[Archived] The Farlands - Minecraft

To Kill A Mocking Blaze

"Welcome to my brewing room. Heh heh heh heh..."

Steve's POV

The wither skeleton had an old woman's voice. But it still kinda freaked me out; considering I was about to die.

Her words instantly sent jeepers creepers through me and I was almost paralyzed. As I spoke she never attacked yet. "H-hello.. Do y-you know a w-way out of h-h-h-Please don't kill me.

"Don't be afraid! I am one of the passive Withers in the nether. I think I have just what you need! On one condition.."

A passive hostile. Is this something you see everyday?

I was going to groan so loud but I held it back. "What is it?"

"You see, I have water over here in my cauldron." She signals me to walk to it with her. The only thing in the room was a cauldron and some cabinets. "I am about to start brewing soon but there's one problem."

"What?" I interrupted her.

"I don't have a brewing stand you twat!" Her expression of stupidity at me was written all over her face.

"Oh." I turned my head to the floor in embarrassment.

"I am in need of a brewing stand to make my potions. Could you kindly bring one back? It shouldn't be too hard. Yes or no?" She asked.

"I accept!"

"And by the way, why are you even talking to me about getting out of here? Did you lose your portal?"

"No. Long story. I just have to get back to the Overworld."

"Got it. Your reward will help you lots on your journey."

"By the way, what potions are you planning to make?"

Her expression faded. Too far? She took a deep breath. "Most skeletons around here says it's extremely dumb and impossible. But I want to brew a potion that will make skeletons survive in sunlight."

I was about to start laughing but then I realized that so many disapproved her for her creativity. "Such a creative idea! I know you can make it come true." Don't even think about why I should be disapproving this because I'm human. As she was looking down in her cauldron, I asked, "Why don't you make a potion for the zombies too?"

"Why do you think we are skeletons instead of people?" She snapped back.

Ohhhh I get it. Stupid zombies.

"Oh." I had nothing else to say.

"Oh and I almost forgot I never got your name! What is it?"

"It's Steve."

"Well nice to meet you Steve. I am Ms. Witherty."

Ok. I know she did not just mix Wither and Rarity from mlp together.

"Alright Ms. Witherty. I'll be off now." I said as I was opening the door.

"Wait!" It magically shut again. "Just to get you on a headstart, the nearest Nether Dungeon is west from my place. It is in the middle of a lava ocean, but you should have what it takes." Why didn't this lady tell me before?! I thought this was going to be a piece of cake. I thought all you have to do is go find a blaze, get a blaze rod, make a brewing stand and bring it back. But no. I have to worry about ghasts destroying my lava bridge, zombie pigman dropping off cliffs, and potentionally even a blaze shooting me off before I even get to it. Letting go of shift is the worst thing.

But then I shake all thought out of my head and kindly said, "Okay, thanks for the info. I'll be back." Then I left out of the doors of the little netherbrick house.

...

I carefully went west, killing zombie pigmen along my way, and digging netherrack to make the lava bridge. I heard the easiest way to find a nether fortress is to go straight, so I did that.

After digging long tunnels through the hills of the nether I finally saw the lights of lava beam through a hole. I looked down the hole and there was the fortress in plain sight. You were able to see the entire structure!

There were some wither skeletons and zombie pigmen lying here and there, but there were no blazes in sight. Not yet.

I went through the hole to the ground, and there it stood even taller. I was right next to the lava ocean too. As I looked around I noticed there were two ways to get there. One is to mine up the netherrack surrounding the fortress or just build a straight path to it. I chose to build a bridge because the other is very time consuming. I had to get out of here. I could get lost digging, or I can hit a lava spot and it will be pouring on me.

I gathered up my stacks of netherrack and began placing slowly one block over the lava. So far so good. There weren't any weird platforms that mobs could fall off of, and no ghasts were in sight. But the sounds of them far off nearly scared me out of my shoes.

When I finally reached the base of the fortress I began to build straight up rapidly. When I popped up in front of a nether fence, a blaze was in my face. Where did it come from?!

As it started heating up preparing for fireball attacks, I swung on it fast, which caused it to float even higher into the air. I was right on the edge of my blocks as the blaze was looking straight down at me. Since my netherrack pole was right up against the walls of the structure, I leaped onward against the fences, standing only a half a block away from doom.

It launched its fireballs and I jumped back quickly as some of the netherrack fence was destroyed. I quickly took out my bow and ran inwards the fence, but the blaze decide to lower down outside of the fence by the lower walls of the fortress. Are you serious? Now I am forced to shoot down at it, and when I checked my inventory, I only had one arrow. How could this get any worse?

I am safe from falling off and I am at full hearts with my diamond armor, but that wont stop the blaze. As I reached over the fence with my steady bow concentrating on it, I see something white rising slowly up from the lava below.

I failed to recognize it but I continued my concentration on the blaze. Right when it started charging up for another attack, I released my arrow.

The arrow went super fast and the blaze released its fireballs at the same time. I backed up and let them fly above my head but then I look back down to realize the blaze is still there, unharmed.

It took me a while to realize that my arrow went right over its head and down into the lava where the white spot was. And when the arrow hit I heard a ghast's screech.

It slowly rose up out of the lava looking dead at me. Now I disturbed a ghast from its lava bath and I was about to be pulverized by both it and the blaze.

Sooner or later a ghast and a blaze was sitting in front of me.

Both of them were charging at the same time. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen. I look quickly to my left and there are some stairs. I quickly sprint away from them downstairs into the dungeon section of the fortress with fire blocking the exit.