"We surrender."
The terrified voice of Impulse was music to Ren's ears. A traitor finally brought to his knees, a Crastle finally given a king. Cleo and Bdubs were behind him, standing in fearful silence.
Ren let the quiet moment draw out, making the prisoners more and more nervous. He debated whether to execute all three of them or just the traitor.
"Should we take them down to the dungeon?" Martyn asked, trying to be intimidating but really just sounding ridiculous.
Ren facepalmed. "Dang it, Martyn!" he said. "You broke my dramatic pondering!"
"Sorry," Martyn muttered, half grinning.
Ren turned to Skiz, Etho, and Bigb, lesser ranking soldiers, but soldiers all the same. "What say you? What should be their fate?"
"Uh," Bigb said helpfully.
"Destroy them!" Skiz yelled passionately, bringing fresh delicious fear back to the Crastle Alliance's faces. "Burn them at the stake and throw their ashes into a lava pit!"
"I gotta say, I kinda like that," Ren said.
"Yeah!" Skiz cheered.
"Kill Impulse, keep the others alive as bait," Etho said. "They'll bring Scott and the Desert Duo here for rescue soon enough."
Ren nodded, considering both ideas.
"If I may, Your Majesty," Martyn said. "The 'Uh' idea sounds like the smartest option."
Ren laughed. "Let's take this somewhere else," he said. "We will discuss this. Skiz, Etho, Bigb... guard the prisoners."
The three soldiers nodded and pointed their swords at the Crastle citizens.
Ren led Martyn up into Renchanting, where they could discuss this in more privacy. "I think the bait idea is the best one."
"Etho's pretty smart," Martyn agreed. "We should trust his plan."
"But can I trust any of them, after what Impulse did?" Ren said, mostly to himself.
"I don't think we have any other choice," Martyn said. "If they choose to leave the Army, we can hunt them down and give them what they deserve."
Ren nodded. "Etho's plan it is, then," he said. "Kill Impulse. Threaten filthy sand hippies and Scott. Get banner. Win war for good."
Martyn pumped his fist.
Ren strode out of Renchanting and to the entrance, where the prisoners were still being guarded. "Bring Cleo and Bdubs down to the basement," he said. "They'll be kept alive for now."
There was a brief silence as Impulse realized he was not included.
"Please," he said desperately. "I'm sorry. I'll do anything!"
"Should we take him to the platform and show him what happens to traitors?" Skiz asked eagerly.
"He's not worthy to die on those stones," Ren growled. "We kill him here."
"Who's gonna do it?" Bigb asked. "I'd rather not do it."
Ren looked at Martyn.
"Me?" Martyn asked.
"Go for it," Ren asked, as if suggesting he go mining or farm trees.
"I'll do anything!" Impulse begged, more urgently. "Please, no! I'll help you get that banner back! I'll... I'll kill Scar! I'll do anything..." He was crying now, crystal tears streaming down his face and dripping from his chin.
"Anything, you say?" Ren asked, his voice friendly, but it quickly grew cold. "How about this: you can die."
Martyn took his axe, the same one Ren had given him, and swung it without hesitation, once, twice, and then the message popped up in chat as Impulse exploded into items.
>ImpulseSV was slain by InTheLittleWood<
"NO!" Bdubs screamed, struggling as he and Cleo were dragged away by Etho and Bigb. Bigb looked nauseous. Etho's face was a mask of calm... that was covered by another mask. Bdubs looked traumatized. Cleo seemed to regret agreeing to surrender.
We have Bdubs and Cleo as well, Ren typed in chat. We can kill them if you don't turn up.
Grian: SCAR NO.
GoodTimeWithScar: lol
Smajor1995: liar
Skizzleman: we do
Smallishbeans: u smelly short army people
Etho: we do!
Bdoubleo100: THEY DO COME KILL THEM
Ren laughed as he immediately heard Skiz's voice from the basement: "Shut up, Bdubs!"
This was oddly satisfying.
-
It was two days after Impulse's execution, and Martyn still hadn't returned.
After two more days with no word (he had gone out to see if he could find the hidden enemies), Ren decided to take Skiz out to help. He left Bigb and Etho to guard Cleo and Bdubs. And then he grabbed his shield, his axe, and some food and went out to find the Hand.
They did find Martyn. He was near the wool fortress in the north, figuring out a series of code words that Scar, Grian, and Scott had been using. It turned out Scar had burned down the wool fortress again. So they knew he had been there.
The king, his Hand, and his most trusted soldier went to the desert next, then the hobbit holes, then the Crastle. All were deserted, as well as Skizzle Point, Bigb's cobblestone house, and the wool fortress. The fugitives didn't seem to be anywhere.
Ren could only conclude that they had a secret base underground somewhere.
Maybe Tango's old cow farm... but that was empty as well.
Speaking of Tango, where was he? And Joel was missing as well.
Ren didn't know if they was still working with the desert hippies or if he was doing his own thing. Ren was content to leave him alone for now. It was Scar who he was after.
They scanned the ground for names and looked for signs of people there. But this world had been lived in for so long already that any half-mined trees or random cobblestone towers would be easily overlooked.
Ren avoided using chat. He didn't want to give the enemy any hint that he was hunting them.
FInally, they heard voices; faint, but present. Immediately, Ren, Martyn, and Skiz fell silent in their own conversation and listened. Ren couldn't tell what they were saying. But once, he saw the slightest glimpse of a name before whoever it belonged to crouched again.
They were where the dark forest used to be, before Scar and Grian tore it down in an attempt at monopoly. Ren whispered to his subjects to keep walking, maybe they could take the group by surprise.
The voices went quiet.
"This looks like a good place to start mining," Ren said loudly. "I doubt anyone thought to go down here."
"Why do we all need to be here, again?" Martyn asked, catching on quickly as Ren knew he would.
"In case we're attacked by the fugitives," Ren said. "We can't go anywhere alone. I don't want you guys getting picked off.
Skiz started digging back into the world, away from the border... and toward the name they had caught a glimpse of.
"Dig," the unmistakable voice of Grian hissed. "Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig!"
"Faster," Ren whispered to his group.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Skiz growled.
They emerged inside a secret bunker: a small wheat farm, a bed, some chests. Martyn stayed back to trample the crops and break the bed while Ren and Skiz went on through a tunnel that the fugitives seemed to have forgotten to cover up.
Skiz was ahead of Ren. Ren yelled after the filthy sand hippies, telling them to stop cowering and come fight.
Finally, they got to the end of the tunnel. In a huddle were Grian, Scar, and Scott, looking scared but it seemed fake.
Ren screeched to a halt. Skiz, however, was not so lucky, and fell into the lava pit trap that Ren had to assume Grian had made.
A panic room.
>Skizzleman tried to swim in lava<
The three fugitives, now separated from the king, immediately cheered and handed out high fives to each other. Ren couldn't get to them yet. He could only roar at the loss of his soldier and friend.
So, he took some cobblestone and made a bridge over the lava pit.
The triumph on their faces dissolved. "Bad dog!" Scar yelped, fumbling with his pick. He dropped it, picked it up, and started digging.
Martyn ran down the tunnel to assist his king. But it was too late. Scott was blocking the tunnel behind them, and Ren knew they wouldn't catch up.
Ren cursed and turned around. "We're not gonna get them this time," he said. "We'll have to avenge Skiz when they come for Bdubs and Cleo."
Martyn nodded, his expression one of grief. They had lost a valuable part of the Army today.
-
"They're here!"
The call came from Bigb, running down the hill from his base. Ren, Etho, and Martyn were immediately alert. They were always ready for battle. And they were always ready to avenge their fallen friend.
Ren led the Army to meet the fugitives and try to shoot them while they still had the high ground. They split up, Martyn and Etho going up to Bigb's house, Ren and Bigb staying at Dogwarts. From on top of the wall, Ren looked down on the attackers.
There were three of them. Grian and Scar were gone, which was suspicious. Maybe they had been too cowardly to fight. But Scott, Tango, and Joel (with the remains of his dog army) were there. Ren knew he should have looked for Tango and Joel. But, oh well, it was too late now.
Ren looked around the base of Dogwarts for Grian and Scar. Seeing nothing, he turned his attention back to shooting down Joel's dogs so they wouldn't be as much of a threat.
Scott, Joel, and Tango were shooting back. Ren got hit by an arrow and the knockback pushed him off of the wall, causing him to lose quite a bit of health. He ate some bread, healed, and pillared back up.
Bigb hit Tango.
>Tango was shot by Bigbst4tz<
Ren cheered and smacked Bigb on the back.
Then he looked back down and cried in alarm, "Joel's coming up the hill!"
There were still a lot of dogs left. If Joel managed to hit one of the Army, they were dead for sure. So instead of shooting at the dogs, Ren and Bigb started shooting at their owner.
Yeah, that didn't work very well. Joel knew how to dodge arrows, and he was shooting back at them.
Joke's on him, Ren also knew how to dodge arrows. He was a winner of MCC! He was a professional!
And then Joel hit him again.
Ren cursed himself for getting distracted and started shooting back. Martyn and Etho were shooting at him as well, not noticing Scott coming up their hill.
Finally. Finally, Joel died. His confused dogs wandered around, sniffing at the pile of items and whimpering. Ren felt a little bad about that. But it was one more enemy dead.
>SmallishBeans was shot by Renthedog<
Ren turned his attention to Scott and typed in chat, MAJOR'S GOING UP THE HILL
Scott turned and glared at him. There were distant angry Scottish sounds.
Then he was also hit by an arrow from Etho.
Ren and Bigb laughed at him as he ran away from the fight. Etho jumped down and chased him. Martyn came back to Dogwarts to help guard the prisoners, but Ren sent him and Bigb to help Etho.
Ren was suspicious of Grian and Scar. It was strange that they weren't there. Maybe it was Scar being a coward (again) but Ren was pretty sure that Grian would drag him into something as important as a battle to get their allies back.
He suddenly felt something poke his back.
A sword.
"Don't move," Scar threatened.
I knew it.
"Scar," Ren said. He whirled around, knocking the sword out of Scar's hand, and pressed the axe against his neck. "I think you should actually have me checkmated before you make threats."
Scar made his trademark "OH!" sound as his red eyes widened. The king and the rebel sat there, their breathing heavy. Scar said nothing, for once.
And for some reason, Ren couldn't bring himself to kill him.
Ren was known as a ruthless king, a merciless king, a king who would slaughter anyone who got in his way.
But this?
What Scar had attempted wasn't glory. It was murder. It was cowardly, and Ren refused to kill someone with no honor, especially when he was trapped under the blade of an axe. Impulse was different. Impulse was a traitor. Scar was just a thief. An enemy, but all he had done was steal...
"Give me the banner," Ren tried instead. "And I might let you live."
"I'll give you a diamond," Scar offered.
"Are you really in a place to bargain?"
Scar was silent. With a trembling hand, he unbuckled the shield strap on his arm and offered it to Ren.
Ren took the shield and stood up, putting his axe away and turning away.
"Get out," he said. "And don't let me see you again, or I might just have to bring this axe just a little bit closer to your neck."
Scar, amazed that he was alive, got up and started walking away. Ren remained with the shield in his hands, his back to the thief, but his ears alert and waiting for an attack.
It never came.
When Ren turned back around, Scar was gone, probably hanging his head in defeat as he went back to Grian.
But then as soon as he was out, Ren heard his little voice whisper excitedly, "I still have the real one."
Ren looked at the shield he had taken. It definitely wasn't as worn as the original banner had been. It looked brand new.
How was I such an idiot?
Ren dropped the decoy and ran out of Dogwarts, too angry even to yell. He was alone against Grian and Scar. That didn't matter. He was willing to die for this, but succeeding would be nice.
Scar yelped and started running. Scott, who was next to him (not Grian), yelled, "DANG IT!" and ran as well.
Ren took out his bow and fired, but it was only really slowing him down.
Etho, Martyn, and Bigb came into view, and Ren couldn't be prouder. Scott looked genuinely surprised to see that they had been following him.
Within minutes, they had Scar and Scott surrounded.
"I'll ask one more time," Ren said. "Give us the banner."
"Noooo," Scar sang.
Ren straightened his posture and readied his axe. "I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way."
The Red Army attacked.
Scott put up a good fight, but he was the first to die.
>Smajor1995 was slain by Etho<
Scar tried to take a speed potion, but Etho ender pearled in front of him, blocking his escape, and grabbed his arm so he couldn't go any further.
The fighting stopped.
Scar, even in no position to fight, grinned at Ren and held up the shield.
It only took one blow to kill him.
>GoodTimeWithScar was slain by Renthedog<
Grian was screaming in chat. Bdubs and Cleo were both surprised. And the Army was cheering.
The Red Army went through his things until Martyn cried, "I found it!"
Ren took it.
Victory.
Victory.
It was all he could do not to start doing a very stupid dance right then and there. No, he was a king. He couldn't afford to do stupid dances.
"The only one left is Grian," Etho said. "Then..."
Ren felt his grin fade.
Then they would have to fight among themselves to see who the winner would be.
Ren had a thought that it would be him. Then he pushed that thought out. Of course he would sacrifice himself so one of his soldiers, probably Martyn, could win. They deserved that.
"Bdubs and Cleo are still in Dogwarts," Ren realized.
"Threaten Grian?" Bigb asked.
Ren nodded. "If he doesn't come, we kill them. If he does, we kill him and let them go free, give them a chance to escape before we start hunting."
They headed back to Dogwarts, where Martyn typed in chat, You still have a chance, Grian. Either you come to Dogwarts and we kill you, or we get Bdubs and Cleo and then hunt you down. You have one Minecraft day before they die.
Ren looked over the message, nodded in approval, and let Martyn send it.
The four of them went down to check on Bdubs and Cleo. They were still there. Then the Army hung out in the basement, crouching so Grian wouldn't see their names if he decided to attempt a rescue.
Grian replied in chat. They're not my allies anymore, ever since they surrendered to you, Mr. Puppy.
OH COME ON, Bdubs typed.
Even the Red Army couldn't contain their laughter at the nickname. Ren felt his face heat up and did as well, but mostly he was angry.
He approached Bdubs and Cleo, wondering if there was any reason to keep them alive if Grian wasn't going to care anyway.
"If you kill me, I will come for your kneecaps," Cleo said calmly.
Ren snickered. "You do that."
Then he walked away and let his Army do the dirty work.
>ZombieCleo was slain by Etho<
>Bdoubleo100 was slain by InTheLittleWood<
"Should we go after Grian now?" Bigb asked, coming up the stairs. Martyn and Etho were close behind him.
"Not yet," Ren said. "Wait to see if he comes for revenge. Right now, we can celebrate this victory!"
The three soldiers cheered. Then Martyn ran off to brew potions as "refreshments."
Ren put a Cat disk into the jukebox. Not the original Vibe Machine, but the next best thing. It was a rather ridiculous party. Several times, they felt cold gusts of air that Bigb was convinced were spirits of the dead, but Ren didn't really want to think about that.
Ren laid the original shield on Skiz's grave. He had fallen into lava, so there was nothing to bury, but they made a memorial for the fallen warrior. Ren felt that it was right putting the banner there. Skiz had died trying to get it back, and the banner had been stolen from his base anyway.
He was very glad that nobody murdered anyone at the party. He already had enough to deal with, like the impending dramatic sacrifice, without more betrayals.
Martyn, Etho, and Bigb were still back with the jukebox, drinking regen potions and daring each other to eat poisonous potatoes and spider eyes.
Ren went to the stone platform where this had all started. There was still blood on it. Ren's blood.
It would probably water these stones again, very soon.
And then Ren felt a stinging pain in his back and gasped.
Too soon.
He looked down at his stomach, where the shiny tip of a diamond sword was sticking out.
"Crap," he gasped, and fell to the ground.
"You really thought I wouldn't come?" Grian hissed. "I don't really care about Bdubs and Cleo. But you killed Scar, my friend."
Ren let out one last cry for help, and heard a bunch of poisoned soldiers running in his direction, yelling at the filthy sand hippie who had come while their guard was let down.
"Martyn..." he groaned.
Martyn ran over. "I'm here," he said.
Ren looked up at him, and hoped the Hand could see the king's anger. "Avenge me. Kill him... and then the others. Win."
"I..." Martyn stammered.
And then Ren's series was over.