The End Of MINECRAFT (Being the Final Volume Of the Minecraft Trilogy)

Magic at Midnight

Walking down the steps of the great hall, Steve hurried to catch up to some of his friends. Jack, Lucas, and Alex were clustered together with some other villagers, deep in discussion. Jack turned to see Steve approaching and cracked a grin.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, wrapping Steve in a bear hug. "I almost thought you weren't gonna come out of there."

"Well, decisions, decisions, you know?" Steve struggled to explain as he felt his ribs crack under the stress of his friend's massive arms. Jack realised that, once again, be was literally killing someone with kindness, and released Steve.

"Thanks," breathed Steve as he caught his breath.

"Seriously, though," Jack continued, "we're with you through the end. We'll accompany you on this quest."

"Certainly," agreed Lucas. "Like I said, we're not soldiers. I agree that Stremfort is a vital part of our civilization, but it's not my home. I'd much rather go on another quest than fight in the front lines."

"I have always wanted to see a dragon," mused Alex. "Not to mention the End itself. Do you know we have less than ten known accounts of villagers travelling to the End World? It used to be less than five, but your friend Theos has helped me catch up on some reading." 

Steve chuckled. Alex had just spent a couple weeks in the future, and what had she done? Caught up on her reading. Regardless of what he said, she was his kind of girl. He was glad to have her as a part of the team.

"I would love to go," said Steve. "I mean, isn't that the reason we got the whole gang together? But, at the same time, I hate to turn tail and run off at such a key moment. A lot of people think that we just need to brace ourselves and withstand any attacks, but I think that we also have a crucial time to strike at Herobrine's forces. If they attack only to find an army waiting for them, we can deal some major damage. Herobrine, it seems, has put all his eggs in one basket. His fatal flaw is his arrogance, his overconfidence. If we can stop him now, he might not have any sort of backup plan."

"Wise words," observed Lucas. The others nodded. "But, Steve, no one's gonna hold you to anything. We started this war on our quest, and I'm sure anyone in their right mind would understand your commitment to finish the quest."

"It's your choice," added Alex, "and yours alone."

"Yup," Steve said. "Not to procrastinate, but I've got a few days. We missed lunch, and now it's almost dinner time. Let's go find somewhere to eat."

"Sounds good to me," Jack said eagerly. "Every time Amos used to come back from here, he would tell my dad about this great tavern. Says they've got the best pork chops north of Frankston."

"Well, let's go find him and the rest of the gang," suggested Lucas. "Get a nice little supper."

"That seems lovely," Alex agreed. "Let us go."

An hour later, the whole group sat around a round corner table within The Red Dragon, eating some of the finest food any of them had had in a long time.

"You know," laughed Artie, "the last tavern I went to was some joint called Harrod's Stool. Went there with Theos, yeah, when we caught those thugs. It was probably one of the filthiest places I've ever been in. I bet there were finer eateries in Israphel's creeper base!"

"Maybe," chuckled Jack, "though if there was, I certainly didn't taste any of it." The whole gang broke out into more laughter.

"How about the Nether, Steve?" Jack asked. "How was the food there?"

Steve opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly, vivid memories flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes, thinking of the lavish banquets he had attended, but only at the cost of slaughtering thousands of innocents.