**十八 (Chapter 18)
eng: One can only rely on oneself.

~

Skeleton

~

I yet again snuck past a large group of wither skeletons, the potion of invisibility doing wonders.

Earlier, I had accidentally chucked the enderpearl too far, landing in an empty clearing. I thought it would've lead to the large, gaping palace, but I ended up walking straight for hours, unsuccessful. Needless to say, it was a bust.

This place isn't logical, I conclude. The clearing was most likely an endless trail, the so-called gaping palace a mirage. A reflection of the real thing. The only way I could get to the actual palace was through the large town.

It would've been an easy task, if only Wither had handed me more invisibility potions. This one was about to wear off.

My inventory wouldn't be very much help, either. I only had a single iron sword, the mysterious gem Wither handed me earlier, and the potion Herobrine gave me.

Curse my habit of carrying almost nothing in my inventory.

This thing is going to wear off in a few seconds, I quickly realized. I take cover in the nearest hiding spot, which happened to be one of the many infrastructures in this town. My translucent bones return back to their original, cyan-blue tone.

Wither is probably faring a lot better than I am. I groan at the thought, trying to free myself from under this narrow bed. I wonder how Creeper and Slime are...

I hear the sound of a door slamming open. Alarmed, I halt my rash movements and lie completely still.

"Preposterous. Just obscene! Those skeletons don't listen to a word of logic!" The footsteps start to get closer. I hold my breath.

"That Lord is up to no good... His rotten son, too..." A pair of charred black feet were directly in front of my line of sight. I pray to Notch that I won't get discovered.

The wither skeleton lets out a long sigh, sliding a window open and sitting on top of the bed. I was thankful to have my cloak wrapped snuggly over my shoulders.

"Returning from the other realm... Only to blindly serve him... What a waste of potential..." The wither skeleton walks over to his desk that was placed adjacently from my vantage point. He clicks what I assumed to be a pen, writing something down. This is my chance. I just need to be extremely stealthy... C'mon, Skeleton, you can do it! You've escaped that bitter cold for Notch's sake!

I quietly shuffle, carefully but surely repositioning myself to a better angle. I free my head, then my arms, and lastly my legs.

I mentally cheer, proud of myself for managing to escape that narrow space so quickly. My over confidence quickly disappears, though, because a large and powerful gust of wind knocks me off balance. I end up landing straight on my face.

"What the...?" The wither skeleton stands up from his chair. I quickly recover from my mistake and draw my sword, revealing myself to that hideous wither skeleton.

"Make any sort of noise and I'll kill you," I threaten, stepping towards the wither skeleton. His eyes widened, most likely out of fear.

"Don, where the heck did you put my coffee maker-!" Another figure enters the room, completely dumbstruck for a solid ten seconds.

Two of them live here? This could be a problem...

"...A stray? Seriously, Don? What else are you hiding in the house?!"

"Would you stop joking around and help me out here?! This guy is about to stab me for god's sake!"

A sigh. "Hey, stray, back down. We're not going to turn you in to the Guard."

It was my turn to be dumbstruck.

"..." I sigh and let my guard down, lowering my sword.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually snuck a stray into the house. You really are a miracle worker as they say."

"...The stray popped out of nowhere. One moment I'm writing, the next this stray just appears out of thin air."

"Huh. Cool, I guess. Hey, stray, what are you doing in this hell of a realm?"

"..." Are these two serious? They're not going to attack me?

"I think he's mute, Don."

"You idiot, he threatened to stab me a few seconds ago!"

"...Oh."

"...Tell anyone about me and you'll end up regretting it," I hiss at the two wither skeletons.

"Relax. Again, we're not going to report you to the Guard. Don and I are research specialists, specifically researching the Lord's weaknesses-!"

Don slaps the taller. "Are you an idiot?! Don't just blow our cover to some stray that broke into our house!"

"He's a stray, Don. He'll be a lab rat the moment the Guard spots him. He won't be so quick to reveal himself."

"...I guess you've got a point."

I stare at the two wither skeletons. They don't seem like a threat, but I've got to be cautious... Wither skeletons are extremely good at the art of deception.

"So... What brought you to our house, anyway? Hiding?"

I nod slowly. The two exchange glances.

"Mind putting that sword away? It's making me anxious."

"Not before you answer a few of my questions." I point the sword at the smaller, Don. "How do I get into the palace?"

"...You're planning to enter the palace? Are you crazy?!"

"Answer my question."

"You've got to be either a royal or apart of the Guard. No one else may enter," Don says, "Unless you get captured and thrown into the dungeon."

"...Shit."

"Aye, no crude words in this house."

"Who's the one holding the sword?" The taller backs down instantly.

"C-Can you please put the sword down now-!"

"One last question. What information do you have on the latest intruders?"

"..."

"Well?"

"There are many rumors going around about the recent intruders," the taller admits, "But no one is really sure."

"I heard they're a color that we've never seen before."

"...That's ridiculous."

A color they've never seen before? This realm has not one speck of green... Could that mean?...

My sword completely slacks. If those rumors are true, then...

Slime and Creeper are really in trouble. I need to find Wither as soon as possible.

"Uhh, stray? Zoning out there, buddy..."

"Intruders... They get locked up in the dungeon, right?"

"Yeah, most of them. At least, that's what the Lord claims. I don't trust one damn word from his mouth."

"The Lord has brainwashed everyone, even the poor Prince," Don says, "I can't believe he gave up his only chance at freedom."

"I need you two to help me get into the palace," I say, "Without getting caught."

"Hold your horses, stray. That's impossible."

"You'll be dead before even making it! Have you seen how many wither skeletons there are? There are thousands on this street alone!"

As if someone heard us, a loud knock startled the three of us.

"Hide, stray," Don says, rushing towards the door.

~