By Blood Begun

There is a place in Minecraftia where the grass is a different color; where sheep are immortal and testificates are rare; where science and magic can coexist in peace; it is in this place where a quintet of thieves under the guise of a pancake shop live. This is the story of their leader, and of her mission to support her new foster family through any way she can. This is the story of Cassiopeia the thief, the pirate, a refugee of Hamellton.

''Wazzup people, this is MarioandBowser9, AKA M&B90. Welcome to this fanfic story by me. Every once in a while, a new chapter will be released. Contact me if you'd like to be included in the story in some manner. Don't blame me if I get the characters' personalities wrong. Finally, if I'm a bit late with a chapter, do not blame me because it's not my fault. And now for our story.''

Chapter 1: Enter a thief
A cold breeze nearly blows me off a high branch. It's nearly midnight now, and my target is still not down yet. Looks like I'll be losing a bet tomorrow. My target, the barman of The Crooked Caber, is holding a musket to his chest as he checks the perimeter of the island for intruders. I turn to Demetrius' portable firebox and attempt to get warm. Only five minutes later, I see Ravs go inside and turn out the light. Now's my chance! I stuff the firebox into my cloak, don my mask, and leap down from the branch to the snow-covered forest floor below. I sprint to the water's edge and, with a bit of difficulty, channel part of my aura into the modified Rending Gale on my finger. The jewel blazes with yellow light and I take to the air. In no time, I am hovering in the airspace near the back of the bar. I retract my aura and plunge into the cold darkness of the sea. For a minute, I linger looking for an entrance into the bar, one he's not likely to suspect. Then I spot a hole near the bottom of the island and quickly swim towards the plausible entrance. A sudden current pulls me into a dark and musty room. At least there's air in here. I just realize that there is something else in the room with me. Squinting into the darkness, I find that's only a couple of squid. Weird, huh? I gather myself up and head towards anything that looks like stairs. I find them, but they're strangely well lit, even for this time of night where light isn't really crucial. I soon find the source of the light, right after I find find Ravs pointing a pistol at my face.

Oh cribes, this doesn't look too good for me right now, is the first thought that crosses my mind after about five seconds of comprehension. "What the Nether are you doing in my basement? And why are you here in the first place?" I remember Obereon's words, and stay silent. "Come on now, answer my question. Don't worry, it's not loaded," he coaxes. Phew, I think, at least I'm not in any immediate danger. But still, I stay silent, and under my cloak I reach for my extendable rapier, also courtesy of Demetrius. "One last time, I'll ask you why you came, or else I might become a tad violent," he almost shouts, only to be greeted with a sword point to his nose. "You think you're funny, boy?" How cute; he thinks I'm a boy. But I have an idea. I put away my rapier and go and sit down in a booth, almost as if in surrender. "Good, now stay there and don't try anything funny, boy," groping behind him for something. He picked up something that looked like a tablet and poked it it with a few fingers in a sort of rhythmic way. "There," he muttered under his breath, "Now Rythian's on his way with his people, and now what?" He looks at me. "You want a drink or something?" I shake my head. "Don't drink, or are ya just underage?" I nod. He disappears behind the bar for a second, then reappears holding two stone mugs. Then, BANG!!!! "What the Nether..." He moves to the window on the far side of the bar. "Oh no, my toilet! Not again!" This is my chance! I whip the firebox out of my cloak and hurl it at Ravs' head. He falls, and I make a break for it. "There, Tee! Get him," I hear a new voice shout. I activate the Rending Gale and soar away. I feel a sharp pain in my ankle, but I won't stop until I know I'm safe.

Chapter 2: A word with a family friend
I've been flying for only an hour so far, and already I can feel my life force slipping away. I'm running out of aura, and that;s not good at all. I need to land so I can recharge. I land in a grove in the forest west of Hook's Hook, near the small town Element. As soon as I land, I fall over. Whatever, it's better not to over-exert myself. I'm checking my right ankle, which now has an arrow protruding from it. It's teakwood with green feathers. I won't pull it out, or I'll die of blood in an hour. Wait a second... is it me, or did the wind just change direction? A chill goes down my spine, but I'm not afraid. It just means Jasper's arrived. "How long did it take you to find me, Jasper?" I ask the wind. A reply comes to me directly in my mind, "I'd say a good thirteen years, maybe. Overworld years, that is." A shadow wavers, and out of it comes Jasper the Enderman, an old family friend of mine. "That would mean you've been looking for me my whole life, you dummy," I chortle lightheartedly, even though it's true. Jasper knew my grandmother, the great Queen Carolina of Hamellton, and even though it was near ninety years ago, he looks pretty young for an Enderman. Then again, Ender years go by differently than Overworld years. "How's it going, kiddo? The last time I saw you, you were WAY smaller. Damn, now I think you're pushing six feet or something! Are you part Ender?" We catch up on the past thirteen years, and even swap adventure stories, although his are way cooler and way funnier than mine. As it turns out, he's had trouble finding me because of the fact that I'm virtually untrackable, due to my carefulness about leaving behind evidence. "Footprints" as my father called them. I notice that my aura is now fully charged, so it seems that I am able to fly for another few hours. In other words, it means I can safely get back home. I bid farewell to Jasper, who promises to visit again in the near future, and he winks out of existence, leaving behind only purple particles dancing in the air like snowflakes. I get up, activate the Gale, and take to the skies once more.

Chapter 3: The Chicken Little Incident (or why boys cannot properly see above their own heads)
It's been three hours, and only now am I beginning to feel the presence of my friends. The boys will not be pleased, though, when they find out about my wound, on top of the fact that I didn't get any valuables from the bar. The sky is beginning to lighten in the east now, which is not good. As 1/24 Aracosoan vampire, sunlight won't kill me. It will cause extreme pain, however. And unfortunately, I've got enough on my plate as it is. This is not going to be a fun day for me. However, since I don't fancy dying just yet, I decide that I need to boost the speed. I add a bit more aura to the Gale, and the effect is immediate. In the distance, i can spot a building shaped like a Northern chalet, which is a good thing. That is the base, and our home/business IMHOTEP (the InterMinecraftian House Of Totally Epic Pancakes). On the downside, the sun's up. My between the sun and my ankle, I can't tell which is worse, when suddenly my aura winks out of existence. I drop through the air like a stone. In my descent, I begin to black out from pain and exhaustion, and it feels like falling down a dark tunnel. I hit something, and I fall unconscious instantly.

I wake up in a darkish room, not pitch black, but still unlit. I my head is throbbing and my ankle... my ankle feels fine. I sit up, and a blanket falls away. My foot is wrapped up in a stiff, slightly bloody, length of gauze, and my cloak and mask are lying on the floor under the fallen blanket. Across the room, which is small, I can see light seeping in through cracks in a door. And I can hear muffled voices arguing in the next room. For a second, I can't recognize those voices, and a flicker of fear passes through me. I ease myself onto my feet and stagger over to the door to eavesdrop. "You'll be fine, you big baby. Now go and let Egus know we've found her," says a lilting voice belonging to a young man. "I won't leave until she's up and smiling again," says another voice, deeper and with less of a lilt, but there's no doubt that he's the first man's older brother. I nudge open the door with my good foot and peek into the room with an impish grin. "Consider it done, grande fratello," I say to the larger man, Obereon. He and the younger man, his younger brother Theseus, jump and face me. Theseus breaks out in a grin and begins to laugh. Obereon merely shakes his head gravely, but I can see that he's smiling too. He gets up and says, "I'm going to go send a message to Egus. Theseus, explain to Cassie what happened." Theseus nodds, and Obereon leaves the room. "So," I pull up a chair and round on Theseus, "what DID happen when I fell out of the sky?" "Well, Obereon was out on his morning walk when you fell on top of him. He said you weren't conscious, so he shielded you from the sun with his coat and got you here as fast as he could. He woke me up, and tried to wake up Demetrius too, and I did my best for your ankle. We thought it was best to put you in the closet while you recovered." I nod, and Obereon comes back in carrying three mugs of hot chocolate. We sip in silence and wait for Egus to return from the Sjips Co conference. At last, the door flies open, letting in a flurry of snow and a young man wrapped in furs. He shrugs off the furs and hurries over to our table. His warm, beetle-black eyes shine with tears of joy, and he plops down in the chair across from me. "It's good to see you back here, Cassie! How'd the raid go? I heard you had a bit of trouble coming back," Egus rapidly says all in one breath. I get to the part where Rythian arrives, when Theseus tells me to go upstairs and rest. "It's been a long night for you, you need your energy." I don't blame him. I hobble upstairs and head to my room. My head has barely hit the pillow when I'm already asleep.

More coming soon...