Just saying ahead of time, I am not sorry for the jokes.

The next day, at about mid-afternoon, the entire family and Blade were out the front of the house, doing various things. Steve was working in the small farm they had, Notch was patching a hole in the roof, Hero was planting some trees, Ender and W were looking after the few sheep and cows the family owned and Alex and Blade were cleaning and sharpening pickaxes and axes.

Ender and Steve were having a joke contest, with Notch throwing in a few good ones every now and then. Laughter ran around the clearing, making the sunny day seem even brighter.

"Have you heard about the creeper who went to the party?" Steve asked. "He had a BLAST!"

"Steve, you've said that one, like, 5 times already," Hero called out.

"It's still making Alex laugh!" Steve protested. And indeed, Alex was laughing from the joke.

"Okay, what about this one," Ender said. "Why don't blazes ever make business? Because they keep firing people!"

More laughter rang out.

"I've got a good one," Notch said. "Why can't the Ender Dragon read a book? Because he always starts at the End."

Alex almost couldn't breathe from laughing too much at this point. Then Herobrine chimed in.

"You know, when I saw a guy with a potion, I knew there was trouble brewing."

Steve managed to stop laughing long enough to tell another joke. "This guy started to rage after he found out that he was raided. I told him to take it down a Notch."

Everyone fell over laughing, except for Notch who protested "That doesn't even make sense!" But Steve was just warming up.

"How does Herobrine spy on people? He uses 'spy-ders'!"

Even Herobrine laughed at that one, then it was Ender's turn. "What did Steve say as he faced off against a skeleton with his pickaxe? 'I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"I would never say that!" Steve yelled over the laughter.

"Yes you totally would!" Ender managed to call back. Poor Alex was on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Everyone shush!" Herobrine said, but no one except for Blade could hear him. "SHUSH!" he yelled. Everyone was instantly quiet.

"What's wro-," Notch started but Herobrine silenced him with a gesture.

He was looking into the forest, slowly standing up. Blade also looked into the forest, trying to figure out what had Herobrine so on edge. Then she saw movement and the flash of sunlight on steel.

"Warriors!" Herobrine yelled. "We need to go!"

Everyone moved instantly. Notch jumped off the roof, rolling as he hit the ground. Ender and W brought out the only horse that the family owned and Alex ran to it. Notch lifted her up on the horse and got on behind her. At the same time, Steve grabbed his sword that was leaning against the house and leaped over the fence of the crop field. Hero also grabbed his sword from the ground. Blade stood up, clutching the pickaxe she was sharpening, not quite sure what was happening but certain that it was bad.

From the forest burst dozens of warriors, all clad in black armour and carrying black metal swords. They made no battle cry as they ran towards the group, but that only made them more terrifying.

"LET'S MOVE!" Notch yelled, urging the horse forward in the opposite direction of the running warriors.

"BLADE COME ON!" Steve called and Blade ran up beside him. Hero ran on his other side and Ender and W ran next to the horse. They ran together, away from the warriors and the house.

"Where did they come from?" Blade panted as they ran.

"I don't know," Steve answered.

Hero looked as if he knew exactly where they had come from. "Save your breath. You'll need it for running."

A warrior burst out of the trees on Hero's side, running straight for them. Before Blade could call a warning, Herobrine had drawn his sword, parried the warrior's strike and slashed at their chest, leaving them behind.

"How did you move that fast?" Blade asked.

He didn't answer. "Just keep running."

"A LITTLE HELP HERE!" Ender yelled from the other side of the horse. Blade ran on the other side and swiped at the warrior with the pickaxe. It caught them on their shoulder and they fell.

The group kept running and warriors kept attacking them. Blade's chest ached and her legs wobbled, but the warriors didn't seem to be affected at all. For every one that Blade stuck down, two more seemed to be ready. They ran for hours, but the warriors slowly started to fade away, until it was just them running towards the sunset.

Only when the sun finally disappeared over the horizon did they slow down.

"I... think... we.... can.... stop.... now..." Hero gasped.

Everyone came to a halt. Ender flopped onto the ground and W sat next to her, taking in deep breaths. Steve copied Ender's example, collapsing on the ground with a sigh.

"And I thought I was fit," he groaned.

"Well, we have been running for a few hours," Notch said, half falling from the horse. He gently lifted Alex down and then stretched. "I hate riding horses for long periods of time."

"At least you weren't running," Ender said.

"True, but I can't feel my butt."

Blade couldn't help but snort. She had also collapsed on the ground with Ender, and she now rolled over onto her stomach. She could see Hero walking in a circle around them. She couldn't figure out what he was doing. Maybe he was checking for warriors hidden in the trees?

"So what now?" Steve asked, sitting up. "I'm going to assume that we can't go back?"

"You're right," Hero said, joining them. "We can't go back."

"What were they Hero?" Ender asked. "And why were they after us?"

"I think I might know what they were, but I don't know why they were after us," he said.

Steve frowned for a split second before masking it. Blade saw this and made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"What do you think they were Hero?" Alex asked, her eyes serious.

Hero hesitated for a second. "I think that they were Dark warriors."

Everyone was confused. "What are Dark warriors?" Notch asked.

"Dark warriors are beings created by the Dark, a supernatural force bent on claiming Minecraft and destroying anyone who dares to withstand it," a quiet voice said. Blade didn't recognise the voice and she spun around. There was no one except for W, who opened her mouth as if to speak. "The Dark warriors attack anyone who the Dark commands them to. They have no minds of their own."

"How do you know that W?" Notch asked.

W shrugged. "Books," she said simply, as if that solved everything.

"Okay, so we were attacked by these Dark warriors because some supernatural force told them to?" Steve said. "Sounds legit."

"Will these Dark warriors keep on attacking us?" Blade asked.

"I don't know," Hero said. "But the fact that they're active again isn't good. For anyone."

"So do we tell someone?" Alex asked. Blade was amazed at how serious she was, especially since she was only 6 years old.

Notch stroked his thin beard. "If these Dark warriors are bad news, then the best person to talk to would be the Ruler of Minecraftia. I believe that his castle lies north of the Arc Bow constellation."

"Hey guys, it's kinda getting really dark," Ender warned. "And we don't have any torches and barely any weapons."

"And your eyes are kinda freaking me out Hero," Notch added.

Hero blinked, and Blade realised that his eyes were glowing, casting out light. "I can't help the fact that my eyes glow Notch."

"It would be a good idea to have a guard round," Steve said. "Two people can stay up, one with Hero's sword and one with mine. We'll rotate as the night goes on."

"What were you saying about the Ruler's castle Notch?" Blade asked.

"Oh yeah. Well, his castle should be in the north. Once we're there, we'll be safe."

"Sounds like a plan," Steve said. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"No idea."

"Well. Dibs not taking first shift."