(At long last, after seven months of inactivity, I finally have the motivation to start writing again! I had decided to come back when my writing improved a lot more, as I didn't feel comfortable with it fitting in with this. But I hope you like it, those of you who are still willing to follow me. And thanks for sticking by. I'm probably not going to do PoV style posts anymore, I feel I can better communicate through the normal style nowadays, especially with the practice I've been doing.)
"So… We're here? We're finally here? It feel like it's been months!" Steve addressed the others, almost overwhelmed by the thought of their first leg of the journey being over after such a long time.
"Relax, it's only been a few weeks. This thing isn't exactly built with speed in mind." Vanessa replied, tapping the floor with her boot to signify that she meant the vehicle. "Anyway we can finally find the first part of the thingy...medallion...whatever."
"Well then, we'd better choose who goes where and make sure we have the right supplies. According to the sources I found, the Ender Fragment is surrounded by an ever-changing maze. In it, nothing stays the same. The walls, the rooms, even the gravity is constantly shifting. Not only that but there are countless death traps with no escape. Valerie announced. I'll be the first to go in since I know the most."
"I'll go too, seeing as there's the whole chosen one thing around me." Steve said, walking stand by Valeries side. Andr followed, followed by Stephanie. Yaebi stood up too but Vanessa shook her head.
"You're way too inexperienced to go somewhere like that. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Yaebi turned to her. "I want to accompany my girlfriend if she's going too. What kind of man would that make me?" Yaebi retorted, emphasising the word "girlfriend". Stephanie smiled a little.
"Huh, some guy. Won't even let his girl go alone for a minute." Vanessa argued back.
"That's not it…"
"Sure it isn't. Well, have fun and don't die I guess." she replied before going down to the engine rooms. Stephanie reassured Yaebi and told him not to worry. He smiled and the two walked off together to get ready. Valerie walked off too, looking for her sister. Apparently Willow had been looking for a way to enable Valerie to fly again, but the search for such an item wasn't going too well.
"I've been looking into trying to fix that thing that Ivy used when she attacked us, it's called a Flugel Tiara from Botania. But it needs stuff like Ender Air from the End, and Elementium from Alfheim, two places we can't go any time soon. There are a few magic rings that grant flight, but they aren't within our reach. This is really high level stuff you know."
"It's fine. I can always get a jetpack or something, even though it won't be nearly the same." a disheartened Valerie replied. Flight just seemed to be impossible without her wings. But at the same time, without them she felt so much more vulnerable and scared, much like the others she had hurt all that time ago. It really put things into perspective.
Finally, it was time to go. The team assembled outside of their vehicle and stared at what lay in front of them. A desert temple, half buried within the sprawling desert that went on forever in all directions, with an opening that felt like pure darkness. Stepping inside, they were met with dust and sand in their faces, and the faintest patch of light from somewhere they couldn't see.
When the dust settled, they looked around. The light was nowhere to be seen now, and they lit a few torches to see. There was a slab of sandstone in front of them, and the standard layout of a desert temple. A quick check showed the underground treasure room to be missing, though. Not much of a maze.
Steve had his doubts about the slab in front. He brought out a pickaxe and bashed at it, and as the blocks crumbled he was met with an amazing sight. A rippling, hypnotic pattern danced across the space where the slab had been. It seemed to make their three-dimensional world expand beyond ones comprehension. Steve bravely stepped forwards and put his hand up to it. Immediately he was pulled into the pattern and the others jumped in shock. After a few seconds his head popped through.
"I found the maze! It's pretty crazy in here, but so far it's safe. Come on through!"
Valerie and Andr went in next, with Stephanie and Yaebi following. On the other side of the rift, it was a strange sight indeed. Corridors of stone brick stretched to the left and right as far as the eye could see, straight ahead too, but that one stopped at an iron door. Beyond the door seemed to be another rift.
"Well, which way shall our adventure take us?" Steve remarked. Unanimously they chose the door. They opened it and stepped through. There was a feeling of fuzziness over their bodies and minds, signifying teleportation, and they exited into a strange courtyard. Iron bars and stone bricks were arranged in a peculiar pattern, like a broken statue almost, in the centre. Columns reached up to hold back nothing in particular. The far end of the courtyard boasted two doors this time. This time nobody could decide whether the door on the left or right should be tried.
"Shall we split up then?" Steve asked. Andr immediately intervened.
"No! This is an ever changing maze that teleports you around. If we split up we have a good chance of never finding each other again!"
Stephanie on the other hand was all for the idea. "If that's the case, we'll never be able to cover as much ground as we need in order to find what we're looking for. Or find the way out in that case. Splitting up will mean we can find both pretty easily. And besides, we already have tracking technology with us, I brought it in case we get separated in the first place. She handed them VoxelMap tablets. We'll be able to find each other again just fine. If you get lost just activate this button and wait, and we'll find you. Same with us.
She walked forwards and opened the left door. "I'll go with Yaebi this way, you guys go the other. Best not to split up any more, we need more than one person groups so you don't die to a trap or something."
Andr was very uncomfortable. "I don't like this...but if you're sure that we can find each other again then alright. But don't blame me if something does go wrong."
With that, the two groups parted ways as they entered their respective doors. Yaebi and Stephanie ended up in another long hallway, with a door at the far end.
"Why doesn't your sister like me?" Yaebi asked out of the blue. Stephanie wasn't expecting that.
She sighed and looked over at him. It seemed it had been bothering him for some time now.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"She's been trying to keep us apart for so long now. Every time we try and get serious she gets in the way, I thought it was just a kid thing but now I know she's doing it on purpose. Do you think she hates me?"
Stephanie suddenly pulled Yaebi against the wall quite roughly and pulled him into a passionate kiss. It was a shock to him but he went with it instantly. When Stephanie pulled away she whispered to him.
"I think I know what it is. She thinks you're no good for me because you're rather...passive. She sees you as this weakling that doesn't challenge me at all. But the truth is, I really don't like that sort of thing. I love you for you, Yaebi. While there are times where you could be a little more...tough, let's say, there's nobody I'd rather have than you." After finishing her sentence, she pulled him back into her for another kiss. Pulling away once more with a giggle, she spoke to him softly once again. And besides, you like it like this, don't you? Me being the dominant one, you like it don't you now?"
Yaebi was a little overwhelmed, but he couldn't find any reason why this wasn't the case.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hot. Like, really hot."
Stephanie smiled. "Welllll...if you want to get more serious…"
Yaebi knew exactly what she meant. "As in...here? Cause I'd rather wait until…"
"C'mon, don't you just want to…"
Yaebi could tell this had been building up for a while. "Just keep it to yourself for a little while longer, please? We'll find somewhere better. A cold stone hallway isn't the best place."
"Aww, fine. Just for you." Stephanie smiled seductively.
"I mean really, just listen to yourself. A few minutes ago you were fine and now…" Yaebi laughed a little, lost for words.
Stephanie started laughing too. "Oh shit, yeah. What was I thinking? Dang, we really just need to sleep with each other already. Shit's gotta get real sooner or later."
A loud crash from the other side of the hall startled the pair. The looked over and saw the far door had been replaced by a wall, moving towards them, closing off the exit and threatening to crush them.
"Later." Yaebi said.
"Later." Stephanie confirmed, and the two walked over to the door they came from. This time they were in a different area than the original courtyard. It looked like a tower with a staircase winding around the outside. The tower was topless and sections of wall seemed to float in mid-air, mystifying the two.
"Maybe there's another door at the top. You coming?" Yaebi suggested.
"I'll follow your lead, cutie." Stephanie giggled to him before pulling him into a romantic hug and carrying on.
Author's Notes
(OH SHIT SON, THOSE TWO ARE GETTING SERIOUS! WHAT'S NEXT?!
WILL THEY DO THE DO PERHAPS? OR WILL THERE BE MORE TRAPS AND PUZZLES TO WAYLAY THE SHIP OF A LIFETIME? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!)
But, on a more serious note, do you guys want me to write a bonus chapter next time where Yaebi and Stephanie...umm… (I'm asking if you guys want a lemon chapter next, it'll be my way of thanking the people that stayed with me through this.) Leave your responses in the reviews or PM, and thanks everyone! I'm back in the game!