[Jesse's POV]
Ivor: "My secret lab is in the Farlands."
(Wait... hold on...)
Lukas: "Wait, wait, wait... did I hear that right?"
Ivor: "Yes, you heard me correctly. I was referring to THE Farlands. Those on the edge of the world."
Jesse: "B-But thats-"
(Petra suddenly dashes up to Ivor and lifts him up by his collar.)
Petra: "Are you freaking kidding me or something?! Are you even aware of how fucking far away that is?! *cough cough* It'll take years to get there!"
(Petra began coughing profusely on Ivor's face as a result of her sudden agitation.)
(He disgustingly pushes her away for that.)
Ivor: "Urgh, you're more sick than you look!"
Axel: "Wait, it can't be THAT far, can it?"
Jesse: "I heard there was a guy who went on an expedition to steadily try and get there completely by foot. I think his pen name is 'KurtJMac' or something. He departed from the center of the world around 11 years ago? And last time I looked, he had traveled around 5.5 million blocks or so. And the Farlands are around 12.5 million blocks away from the center of the world. So it will take him around 14 more years to reach it."
Olivia: "Wait, what?! You're not actually expecting us to spend 25 years just to get to your stupid base so we can get that 'secret weapon' of yours AND another 25 years to return, RIGHT?"
Jesse: "Well, I said it takes 25 years by FOOT, and keep in mind that he has to repeatedly take breaks too. If you use a faster mode of transport and don't take any breaks, it's possible to get there way faster, but don't get me wrong, it'll still take quite a long time."
Ivor: "Actually, it's more simple than that. I have a few shortcuts that can cut that time to around 2 weeks, counting both ways."
Axel: "2 WEEKS?! THAT'S STILL A LOT OF TIME! WHO KNOWS HOW LONG PETRA CAN STILL STAY ALIVE!"
Soren: "Not really a good plan, now Ivor?"
Ivor: "Silence!"
(Ivor dejectedly looks at Soren.)
Ivor: "Sorry, but with such a long distance, it's hard to cut that time even shorter than that, at least with my resources. We're talking about getting all the way to the world border, for heaven's sake!"
Gabriel: "People! The Wither Storm's going to approach soon!"
(Gabriel interrupts.)
(It was then that we realized how our argument had been dragging on for far too long.)
(We had to make our choice now.)
Ivor: "As long as you have the amulet, the Wither Storm will keep following us!"
Ellegaard: "You said it follows this amulet; then, we'll just need someone to take this thing somewhere else, right?"
(Ellegaard suddenly comes up to me.)
Jesse: "Well, that's what Ivor said."
Ellegaard: "Then I'll take this amulet."
(Ellegaard stretches out her arm, motioning for me to hand it over.)
Olivia: "Wait, don't tell me..."
Ellegaard: "Someone has to be the bait and lead it to Soren's Fortress. If it's not me, then one of you has to take my position. The Wither is getting close, and we can't waste time."
Olivia: "Ellegaard... I admire your bravery, but... why are you willingly doing this?"
Ellegaard: "Olivia, remember back in the cave when I told my story? We had a rough history, but I know that even behind his crazy personality, he still wanted to be a hero and save our people too. So even if I might not be able to make up with him in person, I can at least try and do what he wanted to accomplish. I think that's the best I can do to make up for it."
(Olivia, who was worried for her safety, didn't really want her to go, but she didn't want to get in the way of what she desired to do, so Olivia didn't question it further.)
Olivia: "I... understand..."
(Her answer reminded me of my decision with Lukas.)
(It was the opposite of my answer.)
(Was it the right one? In my head, it gave me the impression that I had chosen the more selfish option.)
(I couldn't help but reconsider what I'd done.)
(Perhaps I really should've just let him go?)
(At that moment, Ellegaard tapped my shoulder and urged me to hand the amulet over.)
(The gesture brought me back to the situation.)
(Crap, we're still on a time limit.)
(It's not like I had time to argue, so I promptly handed it over.)
(At that moment, I realized that I was making myself feel guilty again, so I forced myself to stop thinking about it for the time being.)
Ellegaard: "Thank you."
(She then proceeds to take one of the horses and prepares to leave.)
(While she does that, Ivor barges in.)
Ivor: "Not to ruin the mood, but we still should leave this cave. I doubt she'll be able to go far enough to change the Wither Storm's direction from obliterating this cave. We need to pack up as well and head away as fast as possible!"
Axel: "But what about Petra?! She can't come with us!"
Ivor: "Then we'll have her split from us and find another safe spot until we get back."
Axel: "By HERSELF?"
Olivia: "Then just have someone accompany her; you're already the one treating her all this time, Axel."
Axel: "Well, I guess there's no problem there, but what about our supply of potions? There's not much left, and who knows how long she'll last without them!"
Ivor: "Oh, for heaven's sake..."
(Ivor pulls out his own stockpile of healing potions and hands them over to Axel.)
Ivor: "This is all I have; if you run out, then you'll just have to make more on your own; here's an instruction booklet for brewing."
(Ivor hands a very thick book over to Axel.)
Axel: "Oh boy..."
Jesse: "Well, is anyone else tagging along?"
Gabriel: "Well, I'm going with Jesse. I pledged to help, and that's what I must
do."
(Reuben tags along as well.)
Lukas: "My friends are still out there somewhere. If this will save them, then
I'm on board this journey."
Soren: "Can we just please get moving already? We're still in danger."
(And so be it. Our plan is to split in 3-ways.)
(Ellegaard will head away from everyone
else and guide the Wither towards Soren's fortress.)
(Axel will accompany Petra to a safer location.)
(and I, Reuben, Lukas, Olivia, Soren, and Gabriel will follow Ivor towards his 'shortcut' in our journey to the Farlands.)
(With that in mind, everyone quickly packed up and got on their respective horses.)
(Ellegaard, who was already ready, began to make her way out.)
(With one glance back, she said goodbye to everyone.)
Soren: "So long, old friend..."
Lukas: "Stay safe out there..."
Axel: "Yeah, goodbye, Ellie."
(Axel, who stuttered on his tongue, just realized he accidentally called Ellegaard by the nickname Magnus gave her.)
Axel: "Oops... sorry..."
(Unexpectedly, Ellegaard just giggled at that response.)
Ellegaard: "I used to hate that nickname, but now it sounds oddly nostalgic. Well, goodbye everyone."
(With that, she departs with her horse and disappears into the distance.)
Axel: "Hey Jesse."
Jesse: "Huh? What is it?"
(Axel suddenly comes up with something.)
Axel: "Let's try our handshake again. Just once, for the road."
Jesse: "Wait, you mean that abomination back at the Building Competition? That's wasn't even a handshake!"
Axel: "Well, it might be my brain trying to erase the cringe part, but I don't remember it being THAT bad."
Jesse: "Okay... I guess I'll try."
(Axel puts his hand out for something.)
(I have no idea how to go about this, so I just decided to copy what Axel is doing.)
(We fist bumped, and then followed with an amalgamation of hand gestures that don't make sense.)
Axel: "Yeah! See? It wasn't that bad!"
Jesse: "Uh... yeah..."
(I don't know how Axel viewed this, but to me it just looked sad.)
Jesse: "Well, I'll see you when we get back and beat that creature at Soren's Fortress."
Axel: "Not if I see you first!"
Jesse: "Whatever you say, well, take care."
(Axel hops onto his horse, where Petra was already waiting.)
(Not wasting time, they head away in the opposite direction from the Wither Storm, eventually disappearing from our view as well.)
(With them gone, we were left with 3 horses.)
Jesse: "Um, I just realized, with 7 people and only 3 horses, it might get crowded."
Soren: "Don't worry, I and Ivor can share one. Don't get the wrong idea; the only reason I'm willing to do this is because I fear he might accidentally fall asleep and fall off the horse and get left behind while we're moving."
Ivor: "Silence! That was a one-time thing! I was tired that day! Don't make me sound clumsy!"
(We all silently giggled at that.)
(Heh, it felt good to laugh at something after what we have been through.)
(Meanwhile, Reuben huddles near my feet.)
(Yeah, I doubt Reuben wants to hop on with strangers, so I'll have to take him with me.)
Olivia: "I'll be with Gabriel!"
(Olivia suddenly comes up with a straight answer.)
Gabriel: "What? Why?"
Olivia: "No reason; not everything needs to have a reason now, does it?"
(Olivia quickly urges Gabriel to hop on.)
Jesse: "Wait... but that means I and Lukas have to share one!"
Lukas: "Umm... are you not fine with that?"
Jesse: "Uh, I mean..."
(Crap, I didn't think this through carefully enough.)
(Olivia set me up! Even while the world is in danger, she still manages to do things similar to this! I didn't want to sound the wrong way, so I desperately tried to calm down.)
Jesse: "I mean, whatever, it's no big deal."
(I said that with a rather cold voice while gazing away from the scene.)
(It was the first time I deliberately tried to hide my emotions; even I was surprised by it.)
Lukas: "Well, then hop on Jesse. We don't have much time."
(Lukas, who's already on, signals me.)
(At the same time, Reuben suddenly bumps into me aggressively.)
(Oh crap, I got so caught up in my emotions that I completely forgot that Reuben was supposed to be here too.)
(I guess he got angry cause of that.)
(Maybe I really am just making stuff up.)
(I picked up Reuben and sat on the horse behind Lukas.)
(Everyone else was ready too.)
Lukas: "Hold on, this can be a bumpy ride."
(The thought that I have to grab onto Lukas's waist made me nervous, so I had to remind myself that I'm thinking too much.)
(With my right arm holding onto Reuben, I use my left to grab onto Lukas.)
Jesse: "Okay... never thought I'd be saying this, but -- Ivor, lead the way."
(After what felt like we've been here for ages, we finally depart away from the cave and the Wither Storm.)
(It was nighttime, so even when the Wither Storm disappeared from our view and its distant roars became quieter until it only became background noise, it wasn't safe just yet.)
(Petra's sickness has put a timer on our hands; we need to get that weapon as fast as possible.)
(so we couldn't waste time by stopping for a break again.)
Olivia: "By the way, how far are we until we reach this 'shortcut'?"
Ivor: "I didn't want to have random people find my structure, so I built it quite far from other civilizations. Only a few days."
(Everyone groans cause of that.)
Soren: "This might take a while; I think we should switch every now and then,
having one of us stay awake and ride our respective horses while the other tries to get some rest."
Lukas: "Jesse, you should rest. Don't worry, I had some extra sleep last time."
(Lukas answered my question before I even said it.)
(Reuben probably wanted to sleep as well, so I didn't object.)
(But I couldn't hold onto Reuben and sleep at the same time, so I had to readjust my position.)
(I shifted to the right side so that both of my legs were on the right side.)
(and Reuben was now on my lap, with my right hand still securing him so he didn't fall out.)
(We were now completely out of sight of the Wither Storm, so we didn't need to move as quickly to get away.)
(I don't think I needed to grab on anymore to stay on the horse, but I didn't want to let go.)
(With the two of us huddled so close, I could feel his warm body heat.)
(It felt nice in comparison to the cold night breeze.)
(My left arm is still holding on to his waist.)
(I don't want to let it go.)
(Lukas didn't seem to mind it that much; maybe he still thinks it's too bumpy to let go of or is too focused on where we're heading.)
(But isn't this a breach of privacy?)
Jesse: "Um... is this really okay with you?"
Lukas: "It's for your and Reuben's safety, isn't it?"
(Lukas answers while still looking forward.)
Jesse: "That's not what I meant. Everyone has their line for when it's too close for comfort, right?"
(Lukas takes longer to answer that question.)
Lukas: "It's....not a big deal. You would do this for a friend too, right?"
(.... can't tell if he's completely oblivious or trying to avoid the obvious question.)
(I decided not to question it further and just enjoy the moment.)
(Reuben had already fallen asleep; he really is a fast napper.)
(I worry that if I move now, I might wake him up, so I'm forced into this position anyway.)
(I don't know why, but now that we're free from danger and not constantly on our toes, I suddenly feel like I want to fall asleep.)
(At first, I was worried that I'd accidentally fall off if I did that.)
(But I became more and more tired the longer I tried to stay awake.)
(At that point, I just had my mind make up the excuse that you're already clinging to Lukas, so you probably won't fall.)
(And Reuben can wake up quite quickly, so he'll know in case it does happen.)
(I closed my eyes.)
(I think back to Olivia's conversation.)
(Aside from the mission to kill the Wither Storm, I'm also feeling conflicted about my affection for Lukas.)
(I originally wanted to put that aside and focus on the Wither Storm first before I would do anything.)
(And it didn't really feel right to add this whole situation on top of the Wither Storm.)
(But I just couldn't help but want to spend more time with him.)
(I've never felt so nervous around anyone before.)
(Actually, I don't recall ever having a crush on anyone before.)
(Maybe it's because I was never certain of what I liked. Actually, thinking back to my past, my memory feels weirdly more foggy the further back I go.)
(But, oh well... the day is about to end soon.)
(Whatever happens, that's going to be in the future.)
(And slowly, my thoughts started to go away as I drifted to sleep.)
(When I woke up again, the scenery around me had changed completely, and the sun had already risen.)
(We were now in some sort of savanna biome.)
(To the right of us was also a desert bordering this biome, and in the far distance, you could even see a bit of a jungle.)
(I've never personally been to such a place before, so it's kind of a fascinating experience for me.)
(I look down to see if Reuben's still here, and a quick panic attack suddenly emerges once I'm unable to spot him anywhere.)
Jesse: "U-Um, guys... where's Reuben?!"
(I hear an oink reply to my question as I look over to see that Reuben is now sitting in front of Lukas.)
Lukas: "Reuben thought it was too uncomfortable back there, so he moved."
Jesse: "Oh, ok then. At least I don't have to worry about that anymore."
(I breathe a sigh of relief.)
Jesse: "So... how far are we from our destination?"
(My question to Ivor doesn't get a reply, as I realize he is probably still sleeping.)
(On Soren's horse, he was leaning on his back, much to Soren's dismay.)
(Right at that moment, Soren aggressively elbows him.)
(This causes Ivor to jolt up.)
Ivor: "You don't have to be so violent! Sheesh."
Soren: "You were drooling on me!"
Ivor: "Quit making up excuses! Do you still hold a grudge against me at this point in time?!"
Soren: "What? I just like hitting you, that's all."
(Ivor gives up trying to argue and goes back to staring at the landscape with an irritated face.)
Jesse: "Um... so... how long until we arrive?"
Ivor: "When we get there, don't be so impatient."
Gabriel: "Can we at least move into a cooler biome? My armor is sweaty."
Ivor: "No, we can't do detours. That will only lead us astray and waste more of our valuable time. We have to strictly stay on this path because I'm only familiar with this exact route."
(Gabriel grunts tiredly.)
Gabriel: "At least you had some rest, right?"
(Gabriel asks Olivia.)
Olivia: "Actually, I couldn't sleep at all. The ride is too bumpy. I think I'm going to turn sick if I keep riding this."
Lukas: "Yeah... It's kinda tiring to keep riding."
(Ivor sighs.)
Ivor: "Fine. We'll take a quick break. Then we'll change positions on the horses."
(Everyone gets off.)
(Gabriel proceeds to take off the armor for a little while.)
Gabriel: "Huff. Please don't say I stink."
Olivia: "I don't even want to check."
Jesse: "Um... does anyone have food? I'm kinda hungry."
(Soren begins to fish in his inventory.)
Soren: "Here's some leftovers I grabbed from my fortress. Don't question the freshness."
(Hard bread and cold fish? C'mon! Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be too picky when this is everything we have left.)
(At least the vegetables don't look too bad.)
Jesse: "Well, I'm sorry, Reuben, but we don't have any better-looking carrots."
(Reuben seems really hesitant to eat. And I thought I was the more picky eater of the two.)
(Oh well, he'll come back when he's hungry, and I'll just stash it in my pocket.)
(Meanwhile, Gabriel and the others have found a nearby pond to cool off.)
Lukas: "Hey, Jesse. You coming along?"
(Lukas urges me to come along with everyone else.)
(He had taken his jacket off, so the slight change in appearance caught me off guard.)
(He wears a purple-striped T-shirt underneath his jacket.)
(He looks kind of charming, to be honest.)
Jesse: "Uh... sure! C'mon Reuben."
(The three of us make our way to the pond.)
(It really is good to have a brief moment where we don't have to worry about danger anymore.)
(But it also reminded me that we're not here to have fun.)
(We still have a world to save.)
Jesse: "I wonder, how long will it take until we can return to our normal lives?"
Lukas: "I don't know. Let's just hope it won't be too long."
Jesse: "Me too..."
[To be continued...]