Quest for Justice (11 page)

Kat and Stan watched in amazement as the cat slowly approached Charlie, gave him a pondering look, and began to tentatively eat the fish out of his hand. Then, the cat's fur began to change. The black spots began to vanish, replaced with orange stripes slightly darker than the golden fur. The ocelot had changed to take on the appearance of a tabby cat.

“Where did you learn to do that?” asked Kat.

“You two should really read that book more,” replied Charlie, stroking behind the cat's ears. “Now he'll follow us around like Rex does, and he'll scare Creepers away.”

“Excellent!” said Kat. Then she hesitated. “But wait, he
won't get into fights with Rex, will he?”

“He shouldn't,” said Charlie, and as if in response the cat walked over to the seated Rex and curled up next to him. Rex started to lick the cat's ears.

“Aw, that's cute,” said Stan. “What are you going to call him, Charlie?”

“Lemon,” said Charlie, as if he had been thinking about it for his entire life. “Now come on, we should try to get at least a little sleep before we start a revolution tomorrow.”

It sounded weird when he said it like that, thought Stan. He lay down with a tuft of leaves as his pillow, and with Lemon and Rex as their guards, the three players drifted out of the awful day and into dreamless sleep.

I
t was the scream that woke Stan. Actually, it wasn't so much a scream as it was a high-pitched, ominous, other-worldly sound that brought about a sense of foreboding, comparable to a noise that a small bird might make upon freezing to death in the Arctic.

Stan opened his eyes and found himself staring straight into the sun. It took his eyes a moment to adjust before he fully saw the impressive skyline of jungle trees silhouetted against the sunlight. Suddenly he heard the shriek again, and this time he followed the sound until his gaze met a figure perched upon the highest tree.

This figure was tall, with a slender body and long, spindly arms and legs. It appeared to be holding something in its hand: a block, although Stan could not tell what kind. The creature had glowing purple slits for eyes, and it appeared to be looking right back at Stan.

Stan did a double take and looked back out to the trees, and the figure was gone. Stan shook himself and dismissed the form as a fatigue-induced hallucination. However, even as the others woke up and they broke camp and climbed back down the vines, Stan couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that the haunting cry had sent down his spine.

Back on the ground, they did an inventory of all their items.

“Two iron helmets, three iron chestplates, an iron sword, an iron axe, an iron pickaxe, a compass, a clock, a book, a bow, and twelve arrows,” counted Kat as they laid all their items on the ground in front of them. “And we're going to overthrow the King.”

Stan realized that they did have a very limited amount of supplies, exactly three people devoted to their cause, and no food at all. They had a lot of work to do.

“Well, let's get back to the basics, I guess,” he said. “We've got to start somewhere, so let's establish a house out here. There are plenty of resources around this jungle, so let's gather some materials today, and tonight we can discuss how we're gonna do this thing.”

Kat nodded, and Charlie said, “Good idea, Stan. You go into the woods and gather some wood with your axe. I saw a mine a little while back. I'll take my pickaxe and go see what I can find down there. Kat, you go find some food, and see if you can build a house around here that we can use until we get a permanent base.”

“Okay,” Kat agreed. “I'll make it underground so that if the King's men come looking for us, we'll have a little bit of concealment.”

“Good thinking. Okay guys, let's fall out,” ordered Stan, and with that, they put their armor back on, and Charlie and Lemon walked back the way they had come the previous
day. Kat drew her sword and ran toward some wandering chickens, Rex at her heels, and Stan pulled out his axe and skirted around the edge of the lake toward the woods.

As Stan walked along the water's edge, he noticed a type of plant growing in front of him that he had never seen before, except from a distance on Crazy Steve's farm. It appeared to be some kind of cane, and it only grew on the sand and dirt directly adjacent to the lake. Curious, Stan brought his axe down on the base of one of the plants, and several pieces of the stalks fell to the ground. Stan picked them up and put them in his inventory. He did this to another plant, and was about to do it again when he heard a stretching sound behind him, then a twang and a whizzing sound.

Stan knew that sound quite well from his first night in Minecraft. He spun around and flipped his axe over, the metal blade just stopping the flying arrow from entering his chest. He dodged another arrow and looked up, expecting to see a Skeleton firing at him from the shade of the woods. Instead, he saw another player standing in the bushes, drawing another arrow. The player was mostly obscured by the bushes and the leather tunic and cap he was wearing, but Stan could see a neat white beard on his face.

Stan rushed the player, axe raised, deflecting two more arrows as he went. The old player was about to draw the stone sword at his belt to fight Stan weapon to weapon, but
Stan was too quick. His iron blade shattered the stone blade before it was fully drawn. For good measure, Stan also spun around and cut the string of the bow. Then he kicked the old player, who was also wearing leather pants and shoes, to the ground. Stan stood over the player, axe raised.

The old player, without hesitation, ripped off the leather tunic to reveal two black sashes across his chest, each with various bottles of colored liquid attached to them. He yanked a green one from one of the sashes and threw it at Stan before Stan even realized what had happened. The bottle shattered on Stan's chestplate, and a foul-smelling green gas seeped from the jade liquid that splattered all over him. The stench overpowered Stan, and he blacked out, falling right beside the old player.

When Stan came to, he was in a gray cobblestone room. Torches lined the walls, and Stan became aware that there were twelve machines surrounding him, six on each side. Each was one block in size and had a hole on the front of it.

“Don't move,” said a voice, and Stan realized that the old player was standing next to the wall, away from the machines. His hand was on a button. “Cooperate with me and you won't get hurt. Try to run away, kill me, or even move, and I press this button and you get shot to death with arrows by my machine. Why were you destroying those plants?”

“I don't know” was the first response that came out of Stan's mouth, and he had a feeling in retrospect that it was the wrong one.

The old player sneered. “I've been away from Element City for a whole year now,” he replied in his ancient yet powerful voice. “They banished me, so I was just looking for a little peace out here. I don't need juvenile delinquents like you destroying my beautiful sugarcane farm like that.”

Stan was confused for a moment, and then he understood. “Oh, those were your plants?” he asked as he pulled the sugarcane from his inventory. “I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know. Here, take them back.” He tossed the sugarcane stalks back to the old player, and they landed at his feet. He bent over and picked them up, never taking his eyes off Stan.

“How do I know that you aren't just one of King Kev's spies?” asked the old player, stashing the cane in his inventory. “I've kept my agreement. I've stayed out of the city, and I have had absolutely nothing to do with any potion-related activities going on in Element City.”

“Wait, you're a fugitive from the King?” asked Stan.

“What, you don't know who I am?” asked the old player incredulously. “Anyone who's been on this server for more than a few weeks or so knows who I am!”

“Sir, I'm only level nine,” said Stan as he realized at the same time that he had, to his horror, been stripped of his
armor and weapon. Good thing Charlie had the clock and compass, he thought. “I've only been playing Minecraft for a little over a week now.”

“What? Really? But you're so good with that axe, I'd have thought that you'd seen a good few fights,” replied the old player, who seemed genuinely impressed.

“Wait, are you saying that
you
don't know who
I
am?” asked Stan. He'd have thought that the King would have put his face on wanted posters all over the kingdom by now.

“Should I?” the old player asked.

The words “I'm the one who tried to assassinate the King!” fell out of Stan's mouth, but an instant later he regretted it. What if the old player was actually in cahoots with the King? He might have just earned himself a slow death by arrows! But instead of pressing the button, the old player looked at Stan, his eyes widening in awe.

“
You
? You're the one who tried to kill the King? At level nine? Good lord, son, you're either very brave, very stupid, or a liar. Okay, you can come out of there for now, but don't expect your axe back until I'm one hundred percent sure that you're not one of King Kev's cronies.”

Stan stepped apprehensively out of range of the machines, and, at the old player's gesture, followed him out of the cobblestone room. He noticed his axe hanging at the old player's side, right next to an iron sword and a bow. He
gulped, not sure what he was going to find in the next room.

What he did find was unlike anything he had ever seen before. There were rows of wooden plank tables, all of which were covered by stands that held bottles, which themselves held bubbling liquids of various colors. Chests lined the wall. In one corner of the room was a black table covered in a red velvet tablecloth embedded with diamonds, a book levitating over it. Around this table were shelves that held books of all sizes and colors. In another corner was a bed, next to which sat a furnace, a crafting table, and two chairs. The old player sat in one of these, and he gestured for Stan to take the other. A quick look out the glass pane windows revealed that it was late afternoon and that they were still in the jungle.

“I'm sorry that I had to knock you out earlier. You see, ever since King Kev banished me from Element City a year ago, I've had to be very wary about who enters and who leaves this jungle. He's sent his men in on me multiple times, whether they be hired Griefers to give me a hard time or spies to try and figure out what I am up to. But I am sure that none of them would even joke about trying to assassinate their master.

“So, I will introduce myself. My name is Apothecary1.” He extended his hand, which Stan shook.

“My name is Stan2012, but you can call me Stan. I have a quick question, though. Are King Kev and the King of
Elementia the same player?”

The Apothecary laughed. “Ho, ho, I had forgotten how little you know! Yes, they are the same. The same ruthless, tyrannical fiend. You do agree with me, don't you?” he asked quickly.

“Are you kidding?” said Stan angrily. “He killed three friends of mine for no good reason, and I've tried to kill him! I don't think he and I are going to be friends anytime soon.”

“Ah yes, you claimed to have made an attempt on the King's life. I'm not positive that I believe that story, but I do want to believe it. He's killed a good number of my friends, too, and banished a few more.”

It was at that point that Stan suddenly remembered. “My friends! They'll be expecting me back!”

“What?” the Apothecary asked.

“My friends, Charlie and Kat. It's almost nighttime. They'll be expecting me back soon. We're making a base back by that lake you found me at.”

Instantly the Apothecary became suspicious. “What do you mean? You brought others with you? How many?”

“Just the two,” replied Stan. “I have to go back to them.”

“And how do I know that you're not part of the King's army since there are more of you, Stan? If that's even your real name? How do I know they aren't watching this house right now?” The Apothecary was on his feet, his hand going
to the iron sword at his side.

Stan decided to take a huge gamble. If it failed, he would be killed. If it succeeded, he would convince the old player that they were on the same side. “Because we're planning to overthrow King Kev.”

The old player stared at him. Stan knew, based on what he had said, that even speaking about overthrowing the King was highly treacherous. The Apothecary had a different look growing in his eyes. It was respect.

“Are you serious, my young friend?” asked the Apothecary.

“One hundred percent,” replied Stan. “If you'd like, I'll explain to you everything that's happened to me so far in this game, and how we plan to go about overthrowing him. My only condition is that I go and find my friends.”

The Apothecary agreed, and he gave Stan his axe back. He also gave Stan a compass to find his way back to the lake. When he got there, he found a hole in the ground with light coming out of it and some pumpkins scattered around it. Upon examining the hole, Stan found that there was a ladder going down the side of it. Stan climbed down the ladder and at the bottom found an underground room.

There was a dirt roof, a stone floor, and walls made of a combination of the two. In the corner sat a furnace, a chest, and a crafting table. Two beds sat against the wall, while Charlie stood at the crafting table making a third one. On the
nearest bed sat Kat, who had a stone shovel in her hand and looked exhausted. Lemon and Rex sat on the bed beside her. They all looked up when Stan entered.

“Hey, man, please tell me you brought in a lot of wood, because we need tools real bad,” said Charlie.

“Guys, the most amazing thing happened!” He told them about his exchange with the Apothecary. Kat and Charlie listened to his story with steadily widening eyes. When he was finished, there was a moment of silence before Charlie spoke.

“So, you didn't bring back any wood?”

“And more important,” said Kat, her voice rising quickly, “you told our plans to a total stranger?”

“Weren't you listening?” said Stan, exasperated. “He wasn't a total stranger. He's an experienced player who's been on this server a long time, and he hates the King! He's got knowledge of the server. If we're going to overthrow the King, we've got to start somewhere. Why not with the Apothecary?”

“Is that his name, the Apothecary?” asked Charlie, standing up. “Doesn't that mean, like, a pharmacist, or a healer?”

“That's right,” said Stan. “Maybe he knows about healing. Does anybody else know any potential medics that could help us in a battle with the King? I mean, if he does know
medicine, then maybe he could train other medics!”

“Maybe you're right!” said Charlie, nodding fervently.

“Are you even listening to yourselves?” yelled Kat. “Stan, you gave this man classified information after he shot and gassed you! And now you—”

“Hey, that knockout gas worked instantly! Do you know how to make knockout gas, Kat?”

That stopped her. She closed her eyes for a second. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face as she imagined the effect that a cloud of knockout gas could have on a group of enemies. She opened her eyes again.