//------------------------------//
// Stone Sword 
// Story: Welcome to Cubeland 
// by Zaleros 
//------------------------------//

	The desert was larger than expected, going on even after running for several minutes straight with the potion boosting my running speed to a level that would’ve made my drill sergeants drop their jaws.
“Craft, wait for me!” I somehow heard Com yell over the wind building around me. I skidded to a halt, the sand aiding my efforts, and saw him approaching at the same pace I had been running, which seemed ridiculous now that I was watching rather than doing. When he caught up we started running again.
There was silence between us for a minute before Com spoke up. “What was that about?”
I stayed silent for a few moments and turned to face him, “I’m sorry for ditching you back there. I just need to get to them. I can’t let them die.” With that, he nodded and we continued to run only to find that the effects of the potion were beginning to wear off, so we were forced to cross the rest of the desert at a normal pace.
The chilling winds of the desert were whisked away shortly after we finally crossed back into the grasslands. Com forced us to take a small break, and with that came the adrenaline crash I knew was coming, and I felt the pain my brain had been ignoring. I fell to the ground, sucking in air sharply and noticed a faint blood trail leading from where we’d come from.
“Craft, are you still hurt?” Com asked, seeing what I was looking at.
I nodded. “I guess his attack was as serious as I hoped it wasn’t.”
“No Craft, this is strange,” Com warned me. Seeing my confused look, he continued, “Our injuries heal quickly after we eat here. I don’t know why but that’s how this place works. Have you eaten anything since you woke up?”
“No, I don’t think I brought any food with me. I didn’t think I’d need it.” I closed my eyes and did a double check with my mental inventory and came up with no food, to my disappointment.
“Here, we have to get you some food so you can get better.” He threw a steak to me and I took it, eating quickly so we could get back to running back toward the trio.
Thinking about what the Players might do to the trio kept me on edge while we walked back to them, Com said that running would only make me hungry again faster and that would slow down my healing.
Soon I saw a light spreading across the horizon and almost thought the sun was coming up, but I realized the moon hadn’t gone down yet and I heard yelling coming from the direction of the light. thinking the worst, I ignored Com’s warning and took off, leaving him behind.
As I came over the hill that made up my horizon I saw trees set on fire and the land mirrored the hellish scene only a few blocks higher than itself. Something happened and I was determined to find out what.
A scream coming from my right made me snap my head around. A Player was running from something, and a quick glance revealed it was a skeleton, with several more behind it, showering where he once stood with arrows.
I ran and tackled him to the ground, quickly disarming his sword, a stone one, and placed one hoof on his throat. The wound on my leg was burning with pain, no blood thanks to the short time I had let it heal, but i didn't care. I was done messing around. “What the hell are you doing!?” It wasn’t so much a question to him as much as it was a demand I was going to have answered one way or another.
“Can’t...breathe,” the Player managed. I let my hoof up slightly and maintained my glare, making clear that my demand still stood strong. “The leader said he found the monsters’ hideout and made all the men get ready to fight.”
“And the fire?”
“He told us to set all the land on fire so they wouldn’t have anywhere to hide once day came around.”
It was clear he wasn’t a soldier; a real soldier wouldn’t have been willing to give up any information to someone who just kicked their flank like that. With a softer tone I spoke up, “Are you from New Hope?”
“How did you know?”
“I was held captive for a few days there, courtesy of your leader.”
I let him up and gave him back his sword, “Leave now and I won’t send you back courtesy of this world’s blessing.”
“Thank you.”
With that he left and the skeletons that were tailing him began to move again, having waited while I held him down. I didn’t let them, however, and I held up a hoof.
“Let him go. Where’s the trio?”
For being little more than mindless creatures, they were still able to show some form of intelligence. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were starting to regain their awareness or if they simply understood what I wanted as though they could sense my intent. They faced toward the center of the fire and scattered almost immediately after. There were footsteps coming from behind, but I could tell from how he ran that it was Com.
“You have to stop doing that Craft! I thought you might’ve run off into the fire,” he panted, his breathing slightly heavy from all the running we had done so far tonight. He was going to be running more before the night was up, I knew it and I’m sure he did too.
“That’s the plan actually,” I said, hiding a building hatred in my body.
“What do you mean? Does it have anything to do with the person who just ran past here, and the roving skeletons?” he asked me.
“Yes, that was a villager that Kaile sent from New Hope, one of many I assume,” I said to him. I was sure there were more if judging how I was still hearing shouts coming from the fire told me anything.
For a moment, he was silent. “There’s no hope for our treaty, is there?” His despair was noticeable.
I shook my head, “Not while he’s alive there isn’t. I have to stop him.” I stomped my hoof for emphasis. “I won’t make any promises Com, if I have to kill him like I did your brother...I will.”
He just nodded and we began running toward the fire that surrounded the place I had grown to call “home” during my stay in this weird world. To say I did not like the prince would’ve been like saying the sun was lukewarm. I hated him, and if it came down to it I was sure that I’d be able to do the deed I did for the first time only a short time ago, although after everything that’s happened since I got here it felt like forever. I just hoped the other Players wouldn’t try to follow in his footsteps.
I didn’t want to become a murderer, not again.