Cubicle to Cube World

The stonebrick mansion stood proudly against the morning sky as its two floors framed by tidy rows of torches. Markle, Miya, and Vyran stood outside, admiring their work.

"Well," Miya said, crossing her arms. "I hate to say it, but this doesn't look half bad. Almost... homey."

"Almost?" Vyran chuckled. "Come on, Miya. Admit it. You love it."

Miya tilted her head, pretending to weigh her answer. "It's... fine. I guess."

"'Fine,'" Markle repeated, gesturing to the house dramatically. "This is the pinnacle of architectural genius! Our castle, our fortress, our... totally-not-haunted mansion."

Miya raised an eyebrow. "I'm almost impressed, rookie. But unless you've installed a secret button that spawns snacks, I'm not calling it perfect."

"Snacks might be a stretch," Vyran said, hefting a bag of supplies. "But I did add a surprise or two inside."

Markle's eyes lit up. "Wait, what kind of surprises? Traps? Secret tunnels? A redstone disco floor?"

Vyran grinned, already heading toward the front door. "Why don't you come in and find out?"

Markle followed eagerly, with Miya trailing behind muttering, "If this place blows up the second we walk in, I'm blaming both of you."

The front door creaked open to reveal a spacious foyer with polished stone floors and a spiraling staircase leading to the upper level. Torches lined the walls, casting a warm glow that offset the fortress-like structure.

Markle let out a low whistle. "This... is actually pretty amazing."

"Told you," Vyran said smugly, gesturing to the main room. "Plenty of space, strong walls, and… wait for it..." He flipped a hidden lever, and a small section of the wall slid open to reveal a hidden chest room.

"No way," Markle said, stepping closer to inspect the hidden chamber. "This is insane. It's like one of those bases you see in build showcases. I feel like I should be paying admission."

Miya glanced around the main room, inspecting the unfinished walls and piles of scattered tools. "It's good, but... it's not done-done, is it? There's nothing in here except torches and, well... air."

"Details," Vyran replied with a wave of his hand. "It's functional. That's all that matters."

"Functional doesn't feel like home," Miya retorted. "We're still missing furniture, decor, and... uh, a kitchen maybe?"

"Not to mention storage," Markle added. "Proper storage. That chest room's great, but we're going to need more if we keep scavenging like this."

"Fine, fine," Vyran said, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "We'll make a list. Happy?"

"Thrilled," Miya said with a grin. "Now let's see what other secrets you crammed into this place."

"Other secrets? That was the only one," Vyran said, his grin widening. "Or was it?"

Miya rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you're impossible. Come on, Markle. Let's check upstairs while the resident tinkerer strokes his ego."

"Gladly," Markle said, following Miya up the spiral staircase.

The upper level was as spacious as the ground floor, with wide windows overlooking the plains and distant hills. Sections of the walls were left unpolished, with scattered supplies piled here and there.

Miya gestured at the empty space. "See? No beds, no furniture, not even a crafting table. This place is great for hiding out but terrible for living."

Markle nodded, tapping his chin. "Okay, so beds, a crafting area and maybe a fireplace? Does that exist here?"

"Sure, if you want to burn the house down," Vyran called up from below, clearly eavesdropping.

"Noted," Markle replied dryly.

Miya smirked. "fireplaces when we're good at not dying, though... we'll need to stock up. No point making a perfect house if we can't use it."

"Agreed," Vyran said, joining them upstairs with a makeshift pack slung over his shoulder. "We'll need wood, stone, and anything else we can get our hands on. Let's do a full sweep of the area and load up."

Markle glanced between them, his excitement tempered by lingering nervousness. "Should we, uh, split up? Cover more ground?"

"No way," Miya said firmly, slinging a pickaxe across her back. "That's how people disappear in horror stories and in this world, too. We stick together."

Markle threw up his hands in mock defeat. "All right, boss. Let's gear up and get to work."

The three of them fanned out across the nearby fields, gathering wood, stone, and iron ore from exposed caves. Markle stumbled into a patch of flowers, grinning as he plucked a handful.

"Decorating," he called out as he waved the bright blooms toward Miya.

"Finally, a practical contribution!" she teased, tossing a few logs onto her pile. "Next, you're learning how to use a furnace without burning your eyebrows off."

Markle was about to retort when his eyes caught something, a faint shimmer of light through the dense forest ahead.

"Hold that thought," he said, taking a cautious step forward.

"What thought?" Miya asked, frowning as she noticed his sudden distraction.

Markle waved her off. "It's nothing. Just... thought I saw something interesting. I'll be right back."

"Markle, wait—" Miya started, but he was already slipping through the trees.

"Markle!" Miya's voice cut through the trees with a loud tone. "What did I just say about sticking together?"

Markle barely heard her as he pushed farther into the forest. The shimmer grew brighter, and soon, he found himself standing at the mouth of a cave hidden behind dense vines.

"Oh, jackpot," he muttered, peering into the darkness. The faint glimmer of ores caught the dim light streaming in from above.

Without thinking, Markle stepped closer, gripping the crude stone pickaxe he'd crafted earlier. "Just a quick look. Maybe there's something good in here," he murmured, stepping carefully over uneven ground.

Back at the forest, Vyran and Miya exchanged worried looks as Markle's voice disappeared into the trees.

"That idiot," Miya said, gripping her axe tightly. "Did he seriously go off alone?"

"Classic rookie move," Vyran muttered, tossing his pack aside. "We'd better find him before he gets himself into trouble, or worse."

The siblings headed into the forest, Miya grumbling under her breath. "You just had to bring him along, didn't you?"

"He grows on you," Vyran replied with a wry smile while looking at the trees. "Like moss... or mold. But yeah, this is reckless, even for him."

Markle crept deeper into the cave, marveling at the wealth of resources. Coal, iron, and even faint streaks of something glinting blue… possibly diamonds?

He took another step, but the ground shifted beneath his feet.

"Wait, what—" Markle yelped as the floor gave way, sending him tumbling into the void below.

He landed hard, dirt and rocks raining around him as the echo of his fall faded into silence. Groaning, he tried to sit up but froze when he realized where he was.

"...Oh, no."

He was hanging over the edge of a ravine, gripping a vine for dear life. Beneath him, lava glowed ominously, the heat prickling at his face.

"Okay, Markle," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Don't panic. Don't look down. Don't—"

He looked down.

"WHY?! Why did I look down?!" he groaned, clutching the vine tighter.

"Markle!" Miya's voice rang out again, closer this time. She stopped abruptly at the sight of the hidden cave.

"Vy, over here!" she called, stepping cautiously inside.

Vyran caught up. "Great. He wandered into a cave. Rookie mistake number two."

They heard the faint echo of Markle's panicked voice.

"Miya! Vyran! HELP!"

The siblings exchanged wide-eyed looks before bolting deeper into the cave. They skidded to a stop at the edge of the ravine, Miya gasping as she spotted Markle clinging to the vine.

"What did I say about sticking together?!" Miya yelled down at him.

"Not... the time!" Markle shot back, his arms shaking from the strain.

Vyran assessed the situation quickly, pulling a coil of rope from his pack. "Hold on, Markle. Don't let go!"

"I'm definitely not planning to!" Markle shouted as his grip slightly started to slip.

Vyran tied the rope to a sturdy stone pillar and tossed the other end down. Miya grabbed it and started climbing down towards Markle.

"Hang tight, rookie," she said as her voice steady despite her earlier frustration. "You're not dying on my watch."

"I wasn't planning on it!" Markle managed to laugh despite himself. "But thanks!"

With Miya guiding him and Vyran hauling from above, they managed to pull Markle to safety just as his grip gave out.

Collapsing onto the ground, Markle let out a breathless laugh. "Okay. That was... not my smartest move."

Miya smacked his arm lightly. "You think?"

Vyran sighed while shaking his head. "Let's get out of here before you find more creative ways to get yourself killed."

Markle grinned sheepishly as he staggered to his feet. "Fair enough. Thanks for the rescue."

Miya smirked, ruffling his hair. "What are teammates for?"