EMPIRES SMP Fanfic - The Heavy Crown [Lost Empire]

[Two] Operation: CROWN

CHAPTER TWO

Operation: CROWN

Point-Of-View: Tiger Blood Prince

SNEAKING DOWN THE warped-planked steps of the Fire Temple and into its chest room was no undemanding task.

They armoured themselves in constant vigilance. Observing the wind. Hearing even the smallest of sounds to detect a sign of Xornoth. Even thinking of him was scary. Looking up at the sky to see if it wasn't on the urge to darken and break out a thunderstorm. They met another fellow Golem inside of the Fire Temple.

"We are here at His Emperor's command." The Prince briskly masked a look that demanded serious authority, imitating his Ruler's voice - fierce and commanding. "Don't dare disturb us, or you shall suffer for the sins you've committed!" Maybe too aggressive, he thought to himself.

The guarding Golem only gave them a curt nod and turned around to the small Nether Wart farm in the corner.

"Awesome job, my Prince," said the golem quietly, giving him a hardened thumbs up.

"As the Heir to the Lost Empire throne of the jungle, I gathered a lot from Emperor Joey, of course." He wore a smug, satisfied smile, and began rummaging through the three stout halls, columns spreading north, west and east burrowed into the ground. They were lined with double-layered double chests and marked with item frames and various items hinting at the chest's inventory. Crimson vines and glowberries hung from the ceiling, as well as brilliant columns of lava protected by Nether brick fences. At the center of the Temple was a light-blue symbol of some sorts - resembling a laid powder of redstone, and above it was the essence of the Temple, a fiery symbol.

There was scarcely any food prepared for travelling, but there were spare bows, spectral arrows, and weak chainmail armour from Emperor Joey's village trading in the chests. The act they were doing felt a little bit conniving, yet Tiger Blood Prince only wanted the best for his King. The King who turned his own cloak against his own citizens. He casually kept throwing glances over his shoulders and armed his tiger ears to perk up and hear signs of any odd disturbance. He tried desperately not to be panicked by what they were doing.

"Let's just grab some potatoes down at the farm," the golem suggested, after helping the Tiger Blood Prince shrug into some lightweight chainmail armour. "We should hurry on."

A certain double-chest caught the Prince's eye. "Golem!" He hissed, his eyes motioning him to look at the chest next to him. It bore an item frame, containing one of the Emperor's Totem of Undying. The Totem saves a life. "Do we dare grab some?"

"Smart thinking!" The golem raised his arms up in glee. "Who knows if we fall to meet the ground, we'll be saved by this."

"Stick at least twelve of those. We can never be too careful, knowing the world is a treacherous place right now." The Prince helped stuffing the golden, gleaming totems in their inventory rucksacks. The Totems were the Lost Empire's resources for trading. It would not hurt for them to take some, knowing their Emperor has a farm somewhere in the desert to garner Totems, far from the Empire of Pixandria - ruled by Pixlriffs, and could easily restock the chest.

"How do we know the King of Rivendell is around his place?" The golem asked him. "Who knows? Maybe our Emperor is there, too. You heard him last time conspiring with MythicalSausage. He always spit venom when the topic of Ruler Scott comes up. He also blames him for every little mistreatment of the universe towards him."

"Fair enough." Tiger Blood Prince looked at the golem uneasily. "Maybe we should just wait for the Emperor to head back. It's the lesser of two risks, but I'd rather keep my head on until that damned Crown falls off."

Cautiously they went back to the summit of the Fire Temple after stashing their items somewhere the Lost Empire ruler would be blind to notice, if ever he knew of their plans of conspiracy: the potato farm, buried underneath a random plowed square that the Prince noted to remember, well-kept and not obvious. The Tiger Blood Prince had borrowed one of the village's smokers to bake some delicious potatoes and craft some scrumptious bread. He didn't mention what he and the golem was up to, but as the chosen Heir to the Lost Empire throne, he had used some of his authority privilege into advantage. It was godsend that he was not born to be a lonely leatherworker or a fickle farmer.

After waiting impatiently for the next few hours, Joey Graceffa had returned from whatever place he was in. He flew gracefully in his thickened parrot wings that helped him take flight, accompanied by his stock of firework rockets that boosted his flight. He landed on the Throne of his temple, sighing. His sigh had a hint of a giggle in it. The Prince did not like that one bit.

"All for you, Xorny!" He breathlessly spat out, letting out another mirthful giggle. He fixed his kingly Crown again. His eyes were as red as the Nether's crimson roots. Shivering red and burnished with evil.

It took everything in the Tiger Blood Prince not to offer him another look of animosity. Take that crown off, you lovesick fool, the Prince thought. He schooled himself to guard his tongue this time. He turned his head to look at the decapitated skulls in the back of his small throne room, lined up in a neat column. These heads were just what the Rulers drop after they have been slain, but obviously, when they respawn, they don't come back headless. The head of LDShadowLady - her pink hair and cute face - reminded him of the scandalous imprisonment. The decapitated head of Shubble, the Gnome Queen and the Wolf Spirit, reminded him of the Mother Wolf that Emperor Joey hilariously stole from her. The skull of Count fWhip, the King of the Grimlands, reminded him of Joey's firework rockets and the rad alchemist's rumoured corruption cleaner, which Joey did not like, and killed him for. Lastly, the head of Katherine Elizabeth, the Overgrown Queen, reminded him of the House Blossom blessings, the massive flowers that the Ruler had planted atop the Fire Temple, that Joey Graceffa had destroyed to build a massive, towering luminous eye.

"Like my collected heads, you princely prat?" Joey aggressively growled at the tiger, who was startled. The Prince had not expected to be noticed by the Emperor. He remained in total silence.

"Hem-hem-hem." Joey stopped slouching, eyes fastened at the quiet tiger. "Hem-hem, hem, hem-hem-hem. I don't remember... slitting your throat or taking out your tongue using pincers, you mute." His eyes were growing crimson-red. He could see his soul corrupting every time he looked at them straightforwardly. He could see Xornoth's vile in them, poisoning Joey, making him worse than ever.

The Tiger Blood Prince nodded. "I love the stench of them, Your Eminence. I cannot wait for you to collect all of them, and be the King of Kings."

"I am already the King of all the Empires, you peabrained pussycat!"

He was getting used to this. Previously in his mind he only purred like a frightened village cat, but now the tiger in him growled. Still, he only coached his striped face to be as calm as still water.

"But good, good," Joey continued, eyes squinting suspiciously. "You are learning."

The Prince bobbed his head. "All glory to the mighty lord Xornoth and his husband, forever and always." He raised his clawed paw.

Joey's smile widened. "All glory to my husband, indeed."

I'm saving myself, the Prince thought worryingly, and in the act of doing so, I'm making him worse.

Emperor Joey's stay was short-lived. He flew again in his parrot wings, out of the Lost Empire, and into Mythland, to meet with MythicalSausage. He judged it by the direction Joey went. The two were brewing something ominous, it seemed to the Prince. That was not something he wanted Joey to focus on. The Earth Temple must be built next. This civilization needs more food than baked potatoes.

"Did you see his eyes?" The golem shuddered, waddling over to him. "Looks like two lit blast furnaces."

"Fuelled with lava. Yes. I fear Operation: CROWN is now more important than ever."

"What does the CROWN stand for?"

"Uhm... hmm..." Tiger Blood Prince had not planned the acronym to stand for anything. "I suppose..." He fingered his chin considerately. "It's an operation... to... crush!... for the letter C. And for R... rancorous? It's an operation to crush the rancorous... owned!... hmm... wreath?" He took another pause. "To crush the rancorous, owned wreath of our... nefarious... aah! Emperor!"