I took a deep breath, a thing I'd found myself doing every time I'm about to go into a dangerous situation. 

  Gregor and Art both wielded their weapons; two swords. Nodding, we headed towards the collapsing fortress.

  "Are you ready for this?" I asked.

  Gregor nodded easily, as did Art. "We just grab Ben and get out," he said.

  It took us about five minutes to get to the fortress. We were soon standing under the large stone brick wall as it stared down on us.

  "So," Gregor said, popping his lip, "how are we going to get in here?"

  I hadn't thought about that part yet. "Any of you got a pickaxe?" I asked.

  We searched around our inventories for a second until Art told us she has a stone. Without need for any more words, she began to hack at the wall.

  Gregor and I watched as she let it out on the stone. It soon became obvious that is was more than one block deep. In fact, it took us a minute to even open a whole into a hallway.

  Inside the hallway was nothing, which makes a hallway rather unexciting. I lead the way, not knowing where I was going, with Gregor and Art behind me.

  We were only walking for a few minutes until we came upon our first challenge: creepers.

  My only thought was does Notch have control over mobs like Herobrine does? Before I began to shoot the monsters down.

  There had to be at least 5, and in such close quarters, the fear of one exploding shot through my veins over and over again.

  Art and Gregor took to the front, slicing at the creepers and moving back in a slow system. I shot the creepers down from afar. Soon they were all gone and we began to walk again.

  The hallway ended quite abruptly into a small corridor that I recognized.

  "This is the dungeon," I whispered to my friends. Gregor and Art nodded and we began down this much larger hallway.

  Cells lined us on either side, most empty and dark. Any one could contain Ben. 

  Suddenly, a voice called out to us in the dark. At first I thought it was Gregor. After all, it sounded exactly like him. But this voice contained so much malice and dripped with a pernicious desire to kill. 

  It was Greg.

  "You won't be finding your precious Ben here, boys," he said. "Oh, and girl." He added with a laugh, making me want to rip his throat out.

  My heart pounding, I loaded my bow.

  "Where is Ben? If you tell us, we won't kill you," Gregor said. I saw his blade faintly glow in the darkness. I found myself wishing I had a torch.

  As if he were the king of the world, Greg laughed cruelly. "I am you, dear Gregor. Only better. I am you with increased strength, speed, and stanima. This is all because of Notch. Do you really think that he's... evil?"

  Gregor huffed as Art and I watched in anticipation. "You are a clone. You are nothing. Notch created you from me. If one of us is the more powerful, it is me."

  I could almost feel Greg smirk in the dark. "If that's what you really think, then fight me. One on one. Then we'll really see who's more powerful. New and improved, or the boring, old original."

  "Don't, Gregor," I said.

  To my surprise, my friend shook his head. "I have to do this, Ender."

  Art spoke up. "No you don't. Join us and help us find Ben. You don't need this idiot," she spat.

  Greg laughed. "I wouldn't be the one to talk, little girl. Herobrine destroyed your life. You'd kill him if you had the chance, wouldn't you." He didn't speak it as a question, but rather as something he already knew. I wondered how he knew Art, who was just another soldier in the Resistance. How did he know her better than I did?'

  "Ender, Art, go on and find Ben," Gregor commanded with the voice I'd only ever heard of. There was nothing I could do but obey.

  "Come on, Art, let's go. We don't need to worry about him, he's got this."

  "He's already died once, Ender," Art whispered a phrase that lasted in my mind for a long time.

  I couldn't reply. I could only grab her arm and pull her away into the dark, leaving our friend behind to fight himself.

...

  Greg was right. He was strong. He pressed hard on Gregor from the second their blades connected.

  Flashing his sword in a familiar motion, Gregor swiped for his legs. Greg jumped back, so Gregor took another stab at his chest, but his foe somehow managed to maneuver his sword to push Gregor's away.

  Gregor leapt back and swung his sword blindly.

  The fight went on for what seemed like forever. Greg was able to move everywhere, evading each attack Gregor threw at him.

  Gregor's arms soon began to weaken. They drooped down, begging him to stop. No, I must go on, he told them.

  So he fought on.

  Eventually he was being pressed back, sparring vainly to keep up on his feet. Then something made him stumble. With a cry he fell to the ground. Greg had tripped him.

  Staring up into the clone's cold blue eyes, a familiar memory came to Gregor. Rain falling around his face, a barren field. Herobrine raising the sword and letting it fall to bury itself in Gregor's chest.

  Please don't let that happen again, Gregor begged to no one.

  "Seems like we found the victor," Greg said cruelly.

  He raised his sword above Gregor's useless body.

  And crumpled to the ground.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Yay another one! I actually just got a laptop, so I'll be uploading a LOT more than I used to. So that's good.

Want some questions? Yeah you do.

Book recommendations?

Favorite series?