Chapter Text
Briar had been having some… He had to admit lackluster luck in finding anything worth stealing from the chests he's raided.
Why the hell was everybody so POOR here…
Then that's when he saw it. A structure just up a hill with the most detailed roof they've ever seen.
Jackpot.
Crouching, Briar made his way towards the house. They peered in, no nametag or player in sight.
Briar looked to the first entrance he could see. The window.
After breaking it, Briar leapt in and looked around. The place was… Cozy.
Not personally to his taste, but quaint none the less.
There were chests and barrels all around but nothing looked good. Looking around the place, Briar saw a suspiciously large painting upon the wall, a classic but stupid hiding spot for any secret room. What a rookie mistake.
Briar gently pried the painting off to the side and to their surprise, a chest room sat, with a floor of amethyst that twinkled as Briar stepped onto it.
“Holy…”
Briar popped open a random chest, eager to stash anything into his inventory.
His eagerness was promptly cut short as the floor beneath him opened up. A long hole stretched out and Briar fell down towards a pit of tall stalagmites.
Thankfully, Briar had tossed an ender pearl towards the ground behind him and he found himself back on solid ground. Thank Mojang for his quick reflexes.
“Huh, didn't think you'd actually make it.” Spoke a voice behind him.
Briar snapped behind him and there he saw the owner of this house.
Think back on it, Briar couldn't really recall the person's face. Everytime he did he seemed to not quite remember right. Freaky.
“...You made that trap?”
“Yeah to keep out pesky thieves like you.”
Briar was stunned. “No one's ever managed to stop me from stealing from them before… I respect that.”
The stranger cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah. That,” Briar gestured to the pit, “was pretty cool. I need someone like you.”
“Huh? What do you–”
“By the looks of it, you're no pvper. And if you have to do all this to keep your junk safe… You seem to need me too.” Briar sat up on his one knee.
The stranger looked interested. Good.
“I'm a pvper, I don't mean to brag but I'm pretty well known for my skills. Together, with your brains and my power, we could be something special.”
He held the stranger’s hand in his and squeezed a little. Trying to use whatever he had left in him.
“...sure.”
“You don't have to… huh?”
“I said sure. I could use the help and you're available. Why not?”
“Hah, thanks…?’
“Kismet.”
“Kismet. Cool name.” Briar got to his feet, “You think you could do me a favor?”
— — —
“Why the hell did I agree to do this?” Kismet whined as he found himself steering Briar’s boat towards the sea.
“Cause you knew we would succeed and look at us! Shulkers of Netherite armor and potions!” Briar laughed giddily as he turned back and shot the players chasing them with fireworks.
“Mojang save us.”
Thankfully, they'd managed to build up enough distance to be in the sea with no one chasing them.
“Up top!” Briar promoted.
“You will not be getting an up top from me.”
“C’mooonnn!”
“No! Dude, I almost lost my life back there.”
“But you didn't, so stop whining and just high-five me back.”
Begrudgingly, Kismet high fived Briar. “I can't wait to get these bad boys enchanted.”
“I hope you don't plan on using my enchantment books.”
“... I'd never.”
“Of course.”
The two finally made it back to the mainland of the server far from the icy biome they escaped and much warmer.
They entered Kismet’s house and inside is where they placed all their findings. In one shulker box, a row of full Netherite armor sat as well as a few swords and shields.
Another was filled with swiftness potions, another of strength, fire resistance and turtle master.
One of the shulkers Kismet had were filled with golden carrots, gapples and ender pearls.
“Look at us man. We're so stupidly rich.”
“Mhm.” Kismet was busy taking some items into their inventory.
“We're rich, but this base…”
Kismet immediately snapped to Briar, “What's wrong with my base?”
“It's cool and all but it's… it doesn't scream wealthy, rich, respectable. It's just cozy and quaint. Do I look quaint to you?”
“Certainly not.”
“Exactly! I need something bigger… A castle or something, you know?”
“I guess I could build you a castle…”
“Really?? You'd do that?”
“Yeah, but you'll have to get me the blocks.”
“Done! Ahh, you're making all my dreams come true man. What do you need?
“What vibe are you going for?”
“...Ice castle. Dark grey and purple and blue.”
Kismet laughed at Briar's jovial excitement when describing his dream castle.
“Similar to the one we just stole from.”
“...okay. Bring me… 8 stacks of smooth stone, stone bricks, 10 stacks of deepslate bricks, 4 stacks of any concrete blocks you want and… As much packed ice as you can find. Then I'll see what I can do.”
“Okay, be right back!” Briar nabbed his shulkers back before sprinting out of Kismet’s house.
---
Peace. Finally.
Ever since that imp of a player found Kismet’s place, they've had no peace. Everything was another heist, another fun little adventure.
But Kismet wasn't about that life. In fact, right now they wanted to sleep.
And sleep they did.
Everything was quiet and peaceful. And they were safe in their warm house. They fluttered off into sleep in their bedroom.
When they woke they felt a strange amount of sunlight spilling onto their face. They look and see a slightly battered, extremely excited, Briar.
“I'm back.” Is all he said, smiling.
“Good lord! What the…” Kismet looked up and saw the hole in their roof. “Briar you–”
“Got you pretty much all you needed. Yes, yes I know what you're about to say: ‘Briar! How did you get stacks upon stacks of all those random ass blocks???’ and all I can say is, I have my ways. Now let's get you building. Builder boy.”
Kismet sat up and stared at Briar. He was now in fully enchanted netherite armor and a blue parrot on his shoulder.
“Ugh. Let me have breakfast first.”
“Breakfast is for losers who don't have anything to look forward to, this castle is mad important for us!”
“Us?”
“Yeah, you'll be living with me, no?”
“I mean… I've always considered myself a lone wolf so–”
“Pshh! We're a wolf pack, bro. Now c'mon”
Briar dragged Kismet down stairs.
“Briar. I won't be able to build anything on an empty stomach. Or in my PJs.”
“Fine. Go get dressed. Go eat your breakfast.”
“Youre acting like you don't eat breakfast yourself.”
“Whatever man! Just do what you gotta do.” Briar flopped down on a random seat in Kismet’s living room. They felt like hours had passed but realistically, it'd only been a few minutes.
A moment later Kismet walked up to Briar and forcibly handed him a plate. It contained toast, egg and some cooked slices of ham.
“...what is this?”
“Breakfast?”
“Yeah but, why? Why are you making me breakfast?”
Kismet eyed Briar up and down, “I don't know what you eat but it clearly isn't anything good seeing as your frame is wiry as hell and your eyes look… Manic, to say the least. I'm trying to be nice.” Kismet finally answered.
“Has no one ever done anything nice for you?”
Briar did not blush. His chitinous skin concealed any of the blood flowing through his body, but his squinty eyes widened ever so slightly and he quickly turned his face away in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.
“It's like you said earlier, I'm sort of a lone wolf too, so—”
“It's okay, it's okay.” Kismet patted his shoulder. “All you have to say is thank you.”
“... Thanks.”
“No problem boss.” From where Briar was sitting, all he could see was Kismet’s smug smile and their sharp eyes being shielded by the morning light to make them look almost condescending. “Now I'm going to get ready. Don't wreck my house again, I'll be right back.”
Quietly, Briar ate his breakfast. Occasionally giving his parrot a crumb chunk or two of his toast.
Kismet came back down in some decent clothes and a newly made enchanted pickaxe.
“Okay, where am I building this?”
Briar jumped up and accidentally scared his parrot off of him. He let it sit on the couch.
“I'll fly you there.”
“Fly? I don't have an elytra.”
“I know…but I have my methods, just trust me.” Briar left first and when Kismet finally stepped out, he was nowhere to be seen.
Where was–
“Up here!”
Kismet looked up. Briar was holding a pig on a leash just low enough for Kismet to hop on.
“I'm not getting on that.”
“Relax, it's just a pig, it won't hurt you.”
“That's not the– whatever.” Kismet climbed on to the pig. By the grunt it let out it was just as unhappy about this entire situation.
“I'm going to take you to the place now, okay? Hold on tight.”
Briar flew Kismet far out. Past a plains boom then a taiga biome and then finally a snowy taiga biome. They briefly flew past a small bordered off base.
Kismet recognized this place…
“Is that the same place we stole from?”
“Mhm”
“Aren't you scared they're gonna see us and try to get revenge?”
“They wouldn't dare!”
Kismet chuckled, rolling their eyes.
Briar landed and safely deposited Kismet onto the ground.
There was a large open snowy space that had clearly been terraformed.
“Your canvas, my good sir.” Briar presented.
Kismet rolled his eyes. “And my materials?”
Briar unloaded shulkers upon shulkers of stone bricks, blue concrete and the likes.
“Wow…”
“Told you I got you everything you needed.”
“I suppose I'll get to it.”
“Mhm”
They both stared out at the snowy view. “I guess you'll want your peace and quiet while you work. I'll check in on you in a bit, okay?”
“Mhm, see you later.”
Briar flew out and left Kismet to get working and work they did. After around 6 or 7 hours Kismet took a break and that's when they saw Briar flying in from the distance.
Briar landed in front of Kismet. “How's the build going?”
“See for yourself.” Kismet mumbled around his food.
Briar stood back a bit to scope out the work that had been done.
The foundations of the castle were all set. As wide and tall as Briar wanted it. It was missing a top though. The roof would come in soon, hopefully.
“Woah… All this in a day?”
“It's nothing crazy, the day's hardly even over.”
“Whatever you say… Do you want anything?”
“Hm?”
“I'm going again, I need to meet someone in a few minutes. So before I go I wanna know if you need anything.”
“Nope. I'm all good.”
“Okayy, see you later alligator!" And just like that, Briar was gone again.
Kismet quickly finishes their lunch break and goes back to working on the roof, the interior and finally the staircase leading to the main door.
Kismet couldn't tell how long exactly that all took but from the ache that thrummed in their limbs and the darkness in the sky gave them a good idea.
They slunk down on the steps, shivering a little.
Gosh it was cold.
Sitting there. Waiting for Briar to come back.
Surely he'd be here as soon as he could, right? That little meeting he was having couldn't go on for that long, could it?
…
…..
……?
Oink.
Kismet jumped out of their skin. The speed in which they flinched back made them hit their head in the cold stone and they could feel a slight bump form against the chill of their exposed skin.
“Kismet. Why are you still here?”
…
“I… I wanted to show you the castle.”
“I was gone for hours though! Why didn't you wait for me at home? Or inside the damn place?”
Kismet felt their teeth chattering as they shivered. “... I didn't think you'd– I didn't think you'd take so long.”
“Are you blaming me for making you wait out here?”
“What? No, that's not what I said.”
“Well that's the vibe I'm picking up. C'mon man, let's get you back to your little house along the prairie.”
“Don't you at least want to see the inside?”
“We can see it tomorrow. Hop on the hog.” Kismet didn't know if it was Briar or their tired mind playing tricks on them, but they swore Briar was commanding them just then.
… For being the reason Kismet was left in the cold for hours, Briar sure doesn't seem to want to see the damn thing.
“... Okay.”
Kismet hoped onto the hog, or more accurately climbed onto it. It was difficult climbing with stiff limbs, but manageable.
Thet rest of that night was spent flying Kismet home and finally allowing them the comfort of sleeping in their warm bed.
“Good night, Kismet.”
Is the last thing Kismet heard before going to sleep.