E-404 | Dreamnotfound

Chapter Twenty

Horse prints were shaped into the snow as night set and two people could be faintly seen riding towards a winter forest. After Sapnap and Karl had made it out of the nether, they'd rushed towards horses as a way to quickly scout if there was a nearby person willing to help. It was a risk, they could wander out for hours in search and show up with nothing, potentially threatening Dream's life. However, they were going to take a risk within their desperate state. It was cold, much too cold for someone in a critical state to endure. And for George, they had no idea what was currently wrong.

Sapnap held hope. While it was for the security of his best friend's health, it was also because if he was optimistic, he wouldn't have to think about the possibilities of losing one, or two, of the people closest to him.

On the other hand, Karl didn't understand how the duo had ended up in their situation. Hours before, he had a sickening feeling that something was wrong, but how had everything turned for the worse so blatantly. At the same time, it was somehow such a mystery.

"Karl, look!"

As they came to a small clearing a log cabin shared its appearance. It hadn't looked worn out, and smoke was rising from a fireplace which signaled that someone was most likely present.

"It's a long shot, but we'll have to hope for the best."

Knowing that Dream was in worse condition than George, Karl decided he'd be the one to answer the door considering Sapnap was preoccupied with securing the blonde.

He hesitantly walked up the wooden steps and stood in front of the door. He noticed how warmth faintly seeped from a small exposed crack.

He knocked and silence stretched throughout the air until it was filled with the muffled shuffling of feet.

"Hello?"

The stranger held a wide friendly smile and at that moment Karl knew they could be trusted. He had a golden mask much like Sam's that only covered the eyes which worked well with his bold dark-brown hair and fair skin.

"I'm really, really sorry to just show up as an unexpected stranger but my friend is hurt and we need help, whether it's just a warm place to stay or medical help."

"Oh?"

The smile faded somewhat at the mention of the wounded.

"My other friend there," Karl pointed towards Sapnap, "We rode on horses to find the closest person that might help. We'll pay any price, just please."

The man was quiet for a few seconds as he reflected on the situation and looked further out of his door in order to observe Dream.

"Come in," a genuine smile, "I'll try to help the best I can."

"Thank you so much."

Sapnap carefully dismounted with Dream in his arms and was embraced with warmth as he walked into the cabin, Karl not much behind with George in his own arms.

They set the two boys down on the floor next to each other as directed by the stranger.

"What happened?"

There was seriousness within his brown eyes.

"We were on a mission in the nether and split into groups of two in order to gain wither skulls," Sapnap answered.

"Wither skulls?" The man was shocked but didn't ask any more about it.

Sapnap nodded, "Ever since the failed ender dragon battle, the monsters have been bizarre, much stronger, and new. Before going in, we thought that some new creature would be in the nether as well. We don't exactly know what happened, but we suspect it was a different monster that they had to fight. I thought we were prepared."

"We were prepared, but not for some advanced creature," Karl said.

The other was silent before speaking about Dream, "Do you know what wounded him?"

"It was some sort of weapon with a horizontal slash."

"Probably a scythe," the stranger concluded, "You did a good job bandaging it, but he lost a lot of blood and needs time to heal. I have extra supplies and herbs that'll help. You're lucky you've found this cabin, the weather is looking harsh tonight."

"What about George?" Karl asked.

The man checked his pulse, "He seems steady, does he have any cuts?"

"No. I'm not sure why, but he just won't wake up."

"Without knowing what happened during the fight, it's hard to understand why your friend is in the state that he's in. The likely reason is that he exhausted himself to the extreme and his body is taking measurable precautions before waking up. However, that may not be the reason. Can you hand me that flashlight?"

Sapnap grabbed the small yellow flashlight and handed it to the other.

"We can check his pupils to see if he is in a coma," with the light flashing in his eyes, the results were clear, "It constricted, so he isn't in a coma. I guess we'll just have to wait for him to wake up."

"Thank you so much," Karl breathed in a breath of relief.

"Do you guys want anything to drink?" The man asked as the trio stood up, "I have water, coffee, hot chocolate, tea...." he trailed off for a couple of seconds as he looked through the fridge, "And milk."

After the male grabbed their preferred drinks, in which Karl had tea and Sapnap had defaulted for water, they two observed the small cabin.

"So, what's your name?" Sapnap asked curiously.

"I'd prefer not to share my real name," he sighed as he drank his cup of coffee, "You can call me Foolish."

"Foolish?" Karl repeated the nickname and reached out to shake his hand, "My name's Karl and this is Sapnap."

"If you don't mind me asking, why were you in the nether in the first place? Obviously for a mission, but what was that mission for?"

While Sapnap would've been hesitant to tell someone he hadn't really known, however, Foolish did help them when they were quite desperate, so he was willing to answer, "It's apart of our raid."

"So your mission involves some new creature?" Foolish asked.

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

There was a small silence as wood could be heard shifting from the fireplace.

"You've probably already been warned, but be careful with The Evolved. While I don't really share the same goal of getting to paradise, I honestly like it here alone in my little shack and they ignore me, I've seen what they can do."

"What do you mean?" Karl asked.

"Have you seen them in action?"

The two shook their heads.

"They're more dangerous than you've probably imagined. They're crazy. When people have said The Evolved are willing to do anything to cause death when warrented, they weren't lying. And that included dying for their set cause. I've come into contact with them once before but when I said I didn't plan on completing my mission, they left me alone," Foolish sighed, "Looking into their eyes, it's evident that they've lost all empathy for anyone."

Karl only looked at Sapnap as if the two of them had just been given a history lesson in school that had left them shocked or afraid.

"Don't worry too much about it right now, just be cautious and aware of your situation, alright?" He asked, giving a smile as he sipped his drink.

"Okay."

"It's getting late," Foolish finished, "I'll be in my room at the back if you need me. You two can take the couches."

"Have a good night," Karl smiled.

It seemed like they'd be able to recover. The nether hadn't destroyed them as they'd thought. No, they'd survived, even if just barely. And from that, they'd learn.

A/N: I've been watching Foolish since he joined the dsmp and I like the fact he's a totem that brings healing so that's kind of what I went for here.