Chapter 4: Running at the Pace of a Crawl
The sky was breathtaking. A deep, golden blue painted the sky, making the atmosphere seem immense. There were no clouds, which gave unadulterated sunshine. The rich greens of the plains swayed slightly in the early-morning breeze, bringing with it the smells of wildlife and flora. It was nature at its best and blockiest, and I loved it.
I stilled and took in the sights. In the real world, I lived in a city. True, I loved the city life, with its plethora of bustling people and the never-ending lights that seemed to dance at night. However, I had always found the beauty of nature captivating. Clean air and warm breezes called to me somehow, and right now Minecraft contained all of those. It was beautiful and mystifying and untouched. Breathtaking.
"C'mon Samus." Emmy said, grasping my arm. "We have a mission."
"Right." I nodded my head.
We continued walking, scouring the land in search of bountiful resources. However, my senses were on high alert. I was well aware that Creepers, Spiders, and Enderman were not driven away by the sun. My eyes flitted around us, and my sword was equipped and ready in my hand. Emmy and Tanner were nervously glancing around as well, searching for any hostile mobs. At the slightest crunch of grass, my head whipped around. Normally, it was the breeze blowing the sprigs.
Soon, we had reached our destination. It was a hill dotted with pumpkins in brilliant shades of orange. They were plump, and just looking at them caused my mouth to water. A lake with bright green sugarcane lay in the distance, and grass grew across the field. Perfect for getting seeds for wheat and food materials.
"Okay," I forced confidence into my words, "Tanner, collect the pumpkins. Emmy, get the sugarcane please. I'll collect the seeds from the grass. If anyone hears the sound of a mob, shout. We'll engage it together." I internally cringed at my words. One, I would be engaging the mobs by myself if the opportunity arose. Two, I did not like being the leader. I felt awkward ordering around my friends. I wasn't certain I was making the right decisions. Truth be told I never was. However, my friends were trusting me with their lives. I would do the best I possibly could.
As we went to our separate tasks, I did not let my mind wander. Usually, I would create fantasy worlds in my thoughts as I did mindless tasks. It was the perfect cure for boredom. Now, we were in danger. Peril loomed at every corner. Monsters who thirsted for our blood could be hiding anywhere, so it was important to be on high alert. No daydreaming.
The grass disappeared once it made contact with my hand. Occasionally, seeds would appear, and I would collect them. The soft sounds of Tanner hitting the pumpkins could be heard, as well as the sounds of Emmy gently splashing around in the water. It almost seemed peaceful.
That's when I heard Tanner shout.
My entire body tensed as I whipped around. A black, menacing Spider hissed vehemently at Tanner, its red eyes glowing with malice. Tanner had his sword in his hands, but he looked fearful.
Emmy was too far away. By the time she would reach him, he would be dead or severely beaten. I could not wait for her. My legs surged forward with surprising speed, my sword poised in a striking position. When the Spider moved to attack Tanner, my sword pierced its body.
If Spiders could show emotion, I would say it would have been bewildered. Tanner certainly was, for his eyes were wide. I kept my gaze locked on the mob, my eyes flashing dangerously. The anxiety I normally felt when experiencing danger was not present. The only thing on my mind was protecting Tanner.
The Spider moved to attack, advancing forward quickly. I brought up my sword to block it, but its claws managed to rip some skin on my arm. Grunting, I retreated slightly. Never once did my form falter. When it moved to strike again, I was ready. I avoided its attack and retaliated with my own, slashing its side. A hiss escaped its mouth, and it repeated its predictable pattern. After a few more hits, the Spider collapsed. A couple of strings were dropped, and Tanner moved to collect them.
My breathing was heavy, and my arm was bleeding a bit. Sweat beaded on my forehead, but I wiped it away. My muscles burned in a pleasant way, like after a rewarding workout. However, I felt slightly drained.
Hearing Emmy's footsteps pound near us, I glanced up. Her expression was frantic, yet relieved.
"Are you guys okay?" She asked, an edge on her voice.
"Yeah." Tanner breathed, eyes still wide and looking at me. "Sam…Where did you learn those moves?"
"Don't know." I panted. "It just sort of, comes to me."
Emmy snorted. "Sure. Samus, those moves were too advanced to 'just come to you'. The way you planned that counterattack, it was almost too perfect."
"I swear, I'm not lying." I protested.
Tanner simply shrugged. "Thanks anyway. You saved my life."
I smiled at him. "Nah, you could've taken him. Instincts just took over. But, you're welcome."
"Well," Emmy started, "Let's continue our tasks. We're going to need A LOT of food."
We all nodded and smiled. Tanner joined me in collecting seeds since he had expended the pumpkins. It was quiet work, considering that our ears were straining to hear even the smallest of noises. We worked diligently, and no mobs interrupted our work.
Once we decided we had collected enough seeds, we began searching for peaceful mobs. However, I also reasoned that we would require stone to cook the mob drops. We decided to split up, me mining the cobblestone while Emmy and Tanner hunted the mobs.
Since we had been close to the extreme hills biome, finding stone was easy. As I mined, I listened to the soft gusts of wind as they blew through the stone arches. In the shadow lurked dangerous mobs, but they could not sense me. I was glad. Apparently, my healing powers had been exhausted. My arm was still red, and scratch marks were very prominent. We needed food, and fast.
My mining expedition proved fruitful. I had gathered enough cobblestone to create a furnace and some new tools, as well as some coal to cook our food. All in all, not a bad haul.
I began looking around for my friends. I heard the sounds of squealing in the distance, coming to the conclusion that Emmy and Tanner were located somewhere close to there. I once again equipped my damaged sword and started my trek.
After a short while, I came across my friends. They were currently slashing their swords at a herd of cows. They wore pained expressions, and I understood why. These animals had done us no harm, and we were slaughtering them. It was cruel, but it was survival. My stomach twisted in an uncomfortable way before I joined them. I tried to tune out the cows' cries, but it was extremely difficult.
Shortly after I had joined my friends, we had collected enough meat and leather to last us for a while. We left a few of the cows alive so we could breed them for more meat.
Survival of the fittest Samus, I chanted in my head. Oh, this world is cruel.
Before returning to our shack, we decided to rest at the small lake where Emmy had harvested sugarcane. Its waters gently rolled, and I dipped my hands into it. It was cool and refreshing, so I brought the water to my face. I could imagine I was washing away all that had happened.
I realized that us being stuck in Minecraft was completely my fault. If I hadn't been so impulsive and curious, we wouldn't be in this mess. However, I honestly had no regrets for myself. I was just furious that I had gotten my friends into danger. I was an idiot sometimes.
"Hey Samus!" Emmy said, pulling me out of my musings. "Look what I found!"
I turned my head to look, and was greeted by a grotesque figure and a rotten smell. It startled me, so I let out a small shriek and slapped the thing down. I dashed away, and took a good look at the thing Emmy had been trying to show me.
It was floating in the water, giving me an evil glare. Its blue body was rectangular, and eight tentacles protruded from its body and swirled around. Ah, so it was a squid.
Strangely, the same feeling I had experienced while fighting the Creeper was present now. Something about the squid rubbed me the wrong way. Tanner was fidgeting as well, so maybe I wasn't the only one.
"A squid." Tanner deadpanned. "Should we kill it?"
"Absolutely not!" Emmy shouted. "I already named him. He's our pet now."
I laughed a bit. "Our pet? Emmy, we have too much to do as is. We can't add another variable to the equation."
"Lisquid is not a variable." She protested. "He won't be a burden."
"Lisquid?" Tanner questioned, a smiling creeping onto his face.
Emmy smiled, thinking that Tanner accepted the squid. "Yep."
Meanwhile, the squid and I were continually glaring at each other. Sure, I was part of the Sky Army, but I didn't necessarily hate squids. They were living creatures now, with real thoughts instead of codes to dictate how they acted. However, this squid radiated distrust. My eyes narrowed even further.
"What about you Samus?" Emmy asked me. "Can we keep him?"
I tore my gaze away from the creature to look at Emmy. Her eyes were pleading, and I could see the hope gleaming in them. I was internally conflicted. There was no way in hell I trusted that squid. However, Emmy really, really wanted it. If I kept a close eye on it while it was around, maybe it would be okay then. Sighing, I reached my decision.
"Fine. We're keeping a close eye on it though."
Emmy beamed and enveloped me in a hug. I hugged her back, but I still kept my gaze on the squid. It looked pleased, so I sneered at it.
"Hey guys, the sun's starting to set." Tanner warned us.
I turned my head upwards. The blue of the sky was tinted with tiny bits of orange, and the sun hung low near the horizon. The day had flown by, yet we hadn't accomplished as much as I thought we could. Still, we had enough to survive.
"Time to head back then." I said. "You guys go on ahead. There's something I have to do first."
They nodded, and started walking towards the shack. I swiveled my body to face the squid.
"Listen," I murmured darkly. "I know you can understand me, so if you disobey, I will not hesitate to run my blade through you. You will not harm my friends in any way, got that? If you lay a tentacle on them, I will end you. Understood squid?"
Its strange eyes narrowed. Unlike most squids, they were not derpy. This feature of its physiology only fueled my skepticism.
It reluctantly bobbed its large head, eyeing me the entire time. I saw genuine fear flash in it eyes, but it was gone in an instant.
"Good." I nodded, then left the squid. I heard it splash underwater, but I refused to look back.
Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, I entered the shack. I was greeted by smiles.
We got to work creating a furnace and cooking the meat. Steak never tasted so good. While we ate, we shared stories about school, video games, various friends, anything to keep our minds off the fact we were stuck. We laughed, and it didn't feel fake.
When it came time to sleep, I hesitated. Should I tell them about my dream conversation with Jeb? Our day had been so busy I had forgotten to bring it up. However, my friends were already settling into comfortable sleeping positions. I shouldn't disturb them.
I volunteered for the first watch, Tanner for the second, and Emmy for the third. I almost thought about taking all of their watches, but I remembered Jeb had said we could only communicate via dreams. The nagging thought that if I slept I would have nightmares kept plaguing my mind. However, I still had more questions that required answers. I could not dwell on 'what ifs'.
When the time came, I awoke Tanner so I could get some sleep. I told him to wake me up if anything happened. My strength had returned after we ate, and my wounded arm had returned to normal. I was ready to fight if the need arose. He reluctantly agreed, so I settled into a sitting position on the wall. I closed my eyes, desperately hoping that Jeb would visit me that night.
A/N Hello everybody! Sorry for the late update. I've been without wifi since Friday, so I couldn't get on to post this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, and chapter 5 should be coming pretty soon. To those of you who reviewed, followed, and favorited, thank you so much. I know this is late, but happy new year to you all!
Emmy, chocolate in Minecraft would be delicious. Thanks, I tried to make it slightly humorous. :)
LightWriter2013, I'm so glad you like the story! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Angel, thank you. I always thought Samus was an intriguing name. I read your story, and its absolutely amazing.
Crystalline13, thanks! I don't mind you using a couple ideas, just no stealing please. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Gran, thank you. Chapter 5 will be out shortly!
The Red Zelda and akwheels, thank you for the suggestions, but I have most of the story planned already. I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you liked this chapter!