Chapter 7: One step up

Sunbeams burn through my door bright and early. On a hot day, stepping outside to get some fresh air I see a wonderful blue sky with a colorful array of clouds in every shape and size. I was almost tempted to rest my head on the grass and watch the clouds move along.

With me having cleared many trees around my temporary home, a lot of space has opened up. Before it was but a glimmer of what is, it is now a cinema view of the sky, and I am so appreciative.

Heading to the garden I check my crops. Nothing abnormal but I choose to harvest the minicio, it will need doing, and having some stuff in advance will help me even if the seeds are going to be a nightmare.

I go to the other side of the river with my shovel and collect quite a bit of sand until I am sore, tired, and ready to move on. I think I grabbed 2 stacks of sand. I immediately place 1 stack into the furnace to be turned into ever so useful glass.

Now the interesting part of the day. I go outside and with a big old pile of wood, I start to build a nice big platform over the river a few blocks in the sky. For my mental health, I built it on 4 stilts on either corner with some blocky stairs to get up to it.

Very basic I know but today I think is the time I make the hull for my ship. I need to keep it small so it flies but big enough to carry my stuff. I will build everything a block away from the platform so it doesn’t try and take the world with it.

I start by building something reminiscent of a cabin 2 blocks tall so only enough room to stand. I start crafting chests, I get 3 in before I am poorly but il craft more as and when I can. I am planning on placing about 12 chests in here or 6 doubles. Next up I add, ends to the back and front, decorate the edges with fences and make a slightly raised space for my helm, so I can see.

It has now become a skyship, small, rudimentary, and a little rough but it could be mistaken for a normal ship if you put it in water, it has the shape at least. Now the fun part I create beams on either side rising up ready for the balloons to be installed.

The balloons are white wool and string so very simple I can just do it with my pseudo 2x2 grid. I need to have at least 40% balloons to fly I’m aiming for 50-60% for safety. So with my now unlimited string, I produce enough balloons and then some, time-consuming because I had to grow more string, I underestimated the amount I needed. 5 string pr balloon and I would most likely want 2 stacks of balloons that is 10 stacks of string.

So just to clarify most of today was harvesting cotton. “So damn boring!”. Non the less I managed to get all the string required even if it took most of the day and attach them to the top of the boat in a long ellipsoid shape. Come on it may not be required but it makes me happy inside to have an airship.

Anyway, back on topic the ship! I grab a black flower nearby and turn it into black dye which thankfully was enough to make a dock, I will need it if I want to park my ship after flying it! It's actually called a shore buffer but it works I place it right under the ship than build semi stairs which will allow me to get on and off with a mighty leap. Close enough right?

And now the fun part, the helm. Stupidly easy to craft 1 iron 4 sticks and 4 wood. Got to admit I struggled to actually craft this theoretically simple item. Felt hollow for ages. None the less I place the helm on the ship facing inwards on the top so I can use it while looking over the front of the ship to pilot it effectively.

Mum can you see me now I’m about to fly my own airship. Before I take off I place railings on the side of the platform so I can more easily dock my airship without hitting trees.

And then I take off. “I am flying!” I was so excited I started dancing excitedly on the ship. I created a flying vessel. A hairdressing student, an odd-jobs person, I made a flying ship.

With all my dancing it took me ages to realize rising up is very slow, unbearably so, after I got out of the trees, I realized forward moment was better but still it was slow. But I will be moving my house with this. It works. As I rise up and start moving, I take the time to actually look at my surroundings.

A massive forest with varying density, I can see an ocean on the horizon, if my eyes aren’t mistaken. The only other thing to note is a medium-sized mountain not too far away. It is not smoking thankfully no volcano today I say.

At least I can see why I didn’t wander out of the forest in all my running for my life and exploring. I assume biomes are a little larger in this world than before. Now I know somewhat of what’s going I head home and park my ship.

Shrugs mentally, I don’t want to get lost, as cool as the flight would be.

I need to find sugar cane for sugar and paper maybe I can then start making a map.

The night is encroaching fast so I best get my gear on, I am feeling mortal combat today I am in a good mood.

Wish I had an inventory then I could just stick it on in seconds rather than walking home, putting it on just to come back out. Well nothing to be done, that’s life until I have an enchanting table. It may be worth looking for essence berry bushes. Would make my life easier for working on some stuff.

Stepping out into the night, “sigh when am I going to get some lighter gear” agility is a past memory with this stuff. I put it on my mental checklist.

As I wander through the darkness I look around, it doesn’t feel as foreign as it once was, the last week and a bit has flown by, and its starting to feel normal, this place feeling familiar. Not perfectly but it starting to really feel like my backyard.

It is clearly not if the monsters were not an indicator but at least it doesn’t feel like a death sentence. Oddly enough I haven’t seen that dino since being here. I didn’t scare it off why was it here anyway? I smell something foul, foul play to be specific. Il looks into it another day.

What is my goal anyway, I've been thrown into an unknown world, with no real goal. Like I plan to progress in mods as I would in the game. It just comes with the territory you want to be strong, but what should I aim for?

I think a light goals like immortality, superpowers, getting top tier items in each mod. But I need a goal. Maybe I should start a family.

I have always gone with the flow in life from job to job no real goal, this is my chance. You know what for now I think I will aim to make a demon king's castle; you know not actually being evil but a target for other people. Make it evil-looking, inspire people to become heroes, and have fun. Il think of other things in the meantime but I think it will be fun for a time.

I could also aim as a side quest to make the world a better place, not sure how to do that but if I get an idea il put that on the list too.

With all these abstract thoughts I nearly walked right into a zombie. “Hello, little undead monster”. I haven’t killed a zombie for a long time. Not after the incident. I have a weapon now so I am more confident.

And with that confidence I wiped the floor with this comically easy to kill a dumb monster, even spiders are smarter. I see two more and kill them, collecting rotten flesh. And as I kill them more appear, odd, and even more. Ah, a zombie swarm. Time to book it and I try and get some distance I keep killing on the way.

I think I really am getting better at fighting, I am still an amateur but it's no longer a life or death battle, more like a life or serious injury battle. It's not even just the gear I’m slower in general but I’m thinking ahead striking when a good chance appears. Still, by no means perfect but better, I feel it. As I’m creating distance one of the zombies, I killed materializes into something I didn’t expect a heart, il be damned a heart from extra utilities. I can’t pass that up. But a lot of zombies have appeared.

Kiting the zombies around a few trees to thin the swarm slightly, I dash towards the heart, damaging zombies I pass, I even killed 1 but my goal is to slow them I run in and quickly grab the heart. Before running for my life. Swarmed on almost all sides I dash as this is now extremely dangerous, I escape back home with a lot of damage to show for it. Worth it but it hurt, I am bruised and battered my arms have bite marks and scratches everywhere. I thank my armour before setting it down and cleaning it. Don’t want the dirt to get over the item that just saved my life. It might rust or even worse, be harder to clean the next day.

If the bodies disappear why is putrid zombie fluids still on my armour, weird. I hope it rains soon; the water is getting low. Since the immediate area around my home is monster free for the moment, I prepare something interesting. I’ve made my main ship but I want a small ship for a quick flight, should be cheap and easy to make. I go outside with wood and a chest. I make a small fighter jet, 2-seater made out of wood with a chest in the back and wings made of balloons and a fin of balloons. Surprisingly it worked. I guess it doesn’t matter the balloons are on top.

Now I have a small disposable craft for scouting. Surprisingly I didn’t make it earlier. I wonder if I can make a sail to increase speed. Most likely more effort than it’s worth but I will have to test it none the less. It will be a fun side project. Technically I can hide the balloons inside the ships I create to make them look like a flying dutchmen’s style of vessel.

Well, if I figure out how to make a jet, I am all for it. Heading inside I think il do another lava run I’ve been putting it off for long enough. Diamonds would make it easier but I won’t get greedy, death awaits greedy people. Diamonds will come with time. “sigh let’s do this” Didn’t even bother to check for spiders, enough light to spot those pesky things in advance.

I run into the lava and grab 2 before dashing out as my skin starts to steam. “Damn this hurt”. I spot a cave spider on the wall a little way, away but he is not making any moves to attack me so I jog past. He looks at me curiously, I guess not all monsters are aggressive.

Heading upstairs I add 2 more obsidian to my future nether portal. I hope it is worth it. Well, non the less I grab a couple of potatoes and make some light food, roasted the potatoes in the skin with an x on top making a jacket potato. I should point out if you try hard enough an axe is a perfect functional cooking implement, and carving, especially monsters but for lunch too. Making a nice light potato meal I have a drink of water. Water is getting boring, do you think I can use those berries to make a juice drink, add some sugar or maybe even alcohol.

An interesting idea. I have to fashion glass into a demijohn for alcohol but juice shouldn’t be too hard.

I was planning on going to bed but I have to try this, rushing to grab some berries I place some stone in a way leaving a 1x1 space in the middle open accessible from the top. Placing a lot of berries into the space I take my feet, clean them well, and then do the stompy stomp on the berries producing a juice. I craft a bowl and leave it a short while for the pulp to float to the top, I skim it off as best I can before I scoop out my concoction.

Tasting it “Sour” but different. Needs sugar then I have a fruit drink, better than water. After drinking a few mouthfuls, I had to stop to sour I feel sick. I went to bed that night with a slightly upset stomach. I need more ingredients but I shall make good food soon. My first goal make my life civil and closer to my previous life in modern society, this is annoying. No shower, limited food, deadly monsters. Nothing to be done but move forward.