Part 30: The Portal

In the morning I set out to build the portal that my horse Boxter had described, the one that might bring me to the alternate universe where pegasus still survived.  But first I had to deal with a creeper problem.  I dealt with it in my usual way: by running terrified from my shelter, waving my sword, and then turning around to fire madly at anything that might be still chasing me.  

At first when I looked at this screenshot, I thought it was a lion.  Green creeper + red ouch = brown.

I built the portal and looked back to find that the trouble had not ended.  There were bears and lions and creepers up on the mountain and - oh no, oh no! - a lion at the very door to the shelter where Boxter was.

Aaaaaaa!

I raced back and slew the lion, hoping that I wasn't too late.  Fortunately, Boxter had stayed well back in the shelter, and the lion was either too big, too stupid, or too slow to get to him.

Phew

That disaster averted, another loomed, in the form of a bear about to land on my head.

Augh!

A flurry of arrows put an end to that one as well.

If the bears are all already carrying fish with them, why do they feel the need to attack horses?  Are they trying to make some sort of surf and turf?

Finally I collected Boxter and we rode to the portal.  At the portal I stopped.

"Boxter... that portal design is too small for horse and rider."

"You think I'm going through there?  You're out of your mind.  I've heard there's tigers and worse."

"Wait, you mean you're not coming along?"

"You bet your sweet pixels I'm not."

The portal

I dismounted sadly.

"But before you go, if you wouldn't mind..."  Boxter motioned back behind us, where yet more predators were lurking.  This time it was two lions, menacing Boxter's pig friend.  One last volley of arrows, for old time's sake.  And then the valley was safe once more, at least temporarily.

Where are all these things COMING from?

"You really want to stay here?  With nobody to fight off the predators?"

"What makes you think traveling with you is any safer?"  He had me there.  Between my crazy mountain-climbing and my propensity to attract lions and exploding creepers, I might well be more of a hazard than a help.

We exchanged our farewells, and Boxter headed for the horizon, while I turned to face the portal.

Well, here we go.

Zwwwiiiiiiingitty