AN: Sorry about last week's short chapter. I was busy with Mid-terms and such.
The answer to last week's puzzle: You don't bury survivors since they're still alive. Congrats to Slenderbrine for being the first to get it right. Enjoy your cookie and your acknowledgement.
(::)
Puzzle: What has holes in it, but can hold water?
Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft. If I did, minecart tracks would have loop-de-loops.
Chapter 16
Hurdle (Part 1)
[Noman]
"So that Mob I fought is called a Spider Jockey?" I asked my black and orange clad companion as we trekked through the dawn lit woods.
[YES. ALTHOUGH I'VE ONLY SEEN SPIDER JOCKEYS AND CHICKEN JOCKEYS, THEY ARE BOTH VERY DISTINCT THREATS.]
Chicken Jockeys? What would be small enough to ride a chicken…unless the chicken is actually a huge killer monster chicken! After everything I've seen I wouldn't be surprised.
"What about the bucket of milk you gave me? How come drinking it dispelled the invisibility effect?"
[MILK HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PANACEA FOR POTION EFFECTS. THAT'S WHY I ALWAYS CARRY SOME AROUND. JUST ONE DRINK AND ANY STATUS EFFECTS ARE CURED INSTANTLY.]
She snapped her fingers to emphasize how quickly the milk worked and I made a mental note on the usefulness of the dairy product.
"So where do you find—" I was stopped mid-sentence as she mimed her page turning motion.
[MILK COMES FROM COWS. JUST BRING A BUCKET.]
"It's like you know exactly what I'm thinking when you write." I smiled at how well she planned her writing. Am I really such an open book to her that she can predict my thought process?
At my comment, she averted her eyes and shrugged as if it was no big deal. I couldn't tell if she looked proud or embarrassed.
Then she stopped me with her arm and glanced around the area. We had reached a steep cliff face that connected to the towering mountain that could only be Mt. Mur.
"Why are we stopping here?" I asked. Spark just ignored me as she examined the ground, scanning for something.
I looked up at Mt. Mur and gaped in awe. The mountain was so high that the peak was obscured by the clouds. Below that was steep rocky terrain dotted with trees. And according to Spark, Ringwood was on the other side of that massive natural obstacle. It would take days, maybe even weeks to climb to the top. Food and other supplies would be necessary for such a hike.
How does she think she can reach Ringwood by today?
Spark made a sudden movement from the corner of my eye and I turned to observe. She was crouched in front of a blue flower and her eyes were lit up in triumph.
She then slowly got to her feet and, using the flower as a marker, walked straight towards the rock base. As she approached the base, she readied a pickaxe of some material that gleamed in the first rays of morning.
I watched in wonder as, when she reached the rock face, she used her pick to mine an opening big enough for a person to fit. Just behind the first layer of rock was a torch lit tunnel that appeared to trail through the mountain.
She gestured for me to enter first as she swapped her pick for some rock of the same type she mined from the cliff. I hesitantly stepped into the threshold of the tunnel while Spark sealed the entrance.
"Amazing." I marveled after we traveled for some time. The tunnel felt like it was sloping up with every occasional turn. "How did you know this tunnel was here?"
[I BUILT IT.]
[AND IF YOU THINK THIS IS AMAZING, JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHERE IT LEADS.]
After walking for several minutes, we reached a ladder that went straight up into the rock above. Spark climbed first and I followed.
As we climbed, one thing registered in my mind.
We're going really high up.
The ladder seemed to go on forever and it was becoming exhausting to continually hoist myself up rung after rung.
How does Spark do this without breaking a sweat? I looked up to see how she was doing, but felt my cheeks quickly redden before jerking my head back down to stare firmly at the points of the ladder where my hands made contact.
I decided to focus my eyes on the rungs for two reasons. One so I wouldn't look down and be terrorized by vertigo. And two so I wouldn't be tempted to stare at Spark's shapely rear.
I was still curious as to why she decided to help me when I had relatively little to reward her with…well, besides emeralds, Golden God Apples, an invincible chestplate, and steak. But she couldn't have known that I had such gear.
So then why?
And where were we going?
When I noticed a lack of rungs in front of me, I knew we had reached the top. I took a look around and confirmed Spark's previous written remark.
I was amazed at where the ladder led.
We were in a large furnished room that appeared to be carved into the rock of the mountain. I was standing in the corner where the ladder was stationed.
Across from me was a large fenced pen holding cows and chickens. The pen's floor was made of dirt and there was a small gate to allow people to enter.
In the corner opposite from me was a series of furnaces and chests and a crafting table. All of which were stationed on a luxurious ebony carpet.
There were several doors around the room. Two were along the northern wall, one was by a room that seemed to jut into the dimensions of the main room, and one was by the southern wall which led to a balcony.
I knew the door led to a balcony because the entire southern wall was transparent. It was a giant window of glass that overlooked the breathtaking beauty of the valley and forest below.
Lastly, a stairwell along the western side of the room led to an upper floor. But I didn't pay that an mind as I rushed to the window's balcony to get a better view.
It was incredible. The entire house we were in was indeed carved into the mountain's rock. It was done in such a way that the house was positioned between two lips in the cliff. From above, a rocky outcropping jutted past the balcony. Any avalanches or rock falls would simply pass the view of the valley below without harming the actual house.
At the same time, the rocky outcropping below shielded the house from the gaze of any Crafters looking up from the mountain's base. The Endward Cult would never think to search for Crafters living on the side of a cliff!
Spark joined me on the balcony as I admired the view. I felt her nudge a book into my shoulder, which I quickly accepted.
[NICE VIEW, YEAH?]
"Indeed." I responded. "Did you…build all this?"
[YES. IT TOOK A LOT OF TIME, WORK, AND FAVORS, BUT I MANAGED TO CARVE OUT A LIFE HERE.]
"It's…an amazing home." I would never be able to make something like it in a million years. I wouldn't even know where to start!
Helena had glass windows at her house, but I had no idea where glass came from. Was there a glass tree somewhere that needed to be harvested for the material? Or was there a special mineral of some sort?
The carpets…forget the issue of weaving string into cloth (if that was even the correct method.) How would someone even dye it that same jet black color that Spark had.
Even digging the dimensions of the house must have been a tedious process without the added construction of walls, paintings, furniture, stairs, balconies, and whatever else.
It was beautiful, but more than that, I was able to appreciate the effort she drilled into Mt. Mur. "You have a splendid home here."
Spark's eyes were aglow with pride as she scribbled out a new message.
[THANKS. HOW ABOUT I GIVE YOU A TOUR?]
I nodded and she led me back inside.
[YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN THE BALCONY. OVER HERE IS THE RESTING AREA.]
She gestured to the main room with the furniture and pen.
[IT ALSO DOUBLES AS MY ANIMAL BREEDING AREA. AT LEAST UNTIL I FIND A BETTER SPOT FOR THEM.]
I surmised she was speaking for the noisy cows and chickens.
The chickens look kind of cute…wait, breeding?
At that thought, I had the sudden mental image of Spark pushing two cows and chickens together and shouting 'Mate! Mate!' before I drove the idea from my mind with a shudder.
Back to the tour, Spark opened one of the doors.
[THIS IS MY OWN PRIVATE FARM. I MAINLY GROW WHEAT AND SUGAR CANE, BUT I'M THINKING ABOUT EXPANDING INTO POTATOES OR CARROTS.]
Light green stalks and golden bushels of wheat sprouted from irrigated farmland. It was odd seeing an indoor farm since most plants need sunlight. Although, the torches along the wall seemed to do the job just as well.
Spark pointed towards the door of the room that jutted into the dimensions of the main room.
[THAT THERE IS THE ARCHIVE ROOM. IT'S MOSTLY TO STORE BOOKS AND OTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS.]
She walked past the door, not even bothering to open it and I vaguely wondered why she didn't want to show me the inside.
Instead she walked to the corner filled with furnaces, chests, and a crafting table.
[THIS IS WHERE I CRAFT AND COOK MOST OF MY SUPPLIES. MY BEDROOM IS UPSTAIRS AND FINALLY…]
She ran over to the last unopened door and beckoned me forward. I briskly followed her and tilted my head in confusion at what I saw.
[THIS IS HOW WE'RE GETTING TO RINGWOOD!]
Inside the room was a set of railways that led into a small opening in the wall. The other end of the rail curled into itself, but remained unconnected. Other than that the room had a small chest in the corner.
"Um…what exactly am I looking at?" I asked, not entirely seeing how tracks would be able to get us to Ringwo—
Oh no.
No, no, no. She couldn't possibly be suggesting—
[THIS RAILWAY WILL GET US TO RINGWOOD IN LESS THAN A DAY. RIGHT THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN!]
Oh God…
[PLUS, ALL THE DROPS AND SWERVES MAKE IT FEEL LIKE A ROLLER COASTER. IT ALWAYS BRIGHTENS MY TRIPS TO THE KINGDOM.]
Swerves? Drops!? Oh God why!?
"Really?" I questioned nervously as my voice cracked. I walked up to the rails to examine them. They looked sturdy enough, but I was more concerned about what we were going to be riding in. A miniature train? Hopefully something with seatbelts and harnesses. "Did you set up this railway too? It must have taken you quite a long time."
[NOT REALLY. EVER HEARD OF MINER'S WARREN?]
I shook my head.
[WELL, BASICALLY, MOST OF THE TUNNELS AND TRACKS WERE ALREADY SET UP TO CONNECT RINGWOOD TO OUR SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. I JUST NEEDED TO REDIRECT A COUPLE OF UNUSED RAILWAYS AND DIG SOME NEW TUNNELS. NOW TRAVELING TO RINGWOOD IS A BREEZE.]
I followed Spark as she left the Rail Room. She went over to her crafting corner and rummaged through the chests.
Unsure of what to do, I just sat on the couch in the resting area. Though it was more of a bench than a couch due to its lack of cushions and being comprised entirely of wood. But as a humble guest, it was inappropriate for me to complain about my host's hospitality.
Instead, I performed a quick inventory check. Diamond Sword with Sharpness I (not sure what that means), Invincible Diamond Chestplate, book with mission given to me by Notch, 54 steak, ten Golden God Apples, a bow with Infinity I (really not sure what that means), a single arrow (not really helpful), a crafting table, ten oak wood planks, twelve rotten flesh, two bones, one gunpowder, 100 emeralds, and Spark's message book.
I'm pretty lucky that Spark found me when she did. And has her own railway to Ringwood. And she knows where the Crystal Catacombs are…
But why is she being so helpful? And why go through so much work to live in the middle of nowhere? Couldn't she just live in Ringwood with other Crafters?
A blur of black and orange rushed past me and up the stairs. I turned to Spark's crafting corner and noticed the furnaces were aglow with flames. Apparently, Spark was cooking something up.
I sat in silence waiting for Spark to return to her work, but she was taking an unusually long time in her bedroom.
After a while of sitting, I got up to stretch my legs. My eyes began to wander to her Archive Room.
Spark did say she kept books in there. I bet there's something I can read to pass the time.
The little voice from the back of my head returned. 'Maybe you should ask permission before going through her stuff.'
I ignored the voice as I opened the door to the room. She won't mind. They're just books, right?
The room had a stale odor, as if nobody had cleaned it or moved anything for a while. The walls were piled high with shelves upon shelves of books and sitting along the far wall were several chests; each with their own sign.
As I got closer to examine the signs in the dim torchlight, I noticed that most of them were labeled with letters. They were most likely alphabetized.
A few signs had no words, but one in particular caught my attention. It didn't have letters like 'A-D' or 'E-H.'
It just had four words.
'WHY I KEEP GOING.'
Curiosity got the better of me and I opened the chest up to see what was inside. I was expecting something interesting or of value. But being in a room called the 'Archive Room' I probably should have figured it would be books. Just regular, old, ordinary books.
I picked up the nearest one and flipped through it. It was entirely blank except for the first page.
[You're a life-saver Spark. I can't thank you enough!]
I checked the inside cover for a signature: 'Lovable_Goof.'
Putting that book aside, I picked up a new one from the chest. Again only the first page had any writing.
[Kingdoms! Friendly Crafters! Writable Books! Who knew Minecraftia could have so much stuff? And why couldn't Helena tell me these things!?]
[Thankfully, there was another lovely lady with a small voice and a big heart! You da man!...woman.]
I smirked at that last line as I checked the signature: 'Ganadin_11.'
I picked up another book.
[Those Creepers would've creamed me if it wasn't for your invisibility potion! You're a really cool Crafter.]
'HelluvaName'
And another.
[Zombies suck. Cultists suck more. You suck less…and I am grateful. Also I suck at expressing gratitude. (T_T)]
'BuddyFriendGuyPal'
And another.
[I donut rite wel. But i tri 4 u. Cuz yur werth it.]
'Xkjh5smsX'
The more books I read, the clearer Spark's motives became. All the books were the same more or less: Someone writing to express gratitude to Spark in some way.
It was then I understood why she went through so much trouble to live where she did. It was to help Crafters over the first major hurdle in their existences. I wasn't the first to be shown her kindness, and I probably wouldn't be the last either. That thought made me smile and I felt a rush of affection for Spark.
Creation's_Spark. It really is a fitting name. She protects Crafters and gives them the chance to go out into the world.
She's so charitable and generous…
Meanwhile, what have I done to help anyone?
All I've done is kill. Even if they were bad…
…
Maybe she would be a better Billionth.
The warm feeling I felt soon turned to remorse and sadness as I returned all the books to the chest and turned to leave the room.
Only to come face to face with a black and orange clad redhead.
"Gah! Spark! I-I…didn't hear you." I stammered out as I subtly shut the chest behind me, hoping she wouldn't notice.
She already had a new book in hand that she pressed into me perhaps a tad more forcefully than usual.
[OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME. I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING.]
I mentally facepalmed at the obviousness of my excuse as Spark glared at me with orange eyes.
[I SEE YOU DECIDED TO DO A LITTLE LIGHT READING WHILE I WAS BUSY.]
Uh-oh. She noticed.
'Told you so.' My little voice chimed.
"Um…I'm sorry. Really really sorry. I was just bored with waiting and you were taking some time so I thought I could find a good book to read and this chest caught my eye and mmph—"
Spark slapped a hand over my mouth to stop my rambling as she balanced her book on her knee and wrote one-handed. She must have had a lot of practice with writing while multitasking.
She kept her hand over my mouth and instead held the book up for me to read.
[IT'S FINE. THERE'S NOTHING IN HERE THAT SHOULDN'T BE READ. IT'S JUST A BIG PART OF MY IDENTITY SO I DON'T WANT PEOPLE READING INTO IT.]
[EVERY CRAFTER DESERVES THE CHANCE TO LIVE. SO WHEN THE WORLD DENIES THEM THAT, I TRY TO STEP IN.]
With my mouth obstructed I could only nod in understanding before she finally dropped her hand.
I followed her out of the Archive Room and shut the door behind me. Spark had already returned to her corner and had withdrawn some metallic bars from the furnaces. She whisked over to the crafting table and, quicker than lightning, constructed four metal carts.
I couldn't believe how fast she was. Next, she took out some logs of wood. I blinked and the next thing I knew she was holding a chest and a furnace.
I didn't even glimpse the materials she used to make it!
I shook off my amazement as she took her crafted items and guided me over to the Rail Room. Once there, she set down two of her carts which expanded to be able to seat one person each.
She gestured to the one in front and I groaned as I hesitantly clambered into it. Behind me, Spark set down a new cart in between hers and mine. Only this one had a chest in it. I wasn't even aware that chests could be transported that way.
Spark handed me her book again while she set up a fourth minecart on the curled end of the rail. This one with a furnace.
[TRY TO KEEP YOUR HANDS INSIDE THE CART. SOME OF THE TRACK MIGHT GO OVER EXPOSED LAVA.]
Alright that makes sense—WHAT!? LAVA!? I gave her a frightened expression which she promptly ignored as she transferred hundreds of some small pink-colored item from the small chest in the corner to the minecart chest.
[OTHER THAN THAT, ENJOY THE RIDE!]
She snatched her book back from me as soon as I read that last line and hopped into her own minecart.
"W-wait Spark! I get sick really easily! I-I don't mind climbing Mt. Mur! Really, I—"
Spark waved off my excuses as she took out some coal and popped it in the minecart furnace. Immediately, the furnace roared to life and billowed forth black smoke as it began to move and pick up speed.
It rounded the curved end of the track and pushed Spark's cart, which pushed the chest's cart, which pushed my cart towards the narrow opening in the wall.
"Oh, boy…okay deep breaths…deep…breaths…" I tried to calm myself as I was pushed along the track. Through the opening, I took a sharp left turn and checked behind me to see that the other carts were still following.
When I returned my attention in front of me, I noticed a lack of tracks…
Only to realize that the tracks weren't gone. They just dropped very, very, very, very…
Steeply.
Notch why?
"AGHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed as I cleared the zenith of the track and plummeted at top speeds, clinging to the metal cart for dear life.
[Cobb]
Where am I even going? I thought to myself as I descended further and further into the tunnel.
I was still running as fast as I could to put as much distance between me and Floyd, not even bothering to light up the tunnel with torches. It would have been simple to get surprised by a Creeper.
Though I suppose I'd deserve it after nearly killing Floyd.
I ran for another few minutes before slowing down to refill my Hunger Meter with rotten flesh. But even that was running low. I was down to my last piece.
Great. Just great. Can this day possibly get any worse?
*UNK*
THAT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION! I internally screamed as I backed away from the familiar grunts of a Stickman.
*GHAIYA* *GHAIYA*
The sounds were getting louder and more aggressive and I could barely see a thing in the darkness. I groped around for the tunnel wall and withdrew my pick to dig out a niche to hide in.
Once I was safely nestled into the wall, I sealed the opening and listened for any more sounds from the evil creature.
"You picked the wrong day to get in my way!" Came an enraged feminine voice.
My blood froze as I remembered where I'd heard that voice before. It was Carys the-not-so-angelic Angel.
*GHAIYA*
Well, maybe the Stickman will take her out and then leave on its own. I mean, that thing was tough enough to—
*SQUELCH*
*GHAIYA*
The Stickman uttered one last bloodcurdling wail of despair before another sickening 'squelch' came from behind the wall. Then silence.
…
"If these Mobs keep getting in my way, I'll never find those two." Carys spoke aloud. Her voice sounded disturbingly close to my niche and I had to bite down onto my fist to stifle a gasp.
Even more distinctive were the sounds her boots made whenever they made contact with the ground.
*tk tk* *tk tk*
The sounds of her padding grew louder and louder before becoming softer and softer.
"Now, if I were a couple of heartless pricks, where would I be?" Her voice sounded fainter as I assumed she walked past my hiding spot.
How the hell did she get in front of me? I thought I was running away from the vengeance seeking killer!
I couldn't hear her padding anymore, but I waited a bit longer just to be safe. As I waited, I leaned my back against the wall of my niche and slid down before settling my butt on the floor.
What am I even doing? I questioned as I softly banged my head against the wall.
I was pretty much throwing myself into danger in my haste to get away from Floyd. Dying to Mobs or Carys or some other third thing didn't seem half as terrifying as facing Floyd. But being stuck in a niche at the bottom of some abandoned mineshaft…with no food…was starting to get to me.
The no food part was the biggest of my concerns though.
"Gotta find food." I commanded myself as I dug a way out of the niche. I took out my torches and traveled the way Carys came from. Seeing as how she was desperate to find me and Floyd, it would be unlikely that she would backtrack unless by mistake.
It looked like Carys had already lit the way she came from with torches. As I was about to follow them, I noticed something gleaming in the torchlight to the right of me.
I stooped down to pick it up. It was the same blue orb that Carys had tossed at us before we fell down Mt. Mur. It was called an [ENDER PEARL].
Where did this come from? And what does it even do? I questioned as I examined the orb. I recalled that Carys lobbed it before disappearing and reappearing behind us. Eventually I just shrugged and pocketed it in my belt. Anything can come in handy.
I set off deeper into the mineshaft, hoping to locate some food. I was rewarded with a chest placed off to the side of the tunnel on some rails. However, the chest was different than the chests I had previously encountered. This one was nestled within a metal cart.
Thankfully, whatever it was nestled in did nothing to alter the functionality of the chest. I opened it and cried tears of joy at what was inside: Loaves of [BREAD]. Sure, they were a tad stale, but when you're borderline starving and have eaten enough rotten flesh to make garbage look like caviar, you learn to cope.
After I gorged myself on the last piece of bread I examined the cart-chest. What the heck is this thing? And who left it here? Carys?
I took out my pick and began mining the cart-chest. It rocked back and forth with each hit before bursting into two items: a chest and a [MINECART].
Wait, so they were separate after all? I questioned as I picked the items up and stored them in my nearly filled backpack. And this cart…it's a lot smaller as an item.
I continued down the tunnel in an effort to locate more cart-chests. If there were more and each one had food in them, I would be able to survive far longer than my meager food supplies would allow.
As I approached a four-way intersection of tunnels, I used the most divine method of direction choosing at my disposal.
*Ahem*
"…meeny, miny, moe." I began with my eyes shut as I pointed to each path. "Catch a tiger by the toe…pick the very best one…You. Are. It!" My eyes shot open with my finger pointed to the center path.
However, as I took my first step, I heard the unmistakable sound of a girlish scream. My first thought was Carys before I shook the idea from my mind. Carys' voice wasn't that shrill. And what would she be afraid of? She could take down a Stickman and dodge arrows like they were spitballs.
So who was making the sound?
"Ugh…fine I'll check it out." I knew it would probably be bad news. Maybe Carys found some poor sap to vent her frustration on.
Or maybe she found Floyd.
I shuddered at that thought before rushing towards the path with the piercing scream. I went about a hundred feet before coming to an enormous cavern. It was about the size of the Origin Zone and filled with something I had never seen before, but could easily tell was deadly.
Lava.
It cascaded down the cavern walls in streams and flows, pooling upon the cavern floor in a lake of molten rock. The path I had taken led to a cliff fifty feet above the surface of the magma and I could feel the heat hitting me in waves. I broke out into a sweat and had to avert my eyes from the pool it was so hot. For once, I wished I could take off my hoodie.
But where is the screaming girl?
"AAAAAIIEEEEEEE!" The sound got louder and louder and I looked towards the top of the cavern to spot the source. Suspended on a single block bridge above the pool of lava was a series of carts barreling at speeds I could barely follow. Two figures were riding amongst the carts, both clad in black, but only the one in the leading cart was screaming at the top of their lungs.
As quickly as I spotted them, they vanished through an opening in the side of the cavern.
Who…was that? They were riding in carts like the one I found…
Suddenly, the gears in my head began to turn. If I could find a way up there, could I use the minecart I found to get out of here faster?
I checked the height of the suspended bridge as well as the cavern walls. It would take a lot of blocks to make a staircase up there. And if I slipped and fell, I would probably die a very painful death.
Maybe if I find the right tunnel, I could work my way up...
"Cobb!" I jumped at the sudden shout of my name and jerked my head towards the direction it came from. Even though I already knew who had called me.
Floyd.
He was perched at a similar tunnel entrance on the opposite side of the molten lake.
"What do you want Floyd!?" I called back, willing myself to keep a neutral voice.
"What do you mean 'what do I want!?' I was worried sick about you, you idiot!" He shouted back angrily.
"Sure, you were worried!" I called out skeptically. "After everything you said about me!? You called me an asshole! You said I wasn't an ally! I can tell when I'm being looked down upon!"
"No, you've got it all wrong! Look, I just…I said those thing because I was…I got angry…because…"
"Speak up I can't hear you!" I shouted as I strained my ears to make out his words.
"I got angry because I knew you were right!" He shouted out finally. I took a step back in surprise at his confession. "I was ignoring your efforts to help because I wanted to be the stronger of the two of us!"
He wanted to be stronger? "Don't lie!" I called back. "You've been treating me like a burden ever since we teamed up!"
He paused as he looked down in shame. "At first…yeah. I did think you were a burden! You seemed so weak and useless and frail and stupid and—"
"I GET THE IDEA!" I interrupted as his list was nearing no end. "Is this going anywhere!?"
"But, if I really thought you were a burden, would I have gone to such lengths to save you from drowning!?"
I thought back to when I fell in those rapids and recalled how Floyd didn't think twice about saving me.
"Well, no…but then what changed!? I was still the same Cobb!" I challenged.
"Deep down, I just wanted to protect someone that needed to be saved!" He answered. "And you did the same! When you saved me from burning alive! You didn't even consider the loot you could gain from my corpse!"
I remembered how I was so worried about Floyd. I even took on an enraged Stickman just to keep him from dying.
"That's when I thought of you as less of a burden and more of an ally…maybe even a friend!" He called out hesitantly. "And I want to protect my friends!"
His argument was making more and more sense and I was beginning to let go of the anguish I felt over fighting with him. "Is that when you wanted to be stronger!?"
"Well, yes…and no!" And…he lost me again. "I mean, I've always wanted to be stronger! I want to be strong so much that it hurts, but instead I'm stuck with the fact that the whole world is stronger than me! My number is so low that my only consolation is being stronger than a handful of people!"
I suddenly realized why he wanted to be the stronger of the two of us. That's all he had in terms of experience and he didn't want to give that up.
"If I'm not stronger than you, then what good am I!?" He shouted as he sunk to his knees and did his best to hold back his tears. "How am I supposed to protect my friends? How am I supposed to take on the Cult? I need to push myself to meet these challenges. And if I rely on people who are supposed to be less experienced than me…"
Anger erupted within me at his last words. "You're wrong!"
He looked up startled as tears flowed from his eyes. "What?"
"I said you're wrong! You think experience makes a difference? You think I'm any weaker than you because of a stupid number?" I shouted in an effort to get through his thick head.
"Of…of course! I've b-been around longer than you!"
"Yeah, well that sounds a lot like the Cult's philosophy. 'Weakness because of inexperience.' Right?" He recoiled at my comparison and I worried that I crossed a line.
"How…how can you say that!?" He screamed in rage. "I'm nothing like those killers. They murdered my friend! They—" Floyd stopped himself as he revealed a bit more about his past than he wanted to. I took the opportunity to continue.
"One way or the other, you're both telling me that I'm weak! You're not the only one with something to prove Floyd!" I accused as I pointed to myself. "You think I enjoy being weak! Having to rely on others to survive!? I want to be strong just as much as you!"
I paused to allow Floyd to respond, but he didn't say anything. After a while I continued my argument.
"There are a billion people out there that have more 'experience' than me! Am I supposed to have you protect me for the rest of my life!?" I shouted with the hopes of convincing him that I could be just as resourceful as the most experienced Crafter. "I hate the Cult too! I hate them for denying Crafters the chance to be great, just because of their number! But I hate even more when my own friend thinks the same thing and doesn't trust me!"
And with that utterance, I realized what my goal in Minecraftia would be.
"Well, I'm gonna show them all!" I shouted with confidence. "I'm gonna be the most skilled Crafter in the world and prove that anyone can be strong given the time."
I looked over at Floyd and saw that he was staring right at me with new-found respect.
"I'm sorry I almost got us killed over a piece of meat!" I apologized. "I ran because I was ashamed!"
He remained silent as he wiped away his tears. Finally, Floyd spoke in a choked tone of voice. "Yeah well, I guess we both have something to be ashamed of now! So...apology accepted." he chuckled with a smile.
"Yeah…wait. What are you ashamed—"
"FOUND YOU!" Came a third voice and both me and Floyd jerked our heads to locate the source.
It was unmistakably the triumphant voice of Carys_Angel who had undoubtedly been drawn to the molten lake by the sounds of our argument. And she looked upon me with a smirk and barely contained glee.
Why?
Because when Floyd and I jerked our heads to locate her, Floyd turned to face me in horror while I turned to face Carys standing right behind me.
She was brandishing a golden sword and was blocking my only escape with the sheer intimidation she exuded. A dark aura of rage enveloped her to make it seem like an army of Creepers was blocking my way.
Needless to say, I would have preferred facing the Creepers.
Inventory (Cobb): 1 Wooden Shovel, 1 Wooden Pickaxe {Weak}, 1 Wooden Hoe, 1 Wooden Sword {Weak}, 1 Wooden Axe, 1 Flint and Steel, 1 Fishing Rod, 49 Cobblestone, 12 Flint, 5 Coal, 17 Torches, 2 Chests, 1 Minecart, 1 Stick, 31 Oak Wood Planks, 2 Wooden Pressure Plates, 1 Trapdoor, 1 Stone Slab, 3 Oak Doors, 1 Wooden Button, 1 Clock, 37 Dirt, 1 Sign, 1 Lead, 1 Saddle, 1 Water Bucket, 12 String, 1 Bone, 1 Bowl, 1 Ender Pearl, 1 Leather Boots, 4 Spider Eyes, 1 Crafting Table, 1 Rotten Flesh, 1 Emerald
AN: Will Cobb escape the wrath of the 'Angel of Death?'
Will our heroes ever get to Ringwood?
Will Noman ever grow a pair and quit his self-deprecating thoughts?
And will the author of this story ever pass his Mid-terms?
Tune in next week to find the answer to at least two of these questions. Same bat-time, same bat-channel.