Within a dark, cement walled kitchen lit by a lantern, Lord Crawler and Loyal chatted in low tones within the quiet and cool place.
"Loyal." Lord Crawler called. "There is something I shall let you know about... our best bet at defeating Kufre and trusting you as the best S Class evoker to do so."
Loyal nodded to his master.
"Well, you see..." Lord Crawler continued. "We have an asset called the Totem of Fates... It can help us bring down that mad monarch, but you'll still need to rely on your skills in combat."
Loyal smiled softly at this. "I take it you have it with you."
"No," Lord Crawler corrected. "it's kept in Kufre's mansion... You'll also need a second one. Fortunately, you haven't lost your ability to use Way Stone travel so you can find it in another world." He paused. "I'm assigning you to escort the others to the Way Stone so they can travel to another world before we move on to the mansion."
Loyal kept a straight face, as if in thought... then he nodded.
"Consider it done, my lord."
***
Following Lord Crawler's discussion in the chilly, lantern-illuminated kitchen, a tranquil hour slipped by. Outside, the night grew more profound, and the crackling of the fire gradually took over the hushed plans. In the open field, Priscilla, Fatimah, Fiona, and Manuel sat around a campfire, their faces aglow with the flickering flames as they carried on with their conversation.
"Well, we shouldn't be too far from the Way Stone, hopefully." Priscilla spoke.
Fatimah pointed. "Hopefully, Larry will still have the Decahedron sword as Priscilla says."
"Absolutely." She replied. Loyal sat with his face stern, probably calculating something. "I'll stop here." He finally spoke, standing up. "S Class Evokers can easily annihilate Lord Crawler if they put their minds to it."
The group stared at him. "I hope you won't have any problems on your way to the other world."
"Yes, sir." Priscilla chipped in.
"Alright, then." Loyal replied. "You all stay safe."
With that, he took his leave.
***
Atop a tall mountain coated with wild greenery and glistening water bodies, the gang cornered a short, cylindrical stone object with inscriptions; a Way Stone. Priscilla beamed at it.
"Fatimah." She turned to her. "I hope you still have The Blood and Dark Stone kept safe?"
Shortly after, they all placed their hands on it, chanting "Lion's State" at the same time. In a golden glow, they swiftly vanished into the stone.
As the warm radiance of the Way Stone surrounded the group on the mountain, it felt as if time had come to a halt. In an instant, they found themselves no longer beneath the sky but instead in a chamber made of stone bricks with diorite flooring. The sudden transition was eased by the residual glow that still lingered on their skin, serving as a vivid reminder of their journey through the portal.
"Finally, we actually made it." Priscilla whispered, with glee on her face.
***
On top of a wide and dark-oak wooden roof-top below the moonlit sky, Kufre, dressed in full Decahedron armour, strode towards a widow at the end of the roof. He then froze, as if sensing a presence.
"Give up the totem, Kufre."
Quickly, the villain turned to see Loyal behind him. He then smiled.
"Hm... naaah." He chuckled, summoning the same blue creatures Loyal summoned to fight Priscilla. Loyal did same. Their ghost-like entities dashed at each other, then a clash erupted.
The two then created long lines of grey and big claw like pincers from the roof-tops, racing at each other, snapping hard. They prolonged for a while then – CLANG! They drew swords for hand-to-hand combat.
The intense struggle on the rooftop flowed into the mansion, where turmoil took over. The confrontation between Loyal and Kufre continued, resonating through the corridors, until Loyal crashed into a dim hallway that guided him to a dungeon illuminated by candles. At this, Loyal bent, panting heavily, then stood up. He smiled wearily, as if in joy.
"This guy can take me all day." He exhaled. "Now I can get that bloody totem."
***
Within a cool, concrete walled library filled with glowing red-stone lamps and oak-wood book shelves, 3 men stood facing each other in a corner; Aldous, Baldwin and Jackson. From the quiet vibe in the place, they seemed focused in their conversation.
"Aldous." Baldwin addressed. "This cold treatment was supposed to end with our brother, Timothy… I do hope you take it to heart that you shouldn't be so hard on Japheth from now on."
"And then what?" He cut in. "Another stranger willing to join in and run the Lilac Library with us?" He sighed. "Speaking of which, I was able to see his full capacity in the field, judging from your reports of the fight you had in Improbus Titan's castle."
Baldwin smiled mildly. "Well, yes sir... Jackson here will do a marvelous job helping him with improving his investigation studies."
"Yes, that could be put in place, swimmingly." Aldous commented, motioning to Jackson. "Also, we still have to make haste to apprehend The Azure Looter immediately."
He turned to Jackson. "You go out there and find who ever deals in those minerals as soon as possible."
Jackson nodded, then they both left the place.
***
While thoughtful discussions unfolded in the library with Aldous, Baldwin, and Jackson, another area of the city revealed a contrasting narrative. In a chilly, filthy prison cell, Fiona, Priscilla, and Fatimah leaned in for a quiet conversation, the stark difference in their environment reflecting the divergent paths of their mission.
"So, you're telling me you wanna take my sword to kill Kufre because his armour is made up of the same material my blade is crafted with... why couldn't your Japheth find your Larry in your world?"
"He's dead." Priscilla replied. "That's weird, I know, but we aren't actually asking you for your sword alone... We would love for you to come with us."
Japheth studied the trio, then advanced. "It may not be so shocking after all that despite what Baldwin's told me, I can't rebuke the fact you still killed The Prime Eclipse of your world." He turned to Larry. "We've gotta hand it to this lot."
Shortly, he paused. "We'll accompany you and identify the world you come from as World 2… After all, I haven't seen any other reason you may travel to a new universe entirely, so to say."
Japheth left as the girls thanked him. A while later Larry froze. He then went to them.
"So, I've been wondering..." He asked. "Has Loyal stolen Kufre's totem?"
"Uhmm... What are you talking about?" Fatimah squinted. Larry simply shrugged, leaving their sight.
***
"The Azure Looter... My, my, 3 weeks and we haven't gotten out hands on him."
With the scorching sun and cool winds, Jackson and Japheth in black combat robes stood tall on a roof top. Jackson showed Japheth a wanted poster of the felon.
They prolonged chatting for a while until they spotted the fair-skinned thief on a cobblestoned path in a brown cloak.
Instantly, Jackson made to shoot him in the leg from a mile away but -THWIP! He missed as the looter dodged. He turned glancing at Jackson then sped down the street.
On cue, Japheth swiftly threw an Ender Pearl down to where the man was. As it landed, he appeared where the man was. As it landed, he appeared where he stopped. In a quick and dashing beam of light, he fled to the man, faster than brain power.
As he wrestled The Azure Looter to the ground, the thief's eyes turned blue, glowing dimly. As he glared at Japheth, he quivered mutely then.
"ZOOOM!
The criminal dashed off, the same way Japheth did but with blue light this time. Japheth crouched, then tagged along at equal speed. Meanwhile, Jackson opened a circular, white glowing portal on the roof. From his panicked face when he hopped in, he definitely made to find them.
Eventually, the duo crashed into a dead end at a back alley. They swiftly stood then rushed quick punches till their face bled.
Finally, Japheth cuffed the man. For some reason, Jackson simply looked at him from the roof. Probably didn't want to follow him on his tail.
***
Elsewhere, in a world where The Prime Eclipse had already fallen, the stakes were shifting yet again. This alternate reality unfolded with its own trials as the heroes grappled with emerging challenges—a reminder that fate's tapestry was woven across many realms.
As they sat in silence and sounds of crickets, Larry, in a rigid pose, steadied his body. His aura was cold.
Instantly his eyes sparked. Before notice, a tall and hooded man in a black cloak swung his blade, slashing at Japheth.
"THUNK!" He blocked the hit as the attacker knocked out Larry before pushing him aside. He then prolonged, charging at the rest. From there, he warred with the allies.
5 minutes into the brawl, Larry pushed Fatimah down a slope of the mountain, down to the dark. As Fiona stopped, his eyes glistened yellow. He then stopped her blow with a force field and flung her down like before. He did the same to the rest before Fatimah rushed back.
Unfortunately, before she could hurt Larry, he stabbed the girl in the side with his dagger. After the victory, the killer then fled with Larry, nowhere to be found.
***
Hours later into the night, down within the dark foot of the mountain, 6 people in the dark paced forward toward the dead gang. They were clones of Fatimah and the rest, standing unharmed before them.
Fatimah then sighed. "This is why it was a darn good idea I cloned us with The Blood Stone." She smiled.
Manuel shook his head. "Well, Mirai is tracking Larry's movement so Priscilla shouldn't take long to find him."
She nodded with a grin, then announced their leave.
***
Jackson, Aldous, Baldwin and Japheth surrounded The Azure Looter as he was tied to a wooden chair. They were in a small brick-walled and lantern lit place. The quiet loomed.
Baldwin advanced. "Alright, you plebe, where do you return the lapis when you rob them…? We don't want you starting another civil war in Ferrum Terra now, do we?"
Despite this, the robber grunted. He then muttered something coldly. Before he knew it, a loud punch blasted him. It was Aldous.
"If you don't do this nicely, I'll scorch your arms to the marrow."
Even then, the criminal stiffened his eyes. Surely, he may or may not mean that.
Baldwin was about to speak before Japheth intervened, facing Aldous.
"May I, father?"
His eyes widened, but he beckoned his son to The Azure Looter.
Japheth slowly knelt to the felon, as his face slowly turned scared. A dark aura circled Japheth as he smiled.
"Recall our fight…? Keep things snappy… or I will incinerate your limbs."
The Azure Looter remained still, staring cowardly at Japheth. What is he on?
Japheth's finger slowly lightened minutely, leaving a small smoking burn on his skin. He quietly spoke slowly as he beamed. His entire palm glowed.
"Next finger coming in 3... 2… 1…"
"My brother's castle!" The thief wailed. "But I shan't let you go there."
Japheth extended his grin. He lowered to his ear, whispering something, then left as the criminal's face turned white.
"Lancelot's Keep… in the middle of the Navel Forest." A tear ran from his eyes.
Japheth stood while Baldwin gave a mildly worried face.
***
As Fatimah and the gang carried on through the forest, Priscilla led the way.
"Who would've thought we would actually have to go to The Cherished Mansion…? Kufre's base, I suppose." She asked.
"Beat's me." Fatimah replied. "How close are we?"
"Very close, my dear." Priscilla beamed, spying a huge dark-oak house in the dark, miles away within trees.
A long while later, they stood atop a roof of a building, the same one Loyal fought Kufre on. Carefully, they sneaked through the already broken window next to the roof, tip-toeing past the walls and shelves. Lanterns hung, giving a cozy but eerie vibe with the dark areas around.
Unfortunately, a loud punch banged a wooden wall close to Fatimah. It was Loyal's!
As she dodged, a huge fight ensued, with the gang facing against the evoker and other barbaric pillagers with evokers like him. Eventually, Larry joined in too, sword fighting fiercely with Manuel.
"What the heck is your problem?!" Manuel raged.
"Nothing really." Larry calmly spoke. "The truth is… I should've learnt from Loyal a long time ago to never meet your heroes."
Manuel's face turned puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"I guess Loyal never told you we both worked for that selfish fool called Kufre." Larry gritted. "Finally, I'm off the shackles for that old man."
Manny's eyes widened as blades clashed. "So Loyal isn't going to help us, is he?"
His opponent simply vented, with a big swing at him.
Meanwhile, as soon as one of Loyal's vexes almost slashed its claws at Fatimah and Japheth…
"SWOOP!"
Kufre, in his black Decahedron armour swung his big sword, killing the vex.
Fatimah dodged. His aura complementing the dark background. She then frowned as her eyes glistened with hate. This fiend.
Eventually, they began a ferocious brawl. Manuel, about a mile down the aisle spotted her. His face was alarmed, then it brightened. He turned, venting at Larry, then fought harder. Eventually, he loosened his grip on his sword.
As soon as he did, Fiona spied from a corner. Shortly after, she charged at them and punched Larry in the face. Priscilla nearby grabbed the sword, rubbed her amulet and –POOF! She teleported in blue smoke, appearing behind Japheth and Fatimah.
Immediately, her eyes then misted brightly with red as she created ghost-like creatures alike Loyal's vexes. Kufre then waved, summoning his own vexes which the alike Loyal's. With a powerful sword slash, they both clashed with their blades. A powerful shock wave then ensued.
Later on, Loyal and Larry ganged up on both parties. For a long time, a serious combat prolonged among the four and the other fighters. With fury on their faces, they battled till oblivion, as the stakes peaked.
The terrible conflict continued, until finally... she spoke...
"This one's for making me a monster."
A rapid sword strike, then-
"SLASH!"
Fatimah cut Kufre in half across the abdomen. Her eye glistened as she grinned in victory, then her face turned scared. Staring at Loyal, she probably saw it coming – this isn't the only insanely powerful evoker to take down, is he…? Oh no!
Then suddenly, in an instant, from a mile away down the aisle, a hooded man broke in through a window, Fiona studied his sparkling bright yellow eyes and immediately she gasped – the same man that kidnapped Larry!
Fatimah on the other had took in the moment as the world slowed around her. As the hooded foe threw out giant sticks of lit TNT towards the fighters, Loyal backed up his ally. They soared towards them as they wore perplexed and scared faces. Who is this guy? Was he really going to kill them like this?
Priscilla's glowing red eyes intensified as she backed Fatimah. Her red vexes hissed loudly, surrounding her and the other teammates in a shield like formation. Hope fidgeted. What were they going to do?
As they reacted sharply at his entrance, the fuses of the bombs shortened, indicating a huge loss of time on the way.
Then eventually… on impact… they exploded.
BOOOM!
***
INSIDE LANCELOT'S KEEP.
"Lilac Security! Open up!"
A dark-skinned male knight in lightly clad armour banged the wooden door. Baldwin, Aldous, and other knights gathered round him at the cobblestone walled aisle way. A tense aura clouded the lantern lit place filled with rough wooden furniture.
After some banging and yelling, silence followed before they sighed out of exhaustion. They then broke down the door, trooping in and readying their arms at the opposing occupants. As they all set their weapons a tall and young fair-skinned man with a black and long pony-tail stared at Baldwin. Shock covered his face, Baldwin looked equally surprised with narrow eyes. Shortly after they widened.
"My men." He gasped, turning to them as he walked away. "This is the wrong hide-out."
***
"THUD!"
Aldous's fist banged a wooden counter as he sat beside Baldwin across they pony-tailed man they saw earlier. They talked in private as the others carried on their conversation.
"And to think their first target would be one of the monarchs of Arch City." Aldous grunted.
"I can't believe The Azure Looter led us here." Baldwin followed.
The other man's brows raised. "You mean my boy, Timothy?" He sulked. "No, that poor boy has too many places to go." Baldwin and Aldous glanced at him.
"Wait, hold on." Baldwin called. "When we asked that thief about his real name, he said his name was Leo, not Timothy."
"Well, you arrested an accomplice… not the actual thief you're looking for." He replied with shocked eyes.
The trio took a moment's silence. Baldwin then raised his hand.
"So where is the actual hide-out?" He asked.
The man across them beckoned them closer. "Not too far." He replied, motioning to them. "Swimmingly, this civil war shall be stopped."
***
Amidst the smoking rubble of the dark-oak mansion, Fatimah and her other friends coughed, slowly walking around the quiet chaos on the bright morning. Loyal and Larry were nowhere to be found. All they saw was Kufre's dead body with parts of his armour missing.
Fiona gazed at the damage, after they called to everyone and huddled.
"Priscilla." She addressed. "You said Mirai got some intel after those bombs blew up."
"Well, you see..." She waved. "Loyal talked about something called The Totem of Fates and forcing the world into peace and order by bloodshed or so."
The group focused. "He has gone with Larry on horse-back to find a Way Stone to use to go to another universe because they will need a second totem to final surpass all forces to dominate and control Ferrum Terra.
The group wore pondering faces. This must be bad news, indeed. She then advanced.
"Don't worry, we have The Dark Stone… we can definitely find where the two have gone and with Mirai, we can also find the Way Stone they used."
Manuel came forward. "How about that guy that kidnapped Larry?"
"He's headed to Navel Forest… according to Mirai." She spoke. "We are headed down there on the double guys… and girls."
She turned to Fiona and Fatimah smiling. "We're gonna have a hell of an adventure."
The sisters grinned back. Definitely, this villain is on a whole new level.
....
Announcement:
The continuation of this prequel which is "Fatimah Lawal and the Criminal Victories" will be uploaded on Wattpad, Webnovel and other platforms you read books for free. This book combined with "Fatimah Lawal and The Premium Powers" will contain events that occurred a month before the events in "Tenentes (Wielders): Legends of Minecraft Stories".
I hope you guys have a wicked amount of fun reading the sequel on Amazon!
Salutations.