Chapter 3: Strange Encounters of the Enderman Kind

(JOHN)

And so, once again, we had to pack up our things and get ready to set up camp in the middle of nowhere, nothing to guide us except a compass. Well, that and a line of torches. We knew we were going to have to make a new base sometime soon anyway, so we packed a chest or two of things we didn't currently need, and a chest of valuables. Oh, and whatever we need to construct ourselves a 4-person house in the middle of the woods. And so, we packed our inventories and left, off on another great adventure... hopefully. Or, it could be a disaster like the time we tried to go into the Nether and make a house. Long story short, it exploded when we tried to sleep, and we got ambushed by Ghasts shortly after. Yeah... it wasn't too good. So, back to the point, we packed and left. Although, Steve was sure he forgot something. But, no time for that; unfortunately, it was my turn to decide the direction this time. So, we went to the middle of the valley near our home, I closed my eyes, and the guys spun me in a circle for while. A long while. You see, the way we did it, whichever direction the person is pointing when they collapse, we go in. So, after about 5 minutes, they decided I was good and confused, so they let me go. And, not suprisingly, I crashed straight into a tree. My face was a bit less than square after that, which I wasn't exactly very happy for. But, we just shook it off, and went where the tree was facing. Just our luck, it was pointing straight to the Taiga biome. We hadn't known that at the time, so we just went. Only when we got into snowy territory did Steve decide to point out that we had forgotten armor, our warmth source. In the middle of a blizzard-ridden wood. Oh, joy. Could this get worse? Oh crap, I probably just jinxed us.

(STEVE)

I knew we had forgotten something when we left our house. Armor. Of all the things I thought of, my mind just decided not to give me the idea to bring armor. Oh, well. At least we've got Netherrack to make a decent fireplace. Oh, wait... damn. Did we forget that too? Great. Now we'll freeze to death before we can even make a base.

(1UP)

I have to admit, I was pretty relieved when we encountered a Taiga forest. At least I could hide my Enderman morph deep in the forest and not get caught, although the trees would make it tough to get around. Luckily, I thought of some armor before we left. I forgot to tell Steve though... oh he's gonna be pissed if he sees me in my full leather armor suit. Oh, well, at least I bought my Netherrack too. I wonder if Steve bought the rest with? I hope so, otherwise we'll have half a fireplace to crowd around.

(TRENT)

I knew we would run into something bad when John first faceplanted into that tree. And now, here we are, freezing to death in the middle of who-knows-where in the middle of a forest in the middle of who-knows-where. Well, we know where, but... you get the point. The point is, we're lost in the middle of a snow forest with no armor to keep us warm. Whoop-de-doo.

(╯°□°)╯︵*LATER THAT NIGHT* )

(1UP)

Ok, we finally found a good spot for our house. It's a flat area, it near some mines and a large ravine, and it's not going to snow on us while we're in there; we found 4 trees that were conviniently stuck together in a big square shape, which was perfectly sized for the shelter. So, we got to work. My job was building a bridge over the ravine as well as a fence around it. Steve got the general shelter. John got the farms, and Trent got to work on storage and unpacking. I actually finished early, because I'm just awesome, so I decided to sneak off once it got late in the night. I left a note in Steve's Book and Quill Journal (Finished early - went on walk - Be back soon-Took compass) so he wouldn't freak out at me. And so, I set off in search of water, and soon found a lake that was frozen over with ice on top. I made sure that no one had followed me, and once I did, I decided to try out some other forms. 'I wonder what else I can change into?", I thought. So, picking randomly, I thought of a Skeleton, since I wanted to take advantage of the nighttime. [Note: I'm too lazy, so from now on, insted of 'Skeleton. Skeleton. Skeleton. Skeleton.' it'll just be 'Skeleton' (and vice-versa with the rest.] Skeleton. I opened my eyes, and the first things I noticed; I now had no flesh and I had a bow attached to my hand as if it was glued. I even tried to get it off, to no avail. 'Alright, back to me.' Me. "So, what else should I try?", I thought out loud. Right then I heard a rustle in the bushes, but it was behind a tree. So, I quickly decided: Why not scare it away? Enderman. I dashed, raging, towards the sound, only to see Trent behind the tree when I came close. I was about to attack when I saw... the fear... god, what have I done? My new purple eyes went wide, and I stared at him for a second, straight faced with no anger showing. I teleported away to the first place I thought of that was far away: home. And, on the roof of our home, I was glad to be away from Trent, so he wouldn't find out. But, then I realized, I felt a hand on mine, and looked down to see Trent, grasping my arm in order to teleport with me. Oh. No. And I had a feeling he knew about my... problem by the look in his eyes that screamed both 'WTF?' and 'You are so dead'.

()╯︵*MEANWHILE - EARLIER* )

(TRENT)

Why can't 1up just sit still and wait for once? Honestly, we leave him alone for a while to work on a fence and bridge, and the next thing we know, he finished quick and dashed off to who-knows-where with only a note for us in Steve's journal (which he wrote in pen - Steve is even more pissed than before.). At least 1up thought of the Netherrack, i'll give him that. But, really, give a guy a warning before you leave. So, here I am, searching the woods for any sign of him, and after about an hour, there's still no sign of him. How will I explain this to the guys? That 1up was stupid. Yeah, like they've never heard that one befo-... what was that? I heard something... strange, I don't know what. Like a cross between an Enderman and... 1up! Dammit, we'd already been hearing Enderman noises, now he's gotten another one? What, is he like an Ender-Magnet? Suddenly, I stopped, for I was seeing something I'd never thought I'd ever see, unconciously snapping a twig or two in the process. I saw 1up in the clearing, but it wasn't him exactly. His eyes were glowing purple like i'd never seen anything do, and the rest of him was doing equally weird things that I probably will never unsee. I saw bones breaking, rearranging, muscles extending, his skin becoming a dark black, and he gained a whole block of height as well. And where 1up was, and Enderman now stood. I finally understood why 1up had been taking 'walks' so often now. He was using the walks as a disqui- HOLY CRAP HE'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. For a second, I believed he was going to attack me, until I saw his eyes go wide. I knew I couldn't let him get away now, so before he decided to disappear, I quickly grabbed his arm, hoping he wouldn't notice, for his eyes were closed. Then, I felt a strong pull all around me, as if something strong was flattening me by forces alone. And when it ended, I saw the familiar sight of our home. Quite a genius spot to come, actually. Far away, but familiar. Except, it was right then that he noticed I was on his arm. I smirked, knowing I had him good.

(1UP)

I was shocked when I found Trent on my arm; it was so unlike him to take such as risk as to actually teleport with and Enderma- I mean, me. Why would he... unless he saw me change! As if on cue, he said to me "1up, I know that's you, even if you look a bit taller than usual."

"How did you know that it was me?" At this point, I realized how weird my voice sounded now that I was an Enderman that could talk. It sounded like a high-pitched growl almost.

"It's called: Trees are good hiding spots, and I was looking for you anyway."

Me. "Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"So how do you do that?"

"Well..."

()╯︵*One Large Explanation and a couple Test Runs Later* )

"So...let me see if I've got this right: You were heading back when you found the gem, mined it, and when it knocked you out, it gave you your new abilities."

"I guess that sums it up pretty well."

"Should we tell the guys yet?"

"Ehh... I'd rather they find out on their own."

"You sure? We could save ourselves a lot of trouble."

"Well...what fun would that be?

"That is so like you to do that."

"Yep."

"Alright, let's head back then."

"Can't we just teleport?"

"I thought you wanted to tell them later?"

"Well, it took us a day to get here, so it'll take us a day to get back from here."

"Fiiiiiiine, but not too close. Make it the lake."

"Sure!"

END OF CHAPTER THREE
[Short Note: I won't be updating quite as often due to school and my schedule filling up, so don't expect new chapters as often.]