Chapter Text
"Damn, this guy is buff," was the first thing that came to mind when Squid saw his competition.
"And he's part piglin...great." Squid doesn't have anything against piglins, per say, just that piglin hybrids were not common, especially in this town. In fact, there's only one who's well known and that was local rich kid, Technoblade.
Squid looked at the piglin. The guy was buff, and covered in gold (earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and even anklets) head to toe. They were so shiny that Squid was sure he could pay for his college tuition with just one of his rings. Squid initially had his doubts on how much of the gold was real, but he seriously doubts a piglin would willingly wear fake gold. He's unsure how much of it is true, but Squid's heard that a piglin treasures gold more than anything with their culture. Their nature simply wouldn't allow anything less, they only deserved the best.
It was his height that did Squid in, though. The guy was a little way's away and he practically towered over him. He was sure that if they were standing face-to-face, he would be blocking out the sun in front of him.
And this man was his competition. Why?
"All I wanted was to farm some potatoes, man..."
"What a coincidence, so do I." Said a sarcastic voice from above. Squid nearly jumped, head snapping to see the piglin hybrid standing right by him.
For a moment, Squid was caught up in how red the man's eyes were. Quickly, he snapped back to his senses but he had no idea what to say. "Then uhm... let's farm?" Squid scolded himself for sounding nervous to the literal tank of muscle in front of him.
Thankfully, the guy simply nodded. After sparing some respectful gestures of good wishes and going their separate ways, Squid began his work.
"Prime, is that really what he sounds like," he thought to himself. The very sound of it made him want to jump out of his skin.
When he had turned around Squid could feel the sensation of eyes burning on his back.
"I'm just being paranoid, nobody is staring at me..." He huffed. "It's not like I'm a real threat to these guys."
Truthfully, this was Squid's first time competing; Squid joined a competition surrounded by the experienced players to the casual competitors.
Amongst them, positioned in-between the two categories, he feels out of place. But Squid's been practicing his skills; farming has been his therapy for years now. He knows how to grow plentiful potatoes in one sitting. He's here to win.
...it didn't help with this anxious feeling crawling down his spine. Something was telling Squid that the guy he just spoke to, who was just a plot down from him, was here to win, too.
As stupid as it may seem, Squid wanted the prized title of "God of Potatoes" and he would do anything to get it.
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The challenge was straightforward: cultivate the highest yield of potatoes by the month's end.
An annual tradition in town, this event not only raised funds for charity but also contributed to local soup kitchens with the harvested potatoes destined for comforting mashed dishes.
Participants had just a month to maximize their potato growth, utilizing only the resources provided, notably bone meal from the dispensary. Any attempt to introduce unauthorized items resulted in immediate disqualification and a ban from future competitions.
Squid, of course, had no intention of introducing anything remotely perilous into the contest.
But his nerves didn't settle as time went on; he still felt eyes on him. Yet even as he looked around (over three times within the past 30 minutes) to see if anyone had been watching him and had found nothing.
"Just nerves, Squid," he told himself again, "it's just nerves..."
Squid's more familiar with farming by his lonesome, but now with his own plot of land, surrounded by other players, perhaps it's starting to get to him?
As he was peacefully sowing the potatoes, (which was actually quite calming) he was seeing how long it would normally grow first before using any bone meal. Just keep calm, he thought to himself. This is just like gardening at home! Provided, I won't be able to brag about it as openly in public like I do with my grandmother, but- I joined because of wanting the title because "God of Potatoes" sounds very intimidating...yeah.
"Look remember why you're here" Squid had said to himself trying to make himself less bored (potato growing can be so boring).
"You seem distracted" Squid heard a monotone voice behind him and he slowly turned around and met the intimidating guy he met earlier that looked like he would kill him and be richer than he would ever be in his entire life. Squid clammed up, nearly dropping his shovel.
"Er, yeah. First time growing in front of other people." Which is not completely a lie. He's gardened with his family before. Not with others, though.
Never again.
"It's your first time?" The guy has the audacity to snort. "This is my eighth time doing this."
"You've been to competitions like this before," Squid asked.
The gold adorning the piglin, reminiscent of tinsel on a Christmas tree, gleamed so brightly it nearly blinded Squid. Added with the guy's attitude, Squid wanted to speak out, but considering he could snap him like a twig, thought better of it.
"Yeah, I have they were pretty boring as the competition sucked."
"Then why do you keep applying..?"
"Oh, no," he retracted, "I meant the competitors. None of them ever stood out, y'know?"
Squid felt the red eyes bore into him as the piglin spoke with an unusual tone. Squid glanced at the competition, partly to avoid acknowledging the intensity of the gaze. The others didn't seem to take it seriously, and why would they? It's an annual event.
"Well, why would anyone take it seriously?" Squid questioned. I can only IMAGINE why, is what Squid didn't say.
"Did you hear," the piglin said in a low voice, "that people get murdered days after the competition... stay safe."
He left before Squid could even contemplate how to reply to something like that. Just like that, he was alone again. Instead of dwelling on the piglin's ominous warning, he refocused on his work.
(The feeling of eyes staring his way never left.)
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Minecraft's Infamous Serial Killer Strikes Again After Months of Peace!
Written by Skyblock Head News
Last night on November 13, several bodies were found strewn about the fields of Minecraft's local farms. The current body count is up to sixteen people, all local farmers of the very pasture their dismembered limbs, heads and torsos were found in. The amount of deaths are still pending, however, and police are making an effort to recover all the pieces.
Luckily, this massacre spared all fields but the potatoes, so possible contamination of crops have been spared to all but one area. However, work in the fields has been delayed due to this incident in order to conduct further investigation.
This is believed to be the work of the Blood God, an infamous sociopath who goes about his killings in precise ways, often taking time with his victims, making quick work of them. The few encounters have revealed that he is of strong muscular build, wears a pig mask and paper crown. If you see anyone that matches this description, keep clear and alert the authorities immediately.