Withering World 1 [MCSM Fanfiction]

TRANSMISSION: Chapter 30

Lukas

"Make another move and I end him," the woman scowls, causing Petra to let go of her sword and spread her arms out in surrender.

It sends me chills, not hearing another word from either of the two for another few but long seconds. That's when I decide to deadpan, hoping to get a reaction from at least one of them. "This your long-lost sister, Petra?"

Discontented, my abuser sighs and tightens the hold of her weapon on me, making me wince. "Oh, I see you got another loudmouth with you."

"You weren't like this before," Petra says, snarling.

"Where's Jesse?"

Petra looks as if she's about to cry. "You don't get the right to see her. Not after everything she's done to defeat Romeo for you."

"She left us with the monsters! Even after your little friend tried to sacrifice himself to that enderman for us!"

"Well great news, Binta - Radar's dead!" She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, biting hard to keep herself from quivering as she reaches for her neck to fidget with her golden pendant. "And the truth is, Jesse's well on her way too."

The woman, who I now know as Binta, releases me while perking a brow, seeming rather disturbed at the news.

"Jesse never wanted to leave anyone behind," Petra continues. "But she reasoned it was the only way to keep as many people as possible alive."

"By leaving a whole town against one person?"

"By leaving the people who know how to live down here against one fragile person who doesn't. And now that fragile person is gone. You know, she was right to leave you-"

Offended, she abruptly repositions herself against me, the iron sword back against my chest, and I yelp, constricted. "Okay, that's enough! Why are you really here?"

Please be smart about this, Petra. Please say anything that will cause her to let go of me.

I try to glance at her as if I was being suspended above a cauldron of boiling oil. She'll cut me any minute now.

"Two reasons, the first one ties into the next: there's a deadly disease quickly spreading in the Overworld - Wither - and so far, no one has survived it. Our research team found a cure, but it requires an ingredient that only exists here, which is your blue mycelium. Jesse is infected, so we need to harvest the mycelium and make the cure in time. Fortunately, this also means we could bring you back with us- for real this time."

"You sure?" she asks.

"There's just one problem. If you come back with us, there's a high chance you'll be infected. I don't want to bring you to a place any worse than this."

Binta squints in skepticism, finally realizing there's no point in keeping me hostage. Sheesh, I never want to be the possible price to pay for Petra's past actions ever again. I wonder if Fred's people always acted like this.

"So, how can we get up there?"

I interfere, feeling uneasy in this sort of darkness, knowing fully well that I'd be in a bright room drafting a brief for the Wither stages with Olivia right now. Oh crud, I left Olivia to advance by herself with no warning. All I can do is hope that she'll tolerate slaving away under Ivor alone. "Is it alright if we... go inside? Petra and I could plan on getting you guys out of here, then," I say, switching the topic of my thoughts.

"Right," says Binta. "You already heard Petra call me by name, what about you?"

"I'm Lukas."

"Nice. Sorry I threatened you. We're not big on suspiciously wandering outsiders here." She casts a glance at Petra, who exchanges a lopsided smirk, suggesting a memory shared between them both.

"No worries. I get you had to do what you had to do."

"It ensures my people's safety. Moving on, right this way."

She leads us through the gate and up a heck of a lot of stairs, taking us through more of a camp than an actual town. There's a cozy amount of people currently outside, less than I imagined. Some recognize Petra's face and others have completely forgotten: no one registers me. Then, she brings us into one of the minority of houses that don't have a foundation of wooden stilts.

The back of my right leg is throbbing. Yesterday's pain still pesters me like the bite of a mosquito. I know it won't be leaving me anytime soon, not even if I get back to QZ. But even if it makes walking harder for me, I can't mention that. Definitely not that. And it's no longer because I fear Petra will tease me.

"Harvest all the mycelium you need, but make sure you only collect the ones on the outskirts of the keep."

As for the rest of Binta's instructions, they become futile. There's a smoke in my head, clogging the thoughts of my mind and making me sleepy. Yes, I was supposed to sleep once Petra did back at the temple, although my reasoning to rest didn't really sync with how tired I should have been.

----

"So, what do you think?"

"I think it's absolutely brilliant!" Binta chirps to Petra.

Refreshed, the sheets that bury me reveal I managed to actually fall asleep, restless as I lie in a fetal position.

My companion notices me first, springing from the nearby desk. My first impulse is to extend my limbs, indulging in a long, pleasant stretch. "Morning Lukas! Wait- morning? Or... what time even is it?"

"Eh, morning, evening. No one down here cares at this point." Binta chuckles and snakes over towards me, grabbing the blankets and neatly folding them. "Good rest?"

"I believe so. What were you guys talking about, anyway?"

They run through it with me, their plan on how to rescue Fred's people without the risk of infection. Surprisingly, Petra is the mastermind behind this.

"Six months. After we leave, Binta and her people will get six months to train in the keep - they need to be confident about fighting the monsters."

I question this. "Six months?"

"It's the standard training period for warriors in Beacontown before they move up rank. And if the cure for Wither works, six months should give enough time for everything to clear up."

Binta saunters to the other side of the room, pulling out fireworks from one of the chests. As if they had an undesirable fault, she holds them out. "When will these come into play?"

"Once the six months are up, you'll travel to the Oasis where the portal is. Here's where the flaw was last time: Jesse used the fireworks at the Oasis to alert you guys to come, which unfortunately attracted all the mobs too. That's what forced her to make the choice to leave you here.

This time, you'll go through Xara's portal on your own accord, hopefully without being cornered by mobs. You'll land outside a building named the 'Order's Temple'. Get to the top floor of the building and set off the fireworks there."

"Then what?" I ask. "What if the Wither fallout hasn't cleared up by then?"

"That means we'd still be in QZ. Whoever's on duty in the watchtower can alert the warriors, which only a select few will go out to collect Fred's people. If the skeletons are attracted to the fireworks, at least Fred's people are under the protection of the building. All they need to do is wait for us."

After thinking twice about the plan, I conclude that this might be the smartest thing Petra's ever suggested. It's strategic and flawless. It's realistic - this pitch has a real shot at working out properly.

"Since when did you get so logical?"

"I guess my time in QZ without you or Jesse told me to get more brainy. Defo didn't appreciate your guys' intellect enough." She shrugs nonchalantly.

"Logical or not, I think it's the closest thing we have to getting out of here."

Binta decides to leave us be, straightening out her white blouse before approaching the door. "I'll inform my people of the training plan right away. You guys can collect the mycelium whenever. Take your time. You can stay for as long as you need."

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