“At least someone actually said something to us,” Fantasy sighed, leaning against a dark oak wood wall. “Even if it was just a ‘hey, follow me’ and ‘wait here.’ Except… you know, not at all friendly.” This time, it had been an illager leading them somewhere instead of an unseen villager as well. So it could have been worse, Fantasy reflected.

  “True,” Starz replied now. “Where do you think we are, anyways?” It was still weird seeing him this way. The Starz she knew would be running around, finding a way to kill and mobs in sight. Not sulking around asking her where they were. His physical appearance didn’t help either. He looked like a character from a black plasma studios animation whenever he moved. “So… where are we?”

  “I think a woodland mansion,” she replied quickly, embarrassed. Fantasy hadn’t even noticed she hadn’t answered his question. “They’re mostly made of dark oak wood, and the patterns on the walls match. The only things making me unsure are the fact that we entered through some kind of basement and the light coming from nowhere.” Starz nodded, but remained silent.

  I think I know how he felt before the train, she thought. He really had been acting strangely since then. And before that, she was beginning to realize she had been acting strangely.

  “Do you think-” Whatever Starz was about to say was cut off as the door swung open.

  “Yes, yes, do that,” a illager mumbled before stepping into the room. “Welcome, users. I apologize for the rough treatment you received before. Let me assure you that unless you give me a reason, you will be treated better here.”

It had to be a trap. That’s all Fantasy could think as the illager went on and on about how insensitive villagers could be. She looked over at Starz to see that the same feelings were reflected in his eyes.

  “Do you work for him?” Starz cut off the illager, who narrowed his eyes in response.

  “Not in front of the girl,” he said quickly. “I’ll-”

  “What?” Fantasy asked, heart pounding. Starz new something. Something that no one else wanted her to know.

  “I’ll explain later,” the illager said, clearly lying as he tried to appear friendly again. “In the meantime, let me show you where you’ll be staying.”





  Fantasy had been right. After walking up more stairs, it became quite obvious that they were in a woodland mansion. After reaching the staircase to the top floor, Starz watched as Fantasy was taken farther into the maze of halls. It took fifteen minutes of the illager telling him she would come to no harm for Starz to be willing to let her go.

  “You can’t tell her,” the illager said now, beginning to walk up the stairs.

  “Why?” Starz asked, choosing not to follow. He wanted to see how far he could push this guy, now that he had more information. He had worried Fantasy, and he didn’t want to do that now. She needed to know that everything would be ok. He needed to convince her of that.

  So she could convince him.

  “Follow me and I’ll tell you.”

  That was enough for Starz; he relented and followed the illager up the steps.

  “So, StarzPlayz404-”

  “How do you know my username?”

  “You still have a nametag,” he answered flatly.

  “Oh,” Starz said, his cheeks warming. He should have thought of that. “So, what do I call you?”

  “I go by Aaron,” the illager replied, keeping the same, flat voice. “And yes, I work for the Great One. Or as you call him, ‘Herobrine.’ Do you wish to speak to him again?”

  “Will you have to knock me out again?” While Starz did want to ask more of Herobrine, he didn’t want to be left vulnerable.

  “We will, although we can do so more more politely than the villagers.”

  “About that, why were they wearing black robes? And why did they always hide?”

  “They work for Herobrine, that’s why!” Aaron was becoming frustrated, and took a few deep breaths before continuing. “They wear the robes so he can identify them, and he commanded them not to show themselves. Not sure why, though. Wonder if he lost his brain when…”

  “When what?” A voice echoed from the top of the stairs, causing Aaron to stiffen. “I’m quite curious as to how you came to believe I am incapable of thought.” Reaching the top of the stairs showed that the calm voice was Herobrine’s.

  “Great One… I didn’t mean-”

  Herobrine held up his hand. “I would suggest not saying that again. May I borrow Starz and head up to the map?” Aaron, still a bit stunned, nodded. Herobrine grabbed Starz and quickly turned down the hall, walking briskly. His hand was cold. If his own weren’t so warm and clammy, Starz doubted he would be able to feel it.

  “Interesting name, by the way,” Herobrine said, showing no signs of slowing down. “Sounds more like a girl’s. StarzPlayz404.”

  “I was six!” Starz said quickly, desperate not to have Herobrine believe he couldn’t handle himself. That could be disastrous.

  “Fair enough.” Herobrine’s voice was still calm. “I suppose you want more information. I can see that you don’t wish to accept the deal as of now. Are you sure?”

  Starz nodded. “Just tell me more.”


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  Hello again! For those of you who aren't aware, I'm going to start updating this every other week instead of every week. I'm just falling too far behind. Also, I wish to point out the Black Plasma Studios reference in my writing. They have AMAZING animations that are super fun to watch. If you don't know who they are, I suggest finding them on YouTube. Thanks for reading, and please leave a diamond and a comment (positive or negative is fine).

         -ellacool10