Hello there and I present to you, the Mainframe, a Minecraft-based story set in a futuristic version of the world where a highly advanced Redstone machine constantly creates and consumes the last Minecraft server and the only thing standing between it and the server are what’s left of Minecraft’s gamers.
Prologue 1
Year 2021
The alarm beeped, giving an irritating noise to the once quiet room. There were no windows and the door was closed, making it hard to see inside. James awoke from the beeping and now that he was awake, it was driving him crazy. The lack of light deterred his attempts of shutting down the alarm, forcing him to crawl and find the alarm like some child. After a few moments he found the darned thing and threw it at the wall, his mind unfocused due to just waking up. The alarm stopped and he gave a contented sigh. He went to where he thought the door was and his head bumped into the wall. He shook his head and went to the right where the door really was.
He went out and his eyes squinted from the light, his vision unadjusted. Soon the light began to be more tolerable and James didn’t have to cover his eyes. He grumbled something about breakfast and proceeded to go downstairs. Walking lazily, he went down the stairs and paused. He looked down on himself and he was wearing nothing but underwear. He slapped his face and went back up to get his clothes.
After getting dressed and eating breakfast, James looked more humane. He wore a simple turquoise shirt with deep blue pants and no other accessory. He fancied that he looked like Steve, the default player skin in Minecraft.
With the thought of Minecraft James’ eyes jolted open and he ran towards out the door, zooming. He ran past houses identical to his, grey, square boxes with no design other than the front door. He ran past several before stopping at one. He looked at the street tile that was in front of this block. There was some inscription there saying ‘House D-1-5’. James quickly walked towards the door and knocked. He waited several minutes before the door opened and a Japanese man greeted him. The man smiled at James.
“James Legis, just the man I wanted to see.”
“Bob Kamikazi, just the guy who wanted me late.” James smiled back. They both shared a small chuckle and the two went inside. Bob’s house was the same dull features shared with the other houses from the outside, but from the inside, the differences showed.
The rug behind the door held the face of a creeper. The floor looked like Minecraft wood and the walls like Minecraft stone and ores. Wall lamps the shape of torches added to the feel as well. To a past player of Minecraft, it was amazing just to be inside such dedication to Minecraft. James had already seen it, but his eyes widen in awe of such a sight.
“What brings you here?” Bob asks. James was snapped out from his awe at the living room and faced Bob. Though his features suggest he is of Japanese birth, his voice holds no accent.
“I uh, would like to know the thing you’ve told me about yesterday.” James said. “You said it was really cool and stuff.” Bob nodded with an excited grin now on his face.
“Yes, the Project.” He said the name with quiet reverence. James grew more excited. Bob said this ‘Project’ can bring back Minecraft. “Come, follow me.” Bob led James to a hallway filled with printed information from the internet. There weren’t any light so it was hard to see what was written, but from the images James can remember what happened.
He can remember it appearing on the news, how the shock and grief froze him in place. He knew, millions of other people felt such a blow. It was one of the greatest crises in human history.
The entire Mojang team murdered. Along with whatever information their computers held were wiped out and the computers destroyed. It shattered Minecraft, as multiplayer became nonexistent and a part of the world died inside. Nobody could ever forget Minecraft, and it’s shocking and violent death.
James and Bob stopped in front of a door with the same design as Minecraft’s. Bob reached for the knob and looked back at James, smiling like a child. He opened the knob and James saw something he hadn’t seen in years. His jaw dropped, fell on his knees and his eyes just absorbed what he is seeing.
The title menu of Minecraft, an interface inaccessible for years and James is seeing it.
“Is this real?” James asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.
“It’s 100% authentic Minecraft. Wanna try it?” He asked.
“Who wouldn’t?” James muttered. He walked and faced the screen. The screen itself was attached to the wall and was wider than James and Bob combined. The familiar title menu was being shown, the words Minecraft, along with the options. “How do you play this thing?” He asked. There was no mouse, keyboard, nor a PC. It was just a very large screen.
“This isn’t Minecraft, you can’t play it.” Bob said. James looked at him with confusion.
“You just said-“James started but Bob cut him off.
“This isn’t the Minecraft you knew. This is a modified one. It uses the
Mindreader. It lets go inside Minecraft. James, I tell you, once you go inside you will agree with me. This isn’t Minecraft anymore, it’s something definitely better.”
James went silent for quite some time and when he spoke, he stammered.
“T-then where’s the h-helmet?” He asks innocently. The way Bob spoke of this Mindreader had James believing. Bob smiled and said;
“Mindreader on,”
The entire room blacked out. James couldn’t see, hear or feel anything. He couldn’t even speak. Then, after a moment, he saw the sun.
The light struck him brightly, causing his eyes to squint and his eyes to cover them. He looked around and the room was gone. Bob was gone. Minecraft was gone. He fell to his knees to cry in despair when he froze. He uncovered his eyes and looked around. It was Minecraft, but at the same time it wasn’t. The blocky shape everything was made of was familiar, and so are their looks.
Trees surrounded him, so it’s a safe guess that he was in a forest. The trees looked like before but, there were differences, good differences. The light looked realistic and trees and everything had shadows. It was like it came from the artistic renders of the past. He looked at his arms, and for a moment he stared in disbelief for his arms, were rectangles.
He moved them around and bended them and saw another change. The joints could bend and move realistically. A realization came to him: He was inside Minecraft. This came so fast he fell to his knees and cried, but for joy instead of despair.
“It’s better right?” An unknown voice said behind James. He turned around and saw a man made out of rectangles and squares, and brief panic surged inside him but calm returned as he remembered it was how Minecraft players looked. “Who are you?” James asked, and he was surprised how different it sounds from his real one.
“It’s Bob, silly.” He smiled. He offered a hand to James, who reached for it and stood up.
“Is this really true?” James asked, afraid that this dream come true was only an illusion.
“Yes, it is true. Go, try to punch some wood.” Bob said. James nodded uncertainly and walked to a nearby tree. He drew his rectangular hand back and punched the tree with force. The tree block broke and James could feel the miniature on his hand. He looks back at the levitating tree and was about to punch another again when it creaked and slowly fell down. The leaves acted like real leaves by breaking from block formation and falling to the grass, and slowly faded, leaving tiny saplings.
James saw the beauty of it, and tears ran from his eyes. He smiled and laughed. He laughed louder and louder until his voice echoed across the forest.
“It’s beautiful.” He said to himself. “I wish,” He paused, wondering what he was wishing for. “I wish everyone could go here.”
“They already have, and they already are.” Bob said. James looked behind him then behind Bob to see these people Bob spoke of. There were none.
“Where are they?” James asked.
“They’re in single player, of course. Both of us are here because my Mindreader has space for at least 6 people in single player, so it’s not that single player after all. And now, there is no lag.” Bob says quietly, like it is something to be sad about.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.” James says.
“It might be.” Bob replies. “People don’t have the money to afford the tech it needs to create a multiplayer server, and the people who have this… Minecraft are going to be stuck alone and the community will still be fractured. After the SOPA Takeover, the Internet became a bad joke and nobody used it anymore, so we’re all distant, once again.” He sighed. He looked down at the ground, sadness evident on his square face.
James reached out a hand to his shoulder to comfort him but his head rose. He turned around and James saw the spark of hope and excitement in his eyes and smile.
“Maybe not... I almost forgot. Mindreader off.” Bob clapped his hands. The world around James warped and shifted and so did Bob and he. He looked at his rectangular hands and they shifted and became slimmer and slimmer and became human hands and he returned to the Mindreader, facing the title screen.
He looked to his left and Bob was with him, smiling still. “I know a friend who can help us. He’s a millionaire, probably richer. I think he can help.”
“What’s his name?” James asked.
“I can’t tell that’s our deal. Even I don’t know his name.” Bob admitted. He reached into his pocket and got a white ball. He closed his eyes and entered a deep concentration. After a minute or two his eyes opened and smiled again.
“He said yes.”
Chapter One
2 Years Later
Scroll Master Daniel walked in the hallways, his eyes scanning the landscape. Even after a year being here, he still was amazed at this marvelous world. The nearest sight he could see were the gardens where several plants and fruits with attractive colors grew. A bit farther away the forest was, a wonderful blanket of leaves and animals giving a lively atmosphere. The farthest of them all are majestic mountains, giving a wonderful background to the sight.
Daniel had a backpack worn behind him, holding several scrolls, though most are unwritten but soon will. He wasn’t the Scroll Master for nothing, after all. He walked through more hallways until he went to a room. The room had several wooden tables placed beside the walls, where Daniel got a scroll from his pack and spread it fully on one of the tables. He found a chair and began to write.
‘The Server, year 2023, Age 3.
‘The Server today is different from the years of past, or what the scripts say about the past, that is.
‘Before there was no single unified community, everyone had their own way and thus the Server became spread with life. That was 2021, 2 years ago. By the second year a large group rose and became the Server’s Kingdom. Though not controlled by the Owner, the Server ruler and the Kingdom are in a mutual relationship. The Owner commands the Kingdom while he gave the Kingdom permission to use the Freedom Cube and to make use of the Owner’s finest, the Owner Guard.
‘A year ago this mighty kingdom was just bigger than other groups, but now the Kingdom spreads over the landscape, enveloping hundreds and thousands of kiloblocks just its hundreds and thousands of inhabitants.
‘Even with this great prosperity, there were problems. First were the Red Hands, a group that opposes the power of the Kingdom. They have taken many lives, but the sheer power of the Owner Guard and the numbers of the Militia has kept the Red Hands off the Kingdom’s borders, but it is unknown if there are members hidden within the Kingdom.
‘Next are the Enchanters, a large and slightly religious sect that uses unexplainable abilities. They do not provoke hostile action, but their words cause enough reason to deal death.
‘And lastly, the biggest problem today are the several factions growing in power within the Kingdom slowly, these people have their stand on some specific topic and will cause much chaos and disorder within the Kingdom’s ranks. That concludes my report.’
Daniel stopped writing and set down his quill and sighed deeply. He stood up and began to fold the parchment when he heard a voice from the door.
“To who will that report be sent to, I wonder.” The person said. Daniel knew that voice, and he knew the person it belongs to.
“Hassan, using your Enchanter abilities again I see.” Daniel said, the tone layered with warning. For a moment Hassan looked afraid, looking both his sides to see if anyone overheard. He sighed with relief and went inside.
“I told you not to say that out loud. I’m sorry I read your mind Scroll Master but please, I don’t want to go away.” He pleaded. Daniel smiled and chuckled. He went towards Hassan and placed a hand on his right shoulder.
“Of course I won’t. You have earned my trust a hundred times over, and if I do reveal you, I’d lose a meat shield to hide from when things get rough.”
Hassan rolled his eyes. Yes, as Daniel’s bodyguard the Scroll Master has done that a several times though and some more embarrassing than most. After a moment of silence he thought it was time to bring up a subject he wanted to know the Scroll Master’s opinion about.
“So you’ve heard of the Enchanter peace treaty?” Hassan asked. Daniel waved his hand dismissively.
“Of course I’ve heard. I’ve been hearing it for weeks. It’s what woke me up early in the morning. It’s those rumors that disturbed my meals! I can’t even bathe without hearing that-” He continued complaining, rambling about his troubles to no one in particular. Hassan suppressed a smile at his master’s ranting. Even though they spoke like equals, Hassan knew his place. The Scroll Master was his master, and so respect must be given appropriately.
“-and anyway, if you want my opinion I’m sure someone will die. I’d bet on it!” He said confidently. Hassan smiled.
“How much would you bet on it, Daniel?” He didn’t use the title deliberately, to bait the Scroll Master to a bet. Daniel knew Hassan had a betting problem, and he betted on things more than once without Daniel’s approval. Rules demanded him to be beheaded, but Hassan was too useful to be killed.
“I’m guessing 5 bars of gold.” Daniel said, unaware to Hassan’s manipulations. Hassan smiled.
“6 bars if he only gets unconscious. Shake on it?” Hassan dared.
Daniel offered his hand and shook it and after then he realized he had been played.
“Curse you Hassan, I am your superior! The deal is nullified!” Daniel shouted. Hassan chuckled.
“We shook hands, and break that oath, and you’ll break my trust. And if word gets out somehow-“
“Alright, the bet is still on.” Daniel grumbled. “Let’s just get to the fight, I mean diplomacy, to see who wins the bet.” They both went outside, with Hassan chuckling all the way to the diplomacy room.
“Aw shut up you sneaky *****.” There was venom in his voice, but they were too close friends for it to be true. Both of them knew it.
*******
A few hours ago, the diplomacy room was empty. Now, a crowd is gathered here.
The room is two floors high, from the ground floor and there were entrances from both floors. The main diplomacy area was on the far left, with the half right being a balcony from the second floor and an observation area below.
Jack was on the top eyeing every person he could see. He had been in the Owner Guard for a few years and he still finds the squareness of things a bit strange. Nevertheless, his vigilance was as sharp as a hawk’s. He looked around, seeing normal Militia personnel, high ranking officers, fellow Owner Guard and the Scroll Master. Jack watched the man go in and out of the crowd, shaking hands and greeting people with a smile. His bodyguard followed him wherever he went his face expressionless but Jack could see his right hand holding his sheath tightly.
Jack let a small smile show on his face. That bodyguard could be an Owner Guard someday. Prepared and not lowering defense, he could soon be invited into their ranks. He also smiled because of how unneeded the caution the bodyguard had. In this room are a dozen Owner Guards. Wars were won with much less and without the backup they had right now which are a dozen more Militias standing stiffly along the walls, their swords placed in their sheaths, but their hands were placed on the handle of their weapons, ready to action at any time.
Though his caution was indeed unneeded, he was protecting the Scroll Master after all. Though they call themselves the Kingdom, the Scroll Master was the closest to king as they could get. He was the head of all things here, and everything that happens, he would know.
The Owner shows support for the Kingdom, but doesn’t rule it. Likewise, the Kingdom considers the Owner a very close ally, but not recognizing him as their ruler.
“The final guests have arrived.” The announcer stated loudly, enough for the whole room to hear. Two men went in, their clothes with colorful myriad and mystic patterns. One was hooded, so his face cannot be seen. The other showed his face proudly. He had several tattoos and patterns on his face and hands, while the other was completely hidden under his clothing.
There were several murmurs with the Enchanters’ arrival. Jack couldn’t hear specifics from the crowd but the tones suggested fear, admiration and even direct displeasure. The Scroll Master was suddenly behind him, surprising Jack with his words.
“I hope one dies.” He whispered to his bodyguard but loud enough for Jack to hear. The bodyguard chuckled. Jack turned around and smiled, pretending not to have heard him.
“Good afternoon Scroll Master, Shouldn’t you be leading the diplomacy?” Jake asked politely. The Scroll Master laughed and shook his head.
“No my dear boy, I don’t lead diplomacies. That’s the diplomat’s job. I write what they’re saying.” He replied happily. Apparently he had not noticed Jake being an Owner Guard, but his bodyguard did with his eyes wide. Jake winked at him and returned to face the diplomacy. The Enchanters stood at the right side of the table, with three diplomats on the other.
“Let the diplomacy begin.” A diplomat said. The room suddenly quieted.
“We are gathered here for the peace agreement between the Enchanters and the Kingdom.” Another said. “Let’s discuss terms.”
The hooded man went back to the wall to not be seen, but two guards pushed him back to the table. The other one cleared his throat and stared at the diplomats.
“We want to unban magic. It is our right to use it.” He said. The diplomats nodded in unison.
“What will you give us in return?” One asks.
“We will not use it against you. That’s it.” The Enchanter says with finality. The diplomats murmur and whisper to each other. After a moment, they look and said:
“No.” They said flatly. The Enchanter looked in outrage. The hooded one raised his head.
“What do you mean by ‘no’?” The Enchanter asked, the designs in his face and arms glowing an angry red. Several of the Militia had unsheathed their swords. Jake looked to his right and saw a fellow Owner Guard raise a bow, the arrow prepared to be launched. He looked ad Jake and nodded. Jake nodded back. He knelt down and held his crossbow, already loaded.
“Your people are too unpredictable to ensure this agreement. If we give you freedom with your abilities, what insurance do you have to keep your madmen on a leash?” A diplomat said harshly. It was the wrong thing to say.
The Enchanter roared in outrage and jumped on the table, his hands with a bright fire. The two Militias closest held the hooded one, who struggled under their grip. The Enchanter’s flames grew larger.
“Who are you to call us madmen?” He yelled as he turned the fire into a staff of yellow and orange with sharp shining tips. Jake aimed his crossbow but the other Guard already fired. The arrow zoomed at the maddened Enchanter but he swung his staff with inhuman speed and swatted the arrow away, burning it in the process. Jake lowered his crossbow. Normal weapons wouldn’t hurt this madman.
“You kidnap us! You brand us witches! You toss us into fires and shout for joy! That is what madness is. You are all an insane cancer on this server!” He screamed. He created a blinding orb of light and launched it at the Guard that shot the arrow. Jake quickly found his vial of Redstone dust and sprinkled it on his crossbow and rapidly pressed the trigger, launching the arrow with a red glow surrounding it. It hit the orb right before it made contact with the other Guard, pinning the orb on the wall and turning it into golden dust before falling lightly to the ground. The Enchanter looked at Jake and prepared another orb. Jake quickly loaded his crossbow but the Enchanter had completed the orb.
The hooded figure escaped from the clutches of the Militia and soared to tackle the Enchanter, electricity arcing from his hands as he flew. The Enchanter roared to launch his orb at his companion instead, but the hooded figure shot lightning at the orb, making it explode and burn the Enchanter, pushing him to the floor with his hands covering his burnt face.
“Matthew, you failed your assignment.” The hooded figure said with his voice amplified to reach the shocked crowd. “Your punishment for attempting to attack the High Enchanter is death.” He said grimly. He uncovered his hood and Jake recognized him. He was the High Enchanter, leader of his group. Electricity came from his eyes and he raised a hand at Matthew. A second layer, Matthew screamed in pain as he was levitated up and electricity came from him and into the High Enchanter’s hand. Slowly Matthew disintegrated and what was left was a small golden block. The Enchanter picked it up and hid it in his robes. He looked around and lowered his head and knelt.
“I am sorry for bringing you close to harm. I apologize deeply for this incident. I have hoped that our peace can still be achieved, but I fear that hope is crushed” He said with emotion and genuine feeling. The crowd was silent for a time when the diplomats spoke.
“Aye, let us continue the diplomacy.” They said in unison. The High Enchanter smiled warmly.
“Thank you. My name is Divolcious.”
The diplomats and Divolcious asked for terms and counter-terms. Divolcious all the way showed genuine concern for the Kingdom’s citizens and of course the welfare of his own. After an hour, the Kingdom and Enchanter’s have made not just a peace, but an alliance. The crowd cheered. Jake smiled, and the Scroll Master too. His bodyguard grumbled and gave 5 bars of gold to the Scroll Master.
The mood was destroyed when the ground shaked and sounds of explosions from the outside reached the room. The warning bell rang twice, which meant only one thing.
“We’re under attack.” breathed the bodyguard.
*******
Jack found the situation not spiraling out of control, something he did not expect. The bodyguard’s observation spread throughout the room, causing faces to look and murmur at each other in concern and fear. He had to do something, but Divolcious already was doing what he can to keep the crowd at the state it was in. He conjured a small white mist that seemed to put the crowd at ease. Jack saw that it was only momentary and needed action to assure the crowd and to protect the castle.
“Militia,” Jake ordered the guards around the room “Open the doors and keep the hallways clear, we need to get the crowd to the dungeons! It’s the safest place for them to be.” Jake didn’t really feel the bravado in his voice, nor did he know of the battle situation outside, but he had protocol and the need to assure and protect the crowd. The Militia was herding the crowd out, their swords and crossbows held and displayed to boost confidence and to be prepared for enemy threats.
Everyone had left except Divolcious and the Owner Guard. The Guard was twelve in number; all of them trained better than any of the Kingdom’s armies could drill. Divolcious was conjuring a green smoke from his hands and rising towards the ceiling and where open windows let them out. “Sir, you need to be with the civilians, your safety is at risk.” Jack said with a serious tone with concern hidden behind it.
“It would be nice to have the people know we’re not enemies, no? Diplomacy was a success, after all.” He said cheerfully as if he didn’t hear the growing sounds of battle all around the room. Jack nodded at this wisdom. The smoke signal would let the Kingdom know that the Enchanted are not to be attacked, lest they cause more complications right after a rather large dispute was solved.
Jack organized the Owner Guard in three groups. Group A would be composed of 6 and will help the Militia. Group B will have 3 members and will escape to request for reinforcements in one of the numerous Guard Tunnels hidden around the Kingdom. The last group would have him leading it. Their task is to protect the High Enchanter and get him to his Enchanter retinue. Group A was the first to go, swords and hand-held crossbows at the ready, going on both the ground and second floors to cover maximum ground. Group B went next, using the ground floor to reach their vehicles more easily.
Jack, Divolcious and two other Owner Guards went last, taking the second floor to get a better view of the battle. They went up and got to the hallways. From there they couldn’t see anything yet, but the sounds of fighting weren’t far ahead. They went left, walking in long strides. Jack didn’t know who the other Guards well, but he held trust for anyone within the Owner Guard.
They were behind Divolcious striding on opposite sides. The one on the High Enchanter’s left held an axe on his right arm, with a shield on his left. The other used a hand held-crossbow and a sabre, the Guard’s standard weaponry. Jack only held a crossbow, but it was larger it required both hands. It also has an automatic-reloading system, using a clip of 5 long arrows before reloading was needed. After an hour of going through the corridors, they went down towards the courtyard.
The battle wasn’t much of a contest. The Militia and a few Owner Guards were fighting several men in blood-red suits of armor. The flag of Red Hand was planted beside several corpses of both Militia and Red Hand soldiers. The walls were also chaotic, as Militia found Red Hand while also trying to fire at the enemies below. A large burning rock flew from beyond the walls, hurling towards their group.
“Take cover!” Jack shouted. It was too late. The rock exploded in front of Divolcious, releasing several stone pebbles at lethal speeds. The Owner Guard managed to get him and his shield in front of the Head Enchanter, protecting him from the barrage. The shield wasn’t enough though and pierced it and the Guard’s armor, killing him in a bloody, unidentifiable pulp. Jack quickly dragged Divolcious’ hand to cover with the remaining Guard following them. They went past through battle unnoticed but saw that they were outnumbered.
Blue electricity struck several Red Hands while others hit the ground in a mess of smoke. Enchanter’s appeared out of thin air, launching spells of power to push back the Red Hand. Militia and Owner Guard reinforcements ran through like a tide, consuming what remains of the attackers. The grey armor of the Militia was mixed with the thicker, blue armor of the Guard.
Jack activated his armor and he was covered with ornately designed battle plate. In the crowd he spotted the Magister, the leader of the Owner Guards of the castle. He wore the heaviest armor, dominating everyone around him. His arms held a large sword, the Cobalt Fury. Its blade was deep blue and wreathed with lighter-colored blue energy. The handle was made of pure gold, designs covering every inch. The Magister’s helm covered his entire head but his eyes, as blue as his armor.
The walls broke, killing the Militia remaining on top of them. Hundreds of Red Hands stood to challenge the army, with several cannons behind them. A deep and cruel laugh can be heard behind them, the smoke obscuring the person. His silhouette was big, but when the smoke cleared it was clear that this person was as large as the Magister. It was Red Hand himself, leader of the group with his name.
His appearance was the more brutal and red version of the Magister. His armor was bright red from the blood of his enemies. He wore no helmet, but his face was unrecognizable with blood covering the features. He held a large sword with spies protruding from all sides. Now that he was seen, he was clearly even bigger than the Magister. He roared a throaty war charge and his army ran forth shouting taunts and curses alike. Most of them died from the Militia’s weapons and the Enchanter’s magic but they kept pouring on like an endless tide.
The two forces clashed, their differences made even more apparent on the battlefield. The Red Hand charged and screamed, charging towards the enemy with uncontained bloodlust that bolstered even the weakest fodder.
The Militia ran towards them to keep them from the Owner Guard, their blades and crossbow’s bayonets keeping the rampaging horde at bay, though barely. The Owner Guard fired behind them, their automatic crossbows shooting arrows that caused miniature explosions where they hit. Some wielded the standard bow-pistol and sabre, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Militia.
The defensive wall the Militia created didn’t last however, the tide of red-clad soldiers was too much for them and their lines broke, turning the courtyard into a chaotic killing zone. The Owner Guard slung their auto-crossbows on their backs and shields appeared on their right hands, with two long blades above and below the wrist slid up. They fought with the same skill and control they shown when they were wielding their auto-crossbows.
Jack hid behind rubble, still holding his auto-crossbow. He had 3 Militia with him, all wielding normal crossbows with bayonets. Their backs were against the rubble pile, eyes determined. Often they would glance at Jack with admiration and respect. They fired from behind the rubble, shooting arrows before quickly taking cover and reloading. This pattern continued for sometime before a large projectile flew and exploded on Jack’s cover, sending him and the Militia flying.
Everything went black.
Chapter Two
Hassan stood beside the Scroll Master, his sword unsheathed and ready. The battle was over an hour ago, but even after that his vigilance never wavered. He uncovered his right arm, showing a dimly glowing rune etched on the skin. He has never shown it to anyone except the Scroll Master. The rune was his adolescence gift in his tribe. Nobody knew that he came from an Enchanter settlement, not even the Scroll Master. Hassan kept standing beside the Scroll Master as he was writing on some parchment with a quill.
They were in the scroll room which was miraculously spared from damage from the battle. The Scroll Master was writing vigorously, the quill scratching loudly on the parchment. It was sundown, and the room was being lit by a candle and several beads of sweat on the Scroll Master’s face twinkled and shone like miniature stars on Daniel’s troubled face. His eyes were darting back and forth between what he wrote and what he was currently writing.
Hassan was concerned, of course, but he knew better than to disturb his master while he worked so instead he closed his eyes and tapped the power of his rune to read the mind of the Scroll Master.
The power of the Enchanters was an endless pool of energy and power harnessed through runes, and a rune on your skin maximizes magical control and power. Hassan only had one rune but he could perform simple tasks such as mind reading.
Daniel’s mind was awhirl with worry and confusion. Hassan couldn’t see rather feel the thoughts of his mind zoom from corner to corner of his mind, dozens of questions with no answers, and further questions regarding the lack of answers. Hassan couldn’t read it all, but he caught a piece before it flew in Daniel’s mind.
‘Where in the world did the Red Hand appear, and why will we be sent to Veander?’ Daniel’s troubled mind rumbled as it noticed Hassan’s prying.
“A simple question would be preferable to violating my privacy, Hassan.” Daniel suddenly said, breaking Hassan from his reading. The Scroll Master stopped from his writing and looked at Hassan with tired eyes, though he could feel the irritation as the last fragments of his mind linking faded with his rune’s glowing.
“Forgive me Scroll Master, I was afraid to disturb your writing.” Hassan said. Daniel scoffed.
“Well you did. I understand your intentions and I will forgive you for this time, but do that one more time and I won’t be joking about executing you.” Daniel said seriously. Hassan lowered his head in shame. Daniel let out a sigh. As old as he was, Hassan was young compared to Daniel’s age.
“It’s alright now, just don’t do it again.” Daniel said at last. Hassan nodded.
“Where will they take us anyway?” Hassan asked though he had already read the Scroll Master’s mind to find out, this was asked due to respect than curiosity.
“To Veander, Hassan. They will take us to Veander.”
*******
Jack’s eyes opened suddenly, feeling pain all over his body. His mind was blank, and his body was lying still on a white bed. He groaned, half because of the pain, half because of the shame it brings him. He was trained by the best academies on Earth, travelling throughout the continents and now he was stuck inside a game, beaten by a rocket.
He looked around him to see if anyone was nearby. He was in a white room with white chairs and white lights on the ceiling. It was like it came from a toothpaste commercial for rooms. The size of the room wasn’t very large and the only things inside was him, his bed and the door. The door was closed and showed no handle or design that if one missed the outlines on the door, it would be mistaken as part of the wall.
He shook his head. Where is he, or more importantly, are the people who brought him here friend or foe? He looked at himself; he was wearing nothing but white pants. Great, he was inside unknown territory unarmed and vulnerable.
Though he knew this was a game, the possibilities within here are far larger than anyone can think of. When he was told by the head bodyguard of the Owner than he will be on game duty, he felt him insulting his training and experience. Now he felt ashamed of his arrogance, the sheer magnitude of this failure completely known to him, scaring him more than terrorists or bio-weapons ever could.
They say that if you fail in something, you will be sent to a secret facility where your memory and mind will be washed out into nothingness. It seemed silly believing such rumors, but he has seen the blank faced, unspeaking servants the Owner employs, and any form of communication he and anyone else has tried ended with indifferent silence. Being condemned to a life like that sent shivers down Jack’s spine. The worst part was you would still see, bearing madness at not being in control of your own body.
“Glad to see you’re awake,” a man suddenly appeared on one of the chairs left of the bed. He wore a simple white robe with glowing blue runes etched on the cloth. His face wasn’t concealed and Jack could see his face. The features weren’t familiar to him, but he knows of it in a way.
“Divolcious?” Jack asked, surprised by how weak his voice sounded. The man nodded in confirmation. He smiled and reached out a hand to shake Jack’s. Jack shook it slowly, confused at the action.
“What am I doing here?” Jack asked. Divolcious smiled.
“You are inside the Enchanter hive.” He said, still smiling. Jack was wide eyed. For years the Kingdom tried to find the Hive, but it was never found due to the power the Enchanters possessed. Invisibility and distraction wards abounded in the Hive, not to mention other secret defenses and various protective spells the Enchanters apply daily.
Jack wondered why he was sent here rather than to the medical facilities of the castle. Divolcious apparently can read his thoughts and answered his question before he could say it aloud.
“Your Owner sent us to procure you from the battle. How we got it and in such short notice is classified information. What I can tell you though is that you are now being sent to Veander to take guard on some important information.” Divolcious said. Jack wasn’t easy to trust Divolcious’ words. The alliance was just created, but the Owner never showed dislike for Enchanters, or so he heard. The Enchanters weren’t reputed for any underhanded methods as well. Now that it came to mind, the defenses the Owner uses are the same as the Hive’s…
“Alright, so when can you go?” Divolcious suddenly asked, waving a hand with glowing blue energy that disappeared quickly. Jack shook his head. What was he thinking again? He forgot, and he quickly focused on the matter at hand.
“I can go now, thank you very much for the hospitality. Give me a minute and the proper resources; I can travel there on foot.” Jack said confidently, trusting in his skills to make it to Veander, though he still doesn’t know of his location. Divolcious laughed.
“No lad, I think with the power of the Enchanters you can get there in an eye-blink.” He snapped his fingers and his vision tinted blue, until the only thing he could see was deep blue.
*******
“In the great name of Notch!” Hassan suddenly exclaimed upon seeing a blue mist appear outside their house slowly disappear and show a confused looking Owner Guard in his royal blue armor shake his head in apparent dizziness.
“Wha-? Where am I…?” The Guard groaned. Hassan raised an eyebrow at one of the best fighting force in the Server groan like he was punched in the gut. He went forward to help steady him when the Guard’s knees bended and Hassan quickly sped his pace to keep him from falling. He reached out and held both shoulders of the Guard to steady him when his right elbow slammed his jaw in a lightning fast maneuver that sent him moving back drunkenly.
The Owner Guard held a crossbow, though from what Hassan knows of the Guard it was automatic and had explosive tips. The Guard quickly turned, not showing the confusion from before and expertly held the crossbow facing Hassan’s face. Hassan opened his palms to show he meant no harm. The Guard didn’t let his guard down.
“Who are you? Where am I?” The Guard quickly asked his eyes and weapon still focused on Hassan’s face.
“Whoa there Guard, I am a friendly. My name is Hassan and you’re in Veander.” He said quickly, careful not to panic to incite unwanted reactions. He looked at the Guard’s face and after a moment, a memory came to his mind. “Hey, are you the Guard who was on the diplomacy room?” He suddenly asked, not helping himself despite the danger the Guard posed on his life.
At the mention of Veander the Guard lowered his gun and relaxed himself. He went over to Hassan and shook his hand.
“Apologies for the hostility, I didn’t know where I was so protocol demands hostility to anyone who is nearby. By the way, my name is Jack.” He said. Hassan shook his hand slowly, eyeing the crossbow Jack held on his other hand.
“Oh don’t worry, I wouldn’t use this unless you will kill me, and then I will launch an arrow right between your eyes and have it explode. We both clear on this?” Jack asked amusingly. Hassan nodded, making an effort to move his eyes from the weapon to Jack’s face. In an effort to save face, he straightened himself and looked at Jack eye to eye.
“I-I’m-” he stuttered, then gave a nervous cough. “I am Hassan, bodyguard of the Scroll Master.” At this Jack smiled.
“Oh so you’re the bodyguard of the Scroll Master. The way you kept your guard up during the diplomacy was very cute.” Jack said, and then chuckled. Hassan felt his pride get stabbed harder than Jack’s crossbow could’ve had. His expression turned from nervousness to hurt.
“Cute?” Hassan said. “I have been trained in the art of the blade and bow since I came to the Server, and even before then I learned of swordsmanship when I was a kid. I served Daniel- the Scroll Master, for a long time. I have faced ambushed by the Red Hand countless times, beating down crazed fanatics and countless other dangers. That is not cute.” He said tightly. Jack chuckled, causing Hassan’s rage to build further.
“Yes, it is cute. Kid, whatever your name is, your dangers are in a kiddy game. I have been bringing down terrorists cells ever since you got hyped up on this stupid game.” Jack said.
“Then why’d you get to be the only Owner Guard to be knocked out during the attack? That was a pretty lame-” Hassan never finished his sentence. Jack’s fist came crashing down on Hassan’s face. Hassan clenched his fists.
“Hey! What’s going on out there?” A voice suddenly came from the house. Hassan looked to see Daniel standing over there, an eyebrow raised.
“Hassan, get back here! You, Owner Guard, stop screwing with my bodyguard or I will screw with you so much that your head won’t feel the same. You get in here too!” Hassan went back, giving Jack a deadly glare before going back inside. Jack stood there, his crossbow held by both hands before following Hassan inside.
After getting seated inside, Jack and Hassan still are looking at each other angrily. Daniel stood in the middle.
“What the hell are you doing here Guard?” Daniel said.
“I was sent to protect someone important, which I will be guessing, you.” Jack said. Daniel nodded. A minute of silence followed. Daniel clapped his hands.
“Well, I guess this matter is finished. You,” he pointed to Hassan, “Don’t talk to him. And you,” he looked at Jack, “Stay the hell away from him. Are we both clear?” Daniel asked. Both men nodded. “Alright Guard, get the hell out.”
Jack stood up and went outside, his crossbow now slung on his back. “Thank you.” He said. He opened the door and walked out. After Jack left out of earshot Daniel turned to Hassan.
“Be nice.” He said.
“He started it.”
*******
Jack walked around, seeing Veander with more clarity than his arrival’s events allowed him to. He enjoyed the clean, natural feel of the town. He walked on a stone path, with buildings not too close to the road to not make it feel constricted, unlike some other cities of the Kingdom.
The buildings were made of cobblestone and wood, most of them not that large. Trees, rocks and grass were scattered around the town, further making it more natural, and Jack wouldn’t have it any other way. All his life, in the Server and here, have been all innovation and technology. It has been years since he had seen nature up close, even though it’s a bit square.
Jack went away from the town to explore the surroundings a bit more. After a minute of walking, he stopped on a lake. He sat on a rock and watched the water’s reflection. He saw his armor glisten in his reflection. Was being an Owner Guard really a part of him that even his reflection would show it? Now, with his head clearer, he knew it was his mistake of hitting Hassan.
Was he really just a Guard? He wished it was like before during the attack, when all what he could think of was his duty. Jack sighed and closed his eyes to rest.
*******
Jack stopped after went through the gate, eyes fixed on the large white mansion in front of him. Is this where his employer lived? He couldn’t wait to go in. He took a step when a though came to him,
This is where I’ll be for most of my life?
Jack looked down and closed his eyes, remembering everyone he knew that helped him get to where he was now and promising himself that whatever happens, he will remember what who he will be and his dreams, no matter what happens.
*******
Jack’s eyes bolted open. His dream, his memory, along with many others was conditioned to be hidden in the deepest recesses of his mind. He wondered how he got that memory back. Besides, whatever aspirations he had was drilled right out of him with countless training, on his body and mind.
The memory worried him still. The amount of conditioning he was exposed to would be too strong for any memory trigger. He sat, contemplating himself further and yielding none before going back to the town.
Jack went back to the Scroll Master’s house and rested for a while. The house was wide, with the living room and the dining room connected. There were 2 bedrooms, with the Scroll Master and Hassan occupying the bigger one and Jack receiving the smaller room.
Jack looked at his room, examining the furniture inside. It was made of wood, with the wall facing the outside made of cobblestone. There was a mirror on the right of the door, with the door placed on the far left. There was a bed and a closet far back.
There wasn’t a bathroom anywhere on the room and Jack doubted anywhere in the Server. Minecraft didn’t have a pooping/peeing feature, even in its earlier days, though the Owner once tried to install a mod that does that. It didn’t end pretty, that event was called ‘The Dump’, and for good reason. He was sitting on the bed when he stood up and looked at himself on the mirror. Now he was bare-chested with leather shorts, but even on the mirror he could see himself wearing the royal blue of the Owner Guard. He looked back at the bed where his sword and armor lay scattered.
Time for some practice.
*******
Ocelot was sweating, his face illuminated red by the Redstone torch beside him. He was manipulating the formation of the dust, putting some clusters beside one and then the other, all the while as metal fingers expertly manipulated the grain patterns. His square hands were covered by a metal recreation of the human hand, creating clicking and whining sounds all the while as Ocelot worked.
He sat on a wooden table with the torch and dust on a table made of darker wood. In the middle of the table was a blue orb, pulsing blue light around it. Ocelot grabbed a grain and placed it in mid-air, where it spread and presented lines and symbols that Ocelot changed and edited in a blur with his mechanical appendages. After a moment he touched the dust and it returned into a small dust cluster once again. He then took another two and placed them together with both hands then releasing them, the symbols changing and mixing until both information became one.
Satisfied, Ocelot closed the cluster and gathered all the clusters into one, the blue orb making sure not a single grain gets left behind. The clusters turned into a small ball on Ocelot’s hand. He touched the orb with his other hand the light disappeared and the small red ball hardening. Ocelot then placed the ball on a small metal tray on the table, the ball flattening itself the only trace of it was a paper-thin red sheet.
Ocelot sighed. Sometimes, the life of an Xpertus was hard, but he knew in the end all this will be worth it. He took the tray and walked to a hallway, passing several other rooms before entering room quite larger than most.
In the center lied several red wires connecting trays like the one he had to a gray block in the middle. To someone outside of the Xpertus it would look like an abomination, a monster but to Ocelot it was a thing of beauty.
It was thousands upon thousands of commands, reactions, counters, responses, memory space and now, with the tray on his hands, a learning program that will allow their creation to think. To believe, not even the greatest scientists and mathematicians on Earth could’ve created this made Ocelot’s pride swell.
They named it the Mainframe. Its purpose is to be mass produced and create factories all around the Server. The economic possibility didn’t concern Ocelot, but the scientific recognition. He would be awarded with the highest achievements mankind could possibly give. To think, he was just twelve.
He found an unused wire nearby and knelt, connecting it to the proper trays. After configuring it, he gave a sigh of relief and went to the recreation room where everybody would already be at this time of day. As he went out another man went inside, though Ocelot hadn’t seen him around.
Reaching the room, he saw a few colleagues sitting around a table eating cake, with a lot still remaining. At the sight of cake Ocelot’s eyes widened and made a beeline straight towards a seat and took a chunk two slices worth with his metal hands and dug his face inside it, feeling the sweet frosting sent him into caked bliss.
“Busy day eh, Ocelot?” A man with short blonde hair asked, causing everyone on the table to laugh. Another, a woman with long, brown hair smiled.
“Keep it easy, alright Oce? You might be respawn as a fat kid if you keep that up.” She teased. Ocelot stopped from his ravaging and looked at her. “Aw I was just kidding!” she laughed. Ocelot grumbled, now eating his cake slowly.
“Let’s move on to other stuff, did you guys know that the castle was attacked by the Red Hand? Imagine that!” The blonde man said. Ocelot mentally blanked out what they were saying, he didn’t concern himself with such petty gossip. Instead he focused on his future, the recognition he will receive, the money he shall bask in. He also wanted to impress this girl in his class-
A loud explosion coming from outside halted the conversation and Ocelot’s thoughts. More explosions came, each louder than the last. The explosion reached the room, sending Ocelot and the other flying back to the wall. Ocelot mentally tried to disengage from the Mindreader, but the fire and shock kept him from such a powerful command. Red dust and metal scraps hit him and his companions, who were now dead. The pain Ocelot felt was too much and he passed out.
The Mainframe was in ruin. The wires that connected it turned into its original dust form after the shockwave the explosion produced. The trays weren’t damaged, but they were scattered around the room along with its dust. The cube itself was miraculously unharmed though, and a fain red glow was hidden behind its metal frame.
“Damage assessed: Repair immediate.” The Mainframe let out a neutral voice impossibly deep for a human being to have. The dust scattered around moved towards the box, giving it the stored information they have to complete the machine.
The corpse of the man before was pushed by the dust that landed on his body, pushing him right next to the Mainframe. The entire dust glow bright red and small red glowing tendrils appeared on the corpse’s skin, making their way up to the head and eye sockets. The mental capacity of the man was intertwined with the Mainframe’s own systems and the hands of the dead body moved on their own with the power of the Redstone coursing through his veins.
He held both sides of the box and ripped it apart, thrusting his hands into the inner workings of the machine. Hundreds and hundreds of tiny tendrils appeared on his body, covering him entirely. His eyes opened and they were blood red.
Herro. I have left these magnificent forums, if you as anyone I know have made a roleplaying website or are part of a smallish one please let me know by pm on the website www.roleplayerguild.com/ BYE BYE ROBBHUS AND FUNNIO
I know you from the Story List you compiled (Not just a random stalker). I am working on my own fan fic in the hope of being a part of your glorious work.
-Zacker64
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Herro. I have left these magnificent forums, if you as anyone I know have made a roleplaying website or are part of a smallish one please let me know by pm on the website www.roleplayerguild.com/ BYE BYE ROBBHUS AND FUNNIO
I know you from the Story List you compiled (Not just a random stalker). I am working on my own fan fic in the hope of being a part of your glorious work.
-Zacker64
Hey, thank you and I hope you get your fanfic to top quality! You can use the site's helppages if you'd like.
Thanks, I was getting writer's block but now I'm back on Word, making edits to the Prologue and Making my first chapter. I also got my main character's name (Vladmir Lawson) from the help you gave me. Thanks......... again.
A definite not stalker,
Zacker the 64th
P.S I'm making a map for the fan fic if it gets enough views.
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Herro. I have left these magnificent forums, if you as anyone I know have made a roleplaying website or are part of a smallish one please let me know by pm on the website www.roleplayerguild.com/ BYE BYE ROBBHUS AND FUNNIO
Awesome fan fic, looks like you tried really hard on this! I really love your style of writing. Anyway, good work, and keep writing . Good luck with the MineFic story list, I have actually submitted my own fan fic to see if it has what it takes but yeah, awesome!
Awesome fan fic, looks like you tried really hard on this! I really love your style of writing. Anyway, good work, and keep writing . Good luck with the MineFic story list, I have actually submitted my own fan fic to see if it has what it takes but yeah, awesome!
~Yod out
I'm sorry but due to busy nature of my members and myself, Minefic is at rest. Thank you for the compliment but I don't have the time to continue my stories these days.
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Hello there and I present to you, the Mainframe, a Minecraft-based story set in a futuristic version of the world where a highly advanced Redstone machine constantly creates and consumes the last Minecraft server and the only thing standing between it and the server are what’s left of Minecraft’s gamers.
Prologue 1
Year 2021
The alarm beeped, giving an irritating noise to the once quiet room. There were no windows and the door was closed, making it hard to see inside. James awoke from the beeping and now that he was awake, it was driving him crazy. The lack of light deterred his attempts of shutting down the alarm, forcing him to crawl and find the alarm like some child. After a few moments he found the darned thing and threw it at the wall, his mind unfocused due to just waking up. The alarm stopped and he gave a contented sigh. He went to where he thought the door was and his head bumped into the wall. He shook his head and went to the right where the door really was.
He went out and his eyes squinted from the light, his vision unadjusted. Soon the light began to be more tolerable and James didn’t have to cover his eyes. He grumbled something about breakfast and proceeded to go downstairs. Walking lazily, he went down the stairs and paused. He looked down on himself and he was wearing nothing but underwear. He slapped his face and went back up to get his clothes.
After getting dressed and eating breakfast, James looked more humane. He wore a simple turquoise shirt with deep blue pants and no other accessory. He fancied that he looked like Steve, the default player skin in Minecraft.
With the thought of Minecraft James’ eyes jolted open and he ran towards out the door, zooming. He ran past houses identical to his, grey, square boxes with no design other than the front door. He ran past several before stopping at one. He looked at the street tile that was in front of this block. There was some inscription there saying ‘House D-1-5’. James quickly walked towards the door and knocked. He waited several minutes before the door opened and a Japanese man greeted him. The man smiled at James.
“James Legis, just the man I wanted to see.”
“Bob Kamikazi, just the guy who wanted me late.” James smiled back. They both shared a small chuckle and the two went inside. Bob’s house was the same dull features shared with the other houses from the outside, but from the inside, the differences showed.
The rug behind the door held the face of a creeper. The floor looked like Minecraft wood and the walls like Minecraft stone and ores. Wall lamps the shape of torches added to the feel as well. To a past player of Minecraft, it was amazing just to be inside such dedication to Minecraft. James had already seen it, but his eyes widen in awe of such a sight.
“What brings you here?” Bob asks. James was snapped out from his awe at the living room and faced Bob. Though his features suggest he is of Japanese birth, his voice holds no accent.
“I uh, would like to know the thing you’ve told me about yesterday.” James said. “You said it was really cool and stuff.” Bob nodded with an excited grin now on his face.
“Yes, the Project.” He said the name with quiet reverence. James grew more excited. Bob said this ‘Project’ can bring back Minecraft. “Come, follow me.” Bob led James to a hallway filled with printed information from the internet. There weren’t any light so it was hard to see what was written, but from the images James can remember what happened.
He can remember it appearing on the news, how the shock and grief froze him in place. He knew, millions of other people felt such a blow. It was one of the greatest crises in human history.
The entire Mojang team murdered. Along with whatever information their computers held were wiped out and the computers destroyed. It shattered Minecraft, as multiplayer became nonexistent and a part of the world died inside. Nobody could ever forget Minecraft, and it’s shocking and violent death.
James and Bob stopped in front of a door with the same design as Minecraft’s. Bob reached for the knob and looked back at James, smiling like a child. He opened the knob and James saw something he hadn’t seen in years. His jaw dropped, fell on his knees and his eyes just absorbed what he is seeing.
The title menu of Minecraft, an interface inaccessible for years and James is seeing it.
“Is this real?” James asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.
“It’s 100% authentic Minecraft. Wanna try it?” He asked.
“Who wouldn’t?” James muttered. He walked and faced the screen. The screen itself was attached to the wall and was wider than James and Bob combined. The familiar title menu was being shown, the words Minecraft, along with the options. “How do you play this thing?” He asked. There was no mouse, keyboard, nor a PC. It was just a very large screen.
“This isn’t Minecraft, you can’t play it.” Bob said. James looked at him with confusion.
“You just said-“James started but Bob cut him off.
“This isn’t the Minecraft you knew. This is a modified one. It uses the
Mindreader. It lets go inside Minecraft. James, I tell you, once you go inside you will agree with me. This isn’t Minecraft anymore, it’s something definitely better.”
James went silent for quite some time and when he spoke, he stammered.
“T-then where’s the h-helmet?” He asks innocently. The way Bob spoke of this Mindreader had James believing. Bob smiled and said;
“Mindreader on,”
The entire room blacked out. James couldn’t see, hear or feel anything. He couldn’t even speak. Then, after a moment, he saw the sun.
The light struck him brightly, causing his eyes to squint and his eyes to cover them. He looked around and the room was gone. Bob was gone. Minecraft was gone. He fell to his knees to cry in despair when he froze. He uncovered his eyes and looked around. It was Minecraft, but at the same time it wasn’t. The blocky shape everything was made of was familiar, and so are their looks.
Trees surrounded him, so it’s a safe guess that he was in a forest. The trees looked like before but, there were differences, good differences. The light looked realistic and trees and everything had shadows. It was like it came from the artistic renders of the past. He looked at his arms, and for a moment he stared in disbelief for his arms, were rectangles.
He moved them around and bended them and saw another change. The joints could bend and move realistically. A realization came to him: He was inside Minecraft. This came so fast he fell to his knees and cried, but for joy instead of despair.
“It’s better right?” An unknown voice said behind James. He turned around and saw a man made out of rectangles and squares, and brief panic surged inside him but calm returned as he remembered it was how Minecraft players looked. “Who are you?” James asked, and he was surprised how different it sounds from his real one.
“It’s Bob, silly.” He smiled. He offered a hand to James, who reached for it and stood up.
“Is this really true?” James asked, afraid that this dream come true was only an illusion.
“Yes, it is true. Go, try to punch some wood.” Bob said. James nodded uncertainly and walked to a nearby tree. He drew his rectangular hand back and punched the tree with force. The tree block broke and James could feel the miniature on his hand. He looks back at the levitating tree and was about to punch another again when it creaked and slowly fell down. The leaves acted like real leaves by breaking from block formation and falling to the grass, and slowly faded, leaving tiny saplings.
James saw the beauty of it, and tears ran from his eyes. He smiled and laughed. He laughed louder and louder until his voice echoed across the forest.
“It’s beautiful.” He said to himself. “I wish,” He paused, wondering what he was wishing for. “I wish everyone could go here.”
“They already have, and they already are.” Bob said. James looked behind him then behind Bob to see these people Bob spoke of. There were none.
“Where are they?” James asked.
“They’re in single player, of course. Both of us are here because my Mindreader has space for at least 6 people in single player, so it’s not that single player after all. And now, there is no lag.” Bob says quietly, like it is something to be sad about.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.” James says.
“It might be.” Bob replies. “People don’t have the money to afford the tech it needs to create a multiplayer server, and the people who have this… Minecraft are going to be stuck alone and the community will still be fractured. After the SOPA Takeover, the Internet became a bad joke and nobody used it anymore, so we’re all distant, once again.” He sighed. He looked down at the ground, sadness evident on his square face.
James reached out a hand to his shoulder to comfort him but his head rose. He turned around and James saw the spark of hope and excitement in his eyes and smile.
“Maybe not... I almost forgot. Mindreader off.” Bob clapped his hands. The world around James warped and shifted and so did Bob and he. He looked at his rectangular hands and they shifted and became slimmer and slimmer and became human hands and he returned to the Mindreader, facing the title screen.
He looked to his left and Bob was with him, smiling still. “I know a friend who can help us. He’s a millionaire, probably richer. I think he can help.”
“What’s his name?” James asked.
“I can’t tell that’s our deal. Even I don’t know his name.” Bob admitted. He reached into his pocket and got a white ball. He closed his eyes and entered a deep concentration. After a minute or two his eyes opened and smiled again.
“He said yes.”
Chapter One
2 Years Later
Scroll Master Daniel walked in the hallways, his eyes scanning the landscape. Even after a year being here, he still was amazed at this marvelous world. The nearest sight he could see were the gardens where several plants and fruits with attractive colors grew. A bit farther away the forest was, a wonderful blanket of leaves and animals giving a lively atmosphere. The farthest of them all are majestic mountains, giving a wonderful background to the sight.
Daniel had a backpack worn behind him, holding several scrolls, though most are unwritten but soon will. He wasn’t the Scroll Master for nothing, after all. He walked through more hallways until he went to a room. The room had several wooden tables placed beside the walls, where Daniel got a scroll from his pack and spread it fully on one of the tables. He found a chair and began to write.
‘The Server, year 2023, Age 3.
‘The Server today is different from the years of past, or what the scripts say about the past, that is.
‘Before there was no single unified community, everyone had their own way and thus the Server became spread with life. That was 2021, 2 years ago. By the second year a large group rose and became the Server’s Kingdom. Though not controlled by the Owner, the Server ruler and the Kingdom are in a mutual relationship. The Owner commands the Kingdom while he gave the Kingdom permission to use the Freedom Cube and to make use of the Owner’s finest, the Owner Guard.
‘A year ago this mighty kingdom was just bigger than other groups, but now the Kingdom spreads over the landscape, enveloping hundreds and thousands of kiloblocks just its hundreds and thousands of inhabitants.
‘Even with this great prosperity, there were problems. First were the Red Hands, a group that opposes the power of the Kingdom. They have taken many lives, but the sheer power of the Owner Guard and the numbers of the Militia has kept the Red Hands off the Kingdom’s borders, but it is unknown if there are members hidden within the Kingdom.
‘Next are the Enchanters, a large and slightly religious sect that uses unexplainable abilities. They do not provoke hostile action, but their words cause enough reason to deal death.
‘And lastly, the biggest problem today are the several factions growing in power within the Kingdom slowly, these people have their stand on some specific topic and will cause much chaos and disorder within the Kingdom’s ranks. That concludes my report.’
Daniel stopped writing and set down his quill and sighed deeply. He stood up and began to fold the parchment when he heard a voice from the door.
“To who will that report be sent to, I wonder.” The person said. Daniel knew that voice, and he knew the person it belongs to.
“Hassan, using your Enchanter abilities again I see.” Daniel said, the tone layered with warning. For a moment Hassan looked afraid, looking both his sides to see if anyone overheard. He sighed with relief and went inside.
“I told you not to say that out loud. I’m sorry I read your mind Scroll Master but please, I don’t want to go away.” He pleaded. Daniel smiled and chuckled. He went towards Hassan and placed a hand on his right shoulder.
“Of course I won’t. You have earned my trust a hundred times over, and if I do reveal you, I’d lose a meat shield to hide from when things get rough.”
Hassan rolled his eyes. Yes, as Daniel’s bodyguard the Scroll Master has done that a several times though and some more embarrassing than most. After a moment of silence he thought it was time to bring up a subject he wanted to know the Scroll Master’s opinion about.
“So you’ve heard of the Enchanter peace treaty?” Hassan asked. Daniel waved his hand dismissively.
“Of course I’ve heard. I’ve been hearing it for weeks. It’s what woke me up early in the morning. It’s those rumors that disturbed my meals! I can’t even bathe without hearing that-” He continued complaining, rambling about his troubles to no one in particular. Hassan suppressed a smile at his master’s ranting. Even though they spoke like equals, Hassan knew his place. The Scroll Master was his master, and so respect must be given appropriately.
“-and anyway, if you want my opinion I’m sure someone will die. I’d bet on it!” He said confidently. Hassan smiled.
“How much would you bet on it, Daniel?” He didn’t use the title deliberately, to bait the Scroll Master to a bet. Daniel knew Hassan had a betting problem, and he betted on things more than once without Daniel’s approval. Rules demanded him to be beheaded, but Hassan was too useful to be killed.
“I’m guessing 5 bars of gold.” Daniel said, unaware to Hassan’s manipulations. Hassan smiled.
“6 bars if he only gets unconscious. Shake on it?” Hassan dared.
Daniel offered his hand and shook it and after then he realized he had been played.
“Curse you Hassan, I am your superior! The deal is nullified!” Daniel shouted. Hassan chuckled.
“We shook hands, and break that oath, and you’ll break my trust. And if word gets out somehow-“
“Alright, the bet is still on.” Daniel grumbled. “Let’s just get to the fight, I mean diplomacy, to see who wins the bet.” They both went outside, with Hassan chuckling all the way to the diplomacy room.
“Aw shut up you sneaky *****.” There was venom in his voice, but they were too close friends for it to be true. Both of them knew it.
A few hours ago, the diplomacy room was empty. Now, a crowd is gathered here.
The room is two floors high, from the ground floor and there were entrances from both floors. The main diplomacy area was on the far left, with the half right being a balcony from the second floor and an observation area below.
Jack was on the top eyeing every person he could see. He had been in the Owner Guard for a few years and he still finds the squareness of things a bit strange. Nevertheless, his vigilance was as sharp as a hawk’s. He looked around, seeing normal Militia personnel, high ranking officers, fellow Owner Guard and the Scroll Master. Jack watched the man go in and out of the crowd, shaking hands and greeting people with a smile. His bodyguard followed him wherever he went his face expressionless but Jack could see his right hand holding his sheath tightly.
Jack let a small smile show on his face. That bodyguard could be an Owner Guard someday. Prepared and not lowering defense, he could soon be invited into their ranks. He also smiled because of how unneeded the caution the bodyguard had. In this room are a dozen Owner Guards. Wars were won with much less and without the backup they had right now which are a dozen more Militias standing stiffly along the walls, their swords placed in their sheaths, but their hands were placed on the handle of their weapons, ready to action at any time.
Though his caution was indeed unneeded, he was protecting the Scroll Master after all. Though they call themselves the Kingdom, the Scroll Master was the closest to king as they could get. He was the head of all things here, and everything that happens, he would know.
The Owner shows support for the Kingdom, but doesn’t rule it. Likewise, the Kingdom considers the Owner a very close ally, but not recognizing him as their ruler.
“The final guests have arrived.” The announcer stated loudly, enough for the whole room to hear. Two men went in, their clothes with colorful myriad and mystic patterns. One was hooded, so his face cannot be seen. The other showed his face proudly. He had several tattoos and patterns on his face and hands, while the other was completely hidden under his clothing.
There were several murmurs with the Enchanters’ arrival. Jack couldn’t hear specifics from the crowd but the tones suggested fear, admiration and even direct displeasure. The Scroll Master was suddenly behind him, surprising Jack with his words.
“I hope one dies.” He whispered to his bodyguard but loud enough for Jack to hear. The bodyguard chuckled. Jack turned around and smiled, pretending not to have heard him.
“Good afternoon Scroll Master, Shouldn’t you be leading the diplomacy?” Jake asked politely. The Scroll Master laughed and shook his head.
“No my dear boy, I don’t lead diplomacies. That’s the diplomat’s job. I write what they’re saying.” He replied happily. Apparently he had not noticed Jake being an Owner Guard, but his bodyguard did with his eyes wide. Jake winked at him and returned to face the diplomacy. The Enchanters stood at the right side of the table, with three diplomats on the other.
“Let the diplomacy begin.” A diplomat said. The room suddenly quieted.
“We are gathered here for the peace agreement between the Enchanters and the Kingdom.” Another said. “Let’s discuss terms.”
The hooded man went back to the wall to not be seen, but two guards pushed him back to the table. The other one cleared his throat and stared at the diplomats.
“We want to unban magic. It is our right to use it.” He said. The diplomats nodded in unison.
“What will you give us in return?” One asks.
“We will not use it against you. That’s it.” The Enchanter says with finality. The diplomats murmur and whisper to each other. After a moment, they look and said:
“No.” They said flatly. The Enchanter looked in outrage. The hooded one raised his head.
“What do you mean by ‘no’?” The Enchanter asked, the designs in his face and arms glowing an angry red. Several of the Militia had unsheathed their swords. Jake looked to his right and saw a fellow Owner Guard raise a bow, the arrow prepared to be launched. He looked ad Jake and nodded. Jake nodded back. He knelt down and held his crossbow, already loaded.
“Your people are too unpredictable to ensure this agreement. If we give you freedom with your abilities, what insurance do you have to keep your madmen on a leash?” A diplomat said harshly. It was the wrong thing to say.
The Enchanter roared in outrage and jumped on the table, his hands with a bright fire. The two Militias closest held the hooded one, who struggled under their grip. The Enchanter’s flames grew larger.
“Who are you to call us madmen?” He yelled as he turned the fire into a staff of yellow and orange with sharp shining tips. Jake aimed his crossbow but the other Guard already fired. The arrow zoomed at the maddened Enchanter but he swung his staff with inhuman speed and swatted the arrow away, burning it in the process. Jake lowered his crossbow. Normal weapons wouldn’t hurt this madman.
“You kidnap us! You brand us witches! You toss us into fires and shout for joy! That is what madness is. You are all an insane cancer on this server!” He screamed. He created a blinding orb of light and launched it at the Guard that shot the arrow. Jake quickly found his vial of Redstone dust and sprinkled it on his crossbow and rapidly pressed the trigger, launching the arrow with a red glow surrounding it. It hit the orb right before it made contact with the other Guard, pinning the orb on the wall and turning it into golden dust before falling lightly to the ground. The Enchanter looked at Jake and prepared another orb. Jake quickly loaded his crossbow but the Enchanter had completed the orb.
The hooded figure escaped from the clutches of the Militia and soared to tackle the Enchanter, electricity arcing from his hands as he flew. The Enchanter roared to launch his orb at his companion instead, but the hooded figure shot lightning at the orb, making it explode and burn the Enchanter, pushing him to the floor with his hands covering his burnt face.
“Matthew, you failed your assignment.” The hooded figure said with his voice amplified to reach the shocked crowd. “Your punishment for attempting to attack the High Enchanter is death.” He said grimly. He uncovered his hood and Jake recognized him. He was the High Enchanter, leader of his group. Electricity came from his eyes and he raised a hand at Matthew. A second layer, Matthew screamed in pain as he was levitated up and electricity came from him and into the High Enchanter’s hand. Slowly Matthew disintegrated and what was left was a small golden block. The Enchanter picked it up and hid it in his robes. He looked around and lowered his head and knelt.
“I am sorry for bringing you close to harm. I apologize deeply for this incident. I have hoped that our peace can still be achieved, but I fear that hope is crushed” He said with emotion and genuine feeling. The crowd was silent for a time when the diplomats spoke.
“Aye, let us continue the diplomacy.” They said in unison. The High Enchanter smiled warmly.
“Thank you. My name is Divolcious.”
The diplomats and Divolcious asked for terms and counter-terms. Divolcious all the way showed genuine concern for the Kingdom’s citizens and of course the welfare of his own. After an hour, the Kingdom and Enchanter’s have made not just a peace, but an alliance. The crowd cheered. Jake smiled, and the Scroll Master too. His bodyguard grumbled and gave 5 bars of gold to the Scroll Master.
The mood was destroyed when the ground shaked and sounds of explosions from the outside reached the room. The warning bell rang twice, which meant only one thing.
“We’re under attack.” breathed the bodyguard.
Jack found the situation not spiraling out of control, something he did not expect. The bodyguard’s observation spread throughout the room, causing faces to look and murmur at each other in concern and fear. He had to do something, but Divolcious already was doing what he can to keep the crowd at the state it was in. He conjured a small white mist that seemed to put the crowd at ease. Jack saw that it was only momentary and needed action to assure the crowd and to protect the castle.
“Militia,” Jake ordered the guards around the room “Open the doors and keep the hallways clear, we need to get the crowd to the dungeons! It’s the safest place for them to be.” Jake didn’t really feel the bravado in his voice, nor did he know of the battle situation outside, but he had protocol and the need to assure and protect the crowd. The Militia was herding the crowd out, their swords and crossbows held and displayed to boost confidence and to be prepared for enemy threats.
Everyone had left except Divolcious and the Owner Guard. The Guard was twelve in number; all of them trained better than any of the Kingdom’s armies could drill. Divolcious was conjuring a green smoke from his hands and rising towards the ceiling and where open windows let them out. “Sir, you need to be with the civilians, your safety is at risk.” Jack said with a serious tone with concern hidden behind it.
“It would be nice to have the people know we’re not enemies, no? Diplomacy was a success, after all.” He said cheerfully as if he didn’t hear the growing sounds of battle all around the room. Jack nodded at this wisdom. The smoke signal would let the Kingdom know that the Enchanted are not to be attacked, lest they cause more complications right after a rather large dispute was solved.
Jack organized the Owner Guard in three groups. Group A would be composed of 6 and will help the Militia. Group B will have 3 members and will escape to request for reinforcements in one of the numerous Guard Tunnels hidden around the Kingdom. The last group would have him leading it. Their task is to protect the High Enchanter and get him to his Enchanter retinue. Group A was the first to go, swords and hand-held crossbows at the ready, going on both the ground and second floors to cover maximum ground. Group B went next, using the ground floor to reach their vehicles more easily.
Jack, Divolcious and two other Owner Guards went last, taking the second floor to get a better view of the battle. They went up and got to the hallways. From there they couldn’t see anything yet, but the sounds of fighting weren’t far ahead. They went left, walking in long strides. Jack didn’t know who the other Guards well, but he held trust for anyone within the Owner Guard.
They were behind Divolcious striding on opposite sides. The one on the High Enchanter’s left held an axe on his right arm, with a shield on his left. The other used a hand held-crossbow and a sabre, the Guard’s standard weaponry. Jack only held a crossbow, but it was larger it required both hands. It also has an automatic-reloading system, using a clip of 5 long arrows before reloading was needed. After an hour of going through the corridors, they went down towards the courtyard.
The battle wasn’t much of a contest. The Militia and a few Owner Guards were fighting several men in blood-red suits of armor. The flag of Red Hand was planted beside several corpses of both Militia and Red Hand soldiers. The walls were also chaotic, as Militia found Red Hand while also trying to fire at the enemies below. A large burning rock flew from beyond the walls, hurling towards their group.
“Take cover!” Jack shouted. It was too late. The rock exploded in front of Divolcious, releasing several stone pebbles at lethal speeds. The Owner Guard managed to get him and his shield in front of the Head Enchanter, protecting him from the barrage. The shield wasn’t enough though and pierced it and the Guard’s armor, killing him in a bloody, unidentifiable pulp. Jack quickly dragged Divolcious’ hand to cover with the remaining Guard following them. They went past through battle unnoticed but saw that they were outnumbered.
Blue electricity struck several Red Hands while others hit the ground in a mess of smoke. Enchanter’s appeared out of thin air, launching spells of power to push back the Red Hand. Militia and Owner Guard reinforcements ran through like a tide, consuming what remains of the attackers. The grey armor of the Militia was mixed with the thicker, blue armor of the Guard.
Jack activated his armor and he was covered with ornately designed battle plate. In the crowd he spotted the Magister, the leader of the Owner Guards of the castle. He wore the heaviest armor, dominating everyone around him. His arms held a large sword, the Cobalt Fury. Its blade was deep blue and wreathed with lighter-colored blue energy. The handle was made of pure gold, designs covering every inch. The Magister’s helm covered his entire head but his eyes, as blue as his armor.
The walls broke, killing the Militia remaining on top of them. Hundreds of Red Hands stood to challenge the army, with several cannons behind them. A deep and cruel laugh can be heard behind them, the smoke obscuring the person. His silhouette was big, but when the smoke cleared it was clear that this person was as large as the Magister. It was Red Hand himself, leader of the group with his name.
His appearance was the more brutal and red version of the Magister. His armor was bright red from the blood of his enemies. He wore no helmet, but his face was unrecognizable with blood covering the features. He held a large sword with spies protruding from all sides. Now that he was seen, he was clearly even bigger than the Magister. He roared a throaty war charge and his army ran forth shouting taunts and curses alike. Most of them died from the Militia’s weapons and the Enchanter’s magic but they kept pouring on like an endless tide.
The two forces clashed, their differences made even more apparent on the battlefield. The Red Hand charged and screamed, charging towards the enemy with uncontained bloodlust that bolstered even the weakest fodder.
The Militia ran towards them to keep them from the Owner Guard, their blades and crossbow’s bayonets keeping the rampaging horde at bay, though barely. The Owner Guard fired behind them, their automatic crossbows shooting arrows that caused miniature explosions where they hit. Some wielded the standard bow-pistol and sabre, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Militia.
The defensive wall the Militia created didn’t last however, the tide of red-clad soldiers was too much for them and their lines broke, turning the courtyard into a chaotic killing zone. The Owner Guard slung their auto-crossbows on their backs and shields appeared on their right hands, with two long blades above and below the wrist slid up. They fought with the same skill and control they shown when they were wielding their auto-crossbows.
Jack hid behind rubble, still holding his auto-crossbow. He had 3 Militia with him, all wielding normal crossbows with bayonets. Their backs were against the rubble pile, eyes determined. Often they would glance at Jack with admiration and respect. They fired from behind the rubble, shooting arrows before quickly taking cover and reloading. This pattern continued for sometime before a large projectile flew and exploded on Jack’s cover, sending him and the Militia flying.
Everything went black.
Chapter Two
Hassan stood beside the Scroll Master, his sword unsheathed and ready. The battle was over an hour ago, but even after that his vigilance never wavered. He uncovered his right arm, showing a dimly glowing rune etched on the skin. He has never shown it to anyone except the Scroll Master. The rune was his adolescence gift in his tribe. Nobody knew that he came from an Enchanter settlement, not even the Scroll Master. Hassan kept standing beside the Scroll Master as he was writing on some parchment with a quill.
They were in the scroll room which was miraculously spared from damage from the battle. The Scroll Master was writing vigorously, the quill scratching loudly on the parchment. It was sundown, and the room was being lit by a candle and several beads of sweat on the Scroll Master’s face twinkled and shone like miniature stars on Daniel’s troubled face. His eyes were darting back and forth between what he wrote and what he was currently writing.
Hassan was concerned, of course, but he knew better than to disturb his master while he worked so instead he closed his eyes and tapped the power of his rune to read the mind of the Scroll Master.
The power of the Enchanters was an endless pool of energy and power harnessed through runes, and a rune on your skin maximizes magical control and power. Hassan only had one rune but he could perform simple tasks such as mind reading.
Daniel’s mind was awhirl with worry and confusion. Hassan couldn’t see rather feel the thoughts of his mind zoom from corner to corner of his mind, dozens of questions with no answers, and further questions regarding the lack of answers. Hassan couldn’t read it all, but he caught a piece before it flew in Daniel’s mind.
‘Where in the world did the Red Hand appear, and why will we be sent to Veander?’ Daniel’s troubled mind rumbled as it noticed Hassan’s prying.
“A simple question would be preferable to violating my privacy, Hassan.” Daniel suddenly said, breaking Hassan from his reading. The Scroll Master stopped from his writing and looked at Hassan with tired eyes, though he could feel the irritation as the last fragments of his mind linking faded with his rune’s glowing.
“Forgive me Scroll Master, I was afraid to disturb your writing.” Hassan said. Daniel scoffed.
“Well you did. I understand your intentions and I will forgive you for this time, but do that one more time and I won’t be joking about executing you.” Daniel said seriously. Hassan lowered his head in shame. Daniel let out a sigh. As old as he was, Hassan was young compared to Daniel’s age.
“It’s alright now, just don’t do it again.” Daniel said at last. Hassan nodded.
“Where will they take us anyway?” Hassan asked though he had already read the Scroll Master’s mind to find out, this was asked due to respect than curiosity.
“To Veander, Hassan. They will take us to Veander.”
Jack’s eyes opened suddenly, feeling pain all over his body. His mind was blank, and his body was lying still on a white bed. He groaned, half because of the pain, half because of the shame it brings him. He was trained by the best academies on Earth, travelling throughout the continents and now he was stuck inside a game, beaten by a rocket.
He looked around him to see if anyone was nearby. He was in a white room with white chairs and white lights on the ceiling. It was like it came from a toothpaste commercial for rooms. The size of the room wasn’t very large and the only things inside was him, his bed and the door. The door was closed and showed no handle or design that if one missed the outlines on the door, it would be mistaken as part of the wall.
He shook his head. Where is he, or more importantly, are the people who brought him here friend or foe? He looked at himself; he was wearing nothing but white pants. Great, he was inside unknown territory unarmed and vulnerable.
Though he knew this was a game, the possibilities within here are far larger than anyone can think of. When he was told by the head bodyguard of the Owner than he will be on game duty, he felt him insulting his training and experience. Now he felt ashamed of his arrogance, the sheer magnitude of this failure completely known to him, scaring him more than terrorists or bio-weapons ever could.
They say that if you fail in something, you will be sent to a secret facility where your memory and mind will be washed out into nothingness. It seemed silly believing such rumors, but he has seen the blank faced, unspeaking servants the Owner employs, and any form of communication he and anyone else has tried ended with indifferent silence. Being condemned to a life like that sent shivers down Jack’s spine. The worst part was you would still see, bearing madness at not being in control of your own body.
“Glad to see you’re awake,” a man suddenly appeared on one of the chairs left of the bed. He wore a simple white robe with glowing blue runes etched on the cloth. His face wasn’t concealed and Jack could see his face. The features weren’t familiar to him, but he knows of it in a way.
“Divolcious?” Jack asked, surprised by how weak his voice sounded. The man nodded in confirmation. He smiled and reached out a hand to shake Jack’s. Jack shook it slowly, confused at the action.
“What am I doing here?” Jack asked. Divolcious smiled.
“You are inside the Enchanter hive.” He said, still smiling. Jack was wide eyed. For years the Kingdom tried to find the Hive, but it was never found due to the power the Enchanters possessed. Invisibility and distraction wards abounded in the Hive, not to mention other secret defenses and various protective spells the Enchanters apply daily.
Jack wondered why he was sent here rather than to the medical facilities of the castle. Divolcious apparently can read his thoughts and answered his question before he could say it aloud.
“Your Owner sent us to procure you from the battle. How we got it and in such short notice is classified information. What I can tell you though is that you are now being sent to Veander to take guard on some important information.” Divolcious said. Jack wasn’t easy to trust Divolcious’ words. The alliance was just created, but the Owner never showed dislike for Enchanters, or so he heard. The Enchanters weren’t reputed for any underhanded methods as well. Now that it came to mind, the defenses the Owner uses are the same as the Hive’s…
“Alright, so when can you go?” Divolcious suddenly asked, waving a hand with glowing blue energy that disappeared quickly. Jack shook his head. What was he thinking again? He forgot, and he quickly focused on the matter at hand.
“I can go now, thank you very much for the hospitality. Give me a minute and the proper resources; I can travel there on foot.” Jack said confidently, trusting in his skills to make it to Veander, though he still doesn’t know of his location. Divolcious laughed.
“No lad, I think with the power of the Enchanters you can get there in an eye-blink.” He snapped his fingers and his vision tinted blue, until the only thing he could see was deep blue.
“In the great name of Notch!” Hassan suddenly exclaimed upon seeing a blue mist appear outside their house slowly disappear and show a confused looking Owner Guard in his royal blue armor shake his head in apparent dizziness.
“Wha-? Where am I…?” The Guard groaned. Hassan raised an eyebrow at one of the best fighting force in the Server groan like he was punched in the gut. He went forward to help steady him when the Guard’s knees bended and Hassan quickly sped his pace to keep him from falling. He reached out and held both shoulders of the Guard to steady him when his right elbow slammed his jaw in a lightning fast maneuver that sent him moving back drunkenly.
The Owner Guard held a crossbow, though from what Hassan knows of the Guard it was automatic and had explosive tips. The Guard quickly turned, not showing the confusion from before and expertly held the crossbow facing Hassan’s face. Hassan opened his palms to show he meant no harm. The Guard didn’t let his guard down.
“Who are you? Where am I?” The Guard quickly asked his eyes and weapon still focused on Hassan’s face.
“Whoa there Guard, I am a friendly. My name is Hassan and you’re in Veander.” He said quickly, careful not to panic to incite unwanted reactions. He looked at the Guard’s face and after a moment, a memory came to his mind. “Hey, are you the Guard who was on the diplomacy room?” He suddenly asked, not helping himself despite the danger the Guard posed on his life.
At the mention of Veander the Guard lowered his gun and relaxed himself. He went over to Hassan and shook his hand.
“Apologies for the hostility, I didn’t know where I was so protocol demands hostility to anyone who is nearby. By the way, my name is Jack.” He said. Hassan shook his hand slowly, eyeing the crossbow Jack held on his other hand.
“Oh don’t worry, I wouldn’t use this unless you will kill me, and then I will launch an arrow right between your eyes and have it explode. We both clear on this?” Jack asked amusingly. Hassan nodded, making an effort to move his eyes from the weapon to Jack’s face. In an effort to save face, he straightened himself and looked at Jack eye to eye.
“I-I’m-” he stuttered, then gave a nervous cough. “I am Hassan, bodyguard of the Scroll Master.” At this Jack smiled.
“Oh so you’re the bodyguard of the Scroll Master. The way you kept your guard up during the diplomacy was very cute.” Jack said, and then chuckled. Hassan felt his pride get stabbed harder than Jack’s crossbow could’ve had. His expression turned from nervousness to hurt.
“Cute?” Hassan said. “I have been trained in the art of the blade and bow since I came to the Server, and even before then I learned of swordsmanship when I was a kid. I served Daniel- the Scroll Master, for a long time. I have faced ambushed by the Red Hand countless times, beating down crazed fanatics and countless other dangers. That is not cute.” He said tightly. Jack chuckled, causing Hassan’s rage to build further.
“Yes, it is cute. Kid, whatever your name is, your dangers are in a kiddy game. I have been bringing down terrorists cells ever since you got hyped up on this stupid game.” Jack said.
“Then why’d you get to be the only Owner Guard to be knocked out during the attack? That was a pretty lame-” Hassan never finished his sentence. Jack’s fist came crashing down on Hassan’s face. Hassan clenched his fists.
“Hey! What’s going on out there?” A voice suddenly came from the house. Hassan looked to see Daniel standing over there, an eyebrow raised.
“Hassan, get back here! You, Owner Guard, stop screwing with my bodyguard or I will screw with you so much that your head won’t feel the same. You get in here too!” Hassan went back, giving Jack a deadly glare before going back inside. Jack stood there, his crossbow held by both hands before following Hassan inside.
After getting seated inside, Jack and Hassan still are looking at each other angrily. Daniel stood in the middle.
“What the hell are you doing here Guard?” Daniel said.
“I was sent to protect someone important, which I will be guessing, you.” Jack said. Daniel nodded. A minute of silence followed. Daniel clapped his hands.
“Well, I guess this matter is finished. You,” he pointed to Hassan, “Don’t talk to him. And you,” he looked at Jack, “Stay the hell away from him. Are we both clear?” Daniel asked. Both men nodded. “Alright Guard, get the hell out.”
Jack stood up and went outside, his crossbow now slung on his back. “Thank you.” He said. He opened the door and walked out. After Jack left out of earshot Daniel turned to Hassan.
“Be nice.” He said.
“He started it.”
Jack walked around, seeing Veander with more clarity than his arrival’s events allowed him to. He enjoyed the clean, natural feel of the town. He walked on a stone path, with buildings not too close to the road to not make it feel constricted, unlike some other cities of the Kingdom.
The buildings were made of cobblestone and wood, most of them not that large. Trees, rocks and grass were scattered around the town, further making it more natural, and Jack wouldn’t have it any other way. All his life, in the Server and here, have been all innovation and technology. It has been years since he had seen nature up close, even though it’s a bit square.
Jack went away from the town to explore the surroundings a bit more. After a minute of walking, he stopped on a lake. He sat on a rock and watched the water’s reflection. He saw his armor glisten in his reflection. Was being an Owner Guard really a part of him that even his reflection would show it? Now, with his head clearer, he knew it was his mistake of hitting Hassan.
Was he really just a Guard? He wished it was like before during the attack, when all what he could think of was his duty. Jack sighed and closed his eyes to rest.
Jack stopped after went through the gate, eyes fixed on the large white mansion in front of him. Is this where his employer lived? He couldn’t wait to go in. He took a step when a though came to him,
This is where I’ll be for most of my life?
Jack looked down and closed his eyes, remembering everyone he knew that helped him get to where he was now and promising himself that whatever happens, he will remember what who he will be and his dreams, no matter what happens.
Jack’s eyes bolted open. His dream, his memory, along with many others was conditioned to be hidden in the deepest recesses of his mind. He wondered how he got that memory back. Besides, whatever aspirations he had was drilled right out of him with countless training, on his body and mind.
The memory worried him still. The amount of conditioning he was exposed to would be too strong for any memory trigger. He sat, contemplating himself further and yielding none before going back to the town.
Jack went back to the Scroll Master’s house and rested for a while. The house was wide, with the living room and the dining room connected. There were 2 bedrooms, with the Scroll Master and Hassan occupying the bigger one and Jack receiving the smaller room.
Jack looked at his room, examining the furniture inside. It was made of wood, with the wall facing the outside made of cobblestone. There was a mirror on the right of the door, with the door placed on the far left. There was a bed and a closet far back.
There wasn’t a bathroom anywhere on the room and Jack doubted anywhere in the Server. Minecraft didn’t have a pooping/peeing feature, even in its earlier days, though the Owner once tried to install a mod that does that. It didn’t end pretty, that event was called ‘The Dump’, and for good reason. He was sitting on the bed when he stood up and looked at himself on the mirror. Now he was bare-chested with leather shorts, but even on the mirror he could see himself wearing the royal blue of the Owner Guard. He looked back at the bed where his sword and armor lay scattered.
Time for some practice.
Ocelot was sweating, his face illuminated red by the Redstone torch beside him. He was manipulating the formation of the dust, putting some clusters beside one and then the other, all the while as metal fingers expertly manipulated the grain patterns. His square hands were covered by a metal recreation of the human hand, creating clicking and whining sounds all the while as Ocelot worked.
He sat on a wooden table with the torch and dust on a table made of darker wood. In the middle of the table was a blue orb, pulsing blue light around it. Ocelot grabbed a grain and placed it in mid-air, where it spread and presented lines and symbols that Ocelot changed and edited in a blur with his mechanical appendages. After a moment he touched the dust and it returned into a small dust cluster once again. He then took another two and placed them together with both hands then releasing them, the symbols changing and mixing until both information became one.
Satisfied, Ocelot closed the cluster and gathered all the clusters into one, the blue orb making sure not a single grain gets left behind. The clusters turned into a small ball on Ocelot’s hand. He touched the orb with his other hand the light disappeared and the small red ball hardening. Ocelot then placed the ball on a small metal tray on the table, the ball flattening itself the only trace of it was a paper-thin red sheet.
Ocelot sighed. Sometimes, the life of an Xpertus was hard, but he knew in the end all this will be worth it. He took the tray and walked to a hallway, passing several other rooms before entering room quite larger than most.
In the center lied several red wires connecting trays like the one he had to a gray block in the middle. To someone outside of the Xpertus it would look like an abomination, a monster but to Ocelot it was a thing of beauty.
It was thousands upon thousands of commands, reactions, counters, responses, memory space and now, with the tray on his hands, a learning program that will allow their creation to think. To believe, not even the greatest scientists and mathematicians on Earth could’ve created this made Ocelot’s pride swell.
They named it the Mainframe. Its purpose is to be mass produced and create factories all around the Server. The economic possibility didn’t concern Ocelot, but the scientific recognition. He would be awarded with the highest achievements mankind could possibly give. To think, he was just twelve.
He found an unused wire nearby and knelt, connecting it to the proper trays. After configuring it, he gave a sigh of relief and went to the recreation room where everybody would already be at this time of day. As he went out another man went inside, though Ocelot hadn’t seen him around.
Reaching the room, he saw a few colleagues sitting around a table eating cake, with a lot still remaining. At the sight of cake Ocelot’s eyes widened and made a beeline straight towards a seat and took a chunk two slices worth with his metal hands and dug his face inside it, feeling the sweet frosting sent him into caked bliss.
“Busy day eh, Ocelot?” A man with short blonde hair asked, causing everyone on the table to laugh. Another, a woman with long, brown hair smiled.
“Keep it easy, alright Oce? You might be respawn as a fat kid if you keep that up.” She teased. Ocelot stopped from his ravaging and looked at her. “Aw I was just kidding!” she laughed. Ocelot grumbled, now eating his cake slowly.
“Let’s move on to other stuff, did you guys know that the castle was attacked by the Red Hand? Imagine that!” The blonde man said. Ocelot mentally blanked out what they were saying, he didn’t concern himself with such petty gossip. Instead he focused on his future, the recognition he will receive, the money he shall bask in. He also wanted to impress this girl in his class-
A loud explosion coming from outside halted the conversation and Ocelot’s thoughts. More explosions came, each louder than the last. The explosion reached the room, sending Ocelot and the other flying back to the wall. Ocelot mentally tried to disengage from the Mindreader, but the fire and shock kept him from such a powerful command. Red dust and metal scraps hit him and his companions, who were now dead. The pain Ocelot felt was too much and he passed out.
The Mainframe was in ruin. The wires that connected it turned into its original dust form after the shockwave the explosion produced. The trays weren’t damaged, but they were scattered around the room along with its dust. The cube itself was miraculously unharmed though, and a fain red glow was hidden behind its metal frame.
“Damage assessed: Repair immediate.” The Mainframe let out a neutral voice impossibly deep for a human being to have. The dust scattered around moved towards the box, giving it the stored information they have to complete the machine.
The corpse of the man before was pushed by the dust that landed on his body, pushing him right next to the Mainframe. The entire dust glow bright red and small red glowing tendrils appeared on the corpse’s skin, making their way up to the head and eye sockets. The mental capacity of the man was intertwined with the Mainframe’s own systems and the hands of the dead body moved on their own with the power of the Redstone coursing through his veins.
He held both sides of the box and ripped it apart, thrusting his hands into the inner workings of the machine. Hundreds and hundreds of tiny tendrils appeared on his body, covering him entirely. His eyes opened and they were blood red.
“I am the Mainframe.”
AU? Thank you for the compliment but what does AU mean?
The SOPA thing.
And AU means Alternative Universe.
Thank you for clearing that up! Awesome.
You know me from somewhere? May I know who or what sent you my way? Thank you for your compliment and bump though.
-Zacker64
Hey, thank you and I hope you get your fanfic to top quality! You can use the site's help pages if you'd like.
A definite not stalker,
Zacker the 64th
P.S I'm making a map for the fan fic if it gets enough views.
15/10
OH MY GAWD
I'm sorry but due to busy nature of my members and myself, Minefic is at rest. Thank you for the compliment but I don't have the time to continue my stories these days.