The Minecraft Story: The Kingdom: Chapter 17
It was a long, mostly silent ride back to the kingdom. They left the hut as soon as the morning Sun rose. Steve managed to call back his horse, Brines and Alex pulled Jadis along with the lead again. It was almost midday when they made it back to the Stone Kingdom. Outside the walls, only about twelve soldiers stood outside. Twelve out of thirty.
"Commander, you made it, thank god," said Riley.
Alex stared at the soldiers, anguish washed over her, "Is this all that's left?"
"We all agreed to wait here for survivors," said a soldier, "The last survivor before you arrived an hour ago."
This can't be all that's left. Alex thought.
"Everyone get inside the gates," said Alex, "Rest for the day, we'll have the garrison stationed out here for any more survivors."
"Yes commander," the soldiers said in unison.
"Commander, what about her?" Steve asked.
"We'll take her in for further questioning, I'm sure my father would love to meet her," Alex answered, "How are you feeling? Has the poison worn off?"
"Yes it has, commander. I feel fine," Steve responded. Alex nodded her head and made her way inside the gates.
Just as Steve began to head for the gates, he heard someone behind him, "Well son of bitch! You did make it!" Steve turned around to see Sphen running towards him.
"Holy shit," Steve said as he leaped off his horse and ran to embrace Sphen, "Holy shit, I thought you died man!" The two embraced each other tightly and patted each other on the back.
"Nope, unfortunately, you're still stuck with me," Sphen laughed.
"What the hell happened to you?" Steve asked, "I tried looking for you, but it was like you disappeared or something."
"I could say the same to you man, until a few seconds ago, I thought you got your ticket punched out there," Sphen answered. "Man, it sure was a bit nuts out there."
"Nuts? It was goddamn slaughter," said Steve.
"Yeah…yeah you're right. I shouldn't downplay it like that," said Sphen while looking down.
"Hey man, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just glad you're alive," said Steve as he placed his hand on Sphen's shoulder.
Suddenly, a hand landed on Steve's shoulder. He turned around to see Riley, "Hey, we saw what you did during the battle. You took down that monster on that ravager."
"That was you?" Sphen asked in surprise.
"Yeah, it was," Steve answered.
"We're gonna head to the pub, have a drink in honor of the soldiers we lost. Do you want to join us?" Riley asked.
"Sure, after last night, I need one," Steve answered.
"Shit, we all need one," Sphen agreed.
6 Hours Earlier…
General Gabriel Blackthorn donned his shiny diamond armor and stared at the Nether Portal. Its ominous purple glow and constant disturbing hum send shivers down his spine. The portal had a hypnotic effect on him, he couldn't stop staring.
"Are you alright, General?" asked Lieutenant Holt.
The question snapped Blackthorn out of his trance, "Yes, I am lieutenant."
"With all due respect, are you sure it's a good idea to enter the portal yourself?" Ltn. Holt asked.
"Yes it is. Our men need leadership to guide them through whatever mysterious horrors might lay beyond that portal," Blackthorn answered.
"I understand that, but you handpicked the best of the Royal Guard, including Captain Wright. Wouldn't he be suited to lead his own men?" Ltn. Holt inquired, "We need you here General, especially at this time."
"Captain Wright is a great leader, but I want to make sure I have the full picture of what we're dealing with here," Blackthorn moved towards Holt's ear, "And between you and me, I really want to see this with my own eyes."
Ltn. Holt sighed, "I'm not talking you out of this, am I?"
"No, you won't," said Blackthorn as he turned to his troops. There were fifteen soldiers, all decked out in full diamond armor. "Listen up, it's time for us to enter the portal. I'm sure you're all scared…and to be honest…I'm practically shitting myself as we speak. However, we will not let fear stand in our way. We are the best of the Stone Kingdom's forces. Whatever's in there doesn't hold a feather to our might. Remember, what you're fighting for out there and stand your ground." Blackthorn turned around back to the portal and held his hand out to the side, "Lieutenant, my trident." Holt tossed Blackthorn's trident into his hands and the soldiers proceeded into the portal.
Before he even fully stepped through the portal, Blackthorn noticed the heat. It was like stepping into a furnace. Once Blackthorn stepped through the portal, the fiery air flooded his lungs and he began to violently cough. One after another, the other soldiers came through and the same happened to them.
It was a few minutes to adjust to the heat when it finally died down and they could look out to this new world. All they could see was a lava filled hellscape. Everywhere they looked was covered in fire and lava. The netherrack below them was burning to the touch.
"Maybe we should go back, maybe we can just destroy the portal," said Cpt. Wright.
"No, we have to know what's out here, we push on," General Blackthorn ordered.
It didn't take long for them to notice the fortress near the portal. It sprawled over a giant lava lake and appeared to be slowly crumbling. However, the soldiers pressed on into the fortress. It was eerie and surprisingly quiet. The noises that could be heard were the lava and distant fires. The relative silence only made the soldiers more uneasy.
"Stay calm men, look at this place, could life really survive here?" said Blackthorn. As soon as he finished his sentence, they heard something echoing in the hallway.
Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.
The sound echoed off the walls. It appeared to be coming from around the corner. The soldiers immediately put up a shield wall in the direction of the noise. The noise got louder and louder, until finally, it appeared. A giant withering skeleton with a stone sword appeared.
It stopped once it noticed them. It stared at them with its empty eye sockets. Every slight movement caused its bones to rattle. Blackthorn could feel his hand slightly trembling.
"Stand firm men, it can't be much different than the skeletons back home," said General Blackthorn, "Plus, he doesn't even have a bow, he's even less of a threat." The withered skeleton began to wobble over to the soldiers.
General Blackthorn pulled back his trident and threw it at the withered skeleton. Upon impact, the head flew off its body and became impaled into the wall. The rest of the body walked forward for another second before dropping to the ground.
"See that," Blackthorn laughed as the soldiers lowered their shields, "He just looks scary is all."
The soldiers continued through the fortress. They encountered three more withered skeletons which were quickly dispatched by General Blackthorn. They discovered a few chests inside the fortress containing gold ingots, which they happily took.
The further the soldiers ventured, the more the soldiers relaxed. Even Blackthorn began to ease up. The soldiers began making jokes at the skeletons and the Nether, saying it was all just a scary facade.
They were walking across a bridge, when they noticed an odd looking structure below. It was cube shaped and made of blackstone. It was odd and felt like it contrasted the surrounding fiery netherrack. They all decided to explore it.
It took a while to reach the structure, but when they looked at it up close, they were not impressed. Several areas of the structure were corroded and falling apart. It was completely different from the elegance and refinement of the Nether fortress.
Cautiously, they stepped inside. The halls were jagged and spiraled everywhere. It almost felt like traversing through a maze. The soldiers at the front held up their shields in anticipation for another wither skeleton or another type of monster, but nothing happened.
The journey through the structure was uneventful, however, they kept hearing noises around them. Echoing through the halls were strange noises of something moving around. Everyone stood at the ready, but still, nothing happened. Blackthorn couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched.
When they finally reached the top of the structure, they finally got their answer to who was watching them. In the middle of a huge pile of gold ingots and blocks, sat a gigantic piglin.