Fleeing, running. His breath comes out more ragged by the second.
The thrill of the chase seeps into his bones. Anxiety on his heels. Head north - NO south! West maybe. It doesn't matter, the ender pearl lands. Water fills his vision. The sudden pressure change almost forces the air out of his lungs. Stop! - Don't. Breathe. In.
The Sediment at the bottom of the ocean is deep and sticky in the way only wet silt and loam can be. Take out the trident, throw the ender pearl. A distant rocket announces the Poe's presence. Moving closer, faster and faster and faster and - the enderpearl hits. Still ocean. Good he needs all the cover he can get.
He crouches down, wet sediment clinging to the felt of his body. It's a good time to be blue. A nearby cove finally provides some cover from his pursuers overhead. Crouch, stay hidden, stay safe. He hears the Poe shouting from overhead. The words get swallowed by the waves. They sound - frustrated? Maybe? It's more important to stay down, he so desperately needs a moment of respite. Then finally over the fading sounds of rockets; the Poe pick a direction and simply fly off, simply miss him, squatting in his small alcove and joe? Joe nearly drowns himself in the relief of their mistake.
Breaking the surface, he finally takes a breath. Okay, one step at a time. Take a look around, what do you see? Ocean, but wait - a sliver of land to the northwest. He reaches to check his coordinates, after all where there are hermits, there are portals. Heavy limbs, soaked with water, rejoice at the thought of the nether. Warm and dry and faster. The weight of hundreds of eyes follow his hand as he reaches for his own location - Stop! No coordinates, it's not safe, who knows who will see. It's a reflex of calmer time. How could he forget?
There is truly no time to relax. After all things need to get done, need to be moved along. There is so much he has yet to even begin doing. He regrets not being more prepared. He should have been more prepared. What was he thinking not preparing more! He should have known! He should have - No, stop, no use in catastrophizing. He couldn't have known. He couldn’t have known that they would bleed him out, death after death after death. Less and less resources and even less allies. How long has Jev been gone? He remembers the exact day they got Ren and Cleo. Gods, he misses Cleo. He can almost hear their voice, taunting the Poe, across the nether roof. Coming closer every second, one block then another and another. Steadily and surely. He gives the thought a smile. Either way Joe likes to think that he’s the resilient type; sown of thick fabric; strings of fate guiding his every movement. So he stops and breathes and continues on. After all he has things to do! 4 - 7 - 8
Persevere, Joe, Persevere.
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Persevere, Joe, Preserve (522 words) by Malereieiei
