Section 5:

     For about half an hour, Hero walked all around the village searching for his friend. He was still mighty curious about why everyone else would say items can't talk, but Steve had said they could. He was hoping maybe Steve was just messing around, but he had to be sure. What was a little worrying was that Steve was nowhere to be seen. By this time of day he would usually be running around doing something, but he was just nowhere to be seen.

     Finally, after half an hour of searching, the younger man found the other where he least expected him to be: his house. Even more confusing were the sheer amount of things thrown out the front doors.

     "What are you doing now, Steve?!" Hero ran in, almost worried that his friend might be moving without letting him know where, first.

     "I'm finally cleaning the place up." Steve chuckled, appearing to be in a much brighter mood than usual. "It has been years since I even touched some of the things in here." Covering the floor, were hundreds of different items, all thrown from their chests. Even a few of the chests were pushed around, some of them sitting outside the human's front doors.

     "...This doesn't look like cleaning." Hero commented.

     Steve chuckled again, "before the cleanliness comes the mess."

     "So, why have you decided to start cleaning now instead of a couple years ago?" Asked the original human's friend.

     "I honestly don't know. It just never crossed my mind until now." Steve shrugged. "Maybe it has to do with my brain? I have no idea. But my mind hasn't been this clear in years, and it feels nice!" The human smiled back at Hero.

     "Well that's good to hear!" Hero exclaimed, though he was having a hard time grasping exactly what his friend meant. All he needed to know was that his friend was feeling good. "So, can I help?!"

     "Eh, no thanks. I want to make sure everything is put perfectly into place... Maybe you can help with the things I no longer want, though. I have a lot of stuff I have thrown out already, so if you want, you can hand the things out to the villagers who might need them." Steve did end up coming up with a way that Hero could help. The younger man loved that idea.

     Right away, he ran out onto the path where all of the things Steve didn't want anymore had been thrown, brushed them off, and placed them into the chests Steve had pushed outside as well. Pretty soon he had two chests full of discarded items; most of which were still in perfect condition and still valuable. Then, all he had to do was push the chests out nearer to the center of the village and tell everyone that they could take whatever they wanted! He received many kind thanks for the kind gesture, which he then explained that the items were actually Steve's. And, by the end of the day, both chests were completely empty. All in a day's work!

     Satisfied, Hero left the chests there to be picked up by anyone who wanted them as well, and walked over to Steve's house to see how he was doing. When he arrived, the younger man was delightfully surprised at the difference in Steve's house. Everything was meticulously stalked; it looked like a completely different person had taken up the job of cleaning the place!

     "Woah.." Hero exhaled, the shine from his eyes joining the dull torches in lighting up the house at this late of an hour. Steve was at the time just finishing up by tucking-in the blankets of his bed; something he never did.

     "I know right? This place feels so different now." The shorter man smiled. "Of course, I am probably going to mess it all up again with time... but at least I tried." He ended with a chuckle.

     "Eh, I bet it won't change very much. As long as you-"

     "-Hey would you like to see something I just found? It had been hiding from me for years -- stuck in the corner behind one of the beds!" The human leapt from the chest he had been standing on to make his bed, briskly pulling out a piece of paper from his pockets. He unfolded it as gently as he could for going such high speeds. "It's a map that must have slipped out of one of the books I used to read all the time. You know; by the author I named myself after. And since this is the most recent book of his I could find, I think it might have been the last one he left behind, which means he could still be out there! Maybe even waiting for us at the end of this map!" Steve said with great exhilaration, unfolding the map so Hero could see the dotted line that wove around mountains with a big red X marking the very end of the line.

     Though he always liked being the optimistic one of the two, Hero couldn't help but feel a little skeptical about this plan. "Steve... Are you sure he may be at the end of this? Just look at the map! It looks pretty old to me."

     "Oh, I can see the age in it too, but I've noticed how little I actually have aged over the years! Who knows, he might just be the same! Or~ even if he isn't there, we still might be able to find more clues about where he may have gone next. Who knows? A whole new book might just be sitting there for us, just waiting to be discovered!. And that book might just contain everything I have been looking for: secrets about where the entire Human Race went! And you know I can't just pass up on an opportunity like that!"

     "Alright, alright! Haha.. I'm not going to be the one to tell you can't go!.. Just, give me some time to think about it..alright?" Hero tried his best to not sound or appear rude. "I just..am not sure if I really want to go on adventures... At least not for a while.. but I am still willing to go, if you want me to."

     "...Oh, okay.. then. Thanks for letting me know." The older man lowered his head slightly. "Alright, I'll give you some time to think about it... Here's the map, if you want." Steve smiled politely, handing his friend the map. "It's getting late; you should probably be heading back home. We can always talk about this tomorrow." Steve sighed.

     "Thanks." Hero folded up the map slowly and held it in his hand carefully, smiling as he shut the front door.

     Steve didn't know what to feel. He knew he wasn't angry or sad.. but he also wasn't as happy as he hoped he would be. Maybe he really did just need some time to think about the adventure ahead of him... But why was Hero so skeptical? Sure he had gotten pretty sick earlier, but now he had full diamond armor to protect him. Was he just not as interested in exploring as before? How is that even possible?!

     What if Steve's dream to explore the Nether with his friend...never happens..?

     Maybe he shouldn't have been so protective of him before. What if he only scared Hero? He might just have to show his friend what a real adventure is, to help him realize, to remind him, that exploration doesn't have to be scarry or life threatening to be fun... If only he knew of a way to do that in such a dangerous world. Hmmm..

     The next morning, he knew exactly what to do!

Section 6: (font 1)

     "What's up, Hero?" The ravenger, Hokeson, strolled up behind Hero, who was dipping his bare feet in the small pond just in front of his new, unfinished house. Much more aware of his larger size now, the ravenger sat beside the new human without accidentally crushing him.

     "The clouds.." Hero answered with half a sigh, "and that bee..over there." It didn't take too long for the once weaponsmith to see that Hero was already deep in thought.

     "What's on your mind? I'm sure I can help you if you need it...unless it requires hands, that is. Heh, compared to before...I'm rather useless."

     "Oh, don't say those things about yourself, Hokeson. You're a great help to have around." Hero gently patted the large tank of a beast.

     "Hh, well I already get that more than I should. Putting that aside, are you going to answer my question within this millenia, or should I wait another thousand years?"

     Hero laughed briefly. "Umm, hmmm, what's on my mind...? Hhh, man! I don't really know where to start!" Hero said, falling back and sprawling his arms out in the grass.

     "Hmhm," Hokeson chuckled. "That's alright. Take your time."

     "You're getting a lot better at talking, by the way." Hero commented.

     "Why, thank you for noticing. I have been trying out speech therapy a lot more lately." Was Hokeson's reply. The two went back to being silent, Hokeson just sitting there, letting Hero think. 

     "-Okay, so first, for the past month or so I have been trying to figure out what I am good at, finding no luck! I was just about to give up when I realized it was possible for a talent to be something other than building, farming, fighting, you get it; like all the things Steve's good at! Sooo, I eventually -- finally -- came to the realization that I am really good at talking to people!" Hokeson quietly nodded along with all of this. "At first I just thought it was Steve who was really bad at talking to people, but then I realized it was probably because I am so good at it! So, it's really all beginning to make sense now. However, I still can't figure out why he isn't able to understand you guys. Every time I ask him, he just tells me it's because you keep making the same sounds over and over again..which is.. sort of strange. Might have to do with him talking to a rock."

     "-Wait, the human talks to a rock?!"

     "I know right?!" It's so silly! I know, everyone I ask says it is impossible, but he seems so sure he can hear it. And now I know it is just that one piece of coal too, since he just chucks all the other pieces of coal into furnaces without a care."

     "Hmmm, it might be the same piece of coal I used to see him carry around all the time when I was younger. My memories about this are just coming back to me as we speak, but I remember him only talking to it after some rough nights of him tossing and turning in his sleep. I think it's just a thing he did, since he couldn't communicate with any of us yet."

     "Man... Steve having bad dreams..? I wonder what that's like... But, why would he keep talking to it? I mean, I'm right here! He could just talk to me." Hero questioned the drifting clouds as he laid down flat on his back, still, kicking his feet in and out of the water slowly.

     "Hmm, one of the many questions of the universe, I guess..." Hokeson sighed beside him, also staring up at the blue sky, the sudden smell of freshly cooked beef only momentarily catching his attention, before returning his attention back to wondering.

     "...And..also, the thing is.. if I was supposed to be Steve, but, I'm clearly not.. Then, who am I? Who am I supposed to be..?"

     Hokeson shrugged beside him, "Yourself, I guess."

     "But.. that would mean that I wouldn't want to go on adventures. That I wouldn't really have the desire to seek danger, like Steve does.." Hero began to ponder. "If I was just being me, then.. I wouldn't be a very good friend to Steve, would I?" The younger man turned his head to Hokeson.

     Before the ravenger answered anything, he wanted to get some things straight first. "Wait, so you don't like exploring?"

     "Well... I am not really sure, actually. But.. I dunno. The idea of leaving all your friends for who knows how long, just to walk around in the wilderness...just...doesn't sit right with me.. ya know?"

     "Ahh, I see. You just prefer being in the village?"

     "Yeah, I guess you could say so... I just don't see how Steve would prefer wandering around with nobody else, for literally weeks on end!"

     "...You two are likely a lot like us villagers. We all have our preferences."

     "Yeah, but, what should I do about him wanting to go on adventures and me just wanting to stay here?" Hero rubbed his forehead in distress, wishing the question wasn't as complicated as he thought it might be.

     "Just find some middle ground, I guess? I don't really know. The only real adventure I went on with Steve, we both got kidnapped and.. you know what happened."

     "Funny thing is.. I only know from my own experience, and a little here and there from what Steve mumbled, but not much from you. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me?"

     "Uhh, sure." Hokeson then shifted a little, and began telling his story: the one he had already told me several times before. And of course, where was I during all of this? Way off on the other side of the village in class, of course! Luckily, Hokeson was able to repeat the conversation to me as well, since he knew it would add something to my diary other than bland field trips we all went on!... I'm probably ruining the moment... Sorry.

Section 7: (font 2)

     "Hey, Hero!.. Wow, is this the place that you were talking to me about?" Steve asked after running around a few trees, a smile on his face as he noticed the nearly finished house his friend was working on.

     "Yep!" The younger man smiled back. All that was left was the roof to his small seven by five house. The floor was cobblestone,which was above the dirt, hidden on the outside by birch trap doors. Birch planks made up the corners, and smooth stone made up the walls. The roof was also being made with strips of birch wood as well.

     "Wow, it's...nice!" Steve complimented. Not the color scheme he would have gone for, but, this was Hero's own house. Not his own. Steve hadn't even attempted to make his own house yet.

     "Thanks! I'll be down in a minute. I want to finish the roof first." Hero told Steve, slowly lowering himself on the roof, bracing himself with his arms as he stood up there on his hands and knees, very carefully sliding the roofing into place while also not falling in.

     "Uhhh, need any help?" Leaning to the side to get a slightly better view, the human asked the other.

     "I'll be fine. What did you come here for?"

     "Well, for one, I wanted to see how your house was doing. And, I also came up with an idea for a mini adventure! Thought it would be a good start.. Don't worry, it's close to the village; just down the river to a pumpkin patch I visit every year. Figured I could maybe teach you how to build an iron golem while we're at it." Steve proposed his grand plan, half of him having to keep the other half from jumping up and down.

     "It's...a good idea." Hero didn't exactly sound sold on the idea. "Do you think we could at least wait another week?"

     "Oh, but I haven't felt this excited to go out and do something in years!.. I'm almost afraid that if I wait too long, the feeling will go away."

     "You really mean it?" Hero couldn't remember Steve sounding so excited before... He didn't want his friend to lose that so soon.. "Oh... alright. As long as it isn't too far away."

     "Yesss!" Steve half whispered. "I'll get everything ready!" He said, beginning to run back into the forest already. "Oh, and you might want to use dark oak trap doors instead! It'll balance out the birch!"

     Steve ran back to his house where he already had nearly everything ready. He crafted two boats and dragged them out to the riverbank, outside the wall. Then he made sure they had enough food and water to last them at least an hour or two. And in his heart, he dearly wished this mini quest would teach his friend how much fun adventuring really was!

(...I'm not really good at writing happy moments.. am I? >_< I feel like I am just butchering all the dialogue and characters here... Oof. Very likely I will be rewriting a lot of this later in the 2nd to 3rd draft.)

     Hero arrived as soon as he was done with his roof, stopping by Steve's house to see him all ready to go.

     "To the boats!" Both men cheered as they raced to where Steve had said he had put the little ships. The younger man couldn't help but get a little excited as well, Steve's excitement contageous as the common cold! The two scurried for the edge of the village, Steve winning in the end. The original human made himself a boat with basic oak wood, and Hero's with bright burch. Steve lead the way, only stopping every now and then to rehydrate and have a quick break.

     After half an hour of rowing, Hero and Steve docked on a patch of sand and gravel along the river. Just off the shore was a bright field full of flowers, and beyond that was the quaint pumpkin patch, which was more like just a few pumpkins growing in a cluster together. Steve stood and immediately stretched his sore arms and back. Hero, meanwhile, walked up to some curious flowers and plopped down beside them.

     "What kind of flowers are these?" The younger man asked Steve. "I've never seen them before in the village." Steve walked over to the mysterious flower and crouched down beside it as well, staring at it curiously. Hero was right to question the identity of this flower, for not even he had seen one like it before! Silently, the human searched through his memory of all the books he had read, trying to remember any similar descriptions he had found in those books. Finally, he remembered a brief description of a flower that was apparently common...before all of human kind mysteriously vanished.

     "...I think it's...a dandelion. Yeah, sounds about right." Steve said. The little plant itself was shorter than grass, but one bare stem poked out from the leaves, sprouting a sphere of white fluffy stuff from the end of the stem, which were likely the seeds. "Yeah... I don't think the flower normally looks like that. The book I read once about them said they have two stages, I think. Those white things might be the seeds."

     "Huh, well that's weird for a flower..." Hero commented. Then, he lifted his hand, and flicked the sphere of white fluff. The head of the plant was shattered easily, and dozens of tiny fluffs dispersed into the air, catching flight in the wind. "Woah..." The younger of the two gasped. Steve watched in wonder as well. There truly was a mystical feel that followed those dandelion seeds as they peacefully glided over the meadow.

     "Hmm, maybe I should take them home; study them a little more?-"

     "-No.. Let's just leave them be..." Hero proposed, a smile on his face as he watched some of the small fluffs fly high above all the others.

     "...Alright." With a sigh, Steve let the amazing discovery go, forcing himself simply enjoy the sight for a moment. After that moment had passed, Steve lead Hero to the pumpkin patch. "Alright, if you want to make an iron golem, first you have to carve out a face in the pumpkin." Politely, Hero raised his hand. "Yes..?"

     "Uh, why do we have to carve a face?"

     "Um, I don't really know. It just doesn't work if you don't." Steve had never really thought to question that one before. "But, carving the pumpkin is the fun part. Along with picking out the one you want. Here, I'll let you pick out your own, and I'll pick out mine. Then chop them away from the vine with an axe and haul them over to this patch of grass." Hero simply nodded, a candid smile on his face. Pretty soon, the two of them were searching for their pumpkins. Steve pulled one of the cleanest ones from the lot, which made up for its few spots by having a healthy appearance. Hero pulled one out that looked a little elongated in shape, but otherwise looked good as well, aside for the few extra spots. "Nice job." Seve commented on Hero's pick. "Now, we use sheers to cut out a face. You can make whatever face you want, but I have found that generally more threatening faces make for better golems. Oh, yeah, and don't forget to hollow it out by cutting a hole in top first.

     "Wait, what?" Hero asked, sitting down, already having started to carve out the face of his pumpkin. Steve then lectured his friend on how to carve out everything from inside the pumpkin, and then how to best make the face. In the end, Hero's pumpkin looked a lot like steve's, except for it smiled a bit more than the other, which the human chuckled at the sight of. "So, do you do this a lot?" Hero finally asked Steve, when the two were hauling their finished projects to their boats.

     "Um, not really. The pumpkins grow all year round, so there really isn't a reason to gather them all at once. I just grab one or two whenever I need them. Makes for a good trip I can do while not having to worry about being gone for too long." Steve explained. (If I ever mentioned winter in this chapter, which I think I did, please tell me where. Seasons don't exist in Minecraft. 😂) Then the two dropped the pumpkins into their boats and sat back down into them.

     "Oh wait, look!" Hero stood all of a sudden, running immediately to what he was looking at. "Another dandelion!" A bit lower than the other, hidden by the grass a little better, was indeed, another dandelion, fully white and fluffy just like the last. Hero plucked the flower from its stem, stood and waited for the breeze to pick up again, and then flicked that one as well, watching the plant explode onto many little floating pieces of fluff, which blew away fast in the breeze. Steve smiled at the sight. Never before had he expected such a little plant to be seen as any more than just that.

     Hero returned, and the two returned to their rowing down the river, except the trip back felt as if it went by so fast. Steve was surprised when he could see the village already after what felt like only a few minutes.

     "So, what did you think about this adventure?" The human asked his friend as they carried their newly carved pumpkins into the village.

     "Pretty good, I'd say. I had fun!" The taller of the two answered happily. "So...How do we make an iron golem from these?"

     "Just follow me. We are going to need a lot of iron. Good thing I use(d) to go mining on my free time, so we should have enough for two. Steve lead Hero through the steps of how to make iron blocks, mostly through example rather than speech, and the younger one was easily able to follow along. "See? Adventures don't have to be dangerous." The human suddenly spoke up, confusing Hero for a brief moment.

     "..Wh?"

     "The adventure we just went on. It was pretty safe; wouldn't you say? And it wasn't all that long either."

     "...You're right..it wasn't that dangerous at all. I am glad neither of us got hurt." Hero replied, finishing his last iron block. The two men then stepped out into the field and Steve silently showed Hero how to place the iron blocks together correctly.

     "I did some calculations with the map I gave you earlier. The distance. I came from somewhere down that same coast a while ago, so I know the general direction by heart..and the X is located only two days from here. We could travel during the day and build a shelter for the night, so we don't have to worry about any of the monsters other than the creepers." Steve began to smile a little.

     Hero dropped his arm in the middle of placing his last block of iron with a heavy sigh. Was he really bringing up this again..? Was that all the previous adventure had been? To convince him to go on that adventure so far from the village? He really didn't have end desire to go, but if he didn't, how would he know if Steve was okay? What if he broke his leg again, or worse, and had no by there to protect him in his time of need?

     "Are you alright, Hero?"

     "Uh-h, yeah. I'm fine." Hero's head flung back up, and he quickly placed the last block. "I just... Hhh... Fine. But only because I don't want you to die because nobody was there to save you."

     "Pff, I'll be fine! I know pretty much all the rules of this world as well as how to survive some of the harshest trials this world's got! You don't need to worry about protecting me..but, I am glad you decided to come." Placing his hand on Hero's shoulder, Steve smiled genuinely, excitement swelling already about their next adventure. "And don't worry, this next adventure will be just as safe!" To end that statement off, Steve jumped with the pumpkin in his hands, throwing it down onto the body of iron. Instantly the pumpkin's essence was absorbed into the iron beast, and it took shape right away. In just seconds, a fully completed iron golem stood, for the first time opening its eyes to the bright place. Hero was absolutely astonished by such an outstanding transformation.

     "Well, as long as we aren't gone too long..." Hero also jumped up, placing his pumpkin onto the golem just as Steve had, it too transforming into an iron golem instantly, joining the other new one in marveling at the new life it found itself in. "It should be fun."

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Eeeeeee! Finally past that part! We are finally getting closer to another pre-written scene that I'll finally be able to copy and paste I to the story soon! 'XD

Only 10 days until my deadline, though, and I don't think I can finish this entire book by then! O_O