Chapter 7: Rage of A Thousand Miners

Jewel woke up from a rather unusual nap.

For a few moments, she forgot where she was, why she was here. She was in a nice room, with light blue carpet, diamond and quartz walls. She was out of her usual clothes and wearing an elegant gold-colored gown. She didn't know whether to be confused or excited. "It looks cute on you." Jewel's head swiveled. There was another girl in the room. She had red orange hair tied in two low pigtails in front of her. She wore a white dress and yellow stockings, as well as a black jacket. Jewel recognized this girl, but from where?

...the memory sunk in like a silverfish in soul sand.

"You…" she whispered, slowly backing into the wall. "Where is Pickaxe?" she demanded, "Where is everybody!?" The girl calmly advanced forward, placing her hand on Jewel's shoulder. Jewel flinched; the hand felt like it had shot many arrows, killed many monsters. More than monsters… "They're alive, that's as much as I'll say," the girl assured Jewel. "But an attempt to escape would be ill-advised." She began to walk out of the room, turning to look at Jewel one last time.

"You really do look nice in that dress. Perfect for Lord Parker…"

Pickaxe rubbed his aching head.

Even though he was unconscious, the thing that stirred him back to reality was the sound of skin against steel. He slowly opened his eyes to the sight of Texik. He was in the cell next to Pickaxe's, punching against the iron bars in vain. "BREAK...OPEN...YOU...STUPID...TIN-CAN!" he grunted furiously. In the other cells, Endre, Madison, and Sarah looked at Texik in dismay. "Dude," Endre interrupted,"Even if you break one of them, you still have to break the rest…" Texik paused at this for a second, still punching the iron bars. He shrugged it off as though he didn't hear it the first time, and continued punching the bars. He only stopped when a golden sword struck the exterior.

"Well lookie what we have here!" Texik muttered at Parker.

Parker put away the golden sword, examining the prisoners in their helpless state. He looked optimistically disappointed. "Why the long faces?" he questioned, "You are bearing witness to history in the making…" The group continued to grimace. "Well, I tried…" he sighed, "Surely, Jewel is more excited than this. I am. After all…" He pulled out an enchanted diamond pickaxe and an enchanted diamond sword. "I got these out of it." Parker put away his shiny new bling, casually leaving the prisoners as they were.

Pickaxe's fists were clenched so hard, they threatened to bleed.

He punched the wall next to a open window. The group needed to get out of these cells. Pickaxe needed to get his tools back. But how were they going to get out? The prison cell walls, when not made of iron bars, were comprised of netherrack, but even after digging through it, a deadly lava moat surrounded the area. Not the best way a person wants to be remembered in their last moments. Pickaxe began pacing. He pulled out a piece of gravel to fondle with.

…

He still had gravel.

…

What else had Parker forgotten to take?

Pickaxe checked his inventory. As it turns out, Parker forgot to take his gravel, cobblestone, and potion of fire resistance, as well has his pumpkin (his beloved pumpkin!). However, he was smart enough to take away his getaway ender pearl, and his bow. He looked out the window. What would he do if he did get out. All he had other than that was some leftover wood and torches. He heard the one of prison guards coming. He quickly hid his items.

The guard gave them a brief look of indifference before leaving them amongst themselves.

"Head back to the base," Endre whispered. "Try getting help. We'll think of something…" Texik was moving his fingers through his hair; "If I don't kill the little squirt first…" he spat. "Oh, do calm down…" Sarah advised. She and Madison faced Pickaxe. "Go on," Madison urged, "We got your back." Pickaxe looked at all of his friends. All of their faintly hopeful faces…

He wasn't going to let them down.

Jewel was looking all around the room, seeing no way out.

What was Parker up to this time? The occasional gifts and the magnificent builds were offset enough back at the village, but now this!? She had established several times that she and Parker were simply friends. Friends! She didn't know what to think of him now. Through the glass windows and roof in her "quarters," Jewel could see Parker showing something off to the archer from earlier. Something familiar… an enchanted diamond pickaxe… Hold on…

That was Pickaxe's pickaxe!

How did Parker get it? He didn't… no, he wouldn't… The archer seemed to have a similar reaction, leaving Parker to shake his hands in a "No no no" fasion. So he hadn't killed Pickaxe… yet. The archer's face looked relieved. She began saying something to Parker, before briefly glancing at Jewel's "quarters" and returning to her initial speech. Jewel looked at the ground in frustration. She HATED being used as leverage, especially against her family and friends. Unfortunately, that was the only option, seeing as Parker had taken all her items. The conniving little… Her thoughts stopped as a guard opened the door.

The main event would get underway, soon. She was being transferred somewhere else instead of her cell.

The guard kept his eye on her, though the slightest twinge of sympathy showed on his face. Eventually, they arrived at a second room. "The boss said you needed to stay here for your iwn safety," he finally stated, "He'll check up on you soon." Jewel's face was downcast again. She didn't want to have anything to do with Parker at this point. The guard looked uneasy. He was about to leave in the room, when he scanned the hallways to make sure no one was around. He turned to face Jewel. He tossed her diamond and iron swords at her feet. Jewel was stunned. She slowly picked them up. "Wha-?" she began to say. The guard clasped his hand over her mouth. He looked panicky.

"Not a word, my lady," he said sternly,"Trust me when I say help is on the way. Don't do anything brash, and you will escape this burden."

"Please… don't go…"

Pickaxe turned to face the voice. It was the prisoner in the neighboring cell. A girl. She wore a torn white dress and green sandals. Her hair was thick and blond, but tattered over a face that only held faint remains of beauty. Her eyes were a dull but piercing diamond color, similar to Jewel's right eye. She looked at Pickaxe with a pleading face. Her eyes were filled with fear and horror.

"Please…" she repeated,"Don't go…"

"I have to," Pickaxe replied. He punched a hole through the wall big enough for him to walk through. "No...please…" she faintly argued. She sounded like she wanted to yell, but didn't have the strength to. Pickaxe found it hard to leave her in this condition. He searched through his inventory and, conveniently, found a loaf of bread. He tossed it through the iron bars toward the prisoner. She looked at it for a while, before slowly reaching out to grab it. As she was nibbling on it rather pitifully, Pickaxe dared to ask her, "Why don't you want me to go?" The prisoner turned to face him, her eyes filled with worry.

"Parker… he'll find you… torture you…"

"He doesn't scare me," Pickaxe responded. That much was true. If anything, all Parker did was make Pickaxe want to drown him in lava. He'd gone this far in making sure he kidnapped Jewel. He had stolen their materials to rub salt in the wound. No, Parker didn't scare Pickaxe… he just ticked him off. "Besides, he won't catch me," he continued. "No," the prisoner argued, "Parker WILL find you. Parker WILL torture you. No matter how far you get… he always gets his way…" She seemed to have lost any sanity she once previously had. "Why does he of all people scare you?" Texik demanded. The prisoner turned to face him, with an expression both distant and frightening. "He did it to me…" she choked, on the brink of tears,"His own mother…"

The guards chose this moment to walk past Pickaxe's cell.

Everyone froze. Pickaxe couldn't build a bridge fast enough before they'd catch him. One of the guards let out a sigh, grabbing a lever and an axe. Crud, thought Pickaxe. They were going to kill him. The guard placed the lever next to the iron door. Pickaxe's cell opened. Well, now or never, decided Pickaxe, looking over at his hole in the wall. Before he jumped, he caught a flash of something in Texik's hand...something red.

"HIT THE DECK!" was all Pickaxe heard as he leapt from the explosion.

It was a long fall to the bottom, which gave Pickaxe plenty of time to consume his fire resistance potion. When he hit the lava, he didn't feel the heat. He couldn't take any chances; he needed to get back to the base. He swam in the lava for what seemed like an eternity. Of course, it didn't help that an arrow landed right before he was about to make it to shore. He pulled himself out of the lava and darted across the chaotic landscape. He found some refuge behind a nether quartz ore wall. He needed some form of defense.

He began to assemble a crafting table.

Jewel was silent in her new cell.

That miner… why had he done what he did? He had somehow talked his way into getting Jewel's weapons, only to give them back to her. What was the meaning of it? His words still echoed in her head: Don't do anything brash, and you will escape this burden. What had he meant by that? Was he a rogue? Did he simply want to lead Jewel to a more torturous location? Notch forbid!

...was he from the village?

Jewel's train of thought was constantly interrupted by the ruckus outside. Out of annoyance, she decided to take a look outside the cell, which was conveniently located near the dungeon. There was a gaping hole in the wall. She saw several guards chasing someone in the distance. A fight was occurring inside the dungeons. What the heck?, was the only thing she could think about the entire scene. How in anyone's right mind did this escape plan come about? Unexpectedly, the answer came to mind: her friends.

The door to the cell slammed open. The archer was decked out in leather armor.

"We need to go," she commanded, grabbing Jewel's arm without waiting for a response. There wasn't much Jewel could do about it; this girl was strong. They navigated the corridors with unprecedented speed. Within a moment's notice, they were outside the fortress. "Ummm, where are we going?" Jewel question. The archer didn't even glance at her when she replied, "A nearby safehouse. We can't let the prisoners take you." Jewel grimaced. Of course Parker wouldn't let her be close to anyone he said couldn't be. He always wanted her for himself…

A high-pitched screech filled the air.

The archer and Jewel dared to turn back, seeing the very thing they both feared was after them: a ghast. It shot a fireball towards the two. The archer grasped Jewel and pulled her out of the way of the explosion. She lead her to the inside of the safehouse, shutting the door. Jewel could only peek through the iron bars as the archer began to slay the ghast. How did she have experience with this kind of thing? Jewel didn't think she wanted to know.

Eventually, the ghast was finished off. The archer kept Jewel company for the next few moments.

A stone sword and a new shield.

Thank goodness Parker forgot to take that one iron ingot! Pickaxe strapped on his new gear, as well as his pumpkin. He would need it for the battle. He took a look past his rock to see what the guards were doing. They were still firing arrows, hoping to snipe him into the open. Now's the time, Pickaxe decided. He took a breath, and ran out into the open.

The chase was on.

The guards had tried to keep up with Pickaxe, but each of their arrows were blocked by his shield. If one got to close, he swatted them away with his sword. The occasional ghasts and zombie pigman helped out too. He ran for blocks upon blocks upon blocks. The nooks and crannies of the place were a bit difficult, but still possible to traverse. After a long time of running, Pickaxe saw the base in the distance. YES! But he still had the guards to take care of...

"Might as well," he thought aloud, turning to his opposition.

The shield was one of the most effective tools he ever wielded in Minecraft, save the pickaxe, of course. He kept bringing it up to avoid arrows in the face, all while swatting the unlucky with his stone sword. But he couldn't keep this up forever. Stone wasn't as sturdy as diamond. The village mattered more than these guards. After one last brushing away, he made a mad dash to the base. He hurriedly took out the flint and steel from the chest, and struck it against the portal.

Without thinking twice, he threw himself into the vortex.

…

Darkness covered the land on all sides. Pickaxe could only barely make out the faint shapes of the village buildings. Thank heavens he was in a mushroom island biome, or things could've been worse. He began making his way through the village when, to his chagrin, he heard something slip through. He sighed, and turned to face the guards once again. He wasn't so lucky this time. His sword wasn't hitting its marks. The shield wasn't defending as well. He wondered why-...weakness. One of the guards had hit him with a splash potion of weakness. He had no buckets of milk on him. All he could do was take blow after blow, slash after slash. Nothing would save him now…

...except for a certain wooden shovel, of course.

After several moments, Jewel and the archer, who Jewel figured out was named Rosetta, left the safe house to return to the base. They went through the gates, but didn't return to her previous cell. "Lord Parker wishes to speak to you," was all Rosetta had said. While Jewel resented the idea of even looking at Parker, it was still a better alternative compared to looking at a ghast… right? The two continued until they reached a very special-looking room. Rosetta opened the door for Jewel, as the two stepped inside the magnificent chamber.

At least, it was magnificent until Parker had showed up.

He was in his casual attire. He held Pickaxe's weapons by his side nonchalantly. He seemed to be in a good mood. Ironically, not a good sign. "Ah, Jewel, glad you could join us!" he greeted, looking extremely humble to boot. Jewel didn't know how to respond. "Oh, come now, why don't you have a seat?" Parker asked, showing some comfy wool blocks to sit on. While hesitant at first, Jewel ultimately complied to sit on the blocks. Unfortunately, they were a bit too comfy.

"Now then," Parker continued, "Why don't we get down to business?"

Parker clapped his hands, and Jewel's friends were brought forth. Jewel gasped. Madison and Sarah had been relieved of their inventories. Endre looked looked like he had been in a cage match and lost...badly. All Texik had to sport was some burns and charred clothing, as well as an absolutely MURDEROUS look. Parker seemed pleased with himself. "These miners have been quite the thorn in our sides for some time now…" he began. "Why not make sure they're… taken care of?"

Against her will, Jewel was forced to accompany her friends to their execution.

Only she would be alive after everything. She had no doubt that Parker planned to use her as leverage against her father. Still, there was one thing about this that seemed a bit… off. Pickaxe wasn't with them. She already knew Parker hadn't killed him, because everytime he looked at one of his weapons, his face became the slightest bit annoyed. She remembered earlier events, back at the dungeon. Had he been the one the guards were chasing? Speaking of guards…

The guard from earlier was looking straight at her.

He did a gesture that said "Wait." She wished she could do anything but wait.,But she had to trust him; he was their ticket out. She had her weapons. They just needed the right moment to strike. The guard made signal faces to the other guards. Were they all in on this? Eventually, the group made it to a room. It was comprised entirely of obsidian. "Perimeter check," Rosetta commanded the guards, as they went inside, checking to see if everything was in order. Jewel hoped they would somehow find a way to get them all out alive. She caught Rosetta about to pull a lever. There was a sign next to it that said "Terminate."

The room filled to the brim with lava.

The group screamed in horror. Parker and Rosetta looked at them with indifference. After some time, Rosetta flipped the switch again, finding the traitorous guards still burning. Slowly, one after another, each of them died the terrible death by fire. The last one standing was the guard that helped Jewel. He looked as though he was solely alive thanks to his unyielding determination. "Do you truly think I am a fool?" Rosetta questioned, slapping the guard in the face. "Your cause is in vain. This war is ours to win." The guard didn't seem concerned, even though he was quite literally burning to death. "In vain…?" he managed to choke, "I wouldn't be so harsh. Especially considering the boy made it... alive…" Rosetta smacked him again, and the guard didn't respond. He vanished in a puff of smoke.

At the same time, an explosion took out part of the wall.

Rosetta covered Parker to nullify the damage, while the rest of the group was flung backward. Parker slowly inched toward the edge of the wall. He couldn't believe his eyes. TNT cannons with now empty amo stood towards the front of the invasion. Miners wielding weapons of all materials and forms stood in the force, from swords to axes to bows and shields. Some rode horses or pigs, others were on foot. But the most offsetting part? In front of it all, standing next to Sabrina, Reed, and Stan, was a miner with a pumpkin on his head.

Pickaxe's friends sighed from relief. He had come through.

"CHARGEEEEEE!" he cried, the entire village following behind him. They moved as one, preparing to scale the entrance. Some of the faster miners began building a cobblestone bridgeway. Others simply used bows and arrows to start the fight, while the more impatient used ender pearls to warp onto the base. But Pickaxe? He threw an ender pearl while he was still running with the force of a raging bull. Parker and the others eyed the pearl in curiosity. Where was it going to land? Just before the pearl made contact, Pickaxe jumped in the air, pulled back his fists…

...and sucker punched Parker right between the eyes.

Parker stumbled back, dropping Pickaxe's pickaxe and sword. Pickaxe casually walked past Parker, picking up his once lost items. He turned to face his friends. "You guys okay?" he asked. They all nodded. "Good," he continued, "Because I'm pretty sure we're in hot water getting back to the village…" "Of course…" Jewel sighed. "Eh, what's the worse Reed can do?" Texik added. He began looking around. "Wait, where's the archer?"

Pickaxe's sword was replaced by a shield, which blocked Rosetta's tipped arrows.

"Nice try," he commented. "Silence, you filthy swine!" Rosetta yelled at Pickaxe, putting on her wither skull and brandishing a stone axe. She lunged for Pickaxe, but was stopped by Jewel, who intervened at the last minute. "Oh, no you don't!" she defied. Meanwhile, Parker tried doing the same thing, only to be met with Endre's shovel and stone sword. "Not gonna happen!" he grunted, pushing Parker back. Pickaxe looked down the hallway. "I gotta do something! Keep them busy!" he yelled at the group. He began running down the corridor, Texik following.

They were back in the dungeon, in front of a very familiar cell.

The prisoner was sleeping, curled up in a ball. "She must be exhausted…" Texik whispered, somehow showing sympathy for the poor woman. Pickaxe broke down the iron door. The prisoner slowly shifted back into consciousness, albeit barely. "You're...alive…" she moaned, still without strength. "Yeah," Pickaxe confirmed, "Just relax, we're going to get you out of here." "Out?" the prisoner inquired, her face filled with surprise. "How? Fortress… impenetrable…" "Not so much so now," Texik replied. The prisoner looked conflicted, "But… Parker...find us?" "No," Pickaxe answered, "Not while I'm around." The prisoner let out a weak laugh. "So long...I...had no...hope. So long… after I lost… him. And then… Parker…" She drew close to Pickaxe, her consciousness starting to fade back into sleep. "Thank…you…" she began,"For giving me...hope…"

The prisoner drifted back into sleep, as Texik carried her on his shoulders.

Things were going in the village's favor. A majority of the guards had been slain on the spot. Jewel and Endre were holding their own against their opponents. Out of nowhere, two arrows shot them out of position. The group looked down to see Pickaxe wielding a bow with Texik and… someone else in tow. They all met up at the edge of the fortress. "Is that…?" Jewel questioned. "Yup. It's Parker's mother," Endre confirmed, "When we first saw her, I could barely recognize-" "KYAAAA!" The group turned around. Parker was back, his face that of a mad man's, in his hands a golden pickaxe.

Pickaxe slashed Parker's pickaxe out of his hands.

"NOOO!" he barked, trying to punch Pickaxe, but he simply grabbed it and tossed it aside. Parker slowly began to back up. "Fools...all of you… you have no idea what you've done. This is only the beginning. I will win this war… the village will be mine… THE WORLD WILL BE MINE! MY WORLD AND MINE, ALONE!" "Your world?" Pickaxe asked dumbfounded. He faced Parker with subtle fury. "This isn't your world… THIS. IS. MINECRAFT!" He pulled back his pickaxe and slashed it full force against Parker, knocking him into his own lava moat. The group watched as he fell to his supposed demise. "It's a shame he's probably still alive…" Sarah murmured. The others agreed wholeheartedly.

The walked away from the fortress and the battlefield, making their way back home with the other miners… for better or worse.