Virus (A Minecraft Story)

Chapter 15

Unknown's POV

I sit in the shadows, sharpening my sword. I am very proud of it; it is diamond on the outside, and lava on the inside, with an enchantment woven into it, so the victims I cut down would try to hold their wound closed as searing hot lava works its way through their veins and organs. I live in a cave, more like a ravine, deep underground, where precious gems and bedrock was found every ten feet. I do not live alone - an entire army's worth of mobs festers in the darkness, waiting for the signal to strike. A zombie passes me, his iron armour dented from battle. He is a soldier, his iron sword at his side. There are many ranks in the zombie's way of life. Before the Morph, the Change, whatever you want to call it, zombies were the stupidest and the clumsiest mob, running at the most welled armed Realmers, only to be cut down. Now they are the most organised at war, with proper ranks and armour. They're still extremely stupid, though. There's the lowest ranked, the foot soldiers in leather armour. They carry extra weapons, but often kill themselves with them by accident. If I live to see the day when a foot soldier actually kills a Realmer or a User, I'll eat a pufferfish. Then there's the soldier, who can actually fight. There's the assassin, wearing light armour that protects them well. They creep around on rooftops and in tunnels they dig, turning up where you least expect them. Then there's the barbarian. There are very few of these, because they are the most bloodthirsty zombies alive. Or un-alive. I don't know. They dress in diamond armour and carry two weapons, a silver axe and a silver sword. They are the ones who are often sent into the middle of a small army of fifty to eighty and come back alive and covered in blood. Then there are the two Generals. They tell the idiots where to go, who to kill, who to infect. They are almost impossible to kill. Then there's Mr. Big Shot himself, the Zombie Lord. He has the power over shadows, and cannot burn. He once lent his powers to his nephew, who tried to take on a village but got chased off by four Realmers. When the nephew got back, the Lord took his powers back and sent him home to his mother with one of his arms missing. Zombies are odd. I finish sharpening my sword and pull out my bow, to restring it. Skeletons are the archers of our world, now with unerring accuracy and modified arrows. They can assemble into wolves, and their leader, the Skeleton Lord, can change into a different type of animal, but no one knows what it is. The spiders are swift and deadly, their poison long-lasting, their webs like bedrock. Some of them discovered things they could do, which is a handy yet painful talent... The endermen turn up occasionally, to deliver a package or a new set of weapons. They're good fighters, like the ultimate assassin, but they prefer to stay in the background, being messengers and transporters. Yet there are a few endermen who gladly join in with our army, teleporting into villages and wiping them out. Creepers are plain annoying. They are good for destroying whole towns and villages, but down here they often set themselves off accidentally. There are the Miner creepers, for getting precious ores, but the Soldier creepers keep blowing things up and causing massive problems. I sling my bow over my back and stand, looking over the usual chaos. Creepers exploding, endermen appearing out of nowhere with stacks of wood, spiders trailing cobwebs over the stone roof high above us. A ramp, partially built, angles up the far wall towards the ceiling, where our escape route lies, ready to releash death and misery upon the Overworld. A zombie barbarian hurries by, impatient. "No, you morons, you use it like this!" He snatches an axe out of a confused enderman's hand and hurls it with brute force. It smashes into the stone and sticks there, the blade buried up to the handle. I keep walking. I make my way up the unfinished ramp, stepping over holes and leaping gaps, until I am at the top. The Spider Lord, Ender Lord and Creeper Lord are deep in conversation, but as I approach they break off abruptly. The Creeper Lord, who looks human but has the skin of a creeper, climbs aboard the Spider Lord, who swings away on strands of web. "We are close to breaking free," the Ender Lord rumbles, looking at me with purple eyes. I nod. "What would you like me to do?" He smiles without humour. "You are one of our best fighters, and we all respect you, despite who you are. I want you to track down these four Realmers, the one who fought the Zombie Lord's nephew. I want you to kill them, and bring their heads back to me. Or any body part. I'm not picky." I shrug. "Fine. But why kill them now, why use me? Just slaughter them when the Rising occurs." The Ender Lord glares at me. "You ask too many questions for your own good." He turns away, his dark purple robes swishing. "I shall tell you only this; the Creator, the one who blessed us with our powers, has ordered us Lords to have these four killed, because they are a threat to him." A strange feeling of hope flares in my heart, then is extinguished by the cold that has consumed me for as long as I can remember. "Then I shall carry out His wishes." I say flatly, and the Ender Lord looks satisfied. "Good. Leave us, and track them down. If they are not in this Realm, wait for them." I turn my back on him and leap, sailing towards the ground so far below, where I would've been splattered. Instead, I simply click my tounge, and an enderman teleportels to me, grabbing me by the shoulders. He throws me, and I land safely on the rock ledge opposite the ramp. After checking my weapons, I look around for the switch. I can't see anything except stone. "They're getting smarter." I murmur, running my hands along the surface. My fingers hit something, so I press down. Something clicks, and some stone right next to me disintegrates, revealing a dark, gaping tunnel. I sidle across the ledge, careful not to fall, and am about to step into the tunnel. I pause, sensing something. I look back to see the Skeleton Lord watching me, red eyes gleaming in the semi-darkness. I nod to him sarcastically and walk into the tunnel, into the unknown - into darkness.