Now, without further ado, I present,
“A Crafter’s Dream”
The room was completely silent as Steve walked in, save for his footsteps thumping quietly against the wood flooring beneath his feet. He found himself standing in a small, amphitheatre-like room, with creatures of all kinds sitting in the wooden seats above from which they looked down at him. Some he recognized, like the hippogriffs he’d met that morning sitting over to his left, while some he didn’t, like the two tall, horse-like beings that stared down at him with an unrecognizable gaze. Directly in front of him, at the head of the room, sat Celestia, who gave a silent sigh of relief at the sight of him.
Walking into the center of the room, Steve gave a bow.
“I apologize for being late, but I was held up.” He spoke loudly, ensuring everyone in the room could hear him.
“All is forgiven, Mr. Steve.” Celestia responded. “We were just going over the formalities for the summit before you arrived.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Steve spoke with another bow. “Anything I should be aware of?”
She shook her head. “No, just a few pleasantries and the like.” Clearing her throat, she shuffled a few papers she had and looked around the room. “Now that Steve has arrived, the introductions can begin.
From Steve’s left, a large black minotaur stood. “I am King Stonewall, from the Kingdom of Mitural.”
Next was a ruby-colored thestral stallion. “I am King Ferdus, ruler of the Flugeltes Empire.”
On and on they went, from the griffons from some place called Griffonstone, to Princess Seyfi from Zebrica. All in all, it took around fifteen minutes for introduction to conclude. Once that was over and everyone had settled back down, Celestia cleared her throat and spoke.
“Respected leaders and ambassadors, we have gathered here today to discuss the being who now stands before us all. You may have heard many things about him. I ask that you leave any assumptions you may have at the door. We are here to discuss the facts, as well as talk to the being in question.” She gestured to Steve with one hoof before looking back around the room once again. “Since formalities and introductions have concluded, it is now time for opening statements and questions. If you have anything to say or ask, now is the time.”
For a moment, no one in the assembly moved. Then, over to Steve’s far right, King Ferdus stood, his sharp red eyes centered on Steve. The Crafter met his gaze unflinching.
“I have heard many things about you, Steve, things that even I hesitate to believe. So I must ask, what are you?”
The Crafter quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Did the Princess not tell-?”
“Yes, I know you call yourself a Minecraftian.” The thestral king rudely interrupted. “Princess Celestia has already explained that to all of us. What I mean is, what is a Minecraftian?”
Steve, though slightly put off by the interruption, put a hand to his chin as he thought. “Well,” He began, after a moment of silence. “Put simply, Minecraftians, or Crafters for short, are beings of power, meant to be able to survive a harsh world that was quite literally out to kill us.” Steve continued talking, even as memories of past events appeared in his mind’s eye. His blade, shining in the moonlight, cutting down mob after mob. His friends, surrounded, fighting for their lives. The cries of agony cut painfully short. “Monsters, terrible creatures of the night plagued the land, killing any Crafter they could find. No matter how many of them we killed, they would always come back, stronger than before.”
Shaking his head, he gazed up at the occupants of the room. “You have to understand, most Crafters were made to farm, to forge, to cook, etc. We were meant to be a peaceful race. We weren’t made for war, but,” Steve let out a heavy sigh. “we damn sure had to learn.”
“Most?” A voice spoke up from the left of the room. Glancing over, the Crafter saw it was a rather large, black minotaur that spoke. At Steve’s confused expression, he reiterated. “You said most of your kind weren’t made for war.”
Seeing where the minotaur was going, Steve sighed and nodded. “Yeah, most weren’t. I was a, well, I was a special case. Unlike most Minecraftians, I was made with the capabilities of doing everything a Crafter could do. Sort of a Jack-of-all-trades, type of thing.”
“What made you so special?” The griffon king Pathi spoke with a mocking tone, sneering down at the Crafter below, who glared back up at him.
“My purpose was far different from that of most Crafter’s.” Steve responded, expression level as he looked at the griffon. “Most Crafter’s were born in times of peace. I wasn’t. When I woke up, a threat far greater than anything any of you have ever seen was ravaging the world. Someone had to do something about it.”
“And what was this threat?” Queen Nova inquired, looking just the slightest bit worried.
Steve opened his mouth to answer, but his breath caught in his throat. Memories of his recent fight against Herobrine replayed in his mind. Shaking his head, he took a quick glance around the room and found that every eye was on him, waiting for his answer. He glanced up at Celestia, who gave a small, encouraging smile, nodding as if to say, ‘It’s okay.’
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing.
“His name was Herobrine.” The very name tasted like poison on his lips. “And he was a monster. He created the very creatures that attacked and killed many of my kind. He attacked the Kingdom of Ironwood, my home, where me and thousands of fellow Crafters lived, and burned it to the ground. He massacred hundreds of my kin, all because he was jealous of something that he couldn’t have.” Steve’s fists were clenched so hard, his very bones were creaking with the strain. His eyes were squinted shut, trying to keep the tears from falling as he remembered. He laughed a sad, hollow laugh. “You know, it’s kinda funny. The only thing I’ve ever wanted was a peaceful life. And the only thing I can’t ever seem to get is exactly that. And it’s not for lack of trying, either. I fought in the First Mob War, under the delusion that afterwards, I could live in peace. And then, after the Second Mob War happened, I was stupid enough to hope that it was finally over. Then, that final battle happened and suddenly...” Steve sighed. “Living peacefully didn’t matter anymore.”
“...Why not?” Queen Nova asked, after a few moments of silence. “Why didn’t it matter anymore?” Steve opened his eyes, but didn’t look at her. Tears began slowly leaking down his cheeks, plopping silently onto the wooden floor below.
“Over 6,000 Crafters, all under my command, marched into hell that day to fight against Herobrine and his army of monsters.” Steve spoke quietly, just barely loud enough for those around to hear. “I was the only one to walk out.”
He didn’t elaborate, but then again, he didn’t need to. Only an idiot wouldn’t have figured out what the Crafter was implying. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Steve looked up to King Ferdus, the thestral straightening up slightly at the action. “To answer your question, your majesty, I am many things. A Minecraftian. A friend. A warrior. A ki-” Steve cut himself off. “Well, not anymore.” The Crafter sighed. “But now, after everything I’ve been through, there’s one thing that I know I am, above all else.” A pause. “I’m exhausted.”
He let out a humorless chuckle as he looked up at them all with a tired expression, which was emphasized by his tear-stained cheeks. “I’m tired of fighting. I’m tired of killing. I’m tired of it all. I want to be able to stop, to be able to put my sword down and not have to pick it up again.” Another sigh. “But I know I won’t be able to.”
“Why not?” This time, it was Celestia who asked, looking at Steve with a sorrowful and worried expression.
The Crafter shrugged. “Just a hunch. I’m a soldier after all. If I don’t fight, what good am I?”
Silence hung over the room like a thick blanket. After all, what was one supposed to say after everything Steve had just told them? Celestia herself, despite her thousands of years of experience, struggled and failed to find the proper words to say. A quick glance around the room informed her that everyone else felt the same.
“Do you have proof?”
Except for one, apparently.
Steve looked up to see King Stonewall looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
“What?” The Crafter asked.
“You claim much, Steve. I merely ask if you have any proof to your words.”
“You dare call him a liar!?” Celestia yelled, glaring at the minotaur as she shot to her hooves.
“I barely know this creature! Why should I take his words at face value?!” King Stonewall countered, returning the alicorn’s glare.
“You want proof?” Though he didn’t raise his voice, Steve’s words rang out, causing all to look back down to him. He stared at the floor, fists shaking at his side. “Then I’ll give you proof.” Reaching up, Steve grabbed the collar of his old, worn, blue shirt. With a single tug, the garment came off and was unceremoniously dropped in a heap on the floor.
Celestia’s eyes widened and a hoof flew to her mouth as she gasped, an action which many in the room copied.
Scars.
They were everywhere.
They littered the Crafter’s body, crisscrossing this way and that. Some were small, but those ones were mostly overshadowed by the much larger scars that seemed to cover most of Steve’s body, like the one that stretched from his left shoulder to his right side, crossing over a large, star-like scar on his chest. On the Crafter’s left side, just under his armpit, lay a large patch of scarred skin where there was a slight impression in his torso.
For a few moments, Steve stood there in silence, letting them soak in the sight of his scarred body. Looking up, his hard glare met King Stonewall’s gaze.
“This proof enough for ya?” He asked, tone heavily laced with sarcasm. The minotaur king didn’t move. Sighing, Steve shook his head as he redonned his shirt, the blue cloth once again covering his scars.
“Is there anything else?” Steve asked, looking around the room.
Queen Nova spoke up, holding up a hoof. “I would like to propose a recess. All in favor?”
Every hoof/talon/claw/whatever else shot up.
Celestia let out a silent sigh of relief. “Proposition accepted. We will reconvene in 30 minutes.” Her hoof banged twice against the floor, finalizing her statement.
By the time her hoof came down the second time, Steve was already gone.
* * * * *
Trench sat on the bench, donut in one hoof and newspaper in the other. Taking another bite, he lazily flipped to the next page.
Sighing, he threw the paper aside and sat back, staring up at nothing in particular. While his talk with Luna, (which really just consisted of him calling her stupid and her agreeing) had gone well enough, that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. A summit of all the nations leaders was a big deal, and Steve was at the center of it.
Trench scoffed. He’d seen him stand against a literal god. The stallion was sure that Steve could-.
“Hey Trench.”
Trench’s eyes widened in shock as his head whipped around to see none other than the Crafter himself standing nearby, though he looked absolutely terrible. His eyes were puffy and red. He was slouched, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.
Walking over, Steve plopped himself down on the bench beside Trench.
“Steve, what-?”
The Crafter stopped him with a finger. “Trench, buddy, I know you want to help, really, I do. But right now, can we just, like, not talk? I really need some quiet time right now.”
The stallion looked at Steve with obvious worry on his face, but remained silent. Steve sighed and planted his face in his hands.
“I’m sorry Trench. I didn’t-”
“It’s fine.” The stallion interrupted. “I know that if you don’t want to talk, then you must really need some quiet time, so I’ll just leave you-!”
Steve’s arms suddenly wrapped around Trench’s barrel, the Crafter pulling him close.
“Please, don’t. I don’t want to be alone right now.” Steve whispered, pressing his face against Trench’s shoulder.
The stallion nodded and gently returned the hug.
“Don’t worry Steve. I’m not going anywhere.”
Nice job with the emotions; kinda hit me in the feelers.
Damn... Steve got some PTSD that's for sure. But what he said when he was describing himself... it almost sounded like he was about to say King. So if Steve was a King, Alex would have most likely been a queen or served Steve as a knight most likely. We already know Notch is a god and Herobrine was the devil or some equivalent.
This story gave a shit ton of lore about minecraft and a lot of Steves past has come to light but some information has still remained hidden. I imagine that future chapters will fill in these missing pieces and I'm really looking forward to it.
Great job man, wow poor Steve, it is even worse now for him.
this is a good chapter
9917997
Pretty sure was going to say 'killer'
hmmm wonder if any off them want to se some off his craft man ship so they know that he is indeed a crafter or something of the like would be intresting.
and that bro momment? nice
9918518
As the author, I can tell you with 100% assurance.
He wasn't going to say killer. Sorry.
9918527
Thanks.
Have I told you how much I love this story? Keep it up I can't wait to read the next installment!
9917927
Thank Celestia there's a pony right there to hug!
I like to believe people would be a lot nicer if there was an Equestrian pony to hug.
...that does bring up the curious question; do Equestrians ever feel the same way and have the urge to hug a human?
The man's tired...
9918715
lyra would kill to hug a human.
nice chapter and what I would do for the emotions thing be to imagine if I was the one in that situation and what I would feel. (This might not work for you but it is what I would do.)
One you're a warrior, you never can really have a really peaceful life, that's why people always hold respect for soldiers. Steve here has had quite a time in his world. Now I'm curious about what the leaders of the summit will do with this knowledge, both good... or bad.
9918715
Hmmmmmmmm
Hey, a song came out today (or possibly yesterday) that describes the life of a warrior (or well, part of the military. Same difference.), and the trials that come with it, pretty well. What a coinikydink.
Unbroken by Bon Jovi.
9917997
9918518
9918546
Actually, I believe he would have said killer, not king. He may be special and yes he did mention he led 6000 Crafters to fight Herobrine, but anyone who is very capable of morale and combat prowess can do that and does not require a title for it.
But if not "killer", then I could be wrong on the guessing part. The point remains, though.
9919738
9918518
It might be killer but after everything we've seen Steve do and the amount of effort he's put in to not kill I find that hard to believe. Now have we seen steve bring people to a point of near death, yes but he never kills them. Also this theory of mine is not exactly without some evidence and coupled with what he said at the end of Chapter 58 and his slip of the tongue where he said "ki-": I'm sure he was a ruler of some sort.
Now you can chose to believe me or not but I'll lay all my evidence out on the table and let you decide. SO I'll start off with the strongest evidence and work my way down.
This is a direct quote from the end of Chapter 58 and if you are reading it for the first time you would assume he was referring to the time he lead an army to fight Herobrine. But what if we are to take it in a literal sense, let's say that when he's saying this he is referring to have literally met with world leaders in Minecraft world for some reason.
Now if this is true then I have two theories:
Also the fact he mentions that he was special above all other Minecraftians seems a bit odd in my opinion and coupled with his seemingly single desire to be left alone and live in peace; it makes me think that even before the Mob War he was called upon to serve as some significant person or had a duty of some sort. The reason I say this is because those who serve as a form of ruler or leader often suffer the most when it comes down to loosing so much.
Next I want to talk about his fighting style: now this is something that most wouldn't pay attention to but aside from being a very effective fighter (no doubt skills honed form the war) he is also a very skilled commander. This could be skills honed during the war but combine that with the way he fights and commands at the same time as well as his willingness to throw himself in harms way for his comrades makes me think of a King who served in war and fight to protect his knight and allies. Now without context his willingness to get in harms way appears more like a suicidal man simply trying to die but the way he seems so determined to live makes me find that hard to believe.
Now let's look at his interaction with the Ender dragon and Minecraft as a whole. Steve fought and saved the Ender Dragon for some reason and I'm assuming it was during the first Mob War. Now if he was simply some killer or random Minecraftian why would he willingly risk his life to enter the End Dimension and fight a corrupted dragon that probably has killed countless before? And even is Steve was a normal Minecraftian at that point, anyone who can fight and defeat the Ender Dragon would be seen not only as a Hero but as a worthy ruler so Steve might not have been born in to royalty or was not a ruler till after the first war. So his time as a ruler might have been very short lives with the start of the second Mob war following so soon after. Furthermore he says that during the second Mob War he lead a army of over 6,000 Crafters, if he was a killer he would never have gained that much support in the first place because who in their right mind would fight for a killer even if they killed they defeated the Ender Dragon?
My final piece of evidence is that while he is still angry with Celestia and Luna about their decisions surrounding how they handled his appearance, he seems to understand why they did it and is even willing to forgive them. If he were a killer he would have not hesitated to try and end their lives or demand retribution. Instead he seems to simply want them to learn from this mistake and better themselves as leaders by not judging people by what they are or even simple first impressions but rather seek out and discover who the person is before deciding.
Anyway that's my theory and evidence. Now is it flimsy? Yes it is, it's about as thick as one sheet toilet paper but there is still some evidence so I'll stick with it till the author decides where he want to go and reveals what Steve was going to say.
9919982
did you maybe miss the part where the author said the following in the comments:
9919982
*Faintly chuckles in spoiler*
you nailed this chapter it is perfect.
9920245
Apparently I did. Sorry about that.
And all the questions we wanted to know about Steve's backstory has been answered.
9919982
I actually had a short discussion in the comments of last chapter with the author about Steve being king and he straight up confirmed it to me... so yeah, Steve is a king or was a king, you can find the comment I'm referring to on the previous chapter.
9921854
Oh, thanks!
He was about to say killer, wasn't he?
A good way to expand on how a character feels is to mildly exaggerate their voice, face, and body language.
‘Their breath came out short and fast, sorrow/exhaustion plaguing their very soul.’.
9939511
That's the thing, though. It's been years since Steve lost everything, so I try to keep the emotion thing toned down a bit to show that while he isn't quite over it, (for obvious reasons) he is still affected by it.
9930731
I was going to say "kid". That sounds like it would fit better to me; innocence lost and all.
9930731
Ki-ng.
King.
Bored, hey now you're