Minecraftia Besieged

The Start Of It All

(IMPORTANT: READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END!)

.- .

Sam walked through the mineshaft happily, enjoying the warm glow the torches on the walls gave off. He was safe from monsters in such a well-lit place. He had spent many weeks making this humble mineshaft into a home for himself, one where he could escape from the outside world and just live peacefully by himself.

There was plenty to keep him occupied as he constantly discovered new tunnels and caves, some natural, some created by miners from ages past. He particularly enjoyed discovering old mineshafts, enjoying the rush that came with making a discovery of a part of history. In fact, he was on his way to search through an abandoned mineshaft he had stumbled upon late last night.

He hummed a tune as he walked through the mineshaft, his iron sword in hand as he anticipated the monsters that he knew infested the underground. He knew from experience that mobs tended to lurk in abandoned structures, though he had yet to figure out why. Or why this mineshaft didn't have any.

He had yet to see a single monster, not even the ever-present zombies. To be honest, the silence was beginning to scare him more than the thought of fighting the suicidal creepers. He stopped at an intersection and quickly looked around, heaving out a sigh of relief as he saw his first monster of the day. Then reality hit him upside the head and he readied his sword and faced the giant spider with a determined grin.

The spider was as large as a normal mob, though instead of being entirely black this one had tinges of a sickly green seeping through cracks in its exoskeleton. Despite being obviously injured, the spider moved incredibly fast closing the distance between them in mere seconds, jumping at him as he swung his blade.

His blade sliced into the spider's gut, releasing the spider's organs onto the floor. This didn't stop the abnormal spider from latching onto his left arm and biting down with its dying strength. Sam let out a yell of pain as the spider died with its fangs imbedded in his left arm. He managed to pry the creature off of his arm, but only just. Whatever venom the spider had gotten him with, it had weakened him almost immediately, and so Sam began walking towards his cave. "Maybe the villagers will have some anti-venom," Sam muttered to himself as he left his intricate and much-loved cave system, "I really don't want to wait for this to run its course."

.- .-. .

7 Years Later

Andrew cleaned the blood off of his blade as he sat down on the grass, looking at the carnage all around him. Monstrosities he could never have imagined lay dead on the ground, their cold bodies next to those of his comrades. He continued to stare at the horrific sight that had become commonplace. He sensed someone walking towards him and instinctively gripped his iron sword, even though he knew that the entire enemy was dead.

He looked up to see Alena, one of his closest, and last, friends. She didn't say anything as she reached him, instead offering her hand to him. He grabbed it gratefully and pulled himself up before walking with her silently across the battlefield. Going to a hill he was given a more impressive view of the scene below. Human bodies were nearly as numerous as the corpses of the enemy, often torn to pieces. The enemy was rarely clean in their methods.

He could see scattered groups of his fellow soldiers moving through the slaughter, the same ashen look that he was certain he wore. He ignored them though and continued walking with Alena towards the walled village so many had died to protect.

It had all started roughly seven years ago when a miner had brought some form of infection with him to a rather large village. No one knew the exact story, as there had been only one survivor, and that one was a kid who didn't comprehend fully what had happened to his home.

Ever since then, the adversary had grown incredibly stronger, assimilating all manner of beings into their fold. Hell, Andrew could have sworn he had seen what looked vaguely like a pig in today's fight. Somehow, over the course of seven years, the enemy had built up an army capable of waging war against the whole of Minecraftia. And Minecraftia was beginning to lose.

"How long?" Alena suddenly asked as they neared the village, her voice but a whisper.

"Until what?" Andrew asked back, surprising Alena. Obviously she hadn't meant to say that out loud. Nonetheless, she clarified.

"How long until we have to pull back? How long until we lose another village to the enemy?" Minecraftians had yet to come up with a common name for the enemy, and so they stuck to calling them what every Minecraftian, even the monsters, knew they were. The enemy.

"Well," Andrew answered after a few seconds, "it depends entirely on if we get more reinforcements. As it is, we can't withstand another head-on attack," As they walked into the walled village they received their answer.

The command tent, where the legendary hero Michael had orchestrated the battle from, was being taken down under the hero's watchful and somber gaze. Villagers were pouring out of their houses in a slow but steady stream, carrying only what they could take with them. Military guards stood on all sides of the growing mass of people, some on horseback but most on foot. Only a few had properly forged iron weapons, most wielding spears and bows. With the enemy constantly redefining its borders in increasingly aggressive ways Minecraftians had been given less and less time to create weapons to combat them.

And yet they continued to throw everything they had at the enemy, determined not to give in to such horrid creatures. They were Minecraftians, after all! They had faced zombies, skeletons, giant spiders, Creepers, and even the mysterious Endermen for centuries. They would not give up now, not when they had finally begun to claim the world! And so the wretched War of Attrition continued.

Andrew stalked over to Michael, Alena hot on his feet, as he whirled the slightly older man around. Andrew was fully prepared to blast his commander for ordering a retreat, but his words died unspoken as he saw the other man's face.

Michael looked absolutely furious, and not at Andrew. His blue eyes were narrowed as he glared at Andrew, before he very obviously struggled to regain control of himself. "I know what you're going to say, Andrew," Michael's voice sounded too old to be his, though there was a spark in them that told Andrew that his leader had not given up, "and I regret to inform you that we have been ordered to withdraw by the higher-ups."

"We have higher-ups?" Alena questioned before Andrew could, somehow managing to sound both bored and curious at the same time.

"Of course we do!" Michael growled out, "Just because they prefer to hide deep in our lines doesn't mean that they don't exist. They're just safe and cozy out of harm's way."

A loud cough drew their attention and the group turned to look up at a man on horseback who was glaring down at Michael. The man looked too clean to have just been from battle, so Andrew concluded that the man was likely from the safe zone. "I'd be careful what you say if I were you, Michael," the man spit out Michael's name as if it was distasteful; "The council's patience runs thin with you."

"Well then," Michael replied mockingly, "It's a good thing you're not me! Because that'd mean I'd be a gutless coward who hides under the skirts of those blasted council members. You go back to your masters and tell them to prepare a war meeting. I've had just about enough of them interfering in my work."

The man glared hatefully at Michael, looking as though he was about to respond, before obviously thinking better of it. "It'll be a shame to lose such a good soldier," was all the man said before turning his horse and galloping off into the distance.

When Michael turned around he looked even angrier than before. "You two, go join the others around the villagers. Our new objective is to get them from here to Stonewall safely. Now get moving!"

Andrew did as commanded, albeit grudgingly. He could feel Alena following on his heels and he couldn't help but sigh as he fell in line beside the other soldiers, staring out into the mass of villagers. They looked scared and defeated, dirty and hungry, and Andrew knew they'd only get more so. The journey to Stonewall would further demoralize them, but at least once they got there they'd be able to get a decent meal.

Andrew turned to look at Alena, who was still staring into the crowd. "How many underage recruits do you think we'll get from this batch?"

Alena took a moment to think before answering, "Easily a dozen. If you look closely enough you can see it starting on their faces."

Indeed, there were a few boys and girls showing rage at being forced from their homes by the enemy. They'd eventually fake their age and join up with the Unified Minecraftian Army, and soon after die on the battlefield, if they were lucky. Andrew didn't want to think about the unlucky ones just yet.

From the rear of the mass, Michael gave the order to begin marching. Everyone present turned and began the long journey to Stonewall. Despite the danger and the horrors he had just endured, Andrew found only one thought in his head. 'I hope they've got warm rooms in Stonewall. I'm tired of this autumn air.'

.-. . .-. ..-. . -.-. - .. - -.

Several hours later, Andrew sat with his back to an impressively large rock, observing the routines of civilians and soldiers alike. The soldiers' all got settled in the efficient fashion that they had grown accustomed to. The civilians, however, looked complexly lost. Each was searching for a soft place to sleep, some place safe and close to others. There was a steady murmur that hadn't heard before in camp, likely brought on by the scared villagers.

He felt a body fall down next to his and turned to see Alena looking more tired than he'd ever seen. He almost fooled himself that it was because of their long march. Almost. Alena was one of the strongest people he had ever known and seeing her look this defeated got to him more than he'd ever admit.

"What's up?" he asked as he turned his gaze back to the crowd. He could feel her eyes on him before she joined him in people watching.

"Why do we fight?" she asked after a long silence, never taking her eyes off of the settling crowd.

"Because we have to," Andrew chuckled mirthlessly, "After all, we can't just roll over and die. We have people to protect. Who'll protect all of the civilians if all of the soldiers were to up and leave?"

"When did you become so good with words?" Alena sighed, causing Andrew to smile.

"That's what you said to me when you convinced me to fight this war."

"Huh. I'm pretty smart, aren't I?" Alena asked smugly and Andrew looked over to see a smile on her face.

"Yep, you sure are," Andrew laughed happily for the first time in a long time, and it felt good. It didn't sound right in their current situation, the echoes dying off as quickly as they had begun. A somber mood once again enveloped the pair and frowns soon adorned their faces. Alena sighed once more and stared up at the sky, "You go to sleep, and I'll take first watch." Andrew didn't reply, instead moving himself down to lie down, and then he waited for sleep to overtake him. It did so quickly.

The nightmares began soon after.

- .- -.. .

He swung his sword down onto a monster of flesh and metal, a feeling of satisfaction coming over him as the creature's head rolled off of its shoulders. The satisfaction was short-lived as he turned towards a very humanoid monster, clashing swords with the literally gutless creature. Despite looking like a pitiful pile of metal, sinew, and bones, the creature was strong, easily parrying his blows.

As he battled what had once been a human, Andrew was unaware of another monster moving quickly towards him until it was right behind him. He whirled around in time to see what he had assumed had once been a Creeper explode right next to him. Andrew flew back through the air and crashed into the side of a hill, time slowing down as he opened his eyes for what he knew would be the last time. Soldiers of the enemy crept forward in slow motion, grisly grins on their faces as they surrounded their prey. And then all of it stopped. Andrew's eyes widened as he felt his dream slowly grow more lucid as everything got slower. Except him.

He stood up from the ground, all of the pain suddenly gone. He looked out over the various monstrosities, none of which so much as twitched. He gazed at the seemingly infinite mass of the enemy, his eyes coming to a halt on a towering rock that seemed darker than obsidian. Atop the rock stood a creature of the enemy that Andrew had never seen before, though its mere presence sent chills through his body. It looked to be made of metal and sinews, all traces of skin gone to reveal humongous muscles beneath its detailed armor. It had a helmet obscuring most of its face, all except for its jaws, which were parted in what Andrew could only assume was a smile. The creature was huge; easily three times the size of the fabled Ender Dragon, and it looked easily capable of tearing anything it came across limb from limb.

The monster was grinning at something in its clawed hands, though Andrew couldn't make out what it was. Curiosity starting to kill him, Andrew went to make a step forwards but was stopped by a single hand on his chest.

To his right a man hidden in a brown cloak had suddenly appeared. Normally Andrew would've reacted violently to being startled, but something about this man made him feel… at ease.

"I've stopped your dream for the moment," the man told him in a kind, old voice, "but if you move too much it's likely my grasp will loosen and the enemy will get you once again."

Andrew shivered, remembering all the nightmares he had had about the enemy. "Who are you?" he asked the cloaked man, his eyes flitting back to the giant monster.

"That's not important right now," the man chuckled before gesturing to a man who Andrew sure hadn't been there a second ago. "I've seen this same dream many times in your head, and while you are not fully able to comprehend it, I am. In order to stop this dream from becoming reality, you must save this man."

The man wore a black cloak just like the mysterious man before him, though his was burnt and ripped I multiple places. The man in black stood just out of reach of the onslaught of the enemy, appearing to just be staring into the masses of horrors. A dark liquid dripped from both of his hands steadily, beginning to pool on the ground beneath him.

"What's so special about him?" Andrew asked, his eyes glued to the man in black. In response, the man in brown snapped his fingers and the man in black was suddenly right in front of Andrew, the stranger's glowing white eyes peering into his soul.

Herobrine looked much different from what Andrew had heard about him as a boy, especially now that the enemy had gotten to him. Black tears, what Andrew could only assume was oil, streamed out of the god's eyes, trailing past his maniacal smile. His black cloak was torn open at the front to reveal a hollow gut, scraps of metal holding the being together. As Andrew stared into the face of Death he heard the man in brown talking to him, his voice coming from all directions, "If you fail to stop this fate then the enemy will become unstoppably powerful. With Herobrine at their forefront they will slaughter all uninfected beings until only the enemy remains."

Andrew gulped almost audibly, looking into the eyes that had lost all hints of life and sanity, before turning to the man still hidden within his brown cloak. "What do I have to do?"

..-. .-.. . ... ...

In a few days or weeks, I'll set up a poll where you all can vote on whether or not the now united Minecraftians win in their epic struggle against an unknown enemy. I know some of you like to root for a bad guy, so I'll allow you to make your voices heard.

Also, you all can vote on if you want mob talker in this. I'll leave it entirely up to you guys, because I don't care either way. The one thing that is certain is that mobs no longer attack Minecraftians. In fact, they work with them. So with that in mind, I hope you stick around.

Please review and I'll see you next time around.

detiaw evah ew dna ,ecafrus eht dehctaw evah eW