Review Replies:
TheLion: Okay, I love your 'fudg-ing fuge potatoes' comment, it's brilliant. Lukas had been through a lot, hasn't he? I mean, sure, the Balze Rods are butts, but they used to be his best friends. Yes, Hadrian's a prat, I believe this is common knowledge, heh. I really liked making Jesse scared of Magnus and Ellegaard, although that doesn't mean he wouldn't fight them off or anything if he really had to (like how Jesse kept his cool when Magnus was threatening him with explosives all the way back in episode two). And I'm glad you liked the fidget spinner thing, it was GirlOfHerOwnWorld's idea. I'm happy you're enjoying this so much!
DaFlameDF: Heh, yeah, Axel's not very good with names.
Guest: Thanks! If you're wondering, I am planning on getting to rewriting Watching the Big Four Movies series, but I'd like to finish up Movie Mode and Empty Echoes. As for the similarities between this and Hybrid Cinematic Mode, I'm actually close friends with the author, Ariza Luca! Some of her other stories, such as Minecraft: Hide and Seek Mode, feature the characters being taken to the Movie Mode mansion. Sorry if that bothered you a bit, but I'm not one to copy another's story. If you don't believe me, just compare the publish dates.
MidnightStarHunter: Ha, thank you! I loved the Lukas-running-and-screaming bit as well ::D
666chibi: *snorts* Those things are terrible, aren't they? For some reason, my dad decided to get me one, and I have no idea where it's went because my brother and sister have gone off with it. Not that I really care, but I suppose those things are good for people with ADHD.
kookie1234: That reference is hilarious, but where's it from? I've seen it multiple times now.
Emily the Avenger: Haha, it was Gom's idea, not mine!
Hal: Hahaha, glad you liked it.
Ariza Luca: Thanks! I doubt I'll do that good either, but it's cool to know one of my friends is taking part as well! Good luck to you as well!
TheAmberShadow: Heh, they weren't real, just heads with dyed armour on armour stands. The owner of the mansion has as weird sense of humour ::P Nice 'guard dog' theory, but I won't say whether or not it's true. And yeah, if Hadrian and Mevia get caught trying to steal the episodes, they'll be in fear a whole world of trouble. Fear not, they shall never lay eyes upon this review!
the indecisive bird: Haha, yeah. Here's an extra long chapter!
Movie Mode
Episode Five: Order Up!
Part Thirty-Seven: Break In
It was with wide grins that Team B returned to the mansion, laughing and sprinting in their victory. Magnus trailed behind them, grumbling to himself with a permanent scowl on his brow. There other members of Team A following at a more decent pace were certainly not overjoyed, but many were smiling at their friend's antics.
They found Otto already in the living room, having somehow uncovered a chalkboard and split it into two sections, one with Team A written at the top and the other with Team B. He'd already marked Team B as the winner. Jesse wondered how he'd known they'd won without being there.
They split up and left to find the others. Olivia found Lukas stuck up a tree with Slab struggling to climb after him, growling and shouting like a very large dog, much to her amusement. With help from Clutch, Facemeat, Em and Nell (who was surprisingly strong), they were able to drag Slab down to the basement for Ivor to give something for his eyes, while Axel helped Lukas down from the tree, grinning the entire time. Lukas merely scowled at him.
"Aw," said Petra as they walked back to the mansion, a mock pout on her face, "Did the wittle kitty get stuck up a tree?"
Lukas glared at her, cheeks turning red, "Shut up."
"But the way you just came sprinting into the Belgium," Axel chuckled, giving Lukas a none too gentle slap on the back, "That was awesome, dude."
Despite himself, Lukas's lips twitched into a grin.
The five friends (six, if you included Reuben) walked into the mansion, laughing. Jesse, still smiling, spotted Ivor just down the hall.
"Hey, Ivor!" he called.
The potionologist jumped, startled, and spun to face them. Something like relief crossed his face when he realised who it was. "Oh, uh, Jesse. It's only you."
Jesse's smile fell, a concerned frown creasing his brow, "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"What?" Ivor grimaced, "Uh, yes, I'm fine, thank you. Just, uh..." he looked over his shoulder, as though fearful someone was there. Jesse leant to see behind him; the hall was empty.
Shaking his head, Ivor turned back to Jesse, "I'm fine."
Jesse frowned at him, unconvinced, but decided not to push it, "Alright, if you say so."
Silently, Ivor nodded, more to himself than any of them. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, then turned around and quickly made his way into the living room. Jesse shared a confused look with his friends.
"What was that about?" asked Olivia.
"Just..." Petra shrugged, "Ivor being Ivor?"
"He's not usually like that," muttered Lukas.
"Yeah, but that guy's really weird," said Axel, "I'm sure it's nothing."
"Even if it is something," said Jesse, "He'd probably rather talk to the rest of the Order about it, instead of us."
Lukas shook his head, "I don't know, Jesse."
"Look, let's just go watch this episode so Olivia and I can kick your butts in the next round of Release," said Petra, making her way over to the living room. Olivia cracked a smile at them, then followed, the boys close behind.
They spent about ten minutes lying about, talking and throwing pillows at each other, laughing at the events of the games so far. Eventually, Slab returned with bandages soaked in a smelly potion around his eyes, guided by Clutch and Facemeat. He apologised to Lukas, who gave a forced smile and said it was okay, before he was guided to one of the couches.
Jesse bit his lip, wincing, "Hey, uh... sorry about doing that to your face."
In almost perfect unison, his friends- and many of the rooms other occupants- turned and gaped at him.
Slab cracked a crooked grin, "It was smart, throwing that potion at me," he leant back, shifting into a more comfortable position, "Doesn't mean I won't be getting you back for this, though."
Suddenly afraid, Jesse swallowed. Lukas inched closer to him.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Jesse turned to meet Maya, who's blue eyes were wide in shock. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, as though she didn't want anyone else to hear. "You did that?"
Jesse winced, "Yeah. He'd cornered me in the basement, so I just grabbed a random potion, threw it at him and ran. I didn't know it was going to do that to his eyes."
Maya nodded in understanding, moving to sit back in her armchair. Axel clapped him on the back, almost sending him to kiss the floor.
"Good job, dude."
Cassie was the last to return, Winslow cradled in her arms, lead into the room by Dan. They sat down in their respective seats, and Ellegaard snatched the remote.
"Everyone here?" she asked. At their various nods, she pointed the remote at the screen and pressed play.
On screen, an open window rimmed with gold is shown, a guard watching with bored eyes. The screen zooms out and descends slowly, as the guard turns and begins to walk away.
Directly underneath the window, Jesse, Petra and Milo are shown sneaking passed.
Isa scowled, "You're breaking and entering my palace?"
Milo stiffened, then scowled, "As though you're giving us much choice!"
"You're breaking the law!" Isa snapped. Reginald placed a hand on her shoulder, sending Milo a glare that silenced any comeback he might have had in mind. Scowling, the innkeeper leant back in his seat, crossing his arms.
"Okay, my friends," said Milo, as they came to a stop, "This should take us right into the throne room." They all look up, at the open window high above them. Milo continued. "Once inside, we'll just need to find the secret entrance that the Founder supposedly uses."
Isa scowled, but didn't say anything.
Jesse and Petra turn to look at Milo, who continued, stepping closer to them, "Isn't it exciting? On our way to changing everything! Freeing the Eversource for the people!"
"Freeing?!" Isa spat, Benedict clucking in her lap. Milo wisely decided to ignore her.
"Hey, would you keep it down, Milo?" said Jesse, his voice a lot quieter than the blond's, "We're sneaking in, remember? Snea-king."
On the floor, Petra snorted.
"Right, right, right," Milo said, nodding, as Jesse turned back around, "My apologies. I'm just so excited..." he followed Jesse further, grinning as he gazed over the edge, the two newcomers turning to the wall, "Actually out in the field, applying ladders to a wall!" He spun around, splaying his arms, the screen zooming out to show the high wall they were about to climb.
"Well, he's, uh..." Soren scratched at his beard, "Easily excited."
Magnus snorted, but didn't say anything, still sour from his defeat.
On screen, Jesse pulled out the ladders, the scene speeding up as he began to place them in rapid succession, climb them as he went. Within moments, he was on the edge of the window, kneeling on the block and looking down at Milo and Petra.
It briefly shows Petra beginning to climb, before Jesse straightens and turns around, revealing the dark throne room.
Dan let out a long whistle, "Fancy."
Jesse jumped down from the window, Petra landing behind him moments later. He crept further inside, passing a table decorated with twin potted roses, Petra following. The throne, a large seat of gold and iron, adorned with torches propped up by wooden fence posts and purple banners bearing the Sky City's egg-like symbol.
"That doesn't look very comfortable," said Lizzie. Isa shrugged, her fury momentarily forgotten.
"I only ever seat myself upon under certain circumstances," she explained.
Jesse, Petra and Milo continue to creep forwards, the screen giving the audience a frontwards view. Then a voice penetrated the silence, their heads snapping towards the doors, eyes widening.
"-Then what did she say?"
The door began to creak open.
Reginald grinned, glad that the intruders were about to be caught. Sure, they hadn't really done anything wrong at first, but associating themselves with an illegal building group put them high up on his list of people he didn't exactly like. Although, he supposed, his irritation was mostly directed towards the innkeeper. He couldn't really blame the outsiders, if he were being honest.
He shook his head. Best not to complicate things.
"Guards!" Petra gasped, dashing behind the wall, "Everyone hide!"
"I think they would have heard that..." muttered Sparklez, but he was quickly silenced when Petra sent him a blazing glare.
Milo quickly ducked after her, Jesse backing away. He glanced at them and followed.
Two pairs of feet are shown, a familiar voice speaking.
"-Okay, the throne room was in here..."
Jesse is shown, a frown creasing his brow, as Milo moved to peek over his shoulder.
"Yeah, I know, I know," said yet another familiar voice, as the feet are shown again.
Olivia looked at Axel, "Is that... ?"
"Why are you saying things to me that I already-" they turn the corner, the screen revealing them to be none other than Lukas and Ivor, who come to a sudden stop with surprised gasps, having walking right into Jesse, Petra and Milo's hiding space.
"Oh, well," Ellegaard smiled, "That's fortunate."
"Jesse!" Lukas smiled, relief shining in his eyes, "Petra! Boy am I glad to see you guys!"
Petra returned the smile with a grin, planting a hand on her hip, "Right back at 'cha."
Ivor shook his head, "What are the odds, am I right?"
"Lukas! Ivor! We're here to rescue you!" said Jesse.
"A little late there," said Em, not unkindly.
On screen, Ivor rolled his eyes, "I think you're a little late for that."
"Ha, yeah, we broke out ourselves," declared Lukas, quite proudly.
Her brain catching up with what was happening, Isa scowled. Beside her, Reginald winced.
"It's a good thing you guys are here," Lukas continued, as Ivor turned around and wandered off, "Aiden's going after the Eversource."
Isa's scowl melted at that, her shoulders slumping with a sigh. She stroked Benedict's feathers, who clucked in content, a sad look gleaming in her eyes. Reginald frowned at her, rubbing his thumb against the hilt of his sword.
"Which we obviously can't abide!" yelled Ivor, stopping and looking over his shoulder to glare at them, as though it was their fault he didn't have unlimited resources. He stalked off to the left. "We're here to get it first!"
"How has no one heard you?" asked Olivia.
Lukas watched him stalk off with wide eyes, which quickly turned into a frown, as he and the others began to spread out.
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Milo, following Jesse after Lukas and Ivor, who stopped in front of the uncomfortable appearing throne, "That is what we are doing as well."
Lukas looked over his shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow and turning to face them properly, as though noticing their guest for the first time, "Who, uh, who's this guy, by the way?"
Magnus made a noise that was somewhere between a snort and a giggle, earning a half-hearted scowl from Milo.
"I mean, I assume he's cool, right?" asked Lukas, Ivor turning to raise his own eyebrow at him.
"Why would you assume that?"
"He's cool, Ivor," said Petra, from where she was guarding the door across the room, "Don't worry."
"Lukas, Ivor, this is Milo," Jesse introduced, "He's the leader of an underground rebellion."
Lukas blinked, reaching out to accept Milo's handshake, "Wow. That's pretty cool."
Isa rolled her eyes, "Of course it is."
"A pleasure," Milo grinned, quite obviously enjoying the status.
"Yeah. Hi. Sure." said Ivor, clearly uninterested. Milo ignored him.
"The Founders secret entrance," he said, "Is supposed to be somewhere in this throne room."
"How could you possibly know that?" asked Isa, a scowl seeming to be permanently etched onto her face. Milo sent her a nasty look.
"Like I would tell you."
"It if's in here, we'll find it," declared Jesse, turning around and casting his eyes along the room. Spotting a track leading to a wall, he walked over to it, raising an eyebrow at the redstone trail directly next to it.
"That's... odd," said Gabriel. Milo bounced in his seat excitedly.
"Oooo, that must be it!"
"I'm getting a very 'door' vibe from this," said Jesse, as Lukas walked up behind him, frowning at the wall.
"Yeah," the blond said, "Where'd it go?"
"Just need to make something to activate that rRedstone circuit again," Jesse pointed to the redstone trail, Lukas kneeling next to it for further inspection, "There's gotta be something in here we could use."
Isa made an irritated sort of hum, tapping her finger against the chair's armrest.
"Like a lever," Ivor butted in from where he stood by the throne, tapping his bearded chin, "If you can find one of those bad boys, we'll have that secret door open in a snap!"
Ellegaard smirked, "Very observant, Ivor."
To her surprise, she received no retort from the potionologist, except for a small hum, like an uninterested parent would use when their child is trying to show them something. She shared a frown with Soren, but said nothing.
"What would Olivia say right now?" Jesse wondered aloud, Lukas raising his head to look at him, "Probably something like 'Jesse, it looks like it doesn't have any power!'" The blond grinned at the terrible impression.
Olivia's head snapped towards Jesse, who shrunk away from her deadly glare, abruptly fearing for his life. She shoved him in the shoulder, "I don't sound like that!"
Jesse began to make his way around the throne room, looking about in search of anything useful. Spotting Milo standing in front of one of the archways leading out onto a balcony, he walked over to him.
"Can you believe it?" he asked, "We got in!"
Isa's mouth twisted downwards, as though she'd eaten something distasteful.
"Yes, I am very grateful to you for all of your help," said Milo.
"Give yourself some credit, Milo," said Jesse, "You've done Build Club proud."
Petra rolled her eyes, "Of course you'd say that." Lukas cracked a smile.
Leaving Milo to happily grin to himself, Jesse walked around the throne, making his way over to Ivor, "So... how was prison life?"
Hadrian snorted.
"Oh, it was wonderful," said Ivor sarcastically, placing his hands on his hips and glaring, "I've always wanted time behind bars to work on my poetry."
Gabriel looked to his black-bearded friend, fully expecting him to comment. To his startlement, Ivor was silent. He frowned.
"That was sarcasm," Ivor continued, when Jesse remained silent, "In case you were curious." Shaking his head, he turned his back to the boy.
Wincing, Jesse wisely decided to leave him be, walking passed him towards a small library section. Spotting Petra over by the door, he stopped, then began making his way towards her.
"See anyone?" he asked.
"Not yet," said Petra, not looking away from the doors, "But the acoustics are funky in this place," she looked over at Jesse, "So it's hard to tell when people are coming." She looked back at the door, clenching and unclenching her hand almost nervously, "We shouldn't hang around."
Jesse gave a single nod, "Got it."
"I'm not liking this," muttered Olivia, "I feel like something's going to go wrong."
"Don't be such a worry, Olivia," Axel reassured, "I'm sure everything'll be alright. It's Jesse, after all."
Olivia sent him a deadpanned look, "Exactly."
"Hey!"
On screen, Jesse left Petra by the door and walked over to where the bookshelves were, coming to a stop and running a finger along their spines.
"Habits of the Endermen, by..." his eyes widened, "Soren? Wow, how'd that get here?"
"Soren, what are your books doing in another dimension?" asked Ellegaard. Even Magnus had briefly come out of his mood at the revelation.
Soren gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced Isa, who was now outright staring at him as though she was just realising who he was, then returned his gaze to the rest of the Order. He shrugged.
"Haven't a clue."
Jesse bent a little, eyes skimming over the books, "The rest are just inventory registries and legal information. Borning."
He walked back over to the throne and passed it, out onto the balcony. A small pond branched off and fell off the edge in an endless waterfall, a single tree on a small patch of dirt directly next to it. On the other side of the pond was a small spot of lava and water, separated by a block of cobblestone. To Jesse's left was a crafting table and a withering shrub.
"This must be where the Founder crafts things for her people," he hummed, running a gloved hand over the surface of the crafting table. He left it, moving to stand before the single tree.
"Huh. I get the feeling this is a special tree."
Milo walked into view, looking the tree up and down with an admiring eye, "Yes, the ground you're standing on is actually the original island that all of Sky City started from." The screen zoomed out, showing off the gold and iron walls, Lukas able to be seen still investigating the closed off door inside. "That tree dropped the saplings that grew into every tree on the island."
Stacy raised her eyebrows, "Wow."
"I may not agree with the Founders methods," Milo continued, "But even I must admit that's an impressive feat." His part said, Milo wandered back inside.
"Wow," Jesse muttered, raising an eyebrow at the tree, "That is pretty special."
"You better not chop it down," Isa muttered, just loud enough for Reginald to hear. Benedict clucked in her lap.
Eyes turning to the lava, water and cobblestone on the other side of the pond, Jesse began to walk around it, his eyes flashing curiously as he stopped in front of the odd combination of materials. "Huh."
A gasp from behind him caused him to turn, just in time to see Ivor running up to him, eyes wide, "A cobblestone generator! Amazing!" he looked at Jesse, grinning, "Lava and water, placed exactly far enough that when they collide... it creates cobblestone! Genius!" he turned, throwing his arms in the air, and stalked back into the throne room.
"It is quite amazing, isn't it?" hummed Gabriel, "The wonders these people have created in order to survive in such conditions is... extraordinary."
Jesse looked down at the cobblestone, then over his shoulder at the crafting table. Inspiration lighting his face, he bent down and began to punch, picking up the cobblestone. A moment later, there was the hiss of lava meeting water, then a new block appeared in its place.
"That is ingenious," Ivor gushed from his place by the throne.
Pocketing the cobblestone, Jesse made his way back inside, passing Ivor and stopping to admire the throne. "Definitely regal. Not bad."
After a brief glance over his shoulder, Jesse walked up to the throne, looking it up and down, then took a seat. Ivor, spotting him, raised an eyebrow, planting his hands on his hips.
"Jesse... what are you doing?"
Olivia snorted into her hands, Jesse sending grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his hair.
This sheepish grin was mirrored by on screen Jesse. "Heh. Sorry."
He stood, descending the steps. He walked about, searching for any other useful materials, circling them table only to come back to the throne. He went back outside, looking around, and his eyes found the dead bush in the corner.
"Poor dead bush," he muttered, "Barely more than a bundle of sticks."
Lukas patted him on the shoulder, causing Jesse to swat him away with a grin.
Jesse looked from the dead bush to the crafting table, then from the crafting table to the dead bush. "Hopefully no one will miss one dead bush," he said, then punched it, leaving it to crumble into a single stick.
Reginald sent him a stern look, "You do realise we could charge you for that?"
Jesse winced, "Uh... it hasn't happened yet?
"Perfect," Jesse grinned, "I think that should be everything I need to make a lever now."
"Jesse does have a point," said Sparklez, "You can't punish him for something he hasn't done yet."
Reginald gave a low hum, eyes narrowing on the boy on the floor, "I suppose. But I'll be watching you."
He moved to stand in front of the crafting table, pulling out the sticks and cobblestone, "Okay, let's do this."
Jesse placed the cobblestone in the middle bottom slot, then the stick directly above it. They moved into the middle, morphing together and poofing into a lever. Jesse grinned.
"Ah, my old friend, the lever," he said, pocketing it and turning to head back to Lukas- only to run right into Milo.
"Fantastic!" the innkeeper explained, Jesse giving a short yell and jumping back in surprise.
Petra laughed, "You need to be more aware of your surroundings."
"Agh!" Jesse exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart, "I didn't know you were watching!"
"My apologies," said Milo, sincerely, a sheepish smile on his lips, "It is still just a thrill to see someone so confident and sure in their building abilities."
Soren rolled his eyes, muttering to himself. Ellegaard grinned at him.
"You and your friend Petra," Milo continued, "Have been very inspiring to me and my people. With your help, we will finally liberate ourselves from the Founders clutches." He turned, walking back inside, Jesse smiling after him with a small shrug.
"'Liberate ourselves from the Founders clutches,'" Isa scowled, "What a fool."
Milo glared at her, "I can hear you."
"You say that as though I hadn't meant you to."
The innkeeper went red, teeth grinding and hands clenching. Jesse shared a wide-eyed look with his friends.
On screen, Jesse followed Milo back inside, hurriedly making his way over to Lukas. Pulling out the lever, he placed it at the end of the redstone trail and flicked it, lighting it up.
The wall began to tremble with a volcanic rumble. Jesse stepped back, eyes wide, Lukas rising to his feet and moving to stand next to him. The wall shot up, block by block, with a metallic ring. It reached the top, revealing the rest of the tracks, as Ivor and Petra joined them.
Isa groaned, rubbing at her temples. Why couldn't they just leave them well alone?
A row of minecarts rolled out, going down the track and coming to a stop.
"Excellent!" exclaimed Ivor, walking up to one of the minecarts, "This is it!"
Jesse went up to the front cart, looking at Ivor with a grin, "Eversource, here we come!" With that, he climbed in.
"You know," said Magnus, speaking up for the first time since the episode had been put in, "I wonder what's happening back in our world."
"Yeah, I was wondering that too," Axel said, "Olivia and I must be getting worried by now."
Ivor jumped into the cart behind Jesse with a massive grin, Petra behind him, then Lukas and finally Milo. The carts began to move, shifting down the track, and turned into the opened door.
They went down, briefly levelling out only to immediately go down again and turn. The screen showed a downwards track through a mess of wooden fences, a window on the wall revealing the blue-purple sky that told the sun would be rising soon.
The group shot passed, and Jesse gasped as he sat the abrupt turn just ahead. Shown from his eyes, they shot to the left at a terrifying speed, then they went down again, zipping towards a gaping hole in the wall.
Olivia squeaked, covering her eyes with her hands.
They turned sharply, shooting down another slope, levelling out, then going down again. They went down one last slope, took another sharp turn, and then slammed to a stop against a fence, dangerously close to open air.
Maya winced, looking slightly pale, "Couldn't you have... fenced those parts off or... or something?"
The screen zoomed out as Jesse climbed out of the cart, revealing that they'd rode them down to the very bottom of the island.
"Wow," Jesse breathed, as the screen came back inside, revealing rows upon stacked rows of double chests, "Look at all these chests."
"Yeah," said Petra, "And they're all... labelled?"
Sure enough, each stack of chests had a sign on the bottom. Milo frowned at them, tapping his chin as he read them aloud, Ivor moving to stand beside him. "'Creeper,' 'Zombie,' 'Sheep, 'Pigman...' Curious."
"Wait, what?" said Dan, brow furrowed, "What does that mean?"
He received no answer. Isa clutched Benedict closer.
"But... what does it mean?" asked Ivor.
Jesse wandered deeper into the storage room, coming to a stop at a chest labelled 'Sheep.' He opened it, eyes widening as he took in the chests contents.
Unconsciously, most of the audience leant forwards in their seats.
Slowly, looking like the most confused person in the world, Jesse pulled out... an egg.
A white and pink spotted egg.
Em blinked, "What."
"That makes no sense," declared Stampy.
"Mental hospital," Mental stage-whispered loudly to Ellegaard, who very nearly failed at stifling her giggle.
On screen, Jesse blinked, "Huh."
Lukas and Petra came up to him, blinking dumbly at the egg.
"Eggs?" said Lukas, as Ivor and Milo joined them, "The sign says 'sheep,' not 'eggs.'"
"Maybe it was some kind of mistake?" Olivia suggested.
"Might as well throw it and give it a shot?" Petra shrugged.
Jesse seemed to contemplate this, then rose to his feet. The others backed out of his way, giving him a perfectly clear shot of a wall. He held the stone back and launched it at the stone, the egg shattering on impact.
Out popped a fluffy white sheep, which spun mid-air and landed on its feet with a baa.
The audience blinked. Then, in almost perfect unison, all eyes turned to Isa.
The Founder straightened, but her face was stoic. Reginald glanced at her, then scanned the rest of the room with a warning gleam in his eyes, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword.
"How... what?" said Lukas.
Instead of answering, Isa simply shook her head and gestured to the screen.
Petra blinked, "A sheep?"
Hesitantly, Milo stepped forwards, watching the sheep wearily, "Is... is that a monster? That is not so bad," he rubbed at his neck, looking back at the others, "It is fluffy."
Magnus snorted.
"So the eggs all have creatures inside them..." said Petra.
"And they're all different colours," said Lukas, appearing from an aisle with two different eggs in hand, "They must be, you know, colour coded to what's in them."
"That makes sense," muttered Stacy, "But... how do they even exist?"
Petra turned around, bending and beginning to rummage through the chest Jesse had found the sheep-egg in, "So she can just spawn things whenever she wants to..." She pulled out another sheep-egg, turning to look at Jesse.
"This must be where the resources come from," Jesse concluded, looking up at the millions of stacked chests along the walls, "Different monsters and creatures... different drops."
"Stay on your toes!" said Ivor, startling them, "We're close! Agh!" He held his hands up to his face again, jumping up and down in excitement, "I can't wait!"
With that, he darted out of sight.
"I'm never going to get used to seeing you like that," Magnus chortled, turning to grin at his bearded friend. That grin, however, faltered when he realised Ivor wasn't paying attention.
Annoyed, he shoved his elbow into his ribs, "Hey, beardy! Ya in there?"
Ivor seemed to snap out of whatever thoughts he'd been occupied with, rubbing at his now sore side and sending Magnus a scowl, "What is it?"
"Are you alright, Ivor?" asked Gabriel, frowning, "You've been unusually quiet."
For a moment, the potionologist paused, and he looked as though he were about to say something potentially important. But he seemed to decide against it, for he shook his head and scowled.
"Of course I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?"
Jesse stared after Ivor, then rolled his eyes and turned to look at each of the remaining group, gesturing, "Let's take a look around."
They split up, Jesse turning down a narrow aisle of chests, where Ivor stood near the end. He began to make his way down the aisle, Ivor moving on, signs displaying things like pigs, sheep, slimes, blazes, ghasts, the like.
Reaching the end of the aisle, Jesse turned to look at a small patch of grassy dirt, twin hills stacked on either side. Something poked it's crowned head over the top of a small mound, then quickly vanished.
Isa's eyes widened, and she looked down at the chicken in her lap, heart turning to stone and falling to her stomach. Taking a shaky breath, she curled her hands into protective fists, clutching Benedict closer to her chest.
Jesse started, freezing in place. His wide eyes narrowed and, slowly, he began to creep towards the mound of dirt.
"What was that?" asked Axel. Lukas shrugged.
There was a long beat of tense silence, Jesse staring suspiciously at the dirt. Then, with a flap of feathers, wearing a velvet red collar with a glinting jewel, a golden crown perched on its head, clucking joyfully as it tripped over its own feet and landed flat on its face, came a chicken.
To an outsider looking in, it would have been a funny sight, watching as more than half the room's occupants looked from the Benedict clutched in Isa's lap to the chicken on screen, then from the chicken on the screen to Benedict.
Jesse looked down at Reuben, then Benedict, then the screen.
"...Oh," his eyes widened, "Oh."
"The... the chicken," said Lizzie, slowly, "The Eversource... it's been here the whole time?"
Milo leant back in his seat, mouth open, his eyes the size of dinner plates. Ivor took a deep, steadying breath, massaged his eyelids, and tried to stop the grin from spreading on his face.
He failed quite spectacularly.
Jesse watched the chicken as it waddled around, raising an eyebrow at it. It came to a stop in front of him, ruffling its feathers.
Milo, gaping, came up behind him and throwing his hands in the air in pure astonishment, "Incredible!"
At the exclamation, the other three began to make their way over, their expressions just as confused as Jesse's. The boy blinked, placing a hand on his hip.
"You guys... meet the Eversource."
"Benedict..." said Olivia slowly, "Is... the Eversource?"
Isa's mouth twisted, but her reply wasn't harsh, "Yes."
"That... actually makes some sense," Lukas admitted, "I mean, not a lot, but... a little."
Petra blinked, "What."
"No. Way." said Lukas.
"Yes," Ivor said, almost breathlessly, "The spawn eggs. It's so simple!"
"So... the chicken lays the eggs..." Jesse stepped forwards, moving to stand right in front of the clucking chicken, "And the eggs make... monsters?" He put a hand to his hip again, "And the loot from the monsters... made this place."
"But where did the iron and the gold come from?" asked Em.
"Well," said Soren, "Pigmen sometimes drop gold... and I suppose an Iron Golem could drop iron..." he shook his head, "I'm probably missing some, but yeah."
Ivor's face abruptly appeared, causing Benedict to leap back with a startled cluck, some of the audience jumping in surprise as well. "Well, throw it in the minecart and let's get out of here!" he glanced back at Jesse, but was quick to return his eager gaze to the chicken, "We're still taking it, right?"
"You take her," growled Isa, "And I assure you, you will regret it."
Jesse, Lukas and Ivor leant away from her.
"The chicken that the entire city depends on?" said Lukas, glaring, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Petra moved to stand behind Jesse, raising an eyebrow at the chicken. Besides Lukas, Milo spluttered.
"What are you talking about?" he pointed in the general direction of the minecarts, "We need to take it to the people! With it, we'll finally be free of the Founder!"
"You have no idea what I have to do to get those resources!" snapped Isa, giving Milo a deadly glare that he returned, "You bring Benedict to the people and they hatch the eggs, the whole city could be in danger!"
"Oh, enough of your blatant lies!" Milo said, "You just want the Eversource all to yourself!"
Isa's teeth gritted, "How dare you."
"But that clucking thing is what we came for!" exclaimed Ivor. Jesse was silent for a moment, looking from Ivor to Milo to the Eversource. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.
"Milo's right," he said, crouching and picking up Benedict, "The Eversource belongs to the people."
Isa groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Jesse winced, wondering if he'd made the right choice.
"What?" Ivor scowled, "I thought that was the whole point of this adventure!"
Before Jesse could answer, there was the sound of something shifting, like the opening of a heavy door, and then Petra yelled and she went flying to the other side of the room. There was a flash of glimmering yellow, Jesse stumbling back with a surprised gasp, and then Ivor was sent soaring after her.
"Oh my god!" gasped Lizzie.
The flash of yellow darted behind Jesse and Lukas, grabbing the back of Milo's messy shirt and tossing him. Milo screamed, landing harshly and skidding, as the Blaze Rods calmly walked in, swords drawn.
"Oh no," groaned Olivia, "Oh no, oh no, oh no."
Lukas sighed, "Of course." Maya grimaced, sharing a look with Gill. Aiden remained silent.
Jesse took another step back, as the yellow blur came to a stop to reveal none other than Isa. The Founder held a fighting stance, her eyes deadly, mouth pressed into an enraged line. Her glare sent daggers spiking into Jesse's eyeballs.
"I knew it," she said, "I knew you were here to steal from me."
"Oooooh, this is bad," said Stampy, "This is so very, very, very bad."
Nell, however, was now looking at the Founder in wonder, "Wow! Sweet moves, brah!"
Gill grabbed Milo, hauling him over to where Ivor and Petra had been thrown. He and Maya stood around them in a semi-circle, enchanted swords raised.
Aiden stepped forwards, placing his hands on his hips, grinning viciously at Jesse. Behind him, the spawned sheep trotted passed, baaing.
"Agh. Pain." groaned Ivor, out of sight, as Jesse and Lukas stared wide eyed. Milo grunted, "She's too fast!" Petra could be heard panting, "Just... give me a second to catch my breath."
"I can't look," moaned Olivia, burying her face into Axel's arm.
Jesse returned Isa's glare, "Hey, get your hands off-"
"Says the trespassing criminal," Isa cut him off, still in her fighting stance.
"It's just like a told you, Founder!" Aiden butted in, pointing to the chicken, "They're here to steal the Eversource!"
"Oh, shut up, you dimwitted twit!" snapped Soren. Gabriel glanced to the side at him.
"They can't-"
"Hear me! I know!"
Jesse looked to the chicken in his arms, wincing, and gave Isa a sheepish smile. Aiden sneered, "Classic Order of the Stone."
Real-Aiden shifted in his seat, but didn't say anything, crossing his arms over his stomach. Maya stared at him for a long moment, but he didn't return her gaze, and she looked back to the screen.
Still grinning sheepishly, Jesse set Benedict down, and she wandered away. Straightening, he glared at Aiden but that glare quickly fell as Isa got up from her fighting stance, "You don't say?"
"What? No!" came Ivor's voice, as Jesse took a small step towards Lukas, "Don't believe them!"
"You have the wrong idea!" yelled Milo.
"Shut up, criminals," snapped Aiden.
Jesse's head snapped back towards him, eyes hardening angrily, "Are you kidding me? You just want it for yourself!"
"You tell 'em, Jesse!" cheered Axel.
Aiden took a small step back, startled by the usually timid boys' aggression. His glare returned, but Isa spoke before he could say anything.
"You just expect me to believe a bunch of criminals?" she asked, Aiden's eyes narrowing on her as he silently stepped away. Jesse's eyes turned to him, but his attention was directed back to the Founder as she continued.
"Aiden warned me that you were a pack of thieves, and here you are, prepared to make off with the one thing our city depends on to survive."
"Okay, phrased like that, it does sound kinda bad," said Magnus. Ellegaard shushed him.
"Boy," came Aiden's voice, out of screen, "When you put it like that, I almost feel bad."
Real-Jesse's heart plummeted, "Oh no."
Isa blinked, looking to where Aiden had been standing not moments before, startled to find him gone. She turned slightly, and the screen switched to show Aiden standing before an open double chest, a sign blaring CREEPERS above it.
Aiden turned around, tossing a green and black spotted egg in his hand, "Yup," he said, "'Fraid I'm going to be taking the chicken. It's mine now."
Real-Isa clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. Benedict clucked in her lap.
"What?" said Isa, now backing away from Aiden in shock, shaking her head, "This is outrageous!"
Stacy sent Isa a sympathetic glance. She'd only been wanting to keep her people safe, after all. And Aiden played her like a toy.
Otto sighed, "Oh, Isa."
Real-Aiden bit the inside of his cheek, stomach churning. He didn't like the glint in his future selves eyes. He didn't like the smirk on his lips.
He didn't like this.
On screen, Aiden smirked wickedly at the creeper egg.
"Aiden," said Isa, almost warningly, "Don't do this."
She took a small step forwards. Jesse looked from her to Aiden. The Blaze Rod's grin didn't falter.
"Somebody order eggs?"
"NO!" Olivia screamed.
The egg went soaring from Aiden's hand. Isa ducked and leapt to the left, while Lukas scrambled to the right, and the egg was inches from Jesse's face when he threw himself to the floor. It shattered against the wall, the very same one Jesse had thrown the sheep egg at, and out popped a creeper.
"Run!" shouted Gabriel.
"Creeper!" yelled Jesse, "Look out!"
The creeper, in a wild panic at the commotion, scuttled blindly towards the others. Isa shot to her feet, reaching for her swords, but too late. The creeper stopped just in front of her, flashing white, and exploded just as she drew the twin blades from her back.
Isa screamed, flashing red, as the wall behind her collapsing, revealing the pink-purple sky. She grabbed onto the edge, dangling above an endless fall. The sheep soared overhead, baaing loudly, and latched onto the fence hanging overhead.
"My Founder!" Reginald gasped, shooting to his feet as though to help her. Benedict, upon realising the Isa on screen was in danger, began to frantically flap her wings, clucking and cawing in agitation.
Jesse gasped, as Isa struggled to pull herself up. The sheep lost its grip on the fence, and fell, baaing, down into the endless sky.
Benedict clucked, flapping her wings, and Jesse's gaze turned to Aiden as Lukas ran at him. Their fists interlocked, but the blond shoved him away, only for him to charge right back in.
"I've got Aiden!" Lukas shouted to him, "Save the Founder!"
"Come on, Jesse!" said Nell, "Grab her!"
"Oh, you've 'got me,' Lukas?" grunted Aiden.
Jesse looked from Lukas and Aiden, shoving and hitting each other, to the Founder dangling above her doom. Within a moment, he'd made his choice, and dashed towards the Founder. He fell to his stomach, skidding terrifyingly close to the edge, and grabbed her hand just before she could fall.
"Gotcha!"
"Oh, thank Notch," sighed Reginald, collapsing back into his seat as though he'd had all of the energy sucked out of him. Isa sent him a small smile.
Jesse struggled, grunting, but was able to pull Isa back onto land. There stood there, panting, and Isa sent him a grateful look.
"Thank you..." she panted, "Thank you..."
"Way to go, Jesse!" cheered Petra, mussing his hair and earning a playful scowl for her efforts.
"Yes," said Isa, smiling gratefully at the boy on the floor, "I... thank you, Jesse."
Jesse simply smiled, "It's not a problem."
On screen, Jesse smiled, looking as though he were about to reply. And then there was a scream, and suddenly Lukas was there, and then Jesse was the one screaming, screaming his name-
Everything went in slow motion. Jesse's eyes locked with Lukas', both wide, shocked and horrified. The blond's mouth was open, arms spread, surrounded by the purple-pink of the sky.
"Lukas!" Jesse gasped.
Then the screen flashed, and Lukas was Reuben, and Jesse was dangling from black tentacles, reaching for him, but he was too far away and the purple was darker, the world shuddering and collapsing all around him, and his mouth was open in a silent scream because no, no, not again, this can't be happening, not again, not again-
Aiden raised his foot, kicking Jesse in the back. He rammed into Isa, and he twisted mid-air, the world slowing down as quickly as it had sped up again.
Benedict clucked, as Aiden smirked at them from the safety of the ledge. The little chicken cocked her head to the side, not fully understanding what was happening, her little crown glinting in the slow rise of the sun.
"No," Olivia's voice was a small whisper, unaware of the tears rolling down her cheeks.
Still in slow motion, Jesse's eyes hardened into the most hateful glare that had ever graced his face. And then everything sped up, and he and the Founder were screaming, falling down, down, down into the endless sky.
From the ledge, Aiden smiled, "I'll take it from here."
Then the screen darkened.
The audience sat there. Staring, mouths open, eyes large. Everything seemed to have stopped. Frozen as the endless days of the mansion.
It was shattered into a million tiny shards by a scream of pure rage, and it took Jesse a moment to realise that was coming from him. Then he was on top of Aiden, his fist connecting with his jaw, pain flaring up his knuckles, bones cracking loudly.
But he didn't care. He was blind. His brain seemed incapable of thought, the rage and hatred and sorrow coursing through his veins with each beat of his hammering heart, and he hardly realised he was being dragged away until he was kicking and screaming widely in someone's arms.
There was a voice, in his ear. Multiple, all around him. But he didn't care, could barely register them, didn't know what they were saying. He thrashed, throat burning, digging his nails into the arms attempting to restrain him.
Then he was on the ground, the back of his head connecting with the wood and sending pain up his skull. But it was pushed away, and he was on his feet, fists trembling at his sides-
Arms wrapped around him, and his face has buried a neck. He was crying, chest heaving, and a different voice was whispering in his ear calm down, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, we're okay, we're alright, I'm alright, Reuben's right here.
He recognised this voice. His brain struggled to assign it a name. The arms around him tightened, holding him so close it was almost painful.
"It's okay," the voice whispered, "Shh, it's okay, it's alright. We're right here. We'll- We'll fix this."
A forehead pressed against his hair, almost in a nuzzle. The voice trembled, as though they themselves were near tears.
"We'll fix this."
Did you choose the save the Founder of help Lukas? Let me know in the reviews!
Just to be clear, Ariza Luca, GirlOfHerOwnWorld and I thought up the Lukas-flashing-to-Reuben scene together, so I'm not copying Ariza or anything. Just so you know and all that, I had a review asking about the similarities and whatnot.
Anyway, that was Lukas telling Jesse that they'll fix this, if you weren't sure. Because of the potential death of three people, they'll be putting off the next round of release, have some lunch, some hurt comfort and all that fluff, with a dash of angst (because why the frick not), and then they'll watch some more of episode five.
If I'm right (and I probably am), the next scene will end with Jesse and Isa climbing back up to Sky City. Then it'll be the last two parts of Release.
Also, yay! I actually updated on Tuesday! Like I promised! I mean, sure, I didn't update Empty Echoes, but I updated this! YAY!