Withering World [MCSM Fanfiction]

WEAKENING: Chapter 1

Jesse

A week was still not enough to show Petra what changed when she was gone. Ever since she has returned, Radar insisted on being my substitute for work, and though I see the exhaustion laced across his face - which got more obvious by the day - he refuses whenever I tell him to rest a bit. Sweet, little Radar, never really knowing how much he's truly worth to me.

The tour should wrap up in a few hours, the last place to present to Petra being the mines.

"Your favorite hangout," I remark.

"Close," she says as we walk down the steps and into the mine's entrance. "I hung out more in Bad Luck Alley than here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I only came down here whenever the miners needed a favor or when- you know... you need to chase a treasure-sniffing llama for a stuck-up priss."

At the memory, I chortle. My friend has unknowingly magnetized me into every adventure I've ever had, starting from day one when she gave Ivor a wither skull. And now, an admin has been put to rest amid his own destruction because of a prismarine gauntlet her little quest led me to.

"Woah!" Petra exclaims, her head tilting up to discover intricate lanterns decorating the cavernous vicinity. She spins, taking a good sweep around the first section we're in. "More chiseled and polished stone too. Geez, Jesse! The mines still actually have to look like mines, not an entire mansion."

"Oh yes, on that note-" I point to the right, unsure if she noticed it. One of the fellow miners requested a living area for those who work full time because surprisingly, most of them do, the build consisting of four floors. This is an addition I'm actually proud of.

"Accommodation pods? Wow, extra."

Further down the cave, we pass the regular workers all dressed in their navy uniforms and lemon-colored helmets. I try to think of what it was still like before Petra left - a lot of scaffolding and construction work that's no longer there. Hostiles used to spawn everywhere, but now, they only spawn on the lower levels since everything's mostly lit up for the miners's safety. Petra yawns hearing this bit.

"Transportation here has reverted to minecarts. Wanna take 'em to where we found the gauntlet?" I ask, signaling the two empty minecarts with my eyes. Beyond us, many ride in moving carts, yet to arrive at their own section in the mines.

She hums in consideration.

"Or maybe... a good old race?"

I've got her attention now. She springs up like a meerkat, her lips tugged into a smile. "Oh, you're so on!"

Both of us are beaten by the echoing footsteps that come running toward us. Just as we're about to take off, a panicked voice coming from the entrance calls out, "Jesse, Jesse!"

"Radar?" He skids to a halt when I swivel around to face him.

"Jesse, I'm so, so sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay buddy. What happened?"

His eyes are drawn to the taller redhead next to me and then quickly ripped away in embarrassment. "There's something wrong with the beacon."

Petra squints in confusion. "As in, it's not working? Or-"

"It's working alright. Just in a more concerning type of way. And I- I don't know if it's a threat. You should probably just see for yourself. Oh, I should have checked it better! If only I wasn't so scared to get near it, and- and- I- this is all so silly-"

"Radar, calm down," Petra says, though I can sense the alarm in her own voice.

When she looks at me, I gulp in desperation. Utmost shame fills up my body.

Sorry Petra, our race is gonna have to wait.

----

It's midday when the summer heat is at its finest. For once, I'm unorganized, yearning to quench my thirst with the water I forgot to pack. My thirst morphs into dehydration seeing Petra drink from her own water bottle as we near the town's center.

The problem is made clear after I step onto the beacon's stage, all nine beams black rather than their bright multitude of colors. What's even worse is that some type of dark indigo residue is leaking off it, having made its way onto the pyramid of riches. I step back, noticing that the residue's partly consumed the blocks of the pyramid, the ends like poisonous vines. Anxiety springs inside me, and I know things like these will just keep growing.

"You found it like this?" I ask Radar.

"Exactly like this."

Petra steps in front of me, closely inspecting the mysterious substance, though she's still a good distance away from it. "What the heck is that?"

"Best to stay away from the stuff. None of us know what it is," I say, "we'll research this before anything else. Think before we act, y'know?"

"Yeah, I'd rather do it the Jesse way believe it or not. That-" the warrior starts, pointing out the residue, "that looks... abominable."

So it should be settled, then. No Beacontowner is to come near the beacon until we grasp more knowledge about it. Lukas, our best bookman, could help too, a potential yet crucial meeting underway.

"When do we start the research?" Radar questions, cautiously backing away from the charcoal beam.

"Right now." A spark of excitement busts in my heart. Screw my dehydration. "But first, I've got a race to win."

My competitor pulls her signature blue bandana tighter, partly choking her fiery-colored hair. Her head snaps towards me, a grin forming. "Nuh-uh. You're gonna eat my dust, Jesse."

****

A/N

Thanks for reading the first chapter of this book, guys! I really appreciate it!

I'm going to try my best to get in the habit of posting regularly, perhaps every five days or every week at most (I tend to throw myself off course now and then, but I'm actually passionate about this book so hopefully I can make it to the end without taking breaks) >_<

So, what do you guys think? Are you enjoying the story so far? Lemme know in the comments!

The next chapter will be from Petra's POV, where they'll start the research progress.

This has been fun, I'll see you guys in the next chapter :)