The Friendly Creeper Part 27

Before I could say anything, someone grabbed me from behind.

"HELLO! And welcome to the Greene Dragon Tavern!" A strange man in a white overcoat, with a strange smile offered his hand to me. I gingerly took it, and he shook roughly.
"You don't seem to be around these parts! Tell me where you're from!"

"Um," I stammered, "I live around."

"Ah," he replied. "I see. You live off the land, like the farmers! Well, welcome!"

"Hey, Gimi," Gillian strolled back to us, "could you grab us a seat? For three."

"Sure! I'm Gimiglider, by the way, if this dashing lady hasn't introduced me yet," Gimiglider grinned pointedly at Gillian, who turned her head in exasperation.

"Just save it for someone who will put up with you," Gillian snapped.

"Ok, ok," Gimi backed off, and hurried to get a table.

"These people are nuts!" I whispered to Gillian.

"I know," Gillian whispered back, "but he may have some information we need on your creeper."

"Isn't it illegal to study the habits of mobs?" I asked.

"I think this whole place is pushing it, honestly," Gillian sniffed.

"So did you hear the song?" I said suddenly.

"Yes, what's the big deal?" she dismissed.

"So," Gimi interrupted, "mind if we all sit down?"

"Sure," I narrowed my eyes. We got a wooden table, recently wiped. As I sat down, I saw Gimiglider wave at a bartender.

"Get us two bowls of the finest mushroom stew!" he bellowed.  "And a bucket of milk for me!"

"Milk, huh?" I laughed. "You have taste!"

"That I do," he chuckled, "it's good, basic, cures all poisons."

"Oh, that I know," I said to no one.

"So we need to get some information," Gillian started. "We have in possession…" she motioned for us to move in closer.

We all leaned in. "A white creeper."

Gimi paled. "The white creeper of tales old?" he spluttered.

"SHH!" Gillian and I quickly shut him up. I looked around to see if anyone noticed our private conversation. A few heads were turning.

"Um," I muttered, "some people are looking at us."

"Well, of course they're looking at you!" Gimi retorted. "You're wearing very strange clothes! Come on, we'll find somewhere more secure to talk."

I took a gander at his clothing, and scoffed.

"What's up with your clothing?" I muttered.

"I was a pilot," Gimiglider explained.

We headed out the main room, and went up a flight of stairs.

"Of a boat?"

"No, the first and only plane!"

"What's a plane?"

Once we got up, I realized it was a library. Books were scattered all over the place, some in massive piles around dusty bookshelves. One was hovering above a red and black pedestal. Glyphs and symbols were floating out of some bookcases into this one book.

"Here's a pile for mob studies, and here's one for herbal documentation!"
Gimi grinned. "Like my setup?"

"Nope. It's messy," Gillian chastised.

"Aw," Gimi groaned. "I worked hard on organizing it!"

"C'mon! Tell us what you know about Cobble!" I looked out the windows.

"Ok, I'll tell you what I know," Gimiglider swooped down on his books. "According to my studies, one in a million creepers are born with a strange white hue. Most were captured by villagers, and killed soon after, because people have heard rumors."

"What rumors?" I asked, trying not to trip on the pages of a yellowed document.

"Notch!" Gillian shouted. "How do you not know?"

"I'm a hermit miner!" I snapped. "How am I supposed to know anything about any rumors?"

"Well," Gillian replied quietly, "rumors tell of a 'white creeper' that is more powerful than others, capable of making a huge explosion that can destroy entire villages."

I recognized the description.

"Oh! I know those creepers!" I laughed. "Lightning creepers? They're definitely real."

"But the villagers," Gimiglider shook his head, flipping through pages, "couldn't tell the difference between them and your Cobble. And there is another, more obscure legend, lost in the pages of history."

"The white creeper of salvation," Gillian's eyes stared into the distance. "The one that will save the world from the clutches of the evil Ender DRAGON!!"