The New Order (31 page)

Stan was too overwhelmed to think properly. So much information had been thrown his way—so much was falling into place—and Stan was furious with himself for being blind to this plan, this horrible plan that had taken place right under his nose.

“Hey . . . Stan . . . Can you hear me?”

The voice was near silent, barely audible over the constant stream of gale winds outside the iron bar window, but Stan would recognize that voice anywhere. He bolted upright.

“DZ? DZ, where are you?”

“I'm over here,” came the muffled reply. “In the cell to your . . . uh . . . left, I think.”

Stan immediately scurried over to the left wall of his cell and pressed his ear up against it. “DZ? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I can hear you,” the voice sounded out, still muffled but much clearer. Stan could now hear that DZ sounded tired and hurt, and lacking all his usual vivacity.

“DZ? What happened to you?”

“Nothing, I'm fine . . . ,” and Stan heard a grunt of pain come from the other side of the wall. “Well . . . actually, no, I'm not. Those tribesmen messed me up pretty bad during the fight.”

“Just hang in there, DZ, you're gonna be okay,” said Stan, his heart beginning to race as he realized what must have happened. “Um . . . DZ . . . how much of that talk with Blackraven did you just hear?”

“All of it,” replied DZ weakly, followed by a series of powerful coughs. Stan winced as he imagined DZ's body racked with spasms. “So they're planning to torture me, eh? Well, they're outta luck. I'm not gonna break easily.” It sounded
like every word was painful, but Stan needed to keep the discussion going. Time was running out quickly.

“DZ, we've got to get out of here. We need to find Charlie and Commander Crunch. Do you know where Crunch is?”

“No idea,” rasped DZ in response. “And Stan . . . I don't think we're all gonna be able to . . .” Another round of coughs sounded off. “. . . escape. I've watched . . . the guards patrolling this place while you were unconscious. There are a lot of them, and neither of us is in any condition to fight.”

“So you're just gonna give up?” cried Stan in horror.

“No. I'm gonna compromise instead . . . there's a difference . . . ,” DZ replied weakly.

“Wait . . . what does that . . . ?”

“It means,” replied DZ, “that I have a way to escape. But it'll only work for you . . . me, Charlie, and Crunch are gonna have to stay here.”

“What? What're you . . . how will . . . ?”

“It's pretty simple, really.” Another round of coughs echoed around the chambers. “They frisked us when they put us in here to take all our items away. But I used . . . this old trick I know . . . and managed to sneak some stuff in. Unfortunately . . . it's only enough stuff to get you out. Just you.”

“No!” cried Stan. “I'm not letting you do that! You can't just sacrifice the three of you for my sake!”

“Shut up!” rasped DZ, followed by more coughing. “Do you . . . want them . . . to . . . hear?” His voice was wheezing now. He was clearly in a lot of pain. “You're not . . . sacrificing yourself, Stan. Charlie and Crunch are both . . . pretty tough players. I'm sure . . . they'll manage to survive. As long as . . . Lord Tenebris needs info . . . outta them, he'll keep them alive.”

“But I can't just let them live on in misery like this when I walk free! And what about you?”

“Listen to me, Stan!” said DZ, his weak voice suddenly very stern and authoritative; Stan was compelled to obey. “You are the president of Elementia. It's your job to . . . be there for your citizens in a time of need. And they have never needed you . . . more than they do right now.”

“But . . .”

“No buts, Stan. We came here with the goal of destroying the . . . Noctem Alliance. You need to escape from here. . . . We may have lost today . . . but the war isn't over yet. As long as you're here . . . you're our only hope, Stan.”

“DZ, don't make me . . .”

“Stan, I want you . . . to listen to me . . . very carefully.” There was a moment of silence before the gasping wheeze of DZ's voice came back. “In all these months . . . that I have known you . . . when have I . . . ever . . . let you . . . down?”

There was yet another moment of silence. Then . . .

“Trust me, Stan. Crunch and Charlie . . . they'll be fine. And as for me . . . this is what I want. You're my . . . best friend, Stan. Please . . . do as I say.”

There was a long, poignant pause, filled with the loudest silence Stan had ever experienced. And then . . .

“Okay, DZ,” replied Stan, his voice defeated. “Tell me the plan.”

“You'll know what you need to do . . . when the time comes, Stan. All I need you to do now . . . is back away from the wall,” DZ wheezed.

Stan robotically backed away from the wall. It didn't occur to him for a second to disobey. He was already in the process of forcing his brain to figure out how to escape. All his instincts were screaming at him to argue with DZ, and not leave until he could get all four of them out alive. Stan knew that DZ was right, though. If he had an opportunity to escape alone, he would have to take it. Stan wondered where they were. Naturally, he assumed they were still somewhere in the Specialty Base, but he still had no idea where. Atop Mount Fungarus, perhaps. But if that was the case, then he still had no idea how he was going to get off the . . .

Stan's train of thought was cut short by the explosion.

Waves of light, sound, and pain crashed over Stan. It felt like being pushed through a Nether portal painfully slowly. The blast forced him into a corner of the cell, contorting his
entire body into the pinnacle of pain. The light was blinding. Stan couldn't see a single thing, and the sound of the blast rung in his ears so that all his vital senses were offline.

Stan wasn't sure how long he lay there afterward, his entire body screaming in pain. In the wake of the supernova, Stan seemed to lose all sense of time as well. Finally, however, he slowly drifted back toward the world of the living, his sense of sight and sound slowly turning back in at the cost of the pain intensifying into pure agony. Stan became vaguely aware of the blue sky above him, blocky clouds drifting not far overhead. The sound of the wind was whipping intensely now, and a siren blared far off in the distance.

Stan forced himself to his feet, wincing with every motion. He painstakingly looked around, and his heart stopped.

The blast had left a gash in the side of the complex, which, from what Stan could see, was situated at the peak of Mount Fungarus. In front of him was a drop straight down to the ocean, hundreds of blocks below. The walls of the cells were gone, the floor was now patchy with holes, and stray cobblestone blocks lay everywhere. And lying in the center of it all, where the cell adjacent to Stan's had been, a figure lay sprawled across the floor, a glowing diamond sword and a ring of flint and steel sitting beside him.

Immediately, all the pain in Stan's body evaporated. He no longer felt the sting of his body, nor the frigid lash
of the wind around him. All he felt was dumbstruck shock as he staggered forward, almost in a trance, and he fell to his knees next to DZ's body. Then, as if sensing that he had arrived, DZ's eyes flickered and, with great effort, opened.

“Wha . . . what did you do?” gasped Stan. He was finding it impossible to breathe.

“I . . . got you . . . out . . . didn't I?” croaked DZ, his breath raspy and uneven and his chest heaving with every word. “That's . . . what I . . . promised. . . .”

“No . . . ,” said Stan, loudly now, as he leaned down and grasped DZ's shoulders. “No, this can't be happening,” he moaned.

“It's . . . okay . . . Stan . . . ,” DZ said, a faint smile on his face. “You're . . . free . . . now. . . . And so . . . am I. . . .”

“NO!” shouted Stan, jerking DZ's shoulders in desperate fury as tears rolled down his face like waterfalls. “DZ, don't you dare die on me!”

“Ssshhh . . . ,” whispered DZ, his breathing growing fainter by the second. “Stan . . . don't worry . . . about . . . me.” DZ's face was serene now, with no cares in the world. “My . . . time in . . . Elementia . . . was . . . great . . . thanks to . . . you. . . .”

“DZ, no,” moaned Stan, his entire body shaking now as grief swirled around him like a vortex.

“I just have . . . one last . . . request. . . . ,” said DZ, his
voice barely audible over the wind.

“Yeah,” Stan choked out, perfectly attentive through his grief.

“When . . . you win . . . the war . . . I want you . . . to go . . . into the desert. . . . Stay there . . . for a week . . . let go . . . of your problems . . . and . . . remember . . . me. . . .”

And with a look of wholeness and peace on his face, DZ gave one last heave of his chest as his body faded away.

Stan knelt there for what seemed like an eternity. He could not move his hands from the place where DZ had lain just moments before. He could not cry anymore. He could not move. He couldn't think of anything, besides DZ's parting words, and the overwhelming fact that DieZombie97, the one player he had known almost as long as Kat and Charlie, was now gone from Elementia forever.

As Stan realized this, he suddenly became acutely aware of the sirens in the background, and angry shouts growing louder and louder. At once, all Stan's grief morphed into passion, a red passion of combined sadness, fury, and lust for vengeance. Stan closed his eyes for a moment. DZ was dead, but he was still alive. The Republic of Elementia still stood, and it was in greater danger now than ever in the history of the server. Stan knew what he had to do.

“I promise you, DZ,” Stan said to himself through gritted teeth as he knelt in the bombed-out ruins of the prison atop
Mount Fungarus. “I will return to Elementia, and I will rally my people behind your memory to win this war once and for all.”

Stan glanced down beside him and saw the items still lying on the ground. DZ's glowing diamond sword, with the Knockback enchantment, lay beside him on the ground. With a resolve of steel and a new level of drive, Stan snatched the sword in his blocky right hand and stood up. He walked forward, past the holes in the floor, and stood at the precipice of Mount Fungarus, overlooking the ocean hundreds of blocks directly below.

The journey ahead of me will be difficult
, thought Stan.
It's a long road back to Elementia, and the Noctem Alliance will be out for my blood. I doubt the city will be able to help me. If Blackraven was telling our battle plans to the Alliance this entire time, then our assault on Nocturia has definitely failed, and the city will be fighting for its very existence at this moment. The republic is in peril . . . and it needs me.

As the voices grew louder, Stan gave one final glance at the ground where DZ's body had lain for the final time. He felt no more grief. Surely it would return throughout his long trek back to Element City. For now, however, Stan's grief was dormant, giving way to a drive and passion he had not felt since he had shot the arrow at King Kev all those months ago.

All at once, the voices behind him became crystal clear. Stan heard his name being shouted out as he clutched DZ's sword, took a deep breath, and jumped off the edge of the cliff, plummeting toward the ocean below.

CHAPTER 29
THE HOSTAGES

F
or the first time in recent memory, the council room in Element Castle was completely and utterly silent. This was not solely due to the lack of members, although just five of the eight council members sat around the conference table, and the presidential seat sat vacant.

It was the Mechanist, the elected interim leader of the council until Stan's return, who had called the council meeting to order. This was to be expected. The offensive against the Noctem Alliance was now resolved, and a report on the condition of the fronts was necessary. However, now that the formalities and introductions were completed, nobody was willing to say the first word. The grim aura of the room clearly reflected the similar mood of what each of the players had to say about the situation on the fronts, and nobody seemed willing to break the news first.

Finally, after several minutes of uncomfortable silence, the Mechanist spoke.

“As you all know, the fighting forces of the Republic of Elementia launched a full-out assault on the forces of the Noctem Alliance today. Each of you in this room were on the front lines leading the charge.”

There was a dismal murmur of assent around the room.

The Mechanist sighed. He knew what was coming, and didn't want to hear it any more than any of the other council members. He decided to get the less painful discussions out of the way first.

“First and foremost, does anybody have any idea where Blackraven is?”

The silence around the table rang.

“Bill, Ben, and Bob, I want an all-points bulletin out on him as soon as this meeting is over,” ordered the Mechanist, gesturing to the three solemn police chiefs leaning against the wall.

“Second, is there any new information on the status of the assault on the Specialty Base?”

Four heads shook around the table, and Ben replied gravely, “We haven't heard anything about the status of the attack, although we had expected we would have by now. I guess there's nothing we can do except wait for information.”

The Mechanist nodded in agreement, his face full of melancholy. “Keep in mind, everybody, there is still a very real chance that the assault went off perfectly, and that the leaders of the Noctem Alliance may well be disposed of already.”

Dead silence greeted his statement, and the Mechanist wasn't surprised. He knew that all the officials in the room shared his gut feeling that that was not true. Finally, the Mechanist sighed. He knew the time had come, and
reluctantly gave the command.

“Chief Bill, you were the commander of the assault on the Hot Front in the Nether. Please give a report on the status of the operation.”

Bill slowly stood up straight. His unwillingness to speak was palpable. Finally, though, he began his report. “The assault began as planned. We managed to push the Noctem forces back toward Brimstone Prison, which they were using as a base of operations. However, it wasn't long before they revealed that they had Oob with them. As it turns out, the Zombie villagers are able to command Nether mobs as well. The Wither Skeletons and Zombie Pigmen formed an impenetrable defense around the prison, while the Ghasts laid down suppressive fire to prevent us from advancing.

“We were unable to drive forward because the Noctem soldiers seemed to know every move that we were going to make, and countered them perfectly. They managed to push us back fast and hard, until I eventually had to order a retreat back through the Nether portal and into Element Castle. We destroyed our Nether portal, so that the Noctem Alliance wouldn't have a way directly into the castle. That being said, the assault did cause us to lose all ground that we had gained in the Nether, and the Noctem Alliance now has unilateral control over the entire dimension, with no way for us to get back in.”

Bill gave a deep breath as he finished his speech, and the hearts of the entire room sunk. They knew the assault hadn't gone well, but they were still not ready to hear it. Jayden and G in particular appeared sour and dejected. They had fought alongside Bill on the front lines of the Hot Front. The assault had been a disaster, and the Noctem Alliance now had the unrestricted ability to travel wherever they needed to go.

“Chief Ben, you were the commander of the assault on the Cold Front in the desert and tundra surrounding Nocturia. Please give a report on the status of the operation.”

The Mechanist used the exact same words he had used with Bill, yet the tension was far higher now. All the council members had been in the city since the assault, and they had all heard the terrible rumors flying around like wasps since the assault had ended. Ben looked like it pained him simply to open his mouth, and Bob and Kat, the other commanders of the Hot Front, wore expressions of pure pain, which only increased the awful anxiety of the other players.

“Our assault began in a very similar way,” Ben finally began. “We managed to crush a lot of their resistance as we pressed forward, closing in on Nocturia. As soon as we neared the city, however, an absolutely massive wave of forces poured out. Most of them were armed players, but there were also a good number of Creepers, who completely ignored the Noctem troops and targeted our men. I'm sure
that Mella or Stull had trained them in Nocturia, and that one of them would have been out there alongside the mobs had it been nighttime.

“In any case, we were completely overwhelmed. The Noctems fought hard, and the Creepers inflicted huge damage to our numbers, so much so that we were forced to fall farther and farther back. We lost command post after command post across the tundra and into the desert. We tried to fight, but we were far too overwhelmed and could only watch as the Noctems took important positions like railroad stops and high grounds. They pursued us all the way back to the forest, and we were forced to make a full-on retreat back to the Adorian Village.”

Suddenly, Ben let out what sounded like a choked-back sob. There were tears in his eyes, and it was clear that he was on the brink of saying something incredibly painful.

“Before long, the Noctem troops converged on the Adorian Village. We tried to fight it out in the street for a while, but then . . . we were overwhelmed. We realized we were the last fighting forces available in Elementia, and that it was our duty to protect as many citizens as possible so . . . so . . .” Ben took a deep breath before continuing. “. . . we were forced to leave the volunteer trainers and lower-level players in the village at the mercy of the Alliance. They're most likely going to be used for hostages.

“As of now, our forces have mounted a very sturdy defense around the walls of Element City. Our walls are mounted with auto-turret defense, underground TNT mines, temporary lava-walls, and enough other deterrents to make an attack by the Noctem Alliance on the city foolish and impossible. However, as of right now, the Noctem Alliance has control over the Adorian Village, Diamond Bay, and the woods surrounding Element City and, by extension, the entirety of Elementia itself.”

The news sank into the council room slowly, in waves of comprehension. It wasn't until a full minute after the announcement that everybody in the room fully grasped the magnitude of what had happened. The assaults had failed on all fronts. The Noctem Alliance now had control over the entire server of Elementia except for Element City. And Element City now stood bunkered down on the defensive, preparing to fight for its very survival.

“What about the soldiers at the bases out in the country?” asked Jayden desperately. “You know, at the Sea Base and the Jungle Base . . . aren't they still around?”

Bob shook his head sadly. “No, they're not. After Stan and the others left the Sea Base, we called all the soldiers in from all our outposts so we could have the strongest assault possible. The soldiers that we have guarding our city . . . that's all we have left.”

Silence followed the announcement. It wasn't surprising, but still nobody knew what to say. What could they say? An organization led by the remnants of King Kev's army had, in less than a month, taken control over what was essentially the entire server. And now, they had no extra soldiers on standby to combat them.

The silence was finally broken by a door opening behind them. All heads turned to see a soldier walking into the room, a book clasped tightly in his blocky hand.

“What's your business?” the Mechanist asked.

“I'm here with a message,” the soldier replied tiredly. “A Noctem soldier walked up to our wall under a white flag and delivered this book to us. The title is
The Current Situation
and the author is Blackraven100.”

There was a sharp collective intake of breath around the room. The Noctem Alliance had delivered a message bearing Blackraven's name?

Since Blackraven's disappearance days before, they had all wondered if it were possible. There was always a possibility that it could be a coincidence . . . or perhaps Blackraven had been captured by the Noctems, and this was his ransom message. . . .

Ben took the book from the soldier. As he skimmed the pages, his eyes widened, then shrank into sadness. Finally, after a long pause, he read the book out loud.

The Current Situation, by Blackraven100

A Message for the Council of Eight

Greetings, Council Members. This message is an informational notice for you, so that you may know of my true allegiance to the Noctem Alliance and its glorious leader, Lord Tenebris. I have told all your plans and battle tactics to my colleague, Caesar894, which is the reason for your assault failing so spectacularly, as I am quite confident it is sure to do.

In the past days, I have taken a permanent leave for the Specialty Base of the Noctem Alliance, where I was able to capture President Stan, Councilmen Charlie and DZ, and the commander of the Elementia Sea Base during their attempted attack on the base. Currently, we are holding all four of them in a high-security prison in an undisclosed location. In due time, we will have certain demands that you will have to comply with if you would like to keep your friends alive.

In the meantime, it is my personal recommendation that all members of the council, as well as the police chiefs, turn themselves in to us. The Noctem Alliance is not an evil organization. Should you surrender, you yourselves shall be executed as enemies of the state, but your subjects shall be allowed to live under the ordinance of the Noctem Alliance. We do not wish
to kill civilians. Our aim is simply to put lower-level players in their rightful places.

Know, Council Members, that the longer you fight this war, the longer we will continue to kill your players. We hate to do this as much as you hate us doing it, but only you have the power to stop it.

Sincerely yours,

Blackraven100

The silence lingered, but the shock wasn't nearly as much as one might expect. So much terrible and horrific information had entered the common knowledge of the group in the past ten minutes that this newest information only left them drained. There was no more room for shock anymore. And besides, nobody was truly surprised anyway. Since Blackraven's untimely and unexplained disappearance, seeds of suspicion had been growing in each of the council members for days, and so the confirmation of their notions served more as a dull blow to the stomach than a slap across the face.

The more prevalent feeling in the room was that of suspense, as each of the council members realized the same thing. Blackraven's note had made an offer to them. They could turn themselves in to halt the fighting entirely. The ability to end the war now was in their hands.

There was even more silence still as the group mulled over the idea in their heads. And then, finally, when she could bear it no longer, Kat leaped up from her chair and onto her feet, and all eyes turned to her.

“I call for a vote,” said Kat, her eyes flashing with zeal as she spoke the first words since the end of Blackraven's note. “All in favor of turning ourselves in to the Noctem Alliance, raise your hand.”

Kat looked around the table. All members of the council matched her expression. Not a single hand was raised in the air.

“Good,” said Kat, “because even if you had voted for it, I would have fought you tooth and nail. And do you know
why
? Because we are the Grand Republic of Elementia. We stand for the principles of equality and liberty for all of our citizens, regardless of background or level. If we were to turn ourselves in, we could stop the fighting, but for what? A server run by the Noctem Alliance? Run by the same principles that we all fought to destroy just a few months ago?

“I don't know about you, but as for me, as long as the Noctem Alliance is alive, I will never stop fighting them. Justice is a cause that deserves to be fought for, and injustice is something that must be eradicated from Elementia forever. Right now, the forces of our enemy have pushed us back to the brink of collapse. The new players of the Adorian Village
are being held as hostages. Our four friends are being held captive by the Noctem Alliance. We are closer to the brink of destruction now than we have ever been, so we have to fight harder than we ever have before, not just to stay alive, but to destroy our oppressors once and for all.”

As Kat finished her speech, she looked around the table. There had been no dramatic shift in the mood as she had spoken, yet something had changed. There was an element in the air that hadn't been there before. Kat couldn't put her finger on what it was. Maybe it was hope, maybe it was determination, maybe it was unity. But Kat knew she was not alone, and that as long as at least one of them stood, all was not lost for the future of Elementia.