//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Mindcracked // by mathwiz617 //------------------------------// "Well, that's a crazy story," Guude said as Paul finished, Twilight having interjected at times. "Yeah," Etho agreed. "I barely believe it, and the proof is standing right here. Then again, crazier things have happened." "At least you obey gravity, Twilight," Zisteau added. Murmurs of acknowledgement went around the room. "Well, I'm off for a while. See you guys later." Just as suddenly as Aureylian had appeared earlier, the zombie pig Crafter disappeared. "I'm going to go make sure nobody pranked me while I was away," Paul told Twilight. "Do you want to see my treehouse?" "Sure," Twilight said. "I'm very interested in your home. A treehouse, you said? Is it in a tree or on top of a tree?" "A bit of both," Paul clarified as they walked out of town hall. "You'll see." Heading southwest for a while, the two rounded a mountain base. As they did, an army of pumpkins on top of fences met them. Each had one raised lever and one lowered lever. They perfectly matched the gigantic one on top of the docks nearby. Paul ignored them and started searching his property. "What are you looking for?" Twilight asked. "A sign," he answered. "It's common courtesy to leave a sign when you prank someone. I have a strong suspicion that I know who did this." Looking up at his home, he noticed something amiss. "He tore out my window, too." Leading Twilight up the stairs into his home, Paul examined the damage. "Well, here we go," he sighed. The boarded up window had a sign posted on it. It read, "Do I even have to do this anymore? You know it's me. -Vechs. P.S. I was going to write something about an eviction notice, but I forgot what exactly it was. Derp." “Yep, just as I thought,” Paul said. "I guess he figured that with Guude resetting the world again soon, all bets are off." "What does resetting the world entail?" Twilight asked. "It's a clean wipe. The terrain is remade, backpacks are cleared, anything made is destroyed, etcetera. Oh, I'd probably leave soon if I were you, just to be sure you don't get caught in the wipe." "I guess that's a good idea. How do I get home, though? You made it sound like there's not enough time to get back to the portal I came in through." "There may not be," Paul admitted. "Not through the Nether, and definitely not overland. However, there is one other way. I need to pay Vechs a visit anyway, so you might as well come along." "What does Vechs have that you don't?" Twilight asked. "Not much," Paul confessed. "Just a sprawling underground fortress, a huge pumpkin farm, two skeleton spawners, and his crown jewel: one of the three End portals." When Twilight looked confused at the last item, he said, "I'll explain on the way." After a single minute of walking, the pair came to an unassuming dirt wall at the edge of Paul's property. Digging two cubes into it, Paul revealed a stairway into the ground. "Welcome to Vechs' base," he said. "You have no idea how long he kept this 'secret' entrance from me." As the two climbed down the stairs, he began to explain, "Now, an End portal is similar to a Nether portal, but the activation is slightly different. It requires Eyes of Ender, which are Ender Pearls mixed with Blaze powder, inserted into sockets in a ring. Twelve will power the portal, which will send you to the End, which is the third dimension every world can access. It's just a big island floating over the void, and is covered by Endermen. The Enderdragon ruled it, right up until the Crafters in this world killed her and took her egg. When the dragon died, she left behind another portal. This one takes you back to the last place you slept. With any luck, it'll send you back home." "That sounds like a cruel way to get home," Twilight said. "You forget, here it's either kill or be killed," Paul laughed. "I don't want you to die just to get home, so this is the only other way." "Fair enough." Looking down, she asked, "How much further until the main part of the base?" "Just a hundred blocks or so."