HermioneJG
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- Apr 12, 2017
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"Three creepers managed to destroy the whole village?" I repeated, aghast.
Stre nodded. "Yeah," said Ang. "Hopefully, though, they can't get through obsidian now."
We'd been sharing our stories as we travelled. Although Ang and Stre had already heard it, I told Thomas about the zombies and skeletons walking around in the daylight, then the other two girls had begun explaining how their village had been reduced to rubble by three creepers. Not charged creepers; these ones had appeared to be normal. But even charged creepers couldn't have done that kind of damage.
Three creepers. A whole village. Holy Notch. At least they'd managed to get out with nobody killed. Hooray for preparation and paranoia.
"That's... insane," Thomas said. "What is even hap-"
He was interrupted by something that sounded like the unearthly, tortured screech of a giant cat. It sounded close.
"Hurry," Stre murmured.
Nobody needed to be told that twice. We urged the horses into a gallop, but made sure that she and Max could keep up. The trees weren't as close together here, so when the sound came again and I turned around, I got a clear view of our giant, tortured 'cats.'
The ghasts were creatures with wrinkled white skin and eyes squinted shut, gliding after us above the treetops. They were jellyfish-like, with nine tentacles about as long as a person is tall. But one of the ghasts was at least one and a half times the size of the other. I was pretty sure they weren't supposed to grow that big.
The larger one's eyes suddenly widened and it opened its mouth in an O. Stre grabbed Max and rolled to the side, holding him, while Thomas, Ang and I scattered to the sides just as the fireball hit the ground where we'd just been.
I gaped at the crater it made when it hit. It was huge, much bigger than it should have been given the size of a fire charge.
"Stre, what are you doing?" Ang called.
I looked back and - ugh, I should have put my hair up. I couldn't see a thing behind me with it whipping around in the wind. Holding Quicksilver's reins in one hand and gathering my hair up in the other, I saw Stre telling Max to sit and stay as she pulled out her bow and notched an arrow in it.
"Well, do you think we can run from them indefinitely?" Stre responded, then let the arrow fly. It hit the smaller ghast, which slowed and cried almost pitifully as it was hit. Then it turned around to find the source.
I pulled on the reins and stopped to watch as she shot it again, until Thomas yelled, "Hermione! Fireball!"
I shrieked and snapped the reins. The fireball hit a tree that had been behind me, which fell backwards, burning. Oh, this would not end well.
"We need to hit the fire charges back at them!" Ang shouted, and drew her sword. Then she yanked on Fire Dancer's reins, making the horse stop. Despite the name, the mare obviously wasn't comfortable being put in such a position, and she whinnied angrily and kept trying to run. "Come on, I'm right here!" Ang yelled up at the ghasts. "Try to hit me!"
That's suicide, I thought. She was glaring defiantly at the monsters. No, no, don't do this...
The larger one shrieked and shot a fireball. Swinging her sword like a bat, Ang hit it back, then winced and rubbed the back of her arm. I could only stare as the fireball flew back at the ghast, knocking it backwards. It wailed in pain.
The other one suddenly fell from the sky to land on the burning tree, with several arrows embedded in its head. Stre was now wrestling with Max, trying to calm down the wolf. He was was snapping and snarling, barking and growling at the ghasts, and Thomas was riding across to them.
I couldn't make Ang deal with the next fireball too, and Thomas was dealing with Max, so taking a deep breath and burying my sense of self-preservation, I brought Quicksilver to a halt and yelled, "Try to get me, ghast!"
Yup, I'm dead, I thought, as the ghast turned to face me and opened its mouth. I watched the fireball fly closer and closer, and how did Ang do this, and then I could see the fire charge at the centre like a tiny meteor and nope nope nope I can't do this. Quicksilver seemed to share that sentiment, since the mare didn't hesitate when I urged her into motion. We got out of the way just in time, but I still felt the heat sear my back.
Then the creature turned to face Stre and Thomas. Stre was shooting arrow after arrows. The ghast prepared to spit another fireball at them, and Thomas seemed to be getting ready to launch it back, when the monster made a choking sound as one of the arrows flew straight into its open mouth. It began to sink through the air, partially concealed by the tall trees.
An then it exploded.
The trees shielded us from most of the mess, but I still turned away. The fire charge must have exploded inside the thing, either from hitting the arrow or because the ghast couldn't spit it out. Whatever the case, it was dead now.
I removed my cloak to see if it had been damaged when I avoided the fire charge. Miraculously, it wasn't, aside from one tiny hole near my shoulder, which suddenly felt like it was on fire now. Strange, in the chaos I hadn't even noticed that.
"Hermione, you okay?" asked Stre.
I looked up. She was riding Elytra again, and had brought the horse in front of Quicksilver and me.
"Mostly," I said, trying not to sound like a whiny kid as I added, "My shoulder hurts though."
Thomas and Ang were around us now too. Thomas was walking with Max now, and Ang looked like the victim of an incredibly bad sunburn.
"You guys have any potions to help with that?" Thomas asked, gesturing at me and Ang.
Ang shook her head in answer, then turned to me. "Hermy, what happened with the fireball?"
"I'm just a coward," I mumbled.
They all frowned as if concerned for me, but didn't push me to repeat it. We began traveling again. The other girls and I rode while Thomas walked, keeping his hand resting on Max's head. When Stre asked if he minded that, he assured us that he was more comfortable walking with his pet.
Within a few minutes the mood became lighthearted, or as lighthearted as it could in a situation like ours. Ang joked that Fire Dancer probably had PTSD now and Thomas began calling Stre the 'Exploder of Flying Jellyfish' just because it sounded ridiculously stupid, but that couldn't distract me from worrying over my cowardice.
I'd nearly fought, I'd been ready to hit the fire charge back, I'd swallowed my fear! For just one moment. And then I'd run, again. What if one of the others had been near me, unprepared for the fire charge to hit because I was expected to hit it back? There would have been almost no time to react. Someone would have died because I was a coward.
I had been so close to being a fighter like the others, but obviously I wasn't going to change.
-----
Wait, what, a chapter where we actually do something?! Yes! It exists! And look at me, being that annoying character who goes on and on about how terrible at everything she is. Ugh, I'm irritating myself with that, actually. Must make sure to lessen that in later chapters.
Nobody guessed anything about the name Quicksilver being barely related to the name Hermione. Still, I'll explain it, although likely nobody's interested. Quicksilver is another name for liquid metal mercury; Mercury is the name for the Roman form of the Greek god Hermes; Hermione is a female name derived from the name of Hermes. I imagine you knew the first two, but maybe not the third. I'd never realised the third before writing that chapter.
Yes, Ang, you can be burnt in this story. And Strel, now you understand that comment I made on your profile that you didn't even question
Concrit wanted, but say what should be improved instead of just 'this is bad.' That doesn't tell me much.
If you want an alert when future chapters are posted, just say so and I'll tag you. Or, if you're someone who will be in the story or you are in it now, and you don't want to see an alert whenever a new chapter is posted, feel free to say that too (although, I hope nobody wants that).
If this is the first time you're seeing this story, you can read the beginning here > https://brokenlens.xyz/forums/threads/our-world-begins-to-fall-chapter-1.24551/
People in this chapter > @angsk8 @Strelitzia @XThomasXPlayzX
People who asked for an alert > @cheesyunicorn @MagicMiner684 @LightningFire96 @Ice_Hatake
I just edited out a paragraph that I forgot to remove when I was editing the chapter and it didn't make sense, yet nobody seemed to notice.
To Chapter 6! > https://brokenlens.xyz/forums/threads/our-world-begins-to-fall-chapter-6.26325/
Stre nodded. "Yeah," said Ang. "Hopefully, though, they can't get through obsidian now."
We'd been sharing our stories as we travelled. Although Ang and Stre had already heard it, I told Thomas about the zombies and skeletons walking around in the daylight, then the other two girls had begun explaining how their village had been reduced to rubble by three creepers. Not charged creepers; these ones had appeared to be normal. But even charged creepers couldn't have done that kind of damage.
Three creepers. A whole village. Holy Notch. At least they'd managed to get out with nobody killed. Hooray for preparation and paranoia.
"That's... insane," Thomas said. "What is even hap-"
He was interrupted by something that sounded like the unearthly, tortured screech of a giant cat. It sounded close.
"Hurry," Stre murmured.
Nobody needed to be told that twice. We urged the horses into a gallop, but made sure that she and Max could keep up. The trees weren't as close together here, so when the sound came again and I turned around, I got a clear view of our giant, tortured 'cats.'
The ghasts were creatures with wrinkled white skin and eyes squinted shut, gliding after us above the treetops. They were jellyfish-like, with nine tentacles about as long as a person is tall. But one of the ghasts was at least one and a half times the size of the other. I was pretty sure they weren't supposed to grow that big.
The larger one's eyes suddenly widened and it opened its mouth in an O. Stre grabbed Max and rolled to the side, holding him, while Thomas, Ang and I scattered to the sides just as the fireball hit the ground where we'd just been.
I gaped at the crater it made when it hit. It was huge, much bigger than it should have been given the size of a fire charge.
"Stre, what are you doing?" Ang called.
I looked back and - ugh, I should have put my hair up. I couldn't see a thing behind me with it whipping around in the wind. Holding Quicksilver's reins in one hand and gathering my hair up in the other, I saw Stre telling Max to sit and stay as she pulled out her bow and notched an arrow in it.
"Well, do you think we can run from them indefinitely?" Stre responded, then let the arrow fly. It hit the smaller ghast, which slowed and cried almost pitifully as it was hit. Then it turned around to find the source.
I pulled on the reins and stopped to watch as she shot it again, until Thomas yelled, "Hermione! Fireball!"
I shrieked and snapped the reins. The fireball hit a tree that had been behind me, which fell backwards, burning. Oh, this would not end well.
"We need to hit the fire charges back at them!" Ang shouted, and drew her sword. Then she yanked on Fire Dancer's reins, making the horse stop. Despite the name, the mare obviously wasn't comfortable being put in such a position, and she whinnied angrily and kept trying to run. "Come on, I'm right here!" Ang yelled up at the ghasts. "Try to hit me!"
That's suicide, I thought. She was glaring defiantly at the monsters. No, no, don't do this...
The larger one shrieked and shot a fireball. Swinging her sword like a bat, Ang hit it back, then winced and rubbed the back of her arm. I could only stare as the fireball flew back at the ghast, knocking it backwards. It wailed in pain.
The other one suddenly fell from the sky to land on the burning tree, with several arrows embedded in its head. Stre was now wrestling with Max, trying to calm down the wolf. He was was snapping and snarling, barking and growling at the ghasts, and Thomas was riding across to them.
I couldn't make Ang deal with the next fireball too, and Thomas was dealing with Max, so taking a deep breath and burying my sense of self-preservation, I brought Quicksilver to a halt and yelled, "Try to get me, ghast!"
Yup, I'm dead, I thought, as the ghast turned to face me and opened its mouth. I watched the fireball fly closer and closer, and how did Ang do this, and then I could see the fire charge at the centre like a tiny meteor and nope nope nope I can't do this. Quicksilver seemed to share that sentiment, since the mare didn't hesitate when I urged her into motion. We got out of the way just in time, but I still felt the heat sear my back.
Then the creature turned to face Stre and Thomas. Stre was shooting arrow after arrows. The ghast prepared to spit another fireball at them, and Thomas seemed to be getting ready to launch it back, when the monster made a choking sound as one of the arrows flew straight into its open mouth. It began to sink through the air, partially concealed by the tall trees.
An then it exploded.
The trees shielded us from most of the mess, but I still turned away. The fire charge must have exploded inside the thing, either from hitting the arrow or because the ghast couldn't spit it out. Whatever the case, it was dead now.
I removed my cloak to see if it had been damaged when I avoided the fire charge. Miraculously, it wasn't, aside from one tiny hole near my shoulder, which suddenly felt like it was on fire now. Strange, in the chaos I hadn't even noticed that.
"Hermione, you okay?" asked Stre.
I looked up. She was riding Elytra again, and had brought the horse in front of Quicksilver and me.
"Mostly," I said, trying not to sound like a whiny kid as I added, "My shoulder hurts though."
Thomas and Ang were around us now too. Thomas was walking with Max now, and Ang looked like the victim of an incredibly bad sunburn.
"You guys have any potions to help with that?" Thomas asked, gesturing at me and Ang.
Ang shook her head in answer, then turned to me. "Hermy, what happened with the fireball?"
"I'm just a coward," I mumbled.
They all frowned as if concerned for me, but didn't push me to repeat it. We began traveling again. The other girls and I rode while Thomas walked, keeping his hand resting on Max's head. When Stre asked if he minded that, he assured us that he was more comfortable walking with his pet.
Within a few minutes the mood became lighthearted, or as lighthearted as it could in a situation like ours. Ang joked that Fire Dancer probably had PTSD now and Thomas began calling Stre the 'Exploder of Flying Jellyfish' just because it sounded ridiculously stupid, but that couldn't distract me from worrying over my cowardice.
I'd nearly fought, I'd been ready to hit the fire charge back, I'd swallowed my fear! For just one moment. And then I'd run, again. What if one of the others had been near me, unprepared for the fire charge to hit because I was expected to hit it back? There would have been almost no time to react. Someone would have died because I was a coward.
I had been so close to being a fighter like the others, but obviously I wasn't going to change.
-----
Wait, what, a chapter where we actually do something?! Yes! It exists! And look at me, being that annoying character who goes on and on about how terrible at everything she is. Ugh, I'm irritating myself with that, actually. Must make sure to lessen that in later chapters.
Nobody guessed anything about the name Quicksilver being barely related to the name Hermione. Still, I'll explain it, although likely nobody's interested. Quicksilver is another name for liquid metal mercury; Mercury is the name for the Roman form of the Greek god Hermes; Hermione is a female name derived from the name of Hermes. I imagine you knew the first two, but maybe not the third. I'd never realised the third before writing that chapter.
Yes, Ang, you can be burnt in this story. And Strel, now you understand that comment I made on your profile that you didn't even question
Concrit wanted, but say what should be improved instead of just 'this is bad.' That doesn't tell me much.
If you want an alert when future chapters are posted, just say so and I'll tag you. Or, if you're someone who will be in the story or you are in it now, and you don't want to see an alert whenever a new chapter is posted, feel free to say that too (although, I hope nobody wants that).
If this is the first time you're seeing this story, you can read the beginning here > https://brokenlens.xyz/forums/threads/our-world-begins-to-fall-chapter-1.24551/
People in this chapter > @angsk8 @Strelitzia @XThomasXPlayzX
People who asked for an alert > @cheesyunicorn @MagicMiner684 @LightningFire96 @Ice_Hatake
I just edited out a paragraph that I forgot to remove when I was editing the chapter and it didn't make sense, yet nobody seemed to notice.
To Chapter 6! > https://brokenlens.xyz/forums/threads/our-world-begins-to-fall-chapter-6.26325/
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