by Mark Mulle
Chapter Eight
“Are you guys ready?” Notch asked, looking at the two of them.
They were in front of the Nether portal they had opened. The low hum filled the air and the purple swirled in front of Notch’s eyes.
“As ready as one can be when they are about to go into the Nether.” James replied nervously.
“We’ll get inside the Nether and look for clues about this David guy,” Notch said, “Find out how he got Herobrine back and why he’d want him back.”
“Are you going to go first?” James said, nudging Notch forward slightly.
Notch rolled his eyes, “Sure.”
He took a deep breath and then stepped through the portal. The humming filled his ears and then everything went a purple hue, as if the ocean had suddenly turned purple and he was swimming in it. It made him feel slightly sick so Notch closed his eyes. When he opened them again, everything had changed.
The first thing he noticed was the heat. It was incredibly humid, and it seemed to sit on him like dead weight. And then he noticed the lava. It seemed to be everywhere. It even poured down as if they were in some strange, twisted form of waterfalls. Notch looked down from the ledge they had appeared on and saw lava below them, as well as the strange creatures that made up the Nether below. In the distance, he could see a Nether fortress which he bet is where David could be.
James appeared next to him, still slightly damp from their dip in the ocean.
“Lovely,” James quipped, “I should get a vacation home here.”
Pauline was next - her face looked drawn from the weight of carrying James and then diving into the ocean. She had circles under her eyes and Notch was concerned that she needed to rest. Her hair stuck to her face from a combination of the heat and the water from earlier.
“Where do you want to start?” Was all she asked.
Notch pointed out to the Nether fortress, “There. If David has a base here, I think it’d be close to the fortress. They have material you can’t find anywhere else down here; plus, you can run in there if you want to be safely guarded, in case someone finds your home.”
“Sounds good.” James and Pauline nodded in agreement.
The three of them set out towards the Nether. Notch hoped they weren’t running out of time and that they would find something that would help them. They avoided a group of zombie pig men that were by a lava stream and darted past a ghost that was floating around, making strange, sad noises. Notch was out of his element here. Granted, he was out of his element when it had to do with Herobrine at all. They regrouped once they got close to the Nether fortress.
“I think we should get some sleep,” Notch said, “Build a place up there.” He pointed to a ledge. “We haven’t gotten any sleep since the lava on the mountain.”
“I wish we didn’t have to,” Pauline said, “But I think that would be best. I’m quite tired.”
They moved quietly and swiftly. Together, they used stones from their inventory, knowing that the netherrack would go up in flames quickly. Not that cobblestone would keep fire out, but at least it wouldn’t have the whole shelter go up in flames. James pulled the first watch and he drew out his bow and arrow, walking up and down the ledge. Pauline was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Notch found himself staring up at the ceiling. The heat was intense. Pauline must have been truly exhausted to fall asleep so quickly.
Notch felt as if he stared at the wall for a long time before his eyes finally shut. His clothes stuck to him from sweat. When he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t in the Nether. He was standing by a stream of cold, fresh water with a range of mountains ahead of him. And Herobrine was standing there. Notch wanted to back up, but his feet felt rooted to the spot. When he looked down, he saw that his feet had turned into the trunk of a tree.
“Consider this a warning, Notch,” Herobrine said, his soulless eyes staring at him. “I know you’re trying to stop me. Like you thought you did last time. But while you play pretend down here in the Nether, looking for leads you won’t find, or leads that you foolishly think will help you, I am already doing things in the Overworld you will not be able to stop.”
“I’ll stop you again,” Notch said. “I’ll keep stopping you. Every time it takes.”
“You had Shae helping you last time. The memories she was able to implant and have you view - they were the only reason you were able to take me down. You don’t have her this time. This time, you have nothing.”
“No,” Notch said. “I have myself. And my friends.”
Herobrine let out a cruel laugh, “You and your friends. Terrifying.” The mountains behind him began to flow lava from the top and they began to slide down the sides of it, towards Notch. “You will be stuck here in the Nether. You are following leads that will take you nowhere.”
“I know a man named David is helping you. I know he has a place here in the Nether.”
Herobrine scowled, “It will do you no good. I am already in control of more than you know.”
Herobrine faded and the lava began to roll towards Notch. It hit the water and steam rose from it, making a soft hissing noise as the lava picked up speed, rolling towards him –
Notch sat up, his breathing heavy. He looked around wildly. James was asleep next to him. Pauline must be on watch. His clothes clung to Notch as if he had been swimming. He tried to wipe the sweat off his brow. There was no lava coming towards him. It was just Herobrine trying to scare him. Notch kicked the sheets off and padded out of the shelter, stepping out onto the ledge.
Notch saw the Nether fortress to one side. He could make out Wither Skeletons guarding it. In front of them was the lava below. A ghost was floating over it as if it were no different than the ocean. Notch looked around to try to find Pauline and relieve her of duty early, but he didn’t see her. Frowning, he walked along the ledge, looking for her. A cold feeling started to form in his stomach. Where was she? That was when he saw it.
Her sword was on the ground. Notch jogged up to it and called her name, but there was no answer. Just her sword, lying there, on the ground, as if it was the answer to a question Notch didn’t want to ask.
I am already in control of more than you know.
Notch ran back and started shaking James awake. James rubbed his eyes as Notch said Pauline was missing. The two of them spilled back onto the ledge and James stared at her sword.
“Where did she go?”
“I don’t know. Did Pauline seem funny when she took over your watch?”
“She seemed really tired, but I just thought…she had come out early. Said she had a bad dream and wanted to take over and watch. And I was so tired…I agreed. She didn’t say much else.”
Notch looked out over the Nether, “How long ago was that?”
“An hour, maybe? Time is funny down here.”
“She left her sword behind,” Notch said quietly, mostly to himself. “That means whatever happened, she didn’t feel as if she needed to take a weapon with her.”
“That doesn’t seem like Pauline.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Notch took a step forward, closer to the edge of the ledge. He thought back to Herobrine and what he had said. He knew Herobrine had taken or lured Pauline somewhere, but where? His gaze fell on the Nether fortress. It was the only place around that she could have been taken to.
Notch turned back around, “We have to go into the Nether fortress.”
“You think Pauline was taken there?”
“Yes. I don’t think she was taken out of the Nether. I think Herobrine knows we were going to go there anyway so he wants it on his terms. He’ll have a trap there for us.”
James nodded, “Fine. Then we’ll go into the Nether fortress.”
Notch took a deep breath and looked back at it.
Wait for us, Pauline.
About the Author
&nbs
p; Mark Mulle is a passionate Minecraft gamer who writes game guides, short stories, and novels about the Minecraft universe. He has been exploring, building, and fighting in the game ever since its launch, and he often uses in-game experiences for inspiration on creating the best fiction for fellow fans of the game. He works as a professional writer and splits his time between gaming, reading, and storytelling, three hobbies and lifelong passions that he attributes to a love of roleplaying, a pursuit of challenging new perspectives, and a visceral enjoyment the vast worlds that imagination has to offer. His favorite thing to do, after a long day of creating worlds both on and off the online gaming community, is to relax with his dog, Herobrine, and to unwind with a good book. His favorite authors include Stephen King, Richard A. Knaak, George R. R. Martin, and R. A. Salvatore, whose fantasy works he grew up reading or is currently reading. Just like in Minecraft, Mark always strives to level up, so to speak, so that he can improve his skills and continue to surprise his audience. He prefers to play massive multiplayer online games but often spends time in those games fighting monsters one on one and going solo against the toughest mobs and bosses he can manage to topple. In every game, his signature character build is a male who focuses mostly on crafting weapons and enchanting, and in every battle, he always brings a one hander sword and a shield with as much magical attributes as he can pour into them. Because he always plays alone, he likes to use his game guides to share all the secrets and knowledge he gains, and who know—he may have snuck some information into his fiction as well. Keep an eye out for his next book!
Other books by this author
Please visit your favorite eBook retailer to discover other books by Mark Mulle
Other Books in The Enemy’s Revenge Trilogy
Book Two: Kidnapped
Book Three: To The End World
Attack of the Overworld Trilogy
Book One: Finding Herobrine
Book Two: Finding Steve
Book Three: The Final Mine
The Quest: The Untold Story of Steve Trilogy
Book One: The Tale of a Hero
Book Two: The Unfinished Game
Book Three: The Endings and Beginnings of a Legend
The Obsidian Chronicles Trilogy
The Obsidian Chronicles, Book One: Ender Rain
The Obsidian Chronicles, Book Two: Hell and Back
The Obsidian Chronicles, Book Three: Of Dragons and Demons
The Doppelganger Trilogy
The Doppelganger, Book One: Steve’s Chance
The Doppelganger, Book Two: Steve vs. Herobrine
The Doppelganger, Book Three: The Ender Dragon Reborn
The Cult Trilogy
The Cult, Part One
The Cult, Part Two
The Cult, Part Three
The Legend: The Mystery of Herobrine Trilogy
Book One: The Start of the Quest
Book Two: The Truth about the Myth
Book Three: Herobrine versus the World
The Dragon’s Mountain Trilogy
Book One: Attacked by the Griefers
Book Two: The Hidden Village
Book Three: The White Mobs
The Temple of Destruction Trilogy
Book One: The Lost Treasures
Book Two: The Curse
Book Three: Notch versus Herobrine
