Zeke expanded his potion inventory once more. Potion of Swiftness II and Potion of Slowness IV, both in splash variants—he brewed every type he possibly could.
If skill isn't enough, make it up with potions.
Speed, Strength, Regeneration... Zeke's buff bar had never been this crowded.
The effect of Speed II was surprisingly good. It didn't just increase his physical speed; even his neural reaction time was enhanced.
The Harlequin's movement trajectory became much clearer in his eyes, allowing him to barely predict her general direction.
Zeke concentrated intensely. When the Harlequin attacked again, he proactively moved to meet her short sword.
Simultaneously, his left hand unleashed the Splash Potion of Slowness IV he had prepared, throwing bottle after bottle at her—front, back, left, right, up, and down.
Surrounded by lava on the factory outskirts and confined within this narrow space, dodging so many splash potions was a fantasy.
Glass bottles shattered, and grey-black swirls splashed out.
The Harlequin inevitably got hit by some of the splatter.
The effect of Slowness IV was tyrannical: Movement Speed reduced by 60%, and field of view slightly narrowed.
The Harlequin faltered noticeably. She felt her body suddenly become incredibly heavy; every movement required several times the usual effort.
Her proud speed advantage was slashed by more than half.
Zeke wasn't about to let this godsent opportunity slip. He used an Ender Pearl to teleport right in front of her and smashed a large wad of Cobweb right into her face.
The milky-white web wrapped around half of the Harlequin's body.
With the Slowness debuff and the binding effect of the Cobweb stacked together, the Harlequin was finally pinned down.
She struggled furiously, making the web creak, but breaking free would take time.
Zeke's fighting style was completely beyond her comprehension.
He was impossible to kill, pulled out endless bizarre items, and she had never fought such a frustrating battle in her life.
Her hand reached for the Flip Belt at her waist again, attempting to activate a last-ditch displacement.
Zeke gave her no chance, his hands moving in a blur.
With practiced muscle memory, he stacked blocks of Obsidian around the web-trapped Harlequin, building a sturdy cage.
Zeke was all too familiar with Obsidian trap tactics. Back in the server days, pranking friends with Obsidian water prisons or lava baths... all that practice wasn't in vain.
An Obsidian cage with a small opening at the top now confined the Harlequin inside.
The internal space was cramped, barely enough for one person to stand, making even turning around difficult.
It's humiliating. She never thought she would be captured like this.
Standing atop the cage, Zeke didn't plan on wasting words. For this Harlequin with unclear intentions, he had a more direct way of dealing with her.
He opened the top of the cage and poured in a bucket of water, completely submerging the Harlequin. Obsidian Water Prison: Complete.
Enjoy the feeling of being overwhelmed and helpless underwater.
Zeke stood by with an empty bucket, ready to scoop the water out just before she drowned; he didn't intend to kill her yet.
A few bubbles floated up, but the Harlequin inside was still lively, her muffled curses drifting up through the water.
Wait a minute. Is Aeldari physiology different from humans? Can they not drown?
That's a bit awkward. Zeke scooped up the water and swapped it for a Splash Potion of Poison, throwing it down.
Now that's effective. Zeke watched the Harlequin's 80+ health points steadily drop.
Poison deals True Damage and ignores armor. Zeke observed her health bar and confirmed this conclusion.
Even the Aeldari, a highly adaptable race, were susceptible to the Poison effect.
This suggested that "Poison" in this context was more of a conceptual damage type rather than literal biological toxicity.
That meant whether it was mechanical lifeforms, Necrons, or whatever other random entities, they would likely all be damaged by Poison.
Zeke threw in several more bottles of Poison, suppressing the Harlequin's health until only half a heart remained.
The rapid drain of vitality was too much; the Harlequin collapsed at the bottom of the Obsidian cage, leaning against the wall.
Before completely sealing the cage, Zeke reached in for her weapon and belt.
The Harlequin felt a hand touching her body. "What are you doing?"
Ignoring her Zeke snatched the Harlequin's Kiss and the Flip Belt, then sealed the top opening with two blocks of Obsidian.
Let her cool off in this dark prison for a while and grind down that arrogance.
[Accessory Obtained. Accessory Slot Unlocked.]
The Flip Belt was recognized as an accessory.
Simultaneously, slots for Belt, Ring, Necklace, and Charm appeared to the left of Zeke's armor slots.
I have 10 fingers, I can wear 10 rings, so why do I only get two ring slots?
Still, something was better than nothing. Zeke equipped the Flip Belt in the newly opened Belt slot.
[Flip Belt: Cooldown 60 seconds. Grants 'Creative Mode: Flight' for 5 seconds upon use.]
Creative Mode. Seeing those first two words, Zeke's heart skipped a beat. It was only when he saw "Flight" and the duration that he calmed down.
Scared me to death. I thought it changed my gamemode to Creative directly.
Turns out it just grants the ability to fly like in Creative Mode for a short time.
Zeke tried activating it. He felt his body become weightless, his feet naturally leaving the ground.
With a mere thought, he drifted forward smoothly. Turning was agile, requiring no wind-up.
He tried ascending vertically, and his body rose straight up. With another thought, he slowly descended.
There was even a sprint mode to increase speed. Pity it's only 5 seconds. Can't fly too high, or I might die from fall damage.
Zeke dropped from about three meters up.
After playing with the belt for a while, Zeke's attention turned to the other spoil of war: the Harlequin's Kiss.
[Harlequin's Kiss: Damage 11 + 3 (Piercing). Enemies killed have a high chance to drop their Head. Wearing the Head will have unexpected effects.]
Heads. In Minecraft, these were mostly decorative.
Aside from Wither Skeleton Skulls used to summon the Wither, they didn't have much use.
But the description said wearing them would have "unexpected effects."
I'll have to farm a few heads later and try it out. But I have to say, as expected of the Aeldari—their loot drops are top-tier.
–
Zeke approached the Obsidian dungeon and knocked. The sounds from inside were faint.
"Hey, do you know about the Black Library?" Zeke asked.
The Black Library, the home base of the riddle-loving Harlequin troupes, hid secrets even the Gods coveted, along with endless treasures.
"Human! Release me at once!" The Harlequin was still relentless inside, showing no intention of having a proper conversation.
Seriously? Let's move to a different location then.
Zeke mined the Obsidian cage, built a Nether Portal, and reconstructed a Blackstone prison in the Nether.
With the Harlequin at only 1 HP, he wasn't afraid of resistance. He dragged her directly into the Nether and locked her in the Blackstone cell.
Before being locked in, the Harlequin witnessed this bizarre dimension.
"Wait! We can talk properly!" The Harlequin's tone finally changed, but Zeke didn't give her the chance.
He walked out of the Nether Portal, leaving the Harlequin stranded there.
"How is this possible?" The Harlequin sat in the Blackstone cell. Here, she couldn't sense Her gaze (Slaanesh).
Doesn't this mean the Aeldari can finally be free of Her?
"We can talk! We really can talk!"
The Harlequin's hysterical screams echoed in the Nether, unable to settle for a long time.
She remembered what the Shadowseer had told her before she left: Do not anger him. He will become the Aeldari's most reliable ally.