Nighttime. Not a grass moved in the forests surrounding the Redstone Academy. While already majestic on the outside, being larger than most castles, it is the intertwining tunnels and laboratories underground that are the core of the institution. Some believe that the Academy even tunnels deep into the surrounding mountains, to house its many brilliant minds.
The tall walls stood in silence as wither skeletons patrolled its border, looking for intruders, but more importantly, escapees. To hell with the studying. This is now the personal laboratory of King Pythus and every human inside, whether they like it or not, now works for him. Inside the largest chamber in the southwest corner, a man bent over an open hatch. Frederick had rings around his eyes and a tattered mustache around his mouth. He wore a simple worker's overall and light brown hat, its color fading away with age. Behind him approached a wither skeleton.
"Ah-ah-ah," He held back the skeleton as it motioned to check his progress. "You might not want to touch that!" The skeleton looked at him, its hollow eyes burrowing into the man's skull. "It's very expensive and you might damage it. Oh and it also might kill you." The skeleton decided not to mess with the machine any further and retreated to his position at the door.
Wither skeletons were running down the hallway and the guard followed. "Uh, does this mean I'm free to go?" Frederick poked his head out into the corridor to see nothing in sight. Gingerly, he stealthed towards the main entrance.
"Oh, great, Hubris." Complained Grek. "Your lights blew our cover."
"I was kind of expecting it." Hubris replied, "Now we have every skeleton at the gate."
"Oh well, I've been looking to a fight." Grek readied Soulseeker. "Let's go" He leapt out of the woods straight at the closest skeleton.
"I can't do this!" Hubris hollered, sending red arrows raining down on the skeletons, "They just keep putting themselves back together!"
"Hubris, you gotta go for their weak spots!" Yelled Grek over the tumultuous clattering of black bones.
"They are skeletons!" Hubris yelled back, kicking back another onslaught. "They don't have any weak spots!"
Grek crushed a skull between his hands. The skeleton crumpled on the ground, now truly lifeless.
"This seems to always do the trick for me." He jumped out of the pile of bones around him and split a skeleton in half. Hubris finally cut through a skull and left the last skeleton limp on the ground.
"Ria's gonna kill us when she finds what we've done." Hubris panted, putting away his sword.
"You mean she's going to kill you. It was your idea to go against her orders and sneak out on this secret mission." Grek retorted, casually putting away his sword.
"And you came along." Hubris said, "which makes us accomplices."
"Only because I knew you'd need my help." Grek kicked a bone away. "Can't even kill a skeleton properly."
"Just…Help me find the engineers." Hubris put away his sword and walked into the Academy.
"Hi!" Frederick walked out from behind a column. Grek and Hubris instantly drew their swords.
"Oh, no need for that." He stepped back a bit. "Trust me, I'm an engineer." He took his hat off and bowed. "If you're looking for them you've come to the right place!" He put his hat back on and the other two lowered their swords. "Well- actually you didn't, because the Nether came first and took everyone. Everyone but me that is."
"We heard the Deathsinger is attempting to create a redstone device to locate Prime Songs." Hubris said.
"Technically the Deathsinger isn't creating any such device." Frederick babbled, "I'm sure he doesn't even know how to wire a piston to a lever."
"But a device is being made, is it not?" Hubris clenched and relaxed his fists.
"Only an experienced engineer like myself could create such a device." The engineer puffed out his chest. "My name's Fredrick, I was top of my class here at the Redstone Academy." Grek mimed wasting time behind their back.
"We're not here to stay." Hubris glanced at the gates. "Are you able to take the device with you?"
Frederick was appalled. "Do you have any idea how large a triple T-flipflop hexadecimal redstone gyroscopic triangulator is?"
"Look kid." Grek stepped in front. "We don't know anything about your triangle redstonating whatever, but we need to leave with it now."
"Alright." Frederick deflated, looking more depressed than before. "I suppose we can just extract the core and rebuild the rest later." He started back to his lab, mumbling. "All that work down the drain…"
"Hurry then." Hubris called after him. "We'll prepare for our departure." He turned toward the gate.
"Still think this mission was a good idea?" Grek teased. Lights bobbed in the distance down the road.
"It's for the best, whether the Captain agrees or not." Hubris replied. A dark figure moved in the sky. "Something's coming."
"What's coming?"
"You don't see it?" Hubris looked at Grek, "I thought Jags had good eyesight?"
"Hubris," Grek sounded tired, "we don't need to see beyond the reach of our sword to kill an enemy."
The Ardoni, meanwhile had discerned the flying object. "It's a Wither!" He shouted, "Get back inside!"
Inside the building, Frederick ran up to them with a huge bag over his shoulder.
"I brought the core, but it still needs more work." He patted the bag.
"No time." Hubris grabbed his arm. "There's a Wither coming. We have to leave now. Is there any other way out of the Academy?"
"Not any more. The Nether sealed the subterranean railroad to prevent us from escaping." Frederick tried to keep up, stumbling over his feet.
"Go! Now!"
The three darted into the woods. The Wither, evidently noticing their movement, flew after them.
"We need a rest." Hubris said through heavy breaths. "And especially the engineer. I don't think they teach sports at that school." He prodded the lump on the ground that was Frederick.
"What now?!" Grek asked, barely breaking a sweat. He pried the leaves apart and looked at the oncoming monster. "We can't kill a Wither! It's too powerful!"
"I thought you'd relish in the opportunity! Weren't you capable of facing down thirty ferocious bandits?"
"I mean I'd love to fight a Wither!" Grek let the leaves spring back. "I just… don't want to… right now."
"Yeah whatever. I'm afraid we don't have a choice." Hubris drew his sword. "Come on!" Like a storm, his red arrows hurled towards the monster.
The Wither dodged aside and the arrows flew past into the forest. Its eyes shone white and Hubris felt something, like a worm, had forced its way into his head. His eyes lost their yellow hue. Instead, they shone white, but not like Senn's. More like, His.
Hubris turned around and plunged into the bushes at Grek. The Wither's eyes shone white again, but it couldn't control the Jaggarthan.
"Hubris?" Grek shouted, blocking the other's sword. "What's wrong with you?!"
The Ardoni did not respond. Instead, he pulled back his weapon and began attacking Grek ferociously, quite unlike his usual calm and calculating fighting style.
"Great!" Grek twirled Soulseeker like a whirlwind "Now I gotta fight you too?! Couldn't say I wasn't looking forward to this!"
Hubris said nothing. He just stabbed and slashed. Grek sought his opportunity, and as Hubris drew back his weapon one more time, he saw an opening. He kicked Hubris in the face and onto his back. His sword landed beside his hand and Grek announced his victory.
"Ha!" He pointed his blade at Hubris' nose. "I always knew I could beat you in a fight." He stood back and let Hubris stand up.
The white in his eyes glinting, Hubris flopped up, sword in hand, and rained his arrows on Grek. The Jaggarthan swung his weapon back and forth to block all the projectiles.
"Oh come on!" He yelled over the tinging of the scarlet tips on his blade. "It ain't fair if I can't kill you!"
They fought for almost half an hour, by which time Frederick had recovered from the exertion. Seeing his protectors fighting, he could only press himself against a tree and hug his bag closely.
"What is happening?!" He called.
"Hubris's gone crazy!" Grek hollered.
In the distance, there came a rumbling growl. An Ender Dragon came out of the sky and went straight for the Wither. Biting off its central head, he grabbed the monster in his claws and tore off another head. The one remaining looked helplessly as his brothers died. Hubris's eyes blinked back to their normal yellow glow to find himself with his sword on Grek's.
"What happened?" The Ardoni rubbed his eyes. "How did I end up like this?" He sheathed his sword.
"You got controlled by the Wither." Grek said. "We fought, I beat you easily, of course."
The Enderknight dismounted as soon as she landed. "We thank you, Abbigail, but before you reprimand us for…"
"Arr you guys alrigh'?" Denny asked, rushing over.
Grek stifled a laugh. "Hey Hubris, who needs better eyesight now?"
"I assumed it was Abbigail…" Hubris protested.
"When's the last time you saw Luna? She's much smaller than that." Grek was now grinning from ear to ear.
"Denny, did Ria send you?" Hubris ignored Grek.
"What? No, I wa' heading to Felora befor' the attac'. Figured I'd take a detor and see if you two were in trouble." Denny bent down to check Frederick.
"The attack?! Already?" Hubris thought he must have missed a memo or two.
"I don't suppose you can give us a ride back?" Grek looked expectantly at Thunderdome.
"You don' ride horses, an' now you want to ride a dragon?" Denny mounted Thunderdome. "Besides, I have to repor' back to Abbigail. You don' want your secret blown?" He patted Thunderdome's neck and they took off towards Ataraxia.
"Grr. Fine." Grek tramped back to the others. "We'll walk back then."