Mythical Artifacts

Chapter 18: Home

It made no sense. Supreme_moo wasn't a staff member, yet somehow he had done something that only an admin could do. I wondered if he was lying, but he would've just taken me if he was Hypixel's ally. Or maybe that's what they wanted me to think. Yes, maybe they wanted to confuse me even more. If that was the case, he succeeded. I was confused.

But it didn't matter. He told me how to use the blue orb, and that's all I needed. I took it out and stared at it, thinking about Mine and Typo. I closed my eyes, just trying to focus . . . but nothing happened. At first I wondered if I had done it wrong. He told me to concentrate on a place, didn't he? But maybe it was because I didn't know where Mine and Typo even were. Focusing on the orb again, I imagined a place far down the path. Hopefully it would work.

Something worked, at least, because a portal stood in front of me. Blue, like the orb, with bits of gray and brown. It radiated light. It was a portal exactly like the one that had led me to this terrible world. Typo and Mine could still be in danger, I reminded myself, and readied myself to enter the portal, even though I didn't know what would be on the other side. With no more hesitation I leaped into the portal.

I looked around. I was still in the maze, though I had no idea where. I couldn't hear anybody — let alone see anyone — nor did the grass give any clues to recent activity. I took out my compass: it still pointed in one direction. At least I knew which way was forward and backward. Which way to go? Since I tried to overestimate, I figured I would go in the direction of where I was before.

I turned around to look behind me, and realized that the portal was still open. Weird. The first portal, from PixelPig's house to this world, closed right after everybody went through it . . . but what closed it? I'd figure it out later, but for now, I concentrated on the blue orb and the portal, trying to mentally command it to close. It did.

As I jogged along the path, I wondered what we would even do when we all regrouped. Supreme_moo told me I had things to do, to help my friends, and then he would tell me everything. But what else was there to be done? All I knew to do was find my friends and get out of the maze as soon as possible. Beyond that, I didn't know what to do. Keep running from the staff, maybe? I certainly wouldn't—

I froze. Was I hearing correctly? A rustle in the bushes. A slow intake of breath. The pulling of a bow. Yes, I was hearing correctly. Someone was about to shoot me.

I threw myself onto the ground just before I heard the arrow go darting by. I turned to my right where I saw it land inside one of the hedges. Then I turned left, where it came from. Someone behind a hedge. Their username read Wolfity. He started pulling his bow back again, moving briskly now that I've seen him. I rolled over and pulled my own bow out, but it was too late. His second arrow whizzed through the air and into my right leg.

I cried out. The pain was horrible, so excruciating. It sent waves of pain through my body, so much that I almost forgot to keep breathing. But I forced myself to pull back the string of my bow anyway. I aimed it, eyes squinting, and let go. It was going straight toward Wolfity — until he dodged, just narrowly. Then he started drawing another arrow. I struggled to my feet and dashed out of range.

I took out the arrow from my throbbing leg and readied my bow to shoot again. I carefully watched the attacker through the two hedges between us. He seemed to be doing nothing. I drew The Bow and pointed it at him, figuring that it would go through the hedges. I was ready to release, but then I was suddenly knocked off my feet. I fell forward onto the cold ground.

"Well, well, well," said a feminine voice. I rolled over onto my back. A diamond sword in hand, her username read Phaige. "TheFlawed. Apprehended," she said. I shakily tried to get up, but Phaige pushed me back down.