Chapter 1

It Could Happen

Someone very wise once told me something that I don't intend on forgetting for as long as I should live. They told me when I was young, just a boy, that one day I would be faced with a decision, a decision that would determine the fate of my world as I know it, and the fate of all those around me. They did not tell me what the choice was that I would have to make, nor did they tell me when the time would come that I would be faced with this choice. All they said to me was that one day there would be a choice, and I would have to make it…

"Are you talking to yourself again Steven?" asked my brother Turk. I hadn't noticed him sitting there behind me.

"How long have you been sitting there? I didn't hear you come in," I said feeling slightly embarrassed to have been sitting here talking to myself without realizing that there was someone other than myself in the room.

"Long enough to hear your spew about the same old heroics story you always seem to be infatuated with," he chuckled. "When are you going to come to the realization that all that stuff you are talking about is never going to come true?"

"It could happen!" I argued. Turk was older than me by two years. He had just turned twenty three and with his age came an equal boastful ego. He thought that he knew everything that there was to know. Grant it I was two years younger than he was, but that did not mean that I was not allowed to have my own opinions.

"Yeah, right, the day that the world rests on your shoulders is the day that Herobrine breaks free of his prison in the End," Turk laughed seemingly amused at his own derogative comments towards my creativity.

"And what happens if he did ever break free of his prison? Do you have the answer to that one brother?" I said with a smirk.

"Well I can tell you one thing I know for sure. You certainly won't be the one to save the world if that does ever happen, which it won't. You can't even get your chores finished. Did you ever finish crafting that diamond axe like father told you to, like, a week ago?"

"Um… I'm still working on that," I said looking over at the crafting table."

"You liar… You haven't even started on it have you? You do realize that we need that axe for the winter months. It will not be long now before winter is here, and we still have to build an entire village worth of log cabins for the new arrivals from NorthsBurg castle. It's not like there is anyone else around here right now that knows how to craft wooden materials. Most of the wood smiths are off in the Eastern woods right now trying to build fortifications against the zombie advancement. Need I remind you that that area is having a huge problem controlling the zombie outbreaks! You, me, father and maybe a few other men in this village are the only ones that are even able to craft legally until the wood smiths return… assuming that they do return at all."

"I know, I know. I'm aware of the zombie problems that the Eastern Woods Colonies are having. I do read the news books you know!"

"Oh, you do? And I thought that you where illiterate little brother," he chuckled.

"You're an idiot sometimes Turk."

"Yeah, but I'm older then you, and stronger too, so you do what I say until you prove that your worthy to be a knight to the king of our realm."

"If you say so. And I am trying to finish the axe alright, it's not like it's as easy as putting the three diamonds and two sticks in a crafting table and pulling out a diamond axe. I actually have to forge that thing you know. That takes awhile."

"Does it… well, you had better get on it, because winter will be here in only a few short weeks, and you know what happens if we don't have those houses finished for all two thousand of those immigrants by the time winter arrives, don't you?"

"Well they would have nowhere to live of course. I really don't understand why they don't just craft their own dang tools and build their own houses."

"Tell me your just joking Steven… You know as well as I do that there aren't many people who are allowed to craft any material at all. You should be grateful that you can even make tools. Most people aren't even allowed to do that much! Be grateful for that!"

"That's a stupid rule you know. That they don't even allow the commoners to craft. Why is it that only high ranking military officials or people like us who are rich are allowed to craft?... Never mind, don't answer that, I know the answer. It's because our 'great' king forbids the commoners to craft because he is afraid that someone might start making weapons, and that they might be tempted to use those weapons against him."

"Show some respect Steven! That's the king you're talking about now! And as much as I agree that it's stupid that commoners can't craft. I still honor my king's decisions. He has never led our city or villages astray before."

"That's not a reason to believe that he never will. And just because you're a knight yourself doesn't mean you have to speak so fondly of him in private to your own brother Turk," I said rolling my eyes.

"You know, one of these days little brother, maybe you'll grow up and understand that the way things are is the way they have to be in order to maintain peace right now."

"You would call what we have now peace?" I asked chuckling, "This is vaguely peace that we have now. You said it yourself that the Eastern Forest tribes are in the mists of the greatest zombie crisis that they've ever had to deal with. I'm mean really they needed nearly all of our woodsmen and other crafters just to reinforce the city's over there because conditions have gotten so out of hand. The king of the mountain region has summoned nearly all of the crafters from not only the plains region, but also the snow plains, the forest, and the swamplands kingdoms. There are only so many crafters in our kingdoms you know, and here in the plains region we don't have many crafters to spare. Not to mention, you think you're so keen on the news Turk, did you hear from the priest the other day that the Ice Plains castles have fallen under a huge coordinated attack by the skeleton's frontal legion? They've converged on that area recently and are hammering the ice castles all across the region. And you call that peace huh?"

"That's nothing new for our world. The monster hordes have been trying to destroy our civilizations for as long as time itself when 'Notch' created the world. We've dealt with the zombies and skeletons before, and we will do it again if we must."

"Hum," I chuckled.

"What exactly is so funny about that?"

"You really believe in all that, 'Notch created the world' stuff huh?"

"Yes, I really do, but now you're getting me off topic again, like you always do when I ride you to do something you need to be doing but don't want to. Now get that darn axe made, and make it fast. It's going to be night here in a few hours," Turk said pushing me into the wall as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To do what I can and get the new comers that are already here to a temporary facility until the village can construct them adequate housing with wood that you are supposed to be gathering and shaping for them…"

"Yeah, I got it alright. I'll get to it right now. Besides," I mumbled, "It's not like there aren't any stone or wood axes in this village, I'm sure someone else besides me is qualified to mine a few trees."

"What was that?" Turk said turning back to look at me.

"Nothing…" I murmured.

"Just get to work Steven. Dad will be home by nightfall, make sure that you are back by then too."

"Oh, worried about my safety in the big bad Grassland plains?"

"You're my brother… as much as I dislike admitting it… Just be careful alright. Just because the monsters are coordinating their attacks on the other regions doesn't mean that none will be lurking in the shadows around here. They have spies everywhere you know."

"I'll remember that while I take on the tree monsters," I joked.

"You're an annoyance sometimes…" Turk said leaving the room shaking his head closing the wooden door behind him.

"Anything to get you to leave," I thought to myself as I walked over to my crafting table to build the Axe.

All the stuff I needed was lying on the table in front of me. Pulling up a seat and flipping a leaver to turn on the glow stone lamps lining the floor I started to get to work.

I turned around to look at the golden clock sitting on the table behind me. The time was 4:37 p.m. The night would be here soon. In the winter months it got dark at about 6:20. I didn't have a whole lot of time left to get this dang axe made.

"Oh well," I thought, "Diamond axes may be hard to build, but at least they last for a good while. And I guess we are lucky that my dad found three diamonds in the mine last week. It's not every day you see diamond around here. Not after the king of mountain plains region had his personal mining core strip mine the entire area and remove all the precious ores for his own personal use. Whatever that may be," I said gritting my teeth. "Turk may think our king is so great, but that's only because he is one of his highest ranking knights. Me however, I'm just a low level craftsmen, I'm not even allowed to carry a sword. But I've seen how the king acts, and I've heard of the things that he does. And I know the truth of his true motives. And as soon as I get the chance, I'm going to prove it to everyone else. Then they'll believe me…" I thought starting to hammer away at the diamonds. "Then they'll listen."