Chapter 6: Just About to Break
Two weeks later…
The days flew by with surprising speed. Each morning was filled with breaking grass and tending to our small farm that we had constructed. In the afternoon, we ventured into a daunting cave that was bountiful with coal and iron. We agreed not to mine too far down, for fear of lava and dangerous mobs.
We had gathered a generous amount of iron. I crafted a stunning iron sword that glinted beautifully in the sunlight. The weight of it in my hand had become familiar and reassuring, almost as if it was just… right.
Emmy had made plenty of iron tools so she could hoe the land. She planted the wheat and pumpkin seeds, and made a nice trench for water to irrigate the farm. Soon, instead of continuously eating steak, we now had bread and pumpkin pie.
Tanner was in charge of crafting our armor. Since our iron stash was almost depleted, he created only three chest plates. I expected that they would be heavy, but was pleased when I discovered that they were actually quite light.
We seemed to be surviving, but something had felt off. It had been weeks since I had a conversation with Jeb. I wondered if he was okay, since our last meeting had been steeped with stress. Emmy said it was probably fine, but Tanner squirmed a bit. Most likely he was uncomfortable with the situation.
"Hey." Tanner tapped me on the shoulder, knocking me out of my musings. "It's time for sword practice."
My eyes widened. "Crap! I'm sorry, I'll be ready in a minute."
He let out a laugh. "It's fine. We're practicing by the lake today. Emmy wants Lisquid to watch."
I made a disgusted noise in the back of my throat. "The squid again? Why can't we practice in the field, where I won't get the urge to murder the creature?"
Tanner shook his head, but a smirk played at his lips. "You know, he isn't that bad."
Turning deadly serious, I snapped my head to his. Our eyes locked.
"You feel it too, don't you?" I asked. "That strange feeling in the pit of your stomach that you can't shake. That feeling that triggers your fight-or-flight response."
Tanner turned his head and looked down to gaze at the grass. "Yeah."
I stood from my sitting position near the fence of our small farm. Brushing off the dirt on my clothes, I smiled at him. "Well, we'll just have to be careful."
Tanner nodded. "Of course. I'll run a budder sword through Lisquid if he misbehaves."
A giggle escaped my lips, and soon Tanner was laughing as well.
"C'mon padawan." I told him. "Let's teach you how to wield a sword."
"I think you're holding it wrong."
"How would you know, Emmy!?"
"Did you see me take out those zombies?"
Tanner sighed in frustration, a wooden sword clasped between his hands. His form was off, and the sword was clenched too tightly. I gave him a small smile, hoping it would help.
Emmy sat by the lake, grinning smugly. The squid swam by her, peering at us through the water. It gave me a calculating look, which I ignored.
"Here." I offered. "Let me help."
I laid my own wooden sword in the grass and went to Tanner's rigid form. I tweaked his stance, making it almost perfect.
"There." I said, stepping back. "Relax your body. Think of the sword as an extension of yourself, and let your senses take hold."
He nodded determinedly while Emmy looked at us with keen interest. My eyes stayed on Tanner, observing his form as he went over the exercise.
Sliding his sword forward, he thrust it at an invisible opponent. His form was already deviating, but something made me continue watching. I noted several idiosyncrasies in his movements: The way he protected himself from such a distance, the way the sword was clenched too firmly, and, above all, his tendency to retreat. With widened eyes, I knew what had been wrong this entire time.
"Stop."
Sighing dejectedly, Tanner lowered his sword.
"I don't know what's wrong. I just can't do it. I'm sorry." Tanner apologized.
To his and Emmy's surprise, I laughed. Tanner appeared hurt, while Emmy was confused. I smiled confidently at the two of them.
"Don't apologize Tanner, it's not your fault." I started explaining. "You were built for a different weapon."
"What?" Hope sparked in Tanner's eyes as we walked back to the shack we called home.
"Mmhmm." I hummed. "Emmy, do we still have three string?"
"More than that." She answered, smiling. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?"
"I believe so."
When we entered the shack I immediately scrounged in the chest we had crafted. I discovered eight string, and took six of them. Might as well have an extra. I dug out six sticks as well, the perfect amount for my next crafting recipe.
Laying the materials on the crafting table, I willed them to conform to the desired shape. By the end of the process, I had successfully crafted two bows.
"The problem", I started, handing a bow to Tanner, "is that you are a long distance fighter. This should help."
Turning to Emmy, I handed her the other bow. "Just in case." I murmured.
Tanner examined the weapon in his hands, a strange glint in his eyes. Positioning the bow, he drew back the string. Instantly, his form was perfect. The bow was level and did not shake. His stance prevented any unwanted movement. The look in his eyes could only be described as instinctual. He was in his element.
Smiling at the victory, I put my hands on my hips. "Now we just need arrows. Do we have any feathers?"
Emmy's smile faded and Tanner lowered his bow, coming out of a stupor.
"No." Emmy replied. "I haven't seen any chickens in the area either. What do we do?"
Tanner's face lit up. "I have a crazy idea that you will probably disagree with. It's worth a shot though."
"Let's hear it." I urged.
Smiling, he continued. "Well, since we are in a plains biome, I suggest we explore it. Villages spawn in these biomes. If we come across villagers, we can trade with them. Maybe one of them has arrows."
Considering his theory, I bit the inside of my cheek. Explore the plains biome? It was pretty dangerous. Most likely, we would be out well past the time the sun dipped below the horizon. The possibility of a village was slim as well. However, we certainly had enough food to survive. Emmy and I were also skilled with swords, so we would have some protection. The more I thought about, the more it sounded like a good idea.
Looking to Emmy, I could see that she didn't have a problem with it. She nodded at me, urging me to agree with Tanner. Smiling slightly, I gave him my answer.
"Sounds like a plan. We'll leave in the morning."
I didn't sleep at all that night.
I blamed my insomnia, but I knew that wasn't it. My nightmares had been getting worse, and truth be told I was scared.
So, instead of reliving unwanted memories, I busied myself by preparing for the trip. I crafted extra iron swords, gathered the necessary amount of food, and crafted as much extra armor as I could. Soon, the sun began to show itself. I awoke Emmy and Tanner, and a few minutes later we were heading out the door into adventure.
Luckily, we didn't encounter too many mobs. The occasional Creeper hissed at us, but it was quickly disposed of. Tanner was grumbling under his breath every time Emmy or I killed a mob, and the smallest trickle of guilt rose within me. We needed those arrows. Soon.
Our eyes scoured the land as we traveled, always on the lookout for a building. Night came much sooner than expected, and we debated whether or not we should keep going. Though uncomfortable with the idea of travelling under such dangerous circumstances, we agreed to continue our search. My senses were on high alert from then on out.
At the slightest disturbance of silence, I pointed my sword to the source. Most of the time it was nothing more than the wind, but we did manage to find some zombies at one point. My friends teased me about being uptight, telling me we could handle ourselves. While I believed this wholeheartedly, I couldn't fight the growing doubt in my mind. Would we survive until we got to the village? Was there even a village to find?
The morning sun was a welcome sight for our weary eyes. Around us, we could hear the fires crackling as zombies and skeletons burned. I shuddered at the thought, and quickly focused on the state of my friends.
Tanner was holding up well. He had a hopeful glint in his eyes and a strange cheerfulness in his step. Though there were dark circles under his eyes, he appeared wide awake and alert.
Emmy was a different matter. She looked ready to collapse on the spot. She hadn't gotten a scratch in our nightly fights, but sleep deprivation was taking its toll on her. By her droopy eyes and tired yawns, I could tell she was fighting sleep.
I was feeling fine. I had pulled plenty of all-nighters before. Plus, the adrenaline from our midnight skirmishes had not diminished. I was intently searching the horizon for any signs of life other than the hostile mobs.
A few minutes after the sun had risen over the horizon, Tanner let out a gasp. My sword instantly rose, and I tasted metal in my mouth. My ears perked, trying to hear any dangerous sounds. However, my stance wavered when I saw Tanner grinning like a loon.
"Guys!" He shouted, startling Emmy. "A village! We found a village!"
He pointed towards the rising sun. My gaze followed his hand, and my eyes widened when I saw the darkened silhouette of a village.
"We actually found one." I murmured.
"C'mon! There's no time to waste." Tanner grabbed our hands and pulled us towards the village.
I let out a laugh while Emmy smiled brightly. Things were looking up. Hopefully we could trade with the villagers. A scary thought passed through my mind though. What if they were stupid, like how most NPCs were? I glanced hopefully at the village, wishing my thoughts were wrong.
The village was beautiful close up. Bright green farms with wonderful irrigation systems spotted the land. The wood and cobblestone houses were artfully designed, making our home seem unsuitable. The huge cobblestone tower loomed over us, emanating a strange sense of power. What caught my eye, however, were the villagers.
They hadn't noticed us yet, and for that I was grateful. They looked nothing like the squidward-like NPCs that you saw when you played Minecraft. They looked like actual people. Some wore simple brown tunics and dresses, while others wore an array of greens, blues, and reds. They were rushing about the village, some conversing with each other, others tending to the small animal pen in the backyard of a house. They were so… normal.
"Should we kill them?" Emmy asked quietly, a hand shielding her mouth.
"What?" I turned to her, surprised. "No!"
"We have to introduce ourselves." Tanner said, smiling excitedly. "Let's just talk to them."
I shrugged. "Sure. We should explain our situation too. Maybe they could help."
"If they can even talk." Emmy muttered. I raised an eyebrow at her, but she just shrugged.
"Hey!" Tanner greeted, raising a hand in salutations.
The villagers stopped their activities to look at us. I immediately felt uncomfortable when they did so. I didn't like attention, and that's all we were getting. They all seemed wonder struck when they first saw us. We stayed silent for a while, and Tanner lowered his hand awkwardly. However, cheers soon filled our ears.
"Players!"
"Are they really players!?"
"Someone tell Jellal!"
"Oh my Notch, players actually came!"
They all rushed over to us, happy features adorning their faces. Alarmed, I backed up. Emmy no longer looked tired. However, Tanner was prepared.
"Hey!" He said happily. "Yeah we're players. At least, I think we are."
That made the crowd go wilder. I shot Tanner a glare, and he gave me an apologizing face.
"Hey, okay now, everyone back up! I'll take them to Jellal. Y'know, if I deem them worthy enough."
The crowd parted to reveal a villager clad in a black smock. His white shirt was rolled up to his elbows and covered in black dust. His pants were a dark brown, and he wore heavy boots with iron coverings on the front. Dark goggles were plastered to his face, and his light hair was cut short. He wore a smirk and had a confident demeanor, though he was shorter than most of the villagers.
"You're the blacksmith, right?" I asked, my hands on my hips.
At that, his smirk grew wider. He pushed his goggles up, revealing bright blue eyes.
"Yep." He replied, sticking out his hand. "My name's Aaron. What's yours, Grey Eyes?"
"They're blue." I huffed. "My name's Samus, though."
"Emmy." Emmy said, smiling and waving.
"Tanner." Tanner supplied, still looking gleeful.
"Hmm." Aaron hummed, placing a gloved hand on his chin. "Those are unusual names. Where are you from?"
Glancing at my friends, I replied hesitantly. "The real world."
Most villagers looked perplexed, but Aaron's eyes widened. His alarmed expression did not help the uncertainty building in my chest.
Regaining his composure, he said, "Why don't you guys come to my shop. Jellal is out for a little bit, so you can rest there. I can explain a few things there too. C'mon."
"Oh? So we're worthy?" I teased, following him as he started walking towards the back of the village.
Looking behind his shoulder at us, he smirked once again. "Yeah, maybe."
A/N Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update. School has been... very demanding lately. Plus, I started watching a new show, so that messed up my schedule too. Also, the awesome cover art was drawn by EmmyEeveeZorua. You should definitely check her out, she writes amazing stories. I want to thank all of you who reviewed, favorited, and followed. You guys are simply amazing. Thanks again!