[Jesse's POV]
Axel: "Is that a freakin' beacon? They have a freakin' beacon!? Freakin' Beacon!?"
(My focus shifts to Lukas, who was searching through a chest in his booth for a beacon while his teammates went to get some glass.)
Olivia: "That's stained glass. They aren't just building a beacon, they're building a rainbow beacon!...We're gonna lose..."
Jesse: "What're you worried about? We've got this."
Olivia: "Who are we kidding? We've got nothing."
Jesse: "We've got... a mascot!"
(Not everyone has a cosplaying pig...!)
Olivia: "We should probably stop staring at them."
(It was too late, Maya and Gill had already caught on to our stare.)
Gill: "Hahaha! Look, it's the Order of the Losers. Again."
Maya: "Good one, Gill!"
(Hold on, didn't you use that line like 2 minutes ago???)
Olivia: "We're just looking."
Aiden: "There'll be plenty of time for you all to look at it after it wins and gets shown at EnderCon."
Axel: "You're being unpleasant."
Aiden: "Maybe not all of you. EnderCon doesn't allow outside food or drink."
(Aiden points at Reuben.)
Aiden: "I'm talking about your pig!"
Jesse: "Just, shut up."
Aiden: "What was that?"
Olivia: "Jesse said, 'Shut up.' Do you need to hear it again?"
Aiden: "I dunno. Maybe."
Lukas: "Stop wasting your time, Aiden. We've got work to do."
(Lukas calls out.)
(Yeah, listen to your friend! No one wants to hear you speak!)
(We purposely smile back to provoke him, and it works wonderfully.)
(Aiden has a really short-temper, so it's especially easy with him.)
(Don't blame us.)
(After what we've been through, who wouldn't use this opportunity?)
Aiden: "Tsk, you're lucky, I'm busy."
(Aiden lashes out angrily.)
???: "Hey, Jesse. Guys."
(A red-haired girl with a turquoise bandana approaches us from behind.)
(It was Petra.)
(We're not that close; we've talked a few times, but I still consider her a friend.)
Jesse: "Hey, Petra."
Petra: "How's the build going?"
Axel: "Only time will tell. But -- we're optimistic."
Lukas: "Petra, I forgot to thank you for that nether star."
Petra: "Hey, Lukas. Not a problem."
Axel: "You helped these tools?"
Petra: "For the right price, I'll help anyone. If you need anything, you know where to find me."
Olivia: "None of us know where to find you."
Petra: "Exactly."
(W-Wait I don't understand the message.)
Lukas: "No hard feelings guys. If you're cool with Petra, you're cool with us. So why don't we just forget about all this, and, y'know... make this about how cool our builds are."
Jesse: "We're going to crush you."
(Lukas laughs lightheartedly.)
Lukas: "I don't know if you know this, but... we're pretty good...ohhh. Wait, I get it, It's like a joke, right?"
Jesse: "No, I'm serious. We're going to destroy you."
Lukas: "Ha! Y'know, you're really funny. That's awesome. Hey, good luck."
(Are you even taking me seriously?)
Reception Lady: "Ladies and gentlemen!"
(It looks like the competition is finally starting.)
Reception Lady: "Welcome to the EnderCon Building Competition! The winner of this year's competition will have their build featured at EnderCon -- the winners will also meet, in person, Gabriel the Warrior!"
(Everyone present starts to cheer.)
(I look over to Axel and Olivia.)
(You know what to do!)
(They nod in return.)
Lukas team: "Ocelots! Ocelots!! Ocelots!!!"
(Our attention once again focuses on the Ocelots.)
(They're doing a handshake? Wow, Lukas really did think everything through...)
Olivia: "Whoa. Handshake. We don't have a handshake."
Jesse: "We'll just make one up. We'll call it the... uhhh..."
(Oh no, what am I doing?)
Jesse: "...the... Redstone Rap...!"
(Yeah...! Axel you do a fistbump- no with your left hand, no your left not my left, then Olivia, you join in, grab my hand- no my right hand not my left! MY right, not your right! Ok... let's stop, this isn't going anywhere...)
(No one will remember that.)
Olivia: "Aaaand just like that, I'm nervous again."
Jesse: "Don't talk like that! We can do this! Just stick to the plan and everything will be fine. This year, The Dead Enders can't lose!"
(Olivia finally regains a confident face.)
(Reuben joins in too.)
(That's the spirit!)
Axel: "Let's do it!"
Reception Lady: "Building..."
Reception Lady: "Starts..."
Reception Lady: "NOW!"
(We start right away with our firework machine, which we had planned from the beginning.)
(The design is as simple as it can get.)
(A nice tower staircase with redstone all the way and a dispenser in the middle, at the top.)
Aiden: "Oh, no! A fireworks dispenser!? I'm soooo scared!"
(Aiden says, with a sarcastic tone.)
Jesse: "You worry about your build and we'll worry about ours."
(We three begin building the creeper from bottom up, covering the firework dispenser behind us.)
(We make the iconic creeper face inside the tall lime statue out of black wool.)
(After finishing the Creeper, we stand on top of it, looking down on what we've created.)
(I look over to the other booths.)
(The first one looked like a big, deformed, tree log with no leaves.)
(The second one looks like a weird monument? Made out of oak fences?)
(The third one looks to be some sort of Lava Redstone contraption of some kind.)
(And the fourth one was obviously Lukas' Beacon machine.)
(I thought we had much harder competition, but wow, these people are bad.)
(We might actually win this one.)
Jesse: "And now -- the moment of truth."
Olivia: "Here goes nothing..."
(Olivia flicks the lever and the firework dispenser starts shooting out its load.)
(Fireworks start filling up the sky.)
(It was truly a magnificent sight to see.)
Axel: "Aw man, that looks so cool. We'll win this for sure."
Olivia: "The Creeper was definitely the right way to go." Axel makes an 'I told you' face.
Jesse: "Guys, People are looking at us."
(As the fireworks continue shooting into the sky, a crowd of people starts to form around the Creeper.)
(looking utterly amazed at the sight, including the judges and the reception lady.)
stranger: "Good build, man!"
(A stranger in the crowd shouts at us.)
Aiden: "What!? No way..."
(Down beside the creepers' legs, I can hear Aiden grunt like an angry zombie.)
Aiden: "It's just a bunch of dyed wool!"
(Out of anger, or jealousy that he won't win, he proceeds to break a stone block that held in lava from a cobblestone generator near one of the booths.)
(The lava starts flowing out, and Reuben, who at the time was watching us and was unaware of what was happening, gets his wing from his costume caught on fire.)
Jesse: "Oh no, Reuben's on fire! Reuben, come back!!"
(Reuben starts to run around in a panic.)
Jesse: "Reuben come back!!"
(It was too late, Reuben started running towards the forest.)
(If he'd listened, he could've just gone into the river and put out the fire there.)
Axel: "It was Aiden! that punk!"
Aiden: "Whoops!"
(It may have been me but it really sounded like it was on purpose.)
(Damn you, Aiden!)
Olivia: "The lava's getting closer; it's gonna burn the build!"
Jesse: "Reuben's going to get lost!"
Axel: "But what about the build?"
Jesse: "YOU save it! I'm going to go after Reuben!"
(I jump down the statue and roll into Aiden before dashing off.)
(I looked back once and saw that Axel and Olivia had already begun to put cobblestone around the lava.)
(but my focus was on Reuben, I kept running.)
(It has been a few minutes, even though I tried my best to follow Reuben, I still ended up losing his trail.)
(It doesn't help the fact that this part of the woods is huge too.)
(I was getting tired, so I started walking normally.)
(The sun is starting to set.)
(If I don't find him soon, the situation might turn really bad.)
Jesse: "Reuben? Give me an oink if you hear me!"
(There's no response.)
(At this point, I'm only surrounded by woods, making everything even more ominous.)
(This kinda reminds me of a really old myth about someone who saw some creepy entity in the woods far in the distance on a foggy day.)
(Wait, don't think about stuff like that! It'll only make me more scared.)
(Trying to get scary thoughts out of my head, I come across a small valley and find a few hoof prints there.)
(They were small, and it looked like the one who created them was in a hurry.)
(It probably must have been Reuben.)
(Walking along the path the hoofs made, I discover a burning tree.)
(Yep, that definitely was Reuben.)
(Following the path further, I come across a small group of pigs.)
Jesse: "Reuben, are you in there?"
(The only responses were pigs grunting loudly.)
(Nope, Reuben wasn't one of them. Walking further, I spot something moving in the tall grass.)
(Just when I was in front of it, something jumped out.)
Jesse: "GAH!"
(A fricking chicken flutters straight into my face.)
(Did I really just get jumpscared by a chicken??? The chicken then runs away.)
(Ignoring what just happened, I spot smoke rising in the distance.)
(I immediately head over there.)
(Eventually, I spot the costume, no- what's still remaining from the burned costume, on the ground.)
(My head immediately thinks of the worst case scenario.)
Jesse: "Oh no... He couldn't be... Please don't be in there..."
(Putting out what was still burning and lifting the wing from the costume, I let out a sigh of relief once I realized that he wasn't under the costume, toasted.)
(However, it wasn't assuring once I realize that Reuben is still missing somewhere.)
(The horizon is starting to turn from slightly dim to dark.)
(I've got to find him now before it's too late!)
(Reuben is quite shy, so he must probably have hidden somewhere around here after getting the costume off of him.)
(He can't be far now.)
(I just need to search this area thoroughly.)
(Not far away, I discover another field of tall grass, and something was in there again.)
(I swear if it's that chicken again...)
(But instead, I was greeted with a little squeal, and it was one that I recognized.)
(Reuben jumps out in joy, hugging me.)
(The one hiding in the grass was Reuben.)
Jesse: "I'm so glad to see you. Now let's get back. I hope you're ready for some more walking. We've gotta hurry back to town if we don't want to run into-"
(Reuben suddenly screams in fear.)
(Our reunion is cut short when we realized that some zombies.)
(who started coming out of a nearby cave, had spotted us and were marching their way towards us.)
Jesse: "Reuben, run!"
(We can't waste time anymore.)
(The more we spend in the woods, the higher the chances that we run into more and more monsters.)
(At first, we tried to go back the way we came from, but that path was already filled with creepers and such.)
(so we had no other option but to run somewhere else.)
(But there were just more monsters at every corner; now skeletons as well, and spiders too; they're everywhere!)
(At last, we reach a stone wall.)
(With monsters coming from different directions, we've been cornered.)
(With flight not being an option anymore, I had no choice but to confront them with my sword instead.)
(It may have been made out of wood, but a weapon is a weapon.)
(It's not like I had anything better.)
Jesse: "Just stay behind me, okay? I've got you."
(Reuben nods.)
(Turning my attention to the zombies, I start by slicing the closest one to me.)
Jesse: "Back! get back!"
(The zombie wasn't quite finished yet, so I stab him again.)
(It finally trips and I use the opportunity to cut through its skull, effectively killing it.)
(Next were two more zombies.)
(Using my strategy again, I effectively slice one after the other.)
(Eventually, the first zombie falls after an additional hit.)
(I immediately turn to the other and deliver the killing blow to that zombie as well.)
(However, the moment didn't last, as what I'd feared the most came true.)
(The wooden sword broke.)
Jesse: "Stupid wooden swords!"
(Why are they so unreliable!? I wish I own a diamond sword like Gabriel does...)
(We had no choice but to retreat further towards the wall.)
Jesse: "I know it's bad, but I'll think of something. Just stay close to me, I'll protect you. Don't leave that spot. You hear me? I've got you."
(However, just as Reuben did what I told him to.)
(a zombie sneaked up beside him and started punching him in the face.)
Jesse: "Get away from him!"
(I know I was weaponless, but that zombie just made me want to kill it right there and now.)
(Charging it at full speed, I punch it hard in the face, preferably in the same spot it hit Reuben.)
(I must had put way too much energy into that punch cuz it killed the zombie almost immediately.)
(My hand suddenly starts feeling burned.)
(My punch was apparently so hard, it ripped a little bit of my skin off.)
Jesse: "Oh no, he got you...!"
(Reubens's face had a black eye.)
(Crap! This couldn't get worse! It did in fact get worse, as a spider just happened to jump at me at the same moment.)
(I was now lying on the ground, furiously wrestling with this spider, trying not to become spider bait.)
Jesse: "G-Get off me!!"
(Having a little bit of strength left, I knock the spider away from me.)
(However, it wasn't enough to get away, as it immediately jumped on top of me again.)
(Just as I started to lose hope, an iron pickaxe appears from behind the spider and buries itself into the spider, dragging it away from me.)
(Then repeatedly stabbing it until it's dead.)
(The person who just saved me was...Petra.)
Petra: "C'mon, let's get out of the open."
(By killing a zombie in her path, she opens up an escape route.)
(I and Reuben quickly follow suit.)
(Petra hadn't collected the string from the dead spider, so I thought to get them before running away.)
(We head towards a cliff, where a ladder is located.)
(Climbing it down while holding Reuben, we reach a lit cave.)
(where we finally catch a breath, knowing it's a safe and controlled environment.)
Petra: "I want to show you something."
(What at this point in time?)
Jesse: "Not that this isn't a really cool, dimly-lit tunnel, but... how far away is this thing you wanna show me?"
Petra: "Careful, Jesse. You don't want to get a reputation as a wimp."
Jesse: "This isn't my first time in a cave, Petra."
Petra: "Yeah, but have you ever seen --"
(Petra fishes a black object the size of a head out of her inventory.)
Petra: "A Wither Skull?"
Jesse: "Whoa!"
Petra: "Fresh from the Nether. You're the first person I've shown it to."
Jesse: "That's insane, Petra. You could've gotten yourself killed."
Petra (giggles): "Don't worry so much. I can handle myself."
Jesse: "Ok, so why did you show it to me?"
Petra: "Well... how do I say this... there's this guy I'm meeting up with at EnderCon -- he's gonna trade me a diamond for it. I mean, if you're too nervous, I totally get it. But I wouldn't mind a little backup."
Jesse: "Sure, I'll back you up, but the guy you got the skull for -- what's his deal?"
Petra: "He's kind of strange, I guess, but hey -- everybody's got their thing."
Jesse: "And you never thought to ask him, hey -- what's with your whole... totally normal... not at all weird... skull thing."
Petra: "As long as this guy is willing to pay... I earned that diamond."
(Petra doesn't seem too concerned about this shady deal, but is it really okay to go through this?)
(I might just be me who went through a long day, but, at the back of my head, I have this bad feeling.)
(Putting that feeling aside for now, we reach some sort of small base -- well, it's just a crafting table and a chest, but it is what it is.)
Jesse: "You just keep a craft table down here?"
Petra: "Comes in handy. Since that wooden sword of yours got busted..."
Jesse: "You're giving me a new one?"
Petra: "Even better. You can make your own. Just grab what you need."
Jesse: "Oh, okay. Thanks."
(I open up the chest and search through it.)
Jesse: "Hey, is all this stuff yours?"
Petra: "No, we're just stealing from whoever was dumb enough to leave this here. Of course it's mine."
Jesse: "Just making sure. Oh, here we go! Jackpot!"
(I fish out a stick and two cobblestones.)
(1 stick + 2 cobblestone = 1 stone sword. Done!)
Petra: "See, isn't it better when you make it yourself?"
(I nod.)
(Now that that's over with, it's about time we head back to EnderCon.
Petra: "Don't worry, This railtrack heads straight to EnderCon."
Jesse: "Um... I think we have to find a different path yet again."
(Petra looks at me confused for a second before realizing why we can't take the minecarts.)
(Meanwhile at EnderCon...)
Reception Lady: "And the winner of this year's EnderCon Building competition is...The Dead Enders!!!"
Axel & Olivia: ""Yes! About time!""
Aiden: "W-What!? This is an outrage!!"
Maya: "What a rip-off!"
Gill: "Now I'm sad..."
(As fireworks celebrate the winners, a bearded man, watching them from the shadows of the town, mumbles something.)
???: "They better have my Wither Skull..."
[To be continued...]