AN: Vacation's over. It was fun. Ever hear of Acadia National Park? Lots of mountains and seafood.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, wooden hoes would be renamed wooden scythes and would have the ability to damage players.

Chapter 8

Pursuit

[Cobb]

"Yes! I have made a torch...erm…four torches!" The recipe was as simple as I thought. Just a piece of coal above a stick. And let's not forget the most important part: Being crafted in sunlight. "Helena would be proud."

With that done, I set down my crafting table and polished off my last carrot for breakfast. Looks like I'll need some food and tools. I walked up to the nearest tree and began the painstaking process of repeatedly punching it.

There's no way I'm going to find the Crapshack in these woods, but there's no reason to go back. All I had invested in that place was wood and dirt. I reasoned in my head as I finished punching down a tree. No chance of apples though.

As I began my work on the second tree, I heard a far-off explosion. I turned around and searched the forest for any signs of smoke or fire or anything, but was met with the same tranquil scene. Creeper maybe? Whelp, time to pack up! I scrambled to collect all the logs I punched down and quickly made a new wooden sword and wooden axe. The sword came out fine, but I misplaced a piece of wood for the axe and instead crafted some scythe shaped thing called a [WOODEN HOE].

"The hell is this?" I questioned as I stared at the wooden contraption before remembering I should be leaving the area. I retried the axe recipe, getting it right this time, collected my table, took out my sword, and sprinted in the opposite direction of the explosion. Towards the mountains.

Creepers explode when fighting a Crafter right?

[…The suicidal tendencies of Creepers make them deadly…]

Yeah, Creepers are willing to take themselves out along with any Crafter. So a Crafter is probably back there fighting one or…has already blown up. *GULP*

I continued to run past trees and flowers as I followed the towering mountains. Not once looking back for fear of a stampede of Creepers to be pursuing me. I was probably being overly paranoid, but so would anyone who saw the destructive capabilities of those green demons.

I'll never forget that ghastly frown. I shuddered as I leapt over some bushes. Those soulless jet black eyes. That sickly green tint. Those horrible appendages…How could I have been so stupid as to almost hug that thing!?

And the sound it makes when it's prepared for a kill. That unnerving hiss that starts out low, but builds and builds…

*sssssssSSSSS!*

Yeah, exactly like that! It just builds and builds until it finally—"SHIT!"

In my distracting thoughts, I had unknowingly run straight into a Creeper. And now it was too late to avoid the explosion.

Crap, crap, crap! I unknowingly ran straight into a Creeper. And now it is too late to avoid the explosion! I mean…maybe I could get out of the way if I tried now. Actually, considering all the time I spent thinking about my end, I could have easily jumped back in time to spare myself the explosion. Even now, I continue to think things out instead of flat out doing something! Why am I doing that? Is this like the whole, 'life flashes before your eyes' kinda thing? Because it's more of a liability at this point. I could have jumped away by now, but these thoughts keep distracting me from avoiding the Creeper that's about to explode a foot away from me. When you think about it…

*BOOM!*

[Spring]

*BOOM!*

"Sounds like our prey already met its end." I stated disappointed. How am I supposed to beat Carlson's streak now?

Park hoisted himself out of the tunnel and looked towards the direction of the explosion. "Where's that upbeat attitude you had before? The Crafter could still be alive. And we should check the explosion anyway after how far we've followed this trail."

"You don't believe that. It's obvious you just want its loot." I pouted as we set off towards the sound. "Guess the Crafter was heading for Ringwood."

"Nah-nah. No fresh Crafter would know about any of the Kingdoms. Especially since we patrol these woods and burn any signs that say otherwise."

"Well yeah, but still someone could have told…"

*Taptaptaptaptaptap*

Upon hearing fast footsteps, I turned around and readied my blade. Park stood beside me with his bow out and arrow already notched.

*Taptaptaptaptaptap* The footsteps grew louder until a red and blue blur burst from the trees and abruptly stopped in front of us. My eyes widened as I recognized the person in front of me. It would be hard to forget the short sky-blue hair, the tan skin, and the dark lines that crossed vertically over his purple eyes like make-up. It would be hard to mistake the red sweater and the jet black jeans and the grey sneakers. Even the belt and backpack that every Crafter shared had its own unique look. The same shade of blue as his hair.

But most importantly, it would be hard to forget the name constantly floating above his head. The name that stuck with every Crafter and would never change. The name that identified the blue-haired male in front of us as the same Crafter that we tried to kill a day ago until he escaped. Only to fall right into our lap again. The name 'Flawwed_Floyd.'

*TWANG* *TWANG*

Park wasted no time as he attempted to finish what we started yesterday. He shot two arrows at Floyd, only to miss as the blue-haired male swerved around them before sprinting towards us with a flint and steel at the ready. He was moving unnaturally fast, most likely due to a Swiftness Potion.

As he sped towards me I swung at him with a horizontal slash. The blade met nothing but air as he slid below my guard and lit me on fire.

"GAAAH!" I screamed as I scrambled about awaiting the fire to die out. My Health ticked away all the while.

Meanwhile, Park distracted Floyd with a flurry of arrows. But Floyd was too fast for him. He dodged and weaved and danced between trees to avoid every single shot Park threw at him.

After the barrage ended, Floyd charged straight at Park leaving a fiery trail in his wake. At the last moment, Park rolled out of Floyd's rush and shot an arrow after the fleeting blue-nette. It stuck in the back of his thigh, causing him to lose his balance and crash into a tree. Floyd quickly shook it off before ducking as more arrows flew from Park's bow.

Once the fire on me died out, I rummaged through my Inventory before withdrawing a sickly green splash potion. I held it behind my back as I looked up to see how the fight was going.

Not good.

Park's shots were too slow to hit Floyd and sometime during the battle, one of the trees caught fire from the flint and steel. Sure the forest might catch fire, and that was a damn shame for all the cute wittle bunnies and woodland critters, but on the plus side it would make hunting Crafters so much easier.

Gotta lure him in to use this thing.

"Hey, Floyd! You're trying awfully hard to kill us this time around! What happened to the coward from yesterday!?" Suddenly, Floyd stopped trying to light Park on fire and instead targeted me. He ran straight for me, once again leaving a swath of flames in his wake, but I deftly leapt to the side. "Ha! Did I touch a nerve? Or were you trying to avenge your dead buddy?"

Floyd stopped his charge before turning around to face me. His purple eyes held a cold unrestrained fury and his teeth were clenched tightly together. "Shut up!" He shouted before rushing towards me once more.

I know how fast he runs. I know the timing. I calmly thought as the red and blue blur sped at me like a jet. This kill is mine! From behind, I pulled out the potion: The Splash Potion of Poison. And I chucked it in front of Floyd's path.

The results were instantaneous. The potion crashed within a foot of Floyd and he suffered the devastating effects of the poison. In the moment it hit him, he stumbled, slowing down just enough for me to get another hit on him.

I smoothly pulled out my blade and sidestepped Floyd's clumsy attempt of a charge before slashing across his chest. He cried out in pain before his momentum and injuries tripped him up, leaving him in a crumpled mess across the forest floor.

Even then, the damage continued. The poison bled his remaining life out of him. Little by little. Sure it wouldn't kill him, but it would get real close.

Park readied his bow to deliver the final shot, but I cleared my throat to get his attention before piercing him with my best guilt inducing expression. He owed me a kill. And one Crafter was as good as any other. He sighed before putting his bow away and folding his arms.

Without any more complications I approached Floyd's injured form as he slowly attempted to get to his feet. Poison hurting him all the time.

The fire spreading along the trees made the scene that much harsher: A perfect backdrop to one of the many sacrifices yet to occur.

"So Floyd, before I gut you, care to tell us what happened to the other guy that was traveling with you? You know, the one that wasn't killed by us?" I taunted. After all, the words could only hurt him and I was sure he couldn't escape.

"He's far away from here! I know that much." He got up and glared at me fiercely. If looks could kill he may have had a chance. "And you and your cultist freaks are never gonna find him!"

"Yeah, yeah. Defiant speech. Blah, blah, blah. I kill you now." I readied my sword to deliver the final blow.

"Spring! DUCK!" Park called as he withdrew his bow yet again.

I was too preoccupied with killing Floyd to notice that a Witch had stumbled across our battle grounds. Maybe drawn to the shouting or maybe the burning forest. Either way it chucked a potion at my head and I was too slow to react in time.

It crashed into my head and suddenly my movements felt sluggish. Slowness Potion. I internally cursed as I swung at the Mob, sending it reeling. Park followed with a well shot arrow to its face. "Stupid Witch!"

But that one moment of distraction was all Floyd needed to make a beeline into the burning forest. Straight for the mountains. His Swiftness Potion was still in effect, as well as my Poison Potion; the result being an erratic sprint.

Park prepared another arrow after his sprinting form. "DON"T! He's mine!" I bellowed as I hacked away at the Witch with all the anger and disappointment I felt at being interrupted from a kill. "Just follow him! I'll catch up to you!"

Park reluctantly nodded. "Fine. But if he gets away you have no one to blame but yourself!" He then took off after Floyd.

Yeah, yeah. I talk too much. But if I didn't I'd be just another soulless, cold-blooded killer. I thought as I stabbed the Witch one last time in the face before it disappeared in a puff of smoke, useless junk, and EXP. And nobody wants me to be like that.

[Cobb]

"Wow." I blinked as I slowly got up. "That actually worked."

The creeper had detonated right in front of me. And I couldn't get out of the way in time. All I had at hand was my sword.

[…It has been noted that blocking a Creeper's explosion with a sword can reduce the damage drastically…]

Remembering that swords can block explosion damage, I used my sword to survive. The only injury I took was half a heart of health. I couldn't believe it. This was the same Mob that nearly killed me two days ago. I didn't know how a flimsy wooden sword could withstand an explosion that could level the ground, but I wasn't complaining.

Suddenly, I wasn't as afraid of Creepers as I was before. I had been running—sprinting—away from a possible encounter, but now that I had the knowledge, I knew that the Creepers couldn't hurt me as easily.

I guess the only real danger is if they sneak up on me. I wonder if the blocking method works on other Mobs. I examined the sword for any signs of damage, but it appeared as good as new. Not surprising as I made it a few minutes ago. However, the pick and shovel looked worn out by comparison.

I better watch the durability of these tools. Don't want them to break in a fight. I walked over to the crater left by the Creeper and collected all the dirt inside, (What can I say? Dirt's useful!) before continuing my sprint towards the mountains.

Only the sprinting didn't last very long. After passing trees, trees, and more trees, I felt that same exhausted feeling that I had when I was low on Hunger. Only this time I had no food to satisfy it.

"Foooooood…Soooo hungry…" I moaned as I trod along. I checked my Inventory one more time. Surely, there had to be something to eat. Maybe a hidden carrot or some crumbs. But no. There was nothing edible. Just tools, dirt, wood, some junk, and a whole lot of…rotten flesh.

"No way."

But…it looks just like beef jerky. My mind reasoned traitorously.

"It has the word 'rotten' in its name."

Words can't hurt you as much as starving to death can.

"I don't know what it will do to…"

No better time to find out than now.

"I got it off a Zombie for God's sake!"

EAT THE FLESH!

"NO!"

DO IT NOW YOU FOOL!

"Listen, brain! I—OOF!"

Something had just crashed into me. A red and blue something. With tan skin. And a name. A NAME! Another Crafter!?

He had rushed into me and knocked me onto the ground along with himself. The two of us were just a crumpled mess on the forest floor. Realizing what happened, the blue-haired man pushed himself up off me, giving me a terrified look all the while, before sprinting off into the forest. Only his sprinting seemed different to me. Sure it was faster than my sprinting, but he kept stopping abruptly. And he seemed to have particles following him.

Wait, why am I thinking about his sprinting!? He's the first Crafter I've seen! He can answer some of the questions I have! "Wait!" I call out as I try to sprint after him…only to be exhaustingly reminded of my own exhaustion. "Damnit! Slow down please!"

I needed to catch up with this guy. With…Flawwed_Floyd…before he got away. But to do that I needed…

Do it…

"Godamnit..." I cursed as I slowly took a bite of the rotten flesh. And it wasn't bad.

It could never be bad.

Bad was too lenient a word to describe such a foul taste.

It was several levels above bad. It was bad bad. It was…dare I say it…Advanced Bad.

"Ugh! It tastes like a combination of fermented shark meat and desperation. Heavy, heavy desperation." I felt like I had to puke it up. Yet I not only held it down, but ate another, and another. I had to cry at around the fourth piece, but I could finally sprint again. I checked my Hunger Meter as I chased down the blue-haired man. Sure enough, it was filled.

However, it was different. The corndogs that represented my Hunger Meter weren't the same as they were before. They looked green and tainted. And as I was following Floyd, I began to vomit. The rotten flesh was coming right back up and my Hunger was depleting far faster than it ever did.

In that moment, I felt clarity. The flesh tasted of desperation because it was a desperate move: To consume rotten flesh from Zombies as a last resort to stave off Hunger. The consequences being obvious.

It was sick. And gross. And sick-gross. And gross-sick. But I still ate. I needed to hold off long enough to catch up to this guy.

I managed to keep him at the edge of my field of vision, his red sweater contrasting sharply with the green foliage. "Wait, please! I have questions!" I called out to him, but he didn't bother looking back. Instead he moved faster than I could track. His erratic halting had ended and he broke into a full out sprint.

He leapt over some rocks and I mimicked his actions several seconds later. He crawled under a wooden fence and I followed after…

Wooden fence?

I paused in my chase to take notice of my surroundings. I had followed Floyd into what looked like an old town. Wooden houses and buildings were lined up in one big street with a wooden fence surrounding the entire area. And at the end of the street was the base of the mountain I had been using as my guide for so long.

Signs were set up to label all the property and locations. Probably so that owners don't get anything mixed up.

But it became clear that nobody lived in this town. There were Creeper craters everywhere and various gaps in the fence, similar to the one Floyd and I passed through. Some of the houses would probably have looked a lot better than my Crapshack if something hadn't destroyed a good portion of them. Elsewhere, there were stacks of dirt that were built up like poles, only to go nowhere. The path that went through the town was overgrown with grass and flowers. A tree had even sprouted in one of the houses.

And that was the same house that Floyd scrambled into. I took a step to follow him, but another lurch of my stomach told me to wait on it.

As I leaned against a building to recover, I spotted a large gate to the left of me. I hobbled over to it and noticed a sign that read 'Miner's Warren.' Below that was a sign that read 'More like Miner's Barren!' And below that was a sign that read 'Really? Miner's Barren? That the best you can think of?' And below that was a sign that read 'Listen, buddy! I didn't rite this to be judged by you!' And below that was a sign that read 'Too bad! Also, I think you meant 'write' XP.'

It was also a tall gate. I had to jump to read all the signs.

Eventually, my stomach settled and I grimaced as I noted my Hunger was at 6 corndogs only. I turned to look back at where Floyd disappeared and noticed a blue blur retreating into the second floor window of the house he occupied. Was he…watching me just then? That's not creepy at all.

"Look—Floyd was it!? I'm not here to hurt you if that's what you're thinking!" I called out to him, but got no response. "Great. Figures the first person I meet is too shy."

I decided to explore the town a bit more while Floyd was inside, but not ten seconds later before I heard a rustling behind me. Is Floyd coming out to talk? I thought.

Nope. It was a new guy. One with shaggy umber-colored hair, a goatee to match, fawn skin, and brown eyes. He was clad in shining armor: an iron chest plate and leggings. Underneath that was a yellow tank top and grey jeans held up by a belt. He wore a black leather cap, a tan backpack, and brown hiking boots. And atop his head was his name: 'Parallel_Parker.'

He had a bow in his hand aimed at me, but lowered it, confused as to who I was.

"Whoa, don't shoot! I'm not gonna attack you!" I called out as I waved my hands in front of me.

Parker spared me a glance before turning his attention to the abandoned town. His eyes roved every inch as if he was combing the place over. Looking for something.

Apparently he didn't find it, as he eventually returned his attention to me and put on a big friendly smile. "Hello there, friend. Sorry for the scare, I thought you were a Deceiver." He relaxed his body, but I noticed the bow was still in his hand.

"A Deceiver? What's…?" I began to ask. I had never heard of such a Mob.

"You know, a Deceiver. A Mob that disguises itself as a Crafter to 'deceive' its prey." He leaned against a dirt tower just a few blocks away from me and took out a steak from his belt. A big…juicy…non-rotten steak. My mouth was watering just looking at it.

Parker noticed my stare directed at the steak, but it felt like he was looking for something else in my expression. "Surely, you've heard of them? Every experienced player has met a Deceiver at one point or another."

"Yeah…well I'm kinda new to this…" I hesitantly explained. For a moment Parker's eyes were alight with something resembling triumph before they were back to that passive friendly brown.

"Yes, you do have that look to you." His eyes wandered towards my belt and all the junk I had accumulated. No doubt he thinks I'm a weakling. Just like Helena. "But there are worse Crafters out there. Why just the other day, my partner swore he heard someone shout 'BATTLECRY' in the middle of the forest! Comical, no?"

I chuckled nervously at that and looked away from his gaze. "Yeah…comical." I heard him devour the steak and tried to ignore my own hunger. "But…uh…I heard of a Crafter who thought a Creeper was something called a Hugger and that all it wanted in life was a loving hug."

I got a couple of laughs out of him and I chuckled along with him. I would've laughed louder if the joke wasn't directed at me. But another thing was that something about this guy seemed off. Like he was sizing me up or something.

"Yeah…it's a shame people like that are forced to suffer." He stated as he reigned in his laughter. I stopped laughing. "Forced to deal with the violent conditions of this world. The Mobs, the survival. It's a lot to take in."

I didn't see where he was going with this conversation. Hell, all I wanted was some food, but I didn't think it right to interrupt him. Just finish your monologue so I can get to the meat of the conversation. Heh. Meat pun.

"In fact, you might go so far as to say that they're…better off dead." He looked at me during the last part of his sentence and I had a sudden urge to get away from this guy. The conversation had taken a very drastic turn. "But enough about those depressing thoughts. You seem quite lost. If so I'd be more than happy to take you to the nearest Kingdom."

"King…dom? Wait, you mean…like with a bunch of people." I asked hopefully before remembering this guy was bad news.

"The very same." He smiled as he took out another steak. "But would you mind waiting a moment. My partner is rather slow. I'm sure you know what it's like to wait up for a fellow Crafter."

"No, I…" Crap. I said the wrong thing. Parker's eyes lit up again, this time much longer, as if he had confirmed something he already suspected. "Y-yes! Yes, I d-do know what it's like. I'm actually waiting on a f-few of my friends right n-now." Great job, Cobb. Next time you try to lie, why don't you stay silent? That way your stutters won't betray you!

"I see." Parker nodded unbelievingly, his hand twitching over his bow. "Then, how about we wait for them together? You do make good company."

Crap! He called my bluff. Better handle this situation delicately.

"Fuck that."

And then I turned and fled into the warren with Parker on my heels.

Inventory: 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Wooden Hoe, 1 Wooden Sword, 1 Wooden Axe, 13 Cobblestone, 4 Torches, 1 Stick, 13 Oak Wood Planks, 2 Wooden Pressure Plates, 1 Trapdoor, 3 Oak Door, 1 Wooden Button, 1 Clock, 14 Dirt, 2 Signs, 1 String, 1 Bone, 1 Arrow, 12 Rotten Flesh, 1 Emerald

AN: Alright! This chapter is actually a decent length. Writing combat is so much easier to make content than writing dialogue.

But enough about my writing. Let's talk about my writing.

As Parker revealed, Minecraftia has Kingdoms. And with a billion Crafters spawned, writing personalities for all of them is a hassle.

So I thought, crazy idea, what if I allowed my viewers to come up with characters? I know a bunch of fanfics have done something similar to this, but honestly I'm interested to see what kind of characters you guys can come up with. The Kingdoms are still far away. Like six chapters away. But I figured if I started asking for character ideas now, then maybe I would have enough to use by the time the chapter is published.

Just give a character name, personality, backstory, number, interaction. Anything in the reviews and I'll look through them. Keep in mind, I'm not gonna include some omnipotent super powered character that has the solution to everyone's problems. But I'm willing to include characters as citizens of Kingdoms. And if I really like them, maybe I'll make them a main character. With your permission of course... (6_6)

I'll let the people who send characters know if I like them or not. If I don't choose a character, please don't burn me at the stake. I burn easily. (T_T)