1 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:15,240 Welcome back everybody to the Minecraft Short Stories podcast. 2 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,920 This is episode 80, which is cool because we have another 3 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,920 multiple of 10 episodes. And in this episode I'll be 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,480 telling it two listener stories. First one is called Echoes of 5 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:27,120 the Past. It's by Sophia, and the second 6 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,480 one is How netherite Became So scarce, and that is by Josh. 7 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,000 Thank you guys for submitting these stories. 8 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,880 And if you, the listener have a story to submit, go to 9 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,800 minecraftshortstories.com, which is this podcast website. 10 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,200 You can then go to the submit a story page. 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,200 Just fill out the form with your story and your username or name, 12 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:46,960 and then it may get right on the show. 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,680 Anyways, thank you Sophia and Josh and I hope you guys enjoy 14 00:00:51,680 --> 00:01:02,040 this episode. Echoes of the past by Sophia. 15 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,560 Long before the rise of the players, the over world belonged 16 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,640 to a mysterious and powerful civilization known as the Ziff 17 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,920 Lights. These beings are not like 18 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,600 anything seen in the world today. 19 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,520 It could communicate effortlessly over vast 20 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,880 distances, as other voices were linked by invisible threads. 21 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,440 They were also vastly more intelligent than any of the 22 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,160 other mobs, such as the Pillagers or villagers. 23 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,160 This easy communication and advanced intelligence allowed 24 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:34,200 them to thrive for thousands of years, building cities, powers, 25 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,960 and secrets that stretched from the depths of the Nether to the 26 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:40,880 far reaches of the End. The Ziff Lights lived in harmony 27 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,480 with the world, careful not to overreach the powerful. 28 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,400 They valued peace and balance. The society coexisted with 29 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,880 villagers who occupied the open plains. 30 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,280 A mutual agreement kept the two civilizations at peace. 31 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,840 The Zip Flight stayed away from the plains and in return, the 32 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,320 villagers would not venture near Zip Flight strongholds or 33 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,520 cities. For ages, the Zip Flights had 34 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,240 travelled to the end through the usage of the End Portals, 35 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,199 gateways to a place of infinite strangeness where shulkers, 36 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:12,960 enderman and chorus fruit existed beyond comprehension. 37 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,920 These portals were kept hidden, guarded by the most trusted of 38 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:19,960 their leaders. The Zifflights also delved into 39 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,200 the fiery depths of the Nether, harvesting its resources and 40 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,280 locking its secrets, though they feared its corruption. 41 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,120 Then they came up from the ground players. 42 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,600 The Zifflights called them the Ground Diggers. 43 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,520 Small, unremarkable at first, they emerged from their caves 44 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,280 and spread across the land for time. 45 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,440 The Zifflights observed them curiously, unsure whether to 46 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,640 view them as a threat or a fleeting nuisance, but they grew 47 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:50,480 bold, spreading to the plains in the forests, hungering for land 48 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,040 and resources. The peace agreements with the 49 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,920 villagers faltered as the Ground Diggers expanded their 50 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,280 exploitation. The Ziff Light leaders realized 51 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,440 the danger too late when whispers of a stolen enchanting 52 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:04,320 table and violence began to circulate. 53 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,280 By that time, the Ziff Lights realized it was already too 54 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,800 late. A Ground Digger had killed one 55 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,080 of the Wandering Ziff Lights after they had come a little too 56 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:13,880 close to one of the Ground Diggers camps. 57 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:16,160 The cries heard all throughout the world. 58 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:20,520 This was the breaking point. First these strange people had 59 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,720 come up from the ground and start destroying the land, 60 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:25,080 harvesting their resources far too fast. 61 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,160 Then they start to steal from the Ziff flights themselves, and 62 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,120 now they've killed one. This is dangerous. 63 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,760 The Ziff flights decide to try and ask the Ground diggers to 64 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,720 stop causing chaos that only provoked them further, and then 65 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,160 they declared war. One leader ordered that all in 66 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,680 portals be sealed. The Ender eyes powering these 67 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,280 portals were destroyed or hidden away, scattered across the world 68 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,680 to prevent the Ground Diggers from gaining access to the NS 69 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:53,600 power. But the Zifflite's precautions 70 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,120 came too late. The Ground Diggers turned their 71 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,440 newly upgraded weapons against the Zifflites. 72 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:02,680 With iron and fire, they swarm the Zifflite strongholds, 73 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:05,640 cities, and towers, leaving ruins in their wake. 74 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,200 Worse still, they uncovered the secrets of the Nether. 75 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,280 Combining the Nether's withering effects with their arrows, it 76 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,600 created weapons that even the Ziff Light's ancient healing 77 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,200 could not counter. 1 by 1, the Ziff Light cities fell, and the 78 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,080 voices once carried on the wind fell silent. 79 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,040 Now, only fragments of this once great nation remain. 80 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:30,440 Atop a large mountain lies a giant tower. 81 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,080 Its once bright cyan and Gray flag now flies half destroyed. 82 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,400 Barely hanging onto its pole and hidden in a shallow cave lies 83 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,480 the remaining of a Ziff Light that had escaped only to be shot 84 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:43,960 by a withered arrow. And at the center of the world, 85 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,000 a single enchanting table that to be the only thing left of the 86 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,920 Ziff lights. Merely an echo of this now 87 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:54,560 forgotten people. The end. 88 00:05:01,330 --> 00:05:03,850 Thank you Sophia. And the second story for this 89 00:05:03,850 --> 00:05:07,330 episode is by Josh. It is how netherites became so 90 00:05:07,330 --> 00:05:10,050 scarce. Chapter 1. 91 00:05:10,490 --> 00:05:15,040 The discovery of Netherite. Three years before the Big War, 92 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:16,880 something huge happened in the Nether. 93 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,360 A piglin scout named Lothric went deeper into the Nether than 94 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,920 any piglin had gone before. He was looking for gold, which 95 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,480 was common in the Nether, but he found something much more 96 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,640 exciting. Deep in the dark caves, shining 97 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:32,800 in a strange way, he found a block that glowed faintly with 98 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,800 gold running through it. It was different from anything 99 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,720 he had ever seen. Lothric carried the strange 100 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,640 block back to the village, and the elders were amazed. 101 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,720 This was netherite, a metal that had been lost for ages. 102 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:48,960 It was stronger than anything the Piglins had ever used. 103 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,880 Unlike gold, which was soft and broke easily, netherite was 104 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,920 incredibly strong and could be used to make weapons, armor, and 105 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,080 tools that were nearly unbreakable. 106 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,880 The Piglins quickly realized how valuable netherite could be. 107 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:04,840 With it, they could create weapons and armor far stronger 108 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:07,160 than gold. They could finally conquer the 109 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,240 overworld, a place they'd always dreamed of controlling but had 110 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,040 never been able to reach. Gold was easy to get, but 111 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:19,200 netherite was rare and powerful. The Piglins begin to mine it in 112 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,280 secret, working quickly together as much as they could before 113 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:26,960 anyone else could find it. After 2, the war plans. 114 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:30,360 As the Piglins started collecting more and more 115 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,400 netherite, a leader named Kurag saw an opportunity. 116 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,040 Kurag was a ruthless warlord who wanted nothing more than to rule 117 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,800 the overworld with the power of netherites. 118 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,480 He believed his army could crush anyone who stood in their way. 119 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,720 Urrah called together as generals, including Lothric, who 120 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:48,320 had led the first mining expedition. 121 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,400 They started working on a plan. They would build powerful 122 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:54,920 weapons and armor made of netherites and March through the 123 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:56,800 nether portals to invade the overworld. 124 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,320 The Piglets had always been limited to the Nether, but with 125 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,200 netherites they could conquer the villages and the cities of 126 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,960 the overworld. They worked day and night, 127 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,840 crafting swords, axe as an armor that would make them nearly 128 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:11,400 invincible. The piglets built new war 129 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,360 machines and reforged their strongholds. 130 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,480 They were ready. The piglets didn't just want 131 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,320 gold anymore, they want to control. 132 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:23,760 The war was coming after three, the war of Emberforge. 133 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:26,560 The piglets first attack came quickly. 134 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,440 They opened a portal into the overworld and marched towards a 135 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:34,760 small village called Emberforge. The villagers had no chance, the 136 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,320 piglens were shining nether a armor and carried swords that 137 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:38,920 could slice through iron like butter. 138 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:41,920 The villagers tried to fight back with their iron swords and 139 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,640 bows, but they were no match for the piglin strength. 140 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,560 Lothrop led the 1st wave heading through to the villagers 141 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,880 defenses with his huge nether axe. 142 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:55,240 The battle was over in minutes, the piglens took prisoners and 143 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:57,880 looted the village. The Overworld had never seen a 144 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,360 tech like this before. The Pigolans, armed with the 145 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,040 strongest materials the world had ever known, were 146 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,160 unstoppable. The Pigolans didn't stop there. 147 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,400 They attacked more villages, cities, and towns across the 148 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,920 Overworld. They were quick, powerful, and 149 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,600 ruthless. Soon, the Overworld began to 150 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:17,800 panic. The Piglets were everywhere, and 151 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:19,840 their netherite weapons made them nearly unbeatable. 152 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:22,960 But to the Overworld wasn't going to give up so easily. 153 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,920 Slowly they began to regroup. Heroes from all over the world, 154 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,720 warriors, Archers and mages came together to fight the Piglins. 155 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,039 The Overworld had underestimated the Piglins power at first, but 156 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:39,200 now they were ready. The tide of the war began to 157 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,520 turn. The Piglins were strong, but 158 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,400 they were also overconfident. They thought nothing could stop 159 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:46,960 them. But as the Overworld's heroes 160 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,760 fought back, the Piglins supplies started to dwindle. 161 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,640 The supply of netherite was running low and without it their 162 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:58,520 weapons and armor became weaker. Chapter 4 The end of the war. 163 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:02,160 The final battle took place in the heart of the Picklins 164 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,640 stronghold. The heroes of the overworld 165 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:07,760 launched a surprise attack, catching Kurag and his generals 166 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,200 off guard. With the Piglins leadership 167 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,400 gone, their armies started to fall apart. 168 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:15,480 They'd lost their strongest weapons and their leader. 169 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,840 The overworlds heroes pushed the Picklins back into the nether. 170 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,960 The war was over. The Overworld had been won, but 171 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:27,360 had a great cost. Many villages had been destroyed 172 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,000 and many lives have been lost. The Piglens, however, were 173 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,880 defeated. They returned to their caves and 174 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,760 fortresses in the Nether, nursing their wounds and licking 175 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,680 their pride. New rock was gone, and so was 176 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:41,440 their dream of ruling the Overworld. 177 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,680 Chapter 5 The Forgotten Netherites After the war, the 178 00:09:47,680 --> 00:09:49,640 Piglins didn't care much about Nether anymore. 179 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,360 Sure, it had been powerful, but it was also hard to find and 180 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,160 difficult to mine. The Overworld had learned to 181 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,880 forge some of their own netherite weapons, and so the 182 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:00,680 piglins couldn't keep up with the demand. 183 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:04,320 Gold, on the other hand, was everywhere in the Nether. 184 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,280 It was easy to mine, and the piglins had always known how to 185 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,920 work with it. It was softer than netherites, 186 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,120 but it was plentiful. The Piglins decided that gold 187 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,480 was more important. They didn't need Nether any more 188 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:18,160 to get what they wanted. The great treasure that once 189 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,040 seemed so important became just another material they used for 190 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:23,360 crafting. They didn't bother to mine more 191 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,120 Nether 8, and the weapons and armors they had forged with it 192 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:28,880 were forgotten, gathering dust in the deepest corners of their 193 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,120 strongholds. The war for Nether 8 was over, 194 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,440 and the Piglins returned to their old ways, intent with the 195 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,480 gold they had always relied on. In the end, the Piglins learned 196 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,200 that gold was easier to get in much less trouble than Nether. 197 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,800 8A Great metal that once promised them power is now just 198 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,080 another part of the Nether left behind by the Piglins in favor 199 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:50,880 of the treasures they could easily find. 200 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:54,640 The war was over and the Piglens were back to where they started, 201 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,000 mining gold, building their strongholds and dreaming of the 202 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:00,640 next battle. This time they weren't worried 203 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,080 about Nether aides. That everything they needed in 204 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:05,480 the familiar glittering glow of gold. 205 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:26,520 The end. Thank you guys so much for 206 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,920 listening. Thank you Josh and Sophia for 207 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,600 seeing these awesome stories. They were fun to read. 208 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:33,880 They're well written. Thank you guys for seeing these. 209 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:37,400 Anyways, hope you enjoyed this episode. 210 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:39,840 Make sure to leave a review if you want. 211 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:41,920 If you're on Spotify, you can comment on this episode. 212 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,360 Tell me what you think I mean, what I can improve on. 213 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:48,640 Tell me what you liked about it. Anyways, see you guys inside the 214 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:49,440 next episode.