Jesse slammed onto a stone floor, the water washing her a few feet aways. She lay there, breathing heavily, lungs dragging in air- sweet, breathable air- even as Reuben landed on top of her. It wasn't too bad, though, just felt like someone momentarily pushed her on the back. Reuben wasn't the heaviest little pig out there.
Jesse slowly managed to turn over, before sitting up and looking around as Reuben crawled off and squealed a bit in curiosity.
In front of Jesse was a blue-stained glass tube, with a spider eye, and other objects inside soaring upwards. There were more tubes in the room, with a variety of items, and a sort of huge delivery system comprised of minecart-chests rushing past on different tracks. So much redstone, and tracks, and stone, and other things that were used. It was actually a bit dizzying.
"Wow," Jesse spoke slowly, eyes wide as she stared up.
More water came gushing from the ceiling, making her head snap back to the ceiling, splashing down and pushing Lukas to Jesse's feet, Petra to the foot of one of the tubes, and Olivia onto a random, previously dry patch on the floor. Puddles were all over the floor.
Groaning, her friends slowly managed to get to her feet. Jesse noted the frost in the watery puddles that Petra was touching.
"I thought water was supposed to break a fall," Lukas groaned, his blonde hair flopping into his eyes. Jesse had to giggle a bit at the new hairstyle as he combed it back into it's usual messy, spiky hairstyle.
"Is everyone okay?" Jesse asked, concerned, looking around at her friends. "W-we're all good?"
Lukas gave Jesse a sheepish grin. "Well... definitely not thirsty anymore." Jesse stifled a laugh at that. Yep, Lukas was perfectly fine.
Olivia smirked at that, pulling back some soaking wet, bouncy curls, "we're good."
"Hey," Petra asked, panting slightly as she combed short, wet, red hair out of her eyes, "where's-"
She was cut off by more screaming, and more water splashed across the already-wet floor and Axel landed right on top of Lukas, who was knocked back to the floor.
"Never mind."
"No, no," Axel said, somehow not realizing he was sitting on Lukas, "don't worry, I'm totally fine." He grinned at Jesse.
Beneath him, Lukas let out a moan. "Whhyyyyy..."
"Oh crap," and Axel practically jumped off of the smaller male, eyes wide. "I'm sorry."
Jesse gave Axel a rather scrutinizing look, but he did seem rather sorry about the whole thing.
Reuben let out an excited series of oinks, rushing back over to Axel. Lukas tried to get up, but he landed in a slippery patch and fell right back down. Jesse went over and helped Lukas to his feet, as Axel picked Reuben up and walked over to his female friend. "I knew you'd come for us," and he was grinning brighter than the sun, "I just knew it. Reuben had his doubts. I owe you. If there ever comes a time I can pay you back for that, I will, with interest."
Jesse gave him a grin and wrapped her arms around the rather burly male. "I'm just glad you're okay." And she looked around the room with a soft, warm smile. "All of you."
Axel squinted at Jesse. "... there's something different about you, Jess."
Jesse blinked.
"You're..." Axel spotted the tubes through the glass floor. "Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on," he chanted, peeking down at the floor and the loot going through it, "this is where all the loot gets sorted, right?"
Olivia nodded, looking down at the floor as well. "Yep. That's precisely what it is."
Axel grinned at her. "See that? Things are starting to turn around."
Jesse blinked again, before smiling again, standing on her tiptoes, and ruffling his hair. "Axel?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't ever change."
"It's cool what you did up there," Petra spoke, walking towards her friend, "we stick together, and we'll be fine. It's good to know you're not letting all this get to your head. I was worried it might."
Jesse turned around to Petra with a warm smile. "Thanks, Petra. Means a ton."
"Everyone's looking at you to lead," Petra continued, before glancing over Jesse's shoulder. "Well, actually... maybe not everyone."
Jesse looked over her shoulder at the blonde boy, who was examining the amulet. "Looks like it's still working," he spoke.
"Ah, yeah," Jesse turned around to face him, "thank you so much for grabbing that up there. Could I please have it back?"
Lukas turned to her with a small smile, ears twitching. "No problem."
The white glow brightened before he could give it back, and he gasped and jerked back. "Hang on a moment... he's close... Soren's close by." He pointed it at a stone archway leading into another room. "He's gotta be... this way. Look how bright it is!" Lukas's ears and tail were twitching excitedly.
Then the amulet went dark.
Lukas's brow creased. He tried shaking it, but nothing happened.
Jesse squinted at the amulet curiously, before suddenly a loud rumble echoed throughout the room. Everyone looked up, a bit startled.
"Sounds like the grinder's backed up," Olivia said, sounding puzzled.
Jesse stared up at the ceiling, before something registered, and she stiffened. "Oh no."
Another waterfall came from the ceiling, washing several vicious monsters down there. Great.
"Go go go go go!" Jesse yelled, everyone starting for the archway- except Lukas. He was paralyzed in fear again, eyes wide, and Jesse grabbed his arm, ready to pull him after the others, but another blast of water hit them before they could move, knocking them back to the floor.
Jesse swallowed nervously as more monsters got to their feet. None of them had reached the archway yet.
Crap.
A/N: Sort-of cliffhanger! Next chapter'll probably be up later in the afternoon tomorrow, since I won't have access to the computer in the morning.
Still no luck with the reviews.
x.X. A.L. X.x.
