Day Seventeen

I did not see the moon all night. The jutting cliffs around me hid the celestial body from me and forced me to just sit and tap my fingers and craft torches until the sky began to lighten.

Nearly time.

Now I just have to figure a way up.

I should probably wait for that zombie to burn...

There truly was no simply way over this mountain. So far I had avoided extensive construction and destruction to the landscape, but there was not really any choice this time. Still, I did not want to destroy the hill, so instead I built myself up on a ladder of cobblestone.

Starting the climb.

Looking back south-west.

.

Nearly there...

Success!

Looking south, beyond the end of the canyon.

While taking the last photo I head two sounds simultaneously. The first was a 'moo'. The second was a 'sss'.

I didn't have anytime for a rational reaction, so instead I made a reflective one. I jumped. Not in any particular direct; I just... jumped. This did more harm than good as when the creeper exploded, I was pushed even higher in the air. Time seemed to just hang there for a moment. I was in mid-air, looking down at a thin, flat section of ground and two sheer drops. A few meters ever way and I would fall to my death. I didn't press any buttons; I didn't take any screenshots; I just sat their dumbly as I flew into the air and plummeted back down.

Somehow, I managed to not tumble off the edge. I was battered, bruised, and dazed, but I was alive.

Where the creeper was. Note my health.

I had eaten the last of my mushroom stew the previous morning after the incident in the tunnel, so I had no food left to restore my health. I would just have to move on carefully. Which would be easier if I did not have a cliff to climb down.

South and east.

East.

Steady...

Good. I can finally leave this mountainous continent.

...If I can get off this mountain.

There were creepers walking around between me and the ocean. The last one had taken away more than half of my health (along with the fall damage), so I was certain another one would end my life. I searched my inventory again. Surely I had something to eat. It just so turned out that I did!

...Bread?

Where did I get bread from? I have not done any farming. Then I remembered: the zombie dungeon on the beach that I opened up to sunlight. The bread was from the chest. Turns out exploring that dungeon was not such a stupid risk after all. I ate my bread before descending any lower towards the creepers and the coast.

'ssssss' yourself!

I managed to take out both creepers that advanced on me without either exploding. It was time to leave this continent.

Looking back south-west from the base of the mountain.

Time to craft a boat.

I opened my inventory to remove my workbench, and realised I had forgotten to pack two rather possessions that morning.

No workbench. No furnace. I knew i felt lighter.

Whoops. I was not doing too good so far this morning. Well things will pick up now, right?

...right?

On a second attempt, I got my boat in the ocean, packed up my workbench (and my newly crafted furnace) and was on my way.

.

Looking back north-west.

And south-west.

The way I'm heading.

The ocean continued for some time before the next land came into sight. For a few fleeting seconds it looked as though it may be nice and flat. Alas...

Doesn't look *too* bad.

It'll be flat on the other side. Definitely.

...perhaps.

 I went around the southern side of the mountain and, for a time, it was in fact relatively easy going, especially compared to the previous day. Looking north, the southern side of the mountain had a cool waterfall.

.

And then I hit a coast, of sorts.

.

,

I decided to work my way down to the water and either craft another boat or follow the sand around the cliffs.

On my way down.

Looking south.

I ended up opting to go through rather than around the middle jut of land.

Looking into the eastern half of the inlet.

These are pretty cool monuments, I admit.

Where I have to get to.

I guess I should probably go get that iron to the right.

I ended up just getting wet, but it was worth it for the view.

Looking south.

Looking back west.

Time to move on. Did I mention I was sick of climbing these steep hills?

Out of the ditch, the land was still quite rugged, but it was still the most flat I had seen in several days.

Looking north east.

More mountains to the east, but flat ground beforehand.

Still a few hours left. Time to make some distance.

I covered the flat ground before the next mountains in what seemed like no time at all. Then, I found myself funneled into yet another canyon.  This one was sandy, though, so at least that was something different.

Down we go.

Looking north. Perhaps I should have worked my way around to that bridge.

A small pond to the south, fenced off by a dwarf tree.

You can see my first failed attempt to dig my way out of the canyon.

Yet again, there was no easy way out the other side and after several false starts I resorted to building my way out again.

This is the kind of stuff I have to deal with.

Sun getting fairly low.

Top of the mountain! Looking south-east.

Again, the eastern face was relatively sheer. But beyond, the land looked like it may be fairly flat.

.

Whether it indeed would be, though, I would not find out until tomorrow.

Moon rise.

There were no caves nearby so I simply dug into the ground and created my own humble little hovel.

.

.

.

I mined for a while, but found nothing but stone and dirt. I could hear zombies and skeletons after a while so I gave up and retreated to my camp. I still had no food to eat. Hopefully I would find some mushrooms the next day. See, since my encounter with the Mountain Guru Pig, I have been hesitant to eat pork. I know that sounds silly, but it is true. The pigs and the cows and the sheep and the chickens have been the only constants in all these foreign lands--friends, even. It seems somewhat wrong now to slaughter such beasts. Besides. They're kind of cute.

But who knows. Desperate times may call for desperate measures. Would I let my own life and story end rather than end that of a pig's? We'll see. For now I was relatively healthy and armoured. Unless I get creepered off a mountain again, I should be okay.

Speaking of mountains, I should probably stress that despite my tone, the environment these past couple of days has been absolutely incredible. Exhausting and frustrating, but also incredible. While I may not have been in the best of moods while I tried to get across them, I can only stress the sheer magnificence of them now that I look back at them.

And now I am getting all soppy so I will end this entry now.