Chapter Text
Theo blinks, before Flux could even finish his sentence, the bird’s hand reaches out to Parrot’s wrist – under a gentle grasp. Parrot looks up at him with confusion before his friend tugs his arm, gesturing to follow him in another room.
Parrot stands up, walking alongside his friend.
Flux knows it isn’t his business to eavesdrop on their conversation, but it’s quite rude to just leave him like that especially when he was about to say something.
“No– don’t tell me you’re thinking of going back there.” Theo says with a hushed voice. His hand lets go of Parrot’s wrist.
He takes a step back, “I have to. Saps is–”
“Parrot. We’re exiled. We just came from a war, can we have the time to rest?”
The macaw pauses, his wings slightly twitch, “Hundreds are dying the second they join Spawn. I can’t rest if this is what’s happening…”
“For once, Parrot, nobody is asking anything from you!” Theo raises his voice, Parrot’s breath hitches. “I literally had to fight Clown and hide out here just so we can have a place to stay in the Nether.”
Meanwhile, Flux stares at the entrance of the other room. The place wasn’t big, and the wall separating both rooms was certainly thin. He could hear the two talk, even Theo’s outburst. He probably had a logical reason, after all – the two had been on the server for a long time.
With a sigh, he pushes back his chair as he stands up. He strides towards the entrance, without a second thought as he peeks his head inside the room. “Sorry, you all know I can hear you, right?”
Theo turns his head to the boy before glancing back at his bright-winged friend, “And Flux is saying he has a plan. Has he even got a single idea on what Cindercrest is actually like? Is he aware of what we’re facing?” He scoffs, “Bro, we fought against Cindercrest. Flux didn’t.”
“Okay, buddy…” Flux interrupts, welcoming himself further inside, “I think I should answer that, instead of you throwing my name into this…”
“Flux, leave this conversation between the two of us.” Parrot cuts in.
“What?” Flux lets out a dry laugh, “Theo is right, take a rest. You should let me handle things. If you both are willing to hear me out.” He raises his hands, feigning innocence.
Parrot and Theo both exchange glances once more. Theo sighs in defeat, Parrot just nods.
“Do any of you have paper?” Flux asks. “Anything I could use to write.”
The three return to the other room.
With Parrot providing Flux with what he asked for. At the same time, Theo had quickly calmed down, very curious to see what Flux was thinking.
Flux leans back on the chair, finger tapping against the surface of the wooden table. Parrot and Theo are sitting on the other opposite ends of the table, watching Flux focus, the end of the quill tapping against the rough paper.
“Are you writing a letter?” Parrot leans over the table slightly, squinting his eyes to make out the letters in Flux’s cursive writing with the rough quill.
“Not really…” He murmurs back, his purple eyes focusing on each curve of the words.
The avian is trying to comprehend what would Flux get out of this – what is he even writing anyway? Saps is smart, insanely smart. It’s almost impossible to outsmart him given their circumstances.
“Has Saparata’s coronation happened yet?” Flux sits up, his hand leaving the paper.
Parrot shakes his head, “No, but he’s been crowned, I don’t think the coronation ceremony has happened yet, but I don’t know what has been happening in the kingdom for the past few days.”
Flux hums quietly.
It’d be unrealistic to have a coronation straight after the civil war. He could even tell that after the war ended, it still didn’t fix the server’s resource and hunger problem. Those were far more important than some ceremony, right?
If this Saparata person isn’t some egocentric guy – likely not.
“When do you reckon he’ll have his coronation?”
Flux’s eyes dart at the two. Theo just shrugs.
Parrot crosses his arms, shaking his head “I doubt it’ll happen soon…”
Reluctantly, Flux turns to Theo, whose wings perk up as soon as they make eye contact, “Do you have… invisibility?” He asks. What’s the recipe for invisibility potions, again?
The cockatiel sits up as he pushes his chair away from the table before jumping towards the chests across the room, kneeling in front of the chests, “Lemme check…” He fixes his sunglasses that were almost sliding off whilst his other hand lifts up the chest lid.
His hands fumble around as the objects clutter inside. He pulls out a jar of spider eyes, the red tint shining against the shroomlight from the ceiling. “But I don’t have a lot…”
He understands that these things are limited. He doesn’t have much to make a lot more.
“I can pose as a Cindercrest member, maybe try to find a role that allows me to gain little freedom in the kingdom…” The black-haired admits, he holds out the paper – blank side facing front, “What I’m more worried about is that I’m blindly walking towards what could potentially be my death…”
Flux’s gaze wanders off to somewhere for a moment, is he really okay to risk his life like this? He’s not walking into some suicide mission.
Unstable isn’t what he thought it would be, getting dragged into political conflict and prejudiced immediately as soon as he arrives.
Parrot’s expression shifts as Flux catches it.
The hesitation bothers him more than the danger ever did.
“Uhm… are you really sure about this plan?” Parrot says, maybe a little bit too quietly. But the other catches it. Meanwhile, Theo closes the chests as they creak, he stands up, brushing off the wrinkles on his pants and sweater.
“...” Flux doesn’t answer, he lets the silence sit for about three seconds before he starts speaking again, “If there is a flaw in my plan, suggest something about it, please.”
I trust you with my life.
“I don’t want you to die.” Parrot frowns, his wings also slightly dropping. “This is so dangerous…”
“That’s why you couldn’t figure a plan out… you hate the possibility of death to one of us.”
The avian can’t argue with what Flux had just said. After the Civil War, it took a toll on Parrot and losing everybody made him feel wary about how many deaths were caused. He’s still dreading the fact that many are still dying by each second he’s sitting here. Many people that never got to see the true colours of the Unstable Universe.
Theo places a brewing stand on the edge of the table before laying the ingredients out, he doesn’t say anything but he glimpses at his best friend’s sorrowful face.
He clears his throat, as the two look up at him, “Do you guys need any more potions?”
Theo swings his sword, dodging Flux’s strike towards him. The tip of his sword hits Flux’s right shoulder.
“You’re doing well, trust me,” The bird hybrid gives him a smile, comforting Flux a bit. “I like your techniques.”
He nods, rubbing his shoulder, without a word in response. Just stinging pain underneath his sleeve.
Theo lays down his sword, putting a hand in his pocket, “You’re still thinking about it?” He asks softly.
Flux hesitates before nodding. “It’s hard not to.”
“But your plan is quite smart… it’s very risky.”
Flux’s eyes look at Theo’s face, looking through his sunglasses. “I’m not usually reckless… I was thinking about signing up to be a royal messenger. The paper was my fake resume.”
Theo’s wings perk up, slightly astonished by the extent of the plan, “Royal messenger?”
“Yeah,” The black-haired boy walks over to where he dropped off his satchel as he kneels down and opens it, searching through to find the paper. He pulls the slightly wrinkled paper out, “Could you proofread it?”
“That’s Parrot’s sort of thing, but yeah,” Theo walks closer to Flux, taking the paper from his hands as he casually leans by the fence, he gently unfolds it, reading the contents. Flux stands up, watching the avian for any sort of reaction.
Fluixon
Playing on Unstable Universe since December 2025
Role applying for: Royal Messenger
Current occupation: Independent resource gatherer
Previous Experience: Independently managed and supplied dripstone resources through personal farming and trade. This was later destroyed due to griefing.
Skills: Great communication skills and quick at strategising in unexpected situations. Basic sword combat and self-defense skills. Very dextrous and independent.
Reason for applying: Farming and trading dripstone provided low income despite its usefulness in traps. Due to the low demand and eventual destruction of the farm during wartime conflicts, I seek a position where my communication and strategic skills can be better utilised.
Availability: Flexible schedule, available immediately.
Flux can’t see anything behind the other’s sunglasses, but he isn’t making any faces at the moment. That’s a good sign, right?
Whilst the two stand in silence, Flux rolls his shoulder to ease the pain.
A few minutes later, Theo hands back the paper to Flux. He accepts it, expecting some sort of compliment.
“Neat handwriting,” The bird chuckles, “It’s actually good, like very good. You’ll totally get the job, although you’re probably gonna need more skills there. Are these actually legit?”
Flux’s hands absentmindedly smoothens the creases on the paper, as he answers with a nod, “The skills–yeah.”
Theo laughs, “And out of anything to write, dripstone?”
“I felt a deep connection,” He hums back, picking his satchel again as he searches for the quill and small tub of ink.
“Dude… I have a lot of faith in you with this one.” Theo softly punches Flux’s shoulder as the two quietly laugh.
Ow.
“This is really detailed,” Parrot reads the resume, his eyes tracing the sentences, “Yeah. I’m happy you finalised the plan, this is smart… royal messenger…” He mutters the last bit. He definitely had some messengers when he was king – which is a smart idea.
“Yeah… I took Theo’s advice before I went to sleep…” Flux answers, as he holds out his hand, gesturing to have the paper back.
Parrot gives it back with a smile before he turns around to the brewing stands, where potions are fizzing and bubbling. On the other hand, the other bird lightly rocks on his chair by the table.
“Last chance to change your mind…” Theo says with a sing-song voice as Parrot takes the potions out of the brewing stands.
Flux looks at the resume, reading his name one last time before stuffing it in his bag. The bright-feathered friend places the potions on the table, sticking labels on the bottles to indicate the provided effects.
“You’ve said that already,” Flux picks up a potion, reading the label. He contemplates how much he should take considering the limited space he has.
“Because you haven’t changed your mind,” Theo smirks, picking his sword up whilst he admires the shine after repairing it.
“Yeah, I know.”
Flux takes a few bottles of invisibility and some of strength – even stuffing a Totem of Undying deep inside. He just has to hope that none of the bottles shatter. Which should be fine, people carry them in combat anyways.
He shouldn’t have to worry – the only time he’ll ever need to fight is when his identity has been revealed.
“That’s probably the last of my invis materials,” Theo realises. That changes everything. Of course, they should’ve expected it, low resources.
That meant potions should only be used as a last resort.
Parrot steps in front of Flux, waiting for him to pay attention to his words, “I suggest you take the portal we took back to Spawn…”
“Where do I go afterwards?”
“The Northern Council,” Parrot answers, crossing his arms, “That’s where the King usually lives and governs.”
“Where is that…?” Flux says, slightly exasperated.
“Around 4000 blocks Northeast from Spawn, there’s a direct path. Be careful around Spawn too…” The avian answers, he turns to Theo, “Theo, escort Flux to the portal in case he gets jumped by Clown or someone.”
Flux nods, adjusting his bag strap whilst he rolls his arm. He waits for Theo to get ready before they depart, and Flux probably won’t be seeing Parrot for a while.
Although, Flux is quite curious – who is Clown? Why does everyone in this world want Parrot dead?
Now really isn’t the time. Actually, it’s probably best not to question.
The cockatiel stands beside Flux, near the exit as he pushes the warped vines away.
Parrot waves, “Good luck.”
Morning greets Saparata well, with the sun almost shining and the clouds gone. He steps out of the palace, being met with petrichor whilst the mud makes a squelch upon his boots.
The first thing to do early in the morning is to meet the delivery in Capitol City and help with the housing repairs.
He stretches his wings, pure white feathers fluttering against each other.
Goodness… It feels like his armour has gotten heavier than last time. Maybe it’s just stress.
War is out of the way. Parrot is no longer a hindrance.
He takes flight, his wings flapping against the air as he heads towards Capitol.
The morning breeze is quite nice.
He looks back, admiring the castle of Cindercrest – it’s the final day before he moves into the Northern Council.
He flies towards the top floor of the Capitol building, enforced with scaffolding. Whilst he analyses the newly refurbished homes and reinforced walls in the distance.
“King Saparata, we have made progress, there’s still the other side of the city left to repair and the main streets,” a soldier greets him with a bow.
“That’s alright,” Saps says, walking to the other side to inspect the remaining damage himself. As his soldier had just said, it’s still destroyed. “I’m assuming the package from Clown was delivered?”
“Yes, concrete, terracotta, blackstone, more dyes…” The soldier nods back.
“Good.”
The angel steps further towards the end of the ledge as he extends his wings, the wind passing through the feathers.
“Uhm, King Saparata–” Saps halts, looking behind at the soldier’s sheepish face, he could see how much their hands are shaking, “Before you go to the Northern Council…” They swallow, ”I was told there was a problem with the farms…”
“Sure, I’ll handle that…” The king nods back although his eyes linger on the player’s face a moment too long. He turns around, jumping off the ledge as he glides off – how did they know his next move?
The farms were disastrous. The animals had gotten out of the pens and eaten some of the crops and destroyed the farmbeds.
He watches the farmers desperately attempt to round the animals back into the poorly-built fence.
Livestock was limited and the kingdom can’t afford to lose any of them.
“Careful with the crops,” He speaks up as the farmers quickly nod. He steps closer to the cows, he takes out a few stems of wheat, luring the cows towards him. He slowly leads them to their designated pens. “Can someone repair the fence?”
Luring the rest took time, but with the help of the farmers, it was manageable. The fields have been sown and watered again.
Saps managed to get some screws, nails and wooden planks to make more durable fences for the animal pens.
The farmers went back to tending the plants as some went off to build a stable to make space for the animals.
“I hope they didn’t disturb the farm too much…” Saps says to the farmers.
One stands up, holding a watering can, “Thank you so much, King Saparata. I think the farms will be alright…”
He nods, “Yeah… that was time-consuming…”
“We are sincerely sorry, sir!”
“Don’t worry… I’m happy as long as the crops are fine.”
He walks off, his gaze drifting upon the wheat fields and rows of plants in the distance, until something catches his attention – a bee. Flying around from one plant to another. For a moment, he simply watches, his eyes following its direction.
A soft smile tugs his lips, somewhere at the back of his mind, he still remembers a farm that no longer exists.
He flies back to the Cindercrest castle that still stands in the mesa far from Spawn. He agreed to have lunch with Lettuce since he was keen on economical discussions with him. Lettuce was greatly influential and people were happy to see him again.
If Saparata could admit it, he hated flying. It was time consuming to clean his feathers since they were prone to being matted and dirty. But it was practical and he could get anywhere much quicker than on foot. There was a time where he didn't care much about his feathers getting dirty. But now, it felt like a priority that wouldn't mess up his public image as king.
After reaching the castle, he later reaches the dining hall, illuminated by the chandelier above and the candles on the centre of the table.
Lettuce is sitting at the end of the table, face buried into a newspaper.
Saps approaches the chair on the opposite side. Lettuce’s eyes take notice of the glint of redstone trims on the other’s armour as he puts down the newspaper with a smile.
“I thought I was running late,” The caracal chuckles.
Saps pulls the chair before sitting, “The farms had an issue.”
“I heard,” He responds, folding the newspaper before placing it aside. “This place is very beautiful. I had a walk around, it has that fairy-tale medieval villain lair vibe.” Lettuce places his hands on the table.
“Yes, although you didn’t need to come all the way here to have lunch with me…” Saps says, smiling.
“Can one admire some architecture? The palette surely matches the badlands…”
The angel’s eyes narrow slightly before the doors open with servants walking in with plates of roast beef and vegetables. The plates are placed in front of the two before the servants leave the room with a bow.
“I think I have high hopes in Unstable’s new king,” Lettuce picks up a fork to pierce into the meat, “You’re more fit to lead than me or… Parrot.”
Saps sneers upon the mention of the bird, “He’s exiled.”
“But stubborn,” The other hums, “He’s going to come back no matter what…” He takes a bite of his lunch (it’s seasoned well… it’s much better than the prison food.)
The angel also starts eating his lunch, his eyes drifting to the folded newspaper beside Lettuce, he can read the headline despite it’s upside down – ‘NEW KING CHANGES SERVER FOREVER’.
“250,000 new players killed… plus the ones from Spawn,” Lettuce brings up, “Seems like you solved the hunger problem, and the people sound happy about it.”
“Well… we can’t have new players and expect people not to starve at the same time,” Saps answers, playing with the vegetables on his plate, “We can only have one thing and I chose not to starve people.”
He picks up a slice of carrot, “The end justifies the means.”
“I see…”
The caracal adds as an afterthought, “I’m sorry King Saparata, could you do something after our lunch?”
“Huh–”
“Could you head to Highwater City, there’s some architectural work that you just need to approve… “
“Right… that city that got blown up…”
Lunchtime went by well, with the two having occasional conversations while still paying attention to their meals. Lettuce makes great company, he has entertaining conversations with Saps.
Although he does wonder – why has everyone been so weird today?
It’s afternoon and he still has Highwater to visit.
He arrives in the city hours later, stretching his wings and arms whilst he walks around the city, the houses built upon wooden platforms above the craters.
The city made great progress in rebuilding civilisation. Despite Arachnid’s Kingdom blowing the city up with the help of Wemmbu, Saps was glad people were able to recover the city and repurpose it.
A lot of farms have been built since the civil war ended.
He walks past the marketplace, and to the open doors of the central house. The office should be down the corridor – that’s what Lettuce told him. It’s desolate inside except for furniture and potted plants.
He walks down the corridor, his footsteps filling the silence.
Saps stops in front of a door, with a sign – ‘nebulahunter - Head of Architectural Dept’. He knocks once. No answer, but there’s loud shuffling behind the closed door.
He knocks again. He hears something shatter and that makes him kick the door open and walk inside.
Bandits.
Of course, he still has to deal with them. He still needs to get rid of them from the kingdom.
The architect is under their grasp, her shouts being muffled.
Some make a run for it, escaping through the shattered window whilst some surround the angel.
He holds out his sword, rushing closer as the bandits prepare to attack. Saps swings his sword first, quickly striking two members. Another bandit grabs his wings aggressively, pulling him back. He pulls his wings away, pushing the bandit off balance as he tightens the grip of his sword.
The fight lasted about 15 minutes – he was outnumbered but the bandits seemed inexperienced in combat. Some died to his blade and some ran away. At least they left Nebula behind.
If he had some people with him, all of the bandits would’ve been dead.
Saps wipes the blood off his nose as he holds his hand out to help the architect get up.
“Thank you…” The player mumbles, “Are you okay, sir?”
Saps gives a reassuring wave, “Yeah, I’ve faced worse…” He looks at his glove – the bloodstain doesn’t look noticeable. “So… the blueprints…”
Nebula nods, opening a desk drawer, taking the paper as she unrolls it on the desk.
Saps leans on the desk, analysing the drawing and notes. He nods in approval.
“Yeah… that’s good… You’re free to start building.”
“Alright…” She bows, “Excuse me, I’ll find an ice pack… Do you need one?” She makes her way around the table, pausing by the door.
“I’m okay.”
She opens the door, gesturing to Saps to exit first.
He walks off, leaving the building without a word. He stretches his wings, only to be met with a sharp sting of pain.
He turns his head, inspecting his wings.
‘Shit…’
He bites his lips, freezing for a moment too long as he wonders about his next plan.
At least it’s not broken? When he gets to the Northern Council, he’ll have someone check it – although the medical department is a bit understaffed there. But it aches like hell.
He just fought a war – this is merely just a scratch.
And the journey is only a few thousand blocks from Highwater City to the Northern Council.
Saps ended up hiring a boat anyway, although the river journey would take thrice longer than the journey on flight, he didn’t mind sitting in silence to clear things off his mind a bit.
The boatman reassured him that they would arrive before sunrise.
The two sat in silence for the whole journey as Saps sat at the back, staring at his own reflection on the water.
Hadn’t Lettuce said he would bring over Saps’ belongings while he was in Highwater, as repayment for the favour?
Glancing up at the sky, he could see the sun descending. He silently yawns.
The boat suddenly jolts. Saparata looks forward.
“Ice?” He asks.
“Sorry sir…” The boatman stands up, helping the king off the boat as he steps on the ice. The boatman turns to the boat, inspecting the damage. “This thing is wrecked…”
They’re not far from the Northern Council, it should be nearby.
“I guess I’ll just fly…” Saps mutters under his breath, his hand pressing lightly on his shoulder.
His foot slides on the ice a bit. He rolls his shoulder once (and immediately regrets it) as he approaches the hill on the side.
Saps hops off the hill, his wings catching him in the air, although he wobbles slightly. He simply just glides past the snowy hills and he shortly meets a pathway that definitely leads to the Northern Council.
In the distance, he can see a group of players on the path – there’s nothing planned there today. Except for job offers, but that’s just it.
Landing on the pathway, he finally reaches the front gates. He quietly winces at the sharp pain on his wing.
“You took longer than expected,” He looks up to the familiar voice, meeting a pair of emerald-green eyes.
“What is happening…?” Saps could hear distant music and players cheering.
“You’ll see,” Lettuce walks through the gates, with the king following close behind. “You good though?”
“Yeah.”
Now everything made sense.
It explained everything – why people tried to lure Saps away from the Northern Council and why Lettuce gave him that task, hoping that he would find bandits lurking nearby and he’d hunt them down.
People wanted to celebrate their king.
“Just to let you know,” The caracal turns to Saps with a smile, “They insisted on it.” He steps aside, revealing the crowd of players. The centre of the Northern Council had tents and stalls spread around with balloons hung around and confetti being thrown.
“...I’m flattered?” Saps walks down the different stalls, watching vendors sell miscellaneous items. One stall is selling pastries, one stall is selling street food and one is selling bottles of honey. He catches up to Lettuce, walking by his side, “You all didn’t have to use up these resources just to appreciate me. Plus, I’m planning a celebration anyway when all of the server problems are fixed.”
Lettuce laughs, “My friend, just appreciate it.”
Saps stops by a stall selling medicinal plants, he recognises a few from sight as he takes the moment to inspect each one. Lavender helped with anxiety relief and fights insomnia. Echinacea helped support immune systems. Arnica helped with reducing swelling and soothing muscle soreness.
‘Oh, I probably do need arnica.’
He thinks to himself before asking for a packet of the yellow flowers.
“King Saparata, it’s free for you, I gave extra,” The merchant nods politely as they hand over a packet of arnica.
“Oh. Thanks.” Saps accepts it, putting the flowers in his pocket before turning to Lettuce.
Lettuce was silently observing before asking, “I didn’t know you had an interest in medicine…”
“Arnica has pain-relieving properties.”
The caracal stares at the angel for a moment, “That isn’t what I meant.”
The two continue to walk down each stall, with many players constantly praising Saparata and thanking him. He did receive a handful of gifts – which is truly endearing.
The lights are almost blinding.
Lettuce stays by the king’s side, “By the way, these tents and stands are going to be reused for Merchant City II.”
Saps nods, holding onto the bouquets of flowers he received.
“I think you should make a speech,” Lettuce adds.
The angel doesn’t mind putting on a speech. He isn’t exactly experienced in making speeches without planning beforehand – but today’s occasion could excuse how unstructured it’ll turn out.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of a passing stranger.
Black hair, Purple attire.
Saps turns–
They’re gone.
Perplexed, Lettuce follows Saparata’s gaze. He sees nothing interesting.
A moment lingers.
“What’s wrong?” He asks.
Saps dismisses it, turning back, “Nothing.”
His mind is probably playing tricks on him. He stopped believing a long time ago.
As they climb the stairs to the Northern Council, Saps starts thinking about what the speech should be about. He can just improvise – thank the army, talk about the kingdom. There are many things to say. His hands move to his shoulder blade, pressing onto the lingering pain.
He should leave it for now and treat it later.
They reach the podium, Lettuce stepping forwards as he switches the mic on. The feedback rings, catching the audience’s attention.
“Hello, Unstable!” He greets with confidence, “Thank you all today for being here to celebrate our beloved king, who is here to give you all a speech.”
The caracal steps aside with a bright smile as the audience cheer for their king.
Saparata steps forward, adjusting the mic in front of him, he watches the various expressions in the crowd. He clears his throat.
“Hello, as you all probably know already, I am the second king of Unstable,” His voice brightens, his words come out clear and composed, “I’d like to thank Cindercrest and the royal army for the victory against Parrot’s Kingdom. New players have decreased and this resolved our hunger crisis. Bandit groups started to decline. Many farms and cities have been rebuilt, including Highwater City and Capitol City.”
He sees the vast majority of the crowd cheering, jumping, and whistling. He could faintly hear chanting, ‘Glory to Cindercrest!’
“Also, thank you to you all. This wasn’t necessary, no need to spend resources on me, but I am honoured. I was told that the stands and tents will be reused to build Merchant City II, so I am relieved. I am glad to be your king, and to help this server from the past issues we faced.”
The crowd claps to his speech as he smiles.
His gaze drifts across the crowd, the chanting gets louder, ‘Glory to Cindercrest! Glory to Cindercrest!’
But he stops, his eyes fixated on something. Black hair. Purple eyes. Golden laurel.
Under red lights.
Standing out from the crowd of thousands.
That is no longer his imagination.
‘Oh.’
.
King Saparata’s speech ended quite abruptly if Flux could admit it. But he’s not to judge, he’s not a king himself.
During the speech, Flux was half distracted because of the bright flashing lights beside him. It’s crowded in the Northern Council and he barely has any space to move.
He made it back to the Overworld without raising any suspicion – that’s good. Maybe it was good… he kept getting weird stares from some people, but that’s reasonable if you’re a new face.
Flux adjusts his bag strap. Parrot and Theo never said anything about a celebration in the Northern Council. Based on what he overheard, the celebration was a surprise for Saparata.
This king is far from how Flux imagined he’d be.
Seeing people celebrate the decrease of new players was unsettling to Flux.
The crowd starts to part, carrying on with the festival after the king leaves.
He has two people in the Nether counting on him. He offered to do this. This was his idea.
Nothing has followed his plan ever since he and Theo left the hidden base.
“Where was the portal again?” Theo asked as he flew around, looking out for any enemies.
“I dunno…” Flux responded as he jumped down to lower ground. “Who’s this Clown guy?”
“He reigns over the whole Nether,” Theo landed beside Flux as they continued walking, “He will kill anybody who steps in the Nether. He’s very good at fighting… and he’s not happy that I carted some of his people…” He laughed sheepishly.
“Why hide here then?”
Theo looked into the distance, he sighed, “I had some sort of feeling… Parrot would come to the Nether eventually, upon being exiled…”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’m glad I found you both before you guys could get jumped… We should be careful around here, we’re probably in his range…”
Flux nodded whilst he held out his flimsy shield.
After about an hour of searching the area, the two came across the familiar warped forest. This was certainly the place where Theo found the two. Theo confirmed that he also recognises their surroundings.
“It should be around the corner,” The black-haired boy stepped forward, pushing through the mushrooms and vines.
Eventually they come across the same broken portal that Parrot and Flux both used a few days ago.
“It’s broken.” Theo stared at it.
“I forgot Parrot broke it…” Flux cursed underneath his breath. “Do you have a pickaxe?”
He pointed at the corner of the portal – it could be used to replace the missing block.
Theo handed him the pickaxe as Flux started to break the obsidian.
Suddenly–
Blades clashed behind him. He instinctively turned around.
Theo ducked under a strike as he stepped backwards. He held his sword out to block the incoming attacks from the opponent – who wore a sinister mask over the pointed hat.
Flux assumed that it was Clown (because one was dressed like a jester…)
Flux’s hands fumbled for the obsidian pieces, placing them between the gaps hastily.
‘Shoot…’ he whispered to himself.
He was grateful that Theo was trying his best to stall for as long as he could.
He reached for the flint & steel inside his bag, being careful of the potion bottles. He pulled out a flint, still searching for the fire striker.
A sword got flung towards Flux’s hand, causing him to drop the tool as he turned to find another group of players.
“More people!” he pulled out his sword.
An explosion echoed from behind, Theo was trying to keep Clown busy as the two clashed their swords against each other. Clown swiftly dodged most attacks, but kept his distance sometimes for when Theo would make explosions.
He had a unique fighting style, one could agree.
Flux, on the other hand, had to deal with three players in diamond armour. He was capable of fighting, but he was severely undergeared.
Theo flew towards the black-haired boy, immediately placing an explosive cart to knock the opponents away. He was glad that Flux reacted rapidly with the shield.
“I can’t find the striker for my flint,” Flux yelled as Theo shot a flaming bow towards the portal frame, immediately lighting it up.
Clown rushed towards Flux, swinging his sword towards his arm with one motion. Fortunately, Flux had armour, but the hit felt agonising. He held his shield up, blocking the next attack as he ran towards the portal.
“Go!” Theo stood by the portal, pushing Flux inside before throwing another cart.
Flux fell onto the cold stone as he breathed heavily. He took a moment to compose himself before standing up and breaking the portal.
He was back at the cave.
—
The sky eventually turns dark with small clusters of stars shining above.
“Excuse me,” Flux approaches a guard, who is leaning against a wall, “Could I go to a medical room?”
“Oh, are you okay?” the guard pushes themselves off the wall.
“Well… I wouldn’t be asking if I were,” he responds back, placing his palm against his shoulder. There may have been a possibility that his injury had opened up. He neglected his arm for days, and now his body is telling him to get some help.
It’s only just now he realises that he could get an idea of the interior of the Northern Council when he gets in.
“I apologise! Though, I’m not sure if there’s anybody there. Just follow me, we can check…” The guard begins to walk, with Flux following.
The walk to the medical room is short, the two only passed by a few rooms with no signs.
As soon as they enter the room, the lights are off. The guard moves his palm around the surface wall, the hand stopping as soon as he touches the lever and lifts it.
The room smells of antiseptic.
“Ah… they’re likely in the festival…” he mutters before returning to a cheerful voice, “Do you need a bandage change?” He steps inside, heading towards some drawers as he takes a roll of gauze out.
Flux accepts it, unwrapping it carefully before–
A voice cuts through the silence that lingered for too long.
“What are you two doing here?”
Flux turns around. An angel stands by the doorway – white hair and rubies inlaid on the crown.
King Saparata.
“I apologise, King Saparata,” the guard speaks first, bowing in front of him, “A guest required immediate medical attention.”
“I’ll help them,” Saparata sighs, “Go back to your station.” The guard nods, leaving the room without a word. Flux doesn’t know what to do in this situation.
He’s now left alone with the king.
“What is the issue?” he asks, his voice softens.
“My shoulder hurts like hell…” Flux responds. He was unsure if he should elaborate, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, “I got attacked by a skeleton the other day. I have a feeling the injury opened up.”
Saps nods, walking further into the room. He points at one of the beds, “Just take a seat… Do you mind if I take a look at it?”
“Nope.” Flux takes a seat on the mattress, rolling his sleeve up carefully.
He tugs at the bandage, falling loose around his arm.
He glances at the angel’s direction – his expression looks unreadable, surely he’s not suspicious of Flux?
Flux hasn’t lied about anything yet.
He hears some shuffling noises and some ceramics clashing against each other, but he couldn’t see anything clearly.
A few minutes pass and Saps approaches Flux with cotton and a bottle, the label is underneath his thumb, so Flux isn’t able to read it.
Saps sits beside Flux.
“...How did you get attacked by a skeleton?” Saps analyses the wound as he gently dabs the wet cotton.
“Cave.”
“Mobs rarely spawn on the server…” the angel states. “Heavens, when was the last time you treated your cut?”
Flux hesitates for a moment, before tentatively admitting to it, “Like… four days ago?” he says quietly.
“You’re not usu–...” Saps clears his throat, fixing the crown slipping on his head, “Four days is long. It’s only swollen and red… possibly an infection starting…”
He puts down the wet cotton and twists the cap off the bottle – this time, Flux can read it as betadine. He pours a tiny bit on a clean cotton.
“I hope that it’ll get better soon, because that’s mildly incon–!” Flux winces as soon as Saps presses the cotton on top of the wound, instinctively pulling back, “Maybe a warning next time!?”
“You were moving your arm.”
“You could’ve said something.”
“Just stay still.”
Flux relaxes, letting Saps carefully rub the cold antiseptic around the wound. He finishes, wrapping a new bandage around Flux’s arm tight enough for comfort.
“Don’t leave just yet.” Saps stands up, walking back to the counter where bottles of medicine and equipment are kept.
Flux rolls down his sleeve as he watches the angel move around, carefully mixing ingredients in a small bowl.
“Could I apply for a role in the Northern Council?” Flux randomly asks.
Saps turns around, “To be a guard?” He laughs quietly.
“No. Messenger.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. Yeah. Sure. I do need to see a resume.” He continues to mix slowly.
Flux rolls his shoulder slightly, “You’re taking applications personally?”
“We’re understaffed in some departments.” The other replies, not looking up.
“Well… I have a resume.” Flux reaches in his satchel, finding the paper he wrote earlier. He walks over to the king, handing it to him.
Saps gives him an intrigued look before putting down the mixture and reading over the paper.
“Dripstone…” the angel grins widely as Flux frowns (slightly exasperated). Saparata takes a few more minutes to read everything and consider it.
“Do you think you can work tomorrow?”
Flux blinks, he processes the question first – was it really that easy?
“Yes… Isn’t there also an interview?”
“There’s no need, Flux…” Saps puts down the paper, smiling at him, “It’s a well thought-out resume.”
“Thanks…”
“You’re pretty confident, talking to the king.”
“You’ll chop off my head because I yelled at you when you put povidone-iodine on my arm?”
Saps exhales exaggeratedly, “I won’t have anybody who would speak so honestly with me. And LettuceK is an exception.”
Flux can’t help but laugh. “You’re easy to talk to.” he says without a thought.
Saps pauses for a moment, that’s not the first time someone told him that.
He turns around, collecting two small containers off the shelf with a reminiscent smile. He returns to the bowl, pouring the mixture on both.
After sliding the lid on, he pushes one container towards Flux.
“It’s an ointment made of arnica. It helps soothe pain,” the angel explains as Flux takes the ointment, “Don’t put it directly on the wound.”
Flux nods, appreciating Saps’ generosity.
“Got it… thanks a lot.”
He slips the ointment inside his bag as he makes his way to the door.
“By the way…” Saps’ voice stops Flux, “Is your head feeling okay?”
Silence at first. Flux doesn’t know what Saps could possibly be asking, “Yeah.”
“Good…” The angel smiles, “I’ll see you tomorrow then…”
“Yeah… catch you on the flip side…” the black-haired boy smiles back before he walks off.
The room becomes quiet again. With Saps staring at the open doorway.
Theo was grateful that Flux was able to make it through the portal, just before one of Clown’s teammates destroyed it.
He just has to hope that Flux gets to the Northern Council safely.
He just needed to flee the fight.
Clown struck again, hitting Theo’s arm swiftly as the avian hastily placed a cart, sending it towards the other players.
Greenhorn41 was blown up by TheobaldTheBird
Greenhorn41 left the game
avidarrow was blown up by TheobaldTheBird
avidarrow left the game
Clown didn’t flinch, he was just annoyed.
“I have people coming to your little birdie friend, by the way…” He said slowly as Theo’s grip on his sword tightened.
Clown’s smile widened as he lunged towards Theo, who immediately blocked him with the sword, “I warned him…” He forced a step, “If he comes back here without buying from me… I’d kill him.”
Theo tried escaping, but Clown didn’t let him move.
“You’re not leaving yet…”