28/07/2017: Updated minor details
NOTE: This is the muse-child of the idea of coming back to Minecraft after a very long break, blown up to huge proportions in how different the world is. Loosely based on experiences myself and my best friend had long ago on a modded server. This story is also quite old, nearing about 2 years, and has just been sitting on my phone for all that time. I thought I might as well touch it up and post it somewhere, because I feel the quality of the writing is passable to me, and is lighthearted enough for me not to obsess too much over the details.
Without wasting anymore of your time, I leave you to the story.
The dark and congested mines into the depths were as expected: harsh and grimly; luckily, dwarves hold no qualms with these conditions - excelling in them no less. Even those who dwell on the surface for most of their life have the same stone blood, the same steel teeth, offering unbridled proficiency and passion for the underground.
The mines have been undergoing major expansions for the past three years. The demand for gold for a violent arena combat sport had increased ore exports exponentially in recent times. As a result, the dwarves have been mining deeper and farther into the earth, equal parts finding riches and horrors. For this reason, fearsome adventurers and mercenaries alike have been contracted by the mountainhome to better protect both the miners and the riches.
When Sikorias had finally hit rock bottom, cause of adventuring simply turning less profit each in this age, he journeyed to the dwarven halls in the north. It was astounding, the scale and craftdwarfship of the engravings on the granite walls, and the great statues of kings and gods lining all the corridors, they left him flabbergasted; as he had only heard tales about them. Luck was always on his side, for when he arrived, he effortlessly got hired on as a mercenary for a guarding position. Something he was confident he could do well, perhaps earn a more permanent position in the Steel Legions if he played his cards right.
The job proved easy enough, being stationed in the lower mine expansion, his job consisted of weeding out any pests in the tunnels and any newly opened caverns - he even took it upon himself to light the caverns up as he went about - and to prevent theft. Occasionally, a miner would get injured some way or another, usually a cause of spiders or skeletons; but most miners were adept enough to out maneuver zombies or deal with creepers. But for the most part, nothing seriously dangerous presented itself.
As the miners dug deeper and farther into the earth, they breached extensive cavern systems which were bare of any resources. The mining conglomerate came to the conclusion that particular system was picked clean during the Crafting Era. It wasn't unbelievable, but the area previously was too hazardous for primitives to properly live, due in part of aura flux. Regardless, spelunkers still traversed the caves and found absolutely nothing, not even undead were preset, and the caves went on forever it seemed, all bare.
"Day's over lads, weigh in!" The supervisor announced as he entered the main corridor from the lower mines. The miners all dropped their tools and started pushing their filled mine carts along the tracks. The supervisor turned to face Sikorias, who leaned against the rough hewn basalt wall near the tunnel to the lower mines, watching over the operations. "Kogan's nowhere to be seen, ye'll have to do the final sweep alone."
Sikorias pushed off the wall and dusted his weathered white tabard off and slid his axe out of its holster. "Aye," he acknowledged with a gravelly voice, adjusting his faithful iron greathelm. "That'll be the doldrums too?"
"Aye, some are convinced there is something in them caverns, I've tried to stop 'em but they worm their way back every time." He explained as he stroked his beard in an exasperated manner. "Anyways, just make sure no 'un's in the bare caves. And before ye go, be careful aye? I don't need to lose a good body " Sikorias nodded his understanding. "All's well and good then. I'm off to record today's gains." He concluded then went on his way to the upper mines.
When the supervisor left hearing range, Sikorias let out a rather unpleasant cough, powerful enough to shift his voice from a gruff miner, to something resembling a...surface dweller... "Damn mines wreaking hell on me..." He muttered, followed by another cough as he set out for the mineshafts.
The miners are to all be out of the mines at a certain time of day for at least 6 hours, due to surface monsters seeping back into the depths and larger ones waking to prey upon them. Monsters seem to become more active and aggressive without explanation during these times. The main tunnels appeared completely void of dwarven occupants, now all that was left to check was the barren caverns, or the doldrums as some have come to call them.
Sikorias waded his way through the breach in the dark stone wall, taking care to not damage the sun insignia on his tabard. The cavern was barren as always, but a pile of freshly quarried stone lie visible from around a corner. He moved to inspect the oddity, to find a freshly cut staircase leading downwards into darkness.
"Miners...?" He thought, gazing headlong into the darkened tunnel, then slid his way down the rough stairs.
The torches on the walls were still smouldering, as if just extinguished; dim embers made it apparent. Sikorias silently kicked himself for not brining along a lantern or lighter, but it wasn't hopeless, as a dim light was shining from around a corner further down. He proceeded downwards to find a T-intersection of sorts, one way leading into the light, and the other completely dark.
"Psst!" beckoned a sound from the dark.
Sikorias gripped his axe firmly and turned to the sound. "Who's there?" He asked quietly, yet forcefully.
"We're just miners!" An older sounding dwarven man whispered and stepped out from the dark, his black beard still blending in, much in contrast to Sikorias' orange one. "There be sometin' in that cave there! Tall and made of flesh and metal, cuts through stone like a hot knife through horse cheese! Digging out every single ore in sight!"
"Go back the way you came, I got this." Sikorias proudly boasted to the distressed miner, and bounded down the hall towards the light.
He burst through the narrow corridor and into a brightly lit cavern saturated with torches, temporarily being blinded by the light. When his vision cleared, he could see darkness in a distant section of the cave being slowly whittled away. Sikorias slowly made his way over to a ledge bordering the utterly massive cave, and, sure enough, something was actively mining in an ancient manner, a familiar one at that.
"No way..." He said aloud to nobody in particular. "Tall, flesh, metal, mining like no other... Aw hell."
Sikorias leaped off the respectable ledge, landing with a roll and ran towards the figure in the distance, not having to worry about hostiles due to the incredible lighting technique employed there. The figure could be seen ducked into a small hole not too far away, Sikorias closed the distance handily and stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at what he could barely believe.
The metallic creature turned his head upwards to face the dwarf, his multiple cyan eyes twinkling slightly. His robotic features showed little emotion, and his head sported three long hornlike metal fringes extending from his head, and his limbs had tubes attached to what little flesh was visible.
"Hey."
Sikorias was stunned. Years and years had passed since they last saw each other, he was sure that he had died somewhere along the lines. And what better words to greet his long lost friend?
"Hey?!" He yelled hotly and delivered a swift kick to Shields' head, knocking him back slightly. "Shields! You arse!" Sikorias fumed.
Shields shook his head slightly and rubbed his forehead after the blow. "The hell? What's your deal?"
"My deal? You've been gone for years! Years!"
"I said I was going mining. The caves just didn't stop, had to make lots and lots of hidey holes to stash it all. Got them recorded too."Shields casually explained and lightly tapped his head.
Sikorias gripped the eye slit of his helmet a moment, then removed the casque and starred at him with a serious look. "Things have changed, Shields. Many, many things," he cradled his helmet between his arm and side and sheathed his axe once again.
"Corporations, kingdoms, machines, witch covens, all these things we once scoffed at as we dug through the dirt for our diamonds have become the big players. The mansion grounds were claimed by a king after you left, and the world slowly became more developed and civilized, leaving little for adventurers like me. More races of people suddenly became more common; dwarves suddenly sprouted forth from the mountains and began digging." He paused, and Shields clambered his way out of the hole and stood at his full height, roughly twice that of Sikorias. "These new people are weaker than you and me, basically everyone still alive from the 'crafting era' is considered taboo; some like the attention, but I feel it brings your death faster. And strange creatures like yourself have been becoming rarer. Remember when walking around a town you could see anything ranging from a dirt man to a space marine? Not anymore." He finished off with a melancholic sigh, and looking up to meet Shields' gaze. "It's like those odd cities where the people live quietly and forcefully limit themselves, falling into roles. But now everyone is like that."
"So... I've been gone awhile? How long exactly?" Shields asked, confused, and gazing around aimlessly.
"Hmm... Three since the dwarves... Seven since that castle was built... Ahm... Sixteen years."
"Well then, I guess I should see the surface again." He stated and set off back to the lit tunnel where they came from.
"Hey, hold on!" Sikorias hastily threw himself in front of Shields. "I don't know how people would react to you. Like I said, guys like us aren't commonplace anymore, especially cyborg aliens." Sikorias remarked, shooting a glare towards Shields, who met it only with benign neglect.
"I could just bribe them with one of my stashes. Dwarves love stashes." Shields aloofly shrugged.
Sikorias stood silently as he walked by, he looked down to gaze upon his faithful greathelm and muttered, "Well, you're not wrong..." He shook his head dismissively and donned his helm, then raced to catch up with Marauder Shields.
"Hopefully you don't dig straight into a trio of dungeons..." Sikorias warily jested as Shields continued to dig a stairway upwards. "...again."
Shields paused his labouring a moment, "Hey now, that was funny." He stated and continued digging. Only seasoned stone-kin and masterful miners could tell such things, but a sudden change of the consistency in the stone indicated to Shields a non-mountainous area inbound.
The booming jumbotron in the bustling town square played the beginnings of the most popular form of entertainment in the land. At least two thirds of all the people preset where there to watch the debut of the newest Ultra Hardcore, featuring King Dinnerbone, special environmental hazards, and ten man teams. Easily a thousand people were crammed into the square, discussing and eagerly waiting for the match to start.
"ARK better not win this again,"
"Cleo deserved last season, I have a good feeling for this one!"
"Z and V will lure everyone into a death citadel again, calling it."
"I can still taste the salt from BTC's thirteen win streak,"
"I want Glydia!"
The mindless banter of the crowd continued as the preliminary introductions and biographies of the players rolled in the background; three teams of ten, 7 of which are Old Mindcrackers, Guude, Nebris, Blame, Pakkratt, Zisteau, and Vechs, brought out of their alleged retirement for the forty-eighth time.
"Hrmm? What's that?" An observer felt a slight rumbling at his feet, noticing the paved road beneath him cracking and straining at an alarming rate.
The crowd gasped and a wide clearing made way for what they thought was a sinkhole in the making, but were greatly surprised when a gleaming jewelled pickaxe carved an orderly section away instead. The crowd betrayed even more gasps and stood in shock when a tall, metallic creature emerged from the hole, standing at least a head higher than everyone else present. The strange creature observed his surroundings, skimming over the abundance of teenage boys and girls with hoods and headphones rampant. Many of them even wore creeper or enderman motifs, and none looked at all distinguishable from one another.
"I see that hasn't changed..." Shields muttered under his breath and set eyes upon the dominating screen, which now read in bold, fiery lettering: UCH 123!
"OHHHH! Ohh oohhh! I remember this!" He piped up upon recognizing the event. "Man, UHC 13 was the bomb; battle of twin peaks anyone?" His reminiscing fell on star struck ears, and whispers regarding him soon began circulating.
"He's just like them..."
"Did you see how he dug the stone away?"
"13? I can't stand the low quality of the recordings of anything before 60..."
"Why are we whispering?"
"Shhh! Shhh! Shut up!"
"No but seriously, he can probably hear us..."
With shields occupied by the casters dawdling on about various aspects of the game, and the crowd cautiously eyeing him, Sikorias sallied out of the freshly dug pit, going by mostly unnoticed by the crowd. Taking in the surroundings, he deducted they surfaced in the nearby town at the base of the mountain.
"Oh! How about the time Vechs got trapped in the nether for half the season? That was pretty good wasn't it?" Shields piped up once again, earning a few nervous chuckles from the crowd. Sikorias inched way closer to the cybernetic fiend.
"Shields," he prodded, learning in closer each moment.
"But who could forget about the time Bdubs wore GennyB'd head and got sliced by Zisteau?"
"Shields," Sikorias persisted, nudging him on his hip gyro.
"Ahh, UCH 9, a classic in its own right..." Shields let out with a wistful sigh, reminiscing further down memory lane.
"Taurus demons..." Sikorias began muttering the mantra of an ancient feud between them, instantly snapping Shields out of his nostalgia with a fierce red light emitting from his eyes.
"Don't. You. Dare. Say. It." Shields spat viciously, causing the crowd to back away. Sikorias however, sported a satisfied look.
"Good, now come here." He said and grabbed Shields' arm, leading him through the congregation and into a shrouded alley, sheltered from most prying eyes.
"See? That's what I'm afraid of. You stand out too much, and people who stand out too much have a way of suddenly disappearing." Sikorias lectured the pouting cyborg, but noted a strange effect. As if someone else was saying the exact words at the exact same time as him.
He looked to his right, deeper into the alleyway to see another two individuals in the exact position. A young man wearing a white tabard with a dull sun motif, and a green mantle resting on the shoulders. His limbs covered in a coat of light chain with iron bracers and boots. The exact attire Sikorias sported, only the occupant of the suit was a white skinned human with a head of blond hair and deep blue eyes.
Clutched in his hand was an overly long cerulean sleeve belonging to a very tall, voluptuous woman clothed in a long-cut hoodie lowering to her upper thighs. Two different belts with gold buckles crossed over her waist and and upper chest, garter belts connected the long white stockings to her alleged underwear from a pair of striking red higher-heeled boots. Most noteworthy of all was the gleaming porcelain mask covering her face, with only two eye holes and a slightly smaller off centre mouth opening etched into it, giving the slightly unnerving vibe of uncertainty. The mask's brown strap wound around the outside of the hood, strangling the puffy headpiece with a slight concave curvature. Finally, striking pink hair flowed out of every available opening, with locks resting on her upper bosom.
Each pair stared blankly at the mimics, a shorter person clutching the arm of a taller one, scolding them on their noticeability - although maybe for different reasons. The two warriors of the sun held an uncanny likeness, ranging from their posture to their speech mannerisms. Minor differences include their height, weapons sheathed it their side, and choice of company.
"Huh," Sikorias hummed and took a few steps forward. "I haven't seen another Warrior of the Sun for a very long time." He said, only now noticing the different sun insignia on the other. The usual snarky looking face was absent, the sun rays were a duller shade of gold and where flamberged outward instead of red and snaking.
The young man cocked an eyebrow, noting the difference between the logos. "Warriors of the Sun? I've never heard of that order."
"Solaire, Gwyn, Lloyd?" Sikorias rattled off names relating to his order, but the other man held a clueless visage. "C'mon, I know I wasn't gone for sixteen years. Did I miss something?"
"I'm a member of the Heirs of the Sun, Sounds like they're related. But as I said: I've never heard of them before." He shrugged, releasing his grip on his accomplice. "Hey, your buddy ran off there." He said and pointed after Shields' escape route.
Sikorias' eyes widened in surprise, turning to find Shields having effectively slipped away, but then his features became begrudging and sighed. "Goddamnit..." Sikorias was distracted to the point where he didn't even notice Shields slip away from his grasp, his arm was even held aloft in the same position as it was when he held him. Sikorias turned heel after hanging his head, setting route for the crowd of people again.
Emerging from the shaded alley, Sikorias was both surprised that the previous duo had followed suit, and surprised that Shields was actually on the surface - above it no less. He had perched himself on a fine pillar of cobblestone, rising high above the crowd and giving him an ample view of the massive jumbotron across the way. As if he were Moses, the crowd around the pillar had parted to stay clear of the structurally questionable object.
"Why...why is he up there?" asked the other sun warrior.
"He really enjoys that sport, eh, ultra hardcore was it? I haven't kept up since season three or so." Sikorias casually explained, stunning the young man.
"Season three? That was like...wha-"
"Long time ago, I know." He coolly dismissed the surprised man, sighing in exasperation. "I have to get him down from there; he's attracting too much attention." He muttered and unslung his trusty rucksack, rifling through its various contents. "Damn, didn't even bring a pickaxe."
"Could you just ask him to come down?" He casually suggested.
"You...are pretty smart." Sikorias looked up from his pack, standing and setting eyes on Shields' roost again. Only, his reassured expression was replaced by terror when he saw to blue clad woman strutting towards it, armed with a large pink hammer encrusted with emerald, produced seemingly from nowhere. The human realized from the look on the dwarf's face the situation, and took on an equally terrified expression. The girl reached the base of the tower faster than they could react, and wound up her hammer for a ferocious swing.
"SHIT!" They both shouted in unison while mid-stride of their attempts to stop her.
CRASH! The entirety of the pillar was reduced to rubble with a single blow, shattering the loosely fitted stones and sending them flying in a broad spray outward, mostly pelting the buildings. Thankfully, relatively speaking, she aimed the swing away from the crowd, only breaking windows and damaging building siding with the debris. Suffice it to say, Shields came tumbling down immediately, landing flat on his back in a small pile of pebbles. The crowd, previously reeling from the ferocity of the blow, suddenly erupted in a show of cheers and applause, finding such feats of strength to be an amazing achievement. She paid them no mind however, wheeling around and slinging her hammer over her shoulder, she casually sauntered her way back to the entrance of the alley, passing by the two stunned sun warriors.
"I..." Shields began, slowly adjusting and exercising his gyros and bearings. "I just wanna watch UHC, ya' hear?" He muttered and carefully rose to his feet, slowly shambling towards to two.
"Shields! How, I mean, what was I just telling you?" Sikorias stuttered and frantically scolded.
"Hey mang, I wasn't the one who caught the attention of the crowd," Shields indicated with a jab of his head towards the girl, who only stood by a wall with both hands held behind her back and looking sheepishly at the ground. "I just wanted to watch some casuals get beat into the ground."
Sikorias stood still with a single eye twitching sporadically before the blond man laughed and stepped in.
"You wanna watch UHC? I know just the place that'd make both of you happy." He smiled and extended a hand towards Shields, who reciprocated in earnest. "Name's Manstorm by the way, Rued Manstorm."
"Marauder Shields, I like to mine." Shields replied with his own introduction, giving a slightly overbearing handshake to accompany it, but Rued selling none.
Following the break, Rued extended a hand toward Sikorias, who snapped out of his stupefied torpor when presented with the gesture. "Oh, Sikorias Lorgana, previously of Xah Acath."
"Pleasure to meet you two," Rued ended the handshake and jutted a thumb over his shoulder, indicating towards the shy girl. "That one over ther-"
BROOOOMM! The sound of the jumbotron boomed outwards, drowning out all other noises followed by the roar of the crowd. Someone just got eliminated.
"-but all in all, she's just a Shygirl." Rued had continued his speech despite the major interruption as if nothing had happened, leaving Sikorias and Shields slightly confused.
"Oh come on! If I was up there right now I'd know who just died! Let's go to this place now, and quickly!" Desire over mild curiosity, Shields wanted to keep up with the game more than know about the pronounced woman.
"Alright alright! Just this way." Manstorm turned back towards the alley and beckoned, indicating the duo to follow him, with Shields doing so most eagerly.