"Ivor?" Jesse sat up, eyes wide, which released more tears down her cheeks. "What are you doing here?"
Ivor looked at her, his hand pausing. "I.. I have something I need to tell you. I need to tell everyone."
Jesse gave him an odd look, concern in her eyes as she sat there in the snow.
"Please."
Jesse hesitated a moment longer, before she stood up and brushed the snow off her pants, a small, quivery smile forming on her lips. "Sure. C'mon, the cave's back this way."
Ivor stood up after her, and Jesse was stricken by the fact that they were the same height.
He suddenly put his arms around her, pulling the spider hybrid into the first hug he'd given her in years.
Jesse stood there, frozen in place, before she felt hot tears beginning to leak out of her eyes, and she carefully leaned her head into his shoulder, arms snagging around him in a hug as well, the two of them standing there for only a minute or two before they broke apart, Jesse mopping at her tears with a sniffle.
Ivor gave her a weak smile, and Jesse returned it.
How strange that the person who'd started the whole mess was also the one who could calm Jesse down.
Jesse walked back through the snow, Ivor trailing a step or two behind her the whole time, as they walked into the cave. Her friends all looked up, concern and worry in their eyes turning to rage as they spotted who was behind her. Well, except for Gabriel. He just kind of blinked.
"Ivor?!" Soren growled, launching to his feet as Reuben galloped over to where Jesse was and nudged his head into her leg, making the hybrid lean down and pat him.
"You need to hear me out! What you all need to understand is that you're in very grave danger," Ivor protested, waving his hands in a 'surrendering/pinwheel' motion.
Petra let out a bark of angry, sarcastic laughter. "Obviously!"
"No, no, I mean- this group, specifically! The Witherstorm isn't acting randomly, it's following Gabriel!"
Gabriel blinked from where he was standing. "It's doing what now?"
"You see, I... might have programmed it to follow his amulet."
Silence followed his words. Everyone was staring at Ivor, before their eyes drifted over to Jesse, who's eyes were wide.
Ivor looked at Jesse, who reached into her back pocket with one of her lower arms and slowly tugged out the amulet, holding it out to him. Every gem in the amulet glowed with a beautiful aura. The Order of the Stone was reunited, for the first time in ten years. The entire Order.
Ivor's mouth fell open, and his eyes slowly raised from the amulet to Jesse's stunned green and red eyes. "I... I didn't know..."
"ARGH, Ivor, you- you fool!" Soren practically snarled, throwing his hands into the air with anger. "You've created a monster that's following Jesse! And it's only getting stronger!"
Ivor glared at Soren, his dark blue eyes filled with fury, "You don't think I know that?! Nothing can stop those things! Nothing even slows them down!"
"Way to point out the obvious," Lukas hissed, tail flicking with agitation.
Jesse's brow was furrowing, though, as her arms lowered. "Well... nothing except for Endermen," she said thoughtfully.
"Endermen?" Ivor looked at Jesse as though she'd sprouted extra limbs- oh, wait.
"Endermen?" Soren echoed, before his eyes widened. "Of course! Endermen! They could tear the Witherstorm apart! You saw them, the tractor beams travelled over them, and they went wild!"
Everyone's eyes widened, before Jesse's excited face fell. "Oh... but we're forgetting about something. Soren, when we blew the Witherstorm up, we didn't destroy the Command Block. It was... fine. Not even a dent or scratch on any part of it. It nearly got me," and she shuddered a bit. "So even if the Endermen tore the Witherstorm to little bitty pieces-"
"They wouldn't be able to destroy the Command Block," and Soren's face had fell, "and nothing can destroy that thing. Not even the Formidi-Bomb. I see your point."
"Actually, I... may have a solution to that," Ivor spoke, and everyone looked at him abruptly, eyes widening. "When I first took possession of the Command Block-"
"You mean stole it."
"Yes, well-" Ivor waved Soren off, "I created a failsafe. A backup plan of sorts, just in case."
Jesse sighed and waved her arms behind her. "Yes, well, I'd be rather inclined to say 'just in case' in this situation is right now."
"I'm inclined to agree," Ivor agreed with the spider hybrid.
"So what is this failsafe?" Soren asked, crossing his arms and scowling at his former friend.
Ivor began to pace the floor, a thoughtful look entering his dark blue eyes. Jesse'd always liked that look, although sometimes it meant she had to hide behind him while he mixed potion ingredients together. "An enchanting book. One that contains the power of the Command Block itself."
Everyone shared a shocked look, as Ivor continued, "Use it to enchant a weapon, and you'd be able to smash the Command Block into pieces. Forever."
"That sounds perfect!" Axel exclaimed, "let's go get that super weapon!"
Ivor winced a bit. "Just... one problem."
Everyone looked back at Ivor, who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It's at my secret lab... which is sort of... far away."
A loud groan rose through everyone in the room.
"How far away would 'far away' be?" Ellegaard asked, crossing her arms and squinting at Ivor, who stepped back a bit.
Ivor let out a nervous laugh. "Ah... well... let's just say it's the farthest place a person can travel before being utterly-"
"Well, before we worry about that, we all need to get some rest," Jesse interrupted, cutting him off. "Some of us haven't rested for days. We need to rest before we all drop to the ground snoring or something."
A short silence, before everyone relaxed. Ivor shuffled his feet, until Jesse put a hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the Order members.
Gabriel stepped forward and held out his hand, a blank, rather warm smile on his face. "Hello. My name is Gabriel."
Ivor stared, before looking back at Jesse with a look that she really couldn't decipher. "Someone pinch me."
Jesse did that, making Ivor yelp and rub his upper forearm, scowling at Jesse, although he had a small smile twitching at his lips. The Order members, save Gabriel, could barely stifle their giggles as Jesse's friends also came over to the Order.
Gabriel's eyes slid to Lukas, and his eyes widened. "That jacket... I recognize it!"
Lukas blinked and twisted to reveal the ocelot on his back, before back at Gabriel. Jesse looked at Lukas, a bewildered look on her face, before she looked back at Gabriel. "Lukas always wears that jacket."
"No, no," Gabriel shook his head insistently, "There- there were other people wearing that jacket when I was thrown from the monster!"
Gasps, and Lukas's eyes widened. Gabriel reached up and grabbed at his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "Ughh... it- it hurts to just-"
"Hey, hey, hey," Magnus's eyes were wide as he pulled his friend aside to a corner, "It- it's okay."
Ellegaard smirked. "You looooove us."
"Ellie, I will slap you."
"You didn't deny it," Soren pointed out, a faint smile on his face.
Magnus paused, before he turned around, made a face at them, and pulled Gabriel to the corner. Jesse turned to Lukas, who turned to face her as well. "Jesse... d- do you think that what Gabriel said is true? I mean... if they were just trapped, then-"
"They could still be out there!" Jesse said, and Lukas nodded. "I know! That... that means I gotta go after them!"
Jesse's eyes widened, as he turned around, and her mouth opened, when suddenly she heard a groan, and Axel shifted Petra to the floor next to Gabriel and Ellegaard, the others crowded around them. "Hey, hey, easy, I gotcha," Axel said, looking alarmed.
Jesse gave Lukas a worried look, before coming over to Petra.
Petra needed her more right now.
A/N: Ugh my throat feels like I just ate a dead frog. Sounds like it too. But hey, I churned out another chapter!
Spacey: Ahaha, thanks x3 I feel like it sucks, but it's... not too bad.
x.X. A.L. X.x
