Herobrine's Message (40 page)

T
he eeriest thing about Element Castle was . . . how quiet it was. As Stan walked down the stone brick–block corridors of his castle, tailed by his three friends, the sounds of their footsteps echoed, casting the sharp tapping sounds upward to bounce through the arched ceilings of the main hall. Their Potions of Swiftness had cut the travel time to Element Castle from the old Spleef Arena in half, and they had still encountered no soldiers of either allegiance, even as they had crossed the castle grounds.

Although Stan's friends may have been surprised, he wasn't. He had had a gut feeling that Lord Tenebris would want to enter this duel unaided—the best of the Noctem Alliance versus the best of the republic.

In utter silence, the four players began to ascend the stone-brick staircase. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since they had left the Spleef Arena, and they knew it was no time for conversation. They were now inside the castle, the point of no return left in the dust far behind them. Five players would enter the council room, but without question, at least one of the five would not come out. But if any member of Stan's team was going to go down today, it wouldn't be without a fight.

Cassandrix carried two diamond swords, one at
each hip, both glowing with Sharpness. She was the only one of the four players not to wear diamond armor, instead opting for her white-leather Spleef armor. Much like DZ, she preferred the increased mobility of the lighter, thinner armor. She also opted not to use a bow and arrow, and instead carried numerous Splash potions tucked safely into her inventory.

Leonidas was fully armored in a diamond helmet and chestplate, as were Kat and Stan. He had two bows, glowing with Power and Fire enchantments respectively, slung across his back. However, his prized bow, which he had named Hornet, was clutched in his hand, radiant with enchantments of Fire, Power, and Infinity. A single arrow was notched in this bow, with dozens of others at one hip and an unenhanced diamond sword on the other.

Kat clutched her fully enchanted diamond sword (Gas-Powered Stick) in her right hand. One sword with a Fire enchantment hung at one hip, and a blade with Knockback was on the other. Slung across her back was Ol' Reliable, a bow with a simple Infinity enchantment. This was widely believed to be the oldest surviving weapon in the entire army. It was the very same bow that Kat had enchanted in the Apothecary's cabin, which she had continuously repaired on an anvil over time.

Stan was equipped exactly the same as he had been the
day that he had fought against King Kev. A diamond axe with Sharpness was held firmly in both hands, with two iron axes swung over his back. A Power bow hung at one hip, and the arrows at the other. Stan had worn this same set of armor the last time that he had dispatched a tyrant; he figured that if it wasn't broken, it wasn't worth fixing.

Finally, after what seemed like a full hour of walking, they were there. Stan, Kat, Leonidas, and Cassandrix stood at the iron door to the council chamber. All four players stared at the door. They knew what was on the other side, and they knew that there would never be a better time to face it.

Stan reached out a trembling hand and pressed the stone button on the wall. The redstone mechanism roared to life and the entire team watched with bated breath as the iron door slowly swung open.

Charlie's eyes fluttered, struggling against what felt like some sort of invisible energy that was forcing them shut. Finally, he wrenched his eyes open, and after a moment, they adjusted to the dark. He was lying on a stone brick–block floor, and a very uncomfortable one at that. Not moving his head at all, fearing what might happen, Charlie looked around.

He was lying in a circular room that he recognized as the inside of one of Element Castle's towers, specifically, the one that had to be rebuilt after King Kev had blown it
up. Battlements were opened all around the circular room, allowing a segmented aerial view of Element City. Although he could see the city, it was still dark as night within the tower. Charlie was shocked that no monsters were spawning. Leaning against the far wall were Arachnia and Lord Marrow, each holding their weapons, eyes trained on the floor with impatient looks on their faces.

Charlie's stomach filled with acid as he pondered what to do. Every moment that he lay in the middle of this floor, the republic troops were out on the battlefield without a commander. He had to get back down to the battle as quickly as possible. But he had no idea how he was going to do that without Dr. Pigglesworth's help and, as he performed an immobile search of his inventory, he realized with a jolt that his pickaxe had been taken from him. He was totally defenseless.

“Hey!” Arachnia bellowed.

This is it,
Charlie thought, his heart racing.
She knows I'm awake. What are they gonna do?

“How much longer until you can warp again?”

“Omigosh, Arachnia, just give me, like, two seconds . . .”

“Do I really have to spell this out for you?” Arachnia said, clearly agitated with Enderchick, whose voice Charlie could hear from directly behind him. “You've got to get out there and find Stan as soon as possible! We can't hold Charlie in
this tower forever, and he's probably the only person who Stan will turn himself in for!”

“But I'm, like, still kinda confused. Will Stan know that we have, ya know, the real Charlie?”

“You've got his pickaxe, don't you?”

“Yeah,” Enderchick replied lazily, and Charlie's heart leaped as he heard the sound of something clattering to the ground. His pickaxe was now on the floor directly behind him.

“That's all you need. Stan will recognize it, and he'll turn himself in. Then we turn Stan in to Drake and finally call this mission a success.”

“But still, like, how will Stan recognize Charlie's pickaxe?”

Enderchick and Arachnia continued to argue as Lord Marrow stared at the ground in stoic silence, but the gears in Charlie's head were whirring. They were planning on trading him for Stan. Arachnia was right, even if she was probably just guessing. Stan definitely would turn himself into them in exchange for Charlie's safety, and Charlie knew that, for the sake of the republic, he couldn't let that happen.

“It's all your fault. If I hadn't brought you, I'd have enough energy to warp again right now!”

A smacking sound echoed throughout the chamber, followed immediately by a squeal of pain. Charlie's stomach clenched. Dr. Pigglesworth's sound of anguish had echoed from behind him, and he could hear his pig breathing heavily.
Charlie's mind kicked into overdrive. For whatever reason, the members of ELM hadn't killed his pig yet, and Enderchick had been careless enough to toss his pickaxe to the ground directly behind him. He had everything that he needed to facilitate an escape and return to the battlefield.

There was only one problem. Charlie knew that he had no chance of taking on the three remaining members of ELM by himself. It would take him a few seconds to even mount Dr. Pigglesworth from the ground. In the time that took him, Lord Marrow would have already shot a tranquilizing arrow into his forearm. It was only a matter of time before Enderchick felt up to warping again. Charlie had no idea how he was going to escape, but he knew that he would have to act soon.

The light of the council room's torches flickered over Stan and his friends as they stood in a row of four inside the council-room door, weapons drawn. From the windows in the stone brick–block walls, Stan could see the sprawling metropolis of Element City beneath the gray skies. This was the first time that Stan had returned to his council room in weeks, and though it was nearly unchanged, there was one difference that struck a chord of deep discontent within Stan.

The council table had been removed. The block-high platform of stone bricks where Stan and his friends had drawn
up the constitution of Elementia and made every law since then was gone. A flat expanse of stone-brick blocks now lay between Stan and the elevated throne on which a single player now sat. Stan found himself unable to move as, for the first time in his life, he laid his eyes on Lord Tenebris.

The leader of the Noctem Alliance was sitting cross-legged on the throne, his blocky hands pressed together and a devious leer on his face. Stan had heard that Lord Tenebris, or Herobrine, had nearly the same skin as him, but he was still surprised to see that, in fact, their skins were exactly identical in every way except one. And like the missing council table, this one subtle difference made Stan's skin crawl with uncanny anxiety as he stared into Lord Tenebris's empty, white eyes.

And, yet, as Stan looked his greatest adversary in the face for the first time, he couldn't help but feel something odd. The emptiness of his eyes bore into Stan's own, forcing him to devote all his willpower to maintaining the bond of contact, but Stan still could have sworn that, deep within the empty sockets, something was familiar.

The sensation lasted only for a few seconds, however, before Stan couldn't help but look away. It had been like trying to stare into the sun. Stan's entire face felt like it was burning up. And after all, it didn't matter what Stan might have sensed in those eyes. All that mattered was that it was
finally time to kill the leader of the Noctem Alliance. Stan clutched his axe tightly and looked back up at Lord Tenebris.

“Ah, if it isn't the leaders of the Republic of Elementia,” Lord Tenebris said with a chuckle. His voice was deep and calm, yet also menacing beyond compare. Just hearing him speak gave Stan the impression that Lord Tenebris could tell exactly what he was thinking.

“Stand down,” Stan announced, sounding much braver then he felt as he stared at Lord Tenebris. “There are four of us and only one of you. There's no use in fighting.”

“Oh, Stan, Stan, Stan,” Lord Tenebris chuckled, closing his eyes as he shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Let's not be hasty. We're going to have a lot of fun, so why rush? Let me at least greet you before we begin. Let's start with you, Cassandrix.”

Cassandrix, who was standing at the opposite end of the line as Stan with her diamond sword drawn, gasped, clearly shocked. “How do you know my name?” she demanded.

“Why, everybody knows your name, Cassandrix,” Lord Tenebris replied, almost conversationally. “After all, you are one of the greatest Spleef players in the history of Element City . . . or, at least, you were, until you started to become overshadowed by the new players.”

“What?” Cassandrix gasped, blindsided. “What are you talking about? How do you know that?”

“I know all that has ever happened on this server.” Lord Tenebris chuckled. “And I know what you've been through, Cassandrix. It
is
a tragic tale . . . always the best player in the Spleef League, but never appreciated, always held back by your mediocre teammates. Then finally, after years of obscurity, Spleef returns to Elementia, and you see your chance to gain the glory you always deserved . . . only to realize that you're outdated and useless in comparison to the new players on the scene.”

“Shut up!” Cassandrix growled, but Lord Tenebris continued.

“Why, then, Cassandrix, have you joined their side? You of all people must realize that lower-level players are nothing but verminous scum, infesting our server and taking opportunities from hard-working players like you, who have lived in Elementia since before they even knew what Minecraft was. So why do you defy me, when I, for all intents and purposes, am working for your benefit?”

“I'd rather die than join you!” Cassandrix screamed in rage, glaring at Lord Tenebris with tears in her eyes. “Regardless of whatever you might think of the lower-level players, they're still players, and no player deserves the things that you've been doing to them!”

Lord Tenebris chuckled again. “Very well, Cassandrix,” he replied, still keeping his voice very casual. “If you would
like to try to fight me, to fight to create a world where the lower-level players have everything gift-wrapped for them at the expense of older players like you, so be it.”

“What beef do ya have against lower-levels, anyway?” Leonidas shouted, as Cassandrix stared at the ground, her eyes wide and a horrified expression on her face. “What did they ever do to you?”

Lord Tenebris slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze on Leonidas, who abruptly glanced sideways to avoid eye contact.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't General Leonidas,” Lord Tenebris said, the level tone of his voice more unnerving than if he had been shouting at them. “It's so . . . interesting to see you here. I must admit that your treachery surprised me. I pride myself on my foresight, but I did not anticipate that you would ever stand alongside the president of Elementia, with an arrow notched in your bow and trained on me.”

“Answer my question,” Leonidas hissed, pulling the string of his bow even more taut.

Lord Tenebris laughed. “Leonidas, my friend, you misunderstand. I'm far more than a simple player who was wronged by the new players. Surely, by now, you must have worked it out!”

And with that, Lord Tenebris stood up from his chair, and stretched out his hand. Stan tried to raise his axe to
block whatever was about to happen but, to his horror, he found that he was totally unable to move. He felt the horribly familiar sensation of being held in place by Sally's operating powers as he stood, totally immobile, in the psychic grip of Lord Tenebris. Stan's eyes flicked to the side as he realized with an awful jolt that all his friends were frozen as well, as if they were living statues. His heart beating out of his chest with panic, Stan turned to face Lord Tenebris, and his heartbeat stopped.

Lord Tenebris's eyes were open wide, and a gust of wind had started to blow through the open windows of the council room. The rush of air grew stronger and stronger by the second, and within a few moments a hurricane-force gale was ripping through the council room. The air seemed to spiral around Lord Tenebris as he slowly began to levitate into the air, his hand outstretched. His face was no longer jovial and conversational, but intense and twisted, radiating power. A primal rush of fear shot through Stan's body as Lord Tenebris opened his mouth and began to speak.