NEW EDIT: People of Minecraftforums! Hear ye, Hear ye! Memorium, Part II is now OFFICIALLY complete, and available for edits! Part III will be out SOON with a good title! Also, the series has been renamed due to popular complain! It's now called Memoriam!
Now, for part two of Memorium. The ending. The WAR.
Below is the first part. Over time, this shall continue to expand, until complete.
Welcome to hell.
MEMORIAM. PART II
I woke in snow.
The tundras were not my home.
Waking again, I pulled myself, shakily, up.
It was dawn. The sun was coming up behind me, and I could see the endless deserts of snow stretching into the distance. Grasping feebly at a tree, I tried to pull myself up, and managed it after what felt like hours. I grabbed at my pack, finally getting out an apple and stacks of wood. More minutes of smashing things together resulted in a pile of gold to my left, a wooden workbench in front of me, and an apple in my hand. A couple of minutes later, I felt healed and well.
Standing, I took my workbench and tried to get a better understanding of my surroundings, but to no avail. The only thing of interest that wasn't never-ending snow was the single tree near me. And the portal behind me.
Turning, I checked it closely. It had the same shape they always had...I considered trying to re-enter it, but discarded the thought at once. For all I knew, Ghasts were waiting for my return there. Besides, thanks to my fall, I had no idea where I was now, neither in that strange world nor out here. How long had I been walking?...
I looked up at the sun. It was setting in the east, I'd learned that from looking at my compass. When facing my portal, I was facing north, but I'd turned west...So chasing the sun after noon would yield proper results.
I remember thinking this. I remember these plans. I remember looking in my pack and finding a complete lack of my compass.
Sighing, I turned and started to walk away from my portal, to where the sun would eventually rest. I felt a bit of heat near my feet suddenly, something which I was sure would be unusual in the cold snow. Looking down, I saw grass. Melted snow.
"How odd."
PAFF!
I jumped, and turned. Sure enough. There was a Ghast, with his usual depressed face looking gloomily at me.
PAFF!
Another fireball.
I turned and ran. Ducking behind a small hill, I built up a small stone wall, thanking myself for bringing stone with me before running back into that portal, and waited.
PAFF!
His fire had no effect against my stone.
"How is this happening?..."
It was confusing. Ghasts never came out in the real world. I'd only ever found them outside. This seemed an impossibility.
Well, in any case, this wasn't too hard to overcome. I took my bow and jumped up, ready to shoot some fireballs.
Five Ghast faces looked lazily at me.
"Right then."
I turned and ran, without a second thought.
I remember that dusk. I remember the world turning to hell.
The snow began melting faster. I found lava directly above the ground more and more...and darkness came. I saw portals materialize, and Ghasts began coming. I knew that once darkness had fallen, my OTHER enemies would show, and one of two things would happen: The greatest threats of two worlds would start a war, or I would face all my enemies in one place.
Well, if I had to fight this menace, it was best I did it in SAUL. My traps would come in handy. Perhaps there was even a remote chance I could kill these things.
Then I turned for a spare second to see dozens of Ghasts chasing me, and the stark truth of my situation bubbled to the surface. I fired a spare arrow in vain, and continued running.
Darkness was falling. My worst nightmare was getting caught between a row of Ghasts, more coming every moment, and Creepers. And if they were enemies? Only more explosions.
Suddenly, a face of hope! I felt my spirit soar at the sight. In the near distance, I saw something familiar.
A minecart track.
I'd always placed minecart tracks after me as I'd explored! If there was one here, It probably meant I'd explored here once before (Yes, I remembered now! I had!), and I could ride it back to home base! It was even light with torches, so creatures of evil wouldn't be able to attack me!
Of course, the minecart was sitting smugly in SAUL, like it should. But I always kept a chest with essentials nearby, as preparation for an eventuality such as this. Thank GOD for my paranoia.
Jumping forward, I grabbed my diamond, smacked it onto a shaft of wood, and dug down like I'd never thought possible. A fireball flew over my head, and I thought I heard the sound of a skeleton, an arrow over my head. I reached the chest in no time, flung it open, and took a powered cart and a passenger cart, with some other helpful tools. I ate some food out of it, placed the cart on the tracks, and tenderly reached into my chest once more.
Another fireball. Closer. They were almost upon me.
Tenderly, carefully, I took out a bucket of lava. The best fuel I'd found. I hopped into my cart, secured all of my belongings, and put the bucket into my cart--
I was zooming down the track before I knew it.
A breath of relief escaped my lips and I rode to freedom and home. I'd made it.
Now I only had to hope I could get home in time.
From the images I saw outside, it looked like all the monsters were gradually following the same path. At one point, I saw the vantage point from a mountain, and I saw in the dim and dark light spiders, skeletons, zombies, Creepers, slimes, Ghasts, abominations all closing in on one place.
SAUL.
They were all coming. They had...organized themselves? It was mystery enough that this many Ghasts had made it here, but this tremendous force of nature coming to kill me? I could only hope that my paranoid preparations were enough. There was no more time to set up further traps. Only to fight.
Finally, my cart descended on my home valley. I carefully timed myself, then jumped. Certainly, I was far too high to survive a fall from this height, but I'd made a plan in the case of an attack in the valley below--for even if I did not die from the fall, there were too many enemies where my cart would have landed for my survival. Instead, I managed to jump into a waterfall, leading up into a Cliffside base.
Running inside, I got past my entrance and into Quarantine 1.
I entered my Observatory, and flicked a lever. Outside, from any of the monsters point of view, they would have seen an entire mountain-side explode. In fact, only the dirt and rock had exploded. Inside of that was a layer of glass...and past that, I stood. Every monster looked up at me, and our eyes met.
The war had begun.
There were hundreds outside. Maybe even thousands. Spreading into the distance.
We were locked in a staring contest.
It was down to this: Would they be able to enter SAUL?
Of course, I'd never taken plenty of things into account; This many enemies could quickly make a dent in my fortress, and Ghasts could fly...I'd never expected anything ABOUT Ghasts...
Slowly, the rumbling mass of creatures began moving again. I wondered if I should try to stall them until day, when many would be subdued. Or perhaps activate the outdoor traps now? See if I could eliminate the threat before it left my front door?
But no. Now was not the time to try to prevent a battle. They WERE at my front door--my antechamber was invaded, there was nothing to be done to prevent that. Now was the time for action.
Running to a wall to my right, I primed a couple of traps. With a few traps, I'd made them docile until I flicked a switch which would prep them. Many of the landmines outside were under this system, so once I primed them, I saw many more explosions. Creatures never paid any mind to little pressure pads, they just walked right over them, resulting in a premature death.
I almost activated a trap that would release a flow of lava on the valley, but held back. I didn't want to pull all the stops at once.
Watching, I hungrily anticipated the dismay that would fall over the army of evil. Many of them had been destroyed by my traps; surely they would give up! But only more came. They came from the mountains and the distance, into the valley.
A Ghast began to fly up to me.
Cursing, I deactivated my control panel (Unearthing certain easily accessible wires redirected control to another room), and ran for my blast-doors. That Ghast could easily blow through my window, should he so choose.
But nothing happened.
Resting against my door, I pause, shaken. It seemed that this poor Ghast couldn't see through Glass.
Laughing, I ran over, smashed a block of glass, and got ready to slice my way through this unfortunate Ghast.
...except, smashing that glass gave me away.
BOOM! SMASH!
My observatory window was blown to bits, and the first Ghast of the day flew in SAUL. I reverted back to my original plan, and ran for the blast-doors, closing it behind me. That Ghast could do whatever it wanted to my first room, but it wasn't getting into Quarantine 1.
I ran down the shaft of my spiral staircase to the receiving point of my Underwater entrance, the main one I used and the one in the center of the valley. It seemed to be the one these creatures were converging on, although how they would enter it was a mystery to me.
Pressing the timed button to open my door, I jumped through just in time, landing on the pad on the floor the held my door open. This was the last dry spot of land before I could swim up above. Above to my doom.
I peered up the waterfall, before pulling back abruptly.
I'd never had water in the Underworld, the Other Side, so I'd never imagined what would happen if a Ghast were to flame it.
The water faded. Evaporated. My lake had become a pond, and soon would be nothing. And this entrance wasn't well protected, it was just a pad on the floor to open a door! Any of these creatures could get in easily without water!
But, no--Only Creepers, Skeletons, and Zombies would fit. The others were too big to fit through my one-meter long entrance.
Unless Creepers blew it up.
My surrounding area was made of sand and cobblestone.
Cursing, I ran inside, closing the door behind me. Three years of planning, and I was going to lose first Quarantine to a silly mistake like this. I checked and primed my entrance traps--I had TnT embedded in the walls and floor--and closed off my storage rooms, disabling the blast doors once closed. I could get back in via Quarantine 2 if it was necessary.
Then I hid in my Art Room.
This was clever because the walls were covered with art, which was actually anything but pretty. This art was not hung on stone--it was hung on TnT. At the end of the hallway, there was a single lever. This would close one blast door and open another, protecting me and leading to Q2, while blowing up the entire outer Art Room. From here, I could run through Q2 to either my second Observatory, to see into Q1, my storage room connected between Q1 and Q2, already closed off, or outward into the rest of SAUL.
BOOM.
I jumped, startled. Peeking out of my room, I saw the wall around my door was half-gone. Water didn't flood in.
"That was fast."
They were already past the water, it seemed, and weren't bothering with a plan to open the door and blow it up to let others in, like I'd thought. They were just letting it go to hell--no pun intended.
Suddenly, I recalled that the roof of the frontal part of my entrance was floating sand.
I ran into my art room. Just in time. A creeper or two may have been squished, but more flooded in, blowing my three years to death.
I closed the door behind me and ran to my lever. Waiting. Watching.
Any moment.
I remember staring at my door, waiting for the precise second when it would fly open, and monsters would flood in.
I remember not seeing the door open. I remember seeing it blown off of its hinges, flying at my head.
I ducked, heard the door clang against the wall behind me, and slowly stood, resting my hand on the lever.
A single Creeper stood in the doorway, many more behind it, ready to fight.
"SSSSSSSSSssssssssss..."
I smiled. Just once.
"Bring it on, Creep."
"SSSSSSSSSAH!"
In all my years, I never heard this sound.
The Creeper ran at me--
BOOOOOOMPHSH.
An iron door closed around me, cutting me off from the world of monsters, and I said goodbye to Q1. A door behind me opened, and as I ran through it--
BOOM. BOOM. BOOMBOOMBOOMBOMBOMBOMBOMBOBOMBOMBMOBOMBOMBOMB.
Paintings flew off the wall. Art, signs, memories, the only collection I had--gone.
Creepers died. The walls flew back, and a few mines went off. I hadn't expected that.
What more happened, I know not. I was already running to Ob2, my nickname for the second observatory.
I flung the door open, ran in, and pressed the button that opened the windows up, giving me a full view of Q1.
I saw a horror unseen: Skeletons, riding Spiders, Slimes, Zombies, Spiders, Skeletons, Ghasts, flying down and in, and more Creepers than I thought possible. Dead remains, useful tools, lay on the ground, results from my traps, but I couldn't retrieve them.
After all my efforts thus far, no visible progress had been made.
I blocked up my windows with purple rock, to ensure they could not get through. I didn't want a Ghast flying into Q2 and wreaking havoc, letting others in.
Hoping my defenses would hold for the moment, I ran out of Ob2 and up to a cliffside entrance. It probably hadn't been very smart of me to have any entrance directly into Q2, but there was nothing to be done now.
I flung open my blast door and looked out over the valley. It was day now--I'd been too preoccupied to have noticed earlier, but I saw it now. Somehow, they still attacked...and there seemed to be portals down there now. Dozens. Ghasts almost looked to flow out of them and into the entrances, followed by many others.
How had this happened?
How had all of my preparations, plans, traps, supplies, all of my years of work so easily been fooled?
How had I fallen into this terror?
I remember falling to my knees, and I remember that I wept.
I remember that a Ghast took notice of this.
Slowly, he floated up to me.
"Crap. You idiots can fly."
Another eventuality I didn't anticipate. I'd never thought that anyone would EVER be able to get up here because there WAS no way to get up here from the ground.
I ran for my blast door, before recalling that it didn't actually close.
The Ghasts could fly right into Q2.
I turned and unleashed a volley of arrows at this poor Ghast before running back inside. My only hope was to activate the rest of the traps in Q1 and run for safety into Q3.
It was amazing how quickly this situation was turning dire.
Leaping into Ob2, I flipped all of the switches, pressed every button, and finally reached into a chest to take out an interesting lighting device. Placing it on the center tile of the floor, where many wires converged, I lit it.
I didn't bother to look out the windows for the satisfaction of seeing more enemies burn. I no longer wanted satisfaction in the deaths of my enemies. I only wanted to live.
I left Ob2, shutting the blast door behind me, in case my bombs broke through into Ob2, and ran for my storage room. Upon consideration, I didn't go to the one connected to Q1, instead going to the one hanging off the edge of Q2.
It wasn't until I was in there that I remembered that this particular room was where my portal had shown up.
This room was huge. And so were the Ghasts inside.
I'd never admired the size of a Ghast, but it was certainly larger than I'd first thought. Of course, it didn't take long for them to notice me and open fire.
"Crap!"
I dove to the side, leaping behind a chest. I reached in, taking what I might need, before running again--I heard that chest behind me light. I had to recover what I could before all of my supplies were destroyed. Perhaps if I could reach the back of the room...there was a storage minecart there, powered, which I could send into Q3. It was too small to be followed by any creatures.
BOOM.
The monsters were breaking into Q2. Ghasts were already inside; they had a portal inside--I'd had a leak in my base this entire time. I'd NEVER planned for Ghasts...and that mistake might've been the end of me.
I grabbed the last few essentials out of the chests and flung them into the cart. Taking my last lava bucket, I threw it into the engine and watched it go into Quarantine 3.
Sighing a breath of relief, I turned--to the faces of 5 sad-looking Ghasts.
"Oh, fun."
I took out my diamond sword, and ran.
In those few minutes, I felt more like a ninja than I did even when I had when I'd done my Ghast-hopping stunt (Had that been days ago? The time had flown), deflecting fireballs, climbing ladders and jumping to get a good swing at a Ghast, and jumping over them to hit their friends.
But it seemed my awesome skill did no good. More Ghasts came, and I knew soon that the rest of the creatures would come through from Q1...if they hadn't already.
I made a break for it and ran out the door.
I ran to the center of Q2 and took a single moment to catch my breath and survey my surroundings to come up with a plan.
I faced south, the direction of the Underwater entrance to SAUL and Q1. It was pretty unlikely that the monsters would be able to get right through the walls...they'd probably aim for Ob2, although I'd made a few reinforcements with my rock...it was sure to be weak. However, my storage room to the south was also pretty weak, and was directly connected to Q2. I made a mental note to close it off.
To the east and west, my left and right, Ghasts were descending on me--this I knew. My left was an opening from the outside, and my right was a back-way in.
Behind me lay three thin passage-ways, leading into a complex maze. Past that lay Q3.
Thinking quickly (for who knows how little time remained?), I ran into my storage room. Constant booms could be heard outside in Q1, and I saw a hole next to my door. Ducking under an arrow shot fired through said hole, and dove for one of my chests at random. Reaching inside, I found mostly circuit design equipment. I abandoned it for another.
BOOM.
Another hole, close to the first...thankfully, it wasn't close enough to the first to create a gap large enough for a creeper to get through, much less a Ghast. However, a fireball did get in, setting a chest ablaze.
Nothing in my new chest. Totally empty. I dived for one more...after that, I decided I'd give up and lock the room down.
The last chest had arrows, food, swords, and Flint and Steel.
I grabbed as much as I could, and turned to run for safe haven. Something I'd striven to emulate for some long...a home. My home was dying.
I remember almost reaching the door. Almost.
It wasn't a loud boom. Just...a big one.
Turning as I fled to Q2, I saw a hole large enough for many spiders to fit through, followed by many spiders. And Creepers.
I LEPT to Q2, turned to the surrounding wall around my door, and reached for a switch. My hand felt air.
Blinking, and searched the wall, ceiling, floor...nothing. There seemed to be no switch or button or mechanism to close off the storage room.
Furious with myself, and grabbed my pickaxe and mined feverishly into the wall, locating my wire system. I smashed specific wires, peaking into the room--the monsters were flooding in and running to me, and the hole was large enough for Ghasts now--and finally placed a magic-torch-thing in the center of the wires.
I heard the reliable "Smfph" of the door closing, followed by the much less reliable and rather worrying sound of my door flying off its hinges and into my face.
I remember waking up.
While I know I must've blacked out, it must not have been long--monsters were just starting to flood in. I began to stand, shakily, and took a weapon.
I felt weak.
I felt like my injuries were...not recoverable, to say the least.
Looking down, I saw a giant chuck taken out of me.
I was dying.
I reached into my pack to locate some food. The screams of Ghasts from the east and west were upon me--the monsters had located me and were closing in. Fumbling, I dug desperately, knowing that if I failed this would surely be the end of me.
A fireball in the distance came my way.
I found an old steak--remains of a friend--which I took no time to mourn and devoured instantly. It didn't do a lot, but I could stand and run. And fight.
I picked my best sword, made sure I was stocked with arrows, and faced my enemies. They had all broken into Q2. SAUL's exterior was lost.
It was time to fight for myself.
I ran, screaming, into the horde, deflecting that fireball that had been nearing me as I did.
In reflection, this probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.
Not a solid second after my stunt, I flew backward from multiple Creeper explosions and a Ghast fireball. There were simply too many of them to make a dent. I could act like as much of a ninja as I wanted, but there was just no way could I take them all. 5 Creepers alone would pose a difficulty, and hundreds were waiting in Q1 to flow in. I remember recalling that they were probably finding new ways to get into Q2 every moment.
I remember that it occurred to me then that I was sitting in a compromised Quarantine, something I'd promised myself I'd never do.
I turned and ran for Q3.
When I first designed SAUL, I made the assumption that if monsters had made it into the valley, through the entrances, past Q1, and into Q2, the same usual reinforced walls and TnT traps would do no good. I'd instead made thin passageways into Q3--thin enough that I could only barely squeeze through. I'd added twists and turns, so arrows wouldn't hit me, and a single one-use door into Q3.
I'd assumed that, at this point, it was no longer about killing the monsters...it was about surviving.
Thank god. Because if I hadn't planned it that way, I'd already be dead.
I'd also planted a few smart traps to throw off anyone who was following me--just as a precaution.
As I ran into the first hallway leading to Q3, I heard the spiders, slimes, and Ghasts stop chasing me and hang about. I was sure that only zombies, skeletons, and Creepers would follow...they were the only enemies who could. The closest were the Creepers, almost to me. I could only hope that they'd be fooled by my traps--and that they didn't widen the hallway with their 'splosions.
Turning a corner, we came upon the first trap.
Running down the hallway, I suddenly stopped, having passed a single pane of glass on the ceiling. If this startled the Creepers, almost upon me, they didn't show it. They didn't show much of anything.
I smirked, just a little, and smashed the glass above me, stepping back.
Gravel fell, blocking the Creepers way just as they reached me. I heard a BOOM and noticed a segment of Gravel disappear, due to a Creeper's death. However, more Gravel fell to replace it.
I smiled. I'd managed to set this trap up in coordination with a mountain--there was enough gravel to fall for at least 100 meters. They'd get through eventually, but this would certainly stall them.
I remembered that another hallway led into this one--so they could still reach me. Turning, I ran on. More traps lay between me and Q3. As well as two more hallways, which I was sure was flooded by Creepers trying to cut me off.
Finally, I hit my second trap.
Another hallway had merged with mine a short while ago, and Creepers had snuck up on me in this time. They were then hot on my tail, and I knew I had to shake them off.
Hopefully, my second plan would do the trick.
Running on, I saw my torches begin to appear less and less on the halls--yet, the light in the halls never lessened. I knew why, but if the Creepers shared any confusion, I couldn't tell.
We hit the source of the light in about a minute.
Lava.
There was a pit of lava--not enough to really be a problem--across the floor, maybe two meters across. There were thin walkways on either side, allowing one to walk right on past.
This would pose no problem for either the Creepers or me--or rather, it wouldn't yet. Momentarily, as long as no Creepers caught up to me, it would be death for the Creepers.
Running head on at the Lava, showing no hesitance, I help my breath and lept to the other side.
No troubles. Nothing stopped me. I landed safely.
Not stopping for a moment, it occurred to me that the Creepers could probably jump the same space. I could only hope that my trap would activate before then.
I remember having these thoughts, these hopes and wishes interrupted by the feeling of the ground under me shifting weight--as if a pressure pad had been activated. Which one had.
Behind me, TnT under the lava blew up, removing glass that was supporting the gravel that I had, just moments before, been standing on.
Gravel that was no longer resting on glass. Gravel that was falling into Lava.
Gravel that the Creepers were standing on.
"Well, they're burnt Creepers now." I paid my thoughts no mind--if I hesitated for a moment now, I might not make it to Q3.
It was then that I remembered that I'd never finished making my third trap. If I wasn't faster than the other monsters and didn't make it to Q3 before they did, they--
I remember putting the thought aside and running further. Always running.
An arrow flew past my head.
I began counting the cracks in the rocks, timing my arival.
42 cracks in the wall before Q3.
32.
24.
12.
I could see Q3 in the distance. I ran faster. I could make it, I felt in my blood the rush of survival--something I'd little felt since SAUL's original completion. I almost missed it.
Upon more current consideration, it occurs to me that, maybe I still do.
In that war, I felt a rush I never had. Adrenaline flooded my system. That never happened. Not since SAUL.
I did like it.
I ceased counting the cracks. I was so close. I had made it to Q3. To Safety. I was safe!
Then a half-dozen Creepers came around the corner and scuttled right at me.
Followed, by many spiders.
I swore. It was the only thing to do. I chucked a torch at the wall, clicking on a grid that spread across the floor and activated the door into Q3 (Thank GOD for my paranoia, once again), and decided to just jump for it.
If I'd been in good condition, well rested, fully healed, without injuries from doors flying into me, I might've been able to make it.
In my current condition?
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssssssssss..."
BOOM.
All of the explosions grew into one. The grid was destroyed, as was the door, but it no longer mattered. I'd taken the jump.
I remember that moment. That final jump, when I chose to go for it. I remember diving into six exploding Creepers.
I remember death.
I remember feeling dead.
I remember a door closing behind me, and the dark gloominess of Q3.
When I woke up, I remember letting a huge sigh of relief out. I remember thinking that I must've kept it in while I slept, and I remember wondering how long I HAD slept.
Then I remember trying to get up and failing. Miserably.
And I remember looking down for my feet, and seeing nothing.
And I remember looking down for my legs...nothing.
And I remember thinking, "Oh, crap. NOW how will I go rock-climbing?"
Shortly after that, "Wait. ****. I'm about to bleed to death."
My conscious was fading in and out. This was troublesome because I had no idea how much time I had, but with no legs, I couldn't have much.
I had to do something. Stop the bleeding.
But with what? I was no medical expert, but I certainly knew that I lacked the materials required to cease a bleeding stump!
In actuality, my delusions from the lack of blood was making me start to see things. I had only lost one leg, and no higher than the knee. This didn't exactly help my situation THEN, of course.
Pulling myself franticly across the floor (and thanking the heavens for my paranoia of reinforcing these walls--I could hear explosions outside, but none got in), I finally reached the minecart I'd sent into Q3 from the Portal/Storage room in Q2. Flipping the first chest open, I clumsily dug through it, finding nothing of use. Digging through another, I didn't seem to find anything helpful--until my eyes laid on a couple of scraps of leather, off of the backs of cows.
Leather.
I dug more, finally pulling out wool.
Cloth.
Working feverishly, to save my life, I made the best cloth I could under the circumstances, and tied it around my right thigh, in an attempt to cut off the circulation, stop the bleeding. Even if it did work, it wouldn't be a long-term solution...only a temporary solution until I could find some other way to stop any more blood from exiting my body.
I tried to stand by supporting myself on the minecart and my left leg. I almost did, too. Instead, my shoulder knocked against a lever on the other side of the carts, remote-activating them to head into the safe-house away from SAUL.
I swore.
One storage cart remained independent from the rest, and it was empty. After a moment of consideration, I tried to come up with a plan.
SAUL was, at this point, pretty much compromised. That was a sad but true fact. They were everywhere but Q3, and, in my current state, I saw no easy way to exist Q3.
Other than with the use of The Switch.
I put the thought out of my mind. I didn't want to leave SAUL, my three years, to die. It wasn't fair.
Yet...did I have a choice? My stuff had already gone to the Safe House, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had the medical equipment I needed to get through this...albeit, now at the Safe House.
So, unless I wanted to die, I had to get to the Safe House.
But the only way to open the doors to the cart and reach the Safe House was via The Switch. ...once The Switch was activated, I would only have so much time before the door closed and Q3--along with the rest of SAUL--was destroyed.
I would have to race against my own death without a limb. And without an awful lot of blood.
I turned to the last cart and filled it with everything that was left with me, except essentials. I also emptied the Q3 storage room, which was really just two chests in the corner. I ran over to Ob3 (which was just the wall next to the entrance door, reinforced), and prep'd every weapon and trap in SAUL and the valley. Every last one.
Once I did this, there was no turning back. I was, in effect, preparing SAUL's demise.
My home.
There was also no guarantee that I'd make it out of Q3 alive. I had no idea whether or not I could get to the exit fast enough, and if I didn't...Well, Q3 wasn't exempt from the traps of SAUL's destruction.
And neither would I be, if I didn't make it.
I took a deep breath in and considered my scenario one more time.
Did I really have a choice?
I limped to the other wall, holding on to the various things in Q3 as support. I rested my hand on the lever and took a deep breath in once more.
I let it out.
40 seconds. I know the timer. 40 seconds to reach the heavens and embark onto new lands.
40 seconds to death.
I reach for the stairs and pull myself onto the first one. Another. Another.
The lever has finished sending out its signal. The world becomes engulfed in flames. Outside, on the tops of mountains, at the highest point in the world, lava spills out, falling into the valley below, killing all who still attempt to reach SAUL. The ceiling below opens up, letting lava deep inside.
Another step. 27 seconds to death. Another step.
I'm almost one third there.
I remember this thought.
I remember thinking that I would not make it. That I was too slow without my limb.
That I would die.
Another step.
Land mines outside blew, uncovering the remainder of SAUL. Enemies fell inside, only to be blown to bits by more TnT embedded deep inside. Lava poured over the floors, slowly advancing into Q2.
The mountain that Ob1 lay on crumbled.
I was two thirds there. I was almost at the door. It lay in my sight, invitingly open. Open.
Waiting.
Ten seconds remained.
TnT in every section of Q1 and Q2 blew, as lava poured in still further. Mountains collapsed, crushing enemies below. The world caught fire. Trees burst into flames. Animals died.
5.
Ten more steps. I crawled furiously.
4.
8 more. It wasn't enough.
3.
5 more. I might still make it.
2.
3 more. Hope.
1.
1.
Standing upright best I could, I lept.
I flew.
The blast door shut. Lava poured into Q3, the last safe haven, and bombs blew the entire structure apart.
SAUL collapsed.
SAUL died.
If I had still had my leg, I would've lost it when that door closed. As it was, it scraped my bloody leg stump.
I had landed face first in a cart.
Propping myself upright, I turn to look down to my left, through a glass pane, where I saw the storage carts heading off toward TRISH (I'd named the safe house TRISH out of boredom--The Really Insecure Safe House. Perhaps I was going insane), which was a comforting sight, to say the least.
Then I remembered that the medical equipment I needed to live was in those carts.
Throwing a lava bucket from a nearby chest into the power-cart behind me, I felt the wind on my hair as I descended into darkness and sleep.
I woke with a jolt.
The Minecart had hit the glass block I'd placed as a signifier of the transition to the Canal, as I'd named it.
When designing the underground-railroad from SAUL to TRISH, I'd worried that someone--or thing--could've found a way to follow me to TRISH, something I'd seriously wanted to avoid. Minecarts were easy to replicate or steal, allowing someone to make one to follow the track to TRISH, if they chose.
But a boat?
The Canal served the purpose of fast travel with no easy method of being followed.
Climbing wearily out of the cart, I stepped forth and looked for my boat.
Then I recalled I'd kept it in storage to my right, along with a small workbench and furnace.
Investigating the small room, I dug through the chest, pulling out the boat. After becoming relatively convinced that there was nothing else of value in the chest, I hopped over to the workbench, checking on my stump on the way.
Red.
Not pink. Red. The cloth had been dyed by my blood. It seemed that my knot had come undone on the ride down.
I grabbed whatever I could find from the chest and ran to the workbench best I could. I used what cloth and leather I had left to make a pad, then attaching it to a wooden pole and placing some durable and strong iron on the foot. I did my best to secure this new device to my stump, hoping it would cease the bloodflow until I could reach TRISH.
Checking the furnace, I saw an unused lava bucket sitting in it. I took it in case it would come in handy later.
Finally, I tested my new contraption.
I found that I could walk, which was a miracle at all. However, it hurt more with each step. I resolved to walk as little as possible, before throwing the boat into the canal and jumping in.
I zoomed down that tunnel so fast that I hardly recall what happened until I reached TRISH.
The boat hit the glass pane harder than I'd expected it would in planning.
I remember thinking, "Awwww..." as I flew through the air and into a wall.
Pulling myself upright, I grasped feebily at the small wooden door in front of me. I'd never bothered reinforcing it--who would come and attack from this side? No one but myself could make it into SAUL, past Q1 and Q2, then follow through Q3 and the escape hatch.
Throwing it open, I collapsed inside TRISH.
I'd never bothered making TRISH very pretty. Or big.
TRISH was just large enough for a single Ghast to fit into, with a high ceiling but not a lot of space outward. It had been embedded in a cliff, with the only way out being a one-way door outside to a small alcove. This had a staircase leading to the top of the mountain, where one could exit down to the land below.
The only downside to this was that TRISH could only be used once, since the only way in was from SAUL...and if TRISH was in use, SAUL certainly couldn't be.
I'd have to make a new home. TRISH would never do.
I crawled across the floor to the left wall, where a line of minecarts came to a stop, hitting the wall opposite it. Throwing the first open, I dug through it vehemently.
No medical supplies.
The second had food, which I chomped down on right away. But nothing.
The third had various building materials and tools.
The last one had what I searched for.
Throwing various trinkets aside, I took out a few materials and did my best. By the end of my work time, I had a vaguely usable leg.
I knew, of course, that it would never do.
This surrogate leg could only last, by my calculations at that point, about one day. And I hadn't the materials to make more.
I needed something that WORKED.
I inspected TRISH, wondering what the **** I was going to do.
SAUL, my three years, was dead. Only my paranoia had saved me from death.
My life was dead.
I threw punches at the thick purple rock, infuriated with my situation. Everything I'd worked for had been lost, and the knowledge that the infernal enemies of mine could make it through the likes of SAUL was pure madness. Even if I did spend more years to make yet another lair, there was no promise that I could do better.
It seemed hopeless.
I clawed at the rock. The deep purple rock.
I remember that then, I remembered something of my own.
It was my first memory of a memory.
Deep purple rock.
When lit, it made a portal.
Taking an excited step back, I inspected my wall. There were certainly holes in it! Of course! If there was a hole the right size and shape...
I dug through one of the chests and pulled out flint and steel, throwing them together into one tool.
Taking as much food as I could carry, getting new tools, I looked at my wall and calculated.
Finally, I took my compass.
It pointed east.
The pigmen had run west.
I was west.
I was perfectly in line with my portals.
Perfectly.
Taking a deep breath in, I ran at a hard stone wall, threw fire into the ground, and jumped in.
I woke to familiarity. Yet again.
The familiarity of a familiar pig snout.
-vgxmaster.
More updates to come.
A note: Part II is done! I'm happy to say that we now have OVER 100 votes of "Like!" Thank you all for being awesome!
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GENERATION ∞: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
Quote from Dark_One2012 »
Someone once told me you could actually use the eggs and bucket of milk to make a cake. Turns out it was just a lie...
Definately quicker paced then the last one. Your base is still able to be visualized, and you used a common problem. Ghasts in portal rooms. Keep up the good work.
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"The problem with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine." - Abraham Lincoln
"By "sexy time", I naturally meant magic the gathering, not passionate sweaty love cuddling." - Notch. Yes, he actually said that. Check Twitter.
Definately quicker paced then the last one. Your base is still able to be visualized, and you used a common problem. Ghasts in portal rooms. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
I actually lost this save a while ago...if someone wants to take up a project with me where we try to replicate it and make a video of the war, that would be awesome! We'd have to use some hacks to spawn in a ton of monsters, though...
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GENERATION ∞: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
Quote from Dark_One2012 »
Someone once told me you could actually use the eggs and bucket of milk to make a cake. Turns out it was just a lie...
man all those haters who vote badly of this dont know what the hell they are talking about
Get out of here you damn haters
Eh. Let 'em hate. They're not hurting anyone.
I didn't read it because you can't even title your topic appropriately.
Dude, just bloody read it. Your logic is opinion-based, rather than fact-based. Therefore it is invalid, and while you're clearly trying to appear as someone who is above others for insignificant reasons, you're really just portraying yourself as a jackass.
Because this forum is bad enough to read without idiotic vague topic titles.
Then why hate? You realize all you do by complaining about how "Bad" The forum is, is making it worse, If you don't like it then don't like it. But for god sake don't troll and say the forum "totuly sux0rz" Because doing that makes this place worse than better.
You fail sir.
When you make this into a real book, no doubt you will, please dedicate it to everybody who ever complimented you in this forum :tongue.gif: F-ing AWESOME
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Quote from Jossospro »
You think slipping your pisser into a chicks stinking pisshole is better than exploring an endless world and building great wonders and adventuring?
Quote from makersmark »
The interent: Where men are men, women are men and kids are FBI agents
Because this forum is bad enough to read without idiotic vague topic titles.
Dude, he changed it. You're not even suggesting something. Just criticizing something which scarcely matters. No matter how much you use capital letters and such, you are, in fact, a troll.
LOOK FOR PART II! COMING SOON!
111 comments. 6000 views. Part 1 of the story called "Memorium."
viewtopic.php?f=1016&t=75422
Fully updated.
Now, for part two of Memorium. The ending. The WAR.
Below is the first part. Over time, this shall continue to expand, until complete.
Welcome to hell.
MEMORIAM. PART II
I woke in snow.
The tundras were not my home.
Waking again, I pulled myself, shakily, up.
It was dawn. The sun was coming up behind me, and I could see the endless deserts of snow stretching into the distance. Grasping feebly at a tree, I tried to pull myself up, and managed it after what felt like hours. I grabbed at my pack, finally getting out an apple and stacks of wood. More minutes of smashing things together resulted in a pile of gold to my left, a wooden workbench in front of me, and an apple in my hand. A couple of minutes later, I felt healed and well.
Standing, I took my workbench and tried to get a better understanding of my surroundings, but to no avail. The only thing of interest that wasn't never-ending snow was the single tree near me. And the portal behind me.
Turning, I checked it closely. It had the same shape they always had...I considered trying to re-enter it, but discarded the thought at once. For all I knew, Ghasts were waiting for my return there. Besides, thanks to my fall, I had no idea where I was now, neither in that strange world nor out here. How long had I been walking?...
I looked up at the sun. It was setting in the east, I'd learned that from looking at my compass. When facing my portal, I was facing north, but I'd turned west...So chasing the sun after noon would yield proper results.
I remember thinking this. I remember these plans. I remember looking in my pack and finding a complete lack of my compass.
Sighing, I turned and started to walk away from my portal, to where the sun would eventually rest. I felt a bit of heat near my feet suddenly, something which I was sure would be unusual in the cold snow. Looking down, I saw grass. Melted snow.
"How odd."
PAFF!
I jumped, and turned. Sure enough. There was a Ghast, with his usual depressed face looking gloomily at me.
PAFF!
Another fireball.
I turned and ran. Ducking behind a small hill, I built up a small stone wall, thanking myself for bringing stone with me before running back into that portal, and waited.
PAFF!
His fire had no effect against my stone.
"How is this happening?..."
It was confusing. Ghasts never came out in the real world. I'd only ever found them outside. This seemed an impossibility.
Well, in any case, this wasn't too hard to overcome. I took my bow and jumped up, ready to shoot some fireballs.
Five Ghast faces looked lazily at me.
"Right then."
I turned and ran, without a second thought.
I remember that dusk. I remember the world turning to hell.
The snow began melting faster. I found lava directly above the ground more and more...and darkness came. I saw portals materialize, and Ghasts began coming. I knew that once darkness had fallen, my OTHER enemies would show, and one of two things would happen: The greatest threats of two worlds would start a war, or I would face all my enemies in one place.
Well, if I had to fight this menace, it was best I did it in SAUL. My traps would come in handy. Perhaps there was even a remote chance I could kill these things.
Then I turned for a spare second to see dozens of Ghasts chasing me, and the stark truth of my situation bubbled to the surface. I fired a spare arrow in vain, and continued running.
Darkness was falling. My worst nightmare was getting caught between a row of Ghasts, more coming every moment, and Creepers. And if they were enemies? Only more explosions.
Suddenly, a face of hope! I felt my spirit soar at the sight. In the near distance, I saw something familiar.
A minecart track.
I'd always placed minecart tracks after me as I'd explored! If there was one here, It probably meant I'd explored here once before (Yes, I remembered now! I had!), and I could ride it back to home base! It was even light with torches, so creatures of evil wouldn't be able to attack me!
Of course, the minecart was sitting smugly in SAUL, like it should. But I always kept a chest with essentials nearby, as preparation for an eventuality such as this. Thank GOD for my paranoia.
Jumping forward, I grabbed my diamond, smacked it onto a shaft of wood, and dug down like I'd never thought possible. A fireball flew over my head, and I thought I heard the sound of a skeleton, an arrow over my head. I reached the chest in no time, flung it open, and took a powered cart and a passenger cart, with some other helpful tools. I ate some food out of it, placed the cart on the tracks, and tenderly reached into my chest once more.
Another fireball. Closer. They were almost upon me.
Tenderly, carefully, I took out a bucket of lava. The best fuel I'd found. I hopped into my cart, secured all of my belongings, and put the bucket into my cart--
I was zooming down the track before I knew it.
A breath of relief escaped my lips and I rode to freedom and home. I'd made it.
Now I only had to hope I could get home in time.
From the images I saw outside, it looked like all the monsters were gradually following the same path. At one point, I saw the vantage point from a mountain, and I saw in the dim and dark light spiders, skeletons, zombies, Creepers, slimes, Ghasts, abominations all closing in on one place.
SAUL.
They were all coming. They had...organized themselves? It was mystery enough that this many Ghasts had made it here, but this tremendous force of nature coming to kill me? I could only hope that my paranoid preparations were enough. There was no more time to set up further traps. Only to fight.
Finally, my cart descended on my home valley. I carefully timed myself, then jumped. Certainly, I was far too high to survive a fall from this height, but I'd made a plan in the case of an attack in the valley below--for even if I did not die from the fall, there were too many enemies where my cart would have landed for my survival. Instead, I managed to jump into a waterfall, leading up into a Cliffside base.
Running inside, I got past my entrance and into Quarantine 1.
I entered my Observatory, and flicked a lever. Outside, from any of the monsters point of view, they would have seen an entire mountain-side explode. In fact, only the dirt and rock had exploded. Inside of that was a layer of glass...and past that, I stood. Every monster looked up at me, and our eyes met.
The war had begun.
There were hundreds outside. Maybe even thousands. Spreading into the distance.
We were locked in a staring contest.
It was down to this: Would they be able to enter SAUL?
Of course, I'd never taken plenty of things into account; This many enemies could quickly make a dent in my fortress, and Ghasts could fly...I'd never expected anything ABOUT Ghasts...
Slowly, the rumbling mass of creatures began moving again. I wondered if I should try to stall them until day, when many would be subdued. Or perhaps activate the outdoor traps now? See if I could eliminate the threat before it left my front door?
But no. Now was not the time to try to prevent a battle. They WERE at my front door--my antechamber was invaded, there was nothing to be done to prevent that. Now was the time for action.
Running to a wall to my right, I primed a couple of traps. With a few traps, I'd made them docile until I flicked a switch which would prep them. Many of the landmines outside were under this system, so once I primed them, I saw many more explosions. Creatures never paid any mind to little pressure pads, they just walked right over them, resulting in a premature death.
I almost activated a trap that would release a flow of lava on the valley, but held back. I didn't want to pull all the stops at once.
Watching, I hungrily anticipated the dismay that would fall over the army of evil. Many of them had been destroyed by my traps; surely they would give up! But only more came. They came from the mountains and the distance, into the valley.
A Ghast began to fly up to me.
Cursing, I deactivated my control panel (Unearthing certain easily accessible wires redirected control to another room), and ran for my blast-doors. That Ghast could easily blow through my window, should he so choose.
But nothing happened.
Resting against my door, I pause, shaken. It seemed that this poor Ghast couldn't see through Glass.
Laughing, I ran over, smashed a block of glass, and got ready to slice my way through this unfortunate Ghast.
...except, smashing that glass gave me away.
BOOM! SMASH!
My observatory window was blown to bits, and the first Ghast of the day flew in SAUL. I reverted back to my original plan, and ran for the blast-doors, closing it behind me. That Ghast could do whatever it wanted to my first room, but it wasn't getting into Quarantine 1.
I ran down the shaft of my spiral staircase to the receiving point of my Underwater entrance, the main one I used and the one in the center of the valley. It seemed to be the one these creatures were converging on, although how they would enter it was a mystery to me.
Pressing the timed button to open my door, I jumped through just in time, landing on the pad on the floor the held my door open. This was the last dry spot of land before I could swim up above. Above to my doom.
I peered up the waterfall, before pulling back abruptly.
I'd never had water in the Underworld, the Other Side, so I'd never imagined what would happen if a Ghast were to flame it.
The water faded. Evaporated. My lake had become a pond, and soon would be nothing. And this entrance wasn't well protected, it was just a pad on the floor to open a door! Any of these creatures could get in easily without water!
But, no--Only Creepers, Skeletons, and Zombies would fit. The others were too big to fit through my one-meter long entrance.
Unless Creepers blew it up.
My surrounding area was made of sand and cobblestone.
Cursing, I ran inside, closing the door behind me. Three years of planning, and I was going to lose first Quarantine to a silly mistake like this. I checked and primed my entrance traps--I had TnT embedded in the walls and floor--and closed off my storage rooms, disabling the blast doors once closed. I could get back in via Quarantine 2 if it was necessary.
Then I hid in my Art Room.
This was clever because the walls were covered with art, which was actually anything but pretty. This art was not hung on stone--it was hung on TnT. At the end of the hallway, there was a single lever. This would close one blast door and open another, protecting me and leading to Q2, while blowing up the entire outer Art Room. From here, I could run through Q2 to either my second Observatory, to see into Q1, my storage room connected between Q1 and Q2, already closed off, or outward into the rest of SAUL.
BOOM.
I jumped, startled. Peeking out of my room, I saw the wall around my door was half-gone. Water didn't flood in.
"That was fast."
They were already past the water, it seemed, and weren't bothering with a plan to open the door and blow it up to let others in, like I'd thought. They were just letting it go to hell--no pun intended.
Suddenly, I recalled that the roof of the frontal part of my entrance was floating sand.
I ran into my art room. Just in time. A creeper or two may have been squished, but more flooded in, blowing my three years to death.
I closed the door behind me and ran to my lever. Waiting. Watching.
Any moment.
I remember staring at my door, waiting for the precise second when it would fly open, and monsters would flood in.
I remember not seeing the door open. I remember seeing it blown off of its hinges, flying at my head.
I ducked, heard the door clang against the wall behind me, and slowly stood, resting my hand on the lever.
A single Creeper stood in the doorway, many more behind it, ready to fight.
"SSSSSSSSSssssssssss..."
I smiled. Just once.
"Bring it on, Creep."
"SSSSSSSSSAH!"
In all my years, I never heard this sound.
The Creeper ran at me--
BOOOOOOMPHSH.
An iron door closed around me, cutting me off from the world of monsters, and I said goodbye to Q1. A door behind me opened, and as I ran through it--
BOOM. BOOM. BOOMBOOMBOOMBOMBOMBOMBOMBOBOMBOMBMOBOMBOMBOMB.
Paintings flew off the wall. Art, signs, memories, the only collection I had--gone.
Creepers died. The walls flew back, and a few mines went off. I hadn't expected that.
What more happened, I know not. I was already running to Ob2, my nickname for the second observatory.
I flung the door open, ran in, and pressed the button that opened the windows up, giving me a full view of Q1.
I saw a horror unseen: Skeletons, riding Spiders, Slimes, Zombies, Spiders, Skeletons, Ghasts, flying down and in, and more Creepers than I thought possible. Dead remains, useful tools, lay on the ground, results from my traps, but I couldn't retrieve them.
After all my efforts thus far, no visible progress had been made.
I blocked up my windows with purple rock, to ensure they could not get through. I didn't want a Ghast flying into Q2 and wreaking havoc, letting others in.
Hoping my defenses would hold for the moment, I ran out of Ob2 and up to a cliffside entrance. It probably hadn't been very smart of me to have any entrance directly into Q2, but there was nothing to be done now.
I flung open my blast door and looked out over the valley. It was day now--I'd been too preoccupied to have noticed earlier, but I saw it now. Somehow, they still attacked...and there seemed to be portals down there now. Dozens. Ghasts almost looked to flow out of them and into the entrances, followed by many others.
How had this happened?
How had all of my preparations, plans, traps, supplies, all of my years of work so easily been fooled?
How had I fallen into this terror?
I remember falling to my knees, and I remember that I wept.
I remember that a Ghast took notice of this.
Slowly, he floated up to me.
"Crap. You idiots can fly."
Another eventuality I didn't anticipate. I'd never thought that anyone would EVER be able to get up here because there WAS no way to get up here from the ground.
I ran for my blast door, before recalling that it didn't actually close.
The Ghasts could fly right into Q2.
I turned and unleashed a volley of arrows at this poor Ghast before running back inside. My only hope was to activate the rest of the traps in Q1 and run for safety into Q3.
It was amazing how quickly this situation was turning dire.
Leaping into Ob2, I flipped all of the switches, pressed every button, and finally reached into a chest to take out an interesting lighting device. Placing it on the center tile of the floor, where many wires converged, I lit it.
I didn't bother to look out the windows for the satisfaction of seeing more enemies burn. I no longer wanted satisfaction in the deaths of my enemies. I only wanted to live.
I left Ob2, shutting the blast door behind me, in case my bombs broke through into Ob2, and ran for my storage room. Upon consideration, I didn't go to the one connected to Q1, instead going to the one hanging off the edge of Q2.
It wasn't until I was in there that I remembered that this particular room was where my portal had shown up.
This room was huge. And so were the Ghasts inside.
I'd never admired the size of a Ghast, but it was certainly larger than I'd first thought. Of course, it didn't take long for them to notice me and open fire.
"Crap!"
I dove to the side, leaping behind a chest. I reached in, taking what I might need, before running again--I heard that chest behind me light. I had to recover what I could before all of my supplies were destroyed. Perhaps if I could reach the back of the room...there was a storage minecart there, powered, which I could send into Q3. It was too small to be followed by any creatures.
BOOM.
The monsters were breaking into Q2. Ghasts were already inside; they had a portal inside--I'd had a leak in my base this entire time. I'd NEVER planned for Ghasts...and that mistake might've been the end of me.
I grabbed the last few essentials out of the chests and flung them into the cart. Taking my last lava bucket, I threw it into the engine and watched it go into Quarantine 3.
Sighing a breath of relief, I turned--to the faces of 5 sad-looking Ghasts.
"Oh, fun."
I took out my diamond sword, and ran.
In those few minutes, I felt more like a ninja than I did even when I had when I'd done my Ghast-hopping stunt (Had that been days ago? The time had flown), deflecting fireballs, climbing ladders and jumping to get a good swing at a Ghast, and jumping over them to hit their friends.
But it seemed my awesome skill did no good. More Ghasts came, and I knew soon that the rest of the creatures would come through from Q1...if they hadn't already.
I made a break for it and ran out the door.
I ran to the center of Q2 and took a single moment to catch my breath and survey my surroundings to come up with a plan.
I faced south, the direction of the Underwater entrance to SAUL and Q1. It was pretty unlikely that the monsters would be able to get right through the walls...they'd probably aim for Ob2, although I'd made a few reinforcements with my rock...it was sure to be weak. However, my storage room to the south was also pretty weak, and was directly connected to Q2. I made a mental note to close it off.
To the east and west, my left and right, Ghasts were descending on me--this I knew. My left was an opening from the outside, and my right was a back-way in.
Behind me lay three thin passage-ways, leading into a complex maze. Past that lay Q3.
Thinking quickly (for who knows how little time remained?), I ran into my storage room. Constant booms could be heard outside in Q1, and I saw a hole next to my door. Ducking under an arrow shot fired through said hole, and dove for one of my chests at random. Reaching inside, I found mostly circuit design equipment. I abandoned it for another.
BOOM.
Another hole, close to the first...thankfully, it wasn't close enough to the first to create a gap large enough for a creeper to get through, much less a Ghast. However, a fireball did get in, setting a chest ablaze.
Nothing in my new chest. Totally empty. I dived for one more...after that, I decided I'd give up and lock the room down.
The last chest had arrows, food, swords, and Flint and Steel.
I grabbed as much as I could, and turned to run for safe haven. Something I'd striven to emulate for some long...a home. My home was dying.
I remember almost reaching the door. Almost.
It wasn't a loud boom. Just...a big one.
Turning as I fled to Q2, I saw a hole large enough for many spiders to fit through, followed by many spiders. And Creepers.
I LEPT to Q2, turned to the surrounding wall around my door, and reached for a switch. My hand felt air.
Blinking, and searched the wall, ceiling, floor...nothing. There seemed to be no switch or button or mechanism to close off the storage room.
Furious with myself, and grabbed my pickaxe and mined feverishly into the wall, locating my wire system. I smashed specific wires, peaking into the room--the monsters were flooding in and running to me, and the hole was large enough for Ghasts now--and finally placed a magic-torch-thing in the center of the wires.
I heard the reliable "Smfph" of the door closing, followed by the much less reliable and rather worrying sound of my door flying off its hinges and into my face.
I remember waking up.
While I know I must've blacked out, it must not have been long--monsters were just starting to flood in. I began to stand, shakily, and took a weapon.
I felt weak.
I felt like my injuries were...not recoverable, to say the least.
Looking down, I saw a giant chuck taken out of me.
I was dying.
I reached into my pack to locate some food. The screams of Ghasts from the east and west were upon me--the monsters had located me and were closing in. Fumbling, I dug desperately, knowing that if I failed this would surely be the end of me.
A fireball in the distance came my way.
I found an old steak--remains of a friend--which I took no time to mourn and devoured instantly. It didn't do a lot, but I could stand and run. And fight.
I picked my best sword, made sure I was stocked with arrows, and faced my enemies. They had all broken into Q2. SAUL's exterior was lost.
It was time to fight for myself.
I ran, screaming, into the horde, deflecting that fireball that had been nearing me as I did.
In reflection, this probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.
Not a solid second after my stunt, I flew backward from multiple Creeper explosions and a Ghast fireball. There were simply too many of them to make a dent. I could act like as much of a ninja as I wanted, but there was just no way could I take them all. 5 Creepers alone would pose a difficulty, and hundreds were waiting in Q1 to flow in. I remember recalling that they were probably finding new ways to get into Q2 every moment.
I remember that it occurred to me then that I was sitting in a compromised Quarantine, something I'd promised myself I'd never do.
I turned and ran for Q3.
When I first designed SAUL, I made the assumption that if monsters had made it into the valley, through the entrances, past Q1, and into Q2, the same usual reinforced walls and TnT traps would do no good. I'd instead made thin passageways into Q3--thin enough that I could only barely squeeze through. I'd added twists and turns, so arrows wouldn't hit me, and a single one-use door into Q3.
I'd assumed that, at this point, it was no longer about killing the monsters...it was about surviving.
Thank god. Because if I hadn't planned it that way, I'd already be dead.
I'd also planted a few smart traps to throw off anyone who was following me--just as a precaution.
As I ran into the first hallway leading to Q3, I heard the spiders, slimes, and Ghasts stop chasing me and hang about. I was sure that only zombies, skeletons, and Creepers would follow...they were the only enemies who could. The closest were the Creepers, almost to me. I could only hope that they'd be fooled by my traps--and that they didn't widen the hallway with their 'splosions.
Turning a corner, we came upon the first trap.
Running down the hallway, I suddenly stopped, having passed a single pane of glass on the ceiling. If this startled the Creepers, almost upon me, they didn't show it. They didn't show much of anything.
I smirked, just a little, and smashed the glass above me, stepping back.
Gravel fell, blocking the Creepers way just as they reached me. I heard a BOOM and noticed a segment of Gravel disappear, due to a Creeper's death. However, more Gravel fell to replace it.
I smiled. I'd managed to set this trap up in coordination with a mountain--there was enough gravel to fall for at least 100 meters. They'd get through eventually, but this would certainly stall them.
I remembered that another hallway led into this one--so they could still reach me. Turning, I ran on. More traps lay between me and Q3. As well as two more hallways, which I was sure was flooded by Creepers trying to cut me off.
Finally, I hit my second trap.
Another hallway had merged with mine a short while ago, and Creepers had snuck up on me in this time. They were then hot on my tail, and I knew I had to shake them off.
Hopefully, my second plan would do the trick.
Running on, I saw my torches begin to appear less and less on the halls--yet, the light in the halls never lessened. I knew why, but if the Creepers shared any confusion, I couldn't tell.
We hit the source of the light in about a minute.
Lava.
There was a pit of lava--not enough to really be a problem--across the floor, maybe two meters across. There were thin walkways on either side, allowing one to walk right on past.
This would pose no problem for either the Creepers or me--or rather, it wouldn't yet. Momentarily, as long as no Creepers caught up to me, it would be death for the Creepers.
Running head on at the Lava, showing no hesitance, I help my breath and lept to the other side.
No troubles. Nothing stopped me. I landed safely.
Not stopping for a moment, it occurred to me that the Creepers could probably jump the same space. I could only hope that my trap would activate before then.
I remember having these thoughts, these hopes and wishes interrupted by the feeling of the ground under me shifting weight--as if a pressure pad had been activated. Which one had.
Behind me, TnT under the lava blew up, removing glass that was supporting the gravel that I had, just moments before, been standing on.
Gravel that was no longer resting on glass. Gravel that was falling into Lava.
Gravel that the Creepers were standing on.
"Well, they're burnt Creepers now." I paid my thoughts no mind--if I hesitated for a moment now, I might not make it to Q3.
It was then that I remembered that I'd never finished making my third trap. If I wasn't faster than the other monsters and didn't make it to Q3 before they did, they--
I remember putting the thought aside and running further. Always running.
An arrow flew past my head.
I began counting the cracks in the rocks, timing my arival.
42 cracks in the wall before Q3.
32.
24.
12.
I could see Q3 in the distance. I ran faster. I could make it, I felt in my blood the rush of survival--something I'd little felt since SAUL's original completion. I almost missed it.
Upon more current consideration, it occurs to me that, maybe I still do.
In that war, I felt a rush I never had. Adrenaline flooded my system. That never happened. Not since SAUL.
I did like it.
I ceased counting the cracks. I was so close. I had made it to Q3. To Safety. I was safe!
Then a half-dozen Creepers came around the corner and scuttled right at me.
Followed, by many spiders.
I swore. It was the only thing to do. I chucked a torch at the wall, clicking on a grid that spread across the floor and activated the door into Q3 (Thank GOD for my paranoia, once again), and decided to just jump for it.
If I'd been in good condition, well rested, fully healed, without injuries from doors flying into me, I might've been able to make it.
In my current condition?
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssssssssss..."
BOOM.
All of the explosions grew into one. The grid was destroyed, as was the door, but it no longer mattered. I'd taken the jump.
I remember that moment. That final jump, when I chose to go for it. I remember diving into six exploding Creepers.
I remember death.
I remember feeling dead.
I remember a door closing behind me, and the dark gloominess of Q3.
When I woke up, I remember letting a huge sigh of relief out. I remember thinking that I must've kept it in while I slept, and I remember wondering how long I HAD slept.
Then I remember trying to get up and failing. Miserably.
And I remember looking down for my feet, and seeing nothing.
And I remember looking down for my legs...nothing.
And I remember thinking, "Oh, crap. NOW how will I go rock-climbing?"
Shortly after that, "Wait. ****. I'm about to bleed to death."
My conscious was fading in and out. This was troublesome because I had no idea how much time I had, but with no legs, I couldn't have much.
I had to do something. Stop the bleeding.
But with what? I was no medical expert, but I certainly knew that I lacked the materials required to cease a bleeding stump!
In actuality, my delusions from the lack of blood was making me start to see things. I had only lost one leg, and no higher than the knee. This didn't exactly help my situation THEN, of course.
Pulling myself franticly across the floor (and thanking the heavens for my paranoia of reinforcing these walls--I could hear explosions outside, but none got in), I finally reached the minecart I'd sent into Q3 from the Portal/Storage room in Q2. Flipping the first chest open, I clumsily dug through it, finding nothing of use. Digging through another, I didn't seem to find anything helpful--until my eyes laid on a couple of scraps of leather, off of the backs of cows.
Leather.
I dug more, finally pulling out wool.
Cloth.
Working feverishly, to save my life, I made the best cloth I could under the circumstances, and tied it around my right thigh, in an attempt to cut off the circulation, stop the bleeding. Even if it did work, it wouldn't be a long-term solution...only a temporary solution until I could find some other way to stop any more blood from exiting my body.
I tried to stand by supporting myself on the minecart and my left leg. I almost did, too. Instead, my shoulder knocked against a lever on the other side of the carts, remote-activating them to head into the safe-house away from SAUL.
I swore.
One storage cart remained independent from the rest, and it was empty. After a moment of consideration, I tried to come up with a plan.
SAUL was, at this point, pretty much compromised. That was a sad but true fact. They were everywhere but Q3, and, in my current state, I saw no easy way to exist Q3.
Other than with the use of The Switch.
I put the thought out of my mind. I didn't want to leave SAUL, my three years, to die. It wasn't fair.
Yet...did I have a choice? My stuff had already gone to the Safe House, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had the medical equipment I needed to get through this...albeit, now at the Safe House.
So, unless I wanted to die, I had to get to the Safe House.
But the only way to open the doors to the cart and reach the Safe House was via The Switch. ...once The Switch was activated, I would only have so much time before the door closed and Q3--along with the rest of SAUL--was destroyed.
I would have to race against my own death without a limb. And without an awful lot of blood.
I turned to the last cart and filled it with everything that was left with me, except essentials. I also emptied the Q3 storage room, which was really just two chests in the corner. I ran over to Ob3 (which was just the wall next to the entrance door, reinforced), and prep'd every weapon and trap in SAUL and the valley. Every last one.
Once I did this, there was no turning back. I was, in effect, preparing SAUL's demise.
My home.
There was also no guarantee that I'd make it out of Q3 alive. I had no idea whether or not I could get to the exit fast enough, and if I didn't...Well, Q3 wasn't exempt from the traps of SAUL's destruction.
And neither would I be, if I didn't make it.
I took a deep breath in and considered my scenario one more time.
Did I really have a choice?
I limped to the other wall, holding on to the various things in Q3 as support. I rested my hand on the lever and took a deep breath in once more.
I let it out.
40 seconds. I know the timer. 40 seconds to reach the heavens and embark onto new lands.
40 seconds to death.
I reach for the stairs and pull myself onto the first one. Another. Another.
The lever has finished sending out its signal. The world becomes engulfed in flames. Outside, on the tops of mountains, at the highest point in the world, lava spills out, falling into the valley below, killing all who still attempt to reach SAUL. The ceiling below opens up, letting lava deep inside.
Another step. 27 seconds to death. Another step.
I'm almost one third there.
I remember this thought.
I remember thinking that I would not make it. That I was too slow without my limb.
That I would die.
Another step.
Land mines outside blew, uncovering the remainder of SAUL. Enemies fell inside, only to be blown to bits by more TnT embedded deep inside. Lava poured over the floors, slowly advancing into Q2.
The mountain that Ob1 lay on crumbled.
I was two thirds there. I was almost at the door. It lay in my sight, invitingly open. Open.
Waiting.
Ten seconds remained.
TnT in every section of Q1 and Q2 blew, as lava poured in still further. Mountains collapsed, crushing enemies below. The world caught fire. Trees burst into flames. Animals died.
5.
Ten more steps. I crawled furiously.
4.
8 more. It wasn't enough.
3.
5 more. I might still make it.
2.
3 more. Hope.
1.
1.
Standing upright best I could, I lept.
I flew.
The blast door shut. Lava poured into Q3, the last safe haven, and bombs blew the entire structure apart.
SAUL collapsed.
SAUL died.
If I had still had my leg, I would've lost it when that door closed. As it was, it scraped my bloody leg stump.
I had landed face first in a cart.
Propping myself upright, I turn to look down to my left, through a glass pane, where I saw the storage carts heading off toward TRISH (I'd named the safe house TRISH out of boredom--The Really Insecure Safe House. Perhaps I was going insane), which was a comforting sight, to say the least.
Then I remembered that the medical equipment I needed to live was in those carts.
Throwing a lava bucket from a nearby chest into the power-cart behind me, I felt the wind on my hair as I descended into darkness and sleep.
I woke with a jolt.
The Minecart had hit the glass block I'd placed as a signifier of the transition to the Canal, as I'd named it.
When designing the underground-railroad from SAUL to TRISH, I'd worried that someone--or thing--could've found a way to follow me to TRISH, something I'd seriously wanted to avoid. Minecarts were easy to replicate or steal, allowing someone to make one to follow the track to TRISH, if they chose.
But a boat?
The Canal served the purpose of fast travel with no easy method of being followed.
Climbing wearily out of the cart, I stepped forth and looked for my boat.
Then I recalled I'd kept it in storage to my right, along with a small workbench and furnace.
Investigating the small room, I dug through the chest, pulling out the boat. After becoming relatively convinced that there was nothing else of value in the chest, I hopped over to the workbench, checking on my stump on the way.
Red.
Not pink. Red. The cloth had been dyed by my blood. It seemed that my knot had come undone on the ride down.
I grabbed whatever I could find from the chest and ran to the workbench best I could. I used what cloth and leather I had left to make a pad, then attaching it to a wooden pole and placing some durable and strong iron on the foot. I did my best to secure this new device to my stump, hoping it would cease the bloodflow until I could reach TRISH.
Checking the furnace, I saw an unused lava bucket sitting in it. I took it in case it would come in handy later.
Finally, I tested my new contraption.
I found that I could walk, which was a miracle at all. However, it hurt more with each step. I resolved to walk as little as possible, before throwing the boat into the canal and jumping in.
I zoomed down that tunnel so fast that I hardly recall what happened until I reached TRISH.
The boat hit the glass pane harder than I'd expected it would in planning.
I remember thinking, "Awwww..." as I flew through the air and into a wall.
Pulling myself upright, I grasped feebily at the small wooden door in front of me. I'd never bothered reinforcing it--who would come and attack from this side? No one but myself could make it into SAUL, past Q1 and Q2, then follow through Q3 and the escape hatch.
Throwing it open, I collapsed inside TRISH.
I'd never bothered making TRISH very pretty. Or big.
TRISH was just large enough for a single Ghast to fit into, with a high ceiling but not a lot of space outward. It had been embedded in a cliff, with the only way out being a one-way door outside to a small alcove. This had a staircase leading to the top of the mountain, where one could exit down to the land below.
The only downside to this was that TRISH could only be used once, since the only way in was from SAUL...and if TRISH was in use, SAUL certainly couldn't be.
I'd have to make a new home. TRISH would never do.
I crawled across the floor to the left wall, where a line of minecarts came to a stop, hitting the wall opposite it. Throwing the first open, I dug through it vehemently.
No medical supplies.
The second had food, which I chomped down on right away. But nothing.
The third had various building materials and tools.
The last one had what I searched for.
Throwing various trinkets aside, I took out a few materials and did my best. By the end of my work time, I had a vaguely usable leg.
I knew, of course, that it would never do.
This surrogate leg could only last, by my calculations at that point, about one day. And I hadn't the materials to make more.
I needed something that WORKED.
I inspected TRISH, wondering what the **** I was going to do.
SAUL, my three years, was dead. Only my paranoia had saved me from death.
My life was dead.
I threw punches at the thick purple rock, infuriated with my situation. Everything I'd worked for had been lost, and the knowledge that the infernal enemies of mine could make it through the likes of SAUL was pure madness. Even if I did spend more years to make yet another lair, there was no promise that I could do better.
It seemed hopeless.
I clawed at the rock. The deep purple rock.
I remember that then, I remembered something of my own.
It was my first memory of a memory.
Deep purple rock.
When lit, it made a portal.
Taking an excited step back, I inspected my wall. There were certainly holes in it! Of course! If there was a hole the right size and shape...
I dug through one of the chests and pulled out flint and steel, throwing them together into one tool.
Taking as much food as I could carry, getting new tools, I looked at my wall and calculated.
Finally, I took my compass.
It pointed east.
The pigmen had run west.
I was west.
I was perfectly in line with my portals.
Perfectly.
Taking a deep breath in, I ran at a hard stone wall, threw fire into the ground, and jumped in.
I woke to familiarity. Yet again.
The familiarity of a familiar pig snout.
-vgxmaster.
More updates to come.
A note: Part II is done! I'm happy to say that we now have OVER 100 votes of "Like!" Thank you all for being awesome!
Thanks!
The first part was mostly build-up, to make this part more interesting. But isn't the second part usually more interesting?
Just wait for the ending.
Wait. Is that you?
Does the term, "Head in a dragon" answer your question?
Crap. Yes. PM me.
"By "sexy time", I naturally meant magic the gathering, not passionate sweaty love cuddling." - Notch. Yes, he actually said that. Check Twitter.
Thanks!
I actually lost this save a while ago...if someone wants to take up a project with me where we try to replicate it and make a video of the war, that would be awesome! We'd have to use some hacks to spawn in a ton of monsters, though...
Get out of here you damn haters
Eh. Let 'em hate. They're not hurting anyone.
Dude, just bloody read it. Your logic is opinion-based, rather than fact-based. Therefore it is invalid, and while you're clearly trying to appear as someone who is above others for insignificant reasons, you're really just portraying yourself as a jackass.
...It was a joke based off of Part 1 of this story. Why even bother commenting something like that?
------ I aprove :biggrin.gif:
Of course, the lack of constructive posts to topics must make the forum better!
Then why hate? You realize all you do by complaining about how "Bad" The forum is, is making it worse, If you don't like it then don't like it. But for god sake don't troll and say the forum "totuly sux0rz" Because doing that makes this place worse than better.
You fail sir.
If you wanna slap a few Numbered chapters dividng it up though, feel free, it'll make it seem shorter, lmao.
I click yours, you should help a brother out and click mine too :-)
Dude, he changed it. You're not even suggesting something. Just criticizing something which scarcely matters. No matter how much you use capital letters and such, you are, in fact, a troll.