Minecraft Story Mode: Pain and Healing

Chapter 9: Failure

Jesse started attacking a nearby zombie with his friend while I shot arrows at any mobs that tried to interfere. Eventually, Jesse was able to kill the zombie but had to take cover when a group of skeletons began to fire. "Not that this isn't a ton of fun," said Jesse, "but let's grab that Formidi-Bomb and get out of here!" "One small problem," said Soren. "Tiny, really. Miniscule. I haven't actually built it yet." "That's a 'small problem'?!," yelled Jesse. "You seem like a person who appreciates cool stuff that's cool for no reason," said Soren. A few arrows landed next to Reuben, who squealed and ran into my arms.

"Thanks?," asked Jesse uncertainly. "Go ahead and throw that lever behind you," said Soren, pointing at a lever around the corner of the doorway. Jesse used his sword to smack the lever. "Hold onto your socks," said Soren as a number of pumpkins fell down on iron structures, creating iron golems in the process, "'cause they're about to get blown off! Go to work, boys!" The golems began attacking the mobs with little to no effort, easily killing them one by one. Some mobs tried to fight back, but they were no match.

"That did turn out to be pretty cool!," said Jesse. "I wouldn't lie to you, Jesse," said Soren. "Oh no, wait a minute, I would. I didn't lie to you. That's what I meant." I gave Soren a deadpan look, which he didn't notice. After killing off the mobs, the golems made way for us as we walked through them. I nervously kept my eyes forward, since my last encounter with a golem did not go that well. "Do you guys hear that?," asked Axel. "Hear what?," I asked.

"All that stuff whispering, 'Take me. Take me now,'" said Axel, causing me to giggle. "I know this is cool," said Jesse, "but the only things we need in here are the ingredients for the Formidi-Bomb." Axel and Olivia looked at him funny. "The loot says you're wrong," said Axel. "I'll just fetch the Super TNT," said Soren. "It's right up there!" He pointed above the door we went through, where a marble shelf with numerous chests on it was located.

"How are you gonna get up there?," asked Jesse. "Oh, I have my ways," said Soren mysteriously. Suddenly, the iron golems from earlier stacked themselves on top of each other, creating a ladder for Soren to climb on. "Oh, and feel free to help yourselves!," he said. "Just make sure you keep an eye out for the gunpowder we'll need to make the Formidi-Bomb." We smiled and split up, wondering what we could possibly find.

After searching through some chests, I found another bow and stacks of arrows. Unlike my old, worn out bow, this one was brand new and shimmering with an enchantment. I grinned and put my old bow in the chest before taking out the enchanted one and pocketing it, along with the stacks of arrows I found. Jesse walked up to me.

"Hey, Alex," he said. "That was a pretty cool bow. Are you going to keep it?" "Yeah," I said, chuckling. "It's a lot better than the other bow." Jesse rubbed the back of his head, deep in thought. "You know," he said slowly, as if choosing his words, "when I first saw you back at Endercon, I didn't really take you for the fighting type. No offense." "None taken," I said, smiling. "Then again, I never thought of myself as an archer either. Believe it or not, that was the first time I've ever even touched a bow, let alone use one."

"Yeah," said Jesse, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Anyway, I should look for the ingredients for the Formidi-Bomb. It was nice talking to you." I felt a deep sadness inside of me when I watched him leave. After another minute of searching, I heard Jesse call, "Hey...Soren?" "Jesse!," said Soren. "I think I've almost got enough gunpowder now!," said Jesse. "Glad to hear it!," said Soren, jumping from the shelf. "And Jesse, I am sorry for not keeping this place as organized as I should. It's very embarrassing."

Soren took out an orange, glowing block of TNT. "And this is my Super TNT," he said proudly. "Let's build us a Formidi-Bomb!," exclaimed Jesse. "Yes!," agreed Soren. "Let's! Build away!" "Um...how do we build us a Formidi-Bomb exactly?," asked Jesse. "Do we just combine this with the gunpowder?" "The crafting recipe is quite simple, really," said Soren. "Super TNT in the middle, and gunpowder all around." "Got it!," said Jesse, reaching for the TNT. However, Soren immediately backed away before he could grab it.