Hello Internet!
Being the fickle kind of person that I am, I've been trying for the past few weeks to figure out how this story is going to progress. But, after much contemplation and procrastination, I've got it all figured out. Luckily for you, the reader, this means more meaningful progression of the story and less fluff! (However, if you're the kind of person who likes fluff, comment and I'll put in a little bit just for you.)
That said, let's see how the story develops, shall we?
The characters "Galaxy" and "Nikki" come from Galaxy Fangirl
The character "Lucca" comes from AngelTheSeventh
Mandatory Disclaimer: All rights to Minecraft and all related mobs and characters are reserved to Mojang. Rights to OCs are reserved to their respective owners. I only own the story.
-()-()-
GALAXY
(Fifteen years earlier)
Rain fell in heavy drops upon the tall, stone building. It was built years ago by lazy stonemasons and construction workers. They had a tendency to cut corners when they though no one was looking. The owners of the building now are the ones who have paid the price. Under the torrent of water from the sky, various holes in the roof allow drops of liquid to fall through. Buckets and pails lie strewn around the floor in a futile attempt to prevent the rain damaging the floor. One particular drop of water, after falling over a hundred blocks downward, lands on the roof, slides at the precise angle, and falls through a hole. After dropping another four meters, it lands with a SMACK upon a young baby's forehead.
Suddenly, the piercing scream of a child fills the night.
Muttering to herself, an old woman opens the old house's door and looks down upon the old stoop. There, lying in a basket, is a baby girl.
Attempting to identify the benefactor, the old woman looks left and right down the long street. There is no one in sight.
"Foolish youngens" she says to herself as she picks up the basket, "Always be leaven their children on me doorstep."
Suddenly, the woman notices a slip of paper stuck into the baby's swaddling blanket. Unfolding it, she reads it aloud.
Her mother died in childbirth. Her father died in war.
Please take care of her. Her name is Galaxy.
"Galaxy" the lady whispers, "What a strange name for a baby."
But she shrugs and endeavors to hush the baby, with mild success, as she turns back into her rickety house. As the door closes, anyone nearby would see the word "Orphanage" printed in large, bold letters.
This is the place in which this baby girl would spend a year of her childhood.
(Fourteen years earlier)
The Enderman language is a strange one. Whereas the English language is very phonetic and stressed, the language of the End is more guttural and to-the-point. Thus, anyone not familiar with the language would believe that the Enderman are pack savages, relying only on grunts to communicate. Which, upon reflection, is somewhat true.
With that in mind, it was no surprise that when a group of five Enderman teleported into the village, those brave enough attempted to kill it.
It is also no surprise that when one teleported into an orphanage, that the boys and girls screamed and attempted to escape.
What is surprising is that, upon seeing a young girl crying in the corner, this particular Enderman crouched down to look at her.
What is also surprising is that, looking at the tall, dark mob, the girl asked it to take her away.
Considering all of this together, it is no surprise that, when the Enderman had left with no casualties on either side, the residents of the village went back to their normal routine, not even noticing the missing girl.
(Ten years earlier)
In the darkness of the End, it is rumored that you cannot see your hand in front of your face. Of course, it's hard to prove or disprove considering that no one has ever made it back from the end alive.
To the Enderman however, the low light levels of the end are completely normal. Their purple-tinted eyes are actually said to have special night vision properties. Supposedly, the back of their eyeballs contain a small, reflective disk which bounces light back to their eye lens, allowing light to be accepted into their retina twice, thus enhancing night vision. Unfortunately, this causes them to be very susceptible to bright light. It is said that the only reason they teleport so sporadically is that they can't see and have no idea where they are going.
But, of course, this is all rumor.
It is true that they can see exceptionally well in the dark. Galaxy found this out herself. For the first few months in the End, she stumbled about, not being able to see anything. The Enderman had to help her navigate. However, her eyes gradually began to grow accustomed to the dim glow of the strange universe. After four years, she can see as well as anyone else can see in broad daylight.
Unfortunately, seeing was the easy part.
The hardest part was the language.
Granted, at two years old, she could barely speak the common tongue of the overworld, so it wasn't the transfer from one language to the other that was difficult. But she was, nonetheless, human. And human vocal chords are not designed for the harsh, guttural sounds of the Enderman. However, after trial and error. After weeks of practice and months of sore throats, Galaxy the human became the first non-endercreature to speak the language of the void.
After four years, the void language was the only language she knew.
(Five years earlier)
All creatures of the End do not like close combat.
It is true, that if forced into a corner, they will fight with whatever weapons they have on hand, but for the most part, they all like to deal damage from far away.
They are logical creatures. So it goes to reason that if they can harm their enemy without their enemy harming them, that is the option they will gravitate towards.
At age 11, Galaxy was called into the presence of the Dragon.
Galaxy wasn't particularly afraid. A bit worried, a bit concerned, but not afraid. In addition to seeing it often, flying overhead, she had spoken to many Enderman about the Dragon. They all admit to being a little bit in awe of its great power, but they all will agree that there is no reason to be frightened. It is a good Dragon, they say, it will only try to harm you if your try to harm it.
So no, Galaxy was not afraid.
She stood before the great being. Its body seemed to stretch upwards to infinity. Its large wings form a half circle around her. Its eyes look down upon her, not with malice, but with compassion.
It spoke in the language of the End, which was not surprising.
"Galaxy the Human," it said, its voice deep and majestic, "you have been deemed worthy"
Galaxy said nothing. There was nothing to say.
"You have stayed with us these nine years, and now, it is time for you to join our ranks."
The pale girl was confused. What did that even mean? She thought she was already one of them.
"We give these gifts to you as a token of our gratitude," the Dragon continued, "And, in accepting, you will relinquish your title as 'human', and join the Endermen."
Galaxy nodded.
The Dragon motioned with its head at an Enderman standing nearby. The tall creature walked toward galaxy, his arms laden with items.
"First," the great being said, "Clothes of the Endermen. They are woven from melted obsidian and will repel almost any attack."
The nearby Enderman handed her a black turtleneck, skirt and tights. They felt like cotton, but were a bit heavier and denser.
"Next," continued the Dragon, "an Ender Pearl. Retrieved from the great void beyond. Cherish it. Only use it when necessary."
The Enderman handed her the pearl. It was the same size and shape of a golf ball. Glowing with unearthly green light, the pearl shimmered and shone in the gloom. Galaxy quickly put it in her pocket.
"Finally," said the Dragon, "you will receive-"
The large beast stopped talking and whipped its head toward the north with a growl. At the same time, all nearby Endermen opened their mouths with a screech and turned it the same direction.
Galaxy looked where they looked. What was happening?
She saw nothing. She strained her eyes. Still nothing.
Then she saw it. A young man, wearing a blue shirt and blue pants. He had dark brown hair. Wearing diamond armor and carrying a diamond sword, he ran forward.
Who was this?
Rumbling, the Dragon turned to a nearby Enderman.
"Take her away," it said, before turning to face the little man.
As the Enderman hurried her away, Galaxy saw one final sight of the great dragon. It jumped into the air, roaring with mighty force. The blue-clad man stopped, drew a bow from his inventory, and fired an arrow. It struck the Dragon in the chest. The great being howled with pain.
But then, before she could see any more, the Endermen took her away and out of sight of the ferocious battle.
A long time passed.
Galaxy and the lone Enderman hid underground. Sounds of a ferocious battle raged overhead. The snarl of a dragon, the battlecry of the human, the explosion of many, many ender crystals.
But finally, it was over. The silence loomed in the end cave.
The Enderman signaled for her to wait while he checked to see if it was clear.
He climbed up a long tunnel shaft.
The last she heard was his scream as the human sliced him it two.
The human male climbed down the tunnel, and faced the young girl. He smiled.
"I'm Steve," he said, "I've killed the Dragon, I'm here to take you home."
Galaxy screamed. And she kept screaming until Steve had brought her back to the overworld.
(Two years earlier)
Galaxy still remembered that day. The day her family was killed. The being she had so long looked up to destroyed by… by a human.
She hated humans. She hated them with her whole being.
She know somewhere deep down that she was a human, but she refused to believe it. To her, she was an Enderman. A great creature of the Void.
She never spoke to humans and tried to avoid contact with them. Who she did talk to, however, were villagers. Surprisingly, most villagers were at leas partially familiar with the Enderman tongue. Apparently, as merchants, they were quite capable of holding a light conversation in almost any language. She talked to them for long periods of time, telling them about the End, rambling about the might of the Dragon, and, of course, sobbing over her tale of the day the Dragon was killed.
The villagers listened with pleasant faces, she guessed that they didn't understand half of what she said.
Luckily, she still retained her gifts from that day. Her obsidian clothes had protected her well from many hostile mobs. Her ender pearl, she had found, could be used multiple times to teleport around. Unfortunately, it sapped her strength, so she rarely used it. She never found out what her final gift was going to be. She assumed it was a weapon. Since returning to the overworld, she had experimented on various weapons that villagers had traded with her. Swords didn't feel right. Axes and pickaxes were impractical. After many days of trading and trying, she found the bow.
She knew immediately that this was the right weapon.
It balanced perfectly in her hand. She shot a few times at a 2-block high pillar of wood, and hit it every time.
Perfect.
She liked to think that the Dragon was going to give her a bow. She didn't really know, but the thought made her feel good.
Fully equipped with clothes and weapons, she turned all her attention to her quest: finding the End again.
After talking to various villagers, she was able to find out that the only way back to the End was through a portal located somewhere deep under the earth. Hidden behind a labyrinths of corridors called "The Stronghold".
Others would have been overwhelmed, but Galaxy was undaunted.
She practiced for months with her bow. Firing shot after shot as the arrows slammed into trees, houses, and mobs. Occasionally she would test her pearl. It always left her drained, so she didn't do it often.
But now, she was ready. It was time to find the Stronghold. And find the End.
(One year earlier)
Galaxy walked quietly through the cave system. It was damp, dark, and confining.
The young girl shivered.
"I'm about the get claustrophobic," she whispered, "This is awful."
Coming to an intersection, Galaxy strained her ears to hear the sounds coming from each tunnel.
From the left, the steady pop pop pop of lava could be heard.
From the right, the clanking of bones and the hissing of Creepers.
Not surprisingly, Galaxy opted to go left.
A creeper followed her.
She knew she was followed as soon as she turned her back to the right tunnel. The rhythmic step… step… hiss… step…step… hiss gave her follower away.
Galaxy walked three more steps before turning around.
She dropped to one knee, drew her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming straight for the creeper's heart… if they had a heart.
"AHH!" the green creature screamed, before diving behind a rock outcropping.
Galaxy lowered her bow by half an inch, a puzzled look crossing her face. This had never happened before.
"Wait," the creeper called from behind a rock, "Don't shoot! I won't hurt you!"
That was especially strange. Creepers were a race almost entirely devoted to honor. In fact, "Death before Dishonor" was almost their catchphrase. So to see a creeper hiding behind a rock and begging for mercy was unusual. Very unusual.
Galaxy lowered her bow completely.
"I won't shoot," she said, "Come out of there."
Of course, that was only a half truth. If the creeper began to prime itself for explosion, Galaxy was more than ready to shoot.
It didn't, so she didn't.
Instead, the green mob cautiously poked its head out, checking to see if she was still aiming. Then it come out slowly, shyly.
"Hi," it said. Its voice was wary, but Galaxy could tell that there was a hint of optimism in it.
"What are you?" the girl asked, "You don't behave like a normal creeper." Blunt, to-the-point. Galaxy couldn't stand banter.
The creeper hung its head, "I know. I'm a failure."
Galaxy said nothing.
"I was actually supposed to come and kill you."
Galaxy involuntarily drew her bow up an inch.
"BUT I WON'T!" the creeper quickly shouted, jumping behind the rock again.
Galaxy sighed and put her bow away, this creeper was obviously not a threat.
"Explain," she said, hands on hips.
The green creature crept out again.
"My name is Nikki," it began, "I was just told to come and destroy you, but I couldn't."
"Well then," Galaxy made a shoo-ing motion, "go back to them. You failed. Begone."
"I can't!" Nikki cried, "I was supposed to die, remember!?"
Oh yeah.
"I can't go back! But I can't kill you either!"
Galaxy spread her hands.
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know."
"You can't go back,"
"Right."
"You can't kill me,"
"Right."
"You can't come with me,"
"Righ- HEY!"
Shoot, Galaxy though, I screwed up.
"That's a great idea!" The creeper said cheerily, "I can come with you!"
"No you can't."
"Of course I can! I can be your companion!"
"Uh, no."
The creeper wasn't listening anymore.
"Oh boy! An adventure! I can't wait! Don't worry, I'll protect you, I'll be your body guard. Yessirry, you won't have to fear with me around!"
Galaxy moaned. She wasn't going to be able get rid of this young creeper.
She turned and walked onward.
The creeper followed.
"Oh my goodness, this is so awesome! So hardcore! A real adventure, with a human! I'll-"
Galaxy swiveled, eyes blazing.
"I'm not a human." She growled, voice low.
The creeper shut up immediately.
"What?" It asked, "Of course you are-"
Galaxy growled again. The creeper could have sworn it sounded like an Enderman.
"Listen," the girl said, "If you are going to come with me, this is my one rule: I. am. Not. A. Human. You will not address me as such. If you must, I am an Enderman."
The creeper paused.
"But… you… okay." It finally said.
Galaxy stared at the creeper for a moment, then shrugged and walked away.
Nikki followed. And she kept following.
(Present time)
Galaxy stops walking down the corridor of the Stronghold. She hears footsteps. Human footsteps.
She whirls around to see a young boy with a wooden axe charging at her.
No, not her, Nikki. He's going to kill the creeper.
Galaxy set her lip in a hard line. Not going to happen.
She knelt to one knee and drew her bow, aiming right at his heart.
No one kills my friends, she thought, and definitely not a human.
She released the arrow.
-()-()-
Wow! I actually really like how that turned out. Sure, the timing was a bit weird, but now we know a little bit about Galaxy.
Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm super excited with how this is progressing.
Anyway, I know that I haven't exactly been the speediest of updaters, but I'm trying my best.
As always, be sure to like, comment, subscribe, or do nothing at all.
See you all in the next chapter!