Once the situation calmed down a bit, Caspian took the time to greet everyone who wanted to meet him. While the Khalasar knew they had a new Khal, most hadn't seen him, so Caspian devoted himself to registering their names and faces.
After finishing, Caspian continued his way toward the cabin, followed by his Bloodriders, who now revered him even more. Upon arriving, he paused to think for a moment, until he turned to his Bloodriders and said: "I am going to do something important, so you will have to wait outside for a few minutes. If you hear noises, do not be alarmed."
Having said this, Caspian didn't wait and entered the cabin, closing the oak door firmly, staying inside alone. The place was still permeated with a strong smell of iron resulting from Caspian's madness and the cut on his arm that had gone wrong, but that didn't bother him at all; the training mud of Fort Benning smelled worse.
Before even trying to find out if he could summon villagers, Caspian set about building a metal cage in the storage room, preparing for whatever might happen. The last thing he wanted was a villager running back and forth while terrified.
When he thought he had everything ready, he opened the menu and selected the generators section, catching a glimpse of a small brown egg. Decided to go ahead with his discovery, Caspian thought about taking a villager generator and, after giving a mental command, he felt a new presence in the room.
Inside the cage, previously empty, was an adult man wearing a red outfit, a dark green mid-thigh tunic, a yellow belt, and sandals. Caspian also noticed that the man wore a patch on his head covering his left eye, exposing the green iris of the right one.
This, along with a dark brown apron and black gloves, made Caspian realize that the person in front of him was a villager blacksmith.
"Umm, hello," Caspian greeted him in his native language, English, and the man, perhaps in his late twenties, snapped out of his reverie and stared intently at Caspian for a few seconds, until he knelt on his right knee and uttered his first words in this world: "I, Maicol, salute the being who has rescued me from the Nether."
If anyone had seen Caspian's face at that moment, they would undoubtedly burst into laughter, as his mouth was open and his eyes wide, furrowing his brow. "Wow, wait, your rescuer? Nether?" Caspian exclaimed, completely confused, especially since he expected the villager he had summoned to be a normal person, confused or disoriented upon appearing in a completely different place. Not... This, a man kneeling in front of him and thanking him for taking him out of the Nether.
And now, that vision had not only vanished, but someone was also telling him that he himself had rescued him; something truly unsettling, to be honest.
Maicol, as he called himself, without noticing the strangeness of Caspian's behavior, simply ignored it and replied in a monotonous and somewhat dull voice: "Yes, my master, you, in your immense wisdom, have brought me into this world; you have rescued me and given me a new chance at life, my duty is to serve you for the rest of my life."
For a moment, Caspian didn't know how to continue, as shown by his lost gaze and the unconscious rubbing of his thumb against the pads of the other fingers on his right hand, without touching the middle finger. It seemed like Caspian was feeling anxiety.
"Yes, if I wasn't crazy before, I certainly am now," he told himself, regaining his composure, while taking a deep breath, trying to calm the surge of intrusive thoughts. "If I release you from this cage, will you behave?" Caspian asked Maicol, who just nodded calmly.
Catching the signal, Caspian proceeded to destroy the bars of the cage, never taking his eyes off Maicol, still distrustful of him. When there was an opening large enough for Maicol to pass through, he did so. With firm steps and sure movements, Maicol left the cage and stood in front of Caspian, not attempting anything malicious, simply remaining motionless.
"I have many questions right now; however, are you hungry, thirsty?" Caspian asked the man, as he removed all traces of the cage. "A loaf of bread would be nice, my master."
~~~Point of View: Caspian Darkwood~~~
~~~(Date: 57 AC)~~~
When the situation calmed down, in my opinion, and after removing the cage, I took off my Netherite armor and was left wearing only the uniform, as it felt more comfortable, and it was hot.
And wanting to have the situation under control, and answers, I began to talk to Maicol while conjuring a rabbit stew, "The situation is as follows: I am the leader of a nomadic group of riders; they respect strength, so I ask that you do not leave the cabin until I allow you to, I don't want you to end up hurt or anything like that. I will order a woman to bring you clothes, my... people are called Dothraki; if for any reason they incite you to fight, you must say that you cannot do it and that if they hurt you, they will have to deal with me."
Maicol seemed to understand everything, or so he led me to believe. What was happening now was that it had worked; a Minecraft villager was in front of me, and I might have the answers I had been waiting for.
"Although I can defend myself well, my master, years of fighting against the terrors of the night have made me skilled with weapons," Maicol told me, still in his dull voice. And as for me, I hesitated to believe him; in the game, villagers were nothing more than food for the mobs that appeared every night, but well, now this was real, perhaps Maicol was telling the truth, partly, after fighting every night to make it alive to the next day, it was more than enough for you to learn to at least survive.
That was good. The fact that he could defend himself in this world gave me peace of mind, especially if I had someone with apparent loyalty who knew how to handle a sword or other weapon by my side... But wait a minute, years of fighting?
"What do you mean by years of fighting? Didn't you tell me that I rescued you from the Nether? So, where do you get the idea that you've fought for years against the terrors of the night? Did you have a life before I brought you here?"
"Yes, my master, you gave me a second chance and a new body; however, before you reached out to me, I lived with my people in a small village in the highlands. There, I was the master armorer, responsible for creating weapons with the few materials we had to defend ourselves when night fell, my master." From the moment he started talking until he finished, Maicol filled me with surprises, one after another, so, if what he was saying was true, I had summoned a Minecraft villager right when I wanted to bring him here, and not only that, but he also remembered his past life.
Did that mean that everything I summoned had died before in Minecraft?
"Do you remember the last thing you did before I brought you here?" I asked, to which Maicol nodded. Gesturing for him to tell me, Maicol began to reply without pause: "I was closing the doors of my smithy; since it was already night, I knew it was very dangerous to be outside after sunset, but I had finished my task late, so I was still outside.
"Just as I was about to enter my house, which wasn't far, a giant spider intercepted me; it was very silent for its large size, and the Golem guardian of my village didn't have time to help me when it attacked me. Although I could defend myself for a while until help arrived, the spider was far superior to me and killed me."
Wow, yes, so the people I summoned were Minecraft villagers who had already died, and although I felt a little bad for Maicol and his previous life full of dangers and difficulties, it at least filled me with satisfaction to know that he would no longer have to fight every night to survive.
Listening to Maicol's story, I knew my chances of prospering in this difficult world had increased, partly because I understood that the villagers I summoned were like him, and knowing the game, I believed so. Then, everyone would be competent warriors or fighters, considering everything they might face every night in Minecraft.
Zombies, skeletons, spiders, pillagers, creepers, the Wither, strays, witches, slimes, Evokers, Vindicators, Shulkers, Zoglins, and the list goes on and on... Now that I think about it, A Song of Ice and Fire is a paradise compared to Minecraft.
If Maicol lived in a world like that and had to survive by fighting every night, he must be a good fighter. "Good, this world is a little less complicated than the previous one, but that doesn't mean it's not still dangerous. So I ask that you don't stray too far and don't look for trouble, at least until you feel comfortable here, understood?"
"Yes, my master," Maicol replied.
"Forget 'master'; call me Khal, alright? Also, my experience and knowledge in cold-steel combat are almost nil, so I would appreciate it if you trained me in that. Do you feel capable of doing it?" I asked him. While I could ask my Bloodriders or another Dothraki to train me, I knew that would be interpreted as a weakness, especially since they would see that I wasn't very skilled with weapons, something that in a society like the Dothraki, where strength was what was respected, would make me look like a weak Khal.
Maicol, accepting my words, nodded. "Yes, my ma... Khal, I can do it, be it swords, axes, or even bows. I have a lot of knowledge; however, my best performance is in blacksmithing, my Khal. If you provide me with the necessary materials and a good place to work, I will give you the best weapons you can have."
Decided to check it for myself, I told him to follow me, although before leaving, I took out a Regeneration Potion and offered it to him: "A Regeneration Potion, it will help you with your lost eye, although I don't know if you want it."
Maicol stared at me with sincerity and gratitude as he took the potion and ingested it without thinking: "You are very kind, my Khal; potions of this type are very expensive; even if they were bought from witches, they would cost a fortune; I thank you."
I watched as Maicol removed the patch from his left eye, revealing a completely healthy green eye.
Nodding, I told him to follow me. Upon leaving the cabin, I saw that my Bloodriders were still in the same place where I had left them; only they had found stools to sit on while they waited for me. "Good, I've taken my time. I present to you Maicol; he will be my blacksmith, who will be in charge of making weapons for you. Familiarize yourselves with him, because soon he will have helpers of his own kind."
My Riders watched Maicol intently, with unasked questions, but still gave him stiff nods, albeit coldly and roughly; they weren't very fond of strangers.
Determined to see Maicol's work, I headed to a place a little far from my cabin, so that the noise wouldn't bother me while he worked. Then, without further delay, I began to build a decent smithy for him, not very large, just enough so that he could work comfortably. The structure was 150 square meters, with a high ceiling and several hatches for the smoke and heat to escape, which could also be closed when it rained.
I placed five blast furnaces, four anvils, and several grindstones. Additionally, I left another space near the furnaces where I deposited a small mountain of coal, and in a part I designated as a warehouse, I left several chests full of Netherite, copper, iron, and even gold ingots.
When I finished, I saw how the smithy that now rose above the solid ground like a weed sprout, I observed that Maicol was about to jump inside, so, not to make him suffer any more, I allowed him to explore the place and familiarize himself with it. "Can I see your work now? I would like you to forge new weapons for my Bloodriders; they use a weapon called an arakh," I told Maicol as we walked together through the place. After asking to borrow an arakh, Onno gave me his, a large, curved weapon similar to a khopesh, somewhat heavy.
After handing the arakh to Maicol, he observed it carefully, analyzing its grip, occasionally resting the palm of his hand on the blade, and even going so far as to rest his ear on it; something strange, truly. He replied; "I can do it, my Khal; give me a day and you will have eight arakhs in your possession. What material should I use?" Maicol asked me once he finished analyzing the weapon and returned it to me.
I handed it back to Onno, who took it as if it were a treasure, and focused on Maicol: "Make them out of Netherite; also, I entrust you with eight whips, if you can make them out of the same material, that would be perfect," I told him, as I handed him the key to the smithy and the warehouse.
"Alright, my Khal, I'll get to work right away; I won't disappoint you," Maicol told me enthusiastically, and practically ran toward the warehouse where the chests were kept. With that ready, I left the smithy and began walking toward the place where the event would be held, a site occupied by Dothraki women carrying large jars of what I assumed was alcohol, while the men carried large quantities of marinated meat, ready to be cooked with the help of a stand.
Seeing all that, a feeling of peace and tranquility invaded me. I loved my past life, especially because I had achieved everything I had set out to do, but now, faced with all this, with all the opportunities and infinite possibilities before me, I was captivated; it gave me freedom.
Freedom...
"Oh, I didn't remember!" Flying!... After everything that had happened, I didn't remember that you could fly in the game, and although it could be done with Elytra and fireworks, I meant the player's actual ability to fly.
With that thought, I entered the Minecraft menu, but I was disappointed not to find the key that is normally used to fly anywhere, not even after searching the entire menu.
But... What if I didn't have to press anything? What if it was instinct? So I closed the menu and concentrated on wanting to fly... And well, nothing happened. I looked like a fool, just like Nacho's Ignacio.
But determined to achieve it, I continued with the feeling of wanting to fly, feeling the wind on my face and weightlessness, and as before, it didn't work, or so I thought, until I felt my feet not touching the ground and, looking down, I saw that I was at least two meters (about 6.5 feet) off the ground.
"Wow!" I exclaimed excitedly, and it was a mistake, as I lost concentration and fell flat on my face to the ground.
But it had worked, and even under the surprised and frightened stares of the Dothraki surrounding me, I tried again, this time taking off faster. Once I felt secure with that feeling, I wanted to go higher, and as if a hidden power had awakened, I soared into the sky, my hair waving in the wind. It was intoxicating and spectacular.
For the first time in my life... In an instant, I felt free.