AN: CONTENT WARNING. My Craft is generally rated 'T' but to be on the safe side, I'm giving this an 'M' rating for abusive content. Just giving you all a fair warning about it.

Another long Chapter. This one is almost as long as Tell Me A Tale. I tried condensing it, but before long I realized just how much I had to put in.

I highly recommend reading past Chapters as you read this, just to familiarize yourselves with where and when the characters are doing certain things. I'll explain more in the closing AN.

But to get there, you'll have to read through this mountain of content. Good luck.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I'd add Rings.

Chapter 157

The Last Lieutenant

[Year 230: Lazuli]

"You have professed your love by exchanging your vows. And you have symbolized your commitment by exchanging nuggets. With all of this there is just one more question I need each of you to answer and then we're off to the reception to celebrate."

The Testificate minister cleared his throat, his nose waggling in excitement at ordaining one of the biggest moments in any couple's life.

"AceOfJades, do you take Jack to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him till death do you part?"

"I do!"

"And do you, Jack_Pall, take Jade to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her till death do you part?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wide. You may now kiss the bride."

The two shared a tender kiss to the cheers and whistles of the captivated audience. Out there, couples held hands and soaked up the sappiness with doe-eyed smiles, jubilant at the lovebirds and their nuptials.

Jade closed her eyes as she savored the dreamlike bliss.

I never want to forget this moment.

[Year 270: Lazuli]

For Jade, marriage was the epitome of happiness and fulfillment. It must have been, for she always saw wives hanging off the arms of husbands with the most pleased of smiles, as if everything was roses.

Lifelong matrimony was a pretty big deal in Minecraftia, considering how Crafters never aged. If one was careful enough, they could live the married life for all of eternity. Usually, people would only be able to stomach a mate for seventy or eighty years before things got stale and they divorced and remarried to find new love, but it spoke of the power of a bond when you saw a couple that hung together after decades or even centuries of living together. No love could be stronger.

That was the kind of love Jade wanted. She wanted an everlasting bond stronger than anything.

After forty years of marriage, she was off to a great start.

"I'm back." She heard the deep baritone of her husband, Jack, after he returned from a stressful day at work. "Is dinner ready?"

"Just finishing up." She called back with a smile, taking the baked potatoes out of the furnace. She could not have timed it better. "How was work?"

Jack worked as a Mob Hunter in the snowy Lazuli village of Isere. His job was to go out into the snowy spruce forest at night and hunt Mobs for their special drops, which he would then sell out of his shop. Bones would go to farmers, rotten flesh would go to dog breeders, gunpowder and spider eyes would go to the apothecary, etc. He ran the business all on his own. His meager profits—and more importantly his pride—would never allow him to hire any help. His work would be off his own blood and sweat.

"Work was fine." He answered tiredly. "Madeline's trying to haggle with me for more bones, but I shut her down. My prices don't change."

Isere's population wasn't that big, so everyone knew everyone, but where the people lived was spread out. There was a large cluster of stone and wood buildings at the heart, and then dotted homes in a wide perimeter. No walls. Every home had a fence as protection from the Mobs. Griefers were dealt with by the Frost Golems, a guild that patrolled the snowy lands and protected the villages.

"She didn't know who she was haggling with." Jade called back proudly, grabbing the baked potatoes and the finished porkchops. She winced slightly after putting pressure on a particularly tender ankle. She had to go see the apothecary for Healing Potions.

"Yeah. Hey, is dinner happening?" Jack insisted with a slightly raised voice that hurried Jade along.

"Coming, coming!"

She rushed into the living room where Jack preferred to enjoy his meals. Looking at him, Jade was reminded of why she chose such a man to share the rest of her life with.

Jack_Pall was a strong, well-built man. Big guy with a square jaw, blue eyes, scratchy stubble, and blond hair in a flat-top crewcut, making his head look like a box…

…Or, unflatteringly, like the Frankenstein monster.

"Here you go." Jade happily set his dinner before him and stepped back, eager to hear how it tasted.

"…What the hell is this?"

"...Huh?" Jade's eyes darted to the meal, confused, then to her husband's annoyed expression.

"I wanted steak for dinner. I told you this before I left this morning." He gestured to the porkchops and potatoes. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"What, but… n-no. I told you I'd be making porkchops and potatoes and you said that was—"

"I wanted steak, Jade." His baritone voice rose warningly.

"I… Alright, I-I can just…" She took back the porkchops and potatoes. "…I'll just cook up some steak real quick. Is there anything else you'd like?"

"No, I'd just like the dinner I thought I'd be getting." He replied acidly, leaning back in his chair and awaiting his dinner.

"R-Right. I'll hurry, then." She retreated back into the kitchen, setting the potatoes and porkchops aside and getting started cooking the raw beef.

"You better not have wasted any of my coal on that food!" He shouted from the living room. "You just love to waste, after all, and coal isn't cheap."

"N-No, I…" Jade hastily took the coal out and used some charcoal she got from the trees outside instead. "I've got it handled. Nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, right." His scoff was unmistakable. "Next time, listen."

Jade swallowed. The pain in her ankle seemed to throb to her husband's words. She couldn't keep making mistakes like this.

"Jade!"

The furious howl had Jade shoot off the couch and rush into her husband's private study. He was hunched over his desk, breathing angrily through his nostrils.

"Where is my sword?"

"Your sword? Shouldn't it be on the item frame—"

"Oh, thanks honey!" Jack gushed sarcastically. "I never would have thought to look in the place I always set my prized diamond sword! I would have looked everywhere else before exhausting that option!"

"W-Well, where was the last place you saw it?"

"HERE." He slapped the item frame, knocking it off the wall. "I always put it here! I wouldn't have put it anywhere else, so what did you do with it?"

"Me? I-I wouldn't have taken it. You know I'm awful with a sword—"

"But you're great at finding ways to ruin my day!" He shot back. "You're always moving my stuff around when I'm not looking, and this time you've had a masterstroke at getting under my skin!"

"Jack, please, I would never—"

"I need my sword for work! Now go and figure out wherever the hell you put it!"

"Jack, I didn't—"

*SMACK*

The blow came hard and without warning. The white-hot stinging sensation to her cheek that Jade was disturbingly familiar with. This hadn't been the first time she had angered her husband.

The slap had knocked her into the table where she banged her shoulder before curling up on the ground, hurt and crying.

"Stop your sniveling!" Jack shouted. "Pick yourself off that fucking floor and find me my sword! You're making me late for work!"

Slowly, Jade rose from the floor, an angry red mark appearing over her face. It was a shocking contrast to her lush green hair and jacket.

Once she recovered, she turned the whole house over looking for Jack's sword, her husband getting increasingly more irate as it failed to turn up. Eventually, however, Jade located it.

It was in his study. Tucked away behind his desk. It must have fallen off the item frame.

She handed it to him and he swiped it without so much as a 'thank you' or a 'sorry' before he hurried off to work.

After he was gone, Jade tenderly touched the mark on her face, wincing at the pain. She'd need more Healing Potions to cover this.

Just another reminder of her failure as a wife.

She had to do better.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Jade paused at the door from her husband's inquisitive voice.

"I was heading out to meet with some friends of mine." She answered. "They sent me a letter that they'd be passing through today, so I was—"

"You're just going to leave this place looking like a mess?" Jack asked angrily, pointing to the general state of the living room. All she could notice were the empty glass bottles on the carpet from Jack's drinking the night before.

"O-Okay, I'll clean those up then before I—"

"And I'm just supposed to fend for myself for dinner?" He cut her off. "Sure, Jade. Just run off and enjoy a nice evening with your friends while I just starve to death."

"There's chicken and carrots in the fridge. I cooked it for you."

"I like my dinner hot, Jade." He stressed. "Freshly cooked. Or is cooked food too much to ask?"

"I—then I'll cook you dinner right now."

"I'm not hungry right now!"

"Well then tell me what you want!"

Jade gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth after realizing her mistake, but it was too late. Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Did you just raise your voice with me?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I-I'll stay and cook you dinner. Whatever you want, sweetie."

Jack glared at Jade for a long time before getting up and displaying the startling difference in their frames. He was big and stocky while Jade was lithe and small. He walked up right in front of her and Jade cowered, terrified of what her mistake would do to her.

"…Don't ever raise your voice with me again."

As he walked off, he made a demand for dinner. Jade hurried to acquiesce, happy to put that moment behind her. Her friends would be disappointed, but they'd understand why she couldn't go.

What kind of wife was she to keep making her husband mad like that?

Jack was drinking again.

He only drank when he was having trouble at work. Jade didn't like to see him like that, so she planned to do anything in her power to lower his stress. She cleaned the house, she made his favorite meals, she made sure not to move any of his belongings. She was the perfect wife.

That was why she was so surprised when she found herself struck across the face.

Jack kept shouting at her, accusing her of something that she couldn't fathom as he mercilessly smacked her down.

She didn't know what she did wrong, but she knew it was her fault and that this was her punishment for upsetting her husband. She knew that she was getting everything she deserved, even if she didn't know what it was for.

A wife had to do better.

The years of marriage were growing progressively more painful for Jade the more mistakes she made. She should have known that Jack was under a lot of stress supporting the both of them and that she had to make more of an effort to help out. He risked his life in those snowy woods every day procuring Mob drops for the village. While she could never do combative work like her husband, she figured she could do what little she could to alleviate his stress.

Instead, she only seemed to irritate him at every turn.

There must be something wrong with me.

It wasn't like this was an off year or anything. This had been happening for five years. She thought she would learn from her mistakes, but she still seemed to make them. She still didn't know what being an ideal wife was like.

She winced as she nursed a tender shoulder and walked with a distinctive limp through the snow. The house was out of food—a mistake that earned a lashing from her husband—and she had to go out and procure some. Not just to feed her husband, but to refill her Hunger Meter so that her Health could regenerate properly and heal the wounds. Potions of Healing were the preferred choice, as they ensured instant recovery, and Jade made sure to use her own saved emeralds so Jack wouldn't worry himself over the costs.

Through the woods, she came across a bundle of closely built structures that represented the heart of Isere Village. She limped down the street and over to the apothecary before stepped inside and out of the cold.

Someone was already waiting in line. A well-endowed woman with waist-length, burnt orange hair, wearing a white bolero jacket with a blue-grey undershirt.

"Yes, I'll have two Swiftness, two Regeneration, and three Invisibility." She ordered.

"I'll have them out in a flash." The apothecary promised, setting the potions and ingredients on his brewing stands. While he waited, he leaned on the counter, caressing the woman with his eyes.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked, already taking out some emeralds.

"Well, for what you just ordered, the standard fare is thirty emeralds. But," he flashed a winning smile, "I'll cut you a deal because you're so pretty. Twenty for you."

"Oh, that's so sweet!" The woman smiled sociably, her eyes crinkling in happiness.

"I can be sweeter and slash the price even more," the apothecary offered, "i-if you'd do me the honor of going on a date with me."

"Oh, sweetie," the woman canted her head with a kind smile. "You won't be able to stay in business if you just give away your stuff to a pretty face. You'll lose all your other customers. Tell you what." She fished in her backpack before withdrawing her money. "I'll pay the full price and we'll let this be our little secret, okay?"

"And then will you go on a date with me?"

"Sorry, no."

"Daaaaw…"

He accepted the emeralds nonetheless and the woman stepped aside to wait for the brews to be done and allow the next customer to go up. Jade limped forward and gave a familiar greeting to the apothecary.

"Afternoon, Abelard."

"Jade, good to see you. I assume you're here for the usual?"

"You'd assume right." Jade plucked the emeralds out of her belt pocket, aware of a gaze lingering on her. She turned and saw that it was the orange-haired woman paying attention to her. Her name was Ember_Waves. Those light-blue eyes of hers seemed to be scanning her and she had an unusual weapon strapped to her belt. Jade hastily turned away when the apothecary came up with the potions.

"I had these prepped earlier this morning. Figured you'd need them. You should take better care of where you walk; your clumsiness tends to get you hurt."

"Just more mistakes to learn from." Jade replied evasively, sliding over the proper amount of emeralds.

"How did you get those marks?"

Jade gave a slight jump when Ember posed the question to her. As far as she knew, Ember was a stranger just passing through town, so it was a bit intrusive to be asking questions of her like that. Still, Abelard was listening, so she had to answer with something.

"I fell down some stairs." Jade lied smoothly, only for Ember to grab her chin and tilt her head to get a better look.

"Hm. Must have been some hand-shaped stairs, then. Your cheek landed on them so hard I can see the red finger marks…"

Jade wrenched away from Ember, eyes wide and afraid. Jack would be upset if anyone ever found out about his punishments. She'd only worsen her failures as a wife if that got out. Worse, everyone would know it.

"I-I don't know what you mean. I just fell down some stairs. I'm clumsy." Jade spoke in rapid succession.

"Uh-huh." Ember's eyes seemed to gleam sharply as she looked searchingly into Jade's. "And do these 'stairs' have a drinking problem?"

"I think we're having two different conversations and I'd like to get my potions and get out of here, please."

"Husband or boyfriend, which is it?" Something about her light-blue eyes looked deeply into Jade's soul. "Husband, huh."

"Goodbye!"

Jade grabbed her potions and fled the apothecary and the woman with the piercing blue eyes. She uncorked a bottle and drank deeply, sighing as the healing brew coaxed her pain away and healed the bruises and marks of her failure as a wife.

After she left, Ember turned to the apothecary, hiking a thumb over her shoulder. "You know where that woman lives?"

Upon arriving home, Jade stashed the extra Potions of Healing away in a cubby hole under the sink so that Jack wouldn't notice. She'd use them later if the need arose, but she was hoping to keep the rest of the evening without incident.

However, as if the universe was spiting her, when Jack returned after dark, he instantly sniffed out her stash of potions. Jade stood there, petrified, both hands laden with dinner, as Jack just glared at her.

"What is this?"

"I-I needed—"

"Why are you hoarding potions, Jade?" He asked sharply, his baritone forcing her to clam up. "Well?"

Jade was too terrified to speak, so Jack simply advanced upon her. He chucked his sword across the room where it banged against the wall and floor, the loud noise startling Jade into flinching back.

"You have any idea how expensive potions are? Did you ever once think of what your splurging is doing to our funds!?"

"N-N-N-No, I…" Jade held up her hands, tears pooling. She was just trying to stop the hurting! "I… I used my own money—"

"What money could you possibly make!?" Jack struck Jade across the face. She spun from the impact and crashed against the wall before curling up. "You have no money that doesn't come from my pockets! My hard work! My sweat and toil to support you and your inane spending!"

"I'b shorry!" Jade bawled through a broken nose. "I dihdn't mean to…!"

"'I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!' I'm sick of your whining!" He shouted, standing over her and raising his hand again. "The only way you're going to learn your lesson is if—!"

*Bang Bang Bang*

Jack froze, his hand held at full height and ready to be brought down, but suspended by the knocking at the door. He glanced down at Jade, cowering and blubbering on the floor, a fresh bruise adorning her face and her nose bent at an unnatural angle from where it hit the wall.

*Bang Bang Bang*

"Not a peep." He hissed under his breath before striding to the door. Jade struggled to calm down, holding her nose and stifling her tears. Her body was wracked by sobs she couldn't completely hold down.

The front door opened. "Hello?"

"Evening, sir." Came the steady voice of a guard. He and his fellow guard wore the dyed-blue leather caps of Lazuli. "We're sorry to bother you this late, but we'd like to speak with your wife if that's alright. Is she in?"

"Actually, that's not alright, Ted." Jack blocked the doorway with his arm. "You can't just barge into another person's house for no reason. Just because you're guards, you think you can—"

"We have a reason." The other one interrupted. "We got an anonymous tip of domestic violence between you and your wife. We're here to investigate. Is your wife in?"

"Domestic…?" Jack balked. "Now hold on, buddy. You think you can just accuse me of—"

"We're not accusing anyone. We just want to ask you and your wife some questions to get to the bottom of this. And for that, you'll have to let us in, sir."

"I'm not letting you into my home! This is my house! And how dare you insinuate I'm mistreating my wife! The gall of you to—!"

"Jack." The one guard, Ted, spoke sharply. "Open the door."

Jack went quiet as he looked between the two guards, seemingly mulling it over, before he relented and opened the door.

"Fine. But now's not really the best time. I was just about to take my wife to see the alchemist."

Despite his lackadaisical tone, his words alarmed the guards. They swept past the door and into the kitchen where they saw Jade curled up and clutching her face. Her eyes were still watery and red, even if she had stopped her sobs. One guard knelt down to check on her while the other turned to Jack.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"She broke her nose in the shower." Jack shrugged. "Just a bit of a tumble. My wife, she's clumsy is all. Happens all the time."

"You think it's normal for your wife to be hurting like this?"

"As I told you, I was about to take her to the alchemist." Jack defended.

"Miss," one of the guards asked kindly. "Miss, can you tell me how you got hurt?"

"Didn't you hear me? I told you she—"

"It's standard procedure." The other guard interrupted. "We have to interview everyone, and this is in line with our other inquiries."

"Miss Jade? How did this happen?" The guard kneeling beside her asked again. Jack shot her a glare when the guards weren't watching and she trembled slightly.

"I-I-I slibbed in the sh-shohwer." She stammered.

The guard kneeling beside her frowned. He noticed, however, how Jack stepped away, looking smug.

"Miss Jade, are you telling us you slipped and broke your nose in the shower?"

"Y-Yes."

"Despite not being wet?"

"I-My husband dried me off."

"Miss, we heard some loud shouting before coming to knock on your door." The one guard said before pointing at Jack. "Are you afraid of this man? Does he have some power over you to make you think you can't talk to us?"

"No!" She shook her head heatedly. "My Jack is the most perfect husband a wife can ask for! He'd never hurt me without a good reason—I mean, he'd never lay a hand on me! We're perfect together! I swear!"

The two guards shared a look before the kneeling one stood up and walked over. They started speaking in hushed whispers that Jade barely caught.

"What do you think?"

"I think that dame was right to send us over here. She's clearly frightened of him."

"I was thinking the same. But we can't arrest him if she's not willing to press charges. I've seen this dozens of times to know that much."

"So, what, we can't do jack about Jack?"

"Save the quips for when Nancy's listening, Ted. There is something we can do."

The two whispered back and forth, and what she caught had Jade panicking.

"He really didn't do this!" Jade bawled desperately to the two guards. "I'm just clumsy! Please!" One of the guards came over to reassure her while the other went to Jack.

"Jack. Have you been drinking tonight?"

"No, I have not."

"I must have mistaken the odor, then. So if I head to the local bar and ask how many Awkward Potions you've guzzled, the bartender will confirm your claim?"

Jack's silence was telling.

"Jack, I think you should come back with us to the station."

"What!? You're arresting me? FOR WHAT!?"

"You're not under arrest." One guard assured. "We just feel like it would be in your wife's best interest if you let the Awkward Potions work their way out of your system."

"She already told you it was her own damn fault! I didn't touch her!"

"He's right! I did this to myself!" Jade agreed in earnest. "Please, you can't take him away!"

"You're not helping!" Jack hissed. "Shut up and let me do the talking—!"

"This is for her safety, Jack." Ted the guard repeated. "With how you are right now, you're not responsible for your actions."

"What actions!? I didn't do anything!"

"I think you've done enough to this poor woman." Ted said with absolute certainty. "You need to cool off in a cell."

"You think you can just come into my house…" Jack's baritone voice grew in intensity and it had Jade cowering instinctively.

"Sir, please step back."

"You think you're the law out here, Ted? You think being a guard makes you hot shit?"

"It'll only be for a day, Jack. Just a day to cool off. If you resist, it could be longer—"

He was cut off on account of the fist cracking against his face. He toppled to the ground, but his partner came in immediately, pulling Jack off of him and restraining his hands behind his back. Jack started swearing and flailing his legs while Jade screamed at the guards to leave her husband alone.

Ted got back off the ground and helped hold Jack down, driving him into the ground and helping to pin his arms to his back. He was breathing hard and it looked like his jaw was dislocated.

"That's one week for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, Jack. Want to make it a month?"

Jack growled under his breath, but he went still, allowing the two guards to lift him to his feet and guide him towards the door.

Jade openly wept, begging the guards not to take away her husband. In return, Jack glared at her cruelly.

"This is all your fault, Jade." He spat venomously. His words were like a dagger in Jade's heart, and she slumped to her knees, fresh tears leaking down her face.

"Miss Jade, don't listen to him. You did nothing wrong." One of the guards tried to comfort her, despite the fact she wasn't listening. "If you ever feel like you want to talk or your safety is at risk, don't hesitate to come to the station. We always have a guard on duty and we're here to help citizens like you. We promise to keep you safe. You have no reason to fear this man." He shook Jack slightly to emphasize his point.

Jade didn't pay attention to a word of it.

The two guards escorted Jack out of the house and closed the door behind them. Inside, Jade wept, uncaring for her broken nose or her bruised cheek. All that mattered was that she failed as a wife, and her husband paid for it.

Half an hour passed. Jade was still in the same position the guards left her. Flecks of tears dripped off her face and onto the floor as she replayed the evening's evens in her head. She kept trying to pinpoint the foolish mistakes she made as Jack's wife.

Then, the door creaked open and soft footfalls entered her home.

She wiped her face. "Jack?" Had the guards dropped the incident and let him come back without a week of imprisonment?

Her hopes died when she saw it was a woman. The same woman from the apothecary with the long, orange hair and the strange sword. Ember_Waves.

"What are you doing in my home? Get out!" She screamed. "Out, before I call the guards!"

Ember ignored her, instead going over to the sink and pulling out the Potions of Healing from the secret cubby hole underneath. She then walked up to Jade and held out the bottle with her hand underneath to catch any dripping. The intent was clear, even if Jade didn't want any part of it.

"Didn't you hear me? I said get out—!"

Jade never got to finish as the bottleneck was shoved into her mouth and the healing red liquid was coaxed down her throat. She swallowed quickly and felt her bruise and broken nose fix itself. It didn't help the heavy feeling in the back of her throat though. Ember lobbed the empty bottle high behind her. It traveled in a smooth arc before landing perfectly in the garbage hole.

After that, Ember gently took Jade's hands and lifted her off the floor before ushering her into the bedroom. She set her down gently on the bed and took a step back.

"There." Ember sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "Now, my name is Ember_Waves. You can call me Ember. Can I call you Jade?"

"Wha… I… what?"

"Can I call you Jade, Jade?"

"What are you doing in my home!? I don't know you!" Jade screamed. "Leave!"

"I won't." Ember refused. "I'm here because I am worried about you. You had all the signs of dealing with an abusive husband. I didn't want to read about your death in tomorrow's newsbook."

"Jack is not an abusive husband!" Jade staunchly defended. "He just gets passionate when teaching me a lesson."

"And if he gets too passionate and kills you? What then?"

Jade gasped, appalled. "Jack would never!"

"I can read your husband like an open book, Jade. He would have." She remarked grimly. "That's why I tipped off the guards. To save you a sad death."

"You… it was you!?" Jade cried out indignantly. "Why would you stick your nose in another's marriage like that?"

"Because nobody wants to watch a wife get beaten to death by her husband. Anyone else would have stepped in if they knew. I just knew first."

"You shouldn't have reported him! Now look what you've done!" Jade shrieked. "My husband is locked up because of you!"

"Even the guards saw the clear signs of abuse, Jade." Ember countered. "You should have taken the chance and pressed charges—might've bought you more time away from him, which can only be good for you. He hurt you physically and mentally."

"He didn't mean to!" She wailed, her fingers digging into the bed sheets. "Deep down, he loves me and he would never hurt me. I know, because he was so charming and romantic when we first went out. Our friends called us the two J's—Jack and Jade. We were the perfect pair. It's my fault things keep deteriorating. We'd live happily ever after if I didn't keep making him angry."

"Seems more like you're trying to reach a point, but he keeps raising the bar higher and higher."

"No! No, it's not like that at all. If this is about his drinking, he only gets like that while dealing with me. It's his way to de-stress."

"He 'de-stresses' by introducing your face to his backhand."

"He's very busy with work! He supports the both of us, after all!" She defended vehemently before growing dejected. "Oh, but who's going to support us now? With him gone, there's nobody to hunt Mobs. We need drops to stay afloat. His business will suffer, and that'll only make his mood worsen when he returns. All because you and your nosiness!"

Ember hummed in thought before a small smirk crossed her features. "Well then, to repay you for my 'nosiness', why don't I hunt Mobs in your husband's place?"

Jade crossed her arms and glared at the woman. "I think you've helped quite enough. Keep your offer and leave before I call the guards back."

"Are you sure?" Ember questioned carefully. "You said it yourself, you need someone to hunt Mobs. Unless, of course, you'd be willing to step up and prove your worth."

"Wh-What?" Jade balked. "Me? No, no, no. I-I don't know the first thing about fighting. Not like Jack does."

"So then how are you going to gather drops?"

"Uh… I…" Jade bit her lip. She could always hire help, but that would cost money. Jack's money, which she had no claim to. And how many times had Jack refused to hire help to support his business. He was a proud, self-made man. His pride wouldn't allow her to hire anyone.

But did pride matter more than financial stability. This was his business in jeopardy.

She deliberated silently for a few moments, but Ember sped up the process by pretending to walk out.

"Very well. I know when I'm not wanted. I wish you luck, AceOfJades. Whatever you decide."

"Wait! Hang on!" Ember stopped at the door, not even bothering to turn around as she heard Jade sigh.

"…Please help."

The next morning, Ember met up with Jade outside the house. The green-haired housewife was holding a book and quill listing all the drops that needed to be hunted down for Jack's clients.

Jade saw that strange curved sword hanging from Ember's belt again. The blade was diamond, but it wasn't a standard sword. What was it?

"Here's the list of drops you need." Jade handed it out, but Ember held up a hand.

"Hold on. I'll need to know your husband's hunting spots."

"What? I-I… that sounds like trade secret information. Anyway, I wouldn't know where he hunts—"

"You've been married forty years and you don't know where he hunts?"

"Hey!" Jade cried out indignantly. "For your information, I know him enough that he hunts in the snow caves to the east of here during the day and the southern spruce forest and northern icy tundra at night."

"Terrific. Lead the way."

"W-Wait, no, that's not what we agreed on. You're supposed to be doing the hunting."

"Well," Ember said patiently, "I won't know the exact spot like you do. So instead of wandering aimlessly, how about you save us both the time and just lead me there."

"I… but…" She looked worriedly out into the snowy wilderness. She didn't like to leave the house, and she never risked journeying into the woods. Not when Mobs could jump her at any moment, and without Jack to save her.

"Please, Jade." Ember pleaded, pressing her hands together. "It would help a lot."

Those words, coupled with the expression she was making, convinced Jade to accept. Once she pointed out the spots today, Ember wouldn't need her to do it again and she could hunt independently throughout the week.

That was what she told herself, though she was unwittingly going along with Ember's meticulously thought out scheme.

First up were the ice caves to the east. Jade pointed them out and explained that a lot of Mobs spawned in the darkness down there. Jack lit key parts with torches, but left spots of darkness to grind for drops.

Ember nodded and entered the caves with her strange blade in hand while Jade waited outside. A lot of time went by and Jade had to slip her hands in her pockets to stay warm. The extra layer of warmth from her leather armor wasn't helping much.

Finally, at around sunset, Ember returned, looking thoroughly worn out.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine." Ember gasped, perhaps a touch over-exaggeratedly. "Tough Mobs." She then held out the drops she managed to collect.

Jade paled at how underwhelming it was.

"Five bones and three rotten flesh? That's all you got!?" Jade felt like tearing her hair out. "That's only nine Mobs! You were in there all morning and afternoon!"

"I know. I'm sorry." Ember apologized, taking another exaggerated wheeze of air. "We better move onto the next place. Forest or plains?"

"Ugh…" Jade bit her nail, already having doubts about Ember's skills. Having an exotic sword didn't automatically make her an accomplished sword-fighter. "We'll… hit the woods."

"Lead the way." Ember puffed, limping slightly as she followed the housewife through the snow.

When they reached the hunting grounds, the two women immediately took notice of the group of Zombies. Ember was still limping, and Jade was growing worried that she could handle this.

"Maybe you should take a break." She suggested. "O-Or better yet, let's just call it a night. We'll try again in the morning."

"No, no." Ember refused. "I will fulfill my promise. I just… need to get my second wind." She blew out a breath before brandishing her weapon and getting close to the Zombies.

She dispatched one rather clumsily only for the second one to get a swipe in that knocked her curved sword clear out of her hands. It slid across the snow and stopped right at Jade's feet just as the Zombies piled on top of her, pinning her to the snow.

"Noooooo!" She cried out. "Help! Someone, help!"

Jade panicked at Ember's distress and started looking around desperately. She also started calling for help, but of course, nobody was out there.

"My cutlass!" Ember cried out, keeping the Zombies from biting her neck. "I need my cutlass! Jade, help me!"

Realizing that must have been what the sword was called, Jade picked up the diamond cutlass. It was… lighter than she thought a sword would be. Was it because the blade was thinner. And the guard that stretched across the handle to protect her fingers. It was so finely made and it felt comfortable in her hand.

"Jade!"

Jade snapped out of her musings, remembering that Ember was still being assaulted by Zombies. She hurried over with the intent to hand it to Ember, but suddenly, the arms holding the Zombies off of her collapsed. They were smothering her with their bodies. No chance of passing her the cutlass.

"Help me!" Ember begged.

Panicked at being repeatedly harried and with Ember's safety on the line, Jade took hold of the cutlass and jammed it into one Zombie's back. White stars erupted from the blade, confusing the housewife, but doing plenty of damage. The Mob moaned angrily, but it forgot about Ember for a second.

Jade pulled out the cutlass and struck again, this time slashing the other Zombie across the face. More white stars preceded the strike. They both got off of Ember in favor of her and she backpedaled fearfully.

When one of them reached out, she backhanded it in a similar manner to how Jack did to herself. The cutlass cut in crescent slices as white stars hummed off the diamond surface. One Zombie went down, then the other.

By the time it was over, Jade was standing over two bits of rotten flesh, her chest rising and falling while EXP floated into her arm. She had gotten EXP over the course of her life through mining, cooking, and breeding, but it had been a while since she got any from slaying Mobs.

It was a heady feeling.

"Not bad."

Jade jerked at the words. Ember was looking at her with those piercing light-blue eyes. Far from terrified over almost dying to Zombies she looked… pleased?

"A-Are you okay?" Jade asked, handing the cutlass over immediately. Ember didn't take it right away.

"I'm fine, thanks to you." She praised. It was a strange feeling for Jade, getting congratulated for a job well done. Jack never rewarded her like that. In fact, silence was usually the only sign that she did good. Everything else was shouting or violence.

B-But only because she made mistakes. Yes. It was her own fault. Not his.

…

Still, he could appreciate her a bit more.

"I thought you said you couldn't fight." Ember said.

Jade's first thought was to deny it, but something about the tense situation and her tiredness made other words come out of her mouth. Sassy words.

"I thought you said you could."

Oh Notch. She sassed! Jack had long taught her never to sass back or else—!

"Pftt!" Ember struggled to hold in a laugh before it came out, happy and melodious. It was a beautiful sound, unlike Jack's deep baritone. It didn't speak of anger or annoyance. Only humility and contentedness.

"Yes, I suppose I walked right into that one." Ember conceded. "Forgive me. Those Zombies surprised me is all." She took the cutlass back and pointed to the other Mobs. "To tell you the truth, I might need some help meeting that drop quota. Would you be alright unleashing those impressive fighting skills some more?"

Jade's eyes widened. "What? No, no, no. I couldn't. Th-that was just a fluke. Yeah, that's it! A fluke!"

"Well, your 'fluke' just saved my life." Ember said. "Many hands make light work, Jade."

"I… I mean…" Jade deliberated on the idea. She had killed two Mobs and Ember was clearly struggling. If she didn't help out, they'd both be out there all night with no sleep. "I-I guess I could help out a bit. I'd need to make a sword first—"

"Here, I have a spare." Ember tore out an enchanted diamond sword from her backpack so fast her elbow cracked audibly. The sword was shoved into Jade's hands where she noticed what it had. "Sharpness and Fire Aspect. Hope it isn't too heavy for you."

Before she could question why Ember used a cutlass instead of a top-tier enchanted sword, the orange-haired woman was back to hunting Mobs with more stamina than she originally displayed.

Guess this is that second wind she was talking about. Jade thought before taking it slow against a pack of Zombies. Thankfully, all she had to do was make contact and her sword's enchantments did the rest.

EXP, and budding self-confidence, flowed through her.

Through their combined effort, they managed to meet the drop quota that Jade had set for them. But now, it was a new day, and they had to start all over.

They needed string for the ice fisherman in the village, and the only place Jade could think to get it during the day was deep in the ice caves, in a cobwebbed mineshaft.

Cave Spiders, however, were dangerous with their venom. Any Crafter worth their salt knew that.

The two women brought down bows and arrows, intent on taking down the arachnids from a safe distance. Jade only agreed to enter the caves through some persistent coaxing from Ember.

While they worked their way deeper into the mine, the two got to talking.

"So, how'd you meet your husband?"

Jade spared a cautious glance, knowing full well Ember's opinion on her husband. Still, the question was phrased innocuously. Perhaps Ember was trying to understand what she saw in the man.

"Well," Jade thought back to the day they first met, "I was lost in the spruce woods one night, and Mobs were starting to spawn. I was so scared, with no defense. Then, out of nowhere, Jack shows up, swinging that sword, knocking Mobs aside like ragdolls, drops littering the snow. I was so spellbound by his rescue that… well…" She blushed. "I guess it was love at first sight."

"Uh-huh."

"Anyway, I started visiting him at his Mob shop, we got to talking, we went on some dates, and the rest is history." She smiled fondly. "It sounds cheesy, but I always wanted to find romance. Someone strong I could lean into with the knowledge they would never falter. Someone I could feel safe with."

"And Jack fit that bill?"

Jade narrowed her eyes. "I don't think I like your tone."

"Oh, you can't tell me you never once thought you could do better." Ember asked before sniping a Cave Spider down a narrow mineshaft.

Jade sighed. "I'm Jack's wife. I shouldn't be having thoughts like that."

"Buuuut…"

"But nothing? I shouldn't have thoughts like that. Period."

Ember paused to ponder, watching Jade use a sword to break up cobwebs and gather string. She spied a Cave Spider a bit farther down.

"You know, it's a funny thing about them." She said breezily. "They poison you with their venom anytime they get close to you. Your Health deteriorates to the brink of death, but it never actually kills you. They just make you so weak that fighting back would be unthinkable. You're forced to hide away unless you have a way to leech that poison out of you." Ember's expression darkened. "They want to make you feel weak."

Jade paused. "Are we… still talking about Cave Spiders?"

"Hm? Oh yes, of course. What else would I be talking about?"

My husband. Jade thought, but didn't say.

"Just food for thought." Ember finished cryptically.

The string collection went by without a hitch.

On day four, Ember started to open up a bit.

"Me? I've never really considered love… except…" She trailed off, but Jade was quick to pounce on juicy gossip.

"Oh? The husband-hater Ember had a schoolgirl crush?" She asked wryly.

"I'm not a 'husband-hater' so much as I'm against the kind of 'loving' your husband partakes in." She defended.

"Yes, yes. I've heard your opinion on Jack. I'll admit, he gets out of hand. But he still—"

"—still loves you. I know. I've heard." Ember rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the guy I was interested in—no, guy is too simple a word—the God I was interested in was a man of infinite power and kindness. He helped out so many Crafters with his teachings and ideas, yet they turned on him faster than blinking." She scowled. "Just thinking about those ungrateful Crafters makes my blood boil. He made such a difference to the civilizations of Minecraftia and they just threw him away like trash. Even his closest friend turned on him in the end. He was so hurt, he went into hiding, and all I want to do is find him and hug him close and show him that someone still cares about him. He's not as alone as he thinks he is, and I'd do just about anything to prove it."

"Wow. You must feel really strongly about this guy. What's his name?"

The word seemed to be on the tip of Ember's tongue, but she reigned it in. "It's better I don't tell you. He's not exactly popular."

"Really? Have I heard of him before?"

"I bet you have." Ember chuckled, as if privy to a secret joke. "But back to you and Jack. Do you have any strong feelings for him?"

"What are you saying? Of course I do! I wouldn't have married him if I didn't—"

"No, but do you ever feel like he doesn't think he's loved?" Ember asked earnestly. "Have you ever stopped to think what's best for him, even though it goes against his wishes? Would you defy his will despite knowing it was for the best? I know for a fact the man I look up to wouldn't want to be found, but I search anyway because I care that much. If Jack told you not to do something when you knew it was beneficial in the long-run, would you obey or rebel?"

Jade… didn't have an answer.

Jack had always told her it was her job as a wife to obey his wants and needs. And based on the physical evidence, she could safely assume that rebelling was grounds for getting smacked down. Jack didn't like that one bit.

"Let me put it to you this way." Ember set up a scenario. "Say your husband is in debt, but he wants to pay it off himself because pride or whatever, so he commands you not to interfere. As his wife, you want to respect his wants, but you know he needs help, and you can make the debt go by faster if you chip in. What would you do?"

"I…" Jade thought about the question, but then realized… wasn't that what they were doing now?

"I'd help pay the debt." She decided. "Just like I'm helping to hunt Mobs in his absence, despite the fact that he wouldn't want it."

"Because he needs it. See?" Ember leaned back, satisfied. "Sometimes, the situation calls for you to disobey your pig-headed husband."

Jade couldn't help but giggle at that. "Because of love."

"Sure." Ember smiled knowingly. "Because of love."

On day five, after a night of Mob hunting, Jade and Ember trekked back to the house. The two had gotten better at harvesting Mobs. In fact, Ember seemed to put on a spurt of energy, dispatching droves of Zombies and Skeletons with that diamond cutlass of hers. Jade wasn't as good, but she found herself killing and even overpowering Zombies with ease as the days went by. The enchanted sword had nothing to do with it. It was almost unnatural her level of improvement.

When she shared this with Ember, the orange-haired woman had an answer.

"Didn't you know? It's all the EXP you're getting." She tapped the green bar tattoo on her arm. "Higher levels of EXP give you higher strength and stamina."

"Huh. I didn't know that."

"I guess you can compare it to energy." Ember surmised. "If you kill ten Zombies and absorb their EXP, you have the strength of ten Zombies. Of course, the actual ratio of EXP level to strength is hard to pinpoint, but the trend stands that the more EXP levels you got, the stronger you get."

"Then why do people bother wasting those levels on enchantments?"

Ember shrugged. "Some people would rather have a burning sword than greater strength. Of course, there are plenty of other enchantments that strength alone could never help you with. Silk Touch, Fortune, Unbreaking, to name a few. The point still stands, however, that the energy of EXP can be passed into the flesh, or into a tool."

Jade marveled at the shimmering green number on her arm, now that she knew what it represented. All her hard work this week in hunting Mobs had netted her a green '21'. Not only that, but the two had surpassed their quotas and had doubled the drops they were supposed to collect. The customers would be thrilled, and so would Jack.

Out of curiosity, Jade glanced at Ember's arm, trying to see how many levels she had racked up. When she saw the green number, however, her mouth fell open.

71.

Jade didn't know about the strength behind EXP numbers, but she knew that it took more EXP to reach high numbers than low numbers. Ember hadn't killed seventy-one levels worth of Mobs in five days. In fact, Jade doubted the amount of EXP would even be enough to earn a level in the seventies.

But then, hadn't Ember struggled on the first day?

Jade stopped in place, the act having Ember screech to a halt as well and turn to look at her companion.

"Something wrong?"

Jade shot Ember an accusatory look. "You tricked me."

"Pardon?"

"You're Level 71. You've probably killed thousands of Mobs to get that high. You have the experience AND the strength from those levels. No way you couldn't have killed those Zombies the first day we went hunting."

At the accusations, Ember rubbed the back of her head and gave a sheepish smile. "Oh? You think so?"

"Have you… been pretending to need my help, just to get me hunting?"

"Guilty~!" Ember stuck out her tongue before pressing her palms together pleadingly. "Please forgive me for deceiving you. I just wanted you to break out of your shell for a change."

"Break out of my…? Do you understand that our livelihood is at stake hunting these Mobs?" Jade grit her teeth, angry at being manipulated. "And what if you got hurt!? If I hadn't have fought with your cutlass, you'd have—"

"I had everything under control." Ember assured, showing off a myriad of colorful potions in her backpack. "I've got Healing, Regeneration, Speed. I would have healed myself if I thought I was going to die. I had the utmost confidence you'd keep that from happening though."

"Oh yeah? How could you be so sure?"

"I have an eye for these sorts of things. You're not mad, are you?"

"A bit, yeah." Jade crossed her arms grumpily. "All this time, you could have done it all by yourself."

"If I had, you wouldn't have gotten a confidence boost."

"A confidence…? There's nothing wrong with my confidence! I am a perfectly confident Crafter and I love who I am."

"I know. I just wanted to show you that you're just as capable as your husband in hunting Mobs." Ember defended. "Look, we've already hunted more than enough drops to save your husband's business, why don't we take it easy the next two days? Just some good old rest and relaxation."

"I can't. I don't have any money." None that she could use without angering Jack, anyway.

"Then it'll be on me." Ember offered instead. "As an apology for deceiving you. We'll go wherever you want. I'll just be the coffer, carrying emeralds for you."

Jade hummed in thought. A bit of rest after five days of hard work did sound nice. Jack often took the weekends off to unwind. She knew, since he usually hit the bars and would come back drunk and…

"No bars." Jade decided with finality. "I think there's a village north of here that has a decent massage place though."

"Sounds like a plan."

On the morning of the sixth day of Jack's week-long imprisonment, Ember and Jade journeyed to the neighboring village of Balnea to unwind after a productive five days of Mob hunting. As promised, Jade picked the place and Ember picked up the tab. Still, the two women thoroughly enjoyed the massages and even took advantage of the spa's natural hot springs. The underground veins of lava heated up the water and allowed the two ladies to lounge in tender, heated bliss with the snowy mounds as a backdrop.

"Ahhhh~, I can feel all my stress melting away." Ember relaxed, sinking up to her chin in the water.

"You under a lot of stress?"

"Yes. One of my co-workers is a cold man who doesn't work well with others. He's ambitious and power-hungry—which makes him easy to predict—but he's causing a fair share of problems and a fairer share of my headaches."

"Are you his supervisor or something?"

"Superior would be a better word for it." Ember admitted. "You could say I'm a big company Executive." She chuckled a bit under her breath. "Anyway, the guy hasn't been with us for a long time, so I'm hoping he'll take a hint and stop causing me problems. I swear, I need someone more reliable helping me out…"

"What's your company do?"

"Let's not talk about work." Ember dismissed, leaning back and floating on the springs. "I just want to let this water leech all the stiffness out of my back. Ahhhhh~"

"It's a good place, isn't it?" Jade switched topics on a dime. "I always wanted to come here with friends, but I never got the chance."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Well, emergencies usually came up." Jade shrugged one shoulder. "Jack needed me to stay and help him with something, so I never got any free time of my own. This is probably the first time in a while I got to get out."

"You're saying your husband never gave you any time away?" Ember made a face. "Talk about a control freak."

"Hey, he's not that bad. Besides, he's my husband. If I have to sacrifice my free time to fulfill my marital duties, so be it."

"Uh-huh. What about Jack? Does he have friends?"

"Um… yeah, actually, he has buddies he drinks with. And some friends of his always come to visit whenever they're passing through town."

"So what about his marital duties?" Ember questioned with a raised brow. "Don't you think it's a little unfair he's forcing you to stop hanging out with your friends when he can go out drinking with his? Marriage is supposed to be give and take and partners are supposed to be equals."

"We are equals. We need one another."

"That's not what it looks like to me."

"Can't we go one day without bringing up Jack?" Jade complained. "I mean, he'll be coming back the day after tomorrow."

"That's right. I almost forgot." Ember hummed, sparing a glance to Jade. "Are you scared?"

"What? No, what-what makes you say that?"

"You're shaking in a hot springs." At once Jade, forcefully stilled her trembling. Ember stood up a bit straighter. "We're friends, you and I. You know that, right?"

Jade's eyes widened. "You think of me as a friend?"

"Yes. You're pleasant company and I enjoy talking with you. I consider you a friend, in case it wasn't obvious." Ember paused. "Do you think of me as a friend…?"

"Of course!" Jade exclaimed. "I like hanging out with you. This past week has been so eventful, it feels almost unreal. Though, I wished you'd stop talking ill of my husband."

"I'll work on it." Ember drawled lazily. "Anyway, I want you to know that whatever happens when Jack returns, I'll be there. Whether just an ear to listen or someone you can lean on, you can count on me anytime. Don't let your husband intimidate you. With all the drops you collected for his business, even he'd be hard-pressed to find something to complain about."

Jade sighed. She knew Ember had a point, but she also knew her husband for forty years. He all but promised he'd be in a foul mood upon his return, and she was dreading it.

The past week with Ember had been a breath of fresh air—like she was shown sunlight after forty years of darkness. Marriage wasn't supposed to be like that. A week with a friend was not supposed to be so liberating. She had slowly, over the course of her marriage, grown accustomed to Jack's ways. Without realizing it, she had been tolerating his poor treatment of her.

Ember opened her eyes, posing questions and demonstrating just how unhealthy this marriage was.

Jade didn't want her marriage to fall apart, however. She wanted to fix things. She wanted to go back to how Jack used to treat her. She wanted the Jack she fell in love with.

She just needed to figure out how to go about bringing the old Jack back.

Jack was due to return any minute.

Jade had settled all the business with the Mob drops she and Ember had collected. All the clients were more than satisfied to receive twice the shipment and were eager to pay for the extra items. Jade had obtained two weeks' worth of profit in one week. Surely, it would mitigate Jack's anger.

She sat at the dinner table, waiting on the door to open. She didn't know whether to feel happiness or dread. She only knew that her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

The week had almost been like a vacation. No shouting, no yelling. Just her and Ember hunting and hanging out.

The front door slammed open.

But she knew it could never last. She had a responsibility as a wife.

Jack stormed into the home, his eyes instantly finding Jade. His hair looked a little disheveled and there was a vein popping out of his neck. His eyes, Jade could tell, spoke of stormy retribution, and she knew what to expect even as he was winding up.

The slap came as expected, only… it didn't knock her down like it used to. It stung, but she didn't fall down. She stood up and her face even turned back to face him quicker. The act must have surprised Jack too, because he unleashed a second and third slap in quick succession, both failing to knock Jade down.

The EXP on her arm seemed to glow in the shadows.

"I hope you're happy." Jack started in his threatening baritone. "Because of your foolishness, I spent the last seven days in prison like a common criminal. And for what? For educating my unruly wife who spends emeralds without a care in the world? And I bet you're the one who cried to them. You just couldn't wait to play the victim and make up some farfetched story about how cruel I am. Me! The man you married and who supports you!"

Jade couldn't find a point to speak back. All these thoughts had already crossed her mind while she was waiting for him to get home.

"And now, thanks to you, my Mob drop business is tanking! The emeralds we need to sustain ourselves won't be coming in because the deals I made couldn't be fulfilled while I was behind bars! And you stand there with that dumb face of yours, acting like none of it matters? Well let me tell you something, missy, if you think I'll just—"

Jade slid the emeralds across the table.

He stopped his rant, looking at the green gems that were easily worth a week of work. Jade kept the other half to herself for now. Why? She wasn't sure.

"What's this?" Jack suddenly asked. "Did you steal these?"

"No, I hunted Mobs and fulfilled all your contracts." Jade explained. "Your business is still stable. Financially, we're in the black."

Instead of being appeased, Jack only got angrier. It baffled her.

"So you think that makes it okay? So long as you scraped enough emeralds as a fluke, you're forgiven for imprisoning your husband? Is that what you think!?"

"…Why are you yelling at me?" Jade asked for perhaps the first time ever.

"What did you—" Jack slapped her again. She flinched, but she didn't go down. He hit her harder. The bruise blossomed upon her face, but she didn't get knocked down. The EXP from her hunting had strengthened her. She could take it. "I warned you never to talk back to me!"

"I worked my butt off to get you your emeralds, so what are you getting mad about?" Jade shot back. This was her first time sassing Jack, and by his expression, he didn't like it. So why was she continuing?

"Supporting the two of us is a man's responsibility! Your place is cooking and cleaning! You had no right to do this!"

"If I hadn't we'd be in a bad situation. We needed the emeralds."

"Not if you hadn't gotten me locked up!"

"You did that to yourself!" Jade countered, her own voice rising. "You smacked me, you got caught, and you only did it because I bought potions to cover up the bruises you gave me!"

"You were using my money to—"

"And another thing! This wasn't a fluke!" Jade dumped out the other half of the emeralds they collected, shocking Jack into silence. "I did this! This is money I made! And I did better than you! Maybe you're the one who should be cooking and cleaning and I should be the one barking out a list of demands and wailing on you—!"

Instead of a slap, it was a fist, and Jade went down hard. Her nose was broken again and Jack was standing over her, breathing hard.

"Don't you ever raise your voice with me again, or so help me I'll…" He trailed off, but Jade wasn't going to give him time to think.

"The secret's out, 'dear'." Jade used the word condescendingly. "The guards see me covered in bruises, they'll assume you hurt me. Do you want to spend another week in a cell? Or maybe a month? Maybe a year? I could use the time apart."

Jack was shaking with rage, red-faced, but he didn't strike her. Jade took more satisfaction out of that than she thought. She picked herself back up, allowing the pleasing high to override the pain in her crooked nose.

"Don't ever lay your hands on me again." She boldly said before leaving the pile of emeralds and Jack in the kitchen. "And that goes double for in the bedroom."

After that, Jade started doing her own thing. She went out whenever she wanted, did her wifely duties if she felt like it, and spent more time with Ember or else away from Jack. If he wanted food and she wasn't around, he had to make it himself.

He was clearly enraged, but he was smart to know that whatever he did would get back to the guards. He had been warned off and it was obvious they were still watching. He knew she could go to them whenever she wanted, and she adored having power like that. For the first time in her marriage, she had power.

She also started helping with the Mob drop business. She'd gather her own stuff and sell it to clients for a decent sum of emeralds. Some of it she gave to Jack out of some marital obligation, but most of it she reserved for herself. She could finally buy things without worrying about what Jack thought because it was her money.

Not only that, but hunting Mobs and being congratulated by clients made her feel like she was doing a good job. It wasn't work, it was a passion. She loved that high she got whenever she brought in a nice haul of drops and counted those sweet, sweet emeralds. No wonder Jack did this for a living.

The accumulated EXP sweetened the deal, making her stronger than she ever was.

And the best thing was the training with Ember.

To keep up with all the Mobs and outdo her husband, Jade had asked Ember for sword-fighting lessons. They had been going on every other day for about a month, and Jade was showing exceptional progress. It was clear Ember was holding back her true strength, but Jade learned a lot about sword-fighting. For instance, jumping before swinging would unleash a Critical Hit, where stars would erupt from your blade. Ember's cutlass, however, was special. Every hit with it was a Critical Hit. That was just how Tinker designed it.

Anyway, she could feel herself growing stronger and more confident. She loved talking with Ember about how good her marriage had gotten, how free she felt, her interests, her favorite food places, news about Minecraftia, village gossip. In return, Ember enjoyed discussing her own work, her beliefs, jokes and funny stories from her travels. She also liked talking about her friends.

"Abyssmal acts like a lady-killer, but he's struck out more times than I can count." Ember recounted. "He's also lazy as hell, but he's really talented and brilliant when he sets his mind to it."

On occasion, the two friends would leave Isere and go off to do fun stuff in other villages like watching plays, making Snow Prints, entering Spleef tournaments, relaxing at spas, hiking up mountains, or otherwise doing whatever the hell they felt like. With Jade's windfall of emeralds, she could afford it all.

"I'll pay for it." She offered.

"No, no, I insist." Ember countered. "I'll cover it."

"No, you covered the last thing. I won't take no for an answer."

"Let go of the check, Jade."

"Why don't you make me, Ember?"

"Oh yeah? You want to go?" Ember puffed out her chest, slapping it in an over-the-top way to incite challenge.

The act had Jade laughing. "Alright, alright, we'll split it."

Ember smiled smugly. "Smart choice." She fished in her pocket before stiffening. "Oh, crap. I think I'm actually short. Hey, don't laugh!"

The two also got a lot of attention from the opposite sex. Ember was a given, but Jade was honestly surprised when men approached her. She had to bring out her marital golden nugget just to show everyone she was taken. It was flattering.

It also got her thinking about where her marriage was going.

But not for long. She was just having too much fun with her new freedom.

One day, she was getting ready to go meet Ember for another sword-training lesson. She grabbed her sword and got to the front door before Jack's baritone stopped her.

"Running off again, are you?" He accused. "Your secret lover calling?"

"None of your business." She shot back.

"Actually, it is my business. I'm your husband, remember?" He said. "Who do you keep seeing?"

"What I do in my free time shouldn't concern you. I already cooked dinner in case you get hungry. Steak and carrots."

"I wanted mushroom stew and bread."

"How interesting."

She left just as he downed an Awkward Potion and flung the bottle at the closing door. He was drinking a lot more with her share of the emeralds. Maybe she should cut him off. She giggled at the fact she could even cut him off.

Jade got to Ember in their usual spot—a snowy clearing in the woods, far from any homes—and the two did their routine sword exercises for an hour. Ember even lent Jade her cutlass so she could practice with it. It was so much lighter and comfortable in her grip. She really wished she had one instead of her clunky sword. Those crescent slashes were just so dazzling.

When it was time to go and Jade held out the cutlass for Ember to take, the orange-haired woman shook her head.

"Uh-uh, it's yours now."

Jade's eyes widened. "Wh-What?"

"I've seen that gleam in your eye whenever you hold it. You're in love with the hardware. I've been meaning to trade in for a different weapon anyway—maybe a rapier. So, might as well pass it down to a trusty wielder."

"But, but this is your weapon!" Jade protested. "Ember, I couldn't. What if Jack tosses it out of spite?"

"Then store it in an ender chest. It never hurts to have a few on hand. Makes hiding stuff from guards easier." She smiled, folding Jade's fingers over the cutlass' handle. "Seriously, just take it. It's served me well for all these years. Hopefully, it can do the same to you."

Slowly, Jade held the cutlass closer, running her hands along the polished diamond surface. As the moments passed, greed outweighed courtesy and she hugged it close. "No takebacks." She said like a child on the playground.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ember folded her arms, taking in the full image of Jade with the cutlass. "You know, it suits you."

"You think?"

"Yeah, like a pirate."

Jade gave her a flat expression. "Wouldn't you have looked like a pirate too?"

"Argh, but I made it look good." She said in a pirate accent. "Speaking of pirates, did I ever tell you about Abyssmal's eye patch? He always whined about women not being able to tell if he was blinking or winking. It was actually pretty pathetic. So let's talk about it behind his back!"

The two talked for a little while before finally wrapping things up. Jade left first, waving to Ember and admiring her new weapon. She knew she had to get some ender chests before facing Jack again.

Ember waited until Jade was well out of earshot before her smile fell and she turned to the seemingly empty woods.

"You can come out now."

For a while, only silence answered her. But then, with a crunch of snow, Jack_Pall appeared. His square jaw was jutted out aggressively and his eyes were narrowed and focused on Ember.

"You're Jade's 'husband', right?" Ember guessed, her posture relaxed. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, you can." He growled in his deep baritone. "I want you to stay away from my wife."

Ember's light-blue eyes regarded Jack with disinterest. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Jack advanced on the weaponless Ember. "You think I don't know what you're doing? I heard you talking. You've been giving her ideas! She was never this disobedient before! Why don't you mind your own business!?"

"Jade and I are friends." Ember replied calmly. "I don't see a problem with us hanging out, and, as her husband, don't you think you can allow her some more freedom. I mean," she gave a short titter, "it's the least you can do after messing with her head for so long."

"You don't know a goddamn thing!" Jack roared, getting closer. "Everything was going fine until you showed up!" He reached out with one hand, grabbing Ember by the jacket. "You should just butt out of our marriage and—!"

*Crick*

Ember's fingers closed around Jack's offending wrist like a vice, squeezing so tight that the bones folded like a plastic cup. Jack took an involuntary gasp from the pain, but before he could shout, Ember clamped her other hand over his mouth and pinched his cheekbones together, effectively muffling his scream of pain.

"I don't like touching filth and I don't like filth touching me."

Jack's other hand twitched, and in that time, Ember had lashed out with a swift kick, broken Jack's leg, and bent his arm behind his back before pinning him to the ground effortlessly. Her strength was overwhelming—leagues beyond anything Jack could hope to muster. Her EXP levels were just that staggering. Her hand was still squeezing his cheeks together, her knee pressed into his back as she spoke to him coldly.

"I don't need my Soul-Gaze to see you for what you are: A sad, pathetic nothing."

Jack was breathing hard through his nose, tears of pain pouring from his screwed up face.

"Nothings like you can only feel something after making others feel like they're nothing, and Jade didn't deserve any of what you've done to her for the past forty years." Ember said. "You messed with her head and hurt her. She may never be the same person she once was, and you. Don't. Give a fuck."

She released his mouth and instead turned him over, taking little care for his crushed wrist or broken leg. He screamed through his teeth, hot tears pouring from his face before Ember's fingers closed around his neck. When he saw her light-blue eyes, he didn't think of them as pretty.

He thought of them as the gateways to evil itself.

"It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to choke the life out of you." She said idly. "You wouldn't be missed. Not enough for anyone to go looking for your Head." She tilted hers. "Jade certainly wouldn't care. It'd be poetic justice for all the abuse she put up with at your hands."

Jack was trembling as those fingers tightened, making it harder and harder to breathe. His vision was growing dark and Ember's bored face would be the last thing he saw.

Or not.

Ember let go of his neck as if burned and stood up in one fluid motion. Jack couldn't stand up even if he wanted to. There was also a mysterious stain around his pants that Ember didn't want anywhere near her.

"As easy as it would be to kill you, I won't." She confessed. "I won't deny Jade the pleasure of leaving you."

"Sh-She wouldn't…" Jack sputtered, only for Ember to laugh.

"Why? Because of all the good times you shared?" She laughed again before abruptly cutting off, her expression serious. "She's going to leave you Jack. She's going to do the only sensible thing and leave you for a guy who actually cares about her. For her sake, I hope the next guy is a saint eager to shower her in affection, because that's what she needs."

"I-I won't let her leave me…" He swore, trying to sit up, only to be wracked with pain.

"There's nothing you can do to stop it." Ember spoke it like a hard truth. The words made Jack flinch. "Whether you act like Prince Charming to make her forget about the abuse, or double down and scare her into staying, there's no outcome where Jade stays with you. In fact," Ember stared out into the distance, "I'm secretly hoping it ends how I think it'll end."

"What… what do you mean?"

"It means you'll get everything that's coming to you." Ember promised ominously before taking her leave. "Don't ever show your face around me again, Jack-Ass."

Jack was left lying in the snow for an hour while his bones knit back together. When he got home, cold and insecure, he didn't even speak with Jade. He just went to sleep, wishing that that orange-haired woman had never ruined his life.

The next morning, Jade prepared breakfast for herself and Jack. She was in a good mood after receiving the cutlass from Ember. She had wiped it down with a piece of paper, polishing it until she could see her reflection in the diamond blade. After that, she kept it stored in an ender chest for safe keeping. She didn't dare parade something as cherished as that with Jack around.

When Jack entered the kitchen, she expected a frosty greeting. However, she was surprised when he hovered near the table, his posture more akin to a skittish ocelot than the square-jawed neanderthal Jade knew and 'loved'.

"Making breakfast?" He asked innocently.

Jade's eyebrows lifted. "…Yeah. I'm making some for you too, don't worry."

"Thank you."

Jade almost dropped the apples in her hands. She turned just to check if the man behind her was really her husband. Jack never said 'thank you'. The most she ever got was silent tolerance.

She watched Jack sit down at the table and open up the morning newsbook, reading through the village's current events. "You know, ah, you-you've been doing good work hunting Mobs, honey." Jack said between flipping pages. "You're far better at hunting than I ever was. I've been thinking maybe we should go out somewhere to celebrate. What do you say?"

Alright, Jade was officially freaked out. Jack was being nice. Had he finally realized how abusive he had been to her and decided to change? Stranger things had happened, and Jade wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Well, our anniversary is coming up next month." She said before carrying the cooked breakfast over to the table. Steak and apples. She set a portion right in front of her husband. "We can travel someplace warmer. A little change of scenery could do us good."

"…I'd like that." He smiled before digging into the breakfast. Jade didn't smile back and instead ate her meal slowly.

She wasn't about to forgive him yet.

Jack's good behavior persisted for the rest of the week. He thanked Jade whenever she cooked or cleaned—he even helped more around the house—and he never once raised his voice or glared at her. He even stopped drinking. Jade couldn't remember the last time she saw an empty bottle lying around.

It came out of nowhere, but Jade wasn't complaining.

When she told Ember about it during one of their training sessions, the orange-haired woman smiled mysteriously.

"Maybe your husband is finally seeing how lucky he is to have you."

Jade smiled fondly at the thought, but there was still something she noticed about Jack throughout the week. Whenever she would leave for her training sessions with Ember, Jack's shoulders would grow tense and, if he had something in his hands, he would twist it tightly, like he was choking the life out of it. That was the only time his tone grew clipped. He clearly disapproved of the training, even if it was making Jade stronger.

Ember didn't hold back either. Even without her cutlass, she could fight Jade to a standstill with her bare hands. One time, she caught her cutlass by the blade and Jade stopped cold like she was striking a brick wall. It was the strength of all those EXP levels.

"How'd you get so much EXP anyway?"

"Through my work, mostly." Ember replied evasively. "I do a lot of fighting in my line of work."

"You're so sociable, I would peg you for a business woman. Someone who talks with people a lot and makes deals."

"Well, people often say I'm well-liked. I think I'm just good at getting along with others." She shrugged one shoulder. "Most of the time I use my people skills as a recruiter."

"You're a business executive and an interviewer AND a fighter?" Jade asked incredulously. "That's a lot for one person. What's the name of your company, anyway?"

"Cultivation Enderpr—Enterprise. Bleah. Can't talk today."

"Where's it located?"

"We have various divisions. By the way," Ember darted low before sweeping Jade off her feet. Her butt landed hard in the snow. "Fighting or talking. Don't do one if you can't do the other."

"Right…"

They trained for a bit longer until it got dark. Then, they said their goodbyes, though Ember had one last piece of advice.

"Don't lower your guard around that husband of yours." She advised. "An ocelot never changes its spots."

"Wait, I thought they did after you tame them and feed them fish—"

"It's an expression. Not to be taken literally." Ember rolled her eyes. "It means watch yourself."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

"I'm back." Jade called out upon returning home. She went to the side room where her ender chest was so she could stow away her blade.

Instead, she came across Jack waiting on the sofa.

"Oh, hey Jack. How was work—?" She started to ask before taking in the familiar odor of Awkward Potions. She took another look and saw about ten empty bottles at the foot of the sofa. "Jack…?"

Jack was slumped in his seat, his eyes wide and bloodshot. He was shaking and his face was all red from the drinks. He was turning something over in his hand. His matrimonial golden nugget. However, he had sense enough to glare at Jade when she entered his line of sight.

"You… whore…"

"What…?"

"You WHORE!" Jack slurred, rising from the sofa in one lurching motion and bull-charging a bewildered Jade. Her training kicked in and she darted aside, one hand on the cutlass at her belt out of instinct. She let it go when Jack bounced off the wall and fell to the ground.

"Jack, you're drunk!" Jade shouted, keeping her distance.

"Because of you!" He said woozily, rolling onto his stomach and trying to lift himself using his face. "I've been walking on eggshe… eggshells… And you still go to that woman every other day!"

"You… you've been spying on me!?" Jade shrieked. "Just when I thought you finally changed—"

"What good is changing if nothing goes back to how I want it!?" He roared petulantly before trying to tackle Jade again. Jade dove aside, her hand going to her cutlass again and barely drawing it. She forced herself to let it go. "You've been unfaithful to me… your own husband!"

"Ember and I are just friends, Jack! And I'm grateful that she is." Jade gnashed her teeth. "If she hadn't have butted in, I would have put up with your shit for the rest of my life! She actually cares what happens to me, unlike you!"

"She's trying to burn down my marriage!" Jack wailed, gripping his golden nugget tightly in his fist. He fumbled at his belt for a bit before withdrawing something that made Jade panic. "You two think you can burn me!? ME!? I'll show you…"

"Jack, put down the flint and steel!"

Too late. He was already setting fire to a bookshelf. Drunks and lighters never mixed. Jade abandoned any pretense of distance and rushed in to put out the flames before they could spread to the rest of the house.

As soon as the bookshelf was put out, Jade found herself getting tackled to the ground. Even with her increased EXP strength, she could not stay standing against Jack's full charge.

A set of hands found their way to Jade's throat and started constricting tightly. Jade gasped for air, desperately trying to pry the fingers off.

"This is your fault!" Jack screamed. His bloodshot eyes made him look less human than he ever was. All the features that Jade fell in love with all those years ago looked monstrous on the man now.

Jade's struggles began to lessen as Jack tightened his grip. He was really going to kill her. He was going to kill his own wife and get away with it.

No. No! NO!

I'm not helpless anymore! Jade thought defiantly as she reached for her belt.

Her hands found Ember's cutlass.

She drew it with a rasp of diamond and sliced at Jack. It swung in a white crescent and astonished Jack into letting go to stave off the damage. One hand was sliced, but that was one hand off of Jade's neck.

Jade pushed with her legs and rolled Jack off of her and then, without thinking, driven by adrenaline and the pure desire to live, she straddled Jack's torso and the cutlass was brought down on his face. Again and again and again and again…

Jade didn't realize she was slashing at a disembodied head until she saw the matrimonial nugget lying with the rest of Jack's gear on the floor. He was dead.

She killed her husband.

She recoiled in horror, her bent legs tripping her up and forcing her to fall onto her back. Even then, she kicked away from the pile of gear and didn't stop until her back hit the opposite wall.

She clutched at her face, her breathing erratic as she stared helplessly at what she had done. She doubled over and dry-heaved onto the floor, her lungs so overworked that she could barely get any oxygen to the brain.

This was the first time she killed another Crafter, and of all the victims, it had to be her Jack. She couldn't fathom it—Part of her tried to rationalize it as a dream, but deep down, a darker more cynical part of her understood that this was bound to happen one day. Never mind Jack's apparent turnaround from being a drunk, abusive husband. It barely lasted a week before he was back to his old ways. And now… now he was…

"Uhn…" Jade cried, cowering under her arms. She was still holding the cutlass. She was so frightened she dare not let it go. It made her feel secure, even if it was the tool that ended her husband's life.

She didn't know what to do next. Her emotions were all over the place, but she knew she couldn't stand to be anywhere near that pile or that Head or that nugget.

After half an hour of controlling her breathing and dry-heaving whatever dinner she had—she couldn't even recollect—she shakily got to her feet and wandered out into the snow.

Where to, though?

That was easy. There was only one place she knew she could be herself. Even in the dead of night, she could go there. Would it make everything better? Probably not.

She went there anyway.

Jade was sat upon the bed in Ember's room. The Inn her friend was staying at had initially turned Jade away with how late it was. Fortunately, Ember had been outside at the time and spoke up before inviting Jade into her room.

Then, Jade told her everything.

Ember didn't ask any questions and let Jade talk, and once her explanation was over, Ember stood up, ordered Jade to wait in the room, and left with a few supplies.

That had been two hours ago.

The first hour Jade tried to get some rest. That failed hard since her mind was thinking a mile a minute, fixated on forty years of marriage with her now deceased husband. Most of the memories were bad ones, but there were a few early good ones sprinkled in. Back when they were dating or when they were in the early years of their marriage—the honeymoon phase as it were. Comparing then and now, it was scary how dark things turned.

The next hour had Jade wondering where Ember had gone. Did she need time to process everything? What was she out doing? Was she telling the guards on her? Had Jade misunderstood their level of friendship? There were some things, after all, that friends couldn't let go. Killing your own husband sounded pretty up there, even though she explained the how and why it happened with painful detail. While it was still fresh in her mind.

And all the while, Jade turned over her own matrimonial nugget in her sweaty palms, reminiscing on the vows she made with her husband.

"Till death do we part…" She mumbled dazedly to herself.

A few moments later, the door to the room creaked open. Jade shot to her feet, alert, expecting guards coming to arrest her.

It was only Ember.

She watched Jade carefully as she came in, her light-blue eyes probably seeing more than Jade dared to admit. She swept her hair behind her as she walked forward and took a seat on the bed, gesturing for Jade to do the same. The green-haired widow—oh God, she was a widow now—sat down beside her friend and awaited whatever she had to say. Ember reached into her backpack and withdrew a bucket of milk and a cookie before pressing them into Jade's shaky hands. Guards did that a lot whenever comforting traumatized victims.

"Everything's been taken care of." Ember assured first and foremost, and for whatever reason, that statement alone put Jade's nerves under control. She took a sip of milk as Ember went on. "I took actions to minimize how this death would impact your life. I had to make some assumptions and call in some favors, but I did everything with a full understanding of Lazuli's laws, which are biased at the best of times. You did nothing wrong, mind you, but this is merely from the perspective of the court system. I'll explain them now, if that's alright with you."

Jade could only nod shakily. "O-Of course."

"Okay." Ember folded her arms. "Based on what you told me, what you did would be classified as self-defense. Jack was drunk, he assaulted you, he tried to do you harm, you defended yourself. From my tip-off to the guards all those weeks ago, the station will have a record of Jack's incarceration for being drunk and disorderly, coupled with the statement from the guards that you showed clear signs of physical and mental abuse. You could even swing me as a witness to his cruelty, though you would have to testify in court to what he did—"

"I don't want that." Jade stammered. "I-I don't want to be p-paraded around."

"Yes. I figured as much." Ember nodded. "With that in mind, I took steps against that course. Going through the courts wouldn't be in our favor anyway."

"…What do you mean?"

"Self-defense isn't as black and white as you think. It isn't justified by protecting yourself alone. Ask any jury and they'll probably take your side over a violent, abusive, drunk husband. But the point of contention here is whether the amount of force used was necessary or not."

"He… he was trying to choke me."

"I know. You did nothing wrong given the circumstances. You defended yourself." Ember assured. "But amount of force is very particular. Jack used his fists, so you had every right to fight back with your fists. However, pulling a sword or, in your case, a cutlass, on Jack would be deemed as excessive. Another point to consider would be the discrepancy between EXP levels." She tapped Jade's arm and the glowing green number. "A jury will examine all factors—age, gender, EXP strength—a perfectly fit man like Jack could not claim self-defense against a Testificate. Similarly, Crafters with higher levels of EXP, such as ourselves, would have more strength than the lower levels. There's also the fact that he was inebriated and you had sword-training. You definitely had an advantage."

"I didn't want to kill him!" Jade sobbed. "I just—he was on top of me and my training just—"

"I know, I know." Ember hugged Jade close, her warmth comforting the distraught widow. "I'm just saying that the courts will take it into account. Jack was still an abusive bastard and even if you couldn't justify your actions with self-defense, the charges and penalties involved would surely be lessened. However, as you clearly stated, you don't want to be paraded around in the courts."

"N-No." Jade bit into her cookie.

"Which brings us to option two," Ember sighed. "The option I've already taken action towards. I've had my people clean up any evidence of your husband. Nobody will ever have to know what befell him. You were never in that house tonight. You were somewhere else in the village. I can have my people falsify an alibi if anyone ever asks, though I doubt they'll care much for an abusive husband. If need be, we can even alter your Citizenship Information—give you a new address somewhere else—you were never here."

Throughout the listing of things Ember could do, Jade's eyes had widened more and more until she was staring at Ember like she was some mafia crime boss.

"What… you can't possibly do all those things. And who are 'your people'?"

Ember blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Jade, I'm the Northern Executive of the Endward Cult."

Jade's brain seemed to have jammed, exploded, and then imploded all at once, leaving her skull a hollow shell in which Ember's words continued to reverberate. Executive? Endward!? CULT!? Northern. CULT!?"

"Oh my God!" Jade shot off the bed and turned to face Ember fully, the cutlass drawn and held with both hands towards the serene face of her friend. "You-you-you—!"

"Me. Me. Me."

"You-You-You're an Executive!?"

"I told you I was."

"You made it sound like you were a company executive, not… THIS!" Jade pressed her back against the wall. The Endward Cult was a band of crazed killers founded by one of the most infamous Crafters in recorded history: Herobrine! And one of those crazed killers had been her friend for seven weeks! "So all this time you were just pretending to be my friend!?"

"Jade, you know the answer to that." Ember spoke clearly. Jade looked into her light-blue eyes and thought back to all the training and advice and concern and even how she listened to her and acted tonight. The cutlass she was holding in her hands—a gift from Ember—made her realize the truth of the matter, and she lowered the weapon.

"Okay, so… so you wanted to be my friend…" Jade tried to make sense of everything. "An Executive… of a psycho cult—"

"Hey, I take offense to that. We're not psychos."

"—a killer cult, then—"

"I mean… admittedly, I suppose." She rubbed her head sheepishly. "We kill them, but they're not actually dead. They move on to the 'Next Life'."

"What 'Next Life'?"

"Ugh, once again I forget how misinformed the Kingdoms keep the rest of you." Ember groaned. "'Next Life' is the belief that when a Crafter dies, they don't disappear forever. Their souls persist and move on to a new plane—a better plane. Then when they die there, they go someplace else, and so on and so forth."

"What makes you believe that?"

"Well," her eyes lit up, "Herobrine reasoned that Crafters came from another world and that their memories resurface in the form of Normal Sense or déjà vu. That's why we feel familiar with certain thoughts and ideas. Our minds can't recall, but our hearts remember." She held her hands to her chest fondly. "Herobrine did a lot of things to make Minecraftia a better world. How anyone could forget that is an insult to his achievements."

"He's the guy you've been searching for." Jade realized, earning a nod from the Executive. "So… Jack's not really gone forever…?"

"No, of course not—though I wish for an abusive asshole like him," Ember muttered under her breath. "But no, your husband's just moved on to a separate plane. Hopefully one where he learns not to abuse his wives." Ember folded her arms. "Our awful reputation comes from our Founder and the fact that most don't believe in his 'Next Life' theory. We're not psychotic, just… misunderstood, I guess."

"…Have you killed people?"

"I've liberated people from this plane." Ember corrected. "I don't believe any of the people that met their end by my blade have truly met their end. Their souls have moved on. I can only pray they've gone to a place without the deadly monsters we fight on the daily." She palmed her chin. "You know what our motto is? The Only Way Forward is Endward. It's something Herobrine came up with. It basically means that the end isn't the end; it's just another way forward. A new beginning. That's what we hope for any Crafter we liberate: A new beginning."

"So then why didn't you liberate me?" Jade asked.

Ember knew what she meant. She meant the first time she came into her home after Jack had been taken away. If their goal was to give Crafters a better life, why spare an abused wife with no will or gumption of her own?

Ember smiled. "I wanted to give you a chance to free yourself." She confessed. "I saw a weak-willed woman with untapped potential and I just wanted you to grow a spine and kick that husband of yours to the curb."

Jade gave a wistful sigh. "Guess I overdid it, then."

"I mean, I'd be lying if I said Jack didn't deserve it." Ember shrugged, unconcerned. "I doubt there'll be anyone looking too deeply into what happened. He was a real piece of work, and I already ordered my cultists to cover your tracks."

"Your cultists can do all that?" Jade asked. "That's a little scary…"

"We take all kinds." She admitted. "It helps us out if they're in registration or have any talents or own any businesses. They all join for various reasons, but we're all working together. Which brings me to the next point I wanted to talk about."

Jade raised an eyebrow as Ember stood up and held out her hand.

"Would you like to join the Endward Cult?"

Jade balked. "Me? B-but I'm just—"

"Don't underestimate yourself, Jade. I've trained with you. Your sword-skills are solid." Ember complimented. "You need a new home and job anyway since my cultists just went through the trouble of covering up Jack's fate. Sooner or later, someone is going to wonder what happened. It'll be easier if they think it was bandits in the night or something, but you can't be around here, then."

"Moving is fine. I don't want to stay in that house anymore anyway." Jade said indifferently. "But joining the Endward Cult is way out of left field. I'm no cultist."

"Well I want you to join." Ember rested her hands on her hips. "I see greatness in you, and I want to nurture that talent. You can't tell me you didn't enjoy fighting Mobs."

Admittedly, yes, Jade liked hunting Mobs. She also enjoyed outdoing her husband in terms of gains and EXP. But that still didn't have anything to do with being a cultist.

"I don't want to kill people, Ember. Whether it's freeing them or not, I'm not comfortable doing that to random strangers."

"Then you don't have to." Ember allowed. "We have a ton of roles. We'll start you off on the lowest rung in my division and see how you do. Play your cards right and you might make Lieutenant." Her expression soured. "You couldn't do worse than 4Blite."

"Who?"

"The Lieutenant of my division. He's the subordinate I keep complaining about."

"You really have a spot for a non-killer in the Endward Cult?" Jade asked, tentatively.

"Jade, I guarantee you won't have to kill another Crafter if you don't want to. I'll make sure of it. You have my word."

The one good thing about discussing fantastical topics was it got Jade's mind off the murder of her husband. She was sure that was Ember's intent. She always seemed to know more than she let on, but she had such a calming presence that Jade couldn't help but lower her guard around her.

She was certain they were friends. Ember just… happened to be one of the leaders of a cult of killers. Perfectly mundane.

Anyway, Ember hadn't steered her wrong so far. In for a nugget, in for an emerald.

Speaking of nuggets, she'd have to store her matrimonial one away. It was a constant reminder for her of Jack, and she didn't like that.

"Alright, I'm a cultist." Jade gave up.

Ember smiled and shook her hand. "Welcome aboard."

It took a week for Jade to get properly set up. The Northern Division's base was in Ringwood, but they operated in the Northern reaches of Minecraftia, so Lazuli was fair game. It was there where Jade was given her first assignment.

Ember wanted her to join a famous guild operating out of Lazuli: The Frost Golems. Her mission was to infiltrate them and gain their trust. She worried about the implications of getting caught, but Ember assured her they'd have no reason to be suspicious.

"Just show off what I taught you with that cutlass and they'll be begging you to join."

Ember also promised that Jade wouldn't have to do any killing by the end of it. The other cultists would handle the dirty work; they just needed her to play the part.

So she played the part.

She filled out all the paperwork—though her Citizenship Information had been altered so that her home address was in Dover Plains rather than Lazuli where her husband died. She performed the basic moves Ember had drilled into her from their sessions. The Frost Golems were impressed that she had a Tinker's weapon and could use it.

They greenlit her to join in less than a day.

She felt a bit guilty walking around the Frost Golems' guild hall. They all treated her amicably and showed her around. All she could think about was the inevitable betrayal where she would let the cultists butcher them all. It made her sick to her stomach.

"What am I doing?" Jade mumbled to herself while in the privacy of her own room. She felt so out of her element and so guilty. How was she supposed to betray a guild of people with a clear conscience?

To take her mind off things, she threw herself into the work. She took assignments on the guild board and went out to earn emeralds. Sometimes it was Mob-Slaying missions, sometimes it was repelling Griefers in the area, sometimes it was hunting for specific dyes or items for the artisans of Lazuli. There was a bit of everything, and the eagerness with which Jade dove into the work allowed her to rake in the emeralds. She was making a name for herself within the guild.

She made friends. She took more missions. She got rewards. She earned EXP. She got stronger.

And that's when she noticed something.

Many of her 'friends' were fielding difficult missions her way.

"You're so impressive with that cutlass, Jade." One would titter. "Could you do me a favor and take this mission? I think you'd be a better match for those Griefers. I can just take a collection mission instead. Thanks!"

"Hey, Jade! What's happening?" Another would greet cheerfully. "Oh, hey, quick question. I need someone watching my back on this Enderman hunting mission. Nobody's better at it than you! Could you pair up with me? You'd be doing me a real solid."

"Jade! Hey, Jade!" Another would run over. "I need to finish three missions by the end of today or they're going to penalize me. Could you maybe do them and give me the credit? Oh, come on! It won't be that tough. You fight circles around me! You can do your mission another day, can't you?"

"Jade!"

"Hey, AceOfJades!"

"Jaaaaade! Help!"

"Hey, Ja—!"

Jade slammed the door in the person's face, exhausted after another week of guild work. She heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the guy on the other side walk away. She kicked off her iron boots, tore off her armor, and just lied in her bed, aggravated and annoyed.

She's been at this for over a year. Everybody took advantage of her. Just because she was good with a sword, they thought they could pester her all the time to do their work for them? They thought she could take all the tough missions? Were there no other capable Crafters in the Frost Golems!? And they always pulled the 'we're friends' card, like she owed them for their friendship. Friendship was give and take, but so far, all she was doing was giving and it was taking up all her time and sanity. One more plea and she might just kill someone!

"They're working me to the bone." She complained. At least they paid her well. Also, she was accumulating quite a bit of EXP. She thought about putting it into some better armor enchantments. She'd need them if these missions continued.

While swamped with work, she actually forgot that she was secretly an Endward Cult member on an infiltration mission. She had thought less and less about what would happen to the Frost Golems. Considering how they kept milking her for favors, she couldn't say she'd miss them.

In fact, that one guy that kept asking her for favors was such a leech, with a repulsion to match. Always hitting on her and groping her whenever they were in a crowd.

Why, she could just—

"They got attacked out here!"

Jade led a group of about twenty Frost Golems on horseback towards the ice spikes outside of Lazuli. She had just come back from a Griefer repulsion mission gone wrong, warning the guild that they had been ambushed and that she was the only one that got back. They sent out reinforcements and had her lead the way to where the group had been attacked.

"This blizzard is really strong!" One of the Frost Golems shouted. "I don't see a thing! Jade, where exactly did they get attacked?"

Silence.

"Jade!? Where'd you—EUGH!"

The man fell off his horse after getting an arrow in the neck. The other riders also suffered attacks from the unknown assailants. They had walked straight into an ambush.

"Find cover!" One Frost Golem shouted. He spied a familiar body walking towards him. "Jade! There you are! You gotta take these guys out—!" He cut off when a cutlass slashed him across the chest. He fell back into the snow and looked up in blank shock as Jade jammed the blade into his torso. His gear went everywhere and the EXP floated into Jade's arm.

Her expression was as cold as Lazuli's frosty climate as the rest of the reinforcements were wiped out.

The rest of the Frost Golems went out in much the same way. They'd go out after a group got attacked, get ambushed by cultists, and run away—if any of them survived. Jade's involvement was always covered up. She was careful like that.

Soon, all the fake 'friends' that pestered her for favors and never treated her as anything other than a cutlass for hire were slain. The guild grew weaker and weaker as they lost more men. They thought it was a curse, but it was all Jade. She was like a poison, slowly killing the Frost Golems from the inside out.

Finally, one night, she hammered the final nail in the coffin. The Frost Golems were down to a skeleton crew of less than sixty. While many of them were asleep, she quietly let the cultists in and dispatched all the lookouts on patrol without a sound.

Then, the cultists stood over the beds of every last Frost Golem and butchered them in their sleep. It was all done neat and tidy so that by the next morning, the guild hall was abandoned. Jade was the only Frost Golem to survive, and she didn't await the guards' questioning. She and the cultists were long gone by the time the guards showed up.

Ember congratulated her for a job well done, but she had to address Jade's change in conduct.

"You didn't have to be a part of the liberating, Jade." Ember said. "You mentioned how uncomfortable you were with it—"

"They were a bunch of jerks." Jade dismissed, her expression souring. "I think I have a knack for missions like this."

"…Considering how thoroughly we took out the Frost Golems, I'd have to agree." Ember rummaged in her chest before withdrawing a book and quill. "If you'd like, we have similar infiltration missions. This next one is in Jolin."

Jade gave a sinister smile. "I'm your girl."

[Year 290]

The Guerrillas were more interesting a guild than the late Frost Golems. Jade stayed with them for eighteen years, slowly whittling away their numbers, but she also learned how to parkour.

It was terrifying at first, but it was a condition for joining that every guild member learn at least the basics of parkour. The treetops were so high, she couldn't imagine how anyone could make the jumps without fear of death.

But slowly, over time, she learned to commit to the jumps. That was the secret. You had to go all in if you wanted to make to clear a hurdle—no half-assing. You had to believe with all of your heart that you could make it.

And after years of practicing and improving and leveling up onto harder jumps, she could finally parkour with the best of them. She and the others sprang through the trees like monkeys, swinging and climbing and hunting down any Griefers that dared to invade Jolin's territory. She made loads of friends, even if they also kept pestering her to handle the tougher missions. With her added experience with the Frost Golems, she was the best sword-fighter around.

Many Guerrillas looked on with envy, especially when she started excelling at parkour. It was a talent that she enjoyed. The wind in her hair was always so exhilarating. She loved playing tag with the others and catching them.

She felt a pang of sorrow when she had them all killed.

They almost got away. Five of them took to the trees and evaded the cultists' bumbling shots. They would have outed her if they got away.

Instead, she hunted them down with the same skills they taught her, engaging in a cat-and-mouse game of tag in which she won over and over and over again.

"May you find joy in the 'Next Life'." She whispered after it was all done.

She kept up the momentum for a long time, moving from guild to guild and acting as a sleeper agent. She could go years without making a move only to stab them in the back at a moment's notice. It helped that they were all jerks who kept exploiting her for her skills... or her looks. They were all like Jack.

Fine by her. She could play the game better than they could. She started acting like Ember did, all charismatic and warm and bubbly. She practiced growing closer to others, feigning interest and affection while inwardly feeling her skin crawl at some of the pigs she was forced to work with.

The Cyan Squids of Oak Docks, the Numa Duneraiders of the Redbone Desert, the Desperados of the Lacquerlands. When it came down to it, they were all cut from the same cloth, and she had no problem cutting away from them.

As her conquests piled up, so did her recognition within the Endward Cult. The weaker cultists would speak of her in hushed whispers. They invented a moniker for her: The Poisoned Dagger. She could slip into any guild and poison it from the inside out. She quite liked the name.

It came as no surprise when Ember promoted her to Lieutenant besides 4Blite. It was obvious who was the favorite, though. Ember had nothing but good things to say about Jade, especially when she fulfilled her Head quotas on time, every time. 4Blite, on the other hand, was cold and ruthless. Jade was cold and ruthless too, but in a different way. Her greatest strength was how she could pretend to be whatever a guild wanted her to be and stab them in the back without batting an eye. 4Blite could never do that. He was too chilling and aggressive. He could never be friendly, even for pretend. It was a wonder anyone followed him.

Jade's subdivision, however, saw excellent results with the methods she used. She would have her cultists be affable with freshly spawned newbs, gain their trust, lead them into the woods or someplace isolated, and then liberate them.

They weren't jerks like the others, but she felt she was doing the newbs a favor by killing them before they could see how horrible Minecraftia could be. None of them could match her mobility and swordsmanship. She at least made it quick.

She also got to know some of the other higher-ups of the Endward Cult. Ember had warned her off of meeting with Abyssmal the lady-killer. And no, he wasn't famous for killing ladies, he was famous for hitting on anything with breasts. One of his Lieutenants, MarkAble, was his opposite in every right, feeble-looking and scraggly, yet somehow landing a bombshell like Teal_Larkspur. She was exhausting in large doses and had a bad reputation with the other cultists for her Survival Games.

The western side of things was more normal. Sdrawkcab's identity as their Executive had shaken her—a reminder of how widespread the Endward Cult truly was—but Leadstripe was a pretty average guy. XoX, no. XoX was… XoX.

The Southern Division's GardenWalker and SaltOfTheEarth were more eccentric. Ember was right when she said the cult took all kinds.

The one undeniable fact, however, was that they were all skilled in what they did. Together with her, they were the leaders of the Endward Cult. The ones all cultists looked to as a shining example. Their identities meant everything, especially for the Poisoned Dagger Jade. Some rumors would always persist about an infiltrating Lieutenant, but the Crafters remained blissfully unaware of her true identity, allowing her to don the appropriate mask, gain their trust, and do whatever it took to further the Endward Cult's agenda.

Jack may have been the first to taste her blade, but he was far from the last. Jade made a name for herself on her own. Her cutlass, her parkour skills, her faux demeanor and feelings. She could play people like a note block, and she wouldn't feel a thing in protest. Not a thing.

Her heart had hardened over.

[Year 500]

"The Billionth has spawned."

Silence claimed the table as each of the Lieutenants exchanged questioning glances among themselves and their Executives who were lost in thought. XoX and Teal weren't present for the Gathering, but the majority of them were there. Jade had never seen Ember look so anxious.

"…so …what is that supposed to mean?" Mark asked.

The surrounding Lieutenants could only shrug or remain silent as they honestly had no idea what having a billion people spawned meant aside from a larger amount of work. But apparently, the Executives knew better.

Ember cleared her throat before addressing everyone calmly. "With the meeting adjourned, all Lieutenants should leave the room. The Executives will stay and… discuss the information we have received." Her voice shook with what sounded like barely contained excitement.

"What?" Jade spoke. "Ma'am you can't adjourn a meeting like that? What's the significance of the Billionth?"

"That doesn't concern you." Ember dismissed harshly. Immediately she realized how harsh she sounded to her Lieutenant and attempted to elaborate. "The information we're going to discuss is between us Executives. I'm sorry, but you cannot stay and listen."

"I disagree." 4Blite stated boldly as he took a step towards Ember.

"4Blite. Not now." Ember hissed as she glared at him disapprovingly. But 4Blite stood his ground.

"We are high-ranking members of the Endward Cult and deserve to know what the information regarding the Billionth means."

"Indeed." Leadstripe added. "We are all devoted to the Endward Cult's cause and will protect whatever secrets you have to share."

Ember glanced around the room as each Lieutenant nodded to confirm their faith.

Sdraw shared a look with Abyssmal who only shrugged. "Hey, I'm fine if they want to know. We're all about to learn something new anyway."

"Yes. Perhaps it would be best to keep everyone on the same page." Sdraw advised as he peered at Ember with his ever-closed eyes. "It will certainly save time and explanations."

Ember glanced between the Western and Eastern seats before settling her eyes on the empty Southern seat. Finally she relented with a sigh. "Alright. I suppose they can know too. Just remember to fill in all the Lieutenants, including the ones missing."

It was then that Jade and the other Lieutenants learned that the arrival of the Billionth heralded the Endward Cult's end. He supposedly possessed an incredibly powerful weapon that even Herobrine feared, and he was the reason Herobrine had hidden himself away, preparing for his inevitable arrival.

Jade should have been more alarmed—they were basically being told that their destruction was nigh—and yet Ember seemed so fixated on Herobrine's last book. She had been addressed by name. She had conclusive proof that Herobrine was still out there, just waiting to be found. It was enough to take her mind off that blasted Angel of Death that'd been a thorn in their side for twenty-five years.

She didn't have any leads on where to look, though. Only that Herobrine feared the Billionth and was hiding from him.

Still, Jade could see the gears in Ember's head turning.

At the end of the meeting, all three Executives had warned the Lieutenants to avoid the Billionth like the plague and not kill him.

Yet.

It was as routine a round-up as she could have asked for. So simple, she opted to do it alone—as if the newbs would be any threat to her.

Jade was escorting a band of fresh spawns to Ringwood from the Origin Zone. She had her subdivision do this a lot, since it was one of the easiest ways to amass Heads for their quotas. How 4Blite could be so behind was baffling. He hated her because she did better and was favored by Ember, and she couldn't stand him because he was a strict, cold-blooded psycho with no loyalty to Ember or the cult. The two got along like cats and dogs.

Anyway, she was getting closer to Ringwood and the ambush zone where her subdivision was waiting. But before they could get there, a different force ambushed them: Mobs. Spiders and Skeletons.

Of course, the newbs were less than useless, climbing a big tree and letting Jade do all the work, just like all the guilds she ever was a part of. It annoyed her and she took out her frustrations on the Spiders that dared to get too close. She didn't use her cutlass, however. She wasn't trying to impress anyone.

That may have been a mistake. After evading an arrow, a Spider managed to get the better of her, landing atop her with snapping pincers. She struggled with it briefly, only for a bellow to echo through the forest.

"No!"

A stone pickaxe was lobbed at the Spider, stunning it long enough for Jade to kick it off. Then the mysterious savior stabbed it through with his blade.

"Thanks for the save." Jade massaged her arm as she turned to her savior. "Another second and… I… I…"

King_Cobb.

The Billionth.

His number and identity had already been checked by their spies in Ringwood. And here he was, standing before her, catching her completely off guard. She'd never been on the back foot like this—she couldn't speak or think. She could only stutter like the old housewife she used to be.

"I… uh… I…" She glanced away, then winced when an arrow caught her in the arm. The Billionth sprang into action, getting close and killing the Skeleton with ease.

"You still alive back there?" He called.

Jade had to get it together. She was spacing out. She needed to think.

He obviously wasn't aware of her identity as a cultist. Otherwise, why save her? For all he knew, she was just another helpless victim in need of saving. She could play that… She could totally play that!

When a Spider pounced on the Billionth, she finally snapped out of her funk and pulled it off of him. The two fought the Mobs and the Billionth even came up with a plan to pacify or burn the Mobs. He was clever, that was for sure.

After the Mobs were dealt with, she donned the mask she usually wore when dealing with new people. She stuttered, she blushed, she played up the rescued damsel angle. She'd done it a million times. It helped that he was clearly captivated by her demeanor and beauty. She played coy, blushing and giggling and turning on the charm. She even tried to get him to come with her, figuring he'd be easier to handle when she had her subdivision backing her up at the inevitable ambush.

He eluded her, however, making up an excuse for why he couldn't go back quite yet.

She cursed her luck, but she couldn't force his hand. Otherwise he'd get suspicious. Instead, she was forced to retreat, but she made sure to leave an impression. King_Cobb would remember her.

After that, Jade took the newbs to the ambush point without incident. She put her fingers in her mouth and let loose a piercing two-tone whistle.

The cultists descended in a manner of seconds, killing the newbs without hesitation. She watched it all, ignoring their confused pleas for help. Their Heads and whatever worthwhile gear they had on them was gathered and distributed.

One of Jade's subdivision members had bad news, however. Apparently, someone attacked their outpost on Mt. Mur and noticed the plans for 4Blite's Creeper herd attack. The idiot had spent a lot of time and men amassing that many Creepers, and he wasn't about to let it all go to waste. He was moving ahead with the attack on Ringwood.

If Jade didn't get her and her subdivision out of those woods, they'd be swarmed with Creepers, and she had a sneaking suspicion that 4Blite wouldn't mind in the slightest if she bit it by brutal explosion.

"You actually spoke with him?"

"That's right." Jade nodded. When they were in front of the other higher-ups, she referred to her as ma'am, but when they were alone, like now, they relaxed their guards and spoke as friends. "He wasn't much to look at, but it was definitely King_Cobb. I couldn't believe my luck."

"He might have been the one attacking the outpost. That's why he was out there."

"I heard about that. It's why 4Blite stepped up the attack. I almost got caught up in it."

"Yes, 4Blite has quite the itchy trigger finger. It doesn't help that it was his plan and he wanted results." Ember sighed. "I'm actually going to have a talk with him later. He threatened some of his own subdivision. Spring_Fever and Parallel_Parker. They're so concerned for their lives, I'm reassigning them to yours."

"Happy to have them, but can we get back to the Billionth?" Jade steered the conversation. "I established a connection with him. Enough that he'll remember me if I were to 'coincidentally' run into him again. I figured I could infiltrate whatever group or guild he's leading and lure him to an ambush."

"That's not a bad idea." Ember accepted, nodding along. "However, I have to disagree on killing him just yet."

"What?" Jade asked, baffled. "Ember, he's prophesized to be the cult's destruction. All we've worked for could be put to an end by him. Herobrine said so himself. Why wouldn't you want to take him out?"

"Herobrine is hiding from him, biding his time." Ember reasoned. "That would mean that the Billionth—King_Cobb—is searching for Herobrine just like the rest of us. Except, maybe he knows more about his location than we do."

"You really want to take a risk on the off-chance he might know where our Founder is hiding?"

"I do." Ember spoke with all seriousness. "Death comes to us all and it can come from anywhere. But Herobrine might go on hiding in this world for all eternity, never to pass on, trapped in a shell of his own loneliness and madness." Ember clutched at her chest. "That can't happen. I'm so against it, that I would throw my life away just so that someone could locate Herobrine and convince him he's not alone. To tell him that he was right."

Jade knew how much Herobrine meant to Ember. This wasn't something she could argue. The Billionth—as much as a risk as he was—would just have to live. For now.

"Well," Jade spoke after a while, "I'll just have to do what I do best. I mean, he's a guy, right? Just turn on the classic Jade charm, a wink here, a giggle there, and he'll be eating out of my hands. And if he knows where Herobrine is, I'll find out."

"You're really going to do this?" Ember asked. "I can't tell you how dangerous it'll be. The Billionth is rumored to have slain a Hacker."

That was news to Jade, who instantly felt her blood chill. What sort of monster could kill one of those godless super beings? King_Cobb had been so unassuming when he interfered in the forest. Guess looks could be deceiving.

"I'll be extra careful." Jade promised. "We have to do this, though. Having someone keep tabs on his movements would be invaluable."

"Alright, fine. You have my permission for this." Ember relented. Possible intel about Herobrine's whereabouts was too tantalizing for her to pass up. "I imagine your subdivision will be without you for a while. I can take over leadership in your absence. I'll also have to inform the other Executives about this. The Lieutenants will need to keep their distance—wouldn't want you butting heads with them as part of the Billionth's entourage."

Things were being put into motion. Jade was already running through possible scenarios to 'stumble' upon King_Cobb again. He lived with a Captain in the Northern District—she didn't know if there was a love angle there—and she wouldn't be able to get away with passing through. She'd have to wait for when he went outside to the market or something, then corner him and win him over.

She knew deep down, this would be the hardest and most important infiltration mission of her life.

She had no idea things would be this hard.

She stood in an alley, shaking, with a pair of wanted posters staring straight back at her.

Why the hell are they being called cultists!?

King_Cobb and Flawwed_Floyd. Executive and Lieutenant of the Endward Cult. Wanted by order of Nitebane. A thousand emerald bounty.

"Herobrine above, how did this happen?"

They obviously weren't cultists. Someone was trying to frame them. But to offer that many emeralds, it had to be someone with power and influence. Probably the same one who took out those Hackers in Nitebane.

Her job just got ten times harder! She angrily squashed the posters in the trash chest before stomping them flat with one foot. Her plan to approach them had just been blown out of the water! There was no way they wouldn't be suspicious of anyone that approached them NOW! Everyone would be gunning for that sweet, sweet bounty!

She ran a hand down her face, her mind struggling to come up with a Plan B. That was when she noticed the animated movements of the guards. They traveled in large patrols, scanning the streets.

They were already hunting him. He'd be caught or out of Ringwood by the end of the day. She had to get to him first and… what? She didn't know. She didn't have a plan. She didn't consider this possibility. She just moved in the direction all the guards were going, scaling buildings and using her parkour to keep a step ahead. Her body moved on autopilot as she furiously tried to scrape something together. She knew she had to be clever, but she was pushing her brain to its limit trying to come up with something natural.

How am I supposed to gain their trust!?

She moved to the Southern District, near the ruined gates of 4Blite's Creeper herd attack. That's when she saw them. It was a trio of Crafters. Cobb and Floyd were there, as was a gray-haired archer with tinted glasses and goggles. Lenzington. She committed the name to memory, wanting to know who Cobb's allies were.

They were in a heated fight between two Captains. Wynn_Whispers of Ringwood and Velocishot of Daymonte. They seemed to be holding their own—winning even. A testament of their ability.

But they'd need help escaping.

She covertly parkoured to another building with an ender pearl in hand. Maybe her best bet was to just warp right in and fight. Another Captain showed up—Iron_Lung—and she knew she had to act. She reared back a hand…

And watched as the gray-haired archer set off a launch pad of TNT, rocketing the trio up and onto Ringwood's wall.

Jade's hand was still cocked back, ender pearl ready to fly, but her eyes were wide at the insanity of it all. Desperate times called for desperate measures, sure, but who would even think of blowing themselves up to escape!?

They didn't have any ender pearls. Not like her. They were stuck on the wall.

Seeing this, she lobbed her own pearl up and over and prepared a bucket of water. When the pearl landed and she warped outside of Ringwood, she approached the wall and looked up to the trio still dodging arrows.

Jade saw the Billionth spot her. She offered a wave before she poured the water down to make a safe cushion for them to land on. She pointed to the water again and offered another wave before retreating back into the woods.

She watched, hidden, as the trio landed in the water. Cobb was still searching for whoever left the water, but the other two kept hurrying him along. They had to run. She climbed the nearest tree and watched from above as they ran. She kept them in sight, parkouring through the treetops with little effort.

It was a start to making a connection, but it was still a rough idea. Her priority, however, was keeping them from getting caught.

Before long, a new Crafter joined Cobb's party. An axe-toting, muscle-man named Lost_Soul. They appeared to know one another. Jade watched their interactions, her mind still at work figuring how to approach them.

They wouldn't be open to trusting a stranger. All she could do was help them from behind the scenes.

Another opportunity came when a couple of Ringwood guards attacked them. Cobb and his group were disjointed and all over the place. Floyd was having an episode with his eyes or whatever. They needn't help.

Just before one of them could die, Jade took out a freshly filled bucket of water and poured it from the trees onto the fighting Crafters. The water flowed along the ground and pushed the fighters away, giving them time to regroup.

Jade fled shortly after, darting across the trees and hearing Cobb shout something to her.

"H-Hey!"

She was gone before he could catch a glimpse of her.

She helped out again later. She grimaced as she was reminded of all the times she had to help out those guilds she infiltrated. Why couldn't the Billionth save his own damn self for a change?

It was after they separated via ender pearls. Jade managed to track Cobb down along with the dogs sent hunting for him. They piled on top of Cobb, biting and subduing him. They were very well-trained.

"Ugh… help me mysterious green-haired Crafter!" He called out.

Jade froze, halfway to pulling out the water bucket. Maybe he had caught a glimpse of her. Crap, was he just faking it to get her to reveal herself? Should she reveal herself!?

"Oh come on!"

His indignant plea made her move, pouring the water down and freeing him from the tangle of dogs. Cobb did the rest with the business end of his sword.

"Thanks mysterious green-haired Crafter!" He shouted to the trees, making Jade blush in mortification. Even she had to admit this method was growing stupid. She dashed away through the trees, trying to formulate some better way of approaching the Billionth.

She caught their trail again when they touched the Origin Zone. They were helping out a band of newbs, teaching them how to craft and fight. It reminded her of what Ember did for her all those years ago.

This was a good chance to appear. She could just say she wanted to visit the Origin again. Perfectly normal! She could even offer to help teach the newbs, winning points with Cobb. It was a good plan.

That plan self-destructed when she saw the two beings swathed in dark smoke.

She watched in terror as two Hackers fought one another. What was worse was that one of them was Flawwed_Floyd. He moved in a blur, the whites of his eyes as black as the darkest night. The guy he fought, Thed_Hearst, was taking hit after hit without dying.

She was watching history in the making. Two Hackers engaged in brutal combat. But if they were fighting one another, that meant a Hacker was firmly on Cobb's side.

How in Herobrine's name did he earn the loyalty of a Hacker!?

All Hackers treated Crafters as beneath them, yet Floyd was fighting for them. He was subservient to Cobb. The Billionth had a Hacker at his beck and call. You had to have serious power to pull off something like that…

Jade wanted to run away from the fight, but she was too mesmerized. She couldn't look away. She watched it to its completion and was further blown away when, after Floyd lost and collapsed, Thed just flew off, leaving Cobb and his allies alive. By all accounts, the Hacker should have killed them.

What is going on here? Is Cobb allied with the Hackers? But then why kill Alec in Halstatt?

She didn't dare approach them now. Not while knowing a Hacker was watching. Floyd was a wanted man for a reason, but even Jade had to question why Cobb was worth five times a Hacker's bounty.

She was completely clueless now. She had nothing. The only way she could approach Cobb without fearing for her life was if he was all on his own. But he hardly ever separated from the rest of his group. They were practically tied at the hip. She couldn't see a way to isolate him from the others.

But she did see them pass a map to the newbs before leaving. And she heard something about syncing them up.

Jade allowed Cobb and his group to leave the Origin Zone. Instead, she turned her attention on the five newbs heading out to Ringwood with that synced map.

It was easy to set up an ambush. In fact, it was refreshing to go back to what she was familiar with. A few days following Cobb's group had confused the hell out of her. This, at least, made sense.

She got in touch with her subdivision in the area and they cornered the group of five. Troy, Guile, Nance, Gina, and Wyatt. They killed them all, gathered their Heads, and Jade plundered the synced maps from their strewn gear. She could see the four white blips that were Cobb and his cohorts. They were heading to Join. Now she could keep track of them at anytime without having to babysit.

"Man, that was a little too easy." One of her newest members, Spring_Fever, blew out a breath. He and Parker had been reassigned to her subdivision after 4Blite tried to kill them. Jade was familiar with 4Blite's stringent and ruthless attitude, so she got along surprisingly well with the two. Nobody wanted to be in 4Blite's subdivision.

"What's next, ma'am?" Parker asked. He was eager to please. Or maybe just eager not to be sent back to 4Blite.

"A few of you come with me." She ordered, pointing out a few. "I need your help with my secret mission. The rest of you return to Ringwood. Make sure you have this in your Inventory." She handed out the smaller synced map. It would look weird if there wasn't a white blip where those dead newbs had been heading. This way, Cobb would be none the wiser.

He'd still know Jade had a map copy when he saw her blip approach them in Jolin. She'd need a story to explain how she got it off those newbs. She could make something up, though.

"Wait, are we going to see you again?" Spring asked.

"Not likely. This mission might take some time." She confessed. "I can't give you all the details, but just know it's important. Get in contact with Ember. She said she would cover you in my absence."

Her subdivision had to accept that. Many of them were delighted to hear they'd receive orders from the most beautiful cultist in the whole cult. Spring was squealing like a schoolgirl.

As for the handful of cultists that accompanied her, they would have a more active role in helping her gain Cobb's trust.

"You want us to what ma'am?"

She rolled her eyes. She and the small handful of cultists she brought with her were in the Kingdom of Jolin, high up on the wooden bridges suspended between the tall trees. It had been years since she'd been here, back when she was with the Guerrillas. Their entry passes and citizenship information hadn't given them any static at the toll gates.

The Keebler Inn she had seen Cobb and Floyd go into was a little bit away. One of them would surely hear her if she were to cry out in peril. That was where her cultists came in.

"Just pretend to rough me up a bit." She explained. "I'll cry out, the guy in the Inn will come out to rescue me, you let him beat you up a bit, then flee and I'll take care of the rest."

"So this isn't an ambush?" One of them asked.

"No, I'm trying to infiltrate them." Jade explained for what had to be the umpteenth time. She had thought this out. Cobb had jumped in to save her from those Mobs back in Ringwood, so there was no way he wouldn't leap at the chance to save a damsel in distress from some burly thugs. She even made it a point to pick out the burliest, thuggish-looking members of her subdivision for this important job. "Just make it believable and run away before any guards notice. I can handle the rest, don't worry."

"Should we shadow you and await further orders?" Another asked.

Jade shook her head. "No. Just return to Ringwood. Pass alone my status to Ember if you want something to do. Right now, though, I need you guys to really sell this."

"I-I don't know, ma'am. We all really appreciate the work you do." One of the more sentimental thugs said bashfully. "I don't know if we can rough you up. Even as pretend."

"Okay, what if I said some negative things about you to rile you up?"

"Uh, honestly I wouldn't even care." The same one shrugged.

"Oh no? What if I were to tell you I think you're fat." The man blinked. "I think you're a fat, little man. I think you're waaaaaay too fat for your age. Does that make you feel any anger? Huh fatty? Jelly-belly. You got jelly in your belly you little fat fuck. You get a little flash of anger when somebody tells you ya got tits like a cow, fatboy? HUH? You like that shitty-titty jelly-belly?"

"Ooooh yeah! He's a big boy!" Jade's tone grew deeper and more mocking. "Get that fatty some mudflaps for his ass! Big old jiggly fatty butt!"

Next second, she was on the ground and the fat cultist was beating her up. Quite convincingly if she said so herself. The others joined in, really selling that she was in peril.

"Somebody! Help!" She screamed as believably as she could.

"Damnit, Jade!" The cultist wept as he wailed on her. "I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!"

As planned, Cobb came to her rescue, the cultists fled, and she had finally made contact with her quarry. Just him and her. Time for the Poisoned Dagger to get to work.

She turned on the charm, acting cute and vulnerable like the rescued damsel she wasn't. Sometimes she played it safe and awkward, other times she slipped in bold hints. She could tell Cobb was gradually lowering his defenses.

What she hadn't counted on, however, was for him to instantly figure out that she had been the one helping out with the water buckets, she had the synced map, AND she had staged the whole mugging thing just to get him out. She figured the truth would come out eventually, but not this fast and all at once! Again, Cobb had caught her on the back foot. She needed to set things straight.

But, of course, she was interrupted by Jolin's guards apprehending Floyd in the Inn. They had mobilized fast, and now they were after Cobb. Once again, she had to save his ass.

She led the pair of them on a merry chase through Jolin's treetops, using her parkour skills and praying Cobb could keep up. She'd forgotten how clumsy and slow non-parkouring Crafters could be. It didn't help that many of Ringwood's guards were used to the terrain.

She made a large jump and held out a hand to Cobb, coaxing him to take the leap.

"Come on! I promise to catch you! Trust me!"

He didn't though. How could he? She was still an unknown to him. Cobb shook his head and instead pulled out an ender pearl. Jade tried to stop him and get him to trust her, but it was too late. The pearl had been cast. She cursed before fleeing when the guards arrived. Cobb warped away and she scrambled to pull out her synced map, hoping to locate the Billionth quickly.

Relocating Cobb hadn't been much of an issue, but now he was calling her a stalker. She supposed she preferred that accusation over being called a cultist, but she desperately wished to scream out she wasn't a stalker and that this was just a mission.

It wasn't all bad, though. In trying to distance himself away from her, he tried to lose her—a parkour master—in Jolin's treetops. Needless to say, Jade enjoyed the workout and even showed off a bit to prove her skills to Cobb. He'd be a fool to disregard her now.

She was halfway to showing off her cutlass, but froze. She hadn't used it when she and Cobb first met while defending those newbs from those Mobs. He'd question why she had such a rare weapon like that, more so if her skills with it were revealed.

Better to keep it secret. It was stashed in her ender chest anyway.

Instead, she kept an eye out for cards, kept him from getting caught, and finally explained to him a carefully crafted story about why she knew he was innocent, why she never dared approach while Floyd was around, and why she wanted to join his guild.

The Beginners, he called it. She had no idea how many members they had, but with a Hacker at his beck and call, Cobb must have had plenty of recruits. She made sure to really sell how hopeful the Beginners made the rest of Minecraftia.

"So you know we're not cultists." He said.

"Of course I know." Jade smirked internally.

'You're looking at one, idiot.'

She then explained how she stole the map from the Origin Zone newbs (she neglected to mention she killed them) and that the thugs she staged to attack her were her friends (she neglected to mention they were also cultists). He was still suspicious, so she handed over her Citizenship Information. The number and name were accurate, but the home address was bogus. Forged so that her existence in Lazuli could never be proven. She could never be tied to Jack's death.

The information seemed to win Cobb's wavering trust, but to Jade's annoyance, he didn't welcome her to the guild on the spot. She first had to earn the approval of Cobb's traveling companions. Flawwed_Floyd, Lenzington, and Lost_Soul. That was going to be tough, considering one of them had been captured by Jolin's guards.

In the meantime, all she could do was turn on the awkward charm and win the Billionth's heart. She'd done it a hundred times.

Four members.

The Beginners only had four members.

The guild of the Endward Cult's greatest threat only had four members.

Jade had to fight not to scream at that.

She was used to dealing with big guilds or even small bands of newbs, but never a guild of four.

How in Herobrine's name was she supposed to whittle down their numbers without anyone realizing?

She whispered to herself about a way she wouldn't stand out, but played it off when Cobb pressed her. According to Cobb, they were all skilled, but she found that hard to believe, considering all the work she had to do to keep them safe in the woods.

The way it looked, she would be doing most of the heavy-lifting for the Beginners. If they ever let her join, of course.

Jade grimaced as she kicked over the gear of slain Berserkers, picking out Heads and storing them away in the same ender chest she had drawn her diamond cutlass from.

She and Cobb had just freed Floyd from Berserker HQ, and while the two had held their own against Dahlia and her forces, Jade still found herself doing most of the work.

Luckily, the two had been knocked out by the fall. The irony that the biggest threat to the Endward Cult and his Hacker best friend had almost died to gravity was not lost to her. After gathering all the Heads and tidying up the gear so that Cobb wouldn't ask any questions, she was almost tempted to slay the slumbering Floyd. He was a Hacker and could only be a threat. Better to take him out now…

But then Cobb would see this as a failure. She lowered the cutlass, realizing that nothing would earn Cobb's trust like Floyd coming out of Berserker HQ in one piece.

She'd let him live, but only so long as it earned her Cobb's trust. Then, all bets were off.

Jade and Floyd were sitting in a cell together.

She was terrified. She knew he was on to her after Dahlia spilled the beans about her cutlass. So Princess Alaqua was safe and the Beginners were heroes, big whoop. She was stuck in a cell with a Hacker and he was on to her.

She had to tell him a half-truth to throw off his suspicions, so she opened up. Maybe more than she'd like to admit. She told him about her married life in Lazuli, about her mysterious teacher who gave her the cutlass, about her husband's death—"a cultist killed him right in front of me"—and about the guilds she joined. What wasn't a lie was what she felt about the guilds foisting their work on her. She always felt that she was the breadwinner in every group she joined, and that everyone put the responsibility on her shoulders.

She never admitted it was the reason she felt no guilt when she inevitably stabbed them in the back.

The Beginners were already different, considering Floyd did the heavy-lifting of rescuing the Princess from going 'Squish!' against the jungle floor. Not to mention Cobb delayed a Captain and assassin, Lenz took on Ciro, and Soul bested Brandr.

The Beginners had skills.

By the end of her story of half-truths, Floyd was more sympathetic. But then he started talking about her becoming the real Jade. She almost laughed out loud. They had no idea who the real Jade was, and if they knew, they would have killed her.

Besides, guys preferred her meek and shy. She couldn't be herself. She was too intense.

But Floyd was firm. He wanted her to admit to Cobb her skills with the cutlass. He even shared his own experience about never owning up to his secret of being a Hacker, and always regretting he never came clean with his friends. They supported him learning the truth, but he never gave them the benefit of the doubt to tell them first.

He didn't want that to happen to Jade. She could appreciate the honesty there. It… hit closer to home than she would admit.

Later on, after crossing into Zeppil's territory, Floyd shared more of his past.

He said he always regretted letting his friend Silent die to those cultists. If he had control of his Hacker powers back then, he wouldn't have had to run away like a coward. Jade, meanwhile, had the power and the freedom to use it, but she held herself back because she was afraid of becoming the Beginners' breadwinner.

Instead, she was training Cobb in parkour while he trained her in sword-fighting. It was painful watching Cobb try and give her pointers when she knew all those pointers were horrible. Cobb was no Ember, and he preferred to use that fishing rod over any traditional weapon.

He was no Ember, but she could see some similarities between the Beginners and the Lieutenants. Soul and XoX. Floyd and Leadstripe. Lenz and Mark. Cobb and…

…

She didn't have a face for Cobb.

He was goofy like Teal, but not as bubbly as a shaken soda. He had a certain drive, like Sdraw, but without the ten-steps-ahead mindset of a super villain. He had some good plans, but…

He definitely wasn't a Jade. Jade was the Poisoned Dagger. She stabbed people in the back. Cobb worked to keep things together. She excelled at breaking them apart.

He wasn't her. Definitely not. Even if he was getting better at parkour.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

In the midst of the Parkour Games, on the night of Round One no less, Jade had confessed to her skills with the cutlass. It had happened during a routine training session and the truth just got blurted out in a fit of rage. She was better at a sword than him and even had a cutlass to prove it.

Floyd had said he'd take it well. He was wrong.

Cobb was furious with her for keeping her skills a secret when it could have meant his friends' lives. He cared more about them than he did his own life.

She pleaded with him to believe her. She would have fought for them. She would have!

"I'm sorry." He said sadly. "I just… I don't know how to believe you."

She had to fake it. She had to have tears run down her face over being rejected and distrusted, over all her work amounting to nothing. She had to run away to make Cobb feel bad and consider forgiving her. She had to fake it all.

Why did her fingers go numb, though? Why did she drop her cutlass if it was all fake?

Why did she feel Cobb's disappointment? It wasn't supposed to matter. This was just another mission.

Jade still didn't know why she felt Cobb's disappointment in her gut. It was like some heavy stone she couldn't pass.

She tried to busy herself with the second round of the Parkour Games. She qualified for the third round, naturally, but it all felt hollow.

She couldn't help but wonder what Cobb was thinking. He didn't immediately jump to exploiting her after discovering the truth. It was so much worse him being disappointed in her.

Soul tried to get her to come back and talk with him, but how could she? She didn't know what to do or say? She didn't think she could look him in the eye.

Which Jade was she supposed to be?

Leadstripe… that imbecile!

After 4Blite made contact with Cobb during his Creeper Herd attack, Ember had given specific instructions to stay away from the Billionth and the Executives had agreed that that decision was for the best. Making contact with him was dangerous.

The truth was that Jade had been tasked with infiltrating the Billionth's group of friends and gaining their trust. She'd keep tabs on them and, if necessary, protect them for the Endward Cult's sake and see for herself just how dangerous King_Cobb was. Ember stressed how important this job was and Jade assured her it would be done.

Yet here she was, staring down Leadstripe after he attacked Cobb. If not for that suited stranger with the shield, Leadstripe would have killed him and ruined everything.

He deserved that kick to the chest… and so much worse.

Jade delivered on that as she moved like a whirlwind, delivering slashes that Leadstripe struggled to parry. Confusion was clear on his face, but the covert Lieutenant had to make it look convincing. She was being watched by Cobb and Captain Fo of Zeppil.

After getting thoroughly trounced, Jade allowed him a moment to make a move. He eyed her and the two Lieutenants shared a look.

"This was a mistake…"

And then he used TNT to blast himself out of there. Even still, Jade had to follow. She and Captain Fo were masters at parkour. It would look suspicious if they didn't at least try and catch him.

But after they split up down that alley, and it was just Jade and a winded Leadstripe, Jade dropped the act.

"I thought you were told not to make contact with Cobb."

"You mean the Billionth." She shrugged like it didn't matter. "Well, sorry. Nobody told me Ember had you tailing him."

"It's more than tailing." Jade said lowly. "I've infiltrated his guild. He counts me as a trusted friend…" She hesitated, thinking of their fight the night prior. "He trusts me. And all my hard work would have been wasted had you killed him. Or worse, blown my cover."

"I was trying to mitigate risks." Leadstripe shot back. "Herobrine warned us about him. He could mean our doom! Why risk it? You're in a prime position to—"

"I have my orders, which I follow, unlike some people." Jade countered, not appreciating how he wanted her to do his dirty work. "Now beat it… unless you want to help solidify my cover by letting me apprehend you." She gave a saccharine smile to the paling Lieutenant.

"You wouldn't…"

"Oh? But it would go so far in gaining their trust. How could I possibly be evil when I turned in a Lieutenant? And those prison cells are oh so cramped. Tell me, are you still claustrophobic?"

"…I'll leave."

Jade let out a satisfied scoff as he stalked away. "That's what I thought."

Now, to think of a convincing lie as to how Leadstripe escaped…

"When I close my eyes and think of the World, I can only see the people I've befriended. The ones I've encountered, the ones that matter to me more than anything. The connections I've made, the bridges I've built. My friends mean more to me than the world. My friends… are my World."

"You still matter to me, Jade. You're still a part of my World. That hasn't changed. So if you still want to be part of this guild—part of my World—please, don't hide yourself from me." He beamed at her. "I want to know the real you. If that's alright…?"

All was forgiven, and yet Jade felt that rock in her gut double in weight. This wasn't like any guild she'd been a part of. This was deeper… on an emotional level. This was Cobb's weakness—what made him the most vulnerable. He was baring it all to her, asking her to be the real Jade.

And she just… couldn't… do it…

How often had she wished her husband could've shared those exact words with her? How long had she craved such a connection?

That's when it hit her. She had a face for Cobb now. A likeness she could compare to.

He was an Ember.

He cared when nobody else did. He never thought of using her, he just wanted her to be herself.

On the inside, hidden from Cobb's view, she felt herself choke up. If she had met Cobb first instead of Jack, or even Ember, how different would her life had been?

She tried to banish it from her mind. She had a role to fill. She had to keep up with the lies.

Not all of them, though. She could act like herself. She didn't have to play coy anymore. She could be open.

It was one less mask for her to wear.

The next day, following the third round of the Parkour Games, Jade found another meddling Lieutenant. This one with a smaller brain.

XoX.

She had been trying to avoid this muscle-bound meathead for the past three days, knowing he would say something without thinking and expose her to the others. She almost got through it without having to talk to him.

Luckily, Cobb and the others were elsewhere. No better time to get this out of the way.

"Green girl." He growled. "Why here? No fight in Spleef."

"I'm a parkourist. And I have enough sense not to challenge you to a fight. Now stay away from me. I'm undercover on an important mission."

"You know Billionth not EX?"

Jade sighed. "Yes, I know. But I'm keeping an eye on him. So go away. Shoo."

He scowled, grabbing Jade's wrist. "I no like being shooed. Billionth is warrior, like me. He has fire. He strong. Want to face him again. Make it happen."

Jade looked at the meaty hand closed around her wrist and had a flashback to how Jack forcibly held her before dragging her over and striking her. She didn't like it.

She acted without thinking, kicking the larger man in the balls and watching him collapse with his legs shielding his weak spot.

If she knew how to do that with her late husband, maybe she wouldn't have let the abuse go on for forty years.

She excused herself from the simmering Lieutenant; though she had a feeling she hadn't seen the last of him.

Her words proved prophetic.

The next night, at the End-of-Games Celebration in Cloud Castle, XoX made a reappearance. This time he let anger guide his actions, grabbing the smaller Lieutenant and growling at her.

Then Cobb came to her rescue, breaking a chair over his head.

XoX was escorted out by the guards before he could expose her, but she couldn't deny that Cobb saved her a lot of trouble. For that, she was grateful.

She felt she owed her hero a bit of flirting. And a dance.

She was just playing her role, she told herself.

And if she had fun dancing the night away, well…

Fun time over.

Carys_Angel had crashed the party.

She had a history with Cobb, it seemed, but nothing could compare with her reveal that she was the infamous Angel of Death.

Jade was at a loss for words. This was completely out of left field for her. She didn't think Cobb was all that impressive. He always seemed to be in trouble and need her help. They trained and he was improving, but he was nowhere near as impressive as Ember or Teal. But to learn he had a history with the Angel of Death. She was actually hunting him.

Any doubt she had on whether Carys was the true Angel of Death were dashed when she showed off Executive GardenWalker's Head. That proved, without a doubt, that Carys_Angel was the leader of the Paragons and the one responsible for their Southern Division's destruction.

I need to get this information to Ember!

Her teacher had expressed a strong desire to slay the Angel ever since hearing news of Garden's death. Her identity was as closely guarded as Ember's, but there was always a hint that any information pertaining to her identity would be handsomely rewarded.

And Cobb had known all along.

It seems Ember had been right. Sticking with the Billionth had bore fruit.

They had escaped the Angel of Death and her Paragons.

Jade could hardly believe it. The Angel of Death herself was there—at the same spot the Southern Division met their end twenty-five years ago—and yet the Beginners had eluded her grasp. To add insult to injury, they escaped in her own airship! HA! Ember would be rolling on the floor laughing when she heard this!

The Beginners had held their own splendidly, though there was some additional help in the form of a new recruit, Nowhere_Man. Not sure what his deal was, but Soul seemed to know him. That couldn't take away from how the Beginners acted when their leader was in peril.

And Cobb! He had held off the Angel herself and lived! He didn't win, but he got some good hits in. He even grabbed Carys' Wither Skeleton mask and survived. That was more than GardenWalker could say.

For the first time, Jade started to look at Cobb, not as an enemy, but as an ally. Carys_Angel was their common enemy.

But far from being elated at his victory, Cobb was falling apart. His instinct was to flee from Carys—an instinct Jade shared—but he was terrified beyond words. He had night terrors, he found himself snapping at his friends, and when Jade found him in Carys' bedroom, he was clearly at his lowest point.

Jade found him, sobbing, doubting himself, beating himself up, and even contemplating killing himself for the sake of protecting his friends. Carys was everything he ever feared personified in one person. She was trying to destroy his World. His World meant more to him than his life, and Carys was a direct threat to that, actively hunting him, and he only had himself to blame.

He didn't think he could beat her, and maybe he couldn't, but in that moment, Cobb was completely vulnerable.

He was no longer some great Endward Cult destroyer. He was just a terrified man who needed someone to reach out and take his hand. He had such a big heart that it pained Jade to see him so broken like this. When he started talking about killing himself to save the others, Jade moved without thinking and captured his lips in her own.

She wanted to believe she was just doing this for her mission. She wanted to believe she was just winning him over with her charm. But this had nothing to do with it. She just wanted him to feel safe. She wanted him to know he wasn't alone.

It was the same feeling Ember had with Herobrine. Ember and Jade. They just wanted to prove to them they weren't alone.

The kiss did wonders for Cobb's fear, blasting it out of the water, and Jade would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it.

So she kissed him again.

And he kissed her back.

And they were rolling around in Carys' room, cracking jokes about making love on her bed, but they never crossed that final threshold. They satisfied themselves exploring one another's bodies and mouths, pouring every last ounce of passion and want into their actions. To Cobb, it was probably more about security and taking his mind off Carys, but Jade didn't care. She liked him better this way.

And compared to what she had to do in other guilds, this was tame.

She loved it.

It cemented her and Cobb as an item, even if it was only meant to calm him down. They both enjoyed it. And Jade felt such immeasurable joy after they had exhausted themselves making out that she made a proposal. It was a pure, heat of the moment thing, and she didn't even think about plans or the Endward Cult or anything. Just her and Cobb.

"Let's run away."

"W-What?"

"We can ditch the airship and escape into the wilds—just the two of us!" She said excitedly, speaking from the heart she had long thought callused over.

But then, she saw the confusion on his face. The reluctance. She knew what he'd say. She knew what would hold him back.

"What do you mean? What about the others—?"

She closed her heart off and put the mask back on, flashing a beaming smile for good measure. "Just kidding!"

She laughed it off, knowing Cobb would never abandon his friends. They were his family, and he'd die before abandoning them. She was his family too, but there were no favorites, even if she was his girlfriend now.

Later, she would wonder just what had come over her in that moment.

The only thing she could do was somehow sway Cobb into joining the Endward Cult. If she could do that, then they wouldn't care what he'd been prophesized for. She'd have to figure a way for his other friends to accept the cult. Soul and Floyd had intense grudges that couldn't be swept under the rug.

If they still didn't accept Cobb, he could always win them over with Carys' Head.

"You know, you might have a better chance at killing Carys than you think." Jade said.

Carys hated him too much to just kill him. That gave Cobb an advantage nobody else had. He could pull it off. He could kill her. He could earn the cult's favor—Ember would welcome him with open arms if he brought her the Angel's Head. He just needed a confidence boost.

"Cobb, I know you're scared of her. I really do." Jade hugged him close, speaking the words directly into his ear. "But you need to shelf that fear, because there's only one way this can go with Carys."

"You have to kill her."

The rest would work itself out.

Jade and Cobb were on a balcony shielded from the pounding rain as a tumultuous storm blew over the abandoned village. The others were downstairs, chatting with the Crafters they had rescued from Mobs. All of them were taking shelter from the storm.

The two joked. Shared a laugh. Had a moment. Cobb leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Her cheeks heated up in response, not expecting the affection.

"Oh, sorry, I—"

"No, no, you don't have to—"

The moment seemed right, and I just—"

"Yeah, I get it, um…" She flushed, unsure of what to say next.

"…Wanna head back inside?" Cobb suggested, more so to fill the awkwardness. "The others are probably worried about us by now."

"N-No, I think I'll stay out here for a little longer. Get my emotions in check." She was referring to her tinged cheeks. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Alright. Don't be too long." Cobb left the balcony, mentally berating himself for being so forward.

As soon as he was gone, Jade fell backwards over the balcony.

In an impressive display of flexibility and parkour mastery, Jade flipped in midair and landed on the wet grass below. With a mental command, she willed off her green leather jacket. It faded in a shower of lights and left her wearing only her purple undershirt. She took great care in keeping under the eaves of the building as she circled round and covertly peered through the windows into the main room. Just in time for Cobb to descend the stairs and rejoin the others.

Carys is chasing after us. We need to get the Asmodeus moving. She thought, watching as Cobb chatted with her target. We need coal. Beican knows how to get to the coal, but he refuses to enter the mine. Nothing in this world will get him to lead us to the coal. Unless…

Jade gripped her cutlass as she saw an opportunity. Mirabelle excused herself from talking with Cobb to go down the hall. Bathroom break, perhaps?

Jade loped around to the back of the building where the hallway led.

Beican would go down into that mine in a heartbeat… if he knew his wife was there.

Jade peered into the bathroom, the back of her undershirt getting damp from the windswept rain. She paid it little mind as she saw Mirabelle on the toilet.

She waited for a particularly loud peal of thunder before breaking through the window. Mirabelle let out a startled breath, but Jade had slapped a hand to her mouth and had the other holding a cutlass to her neck. She whispered into the startled wife's ear.

"Scream or cause trouble and my friends out there will make it so you never see your husband again."

It was an obvious lie—Cobb and the others would never do such a thing—but it worked. Mirabelle immediately stilled. Her hands, which had been reaching to pry off Jade's hand, fell to her sides, submissive.

"Good." Jade sheathed her cutlass before slipping a hand into Mirabelle's belt, securing an item she spotted on her earlier. A book and quill. "You wanted to pay us back for rescuing you? Well, you're about to get that chance." She guided the terrified wife over to the sink and set down the book, allowing Mirabelle's hands free. "Write down exactly what I say and sign it. Don't delay."

Jade whispered the words fast, knowing that her window was closing. She needed to be back on that balcony to provide herself an alibi. She watched as Mirabelle wrote what she said word for word with trembling hands.

[Beican,]

[I'm sorry you have to hear it this way, but I knew you'd try to stop me.]

[I was always taught to help those that helped me, and that extends to the Crafters who saved us from those Mobs. I wouldn't feel right letting them go into that mine alone.]

[I know you're afraid to go down there, so I'll go myself. Ghosts don't scare me. I'll bring back as much coal as I can carry and apologize for worrying you.]

[Don't have anyone else come after me. I can look after myself, and I wouldn't forgive myself if anyone, especially you, got hurt. I love you.]

And then she signed it.

[-Mirabelle]

If his own wife signed it, Beican and the others would never suspect subterfuge.

Reading the message out to herself, Mirabelle whimpered into the hand still preventing her from screaming out. Jade could tell what she was thinking as she shut the book and left it on the sink. Easy for someone to find.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Jade lied. "I just need to hide you outside somewhere safe so Beican will think you're in the mine and go after you. Rest assured, we'll keep him safe from any spooky spirits while he leads us to the coal."

The words had the desired effect of calming Mirabelle down. Jade gestured for her to walk out the smashed window while her free hand slid to her cutlass' handle.

The two women exited the bathroom…

Climbed out the smashed window…

Walked a good thirty feet out into the pouring rain…

And then, in a flash of lightning and a diamond blue crescent…

It was done.

The Lieutenant cleaned up the evidence as she usually did. Scooping the wife's Inventory into a tidy little hole and sealing it up. It wouldn't do for anyone to find her belongings up here. The only exception was Mirabelle's Head, which she stowed away deep into her backpack. That, at least, would need to be found in the mine, so that her story would fit. It would give Beican something to bury, and he would go down there, despite the warnings.

That was how husbands and wives were supposed to be. Not the ugly thing her marriage had been.

Returning to the building, Jade used her parkour skills once more to ascend to the balcony. She shook her damp undershirt slightly before willing her jacket back on. Dry as a bone. It would conceal her damp clothes nicely.

She wrung out a few drops from her hair, smoothed out her jacket, and slipped into her perfect guise once again. Nobody was the wiser as she meandered down the stairs and spoke to Cobb with ease.

"What's up? You got your thinking face on."

They talked. He confided. She commented.

But then she drew attention to her work.

"Hey are we short somebody?"

The rest worked itself out.

Jade was running. Running down a dark mine and placing torches while some unholy abomination was chasing her and her situational companions, Cormac and Beatrix.

They had been separated from Cobb's group after securing the coal. This was not part of the plan. She never thought the spirit would be real!

The legends said it pursued lovers. Sure, she may have had moments of weakness with Cobb lately, but… but they couldn't have been true romance! She gave up on that years ago after her husband's cruelty. She was a Lieutenant first and foremost! She owed it to her teacher.

And yet… she couldn't deny that Cobb was unlike any other Crafter she got close to. He didn't look at her with lecherous eyes. Was that stretching for him in the rain for her mission, or was it for him alone?

The trio of Crafters continued to run from the horrible thing that bore a startling resemblance to a Ghast. They came to a fork. Two paths.

"Go!" Cormac pointed the ladies go the path to the left. He'd go right. "I'll distract it! OVER HERE YOU UGLY THING!"

"UehuehEEEIH!"

The creature chased him, allowing Jade and Beatrix to continue unbothered. The path wound to the right and they kept going until they reached a doughnut-shaped cavern to catch their breath.

"Do you think… Cormac'll be okay…?" Beatrix asked between pants.

Jade was hardly listening. She needed to link back up with Cobb. "I have a map linked with Cobb's." She reached deep into her pack, drawing out the aged paper. It stuck on something and she yanked hard to free it. "We can use this to—"

Beatrix and her watched as the map unfurled in the air, tearing out the item that had gotten stuck to it. Jade moved fast to grab and hide it, but the damage was done.

Beatrix had seen Mirabelle's Head.

"That's…" Beatrix pointed at it with wide eyes. "Mirabelle's… Head…? But… how…?"

"…I found it in the coal storeroom." Jade invented. "I didn't want to tell Beican because…" She trailed off, seeing the fear in Beatrix's eyes. She had already made up her mind about why Mirabelle's Head was in Jade's Inventory.

Fuck.

Jade's fingers missed Beatrix's clothes by a second as the terrified woman ran deeper into the mine. The Lieutenant cursed as she drew her cutlass with one hand and threw Mirabelle's Head haphazardly into the doughnut-shaped cavern. Now was not the time to make Mirabelle's death look convincing. She hoped someone would find the Head or, if not, she would lead Cobb and the others into this cavern where they'd find it themselves.

But if Beatrix got to the others first…

Jade's amethyst eyes darkened as she used every parkour ability at her disposal to catch the fleeing woman. She put on a burst of speed, her cutlass poised to strike.

"HELP!" Beatrix screamed as loud as she could. "Jade killed Mirabelle! JADE KILLED HER!"

It was lost to the echoing wails of the vale, but Jade felt a rising sense of panic thinking what would happen if Cobb ever caught wind of this.

She has to die.

Luck was on her side as the tunnel opened up to a steep chasm. Beatrix put down torches, but was forced to stop. Nowhere to run.

She turned and drew a sword with shaking fingers. The Lieutenant swatted it out of her hands with contemptuous ease and watched as it was sent spinning down into the chasm below. She then pressed her cutlass into the center of Beatrix's chest, forcing her to the edge.

It would look like an accident. A nasty fall and she wouldn't scream a word of anything to anybody!

She pushed, but Beatrix reflexively snapped out a hand and grabbed the Lieutenant by the sleeve. Jade had to keep balance for the both of them as they grappled on the precipice.

"You killed Mirabelle, you bitch!" Beatrix screamed, wrestling so that she would be the one off the edge. "My best friend…!"

Jade snarled, wrenching free her cutlass and slashing in a flurry of crescent critical hits just as Beatrix stole something from Jade's free hand.

Her map!

Beatrix died on the edge, exploding in a shower of gear that mostly rained into the chasm below… including Jade's linked map.

"For Herobrine's sake!" Jade cursed, kicking some residual items off while grabbing Beatrix's Head which had caught on a ledge. She'd have to climb down now because of that woman's infernal struggling. That map was the key to finding Cobb.

She was about to parkour down when a blood-curdling yell made her turn.

"UehuehEEEIH!"

That Ghast thing spat a fireball and blasted Jade right off the edge. She panicked, twisting her body as best she could and aiming for the chasm's edges.

Her shoulder caught one ledge, slowing her down but hurting like hell. Beatrix's Head fell out of her numb grip. Then she cracked her head on another ledge. Dazed, her back hit one more ledge and bled off the rest of her momentum, allowing her to roll along the chasm floor besides Beatrix's gear.

In another life, that woman was probably laughing at her.

With blurry vision, Jade couldn't find the map or see much of anything. But she heard the Mobs coming for her. She was in no shape to fight.

So she crawled over to a predug hole in the wall and sealed it up with cobblestone. She lit it up with a torch and sat against the wall, her head bobbing while her consciousness slipped in and out and Mobs banged against her stony walls.

Cobb…

She sat there for a while, her head throbbing painfully. She felt sick and weak. She couldn't eat. She didn't think anyone would find her.

But then he came.

Seeing his smiling, tear-streaked face poking into her hole in the wall, she felt safe and secure. Like everything would be alright.

That was how she felt the day she married Jack_Pall, but here, it was genuine.

Cobb. He had been terrified for her. Seeing one another was as much a relief to him as it was for her.

She had said that a husband would brave a haunted mine if his wife was in peril. Cobb had done what Beican had done.

Maybe it was the wooziness of her cracked skull—but Jade felt…

Giddy.

Another bombshell had been dropped.

At first, Jade wondered if the Beginners had any interest in Herobrine at all. Ember believed they'd be looking for the Founder, but there was never any mention of him. For a time, Jade wondered if they really were a threat, or if Ember had called it wrong.

Then they got to Akasha, the Mess Kingdom, where cultists like her were universally persecuted and hated. And yes, the irony was not lost on her that she was a Lieutenant, traveling with suspected cultists, and that her cover was a suspected cultist actually being innocent actually being a cultist.

But then they got held up at a gate for holding onto contraband.

That's when she found out about the Herobrine books.

Cobb was holding onto actual Herobrine books all along. It was the sort of stuff Ember and the other Executives would have killed to read, and he just had them in his back pocket. Noman too.

She had to get her hands on them.

Plus, Cobb and the Beginners weren't even aware of Herobrine's status as the Endward Cult's Founder! SHE had to tell them all about it!

So, she shared what she knew and watched as Cobb lost all faith in the author he looked up to.

If Ember were here, she could have reaffirmed Cobb's faith in Herobrine, but she wasn't, and it would look strange for Jade to suddenly support him. She had to stand back and let it play out.

And she just hated Akasha. The climate, the suspicious glances. It was all just a miserable time for the Lieutenant.

More so when that Nephrait bitch stole her cutlass. And then there was McGahn and his ACC landing her fellow cultists in jail with the help of that walking edgelord, Glowing_Obsidian. He was another thorn, but not on the scale of Carys. Just enough to be on the Endward Cult's radar.

They were all enemies of the cult, and now, enemies of Cobb and the Beginners.

All she wanted to do was take back her cutlass from Nephrait and leave that horrible Mess of a Kingdom behind, but Cobb and Noman had lost their Herobrine books to the Book Burglar and had to go find them in the hidden Akashic Records.

She wanted those books back to give to Ember.

She'd let them do their mission and she'd get her cutlass back. Everything else was none of her concern.

Now, it was her concern.

She had seen the ACC mobilizing, but she would never have guessed they'd storm the Akashic Records and capture Cobb. Now they had a supposed Executive in custody, and Jade had a pretty good idea what McGahn and the citizens would do to him.

She needed to free him somehow. Breaking into the Pit would be no trouble, but then what? McGahn and Nephrait and the ACC were still a factor and she had to eliminate them to have a chance of rescuing Cobb.

She had to save him… For her mission!

She found she had to remind herself of that more and more. It was for her mission. It was for her mission. It was for her mission.

If they had Cobb, they definitely had his map. The other blips were already winking out as the Beginners hid themselves away from the prying eyes of the ACC. Jade was on her own here until she reconvened with her teammates.

…Or maybe she had to rely on her other teammates.

She audibly groaned, already dreading what she'd have to ask for.

She had a day at best.

One day, then Cobb's fate would be up in the air. She couldn't be absent for too long either or the Beginners would wonder where she'd been. She was taking a huge risk doing this, but if it was for Cobb—

If it was for her mission, she'd gladly swallow her pride and get it done.

The Endward Cult traveled by Nether Portals, and it was common knowledge among the Lieutenants that each Kingdom had a transport portal in case of emergencies or for large transport of troops. Abyssmal had painstakingly set them up to ensure the cultists could get around faster than the authorities pursuing them. Akasha was no different.

The portal would be hidden well to avoid the prying eyes of the ACC, but it would still exist. Jade found it buried in the catacombs of an old funeral hall. The Nether Portal was swirling with purple energy and Jade wasted no time stepping inside.

The Nether was hot and fiery, but there was a simple highway connecting the Akasha Portal to many of the others. She only had to go a short walk, passing a few portals as she went, and ignoring Zombie Pigmen, before she found the Portal she was looking for.

The Northern Division HQ.

She passed through and found herself in an underground compound buried deep beneath the Kingdom of Ringwood. She'd been here a few times to get orders of new guilds she was tasked with infiltrating, so she knew the lay of the place.

She went up a stairwell, passing cultists as she went who saluted her and offered greetings and waves she was too focused to return. Then, she approached his office, noticing how barren of activity it was. 4Blite did not want to be disturbed.

Jade disturbed him anyway by knocking on his door. He moved swiftly, opening it up and observing who had dared to bother him. He sneered.

"Jade."

"4Blite."

"Last I heard you were on assignment with the Billionth." He folded his arms, leaning on the doorframe, and showing off his latest acquisition: A Tinker's Battleaxe. He glanced to her belt and she grimaced realizing what he had noticed. "Where's your Cutlass? Don't tell me you lost the prized weapon Ember entrusted you with."

"You don't need to worry about my Cutlass." Jade countered. "I'm here on business."

4Blite's dark purple eyes blinked as they regarded Jade before he stepped aside and allowed his fellow Lieutenant to enter.

"Please excuse the mess." He said snidely. "If I had known Ember's favorite would be visiting, I would have rolled out the red carpet—"

"Save it, 4Blite. I can't help that I get better numbers." Jade sat down, glaring at the man.

"No, I suppose you can't make less of an effort." 4Blite sat down opposite her and resumed his very important paperwork. "Wouldn't be your style. So what do I owe this 'pleasure'?"

"I need a known Lieutenant to write a book as evidence." Jade cut to the chase. "I'll tell you exactly what to write, I just need your signature and I'll be out of your hair."

"You need my help?" Despite his cold demeanor, a crooked smile started to grace his dark face. "You? Need my help?"

Jade let loose an aggravated hiss. "No, I just need a known Lieutenant. Doesn't have to be you. Leadstripe or Teal would do just fine—"

"Unfortunately, they're not here." 4Blite cut her hopes down with quiet relish. "They got called into action by Ember and Abyssmal. MarkAble went with them too."

"What?" Jade looked up, alarmed. "What for?"

"An attack on our weapons outpost in the Birch Forest." 4Blite explained, leaning back. "They needed reinforcements. Fact is, I'm all you got until they get back. Could be a while."

Jade hated that he had her over a barrel. Worse, since Ember wasn't here, she couldn't force him to cut the crap and follow orders. She grit her teeth. "Fine, then I guess it has to be you. Can you help me out?"

"As much as I'd love to help out the Executive's Pet," Jade glowered at him, "I fail to see what's in it for me."

She sighed. She knew this was coming. 4Blite sought to climb the ladder in the Endward Cult's hierarchy. For years, he'd been outdone by her in Head quotas and being favored by Ember. He wouldn't lift a finger to help unless he got something out of it.

Fortunately, Jade had just the thing.

"What if I offered you some desirable information?" She threw out.

"Like what?"

"Like the Angel of Death's identity."

4Blite's dark purple eyes widened and he slowly leaned forward. "Like hell you know that."

"Let's just say my stint with the Billionth has paid off." She elaborated. "You write this book for me, I'll give you the name of the biggest thorn in Ember's side AND let you claim all the credit. She would kiss you for that information."

4Blite drummed his fingers on his desk, contemplating the offer. He was sharp, though. "This isn't like you, Jade. You'd never offer me of all people information this desirable. You have to know this is something Ember has been wanting ever since the Southern Division fell." 4Blite looked her in the eyes. "What's the importance of the book you want me to write?"

"I need you to implicate the ACC leaders in Akasha." She explained, realizing 4Blite wouldn't let it drop. "They've been imprisoning many of our cultists. Sdraw himself called them a bunch of meddlesome fools."

"Ah." 4Blite nodded. "Yes, I've heard of the ACC and Obsidian. Not nearly as much a threat as the Angel and the Paragons. Is there something bigger at work, here?"

"I need it to fulfill my mission." Jade explained resolutely.

"Does it have something to do with the Billionth?"

"I need it to fulfill my mission." Jade repeated lowly. "Do we have a deal or not?"

Jade didn't want to say that this had little to do with her mission and more with saving Cobb from the ACC. If McGahn and Nephrait were implicated and the ACC were cast into doubt, it would give her the chaos she needed to spring Cobb from the Pit and escape.

She was giving up Carys' name and the credit for Cobb's sake.

However, 4Blite didn't need to know that she had something better to offer Ember. A set of Herobrine books that would have the orange-haired beauty practically gushing with praise.

She hid her smile well as 4Blite took out a book and started transcribing her words.

[Mission Update]

[Congratulations are in order, Grosvenor. Thanks to your and Nephrait's work behind the scenes, more and more innocent Crafters are being locked away, thinning Akasha's already dwindling population. It has been a slow process, I'm sure, but your work for the Northern Division will soon bear fruit. Within a year or two, I predict the population will be low enough and so disjointed that our Division will be able to steamroll through their defenses and claim the Kingdom as the latest sacrifice for our glorious mission. Not even that fool of a Captain will be able to stop this.]

[Keep the populace unaware of your true goal. When the time comes, you will be welcomed back to the cult as a hero. You may even get promoted to Executive.]

[I will update you on any changes in the plan. Burn after reading.]

[-Lieutenant 4Blite, Northern Division]

"I hate you."

"Feeling's mutual. Now give me the book."

She was back before the day was out, sneaking into the Pit and locating Cobb. She had a plan all set up to rescue him… and the other prisoners, apparently. Cobb was too good for his own good.

And then she heard that Nephrait stabbed him in the back after he rescued her.

"I'm gonna kill that bitch."

It hadn't been a sure thing, especially since Cobb detested cold-blooded killing. He was too soft for that, always sparing a defeated foe, not realizing that it wasn't death, just a new life. But after everything else that Nephrait had done, to hear she betrayed Cobb's kindness and threw him in the Pit, she knew she had to die.

It couldn't wait until after she had been implicated. It had to be the second she saw her again. She parkoured up Indrad Rock into McGahn's office and planted the Mission Update Book she had 4Blite sign. Then, as if it were destiny, Nephrait appeared.

Jade reclaimed her cutlass and enjoyed watching Nephrait fall to her death.

Lenz had picked her up shortly after in the airship and they hurried to stop Cobb's execution. When they arrived, however, the situation had resolved itself.

The prisoners of the Pit were free, McGahn, Obsidian, and the ACC were pacified, and Cobb was alive and well.

He had even defended Herobrine to a crowd of cult-haters. That would score him major points with Ember, and she'd be sure to tell her the next chance she got. Cobb was definite Endward Cult material.

He carried the Herobrine books with him without shame. A trilogy of Mob books written by the Founder. Those would win points with Ember too.

And then… and then…

She found out about Noman. And his mission. And the artifacts. And his status as the true Billionth.

That news had done two things to Jade. First, it shocked her beyond belief. After months of groundwork, she was learning that the man she thought she was meant to win over was a different man entirely. Cobb wasn't the Billionth. It was Noman! It was always Noman! He had the mission from Notch! He was the Cult's reckoning! He was the threat!

And that was the other half of what she was feeling: Elation! Sweet relief! Because Cobb's wasn't the threat. Noman was! It was always Noman! Now, everything made perfect sense! It explained why Cobb looked up to Herobrine, it explained why he didn't seem like a threat. It was because he wasn't! The threat was always Noman! Cobb could be an ally!

Cobb could be won over! Cobb could join their cause! Cobb could serve in her subdivision, or, fuck it, the world already thought he was a cultist, why not make him the new Southern Executive? Have Floyd and Lenz serve as his Lieutenants—they might need some convincing—but it would all work out so long as Cobb could be swayed! And Cobb would be swayed—she'd make sure of it!

She'd work slowly, trying to convince Cobb that 'Next Life' was true. That it never mattered who got killed, because everybody just passed on to the next life. The world was already against him. Carys wanted him and his friends dead. Join the Endward Cult, and he'd be safe. He could help kill her. He could add the Executives and Lieutenants to his World and make new friends! And she'd always be there to support him and love him. There didn't have to be a split or separation. There didn't have to be any big reveal of betrayal. They could all just laugh about this. They could!

It would all be buried with Noman. He, alone, had to die. He, alone, was the threat. Not Cobb. Never Cobb. Cobb was innocent.

She knew what she wanted. She just had to work it out. Cobb would never go without Floyd and Lenz and Soul. Noman… that was unavoidable, but Cobb hadn't known him for long. She could win him over.

Floyd and Soul, they'd be the toughest to swing to the cult's side. They had history. But if she could just explain to them that their friend, Silent, wasn't truly dead, maybe they'd come around.

She could do it. She could make it work.

She and Cobb could be…

Lenz found out.

He would tell Cobb everything.

He had to die.

[Floyd]

"Because the truth is," Jade leveled her cutlass at us with absolute confidence, "you're looking at the Lieutenant of the Northern Division, AceOfJades."

This revelation was bigger than the last one. Jade being a cultist was one thing, but to hear that one of their higher-ups—a Lieutenant—had been masquerading as their friend for weeks? It couldn't be true.

And yet, Jade didn't look like she was joking.

"You and 4Blite." Lenz was the first to snap out of it. "You went to your fellow Northern Lieutenant and made him write the book." He wanted confirmation.

"That's right. You see the brilliance of it? And the irony?" She shook her head. "Nephrait and McGahn spent centuries framing people for being cultists. I just did what they did, but better. They're both dead by my hand. You're welcome."

"We're welcome!?" I snapped. "You used Obsidian!"

"Obsidian was being used since he joined the ACC." Jade dismissed. "Be grateful. The ACC had Cobb imprisoned and slated for execution. I took steps to turn Akasha against them. How was I supposed to know Noman would have settled everything with his words? At the end of the day, though, McGahn and Nephrait were our enemies, and now they've moved on."

"So what was your endgame in all this!?" I shouted. "Why go through all the trouble of infiltrating our guild and befriending us? Notch, was anything you said real!?"

"Some." Jade conceded. "I was tasked with keeping an eye on you—or more accurately the Billionth. You should know from Noman what the Billionth means for the Endward Cult. This was just to mitigate risk. And it's not like I was always acting. For what it's worth, I really enjoyed being a part of the Beginners. More so than any other guild I led to ruin."

"How could you do this?" I asked, anger and betrayal rolling off me in smoky waves. "How could you do this to Cobb?"

Jade's mouth tightened for a fraction of a second before she recomposed herself. "…If you're that worried about him, we could just keep this between us." She suggested quietly. "He doesn't have to know."

"And we can just ignore how you tried to have Lenz killed?" Floyd snapped derisively.

"Yeah, I knew you wouldn't go for it." She sighed before shrugging. "I guess I'm left with no alternative. Cobb will be devastated when he hears you two were cultists and had to be put down, but don't fret." She grinned darkly. "He'll bounce back with me comforting him."

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

I shot forward with all the speed of my Hack, only to stall when a pair of splash potions were tossed at my feet. Jade smirked as she delivered two crescent slashes to my paralyzed torso. I fell back with an angry scream.

Jade clicked her tongue. "You always open with a fast charge. You didn't think I spent all that time with you without learning a thing or two. Once your Hack expires, you're a sitting duck."

Lenz shot at her with his bow, but Jade parkoured out of the way. Her eyes focused on him as she got nearer.

"As for you, Lenz," she said in between dodges, "you have the same weakness as all archers. You suck at close range!" She darted in fast, her cutlass cutting high and her foot kicking low. The blade caught on the archer's neck and his leg was swept out from under him. He landed hard in the grass and Jade poised to stab him in the throat.

"RAUGH!" I screamed, channeling all my hatred for that treacherous snake. MultiAura activated and hundreds of black spines shot forth from my body in every direction. Jade spun and tried to deflect, but two or three caught her shoulder and gut, throwing her off the engineer and destroying her last piece of cursed armor.

She replaced it with her diamond, enchanted chestplate. "Thanks. I've been wanting that off for a long time."

Lenz fell back to my side and helped me to my feet as Jade approached. Smoke was still pouring from my eyes I was so mad!

"Point my arms at her!" I commanded. Lenz did as he was told and I channeled MultiAura into my arms, launching another volley of razor sharp spines at the Lieutenant.

Her eyes widened in fear and she quickly placed a block of obsidian as cover, just as before. The spines couldn't break through that dense volcanic glass, but I was keeping her pinned with the projectiles. Hopefully long enough for the Paralysis to wear off.

Lenz dragged me as I fired, putting as much distance between us and Jade and catching on to the smart thing to do. He might even have been trying to board the Asmodeus so we could fly away and warn Cobb and Noman.

Jade made her own cover by putting down more obsidian, but she advanced at a slower pace. Anytime a part of her was exposed, Lenz would use his precision to sink an arrow into her. Even with her diamond enchanted gear, she had to be taking hits.

I won't let her get away with this. I vowed. She's not going to fool Cobb any longer!

Lenz must have been thinking the exact same thing, because his expression was furious. His eyes were shielded by those tinted goggles, but he was scowling and his mouth was twisted from the effort of dragging my limp body.

Sandra had warned me that Hacks were fueled by emotions. Well, my emotions were running as wild as the smoke swirling over my body, and I wouldn't rest until that traitorous snake was dealt with.

[Cobb]

"Remind me, why do you eat rotten flesh when you have edible food?"

"Because you never know what situation you'll find yourself in." I explained back. "Think about what would happen if we didn't find those pigs back there. We'd only have Zombie flesh as sustenance. This way, I'm used to the flavor." I took another bite of rotten flesh to punctuate my point.

"You think Jade will kiss you after that?"

"…I'll wash out my mouth."

We were just getting back from a decent food run. A few porkchops wasn't much, but once we cooked them, they'd make a good dinner before we hit the next village. We'd be able to resupply there, just in time for tomorrow night's Bounty Days.

No telling what they'd bring.

As we exited the woods and walked out into the clearing where the airship was docked, we noticed movement. Then, more alarmingly, we noticed projectiles being thrown around. It was Floyd's MultiAura!

Noman and I sprinted forward with our weapons already drawn. Were we under attack? Had Carys caught up with us again? Whatever it was we'd face it as we faced everything: Together as a guild—

My thoughts abruptly cut off when I saw the shapes fighting one another. My hand fell to my side as I saw Jade on one end and Lenz and Floyd on the other. Noman lowered his shield, relieved that it wasn't an enemy.

My first thought was that it was some harmless sparring. The three were just doing some training. They'd never want to hurt one another.

But then… what was with their expressions?

Why were there faces twisted in anger and determination, like this was a deadly duel? Why was Floyd using his dangerous MultiAura on Jade? Why was Lenz carrying him around? Why was Jade trying to slash them?

…This wasn't sparring.

"What's going on here!?" I demanded, making our presence known. Instantly, all the fighters stopped and turned to me, a jumble of words pouring from all of their mouths at once.

"Cobb! They're double agents!"

"She's a liar!"

"Cobbert, Jade is an Endward Cult Lieutenant!"

"They've been playing you from the beginning!"

"She framed McGahn!"

"Cobb, they're going to kill me! Please!"

"Don't let her deceive you!"

"She doesn't love you!"

"Cobb!"

"Cobbert!"

"Cobb!"

"HELP!"

*K-Krk*

I swayed on the spot as my brain struggled to process all of what I was hearing. My eyes were holding up better, watching helplessly as Floyd and Jade and Lenz tried their hardest to kill one another. An arrow would fly, Jade would deftly parkour out of the way, a volley of spikes dyed black as smoke would shoot out of Floyd's arms. Back and forth they fought. Back and forth.

*Krckle*

I could feel something splintering in my head. Spiderweb cracks running over an ornate frame of the Beginners smiling together. The cracks grew and grew as I watched them all try and murder one another.

"She's a cultist!"

"Cobb, they've been working with 4Blite!"

"Shut up!"

"Cobb, don't let them kill me!"

"Help us out! We're your real friends!"

"Nobody cares about you more than me!"

*KshhhHHHHHH*

The broken glass of my mind tinkled on some far-off surface as the world started to tilt. I reached up a hand, feeling a sharp pain stabbing into the back of my skull. Spreading out like those same spiderweb cracks breaking my World apart.

"Cobb…?" I felt someone touch my shoulder. Noman. He might have asked what was wrong, but it sounded so muted compared with the sounds of crossed swords and fired projectiles. Blinding visions of past times with them flashed through my mind. Blurs that only brought more pain.

My World was breaking. I was breaking.

The headache grew worse. A crescendo of pain that had me clutching at my head and breathing hard, all while my friends fought to the death right in front of my eyes. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I fell to my knees, grabbing at my head, while a strangled scream tore itself free from the depths of my soul.

Floyd. Lenz. Jade.

*C-CRAAAACK!*

"AAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHH! AAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH!"

[Floyd]

I had never heard a noise like that from Cobb before.

The sheer anguish and pain brimming in that scream had us all drop everything and stop our fighting. Jade included. Even then, Cobb didn't stop screaming. He screamed louder, clutching at his head like it was in a vice. It sounded like he was screaming his throat raw, and, if possible, blood would be bubbling up from his mouth.

We all called out to him, concern filling our tone, but all of it drowned out by Cobb's tormented cries. Those screams would haunt my nightmares.

Then, as suddenly as it started, his screaming stopped and he collapsed onto his side, mercifully insensate to the rest of the world. His body twitched in a violent spasm, then another. His eyes were still open, though. Open, but rolled up into the back of his head.

"Cobb!" We all shouted at once. Feeling returned to my body, the paralysis wearing off, and I quickly extricated myself from Lenz's grip so I could rush over and see what was wrong with my friend. Jade moved to do the same, as did Lenz.

"NOBODY MOVE!"

My powers cut off at the shouted warning. Noman was stooped over Cobb, shielding him with his body, his expression anxious and distrustful towards everyone.

He was wearing the Severe Shield.

"Until I know… what is going on…" Noman panted, his body language screaming trapped animal. "Nobody takes one step closer…"

We all held up our hands, knowing full well what the Severe Shield was capable of. If any of us attacked, we'd die.

"Nowhere, please." Lenz tried, taking a tentative step forward. "We just wish to—"

"I said step the FUCK back!" Noman screamed, the curse more than shocking us all into backing off. He never cursed.

He was a scared animal, not knowing who to trust, and possessing all the power to kill any of us if we dared. From the accusations we spewed, he was under the assumption that we were all cultists, and right now, his only guaranteed ally was unconscious and convulsing on the ground.

In that moment, I knew. To protect Cobb, he'd kill us. Aikido be damned.

We all backed off as Noman, wearing the Severe Shield, bundled Cobb in his arms and lifted him off the ground. He then put on the Bottes Zephyr and took to the sky with the fisherman.

"You come looking for us and I'll kill you." He swore softly, his eyes wide and afraid. "Stay away or I'll kill you. I'll kill you…"

And with that chilling promise, he flew over the Birch Forest. He took Cobb to safety, leaving us all behind.

Inventory (Cobb): 1 Book {Mission Update}, 1 Leather Tunic [Dyed Green, Mending I, Unbreaking I], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots, 1 Fishing Rod {Backlash} [Knockback II, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III], 1 Diamond Sword [Sweeping Edge III], 1 Banner {Beginners}, 64 Cobblestone, 61 Cobblestone, 1 Bed, 36 Dirt, 7 Coal, 18 Flint, 12 Jungle Wood Logs, 56 Jungle Wood Planks, 7 Torches, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Clock, 1 Lava Bucket, 1 String, 60 Emeralds, 1 Ender Chest, 4 Snowballs, 9 Gunpowder, 4 Cooked Mutton, 7 Raw Porkchops, 22 Rotten Flesh, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Nether}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}

[EXP: 27]

Inventory (Floyd): 1 Mob Head {Creeper}, 1 Diamond Helmet [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Diamond Leggings [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Boots, 1 Iron Pickaxe, 3 Iron Ingots, 47 Dirt, 1 Fishing Rod, 1 Furnace, 8 Cooked Mutton, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Minecart, 1 Bed, 1 Boat, 1 Emerald, 1 Iron Sword {Weak}, 1 Diamond Boots [Projectile Protection IV], 1 Iron Leggings, 16 Gunpowder, 3 Ender Pearls, 1 Splash Potion of Invisibility {6:00}, 1 Iron Chestplate, 1 Iron Leggings, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}

[EXP: 32]

Inventory (Lenz): 1 Leather Pants [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III] {Weak}, 1 Leather Boots [Dyed Brown, Curse of Binding I, Unbreaking III], 1 Shears, 2 Levers, 5 Redstone Torches, 1 Bed, 9 Redstone Repeaters, 3 Redstone Comparators, 23 Redstone, 17 Blocks of Redstone, 2 Hoppers, 3 Pistons, 2 Sticky Pistons, 48 Cobblestone, 1 Minecart, 1 Compass, 25 Gunpowder, 1 Bow, 21 Arrows, 14 Jungle Wood Planks, 1 Crafting Table, 11 Cooked Mutton, 64 Emeralds, 1 Ender Chest, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Book {Airship Piloting 101}, 1 Book {Notebook}, 1 Book {How to Kill Stuff for Numb Nuts}, 1 Book {Advanced Mob-Slaying}, 1 Book {Mobs of the Nether}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Daymonte Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}

[EXP: 15]

Inventory (Jade): 1 Diamond Helmet [Protection IV], 1 Diamond Chestplate [Protection IV], 1 Diamond Leggings [Protection IV], 1 Diamond Boots [Protection IV], 1 Diamond Cutlass, 1 Bed, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Furnace, 13 String, 5 Cooked Mutton, 14 Torches, 12 Jungle Wood Planks, 60 Cobblestone, 30 Emeralds, 15 Obsidian, 1 Water Bucket, 1 Bucket, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {3:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Weakness {3:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Slowness {4:00}, 1 Splash Potion of Slowness {4:00}, 1 Compass, 1 Clock, 3 Ender Chests, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Paper {Ringwood Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Dover Plains Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Lazuli Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}

[EXP: 37]

Inventory (Noman): 1 Diamond Sword [Sharpness I], 1 Diamond Chestplate {Severe Shield}, 1 Leather Boots {Bottes Zephyr} [Dyed White], 1 Black Shield {Slight Shield} [Blue Cross] {Weak}, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Bow [Infinity], 22 Birch Wood Planks, 34 Iron Ingots, 14 Sticks, 2 Signs, 1 Bucket, 1 Crafting Table, 2 Ender Pearls, 1 Potion of Healing II, 1 Potion of Regeneration II {0:22}, 1 Potion of Water Breathing {8:00}, 8 Raw Porkchops, 1 Bed, 1 Book {Artifact List}, 1 Book {Citizenship Information}, 1 Paper {Zeppil Entry Pass}, 1 Map {Zeppil}, 1 Map {Minecraftia}, 1 Paper {Akasha Entry Pass}, 1 Compass, 1 Arrow, 3 Sugar, 14 Bookshelves, 5 Enchanted Golden Apples, 1 Diamond Helmet, 1 Diamond Leggings, 1 Diamond Boots, 64 Emeralds, 18 Bones, 64 Gravel, 64 Gravel, 64 Gravel, 49 Gravel, 9 Flint

[EXP: 25]

AN: Somebody get me a rope, because we got ourselves a cliffhanger! WOOOOOO!

Ahem.

This Chapter involved a lot of going back and forth, rereading, and going through Jade's thoughts and actions as she went. Now, I didn't just make stuff up. Typing out Jade's scenes, I left moments where she did duplicitous, dastardly things - killing, framing, forging books - and left certain items in Inventory lists. If you look back at the Wailing Vale Arc (Chapters 131-139) you'll see Mirabelle's and Beatrix's Heads in Jade's Inventory at some points. Similar to how Mission Update was in Jade's Inventory in Chapter 153. Just subtle hints that Jade was acting behind the scenes.

Then there was her backstory. It was a backstory I had planned out... maybe halfway through writing My Craft. I had her involvement since the beginning, but I was still thinking of a good backstory for her. Just something to make the reader sympathize with her. You might even argue that Jade had moments of weakness with Cobb, making her interesting, and, considering some of the things she did, horrifying.

Again, I highly recommend rereading the story and watching what Jade says and does. I left a bunch of hints and it'll add another layer to understanding the character. Of course, she used Herobrine's name in place of 'God' because she's a cultist.

There were three parts to this Chapter, and the backstory took a little bit longer than I anticipated, but I think I typed out a winner. It's Jade's past, present, and future, and it covers everything about her. This might even be the missing character description the character deserved.

I feel like I'm two for two in typing up memorable Chapters for the Darkest Arc. Hope I'm keeping you dear viewers on the edge of your seats. I'll talk more on the Discord.

FAV. FOLLOW. REVIEW. PM. FORUM. DISCORD. SERVER. POPTARTS.