This is going better than I expected, Sam thought. We're getting a lot done today.
They finished their lunch break and started cleaning out the leaves and trees on the west side.
"Nice job," Steve approached. "Those shear jokes you're putting into practice?"
"Shut up," Sam laughed. "Where's your group?"
"Taking a well-deserved break."
"How's it going over there?"
"We already finished the tunnel," Steve said proudly. "You won't believe what we found on the other side."
"What?"
"A jungle temple?"
"Really?"
Steve nodded.
"Wow. Was it looted?"
"No. One of the villagers ran inside. I managed to stop him and avoid the trap in time. When we checked the chest, there were two diamonds inside."
Steve showed him the diamonds.
"That's awesome!" He said. "Way to go, man!"
"Thanks. I guess we got lucky today."
"You bet. We haven't had any problems today, and lots of work has been done."
"I'm turning these into a diamond sword."
"Now you'll have an awesome weapon, too! This is great. Nothing could make this day turn sour."
~~~
In the mines, Bernard heard the hiss first.
"Miner, behind you!"
He saw the green creature standing behind him. Miner turned around and saw the creature start to grow. Without any time to grab a weapon, he smacked it with his pickaxe, but it didn't help. It exploded, throwing Miner against the opposite wall. He hit the ground with a thud, unconscious. Everyone stopped mining and looked in their direction. Creepers crept out of the darkness and flooded toward them. Bernard drew his bow.
"Stay back!" He shouted.
He notched arrow after arrow into the heads of creepers. His precision made deadly, one-hit kills every time an arrow pierced the head. When he thought there were no more, he ran to Miner. He was still knocked out. Burns covered his body, his clothes singed. Bernard lightly smacked his face. He checked his health. His hearts were shaking erratically. He was near death. He put his arm around Miner's shoulder and started walking them toward the exit.
"Move! He's badly injured!"
Everyone moved out of their way. One of them pointed.
"Bernard, look out!"
He turned and saw a creeper walk up to them. When it has nearly reached them, a pickaxe landed in the creeper's stomach. It slowed down but kept moving. Then, another went into its side. Then a foot. Neck. Another foot. Stomach. It slowed to a crawl and ignited. Before it could explode, a miner jumped and stuck a pickaxe in its head. It fell to the floor. He took the pickaxe and pulled it back out. He put it back on his belt.
"Are you alright?" The miner asked.
"I think so. I may have soiled my pants a little, but I'm alive. Thank you so much."
"We should go to the surface," he said.
"Yes. We need to regroup and reconsider our options. Those creepers came out of nowhere with no warning. It might happen again."
Bernard looked at the other miners.
"Thank you all. But we must leave quickly. Miner needs help. We must get him to safety."
"We've got your back."
Bernard helped Miner up the staircase. The other miners watched their front and back, taking what little resources they managed to find. When they left, they did not see the purple particles as an enderman teleported away from the scene.
~~~
"Hey, Crafter!"
Steve called out as he approached the storehouse.
"Steve! What can I do for you?"
"I need you to craft something for me."
"Hopefully nothing made of iron. Miner and his workers haven't come up yet."
"They haven't? I thought someone would've come back with at least a few iron. Maybe I should go check on them."
"Wouldn't recommend it. Miner's told me some of his tales about his mining adventures. Too many mobs and troubles in the way. Makes me glad I work on the surface even more. Trust me, you'd get lost before you found them."
"Oh. I just hope they're safe."
"They're in good hands. Miner is a professional, and Bernard is capable. They might've found the gold mine and haven't stopped. Who knows?"
"I guess. So, can you make something for me?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
"A new sword."
Crafter was confused. "Out of what?"
Steve took the diamonds from his inventory and put them on the crafting table.
"These."
"Holy Notch! Where did you get those beautes?"
"A temple outside of the village. Can you make me one?"
Crafter made a *whooshing* sound. "I wish I could, bud. I don't have that kind of touch. But I know someone who does. Yanko!"
"Oi."
A large man in a black apron put down his diamond pickaxe and dipped the iron one he was working on into a cauldron. There was a loud *hiss* and steam rising out of the water. He put it down on the anvil and approached them. Steve felt intimidated by the man's size.
"We've got a special order that requires your expertise."
Crafter took the diamonds and put the precious gems in the man's rough, dirty hands.
"A diamond sword. Think you can do it?"
He nodded with a grunt.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Steve said.
Yanko gave him a look and put the diamonds in the pocket of his apron. He went back to the anvil to continue his pickaxe. Steve marveled at the blacksmith's work. His tools looked nothing like Steve had made. Even Sam's sword didn't look as impressive as the iron ones he saw hanging on the walls. He must've been doing it for years.
"He'll take care of it," Crafter said. "He's pretty good."
"I'll be back for it later. I've gotta help Sam with something."
"Steve! Steve!"
It was Lucy. She was in a panic, matching her disgruntled hair in the wind.
"Slow down. Breathe. What's wrong?"
"It's Miner. He's been injured. The mining crew was attacked by creepers. They showed up out of nowhere. They don't know where they came from."
"Take me to him," Steve said.
He followed Lucy to where they had Miner. They had placed him in the bed in his house. There was a noticeable amount of dirt inside and a cluttered mess of old tools near broken. Steve saw Bernard trying to get Miner to eat some bread.
"You need to eat!" He said. "You need to recover."
"I'll be okay," he said. "I just need some rest. I'm really tired."
"What happened?" Steve asked.
"Some creepers snuck up on us. It was strange. They just appeared out of nowhere. No noise. No warning."
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked.
"I'm fine, really," Miner insisted. "They just jumped me. It was a stupid mistake. It happens."
The other miners were standing around seeing his weakened state. Their spirits were suddenly much lower than when they started.
"It's not like you to miss something like that," Bernard stated.
"We were singing the miner's chant. I probably sang too loud."
"I don't know," Bernard said. "We checked that place twice over. There was nothing there when we showed up."
"Are you sure there wasn't something you overlooked?" Steve asked.
"Well... there might have been a few holes in the floor. It was pretty dark in that part of the cave. There could be deeper caverns that they spawned from."
"It's possible," Lucy said.
"We'll need more torches down there," Steve said. "Get rid of the spawns. Shouldn't be a problem."
Bernard couldn't shake the unsettling feeling.
Something is wrong.
~~~
"I'm back, your majesty."
The enderman stood over the portal.
"Did you fulfill your task?" The deep voice asked.
"Yes," the enderman chuckled. "They had quite a blast."
"And did your plan succeed?"
The enderman didn't answer.
"Well?"
"N-no, your majesty."
There was a deep growl. "I warned you it was a foolish idea. Were there any injuries?"
"Yes, your majesty. The village miner was severely injured. I had nearly succeeded."
"Nearly and completely have two different meanings. First the zombie attack on the girl, then the failed attack in the mines."
"At least someone was hurt."
"SILENCE!" The voice boomed.
He went quiet.
"No more child's play. Our troops will show them the true meaning of fear. Their puny defenses will not work against my forces. Continue your surveillance from afar since that's the only useful thing you can do at the moment. And make no contact on their people. Defy me again, and I will destroy you with the pain of a thousand screams. I will know."
Frank teleported away, filled with rage.