My Craft Chapter 259: Of Knights and Nightmares, a minecraft fanfic

AN: Sticking to the trend of Chapters with titles starting with the word 'Of' being FIRE.

In more personal news, I've decided to stop gambling, or at least to take a break, since my luck has been pretty lousy. I will say, though, since this chapter was written between two successive losses, that I found I write better/more motivated when I'm reeling from a loss. I find myself more focused, if that makes any sense. So, in a way, you can credit this 23,000 word Chapter to my spectacularly humbling experience in gambling.

Also, I beat Lies of P. Might get into the Elden Ring DLC now. We'll see.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd have jukeboxes cycle through discs.

Chapter 259

Of Knights and Nightmares

[Nitebane: Capital Outskirts]

It was dark. The sliver of silver that was the waxing crescent moon roved west across the night sky, signifying it was past midnight. The first moments of the new day, December 17th.

The Hackers simmered in futile rage, their dark smoke seeping from them and pooling around their camp like a thick miasma as they watched Nitebane's capital from a distance. They couldn't do a thing to it while Hannah and Llewellyn were held hostage within. The Griefers were set up in their own camps apart from them, far from them, scared of them, and barely scraping by to stay a few steps ahead of starvation, but they remained as the Hackers' loyal army... at least for as long as the Hackers were alive.

The Hackers weren't doing too good on food either ever since they found their Nether Portal supply line to the Obelisk no longer worked. The portal hub was down. Those cultists screwed them and stranded them, leaving them high and dry, and there had been no contact as of late. To their great shame, the Hackers with Flight had to stave off starvation by hunting fish in the ocean. It was humiliating having to hunt for their own meals, but they did it to provide for their brothers and sisters. They didn't share with the Griefers.

"If I ever see those damned cultists again, I'm gonna mutilate every last one of them." Youssef_Dreadnought swore.

"Not if I get to them first." Quentin remarked before sparing a glance to the northeast skies. "Oh, what's this? The return of the bugs' fleet?"

In the distance, barely discernible in the dark sky, was an airship descending at a steady pace. Quentin and a few other Hackers recognized it as one of the airships that departed from Nitebane's capital twelve days ago. It was followed by a fleet of nine airships arranged in a wide Flying V formation. They too were descending, following the airship out in front.

However, the airships didn't turn to dock at the capital. The one out in front turned towards the stone juts the Hackers and Griefers were camped under. The fleet followed.

"What does this idiot think he's doing?" June asked of her brothers and sisters, all of them standing up.

The lead airships gentle descent became a sudden, alarming dive as it picked up speed, its nose aiming straight for the Hackers and Griefers. The fleet attempted the follow, though they didn't recklessly nosedive like the lead ship.

"Okay, seriously, what are they doing?" June asked more urgently. "Are they trying to kamikaze?"

"Airships!" Quentin bellowed, using his Announcer Hack so that his voice would echo in the heads of everyone nearby. "Cease your descent! Turn around now or you will be perceived as a threat and shot down! This is your only warning, which, coming from literal gods, is a mercy you're grossly undeserving of!"

In the moments that followed, none of the airships dared to stop.

Youssef smirked, dark smoke enveloping him as his power bubbled to the surface. "Good. I prefer it this way."

Those with long-range destructive Hacks amongst the thirty Hackers raised their hands and unleashed volleys of obsidian missiles and slashes. MultiAura and Reach attacks peppered the Icarus with no end. The Flying V fleet slowed to a stop upon seeing all the attacks inflicted on the ship out in front, but that same ship didn't back down, continuing its reckless descent, even with chunks of its hull and wings getting blasted apart all the while. If airships depended on structural integrity to fly instead of Command Block magic, the Icarus would've suffered a disastrous, fiery crash long ago. As it was, it acted as a dying vessel, doing its utmost to carry its cargo, even at the cost of its own destruction. Of course, the closer it got, the more the Hackers could focus their fire on it. The hull of the airship dipped into the ground, phasing through it and a stone jut, yet still barreling forward towards the Hackers who refused to give ground.

Finally, one Reach attack cleaved through the bridge, splintering it at an angle and forcing the whole thing to abruptly stop. It must've knocked out the control panel, severing the redstone connection between the controls and the Command Block. Also, in the impact of the slash and the abrupt stop, a figure was flung through the half-smashed glass windshield, tumbling end over end down the nose of the ship before falling the short distance to the ground. There he lay, on his back.

The name above the figure's head, Abyssmal. A written book was clutched tightly to his chest as he barely stirred, his eyelid fluttering and his mouth slightly open. There was a dark circle under his good eye, and he stank of sweat and exhaustion.

The nearest Hackers who flew or jogged over looked at the Night-Raven like a piece of garbage, not immediately distinguishing him from the countless other bug-like Crafters that infested them. June looked down her nose at him and gave him a sharp stamp on the stomach with her foot.

"Whoever he is, he's not looking so hot." She tilted her head, humming loftily as she tested the pressure of her foot on his belly. "Perfect type for a suicide attack, like a bee that kills itself to sting someone."

Abyssmal's eyelid fluttered open a sliver, his unfocused, blood red eye sweeping across the faces looking down on him. "H-Help me..." He managed wearily before passing out completely.

"Oh, he wants help." June gave a conceited titter as she shared a knowing look with Youssef. "Brother, why don't we 'help' the little bug out?"

"Excellent idea, sister." Youssef raised his arm, coating it in smoke and cracking his fingers as he aimed at the passed out Crafter.

"Hold a moment." Quentin pushed Youssef's arm aside, much to the dark-skinned Hacker's dismay, and adjusted his horn rimmed glasses to scrutinize the passed out Crafter. "I've seen this one. He's another Endward Cult Executive. He was with that cultist king."

June gave Abyssmal another look. "Oh, yeah. Now I remember." June spoke slowly as realization dawned on her. She narrowed her purple eyes, then. "He made the portals connecting us here. The same portals that are messed up. It's his fault we're stranded here."

Quentin tilted his head as he noticed the written book held against Abyssmal's chest. He reached down and extricated it with great difficulty, as the Executive had kept it in a tight grip that did not diminish with his passing out. Once it was free, Quentin cracked it open and skimmed it briefly.

"I don't care if we're supposed to be allies, he's got a lot of nerve coming to us and begging for help when he's got nothing to show for it. Nothing except a fleet of ships chasing him down." Youssef complained before looking up and noticing the Flying V fleet spreading out to surround the Hackers and Griefers. "Looks like they haven't given up on him yet. Why don't we offer to hand them his Head if they return Hannah to us?"

"Nobody touch him." Quentin announced sharply, his command making Youssef, June, and the other Hackers turn in bewilderment. Quentin was still reading Abyssmal's book, this time more carefully. More thoroughly. His expression was contemplative.

"What is it, brother?" June asked.

Quentin put down the book and started barking orders. "You three." He pointed to three of his siblings at random. "See that this inse - this Crafter," he amended with visible effort, shocking his siblings, "gets some rest. He's been without sleep for four days. He needs to recover and be at full strength. See to it that he remains protected and undisturbed." The Hackers were bewildered by their brother's request to care for a lowly bug, but, with Quentin's incessant urging, they complied and carried the unconscious Abyssmal back to their camp. "Youssef, June. Search the crashed airship for any other Crafters and bring them back to camp."

"And why are we bringing bugs into our personal space?" June asked sharply.

"Listen to my announcement and you'll see." Quentin promised, clearing his throat and allowing dark smoke to coat it.

"Attention, pitiful insects. This is your better speaking, Lord Quentin of the Hack Clan. Perhaps you've heard of me outside of now. I am using my powers to broadcast my delectable voice directly into your feeble minds."

JillianLikeAVillian perked her ears from the throne room of Lunar Castle.

Z7, Captains Fo, Attila, and Paolo, Birds of Prey Alfonso and Lathrop, and the rest of the Paragons from the Eastern siege all listened intently from the airship fleet, even while the pilots of said fleet continued to position their ships to surround the Hackers and Griefers. Their target was the crashed Icarus, and the Executive and Lieutenant aboard who had led them on a four-day chase, from Oak Docks to Nitebane. Z7 in particular was getting ready to hunt them down and jam her daggers where the sun don't shine.

"The fleet of airships is to back off immediately. Curtail whatever delusional ambush you may be plotting to attempt. Why, you may ask?

There was a pause, whether for dramatic effect or because Quentin was verifying something.

"Because we've got a hostage. A little bug named Lenzington."

Z7's daggers slipped from her suddenly numb fingers and clattered noisily to the floor as she recognized the familiar name despite it being spoken in common. She knew what it meant, even as she read the expressions of her fellow Paragons for confirmation. The Birds of Prey shared an uncertain look over their fellow archer's grave situation. The Paragons exchanged worried mutters or else listened in grim silence.

"You can have him back, midnight tonight, but only if you trade us our big sister, Hannah_Harper. Or you can have his Head back midnight tonight if you give us anything less than what we demand. Your choice."

Z7 whimpered, understanding enough to a know an ultimatum was in place.

In the throne room of Lunar Castle, Queen Jillian cursed, grabbing her beret with both hands and tugging it against her head to shadow her eyes. "Godamned Hackers..." She recovered fast, grabbing her linked map and sending out map messages like there was no tomorrow. She had her team, Team Delta, send out messages too since word needed to get out fast.

[Carys]

I sat on the large, posh bed that came with our designated room, not to sleep on it, but just to have somewhere to sit as I regarded a large painting hanging on the opposite wall. It depicted a woman with blonde curls, but the portrait was only of the back of the woman's head, not the face. I would've called the painter lazy if Minecraftia's various paintings had any input from painters. They usually just came from a set of templates that randomized every time the painting item was placed somewhere.

There was, however, something vaguely familiar and disturbing about the painting. The fact I cared about it in the first place was saying something, but it felt real, like the woman within was breathing. I'd never seen this particular painting before, but then it could've just as easily been an addition for one of the recent Bounty Days.

Underneath the painting was a sign that read, 'In Loving Memory'.

"Hey, was that painting always there?" I asked one of the gathered Paragons. They looked up for a moment to where I was pointing before mouthing something silently and going back to their work. Their work being checking the floor for... something.

I craned my head to check exactly what they were checking for, but the next moment, the doors to the room creaked open like a gust of wind was slowly moving it ajar. Standing in the threshold was a dark silhouette. I narrowed my eyes and reached for a scythe that wasn't at my belt, a flash of confusion setting in.

The dark silhouette turned to me and took a single step into the room, and suddenly it was like color had appeared from the shadows, revealing the silhouette to be Jillian in her black and purple beret.

"...Jillian?" I questioned incredulously, attempting to kick up out of the bed only to misjudge the softness and sink into the mattress more firmly, my weight collapsing it in the center so it sucked me in and prevented me from getting up. "Stupid bed - what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on the other side of Minecraftia? Why didn't you report this?"

Jillian's light blue eyes were vague and somber as she obediently shuffled towards me. Nobody else seemed to question why she was here; they continued to check the floor, running their hands along it as if testing the smoothness. It was weird.

As Jillian neared, she didn't stop at the edge of the bed. She clambered atop the plush bedspread and crawled towards me on hands and knees while I was unable to escape. The depression I made on the bed only sucked her in more, causing her to tumble forward and collide into me.

"Hey, what the hell are you-!?" I was cut off as Jillian pressed her palm against my mouth, silencing me. Then she leaned to my ear and spoke something.

"Cobb and Lenz reported in. Baltic perished."

I felt cold dread in the pit of my stomach as Jillian pulled back her face and stared at me blandly. I tried to speak only for my voice to fail me, making me cough to clear it and recover myself. I had to compose myself with them watching.

"What... what happened? How did it... who did it...?" I trailed off.

"It was at the Eastern siege." Jillian's tone was one note, one flat drone, lacking cadence or emotion of any kind. "Baltic died. But we can move on. We can forget him." I jerked my head up. "The Angel can't let this stop her, right?"

"That's..." I trailed off, my eyes wide as I slowly shook my head. "I'm... no, that's not... what I want..."

"All the people who've died for our cause or worse, they'd want to see you succeed." Jillian said. "Otherwise your existence had no point."

I flinched, looking stricken. "...The hell did you just say to me?"

"Nothing stops or slows you down. That's why we follow you." Jillian said more insistently. The surrounding Paragons suddenly stopped checking the floor and started applauding me. I whirled my head around, a sense of wrongness overtaking me, making me scared, which made me angry that I could still get scared.

"No. Stop! STOP IT! How can I forget the Old Man!? He's been there since the beginning!" I screamed angrily, even while the plush bed prevented me from lashing out. I fought to extricate myself, even while Jillian rolled in reverse out of the inescapable bed with ease. "THIS ISN'T RIGHT!"

"How could you let Baltic die?"

I turned to ice hearing that voice. That familiar voice I hadn't heard for years. I thought I would forget the sound in its absence, but it didn't lose any of its cadence, even while it was tinged with sorrow.

Don't look. I whispered in my head, my eyes welling up with tears.

The plush bed released me, the depression caused by my weight changing and becoming a firm mattress that made me rise with it. All so I could get a better look at the voice.

"I entrusted Baltic to you. I wanted him to make it. How could you let him die?"

Don't look! I begged, even while my curiosity compelled me to turn.

The blonde lady in the portrait was now turned to face me. Her face and golden eyes, once so full of warmth in life, were now cold and empty as they regarded me. I fell back on the bed and crawled backwards on my hands until I hit the wall, my breathing coming out labored and afraid.

The woman in the painting lifted her arms, grabbing the sides of the frame to brace herself before stepping out of the painting as if she were real. She landed on the floor and tilted her head up to lock eyes. Unforgiving gold met terrified crimson.

"It should've been you." Ebrill_Angel accused. "I should be the living Angel, and you should be the dead one." Ebrill lunged forward with insane speed, her hands becoming claws to pin my wrists to the headboard of the bed as she screamed into my horrified face. "IT SHOULD'VE BEEN YOU!"

I awoke with a start, shooting up from my bed, alert, shrieking as I kicked off the covers and tore out my scythe, swinging it wildly around me in a warding manner. There were noises of alarm and squawking, a pair of bodies moving to my side.

"Whoa! Take it easy, you loon! Stop swinging that thing!"

"Carys! Calm down, Carys! Carys, you're back! You're here!" There was a hand on my chest, pressing me down. "You had a nightmare! You're back! It's okay! It's okay. It's okay."

My swinging slowed to a halt, the scythe suspended overhead, as I blinked back into wakefulness, my eyes scanning everything in the room and taking stock of those before me. Soul and Noman were on watch with a few of the former's pets keeping vigil along with them. Everyone else was asleep, or they were before I started screaming bloody murder and woke them up. For now, they were stirring or sitting up, and I had to force my breathing back to normal and calm my frantically beating heart. My mind was whirring trying to think of a way to excuse my screaming; my Paragons couldn't know I had a nightmare, let alone the subject of it.

It was still dark out. I woke up from a nightmare - a silly little nightmare. My nights of nightmares should've been long behind me. I should've realized based off the weird details in the dream; everyone behaved weirdly and Jillian appeared in person when I knew she was in Nitebane. I looked to the opposite wall and saw the painting wasn't of the blonde-haired Ebrill but of a generic mountainscape, and far smaller than the portrait in my dream.

I lowered my scythe and shoved Noman away when he leaned in to check me. He shot a furtive look, his face showing concern I didn't ask for.

"What?" I demanded.

Noman struggled for words before pointing to his eyes.

"What?" I repeated, my temper rising.

Again, Noman pointed to his eyes, his face showing that most hated emotion: pity. Seeing it on his face, on top of realizing I had a nightmare, made me more incensed than ever. I made to tell him off, but Soul put words to Noman's gestures first.

"Are you... crying?"

My eyes widened and I brought a hand to my cheek. It came back wet, and I hastily wiped all traces from my face while my Paragons were still waking up.

"Oh my gosh, you were-!" Soul started only for me to grab his face and practice my vice grip. I snarled under my breath.

"If you tell anyone, so help me, I'll-"

"F-False alarm, guys!" Noman turned to tell the Paragons who were finally up.

I kept quiet as I watched Noman.

"We heard screaming." Anibal pointed out, her swords drawn while she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

"...That was Squawken." Noman invented. "Yeah, I stepped on his tail feathers, so he got back at me by mimicking the screams of those cultists Carys tortured a while back."

"Raaawk!?"

"It's a false alarm. Sorry guys. Sorry!" Noman called over Anibal's head to the rest of the groaning Paragons and Beginners who were already trying to get back to sleep. He was covering for me.

I released Soul's face from my vice grip, but not before impressing upon him the importance of keeping quiet about what he thought he saw coming out of my eyes.

"It was sweat." I told him with a growl. "Say it."

"It-It was sweat, y-yeah. You had a sweaty dream." He nodded, backing off with his hands defensively before him.

Noman turned to look at me. He opened his mouth and I thought for sure he'd be nosy and pry, but, to my surprise, he minded his own business and returned to his watch with Soul and the pets.

It was out there, though. We both knew it. I couldn't take back how I reacted. Noman wouldn't forget the weakness I showed and neither would Soul. I didn't know why he bothered covering for me, but I wasn't about to look too deeply into it.

I rolled onto my side and tried in vain to get back to sleep. I couldn't put my nightmare out of my mind. After a few minutes of trying and failing to fall asleep, I angrily kicked off my covers, equipped my Wonder Wings, and stormed out of the room.

"Gonna practice my flying." I threw out an excuse to Soul and Noman before I closed the door behind me.

Walking the empty halls of the Brimstone Bastion knowing full well a cultist was lying in wait sounded like a terrible idea on paper, but then I was the Angel of Death, capable of ripping the paper to shreds. I had my scythe out, and if anyone unusual approached, I would demonstrate how versed I was wielding it.

Of course, nobody got in my way. I passed by some guards standing watch at the front door - they made eye contact and nodded subtly to let me know I had permission to roam past them at this hour - and I was able to make it to the outer garden. From there, I brought out the special firework rockets for flying and began practicing.

It was bitter, painful work, but since when was it not?

Taking off from a standing position was tricky, as the wings first needed to catch the wind and keep me horizontal. I needed a high enough jump to angle my body, allowing the wings to deploy properly. After that, I had to launch a rocket in my hand. The propulsion from it made me go from zero to eighty in half a second, making my brain struggle to process the world rushing up to meet me. All too often, I faceplanted into the stone garden walls.

By the eleventh time, I found a trick to it. Since my senses were being overpopulated by the surrounding scenery rushing to meet me, I had to angle into the air where there was much less for my brain to process. Just like with people getting motion sickness from trying to focus on one thing while everything shook, you had to focus on the horizon. The horizon never changes, and the night sky was especially easy to process at high speeds.

Once I successfully pointed my body upwards and arched my back, I achieved liftoff. I shot past the bastion towers and aimed for the moon, using rockets only when I slowed. The feeling of the wind rushing through my hair, streaming along my body, was exhilarating.

Also freezing cold. I made a mental note to wear thick leather armor the next time I practiced flying at night. My arms were growing numb as my sleeveless turtleneck left them uncovered.

Go, baby, go. I urged mentally, losing myself in the excitement of flight. I soared higher and higher, freely using my rockets so that I didn't ever slow down. In no time at all, the capital city of Exter had shrunk to the size of a book, the four lava pools at the corners lighting it up brilliantly. I saw the entire obsidian terrain of the Lacquerlands. The black peaks to the west, the Redbone Desert far to the east, the Western Ocean to the north. It was all within my sight, the whole wide world spanning out.

That's when my rockets ran out.

I didn't panic, even while my upward momentum slowed to a halt, then went in reverse as I lost altitude, my body forcibly angling down as the wind controlled my wings.

Going straight down, I achieved a speed just as fast as when I was propelled by rockets. The only problem was that the capital was getting closer and closer, growing at an alarming rate.

I grinned excitedly, my heart drumming in my chest. The woes of the world forgotten.

"COME OOOOONNNNN!" I screamed into the night, a warmth that dispelled the cold suffusing me.

Despite reaching terminal velocity, being a novice with the Wonder Wings, and falling from a height far beyond what was survivable, I couldn't deny enjoying myself. I felt so free in freefall, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Everything that had been troubling me had vacated, trailing in my wake and struggling to catch up. I was weightless, even as gravity had its cruel hold on me.

"Sink or swim, baby!" I hyped myself up as the capital grew closer still. I narrowed my eyes to shield them from the wind. My crimson orbs darted to the Brimstone Bastion standing tall amidst the capital.

I slapped my hands to my side to reduce air friction, and, right before I went splat against a building, I angled my body and performed a jarring swoop that had my stomach roll from my abdomen into my boots.

I was shooting up again, using all the stored momentum of my descent. I zoomed up the side of a building, leaning left and right to avoid balconies, weaving through poles.

When my upward ascent slowed, I leveled out into a leisurely glide, sailing over the city like a hawk. My drumming heart slowed to a tranquil beat, my body coming down from the adrenaline high. I checked the durability of the wings real quick before deciding I had enough of the cold night air.

I glided back to the bastion, though I found myself lower than the lip of the wall. I changed direction to avoid crashing into it and instead brought out an ender pearl, warping myself to one of the tall towers to fly from a suitable elevation. I cleared the wall and did a few rounds in the inner courtyard while descending before finally coming to a landing in the garden I had taken off in.

I landed on my knees, skinning them on the slab stepping stones of the garden, but, since nobody was there to see it, it didn't happen.

"Landing still needs work," I winced, removing the wings from my back and stashing them away. A few more days and I'd have it down. Then I could begin incorporating it into my combat style.

On my way back inside, past the guards at the front door, I was looking at my clock to see how much time I had left to catch some sleep. Bits of the blue sky were just sneaking into frame on the golden disc.

When I reached the desolate halls on the way to the room, I heard something.

"Reeeeee~"

I stopped cold and slowly turned my body. I struggled to pinpoint the source of the noise as it reverberated down the empty halls. My crimson eyes darted to the series of doors on either side of the corridor.

"Who's there?" I called out, drawing my scythe and taking a tentative step forward. "Come out."

"Reeeeee~" The sound echoed again, bouncing off the walls and sounding ghostly. My ears picked it up, recognizing it as... a pained pig's squeal.

My breath hitched, though I smothered the rise of fear quickly and composed myself. I gave my arm a harsh pinch, hard enough to twist the skin. When I didn't awaken, I knew this wasn't another nightmare. This was real.

"Reeeeee~"

"Show yourself!" I raised my voice, unnerved. The sound of my boots clicking against the floor sped up as I launched into a full tilt sprint.

*tktktktktktktktk*

"Reeeeee~ Reeeeee~"

The noises grew louder the further down the hall I ran. Whatever it was couldn't have been further than right around the bend. I grabbed at the corner wall and swung without stopping, my scythe raised and my eyes wide and alert.

And... nothing. An empty hall.

The squeals had gone silent.

"Hey!" I shouted, holding my breath and awaiting a reply - any sound at all. Nothing answered.

I lowered my scythe and steadied my breathing, running a hand through my spiky hair. My eyes roved left and right, searching for any signs of the pi - of the noise.

I definitely heard something. I thought to myself. I didn't imagine that. There was a suspicious noise. I need to tell the others about this, let them know to keep an ear open.

They didn't need to know what the noise resembled, though. Nor what it reminded me of.

[Cobb]

"What's with this red haze?" I complained, my eyes narrowed and one blackened hand shielding my eyes as I stuck to the netherbrick path. "I can't see five feet in front of me!"

"No clue. A new Nether effect?" Dwight guessed.

The red haze had descended on us out of nowhere, making our surroundings appear like we were looking at them through a bottle of Fruit Punch flavored Gatorade. As it was, we only had the texture of the netherbrick highway to guide us. We could be walking past portals or into deadly Mobs and not know it.

"Should we wait for it to subside? It could be a weather effect." Baltic suggested.

"No! We don't wait! We keep moving!" I insisted. I had my trident out, ready to skewer the first signs of trouble. I couldn't afford to be patient. Not when people I cared about were in trouble.

I'll stake my life on getting us out. As many lives as it take. I felt the totems at my belt. Nothing will keep me from getting back to Minecraftia.

Then, as if my words triggered some type of wish fulfillment, I saw a black rectangular frame blossom out of the red haze. I felt my heart soar.

"It's there! IT'S THERE, AND IT'S ACTIVE!" I exclaimed elatedly upon spotting the swirling purple portalstuff within the obsidian frame. I recklessly charged forward, heedless of the Paragons behind me. They'd tell me it wasn't safe, it wasn't guaranteed, but I was willing to risk it. No way was I backing down from the first active portal we came across just because of the danger. I was ready!

So, after a few seconds pause to brace myself, I crossed the threshold and was whisked away back to Minecraftia.

Stepping out onto solid ground, I realized with a start where I was. It was inconceivable, and my heart thrummed with hope, but I found myself back in the Eastern Division HQ. Back in the Portal Hub. I had to be. What other cult-associated, underwater chamber had Nether Portals in rows on either side, with glass separating the inside from the water outside?

I laughed at my good fortune. Beginners' luck struck again! I was right where I last left Lenz. It was like I never left! I didn't question how the portals were still active or how the room was still intact after the explosives we rigged. All that mattered was I was back where I needed to be.

"Hahaha! Can you guys believe it?" I half-turned to the portal, a wide grin on my face, expecting Baltic and Dwight to follow.

Nobody answered.

"...Guys?" I turned fully, a ghost of a smile still lingering. What was taking them? Were they hesitant? Did they think I died? I was about to go in to tell them it was safe when a mop of gray hair caught my eye, off to the side of the room. My spirits soared again. "Lenz? Lenz!"

It was Lenz alright. Tousled dark-gray hair, tinted glasses and goggles, dark brown, collared shirt, gray undershirt, maroon scarf, navy blue jeans. There was no mistake.

He was standing, huddled in fear, likely brought on by his Thalassophobia and there being a thin layer of glass between him and the crushing ocean. He otherwise looked fine, though, and, more importantly, he was alive. Not a severed Head hanging off Teal's belt.

"Oh, thank Herobrine. Or, actually don't thank Herobrine, he caused this. Whatever. Thank anyone for small miracles!" I laughed it off, approaching Lenz. The engineer noticed, his face looking stricken as I reached out.

"STAY BACK!" Lenz cried, the note of desperate fear freezing me. A crossbow was brought out and fired. I leaned out of the way of the arrow as it barely nicked my shoulder. "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"

"Whoa! What's the big idea, Lenz?" I asked, bewildered and cautious. I stayed where I was to calm the crossbow-wielding, clearly agitated friend. "You're safe. I'm here to help!"

"You!?" He accused bitterly, lifting his tinted glasses to glare at me with magenta eyes. "You knew what was happening! You knew I shouldn't have been with Dwight and Perry on that mission! You knew something was terribly wrong with me, a known ally of yours, accompanying Paragons when cultist contact was a foregone conclusion!" His hands were held out before him in desperate supplication, his face twisting in betrayal. "You let me go out there! I thought you were my friend! You should have been able to get me out of it! You should have been able to help me, but you didn't!"

His words were like a gut punch. I stumbled, retreating a few steps as I felt guilt well up inside, my head shaking. "N-No, I... y-you've got it wrong, Lenz-"

"How am I supposed to take it!?" He screamed like an imprecation, his crossbow aimed at my face. "I sent you away because you weren't any help! You threw me to Teal without a thought!"

"B-But I tried, Lenz..." I tried to put to words how I'd rushed headlong into the base and killed hundreds of cultists just to save him, but words failed me under his accusing glare. "Please, I'm here now. L-Let me help you. I-"

Suddenly, fishing hooks and lines shot down out of the glass ceiling, hooking Lenz by his clothes. They snagged his collar, his sleeves, his pant legs. Teal_Larkspur's mad titter echoed as the hooks hoisted Lenz into the air like a puppet, reeling him towards the cracking glass ceiling.

"LENZ!" I cried out, fumbling a grab for him as he was pulled away.

"WHY COULDN'T YOU SAAAAVE MEEEEE!?"

Lenz's tortured voice wailed like a ghost's as his body burst through the glass and let a deluge of ocean water come bearing down on me, the force of it pressing me into the floor and smothering me, preventing me from drawing breath.

Then, in an instant, the oppressive feeling was gone. I could breathe. There was no force keeping me down.

I sprang to my hands and knees and looked up, only to let out a strangled gasp at the sight before me.

Jade. Emaciated and in that cell I put her in. Her amethyst eyes stared dully at me.

"Why couldn't you save me, Cobb?"

"AAAUGH! AAAAAAAAAH!" I shouted, bolting up and clutching my chest as I heaved under the primal terror of it all. My hands scrabbled over everything like a blind man frantically feeling his surroundings.

Baltic, being on watch while Dwight and I slept, rushed to my side in an instant, hugging me from behind and crossing his hands over my chest and around my arms. It in no way physically restrained me since his EXP levels were a third of mine (and the exponential scaling increase only widened that margin), but feeling another body hugging me, while he repeated soothing words, helped bring me down from my anxious, alert state. Strength wasn't needed.

I let loose a sob that wracked my body while I hunched over, focusing solely on my breathing. Baltic kept whispering words as he held me, and he stayed like that until I was back to myself. I gave his arm a reassuring pat once my breathing was steady, and he released me.

"You had a nightmare." Baltic accurately guessed.

"...Sorry." I apologized, my body hunched between my knees as I felt like vomiting. "It was a bad one."

"It's fine." Dwight replied blearily, having been rudely awoken by my screaming. His eyes weren't even open as he spoke. "It's okay, Cobb. It's fine." He reclined back and rolled onto his side on the soft nylium he was using as a mattress. We couldn't use beds. Beds blew up in the Nether if you slept on them. "Back to sleep."

"So what was the nightmare about?" Baltic asked while I was hunched over. I thought for a while about an answer, wondering how much I could - or should - tell the old man. He knew I 'dealt' with Jade, but not the specifics, only that she wouldn't be a problem for us anymore.

"...It was about Lenz." I told him, leaving out the part of the nightmare about Jade. "I dreamt that we found a portal to take us right back to the Eastern HQ." I sighed. "But I was too late to save him. I failed him."

"I can see how that would jolt you awake." Baltic understood. "You place a great deal of value on your friends."

"They're what matter most."

"I understand." Baltic wore a troubled expression as he gazed at the nylium between us. "Cobb, I-" He faltered, searching for the right words. "I don't mean to be cruel, but-"

"He's not dead."

"...Of course. Sorry." Baltic backed down instantly, but I wasn't about to leave it at that. He needed to understand.

"This isn't naïve optimism, or me being in obstinate denial." I stressed. "This isn't the first time I heard a friend died, and, to make it more specific, this isn't the first time I heard a friend died in a conflict with Teal_Larkspur. It happened with Floyd, when he went on a Silver Intent mission to Nitebane... prior to its liberation." I explained. "I heard he died and I believed it. I made hasty, reckless calls that nearly got me killed, not once falling back on my faith in my friend. I didn't have faith in his strength, I didn't have faith in his survivability-"

"But this was before you knew he was a Hacker." Baltic tried to excuse me. "You didn't know about his hidden aptitude."

"I still gave up on him." I dismissed the excuse with an irksome flick of my head. "I thought him dead. I gave him up for dead. I blindly trusted the words of a complete stranger over my first friend. I should've had faith in him. I should've trusted him to survive. They're not dead if there isn't a Head. If there's no Head, they're not dead." I repeated to myself. "That's the only irrefutable proof I believe in. Unless there's a disembodied Head with their name on it, a person isn't dead, and nothing anyone says will change my mind. Erin is dead. Perry is dead. Jade is-" I trailed off meaningfully, not that it mattered. Baltic was smart enough to have already put the pieces together.

"Lenz isn't dead." I asserted. "He's the best archer I know. He's a survivor. I don't care if he has to tell the cultists everything he knows about us if that's what it takes for him to survive. He's not dead. I have faith in him." I leaned back and wiped the sweat off my brow. Gosh it was hot. "If I can't trust my friends to take care of themselves when the going gets tough, I'll never let them go anywhere." I turned to stare Baltic in the eyes, putting all of my faith into my next words. "Lenz is alive."

Baltic held my gaze for a long time before nodding. "He's alive. You're right."

I couldn't tell if he believed me or was just humoring me. I couldn't even tell if I believed me. Didn't the fact I had nightmares about it prove that it was weighing on my mind? People didn't have nightmares if they didn't have something to worry about.

We needed to get out of the Nether.

I sighed, scratching my head. "I'll take watch, Baltic. You get some sleep."

"No, it's still my-"

"Please." I stressed, stopping him. "I'm jolted awake anyway, and in no hurry to dream again. No sense for both of us to not get sleep." I reasoned, beginning to sway him. "I'll finish up your watch and swap out with Dwight when it's time. I can't go back to sleep now." I added at the end, making Baltic sigh.

"...Very well." He relented, laying back and on his side to get comfortable. "But if you start to drift off, wake me up. It's not fair for you to have less sleep than the rest of us. We need you in top shape."

"I'll give you a kick if I nod off." I assured.

"Or if something suspicious comes by."

"That too."

Satisfied, Baltic shifted to get more comfortable and closed his eyes. I listened quietly for several minutes for his breathing to even out, confirming he was asleep.

After that, I walked over and very slowly and carefully lifted the asleep old man onto my shoulder. With my new EXP enhanced strength, it was easy; he hardly weighed a thing. I then did the same thing with Dwight, making sure not to wake either of them.

Then, checking I didn't leave any of our stuff behind, I started walking in the direction we'd been traveling through the Crimson Forest, Baltic and Dwight peacefully snoozing on my shoulders.

There was no sense sleeping after my nightmare, but there was also no sense waiting around when we could be moving while the others rested. They'd get rest and we'd get further along, and if anything jumped out at me, I could shake them awake.

Fortunately, nothing did, and, even more fortunately, I stepped off of nylium and back onto the cult's netherbrick highway. We were back on track.

We have to get out of here. I thought to myself. The sooner, the better.

I kept going down the highway for a bit longer before growing tired and settling off on the side. I carefully set Baltic and Dwight down, leaning against the parapet, and sat down myself with a bite of cooked chicken to replenish my Hunger Meter. Dwight would be confused when his turn at watch came around, and I'd probably get an earful from Baltic for moving them while they slept, but I didn't mind getting chewed out.

As long as we were that much closer to getting out of the Nether and getting back to my friends.

[Noman]

"It's still pricey, and you won't get a balanced, nutritional diet, but buying bulk baked potatoes is the way to go. Just apologize to your colon."

Captain Lizabet's giggling at her own joke quickly petered out when she saw I didn't so much as crack a smile. I didn't mean to be rude when she was nice enough to act as guide for us while we shopped, but I was barely listening to her. I had too much on my mind.

Like about the Hackers wanting to trade Lenz for their sister.

"A-Anyway, if your aim is good nutrition, I'd recommend waiting on line for the Testificates' stable prices. It'll take you all day. Not that you would, but don't even think about using your status to cut the line." When I didn't answer, the Captain took the baked potato I'd been staring at out of my hands, then waved a hand before my face. "Sir Noman? Everything alright?"

I sighed. "Not exactly. We - my group - got some troubling news this morning and... we've had a bit of a disagreement on it."

'A bit of a disagreement' was putting it lightly. As soon as we were informed that the Hackers wanted to trade Lenz for the captured Hacker Hannah_Harper, the general reaction was relief. Elation. Exultation.

But only on the side of the Beginners and Ciro. The Paragons' reaction was markedly more subdued.

We were happy because we had irrefutable proof that Lenz was alive. The Hackers couldn't trade a corpse. They would do their utmost to keep Lenz alive because he had value as a hostage to trade for their beloved sister. Plus, Lenz likely knew what happened to all the rest of the missing people - Cobb, Baltic, Dwight, Perry. Our course seemed set; we'd trade Hannah for Lenz, then get the details from him about where the others were. There shouldn't have been a question about it.

But then the Paragons had to put in their two cents, and that's when the disagreement started.

Jillian over in Nitebane wanted to do the trade, much for the same reasons I gave. She also added that we still had one Hacker left to use as a human shield, deterring the Hack Clan from wiping out the capital city like they had Akasha. Securing Lenz's safety was important in maintaining our continued alliance. To top it off, Jillian also expressed that Z7, strangely enough, was threatening to leave the Paragons if they didn't do the trade.

"Dang, Lenz should change his name to Rizzington." Soul had joked before Albert confirmed, via map message correspondence, that Z7 and Lenz were in fact involved with one another. That shut Soul up.

"Raaawk! Soul is bitchless."

"Sh-Shut up, Squawken! Anibal, what have you been teaching him!?"

"I dunno whatchu mean."

Lenz's love life aside, Carys didn't want to do the deal.

"Hackers don't care about hostage exchanges, and this reeks of Endward Cult involvement." Carys had said. "This is a trick. They're plotting something. A diversion tactic. We show up to the trade, then they sneak a stealth unit behind our lines and spring Llewellyn. We'll have zero Hackers to act as shields, and 303 or Thed will blow Nitebane to hell! We're not doing this trade."

Arguments erupted, not just from us but from Kal and Anibal, who were waiting on news of their respective teammates, Perry and Dwight. Lenz was their ticket to knowing what had transpired in the Eastern Division HQ, and what had happened to the missing Paragons. The Beta-males had also wanted to know what happened to their leader.

"Don't you want proof of what happened to Baltic, ma'am?" Albert had reasoned, making Carys' face twist in discomfort. Her teeth were gnashed. Her body sung tension. "Don't you want to know for sure-?"

"I SAID FORGET IT!" She had snapped. She'd been more antagonistic than usual that morning, ever since she reported hearing noises in the hall, though she refused to elaborate what those noises had been, only to keep our ears peeled for further noises.

The arguments persisted, with Carys ultimately being the last and loudest voice of opposition. No matter how many guards Jillian offered to put on Llewellyn, no matter what threats Z7 made, no matter what ethos Kal appealed to as a former Hack Clan member, no matter what reasoning Anibal used, Carys would not budge. Not even when her entire inner circle were against her. She didn't want to know Baltic's fate for sure.

Nothing was settled when Carys forcibly dismissed us, saying she needed time alone to think, and there was nothing we could do about it. Nitebane was on the other side of the world, and Ciro wasn't confident enough that he could fling us there with the Destierro del Palillo without us hitting anything, including the Border. I felt so helpless. We all did.

"Carys will change her mind." Anibal had assured while buying enchantments for her crossbows and some much needed armor to replace what she lost fighting Giovanni. She was also using the blocks of diamond she 'borrowed' from Tinker's personal treasure room to make the set of armor. Enchanting her gear would cost her nearly every level she had, weakening her physical stats back to base, not to mention costing her a fortune, but she was committed. "Jillian will make her see sense. She's good like that."

I wasn't too sure.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear there's discord amongst you." Captain Lizabet sympathized. "Is there anything that can be done?"

"Doesn't seem so."

"In that case, you should take your mind off of it." She advised with a light smile. "No sense worrying about something out of your hands. Here, let's get your people some rations."

With the Captain's help, I was able to get enough apples, cooked porkchops, and baked potatoes to keep me and my friends fed for the foreseeable future. I had to spend three-hundred-and-sixty emeralds at the market's quadrupled price, but I felt a tingle of warmth seeing the shopkeeps' eyes light up as I bought in bulk. I spread the wealth around to help those in need, and still had one-hundred-and-twenty emeralds leftover from Leadstripe's bounty reward. It was a small thing, but those shopkeeps wouldn't want for money for a while.

Unfortunately, there were so many more people in Exter to help.

"His Highness has arranged for relief food to be provided to the hungry." Captain Lizabet salved my conscience while I evenly distributed the food to Floyd (masked to hide his Hacker status), Soul, and Ciro. "He's emptying the treasury to make it happen, but he's determined. I just hope he doesn't burn himself out with all the extra responsibilities he's taking."

"Well, that's why we've graciously assumed responsibility for the Cultists and Hackers." Ciro commented. I caught him smirking under his mask. "It sounds like you have it pretty rough with a magnanimous king like Sdraw."

"You making fun of me?"

"Far from it. Just commiserating." He chuckled. "I served as Captain under Notch. He was much the same."

Captain Lizabet's eyes widened. "The Notch? What... what was it like, serving a legend?"

"He was a lot more annoying than the stories paint him." Ciro replied wryly before adopting a look that was a mix of reverence and sadness. "And so, so much more than words can do him justice." The former Captain seemed to stare off into the middle distance for a while before continuing. "He was a kind king. Warm. Inviting. Though, not smiling condescendingly forever like someone you know."

"He has a facial condition." Captain Lizabet defended hotly.

As we rendezvoused with the Paragons who'd finished their shopping (including a masked Kal), the din of the marketplace was broken by a series of orange Creeper-faced fireworks shooting off into the sky. As soon as they went up, the surrounding civilians grew restless, and Captain Lizabet sprang into action.

"That's where the relief food is." She muttered to herself before whistling to coordinate some guards who were already rushing towards the orange fireworks.

"Captain, what's up?" I asked, jogging to keep up with her. "Do those fireworks mean something bad is happening?"

"Yes. Yellow is minor call for backup, orange is moderate, red is major." She hurried to respond. "Thing is, it's coming from where the relief food is being distributed. My guess is the Exterians are impatient and have started grabbing all the food they can hoard. There won't be enough for everyone."

She put on a burst of speed to break away from me and towards the fireworks, but I called out, "I can help!"

She held herself back for a moment. "It's fine, Sir Noman. This is a matter for the guards. You don't need to involve yourself."

"But I'm a knight too, right?" I pointed out, raising a brow. "Knights can act as law enforcement with status on par with a Captain, right?"

The Captain let out a bark of laughter before smirking and nodding her head towards the fireworks. "You wanna help, just follow the fireworks." Then she took off with her guards, not wasting anymore time.

I put on the Bottes Zephyr for an edge getting around the packed streets, but I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

"Noman, what are you thinking?" Floyd's muffled voice sounded from under his Creeper mask. "She said herself this is guard business. You don't need to go too."

"But what if they need extra help?" I asked.

Floyd could only hold his arms up helplessly, not quite knowing what to say.

"I'll go with you." Ciro volunteered, though he didn't sound too enthused.

Soul turned to Anibal, even while he readied his axe. "You want in on this? Could be good exercise."

"Yeah, no." Anibal refused flatly. "The guards can handle it." None of the other Paragons made a move to follow.

"Suit yourself. More skulls to crack for me." Soul grinned.

Anibal let out a derisive laugh, which confused Soul. "Maybe if this was a city of cultists or Griefers, you'd be right. But there'll be Exterians. Civilians. If there are skulls to be cracked, it'll be yours."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see when you get there. Have fun." She gave a one-armed wave as she and the rest of the Paragons headed back to the bastion.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this..." Floyd tried to dissuade, but I spoke to him directly, my voice lowering.

"You once said you helped Jolin's princess when their kingdom was in trouble. Why did you stick your neck out, then?"

"That was different. I was paying back a problem the Hackers caused."

"And this isn't? Face it, Floyd. Exter's situation is caused by the Hackers extorting them for food, and that's a problem we inadvertently caused." I added in a whisper, making him remember how we killed Sandra and Winslow, which resulted in the Hackers nuking Akasha. His masked head tilted to stare at the floor. "I gotta pay Exter back somehow. Like you once said, 'Just keep doing good things to balance out the bad', right?"

Floyd could hardly argue against his own words, and he let me go ahead without another word of protest. I kicked into the sky, the unusual action startling nearby Exterians. Below me, I saw Ciro and Soul jogging to keep up, all three of us following the sparking orange fireworks.

I got there first - ahead of Captain Lizabet, I might add - to witness a scene of mass hysteria. The Captain had predicted it when she said the Exterians were grabbing up all the relief food for themselves, but it was so much more chaotic than I could've imagined.

Crafters were arranged in mobs and pressing their bodies and beating their fists or assorted objects against a perimeter of shield bearing guards in their frenzy to obtain the relief food, which was stored in a pyramid of barrels behind. More guards arrived in a steady stream, drawn by the fireworks and joining the line. A handful of Exterians who had broken through were stood on the pyramid, grabbing all the food they could while dodging the guards trying to apprehend them. A lot of guards were shouting for order, but it was drowned out by the citizens.

Though I was a little lost at first on how to proceed, my was compelled to act when I saw a female shield bearing guard topple over with a shriek, seven Exterians trampling over her in their bid for the pyramid. I rushed over, brandished my shield, and shoved the Exterians off of her with a mighty shield bash.

"You good?" I shouted to her, taking position beside the other guards as the line was reformed.

"Y-Yes, thanks a ton." The woman swept to her feet and brought her shield back up. "Who are you?"

"Sir Noman, a recently minted knight, acting on behalf of King Sdraw." I answered back with an official tone like Captain Lizabet employed. The purple-capped guards accepted the explanation, grateful for the aid.

Captain Lizabet arrived next, joining the line with the guards she brought in. She started barking out orders, coordinating the line and bolstering it where it was weakest. I shoved back a handful of citizens as they futilely beat against my shield, clamoring for food.

"Sir Noman," she slid beside me and jerked her head towards the pyramid. "Can you help take those hopped up Exterians off the food?"

"On it!"

Another guard took my spot on the line as I walked on the air, much to the amazement of those watching, and seized handfuls of the Exterians' clothes before dragging them down off the pyramid of barrels. They were caught by guards and stripped of the food they stole before they were apprehended.

Soul and Ciro arrived while I was tearing down the last Exterian off the pyramid of barrels. Soul demanded to know what to do, his axe drawn, his body twitchy and ready for action. Instead, Captain Lizabet threw him and Ciro a shield and ordered them to stand as stalwart bodies along the line.

Ciro obeyed instantly, but Soul looked a little put out at being told to defend. He was an attacker by nature. He followed the Captain's orders, but he did so reluctantly, and with more than a little uncertainty. As if sensing his weakness, the civilians focused their beatings on Soul's shield, making it smack him in the face twice before he braced it more firmly. Even then, the civilians rained blow after blow on any part of his body they could hit. It was the same with the other guards, and though Soul's first instinct was to whip out his axe and hit back, he didn't. He couldn't. These were civilians; they weren't evil, but panicked and afraid. Killing them would make him out to be the bad guy and land the guards in trouble by association.

It was as Anibal hinted. Against Exterians, the only skulls getting cracked belonged to the defenders forbidden from fighting back. This was a complicated, delicate issue, not at all like the black and white fights against the cultists and Hackers.

"Haaaate thiiiis!" Soul roared as he raised his shield and took another beating. Floyd came in soon after, accepting a shield and joining the line. I knew I could count on him.

With the pyramid of food cleared of looters, and the line bolstered, Captain Lizabet raised her coarse voice while standing at the head of the line. "CALM YOURSELVES! There is relief food aplenty, but only if you take your turns! This mass hysteria serves no one!" She didn't dare draw her weapons, even when the stray civilian broke through the line and beat tools and fists against her. The Captain bore it without complaint and continued appealing for calm, threatening to burn the relief food if the civilians didn't contain themselves. I subdued some of the rowdier civilians, without killing them, using my Resound technique, though I gave them splitting headaches to be sure..

Slowly, the message sunk in, and the riots abated long enough for the guards to reestablish order and return to handing out the relief food so that everyone could get one, good meal, even if it wasn't filling. The guards relaxed as things seemed to settle down, while the Captain rounded up those responsible for whipping the civilians into such a frenzy in the first place.

Floyd, Soul, and Ciro lowered their shields and rejoined me, each of them looking bruised and dissatisfied over getting roped into helping. I tried to convince them they did a noble thing, but that only seemed to anger Soul more.

"Can we just head back to the bastion before someone realizes what I am?" Floyd insisted from under his mask.

"I can't thank you boys enough." Captain Lizabet came over to spare us her gratitude. "We would've had a tougher time quelling this riot without your help."

"We're just glad we could help." I reassured her, though my words had the opposite effect on Soul, who grew increasingly more frustrated. "We, uh, best be off." I hastened to withdraw, sensing Soul's mood worsen by the second.

"I won't forget this, Sir Noman." The Captain called out to me after I got her gratitude and blessing to leave.

As the four of us hobbled back to the bastion, though I was as bruised as my friends, my spirits were lifted and my heart felt fit to burst with pride. I'd done good preserving lives without taking any. A proud day for Aikido, it was.

My friends didn't quite share that sentiment. Even when I soothed their injuries with my splash potions, their teeth tore through their cooked porkchops with a bitter harshness.

[Exter: Capital Outskirts]

A Scout frantically fumbled with his Lead Compass in an effort to warp away with the imbued /home command.

He was too late, and he failed to evade the iron warhammer that cruelly came down on him, crushing him to death like a fly under a newspaper.

"Last of them." Captain XoX declared gruffly before lifting his weapon from the pile of gear that was once a Scout, the EXP flowing into him. He also pocketed the Scout's Lead Compass, finding the trinket curious.

As soon as XoX and his platoon of guards turned visible, the Scouts they had been tracking tried to flee. Only a third of them escaped with their Lead Compasses. The rest were slain. Exter had a zero tolerance policy for Scouts and their hijinks, especially what with their repeated summonings of Giants clad in golden armor. Goliaths, they were called.

Of course, XoX only gave the order to turn visible after the Scouts had killed their summoned Goliath to earn their David and Goliath Badge.

It was after the slain Goliath had dropped a golden chestplate, which XoX ordered his guards to turn over to him once the fighting had ended.

Leadstripe had already proven that a Crafter could hybridize into Command Block summoned Mobs when he did it with an Illusioner. That was all the convincing XoX needed to know that becoming a Giant Hybrid was possible.

If he was a mountain of a man before, he'd like to see Teal beat him at sparring or arm wrestling when he was twelve meters tall.

Next New Moon, midnight of December 23rd, he'd be reborn.

[Noman]

"So? Did ya have fun?" Anibal teased Soul when we got back. His response was terse.

"Cat-Face, sic eyeballs."

And then Spaatz had to come over and pull the cat's claws out of the dark-skinned girl's eye sockets.

"I mean, there are worse ways to waste time than scoring brownie points with the Captain." Reuben replied helpfully, though everyone knew me well enough to know that hadn't been my intent. It was a random act of kindness, a way to feel good by doing good.

"It better not become a regular thing, though." Soul grimaced. "All I could do was take the hits without lashing out. Look at the damage on my armor!" He held it up testily. "Who's going to have to pay for that? Me! My pour EXP levels..."

"Come on, Soul. You helped deescalate a tense situation." I tried to show him the positive side, but it only served to anger him more.

"I am sure the sun was shimmering off of your armor as you bravely ran headlong into someone else's problem." Carys droned without looking up from her map. She was still locked in talks with Jillian after having taken some time to herself to think on how to proceed with the hostage exchange. No breakthroughs yet. "The king and Captain must love you, offering to work for free and resolving all their problems. The noble, Sir Noman. What. A. Crock."

Before I could voice any kind of retort, there came a knocking on our room's door. We all stopped what we were doing and watched what we said as a purple-capped guard eased the door open after being permitted to come in.

"Excuse me. Sorry to disturb you, but His Highness would like a word with Sir Noman in his private study."

Carys raised her head. "Just the two of them? Alone?" She was instantly suspicious. "What for?"

"As I understand, it has something to do with his help quelling today's disturbance at the relief food distribution."

"Feh. More empty accolades." Carys dismissed, giving me a shooing motion. "Well, off you go, brave Sir Noman. Go to him so he can pat you on the head and tell you what a good boy you are."

My mouth was a thin line as I scowled at the floor before following the guard out of the room. He guided me down the halls and corridors, leading me to an iron door deep in the heart of the bastion. There was a button beside it, which I clicked to open the door before I was ushered inside.

It was a fairly cozy room. Carpeted, with bookshelves and chests lining the back wall. Though there wasn't a single window, a few paintings were hung up to spruce up the scenery. A jukebox in the corner played relaxing music I'd never heard before, adding to the room's soothing ambiance. A large ornate desk sat at the back, with King Sdraw sitting behind it. He was currently pouring over some documents, though he heard me come in.

"Ah, Sir Noman! So good of you to answer my summons."

"Your Highness. If you're busy, I can wait-"

"Nonsense, nonsense. I summoned you here to begin with. You'll have to excuse my workaholic habits." He set the books aside and adjusted in his chair. "Please, come in, come in." The iron door closed behind me as I approached the desk, and it seemed like all outside noise was silenced. I hadn't realized the constant droning until it was extinguished by the room's unique construction. I could hear the music of the jukebox in finer detail.

"It's nice, hm?" The king beamed, noticing my reaction. "Had the room soundproofed in my middle years. The quiet helps me think. This used to be a panic room." He added conversationally, his closed eyes roving the room with a great fondness. "Now it's a calm room. Ironic, no?"

"It certainly feels relaxing." I told him, perusing his paintings and getting lost in the music. It was a moderate jazz-like piece played on a piano, saxophone, and double bass, with recorder interludes. "This music-"

"Stal." The king answered, smiling apologetically. "One of my favorite pieces, though, it is my understanding that some new music discs have surfaced thanks to the Bounty Days. I'd love to hear them someday."

"Not to sound rude, Your Highness, but you asked to see me...?" I trailed off uncertainly.

"Ah. Yes. I prattle." The king stood up straighter in his seat, his hands folded over his desk as he directed his closed-eyes stare at me. "Captain Lizabet just got through telling me - or, more appropriately, extolling - the wonderful work you did helping her quell the mess at the food distribution. Nothing but glowing praises on how you acted without a second thought, getting to the scene ahead of her and subduing my precious citizens without killing or excessively harming them." He nodded proudly. "Well done, Sir Noman. Very well done."

"A-Ah." I blushed at the praise. "It was nothing Your Highness-"

"No, it was everything." He dismissed my dismissal with an airy wave. "Your group is already taking on extra burdens off of my shoulders, and then you go and do this. Words cannot express my gratitude. And you do this all selflessly."

I twinged, feeling an uncomfortable niggling of guilt. It was my fault Exter was in the Hackers' line of sight.

The king noticed. "Does what I say displease you?"

"No, Your Highness. No."

"I see." He spoke softly, not believing me but knowing not to pry. "Still, I personally wanted to thank you for what you've done. I would be devastated if anything happened to my treasured Captain. You've eased her burdens helping her, and eased my burdens, besides. For that, I am grateful." He breathed out a low groan as the music on the jukebox came to an end, forcing him to get up and reset the disc to play the song anew. He lingered there, his hands bracing himself as he leaned on the jukebox for support. "Keeping people alive out here," he spoke with his back to me, "keeping them full of hope, it can be daunting."

I could tell he was struggling with the pressure from Dover Plains, the Hackers, the cultists, the Ten Eyes, and whatever else being a king entailed.

"I'd say you've made a good life here." I said as a means to console him.

"You too must make a life, Noman." He turned to impress upon me. "Take your destiny into your own hands. Fate cannot hold shape by itself, it requires a constant, steady hand. It is a lesson I learned in my many years as king."

"How long have you been monarch?"

"Since... what has it been, now? I started in 165..."

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "You've been king for three-hundred-and-thirty-five years!"

"No, no! Of course not." The king denied. "Not for lack of trying." He added conspiratorially.

"What do you mean?"

The king sighed as he returned to his seat and sagged into it. "I've been a fair and just ruler, bringing prosperity to my people, but I've always done so with the intent of stepping down from my throne and entrusting Exter to another. I've had heirs; people I've nurtured and trained, imparted with all the skills necessary to lead this great kingdom as I have." His forehead fell into his hands. "But every time I think I've found a winner, I cruelly have the rug pulled out from under me."

While I listened, I couldn't help but recall that the cultist mastermind in the bastion we were searching for had to have been around for at least three-hundred-and-ten years. That made King Sdraw a suspect.

"Although I was elevated to monarch three-hundred-and-thirty-five years ago, those years haven't been in service consecutively. I've been king on again and off again for all this time. Sometimes for long stretches, sometimes for short ones. It's a combination of my heirs getting assassinated, buckling under the stress, or abdicating in favor of me because they fear they can't live up to my reputation. It doesn't help that problems keep arising. The Hackers turning their sights on us scared off a lot of my council. My latest heir, Ildar_Ibragimov, was slated to take the throne late next year before he, forgive my crudeness, hiked up his skirt and fled for the hills, the craven. Now I have to worry about finding a new heir, and devote time out of my busy schedule to train them, not even knowing whether they'll stay or go, give up or get assassinated. It's... just... painful..." He lamented with a worn sigh, though his apologetic smile remained. He never really dropped that look; maybe he did have a facial condition.

"Anyway, it matters not." He recovered fast. "Sorry to air my grievances on you. I know you must have better things to do." His closed-eyed smile regarded me proudly. "You do well to shape your own fate, actively embodying your noble nature."

I chuckled wryly. "I just manned up and stopped whining. Besides, all life is precious."

King Sdraw went still. "...What did you say?"

"...All life is precious?" I guessed. "It's a quote from-"

"-The Art of Peace." He answered, stunning me.

"You... know of the Art of Peace?"

The king beamed before wordlessly reaching to the bookshelf behind him, into a chest, and withdrawing a book from it. He pressed it to his forehead as if committing it to memory.

"'The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace.'" He quoted.

"'Everyone has a spirit that can be refined,'" I joined in, a growing smile spreading, "'a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow!'"

"'Never fear another challenger, no matter how large.'" He continued.

"'Never despise another challenger, no matter how small!'" I laughed. "You really have read it! I can't believe it! I never thought I'd meet another aikido practitioner!"

"The word you're looking for is Aikidoka. It's what practitioners of Aikido are called." King Sdraw gently corrected. I hadn't even known that. "But yes, I've read it. A lot of what Aikido preaches resonates with me, particularly its stance on nonviolence."

"'To injure an opponent is to injure yourself. To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace.'"I recalled eagerly, recognizing its importance. "Yes, you're so right."

"I myself abhor violence. It's needless, senseless, mindless brutality. You'll never catch me so much as holding a weapon." He revealed. "No, I prefer to win my fights without fighting."

"Negotiating." I caught on. "Talks. Compromising. Finding common ground."

"Mm." Sdraw hummed. "Centuries ago, when I passed laws to dismantle the Exterian war machine, I did so to ease the troubled minds of our neighbors. Exter was a stratocracy that only grew more and more powerful, and power-hungry as the years waned. It was only a matter of time before the insatiable craving for violence turned us against the other kingdoms, so I turned towards de-escalation. De-escalation from the brink of imminent war. A war that would see hundreds of thousands of Crafters dead. I didn't want that." He sighed heavily. "I still don't want that, yet here I am centuries later, trying desperately to stem the tide of war. The Art of Peace proved to be a tonic for my pain, though at times it feels more like a distant light I'm clinging to in a sea of darkness."

"I feel that way too." I revealed, my thoughts turning contemplative. "With Carys. She wants to fight every problem in her way, and I'm just trying my best to keep the body count low. Being around her has made it incredibly difficult to do good deeds to feel proud of."

Maybe that was why I enjoyed doing humanitarian work with Captain Lizabet. As a knight, I finally had an outlet for my kind-hearted nature.

And just thinking about all those lives at risk, between Exter and Dover Plains, inspired me to want to do more. There was more I could be doing! I had the power of the artifacts backing me up. Instead of selfishly using them for myself, I should be using them for the sake of others. Notch meant for them to save the world, so they should be used to save the world.

"I want to help more." I blurted out to the king. "Please, before you say anything," I cut off his protests, "I'm doing this for me. I want to feel worthy. I want to do good deeds. This is the outlet I've been craving for months, and seeing the lives I'm saving is more gratifying than any mean reward. Please, Your Highness. You need all the help you can get, and I'd be gosh darned if I didn't help a fellow Aikidoka."

After my rant, I was afraid the king would refuse, but he instead leaned back in his chair, his apologetic smile brimming with pride.

"If you're looking for work, check in with Captain Lizabet regularly. Zipshin knows she needs the extra help, and she'll be eager to work alongside you, I'm sure."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" I nodded happily. "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

I left the private study with an extra pep in my step. And, for a brief moment, I was able to quit my worrying about Lenz.

But not for that long.

[Lunar Castle: Throne Room]

Jillian paced before her throne and the combined forces of Paragons, guards, Captains, and Birds of Prey who had been involved in the Eastern Division HQ siege. They all were waiting on tenterhooks as she, Queen Jillian, repeatedly tried to convince Carys via map message to green-light the hostage exchange for Lenzington. Her silver tongue and deft hand at diplomacy were being put to the test. Every word she sent was a fine needle, meticulously crafted with the sole intent of getting through Carys' thick skin. When appeals to logos failed, she tried ethos. When appeals to ethos failed, she tried pathos. And when appeals to pathos failed, she took a breath, recomposed herself, and tried rewording all her bullet points from the top. It was a sight to behold watching a master negotiator at work, Jillian speaking aloud the messages she sent to help her focus.

"You have three Beginners with you, two of them being powerhouses. You think they'll obediently follow your orders if you don't at least pretend to care for Lenzington's safe return?"

"Notaman barely obeys me anyway! He's too busy stroking his own hero complex by gallivanting headlong into fights we have no business fighting! This knighthood has only worsened things; he and Lizabet are off being chivalrous or some shit. His head's so swollen from this knighthood, I wouldn't put it past him to have forgotten all about his friend, or why he's even fighting the cult in the first place!"

"And what about Cobb? If he's still out there, he'd want you to do the trade. Our continued alliance depends on it."

"Oh, you act like that massterbaitor is the messiah, the one who'll be the key to taking down the Endward Cult. Who's the one who led the Paragons this far? ME. Who's the one who saved Zeppil, your home kingdom? ME. Who elevated you to Queen of Nitebane by slaying Hackers? ME. I did those things, not Cobb. It's my interests you should be thinking of, not his."

"I am thinking of your interests!" Jillian sounded offended as she sent the message. "Every member of your inner circle - advisors you handpicked to advise you - are advising you to do the trade! Your prized assassin is threatening to leave if you don't! We are representing your interests as Paragons! Our loyalty is to you, and to our shared goal to see the Endward Cult fall to ruin! Lenzington is a powerful ally - one who won us the Vivlio Zythopoiias!" She shook the powerful artifact in her possession for emphasis, even as Z7 tensed at the mention of Lenz's name. "He's worth trading for!"

"Did you even see Lenzington?

"No, but I can get proof of life when the trade goes down. I'm not an amateur."

"You're certainly letting your emotions get the better of you like an amateur."

"If anyone's letting their emotions get in the way of clear, reasoned thought, it's you. Even if we trade one Hacker, we'll still have one left to protect ourselves with. We have plenty of noteworthy fighters to oversee the trade and ensure it goes smoothly. I can assign more guards to Llewellyn and heighten security. We can take the necessary steps to maintain a tenable position."

"All I can see is you bringing Nitebane one step closer to getting Nuked."

"It won't come to that. Despite the circumstances that elevated me to this position, I am Queen, and I've come to care for this kingdom we've rebuilt. I wouldn't do this carelessly." Jillian stressed. "Cobb brought these prisoners to us, so wouldn't it make sense to trade them for Cobb's sake? It's owed him. A lot of us are awaiting news on Cobb and our missing Paragons. Lenz can give us those answers. Maybe they're in trouble and Lenz can give us information on their whereabouts. You of all people should crave that. Don't you care about the old man? Don't you want to know he's safe?" Jillian paused before bringing out the big guns. "Or are you that afraid to find out for certain what happened to him?"

There was a lull in the messages - a brief moment of disquiet - where Carys didn't immediately respond. Jillian thought she had finally gotten through to her until the next words came, slow and purposeful.

"Jillian, you are treading on some mighty thin ice right now, and I should warn you to think very carefully before you say whatever you're about to say."

Jillian chewed her lip as she read the blip's incessant flashing.

"I am not afraid of anything. This trade is a lousy idea, and I don't want to hear one more word about how Cobb would react to this just because he's managed to pull the wool over your eyes. Think for yourself for a goddamn minute!"

At those words sent over in anger, something in Jillian snapped. Her face twisted, then mellowed into a thin veneer of calmness that made the watching Paragons tense. Jillian seemed to have decided on something, and it was with a steady hand and voice that she made her intentions known.

"Very well, Carys." She spoke in a dangerous yet composed tone. "This is me thinking for a goddamn minute."

The Team Delta members covered their mouths, unable to look away as Jillian proceeded to mouth off to Carys.

"I am of the opinion that you are showing questionable judgment at present. Baltic's unexplained disappearance has made you irrational, and you are letting your emotions color your decisions."

Carys' blip buzzed angrily like an alarm clock Jillian was too lazy to hit snooze on. She didn't bother translating it, focusing solely on relaying the stone cold facts.

"This isn't the first time you've let your emotions sway your decision-making - the last time being wasting Paragon resources hunting Cobb and his friends down for slaying your pig - nor do I doubt it will be the last. However, we need clear heads here, and, if enough people tell you that you're drunk, maybe it's time for you to sit down."

The angry blip continued to flash, Jillian catching a word here and there, none of them nice.

"Therefore, in light of your questionable judgement, I am assuming command of the activities here in Nitebane. I will take full responsibility for whatever happens, I will go through with the hostage exchange, and I will see that it goes smoothly, and that Lenzington," again, Z7 perked up at the mention of his name, "is returned to us, safe and sound."

Jillian knew Paragons all across Minecraftia would see her challenging Carys' absolute authority. Disobeying a direct order like this was treason, but following someone blindly when they weren't thinking right was even worse. The Beginners would hear all this from the other Paragons and hopefully retain faith in the alliance. They were too valuable as allies to make hostile now. Carys should've known that, but, again, she wasn't thinking clearly.

"I will keep you apprised as events unfold," Jillian smiled watching the blip's continued flashing, "and I thank you for your understanding."

Jillian put away her map, ending the
correspondence and ignoring what was surely Carys screaming bloody murder at her. Instead, she turned to the watching Paragons and clapped her hands, feeling refreshed.

"Okay! The exchange is green-lit." Jillian pointedly ignored the queasy-looking Paragons who were looking down at their maps as they were being ordered by Carys to subdue Jillian for insubordination. Defying Carys was suicide, but they had to admit that Jillian had some good points. It helped that the people backing her - Z7, Alfonso, Lathrop - were powerful and had a vested interest in getting Lenz back alive.

"Lenz...?" Z7 spoke hopefully in common, trying to discern the team's intent. "Lenz...?"

"Lenz, Lenz, Lenz." Jillian spoke back with a nod, her intent conveyed. Z7 had eyes like steel, ready for action.

"You better bring that book of yours with you. No way am I risking my life without a few buffs." Alfonso advised while loading his crossbows for the inevitable meeting.

"Everyone's getting a buff, and totems." Jillian assured. "There will be zero risk for this exchange. Fetch Hannah and double - no, triple security on Llewellyn. We can't lose our last Hacker." The Team Delta Paragons saluted before scrambling to obey. "Captains Attila, Fo, and Paolo. Might you be inclined to accompany me to the exchange?"

Attila readily assented, but Fo and Paolo shook their heads. "Not to sound cowardly, but we don't want to draw the Hack Clan's unwanted attention. Cultists, we'd happily fight against, but Oak Docks and Zeppil don't have Hacker shields like you do."

"We can coordinate our fleet of airships to surround the exchange," Captain Fo offered, "but that's all. I hope you understand."

"I get it." Jillian reassured. The alliance was only agreed upon to lay siege to the cultists; there was never any mention of the Hackers. They were already going above and beyond by offered the fleet when they could've just as easily flown back to their kingdoms.

Jillian still had the two Birds of Prey, Z7, herself, Trenay, and any of the countless Paragons who no longer feared the Hack Clan. She'd be negotiating without Cobb this time, but she wasn't afraid. With totems and the Vivlio Zythopoiias, she felt she was ready for anything.

...Except for when Carys returned to Nitebane.

[Carys]

I contemplated how long it would take to fly from Exter to Nitebane with Wonder Wings, a backpack full of rockets, and my unyielding rage. Probably not by midnight, when the exchange would go down. It was that fact alone that restrained me from trying it, but I was mad.

Jillian would have never questioned me like this before. Her loyalty was without question after I saved her kingdom. I thought while I burned off my frustrations with another session of flight training. I was learning to make tight turns now, preparing for flight in narrower spaces. But one encounter with that massterbaitor and she's gone insubordinate.

It wasn't just her, either. On some level, all my closest Paragons were compromised. Anibal was getting chummy with Soul, Kal and Floyd were training together to attempt to awaken a second Humility user, Z7 was playing tonsil tennis with the nerd and involved enough to threaten to leave the Paragons if I disregarded his safety.

What's happened to my Paragons? I thought. My carefully chosen band of badasses are slowly being corrupted by the Beginners. The alliance wasn't supposed to go this way. I scowled while making a sharp turn in the air. It's Cobb's blasted influence. His weakness, spread to his Beginners, has permeated my Paragons. Turned them against me. I'm not making rash decisions. I'm of sound mind, and how dare Jillian doubt me. I took a sharper turn before angling upwards right after, executing a swift barrel roll without clipping any of the bastion's walls. The sense of accomplishment for pulling off such a feat did absolutely nothing to quell my anger. And how dare she bring up Mr. Piggles!

I continued to practice my flying past sunset and well into the night. It wasn't my rockets that ran out this time, but the durability on the wings. I had to stop and repair them, but I didn't have the Phantom Membranes for it. I'd need to go shopping for them tomorrow. Maybe even build up a reserve stock of membranes and rockets in my ender chest to keep me airborne for the foreseeable future.

Since I squeezed in all the practice I could, I grumpily collected my stuff, planning to retire to the bastion. I imagined my arrival would spoil their chummy atmosphere. I was the undesirable presence. They knew I was in a bad mood and to watch what they said around me. My Paragons likely couldn't wait to tell the Beginners about Jillian's disobedience, and that their nerd would soon be saved. They were probably glued to the maps, knowing that vital news was just a little while away.

"Reeeeee~"

I stumbled, then straightened, my eyes flashing dangerously as they scanned the surroundings. That familiar echoing pig squeal was making a resurgence.

"Reeeeee~"

"This is really starting to get old." I called out, trying to appear unfazed. There was still no sign of whoever - or whatever - was making that sound. It sounded close, though.

"Reeeeee~ CaaaaaaReeeeee~" I brought out the scythe as the squeal's echo took on a chilling inflection. It tried to sound out my name. "CaaaaaaReeeeees~ CaaaReees~"

"Okay, mister ghost piggy. You wanna play games?" I hefted my scythe into both hands. "Let's play some games."

I lunged forward towards my best guesstimate for where the invisible source of sound was coming from, lashing out with my diamond scythe as I moved. I hit nothing, but it sounded like the squeals were getting further away.

"CaaaReees~ CaaaReees~"

"You think it's funny riling me up this way!?" I shouted, pursuing the echoing squeals to the bastion's front door. "Well I'm not laughing!"

The doors were already open as the squeals guided me to them, a pair of guards standing watch. The purple-capped guards didn't bat an eye at the squealing echos and instead bid me a mundane greeting.

"Ma'am. Returning from your evening practice?"

"CaaaReees~ CaaaReees~"

"Are you two gonna sound the alarm or what?" I rounded on them, their faces becoming bewildered. "Hello!? The noise! Aren't you gonna report the noise as a suspicious disturbance?"

The guards looked at each other in confusion. "...What noise, ma'am?"

"The noise! The pig squealing! Can't you hear it?"

The guards stopped talking and perked their ears, tilting their heads left and right like satellite dishes to try and pick up the faintest sounds. It was unnecessary since the squeals were reaching a fevered crescendo.

"Careeeeees~! CarEEEEEES~! REEEEEES~! REEEEEES~!"

"I'm not hearing anything." One guard muttered to the other. "You?"

The other guard shook his head only to flinch as I waved my scythe at them.

"Don't tell me you can't hear it! You're lying to mess with me! The squealing is as clear as day!"

"C-Calm down, ma'am-"

"TELL ME YOU HEAR IT TOO!"

"Y-Yes, okay!" One guard threw out frantically. "W-We hear it! Definitely! It's there! Just please, ma'am, point that scythe somewhere else."

"Yeah, we hear it. We definitely hear it. So you can put the scythe away, ma'am."

I could tell they were just trying to humor me, which made me feel more annoyed than ever. They looked at me as if I was crazy!

"REEEEEES~! REEEEEES~!"

"Ugh! Out of my way, idiots!" I bowled past the bewildered guards as the source of the squeals went deeper into the bastion. I ignored the guards calling out to me as I hurriedly chased the squeals up the stairs towards the corridor I had first heard them.

When I rounded the corner of the corridor leading back to the guest rooms, however, the squeals abruptly died out without a trace.

"Don't you shut up now!" I screeched into the empty hall. "Show yourself, you coward!"

The only sound was my shallow breathing as I jerked my head left and right, scanning for any hint of noise.

It's gotta be someone with an Invisibility Potion. I tried to rationalize, one hand pressing against my frantically beating heart to steady it. They're mimicking a pig's squeals because they know - they think - it'll get to me. It's not. This is just them trying to scare me.

And as for those guards not hearing it, I thought next, struggling for an explanation, they... must be in on it. Yeah! That's it! They were told beforehand to act deaf, make me think I'm the only one hearing things. Make me think I'm unhinged. Well, I'm too clever for them. I'm gonna interrogate them myself. Make them admit messing with me. Heh! We'll see how hard of hearing they are after I'm through with them!

Not wanting to waste any time, I rushed back to the room we were staying in. Everyone was still up - as I predicted - looking at their maps. I noticed them tense up, but that could just be because I burst into the room, the vestiges of anxiety still lingering on my face.

"I need a few of you to come with me. We need to apprehend two guards for questioning. Possibly cultists."

"Seriously?" Anibal stood up, ready and willing to volunteer. "How'd you sniff them out?"

Before I could answer, another voice broke the silence.

"That can wait. For now, I have some juicy gossip to share."

The voice came from the balcony, a feminine Zombie-masked figure wearing red and purple sitting casually atop the balustrade. She bopped her foot rhythmically while peering at us.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but, to the Beginners' credit, they responded instantly. Floyd activated his Speed Hack and rushed before the intruder in the blink of an eye. Then, with black smoke billowing off of him, he grabbed her by the shirt and hauled her off the balcony, flinging her inside with his Strength Hack where she was caught and unmasked by Kal and Soul.

"Ahh, that's a no-no." The female intruder spoke in a strained voice as she was unmasked and apprehended in record time. The now revealed Laplap, with short, brown hair, smiled ruefully as she was forced to her knees before me. "Getting exposed this early is a bit embarrassing."

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" I asked with my scythe resting against her neck. Laplap tilted away from it, though she didn't appear overly concerned.

"As I said before, I come bearing the gift of juicy gossip." Laplap smiled. "I'm a spy, a member of the Ten Eyes. Perhaps you've heard of us...?"

"Yeah, the spy guild who serve as Mox's lapdogs. Guess that makes you her Laplapdog." Anibal joked.

"...That was terrible." Soul cringed.

"Screw you. Her name is freaking Laplap and your cat's name is Cat-Face."

"It's short for Kitty Cat Meow Face."

"I am here," the spy soldiered on valiantly, "to volunteer some juicy information about the cult you're so obsessed with." Laplap smirked as she saw she had my attention. "I've been watching you for a while, waiting for my chance to meet face-to-face."

"So it was you making those pig noises, wasn't it?"

Laplap looked momentarily put-off as she raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Pig noises, what? I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, sounding believable.

"Ah, forget it." I tried to cover myself, even while I could feel several pairs of eyes staring at me and my weird confession. "A-Anyway, what's this supposed 'juicy gossip'?"

Laplap regained her easy smile. "I'm glad you asked. That Western Division HQ you're keen on finding? It's located in the hollowed out Sinarka Volcano to the west of here. It's covered by a layer of lava to dissuade prying eyes, making it the perfect hiding spot for a cultist lair."

There was a moment of quiet as we processed the information. The sought after location of the cult's Western Division HQ. Could it be that easy, handed to us on a silver platter?

"Of course it's a volcano lair." Soul remarked to himself, punching his open palm. "Evil villains always gotta have their volcano lairs. It's a cliché as old as time."

"Why tell us this?" Reuben asked suspiciously. "You work for Mox, and she's affiliated with the cult. Giving this information away seems like you're shooting yourselves in the foot."

"Or it's a trap." I added, pressing my scythe more intently against Laplap's neck. "One designed to lead us to our graves."

"Our Spider Queen had a bit of a falling out with the cult you're so fond of. She no longer has any ties with them. However, she knew some incriminating things, and she wanted certain deliverables from the Western Executive, so she had us blackmail him, threatening to leak his HQ's location, followed by his identity, should he continue his unruly behavior and fail to meet our demands."

I stood a bit taller. "So then, you know who the Western Executive is?"

"Certainly." Laplap nodded. "I also know other things you'd be eager to hear, like who his other Lieutenant is, or the means to how the Endward Cult is making their soldiers part-Mob."

The group stirred, a palpable tension in the air.

"Do you feel like sharing any of this?"

"Not at this time, no." The spy shook her head maddeningly, the buildup of tension deflating. "If we expose all of the Executive's secrets, we'd lose our leverage and have nothing more to blackmail him with. It's in our best interests to leak the intel slowly, and to a foe paranoid enough to check every lead to verify what's true and what's false. I.E. you."

"What you call paranoia, I call hypervigilance." I replied. There was a good chance the spy could be lying, but, like she said, we'd check for ourselves if her intel was any good.

Whatever was happening between the cult and the Ten Eyes, it sounded like in-fighting to me. And here I thought only I suffered from it. It was nice to know no group of people were immune to it.

"So nothing can convince you to give up more of what you know?" I asked casually.

"Afraid not. We have to keep some secrets."

"I see." I took a step closer, my presence looming over the spy. "And - just throwing it out there - what's keeping us from making you our prisoner and interrogating you to within an inch of your life until you spill everything you're withholding."

There was a saying about 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', but I'd had enough allying with enemies I didn't want as friends. Helpful Laplap may have been if her information was worth anything, she was still a spy by trade, and loyal to the Spider Queen, Mox. Extracting intel from her seemed the way to go.

Far from being intimidated by my threat, Laplap smirked. "Two words: Stasis Chamber. It was such a novel idea that the Ten Eyes copied it. All our spies have one in case they go on suicide runs, much like this one. I'll be warping out any minute now, and there's nowhere near enough time for you to torture something out of me."

"Wanna bet?"

I surged forward, seizing Laplap by her shirt and hauling her overhead. The Beginners and Paragons flinched at the suddenness as I brought the spy up and slammed her into the floor. Then I stamped a foot on the back of her elbow and wrenched her arm the other way, snapping it in a dry crunch. The spy's smile dropped and tears came to her eyes as she screamed and curled around her ruined arm. I didn't give her time to recover, stomping on her leg next and breaking it before I dragged her face before mine. If she really had a Stasis Chamber set, I was on the clock and had to work fast to get something useful out of her.

"Eyes up here, Laplap. Who's the Executive? Is he in this bastion? What's his name?" I questioned in quick succession, smacking her face to get her to focus. "You'll find I can do a lot of damage in a short time, so you better start talking!"

"Nn..." She gave a pained smile. "Too... late..."

Laplap warped right out of my fingers. One moment I was getting ready to pop her knee off with my scythe, the next she was gone. I cursed and my hands fell to my sides before they punched the floor.

"First thing tomorrow, we're going on a scouting mission to the Sinarka Volcano." I announced to the group before I stood tall. "But right now, we tend to the two guards that are suspected cultists. They're standing watch at the front doors. Reuben, Albert, bring splash potions. We'll apprehend them before they have the chance to escape."

"What makes them suspects?" Noman asked.

"Are you questioning my judgement?" I rounded on him. "You want a reason? Because I said so! If that's not good enough for you, you can go do chivalric community service under Lizabet, Sir Noman." I sneered at his title, shutting him up.

No Paragon questioned me as we filed out to the front doors. The pair of guards were still there and they didn't run as we approached. They could only recoil in confusion as we seized them, then they protested noisily before being paralyzed and knocked out. The Beginners exchanged wary looks as it all went down, the situation appearing as if we detained two seemingly innocent, unsuspecting guards. They could act innocent all they liked, I knew they had something to do with the pig squeals I was hearing. Why else would I hear the sounds but not them? They were feigning deafness to make me think I was going crazy.

It was the only logical explanation.

[Brimstone Bastion: Sdraw's Private Study]

King Sdraw stuck to his private study like glue all day and all night. Nothing could pry him from it, and he told his guards and Captain as much, citing the reason to be him dealing with the fallout of Dover Plains' trade embargo. He did have a lot on his plate, even with the Paragons assuming responsibility in handling both the cultists and the Hackers, so it made sense he needed his own secluded, quiet corner to think. A safe space. If anyone needed something of the king, they had to meet him in his private study.

The actual reason for this was that the king was expecting a confrontation, and he wanted to choose his ground. Dispersive ground.

As such, he was notarizing some important books when the iron door of his office clicked open. He looked up and saw two, familiar, Zombie-masked figures waltz in like they owned the place. The Ten Eyes spies again. It was the cheery one garbed in gold and silver, and the calm one garbed in green and brown.

"Don't get up." The green and brown one threatened, pulling a loaded crossbow on Sdraw. "Don't speak, either. The time for talking is over. Now you listen."

Sdraw's perpetual apologetic smile plastered his face as he sat back in his seat, one hand hidden in his lap as he subtly took out a wooden plank from his belt and tumbled it around in his hand.

"The Ten Eyes are disappointed in you, Sdraw." The cheery spy in gold and silver began, his figure walking over to the jukebox and popping the record out, ending the soothing music. "We thought you were smarter than this." The man tutted his tongue chidingly. "We forewarned you of the consequences should you fail to deliver, and instead you bring the Angel of Death into your bastion, thinking it would keep us from contacting her and revealing your secrets. You underestimate us, Your Cultishness, and now it's going to cost you."

Sdraw's apologetic smile didn't falter, but neither did the spies.

"For failing to provide either the Heads or Spring's death by Hacker hand, we've taken the liberty of leaking the Western HQ's location to Carys and her Paragons. There's no point trying to negotiate or contest this; it's happening as we speak. We deliver on our threats, Sdraw. And now that you're aware of this, you know what we'll reveal to Carys next. Your precious identity will be leaked, as will your Lieutenant's, the next time you decide to disobey us."

Sdraw continued to roll the wooden plank around in his hand, seemingly unfazed by the news.

"Hmph. Play it cool all you like. We know we have the advantage." The cheery spy remarked. "You will give us the Heads and Hacker aid we requested, and you will deliver them by first light tomorrow. Fail to do so, and we will bury you. Are we clear?"

Sdraw tilted his head back and looked to the ceiling, refusing to answer right away. It was apparently a rhetorical question, however, since the cheery spy was already turning to leave.

"You have an enjoyable evening, Your Cultishness."

Sdraw crafted the wooden plank in his palm into a button and placed it under his desk at a specific spot before clicking it.

When the two spies tried to open the iron door, they found that the button beside it wouldn't work. They pressed it three or four times and still couldn't get the door to open.

Because Sdraw had just locked it. His desk was the control center for redstone circuitry wired under the floor, and it was wired to contraptions all throughout his study. It was only a matter of placing a button in the right place, hence why he kept innocuous wooden planks at his belt. He could easily and subtly make them into buttons while at his desk.

The door locking mechanism wasn't the only thing he had up his sleeve.

In the time it took the spies to struggle with the door, Sdraw had crafted another button from a plank at his belt and stuck it under his desk at another specific spot. When the spies whirled on Sdraw, weapons drawn, to demand to be let out, Sdraw clicked the next button, opening up panels in the ceiling. From these panels, Lingering Potions fell to the floor area leading up to the door. Thick, swirly clouds of gray and gray blue permeated the spies' half of the room, suffusing them with Weakness and Slowness and toppling them like a pair of... dominoes.

"...What is the meaning of this?" The cheery spy (now not-so-cheery) demanded. He and his ally strained against the paralysis to no avail.

With the large cloud having done the initial ensnaring at a lower potency, Sdraw placed another button at a specific point to dispense Splash Potions of Weakness and Slowness upon the spies, increasing the dosage and duration in which they couldn't move. They were well and truly boned now.

Sdraw stood up from his seat. "As a doctor would say to a physical therapist who worked his clients too hard, I'm afraid you've exhausted my patience." Sdraw walked right up to the downed spies and crouched down to eye level, smiling apologetically into their masked faces all the while. "And if that horrendous dad joke didn't kill you, I will."

"...Heh. Kill us? Don't make me laugh you miserable little toad." The cheery one tried to rally himself, even with his body limp and half his face pressed into the carpet. "You think we came here without a backup plan? If we don't make it back in one piece, our fellow Ten Eyes spies have orders to leak your identity and everything else we know immediately! Haha! You showed your hand too soon!"

"He's right. You screwed up." The one garbed in green and brown said, equally as limp. "You can't kill us without being taken down with us. Begging our forgiveness is your only recourse now."

This time, Sdraw was the one chuckling. "How typically short-sighted and deliciously ironic of you spies, so busy prying into the business of others that you don't even realize the people you employed are dead."

"What nonsense is this?"

"You don't believe me? Well, allow me to show my work. Sdraw placed a hand on the cheery one's Zombie mask. "You're named FelixFelisus," Sdraw guessed before unmasking the previously cheery but now worried man, verifying his answer. "And you, you're named Woodrop." Another unmasking, another correctly identified spy. "Two for two. Hooray for me."

"How... how could you know who we are?" Woodrop began to panic. "We never unmasked ourselves in your presence. We were careful not to mention our names-"

"I had outside help, from a Hacker who specializes in tracking." Sdraw explained lightly. "He followed you back to your base on my orders."

"That's impossible!" Woodrop refused to believe it. "We checked for tails! He couldn't have followed-"

"Andrey's FreeCam Hack lets him fly, move through walls, and appear invisible. You can't throw off a tail when they're an astral projection."

Woodrop paled, but Felix held onto his bravado to the end. "So what? You can't kill all our spies! If even one of them gets away, your identity is toast! You have to let us go or else risk-!"

"I repeat, 'the people you employed are already dead.'" Sdraw spoke it louder.

[Ten Eyes Guildhall]

It was complete and utter pandemonium, and it happened in the span of a few short hours.

First came the appearance of Mox, the Spider Queen herself. Her arrival was the subject of much speculation considering the maps said she was flying over Dover Plains. However, before her spies could put two and two together, she was allowed inside and to the heart of the base. That's when 'she' sloughed off 'her' disguise in a plume of dark smoke and revealed 'herself' as the Hacker Andrey_Nichto.

Then, all hell broke loose. Creatures that were half-man, half-Mob began to appear throughout the Guildhall. They were the Hybrids Mox had spoken about, the cult's newest weapon. Sdraw had left nothing to chance, using eight-million of the Western Division's thirty-million Heads to Hybridize 80% of the cultists he had on hand. That was eight-thousand Hybrids, and it was done the same night Leadstripe Hybridized. It was to make up for the lack of troops with the portals being down, and it was a masterstroke of tactical genius. The Hybrids boasted powers and bloodthirstiness the spies were unprepared for; the Enderman Hybrids alone tore through the base, killing hundreds with their lightning-fast teleportation, long limbs, and superior strength. Add in a second Hacker, Nikitakrylya, and a Hybridized Lieutenant Leadstripe fighting with Blindness and illusions, and the Ten Eyes never stood a chance.

The combined forces of the cultists and Hackers moved through the Guildhall efficiently, slaughtering any spies they could find. Furthermore, Andrey was able to learn of their Stasis Chambers when he was scoping the base out as a FreeCam astral projection, and then later while Spoofed as Mox.

While Stasis Chambers were great for those taking risks outside of them, they had a crippling weakness if they couldn't properly be defended, as the spies forcefully returned to the Guildhall were learning. The Hybrids filled their Stasis Chambers with lava and forcefully shut the trapdoors into the suspended ender pearls, warping the designated spies into fiery, liquid death. Laplap was among them, as well as the tan and green garbed one that went to blackmail Sdraw before, Reliquary. Those that survived the blistering agony and crawled out were slain by jeering cultists.

It was a complete and total rout. The Ten Eyes were wiped from existence.

"Heh. Y'know, for pest control, this isn't too bad. I'm actually enjoying myself." Nikita admitted to her brother in between blowing up fleeing spies with her explosive Reach ability. And, like Sdraw said, no risk of a reversal.

[Brimstone Bastion: Sdraw's Private Study]

"That's impossible! You couldn't have-"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." Sdraw smiled apologetically as he talked down to them. "I could tell you bitter truths and you can deny them all night, but I literally have a million better things to do. The bottom line is that the Ten Eyes are no more. So what say we wrap this up, hm?"

The blood drained out of Felix's face. "Wrap up? What-What do you mean by wrap up?"

"I thought you were smarter than this, Felix. It should be obvious." Sdraw chided like a parent to a child as he walked back to his desk and placed one last crafted button on the underside. He clicked it and the floor opened up in a two-meter-by-two-meter square.

"A lesson from The Art of War for you to take to the next life, gentlemen: Never fight an enemy in their element." Sdraw lectured as he casually returned to the downed spies and proceeded to sweep Woodrop's limp body over the carpet and towards the hole. "'Fight the enemy where they are not,' meaning where they're unprepared, as opposed to a personally customized and booby-trapped private study."

"H-Hold on a second-"

"No." Sdraw interrupted Woodrop without stopping.

"L-Listen! We know things! We can tell you all the secrets we know! W-We can make a deal-!"

"We've talked sufficiently, and I have nothing further to add." Sdraw spoke eloquently as he rolled Woodrop the final few feet over the lip of the hole before his body dropped out of sight, the spy screaming as he fell. Felix heard the impact, followed by ferocious squeals intermingled with Woodrop's bloodcurdling screams as something porcine worked away at him.

"Screams like a woman!" Sdraw declared humorously before moving on to Felix. It was his turn now.

"H-HELP!" Felix screamed his head off. "SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP! HEEEEELP!"

"Who are you yelling to? This is a soundproofed room - oh come now, Felix, now you're just embarrassing yourself. At least go with a little dignity." Sdraw admonished. "There we go, eup, over the carpet, eup, aaaand down the garbage chute." Felix screamed as he plummeted to join Woodrop, then screamed louder as the thing that was down turned its sights on him. The screams didn't last too long, though. Sdraw put the stal music disc back in, returned to his desk, and clicked the button to seal the hole in the floor. Then he unlocked his iron door and removed all the buttons from under the table, returning them to his belt for future use.

Sdraw let out a refreshed sigh. "One less thing to worry about." He made a mental note to replace the Lingering and Splash Potions in the concealed dispensers. Then he went right back to notarizing his stack of books to the calming music like nothing had happened.

[Nitebane: Capital Outskirts]

It was midnight.

Jillian approached the meeting spot with cautious steps, a fake Vivlio Zythopoiias held loosely in her hand while the real one was at the top of her backpack, ready to draw. She had a decoy book in case the Hackers thought about stealing it. Accompanying her as her entourage were Z7, Attila, Trenay, Daisy, Eustace, Neiro, Witige, Gregory, Milton, Heather, Luis, Wing, Alfonso, and Lathrop. All of them were imbued with the artifact's best potion buffs - Regeneration, Resistance, Health Boost, Absorption, etcetera - and had three Totems of Undying apiece.

Their hostage, Hannah_Harper, was detained between them, rendered helpless by a combination of Blindness, Weakness, and Slowness. She had plenty of waspish remarks for her situation, but those largely went ignored. The Paragons were focused solely on the Hackers awaiting them at the meetup.

Quentin, the Hacker with the Announcing Hack, was there, as was Youssef_Dreadnought, whom Jillian remembered from the last meeting. He had Lenz in his firm grip, the nerd looking banged up but alive as Youssef held a hand over his mouth. Z7 zeroed in on him immediately and tensed up. There were a dozen other Hackers there, but none of them stood out in Jillian's mind.

And there was one more unwelcome addition to their side.

"Ladies, ladies. So nice of you to join us." Executive Abyssmal greeted suavely, stepping forward and giving a courteous, sweeping bow. Z7 bared her teeth at him through her curtain of hair, remembering what he did to her men.

"Traitorous, cur." Lathrop spat. "How could you sell your guild and your soul to the slime of humanity!?"

Abyssmal ignored his old guildmates and their glares. His eye was solely on Jillian and the potion particles swirling around her. "Carys' puppet, we meet at last. I like your beret. It's classy. I see you came prepared," he nodded to the totems at her belt, "but we have no intention of fighting. We have your boy, you have their girl. Let's make this happen, quick and painless. No one has to get hurt."

Jillian took a close look at the Executive. He looked a bit haggard, with a faint dark ring under his good eye. He stank of sweat and exhaustion, but he appeared in good enough spirits to come to this thing.

However, Teal_Larkspur was supposed to have been with him on the Icarus. She was noticeably absent. Jillian assumed Teal would be the one holding Lenz, since she delighted in using the contact to rile up Z7 like the last time they met.

"Where's your Lieutenant?" Jillian asked.

"What, you want her instead, sweet cheeks?" Abyssmal asked wryly. "My understanding was that you wanted Lenzington here. I suppose I can fetch her if you'd rather have her than this guy-"

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Jillian stopped him. "Noticeably absent Lieutenants of noteworthy skill make me nervous. I sincerely hope you didn't send her on a fool's errand to rescue the Hackers' other sibling."

Jillian had anticipated such a move, and had tripled the Paragons guarding Llewellyn to counter it. There were layers of checkpoints, security, and failsafe traps. It wasn't ironclad indefinitely, but it would be impossible to get far into the detainment facility without being spotted and the alarms being raised. Then Llewellyn's safety could be threatened, and the intruder would be forced to back off.

"Are we doing this or not?" Youssef inquired sharply, smoke gushing from his eyes in a gesture meant to intimidate the Beginner in his grasp. "We want our sister."

"Don't give these bugs anything, my siblings!" Hannah yelled blindly. "Just exterminate these lowly Crafters! Do that and I can die happy!"

"You don't need to be brave, sister, or ashamed." Quentin assured, his voice firm and warm, quieting Hannah's shouting. "You've been scared, held in captivity for weeks, and for that, we've failed you as siblings. But we're here to save you now. We've been patiently standing vigil all this time, waiting for just such an opportunity. We promise, it's gonna be okay, and you can plan your payback in a safe space, surrounded by people who love you."

"We're not leaving you with those vermin, Hannah!" Another Hacker bolstered his brother, the assembled clan members shouting their assent. It moved Hannah to tears, which she tried in vain to hide by bowing her head.

"You guys..."

"Lenz, Lenz!" Z7 shouted incessantly.

"Holy shit she talks! Anyway, the Jibberwoman speaks true. Lenz, Lenz for Hannah, Hannah." The Executive concurred. "I'm glad we could see eye to eye on things."

That had to have been intentional.

Jillian narrowed her eyes as Lenz was ushered forward by Youssef. They're not stalling for time. They want this exchange done as soon as possible. She thought. If their plan was to distract us to mount some sort of rescue on Llewellyn, they would drag this out as long as possible. Same for if they had any other ulterior motive. They're not doing that, though.

Jillian glanced up to the fleet of airships surrounding the meetup, coordinated by Captains Paolo and Fo. They had a wide view of the meetup spot and would alert Trenay - who was watching her linked map - if any unknown element approached. All eyes were on this exchange. Nothing disruptive was happening. So why did Jillian feel something was amiss?

I hope this isn't just me being reminded of Carys' misgivings about this deal. Jillian pondered before waving her hand to signal that Hannah_Harper be brought forward. Captain Attila and Wing slowly escorted the blinded, boneless Hacker.

"Dv'oo szev blf yzxp rm ml grnv, Orggov Tivnorm. Wlm'g kzmrx." Z7 reassured Lenz in Jibberish, barely containing herself from racing forward to him. The engineer held her with his tinted gaze, unable to reply with the hand covering his mouth. His expression was... strangely vague.

"Is our sister tainted? Why can't she move under her own power?" One Hacker questioned sharply.

It was Abyssmal who answered. "I see Weakness, Slowness, and some other potion effects swirling about her. Nothing a bucket of milk won't fix." He brought one out from his backpack. "Lucky for you, your reliable ally, Uncle Abyssmal, brought one along. How obliging am I?"

The Hackers wore ill expressions in place of admitting their thanks to a lowly insect.

The tensest part of the whole exchange process was the actual handing over. Both sides were so distrustful of the other that neither one wanted to be the first to turn over their hostage. Put like this, if one side conceded to hand their hostage first, the other side could hang onto their hostage and screw the conceding side over. So both hostages had to be exchanged simultaneously.

Youssef inched forward with Lenz.

Wing and Attila inched forward with Hannah.

Youssef inched forward with Lenz.

Wing and Attila inched forward with Hannah.

This went on for a while, everyone present - Crafters and Hackers - watching with bated breath. Time seemed to slow down as both sides approached the no man's land between them, meeting in the middle. Attila reached out for Lenz, Youssef reached out for Hannah. Both sides had a hand on both hostages, and they held them there for a good five seconds, their eyes darting nervously.

Then, at the same time, both sides released the other's hostage so that they only had the one they wanted. There was another five second pause, as if anticipating something disastrous would happen. When nothing did, both sides quickly backed off with their preferred hostage in tow. Lenz with Attila and Wing, Hannah with Youssef.

Jillian could finally breathe again. An unrestrained smile split her face before she schooled her features. She had to see this to completion. The Hackers welcomed Hannah back into the fold, administering the milk bucket to her and hugging her deeply, which she returned unashamedly. Similarly, Lenz was quickly brought over. He hadn't been paralyzed, and he could walk under his own power. Odd that the Hackers allowed him his movement, but they did overrely on their Hacks to keep people compliant.

However, as Lenz was brought over, he didn't speak beyond a few vague words, even as Wing and Attila bombarded him with questions about Perry, Baltic, Dwight, and Cobb. He didn't answer any of the questions, and he shrunk away from any contact Wing and Attila made with him.

But when he was close enough, Z7's bare feet pattered against the ground as she ran up and threw herself at Lenz, embracing him wholly. Lenz went rigid, even as Z7 pulled back, parted her curtain of hair, and kissed him full on the mouth. A few Paragons gaped and a few more wolf whistled.

That romantic charge in the air was abruptly ruined when Lenz made a disgusted noise from his sealed mouth and recoiled, shoving Z7 off of him on reflex. Z7 blinked in shock, bewildered by the averse reaction and Lenz's repulsed expression.

"Mviwormt... Ovma... dszg'h dilmt? R gslftsg blf'w yv szkkb gl hvv nv. R'n hl, hl szkkb gl hvv blf! R dzh hl dliirvw zylfg blf!" Z7 confessed, her hands clasped before her chest, heedless of the Paragons and Hackers watching. "Dsvm blf dviv tlmv, nb svzig uvog hl svzeb. R dzh zg gsv nvixb lu nb uvvormth uli blf. Zmw mld, nb svzig hdvooh drgs qlb zg gsv nviv hrtsg lu blf. R'n hliib ru nb vnyizxv xzftsg blf luu tfziw. R gslftsg blf dlfow'ev uvog gsv hznv. Kovzhv, R-R qfhg dzmg gl slow blf."

She held her arms out, silently asking for a hug after pouring her heart out, not that anyone understood what she said. Funny thing was Lenz didn't look like he understood what she said either. He eyes were hidden behind his tinted glasses, but he retained that same vague expression whenever Z7 spoke to him in Jibberish. His arms were uselessly at his side as he could only nod dumbly and make helpless gestures.

Jillian's eyes sharpened as she strode forward. "Say something to her in Jibberish, Lenz." She demanded.

Z7 and the Paragons looked to Jillian questioningly while Lenz kept that vague expression.

"C-Come on, Jillian. What's come over you?" 'Lenz' tried to reassure.

The real Lenz didn't use contractions.

Jillian dug out the real Vivlio Zythopoiias from her backpack and pointed it at Lenz, selecting the Blindness effect. "If you're really Lenz, say something in Jibberish to her! RIGHT NOW!"

Catching her meaning, the other Paragons and Birds of Prey drew their weapons and pointed them at 'Lenz'. All except for Z7, who couldn't understand despite her keen instincts. She stood frozen as 'Lenz' gnashed his teeth into a smug grin, his features sloughing off of him in black vapor to reveal 'himself' as the Hacker JuneGiselle.

"Bleh!" She stuck her tongue out tauntingly before taking off with her Flight Hack, dodging arrows, daggers, and a potion beam from the Vivlio Zythopoiias. She soared back over to the Hackers' side, their voices jeering in unison at having duped the Paragons.

"What is this?" Jillian demanded of the Hackers, her voice carrying to them and trying to remain calm, even while Z7 shook.

"That, little insect, was the Spoof Hack." June answered back haughtily, reveling in her victory. "That traitor Kal didn't stick around long enough to see me awaken that one. The plan had been to use my disguise to infiltrate and find Llewellyn, but I'll settle for having my big sis back." Hannah crowed in victory beside her sister at the Paragons' plight. "Seeing your foolish faces is almost worth the indignity of swapping spit with a disgusting bug." She spat on the ground and wiped her mouth. "Almost."

"Hey, it was my plan." Abyssmal wanted his fair share of credit. "I wrote it all down for you. Even had that wanted poster of Lenz for you to use as reference. And I got you to adjust your voice to match his."

"This wasn't the deal." Jillian scowled. "The deal was Hannah for Lenz, not some cheap imitation."

"Quite right. But, as you say, we're the slime of humanity, so why should we honor our deals?" Abyssmal shrugged uncaringly.

"You-!"

"LENZ!" Z7 suddenly screamed in common, her daggers out and the expression past her curtain of hair thunderous. "WHERE! IS! LENZ!"

[Survival Island]

"Where are you, Lenny~? Come out, come out~ Olly olly oxen free~!"

Lenz shivered, sat down and hugging his knees to his chest as he heard Teal's voice pass close in the night. He was hunkered down in some reeds, the cold ocean air biting through his clothes. A lone iron dagger was clutched tightly in his hand. It may as well have been a toothpick against the predator hunting him.

"Come on, Lenny~! Make this easy on yourself~! It's been two days now. You gotta be freezing out here. Suffering is bad, and I can make it quick if you'll just let me~ Hmhmhmm~"

Lenz screwed his eyes shut, feeling the frantic beating of his own heart. It was so loud, he was sure Teal would hear it as he could hear her pass over his hiding spot. He held his breath, not trusting it not to give him away. He bit his tongue to stop his teeth from chattering in the cold.

"Oh, Leeeenny~" Teal's voice grew fainter as she passed, going to search elsewhere. "What would your buddy Perry think of you now~?"

Lenz stopped holding his breath and instead hugged his knees tighter as he fought the chill that had his body shivering all over.

I need to get off this island.

Inventory (Floyd): 1 Mob Head {Creeper}, 1 Diamond Pickaxe, 1 Iron Sword, 1 Diamond Helmet [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Projectile Protection IV] {Weak}, 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV] {Weak}, 1 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV] {Weak}, 1 Shears, 2 Iron Ingots, 24 Coal, 20 Torches, 30 Apples, 64 Baked Potatoes, 48 Baked Potatoes, 36 Cooked Porkchops, 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, 7 Raw Salmon, 6 Pumpkin Seeds, 30 Apples, 64 Baked Potatoes, 45 Baked Potatoes, 36 Cooked Porkchops, 1 Bucket of Axolotl {Axolittle}, 1 Milk Bucket, 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV, Unbreaking III] {Weak}, 1 Iron Chestplate {Weak}, 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III] {Weak}, 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, 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 {Weak}, 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Golden Boots {Stivali Magma}, 1 Leather Boots {Bottes Zephyr} [Dyed White], 1 Iron Helmet {Weak}, 1 Diamond Chestplate {Weak}, 1 Iron Leggings {Weak}, 1 Iron Boots {Weak}, 1 Diamond Pickaxe, 1 Flint and Steel, 10 Cobwebs, 13 Blocks of Emerald, 3 Emeralds, 1 Ender Chest, 30 Apples, 64 Baked Potatoes, 50 Baked Potatoes, 35 Cooked Porkchops, 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

[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, 9 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 Diamond Helmet [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection III, Unbreaking III], 1 Iron Dagger, 1 Crossbow {Buckner} [Multishot I, Unbreaking III], 1 Crossbow {Devers} [Piercing IV, Quick Charge III, Unbreaking III], 64 Arrows, 38 Arrows, 16 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Large Ball x 7, White x 7}, 16 Firework Rockets {Flight Duration: 1, Large Ball x 7, White x 7}, 5 Ender Pearls, 28 Cooked Porkchops, 17 Apples, 18 Oak Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 1 Bed, 39 Torches, 21 Coal, 1 Map {Paragon Minecraftia}, 1 Bucket, 1 Potion of Invisibility {8:00}, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 3 Ender Chests, 29 Cobblestone, 1 Bow [Flame I], 1 Bow [Power V], 1 Diamond Sword [Sweeping Edge III], 1 Diamond Sword [Fire Aspect II], 1 White Shulker Box {Pocket Box}

White Shulker Box {Pocket Box}: 18 Amethyst Shards, 4 Emeralds, 1 Diamond Sword [Bane of Arthropods V], 1 Diamond Pickaxe [Fortune III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Sword [Smite V], 1 Paper {Gold Citizenship Pass}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Written Book {Citizenship Information: Lev Aronin}

[EXP: 3]

AN: Do I enjoy writing Lenz being in terrible situations? No. But I'mma do it anyway.

I don't even know where to begin on all the stuff that happened this chapter. Maybe you have your best moment. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Leave a Review, please, or chat on the Discord.

And... what's this? A fine mote of Carys backstory? You guys will just gobble that stuff up.

FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. FORUM. DISCORD. GRATIN.