Chapter 8

Steve opened his eyes the next morning to find that his vision had returned to its normal, clear state, free of the contorting shapes and blurriness that had been present the previous evening. In addition, his temple no longer pounded behind his skull, and he could once again breathe normally. The fever that had ravaged his poisoned body just a few hours ago disappeared in his sleep, leaving him fatigued yet oddly revived. Most of the spider bites had scabbed over, but a few still oozed with a clear liquid and were tender to the touch. He held up one of his hands and flexed the fingers; the muscles were still a bit stiff, but not to the extent that they had been. Pleased to see his health had returned, he steadily rose to his feet and began to stretch.

DC turned at the sound and examined him, a look of shock gradually transforming into relief on his features. "It worked," he said. "It actually worked."

"Yeah." He winced as the joint in one of his knees popped. "I'm still working out the kinks, but I feel a lot better."

The creeper shrieked in delight. "That's wonderful! For awhile, I was worried that you wouldn't… well, you're okay now, so that's what matters. Of course, it might be wise for you to rest before we move on."

Steve shook his head. "There's no time for rest. Besides, I feel perfectly fine now. We should get going while we still have daylight left."

"If you're sure."

"I am."

They pondered over their next move while they ate a quick breakfast. It had been decided that they were to confront the writer of the two notes, but there were no signs of their opponent's presence around them. Without so much as a single clue, they would be left to search a massive world for an entity they knew nothing about.

"Maybe one of the notes will give us a hint," DC suggested.

Steve pulled out the wrinkled parchment from his pocket and scrutinized every word. The second note held nothing but a discourteous taunt, but the final sentence of the first note spiked his interest. "What do you think he meant by 'I'll be waiting for you in hell'?"

DC swallowed the last bit of his meal. "It sounds like he was trying to give us a hint as to where he might be hiding."

Steve frowned. "Well, it's a pretty crappy one. I've never seen anything in this world that was at all 'hellish'."

Silence.

"What's wrong?"

"Well… what if he wasn't in this world?"

He leaned closer in interest. "What do you mean?"

DC shook his head. "Never mind. It's an absurd idea."

"Of course it isn't! Go on. Explain yourself."

He sighed. "Very well. It's just a spur-of-the-moment idea I had, and I'm more than a bit dubious that it's true, but I was thinking that, maybe, there is more than one world here. Actually, 'world' is the wrong word to say - dimension, perhaps? Yes, another dimension. Who's to say that all we have is what we can see around us? After all, our enemy always seems to be one step ahead of us; he vanishes just moments before we can catch up. What if there is some secret, alternate dimension that he is hiding in? Somehow, he could be using something to transport himself back and forth between worlds, keeping an eye on us while being able to stay a safe distance away… I don't know. It's just a theory."

"Maybe, but it's possible. I mean, crazier things have happened."

"True… Even so, if this 'alternate dimension' really does exist, then we still don't have a way to reach it. I believe we should…" He stopped mid-sentence and glanced at the closed-off entrance to the shelter. His face held the expression of someone who was trying to hear something.

Steve was thrown off by this sudden action. "What are you -"

"Shhh…" he hushed. "Something is outside."

Outside the shelter? Steve directed his attention to the closed-off entrance of the shelter, where DC's gaze was focused. For awhile, he heard nothing. He almost considered punching a hole in the wall to take a look outside, but he froze when he finally heard it - something grunted.

What on earth is that?

The sound couldn't have come from any sort of animal like a pig or a cow; it was too different, too… otherworldly. Steve was positive he had never heard it before.

Another grunt sounded, and with it came the sound of cobblestone being torn away; whatever was making the noise was clawing away at the wall. A section of it gave out, allowing a thick streak of daylight to burst through. Other holes soon developed, destroying the only barrier between the two adventurers and the outside world. As it was being broken down, they could see a group of tall, black figures holding the blocks that used to be the wall with a loose grip; neither one had seen this sort of creature before.

As the final pieces were pushed aside, Steve was frozen in his spot, unable to tear his gaze from the creatures.

They were almost twice his height, and nearly three times as thin. They had no hands or feet, but their limbs were long and stick-like, and they moved with a strict rigidness as if they had no joints. Their heads, Steve decided, were the most frightening; their eyes were a bright purple in color and always seemed to stare straight in front of them, and they seemed to emit some sort of particles in a matching color. No facial expressions were given from the group of these creatures as they looked around the small shelter.

Then their gaze fell on Steve and DC.

Everything seemed to happen at once. DC shrieked and backed up into a corner. Steve drew his sword and lunged at the intruders. Both of them were grabbed by two of the creatures in a cold grip, while the other two stripped them of their possessions, weapons included. Suddenly, their surroundings disappeared before them, and they found themselves standing in the plain they had traveled upon just a couple of days before. But before Steve could focus his sight on anything, the landscape disappeared yet again, being replaced by another grassy location. This repeated a few more times, replacing their surroundings with that of another area. It was enough to make Steve's head spin; his mind had not the time to adjust to such rapid changes. It was as if they were being teleported somewhere.

Finally, the environment stabilized around them, and they stood at the base of a hill which was yet another alien sight to Steve.

"Who are you?" he shouted. "Where are you taking us?" But the creatures remained silent and led their captives up the hill until they reached the top, where a bizarre structure lay.

There was a formation of blocks, as black as the creatures themselves, jutting out of the ground in the shape of a long rectangle. In the center of this rectangle was a glowing, purple substance, swirling and giving off a spooky humming sound. The strange stuff looked as if it had the consistency of water, yet it was suspended in the air between the blocks. Steve and DC were led to this object and pushed into the substance. Before either of them had a chance to run, the environment around them once again began to spin violently. Steve closed his eyes and resisted the urge to hurl. When he opened his eyes, his heart skipped a beat.

This wasn't Minecraftia.

They stood on a mountain that overlooked a world of blood-red mountains, jagged cliffs, and fiery valleys. Sultry winds baked Steve's face and stung his eyes as he blinked at the intimidating landscape around him. Noting was familiar in the least. The place was dark, dry, and very hot. Not a drop of water was in sight. Instead, seas of magma bubbled and sizzled ominously in the great valley below, providing one of only two natural light sources in the entire area; the other was in the form of yellow, glass-like blocks, clustered together in small groups in the air. The type of rock that made up the ground was highly flammable; flames were springing up everywhere, cackling as if uttering a menacing laugh.

In the distance, there was a floating island of sorts suspended above the lake of magma. On top of the island was a massive, brooding fortress made out of a red and purple-toned brick. Surrounding this fortress was a tall, iron gate, guarded by two more of the tall creatures. Cascades of magma spewed out of the sides of the island, pouring into the lake below. All in all, the fortress appeared to be unreachable and impenetrable. Perhaps this was the lair of the enemy?

There was a noticeable lack of entities in this world, and the only group of animals Steve actually saw was yet another unfamiliar one. They slightly resembled the pigs back home, but many features set them apart from the peaceful farm animals he knew. For one thing, they stood on two legs like a human, and each one held a roughly-crafted sword in its deformed hands. Their sickly-looking skin was turning green in the process of rotting, and some parts of it had fallen off altogether, exposing the bone. They grunted and moaned with the pain of a zombie as they marched around aimlessly, some taking a dip into the magma; they seemed to be immune to fire.

Sweat poured down the back of Steve's neck; he wasn't used to such heat. Every breath he took burned its way down to his lungs. He felt as though he had traveled to hell.

I'll be waiting for you… in hell.

Despite the high temperatures, a distinct chill ran along his spine as he remembered the line from the note. He stole a quick glance at DC; judging by the same stunned expression on his face, he could tell they shared the same thoughts. This must be the world of their enemy. DC's theory was right; there was an alternate dimension.

Suddenly, one of the tall creatures holding them captive lifted its head and emitted a piercing shriek that produced a shrill ringing in Steve's ears. A shockwave of sound blasted through the blistering air, causing a few of the disfigured, pig-like animals to lift their heads in mild interest.

As the sound reverberated against the serrated edges of the mountains, a horrific yet amazing sight greeted Steve. They appeared out of nowhere, floating white specks against the red landscape. As they grew nearer, they grew in size and number, until a horde of them were flying in a single-file line towards them. Their bodies were the usual cubed shape, stark white with a row of gills on either side. Tentacle-like appendages hung from their underbellies, giving them the appearance of flying jellyfish. Their faces, though, were what scared Steve the most; their eyes were fully closed and appeared to be dripping with tears, and a well-defined frown made up their mouths. With that and the combination of their high-pitched, childlike whine, it was apparent that these beasts were not happy in the least.

When the line of these beasts reached the mountain, they arranged themselves so that their bodies formed an extensive, white bridge, connecting the mountain to the floating island. One of the tall creatures stepped onto the back of one of the beasts and glanced behind him. It nodded, as if saying it was time to move. A second tall creature followed, and the two waited for the rest of the group to mimic the action.

Steve gulped, doubting the safety of the situation. There was nothing to hold onto, nothing to keep him from tumbling into the great magma lake below. Were they really supposed to do this?

An impatient nudge from a tall creature behind him signified he should indeed follow suit. "You okay?" he whispered to DC, noticing the creeper was a slightly paler green than usual.

DC swallowed. "I will have to be."

With two tall creatures in front of them and two behind, the pair of adventurers timidly put a foot forward onto the whimpering beasts. Steve was surprised at how soft the body felt beneath his foot. For a minute, he wondered if they suffered any pain of bearing so many burdens on their backs at one time, but another irritated nudge told him to move on.

They moved slowly and surely, keeping a wary distance from the edge. The beast-built bridge was lengthy, and it took a good fifteen minutes to cross it at their slow rate, but they eventually set foot on stable ground again (which was a great relief to both of them). As soon as the last foot was released from the beasts, they scattered as quickly as they had appeared.

The two tall creatures guarding the fortress saw the arrival of the captives and proceeded to open the iron gate, but not without a good struggle; they grunted in pain as their inadequate, scrawny arm muscles strained to pull at the heavy bars. However, the four creatures guarding Steve and DC merely stood and watched with empty eyes, as if it wasn't their place to help.

Finally, the iron gate was open. As the group walked past it and into the fortress, Steve could hear the two creatures grunting and wheezing as they closed the gate behind them.

The inside of the fortress was just as dark and uninviting as the outside. Many of the torches in the front corridor had burned out, and various fungi had taken advantage of the darkness and was growing in the cracked bricks. Surprisingly, though, the air was cool and moist. Steve inhaled the smell of damp clay and relaxed a little, but he knew better than to let his guard down. With nothing but two fists to defend himself and the creeper with, the odds were definitely against him.

The entire fortress, he soon found out, was nothing more than one intricately-weaved maze of identical corridors. Everywhere they turned, there was a four-way intersection waiting for them. They turned right, then left, then another left, then right, then… It was all too much. He was a miner, a crafter, a hunter. Whenever he would explore a cave, he would strategically place torches to his right to help him navigate his way out. Here, there were too many turns they took, too many paths to choose from, and not enough light to see. If there was ever a hope of escaping, they would have to be lucky… very lucky. Steve wasn't one to rely on luck.

They turned right. There was a warm light glowing at the end of the corridor. They had reached their destination, wherever it was.

The corridor led to an awe-inspiring room that looked as though it belonged in a majestic palace instead of a dark, dingy stronghold. It had a floor of glossy lapis lazuli tiles and walls made of pure gold. The bright yellow blocks of light Steve had seen on the outside formed a luminous chandelier in the center of the high ceiling. Rows of tightly-stocked bookshelves were aligned along the walls on all sides. A velvety red carpet split the room in two, leading up to a throne that appeared to be constructed of the same black stone that made up the structure they had used to get here. Sitting on this throne was a hooded figure in black robes. It took awhile for Steve to notice there was someone on the throne at all; his robes blended in too well. His face was obstructed by the hood, but Steve could make out two stark-white, misshapen hands. One rested on the arm of the throne, its skeletal fingers briskly tapping the arm. The other held a wooden staff with a brilliant blue stone on its tip.

DC gasped. "The stone!" he hissed.

The hooded figure stopped tapping its fingers. It let out an amused chuckle, one that sounded more human than Steve had anticipated. "Ah, you recognize this stone, creeper?"

DC shrunk back uneasily, causing the figure to laugh again. "What a pathetic sight to see, a creeper backing away in fear. My now, do I make you nervous? There's no reason to be afraid. After all, I didn't drag you all the way down here just to kill you."

Steve mustered his courage and clenched his fists. "Just who do you think you are?" he asked. "And what do you want with us?"

The figure leaned back in his throne lazily. "My name is Alastor." He took his free hand and swept away the hood. "I want your auras."