Minecraft: a Redemption

Chapter 22

  "It's Ender!" Maria exclaimed. Without thinking, she rushed forward, causing the rest of the team to sigh and follow.

  They ran on her heels as she twisted and turned through narrow passages and broad hallways. Gregor didn't know how she was able to tell where Gregor was, but he didn't care. The sooner they found him the better.

  Then, as if by magic, they were standing in a room with three other people. Rax, Ender, and... Jane?

  Gregor thought his eyes were decieving him. Was he seeing wrong? Had he become that desperate? 

  But he knew it was all real. Because she saw him too.

  "Jane?" He managed to choke out.

  She was younger. After he spoke, Gregor noticed this. She looked the same age as when she died; around 13 or so. But he'd been alive for the past few years. He was already 15.

  "Hey, Gregor." The normally menacing and confident face Gregor was used to seeing with Jane was gone. It had melted away to show the young girl inside. The one who was scared to mess up. The one who had a world of expectations on her shoulders. The one who'd just come back from the dead.

  Not knowing what else to do, he rushed to her and embraced all that she was in a simple hug. "I'm sorry," he muttered into her ear.

  He felt her shake her head. "It's not your fault."

  Suddenly, Ender was clearing his throat.

...

 "So now that we're all together again," I said, eyeing the two people as they pulled apart, "I think that our mission is clear."

  "And what's that, sir?" Bradley asked. Although he spoke, his attention wasn't on me, but rather Rax. I realized they hadn't seen each other since that last fight over Ervin and how he died.

  "We're all together now, so I think it's the perfect time to launch a rescue mission for Ben."

  Everyone nodded. We'd been waiting a long time to save the former leader of the Resisitance and now was finally the time.

  "Due to some... complications from later today, part of the fortress of the Warriors of Notch has suffered some casualties."

  Braden and Art laughed, like I was making a joke. I shook my head at them, since I didn't want to call them out.

  "This means a few things," I continued. "The fortress will be in chaos. It wouldn't be too hard to storm it. But it also means all the Warriors will be on their guard. So, keeping that in mind, are you ready?"

  Each member of the team nodded eagerly. They may be different. Bradley and Rax may hate each other. Braden may not trust the Resistance, but they were all prepared to do what it took to do right.

  

  Jane, Gregor, and I found some leftover chainmail to suit up in. I wasn't entirely comfortable until I got a bow to replace the sword I'd had in my hands. I never could be completely fine with just a sword. Archery was where I belonged.

  I lead the team to a small cleft in the mountain where we could watch the fortress and its happenings. Almost half of it was gone from the explosion created by Jane's return from the death. Heart pounding, I wondered if Notch had woken up yet.

  "What caused that?" Bradley screeched.

  Jane laughed. "It's a long story."

  Sasha the dog barked as if she wanted to join the conversation too. This caused Watson to jump back a few blocks and meow. Rax pulled him away.

  "So what's the game plan?" Maria asked me.

  I narrowed my eyes and looked around the barren mountain and then back to her. "Since there are so many of us, I thought I'd only take a few. Me and Gregor for starters, since we've both been in there before. And Art, because she's a good offensive player."

  "What?" Rax, Bradley, Braden, Jane, and Maria all seemed to ask at once. 

  "I want to go too!" Exclaimed Jane. "Ben is my best friend. I need to see him again."

  I twisted my bow in my hand. That's exactly what I didn't want to happen. I couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong. Jane was too emotionally attached to Ben to focus on the mission.

  "I need you all to trust me. You guys are all the watch guards," I say calmly. Standing up with Gregor and Art, I sling my new bow over my shoulder and look to the fortress.

  "We're going to rescue Ben and be back in just a few minutes and then we can return to the Resistance and stop Herobrine some more. Just because you don't get to fight this battle doesn't mean there isn't another waiting for you in a little while."

  Feeling a grin grow on my face, I look around at my team and around the mountain range. Thinking of the mines where I'd worked not so long ago, I lead Gregor and Art deeper to the fortress.