[Jesse's POV]
Ivor: "A witch's hut!"
Jesse: "Gah!"
(I jump at Ivor's comment as he suddenly appears beside me.)
Jesse: "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Ivor: "Shush! Don't be so loud!"
(Ivor yells quieter this time.)
Jesse: "Then stop yelling yourself!"
Ivor: "Says the person telling people to stop sneaking up on people who do the same thing themselves."
Jesse: "Urgh, fine... whatever."
(Why is Ivor such a hard person to talk to?)
(It seems like every conversation we have involves arguing with each other.)
Ivor: "Anyway, we should steer clear of it -- nothing good ever happens when witches are involved."
Jesse: "But that's such a delicious cake, and it would be enough to feed everyone!"
Ivor: "It isn't worth it, Jesse -- witches hate trespassers. There are less dangerous ways to find food."
Jesse: "The only things I found are a few raw potatoes, and I'm pretty sure those were planted by the witch as well. And there isn't even enough to feed everyone; even if there were, a cold, raw potato wouldn't even be able to feed a starving stomach. Are you even aware how hungry we are?"
Ivor: "I already told you, if we reach my lab, we can grab a supply of food there; you're just going to have to wait it out until morning, unless you want to fight your way through the swamp at night. That choice I'm leaving to you, but we are NOT risking our lives going against a witch!"
(As soon as Ivor said that, I caught a glimpse of someone passing by the trees out of the corner of my eye.)
(We both look in that direction, terrified.)
Jesse: "W-Was that the W-Witch...?"
(A distant laugh is heard; yep, that's definitely a witch's laugh if I heard one.)
Ivor: "Jesse, we shouldn't be here."
Jesse: "Ivor! You don't understand! I'm starving! We ALL are! Who knows how long it'll take until morning! We might not even survive until then! If I were to choose between risking my life for that cake or giving up and straight up starving to death, wouldn't it be more rational to choose the former?!"
Ivor: "Stop being dramatic! A human body can survive without food for quite longer than you think; you're just going to have to deal with it!"
(Aaargh, even with the potato I ate, it doesn't feel like my hunger went down at all! And I can only imagine what Lukas and Olivia are feeling right now.)
(I can't take it. I step forward towards the hut, making my final decision.)
Jesse: "I'm going in. If you don't want to go in, then I don't care. At least keep watch for me, will you?"
(Ivor just looked back at me with a disappointed look.)
Ivor: "If you really want to throw your life away like that, then do it; I don't care."
(I ignored Ivor and just started walking towards the hut, finding an entrance to go in.)
(After checking to make sure the witch wasn't around, I sneakily entered through the front door.)
(As soon as I stepped inside, however, my presence was greeted with a sudden hiss.)
(W-What?! I thought no one was inside!)
(Before I get an answer, a black animal quickly leaves the hut through the open window.)
(Just before it went out of view, I was able to make it up. A black cat.)
(It must've been resting here, and my breaking in caused it to run away.)
(Crap! I hope that didn't alert the witch! I have to grab what I can before she returns!)
(Not wasting time, I dashed at the cake and swiftly put it in my inventory.)
(Just as I was about to leave, something caught my attention.)
(Besides the brewing stand and a cauldron, there was a small chest in the corner of the room.)
(There was a weird glow coming out of it. Curious, I looked inside.)
(It turns out there was one freshly brewed potion in here, a green-glowing one.)
(Suddenly, a distant laugh alarms me that the area isn't safe anymore.)
(I quickly attempt to escape through the door.)
(But it was already too late; by the time I reached the door, she was already standing right outside it, and we made eye contact.)
(At that point, I knew I was in deep shit.)
(Not even a second later, she had already grabbed one of her potions from her pocket and was ready to kill me on the spot.)
(She throws the potion.)
(Instinctively, I duck, but the potion just hits the wall, and the splash damage still manages to hit me.)
(My body immediately starts to hurt as I start to feel nauseous.)
Jesse: "Aaaargh!"
(Fighting the pain, I managed to stand up, and before the witch was able to throw her next potion, I rammed my body into hers.)
(With full force, we dove through the window and fell down into the swampy grounds below.)
(Unfortunately, the potion she was holding hit the ground beside us, causing both of us to get hurt with its contents.)
(My body started to hurt more, but I continued to resist the pain.)
(As I stood up, I kicked the witch away from me as I frantically tried to get up on my feet to make as much distance as possible.)
(I knew I would get into deep shit with that decision, but I managed to steal what I wanted! Now I just have to run back to safety!)
Jesse: "Ivor! We need to head back immediately!"
(I'm met with no response?)
Jesse: "Ivor?"
(I ran back to the location where Ivor was supposed to keep watch, but he was nowhere to be seen.)
(Did he ditch me? That old man...! Whatever, I'll deal with him later; I have to move out of the danger zone first.)
(I run back to the others; however, instead of being greeted by the people I know, I'm instead greeted by a barrage of arrows.)
Jesse: "W-What?!"
(I rolled over to a nearby tree to take cover, and when I poked my head out, I saw the worst outcome I could imagine.)
(While I was gone, our group was attacked by a swarm of skeletons!)
Gabriel: "Jesse! We need assistance!"
Jesse: "Guys!"
(My group was fighting on the other side of the herd of skeletons, which meant that if I wanted to reunite with Olivia and the others, I'd have to run right through those mobs.)
(And I don't even have a sword with me; since the last one broke in Soren's Fortress, the only other weapon I have is a bow and arrows.)
(but I'm a bad aimer, which is why I refrained from using it before, and not to mention the effect from that potion is still making me nauseous.)
(Great. Just Great. How am I supposed to overcome this situation without risking it all?)
(And when it couldn't get worse, I heard footsteps behind me.)
(And when I look behind my back, I see none other than the witch from before!)
(Before I even had the chance to react, a potion hit my head, and I fell to the ground. Shit.)
(Why did I think this trip would go smoothly?)
(When I looked up again, I could just barely recognize the silhouette of the witch.)
(I instinctively cover my head with my hands to brace for impact, but when the glass-shattering sound rings in my ear, I wasn't the victim of that attack.)
(When I lowered my hands to see what was going on, the witch was no longer standing right in front of me and was now glaring to the side.)
(Another potion gets thrown from that direction, knocking her back.)
(I use that opportunity to flee, heading towards where that attack came from.)
(Behind another swampy tree, I'm greeted with someone wearing an olive-yellow robe.)
Jesse: "...Ivor?!"
Ivor: "Oh, you made it out alive? I thought you perished back in the cabin. I guess I underestimated you."
Jesse: "Why did you ditch me?!"
Ivor: "Oh, save the complaints for later. While you were busy back there, I heard a commotion from the others, and I went over to check. I was simply prioritizing the group with more lives. And to be honest, I did not think you would actually be able to escape a witch."
Jesse: "YOU LEFT ME FOR DEAD."
Ivor: "Oh, be quiet! Be grateful you're still alive! And I would start fleeing from here if you want to stay alive; just because I managed to distract the witch doesn't mean she hasn't lost interest in us!"
Jesse: "Eh?"
(Sure enough, the witch is slowly starting to approach us with an even more pissed-off face than before.)
(Shit. There's a stupid pond blocking our way from going around the herd; it seems like through the skeletons is the only option left.)
Ivor: "Stop standing there and move! Quickly!"
(Right! Using an arrow as a replacement sword, we ram through the crowd, trying to push and hit everything that vaguely looks like a skeleton out of the way.)
(Their attention immediately shifted from Lukas and the others to me as a few arrows got shot into my side.)
(If it weren't for the armor I'm wearing, I would've pretty much been a goner.)
(Suddenly, the arrow I was swinging hit a tree's bark.)
(The sudden stop threw me off balance, and my body twirled around before crashing onto the grass below.)
Olivia: "Jesse! Are you okay?!"
(I stand up and see that I've made it to the other side, surrounded by everyone else.)
Jesse: "For now, I guess, but I don't think I can deal with anymore skeletons today..."
(Right after I and Ivor made it over, Lukas immediately closed the path behind us.)
(and is now engaging in a bow fight with the others while Gabriel is dealing with any skeletons who are trying to close in on us.)
Olivia: "How long can you hold them off?"
Lukas: "I'm trying to take down as many as I can! But there are too many of them to get rid of them all!"
(Far in the distance, in the crowd of mobs, I can vaguely see the witch coming through as well.)
Soren: "Is that a freaking witch???"
Lukas: "For real right now?! That's the worst combination I can think of!"
Soren: "Her potions combined with their arrows... we'll all be killed! We can't win this fight!"
Jesse: "The Farlands are just past this swamp!"
Olivia: "But they've seen us! They'll just follow us!"
(Ivor grunts.)
Ivor: "The rest of you, go! I'll hold them off!"
(Ivor's sudden decision caught us off guard.)
(I thought Ivor would be the last one to sacrifice themselves for other people.)
(And here I was contemplating how I should beat him up later on.)
Soren: "What?! Ivor, no!"
Ivor: "There's no time to argue! Just head for the corner of the glitch wall!"
Gabriel: "The WHAT wall?"
(Rather than responding, Ivor runs straight out in the open, like he had already made his decision.)
Ivor: "Hey you witch! You're not the only one who can spam potions!"
(And like that, he catches the attention of all the mobs as he distracts the herd away from us.)
Jesse: "Everyone, let's get out of here, AY-SAP!"
Soren: "B-But I-Ivor!"
Jesse: "Don't worry about him; he's already made his decision. Now come!"
(Once again, I'm forced to drag Soren along again, but at least we got away from the skeletons.)
(After a few minutes of running and panting, we exit the swamp biome.)
Jesse: "Guys, I think we lost them for...wow..."
Olivia: "We lost them for a wow? What's that supposed to mean-"
(Olivia stops mid-sentence when she realizes why I said that.)
(In front of us was this massive wall, with holes plastered on every part with no pattern whatsoever.)
(The trees around us also look weird, with some of their leaves being weirdly
replaced by random blocks.)
(It was nothing I've ever seen in my entire life. It felt so 'unnatural'...)
Lukas: "I see your 'wow' and raise you a 'whuuuuuuuuoooaaaaaa?"
Olivia: "It's like we're at the edge of the world."
Soren: "Actually, we seem to be at the corner of it. Welcome to the Farlands, my friends."
(Soren announces.)
Olivia: "You know, I'd feel a lot better about going into this wall-of-insanity if I wasn't so hungry. Actually, I think that run we just did made me starve even more! And I thought I had already reached max starvation."
Jesse: "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. So finding this may have caused this whole witch situation to occur, but I promise it was worth it."
(I take out the cake I had stolen from the cabin.)
Gabriel: "Oh my god, thank you so much; I swear, I would have died right here if I hadn't seen that cake in that moment."
Olivia: "Same."
(Without hesitation, everyone grabs a slice and gobbles it down faster than Axel has ever eaten anything, and that's an achievement in and of itself.)
(While I finished my slice, I noticed that the nausea suddenly went away.)
(I guess the milk in the cake removed that effect.)
(Damn, I didn't even think of that.)
(Come to think of it, If I had eaten that during the battle, I would have been able to avoid the potion's effect long enough to defeat the witch.)
(Why didn't I think of that? No wonder I'm bad at combat; I never plan stuff like that ahead.)
Soren: "Quite a sight, isn't it?"
(Soren strikes up a conversation as we approach the WALL.)
Jesse: "Have you been here before?"
Soren: "Not here specifically, but I have visited the Farlands. The Order traveled far and wide during our heyday."
Gabriel: "Incredible!"
Olivia: "You can say that again."
Gabriel "Incredible!"
(Olivia shoots a disappointed glance at him.)
Olivia: "My fault, should've seen that coming..."
Jesse: "Wait, how can Ivor even live here? It's so far away from any civilization. It's one thing to build a wool world inside the End, but THIS?"
Soren: "Oh, I doubt he lives here. He most likely comes here for only his most
secretive research. Whatever Ivor's hiding in here, it will be extremely well-
guarded."
Jesse: "Oh great, I hope we don't have to go through dangerous shit again like back at your fortress."
(Soren chuckles.)
Soren: "I don't think so. Unlike Ivor, I can actually make smart and clever traps. Anything in there, I'm sure I have seen before."
Jesse: "Whatever you say..."
(We eventually reach an opening in the corner of the wall; around this hole were several decorative blocks, like sea lanterns.)
Soren: "This way, I suspect."
(Lukas sighs.)
Lukas: "I'd feel better about this if Axel and Petra were here..."
Olivia: "I know what you mean."
(Reuben oinks sadly.)
Jesse: "C'mon, the faster we go, the sooner we can head home!"
Olivia: "Yes, I know. I was just reflecting back on when we all were together..."
Jesse: "I know, I know..."
(We enter the lit tunnel, going into the wall.)
(However, as soon as we walk in, something weird happens.)
Jesse: "Um... does anyone else feel that?"
(Everyone comes to a halt; however, we feel this slight delay between when we want to stop and when our bodies actually stop moving.)
(For a split second, we were sliding forward even though our legs stopped moving.)
Soren: "Oh, that... just get used to it. Remember, this is the edge of the world. Logic starts to fade away the further away you go."
Jesse: "Oh, great... how wonderful."
(We eventually reach the end of the tunnel, and it opens up to another wall with a crack cutting into it.)
(Looking beyond this, all we could see were paths leading in all sorts of directions.)
Olivia: "Is this... a maze?"
Soren: "It would appear so. A massive one, from the looks of it. If Ivor used the command block to build this, it could hold unspeakable peril."
Lukas: "So, maybe we should not just wander into the world's hardest maze without a guide?"
Soren: "Unfortunately, this seems to be the only way forward."
Olivia: "Oh no, no, no, no, no! I am NOT going into this obvious trap! There has to be another way!"
Jesse: "Hm..."
(We look around for any way around it.)
(While everyone else separates to inspect the area, I approach one section of the wall, where some vines were dangling down.)
(The outside wall of this maze didn't look to be in the best shape, so there were vines dangling all over the place.)
Jesse: "How about these vines over there? We can climb them up and maybe go over the maze?"
Olivia: "Hm... I guess it's better than-"
Soren: "Everyone, en garde!"
(Soren suddenly alarms everyone as a bunch of zombies suddenly come pouring out of the maze!)
Lukas: "Really?! Even MORE MOBS???"
Olivia: "There's too many! We can't fight them all!"
(Crap! Everyone else was on the other side of the crack the zombies are coming out of.)
(I'm separated from everyone again!)
Jesse: "Guys! Climb the vines!"
(Wasting no time, we reach the top of the maze wall.)
(I look over at the others, who were standing on the other side of the wall.)
Gabriel: "Well, that worked. I suppose..."
Olivia: "Yeah... I guess?"
Jesse: "Guys! Is Reuben safe over there!"
(I yell.)
Olivia: "Yeah, we have him protected; there's no need to worry!"
(Reuben squealed loudly to back up that statement.)
Jesse: "Kay! Just checking!"
Lukas: "Yeah, but now what? We're separated!"
(I look down.)
(The gap looks pretty wide.)
(Will the leap of potion be enough for that? There are also zombies... everywhere...)
(and stupid ass me didn't bring any building blocks! God damn it, why do I always forget the most important stuff?!)
Jesse: "Let's just head that way and find a place where the paths connect."
Olivia: "Fine... Just stay safe, okay?"
Jesse: "Yeah, let's try not to get lost..."
(I turn around to see what paths I can take.)
Jesse: "I hope I don't get lost in there..."
(Whatever the case, let's just get moving.)
(Trial and error might get me lost, so I'm just gonna hug the left wall... or... uh... edge, until I make it over.)
(Assuming the exit is on the other side of the maze and not in the middle, this strategy should work.)
(And with that assumption, I went on with my journey.)
(It's been several minutes, and at this point, I've wandered so far in that I can't see the others anymore, but they can probably take care of themselves -- they're a group of 4, after all.)
(I just need to focus on making it out.)
(Suddenly, I hear a sound nearby.)
(It sounds like someone's climbing up on one of the vines? Zombies are too stupid to climb them.)
(Could it be a person? I peek over to see who it is, and then... my jaw drops.)
Jesse: "W-W-What?!"
(Climbing up to me is... the witch from earlier! That hag! Do witches hold grudges that much?!)
(She really came all the way here... just to take revenge on me!!!!!)
[To be continued...]