Fantasy ORIGINS - A Minecraft Story

[MoonMidnight]

The walk to the obsidian square wasn’t turning out very well.

Prim had seriously misjudged the distance with her three companions. Two of them were new and had yet to gain their proper stamina and the other one rarely ever left the cramped base. Not to mention the hot sun and heavy iron armor did nothing to help them. They were walking at half the speed. That meant that they weren’t going to get back by nightfall.

Prim continuously tried to encourage her companions to walk just a little bit faster. She even had them take off their iron chest plates and leg armor to help. The sun had already reached midway and they still had another sandy field and a hill to tackle.

There came a point where Franklin managed to catch up with her. Jack and Huxley remained a couple paces behind, giving both pairs a chance to talk to one another.

Prim wasn’t in the mood to talk. She was too anxious and a little moody from the arguments she had had with Huxley in the early morning. Even so, Franklin still had something to say to her.

 

[Chandelerion]

The journey was long and Franklin was tired. Not physically tired, he'd spent long hours digging through stone hunting for minerals and ores. He wasn't weak, but he was emotionally exhausted. He wasn't super fond of long journeys. Hard to move and design machines at the same time, plus the desert was hot and he was constantly stressed by the concept of a monster attack, though he knew they'd brought materials for rudimentary shelters and were more than capable of defending themselves. Despite this fact he was in a very bad mood.

He turned to Prim, who had this infuriating pep in her step as they walked. "Just what is it you think we'll find when we get there?" He asked bitterly

 

[MoonMidnight]

“Jack will be a fresh pair of eyes,” Prim answered. “We won’t make it back before night. Just gotta hope we can run fast enough.” She paused for a moment before adding, “I knew we shouldn’t have left so soon. They don’t know how to fight and I’m sure they’re tired of moving. Even so,” she felt her annoyance bleeding out the more she spoke. “I don’t know what we’re going to do if we run into her. But I don’t want to stay at home too long. She could come back.”

Franklin offered a few words of encouragement but she had pretty much turned deaf. Her eyes focused on the hill ahead of her, praying that the monsters wouldn’t be overpowering that night. She looked over her shoulder at the pair behind her. If they had spoken earlier it didn’t show. They had their eyes focused on the ground in front of them. What was going through their heads?

Eventually they reached the field. The sun was getting close to sunset which gave them very little time to analyze the obsidian block. She called out and picked up the pace to reach the obsidian structure. It was a rectangle that stood vertically. And that was it.

“This is it,” Prim said. She walked around to the other side to look at the pair through the giant hole. Her eyes focused on Jack, hoping he had anything in mind. “What do you make of it?”

 

[Chaos The Destroyer]

Taking a look around the obsidian rectangle and the surrounding area he hummed to himself. The heat from the nearby lava pool was nearly unbearable even from this distance, and frankly he was surprised it hadnt turned the surrounding sand into glass.

Running his hand along the dark purple block he bit his lip before looking back to her. "Have you tried hitting it? Or setting fire to it. I'm thinking it could be a door of some sort. It's the perfect width for two people, with enough room over head to be comfortable. I just think something is needed to start it."

 

[MoonMidnight]

“A door way?” Prim said in a tone that suggested she believed it a ridiculous idea. “It’s just a square. Or rectangle, whatever you call it. There’s nothing special about it.” She reached into her inventory and pulled out a flint and steel. She struck it against the obsidian wall and the fire sat on the side for only a second then disappeared without any food to keep it going. “Nothing.”

Jack asked to see it and she passed it to him. She turned her face to the sky, reading the sun and estimating how much time they had left. “We need to hurry back home. You’ve got like two minutes or we’ll get stuck in a mob on our way ba-“ Prim barely finished her sentence when a purple filter clouded the inside of the rectangle. Everyone stumbled back and tripped on their feet. Loud, uncharacteristic sounds came from the purple thing. Small, purple particles floated down and disappeared into the sand. Jack still stood close to the rectangle and Prim stared at the filter. It moved like it was liquid but nothing flowed down except for the little particles.

“What the…”

 

[Chaos The Destroyer]

Rolling his eyes at her doubtful tone he took the flint and steel as it was offered, clicking it together on a few blocks to make sure he had the hang of it he came back to the portal.

Running a hand over the smooth inside of the semi structure he took the flint and steel and struck it against the inside of the hollow outcrop, taking a step back in shock as the purple liquid light flooded the portal. Laughing he dropped the flint an steel and took a step forward.

 

[Kassandra]

All too happy to lighten her load, Huxley wore her new helmet paired with her significantly lighter chainmail boots. The chestplate and pants went stashed away elsewhere. The trip was especially arduous, but after their experience in the village, she was already accustomed to these lengthy treks. The trick was to keep from looking at the ground too often. Measuring the path before them in steps was only going to make it all seem longer.

Once they arrived, and they found themselves stuck at another hurdle, Huxley considered their options. It was her dream that had led them here, maybe another would finish the job now that they'd made this new discovery. While Rose and Jack mused over their observations, she played with the axe she'd taken off one of the village marauders. A hit with the broad side of it wouldn't cause any significant damage, and it felt heavy enough to put someone to sleep. She could've done it while he was working, and merely ask for forgiveness later. In his sleep, the next set of instructions could present themselves. Huxley was piecing together her post-assault explanation in her head when Jack had the insight to strike the monument with a flint and steel, burning one of the lower blocks in the doorway.

The purple glow was reminiscent of the eyes of the enderman who seemed to have been following her prior, but it also called to her. Weapon in hand, she marched through the portal without speaking. There was no telling what was behind it.

 

[MoonMidnight]

First Jack went through, then Huxley next. Prim yelled for them and they whisked out of sight into the purple liquid. She yelled their names again but only silence answered her. She looked to Franklin who was just as stunned and said, “Wait here. If I don’t come back go home.” She then launched through the screen. Her vision blurred and her momentum carried her forward and she stumbled, falling face first on the ground. When she looked up she found herself surrounded by a large, blue forest. The grass was grass but it was blue.

Jack and Huxley stood a pace in front of her, staring at the unfamiliar forest as well. She got to her feet only to be thrown back to the ground by a heavy weight on her back. She recognized Franklin’s complaints in her ear immediately. “Off. Get off. Franklin off!” She threw her shoulder just as he stumbled to his feet, barely escaping her temper.

She quickly stood up and pulled out her bow, locking an arrow into place. “No one move! Weapons out.” To her relief, they did as she said. She lowered her voice as they stood closer together, “New biome. Your ears will save you. Listen before you move.” Her chest tightened as she recalled the very instances when she had given those same instructions.

 

[Chandelerion]

"wait here. If I don't come back go home" That was the last thing prim said before running into the MAGIC PORTAL they'd just created.

Franklin stared at the empty space where she'd been, and for a moment he didn't see sand and black stone. He was in a chamber lined with books. A strange black table and someone he'd loved standing just a few feet away from him. She'd told him to wait, to wait and see what happened. And he'd done it, he waited and watched as she took the first steps towards leaving him behind.

He stared at the glowing portal, the purple light, so familiar, so sinister. He watched as it warped, and he made a decision. "Fuck. Waiting."

Then, clutching an iron sword in an unpracticed grip. He shut his eyes and ran through the portal. It felt odd, like floating. And as soon as it began it was over. Spitting him out into an unfamiliar place. He landed on Someone, complained almost instinctively and then was thrown off.

At first he was disoriented. Not sure what was going on, He heard prim shouting orders, a few acknowledgments and that was it. Franklin shook his head, standing behind the other three who were arranged in a semi circle with shields raised. He would've commented but he glanced over their heads and all his words just, evaporated. dazedly he wandered forward past the line. He thought he heard one of them shout something at him but he didn't quiet hear them. He walked forward a ways towards what he had seen, a ways ahead of them through a jungle of what appeared to be light green moss or fungus he'd seen an opening, and it was at that opening he saw what lay past their small forest. Two blocks from where he stood there was a sharp drop off and it dropped down a very long way, but that was not what had captivated Franklin's attention. It was the massive, cavernous world of fire that opened before him like the gaping maw of some titanic beast.

His brain struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. So he didn't notice the large horrific creature that hovered to the left of him until he heard it scream. And by then the ground beneath him had exploded in a fiery explosion. Then he finally snapped out of his daze and screamed as he fell down, down, down.

He should have waited.

 

[Chaos The Destroyer]

He wanted to explore. To learn everything he could about the strange new environment that surrounded them the only thing thathat stopped him was Prims voice. She was right and he knew it. This was a new place, something far different from the grass and sand they were used to.

It was hot, that was certain. The iron armor they adorned did nothing to cool them off instead making it worse. Stumbling forward as Grabklin pushed past he turned to look for the man only to see him some distance away standing at the nearest ledge. He heard the horrid shriek that would haunt him until the day he died, followed by the explosion and Franklins yell as he fell.

He rushed forward, blocks in hand and Prim on his tail. It was a nearly straight drop from where the blast had to where Franklin lay. The fall wouldnt kill them but he couldn't drop down without risking serious injury. So he did it anyways.

He managed to place blocks under him along the wall to completely negate or dull the damage that came. He made it down quickly, the grunting of some mysterious mob nearby barely reaching his ears as he ran for Frabklins body.

 

[MoonMidnight]

“Franklin!” Prim screamed for her friend as the blocks disappeared beneath his feet. She practically lunged for the edge and stared down at the cliffside. Her mouth hung open in a silent cry as she waited for the smoke to appear around his body. And he would be lost to her forever.

But the smoke never came. She continued to watch and saw the slight move of his arm. He was alive. Jack was way ahead of her and started down the cliff face. She connected the blocks with her cobblestone to allow them a chance to get back up. Huxley followed close behind as they ran down to where Jack and Franklin were. However, a giant, ugly looking pig with tusks had its eyes set on Jack. The thing moved ridiculously fast and her fear skyrocketed again.

“Watch out!” She dropped her shield and whisked out her bow. The arrow met the giant pig’s shoulder and it halted a few paces from Jack. It’s dark eyes turned to look straight at Prim and Huxley. Then it charged again. She shot another arrow but it hit its nose rather than its eye, stalling only half a second. “Tower!” she yelled, stacking cobblestone beneath her feet.

 

[Kassandra]

Upon reaching the other side, and bearing witness to the firey hellscape that this new dimension proudly was, Huxley donned the chestplate and leggings Rose had provided them. The heat was horrid, but at least her chainmail boots offered a little circulation. Axe clutched, she listened carefully, taking in all that this place had in store. Bubbling molten lava, ceaselessly burning fires, the alien sounds of the indigenous fauna... And something else. Around the corner, or above her, perhaps, was the familiar haunting sound of the monster with purple eyes. Was it still the same one? Here? Already on edge, she barely realized that Franklin had joined them, and nearly twisted her neck when she shot to face the source of a blood-curdling shriek.

A blazing explosion displaced Franklin from the rest of the group, sending him falling into the dark crimson depths. Jack and Rose were quick to descend, but were met with opposition from some sort of pig-ish brute. Two arrows stopped it from catching Jack off guard, but weren't enough to end it. As it came towards them, Rose gave the order to tower out of reach. Thinking quickly, she followed, but realized Franklin and Jack would be left at risk. From four blocks up, Huxley jumped and cleaved the monster in the head, only to stumble and gently injure herself from the fall, and be struck by it in her side before her weapon made contact. It disappeared in a puff of smoke as she fell on her back. All that was left of it was a golden axe, shimmering slightly purple.

 

[MoonMidnight]

The puff of smoke dissolved around Huxley. Prim lowered her bow in case she accidentally let go of the arrow. She stared as Huxley stood up from her crouched position. Her instincts had kicked and at a good time. Prim wouldn’t need to worry about her too much anymore.

But it wasn’t even Huxley herself that had made Prim unable to move. Memories flooded back without warning. Prim was crouched on a tree branch staring down at three zombies. She had her bow pulled back but before an arrow could fly, the woman beside her launched down. She rolled and her sword came out in a flash of white. Within seconds the monsters were nothing but dust. She straightened and looked back up at Prim.

Huxley‘s quick movement brought her out of her trance. She was headed for Jack and Franklin, eyes scanning the hot land around them for more danger. Prim slid off her tower and caught up with her.

Jack had given Franklin some food which helped him to sit up. He gathered his strength and managed to get to his feet. Barely two seconds later and Prim had a handful of his shirt.

“What the ‘ell is wrong with you!” she shouted in his face. “I told you to wait then you follow me. I tell you to stay put then you wander off. When will you start listening to anything I say? Who’s the one that’s been on her own for months? Who’s the one who’s been exploring with-with-with monsters around all the time?” she caught herself and took the chance to take a quick breath.

“I don’t tell you things because I don’t like you or because I like ordering you around. I say things to keep you safe. I get we aren’t the best of friends and I get we’ve fought every time we talk, but I can’t let you die. I still care about you.” She took another pause. Her throat was tight and her hand that was holding on to him was shaking terribly.

“Just listen to me for once,” her voice shook. She let go of him and they both stumbled back. She leaned on the closest block only for it to be too hot and she snatched it back. She clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on her bow. Everything was rushing back to her and she was struggling to keep herself from crying. She felt embarrassed about that and it made it even more difficult.

“I can’t watch you go.”

 

[Chandelerion]

Franklin stumbled back, half in shock from his near death experience, half in shock from Prim's outburst. He slumped against the wall, staring out at the sea of flames. He didn't meet her eyes, how could he? She was right. He'd been healed but he still remembered the pain he felt when he hit the ground, the fear of death. Watching them rush for him, fight, worrying about them as he lay still afraid to move.

He knodded at her, not speaking. Feeling ashamed, he was not a warrior, not a fighter. He should have listened to Prim, should have waited. Stuck to what he knew.

The silence that followed was long and awkward, broken up by the occasional bubbling of the flaming sea. Surprisingly enough, Franklin found himself breaking the silence.

"So what do we do from here?"

 

[MoonMidnight]

Prim took a deep breath to steady herself. She put her bow away and twiddled with an arrow to keep her hands busy. What were Jack and Huxley thinking about her now? About Franklin?

“Well it’s a new biome,” she said. “It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before. More dangerous, obviously. We explore some of it then go back home to regroup. Collect blocks, anything you can see.”

She felt her strength returning and even a little excitement flaming in her chest. A new biome. Something new to discover. Not the same grass and trees and monsters. She remembered the same excitement from when she discovered her first snow biome. She wished someone else was with her to experience this all.

“But we stay as a group,” she said next. “I don’t know what monsters are here. Two of us take lead and the other two gather things. We can look at them safely back home.”

 

[Kassandra]

Huxley watched Rose as she embraced Franklin after their accident. It would've been best to backtrack and send him back through the portal, to avoid any more mishaps, but it didn't seem like Rose was in any mood to be away from him now. The emotional display all seemed a bit much to her, but then, it wasn't like she and Jack were particularly close yet. Perhaps she just didn't understand yet. Perhaps she wouldn't for some time.

Picking up the axe and finding that it had some sort of magical property, she stashed it for later use. Whatever secrets it held, she didn't understand yet. "Rose. You and I will lead, while Jack keeps an eye on Franklin. We'll move faster as the first line of defense."

She then looked up toward the higher elevation they'd left behind, and deliberately turned so that it was to her back. "We'll have to leave our own landmarks to get back. This place is going to be easy to get lost in. Jack and Franklin, it's going to be your job to leave us a trail of blocks from our world. Ready? Let's march."

 

[Chandelerion]

Franklin didn't protest, placing a line of torches to mark their path as they went. He was tired of being the weak link but he'd almost just gotten everyone and himself killed. He needed to stick to what he was good at, no more trying to be heroic. But it did bother him, he'd been in this world for much longer than any of these newcomers but here he was following their orders, depending on them to protect him. Being chaperoned like an invalid. He decided then, that he'd try to get better. Just so that he wouldn't be dead weight any longer.

With this new resolution in mind he allowed himself to admire the scenery, as dangerous as it was with the seas of fire and flying demonic creatures. There was a strange beauty about the place, a peace to the way the ocean of lava flowed. He gasped when he noticed something was... WALKING on the lava!

"Guys!" he shouted, pointing, "Look, something's walking on the lava!"

 

[Chaos The Destroyer]

Jack couldnt lie. He was minutely bitter being stuck with baby sitter duty but he knew it was needed. If Franklin died on them he wasstuck having to learn the beatiful redstone on his own, he could do it but it would take a lot longer than if he had a teacher.

The landscape around them was gorgeous, unbearably hot yes, but gorgeous nonetheless. The real blue around them provided a lovely contrast to the burgundy red of the rear of ththe strange land.

His eyes caught the slow moving creature just as Franklin announced it to the rest. "What the hell is that thing?"

 

[MoonMidnight]

Lots of things happened.

Firstly, it was clear that Prim and Huxley were having an implicit fight for control. Neither Jack nor Franklin were very interested in telling people what to do. Prim wanted to pride herself in being solely interested in the biome around her, however, she couldn’t deny the frustration she was experiencing whenever Huxley spoke.

Simultaneously, Prim saw Huxley as an equal. She wasn’t a clueless and absurdly reckless person anymore. Whether that was situational or simply because her instincts had kicked in, she became someone Prim could possibly rely on. She had good enough skills to keep herself alive against a few monsters but she might take some time to reach the level of combat Prim herself was at.

Prim couldn’t lie that she was nervous about Jack, too. Her gut told her that he would quickly become a skilled fighter, if not possibly better than her. It would take time but the thought lingered in the back of her mind.

With Huxley’s ability to stay quick on her feet and Jack’s growing knowledge and strong instincts, things didn’t seem so bad in survival terms. Things would be different, obviously, but having two extra people did help in a lot of ways. She wouldn’t be too worried about leaving Franklin at home anymore.

She turned to look at her ex-friend. Her anxiety had slowed now that he was up and walking. He seemed upset. She partially wanted to ask but she was too focused on keeping watch and looking around at the beautiful biome.

She spun on her heels when she heard Franklin’s announcement. Just a few paces away from them, something stirred in the lava lake. It’s skin was a dark red and had a large frown on its face. It waddled around in the lava as if it was water.

“What the-” She continued to stare at it for a moment longer before more noises caught her attention. She spun with her bow ready and Huxley turned with her.

The blue trees blocked most of their view so Prim strained her ears. The lava was making it difficult but she could just make out the sound of...pigs? It wasn’t the high pitch cry of a pig - it was much more deeper.

She kept her bow trained on the tree where the sound came from, waiting for the new monster to make its appearance. What terrifying creature would it be? Another one of those giant pigs or hogs or whatever they were?

Her question was answered when something on two legs came out from behind the blue tree. The thing was a two legged pig and half of it had been burned or melted away to reveal the bone. It walked with ease and in its hand was a golden sword.

“What is that thing?”

 

[Kassandra]

Huxley wasn't as content to see Franklin collect dust in the mountain base. If, when, they got back home, she was forcing a stick into his hand and having him train with her. His technical knowledge wasn't worth the liability of having to protect him whenever they faced unfamiliar dangers, but that was nothing a little practice wouldn't fix. He'd Just grown soft letting Rose coddle him.

Huxley's attention followed as the others' turned to the presence of a seemingly passive monster traversing the endless lava lakes. It had red skin, and strip-like hair framing a perpetual frown. She thought it was hideous, and almost wished it had attacked, so she'd have a better reason to kill it that it being so visually dreadful. As soon as Rose's attention shifted once more, Huxley was all too eager to do the same and followed suit, if only to stop looking at the lava-fish.

At the head of the group, she and Rose found themselves faced with a monster not unlike the beast they'd just defeated. Huxley thought it might've held a grudge given that it was armed, but noticed that the speed at which it moved was not unlike the creature in the lava. It seemed passive, but the necrotic green color where healthy tissue ended kept her on edge. Looking for a fight wasn't smart in this new dimension, so she took a gamble. Huxley pushed the bow in Rose's hands to the side, and pushed backwards on her midsection while she also took a step backwards. "Be on guard, but... I think it doesn't care about us."

 

[Chandelerion]

First a creature that thrived in lava, now something not unlike a zombie from their world. This place was like a bizarre parody of their word. The Zombie, pig-man thing, just ambled around, seemingly uninterested in them. Despite holding a weapon, the creature seemed passive. Franklin craned his head for a better look at the creature, its singe remaining eye made contact with his, then continued on. It shambled away, disappearing deeper into the sickly green of the forest. Franklin looked at Prim, "should we follow it? it might lead us to something and it didn't seem aggressive"

 

[MoonMidnight]

Prim tried very hard not be too aggressive when she pushed Huxley’s hand off her. She moved her bow to her other hand, away from the one that had the audacity to touch it.

“I wasn’t going to shoot it. Being cautious never hurt anyone,” she said. She turned to Franklin to answer his question, “I don’t think so. It moves like a zombie. You know, aimlessly. Although these are all different monsters I’ve never seen before. I think collect more stuff. We should look for a field, these trees are difficult to see anything.”

She could feel sweat dripping down the side of her head. She was growing hot with every passing second and she wanted nothing more than her cool, dark cave. She also wanted a break from Huxley and Jack and Franklin. They were all frustrating her and Huxley in particular was bringing back bitter memories that made her chest tight.

 

[Kassandra]

"I don't think there are fields here... It's lava and red rock for as far as the eye can see. Other than those pockets of land that look sorta like dirt in the distance. No grass, though," Huxley breathed, the heat begining to get to her. 'We either need to find shelter or gather enough stuff for this excursion to be over. And I doubt we're gonna figure out everything about this place in one trip. Whenever you guys think we should start heading back, speak up. For now, keep an eye out for somewhere to escape the heat."

Continuing her march through the forest, she narrowly avoided walking into the listless monster, to make sure she didn't aggravate it through passive touch alone. "Who knows if the first ones have ever seen this place...."

 

[Chaos The Destroyer]

Jack shrugged looking around the hellscape to the looming ceiling above. "You dont necessarily need grass for something to be considered a field. Honestly I say as long as we get away from the lava the heat wont be so bad."

Withthat he marched off in a straight line away from the lava ocean, placing down oak planks every thirty feet behind him.

 

[MoonMidnight]

“Whoah, slow down!” Prim and Huxley ran after him so they could take point again. “These trees can hide a lot of things. Just around the corner could be another monster.”

For the next while, the group searched the area around them. They collected all kinds of blocks and ran into several more hog creatures. They had reached a large field of the red rock that showed them the vastness of the lava world. There was so much more to explore. Prim wanted to explore it so badly.

However, she was reaching her limit. She was anxious about the others dying or getting lost in this world. The torches and blocks did nothing to ease her worries and she eventually suggested to head back to the portal.

Before they could turn around, however, another pig creature appeared. At first it looked like the zombie pig thing they had seen earlier. However, this one wasn’t passive.