Random Rainimator Stories

The Pipes

Based on chapter 63 of the book Her Majesty's Royal Coven. 

I have never wanted to burn a book so badly. Thinking about this book and the horrible writing gives me a headache and boils my blood. Is it possible to hate a book this much? Instead of burning this book, I've rewritten one of the chapters in the book. The one that unironically makes my blood boil the most. Think of this as a retelling of Ceris' death.

If Ceris had a say in her death, no fire would have been involved. Even if she couldn't fight against prophecy, she would fight against the fate that told her she'd burn into nothing but ashes in the wind.

Ceris thought this over as she walked down the narrow corridors, the hooded, faceless guards watching. The wafting smell of chemicals mingled in the air as a light buzzed to life. The smell easily hit Ceris' nose now that her mask had been burnt away in the battle before, reminding her of said battle. The cries of the endermen and the Horde, the feeling of being burnt, the air to her lungs being withdrawn, the smell of blood and smoke in the air, how she was too late to aid Vordus.

How she was too weak to save them all. Ceris squirmed at the thought, the memories still fresh in her mind. A guard pulled her along.

What was the point in delaying it any further? Ceris knew she would face this outcome eventually, no matter if she faced the horde head-on or not. It was only a matter of time before the horde attacked Dragonspire and made it to The Last Ender Watchers. If anything, the Ender Watchers needed to stay back and fight, if only to delay the End Crystals and the Artefacts reaching the Nether Horde's hands.

Even if it meant certain death for Ceris and the others.

They reached the stairs that led up to the hall and eventually the main stage. That's when Ceris saw the Pipes. Ceris could not help but stop and stare at them. The tall cylindrical chambers towered over her like an overworld forest. There were five of them altogether, not that all of them were ever used at the same time. A klaxon rang in the distance as the Pipe in the middle opened up. Ceris was thrust towards it, keeping her head down as she was directed into the vast chain-link tube inside.

Yet, there was nothing vast about the tube at all. It was narrower than it looked from the outside, hardly giving Ceris any room to stretch. Not that she could in the first place with her hands tethered from behind. Ceris took in the Pipe's appearance; blackened steel, charred from overuse in the past. Then, a guard swung the inner door shut, the lock sliding in place with a metallic clank. Ceris suddenly felt nauseous. This was it, wasn't it? Ceris' heart raced, sucking in as much oxygen as she could through the tiny air vents. There was barely any room for even a small matchstick to light up, even less a chance to escape.

"Ceris, the End Matriarch," Naeus' voice boomed. Ceris finally looked up, her eyes widening at the audience in front of her. A majority of the endermen fighting for her had died, but the few that had survived were taken prisoner, just as she was. They kneeled before the stage, waiting to witness her death. Ceris' heart sank at their faces. Some showed fear, others sadness and defeat. If Ceris were to die in front of her soldiers, she'd prefer beheading over fire any day.

Naeus read from a scroll. "As a captive of the Nether Horde and recognised as a Nether law, you have been found guilty of the following count: Unlawful Killing of a member of the Horde. The punishment is death by burning."

The cries and prayers of the endermen rang in Ceris' ear. Here, she had failed them, and here they were again, forced to watch her final moments, weeping for her as if she was as good as dead. Naeus held up a hand to silence the crowd before turning to face the Pipes. He locked his empty sockets with Ceris' dull eyes. "Let's not prolong this day with condolences. Ceris, do you have any final words?"

Ceris turned to avoid Naeus and solely focused on the endermen before her, kneeling just as she was. Maybe not all of them would suffer execution by the Pipes, but they would die all the same. A mix of a chuckle and a grunt escaped Ceris' mouth, almost accidentally. She had her final words now. All she had to do was say them.

"I am sorry to be leaving my people and their futures behind, but I am not sorry that I tried. My faith now lies in the Last Ender Watchers to finish what I've started. I do not die in vain but in triumph for my death will lead to our rise against the Horde."

As Ceris uttered her last word, she looked back at Naeus. His expression was unreadable but Ceris knew her words had struck a nerve, he was just trying to hide it. Ceris sighed, knowing she would never get to see his reaction before she nodded at him grimly. Naeus nodded back before he jerked his head to a guard. To the side of the stage, a guard lifted a cover and pressed a red button sealed underneath. A Klaxon rang. With a creak, the thick thermal shield began to winch down over the inner pipe, made of red and black bricks. A scoff barely audible over the noise slipped through Ceris' lips. This was Naeus' way of mocking her, wasn't it? He was shielding the audience from seeing her full demise in action. Very well, thought Ceris.

The endermen vanished from Ceris' view as the shield pounded past her face. Ceris closed her eyes, the tips of her fingers just able to seize the chain-link. The furnace groaned to life in the pits of the Pipe below. With a thud, the shield crashed to the ground. Ceris' heart skipped a beat as she opened her eyes, blinking helplessly in the darkness.

The next light she saw would be her last.