Hello, my fellow readers, once again! Here's Chapter Two, "A Life for a Tale".
Thanks for reviewing! Even though there was only a few, I remained hopeful! Be ready for some in-depth tales here, because Ryker is inching ever so slowly toward the prophecy. This chapter introduces a new concept in The Mth Dimension…read to find out! (By the way, I found that eating a snack or a meal during reading kind of helps get you into the story. Grab a pizza, a root beer or a juice, plop down in front of your ol' laptop and enjoy!)
"Good grief, Lexarus, don't you have any variation on rations?" complained a very downtrodden Ryker.
Lexarus sighed and explained to Ryker for what seemed like the billionth time, that, as a loner, one could only hunt so many animals.
It wasn't the first time that Ryker had protested against the food variety. In fact, Lexarus wasn't so satisfied with the hunting, either. The pair was two days from Ryker's cabin, deep inside Thorntree forest. Due to the fact that Thorntree was more of a breeding place for monsters, and much less an area for significant animal life, Lexarus' hunting literally cleared out the place in minutes.
"I thought that forests were supposed to be lush and green, with majestic trees, packed to the brim with plant and animal life," Ryker remarked.
"Excuse me? This isn't Bambi, Ryker. In fact, this place is the exact opposite of your dream forest. No 'majestic trees' or 'animal life' here!"
Ryker sighed. He had to admit that, against his own feelings, Lexarus was indeed correct. The trees had no majestic quality to them, unless you could call being packed together majestic. Moreover, the Thorntree was a gloomy, dark, and forbidding place. Definitely not the sort of land that animals would choose as their dwelling.
Suddenly, a deafening screech erupted from the trees.
Lexarus' eyes went wide, as did Ryker's. "I-I-I t-thought no a-animal in this Dimension made that s-s-sort of n-noise," Ryker stammered nervously.
Lexarus, eyes still wide, was searching the trees around them. "No. No animal screeches in this Dimension. At least, not any live species…Oh, Notch!" his voice grew loud with urgency, and maybe a bit of fear. Drawing his sword, Lexarus shoved Ryker down the forest path. "Move, kid! You don't want to meet, see, or even fight this thing! Run!" Ryker, whose face was turning pale with fear and clearly entering a state of shock, stumbled and followed Lexarus' instruction. If Lexarus fears this monster, fighting it may well be useless, Ryker thought. The monster, whatever it was, let out another frightening screech, and the sound racked the pair's nerves. All Ryker could hear was Lexarus yelling Run! Faster! Keep going! And the nerve-splitting screeches of the beast.
The two ran for what seemed like half an hour, until they neared the edge of Thorntree forest. "Look, there! I can see the way out of the forest!" Lexarus shouted at Ryker. "Keep going! Make for that edge!" Ryker did not hesitate, since that was where he was heading in the first place. However, they did not make it far.
Out of nowhere, a huge shadow and an equally large monster materialized on the clearing before them. Ryker and Lexarus halted almost midstep, then took a pace back in nervousness. The monster let out another one of its screeches. Well, so much for not meeting this thing, Ryker thought, kind of sarcastically. He turned sharply at the sound of a sword being drawn. Lexarus held his diamond-bladed sword two-handed, swinging it left, twisting it right. "What is this…thing?" Ryker questioned Lexarus.
Lexarus grimaced. "Later, Ryker! Let me deal with this 'thing' first." The blonde-haired man calmly stepped forward, toward the creature. The monster let out one last ear-piercing screech. And charged.
Lexarus entered his battle mode. The man swung his sword, two-handed, in a deadly horizontal arc at the monster. The creature, in contrast, simply continued charging, even as the diamond-plated blade cut through its chest-plates. Screeching, it slammed full-force into Lexarus, sending the blonde-haired warrior careening into a towering oak. Lexarus cursed as he felt his grip on his sword release, leaving the diamond sword five meters from the oak tree, where he was now. He was scrabbling for his spare iron sword when the creature, realizing that Lexarus was, at the moment, unarmed, sprung without warning at the prone figure. Lexarus slid the iron weapon from its scabbard just in time to meet the monster's attack. Due to the cramped space that the oak offered him, Lexarus could only use the lower three inches of the blade, parrying the creature's lunge awkwardly. He then had to switch direction as the creature's tail flew at him from above. He just barely managed to retain his grip as a large claw gripped his blade and yanked, throwing Lexarus off balance. The warrior lay sprawled on the forest floor as a shadow appeared over him; the creature was moving in for the kill. Lexarus cursed again and attempted to rise, but the creature's claw held him firmly to the ground. A long, whiplike form materialized close to him, then rose. Lexarus realized that the whiplike form was the creature's tail, possibly with some sharp blade at the end. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain to arise.
But all he heard was a shing sound, a screech, and a thump.
Turning, taking care not to tear his clothes on the claw, the warrior grunted and took deep breaths, in haling and exhaling simultaneously. Ryker stood, wide-eyed, looking at Lexarus. Lexarus, for his part, stared in surprise at the Virginian boy, his gaze flipping between the boy's expression and the bloodied iron sword held by the boy's side. Ryker, for his part, simply stood, wide-eyed and fear-struck, staring at Lexarus. He tried to speak.
"I didn…I was…I had no contr…"Ryker's voice petered out as he continued to stare at his weapon. Lexarus, however, knew what had happened. He may not have seen the actual event, but he had heard, and seen, the same condition exhibited in others.
"This…this is extraordinary!" Lexarus exclaimed suddenly. The blonde warrior stood up. "Ryker, do you have any idea what this means?!" The raven-haired boy, still pale with fear, shook his head. Lexarus grinned, and placed a hand on Ryker's shoulder.
"You, my friend, are a rager."
Ryker stepped back a pace in surprise and confusion. A rager? What was a rager? To Ryker, a rager sounded like a killer. And he had watched enough crime shows on television to know that a killer wasn't an adored figure. On the other hand, he was in a different dimension. Perhaps a killer was adored here. "I'm…a rager? Sounds like a killer." He nearly choked the last word out. Lexarus, in contrast, seemed joyful about the situation.
"Yes, a rager is, in a way, a killer. But don't think that a killer is a murderer, Ryker. Many travelers have mistaken allies, killers, as murderers. But here, much is different. Much more different than on Earth." Lexarus looked at the now dead creature laid at their feet. He bent down to touch the body. "By Notch, I simply don't believe it. Not at all!" The body grew red, then disappeared, leaving a small, ball-like object. Lexarus picked up the ball, rolling it around. The end of the ball tapered into a sharp and dangerous-looking spike. "The creature you just killed was a Stinger, Ryker. A scorpion, if you will. Stingers used to be one of the many mobs, or animals, which populated Minecraftia. The Stingers divided themselves into different tribes. There were the three main, large tribes: The Redhawk, The Darkstinger, and The Treeclaw. Other Stingers created their own, smaller tribes. Most of these minor tribes consisted of only five to seven Stingers, or one or two families of Stingers. The three main tribes each had their own territory. The Redhawk resided within the burning Hawk Desert, hence the name Redhawk. The Darkstinger took the dark, shadow-covered Deathlands and the Treeclaw set up home in the thick, plant-covered Greenleaf Jungle. Once the tribes, large and minor, had settled in their appropriate territories, there was a moment of peace. Each of the tribes' traders would arrive in foreign tribes' villages, trading goods such as bones and food. However, this peace did not last.
"Before the monthly Stinger Gathering, the Akhorani, or leaders, would select seven to ten Bakhai, or warriors, to travel with him or her to the Gathering. Yes, female Stingers were also chosen as Akhorani," he stated, forestalling Ryker's question. "At the Gathering, the leader of each tribe would stand on the Stoneledge, a flat, large rock jutting out of the cliff wall where the Gathering was held. The leaders of two of the major tribes, The Treeclaw and The Redhawk, as well as the leaders of five minor tribes: The Blueshell, The Flame-eye, The Woodtail, The Coalsmelt, and The Ironsmelt, had already shared news. The story doesn't go into detail about the type of news the leaders had shared, only the events after. The leader of the sixth minor tribe, The Goldsmelt, was about to share his news when, unexpectedly, the leader of The Darkstinger, Fury-of-the-Night, or Fury, shot up and shoved the Goldsmelt leader, Metalwing, off the ledge. The other leaders had no time to react as Fury gave a fearsome war screech and the other fifteen Darkstinger Bakhai surged over the unsuspecting tribes.
"Remember, each tribe, other than the Darkstinger, had brought only seven to ten Bakhai with them. And, as this was a time of peace, the numbers, and their strength, had decreased dramatically. The Darkstinger's fifteen well-trained, war-toned Bakhai overpowered the Coalsmelt and the Blueshell in a matter of seconds. Both of the fallen tribes' leaders had also been killed. However, Fury, who was grappling with Metalwing, was almost evenly matched. The Goldsmelt territory was deep underground, so they had to fight off many other mobs. As a result, all off the Goldsmelt offspring and Bakhai were constantly training to develop good skill and strength. Metalwing was no exception.
"But Fury was twice as big as her opponent, and nearly three times as strong. Metalwing couldn't defend herself properly against Fury's onslaught, and collapsed, defeated, within two minutes. Once she saw her opponent collapse, Fury leaped for a random Stinger struggling to his feet.
"By chance, it was Hawk-that-catches-Prey, or Hawk, the leader of the Treeclaw tribe. He was thrown bodily across the clearing by one of the Darkstinger Bakhai. The said Bakhai tried to pursue Hawk, but Hawk's second-in-command, Owl-that-sees-everything, or Owl, saved Hawk by pouncing into the Darkstinger Bakhai and sending him flying into the cliff face. However, Owl was currently engaged with another opponent and couldn't aid Hawk now.
"Hawk managed to regain his balance and faced Fury, claws out, tail swinging from side to side. The two Akhorani circled each other, one swiping at the other with a claw, the other swerving to dodge and then counterattacking with the tail. This continued for some time until Fury, weary of circling, leaped at Hawk, claws outstretched. That maneuver turned out to be her downfall.
"Once Fury had leaped, Hawk halted and slid a few paces forward. Fury was almost to him now and he had only one chance to attempt his move. Turning ninety degrees, Hawk allowed Fury to grab his right claw. His left claw swung up and punctured three of Fury's eyes, causing immense pain to the Darkstinger Akhorani. Screeching, she lunged blindly with her own free claw, which also turned out to be her left. The two-pronged limb struck the grass a foot away from Hawk's eyes, and he jerked sharply away. Then, twirling Fury above his head, Hawk released his grip on her claw sending the Akhorani crashing into the rock wall. Fury fell, hitting the ground with a crunch. Hawk stepped forward, examining the Darkstinger leader. At this, Fury spoke, her voice the tiniest of whispers, so that Hawk had to strain to listen. She said only a few words: 'Beware, Akhorani. We hunt you to the last Stinger.' And with that, she fell dead. The remaining four Darkstinger Bakhai fled the clearing at the sight of their dead leader. Three others had already deserted the battle, frightened by their dead Tribe-mates and fear of their own possible deaths. The eight dead Darkstinger Bakhai lay at the center of the clearing, or otherwise pulled to said spot, where they were to be burned alongside their Akhorani. Many humans wonder about their giving a funeral to the Darkstingers. We suspect that the other tribes believed that they had fought well, and died in battle. Therefore, the nine dead deserved some type of a funeral, or death pyre.
"However, the nine dead Darkstinger Bakhai did not go easily. There were the dead Akhorani and Bakhai of the Coalsmelt and Blueshell tribes. Dead Bakhai from the Woodtail and Treeclaw tribes had to be found and buried. In addition, the wounded Bakhai and Akhorani from the surviving tribes needed urgent care and none of the tribes brought healers with them. So, once the farewells were said and the dead were buried and their graves marked, the remaining tribes made for their territories.
"And so began the War of the Stingers. Alliances were created, new trade routes marked out. Maps were introduced, giving the Alliances with intelligence forces an edge in the War. Food, water, weapons, and armour were key trade goods among the Alliances at the time. Most mobs learned to stay away from the War and its Battlegrounds, while other mob species decided to play a part in the War and join alliances. Soon, after a period of fifty years, the War ended, with the Treehawk Alliance gaining victory. The Darkstinger tribe was soon disbanded afterwards.
"However, the weakened forces drew predatorial attention, and shortly after the War ended, tribes were preyed on and killed by other, not-so-friendly mobs. Wolves and bears were among the Stinger-killers. The Stingers were soon driven out of their lands by the humans, into the Deathlands and the Dark Forest. So tells the scrolls of Time, at least those that we have discovered." Lexarus finished the tale. He sat up, stretching his legs and arms to drive out the drowsiness he felt. His mouth also felt parched and unbelievably dry.
"Thanks, Lexarus, for that story! I have a question, though."
"Yes?"
"What are the scrolls of Time?"
And so ends yet another chapter!
As some of you may have noticed, this story does mention mods. Not mods in direct saying, but in the mobs and stories told of. The scorpion is a mob from Dr. Zhark's Mo' Creatures Mod. Keep on the lookout for other mod features in the near future!