Chapter Text
------ [OVERWORLD - MORNING, 10 HOURS UNTIL SUNSET] ------
[Plains - Verdant Steppe]
The warm, torch-lit interior of Rynak's home provided an anxious Herba with some solace from what new experience awaited her outside.
Today was finally the day that she would get some experience with a sword - just like a Human!
Rynak helped her get the holder for her own Iron Sword comfortably on.
Finding the right spot to place it, one where she could reach her blade yet still maneuver comfortably proved difficult for the two, with the satchel that carried her writing equipment having to be factored in as well.
Once the Sword Sheath was in place, Rynak began to lay out how things were going to go down.
"The idea is we'll go at it until one of us yields. I'll wear Leather Armor and wield a Wooden sword while you get to use your Sword as-is."
Herba shakes her head before worriedly writing out "does not sound fair". He nodded, "Honestly Herba, you'd be surprised how little Leather Armor protects in comparison to the higher, more durable types. It's a way to balance the match-up with you having a better Sword in mind."
This confuses Herba, with her translating her thoughts into another written message, "make Ur-buh Sword forged from Tree as well?" Rynak's mouth opens, then closes, as he found difficulty in refuting her point. ("That's... a good point actually. That would be fairer.")
"I'll admit you got me there; that is true, but I have a counter argument: this is your first go at this kind of thing, giving you an edge would help you get a feel for it.
Not like I'm at too much of a risk since if I do bite the dust I can just come back - you don't have such luck, however."
Rynak walks over and pats the Creeper on the head. "Once you get the hang of things though? Only then will the playing field get properly leveled, and suddenly incapacitating me becomes harder than it was before."
He found difficulty in continuing to look at her as sheepishness creeped into his mind.
"Haven't done this 'teaching' thing before, so my idea on how to go about it is mostly from when I was taught years ago." He gave a nervous chuckle.
Now that caught Herba's interest, Rynak had a teacher? Who?
She asked the question through ink and paper, "who taught?"
His face fell, "Someone I trusted to know what was best for me. More than anything." Shaking his head, he refocused himself.
"That's not relevant, though," He motions for Herba to come with him. "Let's get out there and get this show on the road!"
The sun shined down upon the two of them, now separated by a distance of 10 meters. The tall building the two of them saw as home in serving as backdrop for the exercise.
"You ready, Herba?" Rynak called out. The Creeper perks up, eyes flicking back and forth. She shook her head - she was not ready yet.
He nodded, understanding her hesitance. "I get it. Take your time, get comfortable, and I'll be ready when you are."
Herba shook her head again, suggesting that it isn't her getting cold hooves as she hurriedly maneuvering her head to her side to pull their sword out of its sheath. While she is ultimately successful in freeing it from its holder, it slips from the grasp of her maw, landing on the grass beneath.
Herba's hooves carefully finagle with the dropped blade, lifting it between her front limbs, iron hilt pointing to the sky. Soon, the hilt finds its proper place in her maw, gripped by her teeth.
Some would say Herba looked ridiculous holding the blade with her mouth, but with enough time she will make such a bizarre sight one to not take lightly - she just has to prove that she is equal parts green and mean.
"Nice recovery Herba, but can you back it up?" Rynak goaded, wearing an almost petulant smile.
Herba nods, her grip on her weapon shaking as she nods back, ready to go.
He pulled out his Wooden Sword, holding it low as his stance shifted.
"Come, then."
Herba takes off, quickly closing the distance between her and her target.
Once the gap had been closed, she thrusts her blade forward.
The blade does not meet flesh as Rynak takes a step out of its way.
He grins. ("Clumsy, but she knows how Swords work at least. Good, good.")
She continues applying pressure to the human by slashing again and again.
Rynak backpedals, Herba advancing after him.
With a quick step back, he lunged forward, ducking under her continued attacking and lands a swift slice onto her body. The pain being enough to cause her to drop her weapon reflexively.
Herba staggered back from the force, finding utmost annoyance in the amused expression Rynak now wore. She charged back in swiping again, then again.
While some came close, none of her motions were successful.
Another blunt blow has her on the ground.
"Let's call it a day for now, Herba." Herba looks up to see her clanmate standing over her as he spoke. She looked crestfallen, finding shame in her defeat.
Rynak crouched down, the pride he had in her shining through his smile. "Aw, don't be so down Herba. You're still new at this; nobody does perfectly on the first go! You should've seen me go mining for the first time... how many years ago was it now? So many mistakes..." He shook his head, feeling oddly nostalgic for such an ancient memory.
He paused for but a moment to think the present matter over. "For what it's worth, you do have the basic ideas down, so that's a great point to build off of. However, a point of criticism: You can't just go swinging a Sword all willy nilly like that, it'll actually make you deal less damage, will make you predictable, and is just begging for some kind of counterplay. Swing only when you need to, and with surefire intent."
As if Herba immediately put his words into practice, she swiped at his legs, successfully landing a cut on Rynak. Falling to his knee, he let out a hiss of his own, "You-!" he stopped himself, opting to instead breathe through the sudden, burning pain. "Alright, I'll say it. Well played," he rose back up as the pain slowly began to fade, "That's certainly... a tactic you can use. Problem though: Not everyone appreciates getting attacked while their guard is down, some consider it bad sportsmanship."
Rynak reached down and helped Herba to her hooves. "Putting that aside, keep what I said in mind, build off of it and you'll keep improving as we continue practicing, even if the process is slow. As for that little stunt you pulled, I wouldn't discard it. Playing dirty is necessary sometimes."
The edges of her mouth curled into a weak smile, ever so grateful for the Human's showcase of sportsmanship to even her. "We'll continue another day. For now, I need to get my stuff so we can go on an adventure and get you out of the house."
Herba hissed in irritation, Rynak raises a hand defensively to address her dissatisfaction. "No, no, That's not it. You have an interest in making art, right? Wouldn't an aspiring artist need to see the beauty of the world to broaden the contents of their canvas?"
Herba blinks, almost surprised with the accuracy of her clanmate's observation as she heads back inside.
If they were going to be heading out, then she would need to bring her writing equipment with her.
These instruments allowed for her to communicate more complicated messages to her clanmate, ones that context clues or simple "yes or no" gestures would struggle to get across.
While the Satchel solved the issue of Rynak having to carry around her writing equipment for her to carry them around herself, another issue that came up was how she would be able to conveniently write on softer terrain like Gravel.
The quick and easy solution they found was a hardy sliver of Wooden Plank, not unlike that of a Pressure Plate, made for her to rest her current piece of paper on. This provided consistency in the ease of which she could write something out.
Such accommodations for her needs helped provide the Creeper with a comfortable, welcoming environment for her to live in, one where she mattered as an individual.
Despite the time that had passed since they first met, it all still felt so new to Herba. It made her feel indescribably funny inside.
Donning her leather satchel on her side, Herba returned outdoors to her waiting clanmate.
Her attitude towards her clanmate's proposed expedition had changed, there was now a bit more of a hop to her trot.
"Feeling eager now, are we?" Rynak smugly remarked.
She nodded in agreement, though she quickly jots down something that was on her mind,
"Why care about Creeper art?"
Amused, Rynak chuckled. "Listen Herba, I like fighting as much as the next guy, but being a one-trick pony isn't exactly what I'd call fun. Having side-gigs or hobbies is just necessary in order to keep life interesting."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Something about variety being the spice of life, I hear? It's why I took to researching creatures - killing them is fine and dandy and all, but sometimes I wondered what makes some of them tick. Though, figuring it out is easier in some cases than others."
Herba jotted out another question. "What place clanmate have in mind?"
Rynak begins to walk away, gesturing for Herba to follow. "Somewhere I personally find rather soothing, you might like it!" He explained to the Creeper.
Just what wonderous destination did her clanmate have in mind?
------ [DAY, 8 HOURS UNTIL SUNSET] ------
[Desert - Pascoda Sands]
Out of all the places, the scorching sands of a Desert was not the one that Herba expected her clanmate to find "soothing".
As they walked through the sun-warmed sand one step and one hoof at a time, the Creeper wore an unamused expression all the same.
"Why here?" Herba queried through ink and paper, letting out a brief, indifferent hiss to get her clanmate's attention.
"I know, I know, you're probably not fond of Deserts, there aren't the fondest of memories lingering here after all - and I'm sorry about that, I just find the empty atmosphere of arid places such as deserts to be oddly calming. I hope one day you will too," He turned back to Herba.
"I get the usual complaints people have with Sand, 'coarse', 'rough' and so on, but to me I think that's the best part. It's soft, yet not too soft. The dusty sounds it makes as it gets scattered across the time and time again by the wind. When it gets in your eyes, yeah its irritating, but each block is made up of who knows how many grains so its ultimately an inevitability, not to mention its a desert full of the stuff."
Rynak smiles wistfully, "Digging the stuff up is a great way to destress and think. Just have to remember to check if the stuff is suspended over a pit or not."
He blinks, coming to the realization that he has been rambling again, his expression becomes sheepish, "But I suppose we should get back on track, huh?"
Herba nods.
As both Human and Monster alike continue their travels, something began to occur to Herba.
(["Ur-buh met Human in Desert. Human gave Creeper nice life, happy life, better life. Then Clanmates found Ur-buh, nearly killed Ur-buh."]) Her eyes came to fixate on a Cactus they were passing by.
(["If things happen different, would former clanmates have still-?"])
She stopped.
The thought repeated, echoing throughout her mind and drowning out her clanmate's voice.
(["Would clanmates...?"])
If one variable was removed from the equation, would that mean-
"Herba!"
She jolted, flinching from the unexpected sound of her clanmate's voice.
"Didja hear me?" he asked her.
Still a little dazed from getting abruptly ripped out of her thoughts, Herba blinked and then shook her head, wordlessly asking for him to repeat himself.
"I was asking if there was any species you found particularly interesting."
Herba thought for a moment, then wrote out "Testificate".
Rynak's brows fell, this choice was not one he was all that keen on,
"Ah. Those lot. They're... something alright."
Herba cocks her head to the side, intrigued about what he has to say about them.
"It depends on what kind of Testificate we're talking about, they're all a different brand of... unique. Illagers are your usual brand of conniving, though they aren't always the best at being bad. Villagers on the other hand are... characters that I can never get a good read on but are generally well-intentioned."
Ever the speculative one, Herba wrote out "Species Human find interesting?"
He brought a hand to his chin, contemplating her query.
"Well, it would be cheating to say the Endermans, as I've already made my interest in them clear. Another one, though, would have to be Ghasts."
Herba blinked, giving a slight tilt to her head, "Ghostly Squid-like creatures native to the Nether. From my studies of their behavior, I've been suspecting that something isn't quite right with them.
"Personally, I used to dislike the things, but that changed after a bizarre encounter I had with one. I'm sure you're interested to know about it, aren't you?"
She leaned in, indeed eager to hear such a story from her clanmate.
Rynak chuckled, finding amusement in her enthusiasm. "Figured. One day I got curious about how a Ghast would react to the sight of the Overworld. Built a big portal, led one through and..."
He paused, the suspense bearing down upon Herba and bringing an annoyed Scowl onto her face.
Barely holding back a snicker, he continued, "After the Ghast saw the world that lied beyond the portal it... cried." Herba cocked an eyebrow, unsure of the importance of such an occurrence, "The territorial things usually have tear stains charred into the flesh beneath their eyes, but this time? I could physically see the liquid rolling down from their eyes.
"There was a strange sense of beauty to the sight, yet that beauty didn't compare to the strange happenings that followed."
Rynak let out a quiet, somber sigh. "It... just floated down to the ground, close to me. Crooned in a way I could only assume after the fact indicated some degree of satisfaction, with what I could only guess. After that, it lied on its side... and went still."
Rynak stopped, turning to look directly at Herba once more.
"It only took me a moment to understand what it was asking of me.
"It was asking me to- no, letting me kill it. No resistance."
Herba stopped then and there. It was hard
"So I did."
"But that wasn't where the interesting part ended; when the deed was done, it didn't drop any of the solidified tears its brethren normally did." He shook his head, as if he was still reeling from the events, "I think the tears they drop are indicative of the Ghasts themselves. Those who dropped tears still had some left to shed, while those who don't simply had shed every last one they needed to. Perhaps the ones who didn't drop any reached a sense of finality, satisfaction with the lives they have lived?"
He shrugged, "Well, all that is mere theory and speculation on my part."
Herba nodded, writing out "did good thing."
Rynak got a little flustered from her takeaway from his tale, "I-I mean, I j-just... did what I thought was the right thing, and after that I grew to find the weirdest sense of kinship with them."
He looked to sky, his gaze affixing to the clouds slowly passing by above. "Both of us are just trying to live our lives in a world that isn't always friendly to us, making the most of what we can. Some fare better than others, who just..."
He trailed off, becoming rather crestfallen.
"I... I just wish there was a more impactful way I could help them."
Herba nodded, finding intrigue in Rynak's ponderings.
(["Ur-buh wishes Creeper could help too."])
After a considerable pause, an idea hits Rynak, making his face light back up, "On a lighter note, want to go see a settlement of Testificates?"
Herba's body tenses up, cautiously writing out "what of metal guardian?"
"'Metal Guard-'?" ("Oh right, the Iron Golems,")
That would be a reasonable concern for a monster to have,
"From what I've gathered about the noble Iron Giants, they don't seem to see your brethren as an immediate threat.
"While I have reason to suspect that might have something to with their tendency to explode and, of all things, the Golems choosing to exercise self-preservation; I'm almost certain you'll be fine as long as you don't hurt any of the Villagers under their protection."
Rynak makes his way back to Herba and pats her on the head, Her eyes drifting shut, appreciative towards his gesture. "If worse comes to worst, I'll keep you safe."
Herba gave an understanding nod, eager to see creatures she found so peculiar in action.
"Now, if my memory serves me correctly, there should be a settlement a couple hundred blocks away from here,"
He glances back at Herba. "A perk of sticking around one place? You get a good idea of where all the nearby points of interest are. C'mon!"
Rynak set off towards the west, with Herba following close behind.