I LIIIIVEEE! Oh boy it's been like… nearly two years since I last updated this? Terribly sorry for that! However, I can't promise that I'll be back updating every month – in fact I highly doubt I'll be able to do that anytime soon.

I WILL, however, tell each and every one of you readers this. I am finishing this story. It may be years down the line, but I am finishing this – I promise you that. So don't you go thinking that I've abandoned this. I never will. Enjoy!

"Why couldn't there be a tree? A decent hill at the very least?! Shroud desperately thought to himself as he scanned the horizon for anything that would conceal him from the approaching minecraftians. But not one thing was in sight that could hide him.

"Maaybe… if you stand real still next to that snow biome they'll miss you completely?" jlott half-heartedly suggested. It most likely wouldn't work, but she didn't know what else to offer. Shroud's armor could break at any minute; he had little food to replenish health, and most importantly was out numbered. "Or make a break for it right now!"

Four minecraftians came into view just then. Thankfully, not one of them wore the armor of the Stone-edge faction. A fight against diamond clad minecraftians would've ended badly. This group of people only had one player wearing iron armor, a female with mousy brown hair and a sword scar slashed across her nose. The second female, one with blond hair pulled into a pony tail, was yapping away about something that seemed familiar to Shroud –But honestly he couldn't care at the moment.

Then there were two males, one very unassuming with half lidded eyes and a fuzzy tan vest. The other one screamed 80's punk; sunglasses, black leather jacket, dyed Mohawk and all. The latter was arguing furiously with the blond who argue back just as intensely.

Shroud went stiff – years in the Nether telling him to fight them all, his seemingly more reasonable side telling him not to. jlott's indecision wasn't helping either whom had the urge to both be fearful and sociable at the same time. So far they hadn't noticed him although they face towards him until the iron clad one rolled her eyes in boredom…

And spotted Shroud just standing there stupidly.

She halted and held out her hand – the two who were arguing ran into her hand and glared at her for a moment before also noticing Shroud. The one with the vest simply stopped, but didn't look too worried or even surprised. The iron clad one slowly unsheathed her very own iron sword with untrusting eyes glaring straight at Shroud. Shroud felt jlott break out of her indecision.

"Take out her sword." jlott quietly commanded.

"You want me to fight?!" Shroud questioned jlott's sanity.

"No… you're going to do the.. salute… thing," jlott tried to explain. "The thing I saw other people use. You do a "block" motion across your chest. I think it means you don't want to fight and/or you're friendly?"

The uncertainty in jlott's ever shifting voice did not satisfy Shroud, but what could he do except try? And so he took Old Faithful off his belt where he always sheathed it and began to raise to towards his chest. The iron clad one stiffened and her glare turned into deadly daggers with a silent growl in her frown.

She almost started to charge when Shroud whipped his sword quickly to his chest. He also tried to relax his posture to look friendlier, but that all but failed. The iron clad one started to ease a little and words looked to be forming on her lips but –

The blonde charged with a battle cry.

Shroud flinched. He was so preoccupied by the iron clad one that he hadn't paid attention to the others actions and had been startled by the blonde; especially since she was charging at him with nothing but her bare fists.

"NETHER MOB!" She screeched so loud and with enthusiasm that Shroud barely understood what she had said.

"ROSETTA HALT." The iron clad one commanded just as loudly, but the blonde called Rosetta kept going.

"She's dead." The punk muttered under his breath.

"…" nothing from the one in the tan vest.

Rosetta tackled Shroud, but failed to drag him to the ground. He had snapped out of his shock just before she hit. Instead she was thrown to the ground by Shroud who grabbed her by the bandana around her neck and used her own momentum against her.

But as quick as lightning she was back on her feet; a closed fist flying towards Shroud with wild abandon. Shroud turned his body quickly away from the punch and attempted to give her a good whack on the head with the hilt of his sword. However, she was ridiculously fleet-footed and dodged. Did she even know what Shroud had attempted actually? He had no time to think as the fists came flying again.

Except… Shroud needn't dodged this time as Rosetta was yanked back by the collar of her black shirt by a very ticked off scarred faced minecraftian.

"ARE YOU DEAF?!" The iron clad one loudly shouted into Rosetta's ear drum.

"what?" Rosetta asked innocently enough.

"He's not a mob – not even a Nether mob!" Rosetta didn't believe what she was hearing.

"But Caz! Look at him! He -" Rosetta attempted to argue, but was quickly cut off and shushed.

"If you or your player were listening, he's got his own player with him. Mobs don't have players and this one was currently asking you to stop! In fact they were asking for directions," Caz angrily pointed out. "Next time think before you go charging in like that – had he wanted to he'd have pierced that sword of his through your chest." She emphasized the last point with a hard jab to Rosetta's ribcage.

"No he wouldn't…"Rosetta muttered angrily. "I'm too fast for that to happen." But didn't complain any further as she was let go. She did, however, cross her arms and pout.

"And you," Caz turned to Shroud now." I don't trust you with my life, stranger. However, you where decent enough not to stab Rosetta here so there's that."

"Great…" Shroud grumbled as he stared at Rosetta with a calculated gaze. He was going to keep an eye on her no doubt about it since it seems she might want round two to happen.

"Going to Glenn?" The vest-wearer finally spoke. "Your player told ours that."

"Yeah, what about it?" Shroud asked with a little suspicion.

"Well…" The punk started with a roll of the eyes and a nervous shrug.

"It was attacked again a little bit ago," Caz bluntly finished. "And we going there to investigate as well as help rebuild and resupply."

"Stone-edge?" Shroud asked, expecting the answer to be 'yes'. Who else had the ability to bypass safe zones that all the towns had?

"Yes and someone extra." Caz air quoted the 'someone extra' and rolled her eyes. Said eyes landed on Rosetta.

"I'm not lying you know. He WAS there!" Rosetta rolled her eyes back at Caz. "I'm not crazy." Shroud raised a brow at that.

"Herobrine, so she claims." The punk guy said with laugh in his voice. He didn't believe her either. But Shroud did – somewhat- for hadn't Herobrine presumably given the blazes wither skeletons? Only presumably though for Herobrine wasn't there, only a follower of his.

"How about a follower of Herobrine?" Shroud asked without a second thought.

"A what? A follower?" Caz asked genuinely intrigued. She had never heard of them before

"No. But I KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Rosetta shouted with enthusiasm. "No none of them where there as far as I could tell."

"urgh… can we shut up about Herobrine this and follower that." The punk huffed out clearly annoyed. Caz was about to argue for even though she didn't believe in Herobrine, people worshipping him was totally in the realm of reality. Hadn't she met someone whose player was obsessed with Herobrine and did self-insert pictures with him in it? They were terrible sloppy drawings done in a rush and in quick succession. Caz was never impressed, but the minecraftian adored them.

"Yes, how about we introduce other selves first?" The vest said before Caz could let loose her curiosity.

"Ok yeah, I'm Caz – She's Rosetta and the other two are Jack and Edward." Caz quickly introduced with simple finger pointing. She wanted to get back on the topic of these "followers".

"No! Not "Edward"! It's Robot-Slayer thank you very much." Edward pointed out with bruised pride.

"Don't mind him, he likes his player's name so much he based his nickname off of it," Caz teased. "Now who are you?"

"Shroud." Shroud simply stated.

"Shroud? Is that a nick or…?" Caz questioned. Shroud isn't exactly a common name. Seriously who'd name their child that?

"Er.. I actually forgot my name – long story. So I go by Shroud currently." Shroud admitted. He hadn't really thought about it, but what WAS his real name? It had been taken from him by the Follower in his time in the Nether. He just wasn't sure when it happened, but it did at some point.

"Shroud, eh?" A new voice piped causing Caz, Rosetta, Jack, Edward, and Shroud to stiffen.

As they turned to look in the direction of the new voice Shroud prayed it wasn't who he thought it might be.

But it was.

"Hello, naughty naughty runaway!" A Stone-edge member chirped. "It's time to go home!"

Shroud didn't like the sound of this "home" nor did he like the other six Stone-edge members behind this one.