AUTHOR'S NOTES

Whaaat?!? Two chapters in one day? I seem to have contradicted myself!

Oh well. This kind of chapters, 'a day spent (blank)' will be used for minor character development, the building up of lore and as a stanstill in plot progress, as well as just random funnies and conversations.

On with the story!

oh, and Sarah's starting this time.

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We walked in silence for a few hours and once we arrived at the edge of the valley, Thomas spoke up again.

"Could you tell me more about the clans? Their rules and such?"

I had an inkling that he had an alteria motive, but I answered nonetheless.

"The clans have had a truce since the beginning of time, helping each other. The endermen built castles and homes, the creepers terraformed the land, the zombies kept everyone healthy, the slimes brought materials and scouted out areas for building, while the skeletons and spiders protected them all.

"There are only a couple of rules, and they vary from clan to clan. The few universal rules are 'one must not attack unless attacked', 'one must not portray others as inferior because of their race', and 'one shall not be forced apart from their loved ones'. Every clan respects them, even the nether clans. But the rest of the rules are always different. I only know the ones from my own clan."

At this point, the land was slowly descending into an incline, and it became more of a struggle to keep our feet on the ground.

I stoped talking and noticed Thomas was deep in thought. I gazed at him for some time, looking into his captivating, gold-ringed hazel eyes...

I cursed myself for staring and I felt my skin aglow. This only made me more frustrated, so I kicked a rock in my path. That broke Thomas from his stupor, and he asked something else.

"Do you guys have allies that you're more... allied to?"

His moment of hesitation made me smile, forgetting about my recent bout of anger.

"Yes, the spiders and the endermen, but every clan gets along with the endermen."

"What do you know of the spiders?"

"Not a lot. They taught us some of their legends and myths as well as our joined battles, but not much else. Their clan base is located in a large ravine, hanging from the ceiling. They are fierce fighters and smart trappers. They place all sorts of traps for monsters and animals.

Their proudest feat, though, is the taming of phantoms." I answered his question before it materialized. "Those manta-ray flying things that show up at night are phantoms. The spiders managed to tame them, and use them as scouts or keep them as pets. I had a friend who owned a phantom. She was a slippery little thing." She fondly recalled mornings of happy playing with her friend, chasing the little phantom this way and that, dodging it when it 'attacked'.

"However, I'm not really educated in how they go about doing this, or their laws. Sorry."

I turned towards him again, and he nodded. I turned away again, and asked my own question. "Why are you interested in these laws?"

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Just your run-of-the-mill, old-fashioned curiosity."

My only response was a skeptical 'hmmph'.

We kept walking in silence, heading deeper and deeper into the inclined forest. Then he asked again.

"What about the endermen? What do you know of them?"

"Again, not much. They only taught us of battles were we defended them and about their most wonderful buildings. Not their laws."

He looked like he was formulating another question, so I waited for him.

"How do the different clan's people look like? Do they look like the mobs that spawn at night?"

"Only vaguely. Creepers are very forward and headstrong, but the only visible feature that makes them similar to actual creepers is their eye color. That's kind of the way it works. Skeletons have light blue eyes, endermen have magenta eyes, creepers have dark green, slimes have light green, spiders have crimson or maroon and zombies have dark-colored eyes. Endermen are the tallest mob, the tallest probably a few inches taller than you. The cave spiders are usually the shortest mob.

Slimes actually have a light green tinge to their skin, and are more resilient when it comes to damage. Zombies have a kind of genetic disease, and in the years that they spent trying to cure it, they became the best healers and plague doctors around. However, they rarely stray from their fortresses.

The endermen don't have a specific base, they just teleport this way and that, building structures for no reason. The most common place to find them is the Globe Chapel, their most magnificent building."

All of this walking and talking had left me parched, so I took a bottle of water from the pack strapped to my thigh. Without the armor, the leather from the pack was a little irritating on my skin, but I dealt with it.

Once I was done drinking, I put the bottle away and kept talking.

"The endermen are known for being calm people, but if their structures or families are in danger, they become as fierce as the spiders. The most common way to distinguish mobs is the armor and clothes. Endermen have hoodies and jumpsuits so that they can carry all of their materials.

The creepers wear camouflage green clothes and armor, as well as belts to carry all of their explosives and tools.

Spiders like to wear leather skin-tight clothes, but some of them prefer to wear hoodies like the endermen. Cave spiders usually wear a dark blue instead of black.

Slimes wear plain light green clothes and armor. They always have some sort of pack in which they carry some tools and equipment.

Zombies wear dark green and blue robes, and their plague doctors have a kind of mask that resembles a crested skull.

And skeletons wear grey armor and clothes. We prefer leather and shorts because of the mobility they grant. Creepers are the most heavily armored bunch. Slimes rarely use weapons or armor."

His queries were exhausting, so I stopped there. He seemed satisfied with the information I gave him, so he didn't press.

I was happy with that.

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Thomas's POV

None of this answered my particular question, but it at least game me something to chew on. There was also a lot more things I wanted to ask. Of course, I wasn't gonna let her know I had been looking for something, so I tried to look as happy as possible.

Apparently I was pretty good with poker faces.

We kept walking for a little while, and my curiosity got the better of me. I knew Sarah was tired, but I just wanted to know.

"Hey, could you tell me a story? Like, a legend or battle or something? That you learned from your clan?"

I was a bit worried when she didn't answer right away, but she sighed and started talking. Or rather, asking.

"Which one do you want to hear? I can tell you a few from the spiders and endermen, one from the zombies and some from the skeletons. I know only some myths and a couple battles."

I was far more interested in the folklore than the battles.

"Could you tell me a legend from the skeletons?"

"Alright." She cleared her throat and began the tale. "My clan's most famous legend is that of our alliance with the spiders, and the creation of the third universal rule.

It is said that after the beginning of time, the six clans were still very new, and the first leaders had passed away. The clans were still struggling with the election of kings and queens, and so far the specific clan's council was who decided.

During a mob raid on our people, a young archer whose name was forgotten on the wind, was injured in the heat of battle. A fierce undead warrior raised his sword to strike down the archer.

But the blow never came.

A spider with hair the color of the raging sun had protected him with her sword. The large enemy was taken aback by the sudden arrival of his new enemy, but he wasted no time preparing another attack.

The young archer held on to his consciousness long enough to nock an arrow into the bow. The spider was rapidly losing the fight, her element of surprise depleted. The archer raised his bow, pulled back and let go of the string.

The arrow flew true and hit their assailant in the neck, perforating it.

With their foe finally down, the spider knelt next to the dying archer. She healed his wounds as best as he could, using her silk to make bandages. She helped him walk to the nearest safety quarters, and once there, she stayed by his side until he healed.

They were inseparable, and because of their valor and strength, the spider was claimed queen, and the archer king, to rule their corresponding clans.

But neither wanted to.

They decided that they would rule side by side, or not at all. The council of the clans thought it ludicrous for two different races to rule together. The young warriors fought hard against their families and against the council for acceptance, but none gave it. They decided to leave, and the clan's tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen.

The day they abandoned the clans, they claimed that a new rule should be added. 'One shall not be forced apart from their loved ones'. They vowed that until all of the clans accepted this, they would suffer plagues and droughts.

When they left, the clans, ashamed for their actions, declared the new rule true. A new king and queen of the skeletons and spiders were chosen, and time moved on. Since then, both clans remember the connection the two shared, and the prince of the skeletons always courts the princess of the spiders. It has been that way for as long as anyone can remember."

The story was captivating, and I loved the dramatic pauses. "You know, you'd make a great storyteller."

She smiled a beautiful smile and her cheeks turned a touch of crimson. "Thank you."

The sun was starting to set, so we had to find shelter quickly.

We stopped and decided to sleep atop a tree that, mind you, was difficult for me to climb. I thought that if we slept here I would surely fall, but Sarah told me that I was being ridiculous. It was quite nice, actually, and the mobs didn't seem to notice us.

But the real reason it was alright, was that Sarah slept next to me. She was Obviously embarrassed with our closeness, but she didn't complain. And frankly, neither did I.

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MORE AUTHOR'S NOTES

So! They arrived at the valley, we dove into some lore and found out that Sarah is good at storytelling!

The story is essentially consuming my soul, and every spare thought I have goes towards it. I may have a bit of a problem.

Also, I am determined to start another fanfic, but this one will be based on the lore. Essentially, it's gonna be a prequel. Yay! Not now, though, later.

Anywho, Thank you for your time, and have a good day!

~ LeMafiaKreb