Submerged In Purgatory.
(Authors Note: Any likeness to real events, people or places is purely coincidental and in no way intended to offend or represent any persons living or dead. This story is based on a dream I had, and roughly reflects the story that transpired.
Further more, this is my first Fan fiction or written story EVER!, please feel free to contact me with comments, criticism or helpful hints. And guys, feel free to request more Chapters off me, this is just a sample. I have two others completed and ready to go. So give me some feed back, let me know if you enjoyed it and would like to see where it goes... ENJOY!)
Chapter 1.
The day this all started, fades in my mind as time goes on. The more memories I make, the more my life here develops, the less my previous one seems to matter. The day we all died, the day our new lives started , was close to 12 years ago now. It's very hard to tell relative time when you have no basis in the beginning. But as the days and nights flicker by, faster and faster... Life continues to progress with a droning toll.
The day this all started, fades in my mind, as lost memories often do. But those few moments that I remember, are the feelings I desperately grasp, that I cling to for dear life. They will never leave me, as they are the fires, the embers and the anvil that forged who I am today. I can not go back. None of us can. I have done things, horrible things. Miraculous and astounding things... Great in the nature of their sheer scale, and likewise the monumental monstrosity of conception.
I am a tyrant. I am one of the Immortals. I am The Lord of Illusions... and I am home.
Everything was white to begin with. A blinding bright white, in those first few moments of existence. In a confused daze we all just sort of stumbled about. I remember how vivid the colors of the world were as the brilliant white faded and trees, grass... clouds and mountains became visible. It did not take me long at all to recognize where I was, the rest of the crew however were very disoriented. The faint flicker of recognition dotted the confused faces of a few of my old crew mates. As the world around us rendered into reality, I remember my heart pounding deep in my chest. *THUMP THUMP*
It was real. *THUMP THUMP*. The world was tangible. *THUMP THUMP*. I could feel the heat from the giant cube of a sun over head, radiating down onto my flesh. My arms, they were real skin. Yet this world... was rendered in a low quality view. It looked just like the computer game, in all its 8 bit brilliance. The colors so sharp, the lines so definite. *THUMP THUMP*. I was a real world human, not 8 bit... But as I stared about at the others and at myself, I could see that I too was 8 bit and it seemed just as real to me as the Earth we came from. Just as right to belong, not foreign or lesser in my comprehension. That forced change in recognition and perspective was something new that just existed to begin with. I had a painfully hard time struggling with that law. One of the first changes to the fabric of reality I had been forced to accept as fact. One of the many new Laws in this new land.
I looked away from my hands, like a stoner finding focus else where, and glanced up at the crowd of people I knew. 79 people, 79 high resolution real world people stood around me in this blocky world of vibrant and familiar color, all of us now 8 bit, yet just as real as real world people. We were all Submariners in our previous life, a crew. And unfortunately just 5 minutes prior, we had all perished at the same time. Our boat collided at high speeds with a submerged and uncharted rock formation. The hull fittings and penetrations burst, water started to flood in with a torrent. Before we could do a thing to stop it, we started to sink deeper. Problem after problem saw us unable to arrest the descent. And eventually the hull crumbled under pressure. The concussive force of air and water killed everyone in a few horrifying seconds.
I heard the name of this land whispered from the mouths of two or three people in the crowd, before I dared to say it myself. And as it turns out, I didn't have to.
We were all standing in an open grass plain, desert to the south, woodland to the east. Mountains skirting the panoramic views beyond all, as far as the eye could see to the north and the west. The sky opened up with a low rumble, with a sound that vibrated deeper inside my very bones than any sound I will ever likely hear again. More of that pure light poured onto us from the large and undefinable rift overhead. I remember seeing fear on the faces of those around me, the disbelief. And in contrast I remember my own heart pounding harder, *THUMP THUMP*. The exhilaration I felt as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. I was not scared, I was excited. I remember the feeling of those first few moments, I remember being drunk on the euphoria of those chemicals pumping through my veins.
The light from the sky, was not blinding, yet it was brighter than any light could be. The voice that accompanied the light seemed to reverberate deep in familiarity. It was warm, and comforting, yet foreign and threatening.
The words it spoke, I will never forget.
"My children, you await judgement. The world of life is no longer yours to roam. This purgatory you see before you, is to be your world for the next 100 Earth years, as your deeds and intents of the previous life, are measured, weighed and considered. At which point you will each proceed to the next stage of the afterlife. This world is one of aimless creation, there is no one point to to this world. No goal but what you make of it. Creation is limited to the intent an imagination you each possess. A series of moderation's have been made for the sake of interest and content in this place, to open up more options to you. The definition of the game that is now your reality, is in essence Purgatory. Welcome to MineCraft"
The light, the voice and the odd feelings of vibration were gone. Before us once again stood a grassy plain, some trees and mountains. The tension left behind by this revelation was palpable, the atmosphere was taught, as if the wrong word spoken by any of the members of this group would make the very fabric of the air and land snap like a cable under strain.
*THUMP THUMP*. My heart pounded. My thoughts started to jumble. "A world" I could see the others start to accept and quantify the reality about them. "A world I know" I thought to myself in rushed and jagged moments of understanding *THUMP THUMP*. I looked at the group, my eyes scanning over the faces of those I knew and those I knew who recognized MineCraft. Each looking a little more cognoscente of their surroundings than the vast majority than the last *THUMP THUMP*. He was staring right at me. Aaron Parker
I remember his eyes the most, they were staring directly at mine. They flooded mine with understanding. Here is a guy that knows the game, but more importantly knows me, knows that I know the game like the back of my hand. As my gaze met his, my resolve faltered. The look of realization on his face mirrored the dread on mine. In that split second the connection was made, my mind was made up. I knew exactly what to do next.
"RUN"
My only thought, echoing louder through my skull than any of the surrounding sounds, was RUN. I broke his gaze, my muscles had already contracted, my arms and legs coiled like springs ready to release the energy stored in them. Life played out in slow motion, a devious grin spread across my face as my head turned from his. And I ran. I ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction of the crew. That deep pounding of my heart was now a Viking War Drum, beating with the soul purpose of spurring me on.
I could hear Parker yell out to me, to stop, to wait. But I ignored it, and I continued to run. I could not stop if I wanted to, the mechanical perfection in the motion of my body was controlled by a fight or flight response. I ran because my sanity depended on it, and subsequently my survival. There was no method in the direction I ran, and truth be told I am glad I went the way I did. The sand of this vast desert crunched under my feet as I ran to the south, the sun still climbing in the sky. Its rays baking the sand around me, boiling the air that touched the ground. I kept going for close to 5'minutes, sprinting as fast as I could. The desert was quite vast, I made note of that fact. This Minecraft world must be set to Large biomes. Making each differing environmental area very large, but still unrealistic in its reflection to real world nature.
I slowed to a walk as I looked over my shoulder, no one was there. I felt my stomach rumble. And just like that It hit me like a brick in the gut. Another law I had to familiarize myself with. In the game as your hunger bar goes down due to strenuous activity, it shakes to let you know another level of hunger has been reached. That same shake however in this reality is noted by a concussive rumble, and a solid force to the gut, like a punch from a boxer. All the force yet none of the pain. There was no heads up display to show my hunger bar. But in a sense... I could feel it, feel where it sat, feel how low it was, what level it was at. Like a salmon swimming up stream, powered only by instinct, this too was something I felt was innately part of my being. I shuddered to think what it felt like to lose hearts of health in this world.
I made a mental note of my need to find food, for now there were more pressing matters at hand. Upon finding a small oasis sunken into the sand, I used this slight cover to catch my breath. Although the need to catch ones breath was not necessary in this world. Yet again another new law I would need to adjust too. The oasis pool had a rocky over hang atop it, perfect cover to sit beneath and disappear from the horizon.
The shock of everything that had transpired in the last 5-10 minutes of my new life, came spilling through like a burst in a dam. Poetically similar to the water that crushed our Submarine in the first place... It was cold and concussive, and came in an instant. I sat back, leaning my head against the cool flat grey stone on the wall of the overhang. And I tried to take stock of my reasons. Why I ran, why at the first possible chance to step up to the plate and provide helpful information and support, I ran. My ponder-some soul searching turned up a handful of introspective ideas. The strongest and foremost of those ideas was a deep seated horror, that in this world where I am a master, I would soon be a subordinate yet again. In the real world, my station in life is low. My rank in the Navy was as junior as they come, an AB. The respect I get and even my non threatening presence, it all makes me a living joke. I never take charge or defend myself, and what ever input I do make in conversation is generally trivial and ridiculed. This is due in large part to the role I played. All my previous life I have struggled to understand social nuances, and my odd quirky way, just always seemed to turn the alpha dominant herd against me. I don't begrudge people for it... I tend to let myself become the joke, I aim to be the push over. Because that's where I fit in the dynamic, the world turns like that, as I understand it too. And by falling to my knees as a sacrificial anode in my previous life, to be the whipping boy, I gave the other more dominating personality types the positions they feel comfortable with. And in doing so, I render myself less threatening, avoiding confrontation and fights... And I fall into place as that child that never grew up.
I have always despised this fact. It sickens me to my very core, that I have enabled my own self loathing. Like an infection that has rotted too much flesh, and can not be healed, only extricated through amputation. So too can I only heal my place in my own heart, and in this world where I should be king, by removing myself. By amputating myself from the crew.
Minecraft has always been my peace, my serenity. I am the ruler, the caretaker of my own world. I matter. I have value. And now, I am here. With a crew of 79 other people, who see me as I always have been to them, a joke. Just an annoying AB. Sure, I could help them with the basics. Teach them to build, to farm, to survive the Creepers and enter the Nether. But they do have others who are versed in the game. Those who can teach them, those who are happy to help the crew maintain order as it was. I am not special in that regard, just in my experience and enthusiasm. Besides, I would have little to no say in how the society is run. No clout at all once the crew learns the basics. As the shift of power changes back, as normalcy returns. so to does my pathetic position in life.
I refused to let that happen. I ran in desperation. Getting as far away from who I used to be, and building my own life in the furthest reaches of MineCraft was to be my salvation. Let the Matthew they know die here this day. And to an extent... He did.
After what felt like an hour of mixed mourning and soul searching. I lifted my head, snapped back to reality and started to get my bearings. It was still light, but getting darker. Clearly my self reflecting had taken no more than a handful of minutes. This was day one in MineCraft and here I was sitting around like a Noob.
I had slipped up, made a mistake and it had nearly cost me dearly. Every MineCraft player knows that on day one, your first priority is to prepare for the night, and the horrors that darkness brings. I was in the middle of a desert though, at least 5 minutes from any trees. I had to figure out where I was. And that's when the idea came to me. I focused hard, and found I could sense my location. My hunch proven correct, that like with the hunger bar notification, heads up information from the game could be felt, like a new set of senses. But only if you try to summon it, grasp at it from inside your mind, fishing for a thought that was physical and tangible. I found that need, that unusual sensation of a thought in my head that had a physical presence, a feel to it, touch. And I pulled it to the fore front of my mind. Just like that, I could sense and understand my co-ordinates my position in the world:
X: -1250,
Y: 68,
Z: 300.
By my understanding I had run close to a kilometer and a half from the Zero Block, the Spawn point, the center of this new reality. 1.5ks does not seem that daunting a distance in the real world. But in MineCraft it is enough to blend in an hide from the world. A standard field of view in the game is roughly 150 blocks or meters. It seems that this range of vision was extended to as far as you could see, perhaps well past 1000 Meters. But perhaps not, the visibility in the air seemed to be poor. If I had to guess right then and there I would say it was as far as the eye could see. And from where I was looking, I could see no trees just the rolling sand hills around me.
I did not wish to return to the spawn point. So I delved once again inside my own head, trying again to prove a hunch. Blind luck really, that this hunch was proven correct also. And so I fished around for another tangible thought, one I desperately hoped I could feel. Success! The contact I felt with this thought was solid, I had known what I was looking for and it was easy to grasp. I laughed to myself in wonder as I held in my mind an over viewed mini-map of the world around me. Another comforting feature to the game with which I was familiar, this was Rei's Mini-map. A mod for the ease of user navigation. Unlike in the game, it was not a heads up display. But rather a mental map that functioned in the back ground of ones mind while the sights and sounds of the world around you, flooded your field of view.
With the fast approaching dusk, I scouted the map. It had a poor range of about 300 meters/blocks from me, the center point. But it was still a miraculous feeling to know the World like a bird does, from above. I spotted a small square of grass, just 4 blocks wide and 2 blocks long, on the far Eastern side of the map. Wasting no further time, I relaxed my grip on the mental map, and yet again sprinted as hard as I could.
The desert passed in a blur, as the sky began to darken. I took another concussive blow to the gut, as my hunger increased. I reached the patch of grass, and to my relief it was the outskirts of a grassland, a plains biome. Quite possibly the same plains biome we had started on. As It turns out I had been traversing the outskirts of the desert this whole time. The desert was no doubt dozens of times bigger than what I had seen. My pure dumb luck had landed me here.
It took me but a few moments to find a tree. And feeling like Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, I punched it. I felt no pain, but I felt pressure. More concussive indication that I had interacted with the world around me. I could smell the oak tree before me, I could feel its rough bark on my uninjured knuckles. It was a strange sensation. I couldn't punch any harder or any softer if you'd paid me to, each punch was the same force. With a few continuous hits, the wood showed signs of cracking and gave way.
Another new sensation for me was the collection of this wood. The square meter/cube block I had just punched from this tree, this tree that now stood incomplete and defying gravity, had shrunk, and hovered for a few brief moments before a static like discharge zapped the block and myself simultaneously. The block was sucked toward me, and disappeared. Momentarily of course, before it reappeared in my hand, small and solid. It felt hefty yet light. I couldn't drop it, try as I might. This block was there in my hand, I was not actively holding onto it, I couldn't move my fingers at all. It was unusual to say the least.
A glance at the sky showed sunset taking place. Time in a MineCraft Is sped up. A day is 22 minutes long. The Daylight 10 minutes, Sunset 1 minute, Night 10 minutes and Sunrise 1 minute. These timings seemed to reflect correct if and only if the voice had paused existence while it spoke, or perhaps longer. All I knew was, time was running out, I had at best 1 minute before the world went to hell and the wild things attacked. I returned to my task, and began smack the tree with the block of wood I held. The rest of the tree eventually gave way to me. I now had 5 blocks of Oak wood in total.
Time was up. The sun had set. I could smell rotting flesh drift on the wind. I could hear low groans and foot steps in the grass. I could see figures in the dark. I remained still. The poor eyesight of the creatures that had materialized all about was my saving grace. Trying to think of my next step, where to run, what to do. I came up with my default plan. When in doubt, dig.
I looked down slowly, I stood on grass, on dirt. Soft, easily removed dirt. As quick as I could began to punch straight down. The dirt began to give way, I fell down into the hole I had created. The dirt block, reduced in size, zapped toward me. I absorbed it into god knows where. Half of my body was in the open, half in the hole I had dug. As I continued to punch the dirt beneath me, the zombies had taken notice. They ambled towards me. Another block of dirt absorbed, I needed to dig down just one more block. I could no longer see the zombies, but I could hear them getting closer. The third block of dirt was absorbed. I was deep enough to shelter myself. Try as I might though, I could not get the blocks of dirt into my hand, I knew I held them, but they would not appear. Time was running out, as a zombie looked down upon me. I thrust my fist upward, striking it with the block of wood I still held. The zombie growled a guttural moan as it was pushed back from the entrance.
I needed that dirt to block the hole above my head. I needed it or I would perish. And it was that desperate need that flooded through me, similar to that same need that had summoned the Co-ordinates in my mind. Something went wrong though. It did not respond the same as the co-ordinates. My desperate need to change the wood blocks to dirt had forced the blocks of dirt into my hand. The force of the change, from wood to dirt, hurt like a sledgehammer to the skull. The change was unnatural. I had achieved the goal by focusing the wrong way. Like straining to lift a heavy weight, it felt like I had torn muscles all through my body in an instant. It should have been easier, I shouldn't be on the verge of blacking out. I will have to perfect my methods of summoning inventory items.
*shake it off!, focus!*
My thoughts returned, and with them my resolve to salvation. I slammed a block of newly held dirt above my head. Sealing the opening to my makeshift sanctuary. This effected two things. First a foremost my safety, the second, I was plunged into darkness. The world was quiet, my head was pounding, my body ached and I once again had time to think.
(Authors Note: So there you go guys, that's chapter 1. Feel free to request more If you would like to see where it goes. The following chapters follow the events of the group over their first few days and nights in Minecraft and the Chaos that ensued. So please, request more and I shall provide! Feed back is greatly appreciated)