Acrylic Waves (Bk 1)

XV. Rapids

The portal whisks me away to the Nether as I splash the bottles of enchanting on myself. They supply the energy needed by players to perform magic. That energy can also be used for everyday tasks, but it is most effective when applied to enchanting or even more advanced magic. The words from my communicator circle in my mind.

<Welsknight whispers to you> Hels is here,
somehow. May have been the cloning
machine. Need your help. He's acting weird.
Weirder than normal, that is.

<You whisper to Welsknight> On my way.

<Welsknight whispers to you> He's in the Nether

I fly in what would be the general direction of Wels' base, dodging lava falls and ghast fireballs. Midflight, I buckle on Tacet, a maneuver I learned under the Head Watcher's guidance and perfected by myself. I hear rockets behind me, but several ghasts also attack the newcomer, so I ignore it. Probably Xisuma. If it is him, I know he can handle a few ghasts. They're buying me time, in a sense.

I see a dark-armored figure sitting outside a small, nondescript, Nether portal. He is bent over but straightens as he hears the rush of wind over my wings. I land a couple of blocks away, his back facing me. It is Hels. After all those months apart in the Void, he's here.

He turns around, and my heart drops into my stomach. A white mask, almost prismatic, covers the top half of his face. I know from experience what this mask does and that it is invisible to ordinary players.

"Zanlie, it is with pretended joy that I greet you." I tensed at his use of my Watcher name. I recognize this nasal and arrogant way of speaking. I had hoped to never hear it again.

"Liadhak." I snarl back. "I thought I'd never have to pronounce that weird name again."

"The jest still runs in your mind. There are no repairs that can be made to your impairment." He makes a dismissive gesture. "There is no path under the Minecraft sun that can create an end to my actions. Only paths that further them."

"Shut up, you imbecile." I snap. "You know I'd never join your nefarious plans, whatever they may be. They always backfire in the most glorious ways. Also, the poetic verse you speak in is still amazing, Lid."

Liadhak ground Hels' teeth at me. "How darest thou use that nickname. Yea, the foul magic you inflicted on me in our early days together still has yet to wear off. No Watcher yet has managed to break the thrice-accursed spell of your design."

"That was the intent." Light footsteps land behind me. I check behind my shoulder to see Xisuma standing there. Liadhak takes the opportunity to leap at me, iron sword outstretched. Calmly, I draw Tacet and parry, deflecting the blade with ease. He attacks several more times, but his previous fight has tired him.

I send Lid's sword spinning away into lava as Xisuma asks, "Who is this, Xen?"

Lid yells a string of obscenities at me before throwing off his chest plate. Two massive wings sprout out of Hels' back, resulting from Lid's magic. He flies off, far faster than we can keep up on elytra. I sheathe Tacet before turning to Xisuma.

"Hels isn't acting normal. Call a server-wide meeting. Town hall, within the next few hours. This is important. Make sure all the hermits are safe. I'll explain at the meeting. I'm checking in with Wels."

I jump into Wels' portal before Xisuma can reply. A few seconds after I exit the portal my communicator buzzes with a message from Xisuma saying what I had asked him to say. I look around Wels base, noticing the changes. There is a hole right in front of the portal. The ground is scuffed up around it from the previous battle between Wels and Hels.