mindcracklove | Fanfic - Dreams

Everyone seemed excited for this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it (we're getting all action-y here now)!

Well, this was great. I’d expected so many other things - for Vechs to be mean, or angry, or laughing like the maniac that he was, but as far as I could tell, he was the same guy that I’d always known. He reached for the wash bucket sitting next to the door and proceeded to wash off his blood-soaked gloves.

He dried them off with the towel, then put his dried gloves on his hips and turned to me with a grin. “What, surprised to see me? Who else did you think would build a castle as awesome as this one?”

I was nearly stunned into speechlessness by his sheer gall. I’d reappeared five years into a future in which he’s basically the overlord of everything and he’s joking like nothing happened?

That’s Vechs for you, I guess.

“Nice to see you too, Vechs.” I gave a quiet laugh.

He strolled forward to meet me, and though I tensed up considerably as he put one arm around my shoulder, he ignored it. “Five years you’ve been gone. I could’ve done a lot in that time. Made maps, played games... Instead, I’ve been busy here! Fighting off rebellions and that kinda thing.”
His grip on my arm tightened. “And I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, Zistykins, your lack of player...ness. Playerness? Let’s go with that. Seeing as our contract was officially terminated when you stopped playing my maps, you’ve lost your playerness! So, unless you’d like to continue without your ability to place blocks, affect blocks, or otherwise function as a non-pig zombie humanoid, we need to renew it. You’ve gotta promise this time - cross your heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye, sign on the dotted line and say I do, promise.”

Vechs flicked his wrist, unraveling a sheet of parchment. “It’s the same as the last contract, although it adds ‘minion’ to ‘list of duties that must be fulfilled’. I hope you don’t mind.”

“And if I do?”

Silence. He released me and took a cautious step back. “Then we have a problem, don’t we, Pigderp?”

“No,” I felt a pressure on my throat as a familiar voice behind me spoke, “now we have a problem.”

“Nebris?” Vechs frowned. “Breaking free of mind control is not a nice thing to do, Nebris.”

“Not my problem.” It was a blade of some sort he was holding to me. Was I supposed to be his bargaining chip here? I almost felt offended. “I’m only here to finish what should’ve been finished a long time ago. I slit the throat of your pigman here - sorry Zisteau - and you know what it’s like to lose someone you care about. Then I stab you through the heart like you deserve, I’ve got my revenge and everything’s back to the way it used to be.”

Over the years I’ve known him, I’ve become very good at reading Vechs' emotions. Even with his goggles on, I can tell what his expression is. His mouth didn’t change, but I knew it; he was grinning on the inside.

“You know, Nebris, everyone was granted some sort of power from what I like to call ‘The Event.’ You, me, even Pigderp there. I got a lucky shot - if you die, I get yours. Simple as that. And I don’t even need you to die to use yours against you, Nebris. You know why?”

It looked like they must’ve been locking eyes. “Because your power is mind control through eye contact. And my goggles,” - he adjusted them with one hand - “are great at reflecting.”

I could feel the hand holding the blade go slightly slack. “Nebris,” Vechs called. “Let go of the pigman.”

The pressure stopped entirely and I fell to the ground.

“Now go stand in the corner and think about what you’ve done.”

Nebris turned around and went to stand in the “corner” (the room was circular!), looking down at his feet in dismay.

Vechs shook his head, making a disappointed tutting noise. “Much potential, little practicality.” He reached out one hand to me. “So, you know the contract, then, Zisteau, what d’ya say?”

It was a near split-second decision. I pushed the hand away with my hoof. “I’m good, thanks.”

His face hardened into a glare. “Big mistake, Pigderp.”

He took a few steps back, the room seeming suddenly darker than it had a minute ago. “You heard what I said to Nebris. You die, I get whatever power you were given.” A cool wind breezed through that put my fur on end. “You’d be surprised how many of your friends are gone.”

A wave of his hand summoned forth each gift. A force field. “Avidya.” A strike of lightning. “Anderz.” A flame formed of darkness. “Pakratt.” He juggled the shadowflame for a bit between his hands. “Poor, poor Pakratt. So wise, and yet so stupid. He went out in a blaze of his own stupidity.”

A little more juggling of the flame. “Not Guude, though. I’d like to kill Guude, I really would, but he’s the only op left on here and I kind of need him.”

“He’s still alive?”

“Yep! It’s a lot of hard work, but he’s fine. A little worse for wear, maybe.” Vechs shrugged.

“But how else am I supposed to get op? Mostly been storing up the power he’s been giving me in hopes of getting to creative, but I’m taking it one step at a time.”

The shadowflame grew and bent until it became like a whip in his hands. “Last chance, Pigderp.” He tried to warn me, but I shook my head. “Alright, then, your choice.”

He whipped the shadowflame at me.