Minecraft Story Mode: Gods Don't Die

Chapter 15: Scars

"Well, here it is," said Stella, gesturing to her surroundings as she entered her beloved city. "Everyone, welcome to Champion City." She was followed shortly after by Radar, Isaac, and Lluna. Isaac was the only one who looked around at his surroundings with interest, since Radar and Lluna had already been here before. The city was still under construction when Herobrine first appeared, and since everyone had evacuated as far away from Beacontown as possible, Champion City now looked more like an abandoned ghost town, far from the glorified and majestic city that it once was. "You know, I actually built this place all on my own," Stella said proudly. "Well, not actually on my own, that would be crazy. But I was the one who decided to start its construction and hired the workers that built it from nothing." "How interesting," said Isaac. "You should be proud of accomplishing such a great feat, Stella." "Oh...well, thank you," said Stella, slightly taken aback by Isaac's words. She had fully expected the former hitman to be completely insufferable during their journey, so it was nice to hear some kind words from him. Maybe this trip won't be so bad after all. However, the next words that came out of Isaac's mouth dashed those hopes. "Of course, a lot of people must have been driven out of their own homes and kicked out onto the streets during construction," Isaac continued casually. "Young people, old people, children...families. But I am sure that it was all worth it, hm?"

And there it was. Stella gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists, but she didn't say a word. She knew that Isaac was purposely trying to get a reaction out of her. Well, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction! "Uh...heh, so about the missing treasure," Radar chuckled nervously, hoping to dispel the tension between the two, "where do you guys think it could be? This place is pretty big, after all. It could be anywhere." Stella huffed angrily, but she was glad that Radar had just offered a distraction. "If you ask me, there's only one place where the item could be hidden. But I'll warn you...it's not as pleasant as the rest of this city." Isaac snorted while Lluna let out a whine and flopped her ears down. Stella led the group through the city, and they eventually arrived at a house, but it wasn't just any old house. Make no mistake, though, the house was definitely OLD. Its walls had cracks formed in them and were beginning to peel away due to the passage of time. Vines covered every inch of the house, indicating that nobody had even stepped foot in there for dozens of years. The house loomed over like a creature from the night, its glassy windows peering down at them like they were eyes.

To Radar and Lluna, the house already looked intimidating enough. But to Stella and Isaac, it was like staring at a monster that had been hiding under your bed when you were a child. That was no surprise, considering the amount of bad memories that were associated with this very building. "What is this place?," asked Radar, staring at the old and crumbling mansion with a mixture of awe and fear plastered on his face. "This was the house that I used to live in when I was a child," said Stella, her voice now monotone. "I don't live in it anymore. Too many bad memories." "And yet, you didn't bother tearing it down," said Isaac passive aggressively. "I wonder why." Stella gave Isaac a scathing glare. "Well, what are we waiting for?," Radar asked excitedly, getting pumped up. "Let's do this!" He jogged into the house with Isaac following after him. Stella remained outside for a moment, a storm of emotions brewing inside of her. Lluna, with her superior animal senses, noticed her owner's inner turmoil and pushed her head under Stella's hand, letting her pet her. Stella smiled down at Lluna and rubbed the llama's head. Ever since their recent adventures, their bond between them has grown stronger than ever. "I'm fine, Lluna," she said softly. "Let's join the others." The two of them walked into the mansion, where they saw Radar and Isaac standing in the living room, which was close to falling apart.

"So where do we start?," asked Isaac, his hands on his hips. "Well, I guess there's no other choice for us but to split up," said Stella. "We can't afford to waste any time, not when the fate of the human race literally hangs in the balance." "Are you sure that's a good idea?," Radar asked nervously. "This seems like the type of scenario where splitting up would be the WORST possible idea..." "Relax, Radar," said Stella. "It's not like we're in a haunted house or anything. The sooner we find this missing item, the sooner we can leave." "Scared already?," Isaac asked in a slightly mocking tone. "I am not that surprised. People who have had privileged lives tend to steer themselves AWAY from danger, after all." Lluna's ears flattened again and she began to growl like a feral wolf. How dare this human mock her owner like that? But Stella was not about to let that comment slip by. "It's called having common sense," she retorted. "Besides, would YOU want to stay in a house where someone was murdered?" Isaac's shoulders noticeably stiffened. "That was an accident," he growled. "Right, an accident," Stella scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Do you have any idea how many times I heard THAT excuse? You–"