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Just don't scroll too far, here be dragons...

Anyone get the reference? No? Okay...

2/13/16

Chapter 7 is up, and, again, sorry for the weird issue. I'll try to solve it as soon as I can, but again, I'm a busy guy. Anyways, enjoy this chapter. Also, an announcement: I have official joined FFDN! *scattered applause* So, if you like Pokémon, you should go check out the other story I'm working on, which can be found in the link above.

2/27/16

I have some bad news.

Please take note that either way I have no intention of abandoning this story, and feel that rewriting it could improve on the characters and concepts already introduced, as well as adding new ones. So, it is very important that you vote on the poll I will be adding.

Should I rewrite the Minecraft Origins series (Please note that this would mean I stop working on Enderborn for the time being)?

Edit: Poll is up.

6/6/16

Eh, rewrites are cancelled for the time being. Might as well finish what I've already started, no? Next chapter will be up sometime soon, probably after I release the next chapter of Pokemon Legends on FFDN. Special thanks to KMandy for helping me get my head back in the game

Hello, I'm TurtleMaster217. But please, call me Turtle, because, honestly, who (other than me) has the time to type out the full thing? I'm so excited to be writing Enderborn. So far, all of my other stories have gained a surprising amount of attention (who would've thought that I would have people like Kmandy and Asanetargoss inviting me to join the Convergence?), and this book is my favorite in the series! Prepare for a much longer read, and a darker one at that too...don't worry, I'll still have some of that signature Turtle humor

Now, for some random Q&As that I totally didn't make up...leave your own questions in the comments below!

Q: Why was the Turtle/Lyra relationship more rushed than Twilight (lol don't sue me)

A: There's a reason for that...don't worry, everything has a reason in this story, even if it seems that there are a lot of things I didn't think through...I have

Q: Will any of the Youtuber cameos have a bigger role in the story?

A: Nope. Although, expect references to the Convergence at any time.

Q: I'm hungry.

A: Me too.

The Castle

The sky was dark and cloudy, signs that a storm would be coming soon. Cold winter air blew through the forest, and frost coated the ground and trees. A doe crossed over the grass pathway, and its fawn bounded after it, tripping over itself. The wolves would love it here.

The castle must’ve taken forever to construct. It was about 500 square blocks, for starters, and had multiple floors. Its stone brick walls were fresh, lacking in moss, and there were no signs of cracks anywhere. The inside was just as magnificent, sporting red carpeted floors and beautiful blue stained glass windows. Torches burned in iron brackets that lined the walls.

Notch must’ve had big visions for this place.

Although the inside was mostly empty at the moment, Risser had spotted a few people she recognized. Chase, a strong but silent warrior she had met in Jeb’s City, was sitting on a bench in the entrance hall reading a book. Dinnerbone was in conversation with a girl she didn’t know. So far, she seemed to be the only hero from the prophecy that had shown up. That changed soon when Proto walked through the large oak doors with Vanessa.

“Hey, Risser!” he called. He had ditched his normal red armor, and now sported spiky hair and a cloak. “Long time no see!”

“‘Sup,” she replied. “Anyone else on their way?”

“Warnado said something about fighting a group of demon worshippers, but he should be-”

“HEY GUYS!” Warnado screamed, appearing in the entrance hall in a puff of smoke. He looked the same as always, with his hood up and a bag over his shoulder that was glowing and making strange noises.

“Always one to make an entrance, Warnado,” Vanessa muttered.

“What have you guys been doing since the Queen Creeper’s death?” Risser asked. “I’ve been working on tracking Herobrine, but I haven’t made much progress…”

“Proto and I have been working on improving Proto’s control over the Witherband,” Vanessa said. “He’s been getting better. At least he isn’t hearing voices anymore.”

One look at Proto’s face made Risser realize that wasn’t entirely true.

“I’ve been opening more interdimensional wormholes!” Warnado exclaimed.

“Of course,” Risser said. “Have any of you seen Kilster or Turtle?”

“I heard Kilster was helping Jeb reconstruct his kingdom. As for Turtle, I haven’t heard from him since the city,” Vanessa replied, frowning.

“He’s probably off grieving for Lyra,” Warnado said, rolling his eyes.

“There’s no shame in that!” Vanessa replied defensively. “You saw how Proto was when I-”

“Let’s not talk about that, okay?” Proto sighed.

Risser frowned. “If anyone knew where he was, it would be you, Proto. You’re his best friend.”

“I honestly have no clue.”

“Oh well,” Risser shrugged. “Hopefully he got the invitation.”

“He did.”

Dinnerbone had stop conversing with the girl, and, noticing the newcomers, walked over to greet them. He was looking a lot cleaner today than how he looked in the sewers back at Jeb’s Kingdom and City. His beard was neatly trimmed, and his usual white coat was freshly cleaned, but he still sported his normal black fedora. He smiled at the group.

“I delivered it to him personally, seeing as anyone else might throw him off. You guys were off doing your own thing, Samantha might make matters worse, Chase is still as silent as ever, and Dravven and him don’t get along too well.”

“When will he be here?” Vanessa asked.

“At the most, a couple hours. Jeb just contacted me, saying that him and Kilster were on their way. Notch should be here-”

“Sir!”

A guy wearing all red, including a strange wrestling mask, ran up to Dinnerbone. “Preparations are almost complete, although I think I spilled some Speed II potion by the Brewery-”

“I’ll clean that up when I’m finished here, Junkboy. Is the dining hall all set up?”

“I’ll get someone on that right away!” the wrestling guy scurried off again.

“Junkboy, clumsy as always…” Dinnerbone muttered. “Anyways, did you all get here okay? No run-ins with any hostile creatures?”

“I fought demon worshippers!” Warnado exclaimed. “But I started that fight, and they can’t be considered creatures anymore, because I used my greatest power on them-”

Risser raised her eyebrows.

“Here, watch, I learned this spell from Wizard Guy a while ago!” He made a noise, this time sounding like a dying elephant, and a desk and vase nearby transformed and collapsed into a pile of sand.

“That’s…great!” Dinnerbone said, straining his voice.

Kilster and Jeb’s arrival became a great change of subject.

“‘Sup, Killy?” Proto asked.

Kilster frowned. “Killy? Who do you think you are?”

“How’s reconstruction going?” Dinnerbone asked Jeb.

Jeb shifted uneasily. Last time he had met with Risser and the others, it had ended with a rocket launch to a strange green moon and a robotic assassin with an unquenchable thirst for death. Not a happy memory.

“Um, they’re going fine. I’m hoping to be finished by beginning of January.”

“Great news! It’ll be good to have the old kingdom back, eh?”

“Uh...yeah.”

“Alright, I gotta go clean up some Speed II potion that Junkboy spilled, I’ll see y’all in the dining hall!” Dinnerbone strolled off to a corridor to left.

Jeb shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, about before…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Proto said with a wave of his hand. “What’s past is past, right?”

Lost

What’s past is past.

But Turtle couldn’t remember most of his past.

He sat on the bed he hadn’t seen in over a year, looking around the dilapidated cabin. He had no idea who built it, or how he came to awake in the bed he was now sitting on so long ago. Proto’s battle with the Wither seemed like forever ago, and Warnado’s fight with the Basilisk, when Turtle had lost his arm…

Yet, that wasn’t the only thing Turtle had lost. During Kilster’s fight with the Queen Creeper on the Green Moon, Lyra had died, and it had been his fault. If he hadn’t ignited his stupid golden sword that clearly brought doom upon those you cared about most, she wouldn’t have died.

As his thoughts wandered, Turtle perked up. Herobrine.

It had always been him. He had brought together a group of the most vile, wicked creatures of Minecraftia, almost destroyed the Overworld, succeeded in killing Vanessa (who had been resurrected through the use of the Clock Powder), and created Entity 303. Herobrine’s creation, of course, had been brought about by the failed cloning of Steve by the Lich over 40 years ago. However, seeing as the Lich was now under Herobrine’s control, he couldn’t truly be blamed. It was always Him.

Turtle got off the bed and stretched. Drawing his bow, Frostwing, he walked through the oak front door into the chilly winter air. The cold, of course, didn’t bother him, for he was the master of the Element of Ice. He looked over at Jeb’s almost-finished kingdom, but didn’t smile. He hadn’t smiled for quite a while now.

He walked around to the back of the cabin and was about to head into the forest when a familiar voice called his name.

“Turtle!”

He turned to find Samantha running towards him, her black hair billowing in the wind. His heart skipped about four beats as he saw her again. Then he wondered why his heart skipped four beats, got mad at his heart for deciding to skip any beats, then felt guilty because of Lyra.

Wow. Turtle was a lot worse at life than he previously thought.

“Uh, hi,” Turtle said nervously. “Good to see you.”

“You too! You’re looking pretty good-”

Was that a compliment?

“-considering...well...you know.”

Oh.

“Um, yeah. You too.”

Samantha was being a lot kinder to Turtle than usual. She seemed really happy about something, and Turtle couldn’t help smiling too, until he thought of something.

Was she jealous of Lyra?

“Are you headed to the castle too?”

Turtle nodded slowly, mind whirling.

“Oh cool! We can go together then!”

Alone time with Samantha. Turtle wasn’t sure that was such a good thing. Luckily, Samantha noticed where Turtle had emerged from, and before she could conceal it, Turtle saw a flick of...what, confusion?...on her face.

“Oh. This is where I…” Turtle hesitated. “spawned.”

Samantha looked really close to revealing something, but once again stopped short. “Cool.”

He hadn’t spawned here. Samantha has definitely known him for longer than his memory allowed him to remember.

“Shall we go, then?” Turtle asked in a strained voice.

“Um...sure.”

Walking through the forest with her again reminded Turtle of the time he had obtained the Ring of Light, which had saved...part of his arm. They had both gotten to see the ongoing construction of the Warriors of Light’s headquarters, which, according to Dinnerbone, was finished. It had been just the two of them, until they had been greeted by-

No, Turtle told himself firmly. Don’t dwell on the past.

“You okay?” Samantha asked, noticing that Turtle had clenched both of his fists. She reached out and touched his arm, something she had never done before (once again, at least not in his memory), and Turtle instinctively pulled away. Samantha stopped.

“It’s Lyra, isn’t it?”

Turtle hesitated. “Yeah, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

She stared into his eyes. “You can’t hold in your sadness in forever.”

He stared back. “I won’t. But now’s not the time.”

She nodded, and they continued.

Branches and leaves crunched underfoot as they followed the grass path towards the elven city. An owl looked down on the two from a birch tree, blinking once. Turtle shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to say something to break the silence, but he couldn’t think of anything.

“So...how’s life?”

That was about the stupidest question anyone could’ve ever asked.

“It’s good,” Samantha said, nodding. “You?”

“Could be better,” Turtle replied, shrugging. “I haven’t had much to do since Herobrine’s disappearance.”

“Me neither,” Samantha said glumly. “We should’ve hung out, maybe spent some time tracking him.”

And here was the proposal for more alone time.

“Yeah.”

Luckily Turtle didn’t have to say anything else; they had arrived.

Gathering and Plans

Warnado looked around the dining hall. Wooden tables were set up here and there, covered with blue tablecloths and sporting white-wax candles. Each table seated eight, and plates, bowls, and silverware were set up at each spot. A podium stood in the back, and there were three doors leading out of the hall; the one which Warnado had just come through, and two on either side of the room.

“I think we should sit-”

Warnado strode over to a table towards the center of the room, ignoring Proto and taking off his backpack as he went. He placed it delicately on the floor, then sat in the nearest chair. Shrugging, Proto, Vanessa, Kilster, and Risser followed.

“So,” Risser asked. “What’s in the bag?”

“The souls of the unworthy.”

“Oh.”

The group made small talk around the table, watching as others filed in through the large oak doors. Eventually Turtle entered, talking nervously with Samantha. He spotted the group and walked over, choosing a seat in between Warnado and Proto.

Dravven waved Samantha over. “Bye, Turtle!”

“See ya,” Turtle replied, not looking at her.

“Don’t say it,” Vanessa warned as Warnado opened his mouth to say something.

“How have you been?” Risser asked.

“Okay,” Turtle responded, looking down at his plate. It was obvious he was lying. “You?”

“Terrible,” Warnado replied, cutting off Risser. “They’re taking too long to bring out the food.” He snapped his fingers, and a taco appeared in his hand. “Perfect.”

“I think a better question is,” Kilster continued as if there was no interruption, “where have you been?”

“I’ve been-” Turtle hesitated. “-looking. For Herobrine.”

“None of us have had any luck,” Risser said sadly. “It’s like he just...disappeared.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Proto shrugged. “He has lots of powers that none of us possess. Even Notch-”

“Someone say my name?”

Everyone looked towards the door to find the eldest brother of Dinnerbone and Jeb striding through the entrance, looking pleased with himself. His black beard was neatly trimmed, although his head was still bald. He was wearing a brown shirt and grey pants (nothing new there) and carried a diamond sword. He sat down at Warnado’s table.

“You guys are pleased, no? It took a lot of work to build this castle, now that Herobrine has cancelled out Creative Mode.”

“Speaking of him, do you know where he is?” Kilster asked.

“There’s been no sign of him, and it’s worrying me.” Notch stroked his beard thoughtfully. “In fact, there has been a noticeably large drop in monster activity in general. He’s planning something big, and I don’t like it.”

“Turtle,” Vanessa said suddenly. “Can I have a word with you?”

Turtle, who had been staring aimlessly at the empty chair, jumped. “Um, sure.”

Proto eyed the two suspiciously as they walked away. Warnado noticed that Samantha, at her table, was doing the same. He shook his head. “Anyways, if you need any help tracking him, I could check the other dimensions. There’s still a strong pull on this place.”

“Not now,” Notch sighed. “We’ve done enough work for a while. Now’s a perfect time to just...relax.”

“Notch!” Dinnerbone called. “Hurry up! We need to get planning.”

“I assumed as much,” Notch grumbled.

Of the Nether

Life at the castle was good.

Proto got to practice swordfighting, archery, and magic. He learned more about the elves and their way of life, and made new friends among both them and the humans. He also got to spend more time with Vanessa, something that made him exceedingly happy.

A couple days after their arrival, Proto woke up feeling refreshed. He jumped out of bed about ready to sing his joy to the world when he banged his foot on something heavy.

“What the flip was-” Proto frowned down at the golden sword that lay innocently on the ground. Turtle had insisted on leaving it behind on the moon, seeing as it was the thing that led to Lyra’s death, but Proto had secretly brought it with him. He had a feeling that the sword would be important in the long run, not to mention it looked flashy in battle.

Although it probably wouldn’t be seeing battle for a long time.

Proto glanced out his window and was once again surprised to find that no snow covered the ground, although storm clouds had been brewing for quite a while. His eyes narrowed as he once again spotted Vanessa and Turtle sitting on a bench and talking, Vanessa looking annoyed and Turtle looking depressed. He shook his head and exited his room to meet them.

“Hey guys!”

The two stopped talking when Proto neared them. He smiled innocently. “What’re you two talking about?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Turtle replied, rolling his eyes. “You have no need to be jealous.”

Proto looked to Vanessa for explanation. She threw her arm in a I’ll tell you later gesture.

“I’ll see you later Turtle,” Vanessa continued. “At that meeting Notch wants to have or whatever.”

“‘Bye,” Turtle said.

“What’s his deal?” Proto asked once they were out of earshot.

“Take a guess.”

The couple walked through the courtyard, weaving their way through the oak and birch trees. The glowstone light poles here and there provided some light in the darkness. It was peaceful, because not many people seemed to be out and about yet, although the castle was almost at full capacity. Everyone seemed to want Herobrine’s reign ended now more than ever, which led to lots of new members joining the “Warriors of Light”. Although most humans didn’t seem to want to wake up yet, many animals were bustling around. Squirrels chased each other through the trees and ungrowth, but no birds sang this morning. Proto noticed that they hadn’t for a while.

“You’ve been trying to help him get over Lyra, haven’t you?”

Vanessa sighed. “He thinks...he thinks that you can bring her back, like you did with me. But it doesn’t work like that, according to Jameson. He told me, during my short stay in the Aether, that bringing people back had only happened a few times in the past. It had only occurred when two people’s bonds were insanely strong.”

“Their bond wasn’t strong enough?”

Vanessa shook her head. “Not as strong as ours.”

Proto contemplated this for a moment. He frowned. “Can you still communicate with Jameson?”

Vanessa shook her head once more.

“Hopefully we’ll see him again soon, I need to ask him about something.”

“I’m sure we will.”

It surprised Proto that it had taken him this long to remember what Turtle had said about the bow that Farash the Iron Skeleton was carrying. The bow of fire, the Molten Fury. He was sure it was the one he had lost so long ago. He remembered an old legend about how the Aether was created, and how Farash was there at its making. He was sure Jameson would know something about how to get the weapon back.

* * *

The entrance hall was crowded, as always, but this time it was for a different reason. The girl standing near the front door looked pissed.

“Where’s Proto?”

“Look,” Junkboy said, “you can’t just barge in here and demand to speak to a hero.”

“I can,” Celestia replied angrily, “If he’s my brother.”

Uninvited Guests

Kilster frowned as he noticed a commotion in the main hall. “I’ll catch up with you later,” he said to the girl he was walking with, and ran over to the door.

“Make way for the Queen Creeper slayer!” Kilster shouted over the noise. He raised his eyebrows as he noticed Junkboy attempting to restrain an attractive brunette with startling green eyes, who looked as if she was about ready to kill somebody. “Who are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she asked, gritting her teeth. “Where’s my brother?”

“Who are you…?” Proto had entered the hall (hand and hand with Vanessa, of course), and he stopped dead as he noticed the girl standing in the doorway. His facial expression went from shock, to realization, to absolute horror.

“PROTOSHIELD86!”

“I swear I didn’t-”

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!”

“I want to be right now…” he muttered.

“Do you know this beautiful human being?” Kilster asked.

“That’s my sister you’re talking to.”

“Bless you.”

Proto rolled his eyes. “What, you act like I didn’t have a life before joining you guys? I had other friends, and family. And please, don’t call my sister a ‘beautiful human being,’ you filthy animal.”

“What? She i-”

Kilster stopped as the girl unsheathed a sword, knocked Gearsaw out of Kilster’s hand, and put the tip to his chin. “There are two possible endings here.”

Luckily for Kilster, the three other Heroes of Prophecy decided to enter the hallway at that moment. Risser and Warnado did nothing but frown in confusion, while Turtle raised his eyebrows. “Celestia?”

“TURTLEMASTER217! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU KNEW MY BROTHER? YOU FOOL!”

“So rude. The topic never came up. Also, Proto’s your brother?” He turned to the Wither-slayer. “I’m sorry.”

“Now’s not the time for jokes!” Celestia shouted angrily. “I thought you were dead!”

“I thought you were dead!”

“I think,” Vanessa said calmly, “the only one who died was that Jameson fellow.”

Celestia seemed to notice the Time Master for the first time. The two had an intense staring contest, and Kilster wondered who was going to blow up first. Fortunately, Notch’s arrival stopped any potential violence from occurring.

“Feast in fifteen minutes to celebrate the winter festivities! Also, welcome Celestia, care to join us?”

Celestia broke eye contact with Vanessa and nodded. “Fine, but afterwards, I’m having a word with him.” She poked a finger at Proto, who looked like he wanted to die.

* * *

The winter festivities were...festive.

Red, white, and green banners hung across the ceiling, forming intricate designs and patterns. Warnado had used magic to make it snow indoors, although he warned everyone that it was highly poisonous and flammable, and shouldn’t be consumed by human or elf alike. Snow golems carrying platters of food and drink glided across the floor, serving their refreshments to all.

Kilster, Proto, Risser, Turtle, Warnado, Celestia, Vanessa, and Samantha all sat together at a table, all doing different things. Turtle was laughing nervously at a joke Samantha had just shared, Proto was looking in all directions except where his sister was sitting, Celestia was glaring at Proto, Vanessa was eyeing the snow suspiciously as Warnado discussed its magical properties, Risser was offering a pork chop to one of her wolves, and Kilster was staring at the doors. He had a feeling that something bad was about to happen…

Notch stood up and tapped his glass to get everyone’s attention. He cleared his throat. “To the heroes of prophecy! May they live long lives and rid these lands of Herobrine forever!”

The hall cheered, and it took a while for Notch to get everyone’s attention again. “I’m sure that, by now, we’re all full. So,” Notch waved his hand and all of the tables jumped back, “it’s time to dance.”

Light above.

Dravven walked over and asked Samantha for a dance, while Turtle sighed and sat back in his chair. Before Vanessa could comfort him, Proto took her hand and dragged her to the other side of the hall, away from Celestia. Warnado kicked a snow golem’s tray out of its hands and started dancing, completely unaware of all of the stares he was getting. Risser rolled her eyes, obviously content to be by herself, and Kilster smiled. Celestia was all alone.

“So...nice weather, right?”

A boy caught a snowflake on his tongue and choked.

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Not happening.”

Any further attempts made by Kilster were halted by the double oak doors being blown open by some invisible force. A short, twisted figure was hunched in the doorway, and all of its features were hidden by a black cloak and hood, which were sewn with purple markings. The creature walked slowly forwards, looking as if it were gliding. People stopped and stared at it.

Kilster drew Gearsaw.

“It is time.” The creature’s voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and many people covered their ears. Kilster, however, didn’t break character and continued to listen. “Herobrine is gone for now. It is time for us to leave our dimension and take yours. This is what Darkness wants.” The creature straightened itself and dropped its cloak.

The Enderman stood three blocks tall, and wore obsidian armor with purple crystals embedded in the chest and shoulders. A sword was attached to its back, and it carried a strange black staff. No helm adorned its head, but two horns curled up from either side of it.

“This your only warning. Leave this land or face the consequences.”

“Or what?”

The Enderman stared at Risser, who raised her eyebrows. He laughed, a terrifying sound. “Or what? Do you know nothing of our power?” He shook his head. “If you do not leave, then you shall perish or join us. I am the Enderlord, and you are nothing to I.”

Revelations

Notch raced through the hallways, followed closely by his brothers and the heroes.

Risser was shaken by her encounter with the Enderlord, who had teleported away before a battle could break out. The rest of her group seemed similarly affected. Turtle looked angry, Proto seemed eager for another adventure, Kilster had Gearsaw drawn, and Warnado had stopped the snowfall abruptly.

Celestia, Vanessa, Samantha, Dravven, and Chase were also among the people who followed Notch though the castle. Where they were going, Risser wasn’t sure, but they followed because Notch had beckoned.

Finally, the group stopped in front of a doorway, which Notch kicked open. Everyone filed in and sat around the circular table. Notch slammed his hands down. “What the hell was that?”

Risser had never seen the man so angry. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. “What, so an angry Enderman wants to take over the world. I don’t get the big problem.”

“The problem is,” Dinnerbone said, a lot more calm than his younger brother, “the elves have placed magical wards around this forest. It should’ve been impossible for an enemy to locate us.”

“So you’re saying we have a traitor?” Proto asked.

“Indeed.” Kilster glared at Jeb.

“I had nothing to do with this! Does it look like that Enderman has, or was, working with Herobrine?”

Notch frowned. “Was, maybe. I have a feeling that the Lich may have also stopped working with that glowing-eyed freak. If that’s the case, we shouldn’t have to worry about him or Entity 303 for quite a while. However, what the Enderlord said was quite disturbing. We have to prepare.”

Notch threw a map onto the center of the table. “We are here.” He pointed to the forest. “I’m pretty sure the Enderlord plans to strike here,” he pointed at a spot near Jeb’s kingdom. “If he takes out our biggest allies, it’ll be a lot harder to stop him.”

“What do you propose?” Turtle asked.

Notch flung a device on top of the map. When it touched the paper, it projected a hologram of a mammoth floating island. “This is the Aether. Vanessa’s been there before. If we can rally the Valkyrs into helping us, I’m sure we can stop the war before it even starts.”

“Will they be willing to help us?” Proto inquired.

“I doubt it. That’s why I need you guys to go here.” He pointed at a largely mountainous region west of the forest. “The dwarves have something that the Valkyrs lost a long time ago, and I’m sure they’ll want it back.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Dravven asked.

“Gold, of course.”

“Let’s go mining,” Samantha sighed.

“Actually, there may be a simpler way,” Kilster said. “Let’s go find Ajax, and whoever he’s working for. I’m sure they have plenty of gold to spare.”

“But will they be willing to part with it?” Risser asked.

“Of course not,” Warnado said. “That’s why I’m here.”

Runeblade

Turtle rummaged through his belongings, deciding what and what not to take with him. They were told to travel lightly by Notch, and that’s what Turtle intended to do. So far, he had only gathered the necessities: clothes, potions, and food. He sifted through the Book of Spells, then tossed it in his bag as well. After deciding that was all that was needed, Turtle slung Frostbow and his quiver of arrows onto his back and motioned for Linky to follow.

He met the others in the grand hall. Proto and Vanessa were already there, as well as Warnado. Warnado was busy rummaging through his pack for something, while Proto and Vanessa were speaking in hushed voices. Proto gestured Turtle over as he entered.

“We’ve been thinking…” Vanessa started.

“So far, everyone’s killed one of Herobrine’s followers. Everyone except Risser…”

“And you.”

Turtle frowned. “So?”

“Who do you think is going to kill the Enderlord?” Vanessa asked.

“Probably not him, he doesn’t even have a sword,” Proto murmured.

“Why does it matter? All we should really be worrying about is the task at hand.”

Proto shrugged. “I don’t know. It was just on my mind.” Risser, Kilster, and Dravven soon entered the hallway, putting an end to their conversation.

“Who else are we waiting on again?” Kilster asked.

“I think Samantha said she wanted to come,” Risser replied. “Other than that, I don’t-”

Celestia strode into the hall, carrying a backpack and wielding twin daggers. “Don’t think you’ll be leaving without me,” Proto’s sister growled. “I still have things to say.”

“Of course you do,” Proto muttered.

The group didn’t have to wait long until Samantha entered the hallway. Turtle blinked then glanced at Vanessa, who nodded encouragingly. He looked back to Samantha, then fixed his gaze to the floor. Vanessa sighed, and Samantha frowned.

“Are we all ready to go?” Samantha asked.

“Hold on,” Warnado muttered, still searching through his backpack. “Aha!” He pulled out a strange blue sword engraved with strange symbols, and weird particles started fluttering throughout the air around it. He tossed it to Turtle, who caught it easily.

“What is this?”

“That, my acquaintance, is a Runeblade. I got it from...ugh, what’s his name?...some shady guy a while back. Proto said you needed a sword, so I hoped this would suffice.”

“Thanks,” Turtle murmured. He frowned at the sword, then shifted it from his right hand to his left. A chill ran down his skeletal arm. He frowned, then sheathed his new sword. “Let’s get going.”

A single step outside proved that Winter’s gale hadn’t let up. A freezing gust of air blew through the forest, making the group shiver. Proto shifted uneasily. “Now would be a good time to use that Infernacos spell.”

“We have to save our energy,” Kilster replied with gritted teeth. “We’re going to the desert anyways, hopefully it’ll be warmer there.”

“If not,” Warnado noted, “we could always set ourselves on fire, like Proto said.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s still a good idea.”

Turtle wasn’t really paying attention to the conversations happening around him as he walked; he was instead content to listen to nature’s sounds. The crunching of snow, the scuttling of small animals, and his own breathing. He was lost in thought, so he found sanctuary in the world around him.

“Hey.”

Turtle looked to his left to find Samantha, who looked to be a combination of cold and sad. He flashed her a quick smile to know he was listening to whatever she had to say before reverting his gaze to the road before them.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.” Samantha placed a hand on Turtle’s shoulder. “I know you aren’t.”

“How?” he asked, slightly irritated. “How could you know what I’m feeling? You know something about me that I don’t, yet you refuse to talk about it, and now you’re trying to console me?”

Samantha frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Turtle sighed. “Of course you don’t. Know one does.”

The two walked in silence. Turtle stared ahead, trying to clear his mind to no avail. Eventually, Samantha spoke up again.

“I know how you’re feeling because you lost Lyra. I lost someone too, a long time ago.”

Turtle stopped and turned to her. “You...did?”

Samantha’s gaze met Turtle’s. “Yes. I know exactly how you’re feeling, and I want to help you in any way I can.” She gently took Turtle’s hand in her own. “People shouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

Turtle tried to ignore the feeling, but something burned in his chest as they held hands. “All the more reason for us to stop Herobrine.”

“We can’t do that if we can’t trust each other.”

Proto passed the two and eyed them suspiciously. “So, uh, are we going to keep walking, or…?”

“Oh,” Turtle said as Samantha let go of his hand. “Yeah, sure.” As much as he hated it, he wanted to keep talking, for her to keep holding his hand, for something to happen. She was right. He couldn’t let Lyra hold him back forever.

“Hey, guys?” Dravven called from up ahead. “Come over here a second. You might want to see this…”

Obsidian Spire

Warnado recognized the Enderman immediately.

The group had arrived at the edge of the forest, and now stared out at a vast plain. The grassy biome was glazed with frost, as were the flowers that dotted it. In the distance, barely visible through the snowfall, Jeb’s almost-finished kingdom loomed next to an ocean. No animals were out in the cold weather, but a single life form stood nearby. He stood three blocks tall, and, unlike normal Endermen, wore obsidian armor with purple markings.

“Kaine?”

Dravven glanced at Warnado, then back at the Enderman, who hadn’t moved. “How can you tell that’s Kaine? What if it’s another, less friendly Enderman?”

“I haven’t seen him or Xander in a while, but I still have telepathic bonds with the two of them. That’s Kaine, although I have no clue where he got the armor.” Warnado tilted his head. “Reminds me of an Enderwoman I once knew. Anyways, I’m gonna go talk to him. Stay back.”

Warnado approached Kaine cautiously. He sensed a strong aggression radiating from the mob, unlike its normal self. When Warnado got within a few blocks, the Enderman turned around. Warnado held up a hand in greeting, then spoke in a language unknown to most. Kaine stared at the quarter-demon harshly.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Turtle murmured.

“Can’t be anything good,” Risser muttered back. “I’ve never been too fond of Endermen.”

Warnado took a step back as Kaine drew an obsidian sword, startled. “Whoa, whoa, calm down there! What’s gotten into you?”

Kaine opened his mouth in a silent scream. He plunged the sword into the ground. Before anyone could react, the Enderman teleported around.

There was silence.

“Is it safe to come out?” Samantha called.

Warnado shook his head. “I’m sensing a high concentration of interdimensional energy radiating from that sword. Something’s about to-’

Warnado stumbled to the ground as the earth shook violently. Suddenly, a massive obsidian pillar shot out of the ground where the sword stuck, rising towards the sky at an alarming pace. An Ender Crystal topped the spire, radiating strange particles of purple energy. Eventually, the ground stopped shaking, and the pillar slowly came to a halt.

The obsidian spire was about a hundred blocks tall. Strange symbols flashed in the air near the top of it, rotating around the crystal like a carousel. Warnado squinted, trying to read the words they formed. He caught glimpses of “CRACKED,” “GATEWAY,” and “HUMANITY.”

The rest of Warnado’s group emerged from the trees, most with weapons drawn. “What the hell is that thing?” Kilster asked, revving Gearsaw.

“Is that the enchanting language?” Proto asked.

Warnado walked around the perimeter of the spire, which didn’t take particularly long. It was about thirty blocks in diameter, compared to three blocks at the top, forming a conical shape. Warnado tapped the solid, black stone. The structure didn’t appear to be hollow.

“It’s some sort of...Ender Spire,” Warnado called. “It’s not hollow. I’m not sure what it does, but we should contact Notch right away.” Walking back over to the group, Warnado set down his bag and rummaged through it, eventually pulling out a Viewing Cube. He whispered something unintelligible to the others, then tapped the glass three times. The cube expanded and a holographic image of Notch appeared.

“Warnado! What is it?”

“Take a look.”

Shifting the Viewing Cube, Notch got a perfect view of the Ender Spire. “An Ender Spire!” Notch exclaimed. “This situation is more dire than I previously anticipated. You need to find Ajax as quickly as possible and get that gold from him.”

“What is it?” Vanessa asked.

“An Ender Spire is a structure of immense dark energy. Not all of its functions are known, but the Ender Crystal is functional. It could heal an Ender Dragon, assuming it was in the Overworld. Furthermore, rumor has it that it could attract Endermen, acting as some kind of a dimension gateway allowing them to travel to and from the End at will. Chances are, it could heal them as well.”

Warnado nodded grimly, then turned off the Viewing Cube. He turned to the others. “Let’s go steal some gold.”

i thought that it was grumm who spilt it at first.