Author's Notes
Ah! More people like my story! (Visible giddyness.)
Thank you so much ThinMintE for the support! I'll try your advice, see how it goes. :P
I started this one up yesterday, in the middle of the night because of the reviews last chapter got. It truly warms my heart to learn that people actually like what I write. :D
Anywho, on with the story!
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Adrian's POV
I had cut down a large portion of the forest with my sword, and Valory helped me bring everything back home. It looked like wood was the only thing we always needed more of. This morning, we all sat down at our new table while Sarah cooked breakfast. Everyone was chatting with each other, even the endergirl Eba.
Lila sat down next to me. "Hey. Did you sleep alright?" I gave her a faint smile. It still felt weird to live with them, even if it had been almost a week since our battle. Lila's friendship had been a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. She talked to me often, more so than anyone.
"Yeah, I did." She smiled too.
"Good. What are you going to do today?"
I turned to Simon, who was busy chatting with Iza as he pieced together bits of metal. "Hey, what are you guys doing today?" Iza's eyes were full of uncomfortable distrust, but Simon's didn't portray any emotion.
"Expanding the house, finishing third floor, adding rooms. And a penthouse." I nodded. "What can I do to help?"
He put his gizmo down and thought for a second. "I think we're good for wood at the moment... metal too... you could help demolish the current walls so we can expand the house."
I nodded. This is the sort of thing I'm good at. Simon picked his little box back up and continued talking to Iza. I turned back to Lila, who was curtly finishing a conversation with Jack. He looked mildly hurt, but composed himself quickly. Lila turned to face me. "What was that all about?" She shrugged.
"Jack wanted to know if I'd like to hang out, but I told I would be busy and couldn't." I nodded. "Are you busy?" She looked a bit embarrassed and irritated.
"No. I just didn't feel like hanging out with him." I 'hmm'd, and she stared at me indignantly.
"What do you mean, 'hmm'? I didn't do anything wrong."
I smiled at her. "Well, no, but you shouldn't lie to Jack. To anyone." A light blush blossomed on her cheeks and she looked down.
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry." Sarah was going around serving the plates of mutton and beef.
"Don't apologize to me. It's fine, just don't be so... rude next time." She looked up.
"Rude? How was that rude?" I started cutting my share with the forks and knives Simon had forged for everyone.
"I saw the look on his face. He seemed hurt." I could see her staring at me out the corners of my eyes. Eventually, she sighed and started eating her breakfast.
"Right. Guys? Does everybody know what they're going to be doing?" We all stopped eating to look up at Thomas. Eba still had half a mutton chop in her mouth. We stayed quiet, expecting him to tell us. After a while, he got the hint.
"Uh-huh. I was asking, but... so, Simon, Eba, Jack and I will work on the third floor..."
Everyone nodded and Thomas continued.
"... Adrian will help with demolition work..." I nodded. "... Valory, Lila, Sarah, and Iza will tend to the garden. Everyone agree?" We all nodded again, and Thomas clapped his hands.
"Good! So, um... finish your breakfast, and, uh... get to work!"
He seemed a bit uncomfortable being the one giving orders, but he did alright. We finished eating and got up, filing out the door. Once outside, I drew my sword and started hacking at the wall we were going to expand. It only took a few swings and the whole thing came down.
My sword vibrated just a little, reminding me of a different task I had to finish, one given to me years ago. This made me grimace. I'd have to leave them soon, but I didn't want to. I put away the obsidian blade and walked over to Thomas.
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Simon's POV
"Oh, for fuck's ugly sake!"
I felt everyone's eyes on my back. This was the third time I had hit myself with the hammer, and my hand ached something fierce. For some reason, I was getting distracted a lot more often, much more than usual. And that's saying something.
I could hear a low and dull pinging in my head.
"Simon? Are you okay?" From here we could see pretty much everything, and it was not hard to find Iza's worried gaze from the garden.
"I, uh... yeah! I'm fine!" She nodded after some hesitation and continued harvesting. I sighed.
"Jack? Can you cover for me? Just need to cool off for a bit." The stray looked at me with an eyebrow raised.
"Uh... sure." I nodded and walked down to the bottom floor. Thomas and Adrian were discussing something important, it seems.
"... leave right now, though, right?" Adrian shook his head.
"I'm not sure. A voice in my head spoke to me, giving me this task. It didn't tell me how or when to finish it."
"What task?" They both turned to me.
"A few years ago, a voice spoke to me in my head. It brought me to some faraway plains where I found my sword buried up to the hilt in the dirt." He drew the weapon, a large sword fitting for heavy brawlers.
"Once I dug it up, the voice returned, telling me to find the Golden Spirit and give it to him."
I frowned. Golden spirit? History has never been my forté, but stories and myths always catch my eye. However, that name did not ring a bell.
"Is that all?" Adrian nodded. Thomas shrugged.
"Well, if that's all it said, maybe it's not that important. But... I can't keep you here. So, if you want to go, you are free to do so."
Adrian stared at him for a minute. "Thank you. For now, I think I'll stay." Thomas nodded and I remembered what I was going to do.
"Well, I'll be going now. Bye guys." I left them stupefact in the room, swiftly dodging around them and dashing out the door. The girls were almost in finished harvesting everything.
Iza saw me and beamed. "Hey Simon! What are you doing down here?" I smiled as I walked towards the woods.
"I got a little... pissed at one of the hammers upstairs. It is for the best I go cool off. I am still a creeper after all." Iza dropped everything and ran up to me, a sheepish smile lighting her features.
"And, Uh... can I come with you?" I smirked.
"Only if you can keep up!" Dashed forwards, I quickly left her behind. She sprinted towards me, almost catching up. I made sure to pace myself, so as to not utterly demolish her.
"You... really are... very fast, Simon..." I smiled at her. She was already having trouble breathing, and I hadn't even broken a sweat.
"Wanna take a break?" She nodded, obviously out of breath. We had made it to the edge of the forest and stopped at a large knarled old tree. Iza sat down on one of the roots trying to recover.
"How Can you be so fast?... I thought creepers were slow..." I smiled again.
"Yeah, but not me. I've always been a weird one." She eyed me with a touch of concern but said nothing. After a while, she finally decided to speak.
"What if we go deeper into the forest? Y'know, explore a little?" I shrugged and smiled.
"If you feel up to it, then sure."
Iza nodded and got up, walking farther into the woods. "Are you coming, slowpoke?" I smiled and dashed forward, tripping and catching her in my arms.
"It would be my pleasure." She had a furious blush and surprised eyes. I stood her back up and gave her a spin before continuing on, leaving her flabbergasted.
We wandered the forest for a few hours, eventually coming to rest at a small clearing. She was kneeling down in the grass, admiring some flowers while I leaned against a tree. I was messing with my second flower-box, trying to make a trio of metal tulips bloom. Then I heard a rustle behind me. And a familiar hiss.
'Simon?'
I turned around, looking for the source of the hiss. There was a creeper poking her head from around a tree, hope shining in her dark green eyes. Ara. Recognition lit her face, and she walked slowly towards me. 'Hi! I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!'
I smiled and hissed back.
'Hey! How have you been?'
Iza turned around, curious. The moment she saw Ara, she hopped up and drew a crude metal knife. "Simon! Look out!" Iza dashed forward, but I stopped her with my hand before she could reach Ara.
"No, Iza, Wait! She's a friend! Don't hurt her!" She looked utterly stunned, and a bit hurt, which was weird.
"She?"
I turned to look at Ara. She had taken a few steps back, and her face was twisted in a mortified grimace. I hissed at her, trying to calm her down. 'Shh, it's okay. She's a friend.' I turned back to Iza.
"Yes, She. Her name is Ara, i met her a few days ago." Iza looked taken aback.
"You... met her? Was it that day when you came back when it was nearly nightfall?" I nodded.
"Yes. I can speak to creepers, remember? I'm a whisperer, you know that."
She looked concerned, distrust gleaming in her eyes. "Right. Does... she... understand English?"
I turned back to Ara. 'Did you understand what she said?'
She shook her head a little, still visibly scared. 'N-no... I can't understand human-speech. Who... who is she?'
I turned back to Iza. "Could you... step back a little? Into the clearing?" She stared at me for some time before sighing and walking back a few feet. I beckoned Ara with a wave of my hands and a hiss.
'Come on. She won't hurt you, I swear.'
The creeper walked up to me slowly, still afraid. 'Who is she Simon?"
Now the three of us were in the clearing and could see each other better. I cleared my throat.
"Alright, introductions." I hissed a translation at Ara.
"Izabell, Ara." I hissed. 'Ara, Izabell.'
They stared at each other, obvious distrust flashing in their eyes.
"So, uh... you made a creeper friend." I nodded. Turning to Ara, I could tell she was no longer scared. But now she looked bashful for some reason.
'I... Simon? Is she the reason why... you didnt... Uh... you know... want to be... with me?' I grimaced. A few hours after I met Ara, she awkwardly voiced her like of me, but I had turned her down. Now here I was in the woods with another girl. How stupid of me. Another slip-up.
'Yes, Ara. I'm sorry.' She nodded and stared at the ground, heartbroken. "Simon? What's wrong with... with Ara?"
I turned to Iza. "She... likes me. A lot." She nodded and narrowed her eyes a little, blush tainting her cheeks.
"Do you... like her? In the same way?"
I almost laughed. This was the core of the problem. She was jealous, but that didn't exactly make sense. I mean, I am still human after all.
"No. I may be a creeper, but that doesn't mean I'd rather have a creeper partner." I took a step towards her and cupped her cheek with my hand, so that she couldn't look away.
"I don't want anyone as my partner but you. Do you understand, Iza? No one but you."
She was frowning, as if having trouble believing what I said. I smiled at her. After a few moments, she gave up and smiled. "I hate you Simon." My smile widened.
"I love you too, Iza."
I leaned in, and she closed her eyes. I closed mine too, and soon our lips brushed together. But that's all. I had a mischievous grin on my face as I pulled back. Iza looked confused and a little disappointed.
"Hey! Why do you... don't... I... ugh! You are so frustrating, Simon!" My smile became sincere. "I know, darlin'. You're just gonna have to put up with it."
Now I dove in, holding her close to me. Her eyes widened in surprise before fluttering close. It felt so right to be with Iza. Like nothing could ever go wrong. We held each other for what felt like eons but was logically mere seconds before needing to breathe. We were gasping like fishes, still holding each other tight.
'Um... I... can see why you like her, Simon...'
I felt a sudden urge to hit myself in the head. Here I was, forging a loving bond with a beautiful girl while Ara watched, possibly shattering her already wounded heart into a million pieces.
'I... sorry, Ara. You... shouldn't have had to watch that.' She eyed me with discomfort, but thankfully no resentment. I was still holding on to Iza.
'It's... it's okay. I... understand now. But... we can still be friends, right?' I smiled at the creeper.
'Of course, Ara. Why wouldn't we?' Her frown turned into what I guess is the best a creeper Can do for a smile. I suddenly got an idea.
'Ara... I could teach you English.' She looked confused.
'English?'
'Human-speech.'
'Oh!' She looked a bit exited now. 'I'd love to learn human-speech.' I smiled at her.
"Uh, Simon? It's past noon. We should probably head back." I turned back to Iza, whom I still held in my arms. I looked up. She was right, probably three hours past noon.
"Right. Sorry." I released Iza, and immediately wanted to hold her again. The whole world felt cold without her warmth. I ignored the feeling, bottling it up with the rest for now.
'Ara? We have to go. Will you be alright?' She smirked at me. Smirked. Smirked.
'Of course. I've lived in these woods all my life.'
I nodded, and got another bright idea. Looking around, I found a pink tulip near the edge of the forest. Picking it up, I walked over to Ara.
'Here. We can put this on your head and will be able to recognize you.'
I didn't know it this was going to work seeing as there was nowhere to put the tulip. I removed the stem and sort of placed it on Ara's head, above her right eye. It stuck, somehow.
'That's brilliant! And it looks so pretty..."
I smiled. 'Bye, Ara.'
She smiled back at me. 'Bye Simon! And... Izabell...'
I elbowed Iza lightly. "Wave at her." She looked a tad undignified, but waved anyways. Ara beamed. I waved too and we walked away, towards the house. I was walking to Iza's right, and swung my left arm onto her shoulder. Iza tensed for a second, surprised, but then relaxed.
Eventually, she stuck to me so her right arm was touching my side, and rested her head against my shoulder. We walked like that, close together, all the way home. I released all of my feelings, finally feeling safe, and sighed.
My friend, my love, and my muse.
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Unknown POV
It took a while, but eventually I found the nether fortress, in all it's netherbrick glory. There were a few guards in place already, and Something clicked. The Ghast Queen didn't have her royal guard with her, so where were they? Out. Giving the Blaze king news, time to prepare for an attack. I'd have to get creative with this.
I looked at my vessel's hands. It was the only thing that bound me to this earth, otherwise I could just fly into the fortress and consume the kning's soul. That gave me an idea. I stared down at the river of lava that covered the fortress's foundations. And jumped in.
I felt the skin melting off, but not the pain it surely was causing my vessel. No matter. It would regenerate in mere minutes. Once I no longer felt the tug that bound me to it, I flew up in my true form, searching for the throne room. To the guards, I would seem as just a dark cloud of smoke or steam.
I found the open-air throne room just as my vessel regenerated fully. I could no longer fly, and plummeted down. I landen kneeling on one knee, my left fist crushing the netherbrick. I looked at the king and smiled.
"Good afternoon, your highness."
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Author's Notes
Whew! Finished!
This is currently my longest chapter, guys! I think...
Also, I'm sorry it took so long to push out. I may or may not have gotten carried away playing ark...
Anywho, thank you for your time and support, Have an Awesome day!
~ LeMafiaKreb