Day 6
The Spider Jockeys continued following us at a distance for a while, but eventually they stopped and turned into different tunnels. We still didn’t feel safe, but at least we were close to our destination.
“Are you going to tell me or not?” I asked impatiently, and Ben nodded.
“Yeah, sorry. Life or death situation kind of postponed that. I was the first Champion chosen to represent Humanity. The King himself ordered me to escort your brother to the Royal City. There were reports that he’d be attacked on the way by our rivals…he was right, I guess, though it wasn’t your older brother but you.”
I scowled at him. “Whatever. I saved your life anyway.”
“Sure you did. Anyway, this whole ‘peace’ thing among the races is a lie. This Tournament is just a distraction. The war could begin at any minute again, and it will be worse than it was before. Oh look, we’re here!”
The great beams of light hit us head on, and I realized he was right. Finally. Voices called out in the light, warning us that the minecart would be stopped and searched. The warning came true moments later as we braked suddenly and guards emerged from both sides.
“Ben?” A woman’s voice asked.
“Cass, I’m back with the last one.”
“Come with me, the King and Queen are waiting. Nice to see you safe and sound for the Tournament.”
“Yeah, almost didn’t make it…Mr. Applewood here saved my bacon.” He winked at me and we got off and made our way through guarded tunnels that didn’t reveal much of the city. I wasn’t even sure if we were in the city at all. Cass seemed like a tough woman, and the large blade strapped to her back confirmed that.
“Are you-- are you a Champion too?” I asked. She chuckled and shook her head.
“No, darling. I’m one of the Queen’s bodyguards and this guy’s best friend. He wouldn’t be where he is right now if it wasn’t for me, even if he doesn’t admit it.” She grinned at me and I laughed nervously. Ben frowned and mumbled something
We reached a pair of thick doors that required a code to unlock. I was amazed at the complex Redstone circuits used here in the capital. The gates slipped open and we emerged in a massive hallway with beautiful quartz and gold blocks making up the floor and walls. The roof consisted of a thick layer of colored glass that allowed us to see the sunny sky.
“Welcome to the Royal City, Steve,” Cass said.
The doors at the very end of the hallway opened up and a large number of armed guards emerged. Before I could ask what was going on, I saw them.
The King and Queen of Royal City, rulers of humanity.
Cass and Ben knelt, and it took me a split second to realize I had to do the same. The guards formed two lines to either side of the path that bisected the hallway and the two rulers walked through them with their arms locked. They were elegantly dressed and the Queen herself was beautiful.
“Stand,” the King said powerfully and looked us up and down. “Ah, yes. The Champions.” Despite his pleasant face, I noticed he looked disappointed as he saw me. “Steve Applewood. We expected your brother, but surely you will do just as well as he would…or even better, considering the weight on your shoulders?”
I nodded and smiled nervously. It sounded almost like an order.“Yes, sir.”
The Queen simply smiled and looked me up and down. “Good luck, you’ll need it. Tomorrow you’ll receive the training you need. Tonight…well, my staff will inform you of the activities.” With that said, they turned around and walked back up the hallway and disappeared into the doorway they had emerged from.
Ben and Cass began to walk again, and I practically had to sprint after them. We were heading toward another door that led elsewhere. As it opened and we passed through a few more rooms before reaching a large gate, Ben whispered something to Cass.
“You’re like a big baby,” Cass muttered.“Just go!” Bathroom break! Poor Ben. Cass and I were left alone and the guards opened the gate.The city finally revealed itself in all its splendor and I almost fell on my backside in amazement.
“This is--”
“--Beautiful. I’ll give you a tour, we’ve got a couple of hours to kill before you can start getting ready.”
I went cold. “Ready for what?”
“Ready to actually learn what you’ll need out there in the Tournament. But don’t worry. It’s just the fate of the entire Minecraft World resting on your shoulders, Stevie.” She laughed and walked ahead.
What have I gotten myself into?!
Day 7
After spending hours of sightseeing and history lessons, we returned to the castle at midnight. Only then did I realize we had been already been inside the castle, when we arrived and met Cass and the rulers. It should have been obvious, the King and Queen wouldn’t leave their castle to meet a kid. What a castle it was; tall, strong and full of powerful defensive structures and towers.
I was allowed to wash and change into some elegant clothes while Cass waited outside my room and then she guided me to the dining room, where there was a great rectangle-shaped table with many chairs. Ben joined us a moment later, still unchanged and looking exhausted.
People began to walk into the large room and I spotted two arrivals dressed similarly to me. It’s them, the Champions.
One of them was a thin, tall man with scars on his face and arms. His greasy black-and-silver hair (which didn’t have anything to do with old age) was combed back and he looked dangerous. Good thing he’s on my side…right?
The second arrival was curiously different, a red-haired girl older than me but younger than Gareth. She was skinny and didn’t look powerful, scary or brave at all. Well, by the looks of things, I’m not the most boring one around here. Why was she even picked, I wondered. She looked up and stared at me for a second before sitting down at the table.
I decided to sit as well and Cass sat beside me, with Ben beside her. I tried to ignore their vicious whispering but it was hard. She seemed to be scolding him over something.
“Very well!” A voice shouted over the noise. The score of people sitting at the table looked up as the announcer that had been at Blueberry Town entered the room. “It is time. Champions, be ready.”
His speech began. The Tournament had been organized by each race in an attempt to seek a peaceful way of competing against each other. I remembered what Ben said about it being a ‘distraction’ and wondered how honest the King and Queen were being to us. The announcer then went on to say that though the locations had been chosen randomly, the Champions themselves had been selected as the best fit from each town, city or village. Ben was the best leader and bravest guard in the Royal City; Laura was the most resourceful student at her city’s university; Lewis was an expert archer and ex-soldier; and Gareth was an excellent swordsman. I felt embarrassed at the fact that I wasn’t even mentioned, until Cass corrected the announcer.
“Oh yes, the replacement. Sorry about that.” The replacement?! I wanted to jump up and slap him.
We would face similarly handpicked Endermen, Zombies, Witches, Skeletons and more in the Tournament, and only the Villagers would be our occasional allies. The Tournament itself wouldn’t be just combat. There would be other types of competitions, and each victory meant points which would be added up to a total at the end to decide the winning race.
“I suggest you meet each other and talk among yourselves now, more information will be given to you tomorrow. Training will also begin after midday, so try to rest!” He left us alone and the other people left. Only the four of us were left at the end.
“Steve,” Laura said with a smile. “I heard you brought your brother’s winning streak to a screeching halt. You’re not just a replacement, you’re a true Champion.” I blushed and nodded, thanking her.
“I agree with the girl,” Lewis barked. When he spoke, the scars moved strangely. “Still, I better not find out that your big brother lost on purpose. Tomorrow you and I are dueling. Let’s see what’s what. That goes for all of you.
I want to be sure you’re not a bunch of frauds.” With that, he stood and left…but not before he stared Ben down.
“Problem, sir?” Ben asked, already standing up to challenge the man.
“Hey,” I said softly but firmly. “We’re allies, let’s try to keep it that way, guys.”
Lewis left the door open as he left, and Ben stood up and slammed it.
“Anyway. Nice to meet you. I hope we can get to know each other better.”
We talked for a while and then went to bed. Training awaited.
I woke up a couple of hours before midday so I could have a proper bath and breakfast. It was worth it. We were sat at the same table we had been at a few hours ago, and some servants arrived with trays of food. Toast, pancakes, fried eggs, and bacon were placed onto the table on large plates for us to serve ourselves, and I felt my mouth watering. It had been a while since I’d seen food like this.
When we were done and had had a bit of tea, we were marched down to the castle’s massive gardens. A line of instructors was waiting for us as we filed out of the castle full of anticipation. I realized that we would be tested in every single discipline: hand-to-hand combat, archery, sword fighting, javelin-throwing, weight-lifting and athletics among others. There were also other things I noticed, such as obstacle courses and an area for cooking. This tournament is going to test us to our limits, I realized, Sword fighting and running I can do, but cooking?!
The first test was hand-to-hand combat. The instructor was a tall, powerful and dark-skinned man who wore camouflaged fatigues and a similarly painted leather vest. As he began to explain the basic things we needed to know when facing mobs in small places, Lewis interrupted him.
“Can I spar with this guy? He owes me a fight and I can’t wait to knock him to the ground.” Only then did Ben realize Lewis was talking about him.
“Really? Are you this childish?”
“Afraid, Mr. Champion of the Royal City?” Lewis mocked. Ben shook his head and laughed quietly. The instructor decided nobody was going to listen to him until this was taken care of, so he threw a pair of gloves at each Champion. Laura and I glanced at each other as the two men stared at each other in the eye. They began to dance around each other in a circle, each ready to strike his opponent. Lewis was clearly faster and more experienced than Ben — though Ben was taller and stronger — and he seemed pretty confident.
He also struck first.
The scarred veteran took two quick steps forward and jabbed at the taller man’s face, knocking Ben back. He punched again and followed with another blow to the face and Ben stumbled a few steps. Something’s not right…Ben returned a blow, but Lewis dodged it and slammed his fist into Ben’s gut. But when the blond guard lifted his face, he was smiling.
“Ah, you’ve got a good punch on you.” He laughed, causing Lewis to growl angrily and come for a finishing blow.
It never arrived.
Ben caught Lewis’ attack in the palm of his hand and returned the punch with one of his own. The salt and pepper-haired man was knocked out cold, the blow almost twisting his head from his neck. Ben looked down at the unconscious upstart and shook his head.
“Somebody get a medic for this poor fellow.”
At that moment, I realized I had a real job on my hands if we were going to fight together as one.
The sword fighting trial was next, and I realized that I was better than I thought, defeating both Ben and Laura in single combat without a shield. Ben laughed at me, saying that he’d beat me without the silly rules the instructor had made, though Laura was less bitter about her defeat.
She also aced all non-physical, non-combat tasks like cooking, tracking and hunting, though Lewis came back in time to show us what a good archer and javelin-thrower he was.
By the time the training day was over, we felt confident. It wasn’t long before the Tournament began, but we had a strong chance. If we could find a way to not kill each other before it began, that was.
Day 8
Today was the last day before we set off to No-Man’s-Land. Cass reminded me of this as she knocked on the door and told me to get ready. Apparently, the Champions had something important to attend to.
Geez, it’s barely a few minutes past dawn, I thought with a yawn. I would certainly miss lying in a comfortable bed when I was out there fighting mobs. Suddenly I realized something. All I knew about the biome we were heading to was what I had read in books or had been told by my father. It was said that there were great areas where there was only craters or lava. The destruction had been complete in almost all of the biome. In fact, No-Man’s-Land wasn’t a single biome; it was just known as such because of its generally apocalyptic nature. It still had several climates, as well as different geographic features.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I left the room, washed and dressed though still sleepy.
“You’re going to train,” she said, before adding, “Mental training that is. Today will be even more important than yesterday. Far more, I believe.”
We didn’t stop at the dining hall this time, instead walking right past it and heading to the very heart of the castle. Guarded doors opened for us as we walked and the decoration of the rooms and halls became more luxurious. Cass walked with her eyes kept on the passages in front of her, looking bored. I was like a tourist, looking at everything around me with my mouth open.
The others joined us as they emerged from different doorways; Ben looked revitalized while Lewis had a bruise and a scowl on his face. He won’t forget the incident with Ben for a while, I noted. I would need to keep them both in control.
Suddenly the temperature dropped as we entered a very mysterious-looking chamber with strange Redstone technology all around us. There were four stone chairs in the middle of the room with some headsets on them.
“Virtual reality,” a middle-aged man said as he appeared almost out of nowhere. I jumped and Cass laughed beside me before patting me on the shoulder and leaving. “Well, prototypes anyway. I’d normally give you a lesson on what you need to know, but we’ve developed a better way to explain. Feel free to sit and put the VR sets on your heads. Careful, please.” Ben stepped forward cheerfully, but the rest of us felt quite suspicious of this strange robed man and his devices.
“Oh don’t be ignorant, the Royal City is full of technological stuff you’ll never see in Blueberry or wherever you guys are from, sit down!” Ben said, and I noticed the look of pure hatred on Lewis’ face. I decided to be the first one to risk it and the scientist (or inventor) clapped his hands excitedly.
Here goes nothing.
This ‘VR set’ was more than met the eye. Immediately, I began to see the world differently. The previously dark and haunting room became a bright green field with a beautiful blue sky above it. Somehow I could even hear and smell the sounds of nature all around me. The scientist came walking up to Ben and me as Laura and Lewis appeared nearby and smiled.
“Thanks for trusting me. These sets have been tried and tested, they are 99% safe.” There’s a 1% chance it could blow up on me, great, I thought silently. “It’s time, then.”
Time for what? I wondered, but the answer came immediately.
We were lifted off the grass as we sped forward through the air with no control over our bodies. Over fields and deserts we flew, and I realized where we were going before we actually arrived.
The land began to lose all its life, all of its beauty. It turned dark and dead and the sky began to become clouded and polluted. The craters I had been told about were massive, and great chasms ripped the ground in half as if the world had split. Lightning and thunder began to tear the sky apart every few seconds, and shapes moved in the distance.
“All of these lands were once beautiful, thriving biomes where beings of many races lived…Until the War of Ending arrived. The battles that took place here between our predecessors tore the very earth apart and the fires that burned for years turned the sky into something nightmarish that you ca
n see today.” Flashes of the war appeared before our eyes, and I saw hundreds of charging soldiers on horses crash into thousands of Zombies. “Small events started the war, but only something huge could end it. When the fighting reached its peak, a man appeared in the middle of the battlefield. At first, the leaders of each army told their soldiers to target him as an enemy, but when he revealed his face and eyes the entire force of soldiers — human and mob — stopped what they were doing and listened to his words. He ordered them to seek peace and stop fighting.” I saw the man walking onto the battlefield with my own eyes at that moment, revealing his shining white eyes that lit up the whole area around him. “His name was Herobrine.”
“Amazing,” Laura breathed.
“It is. But now we must return to the present.” The armies disappeared and we saw No-Man’s-Land as it was now. “You must be prepared. You will find all kinds of threats in this tormented biome. It is more dangerous than anything you will ever encounter in your adventures, and as you may have noticed, there will be more out there hunting you than just other champions.”
“What are those things, anyway?” Lewis asked.
“Some say they are ghosts of the dead, others say that they are beings that were twisted with hatred and magic. I do not know. But you shall face them and you will have to be strong. This Tournament will be won by the brave. Fear has no place in this biome. Come, let me show you more.”
As we flew after him into deeper parts of the fearful ruins of a once beautiful land, I suddenly understood how important I was to the human race. I cannot fail. I will not fail. It’s time to show the entire Minecraft World what I am made of. I will not allow us to see a war like this again. We must win…
…And I will make sure of that.
Day 9
I was awake and ready before they even came to get me.
The King and Queen themselves were waiting for us at the point where the main avenue of the Royal City met the castle, our escort said. They had a surprise. I hate surprises, I thought as we walked through the castle to the enormous balcony where both leaders were expecting us.
I felt a growing amount of purpose as we approached the beautiful platform overlooking the city and heard the noise outside.
“They’re here!” The King shouted, his voice amplified by some hidden means. The streets below were packed with spectators who began to cheer as we finally appeared on the balcony above them. “Ladies and Gentlemen; the Champions of Humanity!” The crowd erupted in excitement and ecstasy.
We raised each other’s hands into the air and smiled. None of this had been planned, but we knew what we had to do. Make them smile, make them proud of us. Simple.
“Ben of Royal City!” Ben stepped forward and pumped his fist at the crowd. “Laura of Sybelia!” Laura made a cute curtsey and flashed a shy smile. “Lewis of the Barrenlands!” Lewis stepped forward arrogantly and nodded. The crowd seemed to love his attitude. “Finally, Steve of Blueberry! Our surprise addition!” I made sure to lift my head and smile as I bowed, and then waved at the people of the Royal City.
The Queen came by and put an arm around my back. “Time to go, you’re getting your very own parade! Good luck to you all. Make us proud!” She kissed us all on the cheek as we were escorted down to the avenue. Four horses awaited us at the exit of the castle and we mounted them on our way to the gates of the city. Guards kept the spectators at a safe distance, but the crowd was vivacious. I loved the feeling and knew that even if Gareth would have felt more natural in this situation, it was still awesome despite the excessive attention on me — an attention I wasn’t used to receiving.
As we passed through the gates and a large party of guards began to escort us, I knew that I was no longer a boy anymore. The biggest trial of my life approached and it would be the biggest trial for humanity as well, at least the biggest after the war itself. We were taken to a stronghold outside the city where the main transport system stood. Cass had come with us and she smiled at me as we entered the tunnels leading to the minecarts that would take us to the inner borders of No-Man’s-Land.
“Are you ready?”
I took a second to reply, but finally I nodded. “More ready than ever.”
The minecarts we would be riding to our destination were different than the normal version. These were larger and closed up like cages. Three of them would head out to the event: one with the Champions, one with other necessary staff and the other with all of our things. Ben told me the King and Queen had ordered four chests to be added to the minecart just before we left.
“I think we’ve gotten some sick armor and weapons, Stevie, can’t wait to try them out!” The escorts helped us onto our minecart and we prepared to leave, but then Ben got off and returned. “Sick of hiding. This might be the last time I can do this,” he blurted out and grabbed Cass from where she stood and kissed her.
Our jaws dropped in surprise and I couldn’t help but laugh as he got onto the minecart and left a blushing Cass standing there, frozen to the spot as our minecarts set off.
Too embarrassed to talk about what had just happened, I decided to clear something up that I had wanted to ask for a while.
“Hey, remember when we were attacked? Who sent them, and who was that Wither Skeleton?”
“I have a theory. I’ll tell you later,” he replied, and that was that.
As before, we were advised to sleep. The journey would take some hours. Even so, I offered to take watch after Ben. No risks this time. A lot depends on us arriving safely.
After a few hours of sleep, I woke up feeling refreshed and allowed Ben to nap. The tunnels around us were no longer the earth and stone of the Royal City but instead grayish gravel that looked like it had been burned by a terribly hot flame. The sounds of the minecarts speeding along the rusty tracks were all that could be heard out here and I felt slightly spooked.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got an eye open too,” Lewis said with a wink.
“That’s good to know.”
“I was attacked on my way to the Royal City too, except I was on horseback when it happened. A whole squad of Zombies that stormed our group from some bushes. It was tough but we managed to slay them. Lost a couple of friends that day. I’m not going to let it happen again.” Only then did I realize why he had looked so angry the first day we had met him. He’s not so bad. Still, there’s something I don’t trust about him.
Again the silence returned, but the tunnel began to light up. Woah. As we emerged above ground, I finally saw where we were heading to.
We were already crossing its outer borders, but the sky and lands just got worse the closer we got. Great ruins of once-powerful cities lay in the gray sands and at one point we sped past a massive crater. I swallowed as I saw what lay inside. Bones, of all sizes and shapes. The sky was gloomy and I could see terrible storms up ahead. Soon the other two woke and I heard the staff in the other minecart making noise as well. Just in time to see it as well.
At first I thought they were villagers or small humans crossing the sands in search of food or shelter, but as our minecarts approached we were able to see their true nature. They were twisted and ugly being, the result of some sort of disastrous mutation that had turned them into some sort of clawed, hunchback creatures. Suddenly I looked away when they turned to watch us. I’d rather not know if they were once humans.
Further ahead, the minecarts finally began to slow down and I felt relieved. The weather had gotten worse and I didn’t want to be traveling through a lightning storm inside a metal box riding on metal tracks. We began to turn toward what looked like…buildings?
“An outpost,” Laura said, “There are a few villages on the borders of No-Man’s-Land. They need to be here to keep watch of who and what comes and goes. They must be really miserable out here. Poor people.”
The minecarts finally halted and we got off as quick as we could, stretching and yawning. A few houses and a tall tower were all that the outpost had in terms of buildings, but q
uite a few people looked up from their activities when we arrived.
A middle-aged man in dirty overalls came running out of a house.
“Hello there, nice to see you all. I know why you’re here. Feel free to take those two houses at the end for tonight. Try to stay inside; the storm will be arriving soon and it can get really messy here.”
We took the two small houses for ourselves, but by the time the storm arrived we all decided to huddle inside one with all our stuff arranged in a corner. I had to admit it: I was terrified. The thunder boomed like TNT was falling from the sky and the lightning was almost constant. Bolts crashed into the ground very close to the outpost and I saw the tower get hit several times.
Tonight is going to be a long night, and none of us will get much sleep. If only the Tournament didn’t start tomorrow…
A pessimistic thought occurred to me: The enemy already has the advantage.
Rebelling against the idea of starting the Tournament in a tired and weak state, I forced myself to sleep.
Day 10
It’s finally here then. The big day.
The tunnels weren’t very elegant or comfortable but it was better than walking across the great deserts of dust and ruins that rolled above us on the surface. The man with the dirty overalls guided us through the old passages for a while until we reached a point where the tunnels crossed and multiplied. A group of men and women in military uniform awaited us. Our friend from the outpost wished us good luck and said his farewells.
“You have three lives,” the lieutenant of the military escort said without so much as a ‘Hello’ or ‘Follow me’, and we guessed that he was telling us the rules before we arrived at the arena.
“Be wary,” he continued.“The Tournament has plenty of events and we are not aware of the actual number. You will respawn at a safe place but please, be reasonable. Three lives from here to the end, don’t forget that. Make each of them count.” We turned into a tunnel where there were strange shapes on the ground. Woah…more bones, I realized. “Also, don’t trust anyone. Don’t even trust each other if you feel more comfortable that way. The enemy will pretend to help, but it’s every man and woman for themselves out there. Ah also, the judges will be watching for the bravest and most skilled Champions so try to be flashy. Flashy, not reckless.”
“Sir?” Laura asked, and the man nodded quickly as if telling her to get on with it. “What happens if the lives run out? Do we get disqualified?”
“Disqualified?” he chuckled, “You die. For good.” We all remained silent after that.
Eventually, we reached a large elevator. Its sign read “Human Base.”It was more of a rising platform than anything, and I could hear noise above. We rose, up into the dull light of No-Man’s-Land and I breathed heavily as I came to terms with reality. No turning back now.
We emerged on a mountain. In fact, much of the land around us was covered in them, great chains of hills and cliffs with an enormous valley between them. The stern lieutenant looked at us and our staff.
“Be ready. Preparation starts any minute now.”
And it did. The platform lit up with white light that beamed into the sky. On other mountains, differently colored lights shined their light up into the dark clouds. They’re here. The other races were waiting to begin just like we were. Huge screens revealed the source of the sound: we were being watched by hundreds, perhaps thousands of beings of different races in different places of the Minecraft World. I saw flashes of Endermen crowds, Villagers in their small homes and cities of Humans, among others.
The echoes of thunder boomed from far away and I began to get impatient. The lieutenant put a hand to his ear and listened to something. Here we go.
“Very well. The staff will stay here. This will be your base. If any of you die, you shall return to this place. The valley below is where the first test of the Great Minecraft Tournament will take place. All you have to do is obtain an item at the very center and return to your platform. Nothing else.” He laughed cruelly as we processed what it meant. How many will die down there on this first test?“The event begins in two minutes. I think it’s time to think of what you’re going to do next.”
Ben turned to us, his previously lazy and relaxed demeanor disappearing in an instant. “I think we can’t sit back and wait as some Champions might decide to do. We need to earn some respect out here; it’s going to be a while until we can go home.”
“You’re right. I have an idea. I’ll need to stick back and prepare a trap, but we can be the team that brings back the item and wins this,” Laura said.
“I’ll fight down there with you, Ben,” Lewis barked, leaving their previous incident behind.
An alarm began, counting the last seconds down. “Let me be the carrier. I’ll grab the object and you guys protect me.”
“Are you sure? You’re going to be the focus of many attacks, Steve,” Ben said with a worried face. I nodded, and that was that.
“That alarm is for you to gear up, sixty seconds until the real thing begins,” The lieutenant said. I read a tag on his chest that said ‘Lt. Victor P.’
The final surprise was still to come when our staff came running with four chests that had all of our gear in them.
A great grin spread across my face. “Oh my.”
Sixty seconds later, The Great Minecraft Tournament finally commenced. The deafening roar of thousands tore from the screens into the air, silencing the thunder for a moment and I closed my eyes for a split second. Time to make Gareth proud.
We sprinted down the mountain, our armor sleek and beautiful despite the dim light, our swords sharp and deadly. Lewis was in black dragon-like armor from head to toe, his sword a scary curved obsidian blade. Ben wore gold; his shoulder pads and chest plate making him look like a giant of a man. Laura had preferred a lighter armor of chainmail, and her weapon of choice was a bow as she ran beside me. Finally, I had been gifted a beautiful blue diamond armor that was carved in such a way that it looked like there were layers of different materials in it, but it was just an effect of coloring and master craftsmanship. My blade and shield were large for my size, but I carried them with pride as Laura stayed behind and gave us the signal to charge forward as she began to set Redstone down careful and thoughtfully.
The storm was brewing again as we set foot onto the valley. We didn’t even pause as we ran toward the shining object sitting on a plinth at the very center of the expanse of land. It better not be too heavy and cumbersome, or I’ll be useless to Lewis and Ben. I could see small shapes running toward it from several directions and knew that any minute now, the fighting would begin.
The arrow whizzed past my face and I felt my heart stop for an instant.
“Watch out, lift your shields and stick together!” Ben cried over the thunder and noise of the audience. We were only a few hundred meters away now. I could see them now, the other Champions. They had all come.
Lewis sprinted ahead and shouted desperately at us. “Run! The Endermen are close to grabbing the—”
“The treasure has been taken.”
Ben cursed in anger and we forced ourselves to run as fast as we could. The fighting had begun up ahead and we arrived just in time to see them: The Endermen fought like a single being, such was their coordination. Arrows were useless against them as they could simply teleport — though apparently only a short distance due to the rules — and avoid them. A large armored Zombie charged one and knocked it down to the dusty ground, but the other two surrounded the treasure carrier and doubled their efforts.
Fights broke out among the other races as they each smashed, struck and stabbed their way to the Endermen, and I knew this was our chance.
Sprinting away from Lewis and Ben — who both yelled at me to stop — I sheathed my sword and took out my bow. One chance is all I have.
The arrow left my fingers, flying through the air straight at the treasure carrier while the other Endermen fought off two axe-wielding villagers. The remainin
g Enderman continued to grapple with the armored Zombie. The treasure carrier teleported out of the way of the arrow and screeched at me in its strange language, taunting me for my miss.
“Right into my trap,” I said with a smile, and only then did it realize I had separated it from its guards. Ben and Lewis stabbed it at once, and the creature screeched in pain and fell to the dusty ground, releasing the object from its grip. Before anybody could react, I grabbed the shining trophy and began to run, lifting my shield to catch the arrows that flew straight at me.
“RUN!” Ben screamed, and we began our escape. The storm was louder than ever and lightning flashed, lighting up the entire World with every bolt. Lewis and Ben had to fight hard, but we managed to reach the mountain before we were overwhelmed. I saw Laura standing further up the summit firing arrow after arrow down onto our enemies. She screamed for us to hurry and I saw a switch in her hand.
As we passed a spot of marked ground, I heard Lewis cry out in pain. He had been wounded. The mobs were swarming us, and the Villagers were close behind.
“Do it!” Ben shouted, and Laura hesitated. “DO IT NOW!”
BOOOOOM
I almost dropped the trophy as a whole area of the mountain detonated and came crashing down. We had barely survived the blast, but the enemy had been swallowed by the dust and blocks that thundered down the ridge like an avalanche. Laura was waiting for us at the platform and I grinned in relief as I made my way up.
Ben helped Lewis and I up onto the platform and I saw Laura smiling and stretching her hand to grab the trophy. I smiled at her and sighed. “We’ve made it. We’ve w—”
The sudden jolt of pain made me scream and Laura’s eyes went wide. I staggered to one side as the trophy clattered down onto the platform floor and the audiences in the cities screamed in delight.
“Humanity have won Round 1,” the voice said, but everything was fading for me.
“Steve, stay with me!” I heard Ben say as if from a great distance.
“Steve?! STEVE?!”
As I fell, I saw the axe lodged into my side. Oh…
“I’m losing him!! STEEEEEVE!!!”
Everything went black.