The Minecraft Story: The Beginning: Chapter 36
Marcus couldn't believe his eyes. It was him, it was really him. Notch had emerged from the forest. He looked terrible. His brown shirt and gray pants were covered in filth and grime. His black shoes were caked in mud. He wore a dark cloak over himself with the hood pulled back that had several leaves and sticks clinging to it. The scruffy black beard appeared to not have been groomed in centuries. Marcus had always imagined him in shiny diamond armor encrusted with golden linings, but he bore no armor. The only weapons visible were two golden swords, one sheathed at each side of the hip.
Everyone stared at the God with their mouths agape. Some whispered, "Holy shit, it's really him."
"Everything's going to be okay now."
"He's going to save all of us."
Notch's nerves were going crazy. This was the first time humans had seen him directly since his fight with Herobrine over twelve-hundred years ago. If everything he'd heard was true, then he needed an army to fight the pigmen and be able to face Herobrine. However, looking around, his confidence was shot. The knights still clung to their swords, ready to fight each other. A man lay dead on the ground with an arrow in his neck. The mighty Fort Deepslate he'd heard so much about was now a pile of rubble. Were these soldiers worth revealing himself?
"I'm sorry it took so long," Notch addressed, "but I am here now, and I need to know what happened here."
The knights were still too stunned to speak. The silence was loud and awkward. Notch started to consider turning back. However, a knight stood up from his knees.
"I'll tell you everything, your, um, your holiness," said Marcus.
"Thank you sir, and please don't call me your holiness, I prefer to just be called Notch," replied Notch.
Marcus explained everything that had happened from Morzen to the present. Thomas chimed in and explained what had happened to them. The story made Notch sick to his stomach. Not just by the new mutant monsters, but with the actions of this supposedly great army.
What had my brother done to these people? Notch thought. No, it's not just him.
"I appreciate you telling me sir," Notch patted Marcus's shoulder, "With everything you've told me, I'm unsure of recruiting all of you. I need an army to fight my brother, but, I must admit, I am appalled by your military."
"I understand your frustrations, but we want to take down Herobrine as much as you do Notch," Marcus argued, "Please, let us fight beside you."
"I'm sorry, but after everything you've told me, I do not wish to fight beside you," replied Notch as he turned and began to walk off.
Suddenly, Franz called out, "Where were you?" Notch stopped and turned to the knight, his bow still clenched in his hand.
"I'm sorry?" Notch asked.
"Where were you?" Franz asked again, "This whole time, you really existed, but where were you for the past twelve-hundred years?"
Notch had no words.
"All this time, you allowed us to devolve into monsters," Franz continued, "So many people look up to you as the savior of humanity, but didn't do anything to help us since you banished Herobrine. And you want to judge us? Don't you have the power to fix all this, to fix us? Now I ask you again, where have you been?"
Notch looked down at the floor, "I understand your frustrations with me, I know I've been gone long, but I…I…"
"We know where the mutants are going to attack next," said Marcus, "We may not be perfect, but we can help you, all of us."
Suddenly, another knight burst out, "All of us? Including the heretics here?" He gestured to the southerners who were still restrained.
"Do you not see that Herobrine's monsters are destroying the world!" Marcus yelled, "They aren't even heretics, they've always believed in Herobrine, we were lied to by the church!"
"How can we believe a spy!" Another knight yelled.
"I am not a spy," Marcus explained, "I joined the Miter Knights because I wanted to help our people. This is how we help our people and everyone in the world. We have to fight back against Herobrine and we need every man we can get. Our prejudices will mean nothing if we are all annihilated by Herobrine." Marcus turned to Notch, "Please Notch, let us fight with you. We want to stop Herobrine."
Maybe these people aren't hopeless. Notch thought. Maybe this can work.
"You are all my children," said Notch, "I created humanity to work together and thrive. I did not create you to destroy each other. If you are willing to fight with me, then I will stand by your side."
"I will not," An older knight exclaimed, "I will not fight with heretics." The old knight dropped his sword to the ground and walked away.
Another knight spoke up, "That other knight had a point, you abandoned us for centuries and only now show up?" He too dropped his sword and walked away.
Several other knights began to leave. The sounds of swords and armor being dropped on the ground rang out like a bell. When it was done, only sixty knights and the couple dozen southerners remained.
Marcus sighed, "I know we aren't your dream army, but will you still let us fight with you?"
Notch put his hand on Marcus's shoulder, "Of course, it's like you said, we'll need every man we can get."