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“I can’t do it anymore,” Scott shouted, defeated on the floor. Red stains on his face and hands. Struggling to get up as he reached for his communicator. It was supposed to be simple, he thought. Scott typed out his last message before succumbing to his exhaustion.
Smajor1995: Need redstone help pls.
The elf king laid on the floor of his enchanting tower. His usually pristine outfit was covered in redstone dust and singed from redstone torches. A mess of pistons hanging from the ceiling and poking from underneath the wooden floor of the tower surrounded him. It wasn’t supposed to be this way he thought, when suddenly he heard the ping from his communicator.
Pixlriffs: On my way .
Pixl and his self-proclaimed “Most Advanced Empire” was probably going to be one of the better options at helping him, Scott admitted as he slipped into sleep deprived unconsciousness.
A quaint flower valley filled his view. Looking out towards the three hills as he leaned back against some kind of barrier. Listening to the sugarcane leaves rustle in the wind and the bees buzzing from flower to flower. He felt someone sit down next to him. Instead of feeling surprised, he felt warm and happy as if this was something he was used to, a stark contrast to his mountain’s cold wind.
“For you,” he said as a poppy was placed in front of Scott.
“Aww cute.” Scott said, picking up the poppy.
“I must confess my love,” Scott felt the eyes of the man focus on him, making him feel like they were the only people in the world. What happened outside of their wall didn’t matter as long as they were together. “-for poppies.”
“Very funny,” he chuckled at the man. “Anything else you want to confess, before I divorce you for cheating on me with a flower.”
“I have to confess my love for you of course.” The man placed his right hand on top of Scott’s left. Feeling his face heat up, Scott turned away from the man. Pulling away his hand.
“You know you should ask first. Your hands are cold.” The man chuckled softly at his pseudo hostility. Scott heard the man shuffle closer next to him.
“Then. Will you do me the honor of letting me hold your hand, Sco-“
“Scott Smajor?” A voice called, startling the tired elf from his dream. A few tears fell from his eyes, something akin to sadness filled him. A feeling of losing something that he once had. A hand helped him to his feet. Scott began to rub the sleep from his eyes, wincing a little as he realized he was also rubbing redstone in his eyes. “Here you might want to use this,” Pixl said, handing the elf his water bucket.
“Thank you, so much for this Pix.” Scott said, washing the redstone from his eyes. “I’m almost at my limit.”
“What have you been trying to do?” The Copper King asked.
“I’ve been trying for days to make something that’ll hide my bookshelves in the floor, but everything I do has made such a big mess.”
“Well I would say you’re doing a good job but this is certainly a mess,” Pixl said, gesturing towards the ceiling. A mass of pistons hung from the green crystal, some extended, some not, a few broken and redstone torches everywhere. “I can’t even tell what this is.”
“It’s supposed to be a triple- wait what’s the version with six?”
“Sextuple.”
“A sextuple piston extender that’ll push these bookshelves back into the floor after I stop standing on this pressure plate, but then I realized it won't be able to retract so I tried to build another in the floor but I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”
“Well, there’s a simple solution to your problem, Scott Smajor.”
“What is it?” Scott asked, looking hopeful.
“Use sticky pistons.” The elf king’s face immediately dropped. That was absolutely not the answer he wanted.
“I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to that,” Scott groaned. “Can’t I just make some kind of honey block flying machine that’ll put the shelves back.”
“You could potentially, but do you really want a flying machine in this very pretty tower?”
“No… But I can’t use sticky pistons.”
“What do you have against sticky pistons?”
“N-nothing,” Scott paused thinking of what next to say “I just don’t have any slime.”
“Easy enough,” Pixl said. “The Codfather recently got me a stack of slime blocks. He should be able to assist you in acquiring a few.” Scott cringed a little at the use of that title. Jimmy was just Jimmy. His Jimmy was a simple man, not some kind of cod mafia boss. Scott shook his head at that. Jimmy wasn’t his.
“I can’t…. Ask Jimmy,” Scott admitted. “I’m his enemy. I can’t exactly scoot up to his kingdom, asking for supplies. Not after what I did. You just got some slime, can’t you give me some?”
“Sorry, I already used all of the slime he gave me. The codfather is a simple man, I’m sure as long as you apologize, he’ll give you slime. As his ally, I can try to set up a meeting between your kingdoms as long as you give him a peace offering.”
“Fine,” Scott responded. He had already spent too much time on this and needed to build up the rest of Rivendell. “Just give me some time to think of what I want to give.”
“Of course, I’ll leave you to it.” Pixl said leaving the tower.
Scott thought back to how the two became enemies. He had come to the swamp kingdom to complement the cod king’s market stalls and maybe pester him into building the slime farm that the kingdoms needed so badly. Before that, Jimmy had dropped off a cake and a pufferfish in Rivendell. Scott thought it was a nice gesture even if Jimmy had erroneously misspelled the pufferfish's name and he would tease the cod boy in chat as if they had known each other for ages, it just felt natural for him even though really they had never met in person. When he saw the man wearing a fish head, he felt disappointed and strangely angry that he couldn’t see his face. Despite that he really did feel proud of how much Jimmy’s building skills improved. Improved from what? He wasn’t so sure, but the elf knew he could do better. So he took a few barrels and replaced the corners of his stalls with them. When the cod complained that it would mess with his villagers, the elf told him “Not once you lock in a trade, ya idiot.” Jimmy then gave him a speech about how he was the “Codfather” and that he can’t insult him in his domain.
They both knew that he was joking and that Jimmy hitting him with a loaf of bread wasn’t serious either, so Scott chasing after him with an axe and the intent to kill absolutely wasn’t the right response. Scott didn’t know why he went for him, but he blamed the cod head. Jimmy tried to swim away pleading with Scott that he was sorry and that he didn’t mean it, but Scott caught him right at the river bend where he landed the finishing blow. Scott let his items float in the river, but strangely enough he picked up the cod head. “Why is he wearing you?” The elf questioned as he stared into its lifeless fish eyes. He had just killed someone in cold blood and all he could think of was the stupid cod head.
Hearing muttering about going on a list, Scott hid the head away. He watched the man gather his items and mutter to himself when he noticed that he was missing an item, he turned his attention towards the elf king. Jimmy questioned him if he had the head but Scott couldn’t take him seriously with the man's wet hair making him look like a wet dog. When he approached closer, the elf (even though he had no real reason to) felt threatened. He couldn’t die again; he wouldn’t. Scott panicked and swung his axe against his unwitting and unarmored opponent, taking his life a second time.
Scott didn’t know what he had done or why he had done it. Feeling tears well up in his eyes he stared in shock at his axe. Something inside told him that he couldn’t do it a third time. If Jimmy died a third time he wouldn't come back he thought, but that wasn’t how this place worked. They were all basically immortal here, Joel alone had died around thirty times and he had come back whole and unchanged each time, but Scott was terrified of death. He had the one of the least amounts of death out of the rulers, and he wasn’t going to change that now. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down but visions of a blond haired man with red eyes and greying skin flashed in mind. He smiled at Scott before fading away into nothingness. Trying not to think of the man, Scott forced himself to think of something else, something that hurt less. He imagined himself in a desert, decimated from an explosion, running away from something or someone before he was stabbed in the back. The pain was intense but at least it was quick.
He wiped the tears from his face to clear his vision. Seeing Jimmy’s green clothes sprinting at him in the distance, the elven king couldn’t let anyone see him like this and ran away. Jimmy chased after him halfway through Mythland, when the elf king realized what he wanted he dropped the head and turned the corner. Scott hid behind a dark oak tree and watched his pursuer pick up the cod head. Jimmy yelled in his direction “You get no deals! No slime! No forgiveness! No love! No support! I want my pufferish back. You’re nothing to me Scott!” His voice was filled with so much hurt and anger. Scott watched him take a moment to catch his breath as he walked off towards the swamp with tears in his eyes.
After that Scott played it off as if Jimmy deserved it because he’s Jimmy and Jimmy’s Jimmy, but he knew that he didn’t. He may not be the best builder or the most threatening, but he’s nice and just a ray of sunshine to be around. Jimmy really didn’t deserve what he did. As a ruler of a kingdom, Scott should be used to being hated by people especially people from different kingdoms but it was so much more different with Jimmy. It was as if a part of him was broken and incomplete. Even more than the slime, he wanted Jimmy back in his life. Scott had to give the man something meaningful.
The day had finally come when the meeting between the two kingdoms had come. Scott entered the jungle clearing at the center of their world. Seeing the familiar brown scales of the cod head, he called out Jimmy’s name only to see him tense up at his voice. Alone, Jimmy wasn’t a very threatening person. He could barely defend himself, Scott knew that firsthand. Really, the scariest part of Jimmy was his ability to gain powerful allies. That was fully on display when the armorless elven ruler arrived at spawn to see the Copper king in full netherite gear standing guard next to the fish man, his hand at the hilt of his sword, ready to defend him. Behind them the King of Mezalea was standing in a tree with an arrow ready to shoot. Even though their two kingdoms had a trade deal, Joel was very willing to strike him down for Jimmy’s sake. And undoubtedly the Queen of the Ocean was hiding in a pond somewhere just waiting to ambush him, like a crocodile waiting for its prey to make the wrong move.
“Scott Smajor of Rivendell, do you have your peace offering to the Codfather and the Cod Empire,” Pixl asked. His voice booming through the sounds of the jungle. Jimmy stood silent, his cod head hiding whatever emotion he could’ve been feeling.
“I do. In the name of peace, this is what I offer to you.” Scott pulled out a shulker filled with wool and tapestries of various shades of green to match the colors of the cod man’s swampy homelands. It was all he could think of, he had picked something else up earlier, but that gift felt a little ordinary for a peace offering between feuding nations. This box was filled with his nation’s main export, it seemed fair. This will work was all he could think while Jimmy looked through the box. He’ll forgive me and then we can be together again. The man turned to Pixl, whispering his message to the desert dweller.
“The Codfather has decided to-”
“Wait,” Scott interrupted. It hurt to see Jimmy be silent, especially because of him. He couldn’t stand it. “Before you finish that sentence, Jimmy please listen to what I have to say. I know you probably think that I’m doing this because I just want slime, but that’s wrong.” Scott pulled out the gift, a simple poppy that he picked up. It wasn’t much at all but something was telling him that it was important not just for him but for Jimmy too. “I want to talk to you. I want to apologize, properly.”
Suddenly the world fell silent. Scott felt as if all eyes were on him, he couldn’t even look at Jimmy as he presented the flower to him. Everything felt as if the world started crumbling, like he had taken a wrong step.
“Pixl, you can leave.” Scott looked up, Pixl looked as surprised as he was. “You’re a great friend for wanting to protect me, but I want to talk to Scott alone.”
“Oh. Uh- Of course.” the bearded man responded.
“Lizzie and Joel, you can leave too.”
“Already ahead of you Jimmy.” Joel yelled.
“Be careful coming down from that tree.” Lizzie said, from next to Scott, exasperated as she watched her own husband struggle to climb down from a branch. “We went end-raiding for a reason, use your elytra.” Scott could only guess at how she appeared next to him and maybe he was a little too scared to find out. She turned to face him, whispering something only he could hear. “The Ocean Queen does not die for her allies, but you certainly can. You better not hurt him any more than you’ve already done.”
The two stood together awkwardly as they watched Jimmy’s allies rocket off to their kingdoms. Scott had to sit down. His heart was racing and he couldn’t calm down. He was just threatened and maybe he did deserve it. His thoughts racing through his head and even more guilt being built up. The giant trees of the jungle felt like walls trapping them together. The sounds of parrots and ocelots echoing his own blaring thoughts.
“You dropped this,” Jimmy said, placing the flower in front of the Elf. Scott’s thought process paused as tried to comprehend what was happening. He felt his companion sit down next to him on the jungle floor, his hand bumping against his. “I’m sorry about them. After hearing about what happened, Pixl insisted on coming with armor and then Joel and Lizzie went along with it. You know how allies are.”
“Not really,” the elf responded. “I don’t think any of my allies would back me up like yours do.” fWhip and Sausage were both too stuck in their own chaos, Gem was too busy keeping them in line, and Katherine despite her talk of wanting to be friends, really was only looking out for herself. “Who would want to risk life and limb for me anyway. I can’t even imagine myself doing that for anyone.”
“You’d be surprised, actually.” Jimmy turned to face Scott. A smile audible on his voice as the swamp dweller scooted closer. “I’m sure someone out there would love to back you up.” Scott paused, feeling as if he’d been in a situation like this before. ”You look pretty shaken up. You okay, Scott?” He asked but all the elven ruler could think was why was this man who he’s been nothing but nasty to, this man who considered him an enemy, so nice to him.
“What do you know! Fishhead! You barely know me.” Scott fired at the man. “We don’t even talk. I’m even supposed to be apologizing to you to establish peace between our kingdoms.” Tears started to stream down his face as his emotions burst forth. “But all I can think of is how I can’t stand the thought of you hating me. I just... I don’t even know why I care so much.”
“I don’t hate you. I know what I said but I don’t think I could ever hate you at least not for long. I didn’t know you even felt like that.”
“Well, duh. Ya idiot. It’s not like we talk. I flirt with you in chat and then insult you. That’s not exactly a relationship you can talk about this stuff in. I haven’t even stopped thinking about what you yelled at me that day, either. Maybe I do want your forgiveness. Maybe I do want your support, and maybe I do want your love.” Scott groaned. He didn’t mean to say that. Scott hid his face in his hands trying to hide from more embarrassment. Good job Scott, what a great time to fall for the enemy, he thought to himself. “Please ignore that last bit.”
“Nah, I don’t think I will,” The cod man said smugly.
“Jimmy! You can’t hold that against me!”
“What? Is there something else you want me to hold against you?”
“No! C’mon you can’t do that either.” Scott laughed, letting his hand fall as he relaxed. “Jimmy, I flirt with you and then you get angry at me . You can’t just flip our entire dynamic. It’ll change our relationship”
“Maybe we should.” Scott was surprised as Jimmy took his hand into his. His eyes staring into the cod man’s fish eyes. “Change it, I mean. Clearly neither of us are exactly happy about our current situation.”
“You got that right,” Scott sighed. “Where do we even go from here?”
“I have an idea, but don’t tell Pix about it,” Jimmy said.
“What are you talking about?” Scott asked, confused as Jimmy then took off his cod head. Scott sat speechless, he got to see part of Jimmy’s face when he attacked him but he didn’t really get a good look at him but now that the Codfather’s face was in full view he couldn’t help but stare. The man’s face was familiar, almost as if he’d seen it in a dream before.
“I told him that he’s the only one who’s seen the true Codfather. I guess now you’ve seen him too” The man stood up and offered his hand to Scott. “I don’t really think that we should rush into anything, we don’t need to make an official alliance or anything but I think we should start over as friends first and see where things go.”
“Sounds nice,” Scott said, taking the hand in front of him as he helped him get to his feet.
“And I have one more thing to ask. Would you like to have dinner at my place, Scott?”
“Of course, I would." Scott laughed as he accepted the proposal. "Do you really want me at your feet already?”
“Nah,” Jimmy said, picking up the poppy and placing it behind Scott’s ear. “I’d rather stand by your side.”