Chapter 3

I watched momentarily at where Herobrine had vanished. I sighed heavily. Well, time to do what I was enhanced to do. Rising to my feet, I looked over to see the camp was packing up. 'Think, think,' I thought. It was kind of hard under pressure. I decided to just to walk in. I might come up with an idea along the way, or improvise one. I just need to make this work.

I felt anxious as I neared the camp. I could tell my eyes were beginning to glow. "Keep it under control. They will not hurt you," I took a few deep breaths, watching as the camp became closer and closer. My heart pounded in my chest.

As I finally reached the camp, I could tell that all the NPCs were boring their gazes into me. I knew they were curious, A random person enters their camp. They also seemed... weary of me. I could feel my anxiety rise again. What if I got caught? No... right now, I need to keep calm. "H...hi," I stuttered out. "I... uh... stumbled upon the camp and thought to check it out. Thought you needed help." The camp stared at me, silently.

"We do not need help from a complete stranger," spoke an NPC, sounding quite irritated. I looked over to see a stocky NPC with stone-gray eyes and dark brown messy hair carrying a pickaxe over his shoulder. "What do you really want?" He sounded as if accusing me of something.

'What did I do?' I thought fearfully. Did he already figure me out? No... he could have not. Maybe he was just suspicious of me just randomly appearing like this. Yeah... that most likely was it.

I stood a bit taller as if I was a soldier. I guessed he was kind of like the general of the group. "I heard of Gameknight's group and thought of joining," I informed. Then slouched a bit, placing a hand behind my head. "Did not expect to find them anywhere, though. Have any signs of where they could be?"

The stocky NPC narrowed his eyes. He was about ready to speak when a younger voice replied. "It is okay, Stonecutter, she seems to be no threat." the NPC moved to reveal a dark robed boy. A crafter? He is quite young to be one with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Greetings, I am Crafter," he replied. "This is the group you seek." He looks up to see my nametag over my head with no server thread that streaked up to the infinite skies above. All normal users usually carried a server thread. Crafter raised an eyed brow.

"Okay, everyone!" Stonecutter called out. "Continue packing! We need to get moving again!" He looks to Crafter with an uncertain look before walking off to help out the other NPCs in the camp.

I chuckled nervously when all the NPCs looked away to continue. "I... I thought this was another camp. Did not expect to stumble upon the right one."

Crafter gave me a warm smile. "What other NPC camps would be out here then better off in their own village?"

"True," I nodded. "So... can I join, or is that a no go?"

Crafter shrugged. "I say you can tag along as you wish."

"Absolutely not!" a new voice came from behind me. I turned to see the exact person I wanted to see. Gameknight999 himself. The user looked at me angrily then to Crafter. "You know how I feel about others joining. It is enough you all want to. I do not want to be responsible for another life."

"I can fight!" I declared pulling out my stone sword. "I fought off plenty of..."

"The answer is still no!" Gameknight cut me off angrily, glaring. "I do not want to be responsible for another life."

Was he going to be like this all the time?! I was getting really irritated by him. "Let her join," someone else spoke. "She can be a good asset to the group. If she fails, it will be her fault." We looked over to a female NPC with curly red hair and brown eyes.

"My word is final, Hunter," Gameknight growled. "I will not accept her joining our group." He turns to look at me then walks away. I watched him angrily as he ordered everyone around to get a move on. I almost had it with this user.

Hunter looks at me and smiles. I was confused. "Let me talk some sense into him. He thought the same way about his sister." She turns and walks away. I looked to Crafter who shrugged.

To my disappointment, the group was already heading out, Hunter was still trying to convince Gameknight for me to come. Then it hit me. I needed to see if I can get Herobrine to help out a bit. Like, stage a fight or something. The problem was that I doubt he will not help. I sighed heavily. I have to figure out how to be part of the group.

I was soon brought out of my thoughts when I noticed Hunter approaching me. It was obvious that she had not convinced him. I sighed at the thought of failing Herobrine. She stopped in front of me. "Turns out I could not convince the stubborn user," she told the obvious, smiling.

I looked unamused. "It was kind of clear to me that would be the outcome." I watch her smile. "If I cannot join, then why are you smiling?"

"Because," She pulled out a set of iron armor, "you are joining undercover. Put these on and try to keep a low profile as possible. Doubt Gameknight will find you in the back of the army. If he does look back, your iron armor should prevent you from being seen."

I nodded, liking her plan. "I have a set of iron armor given to me by Farmer," bringing out the iron set.

Hunter shrugged. "Then put it on," she grabbed the set from the ground, putting it back in her inventory. "I am taking back watch, and you should help." Her mood, unsurprisingly, was chirpy. "Maybe we can kill some monsters as we go."

The thought of fighting made me ill. I hate fighting, but if I had to I would. I nodded to Hunter, confirming I was going to help keep watch in the back. She smiled at me, then pushed me forward. I realized we both had started falling behind a bit. The two of us ran to catch up before falling into the same rhythm as the whole army. The clattering of iron against iron was irritating, but I had to keep under control or my eyes may glow when I did not want them to.

"We are going to the Nether," Hunter piped up, looking wearily around as if she was expecting something to pop out of nowhere.

"For what?" I asked curiously.

"Back at our village, everyone had suddenly became ill," her eyes darkened at the thought. "Morgana, our witch up ahead with Gameknight, is telling him stuff we will need for the cure."

I looked up ahead to see a witch with Gameknight. The two looked like they were talking about something I could not hear with all this clattering. "Why does he need so many villagers?" I looked back to Hunter.

She shrugged. "It was supposed to be a trip with just us, but we soon realized the illness spreads to everyone if they stayed. So whoever did not get the sickness was kind of forced to come along." She then banged on her own iron armor. "But these are seasoned warriors. They will not care if they die. Just as long as they help prevent the sickness."

I thought for a moment. "Has there been other villages that had been hit by this illness?" I asked wearily.

Hunter nods, "Plenty. We keep getting a villager from all over the map to find a cure."

Fear crept into my mind, thinking of how Farmer and the rest of her village was slowly falling to sickness. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth. Did Farmer die while I was gone? I should have stayed and helped.

"You okay?" Hunter asked, sounding a bit worried. "You closed your eyes. Are you in pain?"

'Pain?' I thought. 'Of course I am in pain. My village might be sick and I am nit there to help them.' I clenched my fists. I could feel, more know, that my eyes were glowing. I did not want Hunter noticing the glow, so I kept them tightly shut. After a few moments of internally freaking out, I slowly calmed myself. I looked to Hunter with my eyes open. "Y...yeah, I am fine," I half lied.

"You do not seem fine," Hunter said, frowning. "If something bothers you, do not be afraid to say it."

I looked at her momentarily. "It is just..." I trailed off, looking to the ground, "I left my village to be part of this group. When I left, everyone seemed fine." I closed my eyes, feeling them them begin to glow. "Now I am afraid that I left them to endure the sickness alone."

Hunter was silent for a few moments. "Is that not normal for a user to leave an NPC village?"

I shook my head. "You do not get it." I tried to calm myself from the horrible, aching feeling of the village I lived in might have became suddenly sick. "I live there as part of their community. I heard I am actually in the game, whatever that means."

More silence afterward. "Oh, you are also a user-that-is-not-a-user," Hunter finally realized. "Why do you not just go back?"

"I do not know how," I responded nervously, looking away from her.

I could see at the corner of my eyes how Hunter began to smile. "Then we just get Gameknight to help." I looked at her again then nodded. It was a good idea to talk with Gameknight, but at the moment it was not possible. If I showed saying I needed his help, he would most likely decline and send me away.

Just as I was thinking about how I was going to talk to him, I heard a growl right next to me. I looked over to see a white wolf with eyes red and hackles raised. It was staring at me. I did not dare reach over to pet it, but glad to see it was going to attack.

"Go patrol, you furball," Hunter growling to the wolf. It looked at her then looked to me with narrowed eyes. Then it turned to get back to guarding the group. "Mangy thing," she scoffed. "Sorry about that. Do not know why it was growling at you."

I, again, looked down. I knew exactly why it was growling at me. It could tell I was more than just a user. It was something that I was trying to hide. For a moment, I thought I would have failed Herobrine right then and there.

I noticed out of the corner of my eyes, a villager fell behind a bit. I saw the dark smock of a smithy. He seemed to be eyeing me suspiciously. "Who is this?" He asked, sounding as if he did not trust me at all. Guess that was due to one of the furry creatures growling at me.

"Her name is WarriorMoonstar," Hunter introduced, "and she is also a user-that-is-not-a-user."

Smithy raised a unibrow. "I can see that," he looked for the server thread only to find none. "Why was a wolf growling at her? They would not growl unless there was something evil." He watched me accusingly. It was as if he expected me to suddenly attack out of the blue.

Hunter shrugged. "I have honestly no clue. It was just growling." She then laughed. "I am guessing they do not like her."

I felt my hear ache. Wolves and animals used to love me, but now they want me to stay away. They looked at me as if expecting to answer. All I could do was shrug.

"Great! So she will be traveling with us," Hunter began with a smile. "She will be a good asset to the group. If she is anything like Gameknight."

"I doubt it," Butcher disagreed. "Gameknight is the user-that-is-not-a-user and the only one I will follow to my death. Just like Stonecutter."

"Stonecutter?" I echoed. 'Who was that?' I thought.

"Stonecutter was one of the village's best stone maker. He created a whole wall made of stone..." Butcher trailed off. "Anyway, Stonecutter had absorbed Herobrine's infected XP and became him. He had the strongest willpower to be able to do as he was told, but in doing so, he sacrificed himself."

"That is horrible!" My eyes widened, but soon saddened. "I never knew how bad he was. I mean, I have only heard of stories..." I trailed off only momentarily. "No wonder Gameknight acts how he does." I looked at the head of the group. Grameknight was in the front, leading the group as bravely as he could. Who knows what turmoil runs around in his mind.

We continued on with our walk with the sun climbing the sky. It will not be long before the sun hit its peak. I looked ahead to see Gameknight looking around expecting a hoard of monsters to attack. The thought caused me to shiver. I hated fighting, but if necessary, I would. Occasionally, I saw some bats fly around. They seemed to scan the group before fluttering away. An arrow suddenly wizzed by striking the poor thing. I leapt then looked behind myself. Hunter was walking with a huge smile on her face, her bow pulled out.

When Hunter noticed my surprised expression, she laughed. "I hate those rodents," she explained. "Always spying on us, so killing them is necessary. Do not want Herobrine after us, right?" I slowly nodded, though, I hated how she looked amused when she killed the bat.

I looked away from her. It was strange to see villagers moving across the land, but also comforting. I could not help but hum a tune that I heard Farmer sing to me for many years. It always cheered him and me up.

"What are you humming?" Smithy asked. He had not left my side since we started moving. I just guessed it was because he was suspicious of my sudden appearance. I would not blame him.

I blinked at him, almost as if I had forgotten he was there. "A song Farmer and I always sing to cheer our spirits up."

"I still cannot imagine a village taking in a user like how yours did," Hunter spoke up from behind. "I mean, yeah, we practically welcome Gameknight into our village with open arms. It is just the fact that you actually live with them. We seriously need to get you out of this game, or you are no user anymore." There was a hint of amusement.

I wanted to smack that smug look of hers, but I kept my temptation. "I see nothing wrong with being part of the community acting like any other villager going about their day." I hotly said. "If you do not like the idea, too bad." I Blocked out all the rest of their conversations afterward. Something about them saying it is odd for user to live with them like that, or some other doubting thing. Did I really belong here? Why was I here then? There could be no coincident I was here. I looked up to see the sun almost at its peak. We would not rest till dusk.

Just as we passed into a roofed biome, I heard growls of zombies and grinding skeleton bones throughout the forest. I looked around us. It was a small group and the wolves circling around the group took care of it with ease. Only one skeleton had aimed at me. It was soon killed by a flaming arrow that Hunter had let loose. I watched it hit its mark and the skeleton burst into flames. It panicked then disappeared.

Looking over to Hunter, she looked serious before smiling again. That woman is seriously scaring me more than Herobrine did. I just stared at her with wide fearful eyes. Okay, she more terrifies me. Did he think about how dangerous it could be if she was the one who found me out? Then his words rang through my mind: You fail, I will kill you. You die, you are no use to me. Well, more that was to sum it up, but it scares me. I am going to die! Oh Brightest Star, please be with me through this journey. I begged to the sky. Every time I look up to see the stars above, I feel more confident; but now the stars were hidden by the sun's light.