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acraftedmistake · 3 years

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A Person Who Has Never Played MCSM Writes A Story About MCSM Chp. 17

“I cannot BELIEVE you!”

“Stella, I’m really sorry that all this happened. I didn’t think--” Aiden couldn’t even finish his excuse as Stella raised her voice again.

“Didn’t think WHAT?! That our former friend--that messed up freak who used to live with us--wouldn’t try to get in and get answers?!”

“Why did Jesse even think Stella had the hat in the first place?” Maya asked, closing the front door.

She and Aiden just came back from chasing Jesse. Well, trying to chase. By the time they reached the streets, Jesse was long gone.

Jess and Olivia were in the kitchen. Only place with no windows to see them.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Stella sneered, “What do you think, Aiden?”

Everyone in the living room immediately turned to him. The color drained from his face.

“Look.” Aiden threw his hands up, “It was rather I lie or I give away Jess and Olivia are here. I did not want to take any chances.”

“But why’d ya have to use Stella?! She could’ve gotten killed!” Gill exclaimed, joining Stella’s side.

“You could’ve lied about anything--you didn’t even need to answer him!” Jess exclaimed. Everyone else looked back at Olivia and Jess, who had to sit in the kitchen now. There weren’t any windows there. It was the safest option.

“And THESE two!” Stella pointed to them, “Just where did you take them!? Why did you leave the house!? Now, thanks to you, we’re going to need check all the locks and barricade--”

“Don’t blame Aiden for that!” Olivia shouted, she shrunk when people looked back at her again. “It was my fault. I’m the one who wanted to go out. I’m sorry.”

“Aiden didn’t have to take you though, and if he really wanted to, he could’ve told one of us.” Maya folded her arms.

Aiden grit his teeth, “Oh, so suddenly I’m the bad guy for wanting to do something NICE!”

That led to an eruption of arguments. Gill, Aiden, and Maya were all yelling over each other. Stella, whose frustration had boiled over, began to cry angry tears which only fanned the flames. All Jess and Olivia could do was sit and watch from the bar table, listening and watching Aiden get torn apart.

Through all the yelling, Stella cut in, “You know, I’m not even mad you used me for that terrible lie, I’m MAD that you didn’t tell me! Gill and I could’ve been prepared, we could’ve come up with a plan to capture him, or--or slow him down, ANYTHING!”

“You were gonna get mad no matter what I did!” Aiden shot back.

“Aiden, c’mon, ya threw her under the minecart--!” Gill tried to reach out but winced when pain shot through his injured arm.

Aiden snapped, “I’m trying to make everything work out for everyone so things don’t get worse--”

“Aiden, I could’ve DIED!” Stella shouted.

“That doesn’t MATTER anymore! You’re alive. FINE. What matters is getting these two home and bringing Jesse back! That’s ALL.”

Everyone stopped.

Aiden’s face dropped as Stella stared back at him, hand on her chest, breathing heavily as more tears spilled from her eyes.

“Stella…” Aiden mumbled, stepping closer, “Stella, I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Stella turned away, hiding her tearful face with her hair. Gill gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

“We’re all stressed over Jesse breaking in, but there was no reason to say that, Aiden.” Maya growled, joining Stella’s side. “Sure, she’s alive, but this whole thing could’ve been avoided.”

Aiden could only stare at his friends before bringing his head down, not saying another word.

Stella brushed her hair aside, trying to steady her breaths, but she suddenly gasped.

“Oh Hero.” Stella’s eyes widened. She held onto Gill’s shoulder, keeping him still to get a better look at his injury, “You’ve been stabbed!”

Gill jumped and quickly put his hand over the injured shoulder, as if trying to hide it. The arrow was still sticking out, his sleeve torn and stained blood.

“It’s just one arrow! I can take it out m’self! Really! I jus’ didn’t wanna stress ya out some more.”

“Absolutely not!” Stella grabbed his hand and started marching towards the stairs, “You’re our friend. If you really think our argument is more important than your wellbeing, you’re wrong.”

As the two went up the steps, Stella looked back down.

“Maya, could you lend a hand?”

Aiden could feel Maya’s glare.

“Yeah. You got it.” She followed her friends up.

Aiden could only stand and listen as his friends grew further and further away, their voices reduced to muffles.

It was silent for a few moments. Jess and Olivia had no idea what to say, they didn’t know if there was anything they could do. Aiden hadn’t even moved from his spot yet.

Jess bit the bottom of his lip. He sat up, ready to call Aiden’s name--when Aiden finally took a step forward.

“Great.” Aiden muttered, “Juuuust great.” Aiden dragged his feet to the wooden column and punched it as hard as he could, shaking the room. He leaned against the column, “You two are stuck here, Jesse broke in, and now everyone hates me.” He sighed, “Wonder what else I’m gonna screw up.”

“Aiden, they don’t hate you.” Olivia said, “They’re your friend, but can you really blame them for being upset?”

“I know, I just--I didn’t want to put you two in danger.” Aiden hadn’t even glanced at the two yet. His eyes were still on the ground.

“Right, I get that, and as much as we appreciate it, you put your own friends in danger.” Jess got out of his seat and approached Aiden.

“Stella and Gill got seriously hurt. You need to apologize.” Jess’ brow furrowed.

Aiden hesitantly folded his arms and faced a nearby window.

“You’re right.” He mumbled. “I’m gonna do it tomorrow. I wanna give them space.” He was pretty sure the last thing his friends needed was to see his sorry face after today’s events.

“You should apologize now.” Jess put his hands on his hips.

Aiden’s nose scrunched.

“It’ll feel forced.” Aiden answered, “I’d rather take a while to give them something genuine than forced.”

Jess and Olivia exchanged concerned looks with each other. A late apology is better than no apology, right?

“How bout this.” Jess joined Olivia, “You turn in for the day, think about how you’re gonna make it up to your friends, while Olivia and I go barricade the windows.”

“That’s a great idea!” Olivia perked up.

Aiden faced them, “You sure?”

“I mean, we’re gonna be up all day, might as well do something. You okay with us moving furniture around?” asked Jess. He was already scanning around the house, making mental notes of where the windows were and what objects were nearby.

“It’d be nice to help around, and, uh…” Olivia played with a lock of her hair, “I feel terrible that we’ve been dead weight for you guys.”

“No, you’re not. Don’t say. You guys have been great.” Aiden took off his jacket, “We don’t mind the noise. Just don’t get yourselves killed.”

“Ah, we’ll be okay.” Jess waved.

“You promise us you’re going to apologize to your friends soon?” Olivia asked, now pulling on her hair.

Aiden looked into Olivia’s eyes and tugged at his collar, “Yeah. First thing tomorrow. I promise.”

“Alright, sleep well.” Jess said, watching Aiden go upstairs.

Aiden nodded, “Have a good day.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Of course.

Of course out of all the days Jesse decides to leave the shrine, it’s the day he’s supposed to help Cecil with today’s work. Why, it’s not like he infuriated Brenner by leaving earlier this week, or getting Mahlon to nearly tear his hair out during the last Gathering because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Cecil’s still certain Mahlon’s planning on ripping Jesse apart after what he’s pulled. He’s never let it slide before, it won’t slide now. What a wonderful member Jesse is. Truly.

Now Cecil has to clean around the nave, prepare the materials for the next Gathering, help write the next script, and check on the progress with the other members all by himself.

Cecil grumbled about Jesse as he spread his red blanket over his bed and started tucking the corners into the mattress. He grabbed his pillows, nails digging into it, tempted to rip it in half, but he took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his light blond hair, and placed the pillow where it belonged.

No, he will not let that… That animal destroy his composure. He is a Sense, a leader, a shining beacon of leadership, balance, and loyalty. He is far better than Jesse will ever be. Jesse can only dream to be as dedicated as he is.

Jesse’s room is horrendous, Jesse never cares for himself, Jesse will leave the shrine without permission. Negligence and disloyalty. Characteristics the Awakening rightfully shuns.

Cecil? He’s wonderful. An inspiration for all members, one could say. His room is in top shape, his appearance is glorious, and he only leaves the shrine when instructed to.

Speaking of appearance…

Cecil did a quick rundown of his attire. His black shoes were polished, his wine pants and dusty yellow shirt wrinkle-free, his red cloak was smoothed out as well, and the golden button of his yellow collar was centered. Cecil had a lock of hair in his face he tried to push aside, but it fell back. Regardless of the lock, everything was perfect--

Cecil suddenly stopped and hurriedly searched inside his pants pockets. Relief came over him when he felt the torn piece of cloth inside. Good. Good. Wouldn’t want to lose that.

Cecil went over to his dark oak dresser and grabbed the notes on top. It was a small list of reminders for himself. Most of the tasks were related to the upcoming Gathering, which Cecil wouldn’t need to help with until another hour, so that gives him time to clean around the room. Dust his desk, fold his clothes, organize his sewing supplies, arrange everything neatly, small things to make it nicer.

As Cecil skimmed the list, he remembered the absolute headache he’d be getting once Jesse returns. That man will do nothing but talk back and make his work harder until the Visions put him in place.

Cecil was all too familiar with Jesse rushing out of the shrine to cause problems, but usually Jesse tries to be on his best behavior after Brenner punishes him. He’ll try to do extra work, or at the very least apologize to make the Visions content.

But to Cecil’s dismay, Jesse left. Again. Cecil wondered what motivated Jesse to leave without warning. It was certainly a bold move. Absolutely irrational, but bold.

Cecil can’t stand that man. There isn’t a single redeeming thing about him. He knows the Visions need Jesse, that they need inside information about the enemies, but he can’t wait until his use has finally worn out. Oh, how he’d love to--

“Cecil!” Brenner called. Cecil jumped.

“Yes sir?”

Brenner opened his door and walked in, a look of displeasure on his face.

“Have you seen Jesse?” Brenner asked, his deep voice carried an all too familiar tone to it. A tone that’d turn bitter if Cecil were to give the wrong answer.

“No sir! I believe he went to the nearby town.” Cecil stiffened when Brenner’s frown turned to a scowl. That wasn’t what Brenner wanted to hear, but it was all Cecil could give.

“You mean to tell me, despite given direct orders, he has gone against my word? And you did nothing to stop him?” Brenner spoke through gritted teeth.

Panic started to rise in Cecil.

“No, I--I wasn’t aware he left until--”

Brenner raised his hand, “I do not want to hear your excuses. You are meant to watch over the members in this shrine, yet you’ve failed to keep track of just one.”

“I apologize, sir.” Cecil bowed, “I am ashamed of myself. I will strive to do better next time.”

Cecil could feel Brenner’s glare pierce through him. He tried to steady his breaths. This wasn’t the first time he’s lost sight of Jesse, and given how unpredictable he can be, it won’t be the last. He can’t control when Jesse leaves, he should’ve kept a better eye on him, but he can only do so much--but he needs to do better! He didn’t mean for this to happen, but it did, and he’s at fault.

Cecil awaited for the criticism he deserved, but when he brought his head up, Brenner was already leaving his room. Cecil scrambled and followed behind.

Brenner didn’t say a word as they walked down the cold hall, the redstone torches providing specks of warmth and filling the silence with their crackling. Cecil was still waiting. Waiting for Brenner to voice his disappointment, his frustration, but he didn’t. Which made his heart beat even faster. Cecil thought of all the ways he could make it up to Brenner. He could get him some books from the library room, or polish his weapons, or he could care for Mahlon’s garden! He never minds doing extra work for the Visions! Both they and The Awakening are worth every second.

Cecil was about to ask Brenner if he needed any help, but Brenner spoke.

“Have you heard from the people who volunteered to reactivate the portals?”

“I have heard that Axel has been at the library researching different flint and steels for the portals.” Cecil replied.

Brenner didn’t react.

“One member did manage to reach the portal near the ancient mineshaft’s entrance.”

“And has there been any activity?” Brenner asked.

“None yet, sir.”

The corner of Brenner’s mouth twitched, “So there has been no progress.”

“I’m afraid not.”

The two entered the nave. The redstone torches along the walls and by the stage were unlit. Cecil could see a few belongings scattered under the benches that members had forgotten, and below the podium was the basket of money they had gathered. Cecil will need to take care of these chores soon.

Cecil glanced at Brenner, who seemed far from satisfied with the reports. He didn’t want to bring only bad news to Brenner.

“I’ve yet to hear from the member who went to the Shrine of Eyes, so there’s a chance the portal there could’ve been activated!”

“Or it is simply another failure.” Brenner didn’t even entertain the thought.

Brenner placed his hand on a nearby wall and dragged it along. He stopped once he felt the railings of the stage’s stairs, held onto it, then made his way onto the stage, “We’ll need to branch out further, it seems. As much as I hate the idea of putting our members through such long travels, we won’t get anywhere feeling sorry about ourselves.”

Cecil did recall the many shrines he had seen years ago before he became a Sense. It was when he and an old friend had to chase their enemies through numerous sights to try and stop them from ruining the Awakening’s magnificent magma beast. Forests, caves, towns, abandoned villages… Most of the shrines they found were underground, few were on the surface, and there were probably hundreds more buried beneath rubble. It took Cecil and his friend days--weeks, even--to travel across the land. If they send their members out there, they’d need to be well prepared and go with a partner.

Cecil fixed his cloak, “Where should we start--”

The doors suddenly slammed open. They hit the walls and echoed throughout the nave.

And there stood Jesse.

He leaned against a column with a large smile on his face and laughter coming out with each breath. He was panting, his sleeve was soaked with blood, but despite all that, he was smiling.

“Jesse…?” Cecil whispered. Brenner brought his head up.

“Now just where have you been?!” Cecil stomped over to him, “Did you really think you could leave without permission from the Visions and be--”

“The portal…” Jesse said through heavy breaths. Cecil stopped. Brenner drew near.

“It works.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesse laid in his bed. Cecil sat beside him, holding his arm and plucking the glass out of his skin with a tweezer. His arm was starting to feel numb from Cecil holding it up for so long.

“How did this even happen?” Jesse heard Cecil complain as he carefully took out a piece of glass.

“Broke a window.”

Cecil grumbled as he placed the piece on a small, blood stained towel where the rest of the pieces sat, “If I recall, the Visions wanted you to make less of a scene, not more.”

Jesse rolled his eyes. Cecil wiped off the tweezers with a cleaner towel and brought it to Jesse’s arm again.

“Why they even give you so many chances is beyond me.” Cecil muttered, grabbing a rather large piece of glass.

“Hey, usually I come back with information or something good the Visions can use. It’s not like I mess up all the time. Could you imagine if I kept coming back empty handed? Or constantly beaten up? The Visions would never want someone as incompetent as that--OW!” Jesse yelped when Cecil tore the large chunk out of his arm. A horrible glare paired with a frustrated smile on his face.

“You’re just lucky you came in with good news, or Brenner would’ve thrown you back into that dark room where you belong.” Cecil hissed. He wiped the tweezers and placed them on Jesse’s nightstand before carefully wrapping the glass shards with the towel.

Cecil then grabbed the bandages from the stand and began unraveling it.

“Jeez, I thought you’d be a little happy I found out one of those portals worked.” Jesse turned his head away. He really wanted to move around and get into a more comfortable position, but he didn’t want to put up with Cecil’s whining while his arm was still in his hand.

“I am happy, but I’m certain I would be much happier if I was celebrating and helping the Visions with the next steps instead of wrapping up your injuries like a child!”

Jesse groaned and stared at the wall while Cecil worked on his arm. He can’t wait for blondie to leave so he can actually feel happy about his friend and the portal. Cecil just has to tear away any ounce of joy, doesn’t he?

“I spoke to Radar last time I went out.” Jesse said, looking at the symbols carved into the wall.

He waited for a reply. Nothing.

“He still doesn’t miss you.”

Cecil’s nails dug into his skin.

Jesse was hoping for more of a reaction, but it was better than nothing.

Finally, after several minutes of agonizing silence, Cecil finished.

“There. See how much faster things go when you don’t make a fuss?” Cecil said as he picked up the equipment from the nightstand. Jesse only huffed in response.

Cecil got off the bed, “Now that you’ve discovered the working portal, I’m hoping you’ll actually stay in the shrine and help.”

Jesse kept his mouth shut. He really didn’t want to listen to Cecil’s whiny voice for another minute. Jesse knew he helped plenty in and out of the shrine, the Visions had told him so before. He didn’t need Cecil’s approval to confirm that.

Jesse smiled when Cecil stepped out of his room.

“Bye Cecil! Don’t let Mahlon hit you on the way out!” He gave a little wave. Cecil shot him a vile glare before slamming the door.

Jesse chuckled and slowly laid back down, being careful not to hurt his arm.

He’d usually be much angrier at Cecil’s attitude, and he’d be much more bothered with his injured arm--especially since it’s his good arm--but he wasn’t. He couldn’t be. How could he feel so bad at a time like this? Cecil’s bickering, the pain, the fight back in Obsidian Town, all of it washed away as he thought about Olivia. That’s all that mattered to him, really. Seeing that glimpse of her filled him with joy, it brought color back to this world, it was everything he needed to see.

He shifted around on the old mattress, hugging himself as he thought of ways he’d reunite with Olivia. He needs to think of ways to help her out of Aiden’s house. They’re filling her mind with awful lies, no doubt. They’ll try to make her hate him as well.

Jesse stared at the stone ceiling, the red light from the torches flickering off the walls, and thought of how to rescue Olivia.

‘Write your thoughts down.’ A voice in Jesse’s head said. That’d be a great way to help him brainstorm, plus he didn’t have a chance to write yesterday.

Jesse rolled over to the edge of his bed and stuck his hand into the side, where he made a large hole months ago. He dug around the cushions, eyes lighting up when he felt the cover of his journal.

He pulled it out and flipped to the newest page. He turned to his nightstand to grab his pen, but it wasn’t there. It was there earlier, did Cecil steal it? It doesn’t matter, he had plenty of other pens on his desk.

Jesse got up and walked across his bedroom, stepping over torn notes, book pages, used bandages, dirty clothes, and his iron sword--which he was careful not to step on the blade.

This is the cleanest his room’s been in quite some time, honestly. Usually he was too busy helping the Visions or too exhausted to ever clean it. He never found the time--nor motivation--to ever pick it up. The most he ever did to ‘organize’ was put his clothes in a wooden basket, since he didn’t have a dresser. He didn’t really mind the basket, he never had a big wardrobe in the first place. The rest of his items were usually shoved under the bed, thrown on the floor, or piled onto his desk and chair.

Maybe he could clean around here after he wrote. He could stack his stuff against the walls to hide the marks and scratches, he could put the books on the small shelves of his desk, throw away the trash, place his valued possessions somewhere safer… He has plenty of time to clean since Brenner allowed him to take the rest of the day off. He actually wants to put in the effort for once. He remembers how much Olivia never liked a mess, despite her room always being ‘organized chaos’ as she called it.

Maybe if he cleans it well enough, there’ll be enough space for Olivia to share! It’ll be just like old times. The Visions should be okay with it.

Jesse got to his desk and started moving whatever items he had off the wooden top. It was quite a sturdy desk, considering it was holding up so many of his belongings; books, old ink bottles, shards of broken weapons. The desk was made of spruce with a drawer below the top. Behind the desk and pushed against the wall was a bookcase the same color. The shelves were disorganized, just like everything else in his room.

Anytime Jesse found a feathered pen, he’d quickly scribble on a piece of paper, then grumble when he got nothing before tossing it aside and looking for another pen.

‘There’s probably some more hiding under the books.’

Jesse started grabbing whatever books he could and placed them on the ground, making sure to be quiet. The Visions hated it when he got noisy.

Jesse would skim the titles of the books he moved. Most of them were gifted to him by the Visions, the others he’d stolen from the library. The books centered around the Hero, The Impossible Man, a few were about old crafts and creations like portals and mining mechanisms, and one book about redstone. He only ever used redstone to make torches, he didn’t know how to make any of those fancy contraptions, nor was he allowed to use much dust, but it was the only thing he had that reminded him of Olivia. Lukas’ missing poster was tucked between the pages.

He was sure to be gentle with that book.

Jesse went to grab another, but stopped when he saw the book of Awakening Weapons that Brenner had given him. This was one of his favorite books. The art on each page, the history behind each piece, and what each weapon symbolized always drew him back. He’s read this hundreds of times, and he’ll read it a hundred more.

Jesse started flipping through the pages, halting whenever he found a weapon he recognized. Most of the weapons he had seen before were found throughout his and his former-friends’ adventures. Cassie and Petra had found a couple in the Nether, and Hadrian and Mevia mounted the weapons they had on their walls or threw them into their umbrella rack.

Jesse has seen spears, hammers, tridents, even a fan, and those were only a small handful out of who knows how many undiscovered weapons.

Jesse soon found the page that had Brenner’s weapon. A sword. A brilliant sword.

He’s seen Brenner use it in the training room before. It was about the size of Jesse’s leg. It’s broad, silver blade still had an extraordinarily sharp tip. Despite its length and how heavy it seemed, Brenner swung it around with ease.

In the book, the author had mentioned that the grip and guard of the sword was a dark teal color. While Brenner’s certainly had the teal, it also had blotches of dusty red. Rust, most likely.

Jesse never had the chance to study the sword up close, Brenner wouldn’t allow it, but he knew there had to be Awakening symbols etched into it, along with speckles of the magnificent, red dust. The other weapons Jesse’s seen before had such details, Brenner’s sword wouldn’t be an exception.

The training room held a few more Awakening weapons; an axe, daggers, a shield, and another spectacular, diamond sword Jesse had his eye on. There were probably more weapons stored in the chests.

Brenner was the only one who used these weapons. Mahlon didn’t have the strength anymore. Mahlon has told him how he used to be ‘Quite the fighter’ back when he was Jesse’s age, but nowadays it seems he uses most of his energy for shouting. Cecil wasn’t allowed to use any of the weapons, Brenner forbade it, so Cecil used his own daggers. Jesse’s seen Cecil use heavier weapons in the past, so forbidding him from using them is for the best. Brenner had once mentioned that Antonin used to train with him, and their matches would last quite a while. Antonin often used the sword Jesse liked, the shield, and the daggers.

Jesse uses what’s given to him. The iron swords, bows and arrows, and sometimes one of Cecil’s daggers if he’s able to steal it for the day.

Jesse once questioned if he’d ever be able to use any Awakening weapons one day.

“These weapons have been passed down through generations of Visions and Senses. They are made for the strongest and most dedicated of members.” Brenner’s words echoed in his head.

“Are they only for the leaders?”

Jesse still remembered the way Brenner swung his sword. The determined, concentrated look in his eyes.

“There are exceptions. They may be gifted to members who have proven their loyalty towards the Awakening. Those who have risked their lives for others, who have been beside the Visions for years… They must be worthy of such weapons.”

Suddenly a long, high, quivering creek brought Jesse back to reality. That sounded like Mahlon’s door.

Jesse stood in his room and stared at the book in his hands.

He wasn’t getting any writing done.

He still needs to find a way to save Olivia.

He should get to it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brenner stepped into Mahlon’s room, “Sir?”

“Now, now, you know you don’t need to call me that.” Mahlon replied from his desk. Brenner could hear the scratching of pen against paper, and the sound of redstone torches snapping. “Is all well? I heard you speaking with Jesse.”

“Yes. He had gone to town for a few moments.”

“And I’m hoping he hasn’t caused another scene?” Mahlon carefully closed his bottle of ink and placed it on the top left shelf of his desk, where he kept the rest of his writing supplies. His right shelves had the more sentimental items; photos, small jewelry, his favorite books.

Brenner came closer, the smell of old books and wet soil of Mahlon’s plants became stronger.

“No, however…”

Mahlon’s grip on his pen tightened as he prepared for the worse.

“... He has discovered a successful portal in one of the abandoned shrines.”

Mahlon froze.

His pen fell to the floor.

“How…” Mahlon whispered, his heart pounding in his chest, “How is he so sure?”

“He’s stated to have found his once-dead friend in the nearby town. She appeared mere days after the Shrine of Eyes had been activated, I find it hard to believe this is a coincidence. I also doubt Jesse would lie about such a thing. We should start focusing on--!” Brenner was suddenly pulled closer by Mahlon.

Mahlon’s joyful laughter filled the room as he spun and danced around, hands locked with Brenner’s.

“Oh this is wonderful! This is fantastic!” Mahlon cheered. It’s been ages since he’s been so happy, so joyous, so full of energy! This is what they’ve been needing for so long. It’s what they’ve been looking for for so long! Hope. Even the tiniest speck of it was enough to light up the entire shrine.

Brenner moved along with Mahlon, his ‘dancing’ more like rigid steps as he focused on making sure Mahlon didn’t stumble over the rug or collide with any of the furniture.

Mahlon thanked the Hero as they danced. He thanked the Hero for blessing them, for giving those who have passed a second chance, for making such miracles possible.

“It is wonderful news, isn’t it?” Brenner said, no trace of enthusiasm in his voice.

Mahlon slowed, “Aren’t you happy? Excited?”

“I am.” Brenner let go of Mahlon’s hands, “But I will save my energy for later.”

Brenner stepped away and placed his hands behind his back, “Please don’t let me stop you from celebrating. I’ve a lot on my mind on what our next steps should be.”

“Oh dear, you’re right. We have to figure out the portal’s materials, how to prepare the vault below, and--and we need to tell the members of this news as well!” Mahlon couldn’t stay still. He rushed back to his desk and grabbed a clean sheet of paper; he needs to write this down!

“Exactly.” Brenner lifted his head, “We have much to prepare for.”

#mcsm #minecraft story mode #mcsm aiden #mcsm jesse #mcsm stella #mcsm maya #mcsm gill #mcsm olivia #mcsm oc #mcsm cecil #mcsm brenner #mcsm mahlon #fic #hope u enjoy!!!!!!#had fun writin this sucker hehe

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magicb0x300 · 5 years

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MCSM: Gender Shift AU

Jesse fluttered open his eyes. How long has he been lying here?

“Huh?” he mumbled, sitting up. His green eyes scanned his surroundings. Everything looked...normal. “Did I fall asleep or something?” he asked himself, placing a hand on his forehead.

A moment later, the brunette rose onto two feet, and dusted himself off. “Guess it’s time to head home.”

As Jesse was walking, he tilted his head to the sky. He smirked softly, watching as the clouds floated above him. While Jesse was staring at the sky, he didn’t notice someone walking toward him.

Suddenly, his head collided with someone else’s, and he found himself stumbling back, and falling onto his rump. “Oof!” he grunted, wincing in pain. “What the... oh shit, I’m sorry about that,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

The stranger groaned, but then an airy chuckle left their lips, “It’s alright.”

Jesse sighed, getting onto his knees, and aimed to grab the book the stranger dropped. Their hand set atop of it first, and the brunette found his hand placed on theirs. He blinked, then lightly pulled it away.

“It’s fine, I’ve got it. But, thank you,” the stranger nodded, their blue eyes glimmering. There was something about them... something that reminded the male of someone.

The brunette’s train of thought was interrupted as the stranger gave a light gasp, “oh, I’m sorry,” they apologized, brushing a golden strand of hair from their face, “I’m Lucy.”

Jesse felt something click in his brain. Blonde hair, blue eyes, that personality...

“W-whoa, uhh. My name’s Jesse,” he greeted back after a bit. Lucy giggled, “what? Is this the first time you’ve heard that name?”

Jesse felt his cheeks warm up, “maybe? I just... don’t recall hearing that name last. Kinda forgot it was a name,” he chuckled nervously, feeling sweat bead on his forehead. Lucy smiled warmly at him, her hair seeming to glow in the sunlight. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Jesse,” she said, standing up and straightening her leather jacket. The brunette stood up afterwards, “y-yeah.”

“I gotta get back to my cottage though.” Jesse felt something inside him break, but he brushed it aside. Lucy hugged the book in her arms, “hopefully we’ll see each other again?” she asked rather... hopefully.

The brunette felt a small smile tug at his lips, “if we’re lucky, yeah.” Lucy smiled at him one last time before turning around. As she began walking, Jesse flung himself forward, placing a hand on the blonde’s shoulder, “L-Lucy, wait.”

The girl turned her head to face him, “what is it?” she asked softly. Jesse blushed, “u-uhh...” he then took a breath, “...would it be okay if... I-I walked you back?” he asked, smiling kindly. The blonde smiled, a slight blush coloring her cheeks as well, “sure.”

As they were walking, Jesse felt tears gather in his eyes. This wasn’t his world, it was an alternate universe where everyone’s genders were shifted. Olivia, Oliver. Axel, Alexa. Petra... err, he’s got nothing.

And Lucy... was this world’s Lukas. “Lukas,” he whispered, the tears in his eyes spilling over. God, the brunette didn’t realize how much he missed him. “Jesse?” a soft voice spoke, snapping him from his thoughts once again. “Are you okay?”

The male sniffed, wiping his eyes with the palm of his hand, “’m just fine. There’s just... a lot on my mind.”

The girl nodded in understanding, a few strands of hair covering her eyes. Jesse bit his lower lip, “h-here, let me,” he said, digging into his pocket. He brought out a rubber band, moving his hands to the other’s golden hair. With care, he brushed it back, using the rubber band to tie the bunch of locks in one place. “The classic ponytail, h-heh,” he chuckled bashfully.

Lucy smiled at Jesse, a dark shade of pink coloring her cheeks, “thank you,” she breathed. The brunette nodded, returning the smile. Suddenly, he felt soft lips connect with his cheek. He felt his face burst with heat, “uh-- I--,” he stuttered. Did that just happen? Seriously, did that just happen?

A few minutes later, they arrived at her cottage. “We made it,” she breathed, turning her head to face Jesse, “thanks for walking me, Jesse. It’s honestly one of the sweetest gestures anyone’s ever shown me.” The brunette grinned, “no problem, Lucy.”

“You actually remind me of someone else, her name is also Jesse,” she smiled. Jesse glanced to the side awkwardly, “how convenient!”

“Right? You should talk to her, you two would totally understand each other,” the blonde suggested helpfully, twirling her ponytail around blindly. It was super cute.

“I’ll take your word on that,” the brunette nodded. “Peter would also like to meet you too!”

Ohh, Peter! There we go! “I’ll think about it,” the male smiled, “he sounds pretty legit.”

“Oh, believe me, Jesse. He’s the whole package. A-anyways, uhm… thanks again for the walk here...” she blushed, putting a hand to her mouth. “Anytime, Lucy. ‘Guess I should take off now, huh? Don’t wanna miss meeting Peter and Jesse.” Lucy hesitantly nodded.

“Welp… hopefully we bump into each other again,” he waved, sadness creeping up on him. With a sigh, he began walking.

“W-wait...” Lucy whispered, “uhm… if it’d be alright with you... would you like to stay over for a bit? I-I’m planning on making some muffins, and I don’t think Drew my ocelot, and I can eat them alone. Y-you don’t have to! It’s just an invitation,” she offered.

Jesse blinked before smiling widely, “that’d be great. I am pretty hungry after all,” he pat his stomach, earning a giggle from the other. “I’m sure Drew will grow on you, he’s a clingy lil guy,” Lucy said with a smile.

“I’m sure he will. Thanks, Lucy,” he said. The blonde nodded kindly in return, blushing wildly.

Jesse didn’t know how long he’d be in this AU, but what he did know was that he’d have to take care, and protect Lucy with all of his life, just as he would with Lukas.

~End~

#mcsm gender shift lukas #mcsm au lucy #mcsm jesse #Minecraft story mode #what. is. this.#fem! lukas is p lit #jesskas #fluff for the soul #male luke-a-duke is better tho--#just sayin'#mcsm

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arizaluca · 6 years

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Just read your mcsm stories today and OH MAN they’re so well-written!>w

Ah, thank you! I’m really glad you like ‘em. I’ll do my best!

“ARGH!!” Xara practically let out a scream in frustration, throwing her hands into the air and almost throwing the wrench. “Notch damnit why can’t I f*cking get this right?!”

She usually wouldn’t have freaked out like that– at most, maybe muttered a swear under her breath before trying again– but having Romeo somewhere in the vicinity had torn her patience levels down to Underneath-level.

Porkchop had been very pleased when they dumped a tied-up and gagged Romeo on the ground in front of Xara, trying to talk through the gag but failing miserably.

They seemed to be even more pleased because Romeo didn’t seem to be an Admin anymore.

Normal, overly pale skin (probably because he was terrified that Xara was about to murder him, if his wide eyes were any indication), gold eyes with only the irises colored and the whites actually being white, normal t-shirt and jeans and sneakers that were a little muddy.

Five responses flashed through Xara’s head in the time that it took for her to blink slowly at Romeo, ranging from killing him on the spot to tackling him in a tight hug because holy crap it was Romeo, it wasn’t the Admin anymore, it was just her old friend.

Her old friend who killed her other old friend.

Finally, she simply stepped forward and ripped the gag off with such force that she wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if she’d ripped his tongue off along with it. “What are you doing here?”

Romeo didn’t flinch at her tone, which was so sharp you could’ve used it to cut someone’s head off, although she did see him wince. “I, uh… I came back. To fix things. Down here.”

After a short, awkward (on Romeo’s part) explanation about how, in short, Jesse had taken his powers away, and he’d decided to come back to the Underneath to help everyone out if they needed it, he finished on saying, surprisingly meekly, “Well, but, uh, that’s if you… are okay with it.”

F*ck no, I’m not okay with it. You killed my best friend.

Xara thought about vocalizing that, but in the end just let out a growl in his direction. “Don’t come within twenty feet of me. I don’t want to ever speak to you again.”

This time Romeo did flinch a little, but she didn’t care as she stalked away, his mouth opening silently as he tried to say something to her retreating back.

She didn’t care, she didn’t care, she didn’t care.

Periodically, the scavengers would stop by to give Xara random updates. Mostly letting her know if they’d discovered anything interesting (the guy in the Enderman head brightly told her that the giant Enderman had stopped showing up) or if anyone had fallen down there (no).

Rarely, they’d include a bit about Romeo, although they tended to ask before telling her in case she didn’t want to hear.

Porkchop had stopped wanting to dismember him on sight and had actually started up a small trading system with the guy. Val, Soup, and Llucy were helping Romeo figure out how to gather certain materials to build… something. (Porkchop hadn’t gotten details.) He’d helped them when the guy in the creeper head (Xara was sort of crap with names and couldn’t remember it for the life of her) had hurt his leg.

The first few times, Xara had waved it off. It’s just his way of trying to apologize. He’s hoping I’ll hear. He’s just trying to fix it and once we get comfortable he’ll just revert to being a total ass.

The next few times, she didn’t wave it off. She’d silently listen as these little things (and sometimes big things) would build up. Val no longer sent him the evil eye whenever he got too close to Llucy. He’d periodically come back with some wood or some materials that someone needed. He’d started working on the extra mobs that weren’t supposed to be in the world.

After that, Porkchop and the scavengers stopped asking if she wanted to hear. She stopped cutting them off if they started telling her.

The reports of Romeo being a nice person, not stopping being a nice person but on the contrary getting nicer at times, were starting to confuse her. And when Xara got confused, she just got pissy.

Trying to fix the Oasis was a good distraction. At least she could slam a hammer into something and claim that she was trying to fix it.

Except she’d been stuck on getting this one building right, because the logistics of this one involved too much redstone, and when she placed blocks sometimes the actual machine would screw it up or get stuck, and she had been working solidly on this for three weeks.

It had been a very long time since she’d actually done any redstone or building– about a hundred years, to be precise– and she couldn’t remember the logistics properly and she was just so out of patience at this point that she practically threw the wrench. It flew out of sight, probably lost until she went scrounging around in the ruins of her city for it tomorrow.

Or next week, or next month, forget it, she might not ever get this building back to normal at this point.

She can’t say she cares that much.

The same way you don’t care about Romeo seeming to go back to normal?

She swore loudly, voice echoing through the empty remains of her city.

Xara was so glad she could actually sleep that whenever she did, she’d just conk out. You could probably blow up a grenade outside her window and she’d just go right on sleeping.

So she’s not sure why she can’t do it tonight.

Maybe it’s stress. After all, she’s been working on this one building for what feels like ages. Maybe. But probably not.

Maybe it’s anger. She has every right to be angry, really. Romeo did something horrible, and then had the nerve to come back and apologize. As if that would ever fix anything. Too little too late. Maybe. But probably not.

Maybe it’s Romeo himself, because his behavior of late has been such a huge contrast to what she’s used to that she’s confused and irritated, she knows he’s somewhere down here but she doesn’t know exactly where, she wants to hate his guts because he killed her other best friend and he hasn’t apologized.

Maybe it’s because you haven’t let him try.

Maybe.

For whatever reason, Xara had been trying to sleep for the past three hours, but hadn’t been able to get to it. So she just sat up and looked out her window, at the building with the machine that she hadn’t been able to get right.

She blinked. Squinted. Looked again.

And then she quickly tossed the blanket aside, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and then walking out of her house, staying to the more shadowy areas as she tried to get a closer look.

When she got within thirty feet, her eyes finally accepted what she was seeing as real and not a hallucination.

There, on the building, is Romeo, frowning bemusedly at it as he raises a finger in the air, waving it around and looking like he’s doing a mental math calculation.

Xara watched as Romeo took down a few blocks from the walls she’d set up, before shifting those around, adjusting everything as he went, continually stopping and doing his mental calculations or whatever they were.

He was fixing her building for her.

His hair was messed up and looked like he hadn’t combed it in three weeks, his t-shirt was torn badly at the collar and peppered with little burn marks, his jeans looked as if he’d tossed it to a rabid wolf, and his sneakers were scorched, and even in the dim firelight surrounding everything she could see the shadows under his eyes and the unnatural pallor of his skin indicating that he hadn’t slept properly for, well, a while at least.

But he was still fixing her building for her.

Slowly, she slipped through the shadows, closer, until she was standing near the bottom of it. Romeo probably would’ve noticed if he wasn’t so intent on repairing her building for her, but he was focused on it that even when he looked up and was staring right at her at one point, he didn’t notice her.

The clock that Xara had managed to cobble together one day ticked resolutely onwards. It passed midnight, passed 3 in the morning, and was almost six AM when he finally finished, stepping down and giving a little sigh, barely ten feet from him.

“Romeo.”

He flinched in surprise, bonked his head against the wall, and then spun around to face her.

Close up, she realized he looked even worse than when she was watching him try to build this one building that she hadn’t gotten for months. There was one long scar from the corner of his eye to his chin that hadn’t been there the last time she’d spoken to him, he had a makeshift bandage that looked suspiciously like a part of his shirt wrapped around his head, soaked with almost greenish blood, his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, his lips were chapped and cracked, and he had bruising all down one arm. Not to mention he was a lot thinner than she remembered.

“Oh– uh– hi Xara– I didn’t mean– sorry, I’ll– I’ll leave–” Romeo spluttered, stumbling over his words almost sluggishly, as if he couldn’t quite figure out how speaking worked.

Xara interrupted. “Where’s this from?” She touched the corner of her eye and then traced down her cheek to her chin to indicate the scar.

Romeo stammered a bit, as if he was about to answer, but then Xara interrupted. “Never mind. When’s the last time you slept?”

“Uh…” Romeo’s gold eyes blinked slowly, before he glanced down and started counting on his fingers. He got to the the second hand before he looked confused and then started over.

Xara watched him do this three times, looking more and more confused each time, before she sighed. “And this?” she pointed at her head, the area where Romeo had wrapped his bandage.

“Zombie.” It seemed to be easier for Romeo to speak in two-syllable words at the moment, because this came out easily, as did the next two-syllable sentence. “Clawed me.”

Xara felt her eye twitch in irritation against her will. “Don’t tell me you didn’t disinfect it.”

Romeo’s lips barely twitched up at the ends. Blood immediately started leaking from a crack at the corner of his mouth, but he quickly reached up and smeared it away with one hand, the one without bruising along it. “Okay. Then I won’t tell you.”

Xara had to repress a small smile at that, which surprised her. She hadn’t expected to remember how to smile. “And let me guess, you haven’t eaten or had anything to drink for at least a day.”

“I had some water…” Romeo trailed off, eyes glazing over. He apparently couldn’t remember.

Maybe Xara couldn’t forgive him yet. And she couldn’t forget either.

But she could at least keep her former friend from running himself into the ground.

“Get some sleep. There’s a mostly-intact sofa in that house over there.” Xara jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’ll check on you later. I’m going to get back to it.”

Romeo opened his mouth to protest, apparently thought better of it, and let out a sigh. It devolved into a cough halfway through, each hack making his shoulders shake violently as he clapped a hand over his mouth. Some more blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth, but this time it seemed to be coming from his mouth.

What the hell had this idiot been doing?! Eating ashes?!

“And you are going to let me check and make sure you’re not killing yourself later. I don’t care how much you dislike the taste of healing potions,” Xara snapped as an afterthought.

When Romeo’s coughs finally subsided, he lowered his hand and gave Xara a weak smile, more blood leaking out of his cracked lips. “Still as much of a tough love mom as always, huh.” He let out another sigh, this time trying to keep his exhale more shallow, and nodded. “Fine. I’ll try to come out and help–”

“No. No helping. You sleep. I don’t care if you sleep for three days straight, because right now you look like a pile of crap and your body is probably about to self-destruct.”

Xara grabbed him by the shoulders, ignoring the way Romeo’s shoulders tensed slightly in surprise, before she spun him around and literally steered him into the house, grabbing a random blanket that she’d put there (sometimes she slept there too. Why do you think she knew about it?) and almost literally throwing it into his face. “I’ll be back tonight. And I want you to look like you at least slept for eight hours, got it?”

He let out a dry laugh that ended up sounding more like a smoker’s cough. “No promises.”

She made a half-joking swipe at his head, which he barely dodged under, before turning and preparing to leave.

She stopped at the threshold of the door, just for a moment. She’d forgotten to say something.

“Thank you.”

Before Romeo could say anything (actually, if he had, she would’ve turned right back around, made him lie down, and force-fed him a narcotic potion if she had to), she was out the door.

She didn’t forgive him. Not by a long shot.

But she did at least take a tiny step in that direction, and any progress is good progress.

Notch, if she’d ever said that aloud to Fred he would’ve started teasing her.

#mcsm xara #mcsm romeo #I hope this turned out like you wanted it lol I got sidetracked #mcsm fanfiction #mcsm fanfic #mcsm #minecraft story mode fanfiction #minecraft story mode fanfic #mcsm season 2 #minecraft story mode season 2 #post season 2 fic #fic #mcsm admins #mcsm underneath #request #ask #minecraftstorymode #minecraftstorymodefanfic

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