"Citizens of the Realm of Mianite!" the priest called. "Gather around the quartz house. We have business to discuss." I didn't like the sound of that.

I was the last to arrive, which seemed to upset the others, particularly Mot. The priest didn't seem bothered, thankfully, and began his speech the moment I arrived. "As some of you know, Dianite is returning. He is in the overworld as we speak, in spirit form. He has spoken to Mot and Alyssa, and both gods can sense his presence. The first thing I need is to be able to trust all of you. I can't have any backstabbers here. I've had to deal with one of those in the past." He sighed, and I heard him mutter the name "Nadeshot".

"You can trust us completely!" Mot said firmly. Looking at me out of the corner of his eye, he added. "Well, actually, if you're that concerned about backstabbers, you may want to send that soggy napkin away. He's unpredictable."

I felt my face growing red. "Excuse me? Why would I betray you to go join the side of a god that thinks of nothing but death and destruction? He's your god, isn't he? I'm thinking that you're the one who shouldn't be..."

"Silence!" the priest yelled. He tried to sound intimidating, but there was a hint of fear in his voice. Mot was still glaring at me, but I turned away to pay attention to the rest of the speech. The creeper-boy could do what he wanted, but I was more focused on my own survival. Whichever side provided me with my life, that's the side I'm going to join.

"Don't yell at Mot," Alyssa muttered, shooting me a look of disgust. She stepped in between the two of us and put one hand on her sword. Was that supposed to intimidate me?

"Anyway," the priest said, clearing his throat. "I believe we're all good with the trustworthy thing. Although you may have to sort out your differences before we go into battle. This is a team effort!"

"Sir," Spark interrupted. "What exactly do you want us to do? None of us have any experience with fighting gods. Plus, don't we need the kikoku to destroy him?"

It was a fair point, but the priest looked confused. "Kikoku? I've never heard of that. To kill gods here, there are two special weapons- a sword and a bow. They both belonged to Tom, but I have them now. I believe Mianite granted the little one with a sword that also works." I saw Alyssa tighten her grip on the handle of the blade. What was her problem? Nobody was going to take it. That entire family needed to calm down.

"So can Mianite give all of us swords and bows like that?" I asked. "It'll be easy to kill him if..."

"Are you crazy?" Mot shouted, making the rest of us jump. "Gods have to put so much of their energy into making a weapon like that! Do you realize how insensitive..."

"I thought I asked both of you to stop!" the priest sounded terribly stressed. "But, unfortunately, the lad is right. Mianite would become incredibly weak making all of us weapons like that."

I tried my best not to glare at him. "Well, then what do you suggest we do?"

The priest sighed. "I have known that god for decades now, and if I've learned anything from constantly fighting him, it's that he likes to get others to do his dirty work. I suggest making the best swords and armor that you can, and to train for the battle. If I had to guess, I'd say we will be fighting mostly nether mobs."

"Then what's the point of having a blade like mine?" Alyssa asked. "If I'm not going to fight a god, shouldn't I use a normal sword?"

I sighed impatiently. "The point is that most of the fighting is going to be against nether mobs. Obviously, you still have to use that to finish Dianite off!"

Alyssa looked offended, and Mot looked like he wanted to murder me. However, the idiot finally realized that he wasn't going to get what he wanted by going against the priest's words, so he remained silent.

The priest cleared his throat nervously. "Anyway, I figured that all of you should be aware. I suggest you begin your work right away. And... maybe sort out your differences." He glanced at Mot and I before going back into his house.

I turned to leave when I felt someone push me. "Do you have to be rude about everything? To everyone?" Mot yelled.

He reached a hand out, probably to push me again, but I slapped it away. "What is your problem? The priest just gathered us here to tell us important information, and you and your daughter are acting aggressive towards me for no reason! I came here to help!"

"This isn't about me, you little..." Alyssa started, but Mot quickly covered her mouth and moved her to the side. Spark held her hand and pulled her away, much to my amusement.

"I don't trust you!" Mot snarled. "You've never been helpful to us in the past. Why should you start helping now?"

I threw my hands in the air out of exasperation. "There's no benefit to being on Dianite's side! This battle isn't even ours, so why would I choose the side with no personal benefits? Plus," I added, narrowing my eyes at him. "Wouldn't you be the one to join Dianite's side? You said he spoke to you before. You're telling me that you wouldn't want to join your old friend again? Hear his voice again?"

"I'm not an idiot!" Mot ran at me and punched me in the shoulder.

"Apparently you are!" I threw punches at his blackened face. "I should've realized a half-creeper would explode upon just being near him." The comparison made his eyes burn with anger, making me smile.

"You... I can't believe..." he was at a loss for words as I delivered more and more punches. Eventually, he fell to the ground, blood dripping from his face. I started to laugh when I heard a shrill scream to the side of me.

I turned just in time to see a nine-year-old girl run at me, shouting a battle cry. She swung her sparkling sword at me once she was close enough. The flat part of the blade struck me in the face, and everything went black.