HIRAETH // Captain Puffy X Reader

26

The map led you through the forest for a while longer, until you made it to the base of the rocky spires you had seen from the ship. They looked much bigger up close, and you hadn't been able to see the mouth of the cave from the ship either - the trees had been blocking it from view. 

When you reached the entrance, Puffy rolled up the map, handing it to Tubbo, who was still perched on her shoulders. He took it eagerly, clutching it in one of his little hands. 

"I should have brought a torch." Puffy said, peering into the depths of the cave. 

"Do you at least have some flint?" You asked, bending down to pick up a good sized branch from the ground. 

Puffy dug into one of the pockets of her coat, pulling out a flint and steel. You balanced the stick between your legs, freeing your hands so that you could tear a strip of fabric from the bottom of your shirt, winding the fabric around the top of the stick and tying it in place as a makeshift torch. 

"Here." You passed it to Puffy and she took it, now eyeing the strip of skin that was no longer covered by your shirt.

"You didn't have to do that." She said, lighting the makeshift torch and plunging into the cave. 

You just shrugged and headed in after her. 

Almost immediately as you walked in, you noticed a change of temperature - in here, the air felt almost cold. Puffy held the torch over her head, to illuminate the most area. The first few feet revealed only bare rock walls, but the next few steps showed the beginnings of elaborate cave drawings. 

You peered closer to the walls, trying to make out what was happening in the images. You saw villages, tall towers, Nether portals and fortresses, and floating Ender cities. There were villages and their grey counterparts, Pigmen and Piglins, and Endermen - fighting wars and trading and building entire worlds. If it wasn't for the distinct lack of humans, it would have been normal. 

Puffy ran a hand over the wall of the cave, equally as entranced by the drawings as you were. "How old do you think these are?" She asked, her voice echoing in the cave. 

One large drawing at the end of the row caught your eye - this one was more detailed than the others, done in colors and lots of thin little lines that made it look almost lifelike. The Ender Dragon stared down at you from the wall of the cave, poised to strike above your head. "Older than the kingdom." You said, eyeing the drawing. 

Still, you didn't linger too long on the cave art - there was a bit of a limit on time, after all. You followed after Puffy as she plunged deeper into the cave, the ceiling getting low enough that Tubbo had to climb down from her shoulders, instead grabbing onto your hand as you went deeper. Soon enough, you couldn't see the entrance anymore, and the only light was from the torch in Puffy's hand.

You were just getting worried that the cave went on forever when Puffy stopped. 

In front of her was a chest - battered from being neglecting for however long it had been. There was no sign that it had been touched since whoever had put it there had placed it in the first place. 

She handed the torch to you silently, and you took it, stepping back with Tubbo so that she could approach. Puffy did, getting on her hands and knees and sweeping the ground around the chest - checking for redstone. When her hands came away clean, she stood back up, one hand on the hilt of her sword, one hand reaching for the latch of the chest. 

Tubbo squeezed your hand as she opened the box, the hinges creaking. 

Puffy peered inside, and you held the torch closer so that the light streamed into the box, illuminating what was inside. 

Nothing.

"What?" Puffy said, reaching into the chest to check for a false bottom. "But... the map had never been used. And it doesn't look like anyone's been here since before the king was alive."

Tubbo let go of your hand, going to peer over the edge of the chest. "There's really nothing inside?"

Puffy checked the side for hidden compartments, the top for anything that might have been shoved up there, but no. Nothing. 

"Maybe there's another chest." You said, holding the torch so that the light shone on the wall behind the box. "It could be a distraction from the real thing..."

But looking at the sold stone wall behind the chest, you knew that this was the only one. 

"They said it was a treasure of legend." Puffy said. "They said it could reverse the effects of death..."

Puffy slammed the top of the chest back down, and kicked it, carving a hole in the side. You just let her, heart sinking in your chest. All this, for nothing? Even the king had thought there was some treasure hidden here - why else would he have guarded it so fiercely otherwise? But no... 

Whatever treasure had been here was long gone. 

Puffy stepped back from the now destroyed chest, grabbing her son by the hand. "Let's go." She said, voice thick with anger. "The Ghost is waiting for us."

You snapped back to reality, turning to follow Puffy and Tubbo out of the cave. The Ghost, and the crew. They were probably fighting off the navy as you walked, holding out for as long as they could so you could make it back. 

They were expecting some fantastic treasure - something that would have been worth all the miles they'd traveled and fight's they'd won. 

They were going to be severely disappointed when Puffy came back empty handed. 

You dropped the torch at the mouth of the cave as Puffy picked Tubbo up again, breaking into a jog as you sped back to the beach, more cannon fire in the distance.