Withering World [MCSM Fanfiction]

WEAKENING: Chapter 6

Jesse

The lousy iron bar borders are built ten blocks high around the beacons that many have attempted to destroy without getting sick. It starts with the blackened platform, gnawed down by Radar's pickaxe that assembles up to the unstable beacon, the withered nether star transforming it into a villainous source of disease. As strong as ever, the dark beam still projects towards to sky.

I'm interrupted by a piercing rap on the door.

"Jesse, it's me." A muffled voice calls out from the other side. It no doubt belongs to the one who scheduled a crucial appointment with me today.

"Come in, Stella," I say, drawing away from the window and returning to my seat.

As always, she wears an enchanting violet blazer with matching khaki pants, not striped in pattern but floral this time. Her usually olive skin is a little paler with unease than I thought it to be. Stella sits opposite me and then initiates the conversation.

"This isn't relevant, but what happened to your beacon?"

This makes me draw my lip under my teeth. "It's uh- it's um- a work- a work in progress- thing."

"Reconstruction?"

"More like deconstruction," I mumble, hesitating, "but it doesn't matter. Anyway, how've you been lately?"

"Honestly, I've been better." Stella breaks off into a glum expression, her blonde hair drooping somewhat over her face. She rests her arms on the desk, straightening her posture. "You've stated that our alliance means we regard the situation of each town, right? That I'd send help if you were in trouble and vice versa?"

I frown, curiosity manipulating my complexion. "Yes, I remember saying that- why? What's wrong?"

"Champion city's on lockdown."

"What? How come?"

"Wither skeletons are entering out of nowhere. They've been attacking my people, and once they do, they become tainted with sickness."

An imaginary mallet beats my heart and fortunately, no one was hurt on Petra's birthday, though there was still inescapable shame that accompanied cutting warrior's night short.

"Sickness? But don't wither skeletons only give people wither effect?" I ask. The number of new cases in Beacontown has fallen. People are more careful when passing Oak Valley where the beacon is.

"No, Jesse," she groans, her voice no longer containing the silvery charm it used to have, "real sickness. People get bitten or attacked with their swords and that's how they get sick. I'm not in that field of expertise, but it must be a mutation of some sort."

It's a warning: anything wither-based doesn't burn in the daytime and now their bite is infectious - the new information makes me exhale shakily. I owe her an explanation with the beacon. "I'm going to be completely honest here, Stella, I think our beacon might have caused it. In summary, it's unstable and it's withered, causing people in our town to have wither sickness too so it might also be the source of the skeletons. I just- I don't know what to do."

A tsunami of terror crashes onto her. "If it came from your town and it's traveling to ours, don't you think this is some sort of next-level threat? It could spread!"

"I know, I know!" I yelp, withdrawing from the desk. "It's terrible. They've replaced all the normal skeletons because of this invisible wither fallout the beacon emits."

People getting sick because of the beacons and now wither skeletons in the over-world? My eyes pace all over the room in urgent need for solutions. "Stella, I'm so sorry, but I promise, we'll do everything we can to fix this. We could send you some of our warriors (though Petra may not like that)-" I murmur this through gritted teeth, "or we could form a research squad to help sort the sickness problem."

"I appreciate you, Jesse. And doing both would be great. Thank you."

A strict bellow can be heard outside. Great. Just when I'm shoved into another crisis, something else in the background always has to bother me.

The shouts are only temporary; I instruct Stella to brush it off, though the more I do, the louder the commotion gets, sounding as if it's spiraling out of control. "Excuse me," I say, pardoning myself. As I fly down the stairs, the leader of Champion City runs after me.

After throwing open the door, I'm stood in front of a rumble. Jack, Petra, Nurm and some other warriors keep off untamed diseased mobs from the backs of Lukas and other citizens who wear gloves. "What the-"

Jack's eye lands on mine as he changes his stance to defend himself from another skeleton. "Jesse! Jesse, help!" His natural gruff voice is taken a pitch higher.

Whipping out my spare iron sword, I rush to aid the warriors, demanding Stella to wait safely inside my office.

"How'd they get in?" I ask amidst the chaos.

"You mean the wither skeletons? They spawned here because of those." Jack uses his head to signify where the defenseless citizens are.

They violently plow into the soil with their gloved hands, uprooting a species of black flower. No wait, they're wither roses. Then, they toss them into huge piles of dead plants.

Did our beacon just turn these flowers into wither roses?

I hear Lukas roaring out commands like a military chief, directing more citizens in all directions to pull out the wicked flowers while nocking arrows into his bow. "Hurry! Faster! Before the fallout reaches the gates!"

Four newly spawned wither skeletons stampede their way over to me and Jack and we put our weapons to work.

"Don't make it harder for the warriors! Go, go, go! Weed out every single plant! Into every alley! Every nook and cranny of the town! Go!"

With fierce battle cries, Nurm and Petra zigzag between citizens who continue their work under their protection. They have nothing to worry about, defended under impeccable skill that dismembers the skeletons in no time flat.

Beacontowners struggle in their plight, quickly slinking over to a new flower immediately after they dispose of the last.

Suddenly, I find I'm staggering, panting hard in front of Lukas, his bow slightly brushing the top of my head. "You okay, Jesse?"

"I think so. Do you want me to help with the roses?"

"No. If you touch them with your bare hands you get wither."

"I can handle a bit of wither effect, Lukas."

"Sickness, Jesse. Wither sickness," he says, "some have already tested it out for you and they were rushed to the hospital instantly. Apparently skeletons now bite, which also infects. Flowers give you sickness, skeletons give you sickness."

"Oh, Notch."

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