The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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Honestly, I didn't know about the Glowstone E thing until recently. I actually put one on my house like in the story, but to represent my first initial. What a coincidence.
Part 11:
Swoop.
The second I heard this, I shot out of bed. There was no mistaking it; there was an Enderman in my living room, standing right in front of my bed. He was peering down at me with his purple-pink eyes.
I was about to jump out of bed and go for my Soul Bond. But the Enderman spoke to me. “Calm yourself, human,” he said. “It is I, Barold, if you remember me.”
I stopped, staring to Barold’s eyes, not sure whether to listen or act. His gaze held me down, preventing me from moving somehow. All I could do was to listen to what he had to say.
“You have accepted Amnesha’s challenge, and you probably think you’ve gotten through the worst of it. We are indeed baffled at your progress, and we are going to ensure that you do not progress. That is, by putting your courage to the test. We shall set your goal in front of you, as that is what we have always done. However, achieving it will be a paining task. And if you fail that challenge, we will win and your death will be certain.”
“What are you trying to say?” I asked, almost shivering.
Barold did not move, but he changed his tone and came straight to the point. “If you want your precious Eyes of Ender, you will have to take them from us. But it will be far from possible for you. We are going to attack your dear village tonight. There will be twelve of us. If you truly desire the Ender Pearls, and if you are not a coward, you will dare to defend your village once again. If you have enough foolish confidence, you will not disappoint Amnesha. She loves special entertainment.”
And with that, Barold disappeared out of thin air. I felt as if, after everything I’ve done up to this point, I was still being toyed with. And my gut feelings from the other day were right. I knew Amnesha wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily. But what filled me with fury was that they were going to destroy the village, bringing innocent lives into all of this, just to watch me squirm to protect it. Here’s the kicker; Chief died, lending me the responsibilities of being a leader, and Amnesha’s goons are going to take advantage of that. I have no choice but to defend the village, because I’m too weak to sit there and watch innocent people die.
They knew I wanted those Ender Pearls. And they hit me in the soft spot, practically forcing me to get them.
Deep inside me though, I knew that forcing one to fight for something just isn’t morally right.
But they don’t have to force me. Being a leader is my job, and I have to execute it thoroughly.
When I did the math, I remembered that twenty explorers couldn’t defeat four Endermen, or even touch one. I also remembered that I defeated one with a bucket of water. In that case, I could cover a large amount of the village in water so they would watch their step. Then, I could have Rhino guard the houses, while I keep the Endermen at bay with my Soul Bond, which contained the spirits of hundreds of villagers. Finally, with the added power of Herobrine, I would be nearly invincible. Herobrine was a full-on ruler, giving him the immediate strength of a thousand men.
That’s a lot of numbers against twelve. Not even awake for an hour, and my plan was already coming together.
Oh wait. I also had the Homing Bow, Herobrine’s favorite and most powerful weapon.
Forget the word nearly. I am invincible.
“Human, remember that you have eleven lightning arrows. The eleventh is a spare, so you must use it on something,” I heard Herobrine speak from the Soul Bond.
“It’s like you read my mind,” I said.
“Now that I have a connection with your very soul, I can listen to your thoughts. But only so long as the blade is near you,” said Herobrine.
“Cool to know,” I said. I got to work on filling my backpack with things that I’ll need, as I’m going to spend the day at the village to prepare for the attack. I packed the Soul Bond, Homing Bow, and the lightning arrows.
But then I stopped for a minute and thought about it. If these were all the lightning arrows Herobrine possessed, it would be a bad idea to use them all in one day. Instead, I brought the one spare arrow Herobrine told me to use. After all, I had a very nice plan with it.
I threw out the idea of building walls around the village, as it would take too long and it would prove ineffective since Endermen could just teleport through it. But I still packed a few materials such as iron, gold and stone, just in case I needed to build something. I stacked up on the recipe book, the Ender Pearl, and sticks.
I decided to put my brewing stand to use. According to the recipe list on the wall, a Glistering Melon is the key ingredient for a potion of healing. I scooped some water from the cauldron into the glass bottle and set it on the brewing stand. Then I inserted a Nether wart and waited for it to brew. In the meantime, I looked at the recipe book at a quick glance, to find the recipe for a glistering melon. Apparently I had to insert some gold nuggets into a slice of watermelon. I found the slice in the food container, and took a gold ingot and broke it into many small pieces. I pushed the nuggets into the watermelon slice, which honestly looked completely ridiculous. But still, after the basic, no-effect potion was created, I placed the glistering melon into the stand and it started to brew. When it was done, a sparkling red potion was sitting on the stand. I figured I could drink this when the time called for it.
When I was ready, I allowed Rhino to eat and drink, and we headed off to the village. Once we were there, I skipped the happy greetings. This was serious business.
“Villagers! I request your full, undivided attention,” I began. The villagers all stopped what they were doing and came to listen to me.
“What is it, sir?” asked a villager.
“I have been informed that the village is going to be under siege again, tonight,” I said.
Some of the villagers looked frightened. “Who told you this?” asked another.
“I was told this by an Enderman, one of the shadow creatures. They are going to put me to the test, which I wholeheartedly disagree with. Therefore, it is my duty to defend you from the incoming Endermen. There will be twelve in all.”
“An Enderman? Are you insane, sir? Endermen are incredibly strong, even for you!”
“They are,” I answered. “But I did not say I was doing this alone.”
The villagers looked confused. Another one spoke up. “Are you going to be aided by Lord Herobrine?”
“Indeed,” I said. “But if he actually went to the Overworld, he would die. So, he gave me his weapon, the Homing Bow.” I took out the Homing Bow for the villagers to see. Then I took out the lightning arrow and held it to the bow.
“But sir, all he can do is provide you with equipment. No matter which way you look at it, it’s still just you and the wolf against twelve Endermen,” a villager said with a worried look.
“Oh really?” I asked. I hiked up a small hill that overlooked a pair of pigs that were feeding off the bush. I concentrated on them, and set the lightning arrow to the string. I pulled back on the string. Then, I released the arrow, and suddenly the arrow became a bolt of lightning as it zoomed to the pigs, erupting with a monstrous roll of thunder.
The villagers looked at me like I was crazy, but as they looked on, they realized what I did. The pigs began shaking, then they stood on their hind legs. As the lightning struck them, parts of their skin melted. Their skeletal structures began to take on that of a human’s. Then they grunted loudly.
I just spawned my own Zombie Pigmen.
“Has Lord Herobrine summoned us?” one of them asked in his scratchy voice.
Herobrine’s reflection appeared again in the Soul Bond. “Yes he has,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we all call upon you.”
“Of course!” said the other Pigman. “Give us our mission!”
“Your mission is to assist us in guarding this village.” I said. “We need all the help we can get.”
“Say no more,” said a Pigman. “We overheard your story just now. We will help you fight the Endermen.”
I nodded and said “And I have a solid plan, too. So everybody, listen up. I want the villagers to get started on making me a quiver of arrows for my bow. The blacksmiths shall get started on forging golden swords for the Pigmen, and I already have the materials for you. Next, I want the farmers to collect the water from the streams of the farms, and keep them in buckets for now. I will get started on making the buckets for you.”
I looked at Rhino, who was wagging his tail and smiling as always. I pet him on the head, and announced “Is everyone ready? We have until sunset,” repeating Chief’s words.
Understanding the call to action, the villagers all hustled to their spots and got to work. I gave the blacksmiths my gold and I began crafting the iron buckets. I was planning to set them in different locations, filled with water, and they could act as a sort of trap for Endermen. Because they’re so tall, they might not even see what’s at their feet until it’s too late. When I was done making five buckets, I gave them all to the farmers, who had two of their own. After, I ate some food from one of the fresh crops to keep me going.
In no time, the blacksmiths forged two shining gold swords. I picked them up, thanked the blacksmiths for their work, and handed the swords to the Pigmen, who immediately practiced sword techniques. Next, I looked into the crafting book and read that arrows were made with feathers, sticks, and flint. I checked to make sure the villagers were making them right, and they were. Obviously, they were the ones who wrote this book.
“My new leader,” a voice said behind me. It was the librarian. “I would be honored to assist you as well. May I see that dark pearl in your hand?”
“Sure,” I said, handing him the Ender Pearl, not sure what he was planning to do with it.
“That jewel possesses magical powers unlike any other. I can fuse it into your sword so that you would be able to use its abilities without having to hold it manually.” He brought both the Soul Bond and the Ender Pearl to the enchantment table and allowed them both to float over it. I figured he knew about the Ender Pearl through his many years of reading. There were bookshelves all around this room.
I see a bright green light and the two items collide. When the light dimmed down, I saw the Ender Pearl within the base of the blade, now truly looking like an ancient treasure. I thanked the librarian and held the Soul Bond in my hands. Not only could I feel a connection with my spirit, but also my mind. As if taking a mental command, the Ender Pearl flashed and I was warped to the outside of the library with a few purple snowflakes around me.
I was satisfied with my new upgrade. As I looked around at the success we were making, I realized that we just might have a fighting chance. I would love to see the look on Amnesha’s face. Her little test subject, slaying twelve of her Endermen, gathering up all these new characters to help. That includes Rhino, the villagers, Herobrine, and the Pigmen. All in all, the power of good goes a long way.
My arrows were finished, and I asked the villagers how many they made. They answered sixty-four. And a few others made a leather quiver to hold my arrows in. I set my backpack inside the church and put the quiver around my back. A blacksmith was kind enough to make a patterned holster for my Soul Bond to strap to my back. I thanked him and tried it on. Conveniently, I could wear both the quiver and the holster without them interfering with each other. This was going to be very useful, considering that I’ll be using two weapons for the attack.
The sun was almost down and the last thing we had to do was to place the buckets of water around the village. We placed them in strategic spots around the village, all spread out to cover a large area. When that was done, I ordered the Zombie Pigmen to team up on one flank. Rhino took the other side and waited patiently. I entered the church and ascended to the roof, the highest point of the village. The church was easily the oldest building in the village, as it was made of stone and the other buildings were made of wood.
Once I was on the roof, the sunlight dimmed as the sun retreated behind the horizon. The villagers entered their homes, preparing for the worst. I was scanning the far distances, looking for signs of any Endermen. The moon was starting to rise now, so I held an arrow to the Homing Bow, ready for anything. I could see nearly a mile out into the desert, but in the furthest distances, I wasn’t sure I was looking at a cactus or an Enderman. The forest was a little too dense to see far, as I mostly saw treetops and a couple of spiders crawling across them.
There was a dead silence in the air as we waited for the Endermen. Not even the wind was blowing, as if it too was waiting for them.
I looked to my left, almost jumping back in shock. Amnesha was floating in the air, a few meters away from me. How long was she waiting there?
I stared into her deep eyes. She managed a wide smile. Suddenly, our eyes stopped meeting. As if she was looking through me or around me. She made eye contact with me again and slightly raised her hand. She waved all of her fingers up and down as one, as if trying to say a silent “goodbye.” All the while, she kept that smile.
Suddenly, the Enderman behind me hits me in the back as I plummet off the roof of the church.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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I love epic battles.
Part 12:
My life flashed before my eyes. Not even the strongest diamond armor could lessen that fall.
I hit the ground hard with my ribs, and instantly I heard them snap. I winced in pain, trying not to scream. The Pigmen saw my fall, but could not help as they were suddenly ambushed by an Endermen. The villagers started to panic at the sight of me. The battle had just barely begun and I was already on the brink of death.
The Pigmen tried to hold off the Enderman. I felt a horrible, twisted feeling in my lungs, and I could only hope that an organ wasn’t punctured. Clenching my teeth in pain, I crawled into the church and reached for my backpack. I desperately fumbled through it and found the glass bottle containing the red potion of healing.
I stared at it, and suddenly a flood of doubt overtook me. What if I made the wrong potion? What if it didn’t close the cracks in my ribs?
Herobrine said to me from behind my shoulder, “Do not just sit there, human. Drink it.”
At this point, I had to trust him, since it was my only option, otherwise death. I opened the bottle and gulped it down as fast as I could. The potion tasted sweet in a sense, but at first there was nothing else. In a few seconds, I began to feel lighter. I put my hand on my ribcage, and of all things, I didn’t feel any cracks. My injuries were gone.
Confidently standing up, I wasted no time and launched myself out the church door, where I saw the Pigmen still struggling with the Enderman. I was about to help them, when I heard the swooping sound. I flicked back and drew the Soul Bond from the back holster. The Enderman didn’t see it coming; I slashed it across the chest and it jumped back, still trying to get me. Before it even teleported, I swung my Soul Bond behind me, knowing the Enderman’s battle patterns. It thought a second too slow and teleported right into the Soul Bond.
It screamed an ear-piercing cry, disintegrating as an Ender Pearl was left in its place. I picked it up and placed it at the doorway to the church.
Rhino was growling loudly from across the village, alerting me to the presence of another Enderman. This one was off in the distance, on the roof of a house. I tried not to look it in the eyes, and I grabbed the Homing Bow and put an arrow to the string. At that moment, I looked right into its eyes and fired the arrow. The Enderman teleported away, but the arrow changed course and followed the Enderman’s movements. Not knowing the arrow followed it, the Enderman chuckled at me; right before the arrow zipped into its back. The Enderman made a strange bopping sound and jumped forward in pain, where I finished it with the Soul Bond. Two down.
After putting away the second Ender Pearl, I saw that the Pigmen defeated the Enderman with minor injuries. I collected the third Ender Pearl, and ran to Rhino’s side of the village as two Endermen were cornering him. We fought them together, each of us taking one. Rhino managed to bite one in the leg, but it escaped his grasp. Defeating the first one, I helped Rhino in defeating the second. We were more than a third-way done with the attack.
While the Pigmen fought off another Enderman, Rhino and I ran in the direction of another Enderman that threatened to open the door to a house. My Soul Bond was drawn and ready to attack. But I didn’t see it until it was too late; it was a trap.
Another Enderman charged at us from an alley between two houses. It landed a double-attack on both me and Rhino, sending us flying over the gravel walkway. I hit the side of a building and Rhino landed in the sand. Rhino looked injured as he had a long scratch on his side. I ignored the sharp back pain and grew furious with the Endermen. I spoke to Herobrine through the Soul Bond, shouting “Fire Aspect!” Immediately, the Soul Bond glowed a light red as I charged to the Endermen. I swung very wide blows, managing to hit them as they burst into flames. The Endermen flailed wildly, trying to stop the fire. Their efforts were futile as they burned to a cinder. But their Ender Pearls remained untouched by the fire.
“Rhino, stay with them!” I shouted, pointing to the Pigmen. Rhino obeyed and aided them in fighting the Enderman that they were holding off.
I pointed the bow up at the church where the Enderman that threw me off was standing. I fired an arrow, which followed the Enderman as it tried to avoid it. I kept firing arrows from a distance until the Enderman was down.
When Rhino and the Pigmen defeated the next Enderman, I realized that there were only three more left. Without a break, all three of them appeared, surrounding the four of us. I was reminded of the four Endermen that attacked our group, and I made sure we would win this time.
The Endermen simultaneously attacked us, giving us little time to react. I swung the Soul Bond, but the targeted Enderman teleported away. Rhino circled around us, trying to keep the Endermen at bay. The Pigmen and I were all back-to-back in a sort of triangle formation, as we were not about to be caught off guard. The Endermen charged in, avoiding Rhino and attacking us three. I set one on fire, but it didn’t seem to be very affected this time. However, blinded by the fire, the Enderman tripped over one of the pails of water, spilling it out over the gravel. It yelled as the water melted it, but the other two stayed away from the water. The last two Endermen picked one of the Pigmen out from the group and attacked him. He was beaten up pretty badly, and his sword fell from his hand.
I and the other Pigman tried our best to defend his injured partner, but his injuries became severe. We defeated one Enderman, leaving this one the last one to take out. Seeing the situation, the Enderman rapidly teleported around us, trying to confuse us. Eventually, although we managed a few hits on it, the Enderman was still going.
I had enough and fired an arrow at the Enderman. I had to get to the injured Zombie Pigman as soon as possible. The arrow hit, and the Enderman stopped, too weakened to move or teleport. Rhino saw his chance, and dashed into the Enderman head-on. He jumped, opened his mouth, and flew through the Enderman’s heart. Upon flying through it, Rhino landed on the ground, holding the last Ender Pearl in his mouth as the final Enderman disintegrated.
We had done it, but we still had to help the Pigman. I knelt down and inspected his wounds. That Enderman had torn through his flesh and bone.
Herobrine appeared in the Soul Bond and asked “Are you all right, soldier?”
“I’m… afraid not… Lord Herobrine,” said the Pigman in a few short breaths. He was bleeding an alarming amount of blood. I knew he wasn’t going to live through this.
“You fought well,” said Herobrine. “Rest now. You have deserved it.”
The Pigman croaked like a pig, but in a more breathless manner. I looked at his golden sword that was lying off to the side, stained with black blood, as well as some of his own. The Pigman spoke to me. “Thank you… for the… opportunity… to serve you.”
With that, the living light faded from his black eyes.
There was a moment of silence as we stared at him and all the blood stains around him. This Zombie Pigman, a creature of the forbidden Nether realm, died in defense of an Overworld village. It was ironic, knowing that Herobrine didn’t like the Overworld. Perhaps, even in the Nether, the power of good was beginning to take effect.
I watched as a pink soul rose from the Pigman and into the Soul Bond. It seems like he’ll always be here, in this very sword.
The Pigman who was still alive looked at his companion. “It’s been nice knowing you, brother,” he said. He picked up the bloody sword and rested it on his companion’s chest. Herobrine cast some sort of spell, and the Pigman and his sword caught fire and sank down into the earth.
The other Pigman, Rhino and I turned around. The villagers were coming out to see us. They understood that we lost one of the Pigmen. With great respect, all of the villagers gave us a speech on how grateful they are to have us as the village protectors. As happy as I was that I was still alive, I really had grown into those thank-you speeches.
“We would have been surely thrown into turmoil several times already if it weren’t for you.”
I accepted their thanks, and they gave me, yet again, a chest full of food as a reward. The other villagers treated the Pigman and Rhino’s injuries.
Another villager said “And to think these pigs were only young ones, they still helped protect the village.”
I collected all of the remaining Ender Pearls and brought them to my backpack. There were indeed twelve in all. This was it, I thought. Now I only had to create the Eyes of Ender and begin the quest for the Stronghold.
I put the Ender Pearls into the backpack and told the villagers that it was time for me to head home for the night. I felt wide awake, so perhaps I wouldn’t go straight to bed yet when I got there.
“Pigman,” I said, “do you think you could take care of the village whenever I’m not here?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “Anything for my commanders.”
I was ready heave the new chest and my belongings back home. But something odd hit me, and I turned around to ask the Pigman a question. “By the way, Pigman… do you ever have names? I can’t just call you Pigman.”
“Yes, actually, even though not many people know. Names within the Pigmen are easy to remember, since we are reincarnations of either pigs or humans,” he said. “But not many of us remember our past lives.”
Curious, I asked “So, what is your name?” The Pigman answered something I couldn’t believe.
“My name is Zane.”
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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...Sorry to say, as of this post's date I haven't made any more chapters. I'll probably work on chapter 13 tomorrow. :/
Well, I have a basic idea of what I'll write for chapter 13, but do you have any ideas?
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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Well, I'm working on part 13 now. It should be done in about an hour and a half, since I'm more than halfway done with it.
I'm thinking of letting the title have something to do with Hardcore Mode, since, realistically, the main character can't die once. Make sense?
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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And it is done!
Part 13:
Processing this was going to be a complex task. The Pigman said his name was Zane. And if he truly is a reincarnation of the Zane I knew, then perhaps he could regain his past memory. That means he has another chance of living. Perhaps, he could join me on my quest for the Stronghold in the near future. But when I thought about it, common sense interfered. Zane is that Pigman, and that Pigman is Zane. It didn’t make sense. Reincarnation and past lives aren’t so much known or believed in today’s society.
When I thought back and reconsidered, I’ll pretty much have to believe it. I thought for a second time that the unthinkable has happened in this place, and there’s probably much more where that came from.
However, I soon realized that Zane wouldn’t be able to help me during my journey to the Stronghold. He’s a half-decayed Zombie Pigman, so his body is a bit fragile. Sure, he’s good with a sword, but I would feel better having him guard the village while I’m gone.
Now, how would I restore his memory? He didn’t say it was impossible. Perhaps nothing normal would do the job. I started thinking back, long before I began the expedition. In civilization, some people would usually have a case of amnesia. Hmm… Wait a minute. Amnesia. Amnesha. The two sound connected. But I knew for sure that Amnesha would never simply give Zane his memory back. There had to be another way.
People in civilization used medicine to cure memory loss. Now, I’m certain a simple pill wouldn’t affect a Zombie Pigman, let alone bring back memories of a past life. And I didn’t have any medicine with me. Well, I did have the brewing stand, but I don’t remember seeing any amnesia potions on the recipe list. If Zane would get his memory back, then looking at the list would be worth a try.
I skipped the potions of fire resistance, strength, healing, and regeneration. I took a look at the Potion of Harming, wondering why the heck someone would want to make that. I read the information beside it out loud: “As you would guess, a potion of harming does the opposite of a potion of healing. If consumed by a human or other simple creature, they could get internally sick, randomly injured, or lose an overall decent health. A splash potion of harming does the same thing, only with an area of effect. However, when used on an Undead, the effects will reverse, healing the undead instead of harming it. Those effected: Zombies, Skeletons, and Pigmen.”
It made sense, and I supposed the potion of healing would have a negative effect on the undead. I confirmed this by reading further. I was off to a start by reading this information, so I kept opening more and more parts of the long list, as it was a very lengthy scroll. I ran my eyes across sections with mundane, poison, and weakness potions, which were not of use to me.
I finally stopped unrolling the scroll when I saw a Potion of Dullness recipe. It seemed complex to make, requiring a Nether wart in a glass bottle of water, followed by a Ghast tear, a substance called Bone Meal, and a fermented spider eye. I scooped up the last bit of water from the cauldron and placed it on the brewing stand, adding a Nether wart to begin the first stage of brewing. Then, I sat down at my bed and looked outside at the night sky. The clock said 1:25 AM. I picked up the recipe book to find out about this bone meal. Apparently, all I needed to do was to collect a bone from a skeleton and shred it to many tiny pieces. Defeating a skeleton wouldn’t be so bad, now that I have diamond armor and the Homing Bow.
Speaking of which, I slowly peeled off my bandage where my arrow puncture was. The bandage was spotted in dark red blood, but the injury was almost completely gone. The potion of healing must have done the trick. But there was still a slightly visible scar in the exact spot where I was shot, in the form of a dark X.
I supposed it would heal fine on its own now, so I kept the bandage off. I then continued to examine the recipe book, looking for the fermented spider eye. When I found it, I learned that I must lather a spider’s eye with the inner contents of a brown mushroom, then coat it in sugar. So, I had to defeat a spider and a skeleton in order to make this potion. A potion of dullness, if I understand correctly, would probably have an inverted effect on Zane, perhaps restoring his memory and mindset instead of blurring it.
In the meantime, I satisfied my needs first by eating some of the mushroom stew in the new food chest I received, then giving Rhino his usual meat. Finally, I got to work on making the Eyes of Ender.
I picked out all of the Ender Pearls from my backpack and put them on my table, and then I put back all of the other items in my backpack where they belong and took off my armor. Taking out the clump of Blaze powder, I was careful not to spill it and also set it to the table. Eyes of Ender did not take much Blaze powder to make, so this large stack was definitely enough to make all twelve.
I sprinkled some of the powder onto the Ender Pearl, and as each grain touched it, it would begin to glow in that exact spot. When about one third of the Pearl was covered, all of the powder sank into it and it shined brightly, letting off a green glow. When the light dimmed, I moved my arm away from my eyes to take a look. Wow, I thought. This thing looked more dazzling than anything I’ve ever seen. My newly-crafted Eye of Ender was floating about an inch off the table, and it turned into a green jewel with a sharp, black eye in the center that resembled a large cat’s eye. And its surface was extremely smooth, reflecting light like a crystal mirror.
I was amazed by the beauty of the Eye of Ender, and was eager to work on the other eleven. Almost perfectly, I sprinkled more Blaze powder on the rest of the Ender Pearls. My living room suddenly became the brightest place in the world. I was almost blinded by the light show before me.
Rhino put his face to the floor to avoid being blinded as well. As we looked back up, all of the Eyes of Ender were floating around my room, dancing in a circle formation. My jaw almost hit the floor, as they all suddenly began to speak to me with a mysterious echo in their voice.
“As long as you maintain a sense of exploration, you may soon find the way. This I believe.”
All of their voices sounded the same, and the voice itself was unfamiliar. The Eyes ceased spinning in their tango and began to drift down onto the table again. The shining stopped.
I didn’t know if they were trying to tell me something, but I believe that I had too much excitement for one night. But there was still something I had to do. I wanted to treat myself for the sweet victory back in the village. I obtained the diamond pickaxe from a chest and walked to the back of the living room. I began to chisel another room, of all times. But not just another simple expansion; I was making a second floor to my house. First, I carved a perfect staircase easily with this efficient pickaxe. I made it go up by about five steps, then I turned it around so it looped the other direction and into the area just above my living room ceiling. Once I was above the ceiling, I mined out a room made of rock and sandstone, and decided that it would be my bedroom. I got some of my old pieces of wood and made a small nightstand, and placed it in the corner of the bedroom. Finally, I dragged my bed up the stairs and into the back of the room.
I was very proud of my bedroom, despite that I was quickly losing sleep hours. I placed the clock on the nightstand and invited Rhino to sleep next to the bed. He trotted up the stairs and sat on the floor, smiling at me as usual. I lit a small torch on the other side of the bed, very dimly, and went to sleep almost immediately.
This place really is like home.
When I was awake, the clock showed that it was 6:43 PM, almost sunset already. With not much time to lose, I walked outside, and wanted to test out an Eye of Ender. I picked one up on my way out and ascended the sand pyramid in which I lived.
I stood on the very top, almost touching the Glowstone E, and lightly tossed it up into the air. The Eye made a chiming sound as it floated into the air. As I looked on, the Eye stopped facing me, and turned around. It appeared to be looking in the direction of the swamp. Then, it suddenly fired an impossibly long beam of orange from the pupil of its eye. It made a long zapping sound as the beam shot far over the swamp. It wasn’t looking at the swamp, I realized; it was looking in a place far beyond it. If its vision was that sharp, it was probably looking at the Stronghold from miles away.
Finally, the Eye stopped firing the beam, and dropped down on the ground in front of my door. I was impressed by the Eye’s impeccable vision. No wonder it takes power from two dimensions to create it. I climbed down the hill and picked it up. Luckily, it didn’t seem to be damaged.
I put it back on the table. Now I knew where the Stronghold was. Far out beyond the swamp. Now, I had to begin working on my Potion of Dullness for Zane. Rhino and I ate breakfast, and I told Rhino to follow me, and we both went into the swamp to reenter the cave where I fought my first spider. I put on the diamond armor and brought the Homing Bow, Soul Bond, the quiver and some torches. This wasn’t a day for mining. I had to get the ingredients for that potion.
We passed the areas where I collected the coal and iron, and continued deeper into the cave with no signs of any monsters. When we entered a large circular pocket in the cave system, I lit a few torches to enhance my vision. There was an abundance of iron down here, as well as some redstone ore. There seemed to be a large natural stairway going down and deeper into the cavern.
I suddenly didn’t need torches, as ahead of me was a giant reservoir of lava. There were sharp rocks jutting out of it, and some platforms that I could use as stepping stones across the lava. But this seemed to be the end of the cave system and to make up for it, there was a lot of gold and even a diamond lodged in the sharp rocks. Again, I wasn’t here to mine. I was looking for monsters.
This reservoir was absolutely huge. It was almost like the crater of a volcano, although there was no opening in the high ceiling. I dared myself and tested one of the rock platforms by stepping on it. It didn’t sink, meaning that this was not a drifting slab of rock, and it was connected to the ground below the reservoir. Almost like the Nether, I could see heat waves all around it, and my body was sweating. I felt regretful for not bringing a potion of fire resistance. But my cool diamond armor should keep me at an okay temperature for now.
I pushed onwards and hopped across the rock slabs around this massive crater. There wasn’t much of interest here, other than the startling fact that Rhino was following me across the platforms. Then he started growling.
Knowing something was here, I turned around. There, staring at us from across the reservoir, was another Spider-jockey. The spider was glaring at Rhino, probably because he alerted me to their presence. And the skeleton on top of the spider gave me an empty yet arresting look. It appeared to notice my Homing Bow.
And suddenly, the skeleton spoke to us in a breathless voice.
“That bow belonged to the deity that destroyed our home.”
This skeleton was probably once a human that lived in the sunken village. Rhino was still growling at them, but I couldn’t hear him over the echo of the skeleton’s words.
I shook my head, saying “I’m sorry your home was destroyed, but-”
“You’re evil!” yelled the skeleton. “You follow a deadly, heartless monster! Attempting to succeed him!”
“What?” I asked. “No, it’s not like that…” All the while, Rhino and the spider were growling and hissing at each other. I wielded my sword just in case, and at that moment, Herobrine appeared in the reflection.
“You inconsiderate fool,” he said, “It was your village’s own fault for destroying my lava ocean. And now that it is fixed, I have learned to forgive and forget. I am an evil being no longer.”
The skeleton raised his bow. “I will not forgive you for your actions! You truly are and forever will be an evil being! It is time I strike back, by killing your servant!” He put an arrow to the string and aimed at my face.
In a feeble attempt at making peace, I put the Soul Bond in the holster, saying “Please, I mean you no harm,” despite the fact that I needed the bone meal and spider eye.
In the entirety of a split second, the skeleton fired the arrow. But simultaneously, Rhino head-butted me in the back of the legs, making me fall over on my back. However, as I fell, I watched the arrow zip right above me in slow motion, its tip sparkling above the lava.
I felt a moving thud as I landed on Rhino’s back. Ironically, he could bare my weight with ease. I felt myself being carried over the platforms. Before I knew what was going on, I recovered from the fall and looked down to see that I was sitting on Rhino’s back while he lunged across the platforms, dodging all of the arrows. An arrow came dangerously close to us, one shot at a time. Rhino stopped as the skeleton and spider gave us a menacing look.
“I didn’t want to have to do this,” I said, “But you leave me no choice.”
Both I and the skeleton aimed our bows. Both Rhino and the spider braced themselves to burst into action at any given second.
It was an epic Jockey battle to the death.
I wrapped my feet and ankles around Rhino’s stomach so I wouldn’t fall off while I held the Homing Bow. He seemed to handle the pressure extraordinarily well, and simultaneously he and the spider began jumping from rock to rock, soaring above the lava. As Rhino dodged more arrows, I realized how ridiculously easy this would be. I had the Homing Bow, and in case the skeleton hadn’t noticed, the name was self-explanatory.
I looked at the spider and released an arrow. It whistled through the thin air as it perfectly struck the spider in the forehead, creating a small sprinkle of blood flying out. The spider twitched its neck and fell down on a platform.
The skeleton jumped off of it, almost not caring about the spider’s death as he kept shooting arrows. I fired another one of my own, and to make things more interesting, I wanted the arrow to strike his bow, and it did. The arrow flew through the skeleton’s bow, grabbed hold of the string, and yanked it out of his hand and into the lava.
Rhino stopped sprinting across the rocks, and I too jumped back on the platforms. I aimed at the skeleton, which was now completely defenseless, and said “It doesn’t have to be this way. We could be allies.”
The skeleton pointed at me and replied “I will never join the evil being that burned down my village!” Then he threw himself in my direction in a last-resort effort to knock me into the lava. In a quick reflex, I launched my elbow into the air to block it. The skeleton came into contact with my elbow, and his lower jaw snapped off while the rest of his body hit the edge of the platform, sinking into the lava. A deep sizzling sound penetrated our ears as he sank.
Trying not to think about what I was doing, I picked up his jawbone and stored it in my backpack. Then I jumped over to the spider’s body and knelt down. I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but I stuck two of my fingers into an eye socket and plucked an eye out, with the artery still attached to it.
I shivered at the sight of the seven-eyed spider and hurried out of the reservoir. There was greenish-purple blood all over my fingers. If this potion didn’t work on Zane, I don’t know what I would do. I had no idea what compound could possibly be inside this eye. I wasn’t sure if I should ruin my backpack or my pocket by putting the eye into it. I decided to hold onto it, since there were no ledges to climb in this cave. It was like a perfect curved stair up to the surface.
The sun was unsurprisingly down when we resurfaced. While we crept across the swamp, I saw a patch of brown mushrooms by a tree. I picked one, and we snuck back to the house as quickly yet quietly as we could. Once we were back inside, I set the spider eye on the block of Nether brick where the brewing stand was. I put all of the Eyes of Ender in a chest to clear some room on my table. Then I set the bone down and started grinding it with a chunk of stone. It took a few minutes, but the jaw was in smithereens when I was finished.
The simple base potion was still sitting on the brewing stand. I carefully picked up the spider eye again, and crushed the brown mushroom in my other hand. I cautiously covered it with the mush, still not believing what I was actually doing. I coiled up the artery behind the eye, then I went to the food chest to take out a piece of sugar cane. I snapped the cane open, revealing a space inside of it where the sugar was. I poured the sugar on the eye, and threw the cane outside as I touched it with a bloody, dirty hand. After this, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed outside to wash my hands, as the fear of a disease was growing on me, added to the fact that the spider’s blood was slimy and sticky.
Once I was back inside, I inspected the fermented spider eye. The brown mush and the sugar solidified, encrusting the eye completely. The scent of sugar entered my nostrils. It was almost tempting to eat, but I had to remember; it’s still a spider’s eye.
Completing the recipe, I threw in a Ghast tear, the bone meal, and the fermented spider eye into the potion bottle and waited for the final brewing stage.
I had an apple from the cooler and tossed Rhino some meat, as well as refilling his bowl of water. Rhino and I both chow down on our food as I pet him on the head. I just realized how big of a wolf he is. And on top of that, so strong.
The potion of dullness was complete. I decided I’ll bring it to Zane in the morning. I was ready for another good rest in my bedroom. I headed upstairs and thought about the skeleton. He was very close-minded, as both Herobrine and I were trying to offer peace and forgiveness. I almost felt bad for the poor guy.
As I crawled into bed, I began thinking of the Stronghold again. I was also remembering the Eyes of Ender and their dancing and speaking. Then all the things I had to do to get that potion of dullness. The blood of that spider is probably still on the Nether brick. I’ll have to clean that up later. I will never touch a spider eye again.
Amnesha is probably laughing at me right now. Maybe there was more to do after the Eyes of Ender were made. Who knows what she’ll throw at me next.
....
Can anybody guess where that quote came from, the one the Eyes said?
i love this story. ive been following it for a while now, ive laughed, cryed and awed. i love your work and cant wait to read the next chapter. And ill add, i never suspected herobrine as a good guy Oo. got me off gurad XD good job . and what if there is trouble in the nether, Amnesha attacks his kingdom for aiding the adventurer. (cant spell) what a twist that would be. ;et me know about what you think
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
7/24/2012
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69
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You know what... despite the fact that I was just about to go to sleep when I saw this, this made my day. Sure, there are definitely more things I'm going to add to the story. When I have time later, I'll certainly start writing it again, as I said earlier.
When I first began writing my very first stories back in fifth grade, they were based off of little ideas that I wanted to turn into words. Now, I run off of feedback, critiques, and even little comments here and there. I wholeheartedly appreciate your statement, so thank you. As I write, I always look for an opportunity to seize the reader's emotions. I guess it worked.
Same here. It's just...all my friends and family say 'great' EVERY TIME because they don't want to hurt my feelings. So I don't know if what I'm writing is good or not, and I'm too afraid of flamers to put it up on the Internet. I think that you're a better writer than me.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
7/24/2012
Posts:
69
Member Details
To be the honest, I don't mind reading one of your works if you did post it. Chances are, someone's gonna flame if it does become popular. As a matter of fact, I had a whole colony of trolls after me on DeviantArt just because of my writing. Never stopped me. I don't see myself being a better writer than the next guy, since it's all opinionated.
have a go at the story. let people comment about it and see what they think because you can only get better from there. And scientistB, have you thourght about talking to the people who own minecraft and take your story to them. they would love it and take it further because i love it so far you can do so much with this story, another human found, another vilan, a movie, the list can go on!
Part 11:
Swoop.
The second I heard this, I shot out of bed. There was no mistaking it; there was an Enderman in my living room, standing right in front of my bed. He was peering down at me with his purple-pink eyes.
I was about to jump out of bed and go for my Soul Bond. But the Enderman spoke to me. “Calm yourself, human,” he said. “It is I, Barold, if you remember me.”
I stopped, staring to Barold’s eyes, not sure whether to listen or act. His gaze held me down, preventing me from moving somehow. All I could do was to listen to what he had to say.
“You have accepted Amnesha’s challenge, and you probably think you’ve gotten through the worst of it. We are indeed baffled at your progress, and we are going to ensure that you do not progress. That is, by putting your courage to the test. We shall set your goal in front of you, as that is what we have always done. However, achieving it will be a paining task. And if you fail that challenge, we will win and your death will be certain.”
“What are you trying to say?” I asked, almost shivering.
Barold did not move, but he changed his tone and came straight to the point. “If you want your precious Eyes of Ender, you will have to take them from us. But it will be far from possible for you. We are going to attack your dear village tonight. There will be twelve of us. If you truly desire the Ender Pearls, and if you are not a coward, you will dare to defend your village once again. If you have enough foolish confidence, you will not disappoint Amnesha. She loves special entertainment.”
And with that, Barold disappeared out of thin air. I felt as if, after everything I’ve done up to this point, I was still being toyed with. And my gut feelings from the other day were right. I knew Amnesha wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily. But what filled me with fury was that they were going to destroy the village, bringing innocent lives into all of this, just to watch me squirm to protect it. Here’s the kicker; Chief died, lending me the responsibilities of being a leader, and Amnesha’s goons are going to take advantage of that. I have no choice but to defend the village, because I’m too weak to sit there and watch innocent people die.
They knew I wanted those Ender Pearls. And they hit me in the soft spot, practically forcing me to get them.
Deep inside me though, I knew that forcing one to fight for something just isn’t morally right.
But they don’t have to force me. Being a leader is my job, and I have to execute it thoroughly.
When I did the math, I remembered that twenty explorers couldn’t defeat four Endermen, or even touch one. I also remembered that I defeated one with a bucket of water. In that case, I could cover a large amount of the village in water so they would watch their step. Then, I could have Rhino guard the houses, while I keep the Endermen at bay with my Soul Bond, which contained the spirits of hundreds of villagers. Finally, with the added power of Herobrine, I would be nearly invincible. Herobrine was a full-on ruler, giving him the immediate strength of a thousand men.
That’s a lot of numbers against twelve. Not even awake for an hour, and my plan was already coming together.
Oh wait. I also had the Homing Bow, Herobrine’s favorite and most powerful weapon.
Forget the word nearly. I am invincible.
“Human, remember that you have eleven lightning arrows. The eleventh is a spare, so you must use it on something,” I heard Herobrine speak from the Soul Bond.
“It’s like you read my mind,” I said.
“Now that I have a connection with your very soul, I can listen to your thoughts. But only so long as the blade is near you,” said Herobrine.
“Cool to know,” I said. I got to work on filling my backpack with things that I’ll need, as I’m going to spend the day at the village to prepare for the attack. I packed the Soul Bond, Homing Bow, and the lightning arrows.
But then I stopped for a minute and thought about it. If these were all the lightning arrows Herobrine possessed, it would be a bad idea to use them all in one day. Instead, I brought the one spare arrow Herobrine told me to use. After all, I had a very nice plan with it.
I threw out the idea of building walls around the village, as it would take too long and it would prove ineffective since Endermen could just teleport through it. But I still packed a few materials such as iron, gold and stone, just in case I needed to build something. I stacked up on the recipe book, the Ender Pearl, and sticks.
I decided to put my brewing stand to use. According to the recipe list on the wall, a Glistering Melon is the key ingredient for a potion of healing. I scooped some water from the cauldron into the glass bottle and set it on the brewing stand. Then I inserted a Nether wart and waited for it to brew. In the meantime, I looked at the recipe book at a quick glance, to find the recipe for a glistering melon. Apparently I had to insert some gold nuggets into a slice of watermelon. I found the slice in the food container, and took a gold ingot and broke it into many small pieces. I pushed the nuggets into the watermelon slice, which honestly looked completely ridiculous. But still, after the basic, no-effect potion was created, I placed the glistering melon into the stand and it started to brew. When it was done, a sparkling red potion was sitting on the stand. I figured I could drink this when the time called for it.
When I was ready, I allowed Rhino to eat and drink, and we headed off to the village. Once we were there, I skipped the happy greetings. This was serious business.
“Villagers! I request your full, undivided attention,” I began. The villagers all stopped what they were doing and came to listen to me.
“What is it, sir?” asked a villager.
“I have been informed that the village is going to be under siege again, tonight,” I said.
Some of the villagers looked frightened. “Who told you this?” asked another.
“I was told this by an Enderman, one of the shadow creatures. They are going to put me to the test, which I wholeheartedly disagree with. Therefore, it is my duty to defend you from the incoming Endermen. There will be twelve in all.”
“An Enderman? Are you insane, sir? Endermen are incredibly strong, even for you!”
“They are,” I answered. “But I did not say I was doing this alone.”
The villagers looked confused. Another one spoke up. “Are you going to be aided by Lord Herobrine?”
“Indeed,” I said. “But if he actually went to the Overworld, he would die. So, he gave me his weapon, the Homing Bow.” I took out the Homing Bow for the villagers to see. Then I took out the lightning arrow and held it to the bow.
“But sir, all he can do is provide you with equipment. No matter which way you look at it, it’s still just you and the wolf against twelve Endermen,” a villager said with a worried look.
“Oh really?” I asked. I hiked up a small hill that overlooked a pair of pigs that were feeding off the bush. I concentrated on them, and set the lightning arrow to the string. I pulled back on the string. Then, I released the arrow, and suddenly the arrow became a bolt of lightning as it zoomed to the pigs, erupting with a monstrous roll of thunder.
The villagers looked at me like I was crazy, but as they looked on, they realized what I did. The pigs began shaking, then they stood on their hind legs. As the lightning struck them, parts of their skin melted. Their skeletal structures began to take on that of a human’s. Then they grunted loudly.
I just spawned my own Zombie Pigmen.
“Has Lord Herobrine summoned us?” one of them asked in his scratchy voice.
Herobrine’s reflection appeared again in the Soul Bond. “Yes he has,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we all call upon you.”
“Of course!” said the other Pigman. “Give us our mission!”
“Your mission is to assist us in guarding this village.” I said. “We need all the help we can get.”
“Say no more,” said a Pigman. “We overheard your story just now. We will help you fight the Endermen.”
I nodded and said “And I have a solid plan, too. So everybody, listen up. I want the villagers to get started on making me a quiver of arrows for my bow. The blacksmiths shall get started on forging golden swords for the Pigmen, and I already have the materials for you. Next, I want the farmers to collect the water from the streams of the farms, and keep them in buckets for now. I will get started on making the buckets for you.”
I looked at Rhino, who was wagging his tail and smiling as always. I pet him on the head, and announced “Is everyone ready? We have until sunset,” repeating Chief’s words.
Understanding the call to action, the villagers all hustled to their spots and got to work. I gave the blacksmiths my gold and I began crafting the iron buckets. I was planning to set them in different locations, filled with water, and they could act as a sort of trap for Endermen. Because they’re so tall, they might not even see what’s at their feet until it’s too late. When I was done making five buckets, I gave them all to the farmers, who had two of their own. After, I ate some food from one of the fresh crops to keep me going.
In no time, the blacksmiths forged two shining gold swords. I picked them up, thanked the blacksmiths for their work, and handed the swords to the Pigmen, who immediately practiced sword techniques. Next, I looked into the crafting book and read that arrows were made with feathers, sticks, and flint. I checked to make sure the villagers were making them right, and they were. Obviously, they were the ones who wrote this book.
“My new leader,” a voice said behind me. It was the librarian. “I would be honored to assist you as well. May I see that dark pearl in your hand?”
“Sure,” I said, handing him the Ender Pearl, not sure what he was planning to do with it.
“That jewel possesses magical powers unlike any other. I can fuse it into your sword so that you would be able to use its abilities without having to hold it manually.” He brought both the Soul Bond and the Ender Pearl to the enchantment table and allowed them both to float over it. I figured he knew about the Ender Pearl through his many years of reading. There were bookshelves all around this room.
I see a bright green light and the two items collide. When the light dimmed down, I saw the Ender Pearl within the base of the blade, now truly looking like an ancient treasure. I thanked the librarian and held the Soul Bond in my hands. Not only could I feel a connection with my spirit, but also my mind. As if taking a mental command, the Ender Pearl flashed and I was warped to the outside of the library with a few purple snowflakes around me.
I was satisfied with my new upgrade. As I looked around at the success we were making, I realized that we just might have a fighting chance. I would love to see the look on Amnesha’s face. Her little test subject, slaying twelve of her Endermen, gathering up all these new characters to help. That includes Rhino, the villagers, Herobrine, and the Pigmen. All in all, the power of good goes a long way.
My arrows were finished, and I asked the villagers how many they made. They answered sixty-four. And a few others made a leather quiver to hold my arrows in. I set my backpack inside the church and put the quiver around my back. A blacksmith was kind enough to make a patterned holster for my Soul Bond to strap to my back. I thanked him and tried it on. Conveniently, I could wear both the quiver and the holster without them interfering with each other. This was going to be very useful, considering that I’ll be using two weapons for the attack.
The sun was almost down and the last thing we had to do was to place the buckets of water around the village. We placed them in strategic spots around the village, all spread out to cover a large area. When that was done, I ordered the Zombie Pigmen to team up on one flank. Rhino took the other side and waited patiently. I entered the church and ascended to the roof, the highest point of the village. The church was easily the oldest building in the village, as it was made of stone and the other buildings were made of wood.
Once I was on the roof, the sunlight dimmed as the sun retreated behind the horizon. The villagers entered their homes, preparing for the worst. I was scanning the far distances, looking for signs of any Endermen. The moon was starting to rise now, so I held an arrow to the Homing Bow, ready for anything. I could see nearly a mile out into the desert, but in the furthest distances, I wasn’t sure I was looking at a cactus or an Enderman. The forest was a little too dense to see far, as I mostly saw treetops and a couple of spiders crawling across them.
There was a dead silence in the air as we waited for the Endermen. Not even the wind was blowing, as if it too was waiting for them.
I looked to my left, almost jumping back in shock. Amnesha was floating in the air, a few meters away from me. How long was she waiting there?
I stared into her deep eyes. She managed a wide smile. Suddenly, our eyes stopped meeting. As if she was looking through me or around me. She made eye contact with me again and slightly raised her hand. She waved all of her fingers up and down as one, as if trying to say a silent “goodbye.” All the while, she kept that smile.
Suddenly, the Enderman behind me hits me in the back as I plummet off the roof of the church.
I'm inactive, hoping to make a return one day.
Part 12:
My life flashed before my eyes. Not even the strongest diamond armor could lessen that fall.
I hit the ground hard with my ribs, and instantly I heard them snap. I winced in pain, trying not to scream. The Pigmen saw my fall, but could not help as they were suddenly ambushed by an Endermen. The villagers started to panic at the sight of me. The battle had just barely begun and I was already on the brink of death.
The Pigmen tried to hold off the Enderman. I felt a horrible, twisted feeling in my lungs, and I could only hope that an organ wasn’t punctured. Clenching my teeth in pain, I crawled into the church and reached for my backpack. I desperately fumbled through it and found the glass bottle containing the red potion of healing.
I stared at it, and suddenly a flood of doubt overtook me. What if I made the wrong potion? What if it didn’t close the cracks in my ribs?
Herobrine said to me from behind my shoulder, “Do not just sit there, human. Drink it.”
At this point, I had to trust him, since it was my only option, otherwise death. I opened the bottle and gulped it down as fast as I could. The potion tasted sweet in a sense, but at first there was nothing else. In a few seconds, I began to feel lighter. I put my hand on my ribcage, and of all things, I didn’t feel any cracks. My injuries were gone.
Confidently standing up, I wasted no time and launched myself out the church door, where I saw the Pigmen still struggling with the Enderman. I was about to help them, when I heard the swooping sound. I flicked back and drew the Soul Bond from the back holster. The Enderman didn’t see it coming; I slashed it across the chest and it jumped back, still trying to get me. Before it even teleported, I swung my Soul Bond behind me, knowing the Enderman’s battle patterns. It thought a second too slow and teleported right into the Soul Bond.
It screamed an ear-piercing cry, disintegrating as an Ender Pearl was left in its place. I picked it up and placed it at the doorway to the church.
Rhino was growling loudly from across the village, alerting me to the presence of another Enderman. This one was off in the distance, on the roof of a house. I tried not to look it in the eyes, and I grabbed the Homing Bow and put an arrow to the string. At that moment, I looked right into its eyes and fired the arrow. The Enderman teleported away, but the arrow changed course and followed the Enderman’s movements. Not knowing the arrow followed it, the Enderman chuckled at me; right before the arrow zipped into its back. The Enderman made a strange bopping sound and jumped forward in pain, where I finished it with the Soul Bond. Two down.
After putting away the second Ender Pearl, I saw that the Pigmen defeated the Enderman with minor injuries. I collected the third Ender Pearl, and ran to Rhino’s side of the village as two Endermen were cornering him. We fought them together, each of us taking one. Rhino managed to bite one in the leg, but it escaped his grasp. Defeating the first one, I helped Rhino in defeating the second. We were more than a third-way done with the attack.
While the Pigmen fought off another Enderman, Rhino and I ran in the direction of another Enderman that threatened to open the door to a house. My Soul Bond was drawn and ready to attack. But I didn’t see it until it was too late; it was a trap.
Another Enderman charged at us from an alley between two houses. It landed a double-attack on both me and Rhino, sending us flying over the gravel walkway. I hit the side of a building and Rhino landed in the sand. Rhino looked injured as he had a long scratch on his side. I ignored the sharp back pain and grew furious with the Endermen. I spoke to Herobrine through the Soul Bond, shouting “Fire Aspect!” Immediately, the Soul Bond glowed a light red as I charged to the Endermen. I swung very wide blows, managing to hit them as they burst into flames. The Endermen flailed wildly, trying to stop the fire. Their efforts were futile as they burned to a cinder. But their Ender Pearls remained untouched by the fire.
“Rhino, stay with them!” I shouted, pointing to the Pigmen. Rhino obeyed and aided them in fighting the Enderman that they were holding off.
I pointed the bow up at the church where the Enderman that threw me off was standing. I fired an arrow, which followed the Enderman as it tried to avoid it. I kept firing arrows from a distance until the Enderman was down.
When Rhino and the Pigmen defeated the next Enderman, I realized that there were only three more left. Without a break, all three of them appeared, surrounding the four of us. I was reminded of the four Endermen that attacked our group, and I made sure we would win this time.
The Endermen simultaneously attacked us, giving us little time to react. I swung the Soul Bond, but the targeted Enderman teleported away. Rhino circled around us, trying to keep the Endermen at bay. The Pigmen and I were all back-to-back in a sort of triangle formation, as we were not about to be caught off guard. The Endermen charged in, avoiding Rhino and attacking us three. I set one on fire, but it didn’t seem to be very affected this time. However, blinded by the fire, the Enderman tripped over one of the pails of water, spilling it out over the gravel. It yelled as the water melted it, but the other two stayed away from the water. The last two Endermen picked one of the Pigmen out from the group and attacked him. He was beaten up pretty badly, and his sword fell from his hand.
I and the other Pigman tried our best to defend his injured partner, but his injuries became severe. We defeated one Enderman, leaving this one the last one to take out. Seeing the situation, the Enderman rapidly teleported around us, trying to confuse us. Eventually, although we managed a few hits on it, the Enderman was still going.
I had enough and fired an arrow at the Enderman. I had to get to the injured Zombie Pigman as soon as possible. The arrow hit, and the Enderman stopped, too weakened to move or teleport. Rhino saw his chance, and dashed into the Enderman head-on. He jumped, opened his mouth, and flew through the Enderman’s heart. Upon flying through it, Rhino landed on the ground, holding the last Ender Pearl in his mouth as the final Enderman disintegrated.
We had done it, but we still had to help the Pigman. I knelt down and inspected his wounds. That Enderman had torn through his flesh and bone.
Herobrine appeared in the Soul Bond and asked “Are you all right, soldier?”
“I’m… afraid not… Lord Herobrine,” said the Pigman in a few short breaths. He was bleeding an alarming amount of blood. I knew he wasn’t going to live through this.
“You fought well,” said Herobrine. “Rest now. You have deserved it.”
The Pigman croaked like a pig, but in a more breathless manner. I looked at his golden sword that was lying off to the side, stained with black blood, as well as some of his own. The Pigman spoke to me. “Thank you… for the… opportunity… to serve you.”
With that, the living light faded from his black eyes.
There was a moment of silence as we stared at him and all the blood stains around him. This Zombie Pigman, a creature of the forbidden Nether realm, died in defense of an Overworld village. It was ironic, knowing that Herobrine didn’t like the Overworld. Perhaps, even in the Nether, the power of good was beginning to take effect.
I watched as a pink soul rose from the Pigman and into the Soul Bond. It seems like he’ll always be here, in this very sword.
The Pigman who was still alive looked at his companion. “It’s been nice knowing you, brother,” he said. He picked up the bloody sword and rested it on his companion’s chest. Herobrine cast some sort of spell, and the Pigman and his sword caught fire and sank down into the earth.
The other Pigman, Rhino and I turned around. The villagers were coming out to see us. They understood that we lost one of the Pigmen. With great respect, all of the villagers gave us a speech on how grateful they are to have us as the village protectors. As happy as I was that I was still alive, I really had grown into those thank-you speeches.
“We would have been surely thrown into turmoil several times already if it weren’t for you.”
I accepted their thanks, and they gave me, yet again, a chest full of food as a reward. The other villagers treated the Pigman and Rhino’s injuries.
Another villager said “And to think these pigs were only young ones, they still helped protect the village.”
I collected all of the remaining Ender Pearls and brought them to my backpack. There were indeed twelve in all. This was it, I thought. Now I only had to create the Eyes of Ender and begin the quest for the Stronghold.
I put the Ender Pearls into the backpack and told the villagers that it was time for me to head home for the night. I felt wide awake, so perhaps I wouldn’t go straight to bed yet when I got there.
“Pigman,” I said, “do you think you could take care of the village whenever I’m not here?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “Anything for my commanders.”
I was ready heave the new chest and my belongings back home. But something odd hit me, and I turned around to ask the Pigman a question. “By the way, Pigman… do you ever have names? I can’t just call you Pigman.”
“Yes, actually, even though not many people know. Names within the Pigmen are easy to remember, since we are reincarnations of either pigs or humans,” he said. “But not many of us remember our past lives.”
Curious, I asked “So, what is your name?” The Pigman answered something I couldn’t believe.
“My name is Zane.”
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Well, I have a basic idea of what I'll write for chapter 13, but do you have any ideas?
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I'm thinking of letting the title have something to do with Hardcore Mode, since, realistically, the main character can't die once. Make sense?
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Part 13:
Processing this was going to be a complex task. The Pigman said his name was Zane. And if he truly is a reincarnation of the Zane I knew, then perhaps he could regain his past memory. That means he has another chance of living. Perhaps, he could join me on my quest for the Stronghold in the near future. But when I thought about it, common sense interfered. Zane is that Pigman, and that Pigman is Zane. It didn’t make sense. Reincarnation and past lives aren’t so much known or believed in today’s society.
When I thought back and reconsidered, I’ll pretty much have to believe it. I thought for a second time that the unthinkable has happened in this place, and there’s probably much more where that came from.
However, I soon realized that Zane wouldn’t be able to help me during my journey to the Stronghold. He’s a half-decayed Zombie Pigman, so his body is a bit fragile. Sure, he’s good with a sword, but I would feel better having him guard the village while I’m gone.
Now, how would I restore his memory? He didn’t say it was impossible. Perhaps nothing normal would do the job. I started thinking back, long before I began the expedition. In civilization, some people would usually have a case of amnesia. Hmm… Wait a minute. Amnesia. Amnesha. The two sound connected. But I knew for sure that Amnesha would never simply give Zane his memory back. There had to be another way.
People in civilization used medicine to cure memory loss. Now, I’m certain a simple pill wouldn’t affect a Zombie Pigman, let alone bring back memories of a past life. And I didn’t have any medicine with me. Well, I did have the brewing stand, but I don’t remember seeing any amnesia potions on the recipe list. If Zane would get his memory back, then looking at the list would be worth a try.
I skipped the potions of fire resistance, strength, healing, and regeneration. I took a look at the Potion of Harming, wondering why the heck someone would want to make that. I read the information beside it out loud: “As you would guess, a potion of harming does the opposite of a potion of healing. If consumed by a human or other simple creature, they could get internally sick, randomly injured, or lose an overall decent health. A splash potion of harming does the same thing, only with an area of effect. However, when used on an Undead, the effects will reverse, healing the undead instead of harming it. Those effected: Zombies, Skeletons, and Pigmen.”
It made sense, and I supposed the potion of healing would have a negative effect on the undead. I confirmed this by reading further. I was off to a start by reading this information, so I kept opening more and more parts of the long list, as it was a very lengthy scroll. I ran my eyes across sections with mundane, poison, and weakness potions, which were not of use to me.
I finally stopped unrolling the scroll when I saw a Potion of Dullness recipe. It seemed complex to make, requiring a Nether wart in a glass bottle of water, followed by a Ghast tear, a substance called Bone Meal, and a fermented spider eye. I scooped up the last bit of water from the cauldron and placed it on the brewing stand, adding a Nether wart to begin the first stage of brewing. Then, I sat down at my bed and looked outside at the night sky. The clock said 1:25 AM. I picked up the recipe book to find out about this bone meal. Apparently, all I needed to do was to collect a bone from a skeleton and shred it to many tiny pieces. Defeating a skeleton wouldn’t be so bad, now that I have diamond armor and the Homing Bow.
Speaking of which, I slowly peeled off my bandage where my arrow puncture was. The bandage was spotted in dark red blood, but the injury was almost completely gone. The potion of healing must have done the trick. But there was still a slightly visible scar in the exact spot where I was shot, in the form of a dark X.
I supposed it would heal fine on its own now, so I kept the bandage off. I then continued to examine the recipe book, looking for the fermented spider eye. When I found it, I learned that I must lather a spider’s eye with the inner contents of a brown mushroom, then coat it in sugar. So, I had to defeat a spider and a skeleton in order to make this potion. A potion of dullness, if I understand correctly, would probably have an inverted effect on Zane, perhaps restoring his memory and mindset instead of blurring it.
In the meantime, I satisfied my needs first by eating some of the mushroom stew in the new food chest I received, then giving Rhino his usual meat. Finally, I got to work on making the Eyes of Ender.
I picked out all of the Ender Pearls from my backpack and put them on my table, and then I put back all of the other items in my backpack where they belong and took off my armor. Taking out the clump of Blaze powder, I was careful not to spill it and also set it to the table. Eyes of Ender did not take much Blaze powder to make, so this large stack was definitely enough to make all twelve.
I sprinkled some of the powder onto the Ender Pearl, and as each grain touched it, it would begin to glow in that exact spot. When about one third of the Pearl was covered, all of the powder sank into it and it shined brightly, letting off a green glow. When the light dimmed, I moved my arm away from my eyes to take a look. Wow, I thought. This thing looked more dazzling than anything I’ve ever seen. My newly-crafted Eye of Ender was floating about an inch off the table, and it turned into a green jewel with a sharp, black eye in the center that resembled a large cat’s eye. And its surface was extremely smooth, reflecting light like a crystal mirror.
I was amazed by the beauty of the Eye of Ender, and was eager to work on the other eleven. Almost perfectly, I sprinkled more Blaze powder on the rest of the Ender Pearls. My living room suddenly became the brightest place in the world. I was almost blinded by the light show before me.
Rhino put his face to the floor to avoid being blinded as well. As we looked back up, all of the Eyes of Ender were floating around my room, dancing in a circle formation. My jaw almost hit the floor, as they all suddenly began to speak to me with a mysterious echo in their voice.
“As long as you maintain a sense of exploration, you may soon find the way. This I believe.”
All of their voices sounded the same, and the voice itself was unfamiliar. The Eyes ceased spinning in their tango and began to drift down onto the table again. The shining stopped.
I didn’t know if they were trying to tell me something, but I believe that I had too much excitement for one night. But there was still something I had to do. I wanted to treat myself for the sweet victory back in the village. I obtained the diamond pickaxe from a chest and walked to the back of the living room. I began to chisel another room, of all times. But not just another simple expansion; I was making a second floor to my house. First, I carved a perfect staircase easily with this efficient pickaxe. I made it go up by about five steps, then I turned it around so it looped the other direction and into the area just above my living room ceiling. Once I was above the ceiling, I mined out a room made of rock and sandstone, and decided that it would be my bedroom. I got some of my old pieces of wood and made a small nightstand, and placed it in the corner of the bedroom. Finally, I dragged my bed up the stairs and into the back of the room.
I was very proud of my bedroom, despite that I was quickly losing sleep hours. I placed the clock on the nightstand and invited Rhino to sleep next to the bed. He trotted up the stairs and sat on the floor, smiling at me as usual. I lit a small torch on the other side of the bed, very dimly, and went to sleep almost immediately.
This place really is like home.
When I was awake, the clock showed that it was 6:43 PM, almost sunset already. With not much time to lose, I walked outside, and wanted to test out an Eye of Ender. I picked one up on my way out and ascended the sand pyramid in which I lived.
I stood on the very top, almost touching the Glowstone E, and lightly tossed it up into the air. The Eye made a chiming sound as it floated into the air. As I looked on, the Eye stopped facing me, and turned around. It appeared to be looking in the direction of the swamp. Then, it suddenly fired an impossibly long beam of orange from the pupil of its eye. It made a long zapping sound as the beam shot far over the swamp. It wasn’t looking at the swamp, I realized; it was looking in a place far beyond it. If its vision was that sharp, it was probably looking at the Stronghold from miles away.
Finally, the Eye stopped firing the beam, and dropped down on the ground in front of my door. I was impressed by the Eye’s impeccable vision. No wonder it takes power from two dimensions to create it. I climbed down the hill and picked it up. Luckily, it didn’t seem to be damaged.
I put it back on the table. Now I knew where the Stronghold was. Far out beyond the swamp. Now, I had to begin working on my Potion of Dullness for Zane. Rhino and I ate breakfast, and I told Rhino to follow me, and we both went into the swamp to reenter the cave where I fought my first spider. I put on the diamond armor and brought the Homing Bow, Soul Bond, the quiver and some torches. This wasn’t a day for mining. I had to get the ingredients for that potion.
We passed the areas where I collected the coal and iron, and continued deeper into the cave with no signs of any monsters. When we entered a large circular pocket in the cave system, I lit a few torches to enhance my vision. There was an abundance of iron down here, as well as some redstone ore. There seemed to be a large natural stairway going down and deeper into the cavern.
I suddenly didn’t need torches, as ahead of me was a giant reservoir of lava. There were sharp rocks jutting out of it, and some platforms that I could use as stepping stones across the lava. But this seemed to be the end of the cave system and to make up for it, there was a lot of gold and even a diamond lodged in the sharp rocks. Again, I wasn’t here to mine. I was looking for monsters.
This reservoir was absolutely huge. It was almost like the crater of a volcano, although there was no opening in the high ceiling. I dared myself and tested one of the rock platforms by stepping on it. It didn’t sink, meaning that this was not a drifting slab of rock, and it was connected to the ground below the reservoir. Almost like the Nether, I could see heat waves all around it, and my body was sweating. I felt regretful for not bringing a potion of fire resistance. But my cool diamond armor should keep me at an okay temperature for now.
I pushed onwards and hopped across the rock slabs around this massive crater. There wasn’t much of interest here, other than the startling fact that Rhino was following me across the platforms. Then he started growling.
Knowing something was here, I turned around. There, staring at us from across the reservoir, was another Spider-jockey. The spider was glaring at Rhino, probably because he alerted me to their presence. And the skeleton on top of the spider gave me an empty yet arresting look. It appeared to notice my Homing Bow.
And suddenly, the skeleton spoke to us in a breathless voice.
“That bow belonged to the deity that destroyed our home.”
This skeleton was probably once a human that lived in the sunken village. Rhino was still growling at them, but I couldn’t hear him over the echo of the skeleton’s words.
I shook my head, saying “I’m sorry your home was destroyed, but-”
“You’re evil!” yelled the skeleton. “You follow a deadly, heartless monster! Attempting to succeed him!”
“What?” I asked. “No, it’s not like that…” All the while, Rhino and the spider were growling and hissing at each other. I wielded my sword just in case, and at that moment, Herobrine appeared in the reflection.
“You inconsiderate fool,” he said, “It was your village’s own fault for destroying my lava ocean. And now that it is fixed, I have learned to forgive and forget. I am an evil being no longer.”
The skeleton raised his bow. “I will not forgive you for your actions! You truly are and forever will be an evil being! It is time I strike back, by killing your servant!” He put an arrow to the string and aimed at my face.
In a feeble attempt at making peace, I put the Soul Bond in the holster, saying “Please, I mean you no harm,” despite the fact that I needed the bone meal and spider eye.
In the entirety of a split second, the skeleton fired the arrow. But simultaneously, Rhino head-butted me in the back of the legs, making me fall over on my back. However, as I fell, I watched the arrow zip right above me in slow motion, its tip sparkling above the lava.
I felt a moving thud as I landed on Rhino’s back. Ironically, he could bare my weight with ease. I felt myself being carried over the platforms. Before I knew what was going on, I recovered from the fall and looked down to see that I was sitting on Rhino’s back while he lunged across the platforms, dodging all of the arrows. An arrow came dangerously close to us, one shot at a time. Rhino stopped as the skeleton and spider gave us a menacing look.
“I didn’t want to have to do this,” I said, “But you leave me no choice.”
Both I and the skeleton aimed our bows. Both Rhino and the spider braced themselves to burst into action at any given second.
It was an epic Jockey battle to the death.
I wrapped my feet and ankles around Rhino’s stomach so I wouldn’t fall off while I held the Homing Bow. He seemed to handle the pressure extraordinarily well, and simultaneously he and the spider began jumping from rock to rock, soaring above the lava. As Rhino dodged more arrows, I realized how ridiculously easy this would be. I had the Homing Bow, and in case the skeleton hadn’t noticed, the name was self-explanatory.
I looked at the spider and released an arrow. It whistled through the thin air as it perfectly struck the spider in the forehead, creating a small sprinkle of blood flying out. The spider twitched its neck and fell down on a platform.
The skeleton jumped off of it, almost not caring about the spider’s death as he kept shooting arrows. I fired another one of my own, and to make things more interesting, I wanted the arrow to strike his bow, and it did. The arrow flew through the skeleton’s bow, grabbed hold of the string, and yanked it out of his hand and into the lava.
Rhino stopped sprinting across the rocks, and I too jumped back on the platforms. I aimed at the skeleton, which was now completely defenseless, and said “It doesn’t have to be this way. We could be allies.”
The skeleton pointed at me and replied “I will never join the evil being that burned down my village!” Then he threw himself in my direction in a last-resort effort to knock me into the lava. In a quick reflex, I launched my elbow into the air to block it. The skeleton came into contact with my elbow, and his lower jaw snapped off while the rest of his body hit the edge of the platform, sinking into the lava. A deep sizzling sound penetrated our ears as he sank.
Trying not to think about what I was doing, I picked up his jawbone and stored it in my backpack. Then I jumped over to the spider’s body and knelt down. I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but I stuck two of my fingers into an eye socket and plucked an eye out, with the artery still attached to it.
I shivered at the sight of the seven-eyed spider and hurried out of the reservoir. There was greenish-purple blood all over my fingers. If this potion didn’t work on Zane, I don’t know what I would do. I had no idea what compound could possibly be inside this eye. I wasn’t sure if I should ruin my backpack or my pocket by putting the eye into it. I decided to hold onto it, since there were no ledges to climb in this cave. It was like a perfect curved stair up to the surface.
The sun was unsurprisingly down when we resurfaced. While we crept across the swamp, I saw a patch of brown mushrooms by a tree. I picked one, and we snuck back to the house as quickly yet quietly as we could. Once we were back inside, I set the spider eye on the block of Nether brick where the brewing stand was. I put all of the Eyes of Ender in a chest to clear some room on my table. Then I set the bone down and started grinding it with a chunk of stone. It took a few minutes, but the jaw was in smithereens when I was finished.
The simple base potion was still sitting on the brewing stand. I carefully picked up the spider eye again, and crushed the brown mushroom in my other hand. I cautiously covered it with the mush, still not believing what I was actually doing. I coiled up the artery behind the eye, then I went to the food chest to take out a piece of sugar cane. I snapped the cane open, revealing a space inside of it where the sugar was. I poured the sugar on the eye, and threw the cane outside as I touched it with a bloody, dirty hand. After this, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed outside to wash my hands, as the fear of a disease was growing on me, added to the fact that the spider’s blood was slimy and sticky.
Once I was back inside, I inspected the fermented spider eye. The brown mush and the sugar solidified, encrusting the eye completely. The scent of sugar entered my nostrils. It was almost tempting to eat, but I had to remember; it’s still a spider’s eye.
Completing the recipe, I threw in a Ghast tear, the bone meal, and the fermented spider eye into the potion bottle and waited for the final brewing stage.
I had an apple from the cooler and tossed Rhino some meat, as well as refilling his bowl of water. Rhino and I both chow down on our food as I pet him on the head. I just realized how big of a wolf he is. And on top of that, so strong.
The potion of dullness was complete. I decided I’ll bring it to Zane in the morning. I was ready for another good rest in my bedroom. I headed upstairs and thought about the skeleton. He was very close-minded, as both Herobrine and I were trying to offer peace and forgiveness. I almost felt bad for the poor guy.
As I crawled into bed, I began thinking of the Stronghold again. I was also remembering the Eyes of Ender and their dancing and speaking. Then all the things I had to do to get that potion of dullness. The blood of that spider is probably still on the Nether brick. I’ll have to clean that up later. I will never touch a spider eye again.
Amnesha is probably laughing at me right now. Maybe there was more to do after the Eyes of Ender were made. Who knows what she’ll throw at me next.
....
Can anybody guess where that quote came from, the one the Eyes said?
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Just please, PLEASE don't kill off Rhino. A lot of people would and I always hate it when the main character's dog dies.
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That means I have no ideas. But that is because my microphone is being a butt tonight and is suddenly half-dead. *sob*
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When I first began writing my very first stories back in fifth grade, they were based off of little ideas that I wanted to turn into words. Now, I run off of feedback, critiques, and even little comments here and there. I wholeheartedly appreciate your statement, so thank you. As I write, I always look for an opportunity to seize the reader's emotions. I guess it worked.
I'm inactive, hoping to make a return one day.
I'm inactive, hoping to make a return one day.