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Welcome back Craft links to the 
Minecraft Short Stories Podcast 

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this episode. 
Today we have an original story 

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by me Camels, and this story is 
called The Endless Journey. 

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The name for the story comes 
because in it's Steve learns a 

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lesson that there's always 
another adventure to be had. 

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So it is an endless journey of 
doing adventures. 

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That's where the name comes 
from. 

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And talking about endless. 
This story is 3000 words, which 

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makes it the same length as the 
most two-part stories I have. 

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This is almost exactly the same 
amount of words inside, escaping

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the arrow in part one and two 
together. 

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So as you can tell from the 
length of this episode, this is 

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quite the long story. 
So just some things you guys 

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need to know beforehand. 
I'm sure you guys are smart 

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enough to figure this out 
through the context of the 

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story, but enchantments are 
enhancements to the weapon 

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rather than having this 
Minecraft enchanting system. 

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It is just an enhancement. 
It kind of an add on to a 

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weapon. 
And then also in the story the 

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recovery compass which you find 
inside ancient cities, it leads 

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you to the latest place where 
you died. 

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In this story, they're going to 
leave Steve to the ancient city 

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because Steve has never died. 
So I took a little bit of 

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creative liberty there. 
We want to hear more about that 

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or about the previous iterations
of the story or about the 

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background to the story. 
That is episode eight of the 

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Microsoft Stories Prologue, 
which is the podcast available 

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for patrons of any tier. 
The link is inside the 

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description. 
So I hope you guys enjoy this 

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story and let's get right into 
it. 

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The endless journey. 
Steve kept a quick pace through 

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the Birch forest, scanning for 
anything of note. 

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A dark hole in the ground caused
attention, but was quickly 

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dismissed when it was revealed 
as a shallow depression. 

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His armor clanked as he brushed 
past the limbs, and the sun cast

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a red glow across the landscape 
as a set, reducing his 

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visibility in the darkest places
of this world. 

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Undead creatures such as zombies
and skeletons would appear to 

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attack players, perhaps to try 
and avenge themselves for death.

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Steve didn't fear the Knights. 
He was protected, so he kept 

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searching. 
A zombie crossed in front of 

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Steve's path, but before it 
could even mutter A groan, his 

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sword X Rayly, ended its undead 
existence. 

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The beast burst to light as it 
fell, one of the enchantments 

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placed upon the diamond blade 
taking effect. 

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The light of the fire revealed 
another zombie stumbling towards

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him. 
When I had drawn close enough 

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for Steve to see the two black 
pits of its eyes, he slashed 

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with the sword, aiming for the 
undead's chest. 

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The Mies made a clumsy attempt 
at an attack as the sword 

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whistled through the air, its 
arm inadvertently blocking the 

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blade. 
The zombie gurgled in annoyance 

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as the diamond struck it. 
Pulling back, it stumbled 

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forward suddenly, its first 
moved with a surprising speed 

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and accuracy. 
In retaliation, it struck him in

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the side with more force and 
seemed possible from the rotting

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body. 
However, Steve barely felt it 

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through his nether right chest 
plate. 

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The zombie stumbled backwards, 
gurgling and groaning, both 

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fists now useless. 
By striking the armor, it had 

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activated one of the plate's 
enchantments, hard to obtain 

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enhancement called thorns that 
would repel any attack. 

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The combination of that and his 
armor, a full 7 chain netherite,

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the second strongest substance 
known besides a bedrock, made 

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Steve nearly impenetrable. 
Steve dispatched the winded 

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zombie with a quick swipe and 
continued onwards. 

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The moon gave a small amount of 
light, enough to continue his 

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search, though the rocks and 
limbs proved much harder to 

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avoid. 
The forest momentarily grew 

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sparser and Steve stopped, 
rifled through a satchel at his 

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side and pulled out a paper map.
Just enough light was present 

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for the sheet to be discernible.
It showed an undetailed sketch 

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of what looked to be the general
area he was in. 

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A bright red X in the upper left
hand corner served as the 

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obvious focal point. 
Steve took out his compass and 

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noted that he was 300 blocks too
far to the right. 

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Steve had purchased the map from
a cartographer and was following

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it looking for the dungeon to 
which it LED. 

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Dungeons were one of the many 
oddities originating from a long

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gone race full of treasures in 
danger. 

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Steve was sure they had more 
secrets than had yet been 

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revealed. 
Ever since Steve had defeated 

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the Great Dragon of the End, his
life had become monotonous. 

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The adventures he once had were 
nearly becoming legends, but 

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Steve still decided to live 
alone and pursue his own goals, 

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one of which now was to find 
forgotten and unknown treasure. 

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Steve repacked his satchel and 
started heading in the direction

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the map showed. 
The moon rose higher and he 

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could hear the branches creaking
softly in the light breeze as he

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worked his way deeper into the 
expansive woods. 

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Suddenly the creaking of a 
bowstring not sounding unlike 

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the wrestling limbs broke the 
tranquility and error impaled 

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itself into the Birch tree 
beside Steve. 

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With a resonant thunk, he caught
side of the perpetrator, a 

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skeleton peeking out of a dart 
cave opening right where the map

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let him. 
Steve charged the skeleton and 

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prepared the swing when another 
skull appeared in the opening. 

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Both skeletons had bows in their
hands and then began to shoot. 

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Steve didn't have a face 
covering, so most of his efforts

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went to keeping the sharp tips 
away. 

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The shafts made a staccato bang 
as they struck his armor 

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relentlessly. 
He was in no danger of being 

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dented. 
Steve slowly worked his way to 

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The Cave opening, weathering the
tireless barrage. 

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The skeletons took a secondary 
load and he had his chance. 

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He rushed in and bone soon 
covered the stone floor. 

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Breathing deeply from his 
attack, Steve looked into the 

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dark maw of The Cave. 
He knew without looking the map 

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led to this point, but not past,
that he would have to find the 

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dungeon himself. 
Before he strove into the pitch 

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darkness. 
Steve took out a torch from his 

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satchel and lit it with torch 
held aloft, the dark shadows 

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contorting around the 
illumination he travelled into 

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The Cave. 
The Cave wasn't especially large

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at any points, but it was long. 
It slanted steadily downward, 

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and Steve had to constantly 
monitor his footing, lest you 

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trip. 
The undead were ever present, 

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and giant spiders loved to try 
and drop on him from the walls 

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and ceiling. 
Steve effortlessly defended 

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himself, but his arms were 
growing sluggish as the mobs 

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continued to attack. 
He grew anxious about finding 

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the dungeon. 
The map hadn't been cheap, and 

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the day's journeying had already
been spent to find this cave. 

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Steve was on good terms with the
cartographer who had sold him 

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the map, and he believed she 
wouldn't have knowingly given 

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him a false one anyway. 
All the maps for the anchor 

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structures come from the anchor 
structures, so it wouldn't have 

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been a fault, Steve reasoned. 
The Cave eventually reached the 

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deep slate layer. 
Steve didn't have too much 

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experience with the darker stone
variant, as it was only found in

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the deepest reaches of the 
underground before bedrock. 

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The dark palette created more 
ominous atmosphere in the 

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tunnel. 
This block was much harder to 

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mine through, but down here 
diamonds were more plentiful. 

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Steve rounded a corner torch 
held in front of him and stepped

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on something that crunched under
foot. 

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Looking down. 
A light brown patch of dried 

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Moss stood out on the dark rock.
With a new light in his eyes, 

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Steve began searching for more 
with vigor. 

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He knew where there was Moss, 
there was a dungeon. 

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After a quick search, he found 
more of the Moss by an 

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unassuming wall. 
Baking up one of the dried 

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plants. 
Steve inspected it. 

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This looks like lush cave Moss. 
You realized it was indeed that.

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Then it must be from either a 
dungeon or a stronghold. 

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When the ancient builders 
constructed these structures, it

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accidentally, most likely 
accidentally, tracked in some 

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Moss from the plant filled lush 
caves. 

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Lush caves were deep 
underground, sometimes even in 

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the deep slate layer, but full 
of life. 

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From the statuesque drip leaf 
plants to the bright green Moss 

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exclusively found in them. 
Steve impacted his pick and took

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an initial swing, the Diamond 
Head biting into the deep slate 

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like it was ice. 
He smiled. 

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The enchantments would speed up 
the process. 

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Taking another swing, he began 
tunnelling into the wall. 

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The process went smoothly, and 
he made quick progress with his 

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practice swings. 
Before too long, his Diamond 

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Head bent to a different 
texture. 

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He moved his torch close to the 
newly cut stone. 

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Finally, Steve said aloud, 
relieved. 

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It was a section of cobblestone,
dead Moss interwoven in the 

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cracks. 
It was undoubtedly the dungeon. 

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Chipping away at the stone 
around the hole, he curved a 

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path. 
In stepping into the dungeon, 

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Steve was met by a site he had 
seen many times before, a small 

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dark room smelling of decay and 
now full of dust. 

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After his rough break in 
noticeably, a black cage as 

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large as a block 1m by 1 meter 
lay in the middle of the room. 

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As he stepped into the chamber, 
a fire automatically lit inside 

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it, and a small replica of a 
zombie began spinning quickly 

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within the black mesh. 
The small zombie was unnaturally

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intricate, its ragged flesh 
visible in minute detail. 

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It seems almost alive. 
This cage was the defense of the

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ancient race and one of their 
many secrets. 

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What was constructed and how it 
worked may never be 

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rediscovered. 
The spurt of smoke. 

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The zombie, nearly identical to 
the spinning one, appeared on 

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the opposite side of the room. 
Steve lurched into motion. 

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Swinging his sword, he deftly 
sliced into the undead. 

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It fell to the floor in a blaze.
Steve turned, drawing out his 

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pick, prepared to destroy the 
spawner. 

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When a glintive reflected light 
to his right caught his eye. 

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Guessing it was a dropped ingot 
or the like, he inspected it 

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after the spawner contraption 
was dismantled. 

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It was something he'd never seen
before. 

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It was a black compass, swirling
lines of cyan and Navy on the 

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edges, and a glowing arrow 
pointing to the southeast, the 

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Canada's usual compass. 
Still astounded by his 

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discovery, he compared the 
needle's directions. 

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The blue compass looking object 
didn't have any cardinal points,

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but as he turned it to try and 
line it up northwards, the 

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pointer moved and stayed in its 
original position. 

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Unless the world of Minecraft 
had magically flipped 

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polarities, this compass looking
object was not a compass at all.

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Steve was filled with 
excitement. 

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Where was it trying to direct 
him? 

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Taking just enough time to 
examine the dungeon's single 

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wooden chest, Steve rushed from 
the structure. 

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Backtracking through The Cave 
system wasn't difficult, and he 

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soon found himself walking into 
the forest, the blue and black 

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compass like object clutched in 
his hands. 

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Steve emerged from The Cave 
along with the sun, so he 

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immediately started his journey 
to find where the device led 

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him. 
The pointer directed him to his 

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left and he started walking that
direction. 

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Monitoring the device to make 
sure he kept on track, Steve 

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eventually left the forest and 
entered A taiga by him. 

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The tall taiga trees with dark, 
dense leaves created plenty of 

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dark spots for undead foes to 
appear in. 

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Steve was kept constantly 
vigilant throughout his travels.

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After crossing the taiga, he 
trekked through the tall grasses

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of the plains. 
The air grew steadily chillier 

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as he walked for days on the 
flat ground, sleeping 

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occasionally. 
Eventually the green of the 

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grass was covered by the white 
of snow. 

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His armor retained warmth well. 
He wasn't worried about 

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freezing, but trudging through 
the deep snow was exhausting. 

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Every night he'd be so exhausted
he almost couldn't stand, but 

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still he would find the strength
to search for shelter, to start 

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a fire. 
After the drudgery of the snow 

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Biome, he was met by another 
forest. 

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Still the needle pointed 
onwards. 

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Jumping over a fallen log, Steve
looked up at the mountain, 

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looming in the sky before him 
just a few hundred more blocks. 

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He told himself he had been 
looking at this mountain day and

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night while he made his way 
towards it. 

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It felt like a year's journey, 
but Steve finally reached the 

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base of the mountain. 
The monolith of rock towered 

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hundreds of blocks over Steve's 
head, looking down at his 

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ancient device. 
The needle pointed straight 

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ahead at the mountain. 
Steve somehow knew this mountain

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was his destination. 
It just felt right going up to 

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the base. 
It began as a sent. 

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The mountain was tall, but also 
not very steep. 

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When it became too vertical for 
anything but climbing, Steve was

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searched for another path. 
Summary was too heavy for him to

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climb in. 
Steve regularly glanced at his 

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compass device. 
Steve's heart leapt in 

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00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,200
excitement when he was making 
his way up a slope and the 

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00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,720
needle moved to continue to 
point in a direction beside him,

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quickly repositioning himself to
travel in that direction from to

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a small, flat, snowy Grove 
between some Spires. 

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Looking down at the blue 
compass, Steve knew he was in 

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the right place. 
The luminescent needle LED him 

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directly to this Grove, and when
he had entered it, he began 

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spinning rapidly clockwise. 
The Grove was a small section of

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flat land, partially covered 
with snow, with occasional Tufts

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of grass or flowers. 
Growing up, it was completely 

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bare of anything noteworthy. 
Steve took out his compass 

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again. 
The needle was still spinning, 

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the spark of realization. 
Steve took out a shovel. 

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Leaning down, he began to remove
the dirt. 

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After removing a couple of dozen
blocks, you could see the stone 

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beneath. 
Taking his pick from a satchel, 

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Steve started mining downwards. 
He would destroy one block, move

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on to it, and then remove the 
one he had previously been 

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standing on. 
Mining into the mountain was 

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hard work even with his 
pickaxe's enhancements. 

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The cold stone was terrace and 
to mine through after hours of 

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monotonous activity he reached a
cave situated hundreds of 

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blocks. 
Under the mountain's peaks came 

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as quite a surprise. 
He mines a block and a great 

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space was revealed under it. 
Looking down, a vast cavern lay 

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before him. 
Steve immediately Steve 

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immediately noticed the most 
peculiar thing about it, 

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covering the walls and floors 
with a strange dark blue and 

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black substance, small spots of 
cyan glimmering in the darkness.

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It looked just like his compass.
This had to be his destination. 

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00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,880
Steve was around 12 blocks above
the cavern floor, so he easily 

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dropped down through the hole he
had mined. 

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00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,320
Landing with a loud thud and a 
clinking of armor, Steve was 

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instantly assaulted with an 
unearthly whale. 

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He whirled around looking for 
the cause of the noise. 

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A block made of what seemed to 
be bone and the strange glowing 

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substance was the perpetrator. 
As the whale trailed off, the 

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cavern shook. 
The whale hadn't sounded human. 

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It sounded unearthly, like a gas
scream. 

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But if it was slower and higher 
pitched. 

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00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:53,240
Taking a step toward the block, 
his boot made a slight sound and

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00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,000
unnoticed plant like object, 
also dark blue with waving 

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tentacles on the top lit up. 
The original bone looking block 

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screamed once more. 
Steve felt sick with 

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anticipation and apprehension. 
How could he move? 

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Any slight sound would set off 
the screamer block once again. 

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00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,400
After the whale, the cavern 
shook slightly. 

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00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,760
Steve got the feeling it was 
warning him. 

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00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,360
Steve had an idea. 
He could stop his armor from 

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00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,280
creaking and he can make his way
over to the screamer and maybe 

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00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,120
disable it like he did with the 
spawner. 

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He crouched down and began 
making a slow, methodical way. 

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Suddenly, in a cruel twist of 
fate, a skeleton appeared from 

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over a Ridge. 
Steve watched in horror as it 

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notched an arrow, tined its 
bowstring, and launched the 

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projectile. 
The arrow landed right on the 

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shoulder, creating a ring that 
reverberated throughout the 

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silent cavern. 
Instantly the screamer wailed 

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for a third time. 
It sounded angry. 

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00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,800
Steve's vision darkened as the 
cavern shook unrelentingly. 

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00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,040
A new sound was present, and 
Steve turned his head to find 

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00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:55,520
it. 
When he did, you saw the most 

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00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,200
horrifying thing he had ever 
seen in all his travels. 

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00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,400
Ginormous beast was lifting 
itself out of the ground. 

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00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,520
It was almost twice Steve's 
height, with a hulking chest and

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00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,040
long arms. 
It was blue, like the substance 

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00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:08,880
that stood upon, but with bone 
colored. 

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00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:12,480
Or maybe it was bone decoration 
all over its body. 

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00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:17,480
Disturbingly, it had no eyes. 
Steve stayed down, having 

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00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,200
immediately noticed its lack of 
eyesight and hoping it wouldn't 

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00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:22,960
be able to find him. 
The skeleton continued to move 

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towards Steve, its bones 
rattling and clinking together 

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00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:28,520
loudly. 
Lumbering over to the skeleton, 

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00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,560
the beast lifted its arms for a 
swing and then brought them 

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00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:33,520
down. 
Bones were sent flying across 

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00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:37,040
the cavern with the force of it.
The beast didn't seem satisfied.

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00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:39,120
It lifted its head in the air 
and sniffed. 

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00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,160
Steve realized with dread that I
could smell him. 

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00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,160
He stood up and hurriedly tried 
to locate an exit. 

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00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,840
He found one. 
A small cave opening led to a 

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00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:49,040
different section of the 
mountain. 

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00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,640
Unfortunately, he was just past 
the beast, who is now slowly 

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00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,640
turning in Steve's direction, 
still sniffing the cavern air. 

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00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,760
Pushing aside his sphere, Steve 
rushed upon the beast he had 

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00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,200
conquered, the end dragon. 
He defeated raids, raided 

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00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:03,920
fortresses, and slain many 
undead. 

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00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:06,360
His first attack didn't go so 
well. 

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00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:10,160
The sword connected, but didn't 
do any slicing, just thudded 

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00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:14,880
against the dark blue skin. 
From this close, Steve could 

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00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,920
smell the fungal stench of the 
beast, a mix of the mycelium of 

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00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,200
the mushroom Biome and the 
rotten smell of the undead. 

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00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:24,200
The beast had found its prey. 
It roared, shaking the cavern 

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00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,840
with the power of it, then 
descended upon Steve. 

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00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,400
He tried to stay off its way and
gain some sword swings, but the 

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00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,320
beast was surprisingly fast. 
It connected as he tried the 

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00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:35,920
sidestep and his armor crumpled 
underneath blow. 

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00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:39,880
He was thrown far backwards, 
landing with a thud next to 

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00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:43,080
another screamer block. 
It landed right next to The Cave

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00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,880
entrance, which offered escape. 
Steve recovered his sword and 

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00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,560
then drew his bow. 
The Roc launched, merely struck 

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00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,160
the beast, and then fell to the 
floor. 

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00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,960
Wounded from the single blow of 
the beast, Steve knew it was 

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00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:57,840
time to retreat. 
Still, he drew his sword to 

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00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,200
charge in. 
The monster didn't give him a 

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00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:02,560
chance. 
It roared even lighter than 

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00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:05,560
before, but this time a Sonic 
wave of energy crashed into 

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00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,160
Steve, turning him backwards 
into The Cave opening. 

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00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,359
He finally resolved to escape 
with his life hurrying into The 

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00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:15,680
Cave, could hear the beast roar 
last time and then Burrow back 

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00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,119
into the ground. 
Steve eventually emerged from 

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00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:20,960
The Cave onto the lower slope of
the mountain. 

351
00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,280
Instead of feeling defeated, he 
felt victorious. 

352
00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,800
His encounter with the unknown 
hulking monster had reminded him

353
00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,240
that there were always more 
adventures. 

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00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,280
Thank you all for listening and 
also thank you for holding on 

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00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,800
while I finish the story. 
It would have taken less time if

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00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,760
I hadn't written a 3000 word 
story to read. 

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00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,480
And also I hope you guys can 
understand the story. 

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00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,800
I think it makes sense read 
aloud, but sometimes written 

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00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,520
works make less sense read aloud
than read in your head. 

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00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,080
And if you want to read my 
stories, written versions of all

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00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,480
my stories are available for the
Storyteller tier of patrons, so 

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00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,160
that's an option. 
But anyway, I hope you guys 

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00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,520
enjoyed this story and I hope 
you guys will join me inside the

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00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,600
next episode. 
EE you then.