Chapter Text
“It’s unfair.” Allery sulks, tugging at the cloth of the bundle.
Derek smirks, dusting off some of the particles attached to his cloak. “Told you I would be faster.”
It’s only a few minutes away from the village. The sun sinks in the horizon, casting long shadows on them. They sit under a tree for a quick rest, away from the dirt path. Derek removes his helmet to clean the sweat off his forehead. His cloak swooshes with the wind.
“I’m impressed. I didn’t know Allays could fly that fast, heavy bundle in their hands, too.”
“I don’t need your praises.” Allery grins from cheek to cheek, betraying his own words. “The bundle is not heavy, I’m also using magic to balance things out.”
Derek looks at him as he slots the helmet back on his face. “You can do a lot with magic, hm?”
“Yeah?” Allery tilts his head. “I mean, you’re made of magic too since you’re an Enderman and all?”
“I can’t use magic outside of teleportation. Maybe when I'm using an enchanting table, though it's not really the same thing.”
Allery takes a pause. He looks around, and Derek follows his gaze. He sees nothing. “Then… you don’t feel the magic all around us either?”
Derek hums in thought. “I can only perceive a portion of magic from entities. It’s easier with Allays like you, otherwise I have to concentrate. I don’t do it often.”
“Ohh…” Allery nods. “Well, that explains a lot! So,” He crooks a grin. “do you know you are tired and your magic is almost gone?”
Derek looks away. He pats his neck. “I do.”
He steps out of the tree, not very eager to stay in the wild and in the dark. They should hurry and find an inn to rest at.
“Let’s go before the mobs come out.”
“Wait!” Allery closes the distance between them, his faint glow reflecting on Derek’s face and helmet.
Allery lowers his voice. His cheeks are tinted darker as well. “I can help you.”
He places one of his tiny hands on his neck, the other keeping the bundle safe in his clutch. Derek flinches at the contact.
Warmth spreads from Allery’s palm to Derek’s neck, down to every inch of his body, until it reaches his heart like a cloud of condensed heat.
He blinks multiple times and stares at Allery, who retreats his hand and gives him a little smile.
“Better?”
He feels… reinvigorated.
“What did you do?”
“A liiittle magic trick.” He teases.
“Allery. Tell me what you did.”
Allery rolls his eyes, avoiding Derek’s gaze for a time. “You know the thing Allays do? The whole ‘give them an item and they magically connect to you’?” He presents the bundle. “We are connected. Like, when I grabbed this as you fainted. It’s why I keep it close. Well, truth is, I like it a lot and that’s the main reason—but yeah, since we have a connection, we can share magic.”
Derek muses over his words. He pulls his fingers on his chin, ignoring the way his cheeks have started to burn again. “What about when I transferred my magic to you?”
“That’s something I willed to happen! Hm, it’s more accurate to say I absorbed it out of you… it doesn’t always require permission or willingness from the other person.”
He has many more questions for Allery. The topic of magic is not one he had pried too much into. Not for a lack of interest—he would read and consume any book about anything, when a village was big enough to have a library—but for a lack of books on the topic. Maybe he hasn't found a place that possesses a treaty on magic yet. Maybe he will in this village, or he'll just collect questions he can ask to Allery later.
They have all the time in the world, if they're traveling together now.
The thought is enough to warm his heart.
When they reach the edge of the sinkhole, the sun is completely gone beyond the horizon, leaving traces of red and purples in the sky.
The town fills every space of the hole, far deep in a caved in passage that leads further into the darkness (a mine?), few spots illuminated by lanterns that dot the streets. The buildings in stone, despite tall, don’t reach half of the height of the hole, but are definitely bigger than the houses Derek had seen in the previous village. A boardwalk sits on their right, circling the perimeter and sinking down to the lowest level of the hole. In front of them, a wooden construction with a platform and a lever.
“This looks so… COOL!” Allery breaks the silence, ears perked up and wings fluttering in rapid flaps.
Derek nods at his words, smile tugging his lips and not disappearing anytime soon. This is one cool-looking town he’s found. He’s glad for his natural night vision, too, as he observes a man pushing down a cart from another elevator to their east.
He makes a few steps to the boardwalk. Allery follows him, then he darts to the middle of the hole, peering down. Derek follows his gaze; they’re both looking at the elevators.
“Is that thing… flying?”
Derek smiles. “It’s just an elevator. There’s one over there, you want to try?”
His smile widens when Allery nods in quick succession.
They stand on the wooden platform and Derek points to a lever. “You can pull it down.”
Allery does as instructed. “Like thi—”
The elevator jolts a couple times. The rope at the top unfolds and sinks with them into the hole.
“Whoa??? It’s moving!”
Derek laughs. “That’s what elevators do. You should try with your feet down.”
Allery hovers until he touches the wood. The sudden movement of the elevator breaks his balance, and he falls on his rear.
“Wow. It’s… weird! A good weird!” He giggles, cuddling the bundle closer. “Did the people of this place build it?”
“For sure. People build many interesting contraptions with redstone and this elevator is one of them. The lever is linked to a redstone system that sends a signal to the rope when it is pulled down. The rope moves down and the platform follows. The counterweight from the roof and the planks on the four corners makes sure that there is balance and the elevator doesn’t tilt sideways.”
Derek finally exhales a breath.
He realizes too late what he’s done. Panic surges him as he looks at Allery, who watches him like he has never seen an Enderman speak common tongue to his face.
He bursts into a laugh. “Holy Creator! You really are a dork.”
Derek huffs in amusement, not daring to look at Allery after blurting out common knowledge of a redstone-based elevator. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.”
The lower they get, the more Derek realizes how his perception of size had not been accurate. The hole in the wall is massive, spanning the size of ten houses with two floors at the very least. It makes him feel as small as everyone else. It’s the mouth of a monster ready to swallow him whole.
The Overworld is really freaking cool.
The ride comes to a stop. Allery and Derek step out, greeted by a few, curious townsfolks and a guard raising his spear against them.
“Halt! Identify yourself.”
Derek’s smile disappears. His eyes get sharper. “I am Derek, a wanderer.” He raises his hands in the air. “I’m seeking shelter for the night.” He turns to Allery, pointing at him with his chin. “This is my Allay companion.”
The guard stares. Derek must hold his serious gaze well, as the man lowers the spear and relaxes his shoulders. He relaxes as well.
“Welcome to Strad. If you want to enter the town, I’ll have to confiscate your weapons.”
Derek nods. He places the bow and crossbow on a table nearby, then takes the sword in its sheath from the belt.
The guard hums. “There’s an inn behind that building,” He points to his left. “You can stay there for the night. They also provide food if you pay them well.”
“Thank you.”
They walk away in a steady pace.
Allery flies close to him, bumping his hip against his helmet. “Your Allay?” He remarks each word with a tone that Derek doesn’t recognize.
“… I said ‘my Allay companion’. Friend, assistant. What about it?”
Allery laughs with a visible blush on his cheeks. “Since when am I yours?”
Derek realizes the second implication of his words. He blushes, too. “It made sense in context. If I bothered you, I am s—”
“No, I was joking! It’s all good. You—”
“Shh.” Derek hushes him with his hand. A couple passerby look at him, eyebrow raised, and shrug.
“We should avoid talking when we are in public.”
Derek speeds up towards the inn. The building takes its considerable space, walls made of stone and wood with specks of cobblestone. There are a few people lazing around the entrance, which Derek surpasses with Allery in tow.
He takes two emeralds out from the bundle and places them on the counter. “A room for the night and dinner, please.”
The innkeeper takes him to a room at the side, lined with iron tables and chairs. He sits down, while Allery takes his space opposite of him, on top of the table.
“Do you have some red berries?” He asks when the waiter arrives with the house’s specialty. He makes to reach the bundle for another emerald, but the waiter’s hand dismisses him.
“They’re coming right up. On the house.”
There are only a few people in the room, all minding their own business. He gestures at Allery, who grins at his permission to speak.
“Thank you for the berries!”
His glow gets brighter. Derek can’t help but smile and feel warm in his chest.
He savors the meat and the bread. It’s not as fresh as the one he made the night before, but it’s still good. He tries to offer some of his food to Allery, but he shakes his head.
The berries arrive a few minutes later, as Derek bites the last of his meat. Allery quickly scurries over and grabs a berry, stuffing his mouth with the biggest bite he can afford.
Derek shakes his head, smile still hugging his mouth. “Slow down.”
Allery ignores him. He hums as he continues to eat the berry. Derek sighs and places the rest in the bundle.
He takes a quick look around. No one is staring, good.
“Take your time. When you’re done, we’re going upstairs.”
The room for the night is wide enough for the bed and a closet to sit on the opposite side, leaving a space in the middle to reach the window. Derek tries to open it, but the key breaks in the lock.
“… Whoops.”
Allery snickers behind him. Good thing they are not in a warmer biome, or it would have been a problem. He could go downstairs and alert the innkeeper, but he’s had enough socialization for the day.
He removes his armor, helmet, and lies down. He sinks in the mattress, taking in his shape so well he feels trapped in a spider’s net. The pillow, at least, is a little harder. He turns with his back towards the window.
Allery sits next to him, casually tugging at the thin rope keeping the bundle closed.
“Tired?” He whispers.
“A little.” Derek yawns. “Have you actually tried sleeping like you did with eating?”
“Yeah, last night. I can’t seem to fall asleep at all no matter what I try. Don’t worry about me, though! I’ll keep watch.”
Derek chuckles, a low noise in the quiet of the room. He turns to look at him. “We are in a town, Allery. Guards roam the streets at night. You don’t have to.”
“You never know!” Allery laughs as well. His hand stops playing with the bundle and falls back to hold it closer to himself.
Silence returns in the room. Allery hums a little melody with his mouth closed. Derek feels the sleep assault him, his body relaxing after the exertion of using his teleportation powers too many times in a row.
He’s ready to let his consciousness reach the land of dreams when Avery speaks.
“I was wondering, Der… why a knight’s armor for your disguise?”
Oh. That’s a question he hadn’t expected.
He opens an eye and yawns.
“For one, armor is useful to have. It protects me from most attacks, and the helmet covers my face enough that no one questions what’s underneath, they assume I’m a person. It adds to my weight, but it keeps me grounded and focused. It reflects any skeleton’s arrow without me having to teleport.”
He hugs the pillow. “… And, I’ve read many stories with knights in it. I like them.”
“Soo… you wanted to be a knight?” There’s a playful note in Allery’s voice.
“Maybe. I didn’t think much of it. It seemed fitting.”
Allery hums. He sits cross-legged, his hands holding on his feet as he wobbles around. “Where did you take the armor then?”
Derek blushes. Oh, he had to expect this question. Should he tell him the truth? He isn’t obliged to reply, he’s aware of that, but Allery’s look on him is just as intense and waiting for a response. He’ll just have to bite the bullet. This is just normal chit-chat.
“I… I stole it.”
“You what?” Allery blinks. A large smile fills his face. “You’re joking?”
“No.”
He takes a deep breath.
“I was still getting used to the Overworld, and I couldn’t speak common tongue well. The concept of buying something was still new to me. Back at home we would do trading instead.” He buries his face slightly in the pillow. “I went inside this shop, lingered on the first set of armor I saw and grabbed it. I headed to the counter and slid an emerald. I thought the purchase went well and left the shop. Suddenly, the clerk was chasing me with an axe in their hand. I got scared and teleported away.”
“Wait wait.” A giggle escapes Allery, who covers his mouth after. “You went into a shop bare? As an Enderman?”
“… Yes. I only realized what I did some time later.”
The full laugh erupting from Allery fills the entire room. Derek jolts at the sudden sound, his eyes widening as Allery sinks in the mattress with him, rolling on his back.
“S-stop it.” Derek’s cheeks burn. He hides himself under the pillow.
“O-oh Holy Cr— ahahaha! Der! Derek no wait—” Tears stain the blanket underneath Allery. He grabs himself, shoulders still bobbing and wipes himself with his arm.
Derek turns back to the other side.
“Oh Der! Come on!” Allery hiccups.
It would be nice if he could dig himself in the soil next.
“You— You really scared that clerk, you realize that?”
“I know!” He yells. He brings the blanket on his head. “I didn’t know any better!”
“Oh Creator… oh damn, I can’t breathe…”
Derek hears a small thump.
He turns his head around, peeking ever so slightly. Allery lies on his side, giggling in a low voice and holding his stomach.
“I’m okay, ahaha, ow, I can’t feel my belly…”
“That’s entirely on you for overreacting.”
“I wasn’t overreacting! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my entire existence!”
Derek doesn’t reply. He doesn’t need to, because he’s already put himself to shame enough.
“I’ve thought of going back and apologize multiple times, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.
Another snicker escapes Allery. He puts a hand on his mouth, waits, and removes it just as fast. “If you did, I doubt the clerk would have stopped at the axe.”
He huffs. “Then I would have just teleported again like the first time.”
Allery laughs, wincing in pain but still cheerful. He takes flight and places himself to the opposite side. Their eyes meet.
“Well, to be honest, if it happened to me, I wouldn’t tell a soul about that story.” Allery stretches and flops on the bed again, his head hitting the pillow. “But you can’t deny it’s the funniest thing to happen to any entity or mob. Or an Enderman! An Enderman goes into a shop—it’s like the start of a bad joke. Except, your story isn’t.”
“At least you find it funny.”
“You will too! Give it time. Though if you told me about it, it means you don’t mind so much.”
“Mhm.” A yawn catches him off guard. “Can I go sleep now?”
“I do have another question, actually!”
Derek mulls over it. “Just one.”
“Why—No, how can you look at me or other people in the eyes? Aren’t Endermen afraid of that?”
What? “… Afraid?”
“Yeah? You’re not the first Enderman I meet, but you’re the first to be… normal about eye contact?”
Derek furrows his brows. “I’m not following. Since when are we afraid of eye contact?”
Allery mirrors his expression. “What?”
This isn’t going anywhere.
“Endermen don’t fear eye contact, Allery. Where did you hear that?”
“They don’t?” Allery moves his head backwards, stunned. “Then why all the Endermen I meet scream at me when I look at them???”
“It must be a thing of the Endermen from the Overworld. I’d ask, if they showed themselves.”
Allery tilts his head. “Why are they avoiding you?”
Derek yawns again, his hand reaching too late to cover his mouth. He closes his eyes and curls on himself. The blankets brush his legs, dangling outside the bed by the feet. “I suppose it’s because I’m not from here. I was born and raised in the Nether.”
“You—You come from hell?”
“Mhm. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.”
Allery shifts on the pillow. Derek doesn’t bother checking what he’s doing, his consciousness already falling in the depths of sleep.
“Fine. ‘Night, Der.”
He feels a faint touch on his forehead.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Derek adjusts the belt holding his cuirass together. He throws the cloak on his shoulders and pulls the clasp to its place. A mirror would really help him now to check how he’s looking.
“It’s hard to tell morning and night apart when you’ve broken the window doors!” Allery chirps behind him. Derek groans.
“It was an accident. And you could have checked by any other means.”
“Such as?”
“Noise, chatter, sun rays slipping under the doors. They don’t block the light completely.”
Allery hums. It does not reassure Derek that he’s heard him.
“Plus,” He wears the helmet in one smooth motion and drapes the crest behind him. “We’ve skipped breakfast.”
“I didn’t.” Allery takes three berries from the bundle. “I took two when you were sleeping!” He grins and places the fruits in his hand. “This is for you.”
He blushes at the gesture. Why is he? It’s just common courtesy.
“Keep them.” He returns the berries. His hand lingers on the door handle. “I will eat on the go.”
“Wait a second!” Allery rushes and flutters between him and the door, fist on his hips. “Where are we going today? What about the Nether?” He points a finger at him. “You promised to tell me!”
Derek takes a deep breath. There’s a lot he has to do today, between selling the books he has and check out what other supplies he needs. He wants to take a look at the town, too, before evening. He doesn’t stay more than a couple days in the same place. People shouldn’t be able to remember him if he doesn’t linger much.
He steps back, his leggings colliding with the bed. “What do you want to know?”
“Hmm…” Allery looks at the ceiling. “I didn’t know Endermen lived in the Nether too. I don’t know how you go into the Nether in the first place. Is it hot?”
“It’s warmer than the Overworld, yes.”
“Is it all red and plain and boring?”
“Define boring.”
“No forests and no animals and no sun—”
“We have forests and animals. I lived near one.”
Allery’s face beams. “Oh! Really? How was it like?”
“One is Green-ish. No, blue-ish. Hm. It’s between the two colors. Anyway, it’s not dissimilar to a common forest in the Overworld. The only exception, maybe, is that you don’t have flowers, and the forest I lived in didn’t have animals. They live in the other forest, which is red no matter where you look. The grass is red, too.”
“Ohh… red grass sounds so weird, I’d like to see that. So is it true there’s no sun in the Nether?”
Derek nods. “We have lava. It’s bright enough to illuminate everything else. I had to get used to the sun in the sky the first time I came here.”
Allery laughs. He doesn’t elaborate further than that.
Derek’s lips curve ever slightly. “Is that all?”
“You didn’t tell me what’s the plan today.”
“Selling and restocking. I want to check out if they have a library, too.”
Allery nods. His enthusiasm dies out when Derek gets near the door again.
He turns around. “Remember to act like a common Allay. I can’t speak to you and you can’t speak either.”
It’s inevitable. People are curious creatures, they may stall them or ask inappropriate questions. Worse, they may see Allery as an anomaly… just like Derek himself is. At least, it’s what he had surmised. People aren’t used to entities talking and acting like them, they are wary and defensive. The last thing Derek desires is to have to run from an army chasing him down.
It’s easy to pretend to be something else entirely.
Doesn’t make it less annoying, though.
Allery sighs. His glow dims considerably. “I know.”
They exit the room. Derek lingers at the counter, bringing up the broken window without mentioning he is the one who has broken it. He slides another emerald for keeping the room for another night.
The streets are more crowded in the day. Derek should have expected that, given the size of the whole town. He makes a gesture to Allery to stay close to him. The bundle hits the side of his helmet, the sound echoing in his ears. Very close.
The stone path they have been walking down branches in several other directions. Stands are lined up on the right, people swarming them like bees in a nest. Derek paces around, eyes darting from one stand to another, a quick look at Allery to make sure he's following him.
His stomach growls.
Allery snickers next to him.
He hisses.
Allery laughs louder.
“Quiet!”
They walk through the line of people and take a left until they find it. A half empty food stand.
“Good morning. What kind of food do you sell here?”
“Welcome, welcome!” The owner, an old man with a long nose and tufts for hair, rubs his hands and takes a paper-wrapped cone with meatballs inside.
“Specialties of our caves! Want a taste?”
Derek's stomach grumbles at the sight. With the most efficient stoic look he can muster at that moment, he bites.
Fleshy, a bit salty but easy to chew.
“This tastes good. What meat is it?”
“Purple bats! Refreshing and exotic.”
He hears a noise from Allery. A quick glance, and there's a strained smile on him.
“I'll take one.”
The owner nods enthusiastically and grabs more meatballs to share.
“On the house! You are my first client of the day.”
Paid and all, Derek chomps two meatballs all at once, his cheeks filling like a rodent.
He walks away with Allery, his eyes less focused on the stands and more on the wrapped paper.
“... You really are eating that?”
He ignores Allery and keeps walking. The meatballs disappear from the paper after a few minutes.
There must be a seller with magical trinkets, or a librarian who will accept any enchanted book at a good price. A collector would be fine, too, though they are more interested in ending an affair with the cheapest offer.
A stand catches his attention, draped in golden cloth, silver threads dangling down the floor. Two signs placed on both ends depict a star he recognizes immediately.
A Nether Star.
He offers his hand to Allery, palm up. Allery gives him the bundle slower than Derek would have liked.
“Hello. Do you buy items?”
One of the owners, a young man with a scar on his left eye and scruffy black hair, stares at him from head to toe.
“What do you have?”
The other person, a little boy with similar hair but brown, observes him as well.
Both eyes are on him, inspecting every single movement of his. As long as he is calm and acts like he has nothing to hide, they won’t suspect him of anything. His disguise is fine. No one expects an Enderman to speak the common tongue. He’s done this many times, he’s got this.
“I have some enchanted books.”
He presents his loot. The thought of the Mending book flashes through his mind.
The man takes the books in his hands, one by one, turning over and flipping through the pages. They’re chipped as Derek had found them in a dungeon above the surface, but they have been stored in his inventory ever since. They are of a fine quality still.
The vendor places the last book down. “I can offer you five emeralds for all of them.”
Derek frowns. One of the books is Efficiency, he’s sure they would come useful for the miners in the city. “I was hoping for a higher offer. Eight emeralds?”
The man glares at him. “We don’t do charity here.”
“It’s not charity.” Derek points at the Efficiency book. “This is going to sell fast. Miners would purchase it for higher profit, and you’d benefit as well.”
Five emeralds are still good, but Derek hopes to have extra cash to put away for emergencies.
“What’s that?”
The young boy suddenly speaks, pointing at Allery.
“Abel,” The man looks at him, eyes softening. “Let me end this deal fi—”
Derek seizes the moment, a flashing idea coming to his mind.
“It’s an Allay.” He offers a gentle smile. He doesn’t know if he succeeds, as the boy avoids his gaze. “They are spirits of the land, imbued with magic.”
He perks up. “Magic?”
Derek eyes Allery, who meets his eyes.
“Allery.” He perks up. Derek smiles.
“Twirl.”
The confused look Allery gives him tugs his lips further up. He finds enough self-control to not burst out laughing in front of the man.
Allery flies to Abel with confidence, giggling in his higher voice and dancing midair. Sparkles bursts around him, one landing on Abel’s nose with a burst of harmless light. The boy gasps, eyes wide as he scratches his nose bridge.
“Magic is so cool!” He claps his hands, a wide smile spread on his face now.
The vendor taps on one of the books. “That’s one strange Allay you have, man.”
“It ate my bottle of experience. It would have been a pleasure to sell that one to you as well.”
The man groans. He looks at Abel one last time. “Fine, since you entertained my little brother, I’ll accept your offer. Here’s the eight emeralds.”
Derek puts them away, and gives the bundle back to Allery. “Thank you, sir. Have a pleasant day.”
“Bye bye, Allay!” Abel yells with a wave.
Derek walks back to the main street branching out. He picks left, where the crowd thins out and allows the two of them to put more space between each other. He spots a well shaded wall at the side of a building, possibly a residence, and motions Allery to follow him.
“You can speak.”
“Oof!” Allery exhales the breath he had apparently been holding until now. He looks around before meeting Derek’s gaze again. “That merchant was so weird! Do you think he knows what we are?”
“How would he?”
“Dunno! But until I did that wonderful twirl for the little guy he couldn’t stop looking at me. His golden eye, too…”
Derek blinks. Golden eye? “What golden eye, Allery?”
“Huh?” Allery mirrors him. His eyes widen considerably. “You… didn’t see it?”
Has Allery seen something that he couldn’t? Because of his magic?
“No? He didn’t have golden eyes. A scar on one of them, but both of his eyes were brown.”
Allery lowers his head. “No, it was just…” He puts a hand on his mouth, and nods. “Nevermind. I think I was just wrong!” He forces a smile. The corners of his lips tremble. “Wow, I hate the color yellow so much, I am projecting it on people I don’t like, ahaha…”
“Allery…” Derek lowers his voice. Allery is clearly hiding something from him. “What did you actually see?”
“Nothing!” Allery yells and steps out of their hiding place, heading back to where they had come from. “I have mistook the brown for yellow! Let’s… not talk about this anymore!”
Should he pry further? Should he ask for more? Derek is sure the merchant’s eyes had been brown all along. But what if he makes Allery’s mood worse?
He looks at him. He’s holding the bundle tightly to his chest. His ears point down, even if he’s smiling and waiting for him.
Maybe he should find those books about magic. Actually, he should dwell and practice that part of him more. If he and Allery share magic, it should come easier, too.
Allays are said to be the Overworld’s magic made manifest.
Derek reaches Allery. He pats his head, fingers brushing his hair. It softens under his weight.
“Let’s go. There’s more to see in this town.”