OK, so, got my first batch of criticisms recently. Took them to heart. So for the rest of the story, I will put the last 2 sentences from the last chapter in the beginning(in italics) so the story flows better.

Eventually, though I have no memory of it, I made my way back to the tunnels I knew. I stumbled and crawled back to the blessed surface, reaching my home just as the sun began setting. I dropped into my home-made bed of gathered wool, battered and exhausted.

When I woke up, I could hear voices. Sleepy and irritated, I yelled for them to shut-up. I laid back down when-

Wait...VOICES? PEOPLE!

I rocketed out of bed, up my stairs, and into the cold light of dawn. And there, just past the copse of tress, were actual people! Building houses! I ran over to them, yelling and waving my arms. They couldn't seem to hear me, even when I got close to them. They just kept building houses and lightposts randomly. I tried shaking them, smacking them, nothing worked. I looked them in the eyes, and still no response. They just...kept building.

I fell to my knees in despair. Oh cruel irony to find actual people, only to find out they were mindless builders, little better than zombies. Loneliness welled up in my heart. As I watched them build fantastic structures, from simple huts of soaring towers, I wept for them and for me. Clearly, my search for home would be a lonely one.

I sat on the edge of the hole leading to my cave home all day. I watched these "people" build house after house, tower after tower. They seemed possessed in their creation, never once stopping for food or rest. I marveled at their efficiency, their speed. I could also see, away from the builders, an old man in a suit staring at the frozen lake. I walked over to him, stood next to him, and also looked at the lake.

"What do you see, old man?"

He did not respond, only raised one arm. Within seconds 3 men joined him. They stood still for a moment, then started flinging blocks at a ridiculous pace, building something I hadn't seen yet. It was 5 feet high, and dozens of feet wide. Once the walls were complete, a door was fitted, and the men went inside. I followed, curious. Once inside, the 3 men built small stalls along one side, set up signs, then sealed themselves inside the stalls. The mayor (which was what I named him in my mind) dropped a chest into the middle of the floor, and then began walking around randomly, his work now apperantly complete.

I stayed in the cave for 5 days, alternating between mining and taking torches off of the buildings the "builders" made. Since they never seemed to run out of resources, I didn't think they would mind. In this way I increased my torch supply by the dozens, and got iron and a bit of gold from my mining.

About 8 days after the people showed up, I wandered into the big building with the mayor and the stalls. As I read the signs, I saw I could get armor and food. The thought of actually protecting myself from monsters had never occured to me before now. It seemed a brilliant idea, so I took a closer look at what the armor cost.

The pickings were slim, with only "1 iron bar for Chain Helmet" available. Was that like Chain Mail? That could be very useful. I turned to leave, but one sign caught my eye.

"1 Diamond for 64 TNT."

64 TNT! That was alot of explosives. My mind whirled with the possibilities. Clearing away mountains to make an easier path, blowing up monsters before they even got close. Gathering resources at a ridiculous pace. But all that would have to wait until I got a Diamond. I knew it took incredible pressure to make a diamond, which meant I would have to mine deeper then I had ever mined before.

OK, so the existence of people in this chapter is due to an early NPC mod I found on the Minecraft Forums. Their function was to build a variety of buildings ranging from small houses and towers, to large open walled areas where the market was set up. Once again, the mod name eludes me. Apologizes to anyone who wants the mods used in this story :(