Let the World Burn: A Yogscast Story
“And that was when I turned around and saw a creeper grinning at me. I heard the hiss, its eyes began to flash and its belly swelled, ready to detonate!”
The crowd of small children gasped as the worn old man, suitably called Old Peculier described his adventures.
“I had no time to think, let alone call out, but before it could blast, I heard a bellowing roar from the dwarf, Honeydew…”
From behind the group of children, came an actual roar from the dwarf, whom the kids had not noticed. They all screamed and laughed as he swaggered around the campfire. His companion, the tall, slim man called Xephos was dragged out by the dwarf, where a basic creeper mask was plonked on his head.
Xephos moaned quietly, “Why am I always the creeper?”
Honeydew whispered back, “Because I was the one who fought it, I can’t do both!”
Xephos sighed, pulled the mask down, sidled up to Honeydew and began to hiss.  Old Peculier repeated, “The dwarf bellowed…” Honeydew let out another roar, “and charged straight at the creeper, pickaxe held high over his head and swung…”
The children gasped as Honeydew lifted a fake pickaxe, painted blue.
“… but the creeper jumped away, and the pickaxe became lodged in the ground! Abandoning the pick, the angry dwarf turned around, bellowed…”
“Stay away from my friends!!!”
“… and destroyed the creeper with his bare hands!”
Honeydew and Xephos pretended to grapple, with Xephos falling over, apparently dead. The children cheered, and Xephos quietly slipped away.
“Okay children, that’s enough for tonight”, was responded to with a chorus of groans from the kids. One little girl, her ginger pigtails swinging around her head, piped up, “But I wanted to hear how Xephos shot the zombie boss off the rooftop!”
“Perhaps tomorrow night, children. But I’m an old man now, and I need my sleep just like you lot”.
The small group of children dispersed with their parent, chattering away about the story, which had been told by the trio many times, at the insistent nagging provided by the children. Once the three were alone, Xephos took the mask off. He murmured, “The children always seem to like the story. Shame it wasn’t so good when we were living it!”
Honeydew rumbled, “Leave the kids some illusion of glamor. They look up to you”.
“To us” Xephos corrected, standing up and brushing off his ever-immaculate black trousers.
“I’m off to bed, I’m taking some of the boys fishing tomorrow”. Honeydew laughed, “Well you can count me in, sounds like a good change from mining!”
Old Peculier looked confused, “But I thought you loved mining? All that diggy diggy hole stuff!”
“Even a dwarf needs a bit of change every now and then. And so do you! You should come with us”.
Peculier gave him an exasperated look, “you know my health isn’t up to early mornings, or long walks, but I suppose one time won’t hurt, as long as Daisy doesn’t find out”.
They all laughed as they said their good-nights, heading to their respective homes.
At some ungodly hour of the night, Xephos was woken by the sound of an enormous explosion as it ripped through the small settlement. He leapt up, grabbing his sword, and heading out of the small house he owned.
The entire town seemed to be burning.
Things from there came as a blur. he remembered screaming, children wailing, the crunch of wooden support beams cracking under the intense heat. He saw Honeydew, with four children in his arms, heading to the nearby river. He heard Peculier calling for Daisy, getting more anxious.
Suddenly, there was an even bigger explosion, that took Xephos off his feet, sending him flying in the air. He landed with a sickening thud, feeling the breath knocked out of him. As the blackness was about to take him, he saw a pale figure standing above him, the blood red eyes burning with insane triumph.
The figure whispered, “Times running out, Spaceman” and let sand fall through his fingers in front of Xephos’ face.
Things went black.
