The Edge of MINECRAFT (Being the Second Volume of the Minecraft Trilogy)

Frozen Battle

Jack surveyed the ice field around them. They were nearing December, and up north, it was frigid. Thankfully, the blizzard had subsided, allowing the band to travel. By this point, they could find almost no trace of the monsters they were tracking, but there was only one road, and if the monsters had gone off the path in this weather, they were most likely dead. Monsters were many things, but they weren't stupid.

The wind whipped against Jack's face. He cupped his eyes, trying to find see ahead. He was still mad at himself for that blunder he made back at the abandoned village. He made a mistake, and if it hadn't been for the quick thinking of Alex, they could all be dead. Now, he had been trying to make up for it with keeping track of the landscape. If Steve did come back, they would soon be back in the area.

If Steve came back. Wishful thinking, and Jack knew it. But there was hope. Jack had lived the legends of Minecraft. If he fell through the void, he could return. Alex was a perfect example. Alex, the hero lost to history, had returned. There were some surprising similarities, even. Alex had told Jack about some of her past, but there was more he had to know. Just how similar to Steve was she?

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by eerie silence. The ice storm had quite suddenly stopped. Several of the men looked around in surprise. Lucas's attention, however, was focused somewhere out.

"Look," he pointed out. Jack followed the hunter's finger to several shapes not too far away.

"A village," the lumberjack breathed.

"A northern one, too," Alex added from her horse. "No one else would settle up this far."

"Do we know of any villages around here?" Lucas inquired, turning to face Jon.

"I can tell you right now it's not on any map," replied the navigator. "Any northern cities were wiped off the face of the overworld a long time ago."

"The monsters could be seeking shelter there," Alex predicted. "After all, the storm did just stop."

"Regardless, we should check it out," Jack agreed.

Lucas sighed. "We just got through one abandoned village. You guys wanna go mess with another one?" He looked around at the faces of the men. "Sorry, stupid question. Let's go!"

The band of warriors reached the ruins shortly. At the border, they approached the wreckage cautiously. Large stone towers loomed ominously above them. Jack walked up to Lucas, who was muttering, "First one in the grasslands, then one in the desert, now one in the ice. Next thing we know, we'll be visiting an abandoned village in the jungle!"

Jack laughed. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Almost," Lucas solemnly replied. He turned to face the men. "Anyone find anything?"

"If you wanted scouts, you shouldn't have left 'em to face shift around back there!" Jon shouted back. He was referring to Ben and some of the other men that Lucas had left to guard most of the supplies, some horses, and Paws, though Dakota had refused to leave Wolfgang with them. If the group didn't return in two weeks, they were to start the journey back home.

"If you wanted to stay with them, you should've spoken up," replied Alex.

Amongst the "oohs" that followed, Jon blushed and stammered, "Well, yes, that is a good point." Alex flashed Jack a grin. Jack just laughed. Alex wasn't mean, but she certainly took advantage of Jon's infatuation with her.

Suddenly, though, there was a booming, sinister laughter. "That isss right," a voice hissed. "Sssoon, you'll wish you all stayed!"

Jack knew that voice. "Israphel," he muttered to Lucas, who grimly nodded back. "I should have known you had something to do with this!" he shouted.