by Dr. Block
“There is,” I said. “He’ll be back soon. So, when did you meet Otis?”
“Sometime yesterday.”
“And…?” I prompted the slime.
“And what?” it asked.
Seriously?
“And what else did he say? Which direction was he headed? Did he have a message for me?”
The slime considered all of these questions for a while. He had stopped bouncing and was gently quivering while he thought. It took him a surprisingly long time to consider his response.
“Well,” Jacob began, “I saw him about a three-minute bounce from the mouth of this cave in the direction of the rising sun. He was heading in the direction of the rising sun. He left no message for you.”
Rising sun? The sun rises in the east, so I knew Otis was east.
“Did Otis say his home was to the east, or was he just heading east looking for me?”
“I do not know,” said Jacob.
At that moment, Harold returned to the cave leading a piglet.
When I saw the piglet, I went temporarily insane from hunger. I jumped at the piglet and killed it with my diamond sword. I gorged on its raw flesh until my stomach was bloated.
Jacob and Harold looked on in disgust.
“Dude, seriously?” said Harold, putting a wing over his beak to stop from barfing.
“Wha? I wus starfing,” I said with my mouth full.
After I had finished eating, I told Harold everything Jacob had told me.
“We head east then,” said Harold confidently.
“I guess so,” I said with less confidence. I turned to Jacob. “Thank you for the information. Do you want to come with us?”
Jacob quivered forcefully. “I do, but my mom won’t let me go more than 200 bounces from home, and I’m already 175 bounces away.”
“That’s cool. You should always listen to your mom,” I said.
“Besides, I don’t want to be there when Herobrine’s minion captures you,” said Jacob with a trembling voice.
I narrowed my eyes and shook one of my stubby fingers in Jacob’s face. “He’ll never take me alive,” I said firmly.
“Don’t hurt me,” said Jacob.
“I wasn’t going to hurt you,” I said. “I was just using my finger to emphasize my sincerity.”
“Oh,” said Jacob. “I don’t have fingers, so I don’t really know what they mean.”
I shook my head. Crazy slime.
“Anyway, thanks for the information, Jacob,” I said.
“You are welcome,” he replied.
I looked over at Harold. “Ready to go?” I asked.
“Not really,” said Harold. “But, do we have any choice?”
I laughed. “No, we don’t.”
“Then, hop on,” said Harold. “Let’s go find our friends.”
End of Book 6
Book 7: Herobrine’s Minion
Chapter 1
Harold moved his scrawny chicken legs as quickly as he could. I sat on his back searching the landscape for any sign of Otis or Bob. We hurried along, unable to stop and enjoy the sights and smells of the many wildflowers growing in the area.
Because it was daytime, I knew Zeb would be hiding from the sunlight, so I didn’t bother looking for him. I assumed that if I found Otis and Bob, they would know where Zeb was.
Under normal circumstances, Harold and I would try to hide during the daylight too, in order to avoid contact with players, but it was urgent that we find our friends.
I looked down at Harold and said, “I would feel a lot safer moving about during the day if we didn’t have a 1,000-diamond bounty on our heads.”
“I agree,” said Harold, nodding his head. “But, it sure is nice to be outside during the day instead of lurking about at night with you zombies. Chickens love the sun.”
I sighed. I realized at that moment just how much of a normal life Harold had given up to be my friend and my steed.
“I like the sun too,” I said, enjoying the warmth of the rays on my rotten, baby zombie flesh. “If only there were some way that Zeb could be outside in the sunlight….”
“It doesn’t matter now,” said Harold. “We can’t see anything at night, so we have to search during the day.”
Harold and I were heading due east, following the tip we had received from Jacob the slime a few hours ago. Jacob had told us that he had met Bob and Otis the day before he found us. He told us they were headed east. As long as Bob and Otis kept heading in that same direction, we assumed we could find them and reunite with them.
Harold climbed a low hill. From the top of the hill, we could see quite a distance in this relatively flat biome. We looked east and saw nothing: no movement, no mobs, no village, nothing.
We then looked in all the other directions, even back toward the path we had just traveled. Again, we saw nothing.
Harold kicked the ground. “This is so frustrating!” he yelled.
I had to laugh. Chickens look ridiculous when they are upset.
“What?” asked Harold, now upset with me instead of our situation.
“Nothing, buddy. Sorry.”
Harold turned his back on me and started pecking at the ground, searching for seeds. Good idea, I thought. I’m hungry too.
I reached into my inventory and pulled out some pieces of steak from a cow we had killed a few hours ago. The fresh raw flesh tasted wonderful. If it weren’t for our desperation to find our friends, I would have enjoyed having a leisurely picnic with Harold.
Instead, I devoured the meat as quickly as I could, all the while continuing to scan the horizon. Still nothing.
In the distance to the east, I could see a hilly forest biome. We could probably reach it around nightfall if we hurried.
“Harold,” I called to my friend. “We should probably keep moving. We can probably find a place to hide for the night in the those hills. I’m sure there are some caves.”
Harold looked at me and then at the forest biome in the distance. He nodded his agreement. “I’m done eating, let’s go.”
***
Our search during the remainder of the day yielded nothing.
We reached the edge of the forest biome just as the sun was low in the sky. The trees were already casting long, dark shadows across the forest floor.
We were lucky and found a cave near the edge of the forest. After we arranged our things in the cave, I climbed a nearby tree to search the surrounding area.
I sat atop the tree for over an hour. I scanned the landscape, seeing no signs of movement, other than a few bats out hunting in the early evening dusk.
But, as the sun finally set and darkness engulfed the forest, I noticed a small flicker of light to the east. A campfire! I thought excitedly as I climbed down from the tree.
I rushed into the cave, which was now dimly lit by a torch Harold had placed on the wall.
“Harold, I see a fire in the distance to the east. I must be Otis and Bob,” I said breathlessly.
Harold did not seem as excited as I was. “Or, it could be some players seeking the 1,000-diamond bounty. Or, maybe even Herobrine’s minion.”
“Oh, yeah, I never thought of that,” I said.
“Anyway, we can’t sneak over there tonight,” continued Harold. “The moon is just a faint sliver, so the only way we could see is by torchlight. Whoever it is would spot us before we found them. Too dangerous.”
I nodded. Harold was right. We would have to wait until morning.
“Let’s get up before dawn and try to find the source of the fire first thing tomorrow,” I suggested.
Harold yawned and tucked his beak under a wing. “Sounds good to me,” he said. “You take first watch.”
“Good night, buddy,” I said, as I picked up the torch and walked over to the mouth of the cave. After I found a comfortable sitting position, I extinguished the torch and stared out into the ink black night.
Chapter 2
I felt Harold pecking my arm gently.
; “Wake up,” said Harold. “Wake up. It is almost dawn.”
“Already?” I asked groggily. “It feels like I just fell asleep.” Just after midnight, I had roused Harold and traded places on watch. I had probably only slept for four hours tops. Not enough.
I stood up and stretched. I grabbed a small piece of cow meat and ate it for breakfast. Once I felt alert enough, I said, “I’m going to climb a tree real quick, to see if there is anything obvious I can see before we head to the site of the campfire.”
“Okay, but be quick about it,” said Harold.
I shimmied to the top of the same tree I had climbed the night before. What I saw amazed me. The world took on a completely different appearance in the soft light of the new-breaking dawn.
Everything looked good and wholesome, like nothing could ever go wrong. I wanted this moment to last forever, but then I remembered I was not sharing it with my friends and I felt a profound sadness.
Tear.
Sniff.
I shook my head to clear these unhelpful thoughts of beauty and happiness. I was on a mission to find my friends and escape Herobrine’s minion. There would be time for art appreciation later.
I looked at the area where I had seen the fire the night before. It was quite a distance away, and several trees partially obscured my view, but I thought I could see a cave entrance.
Could it have been Bob and Otis?
Bob was a chicken, so he would not need to cook. Otis was a Baby Zombie Pigman, so he could eat raw flesh just as well as I. There was no need for such a large fire, or even for a fire at all.
Now, I was having second thoughts. I began to think it must be some players who built the fire as protection against zombies, skeletons and other nighttime mobs.
Or, maybe it was Herobrine’s minion. I still did not know who or what it was. For all I knew, it needed fire to live.
I shook off my thoughts of danger. There was still a chance that the fire had been built by my friends. It was worth the risk to discover if it really had been.
I climbed down the tree.
“Harold, I can see what looks like a cave in the area where I saw the fire last night. I couldn’t see any movement.”
Harold nodded. “Hop on, Zeke. Let’s get over there.”
Chapter 3
It took us about ten minutes to reach the location where I had seen the fire. Sure enough, it was the mouth of a cave.
I dismounted from Harold and we each stood on one side of the entrance to the cave. I lit a torch, and crept inside the cave. Harold followed.
We slowly swept each side of the cave, looking for signs anyone had been there. We did not say anything, fearing we might draw some of the inhabitants of the cave to us.
We moved in another fifteen paces when we saw the remnants of the fire.
“Harold,” I whispered. “Someone did have a fire here last night.”
Harold walked over to the fire and gently kicked at the ashes looking for a clue. “Just ash,” he said. “Anyone could have started this fire.”
“I suppose so,” I sighed, my hope that it was Otis and Bob was still that … nothing more than an unconfirmed hope. “I guess we’ll never know who started the fire.”
“That is where you are wrong, zombie,” said a hollow, toothy voice from the darkness.
I quickly drew my diamond sword and pointed it into the darkness in the direction from where the voice had come. Harold moved to a defensive position to my left flank.
“Show yourself!” I yelled.
The voice laughed. The laugh echoed in the cave. The echoing voice gave me the creeps, and my rotten flesh puckered with goosepimples.
“I’m not kidding,” I said, slashing my diamond sword through the air for emphasis.
“I could have killed you already,” said the voice. I could tell it was getting closer. Would the owner of the voice attack?
“Harold, get ready,” I said. “We have no idea what is out there. It could be Herobrine’s minion.”
The voice laughed again.
As the echoing laugh began to fade, I could see a shape emerging from the darkness. It was tall. It walked on two legs. Was it Herobrine’s minion? Was it so dominant it had no fear of us?
It was … a skeleton.
“Don’t come any closer, skeleton,” I insisted.
“Chill out, bro. I was just messing with you,” said the skeleton. “My name is Sean. What’s yours?”
“Sean?” said Harold. “I thought all you guys were named Boney or Ribs or Toothy or something.”
The skeleton gnashed his teeth angrily and looked at Harold. “So what is your name chicken? Dinner?”
Harold crossed his wings in front of his chest. “It’s Harold, actually.”
“Yeah, and my name is Zeke,” I added.
The skeleton’s jaw dropped open, dangling for a moment. I think this was how skeletons looked surprised. It was hard to tell though, since they don’t have any flesh and really can’t display emotions except through their voices.
“Zeke and Harold? Zeke the Chicken Jockey?” stammered Sean.
“What? You going to try and collect the bounty?” asked Harold sarcastically.
Sean shook his skull from side to side. “No. The guy in here last night told me he was looking for you.”
Harold and I both took a step closer to Sean. “Otis and Bob?” I asked hopefully.
Sean nodded his skull up and down. “Yes. They made a fire. We were talking. Otis is pretty cool, though Bob is a bit … well … odd.”
“Sounds like our friends,” I said. I turned to Harold. “We are close, buddy. Today might be the day we catch up with them.”
Harold did a little dance and then spun around excitedly. “Yay!” he said.
Sean observed Harold’s reaction and said, “I guess all chickens are a little odd, eh?”
Harold was too happy to be insulted. He just kept spinning around and flapping his wings. As I watched Harold, I was beginning to agree with Sean.
“So, Sean, my boney undead bro,” I said. “Any idea which direction Otis and Bob went?”
“Actually, yes. I told them about a swamp biome about an hour’s walk from here to the northeast. A witch lives there. They were going to find the witch’s hut and ask her if she had seen you.”
I nodded. This was the most detailed information we’d received. We should be able to find them. “When did they leave?” I asked.
“Just before dawn,” said Sean. “They may have already reached the witch.”
Harold finally stopped spinning. He looked dizzy. He was having a difficult time standing still, but managed to say, “Zeke, they have almost two hours’ head start. We need to go. Now.”
“I agree, Harold,” I said. I extended my hand to shake Sean’s hand and said “Thanks.”
Sean pushed my hand aside and pulled me toward him for a bro hug. I appreciated the sentiment, but hugging a skeleton is probably the most creepy, disgusting thing I have ever done. Even through my undead flesh, I felt the cold sting of death as I hugged his ribcage.
As I pulled away from the bro hug, I was shaken to my core.
“Cool, Sean,” I muttered, trying to regain my composure. “I wish we could stay and chat, maybe share a few stories, but we need to find our friends.”
Sean brought his teeth together in what I assume was a skeleton’s attempt at smiling. “I totally understand. Stop back by anytime. I don’t mind sharing my cave with mobs. It’s the annoying players I don’t like.”
“I know what you mean, Sean,” I said.
“Get on, Zeke,” said Harold. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 4
Harold ran as fast as he could in the direction of the swamp. This was our best chance to find our friends, and we had to make it there in time.
After about a half an hour, the plants around us were becoming more and more lush. We were in a transition area between the forest and the swamp biome.
“We’re getting closer, Harold,”
I said. “How are you doing?”
“I’m getting tired, Zeke,” Harold panted. “Have you been gaining weight?”
I jumped off Harold’s back. “No rest, man. I’ll run alongside.”
“Okay, I think I can manage that,” said Harold, looking relieved.
We continued through the increasingly swampy ground and soon saw a thin tendril of smoke rising nearby.
I pointed to the smoke and said, “I bet the smoke is coming from the witch’s hut.” Harold nodded, and we increased our pace.
When we were only about 100 blocks away from the hut, we could see it through the trees and plants. We stopped walking and paused for a moment.
“I think we should be careful. Even though Sean told us about this witch, it does not mean she will be nice,” I said.
“She might even have captured Bob and Otis,” said Harold with a shudder.
“Gosh, maybe you are right. I never thought of that.”
We began sneaking toward the hut, hoping to scout it before announcing our presence to the witch. We had made it to about fifteen blocks from the hut when we heard a slithering sound.
We both looked at the most hideous and strange creature we had ever seen. I cannot even describe it because it was so foreign to me. I will have to draw a picture:
“What is that thing?” I hissed through clinched teeth.
“I don’t know. Maybe a test mob for the 2.0 update?” suggested Harold.
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”
“Or, maybe it is Herobrine’s minion!” I said, suddenly sensing we were in grave danger.
But, the thing in the water seemed unconcerned with us. It cast a leisurely glance in our direction and then dove into the water and swam away from us.