Soulbreak - A MCYT 3rd/Last/Double Life FanFiction

Chapter 11 - Quiet Mania

[PoV - Pearl/1st]

Pearl whimpered small gasps of pain as she lay back against the warm crimson rock. Martyn had dragged her into a small crevice in the netherrack cliffs to recover some stamina. He hadn't said much, and now his back was turned to Pearl as he assembled blaze rod pipes on a little platform.

"I have to go back in for some nether wart. And a ghast tear for the regen." Martyn averted Pearl's gaze. Pearl narrowed her eyes as she tried to read Martyn's face. His short wavy yellow-gold hair was slicked down with sweat, and his light green clothes were painted to his body in the humid atmosphere. You could easily make out the muscles of his abdomen and discern the contour of his fit body.

Pearl's eyes flickered to his face, trying to read what he was thinking at that moment. Martyn's lips were pressed together and his eyebrows creased, but his expression remained unchanging, unreadable.

Pearl almost wanted to call out for him and ask him to stay as he faded out of view in the dense atmosphere. Pearl hated silence - she was terrified of being alone. But she knew if she wanted to survive she had to sit tight. Unless of course somehow something got into the cave, then she was doomed alone.

To Pearl's surprise in a minute or two the pain in her legs subsided intensely, and she couldn't help but wonder why her legs felt an almost cool, moist sensation. They still hurt intensely, but only when they moved. She wondered if it was the humidity kicking in.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... Pearl counted quietly to herself to pass the time. Her anxiety was racing and her heart rate spiked. You're going to be okay. Martyn wouldn't abandon you. Pearl told herself calmly. After Pearl reached three thousand nine hundred and two she decided to take things into her own hands. Pearl had never been good at relying on others - she liked being in control. Pearl had always prided herself on self-sufficiency, and even though the circumstances had never been quite this drastic, she would survive.

Pearl winced as she pulled herself to her feet, digging her fingers into the soft, charred red rock as she leaned into the wall. Pangs of pain shot through her mangled, bloodied muscles. Deep breaths, Pearl murmured to herself.

Resourceful as she was, Pearl rummaged through Martyn's knapsack which lay by the entrance of the cave. Four sticks and some spider floss would do. As Pearl knelt down to brace her shins her legs trembled, threatening to give way underneath her. With a hiss of pain, Pearl secured the braces and clambered back up into a standing position.

One foot in front of the other, Pearl whispered to herself as she took hesitant step after hesitant, painful step. Pearl let out a soft hum of relief as she stepped out into the vast open space again. A wave of giddiness swept over her as she surveyed each island through the lens of adventure. The pain numbed, left far behind her as she pranced over to the bank of a vast lava lake.

The way the crimsons and sunsets molted together, swirling and sparkling in the thick, sodden atmosphere. It was entrancing, almost magical. For a split second Pearl forgot the lava was hot and stopped her fingers from sliding into the molten liquid by millimeters.

Pearl forced herself to focus on getting back to the overworld, as hard as it was to snap out of her dreamlike state. Her keen eyes pierced a small cobblestone mound, picking up on the trail home. Aha, Pearl muttered as she found the silvery bridge leading home.

Home. What an awful, awful thing to dub the place that beckoned all violent acts and heinous crimes, but until she died or was killed... it was home.

Pearl laughed quietly to herself as she pictured her sword slicing down Joel or Etho or... what would they say before they died? Which server mates would beg for mercy and which ones would face their end with dignity? Who would she target first? Who would she betray on her road to victory? But if there was victory...

Would Scott die at her hands? She could picture it, his face, his hair, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, the way he would clasp her hand, his knuckles white as his last breath rolled off his red-stained tongue. Pearl shuddered, wobbling on the thin slab of stone that suspended her over certain death.

Would Martyn fall to her? Did she have the courage? She could've killed him so many times already... would it hurt her to kill Martyn? She hardly knew him but- Pearl could picture his crystal eyes boring into hers as if reading her soul.

Martyn was different. He was so... innocent. His features weren't yet clouded with loss. His body wasn't marked with the scars of a thousand terrible battles. Pearl wrenched the image of his body draining life from her mind. She wouldn't kill Martyn, she owed him. Once the blood debt was paid she could consciously take his future, but not yet.

The moment of clarity faded into exhaustion as Pearl tried to regain the earlier vigor. It seemed that whenever she remembered logic the pain came back, sharp as ever. Exhaustion swamped back into the picture, but Pearl forced herself to lumber forward.

After another harsh hour or so fatigue threatened to overtake Pearl completely. Pearl's muscles screamed and sweat leaked from her pours like a stream, leaving Pearl a dry, shriveled raisin.

"Agh!" Pearl lost her footing and tumbled onto her side against the cliff face of the rock inlet she was currently traversing. Her vision swam as she tried to regain her bearings. "Need... water..." Pearl's hand shook as she dragged it across the crumbling ground toward Martyn's knapsack. Potion bottles! It finally clicked.

Pearl managed to shakily unclasp the knapsack hinges and feel around the leather pocket. Pearl grunted as she felt a cool smooth surface against her fingertips. With trembling, fumbling movements she managed to drag the little flask to her flaking lips. A few drops of the liquid dripped onto her dry gums, soaking into her parched skin.

After a few messy sips, Pearl managed to sit up against the wall and reassess the situation. She had half a small bottle of water left, two raw slabs of slimy, possibly rotting pork, and a thin wafer of honeycomb. Great, this is going to end amazingly then, Pearl rolled her eyes.

How far did she have left to go? An hour? Two? Or even less than that? Pearl's lungs were on fire, her throat was scraped dry, and every fiber of her screamed in protest to the harsh climate. Yet Pearl still lived, she was still breathing. For now.

Pearl nibbled down her honeycomb, regaining a little burst of strength. I have to keep moving. A shroud of determination settled over her, and a strange calm set in. Pearl rose to her feet almost robotically, packing up her knapsack, ignoring the pain.

One long, agonizing stride at a time the time stretched farther and farther... vweem! Pearl hardly registered the ground exploding right behind her.

"Agh!" Pearl's body snapped into overdrive half a second later. Pain. Pearl's head exploded with pain. "Eugh," Pearl dug her nails into her arm, drawing small droplets of blood, distracting her from the agony that was her headspace. 

"Not... now." Pearl groaned as she forced herself to look up, defiance etched over her face. Snap. Something broke within the complex system of neurons and hot-headed recklessness that was Pearl's brain. Tap. Tik. Toca. Pearl's feet danced across the ground as she dodged and wove around the blasts, determination fulfilling the aching.

"Voitheia enkopis," Pearl murmured a little prayer as she laughed, stepping behind a pillar. She was out of breath, but her energy levels had been restored in some enigmatic way. Suddenly a gleam of color caught the corner of Pearl's eyes. "Portal," Pearl breathed all thought of the ghast left behind. She could feel fire hot on her trail, tearing at her heels but Pearl no longer cared.

"Ah!" An explosion knocked Pearl to her bloodied knees. Stumbling forward, Pearl dragged herself onward. "Just... a... few... more steps," Pearl reassured herself. With one last, longing look at the dimension that seemed to have been crafted just for Pearl took a small step backward and plummeted into the violet abyss and safety. 

A/N: I FINALLY UPDATED THIS STORY. It took... over 2 months. *Cringe*. All for... a short chapter? A filler chapter? I - I'm sorry- I'll just go hide now.