Minecraft: The Marvelous Adventures of Steve: The Invasion Trilogy

Loose Chains

The next morning loomed over the rooftops of the village. Lucy had spread the word, avoiding Nicholas, about their secrecy. Nicholas had few loyal followers because of his arrogance. She explained the reasoning for their presence, and they came to a mutual agreement to turn the other way if the small group was ever seen. It was easier to do that than listen to Nicholas complain or accuse, anyhow.

As for housing, the village Librarian offered to let them stay in the basement of his house. The entrance was hidden, and the Librarian felt no need for Nicholas to know about it. It was spacious. The golem could fit comfortably with a few golem family members if he had any. It was a unanimous decision to let the golem stay underground so it could remain hidden. It was too big to go unnoticed aboveground.

As Sam, Steve, and Forester wandered through the village, they could see people hard at work with their duties. The Farmer and Planter broke a sweat tilling the land fertilized with water and planting seeds in the fields. Crafter was "busy, busy, busy," as she said, trying to craft items for people. She had a long list in her hand that had her running back and forth between storage and her crafting station.

"I really should move this closer," she said. "People keep breaking their items or losing them. This is a lot of work!"

Villagers who walked by or noticed them either gave a small nod or a smile of acknowledgement. Forester explained being in the jungle kept them isolated from the rest of the world. That included travelers that wisely chose to avoid the jungle. Newcomers were welcomed, but they kept a small distance to avoid suspicion from their leader. Lucy had done a swell job spreading the word, but most of it got around by itself. Steve and Sam's appearance was the most excitement they had since Bernard's banishment. Everyone knew who they were.

As they passed the intersection of two paths, they head a loud grunt and a crash. They turned to find Nicholas on the ground and random items fallen around him. A chest with a broken lid laid among them. A small girl had fallen during the encounter and was crying. She had a bump on her head from running into the chest. Fortunately, that was her only injury. Some of the children had been playing, and she was unlucky enough to run into Nicholas headfirst. Nicholas stood up, raging mad.

"Look at what you did, you reckless wrench!"

The words rolled off his tongue with uncomfortable ease and stung like poison for Steve. The girl was sobbing at this point, knowing she was in deep trouble. Nicholas pulled out a lead from his inventory and stomped up to the girl.

"Oh, no," Sam said.

"Stop him!" Forester shouted.

He began to run, but he felt a pain in his joints.

"My knees," he said.

Steve took off after Nicholas. The leader made it to the little girl, still crying on the ground. People around them watched, too afraid to make a move to help the poor child. Nicholas made it to the girl and swung the lead over his shoulder. They all watched in horror as the lead cracked over her arm.

*WHACK*

The sound made several people flinch. The girl screamed in pain and pulled her arm to her chest.

"Someone do something!" A woman shouted.

He pulled back and swung again.

*WHACK*

It came down on her leg. She yelped and curled into a ball. He pulled back to swing a third time. It caught on something. Steve had a tight grip on the line. He jerked Nicholas around and punched him hard in the face. He stumbled back in shock, holding his chin.