The Takeaway SMP Novelization

Chapter 11 - The Hostage

Dennis awoke from his slumber, eyes tired and head aching. He was slumped in the corner of a dark, cold, stone room, a web of iron bars locking him away from the outside world. He immediately recognised where he was. This was the cave he had been mining in when Loppezz had found him. He stood, peering out from his cage. The cave had been transformed into a home, which he assumed was Loppezz's. It then set in, he had been taken captive because Loppezz had misinterpreted his situation with Icevenom. He shouted for help, hoping anyone could hear him from deep within this cave.

Footsteps echoed from further up the cave as Loppezz and Blake appeared after hearing Dennis' cries for help.

"You... you locked me in here you asshole!" Dennis shouted, kicking the iron bars, hoping it would do anything.

"You've been manipulated by Icevenom, you still think you owe him some sort of allegiance," Blake stated, "You'll stay in here until you decide who's side is right, I strongly suggest you pick the right one."

Loppezz took a glance over to Blake, her new friend seemed... intense to say the least. Perhaps even a little morally incorrect. But Loppezz kept reassuring herself that they were doing the right thing and that in time Dennis would see how much of a monster Icevenom was.

"I haven't done anything to deserve to be locked up in a prison like a criminal!" Dennis shouted at his captors, "You are making a mistake, Icevenom is not a bad person!"

"He's delusional," Blake said to Loppezz, "We cannot reason with him."

"Blake, we have to hear his side of the story," Loppezz said, finally pushing back against Blake.

"He will only tell us the same lies he's had drilled into his head," Blake responded, shutting down Loppezz, "What good would that be?"

In the time that Blake and Loppezz had been talking, they had turned to face away from Dennis, diverting their attention as a faint sound of mining became clearer and clearer to Dennis, who sat in his cell, hoping for a way out. The sound became louder and louder, but Loppezz and Blake's arguing had their attention so fixated that they didn't even know what was going on.

Suddenly, the floor beneath Dennis began to crack before giving way as Dennis fell with a thud into a tunnel below. Icevenom stood there helping him up as they immediately began to run down the carefully dug tunnel through Loppezz's base.

The sound of Dennis falling finally interrupted the argument as Loppezz and Blake turned to see Dennis gone and the hole in the floor.

"Shit!" Blake shouted.

"I'll intercept them!" Loppezz shouted, immediately grabbing her sword and making for the exit, hoping to find the tunnel's entrance before Dennis and Icevenom would reach it.

Blake jumped down into the tunnel, the darkness ahead only being illuminated by his torch. It was clear that Dennis and Icevenom were long gone but that did not stop his pursuit beginning as he ran after them down the tunnel.

Loppezz scrambled around outside, looking for tunnel entrance, running far and wide across Spawn, searching for the opening. Eventually, after frantically scouring the land, she found it, a small hole some distance from Spawn. She stopped when she heard running footsteps inside, it had to be Dennis and Icevenom. She hid above the hole, ready to strike when they appeared. However, she was not met with the penguin and the boy, rather with Blake and before she could strike, she noticed, pulling her sword back again.

"No luck?" Blake said, looking up at Loppezz.

"Damn it!" Loppezz shouted, throwing her sword on the ground in defeat.

"It's okay, you can always try again," Blake told her, "I'll see you tomorrow at Greggs, don't be late."

Loppezz watched as Blake walked away, still questioning if she was on the right side in this conflict. Perhaps Dennis was right all along. Regardless, it was futile to attempt to change course now. She had to see this through to an ending, no matter what she would have to do to accomplish it. Peace had to be achieved.

Loppezz walked home, back through Spawn, which by now had become a flourishing new town, with houses and shops being built for all the citizens to enjoy. She had noticed two new settlers out of the corner of her eye, one with purple hair and a black jacket and another with a colourful orange and yellow hoodie. She didn't have the patience to interact with them at that moment in time but noted she would have to do it at another time.

But as she approached her home, the faint sound of burning and the taste of ash on her tongue intensified. The scent of smoke emerging and the billowing flames of revenge soaring from her cave. As she ran towards her home, she put her hands to her mouth in disbelief, the entirety of her home had been burnt and filled with lava.

She knew who had done this, it had to be Dennis and Icevenom. And now she was uncertain of whether she could ever choose forgiveness.