Warnings: Tiny bit of blood
~Vikk's P.O.V.~
There huddled in a far corner of the small room, is what seems to be a lava creeper hybrid, dressed in black pants and a black hoodie with a red, yellow, and orange flame on it. It has coal black eyes, and shining orange tears are spilling down its face. Not only that but there is a large tear on the side of its hoodie, bright red blood staining the clothing and ground around it. Also it's actually glowing. It wasn't lava we were seeing, it was it's skin! Or is it really skin...?
"What are you?!" Lachlan blurts, picking himself up off the ground.
"I'm... I'm a lava, creeper, human hyrbid..." It sniffles, presumably male by his voice.
"You're not going to hurt us... Are you?" I question cautiously.
He shakes his head. And tries to wipe the tears from his eyes. I frown in sympathy.
"Why are you crying...? Maybe we can help. I'm Vikk," I say motioning to myself. Then I gesture towards Lachlan, "And that's Lachlan."
"I t-think my name is Preston..." Think? "I can't really remember much before a couple days ago... All I remember is that I was suddenly in this forest and all I could remember was my name. So a few days later, or I guess today, I was attacked by a wolf and so I ran down here and hid... And I just don't know what to do..." Preston sobs, "I feel like I'm forgetting someone but I can't remember who..." He finishes, begging to cry again.
Lachlan and I look at each other in shock. Lachlan tilts his head towards Preston and I nod. At this point Preston has buried his face in his arms, and so Lachlan clears his throat to grab his attention. Then, he explains how that happened to us too. The whole time Preston listens intently, his crying eventually dying down.
"Somethings not right here..." Preston finally affirms, staring intensely at the ground and wiping away a tear.
"Yeah..." Lachlan agrees, scratching his head.
"Here Preston, let me see your wound... It looks pretty bad." I say, approaching him.
Preston nods shakily and sits up straight. I kneel down in front of him, reaching for his hoodie. But then I stop glancing at his bright orange glowing skin warily.
"It's not going to um... Burn me is it?" I question, glancing at Preston.
"Nah dude. It's only hot when I want it to be." Preston reassures me.
I nod grabbing the hem of his hoodie and pulling it up to reveal his side. I wince at the bloody sight, examining the deep puncture wounds in his side. He wasn't lying when he said a wolf attacked him, because two rows of teeth marks are tearing into his glowing skin. Blood is still slightly flowing from the wounds but luckily it's starting to scab up. I look up at Preston, right into black eyes glazed with worry. I lower his hoodie, sitting back.
"Thankfully it's not too bad. But it's still bleeding a little bit and the bite marks are pretty deep. I'd probably suggest not moving it too much until it heals. Otherwise you should be fine." I report, receiving a nod in response.
I stand back up and hold out my hand for Preston. He takes it and I pull him up, randomly noticing how his hand isn't actually hot, but instead merely warm.
"I feel like I've know you guys for a long time... But I can't remember anything..." Preston trails on.
"Same here... I wonder if there are more of us?" Lachlan chimes in for the first time in a while.
"Who knows? I think we should just keep following our instinct because I know for a fact mine has lead me to find both of you... so it's safe to assume we should keep doing just that."
Preston and Lachlan nod in agreement. Although I can still see Preston is troubled by something. I flash him a questioning glance and he waves me off dismissively. I shrug and the three of us start back up the mine. Thanks to Preston, Lachlan and I don't have to use our torches seeing as his skin can easily light up the surrounding area. And in return for the lighting we work together to gather Preston a full set of iron tools. (Lachlan and I already have iron tools from mining). Eventually we reach the mouth of the cave and see that the time has cycled back into day. The remnants of mobs lay on the ground... A few bones, a carrot, and some rotten flesh. There also seems to be some string scattered here and there, and even some gunpowder.
Strange... Creepers and spiders aren't supposed to burn in sunlight... So why is there gunpowder and string? While Lachlan excuses himself to the washroom and Preston dawdles about, I curiously inspect the items, picking them up after a second. And gazing further ahead I see a few more pieces of string.
"Hey guys, come here for a second." I call over my shoulder.
Lachlan, who has returned, comes up on one side of me and Preston on the opposite. I reach into my inventory and pull out the sting and gunpowder, holding them out.
"I just found these on the ground... But we all know that spiders and creepers don't burn in the daylight."
"So... That mean someone must have passed through here... Yeah?" Lachlan summarizes.
"Exactly."
"So I guess that means that's the direction we're heading next?" Preston inquires.
"I guess so." Lachlan confirms.
So following the direction of loot, we keep our eyes peeled for any more signs of life. Well... Besides mobs and trees and stuff like that. Eventually the loot trail stops, leaving no clue as to which way this person could have gone. This must have been when it turned to day and mobs stopped spawning. And unfortunately the loot ends in the middle of a small field... Which means he or she could have gone in any direction. Especially if a mob was chasing them.
"The trail ends here..." I note, stopping my trek.
Preston and Lachlan join me in the middle of the field, and we all scan the surroundings in hopes of finding some more clues. But alas, there are none... Just a cow grazing in the field near the trees.
"What way should we go then?" Preston questions.
"Well... I don't know about you but I'm pretty hungry. Why don't we just walk a little bit more and then stop to eat?" Lachlan suggests.
Preston and I nod, so we all continue straight onwards, praying it's the right direction. And reaching the treeline, we're displeased to find no other tracks, so instead we find a relatively clear area to sit down and eat.
"I don't know if you guys got any food yet so take these..." I state, handing Preston and Lachlan each two pieces of cooked mutton.
"Thanks Vikk." Lachlan smiles, before taking a bite.
Preston, on the other hand, is already piling the meat into his mouth. He glances at me to say thanks, then continues eating. I chuckle rolling my eyes and sit down on a tree stump, pulling out my own piece of meat. Once we all finish eating, Lachlan has us all make a small circle on the ground. Probably for a mini meeting.
"Alright guys, first things first. Let's see what everyone has. I have a full set of iron tools, minus the hoe, thirty-two blocks of iron ore, fifty-six coal ore, ten blocks of gold ore, a piece of cooked chicken, fifteen rotten flesh, seven string, three gunpowder, three arrows, and two bones." Lachlan lists off, naming each item as he scrolls through his inventory.
"You wanna go Preston?" I question.
"Sure dude. I've also got a full set of iron tools, minus the hoe, four pieces of coal ore, one piece of rotten flesh, and a couple seeds... I didn't make much progress when you guys found me." He adds on, chuckling.
"And finally I guess I'll go. I have a full set of iron tools, minus the hoe of course, twenty blocks of iron ore, thirty-one coal ore, eleven blocks of gold ore, fifty pieces of redstone dust, three cooked steak, two cooked chicken, a carrot, fourteen rotten flesh, eight string, ten gunpowder, five arrows, two bones, a bed, two furnaces, a crafting table, two stacks of spruce wood planks, and two blocks of wool." I name.
Lachlan whistles, "Well look at you go! And I thought I was doing good..."
"So I guess now..." Preston continues, "Let's see what we can make with all of this stuff."
Lachlan and I nod but before we can pull out our possessions we hear a rustle and a groan, staggering footsteps sounding just behind a nearby bush.
~~~