Minecraft the Novel - chapter 7

Chapter 7 – The Bone Contract

There’s no light.

Absolute darkness.

Flicker of light passes by.

‘What was that?’ I think. Then, a small light appears from a room. The room is guarded by a rotten wooden door, with smoke coming out of it. Various types of bones and shells, stripped of flesh and marrows, are scattered everywhere.

The door creaks, open.

Closed.

‘Should I follow?’ My mind is debating over the question. However, my body, unable to function according to my will, draws itself closer to the door.

No, no, no, please. Don’t do this. You’ll get captured for sure.

My hand grabs the doorknob.

Twist, creak, open.

I step inside, against my own will, my brain screaming to my body. (You idiot! What are you doing!) The room is very hot and dry, with more bones laying on the floor or hanging on the wall. In the middle of the room sits a cauldron, boiling and belching fumes. Two hooded figures, men or beasts I cannot identify, observe the cauldron. One of the figure has a sword, the other has a bag. The one with the sword is long and lanky, while the other one is stocky and short.

“Look at that!” The short figure speaks in a high-pitched shrill, sounding like two metal scraping each other. “The potion is blood red! It’s radiant, like sun!”

“Yes.” The tall figure croaks, obviously much calmer and more rational then the stocky one. “The potion is almost mature. However we require one more material.”

“Aye.” The stocky figure mutters an agreement. “Unfortunately, I have a very bad memory so I’ll have to be informed of the last material again. Now, what was it?”

“You simpleton.” The tall figure groans, his voice deep and hoarse. “It’s a pint of purified blood.”

“Now I remember.” The stocky figure guffaws, and the tall one chuckles lightly.
“Show me your wrist.” The tall one draws his swords.

“No way! I lost too much blood on this goddamn potion and I’m not giving any more! I’m already as pale as full moon.”

“Then what would you do?” The tall one argues with a bit of controlled anger in his voice.

“I caught this.” The stocky one opens the bag and dumps the content of the container. I gasp in disbelief, unable to resist my overflowing disgust towards the two figures.

An elf girl stands in front of my eyesight. She has long, wispy golden hair coated with red blood, deep maroon eyes, and catlike appearance and figures. Her hands and feet are bound by ropes, and a tape blocks her mouth from screaming. Her entire body is bruised and beat up, with a large scar across her stomach. Her simple, brown leather tunic and greaves are ragged and torn.

“A rare catch.” The tall figure bends his knees to have a closer look at the elf. Judging by her figure, her appearance and her height, I estimates her to be no older than 20. However, her piercing glare at the tall figure seems nothing like immaturity. “Unusual, but works, nevertheless.”

Then the stocky one grabs the tall figure’s sword and beheads the poor elven girl. Blood sprouts from her corpse, as the stocky figure drops her head casually into the cauldron. The potion thickens and darkens almost instantaneously, and few seconds later, becomes very thick and black.

“It is complete! It is complete!” The stocky figure jumps for joy.

“Are you ready to take the Bone Contract?” The tall figure grabs two goblets from a hidden table.

“More than ready, my brethren.” the stocky figure sniggers, taking one of the goblets. He scoops a goblet full of liquid. The tall one does the same.

“Toast.” the tall one says.

“Toast.” the stocky one replies.

Then they drink as my vision dims into darkness. When my vision is completely blackened, the most horrible, agonizing howl erupts from the darkness, almost sounding like two soul exiled to Hell...

I wake up and find myself in a bed. I am put on clean clothes and well-cared. The bed takes up the most of the room, although the room allows some paintings, a window and a door. Carefully I get up and walk out of the room.

“Hey you’re awake.” Claudia comes into view as I turn left, her hands and parts of her head bandaged. Robert, Jake, and Ashton stands next to Claudia.

Ashton is mid-sized, handsome guy, with stiff buzzed hair, oak-colored, moody eyes with depth, and overall skinny limbs. His arrogant hand gestures were always a pain before, but now it makes me feel joyous and not lonely.

“Bro, what happened?” Ashton starts. “You dropped dead in front of Sylph’s house. I thought you were gonna kick the bucket.”

“I really have no idea what happened.” I state. “However I do remember a dream that I saw.”

“A dream?” Robert asks. “What dream?”

“Well, it was like blah blah potions, blah blah blood, blah blah toast,” I explain. “I really didn’t get most of the two hooded figures’ dialogues. However I did see them brewing potion and saying something about the Bone Contract.”

“The Bone Contract,” Jake defines. “A potion-drinking ritual that combines two souls into one to create a physically and magically enhanced creature. The result is often horrendous.”

“Nobody knows much about the Bone Contract.” Robert says. “However we do know that you do not want to go one-on-one on the results. They have various lethal weapons against you.”

“I also saw an elf. Are elves real in Minecraft?” I inquire.

“Nobody knows for sure.” Jake responds. “However it is unlikely to have any other species that are not controlled by the Admin.”

“But there was one in my dream.” I argue.

“It could just be your illusion.” Ashton smirks, takes out a cigarette, and says, “I need a lighter.”

“Oh no, you better not be smoking that thing in my infirmary!” Sylph, who came up from first floor, spots Ashton with a cigarette and shouts. She grabs a broomstick nearby, and chases Ashton with it.

Ashton scowls as he runs away, everyone else laughs.

“I cannot answer about the elves nor about the Bone Contract.” says Robert. “However I do know that you need more rest. Go back inside and take a good nap.”

Minecraft the Novel - chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Meditation

As I left the treehouse of Hamish’s, I check if any mobs are around. The surrounding plains are dead silent. The crater is still there, leaving the road asymmetric. Blood puddle has hardened into brown sheen.

“Done with the lesson?” A voice startles me, and I turn back. It is Robert, with a turquoise-blade sword drawn and ready. His iron armor glistens with reflected torchlight.

“Yes.” I reply, and Robert smiles.

“Good.” Robert says. “Then I will accompany you to your next lesson.”

Sylph’s house is built with rather unique design. The bottom part is wide and built with stone slabs. From the stone base, a wooden spiral staircase appears that leads to a grassy dirt cube that are covered with leaves and vines. Streams of water sprouts from the top edges of the cube, forming a giant walls of waterfall that surrounds the staircase. A large garden of reeds, flowers, mushrooms, wheat, pumpkins, and melons surrounds the house.

“Sylph will take care of your knowledge in mod. She is an excellent moderator, but I have to warn you.” Robert announces.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Drink lots of water,” Robert answers. “and eat a lot of snacks. Mod conjuration takes a lot of energy, and you do not want to faint from dehydration.”

The base of Sylph’s house is cold and dry, with a door that leads to the backyard garden and paintings of plants and flowers. In the middle of the base, there is a staircase: the staircase that leads to the dirt cube. The floor glows with illuminating stones. A sign posted on the base of the staircase says: ‘Climb’.

I step on the stairs and the stairs creaks with protest. I carefully walk up the stairs, worried that the stairs might collapse. Creaks grow softer as I go up, however, and when I have reached the top of the staircase, it was silent.

I open the door and stare at the sight. The dirt cube is a massive garden of flowers, trees, and crops, with most of the garden omitted to the outsider’s views. Rivers flow from an artificially-made body of water to crops. An island with a bed, a workbench and a large chest floats motionlessly in the middle of the lake, and on the island sits Sylph Leon.

Sylph resembles an elf: beautiful but strange. Her wavy amber hair with jet black streaks stopping at her frail shoulders, gray, clouded eyes, and delicate figure all harmonizes into one blocky person.

“Welcome.” Sylph greets.

“Hi.” I reply. “Where do I sit?”

“You need not to move.” Sylph answers as she draws a simple drawing on the dirt floor of the island, and articulates “Selfa Nacee”

The drawing carved on the ground glow and fades as the lake water splits to the sides, exposing wet muddy road.

“Come to the island.” Sylph orders, and I do so. She encloses the road with a hand gesture after I climb up the island.

“How did you do that?” I ask.
“Selfa Nacee,” Sylph responds, “is a mod that splits the body of water. It literally means ‘split water’.”

“That’s what mod is?” I question in disbelief.

“Yes.” Sylph answers, “Mod is nothing complicated nor too difficult. It’s as easy as pie.”

“You make it sound like nothing.” I groan with complaint.

“It will be once you learn.” Sylph smiles. “Let’s get started.”

I meditated for an hour, as told by Sylph. I have, however no idea why I have to do this. My butt starts to hurt and I feel itchy to move. But if I move, Sylph will hit me with a stick.

“One hour is up.” Sylph announces, and I relax my pose. “What did you feel?”

“Nothing.” I answer. “Except for some itchiness.”

“You didn’t try.” Sylph declares.

“But I had no idea what to do!” I argue.

“You just had to clear your mind.” Sylph sighs, leaning on a tree. “You will meditate every lesson until you gain enough power to conjure mod at will. After that, you’ll learn symbols and phrases. You can go now.”

“Wait,” I say, “you never told me how meditation could help me do what you did earlier.”

“Sit.” She commands. I grudgingly sits down.

“Mod requires considerable amount of energy. Messing around with mod without acquiring basic stamina will kill you. That’s why I will never teach you something like this until you are capable.” Sylph states as she finished drawing a very complex symbols.

“Lewe Ria Denal Rife Nar,” Sylph articulates, and the symbols illuminates with red lights. “Straf on Fez.”

The symbols fade as air near the drawing swirls into a small twister, reaching to the top of the cube but only a cube wide. After the twister reaches maximum speed, it catches on fire, but does not burn anything because of such a small area of effect. The twister goes on for several seconds, then Sylph dismisses it. Her breath sounds a bit fatigued.

“That,” I state, “was cool.”

“I restricted the area of the mod with the barring charm.” Sylph says. “You see, it already takes significant energy to call upon the powers of mod, but to sustain it within a certain area takes a lot of time and skill.”

“Will meditation give me skill?” I ask.

“No.” Sylph answers. “However, it will help you pacify your spirit so you can wield your energy at will.”

“It does?” I exclaim.

“Yes.” Sylph smiles. “Spirits of the worldly beings are too clouded to activate mod, but once you get used to this world, your fogged soul will be liberated of all distractions and then you’ll be able to conjure mod.”

“I can’t wait.”

“You will come tomorrow again to meditate. Until then, farewell.”

Minecraft the Novel - chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Of Mobs and men

“Let’s start with zombies. They are the firstborn of the darkness and foot soldiers of the Admin. You can easily find the garden variety ones with blue skins and moans. They attack with their sharp claws, and occasionally with their fangs.” Hamish begins, talking between bites.
“How do you kill them?” I ask.
“Swords, bow and arrow, anything of fire damage, and mods. Sunlight is also a lethal weapon against zombies, since they are the descendant of the void.” Hamish answers, and takes out an iron sword. “This sword can kill a zombie in 3 slashes. They are easy to craft, but inefficient against massive hoard of zombies. I recommend bow and arrow for killing them.”
“There are various kinds of zombies. Rock zombies let out a brownish gray hue and are found in caves. The Gilled Ones can move faster in water and can breathe underwater. Hawkboys have small wings crafted to their back, too small to be able to fly but big enough to give the zombie extra boost in jumping. The strongest known zombie species is the Knights. They are normal zombies, except they have leather, iron, gold, or even diamond armors on. They are resilient against arrows and even sunlight, but you can harm them critically with some fire, mod, or sword.” Hamish continued.
“Are the knights’ armors wearable?” I ask.
“To some degrees, yes.” Hamish responds as he opens his chest and takes out a cooked beef stake. “In fact, my golden breastplate comes from one of the Knights of the Earth, a name of the Knights with golden armor.”
“What do they also give?” I question him.
“Mostly rotten flesh and feathers. The Gilled One once dropped raw fish.” Hamish replied.
“What does rotten flesh do?” I barrage Hamish with questions.
“You’re damn curious, aren’t you?” Hamish smirks, and I chuckle. “I would tell you, but we have much to learn, so just don’t try to eat it.”
“Another offspring of the darkness is the Skeleton. They are cunning, intelligent, and tricky to kill. They can attack you from range with bow and arrow, so use strafe techniques, which I will teach you when my wound heals somewhat.” Hamish proceeds with lecture, as he devours the steak, speaking between bites.
“What kinds of skeletons are there?” I ask Hamish.
“Many, depending on types of bow and arrow. There are Incendiaries, with fiery and explosive arrows, Intoxicas with poisonous arrows, Heavies with crossbows, and Enchanters with mod-enchanted arrows. There are more, but not yet revealed.” Hamish lists some of the types of skeleton. “Anyhow, skeletons are smart enough to craft deadly range weapons.”
“If they are that smart,” I argue. “How can we kill them?”
“Despite their cunning brains and dexterity, they are fragile. Two shots of fully drawn bow can kill one. Sunlight can also be fatal to them.” Hamish says as he leans back.
“Next comes Spiders. They pose threat to cave explorers because they can climb up walls and hang on ceilings, launching a surprise attack and poisoning the opponent. The poison can’t kill you, but lowers your health into a critical condition.” Hamish explains. To kill them, thrusting your blade into the poison sac, located on their back, can prove instant death. They turn neutral at days, though. So they pose no threats in the days.”
"Is there any kinds of spiders?” I interrogate.
“None other than occasional Jockeys: Skeletons on Spiders. They serve as cavalry of the Admin, and their vitality matches the Knights’.” Hamish answers.
“Creeper brings up the rear.” Hamish announces as he takes a photo of the monster called creeper. It was the same creature as what injured Claudia. “They are the Halbringer of Death, the Kamikaze, the reaper of Silence, or whatever you want to call them. They are as ancient as this world itself. They travel in silence, sneaks up on enemies, and blows up, hence the name.”
“How do you kill them? It seemed to explode in the tiniest of disturbance.” I ask.
“Ranged weapons,” Hamish yawns. “Creepers are only provoked to explode when there’s a hostile life-form nearby.”
“Are there any kinds of them?” I inquire Hamish.
“Thunderheads. The worst killer of all. One blow, and it’s over. No one would dare to fight Thunderheads with melee weapon. Even snowballs are better than diamond swords.” Hamish shudders at the thought of the Thunderhead creeper. Then, he takes a book out of his chest, and hands it over to me.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“Your mob guide. Study the parts about zombies, skeletons, creepers, and spiders thoroughly. I will test you in 3 days.” Hamish declares, preparing to sleep. ‘Your lecture is over for the day. You may go.”
Then Hamish fell asleep.

Minecraft the Novel - chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Prowling Dangers

Robert's wife, Chantelle, was a living recipe book, and Sylph was able to make foods from heaven itself.  At dinnertime, the whole village gathers by tables next to the community building.  Chantelle and Sylph prepare a fantastic feast: breads, plates of salad, roast pig.  For dessert there's cake.  At night, villagers wait for Robert to give orders by telling stories from their past.
"Everyone listen up."  Robert commands as he steps on a protruded stone slab on a wooden floor.  The villagers cease what they were doing and pay attention.
"As you all know, we have a new castaway, David.  He is a novice and requires aids for surviving in this harsh world.  So for the next few weeks you will be assigned to teach David your specialties."  Robert announces.  "Hamish and Ashton will train David on self-defense against mobs and Admin's minions.  Jake and Sylph will help David how to draw and conjure mods.  Austin can teach David botany and medicine, and I will teach him tool crafting."
"What about me?"  Claudia inquires as the villagers proceed accordingly.
"Claudia,"  Robert declares. "You'll be David's bodyguard and personal tutor.  You'll stay by him as he conducts his training."

Claudia accompanies me on my way to Hamish's house: a small tree house made inside and beyond a giant mother tree.  The road is dimly lit with glowing stone lamp.
"Great."  Claudia sighs.  "Thanks to you, I'm stuck watching you failing in everything."
"It's not my fault, Claudia.  You make it sound like it's a waste of time."  I snigger, as Claudia suddenly tenses up.
"I smell gunpowder."  Claudia announces, drawing her iron sword and standing in a guard position.  "David, get behind me."
I do as I am told.  I stand behind Claudia, who takes a glance up a small dirt hill and swears under her breath.  I look up and encounter something moving towards us.
The creature is green and quadripedal.  Each step it takes make almost no sound at all.  It looks agile enough to be able to outrun Usain Bolts in a 100m dash.  Smoke come out of it's mouth, with occasional hissing.  Of course, this creature is manufactured out of cubes and blocks.
"I don't even have a bow."  Clauida silently mutters, rummaging through her leather jacket pocket.  Then, grabbing her sword tight, she charges toward the creature, her eyes ready to kill.
Instantly, the creature self-destructs, sending shockwave so strong it flings Claudia 30 feet up the air.  She falls 50 feet away from a crater caused by the explosion, coughing blood.  As soon as Claudia hits the ground, Hamish descends from his "house" to check what's up.
Hamish is huge and muscular: reaching beyond 6 foot 2.  His yellow, almost lusterless, blond hair reaches to his shoulder, covering one of his brown and playful eyes.  He has a large scar on his left forearm, and a tattoo of a creature i just encountered playing an electrical guitar.  Like everything in Minecraft world, Hamish is made up of cubes and blocks.
"What the hell happened?"  Hamish asks.
"Some green creature blew up."  I respond.
"Must be a creeper."  Hamish says, sighing.  "Sylph will be infuriated, with creepers roaming around the base.  Anyway, are you O.K?"
"I am, Claudia is not."  I report, and Hamish examines what happened.  Seems like Claudia fainted soon after the explosion.  Red hot blood soaks her back as it forms a puddle.
"She's hurt bad."  Hamish announces, carrying Claudia on his back. "It's a miracle she's alive.  I'll take her to Sylph's house.  You get in my house and lock the door tight.  O.K.?"

Hamish's house is cozy, with bookshelves full of heavy metal magazines and numerous musical scores of rock music, like 'Smoke on the Water' by Deep Purple and 'Gives You Hell' by All American Rejects.  There were desks for crafting and chests full of stuff.  Surprisingly, for such a compact building, Hamish's house has a bed, a fireplace, and a table.  There is a glass of whiskey and a slice of cake on the table.
"Can you hand me a cloth from my chest?"  Hamish's voice comes from the front door.  His right arm is bleeding, with claw marks reaching from his elbow to his wrist.
"Here."  I take a cloth from his chest and hand it to Hamish, who wraps it around his new scar.  "What happened?"
"There was a pack of zombies who smelled blood and swarmed near the base.  If it wasn't for Robert and Austin, I would've been eaten."  sighs Hamish, slumping into his bed.  "Fortunately, I have a cake that I can eat to rejuvenate lost health.  Do you want some?"
"No thanks."  I reply.  "How do you have a cake?"
"I made it."  Hamish answers.  "It's my birthday today, and I thought I'll treat myself."
"Wow, I didn't know it was your birthday, Hamish.  Happy birthday."  I congratulate Hamish, and Hamish smirks.
"Thanks.  You are the first to wish me a happy birthday.  You know, after 9 months of separation from the real world, people don't seem to remember other people's special occasions."  Hamish speaks, solitude seeping from his tone of voice.  "Anyway, let's start training.  Since I'm hurt, I can't teach you sword technique, but I can teach you types of mobs.  You are good at memorizing, right?"

Minecraft the Novel - chapter 3

Chapter 3 - The mod, the mobs, and the Admin.

"You're nuts."  I address
"No I'm not."  Robert counters, smiling.  "But if you consider a man who is a trusted leader, a loving father, and a faithful husband nuts, then I am one."
"Why can't we just escape on a boat or something?"  I argue, and Robert smiles again.
"Because the Admin has set up mods around this world."  Robert says, confusing me again.  "When the Admin noticed us castaways ashore his world, he sent his minions to set up a Pentagon mod to morph the dimensions and times around here, transporting this world to the parallel universe."
I can't understand a world he spoke.  Well, not literally a word, but the whole concept of Minecraft world and mod and everything is a mystery to me.  "I'm sorry, but I don't understand a word you just said."
"Of course, you need to be educated first."  Robert laughs, and leads me to the Community Center.  The interior of the building is wide and cozy, illuminated with torches lined up by the wall.  Chairs, small, big and made out of wood, are arranged by all four sides of a square fireplace made out of brick blocks.  On a wall parallel to the entrance lays a stairway leading to the second floor.
"This is where the villagers gather to have leisure time, discuss our works, and file our complaints."  Robert explains the use of the building.  "Ask Jake to teach you about this world.  He's in the library."

The library, unlike the one in my schema, is a large room full of machines, not books. Mechanisms, small and big, are lined up all across the room, surrounding a small desk and Jake Sachs.  Jake was tall, lanky, and sloppy.  His clothes, oversized cotton shirt and khaki pants under a big white apron, are covered with grime and dirt.  And he is, of course, made out of cubes and squares.
"Oh hello there."  Jake utters as he rises from a chair and knocks over a small machine.  "I'll get that.  Your name is David?"
"Yeah."  I answer as Jake picks up the machine and places it on a stand.  "What's that?"
"It's called the Index."  Jake retorts.  "It keeps track of all the resources available and the crafting codes.  Made by yours truly."
"Can't you use the computer or something to keep track of things like that?"  I question.
"The mod atmosphere messes up with the motherboard.  It's practically useless, unless you use it as a weapon."  answers Jake.
"Great."  I sigh in disappointment.  "I brought a laptop.  It's in my boat: what's left of it anyway.  And I don't even know what a mod is."
"Well then I'll have to teach you."  announces Jake, pulling a book out from under his desk.  The book was bigger than the Oxford dictionary, and the cover is full of fancy gold swirling, with golden Greek letters in the center and an English translation taped under it.  The title says Record of Times.
"We all learn from this book."  Jake opens the book and groans at the sight of the first page, and old papyrus, doodled on by a little kid.  "And I especially told Aaron and Katherine to stop messing with the book.  Anyway, this  book teaches about this world and what to expect, and they're orderly written by a man named Herobrine.  We're guessing he is the first castaway ever since the Admin took control."
I see what he means by orderly as he flips to the unblemished page 2.  The table of contents, thankfully not besmirched by Robert's little kids, reveals a very organized, almost strategically placed list of information.  "How did you translate all this?  Do you guys have a Greek guy here or something?"
"That's when this comes in handy."  Jake rummages through his arrays of machines and grabs a red gadget that represents a scanner you see in the supermarket.  "This is the Translator.  It reads a sentence and displays the translated sentence in any desired language."
"Nice."  I comment as Jake flips to page 4, where the first chapter, Of This World, is at.
"So it says, 'World modification and perfection, or mod for short, is the single component that binds the entire Minecraft world and separates it from the other world, such as the mighty Mt. Olympus or Athens the Great City of the Greeks.  Through careful research and some life-threatening situations, I have learned a way to tame the wild mod atmosphere.  (To see how to tame the mod, see Chapter 3:  How to conjure a mod.)'  We know from that paragraph that mod is something that holds the Minecraft world in its grasp, and that the mod can be conjured."  reads Jake.
"How is it conjured?"  I ask.  "is it like Harry Potter, where you wave your wand and say the spell name?"
Jake sniggers at my simpleton answer.  "Not exactly.  Mod is not articulated, it is drawn."
"Drawn?"  I question in confusion.
"We'll get to that part.  But for now, you need to be prepared for what could happen here."  Jake announces, turning to page 5, and starts to read.
"Herobrine wrote: 'In Minecraft, physics are defied.  Leaves decay faster than in real world.  Mankind gain godly power and speed.  All but two types of resource blocks dare gravity by levitating in the air, no matter the size or weight."  Jake articulates as he skims through the book and points at a picture drawn on the top right corner of page 5.  The painting was of a square resembling a stone block floating above ground.
"Hi guys."  Claudia said as she entered the 'library', her golden, lustrous hair shining bright from lights exuding from an odd boxy machine with holes that Jake created and named 'Everlasta' few weeks ago.  (It's a really nice machine, and handy in caves or at night." Jake comments.)  "What are you guys doing?"
"I was explaining David about this world."  Jake greets.  "What brings you here?"
"Dinner's ready."  Claudia announces.  "Let's go eat."

Minecraft the Novel - chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Unavailable Escape Option

"What's your name?" I ask the girl, quickly pacing behind her.
"Claudia."  The girl, Claudia, answers. "And you?"
"David."  I reply.
"I figured." Claudia snorts, and I can't help myself but chuckle as we exit the forest.  A flat plain comes into view, and I see a small village, connected by slab road and lit with streetlights made, surprisingly, of fences and glowing stones.  At the center of the village stands a tall building, and 8 houses, each with unique design, surrounds the tall building.
"That's our village."  Claudia announces as we proceed towards the village.  "A little safe haven for weary castaways.  I was stranded here a month ago.  I was hungry, distraught, and sick.  Robert found me lying on the beach, unconscious.  You could say he saved my life."

Claudia introduces me to the villagers.  There's Robert E. Kings: dark-skinned, tall, and muscular.  Sylph Leon: a kind chef from Paris who also majored in modern arts.  Jake Sachs: with his large glasses continuously slipping.  Hamish Lovelock: an indie band rockstar with a tattoo of a zombie playing a guitar on his left arm.  Austin Dodd: a college student studying biochemistry, and finally Ashton Sobell: A genius ex-pilot and a man of arrogance.  Robert led me to the tall building, which he claims it is a community center.
"Is this everyone?"  I ask Robert as him and I head to the community center.
"No.  Malcolm got hurt saving Austin from a horde of mad mobs, and my family is in that building.  There used to be 13 people here, but Henry died in a house fire and burned couple of houses down."  Robert answers, and opens a door that leads to the community center lobby.
"Sorry to hear that, but couldn't you have prevented the whole thing?"  I ask, and Robert looks up, confused.
"What do you mean?"  questions Robert.
"Can't you all get out of this place?  Make a boat or something?"  I tell Robert my initial plan:  make a boat and get the heck out.
"If it was simple like that, we would've already done that."  Robert announces.  "But the thing is, you can't get out of this place."

Minecraft the Novel - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Superhuman

I fall to my knees, stare at my hands, and gasp.  They are no longer complex anatomical structures, but a stub.  I can still grab and punch, but my fingers aren't distinguishable.  I can still hold on to something and use tools, but it doesn't seem right.  I guess I'll have to adapt to the feelings.
I don't know what to do, but something comes to my mind.  When a person is stranded, the person usually gathers primary resources: wood and grass, build a shelter and hunt for food.  There's plenty of trees around, and what better resources are there for making a house?  I get up and walk towards a tree.  How am I going to break it, though?  In frustration, I punch the tree, expecting a hard rebound.  But, instead of a thud, I hear a crash as my fist breaks the tree and pierces through the air.
Of course.  In Minecraft everybody has superpowers.  They are faster, stronger, and smarter than normal humans.  I start gathering wood faster than a chain saw.  Sooner or later, I sit with stacks of raw wood.  Now what?
Shelter.  I need to make a proper home to protect myself.  A hole in the wall sounds good for now, but I don't see any walls, or holes.  I decide to find a mountain, pack up all my woods and, again, stare at how compact the woods became.  I put all the woods in my pocket and head north.

Within minutes, the gulf disappears and a forest, thick with wood, appears.  Tall mountains greet me as I continue walking.  Soon, I run into a base of a mountain.  Hard stones block my way, and I don't see any naturally made holes.  Guess I have to make my own, I think, as I thrust my fist straight into the mountain.
My bones shake, my muscles ache, and my brain stops for a moment.  Horrible pain engulf me as I withdraw myself away from the unscathed stone wall.  Even with superhuman powers, stone is unbreakable, unless if I try again and again, giving fists after fists.  I clench both hands into a fist, take a breath, and-
"You're seriously going to break a stone with your bare fist?"  A tender, but cocky tone of voice startle me.  I turn around and see a charming girl, if you consider a cubelike, two-blocks high human made up of squares charming,  She has long, golden hair flowing to her waistline, emerald eyes, and lightly tanned skin.  Her eyes show determination and strength, although she looks delicate and slender.
"I was cutting trees down, so I thought I could break stone."  I say, making excuses.
"You're not a superhuman, dude."  The girl snorts.
"How could I cut trees down with bare hand if I don't have super strength?"  I argue, and the girl stares at me as if I am an escaped monkey from a zoo.
"Wait a minute."  The girl asks.  "You mean, you do not know what mod is?"
I shake my head, indicating 'no'.  The girl's face grows even more dramatic.
"Wow."  The girl sighs in disbelief. "A newcomer.  You, follow me.  I'll take you to our village."
I have no choice but to follow her.  I can't build a house; it would take forever.  I can't make a hole in the wall; the stone is too hard to break.  I swear under my breath and follows her trail. 

Minecraft the novel - Prologue

Prologue

I slowly open my eyes.  I see a white sand beach with calm, almost motionless, water.  The ship is nowhere in sight, and it doesn't seem like I've arrived back to San Francisco.  I rise up, and, to my surprise, see a wild pig, oinking and crawling on all fours.  Am I in China?  I wonder.  My memory is in utter darkness, almost impossible to reach.

I start walking.  Hopefully I can find civilization, get help, and go home.  As I walk along the shore, I see trees, oak and birch, lined up across the shore, lush with green leaves.  The leaves look odd, so does the pig.  They are made of squares and cubes.
As I reach a small gulf, I stand there, in awe.  The ship that I was on, my brand-new motor boat, is split in half, no longer functional.  But something else makes me speechless.  The boat, once made up of shiny, sleek titanium, is now wooden.  Then it hits me.  I once have heard of an indie computer game where you are stranded, alone, in a giant world made up of cubes and blocks.
I am in Minecraft world.

Minecraft the novel - Character List

I know this is already on the Facebook group, (I cannot say what) but for those of you who are not on that group, well, here it is again.

Here is the FINAL character list for minecraft the novel.

Name: David Eun
Age - 18
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - Korean
Prior Job - College Student
From - S.F., California

Name: Claudia Caster
Age - 17
Gender - Female
Ethnicity - 75% English, 25% Spanish
Prior Job - High School Student
From - Aspen Hill, Virginia

Name: Robert E. Kings, Chantelle Kings, Aaron Kings, and Katherine Kings
Age - 42, 38, 8, 5
Gender - Male, Female, Male, Female
Ethnicity - African American
Prior Job - S.W.A.T member, secretary, kids.
From - Washington D.C.

Name: Sylph Leon
Age - 25
Gender - Female
Ethnicity - French
Prior Job - Chef
From - Paris

Name: Jake Sachs
Age - 24
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - White
Prior Job - Google Employee
From - Oshawa, Ontario

Name: Hamish Lovelock
Age - 29
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - White
Prior Job - Rock star
From - Wee Waa, New South Wales

Name: Malcolm Bisbee-mellen
Age - 32
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - 65% Portugese, rest is unknown.
Prior Job - Kendo instructor
From - Georgetown, Illinois

Name: Austin Dodd
Age - 19
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - White
Prior Job - College Student
From - Unknown

Name: Ashton Sobell
Age - 26
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - White
Prior Job - Pilot
From - Sutton, UK

Name: Herobrine
Age - unknown
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - Greek
Prior Job - unknown
From - unknown

Name: Dalof Rithel (AKA Descendant of Adolf Hitler)
Age - 48
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - German
Prior Job - Neo Nazi Fuhrer
From - Berlin
*A lord of Helm Rock Desert.  Wields a gigantic broadsword, and can use fly and superspeed mod.  Also, he hates Juice.

Name: Joseph Mitchell
Age - 37
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - White
Prior Job - unknown
From - unknown
*A man of mystery.  Uses mod frequently.

Name: Lucien Rioux aka Luster Killer
Age - unknown
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - White
Prior Job - none
From - none
*Third in command and a creation of evil scientist of the Admin, Arianna Whiz.

Name: Arianna Whiz
Age- 28
Gender - Female
Ethnicity - Mixed
Prior Job - Scientist
From - None
*Slave of the Admin.  Creates various abominations through malicious deeds.

Name: Seth Charles
Age - 72
Gender - Male
Ethnicity - Nymph
Prior Job - none.
From - Thera Forest
*King of the elves.  He's old, but he is very fit.

Name: Priscilla Charles
Age - 18
Gender - Female
Ethnicity - Nymph
Prior Job - none.
From - Thera Forest
*Elven Princess.

Name: Brandy Mardres
Age - 22
Gender - Female
Ethnicity - Nymph
Prior Job - none.
From - Thera Forest
*Royal Guard of Priscilla.  Always in arguments with Nicholas.

Name: Peasant Nicholas
Age - 18
Gender - Female
Ethnicity - Nymph
Prior Job - none.
From - Thera Forest
*Friend of Priscilla and a bodyguard.  For some reason she has a name Nicholas.

Welcome all fellow Minecrafteers!

Hello all!  I am Isaac a.k.a pigrid3r.  In this blog I will be posting Minecraft single player, multiplayer, and novel chapters.  Feel free to comment on the blogs.  Also, to create a safe, non-hostile environment, I have created some rules.

Rules:
1. No harsh criticizing: Just because you don't agree with an idea, does not mean everybody else does.  Show some respect.

2. No racist, sexist jokes, and severe trolling: Mild jokes are fine, but sometimes those jokes can actually really hurt somebody's feelings.

3. No put-downs: Just don't.  It makes YOU look bad.

If you obey those rules, you can do whatever you want: have a debate about what's better or not, have a conversation about Minecraft of any general topics.  I hope this blog will prosper.

Thank You.
Isaac aka pigrid3r