The Edge of MINECRAFT (Being the Second Volume of the Minecraft Trilogy)

Far Below

The eyes were almost sealed shut. It took some effort to open them. They slowly cracked open to take in the sky. It was a strange red, like very early dawn. They rolled around in their sockets, adjusting and readjusting. It felt as though they hadn't been used for centuries.

Their owner slowly placed a hand on a rock and pulled himself up. They blinked. Everything in his mind was blank. He was in some sort of cave. Its floor was a red rocky sand, and the walls was the same color rock. He stared up into the ceiling of the cave, through which the sky was visible. A hole had been made straight through it, leading right down to the depression in which this figure now rested in.

The figure turned to see if he could spot the mouth of the cave. He could, but more importantly, he could see an stirring diamond-clad figure groping for a gold sword. Suddenly, with a staggering intensity, the memories returned.

Steve put a hand to his head. Everything came at once. His childhood, his career as a wanderer, his three months of adventuring, falling. And now here. Wherever here was.

General Four let out a slow, guttural moan. He slowly rose. Steve suddenly felt an anger overtake him. He raced at the zombie and gave it a hard shove over. He took the gold sword from the ground and drove it into General Four's ruined diamond armor without hesitation. The half-dead monster gurgled as Steve stabbed him again and again. The monster was dead long before Steve's rage finally left him. He dropped the sword and kicked it aside. Slowly, he stumbled out of the cave. He was not prepared for what he saw.

Everything outside of the cave was formed from the same red rock. Torrents of lava flowed into lakes of fire spanning several kilometers. Colossal brilliant golden stalactites hung from the somewhere beyond the red wispy clouds that flashed with thunder. On red mountainsides, a pure white mineral contrasted with the crimson around it. On the lava lake beaches, dark brown sand covered the ground.

As Steve took all of this in, a hopping noise grabbed his attention. He pivoted to spot a large creature that looked very similar to a slime. However, it was a molten red color. In fact, even its flowing movements gave it the appearance of living lava. It oozed slowly up the hill toward Steve. As it approached, he saw its eyes, which blazed a fiery orange.

Suddenly, the mound of flaming goo launched itself into the air, its segments separating like an accordion. Steve back pedaled just in time to avoid the monster landing on his head. With it being even closer now, he realized the thing was actually on fire. He scrambled back into the cave to retrieve the golden sword. The creature hopped after him, its body splitting apart and coming together again.

With sword pointed out, Steve charged the magma monster. It attacked back even while Steve was swatting at it with his gold blade. The thing seemed impervious to his attacks. It fought very similarly to a slime, but it was flaming and much bigger, making it a worthy opponent.

The magma monster knocked Steve flat, and the sword clattered out of reach. Steve kicked the monster back with his feet, desperately groping for his weapon. He kicked it back, but it knew it had won. It pounced into the air for the kill, and then the solution hit Steve. He grabbed the sword and sliced at one of the monster's segments while it was separated from the others.

Steve's opponent fell to the ground in a heap. It let out a groan and fell into the lava. Steve didn't pursue. He had no quarrel with the creature.

The warrior's guard was let down for only a moment, but in that moment, a primal high-pitched screech attacked his ears. In the red clouds, Steve saw a huge mass moving toward him. He readied his sword once again. The new problem broke from its cloud cover, and Steve gasped at what he saw.

This new creature was similar to a cloud. It was almost translucent and seemed close to the same texture of a cloud. It was a stark white, with great gaping eyes and tears that streamed down its cheeks. Its mouth hung open, emitting shriek after shriek. Now that Steve focused on the sky, he realized he could see several of these beasts hidden partially.

The beast had spotted him. It let out a battle cry and swooped closer. Steve saw its mouth begin to glow red before he jumped out of the way. A fireball slammed into the rock beside him, obliterating the ground he had just been standing on. Steve broke into a sprint. Another fireball just barely missed him. Debris rained down from him when an overhang was turned to dust.

With a sickening dread, Steve realized he was about to run out of ground. The cliff cut off just a few meters ahead. A hollow sensation filled Steve's stomach: he knew he could be about to die. Sweat dripping down his temples, he leapt out from the rock right as it exploded beneath him. The shockwave hurtled him across the sky, and he came crashing into the ground.

A pain spread through Steve's body. He most likely broke several bones in the fall. Something told him he should be dying. But instead, a light feeling overtook him. He felt almost at peace for a few ticks. Then, realizing he was laying in a beach of a strange brown sand, he stood up and dusted himself off. Not only had his pain vanished, but he felt in top condition.

Steve's pursuer screamed in frustration that its prey had not perished. It came around for another attack. An idea formed in Steve's mind. He grabbed the golden sword from the ground and assumed a defensive position. The sky beast fired another fireball, this one missing Steve and sending brown sand swirling into the air.

Steve readied his sword and clenched his jaw. He hoped his idea worked, or else he was about to be cooked. A fireball sailed straight toward him. He tilted the sword, and the fireball bounced off of it, leaving the blade glowing white hot. The rogue projectile shattered one of the glowing stalactites.

Readying himself for what he knew was the last assault, Steve angled the sword and sent the newest fireball back at his attacker. The beast glowed crimson and cried out in pain. It retreated back into the clouds; it had other prey that would be much easier to catch.

Steve let out a deep breath. He looked around again. As he had been running for his life, he had made a few connections. He was almost certain he was in the legendary region known as the Nether. The sand he was now standing on was most likely soul sand from Notch's vault, known in the ancient days for its healing properties, which explained why he felt so great.

Now that he had proved he could survive for five minutes, the next challenge was to find some sort of shelter. Crossing the lava lake was not an option, as he had no means to cross it with. The cave he had come out of was one of thousands in the thick mountain range behind him, and it wouldn't be wise to try and brave it.

To the northwest, though, he could see that the mild cliffs evened out into plains. Straining his eyes, he thought he could even make out evidence of movement up and down the cliffs. There were no records of the creatures that inhabited the Nether. Steve had absolutely no idea what he would find on the plains. If Herobrine had survived his exile, perhaps his minions had, too. Or maybe he was near an encampment of the lost pigmen who ventured to this land and never returned. And then, there was simply the possibility that Steve was on the threshold of something much more ancient, a community that had not been disturbed since the dawn of time.

Steve didn't know what he would find. But with no other option, the hero who had fallen far below now took the first step, if even just a slight first step, upward.