Herobrine's Message (12 page)

“Very well then,” the guard replied. “Who was supposed to pick up the prisoner from the two of you?”

“Again, I'm not sure,” Cassandrix replied. “My apologies, but my partner and I are new transfers to Mount Fungarus. We still don't know everybody yet. . . . But as soon as we're
done standing guard for the glorious Lord Tenebris, I promise you that we'll be able to show you who the players are if you line up the guards in front of us.”

The head guard nodded. “All right, soldier. I trust that you and your partner will report back to the common area as soon as your duties here are completed.”

“Please,” Cassandrix replied with a snide chuckle. “We stopped an escape on our second day here! Don't think for a moment that we won't want to personally take credit for that.”

“Right,” the guard said with an amused smile. “At ease, soldiers.” And with that, he turned and marched away, followed by the rest of his archers.

Kat looked at Cassandrix in admiration. “That was amazing!” she exclaimed.

“Well, you know, I'm quite good on my feet, darling,” Cassandrix simpered. “One would think that after all your experience against me in the Spleef arena, you would realize that.”

Always has to kill the moment, doesn't she,
thought Kat bitterly. Then again, with the way Cassandrix had managed to save them just then, Kat was willing to let it slide.

The two players turned to face the iron door. Kat reached for the stone button on the wall, but Cassandrix slapped her hand down.

“What do you think you're doing?” Cassandrix demanded.

“Lord Tenebris is behind that door!” Kat whispered urgently. “This might be our only chance to see him . . . or maybe even to take a shot at him.”

“Are you insane?” Cassandrix hissed. “Now is neither the time nor place to pull a vigilante stunt. We have a mission, Kat, and even with your abnormally lacking attention span, I'd think you'd be able to remember that.”

“I didn't forget,” Kat growled, “but this might be our only chance.”

“You already said that, Kat,” Cassandrix cut in, “and frankly, it's not worth it. You're willing to risk what might be your one chance to save your friends just so you
might
have a
tiny chance
to take down Lord Tenebris?”

“Well . . .”

“Kat, we might never be in this situation again! The guards think that we're with them, and we have plenty of time before they realize that we've escaped! And furthermore . . . GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Cassandrix sprinted forward to grab Kat, who had jammed the button on the wall and was already through the iron door. Cassandrix pulled on Kat's tunic as hard as she could, but Kat was too strong, and Cassandrix tumbled forward through the passage just as the iron door slammed shut behind them.

The two girls were now standing in a room made entirely of stone. Redstone lamps kept the areas light enough to keep mobs from spawning, but even then it was quite dark. The room had a very high ceiling, with stone pillars that stretched from the floor to the top. Across from them, standing against the other wall, was a Nether Portal, glowing purple with luminescence and spewing purple particles into the room. Between the two pillars farthest away sat a throne made entirely of obsidian.

Cassandrix looked around wildly, trying to find another button on this side of the wall. She was shocked, however, to find none. Except for the indentation of the door, the wall on this side was totally flat.

“Oh, for heaven's sake,” whined Cassandrix, “who designs a door that automatically locks from the outside?”

“Uh, I don't know,” replied Kat, shrugging her shoulders. “Admittedly, that doesn't seem like a very practical design choice . . .”

Cassandrix wheeled around to face her partner. Her face was alight with fury.

“Look what you did, you little brat!” she hissed. “We're trapped in here with no way to get back . . . wait a second!” Cassandrix's eyes drifted slowly to the pickaxe Kat was holding. Before she could respond, Cassandrix had snatched the iron tool from her hand.

“What are you doing?” Kat demanded as Cassandrix fervently rushed her way back over to the stone wall.

“I'm getting us back to the safe side of the wall!” she said, her eyes almost glowing with lunatic fervor as she drove the iron pickaxe as hard as she could into the stone wall.

The effect was immediate. The iron pickaxe snapped off its handle, and landed on the floor with a clang.

For a moment, Cassandrix stared blankly at the wooden handle of the tool. Then, without warning, she sunk to her knees, clutching her head in exasperation, and bemoaning the fact that not only were they now trapped, but they had lost one of the only weapons that they had. As Cassandrix lay crippled on the floor, mumbling to herself, Kat picked up the two parts of the weapon and examined them, fascinated.

“This pickaxe . . . ,” she said slowly, glancing at the two halves. “It looks like . . . it looks as if this thing has never been used before. The blade is shiny, and there aren't any dents on it. . . . If I didn't know better, I'd say that this pickaxe has never seen mining or combat before. I mean, it certainly wasn't close to being used up when you tried to use it . . .”

Kat glanced incredulously up at the stone wall. “What kind of stone is this?” she asked quizzically.

As Cassandrix glanced up at the wall, she suddenly forgot to act distraught. She was intrigued, and also a bit unnerved, by this wall. The stone that made up the wall
wasn't cobblestone, nor any variety of it. These were dark stone blocks, streaked across the surface with the colors gray, black, and white.

“Kat, I recognize this,” Cassandrix said slowly. “This room . . . it's made out of bedrock.”

“I'm not familiar,” Kat said, glancing at the wall. “It must be pretty hard, though. Is this . . . bedrock . . . harder to mine through than obsidian?”

“It's not just hard to mine through. It's
impossible
to mine through,” Cassandrix whispered. “Nothing in all of Minecraft can put a dent in this stuff, not even a charged Creeper blast. Usually it makes up the bottom of the world, and indicates the absolute lowest point that you can mine.”

“So . . . if it can't be mined . . . what's it doing up here?” Kat asked.

“There's only one explanation,” Cassandrix replied, and she turned to look Kat directly in the eye. “This bedrock must have been put here by someone . . . or something . . . incredibly powerful.”

Just at that moment, the two girls heard a whooshing sound and saw a flash of purple light. Somebody was entering through the Nether Portal. Thinking fast, the two of them ducked behind the nearest pillar.

Peeking around the sides, Kat and Cassandrix watched with racing hearts as a player walked into the center of
the area, right before the obsidian throne. The player was dressed in black pants and a black shirt, and a golden cloak was draped over his shoulders, the hood pulled back. He turned his head, and Kat recognized the face of Count Drake.

A twinge of resentment struck Kat. She had vivid memories of her past encounters with Drake, from his escape from Brimstone up to his attack on the Spleef World Finals. She pulled a bow and arrow that she had looted from the dead guard and drew it back. She was starting to take aim when suddenly, Drake knelt down before the obsidian throne and spoke.

“Oh great and powerful Lord Tenebris,” Drake chanted, “I have returned!”

There was a sound, the same sound an Enderman made upon teleporting. And then, all at once, a player appeared on the throne.

This player had dark brown hair and shoes, a turquoise shirt, and navy-blue pants. His eyes were closed, and his fingers were pressed together in front of him in a businesslike manner.

Kat felt the need to slap herself, because she couldn't believe that what she was seeing was real. Could that . . . could it really be . . .

“Oh, exalted one,” Drake replied from his position on
his knees, “I have acquired the materials that you have requested.”

“You have done well, General Drake,” the figure replied in a deep, booming voice as he opened his eyes.

Kat sighed in relief. Now she knew for sure that it wasn't Stan. She knew for a fact that Stan didn't have that deep, booming voice, nor did he have white eyes.

K
at was a little bit surprised. She didn't know exactly what she was expecting of Lord Tenebris, the founder and supreme commander of the Noctem Alliance, but it certainly wasn't this. This player didn't look at all like he would be the most evil person in Elementia since King Kev. In fact, except for his eyes, he looked exactly identical to Stan.

Those eyes, though . . . there was something incredibly disturbing about those eyes. As Kat looked at them, she tried to see if there were any traces of familiarity. However, she could only look into them for a few seconds before she had to look away in discomfort.

Kat turned to Cassandrix to see what she thought, expecting her to be equally confused. What she didn't expect to see was Cassandrix staring slack-jawed at Lord Tenebris, eyes bulging, expression as terrified as if she had laid eyes on a ghost. Kat assumed that she was just petrified that she was staring face to face with the leader of the Noctem Alliance, but she still couldn't help but feel as if Cassandrix had just realized something about Lord Tenebris that she herself hadn't.

“Thank you, sir, your praise means the world to me,” Drake spoke on. “And I assure you, the collection of these materials was not easy.”

“And why is that?” Lord Tenebris asked, raising an eyebrow. “You had all you needed to obtain the materials in a timely manner.”

“Oh, no, sir,” Drake replied quickly, his voice shaky. “I found the patch of Soul Sand without difficulty. However, in terms of the Wither Skeletons, they required . . . how should I put this . . . a bit more thought to handle.”

“Go on,” inquired Lord Tenebris, tapping his fingers together.

“Well,” continued Drake, “as of now, I thought that it might be . . . shall we say . . . prudent to not anger the Wither Skeletons. Our forces have nearly broken through the walls of Element City, and when they do, I have a feeling that we'll need all the security in Brimstone that we can get our hands on.”

“I suppose,” Lord Tenebris replied, sounding bored, while chills went down Kat's spine. She couldn't help but worry about just how truthful Drake was being, and just how close the walls of Element City really were to cracking.

“In any case, I peacefully requested that they supply their Skulls to me, for the sake of appeasing you, Your Benevolence. They were able to give me two skulls of their fallen brethren after long negotiations, and then volunteers offered to sacrifice themselves for the sake of providing their own skulls.

“It was a tedious process, Your Highness, and many
Wither Skeletons lost their lives—or, rather, afterlives. You see, even with a level-three Looting enchantment, the Wither Skeletons have only slightly over a five percent chance—”

“I'm well aware, Drake,” Lord Tenebris cut in irritably.

“Oh, I apologize, great leader,” Drake sputtered hastily, sinking into a deep bow. “By no means was I trying to imply that you were in any way—”

“Silence,” Lord Tenebris hissed, cutting off Drake's babbling. “It doesn't matter. Did you complete your task?”

“Yes, sir,” Drake replied, reaching into his inventory and laying several items on the ground before him. “Four blocks of Soul Sand and three Wither Skulls, all natural and obtained from the Nether, as requested.”

“Excellent,” Lord Tenebris replied, talking to himself under his breath. “This is most ideal. . . . When they're made with natural materials, they're so much easier to control than synthetic ones. . . . Oh, and one more thing,” he said, now addressing his general directly.

“Yes, o glorious one?” Drake replied meekly.

“Your judgment in this scenario was good. Preserving the Wither Skeletons was indeed a wise decision. However,” Lord Tenebris continued with a dark look on his face, “I must advise you to never again disobey my orders.”

“Oh, my lord . . . I am so sorry!” cried out Drake, tears streaming down his face.

“Don't fret, Drake, I won't punish you this time,” Lord Tenebris replied lazily. “However, watch yourself in the future. I must be sure that all my subjects are unwaveringly loyal to me. If they're not, then they are a threat to the Alliance and must be destroyed. And you know that I will not hesitate, Drake. Just look at what happened to Minotaurus and Blackraven if you need more proof.”

As Lord Tenebris gave an evil laugh and Drake cowered in fear, Kat felt a whiplash of shock hit her. What
had
happened to Blackraven and Minotaurus? Were they . . . did that mean . . . that they had betrayed the Noctem Alliance? Had Lord Tenebris killed them?

“Leave me now, Drake,” Lord Tenebris commanded. “Await my next command outside. And send the villager in.”

Drake stood up and, with his head still bowed, he backed out of the room through a door next to the Nether Portal that Kat hadn't noticed before. Moments later, another figure stepped out of the door, and Kat gasped. Into the center of the room walked Oob, his skin sickly green with red eyes and tattered brown robes. The Zombie villager walked to the front of Lord Tenebris's throne.

“Villager,” Lord Tenebris said calmly to Oob. “Whatever I say, I am going to need you to repeat in your vernacular. Do you understand, villager?”

“Oob . . . udder . . . stand . . . ,” Oob croaked out.

Kat's head was spinning. Oob was there! He was still alive! And . . . he was working with Lord Tenebris?

All Kat could do was watch in horror as Lord Tenebris stepped down from his throne and gathered the materials that Drake had left on the ground. Lord Tenebris assembled the dark-brown blocks—Drake had called them Soul Sand—into a T shape. Kat glanced at Cassandrix. Although her partner's face still showed absolute terror at the mere sight of Lord Tenebris, Kat also detected a slight element of confusion; she didn't know what was happening either.

The two girls watched as Lord Tenebris placed each of the tiny gray Wither Skeleton skulls on top of the Soul Sand formation. After he fastened the last one in place, Lord Tenebris took a step back and stood directly in front of his throne. Kat watched with bated breath as the eyes of the skulls glowed white, getting brighter and brighter, until finally a flash of light illuminated the room. In the moment of blindness, a horrible suction sound filled the room, like a demon taking its first breath. When Kat's vision returned, she saw a sight that made her heart drop into her stomach.

A mob stood in front of Lord Tenebris, but it wasn't just any mob. It was huge, almost the size of a Ghast. Its body consisted of nothing but a black spine, trailing off into a tail and wrapped in the center by a dusky black rib cage. Atop this skeletal body were three heads, perched on a wide, bony
structure. The heads were black skulls, and they all looked around in different directions. The skulls all had empty white eyes and mouths, and they were taking deep, husky breaths. The creature was the most terrifying thing that Kat had ever seen.

“Behold, villager,” Lord Tenebris spoke out, a half smile flashing across his face as he gazed adoringly at the newborn demon. “The Wither.”

Suddenly, the creature began to flash blue and white. Cassandrix and Kat were transfixed on the beast in horror, wondering what this monster, the Wither, was going to do next. Kat started to perceive a change around her. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but it was almost as if all the light, warmth, and energy in the room were being sucked out, and were condensing toward the Wither. Kat saw Lord Tenebris take a deep breath and raise a hand in front of him, and suddenly, she guessed what was about to happen. As the Wither gave another ghastly moan, Kat ducked totally behind the pillar, pulling Cassandrix along with her, and covered her eyes and ears.

“What are you . . . ,” Cassandrix hissed, before she was cut off by the explosion.

A thousand megatons of light and sound bombarded the area around Kat and Cassandrix, only missing them because of the indestructible bedrock pillar in front of them.
Kat could feel the incredible rush of energy that engulfed the area around them. It felt like she was standing inches away from a passing bullet train. Only when the light and sound had completely died down did Kat dare peek her head back around the side of the pillar.

The monster was now floating in midair. The three heads glanced freely around the room, taking in all that was around it. As the heads of the Wither basked in their newfound existence, Kat couldn't help but feel as if she were looking at the very faces of evil itself, which sucked all that was good in the world into a void of darkness.

Suddenly, six eyes of the Wither focused on Lord Tenebris, still standing in the open alongside Oob, both of them somehow totally unharmed by the blast. He smiled.

“My name is Lord Tenebris,” he said smoothly. “I am your creator, and I am your master.”

Oob let out a loud Zombie roar, and the Wither Skeleton glanced at him, seeming to understand. The three heads looked back and forth between one another, and then back at Lord Tenebris. Then, all of a sudden, the mouth of the middle and largest Wither head opened and expelled a small black projectile, which sped at rocket speed toward Lord Tenebris.

The Noctem Leader didn't move. He simply stretched out his hand, and when the projectile made contact, it exploded, engulfing him in smoke. Moments later, the smoke cleared,
showing Lord Tenebris totally unharmed.

Kat couldn't process what she had just seen. This Wither had just shot an explosive projectile from its mouth at Lord Tenebris. And he hadn't even been hurt by it.

The middle Wither head let out a raspy roar of fury, and spit even more skulls in Lord Tenebris's direction. Again, he simply held out his hand, and the black projectiles, which Kat could now see as tiny skulls, were simply rupturing on contact, leaving no damage whatsoever. Before long, the other two Wither heads joined in as well, sending a constant barrage of three streams of explosive Wither skulls directly at Lord Tenebris. And yet he continued to take the punishment as effortlessly as if they were blowing wind at him.

Kat didn't know what she found the most alarming about what she was witnessing. On the one hand, the Wither was clearly an incredibly powerful mob. She could feel the force of its blasts from behind her pillar. The explosions were far stronger than those of the Creeper, and the Wither was dishing them out like machine-gun fire. And on the other hand, Lord Tenebris, their archenemy, the one they had vowed to destroy, was totally unfazed by this onslaught of destructive power.

Then, without warning, Lord Tenebris raised his right hand and pointed it directly at the Wither. Instantly, the mob stopped firing on Lord Tenebris and gave a shallow moan of
pain. Kat looked on, having trouble convincing herself she wasn't in the midst of a nightmare, as Lord Tenebris lowered his left hand. As he did, the Wither floated downward, still squealing in agony, until it was finally forced onto the ground.

A serious frown crossed Lord Tenebris's face. “I said, I am your master. Should you disobey my commands, you will be subjected to this.”

Lord Tenebris waited for Oob to finish translating and then he squeezed his fist. Instantly, the Wither gave the highest, loudest, and most ear-piercingly shrill cry of all, as it squirmed on the ground in excruciating pain.

Kat knew that she ought to feel sorry for the killer beast, but she was too busy dealing with overwhelming dread as she watched Lord Tenebris exercise his mysterious powers. She hadn't been prepared to deal with anything like this. Whenever she had imagined Lord Tenebris, she had pictured a master swordfighter, with an army of soldiers at his command. But this . . . Kat knew that no player in all of Elementia could stand a chance against whatever Lord Tenebris was.

After a moment, Lord Tenebris released the Wither. The giant mob floated back into the air, a tangible element of fear now in its six white eyes.

“Do you understand?” Lord Tenebris asked, followed by a grunt by Oob.

Instantly, the middle head of the Wither let out a brief moan while looking at Oob. The Zombie villager turned to Lord Tenebris and spoke.

“It . . . udder . . . stand.”

Lord Tenebris smiled. “Good. Now, come here behind me.”

At Oob's command, the Wither proceeded to levitate over Lord Tenebris's head and make an about-face until it was floating behind him. Lord Tenebris turned his head to face the door next to the Nether Portal.

“Enter, Drake. And bring the prisoners with you.”

The iron door swung open, and Kat's heart lifted. Through the door, and into the main hall of the bedrock room, marched Charlie and Commander Crunch, followed by Drake holding a diamond sword to their backs.

Although Kat had never met Commander Crunch before, he seemed to be holding up relatively well. Even though he did look tired, his uniform torn and his beard unkempt, he still walked with a strong spirit to him. He glanced around the room in a wily manner, as if plotting out the best method of escape.

Charlie, on the other hand, looked absolutely terrible. His face was covered in bruises, his clothes were tattered and worn out, and he limped into the room, barely able to stay up on his own feet. Kat was beside herself with worry the second she laid eyes on him. Clearly, the time in the prison
had taken a heavy toll on him, and the torture of the Noctem Alliance had been nothing short of ruthless.

“Argh, 'tis
you
again!” bellowed out Commander Crunch in his gruff voice as he caught sight of Lord Tenebris. “Don't ye know when enough be enough, ye great bloated fool?”

“Oh, you're in no position to be insulting me, Commander,” Lord Tenebris said coolly. “You see, I've found a new method of persuading you to tell me the information that you've been withholding from me.”

“Sink me, ye mean that thin'?” laughed Crunch, gesturing to the Wither levitating high above the head of Lord Tenebris. “Ye reckon some giant mutant worm wit' th' face o' th' Jolly Roger will intimidate me? Reckon again, ye scallywag! I'll die before I break, I tell ye!”