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

Fallen Kingdom

Sunlight streamed into the tent as Alex fixed her hair. Satisfied, she pushed the flap open and entered the world once more. The past hours had been a blur. After her awakening, she had just sat inside the medical tent for a long time. Her system only took things in slowly, and at a snail's pace, things started to come back to her.

She remembered the sensation of the ice on her skin as she had plunged into the water. Desperately, she had downed a bottle of a water respiration potion before being swept away by the chilling currents. It must have kept her alive long enough to freeze. But above all else, she remembered the promise she had made to her friends: this won't be the last time we'll see each other.

How wrong she had been. Centuries had passed. Centuries. Alex was pretty sure the only reason she was still functioning was because she was in shock. Still, she was a warrior. She adapted. She didn't give up. And she went on adventures to help people. It seemed as though her rescuers both needed help and were going on an adventure.

These warriors certainly seemed like good people. They reminded her of her companions of old, and Alex knew character like that was a rarity. She thought back on the ones she had met at dinner last night.

Lucas, the hunter, was obviously the leader. Though Alex had learned that he had been a close friend of Steve's, his leadership talents were more than enough qualification for that role. He was decisive and was firm, but he was always listening.

And then there was Jack. He was the perfect friend. His loyalty and jovial outlook kept him always ready to help out. His storytelling skills were also quite excellent, and everyone had leaned in around the fire the night before to watch him spin his tales. He had an uncanny knowledge of legends, and Alex was beginning to fear that her reputation had become a legend in itself. While she heading to her tent, Jack had asked her, "Are you Alexis the Warrior?" She turned and answered, "Yes." Before he could ask any more, she smiled and closed the flap. Alex frowned. She would probably pay for that today with a series of stories.

The rest of the men in the camp all appeared to be able warriors as well. Alex had met Jon, the astute though slightly immature navigator, and Dakota, the somewhat intimidating mason. She had talked with Ben, the determined scout, Patrick, the quick-thinking medic, and William, the eager librarian in training, all of whom had known Steve "before it was cool."

Alex had agreed to join them on their quest, and after last night, she was looking forward to it. Chasing and fighting monsters was an activity she missed.

"Let's pack it up!" Jack was calling. All around her, men were preparing to move once more. Jack spotted her and walked over. "You need help with that?" he asked.

"I got it," she replied. Within seconds, she had the small structure rolled up. "You know, we had tents pretty similar to these," she pointed out.

"Well, you can't expect our technology to be that much ahead of yours," the blonde lumberjack explained. "After all, we've only started making major advances in the last two hundred years or so. After the collapse of the Sky Kingdom, we had a bit of a mini Dark Age." He stopped when he noticed her aghast expression. "Oh right," he sighed. "You didn't know that."

"It's okay," Alex assured. "Right now, there's a good bit I don't know." Jack left her there and went back to helping the others. Alex stared at the rising sun and wished for once that she was back home.

The day passed slowly, though the scenery was stunning. Their trail led them through yet another one of Minecraft's beautiful forests. At midday, they emerged from the trees and began a long ascent up a grassy slope. Alex had been walking, but after lunch, Lucas had insisted that she ride the white horse she now sat on. Jack rode up next to her on his own brown horse.

"I know I mentioned earlier," he began, "that the Sky Kingdom collapsed. I don't know if you wanted-"

"Go ahead and tell me," Alex interjected.

"Fredrick II was the last king to rule the last great kingdom," Jack started. "Seven years after your disappearance, the Castle Uber was attacked. Fredrick disappeared, and though no credible source says anything, some legends say that he did survive. However, any other survivors were few in number. The loss of central command caused his society to collapse. Most villages still functioned perfectly well, but they stopped communicating with each other. It became an every man for himself type situation."

"Castle Uber was one of the most secure fortresses known to the land," the girl pointed out. "How was it breached?"

"The villain known as Conan," Jack explained. "Supposedly, he was once a guard in Castle Uber. He knew every part of the security, and he let an army of monsters in."

"I've met him," Alex admitted with a shudder. "I put an arrow through his liver. I didn't expect him to be quite up to that task."

"He was a sorcerer," Jack mentioned. "Perhaps he healed himself."

"How did civilization pull itself back together?" Alex wondered.

"After, say, a century and a half of isolation, some thinkers came together and got everybody back on track. This was when historians became popular. By showing people what was possible in the past, they were inspired to think about what could be possible in the future. Redstone became the technology of the future. Governments were formed. Cities began to flourish like never before. And now, here we are."

"Your village has a central government?" Alex inquired.

"Yep," answered the lumberjack. "We've got a ruling council, and we're a member of a league of villages. Though come to think of it, our head elder has decided to take a vacation. You'll have to meet him when he gets back."

The two rode on in silence for a while. Finally, Jack turned and asked, "Do you, uh, have any good stories from way back when?"

"Oh, do I," Alex smiled. As the warriors continued on, Alex settled in and began to tell some of her most epic adventures.