Mending the Broken: Chapter 1 (Collab with Salt and Cooki)
Sunday, September 21st, 2014 10:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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mindcrackloveHeyo! This is a collaborative story between Salt and Cooki, based on the prompt by Ratta.
“One by one the mindcrackers go missing till there's just one left, all alone to their sadness and loneliness. It ends in two ways. A. The character finds trace of the others and discovers they've lost their memories in some other community. B. They end it all.”
We hope you enjoy! (Also, Salt and I will be alternating posting this, so keep an eye out for it from both of us!)
Edit: There's no character death in this, just couldn't remove the tag.)
Next:
~xxxxxxxxxx~
"It's beautiful," he whispered, to no one in particular, as he swirled the test tube slowly, watching the gooey, glowing liquid turn from blue to pink, his fingers tapping the glass of the test tube lightly, thoughtfully, another hand resting against the edge of the cauldron.
Cold mist rose from the glowing cauldron, already full of a purple, bubbling liquid. He leaned over and let the pink liquid drip into the cauldron, leaning back with a pleased smile as the purple liquid turned black and hot, the sudden intense heat warming the cave he was in, making him perspire.
He hadn't felt like this for a while now. He thought that side of him had left, had gone. He thought he had learnt to control his urges, his needs, his wants.
Embracing all that he had neglected for so long felt wonderful. It had been so long since he tasted the shadows against his skin. So long since he let them whisper in his mind. So long since he let evil manifest in his thoughts.
With a hand raised in the air, he dropped the test tube into the cauldron, and watched the black liquid spurt upwards, like a geyser. "It is ready," he whispered to the shadows, smiling when they hissed their approval, their joy to have him back with them. Carefully, he scooped up a handful of the black liquid from the cauldron and noticed how cold they felt against his skin, even as they emitted heat. Tilting his head back, he lifted his palm to his lips, closing his eyes, ready to seal the spell with his soul, binding himself to the magic.
He stumbled as the cauldron rumbled, opening his eyes to see the cauldron shaking vigorously on the ground, black liquid spilling, hissing and rising as mist as they touched the ground. Falling backwards with a gasp, he immediately knew what was wrong. He had let too much life essence into the mixture, too much of the pink liquid mix with his creation.
Fumbling with the number of glowing liquids on the test tube rack, he tried to locate the dark blue liquid, but already he could feel the cold mist seeping into his skin, hazing his mind, blurring his thoughts. The shadows left him with a cry of pain, leaving him completely exposed, a thin layer of ice forming on his skin. He tried to call for help, but all that escaped his lips were a strangled cry of pain. He couldn't fight his own creation. It was too powerful.
All he could do was watch, watch as the black smoke covered his figure, consumed his figure, his eyes wild with fear.
===============
Zisteau's eyes darted to his phone ringing on the ground. Focusing on his project would make the sound drown out into the background, but what worried him was Guude's caller ID flashing brightly on the screen. He had told them not to call him unless there was an emergency. Pause had decided to prank call him a few times, but this was Guude. Unless someone was using Guude's phone to prank call him, there was an emergency back at Mindcrack.
Throwing his excess clay into the chest, Zisteau reached down to answer the phone, half expecting Pause's voice to call him a nerd. "Hello?" he answered.
"Zisteau," came Guude's serious, slightly panicked voice, "come back to Mindcrack. We have a problem."
"What's wrong?" Zisteau asked, throwing cobblestone on the ground as scaffolding for the next part of the structure he was going to create.
"Vechs is missing," came Guude's breathless voice.
"Be right there."
===============
They had met in the woods, both out hunting. Etho had laughed at Nebris, saying he was a better hunter, and Nebris had challenged him to another round of hunting. Etho had won, and Nebris accepted defeat gracefully, allowing Etho to lead him to the edge of the mountain, both falling into silence as they sat.
Nebris' fingers twitched towards Etho's on the grass, only to hesitate, and withdraw his hands back to his lap, wrangling them nervously. He thought he heard Etho breathe out loudly, and sneaked a peek at him.
Both turned away when they noticed each other staring, both blushing hard, Etho's eyes now trained on the ocean below the hill, Nebris' eyes focused on his own hands.
"So," Nebris heard Etho chuckle nervously, only to fall back into silence. "I heard that... the..."
"Office's a pretty good show," Nebris finished for him, and glanced up to see Etho's different coloured eyes looking surprised, then crinkling up as he smiled. Nebris reached out to take Etho's hand, but stopped himself when Etho saw his hand moving.
Things had been so much easier when he had thought of Etho as just a friend.
"I..." Etho began again, only to hesitate and trail off, his eyes looking away again.
Nebris decided this was his time.
"I-" Etho began again, looking up at him, only to see Nebris mustering up his courage, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist, pushing him down on the grass and ripping his mask off.
Etho gasped when his lips tasted the air, and realised that this was the first time it had been taken off since he first put it on, and that Nebris could see his entire face. "You're beautiful," came Nebris' muttered words, and Etho's lips moved, trying to say something, but nothing came out.
Etho didn't push him away as Nebris leaned in, his eyes fluttering close, letting his cold lips meet Nebris' warm ones, holding for as long as they could, before both broke away, breathing and smiling hard.
Etho raised a gloved hand to brush against his lips, Nebris' strong hand still wrapped around his wrist. Nebris' eyes widened, and he quickly pulled back.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me-" Nebris' apologies were cut off when Etho pressed a finger against his lips, silencing him, before leaning in to give him a light kiss, pulling away immediately, a slight blush raising at his unmasked face.
Nebris' grip on his wrist relaxed, and with a beam, Nebris picked the flower beside him and presented it to Etho, who took it with a shy smile. Standing up, Nebris motioned at Etho to stay seated, and headed down the mountain and into the dark woods behind.
Etho hummed a tune, stroking the flower fondly as he waited for Nebris' return. A sharp cry made him drop the flower and stand. "Nebris?" Etho picked his sword up and ran into the woods. "Nebris!"
Etho weaved through the trees, trying to find a hint of those enchanting, purple eyes. He thought he heard a branch snap and whirled around, lifting his head as leaves fell from the tree above.
His eyes widened.
Etho was squashed by a falling anvil.
==============
It had started as a warm day. Pause had gone out on a walk with Beef, and they had fallen asleep under an oak tree. When Pause awoke, the sun was already inching its way down, moving ever-closer to the horizon.
He shook his companion awake, who looked up groggily at a slightly alarmed Pause.
“Pause?” He said as he rubbed his eyes, standing up. He saw the alarm in his friend’s face, and became concerned. “What’s wrong?”
Pause didn’t reply at first. Nobody was aware of his fear, as far as he knew. And he wanted to keep it that way. Pause quickly forced a small smile, trying to hide his worry, which grew ever larger as the sun continued to sink lower and lower.
“O-Oh, it’s nothing. But don’t you think we should head back soon? I-It’s starting to get dark.” He said, trying to keep his voice steady. Pause quickly turned to look at the sun, which was already half way hidden by the Earth. Beef began to walk back into the forest, turning and waiting for his friend. He didn’t try to rush him, since he knew he was afraid of the dark (he wouldn’t feel right calling himself one of Pause’s best friends if he didn’t know). Pause turned on his heel to follow Beef into the woods.
It had been several minutes since the pair had started back into the woods. Pause found himself walking slightly behind Beef, his eyes glued to his feet as he matched his pace. At the sudden crack of thunder, Pause jumped, his hand brushing against Beef’s. He quickly pulled it away, shuffling away from the butcher, his cheeks turning red. He mumbled out an apology to his friend, stuttering over his words.
“U-Uh, s-sorry Beef, I-I—”
“It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.” Beef cut him off. He walked towards his shaking friend, feeling drops of rain begin to hit his head. Pause wasn’t looking over at Beef anymore, so he didn’t see him when he reached out to grab his hand. Pause felt the warm gentle hand grab his, feeling as Beef interlocked their fingers. He pulled Pause to his feet.
“C’mon, let’s go home.” He said quietly. The rain was coming down steadily now, and both men could hear the groaning of zombies, the hissing of creepers, start to swarm around them.
Another crack of thunder sounded, and Pause shifted towards Beef at the sound of it. He gave a smile of forgiveness to Pause, who looked up at him with stained cheeks, and they continued walking.
Amongst the rain and mobs, the loud break of a branch startled the two men, and they stopped in their tracks.
“Wait here.” Beef said, breaking away from his friend. Pause reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“No, wait, it was probably just a mob or something, let’s just go.” He said, his voice thick with fear. Beef turned to Pause as he broke away again.
“Mobs don’t climb trees.” He said matter-of-factly, smiling before turning off into the woods in the direction of the sound. When he didn’t return for a few minutes, Pause’s anxiety rose to even higher levels.
“B-Beef?” He called out, shaking from the rain and the cold. From the same direction Beef had gone, he saw a figure dart through the shadows. “Beef, is that you?”
The last thing he remembered before falling unconscious was someone coming from behind him, a cry of Beef’s name on his lips as he was impaled, watching the slick, wet diamond slice through his stomach.
===============
Zisteau ran into Spawn just as Avidya, Mhykol, Arkas, Generik, Guude and Aurey were leaving.
"Zisteau!" Guude exclaimed when he saw him, the rest of the Mindcrackers gathered around them, looking worried. "You're here!"
"What's the emergency?" he asked, and noticed the way their faces darkened.
"Vechs' missing," Guude told him again.
"And so are Nebris, Etho, Pause and Beef," Avidya added, his soft voice worried. Zisteau's eyes widened. It was unlike these guys to just disappear, Etho and Nebris both knew their way around the island. Pause and Beef might not have the best directional sense, but stumbling around the island wouldn't take them long to chance upon Spawn; the island wasn't very big.
"We're the search party, we're going out to find them while the rest of you stay here at Spawn. Safety in numbers for us, and for you guys," Aurey nodded as she spoke, gesturing at Guude, Mhykol, Generik, Avidya and Arkas. Adlington took Zisteau's hand, pulling him into the group of Mindcrackers.
"Make sure you stay near each other, look out for each other, we don't want another person missing," Guude told them in a warning tone, his voice low and serious. When he received a nod from all the Mindcrackers, he turned and led the Search Party into their boats, ready to sail off Mindcrack Island.
"Stay safe!" Zisteau called out, and hugged Kurt tight as he came to his side, his expression growing worried as they watched them leave.
--
"Vetches?" Aurey called out, searching under every blade of grass, every petal of flower. "Vechs? Vexy? Where are you?"
"Aurey," Avidya placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Vechs won't be under these flowers."
"He can do magic!" Aurey's high voice rose higher as she grew more and more panicked. "He might have made himself into a flower! Or a mob!" Aurey screeched as Guude slaughtered a skeleton. "That might have been Vechs!!"
"It's not," Guude snapped, his worry growing into frustration. "Keep looking."
Arkas came towards Avidya and Aurey as Aurey sat down on the grass, upset. "Where could my Vexy Bits be?"
"I'm sure he's alright," Arkas assured with a smile, but Aurey didn't return the smile. Guude went poking around a pond while Generik and Mhykol left together downhill, leaving Aurey, Arkas and Avidya on the hill.
"Etho's mask," Arkas spoke up, breaking the silence between them. He stood up, walking towards the navy blue cloth on the ground. Picking it up, he held it out to the others. "Etho's mask," he repeated, seeming to be in shock.
"Etho never takes his mask off," Avidya spoke, in a similar tone of voice to Arkas'.
"Guude!" Aurey screamed, standing, and Guude came hurrying over, snatching Etho's mask from Arkas' hands.
"Spread out," he commanded, and the three immediately moved into the woods. "Genny? Mhykol? We found Etho's mask!"
Genny and Mhykol came hurrying over, and the three of them hurried into the woods after Arkas, Aurey and Avidya. "Ark!" Guude called out. "Aurey? Avidya?"
"Do you think they all disappeared, like Etho and Nebs?" Generik shivered as a cold breeze blew past them, no sign of Arkas, Aurey or Avidya in the woods.
"Nonsense!" Guude snapped, "We were just behind them!"
"Do you think Nebs and Etho got lost in these woods?" Mhykol's eyes widened. "Pause always called the Dark Oak forest the Twilight Forest because he said they always felt like magic."
"Magic," Guude sneered, but his voice shook, as though he was beginning to believe it.
"Aurey," Generik interrupted, eyes wide as he pointed. Guude and Mhykol looked up to see a flutter of long red hair through the leaves of a tree.
"AUREY!" Guude shoved the other two away and ran forward, but it was just a tree's leaves, red leaves that shook when the wind blew. Guude's expression fell, his heart heavy. He began to walk back to Genny and Mhykol, only to stop himself.
There were no red-leaved trees on the island.
Guude whirled around again.
Generik and Mhykol stopped poking around in the bushes, looking up when Guude's high-pitched scream echoed through the forest.
"Guude?" Genny shouted, hearing a rustle of leaves in reply. Stepping forward, Genny ran towards where Guude was, Mhykol close behind. Their feet crushed dry leaves as they ran, heels digging into the mud. They stopped, unable to see the red signal Guude had followed, but it was obvious to them that that had not been Aureylian.
Both kept quiet as they tried to listen for any sort of signal, before Mhykol finally turned to Genny. "Where do you think-" Mhykol began, only to stop and look around. Genny was right behind him, but now he was nowhere to be seen. "Genny?" Mhykol called out, his voice high with fear, walking back into the woods. "Genny, this isn't funny!"
Poor, poor Mhykol, Mhykol turned around, his breath caught in his throat, hearing a whispery sort of voice. Where did all your friends go?
"Who are you and what have you done with them?" Mhykol yelled into the woods, backing away into a tree, noticing the strange fog that seemed to surround him.
You're about to join them, the voice promised with a strange reassuring tone. Mhykol shivered as the smoke tasted his skin.
"The Mindcrackers will find you!" he warned, as the smoke grew darker, beginning to cover his vision as they engulfed him.
Silly Mhykol, he heard, as thoughts grew fuzzy, and shadows became his world. After all, no one will remember who you are.
===============
MC took a step back, wiping the beads of sweat from his head with the back of his hand as he admired his work. A satisfied smile formed on his face. He looked down at his hands, which were covered in a dusty blue residue; the remains of the lapis lazuli he had just been working with. He had decided to add lapis accents to his base, and his stash of the ore had just run out, save for his personal collection.
He needed more of the mineral, but he had been ordered by Guude to stay together, and then by BTC to stay at spawn (though he had gotten special permission to return to his base for a short while). He didn’t want to take too long, as he might worry the others, but he only needed a small amount to finish his project. He contemplated the choice, estimating the time it would take him to get enough lapis to finish. It couldn’t take too, long, could it?
A look out of his window told him that darkness was fast-approaching, one edge of the sun beginning to sink down below the distant horizon. He again debated for a moment whether he wanted to venture out to the cave during the night, not wanting to take too long, but put his doubts aside as he dug a diamond pick from a chest, the tool giving off the faint purple glow of an enchant.
He exited his base, the oak door creaking to a close behind him, his pickaxe in hand. As he started the walk, another glance at the scarlet sky told him that he’d better hurry if he wanted to avoid fighting a horde of creatures on his way. He quickened his pace, and because of it, he nearly missed the soft glow of a torch he passed by. He did a double-take, spinning on his heel as he approached what now appeared to be an unlit cave (which was an unusual occurrence on the island, which had been mostly picked over).
As he neared the opening, he saw that the torch was sitting on a block of the blue ore he sought.
That’s strange he thought, There shouldn’t be lapis this close to the surface. He mined the block, collecting the shattered ore pieces that dropped. MC peered further into the cavern, which didn’t appear to go further down, but he couldn’t be sure; his view was cut off by a sharp turn.
He took a couple steps into the cave, and he was greeted by yet another block of lapis. He mined it, and then cautiously continued his journey. The layout of the grotto was very unnatural. A relatively straight path, a block of lapis, then a turn into a similar tunnel. Occasionally, a torch was placed on the wall, but they were just far enough apart that anything outside of the direct reach of the light was dim, but not dark enough for monsters, making the cavern somewhat safe.
He had been traversing the cave for several minutes, when suddenly, he felt a cold wind rush by, sending chills up his arm. He was too deep in the cave for the wind to have come from behind him, so he pressed on, thinking it had come from further in.
But he soon found himself at a dead end. He felt another cold breeze, and confusion set in. The cave had been very uniform, and there had been no paths that branched out or led to an exit. He heard a whistle as more air rushed around him. But this time, the air felt thicker, heavier, more like the smoke of a fire. He pulled an unlit torch out of his bag, but it refused to catch fire. He stuffed it back in his pack, feeling a sharp pain as the smoke rushed into his nose. He pulled out a second torch, only to be met with the same result.
Now he was beginning to panic. He wasn’t sure, but he could’ve sworn he heard a whispery, raspy voice, and when he focused on it, he could almost hear what it was saying. But every time he seemed close to making out a word, the voice faded. What little visibility there was in the cave had begun to fade as well, and MC let out a cough as he felt the smoke enter his lungs. He bent forward, his arm catching the wall for support as he was overcome with coughing, his vision slowly darkening.
Within seconds, his arm gave out, and he fell to the cold stone floor. As the last spotted remnants of his vision faded, he heard a quiet, malicious cackle.
===============
There were just two of them left, now. Just moments ago, there had been three of them: Kurt, Paul, and Zisteau. They had been sitting at spawn for a few days, just watching as their numbers were picked off one by one. The food supply was fast dwindling, and Paul had volunteered to go to the lake to fish, hoping to keep them all alive for another day.
Kurt had insisted that he not go, that they would all go together later. But Paul had told them to stay put—Kurt refused, and Paul eventually gave in, letting them go with him. The pair, however, was stopped by Paul inside the cabin. To appease Kurt, he promised to fish where he was in plain view of their current location. For the first few minutes, Kurt had watched him, his nerves finally beginning to settle, at least a little. Zisteau had become bored, and tried to strike up a conversation with Kurt. A few bad jokes later, and Paul had been tucked away into the back of their minds. Until they heard a splash.
The two turned, and Paul had vanished. His pole lay on the ground, line still cast out into the lake. Beneath his spot on the shore, ripples spread out from their source. Kurt went to run out, but he was stopped by Zisteau, who latched onto his arm.
“No, Kurt. We’re the only two left now. If you go, whatever got everyone else could get you, too.” Kurt, as much as he wanted to, couldn’t argue with Zisteau’s logic, and he moved away from the door, his heart sinking.
It was just the two of them, now. Everybody else was gone. And he just had to hope they would be spared, that the mysterious thing would spare them. One can only hope.
Zisteau glanced back out the window, and was greeted by a fast-setting sun. He sat down against the wall, Kurt moving to join him. They sat in the terrifying quiet, listening as the groaning and hissing and clacking of the mobs outside grew louder. They said nothing to each other, but what was there to say? I hope it’s you who goes, not me. Because that would really help their situation.
Zisteau tried to ignore the low rumbling of his stomach. He heard a similar sound from Kurt’s belly, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. It was really just a race, to see what would kill them first. And now, it seemed that “death by hunger” was winning.
Zisteau’s stomach growled at him again, not understanding why it wasn’t being satisfied. The spoiled thing. Well, what do you want me to do? It’s not like I can just pull a five-course meal out of thin air, so quit your complaining. His stomach let out a quiet groan in response, continuing to pester the zombie pigman with its problems, the hollowness inside of him growing.
He looked up when there was a banging on the wooden door, hearing loud groans from outside. Zisteau almost stood up, marched out, and recklessly murdered everything out there, just to have something to eat, even if it meant a meal of rotten flesh and spider eyes. Almost. He stood up, his knees shaky. He took a step towards the hut’s entrance, a hand fumbling at his side to draw his sword. He was stopped by a hand on his ankle.
“Zisteau, don’t, please. We can go tomorrow, just please don’t go out there. I don’t want to lose you.” Kurt said, his eyes pleading with Zisteau. “It’s out there, I know it.” He dropped his voice at the last sentence, quickly glancing around behind him. But the only thing behind him was a rack of fishing poles, the one empty spot reminding him of Paul. Zisteau complied, retaking his seat next to Kurt, his stomach scolding him with another fit of grumbles. He did his best to ignore it, staring out the window.
Zisteau felt sleep begin to pull at his eyelids, and he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned, a small smile slipping onto his face. Kurt had fallen asleep, his head resting gently on Zisteau. Zisteau sighed, repositioning himself carefully, so as not to wake Kurt. He did his best to get somewhat comfortable, hugging his knees close to him and resting his head on them. He finally let sleep drag him under, praying that he would wake up in the morning.
And he did. He woke with a sore neck, reaching a hand to massage it. His stomach also decided to help wake him up, greeting him with loud groans. Wakey wakey, I want some dang eggs and bakey! But his miserable physical condition was the least of his worries. He no longer felt a presence on his shoulder. There was no longer another man in the small wooden cabin with him. Zisteau stood up, having to lean on the wall for support. There was nobody outside, or anywhere else in Mindcrack, for that matter.
Kurt had been taken. And now Zisteau was the only one left. He leaned his head onto the wall behind him. Craning his head to look up at the roof, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
“One by one the mindcrackers go missing till there's just one left, all alone to their sadness and loneliness. It ends in two ways. A. The character finds trace of the others and discovers they've lost their memories in some other community. B. They end it all.”
We hope you enjoy! (Also, Salt and I will be alternating posting this, so keep an eye out for it from both of us!)
Edit: There's no character death in this, just couldn't remove the tag.)
Next:
~xxxxxxxxxx~
"It's beautiful," he whispered, to no one in particular, as he swirled the test tube slowly, watching the gooey, glowing liquid turn from blue to pink, his fingers tapping the glass of the test tube lightly, thoughtfully, another hand resting against the edge of the cauldron.
Cold mist rose from the glowing cauldron, already full of a purple, bubbling liquid. He leaned over and let the pink liquid drip into the cauldron, leaning back with a pleased smile as the purple liquid turned black and hot, the sudden intense heat warming the cave he was in, making him perspire.
He hadn't felt like this for a while now. He thought that side of him had left, had gone. He thought he had learnt to control his urges, his needs, his wants.
Embracing all that he had neglected for so long felt wonderful. It had been so long since he tasted the shadows against his skin. So long since he let them whisper in his mind. So long since he let evil manifest in his thoughts.
With a hand raised in the air, he dropped the test tube into the cauldron, and watched the black liquid spurt upwards, like a geyser. "It is ready," he whispered to the shadows, smiling when they hissed their approval, their joy to have him back with them. Carefully, he scooped up a handful of the black liquid from the cauldron and noticed how cold they felt against his skin, even as they emitted heat. Tilting his head back, he lifted his palm to his lips, closing his eyes, ready to seal the spell with his soul, binding himself to the magic.
He stumbled as the cauldron rumbled, opening his eyes to see the cauldron shaking vigorously on the ground, black liquid spilling, hissing and rising as mist as they touched the ground. Falling backwards with a gasp, he immediately knew what was wrong. He had let too much life essence into the mixture, too much of the pink liquid mix with his creation.
Fumbling with the number of glowing liquids on the test tube rack, he tried to locate the dark blue liquid, but already he could feel the cold mist seeping into his skin, hazing his mind, blurring his thoughts. The shadows left him with a cry of pain, leaving him completely exposed, a thin layer of ice forming on his skin. He tried to call for help, but all that escaped his lips were a strangled cry of pain. He couldn't fight his own creation. It was too powerful.
All he could do was watch, watch as the black smoke covered his figure, consumed his figure, his eyes wild with fear.
===============
Zisteau's eyes darted to his phone ringing on the ground. Focusing on his project would make the sound drown out into the background, but what worried him was Guude's caller ID flashing brightly on the screen. He had told them not to call him unless there was an emergency. Pause had decided to prank call him a few times, but this was Guude. Unless someone was using Guude's phone to prank call him, there was an emergency back at Mindcrack.
Throwing his excess clay into the chest, Zisteau reached down to answer the phone, half expecting Pause's voice to call him a nerd. "Hello?" he answered.
"Zisteau," came Guude's serious, slightly panicked voice, "come back to Mindcrack. We have a problem."
"What's wrong?" Zisteau asked, throwing cobblestone on the ground as scaffolding for the next part of the structure he was going to create.
"Vechs is missing," came Guude's breathless voice.
"Be right there."
===============
They had met in the woods, both out hunting. Etho had laughed at Nebris, saying he was a better hunter, and Nebris had challenged him to another round of hunting. Etho had won, and Nebris accepted defeat gracefully, allowing Etho to lead him to the edge of the mountain, both falling into silence as they sat.
Nebris' fingers twitched towards Etho's on the grass, only to hesitate, and withdraw his hands back to his lap, wrangling them nervously. He thought he heard Etho breathe out loudly, and sneaked a peek at him.
Both turned away when they noticed each other staring, both blushing hard, Etho's eyes now trained on the ocean below the hill, Nebris' eyes focused on his own hands.
"So," Nebris heard Etho chuckle nervously, only to fall back into silence. "I heard that... the..."
"Office's a pretty good show," Nebris finished for him, and glanced up to see Etho's different coloured eyes looking surprised, then crinkling up as he smiled. Nebris reached out to take Etho's hand, but stopped himself when Etho saw his hand moving.
Things had been so much easier when he had thought of Etho as just a friend.
"I..." Etho began again, only to hesitate and trail off, his eyes looking away again.
Nebris decided this was his time.
"I-" Etho began again, looking up at him, only to see Nebris mustering up his courage, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist, pushing him down on the grass and ripping his mask off.
Etho gasped when his lips tasted the air, and realised that this was the first time it had been taken off since he first put it on, and that Nebris could see his entire face. "You're beautiful," came Nebris' muttered words, and Etho's lips moved, trying to say something, but nothing came out.
Etho didn't push him away as Nebris leaned in, his eyes fluttering close, letting his cold lips meet Nebris' warm ones, holding for as long as they could, before both broke away, breathing and smiling hard.
Etho raised a gloved hand to brush against his lips, Nebris' strong hand still wrapped around his wrist. Nebris' eyes widened, and he quickly pulled back.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me-" Nebris' apologies were cut off when Etho pressed a finger against his lips, silencing him, before leaning in to give him a light kiss, pulling away immediately, a slight blush raising at his unmasked face.
Nebris' grip on his wrist relaxed, and with a beam, Nebris picked the flower beside him and presented it to Etho, who took it with a shy smile. Standing up, Nebris motioned at Etho to stay seated, and headed down the mountain and into the dark woods behind.
Etho hummed a tune, stroking the flower fondly as he waited for Nebris' return. A sharp cry made him drop the flower and stand. "Nebris?" Etho picked his sword up and ran into the woods. "Nebris!"
Etho weaved through the trees, trying to find a hint of those enchanting, purple eyes. He thought he heard a branch snap and whirled around, lifting his head as leaves fell from the tree above.
His eyes widened.
Etho was squashed by a falling anvil.
==============
It had started as a warm day. Pause had gone out on a walk with Beef, and they had fallen asleep under an oak tree. When Pause awoke, the sun was already inching its way down, moving ever-closer to the horizon.
He shook his companion awake, who looked up groggily at a slightly alarmed Pause.
“Pause?” He said as he rubbed his eyes, standing up. He saw the alarm in his friend’s face, and became concerned. “What’s wrong?”
Pause didn’t reply at first. Nobody was aware of his fear, as far as he knew. And he wanted to keep it that way. Pause quickly forced a small smile, trying to hide his worry, which grew ever larger as the sun continued to sink lower and lower.
“O-Oh, it’s nothing. But don’t you think we should head back soon? I-It’s starting to get dark.” He said, trying to keep his voice steady. Pause quickly turned to look at the sun, which was already half way hidden by the Earth. Beef began to walk back into the forest, turning and waiting for his friend. He didn’t try to rush him, since he knew he was afraid of the dark (he wouldn’t feel right calling himself one of Pause’s best friends if he didn’t know). Pause turned on his heel to follow Beef into the woods.
It had been several minutes since the pair had started back into the woods. Pause found himself walking slightly behind Beef, his eyes glued to his feet as he matched his pace. At the sudden crack of thunder, Pause jumped, his hand brushing against Beef’s. He quickly pulled it away, shuffling away from the butcher, his cheeks turning red. He mumbled out an apology to his friend, stuttering over his words.
“U-Uh, s-sorry Beef, I-I—”
“It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.” Beef cut him off. He walked towards his shaking friend, feeling drops of rain begin to hit his head. Pause wasn’t looking over at Beef anymore, so he didn’t see him when he reached out to grab his hand. Pause felt the warm gentle hand grab his, feeling as Beef interlocked their fingers. He pulled Pause to his feet.
“C’mon, let’s go home.” He said quietly. The rain was coming down steadily now, and both men could hear the groaning of zombies, the hissing of creepers, start to swarm around them.
Another crack of thunder sounded, and Pause shifted towards Beef at the sound of it. He gave a smile of forgiveness to Pause, who looked up at him with stained cheeks, and they continued walking.
Amongst the rain and mobs, the loud break of a branch startled the two men, and they stopped in their tracks.
“Wait here.” Beef said, breaking away from his friend. Pause reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“No, wait, it was probably just a mob or something, let’s just go.” He said, his voice thick with fear. Beef turned to Pause as he broke away again.
“Mobs don’t climb trees.” He said matter-of-factly, smiling before turning off into the woods in the direction of the sound. When he didn’t return for a few minutes, Pause’s anxiety rose to even higher levels.
“B-Beef?” He called out, shaking from the rain and the cold. From the same direction Beef had gone, he saw a figure dart through the shadows. “Beef, is that you?”
The last thing he remembered before falling unconscious was someone coming from behind him, a cry of Beef’s name on his lips as he was impaled, watching the slick, wet diamond slice through his stomach.
===============
Zisteau ran into Spawn just as Avidya, Mhykol, Arkas, Generik, Guude and Aurey were leaving.
"Zisteau!" Guude exclaimed when he saw him, the rest of the Mindcrackers gathered around them, looking worried. "You're here!"
"What's the emergency?" he asked, and noticed the way their faces darkened.
"Vechs' missing," Guude told him again.
"And so are Nebris, Etho, Pause and Beef," Avidya added, his soft voice worried. Zisteau's eyes widened. It was unlike these guys to just disappear, Etho and Nebris both knew their way around the island. Pause and Beef might not have the best directional sense, but stumbling around the island wouldn't take them long to chance upon Spawn; the island wasn't very big.
"We're the search party, we're going out to find them while the rest of you stay here at Spawn. Safety in numbers for us, and for you guys," Aurey nodded as she spoke, gesturing at Guude, Mhykol, Generik, Avidya and Arkas. Adlington took Zisteau's hand, pulling him into the group of Mindcrackers.
"Make sure you stay near each other, look out for each other, we don't want another person missing," Guude told them in a warning tone, his voice low and serious. When he received a nod from all the Mindcrackers, he turned and led the Search Party into their boats, ready to sail off Mindcrack Island.
"Stay safe!" Zisteau called out, and hugged Kurt tight as he came to his side, his expression growing worried as they watched them leave.
--
"Vetches?" Aurey called out, searching under every blade of grass, every petal of flower. "Vechs? Vexy? Where are you?"
"Aurey," Avidya placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Vechs won't be under these flowers."
"He can do magic!" Aurey's high voice rose higher as she grew more and more panicked. "He might have made himself into a flower! Or a mob!" Aurey screeched as Guude slaughtered a skeleton. "That might have been Vechs!!"
"It's not," Guude snapped, his worry growing into frustration. "Keep looking."
Arkas came towards Avidya and Aurey as Aurey sat down on the grass, upset. "Where could my Vexy Bits be?"
"I'm sure he's alright," Arkas assured with a smile, but Aurey didn't return the smile. Guude went poking around a pond while Generik and Mhykol left together downhill, leaving Aurey, Arkas and Avidya on the hill.
"Etho's mask," Arkas spoke up, breaking the silence between them. He stood up, walking towards the navy blue cloth on the ground. Picking it up, he held it out to the others. "Etho's mask," he repeated, seeming to be in shock.
"Etho never takes his mask off," Avidya spoke, in a similar tone of voice to Arkas'.
"Guude!" Aurey screamed, standing, and Guude came hurrying over, snatching Etho's mask from Arkas' hands.
"Spread out," he commanded, and the three immediately moved into the woods. "Genny? Mhykol? We found Etho's mask!"
Genny and Mhykol came hurrying over, and the three of them hurried into the woods after Arkas, Aurey and Avidya. "Ark!" Guude called out. "Aurey? Avidya?"
"Do you think they all disappeared, like Etho and Nebs?" Generik shivered as a cold breeze blew past them, no sign of Arkas, Aurey or Avidya in the woods.
"Nonsense!" Guude snapped, "We were just behind them!"
"Do you think Nebs and Etho got lost in these woods?" Mhykol's eyes widened. "Pause always called the Dark Oak forest the Twilight Forest because he said they always felt like magic."
"Magic," Guude sneered, but his voice shook, as though he was beginning to believe it.
"Aurey," Generik interrupted, eyes wide as he pointed. Guude and Mhykol looked up to see a flutter of long red hair through the leaves of a tree.
"AUREY!" Guude shoved the other two away and ran forward, but it was just a tree's leaves, red leaves that shook when the wind blew. Guude's expression fell, his heart heavy. He began to walk back to Genny and Mhykol, only to stop himself.
There were no red-leaved trees on the island.
Guude whirled around again.
Generik and Mhykol stopped poking around in the bushes, looking up when Guude's high-pitched scream echoed through the forest.
"Guude?" Genny shouted, hearing a rustle of leaves in reply. Stepping forward, Genny ran towards where Guude was, Mhykol close behind. Their feet crushed dry leaves as they ran, heels digging into the mud. They stopped, unable to see the red signal Guude had followed, but it was obvious to them that that had not been Aureylian.
Both kept quiet as they tried to listen for any sort of signal, before Mhykol finally turned to Genny. "Where do you think-" Mhykol began, only to stop and look around. Genny was right behind him, but now he was nowhere to be seen. "Genny?" Mhykol called out, his voice high with fear, walking back into the woods. "Genny, this isn't funny!"
Poor, poor Mhykol, Mhykol turned around, his breath caught in his throat, hearing a whispery sort of voice. Where did all your friends go?
"Who are you and what have you done with them?" Mhykol yelled into the woods, backing away into a tree, noticing the strange fog that seemed to surround him.
You're about to join them, the voice promised with a strange reassuring tone. Mhykol shivered as the smoke tasted his skin.
"The Mindcrackers will find you!" he warned, as the smoke grew darker, beginning to cover his vision as they engulfed him.
Silly Mhykol, he heard, as thoughts grew fuzzy, and shadows became his world. After all, no one will remember who you are.
===============
MC took a step back, wiping the beads of sweat from his head with the back of his hand as he admired his work. A satisfied smile formed on his face. He looked down at his hands, which were covered in a dusty blue residue; the remains of the lapis lazuli he had just been working with. He had decided to add lapis accents to his base, and his stash of the ore had just run out, save for his personal collection.
He needed more of the mineral, but he had been ordered by Guude to stay together, and then by BTC to stay at spawn (though he had gotten special permission to return to his base for a short while). He didn’t want to take too long, as he might worry the others, but he only needed a small amount to finish his project. He contemplated the choice, estimating the time it would take him to get enough lapis to finish. It couldn’t take too, long, could it?
A look out of his window told him that darkness was fast-approaching, one edge of the sun beginning to sink down below the distant horizon. He again debated for a moment whether he wanted to venture out to the cave during the night, not wanting to take too long, but put his doubts aside as he dug a diamond pick from a chest, the tool giving off the faint purple glow of an enchant.
He exited his base, the oak door creaking to a close behind him, his pickaxe in hand. As he started the walk, another glance at the scarlet sky told him that he’d better hurry if he wanted to avoid fighting a horde of creatures on his way. He quickened his pace, and because of it, he nearly missed the soft glow of a torch he passed by. He did a double-take, spinning on his heel as he approached what now appeared to be an unlit cave (which was an unusual occurrence on the island, which had been mostly picked over).
As he neared the opening, he saw that the torch was sitting on a block of the blue ore he sought.
That’s strange he thought, There shouldn’t be lapis this close to the surface. He mined the block, collecting the shattered ore pieces that dropped. MC peered further into the cavern, which didn’t appear to go further down, but he couldn’t be sure; his view was cut off by a sharp turn.
He took a couple steps into the cave, and he was greeted by yet another block of lapis. He mined it, and then cautiously continued his journey. The layout of the grotto was very unnatural. A relatively straight path, a block of lapis, then a turn into a similar tunnel. Occasionally, a torch was placed on the wall, but they were just far enough apart that anything outside of the direct reach of the light was dim, but not dark enough for monsters, making the cavern somewhat safe.
He had been traversing the cave for several minutes, when suddenly, he felt a cold wind rush by, sending chills up his arm. He was too deep in the cave for the wind to have come from behind him, so he pressed on, thinking it had come from further in.
But he soon found himself at a dead end. He felt another cold breeze, and confusion set in. The cave had been very uniform, and there had been no paths that branched out or led to an exit. He heard a whistle as more air rushed around him. But this time, the air felt thicker, heavier, more like the smoke of a fire. He pulled an unlit torch out of his bag, but it refused to catch fire. He stuffed it back in his pack, feeling a sharp pain as the smoke rushed into his nose. He pulled out a second torch, only to be met with the same result.
Now he was beginning to panic. He wasn’t sure, but he could’ve sworn he heard a whispery, raspy voice, and when he focused on it, he could almost hear what it was saying. But every time he seemed close to making out a word, the voice faded. What little visibility there was in the cave had begun to fade as well, and MC let out a cough as he felt the smoke enter his lungs. He bent forward, his arm catching the wall for support as he was overcome with coughing, his vision slowly darkening.
Within seconds, his arm gave out, and he fell to the cold stone floor. As the last spotted remnants of his vision faded, he heard a quiet, malicious cackle.
===============
There were just two of them left, now. Just moments ago, there had been three of them: Kurt, Paul, and Zisteau. They had been sitting at spawn for a few days, just watching as their numbers were picked off one by one. The food supply was fast dwindling, and Paul had volunteered to go to the lake to fish, hoping to keep them all alive for another day.
Kurt had insisted that he not go, that they would all go together later. But Paul had told them to stay put—Kurt refused, and Paul eventually gave in, letting them go with him. The pair, however, was stopped by Paul inside the cabin. To appease Kurt, he promised to fish where he was in plain view of their current location. For the first few minutes, Kurt had watched him, his nerves finally beginning to settle, at least a little. Zisteau had become bored, and tried to strike up a conversation with Kurt. A few bad jokes later, and Paul had been tucked away into the back of their minds. Until they heard a splash.
The two turned, and Paul had vanished. His pole lay on the ground, line still cast out into the lake. Beneath his spot on the shore, ripples spread out from their source. Kurt went to run out, but he was stopped by Zisteau, who latched onto his arm.
“No, Kurt. We’re the only two left now. If you go, whatever got everyone else could get you, too.” Kurt, as much as he wanted to, couldn’t argue with Zisteau’s logic, and he moved away from the door, his heart sinking.
It was just the two of them, now. Everybody else was gone. And he just had to hope they would be spared, that the mysterious thing would spare them. One can only hope.
Zisteau glanced back out the window, and was greeted by a fast-setting sun. He sat down against the wall, Kurt moving to join him. They sat in the terrifying quiet, listening as the groaning and hissing and clacking of the mobs outside grew louder. They said nothing to each other, but what was there to say? I hope it’s you who goes, not me. Because that would really help their situation.
Zisteau tried to ignore the low rumbling of his stomach. He heard a similar sound from Kurt’s belly, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. It was really just a race, to see what would kill them first. And now, it seemed that “death by hunger” was winning.
Zisteau’s stomach growled at him again, not understanding why it wasn’t being satisfied. The spoiled thing. Well, what do you want me to do? It’s not like I can just pull a five-course meal out of thin air, so quit your complaining. His stomach let out a quiet groan in response, continuing to pester the zombie pigman with its problems, the hollowness inside of him growing.
He looked up when there was a banging on the wooden door, hearing loud groans from outside. Zisteau almost stood up, marched out, and recklessly murdered everything out there, just to have something to eat, even if it meant a meal of rotten flesh and spider eyes. Almost. He stood up, his knees shaky. He took a step towards the hut’s entrance, a hand fumbling at his side to draw his sword. He was stopped by a hand on his ankle.
“Zisteau, don’t, please. We can go tomorrow, just please don’t go out there. I don’t want to lose you.” Kurt said, his eyes pleading with Zisteau. “It’s out there, I know it.” He dropped his voice at the last sentence, quickly glancing around behind him. But the only thing behind him was a rack of fishing poles, the one empty spot reminding him of Paul. Zisteau complied, retaking his seat next to Kurt, his stomach scolding him with another fit of grumbles. He did his best to ignore it, staring out the window.
Zisteau felt sleep begin to pull at his eyelids, and he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned, a small smile slipping onto his face. Kurt had fallen asleep, his head resting gently on Zisteau. Zisteau sighed, repositioning himself carefully, so as not to wake Kurt. He did his best to get somewhat comfortable, hugging his knees close to him and resting his head on them. He finally let sleep drag him under, praying that he would wake up in the morning.
And he did. He woke with a sore neck, reaching a hand to massage it. His stomach also decided to help wake him up, greeting him with loud groans. Wakey wakey, I want some dang eggs and bakey! But his miserable physical condition was the least of his worries. He no longer felt a presence on his shoulder. There was no longer another man in the small wooden cabin with him. Zisteau stood up, having to lean on the wall for support. There was nobody outside, or anywhere else in Mindcrack, for that matter.
Kurt had been taken. And now Zisteau was the only one left. He leaned his head onto the wall behind him. Craning his head to look up at the roof, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Tags:
- fanfiction,
- fiction length: multiple chapters,
- former mindcracker: etho,
- former mindcracker: genny,
- former mindcracker: paul soares,
- mindcracker: adlingtont,
- mindcracker: arkas,
- mindcracker: aureylian,
- mindcracker: avidya,
- mindcracker: beef,
- mindcracker: guude,
- mindcracker: kurt,
- mindcracker: mc,
- mindcracker: mhykol,
- mindcracker: nebris,
- mindcracker: pause,
- mindcracker: vetches,
- mindcracker: zistykins,
- prompts,
- setting: minecraft,
- warning: mention of/ character death
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Date: Sunday, September 21st, 2014 08:50 pm (UTC)And this STORYISSOGOODOHMYGODYES. :O
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Date: Monday, September 22nd, 2014 07:37 am (UTC)Great job you guys!
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Date: Monday, September 22nd, 2014 02:05 pm (UTC)Thats the kind of thing I like to see.
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Date: Wednesday, September 24th, 2014 10:21 pm (UTC)Really?
Date: Sunday, September 28th, 2014 09:01 am (UTC)Re: Really?
Date: Tuesday, September 30th, 2014 11:10 pm (UTC)