Successfully Rough Journey
With slow steps and trembling legs, Jason fought his way up a sand dune.
He was so tired...
So incredibly tired, but he knew he couldn't stop.
He had to keep going.
He had to reach his goal before it was too late!
In that moment, he slipped and fell, sliding back down the dune before he was able to catch himself.
"Are you okay?" he heard a concerned voice ask from behind shortly after, turning to face Aurora, who was a few steps behind him. She looked terribly tired and exhausted, but the fear was still in her eyes, driving Jason forward as well.
"Y-yeah, all good," he murmured quietly, stood up and quickly knocked the sand from his brown pants, his blue robe and his dark blue cloak, before continuing on his way.
How long had they been on the road?
It must have been weeks by now, but it felt like it was only yesterday when he had fled from Steve's castle with her.
The castle that the shadow had attacked and destroyed... Jason closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he remembered.
It had been a completely ordinary day.
He had gotten up, trained with the other guards, completed tasks, and constantly worried about Steve's whereabouts, since he never went anywhere without letting him know beforehand, until suddenly the sky had darkened and an explosion had shaken the castle.
Alarmed, Jason had ran to the throne room, where he had seen Steve in the middle of the room, holding a brightly glowing staff in his hand. He had laughed derisively and used his staff to destroy everything in his path before turning to the throne and announcing that a new era was about to begin.
Jason swallowed hard as he thought about it.
That Steve was not the one he knew.
And he had been right.
Because shortly after, when the high council appeared and confronted him, Steve had blurred and transformed into the shape of a young man who resembled more a living shadow than a person.
Jason shuddered and felt his heart tighten as he remembered the bright flash of light and the screams of his comrades, followed by the dark laughter of the shadow.
He had killed them all with his staff..
That laughter had burned into his brain and was the reason why he was here now. Although not entirely.
He had actually intended to flee the castle to look for Steve, but had run into Aurora on his escape, and they had fled together, barely escaping the city.
Jason's heart became heavy as he thought about it.
His colleagues and most of the other Minecrafters had not been so lucky.
Either they had been stabbed by one of the countless figures that looked suspiciously like the first shadow with the staff and whom neither swords nor axes or other weapons could do anything, or they had been trapped behind the barrier that had suddenly appeared and now enclosed the entire city. Jason's gaze darkened as he thought about it, and he felt his hands clench into fists.
He didn't like the idea of leaving his comrades and the other Minecrafters to their fate, but he realized that he couldn't do anything against this powerful opponent alone.
No, he needed Steve!
He would have liked to set off immediately to find him, but Aurora had insisted on going to the wizards first, hoping to get help and shelter there.
At first, Jason was not at all enthusiastic about it, as he shared Steve's animosity towards the wizards, but he realized that it made no sense to look for Steve in the vast Overworld without knowing where he was.
So the wizards were their only chance.
And even if they can't find Steve, they will surely have the opportunity to inform Notch, and we need his help as much as Steve's, Jason thought grimly, while he wearily brushed his black disheveled hair out of his face It surprises me that he hasn't shown up during our escape. He should have noticed the massacre in Skylor by now.
He sighed.
For now, I guess I'll have to accept that. We need to focus on reaching the city of wizards and hope they let us in. If they even listen to us.
With this thought, he turned back to Aurora, who wore similar clothes to him, except the cape. She was still a few steps behind him, staring at her enchanted compass.
It was the only thing they had to orient themselves and find the city of wizards, so they couldn't afford to lose it, or they would definitely perish in the desert.
Jason was starting to doubt it, though.
He climbed the rest of the dune, hoping to spot the city on the other side, but his heart sank as he found nothing but sand.
"Are you sure we can even see the city?" he asked Aurora, who stopped at his words and looked at him in surprise. "We're running low on water, and if that happens, we won't get much further."
With these words, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the last water bottle. It was only a third full..
"I know, Jason," Aurora replied with a deep sigh, while she brushed her long dark brown hair out of her face "But it has to be! If we really weren't able to see the city, why did my sister give me this compass if it's useless?"
"Well, that's a good question," Jason said grimly, earning a sharp look from Aurora before he sighed deeply.
He felt a sense of hopelessness wash over him as his blue eyes looked out over the vast expanse of nothing.
"Are you sure your sister gave you the right compass?" he asked Aurora, who looked at him indignantly.
"How can you say something like that?!" she retorted, while her blue eyes flared angrily. "I know you have your doubts about wizards, but she's my sister, and I trust her! She would never want to harm me on purpose!"
With these words, she turned her gaze back to the compass, and Jason noticed tears glittering in her eyes.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, concerned, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and he immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over him.
He didn't mean to upset her.
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, wiping the tears from her eyes and smiling. "Come on, let's keep going."
With that, she turned her gaze away and began to descend the dune again.
Jason wanted to follow her, but he froze as he heard a scream.
He looked up and was shocked to see Aurora apparently slipping and tumbling down the dune before lying motionless on the ground.
"Aurora!" Jason cried out in alarm, rushing down the dune as quickly as he could before kneeling beside her, worriedly asking, "Are you okay?"
"Uff…yes, I-'m fine," she replied, coughing as she tried to get up.
Jason tried to help her up, but he froze as he looked up and saw the walls of a huge city towering over him.
He was speechless, and he couldn't deny that he was impressed by what the wizards had built here.
He hadn't expected it to be so big.
Incredible that we're only seeing it now, he thought, still staring at the massive sandstone walls. It must be under some kind of invisibility spell. Thank Notch we had this compass. If we had been just 100 blocks further away, we would have walked right past it.
But before he could think about it any further, he heard someone shouting loudly, causing him to turn around and discover that several people had suddenly appeared and were now walking quickly towards them.
A short moment later, they had surrounded him and were staring at him rather fiercely.
"Intruders!" one of them hissed sharply, pulling out his wand and pointing it at him and Aurora. "What do you want?! Minecrafters like you have no business here! So you better leave or we'll take care of you!"
With these words, the others followed his example and held out their wands towards them as well, but Jason only glared at them.
He had expected that they wouldn't be welcomed warmly.
"Listen," he began eventually, trying to sound as calm as possible. "We don't want anything from you, and we wouldn't have come here if...if we didn't really need your help. So can we please talk to your leader or whoever is in charge of this city?"
The magicians looked at him in surprise, but their faces quickly hardened.
"Our leader is busy," one of them finally answered, "and even if he wasn't, why should he listen to you? We don't owe you anything. So leave!"
"Wait!"
Surprised, Jason turned around and stared at Aurora, who had now picked herself up and was pleading with the magicians. "Please, you can't send us away. We'll die if you do."
"I know you don't like Minecrafters very much," she continued, her voice faltering, "but can't you at least let me talk to my sister?"
"Your sister?" one of them repeated, confused, to which Aurora quickly nodded.
"Yes, Roxana Quen," she answered. "She's a magician, just like you. She gave me this compass so I could find her in case something happened."
With these words, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the now shattered compass from the fall and held it under the noses of the magicians, who looked at it suspiciously.
"Give it to me!" one of them growled sharply at Aurora before stepping forward and snatching the compass from her hand to examine it more closely.
"The use of magical items are forbidden for Minecrafters," he continued with a glance at Aurora, "I hope you told the truth, otherwise, you'll be in for more than just being sent away."
"Take them into the city, we need Roxana to confirm their story," he said, turning to the others, "but first, take away their weapons."
With these words, the magicians grabbed them and pushed them against the huge sandstone wall before taking their weapons and leading them towards the main gate.
Finally! Jason thought relieved, but unfortunately, his joy didn't last long.
Just a moment later, the magicians had locked them in a cell and left them there without another word.
"Great," Jason grumbled quietly, before giving the door a frustrated kick, turning to Aurora. "What do we do now? We can't afford to be captured. We-I... I have to find Steve."
At the last words, his voice became desperate, and for a moment, Jason was afraid he might have revealed too much, but luckily, Aurora didn't seem to notice his reaction, and if she did, she didn't show it.
Instead, she just sat down on the ground where she stood and buried her face in her hands.
"I know, Jason," she eventually replied softly, exhaustion clear in her voice "But we can't do anything now. We can only wait and hope that we can get out soon once Roxana confirms my identity."
"Well, at least I know that they wont help me find Steve," Jason replied with a sigh before he sat down next to her and tiredly said, "I'm sorry that you wasted your time for nothing," but Jason just smiled at her words.
"Ah, forget it," he muttered softly. "At least I made sure you got here safely."
With these words, he gently put his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes in exhaustion.
They didn't know how long they had been sitting and waiting here, but it had definitely been a long time.
Aurora had already fallen asleep, and Jason had dozed off from time to time, but the worry about Steve had always woken him up again.
Even now, he was about to fall asleep again when suddenly the door opened, and several people entered the room.
"So, you're the two Minecrafters who came to the city with the help of an enchanted compass," one of them addressed them, who was probably the leader of this city.
At least that's what Jason assumed from his fancy robe, even though he looked very young for a leader. He hardly seemed older than Jason himself.
But before he could say or do anything, a young woman appeared behind him, who seemed older than Aurora and gasped in surprise when she saw her.
"Roxana!" Aurora cried out loudly at that moment, and a moment later, the two were hugging, leaving Jason in no doubt that she was the sister Aurora had been looking for.
"Aurora! I'm so glad to see you!" the young woman said with a relieved voice as she stepped away from Aurora and looked at her with a worried look from head to toe. "What are you doing out here?"
"So she's your sister?" the man with the fancy robe asked then, and the young woman quickly nodded.
"Yes! I...I gave her the compass," she replied hastily, whereupon the man said with a smile, "Good, then she can stay," before turning back to Jason.
"And you?" he continued with a more serious look. "Are you also related to someone in the city?"
"No, sir," he responded cautiously. "I... I am here... because I am looking for Steve and I hoped that... the magicians might be able to help me with that."
"In what relationship do you stand with him?" the man continued, causing Jason to stiffen.
"I... I am his student," he replied briefly, causing the man to nod.
"Why do you want to find him?"
"I... I must tell him something urgently," Jason replied, unwilling to tell the magician more than he had to. He was one of Steves enemys after all.
"What would that be?"
"That is none of your business!" he replied angrily. This questioning was starting to get on his nerves. "So can you help me find him or not?!"
"It will not be necessary to search for him," the man replied shortly with a deep sigh. "He is already here."
Jason's anger disappeared and his eyes widened in surprise when he heard this.
"What? Really?" he whispered incredulously, to which the man nodded again.
"Can... Can I see him? I... I have to see him, please!"
At the last words, his voice became desperate again, but Jason didn't care about that now.
Instead, he just stood there and looked at the man pleadingly, who still looked at him thoughtfully.
"Alright," he finally replied. "I will take you to him if I am also allowed to know what you want to discuss with Steve, is that a deal?"
With these words, he raised his hand and held it out to Jason, who looked at it uncertainly at first, but then nodded decisively.
"Deal."