Six Stone Souls (The Pack)

Chapter 13

Warnings: None

~Lachlan's P.O.V.~

     I know what it feels like to travel through a Nether portal the first few times. And I'll give you a hint; it's not a pleasant experience. A lot of pain, a twisting gut, and nausea is more like it. Even if you've been through a million times the effects still linger. But since I haven't been through in a thousand years or so... It's like my first time all over again. It takes all my will power not to bust out from my blanket of ores and throw up anything I've eaten in the past three days. The heat is instantaneous too. The moment my cart passed through that curtain of purple particles, heat hotter than the desert in the middle of the day snaked in past the ores, to make my ride miserable. Because I assure you, sitting in a boiling hot minecart with long pants, a thick hoodie, and unable to move is not giving me a good time.

"Lachlan." I hear a faint call sound from in front of me, which I quickly determine to be Vikk.
"What's up?" I mutter back, pressing as close to the wall of the cart as I can.
"Could you do me a favour? I need you to turn invisible and see how close we are to the fortress."
"You got it." I respond, feeling the familiar shiver run down my spine as I disappear from view. ...Not that anyone could see me right now anyways.

As soon as my head breaks through the layer of ores, I'm submerging quicker than I had hoped, my eyes wide.

"Stay down and quiet. We're only fifty blocks away." I whisper urgently. "Tell Jerome too."
"On it." Is the last thing Vikk says before it's quiet once again.

     The minecarts steadily rumble forward, a shadow passing over us as we enter the nether fortress. With an earsplitting screech the carts stop, and I hear the rattle of bones. Crap. We didn't think this through very well. I realize, tensing up. Just when I remember I can turn invisible, which would save me if anything, it's too late. A charred black bony hand is scooping away the ores that once kept me hidden, and then two empty black sockets are staring back at me.

     "Uh... Hi." I greet uneasily, smiling nervously.

     The wither skeleton clacks its bones in anger, and it raises a giant stone sword above its head, swinging it towards my body.

     At the very last second I leap out of the way, ungracefully tumbling across the nether brick floor a second later. I manage to pick myself up and duck under the next blow, noticing Jerome and Vikk are already in combat with some other skeletons.

     "Jerome, what's the plan?!" I exclaim, feinting backwards to Vikk and Jerome's side.
     "My plan was to follow your plan!" He bellows, lodging his worn out stone axe into the skull of a wither skeleton.
     "If I'm the brains of this operation, we're seriously screwed!" I reply, finally managing to take down one skeleton, only to have another one replace it a second later. "Vikk, what do we do?!" I call desperately upon realizing my water power is useless here, and the water evaporates the minute it touches the air.
     "RUN!"

     I don't have to be told twice, and with a final punch to a skeletons ribcage, I'm bolting after Vikk and Jerome down some random hallway.

     Every corridor, every window I pass is filled with the hideous monsters of the nether. Wither skeletons, blazes, magma cubes, zombie pigmen, the occasional ghast, and even white he'd Endermen all with the desire to end our lives. Well... That or turn us in to Herobrine. And to be completely honest I'd choose death over Herobrine any day.

     I yelp in surprise as a fireball, curtesy of a nearby blaze, singes the tips of my hair.

     "Jerome!" Vikk calls, deflecting a fireball away with his sword, "Use your powers to navigate us outta here! Or at the very least to find who we're supposed to find, and then get outta here!"
"No, no. You do NOT want me navigating! I'll accidentally navigate us off a cliff!" He protests, grunting in pain as a magma cube rams into him when he runs by. "Or straight to Herobrine!"
"C'mon Jerome we really need you right now!" I plea, stopping momentarily to strike at a skeleton.

Jerome sighs heavily, giving us an If I die I'm going to kill you kind of look.

"FINE. Lachlan, stay invisible, Vikk block yourself in with netherrack until I come back. And Lachlan stay near Vikk so I know where to find you."

And with that Jerome is plunging straight towards a wall, phasing through it a second later.

Vikk skids to a stop, backing up against a wall and encasing himself in a cage of netherrack and brick. I turn invisible and crouch beside the room, almost wishing I was in there with him. A thick wall of minerals between you and the outside seems a lot safer than sitting out in the open, even if you're invisible. At least behind netherrack it provides decent protection. Not that netherrack is the most durable block in the world...

"Hey Lachlan? Are you near me?" Vikk's muffled voice sounds form behind the brick.
I press as close to the cage as I can, keeping my voice just above a whisper. "Yeah, what's up?"
"Do you think Jerome's gonna be okay off by himself?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine." I respond. "Unless of course Herobrine is actually here. But knowing him, he's probably off being a jag and wrecking villages and stuff."
I hear a light chuckle from inside the room. "Yeah you're probably right."

~~~

     Minutes seem to last hours, and I swear all of reality is running in Mitch time. Mostly it's because of nervousness and impatience, but also partially due to anticipation. But rest assured every single time one of those hideous mobs passed by I held my breath. There is no was I was going to chance giving away my presence and killing us all. I hope nothing bad happened to Jerome... I worry, just realizing now that the reason it could be taking so long for Jerome to get back is because he was caught. For all I know Jerome could be sparring with ten blazes and we're just sitting here like waiting ducks.

     And then, just as I'm about to tell Vikk that I'm going to looks for Jerome, an all to familiar face is popping out from the stone across from me, accompanied by a body.

     "Jerome!" I exclaim happily, coming back into view. "I was getting worried. Did you find where who ever it is we're supposed to find is?"
     "Yeah, I had a run in with a couple of blazes and wither skeletons... But on the other hand i found the quickest way to get you guys over there. Believe it or not, he's actually in the little room where the indoor and outdoor sections of the fortress collide." Jerome explains, smiling widley.

     Why do I have the feeling I know who this is...

     "Then let's go get em'. I think it's safe to say that our presence is known here, and the longer we stay, to higher risk it is for us to run into Herobrine." Vikk ushers, having come out of his little cell upon hearing the commotion.
     "Follow me."

~~~

Question of the chapter:

Who do you think they're gonna go revive?

My answer: I gave two hints near the end of the chapter...