Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A strange creature of the night traversed the grassland as the sun rose in the sky. Because of the arrow lodged in its right knee, it walked with an abnormal gait. Furthermore, scars littered this ghoul's green skin—which stank of rotten flesh. Oddly enough, all of the hair that this individual previously possessed had been reduced to stubble. What was even weirder were its black, beastly eyes, behind which a soul no longer remained.

Or, rather, a human soul, capable of complex thoughts and numerous desires. This undead being chiefly craved raw meat, which came from its terror-stricken victims, whose screams would go unheard if not ignored by frightened onlookers. It didn't help that the sickly brute had veiny, muscular arms. Fortunately, no violence would soon occur, as it was preoccupied with seeking darkness. However, as the wolfish savage staggered toward a nearby forest, it froze once a faint golden aura surrounded and warmed its body.

The zombie's confused grunt was about to be contrasted by the dramatic hiss emitted by its skin. At which point, the abomination started trembling as it began to undergo a peculiar metamorphosis. Rapid, widespread regeneration caused increasingly uncomfortable tingling and itching as this individual's nerves rejuvenated. Its brain, now reverting to its pre-infected state, commanded the right hand to rip out the projectile embedded in the knee with haste. A hoarse, pained howl was the consequence of obeying this order, disrupting the noiselessness left over from the night and revealing unclean, injured teeth that were being restored.

Although the arrow would be thrown down out of aggravation, make no mistake that this had been fantastic timing on the brain's part. The bones began to mend, and no external evidence of the puncture would remain either, as its—no—his skin regenerated. Simultaneously, his green skin regained its coffee-colored complexion, and the hissing had grown quieter. Additionally, the former wild man's hair was replenished, and his clothes were magically returned to a clean, undamaged state. Quick blinking and fierce rubbing of the eyes then occurred as fragments of a black mold descended to the ground.

Not only was a pair of dark-blue irises revealed in the process, but his golden aura had also gone away. The young man, who was now cured, felt nauseous and had a hazy recollection of recent events. His only clue, which he soon scooped up and stuffed into his right pocket, was an arrow near his feet. It had a metal head stained with dark-red blood, a wooden shaft, and a feathery bottom. Following a brief analysis of the tool, he adjusted his posture and examined his surroundings.

Wherever he was shared multiple similarities with his home: blue skies, pleasant sunshine, and earthly plants. The trees to his left weren't intimidatingly tall, but he figured he'd wait before heading in that direction. Steve—the name he had just remembered was his—attempted to explore the plain around him without even considering things such as food or how he'd gotten there. Despite the fact that his knee had healed, he struggled to move because of how disoriented he felt. The former walking corpse occasionally fell onto his hands and knees, but he promptly rose every time.

"Hey!" a voice that reminded him of his own yelled from many paces behind.

Although he didn't react much, Steve stumbled and fell, causing him to catch a more intense whiff of the sharp grass. He then sprang up and swiveled around.

"Huh?"

Steve began to move toward the stranger slowly. At the same time, the guy started running toward him. As he grew closer, he noticed how eerily similar the two looked. Bizarrely enough, their outfits were even the same: a turquoise T-shirt partially tucked into a pair of jeans. Soon enough, the dumbfounded duo was face-to-face yet several steps away from each other.

". . . What are you?" his doppelgänger asked, trying to mask a tinge of unease with a blunt delivery.

Both also possessed short, dark-brown hair alongside goatees that complemented their square jaws. They sounded the same too, even if the smooth quality of their voices was hindered by the nature of their situation. The only difference between these two was that the other individual held an iron lantern. Since it was shaken so much during the run, the fire within had been extinguished.

"Steve?" the former zombie uttered after a brief pause.

The other version of him trembled a little, which resulted in Steve doing the same. The question he'd been asked echoed in his mind. Steve's heart got closer and closer to touching his ribs with each beat.

"Uh," the other lad quietly groaned as he controlled his breathing.

It took a moment before he was able to shake off the discomfort he felt and continue talking. Adding to the situation's awkwardness was the fact that their surroundings were seemingly devoid of birds, or at least ones that made noise.

"Forget it. You should come with me."

Steve's eyes expanded a bit.

"Where?"

"To a hut. I know a witch who . . . might know what you are or what happened."

Both of those words just sounded wrong to him, as though wherever he came from, magic didn't exist, and anyone who appeared human was. Perhaps that meant he didn't come from this land. Instead, he had somehow wound up in a new world.

"Sounds good."

Albeit not by much, the ends of his lips grew further apart. The other version of him seemed to feel similarly, judging from his facial expression.

"OK. Follow me."

He sprinted away. Even though Steve now felt more comfortable walking, it took a moment for his running speed to match the man's. Their surroundings shifted from the pleasant hues of a plain to the murkier ones of a swamp. Additionally, a stench reminiscent of rotten eggs stained the air, but luckily, it didn't fill the duo's noses. It was mildly intriguing that a woodland, a grassland, and a wetland just happened to meet there, although neither of the guys commented on it.

Soon enough, the duo arrived at a crude wooden hut. It wasn't pretty, but nothing about it appeared repulsive. Something of note was that, to the left of its doorless entryway, there existed a segmented window. Specifically, it was a group of square holes in a 2x3 format that gave someone a view of the outside. Considering the aforementioned doorway, though, its presence must've been for aesthetic purposes.

"No animals, but I found someone," the lad said as he came in and placed the lantern next to the entrance.

The floor creaked, and the interior possessed a weak, woodsy scent. Regarding the furniture, there sat a cauldron below the wannabe window, a bookcase filled with wooden flasks in front of the leftmost wall, two large chests in front of the rightmost wall, and a flat bed at the center of the hut. It was like someone joined three planks together before placing a wool blanket and pillow on top. Actually, the pillow wasn't even on it but lying on the floor as if someone else had been using it. Moving on to the whereabouts of the lads, Steve stood in front of the doorway while his twin stood closer to the center of the room.

"Oh? Uhh?!" a human-like being around his age blurted out as they spun to the left, having previously been examining the contents of the filled cauldron.

Steve's widened eyes showcased his shock. For the most part, they just resembled an androgynous person with slightly tanned yet rosy skin. However, their small mouth was somewhat concealed by a disproportionately long nose. Besides that, they had a sizable forehead, but it didn't prevent them from being shorter than Steve. On top of their head sat elbow-length, disheveled hair, which reflected the apathetic vibe of their simplistic attire.

Specifically, their outfit consisted of a long-sleeved tunic with pants, both of which had a dark, muddy hue. Concerning their footwear, they had gray, leather ankle boots. Despite what one may guess, these still had a little shine, as though they were cleaned regularly enough. Overall, this specimen was closer to being a chucklesome sight than a disturbing one. Luckily, the man wasn't one to laugh at people's appearances.

"Umm. Do you know what your name is?"

They rested their wooden ladle's handle on the rim of the cauldron and took a step toward him as they spoke. On top of that, like the person they were talking to, their peepers had expanded. Their pupils also glanced at the arrow in his possession, specifically the bottom of it that peeked out of his pocket.

"Yeah. Steve."

The witch's unibrow furrowed in response. They briefly shot a glare in the other lad's direction. He didn't visibly react, so their glare softened when they looked back at Steve.

"Be honest."

Their voice lacked the confidence one may expect from such a straightforward request.

"I am," he replied with an upward inflection.

They looked at and took a step in the direction of the doppelgänger. Their monobrow no longer conveyed aggravation. On top of that, their arms were now pressed against their chest.

"E—Explain."

As they said this, they rotated toward the other lad, albeit not entirely. Meaning only part of their back was exposed to Steve. Because he wasn't being talked to at the moment, he decided to look around the hut. One thing he noticed was a small table in between the aforementioned chests. It had a grid with 9 sections engraved on the top, and it appeared to be where items got repaired or even crafted.

Speaking of useful appliances, there was also a portable stone furnace to the left of the cauldron. Its proximity to the hut's entrance made it easier to douse the oven with swamp water in the event of a fire.

"I found this guy wandering around. He was by himself," the twin answered after he shrugged.

A groan left the witch's mouth as their eyes briefly rolled up. Meanwhile, Steve continued scanning his surroundings. Two other objects he noticed near the entryway were the lantern and a big wooden board, which must've functioned as a bare-bones door. While one may think that this shack seems visually unappealing, it's worth pointing out that it had been decorated a bit. Five reddish-brown clay pots sat atop the book rack and the cauldron in total.

All of them had mushrooms sprouting out of their soil, most of which were light brown. The rest were a tad more interesting in terms of color since they were red with white spots.

"Obviously! Why do y'all look the same?" the humanoid exclaimed as they emphasized "why" and spaced out the last three words.

This response implied that anyone who looked like a person in this world likely was one. Nevertheless, it was evident that one of them had been duplicated. Anyway, soon after their outburst, they closed their eyes and proceeded to calm themself down with an audible inhale and exhale.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, but I don't know why we look the same. I thought you might've."

For a couple of somewhat awkward seconds, the nonhuman just glared at him. Other than slightly opening his mouth near the end in preparation to say something, he didn't budge, and thus they figured that he told the truth.

"Oh . . ."

From the human-like being's perspective, just one of these lads would've been uncanny due to the unusual features they possessed. Like their deep voices and undersized noses.

"I . . ."

Although the man was still in front of them, their eyes gazed at the bland wall. On top of that, their crossed arms had tightened around their upper torso, making it somewhat akin to a self-hug.

"Ning?"

They snapped out of it, and their arms fell to their sides. Ning would also step back so that they could make eye contact with both of the men.

"I'm fine, it's just weird. Also, y'all won' both be Steve. That'd be stupid."

The Steve who had rescued the other one looked in the direction of his look-alike with eyes that read, "Come up with a nickname." Without doing so little as stroking his beard a few times to think, he knew what his alias would be.

"Call me Arrow," he affirmed, in obvious reference to the object partially hidden by his pocket.

While the humanoid briefly cackled, Arrow's facial expression stayed the same. Perhaps the latter doesn't come as a surprise, although it's of note since he didn't even show a hint of regret.

"For real? 'Arrow'? At least try to be creative."

Arrow shrugged.

"I wouldn't mind being creative, but I feel a connection to it," he muttered, sounding as if he didn't see the issue.

"Anyway," Ning said as their tone shifted to a more sober one. "I've got a serious question for y'all."

The two men picked up on the change in their voice and paid attention.

"On the way here, did either of you hear a cracklin' noise?"

"No," they replied simultaneously, with a hint of confusion in Arrow's voice.

"Good," Ning stated as they turned to Arrow, "run away if you do. It means a portal just opened an' now there's a monster nearby. Like zombies, who are green people who hate sunlight—or anythin' similar, like torches."

The presence of monsters in this realm didn't faze him much. Rather, it felt appropriate, as though the existence of magic entailed dangerous creatures as well.

"There's also this childish group of magic users, the Coven of Curious Villagers, that you gotta look out for. Most of the Coveners have bluish-grayish skin, but the worst of 'em, Jean, doesn'. Jean's got a small nose like you, hair like mine, an' horns."

As they said the last part, they moved their index fingers to the top of their head and pointed them backward to give him a rough idea of what Jean's horns looked like. Other than that, Arrow found the idea of his nose being considered small a tad funny, enough to give him a slight smile.

"Understood."

The nonhuman's eyes narrowed a little.

"Where did Steve find you anyway?" they inquired with a mildly irritated tone.

His barely upbeat expression had already gone away.

"In the plain."

They continued staring at him. Regardless, since the lad's statement didn't prove anything, they'd need a moment to think before they could proceed.

"Hmm."

Arrow stuffed his hands into his pockets and peeked outside.

"Thanks for the advice, I've heard enough. See y'all," the man said.

Arrow's last two words rushed out of his mouth, which made it sound like he said "cial." Following that, and without any apprehension, the lad speedily headed out.

Chapter Text

The grass beneath Arrow's dark-gray dress sneakers was a tad lengthy. It came up to his ankles and then some, but this didn't slow him down. He had a feeling that it'd be getting notably warmer soon enough, so he headed to the woods to seek shade. Since the forest could be viewed from the shack, he was able to move in a straight line.

"Wait, I have to talk to you," Ning said.

As they went in front of the doorway, they disapprovingly put their right palm forward. They didn't sound irritated per se, but the hut dweller clearly wasn't nonchalant about the matter. As for Steve, he simply turned to witness what would unfold.

"Sorry, but I really doubt I can help you," Arrow replied as he continued moving.

With a sigh, the human-like being continued following him. Instead of reaching his point by jogging, they simply walked with haste. Admittedly, going much faster than that potentially ran the risk of encouraging Arrow to sprint away.

"Where are you wanderin' off to? You're bein' suspicious about this."

For a moment, he swiveled around and walked backward so that he could look at this individual as he spoke.

"I honestly don't know anything. At all. That's why I'm gonna look around until the answers come to me."

The witch squinted slightly at the lad and took a second to say something.

"I . . . huh? You're not even a little nervous?" they questioned as they emphasized the last part with a hand gesture.

Shortly before Ning finished talking, Arrow stopped moving.

"I mean, I am a little, but that's fine. All anyone really needs is a good head on their shoulders, the clothes on their back, and some well-made shoes, y'know? Don't worry about me."

His rhetorical question prompted the person he was speaking with to check out his sneakers. Although Ning quietly remarked that they looked worn due to their faded color, the shoes were in acceptable condition. Also note that the humanoid still appeared to be confused, assuredly because they hadn't seen footwear like this previously. After hardly any time had passed, Arrow spun around.

"Wait, Arrow."

"What?"

"You don' even know where to start, do you?"

He rotated a little, making it so that his right foot was in front of his left. Shortly after he'd done this, Ning stopped walking as well.

"I don't. I don't think I'm from this world, even if it looks like the place I came from. Even so, that just makes me wanna explore it more."

At that moment, Arrow noticed Ning's expression. Their jaw had clenched, and their eyelids were lowered, but their facial muscles weren't especially tense. Perhaps they understood his desire to be alone, even if his sudden decision was annoying. Or maybe Ning was trying to keep their cool and just yearned for some answers. Regardless, Arrow felt that he should be considerate, so he exhaled as he faced his entire torso in the androgynous individual's direction.

"But, whatever. What exactly did you want from me, anyway?"

He spoke at a relaxed pace.

"To know if the Coven created you, but you don' know anythin' . . . Is there a chance you'd be willin' to, um . . ."

Ning remained silent for longer than one would expect and broke eye contact. Nevertheless, a sufficient amount of time didn't elapse to warrant a reaction from the lad.

". . . help me a little with somethin'?"

Arrow paused for a moment before proceeding to shrug.

"Maybe. What do you want help with?"

"Gatherin' stuff I'll use in potions. If you do that, I can cure those green people I was talkin' 'bout more quickly. Steve used to be one, so I know what I'm doin', and one of 'em might even know how y'all got here."

Technically, that last sentence suggested Ning had witnessed a transfiguration akin to the one that resulted in the lad regaining his humanity. This raises the question of how one would properly respond in such a bizarre situation. Seeing as the witch was okay with essentially reliving this moment multiple times, they must've known the answer.

"Hm. Why else should I care?"

His goatee received a few strokes. Additionally, a pleasant breeze came their way as he said this, making him feel even more relaxed.

"The Coven is plannin' a zombie siege to scare me and a defenseless village called 'Rubyham' to get 'vengeance'," they said as they did air quotes. "Meanin' the undead will surround 'r homes until we surrender. If I'm not killed, the villagers will be 'cause their plan is too stupid not to fail. The safest bet is findin' a way to cure a bunch of zombies at once."

Ning had managed to say all of those things without conveying a feeling of intimidation. Prior to giving his input, the lad took a moment to think, running a hand through his hair as he did so. Then, he inhaled sharply.

"That really sucks and all, but I'm not familiar with those villagers or the Coven. Not to be rude, but I don't see why I should get involved."

Ning just stared at him for a moment. Their facial expression didn't suggest feelings of anger or strong disappointment.

"Oh," the nonhuman murmured.

"Of course I don't want people to get hurt," Arrow clarified as he scratched the back of his head. "But I don't really know who's right and who's wrong or how powerful these guys are."

The witch pressed their arms against their chest as their unibrow lowered a little.

"What matters is that it's a defenseless village, and you got nothin' better to do."

Neither the man's body language nor his facial expression changed right away. His reply would be stated confidently, and it would end with him loosely crossing his arms as well.

"Doesn't mean I have to do this. I still don't know you or anyone in that coven. Sorry, but life isn't fair, and nobody's entitled to anything."

A sigh released itself from Ning's mouth as their face relaxed. Eye contact was broken for a few seconds before the human-like being spoke up again.

"Fine. I understand, really. You can go," they muttered, having said each sentence somewhat slowly.

In response, a slight smile spread across the lad's face. However, he didn't swivel around and continue walking this time. Arrow stood right there and began to speak as his facial expression became empathetic.

"Well, thanks . . . but to be clear, I still think you had a fair point. Even if what happens to that village isn't my responsibility."

His emphasis on the word "my" conveyed that he wasn't completely on board. Still, the witch's arms fell to their usual positions as the ends of their lips grew further apart.

"If you stay with Steve an' me, I promise to tell you anythin' that you want to know about this world. An' if you'd like, I could restore the color in your shoes."

"Sweet."

Based on how his face looked as he listened to Ning, he unsurprisingly cared a lot more about what he had to learn regarding his situation than his sneakers. Anyway, Ning's smile had quickly disappeared.

"Also, one thing I can tell you about Jean is that they definitely want the villagers to get killed. They're obsessed with gettin' as much experience as possible."

Ning paused for a brief moment to let the gravity of the situation fully sink in. Then, they realized that they weren't as specific as they could've been.

"I realize there are two types of 'experience'. Do you know about the magical kind?"

"Nope."

He emphasized this by shaking his head "no."

"OK, I'll explain then. Your soul has its own, separate memory. When you die, all those memories get released an' stored in a few orbs. These clumps of energy can only be seen or obtained if you develop a sensitivity to energy."

A few hand gestures were made as Ning spoke.

"Oh, all right. Why does Jean want this stuff?"

They sighed, but they didn't look at Arrow as they did so.

"Whenever we do somethin', we attract a bit of energy related to that thing, an' that goes to 'r experience. Because every concept is linked to its own unique type of energy, experience orbs have all sorts of stuff. These orbs make things easier for magic users, but you gotta take lives to get some."

Arrow gave them a confused smirk.

"Heh, that made enough sense. I'll help for now, the two of us can learn from each other."

Ning nodded, yet their facial expression stayed the same.

"Great. Now, follow me into the hut. I'm gonna tell y'all what I think I need to make my potion."

"All right."

Ning swiveled around as they headed back to their abode, and Arrow came along. When the two stepped back inside, the wooden floor creaked as it had previously. However, the duo wasn't greeted by the sight of Steve. Ning's breathing grew shallower.

"Get Steve."

"How?"

"Y'all are literally the same person. I'm sure you can figure it out," the hut dweller groaned as they sat down in one of their chairs.

Following this, they took in an audible inhale as they held up their right hand and closed their eyes.

"Sorry," Ning said as they opened their peepers and glanced at his namesake. "Why do you have that arrow on you anyway?"

He shrugged.

"It's fine. And I just think the arrow could be of some use."

"OK, whatever."

The lad left, and the nonhuman slumped in their seat. Arrow decided to venture deeper into the wetland, partly because he figured his duplicate would do the same. He also just wanted to do it. Going at a slow pace, he took in the scenery that surrounded him. Arrow decided that he'd roam around for a bit, soaking up the great outdoors, and possibly come back to Ning empty-handed.

While not beautiful by any means, the swamp had its charm. The land below him gradually sloped downward toward the dark-greenish-brown water, in which mud-colored mangrove trees towered above the liquid below. Drooping vines decorated them and swayed gently whenever a tiny gust of wind came their way. One of the few things that could've increased his immersion would've been more ambience. Unfortunately, this pleasant experience was interrupted when he suddenly heard a poof in the distance.

Arrow heard it again a second later, but this time, the noise had gotten closer. In response, the man spun around to identify the sound's source. It was several steps away from him, but considering how the thing looked, it wasn't far away enough. With his post-transformation nausea having disappeared a short while ago, this was the most alert he had felt so far.

"Vwoop! Heyaaaaaaa!" a deep voice exclaimed enthusiastically.

He was greeted with a disturbing sight: a furry black creature, somewhat humanoid but with inhumanly long limbs. To be precise, although its elbows were at the same level as its hips, its hands came down to the midpoints of its shins. It must've been over nine feet tall, but it was exceptionally thin for an individual of its stature. The being's gaunt visage reminded him of Ning's, yet the ends of its smiling lips were too far apart. Strangest of all was that it attracted violet energy, giving it an aura that complemented its wide, light-pink eyes.

"Uh," Arrow muttered, his palms facing the monster.

The lad grasped the lower shaft of the projectile that stuck out of his pocket. Unfortunately, he was far enough from the shack that the witch wouldn't have overheard what was about to transpire.

"What's up?" it quickly responded.

Even though his heart pounded as if it wanted to be let out of his chest, the freak's friendliness kept him relatively calm.

"Please . . . leave me alone," he requested.

The unsettling individual faked a laugh, but it soon became a real and drawn-out one. Its voice was masculine, like Arrow's, yet it spoke at a relatively unsteady pitch.

"But you're just like me!" it cried in an insincerely lighthearted tone.

Understandably, this confused Arrow. Before he could ask for clarification, though, the creature materialized another version of itself, causing the shocked man's peepers to widen even more. The two were nearly identical, although the clone was distinct in that it possessed a faint aura. Specifically, it absorbed mere wisps of energy, although the original one did slightly weaken its aura in the process of making the second version. Also, the duplicate was standing to the left of and looking at its creator.

"Vwoop, double trouble!" the clone joked as it did a little dance with its upper body involving shoulder bounces. "I guess Ender isn't a freak anymore."

The voice of that aforementioned individual returned to having a low pitch.

"He is not!" Ender declared somewhat slowly while making an exaggerated facial expression for each word.

"I'd rather be by myself, so I'll be going now."

Arrow spun around and would've speed-walked away if it weren't for Ender teleporting in front of him. At least there was still some distance between the two.

"Vwoop! Don't leave!" he yelped as he made the "stop" gesture with both hands.

Consequently, his curled claws got put on display. Although they were black, they didn't closely resemble talons because they weren't sharp or especially long. As a result, the claws were not as menacing as they could've been since they appeared to be better suited for digging than combat.

"Vwoop!"

His duplicate manifested next to him.

"I think you should take him to the others."

At this point, the only other thing that Arrow was paying attention to was his heart's frantic efforts to burst out of his rib cage.

"You're not thinking straight!" Arrow insisted as his right foot took a shaky step back.

"Y—Yes I am!" Ender hurriedly remarked as his double dissipated into a cloud of energy that started to integrate into his aura.

With haste, Ender rushed toward and grabbed Arrow. His claws made contact but didn't damage the lad's shirt. Arrow's reaction time, unfortunately, wasn't quick enough to yank his namesake out of his pocket and use it. Nevertheless, his instincts were responsible for the object being pointed toward the unsettling specimen's lower torso before he got whisked away.

"Vwoop!" Ender squealed after his aura lost strength.

Currently, the befuddled and horrified man was in, without a doubt, the most peculiar place that he had ever been. Ender released him from his grasp. Arrow guessed that it was night here due to the cool temperature and the dimly lit landscape. When he looked up at the sky, his eyes lingered on the fact that there wasn't a moon or even a single star to be seen. This realm was also devoid of any sound, which soon proved to be quite unnerving.

Furthermore, the ground was entirely composed of a light-yellow stone covered in patches of slightly varying size and shape. These blotches were round and just a tad darker than the surrounding rock.

"Welcome!"

Although the inhuman madman would close his eyes upon noticing Arrow's terrified expression, he grinned anyway, as if he were in denial. This put his human-like teeth on display, which differed from Arrow's in that they were very dark gray and the canines were longer.

"Wh—Why did you take me here?" Arrow inquired, his peepers still widened as he uneasily began following the individual in front of him.

At the moment, he wasn't interested in attempting to stab the eccentric, though he kept the projectile in his tightened grasp. As for how his quirky kidnapper responded to his inquiry, Ender faked a chuckle that became a real one after turning around and approaching Arrow. It lasted longer this time, and he had a firm grip on the poor lad that he tightened midway through the laughter.

"Uhhh."

"You're too silly. I took you here because my world is better! Here, you and the other humans I find won't have to worry about things like zombies," he assured as he released him.

Ender proceeded to start moving, and he gestured for Arrow to come along. At first, his legs marched up and down in a cartoony fashion, but he quickly began walking normally.

"This way! I'm gonna show you my crib."

Unsurprisingly, the lad did as he was implicitly told, managing his breathing as he did so. This discomfort also resulted in him maintaining a gap between the two as they moved. However, now they were only a couple of steps apart instead of several.

"Your name is Steve too, right?"

"Umm. Yeah," he uttered as he struggled to maintain eye contact.

Ender grinned, albeit not as intensely as before.

"I don't give my clones unique names either. What would I name one anyways, 'Bart'? Heh, we're so much alike!" he squealed, more to himself than to Arrow.

"Cool. He didn't make me, though."

Cue another inauthentic snicker. At least this one wasn't as distressing as the last.

"Sure he didn't."

Now, he was genuinely giggling to himself. He even covered his mouth with his fingers as he did so.

"You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?"

It was as if the question he asked was meant to be a humorous reference or the setup for a joke. Luckily, Arrow wasn't bothered by this.

"No. Well, I don't think so."

"You just put your lips together and blow."

He began to whistle as Arrow distracted himself by scanning the scenery. He was preoccupied with the odd plants that he saw near him. They were either roughly as tall as Ender or taller, and they resembled eggplant-colored trees. Young ones, to be specific, since they had fewer branches and little, if any, foliage. Enormous white flowers sprouted out of some of the branches, a couple of which also had dark-purple, apple-sized fruit hanging from them.

His breathing slowed down.

Chapter Text

"Do you know why I was in that world we were in before?" Arrow asked.

Ender stopped whistling, and he didn't swiftly respond.

"Heh," he fake-laughed, "You're just like your buddy Ender. Going to other universes must be such a piece of cake for you that you did it by accident!"

This time, his cheerful voice wasn't genuine. However, Arrow's hunger stopped him from paying this any mind. Although his stomach didn't hurt, it would definitely begin grumbling sometime soon.

"Don't think so. Besides that, I need to eat something."

While Arrow was still hesitant to make eye contact with him, he was getting better at it.

"Don't worry, dude, we'll be home in a moment."

As Ender confirmed this, he gave the lad a thumbs-up.

"That fruit looks fine," Arrow said, pointing toward a tree.

"We won't be eating chorus fruit," the interdimensional being asserted in an uncharacteristically solemn manner. "The skin is hard, and the inside is starchy. They're basically just weird potatoes, but because I'm so sick of eating them, they might as well be poisonous."

True to his word, it wasn't long until the duo arrived at a simplistic but nice-looking residence. The walls appeared to be constructed out of bricks made of the rock below, and the flat roof seemed to be composed of hardened chorus fruit. Consequently, a stale, starchy smell imbued the space with a weak scent. Like Ning's abode, this building was a small dwelling a fraction of the size of a one-story house. Although there wasn't a door attached to the entrance, Ender temporarily manifested a violet one and held it open for Arrow to seem like a gentleman.

"Welcome! Again, haha, you're experiencing so many new things today, aren't cha?"

"Yeah. I really am."

He scanned his surroundings as he stepped in. The floor was made out of the same material as the roof, and the walls had the same yellow hue. The interior possessed a living room to his left and a kitchen to his right, meaning there was no bedroom. It might've looked nice if it weren't for the disconcerting fact that the furniture and appliances were all the same shade of purple. As in, the couch, the coffee table, the counter without a sink, the fridge, the oven, and the cabinets were all seemingly made of energy.

"I know I could've just teleported us here, but hey, who doesn't love a good walk?" the inhuman individual said, speeding through his words as he stepped into the residence.

This answer seemed to be deceitful considering that Ender should've still been strolling with Steve when he came across Arrow.

"Now, please wait by the couch while Chef Ender makes you three a rad meal," he stated, pointing toward a version of himself wearing a violet chef's hat.

Having nothing better to do, he obliged.

"Oh, this'll be a blast!" the behatted duplicate promised.

"To the max, Chef Ender! This party will be fit for a king."

From left to right, Steve, another Ender, and a bluish-gray-skinned woman with a ginger ponytail slung over her left shoulder sat on the sofa. Although the lady was clearly a Covener, Arrow's mild shock quickly vanished. Concerning the other aspects of her appearance, she needed more fat in her diet, since just looking at her for the first time was enough for the man's eyes to linger a little on her physique. On another note, she, like the two lads, donned a casual outfit: a light-green ringer T-shirt with olive bands paired with brown cargo shorts. At that moment, she was conversing with the creature next to her.

"Almost all of those big-nosed guys live in villages, so why don't these dudes live in one?" Ender's look-alike inquired, sounding genuinely interested.

His wide mouth contrasted with the redhead's small one. Nevertheless, once she started speaking, she'd show off a similarity between the two: dark-gray teeth. Hers were a lighter shade, though, and she didn't have long canines, suggesting that the coloration didn't indicate a connection.

"They were expelled from theirs last week," she answered in a soft voice, somewhat matching his upbeat tone.

Both of the two humans on the sofa were sitting close to the edges of their seats. Additionally, their forearms rested on their laps.

"No way," the nonhuman said, prior to looking in Arrow's direction. "Hiya, what's up?"

"Nothing."

A short pause occurred before he corrected his blunt delivery. However, he didn't have to, seeing as the facial expression of the person in front of him hadn't changed.

"I mean, I don't feel like talking."

Then, a crackling noise filled the room. All of their heads whipped toward the rift that had just opened between the living room and the kitchen. On the other side, a familiar woodland could be seen. To be precise, the otherworldly gateway was, from their perspective, facing the plain, and the trees didn't obscure the view of it much. Other notable details were that nothing from the other side came in even though there seemed to be something alive close to the entrance.

This thing had swiftly gone out of view once it heard the transdimensional tunnel pop into existence. From what could be seen, it appeared to be a white and brown figure mounting something black and pig-sized.

"No! Why now, why now?!" the lonesome individual cried as he proceeded to teleport to and hug Arrow. "Vwoop, that's never happened here before!"

In an instant, the furniture and the hat dissipated as they got sucked into the portal, confirming that they were all energy constructs. Interestingly, both the size and the suction power of the wormhole increased as it took these things in. Anyway, to prevent Steve and the lady from being whisked away, the other Ender embraced the two. Oddly enough, the three humans were the only ones affected by the interdimensional gateway. Considering how much of an anomaly the strange specimen was, this didn't surprise anyone.

"Please let go," the shy man muttered.

"Why?! I mean, we need to stick together," Ender blurted.

Arrow's jaw tightened. He didn't like him, but he could tell that he was desperate for friends, which staved off an aggravated response. Even so, it didn't help that Ender's desperation appeared to be unfounded. He could teleport within and between dimensions, yet he lacked the ability to accept that things don't always go as planned.

"Again, you're not thinking straight."

"Stevie, you don't know what the Overworld is like! Stay!" he hastily affirmed.

Arrow's clenched jaw started to ache.

"Then please let me learn, you clearly can't persuade me like this," he calmly pleaded, putting emphasis on the word "please."

Angry tears welled up in Ender's pink peepers.

"No! Didn't you see that there was something in front of the portal?!"

His hug tightened to an uncomfortable extent, driving Arrow over the edge. Instinctively, he thrust his arrowhead into Ender's upper leg.

"Ah!"

Ender's grip on him loosened considerably. Nevertheless, that wasn't before he accidentally ripped off a portion from the right side of the lad's cyan tee. Regardless, he got released, but the fabric remained in Ender's grasp. No sound was made as part of the shirt got torn off, although this abnormality wasn't as noticeable as it would've been due to the background noise.

"Sor—"

Arrow's sudden departure through the rift, which narrowed as he passed through it, interrupted his apology. Then, the redhead apologized prior to kicking Ender's clone in the shin with the back of her dark-gray boot, thereby releasing her and Steve. Distraught, all three Enders stared at the sliver of the miniature wormhole that remained.

"Don't worry, Ender, what just happened was a good thing. After running around in the Overworld for some time, they'll be begging to stay here. Plus, their tummies will be extra empty for the groovy meal."

Once the transdimensional tunnel vanished, a purple chef's hat manifested on the duplicate's head.

"Ha!"

Ender wiped the tears off his face.

"Of course, I don't know what I was thinking!"

He attempted to walk forward and groaned in pain. Instinctively, his hand flew to the site of his agony. Following this, he proceeded to carefully grasp the part of the shaft closest to the wound.

"Whoopsie," he said before ripping out the projectile, causing some more bleeding. "Owwie! Heheh."

Although the blood was crimson, it possessed a violet glint. Anyway, Ender dropped the arrow and proceeded to wrap the colored cloth around his left thigh.

"You should still teleport to them to make sure they're safe," the other one advised. "You know, from those freaky-deaky monsters!"

"Oh yeah, let's do a manhunt! Those giant spiders are the bane of my existence!"

Perhaps that black, hog-sized creature was one of those things. If so, then whoever rode it may have been a monster themself. Not only that, but if this specimen was smart enough to tame and mount a spider, then it likely possessed human intelligence. An uncomfortable thought.

"I'll teleport later. If he thinks he's so smart, then I really need him to know I'm right," the original insisted as he emphasized the word "him" and crossed his arms.

Simultaneously, Arrow, Steve, and the stranger were discussing what had just happened. The woman stood in front of the duo, who stood side by side. To be even more precise, the lad with the now-ripped shirt stood to the right. Presumably, the trio wasn't far from where they were prior to the Ender incident, as it was just as warm as before. On top of that, the forest—which they were no longer in as they had entered the grassland—looked familiar.

It also smelled familiar, and that planty scent was a pleasant contrast to Ender's lifeless realm.

"Well, it's clear that you two don't have much more to add," she noted before her eyes met Arrow's. "I didn't catch your name. I'm Alex."

She extended her hand for a handshake. Although the guys near Alex were around the same height, being about six feet tall and female made her a bit imposing. Plus, her height was part of her otherworldly vibe. Her green irises, rare hair color, and unnatural skin tone were the other contributors.

"Ste—Arrow. I'm Arrow."

The two shook hands. As if Arrow's palm had felt odd, the woman gave it a brief look.

"All right," she uttered, sounding a little puzzled. "If magic were used to duplicate one of you, that's cool with me."

"Someone I know reckons your group made him," Steve replied.

"I'm not aware of anything like that," she admitted.

Arrow took a tiny step forward.

"Is there someone else who'd know?"

She nodded.

"If y'all are free, you two should come with me. Heh, that rhymed. Anyway, I know someone with the expertise to figure out what happened."

Unsure how to answer, Arrow looked at his doppelgänger.

"Would Ning care if both of us were gone for some time?"

Steve glanced at him.

"It'll be fine," he assured Arrow before his peepers met Alex's. "We're free."

"Cool beans! I recognize this part of the Poppyrose Plains, so I'm positive that the Coven's base is close," she exclaimed as she spun around and ran. "Race you there!"

All three of them were at least decently fit, which allowed them to swiftly make their way to their destination. The landscape surrounding the trio mostly stayed the same, but more flowers were present as they speedily neared the end. To be precise, red poppies, white daisies, blue cornflowers, yellow dandelions, and sunflowers that hadn't yet bloomed were sprinkled across the plain. Some of those sunflowers were close to the edge of the forest, where they were accompanied by rose bushes and light-gray azure bluets. At the beginning of the competition, Arrow and Steve lagged behind, which Alex rapidly noticed.

"I said race, grandpas!" she teased.

For the record, Alex wasn't moving that fast, so the guys basically just speed-walked with haste. Their glances confirmed that both of them felt slightly uncomfortable racing an underweight woman, but they still compromised by picking up the pace. In response, Alex ran backward and motioned for them to come toward her. Several seconds later, they neared the end, and she gave aggressively playful verbal encouragement one more time. This time, it had become evident that Alex was breathing a bit too heavily despite a lack of sweat.

"C'mon dudes, we're almost there! Beat me!"

For Alex's sake, they finally decided to give it their all. This resulted in the group coming to a small settlement at roughly the same time. Specifically, the Coven's base consisted of nine tents made out of sticks arranged in a circle. One of them was relatively wide and approximately ten feet high, and this was where all the members were. In the center of the ring sat an unlit campfire, around which the grassy scent of cooked rabbit lingered.

Once Alex, Arrow, and Steve arrived, they wiped the sweat off their foreheads, and the Coveners momentarily looked toward them. A member of Ning's species with bushy eyebrows and a woman proceeded to approach the trio. This lady was definitely Jean since she had straight, black hair and two gray horns atop her head, which was shaped like an upside-down egg. As previously illustrated by the witch, those protrusions curved backward, and they were short enough that their tips didn't reach the back of her scalp. Besides that, her lips were curled inward, and her naturally slender eyes were especially narrow.

"Oh, Alex, I was worried that somethin' went down while you were gatherin' ingredients. Besides that, I know you ain't gonna bring people without introducin' me to 'em," the specimen stated with a dark-gray grin in a high-pitched voice.

Like Ning, they were seemingly genderless and shorter than the humans despite their big forehead. These two nonhumans were also both skinny, although this person was worryingly so, a trait that all of the human-like Coveners shared. Similarly, they were bald, and the hair that they did have was black. Unlike the hut dweller, they had the same skin tone as Alex, and their peepers were green rather than gray. Their irises were complemented by a dark-green belt with a buckle of a similar hue.

"Don't worry about me," she replied with a smile. "This is Steve, and this is Arrow."

Of course, using her hands, she gestured to clarify who was who. Arrow stood to her right, and Steve stood to her left. Both of the guys were technically standing behind her, but only slightly. That meant she wouldn't have to turn her head much to make eye contact with either of them. And speaking of eye contact, Jean stopped looking at Arrow upon hearing his name and redirected her focus to Alex.

"You two are the most identical twins I've ever seen. What're you folks doin' here?"

Nervous sweat crept out of Jean's forehead.

"I was cloned somehow," Steve responded, "and Ning thinks y'all may've had something to do with it."

The bald individual's facial expression became neutral upon hearing the witch's name, and Alex looked toward Jean. Even if she didn't have horns, the woman still would've been an outlier due to her dark-brown irises and light skin color, the latter of which was the other trait she shared with Ning. Relatedly, the humanoid Coveners shared Ning's fashion sense, although they had brown robes with rolled-up sleeves. The person in front of them differentiated themself a little by wearing dull green instead. As for Jean, she was clad in attire fit for an archer.

Above the waist, her outfit consisted of a fiery-orange shirt with elbow-length sleeves, a blood-red vest, and a yellow hooded cloak that reached her knees. Regarding her lower body, the pants and boots she had on were both black. Wrapped around her trousers was a leather belt with a pouch attached to it. Her somewhat short stature paired with her waist-length hair helped conceal whatever sat in the pouch.

"Considering the crazy things you've done with magic, like time-traveling with your hunting buddies into the future, I knew you were the best person to ask."

The redhead said this with a slight smile. Unfortunately, Jean could only manage to briefly return it before she sighed. At least the others in the group visibly showcased that they shared Alex's fascination.

"Yeah, I know what happened. I, um, accidentally cloned one of them—although I believe the experiment would've been a success if it hadn't been performed on a zombie," Jean explained in a resonant voice.

Her nonhuman colleague looked in her direction.

"Why'd you do it?"

She looked back at them, and as the sorceress got closer to answering their question, she itched the back of her head more and more before wiping her forehead. On top of that, the last part of her response left her lips quicker than what came prior.

"Well, Greener, this is gonna sound weird without context, but I wanted to know how to give someone the ability to, um, save themself from d-death."

This, of course, piqued the interest of those who were listening. Once again, her eyes were focused on Alex. However, this eye contact would soon break as she fiddled with her cloak.

"I'm really sorry, this is going to sound r—really bad, but, to be honest, it'd be best to, um, kill both of them."

Chapter Text

While the nervousness in Jean's voice did lessen the intensity of her words, the shock that the other four felt visibly expressed itself through their enlarged eyes. As for how Arrow and Steve felt about the supposed possibility of dying, they simply crossed their arms.

"You can't," Alex said audibly yet quietly prior to taking a moment to rephrase what she wanted to say. "That's absurd. Are you absolutely positive there's no other way to fix this?"

Greener nodded in agreement.

"I am," Jean affirmed as eye contact between the two was restored. "I was replicating something I heard about when I was in the original Coven for the Curious. When done properly, cheating death is just a matter of respawning. It works by reversing time in a way that only affects the user's body."

Although the two men didn't frown after that unfortunate revelation, their attention signified that they were fully engaged with what was being shared.

"I didn't know energies could be used to do that," Greener commented.

Jean promptly looked at them, revealing that the ends of her lips had grown further apart and traveled upward.

"Our world is governed entirely by energy, so magic can be used to do a lot of things."

It was intriguing that she said "our" world, as it suggested that humans might've been a naturally occurring species in this realm. However, if all of the humans were actually native inhabitants, that would mean the memory gaps were arguably more concerning than previously thought. Something else to consider about the theory is that it doesn't explain why their attire differed so much.

"Interestin'," the bald individual remarked as they smiled slightly.

For a short while, her whole body faced Greener, and she moved her hands around more as she spoke.

"I think it is too, and all of us have a soul that's packed with various types of energy. It's only because of souls that I was able to create a time-slowing energy cloud that lasted for decades—and only because of souls that I'll gain the ability to go back in time."

She then realized that she had derailed the conversation and went back to facing Alex and the others. A grin remained on her face, but her peepers made it readily apparent that she felt nervous now.

"M—My bad, it's just something I'm passionate about. There are so many potential uses."

"It's okay, Jean, and I agree," Alex consoled. "I'd like to return to the previous topic, though. I just can't believe there's not something else that could be done to fix your problem."

Following her answer, the two lads would contribute to the conversation as well. Upon noticing they were speaking simultaneously, they'd briefly pause before continuing to express themselves.

"Same . . . nothing bad has happened so far."

The muscles maintaining Jean's grin relaxed to the point that she only looked mildly happy. To be precise, it seemed as though she suppressed a giggle in reaction to the guys talking simultaneously.

"The Capital-I Infection can alter the energies of its host, and I realized it corrupted the ability when I found a Steve zombie last night with fewer scars. To avoid the paradox of killing it, I tested a de-aging, sunlight-absorption arrow to kill the fungus after I escaped. Or make the duplicate blink out of existence," she said before she pointed at the duo. "Point is, one of them is a slightly younger version of the other one—which is paradoxical."

"Wait, what?" Steve and Arrow questioned simultaneously.

Jean pressed her arms against her chest. Because her face didn't convey annoyance, she must've only been mildly irritated. Either that, or she was attempting to appear authoritative.

"What I'm saying is that this is illogical. So illogical, in fact, that it should be impossible. Since both of you exist, I believe that our otherwise lovely world is becoming more unstable than it already is. This is bound to cause more portals to open."

Alex gulped.

"Well," Alex said quietly while looking at Arrow and Steve, "that does provide an unfortunately reasonable explanation for how we were able to get back here."

Both of the men glanced at her as they tried to slow down their breathing.

"True."

"So, um, y—y'all understand, right? I hate to say it, but this isn't their home, and the arrow that cured at least one of them must've taken effect very recently. Their d—deaths would be noble, and neither of them would . . . die painfully."

Hearing the word "deaths" was more than enough to negate the sentiment behind her promise. Arrow's and Steve's eyes expanded.

"I can't say I'm on board, even if you are the expert," Alex admitted, her tone going from self-assured to a little defeated as her hands dug into her pockets.

"I'll use magic to make their deaths quick, I promise."

Arrow looked toward his twin, who glanced at him in response. The duo managed to stand still as they gazed at Jean.

"Uh," Steve muttered as he lifted his index finger, "only one portal has opened, so I don't think it's a big deal."

"Yeah."

As soon as the phrase "big deal" entered Jean's ears, her head jerked slightly to the right so that her eyes could focus on Steve with pinpoint precision. This resulted in a short-lived, mildly surprised look on the man's face as his eyes met hers.

"Well, I think it is," she answered confidently as she pointed to herself with her thumb. "It doesn't make sense for both of you to exist, so it's only a matter of time before one of you brings a monster into this world that kills—"

She paused. Then, Jean used both of her palms to implicitly say "Stop" before she continued speaking.

"I—I'm sorry. I know this is, um, definitely my fault, but that's also why I have to f—fix this."

Greener's peepers focused on the two lads, although the humanoid was unable to maintain eye contact.

"I'm . . . I'm terribly, terribly sorry, y'all, but Jean knows a lot about magic, so . . ."

Even though they couldn't finish their sentence, the implication was clear enough that Jean smiled a little as she placed a hand on her hip. This caused Steve and his paradoxical partner to experience some anxiety-induced sweating even as they continued regulating their breathing. Furthermore, their hearts were in a race to see whose palpitations would break the ribs first. The guys wiped their foreheads before alternating between clenching and unclenching their hands to distract themselves.

"I'll see what the others think. If there's anything that y'all want someone to know, tell these two, and somebody will deliver the message. I have a feeling that the rest of the Coven will be on board with my plan."

The woman proceeded to walk back to the large tent. For a moment, the duo stared at her intently as she made her way to the other Coveners. Arrow glanced at his double before stepping forward.

"This is based on a hunch! Killing us is overdramatic!" Arrow pleaded without sounding desperate.

Jean clenched her teeth but continued walking after stopping for a second. The moment she disappeared from view seemed to be the perfect time for a getaway. But could they actually pull that off?

"Um . . ." Arrow and Steve muttered.

Both of them turned their whole bodies around a little, thus allowing them to better see each other. Using their eyes, the lads motioned to the grassland behind them. Alex swiveled around.

"Guys," she said as she made the "stop" gesture with both of her hands. "Don't worry, it's just like Arrow said. If needed, I'll convince her to leave you two alone, whether it be through verbal means or getting a little physical."

Despite what one may expect, she didn't utilize hostile body language at the end to convey what she'd do to Jean, suggesting she wasn't too riled up. Either that, or she didn't want to fight the sorceress. She was just willing to.

"Thanks," the duo stated.

"Of course."

"Besides that . . . why do y'all wanna get revenge anyway?" Arrow asked, wishing to take his mind off his supposedly imminent death.

Greener rotated so that they'd be facing Arrow.

"Well, the folks in 'r village, Rubyham, stopped trustin' us after we drank the potion we made to fix the zombie problem. The potion was meant to make 'em less willin' to attack you, and it could cure a zombie if you changed the recipe a bit. It was meant to change the way you look, we just didn't think the effect would be so intense."

As the belt wearer talked, the trio of humans gave them their undivided attention. Even putting aside how reasonable it would be to look for a distraction during a time like this, Greener made them genuinely interested. When they spoke, they not only had an engaging tone, but they also moved their hands around appropriately.

"Oh, OK. Why exactly did the other villagers stop trusting y'all?" Arrow inquired.

"Because we became undead in the process, and they thought we'd eventually start actin' like the green ones even though we lost 'r appetites. They say injectin' potions is dangerous 'cause the effect gets stronger over time, but we balanced out the energies."

Their tone went from being somewhat passionate to disappointed.

"So what does Ning have to do with all this?" Steve asked as he motioned in the general direction of the witch's hut.

Greener crossed their arms.

"Nothin', Ning moved to Wet Hands Swamp years ago and should've minded their business. Instead, they called us childish when they came across 'r tents and I explained 'r goal to them. I will admit that what we're doin' is risky, but that makes us brave. I'd even call us warriors for justice."

The humanoid sighed as eye contact was momentarily broken.

"When we were little, the other folks in Rubyham looked down on Ning for bein' the witch's helper, and Ning treated me just like the others even though I didn't. I don' get why they still speak to me like they did when we were young. We ain't kids anymore!"

With a comforting smile on her face, Alex looked at them. Upon seeing this, Greener loosened their crossed arms.

"You really shouldn't allow what they or anyone else thinks to bother you this much. Besides, if Ning ever says something that goes too far, I'll rip their nose off."

"Heh, thanks."

Their tone conveyed that her words were comforting but also that they would continue to be bothered by the witch's behavior.

"That reminds me, Alex was the zombie that we tested 'r cure on, so she don't care as much about what happened to us. Alex is a Covener because, like y'all, she ain't from here, and she wanted to have friends that would help 'her' . . ."

Greener looked at Alex to ensure that they hadn't misremembered the pronoun. She gave them a slight smile and nodded.

". . . yeah," they said, reciprocating the small smile, "help her thrive here. In return, she'd help us with 'r goal."

"Mhm, although it does upset me that their friends and family allowed themselves to get consumed by fear and speculation. Besides that, even if I were a native, I need people."

Arrow and Steve didn't react to the last part. Even if they had been bothered by it, the whole group was about to direct their attention to Jean, who was speedily walking toward them. Now, she had a crossbow in her nondominant hand alongside a quiver attached to her belt. The arrowheads had been dipped in a red substance so dark as to almost be black, and the same could be said about the energy they absorbed. Time slowed down for the duo as their heart rates sped up and they released deep exhales.

"They decided to spare your lives since Ning is the only person at risk of being killed by a monster. However, to keep us safe, they want you two to split—so run back to Ning's hut."

Everyone else smiled in reaction to this news. From an out-of-universe perspective, though, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the guys weren't going to die this early. Anyway, the archer proceeded to raise her left arm and point at Steve and Arrow. This resulted in her crossbow being directed at them.

"If y'all ever go in the forest, keep an eye out. It's where I search for zombies and monsters, and I wouldn't want to accidentally shoot one of you."

The last part sounded insincere, albeit not obviously so.

"All right, peace out," the duo said at the same time, with grins spread across their faces.

Seeing as they were just happy to be alive, one can't blame them if such a mild threat completely went over their heads. Since the neighboring woodland looked familiar, they just had to spin around and dash away.

"Goodbye y'all," Alex and Greener replied as they momentarily turned around.

The journey back to the wetland wasn't a long one, as they had luckily chosen the correct direction to sprint in. Once the two lads knew they were close to Ning's home, they started walking. Soon enough, the witch could hear that people were moving toward their residence. They stepped out, and in response to what they saw, their monobrow furrowed.

"Well, that took forever. Steve—"

"I'm sorry. I heard something outside, and when I checked it out, I met a monster who took me to another dimension."

In support of what Steve said, Arrow rotated his head to the left and nodded once he finished explaining himself to Ning.

"I was taken to that world too. Besides that, sorry for the wait."

Ning's unibrow returned to its usual position, and their eyes widened a bit. One would think that they had this reaction because the duo had been abducted by a monster, although their facial expression changed the moment Steve apologized.

"Oh. Um, it's okay. It's completely okay, I'm sorry to hear y'all had to go through that. I'll give both of you weapons the next time y'all go out. Come inside."

After sighing in relief, they stepped into the hut, walking past Steve's lantern as they did so. Once again, Ning stood in front of their cauldron, and the two men were closer to the entrance.

"I'm gettin' closer to makin' a potion that can cure a bunch of the undead at once. I told Steve this before, but the problem is that I don' know how to make the effects spread."

"Ning doesn't know what else could be added besides feathers."

Both of these individuals had taken a moment to look at Arrow as they provided the context he lacked. He nodded at both of them.

"Birds are in the air a lot, and air is good at spreadin', so it might work since livin' bein's are the best at absorbin' energy."

This suggested that everyone had an aura like Ender did, just to a much, much lesser extent.

"Have you tried putting grass in it?" Arrow suggested. "That stuff is everywhere."

"I have, an' I've also tried blowin' air into it while I make it. Both didn' work. The grass just added a bit of life energy, an' I felt stupid blowin' bubbles in the brew."

While it could've been mildly funny to imagine them doing the second option, neither of the lads did this.

"Dang," the two men replied simultaneously.

"Anyway, to get feathers, y'all are obviously gonna have to go into Dwarf Forest. As for your protection . . ."

The nonhuman moved toward the rightmost wall so that they could look through one of their chests.

"These diamond swords will be more than enough."

Despite knowing next to nothing about diamonds, they were visibly somewhat surprised. As for how the swords looked, the blades were cyan, which was strange considering their composition. This peculiar coloration continued with the guard and the pommel—which are, respectively, the parts of a sword above and below the handle. Both were dark cyan, meaning these weapons would've been entirely bluish if it weren't for their brown wooden grips.

"Diamonds are rare here too," they said, in reference to their facial expressions, "but these ain' really made of diamonds. When Jean belonged to the original Coven—which, by the way, was actually doin' a good thing—they somehow found out that coal can be transformed into diamonds. You just need a potion of strength."

This explained the abnormal hue: the impurities in the original substance hadn't gone away. Moving on, Arrow and Steve were each handed one of these odd swords.

"Yours is weaker, Arrow. I've used it before."

Judging from his already neutral facial expression, he was pretty indifferent to that downside.

"Oh, OK."

The blade had only been slightly chipped around its edges.

"That reminds me, don' use these too much. If y'all do, then they'll turn back into coal swords. Now, go fetch me some feathers—as many as y'all can find. I'll be thinkin' of other ways to cure a bunch of the undead at once."

The duo replied, "Understood," and walked toward the woodland. In the meantime, Ning was almost certainly consulting some aging book on magic they had. After all, it would be very much on theme.

Chapter Text

Without haste, the two lads entered Dwarf Forest as though they merely wished to take a stroll on a warm day. The oaks that resided there didn't shield much against the sun's rays, but they did provide a pleasant, woodsy fragrance. Like the wetland, this forest seemed to be devoid of critters since there were no bird calls to be heard.

"It's way too quiet here," Arrow said.

"Agreed. Ning told me it has to do with the monsters."

A man's malicious laughter broke through the near silence, which was followed by that same person saying, "Birdies." Although this had been an unpleasant surprise, it hadn't been much of one because he wasn't close to them. Besides that, since it implied the existence of feathers, the duo had an incentive to walk toward the source of the noise. Eventually, they were within viewing distance of the individual—a zombie. At that moment, he was brawling with an undead female next to a tree.

Both of these individuals were black-eyed, green humans with hoarse voices. They also possessed stubble where their hair used to be and a fair amount of scars. Most of them didn't look that bad, but the male had definitely gotten into more fights and more intense ones at that. The two zombies also both wore blue clothes that had been dirtied and damaged. The man wore an ocean-colored shirt that depicted the smiling faces of two cartoon birds.

One was a chicken, and the other was a penguin. As for the lady, she was dressed in a navy-blue schoolgirl outfit. Her small tie was mostly white except for a sky-blue, horizontal stripe near the bottom. Moving on, the exchange of blows that occurred between the undead duo wasn't anything brutal. Clearly, both of them wanted something on the branch, as one of them occasionally attempted to climb up it only to be dragged down by the other one.

Steve and Arrow didn't comment on the conflict, instead opting to move to the right in hopes of not being seen by them.

"You lose, loser! Egg breakfast for me!" the zombified male proclaimed as he laughed.

The realization that he planned to steal and devour eggs from a nest caused the men's eyebrows to lower. They weren't enraged by any means, but they felt indignant. Upon glancing at each other, they recognized their shared resolve.

"Not today," Arrow and his doppelgänger thought aloud.

The swords in the men's hands were raised as they prepared for battle. They speedily moved toward him, thereby neglecting to consider the importance of stealth in their situation. However, both of them controlled their breathing to get in the proper mental state. Once the zombie could tell that people were approaching him, he growled. He'd previously been muttering the words "undefeatable" and "unkillable" in a singsong way as he dropped a few broken feathers.

"My eggs, only mine!"

When his head rotated to face them, his irritated expression turned into one that suggested infuriation. To be precise, his peepers became slits whose sole, shared focus was the people in front of him. His lips parted to bare his partially damaged teeth. The brute proceeded to jump off the branch and rush toward the closest man: Steve. This resulted in the stench of rotten meat filling two unlucky noses.

Steve reacted by thrusting his weapon in his direction, which cut into the infected man's upper chest. The wound that the blade left behind was deep enough for blood with a very dark hue to squirt out. It wasn't lethal since the zombie apparently had a quick reaction time.

"Aargh!"

This exclamation didn't come off as an expression of agony but rather one that suggested pain fueled this savage's rage. The moment the previously mentioned plague-ridden woman heard this, she cackled and ran toward him. Despite what the grin on her face would've typically implied, it was evident that she was bitter about her loss. Although she only had stubble where her eyebrows would've been, the facial muscles in that region conveyed how she truly felt.

"Sounds like you're losing! Messing with me was crazy daft!" she interrupted, fiercely emphasizing the word "daft" to convey just how foolish she thought he was.

However, just like her opponent, this negativity was soon solely directed toward the uninfected individuals who dared to enter the shady forest. At that moment, Arrow and his duplicate repeatedly attempted to stab the green ghoul. Whenever their blades weren't thrust out, they dodged attacks, which looked like moving their heads and taking a step or two back or to the side. Even though the surprisingly energetic wild man should've been in serious pain, he continued attempting to punch and kick the two as though his cuts didn't ache at all. Regardless, it should be acknowledged that none of his wounds would've been fatal by themselves, as Steve and Arrow weren't comfortable enough with the idea of killing a member of their species to target the vital areas.

Having said that, another reason they didn't deal much damage was that they clearly lacked experience. Intuition allowed them to wield their weapons with a degree of efficiency.

"Die, die, die, die, die!"

She charged toward the latter of the aforementioned men as though she had a vendetta against him. His head spun to the right so that it could face her, although this, unfortunately, resulted in his current combatant smashing his cheekbone. This stung considerably, but it wasn't as painful as it could've been due to the zombie's injuries. Returning to the topic of the approaching threat, Arrow unsurprisingly reacted as his clone did. Perhaps due to the exceptional amount of bloodthirst burning its way through the lady's veins, she dodged his blade and launched a fist into the left side of his face.

He took a few steps backward and thrust out his sword again. Although he managed to strike her in the shoulder, he noticed that he experienced more reluctance when hitting her than he did when attacking the male zombie. This resulted in him taking more steps back relative to his twin. Speaking of which, Steve struggled a little to fight the savage in front of him without his doppelgänger's assistance. Nevertheless, both of them weakened their respective opponents with each successful hit, but their hesitancy to target certain areas persisted.

This would especially be to Arrow's detriment once he stepped back and tripped on a root several steps away from his original spot. The situation he ended up in was particularly bad since he lost his grip on his weapon's handle, resulting in his now grinning assailant swiftly taking advantage by pouncing on him.

"You're so derpy!"

Concerning her smile, the teeth were chipped, and the dread that it exuded sped up the poor man's heart rate. Additionally, the reek of her gag-inducing body odor intensified because she was closer to Arrow. On the topic of the other brawl that was ensuing, the unlucky fellow attempted to dodge the punches directed at his face. This didn't last long, though, since the nearby sound of a loud, bitter growl suggested that Steve was the victor of his duel.

"Enough! Going crazy because of you!" the ghoul shouted as he stomped away somewhat weakly due to leg wounds.

Steve, whose face had reddened around the cheekbones and jaw, swiveled around to check on his duplicate. Adrenaline allowed him to move a dozen steps with as much haste as he could muster in his pretty exhausted state. At that moment, snickering could be heard as the woman's clenched hands met tender skin. However, this laughter turned into a shriek the moment a diamond blade briefly plunged into her back.

"Thanks, Steve," Arrow uttered in a somewhat disturbed tone.

Expressing gratitude to a clone of oneself must've felt odd. Anyway, this distraction allowed Arrow to reacquaint his hand with his sword's handle.

"You're welcome."

His attack was followed by Arrow punching her in the nose, which disoriented her enough that the man could get up.

"Hate y'all!" she exclaimed as she stood up, her hands hardened into fists.

"Leave us alone, and we won't kill you," her combatant threatened after a sharp inhale.

Her eyebrows lowered. Her breathing became heavier. The grasp that Arrow had on his weapon tightened. It wasn't easy for him to keep a straight face in this situation.

"Next time, you die."

Despite being able to hear the woman mumbling about wanting to kill something as she stomped away, the duo sighed once she got out of earshot.

"How's your face feel?" Steve inquired, rotating his head to the right as he did so.

Although it could've been ascertained that Arrow had been in a fight, his face hadn't been damaged that badly. The skin around his eyes had reddened, but he could still see just fine.

"It could be worse. Yours?"

He turned his head as well and gestured to Steve with his left hand as he asked his question.

"Same here. We should get back to looking for feathers."

"Agreed."

They went toward the tree where they had encountered the breakfast-craving brute and stayed somewhat close together as they peeked around the area.

"Found one," Steve stated as he searched the ground on the other side of the oak.

"I'm still looking."

The two men continued scouring the land, bearing in mind the importance of safety in numbers as they did so. Eventually, they acquired five in total, three of which had been found by Steve. All of them were white, and although the guys couldn't identify the species they belonged to, they were parrot feathers. Specifically, cockatiel feathers. In terms of length, these were around the size of a pinkie.

"I reckon we have enough now," Arrow said once he found his second.

"Yeah, let's get back to Ning's."

While they attempted to find their way out of the woods, a thought crossed Arrow's mind.

"Does Ning have anything to heal us?"

His twin's head swiveled to the left, resulting in their eyes momentarily meeting.

"Not that I know of. Ning is too focused on making the cures."

Soon enough, the duo got out of the woods. Under a minute later, they walked into the hut. Before they did that, though, the duo noticed that the cauldron was sitting outside. It sat to the left of the entryway, and firewood burned beneath it. The duo dismissed this, and the nonhuman looked in their direction as they stepped in.

"Darn, I thought those swords would've made y'all more intimidatin'. Sorry."

Admittedly, the zombie blood currently staining the blades' tips did make them look a tad fearsome.

"We're—" they said simultaneously.

Steve's peepers momentarily met Arrow's.

"I'll talk. We're okay, thanks. We found five feathers while we were in Dwarf Forest."

Once the feathers were brought up, both of the lads presented their findings to Ning. They appeared to be satisfied with what they saw.

"Sounds like enough. I still don' know what else I could use for this potion, so it'll have to do."

The witch held out their right hand, and the feathers were dumped in. Following this, Ning placed them on a nearby bookshelf. On the subject of things in the hut that weren't there before, the small table now had a dark-gray rock and a curled sliver of iron sitting atop it. These two objects had surely been used to ignite the wood beneath the cauldron.

"Thanks. If y'all wanna get some food while I start makin' the potion, I've got two fishin' rods. As for a drink, I boiled these two cups of water," they said as they motioned to two wooden mugs on the windowsill.

"You're welcome, and some water would be nice. I don't think either of us knows how to fish, though. At least, we don't remember how to."

To affirm that this was correct, Arrow provided an "Mhm." Although he wasn't talking, he paid attention to the conversation. Whenever someone spoke, his eyes were on them.

"What about huntin'?" the humanoid questioned in a slightly more concerned tone as they handed the cups over. "There's chickens, pigs, sheep, an' cows nearby, but you'll have to do some walkin' since the undead ate or scared off the ones that were closer."

"Can't do that either," Steve affirmed as he downed his water.

His look-alike, on the other hand, had a reaction akin to choking after attempting to drink his. The lad's left hand clutched his upper neck as he coughed somewhat violently. He attempted to aim the liquid back into the mug, though he wasn't entirely successful.

"I swear that I tried to purify both cups of water as much as possible," Ning apprehensively assured as they got a little closer and fidgeted with their hands.

Meanwhile, Steve gazed at his double with a worried look spread across his face. Before he could contribute anything to the conversation, though, Arrow spoke up.

"It's cool, the water just felt really weird—like it was trying to absorb the inside of my mouth," he clarified as he looked toward his partner and extended the arm that was holding onto the mug. "You can have the rest of mine, I'll be fine."

"Um—"

He retracted his right arm upon realizing the issue with his offer. To be fair, though, their spit was probably one and the same. Assuming Arrow produced any.

"Oh yeah, heh."

The other two also chuckled for a moment as the two cups were handed back to the witch. Steve expressed his gratitude for the refreshment, and Arrow thanked them for the thought. Ning placed the mugs back on the windowsill and momentarily looked down as the pleasure faded away. As a form of stress relief, they lightly squeezed their nose.

"I'll teach y'all how to fish," they said as they rotated around. "I only have two rods, though, so you have to pay close attention, Arrow. In case one of those portal monsters appears, you should get Steve's sword since it's got more time on it."

"All right."

The nonhuman went to the rightmost wall of their hut and opened a chest. From it, some wooden fishing rods were grabbed that already had bobbers attached to their lines. To clarify, bobbers are those orbs that float on the water while one waits to catch something. These were mostly gray, but they each had a large red stripe encircling the middle. Moving on, the trio made their way outside after Arrow's blade was placed back in the chest.

"I've never been a teacher before, so I hope y'all got a knack for learnin'. Sorry in advance if I get snappy," they said as they looked at them. "Actually, it depends."

Suddenly, the three heard a poof. The noise made all of them jolt a little, although it especially quickened the heart rates of the two men because they knew what was about to happen. An effort was made to slow their breathing.

"Vwoop! Hi, hey, and hiya!"

Automatically, all of their eyes widened, and they pointed their tools in Ender's direction. Ning was obviously the most nervous, as they were trembling a bit. Regarding the interdimensional individual that stood several feet away from them, he looked upset, and his left thigh still had a cyan rag wrapped around it. His aura was slightly more vibrant, indicating he had regained some energy.

"I must say, your bruises look worse up close—"

"We're f—fine," they both responded.

Had Ender not interjected after this, there would've been an effort made to say more. However, they needed a moment to come up with something else to say.

"Don't lie to me!"

The sudden increase in the volume of his voice and his emphasis on the word "lie" startled the three. Well, it startled them more. Nevertheless, Ning had the courage to say something.

"If they s—say they're fine—"

Correction: stutter something.

"Shut it, Schnoz," Ender said with a tiny grin as he leaned in to gently poke their nose with one of his claws. "I know more about humans than you do."

The strange creature proceeded to giggle as though he had just thought of a joke. Unsurprisingly, he was the only person whose mood had changed within the last couple of seconds. Actually, that's not quite true. Ning was still anxious, but now they also felt confused since they didn't know the meaning of the word "schnoz."

"Luckily, Nurse Ender is here to help."

A nurse's cap materialized on top of his head. The entire accessory was the same shade of purple, and thus it didn't possess the iconic Red Cross.

"We don't need help."

"Heheheheheh, I haven't tried talking at the same time as one of my clones before. You two are funny, heheh."

His chuckling was originally inauthentic. After he finished genuinely chuckling, a duplicate appeared to his right, making it so that the second Ender stood in front of Arrow. Because there wasn't a cloth around his leg, a violet puncture wound was visible. It didn't look as bad as one would expect, though, suggesting that Ender was rather resilient. Still, his aura did become a tad fainter after making another version of himself.

"Anyway, you shouldn't freak out. Nurse Ender is an expert in laughter—the best medicine known to man."

His pink peepers briefly met his clone's.

"Right on. I remember all that stuff you said, Stevie, and I still think I should take you two back to the End," he insisted as he stepped forward and looked at Arrow.

The lad broke eye contact for a second to inhale deeply.

"No thanks, it doesn't sound like you seriously considered what I said. Besides, we're able to protect ourselves now," Arrow affirmed as he glanced down to draw attention to his sword. "Unless you'd like to try calmly explaining your point, please leave us alone."

The otherworldly being sighed, putting the others at some ease, albeit not enough for them to lower their guards.

"Stevie, I haven't seen a normal human here in so—"

Before he could wrap up his sentence, the iconic sound of a miniature wormhole opening caught everyone's attention. Regarding placement, it was situated between the group and Dwarf Forest, which is assuredly where Ender had been spying on the humans. When that individual spun around to see what had teleported there, he was greeted with the sight of a peculiar monster.

Chapter Text

On top of the odd critter having an oddly earthly appearance, the gateway it came out of was connected to the edge of a forest. Ning appeared to be as surprised as the men.

"Aww man! That ugly mug is gonna make me vomit some pearls," Ender's duplicate exclaimed in a playful tone.

Arrow, Steve, and Ning were all pretty much thinking the same thing. Understandably, the last of these three individuals went into their shack to fetch another weapon and a potion.

"I have to be serious now," Ender said.

The nurse's cap on top of his head dissipated, and the clone became purple energy that soon fed into his aura. On the topic of otherworldly characteristics, the monster that was coming toward the group had multiple. For example, it was covered in leaves as if it were a mobile plant. Speaking of movement, the anomaly had four stubby legs ending in hooves that were dark green and black. In a way, this lower portion resembled a pig.

Moving up its body, no neck existed atop its armless torso, which was approximately as wide as a slim human's. Also, note that this freak of nature was around as tall as the average guy. This trait allowed its huge, dark eyes to instantly peer into the souls of those who looked at them. Luckily, its downturned gape suggested that it felt just as upset as the people in front of it. Regardless, Ender would treat the bizarre being as though it were malicious.

"Vwoop!"

He repositioned himself, both in terms of stance and location. Ender's hands were on his hips, and he maintained a safe distance. The strange critter stopped for a moment, shocked by what it had just witnessed. But soon, it persisted onward.

"Back off, or else I'll teleport you to a world that's the closest thing I know to Hell," the lanky humanoid said somewhat lightheartedly as he pointed at the approaching threat.

Once there was little distance between the two, the leafy abomination started hissing like an explosive prior to detonation. Ender recognized the noise and teleported back to the group, which was a dozen steps away from the menace.

"Vwoop, uh oh!"

"What happened?" Ning questioned as their head jerked.

His head swiveled to face them. The witch now held a wooden flask. Additionally, Steve once again held a diamond sword. The fishing rod that was previously in his grasp now leaned against the hut.

"I think it was about to go kaboom, like dynamite," Ender explained as he used his hands to imitate an invisible explosion.

"Oh? Weird."

Their peepers then widened a bit because the creature was getting close to the quartet. To stay safe, all of them began moving to the left, keeping their eyes on the armless anomaly as they did so.

"What's 'dynamite'?" the two men inquired simultaneously.

"You don't know?"

Ender sounded genuinely confused. He swiftly held out his right hand and summoned a representation with a lit fuse. Like all of his creations, it was entirely composed of energy, so no noise was produced when it exploded. To compensate for this, Ender dramatically shouted "Boom" three times. With each exclamation, he increased the size of the explosion.

"Oh."

Their walking speed increased as the green menace grew closer to them. Now, that thing was around a half-dozen steps away. It didn't help that the freak of nature was enormous for a bomb, at least relative to the example that Ender provided.

"Y'all, we can't do this all day," Ning pointed out. "If Ender won' do somethin', then—"

"I won't let the two Steves risk their lives," Ender said in a situation-appropriate tone. "I'll kill it."

Although the other three were grateful for what he was about to do, his tone had an off-putting aspect.

"Vwoop."

As soon as the tall teleporter embraced the creeping creep, it started hissing.

"Vwoop."

He was now high above Wet Hands Swamp, specifically around the area where he thought it was deepest, and being pulled down by gravity. Without ever looking at the water, he released the creature and went back to the trio.

"Vwoop."

The interdimensional individual became momentarily disoriented due to having instantly gone from falling to standing, but he swiftly did a heroic pose for comedic relief.

"All in a day's work for 'Enderman', defender of humanity!" he proclaimed with a grin as he temporarily manifested a violet cape to sway in the nonexistent wind.

Arrow and his partner were about to express their gratitude, although they got interrupted by the sound of two more miniature wormholes opening, both of which manifested in front of the hut. These noises were followed by the sounds of gasps and the splash that preceded the critter's descent into the water. Concerning what came out of the rifts, there were now two more explosive specimens, both of which had, like the first, departed from plains. Both were a few dozen steps away.

"You did good, Ender," Ning praised, "but I need to get somethin' from their bodies for a potion."

This nonhuman looked at the two men and would've said something if they hadn't been interrupted by the individual they were just talking to.

"Don't get them involved."

His momentarily harsh tone was complemented by the authority that came with having a deep voice. Ender had gotten so upset that he began trembling.

"I'll rip apart whatever comes out of those wretched portals," he muttered before doing just that.

"Wretched portals" had been said with a bitter inflection.

"I was just gonna ask for one of y'all to hand me your sword if you didn' feel like attackin'. Why's Ender so protective of y'all?"

The androgynous individual had said this quietly to avoid getting Ender's attention. However, that was unnecessary since his sole focus was executing a three-step procedure: teleporting to the monsters, attacking them, and then momentarily moving away. Additionally, he was baring his teeth and yelling, so he wouldn't have overheard anything either. Regarding Ning's question, Steve and his clone shrugged in response.

"I just know he may have an idea about why we're here," Arrow answered.

"He?"

Up until now, the only piece of evidence supporting the idea that their species was genderless was their universally androgynous appearance. Hopefully, whatever biological differences existed between their kind and humans wouldn't have to be explored in what would surely be an awkward conversation. Not anytime soon, at least.

"Yeah, Ender. Oh, wait, it's like 'they', but for men."

Steve would add something to this and gesture to himself and his look-alike as he did so.

"Like Arrow and me."

"Oh, OK," they stated, likely believing that a deep voice made someone a man. "Well, all these portals did start appearin' after he came. One of us has to tell Ender to leave, an' whoever does it has to put their foot down as they say it."

Neither of the guys experienced a change in facial expression.

"That's not gonna work," Steve asserted. "He's lonely and desperate."

The two lads then realized that Ender likely wouldn't be kidnapping them again due to the peculiar phenomenon that occurred soon after they got together. This thought brought them some relief, but it also meant that there'd be no way for another human to escape his realm. Suddenly, their attention got redirected to the three spacetime rips that had just appeared. All of which were between Ender and the rest of the group. However, this time, the trio got sucked into the nearest one, resulting in them being transported into the neighboring woodland.

Due to being preoccupied with his brawl, the eccentric failed to notice their disappearance at first. Fortunately, Steve and Arrow maintained their grasps on their swords, and Ning now gripped their flask with both hands. The group knew they had a good chance of not becoming the equivalent of a Thanksgiving feast for the savages they encountered. Nevertheless, they were all concerned because they didn't know how they'd be getting out. The trio's trepidation revealed itself through enlarged peepers.

The pupils of which traversed between the two ends of their scleras as they moved their heads around a tad too hastily. Their minds dealt with the dilemma of yearning to believe they were safe while also wanting to ensure the absence of threats.

"How do we g—"

The two men stopped themselves from asking the same question simultaneously.

"Don' know," the humanoid murmured, just loud enough to be heard.

The sound of a multi-legged creature crawling on the forest floor behind them entered their ears and made its way to their brains. Thus stimulating whatever part promoted paranoia. Naturally, their heart rates sped up, and their breathing became more rapid. Out of a shared need to dispel what their imaginations conjured up, the small group spun around. They froze in place once they spotted something that must've escaped from a nightmare: an armored skeleton riding a pig-sized spider with glimmering red eyes.

Now, it should be clarified that it was only donned in leather protective wear, but this still made it seem more intimidating. On top of that, the skeletal specimen wielded a wooden bow and had a quiver stuffed with arrows. Fortunately, even though it looked at and moved toward the three, its weapon remained at its side as it approached. Upon getting a better look at its face, it could be seen that its eye sockets were lined with a dark mold and its teeth had been rendered dark gray. Since this coloration can be spurred on by a lack of blood supply, it's fair to assume that was the cause behind the skeleton's and the Coveners' dental deviation.

Once the undead individual decided it was close enough, it held up a finger before light-lime-green orbs of energy appeared in its sockets for a couple of seconds. Considering what they looked like, these very well may have been associated with the experience orbs that Ning had mentioned. A moment later, the mellow monster pointed at the trio and gestured for them to come with it. The gang obliged, having nothing better to do and not wishing to aggravate the spider jockey. Although their feet shook a little with each step, the two guys were the most confident because they had an advantage.

Logically, this meant that the one without a sword was the least sure of their safety, so Ning stayed close to the duo.

"Where are you takin' us?" Ning questioned firmly, albeit somewhat quietly.

The skeleton swiftly glanced at them and hastily put its index finger to its teeth. Nobody argued over it, especially since they were already trying not to make much noise with their steps. During their short journey, it became readily apparent that the woodland needed more ambience, as most of what they heard came from the occasional zombie in the distance. Luckily, they soon reached their unknown and therefore curiosity-stimulating destination: another area of the woods that was just as unremarkable as the rest of it. However, it's worth mentioning that they had also been brought to Jean and Alex, meaning they had seemingly gotten closer to the Coven's base.

Both of the ladies wielded crossbows, but the former wore a satchel that had been filled with potions. Because the bluish-gray-skinned woman's right shoulder didn't have a quiver slung over it, the one Jean possessed had nearly been engorged with arrows to compensate.

"Howdy, I didn't think I'd be seeing you two again so soon," Alex said once she spotted them. "Oh no, looks like y'all got roughed up," she added in a softer tone upon noticing their bruises.

She apparently wasn't bothered much by the undead archer and its arachnophobia-inducing steed, as her peepers only momentarily widened. Bear in mind that she was possibly already aware of its existence.

"Howdy. Don't worry, we're fine," the two men replied at the same time with a wave.

Ning regained their standard level of confidence as the anxiety regarding where they were being taken dissipated.

"Explain, Jean."

It's worth mentioning that she had been smiling before the other two humans and the humanoid arrived. Afterward, her face reverted to a pretty neutral expression, although she did appear to be a little surprised.

"That skeleton—a buddy of mine—was bringing Arrow and Steve here. You just happened to be with them."

Ning's facial expression was static as they pressed their arms against their chest.

"Why did the skeleton do that?"

The woman fiddled with her cloak as she broke eye contact.

"Uh . . . long story, but because of Steve's 'condition', I told the skeletons to keep anyone who looks like him safe. That includes encouraging any Steves to follow the skeleton as they move toward me—well, toward my soul. Two bows are better than one, heh."

What was she hiding—if anything? Her nervousness made it difficult to tell what went on inside her head.

"Let me guess," Jean added in a more confident tone as eye contact was restored, "you three got sucked into a portal that took you this deep into Dwarf Forest."

One can only wonder what this exchange would've been like had Alex and Ning not been there.

"We did," the men admitted, "but it only ha—"

"Vwoop!"

In an instant, everyone's heart beat faster. Ning and the lads were about to spin around before Ender teleported a very short distance to place himself somewhat between the two groups of people. Presumably to prevent a wormhole from opening, he sat atop a thick tree branch that wasn't far from the ground. It also made him a little closer to the two Coveners.

"Little vwoop."

Although he was already smiling mischievously, his joy intensified when he realized he was in the presence of four humans. Besides gasping in a cartoony fashion in reaction to this revelation, his mouth contorted into an unnervingly wide grin, one that made Arrow flashback to when he had been taken to the End. Without giving it any thought beforehand, he moved back a little. Only a little. He didn't wish to draw attention to himself.

"Wowsers, what a pleasant surprise!"

He looked downward and to his right as he dangled his legs in an exaggerated fashion.

"Four humans and some more diversity," he said in reference to Jean. "Oh, how I'd love to keep all of you safe in my dimension."

A grin was still plastered on his face as he said these words. Concerning the women he faced, both had their hands on their respective crossbows, although neither was prepared to shoot. Disregarding this similarity, it was evident that the duo didn't share the same attitude about the situation. To be precise yet concise, the horned sorceress appeared to be fascinated yet intimidated, while the other lady felt relatively calm.

"You're Ender, right?" Jean asked.

Her facial expression noticeably relaxed somewhat, and she got closer. Ender immediately made eye contact with Jean, who still came off as a little uncomfortable.

"The one and only," he affirmed enthusiastically.

She inched forward again.

"Alex told me a little about you. I'd like to visit this dimension of yours. Learn about your connection to it."

Giggling and clapping ensued, along with suspicion from Ning. Not wanting to be heard by the eccentric, they spoke quietly while the others chatted for a moment.

"Somethin's off. If it's okay with y'all, at least one of you should join 'em. I gotta make the potion."

Knowing that he'd probably be able to make it back home again, Arrow volunteered.

"I'll join too, in case all three of us are needed for a portal," Steve added in a quiet voice.

Ender leaned forward and looked in the direction of the trio. His smile still stretched from ear to ear as he grasped the branch below him for support.

"What are you three talking about?" he inquired with a lighthearted inflection, emphasizing the word "you."

It took a moment before the blue duo replied. They had to mentally prepare themselves for what they were going to do, after all. It really helped that the more Ender tried to spend time with them, the more likely it became that a transdimensional tunnel would open, thus giving them the chance to escape.

"We'd like to join," they stated simultaneously.

"I was thinking of something more intimate, actually," Jean promptly retorted. "I learn best in a one-on-one setting."

"Hm," he vocalized as he stroked his furry chin. "Well, I always have my other Enders for them to hang out with. Sure. Now, c'mere, this is gonna be a blast to the max!"

After accepting her request, he jumped down and swiftly wrapped his arms around the three. Following this, Ender teleported away as if he were worried that they'd change their minds at the last second. Now, only Alex—who had been given four arrows—Ning, and the spider jockey remained in the woodland.

Chapter Text

The moment the three humans reappeared in the End, the aura of the dimension's only known resident lost strength. It hadn't become wispy, but it was a bit fainter than it was when he teleported Arrow alone. Ender uttered his catchphrase and said, "Wait here," with a chuckle before he teleported Arrow and Steve to his home. The interior had been refurnished with slightly different arrangements, yet there still existed a living room to the left and a kitchen to the right. Despite what the human-like specimen had stated earlier, none of his look-alikes were present—until he remedied the situation by creating them.

"Ender, you really shouldn't help Jean," the lads advised as the humanoid stepped back.

Their pleas sounded genuine, but it's worth noting that neither of them had desperation in their voices.

"Vwoop!"

A clone exclaimed this as he appeared in front of the couch, causing Ender's aura to lose a little energy. Following his arrival in the world, he sat down. It could be said that he was quite lucky to know the reason for his existence immediately and have no qualms about acting accordingly. Meanwhile, the original Ender shrugged in response to what he'd been told concerning Jean.

"I'll take the risk. Like how I'm taking a risk by making these other Enders for you guys—but I'm pretty sure their energy attraction is too weak."

"Vwoop!"

Now, an Ender existed in the kitchen, causing the original's aura to weaken slightly. Chef Ender promptly made a chef's hat for himself.

"Sorry, dudes, but I don't have time to listen to your reasoning," he clarified, his apology sounding genuine. "We don't want another one of those . . . 'things' opening up and sending you away, now do we?"

He closed his peepers and grinned prior to teleporting away. The two men didn't even have enough time to start saying something.

"C'mere you two," Couch Ender said as he motioned for the duo to approach him. "I know I'm a literal monster with fangs . . . but I don't bite, heheh."

His voice became less jovial once he started insulting himself. Even though the two men didn't have empathetic facial expressions, they complied with his request.

"Looks like you two aren't in the sitting mood. How's about the four of us men go fishing instead?"

"Sure," they replied, despite their apparent lack of experience.

Their tones suggested that they experienced a hint of happiness. Furthermore, their slightly raised eyebrows implied they felt a tad surprised. After all, assuming he meant fishing in the End, this world was dry and barren.

"Us duplicates shouldn't mess around with interdimensional teleportation if we don't have to," the other clone warned.

"Dang, you're right," the sofa sitter said in response.

"That reminds me," the supposed chef said as he proceeded to pick up Arrow's projectile from the counter and handed it to its owner. "Ender wanted this to be returned to you."

As one can imagine, he wasn't sure which of the two men previously possessed this item, though Arrow took it quickly enough. Getting his namesake back didn't delight him, he just liked the bit of power that the arrow gave him in this situation. After all, although what he did was by accident, he would've remained in the End if it weren't for its capacity to inflict pain.

"Don't go stabbing people with it now," Chef Ender teased with a playful wag of the finger.

His genuinely lighthearted tone suggested that what happened wasn't a big deal to Ender. Unless, of course, he was just good at putting on an act when he felt like it.

"All right, thanks."

"Now, what would you two kiddos like to eat?" he asked with a wink as he speed-walked toward and opened a violet refrigerator.

Had the other individuals in the room not been looking at him as he did this, they wouldn't have known that the fridge had been opened. Like the bomb the original Ender had made earlier, it didn't produce any noise. Thinking about food was enough to cause Steve's stomach to grumble, and the men put their hands on their stomachs for a moment.

"We got—"

"We just wanna go to Ender," Arrow answered. "We gotta stop—"

The carefreeness that the duplicate's tone previously had would proceed to disappear. Reflecting this shift to seriousness, the culinary accessory atop his head got absorbed into the body below.

"I know."

His head rotated to face the person who had spoken to him.

"Whenever Ender clones himself, he's really just teleporting some of his energy, which includes brain activity. Technically, I could use the energy I'm made of to teleport us, but I don't want to."

Couch Ender nodded before looking at the lads and elaborating.

"We want to create a new world with the humans we bring here."

Steve and his partner glanced at each other. Thus confirming that, so far, this had been a regrettable attempt to thwart Jean. At least Chef Ender seemed to disagree.

"So yeah, what would you groovy dudes like to eat?" the lanky loner inquired in a lighthearted tone as he went back to supposedly looking at food. "I'm thinking noodles."

It was then that a small smile appeared on Arrow's face. He wouldn't even have to lie to potentially get out of this.

"I think we'd both like to try some chorus fruit."

Steve took a moment before he said, "I'm down." By no means was this a genius act of deception. Still, hypothetically speaking, the duo could've extended their time outside by making excuses. The nonhuman faked a chuckle prior to replying.

"It's not worth it. Remember what Ender said about chorus fruit being like poisonous potatoes?"

"Well, we can try some and see what we think about it. There's plenty of trees out there, so you wouldn't even have to come along and guide us."

Without anyone lifting a finger, the refrigerator door silently slammed. Long, black legs speedily moved toward the men as their grips on their weapons tightened.

"I'm not an idiot, Stevie," the humanoid stated, his pupils focused on Arrow's, which were in less of a focusing mood. "I don't know what Jean's deal is, and I don't care either. All I—All the real me wants is to spend time with human beings and to save them from the world that screwed them over."

At last, the men would receive some enlightenment regarding their situation. Their facial expressions relaxed somewhat when they realized this.

"What happened? How did we get here?" Steve asked.

Chef Ender closed his eyes and sighed. For a couple of seconds, not a single sound went past his teeth.

"I don't even know how long ago it was," he said as his eyes opened and his head rotated to face both of the men, "but, one day, out of the blue . . . those portals opened up. Stuff got transported through spacetime and to other universes. People could suddenly be put into life-threatening situations. There were so many unfair deaths. Too many."

Now, Steve and Arrow were taking a moment to be silent. Putting aside the fact that they still didn't have a clear idea about their origins, the thought that their species faced extinction was a depressing one. Granted, "people" is a vague word, so Chef Ender very well may have been referring to multiple humanoid creatures. If that's the case, then that lends credence to the theory that the End wasn't always as barren as it currently is. Either way, it was catastrophic that countless lives had been lost.

It would be especially tragic if the recent wormhole openings were connected to this incident, seeing as that likely meant that even more lives would be taken. However, those instances seemingly weren't as random as the ones Chef Ender had brought up.

"I really want to change the topic. What does Jean want anyway?"

"Um. Well, I don't know what she wants from Ender, but she plans on having some villagers killed so that she can get this magical stuff called 'experience' from them," Steve responded.

The look-alike broke eye contact, and his tone would maintain its somberness. Admittedly, this serious side was sort of intriguing. Arrow and Steve attentively gazed at Ender as he spoke. It was clear that he tended to put on a happy face, but it wasn't as easy to discern just how often he did this. Of course, his mysterious past was the primary reason that coming up with a guess proved difficult.

"I don't care as much about testificate lives being lost, but I'll help you two," he said as his peepers once again met Arrow's. "You're made out of energy, right?"

The aforementioned person's voice would adopt a confused tone.

"I don't think so. I've gotten bruised."

Following this reply, the nonhuman smiled.

"Well, you probably are. Our thoughts, and especially the associations we make, influence how energy behaves. Besides, Steve's atoms can't exist in two places at once, silly."

As a reminder, this appeal to logic had been stated by an individual who was the clone of a being capable of duplicating himself and teleporting anywhere he wanted to.

"Again, the two of us are made out of energy," Couch Ender added, gesturing toward Chef Ender and himself. "Entropy energy specifically, or Void energy if you wanna sound cool. It's what gives us our rad superpowers."

Admittedly, the term "Void energy" did fit the sci-fi vibe better. Even so, he arguably should've taken the opportunity to make a pun: "Ender-gy."

"Uh-huh. And since you're like us, that means you could absorb my essence. You'd be able to find Jean."

He proceeded to grasp the hand that Arrow held his namesake in and pull it toward the area where his heart would've been. While the men's peepers were widening, the otherworldly specimen's were shut. As for the sofa sitter's eyes, they were focused on what unfolded before them. It's not as accurate to say this was due to interest as it would be to say it was due to concern, and Couch Ender's facial expression reflected this.

"Do it before I change my mind," he uttered as he tugged the lad's hand a little more.

Arrow's eyes closed.

"Thank you."

Those words hastily left his mouth as the projectile swiftly plunged into Chef Ender's chest, resulting in the entity becoming a purple cloud. Five balls of energy that alternated between light lime green and yellow also manifested. These must've been the "experience orbs" that Ning had told him about, but he didn't acquire any memories. Anyway, as if Arrow were a planet pulling meteoroids towards him, all of this energy picked up speed as it got closer and closer. Once it got absorbed, the man's body heated up and reacted by becoming an amalgamation of his and Ender's.

Luckily, the metamorphosis wasn't that uncomfortable because it was relatively instant. Concerning his altered appearance, his clothes remained intact, though his limbs had disproportionately lengthened, he had become hairier, and his peepers had grown. Not only that, but he now absorbed warm wisps of Void energy. However, his irises were a slightly darker shade of purple than the original's, and his body wasn't skinny to an off-putting extent.

"Uh," Steve uttered as he tensed up.

He didn't immediately proceed to ask his question.

"Do you feel okay?"

Arrow had groaned during the process, though in comparison to what he went through, he might as well have stayed silent. Even so, because of how short the transformation was, it makes sense that he didn't feel as much pain as one would suspect.

"I'm fine. That felt weird, though."

Surely the understatement of the century. Meanwhile, Couch Ender glanced in their direction to see what occurred. He had put his hands over his ears and looked away after his double had affirmed his offer to be a sacrifice. The ends of his mouth curled upward into a forced smile, and he briefly attempted to fake a laugh.

"I don't like this!" he exclaimed as the facade fled and he shut his eyes.

His hands splayed out so that they could still shield his ears while also providing some coverage for his face. Once again, his head turned away from the lads.

"Go! Go, go, go, go, go!"

Out of respect for the distress that the duplicate had become overwhelmed by, Steve was grasped with two arms. Arrow's movements were awkward as he adjusted to his new form.

"Vw—Vwoop?" the now humanoid individual muttered, to no avail.

It took a few seconds, but he eventually managed to whisk himself and his twin away to the previously mentioned chorus tree. Thus making it so that the house would've been within viewing distance but not hearing distance upon spinning around. Additionally, more of those alien plants could be seen to their right. Moving on from that, a poof could be heard both when the guys disappeared and when they appeared once again. The two men were still visibly surprised, although this shock was now partly due to something else.

"You saw that too, right?" Arrow inquired.

"Yeah, I'm guessing it was a place, but I didn't see much."

That magenta and dark-purple flash they witnessed was hazy, which suggested they passed through a foggy realm. Although Steve had shivered, that was partly because it was a tad chilly outside. Having said that, it wasn't as though Ender's home had provided much insulation.

"I didn't see much of it either. Besides that, we gotta keep trying to help Ender. For now, anyway," the aforementioned lad remarked as he put his namesake into his right pocket. "Jean's more of an issue, but I'm kinda worried about him."

And to think, when they had become acquainted with Ender earlier, they didn't want to have to deal with him ever again. Without even learning any personal details since then, they had wound up caring more about him. It obviously wasn't like a friendship had blossomed, but what did happen could be considered wholesome.

"Same, even if I don't know how to convince him. By the way, you look a bit more normal now."

He looked down and noticed that his proportions were a little less distorted and he wasn't as hairy.

"Oh, good. Must be because I teleported. Although that does mean—"

His revelation got interrupted by the noise of a miniature wormhole ripping open. This one had appeared closer than usual, resulting in Steve being pulled into the other side: Dwarf Forest. Not only that, but he dropped his blade. Arrow was unaffected, so he watched as his double turned his head, spotted an undead woman with outstretched arms chasing Greener, and rushed back into the End. He wasn't really trying to avoid somehow helping the testificate, though, as he knew the Covener and their unhygienic harasser had been made aware of the transdimensional gateway.

"That zombie woman we fought earlier is coming," Steve warned as he picked up his sword.

Seconds later, the undead lady and the belt-wearing humanoid ran through the rift. The latter wielded a crossbow and had ammo for that weapon stored in a quiver. The brute had been shot once, and the puncture wound in her upper chest had damaged her schoolgirl outfit. On another note, the eyes of the two aforementioned individuals momentarily lingered on Arrow's abnormal appearance.

"Glad to see y'all, I'd love some help!"

Adrenaline made its way through their body as it took in more oxygen. Unfortunately, their black-eyed bully also got to reap the benefits of that chemical.

"Nowhere to hide!"

While Arrow and Steve were making their way toward Greener to protect them, she leaped onto this individual. Doing so would cause the projectiles in their quiver to snap. The groan-inducing agony the nonhuman felt as their head crashed into the solid ground made the bully giggle. The two men would've been able to prevent the poor testificate from being further harmed if it weren't for more rips in spacetime appearing. Since the duo was moving so fast, they ended up going into them by accident.

"No one to stop me," the undead individual remarked with a gross-looking grin as they glanced at the interdimensional tunnels. "Your sausage nose is mine! If only I had eggs to eat with it."

Recalling what had transpired earlier caused her to growl and clench her shaky fists. Greener whimpered at the thought of their gruesome fate as an abhorrent stench caused their nose to scrunch up. At the same time, indignation took over the duo's faces.

"No!"

For context, Arrow ended up in the middle of the woodland. His exclamation had, in part, gotten the attention of some too-close-for-comfort zombies. Their attire was generally casual, to the point that hoodies were the most common garment among them. Specifically, ten males wore one, and their jackets varied considerably. For example, there were three with black drawstrings: a white one, a red one, and a red and black one with a checkered pattern.

There was also a simple blue one, along with a hoodie that was green with red bands around the edge of the hood and sleeves. Out of the two unzipped jackets, one was blue with gray drawstrings, and the second was red with white ones. The remaining three hoodies were more visually distinct. There was a striped teal one that displayed the acronym "CS" in big, yellow letters, another was red with a TNT-inspired design, and the last one was black with a huge flame illustrated on the torso. Moving on to Steve's whereabouts, he got teleported to the skeletal spider rider from earlier.

Though it would soon enter the End, it should first be mentioned that a gaggle of the undead started stampeding into the gateway shortly following Arrow's return to the dimension. He now stood a few dozen steps away from the house, although some chorus trees stood nearby.

"I'm gonna kill you if you get closer, Annoying Hairball!" an infected man yelled hoarsely, suggesting Ender had interacted with him prior.

Regarding that savage's appearance, he wore sunglasses. He also donned a slightly zipped-up black jacket, which he wore over a dark-blue shirt. Obviously, the aforementioned "Annoying Hairball" had no reason to irk this guy, so he swiftly teleported to the belt wearer. He once again got a glimpse of the teleportation-associated world, and, unfortunately, a pest from that same realm hitched a ride on him this time. To be precise, a creature that resembled a relatively gargantuan dark-purple mite leaped onto the bottom of one of his pant legs.

It possessed a weak aura, much like what Ender's clones had, and it possessed a single, dark-magenta eye. As it crawled up the back of his left leg, presumably to find a suitable spot to taste the blood of an otherworldly creature, Arrow attempted to shake it off. He noticed that a few regions of the humanoid's face had reddened due to being hit. To be precise, the green-skinned ghoul had previously delivered a fair amount of fist sandwiches and scratched Greener a couple of times. Currently, she was squeezing their nose.

For the sake of more accurate visualization, it should be noted that their species had schnozes that were mostly detached from the head. Consequently, the brute's grip was enhanced.

"Tenderized, yum! Your meat is gonna make for a fine, smallish feast. I just wish I had some beans on the side," she remarked.

Due to how ravenous she was, the words "smallish" and "beans" had been emphasized. This appetite also caused the wild woman to snarl at Arrow once he teleported to her, thus placing him a couple dozen steps away from Ender's house. Had the strange-looking man not been the one who gave her the relatively fresh scars that she had, she would've been all the more intimidating. However, the dark-red coloration that her nose acquired after Arrow's punch didn't complement her vibe.

"Mine!" she shouted prior to baring her chipped and blood-stained teeth.

Although Arrow was still a little shaken up from his encounter with her earlier, his yearning to be of assistance to the helpless testificate overpowered that. He grabbed the interdimensional annoyance—which was approaching his lower back—and threw it at the savage's face.

"Argh! Hate you, freak!" she screamed as she tried to grasp it without success.

This itty-bitty victory could only be relished briefly, as the ghoulish group from earlier was on the verge of being able to attack the two uninfected individuals. Knowing this, but also knowing that he couldn't teleport Greener away without also taking their assailant, the lad loosely grasped her and placed her somewhere in the distance before going back to the humanoid.

"Get off!" she yelled the instant Arrow made contact.

This, combined with the demonic look that her peepers had, only hastened his release of the ghastly gal. Not wanting to get too far away from where he last saw Steve, he teleported himself and the belt wearer to the chorus tree just as another otherworldly gateway opened up.

"Are you, um," the lad uttered, prior to realizing that he wasn't sure how to phrase his question.

He now resembled his usual self and could've passed for an unusual-looking human, especially if one was willing to overlook the unnatural color of his irises. Oh, and his rather faint aura, but he'd definitely be rid of that soon enough.

"I'll be okay, thank you so much."

Following this expression of gratitude, they stood up.

"You're very welcome."

He then noticed Steve, Alex, Ning, and the spider jockey dealing with some plague-ridden individuals of their own. Specifically by moving away and occasionally attacking. Several of the hoodie wearers had been shot with arrows, so these guys stopped brawling. Instead, they gleefully watched the battle and occasionally cheered on their undead brethren. As for how Team Steve was doing, they were sweating and breathing harder.

Nevertheless, they still had the energy to put up a good fight. Intriguingly, the most aggressive member on their side was Arrow's doppelgänger. In fact, he was about to strike three zombies in a row, and he started by whacking the first target with his blade.

"¡¿Qué?!"

That guy wore an unbuttoned plaid shirt that was teal and light gray. Steve proceeded to thrust his sword toward two other men. In the process, he sliced their chests.

"¡Dios—"

"¡Mío!"

The first lad had an orange vest over his bare chest. The second wore a shirt that depicted a yellow cartoon dog wearing a dull-cyan cape. Anyway, in reaction to the brawl, the distance between Arrow's eyelids increased. He quickly shifted his focus back to Greener.

"This did bring back some awful memories, though," the humanoid muttered. "Of my paren—"

Arrow knew he had to interrupt them, so he used his right palm to implicitly say, "Stop." Due to the time constraint, his politeness was limited, so he immediately began talking after using the gesture.

"Sorry, but you gotta hide. There's—"

"Vwoop!" the original Ender exclaimed with less enthusiasm than usual in his voice.

Their heads jerked, and they saw him accompanied by Jean. Even though the two had been holding hands, their facial expressions were neutral, and the horned woman promptly returned her nondominant hand to her side. As for Greener's reaction to the monstrous being that had appeared out of thin air, they had not only gasped but also examined him in awe.

"What on earth is going on here?" he inquired as he took two steps forward and gestured appropriately.

Chapter Text

Arrow ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure how to answer Ender's question, and it didn't help that the inhuman individual's breathing had become shallow. Furthermore, his eerie face had an intense look plastered on it. Luckily, this demeanor seemed to mainly be directed toward the battle that Steve's group was engaged in. Ender wasn't even looking at Arrow anymore.

He concentrated on sending seemingly rabid clones of himself to aid in their fight, causing his aura to dim. These duplicates behaved like the original did when he, in his bitterness, fought the leafy monsters like a wild man.

"Um . . . well, I took the energy of one of your clones, and then portals started opening," the lad uttered.

Ender held up his index finger as if an idea had just occurred to him. Admittedly, it would've been funnier if a cartoony violet light bulb appeared above his head.

"Speaking of which, vwoop!"

He would leave the archer where she stood prior to teleporting several paces backward. At this point, he decided that a few more paces wouldn't hurt.

"Leetle vwoop."

The things that the group proceeded to say would be at a higher volume to compensate for the distance.

"Now, Stevie, I'm sorry—I really am—but I gotta tell ya that this look doesn't work for you. You looked so much better as a normal dude," he stated, emphasizing the word "so."

Specifically, although Arrow was still tall and somewhat disproportionate, his height no longer exceeded the bounds of what would be considered unusual for a person, and he could once again best be referred to as muscular rather than lean. On top of that, his clothes looked less awkward on him, and he was hairy rather than furry.

"Uh—"

"I know it's not your fault, but let's get that Void energy used up as soon as possible. Since you can't teleport as fast as me, I'll help you get rid of any endermites that appear," he said before his facial expression and tone became more lighthearted. "Secondly, your friend here clearly needs some help from Nurse En—"

It could be hypothesized that the term "Void energy" was derived from the name of the realm that Arrow had caught glimpses of when he teleported. That's because the critter that had latched onto his jeans appeared to be absorbing the same kind of energy as Ender. Perhaps this area served as a reservoir of power, which would justify its necessity. Or, maybe it was the "betweenlands" that filled in the multiversal gap separating time and space, thus explaining how teleportation could be so swift.

"Greener will be fine," Arrow assured as he made the "stop" gesture. "The Coven probably has healing potions."

"That's right," the testificate affirmed.

As Greener said this, their head briefly swiveled toward Arrow. They then nodded to emphasize the point.

"Good," he uttered as he glanced at them.

Following this, his focus returned to Ender.

"Now, what did you and Jean talk about? I'm curious."

"I learned about why he's able to do what he can with energy. Magic has transformed both of our lives, and we really bonded over that," the self-assured lady answered as she tapped one of her horns.

Once Jean had started talking, Arrow rotated to face her. He didn't direct his entire body toward the archer, though, so his left foot pointed at the teleporter. Besides this, Jean had smiled at Ender after mentioning that the two got along well, causing him to grin in response. Unsurprisingly, said grin was excessive and thus a little creepy, which the eccentric must have realized as he proceeded to tone it down.

"Well, OK," Arrow uttered after a brief moment, as he didn't have a rebuttal.

"Yep, we're a couple of buddies now! She even made me a member of her group!"

Greener gave the horned sorceress a warm smile, though she only delivered a brief one in return. Technically, because Ender said "her group" and not "the Coven," it was reasonable to conclude that she'd been referring to her hunting party. The humanoid had simply made an assumption. A fair one, and one that the archer could've corrected, but an assumption nonetheless.

"By the way, Stevie, it, heheh, it turns out those . . . 'dimensional doors' open after spending a lot of time with her—"

He stopped talking upon noticing that Jean had nonverbally told him not to say anything else on the matter. It's not like it would've mattered, though. Due to being saddened by what he was talking about, his voice trailed off.

"All's well that ends well, though," he weakly affirmed. "Anywayssss, um . . ."

Ender looked away to observe the fight taking place.

"Well, would you look at that? My boys sure taught those zombozos a lesson! And to believe they thought they'd be getting to taste some brains today, pfft! When pigs fly!"

Out of curiosity, Greener and the two humans checked out the brawl and proceeded to say "Wow" or some slight variation. Indeed, the look-alikes were whaling on the undead, particularly the ones close to Alex and the others. Speaking of her, it appeared she had finally managed to land a few hits on the brutes with her crossbow. Unlike Steve, she had no qualms about targeting their fatal areas. For better or for worse, none had died yet.

"Bullseye!" the woman exclaimed after an arrow of hers pierced a green fellow's chest, causing blood that had a very dark shade of red to squirt out.

Her remaining projectile poked out of her satchel. It's also worth mentioning that Alex was currently being glared at by the savage she shot. This was the same lad donned in the black hoodie that depicted a flame on the torso.

"No more playin' arou—"

At that moment, Steve's blade plunged into the area between his upper neck and his chin. Grubby hands flew to the site of the puncture, thus causing their already unclean surfaces to be painted in blood. Intriguingly, three of the wild men who were close to this individual growled after this one had been hit twice. With that said, this small squad of zombies couldn't be taken very seriously since they all wore animal costumes. Of course, their garments had been dirtied and damaged.

One was disguised as a big-eyed frog with a gaping mouth. The next one was dressed as a dark-blue shark, and he wore sunglasses over his actual eyes. There was also a guy donning a moose costume, although there weren't any other aspects of his appearance that stuck out.

"In his face!" Alex blurted, to which Steve smirked in response.

The attention that had been drawn toward Steve resulted in one of the Enders spotting some green skin, which had originated from a bite wound on his left hand. It had been made noticeable because, during his brief attack, he had used his left forearm to shield his face. Although his shirt hid some of the discoloration, a moldy hue had already engulfed his entire arm, along with some of the left half of his chest. This section of his body trembled, and whether it was due to stress or something else wasn't clear. A gasp came out of the duplicate's mouth, and he proceeded to grab the man and take him to the original.

"Huh?"

Upon being teleported to Arrow's location, he and the others around him caught a disconcerting whiff of rotting meat.

"I have terrible news. Steve has been infected!"

As he said this, the lad—who was now trying to stop shuddering—had his left wrist held up, showcasing the aftermath of a close encounter with a zombie. To be precise, this undead person had broken through the skin of the three longest fingers, enough to cause bleeding but not enough to fracture the bones. Though everyone else gave an empathetic look, the lanky nonhuman was especially impacted by this news. His wide, pink peepers became watery, and although his lips parted, it'd be a moment before an audible word left them. He blinked rapidly while he listened to Steve.

When Steve spoke, he scratched the areas of his skin where the body hair was dying.

"Of course this sucks, but don't worry, guys—"

"Yeah! On the bright side, you can spend your last moments here, in the End."

Surprise swept over Steve's face. Even then, he wasn't as shocked as he could've been, seeing as it wasn't all that strange for the otherworldly specimen to want what he had proposed.

"Well—"

A nurse's cap appeared atop the other Ender's head.

"You're a nurse now, soldier."

With a puffed-up chest, the clone released Steve's wrist and saluted the original.

"Understood, General Ender. G—Ender—al, heh."

"Heh. You should also make sure Alex is okay."

Since there wasn't a particularly large amount of space between the group and her, it could be observed that her skin was the same bluish-gray. However, since they were chiefly seeing the left side of her body, they couldn't definitively conclude if she'd been infected or not. Anyway, Steve was about to correct Ender's assumption.

"I meant that Ning has a—"

"Ning, Shming. Do you know what's in those potions? Do you even remember drinking potions previously? Testificates may be affected differently by them."

"Look, Ender," Steve said with an irritated tone that he'd make a conscious effort to get rid of as he regulated his breathing, "it's worked before, and Ning needs me to be cured. Those are facts. We have no reason to let our nerves get the better of us."

For a split second, Jean smiled.

"As someone who understands magic better than Ning and trusts Ender's knowledge, you should stay here."

While Steve did have something to say, which started with "Wh," he got whisked away by the supposed nurse before he could finish his retort. The other Ender had a grin on his face, and he giggled prior to taking Steve into the house where Couch Ender still resided. Although Arrow would be too concentrated on bringing his twin's potential extended stay in this dimension to an end, Nurse Ender would proceed to put the redhead in the building as well.

"OK, I don't entirely get how magic works, but he still had a good point. Besides that, Ning could easily be teleported away from the fight and into their hut so that they can fetch the cure."

"Uh, first of all," the archer retorted with only mild hesitation, "I'm sorry it has to be like this. I am, but, um, no, you're wrong. I doubt they have another one of those potions already made, and considering the paradox issue I told you about, it's better if he's in another dimension anyway."

Arrow's gaze would quickly shift to Ender.

"Sorry, but I have to side with the brainiac. She's taught me all sorts of interesting things during my time with her. Like how the Capital-I Infection is a freaky-deaky fungal hive mind that leeches off of the souls of its hosts."

Ender's apology sounded legit, and his attempt to be playful didn't come off as insensitive. His silly hand gestures might've convinced Arrow to ask questions had things not been so serious.

"Neat."

Characteristically, he tried to keep his cool, though his lowered brows and crossed arms conveyed how he felt about the duo's reasoning. Nevertheless, he managed his breathing. Luckily, Greener would proceed to talk, giving him more time to come up with a rebuttal.

"I wish there was somethin' I could do to help you here, Arrow."

The lad rotated his face toward them as they spoke. He showcased his appreciation for what Greener had attempted to do—comfort him—by letting his arms fall to his sides.

"It's fine. Neither of us can control them."

His tone conveyed that he still felt indignant, albeit less so. What brought emphasis to this was the sigh he released before his reply.

"I still hate it though," the humanoid said prior to looking at the sorceress. "Jean, you are an expert, but I don't think it's right for Steve to spend the time that, um . . . she—"

"Men, like Steve and Ender, go by 'he'," Arrow gently informed, having picked up on Greener's desire to be corrected. "But don't worry about it."

"But in case you're curious, you would say 'his' instead of 'their' and 'him' instead of 'them'," the archer added with a slight smile as she glanced at the belt-wearing individual.

In typical fashion, Greener mirrored her facial expression. Jean would press her arms against her chest once Greener began defending Arrow's side.

"Thanks y'all, hopefully I'll remember all of that, heh. Back to what I was sayin', I don't think it's right for Steve to spend the time he has left in this dark, empty world. No offense, Ender."

"How could I be offended? Your description is on point," he uttered.

After his first sentence, Ender sighed prior to continuing with the next part. Unexpectedly, his head drooped once he finished talking.

"On top of that, we could give Steve some of 'r life-energy potion as long as he promises to help us out in return."

The archer uncrossed her arms as she shook her head no.

"Unfortunately, that's too risky, Greener, even if he somehow helps us out first. Who knows how soon it'll be until he reverts to acting like a zombie? Plus, since this dimension is empty, there's no chance he'll spread the disease."

"Looks like it's settled then. Don't worry, Stevie, me and my Enders will make sure he enjoys his remaining time."

His voice reverted to a more serious tone as Arrow's fingers curled into fists. They remained by his side, though, so what he did was undoubtedly for the sole purpose of stress relief.

"Once he . . . becomes undead, we'll hand him over to Jean to, well, y'know. I know how intense and unfair that is, those portals screwed me over as well. I get it, really, but she knows what she's doing."

The belt wearer gave the lad an empathetic look, and Arrow relaxed his hands.

"OK."

Greener swiveled around a little so that they were partly facing him. In recognition of this, the lad did the same, albeit to a lesser extent.

"If it makes you feel any better, she really knows how to use a bow. I don't know if you're familiar with those skeletons—"

"I kinda am."

Despite his frustration, Arrow hadn't interrupted them with an annoyed tone.

"Well, just like Alex had us, Jean had the original Coven for the Curious and those skeletons. After that coven was killed, the skeletons even let her join their huntin' group, the Order of the Stone. Now, I don't know what that name means exactly, but it sure sounds mighty serious to me."

The archer spectated the brawl while they talked. It had really wound down, especially since the six undead individuals that remained were the more agile ones. The guy in the black hoodie, the man in the blue one, and the two lads in the red jackets with black drawstrings were all part of this pack of brutes. The fifth male wearing informal attire had a purplish-blue shirt. Regarding the designs that the shirt had, there was a blue-and-red diamond symbol on the front, and there was an enormous white V on the back.

As for the final guy, he actually wore a suit with a red tie, although the blazer had been completely unbuttoned. Concerning the locations of the other savages, they must've been teleported back to the woodland. Including that female in the schoolgirl outfit, seeing as she had never attempted to attack Arrow. All of this begs the question of why the duplicates hadn't just skipped the fighting part and gone straight to getting rid of the wild men.

"That's nice to hear," Arrow stated.

He paused.

"Could you fetch something out of my pocket?" he inquired as he pointed at it. "My hands are too big."

"Sure thing," Greener promised as they stuck their fingers inside.

In an instant, they were in Ender's abode. The two members of Arrow's species were both on the couch, the nurse stood near Steve, telling jokes, and Couch Ender was in the kitchen checking out the fridge.

"Huh?" the testificate uttered, along with the first three aforementioned individuals.

By the time Couch Ender swiveled to see who had teleported into the small abode, Arrow had already grabbed the hands of the two humans. All the look-alike saw was the quartet vanishing and the original Ender teleporting into the home. A moment later, Arrow and the others reappeared close to the Coven's circular settlement. They would've been far enough away not to arouse suspicion, but Arrow's loud cough hinted at their presence. In his defense, some dark fog had accumulated inside of him after passing through the Void, and he obviously had to get it out.

"What—" Alex blurted as she and Steve stepped back.

She proceeded to redirect her train of thought. On the topic of teleportation, it didn't seem as though the lad would be able to use that ability again. The amount of Void energy in his system was so minute that the only distortion in his appearance was that his irises were now a somewhat dark hue of indigo. He was also left with a parting gift from the Void: another one of those oversized mites, this time on the bottom of his right pant leg. As he spoke, he would use his left foot to knock the pest off and stomp on it.

"We gotta get Steve cured. Greener told me y'all have a potion that could do that," he said, talking quicker than normal as he knew Ender would teleport to them soon.

Concerning Steve, the entirety of his chest and neck had been corrupted, along with a bit of his right arm. Additionally, the trembling had intensified despite the fact that he continued controlling his breathing. This got a little more difficult because of his coughing, for which he covered his mouth. As for Greener, they had taken their fingers out of Arrow's pocket.

"I'm certain the Coven can help," she affirmed as she started speedwalking toward the campfire, shortly before the others followed her. "I don't want to make you feel worse, Steve, but I'm compelled to let you know that I'm worried. I'll try my hardest to get the others to cooperate."

Out of respect, she didn't comment on how his odor had gotten worse. Though it shouldn't come as a surprise, the zombified parts of his body smelled like rotten flesh. A horrifying thought, yes, but the lad moved around just fine. Clearly, the supernatural fungus growing inside of him helped keep his body running smoothly. Once the fungal roots—AKA mycelium—reached his brain, this relationship would surely become more parasitic.

"Mhm," he replied, seemingly too nervous to speak.

Unlike last time, nobody was in the gargantuan tent. Two of the members were absent, with only three around the campfire. That campfire had a cauldron on top along with a pair of large, open chests around it. Although the Coveners had reacted with jaw drops when the group suddenly appeared, it took a moment before the individual who had been mixing the concoction said something. Regarding the contents of the cauldron, the savory-smelling liquid within looked as red as a heart.

"Pretty soon, we're gonna get to prove Ning and the villagers wrong. Now, what's goin' on 'ere, exactly?"

This testificate bore a considerable amount of resemblance to the belt-wearing humanoid. Primarily because the two had thick eyebrows, dark-gray teeth, and similar attire, although their robe was brown. Nevertheless, the two were likely cousins, if not siblings. In fact, the same could be said of the other two nonhumans, who had also shifted their gaze to the people approaching them.

"I can take those crossbows off y'all's hands, by the way," the rightmost individual told Alex and the humanoid.

The quiver and their weapons were handed over and placed on the grass as gratitude was expressed to this person. Alex also took the opportunity to take off her satchel and place it near the closest chest.

"Aye, Greens, I'm worried about you," the one to the left commented. "You look like you got scratched up by a—"

As they approached the end of their sentence, they put their thumbs together and flapped their fingers. In response to this, the rightmost nonhuman looked at this one with widened peepers as they shook their head no. The central testificate must've felt a similar way, as they also looked at this individual with the same expression.

"I wasn't gonna say the word."

"It's okay, Gria, I'm fine. And you're allowed to say 'phantom', they're just . . . big ole bats anyhow," Greener somewhat unconvincingly assured with a smile, their pupils traveling from right to left before focusing on the person in the middle. "Ommy, to answer your question, Steve here needs a bottle of 'r cure."

Ommy's eyes narrowed, and their lips pulled in as if their face wanted to shield itself from what would ensue. As they replied, Steve itched his neck prior to holding up his left palm to his chin. The hairs that comprised the lower half of his goatee started to die, along with the ones on the back of his lower head. Elsewhere, the green hue advanced down his right bicep.

"Well, hate to say it, but we kinda gotta have as much as possible for 'r return to Rubyham for emergencies' sake. And Steve isn' supposed to exist anyway. It's like Jean says, it's about the greater—"

"You can't be—" Alex started to say quietly with an upset tone.

She had also taken two steps in Ommy's direction. Like the others, enough hope had left her face to transform her neutral expression into a slight frown. To make this upsetting situation even more disappointing, though, this was the moment when Ender and Jean appeared, resulting in everyone's attention shifting to them and their muscles tensing up. The hand-holding duo stood to the far right of the cauldron from Arrow's perspective. The interdimensional being somewhat gently separated himself from Jean's grasp as he swiftly moved toward the two men.

Chapter Text

Ender's aura had once again grown fainter as a consequence of interdimensional teleportation. However, this didn't distract from the figurative aura he had. Ender was stone-faced, and his sizable eyes made the pinpoint precision of his pupils all the more attention-grabbing.

"You shouldn't have done this," the otherworldly individual uttered as he focused on Arrow.

The lad's new eye color made it easier to tell him apart from his doppelgänger. With that said, the rip in his shirt was already a dead giveaway.

"Steve could've made some pleasant memories before Jean did what she had to do," Ender's right arm motioned toward him, "but now, it's too late. She's gonna have to do her thing soon."

To be fair, there was a bit of validity to what he said. The green mycelium that spread throughout the man's body had already progressed up his jaw, reaching the point where his lips met, and down his right arm. Now, a third of it had been discolored, and the poor lad's shuddering afflicted the lower part of his head as well. An unsettling feeling invaded Steve's headspace as he concentrated on the growing pile of dead hair in his palm. Most of his beard had fallen off, to the point that only a mustache remained.

"We . . ."

Arrow had uttered this and avoided making eye contact. It quickly occurred to him that he'd have to do better, so he proceeded to take in a sharp inhale as he focused on Ender.

"We knew how serious the situation was, but we also had good reason to believe that he had a chance. It's his life, and he shouldn't be told to just give up and distract himself because of how you feel about this mess."

After saying all of this, he crossed his arms and exuded an air of confidence. The indignation that Arrow felt resulted in him having a stern look on his face. It got so intense that Ender appeared to be less sure of himself than before. Meanwhile, Jean also had her arms pressed against her chest, but she didn't come off as cool and collected as Arrow did.

"Well said. If you ask me, their closed-mindedness is suspicious," Alex suggested.

He simply shrugged in reaction to that second part.

"Thanks."

In preparation for her response, Jean approached Arrow. Like her partner, she walked quickly and with a determined look on her face. Well, hers was better described as a little nervous, though she'd visibly gain confidence as she talked. Something else worth acknowledging was that the moment her first word entered his ears, Ender teleported a few paces behind his original position.

"You still don't get it. They probably don't even have another cure, and it's still for the best that only one of you exists—if even that. Plus," she gestured at the satchel on the ground, "if this could be easily solved with magic, don't you think Alex would've done something by now?"

At this moment, she had gotten close enough that, if she took one more step forward, she could yank Steve's wrist. Despite his dilemma, Steve still managed his breathing, which was relatively easier now because his coughing had subsided. Arrow rotated his head so that he could persuade the interdimensional specimen not to take Jean's side. Before a word could eject itself from his mouth, the redhead spoke up as she took two steps toward the only other woman in the group.

"Yes, I would've," she asserted as her thin eyebrows descended. "But I don't fully understand how the Infection works, and you know that!"

Alex hadn't yelled, though raising her voice did shock the sorceress enough for her peepers to expand. Don't mistake this for an expression of helplessness, though, as Jean's brows began to lower as she started mentally formulating her reply.

"And yes, magic would be an effective solution, so we," she said emphatically as she stared at Ommy, "just have to do something a little selfless and hand him a cure."

It became stress-inducingly evident how time was a limited resource. Steve's mustache was falling off, along with more of the hair on the back of his head. Additionally, and almost certainly as a byproduct of stress at this point rather than a mere side effect of the fungus spreading, was the intensified trembling of his torso.

"Greener," she said with open hands as she swiveled toward them, "don't the Coveners unite under the belief that people should be willing to take risks for the sake of making progress? We'd at least strengthen our understanding of how the Infection works."

They weren't willing to make eye contact with her as they proceeded to reply.

"Um, well—"

"You know how much their goal means to them, Alex. They shouldn't feel the need to waste what they have on the guy who would get killed soon enough anyway!"

As her eyes clenched shut, she held up her dominant hand as if to say, "Stop." This was likely directed toward herself as well as the other lady, whose arms were now pressed against her chest. Furthermore, her hands had been compressed into fists as nervous sweat crept out of her forehead.

"S—Sorry," Jean sputtered. "It's my fault. Gotta fix this. Take us, Ender."

Arrow and Alex, in preparation for what would happen, got closer to Steve.

"No!" the duo protested, the former in a battle stance that complemented his blade and the latter looking like she was ready to deliver some punches.

In a flash, the teleporter appeared behind the nearly facial-hairless Steve and placed a hand on his right shoulder. His lungs rapidly took in and expelled air. His sword hand trembled as muscles automatically tensed up all over his body. That resulted in him only being a little hesitant to remove himself from Ender's grasp and spin around. In the process, the hairs in his palm got released.

The other two humans also spun around to face Ender.

"Do you think I want to do this?" he inquired in an undeniably rhetorical way, moving his hands as he spoke for emphasis. "Jean and I want to protect what remains of your kind, and she knows how to make that dream a reality."

Alex assumed a confused pose, although she would continue to express her infuriation. Specifically, her fists had unfurled, and her palms faced up. As she spoke, the words would slowly leave her mouth as she moved her hands up and down.

"Then why don't you—"

"Because I have faith in her plan!"

As he loudly blurted this, he pushed Arrow's and Alex's faces away with enough strength to make them stumble back a bit. This gave him enough time to regain his grasp on Steve's right shoulder and whisk the infected man away to an unknown location. At this point, all the duo could do was groan or try to breathe slowly to cope with the situation. Soon enough, fury swept over Alex's face, resulting in the ends of her brows pointing at the tips of her ears and her teeth being put on full display.

"Ning was right—"

Her glare got intense enough to burn holes. Despite the more nervous look on Jean's face, an attempt to apologize or justify her actions wasn't made. This was, in part, due to the fact that Ender quickly came back for her, leaving Arrow, Alex, and Greener feeling powerless. Everyone who witnessed what occurred had a look of surprise on their face. Regardless, the lady was somewhat prompt in coming up with something to say to the three nonhumans.

Once her head had swiveled toward them, an effort was made by the cauldron user to defend themself.

"L—Look, I'm sorry it turned out like this, Alex, but—"

Poof. The six individuals looked to see Ender, who had briefly reappeared to drop off Ning and the skeletal spider rider in the same location where Jean previously stood. Unsurprisingly, the trio had been holding hands. Once the otherworldly humanoid was gone, the androgynous individual was, from Arrow's perspective, standing to the right of the mellow monster. This undead archer took a short moment to look around before turning in the opposite direction and heading toward Dwarf Forest.

"Not this place again," Ning uttered with a sigh as they got closer to the others and crossed their arms, albeit while still gripping their wooden bottle. "Whatever. One of y'all catch me up."

The remaining man sighed and scratched the back of his head. Though his voice wouldn't quiver, he couldn't maintain eye contact with them throughout the entirety of his answer.

"Well, Steve got bitten by a zombie, and green skin started to slowly spread across his body. We knew he could be cured, but Jean and Ender were against that—"

"For no good reason," Alex interjected with an irritated expression and tone. "Sorry."

It's also worth mentioning that her arms had been pressed against her chest as she said these words. However, this observation isn't meant to imply her lips were pouty or that she didn't speak at a reasonable volume.

"It's fine," Arrow assured as he glanced at her. "We tried to convince them otherwise, but that didn't work out."

For a moment, Ning simply gazed at him with a neutral expression as they tightened their crossed arms.

"Hmm."

Their head suddenly spun toward the trio of nonhumans as their face was overtaken by aggravation. Just as quickly, as if they were anticipating it, these people shifted their gaze to the objects around them. Greener would also be prompt in moving a little to the left, thus putting themself in the center of Ning's new field of view.

"It ain't their fault. Everythin' happened so quickly, and we—the Coven doesn't have a bunch of potions that can be handed out at a moment's notice. You can understand that."

While they silently tried to devise a reply, their expression relaxed into one that conveyed a milder form of irritation. However, the witch was no longer glaring at the other magic users. Soon enough, the Coveners noticed this and looked upward. In particular, Ommy focused on Ning.

"We could give you a potion of healin' to somewhat make up for it," they said as they glanced at the individual to their right. "Just in case somethin' bad happens out there."

This person proceeded to grab a wooden flask with a cork in it. Ommy expressed gratitude, calling them "Ilza" as they did so, before looking in Ning's direction.

"I meant it when I told you that justice is important to us," Greener added, to which they received a brief eye roll in response.

"I'll take the potion. Thanks," the witch said as they did just that.

Alex sighed as each of her arms fell to its respective side of the body.

"Honestly, I wouldn't say that Ning's stance on the Coven is unfounded. Entirely, anyway."

With haste, the testificate spun to face her. Similarly, the heads of the others did as well. Though Arrow didn't have anything to say, he did stroke his goatee in reaction to her statement.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, there's certainly a more peaceful way to prove to Rubyham that y'all deserve more respect. I recognize that the zombie siege was Jean's idea, although the group could've held it up to more scrutiny."

The nonhuman took a step toward the redhead.

"Look, Alex. It feels wrong to call myself nice, but I will say that you are and that the two of us are kinda similar. Ain't you sick of how people like us, people who try to be better, are the ones that gotta keep 'r expectations low so that others don't disappoint us as easily? Just because others can't be bothered to return the favor?"

Following this last statement, they broke eye contact. Despite what one may assume, they had managed not to become particularly angered or saddened by their words, though their thick eyebrows were now lower on their face. Additionally, Greener had used various hand gestures as they spoke, signifying passion. On the other hand, slight frowns had made their way onto everyone else's face. Ning even appeared to be lost in thought.

Interestingly, both the hut dweller and Alex had pressed their arms against their chests, though the latter had done so to a greater extent.

"Of course I don't like that, but . . ."

She didn't sound as confident as she usually did. Before Greener could potentially finish her sentence for her, though, Arrow spoke up.

"I don't like that either, but it's just how things turn out sometimes. You can't control other people, so you might as well get good at controlling yourself."

Though he hadn't spoken to them in an angry tone, they reacted by pressing their arms against their chest somewhat loosely. Greener's brows were also still lowered.

"The solution 'ere is simple. Be a loner," Ning joked in a tone that barely registered as lighthearted.

The lad chuckled a little. Out of everyone else he had come across thus far, Ning was seemingly the only other introvert besides his doppelgänger. Who obviously didn't count.

"Well, I think a different response is needed. It's like a parent punishin' their kid for misbehavin'. We're the real adults here."

Ning sighed, although Arrow would be the only one who momentarily looked in their direction.

"Well said, Greens!" the trio of humanoid Coveners exclaimed, before laughing once they realized they'd all been thinking the same thing.

Conversely, the human member of the group hadn't been convinced. She displayed this by crossing her arms even more. Although her facial expression hadn't morphed due to the tension, her reply would be firmly stated.

"I say this with all due respect, but Arrow is right. Even so, I understand where y'all are coming from."

Already, her teammates' peepers had widened in surprise.

"Ning, for the sake of gaining perspective, may I join you two for an indefinite amount of time?"

As Alex spoke, she motioned toward the people she was referring to.

"You can't be serious," the belt-wearing individual promptly blurted.

She sighed before rotating her head to Greener. Alex's face was now devoid of frustration, although she didn't come off as relaxed. Considering what the lady had told her colleague, there's something that can be said about her situation.

"I am. Sorry. This is for the best."

Her voice didn't sound as firm as it had before.

"You can join us," the witch answered.

"Nice," Arrow added.

Greener's right eyelid twitched. Not only had they been harassed and beaten by an undead bully, but now the living proof of their cure's effectiveness wasn't even on their side anymore. And because the universe surely fed off the anguish of good people, she wanted to be with the most inconsiderate person they knew. The person who pretty much embodied what the Coven was against.

"My parents were wrong," they quietly thought aloud.

As their bitterness heated the liquid flowing through their veins into a scarlet vapor, they responded to the negativity within by ripping off the garment around their waist. Afterward, they tossed it, and Alex caught it.

"Take it. The reminder doesn't mean anythin' to me anymore."

With the exception of Arrow, who merely exhaled sharply, everyone else was visibly somewhat shocked. Especially Ning, whose body now faced Greener's.

"Y'all should leave now. The Coveners have some work to do."

The lady, who had been looking down at the belt in her grasp and trying to figure out what to say, looked up at her former colleague.

"All right. Although you're always welcome to have this back, I'll keep it for now," she said as she wrapped the garment around her waist.

While this may appear odd, she was unable to use it for her shorts since they didn't have belt loops. This wasn't necessarily a design flaw either, as an elastic waistband could've been utilized instead to provide a similar result. Besides that, the color of the belt paired well with the hue of her shirt.

"Goodbye, Greener," Ning said, in a tone that seemed a little warmer than usual.

"We won't be takin' the siege to your place anymore, by the way."

Their tone had lost some aggression, although this had apparently been a sudden change of plans on their part. The other Coveners stared at them in surprise.

"Oh," the hut dweller muttered.

"You serious?" the rightmost member questioned.

They looked at their teammate as they answered this and proceeded to shift their focus to the leftmost individual, Gria.

"Very serious, Ilza. Also, hand me the syringe and the life-energy potion, Gria."

"Um, OK."

As these items were transferred to Greener's hands, they were then presented to Alex.

"Thing is, you were never really a Covener. You didn't go through what we did, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, I'm givin' this stuff to you. Both so that you can look normal again if you want and to make sure that no one else in the group can back out of this."

Their colleagues maintained the same facial expressions. Following Greener's last word, Alex grasped both of these objects. Though the bottle was made out of wood, the injector was glass.

"Well . . . thank you."

Being the somewhat talkative person that she was, it must've been strange for her not to know what to say in this situation.

"How come you guys didn't use that stuff? Respectfully, y'all don't look the best," Arrow said as he gestured at them.

Meanwhile, the woman continued looking at the items that she now possessed.

"The way we look represents 'r struggle to help Rubyham. On top of that, we gotta show that we're deservin' of respect as we are. Especially to the people who mocked us by saying we should be called the Coven of 'Illagers'."

To make the wordplay obvious, emphasis had been placed on the "ill" part of the word "illager."

"If you think about it, the name ain't even that bad," Ommy added. "Thing is, we're sick of how close-minded most villagers are. No one even tried to figure out who murdered the original Coveners—that shows how little they and the other villages in the Rubydung region respect freethinkers."

Greener swiveled around to face this person.

"Heheh, you're right."

Ning rolled their eyes. If they had to stay here any longer, they'd definitely end up facepalming at some point.

"OK, time to go," they affirmed as they promptly started heading to their place of residence.

"I hope you start feeling like your usual self soon, Greener," Arrow said, proceeding to walk with the aforementioned individual to the hut.

The witch cackled a little as the testificate thanked him, and Alex began walking with the duo. However, Greener's expression of gratitude sounded less like it came from the heart and more like it was said for the sake of being polite.

"Don' start talkin' to them like they're actually ill," Ning joked, causing Arrow to laugh.

Once the three got out of earshot, the supposedly regenerative elixir was tested on Arrow's shirt. Luckily, the result confirmed that they hadn't been deceived, so the humanoid allowed him to drink some of the dark-red potion to heal his face. Bearing in mind his recent choking incident, the lad slowly sipped from the flask, causing his bruises to itch. The taste was a blend of room-temperature water, mushroom, and watermelon, and Arrow absorbed warm wisps of bright magenta energy as he drank it. This weak aura didn't last for long, though, and no scars were left behind.

To the surprise of Ning and Alex, Arrow was healed almost instantly. As it turns out, it typically took a minute for potions to reach their intended level of intensity. It was then that the trio began jogging, and Arrow brought up what Chef Ender had told him about his body. Following this, the topic shifted, and Alex received further enlightenment with regard to Ning's mission. Upon arriving, they were greeted by the sight of the cauldron and the fishing rod that were still outside, along with the monsters that Ender had slain.

Specifically, he had killed three explosive specimens. Their bodies were situated between the wetland's shoreline and the shack.

"Jeepers, I can't believe y'all had to deal with creepers," Alex stated with a slight smile as the trio approached the bodies.

"Heh, yeah, Ender killed them, though."

Not only that, but he took out his wrath on them. Had he not wanted to teleport to Arrow and the others, he assuredly would've done more to the deceased creepers' bodies.

"Wait," Ning said as they looked toward the redhead, "you know what these things are?"

"They're golems constructed by Jean's hunting party, the Order of the Stone. I was told that they're using them to seek out and exterminate zombies. Frankly, I'm starting to think she really does just want to acquire as many experience orbs as possible."

Now, the gang stood in front of the deceased, dark-eyed abominations. The upper parts of their bodies were covered with fist-shaped indentations, and the leaves that they were composed of had spread out a little. The lad's head turned to the woman.

"Did she ever say what makes them explode? Ning wants the ingredient to make some potions."

Alex looked back at him.

"Gunpowder, although I don't know how we'd extract it. We should be able to safely dissect these golems to figure that out, though, since they're no longer able to activate the explosives within their bodies."

"All right, y'all," the witch said as they looked at the humans, "let's get ready."

Chapter Text

Obviously, since the trio would be working with what seemingly amounted to heaps of leaves, the extraction process wasn't going to be difficult. Nevertheless, everyone just stood there for a few seconds as they visually inspected what lay before them.

"Before we begin, I can take y'all's stuff and put it back in the hut," Arrow offered.

Halfway through this statement, he tossed his diamond sword onto the ground. This freed up his dominant hand, and he figured he'd leave it there in case a monster decided to give the three a surprise visit.

"Why not? Thanks, bro," Alex said as she handed over her syringe and potion.

"You're welcome."

Ning shook their head "no" after hearing Arrow's offer.

"I'll put my stuff back myself. I know where I want it to be," they answered as they made their way back to their home with the man.

Alex got on her knees and started patting down the creeper in front of her as the two approached the door. Upon entering the small building, they swiftly spotted Steve's sword lying on the floor and took a moment to just gaze at the chilling reminder. To provide a more vivid description, the handle had been visible from the outside, and the bloodied blade pointed toward the bookshelf.

"How in tarnation did they get the upper hand on Steve?" the witch thought aloud, their head rotating a bit in Arrow's direction as they did so.

The man's response to this was a shrug. Ning sighed and proceeded to place the healing elixir on the top shelf and the empty bottle on the middle shelf.

"You might as well leave Alex's things on the crafting table," they muttered as they picked up the grim reminder and placed it atop one of their chests near the rightmost wall.

The lad nodded his head as he moved to the center of the dwelling and placed the woman's things down.

"Hand me my flint and steel while you're at it. I'll need to get the firewood burnin'."

That request was in reference to the two objects that had already been sitting on the small piece of furniture: an almost black rock and a curled sliver of iron. Arrow silently gave both of these items to Ning, who stuffed them in their right pocket. Evidently, the testificate felt a similar way, as they then started to leave their abode without saying another word. The man came along, and they made their way back to Alex, whose hands were on the lower torso of the golem closest to her.

"I'm pretty sure that I've located the explosive. On a less important note, it looks like Ender spat on all of their heads."

There was a tiny smile on her face as she motioned to the three light-violet stains. Additionally, one of them had a foot-shaped indent in its torso.

"Ender really hates those monster portals. He told me why earlier," Arrow added.

Alex's head swiveled slightly to the left so that she could better focus her attention on him. He stood right next to Ning—which is to say he wasn't noticeably behind or ahead of them.

"Huh, he didn't go into detail when the two of us briefly talked about them."

"Let's do this, y'all," the witch uttered before making a sniffing sound. "Hmm, these leaves kinda have a minty, catnip smell."

To clarify, the leaves in front of them weren't all from the species, so there wasn't a strong scent. Following that comment, they all got to their knees, and Arrow went to work on the creeper in the middle while Ning tended to the rightmost one. In no time at all, the three pulled away the leaves and took out the bombs. Interestingly enough, the golems apparently possessed skeletons, but because there were no guts within them, these presumably only existed for support. Within each of the creatures' abdominal cavities, four red rods of dynamite were discovered, all of which had a faint earthy odor.

Those sticks, which were bound together, felt like paper. Each one had a long, black wick. These wicks came together at the center, thus hypothetically allowing them to be lit at the same time. Speaking of coming together, all of the bundles possessed wrappings that declared the abbreviation "TNT" in bold letters.

"Do either of you know what these are?" the nonhuman inquired as they examined the bombs they held.

Considering how Alex checked out the dynamite in her possession, Ning could assume that she was similarly unfamiliar. Regardless, Arrow had been looking in her direction, as if he expected her to recognize the contents of the creeper. He hadn't bothered to do much analysis of his own, having already placed the bombs atop the creeper's torso.

"Not quite, although I'm positive that this is the source of the explosiveness," the redhead affirmed as she looked toward Ning.

"I'm also getting bad vibes, especially since it reminds me of the bomb Ender made," the fellow member of her species added.

Alex's peepers enlarged as they focused on Arrow. Similarly, the man's eyes promptly met hers the moment he realized that clarification was needed.

"It was just an example of one that he made with energy."

To emphasize that she had nothing to worry about, he made the "stop" gesture with both of his hands.

"Oh, ha. I was worried he knew how to create the real deal."

"I sure hope not, heh."

The witch then stood up and shifted their body in the direction of the shack. Their eyes weren't looking in the direction of their residence, though, but rather at the explosives that they held.

"I guess I should mess around with this to see what'll make the potion work. Well—"

Upon saying the first word of their second sentence, their dominant hand momentarily stopped gripping the dynamite to motion toward the lad.

"After I test out the feathers you and . . . Steve got," they uttered as their hand resumed its duty of gripping the rods. "Anyway, I'm not sure what y'all should do while I'm brewin'."

They looked in Arrow's direction.

"That's slang for makin' potions."

He simply replied, "Right." Alex stood up and walked a little toward the testificate.

"Well, I could be of assistance. I learned a few things about brewing through Jean and Greener."

Following her answer, Arrow got up and also got closer.

"I wanna help too. Greener, Jean, and Ender all need to learn a lesson. The same one, actually."

Both the lady and the humanoid swiveled their heads in his direction. Their facial expressions conveyed that they either felt a tad confused or mildly surprised that he had stated what he did.

"I want to say that I agree. What lesson do you have in mind?" the redhead inquired.

Ning pressed their arms against their chest for a moment.

"As far as I can tell, they're all brats that need to become more mature. I don' know about Ender, though."

Technically, Ender had gotten the closest to throwing a tantrum out of all of them.

"Well," the woman said as she glanced in Ning's direction, "I just think they aren't as thoughtful as they could be."

Funnily enough, the lad's shrug conveyed that even he wasn't entirely sure. It's also worth mentioning that Ning shrugged after hearing Alex's statement.

"That's part of it. I believe they keep letting their feelings get in the way when they're trying to solve problems."

Ning nodded.

"Sounds right, 'specially for Greener."

To signify that she was thinking, the redhead lightly pressed her curled index finger against her chin.

"It does sound right. And you know what? Jean really struggles with what you're talking about. I just hadn't given it much thought before."

A slight smile appeared on Arrow's face. His tone also became a tad upbeat.

"Good," he responded. "Unless Alex would rather do potion stuff, then the two of us could head over to Rubyham and tell them to prepare."

The man had gestured to the aforementioned individual as he spoke. He also paused for a moment before adding to his statement. Prior to doing that, though, the person standing beside him raised her index finger.

"Unless you've already done that," he added, proceeding to rotate his head to the left. "Hm?"

"I'd like to come along with you. I don't know how useful I'd be to Ning, I just figured that I'd offer."

As they had done before, the ends of Arrow's lips spread apart. It wasn't as though someone would look at him and think he looked delighted, but rather that he appeared to be mildly pleased.

"Oh, nice."

Returning the focus to the testificate, they had broken eye contact after Arrow brought up the possibility of going to the settlement in advance. At that moment, their dominant hand lightly squeezed their nose as they looked at their hut.

"Y'all can go over to Rubyham, but y'all should know that I . . . I didn' leave things on a good note the last time I was there. An' that was a couple of years ago when I was a dumb teen who did things I ain' proud of."

Once again, Ning looked in the direction of the two humans, both of whom clearly needed a moment to reply. Luckily, their facial expressions didn't convey discomfort, just that they were trying to figure out what to say. As Arrow waited to share his response, he slowly stroked his goatee.

"Well," Alex started to say, "even though I don't remember what my life was like before I wound up in the Overworld, I don't think you're alone in having regrets from back then."

The witch's dominant hand fell to its usual place after she finished talking.

"True. And thanks."

"An apology wouldn't hurt, but they probably don't care about that stuff as much now," the lad said. "Yeah, I don't know what you did, but people have other things to worry about."

Although only slightly, the ends of Ning's lips curled upward after Arrow finished his first sentence. Additionally, even though it certainly wasn't due to stress this time, they briefly broke eye contact.

"Mhm. And you're welcome, Ning," Alex assured as she returned the slight smile.

"This was nice an' all, but messin' around with potions as much as I did is slightly serious business. Anyway, what matters now is givin' y'all somethin' to do."

Albeit without any negative changes in their facial expression, the nonhuman proceeded to cross their arms.

"While it'd be nice for you two to go warn the village, the problem is makin' sure y'all can safely get there an' back."

Alex raised her hand, albeit not all the way up. Afterward, she immediately started speaking.

"I could get us there. I helped the Coven build and relocate to their base when the villagers started treating them like outcasts. As for doing so safely, I have an idea. We'll go through a part of the forest that's near the Coven's base, since the skeletons closely monitor that area."

"Well, y'all have made it this far in one piece. I'll give each of you one of my potions of invisibility to sip on a few times an' hope for the best."

As Ning stated this, they speed-walked into their home. The two humans gave simple replies to what they'd been told and briefly waited for the testificate to come back. Seconds later, Ning stepped out of the doorway with two wooden flasks and handed them over to the duo.

"Thank you," Alex said.

"Thanks," Arrow mirrored, having expressed his gratitude at approximately the same time.

Remember that since he no longer held a blade, he could use his dominant hand to hold what he'd been given.

"Of course. Bad news is that y'all can't have swords 'cause they wouldn' be affected without usin' too much of my potion."

Neither of them appeared to be especially bothered by this, although it certainly came as a surprise.

"What about our clothes?" the redhead questioned.

"They'll turn invisible too. Potions work by changin' what energy the soul takes in. Since clothes make so much contact with the body, they're also affected."

This explains why the lad's clothes changed during his transfiguration from a zombie to a human.

"Ohhhh, that makes sense. Speaking of potions, what exactly are you trying to brew?"

Meanwhile, the lad simply stood there and listened in. He was interested enough to look at whoever spoke at a given time, though.

"I know how to make the cure, but now I need the effect to impact a bunch of zombies."

The ends of the woman's lips spread apart a bit.

"Sounds like a lingering potion, which requires two modifiers: gunpowder and something imbued with Void energy. Unfortunately, the only known source of that is corrupted portal frame fragments."

As she moved on to her second sentence, her facial expression became neutral. Ning nodded. Arrow rotated toward Alex just enough for his right foot to be pointing in her direction.

"Ender is a source of Void energy too. His spit might have enough of it for a potion."

Her body spun a little in his direction as happiness returned to her face.

"Hmm!" Alex vocalized as she applied her index finger to her chin again.

Regarding how the expert in the group felt, they briefly cackled after thinking about it for a moment.

"That would actually work. The leaves would even make the cure a little more powerful 'cause of the life energy that the golem left behind. Good idea."

Seeing as the foliage hadn't been attached to a plant for some time, it was technically dead. Clearly, the life energy that it had been imbued with was responsible for maintaining its healthy appearance. Even so, because the creepers' bodies had felt crunchy, it was evident that their leaves were dry and thus would eventually start decaying.

"Thanks," he uttered as he gave a thumbs-up. "Happy to help."

While this didn't come off as enthusiastic, he did seem to genuinely care about the goal being achieved. It's fair to assume that Ning appreciated this, although they weren't going to confirm or deny anything.

"OK, time for y'all to head out."

Ning picked up the sword Arrow had tossed aside and held it with the blade pointing downward.

"See you soon, Ning," Alex said as she waved goodbye and started walking backward.

"Later," Arrow added as he momentarily put his hand up.

Although he didn't truly wave back, the witch did reciprocate the wave for both of them. Once again, they appeared to be mildly upbeat. Following this, Alex swiveled around and headed to the Poppyrose Plains, and Ning went inside their hut. To save time, the duo jogged as the redhead tried to figure out where they should enter the woodland. Not long after, she decided that they were in the correct area.

"Here."

Their legs slowed to a halt. Unlike before, the two had jogged at approximately the same speed the entire time. Consequently, the journey felt longer, but at least Alex didn't have to worry about being short of breath.

"Do you feel like you've got this, or do you want a pep talk?" she inquired, gesturing at him as she spoke.

Because Arrow stood to her right, that was the direction that her head had turned to face him.

"I've got this. How do you feel?"

He motioned at her as well. Besides that, it couldn't be gauged from his tone just how confident he felt about what they intended to do. After all, his words were often laced with a stoic tone. Nevertheless, a smirk swept across Alex's face as she held up her flask and took out the cork.

"A little nervous, but we've got this. Cheers."

The individual she was talking to held up his bottle as well.

"Cheers," he replied as he opened his bottle.

The wooden rims lightly hit each other as the two took big sips of the elixir within. It was a gray liquid with a barely perceptible blue tinge, and it possessed an unexpected flavor. Its taste was a mixture of room-temperature water, mushrooms, carrot, and something salty yet slightly sour. The experience ended up being worth it, though, since Arrow became invisible in an instant. Somewhat invisible, anyway, as he did have a faint aura that matched the color of the fluid.

"Outta sight!" Alex exclaimed as she put her cap back on.

After she swallowed the concoction, she slowly became more and more transparent over the course of the next minute. And, of course, her aura gradually intensified at the same time. The sensation of energy entering the body felt increasingly cozy.

"Freaky."

As Arrow examined his body and sealed his flask, Alex began making her way toward the trees. Even if she had become invisible, it would've been clear where she was headed since the bottles hadn't been affected by the magic. Similarly, the projectile in Arrow's back pocket could also still be seen. Anyway, soon enough, the duo stood before the edge of Dwarf Forest.

"If you're comfortable with doing so, leave your bottle on the grass," Alex said as she placed hers down. "That way we don't have to worry about breaking them."

"Gotcha."

Arrow obliged by placing his flask behind hers.

"As for our plan, we'll just walk at first, although we'll begin running after I clap. If you lose track of me, let me know. If a monster comes after either of us, we'll deal with it together. All right?"

Upon hearing the word "monster," the lad realized just how limited his knowledge of this world's threats was. After all, he only knew about zombies, creepers, and spider jockeys.

"All right, but quick question. What are the other monsters that we might have to deal with?"

It was getting harder to see Alex, although he could tell that she had swiveled her head in his direction.

"The only real concern in this situation is zombies, but if you're still curious about the hostiles, daytime is usually safe. The undead become more passive since they're sensitive to sunlight and usually like to rest during these hours. The same goes for phantoms—which are blue, bat-like creatures."

Arrow briefly chuckled once Alex had finished talking.

"You know so much."

Obviously, her facial expression couldn't be discerned, although it had just become more upbeat.

"Heh, thanks, it's all because of the Coven. With that out of the way, I'm ready when you are."

"I'm ready."

Fortunately, their conversation had gone on long enough that Alex turned invisible just a few seconds after she entered the woodland.

"Switching on survival mode," Alex stated quietly.

Soon after those words left her lips, the noise of grass and leaves being lightly compressed could be heard. Unsurprisingly, the duo didn't have a rough start, but it wasn't as though the edge of Dwarf Forest was the part they had to worry about. As for what following an invisible person was like, the sound of the foliage crunching under Alex's boots made the task easier. Additionally, the woodland was quieter than most due to the scarcity of wildlife within it. Speculating how many savages it must've taken to disrupt the ecosystem would've been anxiety-inducing, but luckily, neither of the humans had such thoughts.

Approximately half a minute after their journey had started, Alex clapped, and the two immediately began to pick up the pace. The oaks surrounding them now felt more like obstacles than aspects of the scenery. Furthermore, the noises that the forest floor made as their shoes struck it weren't as pleasant. On top of that, they made it harder to hear what was going on around them.

"Ghosts?!" a nearby male zombie questioned hoarsely, sounding interested.

This wasn't the same guy that Steve had dealt with earlier. Even so, the lad knew that these brutes meant business. He didn't dare budge an inch to check how close he was. All he could do was regulate his breathing.

"No," he said in an angry tone, "you're not ghosts. You're hiding! Fight me!"

His sudden revelation increased the duo's heart rates. What made him realize the truth, prior experience? Or was it about all the noise they made as they ran? The duo sped up. Arrow especially.

The man could tell that the ghoul was getting closer. It wouldn't be long until he'd be ready to pounce. These zombies were an intimidating combination of determination and feral strength. Alex picked up the pace. Deep inhales and exhales indicated how much her underweight physique hindered her.

Consequently, the gap between the two shortened. Their invisibility was no longer a blessing.

"Ooh!" the two yelped as Arrow ran into her.

It was then that the duo fell to the ground.

Chapter Text

Upon realizing that he had not only bumped into a lady but also made her fall, shame swept over Arrow. Both of the humans leaped to their feet, spun around, and cautiously walked backward. However, the lad was especially concentrated on increasing the distance between them.

"I'm sorry," he stated, with his hand instinctively placed over his heart.

In recognition of the approaching threat, these words speedily left his mouth. Furthermore, because he couldn't see Alex's face anyway, he rapidly went from looking in her direction to looking toward the zombie. His apology fortunately sounded authentic, although he only became more concerned after noticing that the brute apparently had armor. Luckily, it was only a damaged costume, which brought Arrow some relief once he had that revelation. Nevertheless, the outfit was kind of intimidating.

That was in large part due to the darkish-gray coloration and the appearance of the helmet, which had three crown-like spikes protruding out of the top. Another noteworthy aspect of the armor was the royal blue cape attached to it. Obviously, the two humans currently didn't have a good view of it, so they couldn't see that the garment tapered to a point and had a light-blue circle in the center. Plus, since the cape was long enough to reach the calves, it flowed in the wind as the undead male ran.

"It's my fault too."

Alex was still breathing hard as she looked for a weapon on the forest floor. Because the menace would be able to pounce on one of them soon, she wasn't picky. Alex snatched up a short yet somewhat thick stick.

"Time to strike!" she declared.

Regarding what Arrow did during this time, he realized that he still had his namesake in his back pocket and pulled it out. The moment he pointed its tip toward the savage, that same individual targeted him.

"Haha!"

Part of the reason he was able to successfully pounce on Arrow is the fact that he'd been running with outstretched arms.

"Ooh!"

The man got knocked down, and his face became sore. His grasp on the projectile was lost. Luckily, he could see where it lay on the forest floor. It was nearby. He wasn't doomed.

Also, bear in mind what was mentioned prior. Since Arrow had swiveled around, he knew the threat was coming. Thus, an effort had been made to get out of harm's way. He wasn't directly underneath the bully. Just uncomfortably close.

In the time that it took for him to grab his weapon, Alex had stomped on the top of the wild man's head twice. Aggressively, too, enough to create a clear imprint on his concealed skin. It was as if this technically human individual might as well have been a giant cockroach to her. Regardless of what she believed, her actions resulted in Arrow's would-be assailant angrily groaning. His agony would only intensify once Arrow took the opportunity to stab his waist.

A furious yell filled the air around them as the arrowhead was thrust into his flesh and yanked out. Before a drop of blood could fall to the ground, Arrow had shoved the infected individual off of him. He was also quick to get on his feet and move away.

"Let's run," he quietly advised, managing to sound relatively calm as he controlled his breathing.

"Wait," the lady whispered.

Of course, Alex also wanted to escape, although she knew that this wasn't over. Both of the humans had become well aware of how persistent zombies were, so it wasn't as though she was concerned that they'd be chased. Rather, she had spotted another undead specimen in the distance because it was heading their way. Putting aside that the enraged yell had likely gotten its attention, it didn't help that the two humans had made some noise too. Hopefully, they'd remain relatively quiet going forward.

However, the redhead couldn't help but gasp once she got a better look at what was coming toward them. It was Steve, but that didn't make sense. Didn't Jean and Ender kill him? Putting that aside, a better question for her to ask was if she'd be capable of hurting him out of self-defense. Obviously, it's not like she had time to stop and think.

After Arrow had stood up, she had quietly stepped back and scanned her surroundings. The ghoul that the two humans had aggravated was now on his feet again too, although he simply glared and growled in the general direction of the invisible duo. In a way, seeing him just standing there with his fists trembling was more frightening. Fury circulated throughout his body, boiling the blood it came into contact with. Luckily, Arrow's not-quite-deceased doppelgänger bought the duo some time once he started talking to the savage.

Apparently, Steve had died from a stab wound to the throat, as there was an enormous scar across his neck. The relatively fresh dried blood underneath it—some of which was on his shirt—was an uncanny sight.

"What is it?!"

Disregarding the hoarseness, Zombie Steve's voice sounded appropriately the same as it had in life. Nevertheless, it was off-putting to see a formerly mellow individual sound and look this irritated. Besides expressing how he felt through his facial expression, he also had both of his palms facing up. As for the noninfected humans, both of them had their enlarged eyes locked onto this person whom they used to know. Their mouths were a little agape as well, especially Arrow's.

"Doesn't matter to you!" the other undead male exclaimed as his body language became more aggressive than Steve's.

Not only did the recently zombified man stand his ground, but his glare intensified before he looked in the direction of the invisible duo. It wasn't as though they'd made any noise, the diseased lad was simply examining his surroundings. Regardless, it didn't help that Arrow and Alex each had wispy gray auras. Speaking of those two, their shock caused them to involuntarily gasp the moment that Zombie Steve's eyes turned white and acquired a slight, ghostly glow. It was instant, and his face relaxed into a neutral expression.

Unsurprisingly, the brute who had been harassing the two humans also appeared to be shocked—albeit still aggravated. To clarify, he had backed up a little, and the vibe his eyes gave off was more "back off" than "back off, or else."

"Oh my gosh! Freak!" he declared as he pointed.

Possessed Steve looked in this individual's direction, and as he did, his eyes became light-lime-green for a few seconds. The other ghastly male rotated toward Arrow and Alex with a gross yet menacing grin, resulting in the duo tightly gripping their pitiful weapons. Their eyes darted around, and the leaves underneath their shoes crunched a little as they examined their surroundings. Unfortunately, their undead acquaintance simply snickered in response prior to snapping his fingers. The grinning ghoul to his left laughed as he started running in place.

In an instant, Steve's eyes reverted to being black. Following this, both of the infected men raised their arms, which made them look like two generic zombies. Arrow and Alex dashed away as the green ghouls rushed after them. The lad wasn't concerned with attempting to go in the same direction as his partner, who arguably had more to worry about anyway. She had to deal with the muscular menace that was Zombie Steve.

Even so, at least the individual chasing her didn't thirst for vengeance.

"You're mine, dude!"

Adrenaline surged through their bodies as they navigated the maze of oaks. Arrow's sole concern was himself. How could he help Alex? The man couldn't reasonably do that yet. Worst-case, he could only hope they'd eventually both end up on the other side.

This hope nearly morphed into despair once he heard her yelp. Arrow immediately jerked toward the noise. She was somewhere in the distance. Helping Alex would have to wait, though. His sudden turn had slowed him down just enough for his harasser to pounce.

Because his assailant's arms were already outstretched, Arrow felt the force on his back sooner, which meant he fell faster. It meant he felt even more surprised than last time. That meant the grasp he had on his weapon was swiftly lost. Before he could fully process what occurred, he'd been kicked. Almost right in the groin too, causing him to grunt.

The discomfort Arrow felt seeped into his very soul. He was physically tired due to running. Mentally tired of dealing with these vile zombies. He then heard what he figured was an enraged Zombie Steve groaning loudly. After the now-giggling wild man attempted to kick him in the crotch again, he crawled away enough to flip his body over.

As Arrow sat up, he launched a foot into his shin.

"No!" his opponent bellowed with fists clenched so tightly as to seemingly be uncomfortable.

That same individual bared his chipped and bloodstained teeth. Even though Arrow was invisible, the sheer rage conveyed by the ghoul's glare made him check that the potion hadn't worn off. Once that brief feeling of surprise had faded away, he discovered that he shared the bully's fury. As the undead male lunged at him, he found the strength to speedily lift his back a little off the ground after he'd been pushed down. Following this, knuckles met the area around Arrow's left cheekbone.

With a grunt, he retaliated. He headbutted the individual on top of him and experienced relatively minimal pain despite the helmet. His balled-up right hand blasted off and made contact with the brute's jaw. That same individual growled in response. A fist struck Arrow's right cheek as he made an effort to move away.

Upon hearing Zombie Steve roar in pain, which was followed by the sound of Alex shrieking, the lad rammed his right foot into the ghoul's right knee twice. A howl that was imbued with the undead man's wrath escaped his mouth. Both of the males were breathing heavily, yet there was no doubt that the altercation would continue after Arrow stood up. A green hand grabbed his lower shin, although he managed to quickly yank his leg away without much effort. In the time it took for him to guess and begin bolting toward Alex's general direction, the guy behind him had started standing up.

"Gonna get you, coward!" he screamed, sounding like he'd repeatedly slam Arrow's head into a tree if given the chance.

With a limp that was fitting for a zombie, he made an effort to sprint after Arrow. As the man scanned his environment in search of other threats and Alex, he first experienced some relief when he realized he was relatively safe. He only spotted three probably undead figures in the distance during his journey, one of which was a spider jockey. Seeing as he had been told that zombies generally slept around this time, this didn't come as a surprise. Regarding the exceptions to that rule, like the two savages brawling over eggs, it's possible that their hunger kept them awake.

Luckily for Arrow, it didn't seem as though the wild man currently intended to snack on his flesh. Unfortunately, once he finally reached his undead doppelgänger, he knew it wouldn't be long until his harasser caught up to him. Alex's aura allowed him to discern that she was leaning against an oak, but he obviously couldn't tell how badly she'd been hurt. Then, he noticed Possessed Steve gazing at him. Although the wounds were obscured by a white glow, it looked like both of his eyes had been stabbed.

That's because a red mixture of liquids had leaked out of them and flowed down his cheeks. Long, thin trails that resembled noodles were left behind in the process, but that silly comparison fails to convey how unsettling this situation was. Describing the wet streaks as "creepy pasta" certainly wouldn't be any better, although it would serve to lighten the mood. With that said, anyone in Arrow's shoes would've been too intimidated to think about jokes. After all, an oddly passive horde of the undead stood still in a clearing behind the necromancer.

Even so, there was one comedic aspect of the situation. Some of these zombies also wore costumes, which had become dirtied and damaged due to fights and the forest floor. One of them was dressed as an orange-and-white cat. Similarly, another guy looked like a light-yellow ocelot with human-like green eyes. The third person disguised as a humanoid creature had chosen an outfit depicting a dark-blue squid with a gaping maw.

As for the individual who didn't look like an animal, there was someone donned in a sky-blue astronaut suit. The helmet's gold visor made it so that not a single facial feature could be detected. Anyway, there was still the pressing issue of the brute's arrival. Once it became clear that he was about to arrive, Possessed Steve's eyes became light-lime-green before he spoke. At the same time, Arrow had instinctively taken some deep breaths and curled his fingers inward prior to spinning around.

"Stop."

The lad's undead assailant, who was several seconds away from reaching his destination, froze in place. On top of that, the muscles in his face that had been maintaining a furious expression relaxed. The necromancer's eyes then turned white as he swiftly proceeded to look toward Arrow.

"You're welcome," he hoarsely stated with a brief smile. "Now go."

These words did not come off as friendly, but it didn't seem like they were supposed to anyway. His voice became stern immediately after the supposedly content expression he had disappeared.

"Thanks," Arrow uttered as he walked toward Alex.

She had already stopped leaning against the tree. Also, the lad's undead doppelgänger had started moving toward the motionless savage.

"We can walk the rest of the way there," she affirmed in a nasal voice.

As the woman spoke, nothing in her tone suggested she was in much pain. Conversely, it's also not as though Alex sounded like she felt good about this situation.

"Cool," Arrow said as the two began to move. "Do you feel okay?"

"Don't worry."

Since zombies were no longer a concern, the duo wasn't just walking forward but going to the right. In other words, they moved in the direction of the settlement. Once the duo was no longer within earshot of the white-eyed individual, Alex decided to break the silence.

"So, how do you feel?"

While her voice was laced with friendliness, it wasn't to the extent that Arrow had become accustomed to.

"I feel like we've got this," he said, his tone suggesting he hoped to cheer Alex up. "What do you think? If you feel like sharing, that is."

Her laughter was short-lived, although it did seem genuine.

"I'm okay, thanks. In case you were wondering, he managed to break my nose and dislocate my right arm—but it's whatever. This girl knows how to fight and take a hit," she explained as she pointed at herself.

Instinctively, the lad looked in her direction. It's worth mentioning that they were basically walking side by side since Alex was only slightly in front of Arrow.

"I'm real sorry to hear that."

For a moment, their eyes met, although this couldn't have been discerned because the duo was still invisible. Had that not been the case, a tiny smile would've been seen on Alex's face.

"It's fine, really," she assured in a tone that suggested she wanted to change the topic. "If you think about it, we must've gotten injured all the time when we were zombies."

In fact, for all they knew, they may have fought each other prior. Obviously, it wouldn't have been a fair battle, although it's not like that would've been of any concern to them in their feral state.

"Heh, true."

His chuckle was authentic, but ultimately, neither of them had any scars to indicate what they had been through.

"In fact, because of the injuries they sustain, the undead become slower and less threatening overall pretty quickly. This forest just happens to be populated with recently infected ones."

As she spoke, Alex sounded more like her typical self. The hint of enthusiasm in her voice surely would've been stronger had the conversation topic not been so morbid.

"Good. Speaking of zombies, do you know what was going on with Steve?"

Regarding the transition between the two sentences, Arrow had speedily changed the subject. The woman swiftly started to reply before pausing to think about what she wanted to say.

"Heh, I should've known that's what you'd actually be interested in," Alex answered, having emphasized the word "actually."

"Oh, it's not a big deal," Arrow clarified.

The lady hadn't sounded upset, but there was a noticeable amount of lighthearted self-deprecation in her tone.

"It's fine. There's this man known as the Nameless One that Jean told me about. He created the fungus that infects the undead so that he'd have an 'eternal army'. He even made it so that the disease has a consciousness, which allows it to change people's bodies in different ways."

Considering that zombies embodied the phrase "brute force," her explanation of their origin checked out.

"Whoa."

To the best of their ability, Arrow's eyes locked onto the invisible lady.

"Right, he's powerful in more ways than one. He used to rule the world that the skeletons came from, and now he influences them through the Infection's hive mind. As for why he's puppeting Steve's corpse . . . that's a mystery," she confessed with crossed arms.

Seeing as Steve's body could supposedly cheat death, this was concerning. However, Arrow didn't immediately realize that.

"Oh, all right."

Following their short conversation, it took around half a minute for the effects of the potion to wear off. Disregarding the injuries, neither Arrow nor Alex got bruised too badly, and thus not much was said. Specifically, there was reddened skin on the lad's cheeks and the lady's crooked nose. A minute later, the duo was already nearing the edge of the woodland, which made sense considering its name. They were greeted with the sight of flowers and a riverside town that must've been Rubyham.

Although the wide stream could've been connected to Wet Hands Swamp, the water was blue and relatively clean. Regarding the settlement, although its houses varied in appearance, all of them were simplistic in design and had wooden roofs. Most of the walls were built out of cobblestone, and the rest were either made of planks or terracotta, a clay-based material. The buildings were either square or rectangular, and at each corner stood an oak log column, which may have had its bark stripped off. One of the homes had a smaller stone building attached to it, which seemed to be where the local blacksmith worked.

Speaking of work, there also must've been people whose job it was to take care of Rubyham's cats and livestock, which consisted of cows, pigs, sheep, and horses. Moving on to the middle of the town, there existed three notable structures. At its very center stood a visually unappealing fountain with a bell on top of one of its gray walls. A religious tower that had been constructed using cobblestone was close by, as were two raised garden beds. Both were rectangular and had been encased with logs, but the larger one grew wheat and potatoes, while the smaller patch grew carrots and beetroots.

The wheat must've been planted over half a year ago since it was tall and green, indicating it was more mature than the crops planted earlier that season. As the duo gazed at the settlement ahead of them, Alex sighed.

"Before we go in, I just want you to keep in mind that the villagers are going to be nervous around us. Especially me."

Once she finished talking, the ends of Arrow's lips went up a little.

"Hey, we've still got this," he replied, only sounding somewhat nonchalant.

The redhead smiled prior to playfully punching the man's shoulder with her nondominant fist. There was no stinging sensation upon impact.

"Shush up. By the way, we should put our hands in the air so that the villagers know we don't mean any harm."

"Makes sense."

The two humans maneuvered around a few trees to enter the plain on the other side of Dwarf Forest. At that point, Alex lifted her left hand whilst Arrow held up both, and the duo made their way toward the town. Even though the settlement had no less than three dozen residents, there wasn't much noise or a strong smell. Nevertheless, some conversation could be heard, and one could catch a whiff of earthy scents. Many, if not all, of the testificates were outside, either conversing with one another or walking along the dirt path.

Although their attire varied enough that one could guess what an individual did for a living, all of the humanoids wore brown robes. Interestingly, everyone who wasn't currently working had their arms crossed, resulting in their hands being concealed by the sleeves. Another trait shared by the villagers was baldness, which suggested that Ning broke a taboo by growing out their hair. It was also common for these people to possess monobrows and green eyes, but some variation existed.

"Holy sheep, it's Alex! Look, Ma, look!" a little testificate standing in front of a tan terracotta house blurted out.

That same individual tugged on their mother's robe and pointed at Arrow and Alex, who waved. Unsurprisingly, the older nonhuman rapidly stared in their direction. This person wore an apron and a headband that possessed a rusty-orange hue, which suggested they were the town's butcher. Shock spread across their androgynous face once they saw the duo. Soon, the other villagers noticed the foreigners, and a couple of them even dropped their jaws.

Silence then fell over the settlement, and the two nervous outsiders stopped in their tracks.

Chapter Text

That morning, no wind rustled through the leaves to add to the ambience. Consequently, the tense atmosphere got amplified.

"What're you doin' back 'ere, Alex?!" the parent somewhat nervously inquired as they moved in front of their wide-eyed kid.

The woman lowered her nondominant hand so she could move it as she spoke. Meanwhile, Arrow left his hands in the air. Considering how many eyes were now on him, that was the correct decision.

"Hey, Quake!" Alex greeted, attempting to seem friendly. "Just so you all know, we're not members of the Coven! We just wanted to warn y'all that they'll be coming in the near future to unleash a zombie siege!"

During her explanation, her eyes hadn't been solely focused on the individual several feet in front of her. After all, her message was for the entirety of Rubyham. Luckily, her frowning audience seemed to believe her, which they conveyed best through their gasps. It took a moment before Alex received a reply.

"H—How soon?!"

Another humanoid stepped forward. This person had already been standing near Quake and the child, so it's possible that they were the father. However, this testificate wasn't particularly masculine in appearance outside of their shoulders being a little broader. As for what their occupation appeared to be, they were clearly a mason, meaning their job was to build and repair structures made of stone. What made this obvious was the mallet poking out of the sizable pocket on their almost black vest.

"And what do they want?!" the builder questioned in a gravelly voice.

Two other notable aspects of their attire were the black gloves they had on and a butter-colored badge that resembled gold. It was to the right of the mallet and in the shape of a vertical oval. What's also worth pointing out is the fact that a young adult stood near this person. Across the rims of their robe stood many orange stick figures, all of which didn't have the heads filled in. This individual didn't seem to be related to the butcher or the mason.

Although the meat merchant had blond hair too, it was of a lighter shade. Plus, the youngster had blue eyes instead of green ones. As for how the other nearby kid looked, they didn't inherit the builder's reddish-brown hair or amber eyes, just their rosy complexion. As for the other people in this town, stress radiated off of them. It was almost unnerving how attentive everyone was, but to be fair, their anxiety was warranted.

"I can't be certain, but they'll probably be coming this evening!" Alex answered.

Upon realizing that the nonhumans likely didn't see him as a potential threat, the lad lowered his hands.

"Also," Arrow added as he proceeded to place a hand over his heart, "don't worry, I will be returning to help out after I'm healed!"

While this statement did ease the nerves of the testificates, a lot of them still looked concerned. As for the others, they were willing to clap for the man. Not only that, but a few of them shouted, "Woo!" Their enthusiasm caused Arrow's eyes to expand a bit. After all, the children of Rubyham had experienced the greatest shift in mood.

This was heartwarming, to say the least. Once the lad noticed the look of awe on the face of the kid next to the butcher, the ends of his lips grew even farther apart.

"I'll be returning as well!" Alex clarified prior to momentarily looking toward Arrow with a supportive smile.

The applause intensified, and for a moment, the duo simply basked in the appreciation. Because the humanoids didn't have to be as concerned about their fate now, a few felt comfortable enough to have tiny, hopeful smiles.

"Y'all are hardcore!" the local blacksmith exclaimed in a raspy voice.

Contentment evaporated from the woman's face once she realized that she still had to respond to what the mason had inquired. After Alex's gaze momentarily dropped to the ground, her voice became quieter as she looked toward the villager she spoke to.

"And to answer your question, Greener said that the Coven is doing the siege to show Rubyham how capable they are. It's bad reasoning, but Greener just wants to be respected."

Even though the person she was talking to already had their arms crossed, their body language and their facial expression became more standoffish. That's not to say that the other testificates looked unfriendly, though, since they just seemed reserved. Still, there were several others who had a visible negative reaction to Alex's answer.

"Well, maybe they wouldn't be in this mess if they hadn't almost made the zombie problem worse! Greener can be madder than a wet duck for all I care, but that nitwit knew what would happen if they messed with magic."

The adult who stood next to this individual put their hand on their shoulder and looked toward them.

"Hon, Alex is just the messenger. Also, the saying is 'madder than a wet chicken'."

The other nonhuman's eyes met theirs. During the past few seconds, they stopped crossing their arms so tightly, and their facial muscles relaxed a little. However, as they spoke, it was evident that they still felt irked. Partly since they sighed beforehand.

"You're right, lover. I just can't believe how selfish that fella is—they didn't even have an actual job before all this happened," the builder said prior to chuckling and looking in the redhead's direction. "Say, did Greener ever tell you 'bout how they used to live off of the older cleric?"

As Alex spoke, she motioned toward herself and Arrow prior to pointing backward with her left thumb.

"They did. Also, unless any of y'all have something else to say, the two of us should get going!"

In fairness, they hadn't been instructed to return as soon as they could. That, paired with the fact that the sun still wasn't overhead, conveyed that it wasn't even noon yet. Even so, Alex had the obvious incentive of obtaining a regenerative potion from Ning.

"Don't let us stop you," the butcher assured as they proceeded to look toward their spouse. "Red, you know that Greener's parents didn't get to pass down much of their knowledge before they passed."

At that moment, neither of the two humans felt as though walking away was the best course of action. They didn't appear to be uncomfortable, though, so an onlooker likely would've guessed that the duo was curious to see what would happen next. The same could be said for the two youngsters, as if they didn't have anything to be worried about.

"OK, OK, I'll hush up," Red said, coming off as genuine.

Soon after those words left their mouth, one of the four villagers who had recently gotten closer stepped toward Alex and Arrow. Their wrinkles and monocle signified that they were born earlier than many of the adults. That accessory also happened to be the most interesting aspect of their attire, although it's also worth noting that they wore a small satchel. This leather bag rested on the left side of their hip, and it had a map peeking out. Besides that, since the duo was no longer talking to the entire settlement, some of the testificates got back to work.

For example, two farmers worked on the raised garden beds by checking for and eliminating weeds. Fittingly, an older humanoid was in charge of the larger one, while a younger individual tended to the smaller patch. Both of them had a straw hat on their head. Considering the gravity of this situation and the simplicity of their tasks, there was no doubt that these people were still paying attention to what was being stated.

"This is for your journey. Maps are my specialty, so I'm sure this'll make traveling into Dwarf Forest a little safer," the brown-haired monocle wearer said as they offered what they had.

Right after those words left their mouth, they examined what they held. Alex smiled as she waited to be handed the diagram, while Arrow simply looked at his surroundings nonchalantly.

"What in the world? I was about to give you a map covered in seeds," they muttered as they brushed a few off.

Seeing as there was no reason to suspect otherwise, this individual was likely a cartographer. In other words, they used their artistic ability to draw maps. Having said that, this middle-aged testificate likely didn't do much adventuring, which suggests they had other means of making a living. For example, they may have been responsible for the red, shield-shaped coats of arms hanging under two of the tower's windows. The one on top was labeled "Rubydung," and it showcased a crimson dragon, a white crescent in the top-right, and a yellow sun in the bottom-right.

The town's flag had been placed underneath, and it had a drawing of a reddish-pink pig with yellow wings flying toward a white crescent in the top-left. Those last two colors must've been important, seeing as the aforementioned windows were tinted with the same hues. Anyway, once the cartographer noticed the woman's facial expression, they smiled back.

"I'm tellin' you, Alex, the farmers gave me the most delightful apples. Even the cores were good, and I shared the apple skins with my rabbits."

The mapmaker proceeded to hand over what they had.

"Quark and Jade deserve it," she responded with a chuckle. "Thanks, Trix."

Following her reply, she handed the map over to the lad. Seeing as he could grip it with both hands and he wasn't as familiar with the area, this was the appropriate move for the time being.

"Yeah, thanks," Arrow added.

On the topic of what the diagram looked like, it clearly conveyed which parts of the woodland were easier to move through. The only bland parts of the map were its edges, which had understandably been left alone. The paper on which the primarily green illustrations sat was tan, and it was firm enough that Arrow currently wasn't worried about ripping it. Regarding what the cartographer did at this time, they had nodded in response to Alex's gratitude before stepping back.

"I'm positive that ole Trixy will make y'all a nice cake with sweet berries on top once this is all over," another individual with a graying unibrow stated as they came forward.

This humanoid wore glasses and a white sash that encircled their left shoulder and waist. They had black eyes and were the only person in sight with this eye color. Another notable aspect of their appearance was the sizable red book balanced on top of their head. It had two light-yellow bands wrapped around the top and bottom of the cover, thus making the otherwise bland-looking hardback pop out more. The scarlet ribbon poking out of the pages also helped make it seem less boring.

Nevertheless, it has to be mentioned that the bookmark had been placed around the beginning.

"Not just cake, don't lie to them! Only the best is good enough for our heroes, Skip," Trix replied lightheartedly, with an emphasis on the word "just."

Arrow and Alex both laughed, but only the lad's stomach grumbled. The problem was that he'd have a better chance of successfully protecting Rubyham if he could have a meal beforehand. Bearing this in mind, it didn't seem likely that he, the redhead, and Ning would be able to completely prevent any casualties. As stated previously, this town was home to no less than three dozen residents. Even so, Arrow wasn't about to lose hope.

"Just don't whip up any of that 'suspicious stew', I started seeing rainbow sheep last time," Skip teased as they momentarily swiveled their head to Trix. "Anywho, this survival guide I'm letting y'all borrow is packed with tutorials on all sorts of things, like using weapons properly and brewing all sorts of potions."

Once they restored eye contact with Alex, they uncrossed their arms and tilted their head forward so that the hardback fell into their hands. It made a "thump" sound upon impact. This silly behavior was contrasted by the slower, thoughtful pace at which Skip spoke.

"Having said all that, I reckon you two don't have many supplies, so just skim it and let us know what y'all need."

The two humans expressed their gratitude as Alex took the book from Skip. Judging from the way she grabbed it, it was, unsurprisingly, somewhat heavy. Arrow swiftly noticed this and held out the map, which he now grasped with only one hand.

"Trade?"

Her nod paired with the content look on her face conveyed that she accepted the offer. The lad got the hardback and gave her the map. After this exchange occurred, he began skimming the book. Additionally, the individual who was assuredly the village's librarian smirked as they motioned toward what Arrow now held.

"Speaking of trading, the cost of borrowing that book is five emeralds."

With the same mildly upbeat facial expression, Alex playfully shooed Skip away.

"If I had the cash, I'd give it to you," she clarified, which made Skip nod.

Now it was time for the third person who had stepped forward to share what they possessed. This beige-skinned testificate immediately stood out because of their relatively fit physique, strawberry-blond hair, and eye patch. The peeper that hadn't been covered up was hazel, which made this person seem even more unique. Regarding the rest of their attire, they wore black gloves and a dark-brown apron. Despite being relatively masculine, this individual was shorter than both of the humans, just like the other villagers.

"Stop by my or the armorer's place if you needa get any battle gear repaired or modified. I'll showcase all the mods—I mean, enchantments—I can provide," they said as they pointed toward the house with the small, stone extension.

It's worth mentioning that they emphasized the word "modified" as if they had something unusual in mind.

"Thank you for the offer, Tango, but I think we're good," Alex answered as they looked at Arrow for confirmation.

The man nodded as he looked away from the pages.

"What modifications did you have in mind?"

Chuckling and hand-rubbing ensued. Fortunately, it didn't appear as though this had come off the wrong way. Conversely, the answer that followed suggested that they did have something to be concerned about.

"Well, through the power of enchantments, I can make it so that your targets are set ablaze with a single hit."

Surprise asserted its presence on the faces of various people within sight. Even so, Arrow did seem to be interested in the idea, which he conveyed by stroking his goatee. Of course, doing so required him to grip the hardback with only his nondominant hand.

"Just so you know, I can apply that to swords and bows," Tango clarified as they focused solely on the lad.

"It would be . . . interesting."

Alex laughed nervously as she made the "stop" gesture with her left hand. Her palm was originally directed at her fellow human before she rotated it toward the weaponsmith.

"We really don't need the smell of burnt, rotten flesh filling the air," she argued prior to focusing her eyes on Tango.

A few of the villagers snickered after she made her point. The younger individual next to the mason even uttered "P.U." in an exaggerated way as they squeezed their nose. In their immediate vicinity, the laughter intensified, especially among the builder's family members.

"However," the woman added, "it would be sweet if we could get our hands on some tipped arrows. For slowness or weakness."

"Last I heard, the fletchers didn't have those in stock," Skip chimed in. "That book I gave y'all does provide instructions on making the different types, though."

Upon hearing these words, Arrow speedily skimmed through the hardback to figure out the location of the section on tipped arrows. So far, he'd learned that the ribbon had been placed at the beginning of the chapter on crafting recipes.

"All right," Alex responded.

She proceeded to watch the lad flip through the pages, which encouraged him to move the book closer to her. Around this time, Tango cleared their throat to get attention.

"Again, I'll mod or even curse any weapons I'm given if you come to my forge anytime before the battle. Two better mods for y'all are 'Knockback', which . . . is pretty self-explanatory, and 'Unbreaking', which . . . yeah."

Arrow had been bouncing between maintaining eye contact with the blacksmith and looking at the pages.

"Both of those sound cool. If I were to pick one, I'd go with Knockback, but you should know that our goal is to cure as many zombies as possible."

Joy faded from Tango's face before they uttered their reply. That's not to imply they came off as being particularly disappointed, though. The butcher, on the other hand, appeared glad.

"Oh, that's fine."

"Well, bless y'all's hearts!" Quake exclaimed with a hand over their chest.

The smirking weaponsmith briefly laughed before swiveling around to face this individual. As for how Arrow and Alex felt, the duo thanked the meat merchant.

"Ain't butchers supposed to like killin'?"

Quake crossed their arms, although it didn't seem as though Tango or the few laughs their comment received had irked them.

"Not if it can be avoided."

The blacksmith snickered some more, causing the meat merchant's monobrow to lower a bit. Meanwhile, the two humans had neutral expressions on their faces.

"You can't tell me you don't enjoy it a little. I mean, you've got a pig named 'Reuben', a chicken named 'Drumstick', and a rabbit named 'Kebab'. Sounds to me like you can't wait to chop 'em up!" Tango asserted as they pretended to cut invisible meat.

This individual's teeth were proudly on display, and more people snickered at their antics. Even Alex had to suppress a giggle. Although Quake didn't seem too bothered, their kid felt the need to say something. To the mild surprise of the builder and the butcher, they took two steps in Tango's direction.

"Ma would never, we just like namin' 'r pets after food! We also have two awesome cats named Java and Vanilla!"

Arrow covered his mouth as he quietly chuckled. Besides that, and seemingly out of genuine respect, the weaponsmith quickly wiped the grin off their face. They also placed a hand over their heart. Unsurprisingly, it didn't look as though they got intimidated. The fact that the ends of their lips were slightly spread apart made this notion readily apparent.

"All right, sorry kid. No more jokes about your mama."

A small smile was present on the child's face as they stepped back.

"That's right," they said as Quake put their hands on their shoulders.

Tango's facial expression became neutral as they spun around to face the two humans. Also, their arms were pressed against their chest once again.

"Aaaaanyway, there's somethin' I gotta know. Why'd you leave the Coven of Illagers? Did ya just get sick of 'em?" they inquired with a snicker.

Red and a few others laughed after hearing that last part. There were also several villagers who smiled.

"You're killin' it, Tango!" the mason exclaimed.

"I'm tellin' ya, today's my lucky day!" the blacksmith replied as they glanced back.

On the flip side, the woman had looked away. However, the vibe she gave off suggested that she felt a little upset, not angry. Arrow seemingly sensed that this could be an issue, as he had looked in her direction after the testificate had asked their question. He promptly stepped forward to imply that he'd answer. By doing so, he closed the book he held.

Luckily, he had recently learned that the section on tipped arrows was near the end.

"Well . . . there was a disagreement over Greener's plan. She tried to be mature about it, but Greener and the rest of the Coven were too upset about the village situation."

Alex smiled, although Tango wasn't satisfied just yet.

"All right. What's your deal?" they inquired as they put emphasis on the word "your" and motioned toward him. "An—"

"Vwoop!"

Hearts banged against rib cages as shrieks and screams permeated the air. The two humans gulped as they spun around to see Ender a dozen steps behind them. He was irked, although his eyes were focused on the settlement. Ning stood to his right, which made it so that Alex was closest to the witch. A thin layer of sweat made their forehead glisten, and their enlarged eyes conveyed that they felt just as nervous as the people around them.

"Chill!" he exclaimed as he launched his hands upward. "It's not like I started attacking anyone!"

It was then that he looked in Tango's direction. The blacksmith was stiff and reluctant to make eye contact.

"Excuse me, I'll be talking to these two for a moment."

The testificate nodded before uttering "OK" and taking a few steps back. A second later, the tall teleporter looked down at the humans. Their nerves had calmed down, yet they clearly felt differently about this. While Arrow had a stoic facial expression, Alex's eyebrows were angled downward.

"Yes, let's talk. What could you possibly have to gain from making it harder for us to help the villagers?"

Enough relaxation spread across the interdimensional specimen's face to convey that he had calmed down. It's also worth mentioning that his knee wound had healed, and thus he no longer had a rag wrapped around it. Another improvement was that his aura had regained a bit of strength.

"Look, it's not like I want this place to turn into 'Zombie Town'. But I can't have you guys interfere with the raid . . . because that'll just mess up Jean's plan to help humanity. Including you two."

Once the word "raid" entered Alex's ears, her eyelids moved away from each other. This was likely the reason why Ender paused prior to continuing his sentence. After he finished talking, the woman momentarily used her left hand to make the "stop" gesture. Meanwhile, both Arrow and Ning had stoic facial expressions. The former came off as slightly more irritated, although he looked the same way he did a moment ago.

The latter had wiped the sweat off their head and crossed their arms like the other testificates.

"Hold on," Alex uttered, "when did it become a raid? It's always been risky, yet now you're telling me that the Coven wants to see people get hurt?"

A sigh released itself from Ender's mouth as he pressed his lengthy arms against his chest. Hypothetically, if the testificates were responsible for the renaming, it made sense why several underweight outcasts would wish to pillage the village for resources.

"If all goes according to Jean's plan, she'll have 'raided' enough experience orbs to time-travel to when this all began. She'll be able to protect your kind from the mass teleportation that took so many lives."

He proceeded to stick up his index finger.

"I know that what has to be done to make that dream a reality is messed up. There's going to be a mob of zombies wreaking havoc on Rubyham, and things will get ugly. Unfortunately, people don't just fall over and vanish in a puff of smoke when they die. But when Jean is finished, it'll be like none of this ever happened."

As Ender approached the end of his explanation, his voice became calmer. Regarding how the two humans felt, neither of them was looking at him anymore. Alex's vibe had stayed the same throughout most of the conversation, but once she heard that last sentence, she broke eye contact. Arrow did the same as he stroked his goatee.

Chapter Text

Only a few seconds of silence passed before the lad shared his thoughts.

"I get that Jean might be able to use experience to time-travel backward, but that's just a theory. The risk isn't worth it—"

The otherworldly specimen's pupils fixated on Arrow. A comeback blasted out of Ender's mouth as he uncrossed his arms. As he ranted, his hands would move around in accordance with the ideas he expressed.

"We're not wasting any more time by doing a deep dive into how experience works! You don't know just how lucky you are, Steve," he exclaimed as he thrust his index finger toward the man. "If you had wound up in the dimension directly underneath this one, you'd be dealing with seas of lava and flying tentacle monsters right now. And even then, the Nether is just one of the potential destinations you could've been transported to, because there's a whole multiverse out there."

Unsurprisingly, hearing him yell caused some of the already nervous nonhumans to quietly gasp. Arrow, Alex, and Ning simply experienced widening of the eyes, seeing as they knew that Ender wouldn't escalate the situation. Hopefully, anyway.

"You're right, I don't know how bad things could be. But you didn't let me finish talking. Jean plans to make it so that all of this never happened, which means the experience she wants to get won't have ever existed."

The redhead snickered for a moment after he made his point. Since she still felt somewhat stressed, the pleasure she experienced was short-lived and didn't alter her facial expression much. It also didn't help that Ender's peepers had narrowed as he listened to Arrow's elaboration and Alex's laugh.

"Who's the paradox now?" she remarked as her head turned toward the lad.

His eyes met hers as he chuckled. As for how Ning felt about all of this, they didn't have the context to find the inside joke funny, but they felt more relaxed now. The same goes for the rest of the nonhumans, who paid less attention to the discussion. Concerning how Ender currently felt, a smile had just forced its way across his face.

"Stevie, you're thinking too small," he uttered, having emphasized the last word with a hand gesture. "Put your pocket-sized perspective aside, and listen carefully to the Ender edition of this story."

Ender had spoken in a pretty serious tone at an unhurried pace. Arrow couldn't help but fixate his eyes on him as he spoke. To a slightly lesser extent, the same could be said for Alex and Ning.

"Something awful happened, and it changed the lives of so many innocent people. My life, Jean's life, and even your lives," he vented as he pointed at Arrow and Alex. "You just don't remember what happened to you—to your species! Even if the chance of Jean's plan working is slender . . . man, we have to give it a shot."

Without making a conscious effort to do so, the lad reacted to Ender's call to action by releasing a quiet sigh. The facial expression of the person he was conversing with would rapidly shift from upset to frustrated after he began speaking.

"It really sucks, but this thought process is gonna end up making things worse."

Once again, Arrow would be cut off the instant he finished his sentence. It seemed like Ender wanted to appear as though he was listening to the other side but lacked the patience to do that properly. On the bright side, both Alex and Ning nodded in agreement.

"You used the word 'sucks'?!" he questioned as he broke eye contact and paused for a moment. "It would be fabulous if we could get along, but I will do whatever is necessary to ensure a victory for Jean and the rest of humankind. I have to go, but remember this: I can be your biggest fan or your worst nightmare."

Those last two words slowly crept out of the inhuman individual's mouth.

"OK, buddy," Alex remarked.

Unsurprisingly, her voice sounded kind of sarcastic, but what she said still came off as lighthearted. Despite this, Ender's glare went from being directed at the lad to targeting the redhead, thus making her a tad uneasy. As he teleported away, his signature catchphrase got replaced by silence. Seconds after his disappearance, relieved exhales cascaded through the settlement. Alex even sighed in a way that contrasted the confidence she seemingly had.

"Just so you know, you've at least helped me to view things from a different perspective. And a superior one at that," the redhead assured as she gazed at Arrow.

A pleased expression appeared on his face.

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

Ning, who still had their arms pressed against their chest, moved toward the two humans. The testificate seemed to be the most upset that they had been thus far. Partly because the ends of their lips sloped downward. This isn't to imply that they were on the brink of tears, but they had the duo's full attention nevertheless.

"You've helped me too. Besides that, I'm so sorry y'all keep on gettin' hurt. 'Specially you, Arrow, although Alex's injuries look worse," Ning uttered as they pointed in the direction of the individuals they mentioned.

His right hand quickly made the "stop" gesture in response to this expression of empathy. Remember that he gripped the hardback with his nondominant hand.

"It's cool, you didn't know what would happen."

Eye contact was broken on Ning's end once the first part of the reply entered their ears. As for Alex, she glanced at the lad and nodded. Her facial expression was still stoic.

"We knew what we were getting into. All you might have to concern yourself with in the future is thinking ahead more."

An exhale made its way out of Ning's slightly parted lips. A quiet "Thanks" did as well, but there wasn't enough time for a "You're welcome." That's because the witch swiftly started saying more.

"But I should be better. Greener's parents were killed helpin' out my gran."

Obviously, that last part came as a surprise, so it would've taken a moment before either of the humans said something. Unfortunately, Tango's interruption changed the topic of the conversation.

"Excuse me," the weaponsmith said, projecting their voice as they stepped forward, "I didn't understand a good chunk of what y'all were talkin' about, but it's clear that we're gonna have to do everythin' we can if we want to stand a chance."

Arrow chuckled in reaction to the first part. As for the second half, Tango's tone didn't suggest that they were subtly advertising their enchantments. At least, that wasn't what Tango seemed to be focused on. Judging from the stoic facial expressions of the two humans, they had picked up on this. Ning also had a neutral look on their face, but they weren't as focused on the testificate several steps ahead of them.

Instead, they were examining the village. Besides this, bear in mind that the conversation with Tango involved people speaking at a higher volume to compensate for the distance.

"I didn't understand much of it either," Alex responded in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood. "Besides that, I'm sure we'll all do our best to protect Rubyham. I just don't know how much we can do."

As she said the first "we," she motioned toward Arrow and the witch. Her eyes lingered a bit on that last individual in a subtle attempt to get them to add to what she said. Ning took a moment before they stepped forward.

"Um . . . my plan was for us to cure as many zombies as possible. Those things ain' easy to deal with, so . . . y'know. We do have diamond swords, though, that I made with potions."

The lad nodded. As for how Tango felt, their facial expression didn't change until the weapons got mentioned. They laughed briefly, but without giving off the playful vibe that they had exuded previously. Instinctively, Ning's arms tightened around their chest, although their face didn't convey much discomfort. Part of the reason for this was likely that some of the villagers had gasped in awe once diamond swords were mentioned.

"OK, zombie doctor. Gotta say, I missed your oddball magic," the blacksmith remarked as their peepers focused on Ning for a moment. "Anyway, I also have an idea."

As mentioned before, four testificates had gotten closer to the two humans after Alex mentioned that the two should get going. The only person who still hadn't said anything was a middle-aged individual. They were donned in a dull, reddish-purple, sleeveless cloak that had a hood and gold trim. Regarding what the wearer of this garment looked like relative to the other villagers, they possessed a fair yet rosy complexion. Furthermore, their nose was slightly longer, and their left eye was green while the one to the right was pale blue.

Intriguingly, they appeared to be related to Ning, largely because of their similar facial features and thin physiques. Speaking of the hut dweller, a short-lived smile appeared on their face once they heard that Tango had missed them to some extent. It didn't go away until a few seconds after the topic of the conversation had changed. Besides the fact that the statement was a pleasant surprise, it's also worth noting that Alex had given Ning a slight yet encouraging smile upon hearing Tango's words. Anyway, the weaponsmith proceeded to talk to the relatively pale individual.

"Vas, you're pretty wise. I reckon golems ain't easy to make, but do ya think Rubyham should finally take the iron golem out of the cavern? Those redstone engineers in Phoenixgear already made contraptions to deal with the zombie problem."

The cloak wearer swiveled their head toward Tango.

"Yes."

They immediately directed their attention toward the witch, who didn't make eye contact or experience a change in facial expression. Meanwhile, the two humans had been pretty unresponsive during the past half-minute. In fairness, neither Arrow nor Alex had enough of a reason to feel differently about the situation. Or to voice whatever was on their minds.

"Ning, what happened to your head? And have you been eating enough?"

Vas used their arms to convey that their first question was in reference to Ning's hair. Regarding their voice, it sounded kind of monotone. As if they felt the need to ask to seem polite.

"Doesn't matter."

Ning's head whipped toward the blacksmith, causing their disheveled hair to do the same. Their relative, on the other hand, didn't budge.

"Let's go to the cavern. My only concern is that monsters have probably gone in there."

The blacksmith nodded. Arrow was a little less accepting of this, however, which he conveyed by looking in Alex's direction. Although his facial expression came off as stoic for the most part, it now expressed a tinge of sympathy. He whispered the words, "Are you okay with that?" Arrow reciprocated the tiny smile that appeared on the redhead's face as she gave him a thumbs-up.

"Whatever it takes. I've been waitin' my whole life for a moment like this," Tango replied.

Red had a slight smile as they turned their head toward that individual. Regarding how the testificates around the builder felt, they all looked pretty neutral.

"Waiting to use that 'flaming sword' enchantment?"

This inquiry had been presented in a somewhat lighthearted tone. It only took a moment for a brief laugh to make its way out of the weaponsmith's mouth. The two humans and a few others reacted similarly for a few seconds, but most of the people who chuckled were Red's family members.

"That's part of it. Anyway, everyone who wants to help out should come with me to my home. The hero house!"

As soon as the blacksmith said, "Come," they rotated their body halfway around. Their eyes were on Ning, and they grinned a bit as they stood sideways.

"All right," the witch responded.

Arrow, Alex, and Ning proceeded to move forward as Tango walked past a cuboidal cobblestone house. They were going to pass by another one before the trio was gently stopped by Trix and Skip, who had previously been chatting with each other.

"Sorry, Tango, but we need to talk with our adventurers right quick," Trix said as they looked back at the weaponsmith.

During this discussion, the sound of doors opening and closing would occasionally be heard. Seeing as many of the villagers had other things to do, this was to be expected. On the topic of work, there still wasn't much noise being made in the settlement besides the few conversations going on. However, the livestock was making more sounds. Out of the cows, pigs, sheep, and horses, the squealing of swine had been the most audible.

"Whatever," Tango calmly replied.

As for Vas, they had simply continued standing where they already were. Tango positioned themself slightly closer to Ning once the other two villagers stopped moving. Also, the testificates kept their arms crossed the entire time.

"Howdy, Ning," the cartographer said as their peepers momentarily focused on them. "I'll fetch y'all a map of the cave and the directions to it. I only have the regular-sized one, but I'd give y'all minimaps if I had any."

Alex smiled a little as Ning took a second to respond.

"Thanks . . . Trix."

The tone Ning had as they said the name conveyed that they weren't sure if they remembered it correctly.

"You got it," Trix assured with a pleased facial expression.

Arrow and Alex expressed their gratitude as well, which the cartographer acknowledged. Trix then glanced in Skip's direction to let them know they were done.

"All right. Do y'all need more time to look through that book, or do you have an idea of what you'd like to get?"

The lad stroked his goatee a few times, although the redhead spoke up.

"We should discuss our game plan with Ning first, but I would like to make some arrows of slowness or weakness. I'd also appreciate a bow or crossbow if Ning has neither."

Once the word "slowness" entered Vas's ears, they took a tiny step forward. It's also worth mentioning that Alex had looked toward the witch as they made their second request.

"I have neither," Ning clarified.

Alex's peepers were now focused on the librarian.

"All right. I'm sure the fletchers have bows and normal arrows," Skip said.

"I'll take care of the tipped arrows, I'm the cleric. I can also provide y'all with splash potions to use against the monsters," Vas offered.

Ning's arms tightened around their torso. Vas's eyes lingered on the witch.

"Y'know, I also don't like how obsessed your gran was and is about negative potions, but these zombies have really had me thinkin'."

Evidently, brewing was a family tradition. This suggested that they had decades of wisdom cultivated throughout the years to fall back on. Also, note that there was apparently an older magic user somewhere nearby who had experience with harmful potions.

"You don' have to explain yourself," Ning flatly stated.

Vas's facial expression didn't change, although they did cross their arms a little more tightly. Their eyes would remain on the individual who seemed to be their child until Arrow asked a question.

"What're 'splash potions' anyway?"

The cloak wearer would maintain eye contact with him before shifting their focus to Alex.

"It means they've been modified so that they explode a little after being splashed on a target," they answered. "By the way, I've got potions of healin' to take care of y'all's injuries."

The ends of the woman's lips swiftly spread apart.

"That would be splendid."

Perhaps too eagerly, a smile appeared on the cleric's face. While Alex had also been quick to smile, something about the way Vas did it seemed forced. Their vibe thus far suggested that they were like Ning: a tad unhappy and thus less prone to positive changes in emotion.

"Got it."

Arrow also seemed pleased, although he only came off as mildly so.

"Thank you."

"Yeah," Ning added.

As Vas replied, they had the same look on their face even though their tone barely reflected it.

"It's nothing. Now, head off, y'all."

As the humans exchanged short goodbyes with the villagers, Tango enthusiastically swiveled around and continued making their way in the direction of the forge. The three middle-aged testificates walked toward their homes, although Skip mentioned that they were just getting a guidebook for Vas. Meanwhile, Red and Quake were apparently going to the house extension as well. The youngsters, however, were elsewhere. Although the parents and the trio were relatively spaced out, it was inevitable that the two groups would converge as they neared the forge.

It was a cobblestone building attached to a rectangular wooden house. Specifically to one of its longer sides, which was also where the door had been placed. As for the entrance to the extension, the front of it didn't have a wall, which would've allowed multiple people to enter it at once. Nevertheless, there was an implicit entryway created by the short staircase and the wooden poles that stood behind it. These skinny columns weren't doing much to hold up the flat roof, but they gave the basic workstation a minute amount of flair.

Speaking of the blacksmith's job, it's worth delving into what they used on a typical day: a fireplace, the two furnaces to the right of it, and the grindstone in front. This last tool, a simple machine that rotates a vertical stone disk for the sake of sharpening tools, stood behind the first pole. Surprisingly enough, the fireplace consisted of a tiny pool of orange lava surrounded by a waist-high cobblestone barrier. Fortunately, the forge had a chimney to let the smoke escape, although simply standing around this area was obviously sweat-inducing. Concerning the odor, that volcanic fluid smelled like hot rocks, and this scent had even made its way indoors.

"Home sweat home. I mean, sweet home, just don't get too close to the lava," they said with a chuckle.

Red, Alex, and Quake all smiled in response to their lightheartedness. Also, everyone besides Tango stood around the stairs as the weaponsmith approached and entered the door.

"Come inside. Feel free to put your things on the floor."

"Thanks," the two humans said as Arrow leaned his book against the wall.

In order, Red, Quake, Ning, Alex, and finally Arrow entered the residence. It was shaped like a flipped, upside-down "L" and had a weak, woody scent. Although the gang currently couldn't see what existed in the upper-left portion of the dwelling, two chests sat against the wall that stood furthest from them. Regarding the small wall on the other side of this section, there was a red, single-person bed in the corner. As for what the six individuals could see, various things stuck out, such as the large painting depicting a flaming skull sitting on some grass.

In the background, a moon illuminated a clear night sky. Besides this work of art, there sat a table with two chairs near the upper-right-hand corner of the building. In the vicinity of one of the chairs stood an anvil and a crafting table that resembled Ning's. Funnily enough, there was yet another type of table close to the lower-right-hand corner of the house. It was a knee-high slab of obsidian with lightish-cyan diamonds embedded in the pointed edges.

A crimson cloth had been draped over the top, and an open book with a leather cover lay on that. Bizarrely enough, this book levitated a little and absorbed symbols from the bookshelves nestled in the corner behind it. This suggested that it wasn't simply taking in symbols from the texts around it but learning from those writings. Arrow, but not Alex, stared at the book. Even so, it wasn't long before he snapped out of it.

"Hope y'all like my setup," Tango said as they walked toward the painting. "This here is called 'Skull on Fire'."

Once again, Quake, Red, and Alex looked pleased. The other two just seemed satisfied.

"Solace is so talented. I just wish they knew what to do with their life," Red commented.

A chuckle left the blacksmith's mouth. They also crossed their arms again after motioning at the work of art with their left hand.

"You've done more than enough to help 'em out, Red. Just think of all the things you've offered Solace since you found the poor guy stranded in the Poppyrose Plains a few weeks ago. You've helped Solace get food, and you've asked around to find stuff for 'em to do."

Emphasis had been placed on the words "offered" and "stranded." Luckily for Tango, their delivery really resonated with the mason, who blushed. The other people in the room also looked a tad surprised, especially Quake. These reactions were enough to make Tango spin around and head toward one of their chests.

"Thank you so much, Tango," Red expressed before breaking eye contact as well. "Honestly, I couldn't help but look at Solace and think of the toolsmith—I mean, your sibling."

"Of course. How could I ever forget about what happened in that dungeon?" the weaponsmith swiftly muttered as they rubbed their eye patch.

Quake placed a hand on their spouse's shoulder. The noise of a chest opening and later closing would be heard as the meat merchant spoke and Tango moved the contents around.

"Without you, those zombies would've done whatever they felt like to Solace."

The two humanoids gazed at each other with blissful looks on their faces. Perhaps unfortunately, this wholesome moment got cut short once Tango returned to the group holding a stone sword in each hand. In terms of design, they looked just like the diamond blades Ning had.

"Pretty scary. Anyway, I have three swords in total. Includin' an iron one with the 'Fire Aspect' enchantment. Whoever picks it has to share, 'cause I ain't about to miss out on the chance to use a flamin' sword!"

The sound of a few people stepping onto the cobblestone platform outside could be heard as Tango neared the end of their sentence. Unsurprisingly, this noise was followed by a knock on the door. Everyone rotated in the direction of it.

"Who could that be? Come in."

Chapter Text

Trix and Vas entered the house. The former held a map, while the latter had a leather satchel resting on their right hip.

"Hi again, which of y'all wants the map of the cave and the directions to it?" the cartographer inquired.

"And who wants the satchel with the potions?"

Vas's peepers lingered on the obsidian slab after they asked their question.

"I would've thought you traded stuff to get your magic weapons, I didn't know you were an enchanter," they uttered, expressing the bare minimum amount of interest needed to seem genuine.

Tango looked at the cleric and uttered, "I dabble," in a similarly nonchalant way.

"I know it's got somethin' to do with experience and Void energy," Tango added.

Besides that, Red stepped toward Trix.

"I'll take the map, I'm not as good at using blades as y'all."

The diagram was handed over, and gratitude was expressed.

"I ain' that good either if you change your mind," Ning stated as they looked in the direction of the builder.

Red nodded as they went back to standing beside their spouse.

"I'll take the potions," Arrow calmly asserted.

"Wait," Alex insisted as she placed her map on the floor and held up her palm, "I don't mind carrying the satchel. I'm used to it."

To clarify, her gesture was directed toward the lad.

"If you really want to, sure. But I'd like for you to have the flaming sword. You'll be better protected that way."

A short, friendly laugh left the redhead's mouth.

"All right. Thanks, dude."

Following their agreement, Vas took out two glass bottles with round bottoms. These flasks were on the smaller side, just like the wooden ones that Arrow had become accustomed to. What he wasn't used to was being able to see what the elixir looked like in advance. The fluid inside these containers was scarlet, and the corks plugging up the openings prevented it from escaping.

"Here are y'all's healin' potions," Vas interjected. "You might wanna drink extra, Alex, Greener's so-called cure seems to weaken regeneration."

They didn't come off as irritated, per se. It just seemed like Vas wanted to speed up the process. Still, the duo expressed their gratitude and took the bottles.

"You're right," Alex confirmed. "The zombie-repelling cure increases absorption of life energy and death energy to safely limit vital functions, thus making the drinker less visually appealing."

"Cool," Vas praised with almost no enthusiasm.

They placed the bag near the lad's feet prior to leaving the building. Alex's eyes lingered on Vas.

"Holler if y'all need me," Trix said as they waved goodbye.

The cartographer received a wave from everyone in the room before they left. Alex even stopped drinking for a moment to do this. Speaking of the potion, its taste was a combination of room-temperature water, mushrooms, and watermelon. Clearly, these elixirs weren't supposed to be pleasing to the tongue, although this was of no concern to the two humans. Especially to Alex, since she finished her bottle while Arrow only drank half of his.

Both of them placed their flasks in the bag once they were done. While the lad's bruises itched as they rapidly faded away, the redhead had to wait a minute. Still, relatively speaking, getting her shoulder fixed and having her nose lose its rightward curvature promptly and safely was an absolute blessing. During that period, she absorbed wisps of energy that had a scarlet coloration. This weak aura warmed her up, and this sensation was especially pronounced for her itchy injuries.

"So," Tango said as they rotated toward the gang.

At the same time, the other five repositioned themselves as well. The blacksmith glanced at the object in their hand for clarity.

"Why not," Alex answered. "Let's use the flaming sword."

Tango nodded as they proceeded to hand over the stone blade in their dominant hand to Quake. The butcher thanked the weaponsmith, whose head turned toward Arrow.

"Nothin' against your good friend, but are ya sure you don't wanna be a cool monster hunter with a flamin' sword? I bet you're strong enough to be a cow tipper."

Red mumbled, "Tall enough to be a good builder too." They had a smile on their face and glanced at Alex. Arrow appeared pleased as well, although the other three felt indifferent. Nevertheless, Quake clarified that a cow tipper is someone who can push a cow over. As for the validity of the remark, each of Arrow's biceps was as wide as a young tree, yet it wasn't as though the lad seemed to be a bodybuilder.

"I'm sure. Thanks, though. If anything, Red or Quake are the next best picks since they're parents."

Both of those individuals put a hand over their hearts.

"We love our little Lio," Quake quietly gushed.

"All right. If needed, we can swap weapons," Tango stated as they handed over the other stone blade to Ning. "Oh yeah, when we can, we should get y'all some armor for the raid."

Tango proceeded to look in the direction of Ning as they walked backward. They made their way to their chests. Meanwhile, Alex's nose had completely healed. Seeing as these elixirs were capable of fixing injuries like Alex's without leaving any scars, it was questionable why Tango wore an eye patch.

"I reckon the witch could maybe make it diamond."

That aforementioned individual, alongside the others in the group, laughed briefly.

"Maybe," Ning emphasized.

Following this reply, the blacksmith swiveled around. Upon reaching and opening their chest, they quickly spotted what they were looking for. They returned to the gang with an iron sword in their dominant hand. It channeled violet energy, yet it wasn't clearly absorbing this from the environment. Rather, the whole thing had a purple shimmer.

"We're about ready to skedaddle," Tango assured. "But we gotta talk about how we'll do this. Do we start with potions or swords?"

The woman rotated slightly toward Arrow as she placed a hand on the leather bag. However, her eyes were on the weaponsmith.

"Splash potions are easy to use because zombies rush toward people."

She turned her head to Arrow.

"I'll look through this satchel and tell you what each of the colors does."

"Sounds good."

He took a little, horizontal step in her direction as she lifted the flap. One of the types was charcoal gray, while the other was bluish like a stormy sky.

"The dark-gray ones inflict weakness, while the ones that are—coincidentally—colored like my skin will slow down your targets."

These bottles had curved necks, thus allowing one to more easily grip and throw the flasks.

"Got it."

Tango took some steps toward the redhead, and thus toward the door as well. They also motioned at Alex.

"Speakin' of skin, I just gotta ask, is that color permanent?"

After making eye contact with them, she sighed.

"No, although I can't revert to my normal self yet. I need Greener to know that we could still be allies even though I disagree with the raid."

The ends of Quake's lips spread apart, but this came off as politely supportive. Similarly, the rest of the group didn't visibly react. Thus, the lady simply mirrored the meat merchant's facial expression.

"Not sure if that'll work out for ya, but we'll see. Before we head to Blueyellow Hill, I'll fetch a pickaxe and an extra torch since two of us don't have swords. I'll hold the main torch and give the backup to Red. I've got flint and steel for both of us," Tango affirmed as they went to their chests.

Arrow and the mason expressed their gratitude. Alex continued to have a slight smile on her face.

"We have just enough items to make this work," she added.

A more upbeat look was present on Red's face. On the flip side, their spouse's lips were pressed together.

"Y'all must have bundles of bravery to be so comfortable with this," Quake vented.

With a shrug and a smirk, Tango conveyed how they felt.

"Just been yearnin' for the mines. Mondays used to be my favorite day of the week 'cause that's when we returned to the caves."

Red placed a hand on their partner's shoulder.

"You just gotta get excited, hon. It's adventuring time!"

Indeed it was, and the word "adventuring" got emphasized. Even so, Quake was barely comforted by those words. Once Arrow got the pickaxe and Red stuffed the fire starters in their pockets, the gang set out on their journey. Because all but one of the blacksmith's weapons were made of stone, this commonality was the first conversation topic. Ning and the humans learned that the rest of Tango's iron tools had been sold at a discount due to the ongoing undead invasion.

Fortunately, the group currently had no reason to be uneasy because they were moving away from the zombie-ridden forest. Plus, it helped that everyone was spread out, since this gave all of them a serious chance of spotting a monster in the distance. Specifically, Red and Quake were in the middle and slightly in front of the others. Tango and Ning were closer to the former, while Alex and Arrow were closer to the latter. Soon enough, the gang began discussing the cave they were headed to.

It was revealed to be the mining hub for the nearby villages. The mining season was meant to last from late spring to late summer, which was also the period between planting and harvesting crops. However, due to the outbreak, no one wanted to venture into the dark caves. A reassuring aspect of this situation was that the minerals in storage would last for months since the mining season had very recently begun. Arrow even learned that the current date was May 17th, which sounded surprisingly mundane considering the fantasy world he'd wound up in.

"Do you know if there's anything down there besides zombies?" the woman inquired.

This question had been directed to Tango, who had a neutral expression on their face. All six individuals did, although the minor variations allowed an observer to deduce that the weaponsmith was more confident than Quake. As for their surroundings, they were in a grassland but could gaze at the natural dome a short distance ahead of them, which was covered in greenery. Regarding the direction the group went in, they didn't walk right next to Dwarf Forest, although it was to their left. Using Rubyham as a reference point, they were moving at an angle, which explains why they previously couldn't spot the nearby landform.

"Well, you should know that monsters already existed 'ere before the undead showed up. Like slimes, which can be found underground and in some swamps. I reckon monsters are just a part of life, in part 'cause I know they exist in the only other dimension I'm aware of."

Red's head rotated toward Alex. Besides that, Tango's awareness of multiple worlds paired with the nonchalant reactions of the other testificates was intriguing. Especially since they weren't associated with Ender.

"There's also this rumor of a pale oak forest guarded by a tree creature," the builder shared.

Tango chuckled. Quake had a smile on their face as well, although the other four seemed unconcerned.

"That's a decent story. I prefer the legends about dungeons under the earth. Like the legend of the Chambered, which is about a race of ancient builders who magically created stuff underground, like lost cities. Didn't need any of the technical education we would, they just created what they imagined."

Arrow gazed at the blacksmith.

"Ancient cities sound cool. What else can you tell us about this world?"

Tango shrugged as their eyes met.

"Expect the unexpected. If I could, I'd give you aging scrolls detailin' everythin' about the Overworld, but I think that book Trix gave you will be pretty helpful. Actually, one thing I can say is that if we run into any cave spiders, they'll be smaller but venomous."

This didn't seem to bother the man. In fairness, none of those pig-sized critters had tried to attack him. If these things were interested in human prey, they preferred to hunt other animals.

"OK. I will say that I don't think the place I came from had giant spiders."

"Sounds lovely."

Laughter ensued, particularly among the testificates. While the lady appreciated the lightheartedness, she was quick to express her curiosity about something else.

"Out of curiosity, what was the 'other dimension' you mentioned earlier? Is it that hellish one—I want to say it was called 'the Aether'."

The gang was now right in front of their destination. Fortunately, Blueyellow Hill appeared walkable despite being sizable. It had a few flowers growing on it, like poppies, azure bluets, and tulips that varied between red, orange, white, and pink. Additionally, the wannabe mountain standing before them had two cave entrances near the top. They were close to each other, but an imaginative individual could pretend that the holes were beady eyes.

"I was talkin' about the Nether. 'Sides that, we arrived! Fun fact, this hill is called 'Blueyellow' 'cause the guy who named it was red-green colorblind."

Tango was the only one smiling, although the others expressed their mild interest by looking in the weaponsmith's direction.

"I don't see the connection," Arrow commented.

"The hill was named after the colors around green instead 'cause the name couldn't be based on an activity or the hill's size. Names like 'Miner Mountain' and 'Marketplace Mountain' were too limiting," they elaborated as they used their hands for emphasis. "Now thinkin' about it, I didn't tell y'all how we'd find Jeb, the iron golem."

Coincidentally, the name "Miner Mountain" had the benefit of sounding like "Minor Mountain." Which, considering the landform's relatively small size, was mildly funny. Anyway, in response to Tango, Arrow shook his head "no." His female companion had a little more to say.

"To be fair, I think we were too scared to ask. I assumed you'd tell us once we arrived," she clarified.

"I just figured we'd split up," Arrow guessed.

Tango smirked as they swiveled around and took a step back.

"You must be feelin' kinda brave," they said. "Zombies like to sleep at this time, and Jeb will keep us safe as we leave the Gadget Caves, but what we're doin' is still risky."

The danger surrounding what they were able to do manifested as trembling for Quake and Red, nervous sweating for Ning, and pounding hearts for the other three.

"I get it, this is serious, just wanted to lighten the mood," the weaponsmith muttered. "Anyway, the iron golem is in Notch Cavern, which'll take 10 minutes to get to. We're lucky we don't have to go any deeper, I've heard it takes 45 minutes to reach Bedrock Bottom."

Alex smiled as she stepped forward and turned around. This placed her to the right of Tango.

"We should position ourselves in a way that'll give us an advantage. I'm not completely sure how, though. Thoughts?"

The man nodded, and he seemed to be the only one to have something to contribute.

"I'm carrying the most, and I'm the only one with throwable weapons, so I'll be in the back. That also means I can protect us from behind."

"No one sneaks up on Steve!" Tango affirmed with a chuckle, causing Arrow to react the same way despite the mildly surprising usage of his actual name.

The lady looked in Red's direction. As a reminder, the mason was in charge of the map and the backup torch. Their spouse and Ning both had stone blades, while Alex had the enchanted iron sword. Arrow had the pickaxe alongside the potion satchel, and Tango held an unlit torch.

"Red, do you believe you'll have to rely on the map, or do you have a solid grasp on the directions?"

"I've got it, and there's too much at stake for me to forget anything. Notch Cavern is to the far right of the Gadget Caves, and I'll light up the torches on the right wall for guidance. The cave might feel a bit cramped for us in a few parts, but my biggest concern is actually all the extra space in Notch Cavern."

Alex nodded, and Red swapped out the map for the unlit torch. Following this, the six adventurers made their way up Blueyellow Hill with relative ease. They went into the rightmost entrance, although the other side would've taken them to the same location. Unsurprisingly, the entry point was dimmer, colder, quieter, and more humid than the outside. As for the rest of the cave, there were just two possible routes to take.

One went straight ahead while the other veered to the right, and both sloped downward. However, the area that the gang was currently in was interesting by itself, such as the sleeping colony of dark-brown bats perched upside-down on the ceiling. Their dried poop, better known as guano, stained the center of the floor. To put it politely, the interior of the cave had an earthy scent that got reinforced by the moisture within. The moldy odor also emanated from the wild men resting against the walls.

There were five of them, each wearing a mask and a onesie or similar. One of the males was completely bright blue, minus the black smiley faces on the forehead and right hand. The next guy was all white, and his mask depicted a derpy face with little peepers and a gaping mouth with three teeth. A more unique individual was donned in a gasping mask, a cyan garment with the letter "C," and orange bracelets. On the flip side, another man had opted for a circular, sky-blue mask alongside a light-gray, long-sleeved shirt and denim overalls.

Finally, there was a guy dressed in yellow shoes and a magenta onesie that said "HI" at the top. In addition, he had a mask with a large smiley face, and it even had ginger hair. Considering all the unusual fashion choices among the humans, Arrow and Alex seemed dull by comparison. Everyone in the group was momentarily bewildered by the odd sight before snapping out of it. Then, with a slightly trembling hand, the blacksmith cautiously ignited their torch and the builder's.

All of them had a serious look on their face as they stealthily made their way to the right of the cave. Nevertheless, their footsteps were louder than before since there wasn't grass muffling them. They weren't walking in a straight line, but know that Red was in front, followed by Quake, Alex, Tango, Ning, and Arrow. As the mason was about to enter the rightmost opening, the magenta zombie grunted twice. Heads whipped around, and grips on weapons tightened.

"Speed . . . running," he sleep talked in a hoarse voice.

This was promptly dismissed as the six swiftly moved forward. As the minutes passed, the cavern alternated between expanding and contracting, although there was always more than enough wiggle room. Sometimes they had more in a certain direction, but they were often surrounded by it on all sides. This meant there were a few smaller caverns along the way, and these areas especially had pickaxe marks on their walls. There were piles of rocks near the places where frequent mining had occurred, which included passageways that were widened with pickaxes.

In addition, those tools were used to leave cracks in the walls where torches could be wedged inside. Red sometimes lit these up, thus easing the tense situation by lessening the darkness. Not only that, but they got to see the art people had made in the more spacious areas. There was a cavern that had a floating island with a tree painted on one wall and two swordfighters atop floating islands on another. Both were black and simplistic due to the inherent difficulty of creating such paintings, although they were a little fun to look at.

In another part of the cave, there was a sizable sculpture of a cube. It possessed various engravings, including drawings and a title in the center that read "The Stone Block." The last cavern they went into before reaching their destination had miniature buildings created with rocks and green slime alongside the phrase "Build Battle" written on the wall in big letters. Additionally, there was a subtitle scrawled underneath it that said "Team Pink Sheep vs. Team Lightning Pig! Judged By Captain Spleef." Despite their trip being as long as predicted, the scenery comforted if not amused them.

Soon enough, Red knew the gang had reached Notch Cavern. It seemingly got its name from the fact that its entrance was a hole in the wall. That stone surface had an engraving on it that declared "Time to Mine!"

"Hope y'all liked looking at the Studios. I know we've been pretty quiet this whole time, but I just gotta tell y'all that I'm feelin' optimistic," Tango uttered.

They said this quietly, and the conversation continued to be at a low volume.

"Same. Even if things get intense, let's remember that we're prepared and all of us can make it out," Arrow replied.

Quake took a deep breath as they nodded. Ning and Red showcased their appreciation through relaxed facial expressions, while Tango and Alex smiled a bit.

"Thank you kindly, Steve. I needed to hear that," the butcher confessed.

"Guess you could say you would've 'quaked' in fear otherwise," Tango teased as they elbowed the meat merchant. "Just playin'."

Quake's facial expression turned neutral, although they didn't seem upset. Not even when their spouse chuckled.

"Ha ha. Y'know, I can't believe y'all spend so much time goofing off down here."

The weaponsmith playfully placed their hands on their hips.

"A good cave game or two helps ya get in the right mindset. Or, rather, the right 'mine-set', heh."

Red nodded, and Arrow smiled. Outside of that, Tango's lightheartedness didn't receive much of a positive response in this instance, but considering the imminent danger, this wasn't surprising.

"Mining is an art and a craft," Red quietly added.

Besides the volume of their voice, their low interest was also reflected by the fact that they were looking toward Notch Cavern. Orange light partially illuminated the area past the passageway. A slight grin spread across Tango's face before they commented.

"If it was up to me, I'd give the work we do down 'ere a less dull-soundin' name."

Arrow and Red both smiled.

"Heh. Well, we can talk more about your thoughts on the 'mine-craft' later, Tango. The longer we wait, the more time we have to second-guess ourselves," Arrow affirmed.

A nervous chuckle escaped the blacksmith's mouth. Ning and Alex gave the lad smiles wider than the ones Tango had received.

"Sorry, y'all, I was stallin'. I'm hopeful, but I needed to hear y'all's thoughts. I mean, the iron golem might've killed everythin' around it, but I don't know."

The woman motioned at Arrow. Seconds later, she proceeded to gesture toward Red and Quake.

"Like . . . Steve said, we're better together. I know two of you are parents, and I have so much respect and concern for you. However, down here, all of our contributions and thus all of our lives are equally valuable."

"Well said," Ning affirmed.

The builder smirked as they pulled the map out of their pocket. They handed the other torch to Tango.

"Let's get ourselves a golem, then."

Chapter Text

Although the cavern was spacious, it was clear where they had to go. The horizontal mineshaft they were exploring, which looped around a magma chamber, led into an opening. Regarding the volcanic fluid, which smelled like hot stone, safety wasn't a concern. Even if a poor soul were to trip somehow and fall, it would've taken a couple of seconds to reach that fiery lake, which engulfed the warm space in a dim, orange glow.

"That hot stuff over there is why us miners never dig straight down. Luckily, it ain't like we gotta go near it, much less do parkour to get across," Tango explained with a chuckle.

"That one time you played 'The Floor is Lava' in the Infinity Mine to get diamonds was crazy," Red commented.

"Diamonds!" Tango echoed with a giddy facial expression as they spread their arms apart.

Chuckling ensued among the others. Anyway, other factors aiding in their welfare were the size of their walkway and the wooden supports surrounding them. Each consisted of a pillar on the wall to their right, a beam against the ceiling, and another pillar to their left. If they wished, they could've grasped one of those last columns for reassurance and examined the bottom of Notch Cavern. Unsurprisingly, the group concentrated more on not tripping over the rails beneath, which were assuredly used for minecarts transporting ores or silly miners.

Speaking of mining, this wall also had pickaxe marks. Torches had been embedded in it as well, which definitely would've been useful despite the natural illumination.

"Gotta say, it's a little too safe down 'ere. We might could drop our weapons and be perfectly fine," Tango said.

Compared to when the six had entered the cave system, they looked more relaxed. Both in terms of their faces and how they moved around. Also, from front to back, the order they stood in was about the same: Red, Quake, Alex, Tango, Ning, and Arrow. Actually, it'd be best to begin calling him "Steve" again, seeing as his duplicate was elsewhere and had assumed a new identity.

"Yeah, I'm suspicious," Ning uttered.

This response and the others that followed would be spoken at a low volume.

"I am as well," Alex affirmed as she lightly pressed her curled index finger against her chin. "I reckon the undead were taken out for the raid. I don't imagine Jeb is gone, though, seeing as it's loyal to the villagers and distrustful of anything else."

The others in the group seemed to think her speculation made sense. Know that they were approaching the point where the ledge turned to the left. Their footsteps occasionally got a little quieter whenever they walked on the planks used to cover up the areas where ores had been extracted from the floor.

"What about the zombies at the entrance?" the lad inquired.

"Good question. Maybe it's because Jean has a soft spot for small animals, like bats, so she avoided waking them up."

On the topic of sleeping, that was the moment when a male zombie groaned as he sat up in the nearby minecart. His wrinkled mouth suggested that he was middle-aged, but his physique was still fit. This individual wore a greenish-gray ringer T-shirt alongside a dark-brown fedora, vest, and pants with a belt. The party of six tensed up. Steve grasped a potion of weakness in his satchel.

The weaponsmith firmly gripped their torches. Quake, Alex, and Ning raised their swords.

"Hmm!" Red grunted as they thrust their right foot into the wagon.

Aggravation compelled the wild man to clench his fists and launch his arms into the air.

"Chicken!" the brute taunted hoarsely as he got sent down the rail.

The gang lowered their guard, although they weren't as relaxed as before.

"The first one," Steve muttered.

"Yeah, and I was just a spectator durin' the whole thing," Tango uttered prior to changing their tone. "Still, you kicked the cocoa beans out of that guy, Red!"

In response, the mason chuckled. They also returned the smile that their spouse was giving them. Alex also had a positive look on her face.

"It was nothin'. You and I have both ridden the Lava Lake Loop a few times, so the idea quickly came to me. Maybe that does make me a chicken."

"Nope. Great instincts," the redhead complimented before stepping forward and swiveling around. "Y'all, because that zombie might awaken any undead in the cave, we ought to be especially alert."

"For sure," Steve agreed.

The lad excused himself as he went in front of the group.

"I know I said I should stay in the back, but since this area has more lighting, I have an idea. I could try luring the zombies and then splashing some potions on them to make y'all's work easier."

Mild surprise cascaded across the others' faces, causing them to look at the man with expanded eyes.

"Bless your heart, but do you really wanna go over yonder all by yourself?" Quake asked.

Alex glanced and nodded. The way she spoke would reflect the way the gang felt.

"Your bravery is . . . rad," she commented, clearly trying to come across as friendly through her tone and body language. "But that's excessively dangerous."

He shrugged, exuding a level of nonchalance that would seem careless to some.

"Didn't Jean basically say I can't die? Might as well test that out before the raid."

Ning crossed their arms. Alex nervously chuckled.

"Steve, I don' know how much I trust Jean's magic. But if you really wanna do this, I won' stop you," the witch said.

"I'll stay behind you. And, of course, the others will be a decently short distance away," the redhead insisted.

Judging from their facial expressions, the others agreed with her. For example, the ends of Steve's lips had spread apart.

"Of course."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Steve walked ahead. Alex trailed behind a little while the remaining four were about a dozen steps away. Caution influenced how often they looked around and how they carried their tools. After the lad approached the path's second curve, thus placing him in front of the entrance to another section of Notch Cavern, he stopped. A family of zombies stood in the passageway.

Besides the aforementioned older guy, there was also a woman wearing a short-sleeved shirt, trousers, and fingerless gloves that all had a dark, olive-brown hue. Their children were seemingly the three individuals standing near them. One was a male who wore an inky-blue shirt over a cloud-colored long-sleeve shirt alongside fingerless gloves and a tool belt. Another was a girl wearing a blue skirt and a red blouse with a belt encircling it that had a big yellow buckle. Finally, a lad wearing green pants alongside a brown, unbuttoned hoodie over a white tee stood among his siblings.

"Punch them, would ya?!" the zombified father cried as he shakily pointed in Steve's general direction.

His plague-ridden kids proceeded to charge at Steve from a few dozen steps away. Unsurprisingly, they were relatively swift, but having to battle young targets made Steve hesitate. Quake apparently felt the same, seeing as they gasped. Red released a quiet groan, Alex sighed, and the other two looked uncomfortable.

"We don't want to hurt your family, but we will defend ourselves!" the man declared.

This determination was echoed by the visible confidence among the testificates.

"Too bad!" the middle-aged savage barked.

A dark-gray potion of weakness flew toward the inky-blue brute. Followed by bluish-gray potions of slowness racing to splash the one in green pants and the girl. All of those elixirs bestowed faint auras with the same hue as the beverage. The inky-blue individual attempted to pounce on Steve, but he easily dodged by jumping back. That zombie grunted as he face-planted on the ground and half-heartedly tried to grab Steve's ankles.

The lad stepped back and sliced the air in front of him with his pickaxe to intimidate the undead. Alex moved forward to stand by his side.

"We just need to retrieve something!" she exclaimed with her sword in a defensive position.

"What?!" the zombified mom questioned.

The remaining two children tried pouncing on the uninfected humans. Steve thrust the long side of his pickaxe forward as he slid back, thus blocking the harasser in green pants. Alex did something similar to protect herself from the girl. Like their brother, these kids failed to get a hold of Steve or Alex.

"That metal . . . monster who wants to hurt you!" Steve answered.

The undead father's facial expression relaxed a little, but he still looked frustrated. The same thing could be said about the mother.

"Hurry, or get hurt! By me!" the dad yelled.

"C'mere, babies!" the mom ordered as she made hand gestures.

Just like that, their children slowly and grumpily retreated. Which included glaring at Steve and Alex before they spun around. Sighs left the duo's lips as the testificates approached them. To avoid alerting the brutes, their movements were apprehensive.

"Y'all, once this is over, I'm doing everything I can to make sure your bravery is the talk of the town. Heck, the talk of the wandering traders too!" Red promised.

Tango nodded with a small grin. Ning was smiling as well, but only Quake would say something.

"Villager news has been pretty hopeless as of late. Bless y'all's hearts for inspiring us."

Steve smiled and redirected his eye contact from Quake to the group overall. His gratitude was expressed a little quietly but was definitely audible. His partner, however, lightheartedly raised her sword as a determined look appeared on her face.

"We're the element of surprise that y'all have been searching for."

The other five smiled to varying extents. Ning's was the least noticeable, while Quake's was the biggest. After this pleasant moment, these adventurers made their way into the rest of the cavern. The undead family sat against the wall, and their glares encouraged the group to be as close to each other as they could. Once the cavern turned to the right and the gang couldn't see the savages anymore, they separated and loosened their grips on their weapons.

This section of the cave was like the beginning of their descent, partly because it was cooler. It also alternated between widening and shrinking, and there were piles of rocks near the spots where mining had occurred. Pickaxes had been utilized to leave cracks in the walls for torches to be slid inside. Tango set these alight as the party of six traversed downward.

"By the way, y'all, there's gonna be dripstone spikes above us soon. But we should be safe," the blacksmith assured.

Alex looked in their direction with a calm look on her face.

"Are there any precautions we should take? Especially if it means avoiding a chain reaction of falling spikes?"

They nodded as their eyes met. The others were looking at the dim remainder of the cave.

"Just don't hit 'em. Otherwise, the death message we'll put on your gravestone will be 'Alex was skewered'."

Alex, Red, and Ning all briefly chuckled at that. Shortly afterward, they reached the point where the cavern came to one of its ends. Dull-brown stalactites hung on the ceiling like thick icicles. Over time, the water droplets that fell from their tips had accumulated into a pool, which seemed to be barely walkable at its center. This pond was a few dozen steps away from the adventurers.

On the wall directly across from the entrance, someone had scrawled the phrase "Splash!" with yellow dye. More importantly, there were four lime-green blobs in the pool, all of which gave off an earthy scent and appeared alive. One was under two feet tall and wide. Another was just over three feet in terms of height and width. What was truly intimidating were the two slimes that were about seven feet long and across.

One of them had even absorbed the testificate-esque iron golem, which was nearly nine feet but appeared shorter since it was sitting. Its eyes had thin, dark-crimson scleras surrounding its irises and pupils that barely reacted to the presence of the explorers. Also, all of the mucousy mounds had an outer, transparent layer of ooze. Those were attached to translucent bodies with small, toothless mouths and beady peepers. The only other organs these abnormalities had existed behind the eyes.

Their size made the peepers look bigger and suggested that these organs did more than contribute to sight. Perhaps those things were analogous to brains.

"Uh . . . I did tell y'all slimes might be down 'ere, right? I ain't a foolish blockhead?" Tango uttered as the slimes started floating toward the shore.

"You're fine, I get that no one's been down here to prevent something like this. I'll be the bait again," Steve asserted.

Alex raised her eyebrows as she grasped his shoulder. She stood to his left, while Tango was to the right.

"Steve, slimes hop. Jeb must've unknowingly prevented damage by walking into the water, but we need an actual plan," she explained somewhat hastily.

Excluding the creature being weighed down by Jeb, the others had reached the cave floor. These critters squelched as they moved and were just several steps away from the party of six. What especially sucked was that more size meant more speed. The large slime neared the point where its jumps would begin damaging the stalactites above, even if that meant it would hurt itself in the process. Seeing as it lacked the body parts needed for hunting, this behavior was probably a threat display to ward off the trespassers.

"Jelly doesn't scare me. Besides, we can't risk a chain reaction," Steve half-jokingly insisted as he plopped his satchel onto the ground and rushed to the slime.

Alex and Quake both gasped as the others stared at Steve. The tip of his pickaxe was aimed at the giant glob of goo as he leaped toward it. His target was the right side of the monster's body, which he managed to slash through without much difficulty. Still, dragging it through the ooze and having to kick the miniature slime slowed him down. Upon killing it, the lad absorbed an experience orb that alternated between light lime green and yellow.

However, it didn't affect him outside of the entry point feeling warm for a moment. Anyway, although he achieved what he set out to do and turned one of the things into a lifeless puddle, the medium-sized slime had enough time to get in front of Steve.

"Cool beans," Alex muttered as she propelled herself forward.

"Oh, heavens," Quake said as they and the other testificates sprinted ahead.

The others coming forward was mostly a good thing, but it also meant that the lad couldn't move in their direction to escape. Thus, he dashed to the left and went into the water. Doing so placed him closer to the other huge blob, half of which was submerged underwater and sitting on the pond floor. Meanwhile, Alex plunged her sword deep into the left side of the slime that Steve had sliced, which caused a flame to sprout from the wound, thus melting the goo. Nevertheless, it kept trying to turn and move toward the woman.

Alex and Tango rotated around the slime as she passed the blade to the weaponsmith. Alex took one of the torches from their hand as this happened, and not a single word had been said during this exchange. With a grin, Tango stabbed the slime at another point of its body, and then another. As for the others, Ning and Quake used a similar method to handle the medium-sized monster as Red stood nearby.

"Join the fun," Tango encouraged as they passed the other torch they had to Red, who had placed their map in a pocket.

The builder chuckled as they thrust their new tool at the slime.

"Thank you kindly," they replied.

As strangely wholesome as this was, Steve was having a relatively rough time. He had been striking the massive, mucousy mound with his pickaxe while also keeping his distance. Unfortunately, his pickaxe just didn't penetrate deep enough to potentially free the iron golem. It also didn't help that his legs were almost completely submerged. Steve decided the best course of action would be to feed the beast a few knuckle sandwiches from within.

Determination radiated from his furrowed brows and slightly labored breathing. The man placed a hand over his nose and mouth and pulled his shirt over his ears before sticking his pickaxe hand into the protective goo. The slime's mouth expanded with ease, as if there was no limit to how big the gaping maw could get. Once his upper arm was inside the interior, the weak digestive acid started irritating his skin. It was also easier to move his arm in this fluid, but he knew he'd have to go deeper to have a shot at freeing Jeb.

Thus, as soon as his entire thumb entered the mouth, he inhaled deeply and forced the rest of his body inside as well. His vision was severely limited because of the eye-watering fluid and the placement of his shirt, but now he could properly attack the mucousy mound from within. For as long as he had oxygen in his muscles, anyway. His first target was the two saclike structures behind the peepers, and four experience orbs manifested in the creature's center after Steve struck them. Additionally, this area immediately caved inward, and the body would keep collapsing into itself as Steve sliced other points of the interior.

The jiggling caused small splashes in the water that alerted the rest of the group.

"Steve!" Alex and Ning cried upon noticing what had happened.

He gave a thumbs-up as he continued striking, which included briefly exhaling during each hit. The iron golem even swam around and punched the wounds upon hearing the testificate's yelling. The mostly intact goo restricted leakage, although the same obviously couldn't be said for the slimes that the group had set on fire or stabbed. The large one had split itself into a pair of medium-sized slimes, while the medium one became two miniature critters. All of them retreated into the water, but they were still visible and looking at the group.

Soon enough, the mucousy mound deflated enough that the blob was just a gooey puddle floating in the pool. Jeb broke out with ease using one of Steve's rips. However, the man had been knocked into a cramped area that he hadn't previously cut into. A strong, earthy odor invaded his nostrils. Fatigue and low oxygen supply severely hampered any kicks or stabs as he unsuccessfully struggled to save himself.

Furthermore, the dead monster imprisoning him was slowly sinking. Water flooded the slimy sac through the same scars Steve made to kill it. Alex and the others dropped their tools and bolted toward the man.

"Help him, Jeb!" the lady cried with watery eyes.

The mouthless, muscular machine just stood in the pond. Everyone else got slowed down by the water. Pushing the slimes aside also took time. Distraught facial expressions intensified as Steve's splashing grew quieter. Panicked hearts collided with rib cages.

"Please!" Quake and Ning added as they mimicked the desired action.

Jeb finally gazed at the gooey chamber trapping its rescuer. It had sunk even deeper into the pool. And Steve was nowhere to be seen. Just his pickaxe and seven experience orbs. The iron golem shrugged as it effortlessly ripped open the deceased beast.

The squelching noise this created, paired with the group's splashing, prevented the others from hearing Steve's gasp. He now stood in the same place he had been before he placed down his satchel. His facial expression, however, reflected the distress anyone would feel upon unexpectedly escaping a miserable demise. What happened was completely intentional, but respawning still felt deeply unnatural. He stared at his allies as they anxiously tried to find his body.

How was he supposed to tell them he wasn't dead?

"Uh," he muttered. "Hey, everything okay?!"

His low-effort wave contrasted with their disturbed yet somewhat relieved facial expressions. As if to showcase that he wasn't a figment of their imaginations, he moved toward them.

"You died!" Alex exclaimed in a tone that conveyed anguish and frustration.

Her eyebrows were lowered, and her eyes had reddened. While she had cried, it seemed like she had shed more angry tears than sad ones. The same could be stated for Ning, but their emotional reaction had been less intense. Steve stammered an apology, and he started speed-walking in the pond. Without a second thought, he pushed the slimes aside as his friends got closer to him.

It wasn't long until everyone got close enough for a group hug. Experience orbs flew into Steve, but these adventurers were too busy appreciating the moment to notice. In order from front to back, Steve, Alex, Tango, Ning, Red, Quake, and Jeb got outside without any hassle. During their journey back to the settlement, they reminisced over recent events and older tales involving monsters. Jeb answered questions by nodding or shaking its head, atop which sat short, metallic hair like Steve's.

Through this tactic, the gang now knew that those missing zombies had been recently taken out of the Gadget Caves. Greener had apparently told the iron golem to sit inside the giant slime. However, Jeb was unaware of any plans surrounding its usage. Thus, the discussion shifted to what could be done to stop the evening raid. Despite everything that happened, it was still morning, and Alex knew how much time the Coven needed to prepare.

"Can't believe we'll be makin' actual diamond armor. Steve, with the armorer's help, we're gonna be a dream team. You're gonna love Pewpie and their dog, Dinnerbone," Tango promised with a chuckle as the moist adventurers went inside the blacksmith's house.

Jeb waited outside, which allowed the other villagers to gaze upon the iron golem. No one approached it, though, partly because of the earthy smell that hadn't yet completely faded away. Anyway, Steve plopped his satchel onto the floor near Alex's forest map and the big, red book he had previously placed there. Tango took his pickaxe and leaned it against the wall, and the same would be done for the iron sword and the other weapons. Regarding the map and the torches, Red placed the former atop the bag, while the latter had already been discarded.

Once the testificates weren't holding anything, they crossed their arms. Evidently, this habit was ingrained in their culture.

"Mhm," Steve affirmed.

Tango had enough coal and know-how to help create a custom suit for Steve. Those rocks would be converted into their more durable counterparts through potions of strength, as Ning had previously mentioned.

"We should eat a little shortly before the brawl," Alex proposed. "Specifically 'a little' to avoid any queasiness and ensure there's more than enough for rations just in case."

Steve's stomach rumbled quietly. This noise made Tango and Red chuckle.

"Sounds like Steve's gonna need more than 'a little'," the weaponsmith joked.

Red nodded before looking in the lady's direction.

"What you said was mighty thoughtful, but us villagers will be okay. All you should be worried about is having enough stomach for all those potions you'll need," Red replied.

Alex blushed a little. Due to her skin tone, her cheeks became purplish.

"Sorry, I got accustomed to the Coveners not needing to eat much. Considering all the potions of leaping and slow falling I'll drink, Steve can have my food."

Those elixirs were just two examples of what Ning and hopefully Vas would contribute to the fight. The potions were mainly meant for Alex so that she could hop across roofs with a bow. This bird's-eye view would help her and the other two safely provide aid or cause harm, whether that be through archery, helpful potions, or harmful ones. Speaking of eyes, the others gave her a somewhat concerned look as she made her proposal. It was particularly noticeable in Red and Quake.

Steve even felt the need to rotate his body despite being relatively close. She sighed before looking at the lad.

"Alternatively, I could cure myself to become normal again. Greener already said I was 'never really a Covener', and I need to be as battle-ready as I can be."

Her fellow human smiled and gave a thumbs-up. The others in the L-shaped room also appeared more relaxed, especially Ning. A bit of smugness radiated from their smirk.

"That's right, you don' need to prove nothin' to 'em. Screw Greener's feelin's," the witch teased.

Tango and Red chuckled while Quake suppressed a laugh. As for the two humans, both of them grinned slightly, but Steve's eyebrows made him seem upbeat, while Alex's conveyed relief.

Chapter Text

Fetching anything from Ning's hut would be tricky, largely because of the undead presence in Dwarf Forest. As for Ender, Steve recalled how liquids interfered with his energy body and suggested they walk along the shore with glass water bottles. A major risk still existed, but since the other ingredients and potion bottles were already in there, they would've had to head over anyway. Having extra hands to help transport the items would accelerate their progress, but it would also increase the likelihood of being heard or spotted. On the topic of speed, it'd be best to provide a montage of what the heroes did to prepare the settlement for the raid.

In the morning, Steve, Tango, and Red stayed behind to create a framework for their speech and battle plan. The remaining three safely traveled to and from the swamp using Trix's map, and they also brought the cleaned diamond swords alongside a bunch of bottles, creeper leaves, and gunpowder in the satchel. Alex sat at a table in the upper-right corner of the house as Steve firmly gripped her hand, Ning administered the injection, and the others stood nearby. As she regained her fair skin tone and healthy physique within a minute, she mentioned that it felt like an itchiness and a pleasant warmth enveloping her body. Alex also revealed that she wasn't emotionally bothered, which was only somewhat unexpected in her eyes.

"This is lovely! I can feel each fiber of my being as it comes alive. It's like I'm being reborn," Alex gushed.

In the late morning, after the six had brainstormed their strategy, they rang the bell attached to the fountain. Situated at the center of town, the villagers stood in the shade provided by the gray religious tower. Steve and Tango were the primary speakers, while the remaining four occasionally chimed in. Everyone in Rubyham had the ability to contribute to the cause, and after taking inventory, they teamed up to chop meat and create woolen decoys alongside cobblestone or wooden barricades. The apron-wearing leatherworker and armorer had already been collaborating, but Pewpie eagerly helped make Steve's diamond armor with Ning's insights.

"Creativity is key to our survival. We aren't relying on brute force like they are, which means we can outsmart them," Steve affirmed.

In the early afternoon, three lingering potions were brewed in Vas's home, and it was decided how they would be utilized to maximize dezombification. Each one was capable of curing over a dozen zombies, although the clouds they produced dissipated within a few minutes. Luckily, the aforementioned baits, decoys, and barricades would be used to redirect the undead toward certain zones. These got placed near the two-story buildings: the butcher shop, the library, and the tower. Testificates dressed in leather protective wear could safely bait their harassers from their wooden rooftops.

"These monsters are gonna get schooled!" Lio teased, to the amusement of their parents.

Red and Quake took the "Fire Aspect" blade as a parting gift once Tango started teaching Steve about sword fighting. As the evening drew closer, most animals were secured indoors as Jeb helped the villagers relocate to the rooftops. In some of their hands were pieces of raw beef, pork, mutton, or fish for throwable bait. All of the humanoids were positioned as close to the front as they could be so that the savages concentrated on precise areas. On top of the deterrents they had for the bullies, some cats were roaming around, as Ning believed the creepers were partly composed of catnip.

Fortunately, the testificates weren't nearly as defenseless since they wore leather coverings and wielded stone and iron tools like hoes, shovels, and pickaxes. There were even a couple of swords, axes, and rectangular wooden shields, yet only a handful of glass water bottles to repel Ender. Similarly, at the back of the blacksmith's house, Steve sat in his diamond armor. Its design was the same as its leather counterparts: sleeveless with a helmet that covered the forehead and nasal bridge. Ning's diamond swords leaned against a wall, taking the place of the items previously laid there.

Both of those blades had been enchanted and thus possessed a purple shimmer. One had been imbued with Knockback, while the other had Unbreaking, which restored the blade to its unchipped state.

"We've done what we could. How do we feel about the raid now?" Tango asked, clad in iron armor.

The weaponsmith leaned forward as they sat on their red bed, which was several steps away from the table. In this segment of the house, there was actually enough space for another bed, which made the single one that Tango had seem small. Alex sat in a chair, looking composed in her chainmail armor. Conversely, Ning was pacing back and forth in front of the two chests that leaned against the wall.

"Honestly, a nap beforehand wouldn't hurt," Steve admitted half-jokingly as he rested his head on his palm.

Tango laughed, and Alex briefly chuckled. However, the witch spun around with widened eyes.

"A nap?! There are monsters nearby!" they exclaimed as they sliced the air with their hands.

He shrugged with a slight smirk. In fairness, he'd spent last night wide-awake, wandering around in a zombified form. Luck had been on his side in the sense that his feral self had never visited Rubyham, thus giving him a negative reputation. Anyway, Alex reacted to Ning's surprise with a nod. As she responded, she'd rotate toward her fellow human.

"You may not rest now. But since eating that delicious fish didn't do the trick, drinking the rest of the life-energy potion should help."

Tango shot up, and so did their unibrow. Using the fingers on their right hand, they gestured at Alex.

"A mighty fine idea, Alex! That stuff plus Steve's diamond armor is an overpowered combo!"

She expressed gratitude prior to pushing the wooden flask on the table toward Steve. He grabbed and hesitantly drank it, tasting room-temperature water, plants, and minerals as he did so. A weak golden aura manifested around him as a cozy sensation engulfed his body. Figurative and literal energy coursed through him, as indicated by his tiny grin. Tango clapped while the other two gave Steve a supportive look.

"You look super-duper!" Tango insisted, having excitedly balled up their hands into fists. "Ooh, Steve, imagine if your helmet was a crown, now that'd really be somethin'."

While Steve looked the same for the most part, his skin and hair now possessed a healthy shine. Furthermore, his sitting posture conveyed that he'd been invigorated. Scratch that, he had already started standing.

"Heheh, you're too kind, Tango. I do feel powerful, but I can't let that go to my head. I wanna test this out," he replied.

Alex stood up as well.

"Your energy and regeneration should be much better. You could . . . punch a tree or even a rock and be perfectly fine, minus the initial pain," Alex informed.

Steve stroked his goatee as he gazed at his diamond sword. The blades were on the other side of the house, meaning they looked smaller from where he stood. He stroked his goatee as he assessed the situation.

"First off, thanks again for the sword-fighting lessons, Tango. But I have to be as self-reliant and humane as I can be. I'm already so capable, and I can't know my full potential if I only use my sword."

He emphasized the word "only" to convey he was still interested in using the weapon. His eyes focused on Tango before shifting to Alex. The former nodded with crossed arms, while the latter didn't maintain eye contact but had a neutral facial expression. As she gave her input, she raised a finger to signify that she was thinking.

"I can respect that . . . and I don't want to sound condescending, but Steve, we're dealing with a mob of zombies alongside other threats. Overkill is ideal, even if we'd prefer nonviolence."

Of course, curing a horde of zombies came with the secondary issue of what to do with the disinfected humans. Fortunately, they had decided to take them to an abandoned village named "Tubertown." The same one that Solace, the village artist, had deserted a few weeks ago.

"Yeah," Ning chimed in, sharing the redhead's apprehensive vibe.

Steve maintained eye contact as he cautiously walked backward. Of course, he was making his way toward the door, although he wasn't moving at much of an angle.

"Mobs, Alex," he nonchalantly corrected. "There are passionate groups on both sides. Difference is, ours are putting their brains to good use."

The other three in the room smiled to varying extents. Outside, the sun had already begun to set. What would usually mean temperate weather and a rosy sky had become an omen that signified an imminent disaster of unknown proportions.

"I'll be in the woods. Shouldn't take too long, but worst-case, y'all know what to do without me."

As he made his way toward Dwarf Forest, he saw the brown, woolen villagers leaning against the buildings and caught whiffs of the zombie bait. Testificates young and old gleefully greeted or waved at him from the rooftops. They didn't question why he was heading to the woodland, seemingly because they assumed he did so out of noble bravery. Which wasn't entirely wrong. Anyway, once he walked past Jeb, who was stationed in front of Rubyham, it wasn't long until he could no longer be seen by the residents.

Steve began punching an oak with varying amounts of force. He winced at first but rapidly developed a tolerance as the cracks in the bark and wood filled him with amusement. Unsurprisingly, although he was aware of his surroundings and close to the forest edge, his noise was still attention-grabbing. It wasn't long before Ender walked over, although the poof that Steve heard in the distance clarified that he'd been teleported closer. Oddly enough, he wore Jean's yellow cloak, his eyes were light-lime-green, and his aura had been replaced by dark wisps that emanated from him like smoke.

On the topic of his garment, he had the hood up, and it barely went past his small torso. It's also worth mentioning the wrinkled testificate who stood next to him. This individual resembled Ning but had an orangish nose that went past their chin and possessed a wart. Despite how slim their face and body were, their monobrow didn't have a single gray hair. Additionally, although their fashion sense was otherwise similar to the villagers, they were donned in relatively flashy attire.

They had a deep-purple robe with green trim that complemented the emerald embedded in the center of their witch hat. This accessory's pointed top had tilted back a little due to age. It's also worth mentioning that the hat's gemstone had a magical glow, the color of which was like experience orbs.

"This raid isn't some April Fools' joke, Steve. I hope you realize how serious we are," Ender flatly remarked, as if he were an adult disciplining a disobedient child.

That tone didn't shake Steve's confidence. His eyes had expanded a tad when he heard and saw Ender, but the vibe he gave off was one of curiosity. Speaking of what he could see, there were no zombies in the distance. Nor were there any sounds indicating their presence.

"Earlier, I was too busy providing transportation and storage space to monitor this area. But for the past several hours, I've been keeping my eyes on you. I could've ruined your plan at any point during that time."

Glowing, green eyes temporarily appeared at various points in the distance once Ender said that second part. None of which had auras like what their creator currently had. Steve shrugged, but his facial expression hadn't changed.

"Too much intervention would've been out of character. I'm guessing this new version of you is a recent change," he pointed out as he gestured in his direction. "Plus, you must've been spying on us from afar, considering that noise you make when you teleport."

The older witch who stood next to Ender cackled a little and rapidly stamped their feet. Sticks snapped beneath their ankle boots. It's also worth mentioning that their arms had been crossed this entire time. At the same time, Ender had broken eye contact and started stroking his furry chin. That started once Steve stated his first sentence.

"This youngin ain' scared of you yet. Gotta fix that," they insisted in a shrill voice as they looked up at him.

Without moving his head to acknowledge the person who had spoken, Ender grimaced. He then gestured at the dark wisps surrounding him.

"This is Void fog. Because I'm using the same amount of energy I'm absorbing, my speed has increased and I can phase through objects," he asserted as he pressed his arms against his chest. "You don't realize what you're up against. We have potions. Explosives. A relentless army. We can do melee and ranged combat. A bunch of weak simpletons who fear nightfall don't stand a semblance of a chance! Ask any Jerry or Harry, and they'd tell you to just give up!"

He wasn't just gloating. The disbelief sprawled across the otherworldly being's face reminded him of his reaction when Steve refused to stay in the End. This similarity didn't strengthen his argument. Still, the man had to admit that Ender was actually making logical sense relative to his previous attempts at persuasion.

"Fair point, Ender," Steve admitted as he slowed his breathing. "Although, speaking of teleportation, the fact that no portals have opened up makes me think you got weaker—maybe because of burnout. Also, I don't get why you're wearing Jean's cloak."

Seeing as fur covered Ender's body, it was fair to assume that he either had the cloak on to stand out or to make use of its hood. Which he was currently doing. After Steve shared his observations, the older witch cackled and stomped once again. The sound itself didn't reassure him per se, but the implication behind it did.

"Be quiet, Snake!" Ender commanded as he speedily twisted his head toward the other nonhuman.

Snake obliged with a smug smirk. Ender's focus swiftly shifted back to Steve.

"Sacrifices have to be made. You don't get that because you think emotions are just a crutch. You don't see the benefit of taking advantage of what comes easily, even if a few people get hurt along the way. Once you fail to get whatever it is you personally want and watch everyone die, know that it's all because your pointless personal philosophy gave them more hope than they ever should've had!"

Steve continued to regulate his breathing. It was more audible now, and while his facial expression was still stoic, he had clenched his hands.

"Learning. That's what I've wanted myself and others to 'get' out of this, and we have. Learning lets us grow past the need to do what's easy, but that means you have to manage your feelings. So far, you've refused to do this. You've chosen to indulge them, make excuses, and give them credit for things they mostly aren't responsible for."

After a moment of unforgettable silence, Steve spun around, at which point Ender grunted and lunged toward him. While those two were busy in the forest, Alex and Tango had ignited torches everywhere except the curing zones. Now, they stood outside near the village bell, and Tango held both diamond swords. Twilight had come, which meant the sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky was a blend of orange, dark blue, and purple. Everyone had tried to mentally prepare themselves for what was to come.

Steve had never encouraged them to act fearlessly, which would've been unrealistic. Regardless, he had insisted that they could keep their composure outwardly. Alex was able to do this as she self-assuredly held her shimmering, wooden bow, which had received an enchantment dubbed 'Infinity.' This meant she could shoot endless arrows, although this magic only applied to standard projectiles. On her back, she had a quiver mostly filled with tipped arrows of slowness and weakness created through Vas's collaboration with the fletchers.

Respectively, their arrowheads were bluish-gray and ash-colored, and the energy they absorbed had the same hues. Just one of the projectiles didn't have any special effect. Fortunately, once she did run out of tipped arrows, Ning and Vas still had elixirs to help her out. Like her, they had access to potions of leaping and slow falling, although they had fewer because of where they were stationed. Ning sat atop the library with a satchel filled with helpful elixirs, while Vas was atop the butcher shop with a satchel primarily filled with harmful ones.

The idea was that, if the savages could smell it, they'd be more attracted to the building filled with meat. Of course, all of the doors and most of the windows had been barricaded, but those barriers could be dismantled by hand or by Jeb's might. Not only was this more practical, but it also made it so that the cured zombies would have somewhere to take refuge.

"Look at the water! It's our hero!" Lio cried as they pointed at the stream.

That body of water was wide enough that it wasn't easy to discern who was approaching. However, it appeared to be Jean and the rest of the Coven riding on marine mounts. What was especially odd was that Steve appeared to be in front, but it obviously couldn't have been him. For one, this guy had been riding what appeared to be a sizable, undead nautilus: a squid-like creature with a big, spiral shell originating from the head.

"Brine River ain't got a single nautilus, so somethin' ain't right," the fisherman quickly thought aloud as they tipped back their straw hat. "Last time I seen one of 'em critters was over yonder at Jasper Dock."

This old individual wore the same brown robe as the others. They were among the one dozen villagers, two cats, and one rabbit atop the butcher shop. Since this building had a smaller, secondary roof for the first floor, it wasn't cramped per se. In fact, none of the rooftops were, seeing as Alex had to be able to jump on them.

"More like 'Junk' Dock. It doesn't feel good sayin' it, Nanners, but what they've done to those waters could make me pitch a hissy fit," Trix vented as the fisherman nodded.

Anyway, what's more important is that Lio was wrong. The man in front of the other nautilus riders was the dezombified Nameless One.

"Sound the alarm!" Red instructed, which Tango did.

The bell's ringing could be heard throughout the village. Jeb, the iron golem, responded by rotating around and making its way toward Tango. Although Steve had been momentarily concerned about the possibility of Ender teleporting the hulking menace away, this hypothetical got dismissed. Jeb was fearsome and relatively swift when it came to attacks.

"I've got a bad feelin' about this," Ning muttered.

During Alex's short stroll to the shore, she drank a spring-green potion of leaping and a warm-beige potion of slow falling. The first had a gamey taste, while the second was also savory but blander, as Ning's feathers had been used to brew it. She stuffed the glass bottles back into her pockets and would begin attracting wisps of greenish-beige energy that heated her up. Unsurprisingly, the Nameless One was the first to hop off of his nautilus's pale, moldy shell, which made a splashing noise as it retreated. The residents of Rubyham couldn't hear but would spectate the interaction that unfolded with wary eyes.

Luckily, the metallic bodyguard standing behind Alex and Tango allowed for some relief. So did the noise of running water.

"You look better," the lady sarcastically complimented the Nameless One.

The small smile that manifested on his face was not a friendly one. Rather, it existed to conceal bitterness that would soon receive vengeance.

"You need glasses. I'm going to enjoy watching your face rot away," he threatened in a possibly jokey way as his fingers curled inward and his hand thrust upward.

Alex did a similar facial expression, although what she felt wasn't as strong. In part because it felt weird being aggressive toward someone who looked and sounded so much like an ally. Minus the slight hoarseness and the fact that the Nameless One's voice didn't sound as smooth. On the other hand, Tango hadn't visibly reacted since they were inspecting the Coveners. They were no longer bluish, just gray, and they were skinny rather than underweight.

Not only that, but Jean now had a more reptilian appearance, which hadn't changed her eyes but did cause some hair loss. Black scales had dispersed themselves across her body, and she'd grown claws with the same color. Without her cloak, one could clearly see what she'd been wearing underneath: a fiery orange shirt with elbow-length sleeves and a blood-red vest. Furthermore, because she had less hair, one could see what sat in the pouch attached to her leather belt. It was a glowing emerald, much like the one fixed to Snake's hat but bigger.

"Whatever, White Eyes," Alex dismissed in an attempt to sound completely self-assured, which only intensified the necromancer's facial expression as he stepped aside for Jean.

Not even a second after, the horned sorceress and the other six Coveners got off their nautiluses with less confidence than their predecessor. Greener stood next to Jean, who stood next to the Nameless One. Greener's face had healed since their encounter with the brute in the End, but now scars remained. As if the healing elixir they used got restricted by the death energy in their system. Regarding Greener's colleagues, all of them possessed thick eyebrows, dark-gray teeth, and brown robes with rolled-up sleeves.

What differentiated those people from their leader was that the humanoid in front of them still wore green. Alex's face softened somewhat once she noticed this and the other lady's new appearance. Conversely, Tango didn't feel like looking at any of the testificates, and this feeling was mutual.

"Greener? Jean?" she questioned, not coming off as too concerned.

The first of those two individuals looked away, although they seemed more reluctant than resentful. They crossed their arms while holding a crossbow. As for the other five humanoid Coveners, they also had crossbows or axes but possessed more neutral expressions as they gazed at their former home.

"I n—never wanted to give up too much of my humanity, but I did this for the greater good," Jean explained with insistent hand gestures. "We found a dead bug with Void energy near the base, and after making some lingering potions, I experimented on myself to become stronger."

That was almost certainly the endermite that Steve had absent-mindedly killed when he teleported there.

"I hate to say it, but I'm starting to think that this is just what's been hiding under the surface," Alex critiqued as she gestured at Jean with her right hand.

The other woman crossed her arms and would eventually swivel her head to the right.

"What would you know about what goes on inside my head? And anyway, I have the pleasure of feeling as cool as a cucumber because I'm pursuing the greater good. Speaking of which."

The Nameless One chuckled as Alex's eyebrows lowered.

"What would you know about self-reliance?" she mumbled, causing Jean to press her claws against her palms before exhaling.

The necromancer's eyes glowed light-lime-green before his eyelids partly concealed their light. Facial muscles tightened in a way that conveyed mental strain but not anxiety. Despite this, many duplicates of Ender appeared and reappeared around Rubyham to drop off zombies. A lot of poofs could be heard as this happened, just as multiple jaw drops could be seen. The undead absorbed wisps of energy as red as hearts, suggesting that the Coven had successfully created potions of loyalty.

Which, combined with the fact that the necromancer had control over Ender's clones and the undead, was unsettling.

"Well, would you look at that? The universe is gracious," Jean thought aloud with a smile as more and more members got added to the army.

Well, deeply troubling for anyone besides the Coveners.

"This battle will be entertaining, even if it is pointless. Making the villagers hide on the roofs won't keep them safe for long," the Nameless One assured.

Chapter Text

Steve jetted out of the woods. He was able to reach his allies since none of the savages were moving yet. He had reddened skin on his cheekbones and the areas next to his eyes. Alex and Tango gave a solemn wave once Steve reached them, which he reciprocated.

"We believe in Steve!" Quake chanted with the others as they pumped their fists in the air.

What had been a one-person effort soon merged into a joyous roar from much of the village. Unsure how to reply, Steve grinned as he gave a thumbs-up. Still, it had to be stated that it would take a miracle to flawlessly handle a few dozen zombies alongside the three creepers, four spider jockeys, and two phantoms. The last of which were, as Alex described, "blue, bat-like creatures," although it's worth mentioning that they more so resembled manta rays with tattered wings. Which, combined with their partially visible spines and rib cages, made them a rather unnerving sight.

"Y—You said no phantoms! I don' care about attackin' from above, no one likes those flyin' rats!" Greener blurted as they pointed at the necromancer.

The Nameless One shrugged with a smirk.

"Rats are fat, phantoms aren't. And besides, no one voted on anything," he sassily corrected. "This is a democracy."

Funnily enough, the word "democracy" was pronounced as if he were barely familiar with the concept. Although, considering Alex previously mentioned he had been a ruler, perhaps that ignorance wasn't so comedic after all. Moving on, Jean placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"We've already changed their original plan. Greener and the others might rebel, or at least make us look bad."

A groan left the necromancer's mouth as joy evaporated from it. His facial muscles tightened as his eyes changed color, and the phantoms got sent away. Understandably, the villagers kept scanning their surroundings with watchful eyes. Some of them tried to maintain stoic expressions.

"No zombie camels, no killer bunnies, no fun at all. No more complaining for the next five minutes!"

During that volatile display, the skeletal archers nodded after their eyes glowed light-lime-green as well. Following the snap of a finger, the sounds of excited grunts and grass being stepped on by a stampede sped up heart rates as dozens of monsters rushed forward. Many of these brutes were recognizable. Another face Steve had become acquainted with was Snake's, who had been teleported to the front of the village. They relished in the apprehensive or terror-stricken faces and self-soothing body language of the villagers with crossed arms, seemingly waiting for a moment to step in.

On the flip side, Rubyham's defenders had already begun taking action. Largely because they were the most accessible targets, even if the pieces of meat and decoys around the settlement provided temporary distractions. Although those decoys were chiefly composed of the shepherds' dyed wool, Solace's artistic flair imbued them with enough life to make the end products relatively convincing. Especially because sticks got stuffed inside of them to provide structure and stability. Even so, Steve and the blacksmith were back to back as they fended off the attackers.

Nevertheless, they were able to make their way toward the town with Jeb's thrashing. Since they were behind the muscular machine, they could read an engraving on its lower back that read "Tinker's Construct."

"Do you like my swords? My diamond swords?!" Tango lightheartedly threatened the zombies as they nonlethally handled two blades.

Seeing as Tango had trained Steve, their precise yet playful flicks of the wrists didn't come as a surprise. Even so, it's important to remember that they were dueling unarmed combatants. Not only were these individuals already bruised, but they were receiving more wounds to add to their collections.

"Thanks, big guy," Tango praised after Jeb landed a hit that sent a wild man stumbling backward.

Coincidentally, that undead male was the same one who'd been sleep talking in the entrance to the Gadget Caves. Meanwhile, Alex had landed on a single-story roof. Finally, she was able to shoot arrows at the archers who dared target the villagers on the roofs. She had practiced jumping between rooftops earlier, but shooting a bow as she did so was entirely different. Granted, the redhead had already realized that she served as bait and that shooting skeletons in leather armor wouldn't be a very fruitful endeavor.

Even if they still took damage, and even if the villagers had a few shields, Alex couldn't help but frown a little. In Alex's eyes, she wasn't just jumping like a rabbit but fleeing like one too. Soon enough, she gained the willpower to make the most out of the situation by taunting the undead archers and thus slightly entertaining the villagers.

"Ay-oh, not today!"

"Doin' good like Robin Hood!"

"Nobody can take me down!"

Another upside to the situation was that the cats actually chased away the creepers. Who, understandably, scuttled away as fast as they could to avoid having their leaves eaten. The Coveners hadn't noticed, but the skeletal specimens pressed their teeth together as Ning snickered with the other villagers on their rooftop. This managed to catch Snake's attention despite the noises of the undead and projectiles penetrating the air. With a mischievous smile, they made their way toward the butcher shop.

Not a single savage bothered Snake, although the undead definitely harassed the villagers by surrounding the buildings. Shattering glass could be heard as Vas began throwing harmful elixirs at the brutes. Ning had been focusing on the brawlers to make sure they were doing okay. Unfortunately, this prevented them from noticing the ash-colored splash potion aimed at their chest until it was too late.

"Y'know, grankid, hidin' up there is pretty 'weak'!"

Snake cackled at their own joke as the villagers near Ning flinched. Besides the amoral aspect of what happened, the other oddity was how Snake did it. Void energy entered the emerald in their hat and channeled itself into a curved, glass bottle. With a flash of violet light, a potion of weakness had manifested within Snake's flask, and the gemstone's glow weakened a bit. All of that happened so quickly that the only takeaways Ning had were what they felt.

Sluggishness began to sweep over Ning's body as they started to slump over, and they began absorbing wisps of black energy. The hut dweller weakly tried to shake off the pieces of glass and sour-smelling fluid that had stained their tunic. Jeb wasn't made aware of this incident, but luckily, Alex had begun approaching once the elixir made its noisy impact.

"You must've finally made some friends. Playtime!" they teased, clearly trying to embarrass their grown-up, grumpy grandchild.

Moving on, Steve and Tango no longer had to deal with getting attacked by zombies since those bullies were harassing Jeb. However, the lack of rotting meat shields turned them into target practice for the skeletons. Surprisingly, Steve had only suffered minor bruising on his face and reddened fingers, and the testificate hadn't been injured at all during their fight earlier. Neither had Jeb, although that comes as no surprise considering the golem's composition. Even so, it was getting harder for Steve and Tango to breathe as they jogged around the buildings and the dirt paths to avoid arrows.

Seeing as their heads weren't protected by armor, they used their forearms to shield these weak spots. This would've been a great opportunity for Tango to joke about losing another eye, but they missed their shot. Assuredly because they were rightfully stone-faced and could've been temporarily blinded if any sweat got in their eye.

"Cure clouds!" Steve shouted as he dodged a projectile, causing sweat to fling off his forehead.

Lingering potions filled with a golden liquid were dropped as a vapor with the same color expanded from the impact sites. As expected, it reached a diameter of ten feet, so the many zombies incessantly harassing the people on the rooftop got their comeuppance. The itchy green ghouls hissed and groaned hoarsely as they hastily distanced themselves to no avail. Plus, since the infected had no sense of personal space, they bumped into each other as their aggravation caused them to scream and growl. While some of the villagers were afflicted with a persistent morbid curiosity, many of them jerked their heads away, covered their eyes, or shielded their children's peepers.

Jean fiddled with her hair, but a drop of nervous sweat never appeared on her forehead. As for the other Coveners, they appeared more neutral. Some of them had even uncrossed their arms, although Greener had theirs firmly pressed against their chest. The necromancer had clenched his fists and facial muscles as he unleashed his mind-control power. The undead were now under his direct control, and they moved away from the magical vapor.

Which, fortunately, didn't matter too much since all of them fell for the trap, to the point that three writhing masses contained all of the savages. Alex was of no interest because of her speed and distance from them. Nevertheless, since some of the green ghouls got too close to the sides of the buildings, those five hadn't been affected. With a reignited passion, they charged toward Steve and Tango.

"Get the humans inside the butcher shop," Steve told Tango, in reference to the cobblestone building a dozen steps away.

The weaponsmith nodded. Seeing as the potions of loyalty had worn off, it didn't seem as though getting the disoriented humans to obey Tango would be a difficult task. A minor highlight of the situation was that, during the curing process, all of them had their clothing restored. When the lingering potions were being brewed, Alex had shared what Jean told her about time reversal to maximize their efficiency.

"You're gettin' an upgrade. I gotta cool down anyway," they said, breathing somewhat hard as they shoved the diamond sword enchanted with Unbreaking into his hand.

Following that, Tango jogged off, and Steve charged toward the approaching undead to make himself their target. Note that the zombies' renewed interest meant that the skeletal archers could pay more attention to everyone on the rooftops. The villagers' shields had been damaged but were still usable. Meanwhile, the lady would have to drink another potion of slow falling soon. That is, after she counteracted the bluish-gray splash potion of slowness thrown at the lower half of her face.

This resulted in an earthy odor filling her nose and the noses of those nearby. Additionally, because her cheeks and lips had bled after being scratched by the glass, a blend of colors had dripped onto her shirt. A hesitant effort had been made to pat-dry her face due to the nature of her wounds.

"I'd like to avenge us, but since Snake is your grandparent, I absolutely need your permission," Alex said after talking about the idea with Ning.

After she chugged a sugary, frosty-blue elixir, she took a moment to rest with Ning. Fatigue didn't explain her reasoning as well as the need to wait for an aura to fully appear. Thus signifying that her potion of swiftness was in full effect. For the record, only one more of those potions remained in the satchel. Similarly, there were two dark-red potions of healing and four potions for leaping and slow-falling.

"Look . . . I'll be fine," Ning muttered.

Ning lay down. They didn't appear relaxed but rather sapped of energy, which was to be expected. Luckily, Ning and Alex could take refuge behind two of the villagers' shields.

"Eventually, but your gran is going to come back over here once they're done with Vas."

The woman looked in Ning's direction while also maintaining awareness of their surroundings. The humanoid, however, just looked at what was going on. This wasn't out of impoliteness but rather their mental state.

"Snake basically raised me . . . all because Vas got so sad about a storm killin' Ma."

The lady sighed. An arrow made a thud as it struck the shield in front of her, causing the villager to flinch.

"You definitely haven't had it easy. But from my perspective, Vas does care about you, they just aren't affectionate."

Ning grunted as they half-heartedly tried to sit up and look toward Alex. Another arrow made a thud.

"Maybe . . . still can't give 'em too much credit," they acknowledged prior to raising a finger.

"But Snake can take a beatin' . . . an' I can tell your potion's finally in full effect."

A contagious, mischievous smirk made its way across Alex's face before spreading to Ning's.

"If only we could give them a taste of their own medicine," Alex stated as she gazed at Snake, who was bickering with an unharmed Vas.

At the same time, Steve got chased in the library after jumping in through a sizable side window, shielding his face as he did so. Even so, the lower half of it had taken some damage, and so had his fists. It didn't help that he stopped soaking up life energy, yet his scratched, bloodied hands didn't hinder him much as he threw books at the brutes. Since the cure clouds would dissipate soon, he felt as though he had to be especially careful with how he approached combat to speed up their regeneration. Plus, it's not like it'd be easy to fight multiple assailants with one sword.

He'd led a gaggle of zombies into the same building with the hope of tricking them into leaving through the front. The wooden floor made a lot of noise because of all the people running on it. As Steve made his way down the aisle, he noticed that it had a mixture of colorful books and brown, leather-bound ones. He twisted around somewhat as he threw a couple of them at the heads or feet of the undead to slow them down. Although Steve obviously hadn't given the titles any thought, examples include "Yog's Cat," "Cracked Minds: Life in the Hermit Empires," "Team Drafting: Power Moves," "Dream World: Origins," and "Major Crafting Championships."

Unsurprisingly, there had also been a few publications thrown at him, albeit with slightly better aim since they weren't thrown backward. The titles of those two were "Hi, Pix," "The Hive," and "Ate Ur Nose." All of these projectiles were dodged with some level of success. Even if Jeb could've easily gotten inside the library to help out, it clearly had a preference for assisting villagers. Thus, it was currently providing aid outside.

"Hello!" one of the bullies exclaimed after jumping in front of his exit to corner him.

Steve jolted, mainly because of the sudden appearance of an obstacle. For context, there were originally five savages behind him as he made his way down that aisle: three women and two males. One of the most feminine outfits consisted of a short-sleeved, soft-pink dress and a white bow on the head that was bright-pink around the edges. As for the other two women, one had a long-sleeved shirt with dark-blue stripes with a quiver and jeans. The third female zombie had a violet, shoulderless coat with a crop top and denim shorts.

As for the two guys, both of them had been hit with splash potions. The one behind Steve had an ash-colored aura, dark-red sunglasses, and a black jacket paired with a V-neck. The green ghoul in front had a bluish-gray aura, goggles with blue frames, a black coat over a dark-cyan shirt, and jeans. Admittedly, that last individual had done something relatively clever by not following the crowd.

"Nope!" Steve responded as he attempted to push the unhygienic harasser aside, causing him to get a stronger whiff of his rotting flesh and body odor.

However, the sunglasses wearer was given enough time to pounce on him, thus cracking the floor and making his face especially sore. Savage laughter drowned out Steve's groan as fists got launched at the back of his uncovered neck. The goggles wearer repeatedly slammed his shoe into the side of his face. Both of these attacks only caused reddening of the skin, partly because of the splash potions restricting their strength and speed. Regardless, as far as Steve knew, that life energy boosting his regeneration would run out eventually.

He still had a grip on his diamond sword, but he was being weighed down, and his face was to the ground. Steve squirmed as he waited for a good moment to forcibly free himself. Seeing as it would take several seconds and he was surrounded, he knew he had to be a little patient.

"Ugh, let me at him," the violet-wearing zombie groaned as she pushed aside the brute in front of her.

The wild woman in the striped shirt grunted as she pulled an arrow out of the quiver on her back. Perhaps she had acquired it from one of Alex's missed shots.

"Don't play with me!" she said as she grabbed the other female's arm and thrust a projectile in her face without actually penetrating it.

That arm was promptly yanked away with a growl as the two stared at each other. Then, the dress-wearing zombie made her way to the men hitting Steve.

"You just got lucky," she insisted with crossed arms, sounding indignant rather than childish.

Based on how the weight atop him shifted, he sensed that the savage atop him had been distracted by the brute's accusation. As a bonus, the guy kicking him seemingly took offense too.

"Go—guuugh!"

Steve's diamond sword pierced the man's side.

"Dang it!"

A choir of snarls followed Steve's successful attempt to wriggle his way free. He shielded his face as he jumped through the front window. Glass shards flew onto the dirt path.

"Argh!" the goggles wearer vocalized as the others rushed past him.

Considering the impracticality of five uncoordinated individuals attacking the same person, Steve wasn't overjoyed that he managed to escape. He grunted loudly as his skin received more cuts, but the life energy in the faint cure cloud almost immediately healed his itchy wounds. Thus causing the glass fragments to fall to the ground. As he ran in the direction of the butcher shop, he turned to see the savages leaping out and being affected by the magical vapor. Which did make him and the cheering villagers happy, even as an arrow whizzed behind his neck.

Not only had all of the green ghouls either been dealt with or were preoccupied, but Jeb had frightened off the spider jockeys. Unfortunately, a trio of creepers with disheveled leaves returned from the forest. Those felines that pursued them weren't anywhere to be found, but it seemed fair to assume they'd come back once the catnip wore off. More importantly, resentment plagued the necromancer and the Coven as they watched from the shore. Jean had placed her right foot in front of her left, and her right leg trembled as she hugged herself.

It seemed like she wanted to step in, but there wasn't anything she could do besides brawling. Gazing at her claws for a moment granted her enough confidence to say something.

"Look, Alex betrayed us out of n—nowhere. That's the only reason this didn't work," the horned sorceress argued.

Quiet chuckling left the Nameless One's mouth. Once again, that unfriendly smile was on his face.

"Yeah, it ain't 'r fault she started speakin' mumbo jumbo and left 'r community for Ning's little swamp shack," Greener added as they looked toward Jean. "Soon enough, Alex is gonna be livin' in a dirt house."

The other Coveners nodded, and they laughed a little when one jokingly suggested "a hole in the ground" as an alternative.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," the necromancer replied before miming the act of strangulation. "I should put all of you in a hole in the ground!"

Jean put her palms up defensively, and so did Greener and a few others. The remaining Coveners just tightened their crossed arms. Even the noise of the river's running water couldn't soothe anyone now. Even if that was partly because of the sounds of talking and arrows firing in the background.

"Look, I—I actually have a great idea! Since Steve can respawn, we can use him to farm experience!"

Despite the way she phrased her proposal, her tone didn't convey a strong degree of confidence. As the necromancer thought about it, he grasped his facial hair.

"A beard-strokingly good idea. Which is great since, as you know, I was unsure if I should shave this goatee. It paradoxically hides my smile while also drawing attention to it."

Sighs and relatively loose body language followed his agreeableness. For the most part, anyway, since the necromancer appeared to be concentrating.

"Thank you," Jean said as the Nameless One entered mind-control mode.

Chapter Text

Soon enough, Ender ran out of the forest and toward the group at an unnatural speed, although no noise was made. Assuredly because he phased through the air to avoid wind resistance. It seemed fair to assume that he moved as fast as his peepers could process a useful amount of visual input. A duplicate of him appeared and only made a "poof" sound as Steve got plopped down in front of the others. Since Steve had been suddenly lifted off the ground with both arms around his waist and then dropped, it took him a second to stabilize.

Neither Ender nor Steve had been in a good mood, but Ender actually appeared reluctant. His long mouth frowned a bit, although he didn't have a particularly sad look in his eyes. Since Ender's green-eyed clone had teleported behind Steve, it's no surprise that he hadn't landed a hit on him. Nevertheless, his blade was still raised in the air, and his head rapidly whipped toward the tall specimen.

"Why—" Steve shouted in aggravation.

Three booms could be heard in succession as the creepers detonated near the butcher shop. The actual aftermath couldn't be seen from the shore because of the buildings in the way. Despite that, everyone looked toward the general direction, and the necromancer grinned as he did so. Judging from the other noises, dirt had flown upwards, and one of the building's log columns got damaged in the process. And yet, it seemed as though little fire was created by the small explosions since there weren't any plumes of smoke or particularly bright flashes of light.

Distraught screams could be heard, and the name "Tango" could be made out as splash potions shattered.

"That . . . wasn't intentional," Ender uttered, sounding sincere but not quite remorseful. "Steve, I hope you realize this is the sort of unexpected tragedy so many humans went through. This is why we're making the ultimate sacrifice."

A stern look remained on Steve's face as he cradled the blade of his sword. Regardless, he managed his breathing.

"Ender . . . that happened because you and everyone else here didn't listen to reason," he corrected as he gestured at the group. "Even if you mean well, what happened doesn't support your point, because you still don't know if this plan was somehow the best option."

Steve's grip on his sword became fierce, but it didn't look as though he was about to start swinging it. As for the others, the Nameless One looked genuinely indifferent while the others tried to look as though they didn't care. Particularly Jean, who had rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Ender obliged with crossed arms. "Steve, after our . . . 'fight' in the forest, I realized that I've been too peaceful. I haven't taken full advantage of my power. Still, I'll give you a choice between doing this the easy way or the hard way."

Speaking of what happened earlier, it's worth mentioning that Ender no longer had his hood up.

"You should know that I'm open to whatever doesn't involve unjustifiable sacrifice. The 'normal way'," Steve answered, which made Ender pause for a moment.

Jean placed a hand on her hip as a devious smirk manifested. Greener and the other testificates appeared curious yet relatively mellow. Funnily enough, the necromancer slowly rubbed his hands, although that's not to say he looked especially villainous or even happy.

"We can leave the villagers alone and use your respawn ability to get enough experience orbs to fuel Jean's experiment. Or, my clones can grab each and every testificate, teleport into the clouds, and then make it rain villagers."

Ender had spoken in a serious but otherwise unmenacing tone. Similarly, while he spoke, he hadn't made as many hand gestures as he could've. Steve had maintained a stoic expression alongside intense eye contact. Tango's fate was at the back of his mind.

"Why would I even trust you at this point? Even if I somehow completely put aside what just happened, you're clearly under the Nameless One's control."

Using his entire hand, the lad pointed toward Ender. The rest of the group seemed a little interested in his revelation.

"Your eyes are green, you've made way more clones than usual, and I reckon you've become sensitive to sunlight. Just like the zombies."

Considering one of the first things he'd learned about the zombies had been their sensitivity to light, this was a neat realization. It's also worth mentioning that since the Nameless One didn't appear to be infected anymore, at least some of the fungus may've been transferred over. Steve looked in the direction of his possessed doppelgänger to see his reaction.

"Soooo?" the necromancer playfully questioned, resting his face on his palm as he did so.

Neither of these men had turned their bodies toward each other. Only their heads.

"Alex told me enough about you that I know you can change how your zombie virus works in someone's body—although, something tells me that the end result is always mindlessness. Plus, if your main goal was to get experience orbs, like Jean, you could've already done this 'the hard way'."

The Nameless One chuckled but would soon cross his arms. Jean's eyes had widened as she got in front of the man. A claw was thrust in the direction of his chest.

"Just so you know, I didn't enjoy killing your clone. Ender and I are trying to achieve the greater good, so it'll take a lot more than some smarty-pants who doesn't know jack to make us regret how we feel," she posited as she made more hand gestures in his direction.

Jean stared at Steve as she waited a moment for him to respond. The necromancer would roll his white eyes after hearing Steve's comeback. This wouldn't be easy to discern, but it caused the subtle glow they had to move as well.

"Feelings are fine. What you're doing isn't," he added.

At this point, a short while had passed since any flying arrows had been heard.

"Enough!" the Nameless One exclaimed as he stepped forward, spun around, and activated his mind-control power. "This isn't entertaining anymore."

Jean moved out of the way, positioning herself near Ender. A few seconds later, panicked screaming was heard in the distance as a duplicate of Ender hastily grabbed Lio by the sides of their shoulders. Seeing Steve seemed to prevent this watery-eyed kid from crying. Still, they attempted to wriggle themself free, grunting a little as they did so. Jean and the humanoid Coveners looked a little concerned, but Ender was too focused on Steve.

"Just so you know, my goal is to indulge myself as much as I reasonably can. That includes granting others a bit of freedom if it means I get to have fun doing so. Would you prefer to be dropped first or last, Mister 'Hero of the Village'?" the necromancer inquired without looking at the child.

The lad's eyes expanded as he did the "stop" gesture with his left hand. His right hand, which held his sword, fell to his side.

"Take me and me alone," Steve insisted as he gestured at himself. "I can quickly respawn, so there's a lot more you can do with me."

A loud chuckle left the Nameless One's mouth. The others appeared mildly satisfied yet a little uncomfortable. Jean even sighed as she gazed at Lio, who wasn't looking at her.

"I'm aware of your respawn ability, although I hesitate to place all of my eggs in one basket. I'll reinfect you eventually. I can only deal with 'thinkers' for so long, and rotting your brain will work wonders."

The necromancer glanced at Ender and Jean. Although, since he lacked visible pupils, the duo didn't pick up on that.

"Wh—What?" Lio asked as tears ran down their cheeks. "Is this my fault? I'm so, so sorry."

Those words rushed out of the kid's mouth as they stopped struggling. Steve shook his head "no" and said it as well as he regulated his breathing. He gestured in Lio's direction as he put on a brave face.

"You've all been so help—"

Without a second thought, the Nameless One cut him off. As he spoke to Lio, he looked toward them with a malicious smile that was gone as soon as it appeared. The little testificate wasn't eager to make eye contact but did so.

"It's never the child's fault. Now, begone," the necromancer asserted with a dismissive hand gesture.

Lio got whisked away with a "poof." Agitated screaming was heard in the distance again, but it didn't last as long, and Ender's clone shrieked, "Water! Fire!" Steve's left hand compressed into a fist as the duplicate reappeared and took him high above the river before disappearing. Night still hadn't truly arrived, so all he could see were his limbs, his blade, and the colors of the twilight sky as he plummeted faster and faster toward the river.

"Steve!" the villagers cried as tears streamed down more and more cheeks.

Red and Quake tightly embraced Lio, who stroked a pet rabbit. Trix held hands with Solace and Nanners. On the library rooftop, Skip and Vas engaged in self-hugs. Ning and Alex rushed out of the damaged butcher shop storing the humans. The duo stopped in front of the unsettling crater that'd been made in the dirt path.

Unfortunately, they arrived too late to see anything, but that didn't prevent their worry from morphing into a feeling of emptiness. All it took for that to happen was the wet noise of his body smacking the river. Contrary to what one might expect, the height from which Steve fell meant that he might as well have landed on concrete. The energy that comprised his body dissipated as his battle gear sank until it reached the riverbed. He dropped seven experience orbs, which flew into Jean.

"Oh no," Alex murmured as she and Ning sprinted in the direction of the water.

Those two individuals had the same stains and scratches as before, although they had been cleaned a bit. During their run, they came to an unexpected halt once a crackling sound amplified the tension. A rift opened on the shoreline, although the other side couldn't be seen from their perspective. A dark-red, cave-like landscape illuminated by streams of lava and the occasional ground fire had appeared before everyone on the shoreline. Ender, Jean, and the Nameless One yelped as gallons of river water helped shove them through the wormhole.

Although Greener and the other nonhumans felt the suction and held hands to steady themselves, the interdimensional gateway rapidly weakened. After all, there was water rapidly flowing into it, which also would've prevented any escape or assistance from one of Ender's duplicates. It also helped that the Coven had already been farther away from Steve. Speaking of whom, the grinning man reappeared behind his friends, as if hoping to give them a morbid surprise. They whipped their heads around, and their sighs swiftly became laughter.

His skin and hair possessed the same healthy shine they had after he absorbed the life energy. Similar to how the Void energy lingering in his system gave him indigo irises. He also felt heavier, but not in a bad way. He was no longer composed entirely of energy.

"I don' know if I'll ever get used to that," Ning admitted.

Just like that, the transdimensional tunnel that had indirectly saved so many lives was now gone. Villagers clapped and fist-pumped, especially once they noticed Steve. Lio's cheeks were wet with tears of joy, and the same could be said for various others. Steve momentarily swiveled around and waved.

"Me neither," Alex agreed. "Did you intentionally try to get that portal opened?"

The lad shrugged as he stroked his goatee. At this time, Greener and their allies were walking toward Steve. The group glanced at them before continuing to focus on their conversation.

"Based on what Jean said before about having to kill me and Steve, I figured it might be paradoxical if I died in front of the Nameless One. He's possessing an older version of me, but since that version died already, I just concentrated on doing what I believed was right. Good thing Jean wasn't thinking straight in the heat of the moment."

Ning nodded, then crossed their arms once Greener approached with their allies behind them. The villagers had begun booing once the Coveners got close enough to hear it. They already felt upset, as conveyed by their frowning and intense staring. But as the heckling intensified, their eye contact shifted from the trio on the ground to the rooftops.

"That's enough!" Steve yelled as his body jerked around.

The booing ceased.

"Are y'all surprised that this failed? By the way, Snake left after we dealt with them," Ning taunted.

The Coven furrowed their eyebrows, and Greener's right eyelid twitched. As for the villagers, the people on the ground weren't talking loud enough for anyone on the rooftop to easily reply.

"Ning, you've got me fuming like a bucket of lava!" Greener ranted as they stepped forward and thrust an index finger. "The only thing we've done wrong is bein' too nice. We've been underestimated and tricked, and now we'll be remembered as some good-for-nothings that wanted to kill everybody."

Ning's eyes widened, but their crossed arms and lowered unibrow conveyed a lack of intimidation.

"That's about right, Greener, even if people can eventually move on," Steve agreed in a mellow tone as he gestured at them. "Your feelings were taken advantage of to do something even worse."

Alex gave a small, friendly smile. No one else's facial expression softened to a notable extent. Greener rotated a bit to their right to face the man. They didn't even have to move their body to comfortably respond to him, although doing so made their emphatic hand movements more impactful.

"Jean's closet was full of secrets and skeletons. But since you two also messed up our plans, I ain't trustin' none of y'all—forever! You humans are the first monsters we've come across to be so good at ruinin' lives!"

Steve maintained a stoic expression. Alex looked away, but she muttered, "Forever is a long time."

"Mhm," the two nonhumans next to Greener vocalized.

"Thanks, Setblin. Thanks, Riffs," Greener uttered as they glanced at them.

Ning rolled their eyes and kept them rolled as they began talking.

"If you're just gonna be a bunch of victims, why don' y'all quit while you're behind? Instead of actin' like a cult."

Alex's finger hastily shot up as the witch spoke. The instant she did that, Greener looked toward her.

"What y'all went through and I sort of went through was upsetting. But attacking villagers surpasses what happened to us, and I've realized how helpful it is to just remove people from your life. At what point do you become worse than the individuals you seek revenge on?"

Steve nodded as the ends of his lips curled upward. Greener didn't share his positive mood, though. They would express their frustration with Ning prior to calming down and acknowledging what Alex had said.

"All of this means nothin' if we quit, and people like you need to learn!" Greener insisted as their arms emphasized their words. "But fine, we'll reinvent 'rselves and change 'r mission. Even if I still think we're bein' attacked in a metaphorical sense, this is the start of a new era!"

This boldness clearly appealed to the clapping Coveners.

"This is why we stuck with you, Greens," Setblin praised.

Greener grinned at their colleague, and Riffs supported the compliment with a "Yeah!" The hut dweller turned around to face the buildings as the Coven headed in the direction of the woodland. Ning pressed the sides of their palms against their cheeks to create a funnel.

"Jeb, help them get off the rooftops!" Ning shouted right before the immediate clapping and cheering made them smile.

Chapter Text

The saviors either concentrated on helping the testificates get down or went to clean themselves after providing some assistance. Regarding the rest of the night, a montage is needed. Without armor, Steve, Alex, and Jeb escorted dozens of humans from Rubyham to an uninhabited village. Torches illuminated the way there, and while Steve and Alex both had satchels, the former wielded his diamond sword while the latter had the enchanted bow. Upon arriving at Tubertown, they dismissed the cobwebs as the stone swords and axes within the satchels were shared among the people.

"We'll return in the morning!" Alex promised as she and Steve waved goodbye, receiving waves in response.

Of course, the villagers in Rubyham were occupied with dismantling the decoys and the barricades. Tango, however, was napping without their eye patch. They had shielded their face from the shrapnel enough to avoid serious damage, but the blast had damaged their internal organs. Consequently, their hearing, breathing, and cognition had all suffered, even after the two splash potions provided three-fourths of the healing needed for a full recovery. That night, the town didn't have enough ingredients to make another elixir, although Vas promised they'd go trading the next day.

"There's nothin' else we can do for now," Ning stated with a sigh before initiating a handshake. "Thanks for the help, Vas."

Moving away from this earthly realm and entering what is essentially a parody of the underworld, Jean, Ender, and the Nameless One were all still moist. They sat around an animal's corpse, the fresh scent of which distracted them from the environment's sulfurous odor. The body belonged to a mostly hairless hog-like creature with tusks and a black mane. And yet, despite its fierce appearance, a slit throat caused its bloody demise. The fungi-infested stone floor beneath the trio was relatively soft yet gritty, and the environment around them was humid.

Regardless, none of these supernatural beings sweated hard, even if their facial expressions conveyed unhappiness. At least the sound of hissing flames provided a consistent ambience.

"I'm starting to rethink my perspective on humanity. For one, I'd be dead right now if I hadn't transformed," Jean said as she gazed at her right hand.

Jean's right arm and torso had been sprayed with a crimson fluid. She was the only one who'd gotten blood on her, which was to be expected. If only she'd brought an enchanted bow like Alex's. Anyway, the necromancer chuckled.

"Injecting yourself with that potion of durability and giving yourself horns in the process didn't already change your mind? People are weak and boring, Jean, that's why I do what I do."

A twisted sense of optimism visibly improved her mood as the Nameless One turned to Ender. She began fiddling around with her protrusions, as if they were miniature trophies. Neither their size nor length had been altered, but she was interacting with them much more than she had previously.

"Speaking of which, the fungus inside of you has to eat eventually, if not die from starvation. Your body isn't like Jean's—or mine. As much as I'd love to let my hive mind absorb your experience, there's a bit of a dimensional gap separating me from it."

Since the water interfered with Ender's power, he was releasing less Void fog. In response to the necromancer's explanation, he nodded with an uncharacteristically grim facial expression.

"Let's create another undead army. Once the Infection is no longer in my system, I'll have the strength to eventually regain my Void energy."

The Nameless One began chuckling as he gazed at the recently deceased corpse. The other two soon copied him. While Steve's look-alike had licked his lips, the duo viewed the creature as the dawn of a new beginning. Jean stopped fiddling with her horns and placed her right hand on the hog. She tapped her stained claws on its torso in a wave-like motion.

"Well?" Ender questioned after a brief moment of near silence. "When can we start?"

An annoyed smile manifested on the necromancer's face.

"Start? Now?" he sarcastically questioned as he gestured at their surroundings with both hands. "Wake up! I don't have unlimited power, and you've clearly never ruled a kingdom before. We need to learn more about the Nether first—if not somehow find a portal home."

The word “somehow” was emphasized. Jean momentarily rested her head on her left palm.

"A fallen kingdom that you were 'removed' from," Jean clarified. "With the Stone of Souls, we can do Ender's thing and yours at the same time."

Concerning the "Stone of Souls," the horned sorceress had tapped the emerald in her pouch once she brought it up. While the inhuman specimen sitting next to her seemed intrigued, the same could not be said about the Nameless One. He went into mind-control mode as the others' eyes glowed light-lime-green as well.

"Everything you two have said is null and void!" he criticized. "I know better than anyone how misusing experience or magical energy haunts a person!"

After a couple of seconds, the necromancer relished in their intimidated facial expressions before turning off his power.

"Now, let's prepare this pork. We're going to need the sodium," he instructed somewhat gleefully as he slowly rubbed his hands.

Coincidentally, Trix had also used a few helping hands to make food, thus lessening the workload and providing an experience akin to a bare-bones buffet. Once they finished, the food was brought to the well-lit center of the settlement on wooden plates. These were placed on two rectangular tables dragged outside alongside glass water bottles, and the logs surrounding the farmland were used for seating. Used plates got stacked together, and a wolflike dog named "Dinnerbone" who loved belly rubs devoured any scraps. Unsurprisingly, its name accurately conveyed what it preferred.

As for who catered for the event, Nanners supplied baked cod and salmon. The farmers produced the baked potatoes and carrots. Trix stayed true to their word as they gathered if not prepared an assortment of items for the saviors to try. There were pork chops, loaves of bread, watermelon slices, and glass bottles of milk. Finally, Trix presented a brownish sponge cake topped with vanilla-scented buttercream and a round, strawberry-sized fruit dubbed "sweet berries."

These provided a delightful, darkish-red topping for the seven sponge cake slices. All of the extra sweet berries were converted into jelly. It had been poured into a glass jar that Tango scooped out with pieces of bread they toasted with their "Fire Aspect" sword. Speaking of weapons, none of this could be comfortably enjoyed without the two enchanted blades, the enchanted bow, and a quiver lying nearby. With the addition of Jeb patrolling in the background, everyone was at ease.

The iron golem held a red poppy that Lio had given it before going to sleep. Despite the fact that it was around midnight, the temperature outside was pleasant. From left to right, Tango, Steve, Alex, and Ning sat in a row in front of the garden with carrots and beetroots. Red, Quake, Trix, Skip, and Vas had all stood up to socialize with a few dozen villagers, some of whom sat on logs away from the adventurers. This provided some nice ambience for the otherwise quiet night, especially since it wasn't particularly loud.

"Are you sure you just want toast and jelly, Tango?" Red inquired at a volume that was a little louder than usual.

Their friend, who was slouching, nodded and coughed prior to sipping some water. Seeing Tango with both of their hazel irises would've otherwise been a pleasant experience. The mason couldn't help but frown slightly. Quake placed a hand on their shoulder.

"Hon, you know Tango will be their usual self before the end of tomorrow. We should feel blessed that they didn't die in the explosion."

Vas hadn't been eavesdropping per se, yet they turned their head around to contribute.

"You've got that right."

Red gave a thumbs-up before making eye contact with their spouse.

"You're right. It's like Tango said, today's a lucky day. Guess I'm just already feelin' nostalgic, heh."

Following this, the two held hands as they walked away. Tango continued to eat their sweet berry toast as they waved goodbye. Because the other saviors finished their grub a minute ago, they were also free. Although they didn't have their plates anymore and only had glass water bottles, they hadn't engaged in much conversation. It made enough sense why the villagers didn't know what else to say to the unusual group.

Still, there's no way they were the first heroes to come from unlikely beginnings. Fortunately, Trix moved over to them.

"Say, what are you adventurers thinkin' of doin' next? I'd love to give at least one of y'all a proper traveler's backpack. I could also teach y'all how to use nature's compass sometime," Trix offered as they pointed at the sky.

Everyone except Tango expressed their gratitude. Instead, the blacksmith coughed. However, they leaned forward to convey their engagement. They would repeatedly do this in the direction of whoever spoke.

"I ain' sure. I'd like to stay in touch with y'all, though. An' teach these two about whatever might help them—I reckon Steve could be a good brewer 'cause of that sensitivity to energy," Ning admitted.

As they talked, they gestured to the two humans with their thumb. Those same individuals momentarily looked toward the witch with content facial expressions.

"Well, we met seven people interested in aiding our mission to defend humanity as much as we reasonably can," Alex answered. "One of those guys even had a rad, metal arm."

Trix laughed a little as Steve nodded.

"I've seen all sorts of strange sights on my travels, but never somethin' like that. Did they ever explain what the deal with it was?"

Steve shook his head "no" before elaborating.

"We didn't talk much because of . . . 'their' accent. They just called it their 'mojang'."

The lad had paused upon remembering that these people weren't familiar with gendered pronouns.

"All right," Trix said, clearly unfamiliar with the term. "What exactly should I expect from these 'Alex and Steve adventures'?"

Skip joined the conversation and mirrored the cartographer's smile. Like Trix, they had moved a short distance.

"I'm here if y'all want any suggestions. Actually, remind me to give at least one of you a 'knowledge book', it's a must-have for any explorer."

The humans nodded, and Alex thanked the librarian before answering Trix.

"I know Tango told Steve all about 'music disc hunting' and mining at this place called 'Lars Lush Cave'. But I was thinking of something more practical, like hunting. Not to rain on anyone's parade, of course, we all need to stop and smell the roses sometimes."

Tango, who was no longer eating, gave a thumbs-up with a small smirk. The instant they started speaking, they received the others' attention.

"There's so much to do," they uttered in a breathy voice before coughing. "I live life like it's a game . . . follow the rules, but have fun."

Skip nodded, briefly looking at Tango as they did so. The librarian then uncrossed their arms to gesture at their surroundings as they spoke.

"This place we call home isn't infinite, but who knows how far you can go by land or sea?" Skip added.

Steve shrugged. Not out of disinterest, though, as he'd been attentive this entire time.

"I want to explore. Learn all that I can to build an even better world over time," he explained as he used his hands to mimic the act of stacking.

When he awoke in the grassland, the lad was a foreigner in a possibly dangerous world. To think that he'd done multiple extraordinary deeds in one day and had aspirations of becoming someone who changed the world was unimaginable. And yet, Steve's rock-hard resilience had powered up his imagination and the imaginations of others. Alex spun toward him with a smile. Since they sat next to each other, her movement was restricted.

"Building a better world, eh? You're going to need a lot of help."

He rotated his head. It had been a long night, but Steve could feel his energy returning as hope and curiosity intermingled in his mind.

"I am. And I can't wait."

Chapter Text

Chapter 1
Plains were the first biome
Quivers were the first item
Cured zombie villagers experience nausea
Blue Skies (Mod)
"Steve?" is an official alias
Improbable biome generation
Genderless mobs
"Jean" is an official alias for the Ender Dragon
Cial is the player who named Steve
Chapter 2
Zombie sieges are in-game events
Rubies were replaced by emeralds
Pigmen were replaced by villagers
Steve's official redesign darkened his shoes
The Ender Dragon drops the most experience
"Clumps" (Mod)
Reversed enderman sounds
Bart the Enderman (Slamacow Character)
Chapter 3
Poisonous potatoes (Item)
The retro slang was inspired by the game's retro aesthetic
"Minecraft Blast" (Spin-Off Game)
"Illagers were expelled from villages" ("Minecraft: Mobestiary")
"Stevie" is an official alias
"Minecraft Manhunt" (Series by Dream)
Bane of Arthropods (Enchantment)
Steve's official height (1.8 Meters or 6 Feet)
Roses were replaced by poppies
Chapter 4
"Cheating Death" (Achievement)
"Lovely World" (Series by Stampylongnose)
"Wet Hands" (Official Song)
"Minecraft Legends" Warriors (Illager Precursors)
"Dwarf Fortress" (Inspiration for "Minecraft")
Chapter 5
TheAtlanticCraft (YouTuber)
LDShadowLady (YouTuber)
"Supernatural Mobs" (Song by TheAtlanticCraft)
Zombies used to drop feathers
"Crazy Craft" (Modpack)
Chapter 6
"Revenge" (Song by CaptainSparklez)
Ender pearls
Creepers were modeled after pigs
"Creeper Rap" (Song by Dan Bull)
Chapter 7
"Create New World" (Menu Screen Message)
Thinknoodles (YouTuber)
"How Did We Get Here?" (Advancement)
YouTubers in hoodies (BBlocks, GEVids, EYstreem, Maizen, ExplodingTNT, ChimneySwift11, PrestonPlayz, Lachlan, MrWoofless, and Bajan Canadian)
SSundee (YouTuber)
SmallishBeans (YouTuber)
Spanish YouTubers (AuthenticGames, ElTrollino, and Mikecrack)
Chapter 8
The Betweenlands (Mod)
Dimensional Doors (Mod)
"When Pigs Fly" (Achievement)
"Bullseye" (Advancement)
The Squad (UnspeakableGaming, Shark, and MooseCraft)
The Order of the Stone (Original Title of "Minecraft")
The Pack (Vikkstar123 and JeromeASF)
Heart particles (Taming)
Grian (YouTuber)
TommyInnit (YouTuber)
Chapter 9
Philza (YouTuber)
"RubyDung" (Inspiration for "Minecraft")
Chapter 10
Creeper anatomy
"Crunchy, like dry leaves" (Notch Quote)
Hostile and passive (Mob Classifications)
Survival mode
Hurt sound
Chapter 11
PopularMMOs (YouTuber)
"Time to Strike!" (Achievement)
Herobrine creepypasta
YouTubers with humanoid avatars (Stampylongnose, ibxtoycat, iBallisticSquid, and MinecraftUniverse)
"Girls Know How to Fight" (Song by MC Jams)
The Nameless One ("Minecraft Dungeons" Enemy)
"Mine Diamonds" (Song by MineCraft Awesome Parodys)
Chapter 12
iHasCupquake (YouTuber)
Nitwit villagers are jobless and wear green
Chickens look like ducks
Redb15 (YouTuber)
Alan Becker's stickmen (YouTuber)
LoverFella (YouTuber)
TrixyBlox (YouTuber)
JourneyMap (Mod)
World seeds
The Red Dragon (Planned Mob)
Phyg (Aether Mob)
Farmer's Delight (Mod)
AppleSkin (Mod)
Quark (Mod)
Jade (Mod)
"The Lie" (Achievement)
LEGO slogan ("Only the best is good enough")
"Minecraft Dungeons" Heroes (Player Characters)
SkiptheTutorial (YouTuber)
Suspicious stew (Item)
Rainbow sheep (Easter Egg)
"Minecraft Survival Guide" (Series by Pixlriffs)
Cash (YouTuber)
TangoTek (YouTuber)
Mods
All the Mods (Modpack)
Curse (Mod Catalog)
Forge (Modloader)
Reuben ("Minecraft: Story Mode" Character)
Drumstick (Logdotzip Character)
Kebab (MagmaMusen Character)
Java (Programming Language)
Vanilla (Unmodded "Minecraft")
"Zombie Town" (Inspiration for "Minecraft")
Death animation
Chapter 13
"But that's just a theory" (Game Theory Quote)
"Deep Dive" (Series by RetroGamingNow)
Pocket Edition (Bedrock)
Something Awful (Origin of Slenderman)
Slenderman (Inspiration for Endermen)
"Like An Enderman" (Song by Thnxcya)
"Zombie Doctor" (Achievement)
PhoenixSC (YouTuber)
Gears were replaced by redstone
"Hero House" (Series by Maricraft)
Xaero's Minimap (Mod)
GoldSolace (YouTuber)
Kristoffer Zetterstrand ("Minecraft" Painting Artist)
Pretty Scary Update
Chapter 14
"Enchanter" (Achievement)
"Monster Hunter" (Advancement)
"Cow Tipper" (Achievement)
Swedish flag colors
Just Enough Items (Mod)
Bundles of Bravery (Update)
"Yearned for the mines" ("A Minecraft Movie" Quote)
"Minecraft Monday" (Series by Keemstar)
"Adventuring Time" (Advancement)
May 17th (First "Minecraft" Public Release Date)
The Creaking (Mob)
"Minecraft" spin-offs
"Legend of the Chambered" (Inspiration for "Minecraft")
The Lost Cities (Mod)
"Expect the unexpected" (Update Tagline)
Scrolls (Mojang Game)
The Aether (Mod)
Dinnerbone's red-green color blindness
Minecraft Marketplace (In-Game Store)
Jeb (Mojang's Chief Creative Officer)
"Don't Mine at Night" (Bebop Vox)
Mojang's meaning ("Gadget")
Notch (Mojang's Co-Founder)
YouTubers with abstract avatars (Sandiction, Speedsilver, Craftee, Wisp, and Camman18)
Speedrunning (Minigame)
Skyblock (Minigame)
Skywars (Minigame)
StoneBlock (Modpack)
Build Battle (Minigame)
Pink sheep (Easter Egg)
Pigs transform when struck by lightning
Spleef (Minigame)
"Time to Mine!" (Achievement)
"Cave Game" (Inspiration for "Minecraft")
"Minecraft"
Better Together Update
Chapter 15
"Hot Stuff" (Advancement)
"Never dig straight down" (Popular Advice)
Parkour (Minigame)
"Infiniminer" (Inspiration for "Minecraft")
"Diamonds!" (Advancement)
PaulSoaresJr family survival (First "Minecraft" Letsplays)
Cocoa beans are sometimes used to represent poop
"Lava Chicken" (Song by Jack Black)
Baby zombies
"Villager News" (Element Animation)
Death messages
Splash text (Title Screen Messages)
Jelly (YouTuber)
Feed the Beast (Modding Community)
"You died!" (Death Screen Message)
Dream Team (YouTubers)
PewDiePie (YouTuber)
Dinnerbone (Mojang's Software Engineer)
Chapter 16
Minecraft Comes Alive Reborn (Mod)
"Taking Inventory" (Achievement)
"Creativity is key to survival" ("A Minecraft Movie" Quote)
"Monster School" (Series by Willcraft Animations)
Guard Villagers (Mod)
"You may not rest now, there are monsters nearby" (Pre-Requisite Message)
"Delicious Fish" (Achievement)
"Overpowered" (Achievement)
Super Duper Graphics Pack (Canceled Update)
"Overkill" (Achievement)
Alex's Mobs (Mod)
Original enderman design
April Fools' jokes
Ender Storage (Mod)
Eyes of Ender (Item)
Void fog (Removed Feature)
Enderman teleportation is just running (Game Theory Video)
Fear Nightfall (Modpack)
ItsJerryAndHarry (YouTubers)
The Twilight Forest (Mod)
Herobrine
Jasper Boerstra (Mojang's Art Director)
Dock (Mojang's Original Artist)
Junkboy (Mojang's Creative Director)
SeaNanners (YouTuber)
"Sound the Alarm" (Achievement)
"I've got a bad feeling about this" (Achievement)
Alex's invisible pixels (Jeb's Glasses)
"White Eyes" (Inspiration for Herobrine)
"Jean?" is an official alias for the Ender Dragon
Chapter 17
TheFatRat (Musician)
Mob Vote (Community Poll)
The Killer Bunny (Easter Egg)
Tinkers' Construct (Mod)
"I Can Swing My Sword!" (Tobuscus)
"Thanks, big guy" ("A Minecraft Movie" Quote)
"TNT" (Song by CaptainSparklez)
Robin Hood Gamer (YouTuber)
"Take Me Down" (Song by Redstone Records)
Creepers flee from cats
"Getting an Upgrade" (Advancement)
Attack cooldown
"Taste of Your Own Medicine" (Achievement)
Yogscast (YouTubers)
"MindCrack" (Series by Guude)
"Life SMP" (Series by Grian)
"HermitCraft" (Series by GenerikB)
"Empires SMP" (Series by fWhip)
Team Crafted (YouTubers)
Power Move Squad (YouTubers)
"Dream SMP" (Series by Dream)
"Origins SMP" (Series by TommyInnit)
"MC Championship" (Series by Noxcrew)
Hypixel (Server)
The Hive (Server)
Aternos (Server Hoster)
GamingWithJen (YouTuber)
StacyPlays (YouTuber)
Aphmau (YouTuber)
CaptainSparklez (YouTuber)
DanTDM (YouTuber)
Mumbo Jumbo (YouTuber)
ashes2ashes.ogg (Hidden Audio File)
Steve's goatee removal
Chapter 18
Difficulty levels
"Hero of the Village" (Advancement)
Spawn eggs
"Take Back the Night" (CaptainSparklez)
Human mob (Hostile NPCs)
"A long time!" (World Deletion Message)
SethBling (YouTuber)
Pixlriffs (YouTuber)
"We're being attacked!" (Achievement)
Chapter 19
"Wake Up?" (Creepypasta)
"Removed Herobrine" (Patch Note)
Sodium (Mod)
Toast (Easter Egg)
Jellie (Easter Egg)
Iron golems hold poppies
"Heroes can come from unlikely beginnings" ("Minecraft: Story Mode" Quote)
Traveler's Backpack (Mod)
Nature's Compass (Mod)
New default skins
Mojang
"Alex and Steve Adventures" (Series by Squared Media)
Knowledge book (Item)
Agnes Larsson (Mojang's Game Director)
Lena Raine (Mojang's Composer)
Daniel Rosenfeld (Mojang's Original Composer)
The Far Lands
Build a Better World (Mojang's Initiative)
Former Roblox slogan ("Powering Imagination")