Chapter 18: Village Reunion

Everyone except the villagers and iron golems stood in place for a good five minutes.

Finally, Jewel sprinted into a run towards the village. Stan and two other miners did the same. At the halfway point, they embraced each other. Jewel was crying tears of joy. The other miners were going crazy, jumping about the place and yelling out cries of victory. Jewel was safe. Jewel was home. Her family could finally be at peace.

The rest of the group began making their way down to the scene.

When their group hug ended, Jewel's family got a good look at the miners who had brought their daughter safely back into their custody. One of them, a girl, embraced Pickaxe in a bear hug, to which he nearly lost his balance. "Thank you," she whispered in gratitude. Pickaxe was somewhat flabbergasted. Comparing the girl and Jewel, they both looked EXACTLY the same, save for attire. The girl was wearing a draping sky blue dress, white stockings, and black shoes, as well as a wooden shovel in her hand. "Apologies," she addressed politely, "My name is Sabrina. I'm Jewel's mother." Pickaxe fought the urge to drop his jaw. Mother!? Sabrina could pass for Jewel's sister!

Stan took this time to whisper in Pickaxe's ear, "Relax; this is a common phenomenon in Minecraft. You'll get used to it."

Meanwhile, the other miner, a boy, was having a chat with Texik. He had hair almost as crazy as Texik, except his was the color of redstone. He had an iron pickaxe at his side, and wore a pale blue shirt, bright orange pants, and leather boots, all of which were somewhat tattered and covered in dirt. His eyes were brown on the left, blue on the right. "A reformed greifer?" he asked in a deep, gruff voice, "I don't believe that's possible." "It's possible, sir…" Texik assured, "All it takes is a near death experience." "Well, then," said the boy, placing his hand on Texik's shoulder rather firmly, "A friend of my daughter is a friend of mine! Oh, and please, call me Reed."

Jewel's parents were going to take some time to get used to.

"Alright, back to work everyone!" yelled Reed to the other miners. "Tonight, we will celebrate the return of my daughter!" The village cheered in approval, then resumed its duties without skipping a beat. "Wow," complemented Madison, "You're family's treated like royalty here." "Well…" Reed was about to say. "DAAD!" Jewel complained. "What?" asked Reed mischievously. No wonder he and Texik get along, thought Pickaxe. "Come along now," Sabrina suggested, "Let's go back to the house. Someone's been waiting to see you!~"

The group followed Jewel's family to what looked like a mansion.

Granted, it resembled a small fortress much more closely. The outer walls were comprised of obsidian. In some exposed areas, Pickaxe could see dark red blocks… bricks. Very decorative. Stan motioned for the group to come inside. It was even more homey within its walls. A wooden floor, a fireplace, an enchantment table surrounded by bookshelves for whatever reason. There were even stairs leading up to the second floor.

Sabrina was at the staircase.

"Endre! Someone very special is here to see you!" she called. A miniscule and insecure voice called back, "I'm busy! Trying to find a way to locate Jewel!" "Is that-?" Jewel inquired. Sabrina nodded her head with giddy, before telling Jewel "Shhhh." She called back up, "I think you might like this visitor!" "Fine," Endre called back, "Give me a sec!" "How long has he been up there?" Jewel asked. Sabrina gave a half-amused, half-worried smile. "Too long."

After a few seconds. Endre came down the steps.

His eyes were as purple as an enderman's. His black hair, while short, was shaggy and uneven. He looked pale, and he also seemed to be lacking sleep. He wore a necklace made with string and an enderpearl, and had a map in his left hand. He was rubbing his eyes as he came down the steps. "Seriously, Sabrina. Who exactly is hereeeeeeeeeee…" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Jewel. She gave him a soft smile.

"JEWEL!" he cried, sprinting toward her and tackling her to the floor.

"Hah hah! Endre…" Jewel giggled, as Endre rubbed against her. "If you ever scare me like that again, Jewel, I swear!" Endre proclaimed. Pickaxe had to eventually intervene, pulling Endre off of Jewel. "Friends?" he guessed. "Since childhood," Jewel confirmed, as Sarah helped her up. "W-who's this?" asked a panicking Endre, trying to free himself from Pickaxe's grip, to no avail. "Relax," Stan assured, "They're friendly."

Sabrina clapped her hands to get the group's attention.

"Okay," she began, "Jewel, you can help your friends move into the guest rooms. I'll be in the village trading. Your father will be in the mines. Stan, if our guests need anything, help them out. And Endre, please don't be awkward." "W-wha!?" questioned Endre, as Sabrina gave a playful smile. "We won't be long. Oh, and Jewel, make sure to take care of that horse!" finished Sabrina, as she and Reed left the house. "Oh right! Crown!" Jewel recalled, running to the front door. "Guest rooms are on the top floor. Endre, show them!" she called, before flying out the door.

"Ah, still the same as ever…" Endre said dreamily.

After the group members had moved into the rooms, Pickaxe was having a conversation with Stan. "I really appreciate you taking care of my sister," thanked Stan. "Don't mention it," assured Pickaxe, "Though she did try pulling a sword swing on me when we first met…" "Yeah, she'll do that when she thinks she's in danger." "But anyways, what's the deal with this village, anyway?" "You'll find that out tonight. Any other questions?" "Yeah. When Jewel first showed up, there was this weird obsidian structure in front of my house…" "Oooh… well, that was a broken Nether portal. While we were doing some gathering in the Nether, I had her go through it so she wouldn't die. I barely made it out alive…" "What's the Nether?" "You've never been?" "No." "Probably a good thing. Though, if you plan on making potions, a visit there is inevitable." "Hmmmm…" "Well, nice talking with you, Pickaxe." "Likewise, Stan." "Oh! One more thing…" "Hm?"

"Don't tell Jewel I said anything, but our parents are the chiefs of this village. That's why she didn't want dad to spill the beans. This is just between us, okay?"

Sarah was browsing around the house, when she happened to overhear a conversation between Endre and Texik. "Wait, wait, hold up," Texik began, "You've known Jewel since you two were kids!?" "Y-yeah…" Endre admitted. "Wow, what was it like?" "Eh, same old same old. Though Parker still hasn't given up on trying to woo her over…" "Parker?" "Another friend of ours. His family is the second most powerful in the entire village!" "Who's the most powerful?" "I took an oath not to say." "Darn. So, what's so bad about Parker?" "Well, he's sort of… arrogant and two faced." "Oh boy…" "Yep. As if that wasn't enough, he's completely CRUSHING on Jewel. She's made it obvious she's not interested, but he just can't take no for an answer…" "Oh man, sounds like a nightmare. But… aren't you into Jewel?" "W-what!? Why would you-?" "Relax, I won't tell. Personally, I think I'm getting the hots for Madison... But I don't believe I've seen this Parker guy, yet." "You wouldn't. He's preoccupied doing work in the Nether." "Makes sense, if he's as bad as you say he is…"

Sarah's hand was on her chin. "Something big's about to go down…"