I walked inside the cottage as I knew Cassie would do what I told her. I walked to the fake, replica of the End. I simply stared at the fake dragon, the very thing that caused so much trouble.

I guess that's one thing I have in common with the beast. But I'm not worried about losing to Redstonia.

When I went to Boom Town, I used my monsters as a distraction so I can find Magnus. Even causing destruction to lure him out.

Killing the citizens was pointless since they could respawn. Not to mention all of the citizens were a minimum level of 300.

But now I realized the irony when I used my words to gain control over Boom Town, a kingdom known for its impulsive actions and lack of diplomacy.

Now it's different...

I learned now that levels do not determine the strength of the individual. My participation in the Tournament proved that.

Now that I can see the stats of the people I used [Observe] on, I can truly see where their strengths lie. Olivia's stats are shifted more towards intelligence rather than strength or dexterity.

So I don't need to outsmart them. I don't need to make them run out of options. I just need to simply overpower them with brute force.

I'm done playing around.

Ellegaard help Soren spread the lies of the Order, and ruined Ivor's life. Ellegaard is the reason my body is burned, why I'm missing my left eye, the reason I had to move to a new location.

But despite losing so much, Ellegaard took something much, much more valuable to me. And I'm going to make sure she knows how her arrogant actions had lethal consequences.

I saw Cassie walk inside, joining me in the fake End as Winslow walked by her side. "It's done."

I nodded. "Good," I said as she handed me the contents of the Astrolabe Vault. I opened the sack to find a book of new knowledge that I'll fully delve into later. "lets get started."

I flipped through the pages as I pulled out Ivor's and my own notes to decipher the knowledge. After a minute I found what I was looking for.

I reached inside the sack again to find a special sapling. It had shining blue leafs and a white stem. I grabbed a dirt block, placed it down, planted the sapling and applied some bone meal to make it grow.

It was about fifteen blocks tall. With thick, pale branches that held its blue, shining leaves. If I wasn't so focused on my revenge... I would just stare at this tree all day. Beautiful.

"This is a Silverwood tree, Cassie," I gestured to the beautiful tree. "it has many magical properties. Most importantly, how to deal with the side effects of using this knowledge."

That got her attention. "What kind of side effects?"

I brought my hand to my chin. "How can I explain this...?" I took a second, gathering my thoughts before talking again. "The main purpose of this knowledge is harvesting elemental aspects from Aura Nodes, and using it in many different ways, however draining the Aura Node too much will affect the land it's connected to. It will taint it."

"Taint?" asked Cassie. "What's taint?"

"Imagine a dark, purple goo that infected the land. Growing beyond the Aura Node's influence." I explained morbidly, but my eyes still fixed on the tree. "So even if you did repair the Aura Node, you would still have to deal with the outside taint infecting the area again, and prevent it from corrupting the mobs that cross it's path and the horrifying entities it spawns."

I glanced at Cassie, seeing her confused. "But we are not even near that Aura Node's area. You moved it, or rather Ivor did. So what's the problem?"

"The problem, as I just said, is that it can spread, Cassie!" I yelled, making her flinch. "The Far Lands are dangerous enough, the last thing we need is purple, demonic goo spreading everywhere!"

"It's demonic?" asked a concerned Cassie.

I held up the book that was formerly inside the Astrolabe Vault. "From the accurate, and disturbing, descriptions of the taint's effects... it might as well be."

I then pulled out some iron and a crafting table. I crafted two shears and axes. I handed her one of each. "Shear a few of the leaves, and cut down the tree."

She looked at the beautiful tree. "Are you sure?"

"We need the wood," I explained. "and the saplings it drops to cultivate more Silverwood trees, Cassie."

She let out a sad sigh. I can relate since I don't want to chop down this beautiful tree, but I need to. "Okay, but why did you craft axes?" asked Cassie. "I can just use this." she formed a crimson axe, twice as big as a normal one, but light as air, with her chaos magic.

She swung the axe at the Silverwood tree, only for the axe to melt and become absorbed into the tree within a hearbeat, making it glow into a beautiful light green color.

Cassie was shocked, and stared at her empty hand where her chaos energy was absorbed.

"That won't work, Cassie." I lectured. "Apparently, Silverwood absorbs negativity and releases a positive aura. So that includes your chaos magic." Even now when I'm near this tree, I feel my anger draining away. And in return, I feel... loved.

"So this tree can stop all things that are negative?" Asked a skeptic Cassie. "That a quite a broad spectrum."

"I don't know the exact details, but yeah, it does. If the tree is intact, that is." I added. "But the individual logs is enough to prevent the spread of taint."

"So we place these around the area where Ivor found the Aura Node?" asked Cassie, shearing the blue leaves. "To prevent the taint from spreading?"

"We'll do that later," I said, chopping down the tree. I could have used [Vein-Miner] to speed up the process, but it felt good doing things the hard way every now and then.

"We're going to use the logs to make sure we're safe when I extract the elemental affinities from the Aura Node." I explained, gathering the Silverwood logs, the blue leaves, and a few saplings.

I placed a dirt block in the middle of the four pillars in the fake End, each pillar having a banner to represent a member of the Order of the Stone. I framed the dirt with Silverwood logs and placed the Aura node, still in its jar, in the center.

I smashed the jar. A wave of mixed, elemental energy was unleashed. And if it wasn't for the Silverwood... we might be dead.

But it wouldn't be from the energy that was released when I smashed the jar. It would be the Aura Node's 'gluttony' trait as it sucked in and consumed the glass shards of the jar. Again, the Silverwood saved us from being eaten.

I used the leftover Silverwood to craft a staff. "Okay, now we can do this properly." I said as I let the staff's tip near the hungry Aura Node, careful not to let it get consumed.

I willed the staff to pull out some of the Lux (Lightning) affinity as I saw strands of white-blue, electric energy flow into the staff as the Silverwood glowed a beautiful green.

"So... that's it?" asked Cassie, watching as I walked towards her with the staff in hand. "I was expecting something more dramatic."

"That's it," I confirmed. "The Silverwood staff absorbs the elemental affinities, stores it, and refines it. In turn, I can transfer it to anything and anyone. That way it's safer and easier to increase your elemental affinity."

I wanted to make a comment of how she won't end up like my failures when I tried this earlier, and stored the failures inside the maze. Oh well, they're Maya's problem now.

"Now what?" asked Cassie.

"Like I said outside," I gestured to the Aura Node. "We make you stronger."

"But why me?" asked Cassie. "Shouldn't we increase your elemental affinity as well? We are attacking Redstonia."

"No Cassie, I'm attacking Redstonia." I clarified, much to her shock. "You are simply going to make sure that you absorb the negative emotions to increase you Heos (Chaos) affinity."

"You're going to attack Redstonia, all by yourself?" asked a concerned Cassie. "What about your monsters? The mutant enderman and the shulker?"

"They are going to remain here and watch over my niece while we're away." I explained as I pulled out a special block from my Inventory. "And I will have help, just not from my monsters or you."

Prototype Autonomous Management Agent

Alternately known as P.A.M.A., created by the Old Builder known as Harper to control monsters for mining and/or farming. This block is the central hub for the hive-mind system it creates.

Soon, PAMA, I'll bring you back online. I pointed the Silverwood staff at Cassie. Ready to transfer the elemental affinity to her.

"Before we start, just a quick question," she said, stopping my process. "What do we do with Maya if she survives the maze?"

That was an unexpected question, and a stupid one as well. An idea popped in my head as I formed a cruel smile on my face. "If she survived when we get back, reward her with food, then leave her inside," I ordered. "After all, I need to keep my source of entertainment alive."

"Do you think she'll live long enough?" asked Cassie.

"I don't need much time for what I'm about to do to Redstonia." I said. "I concurred Boom Town in a day, and that kingdom is stronger than Redstonia in terms of raw power."

"I wasn't referring to the time it will take to destroy Redstonia," clarified Cassie. "I was talking about the things inside the maze!"

----------

A few minutes ago...

Cassie saw her boss walk inside the cottage. She wanted to ask Jess the one question that's always on her mind: 'What did Ellegaard stole from you?'

But Cassie wasn't dumb enough to say anything related to that question. The first, and last, time she did... it didn't end well for her.

----------

Flashback

It was night time. Cassie was following Jess inside an abandoned mine. Winslow walking next to his master.

"Oh please," said Cassie, walking behind Jess. "what Ellegaard stole from you couldn't have been that important."

Jess stopped, slowly turned her head to face Cassie. Her single eye was filled with rage.

One second later...

"Say it again!" Jess spat at Cassie, repeating to punch the redhead's face into the ground. Winslow far away from his master as he's unconscious, bleeding onto the ground.

"SAY IT!" Shouted Jess as she ripped out a chunk of stone out of the wall, not using any magic, to smash into Cassie's face.

After thirty minutes of beating the Chaos Sorcerer, Jess let out an exhausted breath, and pulled out her Regeneration Core. She pointed the red, black-veined orb at Cassie and her cat.

A red glow covering, and healing, the duo. "You're lucky I need you," Jess growled.

She then grabbed the healed redhead, lifting her up with one hand, her feet dangling above the ground. "But if you say anything related to that question again..."

She slammed Cassie against the stone wall, cracks spreading from the point of impact. "... I'll peel your cat's skin off, and use it to strangle you!"

----------

Cassie shook her memories of that and let out a deep sigh as she got up from the front steps of the cottage, unconsciously petting Winslow.

Winslow looked at her, his eyes turned red as a chaotic aura emerged from him. "I know," Cassie replied. "I'll get it done."

Cassie formed another crimson portal on the floor, pushed Maya into it as she joined a second later. They reappeared at the other side of the bottomless pit.

Cassie had to put Winslow down to drag a thrashing Maya to the maze.

The maze itself was damaged when Cassie and her boss arrived here, so Jess repaired it. Filling holes, adding traps, even adding a roof over it so no light can get in, and a gate at the entrance and exit of the maze.

Cassie walked up to the large iron gate. She pressed her hand as she allowed her chaos energy to seep into it and caused it to open with a faint click.

She didn't want to alert Jess' failed experiments in here after all. Even though Cassie didn't know what they are, she knew that she didn't want to find out. Especially if they're the results of Jess' ambition.

The maze is completely dark, no light entering or showing due to the walls and roof preventing any outside illumination.

"The walls, the floor, and the pillars are covered with a special moss that reacts to sound." Cassie clapped her hands to demonstrate as the moss illuminated for a few seconds before darkness returned.

"But I wouldn't be making too much noise if I was you," warned Cassie, relishing in the fear and negative emotions emitting from Maya. "you might attract unwanted visitors."

The moss flickered in sequence with her steps as she dragged a struggling Maya into the maze. Cassie threw her inside as the noise caused the room to brighten. "I finally get to be rid of you... although that won't happen if you survive," Said Cassie as she untied Maya and removed her gag. "Do everyone a favor and die."

And with that, she punched Maya in the gut, causing her to double over in pain as the air rushed out of her lungs. Cassie left, Winslow following her. The gate closed, and sealing the room in total darkness. Maya didn't dare to say anything, afraid of finally dying inside the maze.

Maya hesitantly brought her sore arms together.

She clapped her hands.

CLAP-CLAP!

The moss illuminated the large area she's in, revealing a dozen stone statues of people who frozen agony. The sight disturbed her, and grateful for the darkness that returned.

CRACKLE...!

She heard something move. The moss illuminated a figure in the distance before the light died down. 'Something is moving in here!' mentally screamed Maya.

With her back facing the gate, she clapped her hands again.

CLAP-CLAP!

There was another statue, a woman. Her jaw is missing as she is hunched over. Looking at Maya. Hungry.

The darkness returned.

She saw tiny dots of light on the ground move towards her. 'Something is moving towards me!'

She clapped her hands again.

CLAP-CLAP!

The statue of the woman is right in front of her, an arm outstretched, and an inch away from her face! Maya stood still in fear. It was silent enough for the light to fade, and she saw nothing but darkness.

Maya waited for her end. But nothing happened after a few minutes of slow, unpredictable anxiety. She didn't hear anything, and, hesitantly, clapped her hands again.

CLAP-CLAP!

She let out a sigh when she saw that the statue of the woman is gone. But then she realized something worse.

All of the other statues are gone too.

A/N: ~OOOOooh, things are getting much more intense! Maya's fate, PAMA returning, and the inevitable destruction of Redstonia!

So leave comments, I love reading them! Also, check out these two fan arts!

This one is made by SODUDESO! (I love your art!)

"Ellegaard took something precious from me..."

AAAannnnd this one is by LaCraftyUnicorn!

I love them both! Check both of these wonderful artists profiles! Give them a round of applause! *clap-clap-clap-clap-!*

Thank you, so much, for this fan art! \[^_^]/ *hugs*

Oh, and before I forget. Those of you who picked cookie B... are safe because it was cookie A that was poisoned! So congrats to those who lived, as for the others... at least you had something tasty before the poison kicks in. Bye! *laughs evilly*