The bandit leaned over her. “I’ll ask again. Who the heck are you?”
Trish wished very much she hadn’t put away her sword. She clutched desperately at the ground, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. Her hand touched something. She closed her fingers around it.
It was a bone left by the skeleton Mac had killed!
Trish swung the bone upward and smashed it into the side of Mac’s head with all her strength.
“Ow!” Mac said, but, from the look on her face, she was more shocked than hurt.
Trish wasn’t about to wait around to assess the damage. She scurried past Mac and dashed through the gap between the skeletons. She fixed her eyes on the dim light of the exit far above and ran as fast as she could.
From behind her, she heard the THUNK of arrows hitting stone and the CLACKS of iron swords hitting bone. She didn’t look back.
An arrow whizzed past her. Then another. Then another. She had to keep running.
She heard another THUNK, this one much closer. A dark figure loomed in the path in front of her. A skeleton.
Trish wanted to turn around, to run the other way, to hide behind a rock. But she couldn’t. What was behind her was even worse, but she knew what had to be done. It was time to act.
Trish pulled out her sword, dashed forward, and swung at the skeleton. She was aiming for the creature’s neck, but instead her blade hit its upper arm. The iron bounced off the bone with a dull thump, a far cry from the loud noise Mac’s sword had made against the other skeleton.
Still, the skeleton did stumble to the side and Trish could see past it into the light beyond. She rushed forward, brushing past the creature. Before she knew it, she found herself standing in the sunlight.
She bent over and put her hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath. She couldn’t wait here long. For all she knew, the bandits were right behind her. But she had to take a quick look.
The map showed a large village in the center labeled Porton. And just to the east of the village, there was a mountain called Grazers Peak. A large X had been drawn on the top of the mountain.
Suddenly a strong hand gripped her shoulder.
“Hello, there.”
Trish instantly recognized the deep voice. She turned and saw Carmine standing next to her, a wide smile on his face.
He ripped the map out of her hand.
“Trish, wasn’t it?” he asked. “Thank you. I’ve been looking for this a long time.”
Chapter 4: A Difficult Choice
Trish shook with rage. This man had lied to the entire village, and now he was taking the map away from her? No way. She suddenly remembered she had a sword.
“Give me that map,” she said to Carmine as she raised her sword. The blade trembled, and she tried to keep her hand still. Showing her fear right now was the last thing she wanted.
Carmine looked at her sword, an amused smirk on his face. “Please.”
Quick as a spider, he brought out his own sword and knocked Trish’s out of her hand.
She let out an angry groan as her sword thudded to the ground.
Carmine pressed the tip of his iron blade against her throat. “Now, you listen to me—”
At that moment, Roger and Mac burst out of the mine and into the sunlight. Chiece limped out after them.
Roger looked around, his face a mask of fury. “Where is she?” His eyes settled on Carmine and Trish, and he drew in a sharp breath. He quickly put on a brave face. “Ah, Carmine! I see the girl fell into our trap. We drove her out of the mine and right to you.”
Carmine just shook his head. “It seems I won’t be paying you for your services after all.” He held up the map. “I’ve already found what I need.”
“Wait a minute,” Mac said. “We went into the cave and found the map.”
“Yet Trish was the one who brought it to me,” Carmine said. “Maybe I should be paying her.”
Mac and Roger started to speak, but Carmine held up a hand. “Still, you did play a role. I’ll pay you. Half.”
The three bandits didn’t look happy, but after a moment they all nodded.
Carmine turned back to Trish. He still had his sword at her throat. “Now we are going to leave, and you are not going to follow us. Go back to your little life in this little village, and be thankful you survived. You’re not cut out for adventures. You’re just a villager.”
The anger welled up inside Trish, but she didn’t answer.
Carmine lowered his sword and walked away. The bandits started to follow. Then Chiece turned back to Trish.
“You cost us half our reward,” he said. “We won’t forget that. You haven’t seen the last of Mac and Chiece!”
Roger cleared his throat.
Chiece said, “And Roger. I guess.”
Trish watched as Carmine and the bandits disappeared into the forest. As soon as they were out of sight, she turned and ran toward the meeting hall.
When she was almost to the hall, she saw villagers standing on the street talking. She spotted Rob and ran up to him.
His eyes widened when he saw her. “Trish, where’d you go? You’ll never believe what happened at the meeting. The villagers started asking Carmine questions, and it turns out—”
Trish cut him off. “He was lying. I know.”
“But how could you know that?”
“Because I sort of ran into Carmine after the meeting.” She told Rob everything. About stumbling on the bandits using the diamond axe to break into the old mine. About borrowing his sword and following the bandits into the mine and grabbing the map. About Carmine taking it away from her. The only thing she didn’t tell him was how Carmine had said she wasn’t cut out for adventures. That still stung too much to talk about.
When she was finished, Rob said, “Trish, that’s crazy! You faced off against a skeleton? You hit a bandit with a bone?”
It sounded a lot more heroic when he said it than it had felt at the time. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is the map. They said they were going to use it to find something called the Blade of the Sea. I don’t know what that is, but I know it’s bad news. We can’t let Carmine get it.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound good,” Rob said. “Shame we don’t have the map. Then we’d know where they’re going.”
She grabbed his arm. “That’s the good part. I do know where they’re going. I saw the map. They’re going to a place called Grazers Peak. It’s just east of a village called Porton.”
“Porton? That’s only two days from here.”
“Then we’d better get going!” Trish said. “We have to get the fastest villagers. If we can get ten, that should be enough. Maybe we can even catch up to Carmine and the bandits before they get to Grazers Peak. Come on. We have to find the mayor.”
The mayor was still in the meeting hall. He was standing in the front, chatting with a couple of villagers.
Trish wasn’t worried about being rude. This was too important. She interrupted the mayor’s conversation and told him the same story she’d told Rob. He just stared at her skeptically.
“Are you listening to me,” Trish said. “They’re going after the Blade of the Sea!”
“The what?” The Mayor looked at her like she was crazy.
“From Old Man Buckles’ stories?” Rob asked, turning to Trish with disappointment. She must have forgotten to mention that part earlier. “There might be real danger out there, Trish, but some item or whatever it is that gives unbeatable power? It’s a myth.”
“If that were true, they wouldn’t be after it!” Trish argued, looking around for Old Man Buckles. “We have to find him, he’ll tell you.”
“Trish…” The Mayor put a hand on her shoulder. “Old Man Buckles went out yesterday, and didn’t make it back by nightfall. We had to close the gates, and well…”
“I noticed he wasn’t at the town hall meeting,” Rob said. “I didn’t want to say anything.”
Trish took a step back, shaking her head. “No,
no…It can’t be.”
The mayor looked at her, his expression turning to one of concern. “This is very serious.”
“I know!” Trish said. “That’s why I came to you right away.”
“I’m glad you did. If they’ve destroyed the obsidian, that means the mine is wide open. Anyone could wander in there and get shot full of skeleton arrows!”
“What?” Trish asked. “No, you’re missing the point. Carmine has the map and he’s going after this Blade of the Sea thingy! We’re the only ones who know. We have to send someone after him.”
“Hmm,” the mayor said. “I’ll admit it doesn’t sound very good. But what can we do about it?”
“We can try to stop them!” Trish said.
The mayor shook his head fiercely. “No. That’s not a good idea at all. In fact, I’d say it’s a downright dangerous idea. Please don’t spread this nonsense to any of the others. We’re just villagers. What can we do against someone like Carmine?”
Trish stormed out of the meeting hall, and Rob followed close behind her.
“Trish, wait!” Rob said.
She stopped and spun toward him. “Can you believe this? We are the only ones who know, and the mayor won’t do anything! It makes me so angry.” She thought again about her heroes and what they would do in this situation. “It’s up to us, Rob. If no one else will go, we have to be the ones to do it.”
“Uh…Trish.”
She looked up and saw a nervous expression on Rob’s face.
“I kinda think the mayor’s right,” Rob said.
“What?” Trish yelled. “The entire world could be at stake! Are you serious?”
Rob held up a hand. “I mean, you’re right too. Something does need to be done. But I don’t think we’re the ones to do it. You said yourself Carmine knocked the sword out of your hand like it was nothing. And that Mac lady barely flinched when you hit her in the head with a bone. We’re not heroes, Trish.”
“Speak for yourself!” She took a deep breath to calm herself. Rob was her friend, and if he didn’t want to go, she was going to have to respect that. “Look, I’m going after them. Maybe you’re right. I’m not a hero. But I have to try, because no one else will.”
“Trish, you’ve never even been out of the village.”
“I’ve been out of the village twice.” Granted, it had only been for a couple hours each time, but she didn’t need to mention that now. “You’re not going to talk me out of this.”
Rob nodded. “Fine. In that case, please take my sword.”
“Thanks.” She would have much rather taken him with her, but the sword would have to do.
“And wait until morning. It’ll be dark soon.”
“I can’t do that,” she said. “If I want to catch them, I have to leave now.”
Trish said goodbye to Rob, went home, and gathered some supplies. She paused for a few moments at the crafting table to make a few basic necessities.
The sun was just beginning to set by the time she left the village.
Chapter 5: Survive the Night
Thirty minutes after leaving her village, darkness came, and Trish wished she’d waited until morning to begin her journey.
She had never been outside the village after sunset. Of course, she’d heard about the creatures that came out at night. Zombies that growled as they shuffled through the darkness, searching for someone to attack. Spiders that climbed walls and fell on unsuspecting victims. And her old friends the skeletons, who were said to be able to shoot their arrows a frightening distance even in the dark of night.
Trish held her torch close to her map, checking to make sure she was still walking in the right direction. Zombies growled in the distance, shooting chills across her skin.
Plenty of people went outside in the night, right?
Sure. And plenty of those people also died.
How pathetic would that be? To set out on an epic adventure only to die from a zombie bite a mere thirty minutes away from her front door?
She looked up from her map and froze. Nine glowing red eyes pierced the darkness in front of her. A spider!
Trish slowly backed away. The spider let out a hiss, showing that it had seen her. She put away her map and grabbed her sword.
“Get back!” she yelled. Or, she meant to yell. Her voice sounded weak and afraid, far from the scary tone she’d been going for.
The spider hissed again.
“I mean it!” she yelled, putting a little more energy into it this time. “If you don’t—”
The spider lunged at her. She gasped and swung her sword. Her strike connected with the spider, knocking it out of the air so that it landed a little ways away with a THUD.
Trish couldn’t believe it. She was fighting a spider! And she was winning! Well, not losing at least.
“Ha! Didn’t I tell you what would happen if you messed with me?”
The spider hissed again. The noise sounded the same, which meant it wasn’t even hurt. If spiders sounded different when they were hurt. She suddenly wished she’d asked more questions in school.
But she still had the advantage, at least in her mind. She had to take control of this fight. She raised her sword and sprinted toward the spider, letting out her best attempt at a battle cry.
Her foot snagged on something, and she tripped. Her battle cry changed to a whoa as she fell, and something under her crunched. “What the heck?”
She got up and saw she’d fallen sword-first onto the spider. She’d killed it! She’d won! Seeing it had dropped some string, she picked it up. String could always come in handy.
Trish brushed herself off and smiled. She’d won her first victory. It hadn’t been an Enderman or anything, but everyone started somewhere. Maybe she’d get through this night without dying after all.
Then she heard the tell-tale growl of a zombie behind her. She slowly turned and saw it. In the faint glow of her torch, its eyes looked like empty black holes.
She instantly forgot about her victory, instead going into full-on survival mode. There were only two choices: run away or try to fight this thing. She gripped her sword as the zombie stumbled closer. Too late to run. She would have to fight.
Trish raised her sword. As soon as the monster got within arm’s reach, her plan was to swing at its head. She gripped the sword so fiercely her hand hurt, her heart thumping so hard she thought it would burst from her chest.
A streak of grey fur flew through the air. A wolf! It attacked the zombie, biting its arm. The zombie let out a pained groan and turned its attention toward the wolf.
This was Trish’s chance. She could run away while the zombie was distracted, but that would mean abandoning the wolf...She couldn’t let the animal face this zombie alone.
She rushed forward and swung at the zombie, striking it in the head. She struck again. And again. She rained down blows on the zombie while it focused its attention on the wolf.
She brought her sword back and swung one more time, putting all her strength into it. Her sword struck the zombie, and it died.
“Yes!” Trish shrieked. “First a spider and now a freaking zombie! I am awesome!”
But she hadn’t done it alone this time.
The wolf was sniffing the rotten flesh dropped by the zombie.
“Um, you probably don’t want to—”
The wolf took a big bite out of the rotten flesh.
“Ew. Um, okay. Enjoy, I guess?”
The wolf finished his disgusting meal and licked his lips. Apparently wolves thought rotten flesh was good eating. Trish decided wolves were very weird animals.
The wolf started to walk away.
“Hey, thanks for the help!” Trish called after it. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
The wolf didn’t seem to notice. She wished there was something she could do to say thanks. Then she remembered. The skeleton bone she’d picked up in the mine! The one she’d used to hit Mac. She was almost sure she still had it.
Yes! She
did. An idea popped into her head. Something she’d heard about but never tried. She held out the bone and gave a soft whistle.
The wolf stopped walking and turned around. He looked cautious, but he seemed interested in the bone.
Trish waved it around in the air for a moment, watching his eyes follow it. Then she tossed it on the ground halfway between them. The wolf pounced on it, devouring it in less than a minute.
When he’d finished, he sat down and looked at her expectantly. His eyes looked somehow different than before.
Trish had done it—she’d tamed him!
As soon as she started walking, the wolf followed her.
She smiled. This adventure was going great. It was only getting started, and she’d already made a new friend.
“We make a pretty good team,” she said. “You got a name?”
The wolf didn’t respond. Not that she’d expected him to.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she said. “You help me survive this night, and I’ll help you find the perfect name.”
The growl of another approaching zombie rumbled through the air, and Trish raised her sword.
Chapter 6: Journey to Grazer’s Peak
Trish and the wolf made it through the first night with a combination of luck and smarts. They hid as much as possible, but they ended up fighting six more zombies, five spiders, and a creeper. There was no way Trish would have survived if not for the wolf. He was a furious fighter, and he kept the monsters’ attention so Trish could whack at them with her sword. Still, they would have been in real trouble if they’d run across a large mob. It was tough enough killing the monsters one-by-one.
By the time the sun rose and the zombies burst into flames throughout the woods around her, Trish was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep. But she couldn’t. First of all, it was daytime. Secondly, they hadn’t made much progress during the night. Carmine and the bandits would be much farther ahead by now. They had to keep moving forward.
As they walked, Trish tried out possible names for the wolf.
“Fido?” she asked.
The wolf’s tail drooped.
Blade of the Sea: A Children's Survival Unofficial Minecraft Book Page 2