MindSwap

Chapter 13: Creeper

 Vechs watched the two friends from his vantage point. He had to fight to suppress crazed giggles. The pair in the room had no idea that this was all for the best. MindCrack under Guude's leadership had been fine. But MindCrack under Vechs! With Zisteau, his beloved Pigderp, by his side, MindCrack could grow to rule over all of Minecraftia.

 Beef and Zisteau huddled at one end of the room. They were just out of sight of the creeper, praying he didn't wander closer, but not out of Vechs' view.

 "Kurt, please don't do this," Zisteau called, clearly hoping for a last minuted reprieve.

 "Oh, Zisteau. where's your sense of adventure, Pigderp?"

 "Vechs," Beef whispered. "What are you doing here?"

 Vechs let the question hang for a moment, then he leaned down through the hole Kurt had dropped the creeper. He grinned at the pair. "What am I doing? I'm here to watch the show."

 "Well you can save your time, Vechs. We're gonna get out of here."

 "Pigderp," Vechs gasped between giggles, "that is a good one. You'll get out of here. No. No I don't think you will. You see-" Then he stopped. "Ah ah. I almost told you both my plan. No sense giving you an unfair advantage."

 He watched variations on anger flit across both men's faces. "It's so much easier if you just embrace it, guys. Etho and Guude are fine. Nebris and Kurt are fine. So Nebris wants to walk to the Far Lands and Kurt's stealing the dragon egg. But they're not really hurt are they?" Without waiting for a response, Vechs shook his head. "Neither will you two."

 The creeper took another random step towards Zisteau and Beef.

~~~

 Nebris glanced around Spawn then gestured to the pair behind him. Empty. If he went to Kurt's now, he'd be early and he had feared running into Vechs. Not seeing him was almost as bad, though. It meant he was already at Kurt's new hideout. From the Spawn portal, Kurt's place was off towards BdoubleO's house.

 "Back to Bdubs'?" Guude asked. He seemed to be picking up on Nebris' unease and he kept his voice low.

 "Ever been to Juno?" Nebris whispered back.

 Both Guude and Etho looked puzzled at that, but Nebris offered no further explanation. He led them across the field to the edge of the natural woods and dug into a small hill. As he moved to step inside the hole he'd uncovered, but Etho gripped his shoulder.

 "Juno?" he hissed.

 Nebris pointed upwards and Etho's gaze followed to rest on a y-shaped structure floating in the sky. He watched Etho and Guude's eyes widen and then he headed down into the lair. He froze at the sound of a voice behind him.

 "Nebris! And you've brought Guude and Etho! Wonderful." Kurt was leaning lazily against a wall, but Nebris recognized that easy stance for what it was: a mask for tension. Kurt was ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation and even with three to one odds, Nebris didn't fancy their chances.

 Guude had no such reservations. The diamond blade flickered in the dim light as he ripped it from its sheath. "Kurt, we've got to stop Vechs and you've got to come with us, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I'll give you the choice."

 Kurt laughed, but Nebris thought he detected a slight edge to the sound. "Guude, Etho always was one for the melodrama, wasn't he? Interesting to see it rubbing off." His sword seemed to fly to his hand, so quick did he move, and then he was lunging at Guude's throat.

 Guude brought his sword up in a quick parry, fending off Kurt's seeking blade and stepping back a half pace. Then he was on the offensive, driving Kurt back towards the wall. In a desperate move, Kurt reached out with his free hand and gripped Guude's sword. Blood trickled down the blade as he wrenched it, heedless of the pain, from Guude's grip. And his eyes rolled back in his head as Etho slammed the pommel of his sword into the side of Kurt's head.

 Guude sighed in relief and reclaimed his sword. Nebris gingerly ran a finger over the vicious gash in Kurt's hand. Etho bent and lifted Kurt to his shoulder.

 "We don't have much time," he hissed. "Let's find Vechs. Nebris, any ideas?"

 Nebris nodded silently and headed further into the lair. Guude and Etho trailing him closely.

~~~

 The creeper stood in the center of the room, idly watching Zisteau. Zisteau crouched in the corner, heart hammering in his chest. Beef had backed into the opposite corner, his eyes flicking back and forth between the creeper and Zisteau.

 "Vechs, when I get out of here, I don't care if I'm me or Zisteau," Beef called, "you're going to pay for this."

 "Now now, Beef, temper temper. Goodness knows you won't be able to keep it with Zisteau in your head."

 ~~~

  Vechs was watching, a little impatiently, for Beef and Zisteau to be caught in the creeper's explosion. He heard footsteps and assumed it was Kurt arriving with Nebris.

 "You're both in time for the show," he said, his grin evident in his voice. He glanced up and the grin grew wider.

 "Well, well, Guude and Etho! Welcome. Like I said, you're just in time for the show." He wasn't sure he liked the smile that Guude gave him back.

 "Oh we know. It can't start without us, after all," he said.

 Nebris gripped his sword tighter, waiting for Guude's silent signal. Guude's head twitched slightly in Vechs' direction. The two lunged for him. Tumbling over each other, all three fell into the hole, landing behind the electric creeper.

 The creeper slowly turned and Vechs lost it. "What have you done? You two are going to ruin everything! Nebris, what about going to the Far Lands?"

 There was just a hint of the old Nebris as he said, "Somethings are more important."

 Etho dropped Kurt's unconscious form in after them and leaped down himself. He wrapped his arms around Vechs as the other man made a murderous lunge at Nebris. Vechs' momentum carried them both to the ground, but Etho refused to let go. Nebris moved for the creeper, grabbing it and stumbling backwards toward the others and away from Beef and Zisteau.

 The creeper hissed.

 For the second time in only a few days, Nebris' world exploded.