[Jesse's POV]
Milo: "If I recall correctly, the founder's secret entrance is supposed to be somewhere in this throne room..."
Lukas: "Hmm... could you be talking about that thing?" Lukas points to the nearby wall, the same one with the minecart tracks that the Founder opened a while back to bring in those carrots for the Blaze Rods.
Jesse: "Oh, yeah, I remember!" We walk over to investigate that wall closer. Last time, the wall was opened up by a lever, but for some reason, that lever was nowhere to be found.
Lukas: "That's... odd? The redstone circuit to open the door is still there, but the lever is gone..."
Ivor: "Huh... this place has better security than I expected..."
Jesse: "Forget where the lever went; if the circuit is still here, we can just craft another one!"
Milo: "Crafting! I like your thinking!"
Lukas: "Okay... but where are we gonna get cobblestone and sticks?" I pondered for a bit, trying to think of answers.
Jesse: "Hm... what would Olivia say right now...? Probably something like: 'Jesse, it looks like it doesn't have any power!' and then going on a long rant detailing everything up to the pixel, probably." I snickered at my comment, thinking no one would laugh, so I was genuinely surprised when I heard Lukas silently chuckle.
Lukas: "You're quite funny, you know that?"
Jesse: "Huh?" I look away, embarrassed. "W-Well, I was just trying to crack a half-baked joke, that's all!" Lukas smiled at me as I looked back, flustered.
Petra: "Uh, can we move on? The acoustics are funky in this place, so it's hard to tell when people are coming... we shouldn't hang around here so carelessly!"
Jesse: "S-Sorry! I'm trying to remember as hard as I can!"
Petra: "*sigh* I'm gonna guard the door while we're still here. Just do this quickly, okay?" I nod back as Petra walks over to the door leading out of the throne room, while the rest of us are still in front of the secret door trying to think of solutions.
Milo: "Well, cobblestone is one of the more obtainable materials here in Sky City. I heard the Founder had some kind of generator that was able to mass-produce a lot of cobblestone. The only question is, where is it?" A memory suddenly pops into my mind as he says that.
Jesse: "Wait! That's it!" If I remember correctly, when I talked to the Founder on that small island behind the throne, I think I remember a generator being there! "Hold on, I need to check something; I'll be right back!" I ran back to that small garden behind the throne. Peeking out of the large opening, I immediately spotted the generator.
Milo: "Wow! So this was the original island?"
Jesse: "Gah!" I jump when Milo suddenly appears behind me. "I didn't say you had to follow me!"
Milo: "Well, you didn't say I couldn't..."
Jesse: "Fair enough..." I walk through the garden while Milo tags along.
Milo: "Did you know? The ground you're standing on is actually the original island that all of Sky City started from. And that tree dropped the saplings that grew into every tree on the island." Milo pointed to the large tree beside us.
Jesse: "Huh... so that's why this garden exists..."
Milo: "I may not agree with the Founder's methods, but even I must admit that's an impressive feat!"
Jesse: "Mmm-hmm..." I silently admired the original island as I took out a cobblestone block from the generator.
Milo: "Wow! I always wondered what the generator looked like. Lava and water placed exactly far enough apart that when they collide... it creates cobblestone! It sounds so simple; why have I never thought of that?"
Jesse: "Well, at least now you know how it works." Milo began writing something on his arm.
Milo: "I need to build one back in Build Club; I can't let this opportunity go to waste!"
Jesse: "Uh, okay then..." While Milo continued writing down every little detail about the generator like he was making a blueprint, I walked back to the entrance of the garden. When I looked around, there was another thing that caught my eye. Yeah, I remember now. There was a small dead bush placed right at the entrance. That should give me enough sticks for a lever.
"Hopefully no one will miss one dead bush..." I punched the dead bush, obtaining the sticks. With the materials needed, I walked over to the crafting table that was also sitting here in this garden. I assume this is where the Founder would craft the materials for the city; I'm sure she won't mind if I borrow her table just once, right? With that in mind, I craft the lever and head back to the secret door. "Okay, guys! I have the lever! Everyone regroup!"
Petra and Milo returned, while Lukas was already waiting here. We initially wonder where Ivor went until we see him come over from the other side of the room.
Lukas: "Is he stuffing away a book he just stole from that bookshelf?"
Petra: "Ivor... really? You're stealing?"
Ivor: "Hey! I have a good reason! Check the cover!" We all take a closer look.
Habits of the Endermen by Soren?
Jesse: "Hah? How'd that get here?" Multiple questions immediately flood my brain.
Ivor: "I don't know either; that's why I have to keep it to find out more about it. But enough about that; let's focus on the Eversource for now!"
Petra: "Well, I guess you're stealing from the dictator, so I don't really have anything against it..." We shrug our arms as I open the secret door with the new lever. As soon as I flicked it, the wall opened up, and five empty minecarts came rolling out.
Ivor: "Excellent! This is it! These minecarts must lead directly to the eversource!"
Jesse: "Eversource, here we come!" We hop into the minecarts as we start driving them through the secret door. On the other side of the wall was an almost vertical tunnel leading down, causing the carts to start tumbling down the tunnel. As we drove further down, the tunnel made turns every now and then, causing our ride to become even more chaotic than it already is.
After a short but intense ride, the tunnel finally opens up to a secret room. We are probably around 100 meters below the city right now. Wow, the underside of an island really is bigger than we would initially think. We hit the end of the rail track, causing the carts to come to a sudden stop. "Oof... that was a rougher ride than I thought it would be..."
Lukas: "Well, at least we didn't crash." We hopped off the minecarts as we took in the secret room we were in.
Jesse: "Wow, look at all these chests..." All around us were large stacks of double chests, decorating the walls of the room.
Petra: "Yeah, and they're all labeled?"
Lukas: "I mean, don't you label your chests?"
Petra: "I mean to label different kinds of blocks and such, but take a closer look! These don't make sense!"
Jesse: "Eh?" We curiously looked at the labels.
Milo: "'Creeper,' 'Zombie,' 'Sheep,' 'Pigman'... curious."
Ivor: "But... what does it mean?"
Jesse: "That's... odd... why would the chest be labeled after mobs?"
Lukas: "Wouldn't hurt to open one and find out?" I opened the nearest one to me that was labeled 'Sheep'. However, completely subverting my expectations, the chest was only filled with... eggs?
Jesse: "Huh?" Not just regular chicken eggs, these ones were colored white with pinkish-brown spots?
Lukas: "Eggs? The sign says 'Sheep,'' not 'Eggs.'"
Petra: "Might as well throw one and give it a shot?" I take one out and carefully aim it at a nearby wall. Then, when the egg I threw impacts the wall, a sheep suddenly pops out of the destroyed egg. "...What the hell...?"
Lukas: "Well, I guess the labels are correct after all..."
Milo: "U-Uh... is... is that a monster...?" Milo suddenly cowers beside us.
Ivor: "It's just a harmless sheep; not need to act overdramatic."
Petra: "Don't blame him! Maybe he's never seen one!" Milo peeks out from behind Ivor.
Milo: "Well... I guess it doesn't look so bad, and it does look fluffy." Milo hesitantly tries to approach the sheep to pet it.
Petra: "So the eggs all have creatures inside them?"
Jesse: "That's weird... I thought Sheep were mammals?"
Ivor: "Maybe it's just how animals reproduce in this world? Remember, we still know very little about how this dimension works."
Lukas: "Hey! Check it out!" Lukas pulls out an egg from the chests labeled 'Ocelot' and 'Blaze' respectively. But compared to the Sheep eggs, they were colored yellowish-orange with dark brown spots and orange with yellow spots, respectively. "I guess these eggs are color-coded to what's in them or something."
Jesse: "Yeah... Ocelots... and Blaze... Rods..." Lukas stares at the eggs, depressed.
Lukas: "What ever happened to those days..." I didn't know how else to react, so I tried to comfort him by placing my hand on his back. His body felt warm.
Petra: "So she can just spawn things whenever she wants to?"
Jesse: "So this must be where the resources come from. Different monsters and creatures... different drops. Question is... who is making these eggs?"
Ivor: "Stay on your toes! We're close! Ahh, I can't wait!" Ivor began hopping excitedly before sprinting into one of the aisles of chests. I rolled my eyes.
Jesse: "Let's take a look around. There may be more to this place than meets the eye." I turned back to Lukas. "Do you need a minute?"
Lukas: "No... I'm good... thanks..." I pulled away from Lukas as he put the eggs back into their respective chests.
Jesse: "If you're feeling down, you can always come to me, okay?"
Lukas: "Yeah... I'll keep it in mind." I smiled back. After that, we joined the others, who had already begun walking further down the aisle of chests. After a while, we end up on the other side of the room. Initially, it didn't look like anything was out of the ordinary.
Petra: "Wait! Everyone, keep quiet!" Petra pointed to the corner of the room. That corner was weirdly made of grass compared to the rest of the room. It was also made up of small makeshift hills also made of grass, which made it look like someone recreated a small scenery from a plains biome. "(There's someone behind that grass block!)"
Jesse: "(Eh?)" I decided to slowly step forward to check. As I turned the corner, ready to attack whoever was behind it, a chicken suddenly sent my expectations flying as it ran out of the corner before tripping on its feet and landing on its face. "What the???" A short, uncomfortable silence fills the room before Milo breaks it.
Milo: "Incredible!" The chicken gets up again, clucking nervously.
Jesse: "Wait... the Eversource... is a chicken?" It wasn't a regular chicken either; it was wearing a small crown along with some weird necklace.
Petra: "what."
Ivor: "Yes... the spawn eggs... It's so simple!"
Lukas: "Wait... wait, wait, wait. THAT'S the Eversource?" Lukas shouts in disbelief.
Jesse: "So.. the chicken lays the eggs... and the eggs... make monsters... and the loot from the monsters... made this place...?"
Ivor: "Well, throw it in the mine cart and let's get out of here!" Ivor suddenly approached the chicken, causing it to jump. "We're still taking it, right?"
Jesse: "Wait... you STILL want to steal it?"
Lukas: "The chicken that the entire city depends on? Are we sure that's a good idea?"
Milo: "What are you talking about? We need to bring it to the people. With it, we'll finally be free of the Founder!"
Ivor: "But that clucking thing is what we came here for!"
Petra: "Yeah, but the circumstances have changed."
Milo: "Wasn't the plan to retrieve the Eversource for the people?"
Jesse: "Yeah, I don't want to get involved in this. If Milo says it's for the greater good of the people, then we'll follow his lead." Milo nods back as I pick up the chicken.
Ivor: "What!? I thought that was the whole point of this adventure!"
Petra: "Oh, don't be such a sore loser, Ivo--" Petra's sentence cuts off as she suddenly gets flung away from us.
Ivor: "Wha--" Seconds later, a figure appears behind Ivor and flings him away towards Petra as well.
Lukas: "Jesse!" Lukas pushes me and himself away just as the figure grabs Milo, flinging him to a nearby wall where Petra and Ivor are lying dazed. Right then, the Blaze Rods suddenly burst into the room, and Maya and Gill immediately ran towards Petra, Ivor, and Milo to make sure they stayed down while Aiden and the figure who ambushed us closed in on me and Lukas.
Then the figure stopped before us, doing a ninja-like pose. Everything happened so fast that it was only now that I could correctly identify who this person was. The Founder stood before me, fuming with anger.
Founder: "I knew it! I knew you were here to steal from me!" Before I could respond, Aiden had to make his presence be known.
Aiden: "It's just like I told you, Founder! They're here to steal the Eversource! Classic Order of the Stone." Realizing I was still holding the chicken, I embarrassedly put it down again. The chicken then ran away nervously. Meanwhile, the sheep from earlier comes peeking into the room, presumably wondering what's going on.
Founder: "You don't say..."
Ivor: "What! No! Don't believe them!"
Milo: "You have the wrong idea!"
Petra: "This is nuts! He's delusional!"
Aiden: "Shut up! Criminals!"
Jesse: "Ugh, Aiden. Would you just shut up already?!" Aiden gets taken back a little by my comment. Well, I don't really care what he thinks. I've just had enough of hearing his annoying-ass voice already. "I can't believe you're still actually believing the mindless rants of that asshole!" Aiden turns his already ugly face even uglier.
Founder: "Watch your language! And you just expect me to believe a bunch of criminals?" I grind my teeth in anger. "Aiden warned me that you were a pack of thieves, and here you are, prepared to make off with the one thing our City depends on to survive!" As I and the Founder stared each other down, Aiden suddenly broke the tension.
Aiden: "Boy. When you put it like that, I almost feel bad."
Founder: "Huh?" The Founder looks back, surprised to see Aiden taking out an egg from a nearby chest. Aiden glared back with a smirk filled with overconfidence. I can't say I was surprised. A narcissist like him would probably betray anyone to achieve their goal.
Lukas: "Aiden! What are you doing!?"
Aiden: "'Fraid I'M going to be taking the chicken. It's mine now."
Founder: "What!?" The Founder took a step back in disbelief. "This is outrageous! Aiden. Don't do this."
Aiden: "I thought for a bit -- if I let you stay in charge, where would I stand? In the end, you'll just stay in my way. That's why I'm better off disposing of you right now."
Lukas: "AIDEN!" Before anyone does anything else, Aiden throws the egg in my, Lukas's, and the Founders direction. We dodge the egg, but it just hits the wall, causing a creeper to pop out of it.
Jesse: "Creeper! Look out!" Since the Founder was closest, the creeper immediately began pursuing her. "Lukas! Take cover!" The Founder tries to draw two swords from both of her hands, but before she can do anything, the creeper explodes, blasting everyone away. When I opened my eyes again, a giant crater had opened up the wall into the void, and the Founder, who had been blasted away the furthest, was now barely clinging onto the island's edge.
"Shit!" The room turned chaotic. The chicken was fluttering around in fear; the sheep from earlier was also caught in the blast zone and was promptly blown off the island; and the Founder was desperately trying not to let go of the edge. I stood there shocked, until Lukas's yell snapped me back.
Lukas: "Jesse! I've got Aiden! Save the Founder!" Lukas was quicker to react than me and tried to tackle Aiden, both now engaging in a struggle. Shit. This was too much to take in; I didn't know what to do.
Aiden: "Oh, do you 'got' me, Lukas?"
Lukas: "Stop doing this! Can't we just go back to normal!?"
Aiden: "You think you understand what I want?!" Shit. Shit. I'm wasting time the longer I stand here. It didn't look like anyone had the upper hand, but I don't want Lukas to end up more hurt by that asshole. Meanwhile, the Founder was starting to lose grip. Shit! What should I do!? Jesse! Save the Founder! Even Lukas said so! Why am I hesitating at a time like this?!
Are you worried Lukas will lose? Are you undermining Lukas's ability to fight? Last time you went after Aiden, it didn't end well. Will it this time? Thoughts overloaded my mind.
Lukas: "Jesse! The Founder!" Fuck! Time is running out! It's now or never! I dash over to the Founder and barely catch her hand just before she falls. Taking up all my strength, I manage to pull her back up. The Founder gasps from her near-death experience.
Founder: "Thank you... thank you." I nodded back, but Lukas's scream immediately interrupted that.
Jesse: "Lukas!?" Before I get to turn around, Lukas suddenly flies beside me... into the void. Time slowed down... as I wasn't able to process what had just happened. My jaw dropped... as Lukas looked back up at me... with a face I couldn't take in. Noise around me ceased to enter my brain at that moment. I could only watch in terror as Lukas fell down...
I was so shocked at that moment... I didn't even notice that Aiden had sneaked up behind me and kicked me into the void as well. My body got pushed into the Founder... as we're sent tumbling as well. I barely had time to look back to see Aiden's grin.
Emotions ran through my brain as I could only stare back with a shocked face. Then, when time sped up again, Aiden and the island started to shrink from my view as we fell down. The only thing I could hear... was the wind blowing around us and the Founder's scream...
[Petra's POV]
The room went silent. Everyone watched as Aiden kicked off Lukas, along with The Founder and Jesse. Fucking Bastard! How could he just dispose of them without remorse? That piece of shit really is full of himself. I won't let myself get killed as well! Even Aiden's friends looked surprised by what he did and weren't paying attention to me. That was the perfect moment to strike. While Gill's back was turned, I kicked him to the ground while I stood up.
Maya: "What!?" I draw my sword and push Maya back before she can fight back.
Aiden: "What do you think you're doing?!" Aiden tries to come after me, but I surprise him by throwing a spawn egg at him. "What!?" The egg hits his face as a cave spider pops out. That should keep him busy for now. I guess he didn't expect me to keep a few of those eggs back when we opened a few of those chests, did he? Well, that's what you get for underestimating us!
Petra: "Ivor! Milo! We're escaping! C'mon on! We need to warn the people!" I help Ivor and Milo get up before we make a run for the minecarts.
Aiden: "YOU IDIOTS! GO AFTER THEM!"
Gill: "Y-Yes boss...!" Maya and Gill come after us as a chase ensues...
To be continued...