by Mark Mulle
Chapter Four
From the outside, the hut had seen better days. Made from straw and wood, the straw seemed so brittle that it could break if there was a strong enough gust of wind. The wood, meanwhile, seemed as weak as a toothpick. When Steve went to the door, he gave it a delicate knock, as he feared that it would fall over if he touched it normally.
“Come in!” a voice called from inside. It sounded like it belonged to someone who was hundreds of years old. It was raspier than some of the raspiest people Steve had ever heard.
As Steve and the other three entered, they were greeted to a small room with trinkets, relics, and other strange decorations adorned on the wall. In the center of the room, a giant cauldron stood, filled with a strange bluish liquid. Thick, blue smoke emitted from it, escaping via a small hole in the roof.
The man behind the cauldron was a shriveled person whose wrinkles were so deep that it almost seemed like they would sink into his skull if they were any more prominent. His liver-spotted head was completely bald, yet he still boasted a thick, white beard.
“Is that you, Duran? My eyes aren’t what they used to be,” the shaman stated. His eyes were completely white, and Steve was unsure if he could even see them.
Duran nodded. “Yes it is. I’ve come to seek your wisdom, O Renma the Wise.”
Renma let out a raspy laugh. “I’m not even all there anymore. Why would you seek my aid? I am a hundred and twenty years old now, so I’m not exactly the sharpest tool.”
“One hundred and twenty?” Steve exclaimed.
Renma nodded. “I’ve lived one heckuva life, to say the least. I’ve seen wars, kingdoms form and then fall apart, and I’ve explored all this world has to offer. And before you ask, my secret to long life is eating two strips of zombie flesh every day. Something in it seems to preserve the body quite well.”
As they sat down, Steve was unsure if Renma was being serious or pulling his leg. The toothless smile Renma made as they made themselves at home seemed to indicate that he was joking.
“What do you want from me?” Renma asked.
“I want to know how you get to The End,” Steve asked. “The Ender Dragon is about to reawaken, and I need to make it to The End before it does.”
Renma’s eyes widened. “The powers told me that, but I couldn’t believe it. At my age, I don’t have to worry about suffering for too long, but I worry about the young generation. However, I’m familiar with The End. It’s said to be a space between life and death, where the darkest creatures are born. There is a way in, and I’ll show you how.”
As Renma said this, he threw what appeared to be a handful of dust into the cauldron. The liquid began bubbling, changing from blue to black. Black smoke filled the room, and Renma told his story from behind the cauldron.
“You are most likely familiar with the Endermen. They’re a force to be reckoned with, and their home is in The End. Where they come from, I’m not sure. Were they born from the Ender Dragon, or from the darkness itself? Regardless, they hold the key to entering The End. Have you ever killed one, and it left behind a greenish pearl?”
Steve shrugged. “I never paid attention, honestly.”
Renma made a chuckle. “Kids these days. Well, the pearl is your key to getting in. It’s called the Ender Pearl, and when you combine it with Blaze Powder, which I have plenty of, it forms into the Eye of Ender. When you throw the Eye of Ender into the air, it begins floating towards a direction. The direction will lead you to a fortress. You’ll have to go through many tricks and traps to make it to the end, no pun intended, where you’ll find a portal to The End. But it doesn’t open for just anyone. The portal has twelve slots, and you need twelve Eyes of Ender to activate the portal. The portal shall lead you to The End.”
The black smoke cleared up, leading to the wise shaman standing up and going to a shelf. He grabbed a giant bag, and opened it. He reached his hand into there and when he removed it, a red powder was in his hand.
“Now then, this is Blaze Powder. I should have enough to turn the pearls into eyes. You just need a little.”
As he said this, he threw some of the powder into the cauldron. As it took the powder, the liquid began changing to red, bubbled for a bit, and then a big burst of fire shot from it. When the fire faded, the cauldron’s contents turned into bubbling lava.
Renma looked at the shocked faces from the four. “That never gets old,” he said to them.
“So we just need to defeat a lot of Endermen, right?” Wendy asked.
“Right, young lady. When you do, combine it with the Blaze Powder, follow the eyeball, and then you should find the fortress.”
“What lies in The End?” Steve asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Renma replied. “I have few regrets in my long life, but one of the major ones is that I never got to see The End. I was too scared when I was a youth, and steered clear from it. I’d rather take the Nether than that. But according to legend, it’s a place darker than death itself, where some of the most powerful beasts lie.”
Renma walked up to Steve and handed him the bag of Blaze Powder. “This should be enough, like I said. There should be Endermen in the forest, but I’m never too sure.”
Steve nodded, and then Renma smiled. “By the way, do you want me to tell you your fortune?” Renma asked.
Steve glanced at Duran, who said, “It’s up to you. Just know that Renma is spot on. He basically predicted that I would be the founder of Hilltop.”
“Isn’t that a self-fulfilling prophecy?” Bartholomew asked.
“What do you mean?” Duran replied.
“Where a prophecy only became true because it was predicted. You found the village because someone told you, you would, you know what I’m saying?”
Duran nodded. “I’d be inclined to agree with you, but Renma told me other predictions that held up so well, one of them being that the village would face a great calamity, along with the world.”
“Let’s do it,” Steve replied. His heart began beating fast. Perhaps this would determine if he would end up killing his brother or not.
Renma walked up to Steve, and before Steve could do anything, he put his hand on Steve’s head. It almost felt like a skeleton had put its hand on him, yet Steve didn’t move.
When he removed his hand from Steve’s head, he looked at him with quite wide eyes.
“You have someone close to you who’s the cause of this world’s destruction, am I right?”
Steve nodded. “Yes, my brother.”
“I see him, and he’s calling out for your help. But that’s all I see. I don’t know if you’ll be able to defeat the dragon, nor do I know if you’ll be able to save him. Honestly, this is the first time this has happened. I’m usually spot-on when it comes to predictions. I don’t know if I’m getting old, or what.”
As Duran said this, Steve’s anxiety was thankfully not increased, but it wasn’t relieved, either. “Who else wants their fortunes taken?” Renma asked.
Everyone agreed. First, Renma took Wendy’s. When he removed his hand from her head, he smiled. “I predict great success in your business, and I see yourself being happy for the rest of your life with the person you care about.”
As he said this, Wendy blushed, along with Steve. He then walked towards Bartholomew. When he removed his hand, he raised an eyebrow. “I see that you’ve lived an interesting life. I predict that you’ll continue walking down the middle path, and you’ll find comfort in that.”
“So, I’ll continue being a great treasure hunter, or will I go back to being a thief?” he asked.
Renma shrugged. “I am not sure, honestly. All I do know is that you’re a peculiar fellow.” He then walked to Duran, placed his hand on his head, and then looked at him with widened eyes.
“What’s up?” Duran asked.
“I can’t see any prediction. I don’t know why that is. Did I overuse my power?”
Duran shrugged. “Forget it.
All I know is that I will lead my village to success, no matter what.”
Renma walked behind the cauldron again. “Oh well. You three are definitely the heroes this world needs, and so is you, Duran. I wish I could join you. If I was even fifty years younger, I could take on the Ender Dragon using my magic, but I would be fried in a heartbeat. But I suppose that’s growing old.”
He looked at the four, and then said, “Is there anything else you need?”
“I think we’re good,” Steve replied. As he said this, his stomach began growling.
“I see you’re quite hungry. Why not sit for a bit and eat some food?”
They agreed. Renma had a collection of jerkies, cheeses, breads, and even some clean water at his disposal. Sitting around the cauldron, the four made small talk as they ate their food.
“Do you think that we’ll be able to defeat the Ender Dragon?” Wendy asked.
“I think we just need to have some confidence,” Steve replied. “Hope is all we have right now. I want to believe that we can beat him, and end my brother’s suffering.”
Wendy then looked at Bartholomew. “Will you actually help us fight him this time?” she asked.
“What are you talking about?” Bartholomew asked.
“Do you remember when Herobrine first became the Ender Dragon? You became a coward and ran away from him!” Wendy accused.
Bartholomew put his hand behind his back and smiled. “Oh yeah, that. I was a different man then. I’m not afraid of a dragon now, trust me.” With sweat pouring down his face, he added, “And besides. I’m supposed to be this great hero, right? I think that I have an obligation to do so.”
As they spoke, Steve looked at Renma, raising an eyebrow. “By the way, I have another question.”
“Let’s hear it,” Renma stated.
“Do you know the fate of a man named Rara?” he asked.
Rara was a powerful wizard who was an old acquaintance of Draven, the leader of the cult of the Ender Dragon. During one of their fights with Draven, he injured Rara and then used a spell on him, making him disappear. Since then, his true fate was unknown. Steve was unsure if Rara was dead, or banished to The End. Even Draven made it ambiguous when he said, “How about if I spare your lives by sending you to where Rara’s staying right now? An eternity of suffering, but at least you’ll be in good company.”
Renma closed his eyes, and when he opened him, he shook his head. “I’m not sure myself. But never give up hope.”
“I won’t,” Steve replied. Besides Rara, he also needed to save Elena, Rara’s daughter. She was turned to stone after her soul was sacrificed to make the Ender Dragon stronger.
As they chatted, it began turning into nightfall. “You three can stay in here, I don’t mind,” Renma told them.
“That’s appreciated, but we may go out and search for the Ender-“
Ka-boom!
As Steve’s sentence was interrupted, a massive explosion occurred outside, and it seemed too close for comfort. It was followed by another explosion, and the four ran out of the hut before Renma could even move. As they went outside, they gasped.
