"Remember... once the Formidi-Bomb is crafted it'll explode in a matter of seconds." My heart, as hard as a rock, falls into my stomach, blood draining from my face. Remember? We were never told that! "It means whoever is doing the crafting will be in great danger."

Silence, a strange prickly sensation dancing all throughout me. "I was hoping... well... um... perhaps we can draw straws?"

I turn, dazed with the Wither Storm roaring behind me, to the Order members. They're heroes, they are THE heroes. They've done the impossible before and killed an ender dragon, surely they will rise to this monster as well.

"Haha, don't look at me." My intestines twist around themselves at Magnus's words, shocked and horrified. He's the great griever! He can't be scared of this!

"I think I may have tweaked an ankle earlier, so..." Air flies out of me at Ellegaard's excuse. My eyes wishing they could just pop out at the brilliant engineer who's always been able to do anything. Who always stands tall, calm, and collected in the face of anything!

"I never wanted to be a hero, but I'm willing to do the heroic thing." My heart beats in a numb shock as I hear my own words. What the heck is my mouth doing? "I'm going to set off the Formidi-Bomb."

Soren steps down to me, and I have no clue how he can't hear my blood slam against my veins in pure terror as I my brain comprehends what my mouth just said. No clue. No clue how my face is so relaxed either. No clue how I managed to make my voice come out strong and not crack with fear. No clue how I'm doing any of this.

"That's what I was hoping for." He hands me the super TNT, and I quickly pocket it before my hands begin to noticeably shake. How am I suppose to do this? "The rest of us will build distractions in its path. Hopefully it will buy you some time."

I look away from the legendary builder, feeling every fiber within me burning up. Some with energy, most in terror though. I'm just one guy, one guy wearing a smelly enderman suit who's already so exhausted and hungry and just wants everything to be over with already.

"Jesse..." I blink, slowly turning to Ellegaard despite adrenaline roaring in my muscles. "Take my armor. It will help."

"Nah... you can take mine. It's gotten me out of a lotta jams." Gulping, I look down on the two heroes. They're offering their armor to me, a normal guy who just wants his friends and pig to be safe. I don't deserve their armor, the armor they wore against a dragon, why would they give me theirs?

"I insist." Perhaps I shouldn't take either of their armors, if this bomb can truly kill the Wither Storm then even their legendary sets won't be able to keep me alive.

"I double insist." I force myself to take deep breaths, my fear catching up to my thoughts. I'm not going to survive this. I'm just not strong enough, I'll die if I do this. I'll die!

"I triple insist!" Why can't Soren do this? Or Ellegaard? Or Magnus? They're all heroes who have survived through so much! They're the heroes here! Not me! Not me! I don't want to die!

"I, uh... insist four times." My hand twitches, and I'm just about hand the ingredients to Magnus or Ellegaard, when it just kinda clicks.

"Quadruple!" The Order of the Stone are afraid and are spouting excuses to keep their own skins safe. Don't they realize what that Wither Storm will do if it doesn't die?

"Know-it-all..." Seriously though, do they? Sure they don't like each other, but Axel doesn't Lukas and we've all quarreled about something at some point or another. But it really doesn't matter because we all just want to keep each other safe. Wouldn't they see that?

"I've never found that insulting." If they aren't willing to take the high road, refusing to do anything they don't agree with, maybe I should take one of their armors.

"I bet you don't know what the fifth one is though!" The Wither Storm roars, we're running out of time. If I'm going to hand over the ingredients, I better do it now.

"Quintuple... alternatively pentuple." Taking a deep breath, I curl my fingers into fists. I can do this, and I will. Because my friends deserve to live, this world deserves to keep living.

"Up to you Jesse, real armor... or nerd armor." I turn to Magnus and walk down to him, not really caring which armor I get. I suppose this one is easier to move in and has put up with a lot of explosions.

"Right on Jesse!" A numbness spreads throughout me, I'm a walking dead body. I shake my head, I have to do this. I have to save my friends, I have to save this world. And I'm going to do that with my dying breath.

"Uh... by the power vested in me, yadda yadda yadda..."

A tremendous roar shakes the earth, my ears screaming to get away from this monster. I whip around, the three headed beast uprooting trees as it draws closer and closer. Holy cow, how am I suppose to kill that thing?

I turn back to the others, almost about to say I can't do this, when I see the same looks of terror all across their faces. They can't do this, although I don't think I can either, but this has to be done. I have to do this. For my friends. For the world.

I have to keep reminding myself that, over and over again not letting any other thoughts in, as I put on Magnus's armor. Despite one part of me screaming at me to take as long as possible, I put it on as fast as possible. The smell of sulfur emitting from the leather.

"Lets do this guys." Surprised by my own voice, it's a miracle how it doesn't crack at all, I turn and runs towards the great storm. A floating monster bigger than a mountain and sucking up more and more of this world. And I have to kill it. Is it normal for everything to be so numb?

"Jesse," I glance at Soren, barely able to hear him over the din of my heartbeat and the mighty roars. "You're going to have to set down a crafting table out there and make the Formidi-Bomb!"

Before I can respond, he continues. "Everyone else, grab a buddy and split up. We need to keep that Wither Storm on track, so build! Build! Build!"

My stomach twitches, irritated at Soren being leader when he refused to do my job. The next ear splitting roar drowns that out as my heart thumps wildly in fear. A tractor beam coming down and everyone peels away from me. Just me alone to run towards this thing. Me alone to run towards my death.

"Jesse! Don't forget! Super TNT in the middle and gunpowder all around!" Trees all around me turn black, shaking before their roots burst from the ground and cascade dirt everywhere. How I'm not being picked up is beyond me, maybe I'm just too light or something.

I shake my head, an insane laugh bubbling up in my stomach. I'm about to die and that's what I'm thinking about? Why the Wither Storm can't absorb me and just kill me faster? I thought death was suppose to clear your mind, not clutter it up even more.

Blocks, the dull thud of blocks being placed somehow makes its way into my ears. My eyes flicker over to the left. Lukas, Olivia, Rueben are all over there. They're all counting on me.

Narrowing my eyes, I run faster towards the black beast. If I'm dying, than so is that thing! I'll make sure none of my friends die, I'll make sure this world doesn't die. I'm going to kill it, I'm going to kill it for my friends.

The monster's tentacles fly everywhere, and despite my determination, shivers run down and up my back in fear. The constant roars almost trying to push in me back, to get me to start bolting in the other direction and stay far away from this terror.

I slide underneath flailing trees, still pushing forward no matter how absolutely terrifying this is. No matter how much I wish that I could still live, I'm going to run towards this thing. I'm going to kill it, so it doesn't kill anything I care about.

Skidding to a stop, my arms shake as I pull out a crafting table. Glass shatters and stone crumbles, snatching my attention. Some sort of tower thing that was built breaking apart and being suck up into the storm.

"Please work, please work, please work." Now my voice truly reflects what I feel, my pleas quivering and completely desperate as I place the ingredients. "Please work, please work, please work."

I grab the super TNT from my pocket, almost sighing in relief that I'm almost done. That this is all almost over. Ignoring the roars, I reach out to place the block when the entire area floods in a purple light.

Sheer panic blasts into my every cell as my feet float off the ground. Only to get hit with another blast when the ingredients don't fuse together and instead tremor as they're pulled up into the air away from the crafting table.

"No!" I flail helplessly through the air, unable to do anything as everything crumbles apart. As everyone will slowly be eaten now, all life withering black and the world gobbled up by this storm.

"No! Not yet!" I narrow my eyes, no time for fear now. I swim and kick and push against the air, trying to move forward and grab the ingredients. Nothing has been absorbed yet, I can still do this. I can still save my friends.

Moving through the air is a lot harder than one might think, it's really hard to push it to move. But after killing every muscle fiber in my legs and arms, I collect the ingredients. Vaguely seeing trees turning black as they're sucked into the Wither Storm.

I'm panting and my heart is almost skipping beats trying to go faster and faster, but I finally have all the ingredients. I groan when I see the crafting table below me, I'll have to swim towards it without any energy left to go on.

A freezing void of life prickles at my skin, a sudden burst of energy springing up in reaction. I push whatever I have left to get to that crafting table. If I'm dying I might as use up everything I have so nothing else has to, expect for the monster I'm trying to kill.

The cold gets stronger by the time I reach the crafting table, and I can only vaguely hear my heartbeat under the great roars bursting apart my ears. Both arms move to place the ingredients, no longer shaking in fear for my death, but in fear that everyone else will die if I don't succeed.

Right as I'm placing the super TNT my heart stops beating and falls into my stomach. Black dots flooding my eyes and I get dizzy despite being suspended in air. A frigid lasso coiling me and dragging me further into the depths of its icy torment as it becomes harder to move.

Still, I let go of the super TNT. Hearing it rather than seeing it fall into place and combine. The cold gets worse and in a daze I reach out when a zing vibrates through the air. That must be it, I'll be able to rest once I get through this. Just have to get through this.

Panting, a cool nauseating sensation blooming in my stomach, I clutch onto it. Energy thrumming underneath my fingers as I turn myself towards the storm. Only a faded pulse throbbing throughout my body now, everything so tired and heavy and dull and cold.

Something latches onto my back, the sudden jerk of stopping freeing the bomb from my grasp. I try to focus my eyes on it, but only the black dots are there. Everywhere, as the weightless feeling soon becomes a little fuzzy. Or maybe it's something else that feels fuzzy, I don't know anymore.

Sighing, I stop trying to see anything and let my eyes close. I did everything I could, gave everything I had, and if this is my death so be it. All I want now is for that monster to die too, and it would also be nice if that cured Petra of her wither sickness.

I float back into this darkness, until a mighty wave plows into me. Slamming me into that darkness and other things, I think. Everything rattles around in me after that. Sensations and feelings tangling together as this low ringing is just everywhere all the time.

In fact that ringing is getting louder, painfully so. If I'm going to die, can't I just die and get it over with? None of this torture stuff, just cut it off right now before any other pain. Before something else strolls along and makes my life worse. I don't really have much life in me to give anymore.

A dull throb emits from my chest, each one like a tiny punch to my ribs and lungs. But still, at least my heart's working again. Which might mean the rest of my body is waking up. Perhaps not the greatest thing considering everything I just went through, like explosions and no sleep.

Holy cow! I'm not dead though! Who cares if stuff hurts? I'm alive to feel it! This is great! I'm fine with being unable to move right now as long as that Wither Storm is dead. I can put up with any pain if I'm alive and my friends are alive. And the world's going to live, and I'm going to see it!

I try and try to pull myself up, to wake up and just check to make sure everyone's okay. One little peek and I can finally take a nap. Just a quick check up and when I wake up I'll get myself something to eat finally. Maybe Rueben will have scrounged around for a carrot or something.

Which is when I figure out I was right, everything completely hurts. I can't fully tell yet, just this terrible sore achy feeling radiating from every nerve that I possess. Slowly burning more and more intensely as I continue to push myself wake more and more.

The ringing encompasses everything, I can't even hear my heartbeat. If I have a headache, which I'm completely sure I do, then it has taken the form of this torturous ringing. It really does suck when I trying to learn what's happening around me, being able to use my ears would be nice.

Taking a deep breath, I force my eyes open. A bright stinging pain searing through my eyes and right into my brain. It hurts, it hurts so freaking much, but I keep them open. Waiting for the shockingly bright light to fade away so I can just check on my friends before I go to sleep.

I feel, the ringing is still rendering my ears useless, a growl go through my stomach. A dull ache echoing it, the echoes then growing stronger. Muscles are bricks that feel on fire, completely exhausted. Bone with their own weak heartbeat, throbbing in pain. A warm sensation all over my face, slowly growing hotter and hotter, like I'm getting closer and closer to a fire.

My eyes flutter open and close as I consider falling asleep when every waking second gets more and more painful. But I will be asleep soon, once after I make sure everything really is alright. I'm sure not one person will complain that I'm going to sleep for days if the Wither Storm really is dead.

So very agonizingly slowly, the white fades away. Pale colors and blurry shapes making their way into my sight. I vaguely make out the sky, and a flash of relief goes through me. For a moment, I forgot about my growing pain and let my lips twitch upward as the Wither Storm really is dead. The sky back to it's nice blue color.

And that fleeting moment of happiness immediately vanishes when the heat in my face skyrockets, as if my face is on fire or something. My heart staggers, digging into my chest. I forget trying to see and focus on breathing, pained pants driving into my lungs in torturous sync with my heartbeat.

The ringing infuriating me as I simply try to breathe, to stay alive after already going through the hard part. I can't die now, not after going through so much already. If I just tough it out a bit longer then I can rest and everything will be fine.

My chest vibrates, probably some groan as I try again to open up my eyes. There's still that accursed light searing into my poor little eyeballs, but I can actually see a bit better. The blurry shapes of what I'm assuming are my friends around me.

I squint, trying to make them out even more. If they're talking, I can't tell. I can't see their mouths moving nor can I hear them with this stupid persistent buzzing in my ear. Out of everything, it's the only thing that calming down. My face is still burning more than ever now.

"...fine!"

That Petra's voice, and it was thankfully louder than the buzzing. Ignoring all the pain in my body, my face somewhat ignored, I try to see even more. The outlines of my friends sharpening, until I can make out Olivia and Petra. Everyone else is still just a bit too far away.

The buzzing continues to dwindle, to my relief, and muffled noises float into my head. I can tell they sound worried, but I can't make out any words, not unless they talk louder or the buzz goes down even more.

"...still open. I think he's awake." Olivia can now be heard, although I don't get any thrill of the ability. Everything's kinda feeling numb, just like how I am when I'm tired, but I'm just laying here.

A figure moves closer to me, and sharpens into Lukas. "Well he needs to sleep. It'll probably be really painful if we put a bandage on his face."

At his words, my attention snaps back onto my burning face. The pain blowing back up inside my mind. Such a sharp searing pain drowns out the dull tired achy feeling in everything else. What did happen to me?

Olivia speaks again while I refocus back into my eyes. "Hopefully anyone Axel pulls out from inside the storm's body won't be so injured. I really want Jesse to be okay."

Some fuzzy thing waves over my face. It gives me a headache so I don't bother to track it. My tongue slowly trying to revive some life into my mouth so I'll be able to talk to my friends.

"Is he awake?" This must be Petra's hand, I think so anyway. "He doesn't seem to be awake."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's blind, or at least lost some of his sight." My heart flutters at Lukas's words. Couldn't he sound just a bit less hopeless? For my sake at least, I don't want to know that this is the best my sight's going to get.

I open my mouth, but any words I was going to say transform into a moan when my lips, which felt like they were melted together, peel apart painfully. And that hurts, a lot. Adding more emphasis on the agony seething from my face.

"Holy..." I ignore their voices and just focus on breathing. Breathing through the flaming torture on my face. Breathing as my heart wildly pounds with an energy it doesn't have, hurting itself as it tries to provide. My only coming from the small cool tears forming in my eyes.

But those become their own form of torture as they slid onto my cheeks, their path blazing a higher form of torment. What happened to my face for puny little tears to make it burn so much?

I open my eyes and mouth again, no longer caring about the pain. I should be dead anyway, if this kills me then at least I'll die knowing the Wither Storm is dead. My eyes are finally working again too, I can actually see my friends' faces. I'm happy to say Lukas was wrong about my sight.

For a moment they all just look at me, and I use the moment to finally speak. "Hey... guys..."

Holy moly was that even my voice? It was all gravely and dry and crackly as if I was some witch who hasn't had any water for days. To be honest though, maybe I shouldn't be surprise. I haven't had water for awhile, unless choking on some in the End counts, and I did just live through an explosion that killed a Wither Storm. Perhaps sounding like that is completely normal.

"Uh, Jesse," My eyes flicker over Olivia, the agony in my face actually calming down. "You should rest, you really need it."

Perhaps I'm simply used to the pain or my brain is kicking up my pain tolerance, but I'm not feeling like I was in the torture I was only a few moments ago. "Are you all good?"

Once I make sure everyone's fine, I will rest. That was the main reason I woke myself up in the first place, so I can check everyone's fine. I did not just go through all of that only to give in right at the finish line.

Petra scoffs, who looks better but still kinda sick, rolling her eyes. "We're fine, no one... umm, none of us are hurt. So just..."

She groans, face screwing up before bringing her hands up to her face. My heart thumps a bit harder, and I don't care how completely drained my body is. If Petra needs help then she's going to get it.

"Petra, are-" Lukas is cut off when a massive roar shakes the very ground. Any pain at all vanishes into smoke under the blast of utter fear that shakes me to the core. That roar, that's the Wither Storm's.

Sitting up, my rapid heartbeat stalls as the great black storm rises again. The sky and its light covered by this monster and its darkness. I didn't die, and neither did it.

My attention flickers over to all my friends. Petra is horrified, looking as sick as ever. Lukas has gone stiff, all the blood drained from his face. Olivia is just starring at it, muttering no under her breath as the storm wakes back up.

Gritting my teeth, causing a flash of pain from my face before my own horror kills it, I shift to stand up. My limbs heavy and quite honestly have very little life in them at all, but they move all the same.

As I stand though, I spot a glass shard pretty close to me. I'm about to dismiss it as just a part of one of the builds, when I see my reflection in it and for a brief second I forget about the Wither Storm.

My face, it's horrible... Almost my entire face burned, I'm lucky my eyes were shut when the bomb went off or Lukas would be right. I wouldn't be able to see. And anyone who sees me will always see the scarred remains of my face.

The Wither Storm roars again, and I stagger back to my feet. Looking around for the others attentively, but at the same time numb. Just a shocked mass of limbs trying to function normally.

I tried, I tried to kill this thing. I was fine with dying if it meant this monster just died. But instead, I'm weaker than ever with a serve burn completely destroying my face. I'll never look the same again, everyone who sees me will probably look away for at least a second.

Yet that doesn't matter. Despite all of that, despite how I feel worse than just been stamped all over by a herd of horses, I have to push on. I have to burn whatever strength I have left because my fight isn't over.

And if that is what being a hero is, well, it definitely isn't what I thought. All this pain, and fatigue, and stress never stopping for a moment. I never knew that simply trying to help would force this life draining title of hero onto me.

****

Oh torture, how I love thee...

I've always wanted to create something on this topic, since like, this is kind of on the more realistic side of things than how the game does it.

I mean, Jesse was mere blocks away from the bomb that tore open the Wither Storm (which I'm going to assume has some obsidian tough body) and gets up just fine. His ears ring for like, five seconds and he has no injuries whatsoever! Not possible, just not possible.

Probably the only realistic scenario here is Jesse dying... but there are about 10 more episodes he has to appear in and be alive in. So while I understand he can't die, it kinda bothers me how nothing happens to him!

Phew, I'm done ranting now. Well, that's all I got for now. Bye y'all until the next update comes out!