Chapter 1: A Brief Glance
Quiet. Silence.
The absence of sound in the room he lay in made everything that much more tranquil. His blankets were warm and comfortable, sewn to his liking by careful hands. The soft wool that he had taken the time to thread together was a strong barrier against the cold of the current weather, protecting him from the danger of chilled winds.
…
The faint, distant sounds of a slowly awakening village caught his attention, breaking that sacred silence.
…
Time to rise.
The miner opened his eyes to see a brilliant display of rising sunlight spread across his bedroom, thankfully not blinding him directly as he was often accustomed to in the morning. He slowly sat up, taking a moment to breathe in the still air and to acknowledge the fact that his chestnut-colored hair was less-than-ideally in order. His throat longed for water and his stomach hungered for breakfast, so with reluctance, he got out of bed and made his way towards the kitchen at a snail's pace.
Pork, bread, and water. That's all he wanted.
It took a minute of shuffling around for ingredients and another few to wait for the meat to be cooked, but soon enough, he had his breakfast ready in the furnace. Making himself a plate, he sighed quietly, looking towards the closed blinds of his window as he mentally braced his eyes for what he would have to witness not long soon enough. Although his usage of the bright checkered-blue blinds was new, he couldn't help but long for the days when he was free to keep them open throughout the day and all through the night.
Ever since a particularly crappy day when he caught sight of the vast number of monsters that spawned outside his house at sundown, he couldn't help but fear for his safety and opted to purchase these blinds out of pure concern for his life and sanity. Initially, he tried to ignore the monsters by leaving the blinds open, but once he caught a few of them peeking through the window in order to stare at him, he decided to put those blinds into good use. Although he lived quite in proximity to a nearby village, dare he say alongside it, he refused to live within it out of spite (whether it was towards the villagers themselves or himself he didn't know), thus forfeiting his access to a large enough light source that had the ability to keep those monsters away and beyond the gates. Sure, the place was practically a beacon that seemed to just scream, "I'm right here, come attack me," but there had to have been some kind of strength in numbers, both in the sense of people and lanterns; he would've at least hoped so in the case that one day, he wouldn't be able to help out the villagers anymore.
He also had no access to the stone golems that offered the villagers there strong protection if the occasion were to arise that a mob failed to keep its distance. The golems weren't allowed outside the gates in fear that they would simply wander off and get lost.
Sure, he could set up both of these things himself, but he found that creating a light source gave access to his location to whoever was to spot it from a distance at night, and the optional stone golem often disturbed the natural peace of the land, which he, nor any other mob, did not appreciate quite that much. So, unprotected he stood, using the blinds at every single window he owned as a barrier to the dangers of the night alone. Though it didn't translate into actual safety, that was what his sword was for, he kept the blinds around just to bring him mental sanity. The only downside they brought with them was that when he arose in the morning, the bright sun was completely blocked from entering his abode, leaving him no other option but to go blind and open them to let it settle into the house as he ate his breakfast.
Going to the window that sat opposite of both his bedroom and the kitchen, he took in a breath and pulled back the fabric that laid in front of it in a quick motion, taking a moment to stagger at the intensity of the sun.
Once his eyes adjusted, he was met with the sight of beautiful, mostly-untouched nature. A lively forest filled his gaze as he stared out into the beyond, stretching far out into the distant mountains and seemingly even farther than that. At a closer distance, he could see the smoke of a well-built stone chimney, indicating that yes, indeed, the village had woken up with him.
He smiled in content.
The smell of his breakfast was beckoning him to truly fall in love once more with the early morning. He opted to fall into its trap, sitting at the wooden table it was placed on, and slowly began to take part in it.
Not long after he took his first bite of the pork did a knock on the door shake him from his thoughts and broke the silence. With a tired groan and annoyed expression he rose from his chair and made his way to the front door, initially expecting no one, but making him all the more curious as to see whoever was so blatantly eager to ruin his morning.
He opened the door, and his expression immediately lit up at the sight of his visitor. All at the same time, however, he felt a wave of that same excitement wash away.
"Mornin' Stevie!"
A chipper voice made its way to his ears as he looked up to find a strong, burly man who was much taller than he was staring down at him, a bright, eager smile on his face as he greeted him.
"Pickett?" Steve said with confusion on his face, yet annoyance in his tone. "What the heck are you doing here? Especially this early in the morning?"
Though his time in the village hadn't been all too long compared to others, he couldn't exactly remember a point in time where he hadn't known Pickett. Heck, he couldn't even recall if there had been a day that passed where he didn't hunt him down to at least say hello to the man. Pickett had always been there for him, and though at first he attributed that point to the fact that they were the only two miners in town, he was now sure that, without a doubt, Pickett genuinely enjoyed his company and cared about him, and he could easily say that the feeling was mutual.
Not to say that he didn't get annoyed by the other on occasion. Pickett was well aware of what to do in order to draw a reaction from him, and most of that included interrupting his precious (and rather scarce) moments of "me-time", as he was doing so at the moment. Sometimes, it was on purpose, and other times it wasn't, but whatever the case was, they knew each other well enough to reciprocate the teasing when necessary.
The other man let himself in, smirking as his arms folded in front of his chest in amusement.
"Ah! So you're awake enough to be angry at me, then! Perfect! So I know that you'll listen to me wide and clear, friend!"
"I'm pretty sure it's, 'loud and clear', Pick."
Pickett waved him off.
"Whatever! So, get this: a bunch of people have been complaining about a rise in mob numbers over the last couple of weeks-"
"-That's probably on me, I haven't really done much to thin it out."
"Well, we'll blame the schedule for that, but that's not the point! Long story short, there's now a couple of rumors and whatnot about seeing this figure at night-"
Steve sighed in annoyance, dragging a hand down his face as he tried to listen to the other without being rude and cutting the story off right then and there. However, he couldn't contain himself.
"Pickett, if you came to bother me about another ghost story, so help me-"
"But it's NOT a ghost story this time! Hear me out, Stevie! People have been freaking out about this weird, shadowy figure at night that comes and goes as it pleases, and turns out, they've been saying that it's been hanging out mostly near where you live! Like, it's always standing around near the hills and the treetops! I'm just telling you all this stuff so that you can be careful. I thought that the sooner you knew, the sooner you could do something about it, and maybe check the situation out a bit."
Ah. Yes. Confirmation that indeed, blinds were a great purchase and that he should also wimp out and install real security measures like what his conscience and the entirety of the village wanted in the first place. Perfect. Just what he needed on this fine morning.
"And what makes you think I'm scared of some rando monster making a buzz around my house? They're not getting in, are they?" Steve asked, taking a reluctant sip of water.
"Well, that's the thing. We're afraid that they might. We really don't want to lose you, Steve. Especially me."
Especially me. Those simple words struck a chord within him, and yet, he didn't know exactly quite how to feel.
Despite the fact that they were friends, Pickett was more than comfortable enough to involve himself in further distancing him from the rest of the village, even if he wasn't fully aware of it. He'd sided with the villagers so much in so many different unfair situations, it was almost confusing to think about whether or not he actually cared about his own friend's wellbeing, even though he sure acted like he did. Maybe he was thinking too much about it, but most of the time, the people he called "friends" often flip-flopped on how they treated him. Sometimes, they'd treat him like one of their own, but on other occasions, they'd willingly exclude him. They'd call on him to protect them from outside danger, but minutes later, would treat him like he couldn't swing at a tree without collapsing in a heap. The only person who remained consistent with his opinion of him was the local blacksmith, who treated him more like a family member than anybody else.
Finding that the opportunity to mess with the other about his words was ripe enough, Steve gave him an amused expression.
"Really now? You all think I'm not capable of protecting myself anymore, are you?…" He teased, turning back towards the entrance of his house.
"Wait, Steve! We don't think that! We just-"
"I know, Pickett, I know. They don't want to lose a friend, and you don't want to lose a partner. I'm aware. But…you know why I have my house here, right?…"
Pickett sighed, his shoulders drooping.
He knew the story well, almost to the point where it seemed like he'd studied it from a book for a test of some sort.
"...Yeah. You moved out and got your first couple of jobs to get stuff for them-"
"-And then they tricked me. I thought they were less cruel than they were, but they set up a fence in between my house and theirs, and then acted like it was a benefit or a gift to let me stay here. Sure, they're considering a plan to make an outer layer, but I think we both know that that's not happening. There are not enough people yet to warrant it. You know I've stopped even looking at the mobs too much, yeah?"
"Yeah…"
"I put my sword up on the mantle, and I don't even bother to take it with me unless I go mining. So, if they were so worried about me like you say, then they shouldn't have been so enthusiastic about locking me out like that. It's not like anybody's keeping me here, anyways!" Steve raised his voice, not with anger, but with disbelief at his own words.
"…That was a mean thing for them to do; I've said it before, I'll say it again."
"Still, Pick, even though I'm still angry with this whole thing, I don't mind working for them at all. It brings in the money, so I can't really say anything else about it."
Steve paused, noticing that his water bottle had gone empty, so he went to place it on his kitchen counter before continuing.
"Speaking of bringing in the money, are you going mining today?…"
Pickett perked up.
"Nope! I reached my quota for the week last night! But hey, I left a couple of ores for you to grab when you have the chance…" the older miner nudged him playfully, letting out a small laugh as the other lightly pushed him back in response.
Steve smiled.
"Aw, thanks! I'll take my stuff after breakfast maybe today or tomorrow and head on down there to make sure nobody else takes my gift."
He was well aware of the fact that there wouldn't be anybody to steal those ores besides him and Pickett himself, but nevertheless, the miner joked.
"Great! I'll see you later. Remember to be careful, Stevie."
Pickett turned away, waving at him before stepping off towards the main village hub.
"I'll do what I can. Again, thanks for the warning. If I see any shadowy figures lurking about, I'll make sure to scream loud enough so you'll know it exists for sure."
Pickett left with a smile.
Steve found himself alone once again. Silence filled the room, leaving the miner trapped within his own thoughts.
Steve sighed.
'Why should I be afraid of a mob of all things?'
He didn't get it.
Sure, he had spent a solid 3 years protecting the village from zombies, skeletons, spiders, and everything in between, but sure, a random mob of all things was supposed to bring him down. It could've been just another one of those weird, shadowy, lanky figures that usually stood around and did nothing. Maybe one of those things just so happened to find his house. They never bothered him or even got remotely close enough to attack, and he didn't care to find out what they were without absolutely needing to, so he was content with just accepting their presence for the time being until they left the village. Steve almost would've preferred it if Pickett came to warn him about some other magic beast that somehow made its way to the Overworld, even though he had a strong belief that this scenario was impossible. He had heard before stories of ancient legends from authors long forgotten by time, but none ever made any sense as anything logical. They all seemed like old wives' tales to him, left to recirculate with newer generations as the lives everybody lived were filled with boredom and a need to discipline younger children to force them to think about consequences.
Nope. He didn't believe it. Not a single word of it.
He didn't want to. He didn't need that kind of burden on his mind.
…
He turned to the plate he had abandoned earlier, cutting out a slice of meat and quickly shoving it into his mouth.
…
His food was still warm.
Going into the village in order to pick up supply lists was something that Steve both enjoyed greatly and yet, found himself growing more tired with after every visit. Sure, he loved the job opportunity and the people he got to interact with, but after he had initially gotten used to his schedule and began this mining process, after spending days and even hours underground with mostly no other humans around other than Pickett when he decided to show up, he began to notice some things. The subtle ways a villager looked at him after speaking briefly about what they wanted, the faraway stares that he could practically feel crawling up his back as he walked through the town; he felt completely out of place and distinctly foreign to these people, even though he's been working for and living next to them ever since he first arrived all those years ago. He didn't even know why he felt this way. Every visit was a money-making/spending opportunity first and a subtle walk of shame next.
After briefly looking at the nearby market stalls to see what they had for sale, he sighed in slight frustration as he saw only a selection of dyes, wool, and crop seeds. Disappointment came to him as, for the fifth day in a row, his favorite shopkeep hadn't come to visit: a wandering trader who always brought strange selections of rare items with her to sell that he had become quite friendly with. She never had been consistent in her visits, but whenever she arrived, Steve managed to get to the village when she did in order to strike up a conversation about her journeys and what sights she saw on her way there that time around. The trader never failed to amaze him with her tales, and every once in a while, she'd gift Steve with a copy of her traveling log for his amusement, and of course, the miner took it eagerly and read it for hours on end until he had completely gone through it in one night alone. The idea of adventure had been a constant in the back of Steve's mind, but he had always been hesitant to actually suit up and go out on one for once.
He'd been especially wary of even speaking about adventure next to the other villagers ever since a series of odd events began to become commonplace within the stone walls of the city.
Steve had heard bits and pieces, rumours and odd tidbits, about certain villagers from all sorts of different villages being chosen as champions and sent out on their own adventures, but he'd never given that idea much thought until recently, when the air within his own village became tense with the anticipation of another champion being chosen at random. He'd only caught the whole ceremony and dance in person once, but that instance was all that it took to convince him that maybe the adventures he had in his head and the ones he read about on paper were the best he should ever hope to expect for himself.
One minute, a young, hopeful villager could be minding their own business while going about their day, and in the next, by some sort of selection period that was well hidden from the public, they'd be picked out and suited up, pushed immediately out into the wilderness beyond. After that, Steve would count the days until somebody would find a fresh, partially-armored corpse hanging out around the city, not yet decayed if they were placed anywhere near a tree and not directly underneath the burning sun. Apparently, the undead were always too much for these unfortunate folks, but Steve really didn't blame the "champions" for being overwhelmed so fast; those things could sense anybody from a whole continent away without question.
The mourning process was longer at first, but as more and more champions were brought in and sent out, Steve thought about them less and less, treating their presence as a sort of brief spark of hope for some kind of solution for whatever problem they were sent out to deal with. He didn't want to know more about these strangers or the fool's errands that they were running; it ultimately wasn't worth it, and would lead straight to heartbreak in the long run.
Though, he'd have to admit, his village was taking its sweet time finding another hero to dispatch, and he was beginning to feel a bit antsy. Would it be someone he knew this time around? Or would it be a random traveler? A hunter? There were fewer and fewer people to choose from nowadays, and the selection pool only got smaller as more people went out and others became slightly more aware of their more-than-likely fates that would follow their promotions. With that shrinking number, it was more evident that only the less "capable" and "enduring" members of the village were being picked out and kicked out.
He just sincerely hoped that it wouldn't be him as well anytime soon.
As Steve approached the village message board, he glanced over the scattered pieces of paper that were tacked onto the surface, scanning for any mentions of ores or building materials that he could find the time to pick up. The payout for the task didn't matter to him all that much; he expected that whatever he got in the end was sufficient enough due to the fact that besides Pickett, he was the only other person in town willing to brave through the caves on a daily basis. Picking up the orders that were left alone by his companion, Steve smiled and began his journey back.
He turned to find himself staring directly into the face of a hooded figure with striking green eyes, their mouth hidden by a red scarf.
Steve shrieked and jumped back, only to let out a sigh of both relief and embarrassment as he stuffed his orders into his pockets with a huff.
"Selwyn…I thought you weren't here today!"
Selwyn laughed as the miner, red-faced, attempted to draw attention away from his shame.
"Just because I'm not at my normal booth doesn't mean I'm not here, Steve. What if I just wanted to walk around by myself, or maybe rest up for a bit?"
Steve shrugged.
"I didn't even think of that because I never see you not selling something! That's beside the point though, so how are you? How're your llamas?"
Selwyn patted his shoulder, letting out a small hum.
"Me and the boys are fine, but…you were a bit jumpy there, Steve. Might've been just because I snuck up on you, but I wanna make sure that you're alright."
"I'm totally fine, I was just caught up in my own thoughts, and I didn't hear you walking up to me!" Steve attempted to move the conversation along, but Selwyn raised a brow in response to his tone.
"…Is this about the champion thing again? You mentioned to me last time that it was starting to have a real damper on your mood with the whole hullabaloo and whatnot." Selwyn inquired.
Steve let out a deep sigh.
"…Yeah. I'm just worried, that's all. It's been a minute since the Elder chose somebody, and I'm just hoping that I don't fit his hero criteria." He whispered the last part, hoping nobody was around to hear it.
"You don't have anything to worry about, Steve! Why would the Elder get rid of one of his most valuable assets? Last I checked, your friend wasn't bringing in as many as ores as you!"
"That's because he always has some left over from his previous trips, and he just takes some of those to deliver instead. That, and he always takes smaller orders, nothing too difficult to deal with. It's always coal and iron for him, with the occasional gold ingot or redstone dust when he's feeling up to it." Steve explained to the woman, shrugging when he finished as the lady placed her hands on her hips in slight frustration.
"Then of all people, he'd be sent out first, not you!"
Steve shook his head.
"First: that'd be horrible. And second: you haven't been here long enough to know that nothing ever really bad happens to Pickett. He's got some weird luck to him that I want a part of, but I don't know how he gets it."
"His luck has to run out sometime, Steve."
"I doubt that, and I honestly wish that it never does run out. He's the only person besides you and Almun that I ever really get to talk to. No one else in this village likes conversation all that much. At least, conversation with me, I think…"
Selwyn's eyes perked up as Steve stared downward at his feet.
"Hey, come on now! People like talking to you, don't be so hard on yourself! And hey, I wasn't being completely serious about Pickett. I don't want him to get hurt because of this, either." She said, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.
He appreciated the gesture, but it did not do much to shake his thoughts.
Selwyn looked at him quietly for a moment, wondering silently how she could possibly change the subject to break his focus. Looking back at her llamas for support, suddenly, something clicked within her mind, sparking her memory as she rushed over to shift through the contents of her traveling bags.
"Oh! That reminds me! I was gonna give you another one of my conversation pieces before I go off again, and it's actually really interesting this time around."
Steve looked back up at her, his previously sad expression slightly lighting back up again.
"Sel, they're always really interesting to me, you know that."
"Well, this one is especially so! I stumbled upon some temple again while I was traveling through the desert, and I managed to find…" she paused, taking out a hand-crafted book and flipping through the pages rapidly before she stopped on a particularly strange one, with a sketch of what appeared to be a shard or something similar as part of its content. "…this. It was completely broken into pieces, so I have no idea what it was in its previous life, but I do know that it's something powerful! When I touched it, I felt this strange pulse around me, and immediately after that, I was surrounded by mobs! I only managed to grab one piece before I had to bail out, but I-"
"-Do you still have it with you?!" Steve interrupted excitedly, studying the image of the shard as he held his breath for her answer.
However, the lady shook her head, though she wasn't as disappointed as the miner was at the response.
"Nope. That's why I happened to be in town; I knew it had to be something important, so I came to drop it by the Elder's place for him to deal with. I also wanted to see you so that you'd be getting an early scoop about it, so I hope you enjoy it."
Steve nodded enthusiastically.
"I will! I do hope that you'll be more careful from now on, though. From what you've told me, temples are no joke, and you almost-"
"-I know, I know. But all that comes with the job, Steve. That's the thrill of adventure! When you want a taste, I'll see you again then. For now, I'll leave you to go through that book, okay?"
Steve gladly took the book from her hands, waving to her as she left him back alone with his thoughts. Looking down at the book, he smiled eagerly as he began his trek back home, hoping to get his orders organized as quickly as humanly possible so that he'd have time to go through the pages at his leisure.
There wasn't exactly much he could say about his daily life.
He woke up, ate, went to the town if he had to, came back home, went mining, came back, ate again, and slept. Sometimes, he shook things up with different tasks and chores and whatnot, but overall, he didn't really have an eventful life.
He had his own fun, he liked his job, he had decent friends, and he wouldn't really change anything about that. Sure, where he lived kind of posed a threat to his well-being, but he found that as long as he didn't make eye contact with any mobs, he was left alone to his own devices for the most part. Though, sometimes, the drone of everyday life got to him, and he's often thought about just dropping everything, packing a bag or two, and setting off into the great unknown, eager to study things firsthand that had been introduced to his dreams by Selwyn. The only way for that to happen at the moment was, unfortunately, through the "champion" fiasco, and he wanted no part of that.
So here he was, completely fine with just lying on his couch, reading through the contents of the book eagerly as the sounds of the outside world were drowned out by the words of the journal in his hands.
Selwyn's tales were detailed to the brim, yet they varied wildly in length. Some events were chapters long, and others were only a couple of sentences. Some were accompanied by pictures, and others were given nothing except rushed handwriting and frantic scribbling. She had been personally responsible for sparking his interest in the great unknown, but, probably for the better, didn't opt or offer to take him along with her to experience her adventures himself. Despite not having first-hand experience, reading her notes made him feel like he did.
He felt like he'd been the one to brave the roofed forests in the dead of night, or the vast, dry deserts that gave no cover or protection from the mobs that came out to hunt endlessly across the burning sand dunes. He could feel the cold that chilled the blood as it was described by Selwyn's hand, trapping both her and him within a deadly blizzard, finding solace only in the form of a cave that had been dug into a mountain, filled with icy water that would've definitely killed her if she had actually rolled into it in her sleep. Large looming jungles and deep, open ravines took over his dreams, and with every new entry he was given, he found himself growing a bit more jealous of the opportunity that she was given.
It wasn't just the locations alone that intrigued him; the items and various flora and fauna that Selwyn discovered captured his attention just as equally.
The many different flowers she saw, the wild animals that fed themselves across the various plains she made camp in, the different kinds of wood that she used to build said camps; everything stuck in his mind as he longed to find the same, even though he knew that the forest that the village was located in wasn't all that diverse, and that it definitely didn't contain the same variety of vegetation that she'd drawn on the pages of her book. He came across the images of the various monsters that she encountered, and found himself amused with the fact that, most of the time, the doodles that were placed alongside her journal entries were scribbled down instead of being given full detail, as if she had been running away while trying to keep everything updated and as accurate as possible.
If he could do the same, he would. If he could go the same places she had gone, he would've packed his bags and not come back until his exploring itch was scratched. But he had duties to attend to, a village that was counting on him, and a whole group of close friends (though rather small) who would've been worried sick about him should he have chosen to leave, and they would've likely begged him to reconsider his choices and to simply stay put regardless.
Frankly, he was perfectly fine with his current situation.
If he could spend the rest of his days living with his fellow villagers in what could vaguely be described as "peace and quiet," he'd take the opportunity. Sure, he'd miss the grand opportunity to further broaden his horizons, but he'd be able to see the evolution of his village. He'd be able to see his village grow and expand to new heights it had never quite seen before, and he wouldn't exactly miss that for the world.
Sundown was always a stressful time. ESPECIALLY since the village walls were closed off to him.
The sun cast its brilliant light over the surface of the lake that sat in front of his house, sparkling as the water gently rippled under the soft breezes that pushed against it. Though there weren't many clouds that hung over the sky, the ones that did manage to fly over the area were perfectly captured within the image that laid upon the lake, slightly appearing pink as they floated across the dimming sky. Despite the calming atmosphere, the time of day was ultimately a waiting game for incoming danger.
Steve knew that he would have to utilize the blinds within his house once again not soon after the light outside was supposed to fade away.
Night was even worse.
Though he tried his best to ignore everything that banged against his front door, he couldn't help but take quick peeks outside from behind his window, but only after he'd extinguished all light sources within his house so that he wouldn't be seen. Zombies dragged their decaying bodies from behind the forest trees, spiders leaped from the leaves above to crawl around wherever they pleased, skeletons hid behind those trees in case anybody was dumb enough to go in the forest without a buddy and/or light, and creepers...well, creeped around everywhere, almost aimlessly.
Occasionally, he'd see strange creatures moving amongst the backdrop of pure darkness, with purple eyes that glowed vibrantly and stood out clearly while the rest of their bodies did not. Unwilling to get closer to these monsters in particular, Steve was only aware of one other thing about them, and that was the fact that they were tall, due to the position of their eyes. He didn't know anything else about them, including what they're called or their physical makeup, but all he knew was that he wanted no part of their presence. He could live without risking his life to see what they were.
Some of the monsters got close enough to meet his gaze from the outside, but they never noticed him enough in order to attempt smashing the windows. Instead, they just continued to lurk on their own, enjoying the landscape as much as they could before sunrise came once again. After that, they'd leave behind remains that Steve was mostly able to clean up, repurpose, and/or dispose of.
But for now, he was trapped in the moment, stuck in place as the clock struck 9, and the sounds of the monsters outside were muffled by the glass surface he was staring out of. Sunset had come and gone hours ago, but fear (and responsibilities) kept him busy.
The village looked downright gorgeous at night, with the streetlights illuminating the space enough with a golden hue to both draw attention and keep beasts at bay. Steve only wished that he could see it from above, but the only spaces that existed where he could get a decent view from were beyond the protective walls of the village, in areas prone to danger and darkness.
With a quiet sigh, Steve decided to take himself to bed, pulling away from the window as he let go of the blinds.
However, at the last minute, something flashed briefly on the shore across the lake, catching his attention just before the fabric went to lay against the glass.
Lifting up the curtain once again, Steve looked out to find nothing amongst the darkness except the reflection of the moon across the lake. He was about to leave once again when suddenly, he found another pair of eyes looking in his direction.
He stood completely still as he returned the creature's gaze.
He would've been completely fine had those eyes been the purple glowing ones he was used to, and not a pair of glowing white eyes. He would've been even better if those eyes were just glancing around randomly and not staring straight at him like they had some sort of secret intent behind them. Maybe he just couldn't see the purple in the creature's eyes due to the distance between them, but the sheer intensity of the light seemed to erase all signs of it anyway even if he were to get closer.
Just as quickly as those eyes appeared, they disappeared from view, leaving Steve confused and slightly unnerved by the sight.
What was that?
It could've been another one of those strange shadow creatures, but the lack of similar height made Steve think otherwise.
…
He should probably get to bed before he could think too much about it.
Heading to his room, he quickly rolled himself up in his covers once he got to his bed, facing away from the door as he attempted to ignore the slight feeling of dread that had pooled at the bottom of his stomach. Though he dearly wished that the mystery monster was something that he was accustomed to, the possibility of it being something entirely different unnerved and bothered him immensely.
He really didn't need any other monsters on his doorstep, and he surely wouldn't appreciate the nightmares he would get if they did come. All he wanted to do was doze off and sleep peacefully. He wanted to wake up to the sounds of sizzling skin and retreating monsters in the rays of the sun.
Annnnnnnd here we go again with another Minecraft fanfic!
I've spent a long while thinking of this fic and writing down snippets of parts that I wanna include in it. It's been what, years since I first started writing this one? Or, more accurately, it's been years since I've started thinking about the concept of this fic, lol. I've started to actually put my thoughts into words, and every time I play Minecraft, this story develops more and more, so I figured it was about time to start posting it :D
We've got another interpretation of the typical Minecraft journey, but with a bit of extra nonsense. I chose to give a little view of Steve's daily life (without the shenanigans this time) before we get into the rapid waves of confusion lol
I wanted to point out a couple of basic concepts I have set out for how the village goes about their business here that I'll try to make consistent:
1.) Similar to my other fic, Switcheroo, most normal villages don't really get into the deeper details of taboo knowledge, such as the Nether, or the End, or any of those places' inhabitants. They'll only admit that those places exist in fantasy and whatever, and the most taboo topic that people will talk about in public is potion-making. Steve's village is the same.
2.) Because of #1, a lot of people don't know about any hostile mobs besides the typical four (zombies, spiders, skeletons, and creepers), and even then, they don't really see them much. They'll often forget that the monsters even exist if the village protection unit is good enough.
3.) Different villages have different reasons for choosing "champions." Some villages even consider their local mob slayers to be champions and refer to them as such, though this causes a bit of controversy with those who want the title to retain its novelty.
Also, just in general, "achievements" here are very important. Usually, people try to be the "first" to get them and brag about it to others (at least, the more notable ones that are harder to get). They're pretty much like world records, except you get benefits like added tourism to the village you come from and you get recognized and revered everywhere you go lol
Anyways, we're about to put Steve through some stuff, so uhhhhh stay tuned, I guess?
Leave a review if you have any thoughts or criticisms here, I love getting feedback!
