The Island is not a bad place to set up a temporary base. So far I have stuck to one alcove of the island and built a small beach shack. In the week I have been here I have mined, built a little protective fishing space, and crafted a new jungle-wood boat. The only problem is my lack of directions. I know which direction to go, but I don't know which direction that direction is. It is very confusing.

I yawn and stretch out on my comfortable fleece bed. Today is a day of exploration. This island is quite vast and I have explored about nothing of it. Perhaps I will find something of use. I need to make a compass but I don't have the recipe. I didn't need any kind of compass back home, since I knew where everything was. And I know Spots is North, but during the underwater struggle, I lost my sense of direction.

The voice has been decidedly quiet for the past week. Occasionally I feel a flit of its emotions, but otherwise, I'm totally alone. Not that having the voice would make any good difference, though, anyway. Chuckle. Ya, voice's feelings again. I sling my bow over my shoulder and gently slide on my helmet. I'm not a good aim with a bow, but years of survival have taught me to be ready for anything.

I take a swig of delicious chocolate and sip some leftover milk before embarking upon my journey. I have calculated it so I will be back here by sundown, and no later. As I go I place torches on every tree or so so I don't get lost. I find a few incredibly tall trees and some pools of water, but the only thing that even mildly interests me are the ocelots, which may come in handy against creepers if I can tame one...

I guess I should turn back now... I think, ready to follow the trail of torches back. But then a glint of light catches my eyes. I run to a nearby tree and dig my fingers into the flowing jungle lichen as I climb up the thick, steady trunk. As long as I don't look down I'll be fine. I may have a mild phobia of heights. But no biggie... hopefully? I finally reach the top of the trunk and break through the branches, emerging on top of the jungle.

I shield my eyes from the sun and look towards the glimmer of light. The glimmers. Plural. There are lights coming from a literal... well, I don't know yet, but it's big. I know because the voice is angry, which means I'm going to discover something game-changing. I scale down the tree at top speed, not caring about the height anymore. My feet thud as I run as fast as I can towards the glimmer of light. It gets brighter, and brighter until I see it. It was a beacon. A beautiful, bright blue beacon. And it's in an absolutely huge city.

I approach the gleaming quartz gates with anticipation. Two lookouts are posted in small towers on both sides of the gate, so I call up to them. "Hey, um, Minecraftians! Let me in!" I cry at the top of my lungs. They look down, register me, and a look of utter astonishment crosses their faces.

"No one is allowed in!" One cries eventually. Ugh, not now. Alright, I hate it but I have to try it.

"Oh, but I'm so scared! The storm caught my little fishing boat and I've been dying for the last few days. I have no way to survive! Please, don't leave me out here at sunset!" I cry, playing pitifully. I know it's underhand, but they have to let me in.

"Well... I guess she can challenge in the spleef games to become a member of Juzoos!" The second guard, a bright-looking younger guard, seems to be zonked with electricity.

"Um... sure, whatever, but I won't stay here long-" then S remembered herself, and finished adequately, "because I miss my family so, so, so much and you guys are too kind, I could never live off your supplies full-time!" S finished in a sugary-sweet tone. The guards hopped down and opened the very heavy gates. S could tell they weren't opened very often.

"Welcome to the Hidden City, Juzoos!" The bubbly guard cried, throwing apart his arms and gesturing to the beautiful city that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was made completely of quartz, jungle wood, jungle planks, and mossy cobblestone. "Shift change!" the overly-excited guard cried and ran up to hug the gruff-looking replacements.

"Who is this?" Asked the gruffer-looking one of the two, "you know you aren't supposed to let others in, son." he scolded. The guard looked anything but remorseful.

"But she's looooost, so she's gonna do the Spleef Games!" the man frowned and turned back to his joyful son.

"Fine, but you know who's spleefing tonight..." he growled, looking almost excited.

"Uh oh-" the guy's face went worried for a second. If this guy looked scared, then S had a real competitor. "It isn't..."

"Oh, it is!" His dad brawled out an almost cruel laugh.

"Get her ready for the games! Don't let her escape - Exdee, look at me!" the man growled. "No cheating," he said, almost whispering.

"Okay, Dad!" The guard grabbed S's arm and practically skip-dragged her towards the beacon. "Hi, I'm Exdee!" the curly black-haired boy giggled as he removed his iron helmet for the first time. "Trust me, you'll love the Spleef Games! If you win you can stay here forever! I'm rooting for you!" he attempted a friendly pat on the back but instead just about knocked her lunch back up.

"Um... and if I lose?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"Well... hopefully, the mobs won't kill you!" Exdee beamed. I slap my forehead while Exdee dances around like a crazy witch.

I try to formulate a plan while Exdee blubbers on and on about his boring life and boring pet cat, and really boring plans to catch the 'Phantom Monkey' which obviously doesn't exist. No wonder he never mentions any friends during his long one-sided conversation about everything he's ever done after school, including- then he starts talking about Spleef.

"So we, like, have a Spleef game every night and the best spleefers get into Spleefer College, mostly they fight each other but one of them is assigned each night in case we get a newcomer and, like, that's really rare so it's, like, never, but anyways it's super cool and I have to go every night or else my Dad would kill me and then it would be sooo embarrassing so, like-"

"Who's the strongest spleefer?" I interrupt.

"Oh, that's easy. He's legendary. His name is ClaySlayer and he's never been beaten. Not a single time ever. He was so good that he almost went abroad - well until Juzoos locked down and now nobody is allowed out. I was, like, just talking to Mitchie when it happened and, like, she said it was supa' urgent." But by now I've tuned out again. Eventually, we arrive at some sort of big circular wall.

Exdee leads me inside a back door into a small closet-type room and grabs my hand, pulling me up a narrow winding staircase that seems supa' long. Ugh, Exdee's rubbing off on me, I have to lose him before I start saying 'like' a million times, too. We emerge in a larger room that has one side of the wall made completely out of glass. And that's when I see it.

Through the large window, I see an arena. Made completely out of snow. That's right. I was Inside the Spleef Arena's walls inside a room full of diamond armor and enchanted diamond shovels. And I am about to be entered into a huge Spleef battle. Exdee is obviously unruffled, though. He seems to think this is totally normal or something. But if I lose I'll be turned out into the night alone and defenseless.

"Wow, this is going to be so cool!" Exdee cries excitedly. It might have been kind of weird to most normal human beings, but now it was becoming normal to hear him say everything, bad or good like it was his birthday or something. "Catch!" Exdee excitedly tosses me a shovel - with terrible aim, by the way, enchanted with silk-touch, unbreaking III and efficiency IV. I catch it with considerably more talented catching skills and admire its fine craftsmanship. Exdee then tosses me a full set of diamond armor - 'for when I fall'. Ya, like I'll ever fall. I can beat anyone.

Cockiness, remember where that got you. I jump at the first sentence from the voice in days. Are you... helping me? I think. No. I'm just giving you a helpful tip. The voice ruffled. I grin and know the voice, for once, is right. Taking my shovel and sliding on my diamond helmet, I walk out onto the snow and the crowd goes wild. But not because of me. Because of the muscly man fully clad in enchanted diamond armor wearing a golden name tag. ClaySlayer.

Author's Note:

Wow, at the start of this chapter I had no motivation whatsoever, but now I'm back and more motivated than ever! I can not wait to write the hopefully epic showdown that will go down between Clayslayer and S!

Can S beat the odds and do it again as she did to Ay? Or will the plot twist and she'll find herself out in the dark again because of her I-can-do-anything attitude?

Thank you guys for reading, please consider voting if you liked this story!

Just Be!