Bubbles SMP: Retold - Chapter One

Ten - Rescue Mission

Several days had passed since Taylor had stopped Jack at the nether portal. Since then, both him and the locals hadn't seen him.

Taylor sat alone in Aaron's wooden and cobblestone house on the Diamond Isles island. He was thinking to himself about Jack intently.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing about this..." he mumbled to himself.

He stood up, grabbing his sword from the desk. Whatever it would take to ensure Jack's safety, he would do.

"Can't just do nothing. Have to help..." he murmured on to himself.

Taylor quickly ran out of the building, throwing a wooden boat into the ocean as he approached it. He jumped into it and began frantically rowing to the Main Island. If he was going to act, he had to act quickly.

"God, I should really just put another portal on my island..." he panted.

Over the past few days, construction on the exile house had concluded. Bubbles stood proudly while Jack sat on the ground tiredly. Bubbles had forced him into endless hard labour, day and night.

"Try to escape, and you lose your other two lives..." he had threatened him days before.

The house was simple, with a wooden floor and ceiling. It also had wooden support beams, coupled with strong, cobblestone walls. The roof was coated with wooden stairs.

The house itself was shaped like an 'L'. Inside was the usual. A crafting table, furnaces, chests for storage, brewing stands, an anvil, and finally, two beds, one orange, the other yellow.

A ladder led down to the basement, where a small enchantment table had been set up, paired with bookshelves for maximum enchantment power.

"Not bad..." Bubbles admired. "It'll do."

Jack was too exhausted to say anything. Bubbles entered the house and went over to the brewing stands to check through them.

"Shit, I'm out of ingredients for potions of fire resistance and regeneration..." Bubbles mumbled, looking through the chests.

"Yeah? What do you need for those?" Jack panted, leaning against the door.

Suddenly, the sun outside vanished from sight, and the sky grew darker. The pitter patter of rain on the roof began instantly after.

"I'll need ghast tears and magma cream... not to mention blaze rods to get the damn thing working." Bubbles sighed with irritation.

Jack looked outside from within the doorway. It was pouring down, hard.

"I suppose you expect me to go and get it for you?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"No, you're too much of an idiot, and you'll probably end up killed..."

"I'm not that stupid, you know."

"Meh, don't care. I'll go and get the stuff on my own..."

Jack was happy enough with this arrangement. The more time he was separated from Bubbles, the better his mental health would be.

Bubbles walked out through the doorway, and instantly, the loud bang of thunder was heard. The lightning that flashed after made Bubbles look even more evil as he slowly turned around to face Jack.

He gave him a threatening stare.

"And remember. Don't leave. Or I WILL find you." he warned.

He slammed the door shut and stomped off through the pouring storm. Jack watched from the window as he got farther and farther away.

Then, he sat down on his bed and closed his eyes, listening to the occasional bang of thunder and the gentle pouring of water.

As the lightning struck the ground nearby, he repeatedly flashed back to the lowest points in his life. First, as his prized possession was burned, and then as Bubbles stabbed him through the throat.

Taylor trailed across the frozen bridge, careful to watch his step. He had seen little of the nether and preferred to keep it that way.

He reached the cobblestone checkpoint, with the stairway that led to the nether fortress, and looked over the edge of the rickety fence into the huge lava ocean far below.

"This shithole is a death trap..." he shivered, watching the lava bubble hypnotically.

He looked back up and noticed that a figure was swiftly approaching him. It was certainly Bubbles. Taylor's eyes never fooled him. He acted instinctively and climbed the stairs at top speed.

He had to find a place to hide. Finding himself in a tight netherrack tunnel, he quickly took his pickaxe and broke straight through the wall. Once he was safe inside, he patched it up.

Bubbles arrived at the checkpoint, sword drawn. He had seen a figure climb them, but he was too far to see who it was. He looked up at the empty stairway and climbed it carefully.

"I must be seeing things..." Bubbles shook his head.

He continued onwards through the tunnel, unknowing that Taylor was right next to him, through the wall.

Taylor waited a few moments to ensure that Bubbles would be gone, before digging out through the wall. Peeking his head out, he could tell the coast was clear.

"So he has been travelling through here..." Taylor thought.

He continued the journey across the bridge and reached the second portal. He carefully stepped through it, only to be greeted by the worst weather he had ever seen in the overworld so far.

Taylor, although being an enderman, was water resistant. It wasn't that he liked it, but he could survive in it...

He surveyed the area as he poked his head out. On his right, he could see a long, straight, wooden bridge. On his left, he could see the beach of a huge taiga biome.

Very far from him, at the very end of his line of vision, he could see a small light poking out through the pouring rain. He trudged through wet grass and wetter sand for a few minutes before reaching the island.

He could see it in full now. It was a small house, made with simple materials. Nothing too special. The thunder boomed, and the sky lit up with lightning as he approached the front door.

Taylor drew his sword, just in case. He had no idea what to expect in this house. He slowly creaked open the door...

"Jack...?"

"Taylor...?"