Diary of a Piglin Book 2: Ancient Bone

By Mark Mulle and Waterwoods Fiction

A new human has entered the Nether Portal! Is the peaceful and hidden life of the Piglins in the New Nether being threatened again by this unknown stranger?

The Sheriff of Crimson City is upset with the news. He has ordered Calvin and Professor A

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Mulle
• Release date: Aug 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088268933

Book preview

Day 1

Johansson and I were in a hurry. Finding the other human in the Nether was our only priority at the moment. The Sheriff’s ultimatum wouldn’t last long - we had less than a week before they banned Johansson for good! Where would we start looking for a newcomer when we had no idea how to find them?

Do you have any idea where they might be? I asked Johansson.

No, of course not! I don’t even know who has entered the Nether to begin with! Johansson replied, frantically. I don’t want to be banned. There must be another way. Maybe we could talk to the Sheriff and convince him to give me another chance to stay, regardless of the human’s presence!

Do you really think we are in a position to negotiate the terms of our mission? I asked Johansson. We need to find whoever is here, and fast!

You’re right, Calvin. We can’t waste time. Now let’s go, we need to start somewhere! Johansson said.

Where?

The place where everything began. The very same place where my own Nether journey started - the Red Forest!

"Well, it is where we found the new Portal, so I guess it’s a good start. However, it’s hard to believe the human is still taking shelter in the same spot after so many days." I said.

We’ll look for clues and signs to lead us to their location. Let’s get going then! Johansson said.

We were running out of time, and so far, we only had one place to look.

Day 2

Once we arrived at the Red Forest, we thoroughly searched the area where we had found the new portal.

Okay, we are here. Given the portal’s exact location, I can precisely confirm that it is not in the same place as my previous Portal. Johansson said.

You’re correct; this portal is far from where yours opened up. That means this is a brand new portal, right? I asked him.

It is a new portal for us! Johansson replied.

What do you mean?

Like I said before, the portal in the Overworld still exists. It is well hidden, deep in a cave network that I built a few years ago. The cave is in a secret location, too. No one knows about it, not even my family. Still, given this new portal’s location, I have reasons to believe that whoever entered the Nether, did so through my Overworld Portal.

So, you’re telling me that your super-secret portal was found? I wondered.

Yes… I am afraid so. Johansson replied.

How could that happen?

I am asking myself the same thing. Once we find that person, I will interrogate them. I really want to know how they pulled it off! If they managed to find my portal in the deep tunnels of secret caves, then they can find anything! Johansson said.

Alright. We know the Nether Portal is different because it was newly generated. However, you claim there is a high possibility of the Overworld Portal being the same. Is that correct?

Correct.

Got it. Now, let’s say you have just arrived in the Nether. Think of your first day here, when you set foot in the Red Forest for the first time during the Hoglin Hunt. Did you have any idea where to go? I asked him.

Well, I was confused seeing all those Piglins running around, chasing Hoglins. Johansson said. At first, I had plans of exploring the nearby biomes. Everything changed when you approached me and we talked. However, we know nothing about this human! How can we tell whether they have specific objectives like me? I cannot affirm they came here to explore and research other biomes. This makes our mission much harder as we don’t know what we are up against!

You’re right … And since we don’t know anything about them, we can’t possibly guess their next move. Can you see any footsteps or imprints on the floor? I asked.

No. They didn’t leave anything behind. Johansson said.

Wait a minute. Check out that huge Crimson Fungus, someone removed some blocks out of it!

Oh, interesting that clearly is human-made! Look how they removed the blocks in the middle and nothing else. That’s typically how humans cut down wood when they’re desperately seeking items to build with.

Wood?

Yeah, it’s a material commonly found in the Overworld. Here, the huge fungus provides a material similar to the Overworld wood. Johansson replied.

I didn’t know that.

What else can we find here? Johansson analyzed the huge fungus. Hmmm … Nothing else.

If they took two huge blocks of fungi, what are they going to use it for? I asked.

I don’t know, maybe to build a Crafting Table, maybe to use it for tools and weapons. Either way, it’s got to be useful for something. Johansson said.

So, we can tell where they went, just based on this. I said.

Yep, pretty much. Johansson replied.

Okay, let’s go back to the city, then. If someone finds the human there, we will know eventually. I said.

Good idea. I just hope we are the first ones to do so first, otherwise the city will be in chaos! Johansson said.

Day 3

Back at Crimson City, we started searching for the human. It wouldn’t be easy, given the size of the city’s population.

Should we look somewhere specific or should we ask for help?

We cannot ask for help, Calvin! Remember what the Sheriff said? Most Piglins in this city don’t know anything about the human except of course for that Piglady, the Sheriff, the Officers and us. Johansson said.

We can only do one thing, then. We need to interview the Piglady and ask for her assistance! I said.

Do you think the Sheriff will tell us her identity?

"Maybe not, but we need to try. She’s the only one who has seen the human so far!" I said.

Okay, well it’s a start. Let’s head over to the Police Station.

***

At the Police Station, we asked to see the Sheriff. Convincing the guard to let us through wasn’t hard:

Okay, follow me you two. The Officer said. The Sheriff has been waiting for you.

He took us to the Sheriff’s office.

Sheriff, the two guys you were talking about are here. the Officer said.

Great! I assume you’ve brought the human to me. Either that, or you know their location. the Sheriff happily asked.

We haven’t found them yet, Sheriff. Johansson replied.

The Sheriff looked angrily at us, tapping his fingers on his desk and thinking of what to say next.

I am running out of ideas. The Mayor is breathing down my neck, demanding more info on the lost human. We are having a hard time keeping this a secret from the media. They’re onto us. They know something’s off. And you come to me without anything useful … Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? the Sheriff growled at us.

Sir, we are working together on this. Trust me, I want to find that human as much as you. Johansson said. However, we need to ask something.

Instead of doing your job, you’ve come to ask for help? The nerve! The Sheriff said, throwing his hands in the air.

Sorry sir, but we need to know about the Piglady who witnessed the human’s arrival. We need to talk to her. I said.

No way! That Piglady has been traumatized enough by witnessing an unknown human entering the Nether. I won’t let you two traumatize her even more!

Sir, she might have information of crucial importance. Johansson said. We searched the Red Forest and we didn’t find anything useful in there. Perhaps the Piglady could tell us a bit more. What the human did, where they went, etc.…

Trust me, there is nothing more to know. We asked her everything we could. We searched that forest for two days. There is absolutely nothing there, other than that stupid portal. The Sheriff said, You won’t talk to the Piglady, period!, while wagging his finger at us.

Well…

Don’t bother asking again. I specifically asked her to keep this a secret to avoid spreading anything further. She won’t talk to anyone, not even the media or you two. The Sheriff said. Now, if you two want a good lead, I suggest going out there and exploring Crimson City right away! You two are wasting my time.

Does anyone else know about this? I asked him.

No! And we’ll keep it that way. Soon enough everyone will find out. I can’t even think what it is going to be like. the Sheriff said.

"Would you