AN: Alright, I think I got the hang of this uploading thing. To all the viewers, sorry about the last chapter. Since it came out earlier, this one is coming out later by comparison. But I think I can upload this a chapter a week. That's good right? RIGHT?

But enough about that. Holy crap people are viewing my writing. And I got a few favs and follows too! Makes me feel like I know a thing about writing.

The last chapter ended the Origin Arc and I'm glad to get things moving.

Again, reviews are appreciated. Lets me know if I'm doing something wrong or if my humor is lacking.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, there would be self-constructive houses.

Chapter 6

House?

[Cobb]

Alright, I'm on my own now. No Helena to instruct me. Just me, my wits, and my meager supplies.

I'd been taking stock of my Inventory for the umpteenth time as I continued toward the same general direction. The backdrop of mountains served as an ideal landmark to travel towards and the canopy of leaves was thin enough to allow sufficient sunlight in. If what that book said was true, sunlight was a Mob's greatest weakness.

I guess I'll travel by day and make shelter by night. But first, some tools. I thought as I took out my wooden axe and began chopping down the nearest tree. Helena mentioned making a full set of tools before. Hopefully, I have the brain cells necessary to figure out how to craft them.

Three trees later, I figured I had enough wood to start testing out tool recipes. I placed my Crafting Table and got to work.

"Alrighty, then. First sticks…then…what?" I had sticks and planks laid about the table, but I didn't know what exactly I should be making. Maybe if I had the same handle as I had for crafting the axe, I could figure out some new recipes. I quickly rearranged the sticks to form a handle and adjusted the placement of the planks to form a 'T' shape.

That did the trick as a wooden tool was constructed before me. [WOODEN PICKAXE].

Sweet! Alright, I got an axe, a pickaxe, and a sword. What else?...Oooh! A shovel is a tool! And maybe a saw, or a hammer! Maybe I should just make a list of objects found in a garage and try to make them out of planks and sticks.

So I began making a list in my head of every possible tool or useful object found in a garage (whatever that was) and began to arrange the sticks and planks to, at the very least, resemble the items.

The [WOODEN SHOVEL] was simple: a plank over two sticks. However, the saw I tried to make ended up as an [OAK FENCE GATE] and the hammer, three [SIGN]s.

Several minutes later, I had crafted a multitude of wooden items including three [OAK DOOR]s, a [CHEST], three [LADDER]s, three [OAK FENCE], two [TRAPDOOR]s, and another wooden pressure plate because I forgot I had used that recipe before.

Well I'm out of combinations. And wood. Better get some more. I thought to myself as I turned around…only to be met with several pairs of red eyes.

[Noman]

"AIIIIIIIIII!" A girlish scream echoed from the dense foliage behind me. I whirled around and scanned the tree line, but could spot nothing through the dark shroud of night.

"Just ignore that scream, Noman." Helena turned me back around to face her. "That's just King_Cobb 'braving' the wilderness."

"Pardon?" I asked bewildered by the title. "King? But surely that was a girlish scream."

"I know."

"So how can a man emanate a scream of such femininity?"

"Probably when confronted with a giant spider."

"A what!?" I shrieked, possibly an octave higher than usual.

"Oh, geez." Helena facepalmed before withdrawing an old tattered book. "You have a lot of reading up to do."

[Cobb]

"DIE, DIE, DIE! FRICKIN! SPIDER! SHIT! DIE!" I shouted as I repeatedly stabbed the vile creature in its face. Even after it vanished in a puff of smoke, experience, and bits, I continued to stab the ground it stood on until eventually the block of dirt I was stabbing broke and flew into my Inventory. Along with it was a [SPIDER EYE] and a [STRING].

Panting and hungry, I began to munch on some carrots while I pondered silently, but also loudly.

GEEZ! That scared the piss outta me! I withdrew the clock from my inventory and noted the time: Night. I was so busy harvesting wood and crafting that I failed to notice the sun going down. The time here is WAY too fast! I better find shelter.

After my second carrot, I collected my crafting table and continued in the direction of the mountains…or at least in the direction I thought the mountains were in…Crap, I'm lost.

Without the brightness of day to illuminate the outline of the mountain, I didn't know which was to go. Hell, the forest was so dark I could barely see the trees in front of me.

How easy it would be for a creeper to sneak up behind me and…

"Screw it. I'm building a shelter here." I searched though my Inventory for any blocks I could use to construct a shelter. I had dirt, a handful of planks, and a metric shit ton of wooden everything.

I decided to make a small shelter. Foundation: a 4x4 square with corners cut to save space. One entrance: A solid door. Furniture: A crafting table and chest to store stuff in. Extra features: A ladder that led to the roof. This was an awesome plan.

I am the death of architecture. I thought to myself as I looked at my finished house. Although 'house' might be stretching the truth a bit. The correct word in this situation would be 'monstrosity.'

The combination of low visibility and low block supplies made building a shelter a nightmare. The walls were made up of dirt and planks with the ceiling made of the oak slabs. The small space of the shelter was made even smaller with the inclusions of the chest and crafting table. Not to mention I was STILL short on blocks and had to replace the walls with fences or otherwise skip building a wall entirely.

The result was unsightly and cramped, but surprisingly practical. The fences could serve as windows to let in what little moonlight the night could supply while the ladder that reached to the roof could provide me with an overhead view in case any Mobs showed up. Or a quick escape if I'm surrounded by Creepers.

"It's crap. But it's MY crap." I spoke aloud as I finished my work with a sign that read 'Crap, Sweet Crap.'

And not a moment too soon as I heard a familiar groaning sound from the left. I ran inside and closed the door behind me. There I stood, in perfect silence, as the sounds of Zombies grew louder and louder.

[…Wooden doors are no match for a Zombie's natural strength…]

"Oh, right. I forg-" *BANG BANG*

The Zombies could break wooden doors down. I nearly forgot reading that from the book. And now they were literally at my doorstep.

"Why can't you Zombies leave me alone!?" I shouted as I scrambled up the ladder. Once on the roof I peeked over the edge to count how many enemies there were.

Two…four…five in total. The book said to use long range weapons on them but I only have my sword.

*BANG BANG*

The door was straining from the combined strength of the Mobs. It wouldn't hold for that much longer. I hope Zombies can't climb ladders.

*BANG* *CRASH*

Sure enough, the door was busted down and the Zombies rushed inside the house. However, as if my prayers were answered, the Zombies could not climb the ladders to get at the tantalizing piece of meat that was King_Cobb.

I spotted the door on the ground in front of my hous—Crapshack and devised a quick plan.

I withdrew the oak fence gate from my Inventory and, while all the Zombies were packed inside the Crapshack, blocked the exit where the door used to be. The Zombies couldn't seem to budge the fence gate and were trapped in my cramped and crappy shelter.

"Haha!" I laughed as I leapt down from the roof and began hacking at the Zombies between the fence windows with my sword. "That's Cobb:2, Mobs: 0."

*SNAP*

And my sword breaks.

It snaps clean in two. I watch the pieces slowly fall to the ground, as if in slow motion, before disappearing completely. No sticks or planks are left behind. Nothing.

I stare at the spot where the sword pieces vanished for a few seconds before realizing it won't come back. It had killed a bunch of Zombies and a Spider, and had finished three of the five Zombies in the Crapshack. But now I needed to craft a new sword.

According to my clock, morning was still a ways off, and I didn't feel comfortable wandering around in the dark until something worse than Zombies got to me. Ironically, the house filled with Zombies felt like the safest place to be.

I swapped to my axe and resumed slaughtering the Zombies until the Crapshack was clean. Then, I picked up the door before entering and closing the fence gate behind me. The door felt useless if it didn't keep Zombies out and I really wanted a safe and peaceful place to think about my next move.

Gotta wait until morning. Then I can chop some more trees down, make a new sword, and figure out which way I'm heading. I notice my hunger dropping…or…well…increasing…um…Basically, I needed food. So two more carrots bit the dust.

Who knew that swords had durability? Oh, I know! Helena! She probably forgot to mention such a crucial bit of information to me while she was fawning over Herobrine's autograph! I internally fumed as I watched the clock's images tick by like seconds.

My health was still at full, but with how quickly my hunger depletes, a constant source of food was essential.

*CLATTER* *RATTLE*

"Now what?" I groaned as I looked through the fence posts to spot a pale white figure approaching my shelter. Based on its appearance and the fact that it was holding a bow, it was a Skeleton. The first one I ever saw.

*TWANG* I ducked as an arrow threaded between the posts and almost nailed me in the eye. Instead, it stuck on the wood and dirt wall behind me. Nice shot.

No no no! Don't praise something for trying to kill you! FOCUS COBB! These walls and posts are too slim and full of openings to block that archer. What I need to do is…

*TWANG* "OW!" I yelped as an arrow caught me in the right arm. "Hey! Could you please not try and shoot me while I'm having a train of thought!? If so I would really appreciate…"

*TWANG* *TWANG* Two more arrows came sailing towards the Crapshack. The first one stuck into the post, but the second one found its mark in my gut. The pain may have been short, but the 4 hearts I had lost to that 1 Skeleton were beginning to tax me.

Gah! Alright. then. Close combat is this thing's weakness and it's all on its own. I gripped the axe tightly as I thought up a foolproof plan. First, I'll get up to the roof while it still thinks I'm inside the house. Then, I'll leap upon it while loosing a fearsome battle-cry. And to cinch it, I'll slay it while uttering a witty one-liner. The plan sounded so cool, yet natural, in my head.

Surely, it would be just as cool and natural in real life.

With a nod of determination, I climbed the ladder to the rooftop and peered over the edge to spot the Skeleton. It was a fair distance away: Not far enough to be unable to hit, but not close enough to be within axing distance.

Time to leap. I thought to myself as I took a few steps back, hoping to get a good running start.

*TWANG* *SHUNK*

Instead, I got an arrow to the knee.

And fell. Off the roof.

Drat! Step one was a failure, but I can still salvage this! "BATTLE-CRY!" I shouted as I charged around the Crapshack, straight towards the Skeleton archer.

*TWANG* *TWANG* *TWANG* The Mob let fly a series of arrows as I charged it. The first one sailed over my head and the second one missed my neck by an inch. The third one, however, found its mark in my head before I was close enough to land a hit on the monster.

Just imagine the Skeleton's face is a tree! I mentally coached as I repeatedly brought the axe down upon it. A few of the Skeleton's shots were misfired as the damage it took was interfering with its aim. I knew my own health was pretty low too, but I couldn't risk stopping my barrage of chops to glance at my Health Meter.

Another arrow sunk into my left arm before I dealt one last blow with the axe. The Skeleton's body was pushed back and disappeared in the same way the Zombies had upon death. With that final blow, my axe gave in and broke, just as my sword had, before joining the Skeleton in oblivion.

But not without leaving some loot! I received more EXP orbs along with a [BONE] and an [ARROW]. "HA!" I panted. "Not so tough…when you're…axed…to death."

Alright, witty one-liner needs some work. But at least I still have enough heal-ta-ta-wha!? Glancing at my arm, I realized I only had half a heart left. That one Skeleton had been moments away from killing me.

My lack of health was only rivaled by the amount of arrows sticking out of me. I was fairly certain that if I had this many sharp objects puncturing my torso, limbs, and head, in some normal sense, I'd be dead.

"Not sure if I should try and yank these arrows out or leave…them…"

*RATTLE* *RATTLE*

As if to taunt my momentary victory, two more Skeletons approached from behind some trees. They looked like they wanted to avenge their fallen comrade. And I was within their sights.

"Sorry."

With a quick word, I spun around and bolted back towards the Crapshack. Arrows whistled by me as I ran serpentine. Once I reached the fence gate, I withdrew my shovel and began digging into the floor of the shack. My intention was to obtain enough blocks to cover myself better while at the same time creating a more spacious shelter.

What I didn't intend, while I was digging straight down, was for the dirt to suddenly open up into a dark cavern and for myself to fall into it.

I miss the Origin Zone.

[Spring]

"I'm telling you Park, I heard someone shout 'BATTLE-CRY' just a minute ago!"

"Yeah, yeah. Is this like the last time you thought you heard prey in the trees when it was really just a spider? Or the time before that when you thought you heard something in the cave and it turned out to be a cow?" Park questioned.

"Don't bring that up again! Look, I'm sorry! But this time, I heard it." I begged desperately while trying to pull Park over to where I heard the noise. It was definitely a Crafter that made that sound. Unless, of course, there was a new unknown Mob who imitated the speech of people to lure unsuspecting Crafters to their doom.

If so, then the Cult could use more of those things. I thought before I was slapped back to reality by a slap to the face.

"Give me a break, Spring." Park said as he massaged his hand. "Who in their right mind would shout out 'Battle-Cry' as a battle cry?"

But I had an answer ready for him. "A fresh Crafter, right out of the Origin Zone and lacking in any and all experience. If we just take a look around…"

"Enough!" Park shouted, scaring as he grabbed my shirt and pulled me so that we were face to face. "Need I remind you that we already have Crafters to be searching for!? And that if we don't find them, the Lieutenant is gonna make our innards, our outards!"

"Doesn't he know that's not possible?" I questioned with the usual upbeat spring in my step. "I'm sure he's just kidding around to give us the motivation to work harder."

"Or he's a basket case who thinks up insane threats for his victims when he knows the worst he can do is just kill them." Finished Park matter-of-factly before releasing my newly wrinkled shirt.

"When are you gonna start looking at the bright side of things?" I said as I looked behind some trees. I know it was around here somewh…

"I'll stare at it all day as soon as I find it. But for now let's just find our prey and fill our quotas. And stop wandering off!" Park shouted as he jogged to catch up.

"Aha! See for yourself who's wasting who's time!" I shouted triumphantly as I grabbed his head and turned it to face the makeshift shelter. At least, I think it's a shelter.

Park stared at it for some time, apparently surprised by my truthfulness, the idiocy of the Crafter who shouted his position to the heavens, or the overall architecture of such a…

"I never thought a makeshift shelter could make my eyes burn." He deadpanned.

Inventory: 1 Carrot, 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 7 Sticks, 2 Wooden Pressure Plates, 1 Trapdoor, 3 Oak Doors, 1 Wooden Button, 1 Clock, 2 Dirt, 2 Signs, 1 String, 1 Spider Eye, 1 Bone, 1 Arrow, 20 Rotten Flesh, 1 Emerald

AN: I, for one, don't miss the Origin Zone. Man, I'm glad that arc is over.