AN: Alright, a new chapter. And it's of good length too.

But more importantly, I wanna try something. For all you viewers who actually read the Author's Notes, I'm debating about putting something extra in. Just a puzzle of sorts every chapter that you can answer to in the reviews or PMs.

First to guess correctly would get a symbolic Victory Cookie (::) as well as their name captioned in the next chapter (WARNING: VICTORY COOKIES ARE NON-EXCHANGEABLE). Second place and lower gets nothing.

If you guess wrong or use the internet to aid you, the penalty will be a symbolic Negative Cracker [::] and your name will not be captioned in the next chapter.

And if you don't answer at all...you get to at least read the chapter the puzzle was presented on (^_^)

If you guys think I should do this send a PM or review. If the majority says 'yes' I'll do it. If the majority says 'no' I won't. I'm aware that there's a poll function specifically designed for questions like these, but I don't know how to use such functions.

On with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, I would add a food item called Beef Stir-Fry.

Chapter 11

Exploit

[Cobb]

As we traveled towards the towering mountains, crescent moon hanging in the night sky, questions were burning my insides just waiting to be unleashed upon my newest companion.

What's your life story?

Do you have the same feelings of nostalgia and normalcy that I feel at certain times?

Is your hair naturally blue?

What supplies do you have?

Can you teach me how to fire a bow?

What's with those lines over your eyes?

But I held off on those questions. According to Floyd, the people that attacked us were part of a larger organization. And that same organization was combing these woods for inexperienced Crafters. So, we opted to travel in silence. Using the night as cover. Just like ninjas…

What are ninjas, again?

GAH! I'm getting real sick of this nostalgia sense! What am I supposed to do though? Floyd said we'd stay a team until we get out of this forest. But I can't ask him my questions while we're in a forest filled with bloodthirsty killers. It's quite the conundrum!

I broke away from my thoughts to examine Floyd. The blue-nette seemed intent on reaching the mountains and never once paused in his trek to see if I was following. Although, to his credit, he didn't full out sprint. He probably knew that the best way to get to our destination undetected was through a slow walk. Plus, wasting food for a sprint would likely backfire on the both of us when a Mob or hostile Crafter attacked.

And after the last few days in these woods, that's always what happened.

The first day, admittedly, involved nothing but sleeping in a bed and being introduced to Helena. As exhausting as that was, it was nothing compared to the rest of my journey.

The second day, I fought Zombies and almost died twice!

The third day, I had to read a book.

*SHUDDER*

And there was the Crapshack and falling into that cave.

And now, according to my clock and the position of the moon, the fourth day had officially ended. That day was the worst, and the best, by far. Sure there were psychotic cultists, a whole bunch of running, and big explosions, but there was also a new ally, useful gear, and big explosions. And despite it all, I survived. It was hard to believe that all that happened inside a week.

It made me wonder what Floyd experienced. He was around before I even existed. And from his tone addressing the cultists, it was clear that he had bad experiences with them. Maybe the question about his life story could be shelved for later. Or never.

"Cobb." Floyd snapped me from my thoughts as he called my name. "There's a cave up ahead. Might be a chance of some supplies in there."

I looked towards the direction he was pointing. It wasn't so much a cave as it was a hole in the ground. Oh, and it was dark. Darker than the night around us.

"What supplies would be down there? Coal?" I asked as I peered over the edge.

"I'm more interested in looking for iron ore." Floyd stated as he began punching down trees. "Just give me a minute to make some tools."

Alright, time to prove my usefulness! I took out my axe and began hacking away at trees. I managed to obtain 20 logs before my axe broke. But I also managed to grab some apples from the deteriorating leaves.

I placed a Crafting Table down and converted the logs into sticks and planks. I made a new axe and used a bunch of sticks to make ladders. The rest was returned to my Inventory.

Floyd joined me at my table and began crafting his own stuff. He made a pickaxe, a sword, an axe, and a crafting table.

"Have you seen iron ore before?" I asked as I carefully set ladders along the cave wall.

"No." He admitted. "But those cultists had iron armor and iron swords so there must be an ore for it."

"Yeah, we could do with some iron gear." I couldn't help but look at my leather boots as I descended down the hole.

"Before we find anything, let's agree on something." Floyd stated as he followed me down the ladder. "Anything we find, we split fifty-fifty. No hoarding anything."

"Fine with me." I answered as I illuminated the cave with a torch. Once I touched the cave floor, I took a look around. The hole we climbed down opened up into a spacious stone cavern that had several tunnels connected to it. Something brown was hanging off the ceiling and I spotted a barely concealed Zombie in the darkness.

Floyd landed on the cave floor beside me and, noticing the Zombie, withdrew his sword. "I got this one." He stated confidently as he slowly approached the Zombie.

"Just make sure to split it in half. Fifty-fifty and all." I quipped and felt satisfied at the chuckle he emitted. I returned my attention to the small brown lump hanging from the ceiling. It wasn't moving, but I wasn't sure if I should be afraid of it or not. It was the unknown things that scared me the most. That's why I needed to know everything.

I withdrew some dirt blocks and constructed a staircase to the ceiling to better examine this…thing. Meanwhile, I heard the pained grunts of a Zombie as Floyd dispatched it. After fighting experienced Crafters, I figured Zombies wouldn't offer much of a challenge.

When I finally got enough height, I reached out to touch the brown object. Because if you don't know what something is, poking it is generally the best thing to do.

However, before I could poke it, the thing came alive and flew towards me and latched onto my face. It was a fucking bat.

"Get it off!" I cried as flailed my arms in a panic. Was this a dangerous Mob that would suck my blood and become a fully grown vampire? Or was it a harmless bat? Either way, I fell off my makeshift staircase and landed with a thud. I let out a low whimper as the bat unlatched itself from my face and flew down one of the many tunnels.

While I was on the ground, Floyd walked right up to me. "You alright?" I silently nodded while I internally groaned.

Now he thinks I'm afraid of bats. And just after I made him laugh. One step forward and two steps back.

He dropped some rotten flesh for me before turning around to examine the tunnels. "The rotten flesh doesn't have to fall under the fifty-fifty rule right?" I asked as I avoided the chunks of tainted meat.

"I know. That's why I'm giving you all of it." He stated as he kept his attention on the tunnels. Ugh. Sorry stomach looks like this stuff will be a part of your diet for a while.

Stomach: No! Please! How can you be so heartless?

I'm not heartless!

Heart: Yeah, you tell him Cobb!

What? Heart is that you?

Heart: What? Did your brain forget again or am I just chopped liver?

Liver: No that would be me…Not that anyone cares. Nobody cares for poor Liver. *sob*

Heart: C'mon, Liver. Don't be like that. I didn't mean it.

Stomach: Also, how are you sobbing when you don't have tear ducts?

Liver: Don't question my misery! I'll cry when I feel like it!

Stomach: C'mon Liver, you gotta be with me on this one. Cobb is shoving rotten flesh that tastes like crap down his throat and we're the ones who have to suffer.

…I'm surprised by how in depth this inner thought process is.

Brain: Blame your time in the Origin Zone. You've gone cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

Stomach: Ohhhh, those sound good right about now.

What are cocoa puffs? I don't—

Liver: Can we all just focus on ME for once!?

Lungs: *Sigh*

Brain: And now Lungs is involved in this.

Stomach: No, shut up! The issue is the stuff Cobb is feeding me and I want something done about it!

Liver: You all have no idea how hard it is being me. The shit I have to deal with.

Brain: You're right. I don't. Cuz I got the good job suckaz!

Heart: Brain, leave Liver alone! You know how fragile he can be. And don't think I can't hear you flipping me off!

Lungs: *Sigh*

Brain: Oh sure, take Heart's side. That is so like you Lungs.

Liver: When is anyone gonna take my side? I have needs too!

Brain: I need an aspirin.

What's—

Stomach: I need food that doesn't taste like dog—

Brain: Blame the world Cobb lives in!

Heart: I'm sure Cobb is doing his best Stomach.

Bladder: Yeah, it's not his fault he sucks.

Who's that?

Stomach: Bladder! I thought I warned you never to show your face here again!

Bladder: Yeah, well I don't have a face…so…yeah.

Stomach: Well, make like a bladder and piss off! We're having a debate here.

Lungs: *Sigh*

Stomach: Thank you, Lungs. I worked really hard on developing that joke.

Bladder: It wasn't that funny.

Liver: Maybe you'd all like it better if I was DEAD! Would that make you happy!? If I chopped myself up like the liver I am!?

Brain: Actually, that would make me happy. You should do it.

Wait, what!?

Heart: Brain, don't say things like that!

Liver: Bladder, fetch me my big knife so I can slit my throat!

No! Don't do it! I need my liver…I think?

Brain: Yeah, see, I think the liver is the one you can live without.

Heart: That's the kidneys you idiot! How can you not know that when you're the brain!?

Brain: Hey, I only use 10% of myself at a time.

Lungs: *Sigh*

Brain: Don't worry Lungs. He isn't really gonna kill himself. He's bluffing.

Liver: I'll do it! Bladder! Knife! Now!

Bladder: Here you go.

Stomach: No, don't do it!

Yeah, don't do it!

Brain: I'm waiting…

Heart: You have so much left to live for!

Lungs: *GASP*

"COBB! Snap out of it!" Floyd called from across the cavern. I quickly regained control of my senses as I walked towards Floyd. After listening to that entire…dark exchange between my internal organs…maybe I did lose my sanity in the Origin Zone. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to eat some apples instead of rotten flesh for a while.

"I think we should stay together when going down these tunnels. You have the torches so you lead." Floyd gestured me to enter the tunnel first. I couldn't help but think I was acting as bait to lure out any Mobs that might attack.

"Alright, but you better have my back when Skeletons jump out. Those things are killers!" I placed a torch down as I continued through the tunnel.

"Skeletons? What are those?" Floyd asked sounding interested.

I raised an eyebrow at the blue-nette. "Skeletons. Boney guys that fire arrows at you. You've never seen a Skeleton before?"

"No, just Zombies and Creepers…and a Witch."

"A Witch? I've never heard of that Mob." There was nothing in that book about Witches. Just Zombies, Skeletons, Spiders, and Creepers. Then again, the book only described the most common Mobs. Did that mean there were rarer types of Mobs in Minecraftia? Types that were more terrifying than Creepers? What if they breathed fire or had acid for blood? I need to know more about these Mobs! "Could you…describe it for me? Like what does a Witch attack with?"

"Well, I didn't get a good look at it. It kinda just showed up out of nowhere and I fled before it could attack me." Floyd answered hesitantly as if he wanted to withhold part of the story he was retelling. "I think it threw a potion, though."

"A what?" I asked stopping.

"Oh right. You probably don't know about those yet." Floyd realized as he rummaged in his backpack for something. "That's fine though, I only found out about them yesterday." Finally he fished a glass bottle of light blue liquid from his backpack and handed it to me. "Here. Check it out."

I examined the bottle labeled [SPLASH POTION OF SWIFTNESS]. The bottle had a curved neck and the light blue liquid within shimmered with a faint glow. I recalled the potions that were effective against Mobs described in the book. A Splash Potion of Harming, a Splash Potion of Healing.

"What does it do?"

"As the name suggests, it makes you swifter." Floyd pulled out several more glass bottles filled with different colored liquids. "I also got one for night vision, regeneration, two for healing, and…an awkward potion."

"Wow? How did you make these?" I gazed upon the glass bottles in wonder. Could a simple drink be able to provide all those abilities? And for how long?

"No I got these off one of the cultists…along with this." He held up a severed head and I stumbled back immediately.

"What are you carrying severed heads around for!?" I shrieked as I backed myself up to the wall.

"Relax, it's not a real severed head. It's made of some type of material." Floyd tried to calm my revulsion, but I kept my distance. "It belonged to a guy named Crawford. And these heads are always left behind when a Crafter dies. Here, you can see for yourse—"

"No! Stay! Out!" I cried as I constructed a dirt barricade between myself and Floyd. It was childish, sure, but I had no intention of examining a head from a dead Crafter.

"Alright, I'm putting it away. You can come out now." I dug out a hole in the barricade and poked my head out just to be sure. Yep, no head in sight. "You're squeamish, though. How are you gonna fight the cultists like that?"

"No visible damage occurs. Blood and guts can't be exposed so I'll be fine." I replied confidently as I demolished my barricade. "So you got potions and a…head…from Crawford. Anything else of use?"

"Yeah, I got some TNT, some food, a flint and steel, and…this." He handed me a piece of paper. "He had more gear on him, but when he was killed by a pack of Creepers, they blew most of it up. This was all I managed to salvage."

I read the paper aloud. "'Welcome to the Endward Cult!' Ha! What a stupid name. Is this the same cult that attacked us?"

"Probably. I don't know how they made these potions, but without them I never would have made it to the warren."

I returned the potion and the piece of paper. "Why was getting to the warren so important?" Sure there were plenty of hiding spots, but the whole place was depressing.

"If you want to know so badly, you can read this." He deposited the potion and paper before withdrawing a book. It wasn't as old as the book Helena had, but it had an identical binding and cover.

Despite my hatred of reading, I accepted the leatherback and examined it. [The History of Miner's Warren]. Well, I asked a question so I may as well read to figure it out.

Again, there was a signature similar to Herobrine's on the lower left corner of the inside cover. The signature read 'Alexicon' and was written in a cursive style. But what exactly was cursive? For some reason, I felt it was an unnecessary skill to learn. But back to the book.

Hello, young reader! I see you've picked up one of my many tomes depicting the history of Minecraftia's most influential locations. This one is about Miner's Warren.

Why does this feel like it's written for kids?

Miner's Warren is a town steeped in history. And its tale is one as old as Minecraftia itself. It all began in 50 A.O. (After Origin).

As more and more Crafters were spawned from the mysterious Origin Zone (See The History of the Origin Zone for more details), Kingdoms bloomed from the desolate wastelands of the region. Forests were cleared to construct buildings and deserts were transformed into fertile gardens to feed the growing population.

Ten Kingdoms were established. Each ruled by one of the first ten Crafters to ever exist. The Kingdom closest to the Origin Zone was named Ringwood after the wood toppled to construct its foundations.

However, Ringwood and the Origin Zone were divided by a natural barrier. Mt. Mur stood as a permanent obstacle Crafters had to overcome before entering Ringwood. Most Crafters climbed over it or attempted to travel around the base. Very few could dig straight through it.

Then, one day, some wealthy Crafters thought up a possible solution. A rail that led right through Mt. Mur. It took many months to accrue the necessary amount of rails and many more months to excavate the tunnel and construct the railway. But eventually, the railroad was finished.

Not only did the rails cut through Mt. Mur to Ringwood, they also extended throughout the mountains' foundations to mine shafts and excavation sites.

In response, several Crafters settled on the southern side of Mt. Mur to operate the railway. Miners soon flocked to the settlement to utilize the rail transportation and discover new veins of ore buried deep below the mountain. Thus, the settlement would grow into the town aptly named, Miner's Warren.

I stopped reading for a bit as I processed the information. So there's a Kingdom on the other side of that mountain. To think civilization is so close and yet so far! And Floyd must have wanted to use the railway to get to Ringwood. But then, wait, why was the warren abandoned? I decided to keep reading to find out.

Miner's Warren prospered for a few years. Sadly, it was doomed to fail from the start. Its location as well as its establishment as a separate community meant it was on the outskirts of Ringwood's jurisdiction and protection. The wealthy Crafters who started the project were steeped in debt. A debt collected from the unreturned favors they called upon to obtain the rails. Without adequate funds, they no longer had the resources to pay Crafters to defend the warren.

Furthermore, while the warren did attract inexperienced Crafters and Miners, it also attracted the attention of destructive Griefers and crazed Jibbermen. Another issue was the Mob attacks. The flimsy makeshift fence could do little to keep the Mobs at bay. The warren's population soon began to decline and the railway dismantled by Griefers or runaways looking for profitable items.

The warren is currently abandoned. It serves as a reminder of what Crafters can and cannot accomplish through hard work and determination.

Wow. After all the work they put into it, and it still collapsed. I thought to myself as I closed the book. With proper planning and resources, they could've lasted a lot longer. But I don't understand some of these terms. Griefers? Jibbermen? And unlike the other times when I said or thought something without knowing what it was, I have no idea what these words mean.

But now the warren's state made sense. The destroyed fences. The ruined buildings. The lack of people. It was unable to defend itself from the harsh elements of Minecraftia. It was a broken town.

And if I don't learn how to survive, I'll end up broken too.

"Hey, Cobb! If you're done reading, I think I found something." Floyd called from down the tunnel. I jogged to catch up. Along the way, I set down my last torch to illuminate the area Floyd was examining.

Along the wall was a large vein of coal ore. But I was more interested in the ore beneath it. It had a brown color to it and looked rather dull, but it was an ore I never encountered before. That made it interesting.

"Alright, I'll mine it and then split it with you. Deal?" Floyd asked as he readied his pick.

"Sure. Oh, here's your book back." I remembered as I handed him the book. "Thanks for letting me read it."

"No problem." Floyd replied easily as he began mining the coal. "I found it two days ago at the warren. There was surprisingly a lot of gear left abandoned."

"You were there before?" I asked as I munched an apple. "Then, why did you leave in the first place?"

"Cultists." Floyd answered in an emotionless tone. "It's too dangerous to get to Ringwood through that tunnel. So I'll have to either go around or climb over Mt. Mur."

"Well in that case, I think going over the mountain is the best option."

"What you think is best is your choice. After we get out of these woods, this 'alliance' is over."

"Ah…right. Sorry." Geez, am I that bad? Although, with my questionable mental state…maybe it's better I go by myself.

Heart: Don't think that Cobb.

Ugh, this again?

Bladder: Heart's right. Don't think of us as some crazed delusions. We're more like your conscience thoughts. We just want to help guide your actions towards the most reasonable option.

Really?

Brain: I don't know. I'm just a crazed delusion.

Heart: THAT"S IT BRAIN! YOU AND ME! MANO A MANO! CORAZON A CEREBRO! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR ATTITUDE!

Brain: You wanna go!? COME AT ME!

Bladder: Just let me know if either of you need a knife.

Stomach: Cobb, I appreciated the apple. Thank you for listening to my complaints.

*Sigh* No problem.

I tuned out the brutal battle between heart and brain as I refocused on Floyd. He had finished mining the coal, but had paused at the brown ore.

"Something's wrong." He said with a frown as he examined the tunnel floor. "I mined some of this brown ore, but I didn't get anything from it."

"You sure you didn't misplace it?" I asked as I walked up to the wall.

"I think I would know if I misplaced something. It's nowhere to be found."

"Hmmm…let me try with my pick." I suggested as I withdrew my wooden pickaxe.

"No!" Floyd gripped my shoulder to stop me. "We don't have an infinite amount of this ore to test mine. And I already know a wooden pickaxe won't work. We need something stronger."

"Oh, yeah, I'll just grab my iron pick and mine this with it instead." I replied sarcastically. I don't know why I was so snarky all of a sudden. Maybe it was a combination of Floyd's wariness of our alliance, him holding back my attempts to verify the mining ability of our tools, and the need to prove myself to him. And maybe my questionable mental stability was making rash decisions for me.

"I don't think we need an iron pick for this." Floyd answered, completely ignoring my sarcasm. "If I'm right, then this is iron ore."

"What makes you think that? The iron the cultists wielded was white and silver and shiny." I explained as if I was an expert on metals. "And this ore is a dull brown shade."

"We probably need to remove the impurities within the ore first." He explained. "Maybe smelt the iron before shaping it into tools and armor."

"How do you expect to do that? With an Easy-bake Oven?" I joked before realizing I had no idea what an Easy-bake Oven was.

He chuckled at that too before adopting a complicated expression. Wait. Did he just get my joke?

"Why did I—"

"You're wondering why you laughed at my joke, right?" I asked earnestly as I stood in front of him with my eyes wide. This is my chance to ask him! "You understood my joke even though you have no idea what an Easy-bake Oven is, right?"

"Y-yeah, but…" Floyd held his head as he pondered what was going on. "I've been experiencing these feelings of familiarity ever since the Void. As well as—"

"Feelings of normalcy?" I finished his thoughts for him as he nodded at my phrasing. "Yeah, I've had those too and I thought it was weird at first. It's good to know I'm not the only one experiencing it."

"It feels almost like…like my brain is telling me I don't know something…but at the same time…something feels familiar. Instinct or emotion or…" Floyd did his best to voice what he was feeling and I nodded as it sounded close enough to what I was feeling too.

"Yeah, we understand the reference, if only for a moment, even though we're not entirely sure what it means." But, why are we having such feelings? Do all Crafters go through this?

I voiced my thoughts to Floyd, but he only shook his head in confusion. All these inner thoughts were making our brains smoke.

"All I know is that some instinct is telling me that this is iron ore and that we can get iron from it when we smelt it." He concluded as he turned his attention back to the wall. "But how to mine it?"

"Why not blow it up with TNT? It'll certainly save time." I suggested as I sat down on a nearby rock.

"No. I only have two blocks of TNT left. I gotta save them for worse times." He explained as he combined some sticks and coal to make torches. "Besides, it might destroy the ore altogether."

He's right about saving the TNT, but I don't think it can destroy the ore. The wooden pick could break cobblestone and so could Creeper explosions…probably. And just like in rock-paper-scissors, pick beats rock, rock beats scissors, and explosion beats everything.

Wait, did he just make torches without sunlight?

I observed his crafting more closely and discovered that he was making torches. And without sunlight too! I guess the sunlight aspect never mattered. I thought sadly.

"So then what's the plan?" I asked as Floyd approached me and handed me half of the coal he collected.

"I guess we'll have to move on. No point in guarding it when we don't know how to get it off the wa—" Floyd cut himself off as he stared behind me. He had a fearful look in his eye and I knew something was wrong.

I whirled around and withdrew my sword as I witnessed what Floyd was horrified by. It was a lone Creeper, moving towards us in a silent stride.

Floyd took a few steps back as he swapped to his bow. He was clearly too afraid of these things to fight them up close. Otherwise, he would have remembered that he had a single arrow to fire and a damaged bow that wouldn't last long.

For me though, I was calm and confident. I knew a secret about Creepers that Floyd didn't. Simply blocking when it got too close would be enough. Sure the tunnel might gain a crater or two, but it would be the safest way to conquer the Creeper explosion.

*Gasp* Inspiration!

Floyd aimed his bow at the Creeper, hands shaking all the time, but I stepped in his way. "Let me handle this thing. I've got an idea."

Floyd looked shocked at my confidence in the face of a ticking time bomb. "Do you have a death wish? We should just turn back. I've seen what those things are capable of."

"So have I. Which is why you need to trust me on this." I answered easily as I walked over to the side of the tunnel with the ore. In response, the Creeper followed.

"Cobb, are you sure you know what you're—"

"Yup, I'm 99% sure this will work." I stated confidently as I held up my sword to block. I waited as the Creeper grew closer and closer. Soon it was right next to me.

*sssssssSSSSS!*

*BOOM*

I was knocked back a few feet as the Creeper exploded, leaving a smoking crater in its wake as well as some blocks of cobblestone…and brown ore!

"Aha!" I shouted as I dusted myself off, barely damaged, and stooped down to collect the blocks. Meanwhile, Floyd was standing with his mouth agape.

"What did…how the…" Floyd tried and failed to voice his confusion.

"If you block a Creeper explosion with a sword, you can reduce the damage." I answered, knowing what he was thinking. "I guess I'm not as inexperienced as you thought." I folded my arms at that and put on a smug grin.

"Just give me some of that ore." He sighed in concession with a frown on his face.

"Sure thing, partner." I drew out the word as I handed him some [IRON ORE]. Floyd snatched it from my hand before withdrawing his pickaxe and began mining part of the tunnel. "So…now what?"

"Well, we need something to cook the iron with. So I'm building a furnace." Once he collected enough cobblestone, he set his crafting table and placed the blocks in the outline of the square grid. The result was a dark grey block with weird designs on it.

"A furnace?" I questioned as I examined the block. I think I saw a block like that at Helena's house.

"It's like an oven." Floyd explained as he placed it on the ground. "I've seen a few of these in the warren. I've only cooked food in them, but maybe it can work with iron too."

"Really? You can cook food in this?" I asked with my mouth watering. My stomach was currently attempting to wrench power from my brain as it pictured the dishes that could be made. Smoked salmon! Pot roast! Beef Stir Fry! Fried Chicken! Toasted toast! The possibilities are endless! "I think I better make one too." I suggested with restrained enthusiasm as I withdrew some cobblestone.

"Focus, Cobb. The iron is more important." Floyd popped some coal in the bottom part of the furnace and some iron ore in the top part. Immediately, the furnace roared to life as a glowing fire crackled within it. "Good. It works the same."

"I got one too!" I cheered as I held my completed [FURNACE] high in the air as if it were a priceless treasure. "Now let's see if I can't make this rotten flesh taste better."

I placed the furnace down and placed some coal in the same way that Floyd had. Then, I placed some rotten flesh in the top half and waited in eager anticipation.

But to my dismay, no fire roared to life as it had with Floyd's furnace. It just stood there in a cold silence as if to say, 'I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do with this garbage.'

Soul crushing despair overtook me as I fell to my hands and knees and pounded the furnace with my fists. "Why…why…why…"

Of course, my repeated pounding on the furnace caused it to break apart and empty its contents all over the floor.

Why…

"Yes! It's making iron! Cobb, you better cook your ore…" He trailed off as he saw me in a fetal position next to a pile of coal and rotten flesh. "Or I could cook it for you?" He offered with his hand outstretched. To depressed to answer, I simply chucked the ore at his feet.

"Thanks." Floyd grunted irritated as he picked up the ores and placed them in the same burning furnace before finding his own spot on the ground to sit.

[Floyd]

Boy, I sure know how to pick them. Crazy and catatonic. I mean, what was I thinking?

Oh, right! It was something along the lines of, 'Hey, Floyd! Check out that guy over there. He seems weak and doesn't look like he could hold his own in a fight, but you should save him anyway because…why the hell not? Picking up stragglers that can't do crap is FUN!'

Really poor decision. Now I'm stuck with this guy and I'm starting to question his mental state.

"…rotten flesh…no hope…tastes of despair…" Cobb mumbled as he laid on the ground in the same fetal position.

A few moments later, the furnace's fire died and my previous thoughts of poor choices were eclipsed by the sheer joy of obtaining iron. I withdrew the newly smelted ingots of refined metal and examined them in my hand. [IRON INGOT]. And four of them too! Now, what to make...

Varying degrees of thoughts entered my mind as I pondered what to craft or attempt to craft with the new items. Weapons, armor, tools, an extra flint and steel (cuz mine's almost out). It was a tough choice.

Then I remembered half of it belonged to Cobb. Immediately I felt disappointment. We had already agreed on splitting things fifty-fifty. Not to mention, it was his experience that managed to separate the ore from the tunnel. Why couldn't I think of using Creeper explosions for excavation?

Or maybe the better question is, 'how did a guy like Cobb come up with an idea like that?' I looked over to Cobb to see he was still mourning the death of his hopes and dreams. The same guy who had brilliantly survived a Creeper explosion was despairing over the inability to convert rotten flesh into something more edible.

I can't say I've ever been desperate enough to turn to Zombie flesh as a food supply, but maybe that's the same reason why Cobb knew how to counter a Creeper explosion. This is a man who's made tough, yet stupid, choices because he's been desperate enough to try anything just to continue his survival. It's admirable…

But more importantly, if he's willing to try anything, that makes him the perfect…lab rat. There it is again! I don't even know what a lab rat is, and yet I understand its context perfectly!

Bottom-line, he could be useful in helping me understand Minecraftia's more dangerous points.

Sure, it sounds a bit cold-hearted to be using him, but he's probably thinking the same thing right now. I mean he did say he needed me more than I needed him. And I don't want to be the one gaining nothing from this short alliance.

So it's fair to use him…right?

Yeah! It's definitely fair. And if I've got time to think about it, then I've got time to plan ahead.

Some iron tools would be best. Maybe a stronger pick since my wooden one can't seem to bust through iron ore. Of course I'd have to ask Cobb to use his share of the iron.

Or…

"Hey, Cobb. I have some spare [COOKED PORKCHOP]. Wanna trade your share of the iron for—"

"YES!" Cobb screeched in glee as he recovered from his fetal position and, in one fluid movement, leapt from the ground, seized the single pork chop from my hand, performed a front flip for style, and landed face first onto the ground again.

"Got too cocky with that landing." I heard him mumble into the ground. But I didn't care much as I rushed to the table before he could change his mind. Remembering Helena's recipe for wooden pickaxes, I swapped the planks for iron ingots and, one craft later, withdrew the finished product. [IRON PICKAXE].

It felt a lot different from the wooden pickaxe. There was more weight to it and I was confident that most ores would crumble before its might. I was left with a spare ingot, but upon seeing Cobb happily drooling over the pork chop, I pocketed it in my backpack. Hopefully, I could find a flint to make a new lighter.

"Alright, let's keep looking for ores." I announced as I led the way down the tunnel…only to stop as I noticed Cobb wasn't following. "You coming?"

"We already found ores. You really wanna push our luck and go poking around a Mob filled cave?" He asked as he munched on the pork chop.

"We'll be fine. I can handle the Zombies and you can handle the Creepers, Skeletons, Witches, and…everything else."

"Just because I know some common Mobs doesn't mean I'm invincible." Cobb protested. "And a wooden sword can only do so much."

"Should have thought about that before you traded sword materials for food." I argued in a superior tone. "You know more about Mobs than I do, so you can finally be useful for something."

Cobb sighed in annoyance before reluctantly following. As I lit the way with torches, he jerked his head to look behind us every few seconds. When he thought he saw something he flinched and moved his hand to the sword at his belt, only to realize that nothing was following us. In short, he was paranoid.

"What are you so worried about?" I inquired with a raised brow. "A minute ago you were staring down a Creeper, but now you're all jittery."

"As long as I see the Creeper before it attacks, I can—" He stopped short as he glanced at me with narrowed eyes. "Why do you care if I'm worried? You want this alliance over with as soon as possible."

Anger flared up in me at his words. "Yeah, you're right. I don't care." I turned my head and kept my eyes forward. "As long as your paranoia doesn't affect me you can have a mental breakdown for all I care."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Great!"

"Super!"

We both huffed in annoyance after that brief argument and continued down the tunnel in silence.

But inside my head, my thoughts buzzed angrily.

This asshole has a lot of nerve! Pissing me off and acting like a professional when he's really just an inexperienced child!

Yeah, I want this alliance over with soon because I don't want you dragging me down. I have a list of things I need to accomplish. I have a Kingdom to get to, a friend to find, and a cultist to take care of.

And just like that, my anger at Cobb transformed into anger at Spring_Fever: The man who murdered my friend and the member of the cult that caused me so much turmoil the past few days.

It was all the Endward Cult's fault. They were the ones responsible and they needed to be dealt with. Why nobody had dealt with them sooner was a mystery, but they were too numerous to eliminate without proper help.

Once I find Soul, the two of us will avenge Silent_Game and start the adventure we promised.

[Noman]

"Okay, so…I'm sorry I killed you three. I never meant to…No! That's not good enough for them, um…"

There I was, Nowhere_Man, standing in front of three shabby graves. No bodies were buried beneath them. Only chests filled with the inventories of each Crafter. But even that was half-assed. The gear that had exploded from their destroyed forms was strewn about and intermixed until the proper owner was no longer distinguishable.

Instead, I just gathered all their gear and divided it into three equal piles before placing them in a chest. The only thing I separated differently, and with great revulsion, were their heads.

I placed one in each chest and used signs to label the graves with each Crafter's name. But hey, at least I learned the recipes for chests and signs. That's a bright side…

Now all that was left was to give a eulogy…not that I knew what that was. All I knew was that I should say something for these guys, even though they had tried to kill me. Maybe that was the heroic character of the Billionth talking.

To be the bigger person and forgive. Especially since they were dead because of me.

"I…I don't know if we could have been friends, but…but you shouldn't have attacked me. I didn't do anything to…No! That's worse!" I kicked a tree in frustration as I struggled to come up with the right words. I needed a different approach if I was to say anything meaningful.

Not that anyone was watching. There was nobody to judge me, but me.

Nowhere_Man.

I finally decided on something that might work. I straightened my suit and tie as I prepared to address the graves one last time.

"You three were…the first Crafters I met in this crazy place. I was expecting friendliness and compassion or, at the very least, indifference." I paused as I recalled their reactions. "But not hostility. Never hostility. I don't know what I did to make you hate me so much, but I never intended on harming any of you."

I remembered the Severe Shield still stashed away in my backpack. The chest plate of invincibility that had saved my life at the cost of theirs.

"I don't regret living through your attacks. I just regret being weak enough to rely on something as Godlike as my armor." My eyes were beginning to blur and I had to wipe the tears away. I had no right to cry. "If I was stronger, maybe I could have stopped you before you hurt yourselves beyond repair. But that's in the past. Instead, I'm going to use this experience and learn from it. I'm gonna learn to fight without this armor. That way I can be the Billionth that the people will be expecting."

At that, I turned on my heel and walked towards the northern mountains. The sun was just beginning to rise and streaks of sunlight were breaking through the treetops. It was funny how symbolic it seemed. A new dawn to represent my own dawning.

It was only natural that a Creeper would appear before me. Almost as if the world was intent on thwarting my intent to fight without a safety net.

I reached into my backpack, but not for my chest plate. Instead I withdrew my diamond blade and held it in a sloppy stance. Inexperienced but determined.

"En garde monster!" I cried as I swung my diamond blade at it.

Inventory: 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Wooden Pickaxe, 1 Wooden Hoe, 1 Wooden Sword, 1 Wooden Axe, 5 Cobblestone, 5 Coal, 1 Chest, 1 Stick, 54 Oak Wood Planks, 2 Wooden Pressure Plates, 1 Trapdoor, 1 Stone Slab, 3 Oak Doors, 1 Wooden Button, 1 Clock, 40 Dirt, 2 Signs, 14 Ladders, 1 Bucket, 1 String, 1 Bone, 1 Rabbit Stew, 1 Apple, 1 Leather Boots, 13 Rotten Flesh, 1 Emerald

AN: Alright I seem to be holding up my one chapter a week thing.

You guys got a bit of a history lesson this chapter and an idea of what the inside of Cobb's head sounds like. Writing for his organs was surprisingly fun and funny to me. Hopefully, you all found it funny too...unless you skipped everything just to read this author's note. In which case...I didn't spoil anything. (9_9)

Also got to see more of Flawwed_Floyd. He's not a submitted OC, but I'm trying to give him an actual character. Which is hard.

And then there's Nowhere_Man who also has his own character. I'm actually worried that Cobb has less character than the other characters.

So yeah. Still accepting OCs, leave a review or fav. Recommend this to your friends, recommend this to your enemies.

And have a nice day!