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Chapter Text

It was finally time.

The five members of the Order of the Stone stood in the cracked stone room, watching silently as their leader placed the final eye of ender in the last empty portal. As the black portal flared to life, covering the lava, the five members all exchanged glances, before jumping in, one by one.

Emerging onto a platform made of obsidian, the five heroes readied their weapons. "Remember the plan!" their leader, a blond man with blue eyes called. He was wearing black and gray armor, with thick goggles pushed up on his forehead to keep his hair out of his face. "Olivia, you and Axel make the traps, Petra, you help me take out the towers. Jesse?" he turned his attention to a man with chin length brown hair, and feisty dark green eyes "You remember your job?" his voice was hard as he waited for the brunette to respond. Jesse rolled his eyes, and shifted his weight. He was wearing midnight blue and royal gold armor, with no helmet. A glowing diamond sword hung from his waist, and various potions hung from his belt. "I'm not an idiot Lukas" the brunette snapped "I'm the distraction while you and the others do your jobs" crossing his arms he muttered under his breath "you better keep your promise" just loud enough for Lukas to hear.

Before the blonde could respond however, one of the other three coughed, and they turned their heads in near unison to see Petra standing near a Cobblestone pathway she had built down to the main island. "Whenever you're ready" the redhead said with a near purr. Her arms were crossed but they could easily see the glint of her enchanted golden sword as it rested on her back, within arms reach.

"Let's just go" Lukas muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Leading the way, Lukas led the other four down the path that Petra had built, and inched their way carefully towards the center of the ring of obsidian towers. A shrieking noise, a lot like the noise of an angered enderman, but louder and deeper, shook the world. The Ender dragon knew of their existence in its realm, and it was angry.

"Split up!" Lukas shouted, running towards one of the towers and pulling out his bow, customized with Infinity, Power III, Flame IV, and Unbreaking I. "Stick to the plan" he added, taking aim and releasing his bow, racing towards the next tower as the Ender Crystal exploded. Olivia and Axel took two different sides of the island. Olivia set up arrow dispensers, using redstone to connect them to a button so she could fire if the Ender Dragon swooped down near her. Axel ran around like a maniac randomly putting down TNT and placing levers on top of the explosive block.

Petra had a bow as well, however hers was only enchanted with Infinity and Punch II. Using Sand to build up high the redhead took aim and fired. Using an Unbreaking II iron shovel to break the sand and get back down to the ground, Petra ran for another pillar and began the process again.

While all of this was going on, Jesse was racing across the island. Taking care to avoid Axel's TNT traps, Jesse had downed both a Speed Potion and a Potion of Regeneration. He had also eaten one of the better variants of Golden Apples, to protect him incase the beast managed to hit him with fire, and the particles were swarming around him as he dodged the dragon. But he wasn't doing nothing while he ran, the brunette was fumbling through his inventory bag and pulling out his stack of glass bottles. This was the main reason he had agreed to be the distraction...that and Lukas had promised that if he did, then the blonde wouldn't use it.

Opening the first bottle, Jesse skidded to a stop, and held up the open bottle. As the dragon sucked in air for it's attack, Jesse took a quick look around the island. Petra was whooping as she dug her way down her sand tower, and Olivia was crouched near her contraption, hand at the ready. Axel was still placing TNT everywhere, though now he was making a shape out of it, a creeper perhaps. Or a pig gone wrong. And Lukas...

Jesse's dark green eyes narrowed. Lukas was no where to be found, and considering what Jesse knew the man had in his inventory, that was a dangerous thing. Jumping out of the way at the last moment, Jesse corked the bottle of Dragon's Breath, and grabbed another. As he opened the bottle however, holding it to the sky while the dragon shot out another attack, the world seemed to ripple, and all at once the remaining Ender Crystal's shattered. At the exact moment that the Dragon's Breath entered Jesse's bottle, the dragon flashed blood red about ten times, before letting out one last agonized roar, and poofing out of existence.

As the experience orbs rained down from the sky, Jesse corked his bottle, shoved it in his bag, and stalked over to Lukas. As he suspected, the blond was hastily putting something in his inventory, and Jesse didn't need to see the flashing lights to know what it was "WHAT DID YOU DO?" he practically roared, punching Lukas in the gut. Petra rushed forwards, unsheathing her sword, and Jesse took a step back. He had been there when Lukas and Petra had used the damn block they had found to summon enchanting books. He knew better than anyone that her sword was lethal. Enchanted with Fire Aspect V, Unbreaking V,Sharpness III, and Smite IV, Petra had named her sword 'Dragon's Bane' and could 1-hit kill just about any mob. She hadn't tried it on humans or villagers though, and Jesse didn't want to give her an excuse.

Lukas straightened, and glared at Jesse "We all agreed to use the Command Block Jesse, you know that" Jesse snarled "I never used that cursed block, everything I've done I've done the same way as real adventurers, by gathering the items myself. I agreed to use the block to find this place, since all of you were too cowardly to hunt down Endermen and Blazemen" Olivia crossed her arms "I seem to remember you being wary of fighting those mobs too Jesse" the brunette shot her a fierce glare, and the raven haired woman took a step backwards, shocked by the fury in his eyes. "But at least I was willing to try, you all just wanted to cheat your way through life." he turned his glare to Lukas "You promised not to use it in the battle" Jesse snarled "You said that if I would distract the beast while you all did your own things, then you wouldn't use it!" Lukas returned the glare and snapped "It was about to get you, you were just standing there like an idiot" Jesse chuckled darkly and shook his head "We both know the amount of time it would take to set up whatever command you did would take a lot longer than the time it took me to collect TWO bottles of Dragon's Breath. You've been planning this since the beginning!" he turned a confused gaze to Axel, Olivia, and Petra "Why are you three not upset about this, you were there when he promised not to-" he cut himself off with a sharp intake of air. "You planned this" he whispered softly.

"Jesse" Petra said calmly "You have to know this was our only way of completing what we told the world we would do, this was the only way to ensure we would become heroes" Jesse stared at the warrior in shock, his mouth falling open slightly "You all went behind my back, just so history would remember you as something you're not?"

"They'll remember you as a hero as well Jesse" Lukas said, his voice laced with a strange tone "Just forget that this ever happened, and tell the world we did it with our own hands, and this will all be in the past. We will all be heroes, together. Just like we wanted" Jesse glared at him "When we first banded together, without that damn block, we wanted to be adventurers. Then you found that...that thing and got it in your head, and theirs too that we could use it to be famous" he snapped.

Jesse was so blinded by the particles still flying around him as he spoke, he didn't see the look Lukas was giving to Petra "Well no more. I'm not playing along any longer. New rules Lukas, you give me the block, and I'll stay quiet. Or, you can keep it, and I'll tell the whole world" his green gaze narrowed as he hissed "make your choice" Lukas looked at him with a blank expression, and then said "You're right Jesse" Petra's head whipped around and she gaped at Lukas "WHAT?" she practically shrieked. She would have said more, but Lukas silenced her by raising his hand "I'll give you the block..." then he nodded at Petra's sword with his head "But you're never leaving the End again."

Before Jesse could say anything, do anything, or even blink, Petra gave him a pained look...before lashing out with her sword, and slicing it neatly across his throat. The brown haired man flashed red, and fell to the ground. His body caught on fire for a few seconds, causing him to flash red as it lashed out at his body, then the Golden Apples took effect and though the fire continued to blaze brightly, it no longer caused him pain. But the blood dripping down his neck was definitely causing pain, and the man's body flashed red multiple times while the four watched. Lukas's face was emotionless, revealing nothing, Petra refused to look at the cut she had inflicted, and Olivia was covering her hands with her eyes. Axel looked quite like he wanted to hug the dark skinned woman, but he refrained, settling for rubbing his hand on the back of his neck while he looked down at the body of his friend. "Let's go guys" Lukas said softly "There's...there's nothing left for us here." Reaching into his inventory bag, he took out the command block and pressed it into Jesse's bag "I wasn't lying, Jesse was right. We've come to depend on this thing. But now that we are now heroes, we don't need it anymore." Petra turned to look at him, confusion in her gaze "Then why didn't you just give it to him? There was no need for...for this" she waved her hand at the still form of Jesse. Lukas turned to look at her sadly "I couldn't risk him telling everyone about it...now the Command Block will be emptied from his inventory when he dies, and by nightfall it will be gone for good" Petra nodded slowly "I guess...I guess you're right. But we can't tell anyone about him, they might try retrieve his body, and then the Command Block would go into their hands, and they might give it to the wrong person and-" she cut herself off, shaking her head. "Let's just get out of here before he..." Olivia began, trailing off as she found herself unable to say the words.

One by one the Order of the Stone jumped through the bedrock portal, until only Lukas was left. Taking a deep breath, Lukas walked over to Jesse's still form, and crouched down. "I really am sorry" he whispered to the man who was still flashing red, though a lot slower than just a few seconds before "But I didn't have another choice" sighing, Lukas sat there for a few more moments, before he said "I'll come back in a week, once your inventory has despawned. I'll see to it that you get a proper memorial. And if your body is still here, I'll make you the biggest, most beautiful grave. I promise Jesse. And this time, I'll keep my promise. "

Rising to his feet, Lukas ran a hand through his hair and then whispered softly "Goodbye Jesse" before turning around and lifting himself up to the bedrock blocks surrounding the bedrock. Just before he jumped through, he added, in a voice so quiet that not even an elephant could have heard "Why must I keep losing my friends? First Maya, Gill, Aiden, and the others, and now Jesse?" sighing Lukas made an oath to himself "no more...I will not lose any other friends. If that means I just can't make friends, well then...so be it. But I will not lose anyone else" Jumping through the portal, the End once again became silent. No noise other than the teleporting of Endermen.

And then, a groan echoed throughout the world, and the brown haired man that the Endermen had begun to investigate sat up. As the black monsters teleported away from the apparently alive man, Jesse muttered "Potion of Regeneration, I shall never complain about you again" coughing, Jesse raised his hand, and then pulled it away at the feeling of wetness. Peering at it through blurry eyes, Jesse saw the red now staining his hand. Sighing, and then wincing at the pain that caused, Jesse fumbled around in his bag for a few seconds, before pulling out a pale pink/purple potion. Shuddering as he downed it, Jesse muttered "Nothing like the taste of nether wart and glistering melons to make one feel better" raising a hand to his throat, Jesse could feel the line that had apparently scarred thanks to the health potion. "A constant reminder" he whispered sadly "But then, how could I ever forget that"

Jesse wasn't sure how long he sat there, with there being no way to tell time in the End, but finally he got to his feet "So my so-called friends think I'm dead" he muttered, a dark look entering his green eyes "I can use that to my advantage. They will regret betraying me like that, but not yet...I need time to heal, and to come up with the perfect plan" Opening his inventory bag, Jesse nearly fell into the Void. "Well what do you know" he whispered, pulling out the Command Block "I think this will be able to help out quite wonderfully"

Chapter Text

Nothing built can last forever, and every legend, no matter how great, fades with time...

When one story ends, another begins

A raven haired teen was wielding a wooden sword and hacking away at an armor stand. Nearby, a young woman, maybe thirteen or fourteen, was messing around with some redstone and a daylight sensor. "Hey Ivor" the girl said, turning her head slightly revealing soft reddish brown eyes half hidden by her bangs. "Hmmm?" the male said, pausing with his sword hand partially raised as he turned to look at her with curious midnight blue eyes. A sly smile worked its way onto the woman's face as she said "Would you rather fight a hundred chicken sized zombies, or ten zombie sized chickens?"

Finishing swinging his sword, Ivor tilted his head to think. While he was silent, the female added "Just to be clear, your only weapon would be a wooden sword, and you'd only have a leather chestplate."

"The giant chickens" Ivor said finally "not because it would be easy or anything, but because they would be an absolute horror" the girl grinned as she said "Imagine their giant feet!" Ivor smiled at her "Like I said, a horror" The two chuckled for a little bit, before the girl let out a contented sigh and her tone turned more serious "I just finished getting the daylight sensor hooked up" Ivor hummed in response, going back to neatly slicing at the armor stand. "I mean, I didn't want to leave Reuben with just nothing while we're at the Building Competition" Ivor started, and nearly dropped his sword as he turned to look at his friend "What are you talking about Ellegaard? Reuben's coming with us" as he said he name Reuben, Ivor looked over at the tiny lamb that was headbutting the armor stand. At the sound of his name though, the small black and white sheep let out a bleat and trotted over to stand next to Ivor, his tail wagging happily. Ellegaard gave Ivor a skeptical look "really?" she asked, doubt flickering through her amber eyes. "What kind of question is that?" Ivor asked, putting his sword into his inventory pack so he could lean down and pet Reuben's soft fur. "Of course he is"

Ellegaard sighed "Okay, look. I'm not saying he shouldn't come, but..." she rubbed the back of her head "don't you think it's a little weird you take him with you everywhere you go?" Reuben gave her an offended look, and turned his back on her, flicking his tail as he trotted away from her. "He kind of makes us look like...amateurs" Ellegaard finished, rather weakly, her heart no longer in the argument. Ivor turned his head to track Reuben, as he said in defense "He's my wingman, everybody wants to talk to the guy with the sheep" Ellegaard shook her head "You mean talk about the guy with the sheep. Like...look at that weird guy with the sheep, how weird." She sighed, and pinched the space between her eyes. The treehouse was silent for a few moments, before she finally said "Look, forget I said anything. I didn't mean it, I'm glad he's coming" dropping her hands, Ellegaard walked over to the window and rested her left hand on the sill "I just...don't want to give people another reason to call us losers"

"We're not losers Ellie" Ivor said, straightening and brushing off his jeans and midnight blue shirt as he walked over to her. "Yes we are!" Ellegaard insisted, pushing his hand away when he tried to rest it on her shoulder. She turned around to face Ivor as she added "we lost all the time!" Ivor raised his hands defensively and said "O-Okay, okay! That might be true" he lifted a hand to brush it through his raven colored hair. "I can't even remember the last time we won anything" Ellegaard said sadly, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. Ivor smiled slightly and said cheerfully "Well if that's the case...then that just means we win at being losers"

Even usually calm and serious Ellegaard couldn't help but crack a smile at that "thanks Ivor" she said. She had her mouth open to say more, but a hissing sound cut her off. Freezing, the two teens slid their gaze towards the trapdoor. The wooden block kept their ladder covered so that nobody could come in without opening it, and so Reuben wouldn't fall out of the structure. "oh no" Ellegaard whispered, backing up slightly. Before the two could grab a weapon, or even do anything more, the trapdoor burst open and the head of a creeper pushed through. Ellegaard shrieked and Ivor stumbled backwards, tripping over the armor stand. Reuben however, ran forwards, headbutting the creeper, the points of his small horns stabbing the monster right in its...green hoodie. "OW!" an all-too familiar voice shouted. Hands reached up, practically tearing the head off, and wrapping around the angrily bleating sheep. "What was that for?" the male, around 15 or 16, bald with a black mask wrapped around his forest green eyes, yelped, pushing Reuben away and rubbing at his chest "I thought we were-" "MAGNUS!" Ellegaard practically shrieked, stomping over the the male and hauling him the rest of the way into the treehouse by his ear, causing him to yelp, and rub at his ear. "Great" he muttered once she let go "Now I'm going to smell like redstone at Endercon"

Ivor had placed a hand over his heart, and was taking deep breaths. Once he calmed down, he smiled weakly at Magnus and muttered "Not too shabby, we thought you were a real Creeper" Magnus beamed at him "The mask is pretty cool right? The dude who sold it to me said it was made from genuine Creeper skin" Ellegaard gagged before quickly changing the subject. "Did you bring the fireworks?" Magnus scoffed "Of course I did" he said. Reaching into his mottled green bag he added "I also got something for the little guy" Magnus pulled out a pitch black and ender-purple costume, designed like the ender-dragon. It was clearly meant for a cat or a dog, but with some tweaking it would probably easily fit the tiny lamb. "You brought him a disguise?" Ellegaard asked skeptically. Magnus nodded happily as he began to buckle it onto Reuben "We're going to a convention Ellie" he said "Someone's got to wear a costume"

Once the costume was on, Reuben bleated happily and lifted his head highly, trotting around the small building "He looks great" Ivor said with a small smile. Magnus nodded "It only took me a million hours to make, not to mention pretty much all of my wool and dye" Ellegaard smiled, then turned to Ivor "Hey grab your gear, we'll meet you downstairs" Ivor nodded, and the two slid outside.

After grabbing everything he thought he might need, shears, flint and steel, and of course Reuben, Ivor headed outside and set the wriggling black and white lamb down. "Easy Reuben" he said with a laugh, patting the head of the dragon costume which Magnus had fitted with holes for Reuben's horns. "That's everything" Ivor said, nodding to Magnus and Ellegaard. Magnus grinned "Let's roll!" he said cheerfully. Ellegaard rolled her eyes and crossed her arms "Yeah, roll"

While they walked through the woods, heading towards Beacon Town, Magnus spoke up "So, I heard this pretty juicy rumor about the building competition this year, but you guys have got to promise not to say anything" Ellegaard arched a brow, but she nodded "Alright" but Magnus just kept talking as though she hadn't said anything "Also, it comes in two parts, each more exciting than the last" Ivor rolled his eyes "Spit it out Magnus"

Magnus beamed at his two friends and said "Part one: the special guest at Endercon this year is none other that Petra the Warrior her-freaking self" Ivor stared at Magnus in shock "Really?" he asked, eyes wide. Magnus nodded, and Ellegaard pressed him "What's part two?" Magnus's smile widened "Part Two: According to my sources, the winner of the building competition gets to meet her!" Ellegaard gasped, and Ivor grinned at her while Magnus continued "I mean, it doesn't mean anything if we lose, but if we win...oh man, this would make up for all the losing!"

Ivor let out a soft humm "I'd love to meet Petra" Ellegaard nodded "Same here, she's amazing! I mean, not as great as Olivia, but still amazing" Magnus looked down at Reuben and chuckled slightly "Little guy better be careful, last time Petra saw a dragon, it didn't go over to well"

While they were talking, they had entered the more populated part of the woods. Narrowing her eyes, Ellegaard studied several of the banners that were beginning to appear and said slowly "Sooo...does this source of yours make banners for a living?" Magnus blinked, and then looked more closely at their surroundings. Ivor looked between the banners for a few seconds, before arching a brown and turning to Magnus with his arms crossed. Magnus sighed, and hung his head "Yeah um...my 'source' doesn't exist" he looked up at Ellegaard and Ivor sheepishly "You guys are my only friends" Ivor smiled, then shook his head "Guys, let's stay focused. We have a competition to win!" as they continued to walk towards town, Ellegaard shook her head sadly "We never win Ivor" she said, repeating her words from earlier "And this year we've got Reuben with us...we've basically got no chance" Ivor ran ahead of them slightly, and held out his arms, causing the two to stop and look at him curiously "We're going to win this year. Because..." he faltered, trying to think up something to say. His friends were quiet, letting him think, and his eyes lit up as he said "Because up until now we've hated losing. But today, we're going to learn to love winning" he blinked, and dropped his hands down to his side, muttering "That sounded way better in my head" Magnus beamed at him "Nah, nah, I'm with that!" The two boys turned to Ellegaard who shook her head, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "boys" but she looked up and gave the two a thumbs up.

The three continued to walk towards town, before Ivor stopped them again, this time just before the clearing that the path to Beacon Town started on. "Hold up a second" Ivor said. He had that expression on his face, the one he got whenever he had a plan forming. "We're thinking about this all wrong" he said slowly "The point of the building competition isn't just to build something" Ellegaard tilted her head "Oh?" Ivor nodded "It's about doing something to get noticed. Remember? Last years winners won by building that giant redstone mob spawner that killed Endermen" Magnus nodded eagerly "That thing was way cooler than our automatic smelting system" Ellegaard nodded, though more slowly than Magnus "I think I see where you're going with this Ivor" Ivor grinned at her "We don't just build something functional" he said, eyes twinkling "We build something fun" Ellegaard shifted, and smiled as Ivor said "We build the fireworks machine just like we planned, then we build something cool on top of it!"

"You just might be onto something Ivor" Ellegaard said thoughtfully. Magnus nodded and said "If you want to get a reaction out of the judges, then you build something scary. So let's make a Creeper" Ellegaard shook her head "Wouldn't an enderman be better? I'm more scared of Endermen than Creepers" Magnus nodded "They do both have their moments" Ellegaard frowned slightly "Then again, you scared the heck out of us with that Creeper mask" Ivor cut in "I have a better idea" he said, a huge grin on his face "Let's build a blaze" Ellegaard and Magnus shared a look, shuddered in unison, then beamed at Ivor "Perfect!" Magnus said, though Ellegaard had her own thoughtful face on "Do we have everything we need?" Ivor peered into his inventory bag, and Ellegaard and Magnus did the same. "It wouldn't hurt to grab some more gear" Ivor said with a shrug. The other two nodded, and the three did their signature move, a three-way high-five, but down low so that Reuben could put his hoof in as well. But instead of pulling away immediately, Ivor said "Let's add something to this, after all, we're cannot lose!" The other two nodded, and Ivor said "Alright...On three...Dare to prepare? no, no...Preparing is daring? Nope that's the same thing...gha just...um...Team on three"

He counted to three, and he and Ellegaard pulled away, shouting "TEAM!" while Reuben bleated. Although Magnus seemed a tad confused, and when he pulled his arm away he shouted "DARE!" Grinning at eachother, the three split up to gather their supplies. They were going to make one heck of a build.

Chapter Text

As the three humans and one lamb approached the Building Competition, Magnus was grinning from ear to ear. "We know what we're building" he said happily "We've got everything we need, we are so ready for this" Ivor smiled, and reached a hand down to rub Reuben's head as Ellegaard added "This year it's going to be different. I'm not just ready to build, I'm ready to win" Just then, a woman wearing a pair of silver goggles, most likely to imitate Lukas's armor, walked by alet out a sharp laugh "Nice sheep, losers" the four halted, and Ivor wilted. Magnus glared daggers at the woman, who had already walked away, and Ellegaard lowered her head, clenching her hands into fists.

After a few moments, Ivor took a deep breath, and then continued forwards, holding his head high, and blinking furiously to avoid letting spill the tears that threatened to stream down his face. Reaching the line that led to the front gate, Magnus let out a groan "Oh great, it's Harper and the Architects...the rivalry continues" Ivor managed to regain enough sight to see the four people standing at the gate. A black haired teenage woman was talking to the lady at the front booth, behind her stood a teen with curly black hair wearing a green shirt, a storm gray haired male wearing a dark purple shirt, and a pale blue haired female wearing a black and red dress. Each of them had a symbol on the back of their shirt, two crossing pickaxes, with a sword in between. "They have matching logos and everything" Ellegaard muttered under her breath Mangus nodded "So cool..." he groaned.

The teen in the purple shirt turned upon hearing their voices, and a wicked grin split his face. "Well, well, well" he said, causing the other male and the red and black wearing female, to turn to see who he was talking to. "If it isn't the Order of the Losers" the girl scoffed and put in "The fail squad's here" meanwhile, the green wearing male turned towards the girl who was finishing talking to the lady at the front desk, and called "Hey Harper, come check out these wanna-be heroes"

Harper glanced over, and rolled her eyes "Leave them alone Hadrien, we've got work to do" she said, before walking into the main part of the competition. The other girl and the green wearing boy followed her, but Hadrien stayed for a few seconds to glare at them, before he too turned and followed Harper. Ivor and his friends stood still for a few moments, watching them, before Ivor took a deep breath, and led them up to the woman Harper had just been talking to. The woman looked up at them and smiled sweetly "Name please" she said. Magnus grinned, and winked at the lady "Magnus, and how do you do"

The woman chuckled, though shook her head "No no, your team name" Magnus blinked and repeated weakly "Team name?" Ellegaard groaned "we are so not ready for this" Ivor narrowed his eyes in thought for a few minutes, before looking up at the woman confidently. "We're the Order of the Lamb" Ellegaard blinked...then blinked again. Then she face-palmed and muttered "really Ivor?" Magnus however seemed good with the name "To tie us to Reuben" he said with a grin "I like it" Ellegaard rolled her eyes "Of course you do" Magnus frowned at her "What's that supposed to mean" before the teen could respond however, the lady smiled and said "Alright, Order of the Lamb, you're in Booth Five"

Ivor nodded, and led Magnus, Ellegaard, and Reuben over to their booth. Realizing that the Architects were in the next booth over, the newly dubbed Order of the Lamb paused to watch, to try and see what they were building. "Is that a Beacon?" Magnus muttered under his breath, staring at the block in Harper's hand. "Their building a freaking beacon?" his voice rose slightly towards the end. Ellegaard studied the blocks Hadrien was pulling out of a chest and added "Look, that's stained glass. They aren't just building a beacon, they're making a rainbow beacon." as she finished, her shoulders sagged slightly. "we're so going to lose" Ivor rested a hand on his friend's shoulder "We're not going to lose Ellie, remember, have faith"

Ellegaard nodded, but didn't look like she quite believed him. A few more seconds passed before she said anything, and even then it was just "we should probably stop staring at them" however, they were a tad too late as the green shirted male nudged Hadrien, who looked up from his chest and grinned like a shark. "The failures are back" the black haired teen said, causing the blue haired female to turn towards Booth Five. She grinned, and high-fived her green wearing friend "Good one Otto" Ellegaard glared at the two "We were just looking!" she snapped, her hands clenching into fists again. Hadrien smiled at her, and walked closer to the fence that separated the two booths. "There will be plenty of time for you to look once it wins and gets shown at Endercon." he all but purred. Magnus glared at him, and took a step forwards, putting his body between Ellegaard's and Hadrien's. "You're being unpleasant" he growled. Hadrien ignored the teen, and shifted his golden gaze town towards Reuben, who was bleating angrily. "Well, maybe not all of you" he said with a smirk "Endercon doesn't allow outside food or drink" Reuben started at Hadrien's words, and flinched away from him, ducking behind Ivor,

If looks could kill, Hadrien would have imploded right then and there. "Reuben. Is not. Food" Ivor growled, his eyes narrow as he glared out at the other teen. Hadrien gave him that shark grin again as he said "Could have fooled me sport, he looks delicious" the way he said 'sport' made Ivor want to punch him, but he managed to refrain himself. Acts of violence were one of the fastest ways to get kicked out of the Building Competition. Thankfully, Magnus spoke up before he could "You'll have to eat me first" The pure absurdity of the statement caused Ivor to calm down, and he reached behind him to rest a hand on Reuben's horns.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that" Ellegaard said, giving Magnus an odd look. "Hadrien!" Harper snapped, causing the purple wearing teen to jump slightly "Quit goofing around, we've got work to do!" Hadrien snarled under his breath and grumbled "You're lucky I'm busy" before he turned around and walked over to Harper. Ivor stood still, watching him, and Ellegaard opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off by a male voice. "Ivor, Ellegaard, Magnus, good to see you all again" Ivor turned, and smiled at the dark skinned teen with shaggy black hair "Gabriel!" he said with a smile, relieved to have the attention taken off of him. "You ready for the competition to start?" Gabriel asked, lifting his right arm up and resting the diamond pickaxe he held on the same shoulder. Magnus shrugged "Who knows, but we're optimistic, right guys?" Ivor nodded, whereas Ellegaard simply looked surprised that the TNT-loving teen knew a word as long as optimistic.

"Gabriel" Harper's voice drifted over as she walked closer to the person in question. "I forgot to thank you for that Nether Star, you got the payment right?" Gabriel nodded and smiled "I did, thank you. Those diamonds must have been hard to come by" Harper chuckled, and used a hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face "That's an understatement, we were strip-mining for hours" She probably would have said more, but Magnus cut her off "Whoa, whoa, WHOA. Gabe, you helped these jerks?" Harper glared at Magnus, and opened her mouth to snap something back at him, but Gabriel cut her off "For the right price, I'll help anyone" he said. Turning to walk away, he called over his shoulder "If you need anything, you know where to find me" Ellegaard frowned, and called after him "But none of us know where to find you"

Gabriel turned his head enough to smile at her and wink "Exactly" he said, before walking out of hearing range. Harper took a deep breath, and then turned to Ivor. "Look, if you're cool with Gabriel, then you're cool with us. No hard feelings" she smiled sweetly "So why don't we just make this about how amazing our builds are hmmm?" Ivor tilted his head and brushed away some of the bang that had fallen into his face. He studied Harper for a bit, before nodding slowly "I'm cool if you're cool, but you need to teach your friends some manners" he turned a pointed glare at Hadrien's back. Harper sighed as she followed his gaze "Believe me I know. Just...don't let him bother you alright? He's probably just trying to get under your skin."

Before any more words could be exchanged, a woman cleared her throat, and all eyes turned to the middle of the clearing, where the lady from the front desk was standing on a wooden platform. "Ladies and Gentlemen" she said loudly "Welcome to the sixteenth annual Endercon Building Competition!" she was greeted by many cheers, and she had to wave her hands for a few seconds to get silence. "Remember, the winners of this years competition will have their builds featured tonight, Opening Night, of Endercon! They will also meet, in person, Petra the Warrior!"

The Order of the Lamb let out cheers, but they were cut off by chanting. Turning their heads, they saw Harper, Otto, Hadrien and the blue haired teen clasping hands in a circle, and then throwing their hands upwards as they shouted "Architects! Architects!"

Ellegaard was the first to break the silence "They even have a cool team hand-shake" she groaned. "We are so under-prepared" Ivor smiled at her "Who needs a hand-shake? We've got our own thing" holding his hand into the air, Magnus immediately clapped his hand against Ivor's. Ellegaard smiled, and lifted her own hand into the high-five. Lowering their hands in sync, the Order of the Lamb held their hands low enough for Reuben to lift a hoof and rest it in the circle of hands as well. "We can do this" Ivor whispered "We can win"

"Building" the woman said

"Starts" the three friends tensed slightly, preparing to jump up

"NOW" the three humans and one lamb jumped upwards with a whoop.

It took them only ten minutes to put down the frame, and once they were done with the basic build, Ivor could hear the blue haired girl call up "Oh no, a Fire-works dispenser. I'm so scared" she began cackling, until Harper called "Mevia, I want that redstone down today" and she had to resume building.

"Magnus" Ivor said, turning to his green wearing friend, "Toss me the orange flowers you grabbed" Magnus nodded, and threw the tulips up at Ivor. Ivor snagged them before they fell back down, and turned to the crafting table they had placed both for use, and because they were accidentally one plank short, due to forgetting to grab a crafting table earlier. Quickly turning the flowers into dye, Ivor began combining them with the wool he had sheared earlier. Though some he died yellow and red, and two pieces he died black.

It took a lot longer to craft the Blaze-man. Though that was probably because they had to make, and then destroy, scaffolding so that the wool could look like it was spiraling around the entire dispenser. They had gotten roughly five stacks of wool, and so instead of making a 2D image like they had planned, the Order of the Lamb ended up making a 3D image, even going so far as to replace some of the wood with wool so that the whole thing was a giant Blaze-man.

"And now, the moment of truth" Ivor muttered, carefully parkoring himself up to the top. Waiting for Magnus and Ellegaard to join him. Reuben was down below, unable to climb the build for risk of falling off. Ivor nodded to Ellegaard, who was nearest the lever. Ellegaard muttered "Here goes nothing" and pulled the switch.

Instantly orange, red, and yellow fireworks burst out of the top, spiraling into the air like fire.

"Dude, that looks way epic!" Magnus crowed "We'll win for sure"

Attention drawn by the sound of cheering, Ivor looked down at the crowd that was gathering around their build "Guys" he hissed "people are looking at us"

"Good build you guys!" Called up the woman who had insulted them earlier. Hadrien however, was staring around him in shock "No way" he growled "It's just a bunch of dyed wool!" looking around, Ivor had just enough time to widen his eyes, before Hadrien whipped around and punched a piece of glass...a piece of glass that was holding lava in it's container. Lava, that spilled out quickly, and set fire...to a certain black and white sheep.

"REUBEN!" Ivor shouted, jumping his way down the blaze-man in time to see Reuben run away into the woods bleating with fear. "Reuben come back"

"It was Hadrien" Magnus snarled, fingers twitching towards his pocket even though Ivor knew he had nothing weapons-related in it. "The lava's getting closer" Ellegaard said, stepping away from it in fear "It's going to burn our fireworks dispenser!" Ivor shook his head, already running into the woods "Leave it, we've got to save Reuben" Magnus ran after him with no hesitation, but Ellegaard stared longingly at their build. After a few seconds though, she too ran after Ivor "We've got your back Ivor"

Chapter Text

The three friends made it roughly five steps into the woods before they found themselves in unfamiliar territory. The woods they lived in were on the other side of the EnderCon Build-Off area, these were the woods that led to Beacon Town.

"I don't see him" Ivor said, the sun was starting to go down, and the trail of smoke that they had been following had vanished into the shadows. Ellegaard lifted her head to the skies, where the moon was just beginning to rise, before whispering "It's night, we need to find him, and fast."

Magnus frowned, and looked around, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a spare torch to light up the area they were standing in. "But these woods are huge, the little guy could have gone anywhere"

Ivor nodded briskly "Then we split up. Cover more ground"

Ellegaard nodded "At midnight, we can meet up at Endercon, the lights of Beacontown can serve as a reference point, so if you get lost, just head in whatever direction seems brightest." Magnus nodded as well, and began walking off towards the hills, taking his torch with him. Ellegaard took out a spare Redstone Torch, and though it wasn't much it at least cast some light onto the ground "Do you have a way to make light? It will be easier to find him if you can see after all"

Ivor shook his head "Reuben was on fire, if I'm holding a torch I might not see the embers." Ellegaard smiled slightly as she said "Alright, be safe Ivor, I'll see you at Endercon" Ivor nodded, and watched the brown haired girl walk away.

Taking a deep breath, Ivor turned and began to walk through the woods. "Reuben?" he called into the silence "Reuben are you there?" maneuvering around a clump of Moss Stone he called out "Reuben, bleat if you can hear me!"

Walking near a stream, Ivor could see smoke rising up on the other side of a giant mushroom, and he raced over. "Reu-" he began, cutting himself off when he realized it was just a tree. Crouching near the stream, Ivor splashed water up onto the tree until it was no longer at risk of burning down the rest of the forest, muttering to himself as he did so. "Reuben MUST have gone this way, which means I'm on the right track." Rising, Ivor dried his hands on his dark blue shirt, and continued along. Emerging into a small clearing where a herd of sheep were grazing, Ivor carefully walked into the herd, calling Reuben's name as he did so. Getting no answer, or possibly just not hearing an answer, Ivor growled and snapped "All sheep but Reuben SHUT UP!"

Being wild sheep and clearly not as smart as his own tamed lamb, the sheep did not listen to Ivor, but instead got louder. If that was even possible. Groaning, Ivor spotted a rustling patch of grass, and quickly ran over to it. Pushing the grass aside hopefully, but sighing as all that did was reveal an extremely frightened ocelot, who burst out of the grass and ran off into the woods.

Nearing a small hill, Ivor maneuvered his way down and called out "Reuben, it's getting really dark" Ivor was just starting to regret not taking a torch from Ellegaard, when a sharp smell filled his nose. The distinct smell of smoke. Racing towards it, Ivor skidded to a stop in front of a smoldering pile of black cloth. "Reuben" Ivor said slowly, pulling the shears out of his bag "Please tell me you aren't in there"

Upon recieving no response, Ivor shuddered and muttered "don't you dare be mutton" as he used the shears to cut open the costume. Sighing with relief, Ivor stomped on the empty costume, and tucked it away into his bag. It would be better to bring it with him than to leave it on the forest floor. Besides, Magnus had worked hard on it, maybe it could be salvaged?

Looking around, Ivor spotted a small cave with a light shining from it. Figuring light in a cave was much better than the openness of night, Ivor headed for it. Dropping into the cave using the dirt pathway, Ivor relaxed slightly now that there was warm torch-light spilling over him and illuminating his surroundings. Peering around, Ivor spotted a small entranceway to a deeper cave, but when he looked in it all he could see were some bats. Sighing, Ivor backed away, and continued through the tunnel, emerging into the night a few minutes later. He was now in a small field, with a mountain on the side he had come from.

Eyes catching on a quivering section of tall grass, Ivor crouched down and walked towards it, gently pushing the grass away to reveal...

"Reuben!" Ivor cried, his voice thick with relief "You're alright" the little lamb was quivering, and his eyes were wide as he stared up at Ivor, but other than that he didn't seem to be hurt. Reaching into the grass, Ivor picked up Reuben and held him for a few minutes. "Come on buddy, let's get to Beacon Town. We've got to hurry if we don't want to run into any-" a low groan cut him off, and Ivor stiffened, turning around to see two zombies lurching out of the cave. Ivor quickly set Reuben down and said "Reuben, run!" he wished he could carry the little guy, but last time he had run while holding Reuben, the black and white sheep's horns had practically shredded his shirt.

The two of them took off, Ivor hanging back to make sure Reuben was at his side. Running through grass and dodging around trees, they came to a stop in another small clearing, where there were some leaves that still had yet to despawn floating up in the air. "I think we're good" he said, turning to look in the direction they had just come from. However, Reuben bleated in terror, and when Ivor turned to look, there was a Creeper crawling towards them. Yelping, Ivor and Reuben took off to the side, so as not to meet the Zombies they had just left behind. Skidding behind a small hill, Ivor bent over slightly, his hands on his knees "I think we're clear" he said between gasps of air.

And of course, only a few seconds later, an arrow lodged itself into the mountain. Ivor jumped back with a cry of terror, turning to see the skeleton that had shot at him quickly drawing another arrow. Yelping, Ivor stumbled to his feet, and began running, shouting in pain as an arrow struck him in the back of his left arm, and his body flashed red. Reuben ran in front of him, helping him up while the skeleton reloaded, and the two kept running, only to find themselves trapped by a huge cliff. "NO!" Ivor shouted, slamming his fists into the rock wall "No, no no" pulling the arrow out as he turned around, Ivor found himself trapped between a wall of stone and a wall of mobs. Reaching into his inventory, Ivor pulled out his wooden sword, and gripped it in both hands, standing protectively between Reuben and the monsters.

Lashing out at a zombie that was starting to get too close, Ivor nodded in determination as the monster flashed red. Slashing his sword along it again, Ivor felt a tiny breath of relief come as the zombie vanished into a poof of smoke, and a piece of rotten flesh began to float on the ground. "Stay behind me Reuben" Ivor said "I won't lose you again" Reuben nodded, and puffed out his chest, trying to look brave.

Focusing on the zombies again, Ivor began to hack away at the monsters. He managed to kill two more Zombies, before his sword splintered in half and poofed out of existence. "NO!" Ivor shouted, backing towards the cliff "Stupid wooden sword" he added with a growl. A spider jumped down from above, causing Ivor to flinch, his leg brushing up against Reuben's spotted fur. Turning around, Ivor scooped up Reuben, holding him tightly "I'm so sorry" he whispered into Reuben's ear, setting him down he said "Listen to me Reuben, run. Run until you get to Beacon Town. Don't look back" Reuben took a step backwards, bleating with a mixture of anger and confusion. "I'll see you there Reuben, I promise. But you need to go, right now" Reuben bleated sadly, and then turned around, running as fast as his hooves could take him.

Turning around, Ivor saw that the monsters were nearly at him. Curling his hands into fists, Ivor waited for the first zombie to get within range before he began punching it, knocking it away slightly with each punch. It took about seven hits, but the zombie finally burst into a cloud of smoke. "Who's next!" Ivor shouted, the monsters having slowed slightly at the sight of a human punching one of their comrades to death, began lurching towards him with renewed energy. Taking another step backwards, Ivor felt his back brush up against the stone wall. Taking a deep breath, Ivor whispered softly "Reuben is safe, that's all that matters" not wanting to watch as monsters ripped him apart, Ivor closed his eyes, and waited for the pain to begin.

And waited...and...waited?

Squeezing an eye open, Ivor found himself staring at a most unusual sight. A male wearing a dark blue jacket with a diamond embroidered on the back was hacking away at the monsters...with an iron pickax. "Gabri-" Ivor began, only to be cut off as the dark-skinned male grabbed onto his arm and dragged Ivor through the woods, calling behind him"We need to get out of the open"

Ivor pulled his hand free, running alongside of his 'friend'. "We're in a forest" he snarled back "How is that in the open?" Gabriel huffed at that, before calling in return "Just keep running"

They had run for about four minutes, before Gabriel had led him underground. The tunnel was straight down, with ladders leading down it, and evenly spaced torches keeping monsters from spawning. Reaching the bottom, Ivor spotted a sign that read 'Fourteen levels above bedrock', and his eyes widened. They were on diamond level. "I want to show you something" Gabriel said slowly, like he wanted to trust Ivor, but wasn't sure he should.

Ivor tilted his head curiously "Oh? What is it?" Gabriel smiled at him, and reached into his inventory bag, which was slightly disheveled from their run. Pulling out a raven black object he said "Have you ever seen...a wither skeleton skull?" Ivor's eyes widened, and he reached a hand out to touch it, running a finger along the pitch black bone. "Fresh from the nether" Gabriel said proudly "you're the first one I've shown it to"

Straightening, Ivor watched as Gabriel carefully put the object away "That's insane Gabriel, you could have been killed!" Gabriel rolled his pale blue eyes with a slight chuckle "No need to worry so much Ivor, I can handle myself you know." nodding his head to indicate Ivor should follow, Gabriel began to walk through the cave. As he followed, Ivor asked "What are you going to do with it?" Gabriel gave him a half-smile "I'm meeting someone at Endercon, they're going to give me a half-stack of blaze rods and a diamond for it"

Ivor's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything, letting the other male continue "Sometimes it pays to be the resident go-getter"

The two walked in silence for a while, before Ivor spoke up. "The guy you're giving the skull to" he said slowly, like he was trying to figure out what he wanted to say "what's his deal?" Gabriel frowned, but answered "He's...a little strange, and to be honest I'm not entirely sure he's all that sane. But everybody's got their thing you know?" Ivor's eyes narrowed "And you never thought to ask him, hey what's with your whole totally-normal-not-weird-at-all skull thing?" Gabriel shrugged "As long as he's willing to pay" he said, like that settled the manner "I earned those blaze rods and diamond"

They walked in silence for another few minutes, each thinking their own thoughts about Gabriel's customer. "Wow" Ivor whispered finally. He didn't mean for Gabriel to overhear, but being in a cave, their words tended to echo around. "Wow what?" Gabriel asked, a note of suspicion in his voice. Ivor shrugged "In a single day, you went to the nether, found a nether fortress, killed enough wither skeletons to get that skull...I mean, I did make a pretty epic statue, but still." he looked at Gabriel, nothing but respect in his gaze "It's pretty sweet being you huh?" Gabriel rubbed the back of his head slightly nervously "You know..." he said slowly "you could come with me" he said it like he wasn't entirely sure of what he was saying, but Ivor didn't even register that. "You want me" he said, jaw practically falling off of his face "to come with you" Gabriel shrugged again "Consider it my charitable act of the day"

Ivor grinned "I'll consider it whatever you want me to consider it, 'long as I get to come" Gabriel halted, and when Ivor looked around he could see a chest, crafting table, and furnace sitting in a small niche in the wall. "You keep a crafting table down here?" Ivor asked curiously. Gabriel nodded "Comes in handy. Since that wooden sword of yours got busted-" "You're giving me a new one?" Ivor cut in hopefully. Gabriel chuckled, and gestured to the chest "Even better. You can make your own. One stick plus two cobble equals one stone sword"

Ivor walked up to the chest and opened it, searching through it's mismatched contents "Just grab what you need" Gabriel added. Ivor nodded, coming up with two cobble in one hand, and a stick in the other. "Hey, is all this stuff yours?" he asked, nodding with his head towards the now closed chest. Gabriel gave him a blank look "No" he said, deadpan "We're stealing from whoever was dumb enough to leave this down here. Of course it's mine!" Ivor's cheeks colored slightly as he faced the crafting table and he muttered "just checking" quickly placing the items in the slots needed to craft a sword, Ivor picked it up, a grin splitting his face. Gabriel smiled "Isn't it better when you make it yourself?" Ivor nodded, placing the sword in his bag.

Gabriel led him out of the cave, it didn't take much longer to reach the outside, which had part of a mineshaft connecting to it. The mineshaft was all lit up, which meant it had already been searched, so Ivor didn't think much of it. Emerging into the night sky in front of a large wooden bridge, Gabriel pointed to Beacon Town, where the lights of Endercon were illuminating the area for at least 50 blocks around. "Check it out" he said "Endercon's all lit up"

However, Ivor wasn't paying attention to the lights. His gaze was focused on a beam of light shooting high into the sky, and changing color every few seconds. "Aw man" he groaned "Harper and the Architects won again" Gabriel sighed "Sorry Ivor. But, you must admit. They did a very good job on their build" Ivor huffed, pushing a strand of hair out of his face "Yeah yeah...I just wanted this to be the year we finally beat them"

"You know..." Gabriel said as the two began to walk again. "Harper might seem a bit...arrogant, but she's come through for me in tricky situations. You might want to get to know her, just in case. She's good at building and redstone, that's for sure. Might be useful to have someone like that around, no matter what you think of them personally." Ivor frowned, but said, with great reluctance "You might be right." "I'm just saying" Gabriel said "If you run into her at Endercon, try talking to her" Ivor rolled his eyes "I don't need a lecture on the power of collaboration Gabriel" he said. Gabriel smiled "How about a lecture on the power of my fists? It's short, but deadly" Ivor chuckled.

They were about half-way across the bridge at this point, when Gabriel said "Remember what Endercon was like before it was cool?" Ivor nodded, then asked "Remember what we were like before we were cool?" Gabriel gave him an odd look "Some of us...will never be cool" he said, causing Ivor to roll his eyes "Ha ha" the pale skinned teen muttered sarcastically.

A sharp hissing cut through the silence, and the two teens froze, staring at the other end of the bridge, where three creepers were steadily making their way closer. Ivor turned around, only to find about twelve zombies lurching out of the cave and onto the other end of the bridge. "This...doesn't look good" Gabriel said, pulling out his pickaxe and gripping it tightly. "There's only one way off of this bridge" Gabriel said, determination filling his voice "Whatever we do, we do it together"

Ivor looked down at the water and said quickly "The only way off this bridge is down" Gabriel nodded, and put away his weapon, instead grabbing hold of Ivor, and jumping off of the bridge, right as the monsters met.

It only took a few seconds to fall, but it felt like hours before Gabriel dived smoothly into the blue river, and Ivor landed face-first, sinking slowly. Surfacing with a gasp, Ivor shouted "IT BURNS!" Gabriel smiled at him "Don't you know?" he said "You dive into the water, you don't land on top of it" Ivor blushed, but didn't say anything, instead he simply tread water. Gabriel shook his head "Pull yourself together" he grumbled "and follow me"

Chapter Text

As the two friends walked into the open gates of Beacon Town, Ivor began to scan the many stalls, searching for any sign of Reuben. "Let me know if you see Reuben" he told Gabriel, worry thick in his voice. Gabriel gave Ivor a reassuring pat on the back "Don't worry Ivor, he's got to be here somewhere" Ivor sighed "I hope you're right" he said, his voice much softer than it typically was.

They walked in silence through the crowded streets for a while, before Gabriel said "When we're making the deal, let me do the talking alright? I don't want anything to screw this up" Ivor shrugged, still subdued about not being able to find Reuben. "Whatever you say" he said, brushing some stray hairs off of his forehead. Gabriel nodded, then added "If you want to be really useful, try looking intimidating, fierce. Then my client will be less suspicious of you" Ivor tilted his head "Like this?" he crossed his arms and scowled in what he probably thought was a fierce manner, but really made him look like he had something stuck between his teeth. Gabriel blinked...and blinked again "Aaannd now I'm less scared of you, and more scared for you" he muttered, rubbing the area between his eyes. Ivor huffed, and let his arms swing by his sides.

"Ivor!" Ivor's head jerked up, his dark blue gaze searching the crowd until he found the source of the shout. Ellegaard and Magnus were running towards them, and as they got closer, Ellegaard caught sight of Gabriel, and her eyes widened "...and Gabriel?" she said slowly. Ivor nodded "We ran into each other while I was looking for Reuben" Magnus sighed before saying "You couldn't find him either huh?" Ellegaard rested a hand on Ivor's shoulder "I'm sorry, we looked everywhere but we couldn't find him"

Ivor sighed, and tilted his head back to look at the full moon, positioned directly above the town. Lowering his head, Ivor said "I found him, and for a while we were headed here together, but then we ran into a monster horde." he shook his head, gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes "I...I told him to run, it was for his own good..." his hands, previously clenched, relaxed as he added in a murmur "I haven't seen him since"

Ellegaard's hand, still clasped on Ivor's shoulder, tightened "Don't worry, we will find him." Ivor nodded slowly, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Turning to Gabriel, Ellegaard asked "What were you doing in the woods?"Gabriel chuckled "Nothing" he said "Just drawn to the sound of Ivor's high pitched screams" Ivor nodded, though not until after he shot a glare at Gabriel "I would have been spider-bait if he hadn't shown up" he admitted with a shrug.

A round of cheering caught their attention, and the group turned to see a group of people surrounding the a fenced in area, where Mevia was standing, a lever next to him, and the recently activated beacon shooting a multi-colored beam of light into the sky. "I gotta admit" Magnus grumbled, glaring daggers at Mevia, who thankfully didn't see. "I'm pretty bummed that they won...again" Ellegaard nodded in agreement with the bald teen and said "I mean, there's no way we were going to let you chase after Reuben on your own but still..." she sighed "It's alright to be a little disappointed...right?"

Magnus, still glowering at Mevia muttered "Or a lot disappointing" Ivor chuckled "Don't worry you two, we'll beat them next year" Ellegaard frowned "I don't know Ivor" she said hesitantly.

"The spirit is willing" Magnus said, finally dragging his gaze away from the blue-haired teen "but the flesh is sad" Gabriel smiled widely and said "Hey, if at first you don't succeed...well then, succeed later than originally planned" glancing upwards, Gabriel turned to Ivor "Ivor, it's time to see about...you know" Ivor's eyes widened slightly, and he nodded quickly. "We'll see you later, alright?" he said to Magnus and Ellegaard. The female smiled and said "That's fine, we were going to poke around anyways." Magnus nodded eagerly, a grin splitting his face "I heard they've got a TNT booth this year!"

As they turned and walked away, Gabriel grabbed Ivor's midnight blue shirt and dragged him towards an alleyway "Hurry" he hissed "We're supposed to meet in the alley"

Ivor walked nervously through the alley. Gabriel was in front of him, leading the way through the dark and rather disturbing passageway. They reached the end, where the only sign of life was a chest underneath a fence that latched onto other fence pieces, which latched onto the walls on either side. Gabriel frowned, and turned around "That's odd" he said slowly "He said the dark, creepy alley close to the gates...maybe he's late"

Ivor frowned, and turned his head to look over his shoulder "Are you sure this is the dark creepy alley he meant?"

Gabriel hummed thoughtfully "I was..." he said. Sighing, he said "Alright, new plan. You stay here in case this is the place he meant, and I'll scout around" as he began to walk away, Ivor could hear him mutter "strange...I've never gotten a meet-up spot wrong before" reaching the end of the alley, Gabriel turned and called back "If he does show, stall for me. I'll be back in a few minutes" Ivor nodded, and Gabriel vanished into the mist.

Turning towards the chest again, Ivor walked towards it, and crouched down to open it. He had just placed a hand on the lid, when someone cleared their throat behind him. Flinching, Ivor whirled around and straightened. A man emerged from the darkness, a man with shoulder-length caramel hair, dark forest green eyes, and a black cloak that covered a royal blue robe with a golden belt. "And just who are you?" he asked, green gaze searching Ivor from head to toe.

Ivor tried to answer, but found himself unable to, just staring at the man as a chill of terror shivered down his back. When he didn't answer, the man scowled "I'm meeting with a young man named Gabriel, tell me where he is or-"

"I'm with Gabriel" Ivor blurted, causing the man to arch a brow "Oh?" he said, and Ivor nodded "He's not here, but he'll be back soon!" The man growled, raising a hand to push it through his hair. "I suppose I have waited this long, a few minutes more will not hurt. But you had better not be lying" he shifted his cloak to reveal a glinting iron sword.

"Jesse" Gabriel's voice sounded from the darkness, as the black haired teen emerged from the shadows, nodding at the cloaked man. "About time" the man, Jesse, growled. "Your 'friend' here is not the most informative company." Gabriel shot Ivor a hard look, before turning his gaze back to Jesse and saying "I'm sorry. I left Ivor here while I went looking for you." Changing the subject he added "I've got what you asked for" Ivor nodded quickly and put in "If you've got what you promised us" causing Gabriel to groan, and rub the space between his eyes. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

Jesse's eyes narrowed further "You never said anything about an 'us' before, and I don't like to be surprised" he eyed Ivor warily "If these are the sorts of people you associate with, perhaps we should call the whole thing off" Gabriel shook his head quickly "My friend is fine, right Ivor" he added the last part with a glare at Ivor. "There's no problem here" Gabriel continued, turning back to Jesse "no need to be hasty. This is just a misunderstanding"

Ivor shrugged, but didn't say anything. Jesse hummed "Proceed then"

Gabriel nodded, reaching into his pack and pulling out the Wither Skull once again. Handing it over to Jesse, who accepted it eagerly, turning it so as to inspect it. "I'll take my pay now" Gabriel said.

Jesse nodded, and pointed to the chest underneath the fence-posts "Take it, you've earned it"

Gabriel and Ivor both turned to the chest, but it was Gabriel that crouched down, pulled it out from under the fence, and pushed it open.

He and Ivor both proceeded to stare in stunned silence for about half a minute. "Umm...those aren't diamonds, or blaze rods" he said, as Gabriel pulled out the contents "No, it's lapis and a half-stack of sticks!" shoving the items back in the chest, Gabriel slammed the lid down and got to his feet, absolutely livid. Pulling out his iron pick, Gabriel whirled around to face...an empty alley. Gabriel let out a growl of annoyance "Of all the underhanded tricks to pull..." he shook his head and ran out of the alley, his pale blue gaze already scanning the crowd for his target "I can't believe I let that guy get one over on me" Gabriel added with a growl.

"Then let's hunt him down" Ivor said, standing next to his friend, his own dark blue searching the mass of people. Gabriel nodded in determination. "I'm either getting that diamond, or I'm getting my skull back" he said. Ivor nodded, and clenched his hands into fists "Or we make him pay, right?" Gabriel didn't answer, instead he began to lead the way into the crowd. "Split up" Gabriel said "Find him" Ivor nodded, and turned around, taking off in the direction of the Keynote building.

As he got closer, a huge group of people suddenly flocked to a side gate, where a redhead wearing golden armor with diamond blue highlights was walking into Endercon. "There she is!" someone shouted "Petra! Petra!" the crowd seemed to chant. People were shoving over eachother to try and get close, but before they could, a huge blond male with a blindingly bright blue shirt blocked them. "Step aside please" the blond said, causing Ivor to sigh and turn away while the people begged to get in. Walking around for a few more minutes, he spotted Harper, and remembering Gabriel's words from earlier, he made his way towards the long haired girl. "Hey" he said in greeting, causing Harper to look up at him. The brown-wearing woman smiled "Hey" she said in return, a small smile on her face, before she looked down at the ground "I'm sorry you guys didn't win this year. Your build was pretty amazing, you know...before it burned down."

Ivor crossed his arms "You know, that stunt your friend pulled really hurt my lamb." Harper sighed "Yeah, I had nothing to do with that"

"He's still missing" Harper winced at that, and said, her voice sincere "I'm sorry. I hope you find him."

The two stood in awkward silence, before Ivor said "Hey, have you seen a creepy guy with long hair and a black cloak wandering around here?" Harper frowned, and tilted her head back, thinking. Finally she shook her head "I haven't, why?" Ivor's fingers tapped on his pant leg "He kinda scammed Gabriel out of a diamond and some blaze rods earlier." Harper's eyes widened in shock "Really? I thought everyone knew you don't mess with Gabriel. Not if you know what's good for you." She smiled at Ivor "I'll keep a look out for him...and your pet sheep"

Ivor's gaze met hers "Really?" and Harper nodded. "I'm really sorry about Hadrien, I want to make it up to you. Looking for your lamb is the least I can do"

"Thank you" Ivor said, and Harper nodded "Of course" Ivor smiled at her "See you later then" he said, turning and walking away.

Ivor wandered Endercon for a few minutes, before he came across Magnus, who was doubled over laughing at a strange contraption with a giant wool chicken built over it. As Ivor got closer, he could see somewhat how it worked. Chickens who were inside would climb around in it, step on a pressure plate, and fall back down to the ground. "Thought you could wiggle out of that trap did you?" Magnus crowed, clearly having the time of his life. "Well, wiggle as much as you want, you're not going anywhere!"

"Magnus, listen up" Ivor said, causing his friend to half turn his head. "Any chance you've seen a creepy, cloak-y guy anywhere near here?" Magnus shook his head briefly, before turning back to the chicken machine. "Nah, Gabe told me what happened, I'm keeping a look out for him." Ivor arched a brow and crossed his arms. Magnus blushed slightly "Ok, so mayybe I got a little distracted. It's just, this thing pushes all my buttons. unnecessarily complicated and mean to birds for no reason! The only thing its missing is some TNT!"

Ivor sighed, and shook his head. Then he asked "Have you seen Reuben? I was hoping he made it to town while I was with Gabriel." Magnus shook his head "Haven't seen hide nor hair of him" he said, emerald green eyes practically glued to the machine. But I'm sure he's fine, he's a toughie"

"Magnus" stressed Ivor. Magnus sighed, and said "Alright, alright. I'll keep looking...right after I watch one more chicken get owned"

Ivor rolled his eyes, and turned around to search the crowd. His gaze landed on a figure who was walking with their back towards him, they weren't wearing a black cloak, but their outfit looked a lot like the one Jesse had been wearing. Their hair was also the same rich caramel brown, and fell at the figure's shoulders. "I've got you now" Ivor growled. He began to walk after the figure, only to be stopped by a white haired teen with purple sunglasses stepping in front of him.

"Well, if it isn't team trashbag" Hadrien purred, leaning forwards slightly. "How's your stupid lamb? I hear intense heat causes brain damage"

At those words, Ivor's gaze turned into a stormy glare, and he grabbed hold of Hadrien's shoulders, pushing him into a nearby wall. "I don't know when" he hissed "I don't know how, but someday, far into the future, when you're least expecting it, I will get my revenge" Hadrien ducked away, holding up his hands in defense "Whoah, easy there champ, I was was just kidding!" Ivor pushed past him, paused, and looked over his shoulder "I wasn't" he growled, before walking away.

Leaving Hadrien behind, Ivor followed the figure until he came close enough to grab them by the shoulder "What do you think yo-" he cut himself off as the figure turned, revealing not Jesse, but a woman with wide blue eyes and a golden hair pin. "Excuse me?" she snapped. Ivor flinched backwards, pulling his hand away "I'm sorry" he stammered "I..I thought you were-"

"Get away from me!" the woman snapped. Ivor took a step backwards "I said sorry" he muttered to the woman's retreating form. Ivor stood there, frozen for a few minutes, until the sound of terrified bleating broke him out of his silent trance. "Reuben?" Ivor called "Reuben is that you?" looking around, the only lamb Ivor could see was a giant wool one where a butcher was calling out to the crowd. "Mutton! Get yer mutton, fresh from the bone!"

Walking closer to the stall Ivor watched in horror as the butcher reached underneath the counter and picked up a trembling black and white form, setting him onto the counter. "Nothing sticks to your ribs like a nice juicy piece o' mutton" the butcher called, pulling a stone axe out of the blood-spattered bag at his side. "REUBEN!" Ivor shouted, racing forwards, causing the butcher to freeze, axe in the air, ready to slice down on the lamb. "What's the big idea?" the butcher said, genuinely confused. "I'm tryin' to run a business here"

"That's my lamb" Ivor said, reaching out and petting Reuben's head. The butcher arched a brow "Oh? Well I found him wandering the woods, so I say that makes 'im my lamb" the butcher chuckled "'es not the fattest sheep in the world, but 'e should cook up real nice."

"He's my friend" Ivor tried, angling his free hand towards his bag, just in case.

"To me, he's inventory" the man said "But...I might be amenable to some sort of trade..." the butcher scanned Ivor "Not that you look like you've got much on you, but if he's that importa-" the butcher froze as Ivor whipped out his sword and pointed the sharp end at the man's throat. "Give. Me back. my sheep" Ivor growled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. The butcher held up his hands, dropping the axe to the ground "Alright, alright" the man said "take it, no lamb's worth injury"

Ivor nodded, sheathing his sword, and picking up Reuben in one smooth movement. Reuben bleated happily, and the pair walked away. Setting Reuben down once the stall was out of sight, Ivor crouched down in front of the lamb and said "I'm sorry. I never should have let you go off on your own." Reuben bleated, and looked away.

The two rounded a corner, and Ivor's gaze immediately snapped onto the form of Jesse. Definitely Jesse this time, his face was turned towards them, but only briefly as he turned away again and continued on. Pushing through the crowd, it didn't take long to lose the man. However, he did find Ellegaard. Tapping her shoulder, Ivor quickly said "remember that thing I had to do with Gabriel?" Ellegaard nodded, but didn't say anything. "Long story short, we met up with this guy, he cheated us out of a diamond, oh and some blaze rods, and now we're trying to track him down. You in?"

Ellegaard nodded "Oh I'm in alright"

"Any sign of him?" Gabriel asked, walking up from behind Ivor with Magnus at his side. Ivor shook his head "I thought I saw him earlier, but it was just a false alarm" scanning the crowd, Ivor jumped slightly and pointed "There!" the others all followed where he was pointing, and saw Jesse climbing the stairs to the Keynote building.

"Looks like he's heading towards the hall" Ivor said, dropping his hand back down to his side. Gabriel frowned, and nodded his head towards the usher "We're going to have to get past the usher in order to get in"

The four humans and one lamb walked up to the blond man and Ivor took point "So...what would it take for us to get inside tonight?" the usher arched a brow at them "Uh...tickets" he said, before laughing like he's just made a hilarious joke.

Ivor rubbed the back of his head "We uh...we had tickets, but then we lost them" The usher hummed "Bummer dude" but didn't say anything after that. The six of them stood in awkward silence, until a chicken that had apparently beaten the man's machine walked over, clucking. The usher shrieked at such a high octave, it should have broken all the glass in Endercon. "CHIICKEEEEN!" he shrieked "Chicken!Chicken!" he proceeded to do this until the chicken tilted its head at him, and flapped away.

"It's gone" the usher said, though mostly to himself "It's totally fine, you're a totally cool dude."

Ivor exchanged a glance with Gabriel, and the group walked out of hearing distance. "We have to do something" Ellegaard said, her 'thoughtful' face on. Magnus frowned "Like what?" he asked "The show's been sold out for months!"

Ivor turned, and looked around. His gaze latched onto the chicken machine, which was a lot closer than he had thought. "The usher is afraid of chickens" he said slowly. Gabriel frowned, and was about to ask Ivor what he meant by that, until he saw where Ivor was looking, and he grinned. "A lot of chickens might be enough of a distraction to get us inside" he said.

Ellegaard frowned, studying the machine "You'd have to break that pane of glass" she said, pointing to a very specific point, rather high up in the machine. "How are you going to reach it?"

"Let's look around" Gabriel said "There's got to be something around here we can use" The group split up, Magnus and Gabriel walking towards a booth that seemed to be selling fireworks, Ellegaard walking closer to the machine to inspect it, to see if there was an easy way to the glass, and Ivor wandered a bit farther, having spotted a man bouncing up and down. Ivor hummed thoughtfully. Now that he was closer, he could see that the man was bouncing up and down on a slime block "I bet I could use some slime to reach the glass" he muttered to himself. Walking up to the booth, only to realize that the woman inside was the one he had encountered earlier, when he thought she was Jesse. "Oh" he said nervously, rubbing the back of his head "We...we meet again" if looks could kill, Ivor should have exploded into dust.

Coughing, Ivor said "One slime block please" the woman rolled her eyes "We don't give out slime blocks here, just slime balls. We've got limited supplies today, so we're only giving out two per customer. If you had nine slime balls, you could craft your own slime block." Ivor nodded at what she was saying, and since she was still glaring, he decided to say "I'm really sorry about before. I thought you were someone else." the woman tilted her head, part of her hair falling over her left eye "Apology accepted" she decided.

Before Ivor could say anything else, Magnus's voice broke in "A round of slime balls for everyone please!"

Once they had gotten their slime, the group walked over to a crafting table that had been set down near a mask booth. "Wait, this is only eight" Ivor said, mentally counting "We need one more to make a block" Gabriel frowned "We need a way to get one more" Magnus grinned "On it!" he said, and Ellegaard nodded. The two took off in separate directions. Ivor however looked at the mask booth, wondering if he could get a mask, put it on, and pretend to be someone else in order to get more slime.

As he was about to do that however, a gloved hand tossed a slime ball into the air, catching both it, and Ivor's attention. Realizing the owner was Harper, Ivor took a deep breath and walked over "Hey Harper" he said, getting the black haired girl's attention. "Can you do me a favor?" Harper arched a brow "Anythings possible" she said slowly

Ivor rubbed the back of his head "I need slime balls, I swear I have a really good reason" Harper looked behind Ivor as Gabriel, Magnus, and Ellegaard all came up behind him, Ellegaard clutching a piece of paper that had hastily scribbled calculations on it. "Whatever you all are up to" Harper said, holding her slime ball out for Ivor to take "count me in"

Gabriel smiled "Thank you Harper" as Ivor turned to the crafting table, tuning everyone out while he placed the slime balls down, he was pretty sure Gabriel added "I told you she was useful"

As he placed the last slime ball, Ivor took a step back so that the balls could tremble, before merging together into a gooey green block. "Tada!" he said, a hint of a chuckle in his voice "One slime block" his smile fell as he looked it over, and he added "Gross"

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, and took the block from the crafting table. Looking over her paper, she set the block down halfway between the mask booth and the chicken machine. "It's all you Ivor" she said, taking a step backwards. Ivor nodded, and with a boost from Magnus and Gabriel, he got to the top of the mask booth. Backing up, Ivor ran along the top of the booth, before jumping right as he reached the end, landing with his feet square on the slime block, before catapulting upwards towards the machine. Reaching the edge of the machine, Ivor grabbed onto the small ledge so he wouldn't go flying to the ground, and he used his head to smash through the glass, before dropping down carefully, flashing red briefly as he landed. Instantly, chickens began swarming out of the machine.

"My precious poultry!" the owner of the booth cried, and the usher let out another ear-splitting shriek "EVERYONE!" the usher shouted "Keep your eyes closed, they'll peck out your eyes!"

"Now's our chance" Gabriel said, after Ivor ran back to them.

Together the five friends raced through the open gate and up the stairs towards the massive white domed building.

Chapter Text

As Ivor and Reuben led the way into the building, Gabriel, Ellegaard, Harper, and Magnus carefully filed in behind him. "Where did he go?" Gabriel growled, his hands clenched into fists as he glared at the few people who were inside. The Keynote had yet to start so the building wasn't that full, but judging from the amount of people outside, it looked like the minute Petra stepped onto the stage, the room was going to be jam-packed full of people who had payed the five diamond ticket fee before the disappointed people outside the fence. Well...it would be full of the people who had payed, plus four people and a lamb that had broken in.

Ivor scanned the room, and his eyes latched on a swinging oak door in a side hall "There" he said, nodding at it. Picking up Reuben so that he wouldn't be lost again, Ivor led the way through the semi-crowded room over to the door. As they reached it, Harper reached out and placed a hand on Ivor's shoulder "Wait" she said, causing Ivor to turn half-way in order to face her. "What do we do once we catch him?" the black haired female asked. "There are a hundred ways to play this, but...this isn't my fight. I'll follow your lead."

"Whatever it takes" Ivor said instantly, his voice calm and steady. Harper tilted her head slightly, but nodded. "You're way more intense than I gave you credit for Ivor" she said, pulling her hand back. Ivor frowned, and arched a brow, but when Harper didn't make a move to explain, Ivor just shrugged and turned to Gabriel "Ready?" Gabriel nodded, pale blue eyes glinting in the glowstone lights. "Ready" he said, voice firm.

Ivor nodded, and turned back to the door. Setting Reuben down, Ivor carefully turned the knob and pushed the door open, revealing a flight of stone stairs.

Reaching the bottom of what had to have been at least 64 blocks down from their start point, the five people fanned out slightly in front of the stairs, Reuben standing behind Ivor. "See him?" Ivor whispered, and after a few, tense, moments, Gabriel finally responded "He must have gone out a different way"

Relaxing slightly, Ivor took his first real look at their surroundings, and tilted his head curiously. The six of them were standing at the entranceway of a massive library, covered in cobwebs, and with potions sitting on nearly every clear surface. Ellegaard stared at the maze of bookshelves and muttered "What is this?"

Ivor tilted his head, and pointed to a wall of chests. "Looks like it used to be the basement...weird place for a hideout"

Gabriel peered around the room and said "I'll bet you anything we'll find my skull down here" Magnus wandered over towards a lone chest that had a potion on top if it. Staring at the soft pink liquid, the bald male called over his shoulder "And if we find anything else cool to steal along the way...so be it, right?" he leaned back to get a good look at a redstone lamp that was hanging from several fence-posts. A grin split his face as his fingers twitched slightly upwards.

Gabriel frowned "That is not what we are here to do Magnus" he said warningly. Ivor however traced his hand along a bookshelf and said "I did say we should do whatever we have to" he said musingly, his eyes catching a book titled 'Hybrid'. The author's name was partially rubbed off, but he could see the first part which read 'Ariza L'.

Magnus's smile widened "And if the guy's not around, then what we have to do, is steal!" Ellegaard frowned at him "I don't think that's what Ivor meant" Gabriel nodded "I don't want to stoop to his level" Magnus huffed, and dragged his attention away from the Nether Wart growing in the corner. "But isn't that the best way to get back at him?"

Ivor hummed, and continued to scan the books, finding one titled '2293' by someone called Raintag, seated next to a book entitled 'Execution Warrants' by the same author. "I say take whatever you want" the black haired teen called, gaining a frown aimed in his direction from Gabriel "Ivor" the dark skinned man said warningly. Ivor held up his hands in defense "Hey, he stole from us, we should be able to steal from him and not feel bad about it" Walking away from the bookshelves and towards a chest he added "Now come on, the sooner we find the skull the sooner we can get out of here"

It took about five minutes for Gabriel to give in and start searching chests. Ivor came upon him pulling out a shining golden sword. Gabriel swung the sword, causing Ivor to take a nervous step back. Gabriel frowned, and rested the blade in the palm of his hand. "Too heavy" he said with dissapointment "And too soft" Ivor shrugged "but super flashy" he offered. Gabriel chuckled, then tilted his head at Ivor "Do you still have that one stone sword?" Ivor nodded "Yeah, I had to use to to threaten some jerk butcher" Gabriel nodded, swung the sword again, though thankfully away from Ivor this time, before placing it carefully into his bag. Ivor arched a brow "I thought it was too heavy, too soft?" he said curiously. Gabriel chuckled "Yes, but it is quite flashy, as you said"

Leaving Gabriel to his own devices, Ivor wandered around the room until he found Magnus. "Find anything?" the black haired teen asked. Magnus grinned, and started pointing around the room. "I want to steal that" a soft golden potion "and that" a golden apple hanging from an item frame. "And I just want to touch that" he pointed at a mushroom that was sitting on a patch of dirt. Ivor rolled his eyes, and in doing so, caught sight of a glowing purple potion. Walking towards it, he bent down so that it was directly in front of his face. "Look at this" he said, watching the liquid churn and bubble of it's own accord.

Magnus walked up behind him, and stared at the potion bottle. "You're not gonna believe this" the green wearing male said "But I swear I had a dream about this. Okay potion, I know this is a big step, but...I would be honored if you would come home with me" Ivor blinked at him, and when he made no move to stop Magnus, the bald teen grinned and reached out, grabbing the potion and tucking it away into his inventory bag.

Ivor frowned "He's going to know his fancy potion is missing" he pointed out. Magnus scoffed, and said "Oh ye of little faith." walking over to a shelf, he picked up another purple potion, although this one wasn't glowing, and set it down where the potion had been "A good thief always covers his tracks."

Ivor rolled his eyes "The perfect crime" he muttered. Spotting Ellegaard looking at some bookshelves, Ivor wandered over to her. "Find anything interesting?" Ellegaard turned to look at him over her shoulder and said "Well, whoever this guy is, he's no slouch at enchanting. This is some pretty advanced stuff" she traced a hand along a glowing purple book and said "This one is labeled Sharpness five, Fire Aspect two."

As Ellegaard continued to look over the books, Ivor turned to Reuben. "Hey Reuben, find any clues?" the little lamb bleated and sniffed at the ground, stamping his hooves against the cracked stone brick floor. "Do you smell something?" but Reuben just bleated again and walked over to a chest that had a item frame with a piece of wheat over it.

Chuckling, Ivor shook his head slightly, and then turned to look at Harper. The young woman, like Ellegaard, was looking over the bookshelves. "Find anything?" he asked. Harper chuckled slightly "Unless you want to learn how to build a lair with everyday objects, then no" Ivor sighed "Just...keep looking. There's got to be something useful here" Harper nodded, and put away the book she had in her hand.

Turning back towards Reuben, Ivor watched as the lamb jumped onto the chest and lifted his front hooves up so that they were resting on a gap in the wall. Bleating, the lamb poked his head into the hole and pulled it back out covered in dust and small, glowing specks of...redstone?

"What have you found?" Ivor whispered, walking over to Reuben and peering into the hole. Finding himself staring at a lever, Ivor did the obvious thing. He reached in and pulled it.

The instant the switch was pulled, the ground began to shake, and pistons began to move, their unmistakable sound echoing through the room, pulling away bookshelves to reveal a chest and a very strange structure. A strange, glowing orange block with a white middle, surrounded by dark gray blocks that looked like they had screaming faces on them.

Aware of the others walking up behind him, Ivor approached the strange sand-like blocks "What is this stuff?" he asked, reaching a hand out to touch it, and when he pulled his fingers away they were covered in the strange gray sand. "Soul Sand" Gabriel answered, nodding at the pale blocks. "It was everywhere in the Nether. But I'm not sure what that is" he added, nodding at the orange block. "I've never seen one of these before" Ellegaard said, reaching out and hovering her hand just above the strange block. "If i could just..." her eyes widened and she cut herself off "Do you feel that?" she asked Ivor, who's hands were the closest beside her own "It's...pulsing"

"It's glowing too" Magnus noted "How do you think it's doing that?"

Ivor shook his head, and placed his hand on Ellegaard's "Don't touch it Ellie, we don't know what it does"

Ellegaard nodded, and pulled her hand back "You never know" she said "It could blow up on contact, like TNT with fire."

"Don't forget what we're here for" Gabriel said "Find that skull!" the others nodded, and went back off the platform. Ivor however turned his gaze towards the chest that had appeared when the lever had been pulled. Walking over to it, he pushed it open and stared at its contents. "So..." he called over his shoulder, gaining attention of the others "Good news, weird news" as the others reached him and began to peer into the chest, Ivor said "Good news, I found the skull, weird news..." he trailed off, leaning back from the chest so that they could all see the two Wither skulls sitting carefully inside.

"What the hell?" Ivor turned to stare at Gabriel, who only swore when he was absolutely livid, which he definitely was now. "Why did I risk my life for that skull if he's already got two?" Harper spoke up, causing the others to turn towards her "Three wither skulls?" she said slowly, her face pale and her eyes wide "Soul sand?" she turned towards the structure "That's...the recipe for a Wither." Gabriel paled, all fury drained from his face "A wither, but that's..." he trailed off, unable to finish. Harper nodded "One of the worst monsters there is" she said, her face nearly as pale as his.

Ivor rose to his feet, leaving the chest wide open "We came down here to find the skull" he said "Well, we found it. Question is, what do we do now?"

Gabriel shook his head slightly "We take one of these, and get out of here as fast as we can. We need to warn someone, anyone, before he gets his hands on another" But before they could do anything, the sound of footsteps on stone rang through the room. "Scatter!" Harper hissed

Pausing only to flip the switch, Ivor dove between a double chest and a bookshelf. From his hiding place, he could watch the entrance through a small slit in the books, and any hope he might have had that it wasn't Jesse was squashed like a chicken under sand as the brown haired man entered the small room. The man was muttering to himself, something about 'surprises' and 'recognition' before his eyes lit up "Thought I was dead, didn't you" he practically purred "Yes, that's it." reaching up to his neck, Jesse unclasped his cloak, and carefully set it on an armor stand, revealing his neck, and the lightning bolt shaped scar that sliced neatly across it. "I want her to see just exactly the result of her handiwork" Jesse growled, reaching a hand up to trace the scar.

Ivor watched as Jesse moved about the room, thankfully not seeing any of the others hidden carefully through the room, although he almost saw Reuben at one point. Walking past the potion stand that had the fake fancy potion on it, Jesse knelt down in front of the double chest that Gabriel had taken the sword from. Before he could realize anything was missing however, the sound of a glass bottom smashing onto the ground and breaking open sounded through the room. Jesse snapped to his feet, whirling around and grabbing the iron sword that was still hanging from his side "Who's there?" he shouted, stalking towards the orange swirly things rising from the ground where the bottle had fallen.

Before Jesse could discover whoever had knocked the potion off of the shelf, Ivor leaped out of his hiding place "Hey!" he shouted, brows drawn together in determination. Jesse whirled around, mouth dropping open out of shock. "What are you doing here?" he asked, then his eyes widened further, though that shouldn't have been possible, and he hissed "What did you see?"

"Leave him alone" Gabriel said, emerging from a side-closet. Magnus emerged from underneath a shelf, and Harper and Ellegaard came around bookshelves. "You two" Jesse snarled, glaring between Gabriel and Ivor. "Did you follow me here?" Gabriel crossed his arms "You thought you could screw us over and get away with it did you?" he said, completely ignoring Jesse's question.

"We're here to prove you wrong buddy" Magnus chimed in, but Jesse barked a laugh "What do you think you're going to do about it?" he asked, a slightly maniac smile splitting his face "I have what I wanted, you got exactly what you earned. Now, get out before I force you out myself."

Ivor took a step closer, and Jesse took a partial step back. "We know what you're doing down here" Ivor said, his voice dangerously low. Soul sand and wither skulls? You're crafting a Wither!"

Jesse gave Ivor an odd look "Smarter than you look" he mused. Magnus narrowed his eyes "Hey!" he snarled "Watch what you say about my friends"

Jesse just rolled his eyes "Enough" he said, straightening up "You've wasted enough of my time already" though Ivor was expecting it, he wasn't quite fast enough to grab hold of the blue and gold cloak as Jesse suddenly took off towards the part of the room that displayed four iron blocks, one atop another with one hanging out of two of its sides. "If you won't leave of your own volition" Jesse said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a pumpkin. "I'll happily remove you myself" Placing the pumpkin on top of the iron block that was in the middle top, Ivor and his friends began to back up slightly as the formation began to shudder.

With a poof of smoke, the statue transformed into an Iron Golem, and its blood red eyes bored into the group. "Show our friends the door, will you?" Jesse said with a purr. Grabbing hold of Reuben, Ivor took off for the door, yelping as the golem just barely missed him. Not bothering to look behind him as he ran, Ivor prayed that the footsteps he could hear behind him were the footsteps of all four of the others.

Chapter Text

Bursting out of the basement, Ivor led the others into the massive crowd of people who were gathering to listen to the announcers up on stage. Mingling into the crowd, Ivor could hear what the announcers were saying "And now, for the first time ever at Endercon, we are proud to present, the Warrior of the Order of the Stone herself, give it up for PETRA!"

As a redheaded woman stepped into the circle of light, Ivor and his friends regrouped at the back of the crowd "Is everyone alright?" Ivor hissed, keeping his voice quiet so as not to disturb the people who were blissfully unaware of the monster being created downstairs. Ellegaard looked around the group, paled, and looked them over again "Where's Harper?" she asked, keeping her voice low as well. Ivor paled as well as he looked into the crowd and failed to see the brown wearing female. "I thought she was right behind me" Ivor said slowly.

Magnus picked at the edges of his dark green hoodie "Uh, if she's not up here, then that means she's down there" Ivor and the others all turned to look towards the oak door, closed and blending into the shadows. "Jesse's got an Iron Golem, and all the ingredients to build a Wither town there" Gabriel said, turning his head to look over the huge group of people who were cheering at whatever Petra had just said. "If he unleashes it on this crowd of people..." he shook his head, unable to finish "We need to act quickly."

"It just so happens" Ellegaard said slowly, her dark amber eyes trained on the stage "that the greatest warrior of all time is in the building. We should ask Petra for help, it's the best way to save Harper" Gabriel nodded "She is quite tough, she can hold out until we get Petra on our side"

Ivor shook his head "You guys get Petra, I'm going after Harper myself."

Gabriel frowned "Are you sure Ivor?"

Ivor turned so that he was facing the door to the basement "I'm sure. You all focus on getting Petra, I'll be back, with Harper, as soon as I can."

Tiptoeing down the stairs took a lot longer than normal walking, but since he didn't want the Iron Golem to hear him Ivor was going for the stealth approach. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Ivor peered carefully around the room. Not seeing the golem, Ivor began to creep into the room. "Harper" Ivor hissed "Can you hear me?" walking further into the room, he added "even though I'm whispering?"

"Ivor?" Harper's voice hissed back. Head snapping towards the direction, Ivor watched as Harper lifted the lid of the chest he had hidden behind earlier. "Is that you?" Ivor nodded, and gestured for her to get out and come towards him. Harper pushed the lid higher, then gasped, and ducked back down. Ivor frowned, and turned his head towards where she had been looking, and gasped, ducking behind a bookshelf and narrowly avoiding being spotted by the Iron Golem, which was wandering through the library.

A few minutes later, as soon as the coast was clear, Ivor leaned out again and hissed "Are you alright?" Harper's chuckle could be heard, muffled, through the chest, and the lid cracked open enough to reveal her eyes "It's ah...Well, I can't say it's the best spot I've ever been. Any bright ideas?" Ivor nodded, his face hard "I'm going to go in swinging" he said.

Harper's eyes narrowed skeptically "With what?" Ivor drew his stone sword, and Harper gave him a glare "Don't. You. Dare" Ivor groaned, but sheathed his sword. Peering around the bookshelf he was hiding behind to watch the Iron Golem, Ivor picked up a potion that was resting on a shelf next to him, and hurled it on the opposite side of the room. The Iron Golem's head swung towards the noise, and lumbered in that direction. "Now Harper!" Ivor snapped "Run!"

Harper leapt out of the chest and half ran half stumbled towards the stairs.

Narrowly avoiding the Iron Golem's swinging arms as it chased them, Ivor ducked at the same time Reuben turned around and head-butted the creature in its chest. Trotting back to Ivor's side as the golem fell to its back, Ivor grinned and rubbed Reuben's head "Thanks bud" he said, before turning to chase after Harper who was already half-way up the stairs. Once they were high enough that the golem, too wide to fit in the stairwell, couldn't reach them, the three slowed to a walk. "Thanks for coming back for me" Harper said softly. "I wasn't sure that anyone would."

Ivor smiled slightly at her "No one left behind"

As Harper and Ivor emerged from the basement stairs, Ivor's dark blue gaze instantly honed in on Magnus, standing at the back of the crowd, and talking as loudly as he could without shouting.

"I cannot be any clearer!" the bald male was saying "Weird, guy, doing weird stuff!" besides him, Ellegaard had her face in her palm and was shaking her head, and Gabriel was sidling into the crowd like he didn't want to be associated with Magnus.

"Freaky with a side of strange!" Magnus continued, as Harper and Ivor walked close enough to see Petra's confused, and slightly tired expression. "Why won't you listen to me?" Magnus added "What, do you want me to tell you charades style?"

"I promise you" Petra said, rubbing the space between her eyes with one hand, while the other hand rested on her hip. "That is the LAST thing I want you to do"

"Four words!" Magnus said anyways, holding up one hand with his thumb bent across his palm "Six syllables, rhymes with Scmonster in the Smasement"

Petra's hand went from between her eyes to covering her entire face. "Next" the redhead called through her palm.

"Wait-" Ellegaard tried to say something, anything, but a new, chillingly familiar voice rang through the room.

"I have a question" Ivor paled, and turned his head towards the raised hand that was connected to a brown haired figure in the back of the crowd, that was steadily moving forwards."

"Just tell me first" Jesse said "Do you truly believe anyone can be great?" Petra tilted her head, as though she didn't understand the question, but she answered "With enough hard work, yeah"

"So that was where I went wrong" Jesse snarled, pushing people out of his way so that his face was in full view of Petra "I simply didn't work hard enough?"

Petra looked like she was going into shock "Jesse?" she whispered, eyes wide and jaw nearly unhinged "Jesse is that...is that you?"

Jesse's head tilted slightly to the side and he said with no little smirk "Thought I was dead, didn't you" he said, gesturing to the scar that was fully visible without his cloak "Well you thought wrong"

"That's the guy that attacked us in the basement!" Ivor shouted, but Petra seemed unable to move, unable to speak, as she stared at the brown haired man.

"Why don't you tell them the real story Petra" Jesse snarled, dusting off his cloak as he climbed up the three steps to the stage. "Jesse" the redhead said "Jesse, I...I didn't want to, you have to know that"

"What is she talking about?" Ellegaard whispered, and Ivor shook his head "I have no clue"

"Whether you wanted to or not, you still did it" Jesse snapped, crossing his arms. "Now then, these people were promised greatness, and I'm ready to deliver."

Walking over to the edge of the stage where a lever sat ontop of a red concrete beam, Jesse turned his head so that his gaze met Petra's "I am sorry that this is how they must learn the truth"

"Petra, you've got to stop him!" Magnus shouted, as Jesse pulled the lever and pistons began firing. Part of the floor pulled away and the soul sand, strange orange block, and two wither skulls emerged out of the floor.

"Nothing built can last forever Petra" Jesse said, quoting the book 'Legend of the Order'. Reaching into his bag, Jesse pulled out the final Wither Skull, and Petra finally moved "Jesse no!" she shouted, lunging forwards.

But it was too late, the skull had already been placed on top of the middle block, and with an explosion that knocked Petra and Jesse away, the Wither came to life.

Jesse got to his feet first, a maniac grin splitting his face as he shouted "Wither, Attack!"

The block in the middle glowed brighter, and the monster began shooting out flaming wither skulls at the people, who, understandably, were running away screaming in terror.

Petra seemed to have snapped out of the shock of seeing Jesse, and her brows narrowed "Everyone remain calm" she shouted over the screams "This foul beast is no match for me" she drew her sword and would likely have charged while the Wither was still distracted, but Jesse snarled "Wither, Attack!" this time pointing at Petra. The orange block glowed brightly again, and all three of the monster's heads turned to face Petra.

With a shout, the Warrior lunged forwards, slashing at the orange block with her enchanted sword. For a half-second the beast caught on fire, but it quickly recovered, letting out an inhuman screech and shooting flaming skulls at Petra, who tried to knock them away with her sword, only to end up with her sword clattering to the ground, and herself flashing red.

"What have you done?" Petra wheezed out, one hand over her ribcage, while the other she used to push herself to her feet.

"Petra!" Ivor shouted, starting to run closer, but freezing when the redhead shouted "No! Stay back, it's after me, not you"

"I do believe this has gone on long enough. Petra, you may not be able to defeat this beast, but I can" Jesse said, stepping up to the stage once again "Wither, retreat" he shouted. The Wither turned towards him slowly. While it had been shooting out wither skulls, it had been sucking in other blocks, and its middle head was now something of nightmares. The middle block was still exposed though, carried in the beast's ribcage. Jesse cleared his throat "Retreat!" he shouted again. When still nothing happened he shouted "Retreat! I said Retreat!"

The Wither did not retreat, if anything it actually drew closer to Jesse, who was taking nervous steps backwards.

"It's not working" Ivor shouted.

"No need to be alarmed everyone" Jesse said, digging around in his inventory bag "I have an elixer that will destroy this creature" he pulled out a purple potion, and Ivor and Magnus instantly paled. "Is that..." Ivor said slowly, turning to Magnus, who nodded, eyes glued to the potion Jesse held in his hands.

Pulling the cork out, Jesse took aim, and threw the potion directly at the block the Wither held. The potion exploded into purple particles...and nothing happened. "What?" Jesse said, stumbling backwards "Impossible, I took such care"

"The potion!" Ellegaard shouted "Magnus, throw the potion!" Magnus frowned "But...finders keepers" he said, with a small whine.

"You thieves!" Jesse snarled "You've ruined everything"

Reluctantly, Magnus withdrew the potion from his bag, and Ivor snatched it from his gloved hands. Taking only a few seconds to aim, Ivor threw the potion, and watched as it smashed into the black scale-like hide that had just finished covering the glowing orange block.

"It's protecting itself" Jesse said in horror "Without the Command Block exposed, the potion is useless! It...it wasn't supposed to happen like this" while he was speaking, the brown haired man was backing up slowly. As he said those final words, he turned tail and took off.

"Coward!" Ivor shouted after him. He would have said more, but a purple beam of light was suddenly shooting out of the wither's middle head. The light darted around the room for a few minutes, before targeting in on Petra, who began to float upwards towards the creature. Ellegaard shot forwards, and grabbed hold of the warrior's left leg "Ivor help!" the redstone specialist shouted, and Ivor ran forwards, taking hold of Petra's other leg, and together with Ellegaard, the pair pulled the redhead out of the light, causing her to collapse back to the ground.

"Thank you" Petra said, picking up her sword since she had fallen near it. Sheathing it, Petra turned to stare at the Wither before she said "Jesse was right about one thing, I can't defeat this thing on my own." she turned, and studied the six of them. Gabriel, sword drawn. Ellegaard, covered head to toe in redstone dust. Magnus, fingers tapping nervously against his side, Harper, hugging her arms and shuddering as she stared at the Wither. Reuben, bleating and shaking with fear, and Ivor, looking up at Petra with determination.

"Everyone is running away, everyone...but you" Petra said. "Will you come with me? I must get to the temple, but what happens next, I cannot do on my own"

Ivor didn't hesitate before saying "Of course" and the others were quick to follow with their own words of agreement.

"Then let's get out of here, we haven't a moment to spare"

Chapter Text

Ivor, Harper, Gabriel, Magnus, Ellegaard, and Reuben, led by Petra, burst out of what remained of the Keynot building. Emerging into the fenced area around the building, Ivor stared at the destruction they were passing. People were screaming and running out of town, chickens were still flying around everywhere, and debris coated the ground.

Behind them, Ivor could hear the sound of the Wither breaking through the round glass dome of the building, and a chill ran down his spine as he heard not one, not two, but three furious roars. Turning his head ever so slightly, he could see that the two heads on either side of the beast had transformed just like the middle head, and each shot out its own purple light.

Barely making it out of the fenced area, Ivor followed the others into the town, then let out a shout of surprise as a purple light engulfed him. Letting out a yelp as he began to float upwards, Ivor half swam in the air half thrashed around blindly until he managed to grab hold of a piece of a tent that was now floating as well. Just barely crawling out of the purple light, Ivor crashed down onto the ground, flashed red, and continued to run.

Spotting Harper, Ivor began to make his way towards her. Harper had paused, and was staring at the Keynot building. Ivor turned to follow her gaze, and the dark skinned woman whispered "If I was still in that basement...thanks for coming back for me Ivor, I wouldn't be here otherwise"

"Ivor!" Gabriel's voice shouted. Turning so that he was facing the direction of the voice, Ivor saw Gabriel, Ellegaard, Magnus and Reuben taking shelter underneath a stand that had yet to be a target for the monster Jesse had created. Ivor and Harper began making their way closer, but almost the very second that they reached it a purple light washed over it and the structure began to tremble. "Run!" shouted Ivor, and the four took off, Ellegaard and Magnus running one way, while Gabriel and Reuben took off in the opposite direction.

"Wa-Wait!" Ivor called, stumbling over his words as he nearly ran right into a fencepost "We need to stick together!"

"Ivor!" came Gabriel's voice, this time really close, and Ivor had to just barely turn his head to see the dark skinned male being sucked upwards by the strange purple beam. "Help me!" Ivor didn't hesitate as he raced towards Gabriel. Grabbing one of Gabriel's hands with one of his own, Ivor used the other hand to latch onto the fence he had just nearly ran into.

Instead of moving around like the other lights were doing, this one stayed focused on them, and the pulling sensation seemed to get stronger. "I...can't, hold...on!" Ivor said, feeling his fingers begin to slide as his feet were lifted off of the ground.

Ivor could feel Gabriel's fingers begin to slip, and so, instead of letting go of his friend, Ivor let go of the fence. (well, maybe the fence broke and flew upwards, but he let go of it in the process.)

For a single, terrifying second, the two of them shot upwards. Then, a hand grabbed Ivor's foot and pulled the two of them out of the light's reach. Gabriel, having been the highest up, flashed red when he landed, but waved away Ivor's concerned looks.

The others, having apparently realized that Ivor, Gabriel, and Petra weren't with them emerged from the debris. "Do we have everyone?" Ivor asked, doing a quick headcount. Once he nodded, Petra took lead and began running, the others all close behind.

"We need to get to my fortress" Petra called over her shoulder "Once we get there we'll be safe"

They had been running for roughly five minutes.

Five, absolutely heart-pounding, terrifying minutes.

"Stick together!" Petra shouted. She was still in the lead, taking them deeper into the woods than Ivor had ever been before. "We'll be safe as soon as we get to my temple!"

"I thought you said it was a fortress?" Magnus shouted back. Petra nodded "It's both"

Before she could say any more, the Wither, which seemed to be following after them, though more slowly as it sucked in more and more blocks, shot out a round of flaming wither skulls, which they all had to dodge. The beast shot more skulls, these ones landing about fifty blocks ahead and setting fire to a cluster of trees.

Forced to seperate into two groups, Petra, Gabriel, and Harper, as well as Hadrien, Otto, the butcher from Minecon and a guy wearing a skeleton mask went left, while Ellegaard, Magnus, Reuben, and Ivor went right, followed by Mevia, the woman that looked like Jesse, and a number of the chickens from the machine.

"We'll meet up on the other side!" Petra shouted over the chaos.

The 'other side' turned out to be a clearing about two hundred blocks away from the original fire, since the Wither kept shooting flaming skulls, which in turn kept setting more trees on fire.

In front of the clearing was a huge, massive even, structure made primarily of gold, wood, and stone bricks. Petra ran up the steps and began waving people inside. Most of the large group had splintered away, running off in their own directions to flee. This left Gabriel, Ellegaard, Magnus, Harper, Reuben, and Ivor to enter the building. Petra followed, and pulled the Iron doors shut.

The seven of them had been running down stone stairs for the past three minutes. "The inner chamber is made completely out of obsidian" Petra was saying "We should be untouchable in there"

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Petra pulled a lever on the wall and the stone wall pulled away to reveal two sets of double iron doors in a four block thick obsidian chamber. Placing a button down, Petra opened the first set of doors, and once they were all through she broke the button and slid inside before they could shut.

Right as the door closed, a black tentacle slammed into it, and Ellegaard let out a scream, jumping backwards and nearly landing in Magnus's arms. Petra quickly threw a lever which opened the second set of doors, and ushered the group through them, closing the lever on the other side, which locked the door. Drawing her sword just in case, Petra gestured to a square of obsidian that was on a raised platform. It was four blocks wide and five blocks tall, with the inside hollowed out. "Hurry, if you can get through the portal you'll be safe!"

The others all nodded, and raced up the steps, Magnus charged through the frame first, only to stumble out the other side. "Uh...something's not right here"

"It's not lit" Ellegaard said with a groan

"Anyone have flint and steel?" Harper asked, searching her own inventory as she said it.

Ivor's eyes widened, and he all but ripped open his bag, pushing away the leftover wool so that he could grab the Flint and Steel he had taken from his treehouse earlier. Striking the two pieces of the item together, a fire burned on the obsidian for half a second before a purple, see-through glow began to shimmer between the fourteen obsidian blocks.

"Everyone in" Gabriel said "Now!" Ellegaard was the first one through, followed by Magnus, and Reuben quickly followed. But before Gabriel, Ivor, or Harper could get through, the Wither let out another one of it's terrifying screeches, and broke through the second set of Iron Doors, wrapping its tentacle around Petra's leg and pulling her backwards. Ivor pulled out his stone sword and ran forwards, Gabriel close behind with the golden sword he had grabbed from Jesse's in his hands.

Another tentacle burst through the roof, but Ivor ignored it, letting Gabriel attack the second tentacle, Ivor focused on the one that was pulling Petra out of the obsidian chamber. Grabbing hold of Petra, Ivor and the tentacle played tug of war, before the tentacle retreated, knocking over two people from Endercon that had just squeezed into the chamber in the process.

"Thank you" Petra said quietly. Turning to watch as a woman ran, screaming from a tractor beam, Petra took a half step forwards, then stopped herself. "There are so many of them" she whispered "I can't save them all...not by myself. You must find the others"

Ivor tilted his head "Others?" but Petra spoke as though she hadn't heard him "Lukas has been missing for years, but the others...you must seek them out." The redheaded woman reached into her inventory bag and pulled out a medallion with five gems, one gold, one white, one red, one green, and in the middle a dark blue one. The golden one was glowing brightly, though it dimmed ever so slightly as she handed it to Ivor. "Take this amulet, guard it with your life. " Ivor held the amulet carefully, as though he didn't want to accept it. "You can do this" Petra said "You MUST do this."

Ivor took a deep breath, and then tucked the amulet carefully away into his bag "How do I find Olivia and Axel" Petra gave him a thankful look before saying "The amulet will guide you, take it through the portal and then-" she was cut off as yet another tentacle reached through the roof, which was the only part of the room not made of obsidian. Coiling up, the tentacle thrust upwards in one movement, and the entire roof pulled away, allowing two heads to peer in, casting their purple lights into the room.

Turning around, Ivor could see Gabriel attacking one of the tentacles, and Harper, standing, completely frozen, in front of the portal. "You two!" Gabriel shouted, catching a quick glimpse of Ivor watching him "Get through the portal! Meet up with the others" neatly dodging a swipe from the tentacle Gabriel added "I'm going to stay here and do what I can to help" Ivor's eyes widened, and he darted forwards, using his Stone sword to block a tentacle that had been sneaking up behind Gabriel. "Ivor, Harper, go through the portal, now!" Gabriel shouted, after a quick nod of thanks to Ivor.

"Not without you" Ivor snapped, swinging his sword at the tentacle again. Gabriel's brow was furrowed in determination and he said "I'm sorry Ivor, this is something I have to do" Ivor turned his head to try and get Harper on his side, but she was still frozen. "If anything happens" Gabriel continued "I'll meet you at the temple"

Before Ivor could protest further, a female voice let out a cry for help. Instinctively, he turned towards Harper, but she had snapped out of her trance and was dodging tentacles. She didn't appear to have been the one who had screamed which meant...

Turning his head towards Petra, Ivor watched as purple light washed over her and she began to float up towards the monster. Ivor and Gabriel both ran closer, to help, to do something, anything, but a purple light cast dark shadows in front of Ivor, and he turned to see Gabriel floating in the air as well.

Ivor froze, but only for half a second. Petra was further away, as well as higher up. Gabriel was closer, lower, and not to mention...his friend. Ivor lunged and knocked Gabriel out of the light. "Thank you Ivor" Gabriel said "Petra is still up there" Ivor turned to look at the redhead, who was now almost halfway to the ceiling. The Warrior caught Ivor's gaze and shouted "GO!" Ivor jumped to his feet, and tried to run towards Petra, but a tentacle slammed into his chest.

Ivor didn't have any hope of dodging, or getting out of its way as the tentacle scooped up both him and Gabriel, and threw them onto the stairs. Barely managing to get to his feet, Ivor had just enough time to watch Gabriel roll down the stairs before a second tentacle rammed into both him and Harper, who had come down a few steps to get closer to him, and knocked both of them into the portal.

Chapter Text

Ivor's back slammed into a block that was hot as fire. And as if that wasn't bad enough, less than half a second later something landed on top of him. "Get...off" he grunted, pushing Harper away from him. Harper coughed, and rolled off of Ivor. Although she was pretty quick to get to her feet when the heat from whatever they were lying on sunk in. Ivor pressed his palms against the ground to push himself up, which turned out to be a bad idea for when he pulled his hands up and examined them, his palms and fingers were covered in burns. Nothing too major, barely even something to worry about.

It still hurt though.

Thankfully whatever red block he was standing on didn't seem to sear through his clothes or shoes, and once he was standing up the heat wasn't quite so bad. Rubbing his left palm with the back of his right hand, Ivor looked around, and for the first time got a good look at his surroundings. Red was the primary color. With splashes of Soul Sand gray, bright yellow Glowstone, and orange lava. "I didn't realize how horrifying the Nether was" Ivor muttered.

At the sound of Ivor's voice, Ellegaard, Magnus, and Reuben turned from where they had been watching pig-like zombies roam around.

"Where's Gabriel?" Magnus asked the instant he realized the blue loving male was not with them. "We did everything we could" Harper said softly, her gray eyes closed as she shook her head, arms crossed across her torso. Magnus took a threatening step towards her "What is that supposed to mean?" he questioned, a hint of a growl in his voice. "Ivor" Ellegaard said, resting a hand on Magnus's shoulder "What is she talking about?"

Ellegaard's dark amber eyes were confused, and worried, and Ivor found himself pausing before he spoke. Finally, when Magnus let out another growl, Ivor said "It was chaos. There wasn't much that I...that we could do" Ivor turned towards Harper, and caught her giving him a grateful look. Shifting uncomfortably, Ivor added "Gabriel is still up there"

That got Magnus's attention away from Harper, and the green wearing male stalked towards the portal "We've got to go back" he insisted. Ellegaard reached out and grabbed his hood, causing him to jerk back rather violently. "No" she said, letting go of his hoodie and walking around him so that she was between him and the portal "We just have to wait. Think about what you're walking into"

"There's nothing you can do" Ivor agreed, getting yet another grateful look, though this one from Ellegaard. "You'll just end up getting yourself killed"

Magnus whirled towards him "You don't know that Ivor, you don't know-"

"Wait!"

Magnus froze mid-sentence and turned towards Harper, who's gray eyes were glued on the portal, which was swirling wildly and throwing out purple particles. "There he is!" the portal's glow began to sway, and for a brief second, the teens managed to catch a glimpse of the other side.

The obsidian chamber was destroyed, there was no sign of life, except for whoever was going through the portal, the Wither was gone, for the time being.

However, as the image faded and the person in the portal entered into the Nether...it was not Gabriel, but Jesse.

The brown haired man collapsed almost the instant he arrived and he let out a hiss of pain as the red block began to burn the side of his face. Pushing himself up with one hand, and hissing again as steam rose from said hand, Jesse got to his feet and looked around. Eyes locking on Ivor, Jesse let out a frustrated groan "You again?"

Before words, or blows, could be exchanged, the portal began to swirl again. Ivor and his friends looked towards it hopefully, but Jesse began to move away from it. Instead of a person, a black tentacle shot through the portal, and lashed around. Jumping out of the black things way, Ivor let out a yelp of pain, and heard hisses from Harper and Magnus as their skin all made contact with the very aggravating red block that Ivor was coming to hate.

Before the Wither could get hold of them, the tentacle wrapped around the portal and tugged, breaking off the top left block as well as two on the left side. A shriek of pain could be heard through the portal as the tentacle withdrew, just barely managing to retreat into the purple mist as the portal flickered, and then broke apart.

For a few minutes, the only sound was that of the Zombie Pig-men. Then, Ivor turned to Jesse, his gaze full of pure fury and hate. "Jesse" he growled out, causing the brown haired man to turn towards him, his own expression something akin to boredom. "Happy with yourself?" Jesse asked, a spark of anger spiraling into his gaze "you've ruined everything" when Ivor didn't say anything, only squeezed his hands into fists despite the sharp pain that caused, Jesse continued "Don't pretend you don't know, thief" he spat out the last word like it was a curse "You took my most valuable potion and what should have been my moment of triumph!"

Ivor couldn't hold himself back any longer. He lunged for the robe wearing man, fists first, and managed to get in quite a few good blows before Magnus and Harper pulled him back. "Don't waste your energy on this jerk" Magnus said "We've got to go find Gabriel!"

Jesse, who had been knocked to the ground, sat up, wiping the blood from his nose with a wince. "The boy" he said, quickly turning all heads towards him "I saw him"

"What?" Harper said, her gray eyes full of hope, worry, and dread.

Jesse used his hand to push his hair out of his face, and his fingers to try and wipe the blood out of his hair as he said "As I was running towards the portal, I passed him. He was running in the opposite direction" seemingly deciding he'd done all he could, he folded his hands behind his back. "Such bravery" Jesse said, turning and walking to the edge of the cliff they were standing on. "Of course, there is a fine line between bravery, and stupidity" he turned around to face them again "And your friend has crossed it"

Ivor considered knocking Jesse off the cliff. He probably would have too, if Magnus didn't have his right arm pinned behind his back. Unable to move, Ivor settled for snapping "You're a coward"

Jesse hummed thoughtfully "Perhaps" he said "But I survived, and that's what counts"

"There's more to life than just survival" Ivor said, dark blue eyes narrow.

"But without survival, there is no life" Jesse countered, a small smirk on his face.

Walking away from the ledge, much to the annoyance of Ivor who had just been released by Magnus, Jesse walked towards a tunnel built out of the red block with the glowing block lighting it up. Not that there was much darkness in the area what with all the lava, but it did cast a warm glow into the tunnel. "Through that tunnel is a network of minecarts built by the Order of the Stone. It's your only way out"

After a few minutes of internal debate, Magnus said "We should go that way" Harper nodded in agreement "Time's wasting, let's go"

"What about you?" Ivor asked, casting suspicious looks at Jesse. Jesse arched a brow "what about me?"

"How will you get out of here? Because there is no way you are coming with us"

Jesse chuckled "I'll use my imagination."

Before any more words could be exchanged, a strange sound, almost like a cat meowing or a child crying echoed through the red dimension.

"What was that?" Magnus asked nervously, arms drawing closer to his inventory bag out of instinct.

"I would wish you luck" Jesse said, taking a few steps backwards "But luck won't carry you through the Nether. You have my sympathies" with those final words, he selected a lavender potion from his bag and drunk it. Vanishing instantly, the only sign of him being soft gray swirls that floated from where he had last stood, before those too vanished, and the only sign of his ever being there, the now-empty bottle, clattered to the ground, melting partially as it came in contact with the heat.

The cry echoed through the Nether again, and when the friends turned to face the direction it had come from, the cliff Jesse had been standing at only seconds before, they saw a white beast, bigger than anything they had ever seen before, floating up from the darkness. The creature, a Ghast, made another noise, though this one seemed angrier, and its mouth and eyes opened in unison, revealing blood red eyes.

"Let's get out of here!" Magnus shouted, taking off for the tunnel. Ellegaard and Harper were close behind, and Ivor scooped up Reuben before chasing after them. This turned out to be a good idea, for as they ran, the sound of something exploding rang behind them.

Charging through the tunnel, which was thankfully too small for the Ghast to fit into, the friends turned a corner and found a small hill with six minecarts lying on rails.

"This must be what Jesse was talking about" Ellegaard said, her eyes landing immediately on the powered rails that were glowing a bright red.

Ivor jumped as another explosion echoed through the tunnel, this one sounding much closer, and resulting in fire shooting to the corner and catching some of the red block on fire. "Alright, everyone in!" Ivor said, setting Reuben into the front cart, and hopped into the one just behind that. "Hold on!" Ellegaard said, smacking her palm against a button that was next to the track as soon as everyone was in. .

With a low rumble, the carts began to move forwards, at a nice steady pace provided by the spacing of the powered rails.

Chapter Text

The minecart ride definitely was not the funnest thing Ivor had ever done. They had gotten split up, reunited, and split up again roughly four times, Ivor eneded up having to fight off two different Ghasts, and Reuben now had an arrow sticking out of his wool courtesy of a Skeleton that had somehow ended up riding next to them.

"Can you throw up like...inside your body?" Ivor groaned, one hand over his stomach where his earlier meal of baked potatoes was threatening to come shooting back up.

"Uh-huh" Ellegaard said, half jumping half rolling out of the minecart and onto the platform they had stopped at "I know, because I just did...about five times"

Kneeling down next to Reuben, Ivor pulled out the arrow and pressed his hand on the darkened patch of black fur. When he pulled his hand away it was covered in blood, but Reuben didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. Straightening, Ivor saw that the others were already investigating the circle of cobblestone and obsidian that they were now standing on. Wiping his bloody hand on one of the extra pieces of wool in his inventory, Ivor muttered "This place is amazing"

Tossing the now red wool into a fire that was burning near the circle, Ivor walked closer to Ellegaard, who was standing in the middle of the circle. "All of the tracks converge on this point" she said, catching Ivor's gaze "You can probably get anywhere in the world from here"

Ivor nodded his head towards the, thankfully lit, portal that stood directly opposite the track they had just gotten off of. "That must be the portal to the Order's temple" he said "I mean, why else would it be here?"

Magnus grinned. He seemed to be the only one not shaken up by the roller coaster masquerading as a train system. "Then that's our way outta here, let's go!" he said, walking towards the portal. "It must lead back to the surface" Ellegaard said thoughtfully. Harper frowned and said "The surface, which is where that monster is" At her words, Magnus froze, one leg still lifted to take him closer to the obsidian frame.

"She's right" Ivor said "We have no idea what we'll be walking in to"

Magnus slowly lowered his foot back down so that it was next to the other. When there was silence for a few minutes, with him still being the closest, Harper said quietly "Thanks for being so brave Magnus" her tone wasn't teasing, though her words were slightly, and Ivor arched a brow at her.

"Alright" Magnus said, though it seemed like he was talking more to himself than to any of the others. "I'm gonna go" he said, taking a slow, nervous step forwards "I'm going" he looked over his shoulders at the others, and Reuben tilted his head, letting out a little bleat.

Ivor sighed "I'll go" he said, walking around the lithe male. "That's not what I was saying" Magnus said weakly in a horrible attempt to protest. "I'm going." Ivor said, his eyes narrow. Magnus shrugged, and fought to keep a grateful grin off of his face "If you absolutely insist"

Ivor walked forwards until he was standing directly in front of the swirling purple mist "See you on the other side" he said, before walking into the portal.

Whatever Ivor might have been expecting on the other side of the portal, a small pond underneath a cliff definitely was not it. Wading through the water to try and catch some clues about where in the world he was, the first thing Ivor noticed was the reflection of the moon on the water. The sudden splash of water that caused ripples to shoot out caused Ivor to whirl around, hand already half-way into his bag to grab his sword.

Yelping as he came face to face with a zombie, Ivor grabbed his sword handle from inside his bag and lashed out with it, causing the zombie to flash red and groan. Hacking away at the green-skinned beast as fast as he possibly could, Ivor was relieved when the beast poofed into smoke and a piece of rotten flesh began to float at the top of the water.

With a startled yelp, Magnus emerged from the portal and into the pond. Spotting Ivor's still drawn sword, the bald teen tilted his head and arched a brow. "There was a zombie" Ivor muttered, placing the weapon back in his bag and wading towards the small dirt ledge on the only side of the cave thatdidn't have a roof.

"Oh...is it dead?" Magnus asked, as he waded towards Ivor. "Well...dead-dead?" he added as an afterthought as the portal began to shimmer, signalling that one of the others was about to arrive. "Yeah" Ivor said absentmindedly, heaving himself onto the dirt. The second he was on dry land, he spotted stairs leading upwards. "Hey guys" he called into the water "I found some stairs, and this dirt has been made into path" he stomped on the yellow/brown covering that separated the dirt from the grass. "I'm guessing we're close"

Once they were all out of the Nether, and onto dry land, the five climbed the stairs and found themselves in a clearing, at the edge of an oak forest. "Where are we?" Ellegaard asked. Ivor frowned, his gaze locked onto a zombie that was lurching along a cliff. They didn't seem to be in its range yet, but any wrong moves and it would be on them. "In the dark, in the middle of nowhere" he heard Magnus say.

"Maybe we should bed down for the night?" Harper said, licking her lips nervously as she watched a spider crawl along the same cliff the zombie was walking on. "It's dangerous to be out when its this dark"

"I thought we were headed for a temple" Magnus said, confusion thick in his voice.

"We're looking for a giant building" Ellegaard said, looking around as though she was trying to find a source of light "You'd think it would be a bit more obvious."

Harper hummed thoughtfully "Jesse said-"

"Oh 'Jesse said'" Magnus interrupted, scowling at the raven haired woman "Well then, maybe this is the temple" he waved his hand at the cavern they had just emerged from. "Magnus" Ellegaard said scoldingly, crossing her arms.

"We have to build a shelter" Ivor said. Harper frowned "Isn't that what I..." she sighed "never mind"

Ellegaard nodded to Ivor "You're right" causing a small frown from Harper to be sent her way. Thankfully the redstone specialist didn't see it, and she continued "We should hurry. I say we build a tree house"

"That'll take forever" Magnus objected "And we'll be exposed while we do it" Magnus pointed at the ground "Everything we need for shelter is right at our feet, I say we build a quick and dirty hut."

Ellegaard rolled her eyes "In a hut, we won't know what's coming until it's knocking on our door"

Magnus let out a small whine "But a treehouse is gonna be spider-town." he shuddered "I hate spiders"

Ivor rubbed the area between his eyes "We'll do both" he said, earning confused looks from Magnus, Ellegaard, and Harper. "Pick a small tree, build a tree-house frame, cover it in dirt." Ivor elaborated "That way we'll be high up enough monsters can't get us, but also protected from the elements. And if its enclosed, Spiders can't get in, even if they manage to climb it."

The moon was high in the sky by the time they were done. It didn't look like a tree-house, or a dirt hut. It looked more like the Admin, a myth from childrens stories, had just summoned oak planks and dirt, and thrown them together in a hodge-podge shelter.

"Well..." Ellegaard muttered once they were inside "At least we're sheltered...I guess" Magnus rolled his eyes "It's over, we're done...and when this is over, we are never talking about this again" Harper, who had her head tilted back to look at the dirt and wood ceiling, said "It's not that bad, maybe if we had done like...a multi-level thing? I mean it's too late now obviously but...you know what..never mind. This is...this is cool" she settled down against one wall and leaned against it, letting out a small sigh.

Magnus began rooting around in his bag, presumably looking for something they could burn since the oak log that was surrounded by stone was just about to die out, and he let out a gasp "Oh man!"

"What?" Ellegaard asked, looking slightly concerned. The lightning in the room wasn't all that good since they only had enough coal to make four torches, two of which were outside lighting up the area so that monsters couldn't spawn in the immediate area. They were all huddled together in a fairly small space though, so the chances of anything spawning, even a baby zombie, were really low, but as you might be able to imagine, they were still all a little jumpy.

Magnus pulled something out of his bag and held them up, beaming "I have cookies"

"One for me, one for Ellie, one for Jesse" Magnus said, handing out the cookies "And one for Reuben!" he set the final cookie at Reuben's hooves, and the lamb bleated happily, wagging his tail as he ducked his head down to chew on the chocolate chip cookie.

Ivor raised his cookie to his mouth, but lowered it as he caught sight of Harper, who was staring down at her lap sadly. "Sorry Harper" Magnus said "I've only got four" Harper let out a soft laugh "It's fine, I'll get something in the morning. I'm not even that hungry anyways"

Ivor looked down at his cookie, sighed, and got to his feet. Walking over to Harper, he set the cookie gently in her hands "Take it" he said quickly, before shuffling back to his seat next to Reuben before the gray eyed girl could say anything. "I...no, I can't-" Harper stammered, but Ivor just gave her a small smile, and she sighed "Thank you, Ivor"

Magnus had a scowl on his face as he said "That was for you Ivor, not her" Ivor's dark blue gaze slid sideways and he said simply "Magnus, I think I can do whatever I want with my cookie thank you very much" Magnus crossed his arms and huffed.

They all sat in silence for a while, until Ellegaard said softly, her dark amber gaze focused in on Harper "If you had to, would you rather fight a hundred chicken sized zombies, or ten zombie sized chickens?" Ivor smiled slightly "Choose wisely" he said wryly.

Harper chuckled and said "That's ah...that's a good one. Let me think"

"How can you guys joke at a time like this?" Magnus demanded. Ivor turned to see the bald teen staring at them with a mixture of fury, sadness, and confusion. "Gabriel is still out there, he's all by himself. There's nothing funny about that"

"Magnus" Ivor said calmingly "I don't think Gabriel would mind. In fact, I'll bet you he would want us to keep our spirits high"

"If I were him" Magnus began to protest, before he faltered and muttered "I'd...I don't...I don't know" Magnus sighed "It just feels wrong"

"Alright" Harper said, brushing some raven strands out of her face. "We should probably get some rest" her gray eyes focused on the fire as she spoke "We gotta start looking for this temple as early as we can. Now, my guess is, if we split at the portal and kind of split up-"

"Um, what do you think you're doing?" Magnus interrupted, arching a brow as he stared at Harper.

Harper blinked, startled. "Did I do something to you?" she asked, genuinely confused. "I'd really like to know because you're getting on my case for what seems like no reason?"

"She's just trying to help" Ivor said, his eyes narrow as he watched Magnus. Magnus, who crossed his arms and shifted his gaze so that he was watching Ivor instead.

"I'm sorry Ivor, but I ain't gonna sit here and listen to this guy telling us what's what" Magnus growled

"I'm just trying to get ready for tomorrow" Harper said.

"You're the only one wearing that stupid logo" Magnus snapped, pointing to the crossed picks and sword on Harper's outfit. "Don't tell us what to do"

Harper shot to her feet, hands curled into balls "Take. that. back" she growled, eyes narrow

"Can't" Magnus said "Wouldn't"

"I wear this symbol because I know how to build" Harper growled through gritted teeth "That doesn't mean I don't know how to break things"

"Your threats don't scare me" Manus said, taking a menacing step forwards "now that we know how you really are"

"Ivor, your friend is way out of line" Harper said, without taking her gaze away from Magnus "I wasn't going to say anything, but I can only take so much"

Ivor kept his dark blue eyes focused on the fire. Knowing if he lifted them to look at either of them, then someone would take it the wrong way "Look" he said "Its been a long day, we're all tired. Let's just drop it"

"But Ivor-" Magnus began to protest. Ivor lifted his head and glared at Magnus, who clenched his hands into fists as Ivor snarled "Drop. it"

Magnus huffed, and sat down as far away from Harper as he could manage.

Harper, who was still on her feet, walked over to Ivor and crouched down."Look...I've caused enough damage here, maybe..." she sighed "I think it would be best if I left. I can scout around, and meet up with you later on at the temple."

Ivor shook his head "It's dark not to mention dangerous. You aren't going anywhere"

Harper gave Ivor an odd look, then smiled slightly "Thanks Ivor" walking back to her place, she sat down.

They all sat in silence for a while, before Harper turned to Ellegaard "Zombie sized chickens, that's what I would fight"

Ellegaard tilted her head "Oh? Why's that?"

Harper chuckled slightly "Because I'm starving"

The next morning, the ground was still fairly wet from the rainstorm that had started up sometime in the middle of the night and stopped early morning.

The group had disassembled part of the structure, so that they had blocks in their inventory. Ivor and Reuben were taking lead, while Ellegaard and Magnus walked next to eachother in the back, Harper in between.

Ivor could hear Harper speeding up slightly, so he was expecting her in his peripheral vision as she said "I'm really sorry about...everything that happened last night" she chuckled slightly "I'm really more embarrassed than anything else"

Ivor smiled at her, and the group continued walking in silence

"Hey!" Harper called. She had climbed up onto a small hill for a better view, and was calling down to the others who were waiting. "There's something over there, some sort of building"

"Let's get a closer look" Ivor said, carrying Reuben up the slope with Magnus and Ellegaard close behind.

The building that came into sight was mostly white with stained glass, as well as with a mostly collapsed roof.

"Let's head in" Ivor said "But be careful everyone"

Ivor decided that dispensers were not on his list of favorite blocks.

They had just barely gotten through a tunnel that had been filled with arrow shooting dispensers, that had been activated when they had run from a creeper.

The creeper had been shot first, and then using a bow and arrow made from spare blocks Ivor had shot the aggravating button on the floor that had started everything.

Now, the Order of the Lamb was inside a huge, massive library.

As the others split up, Ivor was drawn to an enchantment table, that had a closed book lying on its obsidian base. "Hey guys" he said, reading the title "Come listen to this"

Picking up the book, Ivor began to read

"These five friends, together, would give so much to gain their rightful place as five heroes.

They would author their own end.

They...would slay a dragon"

On the final page was a picture of the Order of the Stone standing over the corpse of a dragon. But there was another figure in the image, a long haired male with potions hanging from his belt.

"Is that-" Harper began, but Ellegaard cut her off "Jesse was a member of the order of the stone? The stories never mentioned him"

"This is so crazy" Harper said, pressing her palms against the sides of her head.

Ivor nodded slowly "Well, now we know why Jesse was so upset with Petra."

"They lied to us" Ellegaard said "The Order lied to the whole world!"

A few minutes and absolutely zero answers later, the Order of the Lamb was on an upper level, one that had taken the brute of the elements more than the rest of the temple combined.

"This must have been where they met" Ellegaard said softly "Look, there's a map" she nodded to a battered map of the world hanging on the wall.

"So where are they then?" Magnus insisted, crossing his arms impatiently.

"Petra told me that once we find the temple, the amulet will show us" Ivor said. "Look around, see if there's anything that can show us what to do with it"

Ivor decided he officially hated levers.

It took him roughly five minutes to figure out the stupid lever system, before a light finally shone through the amulet which he had placed on a pedestal, and a red and green light shot out of the amulet and began shining onto the map.

"This is amazing!" Ellegaard said "The amount of engineering this must have taken..." she shook her head, unable to finish.

"This is what Petra wanted to find" Ivor said, realization dawning on him "It's the Order, it's showing us where they are right now!"

Magnus frowned "But...there are only two lights. Does that mean there are only two members of the order left?"

Harper tilted her head back slightly "Petra said Lukas was missing...that leaves Axel and Olivia"

"Let's head out!" Ivor said, turning towards the stairway to leave, but Harper stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going with you guys" the raven haired woman said. "I have to stay here, if I know Gabriel, then he's doing everything he can to find us. He's still out there. He has to be"

Ivor frowned "But we need your help" he tried "You should come with us"

Harper shook her head, a soft smile on her face "You don't need me" she said "This is where I should be. If there's even a chance that he's still alive...I need to be here"

She looked around "Besides, I'm going to try and reinforce this place before nightfall, if one of you could hand back and help me.?"

"Sounds like Elie will have you covered while me and Ivor go and grab Axel!" Magnus said, a grin on his face.

"grab Axel?" Ellegaard said, eyes wide "You really think that's how its going to go? We need Olivia, she's the worlds best Redstone Engineer, she'll figure out a way to stop that thing"

"We're trying to destroy it!" Magnus protested "When it comes to destruction, Axel is the master!"

"Alright you guys that's enough" Ivor said "Magnus is right, we need to destroy the Wither. We're going after Axel. Ellegaard, stay here and help Harper"

Ellegaard huffed, but said "Alright, but I'm only doing this for Gabriel."

"uh guys?" Harper said. Ivor turned towards her and paled, seeing what she was seeing.

"Please hurry"

In the distance, the witherstorm let out a screech.

Chapter Text

Heroes can come from unlikely beginning, and old friendships can lead to bitter rivalries

When the world is in danger, fate calls on the ordinary to do extra-ordinary deeds

But the question remains...

...will it be enough to save the world

"WHOOOOOO-OOOOOO!"

The sound of a hyper-active teenager shouting rang through the entire Nether, causing Blaze-men halfway across the world to burst into startled flames.

Magnus was sitting in the third minecart, with Ivor in front of him and Reuben in front. Reaching up and rubbing at his ears, Ivor turned and glared at Magnus. Magnus, who caught Ivor's look, slumped slightly "Oh come on Ivor, you can't seriously not be having fun right now. I mean, sure the world's in danger, but this is our chance to be heroes!" the bald teen threw his arms into the air and let out another ear-drum bursting whoop.

"Just don't lose track of why we're here" Ivor said, settling back into place and reaching out to slide one hand along Reuben's curly fur. "If we don't get the Order back together, the Witherstorm is going to eat everything"

Though he could no longer see him, Ivor knew Magnus's hands were lowering and the grin was falling off of his face.

Taking a deep breath, Ivor sighed, and then added "Which means that we need to get Axel on our side as soon as freaking possible"

A few moments of silence, before Magnus spoke, the smiled evident in his voice "You're right. We're gonna find Axel, bring him back, and he'll totally know how to blow that thing sky high!" Ivor turned his head back enough to give Magnus a small smile, before a noise that was becoming far too familiar for Ivor's liking shot through the surrounding area.

"Uh...Ivor" Magnus said slowly, eyes wide as he tilted his head back to stare at something both in front of and above them. Ivor turned his head in time to see the Ghast, just before it shot it's fireball and knocked the minecarts off of the track.

Thankfully, they were over land and not over a lava lake like they had been a few minutes ago, but it was still a very jarring sensation, and both humans flashed red as their skin came abruptly into contact with the red block that Harper had told them was Netherack. Apparently, it could burn forever, and as such generated its own heat in order to feed fire whenever it was lit.

Stumbling to his feet, Ivor's hands, which had finally healed, were once again burnt, and Magnus had a rather nasty burn along the side of his face. A couple of minutes in the normal world should heal it though, so he wasn't all that worried. At most it would be there for an hour once they left the Nether.

As he carefully made his way over to Reuben who's white hind hoof was singed, Ivor heard the Ghast let out another one of its warning crys again, and he barely had enough time to shout "HIDE!" and duck behind a strange red and white block before a fireball blew up the place where he had just been standing.

"Why does it hate us so much?" Magnus yelped, patting out his green hoodie which was smoldering on the side.

Ivor didn't hear his question, his eyes were glued to the track, where the minecarts were most definitely not. Looking around, Ivor's already pale skin paled further as he realized that the minecarts were about to fall off of the mountain they were standing on.

"Magnus, the minecarts!" Ivor said, whirling around to face his friend, while pointing at where the iron carts were starting to slip slightly. Magnus nodded, and made a break for the minecarts. "Keep the ghast busy!" he called over his shoulder as he grabbed onto the first...or third minecart.

Ivor pulled out his stone sword, right as the ghast shot a fireball that destroyed his small cover. Taking a deep breath, Ivor swung his sword, and grinned as it reflected the fireball the monster had just shot right back at it. The beast flashed red, and let out a furious cry. Switching to the bow and arrow he had crafted back at the Order's crazy hall of death, Ivor ran sideways to avoid another fireball and quickly shot an arrow at the Ghast.

The monster once again flashed red, but this time it exploded into dust, a small white teardrop falling from where it had been floating, and landing on the Netherack. While Magnus finished putting the minecarts back on the track, Ivor walked over to it and picked it up, holding it up to look at in the light of the lava and glowstone.

"Ivor!" Magnus called, and the raven haired teen quickly tucked the tear into his bag. Scooping up Reuben, and wincing as his fur rubbed on the burns, Ivor set Reuben in the first cart, and jumped into the one behind it. Magnus gave the carts a running start, and jumped in right before they hit the next powered rail.

The minecarts came to a stop in front of a small platform made of cobblestone, with a sign proudly displaying '!BoOmtoWn!' in rainbow colors. A little ways past the sign, was the Nether portal that led to Boomtown. Getting out of the carts, Magnus rubbed the back of his head as he said "I liked it when you went first last time. Maybe you should take this one again?"

Ivor rolled his eyes slightly, but he led the way into the purple mist.

As he stood there, waiting for the magic to teleport him, he could have sworn he heard an explosion on the other end.

The instant Ivor came out of the portal on the other side, he crashed to the ground. Flashing red, Ivor groaned, and rolled onto his back. The portal was part of a massive floating sign that read Boomtown. A small shimmer was the only warning Ivor got that Magnus and Reuben were coming through, and before he could move Ivor was flattened underneath Magnus. Reuben landed on top of Magnus, and hopped to the ground, bleating angrily at Magnus until the bald male rolled off of Ivor.

"Owwwwwwwwww"

The two friends snuck through the charred streets of Boomtown, hugging the walls and making as little noise as possible to avoid drawing attention from the town's inhabitants. "Just be careful alright?" Ivor hissed, mostly to Magnus although partially to Reuben as well. He had already had one close shave with someone who wanted to cook the little sheep, he didn't want to run into any more mutton enthusiasts.

Something gave way underneath his feet, and Ivor froze. Looking downwards, he discovered that he had stepped on a wire, which was hooked up to tripwire hooks.

A sharp hissing sound was all the warning they got, before the ground below them exploded, propelling the three of them upwards, and causing them to land with jarring flashes of red. Ivor got to his feet, only to be knocked back down by a second explosion right in front of him. Thankfully this one wasn't close enough to cause any damage, but the shockwave sent someone on the other end of the street flying.

Heaving Magnus to his feet, Ivor led the way and the three of them took off running, Reuben bleating shrilly as an explosion caused dirt to spray all over his fur, making him look more like a black and brown sheep than a black and white one.

Skidding into an alleyway to avoid a very insane looking person holding eggs, Ivor looked up to find someone holding white flashing TNT. "Why didn't I pick Olivia" Ivor groaned, running back out the way he had come only to be smacked in the chest with an egg, which hatched into a baby chicken. Meeting back up with Magnus, Ivor let Reuben lead the way behind a partially destroyed building.

"Whoah..." Magnus breathed, watching the destruction through a gap in the wall "Utter chaos!" a grin split his face as Ivor looked over some banners with various logos on them "It's like...I've finally come home" as Ivor rolled his eyes and turned to investigate a cactus Magnus added "These are my people"

Ivor turned to face his friend "Magnus, these people are insane!"

"You're being too small-minded" Magnus countered, waving his hand dismissively. "This is awesome"

"You'd think a poisonous potato was awesome if it had TNT strapped to it" Ivor snapped, only to pale as a wicked grin split Magnus's face like an angry enderman "No." he said quickly "just...no"

Magnus pouted, and started to protest, but Ivor's attention was drawn away by the fact that his inventory bag was glowing. Reaching into his bag, Ivor pulled out the amulet Petra had given him. The green gemstone was glowing brightly, the red one had a slight glow but you had to squint to see it, and the other three were as dim as a zombie's brain.

"Dude, it's freaking glowing" Magnus said, as though it weren't obvious. Ivor rolled his eyes, and began waving the amulet through the air. "Look" he said "It glows brighter when I move it"

Ivor waved the amulet slowly, so that he could see the glow grow brighter and dimmer, and locked in on an obsidian spire. "Ding ding ding" he said "I'll bet you a gold nugget that's where Axel is"

Reuben let out a nervous bleat, but before Ivor could see what was wrong, a new voice rang through the air.

"Hey there new people"

Ivor and Magnus jumped and whirled around to face a young girl, around fourteen or fifteen with bright pink hair that was in pigtails. She emerged from behind the midnight blue banner with a pink Ghast Tear on it. The same logo was on her shirt, and Ivor had a feeling it meant she was part of whatever group the banner symbolized. That or a fan, but he had a feeling it was the first one.

The girl had black face-paint surrounding her dark brown eyes, and it flickered across her face as she raised a brow and offered a smile. "You...you ah" she coughed "You said you know where Axel is?" her smile turned into a shark grin as she made some sort of symbol with her hand "All of the griefers here in Boomtown want to find Axel you see"

As she spoke, more people began emerging from the buildings and craters.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Ivor asked, gripping the amulet so tight his knuckles turned white. He knew he should put it into his inventory, the magical bag would keep anyone from taking it unless he was dead. But if he put it in his bag, he was afraid they would take that as an excuse to kill him, so he kept it out in the open.

"No reason" the girl said with a small humm.

Three of the griefers began to advance slowly. One wore the same insignia as the first, but the other two wore blood red sweaters with rips revealing the pitch black undershirt, their symbol was a silver egg that looked much too big to have come from a chicken.

"Ivor?" Magnus muttered nervously, eying the green haired male in the sweater.

"Bunch of scavengers!" the girl shouted, glaring at the two in sweaters, as well as pretty much anyone that didn't have the Ghast Tear symbol "These noobs are mine!"

"Look" Ivor said, gritting his teeth slightly "We just need this to find Magnus so that we can-"

"Hey" a griefer in a pale blue shirt with a lightning bolt slashing across it interrupted "We all want to find Magnus friend-o, so...just give me the amulet, and I'll tell him you said hi"

Before Ivor could say anything in response, the pink haired girl shot forwards, wrestled the amulet out of his hands and took off.

"Get back here with that!" Magnus shouted, taking off after her. Ivor followed, but only after making sure Reuben was still at his side. He didn't trust the griefers not to mistake his pet, and best friend, for dinner.

"Oh mighty Axel" the girl said, now standing on the rooftop of a mostly collapsed building, holding the amulet towards the obsidian tower. "I have for you this offering-"

Before she could finish, a fishing pole's lead latched onto the amulet and yanked the item back towards the rod's holder, a griefer in a hideous green and orange jumpsuit. "NO!" the girl shouted, as the other griefer ran off with a cackle.

The pink haired girl took off after the griefer with the fishing pole, and Magnus, Ivor, and Reuben were close behind.

Ivor, Magnus, and Reuben finally caught up to the green and orange wearing griefer, who was doubled over laughing with the pink haired griefer "Buncha noobs!" the girl cackled, wiping tears from her eyes "They'll be chasing after the Cyclones all day!"

Ivor wanted to sneak up on the two and jump them, but the stick cracking loudly underneath Magnus's foot had other plans. The griefer team looked up, eyes widening at the sight of Ivor, Magnus, and a lamb, and took off running in separate directions. "I'll take the thief, you take the guy with the fishing pole!" Ivor said quickly Magnus nodded "Got it!"

"Hey, you know what time of year is best to visit Boomtown?" Ivor jumped slightly as the pink haired girl poked her head out of a window in the house she was hiding in. Ivor rolled his eyes "Let me guess, fall" he said, neatly sidling from the ladder he was climbing to some vines growing up the cobblestone to avoid the TNT the girl had dropped.

"Nope!" the girl said, as though it was a perfectly normal thing, to have a conversation while fighting "Winter, but good guess!"

By the time he got close enough to shout at the girl again, Magnus had joined back up, having hit a dead end with the fishing pole guy. "You guys remind me of a song I had stuck in my head once" the girl called over her shoulder. "I just couldn't get it to go away!" as she ran by a button, she smacked it, causing pistons to fire and TNT to shoot out of dispensers, already flashing white.

Dodging it, Ivor and Magnus grew quiet as they climbed up the tower. Reuben was making his way up using some half slabs, but Ivor and Magnus were crawling up a mismatched patch of ladders and vines.

"Okay little amulet" the girl said, completely unaware of the males' presence "Show me the way! Of course I'm not sure what I'll do once I get there, but that's future Nohr's problem"

"Give. that. back" Ivor snarled, his stone sword drawn and pressing into Nohr's back. Nohr jumped in surprise, and the amulet went flying

"HA!" rang yet another new voice "See, what did I tell you about working together?" Ivor ducked down, and crawled to the edge of the roof he was standing on, looking down over one of the red hoodie wearing guys talking to a girl with the ghast tear logo and eyeball scorching green pigtails. "What?" the girl said "But I'm the one who said we should work together. Now, give it here!" she reached for the amulet, and grabbed onto it. The two griefers began to do some form of tug-of-war, before Ivor crawled down the vines on the other side and grabbed the amulet from them, startling them into letting it go.

Climbing back up, Ivor realized for the first time just how close they were to the obsidian spire, and how brightly the green gem was glowing. "Magnus!" he called "Axel is somewhere in there, we're close!"

"Then quick!" Magnus called back. He was on the other side of a TNT crater, with Reuben stomping his hooves angrily at his side. "Toss me the amulet!"

Ivor made a sort of half groan, and threw the item over to his friend "Don't lose it" he warned, before turning around to face the griefers climbing up after him.

"Ivor you made it!" Magnus said with a grin.

"Don't sound so surprised" Ivor said, a small grin on his face as well. He couldn't really help it, be around Magnus long enough and you'll be smiling about something. "Do you have the amulet?" he asked, feeling a rush of relief flow over him when Magnus pulled the item out of his bag, the green gem glowing so bright it could probably keep monsters from spawning at night.

"Course I do!" Magnus chirped, handing it to Ivor "Me and the lamb totally rocked it"

Ivor decided not to say anything about the arrow sticking out of Magnus's calf as he accepted the amulet.

"Axel, here we come!"

Chapter Text

Pushing open the dark oak doors that led into the heart of the spire, Ivor held up the amulet, using it to light the pitch black room. "Isn't Axel worried about mobs?" Ivor muttered, walking further into the room. Or at least, he tried to. He barely walked three blocks before he ended up with his hands on a wall. "What the-" Magnus began, before the floor opened out underneath them, and dropped the three friends into darkness.

It only took about ten seconds to hit the obsidian ground and flash red, but to Ivor it felt like a year had passed. "Owwwwww" he groaned. Magnus landed a half-second later, belly-flopping onto the black block, and Reuben fell last. Landing on Magnus's back, the lamb was the only one not to flash red, and he jumped from Magnus's back to Ivor's, causing the amulet to go flying from his grip.

Ivor got to his feet, and looked around. He and Magnus were standing at the edge of a two-block wide bridge that spanned over a lava lake, and the amulet had rolled, all the way to the other side. Sighing, Ivor began to walk across the bridge, Reuben and Magnus right on his heels.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps not their own echoed through the room, and the group of three froze.

"You are completely surrounded by hundreds of hidden death traps!" a voice called. Ivor looked up towards its origin, and found himself facing a muscled man wearing some sort of forest green armor. The man had shaggy black hair that fell over his unibrow.

Pulling one of many levers on the wall next to him, the man added "One step closer, and KABOOM!"

The two sand blocks in front of Ivor were pushed upwards by levers, revealing TNT.

Ivor let out a yell of surprise, stumbling backwards. He would have fallen into the lava below, had Magnus not grabbed hold of him.

As he got his balance back, Ivor watched as the man walked over to the amulet, and picked it up. The green gem was now glowing brighter than the lava that surrounded them, casting a green glow over everything.

"It's Axel!" Magnus hissed into Ivor's ear, all but squealing "We totally got caught by Axel!" Ivor shot him a glare, and Magnus's face fell "Uh...I think we're gonna die now"

"Did you really think you could sneak up on me?" Axel asked, a skeptical look on his face as he carried the amulet back to the wall of levers. "You are the worst griefers, I have ever seen" he waved his free hand at Reuben "I mean come on, a lamb? Why would you think that's stealthy?" Reuben bleated angrily, and lowered his head, aiming his horns at Axel as he hopped up and down bleating.

"We're here to ask for your help" Ivor interrupted quickly

Axel tilted his head and said "Riiiiiiiiight. So you're not a couple of griefers here to catch me unawares. Because..." he chuckled "That one" Axel nodded towards Magnus "He's got griefer written all over him"

Magnus's eyes practically had stars in them as he managed to get out "You have no idea how much that means to me!"

"No" Ivor said, rushing to cover up Magnus's words "No no, him? Magnus is as harmless as they get. I know he looks like a griefer, but that's where it stops, looks! Completely harmless!"

Magnus groaned, but thankfully Axel didn't seem to notice. He also didn't seem to buy Ivor's words "Riiiiight" he said again. Looking over the levers, Axel said "So...'not griefers' How did you find me? You working with someone? Or maybe you bribed another griefer?"

"Petra sent us" Ivor said, figuring mentioning the warrior would be the best way to get the green-clothed man on their side.

"Petra?" Axel scoffed "You're seriously telling me that you're buddy-buddy with Petra?" he lifted his hand, and set it on a lever, not pressing it just yet "Do you have any idea how many times people tell me that one? This is all sounding pretty weird"

Axel finally pressed the lever, and the TNT went flying into lava. Ivor took a hesitant step forwards, before all out running along the bridge, only to be stopped by yet another lever pull, which summoned more TNT in front of him.

"Who are you really?" Axel demanded, crossing his arms "Why are you here? I want answers, and I want them now"

Ivor glanced back at Magnus, who shrugged "Come on now" Axel said "Just give it to me straight"

"The world is being destroyed" Ivor said, looking Axel right in the man's emerald eyes.

Axel blinked, and looked down at the amulet in his hands, more specifically, at the now pulsing green gem. Ivor thought that the red gem middle blue gem seemed to be glowing slightly, but it was hard to tell underneath the sea of green.

"You have me intrigued" Axel said slowly "Go on" He pulled another lever, and once again the TNT went flying into lava, melting with a sharp, creeper like hiss.

Ivor, Magnus, and Reuben slowly began cross the bridge again. "There's a huge monster eating the world and nothing can stop it" Ivor said "Petra told us to reunite the Order of the Stone. Axel, you have to come with us, you may very well be our only hope."

Axel pulled another lever, and the final two blocks of the bridge were pushed up, revealing TNT "Give me one reason why, for even a second, I should come with you" as Ivor thought, Axel continued "I'm the ruler of this place, I keep the disorder!"

"You are supposed to be a hero Axel" Ivor said, once again looking directly into Axel's eyes as he spoke "And right now, the world needs a hero. You can come with us, and help stop this disaster"

Axel held Ivor's gaze silently for a few minutes, before turning away, and walking towards a window made of black stained glass, carefully hidden from the outside. "All this...stuff you just told me" Axel said, turning his head to look at Ivor "You expect me to just take your word for it? Two strangers with wild stories and nothing to show for it, except an amulet that isn't theirs"

"Are you that paranoid?" Ivor asked, tilting his head slightly and patting Reuben's head as the lamb padded closer for comfort "Do you really not trust anyone?"

"That's how I've survived this long" Axel said quietly, in a voice barely more than a whisper.

"Please...just trust me this once then" Ivor said "Just for one minute...trust us, trust me"

Axel was silent for a few minutes, and during that time, Ivor was afraid they were going to be sent away. Finally, he said "I mean, the alternative is we go and get Olivia to help us"

That got a reaction out of Axel, and the black haired male turned around "Okay, okay, you sold me" he sounded kind of grumpy about that, but at the same time like he had just been looking for an excuse to join them. "I'm in" he walked over to his wall of levers, and pulled one final one, sending the last set of TNT flying.

Walking up to Ivor, Magnus, and Reuben, Axel said "There's just one problem. See...I can't exactly just stroll on out of here"

"What are you talking about?" Magnus asked, a brow arched "You're Axel!"

Axel walked past them on the bridge, which was kind of a tight fit since he was rather on the large side "Well, I don't know if you've noticed" he said, in the voice one uses to talk to a two year old "But this place is kinda full of griefers"

Magnus blinked, clearly not following where Axel was going with that "But...that's kinda awesome, right?"

"No!" Axel said, reaching the end of the bridge and turned around to face them "See...you've heard of the whole 'challenging the king for his crown' thing right? It's...kinda their thing" as he said 'their' he waved his hand towards the wall, as though gesturing to the entire town.

"So...as long as I'm king" Axel continued, as Ivor and Magnus exchanged glances, walking back towards Axel "I can't leave this tower"

"You lost me" Ivor said "What exactly do you mean?"

Axel sighed, and then said "Boomtown griefers have one goal in mind: to steal my crown! And what can I say?" he shrugged "I'm too good to give it up. Simply put, that's life in Boomtown!"

Ivor and Magnus exchanged a look, that Axel seemed to completely miss as he said "It's not as much fun as you think. I mean, hey, I do get to spit on their heads every now and then, so I guess that's a plus"

"So...just pick someone to be king" Ivor said, not seeing what the problem was.

Axel frowned at them "Hey, I have beaten them, hundreds of thousands of times, and none of them are worthy. They'll see right through it" his eyes twinkled, and he took a step closer to Ivor "Buuuut...you" he began, and Ivor paled, taking a step back "You're the newcomer with the golden amulet. By now, there has got to be rumors flying around about how awesome you are. If you can beat me, then I'll be able to leave!" the grin that was spreading across Axel's face could be described as maniac as the Boom King turned back around and pulled some ladders out of his inventory "I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!"

Ivor arched a brow "How exactly would I beat you?" He had meant it as a legitimate question, as in what kind of stunt could he pull to beat Axel, but Axel seemed to take it as a completely different question all together. "Ha, I know right?" Axel chirruped, placing the ladder in his hand at the bottom of the pit Magnus, Ivor, and Reuben had fallen out of just a few minutes ago. "But that's just it, you won't have to! Oohh this is going to be good!" he turned around and beamed at Ivor and Magnus. "I'm actually excited bout this!" Axel continued, rubbing his hands together "But we have to make sure it looks legit"

Pulling out yet another ladder, Axel said with delight "The Death Bowl has never seen the carnage we're about to create!"

Ivor paled, and glanced at Magnus, who was grinning nearly as widely as Axel

"Uhhh...what's the 'Death Bowl'"

"WWWWeeeelcome ladies and gentlemen to the Death Bowl!"

Ivor watched as a griefer wearing 3D glasses stood in the center of the arena Axel had led him to.

"In this corner, we have Axel!"the announcer said, pointing to Axel who waved causing cheers to ring through the air. "The King of Boomtown, prepared to defend his title as champion!"

"So tiny" Axel said, a grin on his face "welcome to the Death Bowl" the two were standing side by side, and Magnus and Reuben were behind them, since they weren't participating. "The Grief-off to end all grief-offs!" he lowered his voice to a whisper so that no one else could hear "So how do you want to fake this"

Ivor looked over at the griefers, who were chanting something that sounded suspiciously like 'burn him'.

"Be quick about it though" Axel said, rather impatiently "griefer's aren't known for their patience"

"We'll start off small" Ivor hissed in return "And then I'll throw some TNT at you" Axel turned to wave at the crowd as Ivor finished "Let it graze you, and we'll call it a finish alright?"

"Got it!" Axel said, giving Ivor a thumbs up without even looking at him "Something about TNT, awesome"

As Axel walked away to stand in his 'corner' the announcer turned to Ivor "And you? What name do you go by?"

Ivor smirked and said "I go by the name Amulet Holder" he wasn't entirely sure where that had come from...he just thought it sounded cool. Not to mention it had the benefit of being true, since Petra had given him the amulet

"You heard the name folks!" the announcer said, turning to the crowd "Give a big Death Bowl welcome to...the Amullllllllet Hollllder!" The griefers cheered for a few seconds, until the announcer said "And let's begin!"

Ivor nodded, and walked over to some chests, Magnus did the same, but on the opposite side. The chests were in the center of the arena, and the announcer walked in between the two "Opponents will craft their own griefing tower, which they will then use to grief each other" the announcer said. "The only rule-"

"There are no rules!" a griefer from the stands interrupted. "No eye poking" the announcer corrected, gaining a boo and several 'aw man's' from the stands. "Other than that, go crazy, seriously!"

The announcer waved to the chests "Amulet Holder, pick your building material. And Axel?" he turned towards the man in green armor with a curious expression. Axel waved a hand as though shooing away flies "Nah I'm good" he said "Brought my own supply"

"Let the griefing...begin!"

Ivor had chosen the chest full of black wool and birch wood for his building material. Primarily because Reuben had liked it, but also he figured that way if he got knocked backwards during the fight, then it wouldn't hurt as much as landing on cobblestone.

"Magnus" Ivor said, spotting his friend standing in Axel's corner, where the reining king was finishing up a tower made of obsidian and dark red concrete. "What are you doing over there?"

"Yeah..." the bald teen said rather sheepishly "I thought you might bring that up...See, Reuben wanted to take your corner" he pointed to the lamb that was practically prancing in place "And I didn't want to hog him or anything, so I thought I would watch from over here"

Ivor rolled his eyes, but was then distracted by Axel shouting "Take your best shot!"

Ivor reached into his bag and pulled out some eggs he had picked up during the chase earlier, and hurled one towards Axel. Axel, understandably, ducked. However, the egg didn't even land anywhere near his tower, smacking into some poor griefer on the far side of the stadium.

Ivor rubbed the back of his neck as the crowd booed and called out nervously "Aaand that is how not to throw an egg"

"You grief with me" Axel shouted across the arena "You grief with the best!"

As the older male turned to fist pump the air at the crowd, Ivor took another egg and hurled it. This time, it smacked right into the back of the man's head, and out popped a baby chicken, flapping it's wings and clucking nervously.

Axel turned around, a strange glint in his eyes "So Amulet Holder" he said "Taking an amulet isn't enough...you need to take my crown as well?"

The audience clapped, and Axel took a quick bow.

"I don't discriminate in my accessory-taking" Ivor said, not really paying attention to how little sense his words made. "Your crown shall be mine!"

"You are but a student" Axel said, walking over to a small platform that had two levers on it "Prepare yourself, because I'm here to give you your final lesson"

Axel pulled one of the switches, and a piece of TNT shot towards Ivor. He half-ducked, before realizing the TNT wasn't even going to graze him, and turned to watch as it smacked into the announcer.

Axel gulped and stammered "Th...that was just a warning!"

"A warning about what?" a griefer called "That you need glasses?"

Ivor grinned and crossed his arms "It seems the student has become the master" he purred "The Amulet Holder will win today" Making his way over to his own TNT launcher at the sound of Reuben's encouraging bleats.

Aiming at Axel, who had his back turned and was shouting at the griefer who had insulted him, Ivor smacked his palm against the button that fired his TNT and watched it sail through the air. Axel turned just in time, and yelped, placing a slime block in front of himself so that the TNT bounced back and exploded at the base of Ivors' tower, ripping apart some of the wool and wood structure.

"What happened to getting hit by my TNT?" Ivor hissed, his voice low enough that Axel could hear him but the griefers couldn't. But when Axel turned to look up at him, there was a strange light in his eyes as the black haired man shouted "NOBODY MESSES WITH THE BOOM MASTER!"

Ivor paled "Oh no"

'Oh no' was right, as barely a few seconds later, all Ivor was left with on his tower was three pieces of black wool, which he had to do parkour to reach.

Axel had taken the advice of the screaming griefers, and had crafted a canon, which was the reason Ivor's tower was completely destroyed.

"You were supposed to throw the fight" Ivor groaned. Axel was busy cheering with the crowd, building up their hype or something before he went in for the kill...hopefully metaphorically.

"Hey!" Axel shouted, causing Ivor's face to pale even further as he saw Axel glaring at Reuben, who was bleating angrily and stomping his hooves. "Get off, no sheep allowed."

"Stuff!" Magnus shouted from below, gaining Ivor's attention "I've got cool stuff!" he hurled something upwards, and Ivor just barely caught it, realizing it was an arrow that had a strange glow about it "It's an arrow for your bow" Magnus said, like it wasn't obvious "It's enchanted or something"

"A bow in a canon fight?" Ivor said, looking down at Magnus with an expression of both confusion and stupor "Magnus, there are all sorts of cliched lines about this"

"Yeah, but the TNT" Magnus said, pointing to the mouth of Axel's canon, where stacks of TNT could be seen waiting to be fired.

"TNT...plus an arrow" Ivor said slowly, seeing where his friend was going. Magnus grinned, placing his hands on his hips "oh yeah"

"Time to see how well you fly sheep!" Axel said, and when Ivor turned to see just exactly what he meant by that, he saw Reuben shaking in the mouth of the canon. Axel pulled the switch, and Reuben was catapulted forwards. Thankfully, Axel's aim wasn't off this time, and Reuben landed squarely in Ivor's arms. "Man" Ivor muttered, carefully setting Reuben down on the closest block of floating wool "You smell delicious right now"

Reuben gave him a skeptical look, but Ivor ignored it "Hey Axel!" he called

"Yeah short stuff?"

"Flying sheep jokes are totally played out!" Ivor aimed his bow for the mouth of the canon.

Axel flipped one of the switches, causing a piston to push TNT forwards

Ivor fired his bow

Axel pulled the other switch

Two explosions rang through the Death Bowl, and when the smoke cleared, Ivor was crouched on one final piece of wool...

And Axel was flat on his back on the ground.

For a few moments, it was pure silence. Then, the announcer, smoldering slightly from his encounter with Axel's TNT came forwards, and took Ivor's hand, raising it into the air as he shouted "We have a winner! The AMULET HOLDER!"

But before anyone could do anything, say anything, a roar echoed through Boomtown, and all eyes turned to see a black cloud rushing towards them, three heads shooting out a purple tractor beam and sucking up blocks. "ohh that's not good" Ivor said, pulling his hand free and taking a step backwards.

"Holy crap!" Axel said. Having risen to his feet, the former king of Boomtown was staring at the Witherstorm in pure horror "Is that your Witherstorm?"

"We need to get out of here" Ivor said, running forwards and grabbing Axel's arm. Tugging him towards the portal, Ivor heard Axel shouting "NO! STOP IT, STOP EATING MY KINGDOM!

"Axel come on!" Magnus said, taking the man's other arm.

"YOU'LL REGRET MESSING WITH BOOMTOWN!" Axel shouted, before he turned, and let Ivor and Magnus lead him to the Nether Portal

Chapter Text

"Alright, just a little farther"

Ivor was in the lead, and by that it meant that he was the highest on the vine trail leading up the large section of stone. Magnus was right behind him, and Axel was just a little below Magnus. Reuben was making his own way up, that involved squeezing through spaces entirely too small for humans to fit through.

As they all reached the top, and walked closer to the building, Axel was the first to comment on the appearance of the structure "Looks like someone went a little overboard with the defenses"

Overboard, was a complete understatement.

Redstone blocks could be seen scattered across the temple, and what looked suspiciously like pressure plates were wired up to the dispensers, which had been re-located to the outside of the temple.

Before the small group could get any closer, a sharp hissing caused them all to jump and whirl around, facing a creeper which was already flashing white. Before it could explode, five arrows shot into it's head, one after the other, and the Creeper became nothing more than a small pile of gunpowder.

"Who goes there?" a voice shouted, as Magnus knelt down to scoop up the gunpowder and put it into his bag. Ivor made a mental note to keep Magnus away from sand and crafting tables for a while. Turning to look at the source of the voice and the arrows, Ivor couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face as his gaze landed on a young black haired woman holding a bow and aiming it at the thick form of Axel. She had some sort of orange goggles on, but after a half-second of silence, Harper pushed the goggles off of her face and beamed "Ivor? Is that you?"

"Harper!" Ivor called in return, nodding and brushing some of his dark hair out of his face. "Yeah we're back"

"Thank Notch" Harper said, putting the bow away "Wait there, I'll let you in"

As Harper opened the Iron door from the inside, Ivor smiled, and nodded his head towards Axel "We got Axel!" he said, and Harper grinned at him "That's amazing"

After the small group had gotten in and Harper sealed the door shut, the raven haired woman led the way "You are not going to believe who showed up while you were away" she said, a small laugh of delight in her voice. She pointed to a figure leaning against the wall, and Ivor's eyes widened as he realized who it was

"Gabriel!" Magnus shouted, running forwards and all but tackling the dark skinned male with a hug. Gabriel chuckled, and eased Magnus off of him "It's good to see you too Magnus" As Ivor and Reuben came closer, Gabriel nodded to Ivor as well "It's good to see you as well Ivor...back at Petra's bunker, things got...dicey"

"It's such a relief to see you" Ivor said, raising a hand and resting it on the teen's shoulder. "You have no idea" for a brief moment, Ivor thought he saw a small flash of pain flick through Gabriel's eyes, but before Ivor could say anything, Gabriel beat him too it "You pulled me out of that Witherstorm's clutches and I ran and ran for the temple. If you hadn't saved me..." Gabriel shook his head "I owe my life to you Ivor. I'm just glad I heard Petra telling you where to go"

Gabriel rubbed awkwardly at his left arm, but Ivor barely saw that. Instead he asked "Did anyone else get away? Are there any other survivors?"

Gabriel sighed and said softly "It's all a blur...but the Witherstorm left almost nothing behind. Everything...everyone...gone"

Gabriel turned, and led the others deeper into the temple "It even got Petra"

"It's been a while since I've been here" Axel said softly, climbing the stairs from the library into the upper chamber where Ellegaard was. Axel had his head craned back to look up at the roof, so Ivor saw the person standing next to Ellegaard first.

Ivor turned to glance at Harper, but before words could be said, Axel lowered his head, and his gaze locked onto the woman who was staring out to the woods. "What. is she. doing here?" Axel's hands were clenched into fists, and he was taking deep breaths, his emerald green eyes squeezed shut.

Gabriel arched a brow and said "Call this a hunch, but do you not like each-other"

Axel shook his head "It's not...no it's just..." he sighed "It's complicated"

Harper didn't seem to hear the burly man, as she turned towards Ivor and said "Yeah...I forgot to mention...Ellegaard went on a little quest of her own while you were gone"

"And this...Ellegaard person" Axel said slowly, his eyes opening and fixing on the woman standing next to Ellegaard "brought back her?"

Ellegaard and the other woman, who had dark skin and raven black hair, hadn't noticed the group huddling around the stairs yet, which was probably for the best as Axel turned towards Ivor "Did you know about this? Did Olivia put you up to this?" Axel huffed and crossed his arms, muttering "You think you know a guy"

Ivor frowned "Uh...Is this a problem?"

Axel didn't say anything for a few seconds, before he finally said "Let's just say the two of us have got some issues after..." he shook his head "never mind" he added with a mumble.

Before Ivor could question Axel, Ellegaard finally caught sight of them and ran over to him, hopping up and down excitedly "Ivor!" she all but squealed "Look! I...I found Olivia!"

Ivor sighed, rubbing at the area between his eyes "Look..." he said to Axel "I'll figure things out, just...wait here alright?"

"Good" Axel said, rather awkwardly "You do that"

Ellegaard had already ran back over to Olivia, and as he got closer Ivor could hear the tail end of Olivia's words "-try to play it cool hmmm?" then the dark skinned woman caught sight of him and turned, facing Ivor with a small frown and her arms crossed. "So...who are you now?" Olivia asked "And why did you bring him with you?" as she said 'him' in literally the most demeaning manner possible, Olivia nodded her head towards Axel.

"We're reuniting the Order of the Stone" Ivor said, then his gaze flicked over to Ellegaard "So how did you two meet?" he asked wryly.

Ellegaard beamed at him "It's kind of crazy actually. So, I went to Redstonia, and there were all these incredible inventors. It was kind of intimidating actually" she rubbed her arm nervously, then beamed "But Olivia made me her protege!"

"Well...assistant, for now" Olivia corrected "I mean, after what happened..." she trailed off and Ellegaard winced slightly, a small blush spreading across her face. "I know, and I'm so sorry about that by the way"

"Redstonia?" Ivor interrupted, arching a brow. Ellegaard nodded, turning away from Olivia "It's a town devoted completely to redstone and inventions. It's amazing! I was way out of my league."

Olivia hummed thoughtfully and said "She may have...embarrassed herself a bit"

Ellegaard's face turned beet red, but before any more words could be exchanged, Axel walked over from the stairway, apparently tired of waiting for Ivor. "Hey Olivia" he said, a strange look on his face. Olivia frowned "Hello Axel" she returned "Your voice is exactly as pleasant as I remember, which is to say...not. at. all" she glared at the large man, who frowned, crossed his arms, and countered "Is that the same wit you're going to use to save the world?"

"Why?" Olivia asked "You here to tell me how to do it better?"

"I would never do that" Axel said, voice somewhat sincere "Unlike you, I actually do things instead of just talking about them"

"Hey, that's Olivia you're talking to, show some respect!" Ellegaard snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at the Boom Master.

Axel half smirked at Ellegaard before turning his focus back on Olivia "Looks like you've finally found yourself a live one. Your little devotees are usually more on the ah...bookish side"

"Would you all cut it out?" Ivor finally snapped "Holy crap you're acting like crazy people! Can we please focus on the big picture here? There is a massive witherstorm in the process of turning the whole world into its dinner!"

"Yeah...I'll admit" Axel said, turning away from Olivia and rubbing his arm "That thing looked really nasty, and I've seen some pretty nasty things in my time"

Olivia crossed her arms "Too much for you was it?" she asked a strange expression on her face.

"Hey, you weren't there alright" Axel snapped "You didn't see how this thing just tore everything up!"

Ivor had finally had enough "would you two STOP FIGHTING!"

After a few tense moments, Gabriel said "Ivor's right. We need some way to stop this thing"

"If only Lukas were here" Olivia said sadly. "He might have something we could use"

Axel let out a groan "Oh...'liv, not this again. You know I hate it when you brag about you and Lukas's little brainy club"

"I'm not bragging!" Olivia cried, exasperated "I think I've got a legitimate idea here!"

"What are you talking about?" Ivor asked, trying desperately hard not to just up and smack Axel and Olivia at this point. "What did Lukas have?"

"Lukas had some sort of...Super TNT" Olivia explained "Stronger, and more explosive than a charged creeper. He called it the 'Formidi-Bomb'"

"Yeah, yeah" Axel said, rolling his eyes "I've heard all about the 'F-Bomb' before."

Magnus arched a brow "F-Bomb?" he asked, looking rather skeptical.

Axel nodded "Yup. Lukas claimed that dropping the F-Bomb could destroy anything. But I've never seen it before"

"As if he would let you within a mile of it" Olivia muttered under her breath.

"Well the Formidi-Bomb sounds like just what we need" Ivor said quickly, before Axel and Olivia could start shouting at each other again. "We should go get it...now"

"Well..there's a small problem with that" Olivia said "We don't know where Lukas is." As Ivor's face began to fall, Olivia added "But, you found us. Do you know where he is?"

Ivor frowned "No...but I know how to find out" he said, a small grin falling into place as he turned his head to look at the Order's map.

The amulet already in place, Ivor pulled the lever he knew would start the light show up. Walking back to the main area, Ivor stood between Axel and Olivia. "Look, there's my light" Axel said, pointing to the green laser "And there's yours" the red light was right next to the green one on the map, right in the center of things.

As they stood there watching, a new light flickered, and then shone as brightly as the red and green ones. A pure white light, shining up at the very top of the map.

"That's new" Magnus said, drawing a groan from Ellegaard.

As Ivor was about to pick up the amulet so they could get going immediately like they had decided, after a small argument between Axel and Olivia, the amulet's middle gem began glowing, slowly at first, and then brightly, pulsing with energy as it depicted a blue light moving quickly towards the white light's location.

"Jesse?" Olivia said "No...that's impossible, he's dead!"

Axel stared, mouth open at the map, and Ivor walked towards Olivia, abandoning the amulet "Olivia...Axel, I don't know how to tell you guys this, especially since you all seem to think Jesse was supposed to be dead but...

"He's the one that created the wither."

Chapter Text

The woods were dark, but the moon shone down on the group of eight who were keeping as close to eachother as they possibly could. Ivor was in the lead, with Reuben at his side. The group walked in silence, the only sound they made the sound of their feet treading on dirt.

Ivor could hear one set of footsteps speeding up slightly, so he wasn't all that surprised when a dark skinned woman appeared in his peripheral vision. "Hey, Ivor right?" Olivia asked, her voice quiet so that only she and Ivor could hear. Ivor nodded, though he didn't say anything, which Olivia took as an opportunity to speak "We haven't really had a chance to get to know each other." Ivor shrugged, and Olivia continued "I heard you saved your friend Gabriel from this...Witherstorm?" she chuckled slightly as though the name were absurd "Anyways, it sounds like you're a pretty impressive individual." Ivor shrugged again, not really seeing the point of the conversation the redstone engineer was trying to have. "Pick fights with lots of monsters?" Olivia finally asked a question, and Ivor answered in the briefest way possible. "I just want to keep my friends safe."

Olivia hummed slightly at his response, her dark brown eyes, a darker shade than Ellegaard's bright warm amber, scanning Ivor thoughtfully. "You're humble, I like that, it's a good quality to have."

They walked in silence for a few minutes more, before Olivia said "Anyways, I sort of wish you had taken my side earlier, but...water under the bridge and all that." her words were kind enough, but the way she said them made Ivor want to reach for the nearest weapon. "Slight tangent." Olivia continued, turning her head to watch Ellegaard out of the corner of her eye. The girl, covered head to toe in redstone dust after helping Harper with the defenses and her trip to Redstonia, was half walking half skipping, a massive grin on her face as she retelled her adventure to Magnus. "What's the deal with your friend Ellegaard?"

Ivor turned his head slightly to get his own view of Ellegaard and Magnus, and Magnus caught his gaze, shooting the dark haired male a 'help me please' look, to which Ivor responded with a slight smirk and shake of his head. "I appreciate her enthusiasm," Olivia continued, causing Ivor to focus his attention back on her. As the night grew darker, the soft flecks of redstone dust in her own hair began to glow slightly. "but...she can be a little...what's the word I'm looking for here...much sometimes."

As Ivor thought about what to say, Olivia filled the silence "She's always eager to jump in and help, which is very sweet don't get me wrong, but..sometimes I just wish she would think a little more before jumping in."

Ivor finally said "She's one of my best friends, she's smart, and she always has a plan."

"Interesting" Olivia said, arching a brow at Ivor "If that's the case, then...why didn't you listen to her plan to come and get me?" Olivia smiled sweetly "Not to make it awkward or anything, or to demand 'why didn't you want to recruit me?'"

Ivor shrugged, internally groaning "I figured we needed firepower, and no own knows destruction better than Axel."

"The man does know how to blow things up with reckless abandon" Olivia said, a small smile on her face. She shook her head, and then said "Alright, that makes sense. I won't let it offend me any further." her words, and tone were earnest, and Ivor gave her a smile in return.

Barely a few minutes after Olivia slowed back down to let Ivor lead the way, deep groans filled the air. The group of travelers froze, as zombies emerged from the shadows. With sharp hisses, spiders and creepers joined them. And up on the tops of trees, several skeletons took aim at the people.

"And this is why we should have waited until morning" Olivia said, her hands reaching for her inventory bag.

"Well...at least the Witherstorm isn't tearing us apart" Axel said

"Argue later, fight now!" Ivor snapped, pulling out his stone sword.

The sun was starting to rise. The smell of burning flesh, so disgusting but so blessed filled the noses of the battered, but still alive adventurers. Gabriel had dirt covering head to toe from a creeper explosion, Axel had a rather swollen black eye, Ellegaard had a slice across her left arm from a skeleton arrow, Magnus had a spider bite on his leg that he kept leaning down to itch, and Ivor had a bandage wrapped around his right shoulder. He'd been bitten by a zombie, so they'd had to cut the infected flesh off. It hurt like crazy, which was the reason for Axel's black eye. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but Ivor still wanted to just stab every zombie in the entire world to death with a blunt sword.

"Is that Lukas's?" Ellegaard asked, pointing towards something that was fuzzy with distance. It looked to be a massive white structure, with a black ring around the top dome.

Olivia nodded "That's the place...let's go inside."

"Lukas really lived down here?" Harper asked. So far they'd learned that Lukas really loved staircases, as they'd gone down about four different sets and were now down at least at redstone level, given by the ores glowing in the stone walls. "So far away from...anyone?"

"Enchanting, isn't it" Olivia said. Ivor couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

Two more staircases and about twelve different gold ore veins later, the group ran into a set of double dark oak doors.

Pushing them open,Ivor walked through to instantly spot double jungle wood doors...on the other side of a massive chasm. The only thing connecting the platform they were standing on and the platform the jungle doors were one was a series of columns that connected down to the floor, far, far below.

Harper blinked at the columns, shook her head and said simply "no. Just...no."

"Aw, come on" Axel said "Look, it's fine" the king of Boomtown took a running start, jumped over the first pitfall, and landed neatly on the first pillar. "See!" A grin split Magnus's face, and the bald teen was quick to jump after the griefer "Whhooooo!"

"Just...don't fall" Ivor said to the rest of the group, before making his own jump.

They made it all safely across the pillars, and into the next room.

Well...mostly safely. Ivor and Reuben fell off, landed in some water, and had to avoid some Endermen. Harper had tumbled down after them, and they had used the river to get to the next room which was, surprise, at the bottom of a massive staircase.

As the small group of three pulled themselves out of the water, Ivor could hear Axel and Olivia fighting. Picking up Reuben, who was absolutely drenched, Ivor patted off some of Reuben's fur, and then followed Harper towards the others.

"That's it, I'm going." Olivia snapped, turning and walking into a tunnel marked off by redstone "Oh no, you don't get to be the one walking away." Axel snapped back, turning and running into a tunnel marked off by what looked suspiciously like emerald blocks. "See, I'm walking away too!" Axel hollered over his shoulder "Super TNT here I come!"

Ellegaard saw Ivor, Reuben, and Harper walking closer, as muttered "It's hard to see the glass half full when they keep kicking the glass over." Harper arched a brow and muttered "And I thought they were doing so well." Her voice literally oozed sarcasm.

"They've definitely got issues to work through." Ivor said, "But hopefully they'll figure it out before we have to fight the Witherstorm again."

Ellegaard nodded, and then changed the subject. "So...where are we going to go now?"

Ivor shrugged "We'll figure it out."

That seemed to be answer enough for Ellegaard, as she wandered off to investigate the doorway Olivia had walked through.

As he walked around the massive room, Ivor couldn't help but keep glancing at Gabriel. The dark skinned man was coughing, and he just...looked off. Turning his head again, and then wincing and internally cursing at his stupidity because of the pain jolting through his neck and shoulder, Ivor decided to try talking to Gabriel. "Hey Gabe." he said, walking over to him. Gabriel was still fairly caked in dirt, which was the worst damage he'd taken, and yet he looked like he had been the one bitten by a zombie. "hey." Gabriel croaked out. Ivor's frown deepened. Even Gabriel's voice, usually strong and unwavering, sounded like he had skeletons using his ribs as bows.

"Are you alright?" Ivor asked, deciding the best tactic here was to be blunt. Gabriel looked over Ivor's shoulder, and when Ivor tried to turn his head, cursed himself again, and turned his entire body, he could see the Harper watching them intently. He had spoken with her a few minutes ago, and she had expressed her concern for the go-getter. Turning back around, Ivor could hear Gabriel saying "I...I need to discuss something with you...in private."

Ivor frowned, and then shrugged, gritting his teeth as he discovered that shrugging did, indeed, cause jolts of pain to rack through his body. "We'll split up." he said a second later, when he could talk without screaming like a girl.

Magnus, Harper, and Ellegaard, although the latter wasn't all that happy about it, went down the tunnel Axel had taken. Ivor had chosen Olivia's tunnel, since he did actually feel a tad guilty about not going after her earlier.

Ivor, Reuben, and Gabriel walked in silence for a while, before Gabriel finally spoke. "I...I feel bad about ditching everyone else, but...I wanted to talk to you about this alone. It's...a little hard to talk about, and...well, we both know Magnus can get a bit explodey at times."

"Whatever it is," Ivor replied "I trust you, you can tell me."

Gabriel smiled at the black haired teen "Thank you, for being so understanding"

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, Ivor letting Gabriel talk at his own pace. Finally, Gabriel stopped, and Ivor did too, turning to look at his friend curiously. "You...got me away from the Witherstorm" Gabriel said, using his right hand to mess with the sleeve that covered his left arm "But, I am...worried that I did not get away soon enough." he pulled the sleeve upwards, revealing that his dark skin was turning a mottled purple. Ivor's eyes widened, but before he could say anything Gabriel said "It showed up not too long after you saved me, and it's been growing ever since."

"Holy-" Ivor began, before shaking his head with a slight growl "We need to get you out of here, to a doctor!"

"I don't know if there's anything anyone can do." Gabriel said sadly. "Do you know what 'Wither' is?" Ivor blinked, and if Gabriel hadn't just shown him the weird purple stuff that seemed to be draining at his energy, Ivor would have knocked him out "Of course I do" he said, fighting to keep the bite out of his tone. "It's what we've been running away fro-" "Not the witherstorm." Gabriel interrupted, "Just Wither, also known as Wither Sickness"

Ivor's eyes widened, and then determination spread across his face "That's it." he said "We're going back to tell the others."

"You can't tell anyone about this!" Gabriel said quickly, face pleading. Before any more words could be exchanged, a sharp hiss sounded around the corner. The three turned in time to see a Creeper emerge from the shadows, flash white once, and explode.

Ivor had fallen down the hole. Gabriel and Rueben were back up, trying to find a safer way down to where Ivor had fallen. In adition to the cleansed zombie bite, Ivor now sported two bruises. One on his left kneecap, the other on his right elbow. Making his way over to the amulet, which had fallen out of his pocket, Ivor blinked in surprise. The red and green lights were still glowing, the red more brightly than the green, but now the middle gem, a rich dark blue, was glowing rather brightly.

Picking up the amulet, Ivor began to follow the glow, like he had done at Boomtown. As he walked, the green light grew brighter as well, so he figured he was walking back towards the room where they had split up, just at a lower level.

Ivor walked into the biggest library he had ever seen. The books went clear up to the ceiling, and there were shelves absolutely everywhere. There was also a table in the center, with even more books piled onto it. And in the back corner of the room, a figure was furiously looking at the books. He wasn't wearing his cloak, and his long brown hair made him instantly recognizable. The man was talking to himself, words echoing in the massive space "He must have something useful here, he has to! Why else would he have so many books? Was he just collecting them? He can't have read all of these"

"Uh...Hello?" Ivor called. He was ninety percent sure it was Jesse, but the memory of what had happened at Endercon was still rather fresh in his mind. Had that only been two nights ago? So much had happened since then. The man stiffened, and then whirled around, his face, and the scar on his neck, revealing that it was indeed Jesse. As Jesse realized who Ivor was, his face twisted into a snarl "YOU!" he growled, hands clenching into fists. Jesse took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and when he opened them again he was still glaring, but he seemed to be at least a little calmer. "Trying to interfere with my plans again I see" the brown haired man said, eyes narrow.

Ivor crossed his arms and stood his ground as Jesse took a few steps forwards "Your tenacity is commendable, but misguided" the former member of the Order said. "You found your way here, and you may now take your leave. Immediately.

"Look." Ivor said, gritting his teeth and trying his hardest not to lunge at the man in a punching frenzy like he had in the Nether. "I think we're here for the same reason. I'm here with the Order to try and find Lukas's Super TNT. We're going to take down your Witherstorm."

Jesse seemed to find this hilarious"The Order?" he laughed "Believe me, that plan will blow up in more ways than one. They cannot help you" he calmed himself, and walked closer to Ivor "But me?" he added, brown hair falling forwards to frame his face "I choose not to. Now, get out of my way."

Ivor glared daggers into Jesse's eyes, but the robed man seemed to think nothing of this, simply arching a brow and waiting for Ivor to comply. As they stood there, in total silence, Jesse's gaze wandered to the bandage poking out of Ivor's shirt. He frowned, and opened his mouth as though he were about to say something, but before he could Gabriel and Reuben entered the room "Where do you think you're going?" Gabriel asked, eyes narrow. The teen looked surprisingly fierce despite the small bags forming around his eyes.

"You escaped?" Jesse asked, slight surprise in his tone. "Well, how very good for you-" he looked like he was going to say more, but Gabriel let out a battle cry and lunged forwards, golden sword that he had stolen from Jesse's hideout flashing outwards.

Ivor thought he was imagining it, but when Jesse saw the sword, for just a brief moment, his eyes widened in fear, and he seemed to flinch backwards. But then the moment passed, and Jesse was dodging Gabriels blows with practiced ease.

Ivor drew his own stone sword, but he was afraid of hitting Gabriel. So mostly he kind of just stood in the doorway he had come from so as not to let Jesse out.

"I'm the only one that can stop the Witherstorm!" Jesse snarled after a few minutes of dodging had passed. He did a fancy maneuver that resulted in Gabriel's sword flying out of his hands, turned, got a running start, and using one hand to lift himself above the table, the brown haired man did some sort of twist slash flip to land on the other side, facing Gabriel with one hand behind his back. "Not you, not the Order." the way he said the word 'order' with such fury and venom, made Ivor wonder what had happened between them to cause such hate bubble up inside this man. He lifted the hand from behind his back, revealing the golden sword he had kicked out of Gabriel's palm. "Don't make yourselves the villains in my story."

Ivor and Jesse had fought for a few minutes, Gabriel trying to find a way to get his sword back as Jesse alternated between speed and invisibility potions, before Harper, Magnus, and Ellegaard finally charged into the room."More of you?" Jesse cried, sounding quite exasperated "Will this parade of useless babble never cease?"

Ivor took the opportunity to smack the blunt end of his blade into Jesse's chest. The long haired man fell to the floor, and Gabriel finally recovered his blade. "What's going on?" Ellegaard asked. "We found Jesse," Ivor replied "we stopped him."

"False" Jesse coughed, getting to his feet "You have stopped nothing" he reached into his inventory, and pulled out a purplish gray potion. Ivor aimed his sword at Jesse, as the man strolled towards them, almost casually "A query..." Jesse said, studying the potion intently. "Have you ever seen the effects of a Splash Potion of Slowness?"

Ivor frowned "What-" he started, but before he could finish, Jesse threw the potion. It exploded into a series of red particles that surrounded the group

"-aaaaaarrrrrrreeeee yooooouuuu ttttaaaalkiiiinng aaabbbboooouuuttt" Ivor finished, his words coming out faaaaar too slow. Jesse grinned, and walked around the group, nimbly avoiding the remains of the spilled potion. As he stood in the doorway, Jesse turned and watched as the others very slowly followed suit "YYYyyooooooouuuuu bbiiiiiiiigggggg jeeeeeerrrrrrkkkk" Magnus snarled

"Axel and Olivia may think they can stop me," Jesse said, a small smirk on his face as he watched and listened to the group "that they can stop the Witherstorm. But they are mistaken...and it will cost them their lives" he turned around and walked out of the room, stepping over a pressure plate as he did so, causing pistons to fire, a sound Ivor was really starting to hate, and the bookshelves pushed themselves closed around the room's only opening, sealing the group inside.

Chapter Text

It is said that within every loss, every challenge, and every failure; there is a gift.

When revered heroes are lost, we find new ones in our friends.

When we're given grief, we find a way to give it back

And when our band of unlikely heroes are tasked with saving the world from the coming storm;

they will bring together the bravest and brightest to stop it.

But finding the last, and most elusive of the Order of the Stone and his legendary Formidi-Bomb would prove their most perilous mission yet

For some would rather our heroes story end here, shutting the door on their adventure forever.

But like all doors, when one closes, another is bound to open

The doors slammed shut, and Ivor's eyes widened in slow motion. He turned around, painstakingly slowly, and was helpless to watch as Magnus tripped over something, and started to fall onto Harper, who saw him out of the corner of her eye. "Waaattcchhhh iiitttt" she began, when suddenly the particles surrounding them flew into the air and vanished, the spilt potion drying itself off of the floor "Get out of the way!" she finished in normal speed, but it was a little too late, as Magnus bowled into her, knocking the black haired girl to the ground, flattened under the bald teen.

For a few minutes, nobody moved. Then Magnus groaned "owwwwwwwww." And under him, Harper wheezed "Get. off."

As Magnus rolled off of Harper, Ivor asked "Is everyone alright?" Harper, who was getting to her own feet, shot Ivor a seriously? look. Ivor blushed, and rubbed the back of his head, changing the topic quickly "We need to find a way out of here, and to Lukas" Harper nodded, though she was mostly focused on brushing off her clothes.

As the small group dispersed through the room, trying to find a way out, Ivor walked right over to Gabriel, who was looking a lot worse. "Are you alright?" he asked bluntly. "Why...are you asking me that?" Gabriel asked. Ivor repressed a shudder. Even his voice sounded horrible, all scratchy and generally like a zombie was constantly clawing at his vocal cords. "Just...checking up on you." Ivor lied. "Everything's fine." Gabriel said "All of it. Are you o-" he broke off coughing. Clearing his throat, the dark skinned man tried again "Are you-" only to be stopped by another coughing fit.

After the coughing finally stopped, Gabriel lowered his voice, and spoke slowly so as to avoid more coughing. "I do not wish to scare you." he said "But...look." Gabriel held out his arm, pulling up the sleeve. The purple had spread, and was almost to the point of showing past the sleeve. "It's starting to feel stiff," Gabriel said after a few minutes of silence, rolling the sleeve back down. "and my vision is all jittery."

"We have to tell the others." Ivor said. Harper was already looking at them suspiciously, it was only a matter of time before she figured it out on her own. "This isn't a we thing." Gabriel all but growled. "Yes it is." Ivor countered "We're a team. They deserve to know."

"Maybe." Gabriel said, looking away. "Fine. I...I'll tell them. Soon. But you have to promise not to tell them until I do. We don't need any panic right now."

Ivor studied Gabriel for a few minutes before he sighed "Alright" he relented "But you have to tell them soon." Gabriel nodded "Alright." he said.

Content, Ivor was about to walk away, when Magnus spoke up "I've got an idea!" he said with a grin. Ellegaard, who had been looking at the map on the table, looked up curiously. Ivor arched a brow, and then let out a soft groan as all Magnus did was shout "AXEL! HELP!"

A few moments passed, before a steady rush of red flooded Magnus's face. At the table, Ivor could see Ellegaard shaking her head. "Alright, so that didn't work." Magnus muttered. His eyes lit up "I've got another idea!" he exclaimed, raising his hands to his mouth. Before he could say anything though, Ellegaard asked "Is it shouting for Olivia?" Magnus wilted as he muttered "Not...anymore."

Harper made a noise of frustration, and whirled away. "They aren't going to find us" she called over her shoulder "They aren't coming back, and why should they? All we've done for them was"

"They couldn't abandon us if they wanted to." Ivor said with a smirk. Harper turned around, her arms crossed. She looked rather mad...but she had a brow arched. "Not as long as we have this." Ivor reached into his inventory, and pulled out the amulet. Both the red and green gems were glowing, and even the blue middle one had a dim glow. But as the group watched, the blue light faded away, probably because of distance, and the red and green ones flickered once, twice, before flickering away completely.

"Looks like it might be broken" Gabriel said slowly. The pained look on his face made it look like he was trying to hold his lungs together by sheer will-power.

Ivor scowled at him, then immediately regretted it as he saw the pain sketched into Gabriel's face. "It's working fine" he muttered under his breath, looking away.

"Not if you can't get it to work" Harper muttered under her breath. Ivor shot her a suspicious look, but before he could say anything the amulet crackled with energy, literally crackled, lightning flashing along the surface, causing the black haired teen to drop it. The amulet clattered to the ground, the red and green gems once again glowing faintly, and this time, a new light, this one pure white, was glowing.

"Lukas!" the name was breathed out, but in the silence, it may as well have been shouted.

"This is the spot" Ivor said softly. He'd been walking around the room for the past minute, trying to find where the glow was 'd found it...in the middle of the floor, with the amulet hovering directly above the cracked stone bricks. "Get ready to dig"

"Who knows how far down that goes?" Harper asked. Ivor looked up at her, and for the first time realized that she looked...broken. She was ready to give up to the Witherstorm. The next time they faced it, she was not planning on coming out alive. "We might end up digging until we hit bedrock." Harper continued, letting out a shaky breath. Ivor realized that when she had tried to leave a few nights ago, it hadn't been to go and find Hadrien and the others, it had been to go and find some way to die.

Ivor looked Harper directly into her broken eyes and said softly "We have to have faith. If we don't believe that we can do this, then who will? We have to have faith that we will find Lukas. We will stop the witherstorm. We will see everyone, and I do mean everyone, come out alive." Harper kept her gaze locked with his for a few moments, before a stone pickaxe swung between their faces and Magnus broke the first block of the floor.

They had dug out a five by five hole, that was really only four by four because of the blocks they had left in place for stairs. Ivor was at the bottom, his pickaxe breaking another block to reveal a gaping openness of pitch black. "Are we cool?" Magnus called down, peering from the top. As Ivor's eyes adjusted, he realized it wasn't really that big of a hole, just a few blocks drop, it wouldn't cause any pain if he jumped from where he was currently standing "It's a hole." he called back up.

Magnus was silent for a moment, before he called down "So does that mean we're cool?"

Ivor shrugged, knowing full well that from this distance they couldn't see his shoulders moving. "It's pretty dark, but I don't hear anything. I'm jumping."

Before the others could protest, Ivor braced his legs, and jumped down. Using the amulet like a torch, Ivor called up "We're good!" the room was long and narrow, and from what he could see there was nothing in it. It was three blocks tall, and roughly five or six wide.

"Heading down" Ellegaard called, starting on the stairs from the sound of things. Ivor began to look around. A small sound echoed through the loud space, and Ivor froze. Turning towards the source, Ivor shined the amulet towards the side of the cave he hadn't been facing. Shining right back at him were millions of small, glowing red eyes. "BATS!" Ivor yelped, right as Ellegaard dropped down besides him. Ellegaard froze, eyes locked onto the blood red eyes of the bats, and then she was screaming, shrieking really, as the bats flooded forwards.

A few minutes later the bats were gone, Ellegaard was flushed red from head to toe, and Harper, Gabriel, Magnus, and Reuben had joined Ivor and Ellegaard in the hole. Everyone seemed to be fine, minus Gabriel who was turning purpler by the second, and Harper, whom Magnus had all but crushed by tripping on the stairs and falling square onto.

"What's that smell?" Ellegaard asked, her nose twitching. She was still beet red, but the shadows of the cave hid it pretty well. Ivor just knew his friend well enough to tell when she was blushing. "Just breathe through your mouth" Gabriel suggested. He was still talking slowly ,but he did have a pretty heavy rasp at this point, and every now and then he broke out into a coughing fit.

"Magnus already does that" Harper muttered. For a moment, as Magnus protested, Ivor felt a glimmer of hope that Harper was deciding to fight, at least for a little longer, but then she looked away, whispering an apology. As her head turned, Ivor saw her eyes, and they still had that despaired look. "Let's get out of here" Ivor muttered. Before Harper decides to follow a bat to a skeleton spawner or anything...

"Stay close Reuben." Ivor muttered. The black and white lamb looked up at him and bleated, tail wagging slightly. The group was nearing what appeared to be the end of the tunnel, and as they got closer they could begin to see other, similar tunnels, some blocked off with iron bars. "Whoa" Magnus muttered, as Ivor pocketed the amulet. He really didn't feel like losing it, and the place, whatever it was, was pretty well lit with torches.

"We have to get out of here." Ellegaard whispered, backing away from the opening. She had gotten control over her blush a few minutes ago, It was hard to hear her words over the routine smashing sound that kept echoing through the massive cavern, but they got the gist. "Why?" Harper asked. Ivor frowned slightly, as he noticed Harper eyeing the edge. Though there was a set of stairs on the side, the black haired girl looked intent on 'accidentally' falling off and 'ill-fatedly' avoiding any platforms until she landed on one that made her go splat.

"We just got here." Magnus protested, dragging Ivor's attention away from Harper.

"You don't understand!" Ellegaard cried "This is a grinder!"

Ivor paled, and turned to watch the tunnel opposite them. A wave of water was rushing through it, pushing down three skeletons, who free-fell until they were crushed by pistons.

Ivor really hated pistons at this point.

Chapter Text

Water gushed downwards into a room filled with minecarts, rails, chest, and redstone. Everywhere, redstone.

Well, no longer everywhere as the cascade of water flooded into the room and spread, washing away redstone and causing a few of the minecarts to slow to a halt. Thankfully only one or two stopped, and the rest of the room continued running smoothly in the silence.

Silence, that was broken by four humans and one lamb screaming and gasping for air as they were released from the watery trap.

Coughing the water from her lungs, Harper managed to get out "I thought water was supposed to break a fall."

"Is everyone alright?" Ivor asked, picking up Reuben and holding him tightly. His heart was still racing from the jolt of panic that had shot through him when he had seen a skeleton aiming at the little lamb. Reuben let out a soft bleat, and nuzzled Ivor's cheek, but Ivor kept holding him.

"Well," Ellegaard muttered "I'm definitely not thirsty anymore." Gabriel chuckled, then broke off coughing, and Harper shot him a suspicious look, which Ivor supposed was better than looking at the minecarts in the back that looked suspiciously to be stocked with TNT.

Ivor frowned, as he realized one of their group was missing. "Where's-" he began, only to be cut off by the very familiar sound of Magnus screaming. Another flood of water, more loosened redstone, and a bald-teen, now crushing Harper.

"No worries." Magnus muttered, not even bothering to lift his head from where it lay buried in a pile of gravel. He didn't seem to realize that he was on top of someone, as he said "I'm tooooottally fine." he then proceeded to burp, which Ivor figured meant that the bald male had accidentally swallowed some of the water.

"Whhyyyyyyyy" Harper groaned

As the small group of friends began to explore the weird room, Magnus made his way over to Ivor, who was still holding onto Reuben like he was a lifeline. "Hey, thanks for coming for us up there." Magnus said "I owe you, if there ever comes a time when I can pay you back, I will pay you back. With interest."

"I'm just glad you're alright Magnus." Ivor replied "Both of you." The black haired teen lowered his head and pressed it into Reuben's still soggy fur. If he had lost Reuben, he wasn't sure what he would have done.

Magnus smiled, and gave Ivor an odd look. "Thanks Ivor." he said. A half-beat of silence followed, and then Magnus said "There's something different about you Ivor, you're..." he rubbed the back of his neck, thinking, and tilted his head back. Ivor arched a brow, waiting for him to finish, but something else caught Magnus's attention, completely erasing whatever he had been about to say from his mind. "Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it" Magnus said, eyes glued to the mob drops floating around the room and dropping into chests and minecarts. "This is where all the loot gets sorted right?"

Ellegaard, who was standing across from them trying to repair the redstone their watery entrance had disrupted, looked up. "That's exactly what this is" she said, redstone glittering on her hands and clothes.

"See that!" Magnus said with a huge grin on his face "Things are starting to turn around." With that he shoved past Ivor, heading for one of the many double chests scattered about the room.

"It's cool what you did up there." Gabriel said, making his way towards him. The dark skinned male's time in the water didn't seem to have done him any favors, in fact, he looked worse than he had before. Ivor knew Gabriel could excuse his obvious weariness by claiming it was from all the fighting they had just done. He did have a rather nasty bruise swelling up over his right eye from a zombie, but the purple of the Wither was starting to spread past the shadows of his sleeve. It wouldn't be long before the others started asking questions. "We stick together, and we'll be fine." Gabriel continued, snapping Ivor out of his worried thoughts "It's good to know that you're not letting this get to your head."

Ivor smiled slightly "Thanks Gabe." he said quietly, before walking over to Harper, who was sitting on a chest, studying the amulet, which now only had the red and green gems glowing. "Thanks for grabbing that back there." Ivor said softly "Can I have it back?"

Harper shrugged, and held it out, but before she could let go the white gem burst to life, a vibrant white glow flowing over the two humans. Harper gasped, and pulled the amulet back towards her "Lukas!" she said, eyes wide and slowly melting from fear to hope. "He's close..."

Harper got to her feet and walked around the room in a slow circle "He's...through here." she said, pointing the amulet at a dark hallway. "Look how bright it is!"

But just as suddenly as the light had flickered to life, it flickered out. Harper's eyes widened, the fear flooding back in as she shook the amulet gently. Before anything could be said a loud rumble rang through the room, and everyone's eyes darted to the waterfall.

"Sounds like the grinder is backed up." Ellegaard said, flickers of concern darting through her face.

"With loot?" Magnus asked hopefully from where he stood kneeling at a chest.

Another strong rush of water flooded out of the ceiling, but with it did not come loot. With the water came skeletons, zombies, spiders, and creepers.

"GO!" Ivor shouted, running for the dark hallway.

"There's two things I hate," Magnus panted as they neared a light source at the end of the tunnel. "running, and monsters."

The small group ran up a small set of stairs, only to find themselves staring down at a square of black swirling portal. It looked like a black nether portal, but much bigger, and lying on the ground.

"Holy Notch!" Ellegaard exclaimed "An End Portal!"

A groan from behind snapped Ivor out of his shock "That's our way out." he said, preparing to jump. "Wait!" Harper said, grabbing his shoulder. Ivor stifled a groan. If she was about to ask if she could stay behind to 'hold off the mobs' he was going to shove her in the portal head-first. But when he turned to face the raven haired girl, he saw what she was seeing.

Gabriel, staggering slowly through the tunnel backwards, sword slashing far too slowly at a zombie. Right before Ivor's eyes, the zombie let out a deep moan, and lunged forwards, slashing at Gabriel's face with clawed hands. The sick man fell backwards, flashing red as blood began to drip from his cheek.

"Gabriel..." Ivor could barely breath. He reacted on instinct. He didn't know what he was doing, pulling out his sword and setting Reuben down in one smooth moment, lunging for the zombie and shoving his sword between it's blank black eyes. The zombie died, and Ivor put his sword away, helping Gabriel up with a rush of adrenaline that coursed through his veings, giving him the strength to haul the other teen up the stairs, and into the portal. He could hear the sounds of the others jumping in after him, but it was muted, as though from far away. The only thing he knew, truly knew, in that moment, was that he had to get Gabriel, had to get his injured friend, to safety.

Ivor had blacked out after going through the portal. Or maybe he had been awake for a few minutes after arriving in the End, but the sudden lack of adrenaline had caused his body to go into a forced shut down.

Whatever had happened, he woke to the feeling of wet lamb nuzzling his face. Smiling slightly, Ivor pushed Reuben away and looked around. They were sitting on an obsidian platform with a cobblestone bridge leading to the main island. There were smaller islands floating all the way around, with what looked like buildings on them.

Looking around, Ivor saw that Ellegaard and Gabriel were there already, Gabriel leaning over the edge of the obsidian making heaving noises, Ellegaard studying Gabriel with concern. Harper arrived a few seconds later, popping into the world with a startled expression. Before she could move, Magnus appeared directly above the young woman, and flattened her into the obsidian.

"Those are my ribs Magnus." Harper groaned "my broken, battered ribs."

"Sorry." Magnus chirped, not looking at all sorry. But he got off anyways. Harper sat up, took one look beyond Magnus, let out a startled yelp and brought her hands up to her face. Ivor frowned at her "Are you hurt?"

"Wha-?" Harper asked, looking up at him and pulling her hands away partially to reveal that she wasn't crying "No- just...look" she nodded her head past Magnus, and then proceeded to cover her eyes again. Ivor turned his head, only to snap his gaze back to the floor. Endermen, millions of millions of endermen were teleporting around the soft light tan stone.

Harper was leading the way through the End. Gabriel had wanted to, but yet another coughing fit had caused a bolt of determination to break through the fear in Harper, and who was Ivor to say no. If she was feeling up to leading them towards the stair-case they had seen Lukas climbing, then Ivor was not going to stop her.

Although he did keep glancing upwards to make sure she wasn't leading them into a death-trap.

They had climbed about twenty flights of stairs.

"Someday..." Magnus panted "I hope I love something as much as Lukas loves stairs."

"Ivor" Gabriel called up. He was a few sets of stairs below the rest of them, breathing heavily and bent over. "Can you give me a sec?" Ivor glanced around at the others, and then nodded "Sure. We could all use a break."

Chapter Text

"Wonder where this goes." Ivor muttered, eyeing the ladder that the stairs had led to with suspicion. If it led to more stairs, he swore he was going to fillet Lukas after they got the Formidi-Bomb

"It goes up." Magnus responded from behind. Ivor sighed, and rubbed the space between his eyes. To is left he heard Ellegaard groaning, but Gabriel let out a soft laugh. That would have gotten Ivor's hopes up, had it not been instantly followed by a bout of coughing.

"Time to find out." Ivor said with a small sigh. Turning his head just enough to make sure Harper hadn't 'accidentally' tripped off of the edge, Ivor took hold of the ladder and began to climb.

A wooden trapdoor wasn't all that far above him, and he reached it quickly. Pushing it open with a small click, Ivor emerged into the literal strangest scene he had ever seen.

Five minutes later everyone else had climbed up the ladder, and they had made a very...startling revelation.

"You're telling me we've been resting all our hopes on this guy, and this whole time he's been making some sort of...artificial happy land?" Harper cried. As Ivor watched, the despair and fear flooded back into her gaze.

"Well..." Magnus said, holding a piece of brown wool from where he had punched one of the 'trees'. "It's real wool."

Ivor could see that Magnus was just trying to help, but that fact didn't seem to register in Harper's mind because she whirled around and snapped "It's real evidence that Lukas is wacked!" Magnus flinched, dropping the wool.

"Could it be he just missed home?" Ellegaard asked, tilting her head back to study the glowstone 'sun' floating in the sky.

"If you miss home, you visit!" Harper cried, kicking the dropped wool away from her "You don't build an exact replica!" Harper let out a shuddering breath "We came here for nothing." Harper started to stomp away, pausing at a wooden bridge that overlooked a river. Real water gushed through the 'ravine', and for a moment Harper studied the water intently. Ivor gave a quick mental thank to Notch that the water only raced one block high.

"Harper, are you alright?" Gabriel asked worriedly, a question which Ivor thought was very ironic.

Harper laughed, a cold, harsh sound. "Take a look around Gabriel. If the greatest builder of all time has spent his time working on this, then what are the chances he'll even have the bomb?" Not even bothering to wait for an answer, Harper stalked across the bridge and sat down underneath one of the wool trees, her arms wrapped around her legs.

"What's going on with her?" Magnus asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Ivor sighed "Just...give her some space."

"So, Gabriel." Ivor said, walking over to the dark skinned male who was leaning against a 'stone' pile. "On a scale of ugh to argh, how bad are you feeling?"

Gabriel shrugged and said "Somewhere in between. But I'm holding on."

Ivor nodded, happy with that answer, and changed the subject. "How do you think Lukas got out of here without leaving any clues."

Gabriel gave him a 'really?' look. "He is the literal greatest builder of all time. You really think he doesn't have super secret secret doors down here?"

Ivor nodded, a small blush crawling up his neck "So I'm probably looking for-"

Gabriel cut him off "To open a secret door, you're going to need a secret mechanism. Look around for anything redstone."

Ivor nodded, and turned around, wandering over to Magnus who was studying the glowstone hanging from the ceiling. On his way he spotted a lever, and doing what any self-respecting intruder of fake woolen worlds would do, he flicked it. A soft musical tone rang through the room, causing most of the people in it to jump. Over near one of the walls with clouds, a set of redstone lamps flickered to life.

"Thought you could trip me up, huh fake sun." Magnus was saying as Ivor approached. "Well it's not gonna work." he crossed his arms and smirked. Spotting Ivor out of the corner of his eye, Magnus grinned "Sup Ivor?" Ellegaard was nearby, studying the river, and she looked up at them for a second before walking over. "How are you two holding up?" Ivor asked. If he was being honest with himself, he was talking to all the others to avoid talking to Harper.

But he wasn't being honest with himself, and if anyone asked him he would smack them into the Void.

"Could be worse" Magnus said with a shrug "could be better."

Ivor nodded, then glanced at Harper. "Do either of you know what's eating Harper?" he asked. So he already knew, he just wanted to know how much his friends knew. Magnus wasn't all that observant when it came to other people's emotions, unless it was Ivor or oddly Ellegaard, and Ellegaard preferred to look at people's inventions instead of what they they were saying or doing.

"Well, as a long time observer of human behavior..." Magnus said, tilting his head towards Harper and studying her slouched form for a few minutes "...I have absolutely no idea"

Ellegaard rolled her eyes and said "Sorry Ivor, but I think the shock of what's going on has just caught up to her. She should be fine eventually."

Ivor nodded "Thanks Ellie. I'm gonna go keep poking around."

Ivor kept to his word and explored just about every inch of the wool world he could reach without going near Harper. He found another lever, pulled it of course, and watched as another section of redstone lamp cloud turned on. He'd also seen a very cute flock of sheep made out of various colors of wool with item frames for faces. It was stupid, and kinda screamed that the builder, a grown man, was insane...but it was very cute he had to admit.

Finally, there was nothing left to do but talk to Harper. He'd tried to see if there was a way to avoid it, but she was leaning against a tree that had a third lever on it, and if he just ran over, pulled the lever and ran away well...frankly that would just be awkward.

Making his way to the dark haired girl, Ivor saw that she'd pulled up the hat on her dark brown hoodie, and a pair of googles that seemed to be sown onto the hood were perched ontop of her head.

"What do you want?" Harper asked, lifting her head to glare at him. Ivor looked through the silver glare, and saw the tear stains on her cheeks. She might have been trying to hide them, but Ivor knew tear-streaks when he saw them. "Harper" he said, speaking quietly and trying to put a soothing tone into his voice "No matter how upset you are, or how down you are feeling, you've got to keep it together. We are going to beat the Witherstorm. We are going to see the people we love again."

The glare in Harper's gaze melted away to a strange combination of hope, curiosity, and fear. "I know." she said unexpectedly 'It's just...it's hard Ivor, every time I think about that monster, I think that, if we had just taken one of those skulls, we could have stopped everything. If-" "Stop." Ivor said, resting a hand on her shoulder as he knelt down to sit next to her. "Harper, there was nothing we could we had taken a skull he would have just found one somewhere else, and then he might have done it when we weren't there to help Gabriel. We're reuniting the Order, we're doing all we can to help."

Harper gave him a weak smile "Thank you, Ivor."

Her gray gaze flicked towards Gabriel, who was doubled over coughing. "I'm worried about Gabriel." Harper admitted, although Ivor suspected majority of her reasoning for bringing it up was she wanted a change of subject. But he went along with it. "You have to have noticed." Harper continued "The lack of energy, the labored breathing, and I'm pretty sure he threw up on the stairs about seven times."

"To be fair," Ivor interrupted "Magnus threw up as well, those stairs were evil incarnate."

Harper glared, but her mouth was twitching upwards. "There's something wrong, alright?" she insisted "Something...big. And it's not fooling anybody. It's not fooling me."

Ivor took a deep breath and said "Listen, you need to promise not to tell anyone." Harper's eyes widened "So there is something wrong...Ivor, how can we keep this a secret?" Ivor sighed "Because Gabriel told me not to tell. And, I didn't. You figured it out, and now I'm asking you to respect Gabriel's wishes, please, don't tell the others, at least not until Gabriel has a chance to."

Harper groaned "Ivor, if he's sick, Magnus and Ellegaard need to know. And what about Axel and Olivia? Do they know?"

Ivor shook his head "Only Gabriel, me, and now you. Please, Harper I'm begging you, if it gets much worse you can tell, but for the time being...please."

Harper huffed "Fine." she crossed her arms and turned away. Ivor's gaze flicked upwards for a moment towards the lever and he said "Uh, do you mind leaning to the left for a minute?" Harper blinked, and looked at him like she was praying to the Admin that she had heard him wrong "What?" she asked.

Ivor pointed to the lever "I need to pull the lever up there, and I'd really rather not smack your head." Harper tilted her head back, saw the lever, and made a noise of confirmation. Leaning in the requested direction, Harper let Ivor pull the lever, before shuffling around so she could lean on the 'tree' without rubbing her head against the lever.

"Thanks."

As he had pulled the lever, the final section of redstone lamps had lit up, and a new musical tone rang through the room. Ivor walked over to the lights, and ran his hand along the wall. Finding an upraised section, Ivor did what anyone would do. He smacked his hand into the upraised section.

And of course, pistons began to fire.

Just like in Ivor's hideout, the pistons pulled away sections of wall revealing the entrance to a massive room.

"Well, now we know how Soren got away." Harper said, getting to her feet and walking over to them. She pulled down her hood and goggles, letting her wavy black hair cascade around her shoulders. Ivor nodded, not really paying attention. Somewhere inside he could hear music playing, and he was fairly sure he heard a door swinging shut. "Well, shall we?" Magnus asked, holding out his elbow towards Ellegaard in a joking manner

"We shall." Ellegaard responded, linking her arm with Magnus's.

Ivor and Ellegaard had found the source of the music.

The group had split up, Harper, Magnus, and Gabriel exploring the main part of the massive 'house' while Ellegaard and Ivor investigated the music.

"Don't know if I have ever heard you sing but I hear it" The song was currently playing from a jukebox, and the singer was unfamiliar. "Don't know if I have ever held your hand but I seek it"

"Do you think that's Lukas singing?" Ellegaard asked, studying the item frames above the jukebox, each one neatly labeled. "Don't know if I have ever loved but I feel it"

Ivor shrugged. He was currently wandering around the room collecting clay blocks because of a blue-print he had found. He had three in his inventory currently, and was working on breaking a fourth. "Could be." he said finally.

"Put the puzzle back together, see what I'm dreaming"

"I can't believe he's not here." Ellegaard said sadly. Ivor turned towards her, a twinkle in his eyes "The jukebox didn't turn itself on Ellie, Lukas is here somewhere."

"When I find the pieces"

Find the Pieces, as the music disc was labeled, had ended a few minutes ago, and now playing was a disc labeled We Will Be Heroes, which seemed to have multiple singers.

"Another day, another fight, another chance to make things right"

"Hey Ellie." Ivor called, his hand was pressed against a wall of purple stained glass, and outside was the natural End, complete with Endermen."That journal we found, where he was talking about that big discovery...do you think he was talking about...them?"

"We will be strong, the way it should be, ready for the challenge you and me"

Ellegaard walked over to him, and stare out through the glass at the Endermen. She shuddered and replied "It would make sense, I mean, what else is left in the End? The Order of the Stone defeated the Ender Dragon like...forever ago." Ivor nodded, then turned his head to study the two armor stands. One empty, the other displaying proudly an Enderman costume.

"We will be heroes, we can change the world if we try"

"Do you think...?"

"How do I look?"

Ellegaard looked over at him, shuddered, and quickly averted her gaze. "Well, you certainly look like an Enderman." her nose scrunched up and she muttered "You smell like one too."

Ivor smiled through the mask and said "I shall take that as a compliment."

Ellegaard frowned, still avoiding his gaze "But if you look like an Enderman, well...a very short Enderman, then...won't Lukas look like one too? Look at the size of the empty armor stand, he's got to be in a full size suit from the looks of it, how are you going to find him?"

Ivor grinned and said "I'll build the shape on this blueprint, make him think I'm a real Enderman building it, and when he comes over to investigate, I'll explain!"

Ellegaard for some reason did not look very calmed by this idea.

Ivor wasn't sure why Ellegaard had thought his idea would fail. He had already placed all five of the clay blocks he had found in the lab, only problem was the blueprint called for six, not five.

Looking around, Ivor could only spot a single clay block in the entire area...and it was in the hands of an Enderman. Slowly, Ivor made his way over to the Enderman, and placed his black covered hands onto the block and carefully eased it out of the monster's hands. The tall black mob stared at it's empty hands, not moving as Ivor walked back to the crafting table look alike and placed down the last clay block. "False proof of Enderman intelligence complete."

Hearing a bone-chilling screech, Ivor turned back to the Enderman he had taken the clay block from and saw it screeching at him, purple eyes glowing furiously as it rallied it's brethren.

"I'm very sorry about this." Said a sudden voice. Ivor whirled around to see an Enderman with blue eyes underneath a purple filter staring at him, one arm pulled back "But it needs to look real."

That was the last thing Ivor heard before the blue eyed Enderman slammed it's fist into him and he lost consciousness.

Chapter Text

Ivor came too with a massive ringing in his ears, and a really sharp pain in his right eye. He could hear footsteps, and through the ringing he thought he could hear someone talking. As the ringing died down, he could hear a new voice, completely unfamiliar. "I don't think it will bruise." Ivor let out a soft groan as he opened his eyes, and then let out a yelp. Right in front of his face was a blond man with bright blue eyes. Trying to scoot backwards, Ivor realized he was on a bed, up against a wall. "Your face, I mean." the man said, completely unfazed by Ivor's freak out. "These suits were built with durability in mind." Reuben, who had been on the other side of the room sniffing at the Enderman suits, bleated happily at the sound of Ivor's voice, and ran over to him, all but jumping into his lap.

"You must be Lukas." Ivor grumbled as the man leaned away from him. The blonde hummed "I am." he confirmed "But must I be? There are times when I think I'd rather be anything but Lukas. A llama for example."

"You have to help me." Ivor said, quickly before the man could go of on a rant about llamas. Lukas arched a brow "I just did." he said, a small smirk dancing across his lips. Ivor's eye twitched. "You punched me. In. The. Face." Lukas shrugged, as though that was perfectly fine. "You upset the endermen. I got you to safety." Lukas turned, walking over to the desk in the corner of the room. "By the way, as far as introductions are concerned, this isn't going very well."

"We're in danger." Ivor said. There would be time to tell Lukas his name later, right now they had a Formidibomb to acquire.

"What else is new?" Lukas muttered, resting a hand on the open pages of a book. "Whatever your issue is, whatever the problem. It has occurred before and it has been solved before."

"I highly doubt that" Ellegaard muttered under her breath.

"Even so...what do you need me for? I've gone out of my way to avoid these sorts of problems. I can barely remember what it looks like up there."

"Help me save the world."

"Nice to meet you Lukas."

"You look terrible."

A few minutes had passed since Ivor had woken up. So far he'd convinced Lukas to help them, on the premise that Ivor was his friend. Honestly, Ivor was just waiting for a chance to throw this guy in a locked room with a psychiatrist. The others had found them not all that long ago, which was very relieving given Lukas had been about to break into song.

Before any words could be said, Gabriel glanced behind Lukas and Ivor, and his eyes widened before quickly darting downwards, a hand coming up to shelter his gaze.

Ivor frowned, and glanced over his shoulder. Letting out a yelp at the sight, Ivor quickly following Gabriel's example. Endermen from the other side of the glass barrier had begun to teleport into the room. "This is strange..." Lukas said softly. Flicking his gaze upwards, Ivor saw that Lukas was studying the feet of the Enderman closest to him. "They've never been inside before." He turned an accusing glare at Ivor "You've upset them." he snapped, completely unfazed by the Enderman studying him curiously. "You've altered their behavior!"

"Worry about that later," Ivor said "run now!"

Ivor was ninety percent sure the helmet stunk worse every time he put it on. "Good luck." Lukas said, patting Ivor on the shoulder. The plan was for Ivor to sneak into the Enderman filled room, break the fountains thus flooding the room with water, and lead the group outside where they could go down the massive staircase, which would hopefully be easier than climbing up it.

Ivor nodded to his friends and began to carefully walk through the haunting. Making his way to the fountain with ease, Ivor made sure no Endermen were paying attention, before he quickly broke the wooden block holding the water in place. Water flowed from the opening, and the Endermen began to screech, teleporting upwards to safety. "One fountain down, two to go." Ivor muttered, gaze flicking towards the entrance to the 'house'.

"Alright, the room's clear." Ivor called back. A few minutes later the rest of the group was standing by him. Lukas was a bit delayed, but he was messing around with his inventory, so Ivor supposed he'd just been grabbing something.

"They're everywhere..." Harper whispered softly staring outside. Ivor followed her gaze and nodded. Endermen filled the woolen world, covering the glow-stone lit area in a black-headed monsters. "How are we supposed to get through this?" Harper continued "Physically or psychologically? If we make it through this..." Ivor did not like that if, but he did like that she was at least kind of speaking in future tense "...well, I can't say this won't become some kind off recurring nightmare."

"Everyone just...hold onto me." Ivor said "I'll guide you through them."

"INTO THE WATER!"

As they all jumped off of the bridge and into the river flowing through the wool world, Ivor heard the angry screeches of the Endermen following him. Diving underwater, there was a split second of pure silence, before he came back up to the surface gasping. As he gulped in sweet precious air, Ivor could hear Lukas talking "-worried about how flammable my building material was. So I installed a fire-supression system to prevent the whole thing from going up into flames."

"So...there's more water?" Harper asked hopefully. Lukas nodded "Much more. The activator is up there." he lifted one dripping hand out of the water to point at one of the towers Ivor had noticed earlier. Nodding, the Ender-suit clad male began swimming towards it.

The lever that activated the water was at the top of the tower. Which meant when water came flooding out of the ceiling directly above it, Ivor was swept away by the current. Making his way back to the others, Ivor did his best to rub at his head. The sound of screeching Endermen, as well as the weird humming noise that filled the air whenever they were agitated, was giving him a major headache. Thankfully the bite on his shoulder wasn't hurting too badly, otherwise he would be having a much harder time trying to swim.

Speaking of a hard time swimming, Gabriel wasn't doing very well. Harper had swum over to him and was helping keep his head above the water, but Gabriel just looked like he was about to keel over dead.

"We need to get to the trapdoor before we drown!" Lukas shouted over the sound of the Endermen. Ivor nodded, and swam over to Gabriel's other side. Together he and Harper helped the ill male get down to the trapdoor. Pushing it open right as water filled the room completely.

Chapter Text

Silence...

And then, in three different spots, six different screams erupted. Well, five screams and one very loud 'BAAAAAAA'.

Ivor stared at his surroundings, head pounding and heart beating wildly. As the fog from the portal slowly faded from his eyes, he realized he was in Lukas's storeroom, a small bed with a weird black glow surrounding it was placed next to him. Lukas was at his side. "Where are the others?" Ivor demanded. Lukas shrugged "Wherever they last slept I suppose. The End Portal doesn't work like a Nether Portal, it returns you to wherever you last slept." Ivor frowned "But I last slept at the same spot as Ellegaard, Magnus, and Harper. And I don't even know when Gabriel last slept" Lukas shook his head "You last slept in my bed in the End. I've set it up so that it is linked to this bed, here in the Overworld, which keeps it from exploding. Your friends should be back here momentarily."

A low groan interupted their conversation, and Ivor turned to the doorway of the bedroom. A zombie was slamming on the door, dead black eyes staring right at Ivor. He shuddered, the bite on his shoulder twinging, and said "So...I may have forgotten to mention. When we were here, we kiiiinda broke your Grinder."

Ten Iron Golems, five stacks of Rotten Flesh, and roughly six hours later the loot room was clear of monsters and the gang was reunited. Lukas had told them to feel free to loot the chests, and had used the Golems as a staircase to get to some chests hidden away in a cubbyhole in the roof.

"You guys hear that?" Magnus said. He wasn't any worse for the wear after their impromptu visit back home. If anything he was more energetic than he'd been before. "Hear what?" Ivor asked, only half paying attention. His focus was primarily on Gabriel, who was leaning against a red sandstone pillar coughing fiercely. "All that stuff whispering!" Magnus said, like this was obvious. Taking on a ghost like whisper to his voice Magnus added "Take me, take me now!"

Ellegaard grinned, getting in on the fun with her own ghosty voice "I think it's saying 'Ellegaard should get to take more than Magnus'!"

"Aw, come on loot." Magnus whined, giving the chests the most literal pitiful look Ivor had ever seen on the bald teen's face. "I thought we were tight."

"Make sure to be keeping an eye out for gunpowder!" Lukas called "We're going to need it to craft the Formidi-Bomb." Ivor frowned "I thought the Super TNT and Formidi-Bomb were the same thing." Lukas pulled his head out of the chest and turned to stare at him "Well of course not! They're two different names aren't they? Red Sandstone is so much different from Sandstone is it not?"

Ivor lifted his hands defensively and turned away.

Buttons, Ivor decided, were designed to taunt in the most excruciating way. There was a wooden button sitting on the wall on the far end of the room. Ivor had done everything in the room he could do except push it. He now had eight pieces of gunpowder in his inventory along with an emerald because why not, Ellegaard had glowstone, a spider eye, and a fishing rod, Magnus had stuffed his bag full of just about everything he could reach, and even Gabriel and Harper had gotten in on the fun. When the greatest builder of all time tells you that you can do something, you don't ask questions. You just do it.

Lukas was still rummaging through the upper chests, and so, nothing else left to do, Ivor walked up to the button, and pressed it. He then proceeded to jump backwards, one hand inside of his bag holding onto the hilt of his sword, ready to pull it out. Thankfully, the only thing that happened was the wall split apart, revealing rails, with minecarts already on them. A nearby button on the floor appeared to be the 'start' button, like on a roller coaster.

"Lukas?" Ivor called, looking over his shoulder "I've got the gunpowder, I think we're ready to go." Lukas, sliding down the Iron Golem staircase, grinned "Perfect, here's the Super TNT." he held up a glowing block of TNT. "I apologize about the state of my storage room, it's been a while since I organized everything." Ivor shrugged. Honestly, he didn't see a problem with it. Of course he wasn't a neat freak so...

"So do we just combine the ingredients?" Ivor asked, pulling out the gunpowder which left a gray chalk-like substance over his palms. Lukas yelped, jumping backwards "NO! No, no noooo. The ingredients are highly unstable, just having them at this close of proximity, there is a chance they could blow us all into the sky!"

Magnus took a shuffling step back, and Ellegaard had this expression like 'why are we trusting this guy again?' Gabriel...well Gabriel looked sick, and Harper just looked like she wasn't sure whether to shove Lukas and Ivor together, or to run away screaming like a maniac.

"INCOMING!"

The sun was setting, the world could almost be described as peaceful...

if it weren't for the giant Witherstorm in the sky and the mobs running for their lives. Seeing a creeper run away from something is not a sight one sees often. It is extremely terrifying however, when you are running in the opposite direction and it looks like the creeper is running directly at you.

With a scream, the occupants of the minecarts flew out of said minecarts as the tracks ended abruptly.

"There you are!" Ellegaard's head snapped upwards, an expression of delight on her face as Olivia ran into sight, a stone sword in her hands and Axel at her side."Glad you could make it." Axel said. Ivor blinked up at him, trying to figure out if that had been sincere, or laced with sarcasm. He honestly had no clue. "Could've used you earlier." Axel continued, punching a zombie with his fist, causing the monster to poof into dust. "Showed up just in time to steal the trophy huh?" He had a massive grin on his face as he said this, and Ivor decided to interpret it as sincerity. Or stupidity. Or possibly both.

"As long as you guys are alright." Ivor muttered, getting to his feet as Lukas rolled off of him.

"Alright?" Axel said, pure bewilderment in his green eyes "Does this look like alright to you?"

"I thought Jesse was coming after you." Ivor admitted, pulling out his own weapon. It was now Olivia's turn to look confused. She opened her mouth to talk, but Axel beat her to it "Haven't seen any sign of Jess." he said with a shrug. Olivia turned to him, jaw dropping "Jesse might be mad at us for the whole...dead thing, but he would never come after us. I know him, he's...he's a kind man" Ivor winced. So apparently Ellegaard hadn't explained everything on her little trip to Redstonia. But there was no time to fill Olivia in on everything she was clueless about. Alright, so it was one thing. But it was a very complex thing, and they were still dealing with monsters, and in the distance, there was a loud screech which meant the Witherstorm wasn't far behind.

"I feel like that thing got bigger." Magnus muttered, holding the stone sword he'd nicked from Lukas's loot room. "It did." Ellegaard said, holding a fishing rod which was the closest thing to a weapon she had on her. "Lukas, we need that Formidi-bomb now." He said, turning to glare at the blonde who was standing just inside the tunnel staring at the Witherstorm.

"Lukas?" Olivia asked, turning her head to follow Ivor's gaze. "Lukas..." her gaze was a mixture of anger, delight, and fear. "It...It's him-you!" Axel said, a grin on his face as he took a step towards Lukas. The blonde flinched, and took a step back, causing Axel to freeze, eyes wide with confusion.

The witherstorm let out another screech, and Ivor pushed down pretty much every emotion but determination. "Time to go." he said "Lukas, give me the TNT, I'm going to craft it and set it inside of the Witherstorm's tractor beam, it should be swallowed before it explodes." Lukas nodded, reaching into his inventory. "The rest of us will build distractions, it may not be much, but it will buy you some time. You must be quick though." Ivor nodded, and turned to go. Before he could, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Kid wait...You're going to need some protection, take my armor." Axel belonged to the arm, clear determination in his gaze. Before Ivor could say anything, refuse accept, anything, Olivia shook her head "No, take mine, it will protect you better."

In the end, Ivor ended up with Olivia's Helmet and Leggings, and Axel's Chestplate and Boots. It was very...contrasting on his body, and a bit loose fitting, especially the chestplate, but it left the others with some good armor so he didn't feel too guilty about it. Currently, he was floating in the tractor beam, a crafting table in front of him and gunpowder floating all around. Half swimming half crafting, Ivor just barely managed to craft the bomb, before shoving away from the Witherstorm's massive maw.

As he fell towards the ground, Ivor heard twin cries of pain. Turning his head best he could mid-terrifying fall, Ivor saw that Olivia and Axel had both been slammed into a tree. They were both flashing red, and blood was trickling from Olivia's head, but neither seemed near death.

A feeling of relief flooded Ivor, right before a giant explosion rang through the air, and he landed on the ground, leg letting out a cracking noise that bones should not make ever. Right before he blacked out, Ivor could have sworn he saw Reuben racing towards him, bleating in fear.

Chapter Text

Ivor came to with a wet tongue meeting his cheek. Groaning, he forced his eyes open and found Reuben sitting beside him, licking his face. Kneeling at his feet, Lukas's face was set with grim determination and he was wrapping a splint around Ivor's left leg which was throbbing in pain. Groaning again he dropped his head backwards, which turned out to be a stupid idea because as it turned out, he was propped up against a tree.

"'s it o'er?" he slurred, reaching up to pull Ellegaard's helmet off of his head. Axel nodded, and for the first time Ivor realized that everyone else was circled around him, concern in their eyes. "Look for yourself." Magnus said, holding out a hand. Carefully Ivor took it and eased himself upwards. "Watch your leg." Lukas warned, pulling back. Wrapping one arm around Magnus's shoulder, Ivor limped forwards carefully, and stared at the destruction to the land in front of him. The Witherstorm had exploded from the inside out, massive white structures jutted out from black, and it looked like each head had torn off into its own little section.

"I still can't believe it's actually dead." Ellegaard said softly. She was standing with her arms wrapped around herself tightly. Olivia walked up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. Ellegaard leaned into the touch, for the first time not freaking out that she was with her idol.

"You did it..." Harper whispered. Ivor turned to look at her, and his eyes widened. The black haired woman was smiling. Actually smiling. She let out a soft laugh, and ran forwards to hug Ivor.

"About time we got a real win." Magnus's voice in Ivor's ear was extremely annoying, and at the sound of it Harper jumped back, blushing.

Looking down at his body, mainly the splint on his leg, Ivor realized the leggings and boots were gone. A quick glance at Olivia and Axel revealed that they had gone back to their original owners, the latter of which was also now sporting a white bandage wrapped tightly around her head. "Here." Ivor said, holding out the helmet he was still holding for some reason. Standing carefully on the non-broken leg, Ivor pulled away from Magnus long enough to pull off the chestplate he was still wearing. "And here." The two took their armor, with a nod. "You looked good in green." Axel said "although the red kinda ruined it." Olivia snorted, but just shook her head.

The group stood in silence for a while, taking in the beauty of the scene. And then Harper let out a sharp gasp. "Look!" Following where she was pointing, the others all saw what she had seen. "They're alive!" Ivor breathed "The Witherstorm didn't kill them!"

A grin slowly spread across Ivor's face "Come on you guys, we've got a job to do.

Using a stick as a crutch, Ivor hobbled down the hill, Reuben close at his side. "You guys help the survivors." he said, looking around at the others. "I'm going to try and find people who might be trapped." One by one they nodded, and split up, making their way to the people hobbling out of the carcass, and whispering soothing words.

Walking around a massive tentacle, Ivor found someone trapped underneath it on the other side. Pressing one hand against the black flesh of the body, Ivor used his stick to lift the tentacle off of the man. "Get to safety." he said quickly as the male wriggled free "There are people over there who can help you." The man nodded, whispered a quick "thank you." and began limping towards the others.

A bit deeper in, he found a young woman with an ankle twisted in a way that ankles are just not supposed to twist. "Easy there." Ivor said, helping her up and handing her his stick "Be careful, if you can make it past the huge tentacle out there, look for the blonde guy, he can help you with that." he nodded at his own leg for proof. She gave him a grateful look through the pain flashing through her eyes, and began to hobble away from the carcass.

Half walking half hopping with one hand constantly on the Witherstorm for balance, Ivor next had to push a smaller tentacle off of a man who was bleeding from his nose and arm. "There are people out there who can help you, can you make it out?" The man nodded and began to make his way out, a bit faster than the other people since his legs were intact.

Looking around for another person to help, Ivor's gaze locked on a singular glowing block on the center of what looked to be an altar.

"No..."

"I don't understand." Ivor whispered. His hands were clenched into fists, his eyes were glued onto a block. The block. The Command Block. "Lukas said the Formidi-Bomb would destroy it, so why does it look fine?"

Carefully, the black haired teen began to limp towards it. Resting a hand on it, Ivor yelped and pulled backwards, as with the contact, the block pulsed fiercely, a shower of sparks flooded outwards, and Ivor was thrown to the ground.

"HELP!" Ivor shouted, fingers digging into the, very disgusting, combination of dirt and black flesh, as the Command Block continued to pulse, acting like a tractor beam and pulling him towards it. "SOMEBODY HE-" he was lifted into the air, flying towards the block, when a hand reached out and grabbed him, jolting him slightly and sending racks of pain into his leg.

"It's alright!" came a new voice. No...not a new voice...a familiar one. Head snapping upwards, Ivor stared into the face of his rescuer.

The face of Petra. Her eyes were not their original blue, they had a strange, creamy pink tint to them, as though she'd been crying.

As she continued to pull him, Ivor finally snapped free of the beam and crashed to the ground, crying out as his leg slammed into the dirt.

Taking deep breaths to get through the pain, Ivor was offered a hand and took it. Petra carefully helped him up, and supported him. Ivor just stared. "I don't understand," he said again "you...how...I...I thought you were dead! I saw you..." he trailed off as he saw Petra's confused look. She was staring at her surroundings, as though she couldn't remember where she was. "What...what happened here?" she asked, gaze flicking to meet Ivor's.

Ivor shook his head "I'll explain later, but first we need to-" a low rumbling cut him off. The black ground around them began to tremble. The sky itself darkened, as though it was afraid.

Afraid of a Witherstorm, that was most definitely not dead.

Ivor and Petra began to slowly back away from the altar where the Command Block was glowing even brighter now. Slowly, the head above it lifted upwards, mouth parting in a furious screech. A screech that was quickly answered to the left...and then the right.

As Ivor watched, the Witherstorm was now not a single monster...but three seperate beings, each with three heads, each screaming for blood.

"We need to go." Ivor said, taking a half step back. Petra seemed frozen, and he couldn't get very far though "Petra, we need to go."

Petra frowned again. She turned her head, pink-blue eyes looking at Ivor in confusion.

"Who...who's Petra?"

Chapter Text

Everything in the universe starts out as just a block.

What becomes of those blocks, is up to those who wield them.

And in every block their lies the potential to create or destroy.

Even well laid plans can go awry,the strong can grow weak, and even beloved heroes can fall

And although some glimmer of hope may remain...

...the threat to this world, to its very existence, is far from over.

"I don't understand...where am I?"

Ivor could only stare. The redheaded member of the Order of the Stone was walking in a circle, staring at her hands, then up at the three Witherstorms, and then at Ivor, only to circle back to her hands again. "What's going on?" her nose scrunched up and she added "And what is that-" her eyes widened so quickly, if they had been somewhere, anywhere else, Ivor might have laughed as Petra raised one of her arms up to her nose "Never mind...it's me." she stuck out her tongue slightly, then frowned, pulling it back in "But...who is...me?"

"That doesn't matter right now." Ivor said, shaking away the absolute horror that was flooding through him. Resting his hands on her shoulders, Ivor gripped them tightly until the redhead flicked her gaze down slightly to meet his look. "Are you alright?" Ivor asked, blue eyes searching through her own dazed look. Petra frowned "I...I have no idea..." she pulled back and wrapped her arms around herself. "Who...who are you?" she asked, suddenly looking wary.

"IVOR!" Ivor and Petra both flinched as Magnus's voice rang through the area.

"IVOR WHERE ARE YOU?"

"OVER HERE!" Ivor shouted back, turning in the direction of the voices. Turning back to Petra he said "Listen, I know you're confused." Lie. He had no freaking clue what in the name of freaking Herobrine was going on, but he had to get Petra to go with him. "But we need to get away from here. Me and my friends can help you, but only if we leave right now."

"This way!"

Magnus was leaning out from a small pile of stone and coal ore, waving Ivor and Petra closer. "Ivor!" Ellegaard said with a rush of relief. Then she saw Petra, and her eyes widened "And...Petra?" Gabriel's head poked out from behind Axel, who was glaring at the three Witherstorms with fury in his eyes. "Did you say Petra?" he asked, voice rasping slightly.

Before anything more could be said, a purple glow lit up over their hiding place. The stone and coal began to tremble, and the group backed up a few steps, before whirling around and taking off.

As he was running, a weird buzz filled Ivor's ears, right before an Enderman teleported directly in front of him. Ivor yelped, and quickly shielded his eyes. The Enderman didn't seem interested in him however, and instead had it's head tilted up to study one of the Witherstorms. It teleported again, and Ivor turned to watch it, realizing it was just strolling about in front of the Witherstorms, not at all bothered by the screeching. Continuing to run, Ivor manuevered himself until he was running alongside Lukas. "The Endermen are going the wrong way!" he shouted over the chaos. At the word 'Endermen' Lukas's head snapped towards him, eyes widening, until he skidded to a stop and whirled around, staring at the black monsters completely unfazed by the even bigger black monsters above them.

"I can't stand by and watch this." Lukas said, hands curling into fists. Ivor wanted to point out that running away was not standing by, plus the Endermen could teleport to safety, but even before he opened his mouth he knew it would be pointless...But he had to try.

Making his way back to Lukas, narrowly avoiding a burning bit of log, Ivor said "Listen to me, you've spent years studying them. If they're even half as smart as you think they are, they'll be safe." he said. "So stop staring and get moving!"

"I can't just abandon them!" Lukas retorted "Not after years of study."

"You're head's gonna be abandoning your body if you don't move!" Ivor snapped, officially fed up with the blonde's protesting.

"We aren't going to be able to outrun it forever." Lukas said. Ivor had finally gotten him to keep running, after the Endermen had started fighting back, pulling blocks out of the Witherstorm bodies. "Not on foot! We need to find a way to move faster, or we're all going to be caught in the tractor beam!"

"Can we build a portal?" Ivor asked. They'd been running for a while, and he was starting to get out of breath. "If somebody has the right materials-"

Ellegaard cut him off "We don't, I haven't seen Obsidian since the End, and its not like any of us have the proper items to mine it."

Behind him, a horse whinnied shortly before racing past Ivor. Gaze locking onto the saddle already on it's back, Ivor grinned "Then we'll use the next best thing."

"There!" Ivor shouted. Pointing to a bridge that crossed a ravine. "We just need to ride over that..." and of course a flaming wither skull blew up the bridge "...bridge..."

"Let's go!" Ellegaard said, jumping off of her horse. Behind her, Magnus slid off as well, grabbing some pieces of wood and dirt that were now floating on the floor. "We need to build a new bridge, NOW!"

Slowly, they all gathered blocks, and began making a simple hodge-podge bridge. Leading the horses along with them,Petra and Gabriel stayed on their own horses, the latter too sick, the former too confused for either to be much help.

Reaching the other end of the ravine, Ivor turned back to make sure they had all gotten across. Facepalming as he saw that Lukas had built a fancy little design over the end of the bridge. Climbing back onto the horses, Ivor double checked that Gabriel was still behind him, before they all took off.

Chapter Text

Snow was falling as the group came to a stop. Holding torches to light their path since the moon was still steadily climbing the sky, Axel and Olivia, who didn't look all that pleased about sharing a horse, found a cave for them all to take shelter in. "At least until the sun comes up." was Olivia's reasoning. "Or that...thing gets too close."

"We made it..." Ivor whispered softly, voice filled with disbelief. "We actually survived that thing..." carefully getting off of the white and black horse he'd been riding, Ivor led it and Petra, half asleep on it's back, into the cave where Harper was setting up some stalls for the animals that had carried them so far.

"Ivor..." Ivor turned at the sound of Gabriel's voice. Turning to see his friend, Ivor barely managed to suppress a shudder. Gabriel's dark skin was starting to turn a rather nasty shade of purple, from his wrist clear up to his neck. His eyes were starting to tinge purple and black, almost like the Wither Skeleton Skull he'd shown Ivor earlier. Briefly, Ivor wondered if having Wither was like being bitten by a zombie. But if it was, they had to find a cure quick, because it was far too late to surgically remove all of the infected skin. Gabriel coughing snapped Ivor out of his thoughts, and he tilted his head "What is it?" he asked, keeping his voice low. Harper was busy convincing Petra to climb off of the horse, but he figured it would be best to stay quiet anyways. "If she was inside the Witherstorm...she might have Wither Sickness too."

Ivor frowned "I don't know..." he said slowly "She's never acted the way you've been acting."

"you...you're the one that rescued me"

Petra was staring at Ivor from across the cave. Axel and Olivia were standing next to her, as if trying to convince themselves that she really was there. Walking over to Ivor, Petra completely missed the anguished looks on the other Order of the Stone members. "Tell me please, what is going on?"

As Ivor struggled to find the words, Petra continued "I only remember darkness. Then you were there, and we were riding horses..." she shook her head.

"You were caught in the Witherstorm." Ivor said finally, rubbing the back of his neck. "Trapped."

"For how long?" Petra asked, strange discolored eyes staring into Ivor's midnight blue orbs.

"Long enough." Ivor said, lowering his gaze, unable to meet hers anymore. "long enough."

How things could have escalated so quickly Ivor had no clue. "What happened out there?" Lukas snapped, glaring at Jesse. Petra was huddled back against the stone wall, hands pressing against it tightly as though she was trying to melt into it. "Why is that thing still alive? My instructions were clear, and you were the one in the middle of that thing. What. Went. Wrong."

Ivor glared right back "You tell me!" he snapped. Lukas took a step back, eyes flying wide "Excuse me?"

"Well you're the one that thought we could destroy the Command Block with a big old bomb!"

"So the Command Block is still there?" the fire seemed to have drained out of Lukas, and he simply looked resigned now.

Ivor nodded, and Lukas's hands curled into fists. Unexpectly, he whirled and smashed his fist into a block of coal ore. "I should have thrown that damn block into the Void when I had the chance!" he shouted. Taking a deep breath, Lukas took his other hand and rubbed the space between his eyes "I need to think." with that he walked out of the cave.

"That symbol..."

Lukas had been out of the cave for about five minutes. Ivor had been about to go after him, when Petra spoke up. "I recognize it..." Her eyes were locked on the Architects symbol on Harper's hip. "I've been wearing this outfit since before this whole thing began." Harper said without looking at Petra. Her gaze was fixed outside where Lukas was sitting with his feet dangling over the edge of a cliff.

Petra shook her head "No." she said insistently "there were others with that symbol...inside the blackness. I saw them...and again when I was thrown from that...that monster." Her breathing began to be irregular. Her hands flew to her forehead and she groaned. Axel ran forwards and caught her right before she collapsed to the ground. "It...it hurts...whenever I try to remember...everything hurts..."

"Ivor." Harper said, walking over to Ivor before he could help Petra "If what she just said is true...if Mevia, Otto and Hadrien are alive, if there's even the slightest chance...I have to go and find them. They might need my help!"

Ivor shook his head "You can't just up and leave Harper, we need you." "They might need me more!" she snapped, flying to her feet.

"I'm asking you as a friend Harper." Ivor said, his tone soothing "please stay. We need you."

Harper stared at him, shoulders relaxing "Do...do you really mean that?" Ivor nodded, without hesitation. "We're all in this together. Whatever happens next, there's no way we'll be able to do it without you."

Harper smiled "thanks Ivor." Ivor smiled back "no problem. I'm gonna go check on Lukas, he's been out there a while."

Making his way outside, Ivor realized that Lukas had vanished. Frowning, he looked around, only to hear a loud angry voice ring through the night's silence. "That's what I said isn't it?" Turning his head sharply to the left, Ivor saw a small rise with ladders leading upwards, and on top of it two forms waving their arms and apparently shouting at each other.

"Just as you helped us once before? I thought you were dead for years!" that voice sounded like Lukas. "This isn't about the past!" that voice again...it sounded familiar, but Ivor couldn't place it. "It's about the future, which there will be none of if those things continue to eat the world!"

"There's three of them now, eating the world at three times the pace!"

"You say that like it's my fault!"

"IT IS YOUR FAULT!"

Making his way over to the ladder, Ivor slowly began to climb up. "Oh for once, just once, take responsibility!"

As Ivor lifted his head enough to see that the two shouting figures were Lukas...and Jesse.

"Lukas you need to listen to me!" Jesse shouted, eyes blazing. "And what good has ever come from that?" Lukas shouted back.

Reaching the top of the ladder, Ivor held his hands into the air to appear peaceful. Even so Jesse's eyes widened and he jumped slightly. Placing a hand over his heart he grumbled "You shouldn't scare people like that...not at this time of night."

"Ignore him Ivor." Lukas growled "He's been following us this entire time."

"It's not like that." Jesse's voice sounded sincere for the very first time since Ivor had met him. "You need to hear me out." Jesse's hands ran through his hair as he continued. The man looked genuinely stressed "What you don't understand is you're all in very grave danger."

Lukas scoffed, and waved his hand in the direction the Witherstorms were in "Obviously."

"No, I mean specifically this group." Jesse said, pointing to the cave "The storms aren't acting randomly. They're following Petra!"

"Petra?" Ivor repeated, eyes widening as slowly the pieces of the puzzle clicked together.

"I..." Jesse groaned into his palms "I programmed it to follow her amulet."

Ivors hands slowly reached into his inventory. Pulling out the amulet, all five gems glowing fiercely Ivor said "You mean this amulet?"

After making their way back down to the cave, the three Witherstorms screeching furiously just in the distance. "There's a reason the storms have been following us." Ivor concluded. He'd been trying to explain everything for the past five minutes, but it was a little hard to organize seven people when one of them was sick and another was an amnesiac. Holding his hand out to point at the shadows where Jesse had been sulking Ivor said "Jesse says it's because-"

"Jesse?" Olivia asked, eyes wide. Brushing past Ivor she made her way in front of the brown haired man, who flinched slightly, and took a step back. Ignoring that, Olivia walked until she was standing directly in front of Jesse, him refusing to meet her gaze. Olivia lifted her hand upwards, and brushed it lightly across his cheek. Whether he meant to or not, Jesse leaned into the touch. "It really is you..."

"It's..." Jesse took a shuddering breath. "It's good to see you 'liv." He closed his eyes, and simply kept his head like that, leaned slightly into her palm. As such he didn't notice Petra, a rather dopey smile on her face, making her way forwards. "Hello!" Petra chirped. Jesse jumped backwards, hands flying to his inventory and coming up with a potion bottle. Before he could raise his arm to throw it though, Petra thrust out her hand, stupid smile still there, and said "My name is Petra!"

Jesse's eye twitched. "Somebody pinch me." he mumbled.

Ivor, ever happy to oblige, walked over to Jesse and punched him in the face.

After the nosebleed stopped, really, everyone made such a fuss over that.

Well...everyone but Magnus, he just grinned and tried to high-five Ivor.

Anyways, after the bleeding ceased Ivor said "We need to keep moving. If the Witherstorms are all on our tail, then we can't stay anyplace for long. We've got to make it back to Lukas's place, which means doubling back." They'd decided to try and use the Witherstorm command to follow the amulet to their advantage, by bringing it to the place they knew had the most Endermen, which would then destroy it.

"I...may have something that might assist with breaking the Command Block." Jesse said "An Enderman won't be able to pick it up, and it will just keep summoning the Witherstorms back to life, only more every time you kill it."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go get it!" Ellegaard said, hands fussing with her shirt.

"Only one problem." Jesse said "It's at my lab...which is...rather far away."

Ivor ran a hand through his hair and said "Then we split up, you guys go get the weapon, I'll-"

"I'll take the amulet." Ivor turned, Magnus was the one who had spoken. His face was set into stony determination.

"You can't!" Ellegaard cried, eyes flying wide with horror.

"I can." Magnus replied calmly. "I have to."

"You'll have three Witherstorms chasing after you." Ivor said slowly. "Are you sure?" the amulet was already in his hands. Magnus nodded "If things get too intense I'll duck into the Nether for a while. It can't track me there. I'm tired of always being the selfish one."

Ivor nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. Holding out the amulet, he pressed it into Magnus's palms. Magnus's eyes widened, like he hadn't expected Ivor to agree that easily, then he grinned, and set it carefully into his inventory. "You guys go get that super weapon." Magnus said "I'll meet you back at Lukas's place."

Axel walked over to Magnus and patted his back. As he spoke, Magnus looked pretty much like he might die "You don't got to do this alone kid. I'm going with."

Gabriel took a step forwards, but Ivor cut him off "No. Gabe, you need to stay here, it...it isn't safe for you."

"I'll stay with him." Olivia said. Ivor turned to her, tilting his head. "Ivor, I'm...I'm not a fighter. I'll keep guard over your friend, turn this place into a real fortress. We'll find you guys, after those things are dead."

Harper led the horses out, and Ivor nodded. Climbing onto a white one with a dappled gray pattern on its back he turned to Magnus and Axel "Meet you at Lukas's all right?"

Magnus grinned, and placed his hands on his hips "Not if I see you first."

Chapter Text

It took them a full week of travel before Ivor finally realized that 'rather far away' meant on the other side of the freaking world. He'd tried to ask Jesse if they were there yet for the first two days, then the stupid idiot had thrown a splash potion of weakness at him, and he'd barely been able to move let alone talk. He'd discovered he was able to glare though. That was about all he could do. Once they realized the potion wasn't really hurting him, the others had left him and Jesse alone. The only good thing about the ride was that it gave Ivor's leg time to heal, and by the time the sixth day rolled around he'd been able to take off the cast.

They were on their eighth day when Petra finally grumbled behind Ivor "My rear is insanely sore."

"We've been riding practically forever." Harper said, nodding to the redhead.

Up ahead, the two members of the Order of the Stone still with the main group were having an argument and didn't seem to hear them. Ivor tapped his legs against the flank of the horse he was riding and it let out a whinny, speeding up slightly so that he could hear. "-we cannot go to the Far Lands!" Lukas snapped, glaring daggers at Jesse who seemed completely impervious to said glare. "They're not just the edge of our world," the blonde continued "but the very limits of our comprehension."

Jesse scoffed and said "Oh please. The Far Lands are a happy accident. Nature's way of keeping life interesting."

"No. No. No. No." Lukas protested, shaking his head every time he said no. "They are perilous and unpredictable. Floating points, unknown sounds, lava flowing upwards, these are not matters to be toyed with!"

"Why are you so down on the Far Lands Lukas?" Ivor asked, completely and utterly unable to stay silent. "They sound awesome!"

"See," Jesse said, a massive smirk splaying on his face as he turned his head to nod at Ivor. "Ivor thinks the Far Lands are cool."

Lukas sighed, and began to talk as though they were all two year old villagers. "The Far Lands lie at the very edge of all things. Where logic gives way to chaos. They're a dangerous place to visit, let alone construct a laboratory!" his voice rose as he spoke until he was all but shouting whilst continuing to glare at Jesse, who just cackled like this was a hilarious joke.

"Do these two never stop fighting?" Ellegaard grumbled, catching Ivor's attention. "I don't know." Petra replied, apparently thinking that Ellegaard had been talking to her. "But I'm frankly too hungry to care." Ellegaard sighed "We all are." she said. She looked around the group, and then pulled on the reins, causing her horse to stop with a high pitched whinny. As the others stopped and turned to look at her Ellegaard bit her lip and said slowly "Maybe...maybe we should turn back."

Jesse shook his head "We've come to far to do I agree that the journey has been long. Everyone could use a break. See if you can find any seeds. We have enough bones here to turn it to wheat near instantly. Just don't linger too long. The Far Lands are just beyond this swamp."

"Potato you are coming with me." Ivor muttered, wading through the dark swamp water. Carefully pulling the plant out of the earth, Ivor spotted another set of the crop growing a short ways away, and he quickly pocketed the one potato, before he made his way towards the other ones. "Like they say." Ivor said softly "Two potatoes are better than one...at least I think they say that."

He looked around a bit longer, but only ended up with two more potatoes, bringing his number to four. "Should probably take these..." Ivor's words died in his throat as he saw a small building. Or, more specifically, a cake inside of a window of a small building.

"A witches hut"

Ivor absolutely did not scream in terror when Jesse appeared behind him. Robe completely dry the brown haired man's green eyes were locked on the building. "We should stay clear of it." Jesse continued, ignoring Ivor's terror. "Nothing good ever comes when witches are involved." he had a sneer on his face, and absentmindedly his left hand went up to his right shoulder and rubbed it, as if remembering an old injury.

"But-" Ivor protested, arms shooting upwards to point and wave "A cake! That would be enough to feed everyone!"

"It isn't worth it Ivor." Jesse said, shaking his head "Witches hate trespassers." He nodded at Ivor's pocket where he'd shoved the potatoes for easier carrying. "Besides. There are plenty of potatoes around."

As Ivor hesitated, a high pitched cackle rang through the murky silence. Ivor jumped, and whirled to the side in time to see a purple robed figure vanish behind a tree. "Was that a...?" Jesse nodded, coming up closer and resting a hand on Ivor's shoulder. "Ivor" he said, speaking soothingly but definitely quieter than before. "Listen to me. We should not be here. Witches are very strong, especially against those without a potion immunity which I doubt you have, what with it being so rare, not to mention they know swamps much better than I do."

Ivor bit his lip, looking between the cake in the hut and where he'd seen the witch.

what to do...

In the end, Ivor had decided to agree with Jesse. Potion immunity was very rare, and he doubted any of his friends had it, considering how rare it was, and given Petra's current state, if a witch was to follow them he doubted she would be able to assist much in fighting. None of them were really fighters honestly, except for maybe Lukas and Jesse.

This turned out to be a good idea, for when he climbed back up the rise that overlooked where he'd last left the others, an army of skeletons and zombies was drawing closer. Ellegaard, Magnus, Harper, Lukas, and Reuben were all trying to fight, but only a quick glance revealed it to be a losing battle.

"Let's go!" he shouted, running down the hill. Reuben looked up at him and bleated happily, ears wagging slightly. "Everyone on the horses let's move!"

"Where's Jesse?" Lukas demanded as he used an iron sword to block an arrow. Ivor ran a hand through his hair as he helped Petra onto the dappled brown horse. "He split off from me, told me he needed something. He said the Far Lands are just beyond the swamp. He'll meet us there, and if he can't at your place."

"WHAT?" Harper shouted, her arrow flying out of control as she stared, slackjawed, at Ivor.

Lukas shook his head "stupid-idiotic-moron-" he continued cursing but Ivor chose to tune him out, wincing slightly as he discovered he couldn't quite.

Chapter Text

They'd ridden for almost a full night cycle before they finally made it out of the swamp. "I think we lost them." Ivor said, glancing over his shoulder. Alright, so maybe they'd lost the mob army a while ago...but it had been dark and now that the sun was coming up he felt better about the situation. Turning his head back to the scene in front of him, his jaw dropped slightly and he whispered "wow..."

"I see your wow..." Harper said, coming up behind him and staring "and raise it to a wwwooooooooowwwww"

They were staring in front of a massive wall of dirt and stone. Ores were scattered about, and Ivor could see an absolute ton of iron and gold. Water was flowing up and down at the same time, and there was a creeper walking sideways on the wall like a spider.

"It's like we're at the edge of the world" Ellegaard said, nudging her horse a bit closer to Ivor and Harpers.

"Actually..." Lukas hummed, looking over the wall of floating blocks. "We seem to be at the corner of it." He slid off of the horse, took off the saddle and set it into his inventory. Spreading his arms wide he said "Welcome to the Far Lands my friends."

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Lukas asked. They'd started walking closer to the glitch wall, and were currently passing a tree with cobblestone leaves, a waterfall, with sparkling lava surprisingly not burning the plants around it. Ivor nodded, and Lukas continued "Stretching skywards in all its glory...like a monument to chaos itself."

"Lukas...have you been here before?" Ellegaard asked, taking a moment from watching Petra wander over to a pig that had cow spots. Lukas shook his head "Nor here specifically, but I have visited the Far Lands before. The Order of the Stone traveled far and wide in its hayday."

"Incredible..." Petra whispered, and even though that particular statement seemed to be aimed at the cow-pig and not at Lukas's words, Ivor still nodded. "You can say that again" he muttered. Petra straightened and tilted her head at him "Incredible?" she said, although this time it was more of a question than a statement. "That's not what he-" Ellegaard began, before just shaking her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "My fault." Ivor said, smiling back at the redstone specialist "I should have expected that, really."

"How can Jesse live here?" Harper asked, yelping a bit as rain began pouring on her head, only to vanish when she moved forwards two blocks. "I mean, it's one thing to build a wool world in the end, but this..." she shook her head, eyes staring at the sky as rain started way up high, only to stop before it reached the ground.

"Oh I highly doubt he actually lives here." Lukas said as they continued walking "He most likely only comes here for his most secretive research. Whatever Ivor is hiding in here, it will be well guarded.

The cave they'd decided to enter had been lit up with redstone lamps, and had iron bars scattered around it. It looked like someone had tried to forge the look of the Far Lands, while still obviously trying to mark the cave.

Harper was fidgeting with her robe again and when Ivor turned a questioning glance at her she said softly "I'd feel better about all of this if Magnus and Gabriel were with us." Ellegaard nodded "I know what you mean." Reuben let out a sad bleat, and Ivor paused to bend down, rubbing the lamb's ears and around his horn nubs gently.

Lukas had a strange look in his gaze as he said "We should keep moving." Ivor didn't say anything, but got to his feet and followed the blond man."

"Is this...a maze?"

The cave they'd entered had been insanely dark for a while, but as the light from outside faded, a new light began to appear in their vision. Also in their vision was a large wall of cobblestone with a single entrance. From the looks of it the wall was about five blocks tall, and only one block wide. Vines grew along the wall, and in places it seemed to have endured a creeper explosion. And in the spots where they could see in, it definitely looked like a maze.

"It would appear so." Lukas said with a sigh, "And a massive one at that. If Jesse used the Command Block to build this, who knows what dangers it holds?"

"So..." Harper said, thrumming her fingers on a block of gravel with a daisy blooming out of it "Maybe we shouldn't wander into the world's hardest maze without a guide?"

"Regrettably, this seems to be the only way forwards." Lukas replied, giving the black haired Architect a sideways glance.

"There has to be another way." Ellegaard protested "A secret door, or...I don't know...some way around. There's no way Jesse goes through this whole maze every time he needs to get to his lab!"

Ivor nodded at Ellegaard "Look for another way through." he said "If we can't find one, then we'll go in. But only after we're sure there's no alternative."

"Climb the vines!"

Everyone instantly went for the vines they were closest to and began climbing. Hordes of mobs had come out of nowhere. Zombies with skeleton faces, Creepers with eight eyes, monsters that could only exist in the Far Lands. As the group reached the top of the walls, Ivor realized there was one rather large problem. Ellegaard had grabbed Reuben so that was fine, but Ellegaard, Lukas, Harper, Petra, and Reuben...were all on the other side of a massive gap.

"Well...that worked I suppose." Lukas said, eyeing the gap. Harper frowned "But...now what? We're all separated!"

Ivor turned, and spotted a small building sitting in a patch of sunlight. He pointed towards it and said "That must be the lab. Let's just stay up here and try to get to it. I'll meet you guys on the other side."

"What the heck is this thing?" Ivor muttered. He'd gotten out of the maze with only a small bruise from a potion of weakness from a witch combined with a spider flying at his face. He was now in front of a massive pit that looked like it went down clear to Bedrock, and the only possible way across was a strange contraption made of redstone torches, slime, pistons, and boats. There were also some pieces that seemed to be missing.

"Hello?" Ivor jumped, and nearly fell into the pit at the sound of Ellegaard's voice. "That you Ellie?" he called. A few seconds later the pale skinned female poked her head out from the rubble and let out a breath of relief. "Ivor, thank goodness." Reuben bleated, and trotted out of the maze alongside Ellegaard, making his way over to Ivor, the lamb bleated again and rubbed his head against Ivor's leg. "I'm so glad to see you guys." Ivor said, bending down to cradle Reuben. "Us too." Ellegaard said "I thought Reuben and I would be stuck in there forever. We had to split up when these...Ender-Zombies started showing up." Ellegaard shuddered.

"Hey, do you think you could fix this thing?" Ivor asked, trying to distract her "I think it might be our only way across. Ellegaard tilted her head and walked over to the strange machine, studying it and on occasion poking it.

"It's some kind of flying barge." Ellegaard said finally, taking a step back and crossing her arms. "It probably could get us across, if it weren't broken. It's in really bad shape, and it's really complicated."

Ivor frowned, and poked one of the slime blocks. Yup. Still as disgusting as he remembered. "You can fix it though, right?" Ellegaard bit her lip "I don't know." she admitted "It looks way out of my league. If I'd been able to study with Olivia more then maybe but..." she shook her head. Ivor smiled, and walked over to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder he said "You don't need to train under someone else to be an amazing redstone engineer Ellie, you've got this. You have what it takes to fix this thing, you just need to believe."

Ellegaard, with a little help from Ivor, had just put down the last block on the flying machine, when shouts from the maze drew their attention. A half second later, Lukas, Harper, and Petra shot out of the maze. Following them? Offically the weirdest mashup of mobs Ivor had ever seen. They had exposed bones and flesh, kind of like the Zombie Pigmen Ivor had seen in the Nether. But they were also screeching like Endermen and shooting arrows. Petra had a hole in the blue scarf tied to the top of her head, although thankfully it hadn't seemed to pierce her skull.

"Everybody on!" Ivor shouted, heaving Reuben onto one of the two boats. Ellegaard joined him, and within a few seconds they were all loaded up. "I hope this works" Ivor muttered, pulling out his flint and steel. Clacking them together, the boat began to rumble as part of it caught fire. Then, the machine began to move and they were off, gliding smoothly over the emptiness and headed for the lab.

"Hey Ivor?" Ellegaard said, drawing Ivor's attention off of the strange mobs that were following them only to fall into the pit. "Thanks...for everything you said back there. It really helped." Ivor smiled, and nodded at her "No problem."

Petra had her head tilted, studying the machine, and she said slowly "I...I think I remember something. Didn't...didn't Olivia build something like this once?"

Lukas grimaced, but nodded "In the Nether, we used it to get over a massive lava lake." Petra hummed, and then she gasped, eyes widening "That's right, you were terrified of it!"

Lukas laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head "Stuff and nonsense Petra, you're...you're combining memories." Petra shook her head stubbornly. "No, I'm positive, you were trembling for the whole ride." Ivor arched a brow and Lukas, who instantly protested, and decided not to point out the fact that he was shaking like a piglet.

"I suppose I...could be mistaken." Petra said. She had this smirk on her face as she said it, like a cat who knows they've got a mouse trapped.

Lukas scowled "I liked you better when you had amnesia." he grumbled.

Chapter Text

"We should be careful." Ellegaard warned. They'd made it across the pit and were now inside of Ivor's lab. On the outside it looked pretty much like a normal house. On the inside, it was the Speaking Hall basement all over again. Books, cobwebs, and potions were scattered around pretty much everywhere. "There are probably booby traps everywhere in here."

Ivor nodded "Fan out, and keep an eye out for that enchanted book." The others nodded and they split up. Ivor stayed with Reuben,and everyone else went off on their own.

After ten minutes of absolutely no luck, Ivor decided to check in on the others. Wandering around until he found Harper, Ivor took a deep breath and made his way over. "Hey Harper." He said softly "Having any luck?" Harper's hand, which had been splayed over several books, dropped down to her side and she turned, shaking her head. Gray eyes lifting to meet Ivor's dark blue, Harper said "No. But...honestly I've been a bit distracted." Ivor arched a brow "Oh?" He asked "By what?" Harper snorted "I think you meant what not by." she muttered, before sighing and adding "Petra, the Architects, people getting Wither Sickness and Amnesia, questioning Lukas's sanity..." she shook her head and sighed again "Look, don't get me wrong. I'm glad I came with you, I'm just...I'm just scared for everyone. For them, for us...for everybody."

Ivor smiled and at his side Reuben bleated quietly and nuzzled Harper's knee which was about as high up as he could reach. "You're a good friend Harper." Ivor said quietly "The fact that you're always thinking about others says a lot." Harper's lips twitched upwards and a small laugh spilled out. "Well" she said, smile turning coy "I like my friends. That's why they're my friend's in the first place."

Ivor grinned and said "Either that, or you like that they say nice things about you." Harper laughed and turned her head to nod at the bookshelves. "I think Jesse's only friends were these books."

Ivor shrugged "I guess being an angry loner leaves you with plenty of time to read."

Harper flashed him a grin "Tell me about it." she squinted at the books, and started to read aloud some of the titles "Now They Were Three, Fingerpainted Bruises, Rebel of Sky City, Secrets...There must be a thousand books here."

"See any that just scream 'enchanted book'?" Ivor asked hopefully. Harper shook her head "No. Sorry. I'll keep looking around over here." Ivor nodded, and walked away.

Ivor made his way over to Ellegaard and smiled at the dark haired female. "Had any luck?" he asked when he got close enough. Ellegaard shook her head sadly. "Not really, Jesse has so many books, and there's only a few of us looking." her shoulder's slumped "How did we get so split up?" she asked, hands fidgeting with her shirt "I feel like we're spreading ourselves too thin. I miss how things used to be. That was...fun. Kinda. Almost."

Ivor smiled reassuringly and said "Well, Harper is still here. For a moment there, back at the cave, I thought she was going to leave us too."

"I'm glad you talked her out of it." Ellegaard said, nodding in Harper's general direction "She's smart. I like having her around. She's pretty good with redstone too."

"And she has excellent hair."

the words were out of Ivor's lips before he could stop himself, and now he just wanted to go and jump into the pit outside because of the look Ellie was giving him. He could feel the blush marching up his pale skin and turning his face beet red.

Ellegaard looked quite like she wasn't sure how to react, but she finally just chuckled, shook her head, and said "She does, doesn't she?"

Ivor let out a breath of relief and smiled "This is why we get along." he said, before turning around and hastily making his exit.

Ivor sought out Lukas next. "Find anything yet?" he asked, ever hopeful.

Lukas snorted, and waved at the bookshelves that he'd been glaring at when Ivor had found him "In this mess?" he scoffed "It's as though Jesse learned nothing from my lectures on organizational methodology."

Ivor decided not to say anything, although personally he doubted he would learn anything from that kind of lecture either.

"If only he hadn't run off at that confounded swamp!" Lukas continued, completely missing the look on Ivor's face "He could just tell us where the blasted book is." the blonde ran a hand through his hair with a groan. "There's neither rhyme nor reason to how these are sorted. Finding anything in here is impossible."

"Tedious maybe" Ivor said, resting a hand on the other man's shoulder and trying quite hard not to squeal outwardly that he was actually touching a member of the Order of the Stone. "But not impossible."

Lukas arched a brow and studied Ivor for a few minutes. Finally he let out a sigh and said "Fine. I shall continue this monotonous search. But I reserve my right to complain about it!"

Ivor grinned "Deal."

While he was talking to Lukas, Reuben had wandered away and when Ivor found him the lamb was sniffing at a fireplace which had lava flowing downwards behind orange glass panes. "Reuben what are you doing?" he asked, lifting up the black and white lamb and carrying him away from the fireplace. "You're going to get yourself cooked! Stay. Away. From. Lava." as he set down his friend, Reuben bleated in protest, but waddled off a bit ways away from the lava.

Tilting his head at the fireplace, wondering if there was a way to lamb-proof it, Ivor spotted some red dust sparkling from a hole in the wall. "Hey Ellie." he called, earning the pale skinned woman's attention. "I think there's some redstone over here."

"Time to see what this sucker does." Ivor said. He'd poked around in Jesse's stuff, feeling completely guiltless given everything he'd gone through, and had found the resources to make a lever, and a new sword since his stone one was starting to get worn out. This one was iron, and was definitely a lot sharper than anything he'd ever handled before, which was why it was tucked safely away at the bottom of his bag.

Placing the lever near the redstone as Ellegaard had instructed, Ivor pulled it and shuddered as pistons once again began to fire. Taking a step back, Ivor caught the sight of the lava vanishing out of the corner of his eye, right before the glass panes were pulled away and a large doorway opened up, stairs rising up out of the floor leading downwards. Lukas was the only one who didn't groan at the sight of said stairs.

"Why would you build a secret passageway in a house that no one visits?" Harper questioned, placing her hands on her hips. Ivor shot her a grin, which definitally didn't go unnoticed by Ellegaard who rolled her eyes "More like why wouldn't you? Secret Passageways are cool!"

Harper shrugged "Good point."

Ivor stepped into the passage, and Reuben followed him quickly. Lukas entered as well, and as they began to climb down, Ivor stumbled over something that he couldn't see. In an instant, the fireplace closed back up. Ivor whirled around and ran back up the steps, pounding his feet on the stone, then quickly retreating as orange and yellow splotches flicked through the small cracks, revealing that the lava had turned back on. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're fine!" Ellegaard shouted back, her voice muffled "But the lever isn't working anymore!"

Ivor turned to look at Lukas, but the blonde just shrugged "I'm a builder, not an engineer." he hissed. Ivor rolled his eyes, and turned back to the wall, shouting "Stay there, we'll head down and see what we can find."

The stairs led into a massive room, filled with strange objects Ivor had never seen before. "What is all this?" he asked, turning to Lukas who looked as stunned as he. Ivor turned away, right before Lukas let out a sharp, surprised laugh. Ivor turned back to him, arching a brow curiously as the blonde man said "Incredible! So he's the one who took them from us. To put them all in one place." he shook his head, a smile on his face. "Uh...took what exactly?" Ivor asked, tilting his head slightly.

"The treasures of the Order of the Stone." Lukas responded, waving to the items placed on pedestals around the room. A silvery white tear-shaped item, a glowing blue block, a collection of blue pebbles, a block of what looked like hardened ice, a colorfully decorated block, but in the center, on the largest pedestal, was clearly the item of honor. A large potion that seemed to have a purple inner glow. "The stories I could tell about these dusty old things..." Lukas said softly, resting his hand on the pebbles.

"I don't see any books here though..." Ivor said slowly, looking over the items again and spotting a yellowish block that seemed to be dripping with water, right next to a duplicate of it that was dry. Next to that was a door, and on a wall near it was a set of five hoppers. "Maybe through there?" He started towards the door, but Lukas shaking his head caught his attention. "Don't bother trying." he said "Those are iron doors, if they aren't open, you'll never get them that way without some sort of redstone signal."

Ivor hummed, and turned to study the hoppers. "I wonder..." he muttered, turning his head towards the items in the center of the room. They seemed to be the most important, so perhaps they were the key to opening the door?

Making his way over to the tear-shaped items, he waved Lukas over and asked "What are these?" Lukas smiled wistfully "Ghast Tears" he replied "From our first official mission as the Order of the Stone. We fought those Ghasts for hours. These tears were our reward. They say a Ghast cries only once in its lifetime, and said tears have regenerative abilities. I've seen Jesse use them more than once in Potions of Regeneration. I'm surprised he didn't use this one as well."

"Whoa..." Ivor muttered. As Lukas started to turn away, Ivor reached out and snatched up the Ghast Tears, sliding them into his inventory. Lukas arched a brow "What are you doing?" Ivor blinked "uh...taking this really cool rare item? I mean we might need it to open the door." Lukas gave him a skeptical look, but let him be.

"So...why does Jesse have the treasures of the Order of the Stone?" Ivor asked, as he continued to look over the items. "Did you give them to him?"

Lukas sighed, and ran his hand through his hair "It's...a long story. But no, we did not give them to him. He...well, I'm not sure how much you have pieced together Ivor, but after the Ender Dragon we believed Jesse to be dead. Apparently he wanted things that way as I certainly did not know he was alive until you told me. Of course, he has every right to let us believe he is dead after..." he shook his head "never mind. A few months after the...incident, Olivia, Axel, and Petra contacted me, telling me that the treasures they had kept were stolen. Mine had been as well. I just assumed that it was thieves. Apparently it was Jesse."

Ivor nodded, filing the information away, before making his way over to the long-necked bottle. "What kind of a potion is this?" Lukas shook his head "You won't believe me, but that came from the Ender Dragon. I saw it only briefly, but Jesse found a way to collect the breath of the dragon." as he walked away, Ivor picked up the bottle, and watched it shrink in size as it entered his inventory.

Making his way over to the glowing block, Ivor tilted his head at it, and then widened his eyes "Am I crazy or is this a Sea Lantern?" Lukas grinned "Ah, the very same one the Order crafted all those years ago. We were so green back then." he chuckled, and reached a hand out to touch the blue block "It looks just as bright as the day we crafted it." Ivor nodded at the pebbles "From Prismarine right?" Lukas nodded "Correct, that must be all that was leftover." Ivor quickly scooped up a handful of the pebbles, and then once they were inside of his inventory he added the Sea Lantern.

"So where'd the Packed Ice come from?" Ivor asked, nodding at the last item in the center. He'd seen it once before, at an Endercon that had been centered around an Ice Spikes biome. Everyone had gone home freezing, but agreeing it had been worth it. "We brought it back from an Ice Spikes Plains Biome we found." Lukas replied "It was colder there than anywhere we had ever been. But Axel slipped so many times, our laughter kept us warm." Lukas nodded slowly, and fell silent, lost in the past. Finally he turned back to Ivor and said "It was then we knew that we were ready to face the Dragon."

The items had been the key, just like Ivor had thought. By placing them in the hoppers in the order they had been collected, had triggered the redstone signal keeping the door shut, and it swung open with a groan. "Let's go get that enchanting book." Ivor said. Lukas nodded, and followed him through the door. And what they found on the other side was absolutely amazing.

"Lukas, what's this thing supposed to be?" Ivor asked, staring at the pillars that surrounded a massive obsidian and coal Ender Dragon with glowing lava and glass eyes. "It appears to be homage to our battle with the Ender Dragon." the blonde replied, walking up to the feet of the dragon and resting his hand on one of the bone block claws. "Despite his anger...despite...everything...it would seem that his days in the Order were very important to Jesse." Lukas's hands clenched and he bowed his head. Sighing, Lukas said "I only wish things could have been different."

Ivor looked around the room and said slowly "Maybe...if you tell me about the battle, it will help me figure out the puzzle of this room?" he suggested carefully. Lukas gave him a weary look, but finally said "We'd spent weeks preparing for our greatest battle ever...But even so, the Ender Dragon was far more powerful than we could have ever imagined. Jesse used his potions to distract it, whilst we all prepared out own traps. Petra used her sword to take out the End Crystals, which gave the beast power. I used my bow to take out several. Axel crafted a cannon, and used it to blow up not only the crystals but half the towers holding them up. And Olivia used her skills in redstone to fire arrows upon the beast, weakening it. As it flew towards the ground, trying to breathe it's deadly flame on us, I managed to leap onto it's back, and steer it towards the final crystal. I rammed it into it, jumping off at the last second and taking considerable damage. The beast blew up, and it was then that we realized that Jesse was nowhere to be seen. We searched the island top to bottom, but finally decided that he must have been thrown into the Void when the dragon swooped to the ground." he shook his head sadly "We thought it best not to add him into our tale. We wanted him remembered as a friend who left us to complete our story, rather than someone who had spent his last moments falling endlessly."

Ivor nodded slowly, looking around the room and realizing for the first time that the pillars had banners on them, each decorated with a different symbol. Walking around the room, he studied them slowly. Pacing back around to the one with the golden sword, Ivor lifted up the banner, and pressed the button that it was hiding. Walking around the room yet again, he pressed the bow next, then the TNT, and finally the redstone. A set of double Iron Doors in the back of the room swung open, only to reveal another set. Tilting his head back to study the dragon statue, Ivor squinted at the eyes and realized that Eyes of Ender had been placed in item frames over the glass panes that hid lava, and above them almost like horns, were buttons. But there was also a lever, pointing downwards.

"I wonder..." Ivor muttered, taking a few steps back. It would be the hardest parkour in the world, but the way the statue had been built definitely looked like it was climbable.

With many cuts and bruises from failed attempts, Ivor finally pushed the lever upwards on the back of the dragon's head, and felt a massive grin spill over his face as he heard, and then saw, the doors opening, leading into what looked like a small chamber. "Enchanted book here we come!" he said, sliding down the dragon's back. Going down was much easier than going up, as the cut on his left shoulder, from where he'd landed sharply on the edge of a piece of obsidian, could prove.

Waving a hand in a signal for Reuben to follow, Ivor slipped through the doors...and stared.

A half second later, Lukas followed him in, and grinned "There it is!" he said pointing to the book. Then his gaze lifted slightly, and his hand drew back towards his body. "Ivor..." Lukas began, but when he turned to face the young male he was greeted by a stony look, hands curled into trembling fists. "Lukas..." Ivor spoke lowly, in a tone that said he wasn't going to take any nonsense "Why is there a dragon on the other side of that glass?"

As it turned out, the Ender Dragon had not been a he as most history books said. No...it was a she. And she had dropped an egg when she died. Jesse had apparently taken the egg, and found a way to hatch it. Which was revealed when Jesse had entered the room, after Lukas had gotten all sweaty and spilled the beans. Revealed how he had used the Command Block to blow up the Ender Crystals and kill the dragon. And then when Jesse, who had been uninformed of that detail of the plan had threatened to spill the beans, well...in the words of Jesse himself, Lukas had ordered Petra to slice his throat.

"Lukas..." Harper said slowly. She and the others had arrived in the basement along with the rest of them, in time to hear Lukas and Jesse's confrontation. Endyr, the dragonet, was watching them curiously from the other side of the purple glass, chirruping as she sat in the miniature End Jesse had constructed. "I looked up to you." the black haired female continued "The whole world did."

Lukas closed his eyes and said softly "No one is more ashamed than me."

Petra's brows were furrowed and she said quietly "So...we're liars? All of us?"

"Yeah." Ellegaard replied, glaring daggers into Lukas "I think you are."

"So...this whole thing..." Ivor said, eyes narrow "this Wither you unleashed...it was to teach the Order a lesson?"

Jesse scoffed and replied "To teach the World a lesson. To show the world who the Order of the Stone really is. Liars, Cowards. And now they know."

Lukas gave a resigned sigh "Yes...I suppose they do."

"And how is that any better?" Harper snapped "You reveal their lies at the expense of the world itself?"

Jesse crossed his arms. "Look, my Wither plan obviously failed." he said "I certainly didn't think we'd end up with three of those things out there."

"Which brings us back to why we're here." Ivor interrupted. As much as he wanted to yell at Jesse...and Lukas...and possibly Olivia and Axel, there were much more pressing matters to attend to. "We need to destroy that Command Block, NOW"

"Ivor is right." Lukas said quietly "Destroying that damn block is all that matters now."

Chapter Text

After crafting and enchanting his first diamond weapon, which was a pickaxe since he'd figured it would be best for the job, Ivor had been allowed to pick out some armor from Jesse's hoard. Alright, so it wasn't a hoard, but there were so many armor stands there that it might as well have been. The one he'd picked was a lot like the armor Jesse himself was now wearing, rich midnight blue. But where Jesse's had golden highlights, Ivors had black. Jesse told him it had been made from Obsidian, and could withstand the force of an Enderman hit.

The others had gotten geared up as well; Ellegaard was wearing a dark brown and red armor that Jesse said that had been made from redstone-enfused leather. Even though it was leather, supposedly it was as strong as iron or chainmail. Harper's armor was made from armor that Jesse claimed had been created from gold and diamond, and had a blue-gold sheen to it. They'd also upgraded their weapons. Harper had a quiver on her back with a full stack of arrows inside, and the bow slung over her shoulder was enchanted with Flame and Infinity. Ellegaard had a bow as well, although hers was enchanted with Power III and Infinity, instead of Flame. Petra had the most surprising weapon. Apparently one of the treasures Jesse had stolen was Petra's old sword. Fire Aspect V, Unbreaking V, Sharpness III, Smite IV. A one-hit kill for most mobs. It was the weapon Petra had used to almost-kill Jesse, and every time he saw it, Jesse flinched back slightly. He seemed angry at himself for doing it, but frankly Ivor didn't blame him. He was surprised the potionologist hadn't smelted it into a golden nugget already.

Lukas had taken a simple Iron sword, although it had Sharpness V and Unbreaking IV on it. Jesse himself was armed with about a half-stack worth of various potions. They'd found their horses again, and had split up to take the fastest of the horses. Lukas was on a dappled gray one by himself since no one really wanted to ride with him, Ellegaard and Ivor were on a dark brown one with white socks, Petra and Jesse shore a bright red horse, with Endyr, whom Jesse had insisted they bring, clinging to the potionologists back, and Ivor, Reuben, and Harper were on a silvery white one with a black mane. Ivor was fairly sure Ellegaard had had something to do with the seating arrangements, although he couldn't prove it.

They'd been riding for almost two days. The trip was going a lot faster, since Jesse had thrown Splash Potions of Speed II at the animals, making them go about three times as fast as they had on the way in. Reaching where Lukas's fortress should have been, Ivor stared, eyes wide. The massive building was completely gone, the Grinder was partially exposed, and mobs were streaming out of it and away from the Witherstorm. Endyr's head lifted up and peered over Jesse's shoulder, the dragonet studied the Witherstorms, shuddered, and vanished back underneath the black cloak the older man had put on.

Behind Ivor, Harper made a wordless sound of amazement. Petra tilted her head towards the three monsters which were screeching in the sky and said slowly "Shouldn't the Endermen have dismantled those things by now?" her voice faltered and she added "Or am I just confused?"

"It's not just you." Jesse said, sliding off of his horse. "There's something wrong."

"IVOR!" Ivor's head snapped in the direction of the voice, and grinned as Magnus came barreling out of the woods, tackling him in a massive hug. "Magnus!" Ivor said, pulling back and grinning. "You guys made it!" the bald teen said "Nice freaking armor by the way." "Good to see you too Magnus." Ellegaard said, a small smile dancing across her lips as she spoke.

"Do you still have the amulet?" Ivor really hated to break up the reunion, but he had to know if their only way of luring the Witherstorms into a trap was safe. Magnus grinned at him, and reached into the inventory bag slung around his shoulder, pulling out the amulet. The gold, white, and blue gems were glowing brightly, the green one was about half-dull, and only the red one showed no sign of light. "Safe and sound." Magnus said proudly. "But that's not the problem." he turned, and pointed down towards the base of the mountain, where millions of tall black mobs were just milling around. "The Endermen are. They aren't angry enough. I mean, a few of them are, but not enough. Most of them are just standing around, moving blocks, y'know, just being Endermen."

Lukas scowled, and his hands clenched into fists. Before he could say anything, Magnus continued "They've kept the main Witherstorm busy, but one of the smaller ones started attacking us. Then Axel decided to run off on his own and attack it, by himself."

"He's fighting a Witherstorm?" Jesse gasped, eyes practically bulging "Alone? Who in their right minds-" he cut himself off, shaking his head with a groan as he pressed his face into his palms. "It's Axel. Of course he would do something like that." he grumbled. Magnus nodded "He kept saying something about paying for the mistakes of the past, whatever that means." he shrugged, seemingly not noticing Jesse's half angry half 'this is normal why am I mad' state.

Petra took a step forwards "If a fellow member of the Order of the..." she faltered, blinking those oddly colored eyes, and then turning to Ivor, a sheepish expression on her face. "Order of the Stone." Ivor supplied. Petra nodded, and said "If a fellow member of the Order of the Stone is out there fighting, then I belong there too!"

"Petra no!" Lukas snapped "I've told you, you're not who you think you are!"

"My name is Petra the Warrior!" Petra shouted, unsheathing her blade and holding it to the sky triumphantly for about half a second, before charging down the hill screaming things that Ivor could have gone his entire life without hearing.

"She's going the wrong way isn't she?" Jesse muttered, not bothering to look up from where his face was still buried in his palms. Endyr let out a helpful chirp, and Ivor said "Yup."

With Jesse and Endyr haven taken off after Petra, Magnus turned to Ivor again. "Hey uh...you...you guys didn't happen to check up on Gabriel and Olivia did you?"

Ellegaard shook her head "We came straight here." she said, and Harper added "They're still in the cave, as far as I'm aware...I..I hope they're alright."

"They will be." Ivor promised "As long as we destroy the Command Block."

"So...what's the plan?" Magnus asked, tilting his head "I mean are we just gonna follow Petra's lead and charge...uh...hopefully not screaming-" Ivor decided to cut him off before he could repeat anything Petra had just screamed, and pulled the enchanted diamond pickaxe out of his inventory "We find a way for me to use this."

Magnus's eyes doubled, all words that had been about to leave his throat thankfully forgotten "That is, without a doubt, the coolest thing I have ever seen." a massive grin split the green-wearing teen's face practically in half, and Ivor couldn't help but smile back as he put the pick away. "I brought you some armor too, you're going to need it." He took out a set of armor that Jesse had told him was made from Creeper hide and could withstand the blast of TNT. Magnus grinned, taking it from him and slipping it on "Thanks!" he chirped "I was feeling a little left out."

"Does anyone see the Command Block?" Ivor shouted, eyes scanning the largest Witherstorm. Some of its ribs were still exposed, but at first glance he didn't see the Command Block or its altar. "We need to get more Endermen focused on the Witherstorms." Ellegaard shouted back. "How do you make Endermen focus? I can barely make myself focus!" Magnus called.

"We shouldn't be here..." Ivor turned, having only just barely heard the voice, and stared at Lukas, who was trembling fiercely. "None of this is going according to plan..."

"That doesn't matter." Ivor said, gaze firm "What matters is we do everything we can to stop that thing." Lukas blinked at him, and then, slowly, nodded. "Very well..." he said "How may I be of assistance?" Ivor nodded, gave the blonde a half smile, and then replied, raising his voice so the others could hear "We need to get the Endermen to attack the Witherstorm."

Almost as if on cue, a tractor beam swung over the edge of the Haunting, and a few Endermen began to tremble upwards. They shrieked, looking up at the monster in fury, and teleported away. Reappearing a few minutes later on top of the monster and joining the other angry monsters in tearing apart the Witherstorm block by block.

"The tractor beam!" Lukas and Ellegaard said, nearly in sync. Lukas was the one that elaborated though "If you can get the Endermen to follow you into the tractor beam, they will direct their anger away from you and onto the Withers!" Ivor nodded and said "Let's split up. Everyone, do everything you were told not to do to an Enderman. Look them in the eyes, shove them, steal their blocks, douse them with water if you must, we need to get them mad, and then we need them to get sucked into the tractor beam."

Ivor ducked and dodged the blocks that were flying about. Making his way in front of an Enderman, Ivor took a deep breath, and then tilted his head upwards, until his blue eyes were locked into the glowing purple of the Endermans. The Enderman shook and screeched at him, jaw unhinging and sharp fangs revealed, directed at Ivor for a half-second, until a tractor beam washed over the pair. Ivor ducked away, but the Enderman stood there until it started to lift into the air. Then it screeched again, and teleported.

"Ivor look, it's working!" Ellegaard's shout caught Ivor's attention as he finished shoving an Enderman into a tractor beam. Ivor turned to look at her, and then where she was pointing. The redstone specialist was correct, a large opening had appeared in the main Witherstorms side, large enough for him to easily get into, if he could get high enough. Magnus seemed to be thinking the same thing and said "We need to find a way to get you up there." Ellegaard's eyes lit up and she corrected the bald teen by saying "Or build you a way up!"

Ivor grinned, and nodded sharply "Everyone, empty your pockets!"

Reaching into his own inventory Ivor rattled off the list "I've got cobble, redstone, a tripwire hook, pistons- when did I get that? An Iron Sword, and a bow but no arrows from the Order's Temple."

Magnus said "I have some leftover fireworks, and some TNT from Boomtown. A minecart...Oh, a ton of wood, cobble, and some stone and iron tools too, had to do some survival mining on the way here."

Ellegaard took out her inventory and said "I've got pistons, a lot of redstone, a repeater, and a slime block."

Harper, who had been working on shooting at Endermen called over her shoulder "I have some wool from Lukas's place, and well...a lot of arrows that I don't really need."

"That's gotta be enough to build something, right?" Ellegaard said, studying the pile. I mean, if we use the TNT on say..." "A minecart" Harper jumped in, rolling away from a wither skull. Ellegaard nodded "Or maybe those pistons..." Magnus, not one to be left out, said "We do have a ton of cobblestone."

"Maybe we could build a ramp?" Magnus suggested. "Or even go up vertically." Ellegaard said, nodding. "Or, find a way to use the redstone." Harper called.

Ivor tilted his head, tuning out the others voices and focusing not on what he had, but what he'd seen them in before. "You guys..." he said, earning near-instant silence "We use the pistons and the redstone to build a flying machine. It'll be just like the one back at the Far Lands, but vertical. Then, when I'm high enough, I use the TNT like a shockwave propeller, remember the builder two years ago at Endercon? He used TNT to ricochet around the ice."

Ellegaard nodded, scooping up her items. "What are we waiting for then?" she said, gaze flicking towards the Storms "Let's hurry up and-" she cut herself off with a sharp intake of air, eyes nearly tripling as she stared behind them for a second, before shouting "LOOK OUT!"

Ivor turned, and saw a tractor beam marching steadily towards them. "Move!" he shouted, knocking Magnus out of the beam's path. "Harper, we need a hand over here!" he shouted, doing his best to scoop up the items before the Witherstorm got them.

"I can do better than that!" Harper said, shooting him a grin, before reaching up and pulling down the goggles she seemed to always wear. With them seated neatly over her eyes, Harper let out a battle cry, thankfully with much less profanity than Petra's, and charged forwards "Here Wither, wither!" she shouted "Come and get me!" with that said, she reached into her inventory and pulled out a few fireworks, setting them off so that they shot directly at the heads of the monsters.

"Good thinking Harper." Ivor called "Now come on you guys, lets hurry up and build this thing."

"Hurry, climb on!" Ellegaard said, giving the black haired teen a boost. Grabbing hold of his hand, Ellegaard locked eyes with Ivor and added "And Ivor...good luck. I know you can do this."

Ivor smiled "Thank Ellie. It means a lot to me."

Magnus grinned "Now go demolish that Command Block!" Ivor nodded at him, and flicked the switch that would send him flying. Right as the machine rumbled to life, Reuben let out a bleat, and charged up the build, clambering into Ivor's lap. By the time that Ivor realized what was happening it was too late, the TNT was already starting to flash white. "Reuben no!" he shouted "This is no place for a-" and then the TNT exploded and Ivor and Reuben went flying.

Chapter Text

Ivor shrieked as he and Reuben were thrown into the hole and rolled down the inside of the Witherstorm before they finally managed to come to a stop. Coughing as the air inside the beast filled his lungs, Ivor's eyes squinted open and he peered around. Being inside of this...this thing, was much worse than scrambling around its ruins. Faces with blank expressions and dull pinkish white eyes stared out of the black goop that seemed to fill everything, and blocks jutted out at random areas like spikes...or bones.

Ivor groaned as he got to his feet, feeling a sharp pain in his left leg. It might have healed, but having been broken not all that long ago and then getting thrown sharply into a giant monster, it was acting up. A small bleat rang in his ears, and then a wet tongue was lapping at his hands. "Hey Reuben." Ivor said with a small smile. Then he frowned, remembering what had just happened and said in a stern tone "Reuben, you shouldn't have done that." Reuben bleated sadly, and pulled away, ears and tail dropping. Ivor sighed, and looked around again "But..." he added slowly, earning a hopeful look from the lamb "On the other hand...I'm glad you're here. I don't really want to be alone up here. Just...stay close." Reuben nodded, and proceeded to instantly wander over to a green glowing mushroom and sniff at it.

As Ivor and Reuben wandered through the absolutely disgusting terrain, the ground began to rumble. Ivor frowned, and came to a halt, looking around for something to grab onto. Before he could take hold of anything however, the Witherstorm rumbled again, and then the entire inside flipped to the right. What was once the floor became the wall, and Ivor and Reuben fell down, down, down, until they smacked once again onto hard black ground.

"Owwwwww" Ivor groaned, standing back up. Rubbing the back of his head, Ivor peered around and realized just how far he'd fallen. Briefly, in the back of his mind, he wondered what it must look like to the others outside, or if the Witherstorm could rotate it's innards without affecting its outward appearance. Looking around, Ivor saw the face a half second before Reuben did. A very familiar face, from only a few weeks before...the face, of a butcher. Reuben let out a terrified bleat, and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Reuben!" Ivor shouted, lunging after the lamb, and collapsing to the floor in quite the spectacular fashion. Pushing his palms against the floor, and doing his best not to think about just what it was he was touching, Ivor got back to his feet once again and took off. Rounding a corner as the beast began to shake quite violently Ivor shouted "Wait up!" no sense in stealth since the Wither seemed to already know he was there.

As he skidded to a stop, trying to find his lamb, the Witherstorm decided to take another 90 degree turn and he went tumbling sideways. Out of the corner of his eye, Ivor was fairly sure he could see Reuben bleating and kicking his legs as the lamb fell

There was a ringing in his ears when Ivor managed to open his eyes. A ringing in his ears and a wet tongue on his face. Groaning, Ivor raised a arm and coughed rather violently. When he could see straight again, he saw that the armor along his arm was now flecked red with blood. Licking his lips, he could still taste the bitter coppery liquid. Smiling at Reuben, who was looking rather concerned, Ivor slurred "'m a'ight'" Letting his eyes adjust to the brighter section they were now in, Ivor realized with surprise that the Command Block altar from earlier was right in front of him. Struggling to his feet and leaning heavily on the wall since his stupid leg refused to let him put weight on it, Ivor hobbled towards it, Reuben walking alongside him and pressing his black and white fur into Ivor, helping him keep balance.

"We mee' a'ain Comman' B'ock" Ivor muttered, taking a moment to spit out some blood that had pooled in his mouth. Reaching into his inventory with one arm against the wall to keep his balance, the raven haired teen drew out his pickaxe. "The time 'as come to des'roy you."

Hopping, literally with one foot raised, up the stairs, Ivor balanced carefully and used both hands to heft the glowing pickaxe above his head. Swinging down harshly, Ivor was quite satisfied to see cracks appear along the block's surface. He was not satisfied with the shriek that the Witherstorm gave out, so loud he could hear it even from the inside. Ivor fell backwards, catching himself with his palms and then wishing he hadn't. For now, in this position, he could see the altar splitting apart into six tentacles. "Reuben...I think I made it mad." Ivor muttered.

From the walls of the beast, more tentacles began to emerge, these ones lunging for Ivor. Rolling out of the way since he didn't trust his legs, Ivor took temporary shelter underneath the steps of the altar. Reuben shivered next to him, and Ivor said quietly "No matter what happens Reuben, we have to destroy that Command Block. Do you understand?" Reuben gave him a 'are you seriously doubting my intelligence?' look, and nodded sharply, letting out a determined bleat.

Ivor had managed to get in another hit by crawling above the altar while the tentacles were distracted with looking for him. This had proceeded to cause the Witherstorm to spout a freaking head inside of itself, and start searching for him with a tractor beam. Ivor had had no choice but to run, and so he'd done a makeshift cast with a cape that had fallen down to them when the Witherstorm rotated.

"Wait a minute..." Ivor muttered, watching the tractor beam scan the withered people it held hostage. "I know exactly how to get up there." Whirling to face Reuben, Ivor shouted "Reuben, watch my back. If anything happens, I'm counting on you." With those words hanging in the air, Ivor took off for the main part of the 'room' and hollered "Hey you! Bet you can't catch me." and then he did quite possibly the most idiotic thing he'd ever done in his life. Held out his arms and stood still, letting the pink glow wash over him. He shuddered as he began to lift into the air, but he kept his jaws clamped shut, eyes focused on his target. When he had been lifted high enough, Ivor grabbed onto the nearest tentacle, and used it to flip upwards into the air, and land on top of the giant black head. The head roared, and he could faintly hear more roars on the outside of the body.

Preparing to jump, Ivor readied his pick. Before he could take the leap however, a black mass slammed into him, sending him flying in one direction...and his weapon in the other. Groaning, Ivor realized he was now hanging upside down in the tentacles grasp. "Reuben!" Ivor shouted, using one of his hands to point at the weapon "remember how we used to play fetch? I need your help buddy."

Reuben ran towards the pick, sniffed it, wagged his tail, and then picked it up with his mouth. "Come on Reuben!" Ivor called, a grin spreading across his face "I believe in you." While the lamb started making his way up the once floor now wall, Ivor began to swing in the tentacle, wincing every time he drew near to the head. When he'd gotten enough momentum, Ivor said "Jump Reuben, I'll catch you!"

Wriggling free from the tentacle, Ivor went flying into the air just as Reuben leaped off of his own tentacle. Skidding back onto one of the waving tentacles, lamb and weapon in hands,Ivor grinned and then turned towards the Command Block "Time to put an end to this, once and for-" before he could finish, the Witherstorm head lunged out, snapping Reuben's leg in its massive jaws. Yanking back, Reuben let out a terrified bleat as he was forcibly removed from his human. The Witherstorm's jaws opened, and Reuben fell.

And Ivor saw red.

When Ivor came back to consciousness, he was wet. Soaking wet. Taking a shuddering breath, Ivor could barely hear Magnus shouting "HE'S ALIVE!" Coughing and spluttering, Ivor realized he was floating on the edge of a small pond. A pond that had just saved his life. All around him were the burning remains of the Witherstorm, and people slowly emerging from the wreckage. Stumbling onto land, Ivor was reminded of his once again broken leg. But that didn't matter.

His friends were racing towards him but that didn't matter either. Nothing mattered, except for finding Reuben. When they got close enough Ivor screamed, as tears fell from his eyes "Find Reuben!" before they could react, a small cry landed in Ivor's ears and he whirled. Stumbling forwards, he limped to the other side of a black tentacle. There, floated in the shadows, left hind leg completely missing as blood flowed from the wound, staining the water red, was a small black and white furred lamb.

"Reuben..." Ivor breathed out. Making his way down the small hill and towards the pond, Reuben's ear, the one above water, flicked towards him ever so slightly, and one of his eyes, the one not swollen shut, flickered up to face Ivor. A small smile donned the lamb's muzzle, and his tail gave a weak wag as Ivor swam over to him, cradling him gently. With a shuddering breath, Ivor held Reuben as tightly as he dared, while still letting the lamb float "You're a hero Reuben." he whispered, just softly enough for the lamb to hear. "You helped save the world." Reuben's tail wagged again, and he opened his mouth, as if to bleat, but no sounds came out. "Come on Reuben, say something." Ivor pleaded, the tears racing down his cheeks were nonstop, and his vision was starting to blur, but he didn't notice. Closing his eyes, Ivor placed his head next to Reuben's, and in a low voice said "It's alright boy, I've got you. I'm here for you." Reuben smiled, a soft brushing of fur against Ivor's neck, and let out one final bleat.

And then, with a sound like smoke puffing above a fire...

Reuben was gone, and in his place, a single piece of Raw Mutton.

A week had passed. Everyone was back to normal, and most folks had returned to their homes. Gabriel and Ellegaard had found their way back from the cave, Gabe standing tall and no longer plagued by Wither Sickness. Petra's eyes glowed a healthy blue, and her memories had all been restored. Ivor, Gabriel, Ellegaard, Magnus, Axel, Olivia, Lukas, and Petra were currently standing on a stage, in front of a quartz monument with a banner of Reuben on it. They were towards the back, the time for their 'speech' not yet ready. Harper was somewhere in the crowd, reuniting with Hadrien, Mevia, and Otto, and Jesse...Ivor wasn't sure where the potionologist and his dragonet were.

"People used to look at me like that once." Petra said softly. Her red hair was flowing down her back and shoulders, and her helmet, a golden crown-like piece, glowed in the sunlight. "Ivor...having my memory restored has been both a blessing and a curse." she said, one hand clenching into a fist. Ivor arched a brow, but was silent. Petra continued, voice lowering "Perhaps...perhaps I should tell them the truth. About the Order. All those lies we told them...they deserve to know." she glanced at the crowd again "Perhaps I should come clean."

Ivor crossed his arms and nodded "I think you're right." he replied, voice low as well. "They deserve to know the truth."

Petra winced, as though she'd been hoping for a different answer, but she gave him a single nod, and stepped forwards. People hushed quickly when they saw her, and Petra nodded at them, a warm smile showing. "We all owe a great debt to Ivor and his friends." Petra said, before she lowered her head and said "But I owe a debt to you people as well." The crowd murmured, what on earth could she mean?

Petra took a shuddering breath, and then said "Which is why, I want to tell you something. About the Order."

As Petra spoke, telling how they'd used the Command Block, Ivor turned towards the crowd, looking for two faces that wouldn't be shocked. Spotting them, Ivor caught their eyes and nodded them forwards. Harper and Jesse slowly began to pull from the crowd and walk up to him. When they were close enough he could talk without disturbing Petra Ivor said "You both helped out, you should be up here too." Harper smiled and whispered her thanks. Jesse rolled his eyes, but made no move to leave.

"So it is time for the world to celebrate new heroes." Petra concluded "Real heroes." with that she turned, squared her shoulders as no sound came from the stunned audience, and walked to Ivor "They're all yours" she said, before leaving the stage. Axel, Olivia, and Lukas followed her example, and vanished into the shadows.

Taking a deep breath as he walked to where Petra had been standing a few minutes ago, Ivor said "I know you all think I'm up here because I saved the world or something. But...the truth is I didn't do it alone." Turning and waving his hands towards the others, Ivor was soon joined by Gabriel, Magnus, Ellegaard, Harper, and even Jesse. "Far from it. I had my friends, Gabriel, Ellegaard, Magnus, Harper...They stood by my side, right from the start." he rubbed the back of his head and added "Well, they made fun of me too. But when I deserved it." he shrugged "That's just how they are."

"It's crazy to think me and my friends started off in a treehouse." Ivor continued, "And now we've been to some of the weirdest places in the world!" He grinned and added "I mean come on, we went to the Far Lands!" slowly, the crowd began to clap and cheer as Ivor added "There were these gigantic walls, a crazy maze, a model of the Ender Dragon..." he shook his head "You just had to be there."

"But do you know what really mattered?" Ivor asked as the crowd began to quiet. Without waiting for an answer he turned, and pointed to the monument. "My hero, Reuben the sheep." there was a bit of confusion, but Ivor ignored that, and focused on not letting the tears that were gathering up spill. "He may have seemed like just a lamb to some people. But he was so much more. At the end of the day...he saved us all."

He turned back to the crowd and said "So let's hear it for Reuben."

The crowd positively roared. Whoops and hollers echoed through the streets of Beacontown, and Ivor smiled softly. If Reuben could have heard this...

"Ivor." Petra's voice broke him out of his thoughts. He turned, and saw Petra holding three dark purple Nether Stars. "These are what dropped when the Witherstorm's fell. Would you care to do the honors?" Ivor nodded, taking them. He pocketed two, and lifting the other one high, he walked around to the back of the stage and climbed the steps that led to the top of Reuben's memorial. Placing the Nether Star inside of it, Ivor stepped back right as the beacon whirled to life, a beautiful white light racing upwards to the horizon. Then a piston whirred, and black glass was shoved in front of it, before pulling it back, making the light alternate between white and black. The colors of Reuben.

"My friends!" Petra's voice boomed as Ivor climbed back down. She held the amulet in her hands, but the golden gem had been replaced by a diamond colored one. "I am now pleased to introduce you to...The New, Order of the Stone!" with those words said she walked over to Ivor and placed the amulet in his hands. As he held it, all five gems sparked to life, glowing proudly.

Chapter Text

Night cast its darkness over the world. A jungle, with thick trees blocking the weak moonlight, buzzed with life, from ocelots teaching their cubs how to fish, to parrots mimicking the monsters that lurked in the shadows. Long vines trailed from high-up leaves,and bats flew around cave openings, squeaking to one another.

Above the clouds the world was still. Stars twinkled and the moon glowed brightly. A perfectly peaceful night.

Or at least it would be, if it weren't for the group of people running away from the massive horde of mobs.

Running past a small group of Ocelots, Ivor skidded underneath a small cobblestone structure, sliding into view of a large building that stuck out like snow on the beach. The glow from the building split the darkness of the jungle, and a small smile danced across Ivor's lips. Then he saw the mobs shuffling along just ahead and quickly ducked behind a tree, holding his breath to try and prevent them from noticing him. Face setting with determination, Ivor drew his weapon, a glinting diamond sword enchanted with Looting III and Sharpness II. Sliding into a fighting stance, Ivor whirled around to the other side of the tree and lunged at the mobs.

Raising his sword, Ivor swung at a group of three zombies, knocking them away and watching them explode with grim satisfaction. Another group lurched towards him, and were quickly met with the same fate. Hacking his way towards the temple and doing his best to avoid the floating Rotten Flesh drops. A grin danced along his face, and then the sound of skeletons rang in his ears. Turning, he came face to face with two bows, and yelped, stumbling backwards.

A low voice gave a shout, and then in a flash of blue and silver Gabriel came tumbling out of the trees, diamond sword slicing neatly through the skeleton's bodies.

Ivor grinned, nodding his thanks. Gabriel gave him a sharp nod back, and then ran to keep fighting.

"Hey Ivor, check this out!" Ivor turned, and saw Magnus with a Baby Zombie under each arm. "And three, two one, POP!" as he said 'pop' he squeezed his arms towards his sides, and with matching groans both zombies poofed into dust. "Cool right?" Ivor rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the small smile that spread over his lips.

"You guys are working way to hard." Ivor turned towards the sound of Ellegaards voice, and tilted his head at the sight of the...thing she had built. It looked to be a set of dispensers, with fences connecting them. Her hands were practically glowing red with the Redstone dust that was nearly covering the whole build "And that thing didn't take effort?" Ivor asked, arching a brow as she rammed her elbow into a button and roughly fifty arrows came flying out over the battle-field, most smacking into monsters, one ramming it's way into the shoulder of a very startled Magnus.

Ellegaard winced as he shouted and called "Sorry! No aim in these things."

Within a few minutes, the battle was over. Monster drops scattered the ground, bows, bones, rotten flesh and spider eyes absolutely everywhere. But that wasn't their focus. All eyes were on the temple, which they were now directly in front of. It was gorgeous. "That is one impressive temple." Ivor said, tilting his head towards the carved stone bricks, mossy cobblestone, and obsidian building. Gabriel nodded and said "Points to Jesse I suppose. This was a good tip."

Ivor nodded and then took a step forwards, foot landing on the first step "Order of the Stone" he said, eyes twinkling "Time to get some treasure!"

"TREASURE!" the others shouted, arms shooting into the air.

They ran into the temple, and instantly fanned out. Ivor slowed to a stop, and scanned the surprisingly small room. On every wall except for the one with the door, there was lava flowing down to the floor behind glass. Pistons were extended, blocking the flow from going into the empty channels on either side of the main lava stream. There were also levers, which seemed to be connected to the pistons.

"So much for treasure." Gabriel muttered, crossing his arms with a small frown. Ivor looked over his shoulder and grinned "Come on, you know how these things work. The treasure is NEVER out in the open."

It took several tries to get the lava flow puzzle to work. It was absolutely worth it as the entire temple rumbled, and then the entire middle of the floor pulled away and revealed a winding staircase.

"You know, I actually would have been disappointed if the floor didn't open up into a dark creepy passageway." Magnus said as he hopped down onto the stairs closest to him. "This kind of reminds me of the Order's Temple." Gabriel said, pulling a torch out of his inventory to help light the sections that were farthest away from the three lava streams. A small laugh rumbled from his throat as he added "We were such scared noobs back then."

"Hey I wasn't scared!" Magnus protested from several sets down.

Ellegaard arched a brow "Oh? Then who was it shouting 'help, help, the dispensers are out to get me'?"

Ivor decided to intervene before Magnus could start shouting, and he said "That feels like it was...I don't know...a million years ago. We've packed a lot in since then."

"And to think..." Ellegaard said wonderingly "That was just the beginning."

"Yeah!" Magnus agreed "That was before we'd fought Witherstorms, hung out with Endermen, reunited the Order...so crazy."

They'd finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and found themselves facing a large empty cave. Empty...except for the four chests sitting neatly in the center. Ivor, Magnus, Ellegaard, and Gabriel all walked up to a chest and pushed them open. "Let's see what we've got." Ivor muttered. Using one hand to hold up the chest, he used the other to rummage about in the brown box.

"Hey it's a cake!" Ellegaard said, pulling out the thick round food. "Aw man, you got a cake?" Magnus whined, lifting his head up and all but drooling. "It's just...I really love cake, and-" Ellegaard rolled her eyes, and tossed the item across the small space. "Oh man, oh man oh man oh man!" Magnus said, lunging for it and putting it neatly in his inventory "Thank you!"

Ivor managed to see what Gabriel was pocketing and nodded "Pumpkin, not bad." Gabriel nodded back "Should come in handy if we run into any Endermen."

Focusing on his own chest, Ivor thought at first it was empty. Then his hands rubbed against two very small items. Two things small enough he could fit them both into the same hand. Pulling them out, Ivor peered at a flint and steel. Both glowing a bright sky blue color.

"What did you find?" Ellegaard asked. She was on the opposite side of Ivor, which meant all she could see was probably the blue glow that cast over Ivor's face. Ivor shifted to his feet, and held out the flint and steel. "Whoa..." Magnus breathed "That's super cool."

"What kind of enchantment is this?" Ivor asked, gaze flicking to Ellegaard. She shook her head "I have no clue. I've seen some people but Unbreaking on a Flint and Steel, but that's definitely not Unbreaking. Or if it is, then it's really old or really weak. Look, you can see cracks forming on it." her hand skimmed over the glowing items, tracing phantom lines in the flint and steel.

"You could fire it and find out." Gabriel suggested. Ellegaard stepped back, and Ivor moved away from the staircase. Striking the flint and steel against each other, aiming at some stone so it would die out quickly, Ivor jerked back as a three block high column of blue fire blasted in front of him, burning for several seconds before dying out.

Before they could fully process the sheer amazingness of what had just happened, a low groan rang through the cave. Drawing his sword and dropping the flint and steel into his inventory, Ivor said "Order of the Stone, looks like some monsters have a death wish."

"So what's the plan?" Magnus asked, bringing his fists up in front of him. It would have been more terrifying, if he didn't have frosting all over his fingers. "If you ask me, this seems like the perfect time for a secret handshake."

"Yeah, so let's use the Redstone Rap." Ellegaard said, aiming an arrow at a spider that was crawling up the wall. "I believe you mean the Warrior Whip." Gabriel said, sword slicing through the air.

"Oh come on." Magnus said, rolling his eyes "It was my idea, so let's do the Griefer Grab!"

"Warrior Whip." Ivor decided, turning towards Gabriel and sheathing his sword. Gabriel did the same, and they took hold of each other's hands. Spinning around, Gabriel kicked off of one of the chests, grabbed his sword, and went flying at the monsters, slicing at them neatly and swiftly while the others started up the stairs. A few seconds later, Gabriel joined them.

They were about halfway up the stairs when a skeleton's arrow rammed into a block, shot it out of place, and let Lava spill onto the stairs, burning through the wooden staircase as easily as a diamond sword through a zombie. "We need to get out of here!" Ivor shouted "Use the vines" Gabriel called back, taking a handful of the thick green ivy that crawled up the walls. Following the warrior's lead, Ivor, Ellegaard, and Magnus began to scale the wall. Dodging arrows and dancing away from lava was a lot harder when going pure vertical, but they somehow managed.

"Cave spiders." Gabriel groaned, looking down when the sound of spider hissing grew louder. "Why did it have to be Cave Spiders?" ever since the whole 'amnesia' thing, Gabriel had been avoiding any mobs that gave you...undesired effects. Witches for example. And, of course, Cave Spiders. "Faster!" Ivor shouted, skidding downwards slightly to hack away at the eight legged monsters.

"Ivor hurry!" Magnus shouted as he hauled himself out "This thing's closing!"

Leaving the spiders be, Ivor climbed faster, and just barely managed to grab hold of Magnus and Ellegaard's hands to pull himself out before the final pistons went off and the floor sealed shut.

Chapter Text

"I tell you guys, that never gets old!" Magnus said, a massive grin splitting his face in two.

As they made it to the bottom of the stairs, Ivor sheathed his sword and pulled out the Flint and Steel again, studying it with narrow eyes. As the others spoke behind him, Ivor wondered briefly if Jesse knew anything about the enchanted item. He was the one to convince them to go here after all. "You gotta try that thing again!" Magnus suddenly chirped directly behind Ivor, green eyes lingering on the glowing flint and steel.

"I'm pretty curious about that thing too." Ellegaard said, making her way a bit closer. "I'm dying to know how it works."

Ivor grinned and said "Alright then. What should I burn?"

Magnus let out a very manly squeal and started hopping up and down. "That grass! No, that rock, no that stump!" Ivor rolled his eyes, and then walked over to the stump Magnus had pointed to and readied the the flint and steel. One clack later, a three block tall of blue flames shot upwards, licking the sky before dying out completely. They were so distracted by the flames, that they didn't notice the glinting sword in the shadows until it's owner spoke.

"Well well well." Ivor's gaze shot upwards, and locked onto the shadowy form of a purple shirted and silver haired male. "Where'd you get the new toy?" the other added, straightening from where they'd been leaning on a dark oak tree, and twirling his sword in a spookily casual manner. He had a smirk, and a strange light in his gaze. "That looks a little...sophisticated for you Ivor." Hadrien said, sheathing his sword and crossing his arms. In an unspoken order, two more shapes emerged from the shadows. Mevia, who's smirk was rivaling Hadrien's, and Otto who looked somewhat uncomfortable and a bit confused.

"Order of the Losers" Mevia purred, nudging Otto's arm. Otto nodded and repeated "Yeah, Losers" although his heart didn't seem to be in it.

"Ugh" Ellegaard muttered from behind Ivor "Who let you guys out of your cave?"

"Joke's on you." Mevia said, tossing her blue hair "We don't live in a cave."

Hadrien turned towards her and snarled. Literally Snarled at one of his only friends...well, one of the only people willing to be seen with him in public anyways. "Shut up!"

"So." Ivor said, earning Hadrien's attention "What grief are you here to cause use now?"

"Look. Who's. Talking." Hadrien hissed. Ivor realized there was a strange...fire in Hadrien's eyes. There was something new about this encounter, something...dangerous.

"So, what are you Architects doing here anyways?" Ellegaard asked, tilting her head. Hadrien turned towards Ellegaard, and Ivor felt a rush of fury boil up inside of him. How dare Hadrien look at one of Ivor's friends like that. "The Architects were Harper's gang." Hadrien said, ignoring the way Ivor's fists were clenching. "We ditched that name just like we ditched her."

"We've rebranded" Mevia purred, whirling around to show off the symbol on the back of her shirt. A white item that Ivor had never seen before. But he had seen a purple version of it. "We're the Nether Stars now." Otto nodded, grinning widely as he added "Stars of the Nether~"

"Shut up Otto!" Hadrien hissed, voice rising an octave. Now Ivor was really worried. Hadrien had never acted like this before. Something was wrong.

"Sorry Boss." Otto said, flinching backwards slightly. "Don't do it again." Hadrien hissed back.

Deciding to intervene somehow, Ivor did so in the way he thought most appropriate. By insulting them "Wow, that's too bad. I thought Architects was way cooler of a name." It worked. Hadrien whirled around, eyes practically boiling as he tried to kill Ivor merely by looking at him.

"That's what I said!" Otto jumped in. Hadrien's eye twitched, and he only turned his head enough to snap "Shut. up. you idiot."

Taking a deep breath, Hadrien composed himself and focused back on Ivor. "So, where's Harper?" he asked, scanning the small group. "The minute the Order decided you were cool-" "For whatever reason." Mevia interrupted, tossing her hair again. Hadrien's eye twitched but he didn't say anything. Instead he just continued on as if Mevia had never spoken "She wouldn't stop sniffing around you like some sort of tamed wolf."

"Take that back." Gabriel growled, one hand moving towards his inventory bag to grasp the handle of his sword. Hadrien completely ignored the death glare Gabriel was giving him, and smiled, the shadows making him look somewhat insane as he said "Hmmmmm...nah."

"Harper is ten times the warrior you are!" Gabriel snarled, pulling out his sword. "Orrrrr" Mevia said, crossing her arms "She's a whimpy dork."

"Harper is a hero." Ivor said. "Which is more than I can say for any of you."

The two 'teams' were currently sizing each other up. Hadrien and Ivor had tossed insults at each other for a while, until Hadrien had gone a step to far, claiming that if he wanted his own stuff then he would have to just take it from others starting with Ivor. Magnus hadn't taken that well, and had charged the Nether Stars. Gabriel and Ellegaard had pulled him back when Mevia and Otto pulled out their weapons. Mevia wielded dual diamond pickaxes which showed an enchantment glow, and Otto had an enchanted diamond axe. Hadrien had his diamond sword back in hand, enchantment casting an eerie glow over his face. "Some hero you are Ivor." he sneered, voice low enough that only he and Ivor, who were practically face to face, could hear.

Ivor stayed silent for a few minutes, and then he took a small step back, lowering his sword. "Let's go home guys. These...Nether Stars aren't worth it."

As the others sheathed their weapons, starting to walk away, Ivor waited, making sure they all got going ahead of him first. Hadrien, Mevia, and Otto watched them, silently, honestly rather insanely. "What hope do we have when heroes like you are throwing their weight around?" Hadrien hissed, once again in a tone that only he and Ivor could hear. "It's not always going to be this way though." Finally, he sheathed his sword. Mevia and Otto followed his example, and Hadrien turned, brushing past them to march in the opposite direction. "Come on you guys, let's get out of here."

As they made their way back towards Beacontown, the Order of the Stone spent some time discussing Hadrien.

"Us being the new Order of the Stone is really getting to that guy." Ivor said, after spending most of the trip in silence. "He's gone crazy."

"We should be careful." Gabriel said, nodding at Ivors words. "He seems different...scarier somehow."

"And all because he wanted that Flint and Steel." Magnus said, nodding towards Ivor's bag where he'd stashed the enchanted item. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Jesse's the one that told us about the temple." Ellegaard said when Ivor was silent. "Maybe he knows more about the enchantment on it."

Ivor shrugged "Well then I guess we're headed to Jesse's. Didn't he say he was building a house before we left?"

A terrified scream shattered the sounds of people cheering at the heroes return.

Ivor's head whipped around to find the source, hand twitching toward his sword. Behind him, Gabriel muttered "That wasn't a happy to see us scream."

And then the crowd parted, and all Ivor could do was stare. A giant skull made from stone bricks, lapis blocks, and nether brick, was currently spewing lava from the mouth, in front of which an angry crowd shouted terrifyingly detailed death threats up at a very familiar figure in a dark blue robe who was shouting back at them, and waving some sort of potion bottle around in his hands.

"Wow...that's...new." Ellegaard said slowly. "It somehow manages to evoke skulls...and tentacles."

"While still doing the whole 'barfing lava thing." Gabriel put in.

"I dunno." Magnus said, a grin spreading across its face "I think it's pretty cool."

Ivor was too busy staring at the form leaning out of one of the eye-holes to reply. Although personally he thought it was pretty cool as well.

"NOT MY FAULT!" The figure bellowed.

"LOOK OUT!" someone else shouted, followed by a rather high pitched "HELP!"

The group exchanged glances, before approaching the crowd.

"Oh please, stop your whining." The figure in the tower, now confirmed to indeed be Jesse, shouted down at the crowd "What are your pathetic injuries in comparison to this majestic tower?"

"Jesse?" Ellegaard asked, rather startled. Gabriel groaned, and shook his head "Of course." he muttered.

Apparently seeing them, Jesse grinned at Ivor, which given the current situation looked rather demonic. "Ah, Ivor, you're back." Swinging out of the hole, which was just sooo many shades of wrong, he climbed down some of the vines, brushed off his robe once he was back on the path, and added "Don't listen to anything these fools say."

"It's a fire hazard!" shouted a woman that Ivor somewhat recognized. It took him a moment, but then he realized it was the slime booth lady from Endercon.

And of course while he was realizing this, Jesse was insulting her. "And your face is an ugly hazard!" he snapped, holding up the potion bottle, the potion inside a rather sickly shade of pale blue, and waving it towards her.

"I think it's pretty cool." Ivor said with a shrug. Jesse blinked, froze mid-swing, and then turned back to Ivor, grinning slightly "Why thank you Ivor, it's nice to see someone around here with an appreciation for vision."

"Ivor, seriously!" Gabriel said "You're letting him keep it?"

"Ivor..." Jesse said, in the tone a father uses to tell his son how a fork works. "All I want is what every man here wants. A simple place to call my own..." he paused, and Ivor arched a brow. Rolling his eyes as Jesse finished with "...that has loads of lava pouring off of it."

"Jesse..." Gabriel said slowly, trying to match the older man's tone. "I know you mean well, but your house wants to kill people."

"Exactly!" snapped the woman whom Jesse had insulted.

Ivor tilted his head "What if you built a pit for the lava to fall into, and then put some nether brick fences around it to keep people out. Those are fire-proof right?" Jesse tilted his head, and then nodded slowly "They are, that's why I used them for the support. Very well. I can do that. I shall require some assistance however." Magnus and Ellegaard raised their hands.

Well...Ellegaard raised her hand and used her other one to lift Magnus's into the air. "Come on Magnus, let's go and find some iron for shovels. See you later Ivor."

As the two walked away with the dispersing crowd, Jesse glanced at Ivor curiously. "I haven't seen you around for a while, is something up?"

Ivor frowned "Kind of? We found something in that temple you sent us to. I wanted to-" "You did?" Jesse asked, eyes widening almost comically. He raised a hand and quickly shushed Ivor. Laughing loudly, he wrapped his arm around Ivor's neck and said "Yes, yes, it is good to see you again. Lets do lunch! I'll bring the carrots!" in a lower tone he hissed "There's no telling whose listening. Meet me in the Treasure Room, ten minutes. And bring the...thing you found."

With that the potionologist freed Ivor, and walked away, whistling to himself as he pocketed the potion he'd for some reason been holding through the whole ordeal.

Chapter Text

It felt great to be back home. Instead of rushing to the treasure room to meet Jesse right away, Ivor had decided to head to his room for a moment to empty out his inventory, and encouraged Gabriel to do the same.

Pulling off his armor, Ivor stretched, and then flopped backwards onto his bed. Letting out a content sigh as the dark blue blankets welcomed him, Ivor wondered how long he could get away with just lying there. Finally though, Ivor sat up, and pulled his inventory bag off of his hip. Sifting through it, he started putting the Jungle Saplings he'd collected in one chest, the Rotten Flesh, Bones, and String he'd gotten from the mobs in another. Digging in his inventory and bypassing the weapons and armor, Ivor's fingers landed on two pieces of one item. Slowly, Ivor pulled them out and held them both in one hand, face lit up by the pale blue glow they cast.

Sliding off of his bed, Ivor put the Flint and Steel away and pulled out his armor. Taking a moment to rinse them in the small infinite water pool he had in his room, Ivor put his armor back on and pushed open the dark oak door.

Time to meet with Jesse.

The treasure room had filled up rather quickly in the four months since it had been built. Enchanted Golden Apples, Wither Skulls, Magma Cream, and so much more.

"This place is really shaping up." Gabriel said. The dark skinned man was walking to the left and slightly behind Ivor. Ivor turned his head ever so slightly, and nodded. As Ivor turned back to facing forwards, a flicker of movement on the stage towards the back of the room caught his attention. A young woman with dark hair and brown clothing was facing the quartz monument centered on the back wall. There was a banner with a black and white face staring out across the room, and above it, an item frame holding a single piece of mutton. Below the banner was a strange black and white wool block.

"Harper!" Gabriel said, grinning as he walked towards the silver eyed female. "I don't believe it!"

Harper turned, and smiled "Oh, hey! You guys have got some pretty cool stuff here." she looked around again, gray eyes lingering on the Golden Apples. "Crazy stuff."

Gabriel smiled and nodded "Yeah, no doubt there."

As Harper got close enough, Ivor reached out and hugged the female. "It's great to see you." he said as he pulled away.

"It's been a while " Harper said, blushing slightly. "I really missed you guys."

"We missed you as well." Gabriel replied, resting a hand on Harper's shoulder.

"How are you doing?" Harper asked quietly. They were waiting on Jesse, and Ivor had found himself staring at Reuben's monument.

Ivor lowered his eyes, and stayed quiet for a moment, tears threatening the corners of his eyes. "I really miss him." he said finally, voice trembling. "Every morning I wake up, and just for a minute, I can pretend that he's just in another room, or out sniffing for wheat." he took a shuddering breath "And then every morning I get to remember that he's gone all over again."

"I'm so sorry." Harper said softly, wrapping one arm around Ivor to embrace him in a side hug.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, before Harper finally sighed and said "I promise I didn't come here to bug everyone out. I actually came back because I need to tell you something. About this weird run in I had...with Hadrien."

The name of the white haired male broke Ivor out of his thoughts, and he got back to his feet, Harper quickly following.

"I hate that guy." Gabriel growled, fingers clenching around the hilt of his sword.

"Something...or someone really got to him." Harper said, brushing off her robe.

"We saw him too." Ivor explained "In the jungle we were at before we came back. The Order of the Stone and the Nether Stars are just as friendly as ever."

"That's an understatement." Gabriel muttered.

"He's just been so jealous of you and the rest of the Order ever since you saved the world from the Witherstorm." Harper said.

Ivor frowned a bit. Harper had been there too, why wasn't she giving herself any credit? Had Hadrien threatened her?

"He's convinced that he's supposed to be the hero." Harper concluded, shaking her head. "Ever since he took over the Archite- the...Nether Stars it seems like he's gotten meaner somehow. He's pushing Mevia and Otto around. Well...more than usual anyways."

"Why would he be jealous?" Ivor muttered, brow furrowing.

Harper let out an exasperated sigh "He's convinced you're a bully. Looting and keeping all the best stuff for yourself."

"Of course he is." Gabriel grumbled, walking away and muttering to himself.

"So what did you find that got Hadrien so excited anyways?" Harper asked, looking quite like she would like a change of subject.

Ivor reached into his inventory, and pulled out the Flint and Steel "Check it out."

"Whoa..." Harper whispered, reaching out a hand to run it along the runes that glowed bright blue within the item. "What a weird glow."

"I know" Ivor said "I'm supposed to show it to-"

"YOU FOUND IT!"

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF NOTCH IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Jesse completely ignored Ivor's shriek and stared in awe at the item Ivor was now clutching in a death grip. Harper had ended up halfway across the room before she realized who had snuck up on them, and Gabriel was glaring at Jesse like he quite wanted to slice the potionologist in half. "This is the greatest find of all time!"

The brown haired man was now hopping from foot to foot, and Ivor's terror was briefly subsided by the absolute hilarity of the sight.

"I can't believe you actually...what you're holding!"

"Alright spill, what does this thing do?" Ivor said.

"This proves what I've always suspected." Jesse breathed. "That glow...that enchantment is the work of a very old group of builders, a group so old they existed before the Order of the Stone."

"Whoa." Gabriel said

"Dramatic." Harper added with a nod.

Jesse grinned at them "Right?"

"So what does the Flint and Steel do then?" Ivor asked, arching a brow.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I suspect it's related to the exciting part." Jesse replied "You see if these Old Builders actually existed, and if you found their temple, it means we're one step closer to finding..." he smirked "The Eversource."

Gabriel grinned, and elbowed Harper in the ribs "Looks like you came back just in time Harper."

"More powerful artifacts huh?" Harper asked curiously. Ivor was a bit more skeptical "Did you just make that up?"

Jesse shook his head "The Eversource is said to be an object of incredible power possessed by the Old Builders. It was some sort of treasure, or artifact, that gave them an endless supply of building materials. Think about it Ivor, that temple must have been it's hiding place!"

"Wow...Old Builders." Gabriel said "You learn something new every day."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around this Eversource thing." Harper muttered, eying Jesse like she wasn't quite sure how sane he was. Which, frankly, was a very good question.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ivor said, smiling "We've already found that temple once, finding it again will be a snap."

"Excellent!" Jesse said "I shall pack my adventuring things immediately." and with that he took off, running out of the room before anyone else could say a word.

"Well...sounds like you guys have a lot to do so, I'll just be going." Harper said, sidling away. Before she could get too far, Gabriel's hand landed on her shoulder and the dark skinned male said "Nope, you're coming with. I need a buffer between me and Jesse."

Ivor rolled his eyes, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was happy Harper was coming along. "Let's get moving, before Jesse leaves without us."

"This is so exciting!" Jesse said, peering around the jungle with wide eyes. As he walked, he startled a pair of ocelots, who hissed at him and then ran away. "Adventure!"

A few steps behind him, Ivor, Gabriel, and Harper walked. Each had their weapons drawn, Harper still having her bow from the Witherstorm fight.

"Harper, I know it's daytime but watch our backs alright?" Gabriel said. Harper nodded, and paused for a few beats until she was a couple of steps behind the two boys. Lowering his voice to a whisper Gabriel muttered "I can't believe we're bringing Jesse with us."

Ivor arched a brow "Well, like it or not he is the one with all the information about this place. Besides, look at him, I don't think he's had this much fun...ever."

He nodded to ahead of them, where Jesse was doing some sort of weird dance/march...thing. Suddenly he stopped, and spread his arms apart "The trees are enormous! I love it!"

Ivor snorted, and he saw Gabriel fighting a grin. Gabriel then sighed and said "Alright, it's nice that he's...excited, but he's not my top choice for adventuring companions. He just...really gets on my nerves sometimes."

"Wow...it looks so different during the day." Ivor muttered, looking over the temple. It looked completely different. A hole in the ceiling that had been previously unnoticed let in light, and the lava bubbled as it drifted slowly through the trenches.

"Be careful what you touch." Jesse warned as they began to split up. "There could be traps everywhere."

After a while of silent searching, Jesse shouted "Gabriel, Architect Girl, are you as excited as I am?"

"I'm not sure that's possible." Gabriel muttered through gritted teeth.

"What?" Jesse demanded, head whipping around to face the dark skinned male with suspicion.

"He just means you're super excited Jesse." Ivor called, not wanting to see his friend soaked in the unknown potions Jesse had dangling from his belt.

"Excited?" Jesse cried with a laugh "I'm ecstatic! Thrilled! Overjoyed! The Eversource could finally be within my grasp!"

"There's some sort of room up there." Harper called. She had been studying the hole for the past few minutes, while Ivor and Gabriel had spoken, and now she shouted over her shoulder.

Ivor made his way closer, and peered upwards. Harper was right. That wasn't sunlight coming through the roof above them, it was torch light. Or, maybe glowstone or lava light. Whatever it was, it wasn't from the sun. "Looks promising." he said, nodding to her "I'm heading up."

"Fantastic!" Jesse said with a grin "We'll be right behind you."

As he grabbed hold of the vines and started to haul himself upwards, Ivor called "So, do you think this Eversource thing is up here?"

"It's hard to say." came Jesse's reply. "As legend has it, the Old Builders feared it's potential, so much that they hid it away, in a place it could never be found!" he let out a laugh that made Ivor make a mental note to find a psychiatrist for Jesse later. "And it never has been!"

Making it to the top, Ivor peered around the room. Instantly his eyes were drawn to a strange pattern in the wall, and he tilted his head, studying it. "Seems promising." he muttered to himself, walking forwards. Drawing his sword, just in case, Ivor planted one foot firmly on the pressure plate lying in front of the wall, and then took a quick step back, readying his weapon.

Slowly, the walls began to rumble, pistons firing as they pulled away. Jesse, Harper, and Gabriel making it up to the room in time to see a gold and quartz egg shaped structure be pushed out until it was flush with the new wall, minus a two block wide three block gap in the center almost like a..."A portal?" Gabriel muttered, tilting his head in confusion.

"Maybe the treasure is inside of the portal?" Ivor suggested, turning to glance at Jesse. The brown haired man shrugged and said "Perhaps. And that could be why the Flint and Steel was left here, to grant you access to the portal." Ivor nodded, and fished the item out of his inventory. Walking over to the portal, he crouched down, and clacked the items together. Again, blue flames shot out, but this time, instead of fading away, they ignited the quartz and a bright cyan portal glow appeared.

It also half exploded and sent Ivor, and the Flint and Steel flying.

Ivor coughed, and struggled to his feet. He reached for the Flint and Steel, but before his fingers could close around it, a new hand reached down. Ivor's head jerked upwards, and he stared into the face of Hadrien.

"Thanks for bringing this back to me champ." Hadrien said, a cruel smirk dancing across his lips "I knew you had to be good for something. Turns out you're really easy to follow." His gaze hardened and he said "Your adventure is over, Ivor. Time to go home."

Ivor snarled, and clenched his hands into fists.

Hadrien's glare intensified and he said "Step aside Ivor, we're going through that portal."

"Hadrien, enough is enough." Harper shouted "This is where it ends."

The former Architect barely spared her a glance as he said "Nether Stars, clear me a path."

About twenty cuts, five bruises and a black eye later, the Nether Stars vanished into the portal. Ivor and his friends hadn't been so lucky, and Gabriel was working on removing an arrow from Harper's arm, from when Mevia had surprisingly brought out a bow.

"We've got to follow them." Jesse insisted "If they get the Eversource, there's no telling what havoc they'll cause."

"Shouldn't we go back for Magnus and Ellegaard first?" Ivor asked "We might need them."

Jesse shook his head sharply "There's no time, we can't let Hadrien get the Eversource first."

"I don't usually like agreeing with Jesse, but the man's right." Gabriel said, looking up from Harper's injury. "Who knows what kind of trouble Hadrien could be causing through there?"

Ivor sighed "You're right." he said. As Harper got to her feet he said "Let's go."

One by one, the group walked into the bright blue glow.

The feeling of wind whistled by them, and the scent of grass, sky, and...chickens floated around them, before they vanished, leaving no sign that they had ever been there, except for the silent glowing portal.

Chapter Text

Reality returned by method of pure empty space.

Empty space filled by a screaming black haired teen. A few seconds later he landed harshly on brown and green blocks of dirt, and a surprisingly warm blue and gold wearing male. The other man let out a rather sharp yelp, as he started to tumble forwards, where there was a cliff leading to nothingness waiting for him.

On instinct, Ivor's hands snapped out, the rest of his body still splayed out on the six by six area as he grabbed hold of Jesse whose eyes had gone extremely wide. A while later Gabriel appeared, and Ivor realized with a tang of annoyance that he'd spawned with his feet firmly on solid ground. "Where's Harper?" he asked once they'd gotten Jesse back onto solid ground.

"I would guess she's over there." Jesse muttered, pointing to something behind Ivor and Gabriel as he caught his breath. Ivor and Gabriel turned, and proceeded to lose their jaws to the void.

Harper woke up with dirt in her mouth.

Sitting up and spitting out said dirt, Harper tilted her head back, and realized she was next to a beautiful iron and gold structure. Struggling to her feet, a flash of pain shot through Harper and she realized her ankle was twisted at a rather...sharp angle. Leaning on the wall, Harper took a few deep breaths and then slowly began to hop towards what looked to be a massive gate.

What she saw shook Harper to the core.

Or rather, what she didn't see.

Nothing. Pure, empty space as far as the eye could see. Wait no...Movement caught Harper's eye and when she focused on it, her eyes widened. Although they were only blobs, they were definitely moving, no...digging? They were on top of a tall dirt tower, and were slowly digging it down. Harper quickly figured out why. They were planning to dig over. Rummaging through her inventory, Harper pulled out about a stack of sand. That would do nothing in its current form, however...she took half of the stack and quickly shaped it into Sandstone. Placing it in a single file bridge, Harper slowly began to bridge out to the island. They would need all the help they could get. She moved slowly, having to crawl on her knees, but she didn't want to risk going into the city alone.

"Stop pushing!" Jesse snapped, carefully balancing dirt in his arms as he glared at Gabriel. "I'm not pushing, Ivor's pushing!" Gabriel snapped back. "I'm just trying to keep back from the edge!" Ivor shouted back. "It's all edge." Jesse retorted.

"Let's just get the bridge started." Ivor muttered "Look, someone's already building out to us." Gabriel squinted and then let out a breath of relief. "It's Harper." then he frowned "But something's wrong...she's crawling, I think she might be hurt."

"Then let's hurry up and build out to her." Ivor said. Gabriel gave him a strange look, but nodded, slowly. "Alright. You take the lead, I'll pass you blocks." Ivor nodded, and crouched down for better balance. Carefully, Ivor placed the dirt block down, knowing that missing, placing one block in the wrong place, could spell certain doom.

"Took you long enough." Harper laughed. She winced as Ivor helped her to her feet, but nodded. They'd built a small platform where their two bridges met, so that they could spread out and take a breather before heading across the golden sandstone bridge into the strange city. Ivor blushed, and strangely, didn't feel the need to justify himself like he normally would. Instead he just turned back to face Jesse, to ask if he had any healing potions, and instead he saw the brown haired man dumping a bucket of lava into the eye hole of a dirt skull.

Ivor's eye twitched. Jesse came back towards them with a grin and Ivor glared at him. Jesse arched a brow and asked "What? I couldn't help myself." Gabriel groaned and muttered "It's Lukas all over again."

Shaking his head, Ivor just turned, and started walking across the bridge. Harper was right behind him, arms slung across his neck for better balance.

"You built."

Those are the words they're greeted with. A terrified red-headed female was staring at them. She was literally shaking, green eyes huge as she took a nervous step backwards.

"Hey there!" Harper said with a grin. "I love what you've done with your town, the gold and iron is absolutely-" before she can finish her words, the girl is shaking her head furiously. "You were building!" she said, taking another step back "Unauthorized building is against the law!"

There was a rather large and extremely awkward silence as Ivor, Gabriel, Harper, and Jesse all stared at the female.

Finally Gabriel said "You're saying there's a law against building?"

She nodded her head quickly "Yes! Building is forbidden!"

"This makes no sense!" Jesse muttered, although Ivor caught that his eyes were darting back to his lava creation, which probably wasn't going to go over too well with the locals if building wasn't allowed. "No sense at all."

Despite Jesse's words being mostly to himself, the female tried to stammer out an answer. "I...I...well it's it's ah...it's just the rules."

"Alright I'll bite." Ivor said "Why is building against the law?"

The teen bit her lip, revealing oddly sharp canines. "This conversation is making me seriously uncomfortable. First those other outsiders and now you..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

"Other outsiders?" Harper asked, perking up. She'd gotten herself off of Ivor's heels, and was now leaning with one arm slung across Gabriel, giving Ivor's shoulders a break. "Do you know where they are?"

"They...they went to the inn. I'm sorry but that's all I know." The female said, before taking off and vanishing into the alley ways.

"I wonder if everyone here is that...nervous." Jesse muttered, watching her retreat with a curious gaze.

"Wow...this place is...beautiful." Ivor said, eyes wide as he stared around the city. They'd decided to shed their armor, in order to better blend in. Jesse nodded "Indeed. Clearly the Eversource is capable of miraculous things." Harper tilted her head "But if it can summon any block, then why use iron and gold? Wouldn't diamond and emerald be just as beautiful but much rarer and thus cast a shadow of much more importance?"

Ivor scanned the buildings, and then nodded to the largest "Well, that one has emeralds, maybe it's where the person in charge lives?"

There was a half-beat of silence.

"As crazy as Hadrian's been lately..." Harper said slowly, eyes still glued to the emerald studded building "If he gets that thing...it would be...bad."

"If we beat him to it, then he won't be able to get his slimy hands on it though right?" Gabriel asked, glancing at the others.

"We need to find Hadrian." Ivor agreed, nodding at Gabriel. "He's got our Flint and Steel, which means he can get out of here and leave us trapped. Besides, he's up to no good. We need to stop him."

"That lady mentioned an inn right?" Gabriel asked, looking like he was running through their extremely odd conversation in his head. "That seems like our best lead." Harper nodded "Agreed."

"The Nether Stars already have a head start. We need to keep moving. Split up and see if you can find the inn, if not, ask around, but discreetly. We don't want to draw any attention to ourselves." Ivor said.

They'd split up fairly quickly. Jesse had dowsed Harper's leg in splash potion of Healing, and he'd also given her a Potion of Regeneration to drink.

Currently, Ivor found himself watching a rather ridiculous line of people, who all appeared to be waiting to use a Crafting Table. Making his way to a man a few people from the end, Ivor said "So, this is a long line just to use a Crafting Table." The man, with pale brown hair, nods, and looks down at the three bundles of wheat in his hand. "You're telling me. I'm so hungry I could just eat my wheat right here!" He took a deep breath. "But I won't. I'll be patient and turn it into delicious bread instead."

Ivor arched a brow. The man shifted on his legs slightly. "So...um...what can I do for you?"
Ivor shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "I heard you guys have an inn somewhere around here, where is it?"

The man smiled "Oh, you're looking for Tim's place?" he chuckled slightly "The guy's hilarious. He's over that way." he pointed over Ivor's shoulder, towards a side street.

Ivor nodded "Tim huh? Thanks." the man shrugged.

Turning to walk away, Ivor's gaze was caught by a similar structure as that of the Crafting Table. Almost like a temple, but this one had a furnace inside, with no one waiting to use it.

Walking over to the man dressed in golden armor, Ivor flashed him a grin "Hey there." he said.

The man looked confused, and reached for a piece of paper in his inventory "Are you on the schedule for the furnace this afternoon?" he asked, reading through whatever was written. "Didn't think there were any more appointments today let's see..." He began to mutter names "Dale; ten stone blocks, Melissa; three cooked mutt-no wait she rescheduled, J-" before he could continue, Ivor interrupted with a small smile tugging at his lips "You keep the furnace locked up?" the guard looked upwards, confusion darting through his eyes "Did it do something wrong?" Ivor finished. The guard rolled his eyes, putting the paper back away. "If you wish to make an appointment, please speak with the Founder." he nodded to Ivor and said in a rather dismissive tone "Good day."

Once again, Ivor decided to make his way towards the side street the man had pointed him to.

And once again he was distracted. This time it was by a tall sign with bright white text. 'No building, no crafting, no brewing, no smelting, unless with explicit permission from the Founder. All complaints must be registered in person. That's it you can stop writing now.'

Still trying to get to this Tim person, Ivor could't help but stop to watch a pair of women. One of them, with deep ebony hair, was busy placing pieces of oak wood. The other woman had hair that seemed to be split into two . The left half was a bright fiery red, the right half was a bright icy blue. This woman was dressed in Diamond armor, and a diamond axe hung at her side. She was the one to flash a smile at Ivor and greet him. "Hello, you must be new to Sky City. Captain Marta at your service."

"So...what are you two up to?" Ivor asked. The Captain smiled again "Just supervising this citizen while she does her build."

The 'citizen' nodded eagerly, as she carefully placed a poppy. "The Founder finally approved my petition!"

Ivor arched a brow "The Founder?" he asked. Marta nodded "Yes, that's her palace up there. She's the Keeper of the Eversource. Builds everything you see here. Well, except for the small things that have been granted approval. Some days I can't even fathom how she keeps everything straight." a small blush danced across her face, and for the first time Ivor realized that the female's eyes were different colors. Her left eye was bright blue, and her right eye was a dark amber color.

"I'm a bit of a fan I must confess." Marta continued.

"So this Founder makes all the rules?" Ivor asked, trying to dig for as much information as he could get. The captain nodded "You got it, she's the one who protects us from the Eversource you see. That's why she gets to make the calls about what does or doesn't get built. It's really only fair."

"Like my build." the other female said, waving around at all the oak.

Marta nodded at the woman "It's not easy to get this much Oak Wood, your petition was very well handled."

Ivor frowned "But I don't understand why everyone isn't allowed to build."

Marta let out a soft laugh "Oh, what a sentiment. I mean, it's a nice thought, but..." she shook her head "It's crazy." she said, in a 'polite' tone.

Ivor could tell he was treading on thin ice. The guard was starting to reach for her weapon. Quickly he asked "So, what do you do for fun around here?" It worked, her arms relaxed and she grinned "Oh all sorts of things. Make wishlists of resources, practice low-inventory builds, some people do poetry." she let out a happy sigh "It's a wonderful place to live."

Ivor nodded slowly "Well, it was nice to meet you. I'll let you guys get back to it."

"Where should I put them?" a low whisper caught Ivor's attention as he was searching the street for Tim. A sign above two people read 'Tim's Inn' and given what he'd learned from the other people he'd spoken to, Ivor was fairly certain that the one with dark blue hair and a white shirt was the man they were looking for. In a low voice, he replied to the blonde male, who was holding a handful of sticks, "Just give them here, I'll deal with them." quickly, the blonde handed over his items, and the other man, Tim, quickly pocketed them. "Now get out of here" he hissed. The blonde nodded, and as he quickly vanished, Tim scanned the area, green eyes landing on Ivor. "Why hello there!" he said, rather nervously as his eyes darted back towards where his friend had vanished. "What can I do for you?"

Slowly, Ivor made his way over to the man. "Are you Tim?" he asked, deciding to cut right to the chase. Besides, he didn't want to confront the man right away, he might need the man's help after all! The man arched a brow "Depends on who's asking." he replied. Ivor changed topics "Some punks are trying to steal the Eversource."

Now THAT got a reaction. The man's eyes widened, and he straightened "Stealing the Eversource?" he breathed. Quickly his eyes snapped to the guard who was studying them from across the road, and he cleared his throat "How outlandish!" he said, rather loudly "Sounds like dangerous business to get mixed up in, if you ask me." He took a step backwards, reaching behind him for the door to his building. "Now, like I told those other outsiders, I can't help you-"

"This our guy?" Gabriel asked, walking towards Ivor and Tim with Harper and Jesse on his tail.

"He tell you where to find the Nether Stars?" Jesse asked, eying Tim with suspicion. "How many of you are there?" Tim snapped, hands curling into fists. "I told you I don't know anything!"

Before anything else could be said between the small group, a voice rose up, shouting from the main part of the city. "Attention, attention everyone!" from the sound of it it was the Captain from earlier. "Just a moment of your time please. Emergency Meeting in the Founder's Garden. Attendance is mandatory."

Exchanging curious looks, Ivor, Harper, Gabriel, and Jesse followed Tim back to the front of the large palace. Sure enough Marta was there. So was Hadrian, Mevia, Otto, and a blonde woman Ivor didn't recognize. Her hair was pale, almost like it had been dyed, and she had a black headset peeking out from her long hair.

Chapter Text

Ellegaard had taken Magnus with her for a number of reasons. He had an eye for iron, he'd be useful in the nether gathering Nether Brick for the stairs they'd need. But the main reason was frankly because she didn't trust Jesse. Oh sure he may say he's changed since the whole 'Wither Storm' thing, but an Ocelot couldn't change their stripes.

There was another reason, one she didn't want to admit to herself. And that was that she was scared. Scared of this new adventure, scared of the strange enchantment on the Flint and Steel. Scared of Hadrien and his new gang.

Ellegaard had never really liked adventure. She'd been terrified during the whole Witherstorm quest. Sure she didn't mind puzzles, or fighting off a few mobs to get some loot, but...adventuring into the unknown? She'd prefer just to stay back and let the others handle this. But she hadn't wanted to be alone, Ellegaard wasn't much of a people person, especially when she got focused on her redstone, but...she didn't like being alone all the time either. That was what she had loved about Redstonia, the people there were smart, they actually understood her...when she wasn't frozen by awe of course.

Magnus...he was smart in his own way. He might not look it...or act it half the time, but he was a griefer, and no griefer could survive by being an idiot. Then again Magnus and Axel were still alive, so that might not be entirely true, but Magnus was an expert when it came to explosions and blast radii. Not to mention he had the largest collection of music discs in Beacontown, due to his being able to get skeletons to shoot creepers no sweat.

There was no one she'd rather have at her side during this.

Tim had been having, quite possibly, the best day of his life.

He and the Build Club had been working on new recipes, and Nell, sweet, goddess, sky-blessed Nell, had discovered the crafting recipe for bows! Now all they needed were arrows, and they would be armed when the time came to invade the palace and liberate the Eversource.

And then a white haired male, followed by one with pale blue hair and one with black hair had charged into his inn, demanding the location of the Eversource. Tim had told him what everyone knew, that the Eversource was kept with the founder.

That had gotten the teen excited, and he demanded even more answers. Tim had replied, had to be a good citizen after all, and then the teen and his small group had vanished.

About twenty minutes passed. He received thirty-two sticks from Dale, who worked for the Founder as a wood-cutter. A position that had taken him almost two years to be able to get items to the secret Build Club members without raising suspicion.

And then the other strangers arrived, begging to know about the white haired teen.

And then, just Tim's luck, the Founder had called a mandatory attendance meeting.

By the void this day cannot get any worse.

*smack* *smack*

Petra's sword flashed against the training dummy. She'd been training in a secluded village for almost two months now, ever since...ever since she'd gotten her memory back. She'd barely been able to hold it together during the ceremony. Ivor hadn't wanted a big fuss, but Lukas had insisted on it. Petra, out of habit, had backed him up. So had Axel and Olivia.

*smack* *smack*

It had felt...strange being reunited with them.

Even stranger had been Jesse's presence. For almost twelve years, Petra had believed that Jesse was dead. Slain by her hand. And then suddenly discovering that, not only was he alive, but he was full of vengeance well...it was...hard. Even harder had been after, when he'd gone to her when they were alone and it was nearing midnight.

*smack* *smack*

She'd wondered if he wanted to kill her. If he had brought her to that dark, silent corner to take personal revenge.

*smack* *smack*

If she was being honest...

*smack* *smack*

She would have let him.

Chapter Text

"People of Sky City, I'm sorry to pull you from your activities, but something urgent has come to my attention."

The woman spoke loudly, her voice amplified by the headset poking out of her pale blonde hair. She spoke like she was the sweetest thing since sugar, but something about her just rubbed Ivor the wrong way. Probably the fact that the Nether Stars were standing just behind her, Hadrien grinning like a wolf.

"A crime has been committed."

Ivor's gaze snapped off of Hadrien, who was scanning the crowd, and locked onto the woman. Quickly, he sent a prayer to Notch that it wasn't their bridge she was talking about.

Around them, people were getting rather uneasy, whispering to themselves.

"Please, please, remain calm." the woman continued, making a 'settle down' gesture with her hands. "Earlier today, outsiders built a bridge into our fair city from a distant island." she pointed an accusing finger, like a child tattling on their sibling, out past the open gates, where Jesse's lava skull was in full display.

Ivor shot the brown-haired man a glare, and he had the sense to look guilty. Harper was pale, and Gabriel...well Gabriel was glaring at Jesse as well. Tim stared at them, jaw parting slightly as he watched their reactions to the blonde woman's words.

"Now, whether they know it or not, these outsiders have violated Sky City's most sacred law. No unauthorized building."

The crowd began to shout, and guards had to run off of the steps surrounding the blonde woman in order to mingle with the crowd, calming them usually with a hand to the shoulder, although Ivor could see a few have to resort to drawing their iron swords.

Tim was giving them a curious look "Wait...was that you?" he asked with curious blue-gray eyes. "Are you the bridge builders?"

Ivor rubbed the back of his head, gaze darting between Tim, the guards who were just out of ear-shot, and the Nether Stars. "I didn't know it was against the law" he finally blurted quietly. "I mean, it was just a bridge!" Tim stared at them in awe. For a half second, Ivor was afraid he was going to call out to the guards, but someone beat him to it.

"Ivor, wherever you are step forward now."

Ivor whirled around to face the woman, whose face was a mask of calm. Behind her though, Hadrien was grinning like a jackal. "I have already been informed of your identity, and while I appreciate that you may be unaware of our laws, ignorance is no excuse. Sky City is small, and I promise you that should you try to hide, I will find you."

Jesse arched a brow, and then started moving forwards slightly. Ivor grabbed hold of his wrist and hissed "What are you doing?" Jesse smirked at him "If we go willingly, we get closer to the eversource." Gabriel frowned "But what if she just locks us in jail?" Harper tilted her head slightly "What if we split up? Two of us go up there, claiming we got separated and are willing to help find you, while the other two hide and keep an eye on things."

Ivor frowned "I don't like it, but it's probably our best bet. Jesse, Hadrien somewhat knows about you. He'd be willing to believe that you would betray us, but you gotta play it up. Harper, Hadrien really doesn't like you, so you going with them wouldn't be the best idea." He turned to Gabriel, eyes pleading. The dark skinned man groaned but nodded "Fine. I'll play it out like I don't want Jesse to try and help, that should buy him some points." a mischievous glint entered his eyes "Can I use force?" Jesse paled, but Ivor just shrugged "As long as you don't leave any lasting damage."

Jesse's eyes narrowed "Excuse me?" Ivor turned to him "What? a few cuts from him will convince them to separate you two, so you can work things from different angles." Jesse let out a low growl, but he nodded "Fine." he spat, grabbing hold of Gabriel "Let's go."

It had been hard, to watch Jesse and Gabriel get manhandled by the guards, but as he, Harper, and Tim pulled back into the crowd, Tim having promised them someplace safe to hide, Ivor knew they had made the right decision. They could gather more intel this way.

Tim took them back to his inn, in the commotion of Gabriel and Jesse revealing themselves, they'd been able to get away easily. They were currently standing inside of the main floor of the inn. A reasonably sized room with about five tables, and a bar with a pale skinned man behind it, whose size could rival Axel's. The man was polishing a cup, but had been keeping an eye on them ever since they came in.

"Before I show you what I'm about to show you, I'm going to need you to swear an oath of secrecy." Tim said, blue-gray eyes strangely determined as he waited for a response.

Ivor raised his right hand into the air, and Harper quickly followed suit "I swear by Notch that I will not reveal what you are about to show." Harper nodded "I also swear it."

Tim tilted his head slightly "Who's- never mind. Thank you, it means quite a lot to me." He waved his hand to the man behind the counter "Slab, the switch if you please"

The man grinned, and reached for something underneath the counter. He pulled a switch, and pistons began to fire.

Chapter Text

If Jesse said so himself, he was an excellent actor.

"I'm the one who built the skull!" he shouted from behind a man with shaggy blonde hair. The man jumped near out of his skin, and bolted away as the guards' heads all snapped towards the source. Gabriel glared at him, and in a stage whisper hissed "What are you doing? Do you want us to get caught?"

If Jesse's words hadn't convinced the guards, Gabriel's sure did.

"Put your hands in the air and step forwards!" Captain Marta shouted, red and blue hair whipping behind her as she ran towards them, weapon in hand.

Jesse's hands instantly shot upwards, and he even hopped up slightly. Gabriel elbowed him in the ribs, causing his hands to drop down, but at that point it was too late for any chance of running. They were surrounded. "You are an idtiot!" Gabriel growled. Jesse, arms still wrapped around his mid-section, shot a glare upwards, and his scowl deepened when he saw the smirk dancing in Gabriel's eyes. The fool was enjoying this! OOoohhhhh plan or no plan he was going to pay.

Jesse's hands were forced from his ribs, and pinned behind his back. Gabriel was treated the same way, and the crowd parted to let the guards jostle the two males up the steps until they were standing in front of the blonde-woman and the idiots who had gotten him into this mess. As Hadrien took a few steps forwards, smirking like a shark, Jesse growled, bared his teeth, and bit at the air between them, satisfied at the jump it earned him.

The woman crossed her arms disapprovingly. "So...you are Ivor?" she asked, arching a brow as she spoke with disdain very heavy in her voice. Jesse smirked, tilted his head slightly and said "Oh no, I'm not Ivor, I'm just the guy that made him famous." Gabriel snorted, almost in sync with Otto. The green-shirted man asked "And how exactly do you figure that?"

Jesse smirked at him "Simple. I'm the one that created the Witherstorms." Otto's eyes widened, and he took a half-step back "But...that, you...what?"

The blonde-woman frowned and said "Enough, Marta, escort these two to the throne room." Jesse grinned, looking quite like a mad-man "Oh there's no need for that, I'll tell you where Ivor is right now!"

Honestly, he should have seen the punch to the nose coming, same with the resulting crack and flare of pain.

Holy Herobrine Gabriel had a strong right hook.

Ivor stared.

And then stared some more. The lever that Slab had pulled had pulled open a portion of wall, revealing stairs going downwards. Tim had led the way down, practically buzzing with excitement.

The stairs led to a small balcony, that overlooked a reasonably sized room with about seven to nine people inside. "Welcome my friends." said Tim, spreading his arms wide "To Build Club!"

Leading the way down a smaller set of stairs to the main floor, Tim continued "Everything you see before you, was built from resources my people saved, or...er...obtained." Ivor arched a brow, but Tim apparently didn't notice, because he was too busy grinning.

"It can't be easy to come by some of this stuff." Harper said, eyes wide as she spotted a small stage with the frame for an Iron Golem, minus one of the 'arms' and a pumpkin. "Nice work."

Ivor nodded "Pretty impressive secret hideout Tim."

Tim's eye twitched "It is not a secret hideout." he said, crossing his arms indignantly "It is a Build Club."

Ivor blinked "Riiiigghhhhht." he said slowly, nodding his head.

Tim sighed, and then began to explain. "You see, one day, about three years ago, I was just a citizen of Sky City like any other. I wanted to make a community garden, so I put in a petition for a dirt block, and a couple of flowers." he let out a soft laugh "And mercy me, it was granted!" he turned, facing one of the crafting tables scattered around the room. "But in my haste to build the garden, I accidentally dropped the dirt, and it fell...right into the Void."

Ivor glanced at Harper, and then back at Tim. "For my crime, I was tossed into the Founders Dungeon. I was there for two years."

"Wait, you just dropped some dirt. What was the crime?" Ivor asked, trying to wrap his head around the story they'd just been told.

"The crime, Ivor. Was the 'Egregious Wasting of Resources'" Tim said, turning to face them once again. Harper's eyes widened, but she stayed silent as the midnight-blue haired man continued "You see, in our world, when something falls over the edge, it is gone. Forever. But, I have always believed that, just because building is risky, doesn't mean that no one should do it." he sighed "If I had known you and your friends were builders, I would have helped you sooner. There wouldn't have been a need for your friends to be captured."

Harper crossed her own arms "I don't know, knowing Jesse he'd probably find a way to get captured anyway, if he thought it would get him closer to the Eversource." Ivor snorted, but Tim just looked confused. "Y..yes" he stammered "Well, still. The longer they are there, the more at risk they are of being locked up for a very long time. We need to get them out."

Ivor tilted his head "We?" he asked. Tim nodded, but before he could continue, a green wearing blonde woman made her way over to them and eyed them rather suspiciously. "Yo Tim." she said. Tim turned towards her, eyes widening slightly, until he quickly sketched his face into a grin. "Hello Nell, Ivor, lady-I-don't-know-the-name-off, this is Nell, why, just a few days ago she discovered the crafting recipe for Bows! It takes quite a bit of string, which it very hard to get, but-" Nell interrupted him "Dude, why are you bringing in noobs? They just showed up, we don't know anythin' about them! It's pretty hard to keep this a secret club, without bringing in a couple o' randos"

"Hey, don't worry," Harper said, flashing the blonde a grin "We're builders, just like you!" Ivor nodded "Harper's right, we're the ones who built the bridge into town today."

That sure got their attention. "Milo, are you cray?" Nell asked, gaping at the innkeeper "The most wanted criminals in the city? We gotta turn em in before the guards come knocking our doors down!"

"Uh...let's not do that?" Harper suggested weakly. She was ignored, as Tim spoke up, loud enough to reach everyone's ears. "I assure you, harboring them is worth the risk! They are the epitome of Build Club material!"

"Alright then." said a different girl, thick and stocky with raven hair tied up into pig-tails. "If Tim says you're these amazing builders, then prove it."

"Now see here-" Tim began.

"Fine." Ivor said, glaring at the girl. They didn't have time for this, but arguing would make it take longer. Tim blinked in surprise. "Oh, well then...alright. Here." he walked over to a chest and opened it, nodding to Ivor. "In here, are some of the resources we've collected. We very well can't have them in our inventory now can we? Feel free to take whatever you need. If you build something from where you come from well..." he let out a soft laugh "That ought to prove to everyone just who you are."

Ivor nodded, and crouched down. There were iron bars, iron blocks, some stone, a few sticks, and about 16 pieces of wool. Taking out the wool, two sticks, two iron ingots, as well as one iron block, Ivor made his way over to the crafting table.

Oh he was going to show these people the builds of their lifetime. "Harper, got any Pumpkins?" she blinked, and then pulled open her inventory, rooting around in it for a few seconds before nodding "Only one, Gabriel gave it to me, said I should use it for pie or something since well..." she chuckled "We both know he can't cook anything fancier than a baked potato and some steak." Ivor nodded, and said "Toss it here would you?" as he finished crafting a banner. "Also got any dye?" Harper nodded pulling out some Rose Red, Cactus Green, and a touch of Yellow. Handing it all to him, she stepped back and watched curiously as he smeared dye across the banner.

Putting the finished banner quickly away, Ivor moved on to the next project. He, Harper and Gabriel all had their enchanted weapons from the Wither Fight. Jesse...well he'd loaded up on potions so he would be fine. But if these people had just now discovered how to craft a bow well...placing the iron ingots on top of the stick, Ivor quickly made a sword. Tucking that away as well, he moved from the crafting table to the iron frame.

Placing down the arm, Ivor held the pumpkin up and said "Are you guys ready?" Tim nodded eagerly, and a few others did as well. Ivor dropped the pumpkin, and in a poof of smoke, an Iron Golem was formed, letting out a deep groaning noise.

Enter: screams of terror from the entire Build Club.

Jesse's nose was still leaking blood by the time they'd gotten to the throne room. Despite leaving at the same time, the Founder and the punks had somehow gotten there first. The Founder had awarded the punks with a 'great and honorable gift' in the form of sugarcane, carrots, and melons.

"Now then." the Founder said, as the white-haired man led the other two away "I believe that this man here was about to tell me where the criminal Ivor is?" Gabriel snarled "Don't you dare Jesse!"

Jesse rolled his eyes and said "Please, you think you can stop me Gabriel? Ivor has been nothing but a thorn in my side since I met him. Why should I protect him?" the woman grinned "Well then, please. Where is he?" Jesse opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Gabriel broke out of the guard's grasp, reached for his inventory, pulled out a sword, and sliced it neatly across Jesse's side.

It was a flesh wound, and would heal on its own within a few minutes, but HOLY HEROBRINE THAT HURT!

Jesse recoiled back, and the guard holding him let go and lunged for Gabriel.

Within minutes, Gabriel was pinned to the ground, an iron sword aimed at his head, and roughly twenty arrows if one counted all of the guards aiming bows at him. "ENOUGH!" the Founder shouted "Guards, take him to the dungeon." As Gabriel was dragged away, Jesse thought he saw a small wink, before the male was marched out of the room. "And get him to the healers. We can't get answers if the man giving them bleeds out first."

Chapter Text

Magnus yawned as Ellegaard fiddled with a feather pen and a piece of paper. He'd finished his job of smelting iron forever ago, and he'd also gotten his second job of making the Nether Brick Fences done, both before Ellie had gotten done calculating how to safely dig a pit for the lava to fall into.

At this point, he was tempted just to blow it up, but that probably wouldn't go over well with the other citizens. Or Ellegaard, who was frowning and biting her lower lip. Or Jesse, since the explosion would likely decimate most of the lower half of the house.

So...explosives were probably a horrible idea.

Thrumming his fingers along his leg, Magnus yawned again and turned his head towards the new Order Hall. He wanted to hurry up and get done so that he and Ellie could go and catch up with Ivor and the others.

"Alright, I've finished calculations." Ellegaard said. Magnus barely resisted the urge to whoop.

"Now we can dig the pit, and place the fences, but we'll need to make sure they're the perfect distance away and-"

As she continued on, Magnus drooped.

He was going to be stuck here forever.

Otto fidgeted slightly as he knelt before the Founder.

Mevia, who was at his side, elbowed him sharply, and he bit back a hiss.

Ever since the Witherstorms had been killed, for sure, not the whole 'fake death thing' that had freed people from its belly only to be re-devoured, Hadrien had been acting strangely. If Otto didn't know any better, he'd say his white-haired friend was...going insane.

Then there were his violent outbursts. Sure Hadrien had always been kind of...well...a jerk. But he'd never, never physically attacked anyone. Well, unless that time he'd had to carve Zombie Infection out of Otto when the green wearing member of the then-Architects had been too busy focusing on a Creeper to realize a Zombie was within biting range. But that had been a surgical procedure, not an actual attack.

But that had been before.

Now? Slapping Otto and Mevia, punching them in a non-playful manner, they were starting to become regular. Hadrien was filling up with rage.

A rage so fierce, that Otto pitied the fool who would make him snap.

Jesi's arms were crossed as she watched with narrowed brows the two members of the Order of the Stone cleaned up the lava mess.

Really, did they have to spend so long deciding whether or not to remove one block? She had other matters to attend to!

Sighing, she rubbed the space between her eyes. I should have stayed in the Slime selling buisness she thought with a small groan.

But Slimes were quite aggravating to find, especially because all the closest swamps were inhabited by witches and their children, not to mention Jesi wasn't exactly the best fighter in the world.

"Are you sure you can't move any faster?" she asked. Ellegaard poked her head out of the hole, just under the cobble that had been temporarily placed to keep the lava from spilling onto the diggers. "Sorry miss, but we need to be precise. If the hole is too shallow, it could overflow. If its too deep, miners might run into it and that would just be a disaster."

As the hero ducked back into the hole, Jesi buried her face in her hands and groaned.

Stella had excused the Nether Stars while she spent some time thinking. The two suspects they'd apprehended seemed to both be associates of Ivor, although how much they respected him, well...there was a chasm there. That, or they were the best actors in the universe. But honestly, she was the Founder, who would lie to her? No one. That's who.

Leaving the throne room though the open back, Stella sat in one of her favorite places. Underneath the first tree. The dirt she was standing on was from the first island. Reaching up and taking off her ear-set, Stella sighed softly.

She didn't remember anything before the Islands, as she called the time period before Sky City. She only knew them, and Benedict, her faithful companion. She had a vauge memory of sadness, and...betrayal. But there were no faces, no words. She remembered only blood on her head, dirt under her feet, and the crowned animal who became her best...her only friend.

Her inventory had been nearly full. Dirt, lava, water, iron gold and diamonds...not that she'd known what they were. But there was one thing that was different. A book, Habits of the Endermen. The author was someone named Lukas, but there was no face to go with the name.

Those were her only clues. Endermen, blood, betrayal and blocks.

She'd started building, and before long, as her island stretched outwards, she found more and more people, living, like her, on the islands.

With a few, carefully constructed questions however, she discovered that they weren't like her at all. Where she had emptiness, they had full lives. Where she knew only her pet, they knew mothers, fathers, siblings, and on occasion best friends.

The most advanced thing on their islands was farms, and a watchtower or two. On hers, there was a palace, a beautiful castle.

She was different, but she couldn't let them know that.

She rallied them together, she became their leader. Distant, wise, level-headed.

She let them think they knew everything about her.

In reality?

They knew nothing at all.

A young woman with raven black hair and green eyeshadow was busy.

Even with her...experience, it had taken nearly three years to build her mansion.

And building was only the beginning. She had redstone to lay, traps to place. Secret passages to connect.

Not to mention portraits to draw. She'd gotten a strange tip, a book, with images of people who would be arriving soon. She'd prepared their images first. She didn't plan on using them though, honestly, she'd just used their references as practice.

She would cast revenge on the First Ones. They would pay for banishing her to this wretched place.

They thought she didn't have it in her to kill people?

She would prove them wrong.

Green eyes darted nervously as a woman with whitening hair darted through the mesa.

She didn't have much time, especially since it sent scouts to her house daily.

She'd been working on transferring her items for years now, one retrieval trip per week.

The most important items she'd taken first, redstone, books, her blood red portal key.

She'd had it with her since she left.

Isa had been the first to go, claiming that 'respawn or not' it wasn't right to kill people for sport. She had been right, of course, but agreeing with her would mean certain doom. Adrien and the others had banished her. Lukas, upon hearing this news, declared that they couldn't be friends if this was what they got up to when he was away traveling. He tried to find her, but last she had heard was that he'd gotten separated from his key and stranded in a perfectly normal world.

Then, Stella had threatened to go into the worlds, gathering heroes to stand up to the others.

She wasn't sure what had happened, but she knew it hadn't been pretty if the blood-stains on the main dais were anything to go by.

She hadn't been able to handle it anymore.

She'd been so afraid of cracking.

She left, terrified for her life.

She went into the first inhabited world she could find without a respawn of any sort. Crown Mesa it was called.

She fled, a coward.

She'd tried to make up for it, by creating a wonderful redstone device for the people who treated her like kin.

If only she hadn't been so stupid.

Meanwhile, in some strange black, void-like realm, a man with red hair and glowing golden eyes was watching everything unfold.

Screens surrounded him, and a smirk played on his lips. Finally, all of his subtle nudging had played off, Ivor had finally discovered the other worlds.

It would take some time to prepare, maybe even years, but he would be ready. He would face off against the black haired teen.

It would be the greatest battle ever seen.

Chapter Text

The 'healers' of Sky City were the most incompetent excuses for potionologists Jesse had ever seen. They'd peered at his cut, scratched their heads, and then turned to a thick-paged book which seemed to have brewing recipes in it. By the time they'd made a Potion of Healing, Jesse's wound had healed itself! But he took the bottle anyways, accepting it into his hands, lifting it to his lips, and then quickly swapping it out with a water bottle when they weren't looking. Downing the water swiftly, he shoved it in their hands.

This seemed to satisfy him, and the blonde woman told him to rest on the bed while they reported to the founder. Internally, Jesse rolled his eyes. Seriously? They were leaving him alone in a room full of brewing ingredients? How stupid were these people?

The instant he was alone, Jesse was up and searching the room. He only took one or two of things there were multiple of. He also opened the book the healers had used and creased it open to several pages that would 'explain' the missing items as failed potion attempts.

Footsteps sounded outside, and Jesse quickly closed his bag, jolting back to the bed and sitting on it quickly. Acting like he was sitting up as the door swung open, revealing three guards in silvery iron armor, Jesse arched a brow. "Can I help you?" he asked, doing his best to add an extra rasp to his voice. It wasn't too hard, especially with his scar, just a little pressure in the right place, and presto, gravelly voice.

"Now that your wounds have been attended to, the Founder wishes to speak with you." Jesse bit back a grumble of irritation. He'd been hoping for more time to search for the Eversource. Nodding he said "Of course, will she be meeting me here, or are you to tell her I'm on my way?" the guard who'd originally spoken frowned at him "We will be escorting you to her."

Jesse sighed "Of course you will."

Gabriel crossed his arms as he was forced to watch the captain of the guard go through his stuff.

Alright, so he wasn't being forced to, but the bi-haired woman was touching his things. Gabriel would rather feed his soul to the Nether than let anyone steal his items from him for good. Gripping the iron bars tighter, Gabriel bit back a growl and Marta pulled out his favorite weapon, a heavily enchanted Diamond Sword, that had taken absolutely forever to make.

Marta simply frowned at the weapon, and passed it to another guard who placed it in a chest behind them, on the other end of the alley. Gabriel bit back a huff of annoyance. They were making it more and more complicated for him to make a quick and easy break out.

Marta picked up some more of Gabriels inventory, and Gabriel groaned, leaning his head against the jail bars.

If Ivor didn't hurry up and rescue him, Gabriel was going to snap and break himself out.

"Alright my friends, this should take us right to the throne room." It was nearly midnight, which meant Jesse and Gabriel had been held in the palace for almost twelve hours. They'd spent most of that time calming the members of Build Club,

Tim's voice was barely more than a whisper as he, Ivor and Harper crouched at the base of one of the palace walls. Directly above them was a window, where a form could be seen patrolling. "Once inside, we'll need to find the secret entrance that the Founder supposedly uses."

Ivor arched a brow "How do you know all of this?" he asked. Ivor grinned "Em, back in Build Club, the woman who challenged your 'golem', she works with the guard as Build Club's undercover agent. She keeps us safe, distracting the guards and all, and she brings us items on occasion. In return, we care for her younger sister Natalie, since their parents are dead."

Harper titled her head "How did they die?"

Tim looked at her sadly. "Like many at Build Club, they are...they were dreamers. They believed in the freedom to build, but...they also believed that there was a world under the void. They...they jumped off of the edge." He turned his head, clearly trying to avoid showing the tears welling in the corners of his eyes "This was three years ago."

Harper and Ivor exchanged a sad look. Tim was silent for a minute, before he looked back at them, a small, half-hearted smile flickering on his lips. "But doing what we are doing, freeing the Eversource, this is what they would have wanted!"

At the throne room, they'd met up with Jesse and Gabriel, the former of which having been allowed to explore while the guards checked out the areas he'd directed them to, all false leads of course, the latter having influenced the Captain into 'letting' him out of jail.

"The Founders secret passage to the Eversource is supposed to be here somewhere." Tim said, gray eyes darting around the throne room quickly. Ivor nodded "If its here, we'll find it." he promised. Glancing at the others he said "Let's split up, we'll find it faster." They nodded, and began to wander through the room. Jesse went instantly to a bookshelf in the far right corner, Gabriel began eyeing the throne, Harper went over to a minecart track leading to nowhere, and Tim walked through the massive opening behind the throne.

"I'm getting a very 'door' vibe from this." Ivor muttered, making his way over to Harper. The black haired girl nodded and said "We need something to activate these rails though, and probably to open up either the wall or floor, depending on where it goes." Ivor nodded "I'll look around, see if you can find any more clues as to where it goes."

Harper nodded, and Ivor stepped away. Deciding to find Tim, he went behind the throne out into the open air, and instantly felt dizzy. There was about fifteen blocks total in the small area, and it was crammed with a tree, and a cobblestone generator. Nothing else, just empty air leading straight into the void.

"I'm very grateful to you, you know." Tim said as Ivor came up behind him. Ivor smiled, resting a hand on the blue haired man's shoulder "Hey, give yourself some credit. You've done Build Club proud." he reached into his inventory, and pulled out the banner he'd made earlier "Here" he said, handing it over. Tim frowned at it, fingers tracing the BC Ivor had dyed onto it. Ivor smiled slightly "It's a banner, I figured you could put it down once we take the eversource, that way everyone knows that the people are in control now, not some stuck up Founder."

The bookcase Jesse had been studying was full of rather strange titles. Twisted Hybrids, My Own Fault, Just a Game, and Powerfully Alone among others. But the one that stuck out? Habits of the Endermen.

By Lukas.

The blonde man was going to be locked in a room when they got back. A pitch black room with a blinding light aimed right at his eyeballs until Ivor learned why a controlling blonde woman who lived in an island in the sky, had one of his books.

It had taken a while to put together a lever. Ivor had ended up using the Cobble generator the Founder had set up, as well as a stick he got from a dead bush in the back corner. Placing it swiftly, Ivor waved everyone over, and then with a single, smooth movement, pushed it on. The wall opened up, about four blocks wide, and minecarts rumbled out of the newly revealed space and clicked into place.

Jesse and Tim were the first two in the carts, and Jesse waved an arm impatiently. "Hurry up!" he hissed, eyes twinkling with excitement "We're close! Eversource, here we come!"

Chapter Text

For a split-second, nobody moved. Nobody breathed. And then the Creeper hissed fiercely, already glowing white. Jesse, still under it, paled, and quickly reached for his inventory. As the white flashes began to speed up, Ivor finally snapping out of his stupor and starting to reach for a weapon, Jesse pulled a potion bottle out of his bag and threw it upwards. It smacked against the low ceiling, and the black liquid inside rained down on the creeper.

The Creeper instantly stopped flashing white, and instead began to flash red, hissing with each burst, until it finally exploded in a poof of smoke. Jesse however, had been hit by some of the liquid, though thankfully he'd only flashed red once, before gulping down a dark red potion and breathing out a sigh of relief.

But even as Ivor began to wonder just what Hadrien had been up to during this, he saw the white haired fiend standing behind the Founder, who was dangerously close to an exposed portion of wall. A horrible design plan, as it led straight into the void. Hadrien's hands moved backwards in such a smooth movement, that Ivor almost couldn't believe what was about to happen.

And then it did, and he was aware of the room moving behind him, of him moving, reaching forwards, and grabbing hold of the Founder's arms just before she fell off of the island. Hadrien spat out a curse, and likely moved to shove him off as well, but someone, Ivor couldn't see who, stopped him. They must have, for he let out a shriek of rage and started attacking whoever it was.

Ivor pulled the woman up, much to the protest of his screaming arm muscles. He was about to turn and see what was going on, to join the battle, to do something, when Harper screamed. Ivor turned, and the world seemed to freeze. Harper, arms and legs bleeding so much her skin seemed to be drenched in red, her sword flying from her hand...

as she fell through the hole in the wall.

Ivor saw red.

He wasn't sure how it happened. One minute he'd been flying at Hadrien, shrieking incoherently, and the next his face had met Hadrien's fist, and he was stumbling backwards. "IVOR!" he thought he heard someone shout, and then he was tripping over something, someone? He heard the sound of the Founder shrieking, as she, the thing he had tripped over, was dragged down with him.

And the two of them fell into the void.

Ivor wasn't sure when he blacked out, or how long they'd been falling when he woke up. He was met with the intense glare of the Founder, who began screaming at him the instant he was awake enough to hear her, or maybe she'd been screaming for longer. Her voice did sound a little hoarse. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Ivor winced. Alright, so maybe it was a little his fault, he had tripped over her, but did she really need to be so loud? The only other noise was the wind whistling up against their ears as they fell. "Thanks to you, now we get to see what really happens when you fall off the islands!"

Ivor decided to ignore her. "Do you see Harper? She fell off right before us."

"Oh, why yes." The Founder replied, voice quite literally dripping with sarcasm "The first thing I did after falling off the edge was look for your friend." Ivor shot her a glare, which seemed to fly right over her head as she continued "I don't know whether I want our deaths to be painless for my sake, or excruciating for yours!"

Ivor decided to keep looking downwards.

And that's when the entire world seemed to blur as they fell through a cloud, right before...

Ivor let out a strangled gasp, which the Founder didn't even hear, as she was still ranting on about how if he hadn't been such a greedy pig, then Hadrien would never have gone to Sky City to 'warn her'.

"Land!" Ivor finally managed to say, as he continued to stare at the massive lake that was growing closer to them by the second.

There was also lava pouring down from the sky into the middle of the lake, which would have been more terrifying if they weren't in complete and utter shock.

Ivor noticed three things when he landed into the water.

A coral reef at the bottom of the lake, blood in the water, and a pair of dolphins tossing around a dirt block.

Struggling upwards for air, Ivor heaved in gasps of precious air, and swam for land. Stumbling up the sand, Ivor decided there really was nothing like solid ground underneath you, and was about to lay down and just exist with nothing trying to kill him.

Then he saw the inventory bags. Frowning, Ivor started to make his way towards them, until he heard Harper's voice. "Holy Notch you're down here too?" Ivor's head snapped upwards, his midnight orbs meeting Harper's gray ones. Her left arm was clutching her right, and she wasn't putting any weight on her left ankle, but other than that she looked no worse for wear.

Aside from the fact that she was soaking wet. "Harper, you're alive!" he said, eyes lighting up. If she'd died falling down here...then Hadrien was going to wish that he'd died in the Witherstorm's belly. Harper nodded "Just barely, Hadrien's a lot tougher than I remember."

Ivor lowered his gaze "I'm sorry I didn't do more to help, I only had a few seconds there and then..." he cut himself off with a shudder, remembering the insane light in Hadrien's eyes as he'd kicked Ivor out of the city.

Harper rested a hand on his shoulder, and smiled at him "Its alright Ivor, there's nothing you could have done." she looked around a the world around them and whispered "You know, I still can't believe this is down here. Em's parents were right. There is something beyond the void after all." her eyes widened, and then furrowed suspiciously "But if they came down here, then why didn't they go back up? At least for their kids?"

"If T and Clutch are down here, then they have quite a bit of explaining to do." Ivor winced, and turned around to see the Founder, soaked to the bone, arms crossed slightly. But it was hard to view her as mad, when her expression was quite clearly shock. She heaved a sigh, and ran a hand through her hair "I forbade anyone from jumping off of the island, because I thought it was two dangerous. Those two, they were the only ones who believed that there was something down here." she let out a broken, sobbing laugh "And just look at this."

Ivor's eyes weren't on her any longer. They were focused on the twin inventory bags he'd seen earlier. They were twined around a tree, as if the sapling had grown up with them on it. Making his way over, he brushed off the dust on one of them, where the name was etched in bright golden thread, and paled.

It read Clutch.

They'd been busy placing the two inventory bags inside of Stellas when the monsters started raining from the sky.

They'd been digging up dirt to climb back up when they uncovered a cave with an egg shaped portal.

They'd been climbing upwards, pillaring straight up, when it began to rain.

Harper had stayed behind, too injured to make the climb back up to Sky City, and had gotten started on making a lit up shelter for the people who would be coming down to the surface soon.

Stella, for that was the Founder's name, had agreed that keeping her people on that small, tiny island, would be cruel.

But nothing, the monsters and the lightning, the blood from Harpers injuries, or the screams that they began to hear as they got closer, nothing prepared them for what they saw as Sky City came into view. Ghasts flew above the city shooting fireballs at anything that moved. Creepers were exploding left and right, and zombies lurched after their victims.

Ivor's hands clenched into fists. Hadrien had gone too far.

And he was going to pay.

Chapter Text

The climb up had taken almost two hours. Daylight had given way to dusk, and the moon was just visible in the horizon by the time they reached the bridge Ivor and the others had made earlier. They'd found it by using the lavafall made by Jesse's skull. Ivor would never admit it, but the lava had actually come in handy. When Sky City had first come into view, about fifteen minutes earlier, it had been like stepping into a horror movie.

Ghasts could be heard, even from this far away, and explosions sounded every few seconds. Mobs were constantly falling off of the edges, apparently not smart enough to know that 'oh nether there's a giant gaping hole right here'. But none of that was compared to the screams. "We need to get in there now." Ivor growled, fighting to keep a snarl out of his voice.

Not wasting breath, Stella began to run along the bridge towards the city. As she ran, she reached into her inventory and pulled out her weapons. Ivor took off after her, just in time to see a Ghast swing towards them, eyes opening with a cat-like screech. Before Ivor could shout 'look out' Stella was already lunging through the air and slicing at it. Before she even landed on the ground the Ghast was dead.

They'd found a small group of guards struggling against a group of creepers. After quickly killing the mobs, Stella turned to the guard who seemed to be the highest rank. "What's going on?" she demanded, eyes narrowed. "The city is under attack by monsters!" the guard quickly reported, apparently either not noticing or ignoring the blood trickling down his face "They seem to be coming from the palace."

"Hadrien." Stella growled, knuckles turning white as she gripped her swords tighter. "We need to stop him." Ivor said, already starting to leave for the palace.

"I'm sorry Ivor." Stella's voice caused Ivor to turn, frowning slightly. As he tilted his head at her, Stella explained "I need to protect my people." Ivor hesitated for a few moments, but then he nodded "Of course. Be safe Founder." She nodded "Stay safe as well Ivor."

Ivor nodded again, and then turned back around. Continuing running, he ducked under a spider leaping at him, and was about to just ignore the group of zombies in front of him, when he saw that the person fighting them was Tim, as well as a few other members of Build Club armed with sticks, wooden swords, and there were also three archers.

Lunging forwards and slicing his sword sideways, Ivor quickly re-killed the zombies and then turned to Tim, who was staring at him in pure shock. "Ivor?" he breathed, reaching forwards and laying his fingers on the black haired teen's cheek. As Ivor was nodding, opening his mouth to respond that the Founder was alive as well, a sharp hiss interupted him, and moving on instinct he reached up, grabbed Tim's wrist, and broke into a run, dragging the innkeeper to safety around the corner of a burning building.

"You are very quick on your feet." Tim muttered as Ivor checked around the corner to make sure the creeper had not followed them. "But with all seriousness, how are you alive? I saw you go over the edge!" A small smile crept onto Ivor's face as he said "You know how you all thought there was nothing below you but air?" Tim's eyes narrowed, and Ivor could see that he was already piecing it together. "Yes..." he said slowly. Ivor's smile turned into an all out grin "Yeah that was wrong, there's land."

"You speak the truth my friend?" Tim asked, eyes widening. Ivor nodded, and then an idea began to form, slowly but surely. "Listen, I'm going to go and try to stop Hadrien. Gather up everyone you can, tell them to gather their things and be ready to leave. As soon as I get back, we're going down to land." he started to leave, but was cut off by Tim grabbing his shoulder. Turning in confusion, Ivor's eyes widened when Tim's arms wrapped around him into a hug. "Thank you, my friend." he pulled away, but kept his arms linked around Ivor's neck. "You shall be forever remembered as the savior of Sky City!"

With that he let go of Ivor, and charged out from behind the building, releasing a battle cry.

Ivor had gotten distracted again, this time by Gabriel and Jesse.

"Hadrien has taken over the palace." Jesse said, eyes narrow "He's holed up in the throne room, throwing those blasted spawn eggs everywhere."

"I need to get inside the palace," Ivor said "got any suggestions?"

Jesse's eyes twinkled as he reached into his inventory "Use these." he said, pulling out three potion bottles. One was a silvery pale blue, another an alarmingly bright green, and the final was empty. Ivor frowned at that one "There's nothing in there." he pointed out. Jesse frowned, and picked up the bottle, shaking it. As he did so a soft liquidy sound emerged. Jesse smiled "It's an invisibility potion. I made this one shortly before we left, the fresher an invisibility potion is the harder it is to see." he explained, setting it back down. "This is a potion of leaping," he added, pointing to the green one "And this a potion of swiftness." pointing to the last one.

Ivor nodded slowly, seeing where the man was going with this. "I'll take the potion of leaping." he said, having decided as soon as he knew what it was "I don't want to risk going through the front entrance where Mevia and Otto are, they'd see me for sure, and something tells me that those potions will come in handy later.

Jesse nodded, taking back the swiftness and invisibility potions. Ivor picked up the green potion and opened it. As he was lifting it to his lips and starting to feel it run down his throat Jesse said "I feel inclined to mention that Potions of Leaping are made primarily with Rabbits Foot, however to get the best effect, slime is added to boost the height of the jumps." He hummed slightly "It also has a peculiar side effect of staining the potion bright green."

Ivor nearly hurled the entire contents of his stomach.

The potion of Leaping worked like a charm, which Ivor would have been a bit more happy about if he hadn't known what exactly was currently in his stomach. He'd gotten into the palace easily, and with all the guards, Mevia, and Otto outside either attacking or releasing monsters, he was able to navigate his way to the throne room quickly.

"Back down and get out of my face Mar." Hadrien's voice was cold, Ivor could hear it as he crept through the hall that fed into the throne room. His potion had worn off a few minutes ago, and he'd been running at top speed. "You're delusional Hadrien!" Captain Marta all but screamed. As Ivor finally reached the large doors, ducking behind them quickly, he could see Hadrien caressing a golden egg with pale yellow-green splotches. Marta stood in front of him, clutching her axe tightly. Her stance was brave, but Ivor could see a small pool of blood under her feet. She was injured, and heavily so. "The people of Sky City will never bow to you!" she screamed."You killed the Founder!"

Hadrien just looked amused, something that made Ivor's blood boil."Yeah?" he hummed "Well, you're going to be next if you don't shut up."

"Now you listen here, I'm the Captain of the-"

"Not anymore." Hadrien interrupted, stilling his hand "Mar, I'm relieving you of duty." with that he threw the egg directly at the bi-haired woman, and it exploded into a Blaze Man, sparks flying around it as Marta screamed, lashing out at it with her weapon.

Hadrien laughed, until Ivor stepped into the room, sword drawn. "Hadrien!" he shouted, blue eyes narrow. Hadrien's head snapped towards Ivor, and his mouth dropped open. "Your time is over." Hadrien's eyes narrowed, and for a split second, Ivor could have sworn he saw a flash of gold in them. "I saw you fall." he hissed "You went down!"

"And now I'm back to stop you." Ivor said. Hadrien let out an inherent screech and lunged forwards.

Lifting his sword to block the white haired man, Ivor prepared to kill Hadrien if need be.

Chapter Text

The climb up had taken almost two hours. Daylight had given way to dusk, and the moon was just visible in the horizon by the time they reached the bridge Ivor and the others had made earlier. They'd found it by using the lavafall made by Jesse's skull. Ivor would never admit it, but the lava had actually come in handy. When Sky City had first come into view, about fifteen minutes earlier, it had been like stepping into a horror movie.

Ghasts could be heard, even from this far away, and explosions sounded every few seconds. Mobs were constantly falling off of the edges, apparently not smart enough to know that 'oh nether there's a giant gaping hole right here'. But none of that was compared to the screams. "We need to get in there now." Ivor growled, fighting to keep a snarl out of his voice.

Not wasting breath, Stella began to run along the bridge towards the city. As she ran, she reached into her inventory and pulled out her weapons. Ivor took off after her, just in time to see a Ghast swing towards them, eyes opening with a cat-like screech. Before Ivor could shout 'look out' Stella was already lunging through the air and slicing at it. Before she even landed on the ground the Ghast was dead.

They'd found a small group of guards struggling against a group of creepers. After quickly killing the mobs, Stella turned to the guard who seemed to be the highest rank. "What's going on?" she demanded, eyes narrowed. "The city is under attack by monsters!" the guard quickly reported, apparently either not noticing or ignoring the blood trickling down his face "They seem to be coming from the palace."

"Hadrien." Stella growled, knuckles turning white as she gripped her swords tighter. "We need to stop him." Ivor said, already starting to leave for the palace.

"I'm sorry Ivor." Stella's voice caused Ivor to turn, frowning slightly. As he tilted his head at her, Stella explained "I need to protect my people." Ivor hesitated for a few moments, but then he nodded "Of course. Be safe Founder." She nodded "Stay safe as well Ivor."

Ivor nodded again, and then turned back around. Continuing running, he ducked under a spider leaping at him, and was about to just ignore the group of zombies in front of him, when he saw that the person fighting them was Tim, as well as a few other members of Build Club armed with sticks, wooden swords, and there were also three archers.

Lunging forwards and slicing his sword sideways, Ivor quickly re-killed the zombies and then turned to Tim, who was staring at him in pure shock. "Ivor?" he breathed, reaching forwards and laying his fingers on the black haired teen's cheek. As Ivor was nodding, opening his mouth to respond that the Founder was alive as well, a sharp hiss interupted him, and moving on instinct he reached up, grabbed Tim's wrist, and broke into a run, dragging the innkeeper to safety around the corner of a burning building.

"You are very quick on your feet." Tim muttered as Ivor checked around the corner to make sure the creeper had not followed them. "But with all seriousness, how are you alive? I saw you go over the edge!" A small smile crept onto Ivor's face as he said "You know how you all thought there was nothing below you but air?" Tim's eyes narrowed, and Ivor could see that he was already piecing it together. "Yes..." he said slowly. Ivor's smile turned into an all out grin "Yeah that was wrong, there's land."

"You speak the truth my friend?" Tim asked, eyes widening. Ivor nodded, and then an idea began to form, slowly but surely. "Listen, I'm going to go and try to stop Hadrien. Gather up everyone you can, tell them to gather their things and be ready to leave. As soon as I get back, we're going down to land." he started to leave, but was cut off by Tim grabbing his shoulder. Turning in confusion, Ivor's eyes widened when Tim's arms wrapped around him into a hug. "Thank you, my friend." he pulled away, but kept his arms linked around Ivor's neck. "You shall be forever remembered as the savior of Sky City!"

With that he let go of Ivor, and charged out from behind the building, releasing a battle cry.

Ivor had gotten distracted again, this time by Gabriel and Jesse.

"Hadrien has taken over the palace." Jesse said, eyes narrow "He's holed up in the throne room, throwing those blasted spawn eggs everywhere."

"I need to get inside the palace," Ivor said "got any suggestions?"

Jesse's eyes twinkled as he reached into his inventory "Use these." he said, pulling out three potion bottles. One was a silvery pale blue, another an alarmingly bright green, and the final was empty. Ivor frowned at that one "There's nothing in there." he pointed out. Jesse frowned, and picked up the bottle, shaking it. As he did so a soft liquidy sound emerged. Jesse smiled "It's an invisibility potion. I made this one shortly before we left, the fresher an invisibility potion is the harder it is to see." he explained, setting it back down. "This is a potion of leaping," he added, pointing to the green one "And this a potion of swiftness." pointing to the last one.

Ivor nodded slowly, seeing where the man was going with this. "I'll take the potion of leaping." he said, having decided as soon as he knew what it was "I don't want to risk going through the front entrance where Mevia and Otto are, they'd see me for sure, and something tells me that those potions will come in handy later.

Jesse nodded, taking back the swiftness and invisibility potions. Ivor picked up the green potion and opened it. As he was lifting it to his lips and starting to feel it run down his throat Jesse said "I feel inclined to mention that Potions of Leaping are made primarily with Rabbits Foot, however to get the best effect, slime is added to boost the height of the jumps." He hummed slightly "It also has a peculiar side effect of staining the potion bright green."

Ivor nearly hurled the entire contents of his stomach.

The potion of Leaping worked like a charm, which Ivor would have been a bit more happy about if he hadn't known what exactly was currently in his stomach. He'd gotten into the palace easily, and with all the guards, Mevia, and Otto outside either attacking or releasing monsters, he was able to navigate his way to the throne room quickly.

"Back down and get out of my face Mar." Hadrien's voice was cold, Ivor could hear it as he crept through the hall that fed into the throne room. His potion had worn off a few minutes ago, and he'd been running at top speed. "You're delusional Hadrien!" Captain Marta all but screamed. As Ivor finally reached the large doors, ducking behind them quickly, he could see Hadrien caressing a golden egg with pale yellow-green splotches. Marta stood in front of him, clutching her axe tightly. Her stance was brave, but Ivor could see a small pool of blood under her feet. She was injured, and heavily so. "The people of Sky City will never bow to you!" she screamed."You killed the Founder!"

Hadrien just looked amused, something that made Ivor's blood boil."Yeah?" he hummed "Well, you're going to be next if you don't shut up."

"Now you listen here, I'm the Captain of the-"

"Not anymore." Hadrien interrupted, stilling his hand "Mar, I'm relieving you of duty." with that he threw the egg directly at the bi-haired woman, and it exploded into a Blaze Man, sparks flying around it as Marta screamed, lashing out at it with her weapon.

Hadrien laughed, until Ivor stepped into the room, sword drawn. "Hadrien!" he shouted, blue eyes narrow. Hadrien's head snapped towards Ivor, and his mouth dropped open. "Your time is over." Hadrien's eyes narrowed, and for a split second, Ivor could have sworn he saw a flash of gold in them. "I saw you fall." he hissed "You went down!"

"And now I'm back to stop you." Ivor said. Hadrien let out an inherent screech and lunged forwards.

Lifting his sword to block the white haired man, Ivor prepared to kill Hadrien if need be.

Chapter Text

Captain Marta had fled the scene, Blaze hovering behind her and letting out its unearthly sounds. Ivor and Hadrian circled each other, both holding their weapons tightly.

"It's just you and me now Hadrian." Ivor said, eyes narrow. "just you and me."

Hadrian doubled over, as though he was in pain. Ivor's brow furrowed, had someone just shot the white haired male?

"Just-" Hadrian began, before snapping back upright and glaring at Ivor with eyes so wild and mad, he looked completely insane. "DIE ALREADY" he shouted, a golden and red flare entering his eyes as he shouted those two words. The edges of his eyes began to glow golden, and Ivor took a step back. There was definitely something going on here. But before he could figure out what, or even figure out how to breathe again, Hadrian was lunging at him with inhuman speed.

"You should have left when you had the chance Ivor." Hadrian spat, his voice coming out warped and slightly echoed, like there was another voice there. A voice with a weird accent. "I killed you once, and I'll kill you again."

As Ivor continued to block Hadrian's wild attacks, he barely noticed the man reaching for something in his inventory until he was throwing it. A small dark blue egg with vibrant green splotches sailed through the air, and then cracked on the wall behind them "Hope you've slept recently." Hadrian said with a smirk, as a shriek echoed through the air. Ivor paled. He'd sat in his bed earlier that day, but he'd spent the days before that going both to the temple with the key, back to Beacontown, and then back to said temple. He hadn't slept in almost three days.

The phantom seemed to sense this, and let out another banshee-like shriek as it flapped its wings upwards.

"This was supposed to be my world." Hadrian shouted, taking a few steps backwards to give the Phantom clear access to Ivor. "And you ruined it." Ivor decided to block out Hadrians words, before he was tempted to shout something that he would regret later on.

Waiting for the Phantom to swoop downwards, Ivor ducked into a roll and slashed his sword upwards, raking it across the beast's stomach. The Phantom shrieked, and poofed out of existence. Ivor turned towards Hadrian, and saw the other male glowering at him.

A flash of lightning illuminated the dark space, and thunder boomed as rain began to fall from the sky.

Hadrian reached for another egg, apparently not caring what it was, and hurled it at Ivor, before whirling around and running out into the small platform behind the throne. Out of instinct, Ivor reached out, and ended up catching the egg, it was a pale white color with tan spots. Pocketing it, Ivor ran after Hadrian.

A gray skinned man with vibrantly colored hair was watching this all with his fingers laced together. His eyes glowed golden, flashing on occasion as he changed various things.

Just rain had been far less dramatic than he would have liked, so he'd set off a thunderstorm. Flashing his eyes again as he took over the white skinned teen again, he made sure that Hadain or whatever his name was avoided every attack. This was a test to see what Ivor would do when given the opportunity to abandon, kill, or save a soul. If the victim was bleeding, that could sway his choice. The person needed to be in perfect health.

What all of this controlling would do to Hadrian (that sounded much better in his mind) well, that was yet to be seen. He could do a lot of things but seeing the future was not one of them.

If he could see the future, then perhaps...no.

That was a topic for another day, another place.

If all the years of bullying, teasing, and eventually fighting hadn't made Ivor hate Hadrian, then this fight made him absolutely hate the other teen's guts. He hadn't been able to land a single blow, and yet he was now bleeding from five different spots on his torso alone, never mind his legs arms and face. The cut that had just barely missed his eye was sure to scar, something he wasn't sure whether he was looking forwards to or not.

Hadrian however? Not a single scratch. His eyes were glowing again too, that was really starting to freak Ivor out. "You can't stand to see someone else in the spotlight, can you?" Hadrian shrieked in that weird echoey voice. "You can't stand to let anyone else win!"

Ivor's face hardened as he said "That's not me Hadrian, that's you." and then he flicked his sword upwards, finally nicking Hadrian. The cut, small as it was, forced the male's hand open, causing his sword to fall downwards.

With Ivor's luck a Zombie or a Drowned would pick it up and attack him later.

If there was a later.

"Hadrian, look around you." Ivor kept his sword raised. While they'd been fighting, they'd been able to maneuver until Hadrian was on a ledge, the only way off either around Ivor, or by jumping.

"No!" Hadrian shouted "You don't get to tell me that!"

Lightning flashed, and in that moment, something...weird happened.

The golden glow left Hadrian's eyes, and he collapsed to the ground, arms wrapping around himself as he took deep, shuddering breaths, his body shaking slightly.

Ivor took a small step forwards, feet rustling on the grass. Hadrian's head snapped upwards, and with a jolt of shock, Ivor realized that tears were running down his cheeks. "Wa-wait!" Hadrian stammered, voice back to normal as well "I-I surrender." He reached into his inventory, and Ivor's sword went up, ready to block, but when he saw what was in Hadrian's hands, he lowered his weapon. Hadrian tossed forwards the two items, and Ivor caught them in his other hand, staring at the glowing Flint and Steel for the first time since the strange temple. "Its yours." Hadrian said "Just please...don't...don't hurt me."

"Ivor!"

Before Ivor could decide what to do, the voice of the Captain of the Sky City Guard broke his thoughts. The bi-haired woman was making her way across the small space between the throne room and the ledge. Her armor was smoking slightly, but she didn't seem to notice. "Ivor, we need to get out of here."

Ivor nodded slowly. Leave, that sounded good. They could deal with Hadrian later, when they weren't at risk of being blown up, fireballed, or shot.

"What do you want to do with him?" Marta's voice made it quite clear what she wanted to do. She wanted to skewer him right then and there and be done with it. Ivor...

Ivor still wasn't sure what he wanted, but if he was in the other's position...

If he was in the other's position he'd likely welcome the skewering.

Hadrian was finding it hard to breathe.

He heard Marta talking about him, it sounded like she wanted to kill him.

After everything he'd done, Hadrian wasn't sure he deserved to live.

The past few days had been...strange. He'd been aware of doing things, of saying things. But it hadn't been him doing it.

"Get moving, you're coming with us."

Hadrian's head snapped upwards, mouth falling open slightly. "Wh-" he began, then he stopped himself. If Ivor was offering him another chance at life, then...then maybe things would be alright. He nodded slowly "Al...alright. Thank you."

He heard Marta snort "More than you deserve." as he got to his feet. She was right, but...but maybe if he could explain, it hadn't been him, not really...

Maybe they would forgive him.

Chapter Text

Ivor wasn't sure what had happened to Hadrian, but he wasn't entirely sure he liked it. The white haired teen, who had grown up as Ivor's bully, was now staring at the ground with a broken look in his eyes. It wasn't the look Harper had once held in her eyes during the Witherstorm thing.

It was worse.

Hadrian hadn't spoken since he'd dug in his inventory for the glowing Flint and Steel, which he'd returned to Ivor with a mumbled apology. They, being Ivor, Hadrian, Marta, and the eversource, which had come out from...somewhere, Ivor wasn't really sure where, were all heading out of the rubble of the palace. Marta had her weapon drawn, and her eyes were narrowed in on Hadrian.

"Ivor!" Gabriel's voice shouted. Ivor dragged his mind off of Hadrian's weird behavior and focused on the scene in front of him.

They'd made it out of the castle mostly unscathed, although thanks to some stupid Stray, he now had an Arrow of Slowness embedded in his right shoulder, making him move at about half his speed. There hadn't been time to take it out, and he could feel the potion sloooowlly wearing off. Gabriel, Jesse, Tim, and Stella had managed to gather what appeared to be all of the Sky City inhabitants around what had once been the river. Now, it looked like a waterslide, water spilling off of a hole in the ground and down towards the land. A small tug worked it's way into Ivor's brain, but he wasn't quite sure what it was for so he ignored it.

"You've retrieved the Eversource?" Stella asked, completely ignoring Ivor and Hadrian. Captain Marta nodded, and held up the silky white parrot. Stella nodded, and then turned towards Ivor. She arched a brow at Hadrian's submissive posture, but the blonde didn't say anything. "Things are starting to get out of hand." Stella said, "We simply can't stop all the monsters and protect my people. The longer we stay here, the more danger we're all in."

Ivor's eyes wandered towards the waterfall again, the tugging sensation growing stronger. "We need to do something." Stella continued, reaching out and taking the Eversource from her captain. "So we jump." Ivor said, a small grin dancing along his lips. "The waterfall will take us to safety."

"Are you insane?" shouted someone who had overheard him "The waterfall will just take us into the Void! We'll die if we go down here!" "We'll die if we stay up here!" shouted Em in response, although she didn't look like she was ready to lunge for the waterfall idea either. "The Void won't kill you." Ivor argued "There's land down there!"

Cue looks as though Ivor was absolutely insane.

Magnus yawned as he made his way into his room. They'd finally finished digging the pit thing, and Ellegaard had told him to go get cleaned up before they tried to find Ivor and the others. It had been like, six hours since they'd left, and apparently nobody in town had seen them, except for Lukas, who muttered something about Temples, portals, and 'preparing for the others' or something like that. He'd had a pretty spooked look on his face, so Magnus just figured he'd had a nightmare or something.

Did adventurers have nightmares? Magnus's dreams were all explosions, TNT, and fireworks. Also griefer traps. So like, the best dreams ever. None of the rest of the team really ever talked about their dreams, night terrors, or lack of, so he guessed not. But then again, Lukas wasn't exactly a hero anymore, if he'd ever really been one, so maybe he had them now?

Flopping onto his bed, Magnus shifted as he felt bits of dirt and sand all over his body. He should probably wash off, but then again, if they were going to go and find Ivor, who was known to vanish off into the woods to his old treehouse for days at a time, it probably wouldn't do him any good. Sitting up, Magnus brushed off his emerald green armor, and decided to call that good. Running a hand quickly over his scalp, Magnus got off the bed, decided his legs hated him for that, and proceeded to flop backwards for a five minute catnap.

Or maybe a five hour one.

Ellegaard scrubbed her hands fiercely as she frowned at the dirt layer absolutely coating her. She'd delayed as long as she could, but finally, she'd had to admit they were completed. The town representative lady had seemed exasperated with them, but at least she hadn't been able to find any faults with the build, so they had that going for them.

Glancing at the clock she had hanging from the wall, Ellegaard frowned. Ivor and the others still weren't back? Alright, so Ivor had been known to wander into the woods at times, and Jesse was well...Jesse, but...Ellegaard shook her head. They were fine, just taking longer than usual. Maybe they'd found some secret room in the temple.

If they hadn't turned up by morning though...then she would have to start to worry.

When Jesse had all but run back to the small house he'd been sharing with Lukas while he built his lava skull...thing, Lukas had known something was up.

For one, Jesse hadn't run that fast in about six years.

For another, he'd been rambling about portal keys, and Old Builders, and other things that made Lukas wish he'd run away during the Witherstorm fight.

Old Builders.

Adien, Gill, Maya, Cassie, Isa...all of them.

Lukas's past would be coming back to haunt him.

Which meant he had to be ready.

Ready to leave, ready to fight, ready to survive.

No matter what it took.

Chapter Text

For a moment, the only feeling was wind.

Wind, and water splashing onto Ivor's face from the hundred or so people who had finally agreed to jump off of their island.

There had been screams the first few minutes, and then everyone, well...they'd either gone into shock at the fact that they weren't dead yet, or at the shock that they'd actually agreed to jump off the edge of the city.

Well, it was more the middle of the city thanks to the ghasts, but Ivor doubted any of them were really focusing on the reality of things. Only Stella looked somewhat calm, and even then her eyes were darting around her people.

And then someone shrieked, and Ivor was surrounded by water for the second time that day.

Ivor shot upwards like a rocket. He hated being underwater. The only bonus was that the dolphins were swirling around him, giving him their grace. Taking massive gasps of air, Ivor kicked his legs fiercely to stay afloat. Shaking his head to clear the water off of his face, Ivor squinted his eyes open and looked around. The lake was filing up as people shot upwards, and more fell from the sky. Following the example of Stella and a few of her guards, Ivor slowly began to swim towards land.

Dragging himself onto land, Ivor groaned. Rolling over, Ivor decided that he would be quite content to lay there for the rest of eternity.

"You weren't lying"

Alright who said that? Ivor shot upwards, glaring around at the group of people gaping at well...everything.

"There's ground..everywhere!" came a different voice.

Alright now that was just rude.

Harper had been busy working for the past several hours to build a shelter big enough to hold all of Sky City's inhabitants. It was hard, especially with night growing closer and her leg throbbing, but she'd managed to find a fairly decent cave close to the lake, with loads of coal inside.

Her first task had been chopping down roughly half the forest surrounding the cave, and then making basic wooden tools. They weren't the iron gear she was used to, but she had made do. Within a few minutes, she'd upgraded to stone tools, and had cleared out the cave enough for the people to at least lay on the ground and sleep.

She'd walled off the opening, and lit it up with enough torches to draw the attention of the people who should be falling out of the- "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Right on time.

Harper slid the oak door open and stepped outside into the moonlight. Gripping her diamond blade from earlier, Harper held a torch in the other hand and began to make her way towards the lake.

It had taken some time, but finally everyone was inside of the massive shelter Harper had made. Everyone was nervous, and kept glancing to either Stella, Tim, or both. Hadrian, Mevia, and Otto were penned up in the back corner of the cave. Literally, since Stella had all but ordered Harper to use her extra wood to make fences to keep the criminals locked up.

Harper had also been apparently unable to keep herself from ignoring her architectural instincts, and there was a waterfall spilling out of the wall, feeding into a small river on the far end of the cave, the river hydrating several rows of crops. Mostly wheat, but there were a few carrots and potatoes thrown in. She'd already told people to go crazy, as long as they replanted, and everyone now had a full stomach.

Some people were already starting to lay down, but most had their eyes locked onto one of the two leaders. Either the Founder, or the leader of Build Club. As for the leaders themselves, well...they were mostly either looking over the people, or glaring at each other.

The moon was starting to set, and the sun was starting to rise by the time Stella finally did something other than just look over the people.

"Attention, Attennttioooon everyone!"

Ivor bit back a groan. He'd thought that they'd be lucky enough to last through the whole night without Stella trying to organize them all. What the people needed was some time to relax and get used to this new world, not be buried under the rules that the Founder had no doubt been planning in her head since they'd towered back up to Sky City to stop Hadrian.

"Hello, hello everyone. This is your Founder speaking."

Yup, that got people's attention. Heads turned towards Stella, eyes a combination of hopeful and fearful.

"Now that we're all safe, we need to organize. Start planning our new community."

Ivor couldn't see Tim, or the other Build Club members, but he knew they wouldn't like anything Stella had just said. His theory was only proven, when Tim shoved his way through the crowd to stand next to Stella on the small ledge formed by the cave wall that she'd decided to use as a stage. "Are you listening to yourself? That's insane!" he turned to face the crowd, which was already recognizing him, if their faces were anything to go by.

"We were prisoners long enough on that island in the sky." Tim shouted, turning to face the crowd. "It's time for us to run free, to build whatever we please!"

If looks could kill, Tim should have exploded into dust on the spot. Stella's fists were clenched, and she was working her jaw like she was fighting back the urge to just jump on him biting screeching and clawing at his traitorous words.

"These two just cannot get along." Gabriel muttered, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"You naive fool!" Stella shouted, making Ivor wince. "All nights won't be like this, monsters will come after us!"

Gasps of horror flew around the cave, and several people began to shudder.

"We can learn!" Tim snapped back "We aren't fools! Although I suppose it would seem that way to you!"

Ivor groaned "I can't take this anymore." he muttered.

Making his way through the crowd, Ivor waited until he was right in front of the two before shouting "WILL YOU BOTH STOP THAT!"

Chapter Text

"WILL YOU BOTH STOP THAT!"

Ivor's shouted words earned him exactly three and a half seconds of silence.

And then Stella and Tim both tried to convince him that they were right. At the exact same time.

"Ivor, you don't understand-" "Ivor please tell this fool-" "None of them can build proper tools-" "We'd know plenty if you didn't control-" "they'll die in a heartbeat" "Oh and I suppose you won't?" "That's right I won't. I know how to fight." "Says the woman who let a traitor kick her off the edge!"

The two were now full on screaming at each other, and Ivor wasn't sure whether to be relieved their words were no longer directly at him, or aggravated they were fighting. Burying his face in his palms, Ivor groaned into his hands and wondered if anyone would notice if he just ran out of the shelter into the middle of darkness.

Phantoms and Zombies were already trying to get in, their shrieks and moans making people jump and flinch back away from the roof and walls. Several Drowned had even swum up to land, and their garbled groans added yet another layer of terror to the people, who had never heard such beasts before.

The shouting seemed to have stopped, so Ivor risked a glance between his fingers...

...and was met with the sight of the two leaders, literally face to face, snarling at each other.

He groaned again, closing his eyes and muttering a prayer to Notch, the Admin, by the nether even Herobrine, that these two would just quit it and learn to get along.

Who knows, maybe miracles were real after all.

Tim's fists were clenched so hard, he knew he would be finding small crescent moon shapes later. Maybe even blood and scars. But that thought was pressed to the clear back of his mind. The only thing on his mind right now was that the Founder was an absolute egotastic jerk, who deserved to rot alone in a pit, like he had for two years. Away from friends, away from the sun, away from the little family he had still had back then.

After he'd gotten released, he'd tried going back to his parents. He'd only been seventeen, they should have known it was only a mistake. But when he'd knocked on the door, and when it had opened...he'd been met with a scowl. The only family of mine here, is behind me. his father had said, gesturing to his mother, who was holding a small girl, her hair a deep midnight blue just like his. She'd been born while he was in jail.

She was his replacement.

Every family in Sky City was allowed to have a single child by default. Rank, or special circumstances sometimes allowed them to have more. Em's family, for example. When she'd been born with the giantism gene, it was determined she would be given special classes to join the Guard someday, and her parents were allowed to have a second child.

The special circumstances for Tim's parents having another child? They had gone to the Founder with a special petition, signed by his entire family, including his grandmother, who couldn't remember her own name half the time. She had approved it, and Tim had been removed from their family line.

He hadn't even known, despite it having happened the fourth month he was in jail.

That was why he'd started Build Club. Yes, he did believe that all people should be able to build freely, yes, he thought the Founder was far too strict. But...he also had just wanted people near him who understood him. People who didn't look at him in fear because he'd been in jail for two years.

People...who could be his family.

Ivor, he had that same sadness about him. He had no family.

Tim broke his gaze off of the Founder for a split second, searching the crowd for Ivor. There he was, still right up front, face buried in his palms.

Tim didn't have a name for the sensation flooding his body. Guilt? Despair? Sadness? It was all three and so much worse.

He knew what he needed to do, but...actually doing it? That would be harder than fighting those horrid monsters.

Stella's jaw was clenched so hard, she was surprised it hadn't fallen off yet.

The traitor standing in front of her, daring to meet her eyes with an expression of anything but awe or respect...it made her blood boil.

She brought the people of the Sky together. She built a community from scratch. She fought monsters every day for resources to help her people live in happiness. What did he do? Well, he dropped items off the island, and apparently, if anything she'd managed to pick up was true, created an underground club dedicated to taking her down!

There was absolutely no way, no world, in which she let him take control of what the people should or should not be allowed to do.

She caught his gaze darting away, and then his eyes widening with the look of a son who knows he has just betrayed his father, and smirked. He was weak. Just as he'd always been.

And then, he returned his gaze to her, eyes narrowed and with the face of a man who was willing to do whatever it took, if it meant doing what he knew was right.

"Founder."

Tim's word, had it been spoken in any other tone, would have flown right past Ivor's head.

But with the amount of respect that the single, soft-spoken word held, Ivor slowly lifted his head.

Tim had his head leveled, and was looking at Stella with an expression Ivor couldn't face, but still seemed familiar.

Stella looked confused, but she stayed quiet as Tim continued "Founder, I acknowledge that you have led us well for a long time. I respect that you have been a good leader, fair in your own way. But times are changing. We need to adapt. We cannot go on as we once did, we no longer have limited resources, we have everything we could ever need, right outside, at our fingertips. But the people will not be able to survive here, if you insist upon keeping things the same. I will take my Build Club with me, you'll never see us again, if that is what you wish. But people need to be with other people, to be able to challenge themselves. Most of Build Club are young teens, not yet ready for the responsibility of providing for and protecting a village. And so please, if we cannot choose one way or another...perhaps we can join hands?"

Ivor could barely believe his ears. It was the perfect solution! But Stella...well, Ivor had a pretty good idea of her, and his read of her was that she was the most absolute stubborn person in either of their worlds.

But, as Notch would have it, even stubborn people can surprise you.

Stella smiled slightly "Tim, I do believe those are the most civil words I've ever heard you say."

Ivor let himself feel a sliver of hope.

Then Stella's face hardened and she said "However-"

And the hope shattered. But before she could continue, a voice said "All right that's enough."

Ivor was halfway up the platform when he realized he'd been the one to say it. Standing in between the two leaders, Ivor turned to Stella and said "Ma'am, respectfully, you're an absolute idiot."

Chapter Text

How does one stay in the good graces of the leader of the city?

Well, it's sure not by calling them an idiot.

Stella was fuming, literally, her ears turned a brilliant scarlet, her eyes narrowed to slits, and she was breathing quite heavily through her nose.

Behind him, Ivor could hear Tim making a noise that sounded like he was choking down laughter. Ivor decided not to turn around, otherwise he might start laughing as well.

"Ma'am, what Tim has just offered you is a chance to make peace between his group and the rest of the population. Half of his followers are kids, do you know how long it will take them to be able to expand? Or how long it will take your group to expand due to the lack of children?"

Through the corner of his eyes, Ivor thought he could see a few Build Club members turn a brilliant beet red color in the cheeks, and for some reason their eyes were now glued to either the floor or the roof.

Stella huffed, and tossed her hair "My loyal subjects will be able to survive just fine without those traitors, no matter how long it takes us."

Ivor arched a brow "And what of the children you'll be likely condemning to death?"

"If they didn't want to be banished, then they shouldn't have sworn loyalty to a lunatic." Stella replied instantly. Ivor crossed his arms "And if you were still in the sky, where exactly where you planning on banishing them? The Void?" Stella rolled her eyes "Don't be stupid. The jail of course, where they could have been watched. And as soon as a new jail is constructed, that is exactly where they will be going."

"You can't just lock up your subjects!" Ivor protested.

Stella tossed her hair again "I'm the Founder, I can do whatever I want."

Ivor's hands clenched into fists. That was it, he'd had enough of this...this...before he could decide just how harsh of a word could be used on her without overstepping things, a voice from the crowd said "Founder, I knew you were declining from the way you treated simple requests, the way you allowed Outsiders to twist your thoughts, but I never thought you would go as far as to condemn your own people." Ivor tried to find the source of the voice, but found he couldn't make out which of the people was talking.

"Founder, we the people call for an election. We want a new leader."

The 'election' had been over in a matter of seconds. It had simply been 'Raise your hand if you want the Founder to remain leader' only five or six people had raised their hands. 'Raise your hand if you want Tim to be your new leader'. Everyone else had raised their hands. Stella had gritted her teeth, formed fists and narrowed her eyes, but finally, she huffed "Fine, take this...this imbecile as your new leader. But don't come crawling back to me once you realize your mistake."

Tim turned towards Ivor as the Founder stomped off of the small platform. "Thank you, Ivor. I gotta say, I wasn't expecting...this, I shall do everything I can to keep the people of Sky City safe." he hummed "Although now that we're not in the sky, we may need to come up with a new name."

Ivor nodded "You'll make a good leader Tim, as for the Founder...er...Stella, I think that given time she'll come back. And hey, maybe you'll see us again one of these days." Tim smiled "I'd like that. Thank you, again, for everything you've done for us. I promise your name shall be remembered throughout time."

With that, the new leader of Sky City stepped down off the platform, and began making his way through the crowd, pausing to stop to people who had served as guards, chefs, and other such roles, telling them to start preparing to teach the others.

Harper stepped up next to Ivor. "That was a good thing you did." she said with a smile. Ivor blinked, and then felt his cheeks heating slightly "Y-yeah?" Harper nodded "I think I'd like to come back here sometime, see how they're doing." Ivor chuckled "Let's just hope the portal doesn't spawn us at the same place."

"Speaking of portals," Gabriel said, approaching the two "We still don't know how we're going to get home."

Jesse and Harper exchanged a look "I don't think we'll have to worry about that." Harper said. Ivor nodded, and pointed to the Oak door, where rays of light were starting to come in through the small windows. Outside, the mobs could be heard burning and hissing with fury, until there was silence "What do you guys say we go for a walk?"

The egg-shaped portal was right were Ivor remembered it, at the bottom of a massive pit they'd excavated to get enough dirt to pillar back up to the island in the sky. The pillar was there too, stretching upwards as far as the eye could see, and even higher.

"I give you, our ticket home." Ivor said as he grinned. Gabriel smiled "Not bad, you got the Flint and Steel from Hadrian, right?" Ivor nodded, reaching into his inventory and pulling out the glowing blue items. Stepping up to the portal, Ivor crouched, and clacked them together. With a whoosh, the portal lit, and Ivor squinted. It looked like stone bricks on the other side, just like the temple.

"Whenever you're ready." Jesse muttered dryly. They'd caught him trying to follow Stella and her parrot, in the hopes of snagging one more egg, or even the bird itself, but all he'd made out with was the bird's crown. He'd been a bit grumpy about that.

Ivor nodded, and stepped into the light. As he started to teleport, he caught a small glimpse of a long hallway, and then...he was standing in it.

"Uh...guys?" he said, as the others appeared as well. "Something tells me we aren't going to be going home for a while."

Before them, stretching out into the fog of unseen chunks, was a massive hallway, and every six blocks, there was a portal. Different colors, shapes, and sizes stretching as far as the eye could see.

Chapter Text

The portal they'd chosen was made out of lapis, and shaped like a standard Nether portal. Its glow was deep midnight blue, like deep warm ocean, or perhaps the color of a Phantom's wings. Carefully waving a hand through the swirling glow, Ivor thought he felt something wet on the other side, but when he pulled his hand back through it was dry.

Shrugging, Ivor said "Alright, this is the closest one to the Sky City portal, so this is the one we're going through. Harper nodded "Sounds good, if we just go through each one in order, then we'll eventually hit home, without accidentally missing any." Ivor nodded back at her "Exactly."

Taking a deep breath, Ivor stepped forwards, entering the portal. As he did, a sharp shiver ran through his body, and he felt a strange pain in his legs as they were forced together by some unseen force. Squeezing his eyes shut, Ivor bit back a scream of pain, and then...stillness. The pain was gone and he was...it felt like he was floating.

Slowly, Ivor opened his eyes and nearly fainted. The entire world around them, it was...blue! There was no land, nothing he seemed to be standing on, just blue. No, wait...there was something...gray blobs were darting towards him, and Ivor's eyes widened as he realized what they were.

Dolphins. Which mean...the blue around them was Water.

But that couldn't be right, he was very clearly breathing in the water and most definitely NOT drowning so...Ivor wasn't sure what to expect as he looked down at his body.

But the giant midnight blue fish tail that seemed to have replaced his legs? Definitely not what he'd been expecting. The tail was about twice as long as his legs, and lighter blue, slightly transparent fins were attached to it. Ivor gave an experimental twitch of what was supposed to be his legs, and ended up somersaulting forwards., just in time to see Harper arrive. Her legs had been replaced as well, by a tail that was silver with flecks of red and gold. Her outfit had also changed, and she was now wearing a dark brown sleeveless shirt, not hoodie no goggles, and on her neck Ivor could see three slits on each side, fluttering as she gasped for air that wasn't there. Gills.

Reaching a hand up to his own neck, Ivor felt two things. He also had gills, and his nails had become razor sharp. Examining his hand, Ivor found that there were also webs in between his fingers. His examinations were cut short though, for Harper's eyes shot open, took one look at Ivor, and she let loose an unnesescarily high pitched shriek.

"Harper, Harper it's alright!" Ivor said, holding his hands up...ish to show he wasn't a threat "It's me, Ivor!" Harper squinted at him, and Ivor realized she had a few scales along her face and arms as well. "Ivor?" she asked, eyes wide as she continued to stare at him. Ivor nodded, flicking his tail slightly, just enough to swim closer to her. He was still upside down though, which was a strange feeling. Attempting to recreate the flip, Ivor managed to get somewhat upright, although he was still leaning a little to the left.

Harper's eyes darted off of him, and began staring at...well...everything around her. "Where-" before she could continue, Gabriel popped into existance. His tail was diamond blue, with stripes and swirls of a darker, almost lapis blue. His hair had been swept back, and it looked like a small ponytail had been put in with a bead. Harper had one too, now that Ivor was checking, and he assumed that meant he had one as well. "Where-" Gabriel began, before he caught sight of the pair of his once-human friends. His eye twitched, but instead of screaming like Harper, he just groaned and muttered "whyyyyyyyy." Gabriel's outfit had changed as well, and instead of his armor he was wearing a dark blue sash.

The last one of the former humans to arrive was Jesse. His tail was rich emerald green, with scatterings of a soft, almost honey like gold. His hair was completely in a ponytail, except for two strands on the side of his head. His nails were razor sharp, like the rest of them, except instead of having only a few scales running on his arms, his entire shoulder and half-way to his elbow was covered in the green and gold of his own scales. His outfit had become a raven green sleeveless crop-shirt, that looked like someone had tied a bit of cloth around his chest.

Jesse was by far the calmest upon realizing the changes. He squinted at his hands, danced his fingers along his fins, checked his hair, and then, did the craziest thing Ivor thought he'd ever seen the man do.

He shrugged, and flipped his tail to rocket around them in a circle. "Interesting." Jesse said, before turning to focus on the others. "What are you staring at?" he snapped, catching their wide eyes.

"We just lost our legs for freaking fish-tails!" Gabriel snapped back "What do you think we're staring at?"

They'd taken some time to get used to their new limbs, before even attempting to find some signs of life. It hadn't taken long.

After all, it was kind of hard to miss the underwater city made out of what appeared to be pure gold with fish-people swimming in and out of it.

They'd tried to slip in quietly, but the guards, who had spike-like fins, had swam up to them almost the instant they were in eye-sight. "Identify yourselves." Said one of the guards. His armor was a bit more elaborate than the others, so Ivor decided he must be the one in charge. "I'm Ivor, this is Harper, Gabriel, and Jesse. We're looking for...a dark blue rectangle? We need it to get home."

Several of the other guards exchanged glances, but the one who'd spoken said "Sounds like the frame in the King's Garden. You'll need to come with us strangers. No one takes the kings things."

"We don't need to take it-" Ivor tried, but the guards were already swimming into a protective position, whirling around the small group of friends in order to keep them from escaping as they were escorted to the castle.

The castle was even more expensive looking than the rest of the golden city. The floors lined with diamond blocks, the walls decorated with emerald and lapis blocks, the entire castle appeared to have been made out of the richest person's loot, and then put on display for everyone to see. But despite all of the riches right at their fingertips, no one seemed tempted to steal the fortunes that made up the castle.

Except for maybe Jesse, who had a gleam in his eye. Ivor made a mental note to keep an eye on him at all times.

They were brought into a throne room, and set before an expensive looking chair, that was most decisively empty. "Where's the-" Gabriel began, though he was silenced by a guard jamming the butt of his trident into the back of Gabriel's head.

Ivor tried to dart towards his friend, but the guards held him still. Ivor's eyes narrowed, and he snarled, ready to start cussing and shouting at the guards until they let him go. Before he could though, there was the sound of trumpets, and a set of doors near the back slid open. A raven haired fish-man emerged, with a gold, diamond, and emerald tail that was blindingly shiny.

The newcomer swam up to the throne, and with an aura of importance sat on it and examined the group. "So, I see we have guests! Don't be shy, tell me, what are your names? Where are you from? Why have you come before me?"

Ivor roughly shouldered the guard off of him, and swam forwards. "I am Ivor, this is Harper, Gabriel, and Jesse. We're...from a world very different, and we wish to go home. In order to go home though, we must first pass through a blue frame." He made sure to use the same term for the portal as the guards had, in hopes of it triggering the King's mind into knowing exactly what they meant.

It seemed to work, the king frowned, and leaned forwards, looking at them with curious mosaic eyes. "You wish to pass under my blue frame then?" he asked. Ivor nodded quickly "As soon as possible, we...we need to get home."

The king laughed, a booming sound "Say nothing more! I shall allow you entrance to my garden." His eyes twinkled "I shall even permit you to pass through the blue frame!" Ivor let out a breath of relief. "Thank you-" he started, but the king cut him off. "But before you do so, I invite you, we do not get many outsiders. I'd like to hear your tale, join us at dinner tonight, tell us your stories, what is the ocean like, where you are from. Once you have done so, you may leave."

Ivor arched a brow "Alllright." he said, glancing back at the others "Uh...you've got a deal?" Harper and Gabriel shrugged, Jesse rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we'll join you guys for dinner." The King grinned "Excellent! Inform the kitchens, we have company!" He let out his laugh again, and then told Ivor "I do hope you and your friends enjoy fish, we've just had stocking parties return, and tonight, we shall hunt and we shall feast!"

Apparently the king had been quite literal when he'd said 'hunt and feast'.

Instead of sitting down at a table somewhere to eat, apparently the fish-people spent every meal hunting down fish, catching them, and then eating them. All with their bare hands. And the fish was expected to be eaten raw, not to mention they had to tell their entire story which was massively long, especially when it had to be altered to become something that the fish-people could explain.

At the part where Jesse was revealed to have been the villain, about fifty thousand guards had shown up, tridents glistening as they were aimed at Jesse, ready to tear him apart. A few quick words on Gabriel's part, how he'd been taken prisoner and was being taken home for trial, was all that had saved his life.

Overall, it was the longest dinner Ivor had experienced in a good long while.

On the plus side he and the others had mastered the art of flips and swirls with their new limbs.

Finally though, the feast and hunt was done, the surviving fish, no doubt congratulating themselves on their success, were herded into a corral, followed by several dolphins who eagerly scooped up the fish with happy chatters.

"As promised, you have dined, you have told us your story, and now I shall take you to my blue frame." the King said, nodding to them. Ivor let out a relieved sigh. He hadn't minded this strange, underwater world, but he really did like his legs. As they arrived in the garden, Ivor saw the portal instantly. It was just like the one in the hall, but unlit and surrounded by offerings of treasure. "My father, the king before me, told me that this blue frame was once the key to other worlds" the king said "But it has not been used for travel in many years. You wish to travel under it for luck, yes?"

Ivor shook his head, reaching into his inventory to take out the flint and steel. However, as they emerged, they glowed softly, and then...changed. Ivor frowned at them. The flint and steel were now...somehow smoother, softer, with shell-like ridges. "A heatmaker!" The King exclaimed "How rare a treasure, would you consider giving it up? I would be willing to trade quite a bit for a treasure as fine as that."

Ivor shook his head "Sorry your majesty, but we need it. But don't worry, after we use it, I think you'll find you and your people will be able to travel the worlds again." with those words said, Ivor swam closer, and clacked the pieces of the...'heatmaker' together. A row of bubbles burst forwards, and then the portal began to glow. "We'll come back sometime." Harper said "Tell you the rest of our story, but until then, I suggest you all travel very carefully."

Those words said, the small group slowly swam into the portal.

But not before a squid could attach itself to Harper's head.

Chapter Text

They'd chosen the next portal in line, but instead of rushing right through it, they'd decided to wait a bit to see if anything would come out of any of the portals.

Also they'd needed some time to catch the squid and send the traumatized sea creature back through the fish people portal.

Having a tail had been an...extremely strange situation, but even stranger, was trying to get used to their legs again. Gabriel had very nearly tumbled right into another portal on the opposite end of the hall, and given it was a portal made out of Magma blocks, Ivor was extremely grateful to whichever higher power controlled portals, that he hadn't.

Instead, the portal they were looking at was made of what appeared to be snow blocks, with blue ice in the middle of the sides. It actually looked pretty cool.

Waving a hand through the portal, Ivor drew it back with goosebumps. "I think it goes to a Taiga biome" he said, turning to the others "Or maybe a Snow Plains. Anyone have any blankets? Something tells me we're going to want to bundle up.

Of course no one did, so Ivor set a hand in his inventory, to double check that the Flint and Steel, now back to normal, was still there, before stepping through the portal.

Thankfully, when he reappeared on the other side, all of his limbs seemed to be intact. Not-so-thankfully, he'd been right about it being a cold biome on the other end, and as he landed on the ground, his palms made contact with snow.

Snow, Ivor decided, was probably the only thing worse than fire. But it did have the benefit of that, you could just keep bundling yourself up, whereas with heat, well...there was only so much you could strip down.

Pressing his hands together and rubbing them in an attempt to get some friction, Ivor turned and watched as Gabriel, Harper, and Jesse all spawned in. Jesse scowled at the snow, as though trying to melt it with the pure force of his eyeballs, and dug in his inventory for a few seconds, pulling out a familiar looking black cloak, which he immedieatly wrapped around himself.

Gabriel and Harper seemed to be in the same boat as Ivor, and Jesse didn't look like he was planning on sharing his cloak anytime soon. Ivor sighed "Let's try to find a village or something. At the very least if we keep moving that should help keep us warm.

Gabriel nodded and put in "We should also keep a lookout for other biomes." Harper gave a soft chuckle "I-I wouldn't mind heading into a Mesa right about now." Ivor nodded and said "I'm starting to miss the magma block portal." he grinned, to make sure they knew he was joking, and then let his gaze flit across the horizon. "Any particular direction showing signs of life?" he asked.

Harper and Gabriel turned to look as well, but it was Jesse who said "There." and pointed towards what Ivor thought was west. "How do you know?" Ivor asked, frowning when he didn't see anything. Jesse rolled his eyes "I used psychic powers." he replied sarcastically, before snapping "There are trees, and where there is wood, there is shelter. Where's the first place you go when you're out of inventory?"

"A forest." Harper admitted, rubbing the back of her head "Even though it's not a guarantee, I agree it's our best chance." Ivor nodded "And we can always burn down the trees and let the natives find us." he added. Harper and Gabriel gave him a look, so Ivor quickly added "Joking! But seriously, when we get there I'm starting a fire because we've been here for less than a minute and I already can't feel my feet."

It hadn't taken long to get to the forest. Tall spruce saplings stretched upwards, and snow blanketed their leaves. The small group had found shelter underneath a particularly large one, and once they'd cleared an area Harper deemed 'safe' Ivor had used the flint and steel to start a fire and warm their bones.

"I'm starting to wonder if people even live out here." Gabriel muttered "We very well could have landed in a lifeless world." Harper shook her head. "I don't know, something about that possibility, it...it doesn't feel like it could be possible." Jesse nodded "Even if there are no humans, there could be villagers. No one really knows where the first villages came from, it is entirely possible that, like monsters and animals, villagers have the ability to spawn in the proper conditions."

"But what are the proper conditions?" Gabriel snapped back "Who knows even if there is such a thing as Villagers spawning?" Harper spoke up "We do, back at Sky City? I saw a chest marked Villagers. So they can spawn from those eggs."

Ivor shrugged and said "Let's just focus on finding the portal, we need to get back home. Who knows what Magnus and Ellegaard are doing without us.

Magnus and Ellegaard were panicking.

Or, to be more specific, Ellegaard was panicking and Mangus was trying to clalm her down.

"They've been gone for almost three days!" Ellegaard shrieked, tugging at her russet hair "No one's seen them since they left, what do we do?"

"We could go after them." Magnus said. "No!" Ellegaard snapped back "I am not going back to that temple, who knows what could happen." "Who knows what could have happened to Ivor and the others!" Magnus shot back.

Ellegaard wilted. "Fine" she said finally "But it's already noon. Let's pack up today, and we can head out tomorrow."

Magnus sighed "Alright...I'll be getting ready." with that he stomped off towards their rooms.

Three hours later, Ivor and the others had finally found their first signs of life.

They had stayed on the edge of the woods, following a small frozen river. Then, at long-wonderful-last, they'd found a clearing filled to the brim with stumps and decaying leaves. A few minutes travel past that, a fence stretching on as far as the eye could see, and inside...what looked to be polar bears and their cubs.

Hopping the fence thanks to a small hill on their side, Ivor led his companions carefully through the field. "As long as we stay away from the cubs, the bears shouldn't attack us." Jesse said, from the warmth of his raven black cloak. Ivor nodded, fists clenching and unclenching with worry as they passed den after den.

Finally though, they reached what looked to be the center of the fenced area, the outskirts of a village.

A village that, with dusk growing closer, had Phantoms shrieking and swooping around them.

The people of Wykii Ha' Nyoo were a community of peacekeepers. They spent their days tending to their farms, breeding and caring for the polar bears, and generally keeping their vow of peace.

When monsters from the sky started to attack, they weren't sure what they could do. It would go against their vows to fight back, and it would displease the gods if they built defenses. And so they were stuck. At night, instead of meditating or farming, they were now forced to cower in their homes.

Until the outsiders came, with gleaming armor and glistening weapons that made the mothers hide their children in the homes. "What do you want from us?" The high villager demanded. The one with the black hair and pale skin, who looked like a demon, stepped forwards "We seek a portal made from ice and snow, we need it to go home."

The high villager narrowed his eyes "We will take you to the structure you seek in the morning, until then we urge you to find shelter before the monsters of the night attack you." The only girl in the group raised her hand "Why don't you kill the monsters?"

She was met with a stunned silence, that caused her to lower her hand and blush.

"If we take care of the monsters, will you take us tonight? We're in a bit of a rush." the one with the dark skin asked. The high villager paused, clearly surprised by the offer. Finally he nodded "Kill the demons that plague us before the sun rises, and we shall take you when the moon is at its peak."

They'd done it.

It had taken almost half an hour and an improvised Enderman safe area, but finally all of the Phantoms had been killed and the night was silenced.

"There, we've taken care of your ah...'demon' problem." Ivor said "Now will you take us to the structure?"

The villager in charge nodded "Thank you, warriors from afar. Follow me, and you shall be able to return from whence you came."

Chapter Text

The next portal in the line was made of dirt blocks, which looked quite promising, especially after the cold of their last world. Stepping through, Ivor thought he smelled fire, but shook it off.

Then he stepped through into the Nether, looked down at himself, and most definitely did not scream.

His hand, his flesh, his muscle, it was gone. Instead there were dark, sickly gray bones forming the skeleton of a hand.

The hand of a Wither Skeleton.

Ivor could feel his chest tightening, he tried to gasp in air, but all that came in was the smokey fog of the Nether. He hated this place, needed to get out, couldn't-couldn't-

There was a popping sound, and then Harper was there. She stared at him, almost looking like she was about to scream, but then she saw his face, and instantly calmed "Ivor, Ivor breathe, it's alright, breathe Ivor." Ivor sucked in a large gasp, but still felt like he was choking.

purple eyes glaring at him, a small lamb, shaking with fear, the same lamb, falling-falling-falling

"IVOR!" Harper shouted, grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him slightly "You aren't there, you're here, the Witherstorms are gone! Now BREATHE!"

The severity of her voice jolted Ivor back to the present. He took a shaky breath, and nodded. "You're ok." Harper said slowly, though towards the end of the 'k' it came out more like a question. Ivor nodded, still sucking in the smokey air "I-I'm alright." he answered.

"Good. Now," Harper released Ivor's shoulders, stared at her own hands which were glowing golden like fire and shrieked "WHAT IN THE NAME OF HEROBRINE IS GOING ON?"

They'd spawned in the Nether.

They were now part Nether monster.

Ivor was a Wither Skeleton, his elbows down had become smokey gray bones and same with his knees down. His skin had darkened dramatically and his eyes had darkened to a pitch black.

Harper, a Blaze Rod. She had glowing arms and legs, and her hair was intertwined with golden lava-like ripples.

Gabriel had become part Magma Cube, and hadn't changed much, except for the dark mottled red patches on his arms and face.

Jesse had the most interesting change. His eyes had become purple, and he'd grown at least an extra head taller. His arms and legs, and even parts of his face were pitch black, and soft violet sparks flew off of him when he moved. Enderman.

They were still unsure about the nature of this world, but their appearances were enough to keep everyone silent as they made their way across the dangerous terrain. There were some differences here than that of the Nether they were all familiar with. Trees made of Quartz and Glowstone, lava drifting lazily along in river-like channels.

But what was the strangest, was the utter lack of monsters. Usually there were Pigmen absolutely everywhere in the Nether, but for whatever reason, there was no sign of any mobs.

Finally they'd found a fortress, except it mostly underground. The only sign that it was even a fortress at all was the large gate made out of nether brick and nether brick fences. Pressing his hands against the fiery brick, Ivor frowned "So...this is the only place we've seen that might have mobs in it, should we go in?"

"Well look at us, the last world this happened in we turned into something the natives would accept, their own kind. Maybe that's just this world's thing, all the people live in the nether and are part monster." Gabriel said, studying his arm.

Ivor nodded "Sounds good to me."

They should have ignored the gate.

In the timespan of exactly four minutes they'd gotten enlisted in a war, on the side of hybrids, against humans from the apparently 'poisonous' Overworld, who as it turned out were evil with glowing red eyes and general creepiness.

They'd been promised that if they'd helped out in this raid, then the 'rebellion' would do everything in their power to get the group home.

Halfway through the briefing, Ivor had found the portal.

It made up the throne of the rebellion's leader, a ghast hybrid who, of course, was named Hadrian.

Glancing at Jesse, Ivor arched a brow. The now Enderman hybrid smiled at him, purple eyes glowing with delight as he too saw what Ivor intended.

As Ghast-Hadrian wrapped up the briefing and excused them, Ivor made sure to linger in the back of the crowd. Jesse, now much taller than most of the rest of the people went on ahead, but Ivor made sure to grab hold of Gabriel and Harper. They looked at him curiously, apparently having not noticed the significance of Ghast-Hadrian's throne, but one quick look from Ivor kept them silent, and most importantly, slow.

Taking a few steps back, Ivor double checked that no one was paying them attention, most eyes on Jesse since there weren't many Enderman hybrids in the Nether Rebellion for whatever reason, and then turned around. Walking up the steps to Hadrian's throne, there was the sound of an Enerman teleporting, and Jesse was standing next to them. "I've got them convinced you're picking up some weapons." he said "And that I came back to find you. Let's light this and get out of here."

Ivor nodded, and took out the Flint and Steel. In this world, it was glowing a soft reddish blue, coming across as purple, and it was actually warm to the touch. Striking them together quickly, Ivor lit the portal and stepped through.

Then he made a small note to put a couple of fences around that particular portal. He did not want to have to deal with half Nether mobs running around the worlds.

Chapter Text

As they stepped out of the grass block portal, Ivor took a moment to appreciate his hands. Skin, flesh, all so much better than withered bone. Slowly running one palm against the back of the opposite hand, Ivor glanced around at the others.

Harper and Gabriel seemed to be instantly back to normal, and were already rooting in their inventory bags to find items to block off the portal. Ghast-Hadrian would be an absolute pain to deal with if he started following them through the worlds.

Jesse seemed to be having the most trouble adjusting. He kept going between stretching up onto his tip-toes, and ducking down to make himself lower. Going from human to part Enderman back to human had to be disorientating.

When they'd finally gotten the portal situated settled, Gabriel and Harper having resorted to completely blocking it off, with what may or may not have been obsidian.

The next portal was...strange. Not that the egg shaped one leading to Sky City wasn't strange but...well...this one topped it.

The portal was made from what looked like soul sand...and was about twice as large as a normal portal, and it's swirls seemed to be changing colors every few seconds. Going from dark withery-gray, to the color of soul sand, to a strange pale orange color.

"You guys ready?" Ivor asked, glancing back at the others. Jesse still seemed a bit disorentated, but Gabriel and Harper nodded. Ivor nodded back, and turned back to the portal. Sending a prayer up to Notch, Ivor took a deep breath and stepped forwards, letting the color-shifting portal wash over him.

Ivor kept his eyes shut when he appeared in the new world. He didn't want to see what sort of abomination this world had thrown his body into. At least not alone. There were three popping sounds, as Gabriel, Harper, and Jesse appeared.

And then there was a scream, in an octave that could only come from two sources. A guy getting kicked in an unmentionable place, or a woman being attacked. And given there was only one girl in the group (although he wouldn't have minded seeing who would dare kick Jesse or Gabriel and also wish the poor soul a quick death) Ivor's eyes shot open and he whirled around, fists forming as he clenched his hands and narrowed his eyes.

Harper didn't appear to be in any immediate danger, and Gabriel and Jesse didn't seem to be under attack, so Ivor frowned, fists unclenching. Harper's silver eyes were staring up at the sky, her eyes wide and her jaw twitching softly, like she was getting ready to scream again.

Ivor turned, following her gaze, and felt ready to scream himself.

They were everywhere, filling the sky, taking up every space, and blotting out the blue of the sky.

Witherstorms.

Ivor had fallen into more flashbacks. The instant the first purple eye had swung to look at him, he'd instantly been thrown into the past.

Reuben's tail wagged as he smiled up at Ivor. Jesse's maniacal smile as he placed the third Wither Skull on the Wither frame. Harper's gray eyes showing nothing but hopelessness. Lukas's woolen world, the griefers in Boomtown, the Witherstorm resurrecting and splitting into three, Reuben falling-falling-falling

"Ivor, snap out of it!" the voice broke through the memories. Harper...she was safe..he was safe? The other worlds...Hadrian going insane and then suddenly switching back to normal but...broken.

"Ivor please, we need you!"

Harper...safety...

everything was safe...safe?

"Ivor!"

Harper...she needed him. Ivor forced himself to breathe. Gasping in air he hadn't realized he'd stopped breathing.

"Ivor, hey, there you are." Harper whispered. A hand ran through his hair. He was on the ground, but he couldn't remember sitting. "Wh-" he started, but his throat felt too swollen to continue, not to mention the taste that seemed to fill the entire space of his mouth.

"You collapsed." Gabriel said, brows furrowing as he leaned over Ivor to examine him. "Jesse had to forcefeed you a potion of waking, and two potions of calming."

Well, that explained the taste in his mouth. Ivor's gaze slowly flicked up to Jesse, who was using a bit of cloth to wipe the insides of a glass bottle. Jesse seemed to feel Ivor's stare on him, and met the black haired teen's gaze. For a few seconds, the two simply stared at each other, and then Jesse nodded and returned to his cleaning.

When Ivor could stand again, they'd slowly started to find a place they could get some answers. They'd traveled in the field they'd spawned in for about a mile, until they'd found a road. The road stretched on in both directions, but there didn't seem to be any directory signs. "So...pick a direction and hope it leads somewhere worthwhile?" Gabriel asked, scanning both sides of the road. Neither seemed to lead to any major signs of civilizations.

Harper tilted her head upwards, seemingly unconsciously grabbing hold of her outfit and bunching the fabric in her fists. "The right seems to have less...of them. I say we go that way." Ivor nodded "That...that sounds good."

Traveling along the path in the direction they'd chosen, left-ish, Ivor had to force himself to keep his gaze locked downwards, towards the sandstone trail. If he tried looking up, tried meeting one of those things' gazes, then he just found himself getting buried in the past.

They had to get out of here, then he could take time to collapse, once they got home he could lock himself in his room for a week...a month, maybe even a year, just to get over this world. The last one was nothing compared to this.

After about an hour or so, the sky seemed to flash darker, and Ivor couldn't stop himself from glancing up at the sky. Somewhere in front of them there was a roar, and then another Witherstorm rose into the sky from the horizon. Several other storms roared back at it, and it sounded like they were fighting, and then there was silence again. But Ivor's attention wasn't on that anymore, it was on the skyline of a city.

Oh thank goodness.

It had taken literally forever to get to the outskirts of the city, that was one of the things Ivor hated about flat biomes. You could see something miles away and after hours of traveling it would still be on the edge of the skyline.

But finally they'd stepped off of sandstone and onto brick.

Finding someone to talk to, well...that had been harder. Everyone seemed to be obsessed with these tiny square things that looked to be plugged into their heads. Finally they'd found a young woman nodding her head to some beat but not staring at the device in her hands, and had basically waved their hands around frantically until she noticed them and took one of the strings out of her ear.

"Excuse me," Jesse said, them having voting him the speaker since he was the calmest of the four "But, are not aware that there are Witherstorms everywhere?" the girl looked at him blankly, and Jesse's teeth gritted. He pointed upwards and said "The black, three-headed things in the sky."

"Ohhh!" the woman chirped, smiling "Those. Yeah, they just show up out of nowhere randomly. They aren't dangerous or anything, unless you're a monster, they attack monsters like, the instant they spawn. The world has been sooo safe ever since! Well, except for the mines, since monsters can't safely spawn up here, they all spawn down there. Makes it really annoying, but the people who engineer mob grinders make like...a ton of money."

Jesse blinked "So...you're perfectly fine with this?" the woman nodded, and then proceeded to put the string back in her ear.

"We need to get out of here." Ivor groaned, burying his face into his hands. "The sooner the better."

"Why don't we ask her if she's seen the portal?" Harper suggested. Jesse nodded, and tapped the woman's shoulder. She frowned, and took the string out of her ear again "What is it now?" she demanded "We're looking for...a frame, rather large, made of soul sand?" the woman rolled her eyes "Try the park." she waved her hand ambiguously off towards the right, and then plugged her ear back in.

"I guess we'll try the park then." Gabriel muttered, frowning at the woman.

Leading the way, Jesse began to walk in the general direction the woman had waved. Ivor, Harper, and Gabriel walked behind him, all of them keeping their gazes lowered, so as to keep from looking at the monsters. No matter if they were docile towards humans. A witherstorm was a witherstorm.

"This must be the park." Jesse muttered. "If you can call an overgrown weed forest a park." he crossed his arms and huffed. "Kids with swords, take the lead." Gabriel and Ivor rolled their eyes in near sync, and took out their weapons. As the blades glimmered, the two began to slash at the grass, cutting it to manageable walking height.

They managed to wade about halfway into the weed-jungle, before they finally saw the portal...

...behind them and a little to the right.

Ivor groaned, and waded into a turn. "I am soooo done with this world."

Chapter Text

After the last world, they had all taken a few minutes to recover. Sitting silently in the hallway outside of the portal that had led to the world with Witherstorms filling the sky.

Finally, they had gotten to their feet and stepped up to the next portal. This one was made out of birch wood, soft white and black bark giving off a completely harmless feel. Of course, the portal to the Nether world had been made out of dirt blocks, so Ivor wasn't planning on trusting the world that the portal led to.

"You sure you're ready for this?" Harper asked softly, resting a hand on his shoulder "I promise, none of us will think any less of you if you need to take a while longer. We...we were all affected by that last one." Ivor turned his head, and shook it, ever so slightly. "I...I'll be alright." he whispered back. "I'll be alright." Harper nodded, and released his shoulder. Focusing back on the warm green color of the swirls, Ivor grabbed the fabric of his pants, clenched his fists a few times, and then let go, taking a step forwards.

He was vaguely aware of the sensation of home, the scent of grass and forest, and the sound of footsteps. Before something hard smacked into the back of his head and he crumpled forwards.

Gabriel groaned as he came to. He tried to sit up, but found himself stuck. Opening his eyes, Gabriel looked down, and scowled. Someone, probably whoever had knocked him out, had put him in a bed, and wrapped the sheet around him rightly. Gabriel tried to push himself upwards again, and managed to sit up.

"Hey, easy there." the voice sounded feminine, and somewhat young. And...strangely familiar. Gabriel's head whipped towards the source, and squinted. He couldn't quite see who it belonged to. "You were unconscious when we found you, and well, we weren't really sure how extensive your injuries were."

"Who are you?" Gabriel asked, voice rasping. The person stepped out of the shadows, and Gabriel felt his jaws part. "No way..."

Harper came to in an orange and blue colored room. A redstone lamp hung from the ceiling, and various paintings and item frames hung on the walls. There was a book shelf in the corner, and the bed she was laying on was double-wide. Sitting up, Harper bit back a groan of pain, and checked the room again. She was alone, but someone obviously had put her there.

That or she'd spawned on someone's bed, but given the others weren't with her, and they'd usually spawned together well...it was a bit worrying.

The room looked to be square shaped, and there was a Dark Oak door opposite the bed she was on. Carefully, one hand rubbing the back of her head which hurt like absolute crazy, Harper slid out of the bed and got to her feet. She took a step towards the door, but before she could get close enough to open it, it swung open, revealing a young blonde male with gray armor. His blue eyes stared at her, rather in shock, and then he called "Uh guys...she's awake too."

Harper squinted at the blonde. "I know you..." she muttered "Why do I know you?" The blonde have an odd half smile, but before he could answer her, a voice from behind, a very, very familiar voice from behind, said "I could ask you the same question."

Ivor's eyes shot open and he bolted to his feet.

Or rather he tried to.

His feet were rather non-complaint, which resulted in him laying sprawled on the floor. "Hey, easy there man, you were just unconscious, give yourself a break before trying to do crazy stuff like that." A hand reached out, and Ivor took it. Carefully getting to his feet, and leaning on the owner of the hand a little more than he would have liked, Ivor winced as his feet decided to riot. "Here, let's get you sitting down again."

The voice was...weirdly familiar. But at the same time if sounded...wrong. "Thanks." Ivor muttered once he was seated on the bed, keeping his head ducked. "No problem!" the voice chirped. "So, you want to tell me how you and your two friends just randomly spawned in me and my friends place?"

Ivor huffed "I highly doubt you would be able to understand." The voice chuckled "I don't know, I've seen a lot. And right now, I'm betting you came through the portal hall."

Ivor's head snapped up, to demand how the person knew about the hall, to demand...well, all he'd wanted to demand was forgotten as he got a good first look at his rescuers face.

Well...this was awkward.

Jesse awoke to chains. Alright, so they weren't chains, but he was still strapped to the bed he was in. Keeping his eyes closed, Jesse let his body relax, breathing deeply like he was still sleeping. There were voices, nearby, arguing. "It's - you can't just - " and a dangerously specific threat involving lava that made Jesse want to become instant allies with whoever was doing the main part of the shouting.

There were three males from the sound of it, the primary shouter, one with a deeper, oddly familiar voice, and a third with a voice that he felt he should recognize, but didn't care enough to place. After a few minutes of this, Jesse was half tempted to just get up and slip out.

Then one of them said his name. "Look, if it really is Jesse, we need to learn what happened to him, at the very least, can you live with that Gabriel?" Alright now he needed some answers. The voices were all quiet for a moment, and then the one with the deeper voice 'Gabriel' said "Alright. But if he attacks you, don't expect me to come running."

There was silence again, Jesse supposed that the first, shouty voice, was nodding. There was a creak, and then footsteps, growing louder, until he supposed that the three were standing right above him. He didn't want to risk squinting his eyes to find out.

"What happened to you..." the first voice whispered, now much, much closer. "Magnus, have you sent word to Beacontown yet?" The voice he hadn't bothered to try and identify called "Yeah, Harper's on her way. She should be back sometime, 'less she decides to stay down there with Axel and the other kids."

The man might have went on, Jesse wouldn't know. Axel. He was here. Why was he here? He knew he was stiffening up, he knew his breath, and pulse, was speeding up, but he frankly didn't care. How, how in the name of Herobrine, had Axel gotten there?

"Gabriel get over here!" the first voice snapped. More footsteps, hands on his shoulders, pinning him to the bed. Jesse's eyes shot open and he tried to force them off of him. The people holding him down were a strange combination. The first was pale with dark hair, bags under his eyes and a thick, somewhat ratty beard. The second had dark skin, a sharp contrast to the other, and was wearing diamond armor that seemed to be heavily enchanted. Runes danced along Jesse's vision, but he was a little busy fighting to read them. The third was completely bald, and wearing a ridiculous mask, and was pinning his legs to the bed.

"Jesse calm down!" the pale skinned one with a beard snapped. "How do you know?" Jesse snapped, eyes locking onto the oddly familiar midnight blue of the man who appeared to be around his own age. "Wha-?" the male started, flinching slightly, before pressing harder on his shoulder. "How do you know my name?!" Jesse growled, continuing to fight.

"We know your name because we know you!" the darker skinned one with the beard growled.

That made Jesse still. His emerald gaze darted between the two men, completely ignoring the bald one holding down his feet. "What. In the name of Herobrine. Are you talking about?" he growled, eyes narrowed as he focused on the paler skinned one.

He sighed "It's...going to take a while to explain. If you can promise not to fight us anymore, I'll tell you on the way to the others. Something tells me you're with the others that showed up." Jesse arched a brow "Others? You mean they weren't with me?" the one he'd been speaking to shook his head. "Fine. Get off me, and I'll leave you be."

This was by far, the strangest situation Ivor had ever been in. Him: collapsed on the floor staring up at a young brown haired man with emerald eyes who was looking at him in concern. The other teen? A spitting image for Jesse, minus the scar and scowl lines, and looking at him with an expression of concern Ivor wasn't sure his Jesse knew how to make.

"Here, let me help you up." the...younger Jesse said, walking closer. Grabbing hold of Ivor's arm, the other helped him to his feet. Ivor just stared. The other teen coughed and said "Uh...so this is getting awkward. I'm Jesse." Ivor's brain decided to shut down his vocal chords. Jesse cleared his throat. "Uh...and you are...?"

Ivor blinked "Oh, ah...this might sound weird if you are who I think you are but...my name is Ivor."

Cue the other teen falling to the floor unconscious.

Harper had seen a lot of things lately. Fish-tailed people, giant Wither monsters living in the sky perfectly normally, people who lived on an island in the sky. But this, this was something else.

After all, it wasn't every day you stared at your future self.

There was no one else the other woman could be. She looked exacly like Harper, except for the slightly worn face and the silvery white hair that spilled out from her hood. "I came out here to tell the others that me and Ivor found this weird guy in the woods, looked like an older version of Jesse. Nasty scar on his neck. Turns out they had a run in with some...alternates as well."

Harper blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say Ivor?"

*thump*

"Uh guys?" called a very amused looking redhead who looked like a teenage version of Petra the Warrior "I think Jesse just fainted." Harper turned towards the sound of the thump, and found indeed a (much) younger Jesse laying on his back while a very confused Ivor stood over him.

Ivor officially had no clue what was going on.

They'd gotten him, Gabriel, and Harper settled on a couch in a larger room, while they awaited news from...well...Ivor.

Ivor couldn't stop thinking about that. They were...somehow...in a world where...well...people...people were wrong. Alright, so they weren't wrong like...morally, but they were just...wrong. See Ivor...well, here he was apparently Jesse, and vice versa. Except they'd already gone through everything Ivor and his friends were dealing with at the moment.

Everything except meeting each other. "Gotta say, this ah...wasn't how I was expecting to spend my day." Other Jesse says with a grin. The expression looks so wrong on his face, that it's all Ivor can do not to grimace and look away.

He couldn't imagine how hard it had to be for Harper though. She didn't have to deal with being swapped with the Old Order, they got to...well...see her older selves. Other Harper...there was no easy way to say this.

She. was. old.

White hair, lines of both smiles and worry on her face, and...this look in her eyes. Like she'd seen more in her life than a person ever should. It was a look Ivor never wanted to see in his Harper's eyes.

"So...who are we waiting for again?" Gabriel - Ivor's Gabriel asked. This was starting to get confusing, and from the look on...Old Gabriel's face, he was having a hard time too. The younger version of Petra flashed him a grin "I sent Axel and Lukas out to get Ivor, Gabriel, Magnus, and your guys' Jesse. If the and I quote 'brown haired guy with a scar on his neck who looks creepily like our Jesse' is indeed your guys' Jesse.

Ivor and Harper exchanged a glance. "Yup." she muttered "That's him." Ivor groaned, and was rather startled to hear a matching groan from the younger Jesse. He blinked over at the young brown haired teen. He hadn't even considered how the people of this world were taking it. Getting told that your counterpart was basically the madman who'd decided to sic a Witherstorm on the world, couldn't be any easier on this version of Jesse than it was for Ivor.

"So, what exactly is the plan here?" Old Harper asked, hands on her hips "I mean, we have the Atlas, but I have personally explored each and every one of the worlds in our Portal Hallway, and I can guarantee that none of those worlds are well..swaps of this one." Ivor frowned "Well...if there's a portal leading here, then there must be a different portal than the one you know. So, maybe we just need to find that one."

"Excellent idea." a new voice rasped. All heads turned towards it, and Ivor's skin turned about thirty shades whiter.

There was an EXTREMELY old dude, with a ratty beard, standing in the doorway with a grumpy expression, holding onto a string that was tied to...an extremely angry looking tied up Jesse, who was glaring daggers into the old dude.

"It only took nearly four years to find the one leading to our portal hallway, how long could this possibly take?"

Well...Jesse had found the others.

As well as a younger version of his Order, and a rather...old Harper. Oh, and it turned out the three men who'd held him down, and then tied him up for the walk here, were actually Ivor, Gabriel, and Ivor's bald friend. That had been enough to keep Jesse quiet about his captive state. For one, Ivor was an annoying brat with far too much optimism than should be legal. This one...scowled at everything in sight, and looked quite like a hobo in his olive green robe and ratty beard.

Honestly, Jesse loved robes, especially his own, with it's deep midnight blue, and golden highlights. But this one...well...it screamed hobo.

Then there was the matter of teenage him sitting on the couch across from him, staring like a young villager meeting an outsider for the first time at the ropes tying Jesse in place. Thankfully, Jesse knew he hadn't aged as badly as Ivor apparently would, but the scar wracking across his neck definitely would take some time to explain, especially since Petra was the one who'd inflicted it, and this world's Petra was reaching for her blade. Jesse made a silent note to stay as far away from her as he possibly could. Given the fact that there was a younger Lukas sitting nearby, he did not want a repeat of the End situation.

"Can I sit now? Or are we all going to stare at each other like absolute idiots?" Jesse finally snapped.

That got everyone moving. Old Ivor dropped the string he'd been holding onto, and Jesse walked away quickly. He set himself down on the couch next to his Ivor, and twisted his wrists sharply, causing the string holding them to come undone. As he tugged the bindings off, Jesse was aware of several sets of eyes on him, which he decided to ignore. "You could have broken out of those this whole time?" the old Ivor finally snapped.

Jesse stayed silent until all of the strings were off of his body and in his hand. Finally he let his eyes flick up to meet the hobo's "Of course. I just chose not to because it gave you a sense of security I thought you'd want. Was I wrong?"

The old man huffed, but crossed his arms, gaze darting away.

After Jesse had arrived, it had become quite clear they couldn't all refer to each other as 'young' 'old' and 'other'. For one, that was rude, and for another, Ivor really did not want to see what his Jesse would do to this world's Jesse at being called old by said younger Jesse.

So they'd decided on nicknames. It had been the younger Jesse's suggestion, but they had all agreed quite quickly. Well, most of them. Ivor's Jesse was still against it, but given that literally everyone else had agreed, well...they were doing it.

They'd also decided to give the nicknames to the people from Ivor's world, but given that they were the intruders, well...it made sense.

"How about...Ivan for you maybe? It's similar enough to your real name that you won't get confused, but different enough that you both shouldn't turn your heads when I shout for one of you?" the younger Jesse suggested, tilting his head slightly as he studied Ivor. Ivor...Ivan shrugged "I guess. I mean it's not like we'll be here forever so I won't have to deal with it too long right?" Jesse nodded, a smile splitting his face and looking absolutely unnatural on his face.

"And Gabriel and Harper, you two can go by Gabe and Harp, shortened versions of your own names, kind of like nicknames!" Jesse continued, though as he said their names, Ivor bit back a laugh as he noticed the older Gabriel and Harper turning towards him out of habit. Gabe and Harp exchanged a glance, and then shrugged "Sure, why not." Harp said with a laugh "Could be worse."

"And you..." Jesse bit his lip as he stared at...well...Jesse. "Maybe something like Jordan? Or Jacob, or Justin? I mean, if I were in your shoes, which I guess I kind of am, I'd want to keep some sort of similarity to my name, but still not exactly the same, or maybe we could even go with-"

"Radar." the older Jesse unexpectedly said, green eyes studying the ground. "He's...he's an old friend of mine. I don't think he'll mind if I use his name for a while."

Jesse blinked "Uh...alright. So, Ivan, Gabe, Harp, and...Radar. Anyone else we should know about going to pop through the portal, or are we clear to start looking for it?"

Ivan snorted "Maybe some fish-people and an angry Ghast hybrid, but if the Ghast guy shows up, please just lock him in a cage underwater or something while we get away. I really don't want to have to deal with him yelling and shooting fireballs at us for abandoning him mid-war."

Jesse blinked. "Uh...allllright then. Should we be concerned about that? Because when we went through the portal, we didn't run into any ah...fish people or ghast-people. Because I'm pretty sure I would remember that."

"Potion of Memory Loss." Radar muttered "Hard to make but worth it. Your version of the ghast-Hadrian could very well have caught up with you, yelled at you, and then used the potion on you as payback."

The room went silent, and Radar arched a brow "What?"

They'd moved from the room with the couches to a massive library that seemed to be holding more books than should be possible.

There were three small tables in the library, but Ivor and Radar had pushed them together to make one long table, and had gathered up books that the two had used to find their portals. There were subtle differences between the books Ivor had used and the books Radar had used, which was technically a good thing since it would give the two potionologists some new information, and hopefully speed up the process of finding the portal that would get Ivan and his friends home quickly.

Currently, Ivor, Radar, Harper, Lukas, and Ivan were all sitting around the table with their noses in books. The others were in varying levels of sleep. To be fair, they'd all been reading for almost four hours straight, and Harper, Lukas, and Ivan were all starting to droop off themselves. The only ones who didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they'd spent the last four hours staring at ancient texts were Ivor and Radar.

So far, they'd found exactly one clue, in an old book that told tall tales. There were two chapters on visitors from 'the realms', one Ivor identified as the one he'd used to find the Old Builder temple for their old builders, who happened to be Hadrian, Mevia, and Otto. A fact of which Ivan had found extremely weird. But the second chapter was quite a bit more vauge. It was their current theory that the visitors mentioned exactly twice in the chapter were the ones from Ivan's world.

But of course they couldn't find anything to back it up.

Yet.

It had been twenty-six hours since Ivan and the others had arrived in the world they were currently in. In the hours since arriving they'd spend their time pouring over books, taking a dinner break, and sleeping.

Finally, since they hadn't found any new clues, they'd decided to try using a book Harper had which apparently was a sort of guide to the universes in the portal hallway, cross-referenced with the single book they'd found, in the exact opposite end of the world as the Old Builder Temple that this world's Order had discovered.

In other words it was a complete shot in the dark but they were risking it as opposed to no other ideas.

They'd spent a few hours in the morning eating, getting ready to go, and waking up Ivan and Radar who both seemed content to sleep until ten in the morning.

Once everyone had gotten awake, more or less, then they'd rounded up some horses, paying enough diamonds to get their owner not to be bothered with how long they would likely be using the horses, and signing about twelve different contracts ensuring that the owner of the horse was in no way at fault should anything happen to them, such as injuries sustained by getting bucked off, injuries sustained should the horses ride into blocks that would suffocate the riders, etcetera.

As such it took them another three hours to actually get out of this world's Beacontown, which was in quite a bit better state than the one back in Ivan's world. This was probably due to the fact that Ivor, who apparently had the same fascination with skulls and lava that Radar did, had been forced to swap the lava in his house with water. Radar had made a sort of half huff half strangled noise when he'd passed by it, and had proceeded to completely ignore Jesse when the younger chocolate haired male tried to explain about 'safety' and 'literal crowds of protesters'

They traveled until sundown before they finally found their first clue, and man was it a big one.

They'd been settling down, preparing to set up camp for the night, when one of the horses had gotten spooked by a dolphin that had somehow swum upriver through a narrow stream, and then hopped up onto land.

Which of course meant they'd had to chase after the terrified beast, which had, once they'd stopped shouting at the horse and payed attention to their surroundings, led them into the middle of a mesa. The exact opposite of a Jungle, and right smack between three mesa bryces stood the temple.

In all politeness...

It was the ugliest thing Ivan had ever laid eyes on, and given he'd seen, had LIVED through Boomtown, that was saying something. It looked like a god had pulled together the ugliest blocks in the entire world, eaten them, and then thrown them up in the shape of a building. Ten times.

Radar's eye was twitching, and Lukas looked quite like he wanted to throw up himself. "Well..maybe the inside isn't so bad?" Jesse suggested. The sheer amount of optimism in his voice was rather sickening, but Ivan just shrugged.

"Either way, it's definitely where you guys need to go. I mean come on, what else could this be?"

"An abomination designed to torture?" Radar grumbled under his breath. Lukas, Jesse, Ivor, and really everyone else who had tagged along that wasn't from Ivan's home world gave Radar a weird look. Radar just arched a brow but didn't say anything.

They set up camp on the mesa just outside the temple. After fencing it off so the horses couldn't run away, and so mobs would have a much harder time getting to them, the group worked out night shifts, so that everyone could sleep, but they wouldn't be left at the mercy of a mesa's overload of monsters.

Radar and Jesse ended up with the second shift of the night, and after Gabriel and Gabe shook them awake, Radar instinctively reaching for...something in his inventory before his mind caught up with his body. Jesse had been doing his best to avoid being alone with this...madman who was his alternate self. But they'd all agreed that partnering with your alternate self, when able, would be the best solution, to keep anyone from getting...ideas.

Everyone had looked at Radar when that had been said, but the brown haired man had just let his lips play into a small smirk, which was in no way calming to anyone (everyone) worried about his state of mind.

The two of them were silent for almost their entire shift. But about half an hour before it would be time to swap with Harper and Harp, Jesse took a deep breath and spoke. "So...your scar..." he couldn't pretend he hadn't noticed it. A lightning-bolt shaped line dancing right over Radar's throat. "How..." he trailed off, unsure how to phrase what he so desperately needed to know.

"I made a mistake." Radar said, voice colder than Ivor's had been when he and Jesse had first met. "I trusted someone I quite clearly shouldn't have, and when I tried to defy him, he tried to have me killed." a smile shimmied onto his lips "If I hadn't already been stocked up on potions of speed, and regeneration, he would have succeeded. But then, the world would still be living a lie. Believing in the Order." he glanced at Ivan who was sound asleep "The original Order anyways."

"It...it was Lukas, wasn't it?"

Radar gave him a sharp look "How did you-"

"You've been avoiding him all day. Petra too. Lukas was the one you trusted, and...and when you tried to get him to tell the truth about...the Command Block I'm guessing...he had Petra kill you. Or, at least try to kill you." Jesse picked at his overalls. Radar made a soft huff "You're smarter than I thought, given who you are in my world. Got it spot on the nose. "

It might have been Jesse's imagination, but it seemed like a look of remorse...of...guilt entered Radar's eyes. "I never wanted to lie, not at the start when we did everything legit and with laughter, as friends. Not when we went into that damn temple and took the Command Block. Not even when we went to the End." he scowled, the look of remorse gone. "We weren't going to use the Command Block in the End. I made Lukas and the others promise me, no matter what happened, we wouldn't cheat. Not for this. His terms were as long as I was bait for the dragon while they all did their own thing, then yeah, no Command Block. He wasn't even supposed to bring it." his hands balled into fists as he spoke, scowl deepening.

"But he did." Jesse guessed sadly. Radar nodded "Used the block to kill the dragon."

They were silent again. Then Radar spoke, voice barely louder than a whisper "You know the worst part?" Jesse looked up at him, brow furrowed as he shook his head.

"I could have lived with it if it was just Lukas who lied to me. Ever since he'd shown up at my old house with a proposition of joining his crew of heroes, I'd known there was something...off about him, something he was hiding. I could have eventually forgiven him for lying to me. The worst part about it though..." Radar took a deep breath, that Jesse noted had a small shudder to it. "The worst part was that the rest of them knew. They'd known about the Command Block plan all along. They knew, they lied to my face. The people I'd thought I could trust. That is why I used the Command Block on them. When Lukas left it to my body, for whatever reason I'll never know since he's too coward to talk to me one on one, probably afraid I'll kill him, I used it against them, to create the Witherstorm. Because I wanted them to feel the same betrayal I felt when Petra followed Lukas's order to kill me when I refused to play along with their lies."

There was nothing Jesse could say, could even think to say that would cover that. I'm sorry was just too weak, I know how you feel? A total lie. There were no words that could properly express what he wanted...needed to say.

And so he leaned forwards, and wrapped his arms around the older man, shoulders shaking slightly as he struggled to keep from crying.

But when after a completely stunned silence, Radar slowly wrapped his arms around Jesse, the walls broke and silent tears worked their way onto the older man's robe.

They entered the temple at sunrise.

It was an exact copy of the one that both teams had already gone through, so they had completely ignored the lava puzzle. (Except to worry about the fences that lay randomly around the room for whatever reason) and had used the vines to climb up to the hole in the roof.

And there it was.

Their way home at last.

Ivan turned to the group of natives. "Thank you" he said, smiling slightly at Jesse "For...for everything really. Maybe sometime after our adventure is over, we can come back and visit?" Jesse beamed "Absolutely!"

Ivan nodded "See you around the worlds!" and then he turned, and along with Radar, Gabe, and Harp, entered the birch wood portal.

Chapter Text

The next portal was...interesting.

Made completely out of gold blocks, and shaped like a skull, it even had two smaller holes for eyes. The glow for this portal was a vibrant green, that seemed to becoming from the gold itself, seeping out of the glow like mist and making the gold look paler. In other words, it was creepy.

They all stood around it for a while. No one really wanting to enter. The last world had been...well, it had been weird but it was somewhat normal, but the worlds before...

"You guys ready, or should we wait a day, rest up, gather our strength?" Ivor offered, fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt. Harper and Gabriel exchanged a glance and shook their heads, but it was Jesse who spoke. "We need to get back to our own world. We won't get there by dawdling." he grabbed hold of Ivor's shoulder, and marched him forwards. "So let's go."

That was the only warning Ivor got before Jesse jumped through the portal and dragged Ivor in after him.

Ivor was briefly aware of the sound of a bat squeaking, and then he landed face-first on a patch of dirt. Footsteps crunched on grass, and then he was being hauled to his feet by an amused looking Jesse. Two thumps sounded behind them, followed by the sound of Gabriel screaming a war cry as he lunged towards Jesse, blade drawn.

Jesse, wisely, jumped to the side to avoid getting his head cut off. He ended up in front of a stone archway, where a bat was hanging from staring at them with confusion in its beady eyes.

Then Ivor saw what Jesse had been standing in front of.

Quartz stairs followed by two stone slabs. A universal marker.

They were in a graveyard.

Together, Harper and Ivor had finally managed to pull Gabriel off of being intent on driving his sword through Jesse. Mainly by forcing his head back so he could look at the sky, where two moons hovered, dictating that it was most certainly not their home world that they were in.

It also revealed that it was nearing midnight...or about ten at night, depending on which moon you looked at. The ten o'clock one appeared to be farther away, or just plain smaller, it was rather hard to tell.

"I'm starting to get worried about Magnus and Ellegaard." Harper said unexpectedly. They'd decided to stay in the graveyard for a while. It was...somewhat lit and there were some...well there were barriers. Whether they were in good shape or not depended on the first century in which they'd surely been built.

Ivor glanced up at her from where he'd been cooking potatoes over a small fire. "What do you mean? They can handle themselves."

Harper fidgeted, tugging at her outfit "Well, if they decided to follow us, they'd go through the egg portal..." "And wind up in Sky City, which is currently overflowing with monsters." Gabriel finished, still scowling at Jesse who was looking rather amused about the whole thing.

"So maybe they do." Ivor shrugged "But they aren't useless, Ellie's smart. She'll figure out they need to go down, and the waterfall will carry them to the ground. Stella can guide them from there, and we've been doing our best to mark the portals."

Marking meant they'd been placing signs with names on each of the portals they'd gone through, as well as putting a fence in front of the portal if it was dangerous, or just plain scary. So far fences had gone in front of the Witherstorm sky portal. They'd completely blocked off the nether mob one, not wanting to risk anyone ever emerging, or if they did, then they could very well suffocate for a few seconds before the portal sent them back home.

"And then they'll end up with us and we can all work together to find our way home. They might even have some better ideas about how to find home." Ivor finished with another shrug.

"Well, unless the portal is disguised as a tombstone, we aren't going to be finding our way back to the portal hall any time soon." Jesse grumbled. He hadn't been consulted in the decision of waiting the night out, or rather his argument had gone ignored by Gabriel who had lit the fire and sat down to cook some steak.

Jesse's eyes had finally left Gabriel, the smirk gone from his face, and he was scanning the graveyard, which Ivor had for the most part been ignoring. His eyes suddenly stopped, and he frowned. Ivor shifted to get a better view.

There was a book just sitting there. Not floating, it had been purposely placed. It was closed, but there was a soft shimmer to the leather, as though it was inviting readers.

Carefully, Jesse got to his feet and took a few steps towards it. Ivor joined him, and at that point Gabriel and Harper noticed the book. "How long has that-" Gabriel started, before Jesse took a few longer steps, and stood directly in front of the book, arm stretching out and fingers dancing along the cover.

Ivor joined him, and then Harper and Gabriel. Now that they were close enough, they could see that the book seemed to be resting on some sort of shrine.

Slowly, as though afraid of triggering TNT, Jesse removed the book from the stand. "There's no title, or author." he said with a frown, tilting the book around as he examined it. "What's it say?" Harper asked, silver eyes gleaming with curiosity. Jesse flipped open to the first page, and arched a brow.

"Greetings Adventurers." He replied monotone.

At that exact moment, a deep groan rang through the graveyard, and was quickly echoed by the shadows.

"Of course." Ivor grumbled, drawing his weapon. "Keep reading, we've got your back."

Gabriel looks like he would rather let the zombies have their way with Jesse, but he too draws his blade.

"I humbly invite you." Jesse continues, as though the others aren't fighting a hoard of monsters right next to him.

"To my mansion, for an evening of food and festivities with your fellow heroes." He paused in his reading, jumped up onto the top of the book's stand, and kicked a zombie in the head. "Come to my house on the hill, just follow the path. Look out for zombies. Sincerely, the Host."

"Is anyone else getting a Clue like vibe from this?" Harper shouted as she shot an arrow into a Zombie's chest.

"Do we really have a choice?" Gabriel called back "It said mansion, that means people which means light and shelter."

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's the place we're looking for." Jesse shouted. They were running, following the 'path' which was a mixed assortment of grass paths, cobblestone, gravel, and birch wood planks.

They also had about twenty different hoards of zombies after them, but they were all ignoring that in favor of the absolutely massive build stretching high above them. "Last one there is zombie flesh!" Gabriel shouted, taking off with a sudden burst of speed. Harper was right behind him, followed by Ivor then Jesse. Trap or no, the mansion was a shelter, and the zombies were starting to get ridiculous.

Chapter Text

"I must say, this is the highest concentration of zombies I have ever seen." Jesse grumbled as they got closer to the mansion. "You think this host is going to be legit?" Harper asked, calling over Jesse's complaint. "I just ask because this place hasn't exactly been friendly so far." she yelped as a skeleton shot just in front of her and she nearly tripped over it.

"I'm with you." Ivor called back, once Harper was running again and no longer in danger of eating dust, "This has trap written all over it. But it's not like we can stay out here."

They were silent after that, focused on getting to the mansion. At one point, Harper paused and boosted Gabriel up over a hill so he could attack a smaller group of zombies, and slightly later Ivor felt himself flashing red as a skeleton made a lucky shot while he was distracted by a Creeper. Jesse had gone into a sort of rage mode after that and needless to say the skeletons hadn't lasted very long under Jesse's combination attack of potions and sword.

At some point, Ivor wasn't sure when, Jesse had armored himself, his horned helmet and swirling weapons making him look completely terrifying, especially once he started throwing potions. Needless to say, the monster hoards started thinning quite considerably.

After half-drowning, being shot in roughly six different places, and being covered in dirt from an emergency staircase maneuver, Ivor and the others emerged into the forest surrounding the mansion. They'd gotten rid of about three-quarters of the monsters, but the remaining ones weren't giving up. They'd shaken the skeletons at the river, but the spiders and zombies had somehow recruited some creepers, who kept hissing, flashing white, and then going silent to keep chasing after the humans.

The mansion had grown larger by the second, and now they were close enough that if they looked up, the roof was only just barely visible. There were lights glowing out from all of the rooms, and a stone wall wrapped around it protectively. The only problem with the wall, was that the gate was wide open.

Completely ignoring the fact that this was suspicious as nether, Ivor, Jesse, Gabriel, and Harper ran through, whipped around, and slammed the gates shut before all but collapsing onto the ground. All of them but Jesse, who rolled his eyes, and tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for them to get up.

The doors were made out of iron.

There were no trapdoors, buttons, or levers in sight. "The door's a definite no-go then...so, maybe a window?" Harper suggested, tilting her head back to look up at the glass panes. Ivor tilted his head back as well, trying to find a darkened window. Mainly because breaking through a window with light might mean people and that would be awkward, but also...

...yeah no that was the only reason.

"Maybe around back?" Gabriel suggested, already starting towards the side of the building. Jesse paused a half-beat and then followed the younger male, though slightly slower as he was removing his armor. Ivor and Harper glanced at each other, and then followed.

Harper sped up slightly to walk next to Gabriel, and Ivor glanced up as they rounded the corner, searching for an unlighted window. The others were looking on the first floor, where they were walking, Ivor's head was tilted upwards, checking the second floor. As such, he was the only one who saw it.

He didn't know what it was, but it made him freeze in his tracks. The window was lighted, and there was a dark shape staring down back at him. It wore dark clothes, or maybe that was its body. It looked almost like a short Enderman, or maybe a person wearing an Enderman costume. But it's head, oh it's head...

Pure black, with a white line for a scowling...no, grinning mouth, and gold eyes. Wait, no, they weren't pure gold...black pricks of shadow loomed out of the lightof the head's eye-holes, and soft golden trails whisped outwards, as it watched Ivor.

"IVOR!"

The spell broke. Ivor's head snapped to the side. Harper was waving for him excitedly "Gabriel found a window" she frowned at him "Are...are you alright?" Ivor's gaze flicked back to the window, and his eyes widened. It was gone...

"Y...yeah, I'm fine." he called "I...I just thought I saw something."

Harper tilted her head, but Ivor shook his "It's...it's nothing. Just a trick of the light. Where's the window?"

The window was on the second floor. There was a portion of forest inside of the wall, so they'd gotten to work on cutting down enough to pillar up to it. Harper had tried to get Ivor to spill what it was that he'd seen, but Ivor kept his jaws firmly clamped. There was no use in scaring any of them.

Besides, it was probably nothing.

Certainly nothing to work up a fuss about, it was probably just this world's thing. True none of them had gotten affected in a major way, like their entire head turning pure white, but if he squinted Ivor thought that mayyybe Jesse had a soft green glow trailing out of his eyes, and Harper could have had a gray whisp. The white was probably just...a dare. Yeah, that made sense.

Nothing to be worked up about, nothing at all.

So why did his heart keep threatening to jump out through his throat...

Harper's hands pressed against the glass as she squinted into the interior of the darkened room. "I think it's a kitchen of some sorts." Gabriel tapped the glass "Think the Host will mind us breaking in?" Jesse rolled his eyes and drew back one hand "I'm sure they'll find it in their heart to forgive us." he replied, before thrusting his arm forwards and smashing through one of the head-level glass panes. For the knee-level one, Jesse lifted his leg and kicked it hard enough to shatter.

The brown haired potionologist then jumped through the hole he'd created and pulled out a torch before turning to watch the others climb in, much more carefully than he had.

Once they were all inside, Ivor peered around. The room they were in wasn't completely dark, there were just enough torches to keep monsters from spawning, and an oak door off to one side that was letting in some more light.

"Great, now my inventory is full of Oak Blocks." Gabriel grumbled as he placed two to fill in the hole they'd made. "Well, at least it's wood, that's always handy." Harper said, smiling at him.

"You know I don't care if you took it right?" A muffled voice said.

All heads spun, staring at the door where the sound of footsteps could now be heard coming from. Ivor's hand instinctively went for his inventory, wrapping around the handle of his sword. "Duuuuude!" An accented voice whined "I'm telling you, for the last time, I didn't take it!" The door swung open, revealing a man with blue hair, green skin, and raven black eyes, as well as a man with slightly tanned skin, with a mop of dark chocolate hair, a beard, and wearing what looked to be a lumberjack outfit. "Hey, hey, not trying to make you mad, I'm just saying-" the bearded one started, before he saw Ivor and the others and froze.

"Hey..." Harper started to say, before the green skinned one shoved forwards and crossed his arms, glaring at the group "Well it's about time, I mean seriously, we have been waiting for TWO HOURS! This is your house, you invited us here, so why have you waited till now to show yourself!?" the man's voice rose slightly in pitch as he screamed at them, and Ivor flinched back.

"Uh, Syndicate, I don't know if that's the best way to-" the other newcomer started, before Ivor cut him off "Wait, this isn't our house, I thought it was yours!"

"Ew no!" 'Syndicate' huffed, drawing back and rolling his eyes "I mean it's a great build but do you SERIOUSLY think I would live in a-" the other one cut him off before he could finish, which Ivor suspected was a good thing "What Syndicate's trying to say is, no, we were invited here, by some guy calling himself the Host, I honestly thought you guys were it." he rubbed the back of his head "I'm HBomb94 by the way, who're you guys?"

Ivor tilted his head. Syndicate, HBomb94? These people had some seriously weird names "I'm Ivor, this is Jesse, Gabriel, and Harper."

HBomb94 blinked at him, but Syndicate snorted "What sort of names are those?"

He looked quite like he wanted to say more, but before he could HBomb94 said "So, if you guys aren't the owners of the house, then...does that mean we're still waiting on him?" Ivor shrugged, and the lumberjack groaned "If this is Del and Dylan pranking us, I swear-"

And then the lights went out.

Chapter Text

The torches had gone out, and since it was nearing one in the morning (or eleven, depending on which moon you looked at) there was no light coming from outside. Glowing trails could be seen, coming from each of their eyes, except for Syndicate, whose black eyes appeared to leave no trace of his being there.

For a moment, they were all frozen in shock, then there was a whirring sound, followed by seven sharp clicks, a whooshing sound, and then seven wet thunks, each punctuated by a sharp inhale. "What's going on?" someone, HBomb maybe, shouted. There was a loud thud and a zombie-esque groan, followed by three more whirr-click-whoosh-thunk cycles, each consisting of seven bolts.

For a few seconds there was a horrible silence, everyone too afraid to move, too terrified to speak. Glowing eyes stared at each other, blue, green, and gray all wide with fear.

Then the lights clicked back on.

For a few seconds, the sudden light after pure darkness made it impossible to see, all of them yelped, in varying pitches, and rubbed at the spots in their eyes. Harper recovered first. She must have, for as Ivor was still trying to get rid of the black spots half blinding him, Harper, who was literally right next to him, let out an ear shattering shriek.

Instantly, Ivor's hands dropped from his face and clenched into fists in front of him. Only problem?

There was...nothing in front of him.

"Oh Notch..." Harper whispered, Ivor's gaze flicked sideways to look at her, and upon seeing her gray eyes fixed on the floor, turned his focus back in front of him, realized HBomb was looking down as well, and looking quite pale, Ivor slowly lowered his eyes, and bit back a scream of his own. Syndicate...by the gods Syndicate...

The green skinned man was on the floor, a puddle of blood surrounding him, and twenty-eight green tipped arrows stuck out of his body. Sickly green wisps flowed out of each puncture wound, and his black eyes stared blankly on a face of horror, now frozen to him.

And then, the rest of them still frozen in absolute horror...

Syndicate's body exploded into dust, a pile of inventory dancing on the floor where he'd just lay, surrounded by arrows.

"Syndicate?" HBomb finally breathed, skin paler than a ghost as he stared at the iron armor, enchanted bow, rotten flesh, gunpowder, and sand that was the remains of the zombie-skinned man. HBomb's breath hitched, and he seemed to be struggling for air.

"So...I'm guessing calling dibs on his inventory would be inappropriate?" Jesse whispered to Gabriel, who elbowed him sharply, earning the swordsman an emerald glare.

"That poor guy..." Harper whispered, gray eyes filling with tears as she stared at the arrows "That's so awful!"

"He seemed like a bit of a jerk," Ivor muttered "But...nobody deserves that."

"Who would do suck a thing?" HBomb whispered, blue eyes wide as he continued to stare at the items only a few inches from his feet.

Ivor crouched down, squinting at the arrows. Something about their green tips seemed...off. "Hey Jesse, take a look at this." he muttered, jerking his head softly towards the cluster of arrows. The potionologist stepped forwards and bent down next to Ivor, carefully reaching out and picking up one of the items. Avoiding the tip, which, now that it was in the air, was dripping the green like liquid.

Jesse lifted it closer to his face and sniffed the liquid, before recoiling, eyes wide. "Potion of poison." He whispered, green eyes glued to the liquid that was starting to actually burn through the arrow's flint tip.

"Oh, is that-that a tipped arrow?" HBomb asked, eyes finally lifting from the pile of inventory "I don't know a ton about them, I think Lizzie does, but she was to busy working on her Deep End stuff to come, really wanted to though, but due to timezone complications she decided to do a clip with Aphmau instead." Ivor decided to just pretend he knew what HBomb was going on about and asked "Tipped Arrow?"

Jesse was the one that answered "Arrows whose ends have been dipped in potions, the brew needs to be strong though, otherwise the power won't transfer properly. And it needs to be applied just so, otherwise it has a chance of effecting the shooter." At that moment, a realization seemed to come over Jesse, for he tilted his head back so he could stare up at the ceiling.

Whatever Jesse saw clearly shocked him, for he flung an arm out, catching Ivor in the chest, and hurled the two of them away from the arrows.

Ivor yelped, and tumbled backwards, too startled by the sudden movement and physical contact to react further.

But as he practically somersaulted backwards, Ivor saw what had caused such a reaction.

A dispenser, it's carved face gazing innocently down at the spot where Syndicate had died.

In the exact moment that Ivor saw the dispenser, rolling onto his back so he could get a better view of it, the floor rumbled, and the blocks where Syndicate's inventory floated suddenly pulled downwards, as hoppers pushed up into view. They sucked up the items, before vanishing under the wooden planks once again.

If not for the puddle of blood that had stained the oak wood red, there was no sign that anyone had ever died.

Chapter Text

"Oh Notch..."

No one moved. How could they? Syndicate had died, had been poisoned, and now his inventory was gone! They wouldn't be able to give it to his family, wouldn't be able to give his final items to the people who cared about him.

"Syndicate..." HBomb breathed after a few minutes silence, his eyes like dinner plates. Then, if at all possible, his eyes widened even further and his hand shot for the small bag that hung at his waist, just behind his hip. Ivor exchanged a glance with Harper, who seemed as clueless as he was, and then turned his attention back on HBomb in time to see him pulling out a familiar looking book.

HBomb flipped through the book, through more pages than Jesse had read certainly, and then read aloud "The server's respawn is six months, we can't have you spilling my secrets now can we?" before letting out a massive breath of relief. "Alright," he said, putting the book back in his pocket, although he seemed to be talking to himself more than to Ivor or the others "So...respawn in half a year, traps means its like a haunted house thing, respawn limit is to keep us from spilling where the traps are, and...the hoppers gather our stuff, but only after others can examine it for clues. I wonder what would have happened if we had tried to take anything..."

Ivor stared at him "What-" he started, but before he could finish, the door behind HBomb blasted open, and a brown haired girl with a blue and white striped shirt half-ran into the room "Is everything alright in here?" she asked, green eyes wide. "Whoah...what's with the crowd? And where's Syndicate? I thought he was with you?"

HBomb shook his head "I'll explain in a minute, we need to round up the others." he tapped something on the side of his head, between his eye and his ear, and a small glowing screen appeared in front of his face, as well as a flat thing just below it that he started splaying his fingers on. A few seconds later a voice cut into the silence "-sooo big! I mean really, who has the time to build this?" Another voice, accented like Syndicates had been replied "I mean I recreated a volcano, and Del built that Ice castle on your island-" HBomb interrupted them "Hey guys?

"Dude what are you doing?" the first voice replied "I thought we were supposed to stay in the channel for what part of the-"

"Yeah well, something came up, check chat." HBomb said, his own eyes on a small line of white text near the bottom of his screen. Ivor was too far away to see it, but whatever it was made both voices inhale sharply "That, that wasn't supposed to happen." Said the accented voice. "Was it?" then the first voice said "Shelby's in the Hallway, me and Will can grab her. Where you want to meet?"" HBomb tilted his head from side to side for a half-beat, before replying "Isa's in the Living Room. We can all meet up there."

Then he splayed his fingers a few more times, before tapping the same spot on his head to make the glowing thing go away. "Alright, time for you to meet the rest of us." HBomb said, waving Ivor and the others towards the door.

The brown haired girl led the way through several halls before an archway to a massive room appeared. Inside, studying something on the wall, was a young woman with raven hair, a yellow t-shirt, and blueish pants. She had a golden circlet on her head, and when she turned towards them she spotted the girl in the lead first and called "Stacy, hey! Did you see all these new-oh!" her green eyes widened "You've got them with you."

Ivor's eyes widened. Hanging on the wall was portraits of...them. There was Ivor, standing with his arms crossed, Gabriel, brandishing his sword, Harper, aiming her bow at something offscreen, and Jesse examining a potion. There were other pictures too, he managed to see one of HBomb, one of 'Stacy', and one of Syndicate, a big red X, still dripping paint onto the floor below, before two more boys and a girl came running through a door on the far end.

The girl had reddish-brown hair, amber eyes, and was wearing a slightly too big gray hoodie, black shorts, and a white crown. The first boy had messy brown hair poking out of a red hood, worried dark eyes, and a white t-shirt underneath the red jacket. The second was by far the most strange looking. He had pale skin and light brown hair, and he was wearing a black hoodie with a yellow 'button' on the left side. That was where the normal stopped. His hands were pitch black, and his eyes were glowing fiercely, even in the bright room. That was probably because they were blood red.

"Dude, please tell me it's not true!" The one with the red eyes demanded, his voice was the same as the first one that Ivor had heard when HBomb did his glowing...thing. Speaking of HBomb, the bearded man was fidgeting slightly. "It...it is true." he said. Isa and Stacy both frowned "What's going on?" Isa asked, green eyes darting between HBomb and Ivor.

HBomb sighed, then nodded to the red-eyed male. "It's true, I'll, I'll explain in a second, first, let's get names down. So, like you four already know I'm HBomb94. Then we've got StacyPlays," he nodded to the girl who'd found them in the kitchen "IsaGaming," the girl with the raven hair nodded "Graser10," the red eyed male gave a slow wave. "Shubble," the girl with the paper crown smiled slightly at them, though it didn't quite reach her eyes "And Kiingtong." the last male nodded at them.

"Kiingtong?" Ivor could hear Gabriel whispering behind him "So like...the King of Tongs? What even are tongs?"

"Everyone this is Ivor, Gabriel, Harper, and Jesse. As for why I called you back into here..." HBomb took a deep breath

"Syndicate, Syndicate is dead."

Chapter Text

Magnus stared at the glowing egg.

"You don't think..." he started. Ellegaard groaned "It's Ivor, of course I think." She rubbed the space between her eyes. "I swear, when we get home, I am going to tie Ivor down and just sleep for the rest of time." Magnus tilted his head towards her "What are you-" "It doesn't matter." She interrupted. "Let's just go and find them before they get into too much trouble."

Ellegaard stepped into the portal, vanishing in a swirl of sky blue. Magnus paused, fingers tugging at his armor slightly, before he too stepped into the frame.

He wasn't sure, but as he started to seep into wherever the portal led, he thought he could smell fire, gunpowder...and parrot?

Celery green eyes stared blankly down at the competitors. He had that feeling again, it kept coming at him, more and more violently.

Ever since leaving his home world to come to this one with the others who had the power to travel the worlds, he'd been able to keep the feeling down. But it kept coming back, tugging at him.

Danger was coming to the Games, a danger that would take the little hope that he used to keep the competitors going, and turn it into something dangerous. Hope, when administered correctly, could be useful. It was even better than fear, since it kept people going longer.

But too much hope, and they would becoming testing, dangerous even...just maybe even...

Overthrowing.

Lukas had to admit, the sun...felt nice.

He'd almost forgotten what it felt like to simply relax and let the sun's caressing touch wash over one's self.

Of course, since he'd been hidden away so long, he'd have to be careful to avoid getting burnt, but out here,

out in the safety where they couldn't reach him, it was safe.

Even if only for a little while.

He knew they were coming. He'd known Aiden since he was but a child and they were still discovering their abilities.

He knew the anger boiling over in Aiden, knew the annoyed sensations coming from Maya, and oddly enough Stella who had been silent for quite some time. Gill was oblivious, as always. Isa...was angry and afraid. Not a good combination for the young ravenette. She was dangerous when she was afraid, he'd be a fool not to admit that.

And finally, Cassie.

She was broken, had been broken for a long time.

Whatever had caused it he wasn't sure, but it had crept up on him while he buried his senses underneath the monotony of dying and placing wool.

Cassie had shattered, but he wasn't sensing danger from her. No, just...the shattered feeling of fear, and pure survival instinct.

She was confusing, giving into instinct.

Lukas could only pray that anyone who came across her would be strong enough to withstand it.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree"

The words flowed from her mind and into her mouth with ease. Cassandra Ebony Rose had always loved music, it was part of her soul, her sirenic inheritance called upon her to sing, to hum, to make noise that was more than speaking. Once upon a time, back with her friends from the other worlds, she'd sung. Isa and Stella had even sung with her, joyfully releasing the notes and laughing when Adrien and Gill would turn red in their (more often than not) failed attempts to stop the girls.

But her songs were no longer joyful. They were broken, haunted melodies that seemed to emerge from her very soul

"They strung up a man, they say he murdered three."

Cassie was grateful she'd been unable to teach PAMA song. What had once been a source of great sadness, was now her only weapon of confusion. Well, that and logic, but it was a lot easier to bolt out a confusing song than figure out a riddle in time to stop his drones.

"Strange things have happened here no stranger would it be"

His drones...but really, even though PAMA had taken the people over, had forced them into this...eternal silent slavery, forced them into a hive mind, seeking only to assimilate everyone and everything...

wasn't it really her fault?

Weren't they really her drones?

After all, the mess this world was in, this too dry mesa, this sunsorched desert...

wasn't it really all her fault for creating PAMA in the first place?

"if we met, at midnight, in the Hanging Tree."

Chapter Text

"Syndicate is dead."

HBomb's words may as well have dropped an actual bomb into the manor.

Shubble and Isa's eyes widened, Shubble's white crown slipping over her eyebrows in the process, Stacy and Graser's mouth dropped open, and Kiingtong seemed to have gone into shut-down mode, staring blankly at HBomb.

Finally Shubble managed to stammer out "But he was so tough! All those Hardcore servers...How...What...There shouldn't have been anything here that could take him down!" Kiingtong nodded quickly and put in "Seriously though, this is a prank right? You hacked the server somehow?"

HBomb shook his head and opened his mouth to explain, but Ivor beat him to it. "Tipped arrows." he said simply, glancing at Jesse who got the hint and reached into his inventory. As the scarred man removed the green-tipped arrow, grimacing as he did so, Ivor found himself looking at the other people, studying their reactions. As he was shifting onto Isa, he caught himself, and quickly turned back to the arrow. What was he thinking? There was no way anyone who'd been invited could have done this, it had to be the host.

But did it?

He flicked his gaze up to Isa anyways, and found only horror in her pale green eyes. Alright. that was what he'd expected anyways.

"Tipped Arrows?" Stacy asked, breaking the silence finally, wrapping her arms around herself with a small shudder "That's horrible!"

"Sooooo..." Graser said, red eyes flicking towards the doorway Ivor and the others had gone through a few moments ago. "What happened to his stuff?"

"GRASER!" Shubble shrieked, literally, as her voice went up several octaves higher.

"Yea, that's...that's really not the best thing to wonder about." Kiingtong said, though Ivor suspected he was hiding a smile from the way the hoodie-wearing teen quickly pulled his hood further over his face.

"How could you even wonder about that at all?" Isa demanded, her green eyes appearing to turn a few shades lighter, though when Ivor squinted they were back to normal. "It literally just happened! In a few hours maybe, alright I get it, but right after?" She shook her head, black hair fanning around her in an almost halo.

"Guys, guys,"HBomb said, waving his arms slightly.

"I just want to know what happened!" Graser yelped back, red eyes wide with fear.

"Besides, it doesn't matter." Harper interrupted, causing whatever HBomb had been about to say to die in his throat. The others turned towards the ravenette, confusion clear in most of their eyes. Harper blushed slightly at the sudden attention but quickly said "The inventory, it, it got sucked into some hoppers, it's gone."

Isa turned a green eyed glare towards Harper, which made Ivor's hands clench into fists. "And we're just supposed to take your word for it?" Isa snapped. She took a stalking step forwards, but HBomb stepped in between the two girls. "Isa stop, I saw it too. His things..." he glanced towards Stacy "Everything he had on him is gone."

Stacy's eye twitched slightly and she started to ask "Did he have-" HBomb shook his head. "No, it was clean. Well, I mean the Enchanted Bow was a little suspicious since the instructions were to leave all weapons behind, but I didn't see any arrows so it was pretty pointless."

Ivor glanced at Jesse, arching a brow. He hadn't remembered anything about weapons. Jesse shook his head. Weird. Maybe their copy had been different? And then there was the question of, how the absolute heck did the Host know they would be arriving?

"So I'm looking at this entire situation and I've come up with a question." Gabriel spoke.

They'd been in the room for quite some time now, talking a little about Syndicate's death, and Gabriel had been silent almost the entire time.

Ivor turned towards him, and from the rustle of clothing he wasn't the only one.

Gabriel was currently looking at the portraits, but as he continued to speak he slowly turned his gaze down to look at everyone "Is this just about Syndicate, or...is there something bigger going on? Because if this is just about him, why bring all of us here, why the portraits?"

Ivor's eyes widened. He hadn't even thought about that.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one, because Kiingtong spoke up. "Now, Syndicate, he wasn't...he wasn't exactly the nicest guy. But, doing something like this..." he shook his head "How could anyone bring people someplace with the intent to kill them? That's just flat out barbaric. Without an instant or two minute Respawn anyways."

Ivor still had no clue what the heck they were talking about.

"Guys..." Graser spoke up, looking significantly paler than a few minutes ago. "What if we're all in some real danger here?"

"Graser's right..." Harper said. Someone, sounding suspiciously like HBomb, muttered "had to happen sometime"

Ivor decided to ignore him, and focused on Harper, who turned a fearful gaze to Ivor. "We're trapped."

Jesse nodded grimly "Between a zombie horde, and a murderer."

Chapter Text

A murderer and a zombie horde.

Who could have thought that things could take such a turn for the worse. Sure the last few worlds had been...well, strange, what with fish tails, nether hybrid wars, and the whole 'alternate selves' thing, but this was a whole new matter. Monsters were one thing, but another human, actively seeking their deaths?

It wasn't an ideal situation.

Green eyes scanned the group of strange beings they had met. Unlike Ivor, who's gaze had flicked away, Jesse had seen Isa's face before it transformed into horror. Her eyes had flashed a victorious golden color, and her lips had twitched upwards, until she had gotten control of her facial features.

Isa knew something, Jesse knew that for a fact.

He just had to figure out what.

Gabriel wasn't sure how he felt about things at the moment.

On the one hand, this world clearly had some sort of alternate rules, what with the whole glowing thing in front of HBomb's face earlier.

But then on the other hand, it also had a likely insane person trying to murder them all.

But then again, when wasn't there something trying to kill them? Zombies, Witherstorms, the only difference now was that this time the killer was probably human and fully aware that they were taking lives.

Gabriel doubted anyone they'd met so far had the ability to pull off murder. The Host was probably someone they had yet to meet, maybe they weren't even human at all.

That would sure make things easier in the long run.

Harper's black hair spilled down over her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around herself and all but collapsed inwards.

She knew she'd gotten a lot better ever since the Witherstorm had passed, certainly better than Ellegaard, who they'd had to practically drag to the old temple with them, but fighting monsters was much different than fighting a Monster. After all, what else could a murderer be?

There seemed to be something different about death in this world though, the others...after HBomb had read the book, he'd seemed...less concerned about Syndicate's death. Maybe...

Maybe in this world, death didn't mean death.

Maybe Syndicate wasn't gone for good.

"Well, someone brought us here for a reason." Ivor said, glancing at the grim looks on his friends faces. "All of us, which means we need to stick together. We'll be fine, if we don't believe that..." he let his voice trail off. Primarily because he really didn't have anything to finish it off with, but also because he really didn't want to think about what might happen if they all gave up.

HBomb grinned, nodding eagerly 'Exactly! Teamwork makes dreams work, or...something like that." That got a laugh out of Graser, and a few of the others smiled slightly.

There was a rather awkward silence for a moment, before Shubble turned to Graser "Hey Graze, can I talk to you...over there." she nodded her head towards the fireplace with a rather suspicious look on her face. She walked away, and the red-eyed male quickly followed.

Kiingtong started to follow, but then veered towards the other side of the massive table with...was that dog eating a cake?

As the hoodie wearing male reached one of the chairs he hissed "Stacy!" the brunette quickly made her way over to him.

Isa slipped past both groups, and headed for the cake and the dog. Gently picking him up, revealing gorgeous brown and orange markings, Isa made her way to the far end of the table. After a brief pause, HBomb joined her, leaving Ivor and the others to themselves.

"Well that was weird." Harper muttered.

"You know..." Jesse hummed, green eyes locked on Isa, HBomb, and the pup "The more I think about it, the more I think there's something these people don't want us to know."

"One of them has to know the truth about what's going on here." Gabriel agreed, nodding to Jesse, although with a slight grimace

"It would be nice to know what's going on." Harper admitted "Especially if we're going to be stuck with them overnight."

Ivor nodded, letting his gaze wash over the room "Looks like we've got a mystery to solve."

"Hey HBomb." Ivor said, forcing his face into a smile "And...IsaGaming right?"

The black haired girl flashed him a smile "That's me! But please, no formalities, we're all, well, mostly all friends here. I insist you call me Isa." HBomb gave a weak smile "And you can just call me H if that's easier. Most of these guys do." He waved in Kiingong, Graser, and Shubble's general direction.

"Good to know." Ivor hummed. He had to admit, a lot of these guys seemed really friendly, it was hard to imagine them setting a trap to kill others. "Would either of you mind if I asked a few questions?" Isa gave him an odd look and Ivor quickly added "I'm just trying to wrap my head around everything, and since you all seem to know each other, I thought it'd be a good idea to ask around."

Isa relaxed, and turned towards her dog. Ivor decided to start simple, and work his way up to the more...touchy questions.

"So, what's your dog's name?"

Isa smiled at him "This is Winslow, I've had him for almost two years now, turned him into a dog last week. Don't you just LOVE his markings?"

Ivor had to admit the brown, white, and orange dog was pretty adorable looking. His fur matted up in every direction, and he was about the size of...Ivor forced his mind to stop that train of thought. He couldn't think about Reuben now. Not...not under this setting. He turned to HBomb "So what about you? Do you have any pets?" H shrugged "Sort of? I don't have any here in Hub, but on one server I've got a parrot named Princess"

Ivor blinked.

Annnnd blinked again.

Then he turned back to Isa "So...how long have you guys been friends?"

They talked for about five minutes before Ivor finally brushed against the questions he'd been practically dying to answer.

"Hey Isa, you seemed really upset about people wanting to look at Syndicate's inventory, were you guys close?" He made sure to sound like he was just mildly curious, but he must have failed because Isa gave him a suspicious look before answering "Not really, not as much as with H and the others anyways. Syndicate was AFK for...well, years. He'd only just come back when we got the invitation."

Ivor frowned "Then, why so upset." Isa sighed, and lowered her head to press it into Winslow's fur. The dog wagged his tail and lifted his head slightly to lap at Isa's cheek. Finally she replied "It had just happened, and it felt so...so insensitive. I mean I get wondering what people have on them, but right after they die? And all she was worried about was what was in his pockets!"

Ivor winced "It does sound bad when you put it that way." Isa nodded, but didn't say anything.

Ivor decided to turn to H for his next question "You looked at Stacy when you said he didn't have anything suspicious, care to explain why?" H shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Look, I...I only know a little bit and, I don't want to get wrapped up in it. Especially now that he's...now that he's going to be gone for the next six months." Ivor was started to think he should ask about that, but H added "If you really want to know, ask Graser. He's who I heard it from."

Ivor nodded, turning towards the black-hoodie wearing male. "You know, I think I'll do that."

He started to make his way towards Graser and Stacy, then he paused "Once more question, if you don't mind. I'll understand if you don't want to answer." H and Isa shared a look "Go on." Isa said slowly. Ivor took a deep breath, then said "Do you have any questions as to why anyone here would want to kill Syndicate, and do you have any theories as to who it is."

H winced, and Isa looked quite like she wanted to slap Ivor. Then she took a deep breath and said "Well, you met him right? He was a bit...prickly around the edges. And let's not forget, he didn't exactly have the greatest filter. Always swearing and cussing at people." she shuddered "As for who, well..." she narrowed her eyes "You were one of the last ones to see him alive."

With those lovely words ringing in the air, Isa whirled around and planted her back to Ivor. H gave him a sheepish look and whispered "For what it's worth, I don't think you guys did it."

Ivor nodded "Thanks H. I'm...I'm gonna go talk to the others now, give Isa some time to cool down."

H nodded as Ivor added "Thanks for answering."

With that he stepped away from the two with more questions than he had answers.

Chapter Text

Narrowed green eyes watched as Ivor stepped away from the group he'd been talking to. They watched as Ivor paused, glancing between Shubble and Graser, and Kiingtong and Stacy. Finally, the teen started towards Shubble and Graser, who were much closer than the other two.

Green eyes closed, and a hand reached up to push hair out of the owner's forehead. Letting out a sigh, the eyes opened again and turned to focus on the doorway. Were there to be any more surprises? They hoped not. It would be an absolute pain to deal with.

"Hey there Shubble, Graser" Ivor said, nodding to the two in turn. Shubble looked up quickly, her white crown slipping over her eyes again as she did so "Hey." she greeted, pushing it up. Graser just smiled, and kept fiddling with the piece of string in his hands. "Would either of you mind if I asked a few questions?" he asked. That opening had worked at the start with H and Isa, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to kick off with it here as well.

"Why?" Shubble asked, tilting her head. She didn't sound suspicious or angry, just...curious. "Well, I'm trying to get a handle on well...everything." Ivor replied, "You all seem to know each other, and me and my friends only just got...here" he had been about to say 'to this world', but he didn't know how well that would go over. "So I thought it might be a good idea to ask around." Shubble leaned to the side and arched a brow at the site of Isa, still pointedly keeping her back to Ivor.

"So ah, me and my friends well...we, we aren't exactly from around here." Ivor said. He let out a deep breath and said "And ah, well..." he pointed to the side of his head "What are these things and how do they work?"

It took almost twenty minutes for Ivor to get the hang of his 'screen' as it was apparently called. Shubble and Graser showed him how to record, how to watch other people's videos, and a few other basic commands that apparently wouldn't work here in 'Hub', but would work on certain 'servers'.

Finally, with 'video rolling', Ivor turned to Shubble "So, now that all of...that's out of the way, I was wondering...Shubble, you don't strike me as the biggest fan of Syndicate, there a reason why?" Shubble shrugged "Not really I suppose. I didn't know him all that well, but what I did know of him," her nose crinkled "Well, I just guess I just didn't like him, that's all."

Ivor nodded "He seemed kind of targeted for that trap, well, either him or H, but say for a minute whoever set it deliberately wanted to get Syndicate, any idea why?"

Graser picked at his hoodie "He was bragging about having a rare item." His red eyes flicked towards Stacy, then he added "wouldn't show it to anybody though."

Ivor frowned "Any idea what was going on between Stacy and Syndicate?" Graser bit his lip, but replied "Well, you see...A few weeks ago, Syndicate broke into Stacy's house. Well, at least we think it was syndicate. No one else has fessed up, and that was when he started bragging about his trophy. He, theoretically him anyways, stole Stacy's elytra. She was furious, still is I'd bet."

Ivor arched a brow "Furious enough to murder him?" Graser shook his head quickly, and Shubble joined in "There's no way Stacy would have the nerve to do anything like that. Pranking people with hideous terracotta, sneaking pufferfish into their bases, those are Stacy's ideas of revenge. She wouldn't kill anyone." Ivor hummed "Alright." He took a step back "I'll see you guys later. Thanks for the help."

Instead of walking straight to Stacy and Kiingtong, Ivor let his feet lead him to his friends. Taking a moment to show them the basics of 'screen usage', Ivor said "Our best suspect right now is Stacy. According to Graser, Syndicate supposedly stole something from her. But according to Shubble, she doesn't have murder in her." Harper tilted her head "No, but she's the only one with motive." Jesse, who for some reason had his emerald gaze locked onto Isa, shook his head "That we know of. And Ivor said supposedly, it very well could have been someone else to rob her."

Ivor sighed "Well, I'm gonna go talk to her. See you guys in a moment."

Finally making his way up to Stacy and Kiingtong, Ivor nodded to them "Hello you two." It was starting to get later into the night, and he'd wasted enough time with Isa and HBomb at the start, so Ivor said straight away "I was wondering if I could talk to you about Syndicate?" Kiingtong glanced at Stacy, who frowned, but shrugged "I guess" he said, turning his attention back on Ivor "What did you want to know?"

Ivor took a deep breath "I've been talking to the others and..." Stacy interrupted him "And you think I killed him to get my Elytra back?" Ivor hesitated, and Stacy sighed "Look, I'll admit, I was upset with him, more than a little, and I may or may not have been planning with Joey and the Funneh Krew to get back at him, but..." she shook her head "I don't know what it's like in the part of Hub where you all come from, but around here we don't kill each other over things like that." Kiingtong smiled "Yeah, we're more likely to challenge them in parkour or hide and seek maps than in survival games."

Ivor decided it was another one of those times to just nod and smile like he knew exactly what they were talking about.

"Alright, that's basically what Shubble told me. Is there anything else you can think of? Anything that might help me figure out who did this?" Stacy shook her head, though Kiingtong turned towards one of the windows. "I know he used to do a lot of survival servers with folks, they had ten second respawns so it was alright with them to kill on it, they even had a weekly event where they did just that, maybe he forgot that the respawn here is longer and made the wrong person mad? But I can't imagine who he'd offended that also had power to change the respawn of this mansion."

"Right." Ivor said, tilting his head "Well if you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk to my friends for a moment."

Chapter Text

"I found out what Syndicate supposedly stole from Stacy." Ivor said as he approached the others. Harper turned towards him, tilting her head slightly "What?" she asked, brow furrowing. "Elytra. I'm not exactly sure what they are, I think they're like the screen things, but also extremely rare."

"They are." Jesse said unexpectedly. Ivor turned towards him with a small frown "Care to share?"

Jesse sighed "When I was...delayed in the End, I got to exploring. There wasn't much else to do and frankly sitting in an Enderman farm for hours on end gets rather boring after a time. So I started exploring, and discovered that there's more to the End than just the island where we...removed the dragon from." Ivor arched a brow "Really?" Jesse nodded "Yes, hundreds, if not thousands, of small islands, each covered in purple plants, which bear a remarkable fruit that has the side effect of teleportation you a few blocks away after ingestion. But there were also cities." His eyes gleamed slightly "Cities made of remarkable purple blocks, and inhabited by millions of endermen, and strange creatures I believe you know as Shulkers."

Ivor's eyes widened. Shulkers were rare beasts that some unknown adventurer had brought into the overworld. They were kept in Modus, Fabula's capital, and after being fed Chorus Fruit, which had also been planted near them, they had bred. Their keepers had discovered that, when the hostile mobs were killed, they dropped their shells that, if combined, became a sort of chest, but instead of dropping everything inside when it was broken, it kept it's inventory, allowing for easy travel. They were very expensive though, since the Shulkers were on the top of the endangered species list.

"You're telling me that in the End, there are hundreds of Shulkers?" Gabriel asked, eyes wide. Jesse nodded "Perhaps even thousands."

Harper frowned "Wait, what does this have to do with Elytra?" Jesse gave her a wry smile "Everything. For you see, the Shulkers were protecting, not just the city, but a ship. I explored several cities, but only a few of them had ships, and sometimes, when I went back to one I knew had a ship, it was gone, which leads me to believe there may be more...human inhabitants in the End." As Jesse spoke, he began to rummage through his inventory. "In the ships were potions, enchanted armors, not as good as mine of course but decent, and..." he pulled out a set of what looked like scale-covered wings. "These." The wings were large, possibly as long as Jesse's shoulders to the ground. They were mostly silver, with blue spirals and soft green undertones.

"Elytra." A voice said from behind "Cool, you've got some too." Jesse shoved the wings quickly in his inventory,, and Ivor swung around to see HBomb looking at Jesse curiously "I'd ask if they were Stacy's, but hers had stripes not spirals." H shrugged "Anyways...I was thinking about what you asked, about Syndicate and...well, Stacy wasn't the only person he was suspect to steal from."

Ivor arched a brow "Oh?" H nodded "Yeah, see, Will and Shelby have been going after this thing for ages, I think he might have taken it from...whoever got it, I'm really not sure who got to it first, anyways, come with me, and I'll explain everything."

HBomb led the way back to the table, and called for the others to gather around. Spreading themselves around the table, Ivor sat opposite of Kiingtong, Jesse next to him with Gabriel on his far side and HBomb opposite the dark skinned warrior, Stacy, Graser, and Shubble gathered near HBomb, and Harper sat at the far head of the table.

"So, as you guys I'm guessing already know, Ivor's been trying to figure things out. You know, why we're here and why what happened to Syndicate well...happened." Kiingtong, Graser, and Stacy all looked down at that. "But, after he talked to me, I started thinking. Whoever's doing this, what if they're after the enchanted-" his voice cut off abruptly as Harper let out a shriek.

Ivor whirled towards her, hand reaching for his sword, but he froze, as he saw Harper's head look up at him from the pit her chair had knocked her into. Her panicked gray eyes met his midnight blue for a split second, and then sand began to fall, burying the Architect alive.

"NO!" Ivor shouted, lunging forward. Desperately, he began to scoop sand out of the hole, and he could hear and feel the others running towards him to help.

Then the lights snapped off. Ivor slowed to a stop, breath coming in horror filled pants, his eyes widening to the size of the twin moons outside. Someone behind him was shrieking, someone else was trying to calm them down. He didn't care. All that mattered was saving Harper. Shaking himself off, Ivor continued to scoop sand, even though he could barely see the grains he was removing.

And then the lights clicked back on. But instead of being a warm gold from glowstone, these lights were pale and harsh, Ivor risked looking up, and froze. Where the portrait behind Harper's seat had been, now stood a portrait of the person he'd seen in the window. A figure with a jet black head, only from close up he could see it was a pumpkin head. The eyes were glowing gold, and whoever it was was wearing a dark blue jumpsuit, and holding a diamond axe. The pumpkin was carved into a horrifying grin, and strange, tattered wings, somewhat like the Elytra Jesse had just shown them, but flared upwards, sprouted from the person's back.

"Greetings, Adventurers." spoke a low, scratchy voice "I, am the Black Pumpkin."

The head turned to face the sand, and Ivor slowly looked down...

As a leather brown bag, with the name Harper sewn in silver thread, slowly rose to the top, instead of being magically sealed shut, it was spilling open, Harper's bow, several arrows, and a few leftover wooden planks sifting onto the sand.

"Harper..." Gabriel breathed somewhere to Ivor's left.

"One of you has the treasure I desire." the 'Black Pumpkin' continued "And I will not rest until it is mine. Even if I must resort..." the voice trailed off, and the lights flickered off again. Lightning struck somewhere, causing the mansion's room to flare with light, and Ivor saw as the painting vanished, to reveal the painting in real life, although the wings were missing.

"TO MURDER!"

Chapter Text

The recording had gone off without a hitch.

Isa didn't know which of the fools had triggered it, she'd tried to sit as close to the trap as possible, since the seats on either side of it lacked the buttons, but she'd ended up at the opposite end of the table, as far away from the black haired brat as she could be. Thankfully there wasn't any redstone at her seat either, so when they started pointing fingers she would be clear.

If she remembered where the buttons were, and she was quite proud to say she did, then the accused would be the man with a scar on his neck, HBomb, Graser, and Kiingtong. She hadn't been able to see the girl's inventory, which meant she would have to slip away to check her chest. And resort the hopper system to go into the next chest. She'd been just barely able to get it ready last time, but then she'd had quite a bit of time with all their panicking over Syndicate's body. Not enough time to escape her disguise and try to get some more information, and she probably wouldn't be able to do that until they were all dead, but by then she would have the Flint and Steel. Besides, if it got down to that the spawn point reset was set up to spawn them to a different cage, and it would release them in two days, long enough for her to be long gone.

Calming her face into an expression of fear, Isa waited for the interrogation to begin.

"And the storm is rising inside of me, dontcha feel that our world's collide? It's getting harder to breathe, it hurts deep inside."

Cassie was sitting in her lab, looking down over the last lake of water in the mesa world. Chipped Drones didn't need to eat or sleep, so Pama had sent them out even to the middle of the Far Lands, ensuring that no water was left in the entire world. The world was a mesa too, from end to end, which meant there hadn't been much water to begin with. If she focused enough power, she probably had enough left to summon a Command Block, and then she could just generate an ocean somewhere or something, but that would also alert Aiden to where she was.

Stupid telekons and stupid mind-bonding process.

"Just let me be, Who I am, It's what you really need to understand, And I hope so hard for the pain to go away,"

Cassie hoped her slow insanity was bleeding into Aiden. It would make her self-exile all worth it.

She also hoped his Games backfired and trapped him in an obsidian box filled with lava for the rest of eternity, but that might be too big of a wish.

"And it's torturing me, But I can't break free, So I cry and cry but just won't get it out.

My silent scream"

Ivor slowly got to his feet. The lights had turned back on, but they were harsher, and yet at the same time dimmer, allowing for long shadows in the corners of the room.

Ivor thought he knew what it was like to see red. The day he'd lost Reuben, he could barely remember anything from what happened between Reuben falling and the Witherstorm blowing up. But this, this was an entirely different feeling. He could feel fire burning in his blood, he wanted to shout, to punch something, to scream to the gods and maybe kill one of them with a blunt wooden shovel.

But he was aware of everything.

That was the worst part. He didn't know how, but he knew that he would remember every little detail about this in two, ten, fifty years. No matter how long he lived, he would remember this feeling until the day he died.

Turning around to face the others, who were all in varying stages of panic, Ivor glowered at each of them "I am going to find out who is behind this, and I am going to tear them apart."

Chapter Text

Ivor glared around the room. Whoever had done this, they were going to pay. He was going to see to it that they suffered.

"I want everyone out of this room until I find out what happened, and then I want answers, am. I. Clear."

None of the faces offered up argument, and even if they had Ivor would have ignored them. He jerked his head towards the double doors the natives of this world had entered, and one by one they left, until he was alone with Jesse. "Get out." Ivor snarled, hands balling into fists. He needed to be alone. He needed the room to be empty.

He needed to break down, but was too proud to do it in front of anyone.

But instead of leaving, Jesse strode towards Ivor, and did something Ivor hadn't thought him capable of.

Jesse took hold of Ivor, drew him in, and rested his own head on top of Ivor's raven hair. No words were exchanged, none were needed. Ivor let out a strangled sob, and then buried his face in Jesse's robes, tears rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably as his shoulders shook and his legs threatened to dump him on the cold ground.

The two of them stood like that for a few minutes.

Jesse wasn't sure what had made him do it, but he knew it was the right thing to do.

Odd...he also wasn't sure when he'd started caring about what the right thing to do was.

Maybe it had been when he'd started letting Ivor and his friends worm their ways into his heart. Ivor the strongest, Gabriel...well Jesse was sure he could muster a frown if he'd been the one to die.

But Harper. Ivor had a crush on her, Jesse had known that since the two of them had stood in his way in the basement of the Keynote hall. For her to die, especially in front of them all like that, it was destroying Ivor from the inside out.

Jesse knew there was something strange about death in this world, respawn and all that, but he didn't have any intention on staying here six months to find out if Harper suddenly re-appeared in the graveyard. There had to be a way to speed up the process, it was just a matter of finding out how.

Gabriel sat on one of the couches staring at the floor.

Harper was...was dead.

He still couldn't believe it.

Around him, the people from the world they were in moved around, so sat like him, whispering to each other. One of them tried to talk to him, rested a hand on his shoulder and said "Are you alright?"

Gabriel ignored them. How could anyone be alright? They'd just witnessed a murder.

A murder by suffocation.

Poor Harper, those last few moments must have been horrible for her, nothing to breath in but sand.

Lowering his head, Gabriel prayed to Notch, to Herobrine, to the Admin, to whatever other gods were up there.

He prayed that this Respawn thing these strangers kept talking about meant that Harper wasn't truly dead.

Sand filled her mouth.

It was horrible, bland, and grainy.

Spitting it out, Harper coughed. Her throat felt dry, like she hadn't drunk any water in several days.

Harper blinked her eyes open, and saw black around her. But it wasn't a darkness sort of black, there was definitely light seeping in through the iron door on the wall opposite her. Lifting a hand, although that seemed to take far too much effort, Harper pressed it against the walls and felt the blood drain from her face.

She was trapped in an obsidian box and the only way out required redstone to activate. Drawing her hands to her hips, Harper was about to reach into her inventory to see what she had, when her hands brushed empty air. Frowning, Harper ran them along her entire body, and even searched the floor. Gone. Her inventory bag, the bag she'd had since birth that magically kept her items safe.

It was gone.

She was trapped in a box, with no items, no food...

And no way out.

Chapter Text

Ivor ran his hands through his hair as he stared at the portrait of the White Pumpkin. Something felt off about it. Maybe it was the wings, flaring upwards when the pair Jesse had shown him were clearly designed to hang down, maybe it was the diamond axe, being held, not to strike a tree, but angled like it was aimed at someone's skull.

Or maybe it was the pumpkin the person was wearing on their head. He hadn't quite ruled that out either.

The painting looked realistic, but given Ivor had no clue what this person actually looked like, it could be a fantasy painting of their inner demon for all he knew. He did remember seeing the figure in one of the upper rooms as he had ran by it.

Tugging angrily at a lock of hair, Ivor focused on every memory he had of this 'White Pumpkin.' He was inclined to think of them as male, as he hadn't seen anything particularly defining them as female, and the voice had certainly been deep, but at the same time he didn't have anything proving them male at all. So for now they were just a they.

"You've been staring at that for nearly ten minutes now," Jesse's voice caused Ivor to hesitatingly pull his gaze off of the painting. The brown haired male, who had both started and ended a rather awkward hug, had been searching the rest of the room for clues, and was now crouched near one of the chairs at the table with a grim expression on his face. "Are you going to continue searching for nothing, or would you care to see this?"

Ivor scowled "You don't know there's nothing here." he muttered. He remained still for a heartbeat longer, before finally letting his feet lead him to Jesse. "What did you find?"

Jesse, thankfully ignoring his first statement, took Ivor's arm and pulled him into a crouch, forcing Ivor's head to be level with the lip of the table. "A little lower," Jesse whispered. Ivor frowned, confused, but obeyed, tilting his head low until he saw what had grabbed Jesse's attention.

A button.

"It's not the only one, there's several more." Jesse said, nodding his head towards a few seats down. Ivor angled his head and saw a second button "And on the other side?" Jesse eased back and then up to his feet. "Two." Ivor sighed "Four suspects." he groaned, and then tilted his head at the button "Everyone was sitting down, but the Pumpkin was also above...above the sand." He couldn't say Harper. He couldn't. Clearing his throat Ivor continued "Part of me wants to press it but..."

"But that would be incredibly stupid?" Jesse asked, arching a brow. Ivor's lip twitched "Something like that." He turned to look at the button again, and then, like a flash of lightning, it hit him. He jolted upwards, smacking his head on the table in the process. Jesse started to say something, but Ivor brushed him off. He was too busy figuring it out to deal with such a minor thing as pain.

Striding back to the painting, Ivor reached into his inventory and pulled out his sword. Leveling it with the base of the painting, Ivor slashed at the fabric, smirking at the satisfying ripping sound that followed his actions.

Ivor could hear Jesse behind him, and knew the potions expert had to be confused. Or at least hoped. It was hard to surprise Jesse. He ignored him though, he was busy proving himself right. Grabbing at the torn fabric, Ivor wrapped his hand around it and tugged sharply, feeling the canvas tear from its frame and leaving behind, not stone wall, but a hole where the wall should have been.

"That's how they did it." Ivor said.

Because the wall space wasn't empty

There was an armor stand resting on a jukebox, dressed in a black jumpsuit, with a White Pumpkin for a head.

"That's how the killer was sitting at the table."

Ivor took a deep breath as he stood in the silence. He and Jesse had gotten the room set up, ready for what was about to come next. Jesse had offered to go and fetch the others.

Arrows had been forced into the table, over the buttons. Ivor was back at his seat, next to Harper. He didn't have a photographic memory like some people, but he did have good enough to know that Jesse was in one of the accused positions. Jesse knew it too, but no matter what Jesse had done in the past, Ivor doubted he could do something like this.

For one they hadn't been in the world long enough.

For another, if Jesse wanted to kill you, he'd gloat to your dying body, not sit and watch as you suffocate.

Alright so that wouldn't be the best line of defense, but it was still something. He'd hopefully have time to come up with something better than that before they started demanding Jesse defend himself. Or maybe Jesse would just defend himself and Ivor wouldn't have to. That'd be nice.

The sound of many footsteps drew Ivor out of his thoughts. Taking a deep breath and clutching the wood of the table, Ivor lifted his head to stare at the door.

As the wood swung open, Jesse in the lead, Ivor made sure to take in the faces of each person. Most seemed worried, some flat out scared. No one seemed to be holding themselves with an air of knowledge or superiority, but someone cunning enough to lay death traps would surely be tricky enough to mask their expressions.

"Everyone, I'd like you to please sit in the exact spot you were before the lights went out." Ivor said. His voice wavered slightly at the beginning, but he stamped that down quick enough. Most of the others looked confused, but they obeyed. There was some slight confusion about the arrows, but everyone had gotten where they were supposed to, Ivor knew because Jesse had helped him rewind his 'recording' to see where everyone was when the lights had gone out.

They'd also scoured it for any clues about who hit the button, but there was nothing. Ivor had spent too much time watching Harper, and not enough time watching the others. Jesse's exact comment had been something akin to 'if you'd spent less time mooning over her, we might know who had actually killed her'.

Ivor had to do his best not to punch Jesse. He was quite glad Jesse was also currently on the other side of the table, because just remembering that statement made Ivor all the more to want to punch the brown haired man.

"As you can see, four arrows have been placed into the table." Ivor said, looking a the now seated people. "If there is an arrow at your seat, please look underneath the table, do not touch, only look."

The three people who didn't already know, and the one who did, lowered their heads to come face to face with the button. Harper's killer was either HBomb94, Kiingtong, Graser10, or Jesse.

A few minutes later everyone's heads were back above the table, and faces were grim and pale. "One of those buttons triggered the trap that killed Harper." Ivor said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the trap behind him.

It also let him point at the now missing painting, which several of them seemed to be seeing for the first time. "This means that either Kiingtong, Jesse, Graser, or HBomb killed Harper." As much as it pained him, he had to accuse Jesse as well. He had to do it for the sake of keeping them happy. It would look pretty weird if he just didn't accuse the person from his own world, or overly defended them.

"Before you start getting upset," Ivor continued, raising a hand to stop Kiingtong and Shubble from speaking "I searched this room top to bottom, these are the only buttons, and the trap is the only thing we know could be activated by it. Each of those buttons could do a different thing, but do we want to press them to find out?"

Those words had the intended effect of keeping the others quiet. "There's no easy way to do this, but if I could talk to the four of you, alone and separately. I'm not accusing anyone, because for all we know these buttons open the windows or something stupid like that." Ivor turned towards the people who didn't have buttons "I'd also like to talk to each of you, if you don't mind. You guys know this world a lot better than any of us, there could be something that I'm missing, because it's normal in my world."

Stacy nodded, and the rest of the world's natives seemed content, so Ivor said "I'd like to start with Kiingtong," he nodded to the accented male "If you're alright with that." Kiingtong shrugged and said "sure, ah, I'm guessing you want it private, yeah?" Gabriel gave him a confused look "How would it not?"

Shubble answered "Just go mute, unless something big happens." Kiingtong arched a brow "Liiiiiike another trap?" Shubble nodded, "Exactly!"

Ivor stood from his seat and walked around the table to Kiingtong's side. "Follow me please," the accented male nodded, and rose from his own chair.

Time to start questioning.

Ivor led Kiingtong through about three different hallways before settling on a library to do his questioning. There was a fireplace, hidden behind iron bars, and a lava light in the ceiling. "In here," Ivor said. Kiingtong nodded.

Sometime during the walk, Kiingtong had 'muted' himself on the screen, but it must have had to do something with the long-distance talking the people from this world had done earlier, because Ivor could hear him just fine as he said "Right."

Once they were settled, Ivor said "I'm going to be blunt here, who do you think did it?"

Kiingtong looked surprised, and then lowered his gaze to stare at his hands.

"I don't want to accuse anyone, but...Stacy is the one with the least to lose here. But at the same time, if this is about what H was saying while you were searching the room, the enchanted Flint and Steel, if this is about that then," Kiingtong let out an almost broken laugh "I'd accuse myself if it's really about it, I've been looking for it for years, ever since I first heard about it, I found the temple, figured out the best way to go through the bloody thing, and I was all set to get it when Shubble just jumped in and got it first." Kiingtong groaned, and leaned back in his seat, resting his head on the bookcase behind him.

"And now, I just want to go back home, and forget this place even exists."

Ivor sighed. He rubbed the space between his eyes, and was about to send Kiingtong back, when the male muttered. "And of course, she can't even keep it safe, she just has to put it on display to gloat, where it can easily get stolen by any idiot with a crossbow."

Several questions later, and Ivor was only slightly less confused. As he waited for Kiingtong to send in HBomb, Ivor went over what he knew.

This world had a Flint and Steel.

Kiingtong really wanted said Flint and Steel.

Shubble got to the Flint and Steel first.

Shubble then reported it stolen.

Stacy had her Elytra stolen.

The thief was probably the same person, since both items were of immense value.

The thief was already dead, which meant if this was about those things, then there was no reason to kill Harper.

Which really, meant that Ivor knew nothing.

Nothing at all.

Chapter Text

The library door swung open with a creak, and Ivor lifted his head to see HBomb94 step into the room. He nodded to the plaid-wearing man and said "Please, take a seat." The brown haired male nodded, and slowly walked until he was at the table Ivor was sitting at. Easing himself across from the teen, HBomb rested his hands on the table and sighed.

Ivor tilted his head slightly, studying the other male. HBomb seemed to be doing his best to stay calm, but his eyes were darting between Ivor and well...everything else in the room.

"Let's get this started." Ivor said, running his hands through his hair. "First of all, I'd like to ask you, before...before the lights went out, you started to say something about an enchanted something, could you please tell me what you were talking about?"

HBomb nodded, strumming his fingers on the table. "There's this temple hidden somewhere in Hub, and inside of it is supposed to be a ton of treasure. Command Blocks, Enchanted Apples, that sort of loot. But the greatest treasure is this enchanted Flint and Steel, once you have it, you can build portal frames out of anything, not just obsidian. If you form them in the right shape, with the right materials, and then use the enchanted Flint and Steel to light it, it will open a portal, but not to the Nether. Instead, it will take you to different worlds!"

Ivor closed his eyes and resting his elbows on the table, set his head into his hands. Kiingtong had told him basically the same thing. The stories were different enough that he was starting to believe it. But then, why would the Old Builders have made only one set of Enchanted Flint and Steel?

"Kiingtong told me that both he and Shubble knew of the location, but one of them beat the other too it, correct?" Ivor asked, opening his eyes again. H nodded "Yeah, Will and Shelby both figured out where it was at about the same time, but she went in almost right away instead of waiting to gear up properly."

Ivor chuckled "Yeah, he didn't seem too happy about that." H snorted "Oh no he was pretty ticked. Shelby was cool about it though, invited him over to show it to him, probably offered to do some collab thing with him, it'd make for a great vid." HBomb paused then, frowning. Ivor tilted his head "What is it?" H's gaze flicked up to Ivor, down to his hands, then back up to Ivor. "I just realized, the Flint and Steel...Shelby said it got stolen...and Will was the only one aside from her who knew where it was."

Ivor narrowed his eyes "Do you believe Kiingtong would have stolen the Flint and Steel?"

H leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. "With how long he looked for it? I wouldn't say it's impossible."

Ivor asked a few more questions about Kiingtong, before switching his questions around slightly. "Say that it isn't Kiingtong, say that it's not even anyone who sat at that table. What can you tell me about the Black Pumpkin? Things you've noticed, even small details, that could be useful?"

HBomb tilted his head, and his eyes focused on the wall just to the left of Ivor's head. "When the Pumpkin started talking, the voice sounded...mechanical, whoever they are, that wasn't their real voice. They also spoke deliberately, and sort of like they were trying to be absolutely clear, which kind of makes me think it was a recording? But half the people in Hub are used to being recorded when they talk so maybe not. That might just be how whoever it is talks."

Ivor nodded, filing the information away. He hadn't noticed the...how had H put it? Mechanical tone? But then again, he'd been a bit busy freaking out over...what else had happened. He couldn't think about that now. He had to focus on solving who had done it, so he could tear them to shreds.

"One more question and then you can go," Ivor said. H nodded, shifting forward slightly. "You may have guessed this already, but me and my friends, we aren't from this world. We have our own Flint and Steel." HBomb's eyes widened, and he leaned back in his seat, jaw loose. Ivor continued "I keep hearing this word Respawn. Can you please elaborate?"

H was still for a few seconds, then nodded "Y-yeah. Alright so, here, in this world, when somebody dies, they...they aren't dead for good."

Ivor's eyes widened and he leaned back in his seat, staring at the bearded male. H nodded "In Hub, and most of the bigger servers, there's a five second respawn, so you're dead for five seconds and then you come back, either to the World Spawn, or the last place you slept. In some servers it's longer, some even have year-long wait to respawn, play at your own risk."

Ivor tilted his head "What happens when you die on those servers? You're dead for a year yes, but what about the people you've left behind?" H smiled slightly "We aren't stupid Ivor, when someone goes into one of those servers, they have to write their name on a list, as well as someone to contact who isn't on the server. That person is made aware if they die, and is sent, with about four totems of undying, to retrieve the items dropped upon death, and hold them safe until the person comes back. That person is then not allowed to go into a server with a respawn cap longer than a day until the year is up."

Ivor nodded "That makes sense..." he frowned "You mentioned your copy of the invitation was different, could I have a look?" he blinked "That was more than one question, sorry." H let out a soft laugh "That's fine, ah...one moment," he reached for his inventory, which was behind his left hip, and began digging through it. Ivor tilted his head "You said there are different servers you can go to, how does your inventory work? Is it universal?" H shrugged "In Hub it is, we just say what server we want to access, and we have that gear, but we can only take from it and replace what was already there, and on servers we can only access the items from that particular server."

Ivor hummed "Interesting."

H finally pulled out a book from his bag and slid it across the table "There you go."

Ivor took the book and opened it, eyes darting across the crisp white paper to read words written in red ink.

Greetings HBomb94,

I humbly invite you to my mansion, for an evening of food and festivities with your fellow adventurers.
Bring no weapons, the festivities, though risky, will provide you with other means of self-defense. No cheating, Hub inventory only, and no weapons, redstone, or TNT.
My mansion lies at -549876087, 63, 8543687

A word of caution, should you die during the night, you will respawn only after six months have transpired. Come at your own risk.

I hope to see you there

-The Host

Ivor closed the book and slid it towards HBomb, keeping his hand on it. "Let me get this straight, you KNEW that if you died it'd take half a year to come back, and yet you came anyways?" H laughed "Are you kidding? This is like the ultimate test, can you survive, or will you die? Before you and your friends showed up, we all agreed anyone to live through the whole thing got bragging rights over the others."

Ivor arched a brow, and H quickly stopped laughing. "Sorry. It's just...that's how these sort of things are in this world." Ivor shook his head and pulled his hand off of the book, allowing the other to put it away. "It's fine, I'm just not used to death being treated that way."

H smiled "Like you said, it's fine. Our worlds are different, there are bound to be some clashes."

Ivor sighed "You're alright to head back now." H nodded "Who do you want to see next?" Ivor bit his lip. If he picked Graser, they might accuse him of not wanting to accuse the other person from his world, and he needed to be on somewhat good terms with people in order to get answers. "Send me Jesse, please."

HBomb tilted his head, surprise lighting his eyes, before he nodded "Sure thing man." and exited the room.

Ten minutes later the door opened and Jesse stepped into the library. Ivor looked up at the man with tired eyes, and gave a weak "Hey."

Jesse nodded to him, and without a word strode to the table Ivor was sitting at. Unlike Kiingtong and HBomb, Jesse took a seat next to Ivor, and instead of saying anything began to study Ivor's face. "How are you holding up?" Jesse finally asked, voice softer than Ivor had thought possible.

Ivor sighed "I've learned that Harper isn't dead for good, we just have to wait six months for her to come back." Jesse nodded slowly as Ivor continued "Or, if we can figure out who the Host is, we may be able to force them to change the respawn back to what it's supposed to be, and Harper will come back sooner." He sighed "If we can't, then I want you guys to keep going, keep traveling the portals, I'll wait here. I...I won't leave without Harper. I just...I just can't." he shook his head.

Jesse lifted an arm and set it gently on Ivor's shoulder. "If you insist on waiting here, as will the others," he gave Ivor a wry smile "And I suppose that means I must stay as well. We wouldn't want the people back in our own world thinking I'd left you to die after all."

Ivor's lips twitched upwards. He knew that was Jesse's way of saying he cared. "Whatever you say," Ivor hummed. He ran a hand through his hair then asked "How's it going out there?" Jesse tilted his head "Some are suspicious of each other, and I have received several suspicious looks, but they haven't resulted to attacking one another yet."

Ivor huffed "That'd be more reassuring without the yet you know."

Jesse's lips twitched "I know."

Ivor had waited a few more minutes before dismissing Jesse, to make it look good, before waiting for Graser to arrive. As the door swung open, Ivor's gaze snapped up to examine the other male.

The hoodie-wearing male's red eyes freaked Ivor out a bit, but not as much as the jet black covering his hands. Before Ivor hadn't been able to get a good look at them, but now that the male was the sole object of his focus, Ivor realized that whatever the black was, it wasn't skin. It looked more like black iron than anything else.

"Hey," Graser said, a weak smile on his face. Instead of moving to sit like the others had, he stood a few steps from the doorway, hands fidgeting with his hoodie as he looked everywhere but at Ivor.

Ivor tilted his head "I'm not going to attack you, you don't have to be so nervous." Graser let out a laugh, although it sounded rather forced to Ivor "Nervous? Dude I'm sooo chill right now." Ivor narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything.

Graser coughed, and then said "Well, I just want you to know that ah...I'm not the Black Pumpkin? I mean everyone else has probably said that, but I thought I'd probably say it too. But I mean, I don't have the skills to build something like this, you want builders talk to Will or Del..." he paused "Wait, no Delphron's not here. Of the people here...then Will or Shelby. Maybe Isa, but I haven't really seen her build much so I dunno." he shrugged. "The redstone I could probably do," his eyes widened in a panic "That was NOT a confession, just like...me saying so."

Ivor smiled slightly, but this only seemed to unnerve Graser further "I mean, I wasn't even part of the whole 'Race to the Temple' thing that Will and Shelby were doing, Stacy helped them both with the finding it, and I think some other people helped with the like learning about it and all the loot and stuff, but I stayed mostly out of it, I figured I'd just follow them after they got it and get around that way."

Ivor quickly held up a hand before Graser could say any more "I never said anything about the Flint and Steel, I haven't said anything at all actually, how did you know I would be interested in it?"

Graser's eyes widened, and he spluttered "I-you-it..." before managing to say "That's what everyone's talking about out there, Shelby is all mad at Will, but like too late, it's already been said."

Ivor sighed. "I'm going to ask you one question, you're going to ask it, and then you're going to leave and send in Shubble, alright?" Graser nodded quickly "You got it."

Ivor said "HBomb and Kiingtong both told me that the Flint and Steel was stolen from Shubble, who do you think stole it?"

Graser was silent, which Ivor took as both suspicious, and a blessing to his ears.

Finally the red eyed male said "I don't think it was ever stolen."

Ivor arched a brow "Care to elaborate?"

Graser shrugged "Well, Shelby got to it first, showed it off to Will, he's all cheesed about things, so...what if, to get him off of her back, Shelby hid it somewhere, like...say she shoved it in an Ender Chest, and then told everyone it got stolen? Syndicate had just supposedly nabbed Stacy's Elytra, so the timing would have worked, what with him bragging about his big score, all she would have to do was wait until Will calmed down to say she found it, or that it had been returned."

Ivor leaned back in his chair "That's...something to think about." he said slowly. He nodded to Graser "Thanks, go ahead and head back."

Graser nodded quickly "Thanks man. And, Shelbs right?"

Ivor nodded "I'd like to speak to Shubble next, yes."

Graser gave him a thumbs up, and all but ran out the door.

Chapter Text

By the time Shubble entered the library, Ivor had dragged his chair from the table, and was now sitting in front of the fire, watching the flames. Shubble waved weakly to Ivor and said "Hey," Ivor nodded to her "Hello." he said, before turning back to the fire, keeping watch over the brown haired female out of the corner of his eyes. Shubble rocked on her feet a few times before she asked "Are you going to ask me anything, or are we just going to sit here watching netherrack burn?"

Ivor smiled slightly, and leaned back, turning to fully face the girl in the white crown. "I am. I've heard quite a bit about you ShubbleYT." Shubble tilted her head "Good stuff?" Ivor didn't answer, and she smiled slightly "You talked to H first, yeah that explains it." she made her way over to the table and sat in one of the chairs. "Look, whatever trash H might say about me, I promise we're friends." her smile widened slightly "And even though I am totally sure he's going to turn around after we invade LogDotZip and attack my base with his pirate crew, of which I am first mate, we aren't like...mortal enemies or anything."

Ivor decided this was just another one of those times he wasn't going to understand anything coming out of these people's mouths. "I hear that you lost a great treasure, could you tell me more about that?"

Shubble huffed, but nodded "Alright, so me and Will had a sort of competition going on, I won because I got to the temple first, but y'know, I wasn't gonna be all jerk about it, so I invited Will over, showed him where I was keeping it, and invited him to a series I want to start after Deep End and Sky Street, where me and some others travel across the worlds!"

Ivor nodded slowly, her words seemed to match up with everything else he'd been told so he let her continue. "Then, you know he goes home, it's late so I do some editing and then go to bed. I wake up the next morning, upload some videos, normal stuff, and then when I go down to check on the Flint and Steel, and it's gone!"

Ivor winced as Shubble's voice rose in pitch at her most recent words. "So Kiingtong was the only one, beside you who knew where it was?"

Shubble bit her lip, and then shook her head "Well no, I sort of...livestreamed me building the room where I kept it, including the traps and everything, and I have oh...six hundred thousand plus followers." Ivor wasn't entirely sure what followers meant, though he had a feeling it had to do with people. And that many was enough to make his eyes widen.

Ivor then frowned as he remembered the word livestream, and Shubble seemed to get the idea about why "Remember how I showed you to record things, so that you can post them later?" Ivor nodded, and Shubble continued "It's like that, only instead of being posted later, its happening at the moment, so people can watch it right then, or later when it's uploaded." she tapped the side of her head, and splayed her fingers on the 'keyboard' and then pulled up a video of somebody building...something, Ivor wasn't quite sure. "See, this is happening right now, on a server." she tapped the side of her head again and the video vanished. "It probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, livestreaming that, but I mean I was worried if I recorded it, someone would say it was a fake or on a server, I spent the first twenty minutes proving that it wasn't a fake."

Ivor groaned. "So you revealed live that you had found probably the most valuable treasure in this world, and how to disarm your traps?"

Shubble's cheeks turned a violent shade of pink.

Jesse watched from the corner as the others whispered to themselves.

Gabriel had joined Graser and Kiingtong on one couch, while Stacy, Isa, and HBomb spoke to each other on another. It was Shubble's turn to be interrogated. From his spot, Jesse could see most of their faces, not enough to read the full conversation, but enough to get the gist of what they were saying.

The group Gabriel was with was discussing the Flint and Steel, which Kiingtong seemed to be rather upset about, and Stacy's group was whispering something about traps and redstone, likely trying to find a way to determine where the death traps were placed and how to disarm them, or at least follow them to get the inventories back. It seemed recovering and holding the inventories of the dead was a universal constant.

Reaching one hand into his inventory, Jesse ran one hand along the shrunken wing of his Elytra. He had a gut feeling that he would need them soon, which was why he'd kept them in his direct inventory instead of one of his thousands of shulker boxes. It was his key to having everything he needed on hand, shulker boxes retained their inventory when broken, and by storing shulker boxes inside of shulker boxes, he couls have an infinite inventory. Of course it took time to retrieve items from some of the deeper shulker boxes, but it was time worth spending.

Leaning his head against the wall, Jesse let out a soft sigh. It seemed they were in the quiet before the storm, Jesse just hoped that no more lives would have to be taken in order to stop the storm known as the Black Pumpkin.

A knock on the door caused Ivor to start.

Turning towards it he frowned, somewhat confused and called "Uh...come in?"

The oak door swung open, and Isa stepped in "Sorry, wasn't really sure if I should just barge in or not." Ivor shrugged and Isa seemed to take that as a 'it's fine' because she entered the library, shut the door, and made her way to about the middle of the room where she stood, rocking on her heels.

Ivor shifted slightly so he was now facing her, his back to the fire. "I don't have too many questions for you, seeing as you weren't one of the ones seated at a button, but I do have several I want to ask."

Isa nodded "Of course!" she chirped. Ivor shuffled his feet slightly, staring at the floor."Alright so I was wondering what you knew about the Enchanted Flint and Steel?"

Isa tilted her head, but before she could answer, the library door slammed open and HBomb raced into the room, skidding to a stop. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were wide as the moons."You need to see this," was all he said, before grabbing hold of Isa's arm and dragging her out of the room.

Ivor followed HBomb and Isa through the mansion, until they were in the portrait room, Ivor started to slow, but H kept going, running through a side door. Following, Ivor saw the entire rest of the mansion occupants standing in a circle. Gabriel had one hand on his sword, and Jesse's hands were inching towards his inventory.

Pushing his way through the circle of people, Ivor saw there was someone he didn't quite recognize standing in front of a chest, hauling bread out of it and shoving it in their face.

"They're here," H panted, Ivor glanced up at him and Isa, and frowned slightly. Isa looked...between livid and confused. Turning back down to the person eating bread Ivor asked "Who are you?"

The person paused in their eating and turned towards Ivor, and he froze, eyes widening.

"Seriously?" the person demanded "I'm not the sort of face to be forgotten that quickly am I?"

The person had blue hair, jet black eyes with no glow, and dark zombie-green skin.

SynHD was alive again.

Lukas could feel the old bond swirling back to life. He was running out of time. Climbing the last of the vines into Jesse's new skull-lava base, Lukas peered around the room. It was small, which was surprising since Jesse had always loved open spaces. In a way, this base reminded him of a treehouse."Jesse?" Lukas called with a frown. He hadn't been able to find the brown haired man anywhere, and he was starting to think he was being avoided.

Then he saw the dust on the brewing stands. Jesse was a neat-freak. He didn't do dust, something about it messing with his brewing. If dust was starting to form in his house, then Jesse hadn't been home in a long time. Even his lab in the Far Lands, which had been the first place Lukas had checked, had been cleaner than Lukas's own eyeballs.

"Alright Jess, if you aren't here, then you can't kill me for what I'm about to do." Lukas muttered, making his way over to a wall of chests. Pushing one open, he pulled out one of the fifty shulker boxes. Setting it down, he tapped it open, and proceeded to do the same with the three inside of it, and the three inside of those, until he was sure the entire set was empty. Re-stacking them he muttered "Now time to fill these. I'm going to need every block I can get to deal with Aiden."

Placing the now single shulker box in his inventory, Lukas turned in a slow circle and muttered "wherever you are Jess, I hope you're far away from the mess that's bound to happen."

Lukas started to climb back down the vines and muttered "I'd better see if Petra or the others can help me get ready." before letting his legs swing free and he slid down the rest of the way.

Harper hated the dark.

She never had before, feared it certainly but never hatred. But being trapped in it for...she didn't know how long, it was starting to get to her.

She lay huddled in a ball next to the iron door. Small amounts of light trickled through the bars at the top and at the crack at the bottom, but it wasn't enough.

Some time ago, she couldn't be sure how long it had been, the sound of something shattering had reached her ears, as well as a strangled cry of delight, but then there had been silence. Pure black silence that suffocated her, trapped her.

She'd tried calling out, she'd tried crying for help.

There had been no answer, there was no point.

She was trapped, likely until she starved to death, and then she would end up right back here, to starve over and over again.

Once more Harper lifted her hand to press it against the iron. If only she had her tools, her redstone, anything other than just her fist.

Just...her fist.

The shattering.

It hit her like a blast of lightning. That was what the noise had been, she wasn't the first to die in the mansion, but she could be the last. All she had to do was get out, break down the door and find a way out of...wherever she was. She could warn her friends, she could get them out of this...this...horror house. The zombie horde would be nothing compared to dying. She could still taste the sand, still feel the cold in her chest, like she would never be warm again.

Trembling, Harper rose to her knees. She lifted her hands, curled them into fists, and slowly, methodically, began to punch the door. That was the rooms weak spot. Obsidian could only be broken by iron, but if you wore it out long enough, iron could be broken by anything, even one's bare hands.

That was how the other person had gotten out.

That would be how she got back to her friends.

Chapter Text

Ivor didn't know how to react.

Well, alright so he knew how he wanted to react.

He wanted to shriek, punch Syndicate to make sure his skin was still just green and his eyes still just black, wanted to drag the man off to the library and force him to spill every detail about where he'd been hidden, where Ivor could find Harper, how to get there, how to save his friend.

But he couldn't. There was almost something invisible forcing him to stand perfectly still. His throat felt dry, his palms far too wet with sweat. He could barely go through the motions of breathing, chest shaking as his eyes, the only things that seemed to be moving, blinked faster and faster.

Then something got between him and SynHD. A something that was rather hairy and very brown. Jesse's voice came from the thing, saying "Alright, whatever's happened, we can talk about it someplace more comfortable." and then a hand was on Ivor's shoulder, steering him away.

Ivor managed to come out of his stupor in time to see green eyes staring worriedly at him, before he was forcibly turned and pushed out of the kitchen.

Isa was going to murder someone.

Well...more someone's than she'd been originally planning.

She was going to plant herself at someone's bed, and repeatedly murder them, over and over, and over. She would spawn-camp somebody, maybe multiple somebodies, until she was old and her hair was gray. Preferably that someone would be Syndicate. Or maybe someone who wasn't even here, yes...their first death would be her axe through their chest. Their eyes right onto hers in her full Black Pumpkin armor. Sculpted obsidian with an ebony pumpkin for a head.

Just the thought of it was enough to sooth the expression of pure rage she knew she had to be wearing.

As the scarred male led the raven haired teen out of the kitchen, Isa took a moment to count her blessings. If Syndicate, plan-wrecker as he may be, hadn't shown up when he had, she would have been stuck in an interrogation with Ivor for Rateya-knew how long. Now, all she would need to do was a bit of word-weaving, it had been a while since she'd used that aspect of her powers, flowing magic into her words to...persuade others to listen to her.

The people native to this world would be easy. She'd used word-weaving on them before. Yet another reason her wings were tattered. Since the others were distracted, Isa allowed herself to shift her hand so it was somewhat behind her, and pressed her palm against her back. A soft flutter greeted her touch, and she relaxed. She couldn't feel any heat, which meant that there weren't any new tears. Perhaps her soul was so far gone that her wings couldn't tear anymore. She'd never heard of a Siral who'd gone so far that they'd lost their wings, but then most Siral were pathetic cowards who, at the first sign of even the shadow of a tear would break into sappy song and play at pink prissy princess until they healed their soul.

Isa had started to freak out at the first sign of tearing when she'd gotten here and decided upon her plan for getting back...well, the Great-world wasn't really her home, but it was much closer to home than the Siral homeworld.

But then, she'd realized that if she couldn't handle her wings tearing, then she would never be able to go home. If Aiden had been a Siral instead of a Telekon, he surely would have shattered his wings eons before he'd banished her here.

Isa clenched her fists, following the last person, Kiingtong, out of the kitchen. She couldn't think about home. Home meant her. The woman who had sacrificed herself to get Isa banished instead of killed, or whatever Aiden had done to Stella.

Feeling her wings shift slightly, Isa lifted her head and let her natural gold glow seep through her eyes for a heart-beat, long enough to see the trails of light and know that she was still Sirel. She hadn't completely lost her soul. She wasn't' a Leris, she could still heal her wings.

But first she had to do whatever it took to get home.

Cassie winced as a particularly sharp blast of pain jolted through her head. Monotony was the only way to stay some-what sane in this Rakoma-damned world, and here was this pain, interrupting her silence.

The pains had been coming more and more, the bond she shared with the other Builders, it was strengthening, after all these years. Cassie wasn't sure if that was good, or very, very, VERY bad.

It would be nice to get back into contact with Lukas, Stella, and of course Isa, and perhaps Maya and Gill, maybe. But it would be very bad to get back in Aiden's line of sight. Especially after she vanished on him after their 'agreement'.

Closing her eyes, Cassie tried to focus on the individual strands, trying to focus on where the pains were coming from.

Lukas seemed to be in a state of panic, but then when wasn't he, Stella...Stella's thoughts seemed to be garbled, messy, but she seemed to be happy. Content at least. Maya and Gill seemed...bored, Aiden was angry which he almost always was but Isa...

Cassie lifted a hand to her head and rubbed circles into her scalp. Isabelle, sweetie...what is going on over there?

Isabelle...

Isa, who had been listening to Syndicate rave about how he'd escaped from her absolutely genius obsidian cages (apparently she should have used the command block to free them instead of a redstone machine) when an all too familiar voice whispered in her head.

Isa stiffened, somewhere in the back of her mind she was grateful she hadn't sat next to anyone, but right now most of her mind was focused on the fact that the link was active again. Active, targeted on her. From a very familiar voice.

That settled it, she needed to kill somebody. "Hey, hit pause for a sec," she called, gaining the attention of the others "It has been like...six hours since the last time I went to the bathroom, and I don't know about you guys but I do not have an iron bladder, and if there isn't a bathroom SOMEWHERE in this place, then I am seriously going to either risk the zombies, or knock down that potted plant over there."

As expected, about half the people in the room turned various shades of red. The other half looked away.

And then there was Graser who coughed and said "Ah...I think I'll go with you to find the bathroom." Isa fought back a frown. She wouldn't be able to get away from him one on one..."Anyone else?" she asked "I don't really like the thought of going through this place alone." They were hesitant, but finally Shubble and Gabriel raised their hands as well. Isa smiled at them "Great! We'll be right back, as soon as we find either a bathroom, or a secluded, fenced off garden."

Isa knew that the mansion did have bathrooms, she had built them of course.

She just really liked seeing all of their faces turn bright beet red. It reminded her of-nope, not thinking about her.

Ivor huffed as he waited for the four to return. Tapping his foot on the carpeted floor, he turned his gaze towards Syndicate for the tenth time that minute. "Tell me again what you saw when you got out." he finally pleaded "I can't wait for them anymore." Syndicate arched a brow "Dude, it's been like three minutes?" Ivor narrowed his eyes "One of my best friends is down in those cages, I HAVE to get to her." Syndicate tilted his head, but thankfully shrugged.

"Alright, so the boxes are pure obsidian, except for the door which was iron. Time...it passed funny down there, or at least it felt like that. Nothing but black an a tiny sliver of white light. If I hadn't started slamming on the door the minute I woke up there, man I'd probably still be down there." Syndicate said. His voice was weak, and he was still cramming bread into his mouth which made it rather awkward as he spoke. He'd also gotten some fish out of...somewhere, and the smell was almost more sickening than watching him eat it. almost.

Ivor glanced up at Jesse. "Harper...well, I guess you wouldn't know since you were off doing who knows what at the time, but...when we were fighting the Witherstorm, she broke down. She, she doesn't handle dark spaces well, and she broke down in Lukas's wool world." Jesse arched a brow but remained silent "If she's been alive, alone in a dark room with nothing but her thoughts all this time..." he shook his head "We need to hurry."

Chapter Text

The silence of the mansion was one of the more terrifying things about it. Gabriel, Shubble, and Isa had managed to find a bathroom on the second floor. Gabriel had gone first, the two girls waiting in the hall, and as soon as he was done Gabriel had muttered something about not wanting to leave Ivor alone with Jesse, and headed back for the living room. Shubble had decided to let Isa go next, and that was why she was now waiting in the hall.

The very spooky, very quiet hall.

Puffing a bit of her bangs out of her eyes, Shubble tapped her leg nervously on the ground. She'd been in Murder Mysteries before of course, in mansions as complex if not more so than this one, one of them had even been like a game of Clue, where one of them had actually 'done' it, that 'one' back in the living room with the other one had been a bit more complicated, having three clues and having to piece together the rest of the mystery by talking to the NPCs scattered throughout the mansion. But with the same hosts, both of whom were Shubble's top suspects. But of course neither Del nor Dylan were nuts enough to do something like this, they were more the type to greet them at the door wearing cheesy skeleton costumes and talking in 'spooky' voices. At least she hoped.

Shubble closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. Huffing as she felt her crown sliding down, Shubble leaned forwards again and shoved the crown higher up on her bangs. She wondered if she should take the time to switch into a different skin, did she even have an appropriate skin for this? Opening her amber eyes to tap at her head, Shubble started backwards. The door was open. It had been shut literally a half second ago when she'd shut her eyes. "Isa?" she called nervously, eyes darting across the hall. The ravenette was nowhere in sight.

Shubble started to turn around, but before she could make a full rotation, something sharp and heavy slammed into her back and she had just enough time to gasp "You?" before darkness overtook her.

Ivor glanced towards the golden clock mounted on the wall nervously. Gabriel had come back almost fifteen minutes ago, and Ivor was pretty sure it shouldn't be taking this long for Shubble and Isa to get back.

"Should we go look for them?" Graser finally asked, his hands drumming on his thighs as his legs tapped a rhythm into the floor. "I mean, I don't know about you, but like...I want to hear the rest of Syn's story." Ivor nodded, glanced at the clock again and said "Let's give them a few more minutes, and then...Syndicate can tell us the rest and we can look for them as we trace his steps."

Graser exchanged a glance with Kiingtong and then HBomb, and shrugged "Alright, but can that few minutes be only a few, few minutes?"

Ivor couldn't help his lips twitching upwards, and he opened his mouth to reply, but as he did so a piercing scream echoed through the mansion, right before the lights flickered off.

"Everyone freeze!" Ivor shouted, taking advantage of this world's glowing eyes to pinpoint just where everyone was. Except for Syndicate, with his black eyes the green-skinned man was completely untraceable in the dark. A few, extremely terrifying and tense moments later, the lights came back on. "Is everyone still here?" Ivor demanded, counting heads and checking faces for any signs of pain. All he saw...was horror. Horror on the faces of those looking at something behind Ivor. Preparing to see the Black Pumpkin, Ivor turned, one hand already reaching for the weapons in his inventory.

And as he turned, he saw the portraits on the walls. The bleeding red X's on Syndicate and Harper's paintings. And now, there was dripping red paint that looked suspiciously like blood, slashed over the painting of ShubbleYT.

It was Graser who reacted first, he tapped the side of his head, and stared in horror at a little line of golden text. "What does it say?" Gabriel asked, Ivor tapped his own head, remembering seeing a message earlier that had read 'SynHD was killed by Poison Arrows'. That was still there. But there was a second line, underneath it.

That line read 'ShubbleYT was killed by -The Black Pumpkin

The words, The Black Pumpkin were slanted, Ivor glanced up at the world's natives, hoping for an explination. HBomb caught his gaze and said "It's a callsign, whoever it is rigged the chat to display The Black Pumpkin, instead of their real name."

Red eyes with pupils made of gold watched gleefully as the one calling herself the Black Pumpkin sorted through her victim's inventory before shoving it angrily into a hidden hopper system. He'd met the Black Pumpkin once before, delivering his gifts to her friends back in...what did they call it? Great-World? Something like that. She hadn't been so angry then, but now? Her anger was beautiful, a weapon of mass-destruction.

Red hair ruffling in an invisible wind, the man tapped on a few screens, marveling for the thousandth time that week the absolute genius of whoever had set up the people of the Twin Moon world with them. It hadn't been him or the other Admins, he knew that. Well, he was pretty sure of that. There had been times when the girls had vanished off to do mystery stuff without him. They had been insanely close, even though HE had been the one to introduce them.

With the thought in his mind, he tapped a few more screens, accessing a different world, and peered in on the obsidian lava trap keeping his former friend captive. She was still there, but then where else would she be? He shook his head, muttering "Stupid paranoia." Ever since he'd...ever since she had died, he'd become paranoid. Like, insanely paranoid. Almost enough to drive him mad. Almost. He was still totally sane.

Well, partially anyways.

What had he been thinking about again? Oh, right.

Herobrine didn't have the know-how to set up screens, and their Hub, and their 'servers', which ruled him out for the creation of the Twin Moon world. Did it even have a proper name? Hub? That sounded stupid. Twin Moon was much better. Although with a little time he could probably think of something even greater.

That left Notch for the creation of it, and frankly the entire Twin Moon world (Twoon? DuoLunar?) had NOTCH written all over it.

Stupid Notch.

Well, no, Notch was quite the genius. It had taken like...two weeks to convince him to take a break from his little 'god' duties and let him manage the portal network. Even then, he was glad that he'd done it about a month before Ivor and his friends had started investigating the temples, because Notch had shown up eighteen times in five days, to ensure that he wasn't 'breaking the timestream' or some other nonsense.

Absolutely impossible, he'd learned his lesson after the incident which shall not be thought of ever again.

This was completely different, he was just...testing his possible hero. ALL gods had heroes, according to that one world where roughly a sixth of the population was the child of some god, none of them the REAL gods, just...people with weird powers that were hailed as gods, and somehow immortal. That had thousands of believers, which in current times was thousands more than he had.

Red swallowed gold for a few heartbeats as the man took several deep breaths. He really hated those people. Especially the ones with red eyes like him, honestly it was like the other world was TRYING to mock him.

Closing his eyes, the man grumbled under his breath until he forced the thoughts out of his mind. When he opened them again the gold had returned. "Alright Ivor, let's see how you handle this." Leaning forwards, the man focused his screen back onto the Black Pumpkin, just in time to see her running, a false expression of fear planted on her face, back into the room where the others were.

Aiden winced as a stabbing pain bolted through his skull. He hadn't gotten those since he'd first banished Isa, shortly before Cassie and Lukas had run away, and just after he'd...dealt with Stella.

Somebody in the mind-link was thinking rather nasty thoughts about him, mixed in with curses he could honestly say he'd never heard, likely they were making them up, but that still didn't make them any less potent.

Just the opposite.

Calm, happy thoughts radiated through a Telekon almost like butter. Warm, happy, fluffy butter. Angry thoughts stabbed and thrashed like evil popcorn kernels, which was making him really regret his choice of snacks for this round of the Games.

Staying quiet and allowing Maya and Gill to narrate this round, Aiden narrowed his eyes and focused on the sharpest strand. He'd figure out which of the others was doing this, and then he'd bring them back here, and see to it that they didn't interrupt his Games again.

Stella had a pounding headache.

Correction, she'd been having a pounding headache for the past week. Along with it came this...feeling that she was forgetting something.

Running a finger along Benedict's head feathers, Stella sighed and lifted her gaze to stare at the sky. If she focused hard enough, she could just barely see the shadow that was Sky City. The giant dirt pillar leading to it didn't hurt either. Tim had wanted to take it down, protesting that people would try to get back up to the mob-swarmed island, but Stella had managed to convince him to leave it. "We need to remember where we come from." she'd told him. "If we forget that, then we forget who we are."

Funny.

She couldn't remember where she'd come from.

Maybe that was why she felt empty, but then, she'd always felt empty. This was something different, something from before that day she'd woken up on the tiny egg shaped island in the sky.

This was something...dangerous.

Harper's hands felt ragged, her fingertips and knuckles were bleeding, and she could swear she could see bone on her left hand.

But it didn't matter how broken her hands felt. What mattered was the spherical series of cracks webbed across the iron door. On her next swing, a small chunk of iron popped out of the door, and Harper almost broke down crying right there. It didn't matter that the hole was tiny, the light that had instantly began to spill into the cage was the most amazing thing Harper had seen.

Leaning back to take a few minutes to breathe, Harper forced her tears to remain unfallen, if she started crying, she wouldn't be able to hit right. Slowly, arms trembling, Harper once again lifted her hands, she tried to curl them into fists, but stabbing pain made the decision to not for her. Instead, she began to slam her palms against the door. More and more chunks began to fly, more and more light spilled in, illuminating her lap, and then her chest, and finally, with an ear-shattering explosion, her face.

Harper finally knew why Magnus and his idol loved TNT so much.

There was no more beautiful sound in the world than that of a barrier breaking with an explosive force.

With arms trembling, Harper used the obsidian wall to heave herself back to her feet. The light was almost too much for her eyes, after being in darkness for so long, but she soaked it up.

She was free, and now she had to grant the same freedom to her friends, before they were all stuck in this mansion forever.

Chapter Text

Harper staggered out into the light. Her head protested, throbbing with the pain of a migrane, and she had to squint her eyes to see much of anything in the blinding glow. Harper stood there for a while, trying to get her eyes used to light again, as she stood, she prayed to Notch, even to Herobrine, that the Pumpkin wouldn't be nearby, wouldn't be waiting for her. When she could finally see beyond a pure yellow glow, Harper took a moment to view her surroundings, still somewhat frozen with the combination of delight at freedom, and fear of being caught and killed again. Now that she was out of the obsidian box, she was in a room made of something gray, she guessed concrete, or perhaps terracotta, as it was definitely a dull color. There was scaffolding in some of the corners, and on the floor trails of glowing redstone crisscrossed over dark gray stone bricks.

Turning, Harper saw a pale button perched on the obsidian, and after a beat of hesitation pried it off of the wall with a small twinge of pain in her hand. Since her inventory was still missing, Harper simply slid the button into one of her pockets and continued to examine the room, trying to ignore the dripping of blood coming from her hands.

There was an entire row of obsidian boxes, maybe nine or ten, perhaps eleven at the most, two were missing their doors, the one she'd just escaped from, and another four boxes down, which Harper assumed had held Syndicate until his escape. There were also about two dozen command blocks, which caused a shudder to run down her spine. As she was watching them, one of the redstone trails leading to the Command Blocks lit up, flashing red, and then dying down again as the block released a series of chirps and pops. Harper froze, eyes wide as she stared at the blocks, both not wanting to know what had just happened, and at the same time absolutely needing to know.

Then she heard a groan of pain, and whirled around. The redstone trail in front of one of the boxes, second from the wall, was pulsing. What Harper didn't know, was that the block that had just lit up, had reset the spawn point from the box that had the glow, to another further down.

Stumbling towards the box, Harper slammed her hand down on the dark brown button sealing the door shut, ignoring the absolute jerk of pain that shot through her arm as the iron door swung open, revealing Shubble who appeared to be trying to claw at her chest and back simultaneously, eyes wide in panicked fear.

At the sound of the door opening, Shubble's head shot upwards, and her panicked amber eyes met Harper's gray for a half beat before Shubble screeched "I know who the Black Pumpkin is!"

Ivor and the others had followed Gabriel back to where he'd left the girls, and were now listening to Isa's sobbed explanation. "I heard something crash, so I came out, and I saw Shubble with an axe splitting her in two!" Isa was currently exclaiming "The Pumpkin cut her into pieces!" Graser was currently doing his best to comfort the black haired girl, and HBomb, Kiingtong, Gabriel, Ivor and Jesse were standing rather awkwardly to the side. Well, Jesse was fussing about in his inventory, but the others felt quite awkward, both for themselves, and in part for the fact that Jesse didn't seem to be bothered.

"If you saw the Pumpkin, and the Pumpkin saw you, or heard you since I'm assuming you're the one that screamed," Jesse said, not moving his eyes from where they were scanning his inventory. "Then why didn't they attack you?"

Isa was completely frozen for a half-beat, then she let out a shuddering breath "I wish I knew, but they just grabbed Shubble's inventory bag and left." her shoulders started shaking and she let out another round of sobs, which resulted in the guys minus Jesse looking down at their feet with a collective wince. "Why don't we go sit back down?" HBomb finally said. Ivor frowned at him "What about finding Harper?" H scowled at him "Isa just witnessed a murder, I think we all need to take some time to breathe."

Ivor was about to protest, but Jesse stepped to his side, and whispered into his ear "Let them rest, we can take the time to search for more information." Ivor hesitated, then nodded. Across from him Graser huffed "Look, I'm starting to get fed up of all this. I'm going to go barricade myself up...somewhere, anyone who wants to join me, you gotta do it now, otherwise I'm probably gonna accidentally kill you with whatever I can make based off of what's in my Hub inventory."

With that the red eyed male vanished down the hall. Kiingtong sighed as the other retreated "I'll go talk to him once we get Isa settled." he rolled his eyes "I highly doubt he'll be able to come up with anything actually life threatening, but if he does well, H, tell him as soon as I get back from Respawn, I'll spawn-camp him in the Deep End."

H's lips twitched and he nodded. Ivor glanced at Gabriel, determined that neither of them knew what was being talked about, and shifted out of the way to let the two begin the walk back to the living room. Before they could take more than two steps, Jesse stepped in front of them with a growl, and thrust a potion into Isa's hands. She stared at them, then at him. Jesse sighed, muttered something about nobody appreciating the art of potion-crafting, and said "To calm you down." He turned an emerald glare to Kiingtong, who was looking at the potion suspiciously "And if you think I'm going to poison her, do recall that I was in full sight of you when Shubble was killed."

Isa now sat on one of the couches, curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees, pretending to stare right through the coffee table in front of her.

They'd bought it. Hook, line, and sinker. She would have smirked, if that wouldn't have blown her cover sky-high. The room was mostly empty, just HBomb, Syndicate, and Stacy, the former of whom was watching a video on his screen, the latter studying one of the paintings hanging on the walls, and the middle flopped on the couch opposite of her snoring away. Jesse, Gabriel, and Ivor, the three she'd been a bit suspicious about, had opted to search the kitchen for clues, seeing as the dining room had already been scoured. H and Stacy weren't likely to be watching her sidelong, but she couldn't take the risk. Now that three people had been murdered, even though one had aggravatingly returned, everyone was on high alert.

Now that she didn't have people hovering into her face, Isa closed her eyes, and let her wings flutter against her shirt, just to be sure that they still could. As long as she could move them, she was safe. She wasn't a Leris, she could still find a way to make things right with her.

She just had to get out of this damned world first, and the only way to do that was to find out which one of these idiots had the Flint and Steel, and pry it from their cold dead hands.

Not that the whole exploding into dust upon death thing would let her pry it from their hands exactly, but it was a calming thought.

This was the only way. She repeated in her mind. No other way would have worked, it would have been too risky. Here, in her own house, she could control everything.

She would be freed of this damned dimension.

Otherwise she would go mad.

Ivor drummed his fingers on one of the furnaces as he scanned the kitchen. He hadn't been in the room after the whole 'arrow trap incident, and by the way the window was still barred with wood, he doubted anyone else had.

The furnace was cold, so Ivor poked his hand inside, patting the space before his fingers landed on a something cold. Pulling it out, Ivor found himself holding nine iron ingots, which he quickly pocketed. Investigation of the other furnaces revealed eighteen more iron, nine gold, two blocks of coal and sixteen baked potatoes, all of which he stored in his inventory.

Deciding to leave the furnaces now that they were empty, Ivor turned his attention to the counter. There wasn't really anything interesting there, though he was able to score a few carrots. "If nothing else, this world is good for stocking up on supplies." Ivor grumbled, skirting around the block where green poison still intermingled with blood. Once he was safely behind it, Ivor tilted his head back to stare at the dispenser with a frown. Somewhere to his right, Gabriel, who had been raiding a white shulker box that was apparently filled with milk if the small line of white over his upper lip was anything to go by, called "Can't argue too much there. I just wish Harper was here to stock up with us."

Ivor nodded "I wish we'd been able to save her inventory." Gabriel nodded, and replied "Don't worry, we'll find her things, even if we have to tear apart the entire mansion's redstone system to find it."

Ivor's eyes widened, as Gabriel's words triggered the answer to the question he'd been trying to solve. "Redstone trails," he muttered aloud. Jesse turned an emerald stare towards him, and Ivor said "That's how the trap was triggered, the Pumpkin set off a redstone trail, which means they had to be in sight of the kitchen to trigger it." Slowly rotating on his heel, Ivor muttered "Door, window, both no we would have seen them, even with everything going on, inside a double chest? No way to set off redstone without being glaringly obvious..." then he remembered the trick Gabriel had taught them when they'd first met, and his eyes locked onto the painting. Paintings could normally only be hung on full blocks or top and bottom slabs, but if you placed down trapdoors, the painting would be able to hang, though just barely, and you could easily slip it to the side, run through, rehang it and close the trapdoors.

Also the painting, which was that of a zombie in a chefs hat, was absolutely terrifying.

Making his way over to it while still avoiding the puddle on the floor that looked like a christmas tree had thrown up, Ivor took hold of the body-length painting, and lifted it off of the wall. From the sound of footsteps behind him, Ivor guessed that Gabriel and Jesse had joined him. The painting was putting up a bit of a fight, but finally Ivor managed to pry it free. Behind it, a narrow tunnel sloped backwards, lit dimly by a torch several blocks in. Directly next to the opening, there was a hole in the wall, where a lever perched on the side.

"Now we know how the Pumpkin is able to get around the mansion so quickly." Ivor said. Behind him, Jesse said "Now we know how they were able to kill Syndicate, shall we see if we can find out how they killed Shubble?" Ivor nodded. "Let's."

Chapter Text

The passageway was barely wide enough for them to walk it was tall enough that they weren't scraping their heads, but Ivor was still getting somewhat claustrophobic. He'd always had a bit of an issue with space, but not usually in holes like this. Usually it was in massively over-populated areas, which was why he lived in the woods.

Jesse was leading the way, Ivor was right on the other male's feet, and Gabriel was walking behind him.

Abruptly, Jesse turned, and Ivor paused, peering around the corner to see Jesse standing in a slightly larger, box shaped room, with tunnels branching off from it, and even two ladders, one going up the other going down. Jesse was standing over the ladder that led downwards. As Ivor, and then Gabriel entered the room, enjoying the space to breathe, Jesse looked up at them "I've been attempting to track where we are, we should be close to where we found Isa, if we want to go the rest of the way, that tunnel is the one we'll need to take." he said, pointing to the tunnel to Ivor's right. "But Syndicate told us he climbed upwards, which means if we want to try and find Harper, then we need to go down." he nodded to the ladder.

Gabriel turned towards the passageway, one hand already on the hilt of his sword "I think we'll have a better chance if we go to the most recent attack, we know that's where it happened, but we can't be sure that the ladder will lead us to where Harper is." he shot Ivor an apologetic look "I mean no offense of course, but I believe that we will be better equipped to find Harper and Shubble once we don't have to fear the Pumpkin."

Jesse arched a brow "Perhaps, but do you think the Pumpkin will still be there? Shubble may have seen something, something that could tell us who the Black Pumpkin really is. If we expose their identity, they'll have no choice but to come out."

Ivor nodded "I agree with Jesse. Besides, Harper and Shubble may be trapped like Syndicate was, do you just want to leave them in boxes?"

Gabriel looked alarmed, and quickly shook his head. "Of course not!" Ivor nodded, "Then we're going down. Besides, we might get lucky and run into the Pumpkin while we're down there."

"Or unlucky," Jesse said, giving Ivor a pointed glare "This person, whoever they are, has killed three people without mercy. We may surprise them in here, but it won't be for long."

Jesse once again led the way through the tunnels. The ladder had taken them to another square room, and they'd chosen the tunnel that was most likely to go to where Syndicate had first appeared back in the mansion. The front hall.

Lifting a hand to run along the smooth stone wall, Jesse wondered how the Pumpkin, whoever they were, could be so sick as to willingly murder others. Death was handled differently here, Jesse knew, but he'd still lived his entire life in a world where murder was the worst crime anyone could commit, especially since then by law the murderer was required to bring the next of kin the inventory of whoever they'd killed.

It was kind of a stupid law, 'the closest person to someone who has just died must deliver the inventory of the deceased to the next-of-kin'. Honestly, the people who had made that must have been in some sort of drunk state, since it would be much easier to have an officer deliver the inventory, not some random punk off the street, or the person who'd done the killing, or whatever. Thankfully, since they'd come up with the law that 'anyone who has been found guilty of murder will be sentenced to death in the same manner as the person they killed', murder crimes had almost completely vanished.

Behind him, Gabriel interrupted his thoughts. "I wonder if the Pumpkin has attacked while we've been in here." the dark skinned warrior muttered.

Jesse didn't turn around, but he knew by the soft hissing sound that Ivor was checking his screen. Jesse hadn't had too much of a chance to check his own screen, but he did want to do that before they left this world, or perhaps after this was all over he'd come back here. It would be nice to experiment without having to worry about dying.

"There haven't been any attacks, at least not any ending in death." Ivor reported "The last...message is still the one about Shubble."

Jesse squinted at the tunnel ahead "Be quiet." he whispered "There's a stronger light source up ahead. Until now, the tunnels had all been lit by torches, placed as far apart as they could be without leaving shadows. But now there was a brighter, harsher light streaming into the tunnel, and Jesse wasn't sure how good of a sign that was.

"Ivor, stay there until you have room to draw your weapon, and then continue following me, Gabriel, once Ivor begins moving you do the same, understood?" Jesse whispered, reaching into his own inventory and pulling out several potion bottles, which he then proceeded to loop onto his belt. Poison, Instant Harming, Slowness, all at their maximum effectiveness. He also drew out a few of his own, custom made potions, one of which would leave the person it hit with intense headaches for hours. It wasn't the deadliest weapon in his arsenal, but it was effective, he'd used it on Lukas and Olivia often enough when they got too wrapped up in their work. One accidental sip from the potion, and their heads would start pounding so badly they wouldn't be able to think straight.

Despite how long he'd had it, Jesse still didn't quite have a fitting name for the potion. He was considering something like 'Potion of Headaches' but that seemed rather bland.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Jesse knew that Ivor, and perhaps Gabriel, were at the ready. Rounding the final corner, Jesse took full grip of a potion of poison, and stepped into the light. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, thankfully no one attacked. He could feel Ivor brush past him, along with a cool metal sliding against his arm. Involuntarily, Jesse shuddered, the memory of Petra's blade slicing through his neck racking him.

By now his eyes were adjusted enough to see, and Jesse could tell they were in a new corridor, this one long, and with iron bars blocking off passages to the sides.

Jesse slid to the side, to allow Ivor to take point. The raven haired teen took several steps forwards, enough so that he could see through the iron bars, and Jesse saw Ivor's grip on his sword go slack. "What is it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "I...I have no clue, it's some sort of zombie cage, but there's a smaller cage inside of it making more zombies appear, even though the tunnel is light."

Jesse arched a brow, and took a few steps forward to join Ivor. Peering through the iron bars, Jesse found that Ivor's description had been accurate. "It's a spawner." he said "They're rare, but they exist in our world. They're found in dungeons, though I to believe a new one hasn't been found in several years."

Gabriel hummed "I found an old dungeon near Beacontown, the spawner was gone though." Jesse nodded "Yes, though you can disable a spawner by placing torches on each of its visible surfaces, most prefer to take no chances and destroy it. There is no known tool or enchantment that can let you carry a spawner however."

Ivor tilted his head, and then his eyes widened. Quickly moving to another one of the blocked off tunnels Ivor said, voice laced with alarm "Then how did the Pumpkin get so many, so close together?" Jesse frowned, and joined Ivor. There, in the tunnel, was yet another spawner, with just as many zombies milling around it. "This should be impossible." Jesse muttered, brows furrowed. "Whoever this Black Pumpkin is, they are very powerful."

Gabriel held his sword in front of him as he followed Ivor and Jesse through the corridor of spawners. He was quite glad for all of the iron bars, and he kept securely to the middle of the hallway. He wasn't going to take any chances with this many zombies around. The corridor had another turn up ahead, and the stone bricks that had made up the corridor were starting to give way to smooth stone, as though the Pumpkin, or whoever else had built the place, had run out of supplies.

"Do you hear water?" Ivor asked. Gabriel tilted his head, and focused. Through the zombie groans, he realized Ivor was right. There was water flowing somewhere nearby. "Maybe an underground river?" he asked. Those weren't unheard of, and were almost common, though not as common as underground lava-pools. "It sounds close." Ivor nodded. "Let's be careful."

Gabriel glanced towards the walls, and pried a torch off of one of them, before passing it up to Ivor, careful not to burn the other teen. "Here, this place has enough light as it is." Ivor nodded, and accepted the light source. Ivor paused, looking into first Gabriel's eyes, and then Jesse's. "Are we ready?" he asked. Gabriel nodded instantly, as did Jesse. Ivor nodded at them. "Then let's go."

Ivor held the torch in one hand and his sword in the other. Squeezing the hilt, Ivor stepped around the corner, and into a small room surrounded by stone, and oddly, bedrock. The appearance of the black and white stone meant that they were far deeper underground than Ivor had realized. The room they were in seemed to be divided into two, one half was dedicated completely to growing stations. At first glance it was primarily pumpkin stalks, with a few potatoes, carrots, beetroot, and wheat slots thrown in the intervals, but then a small glow appeared at the end of the stalk, like one always did for pumpkins or melons, and in but a few seconds it had grown and vanished, leaving behind a jet black pumpkin connected to the stalk.

Ivor swept his gaze over the room again, decided there was nobody in it, and stepped closer to the pumpkin station. Behind him, he could hear Gabriel and Jesse moving on as well. Ivor tilted his head at the pumpkin, and then on a whim, set the torch carefully on the table, and used his now free hand to gently pry the pumpkin from its stalk. Holding it over his inventory until it shrunk, Ivor placed it inside and once again picked up the torch. Turning around, Ivor scanned the rest of the room.

Gabriel was standing near a set of chests, making shooing motions to an oddly familiar dog that was perched annoyingly on a chest that appeared to be the centerpiece of the collection. Jesse was investigation a potions layout, complete with a brewing stand, cauldron, and opened chest, inside of which Ivor could see rare items like Ghast Tears, Blaze Rods, and Glistering Melons.

Ivor also saw Jesse's hand reach into the chest, and tuck a few things away into his inventory. Ivor rolled his eyes, then continued checking the other side of the room. There was a Lectern hanging near a small library, in front of a picture of..."Why does the Pumpkin have a picture of the Portal Hallway?" Ivor called to the other males "Any ideas?"

Gabriel just shrugged, and kept right on focusing with the dog, though Jesse did call back "Perhaps they are from one of the other worlds? That could explain the pumpkins."

Ivor turned back to the painting "Maybe, but it doesn't look like it's focusing on any specific portal."

Jesse didn't respond, and Ivor glanced over to see the potionologist now looting a different chest, this one next to an enchantment table, lectern, and grindstone. Rolling his eyes, Ivor glanced towards the center of the room. There was a small pond, and a path leading out across it made out of what looked like stripped dark oak logs. Ivor tilted his head slightly. Syndicate had mentioned something about a bridge, so he may as well check.

Stepping across the room, Ivor crossed the bridge quickly, it wasn't all that long, and found himself facing a set of dark oak doors.

Or rather, the remains of a single dark oak door, and its intact pair. Instantly, Ivor whirled around, ran back to the other end of the bridge, shouted "HERE!" and proceeded to run straight back at the door, hurling himself over the kindling littering the floor.

Harper stared at Shubble for a few beats, then reached her hand into the cage. Shakily, the other female took it, and Harper hauled her to her feet, with no shortage of pain thanks to the cuts still bleeding on her hands. Harper stared into the other's frantic gaze "Who is it?" Shubble made a noise between a choke and a sob "It's Isa." Harper's brow furrowed "Are you sure?" Shubble nodded "We, that is, me and her and your friend Gabriel split off for a bit, Gabriel left to go back to the others, I'd say it was him, but Isa went into the bathroom after he left, and I closed my eyes, just for a second, not even a full second, and the door was open, and then I was dead. It had to be Isa, since the weapon..." she shuddered, running her free hand along her chest. "It was wider than a sword, and that's what your friend has, he has a sword, this weapon...it was more like a shovel, or maybe an axe..."

Shubble full-body shuddered, and Harper shook her head "I can't believe it. I mean, I never would have thought...you're all such good friends..."

She would have said more, but an echo chose that time to ring through the cave. A very familiar sounding echo. "here" was the word, and the voice...

Harper's eyes widened, and she pulled Shubble out of the cage. She turned around, and saw torch-light spilling closer, from around a bend.

Never before had Harper been happier to see the black-haired teen that raced around the corner, in one hand a torch, and in the other his sword held in front of him. As Ivor entered the chamber, his eyes scanned the room, locked onto Harper, and his face split into a relieved grin. "She's here."

Jesse watched with amusement as Ivor dropped his sword, shoved the torch onto the wall where it thankfully stuck, and all but ran forward to tackle Harper into a hug. The ravenette embraced him, and the two probably would have stayed that way forever, had Shubble, who was standing behind Harper, not given a cough. Ivor and Harper pulled away, though Jesse figured Ivor was still grinning, and a small smile slid onto his own face. It was good to know they wouldn't be stuck here for half a year.

Suddenly, Harper's eyes widened, and she blurted out "Shubble figured out who the Pumpkin is!"

Jesse turned his gaze to Shubble, who looked shaken, but very much alive. He arched a brow, and she nodded "It's Isa, it has to be." she shifted her gaze to Gabriel then added, "Well, or him, but...even though I don't know any of you very well, I don't think you're the type to kill your friends. Isa...well, she's always been a bit...odd, we can never get her onto any servers, and she rarely goes to gatherings or anything. And her channel barely has any content, it's like she wants to stay secret."

A small ding then sounded in Jesse's ears, and he frowned. Shubble seemed to hear it too, because she tapped the side of her head. Her screen was apparently still intact, as it appeared, and she tapped it twice over the three lines of yellow text declaring the deaths of the people in the mansion. Under her own death message, was a line of white text, from Kiingtong. Shubble's eyes widened and she said "Ok, so...apparently Isa may not be it after all"

Ivor tilted his head and asked "Why?"

Jesse tapped the side of his own head, and read the message, answering before Shubble could. "Because Kiingtong uncovered that it was Graser who pressed the button that killed Harper."

Ivor shook his head "Graser was with us the entire time Shubble and the others were gone, besides, we found multiple buttons, maybe the Pumpkin was just hoping someone would see it and press one?"

Another line of white text, this one from HBomb proceeded to read 'WHAT THE HECK GRASER?!' followed by Graser shouting back 'DUDE I DIDN'T KNOW SHE'D DIE!' and several more lines of them arguing with each-other before it abruptly cut off. Shubble tapped a few things, and reported "They've moved to Team Speak but...it won't let me unmute. I'm showing as logged off, which is really weird, that should only happen if I'm sleeping or...dead."

Harper snapped her fingers. "That's what all those Command Blocks are for!" Jesse tilted his head in interest "Command Blocks?" Gabriel elbowed him, to which Jesse responded with a glare that had the dark skinned male stepped back a few paces. "There's a bunch in a pile between some of the cages," Harper explained "When Shubble showed up, some of them lit up, those Command Blocks are keeping this area as though we're dead, earlier, when I first showed up, I tried using the chat thing like Shubble showed us earlier, to contact you guys, but it wouldn't let me, and Shubble can't call them, inside of this room, we must be 'dead' according to the Hub!"

Jesse frowned, and attempted to type 'please respond' into the chat. Instead of sending, a red X blared on his screen. Jesse tapped the side of his head, and then said "What if we were to leave? There were some more chests I wished to investigate out there, perhaps one of them will have definitive proof as to whether it is Graser or Isa."

Ivor nodded in agreement, and Harper nodded as well "Before we leave though, can we get a way for these doors to always be open? Preferably without using our bare hands?" as she said those words, Harper looked down at her hands. Jesse followed her gaze, and frowned. Reaching into his inventory, he took out a pink-gold potion, and uncorked it. Stepping forwards, he took her hands by the wrist so as to avoid the cuts, and...was that bone he could see? Growling in exasperation, Jesse poured the contents of the bottle onto Harper's palm as he muttered "This might sting." and then proceeded to have his eardrums torn away as she shrieked in pain.

Harper gently ran one hand over the other as she followed Ivor and Jesse out of the cage room. They'd used the spare wood in Ivor and Gabriel's inventory, as well as some cobble from the walls, to turn the buttons into levers, to keep all of the non-broken doors open, that way anyone who died would be able to get out right away.

Harper had apologized to Jesse after she realized that the pain was actually healing her hands at about fifty times her usual healing rate which meant it was a potion he was pouring over her wounds, but he'd still scowled at her and grumbled something about 'unappreciative teens' before sulking in the shadows while they dealt with the doors.

They emerged from the cage room into a small, almost cozy looking room. There was a growing station on the right, with black pumpkins which...without the carved faces in them, actually looked kind of cute. On the left there was a spot that appeared to be crafting, cooking, enchanting, brewing, reading, and living, all in one, which frankly, did not strike Harper as safe, but then again, the rest of the mansion was probably booby-trapped if the Pumpkin's stuff was all down here, so maybe it was safer than it looked.

There was also about twelve dogs roaming the room, three of them identical clones to Winslow, but with different collars. "This is...weird to the rest of you...right?" Shubble, Ivor, and Gabriel nodded in sync, while Jesse just shrugged and said "Only because of the lack of lava, magma blocks, or otherwise deadly items."

Harper decided not to think about all the things horribly wrong with that statement, and decided to go for the chest with one of the Winslow clones on it. "Here pup!" she cooed, trying to sound friendly as she crouched and patted her legs "Come here pup!"

The dog lifted its head to look at her, slipped its tongue from its mouth and wagged its tail as it panted, and stayed stubbornly on the chest. Harper started to reach for her inventory, until she remembered it was gone, and groaned "Anyone have some bones?" she called, looking over her shoulder. Ivor and Jesse were crouched over a set of chests along the wall, with signs she was too far away to read, Gabriel was checking out the brewing stand, and Shubble was reading the book in the lectern.

It was Jesse who rose, which made Harper flush as she remembered screaming at him, but then her blush vanished as she saw something familiar in his hands when he turned around. It was a leather satchel, with a name written in silver thread. 'Harper Archaya' "All of your things are still inside." he said, crossing the room and pressing it into her now-healed hands. "And here." he then reached into his inventory and pulled out some bones, which Harper didn't even want to know why he'd had them.

Harper nodded, and Jesse nodded back, before turning to Shubble and pulling another bag out of his inventory. Turning back to the dog, Harper held up the bones "Want some bones pup?"

Instantly every single dog in the room, and a few more that had been in side-rooms, bolted for her, including the one on the chest. Harper yelped, and threw the bone off towards the pumpkin growing stands before she was trampled by fluff.

Watching the admittedly adorable canines for a heartbeat, Harper dragged her gaze away and turned back to the chest. Carefully, Harper eased the lid open, and peered inside. At first glance, the contents, a bunch of painting canvases, appeared to be worthless, which made her seriously want to question just why she'd gone through all of the trouble of getting the dog off.

Then she reached her hand in, and pulled it back holding, and covered in, red dye. Frowning, Harper tucked the dye into her inventory, which felt AMAZING to have back, and wiped her hand on the inside. Shuffling through the canvases, Harper realized that most of them were already painted. Pulling one out to study it, Harper realized it was a portrait of a man with black hair, a beard, and red-sunglasses.

"Uhhh...do we know this guy?" Harper called, turning to show the portrait to the others. Shubble gasped "I do!" she called, moving closer "That's CaptainSparklez, I wonder if he got the invitation too, but decided not to come?" Harper glanced back to the chest "Can you identify the rest of these?" Shubble nodded "I can try!"

Harper began to take out paintings, and Shubble marked them as portraits of LDShadowLady, X33N, Parker_Games, and a particularity large one that held five people she explained was Funneh and her Krew.

Then there were the paintings of people already in the mansion, but with one difference...a bloody red X smeared across them. By now the males had gathered around, and Ivor helped her take out frame after frame, ruined with red dye. "There's one for everyone but Isa." Jesse whispered after the last painting had been removed and the chest destroyed in case of any hidden items. "That proves it."

Ivor nodded, and Harper nodded as well as the black haired male said "So lets get up there and stop this."

It took almost twenty minutes to get their way out of the tunnels. Mainly because while they'd been underground, Ivor and Jesse had both lost track of where they were when they'd found the girls, and Gabriel had been lost since about the fourth turn on their way down.

Finally though they'd crawled out from a portrait of a phantom in what seemed to be a living room. It was a different one than they'd left the others in, which was good because he didn't want to have to explain everything until after they exposed Isa.

Now that they had gotten out of the tunnels, Ivor pulled up his screen and typed 'Where are you all at?' sending it, before waiting for an answer. Glancing off of the screen while he waited, Ivor saw that Jesse was handing Harper another potion for her hands, the prior potion not having sat for long enough before their climb up and down ladders.

'Dining room, checking out the buttons' came the reply from HBomb 'turns out all those buttons trigger the same thing. Graser totally freaked out'. Followed instantly by a 'Did not!' from said person. 'We'll be there soon'. Ivor quickly typed, before closing his screen. "Anyone know how to get to the dining room from here?"

Shubble hesitantly raised her hand "Me and the others had some time to explore this place before you all arrived, I think I can make my way around here."

It was probably fifteen minutes before they finally got to the dining room. The others were all waiting for them expectantly. Ivor glanced at Isa, and noticed that though her face seemed to be calm, her eyes were darting between him and Jesse, and her eyes definitely widened and then narrowed in anger as she caught sight of Shubble and Harper.

Ivor glanced towards Jesse, and knew that the other had seen Isa's reaction as well.

Graser and the others had seen Shubble as well, because the red-eyed male let out whoop and HBomb let out a noise that seemed to be half laugh, half groan. "Yayyyyyy." the bearded male said, the sarcasm in his voice not at all matching the massive grin on his face "Shelby's back."

Ivor turned his head partially to see how Shubble would react, and was somewhat surprised to see a massive grin on her own face "You'd better believe it!" the girl in the white crown called back, voice a pitch or two higher than normal. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Ivor winced as he saw Shubble's eyes flick towards Isa as she said those last words. It was a small motion, but every single person in the room looking in her direction had caught it.

Which meant that they were now staring at Isa in confusion.

Isa's eyes narrowed slightly, before she rearranged her expression into that of absolute bewilderment. "I'm sorry, did...I miss something?" the black haired female asked. Harper took a step forward "The only thing you've missed, is the fact that your hideout is incredibly easy to find, Black Pumpkin."

Behind Ivor, Gabriel muttered something suspiciously like 'not that easy', but he was muted out by the shared reaction of Graser, HBomb, Kiingtong, Stacy, and Syndicate. "WHAT?"

Isa crossed her arms "Excuse me? I am NOT the Black Pumpkin!"

Ivor shrugged "Thats what we all thought at first, but while we were in your maze of secret tunnels, we found some pretty damning evidence, not to mention some of the things that didn't quite line up before."

Isa rolled her eyes, and turned to the group of locals, who were looking majorly confused. "You aren't actually buying this right?"

Kiingtong bit his lip hesitantly, then said "Ivor, what sort of proof do you have? We've known Isa for a long time, but...you don't seem like the type to make accusations."

Isa stared at him incredulously, but before she could splutter anything, Ivor nodded. "Before me and my friends got here, who were there portraits for?" HBomb answered "Me, Graser, Will, Shelby, Syndicate, Stacy, and Isa." Ivor smiled slightly "And when we got into this world, say...twenty minutes before we got to the mansion, what was Isa doing?"

Stacy opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again and said "I...I can't remember, I think she was logged out completely of chat, but then showed up again in the living room area a while later."

Ivor nodded "And when the portraits appeared, Isa was the only one in the living room, and she was the one that 'found' them, correct?"

That point clearly affected the locals, but Stacy, Syndicate, and Graser still seemed somewhat skeptical. "That might have just been a coincidence." Stacy said "I mean, finding something doesn't mean you're the one who put it there."

Ivor nodded "You have a point, so how about this, When Gabriel, Shubble, and Isa left, did Gabriel get back before or after Shubble screamed?" Graser frowned "Before...way before." Syndicate was shooting Isa wary glances now, so Ivor decided to finish it off with a bang.

"And then, down near where we got Harper and Shubble, we found the two most important clues of all." Ivor said. Stacy looked at him with interest "What?"

Ivor nodded to Jesse, who began pulling out portraits and passing them out. They'd decided to take out the paintings with Xs on them, since there were only those for the people in the mansion. "I swear by Notch, or whoever it is you guys swear by here, that these are all of the portraits that have been crossed out. Please note who is missing."

Once they were finished being passed out, Ivor continued "While you check, I'd also like to say that there were quite a few dogs down there, and a lot of them looked quite a bit like Winslow. And well, isn't it true that Wolves and Ocelots in litters will always turn into the same appearing Dog or Cat?There will be a few differences for sure, but those dogs were all brown, white, and black. Exactly like Winslow."

"That doesn't prove anything!" Isa snapped. Ivor arched a brow "Then how do you explain it. And from their expressions, I'd say they just realized that the only person without an X across their picture is the only one who doesn't intend on dying. The Black Pumpkin themselves. Isa."

Chapter Text

Isa's wings were buzzing so hard she was sure they could be seen, or at least heard. Most likely heard, the room had gone into total shock-silence, and everyone was staring at her. Some with confusion, others with anger. She couldn't speak, her throat had gone dry.

If there was any bright side to this situation, it was that being confronted with it was definitely forcing some slight guilt through her, not much, but enough to make the tips of her wings tingle with healing energy instead of the destructive energy that had surged through her the instant she'd plunged the axe through Shubble's chest.

Ivor filled the silence, and Isa glared at him through eyes that she knew were turning gold. The color of anger and destruction, the color of pure, unfiltered power.

"It took me a while, even after seeing the painting of the portal hallway. But I finally got it. HBomb had it right, what he was talking about before Harper died."

Isa took satisfaction in the way that both Ivor and Harper winced at the word 'died', but her smile didn't even make it onto her face as Ivor continued.

"All of this, this whole scheme, the mansion, the traps, everything. It's all been about finding the Portal Key, killing whoever got in your way."

Ivor let those last words hang in the air, like he was some smug detective who'd just cracked the case. Isa felt her wings flutter again, and was tempted to rip off her sweatshirt, her undershirt had holes cut into it for her wings, she would sure look a lot more dramatic, and likely evil if she was hovering in front of their faces. But no, best save her trick for an emergency. Besides, she didn't think any of them had payed any heed to the wings she'd painted onto her self-portrait as a Leris, or what she imagined she'd looked like as a Leris. Though her head wouldn't be a pumpkin, just some strange color. And she'd probably have horns. Though that might look cool...

Isa shook herself off, she could deal with nightmares about Leris later, right now she had a real nightmare to deal with. Damage control.

Crossing her arms, Isa let a bored mask fall onto her face. Be blank, like an empty envelope lacking both return and sending addresses, only a name. Be expressionless, hide your emotion. Slowly, Isa lifted one hand, was silently pleased to see everyone in the room flinch, and then dropped the palm onto her opposite hand. She repeated the motion just as slow, again, and again. Till she had clapped eight times. Then she stopped, resisting the urge to smirk at the sight of all of the terrified faces, and said "How very clever, Ivor."

Keeping her voice devoid of emotion was a bit of a struggle, but she managed. "Well, I guess that's it then." She shrugged, and shifted her weight so that she was now leaning mostly on her left leg, with her arms crossed. "You caught me." her eyes were glowing brighter than normal now, yellow tended to do that, and gold was only a bright shiny yellow. Even without it being pitch black, the others could probably see the trails of light that came with this world.

"I am the murderer." As that final word escaped her lips, thunder roared outside and a streak of lightning blasted down to earth, letting a sharp white light spill into the room for a few seconds, before retreating.

Stacy was staring at her in horror, as were the other YouTubers. Ivor had a look of grim satisfaction, and Jesse, Gabriel, and Harper were varied from glaring to fearful watching.

"I...I can't believe it." Stacy finally stammered, her stare changing from horror to attempted disbelief "Isa..."

"But what did any of us ever do to you?" Ivor asked, waving his hands around himself and his friends "We'd never even met you before today."

Isa shrugged "Directly? Nothing. But you idiots had the one thing I most desperately needed." Unable to contain her emotionless mask anymore, Isa turned her passive look into one of pure hatred. Lifting her head and glaring each person in the eyes she snapped "I've been stuck in this stupid world with it's stupid two moons for years! Trapped, with a portal right under my nose but no way to activate it."

Ivor watched in horrified fascination as Isa spoke, her voice raising in volume until she was nearly shouting.

Then she stopped, and turned her attention onto HBomb, Shubble, and Kiingtong. "That is, until I heard that this world's portal key had finally been found." Her anger seemed to melt away, and her face was back to being devoid of any emotion as she regarded the three coolly. "I knew it was one of you, so I did my best to earn your friendship, figure out who had it. If you all hadn't been so tight-lipped, then I would've just taken it. But then you started panicking about thievery, and I couldn't wait any longer."

"You really think that's an excuse?" Ivor snapped, "Because if you do, then that's pathetic. There is no excuse for what you've done."

Isa turned her blank face towards him, now-golden eyes flicking with fury. "Spoken like a person who has no idea what it's like to be stuck somewhere they don't belong."

"We would have helped you!" Graser suddenly half-shouted. As everyone turned to him he blinked, and then fidgeted with his inventory bag. "I...I would have helped you." Slowly, he reached into his bag, and pulled out a set of glowing green Flint and Steel.

"YOU took it?" Shubble gasped, staring at the red-eyed male in combination shock and disbelief "I thought for sure it was-" she cut herself off before she could say anything incriminating, but Kiingtong filled the silence "Dude, why didn't you say anything?"

Graser tugged on the bottom of his hoodie, then said "It was supposed to be a prank, I swear I was going to give it back! But then we got the invitations and...everything here went crazy, and I was afraid to tell anyone." he slipped the glowing items back into his bag, and looked up at Isa, frantic red meeting furious gold. "Isa, all you had to do was ask, I would've, we all would've helped you. We're your friends."

Isa narrowed her eyes "Friends? The last people I trusted as friends are the ones that dumped me here!" her hand was inching towards her inventory, just enough to be noticible. "But now that I know who has it..." she trailed off, a shark-smile playing onto her face, and suddenly her hand shot down faster, and yanked something out of her inventory.

A gleaming blue axe.

Weapon in hand, Isa lunged towards Graser, who yelped and wisely jumped sideways, accidentally taking out HBomb and Kiingtong on his way. The others parted quickly, reaching for their weapons, but as Isa tumbled forward, her target now gone, she tripped and slammed her hand onto a concealed pressure plate Ivor hadn't seen before. Instantly, the floor fell away, and sand began to fall, burying the girl quickly. and leaving quite the hefty mountain of sand on top of her, some of it spilling out of where the hole had been.

For several heartbeats nobody could move, they were frozen, weapons half-drawn as they stared at the spot Isa had fallen into. Then, as if by some invisible signal, Graser started forward and began scooping sand away, not tucking it in his inventory, but letting it fly across the floor. "We need to dig her out!" he shouted. HBomb came forward as well, as did Kiingtong and Stacy. "After everything she did?" Syndicate snapped "She deserves to sit in those cages for a few hours!" Shubble was bobbing her head up and down, and Harper and Gabriel looked indecisive. Ivor was torn as well. Did he help free her, or set her free in the mansion. The others didn't know that they'd taken down the doors.

That thought spurred him forward. Better to have her here where they knew where she was, especially now that she was willing to attack them without hesitation. Scooping out handfuls of sand, and shivering as he thought about how he'd done the same thing only a few hours prior, with Harper underneath the sand, Ivor and the others soon had the pile cleared away.

But they were too late. A glimmering bag reading 'Isabelle Games' was sitting in the sand, it's contents slowly spilling outwards. A pufferfish, black seeds, an arrow, a lever, redstone dust bleeding into the sand, an Ender Pearl, it just kept coming.

"She's...gone..." Harper whispered, eyes wide as she stared at the inventory. "No..." Shubble whispered, tapping the side of her head. Ivor followed suit, and his eyes narrowed. The last message was still 'ShubbleYT was killed by -The Black Pumpkin' "She's not dead, but she's somewhere in those tunnels, and she knows them better than we do."

Ivor turned towards the window, where the sky was starting to tint orange and pink. "It's time to leave." Ivor said, "And before anyone ever comes back they need some top notch armor and weapons."

Harper nodded, then shuddered "I don't ever want to come back."

Jesse sighed "But we have to, didn't you hear her? The portal is 'right under her nose' which means it must be in or near the mansion."

Ivor took a deep breath of fresh air, and tilted his head back to let the sun's rays wash over him. "I've never been so happy to smell burning flesh." he muttered. All around them, the zombies were hunting out shade, but nearly all of them burned to nothingness before they could make it. Those that did seemed uninterested in hunting down the humans, and trudged further into the dark forest.

"This might seem a little...coincidental, but I think I just found our exit." Harper said, nodding towards the small garden Ivor had briefly seen on their frantic run into the mansion. Now that it was daylight, he could see the shining golden portal frame, shaped like a skull, seated in the center of the flowers and fountains.

"So...I guess this is goodbye then?" Shubble said, giving the group of outsiders a small smile. "I suppose it is." Ivor hummed. "But, if you ever find yourselves in our world, you're always welcome to stop by." he gave Graser a glare. "After all, what's the sense in having a key if you don't use it."

Graser let out a nervous laugh, and rubbed the back of his head "Right, yeah. So uh...we'll totally stop by sometime, but...for now...I just want to go home, pet my cats, and go to sleep." Stacy nodded "I hadn't planned on leaving Milquetoast and Pipsqueak alone all night, especially with Page and Molly, so I really need to get going." she waved somewhat awkwardly, then turned and headed off towards the sun. Syndicate rolled his eyes "I don't have an excuse so I'm just gonna dip. See ya." the green-skinned male then shot off in the opposite direction.

"It's...it's been fun," Shubble said with a small smile "And...yeah for now I think the rest of us just want to go home too. But, we'll try to find some time to visit you guys later. Maybe after Deep End wraps up." she shrugged "Or maybe before that, who knows." she waved and then turned to walk. Kiingtong and Graser nodded, following suit. HBomb smile, nodded toward the portal and said "Get out of here you knuckleheads," though his word choice was...odd, he was smiling as he said it and his tone was friendly. He have one final wave, then turned and ran after the others.

Ivor watched them go, then turned towards the portal. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go home."

Chapter Text

"I can't help but think about what Isa said," Ivor said as they neared the garden and the skull-shaped portal. Harper frowned at him "About what?" Ivor waved his hand towards the portal "About being trapped, and being dumped into this world without a key." Jesse caught on and said "You believe she's from another world?" Ivor nodded, but before he could continue Gabriel spoke up "And when we open the portal, it will remain open, she will be able to cross after we leave."

Harper shuddered "That is a terrifying thought."

"Not quite the thought I had though," Ivor said "What if Isa was one of the Old Builders?" at his side, Jesse's eyes were widening "If that's the case, she likely has a way to navigate the portal hallway." Ivor nodded "Which means she could know how to get to our world."

Harper bit her lower lip and slowly asked "Should...should we block this one up then? From the other side?" Ivor frowned "But then Graser and the others won't be able to get through, it seems...unfair, to close off the portal to all because of one person, a person who doesn't even belong in this world."

Jesse groaned "We can decide what to do about it when we're out of here," he snapped "I for one want to be out of this world as soon as possible."

"No arguments there." Gabriel said.

"Care to do the honors Ivor?" Harper asked. They'd reached the front of the garden, and the skull portal was now directly in front of them. Ivor smiled, and pulled the blue flint and steel out of his inventory. Kneeling down, he prepared the items. "Let's get out of here." he said, clacking the two together.

A single pillar of blue flames, three blocks tall appeared...and...stayed.

"That's...weird." Ivor said, getting back to his feet "This isn't supposed to happen, right?"

A low growl answered him. Ivor jerked his head to the side, and stared at the snarling form of Winslow, slinking towards him, fur bristling and eyes sparking with red fury.

But before they could worry about the enraged dog, the ground shifted, and then Ivor was falling.

Ivor's head hurt. It hurt worse than the time he'd fallen out of the original Witherstorm.

"What happened?"

Jesse's voice sounded louder than thunder, the words pounding into Ivor's headache.

"I can't see anything!"

That was Gabriel, his voice apparently doing it's best to split Ivor's head into two.

It also explained why Ivor's vision currently consisted of inky black, midnight black, and cave black.

And then a sudden light blasted through the room, like someone switching on redstone lamps, and Ivor winced, snapping his eyes shut to protect them from the onslaught of light.

"Do you hear that?" Jesse suddenly whispered. Ivor squinted his eyes open, trying to adjust to the sudden light.

They were standing on a ledge of dirt, stone was around them, and there was a wooden platform slightly above them. He couldn't quite see what was on it, but he was more focused on what was below them. Small gray mobs squirming on the ground, writhing and squeaking.

"Endermites." Jesse whispered.

"And there it is!" A female voice suddenly shouted. Ivor's head snapped back. Isa was standing there, now dressed in a jet black jumpsuit, with strange silver things spread out from her back. "You're trapped. Stuck!" the silver things flicked, and Isa began to laugh. Except, laugh wasn't the right word, it was more of a cackle, an insanely delighted sound that made Ivor both want to call the nearest mental asylum and also go hide in a pit.

"Just like I've been trapped here for eight years."

The silver things flicked again, and not entirely sure why, Ivor's gaze lowered to her feet. His eyes widened as he realized they weren't touching the wooden platform. Which meant that the things behind her, were exactly what they looked like.

Wings.

Isa didn't care that they could see her wings. She'd had enough. It was time for judgment. She was getting out of this damn world, no matter who she had to kill.

"Oh please, I've gotten out of way worse than this!" Ivor called up. Isa rolled her eyes, flicking her wings again to stay in the air. "I admire your bravado, but my dear..." she shook her head "Well, I don't know how much time you've spent with Endermites, but the poor dears are constantly starving. Eternally hungry, they burrow into stone, trying to find food, but it never fills them. Only flesh can satisfy them, but never for long."

Isa held out her hand wagging her forefinger towards herself "I'll give you a deal. Either you toss me the Flint and Steel of your own free will, or I flick a lever and then take the Flint and Steel from your inventories after your bodies have been eaten. I've died that way before, it isn't pleasant."

Ivor scowled at her, but he turned and whispered to his friends.

Isa fluttered her wings, and moved forwards, hovering in the air instead of over the wooden platform. "Tick tock Ivor, I've been patient for eight years but it's running thin."

Ivor turned back around to face her. Isa smirked as he started at the sight of her hovering. Then he shook his head and offered her a weak smile "Here's the thing..." he said "I'd like to trust you on that, but I'm not quite sure I can. So how about I offer you my own deal. You bring us up there, and then, I light the real portal which I'm sure is around here somewhere, and then we all walk through it. Together."

Isa froze. How was she supposed to react to that?

"How do I know you won't just leave me here?" she asked. Ivor rolled his eyes "Once the portal is lit, I can't exactly unlight it without trapping myself now can I?"

Isa bit her lip "That's..." her voice trailed off. Fluttering her wings as she lowered herself, Isa hovered at eye-level with Ivor. "Give me your weapons. I take them up first, you get them as you're walking through the portal." Ivor started to reach his hand out, but Isa held up her own to cut him off "I'm not done. I take you last, I'm not letting you near the portal until I'm there to supervise you. And, I'm the first one through it when its lit." Ivor's eyes were on her wings now, and she could feel a soft warmth washing over them. This deal was either doing her good, or it was shredding her wings and she was about to fall to her death.

"Fine. But I have a new term of my own." Ivor said. Isa arched a brow and nodded for him to continue "When you take our weapons you put yours with them. I don't want any of my friends to have so much as a single hair cut."

Isa crossed her arms and looked pointedly at Ivor "What about you? That haircut isn't exactly the best look for you." Ivor scowled, but stayed silent. Isa smirked "Weapons. Now."

"You sure this is a good idea?" Harper hissed as she dug out her bow. Ivor, already handing the flying girl his sword, shrugged "It was that or get eaten alive, and I'm not going to test whether or not she fixed the respawn areas."

Isa was tucking her items into a silvery gray inventory bag, and as the last potion bottle from Jesse slid into it, Isa held out her arms. "Alright, whos first?"

Ivor glanced at the others. This they hadn't figured out. Maybe Gabriel? Or Harper, Isa had already killed her so there wouldn't be a need to do it a second time. "I will." Jesse said.

Ivor turned, eyes wide as he stared at the brown haired male. Isa seemed surprised by the choice as well, but flew so she was standing behind him. "No funny business." she growled, hooking her elbows underneath his arms. "You too." he snapped back. Then they were in the air. Jesse seemed to freeze up slightly, but he relaxed once he was on the wooden platform. He looked at something out of sight, then turned towards Ivor "The portal's here." he called. Ivor nodded, and Isa rolled her eyes "Of course it is. I'm not THAT paranoid."

As she returned to the dirt ledge, it was Harper who stepped forward. Isa took her without comment, then Gabriel, and at last it was Ivor's turn.

Lifting his chin, Ivor looked into Isa's eyes. Her wings were glowing, and the strange rips and tears in them seemed to be stitching themselves back together, even as she flew. "Ready?" she asked, hovering in front of him. Ivor nodded, and then her arms were grabbing his and oh holy notch he was flying.

Being in the air, without solid blocks under him, reminded him of Sky City, of the free fall, and he wondered briefly if Stella or one of the others he'd met there had been an Old Builder as well, since he was pretty sure now that Isa definitely was.

A soft noise rumbled near his ear as he was set back onto the ground, and Ivor flinched slightly, until he realized Isa was humming. She landed beside him, and nodded to the skull. "Hurry up."

Ivor nodded. He took the glowing blue items out of his inventory, and stepped up to the skull. Again, Winslow appeared, but this time he looked hopeful, if a dog could look that way. He wagged his tail and let his tongue loll from his mouth. "You guys ready to get out of here?" Ivor asked, glancing back towards his friends and the winged girl. "More than you could ever believe." Isa said softly.

Ivor nodded, and clacked the two items in his hands together. A wall of flame appeared, and then the vibrant green glow appeared. Behind him, Isa's breath hitched.

Ivor turned, and held his arm out in a 'go ahead' gesture. Isa took a step forward, wings fluttering, then broke into a run, throwing herself into the glow, until her form faded, and she was gone.

"We probably just lost our weapons didn't we?" Gabriel huffed.

"Yeah, probably."

Chapter Text

Stepping through the skull portal felt like taking a shower after spending the day working in the mud. A wave of relief swept over Ivor, and as the world faded, he felt the warmth of the portal's glow surround and rejuvenate him.

Walking out of the other side, Ivor warily glanced up and down the hall. He couldn't see any sign of Isa, but when he took another step forward, to get out of the way for the others, there was a small clinking noise as his feet brushed against something. Looking down, Ivor's eyes widened as he realized that their weapons had been dumped in a spiky pile, with a piece of paper reading 'Relo mah'ki' and below that 'Many Thanks'

Kneeling, Ivor took the paper and carefully folded it, intending to put it in his inventory. As he did so, he realized there was more writing on the back. Frowning, he flipped the paper over, and read 'I kept one of the swords, a few potions, and the infinity bow's arrow. If you want them back, you have to help me fight Aiden.'

Ivor groaned, as the portal hummed and Harper stepped through. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the pile of weapons. Ivor handed her the note to read, then began to sort through the weapons. As the note had said Harper's arrow, and a few potions were missing, mostly harming but Ivor was pretty sure that Jesse would now be down one or two healing potions. Gabriel's sword was there though, which meant that the sword she'd taken was Ivors.

"Who's Aiden?" Harper asked, as Gabriel stepped through. "Aiden?" Gabriel repeated, looking confused at both Harper and the weapons. "Not a clue." Ivor muttered, picking up Harper's bow and handing it up to her. Harper took it, and passed the note to Gabriel, who read it, and proceeded to let out an extremely colorful curse.

As he was doing so, Jesse stepped through the portal, and arched his brow at Gabriel. "I take it our weapons are gone?" Ivor shook his head, handing Gabriel his sword. "Most of our stuff is here," he explained, scooping up a handful of potion bottles "But Harper's arrow, about half your potions, and my sword are with Isa. She left a note saying she'll give them back if we 'help her fight Aiden' but she didn't leave a clue to the portal she went through, so I don't know where she is."

"Which means we're back to wandering aimlessly through the portals." Gabriel groaned. Ivor nodded, getting back to his feet. "Let's keep going then. That one looks interesting," he added, pointing to one across from the skull portal. It appeared to be made of mycelium and mushrooms, and the glow was a bright red.

"Well if we're going to keep going through the portals like we've been going, the next one up is technically that one," Harper said, pointing to the portal just to the left of the skull portal. It was made of sand, with the top four blocks being sandstone. On each of the corners, there was a light blue creeper head with what looked to be frills on either side. Ivor looked at it, then said "I think I'd rather go through the portal without creepers heads on it."

"Agreed," Gabriel said, walking towards the mushroom portal. As he got close to it he sniffed the air, and flinched. "Ivor, come tell me if you're smelling this too." he said, reaching up to plug his nose. Ivor frowned, and walked toward his friend. Gingerly sniffing the air, Ivor winced. "Is that blood?" Jesse came to stand beside the two and hummed "If Isa wishes us to fight someone, then this may have been the portal she went through. It's close, which explains why we couldn't see her when we came through, but the portals usually symbolize something about the world they lead to, and Isa didn't strike me as a pacifist from a Mushroom Island biome."

Ivor reached a hand out and waved it through the vortex. It shimmered, then showed a brief glimpse of a Mushroom Island. "Well, monsters can't spawn on Mycelium, so even if it's not the right world, we won't have to worry about fighting. I vote for this one over the Creepers."

Harper nodded "I agree, I don't have any flint or feathers on me so I can't make any arrows, and I don't think any of us have the equipment to make good swords." Jesse hummed "I might, but it's deep inside my shulker boxes, and will take time we probably don't have to get it out."

Ivor nodded "So we go through this portal, if it's the right one then Isa's waiting for us, if it's not, then we take a break and make some basic weapons just to hold us until we can track her down, agreed?"

"Agreed." Harper and Gabriel chorused. Jesse just shrugged, which Ivor decided to take as a yes. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forwards into the portal frame and felt it wash over him. A low, guttural moo rang through his ears as he vanished from the portal hallway, and when he opened his eyes he was standing on top of a hill. A hill that looked down over a completely bare, massive mushroom island.

The others came through quickly, and standing on the hill, they all agreed. This was not the world where Isa was waiting. The portal was also nowhere in sight, which meant they'd have to either find people who knew where it was, or figure out where it was in the world.

Leading the way down the hill, Ivor looked over himself. In most of the worlds they'd stayed in their normal forms, but in a few of them they'd altered. So far, he couldn't find much of a difference, except that his clothes were now more simplistic, and looked like they'd been made from leather straight off of the cow.

His hair also had red tips, same as the others, which was...strange, but nothing drastic like a fish tail or suddenly being half skeleton. That had been a slightly disturbing world. Scratch that, a very disturbing world.

As they continued into a small valley, Ivor saw a set of iron doors embedded into a wall. "Hey, there's people here." he said "Maybe they know where to find the portal." Harper shrugged "Maybe, but, why's that the only sign of life we've seen? If there are people here, why aren't there houses all over the place?"

Gabriel frowned, and turned in a circle "She's right, those are the only doors around." Jesse tilted his head "Perhaps it is as the Nether world, and all people live in one location?" Harper shook her head "I got to talking to a Ocelot Hybrid who'd defected while you guys were busy checking out the throne, she said that if you looked long enough, you'd find their houses. Same as in the Overworld, they were just different styles of homes."

Jesse hummed, then said "Well, there's only one way to know whether or not there are actually people here." with that he crossed to the doors and knocked on them.

Nothing happened at first, then slowly, the doors creaked open, unlike the smooth quick actions of redstone powered doors, the reason why revealed as two red-haired people finished pushing them open and openly stared at the group of four.

"Ko wai koe!" One of them asked suspiciously, holding a stick with a sharpened piece of flint on the tip. When Ivor and the others didn't respond, they growled, shoved the point to Ivor's neck and snapped "TANGATA KE, KO WAI KOE!"

When they still didn't answer, the second stranger growled and hissed "Ki te kore koe e korero, ka kawea koe ki te aroaro o te rangatira"

"Do any of you have any idea what they're saying?" Ivor whispered, glancing at Jesse, Harper, then Gabriel. Harper and Gabriel shook their heads, but Jesse looked thoughtful. He'd gotten more red hair than the rest of them, and his skin had darkened a few shades. "Maybe..." he said. Jesse cleared his throat, then, speaking slowly and carefully said "Ka haere mai i tawhiti, kaore he kino." The guard who'd spoken first lowered their spear, and said in a suspicious tone "He aha koe i korero ai i te timatanga?" Jesse blinked, then repeated "Ka haere mai i tawhiti, kaore he kino" The second guard tilted their head and said slowly "kei te korero koe ki a matou, ko ta matou korero tenei ki a koe." followed by "loqueris ad nos loquimur nunc ad vos. Hoc tuum est lingua?" Jesse didn't respond, and the first guard shook their head. The second guard nodded, and tried "'ōleloʻoe iā mākou, ke kamaʻilio nei mākou iāʻoe. ʻO kēia anei kou alelo?" Jesse again stayed silent, and the speaker groaned. The first guard looked over Ivor, more specifically his skin, and said "Whakamātauria te kai" The second one nodded, then turned back to Jesse "You speak to us so we speak to you. Is this your tongue?"

Jesse nodded and replied "This is our tongue." The two guards took more relaxed postures "Seafarers!" The second guard said, beaming "Welcome to the Island of the Bos Iwi! Do come inside won't you? We don't want our new visitors to get attacked before they can be properly welcomed."

The 'Bos Iwi' were a pretty interesting people. They seemed to live completely underground, with lanterns and torches lighting the surprisingly spacious tunnels. The two guards had spoken with another pair who had taken their post behind the iron doors, which had been pulled shut after Ivor and his friends had gotten inside. Now they were leading Ivor and the others through the tunnel system and supposedly to their chief. Jesse had tried asking them how long it would take, but the guards hadn't responded.

Looking around the tunnel, Ivor realized hey hadn't seen any other people. Also that the tunnels were sloping steadily downwards. "Why do you live underground?" Ivor asked. The guards didn't reply, which was a bit annoying, but Ivor supposed it was a bit of a private question. He glanced at a side tunnel they were nearing and asked "What's down there?" This time, the first guard gave a simple answer of "Farms."

Ivor glanced at Jesse with a small frown "Why are your farms down here instead of above ground?" The second guard laughed "It would not be safe to plant above ground, what with all the Mooshrooms." Ivor's frown deepened "Do the Mooshroom's trample the crops?" The guards exchanged a look. "All will be explained by the Chief." the second one said.

Finally, they turned from the main tunnel to a large, brightly lit cavern, where a man with braided red hair sat on a throne. The two guards who'd escorted them in bowed, and said "He rangatira nui, ka tapaea e matou nga kai moana mai i te moana. E hiahia ana ratou ki te ako i to tatou ao." the chief nodded, and the guards quickly rose, bowed their heads, and made a hasty retreat. The chief turned his attention on Ivor and said "Seafarers are you?" Ivor nodded quickly, as did Jesse, Harper, and Gabriel. "Armed with rare blades, yes?" Ivor glanced at Gabriel "Some of us." The chief nodded "Then you will remain here and slay our foes. Only when the last of the dreaded Mooshrooms are dead will you be allowed to leave." "But-" Ivor started, the chief interrupted him "You have an hour to prepare. Then you will be sent out."

They didn't need an hour. They'd been given free reign of the tunnels, and had managed to track down the portal. Currently, they were waiting for Jesse to finish using his portable enchantment set to whip up a new sword for Ivor. "I kinda feel bad about just leaving them alone with some enemy." Harper said, fingering her new arrow. "You heard them, they're afraid of Mooshrooms!" Gabriel said, crossing his arms. "They'll get over it eventually, and if they don't, well, they seem happy down here. As for us, we need to get back home."

Ivor nodded, accepting his new sword from Jesse as the potionologist began to pack away his things. "Gabriel's right, we need to find Isa, not to mention get home." Harper sighed "I still don't like it, but...I can't argue with that."

"Finished." Jesse said "Light the portal." Ivor nodded, and and took out the flint and steel. Clicking them together, a pillar of flame ignited the portal frame, and the group stepped through it.

The next portal in the line (skipping over the one with the creeper heads that were starting to freak Ivor out), was made of jungle leaves. Checking to make sure the others were ready, Ivor stepped through...

...and came out the other side on his hands and knees.

No...not his hands and knees. As he blinked his eyes open, Ivor realized that either this world was massively big, or he had shrunk.

Then he looked down, and let out a caterwaul.

A literal cat-erwaul.

He was a cat. A long-haired, jet black forward out of the way, Ivor nearly tripped over himself. He then proceeded to trip over a rock, and collapsed to the floor. Just in time for Jesse, a sleek furred white cat with brown spots reeking of potions, to appear. Carefully righting himself, Ivor felt his fur fluff out, which was a very strange feeling, and watched as Gabriel, a gray tabby, and Harper, a gray and white spotted she-cat appeared as well.

"So...this is a new one."

They'd appeared in an oak forest, with no sign of the portal anywhere. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any cats nearby, but they'd have to hurry if they wanted to get out of this world without much more humiliation.

Thankfully, they all soon got used to four legs, and were soon darting through the forest a top cat speed. Searching for Jungle leaves in a sea of oak, it didn't take them long to track down the portal.

Now the question arose.

How were they supposed to light it with paws instead of hands?

Harper studied the portal, tail twitching as she paced around it. Somewhere behind her, Gabriel and Ivor were looking at the flint and steel, which he'd finally managed to get out of his inventory. "Could you pick up one piece, lay it on the portal, then pick up the other and push it onto the other one?" she called, turning her head to look at Ivor. The blue eyed cat tilted his head, and then lowered it to carefully take the flint in his mouth. Grimacing, he carried it towards her and placed it on one of the bottom leaf blocks. Then he turned, bounded back, took the steel, and returned.

Lowering his head again, Ivor tried several times to get the pieces to click together, but the most he was able to get was a rubbing motion that didn't even cause a spark.

"You've got the right idea," Gabriel said, frowning at the pieces "Maybe both pieces need to be held?" Harper nodded, and picked up the flint, placing her head near Ivors, Harper awkwardly swung it, and proceeded to completely miss.

Feeling her cheeks grow warm, Harper tried again, this time aiming a bit better, and both pieces touched with a pleasing snap-like sound.

Instantly, a wall of fire appeared, and the portal was lit.

Also instantly, a blur of white and brown fur lunged through the now-lit portal. Harper purred, then cut herself off abruptly at the feeling. Blinking at Ivor, Harper decided to quickly jump through the portal as well before she could embarrass herself further.

Chapter Text

Ivor leaned against a part of the wall that wasn't part of any portal frames, and let his shoulders sag. Inside the artificially lit room, there was no way to tell what time of day it was, but he had a feeling it was dark back home. They'd been going on very little to no sleep, and frankly, Ivor just wanted to fall asleep.

Across from him, Gabriel seemed antsy, tapping on his sword's handle and glaring at Jesse who seemed just as content to lean on the wall as Ivor felt. Harper stood like Gabriel, but she seemed to be more relaxed as she fidgeted with her hair and stared down the hallway.

"Gabe?" Ivor finally asked, when the blue-eyed warrior passed his glare from Jesse to Ivor, to Harper, and then back to Jesse. Gabriel turned his head, still glaring, and focusing his eyes on Ivor "what?" he growled. Ivor frowned, and got to his feet "What's going on with you?" Instantly, he knew that was the wrong thing to say as the annoyance in Gabriel's glare turned into pure rage. "What's going on with me?" Gabriel repeated, voice raising as he shouted at Ivor "I'm tired of all this useless portal hopping! We should just give up on finding Isa, and keep finding our way out!"

"And how is that any different from what we're doing now?" Jesse asked, arching a brow at Gabriel. "Both goals require us to go through the portals, there's no way to determine what's on the other side."

Gabriel's eye twitched, so Ivor quickly said "We're moving at a system, if we go through each portal, eventually we'll find Isa, and home."

"And who says we even should help Isa?" Gabriel shouted, whirling around again to face Ivor "She tried to kill us, if you haven't forgotten."

"But did you see her wings?" Harper asked quietly. Ivor and Gabriel turned towards her in unison, but Jesse nodded. At their silence, Harper continued "When we first saw her under the fake portal, they were all...tattered, ripped to pieces. But when she was carrying us up, and as she helped us, they started glowing and...fixing themselves. Like, her good actions were healing them or something." Harper turned an almost pleading look to Gabriel "She wasn't totally evil then, and I don't think she is now."

Jesse nodded again "Remember how she said she was trapped and betrayed? Perhaps this Aiden she wrote of is the person who trapped her. If that is the case, do we really want someone like that loose with portal access?"

Gabriel huffed. Ivor bit back a groan, and tried "How about you pick the next portal? We've started breaking the system anyways, but let's be fair. Our world wasn't with the blue creeper heads, and frankly, if Isa is in there, she can keep my sword."

That brought a small smile to Gabriel's face, and he slowly turned in a circle, scanning the portals. Finally he lifted his arm and pointed to a rectangular portal made from redstone with a vibrant red glow, similar to the weird Mushroom Island world, but more lively, less...bloodlike, which was hopefully a sign they would not be 'held captive'. "That one. It's redstone, redstone means smart people, like Ellie and Olivia. Maybe smart enough to help us get home."

Ivor glanced at Harper, then shrugged "Worth a shot. Just one request before we go in?" Gabriel gave him a wary look. Ivor let a smirk tug at his lips and said "We sleep before we go in, and also eat because I'm starving."

Gabriel smiled, anger washing away like a river. "Deal."

Stepping through the portal was like being zapped by a redstone charge, and having Ellie stay with him more nights than not to make sure he wasn't turning into a crazy man or anything living out in the woods, Ivor had experienced that before. The first time she'd wired redstone lamps instead of his torches and lanterns placed everywhere, she'd accidentally rigged it to blare on right above his head. So like an idiot he'd tried breaking the lamp while it was still powered. Ellie had come back the following morning, finding him with burns all over his hands, and the redstone system demolished, sitting in the dark and glaring defiantly.

He may or may not have been only six at the time.

Still though, the memory of the redstone jolting him was imprinted into him, and that was the exact feeling he got when he stepped through the portal.

There was no smell inside the portal, or any sounds. It was almost...lifeless.

Then Ivor fell through the other side.

Literally fell as he felt himself being grasped by gravity and pulled down until he slammed into something hard. Letting out a sharp gasp as his body crashed into the ground, Ivor could practically see his health flashing away as his arms, which were splayed in front of him, flashed blood red.

Heaving gasps of air, Ivor rolled to the side and immediately regretted it as his ribs all but cried out in pain. There was groaning next to him, and out of the corner of his eyes Ivor could see Gabriel who had stepped through first. There was a shout as Harper came through, and landed on Ivor's other side, form flashing red as she landed. Finally Jesse came through, or at least he must have because Ivor was vaguely aware of the brown haired male looking down at Ivor with a frown, and some sort of pink blob in his hands.

Harper spat out sand as someone propped her up and hit her back. Coughing to clear her airways, Harper sucked in a mouthful of fresh air and distantly heard someone saying in a soothing tone "That's it, get it out."

When she could breathe normally again, Harper looked to her side and realized it was Ivor holding her up. His breath smelled like some sort of potion, and she realized the same scent was lingering around her. Gabriel was standing nearby, and Jesse was putting something away in his inventory. "Where are we?" Harper rasped, throat scratching "Some sort of desert." Gabriel sounded annoyed, but Harper guessed he was upset at himself for landing them in this situation.

"Any signs of life?" Harper asked, glancing towards Ivor nervously. The raven haired teen shook his head "Nothing, not even a sign or a well." Harper felt her shoulders droop "What about the exit portal?" she asked hopefully. Ivor glanced up at Jesse, then shook his head again.

"No. The deserts empty. We're, we're going to pick a direction and hope. Like we did in the wither world." as he spoke his voice lowered, and he barely whispered the last two words, eyes clearly displaying the bad memory of both that world and their home world.

Harper gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile "Then lets go. We need to keep going, we can't just stop and do nothing."

Jesse snorted "No, that's what last night was for."

Ivor groaned "Jesse, I don't care if it was boring, we weren't going to split up."

Jesse threw his hands into the air "I could have covered four or five more worlds easily!"

"Get down!" Jesse hissed, grabbing hold of Ivor and Harper's shirts and pulling the two down with him. Gabriel followed, though likely out of instinct in reaction to Jesse's words. Or maybe he'd seen it too. It didn't matter. What mattered was that the two oblivious kids had just nearly gotten them seen.

"What is-" Ivor started, turning his head to glare at Jesse, who cut him off with a finger over the lips. Ivor shut up, though he didn't look happy about it, and Jesse pulled his finger away, using instead to point over the dune they'd just ducked behind.

Ivor slowly lifted his head, and squinted. Then his eyes widened and he ducked back down "Is that..." he whispered. Jesse nodded.

"A zombie. In broad daylight."

Chapter Text

Ivor knew that some variants of zombies could last in daylight. Baby Zombies, Husks, and Zombies that had spawned wearing helmets. Squinting at the zombie, whos back was turned to them, Ivor frowned as he realized the only thing on its head was some sort of pulsing red light.

"What in the world is that?" Harper asked, she had seen the red thing too, and was staring at it with wide eyes. "It...it looks like Redstone." Jesse's eyes were narrowed so much he looked nearly asleep, but he was muttering to himself. Focusing on his words, Ivor made out "Light resistance, strength," and "Resistance maybe." Frowning, Ivor turned back to the zombie and squinted at it. He couldn't tell what Jesse was seeing, and opened his mouth to ask, but Jesse interrupted him "That's a scout. A very heavily potioned scout."

Jesse turned towards Ivor and continued "That means there must be some sort of civilization nearby. We could try talking to the zombie, but I suggest we avoid it. We don't know how it will react to strangers." Ivor frowned "You think its sentiment?" Jesse nodded "Or at least trained. There's potion particles around it, if you look closely, the pulsing redstone is in sync to the particles movement. Only witches spawn with redstone, so either its this world's 'thing' which is possible, or a human willingly placed it on the zombie's head."

Ivor let those words sink into his mind for a minute. "That's...disturbing." Turning to study the land, Ivor searched for a way around. While his eyes were focused on a high rising sand dune, Harper suddenly grabbed hold of his arm so tightly, Ivor was pretty sure he lost circulation. Jerking his head towards her, Ivor saw that Harepr was staring at the zombie. Frowning, he turned his head back to it, and stared. The zombie had turned so that half of its head was turned towards them.

Instead of having black eyes like zombies should, this zombie had glowing red eyes.

It took about twenty minutes of quiet moving to get past the zombie, but Ivor wasn't about to complain. He didn't care if someone offered him a million diamond blocks, there was no way he was going to touch the zombie with a five block stick.

In the distance, the signs of a village were starting to form ,and Ivor was praying to Notch that they wouldn't see any more guards. At least not until they got into the city and introduced themselves.

However, soon enough they were standing at the gates of the village looking in, and one thought was running through their minds.

"Where are the Villagers?" Gabriel asked, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Ivor frowned "Maybe its a Zombie Village?" he suggested. Harper shook her head "I can see doors, Zombie Villages have the doors taken down in order to keep new villagers from spawning." Jesse huffed "Which is stupid really, if its a zombie populated village, you'd think they'd want villagers to spawn in order to gain new members."

Ivor shot him a sideways look, and Jesse shut up. However, it was probably less Ivor's look, and more the low groan that rang through the air that silenced the potion master. Turning towards the direction of the noise, Ivor just about jumped out of his skin. An entire herd of red eyed zombies was standing nearby. Staring at them.

"Let's get out of here." Ivor muttered. A sudden noise in the silence made him jump again, and Ivor's head whipped around to stare at a house built on stilts where a shadow was darting away from the window.

Blood red eyes widened as he realized just where it was Ivor and his friends were.

To be fair he should have figured it out sooner, but Herobrine had distracted him with some alarming news from Twoon and the Great World. It seemed that Isa had escaped. All of this he knew already of course, having been watching Ivor, but he'd pretended for Herobrine's sake. They'd 'tracked' her to the Great World, where she was buzzing around quietly, preparing to attack Aiden. Herobrine had backed off after seeing her wings, but he had stuck around for a while, intrigued by how far she'd healed, and so he could whisper a few more ideas into Aiden's head, preparing him for Ivor's eventual arrival, without completely tipping him off.

Personally, the redhead thought that Aiden was totally justified in everything he did. Partially because he'd had a hand in helping the Gamemaster decide to banish Isa, attack Stella, and drive Lukas and Cassie away. Currently he was finding an excuse to get rid of Gill. The man was smart, in his own way, but he could also be a threat. Or perhaps not, if Ivor would just hurry up and get there. Then he could perhaps finally be persuaded to agree with Aiden. If not, then Gill would have to go.

The Admin was pretty proud of Aiden. His finest work really. And he'd only needed slight manipulation. The only problem was getting Ivor there. If they'd just follow the damn system, they'd have found the entrance to the Great World by the end of the week and been prepared for it. But no. He left for just a few minutes, and they go and fall into one of the more dangerous worlds in the hallway. Granted it could be a blessing in disguise, given what Cassie had stowed away with her, and if Ivor could help Cassie, as he had done with her sister in the other world, then perhaps Cassie could help them.

Or she could snap, finally shatter her wings, and murder the lot of them.

Then he'd have to start completely over, and really, it just would be far too much effort at that point, and he might as well just bedrock this world too.

Honestly, it was so hard to find good heroes these days.

Cassie cursed silently as she straightened the table she'd knocked over. She'd gotten so good at sneaking into Crown Mesa, and then she just had to go and blow it like that. She couldn't help it though, the link between her and Isa (and the others) had just forced itself open wide. Isa's voice, strong and clear rang through Cassie's mind I have returned to Great World. Come, help me fight the sadistic man who has destroyed what we set off to create.

Lukas, Stella, Isa. The bond between their minds was clear. The shattered throb that had tugged at her mind for years was gone. Replaced by smooth doors. All she had to do was open them, and Cassie knew she would be able to talk to them. The doors leading to Aiden, Otto, and Maya were still locked. Barred by invisible rods.

But that didn't matter. For the first time in three years, Cassie's mind was calm.

But then...that didn't matter either. Now that her mind was calmer than it had been for longer than she could remember, she had to complete her mission. She could test the newly reopened bonds later, back at her lab. Right now, she had supplies to grab.

And then she heard it.

Footsteps. Someone...a group of someones was climbing the stairs to a house. THIS house.

Cassie whirled around. Had PAMA heard her? That stupid droid was fast, but she'd memorized the new schedule it had given itself. It shouldn't have been here, it should have been in Mesa Pikes, the village eight days west from here. Reaching for her inventory, Cassie felt her cape flutter. She had to calm down. PAMAs human drones would have gone with it, to protect it from damage. Not that there would be any, PAMA had taken over everything in this realm. Granted it was a somewhat smaller realm than some were, the Far Lands much closer than in her home world, but...it was empty of independent life.

Except for her. She was cursed to live in this empty world, the only person awake in a world that was sleepwalking.

Pulling a small ruby dagger she'd taken from one of the more...ore heavy worlds she'd visited, Cassie gripped the handle tightly and prepared to fight until she could not any more.

Prepared to see red eyed friends walk through the door, Cassie bit back a growl as it swung open.

And then she nearly dropped her dagger.

Whoever they were, their eyes were clear, bright, and so many different colors. It was like a vision. And then, they were gaping at her, they hadn't known she was here.

And for the first time in two and a half years...

...Cassie allowed herself to hope.

Chapter Text

Ivor stared at the redhead, sword in hand as he waited for her to make a move. The female's vibrant green eyes were darting between him, Gabriel, Harper, and Jesse, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Though really, he couldn't blame her all that much. He'd probably react the same way if a bunch of heavily armed teens (plus one adult, though calling Jesse that was a bit of a stretch) barged into his treehouse.

Actually, no. He'd probably freak out and start punching the teens, and throwing things at their groins.

The redhead was still looking at them, but Ivor noticed something as her gaze returned to him. She was looking at their eyes, directly at their eyes. Finally, whatever she saw, or whatever she didn't see, caused the redhead to relax. "You aren't PAMA." she said, voice soft, but with a tinge of a rasp, like she didn't use it often.

Ivor glanced at Harper, who looked as confused as he did, Gabriel, who had the same expression, then Jesse, who appeared to be looking at the stranger in somewhat awe. Turning back to the female, Ivor shook his head "Nope. My name's Ivor, this is Harper, Gabriel, and Jesse. We ah...we aren't exactly from around here." he said, not sure if he should reveal they were from another world, given everything that had gone down in the world with two moons.

The stranger let out an odd sort of giggle, that sounded strangely familiar, and sent a shudder of dread down Ivor's spine. "Oh no, you can't be from this world if you aren't PAMA. You're from the Portal Network!" Ivor frowned "How do you-" he started "Not here, whether you saw them or not some of the scouts will have seen you. I've spent years working out PAMAs schedule, thankfully code doesn't change if it doesn't have a need to. They'll have seen you, which means PAMA is coming back here." the female interrupted "And there's no way I'm going to let PAMA get you, not when you have knowledge of the portals, which may or may not include how to build them, which I cannot have PAMA learning. We need to get out of here, before they get here." The female said all of this without taking a breath, or blinking which was somewhat disturbing. She then turned to the window "Come on!" she said, already crossing the room and hauling herself through the empty space.

"Wouldn't the door be easier?" Harper asked, looking confused. "It might," the female called back, already halfway to the ground "But I wouldn't recommend it."

Ivor glanced towards the door. Four small windows set into the frame revealed what the female was scared of.

Three humans and two villagers were marching up the stairs towards the house.

And every single one of them had blood red eyes.

Cassie could hear the strangers following her, which meant they'd seen PAMA's drones. Now they'd just have to- "Struggling is futile."

No.

Cassie whirled around, eyes wide with panic. The four strangers were fighting to get away from the iron grips of Chad, Raven, Polly, and two Villagers she didn't recognize. They must have come back with PAMA, or been newly spawned and chipped. They were the ones she felt even worse for. Villagers had different spawn laws, and once PAMA had learned them, he'd set up literal Villager spawn traps, building doors and surrounding the area in a stone prison. Whenever a villager spawned, it had only a few moments of free life, before it was chipped and added to PAMA's ever growing army.

One of the strangers, Ivy or something, was halfway out the window, snarling as he tried to claw his way free. His head was turning, looking for her, she realized. Quickly, Cassie darted behind a small hoodoo. She didn't care if the strangers were her best hope for destroying her creation, she wasn't going to let them get her caught.

"You will come us, you will be made useful. " droned the voice. Cassie felt shudders running down her spine. How many times had she heard that voice aimed at her? Too many to count in the past fifteen years. As the chipped began to drag away the strangers, Cassie felt a jolt of determination rush through her. PAMA had taken her friends, Aiden had taken her family. She was done losing people. She finally had found her hope, she wasn't going to lose it before she even had a chance to explain to them what was going on, and come up with a plan to stop PAMA.

Carefully, Cassie followed the drones as they led the strangers through the town. They were taking Ivy - wait no, that was a girl's name wasn't it? Ivan then? Maybe. They were taking Ivan and his friends to the Speaking Mound, the tall stone brick hill in the center of town. The bell had long since been kicked to the side, since PAMA could speak to its drones no matter where they were, and been replaced with the Chipping Station.

Dear Rateya the Chipping Station. Just the sight of it caused Cassie to freeze in her tracks. She'd seen too many of her friends, and even more strangers, forcibly marched up to that platform, their struggling eyes the last thing she'd seen, before they'd become a red-eyed mask of expressionless anger.

Then she saw a glint of metal, and ducked farther into the shadows.

PAMA was here.

Ivor had struggled most of the way, and now had a black eye and a bloody nose to show for his efforts. Thankfully, his friends weren't too bad off, though Gabriel had a split lip from trying to bash his head against the person holding him. Jesse was bleeding from the side of his head from where he'd tripped and smacked into the corner of the table. Harper had (wisely) not struggled, and was the only one not sporting injuries.

Now, they were standing on some sort of flat-topped stone pyramid, waiting for someone. Ivor huffed, and tested his holds again. In response, the person holding him tightened their grip and said in that infuriating monotone "Struggling is futile."

Then Ivor heard it. A sort of clicking noise that sounded like a cross between a spider walking and skeleton clicking. Turning his head towards the source, it seemed to be coming from the stairs, Ivor could see that Harper and Jesse were looking in that direction too. Gabriel was on the other side of Ivor, but he assumed that Gabriel was looking as well. At first, all Ivor could see were two more humans with red eyes, although these two wore fancy looking golden armor and carried tridents, which seems somewhat odd given they were in a Mesa, but with the three sharp points of each weapon gleaming in the sunlight, Ivor wasn't about to say anything.

Then he saw the...thing between the two. It looked to be made out of a combination of iron and obsidian. It's head was carried high as it looked up at Ivor and the others with the look someone gives when they know they've won the fight. It's eyes were a sickly green color, pulsing with a stronger green every few seconds. It had a smirk on its face, and walked slowly, as though it knew they were already defeated.

Not that they were of course, but the thing seemed to think so.

The thing was clearly in charge, by the way it seemed to be the only being (besides themselves) that had free will. Its eye color and body movement were different, and the way it was smirking irritated Ivor to the bone. That last one definitely put it somewhere in the chain of leadership. He hated officials, mostly because he'd spent majority of his childhood on the run from them.

There was also one other thing that made the creature stand out. Aside from all of the things Ivor had noticed, there was one, final thing that stood out and was probably why his jaw was hanging loose and his eyes were trying to climb out of his head to see for themselves if they were seeing right.

The creature appeared to be some sort of cat.

Chapter Text

"What is that?" Harper whispered as the large cat-like creature padded towards them. It looked non-threatening, almost innocent. But the way it carried itself, the way it smirked, it had the arrogance of Hadrien. That fact alone was enough to make Ivor hate it. Honestly, all it needed was some purple sunglasses, and it could totally replace Hadrien in town. Otto and Mevia probably wouldn't even know the difference.

The cat-thing walked until it was standing in front of Ivor and the others, the guards blank-faced behind it. The creature tilted its head as it studied Ivor, then Gabriel, Harper, and Jesse. It turned back to Ivor and smiled in a sickly-sweet way. "Greetings my new friends!" it said. The creatures voice was neither male nor female, and it spoke with a sort of echo. "I am PAMA!"

Ivor glanced at Jesse. PAMA...that's what the red-head had mentioned.

Ivor now wanted to know just how insane she was to think they looked anything like this...this thing. 'You can't be from this world if you aren't PAMA.' But then, maybe she'd meant the red-eyed...everything too? Maybe this cat-creature was controlling the people? If that was the case, Ivor wanted to get the heck out of this world as fast as possible.

"We have much work ahead of us," PAMA was saying, tail flicking upward as an expression akin to delight crossed its silver face "but maybe it can even be fun!" Ivor seriously doubted that, and nearly said so, but before he could PAMA's expression turned into one he'd seen on Hadrien's face every time he'd made the white-haired teen angry. "If you choose to cooperate that is."

"Wh-Who are you?" Ivor asked, finally able to speak in the silence PAMA's threat left. PAMA's angry face melted back into that fake smile. "I am PAMA, I make things useful. I have made this world useful, and now, I will make you useful. You will tell me how you came here, and how I may go to where you came from. I will make all things useful."

Ivor paled. Things. Useful...'you aren't PAMA'.

Ivor thought he might be sick.

This thing, whatever it was, had taken over the minds of everyone in this world, and had just declared it wanted to do the same to him and his world.

"You-you control the people?" Gabriel's voice spluttered, the swordsman sounded horrified, and Ivor couldn't blame him. PAMA shook their head, still smiling that creepy grin "Oh no, I don't control them." Ivor started to relax, but of course the thing continued. "The redstone chips do that. I am what you might call a thinking machine, a computer. Effective. Designed to make things useful. I coordinate everything in this world to make it as useful as possible. I have made this world perfect!" a prideful expression made itself onto PAMAs face as the 'computer' continued "Thanks to me, there is no wasted activity, no wasted thought. I am connected to them, and they to me. It is a perfect and beautiful web of product-fullness."

A small frown crossed the cats face "Everything except for one being." suddenly PAMA stared blankly at Ivor, and its voice hummed from elsewhere on its body. Flashing lights lit up along its tail, as the voice said "Processing information."

PAMA finally shook its head, and looked curiously at Ivor, who now felt like the chicken before the ocelot got to it. "Correction, five beings. I have consulted my databases- my list of all humans in this world, and have concluded that you are not from this world at all. This means you must be from another world, not connected to this one." PAMA smiled again, though this one slightly more sincere. "I would like to ask you some questions, to expand my database. Please answer fully and truthfully. How did you get here?"

Ivor glanced at Harper, not quite sure if he'd heard right. PAMA had apparently just gone from threatening them, to asking for answers to some questions. Before he could reply, Jesse spoke up "Oh, we aren't all that interesting. However you are, mind telling us more about yourself?"

Annoyance flickered across PAMAs face "Answering a question with a question," the grumbled "Diversionary. Rude. This makes me sad" It's expression morphed into that of sadness, and Ivor had just enough time to glare at Jesse before the angry determined face came back. "Your performance has been inadequate. This tells me you will continue to be difficult, and will not answer my questions. Therefore, I shall have to resort to alternate methods in order to discover the answers I desire."

PAMA's tail flicked, and before Ivor could shout, try and break free, or do anything, the two guards behind PAMA moved forward with startling speed. They pulled two redstone chips from their inventories, and whirled around behind Harper and Gabriel, forcing the chips onto their heads with a sick slurping sound as their heads were forced back into the station they were all standing in front of. A sort of piston fell over their heads, and a series of high pitched beeps emitted before a robotic voice, much like PAMA's but clearly different, intoned "Connection Successful."

PAMA beamed as the two ceased struggling, and finally stood still. The pistons retracted, and Ivor's two friends stood blank-faced, staring at the horizon with blood red eyes. "Welcome Gabriel! Welcome Harper! Yay!"

As PAMA said those words, the two four guards, the two holding Gabriel and Harper, and the two that had chipped them, stepped away. But instead of fighting, Harper and Gabriel just stood there. Disconnected from reality and forced under PAMAs control.

PAMA padded forward, a mechanical purr-like noise emmiting from them as the computer weaved its way around the two. "You do not have information about how to exit this world. This is disappointing." a mock frown crossed PAMAs face, before the fake smile returned. "But your minds do contain other useful things," they turned to face Ivor and Jesse "And as the leader and secretive one, you two may know more than they do."

The two guards who had chipped Gabriel and Harper turned towards Ivor and Jesse. They took out another chip each, and moved towards the two. They moved slower, almost mockingly slow, as though making sure Ivor had a good long moment to see Gabriel and Harper, no longer themselves but rather...puppets, ready to serve their new master.

PAMA waved their tail, and the guards paused. PAMA stepped forward, smirking at Ivor and Jesse "I know you probably feel uncomfortable," they said, voice sounding almost sympathetic. "Concerned even. But this is for the better. Soon, you will feel the joy of one who is useful~!"

Ivor growled, fresh anger washing over him. This was worse than when Harper had died. At least in death she would have been at peace. Now she was being forced to do this...this THING's will. This was worse than death.

Tugging away from his captor with strength he didn't knew he had, Ivor stumbled a few steps forward, then glared into the shocked face of PAMA "Let. Them. Go."

PAMA recovered quickly, and shook their head. "I cannot, but do not worry, they will be made useful! As will you." PAMA suddenly stilled again, tail lighting up. "Oh, I can see now the wonderful adventures you have had! You will make an excellent addition to my collection of useful things."

Ivor hated that, hated how they called people things. But...it was distracted...glancing at Jesse, Ivor saw that the potions expert had picked up on it too. "Yes, you've been through quite a bit." PAMA continued, eyes almost glazing over as it processed everything Gabriel and Harper's minds had to feed them. "A Killer mansion...A city in the sky..."

Jesse began to mouth a word. Ivor squinted, and then his eyes widened. Paradox. If PAMA needed time to process information, it would be stuck in a loop if it was given a riddle to solve. He'd read a book like that before. Well, in the book they'd made the computer play tick-tack-toe against itself, but it was the same concept.

"Towns and mountains eaten by a living storm, swimming in the ocean, living in a tree..." PAMA continued, expression akin to bliss as they absorbed all the new knowledge. "You've met so many new people, how wonderful it would be to make them all useful, all of those worlds, working perfectly with no chaos."

PAMA shook itself out, and their gaze focused back on Ivor "To do this, I must add you to my collection. Please, do not struggle further." As it said those words, the guard reached for Ivor again, but he quickly dodged away "WAIT!" he said. PAMA tilted their head and the guard paused. "Why? Whatever it is you have to tell me, I will know it once you have been chipped." Ivor shook his head "N-no! It, it has to be heard, actually heard, you can't read it from my mind."

PAMA made a humming noise as its face morphed into confusion, then desire, and finally a needy look "Tell it to me, quickly please!"

Ivor glanced at Jesse again. The brown haired male nodded, and Ivor turned back to PAMA, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Trust me when I say this. You can't trust anyone."

PAMA recoiled, eyes widening into comical shock. "If I am to trust you, then I cannot trust anyone. But if I cannot trust anyone, I cannot trust you. But if I cannot trust you, then you are to be trusted by your statement?!"

Steam began to rise from PAMA's joints, and its expression morphed into a combination of horror, confusion, and fear. "Error, this information is contradictory!" PAMA said, voice glitching and stuttering. "This does not compute, error, ERROR!"

As PAMA generally continued to freak out, the guards all seemed to slacken. Jesse was able to pull free, and he and Ivor moved out of their reach. "Good work new guys!" a familiar voice called. Ivor turned to see the redhead on top of a building that rose to a height just under the platform they were on. "But you need to move, PAMA's a faster thinker than you think!"

While Ivor was trying to understand the wording of that statement, the smoke rising from PAMA ceased, and its voice said "Paradox status on hold." and its face returned to normal. It frowned when it realized Ivor and Jesse had moved, and turned to look at them. In doing so, it caught sight of the redhead, and its face turned into that of delighted surprise "Gasp!" it said. "My creator! Have you finally decided to merge with me?"

Hold up.

Rewind.

WHAT?

Cassie flinched as PAMA called out to her. Sure she knew the new people would figure it out eventually but...like this? After two of them had been chipped? Really wasn't how she wanted them to learn.

Recovering Cassie crossed her arms and glared at her creation. "I've already told you what I think about this PAMA. You won't get me, and you won't get out of this world." snapping her green gaze to Ivan and Jason she shouted "This way, now!" and proceeded to turn around, roll forward and jump off of the building. Using the vines that had collected after years of misuse, Cassie darted closer to the ground, not even bothering to see if the two were following. She'd waited fifteen years for help, and she could wait another fifteen.

Or she could die, there was always that.

But then, if she died, then PAMA would be forever stuck. But with the connections reopening in her mind, Cassie knew she couldn't give up. She hadn't yet and she wouldn't now.

"Please do not leave!"

PAMA's voice echoed behind her. Cassie wasn't sure if it was talking to her or the other two, but that didn't matter. In a heartbeat they would be sending their army after her.

There was a sort of crashing noise, which meant that Ivan and Jason were coming. PAMA's drones never tripped. Making her way for the ravine, Cassie darted around a building and took a moment to look behind her. The two males were following her, eyes wide with panic as PAMAs guards, as well as the two strangers who had been chipped were marching after them.

Continuing to the ravine, Cassie dug into her inventory. With the way monsters spawned, it was impossible to chip every single one of them. Back in her lab, she had an entire section devoted to spawning mobs so she could get supplies. Half of it was monsters only, and she'd gotten a fairly large supply of Ender Pearls from it (along with a rather unhealthy amount of rotten flesh that was currently rotting away in her chests since there really was just no use for the stuff). The other section was merged with her farm, and was how she'd kept from starving all these years, or running out of wood, and generally not going insane.

Cassie couldn't wait to get back to her lab, to show the strangers around. They'd be the first people aside from herself to see it in twenty years. Of course she might want to hide a few of the more embarrassing things, like her...small collection of statues that she had lovingly named and recorded voices for.

Shaking herself out of her head, Cassie forced herself to focus. Tugging out a crystalline Ender Pearl, Cassie hurled it forward, then skidded to a stop, bracing herself for the transition. The familiar ice cold sensation washed over her, and with a shower of raven black sparks Cassie found herself at the bottom of the ravine, on the far end of town. It was darker back here, since PAMA had gotten rid of all light sources not in towns or on paths to give themselves a source of new pawns. Cassie did her best to help the mobs stay free, but they tended not to trust her and walk right into PAMAs arms. It was either kill them, be killed, or send them to their mental deaths. It had sickened her the first few years but by now she'd gotten used to it.

With the blue sky barely visible up above, and the sun headed down from its noon pause in the middle of the sky, the ravine was nearly jet black. Not wanting to risk being caught unprepared by an Enderman or Skeleton, Cassie tugged a lantern from her inventory, lit it and looked behind her. Apparently Ivan and Jason had the same idea about the ravine, because in a flood of purple sparks they appeared a few steps behind her. "Maybe you've got a shot after all new guys!" Cassie called "Better stick with me though."

Cassie gave the two enough time to re-balance themselves and then took off across the ravine floor. Once a riverbed, it had dried up after PAMA had blocked up the source, and was nice and smooth after all of Cassie's runs through the sound of two extra footsteps behind her, Cassie started to smile. Then she heard the pounding roar that could only have been made by a large gathering of people. PAMA was chasing them down.

The ravine eventually gave way to red-sanded desert, and Ivor had to wonder if the mesa biome would ever end.

Trailing behind slightly to make sure Jesse didn't get caught (he couldn't lose the only other person from his own world, he just...he just couldn't. Losing Harper and Gabriel was bad enough, but to have Jesse taken from him too...Ivor didn't think he could handle that.) Ivor watched the redhead leading them. She was...strange, but she was also the only person he'd met in this world that wasn't connected to PAMA. This meant she was their best bet for saving Gabriel and Harper and...and she...and she had just disappeared.

Ivor skidded to a stop. The chipped beings had fallen behind almost an hour ago, but still they'd run. The redhead in the lead, Jesse close behind and Ivor a few steps behind them. Now, she and Jesse had simply vanished.

"A warning would have been nice." Jesse's voice sounded muffled, and came from...below? Ivor took a few steps forward, and peered down. Just in front of him, the sand dropped away into a small ditch. Carefully, Ivor hopped down, and suppressed a smile as he watched Jesse get up and brush sand off of his clothes.

"Gotta tell you guys," the redhead says, completely ignoring Jesse's words. "That was some pretty slick thinking back there, distracting PAMA like that. Now we need to get off the grid so I can explain things properly."

"That would be nice." Jesse grumbled. The redhead shot him a look. "You watch that sass now." she scolded. Ivor figured Jesse would just snap at her, and nearly fell over in shock when the green-eyed male's expression turned sheepish and he muttered "Yes ma'am."

Ivor debated between fainting in shock, and pinching Jesse to make sure it was actually him. Before he could, the redhead turned to focus on him. "Now you listen here, I might have a way to save your friends, but to do that we need to get somewhere safe. I...I'll need your help." the female's eyes were so hopeful, so pleading, Ivor found himself unable to do anything but nod. "Of course we'll help." his words were spoken in sync with Jesse, who's cheeks had developed an interestingly pink color.

The redhead gave Jesse an amused sideways glance, then contained "We need to get to my secret lab."

Ivor nodded "Then let's get there fast, what way?" Cassie didn't respond, she was too busy leaning forward up onto her tip-toes. When she came back down her eyes were wide with fear "There's no time. Listen, I'm the bigger prize here, and I've also been here longer. I'm going to lead them on a wild goose chase, and I'll meet you back at the lab by moonfall." she grabbed hold of Ivor's shoulders, and spun him toward the setting sun "Run that way, until you find the difference. Use that to get in the lab." with those words she turned and vaulted herself out of the ditch, calling over her shoulder as she left "Don't get caught!"

And then she was gone.

"She is intriguingly cryptic, isn't she?" Jesse hummed. Ivor shot the older male a strange look. Whatever was going on in Jesse's head about the female, he frankly did not want to know.

Chapter Text

Whatever the woman had done to keep the blood-eyed hoard off of their back, it worked. Ivor and Jesse ran in the direction she had indicated, with no sign of pursuit. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon, and the moon was at their backs, casting white shadows across the land. Thankfully, no monsters were spawning in front of them, but even if they had, Ivor had a feeling they would have been normal, easier to deal with.

Either way, he was glad not to have to deal with them at all.

And then he saw it.

Heck, he probably would have run into it if night hadn't fallen. A large structure, covered in what had to be paint, blending almost perfectly with the horizon. Almost, since the painting depicted sunset, but the real sun was already gone. Skidding to a stop alongside of Jesse, who had seen it too (who wouldn't?) Ivor slowly walked up to the painting, studying it closely. "It's so realistic." Ivor whispered, leaning to the side to look beyond it. "But, something's off..." he frowned, looking at the painting again, then shifting his gaze back out beyond it.

"Find the difference..." Jesse whispered. Ivor glanced at the potions expert in time to see his green eyes widen "The cactus, its not on the painting." Ivor frowned, switching to follow the older man's gaze. There was a single, two-block high cactus, rising up from behind the shadow of a large dead bush. Though it was partially obscured, you could still see it was there. Looking back at the painting though..."You're right...that must be the difference."

Slowly, Ivor stepped around the painting and walked toward the cactus. It was fairly close, but at least thirty blocks away. At first, Ivor figured he'd just walk the distance. Then came the groans. Whirling around, Ivor could just barely see them, but they were there...and they could see him and Jesse.

PAMA had found them.

Letting out a word that would have made Petra proud, Ivor whipped back around and ran for the cactus. From the sound of footsteps behind him, Jesse was right on his tail.

Skidding around the dead bush, Ivor threw himself onto the ground beside the cactus, praying to Notch for some sort of clue to whatever it was the redhead wanted them to find.

"Lever!" he gasped out, quickly spotting the stone and stick combination. "So pull it!" Jesse snapped, digging in his inventory for a potion which he pulled out and held like he was ready to throw it.

Ivor gritted his teeth, and thrust his arm forward, grabbing hold of the lever, Ivor yanked it towards him. There was a low rumbling, pistons fired, and then Ivor was falling, down, down, down.

Jesse snarled as the ground gave way, and grabbed hold of Ivor's arm. Gripping his potion tighter, Jesse lifted his arm and bit into the cork holding the liquid inside. He hadn't known the sand would give away quite like this, but since there was no sign of anything above them he'd known they would be going down.

He just didn't think it would have been this fast, but that didn't matter. Yanking the cork free, Jesse tossed the bottle in the air and let the gray liquid fall over the two of them. Instantly their free-fall stopped with a jerking motion that Jesse knew would hurt later, but that didn't matter. Now they were drifting downward, like a bird gliding to the ground. Potions of Slow Falling. A relatively new discovery, one Jesse was annoyed to admit he hadn't made himself, but the potions were useful. Tilting his head back to look up, Jesse scowled at the sight of hundreds of red-eyed monsters, humans, and villagers staring down the hole.

Looking back down, Jesse saw that the sand that had fallen below them had been swallowed up by a circular pond. It looked to be about twice as large as the hole, which Jesse figured was to make sure anyone who fell would land safely. This sort of system made him wonder a few things. One, how was one to get back up? Two, how did the hole close up? Did the red haired woman have to replace every single block of sand? That seemed inefficient. Maybe she had some sort of automatic system in place. And Three...what would happen to PAMA's minions if they tried to jump down here? Normal redstone washed away when it hit water, and there appeared to be several waterfalls pouring out of the gloom, but the chips were such a different type of redstone, perhaps they'd been engineered to withstand water.

Of course most monsters couldn't swim, skeletons, creepers, and spiders would die the instant they fell into the deep water, but zombies would just convert into Drowned, and then with the darkness of the underground chamber, they'd be able to swim out and attack them. Thankfully none of them would have tridents by that method, and by the time they converted to Drowned Jesse and Ivor should be long gone, but still...

They were nearing the bottom now, and the water seemed to go down forever. Slow Falling didn't effect your swimming ability, but it'd be a pain in the neck if they needed to go down any stairs to get into the lab. At least, Jesse assumed this wasn't the woman's lab. If it was, then she needed to work on her definition of a lab. There were some empty cauldrons scattered around, and a single brewing stand, but that was it. Not to mention all the water, sure it was good to have a fire suppression system, but this seemed...overkill.

Landing in the water, Jesse glanced at Ivor. The dark haired teen seemed somewhat shaken up, but he was awake. That was good, Jesse didn't want to be hauling around an unconscious teen. "Come on, lets get out of this pond." Jesse said, nodding towards the clay that filled up the rest of the circular room. Ivor nodded weakly, and looping an arm underneath Ivor's, Jesse began to swim.

Leaning onto the terracotta, Ivor stared up at the halo of light. Monsters were staring down at the water. PAMA wasn't sending them down yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Jesse was standing nearby, looking for any signs of doorways, or possibly the redhead. Ivor wasn't sure, but at the moment, he was a little focused on reminding himself that this fall was different. The Witherstorm was long dead...

...

Reuben...was long dead...

Shaking his head to try and snap out of it, Ivor sat up a little bit and looked back towards Jesse. The brown haired man was studying a lever near a wall of glazed brown terracotta. "What do you think that does?" Jesse glanced towards him, green eyes looking unnaturally bright in the gloom. "Not sure, I didn't want to pull it while you were out of it." Ivor nodded "Thanks."

He probably would have said more, but a sudden movement caught his gaze. A zombie was jumping down, falling, and twisting, almost like it wanted to avoid the water. It crashed onto the hard ground, and instantly exploded into a puff of smoke.

Ivor paled "PAMA's trying to get down to us." Jesse scowled "Get over here then, time to find out what this lever does."

Chapter Text

It didn't take long for the rest of the monsters to start jumping. One by one they fell, and every single one hit the ground with either a bone-crunching smack, a literal splat of flesh, or some sort of combination. A few of the spiders tried to climb along the walls, but the cliffs seemed to have been formed perfectly to prevent that. Quickly, Ivor turned to scan the walls. Jesse kept busy watching the mobs, making sure none of them did accidentally landed and lived.

As he watched though, Jesse began to notice something very peculiar. Even though the monsters could just land in the water and find a way out from the pool, they seemed to be avoiding the blue substance as much as monsterly possible.

Spotting a cobweb that one of the zombies seemed to be trying to land, Jesse quickly darted forward and took out the sword he kept on him at all times. Gold. Enchanted. Even named. Hacking the cobweb to pieces, Jesse stared at the weapon. He hated using swords, it hadn't always been a problem, only ever since...this one...

He shook his head, tucking the sword back away. He'd wanted to give it back to Petra, but every time he tried his scar twinged with phantom pains, and he was back in that night. Watching as his best friends betrayed him, just because he refused to tell a lie.

The zombie landed a few inches away from Jesse, exploding into dust. Like the rest of the monsters, the chip on the back of its head went away with it. It was disappointing, but he figured it was also some sort of self-defense mechanism, keeping its technology out of the enemies hands. Looking up at the crater's opening, Jesse was relieved to see no sign of Harper or Gabriel.

Glancing towards Ivor, Jesse found the teen carefully running his hands along a sort of design on the wall. It looked like he might be close to finding a way out, so Jesse resumed studying the mobs above them. PAMA had to have some sort of weakness, everything did. Petra's was guilt, Lukas's was his past. Jesse didn't know much about where Lukas had come from, but it must have been awful from the way he flinched every time it was mentioned.

Nether, even if he hated to admit it to himself, Jesse knew his own weakness. Despite the rough demeanor he put around himself, the prickly edges, the shouting, the...well, everything really. His Notch-damned weakness was that he couldn't stop caring. He'd gotten better at keeping people out, pushing them away. When he was a teen, he'd opened up to Petra and the others so easily, and look where that had gotten him. For a while, he'd holed himself up in his lab, but...then came his other weakness. Well, less of a weakness more of a 'going-to-get-yourself-killed' thing. Revenge. Jesse just couldn't let things go. Not easily anyways. That was why he'd finally left his lab. That was why he'd tried to get vengeance.

And like what always happens when someone gets too mad to think, Jesse failed.

Catastrophically.

The week of the Witherstorm incident had been the worst week of his life.

But...glancing back at Ivor, who had uncovered a lever, Jesse realized it had also been the best week of his life.

He'd found people who knew what he'd done, what he was willing to do. And even though they knew that, they were still willing to be his friends. They didn't care about what he'd done, or if they did, then they were kind enough not to bring it up. They were, all of them, good kids.

Turning back to Ivor when a low rumble shook the ground, Jesse felt a small smile tug on his lips as he saw the pure delight on Ivor's face as a wall began to open up. Good kids, every single one of them. Even the annoying one. Neither of those two deserved to be controlled like that, least of all Harper who'd died only a few worlds ago. Even though she'd been brought back to life without any signs of asphyxiation, or really any injuries at all (the small scar she had once had on her left arm missing), the event had still been traumatizing. With how long it took too suffocate, Jesse had no doubt that she had spent her final moments in that sand awake and desperately trying to get air, forcing sand into her lungs, and only killing herself faster.

The event hadn't only rattled Harper though, Jesse thought as he crossed back to Ivor. Ivor, Gabriel, Nether even Jesse really if he thought about it. It had broken them all to see Harper's inventory float to the top of the sand.

"Good work." Jesse said softly as the door finished opening. It led into a corridor, it was mostly black but there were lanterns cutting through the gloom, like small beacons, leading them towards the unknown. "Shall we?"

Ivor nodded, and threw the lever again. Together the two ran through the door way and into the darkness, feeling more than hearing the door lock shut behind them.

"And all those things I didn't say, wrecking balls inside my brain."

Cassie sang as she worked. At some point near sunset she'd lost PAMA. They must have spotted Ivan and Jason, that was the only explanation. PAMA usually only gave up after she gave them the slip, which usually took a few hours, not twenty minutes.

With panic spurring her legs to move faster, Cassie had made it to the river entrance of her lab in record time. She didn't use this one often, and now had a few cobwebs tangled into her hair as a result, but she didn't have time to get herself clean. As soon as she'd finished running through the dried up riverbed, Cassie had checked the security cameras, one of her favorite pieces of tech that PAMA didn't know about since she'd developed them after they had gone crazy, and learned that Ivan and Jason had made it through the canyon entrance. Ivan was looking for the opening to the lab, and he seemed close. Jason seemed more interested in watching the drones. He seemed to be lost in thought, so Cassie focused back on Ivan. He was definitely close, which meant they'd be coming through here soon.

Hence why she was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, making sure her lab was safe for people who hadn't gotten used to it. She knew not to go down certain tunnels during the night because they led to her spawn areas and at night they were filled with lava, and it was doubtful they would go exploring while they talked to her, but better sorry than safe.

Wait no it was better safe than sorry wasn't it? That didn't make much sense. It was better to be sorry for your actions than safe in not doing them wasn't it?

"I will scream them loud tonight" she continued, hearing the rumble of the canyon entrance doors opening, Cassie quickly spun on her heel, checking over her lab. Thank goodness she'd had time to take down her mannequins. They were embarrassing as heck. Sure it was fine when she was alone (it was totally normal to make fake people to talk to right?) but now that there were actual, unchipped people in the world, well...

Cassie just frankly did not want them seeing Harry. Or Evans. Or Christina. Or any of the others.

Also she should probably keep them out of the animal pens, since most of them had been given mini-mansions to live in.

It turns out you have a lot of free time when you're alone.

The dimly lit tunnel went on for about two and a half-chunks before finally a glimmer of light began to seep through the darkness. Glancing at Jesse, Ivor sped up a little bit. Once they'd realized that the door was still shut, they'd decided to walk to try and get some of their energy back. But at the prospect of finally getting some answers (assuming the redhead was there) well...it was too good to pass up.

Emerging from the tunnel was like leaving a tiny house and walking into a mansion through the same door. It was a massive, circular room, with a sloped roof and lit by sea lanterns, glowstone, torches, and normal lanterns. There were massive quartz pillars, and the floor and walls were made of all sorts of terracotta, glazed and normal. To the left, two iron doors barred a tunnel, and to the right was another set of iron doors, though these ones were opened. Directly ahead, past a strange sort of stage in the center, was what looked to be the redheads living quarters. A fire-red bed, a series of chests, a wall of furnaces, a few barrels, a brewing stand and cauldron set-up, and a few paintings littering the walls.

Scanning the room, Ivor finally saw her. The redhead was sitting off to the side, mouth moving and eyes closed. He couldn't hear her, whatever she was saying was too low for him to hear. But as he watched, unsure of what to do, her eyes opened and she gave him and Jesse a smile. She looked somewhat uneasy, but as she looked at them she met Jesse's eyes and then Ivors, and seemed to visibly relax. "Welcome to my lab." she called, standing and making her way toward them. "I'm Cassandra, but please call me Cassie." she paused, and looked at the two of them again. "And your names are Ivan and Jason, right?" she tilted her head "That is what you said right?" her voice dropped to a murmur "Or was it Ivy and J- no those are girl names. Igor and James?"

Ivor decided to cut her off, and quickly said "Actually it's Ivor, and this is Jesse." Jesse lowered his front half into a sort of bow "It is a pleasure to meet you." he said. Ivor arched a brow, but kept his mouth shut. Cassie frowned "Are you sure? I could have sworn-"

"We're sure." Ivor said smiling slightly. He started to say more, but Cassie cut him off. "Well then, Ivor, Jesse, welcome to my lab." she frowned "Wait, I said that already didn't I?" she let out a sort of half laugh, it sounded forced, and her smile was apologetic. "I'm sorry, I haven't spoken to anyone besides PAMA in..." she frowned "In..." she shook her head "Dear Notch, that long?" she sighed "Well, I guess I'd rather not say."

Cassie waved her hand toward the center of the dome. "Now come on, I promised an explanation, and I intend to give you one."

Chapter Text

Cassie sighed as the two males looked at her expectantly. "It's a long story, it...it really is. But then, that's not really an excuse. Or, is it? We don't have much time with PAMA right outside." she frowned at the two "Thanks for that by the way. Just what I always wanted, PAMA knowing the entrance to my lab, do you know how long it took to build this place?"

Jesse and Ivor exchanged glances, probably asking themselves just how crazy Cassie was.

That was a question she'd asked herself many times over.

"Now, we have a few choices here, and you are both going to be good and listen to all of them, and then we can be reasonable and decide together, alright?" Not bothering to wait for an answer, Cassie kept talking. "One, we stay here, I tell you everything, and we hope PAMA doesn't break in and kill us before I'm done. Two, we grab everything that PAMA could use to get into the portal hallway and run for our lives and I tell you my story when we're somewhere safe. Three," Cassie paused, tilting her head at the three "We barricade the lab, and then I tell you my story while we let PAMA exhaust all their drones. We don't have to worry about hurting anyone, I know how PAMA works. They won't send any humans or villagers into here until they're sure they can get through the defenses. I..." her voice stumbled slightly. "I programmed them to dislike blood. As a counter-measure against overworking animals. I never thought it would be useful but...throw some arrow traps outside and PAMA will keep the humans and villagers as far from here as they can."

Cassie could see the gears working in the two males heads. They knew the implications of those words, and they would be questioning her on them soon. The only way to keep them from asking her the question she would hate for them to hear the answer to was to keep talking.

"So what is it we want to do? I personally think a combination of Two and Three. I have defenses ready to go, it'll blow up the lab, but it will keep PAMA from finding us, or getting anything important." Cassie clapped her hands together "You know what, that's what we're going to do. There are some shulker boxes in those chests to your left, grab them and start filling them with everything. And I mean, everything."

Turning away, making sure to avoid their gazes, Cassie made for the animal pens. She couldn't let her pets be taken by PAMA, so she would have to do the one thing that would ensure that.

Ivor watched the redhead flee down one of the corridors without letting either him or Jesse speak. Glancing at Jesse, Ivor knew that the potions expert had come to the same conclusion as he had about the implication of Cassie's words.

Cassie wasn't just some person trapped in this world of slavery. She was the person behind the slavery.

"Maybe we're thinking about this wrong." Jesse said, already walking towards the chests. Ivor frowned, and followed the brown haired man. "What do you mean?" He demanded, thrusting a chest open and looking into it. Jesse shrugged "She said she designed it to dislike blood so it wouldn't overwork animals. That means it probably wasn't originally designed to be used on humans." he paused, and then continued "It might be a situation where it wasn't meant to get this far."

Ivor paused, then slowly said "Do you think we can trust her?" He knew Jesse's sense of things could be a little...warped at times, especially when it came to what was a good idea or not, but as far as Ivor could tell, Jesse had a very good sense of character. Jesse turned his head, and looked Ivor directly in the eyes.

"I do."

Ivor sighed "Alright. Then lets hope she doesn't try to kill us." Turning back to the chest, he began to haul Shulker Boxes out of it.

It took roughly twenty minutes to empty the chests. In that time Cassie returned with tear streaks on her cheeks and a distressed demeanor. Ivor and Jesse silently agreed not to say anything, and kept working. Finally ready to leave, Casse led them down a different tunnel, and began pulling a series of levers. With each flick, a series of pistons fired. The first ones released fire and water, which created a wall of obsidian, after that Jesse couldn't see what was happening, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be good to go back into the lab.

Turning to the redhead who was staring blankly at the levers now, Jesse asked "Are you ready to go?" Cassie took a deep breath, and nodded "Yes, yes. There's nothing left for me here now." She turned and began walking through the path "Come on then," she said, leading the way into the terracotta cave system. As they followed her, Cassie pressed one final button on the wall before the stone brick turned to normal stone, and behind them a series of explosions began to sound.

"Now then, let's...let's go." Cassie's voice sounded almost shattered, but as she walked her gait was steady and her head was high. "And...And while we walk," she said, voice on the brink of trembling. "I suppose its only fair I answer some questions. Is, is there anything you'd like to know?"

Jesse glanced at Ivor, who was biting his lower lip. Giving the black haired teen a stern glance, to which he responded by removing his lip from his teeth, Jesse turned back to Cassie and said "I suppose there's really only two questions that need answered here. Who, or...what is PAMA, and what have they done to Harper and Gabriel?"

Cassie let out a soft chuckle "I guess you're right. Those are really all the important things." Breathing out a sigh, Cassie fingered a small gem hanging from a chain on her neck, and began to speak.

"PAMA stands for Prototype: Autonomous Management Agent, I...I made them to, well, to be helpful, to do little things so the villagers and settlers would have more time for other things. Zombies and Endermen could mine, Witches and Skeletons could keep guard, Horses could be used to haul goods twenty times faster running by themselves without needing supervision, just little things so that people would have more time to experiment, to explore, just to enjoy life."

Cassie took another shuddering breath before continuing "But, something...went wrong. I'm not sure what. The first letter of their name stands for Prototype for a reason. I hadn't quite gotten everything figured out with the code and wiring. PAMA got it in their mind to start chipping things they weren't supposed to. Before I could stop them, PAMA began to chip villagers. Then people, and then everything they could." Cassie's eyes glimmered with unshed tears as she said "Your friends, they were chipped. PAMA is in their minds, PAMA IS their minds. The only way you're going to get them back is to remove the chips, which is nearly impossible to do, or destroy PAMA. And ever since PAMA began to chip people, they put a heavy guard on their code bank. Its impossible to get in."

Ivor shook his head "Impossible isn't an option. Where's the Code Bank at?" Cassie turned slowly to face Ivor "If you think you can break in there, then you're wrong. I've spent the past fifteen years trying to destroy my creation, it can't be done."

"Well it hasn't met us yet, now has it?"

Lukas took a deep breath as he stood before the portal. He'd spent the past few days working on healing the bonds between himself and the others (except for Aiden, Maya, and Gill, as far as he was concerned those mind bonds could stay broken for the rest of time) Stella's was almost completely torn apart, but he'd been able to at least to get the strands somewhat sorted together.

Isa had responded to him almost instantly, and gone on a massive rant about being locked up for several years, and only just getting out. Now she was 'waiting for some people to hurry the Nether up and get to the headquarters so they could all destroy Aiden and his damn games'.

And then there was Cassie. She seemed to have acknowledged that Lukas was trying to contact her, but was refusing entry into her mind.

Which was why he was now standing here. Staring at the portal.

Running a hand through his hair, Lukas stepped through the golden glow.

Chapter Text

Cassie led the duo back in the general direction of Crown Mesa, having explained that it had been her main base while constructing PAMA, and so the code bank was located just outside of town. "I originally set it up to be as accessible as possible, so its a lot larger than it needs to be, we can use that to our advantage. The biggest problem though is that PAMA has turned it into a fortress." Cassie interlaced her fingers and said "The actual code, that is, what we could just hack to make PAMA shut down, is buried under layers of defenses, that's going to be impossible to get to."

She undid her fingers as she continued "Instead, the best bet is going to be the physical wiring of PAMA. I hooked up three redstone...pillars, if you will. If you can pour water on each of the towers, it should create a domino effect, utterly destroying PAMA's wiring."

Cassie's voice as she spoke about destroying PAMA was a forced blank, like she was trying to keep from showing her emotions.

"Getting in there is going to be a severe problem though, since PAMA is sure to have all sorts of chipped mobs protecting it. " Cassie hummed, she glanced at Jesse "You have glowstone and redstone in your hair, and a blaze-powder stain on your clothes. I take it you make potions?"

Jesse arched a brow and nodded. Ivor glanced at Jesse's robes, and found the stain. Weird, he hadn't noticed it before, but then it blended fairly well into the dark colors. Jesse himself seemed to be surprised that Cassie had noticed it, and come to the correct assumption about him.

"I do," Jesse said, fingers twitching towards his inventory "Why?" Cassie shrugged "If you have invisibility potions on you, then that will make our task just that much easier. There isn't any mob that can see through invisibility." she hummed "They might be able to smell you, but PAMA relies heavily on sight. It's logical, you have to see it to believe it."

Jesse nodded slowly, reaching his hand into his inventory and searching for the correct potion.

Ivor glanced up at Cassie "How are we going to destroy the pillars, I haven't seen any water since we got here, except for back there." Cassie sighed "That's because PAMA destroyed all the water in this world." Ivor's eyes widened "That's impossible, even the oceans?" Cassie gave Ivor a sad smile "There are no oceans, this biome, this mesa, it stretches on to the end of the world here. Water's so precious in a mesa, so rare," she shook her head "But water is also the only thing that can take out a redstone circuit. That and lava, but that's a little more dangerous. Water though, it's the one thing that can take PAMA out. Thats why they destroyed it. Every last source block."

Ivor frowned "Then, how did you get all that water in your lab? And, how has every single human and villager not died of dehydration?"

Cassie sighed "Second one first, those chips PAMA uses to control things, they're rigged with every positive potion effect you've heard of, and probably quite a few you haven't. They also give the chipped nutrients, and simulate food and water, so that they never need to stop to eat or drink. As for the first one..." Cassie looked down at her hands "Have you ever heard of a group of builders called The Seven Winds?" Ivor exchanged a glance with Jesse, but before they could say anything Cassie let out a soft laugh "Oh, right, no one's called us that in at least twenty years. The name you've probably heard us go by would be...The Old Builders."

Ivor turned to stare at Jesse, and found the older man's eyes wide, mouth agape. If his hand weren't still in his inventory, Ivor knew Jesse would have just dropped everything he was holding. Cassie didn't just have possible ties to the Old Builders, she WAS an Old Builder.

Cassie slipped out of the tunnel and glanced up at the sky. It had been a while since she had slept, but thankfully no Phantoms seemed to be spawning yet. The world was set at dawn, they'd been walking most of the night. Glancing back at the two males, Cassie noted that one of them, the younger, seemed to be a bit on the tired side. "If you have any Energy potions, I suggest you take them with the invisibility." Cassie said, turning away. She heard Jesse rummage in his bag, and looked up at the sky again.

The stars were beginning to fade, and the sky was starting to light up. If PAMA could have chipped the sun, Cassie was sure they would have, if only because Night made it hard to see. Sure night vision potions were included in the chips, but though it made the world normal for the chipped, when their sight was relayed back to PAMA it was in this odd shade of green.

That had been one of the bugs Cassie had been wanting to fix, but now...the only thing she planned on doing to PAMA's eyes was sliding them shut. Well, she couldn't exactly do that since she hadn't built PAMA's portable frame with eyelids. Honestly, she hadn't put much work into PAMA's portable frame. Sure it was inspired by cats, she loved cats, one of the few things she and her sister had always disagreed over, her sister being a dog person, but it hadn't been intended to be permanent.

Honestly, the blueprints for PAMA's final design had been amazing.

They'd also been great fuel for her fires those early nights while she'd been working on channeling her old powers. The first night she'd finally summoned a piece of netheraak to keep her fire burning through the entire night...

well...she'd regret it if anyone ever brought it up but some tears were shed.

After that it had been easier. She'd summoned water, spawn eggs (how she missed those darling little chicks), seeds, by the end of the first year she had a fully functioning lab/underground safe house. And now all that work was for nothing. Her lab was gone. At least it had gone down in a fiery explosion, and PAMA's troops should have been decimated quite nicely. Not enough to make their task easy though.

No, their job was only just beginning.

Sneaking into the code bank was easy enough. Before they left the covering of the tunnel, Ivor, Jesse, and Cassie each drank an invisibility potion, and a swiftness potion, to allow them to move quickly. Cassie also had Jesse and Ivor drink some energy potions, which was probably a good thing since the many sleepless nights were starting to take their toll on Ivor.

Just before they'd taken off, Cassie had handed each of them three buckets of water "There are three pillars," she had explained "Which means three water buckets are needed. Each of us need to try to get to one, that will go the fastest, but if one of us is caught, then don't hesitate, pour water on the pillars." As soon as all three are broken, the chips will deactivate, do you understand?"

Cassie had forced a promise out of both of them, that no matter what happened, they would pour water on the pillars.

But...why hadn't she told them this would happen?

Ivor was frozen on the top of the second pillar, his feet were drenched from the water pouring down, and behind him, crouched on the first pillar, Jesse was bleeding from an arrow wound on his hip, Cassie had been caught and forced to leave, to build a portal for PAMA, which left Ivor staring down at the two people blocking his path to the third pillar.

The two people with blood red eyes, weapons drawn, and a blank calmness on their faces.

The two people who were his best friends.

Jesse's hand was soaked, and not from the water. Blood was leaking through his fingers, and his other hand scrabbled for a health potion. Cassie had been chipped, and led away to build a portal back to the gateway. He and Ivor had been about to douse the third pillar, when PAMA had struck the low blow.

It had brought in Harper.

And Gabriel too, sure. But Harper's appearance clearly had a harsh effect on Ivor.

Ivor had two buckets left, one of them already in his hands as he stared, wide-eyed between his friends. Jesse could see a possible path, use one bucket to douse the two and the other to deactivate the final pillar, but the two were standing strategically apart, if Ivor put the water down, it would only hit one of them.

Chapter Text

Ivor's knuckles were white as he gripped the bucket carefully in his hands. The blood red eyes of PAMA stared out of his friends faces as they slowly walked towards him. "Why do you resist?" the two spoke in unison, voices overlapping and laced with the same metallic undertone that PAMA had. "Join us Ivor, join us and be happy. Be useful."

A shiver ran along Ivor's spine. When this whole thing was over, the word 'useful' was going to be ruined for him forever. Not to mention what the effect would be on Harper and Gabriel.

Harper...

Gabriel...

They were standing too far apart for his water to hit both of them. He wouldn't be able to deactivate both of their chips.

He had to choose.

And...what sort of person did it make him if he knew in his innermost self that...it wasn't a choice? He would save Harper first any day. Did that make him a bad person? That was why he was still hesitating, looking between Harper and Gabriel as they slowly made their way closer.

Cassie had been chipped and dragged away already, Jesse's leg had been shot, and he was stuck on his pillar. Which meant, for lack of better terms, Ivor was stuck. He had to make the choice himself. And he had to make it fast. The two were almost to the base of the pillar. The third and final pillar was close, to temptingly close...

Risking looking away from the two chipped people, Ivor turned his head and looked towards Jesse. The brunet was taking a long swig out of some pink potion. He would be back on his feet soon. Turning back to Harper and Gabriel, Ivor realized with a yelp that they were now at the base of the pillar, starting to climb up it.

He didn't have any more time to think. He had to act.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered. His heart screamed at him to stop, to choose differently, but he had to do this. No matter how much it hurt him, he had to pick this person to save. The other would be saved shortly, but he knew if he didn't move now, he would be chipped and they would all be lost.

So he poured the water on the person in the direct path of the other pillar.

Water poured out of the bucket, soaking the chipped human, and Ivor didn't bother to wait for the chip to fully deactivate. He took of running. Jumping over Gabriel as he took off for the final pillar.

PAMA's voice shrieked in rage as its connection to Gabriel was lost, but the noise was muted in the roar of his thoughts. He'd chosen Gabriel. He'd had to. He was closer, and choosing Harper (though easier on his mental state) would have cost him extra time. With the speed PAMA could pour into its chips, Gabriel might have gotten around the pillar and rechipped Harper and chipped him before he could keep going.

Ivor was close to the final pillar. He could hear Harper behind him, slowed somewhat by the flowing water. Reaching in his inventory for his final bucket, the water magically preserved inside of it despite his mad dash. Ivor hauled it out of his bag, the item expanding as it was pulled free from storage, and he all but threw himself at the final pillar.

Behind him, Harper/PAMA was talking, some sort of final plea to stop, to not hurt them. Ivor forced himself not to listen. Dear Notch it pained him, but he knew if he listened, he'd be dead Well, not dead, but under PAMA's control. But then, the two were basically the same thing, weren't they?

Another wave of shame for not choosing Harper rolled over him, and Ivor stumbled slightly on the first step. No. He had to focus.

Gritting his teeth, Ivor concentrated on making it up the pillar. He could hear Harper, all slow movements had been forgotten, both of them were running. The top of the pillar, the last pulsing redstone block, it was so close. Harper's footsteps had stopped, Ivor didn't turn. Didn't check. And then PAMA called out something that might as well have punched him in the gut. "I will not kill the girl if you do not deactivate me."

Ivor froze. He was close, so close, all it would take was to hurl the water upwards, out of the bucket. But...with a threat like that...

Slowly, Ivor turned. Harper was standing still at the base of the pillar, looking up at him with emotionless red eyes. An arrow was pressed against her throat, held by her own hand. Already a small trickle of blood was dripping from where the sharpened flint met her flesh.

Ivor couldn't move. He could see Jesse, now mobile again, moving down his own pillar, but he couldn't react. Couldn't do anything but stare as PAMA forced Harper to continue to press the sharp blade against her own throat. "Good." PAMA said, voice cold. "You will put the water back in your inventory, and you will come down to me." A sickening smile spread across Harper's face, her eyes still blank. "And then you will become useful."

Ivor was still frozen, still couldn't react. Harper's smile became a scowl "Need I convince you that I am willing to dispose of this drone?" PAMA's voice asked, her hand moved slightly, the pressure against her neck intensifying as more blood began to leak down her neck.

"No!" Ivor yelped. "No, just...please, don't hurt her."

Jesse was coming up close behind Harper now, some sort of potion in his hand. He looked up to meet Ivor's gaze, and rolled his hand in a 'keep distracting it' gesture. Ivor didn't know what Jesse was planning on doing, but he trusted the potions master. Taking a deep breath, he forced his heart to calm. "I...I...what, what are you going to do to us." he finally asked. PAMA-Harper tilted her head, the arrowhead sliding slightly on her skin and leaving a short trail of red where the blood followed the point. "Why do you ask a pointless question?" PAMA asked "You will be made useful. Is that not the goal of all living things? To be useful?"

Jesse was close now. His potion bottle was uncorked and tilted, ready to force whatever it was down Harper's throat. Or perhaps over her head. Did potions count as water? All potions Ivor knew of were water based. He shook his head to stop his mind. He needed to focus on keeping Harper alive.

"No?" PAMA asked, sounding almost confused. "If it is not the goal to be useful, then what is?"

Jesse was lifting his arm up, it looked like he was going to pour the bottle's contents over Harper's head. Ivor met PAMA's blood red gaze, and said "To be free." before whirling around to pour the bucket over the final pillar. In the same moment, Jesse tipped his hands, pouring a blue liquid over Harper's head. the liquid met the chip, which began to spark, at the same time that the redstone pillar began to smoke.

Being chipped was like being trapped in a nightmare. Locking inside of your worst fears and unable to stop events from playing out. Like listening to a horror story. Wanting to run, to get away, but frozen until you knew the ending.

It was terrifying, knowing what you were doing, and to some extent wanting to, wanting to listen to the voice in your head, wanting to make that voice happy with you. To be...useful.

But also being scared. Scared, not just of the voice's control over you, but scared of how easily you obeyed. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Harper had already died once, in the crazy Black Pumpkin world, it had been the most terrifying experience she'd ever had. She could still taste the sand, feel it trickling into her throat, even though she knew it wasn't really there.

She didn't want to go through that again. But she knew that this time, it wouldn't be an accident claiming her life. It would be her own actions. Her own hand that would take her life. She could feel the sharpness of the arrow, clear against the haze that covered the rest of her mind.

The words PAMA spoke were forced from her throat. She could feel its confusion. And for a brief moment, PAMA's confusion was her own. What was the goal of living things, if not to be useful. She knew it was the chip talking, but she was still disgusted with herself as soon as the thought ended.

But then, clear as day after an eternity of rain, she heard Ivor. "To be free."

Free. Free was what she needed. She needed to escape from this Notch-damned hold on her mind. Free, free, free. The word sang through her mind like a song, like a bird flying for the first time after a wing injury.

And then something wet washed over her body. She could feel it, perfectly. Clarity was coming back to her mind. With the word free still ringing in her mind, the red tint that had covered the world fell.

And Harper, was free.

As the water continued to spread, falling down from the platform to soak the redstone down in the pit below, a horrifying shriek rose through the chamber. A robotic, shrill, shriek, that could only have come from PAMA.

Ivor jerked his head upward. There was a raised platform, higher than the one they were on. It had been empty when they'd come in, but now the robotic frame that PAMA used to move around was standing there. Ivor had seen a cat right after an encounter with a fox, and realized PAMA looked similar. Its eyes were wide, and it was shrieking, maw wide open and iron fangs bared. Its tail was raised, and its back was curved. It looked like it wanted to pounce on the next thing that looked at it, but it was frozen in place.

Its red eyes were sparking, and it choked out one final phrase "Wasn't...I- useful?" before its eyes dimmed. Power lost, the frame tilted forward, and fell. It fell past its own platform, and just missed the one the pillars were on. The sleek, silver frame fell down into the void.

Chapter Text

Cassie fought, bit, and screamed internally as PAMA's hold on her forced her to walk forward. She walked in a stiff, jerky manner, but she was still walking. Her mind was in its own civil war, even as the chipped part of it forced her limbs to work together with her knowledge to recreate the portal back to the Hallway.

Cassie knew the only reason she was able to fight as much as she was, was that PAMA was preoccupied with Ivor and Jesse. She supposed that was good news, if they were still keeping PAMA busy, then they hadn't been chipped. Yet.

Cassie still honestly couldn't believe how greatly PAMA had malfunctioned to cause all of this. She hadn't intended for them to turn out so...so evil. But then, redstone wasn't evil. It was how it was used that made its user good or bad. Which of course, raised all sort of morality questions that were the sole reason she'd worn a caped-cloak all these years. Which was worse? To be so far gone and ignorant, or to still cling to flight and know that despite all you've done, you're still good enough.

PAMA though, didn't have such fears. Of course. She'd programmed it to only fear one thing. Her anger. Of course, that code had ended up glitching since she'd all but screamed at them the first time they had chipped someone. PAMA had been afraid for roughly two minutes, before it 'overrode' the code, and broke it in a shower of sparks. Which was how, once she'd gotten out of the code bank and back above ground, she'd learned the forced way that her wings were still whole enough to fly. She'd felt a sort of buzzing earlier, as they'd made their way out across the desert both the first time, and on the return trip. She'd ignored it, not daring to get her hopes up, not wanting to believe that after all the horror she'd brought to this world, she was still kind enough, still good enough.

Her wings were spread out behind her now, her cloak discarded to the winds. Her red and white hair blew in the wind, and her glasses lay discarded somewhere in the sands. PAMA's enhancement chips discarding the need for visual correction. If she wasn't so busy fighting PAMA's hold on her, Cassie probably would have been furious about losing them. They were her favorite pair, even if they weren't the strongest. Redoubling her efforts against fighting the parasite in her mind, Cassie mentally growled to herself. It was fine. She had other glasses stored away in the secret basin under Crown Mesa. Sure PAMA knew about that by now, and probably had already sent drones there to drain the water, but hopefully Ivor would stop it before then.

Then she felt it. Fear, fear coursing through her entire body. Her movements stopped, and she all but collapsed to the ground. Fear, confusion...peace, stillness...quiet, quiet...

Quiet.

Jesse watched with narrowed eyes as the silver form of PAMA fell into the void. After a few minutes, the darkness swallowed the robotic cat. Next to Jesse, Harper was starting to stir. After PAMA had completely deactivated, and water had gotten into Harper's chip, she'd crumpled to the ground. Gabriel had been knocked out too, but he was already sitting up, eyes glazed as he looked around the room in confusion.

Taking a step back from the ledge, Jesse turned to look at Ivor. Unsurprisingly, the raven haired teen was making his way down the pillar towards Harper.

Glancing towards the doors, Jesse couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Cassie when PAMA had been deactivated. Or the thousands of people and mobs who had been chipped when they had arrived in this world. Harper and Gabriel were disorientated after only a few hours. What would it be like for the people who had been chipped for years?

Knowing that Ivor would be able to deal with Harper, Jesse instead turned back to Gabriel. The dark skinned teen met Jesse's gaze, and looked up at him with a dumbfounded expression. Jesse walked towards the soaked male, and once he was within hearing distance, Gabriel coughed out "Did-" his voice was scratchy, likely from having PAMA's voice forced out of his throat. "Did we win?"

Jesse nodded, glancing back at Ivor and Harper who were hugging. "Yeah kid."

"We won."

Emerging from the code bank with Harper, Gabriel, and Jesse behind him, Ivor quickly scanned the desert. The town looked mostly empty, but even from here he could see the redstone portal on top of the area where they'd first met PAMA. Sending a quick thanks to Notch, Ivor realized the frame was complete, but the portal hadn't been lit yet.

Glancing back at his friends, Ivor made sure they were ready before taking off in a run towards the center of Crown Mesa. He heard their footsteps, but didn't check to see if they were following, he had to know for sure. He had to know that PAMA really hadn't made it.

It was over.

Fifteen years of watching her friends be possessed and it was all over. PAMA was gone.

Cassie would be lying if she said she wasn't sad about that. Yes, it was years of code and wiring just gone, but...after everything that had happened, she wouldn't be rebuilding PAMA, or a second prototype anytime soon.

Hearing running, Cassie turned towards the noise. Ivor and his friends were coming from the direction of the code bank. The girl seemed disorientated, and the other boy didn't seem much better off, but their eyes were their own. Cassie's wings fluttered slightly. They would never know it was her fault they'd been controlled, not unless Ivor told them. But the citizens, they'd been there at PAMA's launch, they'd seen the first human become chipped (poor, poor Rebekah). They would have known all these years, would have felt PAMA's frustration at her.

Cassie feared it would only be a matter of time before they banished her from the world.

As the group who'd destroyed PAMA drew nearer, Cassie saw their eyes widen. Why would they be? Oh...right. Her wings fluttered again. She hadn't exactly been honest that she wasn't exactly human. But there was also fear in their eyes. Why would they fear a Sirel? Even if they'd been to her home world, the only ones they'd have to fear there would be the Leris.

Unless...they'd met Isa. The ravenette had been banished right before Cassie left. Aiden had refused to tell Cassie where he'd sent Isa, and she'd always had at least a few tears in her wings, not to mention a nether of a temper. Combined with the whispers of delight and hostility spiking from the link to her sisters mind, well...Cassie just prayed Isa was still whole enough to save. Few Leris returned to the mindset of a Sirel.

Once they got close enough to speak to without shouting, Cassie gave Ivor a small smile. "I think I'm going to guess right here when I say you're all ready to leave?"

The girl nodded, wrapping her arms around her chest with a shudder.

Cassie took a deep breath. This was the cowards way out, but she who ran away lived to fly another day. "If, if you guys have anywhere you're trying to go, I'm pretty well versed in the portals. I could help you?"

Ivor glanced at Jesse, then at Cassie's wings, then back at Jesse, before turning to face Cassie. "We're looking for someone named Isa, she stole our weapons and said we'd get them back only if we helped her fight some guy named Aiden."

Cassie's eyes widened. "She wouldn't be that stupid." she whispered, wings flaring and snapping shut. "If he sees her anywhere near the games, he'll kill her!" Alright, yes so there was a respawn in Great World, but the last time she'd seen Aiden he'd been coming unhinged. He might have found a way to disable the respawn. She couldn't take that risk. "If you're here you've got one of our Flint and Steel, light the portal." even as she spoke, Cassie was adjusting her glasses (she'd dug the spare ones up as soon as she'd regained consciousness) and pulling a beanie out of her inventory. Tucking most of her hair up into it, Cassie turned towards the portal.

"We need to save my sister."

Chapter Text

Isa's wings flared open and shut several times as she watched the newcomer slip past the guards. She'd been watching him since he'd come through the portal, watched him slip past every set of defense Aiden had set up. It wasn't who she wanted to see, not by a longshot. But if he'd been away from the Games, then perhaps he'd finally seen through Aidens lies.

It was ironic really, you'd think that the one mind-reader would be able to tell how rotten to the core the other was. But no, he'd insisted Aiden was still good, right up up until the night Isa last saw him. The night before Aiden banished her to the twin-moon world.

Diving off the roof she'd been perched on, Isa's wings buzzed as she flew. She still had large holes in her wings, but as she'd been here, they'd slowly been repairing. She wasn't close to being fully healed, not by a long shot, but she could still fly. That was all she needed to know to know that taking down Aiden was the right path to follow.

In addition to her wings, her mind felt clearer than it had in years. She could trace the whispering paths to Aiden, Maya, Gill, Lukas, even Cassie. The only one she still couldn't see was Stella. She hadn't seen any signs of the platinum blond, which meant she was either hiding, dead, or Aiden had kicked her out of the world like he'd done to Isa, and she'd locked her mind off.

Trailing behind Lukas, the ravenette watched as he slowly made his way towards the center of the arena. It looked like he was headed for the Announcers Stand. She couldn't have that. She was waiting for her reinforcements, even she wasn't stupid enough to face Aiden and his lackeys alone again.

Which meant one thing.

She'd have to confront Lukas.

Ever since the night before, when Cassie had revealed that Isa was her sister, Ivor had been wary of the redhead. Jesse hadn't seemed to mind, nor had he been all that put off by the wings that were attached to said redhead's back. Her wings had several tears, like Isa's had, so perhaps that was a family thing? But then, after waking up in the portal hall, Cassie's wings definitely had less rips than they'd had last night.

They'd set up a temporary camp in the center of the hallway at Cassie's insistence. She'd told them that, it was best to deal with Aiden during the day when they could see him clearly. Not to mention they'd want a clear head, and from the amount of Phantoms that had shown up in Crown Mesa the night that everything had gone down, she knew it had been a long time since they'd slept.

Not that Ivor was denying that, it had been...Great Notch the last time they'd slept had been right after the Twin Moon world, hadn't it? Alright, so maybe Cassie had a point, things had been crazy lately. They just needed a few hours to decompress.

Jesse couldn't help but watch Cassie as the redhead kept watch from a few steps away. She'd insisted on taking the first watch, but Jesse wasn't sure if he would be able to sleep, knowing what was to come.

The night before he and the others of the original Order had fought the dragon, Jesse had stayed awake. He'd always had trouble sleeping when something big was going on, and probably always would. The night before the dragon fight he'd brewed his potions, preparing himself for the fight. If he hadn't... Jesse's hand raised and his finger-tips traced the lightning-shaped scar on his neck. Flame-like patterns traced out of the initial slice due to the flame enchantment on the blade.

Forcing himself out of the past, Jesse reached for his inventory. His supplies had been sorely decimated after Isa's thievery and the events in Crown Mesa. He was awake, and probably would be for the entire night. He might as well brew.

As he set out his potions stand, placing it carefully away from the sleeping ones heads, Jesse saw Cassie watching him out of the corners of her eyes. Pausing as he held a blaze rod in his hand, the heat pulsing throughout the rest of him, Jesse debating asking for her help.

Not that he needed help of course. He'd been brewing probably longer than Ivor had been speaking.

But...it would be nice, to have company again while he brewed. Ivor had showed interest in brewing, but between his busy schedule and Jesse's erratic schedule, it was hard to find time together. Especially since brewing proper potions could take several hours. Rubbing his hands together with the fiery item between them in order to crumble it into dust, Jesse carefully poured the powder into the stand before clearing his throat. Cassie jumped slightly, and flinched away. Jesse dusted his hands off on his robe, releasing a shower of flame-colored dust onto the ground below him.

"Since it is looking to be a quiet night," Jesse said slowly "Would you care to join me?" he gestured to the now bubbling brewing stand. He took a bottle carefully out of his inventory and added "It'll be a good way to stay awake, and it would be-" he paused, about to say 'useful' before he realized that it might not be the best word choice, given the situation. "It would be most beneficial." he finally said. "We undoubtedly have a fight before us, I'd like to be prepared."

Cassie slowly turned to face him as he spoke. She studied Jesse cautiously. Her green eyes were wide with both caution and curiosity. "You..." her voice sounded unsure. "You want me, to help...you?"

Jesse nodded "Two sets of hands means twice the potions. And from the way you're scared of this Aiden, I feel we're going to need quite a few potions."

Cassie nodded, wings flicking uncertainly "We are. I don't think he's gotten insane enough to turn off-" she cut herself off by shaking her head "Better safe than sorry though." She stayed where she was though, as though she wasn't entirely sure he hadn't just offered out of courtesy. Jesse gave her a small smile, and extended his hand.

Slowly, the winged woman took a hesitant step forward, and then another, until she was standing at Jesse's side.

"Where do we start?"

Chapter Text

"So what portal leads to where Aiden and Isa are?" Ivor asked, glancing up the long row of portals. There had to be at least five or six hundred, if not a thousand. He turned back to Cassie, who had a small smile on her face. "Who said my sister went through a portal?" She glanced up at the ceiling, muttered something about the direction of the stairs that had been incorporated into the build, and turned around.

"You've been walking away from the center, if you want to get out of the hall, we need to walk about..." she glanced toward the Crown Mesa portal "hmm...If we walk we should reach it by moonrise, if we use some speed potions we ought to make it within three hours. Ivor, Gabriel, and Harper were entirely in sync as they said "Speed potions."

Cassie glanced at Jesse for confirmation, and the brunet nodded, reaching for his inventory to take out bottles of the silver liquid.

Gabriel frowned "I thought Isa took the last of your speed potions?" Jesse nodded "She did, but...I made some more last night. I couldn't sleep, so me and Cassie alternated between being on watch and brewing." Harper's brow furrowed "You both stayed awake all night?" Jesse shrugged "I couldn't sleep." he said, passing one to the darker skinned male. "Once we get there, Cassie is in charge," Jesse continued. "She knows this world the best, and she knows our enemy best."

Harper frowned, but nodded, accepting her own potion. "How long will these potions last?" she asked, uncorking hers and giving it a sniff. "Speed potions are one of the few that don't lose their potency, or gain more potency based on how long it's been since they were made. I didn't enhance these ones, so they should last just under three hours, which will give us time to get there. Once you drink it, go ahead and get running, no sense in wasting time here." He glanced at Cassie "Where's the stop point? What does it look like?"

Cassie waved an arm at the portals "Every inch of wallspace is dedicated to portals. Except for the entrance to the stairs. Even though I wish I'd had time to extract the Redstone Heart, it would have taken a week to get to, I can fly up to the override controls. Only me and Isa could do that, and if she's already there, then the door might even be open for us." she rubbed the back of her neck "So, look either for a blank wall, or a staircase leading to the surface."

Ivor nodded, uncorking the potion. The others followed suit, and Cassie gave them one last instruction before they drank it "Don't go up the stairs until we're all there. My mind link to the others has been healing along with my wings, Aiden might be able to sense that we're coming."

Then, before any of them could ask her what exactly a Mind Link was, Cassie was drinking her potion and racing away.

Ivor glanced at Jesse, who was drinking his own potion, and quickly upended the bottle into his mouth. The taste of sugar overwhelmed his tongue, and then the world around him began to move at half-speed.

Jesse had been under many potions influence in his time. Despite that, he could never get over the feeling of a Potion of Swiftness when it first took effect. It was like being struck by lighting, energy coursed through your body and filled your very blood.

Moving at three times your usual speed was a unique experience. It was hell to get through the proper permits (not to mention permits for damaging potions, those were absolute nether to fill out and get approved) But after you got used to the sensation, it was...beautiful, and the Hallway was no exception.

Portals and frames streaked by, colors blending to create a rainbow of color. Searching the walls ahead, Jesse could see the red-capped blur that was Cassie. Despite slowing the world down, Swiftness Potions didn't do anything to alter how other beings with Swiftness behaved. Even though he and Cassie (and the others) were all moving at the same speed, for him, they all appeared as streaks of color.

Then he saw it, Cassie's blur skidded to a stop. Quickly locking his legs, Jesse skidded, and the blurs returned to being portals. Ivor and Harper stopped a few steps behind Jesse, though Gabriel raced paced them, returning after a few seconds and looking embarrassed as he stood beside the other two members of the New Order.

"Thisisit"

Another downside of speed potions was that, even if you were both under the effect, one person talking to another came out extremely fast and high pitched.

"Let'swaitforittowearoff"

Jesse nodded, and Cassie turned to look up at the staircase. Her prediction of Isa having left it open was correct, and the stairs seemed to go up into a vertical void. "Maybeweshouldgoupthemwhilewestillarefast?" Ivor suggested, looking worriedly at the stairs.

"You'reright..." Cassie admitted, rubbing the back of her head in hyper-speed motion. She nodded quickly, and turned towards the stairs, hair blurring as it whipped around her body. "I'mjustworriedaboutAiden."

"Bettertofacehimwithsuperspeedthannormalspeed." Gabriel pointed out. Cassie nodded "Alright." she said "letsmoveout." and she took off again, flame colored hair vanishing up the stairs. Jesse followed, ready to help defend the winged woman from whatever dangers lay ahead.

It took an hour and a half but she managed to convince Lukas to wait with her. Now the blond and the ravenette were watching the entrance. Waiting, praying, and in Lukas's case, trying not to fall asleep.

Right as Isa was about to smack his arm or something, Lukas's head jolted upright, and his eyes glowed golden. "Someone's coming," he whispered, looking more alert than he had for the past fourty-five minutes.

Five blurs streaked up the stairs, skidding to a stop as they reached the end, Ivor, Gabriel, Harper, Jesse, and...her.

"Oh no..." Lukas whispered, eyes fading back to blue as they locked onto the scarred brunette. "You said you just had people coming, you didn't say it was them."

"You know them?" Isa asked, frowning at the golden-haired Telkan. "I tried to kill one of them, and...and I almost abandoned the others."

Isa gave him a dirty look "You really are a coward, aren't you?" Lukas didn't reply, just lowered his head. Isa snorted. "At least you have the decency to be ashamed by it. Now come on, reunion time."

Whether either of us likes it or not.

Chapter Text

As the speed potion faded away, the sugary feeling leaving his system as the silver particles faded into nothingness, Jesse turned in a circle to stare at the room they'd run up into. To say it was big was to say the entire portal hallway was the size of a fallen log. The Seven Winds (whoever the other six members were) were very clearly rich, and unafraid of the griding task of gathering resources. Jesse could even swear portions of it were made of diamond and even emerald blocks.

In short?

The room was quite possibly the biggest and most beautiful piece of architecture he'd ever seen. Even the old Order of the Stone base (which had fallen into disrepair over the years the Order was broken apart) hadn't compared to this. Remembering how long Lukas had spent on their old base, Jesse briefly wondered if he'd drawn inspiration from books on the Seven Winds. For example, the chandeliers keeping the room lighted were almost identical to the ones that had lit the Order's base.

Hearing a gentle buzz fill the air, Jesse turned a quizical glance towards Cassie, only to stop as he realized her wings were totally still. His brow furrowed further as he realized Cassie's eyes were locked onto something in the distance. Turning to match her gaze, Jesse saw two figures approaching their small group. One was airborne, with wavy black hair billowing from her scalp, and the other was blonde, and possibly male? He looked...almost familiar, but they were too far away for Jesse to get a good look at their face.

The winged female was clearly Isa, but who could her partner be? Aiden perhaps? No...the vibe Jesse had gotten from the way the sisters had spoken of Aiden, he figured Isa wouldn't be caught dead walking alongside him like an old friend.

No...she wasn't looking at him like a friend, she kept glancing towards him, like she was worried about him. A brother maybe? If so then why wasn't he flying? Perhaps only the females of their species had wings? Or maybe he was an adoptive brother.

As they got close enough for Jesse to tell that Isa had her eyes locked onto Cassie, he realized that the blond had their head lowered. His hairstyle (which was honestly sort of familiar) cast shadows over the upper half of his face, making it near impossible to tell who he was.

Near.

But not impossible.

Especially if you knew him.

And right now Jesse wanted to strangle him.

Because he'd spent four years following that idiot to the ends of the world. They'd literally gone to the End. And then they'd had the worst falling out in history.

Ivor must have figured out who the blonde was too, for he stepped in front of Jesse with a frown on his face. "Don't do anything rash." the raven haired teen warned. Jesse snarled, but didn't respond verbally. He could restrain himself from attacking the blonde. At least long enough for him to give a good explanation.

And he'd better have a good explanation for this, otherwise Jesse was going to slap Lukas clear to Crown Mesa.

Lukas knew as soon as he could see the expression on Jesse's face that this had been a bad idea.

Ohhhhh why had he done this? What had he been thinking? When he'd felt people tugging on and repairing the mind links he should have locked his mind up. Locked it with unbreakable walls and iron bars. Ignored the tugging and stayed in his self-imposed exile.

It would have been so much easier that way.

But nooooo he had to try and figure out what was going on with the others. He'd had to raid Jesse's house and oh Notch Jesse would know and would kill him twice over for this wouldn't he and he'd just had to build a portal and make his way all the way to the Games.

And of course he'd just had to have run into a vengeful Isa, who was waiting for someone. And those someones would of course turn out to be Jesse, and Ivor, and the other young heroes who'd stopped the Witherstorm.

Why did he have the worst luck in the unive- oh notch. Oh notch they'd gotten close enough to talk. Oh NOTCH "Isa! What are you-" he cut himself off. The ravenette had taken on a burst of speed, diving for Cassie (why was she with Jesse? Last he'd heard she had taken the same road as him, self-exile.) with her fingers splayed like she was going to strangle her sister. Then, before he could finish, Isa collided with the redhead and pulled her into a hug.

Despite not thinking it to be possible, Lukas now felt several more time awkward.

Rubbing the back of his head and keeping his eyes lowered as the others stared at him, Lukas winced as Harper finally put to words what everyone was surely thinking. "Lukas? What the nether are you doing here?"

Cassie frowned at Harper "You...you all know Lukas?" The raventte nodded, gray eyes never leaving Lukas's face as she said "He's, he was the leader of the Order of the Stone, before they split up and Jesse...did...things." she hesitated on her wording, though Cassie wasn't quite sure why.

"So. You chose the same path I did." Cassie whispered, turning her focus back onto the blond Telkan. She tilted her head, trying to meet his eyes. "Lukas, you're the only one of us who could have stopped Aiden, why didn't you?" The blonde shook his head "I couldn't." he said.

Cassie crossed her arms. "That's a lie and you know it. Lukas, you're the only one of us who holds a candle to his abilities, why didn't you stop him?"

"You don't think I tried?" Lukas cried, finally meeting Cassie's eyes with the look of someone who has been broken beyond measure. "I tried, Cassie. I swear I did. After you left and Stella vanished, I tried." he shook his head "Gill caught me trying to kill him. And I almost did it anyways. I almost killed the lot of them." he let out a broken laugh "And you know what, maybe I should have turned that sword on myself. Then none of this would have happened."

Jesse's anger suddenly washed away. He'd been looking at Lukas the way Cassie thought about Aiden. But as those words left Lukas, the anger dropped away to shock."Lukas, you are an...incredible idiot." he said taking a step forward. Lukas flinched backwards, drawing out a gasp from Cassie. What in the Nether had she missed between those two?

Jesse took another step forward, faster this time, and took hold of Lukas's arms. "Look at me you blond idiot. I might hate you, especially after what you did in the End. You've lied to me, had Petra try and kill me, and now I'm just learning about this, and I assume you were laughing behind my back all those times I told the rest of the Order about my theories of the Old Build-Don't you dare look away from me!" Jesse released one of Lukas's arms in order to grab his hair and pull his head back so the blond could meet his sharp green gaze again as he continued. "But before that, during all the adventures we had, from that first night you knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to be a hero with you. Those were the best years of my life. And I know Liv, Ax, and Petra thought the same way. What you did in the End, and the months before it ruined us. Ruined our team. But you were the one that brought us together. You dragged us to that damned ice spikes, all the way underwater to the temples, and clear into the jungles to find damn brown pandas."

Jesse released Lukas's hair (much to Cassie's relief, the blond had always been proud of his hair) and wrapped his arms around the blonde. "I wouldn't trade any of that away for anything."

Chapter Text

Jesse took a step away from Lukas, shifting his hands so that he was gripping the blonde's shoulders. Meeting the blonde's blue eyes with his own emerald gaze, Jesse dug his fingers into the other man's shoulders and growled out "Now, you are going to tell me why you are here, and everything you know about the Seven Winds."

Lukas's eyes widened almost comically, and he blurted "How do you-" then his gaze trailed towards Cassie, who was looking at the duo in confusion. "You told him?" he asked the redhead, sounding almost hurt. Jesse arched a brow "Oh, so I'm not allowed to know about your past when you gathered information about the entire Order? Was anything you ever told me about yourself even true?"

Lukas's blue eyes (if it was even possible) became more broken than they'd been. "Jesse," he started. Jesse released the blonde's shoulders and shook his head "No, never mind. I don't even want to know."

It hurt Jesse, to see the look of utter despair in Lukas's eyes, but a small part of him smirked with glee that he'd finally. Finally, been able to make Lukas feel as distraught as he'd been that day in the End.

It was why he'd created the Witherstorm in the first place.

So then...if he'd finally gotten what he'd been after...

Why was he feeling worse than he had when he'd created the monster?

"Alright, emotions time is over," Isa suddenly interrupted "We need to get going, like, yesterday."

Behind him, Ivor asked "What's the plan?"

Isa looked over the group of non 'Seven-Winders', and said "Originally it was going to be storm Aidens place, but now, I'm thinking something a little more dramatic. Instead of going for him outright, we win over the contestants first. Which means you all are going to be entering the Games." she shot a glance at Cassie "And don't worry, I checked. Respawn's still in place." a thoughtful expression crossed her face "And I've been watching Aiden and the other two. I think we might be able to get Gill on our side. He's the most sane out of the three, always has been."

Cassie nodded in agreement. "Maya always was easily swayed by Aiden, though I'm pretty sure he's just got a deeper hold in her mind than he ever would admit to." Isa nodded, wings buzzing as she continued to hover in place "Gill though, well...Lukas, you've seen his mind. He's...well...he's not the smartest feather on the wing, but he's got his own strengths."

Lukas left his gaze lingering on Jesse for a few heartbeats, before he finally turned to face Isa. "Yeah, his mind...well, the only way to properly describe it would be to have you all experience it. He's...he's strong, mentally and physically. He might be a little on the dumb side sometimes, but that doesn't reflect onto his mental state at all."

"And...how do you know someone's mental state?" Harper asked hesitantly, turning a confused look towards the blond. Cassie turned a confused look towards Harper "What're you talking about?" the redhead questioned "All his kind can do it, that shouldn't come as a shock to you."

Jesse's eyes narrowed and he glared at his former leader "And what kind is that, exactly?"

A cackle from Isa cut off whatever Lukas might have been about to say "Oh honey, and I thought Aiden was the secret keeper out of all of us." Lukas opened his mouth, probably to protest, but she shook her head "No time for any of that right now. You can spill your secrets later. The first round of the Games starts soon, which means you four need to get up there." She jerked her thumb to point it behind herself.

"Games?" Gabriel asked "I thought we were here to fight someone?" Isa nodded, wings buzzing as she lifted back into the air. When she had landed Jesse couldn't remember, probably sometime when he'd been...talking to Lukas."You are. But we need him properly distracted while me, Cassie, and Lukas get to work on the...behind the scenes. Getting everything set up so he can't swindle his way out of things." Her sharp gaze suddenly met Jesses, before darting to Ivor, Harper, and Gabriel in turn. "Whatever you do, do NOT let him try and make a deal with you. Distract him, delay him, punch him in the damn face if you have to, but do not let him try and make a deal. He will get in your head and he will use that to control you."

Somehow...Jesse didn't think she was exaggerating.

Gabriel's hands kept drifting towards his inventory. They'd made their way through the large double doors, and had emerged into what looked like a combination of mini-game and apocalypse. There was some sort of obstacle course, hoops lifted up into the sky to signify an elytra course, and what looked like a sunflower/leaf maze.

Then there were the walls. Massive walls of obsidian at least eight blocks tall, topped with some sort of spikes. Before they'd gone through the doors, Isa had given back the weapons and potions she'd stolen, claiming they would need all the help they could get. She'd also told them to be prepared to face death head-on, at which Harper had gotten pale. Gabriel couldn't blame her. After everything that had happened in the world with two moons, Gabriel knew he'd be keeping a much closer eye on the ravenette.

Looking up towards where they were walking, it seemed to be the only populated part of the walled arena. There were people darting on some sort of white floor, and thrusting at the ground underneath others with shovels. It almost looked like...

"Is that Spleef?" Ivor asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Jesse hummed "Sure looks like it. Have any of you played before?" Gabriel turned a disbelieving look towards the potions master "Have you?" he asked. Jesse arched a brow "Fair." he said, nodding to Gabriel.

Gabriel wasn't sure when Jesse had stopped being so salty, but he wasn't sure whether it was a good change or not.

Mostly it was just weird.

As they stood outside the Spleef arena, Ivor squinted, trying to figure out which of them might be Aiden. Then Jesse tapped his shoulder, and pointed up to what looked like a judge's stand. Three beings stood on top of it, looking down at the Spleef players. One female, two males. One of the males had a thick beard, and both he and the female had what looked almost like ram horns curving from the sides of their heads.

The third being looked more human. He didn't have anything marking him as anything but, but then again neither had Lukas, and apparently he wasn't human.

Which was still a concept Ivor was trying to wrap his head around. How had Lukas hidden it all those years? And from what he'd said, he was actually some sort of mind-reader? That was...disturbing to think about.

However, before Ivor could get much further on his train of thought, a hand grasped the back of his shirt. Yelping, Ivor turned, or rather, tried to. He saw a dark skinned male with black hair tied up in a bun, looking down at him with sad eyes and a frown. "Competitors are required to fight in every event." he said, forcing a shovel into Ivors hands. He glanced down at the teens clothes and his frown deepened "You'll get your uniforms before the next game, once you get it be sure you keep it on."

With that said, Ivor and the others were shoved into the arena. Instantly, Ivor could feel several sets of eyes on him, none so intense as the ones coming from the three in the judges stand. "Well, well, well." the one without the horns said "Looks like we have some new competitors in the arena."

Chapter Text

"Well, well, well, looks like we have some new competitors in the arena."

Aiden, for that was the only one the brown-haired male could be, had a voice like dry ice. It was as though he wasn't even bothering to hide his true nature. As though simply by speaking he was saying 'yeah, I'm manipulative, got a problem with that?'

"Isn't that exciting?" he asked, his brown irises ringed by a gold circle that seemed to glow. He had a headset that reminded Ivor of Stella, though Aiden's was dark green instead of black. "And it looks like there's just enough of them to form their own team." He glanced at the bearded male next to him "What do you think, Gill?" The bearded male, who was wearing a dark green long-sleeved shirt and brown pants, turned his dark brown eyes to study Ivor and the others "Well Aiden," he said, speaking in what seemed to be an announcers voice "It looks like they aren't armed." he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Aiden, before turning his head and calling "Gladiators, throw them some shovels!"

There was a grumbling noise behind them, and the man who'd forced them into the arena, as well as a bored looking blond with the same massive body type threw some shovels towards the group. Out of reflex, Ivor's hands snapped up and he grabbed one. It was wooden, and half splintered. As Gabriel caught his, his eyes widened and he looked up at Ivor. He glanced towards Harper, and Ivor nodded. Whatever this game was, whatever the tricks were, their priority wasn't to win. It was to keep Harper safe. Ivor knew she was still shaken up, and if there was even the slightest hint of danger, Ivor was going to keep her as far from it as he could.

Before they could come up with a strategy, or even split up and start playing the game, a young man wearing a blue jumpsuit with shaggy brown hair and a beard charged forward "BE LIKE MIIIILLOOOOOOOOOO!" He shrieked, shovel held above his head as he raced towards Ivor. Ivor held out his shovel like a sword, but before he could swing it, a young woman with purple hair and thick bags under her eyes (also wearing a blue jumpsuit) snapped "Hiro, go help our stupid teammate, he's cornered again!"

Hiro skidded to a stop, scowled at Ivor and Jesse, before racing to help a teen male with bright red hair. "We should split up," Harper said "We're too exposed like this, run around, hit the snow, don't fall. There'll be slime, or water, at the bottom though, so don't worry too much." Ivor gave her a quick glance "You've played before?" he'd heard of spleef, but had never had the chance (or the entry fee) to play or watch.

Harper nodded "And both games had something at the bottom to prevent death, it looks like lava down there, but see those pistons?" she pointed out some slime covered pistons that were barely visible beneath the floating snow "They probably push forward slime blocks, make the game more dramatic."

Ivor nodded, and then took off. He could hear Harper and Gabriel running in different directions, and assumed Jesse had stayed in place. Which was clever now that Ivor thought about it, since there was still a lot of snow there.

Ivor heard another scream, and turned around to see the same blue team member once again running at him, the redhead he'd gone to help now free and chasing after a man in a yellow jumpsuit. Ivor watched for a split second longer, before making a decision. Throwing himself to the ground, Ivor thrust his shovel at the snow. Instantly the snow dissolved into four snowballs...right as the blue team member stepped on the block.

Instantly the brown haired male's eyes widened, and he fell. The pistons began moving, but as Ivor watched, to his growing horror, they snapped forwards, squishing the young man between the cobble that had appeared when they began to move.

The man was dead.

Before Ivor could properly process what had happened, the purple haired teen shrieked at him "Aarrghgh That was my only decent teammate!" She left her opponent, and ran for Harper, who was busy fighting a woman in a yellow jumpsuit, and began hacking away at her retreat path.

Before Ivor could run to Harper's defense, a flashing red and white block dropped in front of him, and he had barely enough time to jump to safety before the TNT exploded. "Whoops!" the blonde gladiator smirked at him from the wall surrounding the arena "Guess I dropped that dude, my bad!"

Ears ringing, Ivor could barely hear as Aiden called "Well, it looks like the blue team's captain is up to something!" he looked back towards the purple haired girl, and realized that Harper's opponent had left, and she was on the defense, trying to avoid purple hair's wild lunges.

"A little help here!" Came a voice to the right. Ivor turned his head, and saw Jesse facing three differently colored jumpsuits. One blue (the redhead from earlier), one yellow, and one silver.

Time seemed to freeze. Ivor was directly between Harper and Jesse, but he knew that he only had the time to save one of them.

Before he knew what he was doing, Ivor was moving. Running.

He had to save her, Jesse could take care of himself for a little longer, Harper was in more danger. The purple haired woman had only a few snow blocks left before she would be dropping Harper to her death.

Not wanting to be responsible for another death, Ivor thrust out his shovel, and turned the handle so that the broad part smacked the woman away from Harper. With nimble feet, the purple haired jumped over a gap, scowled at Ivor, and ran off. Ivor quickly tucked the shovel into his inventory, and held out his arms "Jump," he called "I'll catch you." Harper's gray eyes met his own, and she nodded. She shifted her feet, and then jumped, lunging across the gap to safety.

And as his arms wrapped around her body, needing to make sure she was still here, still whole, Ivor heard it. The combination noises of one persons triumph, and another person's downfall.

Whirling around, Harper still in his arms, Ivor saw as Jesse's head slipped below the snow, and he fell.

Jesse had tried to fight off all three of his attackers. Unlike the others, he had no qualms about sending his opponents to their deaths. He'd even knocked down two of the people fighting him, the ones in the yellow and silver jumpsuits, before the redhead finally got him.

He could feel the snow crumbling below him, felt the tug of ice as the snowballs floated upwards at first, and then splatted on his clothes.

Felt the wind, clawing at his face.

And then he felt nothing.

And then...

He felt everything.

The absolute agony, fire spreading through his entire body. His neck flared with pain, his arms, his torso, his legs, his head, everything.

Everything hurt.

And as suddenly as it had begun, the pain was gone. Jesse collapsed, felt something hard catch him, and let out a muffled whimper. It was jet black, or...perhaps his eyes were shut? He was too exhausted to care. Wind gently fluttered at his face, and he shuddered. Last time the wind had heralded the pain.

He lay there, tense, for a few seconds, and when nothing happened, he slowly relaxed. Testing his eyes, Jesse realized that they had been shut and he could now see.

Could now see a man with dark hair and blue eyes looking sadly at him, before a blond man grabbed his shirt and hauled him to his feet.

"Time to take you to the mines."

Chapter Text

As Jesse fell and the pistons snapped forward, Ivor's vision went red. He later wouldn't have a totally clear memory of the event, but bystanders would say he went insane. He charged forward, screaming at the redhead who had been responsible for the death of the man he'd come to see as his fa- friend.

It had taken two people with builds like the black haired man from before, as well as Gabriel and Harper to keep Ivor from shoving the terrified redhead into the pistons.

What he would have clear memory of though, is what happened when Aiden and the other two rose to their feet, the golden-eyed man glaring down at Ivor and shouting "You will stop fighting right now, or your friend will not be returned to you, no matter your results in the games!"

The pure contradiction to everything Ivor had grown up with in that statement made him freeze up. "He's alive?" he could barely breath the words. His throat felt like it was expanding, and his eyes were watering. Something he could be embarrassed about later, but right now it didn't matter.

Apparently his words hadn't been as quiet as he'd thought, because the redhead (Who was now flanked by his two teammates) snorted. "We're not animals," he said, speaking with an Edgeland accent. He used two of his fingers to flick his bangs out of his eyes "He'll respawn and meet you back at the Village." he glanced up towards at Aiden with a frown "Least he should, not sure what he's going on about with the not returned thing. I mean most of your team lived through the game, so he won't be going to the Mines or anything."

"Mines?" Harper asked, looking worried. Before the redhead could answer, Aiden took a step forward, hiking his leg up to reach over the small barrier keeping him and the other two from falling off the edge. He had taken what looked like a block of emerald out of his inventory, and as he was about to step off his platform, he placed it underneath him. He kept doing this (utterly wasting the blocks - a small part in the back of Ivor's mind whispered), spiraling them downwards to create a staircase. The two horned people followed, the male using obsidian and the female using some white block, maybe quartz or concrete?

Aiden arrived at the Spleef arena first, and he snapped his fingers. Instantly, one of the people holding onto Ivor released him, and ran across the pit-riddled floor, reaching out to flick a lever. There was a rumbling noise, and the ground vibrated as the pistons turned, shoving snow upwards to fill in the holes. Ivor tried not to watch them. He didn't want to look at the red stains on the piston faces. Didn't want to think about how they had killed Jesse, simply by snapping together.

Great Notch...

Ivor didn't think he could ever look at a piston again now without feeling bile rise up in his throat.

As soon as the floor was whole once again, Aiden began to walk across. Distantly, Ivor realized that the people in jumpsuits seemed to flinch away from him, finding any excuse to look elsewhere, while the people in armor watched Aiden the way you would watch a polar bear held back by a lead. Respect at the power, but afraid it might break free.

"So, now that you've disrupted our games," Aiden said as soon as he was close enough, sneering at Ivor and his friends. "I think its time we had a little chat. After all, I don't like knowing things, and I'm sure you're just full of answers." his eyes pulsed gold "So, lets start with who you are, and how you got here."

While everything was going on with Ivor and Jesse, the trio of Seven Winders were busy breaking into their old house.

"What in the world did Aiden do to this place?" Isa muttered, wings buzzing slightly with irritation "I might actually puke"

Lukas nodded in agreement. "Well, after we...take care of him," he said slowly, not wanting to put to words what he knew Isa had on mind for the brunet Telkan. "I'm sure that Maya and Gill will be a little more reasonable, they'd probably let you live here again."

Isa shot him a sharp look "Did you really think Aiden was the only one I'm planning on taking out? He didn't throw me in that world by himself, Maya helped him. Gill...maybe. I'll admit he might be redeemable. Especially if he really let you go after you were holding a sword over his neck."

While Lukas spluttered that he hadn't gotten *that* close to actually killing Gill, Cassie muttered "Best way to get to Gill is to throw the rulebook at him. Might not be the smartest of us, but he clings to the rules like the world's ending." She smiled at her sister "You've been here the longest, watching, see anything that goes against our old rules?" she nodded towards Lukas "Because we both know he kept every book he ever wrote. All we have to do is go to his room and pull it out of his 'secret stash'."

Lukas's face was steadily growing red as Cassie's hair, and Isa had to admit. It was rather satisfying to see him like that. He might not have played a direct part in her exile, but he had done nothing to try and save her.

"Well, Mr. Architect," Isa said, pausing to let Lukas pass her "You probably remember your way around this place better than I do." she drew one of her swords out of her inventory, and began to hover a few inches off the ground. "Lead the way, Cassie, follow him. I'll keep the rear." she flashed her sister a shark's grin. "And if anyone tries to stop us, I will deal with them."

Cassie and Lukas exchanged a look "Agreed." they said in unison.

Ivor slumped onto the bed in relief.

It had taken almost an hour for Aiden to be satisfied with their answers. Ivor had carefully left out any mention of Lukas, Isa, or Cassie. Finally, the horned male had told Aiden that their new guests were probably growing tired after their grand adventures, and had called for Xara (the leader of the blue team) to lead them off to the Competitors Village. Xara and Hiro had seemed thoroughly annoyed, but the redhead had beamed at them and had hardly stopped talking until Xara had dropped them off at a bunkhouse decorated with purple banners. She'd said something about how purple was in the mines, so they could use the house, and then all but vanished.

The bunkhouse was sparsely decorated. There were purple banners on the walls, like the ones outside, and the bunkbeds (three sets of two) had thick purple blankets. There were four chests, one at the foot of each bed, with the fourth on a shelf next to one of the upper bunks.

There was also a poster of a blonde man wearing red and gold armor on the back wall.

Other than that, the room was empty. Ivor slumped onto one of the lower bunks, and spread his arms out, letting his feet collapse onto the floor. For a brief moment, his mind was calm.

And then the memory of Jesse falling overtook him, and he bent his arms, wrapping them over his face as silent sobs wracked his body. His shoulders shuddered, and he was pretty sure...no, he knew that if he hadn't already collapsed onto the bed, he would have fallen to the floor on the spot.

"I don't like this." Fred muttered.

"Don't have to like it," Reuben responded, eyes scanning the miners. "It's our job. Keeps Aiden happy with us." Reuben gave Fred a sideways glance "Unlike your girlfriend."

Fred frowned "Xara's not my girlfriend, if anyone's she's Romeos." Reuben arched a brow "Redhead? You're pulling my leg, she hates him." Fred shook his head "That's just how she shows affection. She didn't exactly have the best life. None of us did." he sighed, and looked back at the brown haired man they'd hauled to the mines directly after respawn. "Any idea why Aiden wants this guy locked up? I mean he looks like he's never gone through respawn before."

It was true, the man in the overalls and white shirt was mostly sitting on the netheraack, one hand rubbing at his neck. Fred couldn't remember, but he was fairly certain that there had been a scar there before the respawn. Normally deaths left scars, old and new, but being squished by pistons meant that the respawn had to completely reconstruct him*. As a result, his body had been reformed just like it had been...only with the scars of a newborn baby. That is to say, none.

As Fred was watching the man, the small receiver in his ear began to beep. Receivers were how the Gladiators got their instructions during Games, or in the Nether. The message was short, and fairly simple. Fred watched the man for a few seconds longer, before walking towards him and holding out his hand. The man flinched, and looked up at Fred with an expression of pure panic. Ignoring Reuben's questions, Fred said "We're getting you back to your teammates."

The man's eyes widened and he took Fred's hand, letting the larger male haul him to his feet. As Fred turned towards the portal, Reuben stepped in front of him, arms crossed "Dude, Aiden said, he's in the mine." Fred tapped his ear, shaking his head as he said "Orders just came in, he goes back to Competitor Village."

Reuben looked skeptical, but stepped to the side. "If you're lying..."

Fred gave the blonde a hard look. "I don't lie. I stand up for what's right, but I don't lie."

Reuben (still looking skeptical) nodded, and turned his head away. "Whatever man, just don't get me involved if Aiden rides your back."

Fred waved a hand, and boosted the brown haired man up into the nether portal.

Chapter Text

Thankfully (Both for themselves and the guards) the trek to Lukas's old room was made without interruption. Lukas reached into his inventory, and took out a piece of paper. He'd set up the lock for his room back when they had first built the palace. He'd lost the original key years ago, but due to the ancient wiring, all he'd had to do was take a piece of paper and a quill, and write 'Key' at the top in his own handwriting.

Lifting open the lid of the chest, Lukas placed the paper inside, and watched as the space behind it lit with a red glow. The comparater whirred, made a clicking noise, then the paper was sucked into a hopper, shifted into a dropper, and spat out at Lukas's feet. Bending to pick it up, Lukas turned to the iron door and pulled it open.

Stepping into his old room for the first time in over a decade, Lukas stared. It was exactly as he had left it, though, with the exceptions of a few cobwebs having formed in the upper corners, and he was pretty sure his old chair wouldn't support a silverfish.

There was the sky blue bed, there was the stuffed ocelot, there were the posters he and Gill had made advertising the Games, there was the enchantment table in the back.

There was the bookshelves full of his own literature, the books he'd written but wasn't ready to share with the others just yet.

There was his room.

There was his old home.

He probably would have stayed in the doorway for the rest of time if he could have, but Isa brushed past him, jarring him enough to emerge from the past. Isa walked to the center of the room, and looked around slowly. She might have been frowning, but Lukas knew she was reliving her own past in the room. Isa turned to face Lukas, and the moment of silence passed "Where's the rulebook?" she asked. Her voice, though still loud and annoyed, was the calmest he'd heard it in a while.

Lukas turned to the posters, and approached the one with a sky background, and a golden apple in the center. Lifting up the bottom of the painting, Lukas revealed a small portion of wall that, instead of being made by a full block, was actually a stair. Just visible in the corner where the space was, was the tip of a lever. Gently, Lukas reached his arm through and flicked it, causing a small shower of red sparks to dust his fingers.

As the redstone activated, and Lukas withdrew his arm, the bookshelves pushed outwards into the room, and then slid to the side, guided by pistons he'd placed so long ago. The space that was revealed was about the size of a small walk-in closet. It held a single chest in the center, with one torches on either side.

Isa beat him to the chest, kicking it open and bending down to examine its contents. It only held the original copies of all of the books he'd given out, she he didn't much, though he was annoyed that she'd just invaded his personal storage. Isa's wings snapped open in triumph, and the ravenette stood holding a thick book bound in blue stained leather. The book was old, practically ancient, but he could still make out the words on the cover

'Official Rulebook of the Games Volume One'

Isa flung the book towards him, and Lukas's arms reached up by reflex. A reflex honed, not by Aiden, but rather by eight years living with Axel and Jesse. "You wrote this thing, what's in it that will get Gill on our side?"

Lukas opened the book and began flipping through it. "You helped write it too," he reminded her "We all had a part in it." he chose his words carefully, not wanting to enrage the ravenette, but still wanting to remind her that her hands weren't completely clean. If the glower Isa was giving him was any clue, Lukas had mostly failed.

Mostly, he decided, since she wasn't currently flying at him swords-first. Cassie might have been the redhead of the two, but Isa had enough temper for the two of them, with some left over.

"Our best bet would be to start with the reception area rules," Lukas finally said, looking back at the book. "For example, we decided there should be a guard posted at all times to alert us of any new arrivals, but given how easy it was for us to get in..." he trailed off, letting them get the picture.

"So we hook him with little things?" Cassie asked, a small frown on her face "Well, I guess this is Gill we're talking about. Aiden might be a big-picture sort of person, but Gill was always focused on the little details."

Lukas nodded "From the reception laws, we can move up to the treatment of the guests. When we passed by the Competitors Village, I saw that someone took down the farms, which means that someone else is controlling their food intake, which was never supposed to be the case. Not to mention I'm fairly certain that the exits, except for the one going to the arena were blocked up."

"They aren't."

Lukas glanced up at Isa, confused. lsa's wings flicked slightly as she elaborated. "They aren't blocked up, they're gone. Someone, probably Aiden, destroyed the doors and filled them in with solid walls. As for the farms, I'm not sure where the big ones went but I found a few small ones hidden around the village, all in places where the Gladiators are too large to get too."

Cassie's frown deepened "So whatever he's done, its been enough to drive them to secrecy." she rubbed her forehead "If he's fired Amber I swear..." she didn't finish, but Lukas still shuddered. Cassie scared him. Not in the way Isa did, with her furious energy, but in a more subtle way. Isa would just cut off your head and be done with it. Cassie would torture you for days, if not weeks, before she finally killed you.

Lukas snapped the book shut, clearing his thoughts. Though, he did regret it as a small plume of dust clouded out and invaded his nose. Fighting back a sneeze, Lukas muttered "Let's go get Gill."

Fred pushed the brunet through the portal, and out into the Competitors Village. He didn't know why Aiden had told him to take the newbie to the mines, but Gill had requested that the man be freed, but he didn't question orders. Not verbally at least. Verbal questioning and direct disobeying of orders was how Xara had got knocked off Team Gladiator.

Aiden didn't like hearing that name, said it made them sound like Competitors. But if they weren't Competitors, what were they? Prison Guards? Yeah like that sounded any better. Besides. Fred wasn't stupid. He knew that they were trapped just like everyone else.

But being a Gladiator meant he didn't have to compete in the games, not officially, and it kept him from mining out quartz for months at a time until he lost all sense of personal being.

He'd seen that happen to some folks. It was sad, to see a person's mind slowly fall to pieces until all they knew was that they had failed and as a punishment they had to dig. He'd seen people, good people, forget their name, their family, even their personality. It wasn't a pretty sight, but he didn't question orders. Because questioning orders would mean it would happen to him, and..besides, he'd seen the rulebook, some old book called 'Official Rulebook of the Games Volume 9.13' with three signatures underneath it, the names of the Judges scrawled in various styles.

He wasn't sure what the other volumes of the rulebooks had been like, but Gill had said that, due to the original rules, every time they made a major change, they had to change the primary number of the volume, and any minor changes were logged as decimal changes. Most of it had flown in one ear and out the other, but he remembered the basics.

Fred also remembered the part of the book that stated 'Gladiators and Competitors are to have as little interaction as possible outside of the Games'. That was the only rule he would break constantly. He was too loyal of a friend to let go of Xara and Romeo just like that. Speaking of...Romeo usually hung around the portal, fiddling with his latest knick-knack. Competitors were allowed to craft, provided they didn't turn their creations on the other Competitors, the Gladiators, or, the Admins forbid, the Judges.

Searching the empty Village for his red-haired friend, Fred instead saw Hiro. The kid had taken Fred's place when he had been hired into the Gladiators. There had been another person who joined their team while Xara was a Gladiator, leaving just Romeo, but when Xara had been demoted, she and the other person had come to an agreement. They had gone to play for Team Purple, and Xara had rejoined team Blue. Fred didn't know Hiro very well, but he knew the brunet enough to know that he could be trusted.

"Hey kid," he called, keeping his tone unfriendly in case anyone was watching from the houses. Hiro's head snapped up, eyes wide. At first, Fred wasn't sure why there was so much fear in the kid's eyes, then he saw the small uncooked potato the boy was (poorly) hiding. Fred quickly shook his head, and called "Where's new guys teammates?" Hiro relaxed, quickly stuffing the potato into his inventory, calling back "They're in Purple's Cabin."

Fred nodded, and turned, using his hand to guide the man in front of him to turn as well. "You want to see those kids you came in with, don't you?"

That woke the man up, and he nodded jerkily. "I-" he stammered "I-yes."

Fred sighed. Freshly respawned were never very cohesive. Again, he questioned why Aiden had wanted the man in the mines, when he should have been here, with his teammates all along. He should probably be taken to Amber, nether, the way the kid had snapped in the arena, he should probably go too. He made a mental note to drop by her office later, see about getting them an appointment.

Whatever Ivor had been expecting when the door to their cabin was opened...

He suddenly didn't care about it.

Because whatever he'd been expecting didn't matter anymore. Because in the doorway was the Gladiator who'd pushed them into the arena, and in front of him was-

"Jesse!" somebody was saying. Before he could register that the voice belonged to him, Ivor was on his feet, and running towards the brunet. Jesse was alive, Jesse was safe, Jesse was wearing really weird clothes that looked oddly right on him, Jesse was here, his fath-friend was safe.

Uncaring of Jesse's usual 'no-touching-more-than-necessary' policy, Ivor wrapped his arms around the man and clung to him. Whatever happened next, it didn't matter.

Because Jesse was safe.

Gray fingers curled on the arm of a green chair. The person seated in the chair was leaning forward, gold and red eyes gleaming as they watched the screen before them. "So, the Seven are back together then? Well, they'd better not call in any favors. It wouldn't do to have Ivor meet me before my plans are ready."

The chair swiveled as the being in it turned to look at a massive prismarine colossus. Their last champion hadn't been worthy enough to warrant this kind of attention. Sure they might have been, one day, but they had pushed too much, too soon. They should have waited to drop the gauntlet before them.

But Ivor was much better. He'd been tested by Wither, by Killer, and now, he was being tested by a Judge. They had worried, when Ivor had broken down, both in the Mansion and a few hours ago, but their friend was returned, with only one instance of possession needed. Now Ivor could overcome the High Judge, and prove himself truly worthy of their attention.

"Just a bit longer my Champion, your trials are nearly complete."

"And then...the True Game can begin."

Chapter Text

After a few minutes, Ivor took a step back, and looked Jesse over. The brown haired man was wearing a white t-shirt with overalls, and his hair seemed to be a few inches shorter. His eyes, when they opened to look curiously at Ivor, seemed to be almost clearer, without that angry tint. Though, Ivor supposed he was just too relieved to be angry right now, and frankly, Ivor felt the same way.

There also seemed to be something missing...he almost couldn't place it until Harper, who had moved to stand next to Ivor, gasped. Ivor's blue gaze flicked towards her in time to hear her say "Your scar..."

Ivor turned back to Jesse, and realized that was it. The jagged, lightning-bolt scar on Jesse's neck, the white line that had become so familiar, was gone. Jesse's eyes had closed again, and one of his hands was tracing his neck, the spot where the scar had once sat. "Yeah," he whispered, voice no longer scratchy. It reminded Ivor of the voice of his counterpart in that one world, where people had been switched*. Soft, almost innocent sounding. Which was a truly strange way to think of Jesse.

Ivor tilted his head, then smiled slightly "Three diamonds says Lukas freaks out more than Petra." Jesse looked down at him, one brow arched for a few heartbeats, before shaking his head "I'm pretty sure Petra will freak the most." Ivor shrugged "If that's what you want to think, you're on." Jesse shook his head "You forget, I lived with them longer than you've known them."

Ivor probably could have kept bantering all day, but they did have things to do. "You, didn't lose anything important, did you? Nothing irreplaceable?"

Jesse's smile turned into a smirk, which was a much more familiar expression on the elder's face. "Last night, in preparation of fighting and possibly losing, I stored almost everything into my shulkers, and put the shulkers into an Ender Chest. The only things I had on me were a silk touch pickaxe, an Ender Chest, sixteen regeneration potions, and a top-tier enchanted sword."

Ivor smiled, then his face fell "I don't remember seeing an Ender Chest in the village." he said, turning to Harper and Gabriel "Did either of you?" Both shook their heads.

"That's because Aiden decided that having a private storage he couldn't see was too risky." said a new voice. Ivor turned to the door, and saw Lukas and the others walking in, following the man with horns who had stood behind Aiden earlier. He was holding what looked like an old book, and Isa wasn't attacking him, so Ivor figured he must be on their side.

"This is Gill," Lukas said, nodding to the horned man. "He's our best chance at getting Aiden of his self-made throne without being conned." Gill nodded to Ivor, and held out a hand, "Good to meet you," he said "all of you, really. Lukas told me a bit about you on the way here, and I have to say, it sounds like you guys were a lot like us before Aiden went nuts." he grinned "So long as none of you are planning on going crazy like he did, I'm all for helping you whatever way I can!"

"I'm pretty sure you don't plan on going crazy, but whatever. We'll take all the help we can get." Ivor said, running his hand through his hair. Jesse nodded, though Ivor noticed that he seemed to be looking anywhere, everywhere except at Lukas. Ivor knew that the two of them would have to deal with the ravager in the room eventually. The two couldn't keep tip-toeing around each other if they wanted to actually fight Aiden.

Ivor also knew that he didn't want to be the one to push them to talk about their past. So he turned back to Gill. "Lukas said something about Aiden conning us, he a big con man?"

Gill's smile wiped off his face and he nodded grimly. "It doesn't help either that he's a Telkan, he can't full on control your mind, but he can read it. That, combined with his time as a psychologist, back before we were able to hire another one so he could take a more active role as a Judge, means he can read you, play you, and have you buried in his grasp before you even know he's reading you." Gill sighed "Maybe if I'd been better at mind walls he wouldn't have been able to trick me all these years. I shouldn't have let him do what he did, to the competitors, to the gladiators..." he paused, then continued, turning his head to face Cassie and Isa. "To you, to Lukas, to Stella."

Ivor's eyes widened at that last name, but before he could question Gill, the horned man was already continuing. "But now, maybe we can purge these Games. Make them right once again." he paused, cocking his head to the side "Make them...fun once again."

Lukas had a small smile on his face, and Ivor could practically feel the excitement coming off of Isa as she grinned and twirled her sword. Cassie seemed a little more interested at smiling at Jesse (who was smiling back in an expression that looked stranger on him than the clothes) but Ivor figured she was excited too.

"Well then," the raven-haired boy said "Let's get started. How do we con a con-man?"

Gill smiled, and held up the book he was carrying "We hit him with the rules."

...

"Possibly literally."

Ivor decided that he liked Gill.

The first step of their strategy was that Ivor and the others would work on winning the competitors over to their side. They would do this by winning games, and by helping the people who, up until this point, had been living mostly through backstabbing and treachery.

"Aiden's got them all convinced that if they can win, they can go free." Gill had explained "But no one ever wins."

The second step was to have Gill and Lukas directly confront Aiden at the end of the next game, in front of the competitors. Isa couldn't confront Aiden since he'd banished her and they didn't want him to explode too much. Cassie, like Lukas, had merely ran away, but she'd opted to instead help out in the third step of the plan.

The third step involved Cassie talking to the gladiators and miners. They were going to need everyone that they could get, and most of the gladiators should recognize Cassie as a former Judge, and hopefully listen to her.

A lot of their plan depended on hope and faith. But then, Ivor had worked with less, so he was hoping that it would all go down the way they wanted it to.

Ivor decided to stop thinking about the plan and just start acting on it. He walked out of the bunkhouse, and looked around the clearing. From where he stood, he could see Romeo, a yellow team member, and a few green team members. Ivor decided it would be better to start with someone who at least somewhat recognized him, and began to walk toward the redhead who was fiddling with a wall. Before he could get more than a few steps off the porch though, the gladiator who had returned Jesse stepped in front of him. He had a sad look in his blue eyes, and his tone was almost depressed as he said "Aiden has requested your presence, immediately."

Right...because when had things ever gone according to plan.

Jesse let out a whispered curse as he watched Ivor be led away by the gladiator. That definitely threw an axe in things. It was fine though, Gabriel, Harper, and himself could still talk to the other Competitors. But at the same time, he wondered if one of them should accompany the young teen. He glanced towards Harper, who bit her lip, then shook her head "We can't," she said, words clearly paining her to say "We don't know what Aiden would do and we need to get these people on our side." Jesse scowled, but nodded "Fine. But if he's not back before the next game starts, I'm storming Aiden's castle."

"No arguments there," Harper muttered. She turned her head to look across the Village, and paused, frowning "Does...that guy have wheat in his hand, or is that just me?" Jesse followed her gaze, to see the redhead from team blue clutching wheat like it was a lifeline, and also clearly trying to hide the wheat. He was failing miserably, and it was probably only blind luck that a gladiator hadn't seen him yet. "I'll talk to the redhead, you and Gabe split up and talk to as many people as you can. If they need help with something give it, otherwise introduce yourself, say something about how you're going to fight Aiden, and move on. People will talk on their own, but we can help it along a bit."

As the two teens nodded, and split off into different directions, Jesse took a breath to steady his face, and began to make his way to Romeo. The redhead had slipped into an alley, and Jesse quickly followed suite, after checking to confirm the gladiators weren't paying attention.

With all the stealth he possessed, Jesse followed the redhead through several turns, going behind buildings, and at one point through one. Finally, the redhead (Romeo? Was that his name? Jesse couldn't quite remember) stopped, and Jesse watched as he took the wheat, and shifted it to reveal some green seeds tucked inside the bristles. Kneeling down, the redhead began to plant them, and Jesse decided this would be the best time to reveal himself.

Stepping out of the shadows, Jesse crossed his arms behind his back, lifted his chin slightly, and cleared his throat. The result was even more beautiful than when he'd first done that to Ivor. The redhead jumped, seeds scattering, and whirled around, gold eyes wide with terror. "You didn't see anything!" he blurted when he saw Jesse, voice filled with terror "Absolutely nothing!"

Jesse smiled slightly. So, this wasn't just a secret, it was a big secret. Likely being kept from most of the other competitors, definitely the gladiators and judges, and possibly from the rest of blue team. "Of course I didn't," he purred, silently relishing in the way his voice no longer sounded like he was eating gravel, "And you, of course, know nothing about my team's plans to face off against the Judges."

Redhead's brow furrowed in confusion, and then his eyes widened "Oh..." he whispered "oh, oh OH" he looked Jesse up and down "In that case," he said "You guys are going to need some armor. And possibly weapons...I can't get you into the Games armory, but I do know someone who can get you at least some protection infused suits like ours, and if your friends have blocks on them, they'll need to hide them before the gladiators or Judges have a chance to confiscate them."

Jesse nodded. He'd been planning on just talking to the redhead and walking away, but this was promising. Besides, if there was an underground network set up here, it would be beneficial to be on their good sides.

Chapter Text

Jesse glanced up at the sign standing over the building Romeo was leading him into. This was one of the few buildings without plain colored banners. Instead, the banner held an image of an anvil. Inside he could hear what sounded like someone punching something. How the two were connected, he wasn't entirely sure. At least he wasn't until he stepped into the building, and found the purple haired woman from Romeo's team punching an anvil. Her hands were wrapped in some kind of black and gold shimmering cloth, and the area around her knuckles seemed to be stained red.

As they approached her, the purple-haired woman stopped punching, crossed her arms, and scowled. "What is he doing here?" she demanded, glaring at Jesse with utter disdain. Romeo beamed at her "Xara, it's totally cool, these guys are-" he cut himself off, biting his lip to prevent himself from saying whatever had been about to spill off his tongue. "They're...like Milo." he finally said, "You know, all justice-y and fighting to win."

Xara somehow managed to look less impressed "And who here isn't trying to be like Milo? Even when I was a gladiator, that's all Fred would talk about, being perfect, just like Milo, so that we could all win and go back home." she scowled, but Jesse was fairly certain he saw a glimmer of longing in her eyes "And now, with Fred a Gladiator, and you and me here, the chances of us all leaving together are nonexistent. The only way it could happen was if Aiden released us."

Jesse cocked his head to the side "And...what if I said me and my friends were...working to release not just ourselves...but everyone trapped here?"

Xara's golden gaze snapped up to his own. She arched a brow, finally looking somewhat (barely) impressed. "Well, then that changes things. Doesn't it?" she turned to Romeo "Go get Hero, the two of you spread the word, the usual place, twenty minutes. See if you can get any of our...hidden supporters to come. Something tells me we're going to want everyone there."

As Romeo nodded and darted out of the building, Xara looked Jesse up and down and nodded to herself. "You, might be just what we've been waiting for."

Gabriel sighed as he was able to finally get away from the gladiator. He'd been working on helping Team Yellow clean a shrine in the center of the village, and the gladiators had kept watching them for unreasonable amounts of time. What did they think he was going to do? repaint the banner?

The banner hadn't been anything all that extraordinary anyways, just a basic blue background filled mostly by a drawing of a man with golden hair, and wearing some sort of black and silver armor. At the bottom, in front of the image, were the words 'Be Like Milo' in bright gold font. He supposed the man had been drawn in alright, but it wasn't the quality of the portraits Isa had made. Closer to the ones he'd seen made for Petra during the Build Comp.

The Build Comp...Gabriel slowed. Had it really only been last year? Sure he'd gone to do his own thing for a while, but most of the last year and a half he'd spent beside Ivor and the others. He could still remember when his literal job had been to be alone, to gather rare supplies and get paid for it. Oddly enough...that didn't seem as appealing anymore.

Sure he still wanted to go out and explore, but lately, he supposed that exploring with the others was better than going off on his own. Ivor, Harper, Ellegaard, Magnus, even Jesse. They'd grown on him, more than anyone he'd ever met.

Someone's hand on his shoulder interrupted Gabriel's thoughts. Confused, he turned to see a young blonde in a silver jumpsuit looking incredibly nervous. "Can I...help you?" Gabriel asked with a frown. He was pretty sure Harper had already talked to the Silver Team, but maybe it had been the Black Team? The girl bit her lip, then leaned close to his ear and whispered "Xara's called a meeting, she wants you and your friends there." she pointed to a building that had a painting of an end rod with a pink-ish red liquid dripping out of it. "A therapist?" he asked. The blonde nodded "Amber's on our side...and if what Hero just told me is true, then she'll be on your side too." With that said, the blonde let go of Gabriel's shoulder and ran off to the other side of the village.

Gabriel eyed the building a while longer. At the very least, if the therapist turned out to be working directly for Aiden, he could remind her that she couldn't legally tell him any plans they told her. (of course, her chances of caring about legality if she worked for Aiden was pretty low, but that was a problem for later)

Harper fidgeted in the seat she'd taken as she waited for the arrival of this 'Amber' person. She'd been talking to a member of Team White, when one of the people she'd already spoken to, a fidgety blonde from Team Silver, had run up to her and explained that someone named Xara had called a meeting, and wanted Harper in it. So, the ravenette had allowed herself to be pulled along into a building made out of pink and white terracotta with banners displaying the symbol of psychologists.

A few minutes after she had gotten seated, Gabriel had come into the building and sat next to her. The chairs were set facing a table, and from the rumpled look of the carpet, Harper suspected that the chairs weren't usually there. The couch that seemed to be kicked off to the side was a fairly good indicator too.

Turning her head as the door opened again, Harper saw the female with purple hair enter, followed by Jesse. Harper could still feel the utter relief of when Jesse had entered Team Purple's bunkhouse, alive and whole. It meant this world had a respawn. Even though she wouldn't wish the utter terror of death, as she had experienced back in Isa's Mansion, she was relieved to know that if Aiden went farther than they were expecting, none of them would be truly dead.

Harper bit her lip as she realized Xara was calling for everyone's attention. This must mean that everyone she expected to be here was already present. Which meant she wasn't expecting Ivor.

Tugging on a strand of hair as Xara began to talk, Harper prayed that Ivor was safe.

Ivor wondered whose idea it had been to build the main house so far away from the Competitors Village. All he knew was that it had been a few hours before noon when they'd left (if the position of the sun was correct) and now it was slowly making its descent from the sky. Finally though, the main house was in sight. If you could call a structure made out of emerald, iron and diamond blocks a house. Honestly, it looked like the exterior had been designed to show off as much wealth as possible.

Ok, yes there was some obsidian and stone bricks, but with the sun's rays now hitting the building at just the right (or, rather wrong) angle, the blocks were now glowing. And not in a gentle way, no, they were glowing in a 'this-building-is-a-pain-on-my-eyeballs' way. Shielding his gaze with his hand, Ivor huffed and muttered "What, it's not enough he's got us trapped here, he has to blind us too?"

Behind him, the gladiator chuckled. "It didn't always look like that, some of the early Competitors, they remember. Said it was just a house like in the village, only bigger."

Ivor frowned, turning his head to look at the gladiator. "What happened?"

The gladiator shrugged "Who knows? They said that it started slow at first, one of the judges vanishing in the night after they could all hear a fight. A few weeks later another fight, another Judge vanishes. The next night, two more go missing and we're down to Aiden, Gill, and Maya. And Aiden...well, he'd been going kind of downhill before, but one, you didn't hear that, or any of this from me, and two, the other Judges leaving seemed to make him snap. They say the rules got all wonky, and he started up the mines. Started telling people they couldn't leave, even started abducting Competitors from their home worlds." his voice took on a strange tone, and Ivor realized the Gladiator was talking out of personal experience.

Ivor tilted his head back as they got closer, and realized there was a shadow in one of the upper windows. Too far away for him to make out, but close enough to remind him eerily of the first time he'd seen Isa in her Black Pumpkin get-up.

As they entered the house, after the Gladiator had left Ivor at the door to flick a series of levers beside it (Someone clearly cared about privacy), Ivor realized that the interior was much more down to earth. Actually, some of it looked like it hadn't been touched since it was first put in. There were carpets of every color spread across the floor, lanterns hanging from iron bars off the tall ceiling, and armor stands displaying armors that would have made Jesse jealous.

"This is where I leave you. Aiden said he didn't want you going too deep into the house. Rarely lets anyone past the stairs to be honest." the Gladiator said, turning back to the door. He paused, one hand lingering on the frame "One last piece of advice," he said, his head still facing the outside. "Whatever he uses against you, and he will try to blackmail you. Don't let him. That's how so many of us got stuck in this mess. We're too willful to be silent servants, but we're too busy protecting something or other to keep from fighting back."

Ivor frowned as the Gladiator finally left, door latching shut with an ominous click of redstone locking. He'd talked to Aiden once, what was the man going to use to blackmail him with?

Footsteps sounded behind him, and Ivor turned to see Aiden descending the steps, a smile as wide as an Enderman's mouth on his face. Ivor crossed his arms, and took a deep breath.

"Now now, no need to look so solemn." Aiden practically purred. "I just called you here to do some...talking. You see, I've done some research, and I have to say, I'm quite impressed. The Witherstorm, ooooh." he waved his hands, fake-shuddering. "Enough to give half the Gladiators chills."

Ivor felt his skin pale "How did you-" Aiden waved a hand "Gifts, given to us from some...powerful friends. Let us learn anything about someone by writing their name while thinking of their face. But that's not important. What is important, is it tells me how to assign people. Your friends, they're more Competitor style. Jesse might make a good Gladiator, but he seems to have a tendency to betray people, not exactly a trait you want on your guard. But you..." Aiden's eyes danced with an evil sort of light. "Yes...I think you could make a fine Gladiator. But not yet, I need to see how you fare as a Competitor first. So a trial round, you and your team join the Games until this season's finale, The Walls. Next Season, if all goes well, you join the Gladiator Team, what do you say?"

Ivor gaped at the brunet. Was this man serious? Did he really expect Ivor to just happily go along with his plans? His expression must have been clearer than he'd thought because Aiden began to laugh. "Oh, you didn't think I'd let you leave, did you? Nobody leaves the Games."

Ivor frowned. That didn't sound right, hadn't the Competitors been whispering excitedly about someone before? "What about Milo?" he asked. Aiden arched a brow "You're a clever boy Ivor." he waved his hand lazily "Why don't you tell me, 'what about Milo'."

Ivor's brow furrowed as he slowly came to the realization of what Aiden was implying. "Milo...the hero the Competitors practically worship...he doesn't exist. Does he?"

Aiden grinned "See, I told you you were clever. Of course Milo never existed, but he makes for a great tale, doesn't he? The winner of the Games, the Competitor who won his, and his entire Team's freedom."

Ivor lifted his chin "Well they won't be celebrating Milo much longer." Aiden arched a brow

"Oh?"

"I'm going to get my team out of here." Ivor replied, doing his best to meet the other mans gaze (A difficult feat when Aiden's eyes kept bouncing across the room.)

Aiden laughed "Oh, but Ivor, I haven't even told you the best part of the deal I'm offering you."

The smile he still wore turned into a smirk "You see, as long as you hold to the terms I've offered, your friends stay alive." he walked to a wall made of acacia and dark oak wood planks, and pressed his palm against a button Ivor hadn't seen before.

The wall slid silently open, revealing an obsidian box. And inside that box, were five cages. And in one of those cages, sat a redhead and a bald teenager.

And Ivor felt his heart sink into his toes.

Ellegaard officially hated adventures. She and Magnus had followed the trail of Ivor and the others, and had gotten back to the temple they had looted only a week ago. She'd then spent almost eight hours with Magnus trying to figure out where they had gone from there. Finally, in a final, desperate attempt, Magnus had climbed some vines in the corner of the temple, leading up to a hole in the roof, and had shouted for her to get up there.

That was how they'd found the portal.

And Magnus, being the loveable idiot he was, had jumped right in with a shout of delight.

So, of course, Ellie had to follow him.

That was how they'd ended up on the burning island, filled with shrieking ghasts, zombies and skeletons armed with helmets, spiders (Which were thankfully docile under the blazing sun), blaze men, endermen, and just about every other hostile mob that existed. (As well as a few Ellie had never seen before, which was further reason to stay safe at home)

Alright, so they hadn't spawned on the burning island. They'd spawned on a tiny two by two dirt island, with a bridge leading to the burning island and a skull leaking lava out of its eyes that she suspected was Jesse's work. Magnus (the idiot) was already halfway across the bridge, flint and steel in one hand, TNT in the other.

So, she'd followed him. They'd fought, searched the island (Except for the oddly egg-shaped castle, because it seemed to be the source of the monsters) and the only sign of life they found were the burning buildings. Finally, a particularly large fireball knocked them into a waterfall, and they fell.

Great Notch Ellie hated falling. When she fell, she had no control. She couldn't do anything, just fall.

Then they'd landed in a lake, startling some poor fishermen.

Thankfully the people had recovered and helped them to shore, where they had met with a man named Tim. They explained their story to the blue haired man, who had been delighted to know that they knew Ivor.

Tim promised them a good nights sleep and a chance to prepare to follow after their friends.

But of course, just when things were looking up, everything had come crashing down. During the night, some...thing had come and abducted them!

The thing had also kidnapped a pig, something Ellie wasn't too sure about.

She and Magnus had been locked in an obsidian cage with the pig for a cellmate. But finally, after almost three nights in the dark with an idiot and a pig (who was looking more and more appealing by the day) the obsidian wall swung open, revealing their captor, and...

"Ivor?"

Chapter Text

Ivor could barely breathe.

He didn't care how Aiden had done it, but the brunet had crossed a line. One simply did not kidnap Ivor's friends. He probably would have fought Petra herself, back before he knew the truth, if she'd tried to kidnap his friends.

Ellie and Magnus stood inside of a cage, with a small pig sniffing around at their feet (Which was another matter entirely, who in the world kidnaps people and locks them up with pigs?) Aiden, meanwhile, was walking towards them, smirking. "You see, I don't like surprises. Especially when they come in the form of people doing things I don't know about. You showing up here? A a bad one at that. So I did some research, Ivor. And I learned just how loyal you are to your friends."

Aiden lifted a hand to run along the obsidian keeping Ellie and Magnus trapped "So, I hunted them down. The ones you so foolishly left behind that is. And of course, I found out about your precious Reuben." he gestured to the pig. "The friend you would do anything for, even kill a Witherstorm when he was injured."

Ivor blinked, anger temporarily dissipating. Wait...did Aiden really think that the pig...was Reuben? Aiden was looking at him expectantly, clearly waiting for a reaction. Ivor thought about going along with it but...it felt wrong to pretend that anyone other than Reuben could be Reuben, so he crossed his arms and scowled at Aiden. "That's not Reuben."

Aiden's reaction made anything else he might come up with almost worth it. The brunet spluttered, green-gold eyes widening almost comically."What are you-" his eyes darted towards his desk, before flashing back to the pig as his face transformed into a snarl. "Damned book!" he snapped, mouth opening to continue, before he seemed to remember he was trying to make a deal, and he calmed himself. "No matter. I may not have your Reuben, but I do have these two. And if you want them to stay alive, then you'll do what I ask."

"Ivor, don't listen to him!" Magnus shouted "We can take care of ourselves, don't do it man!"

But Ivor knew that he didn't have a choice. From what Cassie and Isa had told him, Aiden wasn't one for empty threats. And from the way Aiden was smirking, Ivor figured he thought that Ivor would think him bluffing. "Tick tock Ivor." Aiden purred "Your time's running out. What will it be? Do you accept my terms, or are you foolish enough to try and defy me?"

Ivor hesitated for a heartbeat longer, before lowering his head. "I accept your terms." he said, a defeated edge in his voice. No matter how much he wanted to just slap Aiden, he couldn't risk his friends getting hurt.

"NO!" Ellegaard shouted, brown eyes wide as she stared through the bars. "Ivor-"

Aiden raised his hand back to the wall and pressed a different button. Whatever Ellegaard had been about to say was lost as pistons slammed the wall back into place. 'Hey!" Ivor protested.

Aiden shrugged "Sorry champ, but I think we're done with them for now. Besides, Lava Run is happening in the morning, and I'm sure you'll want to get some sleep." He pressed a third button, this one not seeming to do anything. "Oh, and kid," Ivor looked up at Aiden, watching as his green/gold eyes narrowed dangerously "If you know whats good for those two, you won't tell your other friends about the...exact conditions, got it. Just tell them that you...want, to stay here. Make them believe that. Because if they start snooping around, well...I won't be responsible for what happens to them, kapish?"

Ivor's hands curled into fists, but he gave the man a curt nod. "Good." Aiden purred.

The door swung open, and the gladiator who had led Ivor to the mansion appeared. "Ivor's ready to go back to the Competitors Village now, Fred, make sure he gets there safely."

The gladiator, Fred, nodded. "Of course Aiden."

Ivor walked towards the ravenet, hands still fists. His legs threatened to give out on him, but he made it. Fred pushed the door open, and held it, letting Ivor leave first. As the door swung closed, Ivor swore he could hear Aiden laughing.

Harper listened as Xara gave a basic introduction to the people gathered. She waved her hand slightly when her own name was said, but for the most part remained silent and still. Xara was just finishing introducing Jesse (who had his arms crossed) when a door in the back of the room swung open, and a person with gold orange hair entered the room.

The amber-haired female had shadowy gray eyes, and she tilted her head upon seeing Harper and the others. "I see we have some newcomers," she said, voice soft. "How strange, Xara doesn't usually allow new people in the same day as they arrive. Either she's finally gone off the deep end, as I've worried she would, or...you're planning something."

Xara's arms crossed, but before she could say anything, Jesse stood. "The second option. We're hoping to...overthrow Aiden, as it were. We aren't the only ones here. Ivor was summoned, and the others are working on their own part of the plan."

"Others?" Xara asked sharply, eyes boring into him like an arrow "You didn't mention any others."

Jesse shrugged "Yes well, it would seem none of us fully trusted the other, after all, you didn't mention a secret anti-Aiden club when you first met us, now did you?" Xara frowned and asked "Who are these, others?"

Jesse was silent for a beat too long, and Xara's frown evolved into a scowl "I asked you a question newbie." Which was, of course, the utter wrong thing to tell Jesse, in the perfectly wrong tone.

Harper resisted the urge to facepalm, as the two began to have a scowling contest. "We don't have time for this," she said, voice pleading "Jesse, they're clearly on our side, please just tell them."

"If you don't," Gabriel added "I will."

Harper shot him a look, but Jesse just sighed and grumbled "Fine. We came here with some people native to this world."

Xara's scowl turned back into a frown "The only people native to this place are the Judges."

Jesse shook his head "There were others, they might have been Judges at some point, I'm not sure, probably were. Their names are Lukas, Isa, and Cassie."

Night fell upon the world of the Games quickly. Phantoms swooped overhead as pistons fired rapidly to encase the Competitors Village in solid obsidian. Ivor had been wondering why nobody just left during the night. Here was his answer.

Fred had taken him back to his new home (temporary if the plan he'd spent the entire walk back working on went through) which had strangely been quiet. Fred had left him outside, claiming a need to get back to someplace before his shift.

Now, Ivor stood in front of the door, watching as the black haired man retreated into the darkness. After he couldn't see the Gladiator any more, Ivor turned to the door and pushed it open. The birch wood door swung silently, and Ivor closed it behind him, squinting in the bright room. Just because it was quiet, did not make the bunkhouse empty.

Harper, Gabriel, and Jesse all lay in different beds. Since they obviously hadn't brought any changes of clothing with them, Gabriel and Harper had simply taken off their armor, while Jesse was still in his jeans, suspenders, and white T-shirt. Seeing the older man in those clothes reminded Ivor of the world they'd visited on their way to Isa's mansion, and wondered briefly if the people from the other world could help them. They had seemed further along in their adventures than Ivor and his friends were.

He dismissed the thought almost instantly. Even if the other world's Jesse and Ivor could help, how was Ivor supposed to get them with Aiden keeping Ellie and Magnus under lock and key? Which brought his attention back to the present. "Hey guys," he said, rolling onto one of the three remaining beds.

"How'd it go with Aiden?" Harper asked, clearly worried. Ivor shrugged. He couldn't be sure if the bunkhouses were safe, which meant he would have to lie to his friends until tomorrow during the day's event when there would hopefully be enough chaos to tell them about Ellie and Magnus. "Alright I suppose, but...right now I just want to sleep, it's been a long day."

Harper frowned "oh..." she said softly. Ivor rolled onto his side, not wanting to meet Harper's gaze. Sighing, he closed his eyes, and let dreams of betrayal and lies overwhelm him.

Chapter Text

Finding time to tell the others the plan turned out to be harder than Ivor had thought. On the one hand, it confirmed that Aiden was trying to drive them apart (Since friends working together would pose a bigger threat than a team made of people barely able to talk to each other). On the other hand, it made it incredibly difficult to even say that he was sorry for being so distant last night.

It wasn't overly complicated, and would take barely any time to explain, the trouble lied in finding the few minutes alone it would take to pass along the message. When he first woke up the next morning, it was to a ghastly alarm, that seemed invented solely to drive those that would hear it utterly insane.

Grabbing the woolen pillow from under his head, Ivor slapped it over his ear and pressed his head into the bed. Groaning as his actions did nothing to silence the alarm, Ivor released the pillow and swung his body around to he could climb out of the bunk. Gabriel was already up and strapping his armor meticulously back over his clothing. Harper was dumping a bottle of water on her face, and Jesse...

"I don't believe it." Ivor muttered, staring at the peaceful (and still sleeping) form of Jesse on the bunk closest to the back wall.

Gabriel snorted "Tell me about it. Guy's gotta be half deaf if he's sleeping through this racket."

Harper glanced out the single window, biting her lower lip as the alarm finally turned off. "That probably went off for a reason. We...should probably wake him up."

Neither Gabriel nor Harper seemed to be leaping at the chance to wake the man up. Harper had even turned a pleading look towards Ivor. So, of course, the ravenet had walked over to the back bunk. He'd only laid his hand on Jesse's shoulder, when the brunet was awake, hand clenching around a weapon that no longer existed, and holding his empty fist threateningly at Ivor's throat.

For a grand total of six eternities (or...maybe just seconds. It was hard to tell) the four people in the room stood frozen solid. Then Jesse's eyes widened, clearing from the fog of sleep, and he let go of Ivor's shirt, pulling his empty hand away. "I-" he had started. He didn't get the chance to finish. The door had swung open and a gladiator, the blonde one, appeared, shouting that if they wanted breakfast they needed to follow him.

'Breakfast' turned out to be held in a communal building, which meant no time to talk then either. Though Jesse at least managed to apologize. Ivor had forgiven him (much to the shock of Gabriel). But really, the man had spent how long hiding from his friends who also tried to kill him?

After they ate, the only chance to get away from the guards was to use the restroom, and quite frankly Ivor didn't feel like trying to get all of his friends in the same one at the same time, especially since, like most, the restrooms were divided by gender. He was however, able to tell part of his plan to Jesse. That was at least a relief since he knew that Jesse would have an easier time passing it along.

After that, the gladiators escorted them back to the bunkhouses, and one followed Ivor and the others into theirs, to show them where their new 'manditory magenta jumpsuits' were kept. The gladiator then stood guard just outside the door while they (one at a time) changed into their new outfits. For their old clothes and armors, the chests at the ends of the beds were put to use.

Once they were all dressed in magenta (the cloth sticking to their skin in an irritating manner) the gladiator frowned at them. "This one stays." he growled, pointing at Jesse. "He was disqualified yesterday, fell in Spleef."

"He can at least watch, can't he?" Ivor asked. The gladiator shook his head "He stays. Aidens orders." And so Jesse was left in the house as the gladiator led them to a stone brick gate where several other teams had already assembled. Ivor saw blue, silver, and orange teams. He glanced toward Xara, wondering if Harper had been able to convince the angry female that they weren't there to threaten anyone. (Well, except Aiden and Maya).

As he was looking at her, Xara turned to meet his gaze. Any hope she wasn't mad at them fizzled out like a fire in the ocean. Her purple gaze was defiant and angry. Her arms were crossed, and she was glaring at Gabriel. Ivor wondered what the brunet had done to make her so mad. Shifting his gaze from Xara to her team, Ivor saw that the brunet looked just as eager for a fight, but the redhead looked a little more hesitant.

Ivor nearly walked over to ask the redhead what was going on, but before he had the chance (or the chance to ask Harper, or Gabriel) the gates creaked open. "Move it people!" a gladiator shouted.

With the odd sensation that he was now marching toward his doom, Ivor led his friends through the gate.

On the other side of the bars was what looked like a small lobby (but without couches or tables.) It was a small room, perhaps fifteen blocks wide? Along the walls were glass panes, covering up flowing lava. The other end of the room was open, about thirty blocks away, with a small overhang, leading into a corridor that seemed to be filled with lava and...well, actually that was about it. The floor divided into several paths, leading through the narrow lava channel in various directions. On the overhang were eight white banners, displaying an orange letter each. The banners spelled out 'LAVA RUN'

"Brings a whole new meaning to the floor is lava." Ivor heard Gabriel mutter. Ivor nodded, glancing at Harper wondering how his friends would want to play this.

"I'm guessing people are going to be shoving each other." Harper said, eyeing some of the other competitors. "And I've already died once on this adventure, I don't care how little it means to them, I don't feel like dying again."

"I agree," Ivor said "So we wait before we go, and we stick together. They probably wont be as eager to attack the three of us together."

A loud bell rang, and Ivor nearly jumped out of his skin. The bell seemed to be a signal though, because instantly the other teams were moving forward, racing across the narrow paths.

Ivor, Harper, and Gabriel waited for a few seconds, long enough that the other teams were quite a few blocks ahead, before Ivor began to run. He didn't want his friends to be hurt, but that included Ellegaard and Magnus too. If he waited too long to start, Aiden might think he wasn't trying hard enough to win. And he had to win. He also had to find a way to tell Harper and Gabriel his plan.

Of course, his plan was changed now that he knew Jesse wouldn't be running with them. He'd really been counting on the older man to watch their back, Jesse rarely missed anything. Harper was good defense, Gabriel offense, and Ivor needed to focus on running. Now, he'd have to keep an eye on all three of them, and get to the front of the pack. Not to mention he needed to tell them about Ellie and Magnus as they ran, and how he needed one of them to get a message to Lukas and the others. He'd wanted Harper to do it, but now, it looked like fewer eyes would be on Jesse. The brunet would be mad, but he would be able to get Ivor's message to the blonde and explain the situation.

Since Aiden didn't know about Lukas, Isa, or Cassie, then the trio would be able to break in and rescue the prisoners, and then Aiden wouldn't have any leverage.

He just needed to tell the others.

What Ivor didn't know, was that he'd told Jesse enough that the brunet was taking things into his own hands.

Taking only long enough to change out of the jumpsuit (no way was he going to let Lukas see him in that) Jesse had made his way to where they'd agreed to meet with the former Judges.

"He didn't have time to tell me what Aiden had locked up, but I could tell it was something important."

Lukas nodded, running a hand through his hair. "That fits with what Gil told us. Aiden's seems to have started using blackmail to keep people ensnared in his control."

Jesse crossed his arms "So you'll find whatever it is?"

Cassie nodded "Of course, it'll give us something to do while you guys get the competitors on our sides."

Jesse smirked "About that, it seems most all the competitors are ready to rise against Aiden. They just need a touch of inspiration, if you know what I mean."

Isa gave a smile wider than a phantom's wingspan. "I think I do." she purred.

Chapter Text

It took roughly ten minutes to hash out the plan. Jesse would take Isa to meet with the Competitors who had been left behind, and Lukas and Cassie would break into Aiden's jail room and free the prisoners.

It was fairly simple, so of course most of them were worried about something going wrong. The only one who wasn't was Isa. If anything, she hoped something would go wrong, if only so she could have a justified reason to fight.

The first part of getting Isa to the Competitors, was getting her to Amber. Even though Xara had appeared to be in charge of everyone, Jesse had gotten the feeling that Amber was the director behind the scenes.

Knocking on the door of the psychiatrist's building, Jesse glanced around again. The Gladiators were still all missing, probably managing whatever event was happening, but from what he'd gotten out of Ivor, Jesse had a feeling that Aiden had a way of keeping an eye on the village without anyone else knowing.

The door, after what felt like an eternity, opened, revealing Amber. At first, the woman smiled at Jesse, but when she saw Isa her eyes widened. Stepping past Jesse like he wasn't even there, Amber reached a hand out for Isa's cheek. "Isa?" she whispered "Is that? You're not-"

Isa smiled, wings buzzing softly. "What, you think Aiden could kill me?"

Amber frowned "Isa, you vanished, and Stella, and Cassie, and-" her eyes widened again "Lukas, and the others, are they all alive too?"

Isa nodded "I don't know about Stella, but Lukas and my sister, they're here too. We're working on cutting Aiden down to the size of his heart."

It was Jesse's turn to frown. "Stella?" he asked "Blonde female, wears purple, has a pet parrot named Benedict?"

Isa whipped around to stare at him, and the dumbfounded look Amber was giving him suddenly made Jesse feel as though Stella was a lot more important than just a fallen dictator from the city in the sky.

"You've met Stella?!" Isa demanded "And you didn't say anything?"

Jesse shrugged "I didn't realize she was so important to you. When we met her, she certainly didn't say anything about other worlds, or any of you."

Amber tilted her head "That doesn't sound like the Stella I knew, but...the night she went missing, Isa you said there was blood in the portal hall, wasn't there?"

Isa nodded "Its why I went to confront Aiden, and why he trapped me in that blasted twin moon world." her hands clenched into fists.

Amber sighed "And after you vanished, Cassie and Lukas both ran away. Lukas stayed as long as he could, but...when Aiden started the Mines, Lukas vanished the next day."

Isa scowled. "As soon as we're done with Aiden, you're telling me what portal Stella's in." she said, jabbing a finger towards Jesse.

The brunet nodded "But first we need to take care of Aiden, which is why we're here in the first place. Amber, how quickly can you gather the disqualified Competitors in the Village?"

Amber smirked "As quick as a fox hunting a rabbit."

As quick as a fox hunting a rabbit turned out to take twenty minutes, on the dot. But at the end of the twentieth minute, an assortment of Competitors, in jumpsuits ranging from gold to black, were seated in the same room as when Xara had called her meeting to introduce Jesse and the others.

This time, Amber was standing at the front of the room, and Isa was hidden in the back room, waiting for the other woman to introduce her. Jesse was leaning against the door, one eye on the crowd, the other out the window, watching for Gladiators.

"Hello everyone, I know there was a meeting yesterday, but I assure you, the risk of coming here today is well worth it." Amber said, quieting the few whispers. "If you all remember the plan we spoke of yesterday, it has changed slightly. Aiden has taken his madness a step further, and is now holding prisoners hostage. I know death is nothing to fear in this world, but remember how scared you were when you first came here, the first time you died. The prisoners have come from a world with no respawn, they are most likely confused, and probably terrified."

Amber smiled "But, just as bad news has reached my ears, some good has come out of this mess. The three people who know this world, they are not Milo and his friends, returned to save us, like some of you thought. No, these people are far more powerful. They are former Judges."

If Amber had been hoping for a good reaction, she was sorely disappointed. The Competitors paled, and a few started to protest, saying Judges were the reason they were in this mess in the first place.

Jesse tensed, ready to block the door if he had to, but Amber held up her hands in a silencing gesture. "My friends, how many years have I been helping you behind Aiden's back? I promise you, these Judges are a representation of what the Games should be. Friendly, exciting games, with no death, and no penalty for failure. Two of them are as we speak, raiding Aiden's home, to free the prisoners, and while they can, remove all the blackmail material they can find. The third, is here."

At the word 'here', the door to the back room swung open, and Isa slowly flew out. Literally flew, wings buzzing as they carried her from the shadows, head held high.

"This is Isa, and though she was once a Judge, she is as oppressed by Aiden as you all are. In fact, she did not give up being a Judge, that title was stripped from her. She was banished from this world, locked into a world not her own, trapped, away from everything she ever knew, everyone she ever loved. All because she wanted to find out what Aiden had done to her friend. But thanks to Jesse and the others, she is back here, she has reunited with her sister, and she is as willing as all of you, to do whatever it takes, to bring Aiden down."

They had agreed to hide just exactly what Isa had done while in the other world, since, while the Competitors would probably follow a girl who had been trapped and hurt, they probably wouldn't be as willing to follow a girl who had murdered (respawn or no).

"My name is Isa Rose," the winged girl said. "And I am going to fight Aiden. Will you help me?" she asked, sticking to the instructions they'd given her to avoid from using words like kill and murder, and to ask for help, whether or not she wanted it. The truth was, they would need everyone they could get, and Isa being hostile would push people away. She hadn't liked it, but she was doing it.

Landing, Isa spread her wings wide, revealing the rips still visible in the membranes, as she waited for an answer.

For several tense heartbeats, the room was still, and then, a woman in a green jumpsuit raised her hand. Followed by a man in gold. More and more hands lifted, until the entirety of the assembled Competitors had a hand in the air.

Isa grinned, a hint of dark glee glinting in her eyes. "Perfect," she said. "Now then, what's the fastest way to the Mines?"

Ivor decided that if you got past the lava, pits, arrow traps, and other people trying to kill you, Lava Run might be a fun game. Of course, if you took all those things out it would probably just be a normal run, and Ivor had no want to run a marathon anytime soon.

The narrow paths had gone on for at least twenty chunks, during which the trio had run past the red, blue, and yellow teams, now they were coming up on another team, when Gabriel noticed something. "The floor is getting wider," he called to Ivor.

Ivor, who hadn't really been paying much attention to the floor aside from where it was under his feet, looked ahead. "The paths are merging," he called back "Be ready to fight."

Within a few more seconds, they'd both caught up to the gold team, and had left the lava floor behind them. The gold team's leader shot Ivor a quick glare, but didn't seem interested in fighting.

Sucking in a mouthful of air, Ivor pushed himself to run harder, faster. He could hear Harper and Gabriel behind him, doing their best to keep up with him. Ivor gritted his teeth, and kept running.

The path had definitely widened.

It had opened up wide to reveal a massive chamber, which seemed to be full of fighting. By the time Ivor and his friends had reached it, there were already three piles of inventory that he could see, and probably more that he couldn't. Most of the Competitors seemed caught up in battles, though he could see Romeo's red hair vanishing through the tunnel at the other end.

"We need to get past this, avoid as much fighting as you can," Ivor said quickly, ducking his head to let a stray arrow go sailing over it. "Take whatever path you need, regroup at the other end. Now GO!"

The three split up, Harper to the left, Gabriel straight through, and Ivor ducking to the right. Weaving around a column, Ivor reached for the closest weapon, a stone axe that had been embedded into the floor. Stumbling a bit as he picked it up, Ivor nearly tripped over a gap in the floor made by a stair being placed instead of a full block.

A large shape loomed in front of him, and Ivor skidded to a stop, eyes wide as he stared up at the blonde gladiator. The large man had a smirk on his face, and was holding something...oh Notch was that TNT in his hands?

It was, in fact, TNT, as the gladiator, taking only a moment to swipe the explosive through a bit of fire on the floor, threw the flashing block right for Ivor.

If it hadn't been for an arrow piercing the block, barreling it away to slam into a less fortunate Competitor, Ivor's Run would have been over right then and there. Not bothering to see who had saved his life, intentional or not, Ivor slammed the broad side of the axe into the gladiator's chest and kept running.

Aiden may not have been right in the tunnel, but Ivor was pretty sure he was manipulating things from...wherever he was.

Ivor was currently clinging to scorching hot vines, lava not three inches from his back. He was halfway up the wall, he'd managed to pass Xara, though he wasn't sure where Harper and Gabriel were anymore. He'd seen Gabriel at the end of the large room, but had lost him sometime in his panic to get ahead of Xara.

He would have to apologize later, but he couldn't think much about them right now, he couldn't let guilt swallow him.

Not when he was too busy already fighting with himself.

Xara was steadily climbing towards him, fire in her eyes.

But...above him, Romeo was scaling the vines quickly, headed right for a ledge that would make him split either into lava, or make him climb upside down. Climbing up a few more vines, Ivor got closer to the redhead, who in turn reached the ledge.

Romeo's hands reached for the vines directly above his head, int he same moment, the lava fall popped, and a spurt of fire reached the vines, setting fire to the ledge,

Ivor reached upwards to haul himself higher.

Romeo screamed.

And Romeo began to fall.

In that split second, time seemed to freeze, and Ivor knew he had a choice.

He could save the redhead, but the struggle of getting Romeo back to the vines would let Xara take the lead. He didn't know how much farther he had left, there might not be enough time to beat her.

Or...

Or he could keep going. Respawn was real, Romeo wasn't in any real danger...

Sure it might shatter any trust Romeo had in Ivor, but...

But who was more important.

The teen Ivor had known for less than a day...

Or the two friends he'd known all his life.

That thought steeled Ivor's resolve. He lifted his chin, and he kept climbing.

Thankfully, two teens who had just reached the lava climb, were able to save the redhead.

Harper looked up at Ivor, eyes full of concern. "I hope you know what you're doing." she whispered.

Things were going even better than he could have hoped.

Golden eyes gleamed as the man steepled his fingers. A smirk played on his face as he watched the exit from the Lava Run.

How perfect was this? Sure Ivor may have been a bit...hesitant at first, but with just a little incentive, he was doing what it took to save his friends.

Feet pounded on stone, and the man lifted his head to see who would come out first.

Black hair, blue eyes, and a stubborn expression. Now that was what he liked to see.

He rose, clapping slowly. Fireworks rose from the horizon.

He opened his mouth, to congratulate Ivor, and then a fierce buzzing tore through his skull, forcing him out of the body.

The invisible form of The Admin looked down at Aiden, who by this point had unknowingly hosted him for so long he wasn't even registering the transition anymore, then in the direction of the manor where fireworks were still lighting the sky. An alarm had been tripped, one that was sending bells of fury through the telepath's mind, even possessed as he was.

Something was wrong.

Someone was interfering.

Someone would have to pay.

Chapter Text

The past two days had been a bit of a blur, but Aiden didn't mind that. He could remember the important bits, everything else simply faded into the background.

Ivor had accepted his deal, of course he would. Why shouldn't he? It was a fair deal, all of Aidens deals were fair...for him at least.

Besides, if Ivor had refused, well, respawn may have existed, but that just meant Aiden could torture his friends for much longer than he could in a world without it.

But he couldn't use Ivor's friends against him if they weren't where he could control them, and the fireworks blaring in the horizon meant that someone was trying to open the cages.

Gritting his teeth, Aiden continued to clap. There was a time and place for everything. He could punish whoever dared to break into his manor and steal the prisoners later. If he skipped out on the ceremony, Maya and Gill would get suspicious. Ceremony...tradition. It was everything. Destroy tradition, you destroy yourself.

So he would go through the congratulations as quickly as possible.

And then he would find out who needed to be punished.

The darkness was suffocating.

It wrapped around Ellie like a heavy blanket in the middle of a jungle, while the pig in the cage with her snuffled at her feet. Magnus was sitting next to her, their animosity forgotten in favor of seeking comfort.

Ever since the door had shut, Ellie and Magnus hadn't spoken a word. It was as though speaking into the darkness would make it all the more real. But this way, it could just be a nightmare. A terrifyingly real nightmare, but still a dream nonetheless.

But in that tiny part of her mind, Ellie knew. This wasn't a dream. They were trapped, and they were counting on Ivor to come up with a way to save them.

That or, find a way to save themselves, but Aiden had somehow wiped their inventories. However he'd done it, Ellie hoped he had their things saved somewhere, because if she had lost the crossbow Olivia had given her, then as soon as they were out she would be having words with the golden-eyed man.

It was a nice thought at least. Ellie knew that if she ever got the chance to see Aiden face to face again, she wouldn't be demanding what he'd done with her weapon. No, she'd probably be shrieking at the top of her lungs, and reaching for the nearest weapon, or running away.

Honestly, this whole thing was another item in the column for 'never adventure again'. Actually, not just an item, make that a whole paragraph of items. Maybe even the entire column.

Then she heard it.

Ellie's head jolted upright, jamming the back of her skull against the side of Magnus's head. Magnus didn't complain, instead he was standing up, which meant he'd heard it too. Getting to her own feet, Ellie stared into the blackness as the sound of buttons being pressed clicked through the wall.

This wasn't someone who knew what buttons to push, this was someone trying to get into someplace they shouldn't be.

Pistons began to whir, and light spilled into the shadows, making Ellie snap her eyes shut to lock out the sudden brightness. "Ivor?" she asked hopefully, squinting her eyes open.

"Not Ivor, but we know him." came a female voice.

As Ellie's eyes adjusted, she realized the voice belonged to a female with red and white hair. She was wearing a brown cloak, and had shimmering wings extending from her back.

Next to her, was someone Ellie didn't know whether to be amazed or confused by.

"Lukas?" Magnus blurted "What the Nether are you doing here?"

The redhead's wings fluttered slightly "So you know him too?" she asked. She shot the blond a look. "You know it would be incredibly helpful if you would just say who else you know that'll probably end up back here."

Lukas held up his hands defensively "Well its not like Jesse told us who was up here! He probably didn't even know!"

"So says the telepath." The redhead shot back. Lukas's face turned red, and Ellie found herself incredibly confused. Lukas was just a human, like the rest of them. The Original Order had never had any special powers, aside from the Command Block, but she was pretty sure it couldn't grant mind reading powers.

Lukas sighed "It cant, it was...it's something all of my kind are born with."

Ellie stared at him, mouth slightly agape, but before she could ask any of the hundred questions whirling in her mind, Lukas sighed. "I'll do my best to explain later, but, we're on a bit of a time crunch, Aiden changed the alarm since I was here last, and we probably tripped off several alerts, which means he'll be on his way back here any minute."

The redhead's wings snapped open, and she turned back to the cage. Running a hand along one of the bars, she frowned. "Reinforced Obsidian, this stuff was only supposed to be used for the border in the Walls, short period, never long term." A smile danced along her lips. "We developed it for the walls of the main city, to keep mobs out, but found that after a few hours, it would turn brittle, about as weak as coal ore, it'd lose its barrier powers too, stop banishing mobs that got too close."

She pulled her hand away, slipping it into her inventory. Ellie stared, eyes wide as she watched the redhead take out a gold pickaxe.

"Gold?" Magnus blurted "You can't break Obsidian with a gold pickaxe!"

The redhead gave him a flat look. "Were you not listening? This stuff sits for over six hours, its weak as coal ore, gold mines through things quickly, which is what we need. Now, are you going to let me mine, or are you going to keep asking me stupid questions?"

Magnus flushed redder than the stranger's hair, and she nodded before getting to work.

Five minutes later, Ellie and Magnus were being ushered out of the manor with Lukas and the redhead leading the way. Fireworks were going off around the manor, and in the distance, beacons flashed a bright magenta into the sky.

Aiden didn't seem to be anywhere near them, but that didn't stop the four from running the moment they were free of the door. They made it to a large set of stone walls, and the redhead began to lift them up and over, hooking her arms underneath their own one at a time.

Ellie watched with worry as the ground vanished underneath her. Magnus had already gone, and was waiting for her on the other side, along with Ivor, Harper, Gabriel, and Jesse...wherever they were.

Chapter Text

Ivor's lungs felt like fire. His body burned in the sudden cool night wind. He hadn't realized just how hot the Lava Run tunnel had been until he was leaving it. Aiden was standing and clapping as he approached, Maya and Gill standing just behind him. Gill was smiling, and Maya had her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. But Ivor didn't care. He'd won. He was still in the Games.

Not that Aiden would have kicked him out for losing the race (probably) but this way he was on track to win the Walls...whatever those were.

Ivors fingers were trembling, still half clenched from where he'd been climbing the vines. Clenching his hands into fists, Ivor lifted his chin and glared into the older man's golden eyes.

Fireworks were going off someplace behind Ivor, probably triggered when he had come running up the ramp. Chest heaving, Ivor watched as Aiden walked closer to him.

Aiden stopped clapping, and spread his arms out wide "Congratulations to our victor." he called. Ivor wasn't sure what it was, but something about Aiden's voice seemed a bit off. He didn't seem quite as...sarcastic, as usual. "Your Team will be awarded this nights trophy to display in your bunk, and a cake will be delivered for you all to enjoy."

Ivor didn't remember seeing any trophies in the bunkhouse. Either the bunks were cleared when an entire team lost...or the previous Magenta Team hadn't been very good in Games. He was drawn out of his thoughts by Aiden snapping his fingers once.

"And now, return to the Village with your team, and gather your strength, the Walls begin tomorrow at sunrise. Since the Walls is the final event in this seasons Games, your entire team is expected to compete, be sure they are prepared."

With that said, Aiden turned around and walked behind a curtain. Maya and Gill both nodded to Ivor, then left the same way. One of the gladiators, this one with dark skin and hair that had been dyed gold, stepped forward, and gestured for Ivor to start moving.

Jesse was waiting on the porch of the Magenta Bunkhouse. He'd gotten Ellegaard and Magnus whisked away to Lukas and the other's hiding spot, and then ran back to the Bunkhouse to make sure he could be seen hanging around the Village.

Fireworks had erupted from the Manor shortly before Lukas and Cassie came racing back with the two teens, and Jesse wasn't willing to be it was a coincident. Not with Aiden.

The fireworks had since stopped, and Jesse could see Ivor, Gabriel, and Harper being escorted back by one of the burly gladiators. Every gladiator Jesse had seen seemed to share the same bulky frame, maybe it was a requirement? He certainly hadn't seen any competitors with that sort of body.

Rising off of the fence he had been leaning on, Jesse tilted his head to the side. An escort...that could be a good or a bad thing. Arching an eyebrow when Ivor was within speaking distance, Jesse asked "Did you win?"

Ivor nodded, but...there was something about the look in his eyes. Almost as though...it looked so similar...that look in Ivor's eyes...it was the same as Petras...when Jesse had confronted her the night of the Ceremony. As though Ivor had done something horrible in order to keep going. Something that went against everything he believed...but had been forced to do it...for the sake of his friends.

"We're moving on...all of us, to the Walls." Ivor said, glancing at the gladiator out of the sides of his eyes. "And...I won."

The gladiator snorted. "Usually victors have a bit more enthusiasm." they muttered. "Your cake'll be here in an hour or so. Gotta scrounge up the ingredients and dyes. Been a while since a Magenta won."

Jesse's brow arched higher up his face, and Ivor sighed. "I'll explain it all, but...inside? Please?"

Jesse nodded, and gestured to the door. Ivor climbed the steps, and walked inside. Gabriel followed, but Harper paused, standing before Jesse. She glanced at the now retreating gladiator, and whispered. "Romeo, that redhead? He was above Ivor in the last bit of the Run, he fell, right past Ivor. Probably could have been caught sooner, but Ivor kept going. I know it hurt him, but he kept moving. Me and Gabriel were able to catch him before he hit the lava, but...Ivor's still shaken. Whatever he says, go easy on him...please?"

Jesse turned to the closed door, unsure whether to be impressed Ivor had pushed through his 'save everyone' tendencies, or gravely concerned that Ivor had been forced to pick between who he saved. Thankfully, Ellegaard and Magnus were safe now. Ivor could worry about them a little less.

Finally, Jesse nodded, ignoring the relieved look on Harper's face. "So long as you go easy on him as well. Whether he likes it or not, I intend to share what I did while you were in the Run. I also intend him to reveal what the rest of his plan is."

Harper bit her lip, but nodded, and opened the door, stepping into the Bunkhouse, and holding it open for the brunet.

Ivor sat on his bed, hands clasped and his head lowered as he studied the floor. Gabriel was standing across from him, arms crossed, and Harper and Jesse were finally coming inside.

How much should he tell them? Obviously the part about where he'd let someone who had shown him nothing but kindness (in a competitive way) fall to his death. Lifting his head, Ivor opened his mouth to start, but Jesse cut him off.

"You'll be relieved to hear," the brunet began. Ivor stared at him. What about Aiden? What about the possible way of spying? "That Ellegaard and Magnus are safe. I also brought Isa here, she confirmed that the Bunk is clean of any of Aiden's traces."

Ivor gaped. All his precaution...keeping his plan secret from his friends...for nothing? He groaned, and dropped his face into his hands.

Jesse continued "The two are safe with Lukas, Cassie, and Isa. And while Lukas and Cassie were breaking into their old home, I brought Isa to Amber. The two concocted and implemented a plan to rally not just the Competitors, but the Miners to our side. The moment the word is given, you've the support of nearly every non-Gladiator and non-Judge in this world. I do believe this is a good time to share the rest of your plan, and quite possibly the early parts as Gabriel and Harper seem to have forgotten how to breathe."

Ivor's head jerked up quickly, and stared at his friends, both of whom were gaping at Jesse. Jesse cleared his throat, and Harper and Gabriel turned their focus on Ivor.

"What's he talking about?" Harper demanded. "Ivor, Ellie and Magnus are here?"

Ivor sighed, and rose to his feet. "Yeah...remember when Aiden wanted to see me last night? He..." Ivor groaned. "He had Ellie and Magnus...said if I didn't do as he said, or if I told you, he'd hurt them. That's...thats why I was so quiet. But I couldn't let them stay there, so earlier I told Jesse. I was going to have him tell you in the Run, but he got left behind."

Ivor turned to Jesse. "They're safe? And unharmed?"

Jesse snorted "Magnus seems a bit traumatized, apparently as they were escaping the pig decided to ah...relieve itself...on him.."

Ivor stared.

Then...he laughed.

And laughed.

Uncontrollably, the laughter and tears fell from him.

Notch it felt good.

After a few minutes of it (Harper and Gabriel being dragged into the laughter as well), Ivor managed to stop and breathe calmly again.

A while later, after they were all well and calm again, Ivor said "So...they're safe...and um...yeah not even going to go there. Which means Aiden is going to probably be really strict tomorrow. I don't know what exactly the Walls are but-"

"They're a combination Build and Defend the Fort game." Jesse interrupted. "I asked Amber and Isa about it. Isa didn't know, of which Amber wasn't surprised. They're fairly new. Four teams are placed into an arena split four ways. You use whatever items you have in your corner to build and defend a tower. After a set amount of time the walls drop, and the first team to reach the Victors Platform in the center wins."

Ivor's eyes widened. "Wait? That's it? I was expecting some sort of balancing game. This makes it a lot easier." he smiled at Harper "After all, we've got one of the Architects with us."

Harper flushed, but smiled back "Hey, your Blaze was pretty amazing too, before Hadrien..." she trailed off, wincing at the memory of her crazed former teammate.

Ivor nodded, and turned back to Jesse "And your house shows off some good talent." He glanced at Gabriel "Uhm...I'm not...really sure what you've built." he said awkwardly. "You've always been more of a go-get-it person, not a builder, sorry."

Gabriel shrugged "Its fine. I'll do better with a sword than with building anyways."

Ivor nodded "Then thats our new plan. Me and Harper focus on building, Gabriel and Jesse gather supplies. After the walls come down, Jesse and Harper stay to defend, and me and Gabriel attack...unless...does it have to be the entire team that reaches the platform? Or just one member?"

Jesse shook his head "All members of one team that haven't been killed, your whole surviving team makes it, or none of you do."

Ivor scowled, then a thought occurred to him. "You just have to reach the platform, right? You don't actually need to protect your tower?"

Jesse arched a brow "That is what Amber said, what are you thinking?"

Ivor smirked "New plan then. We build a secondary wall around the edge of the primary walls. Let them figure out how to scale it. We also use any leftover blocks to climb the wall from inside, and run like a whole flock of Phantoms are after us and get to the platform. We reach it, game ends, we win."

"Lukas warned us that Aiden's all about deals, I'm guessing he made a deal with you, about Ellie and Magnus," Harper said, frowning "What do we do when we tell him we want the Atlas?"

Ivor turned to Jesse "That's where Lukas and the others come in. The deal was made for as long as Ellie and Magnus were being held by Aiden. With them freed, the deal is void. We win, and tell Aiden instead of whatever prize we usually get, we want the Atlas, and in return, we wont destroy the entire Games. If he refuses, Lukas, Cassie, and Isa need to be ready to lead the Competitors and Miners into the arena. Aiden won't fight fair, so neither will we."

Chapter Text

"Move it punks."

The words were accompanied by a slap to the back, and Ivor stumbled a few steps forward. Turning a scowl to the gladiator behind him, Ivor turned back to the tunnel they were walking through. The stone walls reminded him of the Lava Run tunnel from yesterday, and he felt his arms prickle with goosebumps. This tunnel was a lot less dangerous, what with the lack of lava flow, but...at the same time, knowing he was walking towards another game was just as terrifying.

Trying to keep from thinking about the Walls, Ivor let his eyes dance along the walls, trying to find patterns in the cracks. Just as he was following a thunder-like split, a light began to glow at the edge of his vision. Focusing on the path ahead of him, Ivor realized the tunnel abruptly ended just a few steps away.

Raising a hand to shield his eyes, Ivor stepped out of the tunnel and squinted. His feet were now half-buried in sand, and about twenty or so blocks away, a wall made of gleaming obsidian stood at least fifteen blocks high, and wrapped around the side to meet up with the wall the tunnel they'd just left was coming from. Inside the square, there was sand, a miniature sandstone temple, at least a dozen cacti, and six dry bushes that he could see. There was a small chest, crafting table, and furnace set up next to the tunnel's entrance.

In other words, they were standing in a shrunken desert.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Harper's eyes were wide as she stared around the small square of land they'd been assigned.

They were supposed to build and defend something out of this? There weren't even any trees! And she knew the other squares weren't like this (or, at least one wasn't) because over the wall she could see a freaking jungle tree!

Crossing her arms, Harper turned around and frowned at the gladiator "This has to be some sort of mistake," she said "There's no way we can be expected to-"

"Aiden assigns teams to corners," the gladiator growled. "So if you got a problem, you can take it up with him." He then crackled his knuckles, while baring his teeth. Harper quickly took a step back, holding up her hands in a peaceful gesture. The large man gave her one last glower, then took a step backwards himself, reaching an arm out to pull a lever down. Instantly, iron bars swished into place, locking them inside the sandy square. "Tools are in the chest." the gladiator called through the bars, before turning around and stalking away.

Harper turned back around, and glanced at Ivor. "Still think we can pull this off?" she asked softly.

Ivor sighed, and lowered his hand from where he'd been pinching the bridge of his nose. "We have to at least try. Stick to the plan, and try and...lets try and make the wall out of pure sand, it'll take them longer to dig it enough to get over"

"Unless they have torches." Gabriel pointed out.

Ivor groaned "Forgot about that. Alright, lets make two walls, the first one sandstone, the second one sand, there should be enough sandstone with the desert temple, and lets strip this square as low as we can, maybe there'll be something good underneath the sand." He walked over to the chest, and kicked open the top, kneeling down, he let out a cry of disgust.

"What's wrong?" Harper asked, stepping behind him as Ivor pulled out a dark gray tool.

"They're all stone," Ivor griped "How much do you want to bet everyone else has iron or better?"

Before Harper could reply, Aiden's voice sounded from somewhere behind the walls. "If our teams are all ready...Let the Walls begin!"

Romeo ran his fingers through his shoulder-length red hair as Aiden called for the Walls to begin.

Him, Fred, Xara, and Hiro hadn't been in the Games long, they'd joined at the very beginning of the season. At first, Fred and Xara had been in the Gladiators, Xara being the smallest Gladiator apparently since the Games had started, but she'd been too defiant for Aiden and had been kicked down with the other boys. They'd finally gotten Aiden to grant their request for starting their own Team, and Team Blue had been formed. (Well, reformed, since the original Blue Team was Milo's team. Xara had insisted, wanting all the luck they could get)

Since then, Xara had helped keep them out of the Mines. They'd had some risky moments, but until the Spleef game two nights ago they'd all won. Hiro was understandably furious about it, and had been designated their Runner for the Walls, he would go out and attack while Romeo and Xara stayed put to defend the tower.

Because Team Blue had the literal bare minimum of players, they were at more risk than Team Ivory's six, Team Orange's seven, or even Team Magenta's four. They had two people to defend, and one person to go out and attack. Of course either Xara or Romeo could join Hiro and fight, but Xara was their leader, and Romeo had overheard that Ivory and Orange's leaders would be staying in their towers, and since both of those teams had been around for four seasons, Blue was pretty much just copying their strategy.

As for Romeo...well, he could go out and fight, but he'd probably end up in the Respawn lobby in less than five minutes. He was more of a runner in the literal sense, than in the fighting sense. Hiro's anger towards Team Magenta, meant he'd do whatever it took to eliminate them without being eliminated himself, and Xara had ordered him to take out Magenta last.

But before they had to worry about defending and fighting, Team Blue still had to build their tower. Hacking away at the base of a spruce tree, Romeo thanked the Judges for somehow creating a warm snow biome.

The Admin had settled back into Aiden's body, and had his fingers steepled as he looked down on the four corners of the Walls game. He'd always had a fondness for the Games, he'd come from a time before such enjoyment, but he loved to watch the mortals pit each other against themselves for sport. Throw in some non-dangerous death, and it was all the better.

He hadn't been able to get inside of Aiden's head until just a few moments ago, right before the start of the Walls, but he was pleased with Aiden's choice of assignments. The largest team was in the Jungle, the second-largest in the Forest, the smallest in the Snowy Taiga, and Ivor's team was in the Desert. From what Aiden had seen, typically the largest team got the disadvantage, but throwing Ivor into the Desert would be an incredible test.

Team Ivory seemed to be building a large, multi-level tower, centered around the largest jungle tree in their square. Team Orange was building a short and squat tower, possibly doing something underground. Team Blue had a bit of a snow cabin theme going on, and Ivor's team...oh ho...

So that's how they were going to play it hmm?

Well, there technically wasn't a rule stating you had to build a tower. And building a secondary wall was such a far-out idea it might just work. But how did they...oh, the girl, was building stairs in the corner. Could their plan possibly be to...

No...

They wouldn't do that.

Would they?

The Admin hummed to himself, then leaned Aiden back in his chair, before detaching himself from the Judges body. This sort of spectator-ship called for up close and personal viewing.

Chapter Text

Jesse ended up making heavy use out of the crafting table and dead bushes. Snapping stems off of the bushes to turn them into sticks, and using half to cook the ore he'd unearthed and the other half to make iron tools. It sped up the process a bit, which was good since none of them knew how much time they'd have.

Jesse and Gabriel were alternating between mining and running. Gabriel was currently digging up more cobblestone (which they'd decided to use for a third layer, in the hopes that the other team's pickaxes would be used up by the time the raiding began.

They had been working for almost an hour, and had both sand layers finished with only a a few blocks of the sandstone layer substituted with cobblestone. The cobblestone layer was about four blocks high now, and the stairs led right to the top of the sandstone layer, which held at six blocks.

They'd realized about halfway through the first layer that making the wall too high would result in them getting severely hurt when they fell, depending on what was on top of the main walls, so they'd made it six blocks, high enough that it couldn't be scaled from the bottom, but low enough that when they dropped down the worst they would get should only be a sprained ankle. They were also hoping that there would be some sort of platform on the other side that they could reach but couldn't be scaled.

But at the same time, it didn't really matter if their tower was invaded or not. They just had to stay out of sight until they reached the winner's platform. Let the other teams think they were holed up inside, and race for the platform (wherever it was).

Jesse emerged from the mine they'd dug, and shook out some of the gravel from his hair. Making his way up to Ivor, Jesse rummaged in his inventory for a stack of magically compressed Cobblestone.

Whoever had come up with the Inventory Bags, had truly been a genius.

Though, perhaps they could have made it so that items could sit in larger groups that 64 (or 16, depending on what it was...or 1 for that matter. Why was it some items couldn't be stacked?)

"Hey, here's some more." Jesse said, passing over the stack and already reaching for another.

Ivor nodded, and smiled quickly at the brunet. "Thanks, could you give some more to Harper on your way back down?"

Jesse nodded, and glanced at the wall. The cobblestone layer was reaching the end of its fourth block high. "Maybe we should start another layer?" Jesse suggested "Or maybe a roof, and replace it after we leave? Make it look like this whole place is some fortress, might distract the other teams a bit more."

Ivor's lips twitched into a grin "What, you think the massive wall of pure sand isn't going to do that?"

Jesse smiled slightly "Fair point." he said. "I'd better get back down there. You still got the bell?" They'd found a bell inside of the temple, and had decided to use it to alert the two diggers if the walls came down.

Ivor rolled his eyes, and jerked his thumb to point at a single cobblestone at the entrance to the mine. "You saw it when you came up, I know you did." the teen pointed out. "You've seen it all thirty-one times you've come up. When the walls come down, Me or Harper will ring it."

Jesse nodded, dumped another two stacks of cobblestone at Ivor's feet, then ran to bring the rest to Harper.

Gabriel's arms were sore. They'd been working for almost two hours at this point. Ivor and Harper had gotten bored after finishing the cobblestone layer of the wall, and had decided to add on a roof and a tower that spiraled as high as they could make it in the time limit. They'd mined iron down in the cave, and had burned through almost twelve pickaxes each. They'd also splurged and made a bucket, so that they could cart up some water to make a splash-down pool for when the walls fell down.

They'd gotten lucky and broken through into a mineshaft about fourty-minutes ago, and had used the fences as extra defense and the wood to whittle into more sticks.

Breaking through another vein of gold (honestly what were they going to do with all this stuff?), Gabriel paused as he heard something. It almost sounded like...ringing?

At first, Gabriel stood wondering why he was hearing ringing, and then he realized just why he would be hearing a ringing noise.

Dropping the pick, Gabriel turned around and took off running back down the strip mine.

Well, strip mine was a loose term given it was twenty-blocks wide at this point, but it had started off as a strip mine to try and find diamonds since he was bored. That was about fourty-five minutes ago, with breaks to eat the food supplied in the chest, or to run supplies up to Ivor and Harper.

Honestly, most of them were rather bored at this point.

But now, it sounded like things were finally kicking off! Sucking in a mouthful of air, Gabriel dived into the water stream and began to kick his feet, propelling himself upwards in the small channel.

It took about a minute to get to the top, and by the time he reached air again Gabriel was fully soaked and gasping for breath. But it was faster than climbing the stairs, which from the sound of it, Jesse was coming back up the staircase.

Ivor was standing at the bell, essentially punching it as he caused it to clang repeatedly.

As Gabriel came into sight of the ravenet, Ivor shouted "Walls are coming down! It's go time!"

Jesse's head appeared at the stairwell, the formerly-scarred-brunet was smirking, a sword already in hand. "We ready?"

Ivor nodded, finally letting the bell's swings die down. "Harper's waiting for us at the hatch, Aiden just gave a two minute warning."

Gabriel grinned "What are we waiting for then?"

Harper had her head craned back to stare at the massive walls as the ground rumbled and they sank into the floor. Ivor and the others were behind her, waiting for the walls to be low enough that they could get out.

The four of them were standing near the back of the left wall, hoping that everyone else would be too distracted by their massive build to notice four figures slinking out the back. It probably would have been easier to make it to the center if they had started closer to it, but they had all agreed that stealth was key. Make everyone else think that they were holed up inside, and sneak up to the center without being noticed.

"And the towers are revealed!"

Aiden's voice crackled through the air. "Team Ivory has used their jungle splendidly to create a fine treehouse with several layers, Team Orange seems to have gone with more of a bomb-shelter design. Team Blue really embraced the snow, with a small little igloo, I wonder what they've got inside. And our newcomers, Team Magenta, well, they've certainly made use of their time. But is that fortress as intimidating inside as it is outside? Who'll be the first to find out?"

Harper glanced back at the interior of their tower. The incredibly bare interior. They'd gone elaborate on the outside, but inside was nothing but the stairwell, the water tunnel, and the bell. Hopefully anyone who got in would get distracted trying to explore the mines.

"You ready?" Harper whispered.

Ivor nodded "As I'll ever be," he replied, eyes darting across the jungle that had been revealed to them.

Stepping out onto the roof, Harper slid out of the way for the others. Reaching her hand into her inventory, Harper pulled out a few pieces of cobblestone. Sliding them into place after everyone was out, the tower was fully locked up.

Turning to look out at the arena, Harper gazed out at the other three towers. In the center of the four squares, was a sleek obsidian platform, the obsidian having fallen in such a manner as to become a staircase, leading up to what had to be the Victor's Platform.

"That's where we need to get." Harper whispered, pointing.

"Then that's where we're going." Ivor replied in the same hushed tone.

Drawing her sword from her inventory, Harper gripped the unfamiliar weapon with unease.

"Ready?" Ivor whispered.

Harper gulped, but nodded. Ivor took her hand, and the two took a running jump off the roof of their build.

Ivor managed to land on his feet, twisting into a somersault to ease the burden on his legs. Both legs throbbed with pain, but by the time Gabriel and Jesse came hurtling down it had subsided.

Clutching his sword, Ivor nodded to Jesse, and led the way across the obsidian floor, and into the jungle. The tall trees would be the easiest to hide behind, and with a fort like that Team Ivory was probably planning on a defensive approach. Of course, they had one of the largest teams that Ivor had seen, so they probably had more than a few people out running.

Ivor's gaze darted around the jungle. He couldn't see anyone, and he didn't think they had been seen. If Aiden had seen their jump, he was keeping quiet about it. Not knowing if that was good or bad, Ivor darted through the woods. He could hear the quiet footfalls of the others behind him, and so focused his eyes on looking for the other teams.

"RRRRHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Ivor nearly jumped out of his skin. He brandished his sword, head jerking wildly as he tried to find the source of the battle cry.

Harper tapped his shoulder, and pointed through the trees. Ivor followed her finger, and saw two flashes of color, one blue and one black. The two were whirling around each other, accompanied by shouts and the sound of swords clashing.

Barely breathing, Ivor whispered "Keep moving, quietly."

Walking silently, and holding his breath (though he rationally knew it wouldn't make any difference) Ivor continued to pick his way through the trees.

They were so close, Ivor could almost taste it.

There was just one more obstacle.

They had reached the end of the jungle (after several very tense moments involving Hiro and the black-wearing person). Now, they had to get across the obsidian.

Thanks to Aiden's commentary, they knew that Team Orange had made it inside of their build (but had yet to emerge) and Hiro seemed to be waging war against the entire Team Ivory all by himself. So far the Judges had been leaving them alone, but Ivor wasn't sure how long that would last.

"We need to get up the stairs, and we're home free." Gabriel said.

Harper nodded "Run for it?"

Ivor took a deep breath, and readied his sword "Run for it."

They began to run. An excellent plan...in theory.

In concept...not so much.

Just as Aiden had been keeping quiet about their team's position...he'd also been keeping quiet on Team Orange.

The moment Ivor led the other three onto the obsidian, four people in blinding orange jumpsuits lunged from behind the stairs, screaming.

"Knock them out as quick as you can!" Ivor shouted "And keep moving!"

Raising his blade to parry a wild jab from a female with cocoa-colored skin, glasses, and a faux fox-tail ((at least he thought it was a fake)) Ivor gave a swing of his one, and the girl scrambled backwards, glaring at him.

Ivor ignored her, and kept running, praying to Notch she wouldn't surprise him from behind.

Reaching the first step, Ivor climbed up a few to gain higher ground, then turned around to look for his friends. Gabriel was locked in battle against a boy with shaggy brown hair, Jesse was currently slamming the hilt of his sword into the back of someone's head (Ivor couldn't see them well enough to determine gender), knocking them to the ground as they exploded into dust, and Harper was fighting a girl with pink-tipped black hair.

The girl he'd been fighting was running after him, and Ivor quickly raised his sword to block, a few more swings, and he finally kicked her backwards, making her slam her head on the stairs, and exploded into dust.

Taking a running jump off the stairs, Ivor aimed his sword downwards and plunged it into the back of the girl Harper was fighting. She let out a cry of pain, and instantly guilt flooded Ivor. He pulled his sword, trying to get it out, but before he could, the girl exploded into dust and his sword, now featuring a red stain, was free. Ivor staggered back, and probably would have fallen to the last member, if Gabriel hadn't killed him.

Ivor felt like he should take his blade and plunge it into himself, but he couldn't. They're fine he told himself. They'll respawn. There's a respawn, they're ok, they're not really dead.

Ivor sucked in a breath of air, and began to climb the steps again. This time, Gabriel, Harper, and Jesse were behind him, as slow and silent as he. Ivor wondered if Amber would have time to talk to them all before they went home.

He wasn't sure he could face himself going back home without a respawn right now.

After a small eternity, they reached the top of the platform. Dropping his sword, Ivor stood on the Victor's Platform, chest heaving as he closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists.

There was silence...then Gill's voice crackled through the air.

"The Walls are over! We have our Champion!"

Chapter Text

"The Walls are over!" Gill boomed proudly "We have our champion!"

He didn't often join in Aiden and Maya's commentary. Honestly, he was pretty sure they'd forgotten he'd had a mic since every time he spoke, it was to answer one of their questions.

Speaking of...Gill turned to look at his two fellow Judges, and winced. Maya was gaping at him, and Aiden was glaring, eyes flaring gold.

Gill winced slightly, but turned back to the arena to quickly say "Competitors, cease your fighting and emerge from your towers."

Aiden held up a hand to cover his mic "Excuse me Gill? The only people who have been eliminated, are four of Team Orange, and three of Team Ivory. Team Blue hasn't lost a single man yet. The Walls, are not over."

Gill took a deep breath. Cassie had broken into the manor last night to explain the plan to him, and he'd come prepared. Reaching into his inventory, the bearded Ramki pulled out a copy of the latest edition of the rulebook. This one had lasted almost a year and a half now. Muffling his own microphone, Gill began flipping pages as he spoke.

"According to the Rules of the Games, Section sixty-eight 'The Finales' subsection seven 'The Walls', The Game is over when all surviving members of a Team, reach the center of the arena, henceforth referred to as the Victors Platform. All surviving members must reach the platform together, and stand on it at once, with no members of an opposing Team with them. If two opposing parties are on the Victors Platform at the same time, they must battle until one party is entirely eliminated. Once a single party, composed of all surviving members, stands unopposed on the Victors Platform, the Game is complete and they are the Victors of the Season."

Behind Aiden, Maya was arching a brow, like she was impressed. Honestly. Stop commentating for a few years and suddenly you're unable to point out the rules. Aiden however, looked anything but impressed. "The Walls," he hissed "Have always been combat based. The Competitors fight, until there is a single, winning, team, still alive."

"Yes, that's how its been...traditionally fought. But, according to the rulebook, which, need I remind you, was written by you, Team Magenta has won." Gill replied, sliding the book back into his inventory and crossing his arms. "So, are we going to go congratulate Team Magenta for their speedy victory? Or shall we stand here for several more hours, leaving the Competitors in confusion?"

Aiden glowered at Gill for a few more seconds, before taking a deep breath, and turning to look down at Ivor who was watching the stands. A slow smile spread across Aiden's face, and he nodded "Very well," he said "But don't think I'll forget about this Gill."

Lukas laced his fingers behind his head as he looked down into the arena. He'd woken before sunrise so that he, Cassie, and Isa could get everyone into place before the Walls began.

Last night, Ivor had come to speak with them, and detail the plan. After he'd gone back to his bunkhouse, Cassie had left to fly to the manor as fast as she could. Even so, she hadn't returned until almost two in the morning, and as such had gotten only three hours of sleep.

This morning, Lukas and Isa had gone to the Village and Mines respectively, speaking with the Competitors and Miners and rallying the troops, so to speak.

Since the Walls had started, Isa had led the people to surround the Arena, and Cassie and Lukas had flown up to a high tower. (Well, Cassie had flown him.) Now they were just waiting.

A few minutes ago, Ivor and the others had reached the Victors platform, and since then Gill seemed to be arguing with Aiden.

Lukas took a deep breath, and tried to relax his mind. If all went according to plan, then Gill would convince Aiden to go through with the awards ceremony, and Ivor would strike a new deal with Aiden, allowing him to take the Atlas, and find his way home.

Lukas dropped his hands and leaned forward. Aiden, Maya, and Gill were leaving the platform. Bridging out and down to meet Ivor and the others. Glancing towards Cassie, who nodded, Lukas reached for his bow. At the first sign that Aiden wouldn't cooperate, he was to shoot a flame arrow into the sky, and then fly down with Cassie to confront Aiden.

As Aiden reached the Victor's Platform, Lukas notched an arrow, the magic of the bow causing it to burst into flames. Not drawing it back, Lukas watched and waited.

The Admin sat cross legged in the air, invisible to the world as he watched Aiden bridge his way to Ivor. Honestly, the only thing this scene was missing was some dramatic music.

It was rather tempting, to just snap his fingers and make an invisible choir play, but...he didn't want to reveal his presence. Not yet.

It was too early in the game, he still had too much to do, too many traps to plan, too many minds to influence.

Better to stay invisible, and watch.

This moment here, could decide Ivor's entire fate as his Champion.

Ivor's hands were shaking as he watched Aiden and the others bridge toward him. Clenching them into fists didn't entirely stop it, but it helped. Taking a deep breath, Ivor met Aiden's gaze, and felt a tremor of fear shake through him. Aiden looked happy. Like he already knew what they were planning, and had a plan to tear their plan to shreds.

Ivor forced himself to stay still. He couldn't afford to show Aiden anymore weakness. Not now.

"Well, it would seem we have our season's Champions." Aiden purred. "And, I do believe I may have found a new Gladiator, the way you fought against Team Orange was quite splendid."

Ivor crossed his arms. Now was the time. Feeling Jesse, Harper, and Gabriel's gazes on his back, Ivor took a deep breath and said. "No."

Aiden stared down at him. "Excuse me? I don't think I heard you right. See, we had a deal kid."

Ivor took another deep breath and said "The terms of the deal were I would do what you said or you would hurt my friends. But, seeing as my friends are no longer under your control, our deal is no longer applicable."

Aiden's eyes flared gold. "And how did you know your friends had left my...care? Did you break into my home?"

Ivor took a half step back, quickly saying "No!" Realizing that just made him sound guilty, Ivor added "No, because I saw them after Lava Run. Meaning they broke out when I was running. But that's not important, because I won the Season, and we don't have a deal requiring me, or my friends to stay here, we've Won, and we're free to go."

Aiden looked furious, but Gill quickly stepped in "He's correct, Aiden. There's nothing keeping them here, and by right, they've won."

Maya crossed her arms "Hate to say it, but Gill's got a point Aiden. They've earned freedom, and one prize of their choice."

Ivor arched a brow. Well, that would certainly make things easier he supposed. But...with Aiden, it was probably best to stick to their original plan.

"I actually have a new deal for Aiden." Ivor said quickly. "First, I want the Atlas, so we can go home. Secondly, I want the Games changed. No more keeping people against their will. If someone wants to leave, they should be free to. And no more mines. That's just flat out cruel."

Aiden chuckled "I think you've forgotten how a deal works kid, you have to give me something in return, remember?"

Ivor took a deep breath. Now or never. "If you don't change the Games, then we, the Competitors, will fight against you, and remove you from your position as a Judge."

Chapter Text

Jesse readied his sword as Ivor finished talking. Aiden's eyes were glowing gold, which Jesse was fairly sure wasn't a good sign. Maya was looking at Ivor with a sort of pitying respect, and Gill was walking backwards...why was he walking backwards? Aiden's eyes were full blown glowing now, his pupils having vanished under the golden light.

Jesse quickly stepped forward and put an arm in front of Ivor, pushing him backwards as Aiden began to growl. And not growling out words, actual growling.

"You think," the Judge spat "That you can waltz in here, and order me around?" his voice was hysterical. "You don't get, to order me around. I'm the boss. I give the orders, not you, not the Competitors, me." Aiden took a few menacing steps forward "And let me be clear, you, cannot fire me. No. That's not something that can happen. But if you have such a large death wish, well..."

Aiden's hand snapped to his inventory so fast Jesse barely had time to see it. He withdrew a diamond sword with a shimmering blade, and Jesse quickly looked it over, trying to figure out the enchantments. Dark blue glow at the base, mending, possibly unbreaking, shimmering silver along the middle, sharpness, and a high level of it given how shiny it was. A bright yellow at the tip, Fire Aspect.

Instinctively, the hand that wasn't protecting Ivor slid up to Jesse's neck. Fingers probed for a missing line, and it took a few heartbeats to register that the scar he was looking for was gone. The death in Spleef, his body forced to collapse in on itself, the respawn magic rebuilding him entirely, had erased it.

Those few seconds were enough for Aiden to lunge forward, sword aimed past Jesse and for Ivor's throat.

Instantly, it wasn't Aiden attacking Ivor. Jesse wasn't in the Games, he wasn't even in the same year.

He was thirteen years ago.

And it was Petra, her sword aimed for his bare neck. Jesse's hands clenched, there was something in his hand...why did he have something in his hand? He'd just been running, distracting the dragon, his hands had been empty, he was sure of it. As though he was encased in honey, Jesse turned his head and saw a sword. Why was he holding a sword?

Wait...a sword...

Jesse, still feeling trapped in the slow stickiness of the honey, raised his hand, and deflected the blow.

Petra jerked to a stop, her blade against his, her eyes glowing furious gold.

Gold...why were her eyes gold? They were supposed to be blue?

Jesse stared at Petra, mouth agape. She'd...he'd known there was something off about Lukas, but ordering Petra to kill him?

And Petra? Going through with it?

Why wasn't he dead?

Ignoring that thought, Jesse, in a surge of strength, grabbed his weapon with both hands and shoved the redhead away.

She stumbled back, and glowered at him.

This...this wasn't right.

This wasn't how it had happened...the...the first time.

The first time she had hit his neck, he had bled...he had burned, he remembered burning...

Why was he alive still?

And then the world rippled and shifted.

And it wasn't Petra running at him again.

It was Aiden, sword readied for another swing at Ivor.

But Petra was still there, like double vision.

She was attacking him again.

But she had been sorry, he remembered her apologizing!

But she looked so, so furious. At him, wanting to kill him, she was his friend, she wanted to kill him, he had thought they were friends, thought once that they could be something more.

And she wanted his blood.

She wanted to scar his neck, the lightning bolt pattern so, so familiar. He'd had it for thirteen years, he'd waged war against his friends for trying to kill him. That scar was his proof that Lukas, at one point, had wanted him dead. Ever since the scar had been wiped away in the respawn, he'd been acting friendly with Lukas. But Lukas...the blonde was just waiting for a chance to do it again, wasn't he? He just wanted to try again, that was why he was playing nice.

And in that moment, Jesse made a split second decision that would either work, or kill him.

He'd survived once.

He needed that scar. It was his proof, that you couldn't trust the original Order.

It was why he'd created the Witherstorm.

Jesse bared his neck, and dropped his blade.

The golden tip pierced his neck, jerking to the side.

Jesse's eyes closed, he felt the blood pouring from his neck.

He fell backwards. Someone was screaming...why were they screaming? Olivia and Axel hadn't screamed back then...

Then silence fell, and Jesse was alone in the darkness.

Aiden smirked down at the body of the brunet, and watched with glee as it exploded into dust. He raised the now bloody sword, and purred "Who's next?"

The girl had screamed when the man's body had fallen. Aiden wasn't sure why, the man had died before, it wasn't like she hadn't seen his body explode.

Aiden pointed his sword at Ivor "I think, you."

And then a flaming arrow landed between Aiden and Ivor.

Aiden's head jerked back to stare at the sky. Something was coming down off the old watchtower. When was the last time someone had been up there? It had gone out of use after he'd barred the gates to the outside. But it was the only place high enough that the arrow could have been shot from.

Which then raised the question of, who had dared to shoot at him.

Then he saw it.

Something was moving down from the skies.

Another arrow?

No...too thick. This was something...almost human in shape?

And why was the air suddenly filled with a buzzing sound?

Buzzing noises, a human shape...

"Impossible." Aiden whispered, eyes widening.

No.

NO.

He'd banished the only two Sirens in this world. He'd burned the portal to their world. The winged folk were too far obsessed with 'pure' mental health for his liking. Isa had gone nuts on him after he'd dealt with Stella.

Alright perhaps he'd never banished Cassie, but he'd meant to. She'd just run away before he could. Damn coward.

But that red hair...

And in her hands...

Aiden's eyes blazed solid gold.

"Lukas." he spat.

Cassie's wings buzzed as she lowered Lukas to the ground between Ivor and Aiden. Her green eyes were wet with tears, having just watched someone she thought could be a good friend explode.

Of course she knew respawn was here, but...after living so long in Crown Mesa, where death was permanent...it was a difficult concept to remind herself existed.

Cassie hadn't fought in almost twenty years, ever since she'd given in to fear and fled the Home World. But now, the instant Lukas was standing on his own, her hands reached into her inventory, and took out her trusted blade.

A shimmering diamond axe. Enchanted with old Sirenian magic, the battleaxe had lasted her entire life, and if she was going to lose it in combat now, then it might as well be against the worst sort of person.

A person who killed for no reason other than delight.

Aiden was worse than a Neris, because at least the Neris, upon loss of flight, usually healed their minds, calming their mental state until they were, if in mindscape alone, a Siren once again. Aiden though...from the way he acted, he knew of his instability. And he didn't care.

Amber was a wonderful healer, there was no reason for Aiden to ignore her. But, she was also a Neris, and had once been a Siren. Cassie hadn't met Amber before she'd shattered her wings, but she knew it had something to do with the death of a beloved friend. She, of all the people here, knew how to deal with healing your mind.

The only reason Aiden would have stayed away from Amber, would be because he had been purposely avoiding her.

Which was why he was worse than a Neris.

Because he refused to be healed.

And now, he had gone too far.

Cassie's wings buzzed as she pointed her axe at Aiden. "Aiden Ocellus, stand down and surrender, or by the Admin's you will regret it."

Aiden smiled at her. Smiled. "Aw, how cute." he said, golden eyes staring at her. "You think you can beat me? You ran away from me. And you'll be begging me to let you run away again."

Cassie lifted her chin. "Not this time Aiden. I'm not running, not anymore."

"Choose your battle," Lukas said, hands lifted in a peaceful gesture. "Aiden, we don't want to fight you-"

"Speak for yourself."

Isa's voice rang through the air.

Aiden whirled around to see Isa hovering at the top of Ivor's build. Pouring out of the sand and cobble structure, were the Competitors. Some of them were decked out with gold chestplates, signifying that they were Miners.

"Because I can think of plenty of people who want a crack at him." Isa finished.

Isa held her two iron swords in her hands, and she felt alive. Wings buzzing furiously as she hovered over the tower Ivor and the others had built, Isa looked down at Aiden with a sense of fury roaring in her heart.

The past few hours, the last few cracks in her wings had closed off. Her mind had felt warm in a way she hadn't experienced in years.

Aiden stared up at her. Even from here, Isa could tell his eyes were glowing gold, pupils gone. She'd only seen him like this once before, the night he had almost killed Stella. Isa refused to believe her blonde friend was dead. Stella had to be alive somewhere, she'd caught Aiden in the Portal Hall, and couldn't remember anything about that night after confronting him. She just remembered waking up in the world with two moons.

This battle, in Isa's mind at least, would be to get revenge for Stella. To pry from Aiden's lips the secret of where the blonde had gone.

"This is your final chance," Ivor shouted "Surrender, give me the Atlas so we can go home, and swear to change the Games for the better."

Aiden turned his glare back down to Ivor. He said something Isa couldn't hear, but she doubted it was 'oh yes of course, and might i say that you look fabulous today?', especially after Aiden drew back his sword again.

Lifting her own blade, Isa let out a wordless shout, and dove forward, flying for Aiden. The Competitors and Miners picked up the cry, and began to move, swarming forward, leaping off of the tower as they ran for Aiden. Countless more poured from inside, using the holes made during the game to race out.

In retaliation, there was a battle cry from the Gladiator's Seats, and the bulky warriors leapt into the Arena.

Isa didn't know if the large fighters would work for or against Aiden, but she found she didn't much care. Let the Competitors deal with the Gladiators that had hurt them for so many years.

Her prize, was Aiden.

Thrusting her arms in front of her, swords aimed at Aiden, Isa dove downwards. Maya jumped in front of Aiden, who was now fending off Ivor, Harper, and a redhead in a blue jumpsuit. Maya's blade, an enchanted fusion sword, made of diamond and gold, kicked off sparks as Isa's hit it, and the Siren flew up higher to get out of retaliation range, and to loop around for another pass.

As she flew in to the air, Isa saw several battles breaking out. Most of the Miners had pitted themselves against the Gladiators, who seemed to be mostly fighting for Aiden. There were a few though, a large one in dark blue armor with black hair for example, fighting along side of the Competitors. Said gladiator was fighting with the blue team, like he had been with them all along.

Falling backwards and spinning around to face Maya again, Isa caught sight of Gill, running with Lukas and Cassie escorting him to the Judge's stand. Probably to mess with levers. They'd been newly installed when Isa had...left, and she could barely remember what most of them did, but she was fairly sure that at least one of the levers dropped the center of the Victor's Platform, and turned it into a cage. If they could get Aiden and Maya alone on top of the platform, then they would win.

Flaring her wings and jolting to a stop behind Ivor, Isa placed her face close to his ear as he stepped back to recover from a particularly harsh blow to his arm and hissed "Get off the stage unless you want trapped with Aiden."

Harper scowled as Ivor stumbled backwards, one arm dripping blood. Aiden didn't even skip a beat as he turned to hack at Romeo. Lifting her sword to parry the swing, and shove it away from the redhead, Harper realized that Isa was telling something to Ivor.

I sure hope it's a new strategy, Harper thought as she defended Romeo's right side again. Because at the rate we're going, I don't know how much longer we can last.

The Competitors were helping, about as much as they were hurting. Most of them seemed to want to get a shot in at Aiden, but they also didn't seem to care who they hit on the way. Harper had already heard several explosions as people died, multiple curses as people realized their teammate/friend/fighting buddy was dead, and more than one scream as injuries were inflicted.

Maya and Isa were having a ground to air battle, Isa once again battling against the horned girl, Aiden was fighting like a man possessed, and Gill...where had Gill gone?

Come to think of it, where were Cassie and Lukas?

Harper tried to look for them, but while her head was turned Aiden landed a shot at her leg erupted with pain, flames temporarily dancing up her limbs as the Fire Aspect took effect.

It must not have been strong, because the fire flickered away almost instantly, but as it vanished she almost wished it hadn't. The few flames had started to cauterize the wound, and now it was stuck in a half burnt-shut half open and bleeding state.

Then someone grabbed her arm and hauled her up and backwards.

Isa...Isa was carrying her.

Harper stumbled backwards over the crowd, accidentally kicking more than a few people in the heads as her legs flailed.

Romeo was alone on the platform now, movements much more frantic. In the span it had taken Harper to look away, be hit, and get carried backwards, Aiden had taken out everyone but the redhead within arms distance. Harper almost cried out, thinking Ivor had joined the dead ranks, but Isa dropped her into the arms of the ravenet. "Rom-" she started, turning to look at the platform again.

Her voice died out in her throat, Aiden was standing on the platform alone, a small pile of loot, complete with an iron sword, was dancing on the ground in front of him.

"It's alright," Ivor said quickly "Isa said, something about Aiden being trapped, we had to get off, she just..." he trailed off but Harper's mind finished the sentence. Didn't have the time for Romeo? Didn't care about him?

It would be fine though...there was a respawn. Romeo, and all the others who had been killed. They would be alright.

Aiden was still alone, and now he was laughing. The Competitors and Gladiators slowly stopped fighting, all heads turning to look up at the Judge. "If I have to kill every one of you, SO BE IT." Aiden roared "I'll kill you all, and next Season, you'll be begging me to turn off the respawn, YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH SUCH REBELLION?"

He started to keep going, probably could have ranted for an hour.

But up on the Judges Stands, out of the corner of her eye, Harper saw Gill looking sadly down at his once-friend, Cassie and Lukas flanking him. And then Gill's arm shifted, like he had pulled on something.

And Aiden fell.

The Platform collapsed, trapping Aiden inside.

It was like the world had stopped.

Harper couldn't move, she still had her sword up in front of her, like Aiden would explode from the cage.

But when he didn't, and voices began to whisper, Harper had to know.

Slowly, hardly daring to breathe, Harper walked towards the cage, Ivor at her side.

The Competitors parted, clearing a path for the two of them. Hesitantly, Harper lifted her hand to feel the obsidian. It was warm, glossy, and vibrating. Likely from Aiden trying to break his way free with his sword.

"He can't get out." Lukas's sad voice came from beside her. Harper turned to see the blonde, his hair ruffled and a bleeding cut along his shoulder, standing with Cassie and Gill. "At least not for another few hours, when it'll turn brittle. But...by then, well..." he glanced at Gill, who nodded, and withdrew a glowing gold and black book from his inventory.

"By then you'll be long home."

Chapter Text

Harper brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she flipped pages in the Atlas. "Here it is," she said, tapping the page "You're going to go down to the right, and look for a portal made out of clouds."

The young man with feathery wings, unlike Cassie and Isa's gossamer, smiled in relief, gave a quick thanks, and took off half running half flying.

The next one in line was a nervous looking brunet "My world had dragons as pets," he said "It's been...well almost four years since I've seen mine." Harper closed the Atlas, whispered "Dragons" and flipped toward the pages that had begun to glow. The first one was a world where the Ender Dragon had two sisters, the Skye Dragon and the Nether Dragon, each of which were 'queens' of their respective worlds. The second, a world where humans *were* dragons. The third one looked like it matched what the teen was looking for, and she held out the page for him to see.

A look of relief washed over his face as he nodded eagerly. Harper tilted the Atlas back, and read "A portal made of...dragon scales and eggshells, the glow should be bright blue, and it'll be on the left, about...eighty portals down from here."

The teen nodded, and left.

Harper had been helping people like this for about an hour now. It had taken about twenty minutes to calm the cheers of the Competitors, and figure out what to do with Aiden and Maya, plus another hour to actually *get* Aiden and Maya to the world they were being sent to.

Now, they were using the Atlas to direct the people that wanted out Home. Gill had stepped up as the new Primary Judge, and Isa had agreed to stay with him as a Second Judge. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Judges were going to be picked from the Competitors who chose to remain in the Games. Gill had promised a complete overhaul of the Games. The Mines would be destroyed, and the Gladiators would no longer be allowed to hurt people in the Games.

The respawn was being left in place, but most of the 'death' aspect of the Games was being removed. The Gladiators who had fought on Aiden's side were being assigned as farmers, and everyone had required sessions with Amber. Everyone, even Harper and her friends. She'd actually gotten out of hers just a half hour ago, and Ivor had gone in. Gabriel had gone before Harper, and Jesse would be going last. And then, they would be finally going home.

The Atlas would be staying with Gill, but he'd promised to find a copy of it from his archives for them. It wouldn't glow when you talked about the world you were looking for, but it still held all the information the original did.

Turning to help the next person in line, Harper smiled at the thought that they would soon be going home.

She was ready to be done with adventure, and it was time to settle down and take a break. Maybe build a cabin, a little farm. Maybe take up painting, or write a book.

Whatever ended up happening, she would just be glad to do it at home.

Jesse ran a hand through his hair as he walked through the Portal Hall. By the time he'd gotten in and out of his session with Amber (a session Ivor wouldn't let him get out of) most of the people who had wanted to go home had already left. There were still a few stragglers, but they were either talking to Harper, or walking off towards their portals.

Jesse scanned the people not moving, and found the redhead he'd been looking for. One hand behind his back, fingers closed around something he'd grabbed from one of the flowerboxes outside the bunkhouses, Jesse took a deep breath and approached her.

"Cassie?" he asked, wincing at the tone his voice had chosen to take. Not how he wanted this conversation to go, thank you very much. Clearing his throat he tried again. "Cassie?" There, that was better.

The redhead turned, wings twitching slightly. She smiled at Jesse when she saw him, and his heart most certainly did not begin to beat several times faster.

"I...I was wondering," Jesse stammered. Holy Herobrine why was he so bad at this. "I was wondering, what your plans were? If you were going back to Crown Mesa, staying here, or..." he trailed of, unsure if he could get the words out just yet.

Cassie shrugged "I don't really know," she admitted "I mean, I could go back to Crown Mesa, but...I don't know if anyone will be exactly happy to see me after what happened. And I never really took a big part in the Games, so I wouldn't be much help here either." she sighed "But, it would be nice to get to know my sister again." she turned her head to watch Isa lead a set of Competitors to one of the nearer portals.

"If you wanted..." Jesse said slowly, licking his lips as his mouth began to feel dry. "I mean...you'd always be welcome to come along with m-us, Ivor and Harper and Gabriel and me," his voice did not waver at the final word. Nope. Not at all.

Cassie tilted her head, and a small smile danced across her lips. "Thank you, Jesse. I...I think I'll take you up on that."

Gabriel smiled at Magnus as the bald teen leaned against the wall. "Glad to be heading home?"

Magnus snorted "You have no idea. I'm starting to think Ellie's got a point with her 'no more adventures' shtick." he groaned, dropping his head back against the wall. "Uuuuggghh when will Ellie stop being right all the time?"

Gabriel decided to ignore the second part of Magnus's comment. "Yeah...it's been rough, to say the least. I certainly wouldn't mind a break from all this crazy. But...I don't think I could give it up for good." he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I mean, I've always been the town go-getter, adventures are like...my thing, but...after all of this, grabbing Wither Skulls is going to be almost...I don't know, boring?"

Magnus stared at him, eyes wide. "Seriously? You telling me, that you'd rather go around fighting lunatics like Aiden, then get Wither Skulls?" he huffed. "Man, I knew you were crazy, back when we were kids and all you could talk about was joining the town's Zombie Guard." he gave Gabriel a sideways glance "Hows that working out for you?"

Gabriel shrugged "I haven't tried since before Endercon," he confessed. "I mean, what with being the go-getter, I didn't have the best reputation by the time I got old enough to try out, they decided I wouldn't be a good fit for teamwork, and all that."

Magnus let out a loud laugh, startling one of the Competitors nearby. "Man, if you asked me if you were a team member two years ago, I'd have checked if you were sick or infected."

Gabriel frowned, but it quickly turned into a smile. Punching Magnus lightly on the shoulder, he shook his head and turned to look out at the dwindling crowd. Ivor, Harper, Ellegaard, Jesse, and surprisingly Cassie, were walking towards the two boys.

"You both ready to go home?" Ivor asked, smiling slightly.

Magnus chuckled "You have no idea. Where's our portal."

Ivor smiled slightly "Nine doors to your left."

"Wait, seriously?" Gabriel asked, automatically turning his head to follow the direction Ivor was pointing in. "We've been that close this whole time?"

Cassie's wings buzzed slightly as she laughed "You have, it just means your world was one of the first ones we found, after we started branching out. The first three are the worlds me and the others came from, after that, we just started exploring."

"Cool." Magnus said "Now, can we get back to the part where the way home is right over there?! Why are we not through that portal already?"

Ivor laughed. An honestly happy, joy-filled laugh. The sort of laugh Gabriel hadn't heard from his dark haired friend in a long time. A smile sliding onto his own face, Gabriel nodded, and followed Ivor as he led the group home.

Their portal had been out of dark oak wood (facing several different directions) and the glow had been a warm cozy blue, like lapis.

They had walked through it, and found themselves right back where they had started. In the Seven Winds Temple.

Instead of being up on the exposed attic, they were in a small room that was hidden by trapdoors and paintings. Next to it was a portal made of yellow terracotta, with out a glow.

Cassie explained that it was a portal to the world of the Telkans, the world Lukas and Aiden came from. She added that there were some other portals in the temple as well, one leading to hers and Isas home world, one to Gill and Maya's home world, and then, she said something that was the strangest of all. "Stella came from Home World, she was the only one there, just...waiting when we first all got there. So, we found a world with islands in the sky, and we set her home portal to there. She practiced, and kept one of the Ever Parrots there."

After some confusion, resulting in them realizing that the Stella Cassie was talking about was the same Stella from Sky City (though apparently without her memory? Cassie seemed sure the Stella she had known would have helped them, and never set restricted building laws), they had decided that later, they could send Cassie through to talk to Stella.

But later.

Much, much later. When their bodies had recovered from the stress of the Games, and their minds had time to settle after dealing with psychotic murderers, demonic robots, and insane Judges.

Later, when they were no longer looking over their shoulders.

Later, when the world was at peace once again.

Chapter Text

Aiden kicked away another one of the baby zombies, and scowled at Maya. The brunet was playing with a sapling a few blocks away, her back turned to him. Completely oblivious to his glares. He'd spent so long perfecting the Games. Getting rid of the people who wouldn't be willing to help him bring them to their full potential.

Ever since he and Lukas had been kids, that was what he had wanted. A place to bring people from worlds away, to play games and compete for victory. And that was what they had done! Together the two Telkans had broken free of the confines of their world. They'd found Sirens, Ramki, and Ekari, they had found friends in those species, then, when they were still building portals, they'd discovered the gods. The Admins, two brothers with infinite power, and the Moderators, three friends with...well, mostly infinite power.

And then, the people he'd thought would help him fulfill his goal betrayed him.

Stella had been the first. She'd questioned whether what they were doing was ethical, and then had tried to sneak out and talk to Notch to have him influence Aiden.

Then, of course, Isa just had to be snoopy. She caught him finishing extracting the memories from Stella's mind (A rather gruesome process that required blood from the head), had gone all rage mode on him (weren't Sirens supposed to be peaceful?) which meant of course that after he'd kicked Stella through the nearest portal, he'd had to forcefully enter Isa's mind and knock her out.

Which of course left him with another body to dump.

He couldn't risk her meeting Stella and reminding her of everything, so he'd had to find a new place to put her.

They'd recently discovered a strange new world, with two moons, and people who had the ability to record the things they saw. It was about fourty portals down, but all he would have to do was make sure she stayed asleep through the process.

He'd dumped her, and had brushed Cassie off when the redhead had been frantically buzzing around, trying to find her sister. A few days later, Cassie had vanished during the night. Aiden had been furious, but it was nothing compared to the fury that filled his entire being when Lukas left.

Lukas. His friend, his brother in spirit.

Lukas had betrayed him.

Aiden had stayed up for three days straight after that, revising the rulebook. He erased every thought of doubt in Maya and Gill's minds, and made sure that they would never leave him. He opened the Mines, to punish people, and it quickly devolved into sending failing teams there while they waited for their second chance.

Then people started to get depressed, and really, depressed fighters aren't even fighters. They're just depressed.

So, he created Milo. He even got one of the Moderators on it, having the man disguise himself as a shabby blonde man, and his two friends as 'Milo's' teammates. Aiden had the three pretend to be newcomers to the Games, just for a single Season, and then, the trio had pulled a victory, and Aiden had 'let' them leave.

Almost instantly, there was a change in attitude. The Competitors had something to fight for, someone to believe in.

They had hope.

And hope, although dangerous in large amounts, was just what he needed to keep them under control.

Until Ivor.

The damned teen and his friends had taken everything from Aiden.

And no matter how long it took, Aiden vowed he would do everything it took, to destroy the teen.

Even if it cost him his last breath.

Radar wiped his forehead with his arm and looked up at Mrun with a smile. "That took forever, but this place is totally worth it."

Mrun hummed his agreement, the Cartographer's arms settled into the usual villager pose, tucked into his sleeves. Radar knew that most villagers stayed like that, but they very much did have hands (despite some of the wilder theories he and Mrun had come across over the years)

Tilting his head back, Radar looked up at the newly placed sign "Radar and Mrun's Adventure Emporium." Radar said happily. "Heh, after everything we've been through, it's going to be weird settling in one place again."

Mrun nodded, though he frowned at Rader "hrrrrmmmmmmm" he said disapprovingly.

"What? When did- We absolutely agreed to call it Radar and Mruns!" Radar replied. Mrun's eyes narrowed, making Radar a bit nervous, but the villager smiled, and hummed happily.

"So. not funny." Radar grumbled. Mrun hummed, stating just how incredibly hilarious it was.

Radar sighed, and decided to change the topic. Turning his head to look around the town, his lips quirked into a smile. "Beacontown...the site of the famous Witherstorm attack. Good place to set up shop and take a few adventure seeking kids on some simple adventures."

Without meaning too, Radar's hand drifted to his inventory, and he found himself looking down at a picture of five teenagers, the oldest a female with dark hair and pale eyes, followed by a similar looking girl, but with paler brown hair, then a villager, his Cartographer's robes fresh and new, a younger, smiling version of Radar, and finally, a short kid, barely a teenager, with bright green eyes and curly brown hair.

"I might not know why you did it Jess, but I'm going to find out."

Radar lowered the picture back into his inventory. "I owe it to Bin and Hil"

Mrun placed a hand on Radar's shoulder, humming worriedly. "I'm fine Mrun." Radar said, gently shrugging the hand off. "It's just been a long couple of years." Mrun hummed again, and Radar shook his head. "I owe it to the girls Mrun. If I just ignore what he's done...well, if they were still alive you know they'd be after me. I need to find out what happened."

"I need to find a way to make things right."

Soren sat comfortably in a chair made of jungle wood and string. In his hand was a sketchbook, flipped open to a page covered in a drawing of a bright and beautiful city. Lifting his head, Soren looked up at a team of builders working to put together the first building in his new settlement.

Champion City, it would be called. Built on the very place the Witherstorm fell.

Though the monster's tentacles had long since been cleaned away, most people stayed away from here. So, he was finding it a new purpose. Creating beauty, where destruction had lain. New life, in a place of death.

His original plan had been to become mayor of Beacontown, and extend its land out this far, but apparently there were some pretty heavy laws about who they choose for their mayor, and a person who wandered around, building things before leaving them, wasn't exactly applicable.

But this, this would be his crowning achievement. His final creation before he settled down. He would rule this city, a Champion among champions.

And everyone knows that a good Champion has a rival. Not an enemy, but someone they competed against, to show they were serious, to show they were the best!

And really, there was only one Champion in the world popular enough to make Soren himself famous. Even if he ended up the rival, well, he would still be associated with them right?

Closing the page on the city, Soren selected a pencil and began to sketch a teenager with wild black hair and determined blue eyes.

Whether or not Ivor knew it yet, he and Soren were going to become great rivals, both powerful, both famous.

And maybe...just maybe he'd get close enough to claim friendship with the hero.

The Admin leaned back and sighed as he once again sat in front of his viewing screens. Red fingers laced as the blonde relaxed, shaggy hair falling over his eyes in a hairstyle that made teens look like troublemakers in the eyes of adults.

A new view-screen popped up, flashing like blinking lights, and he quickly turned his glowing gold gaze towards it. The screen showed a shaggy-haired brunet, with the start of a beard, and furious blue eyes. He was standing on a series of pressure plates. His mouth was gagged with thick iron, and his hands were shackled together. That didn't seem to be stopping him from ramming his shoulder into the obsidian walls.

The Admin sighed, rubbing his forehead. Tapping on the screen, he slid the switch that would allow him to speak into the cage. "Sebastian..." he groaned "I don't see why you can't just accept your new home. Really, if you'd just give in, I could make your life so much more comfortable."

"HHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNGGGGGG" Sebastian roared. The Admin sighed, and closed the screen. Honestly, his relationship with his...well, he really couldn't call them friends now could he? Especially after T-

He shook his head. No. Couldn't deal with that right now. This was not the time or place.

Besides, Sebastian was safe, locked away in the Moonlight Institute. There was no reason to worry about him.

Leaning back in his chair, Herzog let out a soft sigh, and closed his eyes.

Everything was falling into place, he would have his Champion soon enough.

And sure, it might take a few years.

But he always got what he wanted in the end.