AvA: Resurrection

Ch. 22 - The Woodland Mansion

The moment they stepped over the threshold, Uni knew instantly that they'd come to the wrong place.

As they turned to leave, two illagers holding axes blocked their path.

"Where do you two think you are going?" one illager grunted.

"We were just about to leave," Uni explained.

"Yeah, whatever," the illager said, "I heard you two are allies of the Second Coming's. Is that true?"

"Um... what if it is?"

"Arrest them!" the illager barked.

Before Uni or Cobalt could react, two more illagers came up behind them and grabbed their wrists. The original two illagers raised their axes and bashed the sides of their heads, knocking them out.

"Uni?"

Uni blinked. Cobalt was looking down at him.

"W-what?" He sat up, rubbing the side of his head. "Where are we?"

"A prison cell, by the looks of it."

In the cell, there were only a green-sheeted bed, and a cauldron half-filled with water. A tiny, barred window allowed them to see a little more of the mansion, but they couldn't see much, as there wasn't much light. Of course, there was a door, but it was locked from the outside.

"Uni, you have some cobblestone?" Cobalt asked.

Uni had picked up a piece from their mineshaft expedition. He handed it to Cobalt, who tried combining it with a stick.

"Voilà!" he exclaimed, holding up a lever. Sticking it next to the door, he pulled it and the door swung open.

"Brilliant!" Uni exclaimed.

They crept out of the cell, straining their ears for any sort of noise.

The fluttering of little wings.

"Cobalt, do you hear that?"

"Yep. Seems like it's coming from the other cells."

"Should we take a look?"

"I guess."

Cobalt pulled the lever on one of the cells. The cell door opened, and out zoomed a bright blue creature. Uni ducked, but Cobalt said, "Uni, it's okay!"

"What?" Uni stood up nervously. The creature had small wings and blue feathers. Its big white eyes looked at Uni curiously. "Maybe this is a new mob that I haven't read about," he thought.

"It's an Allay," Cobalt explained, "They don't hurt people."

"Really?"

Cobalt nodded. Uni relaxed a little.

"They don't belong here," Cobalt said, "We need to get them outta here."

"You can try," a voice said behind them.

Uni whirled around, summoning fire to his fist. The illager looked surprised. "You have... powers?"

"Second also has powers," said Uni, confused.

"Really? We did not know that." The illager raised his hands. "But thanks for telling me!"

Uni had anticipated this. He jumped up into the air as a row of fangs snapped at him. Sending fire at the illager, he blasted off the tops of the cells. Allays swooped out, weaving in and out of the tongues of flame and down the empty corridor.

"Let's follow them!" Cobalt called to Uni as the illager summoned a couple of blue-grey winged creatures- Vexes.

Uni picked up Cobalt, batted a Vex out of the air, and quickly caught up with the Allays.

The exit was in sight. Uni burst out of the mansion... only to get shot.

They fell to the ground. Cobalt looked around. An illager carrying a crossbow was standing right next to the exit, which was why they hadn't seen him.

Illagers were charging out of the mansion at this point, raising their axes and summoning Vexes.

Cobalt hauled Uni onto his back and staggered back into the tunnel; the illagers followed him.

He managed to return to the main passage, but couldn't see anything due to the lack of light. The illagers were still on his tail, so he decided to just head down a random tunnel, just so maybe they could escape them.

He made the mistake of going down a tunnel which contained a massive hole in the ground.

And it was too dark for him to see it.

He felt himself falling.

Falling.

He landed hard, knocking the wind right out of him.

He heard a clicking noise, and something lit up next to him.

Turquoise and black, with twisting tendrils on its surface.

He was staring straight into the base of a Sculk sensor.