The lushcaves are nice

Just a writer, writing about what they see

[socratesthebuilder]

Worlds I've seen thus far.

#The Emperor -> Carmelian's story, from her adventures, how she met everyone and what she did before her "retirement".

#The Empress -> Amethyst's story, how she follows in Carmelian's footsteps and all the things that happen after The Emperor steps down.

#Side Tales -> Stories from other corners of Carmelian's and Amethyst's world, some that might not directly follow them or characters related to them, but shed some light onto why their friends and family are as they are.

#The Death -> The story of Opal, as she rescues illager, villager and witch children from abusive households, or recieves young ones that have been abandoned.

#The Emperor and the Arch-illager -> Carmelian's adventure on the Dungeons Continent, where she gathers allies to defeat the tirant that has taken over the land.

#The Empress' messenger -> Archie's redemption as he pays for his crimes in the Dungeons Continent, safe from the clawing hands of his (many) enemies, he learns from the past as the Empress helps him adjust.

----

#exploring other seeds -> Reblogs.

[socratesthebuilder]

Observation duty

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The Emperor

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Carmelian notes how the presence of illagers has become more prominent, and as anxiety within the duo villager village grows, she takes time to measure the threat level. In turn, she makes the discovery they were... harmless-ish.

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The Pillager Outpost Tower in the distance stuck out like a sore thumb; it was tall and dark against the desert’s pale sand, and it was one of the first things she asked Quint about when she had arrived. At first, the librarian was… Reluctant to talk about it. Carmelian did not push, although she was objectively terrible at reading people’s emotions, she understood what their silence likely meant.

The hero would work in the village, doing as she could to be discreet. She had seen more movement inside of it as the days went by; she knew that pillagers could appear in those towers, and it was not a good sign.

Pillagers meant raids, raids meant destruction, and destruction equalled death.

It was not a risk she was willing to take, not when she had just managed to get things going. The homes were mostly fixed, the entire village was walled up, the farms were picking up crops. Things were looking up, and she was not about to risk it falling to a bunch of rabid, ashy, crossbow-wielding savages… And yet, when she stared at that tower, she felt nothing. She should feel rage; she should feel protective. She should go up there and kick them out, and if they refused, she should “Wash the ground with their blood.”

She jolted, the words echoing in her head for a long moment, the voice of who the quote belonged to felt like a sliver in her ears, all her muscles cramping for a second before she could recompose herself.

No. Not that. Not here.

As much as it might seem like an… easier… solution, she did not feel like doing that. She rationalized that it wasn’t as easy as she thought. That she’d be wasting her weapons on them, her arrows were hard to come by still, her farm did not produce as many chickens, nor did she find as much flint to make the points of them. And it was a given that she did not really know much about illagers as a whole; she had never… interacted with them as much, not where she came from anyway. Besides her current fountain of information, also known as Quint the desert Librarian, being too traumatized to talk about it (which she understood too personally to blame them), there were also no books in the library for her to study. 

Therefore, there was one solution.

Observation.

She had thankfully come across a few amethyst geodes, copper was not rare either, so a spyglass came in hand. And so there began the new routine…

Build the village;

Take trades to Quint and Omer;

Watch what the pillagers are doing from a distance;

Finish the day mining before it gets dark.

Easy.

So, the first day came up, and she went looking. She spotted them in the Tower, as always. It was a very small number of illagers, though she made sure to remember the features of each one. 

There was a smaller one, he didn’t wear the usual plaid, which is what stood out at first; he wore a simple shirt instead, not plaid, but of a dark brownish-red tint. His eyes were also different; they seemed more blue than green, which should have told her he was a vindicator, but it did not make any sense. Why would a vindicator be in the desert? Why would they be following a bunch of pillagers around? They did seem young and definitely seemed inexperienced, so perhaps they were just a kid who was shadowing them? 

Those questions stayed with her as she watched the rest. 

The next one that caught her attention was the tallest; they seemed just as young as the previous one, but they did wear the plaid shirt. They seemed shy, quiet. From where she was, Carmelian barely saw the other’s mouth move. Either way, when it came to shooting, they seemed to have the better aim out of all of them.

Then there were the “twins” as she called them, as they were the same height and very similar body structure. The one that looked female had red tints on their hair, and looking from the front, there was a large rose tattoo on their cheek that bloomed in their cheek and viney thorns went down their neck. Meanwhile, the one that looked male had green hair, their shirt was constantly open, and they did not wear the typical black t-shirt underneath. The two always walked together, not being more than a few feet apart, which cemented to Carmelian how much closer they were than the rest. They were also the two that seemed to bring around the most trouble, seen as they were constantly running around and dragging monsters where they (apparently) should not be.

Then, finally, the captain. Whenever they were far from the tower, they wore the banner strapped to their back. The others followed them around like ducklings, obeying everything they said. Their ponytail was constantly slick, always impressively kept. They were always keeping the twins in check, always giving pointers to the smallest one, always guiding the tallest. They seemed like a decent leader, though perhaps too harsh.

Though what did interest her was the training regimen.

… How to even describe it?

In the darker days, they’d go out into the plains biome nearby, find rabbits, and try to shoot at them. On warmer days, they’d roam the savannah and shoot (or try to) anything that was alive. Some days they’d try shooting things in the river, fish, drowned or even squid. 

As someone who did get a level of proper training, it made Carmelian cringe so hard in fact, she caught herself sighing. On one end, it was an absolute relief that they seemed so flat-out pathetic in their methods; it would take months if not years for them to actually be capable of causing any damage. That would make Quint a lot calmer; that was for sure. If they ever did become a problem, then it’d be easier to disperse than she expected. 

Either way, she kept watching, wondering if it’d change at all through the day. But no, they spent the entire day trying to hunt to various degrees of success. She couldn’t remember the last time she laughed, perhaps the closest she had recently been was her chuckling at Omer’s jokes, but watching them almost tripping over each other to try to shoot a fish did get her by surprise. The red-haired held back as hard as she could not to laugh then and there, continuing to watch from a distance. 

Though as the sun began to set and the light began to dim, Carmelian began to ready to move out mine. 

But something caught her eye. 

The captain and the short one were moving on a different path than the others; they all seemed to bid them farewell as they moved towards the other side of the river, using a patch of shallower waters to cross. 

Okay, this was interesting. Carmelian knew that illagers bands were supposed to always stay together, so seeing the captain go one way and the rest of them go another was, to say the least, confusing. She was too far to hear anything, but she knew that something had happened there, and if she were to get any closer, the chance of them spotting her was way higher. It was a bit confusing, but for now, she decided she’d let them be. They didn’t seem to be making any plans on going towards the village; in fact, they seemed to be going away from it.

For the night, the red-eyed woman let it be, only following them with her spyglass while they disappeared in the vegetation of the savannah. 

Next morning, she went ahead to the village, and while trading with Quint, they spoke once more.

“So… Did you… Did they do anything… important?” They queried, showing a haunted face.

“Well, since you ask. No, not really, and I have good news!” Carmelian shrugged, “The illagers are pathetic. I think it’s more of a training party than anything. They can barely shoot a cow from three blocks away.”

Quint’s expression shifted to one bug-eyed as they tilted their head, “A… training party?”

“I mean, they did not attempted anything at the village yet and most of them seem young and inexperienced. So honestly, I think even if they got better soon, things would take a while to really pick up. So, for now, I think you have nothing to worry about.” She explained, turning to the tower in the distance, which was hard to see, but there was movement. “By the time they do anything worrisome, I’ll have this place fortified. For now, you got nothing to worry about.”

The librarian sighed, relieved, “So… Will… Will you get rid of them?”

As they turned to Carmelian once more, they saw her eyes turn grave, staring at them as if they had asked the unthinkable. “There’s no need right now. It’d be a waste of resources.”

“But- Carm-!” 

Carmelian’s eyes turned even harsher. Perhaps it was the shadows the sun cast, perhaps it was how expressionless she seemed, but she seemed ready to kill. The librarian took a step back, and the silence lasted longer, a familiar shiver going down their back. “It’s a waste of resources.”

Her statement forced Quint into silence. She turned her back almost immediately, her steps going deeper into the sand beneath her than normal.

Omer, who had been watching the situation, ran to his partner, who refused to take their eyes from the parting human. “Amor! Are you alright? What happened? What did she say?”

The librarian finally snapped their gaze back to the other villager, the sight of his dark green eyes helping them ground their thoughts. “I… She said we were safe…”

A hand went to their abdomen instinctively; they were not carrying yet, they’d not even tried. And that…

That made them worry again.

[hiiamramy]

Baby Elahnzo 💤

[socratesthebuilder]

Such a sweet little one, with their little plushies.

Have sweet dreams, little squid.

[sofimoon27-deactivated20240227]

A wolf-hero's comfort

@veevee-the-artist OK SO Valkory has nightmares and night-terrors, riiiight?

Guess who also has them? :D

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The teleporting sounds seemed louder, so much louder, the scream, the dammed scream that howled in her mind. She almost felt her joints twisting within the large hands, almost felt the glare of the once green, then purple, eyes that pierced her. Words, cries, so much pain, she remembered all of it and yet, every time it was new.

The girl jolted in bed, eyes wide open as she frantically looked around. The dark wood walls, the carpets, the window showing the pitch-black stormy night outside. They were unfamiliar, very unfamiliar, she didn't recognize the way of building, it wasn't her house. Carmelian had a candle with her, she lit it up, taking the diary she had with her, going through the pages.

"12/02/----, our hut got blown up by creepers, Valkory offered to take us in, we're in her house. We didn't lose any important or irreplaceable belongings. We're at her house, our ender-chest is still there, left it at the bedside. Ask her if you need anything." Was the last thing written, by the colour of the ink used, it was Amethyst.

The red-eyed sighed, going into the chest, her section was still intact. Gathering her mask and glasses, she walked out of the room with her sword in hand. With her axe in hand, she found a few kinds of wood behind the house, so she began chopping. She did until small droplets began pouring, the droplets growing until the storm finally came down with full strength.

The sound of thunder crashing, the sight of the glimpse of lightning running through the clouds, it stirred something within her. It always did. Her muscles began to ache, her arms felt tired, raising the axe took more effort. Carmelian stopped, putting away the axe and collecting the wood, she walks to the beach shores, sitting in the sand. Looking up at the sky, the darkness rid from stars, the drops falling onto the goggles she wore, she sighed.

"Why today?" She thought to herself, feeling a hot sting cross her eyes. She could hear the monsters around her through the thunder and rain, she couldn't sleep anyway, what was the difference between being there and inside?

Why did she have to keep remembering? What was the point? State what she's done again and again? She knew what she did, she killed it, she killed what was about to kill her, what did she care? She didn't, but Amethyst did. It was always her being bothered by those things, always her who made her care, always her who just couldn't accept things. She hated that girl, more than she hated the others.

There were so many sounds, she didn't really process the sound of someone else approaching. When the rain stopped pouring down on her, she opened her eyes again, a warmth beside her. The other turned to the side where it came from, she met with the wolf-warrior.

Valkory wasn't wearing her armour, she had every scar exposed through her light nightgowns, only a light gray scarf covered her eye. She had made a tent above them, shielding them from the rain, from the storm. Also, build a fire, warming and lighting their surroundings.

"Did I wake you up? I apologize..." Carmelian speaks first, adjusting her goggles and mask. Her voice was faint, it pained her to speak. "I couldn't sleep..."

Valkory wrote, "Amethyst told me she had nightmares... You have them too?"

Of course, the Empress couldn't keep a secret to save herself, meanwhile, the Emperor couldn't lie. "I do. But it's nothing you should be concerned about."

"You sound hurt."

"It's just something I have. It'll be gone in a bit."

"Can I help?"

Carmelian stared at the wolf-warrior, whether she could see her eyes the emperor had no idea. The gem-named looked around, other than a few monsters, no doubt way too far to scent or see them, there was no one else. She considered, pondered for a long moment, feeling the spasms begin, however, she couldn't hold back a yelp of pain.

Valkory shifted quickly, jumping to the younger girl's side. She was surprised and slightly stunned when the other clung to her lap, she knew Carmelian to despise touch, but there she was. The wild hero noticed in between the spasms, there was a sound reminiscent of a sob, very silent. Carefully, the brown-eyed removed the other's goggles, revealing the tears streaming from her face.

The younger girl hid her face, curling on herself and around the other as the pain assaulted her every muscle, Valkory gently held her. Valkory rubbed on the other's arms softly, gently shifting as the other moved as well. She might've not been away from the girl's past or what exactly haunted her, but she recognized suffering when she saw it. Carmelian was strong, but she too had a breaking point, one she recognized was near.

She might not be able to help as adequately as her brother did, however, she was willing to try her best.

[vee-vee-the-starchild]

Aw sweetheart! Nightmares are the worst… Valkory knows what it’s like to have them and will comfort those in need.

This was a nice read thank you!

[socratesthebuilder]

I do appreciate how this could still happen, though, perhaps not in the same way, since Carmelian would look way older than Amethyst did. Perhaps she might act a little differently as well.

[vee-vee-the-starchild]

Empress' visit

If Archie was surprised at Valkory for being so understanding and helping without asking nothing in return. He would be SHOCKED to hear about Amethyst xD.

Also I'll do the rest, but for now I gotta go eat xD

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Valkory walked with Archie to the library, though, as they made their way there the flux of villagers seemed to rush towards the docks. It got the human's attention, so she stopped one of them to ask. They answered a there were sightings of a ship coming towards the shores, the human gestured for Archie to follow as they got to a higher point of the village, she brought out a spyglass and searched towards the horizon.

Inside the coast but far from the shores, there was a Savanah wood ship with a particularly recognizable flag. A smile appeared on the human's lips, as she recognized the one sailing it.

Valkory rushed to the docks and Archie followed her as close as he could. The illager didn't understand what was going on but remained close to the human as he had been told to do. When they arrived, moving past the villagers that had come to watch, the ship had finally made it closer to the coast. It decked and Archie was amazed by the size of it, he had never seen anything like it. Only heard about it.

A plank was slid down to the walkway, down from the ship came another human. Her hair was purple, braided and tied behind her head, her skin darker than Valkory's and her eyes didn't have pupils and were as blue as the day sky, unlike the local, she wore a yellow dress with blue finished and a green shimmery hat. Archie shuddered at the sight of her. Valkory however grinned at the sight of her friend.

"HI VALKORY!!" The new human cheered as she jumped down to hug her friend, her voice was very high-pitched. "Sorry for the unannounced visit! But my comrades have been NAGGING at me to meet the islands!"

The hero turned to the ship, Archie followed Valkory's vision, seeing other illagers watching them from the prow. A few of the villagers closer stepped away, the new human smiled and gestured for them to get down. They marched, standing behind Amethyst.

"Valkory, these are my mates! Anik, Ivy, Quartz and Rose! They help me lead my man back home!" She smiled. "COMPANHIA SENTIDO!!"

As she calls it, they all stand in position, saluting with a slight bow. Valkory smiled, punching the other's arm before turning to write. "If they're with you. I trust them. No need for a show."

"I know. It's less for you, more for THEM." Amethyst explained gesturing to the crowd. She turns to the illagers again. "Guys, we'll be settled in the beach a few docks down! Get your things and go there! There should be a shack around there, it's pretty hard to miss!"

"Yes, Empress!" They all saluted, Ivy and Rose struggled to keep their grins from showing.

While they moved, the crowd dispersed. It was then that Amethyst realized the short illager a bit behind Valkory stiff as a board. "Oh hey, who's that?"

After realizing she had forgotten to introduce Archie, Valkory was quick to fix the oversight. "This is Archie. He came to the village and I kinda took him in. We try to keep him busy."

"Oh, I see!" Amethyst mused. Turning to Archie now, she took a good look at him, the sailor noted how anxious he seemed near her. The new human turned to the local hero. "I'll be helping my helpers unpack! See you later by my place?"

Valkory nodded, watching as the purple-haired went up to rejoin her crew. Nudging the local illager in the shoulder, making him jump a few blocks up, she gestures for him to follow her again. As they move away from the ship, Archie continues to watch them, for a moment he saw the purple-haired girl help one of the taller illagers. She was laughing and they were smiling.

——

Later that day, he asked about the girl, the Empress, they heard them call her. "Who's that... 'Empress?'"

Felix turns to the illager for a moment, hence when the words were processed, he turned to Valkory.

"OH! Amethyst's here?!" Valkory nodded. Noticing Archie's still confused expression, he turns to his student. "Amethyst is a girl from another continent! She comes by every now and again in her ship and brings a bunch of things to trade! She brought a few really interesting books a few times!"

"They called her 'Empress'... Why?"

"Oh, that's just what shes called back in her home. It's, if I remember right, her tittle there."

"So... She's high rank?"

"One could say so, yes. But I wouldn't worry, she's very kind and a very nice person." Valkory writes something down and shows it to the librarian. "Oh! Valkory's taking you to visit her later I hear?" Archie snapped a look at Valkory, his eyes wide, though he quickly hid it, it was clear he was nervous. The villager tried to soothe him. "You don't have anything to worry about. Amethyst won't hurt you as long as you don't hurt her!"

It didn't calm him as much as Felix intended.

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This is super sweet! I had a blast reading it and can't wait for the next part!!

[socratesthebuilder]

I am excited to get back to writing about Minecraft Dungeon, now I have a much easier time ironing out the story, and I do believe I can maintain what Moon started.

[sm-baby]

Tired Librarian

I can’t stop thinking about it so I have to write it… It’s bound to be angsty, but I remembered something about my desert village. When I got there, the place was empty, but there was a normal zombie inside one of the houses, so this came to my mind….

~~~-~~~ (my pov)

When I arrived at the village, it seemed pretty empty, the only villager there was a Librarian, he seemed very tired, but taking care of so many cats on his own has to be hard. Once I was already familiar with the place and had settled a base nearby, I asked if I could make another base there, to which the Librarian agreed to. 

“Okay! I’m gonna look in the houses now!” I told him, starting to look around the higher houses. Almost immediately as I get up there, I hear a moan, a zombie was nearby. 

I approach one of the houses, the sound got louder, I open it and sure enough, there was a mob inside. Before I could even get my sword, the Librarian appears in front of me, shutting the door again, panting tiredly probably from the climb. I was confused, how did the zombie get inside? What was it doing there? Why didn’t the golem kill it?

“Please…” The Librarian breathed, anxiously turning to me. “Please don’t kill them…”

“Why not? It’s dangerous for it to be here!” I protest, but the Librarian shakes their head veemently. 

“I-I read… I read there’s a way t-to heal zombies! To make them go back to being villagers! I-I-I… I just…” Realization came to their eyes and they turn to me, pleading. “Y-Y-You can do it! Right?! You can make potions! You know how to do that! Right?! You can bring them back!!”

It broke my heart, I could hear the desperation in their voice, see it in his eyes, but I couldn’t lie to him. It was a normal zombie, it couldn’t be healed, it wasn’t a villager.

“I can’t…” Their eyes lost their shine, I could almost hear their heart break.

But they were determined, “Y-You CAN! You just need… Need…”

I grab them by the shoulders, looking them in the eyes. “It’s not a villager… I can’t save it… It’s gone… It’s been gone for too long…”

When it hit them, they fall on their knees, tears streaming down their face. It was the breaking point, they collapsed. I take them in my arms, carrying them bridal style down towards the house they stay in, it had two beds in opposing sides of the room. I lay them in theirs, heading out again, I kill the zombie, then go back to them. I wondered how long they had been desperatly looking for a cure, how long they thought that thing would take to come back, how long they had been neglecting themselves for.

I gave them some water, also a bit of bread I had with me that I made with the weat they let me take. They didn’t eat it at first, I had to insist.

“You got to eat…”

“I don’t want to…” Their eyes are glassy with tears.

I sigh, sitting next to them on the bed, putting a comforting hand on their arm. “You had good intentions… And you were brave to be so close to it… Most villagers I know would’ve let the golems kill it.”

They were silent, turning away from me. However, I could still see their shaking shoulders as they cried. I came by the village much more times after that. 

~~~-~~~

Pretty much what actually happened: I found a zombie inside one of the houses and now I’m imagining the poor librarian trying all he could to heal it but they can’t because they don’t have apples OR gold, or a brewing station and just trying with what they had desperatly trying to bring someoen back. :“) 

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Sweety ;; that’s actually a very fun concept! With the fact that zombie villagers can be healed, it didn’t cross my mind that villagers would want to heal some of their loved ones.

oh gosh;; that makes me so sad!! thank you, this is a brilliant thing to wake up to 

[socratesthebuilder]

This brought back memories... I can see Quint still doing this even in the new story. They had a troubled past, after all.

[sofimoon27-deactivated20240227]

Animatronics

hehehehe Fnaf and minecraft crossover go brrrrr

Disclaimer, I'm only into fnaf as a concept the games themselves I've never

TW: Blood and gore gore

Concept: Mojang picked a bunch of internet creators to feature in a exibit with animatronics, little did they know that those creations would come to life. Now we (me and @sm-baby specifically at the moment cause the idea came in discord where she was soooo) the creators have to go and try to shut them down.

This was more concept for a game, but I can't code nor design games so have stories instead!

My pov:

I never held anyone's hands tighter, the alarm was still running, some screams were still able to be heard, but not many. One would think I was holding my mother or father's hand, but no, I was holding the hand of someone I just met. Well, somewhat, I've been accompaning her work for a while, even joined chats with her.

If I ever hoped to meet Mushy outside social media, that was the best chance I got, but the worst possible scenario. About fourty minutes prior we were so excited our characters were going to be in a exhibit about Minecraft, I was so excited to see MY characters in the exhibit. When we got there, huge, life-sized animatronics of our characters were there. Mushy's were smaller, she made her characters relative to real life. Mine were following Minecraft heights, two meters or above, or slightly bellow, as it was the case of some.

At first, all characters seemed fine, I looked through hers, but my focus was on mine. Amethyst was center-stage, she had a trident in hand and she smiled and rose it as I passed by, even doing the Crystal Desert salute. Beside her on the left was Isaya, she also smiled and waved, doing almost the same movements as Amethyst. They had really detailed the scenarios and their weapons, when I saw the troop of pillagers, Quartz bow almost seemed real, so did Rose's daggers, Anik's axe, everything. When I looked at Alexandre, they captured him sad about the loss of his wife, but I couldn't help giving him the middle finger.

Then as the presentation started, the animatronics walked out of where they were and onto the stage, I got a bad feeling all of the sudden but it was overtaken by amazement. Suddenly the alarms went off, the red lights flickered and before I knew what was going on, I saw Amethyst point her weapon at me, so I grabbed Mushy's hand and ran away. She had thrusted the trident down, it pierced right through the floor, that thing was made of pure iron.

My heart raced as I pulled her along the exhibits to as far away from the chaos as I could.

We reached a stairway, I pull ourselves inside and lock the door, or tried to, she ended up doing it for me. We both fell to the floor, my mind blanked to the thoughts and the images of what happened mixed with my overthoughts. I stared at Mushy beside me, it was as if she was screaming but there was no sound, or maybe I didn't hear it, cause I still felt deaf by the screams from before.

"what's going on?! What was that?!" She asked in a panicked voice.

"I don't know... We need to get OUT of here!"

"What about our families?!"

"I-I don't know!" I didn't know anything, I just needed to get out of that place, it was the only thing I knew. "We need to get out of here!"

A door opened beneath us, I looked down, it couldn't have been none of my characters, they were too big. I looked down, and I saw a blocky head with a green coat, an innocent whistle sound. The sound of iron hitting the concrete immediately started something in me. I gestured for her to keep quiet, then we started moving up, as silently as we could.

But my phone ruined it.

We dashed, skipping steps as we did we came out on the next floor, we rushed and hid in the first spot we found, behind an end-ship. As Monty walked past, we got to see him, his innocent smile was stuck to his face, but the blood on his hands was grimmly in character. I saw Mushy hide and so I did, when we heard his footsteps fade away, we sighed as silently as we could.

We were two floors above the exit but taking the number of characters we both made and the number of characters we saw, there would be no way for us to get out with them walking.

"We gotta shut them down," I said. "There's no way to get past all of them."

"Not all of them are going to attack us, are they?! I mean! Even if James came to life he wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Honestly if Amethyst did I don't really know what to believe." Amethyst wouldn't hurt anyone unwarranted either, but there she threw the trident at me. "They must have a power button somewhere!"

We heard a whistle, it was loud and steady, I hoped it'd be someone from my family, but no. I knew that whistle. I pull her down, watching from behind the structure as Amethyst walked up, I couldn't help but watch her. Her eyes, weren't sky blue as they always were, they were red.

Carmelian.

I crawl back and listen, listen to her footsteps get closer and closer. I jump, holding Mushy's hand, my mind picturing my character's every move. As Carmelian's footsteps got louder, I look up, I can see her shadow towering over us. But she doesn't appear, a loud noise echoed through the halls, a scream, inhuman for sure. She turned around and started running down the halls.

We breathe out together. I grab her hand and look out, taking off my shoes I run to another part of the exhibit. My feet make no noise on the carpet. I gestured for Mushy to follow, adrenaline still pumping her system, she did. I take her hand again, it felt safer that way, while she looked behind us I looked forward, paying attention to every noise.

Just as I was turning the corner, I felt something wet and cold under my feet, something cold too. I look down hoping it's water or some spilled drink. I jumped back and almost toppled us, feeling a cold go down my neck and back.

It was blood, not just that, but a guttered body was still leaking it onto the floor. The face was crushed, as if it had been grabbed by so much strength, after the initial shock I heard HEAVY footsteps coming closer and closer. They were much heavier than Monty's, much heavier than Amethysts. I looked around the corner to the giant hall, and all I see is a TOWERING Iron Golem, small dandelion flowers now completely bloodstained.

The flowers were easy enough to recognize.

"It's Noah... ADULT Noah..." I whispered. I couldn't really tell but she went pale.

"What's it doing?" She asks.

I peer over the corner again, trying as hard as I can to ignore the blood on the floor. My eyes fall on the bloody corpse on the floor the golem was stumping, it splattered everywhere. "Killing..."

He seemed extremely focused, if we were silent enough, maybe we had some chance. I pull Mushy and we make a run for it, we managed to cross the hall silently, my eyes glued to the iron Golem in case he moved. We managed to get to the other side of the hall, we run as quietly as we can, making it to the staircase we had started in. We fly downstairs, still making sure not to make a single sound, we can still hear sounds outside the doors, we lock them, but we're not able to do so to all of them.

A few floors above, we heard a door open, a steady whistle, once again, I ran down and brought her with me. I heard the loud hitting of metal against the iron floor, I glimpse back, and all I see is two deep blue eyes coming after us with an axe. The moment I lock the door with him inside, the axe goes through, it bought us a few seconds which we gratefully took.

I was able to find a hiding spot, a cranny behind a few cobblestones. When we stopped, I felt my legs becoming soft, I'm not the best runner I'll admit. Mushy also breathed hard, adrenaline never stopped and yet we couldn't catch our breaths. Across from us was a glass door, the entrance and exit were now covered with blood. Outside there were police cars, people. A policeman turned to the door, he saw me, he rushed to it and banged on the glass screaming.

We I didn't understand a single word, but the bangs attracted attention, I hear something charging, I turn and can only recognize for a brief second the flower crown on his head. I take Mushys hand again and start running, my legs were weak but I kept running. On my way I saw a loose arm, I don't even have time to feel anything I just jumped over it.

But she tripped, letting go of my hand and falling to the ground.

I turn momentarily, I wanted to get to her, get her back to her feet and run.

But I don't. I run off, leaving her behind. I wanted to stay, I wanted to help, but I didn't know how. So I ran, as fast as I could. I hear her scream, it was high pitched and short, the silence made me crumble to my knees once I was out of sight.

I cried, tried to be as silent as I could, my emotions finally catching up. But my silence wasn't enough, a towering silhouette appeared before me, I see the purple eyes and recognized her immediately. She grabs me by the throat and raised me more than 9 feet in the air. I want to scream but I can't even do that.

I'm dead.

[sm-baby]

I love your introductions to each of the characters of my gosh!

Me, reading the part with Monty, already knowing that he was gonna be here: "Oh shit!"

Me, reading the part with Noah, already knowing that he was gonna be here: "OH SHIT!!! :DDD"

Me, not knowing Sheldon was gonna be here: "oh shit..."

I like the fact that Monty was whistling! I actually like that! Its in character for him to just randomly do that! It fits his eerie energy! Even though most of this was made to be scary and horrifying, his just had much more of a different kind of creepy.

Noah already crushing someone is an AMAZING introductions to what a golem is like and what they do. I like that image, you perfectly captured how hard hitting he can be. "Its Noah....ADULT Noah..." I dont know why that line made me go "Oh shit!" Even though i already knew where it was going XD

SHELDON... OOOH BOY SHELDON. BRO, I DONT KNOW WHY 1 SENTENCE THAT HINTED AT SHELDON BROUGHT SO MUCH FEAR IN ME OH GOD.. YOU REALLY JUST LEFT ME TO DIE FROM A MAGIC MAN... I JUST FUCKING DIE THERE AND THEN 😭😭"I turn and can only recognize for a breif second the flower crown his head" AAaaAAAaaAAAAAaaaAaAaaaA

Great fic man, this was poggers!

[socratesthebuilder]

Ah yes, Moony's first time writing actual horror. Only... with... herself as a subject... If I did not know I would have been worried.

Either way, proud of this one still.

[sofimoon27-deactivated20240227]

Anyways @sm-baby I drew this today... I'm kinda proud and since Emerald is your daughter.....

Emerald: Amethyst? Aren't you gonna eat?(you're still on the appetizer...)

*Amethyst's plate's cold by now, Emerald's is warm*

Amethyst: Uh... Yeah. Just... My teeth are kind of... Ugly?

Emerald: I'm sure they're not! C'mon! Show me!

Amethyst: Okay...

Amethyst: *now with the mask off* so... There!

Emerald: See? You're pretty!!

Bonus:

Amethyst gets happy when validated.

[sm-baby]

Everytime you make something with emerald the more I'm tempted to develop her WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT-

Eheheh Characters with spiky teeth... honestly Peak Character design.

[socratesthebuilder]

I am still happy with Amethysts design. I shall definetly keep the spiky teeth, as it makes sense with her story.

Emerald is such a great character as well. You did amazing in writing her.

[tangxincaimocha]

Swamp and campfire

They are good friends.

[socratesthebuilder]

That's some amazing lighting. And also a nice little narrative.

[sm-baby]

Someone help them, they’re so tired

[babybunnyboy1]

Phantoms and test subject players staying up seven days in a row while mining be like

[sofimoon27-deactivated20240227]

That happened to me, I didn’t have a bed and when I looked up there were like, three four phantoms coming down on me

[babybunnyboy1]

Oh NO

[socratesthebuilder]

Still true. I was there.

Have not had that issue since, however.

[sm-baby]

Hi, I had kind of a bad day, can I ask for a hug from either the Blacksmith or the Librarian? (Ik this is not an ask blog but I wanted to give it a try... :)) They're cute....

hehoo! I hope this helps! 

[sm-baby]

And god said,, “Let there be free dad hugs”

Thats me, I am God

[socratesthebuilder]

Not many will understand the comfort this brought to Moony all those years ago. The times were dark, and this brought some light to it, for as little of an action as it may have been.

I will forever be thankful.

[socratesthebuilder]

Doing Nothing

*An enemy tribe has snuck themselves into the cave systems, claiming they'll take all Carmelian's treasure.*

Rex *running to stop them*: CARMELIAN COME ON WE GOTTA STOP THEM!!! Carmelian: ... Nah. Rex and the others *stopping abruptly*: WHAT?! Anik: Carmelian! They'll take anything that isn't nailed down!! Quartz: You worked so hard- Carmelian: *sitting down on the grass* Nah. Let them. Rex: Carmelian! What the Nether- Why are... you... Carmelian: Rex: You're doing... Nothing? Carmelian: Rex: You're doing nothing... Carmelian: *smilles* Rex: *Lightbulb* OH YOU- scooch. *sits next to her* Quartz + Ivy + Rose: ... Carmelian + Rex: :) Q+I+R: *Lightbulb* OOOOH! *sit down next to them* Anik: *Confusion* WHY are we not gonna try to stop them?? Rex: Maninho. Sit down. And watch. Anik: *confused, but does so.*

*Once all of them are sat down, they stare at the cave entrance that the enemy entered through. A loud roar and some screaming later, the pillagers all run out booking for the hills with parts of their clothes missing.*

Rex: Sooo... Who did you ask a favour from? Carmelian: *smirking wider* Gary asked me to safeguard a few of his silverfish eggs. Well, looks like they've hatched. Rex: So that's why you've been walking around with your armour in that chest.

[ninjacat1515]

Fiadh trying to help Matias remove an infected tooth. He fusses and wrestles her.

"My dearest devil it is FINE!"

"THIS IS NECESSARY YOU OLD GOAT!!!"

He growls at her and she growls back louder, sitting on top of him like she was wrangling a Ravager. She manages to get the pliers around the afflicted thing and with a quick sharp pull, removes the aching, blackened tooth. Matias stops moving and sighs.

"And you will also see the Healer to treat any lingering infection." Fiadh is inches from his face. Matias meekly nods. She gently helps him up and kisses the part of his cheek that covers the tooth pocket. Once he has obeyed her wishes, they cuddle as she rubs his face and jaw.

"Take care of yourself, you can't battle an infection with your fists and blades. I need you around for as long as I breathe and beyond that."

[socratesthebuilder]

Hahahaha! Oh Matias... perhaps some cold fruits or a blood-popscicle would soothe?

[socratesthebuilder]

Protector

It wasn't uncommon for her to end up cleaning up the mess left by that particular group; several times she had to run so they wouldn't end up bringing trouble to the village. She'd killed hordes of zombies, skeletons, a whole bunch of creepers, all because the illagers couldn't just keep up with each other and had worse aim than any she'd ever seen. Sure, most of them looked young, but that (in her understanding) didn't justify why they were aiming at live targets. Often it went wrong, and as they ran to the village, they risked everyone there. 

Carmelian didn't know which god she had angered to put those idiots there, so close to her base, but apparently, this god knew what they were doing, because she didn't want to see them die. She felt sorry for them, actually, and even though she didn't like the extra work, at least she was rewarded with materials. At the same time, she knew she wouldn't always be there, and she dreaded the day she wouldn't see them.

That afternoon, they were incredibly lucky for her to be passing through the area, collecting wood and saplings to plant later.

Her first instinct upon seeing them leaving the cave was to think it was some kind of trap, that they were going to attack her as they had been doing for months.

Their expectations proved to be unfounded, since, upon appearing, they were not in a condition to face her. The young ones were in better shape, though covered in scratches and dust, probably having fallen against a pile of gravel or sand. But it was their leader who drew the most attention; he was almost being carried by the "twins," or that's what she had heard them referred to before. He was covered in bruises, and a cut on his leg was completely bathing his calf in red.

When they saw her there, they froze. She still had her weapons in hand, she could easily attack them; now, the captain was in no position to protect them. The shortest among them stepped forward, placing himself between the human and his companions, his eyes determined. But the tallest intervened, pushing him back, turning with an even more severe and determined look.

"Please…" She began, confronting the heroine with unparalleled desperation and sincerity. “Please help us. Help him.”

The pain in her voice stirred something in the woman, a memory, perhaps. In any case, she nodded and approached faster than she herself expected. She laid the pillager down and examined it, without time for formalities or questions. The cut on his leg was deeper than she had imagined, but it was reasonably clean, save for the blood that almost gushed out. With each passing moment, the captain grew redder and redder, his skin gradually cooling.

He didn't have that much time.

"We need to stop the bleeding. Now!” Carmelian's voice came through with such aggression that it made all the pillagers pay attention, but none of them knew what to do. Realizing that she was probably the only one who had any idea of a procedure, she began to give orders to everyone,"Tall-One. Come here." The tallest of them approached, kneeling obediently beside the human."Put pressure on the wound, as much as you can, put all your weight on it if you need to..." She obeyed, pressing both hands onto her captain's leg and supporting her weight with it."Green-haired! Tattooed! I want wood. Let's make a bonfire."

"For what?!" The grass-haired pillager asks, confused.

"Shut up and obey!" His sister scolds him, starting to run after the wood.

The human turned to the second youngest member of the group, tossing a bucket his way, "Shorty. Grab that bucket and go fetch some water. Run."

Carmelian looked around, clearing the area where they were as much as she could, laying some rugs on the ground to cover the grass. At least they would have a clean area, and the sunlight would repel monsters. It wasn't long before the twins returned, each holding a pile of sticks; at the same time, the shorter one came with the bucket full of water. They gave the sticks to her, who examined them and took one before arranging them and lighting it with her lighter.

Reaching into her pocket for her sewing kit, where she kept a needle, she carefully held it with her sheers and placed it against the flame. "Start placing him on the carpets."

The pillager agreed, carrying her boss to where the heroine had asked. When she turned around, she saw Carmelian with the needle. Before she could ask, the human was already placing the stick in the leader's mouth.

"Bite hard, ‘cause it's gonna hurt." 

Rex nodded, aware of the next steps, and turned when he felt her begin to stitch. It wasn't the first time she'd had to forcefully close a wound like that; in fact, it was strange for her not to be stitching herself up. The squadron captain groaned, sweat dripping from his forehead with the excruciating pain, yet he kept as still as possible. It wasn't the first time he'd had a wound closed with a needle and thread either, but it was never a pleasant sensation, and they usually gave him something to lessen the pain. If he weren't biting the stick, he'd be cursing the woman with every name under his belt.

Incredibly, the human finished quickly.

Even though he was dizzy from the pain, he could feel the sensation of the cold water being poured on the wound, felt the human's calloused hands on his leg, pulling and examining the stitches, as well as the pressure of the bandage she was now applying. He sat up a little, spitting out the stick that was now adorned with the marks of his teeth; he wanted to say something.

But soon his world darkened and he fainted.

—---

When he awoke, he was no longer in the same place. He was back in the tower. The dark oak beneath him was cold against the hot desert wind and he was covered in leather hides; the sound of boots against the floor caught his attention. He saw Quartz walking, a hand on her face, the marks of her boots on the ground told him she'd been doing the same thing for some time. Clearly, she wasn't paying attention, otherwise she would have seen him, so he called to her.

“Quartz.” The pillager turned around, leaping to her knees beside the captain. "How long did I sleep?"

"One day. The... The others went to get food. You... You lost a lot of blood."

"I can feel it." He sat up, finally looking at the wound on his leg. The bandages were clean, white, with only stains of the blood that was still trying to escape. "Where's the hero?"

"She... She left you here. Then she told us how to take care of the wound and left... She told us to call Asha." The captain's eyes widened; how did she know about Asha? "Exactly our reaction, sir."

Rex looked again at the wound on his leg, trying to reason. It wasn't the first time the heroine had done something like that; at this point, it was making the captain increasingly confused. It didn't make sense how she acted, protecting them, showing them mercy, helping them… Yet, she was stern, skilled with a sword, skilled with a bow. It made no sense at all; they had seen her kill more monsters than they could count, so why not kill them too?.

"Quartz. Tell Anik to go get Asha. I want to talk to her."

"He's gone already. As soon as the human left." Quartz explains. “Rex… I…” His voice trailed off as he looked at his leader, only allowing himself to speak when he noticed his leader's brow soften. "I thought you were going to die..."

The captain of the guard raises his hand and gently places it on the young sharpshooter's shoulder. "But I didn't die. And I'm not going to die anytime soon."

The girl nods, a faint smile on her face. "I'll get you some water..."

He silently agrees, watching as she leaves. Once alone, he turns again to the ceiling covered in cobwebs. That human… She's not normal. And now she had piqued his curiosity.

[knightobreath]

[socratesthebuilder]

A creature back to its natural habitat is really, absolutely, a beautiful sight and you captured that beautifully. Well done!

[socratesthebuilder]

Resting

“Listen I can… I can get up. It’s fine.” Carmelian sighed, attempting to do so. 

However, the moment she tried, she almost lost her balance and fell back. Vertigo took over her head, weakness falling on each of her limbs; it felt like someone had thrown slowness on her. The angry look she sent towards the illager in front of her apparently gave away her thought process, as Rex stared at her unmoving. 

“Did you goddam-?!”

“No, I did not give you slowness, though I wish I did!” He scowls, having her sit down again. “You have to rest, Carmelian!” 

“No, I don’t! I have things to do! It’s getting late too!” Night was closing in and she didn’t like the idea of running with half her heart down and a leg that refused to obey. “I need to go!”

“What you NEED is to sit down and rest! I know you humans are hardy, but you’ve just fallen and burned your leg in lava!” Rex insisted. Keeping his hands on her shoulders, pushing her down when she tried to get up, over and over again. “CARMELIAN FOR FUCKS’ SAKE STOP FIGHTING FOR ONCE!”

“Rex I need to head home-!!”

“A zombie won’t break down your door like that! Just sleep here for fuck’s sake!” Rex stated, leader voice ringing loud and clear. 

The fighter glared up at him, almost offended that he even offered. “I am FINE!!”

“No you’re fucking not and you’re not leaving this place for the night!” The pillager leader stated, locking the door and plopping himself on the bed.

Carmelian looked from the pillager to the locked door, a deadpan expression arising on her features. “You know I can break down the door either way… Locking it is useless.”

“If you have good manners, you won’t!” Rex glared at her. 

Stubbornly, the human got up, limping to the door, leaning back on their not-injured but bad leg, and twisting, only to fall back down and cringe at the feeling of each and every piece of her flesh tear, whining quietly and pressing her face on the floor. She heard a heavy sigh, right as she was picked up. After a moment of panick, Carmelian sees Rex’s features while the pillager carried her to bed, dropping her unceremoniously and plopping down right next to her. 

“What the-?!”

“You are fucking sleeping.” 

Carmelian tried to get off, get away from Rex. 

Rex, meanwhile, held tightly to her, not letting her off in the slightest, holding her sternly but gently. He smiled at her puny attempts, eventually tiring herself out, not even trying anymore, simply lying there. 

“You’re an asshole.” The fighter mumbles, face pressed down on the bed. “I can’t sleep when I’m around… Dangerous things…”  

Rex looked at the human, one brow lifted. “You find me dangerous?”

“Well- I- I can kill you whenever I want-! But… Yeah… Basically.”

“Well, right now you couldn’t kill a fly even if you wanted to.” Rex grinned, patting her head. “I am not gonna hurt you. Tho.”

“You better not!” Carmelian frowned.

“And I will not!” 

Both of them laid there, after a few minutes, the illager got up to put down the lights. Soon the room was close to pitch dark, safe for the light of the lit candles, which waved and wavered. He got back in bed, turning to the hero once more, he noticed the widened eyes watching the candles, but shifting every other second to other parts of the room. Any sound made Carmelian jolt, she’d turn, in a gesture as if unsheathing a blade, only to catch herself and stop. 

Rex sat down in bed, lowering her hands and lowering her head. 

“Carmelian.” Her eyes went to him, vivid red eyes, filled with what he could only assume was fear. “Breathe.” 

Diverging her eyes, the human takes a deep breath, then another, then another. Her shoulders unstiffened in the slightest, but eventually her body curled up. The pillager watched the display, watched the hurt, scared woman. It was… Pitiful… This was nothing like how humans were supposed to be; it wasn’t how she was supposed to act. 

Who did that to her…?

Rex pulled the blanket from beneath the girl, covering her with it soon after, tucking it gently underneath her. Laying down on top of them, draping an arm around her, the illager rubbed her back slowly in a circle motion. Keeping a certain distance between them, since the leader was aware Carmelian wasn’t fond of that kind of contact. Any contact, really.

Slight jolts still happened; the human yelped quietly and whimpered. She was hurting.

“~Comforting… memories… We share… Till ever apart… And we hope we will… Always make more…~” Rex’s voice took over the room, rich and soft, matching the soft pats to the rhythm of the song. 

The hero turned her eyes to him, her thoughts racing, being replaced by his voice and the melody. Her mouth sealed shut, she breathed once more through her nose, and once more her shoulders relaxed. 

It was Rex. 

Just Rex.

He wasn’t a threat

He’d keep her safe.

He wasn’t a monster...

The illager sang for a while, repeating the song until she completely fell asleep, when every jolt stopped, when her shivering ceased, when her eyes were closed and her breathing even. After that, he brushed his eyes, turning to the clock on the wall, it was high night. He still had long hours till morning came, sleeping was tagging him as well, after all, he didn’t have much of an option. Any move he made might startle the light sleeper which is Carmelian.

The door then creaked open, Rex almost jumped, but then with one glance he saw Anik and Quartz coming in. 

A wordless conversation ensues.

He tilted his head. “What?”

Anik shakes his head, pointing to the bed. “Can’t sleep… Can we sleep with you?”

Quartz brings both her hands together. “Pleeeaese?”

Rex rolls his eyes, using his free hand to gesture. “Come on.” As the duo approaches, he quickly however, gestures to them to stop, pointing at Carnelian and pressing a finger to his mouth. “Be quiet. She’s asleep.”

Both young ones’ eyes shoot wide. “She’s here?!”

Rex doesn’t respond, shutting his eyes. Quartz puts their cushions on the floor next to the bed, lying down with Anik laying on top of her with the blankets. The leader of the party sneaks a glance at them, nodding and turning back. 

— — — 

Morning came, as the red eyes woke up, she realized she was much closer to the leader than she remembered the previous night. Slowly moving back, was when she noticed the sound of more snoring. Peaking from over Rex she noticed the four other illagers on the floor.

“When the fuck did-” 

As if reading her thoughts, Rex shook, stretching his entire body. After a long yawn, going to the point of stretching his tongue past his teeth, he rubs his eyes and realizes the human was awake. 

“Oh. Heya human. Early bird, huh?”

“When did- when did they..?”

“Right after you went to sleep… Don’t know when Ivy and Rose showed up tho.” He admitted. 

Carefully, the illager slides out of bed, stretching a bit more and better. Carmelian watches, changing glances between him and the others. 

She really fell asleep? Around them? She didn’t wake up. She wasn’t hurt. Not more than she was the day prior. She was okay. They were asleep too. It didn’t hurt her. She isn’t dead. 

“How did you sleep?”

Rex’s voice caught her attention. One thoughtful second later, she replies with slight sarcasm. “Meh. I don’t co-sleep.”

“Says the cuddler.” The leader chuckles back. “Feeling any better?”

Carmelian moves her legs, but still winces. “Could be better.”

“Nothing a bit of Chilling-Non-Aggressively can’t fix.” He states, looking through the chests and chucking some bandages at her. 

It hits her on the face. “ ‘non-aggressively’?”

“It goes for you not me!” The illager grins. 

The human rolls her eyes, opening the mandages and moving to untie the previous ones, cleaning off the dried off blood with a bottle of water and drying before tying the new wrappings. The new ointments were cool, which was pleasant, like a cool cover on a hot night or drinking cold water in the desert. Cold was much better than hot. Maybe one day she’d move her base to a colder biome, if she found one. 

Once finished with wrapping her leg, she moved to her arms. While she did, more rustling covers and lazy groans erupted. Quickly enough the others sat up, Quartz holding Anik like a plushie and Rose basically forcing Ivy to sit up. 

“Moorning siiir…” They greeted, half-yawning. 

“Morning crew! Say good morning to the hero there, too!” 

“Mooorning humaaan!” They greeted each other once again. 

“Morning,” Carmelian responds, still not paying much attention to them and getting up instead. “I'd better head off.”

“Not gonna stay for breakfast?” Quartz questions, sounding a bit disappointing.

“Why would I?”

“‘Cause we got food?” The tallest pillager insists. “Come on! This once!”

The human headed for the door, unlocking it and opening it. Now that she thought about it, she could’ve done that the night prior.

“I’ll make us my special bacon-potato eggs!” Rex piped up. “Eggs scrambled with potatoes and pieces of chopped pork… Even some other things…” 

Carmelian stopped, the imagery of the food popping into her head. It sounded… good. 

The others watched her curiously. With a defeated sigh, she leans on the door. “Fine. This once.”

“HECK YEAH!!” The second youngest got up, pulling Rex by the wrist and out the door. “Come on!!” 

The others followed along, the human tarding a bit with Ivy, the most lazy of the group. They walked slower with the rest, chuckling. “Not bad, ey?”

“Shush, weed-head.” She chuckled back.

Although she was quieter than the rest, with careful enough glances it was clear that Carmelian was enjoying it to her own extent. A few weak-ish smiles at the jokes, a few dry chuckles as it was usual of her, it wasn’t hard for the experienced eye to know he was warming up to them. To her, it brought a few painful memories, but around them, they never overtook her completely. She could actually enjoy that moment. 

[socratesthebuilder]

A change in story

Originally, Amethyst and Carmelian were from the same place, in a diferent way. And yet... Since there have been changes...

I decided I shall keep Carmelian's past the same, which you may see rewritten in the slightest bit. Now she makes a bigger part of Amethyst's story as well, not only as a presence in the mind, but as an older figure and as a mentor.

As a sister, one could say.

Amethyst's story... Well, I've decided to change quite a bit.

So, I decided she won't be running away from the same place as Carmelian, her world was another one completely different. Perhaps she was from a faraway. Mayhaps somewhere with dungeons, mayhaps simply another world that she had to flee for whatever reason, unsure how that will associate.

I will likely get into it in a future chapter.