The Frozen Empire - An Empires SMP AU

17 - Debates, Members, and Prophecies

Pix and pearl returned to the nether later in that night, they heard the rumbling snores of FWhip sounding from the Café, so they sauntered in for some rest. Gem and Joey sat talking, Joey was showing her a small piece of copper that budded with two lumps.

"Out of the jungle, I feel a bit-"

"Pix and Pearl!" Gem stood up. "Did you get the book? Where's Jimmy? Is the ocean Empire still there? Why are you-... Sorry."

Pearl and Pix's faces turned flat.

"It's fine." Pix smiled briefly.

"We didn't get the book, Jimmy... Left, and the Ocean Empire is still there.. mostly."

"Left?" Gem was taken aback. "Left to do?...." A swell of blue vapour rolled over the nether, it didn't cause any damage, it didn't knock over anyone, it just spread a neural message.

Solidarity left the game

Gem gulped. "Oh..." She looked down at her feet. "That's what you meant..."

"He just needed some time to recuperate," Pearl told her. "He lost more than anyone..." Gem opened her mouth to argue but just nodded submissively.

An hour later, they all reconvened back around the table they met at just this morning. Pearl relayed the happenings of the Ocean Empire. Then FWhip told them about him seeing Xornoth.

"He's back in a new form." He told them. "More reptilian." Gem shuddered, her whole body recoiling. "And then I saw Sausage." Scattered 'whats?' spread through the group. "He looked fine, a bit malnourished but otherwise..."

"We have to go find him," Shelby interrupted. "He's probably out there still with Xornoth, I wouldn't put anyone through that." Joey nodded.

"But what can we do?" Joey said. "Xornoth has taken him over before, what'll stop him now?.. what if he already has?!"

"He mouthed something to me," FWhip continued. "I assumed he was fine so..."

"You assumed?" Gem spat. "What of he's dead!? Right now as we speak, his body is drifting in some lake, mutilated and decapitated by a demon who wanted a snack?!"

"Gem, FWhip might have been in shock, he probably wasn't thinking straight..." Joey reasoned. "... or Xornoth was in control of him?" Joey stared at FWhip, then at his hands. "What if he's in control of me currently?!"

"What was Scott doing?" Shelby asked, looming forward. "Did he look okay?"

"I think Scott is the last of our worries..." Pearl rolled her eyes. "He started all of this!"

"He wasn't in control!" Shelby yelped, punctuating each of her words with a hit on the table.

"Guys!" FWhip called over the crowd, shattering his plate on the floor. "He had a book!" The crowd fell quiet.

"And you waited 'til now to tell us!" Pix clenched his fists in FWhip's direction.

"If he has the book of prophecies, and he is truly on our side, then whats the problem?" Gem stated.

"The problem is I took care of it." A cruel voice emanated from the air. A book slammed onto the table, landing narrowly beside the vat of regeneration potion. Gem grabbed it and flipped through the pages.

"Its the book..." She mouthed, her eyes glancing maniacally into the air.

"Like stealing candy from a baby," The voice spoke, creating footsteps that trod around, making echoes that seethed onto the plaza. "I took it in his sleep, he saw me, but he wouldn't tell..."

A figure smashed down onto the table, the wood splintering and the food splashing over their armour. Joey instinctively grabbed his sword from by his seat, whirling around and striking down on the person. They side stepped, rammed into Joey, then smeared the cobble in slime just before Joey hit the earth.

Pix had ran back, he shot an arrow that fluttered through the air, The figure went with the motion, bending the arrows directory using the nape of their forearm. The arrow resumed its soaring and landing on the cloth of his trousers, the tip lodged itself between two rocks, rendering Pix useless.

Pearl and Shelby co-ordinated an attack, jabbing at all heights from either side, the warrior blocked the hits with two shields, boxing themselves within a wooden crate. They splashed a slow falling potion, then pushed outwards and cast Pearl and Shelby back like a slime piston.

Then Gem took a stride, wafting her arms in the air and summoning small spectres - vex's - that slashed the warriors armour. The soldier, blinded by pain, ran into Gem, but she teetered down from the splash potion.

The warrior then glared at FWhip, they stabbed forward, narrowly missing his arm. They started wrenching the sword around, cutting and stabbing FWhip all over.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL, FWHIP?!" They screamed, pinning him down and prepare to batter him with the bottom of their shield. "HOW... DOES... IT... FEEL?!?!"

"Stop!" Gem yelled. "Stop now!" The figure paused. They opened their mask and unravelled the woollen scarf from their neck.

"It's not personal..." Katherine glared, she bore a new scar down her cheek. "I'm just returning the favour..." She came down on FWhip with the bottom of the shield. But she stopped, moving her aim to his stomach. "Next time, I break your Ribs..."

FWhip's eyes bulged, his breathing choking and his eyes twitching.

"Katherine what are you doing?" Shelby hissed.

"I was targeting FWhip the whole time," she replied harshly. "No one else was hurt..." It was true, Joey bounced off of the slime she lathered in the floor, Pix had only been struck in the fabric of his trousers, Shelby, Pearl, and Gem drifted down using the slow falling potions, only FWhip had susceptive to damage.

Katherine got to her feet, everyone flinched away from her. She started walking around, passing milk to the others, plucking the arrow out from Pix's trousers, and lifting Joey out from the puddle of gunk.

"Thanks..." He croaked, bowing courteously. "Kinda..." Katherine started on her way out of the plaza.

"Wait!" Gem thundered, raging towards her. "Why give us the book?" She wafted it in her face.

"I didn't intend on," She smiled mockingly. "Thanks," Katherine tried to swoop it out of her hands, but Gem cradled it like a child.

"Not until I find what I want..." Gem negotiated. "Just one small prophecy."

"Yes, Yes," Katherine sighed. "The Prophecy to summon Aeor, you know, how Xornoth hasn't found out your plan - what with your loud talking - amazes me..." Gem blinked, she craned her neck backwards.

"And?" She started flipping through the pages. "Is it-"

"Page 34..." Katherine gesture, her voice turning vicious.

Only a Mezalean can bring the golden age, but only sacrifice can undo the damage

"Joel!" Gem sprung to life, sprinting away from Katherine. "We need Joel!" She ran back to a plaza where everyone had blank faces on. "The prophecy says we need Joel!"

Gem felt a sense of pride, they were one stride closer to the endgame. All they needed was Joel...

But where was he?...