End

Chapter 8

When End awoke, Steph was still asleep. No surprise there, she must be exhausted. Endermen are generally stronger than humans, so it only made sense.

Steph was resting her head on End's shoulder, and End didn't think he could move without waking her. He closed his eyes so Steph wouldn't feel bad. His legs began to grow uncomfortable like this. Maybe if I could shift just a little.....

End moved himself just a little, holding his breath, but it didn't work.

"Huh?" Groaned Steph, straightening.

"Good morning!" End said, standing up.

".....Hi..." Steph mumbled, eyes drooping.

"Ready to start?"

Steph looked up at End with a horrified expression, which disappeared soon after.

"I don't know....I feel really tired.." She said, pulling out a few apples.

"Alright, but we can't rest for long."

Steph felt a bit better after she ate, because she got up and nodded. End grabbed his pickaxe with two hands, for picks were made for humans, and it clattered to the ground a lot, so he had to ensure a good grip. Nevertheless, it still dropped to the floor sometimes.

He cringed whenever he dropped it, it made a horrible clattering that rang throughout the mineshaft, and Steph would jump every time. Steph was mining slowly, which discouraged End.

End whipped his head around when Steph gave out a cry, and there was a disgusting crinshhhh noise. A small blue spider lodged it's teeth into Steph's arm, and others were flowing through a block Steph mined. Greenish ooze was glistening off the spider's fangs.

"Steph!" End yelled, and bolted over.

"Get away from her you dirt-bathing pieces of scum!" End bellowed in the spider language, swatting them away from Steph, "Yes you heard me, you tiny maggot runts!"

The spiders hissed and turned towards End. He grabbed a piece of stone, swatted a few away, and placed it in the wall, while Steph lay twitching on the ground.

End killed the remaining spiders, none managing to shoot venom into him, but he still got a few bites that stung.

"Steph...." End murmured, dropping to his knees next to her.

End ignored his own pain while he looked at Steph. Steph's left arm, the one where the spider bit her, was swollen green, the wound itself oozing blood and venom.

"...milk..." Steph croaked.

"What?!"

"....milk...heals...."

"I don't have a bucket!" End said helplessly.

Steph groaned and closed her eyes.

"I don't have a bucket!" He yelled, even louder, to who knows what.

End ran over to the chest they had stored junk in. He pulled out an ingot, and bolted over to the crafting table, ran back, and repeated until three ingots where at the table. He carefully picked up each ingot and arranged them in the right order, and they turned into a bucket.

He teleported to the surface, not caring about the sudden fatigue he felt. He swiveled his head, frantically looking for cows. He spotted one eating some trampled grass.

He sprinted over to it, milked it, and teleported back.

"Steph!"

Steph weakly turned her head towards End. End rushed over and gently tilted her head, milk running down her throat. When she drained the bucket, Steph went unconscious.