What's going on forums? I'm starting up a new story, or if you know me from before, completely remaking the old one. You see, I thought that my original story was crappy with the plot holes, LACK of good plot, and several spelling mistakes. So I decided to just start a new one, under the same title. This time it will be in relation to the plot.
I will try to be more active with this story than before, and I sincerely hope that all my time in forum roleplaying has somewhat made me a better writer.
Updates: Removed my promise of chapters every week since I keep breaking them >_<. That and my technical troubles still aren't over, although they are, less problematic than before which should allow me to at least write. Don't ask about it since I'd rather not go into detail about it. Just know that I may be slower in uploading chapters than before (as if I haven't already fallen behind my schedule enough )
This story is part of: Minefic: Story List and Writing Help Project This story supports and is part of the Minefic Project aimed to help writers with story writing help and getting their stories read, and also for readers to find stories more easier. Click the link if you want to know how to get your story in it or if you want to find more stories!
Special mention to: Robinton: for sticking with my story, I don't know if you'll be reading this, but thanks for reading through my first story even if it wasn't all that good
Nazkan, Ryuku, Gameguy and the other original posters: Thanks for the support
Tatankaz and Jenjie: For taking the time to read my story and even considering a collab, you guys made some interesting reads as well.
Farteh16 and the staff of Minefic: For empowering us underdog writers in fan art. You guys rock
My friends in the Roleplaying forum: Hugthezombies, Azillla, Muttonhawk, DrGenius, and everyone else: I don't know if you guys will be reading this, but if you are, I want to say thanks for helping me improve my skills in writing; I owe you guys
Please leave your criticism and I will do my best to respond to all of them to improve myself. Now without further ado, enter Realm Minecraftia.
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Prologue:
The old man stared up at the candlelit ceiling as he let out another cough. He had been sick for many months and knew that his end was near. His face contorted in anger, he could not allow himself to die until his duty had been finished, unfortunately it was all out of his power now. He coughed twice more as he felt a sharp pain in his heart, his hand reached for his chest and he clutched his robes as he lay on his luxurious bed. All the riches in the world meant nothing to him, all he wished was that his unfinished work would be continued.
Suddenly, all the candles in the room went out and a deep laugh echoed from the shadows, the old man could not tell from where. The voice then said "Well, you certainly put up a fight, but death comes to us all does it not?" The voice said mockingly. "Damn you!" the sick man said. "I already am." The voice gave a dark, menacing laugh. Silence took over for a few seconds afterwards; the man then said "Why have you come here now? To mock me as I am at death's door?". "No, actually yes in a manner of speaking. I just wanted to assure you that this "great and powerful empire" that you have worked ever so hard to put together, will crumble to the ground"
The man once again felt pain and his face cringed; he forced himself to speak "I have worked tirelessly to unite the four kingdoms of Minecraftia. Half of my life I had spent on this endeavor, the other half to maintain it. I swear to you that you will never destroy the fruits of our labor!"
The voice simply laughed and said "Mortal sweat and blood is nothing compared to the will of a god. The four kingdoms will divide, war will break out, and when they are at their weakest, I shall rise again and take my place as the king of Minecraftia! As I was hundreds of years ago..."
The man felt another pain and his left side go numb. The end was near, but he would fight to his last breath. "Notch and the gods of Mojang will never allow you to return. They have dethroned you years ago, and they will do so again". "Really? Then why don't they step down from their kingdom and face me? Why have they not sent their mighty hero to battle me once more? They have done nothing to help you, and they will certainly do nothing to stop my ascension to power! Sleep well O great king, sleep eternally with the knowledge that your legacy will become nothing more than a distant memory" The voice faded away and the candles were lit once again.
As the light enveloped the room, the fallen king felt a sharp pain in numerous parts of his body. He exhaled the words "Notch, please help us. Use your strength or send your hero. If you cannot, then at least return my son so that he may defend Minecraftia in your name. Please, do not leave my work unfinished..." His clenched hand fell to the ground, his breathing stopped, and his eyes shut never to open again.
The Royal guards entered the room with the queen, all of them equally sad. They would cast his body to the Shores of Genesis the next day.
Chapter 1: The Ethereal sea
The sound of booming thunder echoed overhead as the crew of "The Reclaimer" continued with their duties. Each man on board were weary with the long voyage home; at least now it was only a week away.
The captain, a burly man with a ruffled beard and braided hair, wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead as he stared at the dark clouds on the horizon.
"How far off do you think this storm is?" he asked the man in the crow's nest who was looking through the telescope. "Not far I'm afraid. It'll probably hit us in 1, maybe 2 days if we're lucky." answered the crew-mate; he was a young and clean-shaven man whose skin had become tan from time at sea. "That's not good. Can't we find a safer route back home?" The captain asked hopefully. "Nay sir. If we go around the storm, we'd find ourselves within enemy territory; an equally dangerous situation. Which way we go is entirely your call captain." the younger man replied.
The captain contemplated for a moment. Both plans would risk the lives of the crew and their special passenger. Then he decided.
"We'll battle our way through the storm, it has a better chance of clearing up than a hostile fleet." He said. "Aye aye sir, I'll tell the navigator. I'll also get Williamson, that drunken *******, to man the crow's nest for a while. It'll do him some good to get him away from the cellar, and my legs need a stretch too." The crew-mate replied.
With that, the two sea-men climbed down from the mast and towards the deck. When the two had touched the ground, they parted ways. the captain would tell his decision to the helmsman, while the other would spread the word to the crew. Before he had gotten far though, he heard one of the crew-members shout.
"His majesty on the deck!". The captain turned and looked at a small part of the crew who suddenly stood at attention. He then turned towards the person of interest.
He was a young-looking, medium built man with short, jet-black hair and wore a red shirt with silver pants. He had blue eyes and a rugged face, he also held himself with a regal aura. This was their passenger, the prince of their kingdom.
The captain had composed himself by now and had stood alongside his men. "At ease gentlemen." The prince said. The men began returning to their duties, but the prince gestured at the captain to approach him. The leader of the ship obliged and walked closer to the prince.
"Yes your highness?" The captain asked. "I heard that there was a commotion on the deck. Would you mind telling me about recent events. I fear that I have spent too long inside my quarters." The prince replied calmly. "Prince Avaren, the commotion must be talk among the crew members about the storm. you see, we are approaching one in our homeward route. There's nothing you need to worry about sir, my men and I are perfectly capable of handling unpleasant weather." The captain said with confidence. He and his crew were very honored to have been selected to escort the prince back home and they did not wish to fail.
"I'll take your word for it then. I simply wish that we shall be home in time for the crowning of the heir." Avaren replied.
The king was going to select one of his sons to ascend to the throne after his death, for he had many brothers. He himself had no wish to be king, but he did want to show respect to his brothers by being there during the ceremony, and to assist them in any way he can with their duties..
"Ah yes your highness. I give you my word that you shall be back at the capital with days to spare" The captain said. Avaren had then dismissed the captain so that the latter could continue with his duties. Avaren on the other hand returned to his quarters to rest; he would certainly be of no help to the crew as he lacked the experience that they had on sea.
He sat down on the bed opposite a window that displayed the dark clouds looming on the horizon, while flashes of lightning spewed like fire from above.
Soon, he began to lie down and drift into sleep. As he slept, he had a very peculiar dream.
Images of his father flashed through his mind. The familiar deep and comforting voice said "The Ethereal sea is a mysterious place. Oracles have said that it is where lives disappear, but also where great destinies are revealed." Avaren never did understand what the Oracles meant by that, and neither did his father.
The scene suddenly changed and what Avaren saw had astounded him. Vast landscapes, lush forests, infinite deserts, and oceans that spread thousands of miles beyond the shoreline. He then saw a grand castle near the eastern part of a large continent, close to a sandy beach area. He could make out a large town within its walls.
As he was taking in the scene, a fatherly but unfamiliar voice said "This place has become a divided dominion. It is your duty to unite it in my name. You have been led astray, but now I shall send you home." The voice gradually faded along with the images.
Suddenly, Avaren heard the sounds of shouting and he jolted from his bed. He looked at the door of his sleeping quarters and realized that the crew was shouting orders left and right.
Something was amiss. This revelation had temporarily erased the dream from Avaren's mind as he ran outside, wondering what was happening.
Chapter 2: Homecoming
Avaren burst out onto the deck and saw the crew running back and forth as blinding rain poured from above. Dark clouds had completely blocked out the sky, lightning struck dangerously close to the ship, and powerful waves smashed against the galleon.
He had absolutely no idea what to do, but he wasn't about to to cower in his room while the crew risked their lives on the deck. He had to help somehow.
He decided that the best thing to do was to find out what was happening. He looked around and approached a blonde man who seemed red faced and walked in a sleepy manner. The man's clothes were brown and crumpled; it was also drenched in rainwater.
"You there! What is your name and what in the name of the gods is happening?!" Avaren asked in almost a shout. The sound of the storm was blocking out their voices. The man seemed to be surprised by Avaren's sudden appearance, but answered after a few seconds. "My name's Williamson sire, and what's happening is that we're caught inside this monster of a storm!" Williamson answered. "But I thought that the men here had experience with this?" Avaren said, or rather shouted. "None this powerful your highness. This apocalyptic weather is beyond anything we've seen!" Williamson replied.
"I need to go sir, the captain needs every man on board if we're going to get through this alive." Williamson continued. He then ran off, presumably to help the crew.
"There has to be something I can do" Avaren thought. Suddenly a crew member yelled "Incoming!". Avaren looked and saw a gigantic wave fast approaching their ship. Even though he was brave, the sight of it made him freeze in place for a split-second. "Everyone brace yourselves!" Another man shouted. Avaren ran to the nearest piece of support he could find: a large piece of wood protruding out of the ship's main mast.
He grasped it as firmly as he could and closed his eyes in anticipation for the impact. He did not see what happened next, but he felt it.
The floor suddenly sprung upward and freezing water completely drenched him. He shivered as he continued holding on for dear life. The water had made the wood slippery, but if he let go of it he would surely fall overboard. The floor quickly went down again and he nearly stumbled, but remained standing.
He opened his eyes and was glad when he saw the wave moving in the opposite direction behind the ship, but it wasn't over yet.
"Sire, put on a life-line! The last thing we need right now is having you fall overboard." a sailor shouted at him. Avaren knew what a life-line was and took some rope from the main mast and tied it to himself. These ropes were measured to make sure that the wearer would not fall into the water, but gave enough flexibility to move around the ship.
Once it was secure, he decided to find the captain and find some way too help the crew of "The Reclaimer" through the storm. Soon enough, he spotted the captain trying to steer the ship's wheel; what happened to the helmsman, Avaren wasn't sure.
He opened his mouth to speak but the words were barely out of him when a loud explosion echoed throughout the galleon. He turned around to see what had happened, but the crew had beat him to it. "The mast has been hit by lightning!" someone shouted. More voices said "The sail's on fire!", "It's falling down!".
Indeed the mast fell to the deck and a deafening crack rumbled through the air. The heavy wooden mass tore through the floor of the deck and into the lower levels. The ship's fate was sealed.
That was when Avaren realized that it was the main mast that had fallen, and he was tied to it.
Suddenly, he and several other sailors were pulled down as the mast broke even farther down the galleon. The poor souls screamed for help and desperately tried to hold on to something, or release their rope. The men who tried to hold onto something were either pulled down, or worse, torn apart.
Those like Avaren who tried to undo the knots on their life-lines could not do it as the downward pull of the mast made the knot tighter. Mixed with the panic of being dragged down into the depths of The Ethereal sea, none of them could focus on undoing it as they were being pulled to their deaths.
Eventually the pitiful men who were dragged down by the main mast were under water. There was nothing any of them could do, but to wait to drown.
Avaren held his breath and tried to undo the knot, but the mast kept falling deeper into the water thus making it tighter. He refused to give up and continued fumbling with the rope, but time was running out and he was losing consciousness. Soon, his body could no longer withstand the lack of oxygen and his mouth opened involuntarily in an attempt to let oxygen in; but only the salty seawater entered his system.
He blacked out and just as he thought that it was the end.
While he was unconscious, he heard the voice from his dream say "No matter how bleak a situation becomes, we will be here to guide you eternally" The voice faded away once more, and then there was nothing.
Chapter 3: The shores of Genesis
Avaren became completely numb as water kept pumping into his system. He only barely heard the voices speaking to him as the entire world became black.
What was strange though, as numb as his body was, he felt as if he was being pulled through the air despite being drowned in water. "Could this be death?" He thought, half-coonscious. If he was indeed dying, it wasn't the way he thought he would be brought to the other side. Surprisingly, he found himself amused at his own reaction.
Eventually, the movement stopped and he found his body scrape against a rough, itchy, and damp surface, "What's happening now?" He thought. Suddenly, all of the seawater that had accumulated inside of him began to pump out through his throat as he regurgitated, drenching himself and somehow bringing feeling back to his once lifeless body. His eyes slowly opened.
Avaren was surprised by the sudden glare that greeted him and he covered his eyes defensively with his hands. After opening and closing his eyes several times, his vision was restored and he surveyed his surroundings.
He was on a white sandy beach with soft waves caressing his legs. The wide ocean stretched far across the horizon in front of him. To his right there was a steep cliff with a cave opening that seemed unreachable. To his left, the beach kept going as far as he could see. He looked behind him and saw rolling plains with snow-capped mountains farther beyond.
There was little time to admire the beauty however as there was a question that needed an answer; where was he?
He sat down and began to ponder his situation. His top priority was to find civilization. Should that fail he would have to find supplies and fend for himself until he found a town. He decided to walk along the beach in the hopes of finding a home or a hut along the shoreline.
He got up and grimaced as he felt a searing pain in his body. The destruction of The Reclaimer had taken a toll on him physically. Still, he pushed forward as the soft sand below his feet gave way with each footstep. After walking for a good few minutes, he found something that tickled his curiosity.
A large rectangular stone was sticking out of the sand, right at the edge of the waves. It read:
King Gaevrus
-Son of the first emperor of Minecraftia and leader of the First Crusade against the unholy ones
-The empire divided into 4 kingdoms after his death
Avaren wondered why an epitaph would be found on a beach, until he saw more of them. By then he knew that the place was a burial site. He read all of them out of his own curiosity.
General Bachuron
-Hero of the 3rd Crusade
-Sacrificed himself and his men in defense of The Metropolis in the Sunset Dominion, one of the last strongholds against the return of The Unholy cult
Admiral Cradeos
-King of the Southern fleet
-United the 4 warring kingdoms to battle against The Legion of The Damned whose return was prophesied.
-The truce ended after his death
King Tyvellius
-King of the Alliance of the East
-The "King of Minecraftia"
-Permanently united the 4 kingdoms of Minecraftia
-Stopped a second invasion of The Legion of The Damned using the united strength of each kingdom
-Tensions rise after his death
Avaren was more confused now than ever. He had never heard of such events occurring in his history lessons. He spent some more time reading the graves. Based on how old the other epitaphs looked compared to the others, there was a long time in between the erection of each. Combined with what each person here had done, this place could only have been a burial site for great heroes.
The silence on the beach was broken by a raspy voice "You interested in Minecraftia's history?" the voice said. Avaren turned around and saw an old man with a long white beard and yellowing teeth. He wore aged rags and limped on a stick with strange, almost voodoo-like items tied to it. He was skinny and looked like he had not eaten in ages.
"Uhh, yes actually, but I'm more interested to know if you can help me." Avaren replied to the old man. The elder looked quizzically at Avaren before replying "I'm not sure how much use an old man like me will be to you, but I'll help if I can. What do you need?" he said.
"Well, to begin I have no idea where I am right now..." Avaren said, slightly embarrassed. The old man smiled "You're at the Shores of Genesis, the place where the spirits of great heroes of Minecraftia come to rest." he said. "But... I've never even heard of Minecraftia. What continent is this on? My ship had unluckily crashed on The Ethereal sea and I found myself washed upon this beach." Avaren told the old man
The old man's eyes flashed at this statement and muttered "Could this be the one?...". Avaren took notice of this "What are you talking about?" he said. "Nothing, nothing. Come with me and let's get your wounds looked at, you must be in great pain from surviving a sinking ship." Avaren silently agreed with the statement and followed the old man.
Even though their destination was unknown, something in the elder's voice told Avaren that he meant no harm, and so he trusted him. He hoped that his instincts would be correct on this one.
Chapter 4: Trials of rebirth
The old man and the young prince continued the trek across the shoreline, leaving the epitaphs behind them.
The sun continued to warm the 2 travelers with its morning rays. Avaren obviously had no idea where they were going, but the old man seemed far from confused and so Avaren would have to rely on his new companion for guidance in this strange land.
"I never got your name good sir." The lost prince said to the old man. "The name's Cain, and you needn't call me sir, we aren't at the royal ball or anything." Cain replied humorously. Avaren smiled at the response, wondering why the old man's personality had changed somewhat, and then continued. "May I ask what you are doing out here on the beach?"
"Well, I'm obviously not here for a bath. I'm the keeper of this place, I make sure that no one desecrates these holy grounds. I'm also an oracle, or prophesier, whatever you wish to call it." Cain replied. Avaren nodded as a drop of sweat fell from his forehead "I am fortunate to have a wise man such as you to guide me in these lands I am not familiar with." he said to his companion.
"Hmph, been a while ever since anyone's called me wise; they usually use the term 'insane' to describe me..." Cain told the prince.
Eventually they reached a small hut that Cain said was his home. It wasn't exactly what Avaren hoped for, but it was better than nothing. The duo entered the tent and Cain offered Avaren a seat on his wooden bench, the prince gladly obliged and nearly collapsed on the furnishing.
"I should have something here for your wounds, try to relax for a moment." Cain told him as he rummaged through a wooden chest and some cabinets in the hut. Avaren studied his surroundings.
It was a small area, about the size of 1 and 1/2 bedrooms. The bench he sat on was next to the wooden door that acted as the entrance. Cain seemed to have finished his searching and was in at the left side of the room fiddling with what appeared to be an alchemy set, at least from what little Avaren knew about alchemy. To the right of the hut stood the chest and cabinets where Cain kept his belongings; his staff was now leaning against the wall next to the chest. 2 open windows were there; one on the wall opposite Avaren, above where a hammock was set, and the other was where the chest and cabinets were at. The 2 windows let in sunlight and brightened the otherwise dark hut. The floor was made of crudely attached wooden planks with sand coming in through the openings.
Cain finished with his brewing and approached Avaren with a vial containing a light blue liquid. "Drink this, it will help keep your wounds numb while I work on them." he said. "Very well." Avaren replied as he began to drink the contents of the vial. He had expected some sort of strange flavor, but surprisingly it tasted very much like fresh water with an almost unnoticeable sourness.
"Good, now just sit there while I prepare the other medicines." Cain said as he took the empty vial from Avaren's hand and got back to work with the alchemy stand.
After sitting for a good few minutes, where Avaren continued getting whiffs of different chemicals Cain was creating, he began to realize just how tired he was. The unique smells coming from the potions didn't do anything to help keep him awake. Slowly he began to nod, and soon he found himself returning to the clutches of sleep.
He slept the entire time without dreaming, but when he awakened he would almost wish he was.
He found himself awakening inside a small room surrounded by stone. A lone torch that hung to his left was the only source of light. He stood up groggily and clutched his head. "Where am I and what is happening?" Was all he could think at the moment.
After completely regaining his balance, he further studied his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of cave. The only exit was in front of him; an opening that was so dark he could barely see past it. He noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground next to his feet; there was something written on it. Avaren picked it up and read it.
Forgive the less than welcoming room you've awakened to, but there is something I must be sure of. Take the torch and head out of the room. Follow the path marked by the burnt torches and be on the lookout for any signs or paper I've left behind to assist you. You also needn't worry about your wounds, I've healed all of it. Good luck.
By now Avaren realized that it was Cain who had put him here. But for what purpose? What did he want to be sure of? Avaren decided to question Cain after he had gotten out of the cave; unless he gave a good reason, Avaren might be forced to teach Cain some etiquette. "I now see why people call him insane."
He took the bright torch from its stand and walked through the opening, wondering what awaited him.
Chapter 5: In the dark
Avaren moved the torch left and right, attempting to make out his surroundings. For now it was a small passageway with burnt torches lining the stone walls. He continued down the tight space; he was no stranger to spelunking, but he he had the strangest feeling that this was no ordinary cave.
His path was soon blocked by what appeared to be crudely stacked stones. There were several holes in the broken wall that, when examined under the torch's light, revealed a path behind them. He looked to his right and saw a small table containing various tools along with a curved piece of stone and a long stick of wood. A note was on the workbench as well.
Resourcefulness is a natural trait among our people
Avaren examined the items and looked over at the wall that blocked his path. The wall seemed weak enough to be destroyed, so that was what he had to do. However, his hands would bleed before he even got a dent on the blockage, he needed a tool.
He looked over at the tools on the workbench: some sort of adhesive material and a sharp piece of metal that looked like it could pierce stone. The small piece of metal however, would be insufficient in destroying the wall. The long piece of curved stone could do the trick, but it would take ages if he held it with his bare hands. His only option was to combine it with the stick, using the adhesive material.
He put his torch on the table and began thinking.
He picked up the curved stone and observed that there wasn't any stable location for the adhesive to be placed. Perhaps if he punched a hole in the middle of it, and then wrapped the adhesive around the stick after placing it inside the stone. He picked up the sharp piece of metal and began chipping into the middle of the stone. It was tedious work, but eventually he had made a hole straight through the curved stone just large enough for the long stick to fit into.
He jammed the piece of wood into the stone and then grabbed the adhesive, which he wrapped around the stick and the stone.
He held the improvised pickax and swung it around to make sure that it would not fall apart. Once he was sure of its stability, he approached the crude stone wall.
He raised the newly created tool and swung as hard as he could at his target. Several pieces of stone broke apart. He smiled as he raised the tool again, glad that he had figured out one of Cain's riddles, he had no doubt that there would soon be more though.
He swung a second time and the whole wall fell apart "That was much easier than I thought.". He picked up his torch and walked down the newly opened path.
He dropped the pickax since the adhesive seemed to be already getting loose; it would not last another use.
The area was much larger this time, he looked up and saw sunlight beaming through cracks in the stone ceiling "At least I know that I'm not far from the surface." He thought. He continued following the path marked by the burnt torches; he had half a mind to not follow Cain's instructions and find his own way out, but that seemed more foolish than following the path. After all, why go through the trouble of healing someone just to kill them? His chances of surviving were better by trusting Cain.
He eventually reached what appeared to be an old broadsword with a sign next to it, sunlight was beaming down on the sword giving it an almost magical aura. The sign read:
We are not violent at heart, but we will fight with the strength of a lion and the bravery of a king when we must. Stand your ground
As if on cue, he heard strange noises coming from behind him as he finished reading the sign. Moaning, screeching, and the sound of crackling bones emanated from the darkness behind him. He turned around and saw a sight that he could not believe.
A man, green-skinned and bloodied was approaching him along with a walking skeleton wielding an old bow with a quiver of arrows strapped on his back. Several red eyes glowed from behind the two monstrosities, as it stepped into a small patch of sunlight it was revealed to be a spider, half the size of a man.
The three assailants were climbing down from a natural staircase that he hadn't noticed before.
Knowing what the next challenge was, Avaren ran for the broadsword. He picked it up with the torch in his left hand and studied his foes. Two walking corpses and an abnormally large insect; such things were the stuff of legend. An arrow whizzed past him, just barely missing his left arm. He saw the skeleton slowly loading another arrow into its bow.
His mind made quick calculations: The zombie appeared to be slow and not much of a threat, but if he got too close it may prove to be quite strong. The skeleton thankfully did not have a marksman's aim, otherwise he would have an arrow inside of him by now. The spider seemed to be the bigger threat as Avaren saw it nimbly crawling along the large stone wall to his right, possibly going to jump onto him at the first opportunity.
Avaren ran behind a large rock and looked at his foes as he thought of a strategy within seconds.
The zombie was next to the skeleton so attacking the archer wasn't the best idea at the moment. The spider might also catch him off-guard if he attacked the two corpses first. His only choice was to eliminate the spider while it was separated from the other two.
He kept his eyes locked on the spider crawling along the wall to the right, waiting for it to make its move. Eventually, the spider latched off and flew at Avaren from his right. Avaren dodged out of the way and gripped the broadsword tightly as he assumed a battle stance, waving the torch in front of him in an attempt to taunt the creature. The spider turned around and jumped again. This time, Avaren swung his sword and sliced his foe in mid-air, sending the writhing body to his left.
He turned once more to the skeleton and the zombie as another arrow flew past him, dangerously close to his head. The skeleton had to be taken down before it got a lucky shot in.
He crouched behind the rock once again, and ran at the skeleton from his right. The zombie was shambling to his left, but it would be unable to reach Avaren before he reached the bow wielding skeleton. The undead archer on the other hand kept firing at where Avaren used to be, never bothering to aim ahead. This flaw in his aim could be the deciding factor in their battle.
Once Avaren was close enough, he struck a blow to the skeleton's left arm, disabling it from using its bow. However, it still put up a fight as the right arm curled into a fist and the skeleton swung wildly at Avaren. The prince stepped backwards, ducked underneath another one of its punches and slashed at his enemy's neck, severing the head and causing the bones to fall apart.
Now the only enemy that remained was the shambling zombie. He approached the enemy warily, trying to see if it had any moves that would prove to be dangerous. However, it seemed almost harmless, swinging its arms in an attacking motion even though Avaren wasn't anywhere close to it yet.
He walked closer and sidestepped another attacking swing and beheaded the pitiful creature. "Now that was a true challenge." He thought, panting, wondering what else Cain had in store for him.
The trail of torches ended at the sign where the broadsword used to be. He looked around and saw more burnt torches at the natural stairs from where the creatures had came from. With torch in one hand and sword in the other, he continued on the path.
Chapter 6: The light at the end
Just as he suspected, it was another strange creature. It was a very tall, and pitch black man. He wandered about aimlessly. However, Avaren remembered the sign and averted his gaze from the creatures eyes as he walked past it. He dared not risk seeing what would happen if he looked.
He nudged the creature once as he passed through it. Avaren tightened his grip and braced himself to be attacked, but the creature didn't even react. Thankfully, it seemed as if the tall creature would only react if looked at in the eyes.
He took one step at a time as he walked away from the tall monster, wary that it would attack at any moment. However, he made it through the tunnel without incident. Up ahead, he could see a faint blue light.
"What is that?" Avaren thought. As he walked closer he could see white dots among the blue light. It was then he realized that he was looking at the night sky. The sunlight he had seen before must have been near sunset. Relieved, Avaren quickened his pace and was about to run outside when he stopped abruptly.
The exit was the the cave entrance he had seen before, and it led to a long drop in the water.
"Jump boy!" An old voice suddenly said. Avaren looked left towards the beach and saw Cain. "From my position, this water does not look inviting at all!" Avaren shouted back sarcastically. "Jump and do not hesitate! Otherwise you're going to rot in that cave!" Cain retorted.
Avaren took another look at the water. The waves splashing at the bottom did little to calm his nerves. Now he had to make a choice. He looked up at the night sky, praying to whatever god created this land. Then he looked once more to the water.
"I must be out of my mind..." he thought as he shut his eyes and took the plunge.
The cool night wind rushed past him as he fell farther and farther. Finally, he splashed down into the ice cold and salty water. He swam to the surface and gasped for breath. He looked to his right and saw the beach; he made for the shores as fast as he could. Every stroke of his arm was painful after how tiring the rest of the day had been, but the sight of the shore gave him a sense of relief, he just had to reach it.
After a few minutes of painstaking swimming, he finally reached land. Avaren crawled gasping onto the sand. He rolled on his back and looked towards the star-dotted night sky. "Hmm... You are indeed what I thought you to be." Cain said as he approached the man lying on the beach. "I am *gasp* indeed what?" Avaren asked in between deep breaths.
"You are indeed a Minecraftian." Cain said, smiling. "A Minecraftian? What are you going on about? I'm not even from this land!" Avaren said as he stood up, clearly annoyed by Cain's reason for putting him through that ordeal. "How am I supposed to know?! All I know is that only a Minecraftian at heart would have survived that cave, and you just did. I don't know how you came to grow up in other lands but I am willing to bet whatever sanity I have left that this is place is your true home." Cain explained, somewhat aggressively.
Avaren thought this to be the ravings of a madman, but thought it better not to argue. "Alright, so you have tested me for that, what do you plan on doing now?" Avaren asked sarcastically as the 2 of them began walking back to Cain's hut.
"Now, I send you to civilization of course! The kingdom must know about this..." Cain said, switching quickly from a shout, to a mumble. Avaren looked at Cain quizzically "Why? What is so special about me if I am indeed a denizen of this land?" He asked. "Why because you're-" Cain stopped suddenly and looked to the ground, appearing to have a debate going on inside his head. "No... No, I cannot be the one to say. For all we know I could be wrong anyway. Forget I said anything." he said, looking a little disappointed.
"Because I am what? I have a right to know after you've put me through all of that." Avaren reasoned. "No, I might have had the eye of an oracle before, but it has gone blurry now, and I will not be able to live with myself if I lied about destinies to a confused traveler such as you. Get some rest, I'll help you get to the city first thing in the morning." Cain said as he walked back to his hut.
Seeing no use in trying to push the argument, Avaren complied and followed inside.
He sat down on the wooden bench and tried to rest his tired muscles. "I assume you'd like something to eat first. Here, I hunted a bit while you were in that cave. The meat was roasted over a campfire." Cain said as he handed Avaren a piece of smoking meat wrapped in paper.
Avaren savored the smell as he took the first bite. After spending such a tiring and confusing day, it was nice to finally sit down and relax. The meat was not was not as luxurious as the ones he had eaten in his family's feast hall, but after what he had been through, any comfort that was offered gave Avaren a surge of relief.
After finishing his food, it didn't take long for Avaren to drift once more into the clutches of sleep. This time, he welcomed it.
Chapter 1 has been posted. Read and enjoy :smile.gif: . Please post your criticism and/or opinion about it. Also point out any mistakes you may have noticed so that I can correct it as soon as possible. Please guys, I need to know if this story is any good or worth continuing.
Chapter 2 is out. I seem to be being ignored though. Is my story bad and you guys are ignoring it? Or is it so good that you are speechless? . Just kidding, but seriously give me some feedback here. If there's something wrong, please tell me what it is so that I can correct it. Or just give your opinion on it so far, either positive or negative.
Negative comments will help me improve, positive comments motivate me to keep going
Exams are closing in so the next chapter may not be up until after next week. Also, can somebody please say their opinion on this story? I can only go so far in writing for my own entertainment until I start losing motivation :|
Really good so far! I look forward to reading the new chapters. Check out my fan fiction and if you like it, hit the link in my sig for the blog and complete story!
Thanks for the feedback, I checked your story but I haven't really gotten very far (this week is really being hectic on me). For any other readers, don't expect the next chapter up by this weekend. There is a small chance that it will be, but don't count on it.
Probably in the days following once I get a creative drive going again. Don't think I'm abandoning this story already
For all of you readers (if there are any. Though I seriously doubt it -_-) I will be going on a trip with my family for a few days and probably wont have internet access to wherever they're planning on going. I will probably be back by the weekend and the moment I do I will have the next chapter up, and that's a promise this time.
On the off chance that we do have internet access, I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I can. See you guys later.
Don't get discouraged by the lack of responses - I don't think many people on these forums are into reading. I'll be sure to check back for future chapters.
Thanks :). And that's pretty much the reason I made my other thread :P, to help bring readers and authors to one spot and easily read and comment on each other's stories. If I have enough time the next chapter should be up in a few days
New chapter has been uploaded, quite possibly the longest chapter I've written so far :). Remember to leave your comments on it and/or correct any mistakes you may find
Quote from "Tatankaz" »
Love it Sonrov! Keep going And yes, your writing has definitely improved
I can't express how the quality of your writing is top-notch, higher than anything I can piece up. The Mainframe, my oh so "best work", is second hand quality compared to this work of godly art.
I am disappointed, though, by one thing: You haven't published a story yet! With skill like that, you will get cash. Wads and wads of cash.
Though I have lost my will to read long stories, just reading a few paragraphs shows you have the majick, though you could change their laughs on dialogue to description. It will add more detail like:
"I already am," the shadow gave out a dark, menacing laugh.
Guys, sorry it took me so long to get this up but... Our computer has broken down and I'm currently posting this from a friend's house
Unfortunately, I save chapters on the computer itself and not a flash-drive so if it doesn't get fixed soon. I'll have to use a flash drive and write the next chapter from the start, piece by piece every time I go to a friend's house...
I'm really sorry for this inconvenience and if luck is on my side then the repairs to our computer will be done very soon.
I like this very much! Can't wait for more chapters Don't quit because of lack of responses, a lot of people just read and don't comment. Trust me, keep going, this is quality writing. With this amount of skill, you have a LOT of potential. Probably doesn't seem like much coming from a 12 year old kid, but hey, it's motivation, take it or leave it.
Chapter 7 has been posted :D. Terribly sorry for how long this took and how short it is. I know I've been inactive, but our computer troubles still aren't over and it's been affecting both this story, and my responsibilities as a member of Minefic.
I will try to be more active with this story than before, and I sincerely hope that all my time in forum roleplaying has somewhat made me a better writer.
Updates: Removed my promise of chapters every week since I keep breaking them >_<. That and my technical troubles still aren't over, although they are, less problematic than before which should allow me to at least write. Don't ask about it since I'd rather not go into detail about it. Just know that I may be slower in uploading chapters than before (as if I haven't already fallen behind my schedule enough
Special mention to:
Robinton: for sticking with my story, I don't know if you'll be reading this, but thanks for reading through my first story even if it wasn't all that good
Nazkan, Ryuku, Gameguy and the other original posters: Thanks for the support
Tatankaz and Jenjie: For taking the time to read my story and even considering a collab, you guys made some interesting reads as well.
Farteh16 and the staff of Minefic: For empowering us underdog writers in fan art. You guys rock
My friends in the Roleplaying forum: Hugthezombies, Azillla, Muttonhawk, DrGenius, and everyone else: I don't know if you guys will be reading this, but if you are, I want to say thanks for helping me improve my skills in writing; I owe you guys
Please leave your criticism and I will do my best to respond to all of them to improve myself. Now without further ado, enter Realm Minecraftia.
The old man stared up at the candlelit ceiling as he let out another cough. He had been sick for many months and knew that his end was near. His face contorted in anger, he could not allow himself to die until his duty had been finished, unfortunately it was all out of his power now. He coughed twice more as he felt a sharp pain in his heart, his hand reached for his chest and he clutched his robes as he lay on his luxurious bed. All the riches in the world meant nothing to him, all he wished was that his unfinished work would be continued.
Suddenly, all the candles in the room went out and a deep laugh echoed from the shadows, the old man could not tell from where. The voice then said "Well, you certainly put up a fight, but death comes to us all does it not?" The voice said mockingly. "Damn you!" the sick man said. "I already am." The voice gave a dark, menacing laugh. Silence took over for a few seconds afterwards; the man then said "Why have you come here now? To mock me as I am at death's door?". "No, actually yes in a manner of speaking. I just wanted to assure you that this "great and powerful empire" that you have worked ever so hard to put together, will crumble to the ground"
The man once again felt pain and his face cringed; he forced himself to speak "I have worked tirelessly to unite the four kingdoms of Minecraftia. Half of my life I had spent on this endeavor, the other half to maintain it. I swear to you that you will never destroy the fruits of our labor!"
The voice simply laughed and said "Mortal sweat and blood is nothing compared to the will of a god. The four kingdoms will divide, war will break out, and when they are at their weakest, I shall rise again and take my place as the king of Minecraftia! As I was hundreds of years ago..."
The man felt another pain and his left side go numb. The end was near, but he would fight to his last breath. "Notch and the gods of Mojang will never allow you to return. They have dethroned you years ago, and they will do so again". "Really? Then why don't they step down from their kingdom and face me? Why have they not sent their mighty hero to battle me once more? They have done nothing to help you, and they will certainly do nothing to stop my ascension to power! Sleep well O great king, sleep eternally with the knowledge that your legacy will become nothing more than a distant memory" The voice faded away and the candles were lit once again.
As the light enveloped the room, the fallen king felt a sharp pain in numerous parts of his body. He exhaled the words "Notch, please help us. Use your strength or send your hero. If you cannot, then at least return my son so that he may defend Minecraftia in your name. Please, do not leave my work unfinished..." His clenched hand fell to the ground, his breathing stopped, and his eyes shut never to open again.
The Royal guards entered the room with the queen, all of them equally sad. They would cast his body to the Shores of Genesis the next day.
The sound of booming thunder echoed overhead as the crew of "The Reclaimer" continued with their duties. Each man on board were weary with the long voyage home; at least now it was only a week away.
The captain, a burly man with a ruffled beard and braided hair, wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead as he stared at the dark clouds on the horizon.
"How far off do you think this storm is?" he asked the man in the crow's nest who was looking through the telescope. "Not far I'm afraid. It'll probably hit us in 1, maybe 2 days if we're lucky." answered the crew-mate; he was a young and clean-shaven man whose skin had become tan from time at sea. "That's not good. Can't we find a safer route back home?" The captain asked hopefully. "Nay sir. If we go around the storm, we'd find ourselves within enemy territory; an equally dangerous situation. Which way we go is entirely your call captain." the younger man replied.
The captain contemplated for a moment. Both plans would risk the lives of the crew and their special passenger. Then he decided.
"We'll battle our way through the storm, it has a better chance of clearing up than a hostile fleet." He said. "Aye aye sir, I'll tell the navigator. I'll also get Williamson, that drunken *******, to man the crow's nest for a while. It'll do him some good to get him away from the cellar, and my legs need a stretch too." The crew-mate replied.
With that, the two sea-men climbed down from the mast and towards the deck. When the two had touched the ground, they parted ways. the captain would tell his decision to the helmsman, while the other would spread the word to the crew. Before he had gotten far though, he heard one of the crew-members shout.
"His majesty on the deck!". The captain turned and looked at a small part of the crew who suddenly stood at attention. He then turned towards the person of interest.
He was a young-looking, medium built man with short, jet-black hair and wore a red shirt with silver pants. He had blue eyes and a rugged face, he also held himself with a regal aura. This was their passenger, the prince of their kingdom.
The captain had composed himself by now and had stood alongside his men. "At ease gentlemen." The prince said. The men began returning to their duties, but the prince gestured at the captain to approach him. The leader of the ship obliged and walked closer to the prince.
"Yes your highness?" The captain asked. "I heard that there was a commotion on the deck. Would you mind telling me about recent events. I fear that I have spent too long inside my quarters." The prince replied calmly. "Prince Avaren, the commotion must be talk among the crew members about the storm. you see, we are approaching one in our homeward route. There's nothing you need to worry about sir, my men and I are perfectly capable of handling unpleasant weather." The captain said with confidence. He and his crew were very honored to have been selected to escort the prince back home and they did not wish to fail.
"I'll take your word for it then. I simply wish that we shall be home in time for the crowning of the heir." Avaren replied.
The king was going to select one of his sons to ascend to the throne after his death, for he had many brothers. He himself had no wish to be king, but he did want to show respect to his brothers by being there during the ceremony, and to assist them in any way he can with their duties..
"Ah yes your highness. I give you my word that you shall be back at the capital with days to spare" The captain said. Avaren had then dismissed the captain so that the latter could continue with his duties. Avaren on the other hand returned to his quarters to rest; he would certainly be of no help to the crew as he lacked the experience that they had on sea.
He sat down on the bed opposite a window that displayed the dark clouds looming on the horizon, while flashes of lightning spewed like fire from above.
Soon, he began to lie down and drift into sleep. As he slept, he had a very peculiar dream.
Images of his father flashed through his mind. The familiar deep and comforting voice said "The Ethereal sea is a mysterious place. Oracles have said that it is where lives disappear, but also where great destinies are revealed." Avaren never did understand what the Oracles meant by that, and neither did his father.
The scene suddenly changed and what Avaren saw had astounded him. Vast landscapes, lush forests, infinite deserts, and oceans that spread thousands of miles beyond the shoreline. He then saw a grand castle near the eastern part of a large continent, close to a sandy beach area. He could make out a large town within its walls.
As he was taking in the scene, a fatherly but unfamiliar voice said "This place has become a divided dominion. It is your duty to unite it in my name. You have been led astray, but now I shall send you home." The voice gradually faded along with the images.
Suddenly, Avaren heard the sounds of shouting and he jolted from his bed. He looked at the door of his sleeping quarters and realized that the crew was shouting orders left and right.
Something was amiss. This revelation had temporarily erased the dream from Avaren's mind as he ran outside, wondering what was happening.
Chapter 2: Homecoming
Avaren burst out onto the deck and saw the crew running back and forth as blinding rain poured from above. Dark clouds had completely blocked out the sky, lightning struck dangerously close to the ship, and powerful waves smashed against the galleon.
He had absolutely no idea what to do, but he wasn't about to to cower in his room while the crew risked their lives on the deck. He had to help somehow.
He decided that the best thing to do was to find out what was happening. He looked around and approached a blonde man who seemed red faced and walked in a sleepy manner. The man's clothes were brown and crumpled; it was also drenched in rainwater.
"You there! What is your name and what in the name of the gods is happening?!" Avaren asked in almost a shout. The sound of the storm was blocking out their voices. The man seemed to be surprised by Avaren's sudden appearance, but answered after a few seconds. "My name's Williamson sire, and what's happening is that we're caught inside this monster of a storm!" Williamson answered. "But I thought that the men here had experience with this?" Avaren said, or rather shouted. "None this powerful your highness. This apocalyptic weather is beyond anything we've seen!" Williamson replied.
"I need to go sir, the captain needs every man on board if we're going to get through this alive." Williamson continued. He then ran off, presumably to help the crew.
"There has to be something I can do" Avaren thought. Suddenly a crew member yelled "Incoming!". Avaren looked and saw a gigantic wave fast approaching their ship. Even though he was brave, the sight of it made him freeze in place for a split-second. "Everyone brace yourselves!" Another man shouted. Avaren ran to the nearest piece of support he could find: a large piece of wood protruding out of the ship's main mast.
He grasped it as firmly as he could and closed his eyes in anticipation for the impact. He did not see what happened next, but he felt it.
The floor suddenly sprung upward and freezing water completely drenched him. He shivered as he continued holding on for dear life. The water had made the wood slippery, but if he let go of it he would surely fall overboard. The floor quickly went down again and he nearly stumbled, but remained standing.
He opened his eyes and was glad when he saw the wave moving in the opposite direction behind the ship, but it wasn't over yet.
"Sire, put on a life-line! The last thing we need right now is having you fall overboard." a sailor shouted at him. Avaren knew what a life-line was and took some rope from the main mast and tied it to himself. These ropes were measured to make sure that the wearer would not fall into the water, but gave enough flexibility to move around the ship.
Once it was secure, he decided to find the captain and find some way too help the crew of "The Reclaimer" through the storm. Soon enough, he spotted the captain trying to steer the ship's wheel; what happened to the helmsman, Avaren wasn't sure.
He opened his mouth to speak but the words were barely out of him when a loud explosion echoed throughout the galleon. He turned around to see what had happened, but the crew had beat him to it. "The mast has been hit by lightning!" someone shouted. More voices said "The sail's on fire!", "It's falling down!".
Indeed the mast fell to the deck and a deafening crack rumbled through the air. The heavy wooden mass tore through the floor of the deck and into the lower levels. The ship's fate was sealed.
That was when Avaren realized that it was the main mast that had fallen, and he was tied to it.
Suddenly, he and several other sailors were pulled down as the mast broke even farther down the galleon. The poor souls screamed for help and desperately tried to hold on to something, or release their rope. The men who tried to hold onto something were either pulled down, or worse, torn apart.
Those like Avaren who tried to undo the knots on their life-lines could not do it as the downward pull of the mast made the knot tighter. Mixed with the panic of being dragged down into the depths of The Ethereal sea, none of them could focus on undoing it as they were being pulled to their deaths.
Eventually the pitiful men who were dragged down by the main mast were under water. There was nothing any of them could do, but to wait to drown.
Avaren held his breath and tried to undo the knot, but the mast kept falling deeper into the water thus making it tighter. He refused to give up and continued fumbling with the rope, but time was running out and he was losing consciousness. Soon, his body could no longer withstand the lack of oxygen and his mouth opened involuntarily in an attempt to let oxygen in; but only the salty seawater entered his system.
He blacked out and just as he thought that it was the end.
While he was unconscious, he heard the voice from his dream say "No matter how bleak a situation becomes, we will be here to guide you eternally" The voice faded away once more, and then there was nothing.
Chapter 3: The shores of Genesis
Avaren became completely numb as water kept pumping into his system. He only barely heard the voices speaking to him as the entire world became black.
What was strange though, as numb as his body was, he felt as if he was being pulled through the air despite being drowned in water. "Could this be death?" He thought, half-coonscious. If he was indeed dying, it wasn't the way he thought he would be brought to the other side. Surprisingly, he found himself amused at his own reaction.
Eventually, the movement stopped and he found his body scrape against a rough, itchy, and damp surface, "What's happening now?" He thought. Suddenly, all of the seawater that had accumulated inside of him began to pump out through his throat as he regurgitated, drenching himself and somehow bringing feeling back to his once lifeless body. His eyes slowly opened.
Avaren was surprised by the sudden glare that greeted him and he covered his eyes defensively with his hands. After opening and closing his eyes several times, his vision was restored and he surveyed his surroundings.
He was on a white sandy beach with soft waves caressing his legs. The wide ocean stretched far across the horizon in front of him. To his right there was a steep cliff with a cave opening that seemed unreachable. To his left, the beach kept going as far as he could see. He looked behind him and saw rolling plains with snow-capped mountains farther beyond.
There was little time to admire the beauty however as there was a question that needed an answer; where was he?
He sat down and began to ponder his situation. His top priority was to find civilization. Should that fail he would have to find supplies and fend for himself until he found a town. He decided to walk along the beach in the hopes of finding a home or a hut along the shoreline.
He got up and grimaced as he felt a searing pain in his body. The destruction of The Reclaimer had taken a toll on him physically. Still, he pushed forward as the soft sand below his feet gave way with each footstep. After walking for a good few minutes, he found something that tickled his curiosity.
A large rectangular stone was sticking out of the sand, right at the edge of the waves. It read:
King Gaevrus
-Son of the first emperor of Minecraftia and leader of the First Crusade against the unholy ones
-The empire divided into 4 kingdoms after his death
Avaren wondered why an epitaph would be found on a beach, until he saw more of them. By then he knew that the place was a burial site. He read all of them out of his own curiosity.
General Bachuron
-Hero of the 3rd Crusade
-Sacrificed himself and his men in defense of The Metropolis in the Sunset Dominion, one of the last strongholds against the return of The Unholy cult
Admiral Cradeos
-King of the Southern fleet
-United the 4 warring kingdoms to battle against The Legion of The Damned whose return was prophesied.
-The truce ended after his death
King Tyvellius
-King of the Alliance of the East
-The "King of Minecraftia"
-Permanently united the 4 kingdoms of Minecraftia
-Stopped a second invasion of The Legion of The Damned using the united strength of each kingdom
-Tensions rise after his death
Avaren was more confused now than ever. He had never heard of such events occurring in his history lessons. He spent some more time reading the graves. Based on how old the other epitaphs looked compared to the others, there was a long time in between the erection of each. Combined with what each person here had done, this place could only have been a burial site for great heroes.
The silence on the beach was broken by a raspy voice "You interested in Minecraftia's history?" the voice said. Avaren turned around and saw an old man with a long white beard and yellowing teeth. He wore aged rags and limped on a stick with strange, almost voodoo-like items tied to it. He was skinny and looked like he had not eaten in ages.
"Uhh, yes actually, but I'm more interested to know if you can help me." Avaren replied to the old man. The elder looked quizzically at Avaren before replying "I'm not sure how much use an old man like me will be to you, but I'll help if I can. What do you need?" he said.
"Well, to begin I have no idea where I am right now..." Avaren said, slightly embarrassed. The old man smiled "You're at the Shores of Genesis, the place where the spirits of great heroes of Minecraftia come to rest." he said. "But... I've never even heard of Minecraftia. What continent is this on? My ship had unluckily crashed on The Ethereal sea and I found myself washed upon this beach." Avaren told the old man
The old man's eyes flashed at this statement and muttered "Could this be the one?...". Avaren took notice of this "What are you talking about?" he said. "Nothing, nothing. Come with me and let's get your wounds looked at, you must be in great pain from surviving a sinking ship." Avaren silently agreed with the statement and followed the old man.
Even though their destination was unknown, something in the elder's voice told Avaren that he meant no harm, and so he trusted him. He hoped that his instincts would be correct on this one.
Chapter 4: Trials of rebirth
The old man and the young prince continued the trek across the shoreline, leaving the epitaphs behind them.
The sun continued to warm the 2 travelers with its morning rays. Avaren obviously had no idea where they were going, but the old man seemed far from confused and so Avaren would have to rely on his new companion for guidance in this strange land.
"I never got your name good sir." The lost prince said to the old man. "The name's Cain, and you needn't call me sir, we aren't at the royal ball or anything." Cain replied humorously. Avaren smiled at the response, wondering why the old man's personality had changed somewhat, and then continued. "May I ask what you are doing out here on the beach?"
"Well, I'm obviously not here for a bath. I'm the keeper of this place, I make sure that no one desecrates these holy grounds. I'm also an oracle, or prophesier, whatever you wish to call it." Cain replied. Avaren nodded as a drop of sweat fell from his forehead "I am fortunate to have a wise man such as you to guide me in these lands I am not familiar with." he said to his companion.
"Hmph, been a while ever since anyone's called me wise; they usually use the term 'insane' to describe me..." Cain told the prince.
Eventually they reached a small hut that Cain said was his home. It wasn't exactly what Avaren hoped for, but it was better than nothing. The duo entered the tent and Cain offered Avaren a seat on his wooden bench, the prince gladly obliged and nearly collapsed on the furnishing.
"I should have something here for your wounds, try to relax for a moment." Cain told him as he rummaged through a wooden chest and some cabinets in the hut. Avaren studied his surroundings.
It was a small area, about the size of 1 and 1/2 bedrooms. The bench he sat on was next to the wooden door that acted as the entrance. Cain seemed to have finished his searching and was in at the left side of the room fiddling with what appeared to be an alchemy set, at least from what little Avaren knew about alchemy. To the right of the hut stood the chest and cabinets where Cain kept his belongings; his staff was now leaning against the wall next to the chest. 2 open windows were there; one on the wall opposite Avaren, above where a hammock was set, and the other was where the chest and cabinets were at. The 2 windows let in sunlight and brightened the otherwise dark hut. The floor was made of crudely attached wooden planks with sand coming in through the openings.
Cain finished with his brewing and approached Avaren with a vial containing a light blue liquid. "Drink this, it will help keep your wounds numb while I work on them." he said. "Very well." Avaren replied as he began to drink the contents of the vial. He had expected some sort of strange flavor, but surprisingly it tasted very much like fresh water with an almost unnoticeable sourness.
"Good, now just sit there while I prepare the other medicines." Cain said as he took the empty vial from Avaren's hand and got back to work with the alchemy stand.
After sitting for a good few minutes, where Avaren continued getting whiffs of different chemicals Cain was creating, he began to realize just how tired he was. The unique smells coming from the potions didn't do anything to help keep him awake. Slowly he began to nod, and soon he found himself returning to the clutches of sleep.
He slept the entire time without dreaming, but when he awakened he would almost wish he was.
He found himself awakening inside a small room surrounded by stone. A lone torch that hung to his left was the only source of light. He stood up groggily and clutched his head. "Where am I and what is happening?" Was all he could think at the moment.
After completely regaining his balance, he further studied his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of cave. The only exit was in front of him; an opening that was so dark he could barely see past it. He noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground next to his feet; there was something written on it. Avaren picked it up and read it.
Forgive the less than welcoming room you've awakened to, but there is something I must be sure of. Take the torch and head out of the room. Follow the path marked by the burnt torches and be on the lookout for any signs or paper I've left behind to assist you. You also needn't worry about your wounds, I've healed all of it. Good luck.
By now Avaren realized that it was Cain who had put him here. But for what purpose? What did he want to be sure of? Avaren decided to question Cain after he had gotten out of the cave; unless he gave a good reason, Avaren might be forced to teach Cain some etiquette. "I now see why people call him insane."
He took the bright torch from its stand and walked through the opening, wondering what awaited him.
Chapter 5: In the dark
Avaren moved the torch left and right, attempting to make out his surroundings. For now it was a small passageway with burnt torches lining the stone walls. He continued down the tight space; he was no stranger to spelunking, but he he had the strangest feeling that this was no ordinary cave.
His path was soon blocked by what appeared to be crudely stacked stones. There were several holes in the broken wall that, when examined under the torch's light, revealed a path behind them. He looked to his right and saw a small table containing various tools along with a curved piece of stone and a long stick of wood. A note was on the workbench as well.
Resourcefulness is a natural trait among our people
Avaren examined the items and looked over at the wall that blocked his path. The wall seemed weak enough to be destroyed, so that was what he had to do. However, his hands would bleed before he even got a dent on the blockage, he needed a tool.
He looked over at the tools on the workbench: some sort of adhesive material and a sharp piece of metal that looked like it could pierce stone. The small piece of metal however, would be insufficient in destroying the wall. The long piece of curved stone could do the trick, but it would take ages if he held it with his bare hands. His only option was to combine it with the stick, using the adhesive material.
He put his torch on the table and began thinking.
He picked up the curved stone and observed that there wasn't any stable location for the adhesive to be placed. Perhaps if he punched a hole in the middle of it, and then wrapped the adhesive around the stick after placing it inside the stone. He picked up the sharp piece of metal and began chipping into the middle of the stone. It was tedious work, but eventually he had made a hole straight through the curved stone just large enough for the long stick to fit into.
He jammed the piece of wood into the stone and then grabbed the adhesive, which he wrapped around the stick and the stone.
He held the improvised pickax and swung it around to make sure that it would not fall apart. Once he was sure of its stability, he approached the crude stone wall.
He raised the newly created tool and swung as hard as he could at his target. Several pieces of stone broke apart. He smiled as he raised the tool again, glad that he had figured out one of Cain's riddles, he had no doubt that there would soon be more though.
He swung a second time and the whole wall fell apart "That was much easier than I thought.". He picked up his torch and walked down the newly opened path.
He dropped the pickax since the adhesive seemed to be already getting loose; it would not last another use.
The area was much larger this time, he looked up and saw sunlight beaming through cracks in the stone ceiling "At least I know that I'm not far from the surface." He thought. He continued following the path marked by the burnt torches; he had half a mind to not follow Cain's instructions and find his own way out, but that seemed more foolish than following the path. After all, why go through the trouble of healing someone just to kill them? His chances of surviving were better by trusting Cain.
He eventually reached what appeared to be an old broadsword with a sign next to it, sunlight was beaming down on the sword giving it an almost magical aura. The sign read:
We are not violent at heart, but we will fight with the strength of a lion and the bravery of a king when we must. Stand your ground
As if on cue, he heard strange noises coming from behind him as he finished reading the sign. Moaning, screeching, and the sound of crackling bones emanated from the darkness behind him. He turned around and saw a sight that he could not believe.
A man, green-skinned and bloodied was approaching him along with a walking skeleton wielding an old bow with a quiver of arrows strapped on his back. Several red eyes glowed from behind the two monstrosities, as it stepped into a small patch of sunlight it was revealed to be a spider, half the size of a man.
The three assailants were climbing down from a natural staircase that he hadn't noticed before.
Knowing what the next challenge was, Avaren ran for the broadsword. He picked it up with the torch in his left hand and studied his foes. Two walking corpses and an abnormally large insect; such things were the stuff of legend. An arrow whizzed past him, just barely missing his left arm. He saw the skeleton slowly loading another arrow into its bow.
His mind made quick calculations: The zombie appeared to be slow and not much of a threat, but if he got too close it may prove to be quite strong. The skeleton thankfully did not have a marksman's aim, otherwise he would have an arrow inside of him by now. The spider seemed to be the bigger threat as Avaren saw it nimbly crawling along the large stone wall to his right, possibly going to jump onto him at the first opportunity.
Avaren ran behind a large rock and looked at his foes as he thought of a strategy within seconds.
The zombie was next to the skeleton so attacking the archer wasn't the best idea at the moment. The spider might also catch him off-guard if he attacked the two corpses first. His only choice was to eliminate the spider while it was separated from the other two.
He kept his eyes locked on the spider crawling along the wall to the right, waiting for it to make its move. Eventually, the spider latched off and flew at Avaren from his right. Avaren dodged out of the way and gripped the broadsword tightly as he assumed a battle stance, waving the torch in front of him in an attempt to taunt the creature. The spider turned around and jumped again. This time, Avaren swung his sword and sliced his foe in mid-air, sending the writhing body to his left.
He turned once more to the skeleton and the zombie as another arrow flew past him, dangerously close to his head. The skeleton had to be taken down before it got a lucky shot in.
He crouched behind the rock once again, and ran at the skeleton from his right. The zombie was shambling to his left, but it would be unable to reach Avaren before he reached the bow wielding skeleton. The undead archer on the other hand kept firing at where Avaren used to be, never bothering to aim ahead. This flaw in his aim could be the deciding factor in their battle.
Once Avaren was close enough, he struck a blow to the skeleton's left arm, disabling it from using its bow. However, it still put up a fight as the right arm curled into a fist and the skeleton swung wildly at Avaren. The prince stepped backwards, ducked underneath another one of its punches and slashed at his enemy's neck, severing the head and causing the bones to fall apart.
Now the only enemy that remained was the shambling zombie. He approached the enemy warily, trying to see if it had any moves that would prove to be dangerous. However, it seemed almost harmless, swinging its arms in an attacking motion even though Avaren wasn't anywhere close to it yet.
He walked closer and sidestepped another attacking swing and beheaded the pitiful creature. "Now that was a true challenge." He thought, panting, wondering what else Cain had in store for him.
The trail of torches ended at the sign where the broadsword used to be. He looked around and saw more burnt torches at the natural stairs from where the creatures had came from. With torch in one hand and sword in the other, he continued on the path.
Chapter 6: The light at the end
Just as he suspected, it was another strange creature. It was a very tall, and pitch black man. He wandered about aimlessly. However, Avaren remembered the sign and averted his gaze from the creatures eyes as he walked past it. He dared not risk seeing what would happen if he looked.
He nudged the creature once as he passed through it. Avaren tightened his grip and braced himself to be attacked, but the creature didn't even react. Thankfully, it seemed as if the tall creature would only react if looked at in the eyes.
He took one step at a time as he walked away from the tall monster, wary that it would attack at any moment. However, he made it through the tunnel without incident. Up ahead, he could see a faint blue light.
"What is that?" Avaren thought. As he walked closer he could see white dots among the blue light. It was then he realized that he was looking at the night sky. The sunlight he had seen before must have been near sunset. Relieved, Avaren quickened his pace and was about to run outside when he stopped abruptly.
The exit was the the cave entrance he had seen before, and it led to a long drop in the water.
"Jump boy!" An old voice suddenly said. Avaren looked left towards the beach and saw Cain. "From my position, this water does not look inviting at all!" Avaren shouted back sarcastically. "Jump and do not hesitate! Otherwise you're going to rot in that cave!" Cain retorted.
Avaren took another look at the water. The waves splashing at the bottom did little to calm his nerves. Now he had to make a choice. He looked up at the night sky, praying to whatever god created this land. Then he looked once more to the water.
"I must be out of my mind..." he thought as he shut his eyes and took the plunge.
The cool night wind rushed past him as he fell farther and farther. Finally, he splashed down into the ice cold and salty water. He swam to the surface and gasped for breath. He looked to his right and saw the beach; he made for the shores as fast as he could. Every stroke of his arm was painful after how tiring the rest of the day had been, but the sight of the shore gave him a sense of relief, he just had to reach it.
After a few minutes of painstaking swimming, he finally reached land. Avaren crawled gasping onto the sand. He rolled on his back and looked towards the star-dotted night sky. "Hmm... You are indeed what I thought you to be." Cain said as he approached the man lying on the beach. "I am *gasp* indeed what?" Avaren asked in between deep breaths.
"You are indeed a Minecraftian." Cain said, smiling. "A Minecraftian? What are you going on about? I'm not even from this land!" Avaren said as he stood up, clearly annoyed by Cain's reason for putting him through that ordeal. "How am I supposed to know?! All I know is that only a Minecraftian at heart would have survived that cave, and you just did. I don't know how you came to grow up in other lands but I am willing to bet whatever sanity I have left that this is place is your true home." Cain explained, somewhat aggressively.
Avaren thought this to be the ravings of a madman, but thought it better not to argue. "Alright, so you have tested me for that, what do you plan on doing now?" Avaren asked sarcastically as the 2 of them began walking back to Cain's hut.
"Now, I send you to civilization of course! The kingdom must know about this..." Cain said, switching quickly from a shout, to a mumble. Avaren looked at Cain quizzically "Why? What is so special about me if I am indeed a denizen of this land?" He asked. "Why because you're-" Cain stopped suddenly and looked to the ground, appearing to have a debate going on inside his head. "No... No, I cannot be the one to say. For all we know I could be wrong anyway. Forget I said anything." he said, looking a little disappointed.
"Because I am what? I have a right to know after you've put me through all of that." Avaren reasoned. "No, I might have had the eye of an oracle before, but it has gone blurry now, and I will not be able to live with myself if I lied about destinies to a confused traveler such as you. Get some rest, I'll help you get to the city first thing in the morning." Cain said as he walked back to his hut.
Seeing no use in trying to push the argument, Avaren complied and followed inside.
He sat down on the wooden bench and tried to rest his tired muscles. "I assume you'd like something to eat first. Here, I hunted a bit while you were in that cave. The meat was roasted over a campfire." Cain said as he handed Avaren a piece of smoking meat wrapped in paper.
Avaren savored the smell as he took the first bite. After spending such a tiring and confusing day, it was nice to finally sit down and relax. The meat was not was not as luxurious as the ones he had eaten in his family's feast hall, but after what he had been through, any comfort that was offered gave Avaren a surge of relief.
After finishing his food, it didn't take long for Avaren to drift once more into the clutches of sleep. This time, he welcomed it.
Chapter 7: The New world (Coming soon)
Negative comments will help me improve, positive comments motivate me to keep going
Probably in the days following once I get a creative drive going again. Don't think I'm abandoning this story already
On the off chance that we do have internet access, I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I can. See you guys later.
Don't get discouraged by the lack of responses - I don't think many people on these forums are into reading. I'll be sure to check back for future chapters.
Thanks!
I can't express how the quality of your writing is top-notch, higher than anything I can piece up. The Mainframe, my oh so "best work", is second hand quality compared to this work of godly art.
I am disappointed, though, by one thing: You haven't published a story yet! With skill like that, you will get cash. Wads and wads of cash.
Though I have lost my will to read long stories, just reading a few paragraphs shows you have the majick, though you could change their laughs on dialogue to description. It will add more detail like:
+Rep!
Unfortunately, I save chapters on the computer itself and not a flash-drive so if it doesn't get fixed soon. I'll have to use a flash drive and write the next chapter from the start, piece by piece every time I go to a friend's house...
I'm really sorry for this inconvenience and if luck is on my side then the repairs to our computer will be done very soon.
Hope you guys understand
I say this should be made into a mod