(Apologies for this chapter being short! Chapter 4 will be much longer, I promise!)
A small walk to clear her head. That's all she planned.
Having spent several days moping in the cave, White Eyes decided to return to the surface.
Her walk led her to a lake.
There she saw them in the water. The player? No, there was something different about them.
Despite looking the same, the player and this person were different. Their presence felt different, distant, stoic perhaps?
Those felt like the proper words.
‘Steve’. Why did she remember that name? She thought back to the sign outside the house.
‘Steve’ seemed like a good name for this person, she thought.
Her eyes went from Steve and towards the grass, noting the folded clothes laying just beside the lake..
She waited for Steve to dive back down into the water before moving out in the open. Picking up the clothes, White Eyes inspected them. They’re soft. Her thumb brushing against the fabric.
She quickly rushed back behind the tree as Steve emerges from the water with a gasp.
She peeks, watching them tilt their head to get water out of their ear.
White Eyes looked down at the clothes in her hands. Carefully, she pulled the shirt over her head. It felt nice against her skin. Then the pants. She hopped a bit on one leg, the other leg settled into the other pant leg.
Having spotted a puddle nearby, she wandered over to it. Inspecting herself, she wished she could smile. Having no mouth made that expression difficult.
The clothes were a perfect enough fit. And they looked nice.
‘… It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep these clothes, right?’ She thought to herself.
She’ll rush back to the tree at the sound of Steve surfacing again.
Steve turned, reaching for his clothes. His hand grabbing at grass instead. He looked down at where his clothes should have been.
He’ll glance around, thinking that perhaps he set them down elsewhere.
Nope. No sign of his clothes anywhere.
With a tired sigh, Steve climbed out of the lake. Walking home bare to the elements wasn’t on his agenda, but what else could he do?
He shook more water from out of his ears, his back to the tree.
White Eyes peered out to look at him. She notes the scars on his body.
Did her friends do that to him? It made sense, but she still felt ashamed.
Steve suddenly turned his head in her direction. White Eyes quickly ducked behind the tree, holding her breath.
There was an uncomfortable silence before Steve grumbled.
“Must be seeing things.” His voice is low and tired.
‘What an interesting voice’ White Eyes thought, slowly and carefully breathing out from her nose.
She’ll listen to the sounds of Steve’s footsteps getting further away. When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she stepped out from behind the tree.
Wandering over to the lake, she knelt down and stared at her reflection again.
‘This feels nice. These clothes are nice… I feel nice.’ She thought.
She hoped this feeling could last.
What even was this feeling? Comfort? Joy?
It was hard for her to pinpoint, but she knew that she enjoyed it.
Having received the news of Grand Brute's plans for the Overworld from Glen - Eve chooses to spare Polly, under the condition they step back in line and help hold off the Piglins.
Minecraft: My World AU - Act II - Nether Arc Part 13
This was probably inevitable, whoops. Part 12 of the Nether Arc finally got me, I've been eagerly anticipating Eve's return for so long, and it was so GOOD.
So here we have a fanfic of @brightgoat's Minecraft: My World AU.
☆☆☆
“Where are those pinheads?” Veni cast a calculating scowl beyond the walls of their conquered Bastion.
After a beat, Vici ventured, “Was that supposed to be a pun about… arrow heads? Because they’re archers?”
Vidi knit a brow, looking down at one hand. The memory of gold, gilded and gleaming, stirred something else. “The bastion.” Fingers flexing, then clenching into a fist, Vidi narrowed both eyes into a stormy glare. “The witch.”
That’s right. Wirt was supposed to support them while the party moved through the Fortress… and had returned unattended.
“Go grab the whelp,” Veni began to growl, only to cut off with a strangled sound. “Never mind!” Snapping around, Veni jabbed a finger at Vici. “Go find Cap!”
Peering over the edge of the wall, Vidi straightened up sharply.
Their Evoker had returned.
***
Eve’s steps remained measured, unhurried even as she echoed, “A Librarian… here.” Whether the statement was skepticism in the concept or doubt in her coterie, the Captain was irritated either way.
“Yes.” They had laid eyes and hand on the Wandering Trader themselves, so the news of a Villager in the Nether was less of a shock. Not to mention, they’d found and retained the Librarian as well…
though they had no Enchantments to show for it.
You bluff often?
Something began to crawl up Cap’s spine, like black widow legs and black-dyed claws.
After receiving news of Eve’s return, Cap had sent the Vindicators ahead. Firelight flickered on the wall across from the open doorway leading into Wirt’s workspace. It had doubled as the Librarian’s holding cell of late, keeping close to anything one might need to enchant. The closer they drew, the worse the feeling got.
Crossing the threshold, Eve ignored her Vindicators snapping to attention. “… Ha. Haha.” Head tilting, she finally smiled.
Slow, tension bristling along shoulders, Cap turned to stare at the Villager.
“This… is the ‘Librarian’?”
Those words alone were enough to drive home just how badly they had all fucked up. The Vindicators kept their eyes straight ahead, though Vici felt the tell-tale prickle of sweat.
Stepping through the doorway, excitement stirring in her chest, Eve reveled in the panic threatening behind the Villager’s eyes. “Honestly…” Passing the Illagers, she ignored Cap falling into lockstep, though she didn’t miss the rage emanating from behind her. “I can’t tell who the biggest idiot in this room is.”
Ask her on any day and she would say it was the one following her; not because it was true, but because it would sting Captain the most out of them all.
In truth, though, falling for a nitwit’s lie was only the second most foolish thing she could think of.
For a nitwit to try lying at all? Ah, now that was an entirely new breed of stupidity.
She stopped short of where the Villager had backed into a table. The brewing stand bubbled idly, reducing something or other to useful components— more than could be said of the one using it.
“Bring me the witch.” Wirt would have seen through this façade in a heartbeat… which meant there was yet another fool to punish.
Chin jerking toward the doorway, Veni locked eyes with Vidi in silent command. The second Vindicator rose improbably straighter, then stalked out of the room.
Panic mounting, Nil shot a desperate look at the departing Illager. Wirt had no idea Eve was back—!
“I presume you would like to retake some of your dignity, Captain.” Eve didn’t tear her gaze from Nil, squinting with pleasure like a cat. Despite the insult, Cap’s jaw set tight, eyes pinning the Villager in place. “Go on then, nitwit…” Eyes darting between them, Nil shrank back against the table, fingers digging into the woodgrain. “Run.”
***
The nether wart garden didn’t require extensive upkeep or attention, happy as a clam with dark and damp. Still Wirt liked to check in on it, someplace quiet far away from the raiders.
And, to be honest, someplace away from Nil. Spending time with the Villager was leaps and bounds ahead of the Illagers, but… still, there was a sense of guilt that tinted every interaction. Nil was a prisoner, and Wirt was doing nothing whatsoever to change that.
Even after seeing the damage wrought by the raid, Wirt stayed by them. If only by necessity, the Raiders protected their witch. And Wirt needed protecting here.
Collar snagging taut against windpipe, Wirt choked all the way up off the ground. Vidi raised the witch to eye level, which left Wirt’s feet kicking in the air, and glared venomously. “Eve wants to see you…”
Wirt’s gut dropped. Oh.
Oh no.
***
Everyone in that room knew there was nowhere for Nil to run. Still, none of them moved; watching, waiting, patient, knowing.
Knowing that the prey heart of a Villager would never have the nerve to hold out against their natural predators. Still Nil held firm, as long as possible, until the tremors became visible, and the sheer effort to bite down panic was too much.
Nil bolted.
The flag that the Raiders had adorned their so-called Librarian with, flapping out behind, was pierced by a diamond bit and pinned to the wall. It swept Nil’s feet off the ground, and before the flag could be divested, Cap seized both it and the Villager’s signature green tunic in one fist.
Hostility and menace radiated from the captain, and Nil sagged against the wall. Cap ripped the diamond spear from the wall, spinning it one-handed to nudge the tip beneath Nil’s chin.
Eve watched with relish. As much as Cap wouldn’t mind killing the Villager and depriving her of this precious ingredient…
Make a fool of me…
At the moment, more keenly than a distaste for their Evoker—
Cap wanted this Villager to hurt.
She would step in, inevitably, if only to ensure there was no accidents.
Previously, in a hostile confrontation between the Raiders and Piglins, the Totem was lost amidst the chaos, and got picked up by a certain piglet.
Although the Totem is still missing, Eve now has the ingredient needed to charge it - a sacrificial soul - so that it can do what it was designed to; counter death. And the more scared the soul is- the livelier!
Minecraft: My World AU - Act II - Nether Arc Part 12
(Also the pose the Vindicators are doing in the first image is their salute to address their Evoker)
