Chapter Text
The creature and its pet found themselves visiting Overworlder towns much more frequently after returning from their first venture. Winter came and went, and spring brought opportunities for trade that the End child had previously ignored.
Having a loyal canine companion paid off in many ways, one of which being the abundance of bones that Andesite always dragged into the house at night. The foreigner would usually use the few bones it gathered in winter as fertilizer for crops in the spring, but with a glance at the pile of them that was building up near the wolf's bedding, it knew that it would have an overabundance of them this year. Saving them for next spring would be pointless as well, it assumed, since they would likely lose their nutrients. Besides, Andesite didn't seem like he was going to stop collecting them any time soon.
So, with some resistance from the large canine, the bone pile was tossed into a leather sack and lugged outside.
Some various foodstuffs were more carefully packed and stored for the trip as well. The creature found that winter was useful for food storage, as perishables would spoil more slowly, but the transition into warmer temperatures meant that it would either have to eat fruit and vegetables for a month straight, or toss it out.
Before, trading was never an option. The shapeshifter's caution had kept it away from Overworlders, but the nature of its last interaction with them left it feeling more curious than wary. Instead of being met with danger, it had come and left with no trouble, and had gotten the supplies it was looking for.
At this point, trading the supplies that it did not need sounded much more appealing than wasting them.
Traveling back to the village was a fairly simple task as well. Many beings were more docile due to a higher abundance in resources, and even the undead were fewer and farther between (most likely a result of newly-emboldened Overworlders restocking their supplies). The foreigner and its dog journeyed with little resistance. The bone hoard was dispersed among various individuals for relatively cheap prices, a few gemstones here and there, and some exotic materials and objects that the creature wouldn't be able to get itself.
Business was booming in the spring, it seemed.
So after the creature left, it returned a month later.
And then a month after that.
Until eventually, it began a routine of showing up every two weeks. Not always for trade, and sometimes even without its loyal canine companion. The lazy mutt preferred to sleep his days away, at times.
(Everyone is lazy sometimes, especially in the face of change.)
And if, after a year or so of frequency, the creature built a summer household less than a day's walk from the community, who could blame it? A closer proximity was just more practical.
(Until cobwebs and dust collected in a place that no longer felt like home.)
It helped lost critters who had nowhere to turn, and soon this new abode was roamed by a troublesome couple of cats; Spider and Pumpkin drove Andesite mad, and the being of the Deep End found joy in the face of their antics frequently, even on the worst of days.
(Family was important, after all.)
Over time, it—
She.
Over time, she gained a sense of self. An identity. A reputation.
She's not sure when or why it all came to her, but one day, it was as if a realization had struck. Like lightning, ideas and titles and purposes came flooding in, and she knew who she was. Perhaps Overworlder contact had been the start of a chain reaction, because now, everything was becoming clear.
Her name was Knavish. She was a product of the Deepest reaches of the End. She had three animal companions. She was objective, but not cruel. In the best of moments, she was kind.
And she was missing something.
—— ⊙ ——
"No boots on the carpet."
S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄ stood still, one foot almost planted on the plush gray flooring, eyes widened in a startled fashion. They gazed unblinkingly at S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿, whose own eyes were narrowed coldly.
The first pair of eyes narrowed in response. A single dirtied boot drifted an inch closer to the floor.
"Don't," S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿ warned.
The younger's hand lifted into a crude gesture, accompanied by a swift yet firm "FUCK YOU," as foot met carpet and S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄ dashed off into the house. S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿ gave chase. A half-sliced loaf of bread was left idle on the countertop.
"S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄!"
Two sets of rapid footsteps thundered through the household's ground floor, light curses and boisterous laughter heard echoing alongside it all. Eventually, though, the one who fled found themself backed into a corner within their abode's quaint library. They turned to face their pursuer, hands resting casually on the rune-carved obsidian table that sat between them both.
"Heyyy S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿," they greeted, chuckles escaping from their throat between huffs of air, "So... what brings you here?"
S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿ gave them the most deadpan look she could muster.
"Either you clean up the mess you made or I'm going to throw you in the ravine," she threatened, "I'm assuming you thought I wasn't home? Since you usually only break the house rules when I'm away."
"I don't know what you're talking about, bitch! D'you need your eyes checked!? I'm not even wearing boots!"
S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿ gave a not-so subtle glance at the dirty footprints that led her here.
"...The ravine it is, then." S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄'s wrist was snatched by their sister's hand, and they were pulled along, with some effort, back the way they had come.
"Hey, hey! Fuck you, bitch!" S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄ struggled in the hold, attempting to pry the fingers from their arm, but S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿ held on firmly. She was about to throw them into the crevice that resided in the kitchen closet, but hesitated, and raised an eyebrow at her younger sibling.
"Sure you don't just want to clean up your mess?" She grinned as S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄ squirmed some more, the grip on their wrist the only thing keeping them from losing their balance and falling into the cavity below. The mechanism at the bottom would break their fall, of course, but it would be an endeavor to climb back up.
S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄ gave her another flip of the middle finger, and S̶͕̩̓͜m̴̺̟͍̮͛̅͐V̴̮͎̈́̐̒̂̆̌ẓ̶̀c̶̙̞͑w̷͇̗͔̙̼͒̏͐=̴̺̜̥̘͌̉̀͂̀ͅ=̷̤͙̣̜̒̋̆͗̾̄ nearly doubled over laughing.
"No! Fuck you! Stop laughing!" They started flailing even more, if that was possible. The laughter didn't stop, and S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿ eventually released their wrist, pulling them away from the sheer drop as she did so.
"Alright, for real, take your boots off and go do… whatever you were doing." S̶̗͈͒̆2̸̭̭̿͜5̵̩̞̃̽͆ḧ̸͚͛͠ď̸̮͎̣͠͝m̷̤̊l̷̞̂͘z̵̡̘̀͜ả̵̘̮̣Ȃ̴̭̖̿ spoke with mirth still heavily embedded into her voice. "I'll clean up your — "
Suddenly, it was dark. And she was alone.
The ground disappeared from beneath her feet, and she fell. She yelled in fear, even though she knew, somehow, that she had been the one to jump.
Perhaps it wasn't the fall that scared her.
In a single heartbeat, she looked down,
(The crackling static of void was quickly approaching. That had not been there before.)
And she looked up.
(Her siblings watched with horror, hands outstretched as if they could ever reach hers.)
She closed her eyes as the static overtook her a moment later, and screamed as she was dissected, ripped apart, piece by piece.
As if she were a curiosity to be studied.
—— ⊙ ——
When Knavish awoke, she didn't move. The ceiling above her seemed far more interesting than trying to grasp at the vestiges of whatever End-awful dream she just had. The sound of a cat's purr filled the room, a cheerful noise that was in stark contrast to Knavish's own demeanor.
When the purring was not greeted with attention, it turned into a plaintive meow.
Sighing, Knavish sat up in her bed and gave Spider a pat. Her hand drifted roughly against his black pelt, rubbing back and forth in an effort to not only placate the affectionate feline, but also get rid of the remnants of her dream. Despite the force behind his owner's contact, Spider purred louder and started kneading her stomach.
However, the domestic moment did not last long. Soon enough, Knavish rose from where she sat, disrupting her cat and causing him to jump down as well. This action, in turn, alerted the two other occupants of their small abode. Andesite, who seemed to have only just woken up himself, yawned as he looked over at the shapeshifter. He didn't seem too impressed with her for waking him up, but got up and stretched anyway. Pumpkin, the other household cat, had been lounging in the newly-risen sun when her brother jumped off the bed, but was now engaged in a rather intense wrestling match with him.
Knavish was often amused by the two felines' antics, and this was no exception. She mentally cheered for Pumpkin's victory; Spider ambushed the orange tabby all the time, she deserved a little bit of payback.
By the time she had drawn her eyes away from all of her companions, Knavish's dream had fallen to the depths of her mind. She remembered that it was strange and unnerving, but could recall none of its details. Oh well, she thought to herself apathetically, Not like it would matter much anyway.
She continued on with her day, tossing some chopped fish meat in the cats' general direction, and giving Andesite a bone that would entertain him until she collected a piece of red meat from her storage room. Spider and Pumpkin often hunted for themselves during the day, regardless of whether or not they got meals at home, so Knavish had settled for just giving them snacks in the morning and letting them fend for themselves. (During the good seasons, at least. Knavish wasn't cruel, her cats stayed well-fed even in the colder times of year.)
Andesite, unlike the cats, preferred his owner to provide his food, the lazy bastard. (She jested, of course. The big mutt assisted in hunting enough to feed the both of them.)
Any foodstuffs collected by hunting did have to be stored differently, though. As long as the cats' fish was cooked and cut and kept cold, Knavish could keep it in one of the cabinets. But pork, beef, and mutton were more easily kept in large slabs of meat, and then coated in salt, since there was so much more of it. Plus, the quantity meant more risk of scavengers, so Knavish stored it in a vault-like storage space only a few paces from her current housing. The vault was built into the side of the hill she resided on, so it was difficult to locate and even harder to break into.
So imagine the End-being's surprise when she was met with the sight of its door left ajar.
She always double- and triple-checked the locks whenever she went in or out, so Knavish knew that this couldn't have just been a simple mistake. Call her paranoid all you'd like, but she was a survivalist at heart, and everything she did was done with utmost planning and caution. She would not have forgotten to close the goddamn door .
The retrieval of dog food forgotten, the humanoid being unsheathed the sword she kept at her hip, approaching the vault with wary steps. She went through many possible scenarios in her mind, trying to prepare herself for anything.
The door opened toward her, she would have to either pull it open with her foot or take a hand from her sword. Either choice could be a disadvantage. Whatever's on the other side could slam into it when she got close to stun her, if they knew she was there at all.
It could be nothing. It could be a nimble-fingered raccoon. It could be an armada of Overworlders waiting to ambush her.
Knavish gripped her sword tightly in one hand as she reached the door, reaching toward it with the other. She held the weapon up, ready to strike or parry at a moment's notice if she were threatened.
The door creaked as it opened, revealing a scrawny-looking teenager scrounging around in the barrels and shelves of supplies. The kid's eyes were as round as saucers as they focused on Knavish and her sword, especially as the blade was lowered to point at them from across the room.
"Who are you," the shapeshifter spoke in a low, stern tone, "and how did you get in here?"
She took a moment to size up the intruder.
Their hair was matted, and absolutely filthy. All covered in dirt and grime, it was difficult to make out any color. Their arms were bony and thin, and Knavish could only assume the rest of their body was as well; the ragged clothing that covered their form kept her from observing further.
She felt for the kid, really. They looked too young to be able to fend for themself properly, especially considering the state of their appearance. That concerned her in and of itself, let alone the odd scarring that criss-crossed their arms.
Trailing back up to their face, Knavish noted that the kid's eyes were focused only on her, the items grasped in their arms seemingly forgotten if not for the death-grip that kept them in place. Their lips drew into a grimace, and their back arched as they stood. It reminded her of a feral cat.
"Fuck you!" The intruder spat the words venomously. "I'm not telling you anything!"
"Sure, okay," Knavish lowered her weapon, but kept her eyes trained on the form in front of her, "You're rummaging around in my vault. Speak your peace, drop my shit, and get the fuck out."
The thief glanced around, probably looking for any way to get out of the mess they were in. They zeroed back on Knavish after a moment, though. There was no way out of the vault aside from the doorway she was currently standing in front of.
She expected them to drop everything and concede.
She was not expecting them to lunge at her like a savage piglin.
In the span of a heartbeat, Knavish's weapon was brought up to block a hit. Sure enough, a heavy impact struck the flat of the blade. She heard the kid's hiss of pain only a moment before she caught the stench of burned flesh.
Not giving even a hint of hesitation, Knavish drove herself forward in an attempt to knock them over. She knew that if she could get them to the ground, they'd both survive another day.
It wasn't particularly hard, given her opponent's apparent malnutrition, but a gleaming metal knife did almost manage to gut her before it was parried away.
Now that they laid on the floor, a boot placed solidly on their chest and a heated blade pointed straight at their form, Knavish caught her breath. A skilled kid, she thought to herself as she watched them squirm, I wonder how they learned to fight?
Her gaze hardened again for a moment. She opened her mouth, then closed it.
The boot and blade were lifted, and Knavish stood to the side. The exit was no longer blocked, and she bent down to pick up one of the items that had been dropped in their scuffle.
Consequently, a bundle of carrots were tossed in the kid's direction.
They seemed spooked by it, but hastily snatched up the offer of food. All while still eyeing Knavish suspiciously, of course.
"I don't need your fucking—"
"Shut up and take it. I would've sold it anyway." Knav's gleaming sword was put back into its sheath, and she picked up another object from the floor. She looked it over, and then gave the thief a curious look. "If I give you back your knife, are you gonna stab me?"
"I—"
"Because if you are, I'm not giving it back. For obvious reasons."
"FINE." The kid groaned, holding out a hand for their weapon to be returned. They fixed the shapeshifter with a hard glare. "Give me back my shit."
"A bold statement for a thief," Knavish hummed back as she set the small blade's handle into the other's palm. She could barely make out a "thanks" muttered under their breath.
As the child started to back out of the vault door, glancing behind them ever so often to ensure they wouldn't run into anything, the End creature spoke again.
"There's a ravine to the west of here, about half a day's travel. Animals fall over the edge all the time. It's easy food for desperate folk."
"I don't know where 'west' is!" The intruder's voice was loud and tinged with indignation.
"It's where the sun sets. Follow the sun in the evening and you'll find it."
"Sure, okay. Anything else you wanna talk my ear off about?"
Knavish glanced at the young overworlder's gaunt, beaten form again. She hummed in thought.
"No," she eventually responded, "Don't come back here again."
The kid got out of there remarkably quickly, and Knavish turned to clean up the mess they'd made. It wasn't too bad overall, just a lot of scattered foodstuffs, so it didn't take long until she started doing what she'd come outside for in the first place.
Andesite would be super pissed that she took so long. End-dammit, that mutt was going to be insufferable. With a sigh, she collected a bit more raw beef than she typically did, and carried it over her shoulder back to her abode.
She triple-checked the lock on the vault door before she left, of course. But if she, perhaps, left it unlocked after retrieving rations in the evening? Well, she must have just forgotten.