Author Note:

And we're back.

Due to a large amount of requests, complaints, and death threats, (I'm looking at you Chase1998) I've finally jotted down the next chapter. It might be a little lacking in substance, but that's mostly just because it'll take me a bit of time to get back into the swing of things. And hopefully I can do just that.

Still, I must say... For a story with only four chapters, 60 reviews, 34 favorites, and 45 follows isn't too bad. Small shout out to LadyAvisOfRedRock, whose review prompted me to hit the keyboard this morning. You can thank her for that last bit of motivation needed to continue, along with what seems to be every one of my followers, who take the time to pester me about it on Endergirl.

So, without further ado *cough* *cough* one year... I present chapter five, of A Fool's Conviction.

"Welcome to the club."

I woke up alone.

I don't know why I was so surprised, you'd think it would be normal. I rolled over awkwardly, wincing at the various points of pain which spread across my build. But… they felt significantly better than they had yesterday. It almost felt like the injuries had been nulled by simply sleeping them away.

My eyes swayed lazily as they opened. But I wasn't in my bedroom. A small sigh escaped me. Not a dream after all, huh?

"Don't sound so depressed!" An unmistakable voice echoed.

I lulled my head, finding a certain fedora sporting god lounging a few feet away, thumbs fiddling with a DS. He seemed enthralled with the device.

"What're you playing?"

"Chrono Trigger."

The famous game struck a chord against my memory. It was quite fun… "You're bored already?"

"Well, so far everyone's refusing to kill each other. It's quite disappointing." The man answered, pouting a little as he jabbed at the buttons.

His words were quite informative. It would seem everybody was retaining some form of order, for now. I ignored the empowered being as my eyes took in our surroundings. We were under the parapets, which provided enough shade to render the morning sun powerless. The rest of the trampled ground within the fortress was absent of life. "Where is everyone?"

"Gathering resources. The blond guy entrusted you with defending this shack."

There he goes, our all-knowing leader dumping tasks on me again. I wasn't even awake this time.

Notch closed his portable console, and tucked it into his pocket, giving me the entirety of his attention. "I went through your code."

Code? So it was a program… We hadn't been placed into a different world, we had been transferred into a virtual reality.

"When you talked yesterday, despite me muting everybody… It was quite surprising." He continued.

"What'd you find?" I stood up, stretching out my arms.

"Well, the order in which player entities are programmed is such: Connection established, consciousness transferred, physical form created, and then locking to the world's game rules. And it would seem, that since you joined so late…"

"Some of the game rules weren't applied before I was officially logged in." I smirked. "So it's a glitch."

"It's not a glitch." The man seemed offended.

I gave the god a smug smile. "Well if it's not a glitch, then it shouldn't need patching."

He twitched. "I'm leaving."

A cloud of smoke erupted around the figure, and in a matter of seconds, he was gone. The smoke soon dissipated, wisped away by the small breeze which poured through the tiny gaps in the fortress's walls. I was alone again.

Day two in Notchcraft. If yesterday was anything to go by, then today would certainly prove interesting… I glanced around, remembering something.

Julia had left. I mean of course she had, there were things to be done. 'Just for tonight.' The words rang through my head, prompting a streak of embarrassment. I was definitely out of my mind that evening.

My sigh stopped halfway as my eyes fell upon the polished staff. The staff that I'd be dead without. I suppose I had taken a liking to it. It wasn't as deadly as a sword, nor was it intimidating. It really was just a big stick. But it had saved me more than once so far… I was lucky to have it.

The girl from sixteen…

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thought. I shouldn't be thinking about other nations right now. We have to focus on our own survival before we can even think about making contact. Still… if I ever get the chance, I'll have to thank her for giving it to me. In a way, every time I use the weapon to save myself, she saves me.

I smirked, and took up my companion, realising that I was overthinking things.

Ignoring the complaints of my muscles, I climbed the rickety ladder to the wall's heights, and gazed out at the expanse of land.

From here, the clearing seemed like a small dot, surrounded by forest and ocean on all sides. It wasn't tall enough to see far over the tree line, which made sense considering what the fortress was made out of. The beauty of this place struck me once more as I scanned the horizon. I'm not sure what it was, but it all just seemed so clean. It was as if nature had done away with its imperfections, and placed only the most perfect specimens within this world. The grass was still luscious and mown, the breeze was still steady and refreshing… For a game of death, this was a pretty nice arena.

I mentally kicked myself for thinking like that. It didn't have to be that way. Just because we're trapped here, doesn't mean we have to follow his plans. We don't have to kill anyone.

Something out of the ordinary caught my eye.

Far off to one side of the clearing, gathered around a dozen tree stumps, was a rapidly growing group of people. Even from this distance, I could recognise a few. They seemed to be pouring in from their posts, attracted by some dispute. Two figures stood within the group's centre, yelling something incoherent.

I watched for a while, trying to assure myself that it wasn't my problem. Jake can take care of it, surely. And he did. Or at least, he tried to. I saw him burst through the crowd, and begin his smooth talk. He seemed to be doing alright.

Of course, when one of the figures hefted his axe, it became my problem.

I practically groaned my way down the ladder, out the gates, across the clearing, and towards the circle. I really wasn't in the mood for this. I wanted some breakfast, and a few more hours of sleep. A thought occurred to me as the back row of people noticed my presence, and began to scatter.

When the hell did this become my job?

I paused briefly as their words became audible.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That doesn't make any difference if you're too blind to see it!" One of the figures, a high school girl shouted.

"I would have found it eventually if you hadn't gone and stolen it!" The other, a younger boy, retorted.

Jake attempted to bring things down a notch. "Now, now, I'm sure we can work someth-"

"Shut up, who told you to get involved?" The girl snapped.

A few faces looked around sheepishly as our leader was discarded from the conversation. People expected him to do something about it, but his power hadn't really been established yet, which made it difficult to moderate others.

I felt a touch on my arm. All I needed to see was the iconic white hoodie, to recognise who it was. Julia briefly examined my wounds, seemingly satisfied with the progress.

I gave her a smile. "Good morning."

"H- Hey. Sorry I ditched you."

"It's alright." I nodded towards the ongoing argument. "What's going on?"

She followed my gaze, sighing. "We divided into sections a few hours ago, so that each of us would have an area to gather resources from. She found what seems to be a small ruin, with a chest inside."

I remembered the girl from sixteen mentioning something about ruins. That's where she found all her loot. "What was in it?"

"A stone sword."

"Anything else?"

"I don't think so…"

So the items were pretty scarce… But it didn't really matter if the ruins were so common, which I was lead to believe they were. "So what's the problem?"

"Well, she found the chest, but it was in his resource area. He thinks it belongs to him, she thinks it belongs to her, nobody is really sure who's right."

"I see."

The boy pointed his wooden hatchet towards the girl. "What are you going to do with it anyway!? It's not like you can fight!"

"I can fight better than you, fucking twelvie."

"I'm thirteen!"

"If you have to specify your age, you're definitely a twelvie."

"Fine, let's fight right now. Whoever wins, gets the sword."

The girl seemed a little knocked back, but recovered quickly. "Agreed!"

Jake sidestepped towards me, trying not to draw any attention to himself. It was a futile effort, everybody was already glancing my way. After he had failed, I was next in line to sort things out. But it really wasn't my responsibility.

"Hey, uh, Eli… feel like doing something about this?"

I kept my eyes on the dispute, as the fighters found some space amongst the tree stumps. "Why?"

"Why? Because they're fighting?"

"So?"

Julia pressed against me slightly, watching the boy ready his axe. The girl, on the other hand, was defenceless. I sighed, hardly believing what I was about to do. I took a step forwards, and the crowd seemed to relax as I arrived on the scene. A path cleared for me.

The arguing pair whitened slightly as I approached. It hurt a little. Was I really that terrifying?

The older girl made me feel a slightly better. "W- What the fuck do you want?"

Taking my time, I got comfortable on one of the freshly stripped stumps, nursing my wounds slightly. Everyone was watching me. I was used to standing out… but not like this. Ignoring the uneasy feeling, I maintained my demeanour. "I was just wondering if this is a fair fight."

"Fair? Of course not! She's going to get crushed." The twelvie boasted.

"Agreed. I mean, you've got a weapon, and well… you're up against a defenceless girl."

His head snapped towards me, considering his options. He threw the axe aside. "I don't need it to beat her."

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. She's just a girl after all."

"She's older than you."

"It doesn't matter."

"Huh. Alright, I'll referee."

The girl looked at me oddly. "You're not going to stop us?"

"No, why would I?"

A few of the audience shifted awkwardly as they realised what I was getting at. It really wasn't my job to keep things under control. I was just lucky in all my endeavours yesterday. I was the first one here to stand against a mob and survive. I knew how to handle myself, but that didn't mean it made me different.

Although, Notch seemed to think otherwise.

Something occurred to me just before I was about to start a countdown. "I've got a question."

"Ye- Yeah?" The older fighter asked.

"If I want the sword, can I join the fight as well?"

Everyone stiffened at my words, guessing at the implications. They suddenly seemed pretty fearful. But still, the girl, who had by now proven her bravery twice over, answered me. "I don't think that would be fair… I mean, you weren't even part of this to begin with."

"Oh, I see. Let's get started then."

Both sides readied themselves.

"Ready?" I paused to wait for objections. "Fight!"

I'll be honest, not even I was expecting what happened next. The girl, who we later found out was a three time karate champion, full on axe kicked the kid's face. There was no warning, no chance for defence. One minute he was up, and the next he was on the ground, completely and utterly dead to the world.

All eyes lay fixed on the unconscious boy, before slowly, and unanimously, turning towards the victor.

She patted down her skirt, and stood proudly. "Take that you little bitch."

While I was still shocked, I took the time to admire her in a new light. Long black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. If it weren't for the shape of her face, I would have thought her Japanese. But she was defiantly European. "W- What did you say your name was?"

"Huh? Florida."

"Right… Uh, Florida wins."

A nerdy guy protruded from the circle slightly, handing over her new possession.

I was surprised by the quality. Despite being stone, it seemed sturdy and sharp, a little heavy though… Still, she seemed satisfied, which set everyone at ease.

It would seem there was another person who they would have to watch their step around.

I smirked at her as she looked around awkwardly, having noticed the way people were avoiding her gaze. "Welcome to the club."

Unwittingly, I had created our first tradition.

Any and all disputes that had no clear answer, were now solved via fist fight. The parties concerned would all partake in the event, with a referee to decide the outcome. No weapons were to be used, and anyone who wasn't involved had no say in the operation.

Jake was happy.

Julia was not.

"Do you know how many injuries we've had today?" She ranted at me while rushing around her patients.

We were under what had become 'the medic's tree', an outlier not far from the fortress. At least a dozen of the people present fashioned various bruises and breakages. Almost all of them were injuries obtained from fighting each other.

"Sorry."

She hurried to bring water to a nine-year-old "I mean seriously, what were you thinking?"

"Hey, it's not my job to babysit everyone."

"You're right! It's mine! I had enough to deal with already, and now every minute, somebody else shows up with a black eye." She stopped for a moment, noticing she had been yelling in my face. A low sigh escaped her as she rested her head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

I felt guilty almost instantly. "No, it's my fault. You're right."

She looked up at me, her exhausted green eyes relaxing for a moment. She didn't have to put on a strong front when we were like this. A smile forgave my screw up, and I felt a weight lift from my shoulders.

"I'm sure Jake has something he needs done. Why don't you go check on him instead of taking up space here?" She mused, turning back to her needy patients.

"Ouch."

Her hair seemed to bounce as she looked over her shoulder, a teasing quirk on her face. "That's right, I don't want you here."

I made a big show of clutching at my heart, pretending it was broken in two.

This earnt a laugh, followed by a shy smile. "Come back though…"

"I will."

As I turned, I felt a long-absent spring return to my step. It was a little odd to think I would be happy after being stuck here. But, there wasn't really a reason not to be happy. I was respected, even if it was only through fear; I had friends, or at least acquaintances, which is a lot more than anything I'd had before; and I had Julia, who was… Well, Julia was Julia. I had learnt a lot yesterday, and I didn't plan to repeat my mistakes. Everything was under control. I was surprised at my positivity.

"Eli!" Jake called.

I took note of our leader, who was overseeing the fort expansions. The plan was to create an outer wall, another line of defence. With that, the existing space would be used to house leadership and operations, while the outer would house everyone else. When it had been suggested, I was a little dubious about the order of things. But questioning Jake's authority in front of everyone would just give me more work. I refrained from comment.

The spring in my step began to dissipate as I recognised his awkward half smile. There was a problem.

He took me aside from his entourage of builders, the grass cushioning underfoot until their voices became background noise. "We have a situation."

"Yeah?" I glanced up at him, making me realise once more how tall he really was. His blond hair shifted in the breeze.

Awkwardly, almost embarrassed, the boy explained "People are getting hungry."

"And we don't have any food."

"Which is why…" His sentence trailed off, a rolling hand gesture prompting me to finish.

I felt like a pre-schooler. "You want me to assemble a hunting party?"

"Bingo!"

… Bingo?

"Grab the good fighters, and gather anything edible. Mushrooms, apples, meat." It was clear which one he was more interested in. "Then, we can begin rationing out helpings in return for people's resources!"

Something about the notion irked me. "You want to trade food for labour…"

The attractive boy cued in, realising he'd struck the wrong chord. "Well, not really. I mean, everyone will get some, regardless. The hardworking ones will just get more."

"I see."

The breeze picked up, bringing the faint sound of crashing waves to our ears. For some reason, the sense brought back a recent memory. My skydive into this world hadn't been a pleasant experience. The sprinting view of land rushing to meet me was still fresh in my mind, but so were the other marvels. I glanced off in the direction of the floating isles.

"Eli?"

My gaze snapped back from the distraction, inciting a small jump in Jake's posture. "I'll get to it."

"G- Good. Thanks."

"Florida, right?"

The dark haired girl whipped around, hurling a large sack of items to the ground as she readied to fend me off with the stone blade in her grasp.

Wary, I took a step back. I might be feared, but currently, I was quite certain of who would win a melee between the two of us. Which is why she was the first person I thought of. "Tough day, huh?"

With recognition, she relaxed her stance, a tinge of crimson hitting her cheeks. "Y- Yeah… it could've been better."

I had of course, trudged through the forest, following recounts from a series of pissed off woodsmen, as they all said pretty much the same thing. 'That damn scavenger looted my entire area.'

Presently, we stood before a small set of stone pillars, arranged beneath thick branches. Further examination would portray them as stone brick, assembled by some long past constructor. Although by this point I was leaning more to the randomly generated side. A single chest sat amongst them, ripe for the picking. "Probably because you keep doing shit like this."

"Are you going to stop me?" Her eyes took on a hostile hue.

"God no, you'd beat me senseless."

My honesty seemed to throw her off.

"… Really?"

I sighed, stepping back from my feared persona for a second. "I'm the school punching bag back home."

Unbelieving, the girl gave an uncharacteristic laugh. Her brown eyes scrunched slightly at the corners. "So, all of the shit you've done…?"

"Pure luck."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Not sure. Kind of regretting it now."

She smirked, letting the conversation pause before moving on. "So, how can I help you? Mr. Punching Bag."

Ignoring the new title, I proceeded with a mirrored expression. "Jake wants a hunting party."

"And what do I stand to gain?"

"My undying gratitude. And food, I guess."

"Sign me up. You can keep the gratitude though."

"Great." I watched as she strode towards the chest, opening it with the excitement of a small child on Christmas morning. "So… uhh… Do you know anyone else, who might be interested?"

"You're hopeless."

"Yeah, I know."

Author Note:

And there we have it.

Some peculiar notes from Notch, a dash of romance from Julia, and a bit of ass kicking from Florida. What more could you ask for? Well, my editor did quit, so maybe you could ask for less mistakes, but lets not get into that right now. ':3

Now, due to time constraints, and having learnt my lesson from Endergirl... I won't be answering reviews on this story anymore. UNLESS, they are hilariously funny, or need answers. Sorry 'bout that, but we're getting about fifty reviews per chapter on Endergirl, and this story seems to be more popular, so I fear for what could happen. ':D

I do have all your OCs though, and I'll be sure to drop a few in there, so stay tuned!

Ciao.

- Sylent