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

101 Ways to Deal With an Unconscious Girl

Drawing an arrow, Lucas narrowed his eyes to focus on the target. He angled the bow and let his arrow fly. It struck dead center. He smiled. At least he knew his archery skills were still sharp. He had been disappointed with himself after he missed the kill shot on that skeleton general. Even though he knew it wouldn't have brought back Steve, that skeleton was undoubtedly still helping the monster ranks grow. Lucas felt it in his gut that the skeleton had been there last night.

But now they were gone. Lucas felt like he had been punched in the stomach when Jack delivered that news. Lucas had been forming plan after plan, but now he was back to square one. However, Jack and his group had ascertained that the monsters were heading north. Lucas knew that was a major piece in this puzzle.

Of course, there was also the complication of the girl. Even in Minecraft, it was odd to find someone frozen in a block of ice. Patrick had seen to her thawing out, and according to his latest report, she was very much alive and in good condition, though she had yet to wake from her coma. Lucas had not gotten a very good look at her, and he was eager to hear her story.

Luca stood a step back and fired at another target. As he continued to do this, his mind wandered back on Steve. Lucas missed his friend. His felt angry at himself for not doing more to save him. If both of them would have taken on the zombie general, then Steve could still be alive. Or Lucas would be with Steve, wherever he was. Perhaps he was in another world. Or perhaps he had died. Surely Notch would grant him admittance into the Aether. Or maybe the players had seen it fit to respawn him. If anybody deserved another life, it was Steve.

Too bad we can't find his reincarnated baby and get him to lead us again, Lucas thought grimly.

"Lucas!" a voice called, breaking him from his concentration. He looked up only to realize that he was now twenty meters from his target. Each shot had still hit bullseye.

"Lucas!" yelled the voice again. The hunter turned to see Jack bounding toward him. "Lucas, she's waking up!" It took Lucas a minute to determine what he meant, but then it hit him.

"She is?" he asked eyes wide. Jack nodded.

"C'mon," he urged. Lucas walked up the hill that the camp sat atop of. Jack stared over his shoulder, and Lucas looked back to see all of his bullseyes. "Straumn," Jack quietly mused. "Dead center." Lucas smiled.

"It was nothing," he jokingly bragged. Jack grinned too and punched Lucas playfully on the arm. The two of them began to walk toward Patrick's medical tent. "No rush?" he inquired.

"No rush," Jack repeated. "Patrick said it would take a little while for her to snap out of the coma. I just wanted to give you plenty of advance warning." The pair continued to stroll through the camp.

"So things are going well in Westlodge?" Jack wondered. Lucas nodded.

"I talked to George," Lucas confirmed. "You know, one of our elders. He said that the October harvest brought in a surplus. Meanwhile, our leaders are having a heyday. Joseph is leading right now, until Jameson returns. Apparently, he sent them a letter telling about how he decided to meet with some other village leaders about our efforts." Both of them laughed; Lucas knew it was the exact thing Jameson would do to mess with the other elders.

"Your family doing well?" Jack asked.

"Mom and Dad are great," he affirmed. "Monica is getting married later this month, actually." Monica was Lucas's older sister. While Lucas was only in his early twenties, Monica was going on thirty. "And then the rest of the family is doing well, too. Rose misses you."

"So she is going by Rose now," Jack confirmed. Lucas nodded. "I like Juliet better. It's a pretty name, and someone like her needs a pretty name."