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WARNING: This chapter contains hints of lemon, so if you don't like it, don't read about halfway through Jerome's POV. I have warned you readers.
TrueMU's POV-
I looked to our surroundings after we had pulled out Mitch and Jerome from the hole. Not even a minute earlier a giant sandstorm was raging around us, but after we had pulled out the two Minecrafters, the storm suddenly stopped. I could see far off into the distance, which I was not able to do earlier. Piles and piles of sand surrounded us, which was not a shocker for me.
"What in the Nether happened down there? We felt the shaking and we began to freak out," Adam said, looking to Jerome and Mitch with worry in his eyes. We nodded in agreement. The shaking really did bother us, and we had worried that something horrible had happened to the two of them.
"We got the Sabers, that's all that matters," Jerome said, holding up the Sabers for all of us to see them. They glimmered in the sunlight, gleaming a bright golden color. The emeralds, diamonds and ruby bits reflected the light as he rotated the weapon slowly, and I couldn't help but stare at it. That was a very beautiful weapon. But how could that small of a weapon stop the storm that was raging around us and had been raging for thousands of years?
"Great, that's amazing!" Dawn cried out, looking down to the sabers. Mitch and Jerome smiled to each other, and I smiled when I saw that. They finally were getting along together again. That would be a relief later for all of us. We didn't like fighting among our friends, and especially from ones that had been so close to each other for years. Their friendship was an example to all of us, and if their friendship were to be ruined, it would cause issues in the future for all of us.
Standing up, I turned around and examined our surroundings. The blistering heat of the sun whipped at my skin, which I was not completely comfortable with. The sun was high in the sky, giving me the impression that it was around noon. The sky was a deep blue color, although lately it had been covered with dark clouds. I didn't know what direction we had come from, and I gulped as I realized this would become an issue. If we didn't know what direction we came from, we wouldn't be able to know where we were until we found some sort of landmark to help us get to the next location.
"Even though we have the Slasher Sabers now, we are not done yet. We have three weapons left to get, and these last three weapons are the hardest to get. That is also partly because the biomes in which they are found are the hardest to get to," AntVenom said, placing his hands on his waist.
"What are the last three biomes we have to get to?" Eagle asked, the first time that I have heard from her in a while.
Sighing, Ant then answered, "The last three are the Nether, the End, and the Ice Spikes biome. All are equally as hard to get to, although we need to pick which one we are going to get to next, excepting for the End. We of course have to go to the Nether before we can go there."
Dawn, whose face had suddenly turned kinda green, gulped, and then she answered carefully, "I say we go to the Ice Spikes biome next. Get all of the Minecraftia weapons first before we go to the other dimensions."
Sky looked to his girlfriend in worry, putting a hand on her back. "I agree with Dawn. Besides, I don't want to tango with Herobrine yet until we have at least another weapon. These weapons are very powerful, as they have already shown with Quentin," he said, and we all nodded. We all clearly remembered three days ago when Quentin had gotten his Whirlpool Whiplashes and all of the other Magical Weapons (as I had dubbed them) had given him armor that I would like to call Maelstrom Armor. He was basically invincible. He had taken it off since then, because it caused him to lose a lot of energy, but whenever he went into combat with it the Maelstrom Armor would appear on him again.
"So it's decided then, we are going to the Ice Spikes biome. Now, I am going to warn you guys right now, no one is exactly sure where this biome is, because it is very rare to find, so we may be journeying for several weeks to find the Ice Spikes biome. Are you guys willing to make that journey, even though eventually we have to make the treacherous journey there," Ant asked, cocking his head slightly to the side.
Everyone looked to everyone else, and we all nodded. Ant smiled slightly, and then he said, "Very well. Let's just pick a direction and walk in it, hopefully we will make it to the Ice Spikes biome soon." Right then, everyone turned around and began to make their way behind Ant, who had picked a random direction and had kept to it. I breathed in slightly, and glanced over to Ty, who had walked up next to me. His hair was slightly matted and his headphones slightly damaged, but other than that he looked normal.
"I have a feeling we are going to be walking for a while," Ty muttered, and I nodded. Especially if no one had ever found it before. We would be the first humans to make it there, and that was something to think about it. We didn't know what was going to be there waiting for us, but we had to hope that we would get there sooner than later. I took a look around at my friends. All looked sick from being out in the open, some more than others. Everyone was weak, and most I thought weren't going to make it all the way.
"Please, Notch, have mercy on us and help us on our journey to the Ice Spikes biome that none of us will die on the way there," I prayed to myself, glancing up to the sky. I knew I wasn't going to get an answer back, but I had to at least try. Brushing my hair back slightly, I then began walking behind everyone else.
We walked for a very long time. We already knew that we were going to walk for a long time, but none of us fully realized how long it was going to be. Our group passed through many biomes, and we made camps every night. Each night I looked up to the sky and prayed that we would find the biome the next day. Eventually it became a routine after a week and a half. Walk for as long as we could, kill animals for food and try to rejuvenate our energy every day, set up camp before night fell, sleep, and then wake up at dawn. A couple people got sick, including Bashur, Gizzy, Bodil (from his foot-less leg that he had lost back at Cube City and that had gotten infected), Ashley, and Dawn. Dawn seemed to be the worst, barely managing to walk as long as everyone else. She constantly clutched to her stomach, and had to take frequent breaks. It was very horrible to deal with.
Finally, one day, Adam decided that we would spend the whole day resting. He mainly did it for Dawn, who had come down with a strange sickness. It was unlike a sickness that we had dealt with before. Even Ant didn't know what the cause of her sickness was. I took that day of rest gratefully. I went out with Ian, April, Quentin, Vengelfe, Mitch, Jerome, Sierra, Ray and Ty and walked to the closest river. We all were filthy and wanted a washing. We were in a volcanic biome, and several patches of the water were natural springs. We wanted to find one and rest in it to help ease our tired bodies.
"Guys, I think there's a spring here," Ian said, pointing over the hill we were on and to the river. We all walked up beside him and saw that he was correct; a natural springs sat bubbling slightly on the edge of the river. Our bodies seemed to sigh in relief. Making our way down the hill carefully, I came at the back of the group. I was shocked when I saw Ian reach over and grasp onto April's hand, and when she smiled back. So you guys are dating now, huh? I thought to myself as I watched them. I smiled slightly. They were meant for each other. Ever since we had rescued April, the two of them have been inseparable. It just made sense that they were dating now. Quentin and Vengelfe were also holding hands, which I found peculiar as well. Now that I didn't expect.
We approached the springs, and we could feel the heat against our skins. This heat, however, was a calming one. Quentin approached the water, and dipped his foot in it. He instantly sighed. "This feels great, and its not going to burn us. Hop in guys!" he exclaimed, already stripping down to his swimming suit, which he had changed into before we left. That's what everyone else did as well. We all stripped down, threw our clothes in a pile, and then we carefully climbed into the warm water. Instantly after I hopped in, my body seemed to scream in relief. This water was perfect for our exhausted bodies.
"This feels amazing, especially after the long journey we have been having," Mitch said, exhaling as his body soaked in the warm water.
"Yeah, glad that it's almost over. I want to just get rid of Herobrine and the Squids right now. Going back will be a relief to me," Jerome said, his eyes closed as he relaxed in the water.
Sierra seemed slightly troubled by that. "Do you think we will be rid of Herobrine that quickly?" she asked nervously.
Ian shrugged slightly. "We might be rid of him that quickly. We might not. We will have to hope that we can kill him quickly," he said, looking over to her. Even in the water he kept his sunglasses on, which was a relief to all of us. If he took them off, oh, that wouldn't be good for anyone.
Ray looked over to Sierra. "Why do you ask that?"
Sierra glanced around, her eyes flicking around constantly. "It's just that, he has his ways and can trap us into things we don't want to be in. He might take over us and make us turn on the others. What if that happens? We won't be able to defeat him then without killing one of our comrades first."
Jerome sat up, and put a gentle hand on her bare back. "Well, whatever Herobrine throws at us we will go through together as friends. Together we are strong, and we can defeat anyone as friends," the Bacca said comfortingly. The young girl glanced over to Jerome, and smiled slightly. Suddenly, the smile on her face dropped.
"I... I have to go and... uh, help Bodil with something," she said, nervously, pushing herself out of the water. Sierra threw on her clothes again over her bright green bikini, and then she rushed away from there.
"Something's wrong with Sierra, but I don't know what it is," Mitch said, watching Sierra as she ran off. I shrugged, and returned my attention to rejuvenating in the water. Whatever the issue it would eventually get resolved, and right then I didn't want to deal with any sort of drama. Sierra could handle that herself.
Jerome's POV-
I was already fast asleep after all of the events that had took place in the last two weeks, especially after retrieving the Slasher Sabers from the Squahara Desert. I was feeling good as I fell into a deep sleep after we returned from the hot springs that day, not because we were closer to get the last of the weapons and saving the world, but Mitch and I placed aside our anger towards each other in the desert and made our way through the obstacles, got the weapons, and returned back to everyone unharmed. I'm glad that we are friends again, but the only thing that I had to worry about was Sierra. Mitch and I still had a crush on her, and neither of us were sure if she liked one of us more or even did had a crush on one of us. It ran through my mind as I turned over and tried to get into a better sleeping position.
Suddenly, I heard a couple of voices outside of the tent Mitch and I were slumbering in. I pick my head up, a bit drowsy from the sleep I barely had, but I was able to make out the voices to belong to Sky and Sierra. Quietly, I lifted myself up and crawled to the entrance of the tent, careful not to wake up Mitch. I opened one of the flaps and spot Sky and his sister talking to each other near the campfire, the flames still roaring strongly and lets off a bright orange color. I decided to investigate what the duo were talking about.
I sneaked out of the tent, navigated through the heavy brush to avoid being spotted by the two, and reached a tree a few blocks away from them. I climbed up the tree and moved across the branches. Once I reached a branch, it slowly set myself down and listen to Sky and Sierra were talking to each other about.
"Sierra, what's wrong? You can tell me anything. To me, you look something has just been bugging you a lot lately," Sky said, placing a hand on Sierra's shoulder.
She seemed to look away for a moment, and then she replied to Sky, "It's just that... I've just been so worried about everything that has happened to us throughout this entire journey. Our friends... our acquaintances... but, I'm just been so worried about you, Adam."
"Sierra, I'll be fine. I know that I have to control the power that I have and not let it consume me. I'll never abandon you or anyone else ever again. Okay?" Adam said, gently rubbing Sierra's shoulder to give her some comfort.
Sierra looked up at him and gave him a faint smile before saying, "Alright, Adam." The two came together for a hug, Adam holding her tightly to ensure that he will never let go of her. I felt true respect for Sky as I watched them continue to hug from above.
Then, Adam glanced up to where I was and saw me. I flinched back in fright as I backed away, but the branch I was laying on snapped and sent me falling down. I plowed through a couple of branches before hitting the ground. I groaned as I shook my head to regain my consciousness and saw Sierra and Sky looking down at me with shocked expressions on their faces.
I chuckled weakly as I said, "Hey... uh... I was totally not eavesdropping on what your conversation is about."
Adam chuckled as he said, "Hey Jerome... why don't you talk to Sierra for a bit?" Sierra seemed to look over at her brother with a confused expression as to why he had to cut the conversation short. He said to her, "It's alright, Sierra. Jerome can talk to you about your problems. I wish I could, but I gotta go check up on Dawn. She seemed really sick earlier, and I just want to make sure she's okay."
As I pushed myself onto my feet, I gazed across the camp and spotted Dawn in her and Sky's tent, but she seem to be groaning in pain as she clutched her sleeping bag tightly to relieve herself of some type of pain, but I had no idea what it was about. Sky looked to at me and asked, "Jerome, can you take over for me?"
"Of course I will. You go and check on Dawn, I'll take care of Sierra for you," I replied back. Adam smiled faintly as he nodded quietly and got to his feet and quickly made his way back to the tent. Once he is out of sight, I turned to Sierra and settled myself upon the log made into a seat. "Sierra, are you feeling alright?" I asked her in worry.
Sierra let out a sigh as she glanced around herself for a moment, then looked into my eyes as she said, "Jerome... I haven't been completely honest with anyone, not even Sky, but... I feel like I can trust you... 'cause I need to tell you this."
"Tell me what?" I asked in confusion, taking her hands into mine. She didn't pull away, which was especially weird.
Sierra looked down to the ground, and then she said softly, "Jerome, I am a traitor."
I stared in shock at her. What did she mean by that. "What... what do you mean, Sierra?"
She whipped up to look at me. "I told you, I am a traitor. I... I have been working as Herobrine's spy ever since the Squids destroyed Cube City," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. It hurt her to say that, and pity inside of me made me feel sorry for her. But another side of me made me angry. "I never meant to become one. But I ended up getting captured by Herobrine, and he told me that if I didn't work for him as a spy he would kill you, Mitch, Adam, and everyone else. I didn't want that to happen, and so I agreed in helping him. I regret saying that, but another side of me doesn't regret it, because you guys are still alive. I have been telling Herobrine of where we have been going and getting ever since the beginning, and every night I punish myself for doing that. Herobrine told me that I was weak, and soon after I ended up leaving being a spy for him. That was only two weeks ago. I'm surprised that he hasn't come after me yet to kill me, but I know that it's going to come. I... I wanted to prove to him that I'm not weak, but that hasn't worked out for me. I... I am so... so sorry for doing that to you all." Sierra then broke out into sobs, releasing her from my grip and turning away from me in shame.
Many emotions ran through me as that information ran through me. Anger was the most prominent emotion. She had been working for Herobrine the whole entire time? That was not right, and she shouldn't have done that. But then again, she didn't want to in the first place. She was protecting her friends in doing that, something that only people like Sky would have been willing to do. I didn't know what to say as I watched Sierra sob. She had gotten up from sitting down, and she had walked to the edge of the camp, away from where all the other tents were set up. I looked to her, and immediately a different emotion overcame me: love. Despite all of her wrongs in her life, Sierra was still the girl that did everything in her power to help her friends and did everything she could to protect them. The decision she made was wrong, yes, but she had learned her mistake and seemed very traumatized over it. Sierra had confessed of it, that was very strong of her to do. Secrets like that in most other people were not let out for years.
Standing up, I walked up behind her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulders. I turned her to me, and I immediately saw the tears that streamed down her cheeks. "Sierra, don't you worry, I understand how you feel," Jerome said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"How? You have never been a traitor to your friends before," Sierra said, wiping the tears away as well.
"No, but I have felt traumatized before and felt that I betrayed my friends. I have felt that ever since me and Mitch started fighting. We had been friends since we were children, and the fight we got into was a very dangerous because we knew what could damage the other easily. Only two weeks ago did we make up, but all those moments we were fighting was a living hell for me and for him. Trust me, I have felt what you are feeling."
Sierra looked down, and she shook her head. "That's not the same. Mine affected more people and it could have killed us all... I betrayed and I deserve whatever punishment Herobrine has planned for me."
Biting my lip, I then looked down to her. Putting my hand under her chin, I then said, "Si, think of life as the Hunger Games. We all train to win in it, but eventually we are all victims to the game creators and their wild antics. The only way we can win is with training, with gaining trustworthy friends, and trying your best to win. Never back down from anything you believe in."
"I don't play the Hunger Games, you should know that. But you do. What about you? You have won hundreds of games, yet you haven't 'succeeded in life'. You don't seem happy with this at all."
Smiling gently, I then said, "I have already won the Hunger Deans."
It took her a moment to realize what I was talking about. Once, however, she realized the meaning behind that saying, she smiled in shock to me. "I realize that you haven't fully made your own decision, but I want you to hear mine. We have been friend for a very long time, and just being around you can lift my spirit. Sierra Fisher... I... I love you."
Right then, she did something that shocked me. Smiling, she put her hand on my cheek, and looked directly into my eyes. We stood there for a minute, me staring into Sierra's beautiful bright-blue eyes and her staring into my dark-colored eyes. Then, I realized that we were leaning towards each other, but I didn't stop and neither did she. Slowly, she shut her eyes and afterwards, I did as well. Moments later, I felt our lips press into each other in a gentle, loving kiss.
The feeling was intense, and I could have sworn I felt a shiver erupt from Sierra. I felt her hands trail down from my face and wrap around my neck. I moved my hands from her face and slowly moved down her body and stopped just above her waist. We just sat there, kissing each other as we both ignored everything else around us and just pretending that we were in our own little world where nothing could separate us nor could potentially harm us.
Eventually, the need for air came for both of us and unfortunately, we slowly separated from each other so we could take a breather. I smiled as I brought one of my hands up to her face and gently caressed her cheek. Sierra, blushing heavily from what just happened, grasped my hand on her face and stroked it. After a bit of silence between both of us, Sierra gazed up at me and admitted, "... I... I love you, Jerome Aceti."
Then, I immediately became confused. I always thought that Sierra loved Mitch more than she did for me. Hearing her say these words was both thrilling and confusing for me. So, I asked her, "Wait... how come you don't like Mitch? I mean, Mitch is like the hot, muscular type of guy who girls just practically chase after."
Sierra gave out a quick, short laugh. "Bajan and I had no real 'thing'. It may have seemed we had a thing because of how close we were, but I'm not really into the hot, muscular type of guy that girls fall head over heels for. Sure, Mitch is good looking and all, but I just think he is a little... too 'perfect'. I prefer the different, adventurous, infected-by-an-accident-experiment guy that is caring and that I find quite attractive despite his outwards appearance."
I was stunned. "You... you remembered that from that long ago? That was literally when I was like... 6 and you were 5. I can barely even remember when that happened to me," I started, and then I trailed off once the memory entered my mind. This time, unlike all the other times I remembered this memory, it was clear and I could remember everything. When I was just barely 6 years old, I had gotten into an accident. I was visiting my father's lab with my mother close by me, and we were walking around the area. That was back when I was still a human. I strayed too far out of my parents' view, and slipped away to go watch some workers create a new, exotic potion that was the color of a violet and red flower. This was also back when I didn't have that bad of colorblindness. Once the workers went onto a break, I then snuck downstairs and went to the railing that was right above the giant container of the potion. All of a sudden, the building shook violently, and I lost my footing. I went tumbling downwards, falling right for the container. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by that strange liquid, and I couldn't swim upwards. The liquid kept me below the surface against my own will, almost like a trap. A steering pain went right through my body, and i screamed on the inside, as I would completely drown if I did it the other way. I then passed out from the pain.
When i came to, I saw my parents standing above me, worried and frantic expressions on their faces. I quickly saw several workers rushing around, constantly glancing over to me with equally worried expressions on their faces. I was confused, and the first thing I really noted was that I was no longer in pain. How long was I in that liquid before they managed to pull me out? I then looked around, trying to see my surroundings. Was I still in the lab where I fell in? All of a sudden, I looked to my mother's outfit. Before I fell in, she was wearing a light pink short dress with hot pink trims. When I looked at her then, she had a full... pink outfit. I couldn't really tell what exact color it was, but I knew that it was pink. That was when I first became color blind. I just thought it was going to be short term side-effects and that it would end up recovering, but little did I know that I was so wrong.
I lifted my hand up to my parent's faces in a questioning manner, and then I let out a crackled scream. My whole arm was covered with fur. I wore scorched remains of my previous clothes, but every single inch of my body was covered in that dark brown fur. I was scared. What was that liquid that I fell into? After my parents quickly explained to me what happened, they helped me to a hospital. I was supposed to die, as that radiation pool that I dropped into was highly toxic, especially to a young boy like myself. However, when I showed up at the hospital and they took my scan, they found that I was perfectly healthy. Even with this reading, I had to stay in that hospital for two weeks, and during that time, Bajan, Sierra, and Mitch's brother and sister would walk over and visit me frequently. It was from that point on that I was a Bacca, and that I was fully colorblind.
Sierra laughed, and then she grasped onto my hands. "Of course I remember that. That is the earliest memory that I have that is still intact at that young of an age. Ever since then, and even before that time, I have liked you. To me, the outwards appearance is not important. It is what is inside that counts."
I grinned, feeling for the first time complete happiness. I no longer felt like an outcast Bacca, but I felt like a human again. A human who had a purpose to live for. Sierra leaned into me, kissing me lightly on the lips once again. I wouldn't have minded if we stayed like that for a long time, but she pulled away a couple seconds later. "You are special, Jerome. That is why I love you. Nobody else in Minecraftia is quite like you, well, except for Team Crafted fans who decided they would copy you exactly."
I laughed cheerfully. "Well, I am a one-of-a-kind Bacca."
The young girl in my arms laughed again, and then suddenly she dropped her smile a moment later. "This doesn't solve the issue that I am a traitor, or that Herobrine is probably out to get me for what I did to betray him."
Putting a hand to her cheek once again, I then said softly, "We will have to tell Adam about this, but then we will work on it together. Me and you. Sound like a plan?"
"That sounds like a wonderful plan. I don't know how I'm going to sleep though tonight... I am still worried about this whole issue," Sierra said, rubbing her arm carefully with her free hand.
A playful fire began to play in my eyes right then. "Well, maybe you can bunk with me tonight. I mean, I am the only other person here that knows of your issue right now, maybe I can help ease your worries tonight."
Sierra playfully punched me in the arm. "OK, now that's going a little too far. But maybe in the future when this whole ordeal is over, maybe then I can start bunking with you. Until then, you will have to wait," she teased, grinning slightly. But soon after that, she leaned up to me and kissed me on the lips. The kiss was gentle, and her lips moved against mine smoothly. She pulled away, leaving me slightly dazed and confused from the kiss. "Good night, my Bacca." Sierra gave me a quick wave, and then she walked off back to her tent that she was sharing with Ray.
I watched her walk off, and felt a small smile appear on my lips. "You did good, Jerome, you did good tonight," I muttered to myself, and then I shook my head. I carefully made my way back to my tent, and slipped in carefully. Luckily Mich was still asleep, so I quietly slipped into my bed and closed my eyes, smiling brightly. I went to sleep with no problems that night, the first night that happening in almost three months. I didn't see any problems in the world right then... I had the girl of my dreams, and that was all that I needed.