My Craft

by OnTheCobb

Devoid of memory or purpose, a new Crafter is pushed forth into the unforgiving land of Minecraftia. Armed with nothing but his wits, he must…well…actually he's pretty witless. Hopefully he won't get killed in the first week. Hopefully.

258. Brimstone Bastion

AN: Hey, Hey, Hey! Do I still have loyal viewers after not posting a chapter for over a month?

Yeah. Whoops. Sorry, but I've been busy, and I was also playing some backlogged games. Baldur's Gate 3, Lies of P, and I might do the Elden Ring DLC.

Was also in two Texas Holdem tournaments. One went okay, and one went really, really BAD. Like I lost everything in ten minutes bad. Don't ever gamble, kids. I'm switching to Chess tournaments now. Cheaper and dependent on skill alone. I'll let you know how I do.

The good news? This Chapter has more content. Also, the next chapter will be HUGE, both in word count and 'Nothing Happens' content. Look forward to it.

But, let's get on with this chapter. Enjoy.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd fix Bundles already. What's the holdup?

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Chapter 258

Brimstone Bastion

[Noman]

It was the morning of December 16th. Still no news on Cobb, Lenz, or the missing Paragons. The Miner's Guild had put us up for the night given the circumstances.

Yesterday, there'd been a bit of confusion regarding why Carys, Kal, and Albert were in the guard barracks instead of at the Sosnovy Bor Hot Springs Resort. Reuben believed Albert had been discovered as a Dover Plainer guilty of illegal entry, and thus apprehended. Floyd thought Kal had been discovered as a Hacker and was brought there to await getting shipped out to the Obelisk like all the other lost Hackers.

Soul thought someone had looked at Carys funny, prompting her to kill them and get arrested.

As it turned out, in a detailed map message sent by Albert, it was the result of a new Hacker - Nikitakrylya - ambushing the three at the resort. When they defended themselves, Nikita beat a hasty retreat, but not before alerting a bunch of Exterian witnesses about the presence of the Angel of Death in their midst. There was no opportunity to elude the guards, and Carys, Kal, and Albert were questioned and brought to their barracks as a sort of protective custody to deter further Hacker attacks.

While it meant the resort wasn't safe to stay at anymore, the good thing about it was that Carys secured an audience with the king. Same as us.

Carys was suspicious how we all seemed to get an audience with the king in our respective ways on the very same day, but then impressed that we apprehended Leadstripe... but then furious when we mentioned we were forced to give him up to the guards and Captain XoX... but then placated when we brought up the Wonder Wings we secured for her. By the end of our report, she didn't know whether to praise us or lambast us.

"What an ingrate." Soul had complained.

We'd know how she felt soon enough. As soon as day broke, we left the Miner's Guild, linked up with Marble at his apartment, then headed straight for the guard barracks. The maps said Carys, Kal, and Albert were still there. As usual, Floyd had to stay invisible.

"Your friend/employer won't be disappointed." Marble smiled happily, the Wonder Wings tucked under his arm. "Once you put on these wings and fly around, with the wind through your hair, and the world rushing by so fast. Nothin' like it. She'll be so happy she could kiss you."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." I replied tonelessly.

"What's the matter? You two don't see eye to eye?"

"On certain things, no. Not even a little."

"What's she like, anyway?"

"Cultists. She likes cultists." Soul chimed in with a smirk. "Or rather, she likes to murder cultists. It's her favorite pastime."

"She doesn't do it for fun, even if she enjoys it." Anibal corrected. "Carys is a woman of drive and determination. She keeps going, even when it's hard."

"And that's what she said."

Anibal's eyes were slitted as she glared at Soul. She opened her mouth to say something before closing it and giving up with an annoyed wave of her hand. Soul looked inordinately pleased with himself for leaving her at a loss for words, and walked a little taller.

I noticed that Ciro and Reuben were more alert, their eyes scanning our surroundings as we moved through the capital streets. Ciro's fingers kept twitching to the Yanhua Gong at his belt. They were on edge since a Hacker attacked Carys and we apprehended an Endward Cult Lieutenant yesterday. They expected a Hacker or cultist to show up any second, even in broad daylight. I felt better knowing they were watching my back, but I also kept my eyes peeled to help out.

The guard barracks was made of stone bricks like the other buildings. Multi-storied to house the numerous purple-capped guards patrolling the capital. It was square in shape with a courtyard in the center for the guards to spar and train, which is where the guards escorted us after we told them who we were. Captain XoX had told them ahead of time to admit us. We were treated respectfully thanks to our work yesterday and the Paragons' reputation.

"Carys give you guys any problems?" Soul asked the pair of guards.

"No, but then nobody dared approach her." One guard answered. "Reputation notwithstanding, she has a certain... aura. Of intimidation."

"Don't we know it." Anibal chuckled to herself.

"She really is amazing, though." The other guard added. "Seeing her in action against... well... you'll see what I mean."

Before any of us could vocalize our puzzlement, we were brought to the interior courtyard of the barracks, where a great number of guards were gathered in a circle, cheering for something in the middle. The sounds of weapons clashing would occasionally sound over the din.

"Oh no..." Anibal let out an exasperated sigh, her hand palming her forehead. "The woman can't help herself..."

Soul and I exchanged looks before we hurried through the crowd of guards to see the spectacle within. We caught flashes of diamond blue and white iron as two figures clashed and darted and danced.

When Soul finally elbowed out a path for us, we saw Carys and another black-haired female dueling one another. Carys' crimson eyes were gleaming and she wore an amused, confident expression as she flourished her scythe. She was still fresh, having barely worked up a sweat, but with the light green particles of a Potion of Leaping swirling around her. In contrast, her opponent, a woman named Lizabet_Agafonov, was panting like a dog. The white collared dress shirt she wore was drenched in sweat, and she swayed where she stood. She wielded two weapons - two Tinker weapons, in fact; an Iron Battleaxe and an Iron Longsword. Her expression was a mixture of determination and frustration.

"She's another Exter Captain." Soul commented for my benefit. "We caught her persuading the Dover Plainers to clear out."

"'Persuading' meaning...?"

"It really was just that. Persuading. She wasn't happy about the job, but she knew it had to be done to get them out of harm's way. They hurled insults and objects at her, but she stood there and took it without batting an eye."

I nodded, accepting the unsavory task, and the Captain forced to see it through, in a better light. XoX wouldn't have shown such restraint, let alone half of it.

But, wait, why are Carys and the Captain fighting? I thought, watching more of the fight and how the spectating guards seemed to be getting into it. The guards aren't bothered by it. Sparring, perhaps? An exhibition match, maybe?

I winced at the noise of aggression Lizabet made as she surged forward with her Longsword's lunge technique. It seemed a little much for an exhibition; Carys could seriously get hurt with that, or she would if she didn't deflect it with a spin of her scythe that had iron and diamond striking against each other. Lizabet shot past Carys only to whirl in place and launch a second lunge. Carys leapt into the air over her in a backflip to dodge, prompting Lizabet to slam on her heel painfully to pivot and strike where Carys would land.

In response, Carys struck her landing spot with her scythe, sending out a shockwave with its ability and damaging the Captain's legs, making her tremble and shake in the knees. She toppled into a sliding prone position past Carys, and Carys took the opportunity to aim the handle of her scythe at the back of Lizabet's skull - the Resound technique I taught her.

Lizabet rolled out if the way, the handle cracking against rock. Lizabet shot to her feet in a spin, this time with her iron Battleaxe. Carys sprawled low and let the axe sail over her, missing, but it came back around and had her stepping backward and tilting her head, neck, and body to avoid any glancing hits. She watched the axe swings carefully, tracking each one and moving herself appropriately.

Though her chin suddenly cracked up when, on one spin, the Captain snuck in a heel kick that had Carys' teeth clacking together. The guards whooped enthusiastically at the snuck-in hit while Carys flipped back to get some space. She rubbed her struck chin, wearing a grin full of teeth.

"Not bad."

This time, Lizabet combined her Longsword and Battleaxe, careening forward in a lunge with her axe spinning horizontally, like a Beyblade. Carys eyed the oncoming attack carefully before leaping over the axe swing, directly over Lizabet, and slamming her scythe handle down. There was a sharp crack and a pained grunt as Lizabet fell to one knee and lost her grip on her battleaxe, which was sent spinning into the onlookers.

Namely, me.

The guards and Soul dove aside while I raised my shield on reflex. There was a thunk of wood as the battleaxe struck and held, the impact and added weight throwing me off balance for a bit before I righted myself and let the shield fall to the side. "Oof, that's heavy..."

"Gah... hah..." Lizabet cradled a broken wrist from where she got struck while the woman who dealt the blow stood over her, her scythe resting on her shoulders.

"I must admit, it wasn't a bad showing." Carys complimented. "It wasn't a good showing either," she added, just because backhanded compliments were her forte, "but I appreciate the warm-up."

Lizabet winced, still nursing her broken wrist. "This was supposed to be an exhibition..." She spoke through gritted teeth.

"You were going pretty hard for a mere exhibition, don't you think?" Carys asked languidly. "And you asked for it. But, now your guards know where their Captain stands in terms of the power ladder. That being the low rung."

Captain Lizabet grimaced as one of her men brought forth a Potion of Healing for her wrist. She thanked him, salvaging what little was left of her pride after it'd been shredded to bits by Carys, then looked around for her missing battleaxe.

I shuffled forward, the axe still buried in my shield and the whole thing held awkwardly. The Captain's slate blue eyes locked on me... and blinked in mild bewilderment.

"I believe this is yours, Captain." I awkwardly held out the shield with the embedded axe. Carys turned her head my way and laughed.

"You sure got timing, Noman. Still, better your shield than a guard's face. Though Soul's face would've been better than all."

"I heard that."

"You were meant to." She threw out before facing me again. "Where are my wings?"

I didn't answer right away, instead offering my shield to Lizabet. The Captain slogged over, still tired from her bout, and braced her foot on my shield before gripping the battleaxe with both hands and tearing it free of my shield. "Thank you." She put her weapons back in her belt. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" She asked in a coarse voice.

"No, I blocked it."

"Mm." She eyed me up and down.

"Is something wrong, Captain?"

"No, no. It's just nice to see another sharp dresser around. Especially in this heat."

"Oh. Well, thank you." I straightened out my clothes, preening a little. "You see many sharp dressers?"

"Hm? Oh! How silly of me." She chuckled. "I meant myself, though I doubt I look the part. I willed off my sharper clothes for the spar. I probably look a mess right now." She lifted her arm, the sweat-soaked cloth sticking to her skin, and sniffed before grimacing. "Could use a shower. Carys, you can help yourself to a shower at the barracks too."

"What for? Not like I worked up a sweat."

The Captain's body jerked as if struck by the subtle insult. She clenched her fist in impotent rage and wore a pained expression.

"C'mon, Carys. No need to embarrass the Captain any further." Anibal admonished, striding forward with the rest of our group. The guards gossiped amongst themselves about the new arrivals. We were quite the spectacle. The Paragons were a powerful guild.

"You want me to stop so bad, give me the wings to focus on." Carys insisted more firmly. Anibal called Marble over and the two began the exchange. Ten-thousand emeralds for the Wonder Wings.

"You... know each other?" Captain Lizabet asked. "You all know each other?"

"We're all in the same group, yes." Ciro explained.

"That's... a tad unusual." The Captain said. "Not that you all know each other, just... I mean you all have an audience with the king. Today. For separate incidents that happened yesterday." She rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, the odds of that are small enough as is."

"The irregularities of this particular confluence of events are not lost on us." Albert agreed. "The cultists and Hackers are our enemies, and we've confirmed them to be working together." The Captain and guards listening had their eyes go wide in shock. "Either we hunt for them or they hunt for us. Thinking about it like that, it was inevitable for trouble to have found us, and for us to be thrust into the spotlight of Exter's grand stage. However way it went, we're glad to have an audience with King Sdraw. He needs to be made aware of the dangers in his kingdom."

The Captain looked taken aback. "His Highness is acutely aware of the dangers of his kingdom - even more so than you, in fact." She added in a clipped tone. "I don't appreciate you all acting like you know more than us on the state of affairs. Spies from the Ten Eyes, Scouts," Marble coughed and looked at the sky, "Stigmata, Hackers, the bad business with Dover Plains. His Highness is aware of all this thanks to me and my guards' immaculate support."

"You forgot to include the cultists in your list of problems, ma'am, like the Lieutenant our boy Noman caught for you." Soul made my achievement known.

Lizabet gave me a long, hard look, appraising me. "Your friend is right. For apprehending Leadstripe, you have my thanks." She bowed respectfully to me, though she spared Carys a withering glare out the side of one eye. "I'm pleased not everyone in your group are full of themselves."

Carys wasn't listening. She had just turned over the lime Pocket Box full of emerald blocks to Marble. The Scout hugged them happily while Carys was left staring avidly at the Wonder Wings now in her possession. At long last, she had them in her arms, and it looked like she couldn't believe it. With the rockets Marble threw into the deal, Carys could start flying right now, a fact she clued into rather quickly, her hands scrambling to equip them.

"You gotta wear them as you would a chestplate." Marble advised. "They can be repaired with Phantom Membranes."

"Hey, boss, I can get a turn too, right?" Asked Anibal.

"No. Mine."

"But-"

"Sssssssss."

"Told ya you should've tried them out first." Spaatz smirked at the moody Anibal.

"Since we're all assembled," Kal pointed out to the intimidated Captain Lizabet, "is it time for our audience with the king? We're eager to speak with him, but also to interrogate Leadstripe."

"Yes, yes. Of course." The Captain responded as calmly as she could with a Hacker looking at her. "The audience is arranged. It was supposed to be Carys first, then Nowhere_Man, but since you're together-"

The Captain sprawled low, as did Kal, when Carys suddenly zoomed off in a whistle of fireworks, leaving a white trail of sparks in her wake. She achieved liftoff in an instant, taking the Wonder Wings for a whirl and narrowly chipping into the interior of the building shaping the barracks' courtyard. Her flying was erratic, akin to the meandering course of a fly. Still, she used firework after firework, gaining enough altitude to properly test how to fly without fear of crashing into anything.

"She's been wanting these wings ever since SutsCo came out with them." Anibal tried to explain her leader's behavior to the Captain with a sheepish smile while I helped her up.

While everyone was preoccupied with watching Carys' flight, I noticed Marble slipping away with the lime Pocket Box in hand. I had no qualms. He had delivered on his word, and staying only risked getting uncovered as a Scout. There was no reason for him to stick around and be looked into.

Carys performed sharp turns and swooping maneuvers as she grew accustomed to the wings. Then, after a few moments, she glided back down, perhaps a tad hotter than she would have liked, and collided with the edge of the barracks building before spinning into a disastrous crash that ended with her colliding face-first into a stone brick wall and sliding to the ground like a wet sponge.

"Pfttthahahaha!" Soul and Captain Lizabet burst out laughing before the latter composed herself and coughed to try and cover it up. Soul just kept laughing unashamedly, joined by his parrot, even while the rest of the Paragons hurried to Carys' side to check she was okay. I was worried along with them; that was a nasty hit.

Carys rolled onto her back and sat up, cradling her face with her eyes screwed shut. I think a bone in her face may have cracked, and her nose was broken. It was nothing a Potion of Healing couldn't fix, and Albert promptly used one on her. She still had the wings on, which she carefully pulled off and stowed away in her backpack. After that, her Paragons attempted to help her to her feet, but she shrugged off the help and walked under her own strength, with perhaps a bit of a limp from when she collided with a building upon landing. In that time, Soul wisely got his laughter at Carys' expense under control.

I felt a bit bad. For months, Carys had wanted those wings to taste the wonder of flight. To feel the wind carry her aloft. Now, the wind had been taken out of her sails. After a painful, disastrous crash like that, she wouldn't want to fly again anytime-

"Give me three days and I'll master it." She promised as she realigned her busted nose with an audible crack without so much as a wince, which was more than I can say for everyone looking at her. I couldn't believe her level of persistence. It was hard not to be impressed with how quickly she was ready to get back on the horse after falling off. Even Captain Lizabet looked impressed.

Not even a disastrous crash could discourage her. Indeed, Carys looked eager to conquer the wings' challenge. Nothing ever seemed to slow her down.

Of course, that could be a problem when killing was on her mind, but she looked the happiest I had ever seen her.

With no more distractions, Captain Lizabet led us out of the barracks and towards the Brimstone Bastion.

---

[Cobb]

Baltic, Dwight, and I slowed to a halt when we saw that the netherbrick highway stopped stretching over a sea of lava and connected with a mass of land. However, the path devolved into a forest of red, vine-covered trees. It was almost as if the forest was dropped on the cult's netherbrick highway, which was likely what happened as a result of one of the recent Bounty Days.

"We got problems..." Dwight sighed as he crouched down to get a feel for the furry, red material covering the forest floor like grass. It was just like the stuff in the blue-green forest.

"I can't see through. The tree line is too dense... if you can even call these things trees." Baltic commented. "Could be mushrooms as far as I can tell."

"I do see something, though." I spoke up, pointing to a pile of spilled gear near one of the outer trees. There was a Head. Dwight and I scoped it out while Baltic stayed back, his head twisting and wincing at every little sound.

Dwight's expression was the picture of grim satisfaction when he prodded through the gear. "Black leather cap, suicide stew. Yup, this guy was a cultist." He spat on the Head to add insult to injury. "Go ahead and rot here, pal."

"There are more over here." I pointed out, spotting more piles of gear deeper in. All of them had a black leather cap among them. I rifled through the piles and took out food and, more luxuriously, drink. I chugged a whole bottle of water before wiping my mouth. "They didn't starve or else their food would be used up. Something killed these cultists."

"These guys were probably what was leftover from the Eastern HQ, or at least part of them." Baltic reasoned from afar. He refused to set foot in the red forest just yet.

"These guys had armor and weapons." Dwight remarked, trying on some of the stuff he found to make up for his lack of proper armor. "But the durability on these got worn down hard. What attacked them?"

"Maybe Endermen?"

"No, the trees got low leaves... or whatever is in these things- is it meat?" Dwight reached up and plucked a block off the tree. "[NETHER WART BLOCK]...? The trees are made of Nether Warts? Hey, Baltic, you're in heaven!"

"Keep your voice down, you fool!" Baltic hissed, cautiously taking a step into the red forest. "We're still not sure if whatever did this to these cultists is still around."

"At least we'll be on guard." I took out my diamond sword and trident. Dwight similarly withdrew his weapons.

"Nuh-uh. No way." Baltic halted us with a shake of his head. "Anything can be lurking in there. We should go around."

"The path was going straight." I pointed out. "Likely'll continue going straight."

"Not like we can tell with the highway overwritten."

"Every direction is a question," I spoke firmly, "but we don't go back, and we don't waste time. Trust me to get you through this." I held Baltic's gaze without flinching. "If you think for a second I can't handle whatever horror is lying in wait in this forest, I'll do what you say."

"That's... it's not that I don't think you can handle it. It's..." Baltic trailed off, closing his eyes and letting out a resigned sigh before he followed along with his splash potions at the ready. With that settled, we ventured deeper into the crimson forest.

Our nerves and muscles were taut bowstrings as we scanned every direction. We moved in single file so as to easily respond to sudden attacks. Baltic was at the heart with his potions, I was at the front, and Dwight brought up the rear, leaving a trail of torches scavenged from the cultists' loot piles to guide us back if necessary. Our totems were in ready-to-draw places at our belts.

I recalled the Mob from my Bounty Day vision: the altered Zombie Pigman. It had no signs of rot and looked significantly different from the Zombie Pigmen I encountered. Funnily enough, we had yet to encounter any Zombie Pigmen, which was odd considering how plentiful they were in the Nether.

I was thinking on it because it was possible the cultists died to that new Zombie Pigman. The Neo Pigman. Calling it zombified was a miscategorization considering it had no rotting skin.

"Did you guys see any Mobs in your visions?" I asked, both to get their take and to break the nervous silence. "I saw something like a Zombie Pigman without the Zombie."

"Not me, no."

"I saw something." Dwight contributed. "It was pretty alien, though. Like nothing I've ever seen. Red, long legs, scaled like a lizard, but with feathery protrusions on its sides, like whiskers." He recalled. "It was pretty big. Looked sturdy. Maybe that's the culprit that killed those cultists."

"Maybe..."

In the mushroom trees we passed, we noticed glowing blocks of light, growing like large fruit. If the leaves of these crimson 'trees' were Nether wart blocks, then the glowing blocks were oversized apples. Dwight broke one off, along with a piece of the trunk.

"[CRIMSON STEM] and [SHROOMLIGHT]." Dwight inspected the items before making a noise of discovery. "Hey, check it out. The trunks of these mushroom trees can be crafted into planks." To demonstrate, Dwight made the crimson stem into four [CRIMSON PLANKS]. "It's a tree/mushroom hybrid. The Nether never had that before. And these shroomlights are an okay light source."

I stepped over a blue-green mushroom with orange spots and a flat top. The fungus was the same shade as the blue-green forest we arrived in. There was another type of fungus that matched more closely with the crimson forest we were in; it was crimson with orange spots, and rounded on top. Baltic picked up a sample of each.

"[CRIMSON FUNGUS] and [WARPED FUNGUS]." He deposited the samples into his backpack. "I wonder if they're a new alchemical component, or if they can be used to make stews."

"We'll name the forest biomes after the fungi that resemble them." I decided. "Crimson Forest is the one we're in, and Warped Forest is the one we were in, with the Endermen - actually, warped is more fitting than I thought since it contained warping Endermen."

"And what's contained in this forest?" Baltic asked cautiously. "The red, scaled, two-legged creature Dwight described? Something more dangerous?"

Before we could answer, I heard a rumbling squeal from the side and whipped to face it. Something moved between the crimson mushroom trees. Something big, and pinkish brown.

"You see that?" I pointed, Dwight and Baltic instantly backing away and closing ranks. The moving thing disappeared behind some thick mushroom trees, but they caught enough of a glimpse.

"I saw. Thing looked big. Bigger than the scaled creature from my vision." Dwight kept his voice steady with considerable effort.

"Let's keep moving." Baltic advised. He gave us a Splash Potion of Swiftness to hurry us along and away. Dwight forewent his breadcrumb trail in our haste to escape the prowling creature.

After a few minutes of speedy jogging deeper into the crimson forest, we heard another deep, rumbling squeal from up ahead. This time, there were two big creatures, as well as a littler one between them.

They looked like warthogs, but they were the size of hippos, with pinkish brown leathery skin, sharp ivory tusks, and a line of spiky black hair, like a mohawk, from their heads to their backs. They walked on four legs, four hooves, and when they spotted us, they snorted gruffly out their snouts and charged us with angry, guttural squeals.

"What in the hells are those!?"

"Whatever they are, they sure don't look friendly. Run!" I pushed and steered Baltic and Dwight in the opposite direction before sprinting after them.

We sprinted in single file between the crimson mushroom trees and the uneven terrain. The residual Swiftness effect kept us way ahead of those warthogs, but we soon ran into another one, forcing us to divert to the left. I struggled to keep both Dwight and Baltic in my line of sight. Ahead, I saw two more warthogs emerge from the tree line, one of them bowling into Dwight, thrusting upward with its tusks and sending the Paragon sailing into a mushroom tree. It dealt significant damage.

Before the warthog could follow up on another attack, my trident, Shock, flew into its flank, damaging it and sending it crashing into the stem of a mushroom tree. My trident flew back into my hand thanks to Loyalty, and I used the time I saved not having to retrieve it to jam my Fire Aspect I, Sharpness III diamond sword into the next nearest warthog, sending it ablaze and running around. Unlike other Nether Mobs, these ones were vulnerable to fire.

Baltic helped Dwight up only to point out we were surrounded. These were definitely the Mobs that killed those cultists. I fended off a few of them at a time with Sweeping Edge III and Fire Aspect I, but they were coming from all sides. I flicked Backlash to try and knock one back, but the knockback was lessened with this particular Mob, like it had resistance, or was too heavy for it. I got gored by the same warthog and was flung up and back through the air, taking a noticeable hit to my Health Meter despite my armor. It was probably worse for Dwight and his scavenged bits of armor. My Thorns enchanted armor gave as good as it got, though.

With another warthog coming right for me, and reminding myself of my EXP enhanced physical strength, I felt inspired to try something different. I raised my arms, palms out, and caught the warthog by its tusks. I skidded back a few feet from the momentum of its charge, but when its strength waned, I was able to leverage my EXP strength and wrench the beast into the air. It squealed in alarm, not used to being off the ground. I sucked in a breath and pumped more energy into my muscles, upending the warthog clean over my head. Then I pivoted on one heel and slammed it harshly into the ground. It laid there, belly-up and stunned, giving me the opportunity to stick it in its flank.

"Climb!" Baltic cried as warthogs closed in on all sides, some of them burning from my sword.

Instead of climbing, I took out my cobblestone and started nerdpoling up. I made sure Dwight and Baltic were safe, the two Paragons climbing the crimson vines of the mushroom trees and narrowly escaping the warthogs. Not one of the Mobs had died. Not even the burned ones. Their Health must've been greater than the usual Mob.

Dwight and Baltic hoisted themselves onto the Nether Wart Block leaves of the mushroom tree and cut away the trailing vines to prevent the warthogs from following them. Meanwhile, I parkoured from my cobblestone tower onto their mushroom tree and surveyed the situation. There were sixteen of those hogs - and their babies - squealing for blood as they circled our mushroom tree.

"This is an entry for my Mob book." I noted grimly. They were obviously a product of the latest Bounty Days. Warthogs was as good a name as any, at least until I uncovered more about them.

"They're certainly angry." Baltic calmed down once it was clear we were safe in our mushroom tree. "More porcine monsters in the Nether. What's the connection between pigs and the Nether?"

"How do we get rid of these things?" Dwight asked, still steadying his pounding heart.

"In my experience," I advised, "the best way to appease an ornery, wild animal is to forge an uneasy alliance with it against a cult of psychotic killers."

"Is now really the time for jokes?"

"Who's joking?"

I started taking pot shots at them with Shock, both to eliminate them and test their Health Meters. I picked a few that'd been undamaged as far as I could tell. My trident kept puncturing them and returning to my hand, over and over until I felt confident that the Warthogs had a Health Meter of twenty Hearts. Zombies only had ten, so they could take twice as much of a beating. I didn't know the exact damage they could do, but I wasn't about to blow a totem testing it. They were resistant to Knockback. Also, when they died, they dropped raw porkchops, leather, and, as always, EXP orbs. We wouldn't starve as long as there were Warthogs around. No need for a furnace to cook them, either; just a swing of my flaming sword and they'd be cooked to a delicious crisp.

Glad Carys can't hear my thoughts. Would bring up bad memories. I thought to myself, thinning the Warthogs. Rather than monsters, they were more like animals. Vicious animals, but animals all the same. There might even be a way to tame or breed them, not that I knew it.

"...As soon as you've cleared those hogs, we need to reassess our current location." Baltic advised, lying back and resting while I took care of business. We all helped ourselves to a bit of food, knowing we needed to keep our strength up, and that the felled Warthogs could replenish our stock.

If this was the worst the new Nether had to offer, we'd survive just fine.

---

[Noman]

With the Captain and a contingent of guards as our escorts, we were led past the heavily guarded gates of the Brimstone Bastion, past the walls and towers, past an outer garden, and into the impressive stone brick stronghold. I assumed Floyd followed while cloaked in invisibility. Better he kept to the shadows lest we scare the Exterians.

The Captain was in her full apparel, and she truly did dress sharply. Her white collared dress shirt and blue tie were now covered by a black notch lapel blazer with gold trim on the lapel. It was very similar to my style, a fact that the Captain keyed in on. That, plus my polite demeanor, apprehending of Leadstripe, and general respect towards her authority, were the reasons she took such an immediate liking to me... and an immediate disliking to Carys.

The bastion, being mainly made of stone bricks, had flowing lava behind stained glass panes set into the rock, serving as a light source that cast the interior in a warm, orange glow. The lights were high up to ensure that the wooden and carpeted floors wouldn't catch. From the bastion's front gate, we entered the vestibule, then we were escorted into a throne room, where a large, ornate chair was already occupied.

King Sdrawkcab, ruler of Exter.

The king had light-brown hair spiked at the front and eyes that remained closed. He wore an apologetic smile as he regarded us. Tied around his neck was a thin orange ribbon. He was finely dressed with a deep blue suit, a white collar shirt, and a blue tie; a fellow sharp dresser. His dress pants matched his suit in color and his black shoes completed his wardrobe. He had an orange belt and backpack.

Beside the throne, standing at the king's right hand, was the burly Captain XoX. He stood stalwart with the head of his warhammer resting on the floor. His hazel eyes watched us impassively, though they seemed to glint after resting on Carys and her diamond scythe. Carys noticed, for she observed XoX as avidly as he watched her.

"Your Exalted Highness." Captain Lizabet bowed, as did the guards escorting us. "I present to you the Paragons involved in the Hacker and Leadstripe incidents. Please excuse the size of their party - we weren't aware that they were separate parts of a whole. Rather than split them up into two separate audiences, I felt it would alleviate your schedule to combine them into one."

"Very good, Captain. Very good." King Sdraw smiled apologetically.

Seeing that everyone else was bowing, I felt it would be rude not to do the same. I mirrored their posture, bowing in respect to this regal monarch, as did Ciro, Spaatz, Anibal, Kal, Soul, Reuben, and Albert.

Carys alone didn't bow.

"I'll stand if it's all the same to you. Bad knees." She said flippantly.

Captain Lizabet, still prostrate before the king, jerked her head to glare at Carys. "Such disrespect-!"

"I'll allow it." King Sdraw waved one hand dismissively, still wearing an apologetic smile. "I've had quite enough pomp and ceremony for a lifetime. The bowing, the deference, the compliance and submission. A little defiance doesn't rub me the wrong way; friction helps keep the mind sharp. Why do you think I keep XoX around?"

XoX swiveled. "What that mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." King Sdraw chuckled before waving another hand to us. "I bid thee stand. Yes, go on and stand. The showings of respect without are inconsequential compared with the showings within." We slowly rose to our feet with his permission. "As I understand, you've caused quite the commotion in my kingdom."

"It wasn't us, Your Highness, but the cultists and Hackers." Anibal argued. "They're the ones causing disturbances in your kingdom."

"Ah yes, the cultists." King Sdraw sat up straighter, adopting a regal look. "Tell me, which of you was responsible for apprehending Leadstripe?"

"Right over here." Soul pointed, making me a little embarrassed.

"Ah. A brave man of the people." King Sdraw greeted. "And who is this worthy hero? I see the name hanging above your head, but what would you have me call you, brave hero?"

"Uh... Noman, Your Highness." I mumbled slightly.

"Norman. I shall commit the name to memory." He misheard. "Come up, Brave Norman. I have kingly honors to bestow upon you for the courageous service you have performed for Exter."

"It's... uh... Noman." I said a little louder, being sure to enunciate as I approached the throne. "Noman, not Norman."

The king pursed his lips. "Oh, apologies. Noman, is it? Hm. Unusual name. But then, heroes come in unusual forms. Norman will be stricken, and Noman will be committed to memory. Forgive me." He apologized before standing up and meeting me halfway to the throne. He had a sizable number of emerald blocks in his hands, with maybe a few emeralds mixed in. "First, please accept this. It is the four-hundred-and-eighty emeralds for Leadstripe's capture. Use it as you see fit."

"Thanks, but I didn't really capture him for the money." I tried to dissuade him. I could practically hear Anibal and Soul's stifled cries of outrage behind me as I turned down the money. "Besides, Exter's economy is taking a hard hit. I wouldn't feel right taking from your kingdom."

"As selfless as that is," Captain Lizabet came over to comment, having overheard, "I really must insist you take the bounty. We have our pride as a kingdom to uphold. We approved the payout and circulated the posters. It would be a stain on our honor not to deliver on a job well done. Plus, what sort of example would we set for any Crafter turning in dangerous criminals?"

"But-"

"The Captain speaks true. Take the emeralds. We'd be troubled if you didn't, especially given recent circumstances - well, we'll get to them later." The king pressed them firmly into my hands. "If it still does not sit well with you, spend the emeralds on a shopping spree in the marketplace. Give a few shopkeeps a good business day and breathe some much needed life into their lives, and our economy."

They weren't taking 'no thanks' for an answer, but their idea to spread the wealth around wasn't a bad one, so I conceded and accepted the emeralds. I appreciated the sincerity of the gesture if nothing else.

"Next comes the Knighting."

"The Knighting?"

"Oh, yes. The Knighting. Kingly honors were promised, were they not?"

"It's a great honor." Captain Lizabet assured earnestly, sensing my uncertainty. "Knights are persons acknowledged for gallant or brave acts of selflessness within the kingdom."

Carys yawned pointedly, earning a glare from the Captain.

"It is a big honor. There've only been two-hundred-and-twenty-three knights and dames in all of Exter's history, and they're immortalized as paragons of virtue and goodness. Role models for fellow Exterians to follow."

Role models to follow...? I thought with a hint of interest, preening slightly.

"I'm Paragon enough as it is, lady." Carys responded.

"Well then it's a good thing it's for Noman and not you." Lizabet spoke moodily. "He turned Leadstripe over to us. He shows proper respect. He's a real, upstanding sort."

"Yes, it's a real curse." Carys smiled knowingly. I could tell she was thinking about all the trouble my 'heroics' caused her. "Also, upstanding? He snuck into the capital same as me."

"Probably because he had you leading him astray."

"I wish I could lead him astray."

"Yes, I was told a handful of you entered the capital illegally." King Sdraw spoke pointedly to focus our attention on him. "Captain XoX has already pardoned Noman for this misdemeanor, and I'm willing to look the other way where you Paragons are concerned... provisionally. It'll depend on a certain condition."

Kal narrowed his eyes. "What condition?"

"All in due time. First, the Knighting ceremony." King Sdraw pulled out a Blaze rod from his belt like a scepter and gesticulated grandly.

"To all here present, know ye that Nowhere_Man - known also as Noman - having been recognized for honorable service in apprehending an Endward Cult Lieutenant, is hereby admitted as a Distinguished Knight in the Order of Saint Zipshin Black Medallion."

Carys' head slowly started to tilt to stare at the ceiling as her boredom mounted.

"Nowhere_Man, please kneel and receive your knighthood." King Sdraw asked of me. I quickly got on one knee and faced the king, who then proceeded to touch both of my shoulders with the tip of his Blaze rod. He recited the following:

"Nowhere_Man, I do hereby knight thee into the Honorable Order of Saint Zipshin Black Medallion. Arise, Sir Noman, and be recognized."

There was a smattering of polite applause from the Captains, the guards, and, awkwardly, maybe half of the Paragons and my friends as I rose to my feet.

"This concludes the ceremony."

"Good," Carys was relieved, "because we-"

"As a knight," King Sdraw cut Carys off, making the woman bite her lip while I listened with rapt attention, "you're expected to behave in an honest and courteous way, to protect those who cannot defend themselves, and to fight for the good of all. This behavior is referred to as the code of chivalry. Do you think you can uphold this code?"

"Yes, Your Highness." I nodded resolutely. "Anyone who knows me would know I stick to that code every day."

I thought back to my inadvertent killing of Winslow_Downes which started this whole mess between the Hack Clan and Exter. That certainly wasn't for the good of all, let alone the good of Akasha and Exter.

"...For the most part."

"I'm pleased to hear that, Sir Noman." The king stressed my new title. I quite liked it. Sir Noman, chivalric champion of the people. I basked in the heroic mental image of myself while the king continued. "Becoming a knight affords you special privileges - you can act as law enforcement on my behalf with status on par with a Captain, you're granted an armored steed or land, access to the tomes of combat techniques in the royal library-"

"Alright, can we move this along?" Carys drawled impatiently. "Some of us are fighting a war, and there's a Lieutenant in your custody whom we have to interrogate urgently."

Captain Lizabet looked at Carys disdainfully. "I understand you're in a hurry, but this is a big achievement. You should feel proud of your friend."

"My what now?"

"She's probably just jealous that she doesn't get a knighthood." Soul made a crack at Carys, defying his self-survival instincts and earning an accidental smack to the face as Carys turned with her arms held out wide.

"Can't you award her one too for fighting a Hacker?" I requested.

"I'm not jealous." Carys spoke flatly. "I neither want nor need a knighthood."

"Technically," Lizabet frowned at her, "it would be a damehood for a woman."

"If anyone called me 'dame' I'd kill them where they stood. Just take us to Leadstripe already. We have more important things to do than watch this king stroke Noman's chivalric ego."

The Captain glared furiously at Carys and clicked her tongue. "You know what? You win! We'll take you to Leadstripe so you can't make a mockery of our sacred, centuries-old ceremonies! I'll take you to see him myself so you can see how good a job we do - just as good, if not better than you Paragons - in dealing with these cultish menaces!" She turned to her king then and kneeled reverently. "Forgive my outburst, Your Highness. If you'll so permit, I will take Carys_Angel to Leadstripe's holding cell so that our presence doesn't disturb you."

"That... would be a problem, and what I've been dreading to address." King Sdraw admitted awkwardly, prompting Captain Lizabet to look on in confusion. "I'm afraid I can't permit you to see Lieutenant Leadstripe... because Lieutenant Leadstripe escaped our custody sometime during the night."

The Paragons were already groaning at the word 'escaped', their heads tilting to the ceiling with an aura of exasperation. Ciro's mismatched eyes shut and his face screwed up in frustration. Soul was stunned for a few moments before belting out an enraged 'YOU HAD ONE JOB! ONE!'

All the good feelings of being knighted quickly left me, draining out like an upended water jug, leaving me feeling hollow and unaccomplished. Just when I thought I took a step forward, I was forced to take a step back to square one.

Captain XoX's lips were drawn back in a snarl, not at us but at himself, knowing this would be a stain on his pride. But that was nothing compared to the look on Lizabet's face. She was petrified by the news, still in her kneeling position, her eyes wide and looking like the ground had just fallen out from under her. She dared not look Carys in the eye, knowing she had been justified all along in her claim that the Captain, her guards, and the kingdom of Exter were less competent than the Paragons when it came to dealing with the Endward Cult. All she could do was let her gaze slowly fall to the floor, a pitiable whine akin to a wounded puppy emanating from the back of her throat.

"Well, well, well. You lost him." Anibal drawled. She was trying to sound condescending to punish them for their mistake, but it was warring with her anger.

"Just like we said you would." Spaatz added.

"And also just like I said, I'll never let you live it down, you incompetent mouthbreather." Captain XoX twitched as he was subjected to Anibal's scorn. "You can consider your pride as a Captain revoked."

"Wasn't... XoX..." The Captain started only to tighten his fists and look away.

"Yeah, right. I bet if I handed over his dagger to you, you would've lost that too! You people are unbelievable!"

"ONE JOB!" Soul repeated. "ONE! KEEP AN EYE ON HIM! HOW HARD IS THAT!?"

"And then there's this one." Carys added, her voice laying a delicate stress as she addressed the still-kneeling Captain Lizabet, making her shrink. "Calling us paranoid, getting offended when we call her forces inadequate, preaching about real threats. Well, now I certainly believe what you said about the cult being a nonissue; they're such a nonissue, you let them walk right out of their cells."

"I... I didn't... I wasn't..." Captain Lizabet tried and failed to excuse herself before giving up lamely. She was ashamed.

"Captain Lizabet wasn't made aware until now. The news hasn't left this bastion." King Sdraw insisted. He was still smiling apologetically, even when the situation didn't deserve it. "The guard on duty at the time has also vanished. Presumed dead."

"Or maybe he helped him break out." Carys suggested.

"Are you suggesting there was a traitor in our midst?" King Sdraw asked sharply.

"How else could he have gotten loose without outside help?" Carys asked matter-of-factly. "Also, is your face stuck like that? Your apologetic smile comes across as patronizing the longer it's out."

This time, Captain Lizabet didn't bother reprimanding Carys over her lack of respect. She had lost that right when she lost custody of Leadstripe. Carys had free reign to lay into these people for their screw up.

"My Paragons have dedicated themselves to fighting these people for decades." Carys spoke lowly, her fury palpable. "Custody over Leadstripe should never have been deprived from us. We're the ones with experience fighting them. You don't think we know what's best? You don't think we have expertise? We certainly wouldn't lose a dangerous Lieutenant not a day later!" She boomed. "But go ahead and defend yourselves. I'm eager - I would love it - to hear you acquit yourselves of this colossal fuck up."

Captain Lizabet shrank in on herself more and more. Captain XoX grew redder and redder, yet was unable to formulate a telegraphic protest to Carys' words. The guards were ashamed and uncomfortable, looking more like scolded children than the guardians of Exter under Carys' rebukes.

King Sdraw alone looked impervious to her criticisms. He still wore that unfaltering, apologetic, closed-eyed smile as he looked upon her.

"I am man enough to admit, losing Leadstripe is a blow to our pride." He began before turning to me. "You handed him over to us in good faith, and we lost him. It will not impact your reward; you will keep the emeralds and knighthood as you are blameless."

"Oh, whoopie." Carys uttered sarcastically.

"However," King Sdraw continued, his voice booming impressively in the throne room, "I will not tolerate you accusing my Captains of incompetence. They did everything right, by the lawbook - a lawbook you and yours have seen fit to fly in the face of since you arrived here."

Carys adopted an incredulous look, scoffing. "Oh yeah? Really?"

"I'm sure you have your reasons." He allowed. "Perhaps you see the law more as an obstacle than an ally? Perhaps the law has prevented you from executing your particular brand of justice, as it did in Ringwood? Perhaps you think the only way to fight your war against the Endward Cult is to operate outside the law? Here, however, the law is sacred. The law enforces order. And without order, chaos and death will have free reign. Would that we could all be as cavalier as you and your Paragons whilst seeking justice, emboldened by the flames of vengeance, but then how many others would get scorched along the way?"

"Where exactly are you going with this?" Carys demanded sourly.

"Let me be frank, then: I want you gone." King Sdraw spoke lowly, his disapproval of Carys at odds with his apologetic smile. I never would've thought the warm, reassuring king capable of it. "Out of this capital and this kingdom. Not just you, but all of you." He gestured to the combined Paragons and Beginners. "Your presence puts us at risk with the Hackers and the cultists, and we already have enough on our plate. We can't be caught in the crossfire of your battles. I have far too many innocents at risk."

"Oh, wow, oh ho ho, wow, that is some kind of logic, there." Carys laughed. "You screw up and lose Leadstripe, and suddenly we're the bad guys getting kicked out? Why don't you walk me through that, eh?"

"Well, I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Kind Sdraw countered with his own smooth burn, irking Carys further. I didn't like how this 'audience' was heading, but apparently it was par for the course for Carys since her Paragons weren't doing anything to stop her. Maybe that was more Baltic's job come to think of it.

"As the monarch of Exter, and because I care about what fate befalls my people, this kingdom's problems are my problems. And right now, I am being pulled into six different directions," he held up six fingers, three on each hand, "and looking for alleviations wherever I can find them." He began to count his fingers off. "First, the Ten Eyes spy organization, sowing discord from the shadows. Second, Stigma '1', currently romping to the southwest and dangerously close to the breadbasket village of Voronezh, which we're relying on for food during this difficult time. Third, the Hackers, breathing down my neck for tribute, and who've appeared in the form of a Hacker who picked a fight with you in broad daylight, and another Creeper-masked one who terrorized SutsCo and the Hall of Records."

I closed my eyes awkwardly, and I'm sure the invisible Floyd listening in did too.

"Fourth, the Scouts, who've been summoning golden-clad giants at the capital borders and who've, quite frankly, been a fly in my ointment." King Sdraw spoke of them with particular venom, his perpetual smile turning a bit harsher. "Fifth, the bad business between us and Dover Plains, of which there is no favorable resolution in the near future." He lamented wearily. "And now, lastly, sixth, the cultists and their Western Division HQ, of which I've heard through Captain Lizabet that you think are based nearby."

They were closer than he thought. I was sure Carys would bring that up, or mention her suspicions of XoX, or mention the Tinker dead drops and the mysterious mastermind disguised as someone with authority in the Brimstone Bastion. It would be a good way to warn him about hidden dangers, and show we were on his side. Shockingly, however, Carys remained quiet. She wasn't telling the king about the hidden mastermind we were trying to sniff out. Maybe because XoX was present, or maybe because the king, as unlikely as it was, could be a suspect.

"You coming here to inform me of this is far from being a blessing. All it does is stretch my already taxed mind even thinner. Furthermore, as enemies of the Hackers, and harboring one to boot, you've made yourselves targets. Targets that the Hackers will tear the capital to pieces trying to get at. What's more, I can't be seen supporting you, as I've already made a deal with the Hackers."

"A deal that caused your mess with Dover Plains to begin with." Kal pointed out. "Feeding them, forcing lost Hackers to drop everything and be sent to the Obelisk." His disdain was unmistakable.

"What would you have me do? As a Hacker yourself, you must be familiar with just how dangerous your kind can be. I don't mean powers," he cut off Kal before he could argue, knowing what he was going to say, "I speak of mindset. They have no qualms exterminating Crafters like cockroaches. They're unclouded by conscience, empathy, or delusions of morality, and those kinds of people are a dangerous existence to let loose upon my subjects." King Sdraw took a steadying breath as he returned to his throne and sagged back into the seat. "I never knew how much Exter needed Akasha. It's like they say, you never miss the water till the well runs dry."

Again, I felt a pang of remorse, thinking how killing Winslow caused this whole thing. Because of me, Akasha was wiped out, and Exter was at the Hackers' mercy.

"So, yes. I want you to leave Exter. For your own safety as much as my subjects'. Just as I sent the Dover Plainers away." He added reasonably, his words making Carys grow quiet and contemplative. "You're a brave sort." He conceded to Carys. "I admire your grit, and I want to help you, but if the Hackers demand I turn you over, and I refuse, Entity 303 will just as soon wipe the capital off the face of Minecraftia, just as he did to Akasha. I cannot allow that."

"He won't use Nuker." Kal reassured. "Not while a fellow Hacker, a brother, would perish too."

"...It's touching you think he'd have an attachment to you, but if you're truly at odds, I don't think a single Hacker-"

"It's not just him." Carys revealed. "We have a second lost Hacker."

King Sdraw, Captain Lizabet, and the guards looked surprised while Carys called out to the empty space of the throne room.

"Come out, Floyd."

Any expectation of some dramatic reveal - of Floyd drinking milk to dispel his invisibility - was squashed rather lamely when a set of floating armor and a Creeper Head materialized.

"I, uh, don't have any milk." Floyd's voice called out clearly and awkwardly, making Carys and Kal facepalm. "Name's Flawwed_Floyd, with two 'W's. I'm also the Creeper-masked Hacker that was scaring people a few days ago. Sorry about that." To prove it, Floyd made a showing of firing a black MultiAura spike into the floor. The solidified power turned to vapor shortly after hitting. "I didn't hurt anyone. I just wanted to scare some people... to help my people cut to the front of the line."

"Anyone else something say?" XoX demanded of the empty space, half-expecting more people to appear.

"The Paragons have other hidden agents." Carys lied. "Other elites waiting in the shadows. As is, we're more than enough of a force to be reckoned with."

"Having two Hackers doubles your protection. 303 wouldn't dare kill a sibling. Not even the traitorous wayward ones like us." Kal promised.

"What's your point? The Hack Clan can still threaten the Exterians."

"Then maybe, you should look into ridding yourself of the Hackers once and for all." Carys suggested pointedly.

King Sdraw lifted his head, regarding Carys with interest. "What are you suggesting?"

She spread out her arms. "Back a different horse. You said yourself you have too much on your plate. Why not scrape some off for us to handle? Invest in the Paragons to settle business with the Hackers."

"You're qualified for that? Last I checked, your enemy was the Endward Cult."

"The Endward Cult is our prime target, yeah, but we've crossed paths with the Hackers enough times to call them our enemies too. We can sort them out while we're at it. They're working hand in hand after all, or didn't you know?" Carys smirked and closed her eyes confidently. "As for qualifications, of the ten of us gathered before you, seven of us are Hacker-Slayers, and Floyd has a Hack that nullifies other Hacks in the vicinity."

Although King Sdraw's eyes didn't widen like the Captains and guards at the reveal, he did look taken aback, then impressed. I didn't feel like it was much to be proud of - the Hacker Slayer bit. Floyd was very impressive.

"Impressive." The king echoed my thoughts. "So you're claiming you can handle the Hackers and the cultists, thus alleviating two of the six burdens pressuring the capital?"

"That's right. You give us free reign to do our job, and we'll settle your Hacker and cultist problems. Then, with the Hackers out of the picture, you can make up with Dover Plains and avoid an all-out war."

The king chuckled sadly. "I'm afraid an all-out war is unavoidable at this stage. Exter has a martyr, and the Exterians are not too keen to forgive and forget. Neither are the Dover Plainers."

"Still, you can focus more on that and less on the cultists and Hackers. All you have to give us is the freedom to do our job."

"I wish it were that simple, I truly do," King Sdraw noted sadly while wearing his apologetic smile. It sounded like he was on the verge of accepting, but some small part of him was still resisting. "But you can't arrange a favorable deal out of this. The Hackers need food. If not from us, they'll extort it from someone else, and I can't throw away all the good will I've built on a gamble, Carys_Angel. It's how I came to odds with Dover Plains in the first pla-"

The doors of the throne room burst open as a purple-capped guard rode in on a horse. There was a collective cry of outrage from the Captains and guards over how the new arrival interrupted an audience and brought a steed into the bastion, breaking the rules, but the new arrival didn't care, urgent as he was to deliver the news.

"Your Grace! Your Grace! Excuse my insolence for interrupting, but there's been a sudden development that requires your attention."

"Very well. Speak it."

"I've come from the northern border of the Lacquerlands. I've ridden three days and three nights to bring you this news. There's been word from Dover Plains' capital that the farmlands of the twenty-two families has been sabotaged!"

"Sabotaged?" The king questioned in alarm.

"Yes, Your Grace. The farms have been tainted by mycelium, and all their livestock have been slaughtered and their meat and resources taken!"

"Hmph! Serves right." Captain XoX cracked a smirk, earning a disapproving glare from Captain Lizabet.

"No, XoX, that's bad. They're gonna jump to conclusions and blame us."

"That's just it, Captains!" The new arrival tripped over himself to explain. "The reports claim the ones responsible were purple-capped guards! Our own people!"

"That-That's a LIE!" Captain Lizabet blurted out, rounding on the new arrival. "We'd never send a platoon of guards into Dover Plains when things are this tense! There can't be Exterian guards ruining Dover Plains' farmland! Who - where are these reports - these lies - coming from?"

"There were witnesses. Over fifty farmers confirmed the culprits were wearing purple-dyed leather caps."

I felt a pit of dread in my stomach as I listened to what appeared to be another step in the road to war between Exter and Dover Plains. The Exterians and the Dover Plainers only continued to lash out at one another, fanning the flames of war. Such an impending conflict would go against everything I stood for as a practitioner of Aikido.

I could sense the anxiety rolling off Captain Lizabet and King Sdraw, but when I looked to the Paragons and my friends, the general mood seemed worryingly to be indifference.

The party was indifferent to this news.

Sure, there was a hint of worry from Ciro, maybe a flash of uncertainty from Soul and Albert, but, largely, most of our party seemed unconcerned hearing of an impending war. And why would they? They didn't follow Aikido. I expected the Paragons not to care which innocents lived or died, but my own friends? How could they be so unaffected? This was practically our fault!

King Sdraw didn't say a word. He was still processing the news, probably. Any thought that he was unaffected went out the window when I saw his perpetual apologetic smile fall slightly, or the way he tightened his grip on the armrests of his throne. He sank deeper into the seat, exhausted, while Captain Lizabet tried to rationalize things in vain.

"This... a-anyone can wear dyed caps! This doesn't prove anything! It's not real!"

"It doesn't matter what's real." Sdraw muttered quietly as his gaze fell to his lap. Everyone heard him in the quiet of the throne room. "All that matters is what the Dover Plainers believe, and it sounds like they believe we retaliated for the high food tariffs. Have the twenty-two families issued an official embargo on trade with us?" King Sdraw guessed wearily.

"They have, Your Grace, and they refuse to lift it unless we pay reparations for their lost farms and livestock. The Dover Plainers are soon to starve now, just like us. They're... they're so angry with us, for something we didn't do." The new arrival sounded terrified as he relived his experience. "I had to flee that border village as Exterians were rounded up and b-beaten to death. It's like a rage unlike anything I've seen has possessed them!" He shook like a leaf as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Mark my words, Your Grace. A war is coming."

"Regrettably, I believe you." The king sagged, one hand shielding his forehead and eyes as he took the news in. I couldn't imagine the burden on his shoulders - on any ruler's shoulders - hearing that your kingdom was soon to be embroiled in a costly war that would leave thousands dead.

I had no idea what to say to him.

Carys didn't have that problem, nor any tact.

"This could be the cult framing you." She spoke offhandedly. King Sdraw stilled, even while his hand still shielded his face. He was listening, though. "It makes sense. What better way to kill a bunch of people than to instigate a war? How easy would it be for them to swap their black caps for purple and wreck Dover Plains' farms? Hell, maybe they even wore yellow caps when they made Nikolai_Murmansk a martyr."

"But it sounds to me," Carys stamped her scythe handle into the ground as she bent forward to stare at the king, "that you'll have your work cut out for you, mending fences, arranging peace offerings, and scheduling kingdom-saving negotiations. And any one of these could run into complications if the Hackers or cultists keep throwing wrenches into your good-faith diplomacy."

Carys smirked victoriously. "Face it, Your Highness. You. Need. Us."

The hand that'd been shielding him fell away, revealing the king's ever-closed eyes. His smile wasn't any different, but he faced Carys with a firm resolve.

"You win, Carys_Angel." He spread his arms out beseechingly. "Will you and your Paragons help us?"

A note of wry amusement sounded at the back of Carys' throat. "I'm considering it."

---

The king gave us two, opulent rooms to stay in, but Carys insisted we'd only need the one for the duration of our investigation, with all ten of us sharing. Officially, we were remaining on site to look into Leadstripe's escape for clues on tracking him down. In reality, we were going to investigate the oldest bigwigs of the bastion, up to and including the king himself, to narrow down the mastermind of the Western Division.

We'd already been taken to the prison cell Leadstripe escaped from, deep in the bowels of the bastion. No one had tampered with the crime scene. Unfortunately, there was little evidence to go on. Not even a hole in the iron bars. The only thing of note was that all the furnishings in the cell - the bed, the toilet, the chair and table - were gone. It looked like Leadstripe stole everything not nailed down, leaving the cell barren.

"Do you think he crafted a pickaxe somehow with all of the furnishings?" A curious guard had asked, only to have been ignored by Carys. Captain Lizabet had been present too, but she had been quiet and reserved while we investigated.

After a little while of fruitless searching, we regrouped in our designated room on the second floor of the bastion.

"I don't get it. Why don't we just tell-" Soul began only to have Carys' fist clench his trap shut, the scythe-wielder dragging Soul over and slamming her palm against the wall beside his head while glaring into his terrified eyes.

"Don't. Say. A thing." She threatened, slowly backing up as she released him. She spared a glance to the room we'd been given. "The walls could have ears." She jerked her head towards her Paragons, who then proceeded to spread out and examine the room, knocking on walls, looking out balconies, scanning the outside hallway for eavesdroppers. Anibal and Spaatz even went outside into the hall, acting like guards on watch. Only once they were satisfied no one was listening, and gave Carys a nod of assurance, did she feel comfortable to speak freely.

"You gotta watch what you say around here. Especially when you've got that stupid bird parroting us."

"Raaawk! Screw you, bitch!" Christopher Squawken mimicked in Soul's voice.

"I really don't know where Squawken's getting this stuff-" Soul tried only for Carys to steamroll past him.

"Anyway! If you're not sure who's listening, don't say anything at all. To answer your question, we're not spilling the beans about there being a traitor within these walls because we have no way of knowing where word of mouth goes around here. Anyone could be a suspect, so audibly putting that information out there for anyone to pick up would be incautious. We'd be needlessly tipping our hand. XoX, a suspect, was there, and that patronizing king could very well be the Executive. We don't know. We don't know who's listening, so it's enough for him to know the Western Division is close. We'll get to investigate the personnel at this bastion anyway, and with the king's own permission. Nothing unusual, and we can make the cultists sweat for a bit knowing Paragons are sharing the same roof." She rested her hands on her hips. "We can make the cultist culprit sweat, but we can't let him or her know we're onto them. This stays between us while we're in the bastion, do you understand?" She asked of Ciro, Floyd, Soul, and me. We nodded along.

"Hey, how come Anibal and Spaatz don't have to be here for this lecture?" Soul asked.

"Because I trust them not to blabber." Carys smiled condescendingly... in a pretty good Sdraw impression.

"You really think we can take on the cultists and the Hackers?" Kal asked. "We made the king a lot of promises."

"I don't see why not when we've got an anti-Hack weapon in our corner." Carys spoke easily, making Floyd straighten up. "But all we really need do is sniff out the mastermind hiding in these walls." She pulled out a stack of written books and started handing them out to us. They were the Citizenship Informations again. "Everyone take a suspect for questioning. Officially, this is part of our investigation finding Leadstripe. Unofficially, we'll be asking specific questions that'll unearth the cultist mastermind."

"What sort of questions?"

"Fairly straightforward. First, have they noticed anyone being absent for extended periods of time. A cultist can hardly issue orders stuck in a bastion round the clock. Any unexplained absences will be an instant red flag. Second, how long have they been working in the bastion - three-hundred-and-ten years is the minimum to be classified as a suspect... barring XoX. Third, ask about their background. It's more personal, and they could easily lie, but it'll give you an idea of their character. Ask yourself, do they seem the type to join a killer cult? Of course, you should mix in standard fare questions, like what was their alibi at the time of Leadstripe's escape, or if they saw anything strange leading up to or after the event."

"Alrighty. Sounds easy enough. Detective Soul is on the case." Soul declared dramatically, earning a flat glare from Carys.

"...Honestly, I'm trusting my Paragons to do the heavy lifting on these investigations." Carys sighed before reluctantly giving Soul a citizenship information. "Noman, you question Captain Lizabet since she seems to like you."

"She does?"

"You haven't noticed? You're her knight in shining Severe Shield armor." Carys teased before tossing the book at my chest. "Put your useless, freshly minted knighthood to good use."

Before I could defend the honor of being one of Exter's knights, there was a sharp knock on the door.

"Carys, you have a visitor." Anibal's voice spoke sharply. The warning was clear, and we quickly stashed the illegally acquired Citizenship Informations and made ourselves presentable.

"Let them in." Carys signaled that it was okay, prompting Anibal and Spaatz to open the door and let the visitor through. It was Captain Lizabet.

"Ah, speak of the devil. We were just talking about you."

The Captain sent a curious glance, but no one elaborated. Carys folded her arms and leaned against the wall as she looked at the Captain.

"What do you want? We're busy."

"Right... sorry..." The Captain apologized timidly. She was unable to look Carys in the eye, and her fingers fiddled with the handle of her Iron Longsword. It was a total contrast to her authoritative demeanor earlier. "I was... uh... His Highness sent me... just wanted to see how you're all settling in... I guess."

A few of us shared glances at the Captain's hesitance, unsure of what to say. Carys didn't have that problem.

"Well, we're fine, as you can see, so why don't you clear out and make Exter a safer place."

Captain Lizabet flinched at the mean, needling comment without making a retort. Before, the Captain possessed a backbone that could withstand Carys' intensity. Now, though, Carys' overwhelming confidence just steamrolled over the poor Captain.

"...I'd like to apologize for my prior comments." The Captain bowed her head apologetically. "I... I guess I felt irritated when you claimed my guards and I were less competent, so I said some rude things. I didn't think we could do wrong. And then... with Leadstripe gone... you ended up being right, so now I look the fool." She chuckled humorlessly. I felt a little sad seeing the proud Captain look like this.

"Yup, you sure looked like a fool." Carys, heartless, blatantly repeated the uncomfortable truth at the Captain's expense. Did she enjoy humiliating her like this? There had to be a limit. "You going somewhere with this?"

"Well..." The Captain hesitated. "I... I want to fix things. I want to make amends. Restore some fraction of Exter's pride in your eyes. So, I guess I didn't just come to check how you're settling in." She met Carys' gaze imploringly. "Do you... need an extra hand for your investigation? Is anything wrong? I'd... sure like to help. I'll offer whatever help you may need."

It was a touching offer - maybe even an olive branch to start her and Carys on the right foot. However, Carys dismissed the offer with a halting wave of her hand.

"We've got it handled." Captain Lizabet looked crestfallen. "The Cultists and Hackers are our jurisdiction now. You want to be useful? Deal with any of those other four problems your king was complaining about."

"...Yeah... yeah, good idea. I'll... I'll just go do that." The Captain sounded so downhearted that I felt compelled to act.

"Uh, wait!" I called out, stopping her at the threshold to the room. "Actually, I've, uh, got some questions about the breakout that I was hoping you could answer. It would be a huge help for the investigation," I stressed, watching as the Captain perked up, "if you could answer some of them."

"Of course! As Captain, I'll gladly offer you whatever help you need." Her coarse voice was full of eagerness before it shifted into authoritative sternness. "Leadstripe needs to be brought to justice."

"On that, we're agreed." I nodded happily before sparing Carys a look. She and I had differing views on what constituted 'justice'. If it were up to her, she would've extracted everything out of Leadstripe as inhumanely as possible before killing him off. She wouldn't have a problem with me questioning the Captain, though. She gave me the job. "We can talk while we walk. Would you be willing to show me around the bastion? I wouldn't want to disturb Carys' investigation, and I wanted to check out that royal library King Sdraw mentioned."

"It would be my pleasure, Sir Noman." The Captain used my freshly minted title before gesturing out the room with a flourish. I preened proudly before excusing myself and leaving at her side.

Behind me, I heard Anibal and Carys fake gag.

---

[Carys]

"So you threw Leadstripe in his cell, then left?"

"Hm."

"You think I can get a more verbal reply? A 'yes, ma'am', or a 'no, ma'am', perhaps?"

XoX narrowed his eyes and growled out the back of his throat like an unruly animal. I'd tamed wilder beasts, though. The killer rabbit for one.

"Yes." XoX gritted out curtly.

How a wild, brainless guy like him could've maintained his cover as a cultist for so long was a mystery, but my gut was telling me I was right. And, since he was so bad at masking his emotions, I felt confident enough to make him slip up. I was also interviewing him alone, sure I could handle him if he got violent. My scythe rested comfortably at my belt where I could readily draw it.

"Notice anything unusual about the cell, or the guards tasked with guarding it?"

"No."

"Nobody snuck the Lieutenant anything, you think?"

"No. XoX not on watch."

"Your response time was pretty fast, though. Anibal tells me you practically snatched the Lieutenant out of my people's hands. Only to then lose him. Yeesh. How embarrassing, huh?" I drawled, leaning my chin on one fist. "I wouldn't be able to hold my head high after a biblically proportionate fuck up like that. How do you get by?"

XoX grumbled under his breath without answering.

"I also recall you attacking one of my people in Galitsino. Unprovoked, I might add. You mind explaining that?" I asked pointedly.

"...Misunderstanding." XoX uttered.

"...A misunderstanding?"

"Thought he someone else."

"Oh yeah? Who did you think he was?"

"Old foe. Strong foe. Suited." XoX spoke lowly. "XoX mistook him. We square now. XoX and Notman."

"Notman indeed, but he's still one of my guys." I stated. "You roughed him up pretty good, and I take that very seriously. Same way I would an attack on me." I threatened, my crimson eyes narrowing at the Captain. "You like starting fights, XoX?"

"Sometimes." He shrugged.

"A lot of times given how often you frequent the Exter Combat Arena."

"Want fight XoX?" He perked up, his hazel eyes alight. "Challenge strong Angel?"

"Maybe another time." He deflated like a punctured balloon. "I'm just wondering if you're a battle maniac. Do you enjoy dealing bruises and battered bones? Do you revel in triumphing over the weak? Do you lose yourself in the fiery throes of combat?"

XoX breathed through his nostrils and let out a shudder of bliss. "XoX loves challenge. Chance to test might. Show everyone who strongest. Ogre of the West."

"And do you wanna be stronger than everybody?" I asked intently. "The last one standing in a pile of weaklings? Is that who you are?"

In other words, a cultist, or the motive to be one.

The Captain looked perplexed. "XoX hate weaklings. Only care for strong. Fighters like Angel. Those with much pride." He stood up from his seat, propping his warhammer on the table and staring down at me hungrily. It made me ready myself slightly. "Were talking of Leadpipe? Get off track."

"That we have." I stood up, drawing my scythe as I did so, but not to attack, as XoX hoped. "I think I'm done with my questions for today. I may have more to ask you tomorrow. This investigation needs to be thorough, after all."

"Then we fight?"

"I suppose a spar couldn't hurt." I allowed. "Not unless it results in rearranged or broken bones."

He grinned wolfishly. "Uohhohho! You speaking XoX's language!"

If only you could speak some language. I thought, contemplating what the best way to get dirt on the guy as a cultist. Naturally, I was ready and willing to kill him, even on a hunch, but not if it meant pissing off the king and making us wanted fugitives. We still had a mastermind to track down while keeping an eye on XoX.

Now there's an idea. I thought. Maybe I should plant some tails on the great oaf and see where he leads us.

---

[Noman]

And so it was, walking and talking with my newest companion, I came to know the story of Captain Lizabet_Agafonov.

As soon as she first spawned at the Origin, in the year 379, she headed west, the setting sun acting as her guide. Problematic, given she had to cross the Redbone Desert and the harsh Lacquerlands, but she survived by sheer tenacity, taking root in an Exter village on the eastern end of the kingdom. She joined the guards in the year 381, hand-picked by King Sdraw for her exceptional combat prowess and penchant for justice. Her ten year stint as a guard was punctuated by multiple noteworthy accomplishments, earning her the Captain position, and a relocation to the capital. She was first awarded a Longsword when she made Captain, then a Battleaxe for, shockingly, destroying the '4' Stigma.

"That's incredible." I said, meaning it. "I've seen a Stigma disaster firsthand, and I couldn't imagine destroying one. Why didn't they grant you a damehood for that?"

"They did. I have the title Dame Lizabet." She revealed with a proud smile. "It's just that the title of Captain supersedes the title of Dame. Most everyone calls me Captain."

"Still, what you did is a lot more impressive than capturing a Lieutenant."

"Don't say that. You've earned your knighthood. Apprehending an Endward Cult Lieutenant is no mean feat."

"He gave himself up without a fight."

"He was still a killer, and you brought him in." The Captain comforted before her mood shifted. "I'm just sorry we lost him."

"Don't blame yourself. Someone else helped him escape, and we're here to get to the bottom of it. In no time, we'll have him back behind bars."

"...You think?"

"I know so."

A slow smile spread across the Captain's face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. You know, you're a lot kinder than your leader. I have to remind myself you're all the same guild."

"Well, actually, we're a separate guild allied with the Paragons against the Endward Cult. We're the Beginners. Perhaps you've heard of us?"

"Er... yyyeeeah. Yes, I believe I've heard of you."

I could tell she was being polite, having never heard of us, but I didn't call her out. We didn't need to be as famous as the Paragons or Scouts to get the job done.

"So, questions about the time of Leadstripe's escape." I tried to get the ball rolling as we entered the royal library. It was two floors of decorative bookshelves, including a mezzanine that reminded me of the ones at the Obelisk, and shelves of double chests, alphabetized by signs. A chandelier of intricately arranged stained glass panes and torches of ghostly blue fire hung from the ceiling. In three of the corners of the library, enchanting tables sat, drawing in white runes from the bookshelves to maximize the tier of enchantments they could provide. A couple of long tables and chairs were set up in the middle for reading, and there was an aged librarian stocking a double chest with written books when we arrived.

The Captain and I pulled out chairs across from each other and sat down, the Captain's posture and body language showing she was comfortable and open to answer. She truly wished to help, and would volunteer whatever information she could.

I tried to recall the questions Carys told us to ask. "...You weren't here when Leadstripe was brought in, right?"

"No, I was tending to your leader - sorry, your ally, Carys. She'd caused a fracas, and there were two Hackers involved, so some guards and I escorted her to the barracks, where I remained all day yesterday, into the night, and into this morning."

A clear, concise answer, and a story that Carys or some barracks guards could easily confirm. The Captain wasn't aware Leadstripe broke out until the king brought it up.

"So you wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary." I sighed.

"Unfortunately, no." The Captain lamented, as equally woebegone. "All I saw of the crime scene was after the incident, but I noticed all the furnishings inside the cell were removed while the cell bars remained in place." She noted. "I can't imagine why anyone would rip up the furnishings - none of it was worth stealing. It's more like..." She hesitated.

"Like...?"

"...Like Leadstripe was clearing the floor. Architects and home designers do the same when they want to remake a room's layout. Restyle it and such, with carpets and chairs and tables. Only, since nothing was found, we can only assume Leadstripe made space for something, then cleaned it up without putting the furnishings back."

"The only thing he replaced was the cell bars, which he'd obviously know where to place." I nodded along, leaning forward as we went over the clues together. "What could he have set down, though? And, for that matter, who supplied him with it?"

"XoX might know more, given that he threw the cultist into the cell." Captain Lizabet recommended. "Good luck getting a loquacious answer out of him, though."

"Oh, I'd rather avoid him if it's alright with you." I spoke anxiously. "We, uh..." I paused, thinking of some polite way to reword it before throwing tact out the window and telling her bluntly, "He attacked me unprovoked in Galitsino a few weeks ago."

The Captain shot up from her seat, looking appalled. "He what?"

I nodded miserably, recalling the traumatic experience where Captain XoX savaged me with his warhammer, splintering my arm into bone meal.

"Ugh, that blasted wild man. Can't tame his apish urges. It's his Jolin blood. That doesn't excuse what he did, though." The Captain got mad on my behalf. "Bad enough he vanishes for days on end to satisfy his chauvinistic tendencies."

I perked up. "He vanishes for days on end?"

"Yes. He keeps returning to the Exter Combat Arena to take on challenges. He's proud and combative, eager to prove his strength. Whenever he can't stretch his muscles, he tends to lash out at criminals and gutter punks. I assume that's why he attacked you out of nowhere." She bowed her head. "I apologize on his behalf."

"You shouldn't keep apologizing for things outside your control, Captain." I chastised lightly, making her pause. "I'm grateful for your sympathy, but don't ever feel like every problem belongs to you alone." I smiled wryly. "Other people are allowed to be held liable for their actions. You don't have to shoulder it all."

"That's... ahaha..." Her voice rumbled coarsely as she laughed. "That's a fine piece of wisdom to impart, Sir Noman. You speak from experience?"

My smile fell a bit as I thought of all the things I blamed myself for. All the times I gave in to my heroic urges to help those in need, even when it wasn't my responsibility to do so. I could never stand back if others were in peril. I always tried to shoulder everyone else's burdens, so I was being a hypocrite telling the Captain not to.

My smile returned to my face as I closed my eyes and answered with a lie. "Absolutely."

I asked the Captain a few more things about the people in the bastion as the day waned into night, aiming my questions at others who'd gone on extended, unexplained absences. The more I heard, the more XoX looked like the sole cultist in the bastion responsible for letting Leadstripe loose.

But then, who was the mastermind? Who was the Western Executive?

---

[Sdraw's Private Study]

That night.

"Now that the Beginners and Paragons are close, it's time to clear some pieces off the board." Sdraw announced to the Hackers and Lieutenants gathered before him. However, if someone were to come in, they would only perceive one unamused Hacker, one stoic, vermillion-haired Captain of Exter, one gray-skinned figure with a nose the size and shape of a pickle, and the moody guise of Mox_Faith, leader of the Ten Eyes spy guild. "There is little time to waste, so act swiftly and thoroughly."

"XoX, patrol the capital borders with a contingent of guards. Conceal yourself with Potions of Invisibility. If any Scouts try spawning another Giant Zombie, you know what to do."

"XoX does." The mountain of a Captain nodded. "And Angel? XoX crush her?"

"Absolutely not. Carys is already onto your scent. Like a pack of hunting dogs, she and the Paragons will pursue. Lay low and avoid them. I'll keep coming up with excuses for your absence."

"But Angel strong." XoX persisted. "Warrior like no other. XoX wants clash with scythe-"

Sdraw slammed his palm on his desk, his apologetic smile crinkling tightly.

"You will stick to the plan. I'll not tolerate another cross word on the matter." The Executive's tone was low and dangerous, enough to have Nikita, a Hacker, bowing her head lowly. "If strength was all it took to kill Carys, we would have pinned her Head to a wall long ago. What we need requires a degree of surgical finesse. And you, Lieutenant XoX, are not the man to prosecute this conflict. Do you understand?"

XoX snorted irritably. He didn't appear cowed by the Executive's threat - thinking he could take the puny king in a fight. He was bigger and stronger than him, after all.

He didn't pause to consider that a drop of knowledge was greater than a sea of force.

He did, however, agree to the Executive's terms just before exiting the study. The Giant Zombies the Scouts were spawning had something XoX wanted.

"Leadstripe, Nikita, Andrey. The three of you will coordinate with our newly improved forces to gouge out the Ten Eyes. Andrey's learned where they're hiding thanks to his Freecam Hack. Since I haven't delivered them the Heads they wanted, they will soon deliver on their threats to me. By this time tomorrow, I want them completely eliminated. To this end, I ask you act professionally with one another. You don't have to be bosom buddies, but I expect you to shelve your resentments until the task is complete."

"They'll be no problems from me, mast - pah, puh, pyeh!" Leadstripe broke off when his long, droopy, pickle-shaped nose slipped into his mouth again. He was still getting used to being an Illusioner Hybrid. He lifted his nose with two fingers away from his mouth so that he could speak without worry. "I'll see your will done, master."

Nikita and 'Mox' had revulsion etched across their faces as they regarded the gray-skinned Hybrid and his freakish nose. They hated Crafters at the best of times, but this thing wasn't normal.

"There's one thing I feel I should point out, though, since the success of this mission hinges on it." Leadstripe humbly requested before turning to the Hackers. "If I may be so bold to our esteemed allies...?"

"Just spit it out." Nikita allowed. "And I don't mean your nose."

"Tha-" Leadstripe broke off to recover before recomposing himself and soldiering on. "...Thank you. It's in regards to Andrey."

"What? I'm not doing my part correctly? You think there's a flaw in my guise?" 'Mox' snapped. "I can grudgingly accept following a worm's orders and spying on spies, but now I have to Spoof myself to look like one? It's demeaning! It's disgusting!" 'Mox' gestured to 'herself' with open revulsion. "I'll need a dozen showers to forget this indignity. June should've done this." 'She' added conspiratorially.

"It's not the guise that's the problem. It's the attitude." Leadstripe insisted. "Mox acts like a smug know-it-all, wearing a knowing smile all the time. She's a spymaster with the dirt on everyone. You won't fool the Ten Eyes unless you submerge yourself into the role."

"And why would I want to submerge myself into base filth? You ask too much of me."

"Am I? Forgive me for saying so, but, barring the disgust, Mox's arrogance isn't too far off from how you Hackers act."

Dark smoke seeped off of 'Mox' as 'she' hurled a furious fist into Leadstripe's pickle-sized nose... and phased right through him, falling onto the floor of the study.

"Like I'd speak my mind to you without taking countermeasures." The illusion of Leadstripe chided. The illusion of him stood straight with his arms folded behind his back, but the real Hybrid was hidden from sight. Invisible to the naked eye. His skills with his new form only improved the longer he got used to them.

'Mox' whirled on Leadstripe, 'her' midnight-blue hair, stormy gray eyes, maroon jacket, black undershirt, and beige pants fading into black smoke and revealing the curly, ginger hair, green eyes, dark blue vest, flannel, long-sleeved shirt, and black sweatpants of Andrey_Nichto. He felt humiliated by the Hybrid Lieutenant.

"Don't look at me like that. You know I'm right. It's not enough to look the part, you have to act the part. A lot depends on you."

"Andrey's playing the part just fine." Nikita swooped to her brother's rescue. "And anyway, you're the last person who should give advice on looks. You look like a blobfish."

The illusion of Leadstripe looked stricken. "That's-!"

"He wishes he looked like a blobfish." Andrey joined in with a sneer. "More like a sickly proboscis monkey."

Leadstripe bristled. "Now see here-!"

"Man thinks he's a nosy Dracula with how pale he is." Andrey added.

"While I realize the aesthetics may not please the eye-"

"Does that thing on your face suffer from erectile dysfunction?" Nikita mocked, the brother and sister Hackers ganging up on him.

"-the power of such a form cannot be overstated-"

"He looks like Squidward's inbred cousin." Andrey said with a laugh.

"He looks like the sweaty knob of Squidward's inbred cousin." Nikita corrected with a smirk.

"N-No, I washed it this morning-!"

"His face could use a pair of underwear."

"Put that thing away; there are children present."

Unable to stand the abuse any longer, the illusion of Leadstripe vanished like an exorcised ghost. However, there was the faint sound of sobbing off in the corner, followed by a trumpet sound that could have been the Lieutenant blowing his gargantuan nose into a piece of paper.

"That's quite enough." Sdraw ended the bullying, maybe later than he should've. The brother and sister snickered and high-fived in their victory demoralizing the Hybrid Lieutenant. "Is this how adults work together? Some friction is to be expected - no group of strangers mesh together so perfectly - but you have to coalesce in order to succeed. Discord amongst allies will only benefit our enemies. Am I understood?"

The Hackers folded their arms unhappily for a few moments before sighing and grudgingly nodding in agreement. Andrey donned his Mox disguise in a swirl of black smoke. Leadstripe also re-emerged after a while, his eyes wetter as he put on a brave face without so much as a sniffle.

"Good." Sdraw leaned back in his seat and waved one hand to dismiss them. "Off you go."

---

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 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Shears, 2 Iron Ingots, 24 Coal, 20 Torches, 14 Baked Potatoes, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 16 Gunpowder, 8 Ender Pearls, 1 Splash Potion of Slowness {4:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {4:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {4:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Bucket, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information: Vera_Menchik}, 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, 8 Gold Ingots, 11 Blocks of Diamond, 9 Emeralds, 8 Raw Salmon, 7 Pumpkin Seeds, 12 Baked Potatoes, 1 Shears, 1 Bucket of Axolotl {Axolittle}, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 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 Planks, 2 Bowls, 1 Armor Stand, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information: Mikhail_Tal}, 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}, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}

[EXP: 43]

Cat-Face the Cat

Christopher Squawken the Parrot

Axolittle the Axolotl

Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Shield, 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Golden Boots {Stivali Magma}, 1 Leather Boots {Bottes Zephyr} [Dyed White], 1 Iron Helmet, 1 Diamond Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Iron Boots, 1 Diamond Pickaxe, 1 Flint and Steel, 10 Cobwebs, 53 Blocks of Emerald, 3 Emeralds, 1 Ender Chest, 17 Baked Potatoes, 1 Water Bucket, 5 Buckets, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information: Lizabet_Agafonov}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Exter Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Paper {MarbleFinder; 1909 Oleg Street}, 1 Written Book {The Art of Peace}, 1 Written Book {Artifact List}, 1 Enchanted Golden Apple, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II, 1 Splash Potion of Healing II

[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 Written Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information: Boris_Spassky}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Bow [Power I], 36 Arrows, 6 Ender Pearls, 11 Baked Potatoes, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 40 Torches, 31 Sand, 12 Cobblestone, 21 Oak Planks, 1 Bucket, 1 Lava Bucket, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 43 Coal, 1 Clock, 1 Compass, 1 Iron Pickaxe [Unbreaking I], 1 Wooden Pickaxe {Old Reliable} [Unbreaking III, Efficiency V], 1 Written Book {Meetup}

[EXP: 43]

Inventory (Anibal): 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Crossbow {Buckner}, 1 Crossbow {Devers}, 64 Arrows, 38 Arrows, 16 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Large Ball x 7, White x 7}, 8 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Large Ball x 7, White x 7}, 5 Ender Pearls, 8 Apples, 18 Oak Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 1 Bed, 39 Torches, 21 Coal, 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information: Lev Aronin}, 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Bucket, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 3 Ender Chests, 18 Amethyst Shards, 50 Blocks of Emerald, 41 Emeralds, 29 Cobblestone, 1 Bow [Flame I], 1 Bow [Power V], 1 Diamond Sword [Sweeping Edge III], 1 Diamond Sword [Smite V], 1 Diamond Sword [Fire Aspect II], 1 Diamond Sword [Bane of Arthropods V], 1 Written Book {Miner's Guild Notes}, 1 Diamond Pickaxe [Fortune III, Unbreaking III]

[EXP: 53]

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AN: Ugh, this chapter was a pain to write. Character introductions and a lot of dialogue and groundwork. The action scene with Cobb and Baltic vs the Hoglins was easy by comparison. It's also the group's first interaction with King Sdraw. What an upstanding monarch he is. Nothing nefarious about 'em.

I actually wanted Sdraw to give Noman a Bundle of emeralds, thinking bundles was a new Bounty Day thing that had all the bugs worked out by now, but no, Bundles still don't work. Why? It's the same programming as Shulker Boxes isn't it? Whatever. Anibal will just have to keep crying over not having a bag of holding.

The main takeaway is that Exter has problems on six fronts: Hackers, Cultists, Stigmata, Ten Eyes Spies, Scouts, and Dover Plains. War has been declared, and the king is too busy to handle all of his kingdom's pressing issues... or so the Paragons think. You'll see yourself how Sdraw scratches some of these problems off the board.

FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. FORUM. DISCORD. BAGELS.