• Published 3rd Feb 2019
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A Crafter's Dream (Discontinued) - ruthim345



It'd been years. Years since the war. Steve was the only one left. Everyone else was gone. He lived, he fought. Rinse, repeat. All he wants is a second chance. And now, he'll get his chance.

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A Crafter's Dream Ch. 75: A Whole New World (Part 2)

Now, without further ado, I present,

A Crafter’s Dream

Silence reigned in the throne room. Steve stood a good distance from the Nightmother, sword still pointed at her. He grinned a vicious grin, almost begging the Nightmother to act in some way, so that he could finally cut her down. Onyx stood back to back with the Crafter, looking just a bit unsure of himself. His glowing white eyes traveled uneasily over the Nightmare guards that surrounded them.

“Um, Steve?” Onyx hesitantly asked.

“Yeah?” The Crafter replied, gaze not leaving the Nightmother’s.

“While I am really glad you came to help me, what exactly is your plan to get out of here?”

“... I’m still working on that part, give me a sec.”

Onyx’s gaze shot to Steve. “You mean you don’t have a plan!” He spoke, quietly enough so that no one else would hear, but loud enough to get his disbelief across to Steve, who gave a shrug in response.

“I did, but that plan kinda went out the window when Miss Better-in-Black here was going to have you executed. I had to improvise.”

“And how would you say that’s going so far?”

Steve took a quick look around the room before responding. “Well, given my previous experience with these sorts of situations, I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

“...We’re standing in front of the strongest Nightmare alive, one who you literally just insulted in front of hundreds of other Nightmares, and you think it’s going well?”

“We’re not dead yet.” Steve countered.

“That is true.” The Nightmother interrupted, taking a step towards the pair, the several guards surrounding them doing the same. “However, allow me to rectify that.” Putting out her hand, a large spear, made of the same dark material as the armor the guards had been wearing appeared in her grip. She twirled it in her hand before slamming the hilt into the ground, cracking the stone floor beneath it.

Steve raised his blade in response, shifting his feet into a defensive stance. Onyx did the same, bringing up his left fist while pulling back his right as he crouched low. It took the Crafter a moment, but he eventually recognized the stance as the one he normally took before a fight. Looking away from Onyx, Steve focused back on the Nightmother.

“So, Nightmother, from what I can see, there’s two ways this ends. Either you let us go peacefully, or I can kill you and every Nightmare here. Your choice.”

The Nightmother scowled. “First you kill one of our own, then you come here and threaten me in my own kingdom, in my own castle!?” She lifted her spear from the ground and pointed the tip at Steve, much like what he had done to her when he’d first entered. “You may have great strength and power but if you think I will just let you leave here without a fight, then you are greatly mistaken.”

“Yeah, that’s about what I figured.” Steve muttered. Sighing, he fixed the Nightmother with a deadpan look. “Listen, I know you don’t know all that much about m-”

“On the contrary, I know exactly how dangerous you are, Steve of Minecraftia.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh? And how exactly did you find out about me?”

“I’ve heard things. Whispers in the underworld of a creature from another world. One that wields a blade of glowing blue crystal. A god-killer.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. ‘The only people who really know about that are the people who were there and the people I told at the summit, but none of them have any connection to this place, as far as I know.’ He thought to himself. ‘How the Nether did this bitch hear about me, or about what happened in the Mindscape?’

She continued. “Granted, I didn’t make the connection at first, but after you withdrew your sword and told me your name, I put two and two together.”

“Congratulations, tell me when I care.” Steve spoke, deadpan expression on his face. All around him, the Nightmare guards bristled at the remark. The Nightmother herself scowled.

“I must say, for such a, ‘famed warrior,’ you don’t seem to possess the attitude of one.”

Steve shrugged. “Eh, it’s true that I don’t really take most things as seriously as I probably should, but what can I say? Trauma will do that to you.” Ignoring the Nightmother’s confused expression, Steve crouched once again as he readied his blade. Turning his head slightly, he whispered to Onyx. “Listen, I got a plan. Do you see the window to our right?”

The Nightmare glanced over. “Yeah, I see it. What about it?” Onyx inquired.

“When I give my signal, run like the Nether towards it, okay?”

Onyx, though he looked confused by the Crafter words, nodded. “Uh, okay. Anything else?”

“Fight, avoid getting hit as much as possible, and don’t die.” Steve replied. “Got it?” The Nightmare sighed, but nodded.

“Yeah, I guess so. But we have to be careful, alright? Those spears are made of Umbrine Steel. It’s sharp, probably even sharper than your sword, and while I’ve never seen it happen myself, I’ve heard even getting hit once will not only damage you physically, but mentally as well.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to face the Nightmother once more. “Mental damage, huh?” He muttered. After a moment, he nodded to himself. “Alright then.” Raising his blade, he looked back at Onyx, who did the same. Giving each other a nod, the pair turned to face their respective opponents, each giving a yell as they charged, Steve towards the Nightmother, and Onyx towards the four guards in front of him.

Square: Slash

Square: Slash

Square: Slash

Steve rushed forward, swinging his sword at the Nightmother, though due to her height, the best he could go for was her upper torso. In response, the Nightmother blocked the first two attacks with the shaft of her spear, before dodging backwards to avoid the other.

X: Jump

Square: Slash

Leaping up, Steve brought his sword up before swinging it back down at the Nightmother, who only barely managed to block it with her spear. The two were locked in combat for a moment before the Nightmother gave a powerful shove, which sent the Crafter flying backwards, fortunately colliding with two Nightmare guards that were battling Onyx.

Damage Received - 2 damage. 19 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet, coming face to face with a Nightmare guard who was about to plunge the tip of their spear into his chest.

Circle: Block

Square: Slash

Reacting fast, Steve knocked the spear away, before slashing the guard across the chest, sending them rolling. Whirling around, the Crafter spotted two guards going to attack Onyx from behind, who was too busy fending off two other guards to notice. Steve grit his teeth as he dashed towards them.

X: Jump

Triangle: Kick

Jumping, Steve tucked in both legs before kicking outwards, his boots making contact with one guard’s armored face. The force of his kick sent one guard flying into the other, sending both tumbling to the ground. However, only a moment later, the Crafter’s instincts flared up, and he heard a small whistling noise.

Circle: Block

Whirling around, Steve put his blade across his body in a defensive stance, barely managing to keep the Nightmother from slicing him in two with her spear. Unfortunately, the power of her swing sent the Crafter rolling along the stone-tiled floor, eventually colliding with a large column a short distance away.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 16 health remaining.

Groaning, Steve got back to his feet as he took a quick look around the room. He quickly spotted the Nightmother and three of her guards approaching him, while Onyx fought three more in the background. The Nightmare was doing surprisingly well on his own, though it was clear he wouldn’t win the fight if it were to continue.

‘I got to help him.’ Steve thought to himself. He took a step forward. His gaze shifted back to the quickly approaching Nightmother. However, after a few moments of looking at his opponent, Steve finally noticed the hundreds of Nightmares watching the fight from the sidelines. Not participating, not doing anything. Just, watching. Waiting.

‘What are they doing?’ Steve briefly wondered. ‘Not that I’m complaining, but why are they just watching? What the Nether are they waiting for?’

Shaking himself free from his thoughts, Steve looked at the Nightmother, who twirled her spear in one hand as she approached.

Gritting his teeth, the Crafter readied his blade and charged.

Square: Slash

Circle: Dodge

Square x 4: Slash Combo

Bringing back his sword, Steve swung it at the Nightmother’s lower leg. She easily blocked the attack with the shaft of her spear before responding with a slash of her own. Steve dodged the attack with a roll, coming up behind his opponent. With the Nightmother caught off-guard, Steve easily managed to slash the back of one of her legs, making her fall to one knee with a cry of pain. Slashing her twice across the back, Steve raised his sword to run her through, but was interrupted as a guard slammed into him, knocking him to the floor.

Damage Received - 4 damage. 12 health remaining.

Triangle: Kick

Hastily kicking the guard off of him, Steve rolled over onto his stomach before pushing himself to his feet, immediately coming face to face with the two other guards, both armed with the same spears that their comrades wielded. One of the guards hefted their spear and charged at Steve, attempting to stab him in the chest.

Circle + Square: Counter

Rushing forward, Steve twisted his body to the side, making the attack miss. Grabbing the spear, he ripped it from the guard’s grip before whirling around and slashing them across the chest with it, knocking the Nightmare aside.

Square: Slash

Tossing the spear away, Steve rushed towards the last guard, who held their spear in a defensive stance. Raising his blade, he swung it at the guard with every ounce of strength he could muster. While the guard managed to block the attack with the shaft of his spear, the resulting force sent them flying back, slamming into a nearby wall. The Nightmare fell to their knees before collapsing with a dull thud.

Steve sighed before falling to one knee, groaning in pain. Pressing one hand against his side, he grit his teeth, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. Taking a breath, he turned around to face the Nightmother.

Only to be promptly and unexpectedly body-slammed.

Damage Received - 3 damage. 9 health remaining.

Flying back, Steve hit the ground, sliding along the stone floor. After coming to a stop, he groaned and looked up to see what had hit him. His gaze was met by the beaten and exhausted face of Onyx, who was still laying on top of the Crafter.

“Onyx?” Steve spoke, tone displaying his confusion.

“Hey Steve.” the Nightmare tiredly responded. “How are ya doing?”

Steve laid his down for a moment and groaned again. “Could be better. But I think I’m doing alright, all things considered. You?”

“I kicked two of their asses. The third one caught me off-guard though.”

“Ah.” Steve replied. Sighing, he pushed the Nightmare off of him before sitting up to see the Nightmother and two of her guards slowly approaching. “Ah shit.” He muttered as he pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the pain that flared up in his side. Onyx did the same, albeit a bit sluggishly.

Steve held his blade by his side, while Onyx simply shifted into a defensive stance.

“Okay, here’s what we do.” The Crafter spoke to the Nightmare by his side. “I’ll take on the Nightmother while you distract those two guards. We’ll just have to see what happens after that.”

“Assuming we can even beat them in the first place.” Onyx muttered condescendingly.

“Come on, Onyx.” Steve chided the Nightmare. “You got to have at least a little hope. After all, if we can take Herobrine on and beat him, we can certainly take this bitch down.”

“When we faced Herobrine, we had better gear, supplies, and more allies, Steve.” The Nightmare countered, tone sounding irritated. “That is not the case here.” Onyx was silent for a moment before he let out a sigh as he shook his head. “You should’ve just left me.”

Steve jerked back as if the Nightmare had struck him. He gave Onyx a shocked look.

“What?”

“You should’ve just left me.” The Nightmare replied, not meeting Steve’s gaze. “If you had, then none of this would’ve happened. You would’ve been safe.”

“But you would’ve died!” Steve retorted.

“A small price to pay if it meant you would be alright.”

The Crafter hesitated for a moment before walking over to Onyx. He gently grabbed his shoulder, causing the Nightmare to look at him.

Steve’s expression was as hard as stone, full of an emotion that Onyx couldn’t quite figure out. “...Losing a friend is always too high a price to pay.” Steve slowly responded. “And you can trust me on that. I’ve lost more friends than I can count Onyx, and I’m sure as the Nether not going to lose anymore. Not if I can do something about it.” Stepping back from the Nightmare, Steve turned towards the approaching Nightmother. He took a deep breath, then spoke.

“I’m giving you one last chance to let us go, Nightmother!”

She laughed. “Oh really? And what will you do if I don’t?”

“Then your life will be forfeit.” Steve replied.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Do you really think you stand any chance of defeating me?”

“No, but I have a habit of surprising myself, so I’ll just wing it and see what happens.” He glanced at Onyx. “You ready?”

The Nightmare nodded.

“Okay.” Steve turned back to the Nightmother. “Let’s do this.” Raising his blade, he met his opponent’s gaze as he started moving towards her. However, he stopped when he saw her gaze shift to something behind him, her serious expression morphing into one of confusion.

Steve took a chance and glanced back, immediately seeing the large window he’d noticed when he’d first walked in. However, what quickly caught his attention was the shadow that had been cast across it, one was swiftly becoming bigger. His eyes widened.

X: Jump

“Move!” He yelled as he grabbed Onyx around the waist and jumped out of the way. Only a moment later, there was a tremendous crash as something flew through the window, shattering it on impact. Glass flew overhead, showering Steve and Onyx.

Waiting a moment for the glass to stop falling, the Crafter looked up to see what had destroyed the window.

There, standing in front of the Nightmother, was Abyss. Her large wings were flared and her claws were out, her purple eyes glowing furiously. It didn’t take a genius to figure out just how pissed the dragoness was.

“What…?” The Nightmother spoke, taking a step back. Abyss, however, took no notice as she looked around the room, quickly spotting Steve and Onyx.

“Steve!” She called, rushing over to the Crafter, all aspects of her furious expression gone. She helped him to his feet.

“Abyss? What the Nether are you doing here?” Steve asked.

“It’s a long story.” She replied. “I’ll tell you later.” She gave him a look over and immediately took notice of his injuries. “What happened to you?” She asked worriedly.

He waved away her concerns. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine, Abyss.” The Crafter’s gaze shifted back to the Nightmother. “Just need to take care of her first.”

Abyss looked at the Nightmother, gaze hardening. “Ah. Mind if I join in?”

Steve laughed. “Not at all. Honestly, Onyx and I could use the help. But be careful. Even with you helping, she won’t be easy to take down.”

Abyss glanced back at him and smiled. “Yeah, I figured that you probably got yourself into some trouble. That’s why I called in the cavalry.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “The what?”

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from the other side of the throne room, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. From it, four beings appeared.

The first was Princess Celestia, decked out in a set of golden armor, similar to the armor the Royal Guards wore. The second was Princess Luna, wearing a similar set of armor to her sister, though hers was colored silver. The third was Aura, one of the members of the Black Claw. She wore no armor, save for a metal chestplate. The fourth and final member, unlike the others, stood on two legs. He wore a pair of simple brown trousers with a tan shirt. His head was devoid of hair, save for a beard, and his dark eyes were narrowed in anger at the Nightmother.

Steve’s eyes widened in shock.

“Notch?”

Author's Note:

So, yeah, that happened.... 😳

Anyways, I'll stop myself before I suddenly say some spoiler or something. As always, thank you all for reading and staying with me for so long, and be sure to let me know what you all think in the comments.

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