Minecraft Universe, Blocky Planet
The ground was divided into perfect squares, each block distinct and uniform. Trees rose in cubic segments, defying natural law. Even the clouds drifted by in rectangular chunks against a sky that seemed too blue, too structured.
Pain lanced through the Primal Zerg's skull as memories crashed together - the hunt, the blue-eyed prey, knowledge flooding in like a tide. Words formed meaning. Concepts aligned. The world gained names, context, understanding.
Adrian. The name echoed in the creature's mind. Not his name - the prey's name - but with it came fragments of human thought. Of awareness beyond pure instinct. The creature shook his head, scales flexing as another wave of disorientation hit. The dimensional node pulsed at the base of his skull, sending sharp jolts down his spine.
The air felt wrong. Too thin, too clean. None of the familiar acid-tang of Zerus burned his nostrils. Instead, scents came muted and strange through the cubic atmosphere. His claws scraped against dirt blocks, testing their substance. The ground crumbled easily, unlike the harsh stone of home.
Heat baked down from the square sun, but his body struggled to regulate its temperature. Scales contracted painfully, trying to adjust to this unnatural environment. The spines he had claimed from his last kill shifted uncomfortably under his hide, refusing to settle properly.
Nausea caused him to shudder as his body began to destabilize. The recent adaptations wavered, threatening to unravel. He needed shelter. Needed time to rest. His head snapped up, enhanced vision cutting through the blocky landscape. There - a cave mouth in a nearby hill. The shadows promised cool darkness, defensible space.
He forced his legs to move, each step careful on the strange terrain. Distance worked differently here. What looked like a short sprint took longer than expected, blocks passing by. By the time he reached the cave, his muscles trembled with effort.
The cave mouth was perfectly square, as artificial as everything else in this world. But inside, the temperature dropped to manageable levels. His claws found purchase on the stone blocks as he moved deeper, testing each step. A subtle blue glow emanated from his eyes as the node in his skull hummed, scanning the material around him. Information streamed through - this world could be attuned to, marked for return. But the process would require specific materials, none of which registered nearby.
He settled into a defensive position, letting his body press against the cool stone. The human memories were becoming clearer now, organizing themselves alongside primal instincts. This place had rules, different from Zerus but just as absolute. Breaking blocks. Gathering resources. Crafting tools.
Survival meant adaptation. But first, he needed to stabilize. To understand. To become something more than just a hunter.
Enough energy remained in the dimensional node for one more jump - an emergency escape if needed. But that would have to be a last resort. This world, strange as it was, offered opportunities. New essences to absorb. New strengths to claim.
Hours passed in the cave's darkness as his body fought to stabilize. The spines beneath his scales finally settled, no longer threatening to tear free. Each breath came easier as his lungs adapted to the thinner air. The memories - both primal and human - stopped warring in his mind, finding an uneasy balance.
A sound echoed from deeper in the cave. The scrape of bone on stone, followed by a hollow rattle. He rose, muscles coiled but steady now. The cave went further than he had initially explored, dropping down into darkness. His enhanced vision cut through the gloom, revealing the source of the noise.
A skeleton moved through the shadows. Not like the bone piles of Zerus - this one walked upright, bones held together by unseen force. An arrow was notched in its crude bow, pointed directly at the cave's entrance. It hadn't noticed him yet.
The skeleton's bones looked brittle. Easy to crush. But the bow... the bow was a new concept. Like his new spines, but with greater range. Greater precision. The fragments of human knowledge supplied the word: weapon.
He pressed against the wall, scales scraping silently on stone. The skeleton's skull turned at the sound, empty eye sockets scanning the darkness. The arrow remained steady in its grip. Such focus. Such purpose. This wasn't mere prey - it was a hunter like himself.
But hunters could become prey.
His claws dug into the stone blocks, testing their strength. They crumbled more easily than expected. The ceiling above the skeleton was supported by similar blocks. One strike would bring them down, crushing the bones beneath. But that would destroy the bow. Waste the opportunity to learn.
No. This required precision. The skeleton's bones might hold useful essence, but the bow was the real prize. He needed it intact. The spines under his scales shifted, ready to launch. One good hit would shatter the spine, dropping the skeleton without damaging its weapon.
The skeleton took another step forward. The angle was perfect now. He launched a spine, the projectile whistling through the cave's silence. It struck the skeleton's vertebrae, snapping bone. The creature collapsed, bow clattering against stone as its bones scattered across the floor.
The skeleton's bow creaked as it drew back further, empty eye sockets sweeping across the darkness. Each step brought bone-feet closer, scraping against stone blocks in a steady rhythm. The sound echoed through the cave, mixing with the soft rattle of loose joints.
New instincts warred with old. The predator urged immediate attack - crush the bones, claim the weapon. But human memories whispered caution, analyzing the situation. The bow was primitive, made of wood and string, but effective. A single well-placed arrow could pierce his weak scales.
The Primal Zerg flexed his newly-settled spines. Twelve shots, each as lethal as any projectile. But using them would mean giving away his position. The skeleton's bow had greater range, and the cave ceiling was low. No room to dodge properly.
The skeleton moved closer. Twenty feet. Fifteen. The bow remained drawn, ready to snap at any movement. Bones clicked together as the creature's skull turned, searching. Ten feet now.
A drop of water fell from the cave ceiling, splashing against stone. The skeleton whirled toward the sound, bow shifting away for just a moment. The Primal Zerg surged forward, claws scraping against block-stone as he leaped at the target.
The skeleton's reaction was instant. The bow twanged, arrow whistling through the space where the Primal Zerg had been a heartbeat before. But the creature was already moving, scales scraping the cave wall as he used it to change direction. The skeleton reached for another arrow, bones clicking faster now. Not fast enough.
Reinforced claws smashed through the skeleton's rib cage, shattering bone. The bow clattered to the ground as the skeleton stumbled backward. Another strike took off the skull. But the body kept moving, arms reaching blindly for its fallen weapon.
The Primal Zerg's tail whipped around, smashing what remained of the skeleton against the wall. Bones scattered across the floor, bouncing off stone blocks. The skull rolled into shadow, jaw still clicking uselessly.
Victory. But something was wrong. The bones were disappearing, fading into nothing. No blood. No essence to consume. No adaptation to gain. Just empty air where the skeleton had been.
Only the bow remained, lying on the stone blocks. The Primal Zerg approached it cautiously, nostrils flaring. The wood smelled dead, processed. The string hummed with lingering tension. Human memories supplied knowledge - how to hold it, how to draw, how to aim. But his claws were sadly too unwieldy and sharp. The weapon would break under his grip, and was much worse than his spines either way.
A new sound drew his attention deeper into the cave. More bone-scraping. More hollow rattles. Not one skeleton this time. Many. And something else - a different sound. Like dead flesh dragging across stone.
The cave pushed downward into darkness. The sounds echoed up from below, growing louder. Multiple threats. The skeleton had been a test, revealing his presence. Now the real hunters were coming.
His body had stabilized enough. Time to leave this cave, find somewhere to properly recover. Somewhere to plan. To adapt. To evolve.
The Primal Zerg backed toward the cave entrance, keeping his senses focused on the approaching sounds. Sunlight touched his scales as he left the cave, but his heat regulation system handled the heat just fine this time. He needed higher ground. Better visibility. The nearest hill rose in blocks, offering a clear view of the surrounding area.
But first, he had to deal with what was coming up from the cave depths...
Three skeletons came out first, bows already drawn. Behind them shambled two creatures of rotting flesh - zombies, the human memories supplied. The undead stepped into the sunlight, and smoke immediately began rising from their decaying skin and bones.
The Primal Zerg backed away from the cave mouth, keeping low to the cubic ground. Arrows whistled past as the skeletons spread out in a firing line. The zombies rushed forward, uncaring about the flames now consuming them. Their groans echoed across the blocky landscape.
A quick leap carried the Primal Zerg sideways as more arrows struck the dirt. The burning zombies followed, reaching with blackened hands. The sunlight worked against them, but not fast enough. The skeletons remained in the cave's shadow, arrows nocked and ready.
The zombies needed to die first. The Primal Zerg spun around, his tail sweeping one zombie's legs out from under it. The second zombie lunged, managing to grab onto the Primal Zerg's scales.
Venom flooded into his fangs as he struck, biting deep into the zombie's throat. The flesh was already dead - the poison would do nothing. But the bite tore through rotting muscle, and the zombie's head came free. The body collapsed, still burning.
The first zombie rose again, flames eating away at what remained of its clothes. The Primal Zerg's claws tore through its chest, shredding whatever dark magic held it together. Like the skeleton before, both zombies faded into nothing once destroyed.
More arrows flew from the cave. One struck the Primal Zerg's shoulder, embedding between his scales. The pain was sharp but manageable. The skeletons had good aim - they needed to be dealt with now.
The spines beneath his scales shifted, ready to launch. Eleven shots remaining. Three targets. The math was simple. He turned toward the cave entrance, muscles tensing. The first four spines launched in rapid succession. Two skeletons shattered, bones scattering before fading away. The third skeleton ducked behind a block, arrow flying wide.
The Primal Zerg charged forward, closing the distance before the skeleton could ready another shot. His claws smashed through bone, ending the threat. Eight spines remained - they would regrow in time, but for now he needed to be careful with the remaining shots.
Silence fell across the blocky landscape. The human memories filled in more details, namely that monsters spawned in darkness but burned in sunlight. The rules of this world were becoming clearer.
The arrow in his shoulder had to come out. The Primal Zerg pressed against a dirt block, letting it snap against the resistance. Blood welled up, but his regeneration was already working to close the wound. He needed food soon - real food, not these empty undead - to replenish his strength.
The scent of meat drifted on the wind, but this time it was not the rotten flesh of zombies, but rather living creatures. The Primal Zerg lifted his head, nostrils flaring. Several animals grazed in a clearing beyond the hill. The human memories identified them: pigs, sheep, cows. Simple prey, nothing like the fierce competition of Zerus.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, promising rain. The sun would set soon, the shadows already stretched longer across the cubic grass. The wound in his shoulder burned as he moved, regeneration slower than usual. The dimensional travel had drained him...
A sheep bleated nearby. The Primal Zerg sneaked forward, staying low to the ground. His claws dug into dirt blocks as he climbed the hill. The sheep stood alone, separated from its herd. White wool stuck out against the green blocks of grass. Such an easy target - no defenses, no awareness.
The kill was quick. Clean. The sheep disappeared like the undead had, but left behind meat and wool. The food smelled real enough. The Primal Zerg tore into the meat, letting his enhanced digestive system extract every bit of energy. Not much useful essence to gain from such simple prey, but the sustenance helped stabilize his regeneration.
Thunder rumbled overhead. The remaining spines under his scales shifted uncomfortably, they would take hours to regrow properly. Rain began to fall in perfectly straight lines, turning dirt blocks into mud. The cubic sun sank lower, and with it came the sounds of more monsters spawning in dark places.
He needed proper shelter. The cave had proven dangerous, and the mud offered poor protection. The hill rose higher, revealing a mountain of stone blocks in the distance. Between here and there was an open plain filled with more grazing animals. Easy food, but also easy targets for the monsters that would soon fill the darkness.
The dimensional node at the base of his skull hummed softly. This world held materials needed for attunement, but finding them would require going deeper underground. Not yet. Not while weakened. The mountain ahead promised better shelter, a defendable position. The rain grew heavier as the Primal Zerg began moving across the plain, muscles still adjusting slightly to the strange physics of this block world.
The mountain proved easier to climb than expected. The Primal Zerg's claws found purchase between stone blocks, creating natural handholds. Rain poured down the cubic surface in sheets, but each block offered a small ledge to rest on during the ascent.
Halfway up, the sound of bones clicking together echoed from below. More skeletons spawned in the growing darkness, arrows ready. The rain hampered their aim, arrows striking stone far from their target. The Primal Zerg pressed against the mountain face, using the blocks as cover while climbing higher.
A green creature appeared on a ledge above - a creeper, the human memories warned. It hissed, preparing to explode. The Primal Zerg launched one of his remaining eight spines, knocking the creeper off its perch before it could detonate. The creature fell, exploding harmlessly against the ground below.
Near the peak, a small outcropping offered shelter from the rain. The stone here was solid, defensible. The Primal Zerg's claws carved into the mountain face, widening a natural crack between blocks into a makeshift den. The work was slow, because his claws weren't made for mining stone. Each chunk of rock came free with considerable effort.
The night grew darker. More monsters spawned below, but none could reach this height easily. The den took shape slowly: a narrow entrance that widened into a space just large enough to turn around in. Not comfortable by any measure, but defensible. The stone walls blocked most of the rain, though water still trickled through gaps between blocks.
Vision adjusted poorly to the absolute darkness inside the den. The Primal Zerg's enhanced sight struggled without even minimal light. But other senses compensated - hearing picked up movement outside, smell detected approaching threats.
A zombie tried climbing up, fingers scraping against stone. An arrow struck near the den's entrance, fired blindly by a skeleton in the rain. Neither posed a real threat at this height. The Primal Zerg settled deeper into the den, letting his regeneration work. The shoulder wound had closed, but his body needed rest.