[Jesse's POV]
The sword spiraled through the air as it flew up to the lid of the tunnel, where it was closing. Just as the lids were about to meet, the sword reaches the opening, causing it to get stuck between the lids, creating a loud clank sound and preventing it from closing completely.
Axel: "Whoa! I can't believe I just saw that! That was amazing! Why is no one freaking out!?"
Petra: "Freak out on the inside, Axel. We gotta move!" Speeding up like our lives depended on it, we staggered out through the lid and out of the tunnel.
Jesse: "Hah... man. This is becoming, like, my lucky sword or something. I can't believe we made it!"
Olivia: "Jesse, the spiders! Close the lid!"
Jesse: "Oh, right!" I grab my sword, which is still jammed between the lids. "C-Crap... why is this so..." I pull with all my might. Shit... this is killing my muscles! Right then, when I thought I'd give up, the sword suddenly got free, the sheer force sending me flying back as the lids finally slammed shut, taking a few spiders with it who almost managed to get outside.
Petra: "Huff... that was a close one..." I pant.
Jesse: "You know, maybe we should go to somewhere less dangerous next time..."
Axel: "Are you kidding?! That was AWESOME! This is exactly my kind of adventure!"
Petra: "I know, right?!" Petra and Axel high-five.
Jesse: "Really??? We could've ended up dead!"
Petra: "Oh, c'mon, you don't have to lie. The thrill was worth that risk, wasn't it?"
Jesse: "I mean... I guess... but was it really?"
Axel: "I keep telling you, nothin' is fun if you're not taking risks!" I send a concerned glance back at Axel.
Olivia: "C'mon, let's head home before even more mobs show up!" Packing up our weapons, we leave the temple.
Axel: "I tell you guys, doing that never gets old. Woo!"
Petra: "Yeah, not too bad. Killing a bunch of monsters, getting sweet treasure..."
Axel: "Like that Flint and Steel thing! You gotta try it again!"
Olivia: "I'd be curious to see it again, too. I'm dying to know how it works!"
Jesse: "Really? Right now?"
Axel: "I mean, it wouldn't hurt to give it another shot, right?" I thought about it for a second, then just sighed.
Jesse: "Okay, fine, here, you can give it a shot."
Axel: "Oooooh!" Axel excitedly takes the Flint and Steel from me and, after finding a lone tree log to use it on, doesn't hesitate to light it. The moment he strikes the two objects together, a sudden, tall blue flame appears, causing us to be taken aback for a moment.
Everyone: """"Whoa!!!"""" Before we get to process it in our heads, the fiercely burning flame engulfs the tree log, burning it to a crisp.
Jesse: "Okay, we definitely need to set up some fire alarms if we bring this thing indoors."
Olivia: "Agreed, Axel might accidentally burn the whole village if we're not careful."
Axel: "Hey! I'm not THAT stupid!" The three of us burst into laughter, to Axel's dismay. The fun atmosphere could've continued if it weren't for something unexpected suddenly bringing our conversation to a close.
???: "Well, well. Where'd you get the new toy?" The sudden, unfamiliar voice immediately silenced us as we went into alert mode. No way; were we being followed? Who's stalking us? As we retreated until our backs were touching, that question was soon answered. Emerging from the temple entrance where we were standing just a few minutes ago, a guy of similar height to mine, wearing his own set of armor, marches towards us while putting away his own enchanted diamond sword.
It took me a while to figure out who it was, but then I remembered that bratty face from back at Endercon. It was Aiden. But it wasn't just Aiden alone; emerging from nearby bushes from the other direction, Maya and Gill also showed their faces with matching armor sets to Aiden.
Aiden: "Looks a little, uh, sophisticated for you, Jesse."
Maya: "Order of the Losers..."
Gill: "Yeah! Losers!" The three stalkers surround us as they make very 'original' remarks about us.
Olivia: "Ugh. Who let you guys out of your cave?"
Maya: "Joke's on you. We don't live in a cave." I facepalm.
Jesse: "I must say, I'm impressed you managed to silently follow us without us noticing." Aiden glances at me suspiciously.
Aiden: "What are you trying to pull here?"
Jesse: "Nothing. Don't you like a compliment every now and then?" Aiden scoffs.
Aiden: "I can see through that fake smile, Jesse."
Jesse: "Eh? What's with that grumpy attitude?"
Maya: "Mmm, can't say if you're painfully oblivious or just plain stupid."
Axel: "Ey! What was that for?"
Maya: "WhAT wAs ThAt FoR?" Maya says it in a mocking voice. I blocked Axels path before he could grow more furious as our group continued to stare at the other party intensely. I must say, the rude attitude caught me a little off guard. Maybe it was because since they were Lukas's friends, I initially wanted to approach them in a more friendly manner since I promised Lukas we'd stop this dumb rivalry once and for all, but I just realized how incredibly annoying these people are.
Olivia: "So.. what are you 'Ocelots' doing here, anyway?"
Aiden: "The Ocelots were Lukas' gang. We ditched that name just like we ditched him."
Jesse: "W-What!?"
Maya: "Yeah, we rebranded! We're the Blaze Rods now!" Maya turns around to show off her blaze rod symbol printed on the back of her armor.
Gill: "BLAZE RODS!" Gill screams manically.
Aiden: "Shut up, Gill!" Aiden silences him.
Gill: "Sorry, boss." Aiden turns back to us.
Aiden: "Where's Lukas, huh? The minute the Order decided you were cool-"
Maya: "For whatever reason..."
Aiden: "-He wouldn't stop sniffing around you like a tamed dog!"
Petra: "Take that back!"
Aiden: "Mmm... No."
Jesse: "Just wait a second! What the heck is up with you guys?! I thought we were on better terms since the whole Wither Storm thing ended?!"
Maya: "Oh, please, it's not like we actually cared about your whole celebration of whatever thing you accomplished."
Olivia: "Shut up! We had the job of saving the world! If it weren't for what we did, we'd all still be rotting inside that Wither Storm right now!"
Aiden: "You call ditching everyone else to be sucked into that thing 'saving the world'!? Do you even know what it felt like to be stuck inside that hellhole?!"
Petra: "If Jesse and the others hadn't gotten away, we wouldn't even have had the chance to defeat it!"
Aiden: "Psh! You're just making up excuses to make you feel better about yourself!" I silently gritted my teeth.
Jesse: "I still don't understand. What did Lukas do? Why are you throwing your own friend under the minecart?!"
Aiden: "He's not anymore. I always thought he was only pretending to be nice because he pitied your existence, but I realized he wasn't any different from you. He ran off; he ditched me!"
Jesse: "That's not true! He DID worry about you! Look, I'm sorry we couldn't save you any sooner, but don't be mad just because of that!"
Aiden: "You think that will cut it?! You think just because everyone worships you now, you think everything you do is the right thing?!"
Jesse: "Can you stop being so difficult?!" Aiden stares at me, getting madder by the second, before changing his attention to the Flint and Steel I was holding.
Aiden: "You probably think that thing makes you soooo special. Classic Jesse. Ever since you became a 'hero', you've been doing nothing but steal all the best treasures! You take all the best stuff and never give anyone else a chance. That should've been ours!"
Axel: "Oh, yeah!?"
Maya: "....yEaH...!"
Gill: "...Blaze Rods...!"
Jesse: "What is your deal!? We earned this, all right? Fair and square! And we didn't even know you were after the treasure too! You're just saying this because you're jealous!" Aiden twitches his eyebrow.
Axel: "Yeah, we fought monsters, lava, and levers to get this thing, and we ain't givin' it up just because someone's jealous!"
Aiden: "Ha! Nothing you've ever done has been 'fair and square,' Jesse!" The tension in the air reaches levels it has never reached before. It felt like anyone could explode at any second, and apparently, Aiden was the one who couldn't hold it in any longer as he suddenly drew his sword. "Hand over the Flint and Steel, Jesse. Don't make me ask again. You don't get that one. It's supposed to be mine!" Maya and Gill draw their swords in response to Aiden.
Jesse: "Go find your own stuff, Aiden!"
Aiden: "It's not enough you got to save the world; you had to go and take all the world's best stuff, too! So if I want my own stuff, that means I need to take it. From you."
Axel: "Oh, shut up, you egoistical brat! I'm tired of listening to your jaw flap!" Axel, having had enough, suddenly charges at Aiden, the latter responding by kicking him to the ground.
Aiden: "You don't touch me!"
Jesse: "That's it!" My own fuse was being blown there. After waiting way too long for this narcissist to do what he wants, I finally draw my sword, quickly followed by Petra drawing hers and Olivia aiming her bow.
Maya: "...!" From their reaction, I assume they weren't expecting us to actually hold our ground, as Maya and Gill showed brief signs of panic. I guess they're not used to dealing with prey that can actually fight back. Axel, who stood up again, joined the group, preparing his fists. Aiden initially acted cocky, but now that the situation has escalated and we're outnumbering him 4 to 3, I think he's starting to realize he can't win this battle.
Aiden: "Heh.... some hero you are, Jesse!"
Jesse: "You don't want to do this, Aiden. Just go home; this isn't worth it." Aiden starts to fume again, but eventually compromises.
Aiden: "Grr... Fine..." Slowly but surely, we all withdrew our weapons. "What hope do we have when 'heroes' like you are throwing their weight around like this? It's not always going to be this way, though, Jesse." Aiden turns around to see his 'friends'. "C'mon, you guys. Let's get out of here."
Gill: "Blaze Rods!"
Aiden: "I told you to SHUT UP!" Aiden punches Gill in the gut before dragging him away. As we watched them leave, Aiden turned around one final time before leaving our line of sight. "Look out, Jesse." With that, his weird group disappears into the jungle.
Olivia: "Jeez, I don't remember him being that angry before..."
Jesse: "Wow. Us being the New Order of the Stone is really getting to that guy. He's gone crazy!"
Petra: "Yeah, we should be careful about him. He feels scarier than before."
Axel: "Man. And all because he wanted that Flint & Steel. What are you gonna do with it?"
Petra: "Ivor's the one that told us about this temple... He might know something about it."
Jesse: "Yeah, hopefully he can tell us more about it. Man, I hope Lukas is okay in this 'Aiden Situation'. I feel bad for him having to deal with Aiden."
Olivia: "We definitely should ask him about this when you head back."
Jesse: "Yeah, let's go. The air around here is starting to get really hot even though it's nighttime..." With that, we start our journey back.
-------------------------------------------
As we started approaching familiar terrain again, the sun had already started coming up. Not long after, the gate to our new home town comes into view.
Axel: "Finally starting to recognize stuff again. Feels good to almost be home."
Petra: "Cheers to that, friend."
Olivia: "I just can't shake what Aiden was saying about us back there... We DO get a lot of treasure. And I guess sometimes we might throw our weight around..."
Axel: "Whaat? No! Aiden's just got a bad case of treasure-envy."
Jesse: "Yeah, don't believe the stuff he's saying. He's just jealous. He sees us with our fancy armor, cool treasure, and he wishes he had it, too."
Olivia: "I guess so..."
Petra: "Well, no matter what Aiden thinks, there's one thing I know."
Jesse: "What's that?" Petra takes off her helmet as we walk through the gate into the town.
Petra: "THEY think we're awesome!" I got confused for a second, then I realized who Petra was pointing towards.
Citizen: "They're back! They're back!"
Fangirl: "Run! Tell everyone that our heroes have returned!" In an instant, a crowd suddenly emerged around us, celebrating. I could only stare at them dumbfounded, well, until Axel suddenly pushed me aside.
Axel: "Yep! New Order of the Stone is BACK IN TOWN!" The crowd cheers Axel as he takes off his helmet, posing like he's some supermodel now. As I stood up again, I rolled my eyes and dispersed the crowd so that we could walk through.
"AHHHH, THERE THEY ARE!" "I like Olivia's armor the best! Oh, wait, no, no, no, Axel's!" "Jesse, you're the coolest!" "LOVE YOU GUYS!!!"
Countless people were shouting all over the place, and it kinda hurt my ears a little. When I glanced over at the others, they looked like they were enjoying their time to the fullest. They must have embraced the new lifestyle pretty quickly. I can't say the same for me. I just hope I can get used to it sooner or later.
My social skills are already overloading with this 'celebrity-like lifestyle'. Looking around to see everyone glancing at me and the others certainly felt weird on my end, so I spent most of the time looking around without making much eye contact. I'm not saying I hate it, but it's just an experience I've never had in my life.
Jesse: "The town certainly looks cooler than last time."
Olivia: "Yeah, it must've been exhausting finally finishing rebuilding everything."
Jesse: "Well, at least the place's more awesome than it has been!" Olivia nods back.
Fangirl: "W-WELCOME BACK!!!" Out of nowhere, a fangirl suddenly appears in front of me, holding a stance like she's asking for a high-five. I hesitantly obliged her request with an embarrassed smile. Right after that, she turns to the crowd, hyperventilating louder than a sheep on drugs. "See that?! Jesse HIGH-FIVED me! ME!" The fangirl waves at me back as I embarrassingly walk past her.
Fangirl: "...It actually hurt a little bit. Wow." The fangirl collapses on the ground. After that scene, we expected more fans to come running towards us, but that thought was quickly interrupted as we heard a scream from a few blocks away.
Olivia: "That wasn't a 'happy to see us' scream..." We ran over to see what was going on. And there, just around the town square, stood a weirdly built structure, spitting out lava? The tall building was shaped like a skull on a tree branch, with vines everywhere and, of course, lava falling out of its mouth.
Petra: "Wow. That's new... It somehow manages to evoke skulls AND tentacles..."
Olivia: "While still doing the whole 'barfing lava' thing. Eesh."
Jesse: "Uh... who the heck built this weird thing?"
Ivor: "NOT MY FAULT!" Well, there's my answer... Poking his head out from one of the eyes was none other than Ivor.
Citizen 1: "Look out!"
Citizen 2: "Help!"
Ivor: "Oh, stop your whining! What are your pathetic injuries in comparison to my majestic tower?!" Petra sighs.
Petra: "Of course..."
Ivor: "Oh, Jesse, you're back! Don't listen to a word these fools tell you!"
Citizen 1: "It's a fire hazard!"
Ivor: "And your face is an ugly hazard! So, I suppose we're even."
Jesse: "*sigh* What are you up to now, Ivor?"
Ivor: "This is my new house! And also... um... my gift to my community. If anyone's short on lava, this is the place to get more! Ha ha! You're welcome!" The complaining citizen rolls their eyes.
Jesse: "I-Is the lava really necessary?"
Ivor: "Of course it is! Jesse, all I wanted was what any man wants: a little house of my own... with loads of lava pouring off it!"
Petra: "Ivor, I know you mean well, but your 'house' wants to kill people."
Axel: "Dude, you made a killer house!"
Citizen 1: "Exactly! 'KILLER'."
Ivor: "Shut up."
Jesse: "Why can't we just move it someplace else? I'm sure-"
Ivor: "Move it? WAY more lava is going to spill out if we do that!" I sigh.
Citizen 1: "Well? We have to tear it down! We can't let that monstrosity stand!" Just as I was about to answer, Ivor jumps down the house, running up to me.
Ivor: "It's my house, Jesse. I have just as much a right to build something as all these people, don't I?"
Jesse: "Yeah... normally, but you're literally pouring deadly lava on the town square! Sorry, Ivor, but your house is way too much of a hazard to the community. Tear it down, everyone!"
Citizen 1: "Good call!" The moment my verdict was declared, everyone jumped to tear the structure down, much to Ivor's dismay.
Axel: "B-But it looked so cool!" After watching the people remove the building, Ivor angrily turns around to me.
Ivor: "BAH! It's a slippery slope, Jesse! Today my lava house, tomorrow... who knows what kind of rules you'll be imposing!"
Jesse: "Oh, don't be like that! We can just give all the blocks we tear down back to you, and you can just rebuild it in some other place where it won't pour down right on people's doorsteps."
Petra: "Yeah, don't be a sore loser, Ivor."
Ivor: "Feh." Ivor turns away again, still with a sore look.
Jesse: "Uh, anyway, if you're not too pissed off too much, we scavenged the temple you told us to, and we found something weird we might want to show you."
Ivor: "What? You did!?" Making a sudden complete 180, Ivor turns around, facing us again, with excitement filling his face. "Ha, ha, ha! Yes, great to see you again. Let's do lunch. I'll bring the carrots. There's no telling who's listening!" Ivor nudges me at the side as he grabs me on the shoulders, slightly shaking me up. "Meet me in the Treasure Room. 10 Minutes. And bring the thing you found!"
Jesse: "Wh-What!?" Before I could respond properly, Ivor let go of me and ran off to the order hall. As I stood there, slightly dazed, Petra patted my back to snap me out of it.
Olivia: "Well, if we're going to tear this down, we better start getting some buckets together to scoop up all the lava... You got any iron?"
Axel: "Oh, man, no, I'm all out." Olivia sighs.
Olivia: "Okay, we better go mine some more then..."
Jesse: "You're leaving already?"
Olivia: "Yeah, we'll catch up with you later, alright?"
Axel: "Yeah. Once we give this majestic house the funeral it deserves." Olivia elbows Axel.
Jesse: "Well, kay then, I'll see you guys soon!"
Petra: "Later guys!" With a wave back, Olivia and Axel disappear into the town's streets. I turn back to Petra.
Jesse: "C'mon, let's find Ivor." We start heading our way to the Treasure Room. "Man, where did Lukas go? It feels like it's been ages since I've seen him."
Petra: "Didn't we all see each other yesterday? Don't tell me, do you miss him~?"
Jesse: "Please don't start acting like that too. I already have Olivia doing it. One is enough."
Petra: "Fine... but I'm sure we'll run into him sooner or later. I don't think he's left town lately."
Jesse: "Okay, then. I just hope he's doing well considering the whole Aiden thing."
Petra: "Oh right, I forgot about that. We can just ask him about it."
Jesse: "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too." We enter the Order Hall, which is basically our main house at this point. Navigating a hall, we enter the main room of the building, the Treasure Room.
To be continued...