Wattpad Entries For: @Lightningdust

Contest Entry 1: More Than I Bargained For

Prompt: The main character in your short story just woke up and became an animal (or a different animal). What animal would your character be, why, and what is the first thing they would do?

Okay. So my short story for this, More Than I Bargained For, is about my beloved Minecraft character, DiamondBlade28. He becomes a wolf. This story is about he turns into a wolf (he does not wake up as a wolf; I hope that that isn't a disqualifying factor for me...) and how he reacts to it. Please enjoy!

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DiamondBlade hefted his bow as he ran through the rainforest. The trees were thicker in this area, and it was hard to see through the dense leaves. He decided to put his bow away, since it wouldn’t do him much good at close distances, and instead drew his diamond sword. DiamondBlade had been sent here by Plower to find a‘mysterious relic’ deep in a jungle fortress. Apparently there was some blue emerald that was cursed with an ancient and dangerous power, and Plower wanted DiamondBlade to find it because he was the Warrior and such. As for why Plower couldn’t just find it himself, DiamondBlade didn’t know. It also didn’t make much sense to be looking for what sounded like an extremely dangerous object. But in the end, curiosity had won DiamondBlade over, and he had agreed to go on the search for the blue emerald.
    “Where is this thing?” he muttered to himself. He absently stabbed a spider hiding in the trees and drove it into the ground, swiftly killing it. DiamondBlade grabbed the spider eye and the coils of string without much thought. He was paying more attention to the level of the jungle floor, because he guessed that he would have more luck finding the fortress in a lower elevation. Plower had given him really unspecific coordinates, saying “somewhere between this point and that point in this area around here”. DiamondBlade had grumbled, “Thank you for that extremely specific and detailed description of where the fortress is, Plower.” Plower had simply agreed, “I am pretty good with that stuff, aren’t I?”
    A tiny stab of pain burst in his back, and DiamondBlade swiftly turned around to see a skeleton, free from the sunlight, drawing back another arrow to shoot at him. DiamondBlade ducked under the arrow and lunged upwards, his sword held high. It gleamed in the slanted sun beams as it slashed diagonally across the skeleton’s ribs. As the skeleton stumbled backwards, DiamondBlade flicked his wrist and stabbed forward again, its sword piercing the skull of the skeleton. The skeleton clacked in agony and fell to ground, disappearing with a pop. It left behind two bones, five arrows, and the usual XP orbs. DiamondBlade picked up the arrows and the orbs gladly; he was already running low on arrows for his bow.
    Then he kept running. He glimpsed a zombie moving through the trees, but it didn’t pose any threat to him. The zombie did look at him for a moment, but it grunted in dismissal and kept lumbering on. I better be getting closer, DiamondBlade thought to himself. His impatience was starting to grow. If Plower is just trying to set me on a wild goose chase, or I’m going in the complete wrong direction — THERE!
    DiamondBlade skidded to a stop as something glinted in the corner of his right eye. There, hidden in the thick trees, was a massive jungle fortress with some of it peeking out from the ground. It was built halfway into a steep slope into the jungle ground, and the thing that had shone in the sunlight was a block of pure diamond in the side of the jungle. DiamondBlade veered off the path he had been taking and ran to the fortress. He sighed as he admired the diamond block, but he didn’t mine it. No, that was not what he was here for. He was here for the treasure inside. “Okay,” DiamondBlade said to himself. “I found the fortress. Now…where’s the entrance?”
    DiamondBlade ran down the side of the slope and beside the river flowing beside the fortress. He had his hand extended, brushing the wall of the fortress to see if there were any hidden passageways. He didn’t want to mine his way in in fear of breaking something important. But DiamondBlade didn’t see anything; no pressure plates, levers, or even buttons. It was just all stone and vines. He ran around the full perimeter of the fortress, even building five or six blocks up the wall to see if the entrance was higher up. But there was nothing.
    Then, when he was finishing his third round around the fortress five blocks up the wall, DiamondBlade’s eyes trailed to the river that he had previously ran beside. Something was odd about how the water flowed through it. Sure, it was coursing downstream like it was supposed to, but a section of it looked like it was circulating towards the fortress… “That’s it!” gasped DiamondBlade aloud. “The entrance!”
    He quickly dug down the small tower he made and dashed to the edge of the riverbank. Sure enough, the water was flowing into the riverbank on the side of the fortress. There must be an entrance down there. There’s got to be, thought DiamondBlade. It was a big risk, though. If he was wrong, it could mean certain death for him by drowning. It could just be a hole. But right now, it was his biggest lead. So he steeled his nerves and stepped into the water. The water was cool, and DiamondBlade could easily feel the tug of the current against his thighs and back. The water was too deep; it just went up to his back opposite the lower part of his chest. He took in a deep breath and ducked underneath the water. DiamondBlade felt his hair sway in the pull of the water, and he let himself get carried underneath with it. He floated under the slab of grass and cobblestone that held up the jungle fortress and slipped into darkness. He closed his eyes as the water temperature got cooler as left the sunlight.
    DiamondBlade’s lungs started to burn; he realized that he needed air very soon. He hadn’t even been under that long, but within Minecraft, everyone had a limited time that they could be underwater. You couldn’t bypass that limit unless you had a potion that allowed you to breathe underwater, which DiamondBlade did not have. So he opened his eyes and surged upwards with his strong legs, hoping that there would be even a small pocket of air up on the surface. If there wasn’t…DiamondBlade didn’t think he would make it.
    Luckily, he was able to push his head up a few inches out of the water, and DiamondBlade gasped as he emerged in complete darkness. He couldn’t even see more than a block in front of him. But he did see that the water was starting to angle down in a soft curve, and DiamondBlade was willing to bet that that was where the entrance was. Taking in another big breath of air, he dove back down. As he went down deeper into the earth and the water, DiamondBlade was able to make out a wall of cobblestone in front of him. There was a column of smooth stone in the middle. That’s the entrance, DiamondBlade told himself.
    He arrived at the wall of stone. Glancing up, DiamondBlade saw that he had no air pockets for another breath. It was either do or die at this point. He gulped with his mouth closed and frantically ran his hands over the smooth stone. His hand bumped against something; DiamondBlade narrowed his eyes and saw that it was a button. He pushed it in relief.
    Nothing happened. DiamondBlade blinked as he felt his lungs begin feel like a pressure in his chest as it lost air. He made a fist and kept slamming it. Still nothing happened. He was beginning to get scared. DiamondBlade swam to the right and glared through the water. He could make something out, something that resembled a vertical pressure plate. It was all DiamondBlade could do from gasping. He smashed his hand against the plate, then reached over and hit the button. The smooth stone groaned open, and water flooded into the gap. DiamondBlade pushed through and burst out of the flowing water. He took in a huge, cool breath, and leaned down with his hands on his knees. DiamondBlade coughed and flicked his hair back from his face. Then he stood up.
    The room was dark. There were a few torches, but for the most part, it was dim and unlit. Cobwebs hung from the corners, and vines grew out of control over the wall. DiamondBlade muttered, “Could use a bit of TLC, if I can say anything…” He heard a soft, raspy snarl behind him, and without even turning around, he swung his sword behind him and heard an agonized hiss as the spider fell behind him. Grinning, DiamondBlade kept walking. There was a wide hallway with stairs leading up to a brighter lit room higher up. “And there’s the fortress,” smiled DiamondBlade.
    Wielding his sword, he ran up the stairs and emerged in a cool room with tons of light from the outside; there were many blocks missing and crumbling away. Chunks of the wall and the ceiling were gone. DiamondBlade glimpsed a chest near the left corner, but he didn’t go over to it. He was sure that that wouldn’t be where the emerald would be. He saw a hallway leading back down to the right side. There was nowhere else to go, so DiamondBlade shrugged and ran down. He nearly tripped over a trip wire immediately, but at the last moment he jumped and landed on his stomach. He grunted and stood back up. Quickly dusting himself off, DiamondBlade set off running again. He had to dodge around pressure plates and missing blocks on the floor. He accidently set off a trap and narrowly escaped a pit of lava, but for the most part, he was able to keep running without any major accidents. Sure, a few arrows also set off from the lava trap had lodged themselves into DiamondBlade’s skin, but he was able to shrug off the pain easily.
    Finally he reached the end of the hallway. He ended up in a very dark room with no light whatsoever. But a feeling told DiamondBlade that this was where the blue emerald was. He just had to find out where. “Hmmm…” mumbled DiamondBlade. “Secrets and traps…secret exits…trapdoors…that’s it.” DiamondBlade snapped his fingers as he realized exactly where he would find the emerald. Narrowing his eyes, he observed each individual block on the floor. His eyes stopped on what looked like a regular block of stone. But because of his experience with traps, DiamondBlade was able to see that it was actually raised up an inch from the floor. It was another pressure plate. Grinning, DiamondBlade ran over and stepped on it without hesitation. He was confident that it wasn’t a trap; it wasn’t in the general area a person would walk, so there was no way that it would set off anything. And he was right. Something creaked behind him, and DiamondBlade turned around to see a door open in the wall to the right. A blue-greenish light rose from inside.
    His heart started to pound. Was it true? Was there really an emerald here? DiamondBlade felt the urge to go inside. His mouth felt dry as he cautiously stepped in. His eyes widened as his eyes rested on the object on the far side of the room. It looked like a block, except it was chiseled down to resemble a diamond shape. An aquamarine hue glowed within, and instantly DiamondBlade knew that this was it. The blue emerald — or, as Plower had told him, the Jewel of the Sea. DiamondBlade gulped again. Now he just had to take it back home. No doubt there were many traps wired to it, but somehow DiamondBlade knew that this wasn’t his day to die. It just wasn’t.
    A small growling noise shook DiamondBlade back to reality. He turned his head, and there he saw an adult wolf narrowing its eyes at him. DiamondBlade bit his lip, but this wolf wasn’t angry at him. It just wanted to know what he was doing here. Why is there a wolf in here? DiamondBlade wondered. More growls and barks caused DiamondBlade to realize that there were many, many more canines in the emerald room. DiamondBlade turned around in a circle, and he saw wolves of all size slinking out of the shadows and padding slowly over to him. Sweat beaded on his head as he slowly sheathed his sword; he didn’t want an accidental attack.
    DiamondBlade shook off the nervous feeling weighing down his shoulders, tried to ignore the wolves’ suspicious snarling, and walked over to the Jewel of the Sea. It glowed brightly, and the closer that DiamondBlade got, the more brilliantly it shone. A low humming noise buzzed in the back of DiamondBlade’s ears, and he assumed that the Jewel was causing it. Taking in a breath and releasing it slowly, DiamondBlade raised his hands and hesitated. What would happen? Lava traps? Arrows with poison? Would he simply fall to his death? He remembered what Plower had called the curse that the Jewel of the Sea possessed — the Curse of the Abyss. Probably another ancient ocean thing. But DiamondBlade refused to turn back when he had came so far. So he closed his eyes and took hold of the Jewel of the Sea.
    He braced himself for the traps he expected to immediately cause his death. But everything stayed how it was, except the melody playing in his mind got louder and more powerful. DiamondBlade opened one eye and sighed. The Jewel of the Sea was his. Plower would be so happy — he better pay DiamondBlade good for this!
    DiamondBlade was about to put the Jewel away in his inventory when the wolves assembled started to howl. DiamondBlade’s eyes widened as he watched the Jewel of the Sea glow brighter and brighter. The blue-green color of it started to slowly get darker. It was still bright, but the color got darker and darker until it was only a shade above black. DiamondBlade’s heart skipped a beat, and he started to shake. The wolves howled louder, and DiamondBlade whipped around to put the Jewel of the Sea away. But he couldn’t; it seemed like it was glued to his hands. He shouted in anguish as pain began to travel up his arm, starting from his palms that held the Jewel of the Sea. The wolves got closer to him as DiamondBlade sank to his knees, his entire body racked in agony and was shaking violently in shivers. The wolves’ eyes gleamed red, and DiamondBlade moaned as he accepted the fact that he was about to die. He yelled, “I’m sorry, Plower!” to no one. Then he collapsed    on the ground, arching his body to try to protect the emerald from the wolves.
    The wolves surrounded him on all sides, and he felt small sensations of pain as the wolves bit at his arms, legs, and side. DiamondBlade squeezed his eyes shut as the wolves began to lower his HP. Then something strange began to happen. DiamondBlade felt himself getting smaller, and the Jewel of the Sea began to hum louder and louder. His ears were flooded with the sound of the wolves’ howling and the song of the Jewel as he got smaller, and he seemed to be getting warmer. The Jewel rolled out of his hands as his arms got shorter, and DiamondBlade felt his ears grow longer. What’s happening to me? he thought desperately. He tried to shout out, but no sound came out of his mouth. His clothes disappeared, only to be replaced by what felt like a soft, furry pelt. DiamondBlade’s head was filled with ideas of the worst. What’s going on? Am I turning into…into…
    Finally the burning pain in his body vanished. The wolves stopped biting and snapping at him, and they slowly retreated to let him get up. DiamondBlade groaned and opened his eyes. Something was odd. He could see a light gray muzzle extending from his face. DiamondBlade’s eyes widened in shock and a bit of horror. No. I thought getting into Minecraft was impossible, but this…this simply can’t happen. At all. DiamondBlade tried to get to his feet, but as he attempted to stand on two legs, he simply dropped back down on four. Trembling, DiamondBlade raised one of his hands and let out a small yelp as he saw that they were instead paws. The wolves around him watched in amusement as DiamondBlade gasped, “Am I…am I a…a wolf?”
    One of the wolves stepped forward and actually started to speak to DiamondBlade. He spoke in a deep, raspy voice. “You are the one,” the wolf growled. “The Alpha Wolf.”
    DiamondBlade stood there in awe as the wolves all raised their heads and let out a piercing howl all at once. DiamondBlade winced at the noise and addressed the wolf who had spoke to him, feeling a shock in his heart as he heard his new, more canine voice. “Please, explain,” he asked the wolf. “Who are you, and why am I a wolf?”
    Again the wolf repeated, “You are the Alpha Wolf, the one who will lead us all. My name is Korak. Look at the fur around your neck, Alpha. It is red, unlike ours. Your fur is thicker, and you also have red on your tail and paws. You are different. You are our Alpha.”
    The wolves growled in agreement. DiamondBlade glanced down at his fluffy neck fur, and he saw red fur outlining the edges of the fur. He craned his neck around to stare at the rest of his sleek, muscular fur, and he saw red on the edges of his belly fur. He swept his tail in front of him and saw the crimson fur on his paws and the back of his legs. DiamondBlade looked back at Korak nervously. “Yes, I get that apparently I’m your new ‘Alpha’, but I’m not a real wolf. I’m supposed to be an…an NPC,” he explained.
    Korak nodded. “We know. You are the Warrior, as we also understand. The Warrior Alpha, as you are known here. But now you are our Warrior, the Alpha Wolf. If you lead us, Alpha, as you will know be known as, then we can help you become DiamondBlade28 again.”
    DiamondBlade swallowed. How was he going to explain this to Plower? “Well…okay…” DiamondBlade began. “Lead you how?”
    Korak gave him a toothy grin. “All will be explained in time, Alpha.”
    DiamondBlade looked down at his new paws. This was going to be hard, but he knew that if he had any chance at seeing his friends again, somehow he would have to help these wolves with…whatever. He felt adrenaline surge through his body as he accepted his new fate. “Alright, Korak,” Alpha grinned. “Show me what I must do.”

THE END