadrupled Hearts were crushed. He tried to reach his Stasis Map, but Null stopped him, having realized it was how the vermin kept escaping him. "You're a cancer." Null repeated, smoke billowing from his white eyes as he gazed upon Soul with intense loathing. There was the unmistakable crackle of broken bones as Soul thrashed his head.
"You're... the cancer."
Null looked over his shoulder to see Floyd on his feet, approaching him jerkily. His eyes were hazy and unfocused, smoke pooling out from them in a distorted wave.
"Floyd... your map..." Noman tried to make him get to safety, but Floyd didn't hear him. It was like he was in a trance.
"You... froze... your own... family..." Floyd murmured hatefully.
Serafina leaned up weakly from the floor.
"You... think... you know... best...?" Floyd accused. He threw out a hand towards the mystified lost Hackers. "They... want... out... You can't... control them... You can't... imprison them... Yet you pretend... you know better... than all of them?" He shook his head. "I won't... let you..."
Black smoke pooled out of Floyd's eyes and bent around him in a distorted wave. Null, a Hacker older than most and having seen every Hack in existence... couldn't recognize what was being manifested.
"You think... you're omnipotent...? All knowing...?" Floyd's voice took on a distorted growl not unsimilar to 303 or Null's, but unique in its own way. "Well, let... me... tell... you..."
The distorted smoke seemed to rescind before pulsung anew in that same distorted wave that seemed to warp the air.
"You're nothing. With or without your Hacks."
The distorted smoke was sucked into Floyd's body one final time before it exploded outwards to encompass the floor and everyone on it. Noman, Serafina, and the lost Hackers all shielded themselves as the distorted smoke pulsed towards them, but as it passed, they found themselves unharmed. It was most similar to the Bounty Day pulses, minus the splitting headache and swell of acquired information.
As soon as the distorted pulse was launched, Floyd fell to the floor, passed out. His eyes, however, remained open even in unconsciousness. They were completely black, no sign of his purple irises, as they continued to belch distorted smoke in radiating waves. Light seemed to bend and warp wherever those pulses of smoke passed.
A half second later, Soul's body struck the floor. Null had lost his massive grip on him.
Because Null's blackened hands were suddenly normal sized.
"What...? ...!" Null went from looking at his shrunken hands to rubbing at his throat. His soft echo was gone. "What is this...?"
With his arms broken, Soul bent to his hip and used his teeth to remove his Stasis Map from his belt. He warped out shortly after, followed by his cat and parrot, not that Null noticed.
"Floyd..." Noman called out, worried for his friend and comrade. His smoke was still active, but he was unmoving. What was wrong? What sort of Hack did he just use?
Null paid neither of them any mind as he stared at his hands and tightened them. He looked to be straining himself as he tried to summon his Hacker Strength. Upon closer inspection, Noman realized that smoke was no longer billowing from his eyes. It had been shut off for perhaps the first time in his life.
Floyd had made it shut off.
Noman's eyes flicked to Serafina who was also in the range of Floyd's inverted smoke. She too had her smoke shut off. Even now, she stared down at her empty hands as she tried to manifest her powers.
They didn't come.
Realization dawned on Noman that Floyd's freshly awakened Hack... was a Hack that turned off other Hacks. Born from a lifestyle of defiance against them. This was his powers' way of showing the Hack Clan they were equal with the Crafters they looked down on.
Noman gripped his shield and slowly got to his feet.
"What is this? What is this!?" Null's voice took on a desperate, fearful quality as his attempts to activate his Hacks failed. None of the other lost Hackers knew what was going on. "I can't feel it anymore! What did you do!? What did you do, Flo-"
The edge of a shield cracked against Null's temple, the older Hacker taking damage for the first time since awakening Invulnerability. As expected, he had forgotten what pain was like. He had forgotten how to take a hit. Noman had been going for a Resound, but he was too exhausted to aim properly.
Null went down hard and Noman mounted him quickly, his fist cracking into the Hacker's face, fueled by desperate strength. He had to go down. He had to go down if the Hackers were to be free of him.
Null's blackened arms came flailing up as Noman delivered punch after punch to his face, his Health going down. He then swapped to his shield, gripping it in both hands and bringing the corner-edge down ferociously into Null's temple, over and over. The Hacker had no defense. Spittle flew from Noman's mouth as he channeled all his remaining strength into his blows. Null's flailing arms grew more and more ineffective at staving off the brutal shield strikes.
Noman could see naked fear in Null's eyes as he savaged him like an animal. Noman was sure his own eyes were burning blue.
The sharp impacts between shield and skull continued, the sounds making the watching Hackers flinch. Null kept failing to manifest his Hacks, almost like Floyd was holding him down for Noman.
Finally, Noman grabbed Null's arms aside and pinned them with his knees, freeing him up for one, solid blow. Noman readied his shield, corner-edge down, and stared into Null's terrified, pleading face before he raised it above his head and brought it down with an animalistic shout and a resounding crack.
It dented the floor an inch away from Null's face, the Hacker breathing heavily as he gazed at the shield and his nearly empty Health Meter.
Noman had stopped himself.
Breathing heavily, Noman scowled at the Hacker beneath him. Null broke contact first, his white eyes shying away in fear. His whole body trembled as Noman grabbed the Arcticum Arma back and lifted himself off of him.
He didn't make to get up.
Noman swayed as he turned to the lost ones, tired and light-headed. They looked frightened. None of them dared to say a word after watching Null get beaten into submission. Noman gestured to where the airship was docked.
"Go." He told them. "He won't follow."
Not needing to be told twice, the Hackers left the ruined mezzanine and boarded the airship. Ralcolm, Nyabi, and a few others made sure to thank Noman for helping them as they left. Null didn't dare stop them.
Serafina looked like she wanted to join the eleven Hackers, but she remained rooted to the spot, both out of fear for Noman and because she promised to let them live their own lives. They flew off and she breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were on their way. She and Noman shared a look that Noman broke first as he shambled over to Floyd.
She had said she didn't want to see him again. He would respect her wishes. Just like he respected his promise not to kill any of her siblings.
Noman reached Floyd and checked him. He was still unconscious, his eyes black and continuing to radiate that same distorted smoke. He probably wouldn't know what happened when he woke up. Noman would have to fill him in. He tore the Stasis Map from Floyd's belt and burned it with the Stivali Magma. Floyd warped out shortly after.
It was just Noman left.
Figuring it better to be safe than sorry, Noman went around and burned every last Stasis Map his team had left behind with green fire. The maps would show Tinker's mansion, after all. He didn't need to give the Hackers a trail to follow.
Throughout it all, Null didn't rise. Even when his Hacks were back now that Floyd and his distorted wave were gone. The near-death experience had rattled him, and he didn't dare rise against the dark-haired shield-bearer in the dress shirt and pants.
Satisfied that everything was cleaned up, Noman held his own Stasis Map and prepared to warp back to the mansion. Carys was going to give him an earful, and he wasn't looking forward to explaining all that happened when he was so tired. If he fell asleep, he wouldn't wake for days.
"Who... who are you?" Null asked fearfully. His voice didn't echo with any power. "What are you...?"
Noman turned to look at him and shrugged.
"I'm the Lighter Billionth."
Null's eyes widened as he realized who he had been messing with. Serafina too.
"Don't make me come looking for you." Noman threatened softly before burning his Stasis Map in emerald fire.
After that mic drop, he warped out.
Noman had set out to do everything he wanted, all without taking a life.
Shiroyuki whined piteously over being left behind.
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness III, Fire Aspect I, Sweeping Edge III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Pickaxe [Efficiency II, Unbreaking III], 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, 8 Ender Chests, 43 Chorus Fruit, 59 Cooked Salmon, 55 Cooked Chicken, 7 Rotten Flesh, 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 Night Vision {8:00}, 64 Snowballs, 64 Snowballs, 16 Eggs, 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 Trident {Shock} [Loyalty II, Channeling], 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Bounty Days}, 1 Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying
Green Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 36 Eyes of Ender, 32 Blocks of Emerald, 8 Emeralds, 1 Diamond Cutlass, 25 Lapis Lazuli, 64 Books, 64 Glass, 64 Glass, 64 Glass Bottles, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Fishing Rod, 2 Books, 1 Enchanting Table, 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: 34]
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, 62 Dark Oak Planks, 50 Chorus Fruit, 59 Cooked Salmon, 56 Apples, 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 Red Shulker Box {Pocket Box}, 1 Gray Shulker Box {Pocket Box}
Red Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 1 Shears, 1 Lever, 9 Redstone Torches, 8 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 18 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 2 Fire Charges, 36 Charcoal, 4 Torches, 32 Pumpkin Seeds, 1 Book {Redstone Textbook}, 1 Book {Notebook}
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], 10 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, 51 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
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 {Jillian}: 1 Book {Vivlio Zythopoiias}, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness II, Unbreaking III], 1 Bow {Artemis} [Unbreaking III, Punch II, Power V, Knockback II, Curse of Vanishing, Infinity], 1 Bow {Apollo} [Unbreaking III, Flame I, Punch II, Knockback II], 1 Crossbow, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 35 Torches, 1 Book and Quill {Planner}, 1 Book and Quill {Notebook}, 40 Cooked Cod, 46 Cooked Salmon, 56 Arrows, 16 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Small Ball x 7, White x 7}, 16 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Large Ball x 7, White x 7}, 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying, 1 Totem of Undying
[EXP: 53]
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, 32 Cobblestone, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 21 Charcoal, 40 Torches, 59 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Cake, 1 Cake, 1 Cake, 33 Cookies, 52 Baked Potatoes, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Bucket, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Purple Shulker Box {Pocket Box}
[EXP: 47]
Inventory (Floyd): 1 Mob Head {Creeper}, 1 Diamond Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Diamond Helmet [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Shears, 2 Iron Ingots, 24 Coal, 20 Torches, 1 Fishing Rod, 7 Cooked Mutton, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 1 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV], 16 Gunpowder, 10 Ender Pearls, 1 Splash Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Slowness {4:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {4:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {4:00}, 1 Bucket, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}
[EXP: 48]
Inventory (Soul): 1 Diamond Axe [Sharpness V], 1 Iron Cleaver, 1 Diamond Pickaxe, 60 Iron Ingots, 19 Flint, 1 Flint and Steel, 5 Ender Pearls, 8 Gold Ingots, 11 Blocks of Diamond, 16 Blocks of Emerald, 1 Shears, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV, Feather Falling IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Crafting Table, 1 Jukebox, 1 Music Disc {chirp}, 1 Bed, 1 Furnace, 24 Torches, 22 White Wool, 61 Cobblestone, 14 Jungle Wood Planks, 4 Bowls, 23 Red Mushrooms, 1 Armor Stand, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Exter Entry Pass}, 1 Splash Potion of Slowness {4:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {4:00}
[EXP: 42]
Cat-Face the Cat
Christopher Squawken the Parrot
Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Shield, 1 Chainmail Leggings {Arcticum Arma}, 1 Golden Boots {Stivali Magma}, 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Diamond Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Diamond Pickaxe, 56 Nether Warts, 15 Soul Sand, 1 Flint and Steel, 10 Cobwebs, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Water Bucket, 5 Buckets, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Brewing Stand, 15 Glass Bottles, 4 Ender Pearls, 60 Glowstone Dust, 23 Gunpowder, 12 Redstone Dust, 60 Blaze Powder, 62 Gold Nuggets, 43 Brown Mushrooms, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Exter Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {The Art of Peace}, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Enchanted Golden Apple, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {4:00}
[EXP: 35]
Inventory (Kalmarin): 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 Mob Head {Skeleton}, 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness III, Unbreaking I], 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 15 Cooked Chicken, 18 Apples, 1 Bow [Power I], 36 Arrows, 7 Ender Pearls, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 40 Torches, 31 Sand, 12 Cobblestone, 21 Oak Wood Planks, 1 Bucket, 1 Lava Bucket, 1 Milk Bucket, 43 Coal, 1 Clock, 1 Compass, 1 Iron Pickaxe [Unbreaking I], 1 Wooden Pickaxe {Old Reliable} [Unbreaking III, Efficiency V], 1 Book {Meetup}
[EXP: 43]
AN: And scene.
The final number of Hackers I planned to kill was four. Nobody guessed the right number, so nobody gets the reward. Sorry.
Now for the End of Part Notes. I particularly enjoy going on and on about the writing and thought process for these Arcs, but, if that's not your thing, you can always close out. This is basically just the credits. Don't feel like you have to read this if you're not interested. I won't be offended.
It's only fitting I wrap up Part VII a few days before this story's 8th anniversary. Yeah. I've been typing this out for eight years. Crazy, but you can clearly see the improvement in my writing over the years. Whenever I reread Chapter 1, I cringe a little inside. I suppose all stories are like that, though. They need time to find their rhythm, and I hope I've found my rhythm after all this time.
Anyway, the notes.
Part VII spanned from Chapter 201 to Chapter 236. An even 36 Chapters. Most Parts are this length, between 30 and 40 Chapters. I'm ashamed to admit this Part took longer than usual, though. It started at the beginning of 2022 and took a year and a half to finish when these Parts usually take less than a year. I'm pleased by the quality, but I can't deny there was a lot going on. Maybe it was because I was juggling Cobb's and Carys' side back and forth and had to really devote myself to one side or the other at a time, envisioning the characters and getting everyone's motivations across. It's not easy, and I prefer Cobb's side more, but I'm happy with Noman and Carys' end.
Most Parts consist of three Arcs, but for this part, it almost felt like two. The Stigmata Arc, which was Chapter 201-217, and the All Out Spaghetti Arc, which was 218-236. You could argue that All Out Spaghetti was split into Cobb's side and Noman's side against the Hack Clan, complete with two climaxes, but, as a whole, it was paralleling their maturity into forces to be reckoned with. Hence, why Cobb's climax was titled 'Of Billionth Darker', and Noman's climax was titled 'Of Billionth Lighter'. Pretty good, huh?
Circling back to the Arcs, the Stigmata Arc was all about disgrace and redemption, as we see Spring get back into the cult's good graces after reaching rock bottom with the help of his new allies, and then Wynn becoming the new Queen of Ringwood in the King's Trials. Then there's the Stigmata themselves encountering Carys' group and Cobb fighting off a Raid.
But that was all just set up for the real meat of this Part. Cobb's showdown in Nitebane and Noman's showdown at the Obelisk. The Beginners and Paragons sweeping the board with artifacts and new future Bounty Days. They're armed to the teeth and are stronger for it. The Endward Cult and the Hack Clan are more firmly allied than ever, but the Beginners and Paragons are ready to give them what for. Now both sides will be poised to track down the cult's movements in Oak Docks and Exter. Part VIII is set up beautifully.
I'm hoping you got to see what makes Cobb and Noman who they are with the last dozen chapters. They are the Darker and Lighter Billionths. Cultists and Hackers beware.
I also had to give love to all the other members of the team who had their moments. Soul, Floyd, Lenz, Carys, Ciro, Anibal, Baltic, Jillian, Kalmarin, Z7. They're all formidable and had moments of growth, so you know our heroes are in good hands.
Finally, the Hacks. For anyone wondering, Null's Hacks are as follows:
Null (9) - Invulnerability, Speed, Enlarged Fist Strength, Zoot, ForceField, NoSlowDown, Jesus, AntiSlip, FightBot.
These are all real Hacks, as is Floyd's latest Hack, which I foreshadowed since Chapter 230. It's a Hack called Panic, but should really be called Null since it negates all Hacks in his vicinity Still, it worked to make Null panic, so I guess it works. It's born from a desire to see Hackers and Crafters as equals, something no Hacker in existence has ever wanted, hence why Null couldn't place it. Floyd doesn't know what he did, but Noman will be sure to fill him in back at Tinker's mansion.
And that's about it. Imma enjoy my Hiatus as I rest and plan. See you all when I return for Part VIII. I don't have a set date right now, but I'll be sure to message everyone on the Discord and Forums when it's about to come out. Or you can mash that follow button and be alerted when it comes out (if this site's alerts start working).
FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. FORUM. DISCORD. CHIPWICHES.