The Pause [Adopted Book]

New Faces

Entry 562:

Dealing with Researcher is apparently not as easy as dealing with Magenta.

He didn't want the door plans.  In fact, he seemed very annoyed with me for bringing them.  He already knows how to make a hidden door.  Figures.

It feels like every time I bring him new redstone blueprints, they aren't what he's looking for.  He eventually sent me with a drawing of what the outside of the machine is supposed to look like.  It seems a bit familiar, but I can't figure out where I've seen it before, if I've seen it before.  I also don't understand why he can't just dismantle the machine himself, if he knows where it is.  He's so frustrating.

I still haven't gotten those revisions, since I'm not 'holding up my end of the deal'.  I haven't told him yet that I burned the last ones.

I also can't figure out where he's coming from.  He pops up out of nowhere, even if I try to arrive before he does.  He always knows when and where to find me.  It's creepy.

I'll be glad when this business is over with.  Once I have a foolproof plan to kill The First Curse, I won't have to deal with either of them ever again.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Aah!"  I stifled a little scream as the gravel gave way beneath my foot, nearly causing me to fall.  Carefully, I held the torch higher above my head, illuminating the dark caverns below.  Thankfully, there was still a ledge of stone I could shuffle across without falling to my death.

I carefully slid along the edge of the tunnel, squeezing my eyes shut to avoid looking at the drop beneath me.  I hated drops, not to mention it was dark down there.  I sighed in relief as my feet met solid stone again, and continued forward.

I loved caves.  They might have been dangerous, with lots of places to fall, but they were also the first place I had ever explored, and I didn't have to worry about thunder most of the time.  There weren't any storms to scare me underground.

That's why I had been so adamant to refuse Hypno and Sabre when they warned me about this place.  I wanted to see it even more once they told me it was dangerous.  I guess I just didn't want anyone else telling me what to do.  Their fears seemed kind of silly right now anyway.  I hadn't seen a single sign of life since I got down here, just some strange crystals in a few of the caverns.  Nothing too special.

As I continued, however, a loud clanking noise reached my ears.  Confused, I turned, expecting to have to face a zombie.  They were always getting shovels from somewhere, and trying to bash me on the head with them.  But no mobs were visible.  I frowned.  Strange.  Maybe this cave wasn't so boring after all.

Following the noise, I dug down, mining a little tunnel through the stone.  My pickaxe broke through to a fiery light, and I paused, afraid that I had just mined straight into lava.  Instead, I realized it was lava and lantern light illuminating a scene below me.

Two steves with dark purple hair were battling, swinging gold-edged blades at one another.  My heart leapt in fear at the sound of metal hitting metal, and my mind flashed back to the Yellow Steve guards, who also had weapons made of gold.  As I watched, the two warriors continued to fight, going faster and faster until I couldn't tell who was winning.  I backed up slightly, hoping they wouldn't spot me.  A flash of gold indicated that one had been disarmed, and I quickly closed my eyes, afraid for the weaponless steve.

Nothing happened.

"Good fight!"  the victor cheered, patting his opponent on the back.  "You lasted much longer that time."