I woke up to find myself surprisingly refreshed, and comfortable. I sit up with a yawn and stretch to note sunlight filtering in from a hole in the ceiling, as well as light coming in from the four archways that I assume lead outside. At first I'm a bit alarmed that the Hatchery is sitting wide open, but I quickly relax as I focus on my mental map and realize not a single monster is nearby. I guess the Creep ate them all. My chuckling at the thought slowly dies down though as my sleep addled brain finally notes something off.

The clearing. It's coated in Creep. I suppose it was bound to happen, but what's bothering me is the Clearing is now three times the size it originally was. To my slowly dawning horror, I realized what must have happened. The Creep didn't just eat the monsters. It ate the trees too!

This is bad. This is really bad. I can't spread the Creep if it's just going to destroy everything! How am I supposed to prove that my Zerg are benign, if the Creep completely destroys the ecosystem? Making a planet uninhabitable by lowering its T-Score is not acceptable at all! I realize Zerg don't need to breathe, but most everything out there does! Humans certainly do! Everything friendly on this planet does! How'm I supposed to prove the Zerg aren't monsters if the Creep leaves nothing but death and destruction in its wake?

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I calm down from my small panic attack with an exhale, helped along greatly by a concerned Hatchery that seems to be wondering if it did something wrong. I quickly pat it, and send it a burst of love and affection, telling it without words that it's doing just fine. It can't help that the Creep is so parasitic. It can't, but I can. I'm the Overmind. If something is wrong with my Zerg, then I'm just going to have to change it. I don't know how I'm going to switch the Creep over from being parasitic to symbiotic, but I'm sure I'll find a way. I make a mental note to do just that, only for a new block of text to show up on my wall of light with those very words. Nice! That'll make it far easier to remember things!

Feeling a bit more upbeat, I get up, and turn around to fetch my shirt, only to start in surprise. I must've tossed my shirt aside at some point during the night since it's certainly not serving as my pillow. Instead, a depression following the contours of my body is sitting right where I'd laid down last night. No wonder I woke up feeling so refreshed! Almost on instinct, I sent a burst of affection and gratitude to the Hatchery for doing such a thing, and it literally quivered in pride and happiness. It's extremely humbling how just a little affection from me seems to affect it so much.

Getting dressed, I stepped outside and looked around with my own eyes. Honestly, there's really no difference between my eyes and the mental map, other than in a way it seems to put in perspective. Seeing the devastation from the perspective of the Hatchery doesn't really highlight just how much larger the clearing is now, and just how many trees must've been destroyed just from the Hatchery's output of Creep alone. Unfortunately, I'm probably going to have to put down a few Creep Colonies and another Hatchery or two in order to get a proper defensible Hive Cluster set up to defend itself from attacks.

I'm also going to need the room to set up the auxillary buildings as well. I'll at least need it for the Evolution Chamber, which I'm hoping will have what I need to evolve the Swarm, the Creep in particular. It seems only reasonable after all, that an Evolution Chamber should be able to evolve the Zerg.

While I'm thinking, I make my way over to the river for a drink. I'm actually surprised the river is still there. Rather than fill up the river bed or flatten it down like the Creep seems to have done to everything else, including the blast holes left by a few Creepers last night, instead the Creep seems to have simply settled to the bottom of the riverbed, leaving the whole thing intact. I wonder for a moment if the Hatchery did this on purpose. A feeling of confirmation from the Hatchery answers that. Smart. Smarter than I expected. I'd honestly thought the Zerg would be mindless drones that can't do anything without the Overmind to direct them, other than perhaps the Cerebrates themselves. I'm very pleasantly surprised and pleased to know this isn't the case.

After getting a drink, I turn towards the apple tree to get something to eat, only to remember that the Creep had destroyed all the nearby trees. With a sigh, I glance at all the trees a fair distance away. Are any of them apple trees? Better yet, are there any monsters lurking in the shadows of their boughs? I can't tell, since the edge of the Creep roughly marks the edge of my sight range on the mental map. Anything beyond that I'll just have to look around normally.

A burst of feeling from the Hatchery distracts me. I think it's trying to get my attention? Ok, now it's trying to tell me something, but I can't for the life of me translate different bursts of feeling that fast, let alone figure out what even half of them mean in the first place.

Frustrated, I looked down, only to start as the Hatchery seemed to burst in excitement, if that large spike of joy was anything to go by. Whatever it wants, it has to do with the ground? What? The Creep? What about the Creep? My stomach growls and it sends me that feeling of confirmation again. It wants me to eat the Creep? A final burst of confirmation, then it seems to settle down.

Ok, so if the Hatchery is anything to go by, the Creep is edible. Warily, I bent down and tried to grab a piece. To my surprise, a chunk of it detached very easily, and in seconds the Creep grew to replace the hole I'd left behind. I'm half tempted to turn my nose up at it. I walk on this stuff for crying out loud! My stomach growls again. With a sigh, and before I can think better of it, I shove the whole piece in my mouth.

It tastes like sugar taffy. It's practically melting in my mouth. It's a little bland, and with a couple of chews, I swallow it down. That wasn't half bad! Instantly my stomach stopped growling, and I felt like I'd just eaten a rather hearty breakfast. Creep is evidently very filling! It probably wouldn't be a good idea for non Zerg to eat it though, if last night is anything to go by.

Having eaten and not being thirsty, I started to wonder what I should do. The answer hit me pretty quickly. If I want to get anywhere with the Zerg, I need to figure out what Bio Energy is. Making my way over to the Hatchery, I sat down on the Creep and leaned back against the Hatchery to think about it.

I suppose if something were to be Bio Energy, it would have to be somehow biological in nature. Supposedly that pool in the Hatchery consists of Bio-Energy. Perhaps if I want to increase the Bio-Energy available, I need to put something biological in the pool? That does match up with how resource gathering works for the Zerg in Starcraft. In the game, a Drone goes to a crystal formation, bites off a chunk, then deposits it in the Hatchery somehow. Following that line of thinking, I cast about for the closest biological thing other than myself. That would probably be all the trees in the distance.

Well, time for an adventure I guess. Cautiously, I approach the treeline, coming to a stop a few meters away. This close, I can see a couple more apple trees scattered among the trees. I don't see any monsters, but that doesn't mean much, considering Minecraft monsters don't react unless they see you, and if you can't see them, that generally means they can't see you.

Slowly, I step forward, eyes and ears listening and watching for the slightest movement or sound. Closer I get to the tree line, closer… closer… Snatching an apple off the closest apple tree, I walk just as cautiously backwards, keeping my eyes and ears peeled for trouble. I'm not so much worried about Zombies as I am Skeletons. I can outrun a Zombie and even a Creeper, but a skeleton could shoot me down before I even got very far.

Just at the moment I think I may be home free, I spy out of the corner of my eye, a Creeper heading straight for me! The darn thing is as silent as a ghost! Flipping around, I take off running back to the Hatchery. If I'm lucky, I can outpace it to the point it'll give up chasing me before we even get close to the Hatchery. A few long seconds later I run into the Hatchery, and the doors contract shut. Unfortunately I hadn't been fast enough, and I watch on my mental map as the Creeper approaches the door, stops, then switches targets to the Hatchery and blows up. This close, I can feel the tremor shake the Hatchery, but once again it only does a little damage. It'll take a lot more than that to injure the Hatchery enough to overwhelm its natural regeneration.

Sighing, I look down at the apple in hand and grin. Now that it's over, that was kind of exciting! I seem to have gotten a bit of stick attached to the stem of the apple as well. Making my way over to the pool, the Hatchery obliges me by raising the level of the Bio Energy pool again. Holding the apple by the stick, I dipped the lower half in the pool then pulled it back out. Only there was nothing to pull back out. Evidently this stuff works as an instant acid to anything not Zerg. I've suddenly grown even more leery of ever drinking this stuff. Grimacing, I realize I should probably have some of it now so I won't hesitate later if and when I actually need it.

Stooping down, I point my Pinkie finger down and dip the very tip of it in. No effect. I slowly put my finger, then my whole hand in, then pull it back out. Other than greenish white glowing liquid dripping off my hand very much like water, there's no effect at all. In that case, I suck one of the droplets off of my fingers. And here I thought the water outside tasted good! Bio Energy tastes very sweet, but in a pure kind of way. There's no after taste either, unless you count a slight tingle at the back of the mouth. There's really no other way to describe it that I can think of. I definitely know I've found my new favorite drink though. Plus, between the drink and the Creep, I'm going to have one very satisfied sweet tooth.

Eyeing the last half of the apple, I shrug to myself and idly toss it in. It disappears with not even a plop. I turn my attention to the Bio Energy counter, only to be disappointed. There's no change at all! It's still sitting at zero! Well, if an apple won't work, what will?

On an impulse, I step outside and pull up another piece of Creep, then walk back in and toss it into the pool. No change. I even braved the tree line again and grabbed a leafy branch, a rock, and some dirt and toss those in one by one. Incidentally, picking up the rock reminded me of the rock in my pocket I'd used as a dull knife. Pulling it out, I eye it, then after a moment's thought, I dropped it back into my pocket. It might come in handy later. Walking back to the Hatchery, I tossed in the branch, the rock, and the dirt. No change. Frustrated, I thought that maybe I'm just doing it wrong. Maybe I need to just drop it in the Hatchery and maybe it'll convert it into Bio Energy for me?

Grabbing another branch, I once more had to run, though this time from a Zombie that caught fire as soon as it stepped out of the shade of the trees, I listened to it grunt in pain, and I turned around to jog backwards out of reach as I watched it slowly succumb to its injuries and collapse, then burn away into ashes, which the Creep absorbed into itself. Shaking my head, I turned back and stepped into the Hatchery. Stopping just inside, I held up the branch, then very deliberately dropped it onto the floor. At first, nothing happened. Then the floor seemed to expand and contract in spots, and I watched as the branch slowly moved across the floor slowly, then at a steady clip. It got pulled up the lip of the pool, where gravity tipped it over and inside.

Well, I guess that means that I was right before, but even when the Hatchery dropped the branch in itself, the counter didn't change. What am I missing? Frustrated, I plopped down against the wall and leaned back. It's not the most comfortable of seats, but it'll do. Suddenly, the spot I'm sitting in sinks down. It startles me at first, until I realize this is what the Hatchery must've done last night. Once again the Hatchery contoured around me, and leaned me back until I'd swear I'm sitting in a form fitting recliner. I could really get used to this, though at this rate, the Hatchery is going to spoil me something fierce.

Taking a moment to relax, I then turn my mind to chewing over the Bio Energy problem. A quick glance outside and up shows it to be midday. Considering I woke with the rising of the sun, gathering up that stuff must've taken a lot longer than I thought. Time flies when you're having fun I guess. Unfortunately this means I only have roughly six hours to figure out how to get some Bio Energy before the sun sets, and the monsters come out once again.

Twisting the problem about in my head, I consider the problem at different angles. Perhaps it's not something biological, but maybe energy instead? But how do I collect that? Only form of energy I can think of is fire and perhaps sunlight. Maybe if I toss a burning branch into the pool? Or maybe it's the opposite of burning. Water? Water is about the only thing I haven't tossed into the pool yet.

Stepping outside, I grabbed a cup of water in my hands and run back to the Hatchery with it. I only have a few drops left by the time I make it, much to my annoyance. Letting that pour in doesn't do anything, though I'm hardly surprised. Just to make sure, I step back out, then after thinking a moment, I bent down, then sucked as much water into my mouth as I could hold. There, now I shouldn't lose any. I can't help but think I'm clutching at straws at this point though, and I'm proven right when squirting it out into the pool does nothing.

Sitting back down in my new seat that the Hatchery has obligingly left in place along with my 'bed', I thought of more things to try. The burning branch thing is still up in the air, but other than rubbing sticks together, I don't have any way to start a fire. Maybe if I mined some coal or got some glass somehow, but I don't see how that would help. I wouldn't know how to light coal on fire anyway, other than maybe striking it with a rock or something. I've no idea if that would even work.

Maybe I should rub some sticks together… no, I'll save that as a last resort. Speaking of glass or coal though, I'm abruptly reminded that if this isn't Earth, then that must mean this is a Minecraft world… perhaps the Minecraft world. Minecraftia. The implications of that suddenly hit me. It's not just monsters that are here. There are lots of things here! Diamonds and other precious ores… the Nether… Potions… enchanting… Testificates… Villages and Temples… abandoned mines and mine shafts and giant chasms in the ground…

I'm particularly excited by the idea of enchanting. It's the closest thing to workable magic Minecraft has. But how to go about building an enchanting table? I can't remember if Enchanting tables could be found naturally anywhere in Minecraft or not. Would the crafting system even work? Could I build an axe simply by arranging some sticks and planks of wood on a 3x3 grid? Reality starts to set in as I wonder how that would even work. Is that a magic all in its own? Would any 3x3 grid work, or do I have to figure out how to transform a hunk of wood into wooden planks, and then into a crafting table?

Regardless, this isn't getting me any closer to getting some Bio Energy, but it is some good thoughts for the future. Maybe if I can find a village and communicate with them, I could read some of the books in their library and get them to teach me how to make potions, or maybe even iron golems!

Thoroughly distracted, I let my mind wander, as I simultaneously contemplated things I could do in real life Minecraft without a crafting grid, and how to get Bio Energy. Normally I'd feel a bit more focused than this, but between the Hatchery and my own instincts, I'm starting to think maybe I should just relax and not worry so much. Perhaps, for once, everything will sort itself out, and I won't have to worry about making everything right. It's a long shot, but the Hatchery soothing me helps, and I end up dozing off.

-END CHAPTER-

Overmind Matthew
PSI Energy – 50/50
Status – Normal

Abilities
- Spawn Hatchery – 50psi – 12 hour build
- Regeneration – Passive – Heals anything not instantly fatal; time needed depends on extent of injury
- Anaerobic – Passive – No longer requires breathable atmosphere to survive
- Temperature Resistance – Passive – Currently able to survive temperatures between -450 and 118 F
- PSI Regeneration – Passive – Regenerate energy at .5 points per second.

Zerg Swarm
Bio-Energy – 0
Support – 0/11

Entities
1x Hatchery