Entries are labeled in a "Day-Entry Number" format. This story is based in the continuity of and follows up from my first story, A Miner's Chronicle. All who come here should read that story first by clicking here.
Entry 1-1
Light. A flood if it, filling my vision. I do not know what came before it. I don't know if I even existed before it. But I exist now. And the sight before me is, in the plainest terms, amazing. Sprawling earth, massive cliffs and oceans, and animals roam the land. Pigs, cows, chickens, sheep...But none like me. After taking in the land, I immediately spot a staircase leading into the earth and, lacking any other places to go, descend into an earthen chamber. There is a bookshelf, a chair, and a table with a single cake placed upon it. The cake is missing a small slice. Also, there is a rather crude fireplace in the corner. If there were ever logs in it, they have been reduced to black piles of soot. Seems somebody was here before me...How nice of them to leave a cake.
I sat down near the long-dead fireplace and grabbed a slice of cake. It was quite stale but still tasty, so I settled in with my snack to check out the bookshelf. As you might have guessed, one of the empty books has since become my journal. Yet most of the books were full of diagrams and plans for what seemed to be a great glass tower. Interesting...But there was a single empty space on the shelf, and a sheet of paper where a book ought to have been. I picked it up, smudging the edges with frosting in the process, and saw two rather mysterious sentences: "We have taken the Chronicle. Come find us." How...Strange. Well, I didn't know who I was, where I was, or even why I was, but I already had quite a bit to think about. Somebody had built this chamber, made this cake...And someone else had stolen this "Chronicle" from them, whatever that was.
Entry 1-2
Maybe I would find answers to such things later but I needed to learn where I was first. I finished off my slice of cake and climbed out of the room. I spotted a river nearby and decided to get a look at myself. My reflection revealed to me my face, my clothing...I was not well armored at all. Also, it proved what I had already learned: I was bipedal, and of more advanced function than the four-legged creatures in this place. And, so far, I was alone. Nonetheless, I immediately set off up a cliffside. Reaching the top was easy enough as the land formed a natural stairs for me. And as I came to the peak of the cliff, I saw something on the other side. Something...Not natural. Chunks of glass jutting from the ground. The ruins of a glass tower. Somebody had sketched blueprints for it, written them in a book, and eventually built the tower. And had they torn their own building apart? Unlikely. The blueprints were obviously a painstaking work. Whoever built it had been proud of it. But now, all that remained was jagged chunks and shards. A truly sad sight.
No matter. I moved on. Eventually the sun began to set. I didn't like the idea of being in the open at night so I needed a shelter. I quickly broke down a tree, which the books had described was possible, and converted the logs to usable planks. Finally, taking another tip from those books, I crafted a workbench and a few sticks. Then I began to dig. Once I had a decent ditch to rest in, I blocked up all but the tiniest opening with the excess dirt. I would explore further tomorrow but, for now, I decided to build some tools. I spent some time building wooden picks and even dug the ditch down further to find stone. I immediately turned this to more tools. Whoever had left those books had given me a decent guide. Workbench and basic tools, as well as a list of metals and rocks they could be built with. If he was still out there someplace, I would need to thank him one day.
Entry 2-1
When sunlight came into my shelter, I broke open the exit to get to work. I walked as far as I could until I hit the ocean and built a simple wooden vessel to float around on. I sailed for at least a few hours before I reached land - frozen, snowy land. An interesting place to continue my journey. I left the boat behind and continued on foot, cursing my meager scraps of clothing as the cold sent shivers through my body. I walked on and on, growing steadily frustrated by the unbroken white expanse and the stinging cold. But then, in a small hole, I found a blackish material in the stone. Coal, those books called it. I dug it out in a hurry and got four lumps, quickly putting together a torch for warmth. I stuck the torch into the earth and dug another pit as the sun began to set. I need to warm up a bit before exploring the night. In fact, I think I'll take a nap.
Entry 2-2
Up again. My nap killed a few hours but it's still dark out. I climbed out of my pit and started walking again. Still nothing but snow...And a...What is that? Green, armless...A monster if I ever saw one. I inch carefully closer for a better look. And then it spots me. And runs over. As it gets close, I can feel a great heat pouring off of it in waves. I hear a growing hiss fill the air and a great boom of sound. I fall into a sudden crater and darkness overcomes me. And now I'm back at that chamber. Wasted progress. But at least I'm warm here. Also, there was a time lapse between my death and rebirth. It seemed instant, but the sun's just risen now. I decide to explore closer to home and find some cows grazing in a nearby field. I take a few down with my pick and make myself some leather pants and a shirt. Not only will they keep me warm if I find more snow, but they just might protect me from...Well, exploding monsters. At any rate, I've got a nice leather suit now. I decided to harvest more wood. For torches, mostly. After an hour or so walking, I found a nice valley near a bay. I decided I'd build a home here. As I started to set out the planks, I was absently watching the horizon, and thought I saw a figure. I paused to check again and it was gone. Strange...But not important right now. I resumed building my meager home. A simple square of wooden planks, with a slight pointed roof. Not much but enough as the sun was setting again.
Entry 3-1
As the sun sets, I start to hear increasing groans outside my house. I left a tiny hole for a window and, peeking through it, I can see a few greenish people roaming about. The groans are from them and, despite their similarities to me, instinct tells me they're not likely to be friends. And further in the distance, I can see silhouettes. Zombie or human, I cannot tell, but they are very still. If they're zombies, they are minding their own. If human, they may well be watching me. While I think about that, the stench of rotting flesh hits me and I can't help but rush to the other side of my room and break open a window in hopes of getting some fresher air. Inhaling the zombie-free air from the other side of my home, I hear a loud THWANG and jump back in surprise, barely avoid getting an arrow through my eye. A few skeletons are lurking just outside. I wall up the makeshift window in fear and almost think I'm safe...Until the tip of three more arrows pierces through the wall in rapid succession. These skeletons are good shots, firing their arrows through the slits between the planks. I run across the room to check if the coast is clear: Still more zombies.
Trying not to get too fearful, I quickly build a wooden pick at my workbench and start digging downward through stone. I've quickly gathered enough to craft a sword and break open a doorway to face my skeletal opponents. Two arrows immediately through my right leg. A lot of good that leather was. Cursing and limping closer, I manage to slice one down while avoiding an arrow through my neck by sheer luck. I turn to see the other two moving in and dig a crude pit. One falls in and, luckily, the pit is deep enough to trap him. So I make quick work of his friend and, feeling a bit vindictive over my wounded leg, leave him alive. I fill the pit back up until he has no room to move and leave him. Let him scorch in the sun. Then I head around front to waste the zombies gathering there. They are much slower and lack the weaponry of skeletons, so I slash them to pieces fairly easily. My leather armor holds up much better against their weaker clawing assaults, though I still get a few nasty scratches on my chest. Either way, my house is safe for the night.
Panting slightly from the effort of combat, I recalled the silhouettes in the distance and checked for them again. Gone. I didn't know what they were but they had been watching me, almost as if studying my battle. If they were zombies, that meant they were smarter than the others. It seemed unlikely but, nonetheless, I should be prepared. I turned to head inside to my workbench when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a log swing toward me. Unable to react in time, I felt it strike the back of my head and immediately began to fall. Three figures surrounded me, their images blurred by my fading sight. In my last moments of consciousness, I heard one of them issue a single, decidely ominous command: "Take him."
Entry 4-1
I can't tell what happened after that. I was unconscious. But when I woke up, I found myself being carried down an earthen staircase. I was not bound or tied, but four people walking behind held swords. Wooden swords, maybe, but still deadly as they could attack before I even drew my stronger stone blade from its sheath. The staircase wound back on itself only a few times as we slowly descended the spiral steps before bringing us into a long tunnel. The tunnel was only wide enough to permit single-file entry, so the few carrying me set me down and went ahead. The ones behind, swords still in hand, urged me into the tunnel and followed immediately, occasionally prodding a blade into my back as a warning. We walked on like this for what must have been half the night.
Just as my legs were about to give in, I saw the men ahead climbing up a ladder. I noticed a sign placed nearby but it was too dark in here to read. I followed up the ladder, flanked by the swordsmen, and found myself standing into a massive room. It surely went on for miles in any direction and was lit only by skylights at short intervals. The walls and ceiling were made of dirt. Throughout the massive main chamber, various sections were walled off by dirt into smaller rooms, each denoted by a sign. I assumed these rooms were lit by their own skylights. The main chamber's buildings were log. Not even planks, just log. And countless holes were dug between buildings, apparently housing ladders leading back down into that tunnel. While I looked around, marveling at the size of the place yet perplexed by its primitive appearance. one of the men in front turned to me. Instinctively, I reached for my sword. Gone. He merely smiled and pulled a blade from the sheath at his side. A stone blade. My sword.
"Looking for this? Do not worry. I will dispose of the abomination properly.", He spoke in a gruff, obviously revolted tone before stepping over to a hole dug nearby, and dropped it in. "These holes are our only means of disposal. Natural tunnels straight into the Underground. You may retrieve your weapon, if you wish. But the depth is great. Even a suit of pure diamond would not spare your life. Nor would we, if you dared to create such a thing."
I opened my mouth to protest but thought better of it, and merely scowled. Unphased, he grabbed my arm and, swords still at my back, I was led past a few unassuming hovels to a pyramid of sorts. It was the only house with a door, wooden like everything else. The nameless guard that threw my sword away ushered me into this hollow temple and shut the door.
Sitting there in the room, behind a makeshift desk of logs, was a silver-haired man. I immediately took note of a great web of razor-thin scars decorating his face. He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and I gladly took a seat. I was exhausted, but still curious as I looked around. This room had no skylight but a block of some odd stone was set in the center of the ceiling, emitting a bright light to chase away the darkness. Breaking me away from my curious thoughts, the man spoke.
"Greetings, outsider. My informants tell me you are newly born to this world. You undoubtedly have many questions. But first, allow me to apologize for the unpleasant manner in which you were brought here. Rough but necessary, you see, for we mustn't reveal the entrances to our base to...Outsiders. I do hope the chair is comfortable enough. I know all too well the exhaustion that can be brought by traveling our tunnels. Most of us have built enough muscle in the leg to make the journies easy. But, I digress." He leaned forward to hand me a bowl of water. He himself held a similar bowl, filled instead with milk. "Drink and gather your thoughts. Organize the inevitable questions in your mind, and then I will answer them."
I couldn't help but be very suspicious of this all but he seemed cordial enough. I kept my eyes on him, tracing the network of scars on his features, while drinking deeply from the water bowl offered to me. The liquid, though flavorless, was an absolute blessing to my parched throat. I drained the bowl in mere seconds and, with an amused chuckle, the man refilled it. After another deep drink, I set the bowl aside and drew my facial features into a serious expression. It was time to get some answers.
Entry 5-1
I sat forward in my chair to get a closer look at this man who was apparently in charge here. His icy-blue vision seemed to drill to my very soul as he watched me. After a few minutes of this staredown, I couldn't bear the silence and finally spoke up.
"Who are you? What is this place?", I interrogated, trying and failing to keep the venom out of my voice, before tearing a crumpled note from my pocket to show him. He took a great stretch of seconds to continue staring before he answered.
"My name is Roxas. This place is my home. You see, many ages ago, I was born into this world like yourself. On the exact same spot, in fact. I even found that same chamber and, yes, I took a book from that same shelf. But let's start from the beginning. Humans are not born at the same place by default. I was merely lucky.
After many weeks of travel, I found others by chance. Eventually, we banded together and began to form a settlement. Once I showed him the chamber, it was agreed the settlement would be near it. We even found a dungeon with a sort of magical artifact inside. The beasts inside were slaughtered and the artifact stolen. As it turns out, it could be modified to bind births to a given area. So we buried it in that chamber, and all new births occurred there.
Then the digging began. We would not settle too near the origin point so we instead dig a great network of dirt tunnels leading from there, and many other locations, to this base. The walls were built high to shelter us from the monsters of the darkness. They are torn down and expanded whenever necessary. We could not risk you seeing the exact tunnel entrance, so you were made unconscious to be brought here,"
I waved a hand impatiently at him, eyes rolling. "Yes, yes, I'm sure it's a great achievement and all. And fine, keep your secrecy, but why did you bring me here? Why were my weapons destroyed?! And what is this Chronicle you stole?"
His eyes never wavered. The faintest twitch at one corner of his lips was his only hint of emotion as he lifted a rather worn-out leather book from his desk. Scrawled in rather untidy script on the cover, apparently in charcoal, were the words 'The Chronicle'.
"This book was written by a man that came before me. You may read it at your leisure. It details the man's birth, exploration, multiple rebirths, and eventual final suicide. After many years of studying it, we here have determined the cause of his troubles to be overstepping his boundaries. He believed all the world his dominion but was proven terribly wrong.
At night, the beasts roam the earth. In the day, they are nowhere to be found. Darkness is their element, you see. The Underground, their dominion. Everything below and including the stone is the rule of monsters. Everything above is for us. This is why your weapons were thrown out. They were heresy, and heresy invites punishment from the powers of this world. He too invaded forbidden regions, and was appropriately made to suffer. You were brought to learn better than him, as we all did, and your heretic stone tools are not permitted here."
"Is that why the walls are dirt? The houses logs, why you use no torches?", I muttered quietly, busily perusing the Chronicle he had offered. Suddenly, a great whistle filled the air, distracting my apparent host.
"Yes...You may stay here, if you wish. But you must follow our laws, and never stray for too long from our home. For safety reasons, of course. And there is more to learn of our ways. For now, come. The whistle means it is time for the daily offering."
Roxas stood and moved swiftly to the door, gesturing for me to follow. He seemed almost as if he was gliding. Nonetheless, I followed and he led me for a generous distance until we reached a great dome of packed dirt. He led me inside to find what must have been the entire population pouring in from other doorways. A strange, even otherworldly noise was emanating through the room. Once all were settled, he led me to the front of the crowd but stopped me short of a raised wooden dais. I stepped back and watched as he mounted the dais, raising himself above the crowd. It was then I noticed the source of that unsettling noise. A doorway of shiny black glass stood on the dais, a crackling purple mist glowing in its center. Pig-like snorts and horrific shrieks echoed weakly out of the swirling mist. And beside the strange portal, five humans were bound. My eyes widened as I realized what this was. An offering of life itself. Sacrifice.
Entry 5-2
I stared in mute shock at the bound humans beside that portal. Their hands were tied behind them, their ankled tied loosely together and, to my horror, I saw their lips were stitched shut as they stood waiting. A quick search of their eyes showed no fear, only a sort of awestruck apprehension. The crowd around them was very much the same. Evidently, the only fear was mine. As I watched them, Roxas walked before each in turn and spoke some words I couldn't quite hear. Each of them gave a bow of the head before they were lined up single-file in front of the portal.
The first was nudged toward the portal and a great scorching sound filled the room as his skin came in contact with the purple mist. As the mist swirled around and enveloped him, the hellish noise from the other side seemed to amplify, growing loud enough that I had to struggle not to cover my ears. His skin appeared to blacken, shrivel, and decay in front of my eyes. And then he was gone, leaving behind a weak echo of a muffled scream. One by one, the remaining four followed his example. Despite my horror, I kept perfectly still aside from a growing tremor in my bones, as each human offered stepped into apparent oblivion. Then came the fifth, and I had to bite my tongue to avoid crying out. It was a child. I couldn't take it and ran out the doorway, stumbling to my knees and vomiting the contents of my stomach which, thankfully, was mostly water. My vision blurred and, soon enough, blackness overtook me.
I awoke some time later in an empty house, laid out on a simple bed of wool. Roxas was seated in a nearby chair and gave a faint smile as he watched me stir. I pushed myself into a sitting position with some effort and merely glared at him, awaiting the inevitable explanation. And it came.
"You had a better reaction than most newcomers. But yes, our offerings are of flesh and of blood. Five offerings, once every month. Any member of the populace is free to volunteer, and some do. But in the event that they do not, a lottery determines who will surrender themselves. But even those chosen by lottery understand the rules. They go peacefully."
I glanced down at myself for a moment. They had dressed me in fresh, splendid clothes of carmine wool. It was comfortable enough. But my discomfort wasn't physical. They had watched fellow human shrivel in a purple fire. I merely glared back at him.
"Why? Why offer flesh, why sacrifice? To who, to what? What was that portal and, if they're so willing, why were they bound?! The willing require no bondage! You even prevent protest by wiring their mouths shut!" I shot questions and accusations at him, spitting venom with every breath. The ways of this place horrified and sickened me, and it had been less than three days! But Roxas only smiled, that maddening civil smile of his. As if we were discussing the weather!
"We sacrifice to the lord that holds power over this world and our lives. The lord that guides us to avoid the Underground. The Lord called Notch. He demands this offering. Why, we cannot be truly certain, but we believe it to be a sign of our trust and obedience. That portal is a gateway I built here long ago, when the demand for offering was first brought to me by a vision. It is said to lead into another dimension but nobody can say for sure. Nonetheless, it is the general consensus, and we call it the Nether. The only ones that go in are the sacrifices. To enter otherwise is heresy punishable by exile to the Underground, should they make their way back out. Now, as I said, they are chosen by volunteer or lottery. But once chosen in either way, they are destined for the Nether. All of the people know this but, once, a group cracked at the last minute, stole the guards' weapons in a surprise assault, and fled out of our home. They spent months successfully hidden, sabotaging our way of life and leaving members of the guard dead and stripped of armor. They were eventually captured soon after a new offering but were forced to submit to their fate anyway, as payment for their murderous saboteur ways. To avoid further murder and destruction of our home, we now bind them regardless. And we need not prevent protest, such is not our intent. The stitching binding their lips is a sigil, stitched always in a consistent pattern. This marking enables them to be separated from mere visitors. Any without such a mark pass through unscathed which, as you could see, the offered ones do not. Our reverence aside, it is not an event we take joy in, but a necessary sacrifice. The stakes otherwise are far worse...Now, rest if you like. I must attend to other matters."
I waited impatiently as he slowly explained this disgusting spectacle. Once he went quiet, he may as well have teleported for as fast as he exited the room. I stared after him for a few minutes before standing to look around the house. The walls were log, of course. And the only light was from a slot in the roof. I recalled that strange glowing stone in Roxas' own home and wondered where it had come from. Wherever it was from, it surely would be heretical. Perhaps he was given more privilege by this lord of his. Status symbols abound in communities, after all.
Apparently, while I slept, a painter had decided I was handsome enough to work with. Two portraits of myself hung nearby: One on the wall, which I figured was for both decor and identification. The second, I noticed, was set upon a small, thin mantle of wood. Planks, not log. And in that wood, I saw a word carved: Lottery. Evidently, they chose the lottery by portrait. A much more reliable method than names, I suppose. Names can be lied about or changed. Faces are forever. I guessed when the time came, that picture would go into the pickings. Well, so be it. Roxas claimed it was for the greater good and I would likely know the details in time. No reason to abandon a perfectly nice house in a well-defended community. I laid back on my bed with a deep sigh of relaxation and, with pleasant but questionable thoughts of belonging, fell into a deep sleep.
Entry 6-1
Knocking on the door. I woke immediately and opened the door. The guard that threw my weapons away stood there. I noticed for the first time that he had an eyepatch. Curious. Then I realized he was speaking.
"You're up already? Good. Time to work. All newcomers chop wood. One hour.", he spoke with clipped speech. Apparently he fit his job well.
He was gone in an instant and I stepped outside. My vision wasn't well adjusted to this place but I luckily found a crowd of men weilding axes. I went over and picked up my own. Wood, of course. One of them was dressed in gold wool with a rather crude image of an axe on the back. Charcoal.
The rest seemed to gravitate around him so I assumed he was the leader. He turned and led the group to a specific door nearby, marked by another charcoal axe drawn on it, much larger here. I followed and found myself exiting the main base area into a tree farm. It was much brighter here without a roof but the dirt walls still stood high, albeit much farther apart to accomodate tree growth. The rest went to work almost immediately but the golden-clad fellow waved me over.
"You're the Outsider, right? The one Thomas brought in?", he spoke with a silken tone.
"Thomas? ...That man that woke me, and threw out my sword? Yes, he brought me. My name is Lucas. How did he find me?"
He cracked a grin. "Lucas, eh? Fine name. They call me Jørn. And we always have scouts camped at the Origin. Roxas won't risk heresy from anyone, even outsiders, if he can help it. Some of the people here won't take so easily to you but Roxas'll be fine so long as you keep to the laws. Me, I don't care where you come from, as long as you know the rules. Don't make waves. Anyway, I guess you'll be sticking around?"
"Yeah, I think I will." I nodded once, my eyes dropping suddenly to his arms. One seemed shorter. "I could use the company, if anything."
Jørn nodded. "You're in fine company with me. But you need to learn the ropes. We run a community here. We all work. Newcomers chop wood. The rest are divided among digging, smelting, cooking. The usual. Each guild - it's what we call them - has an experienced worker at the head. Me, I head the jacks. You chop for an hour, break for half, then chop for two. Rest of the day's yours after. Salvage as much as you can during work hours. And...Do be careful."
He flashed me a grin and lifted his right hand. A wool sleeve fell away to reveal a stump with a stick jammed into it, his other hand placing an axe in my grip. "Had a hand severed by the axe once. Not as bad as you might thing - I keep a bunch of tool heads to screw on when needed, otherwise good for poking the slackers into motion - but you should still try not to lose any parts. Now do a good first day's work. Best way to get accepted here is pull your weight."
With that, he waved me away with a pat on the back. As I left, I turned back to see him screwing an axe blade onto his peg-hand. Gruesome yet useful. I couldn't help but grin at the sight while I took up an axe, setting out to start chopping logs in the sunlight.
Entry 27-1
A few weeks have passed since they brought me here. It's a fine place. My vision's adjusted to the light changes and the work's built a bit of muscle. The guard captain, Thomas, has gotten considerably less militant in our interactions. Even offered me sword training in his downtime. When I'm not chopping wood, I've taken to helping the furnace workers or practicing at the archer range. There is plenty of wood to build arrow targets. I asked Jørn once how the trees regrow so quickly. Apparently some sort of bone fertilizer makes the trees sprout almost instantaneously. The guards collect bones for grinding off skeletons during the night.
Out of curiousity, I've tried to salvage some during my work but it seems to dissolve into the soil. And I've been trying to find out more about the stranger things here. Each day, I've taken books from Roxas' home, mostly the Chronicle. I return them after only a while of reading, to avoid trouble. Most of the text is about the laws and dogmas of this place. And the Chronicle details a wretched life indeed. After the chopping session today, I snuck into what they've told me is called the Netherdome to take a look at that portal. Creeping up the dais, I stared into the swirling purple and reached a hand out, laying my palm flat against the mist. That snorting and shrieking from the other side began to grow ever so slightly as I slipped my hand through to the wrist, slowly moving nearer. The shrieking suddenly grew to a skull-splitting crescendo as I went to step into the portal and I clasped my hands to the sides of my head in pain. Footsteps running closer. Gruff voices of the guards. I cursed under my breath and tore away from the portal, searching frantically for a place to hide. Multiple doors began to open and I spotted a small dirt alcove, quickly diving into it and curling up to avoid detection. I stopped breathing, determined not to make any noise. Guards poured in from many directions, clamoring amongst each other.
"What on earth was that? Are we being attacked?!"
"Nonsense, it's just the portal. Somebody went through!"
"Madness! They'll die there! Or if not, they'll have to di-"
"SILENCE!" Roxas' voice rang out amongst the general rabble.
"Nothing escaped. Nothing will. All of you calm down and get back to your post. If anyone went through, they will be destroyed on the other side. If they make it back, they will be condemned to the fate decreed by law."
With that, he gave a single dismissive wave and the guards began to shuffle back out, a few casting wary glances back over their shoulders. I peeked out carefully from the alcove and let my eyes search the group. I could not see Thomas among them. I quickly ducked back down as guards passed through the door. Now only Roxas was left, staring calmly into the portal as it crackled before him. He turned on a heel and began to walk out. I dared for a second to get my hopes up of getting away unseen but he paused at the door and cast a glance toward my hiding spot. He could not see me through the shadows, of that I was sure. But he stood in a lit area and the look I saw in his eyes struck a cold fear in my gut. Then he turned and left. I waited almost twenty minutes before I followed suit and started running immediately.
He hadn't seen me, I was certain, but all this sneaking around was getting too risky. Then I got a plan. I paused by the sugar farm and tore up as many stalks of cane as I could gather in two arms, not bothering to repair the messy dirt patches left by my crude harvest, and ran back home. I set aside a bowl of soup, some bread, and a few slabs of pork. I would need the energy. Then, I sat at my table, dumped the sugarcane pile onto it, and began the long process of crafting paper through the night.
Entry 28-1
Morning. I spent a good deal of the night crafting books. Hid them under the bed then salvaged whatever sleep I could. And now there's more knocking on my door. I rolled over and clawed at the doorknob, opening the door a crack. It was Colton, the scouting captain. His spiked hair was a dead giveaway, dyed a bright ivory. I swung the door open with a pleasant smile.
"Hello there, Colton. Come on in.", I gave him a grin and waved him inside.
"No time right now. I've got work and so do you. Roxas decided you've done well enough harvesting trees, I guess. He wants you moved to scouting." he spoke casually, without the clipped militant tone Thomas kept, and handed over a suit of leather armor.
I donned the armor and followed him out. We stopped by the armory to grab some bows and arrows, a scout's only allowed weaponry, and joined the rest of the scouts nearby. There were five others beside us. Two of them, Leo and Jonas, were twins with shaved heads to match. The other three, I'd never met before. They were all gathered around Roxas and, once he saw Colton and myself, he began to speak.
"The citizens here have heard noises in the night. I posted guards outside the doors last night to keep watch and they've reported skeletons. The fiends don't attack, only watch and slip away. But there are many. They must be coming from somewhere, spying for some reason. Your assignment is to follow their trail. Find out why they're watching us."
Colton gave a nod and stepped out. As I followed, I noticed a strange look pass between Roxas and the others. I shrugged it off and the group headed off. We quickly spotted a trail, well-worn by repeated footprints, and set to following it. Colton kept me nearby to assure I stayed with the group. We followed the trail for a good number of hours until the trail abruptly died. The sky was dark. I spoke up with panting breath.
"Colton, we've been walking for hours. They must have climbed from here or something. Can't we take a break? If they're spies, they'll be back anyway."
"Hm...Guess you're right. Can't go any further today anyway. Sun's about to set. We'll rest for the night and head back tomorrow. We can catch them if they come back again." he sighed and gestured to the group to set up camp.
An hour later, we had a tent, a fire, and stomachs full of grilled fish. Colton had gone to sleep early on. Only myself and the twins were still up. I was adding more sticks to the fire when Jonas ran up to me.
"Lucas! Leo found some more tracks. And they marked their path through the forest with arrows, we tried to track them through it. One caught Leo and he took a shot to the leg. No time to wake everyone up, come on!" he sounded out of breath.
I dropped a handful of sticks onto the fire and ran off with Jonas. He led for about ten minutes before we rounded a cliff. The area was dark. There was no forest. I turned to question him when a hand shot out and grabbed my bow, throwing it across the ground. Jonas had crept up from the shadows.
"What's going on here? I thought you two found a trail." I glanced between the two. They were moving closer and drew their swords.
I saw a blade shoot forward and lunged to the side. Crashed into the cliffside. Leo was on me in an instant and smacked my head against the stone. A throbbing pain spread and my vision blurred. I felt rough hands grasp either of my arms and drag me somewhere. Minutes later, I fell into a pit and lay there, bruised from the fall. Leo and Jonas stood above me looking in, busy blocking up the passage with logs.
"So sorry, Lucas, but it looks like this is where we say goodbye. Roxas' orders, you understand. For the good of our safety, we can't have heretics. If it's any consolation, it was fun while it lasted." Jonas gave a cold laugh as they blocked the last of the light.
I heard footsteps receding. I was too damaged to move. Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw they'd dropped me into a cave. I tried to call out for help but the blockage they set up made screaming useless. Nobody could hear. I could only lay there, bruised with throbbing pain, as the night wore on.
Entry 29-1
I snapped awake suddenly. Must have fallen asleep. I could hear the cows out so I figured it was morning. I took a lazy look around when, out of a corner of my eye, I spotted a zombie. I leapt up against a rock wall and, weaponless, raised a fist in defense. But it did not attack. Only stared, still as a board. And then I noticed something strange. He had a light. Around his neck, a small diamond emanating light. And he held some tool I couldn't quite see. I blinked a few times and kept staring. He raised a hand to point and I glanced to the wall behind me. He was gone when I looked back but I suddenly saw a stone pick at my feet. I picked it up and glanced to where the zombie had been. He had been carrying a tool after all...Strange. But I couldn't take time to wonder about that. I had been thrown into a stone ditch by my fellows. I had to find out why. And I was hungry.
Wincing at the hunger pains in my gut, I went to work mining out a stairway out of this natural tomb. The work was quick and, mercifully, I wasn't in as much pain this morning. I lifted myself away from the stone and saw a pig staring. It didn't stare long as my pick tore eagerly through it and I dove upon the raw flesh. It had a few friends around that began to scatter. I took up my pickaxe with a chunk of bloodied flesh still hanging from my teeth and went about slaughtering them all. I was ravenous. After I finished devouring the delicious morsels provided by the pigs, I wiped the blood from my lips and looked around. My bow was discarded nearby. I picked it up. There were even a few arrows left. I gathered those too and set off, quickly picking up a footprint trail. As I followed the trail, I occasionally spotted figures in the distance. Most of them I couldn't quite make out, but I could see they were mixed. Zombies, creepers...Even a human now and then. I would definitely have to investigate this later.
Once I reached our campsite, I saw they were all gone. Nothing left but a few sticks unburnt by the fire. I salvaged what I could before continuing onward. Some hours later, I arrived at the looming packed-dirt walls of my so-called community. The sun was setting now. I dug a hole just large enough to slip through and met a house built immediately on the other side. I peeked around the house but couldn't see anything, and I figured walking about in town might not go over so well if my would-be assailants were around. I recalled the salvaged sticks and decided to craft some ladders. Didn't get many, but enough. I spaced them out along the back wall of the house and climbed up. I spotted Leo and Jonas in the distance beside the community granary. They were with Roxas. I set down my weapons and dropped back to the floor. I needed to hear them, so I decided to dig a tunnel. It was quicker than usual with the pick I had brought, and my own energy running high. Soon enough, during a pause in my digging, I heard Roxas' voice seep down into the tunnel.
"You took care of him, I trust? And Colton is none the wiser?"
"Yes sir. Colton was dead asleep, thanks to our men. We blocked him up in that pit so he couldn't call for anybody. And he had no tools to get up the wall. He'll rot there." a gruffer voice spoke up. Jonas.
"Very good. Those two are much too close, we can't have him knowing about any of this. But we can't trust people like Lucas snooping around, obviously had blasphemy in the heart. Now, Leo, you'll be..."
I didn't hear anymore. I had bolted back down my tunnel, frantically filling it all back in as I backtracked. Once I was out again, I scrambled up to my improv rooftop post. They were still there. I assumed Roxas was talking to Leo now. So he had ordered them to eliminate me...Why only those two? But then it hit me: It wasn't just those two. I remembered that odd look Roxas and the scout group had exchanged. They had all known what would happen. All except Colton. The other three had been keeping him busy to wear him down into sleep. My mind raced at these revelations but I forced it all away and made my mind a blank slate. I raised my bow, docked an arrow, and took aim. My archery hobby was about to pay off. I steadied the tremor in my hands and tunneled my vision in on Jonas. He had actually laughed when they threw me in. He had visibly enjoyed it. He would be the first. I took in a deep breath and exhaled before releasing the arrow. It flew straight across the land and buried it right at the imaginary bullseye through the back of his neck. The instant I saw the arrow pierce through and release his blood, I was bolting down the ladder and digging my way back through the wall. I filled the hole in so nobody would catch my exit and wandered a while. Once I was far enough, I began a more purposeful dig. A seven-by-seven chamber in the dirt. I dropped inside and blocked up all but one central space for light. Then I tossed my weapons into a corner and slumped against the wall. This was my home now. Roxas and his lackies had buried more than a human in that cave. They buried my place among their community. And with that one single arrow, I established my place as a saboteur.
Entry 30-1
I woke slowly in my makeshift room. I could hear footsteps approaching and almost panicked, quickly filling in my skylight to avoid discovery. I couldn't leave yet. But I couldn't hole up in here all day either. So I sat and planned. I couldn't go back to my life there. But I needed to clear out my house. And I had to find out who I could trust. And, of course, Leo had to die. Once I thought enough time had passed, I dug my way out. The scouting group was just passing, out to search surrounding areas. They'd check the Origin for newcomers and terminate any stray zombies. I knew Leo was among them. Restraining an urge to kill, I ducked back into my hole and blocked it up, building a cross of dirt on the floor to mark it. Then, the tunneling started. Every ten minutes or so, I dug out a hole to check my location. Everyone was busy with the daily workload so it was easy enough to sneak about. I found my old house and tunneled in from below.
The paintings on the wall had been slashed. Everything else was untouched though. Good. I climbed out of my hole and checked the bed. Stacks of paper were still underneath it. I found a few stacks of leather in a chest and set to work binding some books together. They went into the tunnel with me. Then I had to find Roxas' house. Once I dug my way there, I made a peephole in the floor. He was at his desk. I cursed under my breath and readied an arrow, chucking it at the glowstone on his ceiling. It shattered and I ducked down to hide as he shot to his feet. He cursed to himself and stormed out, likely to find a replacement. I had my chance. I climbed out and to his bookshelf. Laws, plans, records...I cleared the shelf and replaced each book with one of the fakes I'd put together. I took a while to transport his books back to my chamber then made my moleish way to Colton's home. I camped in a tunnel beneath the floor until I heard footsteps. A quick peek told me it was him and I broke the floor open, lifting myself up from the hole. He was, as expected, surprised.
"Lucas?! What are you doing...Jonas said you were dead, they barely escaped the mobs!"
"Did he now? Nonsense, all of it. I'm perfectly alive. He isn't though. And there weren't any mobs." I took a seat in a chair and watched him. He would need an explanation. "Jonas and Leo lured me with word of mobs and threw me into a pit. I was lucky enough to find some tools left down there or I'd still be rotting."
"Wha...Why would they do that?! And why were you under my house??" Colton was almost yelling. He was going to attract attention.
"Quiet down! They were ordered to do it. Once I got out, I came back here and found them with Roxas. The whole assignment was a sham. It was just to trap me and leave me dead, by his orders. The other three were tasked with keeping you distracted while I was eliminated."
"But...Why? And wouldn't they have just let me in on that sort of plan? This is madness!" His voice was rising again.
"Roxas fears what risk I may pose. I've been investigating things...His records, the portal, things like that. Everyone else goes along with all this without any real knowledge of it. I refused so he needed me gone. You were probably left out of the plan because of your connections to me. Considering this situation, I'd say they were right to exclude you. Either way, I can't stay in the commune anymore. I've been sneaking through tunnels to check my house and get here."
Colton let out a breath and laid back on his bed. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. If he wouldn't listen, he would have to be silenced somehow. At the least, knocked out while I escaped and got away from this place. I was relieved of these thoughts when he spoke again.
"I believe you...It's just the sort of thing Roxas would do. When I first got here, I asked a lot of questions too. He never tried to kill me, probably because I never actively searched for answers, but he made it very clear he would not be questioned. But I would never have expected...What about Jonas and Leo?"
"Jonas is dead. When I found them with Roxas, I sniped an arrow through his throat. Leo will die next." I gave him a solemn look. I was no murderer by nature but I would do what needed to be done. He had to know that.
"...Dead. I understand. He was a friend but if he had it coming, I won't miss him. Or Leo, for that matter. But what wil-"
A knock on the door. Leo's voice asking for entry. I gave Colton a purposeful look and he nodded. I ducked back into my tunnel. Colton took a moment to compose himself before opening the door. Leo stepped inside. He was wearing iron.
"Hello there, Colton. Awful news. Jonas is dead. He was shot and killed from a distance. Skeletons, most likely. We didn't catch any but the guards are on double duty to keep an eye out. Anyway, I thoug- ...What's that hole?"
Leo's eyes fell upon my tunnel exit. I cursed myself in my head but Colton, crafty fellow he was, didn't miss a beat and dove right into an explanation, casting me a quick glance. His eyes looked dark. We both knew Leo would die in this house tonight.
"Oh, that. I thought I heard the hiss of lava. Figured maybe some ground collapsed into a cave, was just going to pack in some fresh dirt to reinforce the floor in case."
"Lava? Caves? Dangerous territory there. Yes, it should be blocked off. Best let me have a look though in case creepers or anything are already residing there. You're far too valuable a worker to risk. Roxas lent me this armor, so I'll get scorched at most."
I crept farther back into the shadows as Leo kneeled down. Just before his head entered the tunnel, I caught a grim nod from Colton. Lifting my pick for bracing, I saw Leo poke his head into the tunnel and look around. He could see me easily and his mouth opened to sound the alarm. I gave him no chance as, with a swing of the pick, I lodged the entire blade into his eye to the handle. The sound of caving bone and oozing brain was sickening. I wrenched my pick free, gagging at the grotesque noises as it pulled free, and immediately dug further down. A moment later, his corpse had been shoved into the makeshift grave and covered with dirt. Colton watched this all with a blank stare, though he was obviously quite sickened by the sight.
"This is why I was never a guard. I don't have the stomach for it. But I won't tell anyone he's been here. I'll make something up. We've got a night shift later. I'll say he was a casuality. They'll all be casualties. We were ambushed. I was the only survivor."
He recited his story with the professionalism of an experienced serial killer. I was surprised he could be so coldly efficient, but he always did place a high value on trust. Now that Roxas betrayed his, he would do what was necessary. I admired that. Suddenly, some wood and wool were tossed down to me. Colton spoke in a quick whisper.
"Now go away. Quickly. If Roxas buys that story, I can stay here safely. You'll need somebody on the inside. Matter of fact, I think I can get someone else in on this too. Roxas has more enemies than you and me. Keep this tunnel open. I can bring you food and supplies once in a while."
"Thanks a lot, Colton. Sorry you had to get dragged into this but I figured you might want to know you had hitmen working with you"
He laughed and shrugged his shoulders, waving a hand. I took that to mean he was fine with it. Probably would have ended up in my place soon enough given his history. I nodded once to him and went back down. He filled in the tunnel exit while I started back toward my chambers. Once there, I crafted a bed from the supplies given and collapsed gratefully upon it. Two down and a partner to boot. This was going to be very interesting...
Entry 31-1
Another morning. I climbed out of bed and immediately spotted something wrong. A tunnel had been dug...And not by me. I stepped toward it warily but no one was hidden there. I kept moving. After about five minutes, the floor lowered a step and I found myself before a waterfall. I shrugged and stepped into the current, locking my arms tight to my sides as it swept me through the tunnel. After about ten minutes, the current tossed me into a dry chamber and split into a moat coursing around the room. I let my dizzied vision settle before looking around. Light poured in from above. This room had no roof and there were three rather tall trees. I blinked in confusion until my eyes fell on Colton. He was busy scattering a whitish dust over the soil, which quickly sank below the dirt. Once he saw me watching him, he grinned.
"Hey there, Lucas. Enjoyed the ride? Not the most efficient way to travel but it does the job. If you had walked, it would take forever. We're a pretty long way from that chamber, you see. Had to be to avoid risk of detection. No one ever goes this far out, not unless they're abandoning the community and going on elsewhere."
"Colton, what is this? Why are you here, how did you find my chamber?" I was still looking around, confused. He held up a handful of the white dust he was working with. As he tossed a pile to the soil, a few saplings poked from the dirt and began to quickly grow before my eyes.
"Bonemeal. And this is a tree farm, my friend. I told you I would help out, right? I got just enough for this one planting to start you off. You'll need to wait for it to grow naturally after these are harvested." He tossed down the last of the bonemeal and dusted his hands off.
"W..Where did you get bonemeal? I worked in the tree farm, it's impossible to salvage from the soil. And nobody tells where the stuff is kept!" While I questioned him, I noticed a large patch of blistered tissue down one arm. He'd been scorched by something.
"Before you ask, I was caught in a creeper explosion. Here's what happened once you left: I ran to Roxas and told him I'd seen a gathering of zombies. He was going to send out the guards but I convinced him not to waste their armory on such weak things, especially since we needed the commune fully-guarded after skeletons had killed you and Jonas. He agreed, to cover his lies, so the scout troop was deployed with bows to deal with it. Before all that, I had gone out and stashed a stolen sword in a tree some way out from the commune walls. I led the troop there then fell back to retrieve the blade. Killed them all. The last among them confirmed everything you told me before the sword severed his neck. I figured once I told Roxas about the deaths, he'd send a search party regardless. And the slash marks were too obvious. Only a human uses slashing weaponry...I was lucky enough to find a creeper nearby and lured him to the fallen corpses. As you can see, I didn't avoid the explosion entirely, but it created a crater for the bodies, and roasted them well enough to hide the sword scars. I buried the sword deep and went back home. Roxas believes the troop died there."
"Great job, Colton. What about Leo? The math doesn't add up well with the burnt corpses...And this doesn't quite explain the bonemeal." I sat down against a tree trunk, pleased by these developments.
"I dug Leo's body up and snuck it out to toss into the crater. Far as Roxas guessed, he avoided the blast but died from the fall. Broke his skull myself on the stone in the crater to ruin the pickaxe wound that'd cause suspicion. He was stinking up my house anyway. As for the bonemeal, I played the grief card. All my troop dead on a scout mission, very traumatic, you know. Got reassigned to lumberjack duties. Jørn gave me the bonemeal but he can't afford to supply any more than what I've used here. You've got a place to start, anyway."
Colton walked over to the wall and broke a hole open. Another tunnel and the sound of flowing water greeted us. I followed to take a look and he grinned, apparently proud of the work.
"This is the way back out. It's a reverse of the way in, basically, so you don't have to fight against the current to get back to your room. As for the wet clothes from the transport, well, that's just the life of a rebel." He offered a joking wink in my direction but I was busy staring into the tunnel. The waterfall gave me an idea...
"Thanks a lot for the help...But you need to go. And I need to find out where that portal goes. Go home. Stay inside. Do not, under any circumstances, open the door. It's about time somebody cleansed that place..." I gave him a look and he nodded in understanding before climbing into the water tunnel.
I followed and, minutes later, we were both washed against a dirt step. Climbing over it, we walked the short rest of the way to my chamber and he climbed out through the skylight. I sat against the wall, dripping wet and shivering. I would revisit my new tree farm later to harvest some firewood but, for now, I preferred the biting cold soaking into my skin. It kept me alert and aware for my next move. Now that Leo and the other traitors were safely entombed in a crater, it was time to do a bit of scouting myself...
Entry 31-2
I climbed from my chamber and set off. Pick in hand, I wandered until I reached a cliff. I lifted the pick and went to work breaking down the rock. Boundaries be damned. I was already condemned. So I dug. The rubble grew in piles as mid-day slowly came around and, when I was about to give up, I spotted the tannish fragments I had been looking for. Iron. Property of monsters, maybe, but blasphemy's the least of my trouble. I began to mine out the ore quite happily and came out with a good amount. But nowhere near enough. I kept digging for more and, by the time the sunset started, had at least a decent pile. So I gathered it all up and headed back to my chamber, sniping a few creepers for gunpowder on the way. Once there, I built enough ladders to get onto the roof of the commune, and there I planted a multitude of chests. Then I went to work building a furnace. I had gathered some coal surplus so I tossed it in to smelt the metal. Then I made buckets. A bunch of them. I tossed them all into a chest on the roof and, after stopping by my chamber to make up some torches, headed back out.
Hours later, I was back on the roof, stashing bucket after bucket into chests. I had almost all I needed but it still wasn't quite enough. Now that it was night, I could risk sneaking inside for supplies. I climbed back down once everything was safely stored and tunneled my way into the commune, this time seeking the guards' armory. I made my way there and raided the armor chests, robbing them of as much as I could. Back on the roof, I broke the armor apart for more bucket material. After all was done, I took the chests down from the roof and, pushing them along, set off in search of an ocean. I kept a single torch at hand to ward away any of the night beasts and, after truding through the darkness for a good hour, finally hit a coastline. So I climbed down to the edge of the water and, one by one, filled every bucket. It was getting dangerously close to daytime by the time that work was done. I wanted to finish this up before anyone left for work. I stored all the now-full buckets back in their chests and, after digging up some sand for later, began the much more difficult trek home.
By the time I had gotten back and gotten all the chests back on the roof, the sun was already out. I cursed to myself and sighed, dropping back into my chamber and covering the entrance. The rest would have to wait until the guards and whatever new scouts they'd assigned were back inside the walls. In the meantime, I took a quick flume ride to my tree farm and did some harvesting. After some time, with two arms full of logs, I headed back and set to crafting and storing planks. I scraped some coal from the furnace and stuck a few torches in the wall for light and decided to check the sun. I dug out the usual skylight and saw it was almost mid-day. The sun was about to hit the top of the sky. Time to go. I lifted myself out of the ground and set up my ladder to get to the roof, tearing it down as I climbed to leave no trace of it behind. That done, I crafted a single block of tnt from the gathered gunpowder and sand then set about arranging the countless water buckets. Once they were all clustered close around the explosive, I sat in wait. It wasn't long before the scouts were heading back and the guards retired for the night. Just to be sure no stragglers were still out, I waited until the sunset before lifting my pick and jamming it deep into the tnt. I heard a faint hiss and dove off the roof, aiming to fall right through the hole into my room. Just as I leapt to escape, a great blast assaulted my ears and I saw the roof disintegrate, buckets upon buckets of water melting away to unleash a cascading flood into the community below.
Entry 32-1
I watched for just a moment as the flood poured through the roof. The water level inside rose quickly, a good deal of logs from houses being washed away. It was having the effect I planned. Good. I leapt off the roof, without the aid of a ladder, and hit the ground with a hard thud before scrambling into my chamber and blocking up the entrance. Mere moments later, I heard the thundering of frantic footsteps as the populace poured through the doors. Splashing accompanied the noise as some water escaped through the doors. After a few minutes, the footsteps stopped and the only sound was the water contained by the walls. I started to move. Down the tunnel I'd left open to Colton's house. The stench of corpse was still lingering in the dirt while I broke the floor open and climbed out. Colton was there, as planned. And Jørn was in a corner with a man I'd never seen before. He was very toned but not exceedingly muscular, with a white-blond head of hair, trimmed short and spiked. A leather eyepatch covered one eye. The other, a bright green, stared with cold calculation. I glanced at him suspiciously and Colton started to speak.
"Don't worry about him, Lucas. He's an ally here." Colton gestured to Jørn, who nodded silently from his corner and stepped forward.
"So from the sounds of things out there, you flooded the place. Lot of damage, eh? Lucky we decided to reinforce the walls, just in case. Certainly a better saboteur than I ever was."
"You...Why would you have been one? You've got a decent place in the commune. You have no reason to oppose Roxas or anybody." I questioned him somewhat absently, already planning ahead. He lifts his peg-hand with a sort of sickly-amused smile.
"I was like you. Questioning and such. I even tried to get through the portal. Got caught, of course, because the damn thing's so noisy. You know that sigil they stitch over the sacrifice's lips, to prevent them passing through unharmed? He did that to my hand and held it in the portal. Flesh melted away with a hell of a lot of pain. Did you ever notice the meat around the stump was cooked? Ended up amputating it at the bone after that. I tell people it was a wood-chopping accident, otherwise he'd be back for more of my appendages."
He caught me glaring warily at the stranger beside him and gave a chuckle, patting the newcomer on a shoulder. The man made no sign that he was even aware of the gesture, only continuing to watch me. His one visible eye was still as the stone we had been forbidden to mine.
And this here is Plisken. Loyal a guard as you could hope for, until he caught sight of my little punishment...Roxas figured his loyalty was enough but apparently some of his inner circle disagreed. They cornered him at home once and tore his eye out, as a warning to keep quiet. He let it spread around that he'd taken an arrow to the face, and kept on as calm as ever, but that sort of thing tends to disillusion a man."
I shot my eyes to the stump he spoke of. It was indeed cooked...Sickening. I grimaced and walked over to a chest, popping it open and lifting out a stone sword, sans handle. I offered it to Jørn and he screwed it onto his peg and gave it a few swings. He nodded his approval as I gestured to a rack of stolen armor and pocketed a flint-and-steel.
"Suit up. Looks like you'll finally be getting through that portal, Jørn." I tipped him a wink and we all donned iron armor. I tossed an iron sword, courtesy of the guards' quarters, to Colton and opened the door. I had one of stone. Plisken, naturally, brought his own iron equipment. As expected, the house was instantly flooded. We held our collective breath and worked against the current to get out, then I pointed them toward the dome housing the portal. It took some time to swim our way there and we were soaked by the time we got the door open. The dome, by luck, hadn't been flooded. I ordered Colton to break a few holes in the wall. He only stared, incredulous. I explained while striking up the familiar purple haze in the portal.
"Flood the dome after I activate the portal. The noise will be dampened so they can't hear it. You think my only plan was to flood them out?"
He grinned and nodded once before obediently breaking the dome wall open. Jørn joined in and the place was flooded in a matter of seconds. I stepped forward and slipped a hand through the portal. As usual, the haze began to writhe and fluctuate in brightness, the echoing shrieks and groans growing louder...But still muffled. Good. I turned back toward the others and offered a simple smile.
"You all could have turned back at any time. But you didn't. So, if you're still set on it, shall we depart?" They all nodded, Plisken alone returning the smile. I nodded in return and, turning back to the portal, took a first tentative step into the cracking purple haze.
Entry 32-2
As the haze cleared, we found ourselves in a strange cavern of red stone. The heat was immediate, seeming to emanate from the very rock of the place. I looked around with a lump of frustration in my stomach. We hadn't brought picks...I sighed and leaned against the cavern wall. It was warm, as if a fire was lit inside the stone. The rest appeared out of the portal, Plisken taking the lead. His one eye glanced around before he raised a fist in silence and began to strike the wall, the rock almost crumbling away as the rest of us watched. He gave the slightest flicker of a smirk and climbed into the hole he'd made. The three of us exchanged glances and shrugged it off, following him as he dug out a passage. After some minutes of tunneling, Plisken broke out into open air. We all followed, only to be stopped dead in our tracks. We found ourselves in a large open area. Looking up, it appeared to have a ceiling made of this same heated stone. Some sort of massive cave...Well, if caves were regularly filled with lakes and waterfalls of glowing hot lava, as well as strange glowing clusters of rock. The same stuff that lit Roxas' house. Colton and Jørn stared in awe. Plisken seemed unphased and led us on through the heat.
"So this is where the portal leads...What is this place?" Colton spoke up in a tomid voice, his eyes locking upon Plisken.
"Roxas calls it the Nether. All the sacrifices end up here...Just not as human as they used to be." He tossed a grim sort of smile over his shoulder as we went on.
Thankfully, the lava was easy enough to avoid. The warmth was almost suffocating though. After an hour or so of walking, we finally stopped to rest. Colton had brought some water in case the journey was long and he passed them around. Plisken only gave a chuckle and declined the water. The rest of us tipped the canteens up in unison and watched the water flow out...And evaporate immediately. Jørn wilted and chucked his canteen away.
"Damn it! What the hell is wrong with this place?!" He paused to glare at Plisken. "You...You didn't take any because you knew it'd be gone! You've been here before, haven't you?"
"Yes...And the heat saturates this entire realm. No water survives in the open air here. Colton...Look up there. What do you see?" Plisken pointed upward toward what seemed to be a giant floating squid. Colton squinted his eyes and blinked a few times.
"A...flying octopus? What in the hell..." He glanced around at all of us, only met by shoulder shrugs and Plisken's taunting smile as he explained.
"It's called a Ghast...Did none of you ever wonder why Jonas and Leo never came back? Or the others you killed personally? Or even that fellow Julius...? All those you two killed are bound in service to their god. Roxas too. Their very souls are in chains. They die in the Overworld, he drags them here. They become these...things. Floating, shrieking monstrosities whose sole purpose is to eliminate intruders...That'd be all of us, by the way."
Plisken ended his speech with a grin and a wink, obviously amused by the frightened expressions he brought to our faces. I turned to gaze up at the creature, this Ghast. My eyebrows furrowed together as I shot a question to Plisken. His smile had melted back into the usual solemnity.
"Plisken. If these things were human...Who...Who is that? Can you tell?" I stared at him intently while he slowly glanced up to the Ghast. He reached up to his eyepatch and flipped it up. Colton flinched back, obviously prepared to see a grotesque hollow. But there was an eye. It seemed to be carved of that same glowing stone. As Plisken stared at the Ghast, the bright yellow iris of the eye took on a slight glow.
"That would be Jonas. The eye shows me what he used to be...But we needn't go further. We are not well prepared. Come, we must leave now. He may be a mindless demon now but he can still burn us all alive."
He stood and gestured for us to follow as he turned back. The rest of us scrambled after him. An hour or so later, we approached the portal again. We would have been soaked in sweat if it hadn't dissolved instantly upon forming. This place was not a friend to moisture. I went ahead of Plisken and stopped to take a last gaze at this land. Very strange...Very deadly...But I knew I would have to come back someday. As I mused within my head, the portal crackled and a hand shot through, grasping my wrist. The others latched onto my arm and tried to tug me free but it was no use. More hands appeared to grab hold and I was pulled through to meet the cold stare of Roxas.
Entry 33-1
"So what do we have here? I should have known those fools couldn't be trusted to terminate a problem..."
Roxas stood by the portal, seemingly calm as ever, as the others were pulled through. Colton and Jørn drew their swords immediately in self-defense and he only gave a cold laugh in response, his gaze shifting to Plisken with a faint nod. An instant later, Plisken spun and delivered a sweeping kick to their legs, knocking them to the ground and leaving them defenseless. He smirked and stepped over to Roxas as guards rushed forward to take their fallen weapons. Jørn only glared up from the floor.
"Plisken, you treacherous *******! You're working for him?! You better hope they kill me, or else I'll tear out the other eye and leave you to the creepers!" He lunged feebly toward Plisken, only to be stopped by a swift kick to the side.
Colton moved just enough to sit up but otherwise stayed down. He knew when he was outnumbered, I suppose. Roxas only smirked down at the lot of us before he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to my feet. His skin was still moist from the floodwater.
"You will endure the usual fate dictated by law...As for the rest of you...You're worth keeping. The guards here will rehabilitate you to serve the commune like proper citizens. It will not be pleasant. It will not be painless. But you are valuable human resources and you will learn obedience."
With that, Roxas turned and walked off as casual as ever. You'd think he was just leaving a discussion about cows. Plisken, of course, was not casual at all. He remained militant as ever while tying up the hands and feet of my companions and ordering them taken away. He didn't even look at me. Out of the crowd, a familiar face emerged. Thomas, the guard that had originally brought me to the commune. He tied my limbs personally, barely touching me the whole while. It was as if he feared being tainted. After I was tied, he ordered others to drag me away. I could do nothing to defend myself or escape them.
I wasn't sure where they would take me but it didn't matter. Just after the door opened, a blow to the head forced me into unconsciousness.
When I woke up later, I could see trees. I looked around and realized we were outside the commune. In fact, I could barely make out the faintest outline of it in the distance. Oh well. I was led to a cliff face where a group of guards waited, Colton and Jørn were there as well, blindfolded and bound. Roxas stood near and lifted a chunk of charcoal, dragging it against my face to blacken the skin while I stood bound and helpless.
"Your skin is blackened to mark you for the Underground. For your transgressions, you are banished. As for your friends, they will witness your exile by sound only, helpless to stop it. Let it be a lesson to them."
As he spoke, Colton and Jørn began to struggle and lunge at him, only to be more forcefully restrained by the guards holding them. Roxas chuckled at their futile display and continued speaking, now busy gathering items into a wool sack, which he tied around my back with a few thick lines of string.
"As all heretics before you, you will be sealed away, deep in the Underground. You may travel, and fight, for your survival. But in time, it will prove in vain, and you will perish as those before you perished. No tools. No armor. No weapons. In this pack, you will find your only mercy. Make it last..."
Roxas stepped aside to reveal a crude staircase carved out of the very stone. Obviously worn away by natural forces, it went deep into the darkness nonetheless. The guards shoved me unceremoniously forward and I stumbled into the dark stairway. The others immediately began to block up the entrance with stone that had laid fallen nearby. As I listened to their receding footsteps and the muffled screams of my old companions, I tried to break the entrance open. All I got in return was a bruised hand and the distant mocking laughter of the guards as they heard my struggle. I sighed and turned back, gazing down into the dark. Then, with a heavy heart and a mind full of curses for my enemies, I started my journey down into the earth.
Entry 33-2
It took only about ten minutes before the darkness became difficult to navigate. Hands held out to find my way, I kept walking forward until a sudden drop sent me crashing into a cavern. It wasn't a painful drop but still enough that I couldn't get back up. I sighed and tore the pack from my shoulders, ripping it open. Inside was a ration of bread and water, as well as a single flint-and-steel. I wrapped the food and drink back up and struck a flame with the flint. The cavern was nothing but rock and a few puddles. At least no monsters would be after me. Snatching the pack, I headed forward again. There was no linear path so I wandered until I found a cave branching off from the cavern, then set off down the new path. The fire went out as I was about halfway down the cave, leaving nothing but darkness.
I kept on, grumbling, until falling down a rocky slope into another new cavern. But this one was lit well. I headed toward the apparent source of the light and reached a ledge. Ahead was a sharp drop into a lava pool. Amidst the boiling liquid I could spot the rapidly-dissolving remains of what appeared to be a skeleton of some vine-like material. There was nothing back the way I came but the passage continued across the drop. If I had any tools, I could have built a bridge across but I'd have to jump it instead. Shifting the pack on my back, I backed up and started at a run, leaping over the pit...And fell. I flailed about in the air and just managed to grab hold of a ledge, my fingers slippery and barely grasping the rock. I swung my other arm up trying to get a better hold and felt my pack sliding. The wool unraveled and the rations started to fall into the boiling pit below. Cursing my luck and certain of death, I began to slip farther. Then I heard shuffling behind me. Footsteps. Just as my grip gave and I started to fall, something behind me exploded and I was propelled across the pit to the other side.
Whatever the explosion was, I couldn't see anything left of its source. Just a lot of damaged stone. I climbed to my feet, bruised from the force of my landing, and continued forward. The farther I went, the deeper I went, until reaching an oddly meticulous spiral path in the stone. Obviously not natural. I shrugged and started down it. After what was probably near of an hour, the passage evened out into a long hallway. It was almost pitch-black, so I struck another flame for light. The path was so long I couldn't see the end of it but I started walking anyway, letting the flame go out. On and on I walked, growing colder by the minute. By the time I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, I'd been moving about as long as I had to escape that spiral stairway. I ran toward the light - well, tried to run. I was exhausted. But I reached the light only to find it was just a pit. There was stone in the bottom but the heat was powerful enough to tell lava broiled just beneath that. I sighed and slumped over, resigning myself to simply listen to the growling pain in my stomach. I was starved. Remembering the pack I still carried, I tore the wool apart...And my hopes fell. Only a single loaf of bread left, and half of that was scorched, probably from the explosion. The only water left was whatever had soaked into the bread. Beggars can't be choosers, right? I tore into the bread with all the ravenous hunger of a wolf, devouring the scorched half first then holding the other half over the wool scraps to wring the water out of it. Then I scarfed the rest of the loaf and held the water-soaked wool above my open mouth, wringing it as dry as possible.
Food and drink all gone, I sighed and collapsed beside the pit. There was no way I could get out of here before starving or dying of thirst. So I laid there, defeated and resigned to my eventual death as the heat from the lava wafted through the chamber, stifling and burning as ever. The taste of irony was bitter on my tongue...If I had never stayed at that damned commune, I probably would have survived a lot longer. As my eyes drifted shut in preparation for death, and my surrendered musing continued, I felt something new. The cooling shade of shadows. My eyes shot open to be greeted by five strange silhouettes draped in darkness by the hallway. I was too tired and bruised of spirit to move toward them but they soon approached me. My faint hope was replaced by fear, however, as they moved ever closer and a great hiss filled my mind...
Entry 34-1
...And then the hissing was cut short by a sound like dried leaves being crunched underfoot. I opened my eyes to witness Plisken there, hacking his way through the hissing monstrosities with the ease and thrill of a seasoned fighter. It was over almost as soon as it started and he stood over me, his eyepatch flipped up to reveal the glowing stone iris beneath.
"Get up. We have to go." He commanded in a clipped tone, immediately turning his back and heading away.
I took a moment to wonder why he was here but I was following soon enough. Better to go with a traitor than die in this place. He led us back the way I'd come and turned off suddenly onto some stairs. That hadn't been there before so he must have dug his way down here. We climbed for what seemed like forever in the cramped makeshift stairway before finally breaching the surface. It was night. Immediately, I felt myself shoved to the ground. Plisken dropped beside me and began tearing open a wool backpack.
"You're weak...Take this. Finish all of it. You'll need the strength." He spoke again in that rapid tone, ripping the wool apart.
I could have cried. The pack was filled with pork and there was even a full bucket of water sealed with leather. I fell upon the meat in a frenzy and nearly choked trying to eat. My mouth was too dry to swallow anything so I went for the bucket and plunged my head right in, gulping down at least half of it. Plisken only watched with a faint smirk as he put his eyepatch back into place. Meanwhile, I rapidly tore the meat apart with my teeth, devouring every last scrap. Afterward, I laid back and finally spoke.
"What are you doing here? You betrayed us. You left us to the hell Roxas would plan as punishment." I shot a glare toward him, immediately ruining any effect as I patted my full stomach.
"There is a very simple explanation. But the others will ask the same questions after we've freed them so why don't we wait and just get everyone up to speed at one time? Now get up. We only stopped to get you fed. We need to hurry back and escape with them before the night ends."
He climbed to his feet and pulled me up with him, starting to walk away without a word. I had no other choice so I followed. A few stray zombies wandered nearby but thankfully Plisken had brought a torch. They stayed well enough away and any that got too close were cut down. Soon enough, we reached the looming walls of the commune. I spotted a door where a guard stood watch...An instant later, an arrow went through his throat. I glanced at Plisken and he flashed a grin, dropping a bow and running out to salvage the dead man's sword. Then we went in.
It was pitch black as usual save for Plisken's torch. He snuffed out the flame by crushing it into the dirt, then flipped his eyepatch. The iris beneath began to glow brightly, mysteriously lighting a skin-tight area immediately around us and not spreading an inch further
"Better for our search. The torchlight flickers and spreads...We don't need any attention drawn to us here." He explained in a quick whisper, heading off in a stealthy crouch.
I didn't know where my friends were held so I followed without question. Plisken headed toward the dome where they kept the portal and urged me inside. Nothing seemed different...Then I saw. Beneath the portal, a door had been fitted. Plisken kicked it open and, with a good deal of difficulty, we both squeezed beneath the portal into a chamber below. Jørn and Colton were in a corner, huddled and bruised. Then Plisken spoke.
"This chamber was dug beneath the portal because the people are frightened of it. Fortunately, I'm not. Now both of you, get up. We need to leave now." He dealt out orders like a general but something told me he wouldn't be obeyed so easily. Jørn proved that.
"You *******. What do you want? Did you go pluck Lucas from the brink of death just to toss him in here?!" He lunged forward but was met only by dirt as Plisken moved to the side.
"Listen to me, Jørn. If I was with you guys, I'd be trapped here and beaten the same as you, right? And Lucas would be dead. He was about to meet some creepers before I showed up. I acted like I was a spy for Roxas as insurance. As long as I was kept free, I could find where they trapped him: My eye's otherworldly vision paved the way, peering straight through dirt and stone. And then I could free you. Get it?"
Jørn stared dumbfounded up at him then glanced over his shoulder. Colton merely shrugged, busily dusting himself off as he got to his feet. I nodded my head, and he returned the gesture.
"Fine...A good plan in the end, I guess. But what do we do now? Sneak out and then what? They would hunt us..."
"Let them hunt. We won't be found. I've scheduled a rendevous with some special allies, and Roxas would never travel far enough to find their home. But...Once we leave...There will be no coming back. Take what you will now, because the rest must be abandoned. Understood?"
Plisken glanced around at each of us, met by three solemn nods. He returned the nod and climbed out of the chamber, helping each of us out. Once we were ready, he pulled an odd sort of amulet from his pocket and tossed it into the inactive portal. It made no sound this time, only a momentary flash as the haze appeared, and then he stepped forward.
"The Nether works differently from this world. Travel will be much quicker. Come." With those words. he stepped into the purple haze and was gone.
We followed in single-file and were all dumped, once more, into a hellish landscape of heated red stone and floating monsters. A loud shriek told us we were caught. Plisken gestured across the stony ground to a portal some distance away and we all ran for it. Explosions and fire littered the ground as the creature spat flames at us. As we neared the portal, we saw it was dormant. As Colton cursed our luck, a fireball shot toward Plisken and he dropped to the ground in a slide. The flames went through the portal, sparking up the familiar purple haze. Plisken lunged to his feet and dove into the haze, vanishing. Jørn followed with Colton close behind. And finally I stepped into the cracking purple haze. The last thing I saw was the portal being blasted apart just seconds too late.
Falling. Tumbling. Impact and pain. We had all fallen from the sky in a heap. But we were safe. As we all untangled from each other and regained our wits, I opened my eyes to a startling sight: We had fallen into the center of a bright room...And we were surrounded by monsters.
I like it, its something new for you. I thought you were going to make a complete new story, instead you make a squeal from the first. I do believe that you do hint someone finding all your belonging. As for a name I would call it: " The finding: for being how you just found a small home and a piece of paper saying " we have taken the Chronicle". Its the main plot is it not.
Pretty nice... But does the "We have taken the Chronicle. Come find us." Part relate to your other story, "A Miners Chronicle?" Meh..Until i hear more of the story,I cant think of a name :tongue.gif: Anyway,Diamonds for you!
Must say you are a mighty good writer. I know you said that you have a title now but I kind of like the title
"Untitled Story"
I know that would be a weird title but it makes me think that if it is a journal kind of feel that he was never able to complete his story so it is left untitled. This does depend on the story as well of course
Pretty nice... But does the "We have taken the Chronicle. Come find us." Part relate to your other story, "A Miners Chronicle?" Meh..Until i hear more of the story,I cant think of a name :tongue.gif: Anyway,Diamonds for you!
I like this so far. Like it a lot. I was hoping you would continue it on from Miners Chronicle. :biggrin.gif:
Thx for teh PM.
I have big plans for this one...The updates might take a while to settle into a consistent routine (gotta get back into creative mode over here) but I'm eager to get things going. I'll need to study some other stories around here to get a feel for dialogue (spoilers :tongue.gif:)...I was never very good at implementing it myself.
Youre writing is amazing. as for a title? hm.... all the titles i have relate to Julius from a miner's chornicle (a fantastic piece of work!) so i have no clue
hmmmm, good story, a bit more detail to the battles and the environment would make them infinitely better, but at times it is enjoyable to read something simple instead of a gargantuan detailed filled book.
i really would like to see where this story could go.
As I saw the black-clad men, I immediately lunged towards the first one. He had a dagger, but did not have enough time to use it, as I stabbed the top of his head repeatedly, turning his brains into a bloody mess. Then, I punctured the *******’s neck, and kicked his falling body in the direction of the other men. He fell, taking down one of the swordsmen and a crossbowman, leaving me face-to-face with another swordsman. He looked at me, snorting.
“COME ‘ERE!” He screamed, and slashed at me.
I jumped away, and tried to land a stab on his shoulder. He parried, almost knocking the dagger out of my hands; Good thing I held it in the reverse position, as if not, my hand would be severed. I showed my opponent an offensive gesture with my hand – I wanted to make him angry.
And it worked.
Roaring, the swordsman slashed and hacked at the place where I was just couple of seconds ago. I simply sidestepped in the direction of my opponent, evading his blade, and giving myself a chance to stab him in-between his ribs. I was so near him – it was ideal. The dagger truly shows itself at these distances.
I stabbed, putting as much power as I could into the blade, trying to get him in the back. Instead, it punctured through his arm.
"I AM GOING TO RIP YOU APART!!!” Swordsman screamed, dropping his sword and going berserk.
He charged at me, trying to headbutt me. I side stepped yet again, meeting his head with my dagger. His eyeball cracked, and so did the skull behind it, and the dead body fell down the cobble-stone paved road, with a thud.
I like battles :3
And gore and blood and brainz :3
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HEY!!!, its not nice to bold out someones post and take it out of context.
on a side note, you really like using the words bloody mess?!? i think you've mentioned that combination at least 3 times in your story. and yes this story needs more description ASAP when it comes to fighting.
The fighting is fine. It was a fleeting thing, so detail was intentionally left out. It will not be overly detailed if it is not important, and that one was not important (spoilers).
HEY!!!, its not nice to bold out someones post and take it out of context.
on a side note, you really like using the words BLOODY MESS?!? i think you've mentioned that combination at least 3 times in your story. and yes this story needs more description ASAP when it comes to fighting.
I LUV IT
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Entry 1-1
Light. A flood if it, filling my vision. I do not know what came before it. I don't know if I even existed before it. But I exist now. And the sight before me is, in the plainest terms, amazing. Sprawling earth, massive cliffs and oceans, and animals roam the land. Pigs, cows, chickens, sheep...But none like me. After taking in the land, I immediately spot a staircase leading into the earth and, lacking any other places to go, descend into an earthen chamber. There is a bookshelf, a chair, and a table with a single cake placed upon it. The cake is missing a small slice. Also, there is a rather crude fireplace in the corner. If there were ever logs in it, they have been reduced to black piles of soot. Seems somebody was here before me...How nice of them to leave a cake.
I sat down near the long-dead fireplace and grabbed a slice of cake. It was quite stale but still tasty, so I settled in with my snack to check out the bookshelf. As you might have guessed, one of the empty books has since become my journal. Yet most of the books were full of diagrams and plans for what seemed to be a great glass tower. Interesting...But there was a single empty space on the shelf, and a sheet of paper where a book ought to have been. I picked it up, smudging the edges with frosting in the process, and saw two rather mysterious sentences: "We have taken the Chronicle. Come find us." How...Strange. Well, I didn't know who I was, where I was, or even why I was, but I already had quite a bit to think about. Somebody had built this chamber, made this cake...And someone else had stolen this "Chronicle" from them, whatever that was.
Entry 1-2
Maybe I would find answers to such things later but I needed to learn where I was first. I finished off my slice of cake and climbed out of the room. I spotted a river nearby and decided to get a look at myself. My reflection revealed to me my face, my clothing...I was not well armored at all. Also, it proved what I had already learned: I was bipedal, and of more advanced function than the four-legged creatures in this place. And, so far, I was alone. Nonetheless, I immediately set off up a cliffside. Reaching the top was easy enough as the land formed a natural stairs for me. And as I came to the peak of the cliff, I saw something on the other side. Something...Not natural. Chunks of glass jutting from the ground. The ruins of a glass tower. Somebody had sketched blueprints for it, written them in a book, and eventually built the tower. And had they torn their own building apart? Unlikely. The blueprints were obviously a painstaking work. Whoever built it had been proud of it. But now, all that remained was jagged chunks and shards. A truly sad sight.
No matter. I moved on. Eventually the sun began to set. I didn't like the idea of being in the open at night so I needed a shelter. I quickly broke down a tree, which the books had described was possible, and converted the logs to usable planks. Finally, taking another tip from those books, I crafted a workbench and a few sticks. Then I began to dig. Once I had a decent ditch to rest in, I blocked up all but the tiniest opening with the excess dirt. I would explore further tomorrow but, for now, I decided to build some tools. I spent some time building wooden picks and even dug the ditch down further to find stone. I immediately turned this to more tools. Whoever had left those books had given me a decent guide. Workbench and basic tools, as well as a list of metals and rocks they could be built with. If he was still out there someplace, I would need to thank him one day.
Entry 2-1
When sunlight came into my shelter, I broke open the exit to get to work. I walked as far as I could until I hit the ocean and built a simple wooden vessel to float around on. I sailed for at least a few hours before I reached land - frozen, snowy land. An interesting place to continue my journey. I left the boat behind and continued on foot, cursing my meager scraps of clothing as the cold sent shivers through my body. I walked on and on, growing steadily frustrated by the unbroken white expanse and the stinging cold. But then, in a small hole, I found a blackish material in the stone. Coal, those books called it. I dug it out in a hurry and got four lumps, quickly putting together a torch for warmth. I stuck the torch into the earth and dug another pit as the sun began to set. I need to warm up a bit before exploring the night. In fact, I think I'll take a nap.
Entry 2-2
Up again. My nap killed a few hours but it's still dark out. I climbed out of my pit and started walking again. Still nothing but snow...And a...What is that? Green, armless...A monster if I ever saw one. I inch carefully closer for a better look. And then it spots me. And runs over. As it gets close, I can feel a great heat pouring off of it in waves. I hear a growing hiss fill the air and a great boom of sound. I fall into a sudden crater and darkness overcomes me. And now I'm back at that chamber. Wasted progress. But at least I'm warm here. Also, there was a time lapse between my death and rebirth. It seemed instant, but the sun's just risen now. I decide to explore closer to home and find some cows grazing in a nearby field. I take a few down with my pick and make myself some leather pants and a shirt. Not only will they keep me warm if I find more snow, but they just might protect me from...Well, exploding monsters. At any rate, I've got a nice leather suit now. I decided to harvest more wood. For torches, mostly. After an hour or so walking, I found a nice valley near a bay. I decided I'd build a home here. As I started to set out the planks, I was absently watching the horizon, and thought I saw a figure. I paused to check again and it was gone. Strange...But not important right now. I resumed building my meager home. A simple square of wooden planks, with a slight pointed roof. Not much but enough as the sun was setting again.
Entry 3-1
As the sun sets, I start to hear increasing groans outside my house. I left a tiny hole for a window and, peeking through it, I can see a few greenish people roaming about. The groans are from them and, despite their similarities to me, instinct tells me they're not likely to be friends. And further in the distance, I can see silhouettes. Zombie or human, I cannot tell, but they are very still. If they're zombies, they are minding their own. If human, they may well be watching me. While I think about that, the stench of rotting flesh hits me and I can't help but rush to the other side of my room and break open a window in hopes of getting some fresher air. Inhaling the zombie-free air from the other side of my home, I hear a loud THWANG and jump back in surprise, barely avoid getting an arrow through my eye. A few skeletons are lurking just outside. I wall up the makeshift window in fear and almost think I'm safe...Until the tip of three more arrows pierces through the wall in rapid succession. These skeletons are good shots, firing their arrows through the slits between the planks. I run across the room to check if the coast is clear: Still more zombies.
Trying not to get too fearful, I quickly build a wooden pick at my workbench and start digging downward through stone. I've quickly gathered enough to craft a sword and break open a doorway to face my skeletal opponents. Two arrows immediately through my right leg. A lot of good that leather was. Cursing and limping closer, I manage to slice one down while avoiding an arrow through my neck by sheer luck. I turn to see the other two moving in and dig a crude pit. One falls in and, luckily, the pit is deep enough to trap him. So I make quick work of his friend and, feeling a bit vindictive over my wounded leg, leave him alive. I fill the pit back up until he has no room to move and leave him. Let him scorch in the sun. Then I head around front to waste the zombies gathering there. They are much slower and lack the weaponry of skeletons, so I slash them to pieces fairly easily. My leather armor holds up much better against their weaker clawing assaults, though I still get a few nasty scratches on my chest. Either way, my house is safe for the night.
Panting slightly from the effort of combat, I recalled the silhouettes in the distance and checked for them again. Gone. I didn't know what they were but they had been watching me, almost as if studying my battle. If they were zombies, that meant they were smarter than the others. It seemed unlikely but, nonetheless, I should be prepared. I turned to head inside to my workbench when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a log swing toward me. Unable to react in time, I felt it strike the back of my head and immediately began to fall. Three figures surrounded me, their images blurred by my fading sight. In my last moments of consciousness, I heard one of them issue a single, decidely ominous command: "Take him."
Entry 4-1
I can't tell what happened after that. I was unconscious. But when I woke up, I found myself being carried down an earthen staircase. I was not bound or tied, but four people walking behind held swords. Wooden swords, maybe, but still deadly as they could attack before I even drew my stronger stone blade from its sheath. The staircase wound back on itself only a few times as we slowly descended the spiral steps before bringing us into a long tunnel. The tunnel was only wide enough to permit single-file entry, so the few carrying me set me down and went ahead. The ones behind, swords still in hand, urged me into the tunnel and followed immediately, occasionally prodding a blade into my back as a warning. We walked on like this for what must have been half the night.
Just as my legs were about to give in, I saw the men ahead climbing up a ladder. I noticed a sign placed nearby but it was too dark in here to read. I followed up the ladder, flanked by the swordsmen, and found myself standing into a massive room. It surely went on for miles in any direction and was lit only by skylights at short intervals. The walls and ceiling were made of dirt. Throughout the massive main chamber, various sections were walled off by dirt into smaller rooms, each denoted by a sign. I assumed these rooms were lit by their own skylights. The main chamber's buildings were log. Not even planks, just log. And countless holes were dug between buildings, apparently housing ladders leading back down into that tunnel. While I looked around, marveling at the size of the place yet perplexed by its primitive appearance. one of the men in front turned to me. Instinctively, I reached for my sword. Gone. He merely smiled and pulled a blade from the sheath at his side. A stone blade. My sword.
"Looking for this? Do not worry. I will dispose of the abomination properly.", He spoke in a gruff, obviously revolted tone before stepping over to a hole dug nearby, and dropped it in. "These holes are our only means of disposal. Natural tunnels straight into the Underground. You may retrieve your weapon, if you wish. But the depth is great. Even a suit of pure diamond would not spare your life. Nor would we, if you dared to create such a thing."
I opened my mouth to protest but thought better of it, and merely scowled. Unphased, he grabbed my arm and, swords still at my back, I was led past a few unassuming hovels to a pyramid of sorts. It was the only house with a door, wooden like everything else. The nameless guard that threw my sword away ushered me into this hollow temple and shut the door.
Sitting there in the room, behind a makeshift desk of logs, was a silver-haired man. I immediately took note of a great web of razor-thin scars decorating his face. He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and I gladly took a seat. I was exhausted, but still curious as I looked around. This room had no skylight but a block of some odd stone was set in the center of the ceiling, emitting a bright light to chase away the darkness. Breaking me away from my curious thoughts, the man spoke.
"Greetings, outsider. My informants tell me you are newly born to this world. You undoubtedly have many questions. But first, allow me to apologize for the unpleasant manner in which you were brought here. Rough but necessary, you see, for we mustn't reveal the entrances to our base to...Outsiders. I do hope the chair is comfortable enough. I know all too well the exhaustion that can be brought by traveling our tunnels. Most of us have built enough muscle in the leg to make the journies easy. But, I digress." He leaned forward to hand me a bowl of water. He himself held a similar bowl, filled instead with milk. "Drink and gather your thoughts. Organize the inevitable questions in your mind, and then I will answer them."
I couldn't help but be very suspicious of this all but he seemed cordial enough. I kept my eyes on him, tracing the network of scars on his features, while drinking deeply from the water bowl offered to me. The liquid, though flavorless, was an absolute blessing to my parched throat. I drained the bowl in mere seconds and, with an amused chuckle, the man refilled it. After another deep drink, I set the bowl aside and drew my facial features into a serious expression. It was time to get some answers.
Entry 5-1
I sat forward in my chair to get a closer look at this man who was apparently in charge here. His icy-blue vision seemed to drill to my very soul as he watched me. After a few minutes of this staredown, I couldn't bear the silence and finally spoke up.
"Who are you? What is this place?", I interrogated, trying and failing to keep the venom out of my voice, before tearing a crumpled note from my pocket to show him. He took a great stretch of seconds to continue staring before he answered.
"My name is Roxas. This place is my home. You see, many ages ago, I was born into this world like yourself. On the exact same spot, in fact. I even found that same chamber and, yes, I took a book from that same shelf. But let's start from the beginning. Humans are not born at the same place by default. I was merely lucky.
After many weeks of travel, I found others by chance. Eventually, we banded together and began to form a settlement. Once I showed him the chamber, it was agreed the settlement would be near it. We even found a dungeon with a sort of magical artifact inside. The beasts inside were slaughtered and the artifact stolen. As it turns out, it could be modified to bind births to a given area. So we buried it in that chamber, and all new births occurred there.
Then the digging began. We would not settle too near the origin point so we instead dig a great network of dirt tunnels leading from there, and many other locations, to this base. The walls were built high to shelter us from the monsters of the darkness. They are torn down and expanded whenever necessary. We could not risk you seeing the exact tunnel entrance, so you were made unconscious to be brought here,"
I waved a hand impatiently at him, eyes rolling. "Yes, yes, I'm sure it's a great achievement and all. And fine, keep your secrecy, but why did you bring me here? Why were my weapons destroyed?! And what is this Chronicle you stole?"
His eyes never wavered. The faintest twitch at one corner of his lips was his only hint of emotion as he lifted a rather worn-out leather book from his desk. Scrawled in rather untidy script on the cover, apparently in charcoal, were the words 'The Chronicle'.
"This book was written by a man that came before me. You may read it at your leisure. It details the man's birth, exploration, multiple rebirths, and eventual final suicide. After many years of studying it, we here have determined the cause of his troubles to be overstepping his boundaries. He believed all the world his dominion but was proven terribly wrong.
At night, the beasts roam the earth. In the day, they are nowhere to be found. Darkness is their element, you see. The Underground, their dominion. Everything below and including the stone is the rule of monsters. Everything above is for us. This is why your weapons were thrown out. They were heresy, and heresy invites punishment from the powers of this world. He too invaded forbidden regions, and was appropriately made to suffer. You were brought to learn better than him, as we all did, and your heretic stone tools are not permitted here."
"Is that why the walls are dirt? The houses logs, why you use no torches?", I muttered quietly, busily perusing the Chronicle he had offered. Suddenly, a great whistle filled the air, distracting my apparent host.
"Yes...You may stay here, if you wish. But you must follow our laws, and never stray for too long from our home. For safety reasons, of course. And there is more to learn of our ways. For now, come. The whistle means it is time for the daily offering."
Roxas stood and moved swiftly to the door, gesturing for me to follow. He seemed almost as if he was gliding. Nonetheless, I followed and he led me for a generous distance until we reached a great dome of packed dirt. He led me inside to find what must have been the entire population pouring in from other doorways. A strange, even otherworldly noise was emanating through the room. Once all were settled, he led me to the front of the crowd but stopped me short of a raised wooden dais. I stepped back and watched as he mounted the dais, raising himself above the crowd. It was then I noticed the source of that unsettling noise. A doorway of shiny black glass stood on the dais, a crackling purple mist glowing in its center. Pig-like snorts and horrific shrieks echoed weakly out of the swirling mist. And beside the strange portal, five humans were bound. My eyes widened as I realized what this was. An offering of life itself. Sacrifice.
Entry 5-2
I stared in mute shock at the bound humans beside that portal. Their hands were tied behind them, their ankled tied loosely together and, to my horror, I saw their lips were stitched shut as they stood waiting. A quick search of their eyes showed no fear, only a sort of awestruck apprehension. The crowd around them was very much the same. Evidently, the only fear was mine. As I watched them, Roxas walked before each in turn and spoke some words I couldn't quite hear. Each of them gave a bow of the head before they were lined up single-file in front of the portal.
The first was nudged toward the portal and a great scorching sound filled the room as his skin came in contact with the purple mist. As the mist swirled around and enveloped him, the hellish noise from the other side seemed to amplify, growing loud enough that I had to struggle not to cover my ears. His skin appeared to blacken, shrivel, and decay in front of my eyes. And then he was gone, leaving behind a weak echo of a muffled scream. One by one, the remaining four followed his example. Despite my horror, I kept perfectly still aside from a growing tremor in my bones, as each human offered stepped into apparent oblivion. Then came the fifth, and I had to bite my tongue to avoid crying out. It was a child. I couldn't take it and ran out the doorway, stumbling to my knees and vomiting the contents of my stomach which, thankfully, was mostly water. My vision blurred and, soon enough, blackness overtook me.
I awoke some time later in an empty house, laid out on a simple bed of wool. Roxas was seated in a nearby chair and gave a faint smile as he watched me stir. I pushed myself into a sitting position with some effort and merely glared at him, awaiting the inevitable explanation. And it came.
"You had a better reaction than most newcomers. But yes, our offerings are of flesh and of blood. Five offerings, once every month. Any member of the populace is free to volunteer, and some do. But in the event that they do not, a lottery determines who will surrender themselves. But even those chosen by lottery understand the rules. They go peacefully."
I glanced down at myself for a moment. They had dressed me in fresh, splendid clothes of carmine wool. It was comfortable enough. But my discomfort wasn't physical. They had watched fellow human shrivel in a purple fire. I merely glared back at him.
"Why? Why offer flesh, why sacrifice? To who, to what? What was that portal and, if they're so willing, why were they bound?! The willing require no bondage! You even prevent protest by wiring their mouths shut!" I shot questions and accusations at him, spitting venom with every breath. The ways of this place horrified and sickened me, and it had been less than three days! But Roxas only smiled, that maddening civil smile of his. As if we were discussing the weather!
"We sacrifice to the lord that holds power over this world and our lives. The lord that guides us to avoid the Underground. The Lord called Notch. He demands this offering. Why, we cannot be truly certain, but we believe it to be a sign of our trust and obedience. That portal is a gateway I built here long ago, when the demand for offering was first brought to me by a vision. It is said to lead into another dimension but nobody can say for sure. Nonetheless, it is the general consensus, and we call it the Nether. The only ones that go in are the sacrifices. To enter otherwise is heresy punishable by exile to the Underground, should they make their way back out. Now, as I said, they are chosen by volunteer or lottery. But once chosen in either way, they are destined for the Nether. All of the people know this but, once, a group cracked at the last minute, stole the guards' weapons in a surprise assault, and fled out of our home. They spent months successfully hidden, sabotaging our way of life and leaving members of the guard dead and stripped of armor. They were eventually captured soon after a new offering but were forced to submit to their fate anyway, as payment for their murderous saboteur ways. To avoid further murder and destruction of our home, we now bind them regardless. And we need not prevent protest, such is not our intent. The stitching binding their lips is a sigil, stitched always in a consistent pattern. This marking enables them to be separated from mere visitors. Any without such a mark pass through unscathed which, as you could see, the offered ones do not. Our reverence aside, it is not an event we take joy in, but a necessary sacrifice. The stakes otherwise are far worse...Now, rest if you like. I must attend to other matters."
I waited impatiently as he slowly explained this disgusting spectacle. Once he went quiet, he may as well have teleported for as fast as he exited the room. I stared after him for a few minutes before standing to look around the house. The walls were log, of course. And the only light was from a slot in the roof. I recalled that strange glowing stone in Roxas' own home and wondered where it had come from. Wherever it was from, it surely would be heretical. Perhaps he was given more privilege by this lord of his. Status symbols abound in communities, after all.
Apparently, while I slept, a painter had decided I was handsome enough to work with. Two portraits of myself hung nearby: One on the wall, which I figured was for both decor and identification. The second, I noticed, was set upon a small, thin mantle of wood. Planks, not log. And in that wood, I saw a word carved: Lottery. Evidently, they chose the lottery by portrait. A much more reliable method than names, I suppose. Names can be lied about or changed. Faces are forever. I guessed when the time came, that picture would go into the pickings. Well, so be it. Roxas claimed it was for the greater good and I would likely know the details in time. No reason to abandon a perfectly nice house in a well-defended community. I laid back on my bed with a deep sigh of relaxation and, with pleasant but questionable thoughts of belonging, fell into a deep sleep.
Entry 6-1
Knocking on the door. I woke immediately and opened the door. The guard that threw my weapons away stood there. I noticed for the first time that he had an eyepatch. Curious. Then I realized he was speaking.
"You're up already? Good. Time to work. All newcomers chop wood. One hour.", he spoke with clipped speech. Apparently he fit his job well.
He was gone in an instant and I stepped outside. My vision wasn't well adjusted to this place but I luckily found a crowd of men weilding axes. I went over and picked up my own. Wood, of course. One of them was dressed in gold wool with a rather crude image of an axe on the back. Charcoal.
The rest seemed to gravitate around him so I assumed he was the leader. He turned and led the group to a specific door nearby, marked by another charcoal axe drawn on it, much larger here. I followed and found myself exiting the main base area into a tree farm. It was much brighter here without a roof but the dirt walls still stood high, albeit much farther apart to accomodate tree growth. The rest went to work almost immediately but the golden-clad fellow waved me over.
"You're the Outsider, right? The one Thomas brought in?", he spoke with a silken tone.
"Thomas? ...That man that woke me, and threw out my sword? Yes, he brought me. My name is Lucas. How did he find me?"
He cracked a grin. "Lucas, eh? Fine name. They call me Jørn. And we always have scouts camped at the Origin. Roxas won't risk heresy from anyone, even outsiders, if he can help it. Some of the people here won't take so easily to you but Roxas'll be fine so long as you keep to the laws. Me, I don't care where you come from, as long as you know the rules. Don't make waves. Anyway, I guess you'll be sticking around?"
"Yeah, I think I will." I nodded once, my eyes dropping suddenly to his arms. One seemed shorter. "I could use the company, if anything."
Jørn nodded. "You're in fine company with me. But you need to learn the ropes. We run a community here. We all work. Newcomers chop wood. The rest are divided among digging, smelting, cooking. The usual. Each guild - it's what we call them - has an experienced worker at the head. Me, I head the jacks. You chop for an hour, break for half, then chop for two. Rest of the day's yours after. Salvage as much as you can during work hours. And...Do be careful."
He flashed me a grin and lifted his right hand. A wool sleeve fell away to reveal a stump with a stick jammed into it, his other hand placing an axe in my grip. "Had a hand severed by the axe once. Not as bad as you might thing - I keep a bunch of tool heads to screw on when needed, otherwise good for poking the slackers into motion - but you should still try not to lose any parts. Now do a good first day's work. Best way to get accepted here is pull your weight."
With that, he waved me away with a pat on the back. As I left, I turned back to see him screwing an axe blade onto his peg-hand. Gruesome yet useful. I couldn't help but grin at the sight while I took up an axe, setting out to start chopping logs in the sunlight.
Entry 27-1
A few weeks have passed since they brought me here. It's a fine place. My vision's adjusted to the light changes and the work's built a bit of muscle. The guard captain, Thomas, has gotten considerably less militant in our interactions. Even offered me sword training in his downtime. When I'm not chopping wood, I've taken to helping the furnace workers or practicing at the archer range. There is plenty of wood to build arrow targets. I asked Jørn once how the trees regrow so quickly. Apparently some sort of bone fertilizer makes the trees sprout almost instantaneously. The guards collect bones for grinding off skeletons during the night.
Out of curiousity, I've tried to salvage some during my work but it seems to dissolve into the soil. And I've been trying to find out more about the stranger things here. Each day, I've taken books from Roxas' home, mostly the Chronicle. I return them after only a while of reading, to avoid trouble. Most of the text is about the laws and dogmas of this place. And the Chronicle details a wretched life indeed. After the chopping session today, I snuck into what they've told me is called the Netherdome to take a look at that portal. Creeping up the dais, I stared into the swirling purple and reached a hand out, laying my palm flat against the mist. That snorting and shrieking from the other side began to grow ever so slightly as I slipped my hand through to the wrist, slowly moving nearer. The shrieking suddenly grew to a skull-splitting crescendo as I went to step into the portal and I clasped my hands to the sides of my head in pain. Footsteps running closer. Gruff voices of the guards. I cursed under my breath and tore away from the portal, searching frantically for a place to hide. Multiple doors began to open and I spotted a small dirt alcove, quickly diving into it and curling up to avoid detection. I stopped breathing, determined not to make any noise. Guards poured in from many directions, clamoring amongst each other.
"What on earth was that? Are we being attacked?!"
"Nonsense, it's just the portal. Somebody went through!"
"Madness! They'll die there! Or if not, they'll have to di-"
"SILENCE!" Roxas' voice rang out amongst the general rabble.
"Nothing escaped. Nothing will. All of you calm down and get back to your post. If anyone went through, they will be destroyed on the other side. If they make it back, they will be condemned to the fate decreed by law."
With that, he gave a single dismissive wave and the guards began to shuffle back out, a few casting wary glances back over their shoulders. I peeked out carefully from the alcove and let my eyes search the group. I could not see Thomas among them. I quickly ducked back down as guards passed through the door. Now only Roxas was left, staring calmly into the portal as it crackled before him. He turned on a heel and began to walk out. I dared for a second to get my hopes up of getting away unseen but he paused at the door and cast a glance toward my hiding spot. He could not see me through the shadows, of that I was sure. But he stood in a lit area and the look I saw in his eyes struck a cold fear in my gut. Then he turned and left. I waited almost twenty minutes before I followed suit and started running immediately.
He hadn't seen me, I was certain, but all this sneaking around was getting too risky. Then I got a plan. I paused by the sugar farm and tore up as many stalks of cane as I could gather in two arms, not bothering to repair the messy dirt patches left by my crude harvest, and ran back home. I set aside a bowl of soup, some bread, and a few slabs of pork. I would need the energy. Then, I sat at my table, dumped the sugarcane pile onto it, and began the long process of crafting paper through the night.
Entry 28-1
Morning. I spent a good deal of the night crafting books. Hid them under the bed then salvaged whatever sleep I could. And now there's more knocking on my door. I rolled over and clawed at the doorknob, opening the door a crack. It was Colton, the scouting captain. His spiked hair was a dead giveaway, dyed a bright ivory. I swung the door open with a pleasant smile.
"Hello there, Colton. Come on in.", I gave him a grin and waved him inside.
"No time right now. I've got work and so do you. Roxas decided you've done well enough harvesting trees, I guess. He wants you moved to scouting." he spoke casually, without the clipped militant tone Thomas kept, and handed over a suit of leather armor.
I donned the armor and followed him out. We stopped by the armory to grab some bows and arrows, a scout's only allowed weaponry, and joined the rest of the scouts nearby. There were five others beside us. Two of them, Leo and Jonas, were twins with shaved heads to match. The other three, I'd never met before. They were all gathered around Roxas and, once he saw Colton and myself, he began to speak.
"The citizens here have heard noises in the night. I posted guards outside the doors last night to keep watch and they've reported skeletons. The fiends don't attack, only watch and slip away. But there are many. They must be coming from somewhere, spying for some reason. Your assignment is to follow their trail. Find out why they're watching us."
Colton gave a nod and stepped out. As I followed, I noticed a strange look pass between Roxas and the others. I shrugged it off and the group headed off. We quickly spotted a trail, well-worn by repeated footprints, and set to following it. Colton kept me nearby to assure I stayed with the group. We followed the trail for a good number of hours until the trail abruptly died. The sky was dark. I spoke up with panting breath.
"Colton, we've been walking for hours. They must have climbed from here or something. Can't we take a break? If they're spies, they'll be back anyway."
"Hm...Guess you're right. Can't go any further today anyway. Sun's about to set. We'll rest for the night and head back tomorrow. We can catch them if they come back again." he sighed and gestured to the group to set up camp.
An hour later, we had a tent, a fire, and stomachs full of grilled fish. Colton had gone to sleep early on. Only myself and the twins were still up. I was adding more sticks to the fire when Jonas ran up to me.
"Lucas! Leo found some more tracks. And they marked their path through the forest with arrows, we tried to track them through it. One caught Leo and he took a shot to the leg. No time to wake everyone up, come on!" he sounded out of breath.
I dropped a handful of sticks onto the fire and ran off with Jonas. He led for about ten minutes before we rounded a cliff. The area was dark. There was no forest. I turned to question him when a hand shot out and grabbed my bow, throwing it across the ground. Jonas had crept up from the shadows.
"What's going on here? I thought you two found a trail." I glanced between the two. They were moving closer and drew their swords.
I saw a blade shoot forward and lunged to the side. Crashed into the cliffside. Leo was on me in an instant and smacked my head against the stone. A throbbing pain spread and my vision blurred. I felt rough hands grasp either of my arms and drag me somewhere. Minutes later, I fell into a pit and lay there, bruised from the fall. Leo and Jonas stood above me looking in, busy blocking up the passage with logs.
"So sorry, Lucas, but it looks like this is where we say goodbye. Roxas' orders, you understand. For the good of our safety, we can't have heretics. If it's any consolation, it was fun while it lasted." Jonas gave a cold laugh as they blocked the last of the light.
I heard footsteps receding. I was too damaged to move. Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw they'd dropped me into a cave. I tried to call out for help but the blockage they set up made screaming useless. Nobody could hear. I could only lay there, bruised with throbbing pain, as the night wore on.
Entry 29-1
I snapped awake suddenly. Must have fallen asleep. I could hear the cows out so I figured it was morning. I took a lazy look around when, out of a corner of my eye, I spotted a zombie. I leapt up against a rock wall and, weaponless, raised a fist in defense. But it did not attack. Only stared, still as a board. And then I noticed something strange. He had a light. Around his neck, a small diamond emanating light. And he held some tool I couldn't quite see. I blinked a few times and kept staring. He raised a hand to point and I glanced to the wall behind me. He was gone when I looked back but I suddenly saw a stone pick at my feet. I picked it up and glanced to where the zombie had been. He had been carrying a tool after all...Strange. But I couldn't take time to wonder about that. I had been thrown into a stone ditch by my fellows. I had to find out why. And I was hungry.
Wincing at the hunger pains in my gut, I went to work mining out a stairway out of this natural tomb. The work was quick and, mercifully, I wasn't in as much pain this morning. I lifted myself away from the stone and saw a pig staring. It didn't stare long as my pick tore eagerly through it and I dove upon the raw flesh. It had a few friends around that began to scatter. I took up my pickaxe with a chunk of bloodied flesh still hanging from my teeth and went about slaughtering them all. I was ravenous. After I finished devouring the delicious morsels provided by the pigs, I wiped the blood from my lips and looked around. My bow was discarded nearby. I picked it up. There were even a few arrows left. I gathered those too and set off, quickly picking up a footprint trail. As I followed the trail, I occasionally spotted figures in the distance. Most of them I couldn't quite make out, but I could see they were mixed. Zombies, creepers...Even a human now and then. I would definitely have to investigate this later.
Once I reached our campsite, I saw they were all gone. Nothing left but a few sticks unburnt by the fire. I salvaged what I could before continuing onward. Some hours later, I arrived at the looming packed-dirt walls of my so-called community. The sun was setting now. I dug a hole just large enough to slip through and met a house built immediately on the other side. I peeked around the house but couldn't see anything, and I figured walking about in town might not go over so well if my would-be assailants were around. I recalled the salvaged sticks and decided to craft some ladders. Didn't get many, but enough. I spaced them out along the back wall of the house and climbed up. I spotted Leo and Jonas in the distance beside the community granary. They were with Roxas. I set down my weapons and dropped back to the floor. I needed to hear them, so I decided to dig a tunnel. It was quicker than usual with the pick I had brought, and my own energy running high. Soon enough, during a pause in my digging, I heard Roxas' voice seep down into the tunnel.
"You took care of him, I trust? And Colton is none the wiser?"
"Yes sir. Colton was dead asleep, thanks to our men. We blocked him up in that pit so he couldn't call for anybody. And he had no tools to get up the wall. He'll rot there." a gruffer voice spoke up. Jonas.
"Very good. Those two are much too close, we can't have him knowing about any of this. But we can't trust people like Lucas snooping around, obviously had blasphemy in the heart. Now, Leo, you'll be..."
I didn't hear anymore. I had bolted back down my tunnel, frantically filling it all back in as I backtracked. Once I was out again, I scrambled up to my improv rooftop post. They were still there. I assumed Roxas was talking to Leo now. So he had ordered them to eliminate me...Why only those two? But then it hit me: It wasn't just those two. I remembered that odd look Roxas and the scout group had exchanged. They had all known what would happen. All except Colton. The other three had been keeping him busy to wear him down into sleep. My mind raced at these revelations but I forced it all away and made my mind a blank slate. I raised my bow, docked an arrow, and took aim. My archery hobby was about to pay off. I steadied the tremor in my hands and tunneled my vision in on Jonas. He had actually laughed when they threw me in. He had visibly enjoyed it. He would be the first. I took in a deep breath and exhaled before releasing the arrow. It flew straight across the land and buried it right at the imaginary bullseye through the back of his neck. The instant I saw the arrow pierce through and release his blood, I was bolting down the ladder and digging my way back through the wall. I filled the hole in so nobody would catch my exit and wandered a while. Once I was far enough, I began a more purposeful dig. A seven-by-seven chamber in the dirt. I dropped inside and blocked up all but one central space for light. Then I tossed my weapons into a corner and slumped against the wall. This was my home now. Roxas and his lackies had buried more than a human in that cave. They buried my place among their community. And with that one single arrow, I established my place as a saboteur.
Entry 30-1
I woke slowly in my makeshift room. I could hear footsteps approaching and almost panicked, quickly filling in my skylight to avoid discovery. I couldn't leave yet. But I couldn't hole up in here all day either. So I sat and planned. I couldn't go back to my life there. But I needed to clear out my house. And I had to find out who I could trust. And, of course, Leo had to die. Once I thought enough time had passed, I dug my way out. The scouting group was just passing, out to search surrounding areas. They'd check the Origin for newcomers and terminate any stray zombies. I knew Leo was among them. Restraining an urge to kill, I ducked back into my hole and blocked it up, building a cross of dirt on the floor to mark it. Then, the tunneling started. Every ten minutes or so, I dug out a hole to check my location. Everyone was busy with the daily workload so it was easy enough to sneak about. I found my old house and tunneled in from below.
The paintings on the wall had been slashed. Everything else was untouched though. Good. I climbed out of my hole and checked the bed. Stacks of paper were still underneath it. I found a few stacks of leather in a chest and set to work binding some books together. They went into the tunnel with me. Then I had to find Roxas' house. Once I dug my way there, I made a peephole in the floor. He was at his desk. I cursed under my breath and readied an arrow, chucking it at the glowstone on his ceiling. It shattered and I ducked down to hide as he shot to his feet. He cursed to himself and stormed out, likely to find a replacement. I had my chance. I climbed out and to his bookshelf. Laws, plans, records...I cleared the shelf and replaced each book with one of the fakes I'd put together. I took a while to transport his books back to my chamber then made my moleish way to Colton's home. I camped in a tunnel beneath the floor until I heard footsteps. A quick peek told me it was him and I broke the floor open, lifting myself up from the hole. He was, as expected, surprised.
"Lucas?! What are you doing...Jonas said you were dead, they barely escaped the mobs!"
"Did he now? Nonsense, all of it. I'm perfectly alive. He isn't though. And there weren't any mobs." I took a seat in a chair and watched him. He would need an explanation. "Jonas and Leo lured me with word of mobs and threw me into a pit. I was lucky enough to find some tools left down there or I'd still be rotting."
"Wha...Why would they do that?! And why were you under my house??" Colton was almost yelling. He was going to attract attention.
"Quiet down! They were ordered to do it. Once I got out, I came back here and found them with Roxas. The whole assignment was a sham. It was just to trap me and leave me dead, by his orders. The other three were tasked with keeping you distracted while I was eliminated."
"But...Why? And wouldn't they have just let me in on that sort of plan? This is madness!" His voice was rising again.
"Roxas fears what risk I may pose. I've been investigating things...His records, the portal, things like that. Everyone else goes along with all this without any real knowledge of it. I refused so he needed me gone. You were probably left out of the plan because of your connections to me. Considering this situation, I'd say they were right to exclude you. Either way, I can't stay in the commune anymore. I've been sneaking through tunnels to check my house and get here."
Colton let out a breath and laid back on his bed. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. If he wouldn't listen, he would have to be silenced somehow. At the least, knocked out while I escaped and got away from this place. I was relieved of these thoughts when he spoke again.
"I believe you...It's just the sort of thing Roxas would do. When I first got here, I asked a lot of questions too. He never tried to kill me, probably because I never actively searched for answers, but he made it very clear he would not be questioned. But I would never have expected...What about Jonas and Leo?"
"Jonas is dead. When I found them with Roxas, I sniped an arrow through his throat. Leo will die next." I gave him a solemn look. I was no murderer by nature but I would do what needed to be done. He had to know that.
"...Dead. I understand. He was a friend but if he had it coming, I won't miss him. Or Leo, for that matter. But what wil-"
A knock on the door. Leo's voice asking for entry. I gave Colton a purposeful look and he nodded. I ducked back into my tunnel. Colton took a moment to compose himself before opening the door. Leo stepped inside. He was wearing iron.
"Hello there, Colton. Awful news. Jonas is dead. He was shot and killed from a distance. Skeletons, most likely. We didn't catch any but the guards are on double duty to keep an eye out. Anyway, I thoug- ...What's that hole?"
Leo's eyes fell upon my tunnel exit. I cursed myself in my head but Colton, crafty fellow he was, didn't miss a beat and dove right into an explanation, casting me a quick glance. His eyes looked dark. We both knew Leo would die in this house tonight.
"Oh, that. I thought I heard the hiss of lava. Figured maybe some ground collapsed into a cave, was just going to pack in some fresh dirt to reinforce the floor in case."
"Lava? Caves? Dangerous territory there. Yes, it should be blocked off. Best let me have a look though in case creepers or anything are already residing there. You're far too valuable a worker to risk. Roxas lent me this armor, so I'll get scorched at most."
I crept farther back into the shadows as Leo kneeled down. Just before his head entered the tunnel, I caught a grim nod from Colton. Lifting my pick for bracing, I saw Leo poke his head into the tunnel and look around. He could see me easily and his mouth opened to sound the alarm. I gave him no chance as, with a swing of the pick, I lodged the entire blade into his eye to the handle. The sound of caving bone and oozing brain was sickening. I wrenched my pick free, gagging at the grotesque noises as it pulled free, and immediately dug further down. A moment later, his corpse had been shoved into the makeshift grave and covered with dirt. Colton watched this all with a blank stare, though he was obviously quite sickened by the sight.
"This is why I was never a guard. I don't have the stomach for it. But I won't tell anyone he's been here. I'll make something up. We've got a night shift later. I'll say he was a casuality. They'll all be casualties. We were ambushed. I was the only survivor."
He recited his story with the professionalism of an experienced serial killer. I was surprised he could be so coldly efficient, but he always did place a high value on trust. Now that Roxas betrayed his, he would do what was necessary. I admired that. Suddenly, some wood and wool were tossed down to me. Colton spoke in a quick whisper.
"Now go away. Quickly. If Roxas buys that story, I can stay here safely. You'll need somebody on the inside. Matter of fact, I think I can get someone else in on this too. Roxas has more enemies than you and me. Keep this tunnel open. I can bring you food and supplies once in a while."
"Thanks a lot, Colton. Sorry you had to get dragged into this but I figured you might want to know you had hitmen working with you"
He laughed and shrugged his shoulders, waving a hand. I took that to mean he was fine with it. Probably would have ended up in my place soon enough given his history. I nodded once to him and went back down. He filled in the tunnel exit while I started back toward my chambers. Once there, I crafted a bed from the supplies given and collapsed gratefully upon it. Two down and a partner to boot. This was going to be very interesting...
Entry 31-1
Another morning. I climbed out of bed and immediately spotted something wrong. A tunnel had been dug...And not by me. I stepped toward it warily but no one was hidden there. I kept moving. After about five minutes, the floor lowered a step and I found myself before a waterfall. I shrugged and stepped into the current, locking my arms tight to my sides as it swept me through the tunnel. After about ten minutes, the current tossed me into a dry chamber and split into a moat coursing around the room. I let my dizzied vision settle before looking around. Light poured in from above. This room had no roof and there were three rather tall trees. I blinked in confusion until my eyes fell on Colton. He was busy scattering a whitish dust over the soil, which quickly sank below the dirt. Once he saw me watching him, he grinned.
"Hey there, Lucas. Enjoyed the ride? Not the most efficient way to travel but it does the job. If you had walked, it would take forever. We're a pretty long way from that chamber, you see. Had to be to avoid risk of detection. No one ever goes this far out, not unless they're abandoning the community and going on elsewhere."
"Colton, what is this? Why are you here, how did you find my chamber?" I was still looking around, confused. He held up a handful of the white dust he was working with. As he tossed a pile to the soil, a few saplings poked from the dirt and began to quickly grow before my eyes.
"Bonemeal. And this is a tree farm, my friend. I told you I would help out, right? I got just enough for this one planting to start you off. You'll need to wait for it to grow naturally after these are harvested." He tossed down the last of the bonemeal and dusted his hands off.
"W..Where did you get bonemeal? I worked in the tree farm, it's impossible to salvage from the soil. And nobody tells where the stuff is kept!" While I questioned him, I noticed a large patch of blistered tissue down one arm. He'd been scorched by something.
"Before you ask, I was caught in a creeper explosion. Here's what happened once you left: I ran to Roxas and told him I'd seen a gathering of zombies. He was going to send out the guards but I convinced him not to waste their armory on such weak things, especially since we needed the commune fully-guarded after skeletons had killed you and Jonas. He agreed, to cover his lies, so the scout troop was deployed with bows to deal with it. Before all that, I had gone out and stashed a stolen sword in a tree some way out from the commune walls. I led the troop there then fell back to retrieve the blade. Killed them all. The last among them confirmed everything you told me before the sword severed his neck. I figured once I told Roxas about the deaths, he'd send a search party regardless. And the slash marks were too obvious. Only a human uses slashing weaponry...I was lucky enough to find a creeper nearby and lured him to the fallen corpses. As you can see, I didn't avoid the explosion entirely, but it created a crater for the bodies, and roasted them well enough to hide the sword scars. I buried the sword deep and went back home. Roxas believes the troop died there."
"Great job, Colton. What about Leo? The math doesn't add up well with the burnt corpses...And this doesn't quite explain the bonemeal." I sat down against a tree trunk, pleased by these developments.
"I dug Leo's body up and snuck it out to toss into the crater. Far as Roxas guessed, he avoided the blast but died from the fall. Broke his skull myself on the stone in the crater to ruin the pickaxe wound that'd cause suspicion. He was stinking up my house anyway. As for the bonemeal, I played the grief card. All my troop dead on a scout mission, very traumatic, you know. Got reassigned to lumberjack duties. Jørn gave me the bonemeal but he can't afford to supply any more than what I've used here. You've got a place to start, anyway."
Colton walked over to the wall and broke a hole open. Another tunnel and the sound of flowing water greeted us. I followed to take a look and he grinned, apparently proud of the work.
"This is the way back out. It's a reverse of the way in, basically, so you don't have to fight against the current to get back to your room. As for the wet clothes from the transport, well, that's just the life of a rebel." He offered a joking wink in my direction but I was busy staring into the tunnel. The waterfall gave me an idea...
"Thanks a lot for the help...But you need to go. And I need to find out where that portal goes. Go home. Stay inside. Do not, under any circumstances, open the door. It's about time somebody cleansed that place..." I gave him a look and he nodded in understanding before climbing into the water tunnel.
I followed and, minutes later, we were both washed against a dirt step. Climbing over it, we walked the short rest of the way to my chamber and he climbed out through the skylight. I sat against the wall, dripping wet and shivering. I would revisit my new tree farm later to harvest some firewood but, for now, I preferred the biting cold soaking into my skin. It kept me alert and aware for my next move. Now that Leo and the other traitors were safely entombed in a crater, it was time to do a bit of scouting myself...
Entry 31-2
I climbed from my chamber and set off. Pick in hand, I wandered until I reached a cliff. I lifted the pick and went to work breaking down the rock. Boundaries be damned. I was already condemned. So I dug. The rubble grew in piles as mid-day slowly came around and, when I was about to give up, I spotted the tannish fragments I had been looking for. Iron. Property of monsters, maybe, but blasphemy's the least of my trouble. I began to mine out the ore quite happily and came out with a good amount. But nowhere near enough. I kept digging for more and, by the time the sunset started, had at least a decent pile. So I gathered it all up and headed back to my chamber, sniping a few creepers for gunpowder on the way. Once there, I built enough ladders to get onto the roof of the commune, and there I planted a multitude of chests. Then I went to work building a furnace. I had gathered some coal surplus so I tossed it in to smelt the metal. Then I made buckets. A bunch of them. I tossed them all into a chest on the roof and, after stopping by my chamber to make up some torches, headed back out.
Hours later, I was back on the roof, stashing bucket after bucket into chests. I had almost all I needed but it still wasn't quite enough. Now that it was night, I could risk sneaking inside for supplies. I climbed back down once everything was safely stored and tunneled my way into the commune, this time seeking the guards' armory. I made my way there and raided the armor chests, robbing them of as much as I could. Back on the roof, I broke the armor apart for more bucket material. After all was done, I took the chests down from the roof and, pushing them along, set off in search of an ocean. I kept a single torch at hand to ward away any of the night beasts and, after truding through the darkness for a good hour, finally hit a coastline. So I climbed down to the edge of the water and, one by one, filled every bucket. It was getting dangerously close to daytime by the time that work was done. I wanted to finish this up before anyone left for work. I stored all the now-full buckets back in their chests and, after digging up some sand for later, began the much more difficult trek home.
By the time I had gotten back and gotten all the chests back on the roof, the sun was already out. I cursed to myself and sighed, dropping back into my chamber and covering the entrance. The rest would have to wait until the guards and whatever new scouts they'd assigned were back inside the walls. In the meantime, I took a quick flume ride to my tree farm and did some harvesting. After some time, with two arms full of logs, I headed back and set to crafting and storing planks. I scraped some coal from the furnace and stuck a few torches in the wall for light and decided to check the sun. I dug out the usual skylight and saw it was almost mid-day. The sun was about to hit the top of the sky. Time to go. I lifted myself out of the ground and set up my ladder to get to the roof, tearing it down as I climbed to leave no trace of it behind. That done, I crafted a single block of tnt from the gathered gunpowder and sand then set about arranging the countless water buckets. Once they were all clustered close around the explosive, I sat in wait. It wasn't long before the scouts were heading back and the guards retired for the night. Just to be sure no stragglers were still out, I waited until the sunset before lifting my pick and jamming it deep into the tnt. I heard a faint hiss and dove off the roof, aiming to fall right through the hole into my room. Just as I leapt to escape, a great blast assaulted my ears and I saw the roof disintegrate, buckets upon buckets of water melting away to unleash a cascading flood into the community below.
Entry 32-1
I watched for just a moment as the flood poured through the roof. The water level inside rose quickly, a good deal of logs from houses being washed away. It was having the effect I planned. Good. I leapt off the roof, without the aid of a ladder, and hit the ground with a hard thud before scrambling into my chamber and blocking up the entrance. Mere moments later, I heard the thundering of frantic footsteps as the populace poured through the doors. Splashing accompanied the noise as some water escaped through the doors. After a few minutes, the footsteps stopped and the only sound was the water contained by the walls. I started to move. Down the tunnel I'd left open to Colton's house. The stench of corpse was still lingering in the dirt while I broke the floor open and climbed out. Colton was there, as planned. And Jørn was in a corner with a man I'd never seen before. He was very toned but not exceedingly muscular, with a white-blond head of hair, trimmed short and spiked. A leather eyepatch covered one eye. The other, a bright green, stared with cold calculation. I glanced at him suspiciously and Colton started to speak.
"Don't worry about him, Lucas. He's an ally here." Colton gestured to Jørn, who nodded silently from his corner and stepped forward.
"So from the sounds of things out there, you flooded the place. Lot of damage, eh? Lucky we decided to reinforce the walls, just in case. Certainly a better saboteur than I ever was."
"You...Why would you have been one? You've got a decent place in the commune. You have no reason to oppose Roxas or anybody." I questioned him somewhat absently, already planning ahead. He lifts his peg-hand with a sort of sickly-amused smile.
"I was like you. Questioning and such. I even tried to get through the portal. Got caught, of course, because the damn thing's so noisy. You know that sigil they stitch over the sacrifice's lips, to prevent them passing through unharmed? He did that to my hand and held it in the portal. Flesh melted away with a hell of a lot of pain. Did you ever notice the meat around the stump was cooked? Ended up amputating it at the bone after that. I tell people it was a wood-chopping accident, otherwise he'd be back for more of my appendages."
He caught me glaring warily at the stranger beside him and gave a chuckle, patting the newcomer on a shoulder. The man made no sign that he was even aware of the gesture, only continuing to watch me. His one visible eye was still as the stone we had been forbidden to mine.
And this here is Plisken. Loyal a guard as you could hope for, until he caught sight of my little punishment...Roxas figured his loyalty was enough but apparently some of his inner circle disagreed. They cornered him at home once and tore his eye out, as a warning to keep quiet. He let it spread around that he'd taken an arrow to the face, and kept on as calm as ever, but that sort of thing tends to disillusion a man."
I shot my eyes to the stump he spoke of. It was indeed cooked...Sickening. I grimaced and walked over to a chest, popping it open and lifting out a stone sword, sans handle. I offered it to Jørn and he screwed it onto his peg and gave it a few swings. He nodded his approval as I gestured to a rack of stolen armor and pocketed a flint-and-steel.
"Suit up. Looks like you'll finally be getting through that portal, Jørn." I tipped him a wink and we all donned iron armor. I tossed an iron sword, courtesy of the guards' quarters, to Colton and opened the door. I had one of stone. Plisken, naturally, brought his own iron equipment. As expected, the house was instantly flooded. We held our collective breath and worked against the current to get out, then I pointed them toward the dome housing the portal. It took some time to swim our way there and we were soaked by the time we got the door open. The dome, by luck, hadn't been flooded. I ordered Colton to break a few holes in the wall. He only stared, incredulous. I explained while striking up the familiar purple haze in the portal.
"Flood the dome after I activate the portal. The noise will be dampened so they can't hear it. You think my only plan was to flood them out?"
He grinned and nodded once before obediently breaking the dome wall open. Jørn joined in and the place was flooded in a matter of seconds. I stepped forward and slipped a hand through the portal. As usual, the haze began to writhe and fluctuate in brightness, the echoing shrieks and groans growing louder...But still muffled. Good. I turned back toward the others and offered a simple smile.
"You all could have turned back at any time. But you didn't. So, if you're still set on it, shall we depart?" They all nodded, Plisken alone returning the smile. I nodded in return and, turning back to the portal, took a first tentative step into the cracking purple haze.
Entry 32-2
As the haze cleared, we found ourselves in a strange cavern of red stone. The heat was immediate, seeming to emanate from the very rock of the place. I looked around with a lump of frustration in my stomach. We hadn't brought picks...I sighed and leaned against the cavern wall. It was warm, as if a fire was lit inside the stone. The rest appeared out of the portal, Plisken taking the lead. His one eye glanced around before he raised a fist in silence and began to strike the wall, the rock almost crumbling away as the rest of us watched. He gave the slightest flicker of a smirk and climbed into the hole he'd made. The three of us exchanged glances and shrugged it off, following him as he dug out a passage. After some minutes of tunneling, Plisken broke out into open air. We all followed, only to be stopped dead in our tracks. We found ourselves in a large open area. Looking up, it appeared to have a ceiling made of this same heated stone. Some sort of massive cave...Well, if caves were regularly filled with lakes and waterfalls of glowing hot lava, as well as strange glowing clusters of rock. The same stuff that lit Roxas' house. Colton and Jørn stared in awe. Plisken seemed unphased and led us on through the heat.
"So this is where the portal leads...What is this place?" Colton spoke up in a tomid voice, his eyes locking upon Plisken.
"Roxas calls it the Nether. All the sacrifices end up here...Just not as human as they used to be." He tossed a grim sort of smile over his shoulder as we went on.
Thankfully, the lava was easy enough to avoid. The warmth was almost suffocating though. After an hour or so of walking, we finally stopped to rest. Colton had brought some water in case the journey was long and he passed them around. Plisken only gave a chuckle and declined the water. The rest of us tipped the canteens up in unison and watched the water flow out...And evaporate immediately. Jørn wilted and chucked his canteen away.
"Damn it! What the hell is wrong with this place?!" He paused to glare at Plisken. "You...You didn't take any because you knew it'd be gone! You've been here before, haven't you?"
"Yes...And the heat saturates this entire realm. No water survives in the open air here. Colton...Look up there. What do you see?" Plisken pointed upward toward what seemed to be a giant floating squid. Colton squinted his eyes and blinked a few times.
"A...flying octopus? What in the hell..." He glanced around at all of us, only met by shoulder shrugs and Plisken's taunting smile as he explained.
"It's called a Ghast...Did none of you ever wonder why Jonas and Leo never came back? Or the others you killed personally? Or even that fellow Julius...? All those you two killed are bound in service to their god. Roxas too. Their very souls are in chains. They die in the Overworld, he drags them here. They become these...things. Floating, shrieking monstrosities whose sole purpose is to eliminate intruders...That'd be all of us, by the way."
Plisken ended his speech with a grin and a wink, obviously amused by the frightened expressions he brought to our faces. I turned to gaze up at the creature, this Ghast. My eyebrows furrowed together as I shot a question to Plisken. His smile had melted back into the usual solemnity.
"Plisken. If these things were human...Who...Who is that? Can you tell?" I stared at him intently while he slowly glanced up to the Ghast. He reached up to his eyepatch and flipped it up. Colton flinched back, obviously prepared to see a grotesque hollow. But there was an eye. It seemed to be carved of that same glowing stone. As Plisken stared at the Ghast, the bright yellow iris of the eye took on a slight glow.
"That would be Jonas. The eye shows me what he used to be...But we needn't go further. We are not well prepared. Come, we must leave now. He may be a mindless demon now but he can still burn us all alive."
He stood and gestured for us to follow as he turned back. The rest of us scrambled after him. An hour or so later, we approached the portal again. We would have been soaked in sweat if it hadn't dissolved instantly upon forming. This place was not a friend to moisture. I went ahead of Plisken and stopped to take a last gaze at this land. Very strange...Very deadly...But I knew I would have to come back someday. As I mused within my head, the portal crackled and a hand shot through, grasping my wrist. The others latched onto my arm and tried to tug me free but it was no use. More hands appeared to grab hold and I was pulled through to meet the cold stare of Roxas.
Entry 33-1
"So what do we have here? I should have known those fools couldn't be trusted to terminate a problem..."
Roxas stood by the portal, seemingly calm as ever, as the others were pulled through. Colton and Jørn drew their swords immediately in self-defense and he only gave a cold laugh in response, his gaze shifting to Plisken with a faint nod. An instant later, Plisken spun and delivered a sweeping kick to their legs, knocking them to the ground and leaving them defenseless. He smirked and stepped over to Roxas as guards rushed forward to take their fallen weapons. Jørn only glared up from the floor.
"Plisken, you treacherous *******! You're working for him?! You better hope they kill me, or else I'll tear out the other eye and leave you to the creepers!" He lunged feebly toward Plisken, only to be stopped by a swift kick to the side.
Colton moved just enough to sit up but otherwise stayed down. He knew when he was outnumbered, I suppose. Roxas only smirked down at the lot of us before he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to my feet. His skin was still moist from the floodwater.
"You will endure the usual fate dictated by law...As for the rest of you...You're worth keeping. The guards here will rehabilitate you to serve the commune like proper citizens. It will not be pleasant. It will not be painless. But you are valuable human resources and you will learn obedience."
With that, Roxas turned and walked off as casual as ever. You'd think he was just leaving a discussion about cows. Plisken, of course, was not casual at all. He remained militant as ever while tying up the hands and feet of my companions and ordering them taken away. He didn't even look at me. Out of the crowd, a familiar face emerged. Thomas, the guard that had originally brought me to the commune. He tied my limbs personally, barely touching me the whole while. It was as if he feared being tainted. After I was tied, he ordered others to drag me away. I could do nothing to defend myself or escape them.
I wasn't sure where they would take me but it didn't matter. Just after the door opened, a blow to the head forced me into unconsciousness.
When I woke up later, I could see trees. I looked around and realized we were outside the commune. In fact, I could barely make out the faintest outline of it in the distance. Oh well. I was led to a cliff face where a group of guards waited, Colton and Jørn were there as well, blindfolded and bound. Roxas stood near and lifted a chunk of charcoal, dragging it against my face to blacken the skin while I stood bound and helpless.
"Your skin is blackened to mark you for the Underground. For your transgressions, you are banished. As for your friends, they will witness your exile by sound only, helpless to stop it. Let it be a lesson to them."
As he spoke, Colton and Jørn began to struggle and lunge at him, only to be more forcefully restrained by the guards holding them. Roxas chuckled at their futile display and continued speaking, now busy gathering items into a wool sack, which he tied around my back with a few thick lines of string.
"As all heretics before you, you will be sealed away, deep in the Underground. You may travel, and fight, for your survival. But in time, it will prove in vain, and you will perish as those before you perished. No tools. No armor. No weapons. In this pack, you will find your only mercy. Make it last..."
Roxas stepped aside to reveal a crude staircase carved out of the very stone. Obviously worn away by natural forces, it went deep into the darkness nonetheless. The guards shoved me unceremoniously forward and I stumbled into the dark stairway. The others immediately began to block up the entrance with stone that had laid fallen nearby. As I listened to their receding footsteps and the muffled screams of my old companions, I tried to break the entrance open. All I got in return was a bruised hand and the distant mocking laughter of the guards as they heard my struggle. I sighed and turned back, gazing down into the dark. Then, with a heavy heart and a mind full of curses for my enemies, I started my journey down into the earth.
Entry 33-2
It took only about ten minutes before the darkness became difficult to navigate. Hands held out to find my way, I kept walking forward until a sudden drop sent me crashing into a cavern. It wasn't a painful drop but still enough that I couldn't get back up. I sighed and tore the pack from my shoulders, ripping it open. Inside was a ration of bread and water, as well as a single flint-and-steel. I wrapped the food and drink back up and struck a flame with the flint. The cavern was nothing but rock and a few puddles. At least no monsters would be after me. Snatching the pack, I headed forward again. There was no linear path so I wandered until I found a cave branching off from the cavern, then set off down the new path. The fire went out as I was about halfway down the cave, leaving nothing but darkness.
I kept on, grumbling, until falling down a rocky slope into another new cavern. But this one was lit well. I headed toward the apparent source of the light and reached a ledge. Ahead was a sharp drop into a lava pool. Amidst the boiling liquid I could spot the rapidly-dissolving remains of what appeared to be a skeleton of some vine-like material. There was nothing back the way I came but the passage continued across the drop. If I had any tools, I could have built a bridge across but I'd have to jump it instead. Shifting the pack on my back, I backed up and started at a run, leaping over the pit...And fell. I flailed about in the air and just managed to grab hold of a ledge, my fingers slippery and barely grasping the rock. I swung my other arm up trying to get a better hold and felt my pack sliding. The wool unraveled and the rations started to fall into the boiling pit below. Cursing my luck and certain of death, I began to slip farther. Then I heard shuffling behind me. Footsteps. Just as my grip gave and I started to fall, something behind me exploded and I was propelled across the pit to the other side.
Whatever the explosion was, I couldn't see anything left of its source. Just a lot of damaged stone. I climbed to my feet, bruised from the force of my landing, and continued forward. The farther I went, the deeper I went, until reaching an oddly meticulous spiral path in the stone. Obviously not natural. I shrugged and started down it. After what was probably near of an hour, the passage evened out into a long hallway. It was almost pitch-black, so I struck another flame for light. The path was so long I couldn't see the end of it but I started walking anyway, letting the flame go out. On and on I walked, growing colder by the minute. By the time I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, I'd been moving about as long as I had to escape that spiral stairway. I ran toward the light - well, tried to run. I was exhausted. But I reached the light only to find it was just a pit. There was stone in the bottom but the heat was powerful enough to tell lava broiled just beneath that. I sighed and slumped over, resigning myself to simply listen to the growling pain in my stomach. I was starved. Remembering the pack I still carried, I tore the wool apart...And my hopes fell. Only a single loaf of bread left, and half of that was scorched, probably from the explosion. The only water left was whatever had soaked into the bread. Beggars can't be choosers, right? I tore into the bread with all the ravenous hunger of a wolf, devouring the scorched half first then holding the other half over the wool scraps to wring the water out of it. Then I scarfed the rest of the loaf and held the water-soaked wool above my open mouth, wringing it as dry as possible.
Food and drink all gone, I sighed and collapsed beside the pit. There was no way I could get out of here before starving or dying of thirst. So I laid there, defeated and resigned to my eventual death as the heat from the lava wafted through the chamber, stifling and burning as ever. The taste of irony was bitter on my tongue...If I had never stayed at that damned commune, I probably would have survived a lot longer. As my eyes drifted shut in preparation for death, and my surrendered musing continued, I felt something new. The cooling shade of shadows. My eyes shot open to be greeted by five strange silhouettes draped in darkness by the hallway. I was too tired and bruised of spirit to move toward them but they soon approached me. My faint hope was replaced by fear, however, as they moved ever closer and a great hiss filled my mind...
Entry 34-1
...And then the hissing was cut short by a sound like dried leaves being crunched underfoot. I opened my eyes to witness Plisken there, hacking his way through the hissing monstrosities with the ease and thrill of a seasoned fighter. It was over almost as soon as it started and he stood over me, his eyepatch flipped up to reveal the glowing stone iris beneath.
"Get up. We have to go." He commanded in a clipped tone, immediately turning his back and heading away.
I took a moment to wonder why he was here but I was following soon enough. Better to go with a traitor than die in this place. He led us back the way I'd come and turned off suddenly onto some stairs. That hadn't been there before so he must have dug his way down here. We climbed for what seemed like forever in the cramped makeshift stairway before finally breaching the surface. It was night. Immediately, I felt myself shoved to the ground. Plisken dropped beside me and began tearing open a wool backpack.
"You're weak...Take this. Finish all of it. You'll need the strength." He spoke again in that rapid tone, ripping the wool apart.
I could have cried. The pack was filled with pork and there was even a full bucket of water sealed with leather. I fell upon the meat in a frenzy and nearly choked trying to eat. My mouth was too dry to swallow anything so I went for the bucket and plunged my head right in, gulping down at least half of it. Plisken only watched with a faint smirk as he put his eyepatch back into place. Meanwhile, I rapidly tore the meat apart with my teeth, devouring every last scrap. Afterward, I laid back and finally spoke.
"What are you doing here? You betrayed us. You left us to the hell Roxas would plan as punishment." I shot a glare toward him, immediately ruining any effect as I patted my full stomach.
"There is a very simple explanation. But the others will ask the same questions after we've freed them so why don't we wait and just get everyone up to speed at one time? Now get up. We only stopped to get you fed. We need to hurry back and escape with them before the night ends."
He climbed to his feet and pulled me up with him, starting to walk away without a word. I had no other choice so I followed. A few stray zombies wandered nearby but thankfully Plisken had brought a torch. They stayed well enough away and any that got too close were cut down. Soon enough, we reached the looming walls of the commune. I spotted a door where a guard stood watch...An instant later, an arrow went through his throat. I glanced at Plisken and he flashed a grin, dropping a bow and running out to salvage the dead man's sword. Then we went in.
It was pitch black as usual save for Plisken's torch. He snuffed out the flame by crushing it into the dirt, then flipped his eyepatch. The iris beneath began to glow brightly, mysteriously lighting a skin-tight area immediately around us and not spreading an inch further
"Better for our search. The torchlight flickers and spreads...We don't need any attention drawn to us here." He explained in a quick whisper, heading off in a stealthy crouch.
I didn't know where my friends were held so I followed without question. Plisken headed toward the dome where they kept the portal and urged me inside. Nothing seemed different...Then I saw. Beneath the portal, a door had been fitted. Plisken kicked it open and, with a good deal of difficulty, we both squeezed beneath the portal into a chamber below. Jørn and Colton were in a corner, huddled and bruised. Then Plisken spoke.
"This chamber was dug beneath the portal because the people are frightened of it. Fortunately, I'm not. Now both of you, get up. We need to leave now." He dealt out orders like a general but something told me he wouldn't be obeyed so easily. Jørn proved that.
"You *******. What do you want? Did you go pluck Lucas from the brink of death just to toss him in here?!" He lunged forward but was met only by dirt as Plisken moved to the side.
"Listen to me, Jørn. If I was with you guys, I'd be trapped here and beaten the same as you, right? And Lucas would be dead. He was about to meet some creepers before I showed up. I acted like I was a spy for Roxas as insurance. As long as I was kept free, I could find where they trapped him: My eye's otherworldly vision paved the way, peering straight through dirt and stone. And then I could free you. Get it?"
Jørn stared dumbfounded up at him then glanced over his shoulder. Colton merely shrugged, busily dusting himself off as he got to his feet. I nodded my head, and he returned the gesture.
"Fine...A good plan in the end, I guess. But what do we do now? Sneak out and then what? They would hunt us..."
"Let them hunt. We won't be found. I've scheduled a rendevous with some special allies, and Roxas would never travel far enough to find their home. But...Once we leave...There will be no coming back. Take what you will now, because the rest must be abandoned. Understood?"
Plisken glanced around at each of us, met by three solemn nods. He returned the nod and climbed out of the chamber, helping each of us out. Once we were ready, he pulled an odd sort of amulet from his pocket and tossed it into the inactive portal. It made no sound this time, only a momentary flash as the haze appeared, and then he stepped forward.
"The Nether works differently from this world. Travel will be much quicker. Come." With those words. he stepped into the purple haze and was gone.
We followed in single-file and were all dumped, once more, into a hellish landscape of heated red stone and floating monsters. A loud shriek told us we were caught. Plisken gestured across the stony ground to a portal some distance away and we all ran for it. Explosions and fire littered the ground as the creature spat flames at us. As we neared the portal, we saw it was dormant. As Colton cursed our luck, a fireball shot toward Plisken and he dropped to the ground in a slide. The flames went through the portal, sparking up the familiar purple haze. Plisken lunged to his feet and dove into the haze, vanishing. Jørn followed with Colton close behind. And finally I stepped into the cracking purple haze. The last thing I saw was the portal being blasted apart just seconds too late.
Falling. Tumbling. Impact and pain. We had all fallen from the sky in a heap. But we were safe. As we all untangled from each other and regained our wits, I opened my eyes to a startling sight: We had fallen into the center of a bright room...And we were surrounded by monsters.
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]
However, the journal/entry format has been done to death, which, from what I've read, is the only con I can see.
Good work.
I doubt it matters that much.
And I did think up a title...But at this point, it would spoil a piece of the plot. Spoiler title's no good xD
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]
S lime
P rotection
A gency
Save The Slimes, by clicking above.
"Untitled Story"
I know that would be a weird title but it makes me think that if it is a journal kind of feel that he was never able to complete his story so it is left untitled. This does depend on the story as well of course
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=217804
If you have a suggestion about guns go here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21507
It's based in the same continuity, but it's a new story, yes.
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]
Aye, it does.
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]
YES
YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH
YOU MADE ANOTHER STORY!
I like this so far. Like it a lot. I was hoping you would continue it on from Miners Chronicle. :biggrin.gif:
Thx for teh PM.
I have big plans for this one...The updates might take a while to settle into a consistent routine (gotta get back into creative mode over here) but I'm eager to get things going. I'll need to study some other stories around here to get a feel for dialogue (spoilers :tongue.gif:)...I was never very good at implementing it myself.
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]
i really would like to see where this story could go.
Did someone say battles?
:3
I like battles :3
And gore and blood and brainz :3
HEY!!!, its not nice to bold out someones post and take it out of context.
on a side note, you really like using the words bloody mess?!? i think you've mentioned that combination at least 3 times in your story. and yes this story needs more description ASAP when it comes to fighting.
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]
I LUV IT
It's a joke.
Incompetence is a plague. I am the cure.
For all your wolf suggestion needs, I present the WOLF MEGATHREAD!
Stories: A Miner's Chronicle, The Lost Chronicle [Entries 32-2, 33-1, and 33-2 out!]