Deviation Actions
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Sorry if the image looks too dark, I was going for a scene that took place at sunset.
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As the glow of the river faded behind them, the only illumination came from Steve’s still-glowing shoes. A faint trail of green light followed his steps. Jason was walking beside George, wanting to be sure the pig had recovered. Steve kept checking himself for any symptoms, but nothing turned up. He seemed fine after the dip.
They had been walking for a while when Alex finally spoke up. “You guys notice something? No mobs.”
They all stopped to look and listen in the blackness.
“You’re right,” Steve said, his voice echoing off the walls of the tunnel they were following. “We haven’t seen a single one. This must be another test, probably true-heartedness. We’ve all had to prove ourselves except you.”
“You might be right,” his sister said, ignoring his comment. “But what’s the last test the book mentioned?”
“Bravery,” Steve said, knowing the instruction without having to look. “That one will probably be outside of here.”
Jason stayed silent throughout the conversation. Steve couldn’t see him, but he’d seemed out of sorts since they’d been separated at the river. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something had happened between him and Alex. Why was he so afraid and she so unshaken? Steve tried not to think of the worst.
At last, the tunnel led upward, revealing a patch of blue sky. After so long in the darkness of the cave, the light was exciting and yet blinding. Even as it grew brighter, they picked up the pace and burst out into the chill mountain air.
“Whew!” Alex inhaled eagerly. “Finally, some fresh air! Now we can get our bearings and—” She broke off at the sight of the sun sliding down the western sky. “It’s afternoon?! How could we have spent a day in there?”
None of them had a feeling they’d been trapped for more than five hours at most. Steve was as puzzled as the rest of them, exchanging looks with the still-silent Jason.
“And look behind us!” Alex went on. The others turned and saw the edge of the labyrinth at the top of a ridge behind them. It was obviously the exit; they could see the road leading out of the fence and continuing north.
Alex led the way up to inspect the walls. Near the base, a series of cracks formed a rectangle large enough for them to fit through. It could only be the outline of a door.
“Look, here’s the real exit! We could have found it back there!” Alex griped. As she spoke, Steve realized he was wrong about the cave.
“That was not a test,” he said slowly. “That was a trap to slow us down. You were being too impatient.”
“I had a good reason!” she flashed back, eyes glinting. “You were slowing us down!”
Steve was about to retort, but he caught sight of Jason. His best friend was watching with that terrified look he’d worn since they’d met up again. He’d never looked like that in all the time he’d had to break up their arguments. Steve bit his tongue and waited for his sister to run out of steam. She soon grew frustrated with his lack of responses and led them down the road, at which Steve slowed down to talk to Jason.
“Jason, what happened back there?” he asked him, keeping his voice low. “Ever since George and I got back, you’ve been scared to death!”
“He saw something—again,” Alex broke in without turning her head. “How can you trust the word of a crazy person?”
“It’s the cave, not Jason,” Steve put in. “He’d tell me if he had another vision.” None of them made a reply.
At sunset, the group arrived on the edge of a cliff where a single oak tree grew by the roadside. The path turned and continued upward along the edge, around the valley far below.
“Let’s stop here for the night,” Steve suggested, moving to stand beneath the tree.
“Why? Wouldn’t it be safer to travel at night?” Alex asked with an odd note in her voice.
Steve could not believe his ears. “Up here? That’s too dangerous!”
“But what if someone else mistakes you for The Great and Powerful One?” Alex persisted. “You heard those villagers the other day. They told us this was a safe zone, and he was forbidden to enter!”
Putting aside the obvious hypocrisy, Steve voiced his counterargument. “Only villagers would make that mistake. Did you see the one I looked at? He called my eyes white.”
“But we don’t know where the safe zone ends,” Alex objected. “What if someone else makes that mistake? What if Notch has guards and they make the same mistake? What if they don’t let you in?”
“Since when were you so worried about this?” Steve asked suspiciously, raising a brow. “That’s Jason’s job.”
“I just don’t want you to be arrested again,” Alex said with a tinge of defensiveness.
“I’m not traveling in the dark just to hide my face,” Steve argued. “People need to know that there are two of us, one good and one evil.”
“No, Steve, you’ve got it backwards,” Alex said in a tone that conveyed buried offense. “If you refuse to accept your destiny and join him, you’re the evil one.”
Dead silence fell over the cliff. Steve could not feel himself breathing, though his heart banged against his ribs. Terrified and unable to believe what he had just heard, Jason watched, likewise with bated breath, standing beside George. The pig seemed as stunned as the others.
“Did I just hear you correctly?” Steve demanded, keeping a heavy hand on his temper. “You said I’m supposed to be like him?”
“That’s exactly what I meant!” Alex snapped, her voice rising and a strange, mad light in her eyes. “I had a vision by the river!”
“We all had visions!” Steve shot back. “I’m pretty sure George had them as well!” The pig oinked fiercely in agreement, but his shell-shocked owner neither moved nor concurred. It was clear from the look on his face that this was the thing that had scared him so much.
“This wasn’t like the others!” Alex said hotly, making George back away. Jason followed him, not wanting to lose his protection, as she carried on. “Our brother was there, and he said I was supposed to get my full powers and be worshipped at his side! He said that was your destiny too, and I would have to do whatever it took to get you on his side!”
Jason mounted George, both to lose his height disadvantage and to be ready to flee, but Steve was equal to the fight.
“I know what’s going on,” he said, his voice steady. “The cave played the exact same trick on me before I found Jason. It offered me my powers back, but I refused.”
Alex huffed in disgust. “Ugh, do I have to put up with you making up excuses?”
“Anything it takes to knock some sense into you!” Steve yelled, now desperate to stop her from completely losing it. “I don’t want power, I just want to keep people safe!”
“Hold your tongue, before I do something I’ll regret!” Alex ordered, pointing at him.
Steve tried to speak, but immediately realized that his voice wasn’t working. No sound would come out of his throat. He tried his best, but all he got was a dry pain with every attempt. The sight seemed to snap Jason out of his stupor and he cried out, “What did you do to him?”
“What I had to do, to teach him a lesson!” Alex glared at him, not looking sorry.
“He’s had enough! Give him his voice back!” Jason pleaded, watching his friend struggle against the command, frightened and angry but completely mute, and George let out a growl.
“And listen to him whine about not wanting to follow his destiny?” Alex sneered without a look at her victim. Behind her, Steve made a frantic gesture with both his arms to draw her attention.
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you,” Alex said. Her tone was sarcastic, but Steve gasped audibly, relieved at having his voice restored. “I’m trying to say I don’t trust you with my purpose, but Notch!” were the first words out of his mouth.
“You care more about your friends than power! If you want to find out why you’re here, I suggest not dragging yourself up here through a bunch of tests! I have the answer, you’re just too soft-hearted to listen! And you know what else? If we teamed up, we could ditch that stupid little brain-dead half-cooked omelet and that shank of ham he likes to ride. We could go much faster without them holding us back!”
The ground shook as Steve leapt in front of Jason and George, and the low sun flashed on a blue diamond sword. “Alex! You—or that thing inside you—are going too far! Jason and George are my friends, and you won’t get your way by threatening them! If you can hear me in there, get out of my sister before I kick her out of our group for good!!”
Jason was about to scream out a warning to stop, but Alex’s fury only seemed intensified. “You want him to come out?” she challenged, looking into Steve’s eyes with a gaze of utter insanity. “I’ll show you! Take this!”
Without warning, her fist flew out and struck Steve’s right cheek. There was an earsplitting crack and an excruciating pain seared the entire side of his head, making him drop to all fours. He grabbed his cheekbone and quickly realized it was broken. The throbbing in his right ear was making it nearly impossible to hear on that side, so that his sister’s next words were distorted.
“This is what you get for your continuing disloyalty! If you won’t join us, you must be punished! You will kneel to him!” registered through the ringing in his ears.
Steve had to try several times before he was able to speak. “Never! I will never submit!” he managed to choke out. His words had no effect, as Alex grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up until he was on his knees. He said nothing but stared at her fiercely as he was taunted and humiliated.
Jason was too terrified of what had just taken place to speak. George was likewise holding back, watching his friend be forced into a venerating posture. When Alex was done, she released him and allowed him to collapse on the grass under the tree, panting with pain.
“I’ll be fine on my own, without you three holding me back!” Alex shouted forcefully, looking commandingly at all of them. “I’m ashamed to call you brother! You’re no different than these lesser beings! Don’t come looking for me until you’re ready to obey!”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and sprinted off up the road, disappearing into the falling dusk.
“Wait, Alex, come back!” Jason begged, preparing to urge his mount after her, but a rasping sound stopped them. Jason looked down and saw Steve watching him, eyes alight with agony. He jumped off his pig and turned toward his best friend.
“Jason… don’t give her… what she wants,” Steve said weakly. Every movement of his jaw sent a fresh wave of pain through his cheek. His head ached and his vision was blurring. “My head. I… can’t… go on.” The sounds in his other ear were becoming muffled, and his sight wavered as if he were underwater. To his listeners, every word was dragged out of him like thorns. “Please… you must… find me a…”
But before he could say what he needed, his eyelids slid shut and his head slumped onto the leaves.
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Told you it was going to get tense! Not going to say what'll happen next--yet.
Characters, Steve's and Alex's versions (c) Element Animation
Bound by Loyalty, redesigns (c) Me