Really nice story. My only suggestion is to add more small details. Perhaps the Redstone Sword can vaporize mobs in a cloud of redstone dust, or maybe the part with the Ender Dragon talking could be expanded on a little.
Quote from DreadMage »
There came another explosion, and four Endermen poured into the Central Cabin. Sanche had apparently killed his opponent, for he and two other Scouts charged to meet the Endermen. But as they reached the mobs, a high-pitched scream echoed from one of the Endermen. A raspy voice filled the cabin. "Fools! You have attempted to evade my invasion by force. For that, you have paid. Your home is destroyed. All hope for Minecraftia is lost. The portal has been opened. I am coming..."
Grant felt his heart thudding in his chest. Immediately, the Endermen drew back. In fact, all of the mobs were leaving the village.
This is just an example of what you could do:
Quote from ValorCat »
There came another explosion, and some Endermen followed by a group of zombies and skeletons poured into the Central Cabin. Sanche had apparently killed his opponent, for he and two other Scouts charged to meet the new attackers. As they reached their targets, an explosion of purple particles separated everyone from their comrades and caused the remainder of the ceiling to collapse inward. A new, terrifying voice reverberated through the room. The zombies and skeletons dropped their weapons and covered their ears in pain.
"Fools! You have attempted to defeat my minions by force. For that, you have paid. Your home is destroyed. All hope for your precious Minecraftia is lost. The portal has been opened. I am coming..."
Grant felt his heart thudding in his chest. He closed his eyes, trying to get the voice out of his head. When he looked up, the attackers had vanished. In fact, all of the mobs in the village were gone.
They had won. For now...
Also, endermen drop ender pearls, not Eyes of Ender Really nice story though, I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to some sequels.
Really nice story. My only suggestion is to add more small details. Perhaps the Redstone Sword can vaporize mobs in a cloud of redstone dust, or maybe the part with the Ender Dragon talking could be expanded on a little.
This is just an example of what you could do:
Also, endermen drop ender pearls, not Eyes of Ender Really nice story though, I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to some sequels.
The Enderman had an Eye of Ender in his possession at the time. I see what you mean, though. I'll take your thoughts into consideration. Thanks for the feedback.
Running through a mucky swamp was not Grant's idea of fun, especially when you expect an Enderman to appear in front of you at any second. Having to wade through deep, disgusting water was even worse.
It must have been the greatest moment of Grant's life when Lance called a rest stop.
Grant slumped against a tree. "What's the plan now?" Kial pressed. "We're stuck in a stupid swamp with nothing to do."
"We have two problems on our hands," Jay said. "We have to find a way to stop the Ender Dragon and find Cole."
"I agree with the first thing, but why do we have to go after that creep?" Kial questioned.
"He is not a creep!" Jay said with disgust.
"That's enough!" Lance finished. "Jay's right. We have to find our friend, but our top priority is fighting the End. In order to gain our strength, I suggest that we get some sleep. I'll take first watch. Kial, I'll wake you up in three hours. You'll wake up Grant three hours later. Jay will take the last watch. Everyone agree?"
Grant nodded. He slid onto the ground and closed his eyes. For twenty minutes, Grant struggled to fall asleep. It seemed impossible to fall asleep in a living swamp. But Grant found himself slipping into a deep sleep in no time.
A destroyed village loomed at the edge of an ocean. Grant recognized it immediately as Clove Wharf. Over a hill loomed an intimidating cave. A figure was slipping through the dark plains towards the cave. The figure was Cole. Cole looked around anxiously, and then slinked into the cave. The sound of dripping water was the only thing heard. Cole travelled downward down the chamber. A pit of lava awaited him. Cole smiled devilishly as he shimmied across a small walkway. A figure was slumped against the wall, a small pool of blood around him. "Get up you worthless pile of bones," Cole growled, kicking the villager. The villager groaned in pain, and fell onto the stone floor. He looked up at Cole. "What do you want?" he questioned. "You know what I want, Curtis," Cole snapped. "Do you have the Emeralds or not?" Curtis groaned again. He was weak. "I do," he gasped. "Then give them to me!" Cole yelled, giving Curtis another hard kick. Curtis fell back and tumbled down a few blocks. Cole loomed over them. "Why should I?" Curtis challenged. "Because if you don't, I'll kill you," Cole roared. Curtis looked horrified. He dug his hands in his pockets and pulled out four Emeralds. "Thank you," Cole said a little irritably. "I can't let you do this," Curtis said. "You dare oppose me?" Cole questioned. "I would've let you free, but I guess not." Cole unsheathed his weapon: the Redstone Sword. Desperately, Curtis lunged at Cole. Cole swung the sword, and with a powerful blast, Curtis flew backwards into the bubbling lava. His agonizing screams for mercy meant nothing to Cole. He watched the villager literally melt in the churning lava. A thin smile spread across Cole's face.
The scene changed. There was a stone brick room. In the center was a hollow void, gaping widely. Endermen were everywhere. One of them was taller than the others, almost five blocks tall. He approached the portal and grinned. The Enderman leader turned to face the others. "El'mech, Emer, bring forth the ingredients," he ordered. Two Endermen stepped forward. One was carrying an Ender Pearl, the other a Potion of Strength. The first threw the Pearl inside the void. The portal bubbled. Then, the second Enderman poured the contents of the potion inside. A sickening belch was heard from inside the portal, almost as if it was alive. The Enderman leader approached the portal and began to chant.
"Master, the gateway has been opened. In a world filled with corruption and deceit, you will lead the peoples to success. You will rule them purely and gratefully. Your enemies shall be conquered by your superior force. Master, I summon you! I summon you to come to this world. I summon you to lead us to the greater good!"
The portal shuddered, and a deep roar erupted from within it. A clawed foot emerged from the portal, followed by another. In a matter of seconds, the Ender Dragon appeared inside the Stronghold. "Finally!" it roared. "Minecraftia has a new leader, a leader more powerful than ever before. You have done well Ednar." The Enderman leader bowed. "Prepare the army. It is time to show the locals who is the greatest of them all."
Grant awoke suddenly. The Ender Dragon had arrived in the Overworld.
Ch. 2: Local Affairs
Thoughts continued to race through Grant's mind. The Dragon is coming. What are we going to do? He'll destroy all of Minecraftia!
But a darker thought entered Grant's brain. Cole, he's....a murderer, a villain! It cannot be true, it can't be. It must have been fake. Yeah, it wasn't really real. Grant felt another part of him biting at him. It has to be true. It is true. Cole has turned evil.
Grant would not believe it. Someone he thought was his friend....a killer! A few tears trickled down from his eyelids. Grant could barely see a figure coming towards him in the dark.
"Good, you're awake," Kial said calmly. "It's time for you to take watch."
Before Grant knew what he was doing, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. "COLE! HE'S--HE'S AT CLOVE WHARF! HE'S AT CLOVE WHARF!"
Lance and Jay woke up with a start.
"What the hell are you screaming about?" Lance questioned grumpily.
"Cole's at Clove Wharf!" Grant exclaimed, trying to control himself. "He--He killed someone...a villager!"
Fresh tears began to pour down his cheek. Lance hobbled over to him.
"What? Why do you say so?" Lance asked soothingly.
"I saw it in a dream," Grant cried. "A vision!"
Lance looked like he was hit by a brick wall. His face turned pale. "He have to get to Clove Wharf," he said quietly. "Now!"
Before Grant knew it, they were dashing through the marsh, the swamp vanishing behind them. They were back in the plains now, running at the speed of light. Grant was in front, nearly twenty blocks ahead of the others. He didn't want to believe it. He hoped it was all his imagination. Faster! Faster!
Grant barely heard the desperate calls from Lance to slow down. He had to get to Clove Wharf. The plains soon were gone. He was now running through the desert. Grant didn't need directions to tell where he was going...the route seemed to flow through him the farther he went.
Lance, Jay, Kial, Kali, Diamond, and Frost were now specks in the distance. The sea came into view in a matter of seconds. Eventually, the full Wharf was in sight. There was no village, for it was burned to ashes in the beginning of the war. I need to find the cave...the cave!
Grant rushed up a pair of views, and there it was. The darkened cave was sitting inside a hill. To Grant, walking inside felt like walking into Hell itself.
The stone pathway led downward to the pool of lava. He turned to the right, just like Cole had. There were two villagers gathered around the lava's edge, looking down at a severely burned carcass. Curtis.
The villagers were sobbing deeply. Grant knew it was true. Cole, his friend, had murdered Curtis the villager.
Grant collapsed on his knees and sobbed into his hands. He heard footsteps running behind him. Lance, Jay, Kial, and the pets had arrived. Lance put his hand on Grant's shoulder. The villagers turned at saw them.
"Tragic, it is," one villager said, trying to hold back the tears. "Curtis was a good fellow, wouldn't hurt a fly."
Lance glanced downwards at the stone floor. Of course, Curtis had been his friend. These villagers have lost everything...first, Endermen forced their way into their homes...secondly, their village was destroyed, even though they did nothing wrong...now, one of their own was murdered.
Grant stood up.
"Are you okay, Grant?" Jay asked sympathetically.
He did not respond. Grant turned and sprinted out of the cave. Dealing with what was going on was too much. Grant had lost a friend...and he most likely had gained an enemy as well.
Ch. 3: Targeted
The harsh wind swept through the air. Grant shivered at the mouth of the cave. He could not decipher what was true and what was fiction. Curtis had died in a pool of lava...but was it Cole? It had to be...it was in the vision.
A soft crunching noise came from the cave. Lance emerged from it, followed by the others.
"It's going to be all right," Lance soothed. "We're going to find him...and sort things out. Okay?" Grant did not respond he just continued to stare into the open sea.
Lance put his hand on Grant's shoulder, and guided him along the beach. It was somewhat comforting. Lance led the group over rolling hills and across the stream. Grant did not acknowledge it at all, letting Lance's hand guide him through the night.
As the sun peeked out from over the horizon, the group had emerged in a taiga. The trees were littered with snow, and so was the ground. Grant managed up the strength to walk on his own. An occasional wolf or pig would move out of the way as they came by.
As the group made it onto a high hill, Lance called a rest stop. Grant sat down on the fresh snow, and Frost trotted over to lay on his lap.
Grant closed his eyes, attempting to escape the horrors of the previous night.
He was airborne, soaring through the sky like a jet. Extreme hills whirled by as he hovered around them. Finally, a huge plateau came into view. He shifted his wings, and sailed downwards. Swiftly, he landed on the plateau. Grant suddenly knew what the vision was portraying: the Ender Dragon. Purple dust appeared next to the beast, and seven Endermen appeared. One of them was the leader, Ednar. "Ednar." The Ender Dragon was trying to whisper, but it was more like a roar. "Have you found them?" The Enderman leader grinned. "Yes, Master. They are resting in a taiga clearing. What is your command?" The Ender Dragon took in deep breaths. A growling sound was heard from inside the beast. Finally, the Dragon looked Ednar in the eye and told him. "You shall simply cause the diversions. Do you remember what the diversions are?" Ednar nodded, still grinning. "Good," moaned the Ender Dragon. "Cause the diversions, and then leave the rest to me." In a flash of purple dust, the Endermen vanished. The Ender Dragon gave out a vicious roar, and took off into the sky.
Ch. 4: On Thin Ice
"They found us! They found us!"
The words came out of Grant's mouth before he even opened his eyes. Lance, Kial, and Jay rushed over to him. They could see the panic on Grant's face.
"Who's found us?" Jay asked quickly.
"The Ender Dragon!" Grant spat. "And he's sending Endermen, too. And the Enderman leader!"
Grant began yelling out as much fragmental information as he could. There was no time to lose. They were being hunted, tracked, targeted, whatever you call it.
Grant felt as though the Endermen could strike at any second.
"We have to get out of here," Lance instructed, pulling out his diamond sword as a precaution. Grant held his wooden one. He didn't think a wooden sword would fare well against the most powerful monster in all of Minecraft.
Grant got to his feet, and he and the others sprinted from the hill. They heard an occasional WHOOSH from behind them. Grant knew it had to be the teleporting Endermen. They had found them.
He picked up his pace and pursued Lance down a steep slope.
Below, a frozen pond lay in wait. The slippery ice caused Grant to almost lose his balance. He slipped and skidded across the ice. Jay let out a scream as she tripped and fell to the ground. Kial, Lance, nor the animals seemed to notice.
Grant bent down next to Jay and helped her to her feet.
She was about to thank him when there came a sudden crash from directly behind them. Parts of the ice had shattered, and long tentacles began to lunge out of the water below. Jay screamed in terror, and Grant held her close to him, taunting the mob with his sword.
He suddenly realized that there wasn't just one squid underneath the ice. The ground directly below them began to quake.
"Run!" yelled Grant, pushing Jay away.
Grant was too late to get off the block himself. The ice was flung from the water, Grant along with it. He landed on his front on another hard ice sheet. Grant felt as though his ribs and arm was broken. He simply could not move. Grant saw Jay running over to him.
"Help!" she screamed as another squid erupted out of the water five blocks away.
Grant could hear Lance and Kial rushing back to save them.
"It's an ambush!" Lance was heard shouting, stabbing a quid right in the tentacle. The mob reared, and fell back into the pond.
Grant tried to remember the contents of the vision. Two diversions...
"It's a diversion!" Grant managed to declare. "It's a diversion so the Dragon can attack from behind!"
He must have managed to tell them just in time, for the seven Endermen emerged from the trees, screeching terribly.
Grant could see the leader, two blocks higher than the other Endermen. I need to end this.
He lifted from the ice. Surprisingly, the pain seemed to have vanished. Grant stood up, and faced Ednar.
The Enderman leader laughed.
"Kill them all! But leave the old one to me," he ordered.
Two Endermen charged at each person, except for Lance.
Grant knew he could not win. How could he with just a wooden sword? The Endermen approached Grant. Bravely, he swung his sword.
It didn't even seem to make a dent in the Endermen's strength. They laughed. "Brave one, are you?" one of them scoffed.
The one that had spoken punched his arm foreword. It connected with Grant's jay. Pain refilling itself within him, Grant flew back against the ice. He could hear the Endermen laughing at him. I have got to have something else!
Grant dug his hands into his pocket. Something fell onto the ice. The Eye of Ender.
A green hue emitted out of the Eye. Wonder filled Grant's eyes. The Endermen seemed to back off from the Eye. It was breathtaking.
But this was not the time to marvel over the Eye, for a tremendous roar cut through the air, shaking the ground. The Ender Dragon had arrived.
Ch. 5: Flight of the Ender Dragon
The Endermen retreated into the trees as another roar sounded from above. The sky shifted, and darkness began to cover the land, despite being midday. Fear began to coarse through Grant's veins as a black shape dashed through the air and landed only a few feet away.
The Ender Dragon was enormous, taller than most of the trees. Its skin was jet black, and its intimidating wings began to flap wildly. A marauding snort erupted from the beast's nostrils. Grant felt himself holding onto his sword as tightly as super glue.
The Dragon let loose another roar, and Grant even saw the Endermen being taken aback. For a second, Grant's eyes met with the ones of the beast.
In a voice like thunder, the Ender Dragon spoke. "So, here you are, the ones who have been causing me so much trouble. But now, you look like sheep among wolves."
The Dragon let out a rumbling laugh, that made the trees shake with fear. "Come now, you aren't scared, are you? Fight me, you cowards! What are you waiting for?"
There was stunned silence among the group of humans. Grant didn't dare speak. The Ender Dragon terrified him. "If you will not fight me, I will have to kill you one by one. Now, which one shall I devour first?"
Grant felt his knees wobble. He felt like he should do something. But he resisted that thought. How could he kill the Dragon with a wooden sword?
There was a shuffling from nearby. Lance was heading towards the Dragon.
"Lance, no!" Jay cried from somewhere close by. "Lance, is it?" taunted the Ender Dragon. "You look like a true warrior. What do you say we test your skills against those of the Ender race?"
Grant felt a lump catch in his throat. The tension was too much.
"I will fight!" Lance pronounced.
The Ender Dragon grinned. But Lance was not done speaking yet.
"I will fight, if you let them go!" Lance bargained.
The Ender Dragon erupted in chilling laughter. "Such heroics," remarked the Dragon. "You'd be willing to give up your life for your friends? It's a pity things don't work that way. You shall strike no bargains with me. The only way your friends could stay alive, is if you kill me. And that, my friend, is impossible."
"Don't do it, Lance!" Jay yelled hopelessly.
The Ender Dragon's eyes drifted in her direction. That was all Lance needed. He leaped into the air, and landed on the head of the beast. Snapping back into reality, the Ender Dragon roared.
It swung its enormous head, trying to shake Lance off of him. Keeping his balance, Lance plunged his diamond sword into the Dragon's head. Purple blood shot out of the Ender Dragon's wound and stained the ice.
Lance lost his balance and fell from the beast's head. There was a crack as he landed on the ice.
The Ender Dragon lifted from the air and took flight.
"What are you waiting for?!" it yelled at the Endermen. "Stop them!"
Ednar and his six companions charged from the trees at Grant and the others. Lance scrambled to his feet and charged at the mobs. In an instant, he cut down one of the Endermen. But the other six were one him in an instant. Jay fired an arrow, striking one of the Endermen. After another arrow was fired, the same Enderman went down.
Before Grant knew what was happening, the Endermen all teleported at once. The Ender Dragon swooped downward. Lance did not know what was coming, and was caught off guard when the Ender Dragon scooped him up in its claws.
"No!" Grant yelled.
The diamond sword fell from his friend's clutches. Grant was running. He arrived at where Lance had been and grabbed the sword.
"Help!" came a voice from behind him.
Grant turned. Two Endermen had grabbed hold of Jay. Grant charged, but the mobs teleported before he reached them. Jay...and Lance...gone! "Farewell!" came the roaring voice of the Ender Dragon, as it disappeared from view.
Ch. 6: A Desperate Gamble
Grant ran after the shape of the Ender Dragon. But he knew it was hopeless. In a matter of seconds, the Ender Dragon disappeared from view. Grant slowly halted. Lance and Jay had been kidnapped by the Dragon. Who could he get them back?
Grant turned to find Kial and the animals running towards him.
"This is bad!" Grant said roughly.
Kial came to a stop next to him. "We'll get them back, I promise."
But Kial's promise wasn't good enough. "Can you guess the one place where the Dragon most likely will take them? It's the End, Kial, the End! It's impossible to find them!"
Kial gave him a puzzled look.
"Impossible? It's not impossible if you find the Stronghold."
Despite himself, Grant laughed coldly. "Oh, I didn't know that!" he said sarcastically. "Tell me, Kial! Tell me! How do we find the Stronghold? It can be anywhere underground!"
"It helps when you know where it is," Kial grumbled.
Grant stopped.
"You know where he is?" he asked excitedly. Kial nodded.
"Between Scouting expeditions, I used to check out books of old legends from the library. There was one book containing the knowledge of where the Stronghold is."
Grant's spirits lifted. There was hope after all! He let Kial continue.
"It's in a place in Acuta Rahm," Kial said. "It's called the Well of Souls."
The Well of Souls? For some reason, a chill went down Grant's back. Was it hearing the name, or was it because of the cold temperatures? Either way, the Well of Souls sounded creepy.
"The Well of Souls is supposed to be a haunted mine," Kial told him. Oh, great. A haunted mine. That's just what we need.
"What do you mean 'haunted'?" Grant asked nervously.
Kial explained, "Haunted, meaning: there's a bunch of possessed miners down there." Possessed miners? This keeps getting better and better.
Kial saw the hesitation in Grant's eyes.
"It's our only shot!" Kial said. He has a point.
"I guess so," Grant mumbled. "Is there anything else you know about this 'Well of Souls'?"
Kial told him, "There's an old legend that the water will corrupt you. I don't know if that's true."
"So now we have two precautions: stay away from the water, and watch out for possessed miners. Got it," Grant declared.
"When should we set out?" Kial asked.
"In the morning," Grant decided. "I don't like the idea of being in a haunted mine at night."
"Agreed!" Kial pronounced.
As the midday sun continued to shine down on Minecraftia, the two companions and the animals set out from the taiga on a desperate gamble to save their friends.
Ch. 7: Return to Acuta Rahm
Since there was no place for Grant and Kial to stay, they slept in a snow-covered tree at the edge of the taiga. Grant had Lance's diamond sword at his side. Every time he looked at it, he remembered how he had used it to kill the Head Enderman in the abandoned mineshaft. He smiled widely.
By the time the sun reappeared in the sky, Grant and Kial were already awake.
They picked up their tools and met back on ground level.
Kial spent most of his life in the jungle, so Grant decided to let him lead. They trekked out of the taiga and entered the plains.
Strangely, Grant saw that no animals were anywhere to be found. They must have been scared off by the Ender Dragon.
In fact, there were no mobs either.
Grant decided to lessen his grip on the sword only a little bit. He followed Kial over the countless hills, only stopping once to eat a quick slice of bread.
Things were going smoothly.
Before long, the plains transformed into a beach. The ruins of Clove Wharf appeared in front of them.
"We better search for some boats," Kial declared.
Grant nodded and went to the other side of the village. There was a burnt library and blacksmith building. The only thing Grant could find was a group of scattered sticks and planks. He hurried over to where Kial's position.
They both agreed that constructing their own boats was worth a shot. Grant and Kial went to work, trying to fit the pieces together. In the end, Kial was the first to finish. It took him under five minutes to build the boat. Grant was still trying to build the sides. Kial helped him with the last touches.
Grant loaded his boat with Frost and Kali. Kial took Diamond into his.
It was around noon when they set out into the sea.
"No angry squids this time!" Kial sang.
It took less than a minute to arrive at the base of the jungle.
Grant waited for the animals to leave the boat before he did.
"Do you know where the Well is?" Grant asked.
Kial shook his head. "All I know is that it's in the jungle. I'm sure one of the other villagers knows."
The two of them emerged into the jungle.
The trees took up much of the pathway. Kial guided them around twisty bends and corners, crossing several streams once in a while.
After travelling for only a couple minutes, a portion of the gates appeared. Memories came flooding back to him.
Kial led him into the destroyed village. Villagers were rummaging around, apparently trying to find belongings.
"Kial! Cedric!" came a gleeful voice.
The Chief came running over to them. He wrapped both of them in a tight embrace. "I thought we lost both of you!" the Chief exclaimed. "The rebuilding process is beginning. Do you care to join us?"
Kial shook his head.
"Actually, we aren't staying," Kial confessed. "We need to get to the Well of Souls."
The Chief's face went blank.
"Why would you want to go to that hellhole?" the Chief questioned.
"We need to get to the Stronghold," Grant told him.
"You're not going to the End, are you?" the Chief asked, raising his eyebrows.
Kial began telling him all about the mission.
"I see," the Chief said. "I do not know where the Well of Souls is. But I knew someone who does: Sanche."
"Okay, thanks," Grant declared.
"Anytime," said the Chief with a smile.
Grant and Kial hurried over to the other side of the village, where they found Sanche with two other villagers trying to rebuild a wall.
"Sanche!" Grant said. "We need you to take us to the Well of Souls."
Sanche turned around, his face pale. "Did you say the Well of Souls?" he asked.
Grant and Kial both nodded at the same time.
"Please, we need your help!" Grant pleaded.
Sanche was apparently thinking about the offer. "I will take you," he finally said. Relief filled Grant. But Sanche was still speaking. "But I will not go in. You are on your own once you enter."
"That's fine," Kial declared, nodding his head.
"Come meet me in an hour," Sanche instructed. "I need to finish putting up this wall first."
"We can help you!" Kial butted in.
"That would be great," Sanche commented. "Grab some boards, and let's get to work."
Ch. 8: The Well of Souls
It took half of the time to reconstruct the wall with the help of Grant and Kial than it would've without. Sanche wiped the dust off his hands as he finished placing the wall up.
"Can you take us to the Well of Souls now?" Grant asked.
Sanche nodded. "I don't like it, but I'll do it for you," Sanche told him.
"Thank you," Grant declared.
The three of them (along with the dogs and the cat) set out from the village and into the wild jungle. Just like in the plains, there was no wildlife in sight.
In fact, the jungle had an icy chill to it.
"Have you ever been to the Well of Souls before?" Grant questioned.
Sanche did not look back at him. "Once."
"What was it like?" Kial questioned.
Sanche did not respond immediately. "I do not speak of it."
Grant decided it was not worth questioning him further. They travelled in silence through the jungle. It only took fifteen minutes of walking until they stopped at the mouth of a cave.
"We're here," Sanche told them.
The gaping cave looked menacing. Grant felt the hairs on his neck stand on end.
"Well, thanks," Kial told Sanche, who nodded.
"Good luck," said Sanche, and he ducked back into the jungle.
Grant and Kial glared at the beckoning Well entrance.
"I guess...we should go in now," Kial said quietly.
Grant nodded. But no one moved at first.
Gaining up enough courage, Grant was the first to step into the cavern. The animals looked utterly terrified.
"Should we leave them here?" Grant questioned.
Kial shook his head. Grant nodded and turned back to the cave. Slowly, he began moving down the tunnel. Kial came right behind him. The dogs came down with him, but Kali the cat was stalking down the tunnel cautiously.
The tunnel was filled will a rotten smell, like death. Grant tried to plug his nostrils, but the smell still found a way into his body. They emerged into a small chamber. Torches hung on the dirt walls. There were several deep tunnels leading farther into the Well.
"Which one should we go down?" Grant wondered.
Kial shrugged. "Right is always right," he suggested.
Grant decided to go with his advice. They trekked down the tunnel farthest to the right. Grant could hear a loud moaning noise at the end of the tunnel, along with clinking metal.
"Is that a pickaxe I hear?" Kial asked.
"Yeah!" Grant whispered. "Maybe there's someone else down here."
"Or it could be one of those possessed miners," Kial mumbled.
After heading down a few more blocks, they came to a large room.
Grant could barely see mine rails stretching through the chamber. On the far side of the room, distant figures were slamming pickaxes against stone.
"Don't make a sound," Kial warned.
They travelled through the room in silence. The possessed miners did not seem to notice them. There was another tunnel only a few blocks away.
Grant carefully made his way there.
"Alright, let's get out of here," Kial said in a hushed tone.
Grant turned to go down the tunnel, and tripped. He tumbled down what apparently was a staircase. Each step send pain into him.
Grant landed in a heap at the bottom. Kial and the animals ran down next to him.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Before Grant could answer, there was a hungry moan from behind them. Grant turned to see several possessed miners lumbering down the staircase, their red eyes gleaming.
"Run!" Grant yelled.
He scrambled to his feet. The group sprinted blindly down the tunnel, the possessed miners giving chase. Grant rounded a bend to reveal another chamber.
There were miners in there as well. The undead fiends limped in their direction.
"We're trapped!" Kial screamed.
The possessed miners loomed closer. Grant never felt more terrified. They were about to be killed! That's when he noticed an iron door at the other end of the room.
"Come on!" he ordered to Kial.
They ran away from the lunging miners and made it to the door.
"Where's the lever?" Grant panicked.
The zombified miners were getting closer. Grant and Kial searched the walls, scrambling to find a switch. Grant could feel a decayed hand reaching for him.
"Found it!" Kial yelled.
He pulled the lever, and the iron door opened. Grant ducked away from the miner's grasp and dove headfirst through the door. Kial went after him, the door closing behind him.
The possessed miners were trapped on the other side.
"We made it!" Grant and Kial both said at once.
"We're at the Stronghold," Kial said breathlessly.
There were in a stone brick room, with iron bars on the walls.
"We must be in the jail part of the Stronghold," Grant examined.
"Let's find the End portal and get out of here," Kial told him.
But suddenly, a fleck of purple dust landed on Grant's shoulder. A large, black shape loomed over him. Grant looked up and gasped.
"Well, well, well," said the Enderman leader. "What do we have here?"
Ch. 9: Stronghold
Grant gripped his sword tightly. Ednar loomed over him. It felt as though his menacing eyes were piercing into Grant's soul.
"What a pleasant gathering this is," the Enderman leader pronounced with a sinister grin. "Going to my master's realm, are you?"
"You can't stop us," Kial said boldly, taunting Ednar.
Surprisingly, the Enderman let out a raspy laugh. "Why would I stop you?" Ednar explained. "You're going to die one way or another. I will not deprive my master the opportunity of fresh meat."
Grant wanted to jump at Ednar without a moment's notice. But he held back.
"So, you have a decision to make," Ednar continued. "You either fight me and die, or fight the Dragon and die a rather horrible death. What do you say?"
"We'll take our chances," said Grant.
He plunged his fist into his pocket and pulled out the Ender Eye. The Enderman lunged, and Grant threw the sphere directly at him.
Grant saw surprise in Ednar's face. The Eye flew forward and shot right through the Enderman leader. A gaping hole appeared in his chest. Ednar screamed in pain.
"You shall perish for this!" he shouted, and teleported away.
Kial was speechless.
"Come on, let's find the portal before he comes back," Grant urged.
The two humans and the animals sprinted down the twisting passageways of the Stronghold. A moaning came from another room, signaling a zombie was nearby.
"Let's not fight any mobs, okay?" Kial commented.
Grant led him into a small room. A stairwell led downwards into darkness. "I don't like this," Kial mumbled.
An arrow suddenly embedded itself in the wall inches away from Grant's head. A skeleton was loading another arrow into its bow.
"We have no choice," Grant said quickly, and ran rapidly down the stone brick stairs.
They emerged in a small hallway. There were two passageways. "Go right!" Grant decided, and they took the right path.
He passed a fountain and found a lit-up corridor.
"I think this is it!" Grant said.
He rounded the corner and entered a large room. Sure enough, an already opened portal loomed before them.
Grant suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg. He jumped into the air and looked down. A small creature scurried away behind a block.
"Silverfish!" Kial howled.
He tried desperately to beat two of the small devils with his sword, but kept missing. "We have to hurry to the portal!" Grant exclaimed.
Kial finally managed to kill one of the beasts. He ran towards the portal. Grant ran to join him. But a zombie suddenly came to view, blocking Grant's path.
Grant easily beat it with his diamond sword. But by the time, the zombie was defeated, Kial was already in the portal. Grant was about to jump in when he heard the familiar sound of an arrow being released from a bow.
He tried to block the speeding weapon, but it was already too late. The arrow stuck itself right through Grant's chest.
He felt lifeless....at peace.
Grant knew he was dead the second his body fell inside the portal.
Ch. 10: The End
"No!"
Kial fell to his knees at the sight of Grant's body. Blood poured from the wound from the arrow protruding from Grant's chest.
"Please," he cried, tears flowing from his eyes, "don't be dead."
But it was too late to change that. He was dead.
Kial looked around for the animals, but they were nowhere to be seen. He was alone. Kial examined the blank scene around him.
End Stone stretched as far as the eye could see. At the edge of the horizon, a tall hill stretched higher than most trees would. A soft chill swept through the air. So this is the End, Kial thought.
He turned back to his dead friend. Grant's eyes were wide-open, which made it all the more horrifying to look at his body.
Kial tried to hold back the stinging tears. He tried to stand, but his knees buckled, and he fell back to the ground.
A loud whisper suddenly cut through the air. Kial looked up to see dark shapes coming towards him. Fear struck him. Kial dove and grabbed the diamond sword out of Grant's white hands.
There had to be about five Endermen coming towards him. Kial managed to get to his feet. If they want to fight, I'll fight.
One of the mobs let out a frightening shriek. Kial bravely took a step forward. The Endermen were less than ten blocks away now.
"What do you want?" Kial yelled. "Stay away from me!"
The Endermen did not react at first. They just stared at him with their violet slit eyes. Finally, one of them spoke. "We shall not harm you, puny human. Master has been awaiting your arrival. You shall come with us now, and the Ender Dragon shall decide your fate."
Kial did not know how to react. Should he fight, or go with them?
"Fine," he said through clenched teeth.
One of the Endermen stalked closer. Kial thought he was going to strike. But the Enderman went around him to examine Grant's carcass.
The Enderman stretched out a hand, and pulled the arrow out of Grant's chest. Kial hoped for a reaction, a sign that he was still alive. But there was none. The Enderman gently lifted the body off of the ground. The Endermen began heading away, towards the End Stone mountain. Kial sucked in a deep breath. I can't fight the Dragon on my own.
Kial turned and began following the Endermen, awaiting his demise.
****
Where am I?
Grant got to his feet. He was in a blank room. All that he could see was white. It was like being inside a blank canvas. Grant took a step forward. The movement echoed throughout the room.
"Hello?"
The only response Grant got was from the echo.
Grant took another step forward. He began to walk, walk through the room of nothing. It was strange.
"Kial?" Grant asked.
There was no reply. But then, Grant could see something: a hill....made out of End Stone. And there was Kial! Five Endermen were around him, guiding him through the landscape. One of the Endermen was holding something...a body....his body.
Kial and his captors began moving down the hill. Large structures came into view. They were obsidian pillars. The place where the Ender Dragon resides.
Grant watched in surprise as the group arrived. There was the Dragon, perched on a bed of bedrock. But the monster wasn't alone. Lance and Jay were tied up to the bedrock.
"It's about time you joined the party," roared the Dragon. "We were beginning to believe you gave up. What happened to your friend over there?"
The Enderman dropped Grant's carcass onto the ground. Disbelief entered Lance's face. Jay looked like she was about to cry.
"Now, how should we do this?" the Ender Dragon asked. "Who is going to fight me?"
"How about all three of us," Kial challenged, his face pale.
The Ender Dragon erupted in laughter. "You all wish to die? That's fine by me," the Ender Dragon spat. No, Grant thought. I must not let them die.
Suddenly, Grant was no longer in a blank room. He was piled on the floor. Amazed, he sprang to his feet. "You're alive?!" the Ender Dragon growled in surprise.
Grant tried to control his balance. "Yeah, I am," Grant said. "But when I'm done with you, you won't!"
The Ender Dragon laughed again.
Anger swelled inside of Grant. "Kial, the sword!" Grant yelled.
Instantly, Kial tossed the diamond sword. Grant caught it. The Ender Dragon roared. Determination filling him, Grant charged at the Dragon.
Ch. 11: Pillars of Fate
The Ender Dragon took off into the sky before Grant could get close enough. It hovered above him, letting out a murderous roar. Grant quickly turned to his captive friends.
Steadily, he cut the ropes binding them. The Dragon roared in fury once again.
"Look out!" Jay screamed.
A ball of acid sprayed out of the Dragon's mouth. Grant, Jay, and Lance dove out of the way in the nick of time.
"Where's your bow?" Grant asked Jay.
"I don't know," Jay confessed. "I think some Endermen put it on one of the pillars."
Grant looked up at the towering structures. "I'll get it for you," Grant told her.
He charged towards one of the pillars. "But how are you going to get up there?" Lance hollered.
Grant smiled. He had a brilliant plan.
The Ender Dragon looked down at him and shot forward. This was what Grant was hoping for. When the beast got close enough, Grant jumped into the air. He landed on top of the Dragon. The Ender Dragon roared in frustration and soared back into the air.
Grant hung on tightly. Wait for it....wait for it....
The Ender Dragon soared past two of the pillars. There was no bow in sight. They past another one. Grant saw the weapon with several arrows next to the crystal.
The Ender Dragon swept right next to the pillar. Grant jumped from the Dragon's back, his arms flailing. The pillar seemed too far away. He wasn't going to make it.
Grant stretched out his arms. They caught onto the edge of the pillar. Grant released his breath. Trying to use his strength, Grant began pulling himself onto the obsidian. He heard another roar from the Ender Dragon below. He picked up the bow and the arrows. Before he left, he made sure to load an arrow into the bow and shoot the crystal.
There was a sudden explosion as the crystal shattered. Grant flew backwards. He was falling from the pillar. Please don't die again...
He was going to smash into the pillar right next to the one he was on. Grant thought quickly, and grabbed onto the obsidian. He felt himself sliding downwards.
Before Grant knew it, he was back on ground level. He ran over to Jay. "Shoot down the crystals," he instructed.
Jay nodded and fitted an arrow into the bow. The Ender Dragon swooped towards them. Grant quickly dove out of the way. Kial and Lance ran over to him.
"What about the ones with the iron bars?" Kial asked.
Panic swept through Grant. He was right. There was no way to get them. Suddenly, there was an enormous explosion. The five Endermen that had escorted Kial flew backwards. A figure was standing in the wake, holding a red colored sword.
"Cole?!"
His old friend stepped forward. Cole did not respond. He aimed the Redstone Sword at a pillar and threw it. Grant watched in amazement as the sword shot through the iron bars and hit the crystal. The sword came spiraling back to Cole, who caught it.
Jay had apparently destroyed the regular crystals. There was only one left. Cole did the same thing he did with the first crystal. As the last one exploded, the Ender Dragon howled in rage.
Cole clenched his teeth and charged. The Ender Dragon swooped towards him.
"I need it!" Grant heard Cole shout as he plunged the sword into the Dragon.
There was an enormous rupture in the End. Grant flew backwards into the air, and crashed on the ground. Groaning, he pulled himself to the ground.
Cole was standing on a large, black pile: the remains of the Ender Dragon.
Ch. 12: The Ender Gem
Grant rushed forward. He stopped a few blocks away from the dead Dragon, shock still covering his face. Cole had a grim smile on his face.
He hopped down from the black remains and stepped towards Grant.
"I--" But Grant couldn't find the right words to say. Cole was still clutching the sword tightly. "You did it!" Grant managed to say. "We've won. That was amazing."
"Save it," Cole said roughly. "It's not over yet."
Kial, Jay, and Lance ran over to them.
"What do you mean?" Grant asked.
Cole dug his hands into his pocket and held out a purple jewel.
"The Ender Gem!" Lance said breathlessly. "I thought it was destroyed!"
Cole began pacing, still holding onto the sword. "Do you remember how you have to need the Redstone Sword for it to work?" Grant nodded. "The Book of the Ancient Craft works the same way. I took it before we left for the jungle, you know, just in case we needed it. Well, after you had disappeared, I began studying the book. I stumbled across the page on the Ender Gem. I became interested in it. Every time I looked at it, I thought o myself: I need to know more. And then, a hidden message popped up, a crafting recipe. It told me how to make the Ender Gem. It's quite simply actually: four Emeralds, a Potion of Healing, and a very special Eye of Ender."
"So that's why you went to Curtis for the Emeralds!" Grant butted in.
Cole gave him a devilish smile. "Yes, Curtis was too much of a fool to resist me. I snuck away from the jungle and went back to Clove Wharf. I persuaded him to help me. But in order to get the Emeralds, it would take weeks. So, I decided that I needed to work on the Potion. I snuck away from the jungle a second time, and discovered a witch's hut. She agreed to help me, and gave me a Potion of Healing for only eight ingots. After I stormed away from Lance's house, I went back to Clove Wharf. The villager gave me the Emeralds hesitantly. But he suddenly came to his senses and tried to stop me. So I killed him."
Grant already knew that this was true, but he felt horrible even more.
"All I needed was that Ender Eye. I searched and searched, but never found it. That was, of course, until I found it in the Stronghold," Cole told him.
Grant gulped. It was him that left the Ender Eye there. It was all his fault.
"And so, I formed the Ender Gem," Cole finished. "With it, we can resurrect the Ender Dragon, so it can do our bidding!"
Lance stepped forward. "Fool! Haven't I taught you anything? The Ender Dragon obeys no one!"
"Shut up, old man!" Cole sneered. "You cannot stop me."
"The Dragon will kill you like it did to Cedric!" Lance yelled.
"Enough!" Cole roared. "Do not make me kill you!" What had happened to him? He's a monster!
"Cole, stop!" Jay pleaded. "You don't have to do this!"
"Watch me!" Cole shouted back.
He extended his arm to tap the Gem. At once, Lance lunged forward. Cole pulled out the Redstone Sword and screamed, "I need it!"
Instantly, Lance was thrown back, landing hardly on the ground. Grant ran over to him. It can't be. He's...dead!
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Grant exclaimed.
"If you are not with me, you are against me!" Cole screamed, his eyes turning dark.
Hatred swelled inside Grant. Cole had been his friend. Now, he's killed the best warrior Grant had ever known.
Grant looked Cole in the eyes, and shouted: "I need it!"
Instantly, the Redstone Sword flew out of Cole's hands. Grant caught it swiftly. Cole screamed in protest. "It's time to end this, Cole!" Grant proclaimed.
Cole tapped the Ender Gem three times. A light began to shine out of it. The Ender Dragon was coming back...
Grant charged at Cole. He sliced the sword at the Gem, and it shattered into pieces. Cole fell backwards, howling in rage.
"It's over, Cole!" Grant spat. "It is time I--"
Suddenly, a gnawing pain entered Grant's leg. He fell backwards, the Redstone Sword flying from his grip. Grant looked in surprise to see Cole's dog, Diamond, biting him fiercely.
"Get off!" Grant yelled, trying to kick the dog off of him.
Suddenly, another dog jumped forward and tackled Diamond to the ground. "Frost!" Grant exclaimed.
Cole screamed.
"Damn you and your stupid dog!" Cole yelled.
Grant got to his feet. The Redstone Sword was still lying on the ground. Grant lunged for it. In an instant, Cole was on top of him, beating him with his fist.
Grant could feel his nose crack, and blood begin to gush down his face. Kial charged forward and tackled Cole, knocking him to the ground.
"Get the sword!" he said in a muffled voice.
Grant ran towards the weapon. Cole pushed Kial away and ran in-between Grant and the sword. He was stuck with no way out.
"Any last words?" Cole asked menacingly.
"Yeah, three!" Grant responded.
Cole gave him a startled look.
Quickly, Grant shouted: "I NEED IT!"
The Redstone Sword flew from the ground. Grant watched in horror, yet triumph, as the sword protruded from Cole's chest.
Blood spattered the End Stone. Agony filled Cole's face as he fell to the ground. Cole is dead. It's all over.
Grant fell backwards onto the ground.
To him, this was not a defeat, nor a victory. It was somewhere in the middle.
Cole and the Ender Dragon had been killed. But on the other hand, Lance was dead.
Grant suddenly felt the world spin. He was being transported...out of the End. Suddenly, the world stopped spinning, and all Grant could see was black.
Ch. 13: The Creator
When Grant came too, he realized he was in a large room. Large screens were planted on long tables throughout the room. A central mainframe hung from the wall, displaying an image of extreme hills.
Grant stood up and stretched, wondering where he was.
At once, a man approached him. He had a bald head, but had a black goatee.
"How are you feeling?" the man asked soothingly.
"I can't say," Grant told him. "Confused, I guess."
The man nodded. "Understandable." He brought over two blue chairs. Grant sat down in one of them. The man sat in the other. "You are in the Studio, the main control room for the generation of Minecraft."
Grant didn't know what to say. The main control room for the generation of Minecraft...
"Who are you?" Grant asked.
The man said, "Some refer to me as The Creator, but my real name is Notch." Wow, he was actually talking to the creator of Minecraft.
"Why am I here?" Grant questioned.
Notch leaned back in his chair. "You are here because your mission is complete. The Ender Dragon's power has been vanquished."
"So, what do I do now?" Grant asked, tapping his finger on the arm of the chair.
Notch eased back in his chair. "You can stay, or you can go home," he said plainly. Home? For so long, he had forgotten about his home in the real world. Grant didn't know what to say. He was ready to return to his home, get his life going again. But after all he had been through... Grant thought of Jay and Kial, his only surviving friends.
"I--I think I'll stay," Grant finally told Notch.
"If that is your decision," said The Creator. "I believe I shall expect great things from you."
Grant smiled.
"Farewell," said Notch.
***
Before Grant knew it, he was standing in a room, his room in Lance's old house. He was peering out the window, watching the sun peek out from the horizon. It was morning.
Grant heard his door open. He turned to see Jay standing in the doorway.
"There you are!" she declared. "We've been looking for you."
Kial followed Jay into the room.
"We've got work to do," Kial said plainly.
Grant looked confused. "What work?"
"The other items in the Ancient Craft of course!" Jay told him. Oh yeah...The Potion of Influence, The Flare Bow, The Obsidian Armor, the Seed of Chaos...
"How are we supposed to find them?" Grant asked.
"That's the fun part, isn't it?" Kial said with a smile.
Grant couldn't help but smile back. "Let's go get some breakfast," said Jay.
Grant nodded and followed his friends out the doorway.
You have reached the end of the story. Hooray! Thank you for following this story from the beginning. There are still two more books to come. I hope you check them out as well. I shall begin working on the sequel, "A World of Chaos" starting on Saturday most likely. For now...farewell. ~~The Creator (of this book)
BTW: Check out my other post: MineFic Hub to see other great fan fictions including Apocalypse, Cubic Fire, and The Rise and Demise of a Man Named "X"!
Chapter 9 has been released. I am so excited that the end of the book is almost here! Keep reading. There's a whole lot of action coming up in the final chapters.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
8/6/2012
Posts:
247
Location:
Behind.... a screen...
Minecraft:
Synaxin
Member Details
Hmm, interesting, more so then I thought, well, I'll say that I'll wait for the next book, hopefully you can learn from any mistakes you made and make the next one better.
Hmm, interesting, more so then I thought, well, I'll say that I'll wait for the next book, hopefully you can learn from any mistakes you made and make the next one better.
~SD
(You'll find out what that means later.)
Agreed, it ended off a lot better than i thought it would.
Hmm, interesting, more so then I thought, well, I'll say that I'll wait for the next book, hopefully you can learn from any mistakes you made and make the next one better.
This is just an example of what you could do:
Also, endermen drop ender pearls, not Eyes of Ender
If you want to talk privately, click me...
The Enderman had an Eye of Ender in his possession at the time. I see what you mean, though. I'll take your thoughts into consideration. Thanks for the feedback.
PART 3: The Dragon's Wrath
Ch. 1: Visions in the Night
Running through a mucky swamp was not Grant's idea of fun, especially when you expect an Enderman to appear in front of you at any second. Having to wade through deep, disgusting water was even worse.
It must have been the greatest moment of Grant's life when Lance called a rest stop.
Grant slumped against a tree. "What's the plan now?" Kial pressed. "We're stuck in a stupid swamp with nothing to do."
"We have two problems on our hands," Jay said. "We have to find a way to stop the Ender Dragon and find Cole."
"I agree with the first thing, but why do we have to go after that creep?" Kial questioned.
"He is not a creep!" Jay said with disgust.
"That's enough!" Lance finished. "Jay's right. We have to find our friend, but our top priority is fighting the End. In order to gain our strength, I suggest that we get some sleep. I'll take first watch. Kial, I'll wake you up in three hours. You'll wake up Grant three hours later. Jay will take the last watch. Everyone agree?"
Grant nodded. He slid onto the ground and closed his eyes. For twenty minutes, Grant struggled to fall asleep. It seemed impossible to fall asleep in a living swamp. But Grant found himself slipping into a deep sleep in no time.
A destroyed village loomed at the edge of an ocean. Grant recognized it immediately as Clove Wharf. Over a hill loomed an intimidating cave. A figure was slipping through the dark plains towards the cave. The figure was Cole. Cole looked around anxiously, and then slinked into the cave. The sound of dripping water was the only thing heard. Cole travelled downward down the chamber. A pit of lava awaited him. Cole smiled devilishly as he shimmied across a small walkway. A figure was slumped against the wall, a small pool of blood around him.
"Get up you worthless pile of bones," Cole growled, kicking the villager.
The villager groaned in pain, and fell onto the stone floor. He looked up at Cole.
"What do you want?" he questioned.
"You know what I want, Curtis," Cole snapped. "Do you have the Emeralds or not?"
Curtis groaned again. He was weak. "I do," he gasped.
"Then give them to me!" Cole yelled, giving Curtis another hard kick.
Curtis fell back and tumbled down a few blocks. Cole loomed over them. "Why should I?" Curtis challenged.
"Because if you don't, I'll kill you," Cole roared.
Curtis looked horrified. He dug his hands in his pockets and pulled out four Emeralds. "Thank you," Cole said a little irritably.
"I can't let you do this," Curtis said.
"You dare oppose me?" Cole questioned. "I would've let you free, but I guess not."
Cole unsheathed his weapon: the Redstone Sword. Desperately, Curtis lunged at Cole. Cole swung the sword, and with a powerful blast, Curtis flew backwards into the bubbling lava. His agonizing screams for mercy meant nothing to Cole. He watched the villager literally melt in the churning lava. A thin smile spread across Cole's face.
The scene changed. There was a stone brick room. In the center was a hollow void, gaping widely. Endermen were everywhere. One of them was taller than the others, almost five blocks tall. He approached the portal and grinned. The Enderman leader turned to face the others.
"El'mech, Emer, bring forth the ingredients," he ordered.
Two Endermen stepped forward. One was carrying an Ender Pearl, the other a Potion of Strength. The first threw the Pearl inside the void. The portal bubbled. Then, the second Enderman poured the contents of the potion inside. A sickening belch was heard from inside the portal, almost as if it was alive.
The Enderman leader approached the portal and began to chant.
"Master, the gateway has been opened. In a world filled with corruption and deceit, you will lead the peoples to success. You will rule them purely and gratefully. Your enemies shall be conquered by your superior force. Master, I summon you! I summon you to come to this world. I summon you to lead us to the greater good!"
The portal shuddered, and a deep roar erupted from within it. A clawed foot emerged from the portal, followed by another. In a matter of seconds, the Ender Dragon appeared inside the Stronghold.
"Finally!" it roared. "Minecraftia has a new leader, a leader more powerful than ever before. You have done well Ednar." The Enderman leader bowed. "Prepare the army. It is time to show the locals who is the greatest of them all."
Grant awoke suddenly. The Ender Dragon had arrived in the Overworld.
Thoughts continued to race through Grant's mind. The Dragon is coming. What are we going to do? He'll destroy all of Minecraftia!
But a darker thought entered Grant's brain. Cole, he's....a murderer, a villain! It cannot be true, it can't be. It must have been fake. Yeah, it wasn't really real. Grant felt another part of him biting at him. It has to be true. It is true. Cole has turned evil.
Grant would not believe it. Someone he thought was his friend....a killer! A few tears trickled down from his eyelids. Grant could barely see a figure coming towards him in the dark.
"Good, you're awake," Kial said calmly. "It's time for you to take watch."
Before Grant knew what he was doing, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. "COLE! HE'S--HE'S AT CLOVE WHARF! HE'S AT CLOVE WHARF!"
Lance and Jay woke up with a start.
"What the hell are you screaming about?" Lance questioned grumpily.
"Cole's at Clove Wharf!" Grant exclaimed, trying to control himself. "He--He killed someone...a villager!"
Fresh tears began to pour down his cheek. Lance hobbled over to him.
"What? Why do you say so?" Lance asked soothingly.
"I saw it in a dream," Grant cried. "A vision!"
Lance looked like he was hit by a brick wall. His face turned pale. "He have to get to Clove Wharf," he said quietly. "Now!"
Before Grant knew it, they were dashing through the marsh, the swamp vanishing behind them. They were back in the plains now, running at the speed of light. Grant was in front, nearly twenty blocks ahead of the others. He didn't want to believe it. He hoped it was all his imagination.
Faster! Faster!
Grant barely heard the desperate calls from Lance to slow down. He had to get to Clove Wharf. The plains soon were gone. He was now running through the desert. Grant didn't need directions to tell where he was going...the route seemed to flow through him the farther he went.
Lance, Jay, Kial, Kali, Diamond, and Frost were now specks in the distance. The sea came into view in a matter of seconds. Eventually, the full Wharf was in sight. There was no village, for it was burned to ashes in the beginning of the war.
I need to find the cave...the cave!
Grant rushed up a pair of views, and there it was. The darkened cave was sitting inside a hill. To Grant, walking inside felt like walking into Hell itself.
The stone pathway led downward to the pool of lava. He turned to the right, just like Cole had. There were two villagers gathered around the lava's edge, looking down at a severely burned carcass. Curtis.
The villagers were sobbing deeply. Grant knew it was true. Cole, his friend, had murdered Curtis the villager.
Grant collapsed on his knees and sobbed into his hands. He heard footsteps running behind him. Lance, Jay, Kial, and the pets had arrived. Lance put his hand on Grant's shoulder. The villagers turned at saw them.
"Tragic, it is," one villager said, trying to hold back the tears. "Curtis was a good fellow, wouldn't hurt a fly."
Lance glanced downwards at the stone floor. Of course, Curtis had been his friend.
These villagers have lost everything...first, Endermen forced their way into their homes...secondly, their village was destroyed, even though they did nothing wrong...now, one of their own was murdered.
Grant stood up.
"Are you okay, Grant?" Jay asked sympathetically.
He did not respond. Grant turned and sprinted out of the cave. Dealing with what was going on was too much. Grant had lost a friend...and he most likely had gained an enemy as well.
The harsh wind swept through the air. Grant shivered at the mouth of the cave. He could not decipher what was true and what was fiction.
Curtis had died in a pool of lava...but was it Cole? It had to be...it was in the vision.
A soft crunching noise came from the cave. Lance emerged from it, followed by the others.
"It's going to be all right," Lance soothed. "We're going to find him...and sort things out. Okay?" Grant did not respond he just continued to stare into the open sea.
Lance put his hand on Grant's shoulder, and guided him along the beach. It was somewhat comforting. Lance led the group over rolling hills and across the stream. Grant did not acknowledge it at all, letting Lance's hand guide him through the night.
As the sun peeked out from over the horizon, the group had emerged in a taiga. The trees were littered with snow, and so was the ground. Grant managed up the strength to walk on his own. An occasional wolf or pig would move out of the way as they came by.
As the group made it onto a high hill, Lance called a rest stop. Grant sat down on the fresh snow, and Frost trotted over to lay on his lap.
Grant closed his eyes, attempting to escape the horrors of the previous night.
He was airborne, soaring through the sky like a jet. Extreme hills whirled by as he hovered around them. Finally, a huge plateau came into view. He shifted his wings, and sailed downwards. Swiftly, he landed on the plateau.
Grant suddenly knew what the vision was portraying: the Ender Dragon. Purple dust appeared next to the beast, and seven Endermen appeared. One of them was the leader, Ednar.
"Ednar." The Ender Dragon was trying to whisper, but it was more like a roar. "Have you found them?"
The Enderman leader grinned. "Yes, Master. They are resting in a taiga clearing. What is your command?"
The Ender Dragon took in deep breaths. A growling sound was heard from inside the beast. Finally, the Dragon looked Ednar in the eye and told him.
"You shall simply cause the diversions. Do you remember what the diversions are?"
Ednar nodded, still grinning.
"Good," moaned the Ender Dragon. "Cause the diversions, and then leave the rest to me."
In a flash of purple dust, the Endermen vanished. The Ender Dragon gave out a vicious roar, and took off into the sky.
"They found us! They found us!"
The words came out of Grant's mouth before he even opened his eyes. Lance, Kial, and Jay rushed over to him. They could see the panic on Grant's face.
"Who's found us?" Jay asked quickly.
"The Ender Dragon!" Grant spat. "And he's sending Endermen, too. And the Enderman leader!"
Grant began yelling out as much fragmental information as he could. There was no time to lose. They were being hunted, tracked, targeted, whatever you call it.
Grant felt as though the Endermen could strike at any second.
"We have to get out of here," Lance instructed, pulling out his diamond sword as a precaution. Grant held his wooden one. He didn't think a wooden sword would fare well against the most powerful monster in all of Minecraft.
Grant got to his feet, and he and the others sprinted from the hill. They heard an occasional WHOOSH from behind them. Grant knew it had to be the teleporting Endermen. They had found them.
He picked up his pace and pursued Lance down a steep slope.
Below, a frozen pond lay in wait. The slippery ice caused Grant to almost lose his balance. He slipped and skidded across the ice. Jay let out a scream as she tripped and fell to the ground. Kial, Lance, nor the animals seemed to notice.
Grant bent down next to Jay and helped her to her feet.
She was about to thank him when there came a sudden crash from directly behind them. Parts of the ice had shattered, and long tentacles began to lunge out of the water below. Jay screamed in terror, and Grant held her close to him, taunting the mob with his sword.
He suddenly realized that there wasn't just one squid underneath the ice. The ground directly below them began to quake.
"Run!" yelled Grant, pushing Jay away.
Grant was too late to get off the block himself. The ice was flung from the water, Grant along with it. He landed on his front on another hard ice sheet. Grant felt as though his ribs and arm was broken. He simply could not move. Grant saw Jay running over to him.
"Help!" she screamed as another squid erupted out of the water five blocks away.
Grant could hear Lance and Kial rushing back to save them.
"It's an ambush!" Lance was heard shouting, stabbing a quid right in the tentacle. The mob reared, and fell back into the pond.
Grant tried to remember the contents of the vision. Two diversions...
"It's a diversion!" Grant managed to declare. "It's a diversion so the Dragon can attack from behind!"
He must have managed to tell them just in time, for the seven Endermen emerged from the trees, screeching terribly.
Grant could see the leader, two blocks higher than the other Endermen. I need to end this.
He lifted from the ice. Surprisingly, the pain seemed to have vanished. Grant stood up, and faced Ednar.
The Enderman leader laughed.
"Kill them all! But leave the old one to me," he ordered.
Two Endermen charged at each person, except for Lance.
Grant knew he could not win. How could he with just a wooden sword? The Endermen approached Grant. Bravely, he swung his sword.
It didn't even seem to make a dent in the Endermen's strength. They laughed.
"Brave one, are you?" one of them scoffed.
The one that had spoken punched his arm foreword. It connected with Grant's jay. Pain refilling itself within him, Grant flew back against the ice. He could hear the Endermen laughing at him. I have got to have something else!
Grant dug his hands into his pocket. Something fell onto the ice. The Eye of Ender.
A green hue emitted out of the Eye. Wonder filled Grant's eyes. The Endermen seemed to back off from the Eye. It was breathtaking.
But this was not the time to marvel over the Eye, for a tremendous roar cut through the air, shaking the ground. The Ender Dragon had arrived.
The Endermen retreated into the trees as another roar sounded from above. The sky shifted, and darkness began to cover the land, despite being midday. Fear began to coarse through Grant's veins as a black shape dashed through the air and landed only a few feet away.
The Ender Dragon was enormous, taller than most of the trees. Its skin was jet black, and its intimidating wings began to flap wildly. A marauding snort erupted from the beast's nostrils. Grant felt himself holding onto his sword as tightly as super glue.
The Dragon let loose another roar, and Grant even saw the Endermen being taken aback. For a second, Grant's eyes met with the ones of the beast.
In a voice like thunder, the Ender Dragon spoke.
"So, here you are, the ones who have been causing me so much trouble. But now, you look like sheep among wolves."
The Dragon let out a rumbling laugh, that made the trees shake with fear.
"Come now, you aren't scared, are you? Fight me, you cowards! What are you waiting for?"
There was stunned silence among the group of humans. Grant didn't dare speak. The Ender Dragon terrified him.
"If you will not fight me, I will have to kill you one by one. Now, which one shall I devour first?"
Grant felt his knees wobble. He felt like he should do something. But he resisted that thought. How could he kill the Dragon with a wooden sword?
There was a shuffling from nearby. Lance was heading towards the Dragon.
"Lance, no!" Jay cried from somewhere close by.
"Lance, is it?" taunted the Ender Dragon. "You look like a true warrior. What do you say we test your skills against those of the Ender race?"
Grant felt a lump catch in his throat. The tension was too much.
"I will fight!" Lance pronounced.
The Ender Dragon grinned. But Lance was not done speaking yet.
"I will fight, if you let them go!" Lance bargained.
The Ender Dragon erupted in chilling laughter.
"Such heroics," remarked the Dragon. "You'd be willing to give up your life for your friends? It's a pity things don't work that way. You shall strike no bargains with me. The only way your friends could stay alive, is if you kill me. And that, my friend, is impossible."
"Don't do it, Lance!" Jay yelled hopelessly.
The Ender Dragon's eyes drifted in her direction. That was all Lance needed. He leaped into the air, and landed on the head of the beast. Snapping back into reality, the Ender Dragon roared.
It swung its enormous head, trying to shake Lance off of him. Keeping his balance, Lance plunged his diamond sword into the Dragon's head. Purple blood shot out of the Ender Dragon's wound and stained the ice.
Lance lost his balance and fell from the beast's head. There was a crack as he landed on the ice.
The Ender Dragon lifted from the air and took flight.
"What are you waiting for?!" it yelled at the Endermen. "Stop them!"
Ednar and his six companions charged from the trees at Grant and the others. Lance scrambled to his feet and charged at the mobs. In an instant, he cut down one of the Endermen. But the other six were one him in an instant. Jay fired an arrow, striking one of the Endermen. After another arrow was fired, the same Enderman went down.
Before Grant knew what was happening, the Endermen all teleported at once. The Ender Dragon swooped downward. Lance did not know what was coming, and was caught off guard when the Ender Dragon scooped him up in its claws.
"No!" Grant yelled.
The diamond sword fell from his friend's clutches. Grant was running. He arrived at where Lance had been and grabbed the sword.
"Help!" came a voice from behind him.
Grant turned. Two Endermen had grabbed hold of Jay. Grant charged, but the mobs teleported before he reached them. Jay...and Lance...gone!
"Farewell!" came the roaring voice of the Ender Dragon, as it disappeared from view.
Grant ran after the shape of the Ender Dragon. But he knew it was hopeless. In a matter of seconds, the Ender Dragon disappeared from view. Grant slowly halted. Lance and Jay had been kidnapped by the Dragon. Who could he get them back?
Grant turned to find Kial and the animals running towards him.
"This is bad!" Grant said roughly.
Kial came to a stop next to him. "We'll get them back, I promise."
But Kial's promise wasn't good enough. "Can you guess the one place where the Dragon most likely will take them? It's the End, Kial, the End! It's impossible to find them!"
Kial gave him a puzzled look.
"Impossible? It's not impossible if you find the Stronghold."
Despite himself, Grant laughed coldly. "Oh, I didn't know that!" he said sarcastically. "Tell me, Kial! Tell me! How do we find the Stronghold? It can be anywhere underground!"
"It helps when you know where it is," Kial grumbled.
Grant stopped.
"You know where he is?" he asked excitedly. Kial nodded.
"Between Scouting expeditions, I used to check out books of old legends from the library. There was one book containing the knowledge of where the Stronghold is."
Grant's spirits lifted. There was hope after all! He let Kial continue.
"It's in a place in Acuta Rahm," Kial said. "It's called the Well of Souls."
The Well of Souls? For some reason, a chill went down Grant's back. Was it hearing the name, or was it because of the cold temperatures? Either way, the Well of Souls sounded creepy.
"The Well of Souls is supposed to be a haunted mine," Kial told him.
Oh, great. A haunted mine. That's just what we need.
"What do you mean 'haunted'?" Grant asked nervously.
Kial explained, "Haunted, meaning: there's a bunch of possessed miners down there."
Possessed miners? This keeps getting better and better.
Kial saw the hesitation in Grant's eyes.
"It's our only shot!" Kial said.
He has a point.
"I guess so," Grant mumbled. "Is there anything else you know about this 'Well of Souls'?"
Kial told him, "There's an old legend that the water will corrupt you. I don't know if that's true."
"So now we have two precautions: stay away from the water, and watch out for possessed miners. Got it," Grant declared.
"When should we set out?" Kial asked.
"In the morning," Grant decided. "I don't like the idea of being in a haunted mine at night."
"Agreed!" Kial pronounced.
As the midday sun continued to shine down on Minecraftia, the two companions and the animals set out from the taiga on a desperate gamble to save their friends.
Since there was no place for Grant and Kial to stay, they slept in a snow-covered tree at the edge of the taiga. Grant had Lance's diamond sword at his side. Every time he looked at it, he remembered how he had used it to kill the Head Enderman in the abandoned mineshaft. He smiled widely.
By the time the sun reappeared in the sky, Grant and Kial were already awake.
They picked up their tools and met back on ground level.
Kial spent most of his life in the jungle, so Grant decided to let him lead. They trekked out of the taiga and entered the plains.
Strangely, Grant saw that no animals were anywhere to be found. They must have been scared off by the Ender Dragon.
In fact, there were no mobs either.
Grant decided to lessen his grip on the sword only a little bit. He followed Kial over the countless hills, only stopping once to eat a quick slice of bread.
Things were going smoothly.
Before long, the plains transformed into a beach. The ruins of Clove Wharf appeared in front of them.
"We better search for some boats," Kial declared.
Grant nodded and went to the other side of the village. There was a burnt library and blacksmith building. The only thing Grant could find was a group of scattered sticks and planks. He hurried over to where Kial's position.
They both agreed that constructing their own boats was worth a shot. Grant and Kial went to work, trying to fit the pieces together. In the end, Kial was the first to finish. It took him under five minutes to build the boat. Grant was still trying to build the sides. Kial helped him with the last touches.
Grant loaded his boat with Frost and Kali. Kial took Diamond into his.
It was around noon when they set out into the sea.
"No angry squids this time!" Kial sang.
It took less than a minute to arrive at the base of the jungle.
Grant waited for the animals to leave the boat before he did.
"Do you know where the Well is?" Grant asked.
Kial shook his head. "All I know is that it's in the jungle. I'm sure one of the other villagers knows."
The two of them emerged into the jungle.
The trees took up much of the pathway. Kial guided them around twisty bends and corners, crossing several streams once in a while.
After travelling for only a couple minutes, a portion of the gates appeared. Memories came flooding back to him.
Kial led him into the destroyed village. Villagers were rummaging around, apparently trying to find belongings.
"Kial! Cedric!" came a gleeful voice.
The Chief came running over to them. He wrapped both of them in a tight embrace. "I thought we lost both of you!" the Chief exclaimed. "The rebuilding process is beginning. Do you care to join us?"
Kial shook his head.
"Actually, we aren't staying," Kial confessed. "We need to get to the Well of Souls."
The Chief's face went blank.
"Why would you want to go to that hellhole?" the Chief questioned.
"We need to get to the Stronghold," Grant told him.
"You're not going to the End, are you?" the Chief asked, raising his eyebrows.
Kial began telling him all about the mission.
"I see," the Chief said. "I do not know where the Well of Souls is. But I knew someone who does: Sanche."
"Okay, thanks," Grant declared.
"Anytime," said the Chief with a smile.
Grant and Kial hurried over to the other side of the village, where they found Sanche with two other villagers trying to rebuild a wall.
"Sanche!" Grant said. "We need you to take us to the Well of Souls."
Sanche turned around, his face pale. "Did you say the Well of Souls?" he asked.
Grant and Kial both nodded at the same time.
"Please, we need your help!" Grant pleaded.
Sanche was apparently thinking about the offer. "I will take you," he finally said. Relief filled Grant. But Sanche was still speaking. "But I will not go in. You are on your own once you enter."
"That's fine," Kial declared, nodding his head.
"Come meet me in an hour," Sanche instructed. "I need to finish putting up this wall first."
"We can help you!" Kial butted in.
"That would be great," Sanche commented. "Grab some boards, and let's get to work."
It took half of the time to reconstruct the wall with the help of Grant and Kial than it would've without. Sanche wiped the dust off his hands as he finished placing the wall up.
"Can you take us to the Well of Souls now?" Grant asked.
Sanche nodded. "I don't like it, but I'll do it for you," Sanche told him.
"Thank you," Grant declared.
The three of them (along with the dogs and the cat) set out from the village and into the wild jungle. Just like in the plains, there was no wildlife in sight.
In fact, the jungle had an icy chill to it.
"Have you ever been to the Well of Souls before?" Grant questioned.
Sanche did not look back at him. "Once."
"What was it like?" Kial questioned.
Sanche did not respond immediately. "I do not speak of it."
Grant decided it was not worth questioning him further. They travelled in silence through the jungle. It only took fifteen minutes of walking until they stopped at the mouth of a cave.
"We're here," Sanche told them.
The gaping cave looked menacing. Grant felt the hairs on his neck stand on end.
"Well, thanks," Kial told Sanche, who nodded.
"Good luck," said Sanche, and he ducked back into the jungle.
Grant and Kial glared at the beckoning Well entrance.
"I guess...we should go in now," Kial said quietly.
Grant nodded. But no one moved at first.
Gaining up enough courage, Grant was the first to step into the cavern. The animals looked utterly terrified.
"Should we leave them here?" Grant questioned.
Kial shook his head. Grant nodded and turned back to the cave. Slowly, he began moving down the tunnel. Kial came right behind him. The dogs came down with him, but Kali the cat was stalking down the tunnel cautiously.
The tunnel was filled will a rotten smell, like death. Grant tried to plug his nostrils, but the smell still found a way into his body. They emerged into a small chamber. Torches hung on the dirt walls. There were several deep tunnels leading farther into the Well.
"Which one should we go down?" Grant wondered.
Kial shrugged. "Right is always right," he suggested.
Grant decided to go with his advice. They trekked down the tunnel farthest to the right. Grant could hear a loud moaning noise at the end of the tunnel, along with clinking metal.
"Is that a pickaxe I hear?" Kial asked.
"Yeah!" Grant whispered. "Maybe there's someone else down here."
"Or it could be one of those possessed miners," Kial mumbled.
After heading down a few more blocks, they came to a large room.
Grant could barely see mine rails stretching through the chamber. On the far side of the room, distant figures were slamming pickaxes against stone.
"Don't make a sound," Kial warned.
They travelled through the room in silence. The possessed miners did not seem to notice them. There was another tunnel only a few blocks away.
Grant carefully made his way there.
"Alright, let's get out of here," Kial said in a hushed tone.
Grant turned to go down the tunnel, and tripped. He tumbled down what apparently was a staircase. Each step send pain into him.
Grant landed in a heap at the bottom. Kial and the animals ran down next to him.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Before Grant could answer, there was a hungry moan from behind them. Grant turned to see several possessed miners lumbering down the staircase, their red eyes gleaming.
"Run!" Grant yelled.
He scrambled to his feet. The group sprinted blindly down the tunnel, the possessed miners giving chase. Grant rounded a bend to reveal another chamber.
There were miners in there as well. The undead fiends limped in their direction.
"We're trapped!" Kial screamed.
The possessed miners loomed closer. Grant never felt more terrified. They were about to be killed! That's when he noticed an iron door at the other end of the room.
"Come on!" he ordered to Kial.
They ran away from the lunging miners and made it to the door.
"Where's the lever?" Grant panicked.
The zombified miners were getting closer. Grant and Kial searched the walls, scrambling to find a switch. Grant could feel a decayed hand reaching for him.
"Found it!" Kial yelled.
He pulled the lever, and the iron door opened. Grant ducked away from the miner's grasp and dove headfirst through the door. Kial went after him, the door closing behind him.
The possessed miners were trapped on the other side.
"We made it!" Grant and Kial both said at once.
"We're at the Stronghold," Kial said breathlessly.
There were in a stone brick room, with iron bars on the walls.
"We must be in the jail part of the Stronghold," Grant examined.
"Let's find the End portal and get out of here," Kial told him.
But suddenly, a fleck of purple dust landed on Grant's shoulder. A large, black shape loomed over him. Grant looked up and gasped.
"Well, well, well," said the Enderman leader. "What do we have here?"
Grant gripped his sword tightly. Ednar loomed over him. It felt as though his menacing eyes were piercing into Grant's soul.
"What a pleasant gathering this is," the Enderman leader pronounced with a sinister grin. "Going to my master's realm, are you?"
"You can't stop us," Kial said boldly, taunting Ednar.
Surprisingly, the Enderman let out a raspy laugh. "Why would I stop you?" Ednar explained. "You're going to die one way or another. I will not deprive my master the opportunity of fresh meat."
Grant wanted to jump at Ednar without a moment's notice. But he held back.
"So, you have a decision to make," Ednar continued. "You either fight me and die, or fight the Dragon and die a rather horrible death. What do you say?"
"We'll take our chances," said Grant.
He plunged his fist into his pocket and pulled out the Ender Eye. The Enderman lunged, and Grant threw the sphere directly at him.
Grant saw surprise in Ednar's face. The Eye flew forward and shot right through the Enderman leader. A gaping hole appeared in his chest. Ednar screamed in pain.
"You shall perish for this!" he shouted, and teleported away.
Kial was speechless.
"Come on, let's find the portal before he comes back," Grant urged.
The two humans and the animals sprinted down the twisting passageways of the Stronghold. A moaning came from another room, signaling a zombie was nearby.
"Let's not fight any mobs, okay?" Kial commented.
Grant led him into a small room. A stairwell led downwards into darkness. "I don't like this," Kial mumbled.
An arrow suddenly embedded itself in the wall inches away from Grant's head. A skeleton was loading another arrow into its bow.
"We have no choice," Grant said quickly, and ran rapidly down the stone brick stairs.
They emerged in a small hallway. There were two passageways. "Go right!" Grant decided, and they took the right path.
He passed a fountain and found a lit-up corridor.
"I think this is it!" Grant said.
He rounded the corner and entered a large room. Sure enough, an already opened portal loomed before them.
Grant suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg. He jumped into the air and looked down. A small creature scurried away behind a block.
"Silverfish!" Kial howled.
He tried desperately to beat two of the small devils with his sword, but kept missing. "We have to hurry to the portal!" Grant exclaimed.
Kial finally managed to kill one of the beasts. He ran towards the portal. Grant ran to join him. But a zombie suddenly came to view, blocking Grant's path.
Grant easily beat it with his diamond sword. But by the time, the zombie was defeated, Kial was already in the portal. Grant was about to jump in when he heard the familiar sound of an arrow being released from a bow.
He tried to block the speeding weapon, but it was already too late. The arrow stuck itself right through Grant's chest.
He felt lifeless....at peace.
Grant knew he was dead the second his body fell inside the portal.
"No!"
Kial fell to his knees at the sight of Grant's body. Blood poured from the wound from the arrow protruding from Grant's chest.
"Please," he cried, tears flowing from his eyes, "don't be dead."
But it was too late to change that. He was dead.
Kial looked around for the animals, but they were nowhere to be seen. He was alone. Kial examined the blank scene around him.
End Stone stretched as far as the eye could see. At the edge of the horizon, a tall hill stretched higher than most trees would. A soft chill swept through the air.
So this is the End, Kial thought.
He turned back to his dead friend. Grant's eyes were wide-open, which made it all the more horrifying to look at his body.
Kial tried to hold back the stinging tears. He tried to stand, but his knees buckled, and he fell back to the ground.
A loud whisper suddenly cut through the air. Kial looked up to see dark shapes coming towards him. Fear struck him. Kial dove and grabbed the diamond sword out of Grant's white hands.
There had to be about five Endermen coming towards him. Kial managed to get to his feet. If they want to fight, I'll fight.
One of the mobs let out a frightening shriek. Kial bravely took a step forward. The Endermen were less than ten blocks away now.
"What do you want?" Kial yelled. "Stay away from me!"
The Endermen did not react at first. They just stared at him with their violet slit eyes. Finally, one of them spoke.
"We shall not harm you, puny human. Master has been awaiting your arrival. You shall come with us now, and the Ender Dragon shall decide your fate."
Kial did not know how to react. Should he fight, or go with them?
"Fine," he said through clenched teeth.
One of the Endermen stalked closer. Kial thought he was going to strike. But the Enderman went around him to examine Grant's carcass.
The Enderman stretched out a hand, and pulled the arrow out of Grant's chest. Kial hoped for a reaction, a sign that he was still alive. But there was none. The Enderman gently lifted the body off of the ground. The Endermen began heading away, towards the End Stone mountain. Kial sucked in a deep breath. I can't fight the Dragon on my own.
Kial turned and began following the Endermen, awaiting his demise.
****
Where am I?
Grant got to his feet. He was in a blank room. All that he could see was white. It was like being inside a blank canvas. Grant took a step forward. The movement echoed throughout the room.
"Hello?"
The only response Grant got was from the echo.
Grant took another step forward. He began to walk, walk through the room of nothing. It was strange.
"Kial?" Grant asked.
There was no reply. But then, Grant could see something: a hill....made out of End Stone. And there was Kial! Five Endermen were around him, guiding him through the landscape. One of the Endermen was holding something...a body....his body.
Kial and his captors began moving down the hill. Large structures came into view. They were obsidian pillars. The place where the Ender Dragon resides.
Grant watched in surprise as the group arrived. There was the Dragon, perched on a bed of bedrock. But the monster wasn't alone. Lance and Jay were tied up to the bedrock.
"It's about time you joined the party," roared the Dragon. "We were beginning to believe you gave up. What happened to your friend over there?"
The Enderman dropped Grant's carcass onto the ground. Disbelief entered Lance's face. Jay looked like she was about to cry.
"Now, how should we do this?" the Ender Dragon asked. "Who is going to fight me?"
"How about all three of us," Kial challenged, his face pale.
The Ender Dragon erupted in laughter. "You all wish to die? That's fine by me," the Ender Dragon spat.
No, Grant thought. I must not let them die.
Suddenly, Grant was no longer in a blank room. He was piled on the floor. Amazed, he sprang to his feet. "You're alive?!" the Ender Dragon growled in surprise.
Grant tried to control his balance. "Yeah, I am," Grant said. "But when I'm done with you, you won't!"
The Ender Dragon laughed again.
Anger swelled inside of Grant. "Kial, the sword!" Grant yelled.
Instantly, Kial tossed the diamond sword. Grant caught it. The Ender Dragon roared. Determination filling him, Grant charged at the Dragon.
The Ender Dragon took off into the sky before Grant could get close enough. It hovered above him, letting out a murderous roar. Grant quickly turned to his captive friends.
Steadily, he cut the ropes binding them. The Dragon roared in fury once again.
"Look out!" Jay screamed.
A ball of acid sprayed out of the Dragon's mouth. Grant, Jay, and Lance dove out of the way in the nick of time.
"Where's your bow?" Grant asked Jay.
"I don't know," Jay confessed. "I think some Endermen put it on one of the pillars."
Grant looked up at the towering structures. "I'll get it for you," Grant told her.
He charged towards one of the pillars. "But how are you going to get up there?" Lance hollered.
Grant smiled. He had a brilliant plan.
The Ender Dragon looked down at him and shot forward. This was what Grant was hoping for. When the beast got close enough, Grant jumped into the air. He landed on top of the Dragon. The Ender Dragon roared in frustration and soared back into the air.
Grant hung on tightly.
Wait for it....wait for it....
The Ender Dragon soared past two of the pillars. There was no bow in sight. They past another one. Grant saw the weapon with several arrows next to the crystal.
The Ender Dragon swept right next to the pillar. Grant jumped from the Dragon's back, his arms flailing. The pillar seemed too far away. He wasn't going to make it.
Grant stretched out his arms. They caught onto the edge of the pillar. Grant released his breath. Trying to use his strength, Grant began pulling himself onto the obsidian. He heard another roar from the Ender Dragon below. He picked up the bow and the arrows. Before he left, he made sure to load an arrow into the bow and shoot the crystal.
There was a sudden explosion as the crystal shattered. Grant flew backwards. He was falling from the pillar. Please don't die again...
He was going to smash into the pillar right next to the one he was on. Grant thought quickly, and grabbed onto the obsidian. He felt himself sliding downwards.
Before Grant knew it, he was back on ground level. He ran over to Jay. "Shoot down the crystals," he instructed.
Jay nodded and fitted an arrow into the bow. The Ender Dragon swooped towards them. Grant quickly dove out of the way. Kial and Lance ran over to him.
"What about the ones with the iron bars?" Kial asked.
Panic swept through Grant. He was right. There was no way to get them. Suddenly, there was an enormous explosion. The five Endermen that had escorted Kial flew backwards. A figure was standing in the wake, holding a red colored sword.
"Cole?!"
His old friend stepped forward. Cole did not respond. He aimed the Redstone Sword at a pillar and threw it. Grant watched in amazement as the sword shot through the iron bars and hit the crystal. The sword came spiraling back to Cole, who caught it.
Jay had apparently destroyed the regular crystals. There was only one left. Cole did the same thing he did with the first crystal. As the last one exploded, the Ender Dragon howled in rage.
Cole clenched his teeth and charged. The Ender Dragon swooped towards him.
"I need it!" Grant heard Cole shout as he plunged the sword into the Dragon.
There was an enormous rupture in the End. Grant flew backwards into the air, and crashed on the ground. Groaning, he pulled himself to the ground.
Cole was standing on a large, black pile: the remains of the Ender Dragon.
Grant rushed forward. He stopped a few blocks away from the dead Dragon, shock still covering his face. Cole had a grim smile on his face.
He hopped down from the black remains and stepped towards Grant.
"I--" But Grant couldn't find the right words to say. Cole was still clutching the sword tightly. "You did it!" Grant managed to say. "We've won. That was amazing."
"Save it," Cole said roughly. "It's not over yet."
Kial, Jay, and Lance ran over to them.
"What do you mean?" Grant asked.
Cole dug his hands into his pocket and held out a purple jewel.
"The Ender Gem!" Lance said breathlessly. "I thought it was destroyed!"
Cole began pacing, still holding onto the sword. "Do you remember how you have to need the Redstone Sword for it to work?" Grant nodded. "The Book of the Ancient Craft works the same way. I took it before we left for the jungle, you know, just in case we needed it. Well, after you had disappeared, I began studying the book. I stumbled across the page on the Ender Gem. I became interested in it. Every time I looked at it, I thought o myself: I need to know more. And then, a hidden message popped up, a crafting recipe. It told me how to make the Ender Gem. It's quite simply actually: four Emeralds, a Potion of Healing, and a very special Eye of Ender."
"So that's why you went to Curtis for the Emeralds!" Grant butted in.
Cole gave him a devilish smile. "Yes, Curtis was too much of a fool to resist me. I snuck away from the jungle and went back to Clove Wharf. I persuaded him to help me. But in order to get the Emeralds, it would take weeks. So, I decided that I needed to work on the Potion. I snuck away from the jungle a second time, and discovered a witch's hut. She agreed to help me, and gave me a Potion of Healing for only eight ingots. After I stormed away from Lance's house, I went back to Clove Wharf. The villager gave me the Emeralds hesitantly. But he suddenly came to his senses and tried to stop me. So I killed him."
Grant already knew that this was true, but he felt horrible even more.
"All I needed was that Ender Eye. I searched and searched, but never found it. That was, of course, until I found it in the Stronghold," Cole told him.
Grant gulped. It was him that left the Ender Eye there. It was all his fault.
"And so, I formed the Ender Gem," Cole finished. "With it, we can resurrect the Ender Dragon, so it can do our bidding!"
Lance stepped forward. "Fool! Haven't I taught you anything? The Ender Dragon obeys no one!"
"Shut up, old man!" Cole sneered. "You cannot stop me."
"The Dragon will kill you like it did to Cedric!" Lance yelled.
"Enough!" Cole roared. "Do not make me kill you!"
What had happened to him? He's a monster!
"Cole, stop!" Jay pleaded. "You don't have to do this!"
"Watch me!" Cole shouted back.
He extended his arm to tap the Gem. At once, Lance lunged forward. Cole pulled out the Redstone Sword and screamed, "I need it!"
Instantly, Lance was thrown back, landing hardly on the ground. Grant ran over to him. It can't be. He's...dead!
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Grant exclaimed.
"If you are not with me, you are against me!" Cole screamed, his eyes turning dark.
Hatred swelled inside Grant. Cole had been his friend. Now, he's killed the best warrior Grant had ever known.
Grant looked Cole in the eyes, and shouted: "I need it!"
Instantly, the Redstone Sword flew out of Cole's hands. Grant caught it swiftly. Cole screamed in protest. "It's time to end this, Cole!" Grant proclaimed.
Cole tapped the Ender Gem three times. A light began to shine out of it. The Ender Dragon was coming back...
Grant charged at Cole. He sliced the sword at the Gem, and it shattered into pieces. Cole fell backwards, howling in rage.
"It's over, Cole!" Grant spat. "It is time I--"
Suddenly, a gnawing pain entered Grant's leg. He fell backwards, the Redstone Sword flying from his grip. Grant looked in surprise to see Cole's dog, Diamond, biting him fiercely.
"Get off!" Grant yelled, trying to kick the dog off of him.
Suddenly, another dog jumped forward and tackled Diamond to the ground. "Frost!" Grant exclaimed.
Cole screamed.
"Damn you and your stupid dog!" Cole yelled.
Grant got to his feet. The Redstone Sword was still lying on the ground. Grant lunged for it. In an instant, Cole was on top of him, beating him with his fist.
Grant could feel his nose crack, and blood begin to gush down his face. Kial charged forward and tackled Cole, knocking him to the ground.
"Get the sword!" he said in a muffled voice.
Grant ran towards the weapon. Cole pushed Kial away and ran in-between Grant and the sword. He was stuck with no way out.
"Any last words?" Cole asked menacingly.
"Yeah, three!" Grant responded.
Cole gave him a startled look.
Quickly, Grant shouted: "I NEED IT!"
The Redstone Sword flew from the ground. Grant watched in horror, yet triumph, as the sword protruded from Cole's chest.
Blood spattered the End Stone. Agony filled Cole's face as he fell to the ground. Cole is dead. It's all over.
Grant fell backwards onto the ground.
To him, this was not a defeat, nor a victory. It was somewhere in the middle.
Cole and the Ender Dragon had been killed. But on the other hand, Lance was dead.
Grant suddenly felt the world spin. He was being transported...out of the End. Suddenly, the world stopped spinning, and all Grant could see was black.
When Grant came too, he realized he was in a large room. Large screens were planted on long tables throughout the room. A central mainframe hung from the wall, displaying an image of extreme hills.
Grant stood up and stretched, wondering where he was.
At once, a man approached him. He had a bald head, but had a black goatee.
"How are you feeling?" the man asked soothingly.
"I can't say," Grant told him. "Confused, I guess."
The man nodded. "Understandable." He brought over two blue chairs. Grant sat down in one of them. The man sat in the other. "You are in the Studio, the main control room for the generation of Minecraft."
Grant didn't know what to say. The main control room for the generation of Minecraft...
"Who are you?" Grant asked.
The man said, "Some refer to me as The Creator, but my real name is Notch."
Wow, he was actually talking to the creator of Minecraft.
"Why am I here?" Grant questioned.
Notch leaned back in his chair. "You are here because your mission is complete. The Ender Dragon's power has been vanquished."
"So, what do I do now?" Grant asked, tapping his finger on the arm of the chair.
Notch eased back in his chair. "You can stay, or you can go home," he said plainly.
Home? For so long, he had forgotten about his home in the real world. Grant didn't know what to say. He was ready to return to his home, get his life going again. But after all he had been through... Grant thought of Jay and Kial, his only surviving friends.
"I--I think I'll stay," Grant finally told Notch.
"If that is your decision," said The Creator. "I believe I shall expect great things from you."
Grant smiled.
"Farewell," said Notch.
***
Before Grant knew it, he was standing in a room, his room in Lance's old house. He was peering out the window, watching the sun peek out from the horizon. It was morning.
Grant heard his door open. He turned to see Jay standing in the doorway.
"There you are!" she declared. "We've been looking for you."
Kial followed Jay into the room.
"We've got work to do," Kial said plainly.
Grant looked confused. "What work?"
"The other items in the Ancient Craft of course!" Jay told him.
Oh yeah...The Potion of Influence, The Flare Bow, The Obsidian Armor, the Seed of Chaos...
"How are we supposed to find them?" Grant asked.
"That's the fun part, isn't it?" Kial said with a smile.
Grant couldn't help but smile back. "Let's go get some breakfast," said Jay.
Grant nodded and followed his friends out the doorway.
You have reached the end of the story. Hooray! Thank you for following this story from the beginning. There are still two more books to come. I hope you check them out as well. I shall begin working on the sequel, "A World of Chaos" starting on Saturday most likely. For now...farewell.
~~The Creator (of this book)
BTW: Check out my other post: MineFic Hub to see other great fan fictions including Apocalypse, Cubic Fire, and The Rise and Demise of a Man Named "X"!
Stay tuned.
Will Grant save his friends and slay the Ender Dragon?
Comment your thoughts!
~~DreadMage
The sequel, "A World of Chaos" will make its starting release on 7/13/13. Please post your thoughts on this book. Thank you for reading. ~DM
~SD
(You'll find out what that means later.)
*Insert signature here*
Awesome story!
Thanks, guys! That means a lot!
Hooray! 1 UP this post if you agree that it deserves to be there if you wish.
NEWS: I am done with 5 chapters in A World of Chaos! I am done with 2 chapters in Eternal! If you haven't read them, check them out.