Chapter Text
Their journey started hours ago, sun and moon switching places in the sky as the two kept of trekking.
Parrot checked their coordinates again. They weren't close to the coordinates given to them, but looking at the vast snowy plains in front of them, he assumed they were on the right path.
"Make it up to me by taking over all the potion orders and cleaning the shop everyday for a month." Theo abruptly said, breaking through the silence that had formed ever since they first entered the snow.
Parrot looked at his friend. Theo had his wings wrapped tightly around him because of the cold and he was looking off at the distance.
Parrot laughed, the soft sound coming from his chest.
"I won't need to make up for anything, just trust me bro."
"Whatever dude."
"I'm serious! I don't think this is a joke or someone trolling, I—"
He had tried to find the player but it was like they never existed.
Nobody, in the entire Capital City, saw the slime hybrid after he left the potion shop.
And when Parrot returned, Theo was already wearing his armor, holding his sword and resting it on his shoulders.
"Yeah yeah, it seems real, but we just don't know what's going to be there." Theo interrupted, waving his hand.
"I just want you to be prepared if.. you know."
"It's better to take the risk than potentially let someone else discover this. That player, he could've gone to anybody else. But he went to us," at this point, they had stopped walking, "and his friend sent him to find us. That must mean something."
Theo sighed. "I trust you, you know that right, Parrot?" He looked at Parrot, trying to project his sincerity.
"I do."
"Good. Let's keep on going then." Theo spread out one of his wings—they were larger and much more capable than Parrot's—to invite Parrot to stick with him closer.
Parrot wasn't about to deny free warmth, and happily went up to the other avian's side.
Theo wrapped his wing around Parrot and they continued walking.
"Dude it's like.. the snow's never ending." Parrot spoke after a few minutes.
"Well, didn't the book say how the warrior was buried within the snow?" Theo kicked up a bit of the snow, boredom making itself known from the monotony of seeing snow, snow, and more snow.
The person whose tomb they were trying to find—dubbed the warrior because calling them 'The Blood God' didn't catch on—was certainly making themself hard to find.
And there was still the matter of their Guardian.
"Yeah. Yeah it did." Parrot excitedly looked at their coordinates again. They were only a thousand blocks away.
"Theo, bro! Let's go!" He grabbed on to Theo's hand before starting to sprint towards their destination.
Theo grinned, laughing quietly as he followed Parrot.
The cold wind warped around them, snowflakes falling from the dull sky.
The soft, untouched snow was quickly left with footprints as the duo rushed ahead.
"Oh my—Parrot look!" Theo called out, taking over Parrot's position and leading them.
Theo's vision was better than Parrot's, so he pulled him forward. He couldn't take his eyes off the large structure starting to load in on his chunks.
Parrot let out a small gasp when he started to see what Theo was pointing out.
A giant, cathedral-like build stood ahead of them, made out of blackstone. Its peak seemed to reach the clouds.
Although the snow made it hard to see, the build made its presence known.
"I have a feeling.. it might be that." Theo joked.
"Yeah, me too."
Parrot couldn't believe something like this stayed hidden on the server, and more questions circled around his head.
Who built this? Did anybody else know about the tomb? What—
Parrot didn't even realize he stopped moving until Theo stood in front of him and shook him by his shoulders.
"What are you waiting for? You're the one who was so enthusiastic earlier, come on!"
The sight of the catheral was magnificent, to say the least, but instead his eyes focused on the avian in front of him.
Theo, his best friend.
Somewhere in his mind, seeing his friend happy registered as the best sight of them all.
Parrot took a step forward, then another, until he was running off again towards the grand staircase leading up to the entrance.
He looked back at Theo, who was starting to catch up.
Their wings were stretched out to their maximum as they ate up the distance; they felt like a flock, a family.
They quickly reached the first step of the staircase.
Blackstone was naturally warmer than something from the overworld due to its origin and the warmth seeped into their boots as they ascended.
Typically, blackstone only held on to the heat it absorbed from the Nether for 5 years. The heat would fade with every year until it would plateau.
Yet Parrot noticed that it felt like they were only placed here a few days ago, the warmth still strong. Which would only happen if someone was regularly maintain it, letting it absorb heat from a third source.
He pushed away the thin layer of snow on the floor with his foot.
Theo, meanwhile, didn't care to notice and went up to the large gate that the staircase connected to.
"This place is actually sick." He put a hand to the door, pushing against it to test its weight.
"Theo! Bro, what if its trapped?" Parrot caught by a few steps, tone turning worried.
Theo's brow raised, the irony of him warning Parrot about how this might have been a trick earlier coming back to him.
That didn't mean he didn't stop and step back.
Theo thought for one more second before bringing out his shield, "Help me open it," he said with a grin.
Parrot took out his own and complied. There wasn't the distinct smell of redstone floating in the air, which was a good sign. They could take on the gamble.
It took a bit of struggle and Theo threatening the door with explosives as if it were animate, but their combined weight got it open.
An open room with two halls on the left and right was behind it as well as an archway parallel to the gate leading out to a field.
"This place is.."
"Massive, I know." Parrot finished Theo's sentence.
They stood on the center of the room, a diamond design on the floor.
"If this somehow isn't it, I think it suffices." Theo chuckled as he walked off down to the field, stepping on a pathway.
Parrot walked off to the side, staring down at the right hallway. There were stained glass on the walls, each window depicting different players and scenes.
Parrot didn't recognize any of them, but if it was like what the book said, and this was apart of their history and past, then it would be expected.
Other than that, it was clean.. everything was clean. No dust or dirt. Everything pointed towards there being another person living here, including the book's mention of a guardian.
"Hello? Anyone home?" He called out, tempted to walk further away from Theo for a moment, but decided against it.
Nobody replied to him, but the hair on the back of his neck raised as if someone was watching him.
Parrot decided not to let his paranoia take over and steeled his nerves, looking into the hall with a hard gaze.
When he turned his head to get Theo, he had already gone out of sight.
Parrot groaned and followed him through the archway.
Once he exited the main building, the cold air greeted him once more. He pulled his wings back in, heading towards the faint outline of Theo standing a distance away.
Theo was standing in front of a large stone statue, each detail intricately carved.
The statue was of a person wearing a cape and on top was a crown built out of gold blocks. They had their arm extended outward, a sword built out of diamond blocks in-hand; they were posed to be forever at attention and ready for a battle.
Their long hair cascaded down, and their face—human—was covered by a piglin mask. But what it didn't cover, was the grin on the person's face.
It was a beautiful piece of art, a type which one would never expect to see in this server.
Neither Theo or Parrot could say anything.
On the base of the statue, boldly carved in were the words:
Technoblade Never Dies.
They finally had a name for the player who'd caused their long journey.
Without a second thought, Parrot kneeled, his knee hitting the path, murmuring, "Rest in peace."
"Parrot, what are you doing?" Theo asked, glancing between the statue and his friend.
"Showing respect for the fallen." He answered shortly, keeping his head low, waiting for Theo to join him.
Understanding, Theo quietly knelt as well.
Once they stood up, Parrot spoke immediately. "I don't think we should take anything from here."
Even though they used so many resources and so much of their time just getting here, it felt wrong to do anything to the place.
Theo was quiet for a moment, debating himself within his head.
"I don't, I don't know man." He took a step forward, running a hand through the carved words in the stone.
Parrot sighed, getting ready to convince his friend again.
A laugh so loud there was no other way to describe it but unexpected and striking, echoed through the field.
"You guys won't be able to take anything in the first place."
The pair's heads snapped toward where the voice was—on top of the statue.
A sword manifested in Parrot's hand as Theo rapidly threw down potions before getting his own weapon.
There was a flash of purple before the tomb's guardian stepped forward, revealing himself.
Wemmbu stood on the statue's crown with a bloodthirsty smile, probably reveling at the opportunity for a fight. The coveted and feared Gambit was in his grip. Having it out was a threat in itself, all the more menacing as Wemmbu had the high ground.
"You guys are far away from where you should be, aren't you?" Wemmbu spoke, eyes focused on Parrot.
It was obvious he'd target the weak link.
Parrot's wings fluffed up, a pang of fear hitting him.
Theo stepped closer to Parrot. He held on to his shield tighter.
"I assume you're the guardian, then?" Parrot said, remembering what was written in the book. If Technoblade or Wemmbu was going to be as important as it said, then it was best to get out of a fight before it even started.
"A guardian?" Wemmbu chuckled, and of course he did, because he was typically the one destroying structures and killing people which caused the need for guardians in this situation.
"Well, I guess I am." He shrugged.
"There's no way." Theo whispered beside him, and Parrot almost said the same thing out loud.
Of all the people in the server, why would it be Wemmbu who'd be the one to find this place and not only that, look after and protect it.
"Jeez, you both think so loudly." Wemmbu complained, as if he could actually hear what they were thinking.
Sometimes, whenever he saw Wemmbu fight with other players, Parrot wondered whether he actually could.
"No reply? D'alright, you have 5 seconds to get out of here." Wemmbu smiled again, before standing up straight and putting 5 fingers forward.
That sent alarm bells ringing in Parrot's brain, he almost instinctively turned to flee before he remembered what he was here for.
"Wait! Wemmbu, wait!" Parrot shouted towards him as he counted down. "Look, we came here because a book told us—" "Four.. five!"
He should've known better than to hope Wemmbu would talk first.
The purple figure rushed toward them as he dived, mace slamming down on Parrot's shield.
His arm reverberated with the force, Parrot clenched his jaw and kept his stance steady as Theo stepped towards Wemmbu, aiming a slash at the other.
Wemmbu, smile never once leaving his face, only used his wings to launch himself off the ground to dodge.
"Wemmbu! We won't take anything, just listen!"
Theo, after having a reason to go along with Parrot's plan being forcibly given to him by Wemmbu, shouted with the other avian. "Yeah! What he said!"
Gambit once again hit a shield, this time Theo's.
Wemmbu rapidly switched targets, not giving either of them a chance to even breathe.
"Theo, no!" Parrot yelped when he saw Theo pulling back a flaming arrow, about to shoot a minecart he had placed down.
Parrot couldn't risk destroying the place, even if would be easily fixed.
Theo hesitated, looking back at Parrot.
Wemmbu growled—Parrot didn't know elytrians could make that sound up until this fight—and took Theo's hesitance as an opening to switch to his sword.
Theo, thankfully, relented and dodged Wemmbu's blade instead.
With Wemmbu's attention stuck on Theo, Parrot hurriedly searched his inventory for something that could slow down Wemmbu, or better, get Wemmbu to stop.
Having his eyes off the fight meant that the next thing he'd see was Gambit aimed at his head.
Parrot equipped a totem at the last moment, green and yellow exploding from his body.
And then, Wemmbu was back in the air, no time wasted between his attacks.
"We were sent by a player from Capital City to find the tomb of the Blood God!" Parrot ran around, trying to evade Wemmbu, the distance between him and the mace lessening each time the elytrian missed.
That got Wemmbu to pause, air hitting Parrot's face instead of Gambit.
"I should have expected you to somehow find this place." He groaned.
"Can't have anything on this server." He continued whining, landing on his feet in front of the pair.
Wemmbu looked at the statue as Parrot and Theo went back to each other's sides.
"Are you alright?" Theo handed a golden apple to Parrot, who took a bite.
"Yeah.. are you?" His voice was slightly shaky but Wemmbu didn't look like he about to start macing them again.
"I'm good." Theo nodded, grin forming.
"So.. what do you want, exactly?" Wemmbu turned around to look at them. His leathery dark wings were spread out, making him seem larger.
His smile had less of a manic edge to it, but his eyes never stopped observing.
Parrot knew this was his chance to talk Wemmbu down.
Parrot also knew that if he answered wrong to Wemmbu's standards, they'd be chased off and forced to run.
