Chapter 20: Accidents happen
(Happy Late 2018! This story is still going on, it was longer then I thought, but I hope this new year will make 'BiT' a little bit better at it's timing. Now let's get started.)
They headed inside the gate as the group noticed the beautiful architecture of the fortress on the inside. The entrance hallway was laid out with quartz blocks and the small bridge was in iron blocks and some gold blocks in the outer sides of the bridge. The hall was also in a diamond-shape. Everyone stared in 'awe' as they walked by, Lukas especially.
"Wow," he breathed out as he looked at the structure, he then asked, "Soren really lived down here? So far from...anyone."
"Enchanting. Isn't." Ellegaard told him. Petra suddenly started coughing, making Jesse turn around with wide eyes, looking at her in concern. Petra quickly straightened and followed the others past Jesse, who's gaze followed her.
They made their way up the stairs, only to come to a huge black hole, the tops of columns around it. Another golden double door stood gleaming on the other side. The abyss appeared to be a long way down and wore a shawl of pitch darkness.
"Yeah," said Lukas as he stared at the darkness below, "And I'm reeeally not feeling those columns..."
"Aw, come on!" Magnus said, jumping and landing on the closest one, "It's fine! Look!" Axel was quick to jump with a grin and a "Whoo-hoo!" When he landed, the column didn't move. So far.
Olivia then followed him, Lukas come in after her, then Petra and Ellegaard. Magnus was already halfway across. The little pig looked up at Jesse, shaking in fear.
"Just... don't fall, okay?" said Jesse, stepping back to take the running jump. She landed on the column, quickly followed by Rueben, she had barely stopped herself from going over the edge. Jesse swallowed in fear, "Oh... that's deep. That is very very deep."
They backed away, before they continued their jumps. But during the third column, her foot slipped and she grabbed onto the edge with one hand, dangling over the long drop below.
"Whoa!" yelled Jesse, trying to pull herself up, but she didn't had a great grip on the rocks and she fell down. Jesse landed painfully in a small patch of light, which was coming from a few sea-lamps in the floor. Rueben landed next to her landing on his feet safely. She got to her feet, only to spot at the corner of her eyes a tall dark figure with a purple aurora, picking up a gravel block. It was an Enderman.
Jesse and Rueben quickly hid behind some gravel blocks, "Oh, man." squeaked Jesse, as she watched the large group of Endermen wandering about without a care, "We've got Endermen."
Reuben squealed in fright, as someone else fell down and landed on top of the sea-lamp with a yell. It was Lukas and he climbed to his feet. "I heard your voice," Lukas said, dusting himself off, "And I thought I'd come down to help."
Hearing the tall monsters, Lukas looked over his shoulder, eyes widened, "Endermen. There are so many of them... I didn't think they ever came in groups that big."
Jesse turned to Lukas, "Thanks for coming back, Lukas. I mean that." She thanked him. Rueben's squealing pierced the air before Lukas could answer.
"Hear that?" said Jesse, "I think Reuben's trying to get our attention." She looked over her shoulder in search of the small pig, only to come face to face with an Enderman. It's mouth opened, it started to shake and it began to screech, as Jesse gave a startled scream and fell onto her back.
Lukas screamed and ran out of sight. The Enderman continued screeching, staring right at Jesse, as more Endermen began to surround her as they to were screeching and shaking, enraged at the intruders. She quickly got to her feet and drew her sword, but her and Rueben were surrounded, and there were too many of them.
An Enderman swing its claws at her but Jesse quickly dogged out of the way, then another Enderman tried to attack her as well. She jumped back to avoid it swipes, then she saw an edge of the ground with flowing water below her.
She then tripped backwards and began to fall. But as she fell... something happened; the world started to slow down and her eyes glowed blueish white and had some sort of... flashback. But it wasn't hers.
(Memory flashback)
A twelve year old boy walked in the dark woods as he had an stone sword in his hands, he seemed to be searching for something in this star-less night. The boy was wearing a white shirt and blueish grey jeans. His eyes were brown, skin was dark-brown and had blackish brown, short, fuzzy hair.
His eyes looked around the area in high alert in case any mobs shows up. The boy then heard a person screaming in fright, it sounded like it came from his left. He quickly ran towards the noise and saw a boy on the ground trying to get away from two zombies.
He ran as fast as he could and slay the zombies with two stone swords as they both poof up and dropped two rotten flesh. As that was all over, he put his swords away in his inventory and turned to face the person he had rescued.
It was a boy about two years younger then him. He had creamy-peach skin and his noes was a very light orange, his eyes were light blue and had orange curly, wavy hair. He wore a very surprisingly formal gray suit, and gray leather pants with black shoes.
"Are you alright?" Sword kid asked him as the silence and the long stares were getting awkward.
The boy then finally got up and said, "Oh, y-yes. Yes, I am fine now. Sorry about that whole thing... me looking pathetic back there. My wooden axe broke when I tried to fight them off. But I sadly didn't thought about bringing any extra tools to protect myself. I had spent so much time getting wood that I didn't became aware of the time." He babbled on before he noticed that he was talking too much. His face turned pink as he apologized. "Oh, s-sorry. I talked a mouthful of information for you, I'm sorry."
Sword kid shook his head, "No, no. It's alright, I didn't mind. I don't normally see many people around this area anyway; It's nice to talk to another person. Also, names Gabriel."
The boy nodded as he shook his hand, "C-cool, My name is Soren."
The boys both smiled at the other before Gabriel asked Soren, "So, can I crash by your place? I didn't made a house for myself yet."
Soren face lit up as he heard that he would like to stay at his house. Soren try to keep his composure and nodded, "YES! I-I mean, of course. I would love too."
Gabriel followed the anxious boy to his place. It was an oak wood home with a birch wood roof, it was also companied by a few flower in flower pots and orange banners. It was next to a small hill and oak trees.
"C-come inside." Soren said opening the door. Gabriel nodded and headed inside, the interior of the house was equally as well made. Bookshelves around the whole place, an furnace by a crafting table, two orange beds around a small room with a Redstone lamp nearby.
"Wow," breath out Gabriel as he looked around the place in amazement, "this looks nice, Soren."
Soren's cheeks turned a rosy pink, he laughed nervously, "W-why Thanks. I-I-I try. Heh heh."
Gabriel took a seat on the wooden chair by the table that was near the bedroom. The ginger male walked over to the chests and had gotten out some ingredients for their meal. "Would-would you want mushroom soup with cook chicken?" Soren asked him. He nodded and signaling that he does.
Soren put the chicken in the furnace while he went up to the crafting table to make the soup. After 3 minuets, the chicken was cooked and Soren walked to the table and placed their meal down.
After the meal, Soren walked over to the bedroom and went to the chest in the corner. He picked up some dyes, "What color would you like?"
The little warrior choose the turquoise dye and Soren apply it on the bed making the sheets that color.
Gabriel walked to the bed a lay down on it soft surface. He decide that he would go to bed now, and close his eyes to peaceful sleep.
An hour later, Gabriel heard soft footsteps walking out of the room, he got up to see Soren heading to the kitchen. He wondered why's Soren is up at this moment, he slowly walked out to see what the ginger is up to.
Soren got out a cooked chicken and a few carrots. Then walked out the door and placed the food by the steps before heading back inside. He closed the door before jumped in surprise seeing Gabriel wake and in the room.
"Ahh!! Gabriel?!" Soren yelled in shock. "W-what are you doing up?"
"Well, the sounds you were making with your feet on that creaky floor kinda woken me a bit." Gabriel explain, before asking him. "What exactly were you doing?"
Soren looked down at the floor in embarrassment before facing him, "Well- I have been helping a kid recently. He seems to be loss and possibly homeless, but I did try to have him stay with me but he was scared and too shy that he walked out to the woods."
Gabriel seemed surprised by this, "How old was he?" He asked.
Soren shrugged his shoulders, unsure. "I don't know. Maybe six or five? But I had put out food for him, and he does come by for the meals that I've gave him."
Gabriel made a small 'oh' before he looked at the window seeing a figure by the steps outside before it walked away. It was the boy that Soren had talked about. He was smaller than Soren and he had glossy black hair, a stitch up gray shirt and pants.
He smiled softly at the boy before he and Soren head back to bed.
(End of memory flashback)
Jesse's body splash into the water, she swam up to the surface confused and surprised. 'What had just happened? Why did it happen?' She thought before being dragged down my the water current.
"Aaahh!" Lukas yelled as he was running away from the Endermen before jumping down into the water with Jesse. They stroll downward before they heard Reuben squealing in fright as he was on the edge surrounded by the monsters.
"Rueben! Jump!" Jesse called out, and the pig jumped in the water with them as they were then dragged downwards before falling on the indoor waterfall.
'Wait. Why was that up there when we fell down to the pit? And the door is higher then the-Aaagghh!!!' Jesse growled in her mind as this confusion will be discussed another time. They soon saw that the others were already ahead and Ellegaard and Magnus were talking or more likely arguing. They swam towards them as she heard their conversation.
"Oh be quiet, it's just a pointless building. That's all I'm saying. I mean just look at it-" Magnus yell at Ellegaard, trying to prove a point or something.
"Magnus, if an artist painted the inside of your mind, he'd end up with the extraordinary desertscape painting." Ellegaard huffed in annoyance at his stupidity.
Jesse, Lukas and Reuben got out of the water and saw Ellegaard looking steamed and frustrated. "That's it! I'm going!" Ellegaard yelled at him before walking to the tunnel behind her, "Once again, it falls to me to take care of everything. I'll find this "Super TNT" myself!"
Magnus briefly looked hurt before hissing at her. "Oh no no no! Y-you do NOT get to be the one who walks away."
Jesse looked at him with a sympathetic look. He is not liking this at all. She wish that Ellegaard will remember someday.
"That's it! I'm going!" Magnus growled at Ellegaard if she could hear him, "S-see! I'm walking away too now. "Super TNT", here I come!" He walked out to the other tunnel behind him. He briefly looked behind him to look at the Redstone engineer, holding a tear in his eye before shaking his head and continued walking forward.
"It hard to pick 'glass half-full' when they keep kicking the glass over." Olivia told the guys about the two older adults bickering back-and-forth.
"I thought those two were doing so well." Lukas said to them.
Olivia shock her head, "Yeah, I wouldn't go that far."
"Bickering is kinda their deal." Jesse told the group, "But hopefully they'll work things out, and get on with the important stuff."
Everyone nodded before spreading out around the small area. There were large four statues of the Order of the Stone, except there was no statue for Ivor.
Jesse walked up to Lukas, who was impressed by the statue. "Soren the builder." the Soren statue with cyan-blue glass. "Magnus the rogue." As he pointed at one of the statues that had emeralds on curtain parts of it, "Ellegaard the Redstone eingener." pointed to another with Redstone blocks around it. "Gabriel the warrior." Another statue had diamonds around it.
Jesse then looked at the farther statue which was Soren the builder.
She soon walked by Axel who was also looking at the statues, he turned to her and said. "If they'd build a statue of me, I wouldn't choose that pose. I'd look something like this."
He started flexing his arms to show her what the pose would look like. Jesse joined in as she also flex her arms, but then she saw Olivia narrowing her eyes at them, judging.
Jesse chuckled nervously then she look and saw Petra, who's not looking so good. She walked to her, "Hey, Petra."
"Hey." Petra said weakly.
"Are you okay?" Jesse asked.
Petra just shrugged before Olivia winced from behind Jesse. Jesse then looked back at the two tunnels, the one that Magnus went to and the one Ellegaard went through.
Jesse went to Magnus' path. Petra then tap her shoulder. "Petra? Are you okay?" Jesse asked.
"I'm sorry." Petra told her, "I don't mean to worry you. I've just got something I want to discuss with you in private."
She nodded and turned to the others. "Let's split up." She told them.
They nodded as Lukas, Olivia, and Axel went to Ellegaard's path while Petra, Rueben and Jesse went to the other.
They walked in there for a good eight minutes before Petra spoke up, "I feel bad about ditching everyone else, but I just wanted to talk to you about this alone. It's... a little tough to talk about. And Axel can get a little... explode-y sometimes."
"Hey, whatever it is... I trust you. You can tell me." Jesse told her.
Petra lightly smiled at her, "Thanks for being so understanding."
"You got me away from the Witherstorm..." Petra stopped in her tracks, "But I'm worried that I didn't get away soon enough."
"What?" Jesse breathed softly in surprise. Petra then lifted her long sleeve and saw purple veins and her skin was getting sickly pale by the hour. Jesse's eyes widen in horror as she stared at her Wither-sickness.
"It showed up not long after you saved me." Petra told her as she hold on her arm in pain.
"What is that? What's wrong with your arm?" Jesse question.
Petra looked at her asking, "Do you know what Wither is?"
Jesse looked at her confused, "The Wither? Of course. We've been-"
"No, Jesse. Just Wither or Wither-sickness, I guess." Petra interrupted her telling her friend what it is. "And... I feel like it's just going to keep getting worse."
"Well we're going to go back and tell the others. We can get help-" Jesse told her before Petra shook her head.
"You can't tell anyone about this." She firmly told her, then they both heard a hissing sound and saw a creeper.
"Ah! Creeper!" Petra yelled in surprise. Jesse slightly shake in fear as she was about to run away, but the Creeper exploded ripping a hole in the floor revealing a underground tunnel. Jesse is barely holding on a piece of the floor the was stable.
"Jesse. Grab my hand, I'll pull you up." Petra said as she gave her one of her hands. Jesse grabbed onto her hand but then realized that this is her Withered-hand. Soon Petra couldn't hold her friend for long as Jesse fell down to the second lower floor, but then another flashback memory had happened in the middle of the fall.
(Memory flashback)
It's been two years since Soren and Gabriel first meet, they'd laughed, had fun, and shared stories. The fourteen year old Gabriel look at his friend before tell him, "Hey, Soren. Have you ever dream about traveling around the world, fighting monsters, and being heroes?"
Soren smiled brightly, "Yes. Well, I had alway wanted to be a part of a Adventuring team. A group of friends that go to the far beyond and doing amazing things. I had the name already set out." He then showed a small drawing of himself with Gabriel and a few other people and the title was in big blue letters saying 'Order of the Stone!'.
Gabriel looked at the drawing before Soren continue, "I Umm... I also wanted y-you to be there in my big team. As best-ist of best friend. I mean- if you don't want to-"
"I LOVE TO!" Gabriel yelled happily at him, giving his best friend a big hug.
Soren blushed lightly smiling at him before happy tears stroll down his face, "T-thank you, Gabe. Now, let's get started."
The two boys then started to make their dream Temple for the Order of the Stone.
Two weeks later, Soren was starting to think that they needed more people to be a better team. So he told Gabriel that he'll be back for a while, he nodded to him as he still placed a few more stone blocks for the walls.
A few minutes later, Soren then returned with someone- someone familiar.
It was the kid that Soren has been keeping an eye on. But he now had a gray sweater and clean black pants and shoes. His blue eyes stared shyly at him as the boy hold Soren's hand.
"Gabriel," Soren said pointing at the eight year old next to him, "I found the kid that I told you about. I-I thought that he would like to be a part of our group. And surprisingly, he accepted when I told me."
The boy walked to Gabriel as he spoken in a small squeaky voice, "I-I though that this would be a better place than back... at the very bad bad place. I'm- My name is Ivor."
He smiled at him before shaking his hand, "Well, It's nice to meet you Ivor. Welcome to the team."
Ivor nodded and smile big at the two before asked the older boys, "Wait. So are we like... a family now?"
Soren and Gabriel looked surprised at first before the ginger nodded in agreement. "Yes. I guess we are like a family now."
The three then continued with building the temple, after a few hours, night came and Ivor had his first night in a comfy bed and with two friends... no, two best members he can call family.
(End of memory flashback)
The memory ended as Jesse's body fell hard onto the floor making her drop the Amulet as it rolled a bit before stopping. She hissed in pain as she got up to her feet.
"Jesse! I just couldn't... I'm sorry!" Petra yelled down, feeling bad about dropping her friend on accident, "Jesse?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Jesse said to her, "Also, you're the one who's sick. You take care of yourself."
Petra nodded as she straighten up and looked at Rueben. "Okay, I got this." She then look back down to Jesse, "Stay safe. I'll find a way down to you."
Jesse nodded as Petra and Rueben walked out of her view and she noticed the amulet on the floor. She picked it up before seeing that the blue gem in the middle is glowing, which can mean only one thing.
"Ivor!" Jesse said in surprise and happiness as she jogged out of the dark tunnel with the glowing amulet as her light around the way and got to the large library ahead with glowstones on top of pillars near bookshelves in the first floor and second. Even a big chandelier sway slightly in the ceiling.
Jesse then notice a separate one floor library to the right. She went into the room, spotting a figure looking through a smaller bookshelf by the right corner. He was talking to himself, "He must have something useful in here. He has to! Why would he have so many book? Was he just... collecting them? He can't have read all of these..."
"Ivor!" Jesse finally spoke up. Ivor turned around, eyes widened in surprise then relief.
"Jesse!" He said before they hugged each other, "It's good to see you again, Jesse."
She smiled softly at the bearded man as they finish the hug. "I am so happy to see you as well." She then looked at the books Ivor was looking at, "So- why were you here? I mean, I did remember that the failsafe was in your lab in the Far Lands."
Ivor notice this and chuckled nervously, "Oh, that. Yeah, I thought that Soren might have a different way to destroy that monster with any of these books that he has. But sadly, there nothing here."
Jesse let out an 'oh' before shuffling her foot on the floor. "So- you-you have been busy? I mean, you must have been feeling stressed out about the Witherstorm?"
Ivor sighed softly before shaking his head, "Absolutely. And I had just recovered from that. I just... don't know if I would have recovered from that if it wasn't for you, Jesse."
Jesse blushed red as she looked away for a moment before she smiled shyly at him, "I-Ivor?" She asked him, looking lovingly at him.
Ivor raises an eyebrow at her before asking, "Umm... Jesse? What are you-?"
His question was cut off as Jesse lead forward to his face, closing her eyes.
And kissed him.
Ivor's eyes widened as her soft lips meet with his. It was soft, gentle, and sweet. He felt that small kiss as it stayed there for a few minutes.
Jesse finally let release her lips from the Alchemist's; opened her eyes and saw Ivor's shocked expression on his face. His face was covered in red blush as his lips were slightly twitching. Then, he fell backwards and fainted.
Jesse's thoughts came back to her head as she saw Ivor fainted before her face turned a nice shade of red before she raised her hands to her head screaming.
"WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!"
Started: 9/19/17 Ended: 1/27/18