Man, the new game has been keeping me really busy lately...I feel kinda bad that it kinda keeps me from working on this...Well, thankfully I squeezed this in.
Enjoy
It was a bright, sunny day the next day, not a cloud in the sky.
Joe awoken, with the girls still asleep, still cuddling with him, as he looked out to the window, with the sun shining brightly.
"Maybe just a few more minutes…" Joe said, as he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
A few moments pass, as Cupa wakes up, and feels something on her hand. She felt it, and found it was Joe's hand on hers.
She didn't know whether to feel happy, or embarrassed, as she turned red in a second flat.
Out of spite, she rubbed her thumb along the top of his hand, and felt happy and content.
I can feel the firmness in his hand… She thought as she rubbed his hand.
She then crossed her fingers with Joe's, who in his sleep, grabbed held tighter onto Cupa's hand, with his fingers between hers.
Cupa jumped a bit, but then couldn't help but smile, as she leaned back on Joe's shoulder and drifted back to sleep.
After a few moments, it was Andr's turn to wake up, as she felt Joe's head on hers. She felt she shouldn't dare move her head. She thought for a second, and somehow slipped her hat off, feeling Joe's face on her head.
She ran her hand down Joe's arm until she reached his hand, and held his hand the same as Cupa did, crossing fingers.
Her hand felt warm, as Joe then held Andr's hand tighter as well.
She couldn't help but feel happy, as she enjoyed the attention. She snuggled her head underneath Joe's head until she was comfortable. She then gave Joe a quick kiss on the cheek, then went back to sleep.
Hours pass, as Joe then woke up to find himself sprawled on the couch, alone. He pondered this, as he stood up and stretched.
He then realized he had a note stuck to his chest. He took it off, and read it as such:
We went out to gather stuff for you. Will be back shortly.
Cupa and Andr
Joe then sighed. "At least they left something. Maybe I should go to work as well." He said to himself, as he pulled a piece of paper himself, and wrote:
Went out gathering. I'll be back before sundown.
Joe
He left the note on the table, as he picked up tools, water, some food, and other equipment.
He practiced a bit with his sword and pickaxe, then holstered them as he walked out the door.
He walked out into the wilderness, hoping to find a cave, because he didn't feel like digging blindly in the ground himself.
"Thats how you fall into lava…" He said to himself, as he walked.
He walked for a few moments, and noticed a hole in a side of a mountain. He looked inside, and saw a tunnel of stone that led into darkness.
"Perfect…" He said to himself. He didn't know whether to be happy, or terrified. He luckily carried a few stacks of torches, which he used to light his way through the dark tunnel.
He found more coal and iron as he went, and found it went even deeper.
As he spelunked even further, he heard groans of zombies and cracks of skeletons, prompting him to unsheathe his sword.
He heard the groans and cracks come closer, as he hid himself behind some blocks of stone.
He looked over the top, and could see three zombies and two skeletons walking by.
Play it quiet Joe, This doesn't look good…
He stayed in place until he couldn't hear the groans anymore. He presumed they were gone, so he stepped out.
In the moment he stepped, something snapped and made a very loud noise.
He looked down to see he dropped and stepped on a stick he made.
SHIT!
He looked over and noticed that the crowd of monsters heard the noise and could clearly see him, as they then came towards him.
A skeleton shot an arrow, sticking to a nearby wall, just barely missing him.
This was his signal to start running, as he ran blindly into darkness, hoping to lose the monsters.
He couldn't see anything, and this caused him to run into a wall, slightly disorienting him, as he could barely see the monsters closing in on him.
He pulled out his sword and readied himself for battle, as a zombie was mere feet away from him.
The zombie lunged after him, but with a quick swipe, he cut off the zombie's head.
The second zombie came towards him, as he jumped forward and plunged the sword straight into the zombie's skull, causing it to limp from death. He pulled his sword out, and then stabbed the third zombie, impaling it, and used it as a shield from the skeleton's arrows.
He noticed the zombie was still alive, as it clawed and scratched his arms and torso.
"Son of a bitch!" He screamed, as he swung the sword, still in the zombie's body, tearing through the zombie's body, killing it instantly.
He then grabbed his bow, pulled out an arrow from the zombie's body, and shot it at the skeleton, piercing it's head, killing it before it hit the ground.
He noticed the second skeleton drawing an arrow. He couldn't react in time, as the skeleton shot the arrow. It barely missed him again, but it grazed his arm.
This enraged Joe, as he sprinted up to the skeleton, and swung as hard as he could, slicing the skeleton in half cleanly.
After the dust settled, he was gasping for air. He looked at the wound on his arm, and noticed it was bleeding rather badly.
"Man, that's not good…" He noticed, as he took some spare wool and made a bandage with it.
He wrapped it around tightly, but noticed the blood was bleeding through the bandage, and rather fast, almost turning the bandage completely crimson red.
"Well, I'm sure I can treat this more properly once I get home…" He said to himself as he walked on.
He went deeper and deeper, as he noticed more rare ores were in reach, but some over lava.
He found redstone, lapis lazuli, and more coal and iron. He sighed.
"Just when am I going to hit diamonds?" He asked himself, ignoring the pain from his wound.
He continued on, and noticed his pickaxe was damaged, with chinks in the blade and such.
"Don't think it will hold out for long...Luckily I brought more." He said, as he swung the pickaxe over his shoulder, and walked on.
He felt very dizzy. He knew the cause, as he looked at the blood-soaked bandage on his arm.
"L-Losing a lot of blood…" He stuttered, trying to keep his footing.
He felt like he was about to pass out, but he kept himself awake by slapping himself.
He kept walking, as he noticed a distinctive glow.
He then knew what it was, as he looked upon the light-blue ore just a few feet away.
"Sweet Jesus, finally!" He said as he limped towards the ore. "Man, the girls are going to let me have it when I get home…" he said, as he swung the pickaxe upon the ore.
The ore crumbled, showing the light-blue jewel that anyone could recognize.
He saw that there were more around it, as he broke those apartas well. He ended up finding five diamonds from the vein, as he celebrated it, by yelled.
"WOOOOOHOOHOOHOOOO!" He screamed, raising his arms in the air.
He nearly fell over at that moment, as he was weak already.
He felt proud, as he continued on his way back. This is where he could barely move straight, as he stumbled across the ground.
"Shit...lost too much blood…" he said, as he saw his bandage completely soaked in blood.
He walked on, and on, feeling as if he was lost.
"Not good...can't see straight…Maybe I should….have brought armor..." He said, his eyesight starting to leave him.
He stumbled until he hit a wall, and leaned on it.
"I guess I...could rest a bit…" He said, as he slumped onto the ground, leaning against the wall.
He could barely see the torch in front of him, as he dropped his head. He closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"I...don't think...I'll make it…" He said to himself, his mind going to Cupa and Andr.
"Sorry girls...I don't think I'll be home tonight…" He said weakly.
He then opened his eyes to see two figures in front of him. He could not see clearly see who they are, but he managed to speak out.
"H-Help...me…" he said, looking at the figures.
The figures looked at each other, as Joe could barely make out some words from them.
"Bring….Back….Live." Were the words he could make out.
All he then felt was his strength leave him, as he felt his consciousness leave him.
Darkness.
Darkness was all he could see.
Joe looked down, and found he was sitting on darkness.
"So….Am I dead, or what?" He asked himself.
Unfortunately, no.
Joe was silent.
"...You again." he said.
You don't seem pleased.
"Why would I be? You're infamous."
Hehe. It seems my infamy perceives me.
"You feel proud or something?"
I have no need for pride, mortal. Only fear.
"Fear?"
Yes. The fear from tortured players keeps me going. My legacy shall live on.
Joe chuckled. "Sounds pretty cowardly to me."
No one speaks like that to me, human.
"Well, where's your power when one doesn't fear you?"
There was then silence.
Until next time mortal. You seem to be waking up.
"Huh? The hell are you talking about?" Joe said, as he heard other voices.
Hey, are you alright?
"Huh? H-Hey! Where are you?" Joe said, standing up.
Wake up already!
Joe then noticed the darkness that surrounded him, turning into white light.
The light was almost blinding, as he closed his eyes.
Joe then opened his eyes, looking at a stone ceiling. He was laying down on something soft, and to his surprise, it was a bed, and he was covered by a blanket.
"Finally, you woke up!" came a voice.
He looked over and noticed a girl with her arms crossed.
She looked about thirteen-fourteen, in terms of height and appearance, with purple hair, with two small ponytails tied with two red beads, one larger that the other one. He noticed her crimson red eyes, looking at him.
She wore a dark teal sweatshirt, with stripes on the sleeves, with a skirt that was the same color, but darker.
"I thought you were dead for sure." she said.
Joe was surprised at this. He remembered passing out from blood loss, then he woke up in a bed, in front of a girl. He felt something constricting him, as he realized they were bandages, which were around his arms, head, and chest.
He sat up and looked around.
"Where….Am I?" He asked, looking to his surroundings.
He looked and found he was in what seemed to be a dug-out shelter, with the floor, ceiling, and walls made of stone. He saw torches around the room, giving light around, along with his sword and other tools, on the ground.
"Here." The girl said, offering him a loaf of bread.
Joe stared at the bread, not knowing what to do.
The girl then made an annoyed face. "If you won't eat it, then I will!" she threatened.
This made Joe jump, as he slowly took the bread.
"T-Thanks…" He said, taking a bite of the bread.
The girl watched him eat, as he spoke.
"I-Is there something wrong?" he asked.
The girl remained silent.
"You know, you're lucky we found you. You would've died if we hadn't spotted you." the girl said, her arms crossed.
Joe was confused.
"We?" he asked.
In that moment, the door slammed open to another girl, who screamed, "I'm Hooooome!"
Joe and the girl near him both jumped, nearly making Joe fall out of his bed, as he felt his wounds sting in pain.
"What did I say about doing that!?" the girl near Joe screamed at the girl near the door.
He watched as the two girls were then talking among each other, as he looked at the girl who bursted through the door.
She looked very similar to the girl that he woke up to, except she was a bit taller, and looking about the same age as Andr. Her hair was longer, with a large ponytail, with the same two beads, but they were a hair-band instead.
She wore clothes similar the the first girl, but they were in accents of grey and a darker grey. She also wore leggings that went all the way up to her skirt.
He looked at the first girl scolding and yelling at the second one, while the second just scratched her head, smiling.
She then looked over to Joe.
"Ah! Our guest is awake!" she said.
Joe then waved. "H-Hello...Were you the two figures I saw before I passed out?"
"Yep! We saved your life!" she girl in grey said.
Joe then scratched his head.
"T-Thanks...I would have died if you two hadn't helped me…" Joe said.
The girl in teal then crossed her arms.
"Well, we couldn't leave you to die." she said.
Joe then smiled. "Thank you…"
The girl in grey then walked up to him.
"What's your name, anyways?" she asked.
"Er, uh….I'm Joe...and yours?" Joe asked.
"I'm Natalie, but you can call me Lily" The girl in grey said.
Joe nodded. "Well, Lily, I thank you and…?" he asked, looking over to the girl in teal.
"Nia." the girl replied.
Joe nodded again. "Alright, Lily and Nia, thank you both for caring for me. I owe you two…" Joe said, smiling.
"W-We just didn't want your body rotting in the cave…" Nia said, looking away. Joe could see a bit of pink on her cheeks.
Lily then leaned forward towards Joe.
"Don't worry, she doesn't mean that." she whispered to Joe.
Joe then chuckled as Nia looked at Lily, annoyed.
Joe then tried to stand up, but he felt his wounds sting again, as he sat down again.
"No standing now. We need to let those wounds heal. Then we will let you on your way." Lily said, her hands on her hips.
Joe then chuckled. "Alright, I guess I can spare some time." He said.
Nia then closed the door, and sat down in what looked like a chair, made of cobblestone. It didn't look comfortable, but it seemed she didn't mind.
Lily then sat on the bed.
"We noticed you were walking towards the exit of the cave, then you fell over." She said.
"O-Oh….well, I was dizzy...I had lost a lot of blood…" Joe said.
"I'll say. That bandage you made was soaked!" Lily exclaimed.
"Yeah….Thank you for the extra bandage. I would have bled out…" Joe said, smiling guiltily.
"Don't thank me, Nia here's the one who patched you up!" Lily said, pointing at Nia with her thumb.
"O-Only because he would have died!" Nia yelled, her face red as a beet.
Lily leaned over to Joe again, her hand covering her mouth from Nia.
"She made sure to be extra careful with ya. She wouldn't let me touch ya!" She said.
In that moment, a book came flying, and hit Lily in the back of the head. Joe looked over and noticed that Nia was the one that threw the book. She had an annoyed look on her face.
"Because you would have made it worse!" she yelled back.
Joe couldn't help but laugh to himself as the girls were arguing.
"Alright you two, enough arguing. I appreciate the fact you two cared for me. I'm thankful." Joe said.
He then saw Lily grin, and Nia go pink, but she still had her annoyed face.
"Dont worry, we'll care of ya until you're on your feet again!" Lily exclaimed. "Even if Nia may have a bit of a crush on ya."
Nia then went red, and her face turned into an expression of anger, as she yelled at Lily, with Lily teasing back.
Joe then sighed, but he was smiling.
I hope Cupa and Andr are alright. I've been gone for a while… He thought, watching the two girls argue.
About a half hour passed, as Joe was now able to stand, but not fully. He could stand, but he had trouble keeping his balance.
Nia had been the one to support him to keep his balance, as they made their way towards the bed. She sat him down, as he sighed in exhaustion.
"Getting a bit better…" He said, smiling at Nia.
Nia went pink, and flicked his forehead. "Don't push yourself." she said.
Joe couldn't help but chuckle, rubbing his forehead. Though, he couldn't stop looking into Her red eyes.
And thats when something flashed inside his mind, as he realized something.
The colors, the red eyes, red beads, the size differences, and similarities between them...He could only say one thing.
"H-Hey, would you two by any chance be Spiders?" He asked.
Nia scoffed. "You just figured it out?" she asked.
"W-Well.." Joe said, scratching his head.
"Don't worry. We won't hurt ya, we're not like the rest." Lily explained.
Joe sighed. "Well, its not the first time I've seen something like this…
"If we were regular spiders, we would've eaten you by now." Nia said.
Joe then chuckled. "Thanks for helping me out. Even though you just met me…" Joe said.
Lily then interjected. "Actually, we've seen you before."
Joe cocked his head in confusion.
"We've seen you enter this cave before. During that heavy rainstorm a few days ago." Nia explained.
"Oh? Oh, that right. I guess I forgot I've been to this cave already…" Joe said, scratching his head.
"Yeah. Nia couldn't get ya out of her mind!" Lily said, but was met with another book to the face.
"We saw you fight that skeleton, and we tried going to you to help, but you had already left." Nia explained.
Joe then remembered the fight he had with the skeleton. "Oh yeah...the bastard…" Joe said, laughing a bit.
"Just be happy Ria didn't find you before you did. She would've probably shot you on sight." Nia said, checking Joe's bandages.
"Er...Ria?" Joe asked.
"Oh, you'll meet her maybe. She's a good friend of mine!" Lily said, smiling.
Joe was confused, but he shrugged it off.
More time passed, as Nia had to change Joe's bandages a second time. He was slowly able to walk around, and move freely.
"How do ya feel?" Lily asked.
"I feel good. A bit sore, but it will wear off." Joe said, giving a thumbs up.
"Good to see!" Lily said back.
"Think you could make it back home?" Nia asked, a tiny bit of worry in her face.
"Oh yeah, I definitely can. Thank you very much, Nia" He said as he bowed to Nia.
She went a bit pink, and waved her hand. "N-No need. I-I just didn't want your corpse stinking up the cave…" she stuttered.
Joe then turned to Lily. "Thank you for having me over" he said as he bowed to her as well.
Lily smiled. "Glad to be of help." she said, as she grabbed Joe's equipment, and gave it back to him.
Joe then put on his equipment according to his liking, as he then looked back to the girls.
"If theres anything I can do to repay you two, I'll be sure to do so." Joe offered.
"Won't be needed!" Lily said back.
Joe was slightly confused as Lily's answer.
It was in that moment, that Nia pulled out a familiar looking jewel from her pocket.
"W-We'll take this as payment." she said.
Joe recognized the jewel, and looked through his pockets.
"Crap…" he said to himself.
"Well, you might want to get going home. its already morning." Lily said.
Joe jumped.
"M-Morning!? You mean I've been here all night!?" Joe yelled.
"You were sleeping for a while. We wondered if you were dead, you slept for so long." Nia said.
"S-Shit! I-I've gotta get going! Thank you for the care!" Joe yelled as he ran out the door, running through the cave.
Meanwhile, Lily and Nia were sitting, both silent.
"So. Still got that crush on him?" Lily asked.
Nia went red, as her expression turned to annoyance.
"S-Shut up…"
Joe sprinted back in the direction he came from, running past all the trees.
He ran up to his house, and looked through the windows. He saw Cupa and Andr snug in their beds, but they didn't look like they slept well.
Poor girls...they must have been worried sick about me… He thought as he reached for the door.
In that moment, something flashed in his mind.
Thieves must pay.
He remembered the exact reason he was here in the first place.
He reached in his pocket, and pulled out his four remaining diamonds.
He sighed.
"Damn my guilt…" he said, as he then turned and headed towards the village.
He walked into the village, to see many of the villagers at work, giving him warm welcomes.
He walked over to the blacksmith, who was suprised to see him.
"O-Oh, hey. Need to trade?" she asked.
Joe simply shook his head, and pulled out three diamonds.
"Here." He said, offering the diamonds.
The blacksmith was surprised at Joe's action.
"H-Huh? Do you want to trade these for something?" she asked.
"N-No, Its alright. Here, just take them. Consider them a debt repaid." Joe said, still offering the diamonds.
It didn't take much time for nearly the entire village to hear what was going on, as they surrounded the entrance to the blacksmith, just like the previous day.
The blacksmith was still surprised, as she took the three diamonds from Joe.
"T-Thank you…Though, I don't know about any debt..." She said, with a bit of red on her cheeks.
Joe then nodded. He turned around to the crowd, who were all staring at him.
"I'm sorry." He said, bowing. He straightened himself, then started walking.
The blacksmith was dumbfounded at what just happened, as the villagers flooded inside to see the diamonds.
He had walked until he reached his house. He pulled out his one, last remaining diamond, and sighed.
Well...at least I don't need to feel any guilt...He thought then opened his door.
When he entered, the saw Andr and Cupa wake up and see him, only to have their faces filled to the brim with joy, as they both ran towards him.
"Joe-kun~!" they both yelled, with tears in their eyes, as they both tackled Joe.
Cupa noticed his bandages.
"H-Hey, what happened to you? You were gone all day and night!" Cupa said, about to cry.
"We were worried sick!" Andr said, but with a louder tone than she usually talked in.
He couldn't help but smile, and hug the two girls.
"Thanks for worrying about me…" he said as he held the two closely.
The girls then immediately hugged him back, both sobbing from worry and happiness.
He rubbed their heads, and smiled.
Thank you too, Lily and Nia…
Meanwhile, back at the cave, Lily and Nia were among their own business.
"You think he might come back?" Nia asked.
"You would hope for that, wouldn't ya?" Lily replied, grinning.
Nia was about to throw her book at Lily again, when they both heard a knock at the door.
They both went to the door, as Nia opened the door. They saw no one, but a tiny box on the ground.
Nia picked up the box, and opened it. She found two familiar star-shaped charms, one colored teal, and one colored grey.
There was also a note that read:
Hope you two like these. Hope I got the colors right.
Joe
Nia picked up the teal one, and was fascinated at it's beauty. Lily picked up the grey one, and was in awe at the trinket.
"Wow! These are so pretty!" Lily said, looking at her Wayfinder.
Nia looked at hers, and turned a bit red. She cracked a smile, as she held hers close to her heart. She then looked up.
Thank you...Joe..
Whew...Man Its late. It is about six thirty in the morning, I pulled an all-nighter for this. I try to make a chapter a day, because I've been getting a lot of positive reviews in this, and I don't want to make you guys wait. You're like family to me, so you guys matter.
Alright, with outro aside, I will see you guys, in the next chapter.