Hardcore Survival (A Minecraft Story)

Collecting

[Mobius' POV]

I try to think of what to say, but nothing comes to mind. It's flooded with confusion, fear, and a mix of complete and utter dehydration. I can feel sweat already pour from my skin, and I feel feathers ruffle behind my head. It only makes this whole situation more confusing. Nothing makes sense... I shake my head, trying to regain some sense of the situation. I gaze around, finding us smack in the middle of a cliff that was overlooking a massive lava ocean. Something catches my eyes, and step towards the edge a bit to make sure it's what I think it is.

A Nether Fortress.

I slightly feel a growl rise in my throat, but I instead end up sucking in a deep breath of air. I can feel my body already growing exhausted from the heat, but I shake it off and turn back to the group. Anthony had moved Aria to a more comfortable and safe position against the wall near the portal...

Which had conveniently shut off once Aria had made her grand debut. I slightly rub my neck, but I hold no grudge against her. I had read up on Herobrine before any of this happened, and I know what he can be capable of in-game...

But this was beyond anything I knew...

"How is she?" I ask as I make it to Alexa's side. The penguin shakes her head, taking in a deep breath as well. "I think she'll be fine, but we can't go anywhere until she wakes up." She takes in another deep breath, visibly uncomfortable. It finally clicks that she's a penguin in the nether. She must be just as uncomfortable as I am right now. I pat her shoulder, and she turns to me. I attempt a reassuring look, which wins me a small smile.

When we turn back to look, Anthony is still kneeling next to Aria, cleaning off some of the Enderblood that was still on her. He slightly turns to us, then locks eyes with Alexa. "What happened before you were pushed through?" Alexa slightly turns her head away, rubbing an arm.

She's.... nervous?

Anthony stands, and slowly walks over, concern written on his face.... and mild anger. "Alexa? What's going on?" The penguin sighs and faces him again, and I move more towards Anthony to get a clear picture of her face. She turns to us, and I can see her still hesitating... But, she speaks anyways. "When the Enderman hit me, it threw me into the portal.... but for a moment, I saw what happened." She pauses, and I see her trying to even piece together exactly what she saw in her head. Anthony steps forward. "Alexa...." The penguin shakes her head. "It... It wasn't Aria... She completely snapped. Her entire face was nearly black, and her eye was blazing with an animal-like instinct.... to kill." Her voice drops at the last part, and I feel a chill run down my spine despite the actual temperature.

Anthony seems only a little shocked. "I had seen it as well, just before she shoved us in..." He turns to me, and I can only nod. I remember it clear as day. She was fearful, but not for herself. For us. It was as if she knew she was losing control, and the only way to keep us safe was to make sure we went through the portal before she snapped. I raise my head and look at my two friends. "She knew that would happen..... But why didn't she tell us?"

That's when Alexa looks away again. 

"She... She told me she had been...." She stops, and I move forward. "Alexa, we need to know in case this happens again. What's happening to Aria?" The penguin still doesn't speak, looking down at the ground instead for a moment. Just as Anthony steps forward, a voice speaks from behind us.

"I can sense the Enderman, and feel their pain each time I kill one."

We all turn and gaze at Aria, who had one leg slightly up with an arm resting on it. Her face was almost back to normal, a few blocks of black lingering near her right eye, barely visible under her hair. She moves her hands and slowly pushes herself up. A grimace is on her face, and Anthony and I are by her side in an instant to help her. She takes it only for a moment before shaking us off. I step back, my neck still tingling in remembrance of the sword so close to relieving me of my head. Aria notices this, and I see her gaze turn apologetic to me, and I feel my heart sink. Shouldn't have moved, idiot.

"I asked her not to say anything yet because I didn't know the full extent of it..... Now I do...." She walks over to Alexa, gazing out over the lava. I think she spots the Nether fortress as well, as her head pauses in its general direction. She slightly turns her head back to gaze at us, but most of her body stays facing the lava. "I... I should have told you guys before, but I didn't know that would happen... And I didn't want to worry you any more than necessary until I knew." She turns to us, and I can see her holding back tears. "Mobius... I never meant to hurt you... He appeared and I... I was attacking him... He lead me in the portal and I-" 

I quickly move over to her. "No, no, Aria, stop. It's okay! Look, I'm fine-"

"Thanks to Anthony... I would have killed you!"

"But you didn't."

We both turn to see Anthony holding his sword again, and I let out a gasp at the state it's in. The part that had blocked Aria's sword from cleaving my head off was littered with cracks and a dent was obvious in it. It was completely destroyed. Anthony lowers it to his side. "You were already slowing down as if you knew he was tricking you. Had my sword taken the full blow, I'm pretty sure it would have shattered, and...." He doesn't need to finish, as we all know what he means. I hear Aria gulp, and I turn. 

"Well... About my sword, actually."

She starts retelling everything she can remember from the moment she snapped, and I can feel my eyes widen at the tale. When she's done, we all just stand there in awe. Alexa moves her hand behind her back, then brings out Aria's sword. I hadn't seen her grab it earlier, but that may have been due to the fact I was slightly still in shock from almost being decapitated. She walks over and hands the sword back to Aria, who gingerly takes it. Not a single scratch was on it, and there wasn't a hint of Enderblood on it anymore. "I guess I shouldn't use this unless absolutely necessary," Aria says, slipping it back into the hilt on her back. I silently agree, and I can tell everyone else does as well. 

After a moment of regaining our senses, we all head to the edge of the cliff and gaze out over the lava pool. I can see the fortress more clearly now, and it was definitely a large one. The rest of it was out of render distance rage, but what we could see was massive. I feel the dread slightly sink in until Aria speaks, her voice filled with normal courage. "Alright.... Let's not waste any more time... We have a Fortress to loot." She gives us a small smile, and I can feel the hope surge in us all. 

No matter what was thrown at us, we would always stand back up.

Always.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I had to do this in order to not have a five thousand word chapter next! Hope y'all staying safe in the craze going on. Praying for all my lovely readers.

Be safe!

Be kind!

Thanks for reading~