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Pangi is exhausted, the weariness of traveling from world to world was finally starting to get to him. The passing from one into another was often more of a chore than he recalled, and this time he was feeling it more than ever. When he had left Life Steal to take a break and participate in various competitions for a time he had never imagined that getting back would be so difficult. Of course, it wasn’t like he was in any rush to return, but Life Steal was home. And he’d given up more than he cared to name to be able to have a place to return to time after time. Plus there was a lot for him to do back home. His adventures had given him a new sense of energy and purpose and he was excited to get back to it.
At the moment, however, the prospect of getting back home seemed a bit bleak. His supplies were running low, and he hadn’t been able to get a solid night's sleep in ages, always feeling too cagey to settle down. All the worlds he had visited so far had been populated with others who he couldn’t relax enough around to rest properly. However, this current world looked promising. As far as he could tell it was empty of other people like him, and was untouched from what he observed in his initial assessments. The food was abundant, he’d been killing cows and pigs as he went. He assumed at some point he would set up a temporary spot outside a village so he could trade with the locals for a supply of golden carrots. Maybe he could even get away with repairing his armor.
But he hadn’t run into an inhabited village yet. In fact each one had been abandoned, everything left in their chests without a block out of place. Iron golems left behind, completely intact, wandering aimlessly without purpose. It was odd, and unsettling. Pangi wasn’t sure if he should bother trying to find out where they went or not. It felt too risky, especially if there was something out of the ordinary he wasn’t aware of. Either they had been slaughtered or kidnapped and relocated, and neither was good news for him.
Still, he continued onwards deeper into the world, his curiosity getting the better of him. Surely a quick detour wouldn’t hurt, right? A half day’s journey later he spied the start of a paved road when he emerged from a dark forest. It was abrupt, randomly just beginning, or perhaps ending right where the trees met an open plain. This was it, proof that there was something else in this world. Pangi considered leaving it be, but he felt confident enough in his abilities that he decided to follow it. There was something familiar about the pattern, reminiscent of something laid down by a cheerful King he had known once. Maybe he would be lucky and find Foolish on the other side.
The road twisted and turned with the rolling hills of the plains then led him through a birch forest until he arrived at a tunnel carved right through the heart of the mountain the forest led him through. Pangi hesitated, not wanting to risk being caught in a trap. Instead he took his chances and scaled the small mountain. It was slow going but it let him avoid the obvious choke point. The last thing he needed was to be pinned in from two sides. However, as he climbed he noted that there was something about the terrain that felt unnatural. There was a lack of grass and flowers at the lower levels, the trees also felt fake, their placement too uniform. At the upper levels there was a lack of goats and the snow blocks were missing a fresh powder of snow on the top. There was also no packed snow, which he would expect on a mountain like this.
It all felt too manufactured. But that made him ask himself the question: Who would make a mountain? The answer was on the tip of his tongue, like he already knew the answer, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Once he was near the top he paused to catch his breath and reorganize his supplies. Pangi assumed that once he went over the peak he’d find whatever was taking the villagers, and whoever made the road. It wasn’t looking good for him if they were unfriendly. He was low on potions, so had to grit his teeth and make the choice to save them unless they were needed. His sword and axe were in decent enough shape, and he had plenty of cobwebs, but he was hurting for pearls. Maybe he should have taken more care to restock as he was traveling. It just didn’t seem worth it since he was supposed to be heading straight back to Life Steal where pearls were useless.
He’d come this far though, so he gathered his things and hoisted himself up and over the last ledge to the summit. The first thing he noticed is that this mountain was only one in a large ring of peaks, the smallest by far, with the others towering over this one, like it had been an afterthought. Next he noticed that down in the expansive valley below was a well established town, and right in the heart of it…
A castle.
Pangi's heart clenched. He’s had a mixed experience with castles. Some were home to tyrants who had killed without mercy. Some were home to kind people he considered friends. He thought fondly of Roscumber, and her beautiful castles, only meant to serve as places for the people she loved to live and feel safe in. But the odds of this being hers were slim. Still… he couldn’t ignore that the colors seemed friendly enough. Maybe more gloomy than intimidating.
After observing it for a few moments Pangi came to the conclusion that this castle reminded him more of Ros than it did Clown or someone else he would have cause to fear. The castle itself was made of tuff and the spires and towers were done in teal, and weathered copper blocks. Darker than he remembered Ros’s builds being. Gloomy, like he said. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. Pangi couldn’t afford to be sentimental right now. He never found out what happened to Ros or what her plans were, he’d left the Realm before her.
This wasn’t the time. He either needed to go down there and see if the people who built this place were friendly, or he needed to get in and get out with his life. Thoughts of old friends would only distract him now.
He carefully descended the mountain, wishing he had invisibility potions. Going down was even trickier than going up since he’s on a constant look out for sentries, name tags, or any signs of life. There hasn’t been any signs of activity yet though. It’s almost like they knew there’s someone there who shouldn’t be and they had fled. Once he was at the bottom he quietly crept forwards into the town, trying to keep hidden behind buildings, avoiding the paths and roads that crisscrossed the town.
So far he hasn’t seen any villagers. There’s no one manning the stalls, and the houses he’s peaked into are empty. Not only of people, but of anything. They’re simply facades. A fake town that serves as a prop for the castle. Or maybe it just isn’t completed yet? He can’t be sure. Pangi continues on, making his way towards the castle, but the closer he gets the more difficult it is to keep his cover. Eventually he’s going to have to expose himself, and he’s in the middle of trying to figure out when and where that should be when he gets that feeling he isn’t alone.
“Pangi?” A quiet voice called from behind him.
He spun around, sword pointed outwards towards the person who had managed to sneak up on him. Pangi doesn’t immediately recognize the person in front of him at first, her armor was different, iron instead of netherite. She didn’t have any trims either, but he knew her from her hair, a long purple braid that fell over her shoulder and went down to her hip. It was longer than it was when he last saw her. But her eyes, the same kind eyes that reminded him of amethyst shards stared at him, hopeful. Tears welling up like they used to. It was Ros.
“Ros?” He couldn’t believe it. Of course the castle had reminded him of her, but he had never imagined.
“Oh it is you!” Ros launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around him. He barely moved his sword away in time.
He wraps his free arm around her and spins them around laughing in joy and surprise. It had been her afterall. Most of the paranoia and tension bleeds out of him, feeling safe so long as it’s only her in this world.
“You came to visit me.” She cries happily, pulling away from him. He watches her wipe the tears from her face, feeling guilty he made her cry.
Because he hadn’t, not exactly. Him being here was completely by accident. Pangi didn’t know what to say to her, he didn’t want to lie but he also didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “I’m so glad to see you.” He put away his sword and wrapped his arms around her fully this time, deciding they could deal with the truth later.
“I missed you.” Her voice was muffled, her face pressed into his chestplate. He’d forgotten how small she was, Ros’s personality had always made her seem so much bigger than reality. But here she was, tiny and fragile. One of the few people he had ever called friend and hadn’t come to regret it later. “You left before I could say goodbye.” She sniffed.
“I missed you too. I’m sorry, I had to take Zam home before she did something desperate.” Pangi explained softly. There were so many goodbyes he never got to give after the first one had gone so poorly. He’d been too afraid of what might happen. Losing… him… had been a painful enough lesson.
“Zam? Is she here with you?” Ros asked brightly, pulling away from him to look around.
“No, he’s still back in Life Steal.” Pangi says gently. “He’s doing really well though. He has a team and they’re really good friends.”
Ros stiffens for a moment, looking like she might cry again, but a moment later her shoulders drop, and a smile clears away the cloudy look that had been in her eyes. “So Zam found his joy and whimsy again?”
Pangi nods. “Definietly.”
“I’m glad then.” Ros lets out a breath. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Of course.” He looks up at her castle, wanting to change the subject. If she asked about Zam she might start asking about the others and their stories aren't as nice as Zam’s. “So is this your castle?” Pangi asks, though the answer is a little obvious.
“It is! Do you want a tour?” She asks excitedly, a proud look shining in her eyes.
“Definietly.” He gives her an easy smile. Despite the time apart, it was always easy to get along with Ros. All the time they had spent together in the null had bonded them together in a way he’d never forget. Her and Aimsey would always mean the world to him, no matter how much time and distance came between them.
“Come on! I’m very proud of this one, I think it’s one of my best castles yet.” She giggled, grabbing his hand to pull him off.
Pangi followed her around, commenting on the details she pointed out to him. Ros had created a masterpiece, sparing no expense or limiting herself in her materials. She even had a courtyard partially paved in netherite blocks that made him drool. There was a grand throne made of quartz, set upon a raised platform that reminded him of the one Foolish had back in the Yellow castle. She had hung gray banners without designs around the castle, and he wanted to ask her about them but refrained, fearing it would be a sore subject. For as cheerful as she was, there was a hint of something else, something like melancholy. But she never gave much of a hint, always covering it up with a smile when he started to see it peak through.
The castle had every amenity one would want. A kitchen with chests stocked with food, an automatic brewing room with all the ingredients necessary to make every potion, an enchanting room with endless books. There were endless farms for crops, nether wart, mobs, and experience, including a turtle farm that reminded him of the one in the lab back in the Realm.
His fingers itched, wanting to take all the things that he knew would be impossible for him to get back home. She had offered him some steak but nothing else while on their tour. It was even worse when they passed by the archery range and went into the armory. There was a complete collection of armor in each type with each trim in every material. The hall went on for ages starting with the most basic colors, and ending in netherite sets and chests stacked nearly to the ceiling with enchanted weapons.
“Are you going to war?” He asked softly, chuckling. It was odd to be surrounded by all this wealth when he was always wanting back home.
Ros giggled. “No, I was just bored. There’s not much to do around here.”
He caught the slight darkness in her tone, and felt guilty. “Have you been alone?” The answer was obvious.
“Not always. There’s the villagers of course, and Aimsey comes to visit. I even had Lukey stop by for a few days before he ran off somewhere.” Ros commented, not meeting his gaze.
Pangi felt his stomach drop. He’d gone to great lengths to not think about him. In the early days of being back home he had hallucinated hearing him. It was like he had been haunted. Eventually they stopped but he had tried his best to push him from his mind ever since. “Lukey? As in m…” He paused, catching himself from making that slip. Lukey wasn’t his anything. Not anymore. “As in green faction Lukey?”
Ros nodded, acting like she hadn’t noticed anything. “It was actually nice, he said he was just passing through but accepted my offer to stay for a little bit. He actually helped me with the potion room and the turtle farm.” Her voice was distant. “I think you two had your own versions of those.”
Pangi nodded slowly, knowing she meant back in the Realm. “In Lukey’s lab.”
She huffed. “I wish I could have seen it, been invited in.”
It’s an old argument between them, a sore spot on both their parts. “I know, but you and Lukey didn’t get along and…”
“Well maybe I would have if I had been included and allowed to get to know him.” She sniffed. “We’re good friends now. He’s even supposed to come back for a visit soon.”
Oh… Pangi flinched. That means he’d be better off moving on and fast. “I’m sorry. I think we were all just trying our best at the time. If I could go back I’d do it differently.” He lets out a loud sigh, frustrated that he never addressed all of this before.
Ros held her sour look for a few more moments and then smiled. “Then you should stay, and the three of us can spend time together.”
Pangi hesitated. “Ros I… I haven't seen Lukey since I left I… I never said goodbye.” Not a second time. Not after what happened. He’d taken Zam and run after he saw Lukey had a trap for Bad. Pangi couldn’t bring himself to stick around to see how it turned out in the end. At least Lukey wasn’t dead.
Her smile wilts. “I know… He told me about it. Can I ask why?”
“Because it hurt too much.” He shrugged. There was no way he could come up with a lie convincing enough, not for Ros. She didn’t deserve a lie from him.
“Oh Pangi…” Ros wrapped her arms around him. “It’s ok. He’s not mad at you, you know. I think he really misses you.”
“I miss him too.” Pangi whispered, wrapping his arms around her again, resting his head on top of her helmet. “But I’m not ready to see him again.”
“That’s ok!” She said quickly. “It can just be us for a few days.”
Days? Had she expected him to stay? “Ros I…”
“Oh please tell me you’ll stay. Just for a little bit.” Ros cried. “I haven't seen you in so long. I can make you your own room, and you can have anything you need.”
Pangi cringed at the offer. It’s tempting. Too tempting. Not just for the materials either, knowing it’s only Ros around he knows he’ll be able to actually get some decent sleep for once. And being able to fully rest for a few days before going home would be valuable. Plus having company that won’t randomly try to kill him might be nice. “Alright. I’ll stay.” Besides… he’d missed her.
For the next few days he spent nearly all his time with Ros, helping her with her villagers. She had been the one who had collected them all for a grand trading hall located under the castle, but had hit a wall with the actual trading part. They chatted about his adventures while he helped her set up a system to turn them into zombie villagers and then back again. The next day he helped her mine for gold, and chop down mushrooms to brew the potions of weakness. Then they split up so he could hunt spiders for eyes and she chopped oak trees for apples, but they came together again for dinner. The following day they went to the potions room to use her brewer.
“I still don’t know why Lukey thought I needed such a complicated system for potions.” Ros chuckled, watching him use it. “I don’t even fully understand why it needs to be so complicated.
“It was Bad’s design. It was to help us get stronger more efficiently.” Pangi shrugged, memories of all the hours he spent grinding his potions skills flooding his mind. “Didn’t Yellow have one?”
“Not like this.” She smirked. “Seems a little extreme to me.”
“That was green faction for you.” He laughed, but it sounded bitter. Was. They had been. Now they were scattered to the wind, none of them speaking to each other any longer.
“Do you miss your faction too?” Ros asked quietly.
“Not really.” His voice caught in his throat. “It’s… complicated.” He missed what they had been. Missed being able to rely on Bad. Missed the easy way things had been with Lukey.
“It was complicated for me too, but I miss them.” Ros said brightly, swinging her legs casually from her perch above him. “Who else have you seen recently?”
“Clown.” He chuckled, feeling less awkward about bringing him up now. “He’s the same as always.”
“Well that’s good.” Ros grinned. “Maybe he’ll come visit me sometime.”
“He’s not doing very much back home, so maybe.” He said neutrally. Pangi could never be sure what Clown was up to anymore, so it was entirely possible he would come this way. He had left out the parts where Clown had tried to completely destroy spawn and then disappeared for months only to reappear in the same world as him recently.
After four days Ros had her villagers maxed out, and Pangi’s gear was repaired and had better enchants. Plus his potions were well stocked in his shulkers, and he even had pearls to help him until he got back home. He spent that afternoon packing and when he was done he went to find Ros in her garden intending to say goodbye.
“Hey.” He called to her warmly, finding her in her favorite spot under the large cherry tree in the center.
“Oh hello! Did you get everything you needed together?” He caught the slight bitter tone in her voice.
“I did yea…” He sighed, knowing that he was going to have to tell her he was going to be leaving in the morning.
“Please stay.” Ros’s voice quivered. “I know you want to go home, but you could stay just a few more days.”
His heart broke for her, but he knew he couldn’t stay in a place this peaceful. Not for her. Not for anybody. It wasn’t in his nature to live such a tranquil existence. He’d already learned that lesson. He would get bored. He’d grown antsy about staying still for too long as it is. Plus if she was right about Lukey arriving in a few days… There was no way. He wasn’t ready for that yet. “Ros… I can’t.”
She took a deep breath and nodded sadly. “I know, I had just hoped…”
“I’ll tell you what, now that I know where you are I can come visit you sometime?” Pangi said brightly, trying to give her some sort of comfort. “It’s been amazing getting to spend time with you, I’m really glad I came.”
“Oh, I’ve enjoyed it too.” She patted the spot next to her under the tree. He followed her directions, sitting next to her on the blanket she had spread out. “Before you go, can you tell me about Zam and her team again please?”
His heart softened for her. He had listened to her speak of all of Yellow faction over the few days he had been here, and he could tell just how much she missed them all. “I can do that. I wasn’t planning on leaving until the morning anyway.” Pangi replied.
“Oh good. We can have dinner together one last time then.” She sighed happily, and laid back on the blanket, closing her eyes.
Pangi gave her a moment to get settled and then began. “Their name is Team Bing, and the members are Pentar, Yungy, Jumper, and, of course, Zam. And they’re the most powerful team in Life Steal, and they’re also really great friends…”