Hacked - A Minecraft Story

Chapter 3

As night fell I continued to make my way through the trees. A plume of smoke rose into the sky behind me, signaling that the burning had begun.

I moved from tree to tree nimbly. Eventually I reached the foot of a great mountain. I made my way to the top of the giant, where a lone tree stood. It was a tall spruce tree that seemed to guard the peak. Once I had reached the top of the mountain, I scaled the tree - which had essentially become my home.

The sun melted against the horizon, and I sat comfortably hidden in my tree above all the monsters.

As usual, my thoughts began to drift as I waited for morning. One of the bothersome parts of being in Minecraft is that I cannot sleep without a bed. Therefore, I haven't gotten much sleep since being brought here.

I often wonder if my friends are here, in this insane, war filled world. I looked up at the stars. The square half moon slowly inched across the sky. The stars glittered faintly as grey clouds drifted lazily overhead. I wondered if they were looking for me.

I was brought back to reality by the sound of an arrow being fired. I hugged a tree branch and looked down below.

A man with flaming red hair ran from a rare spider-jockey. As the skeleton prepared another arrow, the man scaled the mountain towards my tree. When he reached the top, he turned and cast a fireball at the skeleton. It was knocked off of the spider's back and fell to its death. The spider continued crawling up the mountain, undisturbed by the skeleton's death. The man continued up the mountain, and eventually reached the top.

I pulled my bow from my back and knocked an arrow. The spider had caught up, and the man  was desperately trying to grab something from his pack. The spider leaped towards him, and I released the arrow. The spider flew backwards, twitching as it landed on the ground. It gave a final hiss before fading out of existence.

The man slowly walked towards where the spider had died, and picked up my arrow, inspecting it. He turned to look up at my tree, only to find my arrow blocking his way. I had silently made my way down the tree and drawn another arrow. We now stood not three feet apart, my arrow aimed for his chest. He dropped my arrow and held up his hands.

"I don't want a fight," he said with a silky voice. I did not move.

"Look, I really just want to keep moving," he reasoned. "I'm in no mood for a fight, and won't tell anyone you're here." His voice wavered as he said this. 

I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn't going to kill him, but he didn't need to know that. I sighed quietly and lowered my bow, keeping the arrow knocked. He lowered his hands, and then extended one to me. I stared at him until he awkwardly lowered his hand. 

He hair fell about his face and continually covered his eyes, which were purple - a strange color - that sparkled with knowledge and excitement. He wore a purple overcoat that was laced with silver around the edges. The rest of his clothes were plain, with a linen undershirt and leather pants. A silver ring with a yellow stone on his right hand and a golden watch on his left wrist were the only things that indicated him having power.

He was a wizard, and looked the part.

"Can I at least know your name?" He asked, trying one last time to make peace with me.

"No. Call me Ranger, if you must." I said flatly.

"Oh, okay then Ranger," My ears twitched. "I'm Lucas here in Minecraftia."

I nodded. It seemed like a good idea to keep your real name hidden. I even kept my Minecraft name hidden, not needing any attention. I was waiting this whole incident out.

"Err, thanks for the save back there," He mumbled. "I wasn't expecting a spider-jockey." 

He was really trying here wasn't he? Perhaps I should try to be kinder. I don't need anymore enemies, and perhaps I could use an ally here in this war.

"I'm heading back to the village my group lives in. I was out searching for any more Minecraftians to take back with me." He looked at me expectantly.

I stood there, suddenly at a loss. Go to a community, with other people? Lucas was the only person I've spoken to since I had... Never mind. What was I to do? Decline him and continue sitting in my little tree until someone just so happened to figure out how to get us out of this world? Then again, I have no idea who these people are. What if they just kill me on the spot?

As these thoughts whirled through my head, I found my voice somewhere.

"Is it safe?"

He nodded. "We haven't had a death for a few weeks now."

I swallowed, and then nodded. It was risky doing this, but part of me really wanted to trust Lucas. I don't know how I'll do this, having been away from people for so long. Could I really re-insert myself into a society?

Lucas began walking down the other end of the mountain from which he had come, and I followed numbly behind.