Quest for Justice (22 page)

Stan and Kat were silent for a moment. Then, they both nodded. They did not, however, look each other in the eye.

Charlie walked over to DZ, who had remained oblivious to the fighting and was now absentmindedly chiseling “Die King Kev Die” in the sandstone wall with his diamond sword. “DZ?” The warrior turned toward Charlie, sheathed his sword, and looked Charlie in the eye.

“Hey, Charlie. Have you decided what you want me to do yet?”

“Yes, we have,” Charlie replied firmly, with Kat and Stan lurking, embarrassed, behind him. “We would be very happy if you would come with us. We have to collect twelve Ender Pearls, and use them to craft twelve Eyes of Ender with our Blaze Rods so that we can find a fortress and enter the End. Would you like to come with us?”

DZ nodded. “I'm in. I've been living out here for so long, and it's been fun, but I'm about ready to do something to give back to this server. It's given me some fun times.”

Stan remembered what the Apothecary had said, right after agreeing to help them raise their army.
This place has given me so much and then taken it away. It's time for me to make this server a place that future generations can call home.
In all his travels around Elementia so far, Stan had begun to forget the amazing things one could accomplish in this game, given the time and opportunity. People had had great times on this server, and they could really get attached to it. Time and opportunity, however, would not be available to Stan until after King Kev was slain. This he knew for a fact.

“And also, the End sounds freaking awesome. I want to find out whatever it is we're supposed to do there, do it, and beat the living crap out of anything that tries to stop us!”

This statement snapped Stan out of his thoughts, but one piece of it stuck in his mind. “DZ, what do you mean,
‘whatever it is we're supposed to do there'? We have to find the King's treasure—that's it.”

“Oh no, Stan buddy, you don't get it,” laughed DZ. “I've never been to the End . . . I don't think anyone has, actually, barring the King . . . but I do know that it's not a normal dimension like the Overworld and the Nether. From what I hear, there's a specific task you have to do there, and until you do it, you won't be able to leave.”

“And . . . what kind of task is that?” asked Stan apprehensively, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

“No idea,” replied DZ, shrugging. “Maybe a puzzle, a boss battle, a friendly game of Parcheesi . . . when we go there, we just have to go prepared, that's all. You three seem like you know what you're doing. I'm sure the four of us could tackle whatever ridiculous stuff is in the End.”

“Yeah, you're right,” agreed Kat. “Anyway, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. What we have to do next is get twelve Ender Pearls.”

“Like these?” asked DZ, holding up a handful of several blue-green orbs.

“Yes! Oh my God!” Charlie cried out in amazement. “DZ . . . where did you get those?”

“Where do you think? I've been wandering this desert for longer than you three have been in Elementia put together.
You know how many Endermen you run into during that time? I tell you, it's stupidly annoying when you're scanning the horizon and you accidentally look at one of those freaks.”

“Yeah, we know. We've fought one before,” replied Stan as Charlie took the Ender Pearls from DZ and counted them out. “They're powerful, they teleport, and they get aggroed when you just look at them.”

“Probably the three worst qualities a monster could have,” added Kat solemnly.

“Testify,” replied DZ, as Charlie put the pearls into his inventory.

“Okay, we have six Ender Pearls,” he said. “Thanks to DZ.” He shot an annoyed glance at Stan, who looked away in embarrassment. “So now we need to find and kill six more Endermen. Easy enough,” he said.

“Eh, not exactly, bud,” said DZ. “Endermen don't always drop Ender Pearls. We're gonna need to kill a lot more than six.”

“Wonderful,” said Charlie, hanging his head. “But where are we going to go now? We can't stay at our current base, there's no door and no wood around, and we can't stay in one place too long anyway or the King's forces will find us.”

“I know what we can do,” said DZ. “Sometimes, if I'm low on health and I need a place to stay, I look around for an NPC village. The guys that live there are nice, they know how
to make food, and they're always willing to provide you with shelter.”

“Oh, I don't know if an NPC village is such a good idea,” replied Kat quickly.

Stan and Charlie looked at her in surprise. “Why not, Kat?” asked Stan. “What do you have against NPC villages?”

“Yeah, Kat, remember when we first met?” asked Charlie. “You said that you were looking for an NPC village because they'll give you really good stuff.”

“Um, well, yeah, uh, about that,” Kat stammered as she fidgeted around. “Sometimes they, uh, don't like people. I mean not all people, DZ obviously got along fine, I mean . . . uh . . .” Stan had never seen Kat look so uncomfortable before.

“Ah, come on Kat, the three of you seem nice enough,” said DZ, laughing. “I'm sure they'll like you just fine. Besides, the King's forces have a tendency to impose wheat quotas on the villages, so they all hate him. I'm sure they'll take to us if we tell them we're going to overthrow the King.”

“Well . . . then, uh . . . I sure can't think of . . . uh . . . any reason not to go,” Kat said with an extremely forced smile. It was becoming obvious that, for reasons unbeknownst to Stan, Kat wanted nothing less than to go to an NPC village.

“Okay then!” exclaimed DZ with a smile, oblivious to Kat's discomfort. “I'm pretty sure that there's one just a day's journey southeast of here. If we start now we should be able
to make it there by nightfall, and we can start our Enderman hunt.”

DZ started walking toward the left of the rising sun, and Stan and Charlie walked enthusiastically behind him. Kat, on the other hand, had her head down and was plotting out the way she would handle being marooned in the terrible NPC village.

I
t was not long before Stan was beginning to seriously regret allowing DZ to come with them.

Neither his exceptional sword fighting skills nor the fact that he had already acquired half the Ender Pearls necessary for their voyage into the End made up for the fact that by nightfall of that day the NPC village was nowhere in sight. They had already exhausted the meager supply of food that Kat and Charlie had gained through hunting the previous day. DZ was only able to contribute one raw chicken, which they could not eat for fear of food poisoning. DZ apologetically explained that his philosophy was generally to eat something directly after killing it, so he rarely had food on him. This revelation did not elevate Stan's opinion of him as they continuously trudged through the endless sea of sand.

As the sun glowed bright over the pastel pink of the western horizon, Stan let out a shout of frustration. Charlie and Kat looked at him in concern.

“Do you have any idea where you're going?” yelled Stan, the vein in his head pulsing and spit flying out of his mouth as he unleashed his anger at DZ.

DZ looked around unconcerned, apparently unaware that Stan was on the verge of sociopathic rage. He scratched his head innocently. “Well, now that
I think about it, if the sun rises in the east and sets in the west . . . that means it moves . . . so if I keep going to the left of it . . . ooooh! Then I won't be going southeast! I'll be going in circles!” He laughed. “Wow! That was pretty stupid of me, wasn't it?”

Only then did DZ come to the realization that all his comrades were staring at him with incredulous looks on their faces. Charlie was staring at him as if he had just stated that he was going to attempt a staring contest with an Enderman, and Kat's mouth hung open, her eyes now wide enough to take up her entire face. Even Rex and Lemon were looking up at DZ, as if they too were aware that he had just done something remarkably dense.

Stan was the only one who was not looking shocked but about as ready as a lightning-charged Creeper to explode with rage. His eyes were closed, his teeth were gritted, and the vein in his head was bulging.

“Do you mean to tell me,” said Stan in a quiet yet dangerous voice, “that we have been following you all day long, and you have been leading us in circles?”

“Apparently,” said DZ, shrugging. “Ah, quit worrying. It don't matter much. We'll set ourselves straight tomorrow.”

“And you are really still somehow oblivious to the fact that we have no food and no shelter, and that standing between us and daytime is
nighttime
?” Stan yelled the last word so loud
that Charlie actually fell backward in shock. DZ just stood there with his mouth slightly agape and his eyes unblinking as Stan lashed out at him.

“You have been with us for less than one full day, and you have already caused us more trouble than you're worth!” bellowed Stan. “We are now stuck in the middle of who knows where, and if tonight is anything like last night, we won't survive! We have got it tough, you got that, DZ? We are trying to do something impossible! We're fighting the King, we're fighting nature, sometimes it feels like we're fighting Minecraft itself as we try to do this thing! If you are not going to buck up and take it seriously, then it's just as well that you get away from us so you can't do any more damage!”

Stan was breathing heavily now, nostrils flaring, veins popping. Kat and Charlie were in awe. They had always known that Stan had a streak of recklessness and anger in him, but this display was far more violent than any they had seen from him before.

DZ stared at Stan with a new look on his face. It was a combination of shock, fear, and sorrow. DZ looked Stan in the eye and sighed. “Hey, I'm sorry, all right? I'm doing the best I can. I'm used to being a nomad out here. I'm not used to finding places. I promise that I'll try to take our job a little more seriously. But don't forget to have fun, all right?” He gave a weak smile. “It is still a game, right?”

Stan gave a snort of derision. “This is more than a game, DZ. It gives people another life. You of all people should know that. And the King is making these people's lives miserable, and it's up to us to fix that. We can have fun after our work is done.”

DZ looked sadly at Stan. “I hear you, buddy. But just remember what they say: at the end of your life you regret the stuff you didn't do more than the stuff you did do. So remember to have fun with what we're doing, because out here, there's no telling when our lives are going to end.”

The enormity, power, and sincerity behind this statement hit Stan like a shockwave, and he realized it was true. He could very well be dead by tomorrow in the middle of this desert, in the midst of this quest for justice.

They continued to trudge through the desert, nobody saying anything, and Stan looking downcast and humbled. The sun sank behind the desert hills, and the moon rose high into the star-speckled night sky. The optimistic view of the situation was that traveling was easier because of the lack of heat from the sun.

The pessimist's view, and the view of all four travelers, was that they were out of food, they had no source of light, and monsters were materializing on all sides of them. The attacks of Zombies came in hordes, the Skeleton shot arrows from afar, and the Spiders climbed up the cactuses that were
everywhere and jumped down onto the players. Even the Creepers posed a threat. Lemon scared most of them away, but there was one point at which DZ was driven away from the main group by two Spiders and a Skeleton, and just as he managed to kill the second Spider, he heard the telltale hiss and was blasted into the air a second later.

DZ landed on a cactus and found himself unable to move due to a shooting pain in his right leg. He looked down and saw that the cactus had torn into his flesh. He knew that he couldn't fight anymore without food in his stomach to heal him. Instead he drew his glowing diamond sword and swung it into the horde of oncoming Zombies now upon him. The blade barely ripped the monsters' blue shirts, but the shock emitted from the sword was enough to throw the Zombies back into a heap, averting that danger for the time being.

DZ gritted his teeth. He knew that he had to do something quickly. His thoughts drifted to the cactus beside him. He drew an iron shovel out of his inventory and quickly hacked away the sand around the cactus, pulling himself into the hole and resealing it with dirt he had on hand. The Zombies, now on their feet again, mindlessly wandered toward him, but they found themselves walking straight into the cactus with no brains to tell them otherwise. They kept trying to walk straight through the cactus until they were eventually felled by the spines.

When the last of the Zombie noises had diminished from above him, DZ destroyed one of the dirt blocks and popped his head out, confirming that all the Zombies were dead. He then looked over at Stan, Kat, Charlie, and the animals, all of whom were quickly being overrun by the mobs.

“Over here!” DZ yelled, gesturing for them to come into the hole. They didn't need telling twice. All three players sprinted over to DZ and hopped into the hole. To say they made it in the nick of time was an understatement. Lemon's tail had just vanished into the dirt hole when a Spider leaped toward DZ. He punched it back and placed the dirt block, securing the four players and two pets into the dark hole. Too tired to do anything else, DZ barely heard Kat mentioning something about dropping her sword outside before he keeled over asleep.

“Hello? Hellooooo!”

“Go away,” muttered Stan sleepily. His exhaustion from fighting off the mobs last night did not increase his desire to sleep as much as his present dream, in which he and Sally rejoiced after the fall of the King. Whatever mundane task the others wanted him for, he was certain it could wait.

“Helloooo! Anybody home? You dropped your sword! Hellooooo?”

“Wha . . . what?” came Kat's groggy voice from the other
end of the hole. “Someone found my sword?” she asked in a stupid-sounding voice.

“You were dreaming Kat,” yawned Charlie, “now go back to sleep.”

“Helloooooooooooooooooooooo?”

Stan winced as the hole flooded with light. Kat had punched through the dirt roof to find the source of the caller. “Hello?” Though Stan was now pressing his hands to his ears to block out the noise, he could still clearly hear her. “Did someone say they fou . . .”

Kat's voice faltered for a moment. When it returned, it was with a shaky. “Oh. He-hello, there.”

There was something in Kat's voice that made Stan pause. Suddenly quite awake, he grabbed his axe and jumped out of the hole after her. He turned his head and asked, “What's going . . .” But his voice, too, faltered.

Kat was standing, looking extremely uncomfortable, next to the strangest-looking player that Stan had seen. At least, Stan thought it was a player. It definitely
looked
like a player, but it, or rather, he, looked more like a Neanderthal than a modern person. He was wearing a brown robe over darker brown pants and shoes, and he was the same size as the players. His face looked absolutely ridiculous—his head was taller than Stan's, he had green eyes with a brown unibrow, and his nose was gigantic. It actually fell down lower than his
mouth. His hands were clasped together in front of him, Kat's sword grasped awkwardly between them.

Stan's immediate response was to blurt out the question of what this thing was, but as long as it, or, he, was still holding the sword, Stan felt that he'd better try to be at least a little sensitive. Charlie, on the other hand, who had just come out of the hole, went wide-eyed and blurted out, “Whoa! Kat, what is that thing?”

Stan glared furiously at Charlie, and his hand instinctively went to his axe, but the thing did not looked angry. In fact, he was looking around the desert, and looking, truthfully, rather stupid. The thing looked at Charlie.

“My name is Oob,” he replied. “I found this sword on the sand early in this morning. I have looked for its owner and now I have found you.” Oob spoke slowly, as if he had to think about every word that he said.

“Hey, an NPC!” exclaimed DZ, as he climbed out of the hole after Charlie. “What's your name, man? I've never seen you before, and I've been to most of the villages out here in the desert.”

“I am Oob,” the NPC villager said simply, and he began wandering around aimlessly. Charlie and Stan looked at Oob, wondering whether he was being inconsiderate or just extremely stupid. DZ just laughed, and then gestured to Stan and Charlie and muttered, so that Oob couldn't hear, “Don't
worry, these NPC guys are pretty dumb, but after they get to know you a little they'll take to you.” DZ approached the villager and tried to talk to him again. Charlie seemed very interested in Oob, but Stan had just noticed Kat.

She looked more ill at ease than Stan had ever seen her, including the time he told the Apothecary that she had tried to kill him and Charlie when they first met. The source of her discomfort was obvious. She kept acting all jittery every time the villager made the smallest move. She actually sneaked up behind him and snatched her sword back from him instead of asking him for it. He hadn't seemed to notice.

“. . . because seven ate nine!” exclaimed DZ, finishing his joke and causing Oob to laugh hysterically. DZ had clearly spent a fair amount of time around NPCs and knew how to get them on his good side.

“I like you players! You are very kind to me and I become very happy when people are kind to me. Would you like to come and visit my village? We would be happy to have you with us,” said Oob to DZ.

“That'd be awesome, man!” replied Charlie before DZ could respond. “We've been out here for a while and we could really use some food. You seem like a nice guy, Oob,” said Charlie, and he gave Oob a friendly punch in the shoulder.

“Follow me then, my friends,” said Oob, and he walked out into the desert. Charlie walked right next to Oob, chatting
with him and, judging by the occasional outburst of laughter, telling more stupid jokes. DZ was walking behind them, next to Stan, and he was smiling, but Stan was anxiously keeping an eye on Kat over his shoulder. She was walking behind them all, and the look on her face clearly said that she was dreading going to the NPC village, but Stan still had no idea why. He decided to find out.

He fell back next to Kat and she immediately made a noticeable effort to not meet his eye. “Kat, I don't think it's any secret that you don't want to go to the NPC village,” Stan said.

Kat remained silent.

“When we first met, you told me that you found stuff in the chest of an abandoned NPC village. Judging by the way you're acting, I'm beginning to think that that might not be completely true.”

Kat was still silent.

“Kat, what happened at that village?”

“I killed him.”

Kat had stopped walking. She had a look of incredible pain on her face. Stan was confused and disturbed by it. She looked like someone repenting for some awful crime. When she next spoke, her voice was detached and distant.

“I went to an NPC village, and all these villagers were being so nice to me. And I took their stuff. I took the sword,
and I killed their blacksmith. And they all just stared at me. Then he told me to leave. Their priest stepped out of his church, stared at me, and told me to leave the village, and to never come back. And then . . . there was this stomping . . . and it got louder . . . and louder . . . and so I ran . . . I didn't look back . . . I didn't even have the decency to look that priest in the eye . . .”

Kat was staring down at the ground. She took a deep breath and then sighed. She looked at Stan. “I was a different person back then, Stan. I used force to get what I wanted, and I didn't care what the consequences were, because I knew I could cancel out those consequences with more force.” Kat paused. “Just like King Kev,” Kat added in a mutter, echoing Stan's thoughts.