The Minecraft Story: The Kingdom: Chapter 13
"The egg…find the egg," it was that voice again. As Steve stared slack jawed at the portal, he heard the voice again. He paid no mind to it as he kept staring at the portal.
Suddenly, Sphen's hand landed on his shoulder, "What in the hell did we just find?"
Steve didn't answer, he kept staring.
"You alright there bud?" Sphen asked.
"I…it…it's real," Steve stuttered.
"What is?" Sphen asked.
"The portal of legends. The barrier to another world. I never even imagined it had ever existed, but there it is. It's the Nether Portal," Steve answered.
"What's the Nether Portal?" Sphen inquired.
"It was part of our founder's story. He claimed he met the God of our world, Notch, as he was searching for the Demon. This portal, according to legend, is the gateway to the Nether dimension. It was the prison of the Demon, Herobrine. At least it was before he escaped. The story goes that Notch as several soldiers went out to find the portal. Neither Notch, those soldiers, or Herobrine ever came back," Steve explained. "Could these skeletons be…"
"No offense Steve, but I don't really believe in folktale," Sphen responded.
"Neither did I," said Steve, "But, according to the stories, there was a way to activate the portal. We need flint and steel."
"I have some right here," Travis announced as he handed it to Steve.
"I'm not sure I want to light this," Steve hesitated.
"Come on, chances are nothing will happen," said Sphen, "It wouldn't hurt to try it out."
As Steve stood at the base of the portal, he stared at the flint and steel. Please don't activate. Please don't activate. Please…don't…activate. He thought.
Crack! WOOSH!
A bright purple mass materialized in front of Steve, knocking him back. A large streak of purple zoomed past Steve and the other miners out of the passageway. A loud hum echoed throughout the passage from the portal. Steve scrambled back.
"I think I believe in folktale now," said Sphen.
Steve looked back at the glowing portal. He wanted nothing more than to destroy it. He could sense the presence of pure evil radiating off of it. Once again, Steve was frozen in fear.
…
Steve was sat in a room by himself. It was very similar to the room he'd been interrogated in after he'd woken up. It was small with a table in the center. A soft, red carpet laid beneath him and the single lantern illuminated the room. The single window told Steve it was the middle of the night.
He was nervous. He'd been immediately taken here after they'd reported the portal to the soldiers. They said they wanted to take him in for questioning. He'd been alone for about an hour before the door opened up.
Steve turned his head to see his savior, Alex Blackthorn. She wasn't in armor. Instead, she wore a dark green military uniform. Behind her was about four more men who wore similar uniforms. One of the men immediately approached Steve.
The man stuck out his hand and said, "You must be Steve, I'm General Gabriel Blackthorn of the Stone Kingdom militia."
"It's an honor sir," Steve said as he shook his hand. He then turned to Alex, "And thank you for saving me. I never got the chance to say it."
Alex didn't say anything back, she stared into Steve's eyes. Her eyes were beautiful but horrifying. He could tell she didn't like him.
"We're here to discuss the recent incident with this, Nether Portal, you called it?" General Blackthorn explained with a calm and clear voice, "According to several eyewitnesses, the incident began when you were attacked by a group of mobs. As the mobs attacked, your guard, Travis Milton, was overwhelmed. As a result, you took over for defensive measures and with another man, Sphen Beckett, you dispatched the remaining mobs. Personally I have to say sir, thank you. As a result of your actions, no miners were killed during the encounter." Steve nodded his head in response.
Suddenly, Alex spoke up from across the table, "Father, please do not thank this man just yet."
"Alex," General Blackthorn responded in annoyance.
"Steve, we're going to cut to the chase here. You are under suspicion of espionage and of being a pillager spy," Alex explained.
Steve perked up, "A spy? Why would I be under suspicion?"
"After you lit the portal, a large purple streaked dashed across the sky," Alex explained further, "Everyone in the kingdom is talking about it. Not just that, but several scouts outside the walls saw the purple streak. And if our scouts saw it, then likely the pillagers did too."
"That portal went off like a damn beacon," one officer stated.
"And according to the other miners, you not only knew of its existence, but knew how to light it as well," another officer explained.
General Blackthorn put his hand up, "However, Sphen Beckett did vouch for you. You told him it was a tale from your village's legend that prior to this encounter, you did not believe in."
"That's right General, I never would've thought that portal actually existed," Steve defended.
"Let's go back for a moment. In your previous village, what profession did you operate in?" General Blackthorn asked.
"I was a part of our village's Defense Corps. I was a warrior," Steve answered. Images of that night began to flash back to Steve. A single tear began to fall. He quickly wiped it away.
"Good," General Blackthorn responded, "I don't know whether or not you're a spy. However, I want to give you a chance to prove otherwise. You seem to possess knowledge that could be of good use to us, but I want to make sure I can trust you first."
"Whatever you need me to do General, I'll prove to you I ain't no goddamn pillager spy," said Steve.
"That's what I like to hear. We've noticed a resurgence of pillager activity in the region. In fact, not too long after we found you, two of our scouting parties discovered two pillager camps. We want you to assist in destroying these camps," General Blackthorn explained, "You will be put under the command of Milita Commander Alex Blackthorn here. Do you have any objections to this?"
"No sir," Steve responded.
"Good, once the camps are destroyed, we will have further assignments for you. Good luck son," said General Blackthorn as he shook Steve's hand again.
"For now though, you will spend the night in a cell," Alex explained with a small grin.
Of course. Steve thought.