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

Kindred Spirits

Feeling the icy sensation spreading across his face, Steve slowly opened his eyes. He moved them to look at a golden object pressed against his face. His eyes traveled up to the owner, another grim faced Wither Skeleton. The young warrior shuddered as his memories returned to him.

Steve has experienced some forms of torture before, and had even survived being stabbed in his abdomen, but he had never experienced something like this. The wither skeletons had beat him senseless. It didn't matter where their blows landed; any contact with those black bones caused an instant, mind-numbing pain.

And then the blaze General, Maximus, had his go. He had burned Steve with what he would come to realize were the fire rods of the ancient days. The golden weapons had felt as though they had just been pulled from a blacksmith's fire. In the end, Maximus had even just burned Steve with his bare hands. All the while, Regent Armstridge's twisted servants had thrown soul sand at him sparingly but enough to keep him from losing consciousness.

Steve felt the coldness in his face again and turned to see another strip of gold pressed against his face. Though he realized that the thing was actually just normal temperature, it felt incredibly cold after several hours spent in the hot climate of the Nether. Steve moved his head farther to see that he was laying on a wooden plank chained to the black brick wall. The skeleton now saw he was awake and stood up. Steve tried to stand, but waves of nausea swamped him.

The wither skeleton walked out the door and slammed it. Steve heard the click of a lock. He settled back into his cot and tried to get some rest. He knew that from now on, he would be living in his own horror story. He even had the hellish background to match, which he soon realized he could view from a barred window.

After what Steve assumed to be several hours, the guards got him again. This time, when he arrived in the throne room, they just beat him. Armstridge watched the whole thing but did not speak until it was over.

"Next time," the cruel overlord had said, "you'll be able to make the decision again." With that, Steve had been dragged back to his cell. The next day, Steve had been brought before the regent again, and once again he refused to give them aid. The third beating he received was far worse than the first two, and Steve knew it had been planned that way.

As Steve lay in his cell following the third torture session, he realized that above all, he longed for the cool touch of water in his skin. He didn't even want to drink it; no, just the sensation of contact with the cold liquid would bring relief. Instead, the blazes served him a foul tasting brown beverage. Steve also noticed his food had acquired an odd taste, and he suspected that soul sand had been sprinkled on it to prevent any injuries from killing him.

The second night (the Nether did in fact have a day/night cycle, though the night wasn't much darker), Steve was greeted with another surprise. Looking up at the sound of his door opening, Steve observed a blaze guard with a tray of food.

"You have a visitor," he said. "The Regent says you know to behave." The guard stepped aside to reveal a young blaze girl.

She did not have the extra two arms adult blazes possessed, and her fiery halo burned much dimmer. She appeared to be a girl about Steve's age, definitely not more than a year younger. Dark plentiful brownish-black hair complemented by a few light streaks tumbled down her shoulder. She had wide observant brown eyes and fairly wide red lips. Her skin was tan but not dark. As Steve took her in, he realized she was actually quite attractive. Though she wore a simply shirt and loose fitting pants, her clothes did not completely hide her curvaceous body.

"You have a limited time," the guard said to this newcomer before stepping outside the door. Steve's visitor walked toward him.

"I'm Selena," she began with a slightly musical voice. "I guess you're the new guy?"

"You could say that," Steve agreed. "I have your name, but who exactly are you? I doubt they let anyone come and see the prisoners."

"Regent Armstridge is my uncle," Selena explained. "I heard about you and I decided I wanted to see how different you were. After all, there's not much to do around here beside my schooling. Being royalty, I can't exactly be friends with," she paused, looking for the word, "commoners."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Finely, Selena pointed out, "You know, you really do look like the pictures of Herobrine in our books."

"Really?" Steve asked, surprised. "I mean, I've met the guy, but I never really saw the resemblance."

"You've met Herobrine?" shouted Selena, incredulous. Steve nodded.

"It's quite a tale," he affirmed. Selena looked at him expectantly. "All right, all right, I'll tell you," Steve laughed with a wave of his hand. Steve told the story once again, and he realized that he had told it quite a bit in the past few days. He touched up on the boring parts, he made the heroes more heroic and the villains more sinister.

After he finished, both sat in silence for a while. Finally, Selena glanced at the darkening sky outside Steve's window and rose. "I guess I should get going," she said. She turned and went out the door. For a long time, Steve just stared at the space she had occupied. Then he shook his head and went back to dinner.

Days passed. Steve's sessions with Armstridge became less frrquent, though each one brought a fresh round of pain.  Meanwhile, Selena visited him once, sometimes twice a day. They swapped stories, Selena talking about life in the Nether and being groomed as blaze royalty whole Steve continued to tell tales from his adventures.

His talks with Selena soon became his only pipeline out of his cell. Sometimes after his torture, she would just come and sit by him. Soon, Steve found himself thinking more about her than his own world. His thoughts of escape were replaced by staying in the Nether with her.

A little more than a week after Steve's arrival in the Nether, he and Selena were sitting on a bench, watching another Nether sunset.

"So, Steve," Selena asked, "did you ever, you know, have someone back home for you?" Steve looked up in surprise.

"No," he admitted with a shake of his head. "I mean, there were a few times, but I never had anyone that was really serious about it. That's probably good, though, because otherwise someone would be really worried about me right now. I'm sure my friends are worried somewhat, but they have other things to worry about."

He almost jumped when Selena placed her hand over his, but there was no burn. He met Selena's eyes. "Well, I care now," she whispered. They continued to look into each other's eyes. Steve couldn't move. Her perfume was intoxicating, and her features had him entranced. Her low cut blouse and skirt were not helping.

"I bet you've never kissed a girl on fire before," Selena murmured as Steve leaned in and touched lips. As they held each other in their arms, Steve felt her mouth move down his chin and her arms reach around him-

"No," he suddenly interjected, breaking their embrace. "I won't let you turn me to your uncle's side. Pleasure won't work any more than torture."

"Oh come on, Steve," Selena sighed, plunking down on his cot. "This isn't about him."

Steve sat down beside her. "Listen, Selena," he began.

"No, you listen to me," Selena persisted as she leaned in again to kiss him.

"Selena," he nearly shouted, pushing her away. "You may not think that, but if I give it all up for you, Armstridge still wins."

"I see," sniffed Selan coldly. She turned and left, slammed in g the door behind her.

Steve laid back on his cot. What have I gotten myself into? he wondered. Surely the guys back home were having better luck.