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

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Lucas sleepily blinked his eyes open, slowly waking as sunlight began to fill his small room. He sat up slowly and stretched, knowing that soon, the small band would be back on the road for Westlodge. Home.

Quickly, he pulled on his black cloak and raked his hand through his hair, his substitute for combing. As soon as he was ready, he flung open his door and padded down the rickety stairs of the inn. Many others were already outside the building, though Steve was still absent.

"Ya missed breakfast, sleepy head," teased Jack.

Lucas shrugged. "I can miss meals. I'll get a big lunch. Besides, food versus sleep? It's an obvious choice."

"Has anyone seen Steve?" asked Artie.

"I'm here," the warrior said, emerging from a doorway.

"You didn't join us for Emeralds and Creepers in Lucas's room last night," Jack complained. "We were playing for riches. And you totally missed Alex fail at everything."

"Well, we certainly didn't have anything like that when I was a child," laughed Alex. "All kids could do for fun was throw rocks into the air and try to catch them. Plus, it was just entertaining for me to watch grown men 'cast spells' by moving around little glass figurines."

"That does sound like a spectacle to behold," Steve admitted, remembering back to the nights Jack would try to teach the children's game to fellow camp members.

"Hey, young folk!" shouted Amos, who was helping Jameson and some other elders secure any supplies for the walk back. "Let's get a move on!" The warriors relented, joining their companions on the road that led out of the village. As they walked, Lucas took in the impressive details of Stremfort. It was one of the largest villages ever, with Redstone, a river, and tall buildings just being some of its distinguishing features. It also, he realized grimly, would make an excellent military stronghold. If Herobrine's forces captured Stremfort, he could use it as a tactical base to siege all of the western lands. He hated to admit it, but Lucas knew that defending the city would be key.

In a few short hours, they followed the road through the rolling hills and back to Westlodge. Lucas could see the welcoming village on the horizon. Soon, they reached the gates, which currently stood open. He could see through them that everyone at Westlodge still carried on their normal tasks. They hadn't quite gotten into the military mindset like some of the bigger villages. Westlodge was prosperous and growing, but it was still am a enough to currently be under Herobrine's radar, according to the scouts.

While a lot of the young, able-bodied people of the village had gone off to join camps of adventurers, many of them were currently present. Several people stopped to turn and watch as the group of warriors and leaders walked down the main road. Lucas and his friends followed the elders to Westlodge's great hall.

Jameson turned to Steve and informed him, "We've already sent out the word. You and your little band of fighters have the next couple days off." Lucas grinned as Jack whooped and men high-fived.

Steve turned to them. "All right, men, you heard him! Kick back and relax. Have some fun that doesn't involve killing something!" Everyone voiced their approval at that before running off to whatever they pleased to do.

Lucas followed Jack back to their homesteads. Lucas smiled as his friend's four little brothers wrapped him up in a hug. The four of them ranged from seven to fifteen years of age, all smaller versions of Jack. Lucas could see his parents hanging around in the doorway. The hunter turned and found his own parents, waiting for him with his sister.

"Hey, guys," he smiled, hugging them. It hadn't been that long, but you relished every chance you got with your family when war loomed like a storm cloud. "How's being married?" he asked his sister.