Herobrine's Message

by Sean Fay Wolfe

  He hoisted the Mechanist onto his shoulder and sprinted as hard as he ever had sprinted in his life out the door and toward the entrance to the bunker. The Wither didn’t even notice him. It was too focused on trying to shake off Bill, who had latched a fishing line onto it and was now yanking and pulling, doing all he could to unbalance the evil beast. The Wither fired off a volley of blasts at Bill, but they were all uneven and untargeted, so he was able to jump out of their way.

  Ben barreled headfirst into the bunker, and the Mechanist flew off his shoulder and into the arms of two soldiers waiting on standby. Ben stood by Bob, still standing with his hand on the lever and ready to pull it. The two of them watched the battle on the street, eyes wide, breath bated, and hearts racing.

  Slowly but surely, the Wither was regaining its focus. Despite the fact that Bill was still disorienting it, its shots were getting closer and closer to him, and Ben knew that it was only a matter of time before Bill would be hit. He glanced around wildly at Bob, who showed an equal look of horrified confusion, and then at a soldier standing next to him.

  “You have to do something to help him!” Ben bellowed at the soldier.

  “What can we do, sir?” the soldier asked desperately. “If we do anything, we’ll reveal the location of the bunker. In fact, if Bill even lets the Wither turn around, it’ll see the location of the bunker. Sir, I’m sorry, but we need to close the blast doors now.”

  Ben’s response was cut off by the anguished cry from outside.

  He watched but didn’t comprehend, as Bill flew through the air, wisps of black smoke trailing off him, and landed with a thud onto the cobblestone pavement below, his fishing pole still gripped tightly in his hand. With monumental effort, Bill raised his head and caught the tear-stained, anguished eye of his brothers. “PULL THE LEVER!” Bill yelled at the top of his voice as the three black projectiles flew down from the sky above him and hit him in a tremendous explosion.

  Ben could only stand there, unmoving, and watch the scene unfold, while Bob pulled down almost robotically on the lever, as if he were a machine that had been voice activated by Bill’s final yell. The redstone machinery in the bunker door roared to life, and the hilltop above them seemed to slide down toward the ground. All the soldiers backed away from the bunker door as the pistons did their work.

  Ben and Bob didn’t move. Their eyes stayed locked in sheer disbelief on the body of their red-haired brother, items scattered in a ring around him on the cobblestone street, and charred fishing pole still clutched tightly in his hand, until the bunker door finally shut, closing them into the mines.

  PART III: THE ULTIMATUM

  CHAPTER 17 THE FREE ONES

  There was silence in the Capitol rotunda, save the sound of hundreds of pairs of feet marching. Row by row, the black-clad troops filed into lines. Jayden and G glanced around the room nervously at the dozens of dark figures positioned in the upper balcony, all of whom had loaded bows aiming down into the giant mass of soldiers.

  G took a deep breath and let it out. He knew what was going on. Four days had passed since he had left Sirus alone in that obsidian chamber with a diamond pickaxe in his hand, and now Tess had ordered that all soldiers meet in the rotunda for an emergency.

  Sure enough, Tess emerged on the highest, most ornate, and most pronounced balcony of the rotunda, made from chiseled quartz blocks. There was no hint of joy on her face. There was only a scowl as she looked down on all the soldiers. Gazing back up at her and cowering under her intimidating leer, they were all silent. Finally, Tess spoke.

  “Last night,” Tess announced, “our hostages from the Adorian Village escaped captivity.”

  A collective gasp rolled across the soldiers as they realized what that meant.

  “To escape, the hostages tunneled through a five-block-thick wall of solid obsidian,” continued Tess. “This is a feat that would take at least two full days to complete if done by anything other than a diamond pickaxe. And seeing as no guards saw any sign of an escape in progress during their checkups, this can only mean that somebody in this room managed to sneak a diamond pickaxe to the hostages.”

  A collective burst of panic rose off the crowd, and though nobody dared to speak, the tension in the room could be cut with a sword.

  “I know that someone among us is the traitor,” Tess said slowly as her eyes swept over the soldiers below her. “If you step forward and reveal yourself to me now, then you shall simply be executed by firing squad, quickly and painlessly. However, if you don’t, then I shall be forced to begin interrogations, and when I discover who it is, you will be tortured without mercy before you become food for the Zombie villagers. If anybody would like to speak out, you may do so now.”

  G, who was struggling to keep his own heart from exploding with panic, heard Jayden beside him take a deep breath, let it out, and then raise his hand.

  “I confess,” Jayden said, a slight warble in his voice. “I did it.”

  G’s mind went blank, refusing to comprehend what was happening. He turned to stare at Jayden in utter shock, totally blindsided and utterly bewildered by what his best friend had just said.

  “Is that so?” asked Tess, a hint of surprise in her voice as all the soldiers around Jayden backed away from him in abhorrence. G followed suit, convinced that he had gone totally insane. “How did you do it, Drayden? And what was your motivation?”

  “My name is Jayden!” he exclaimed, pulling off his black leather cap, throwing it to the ground, and stomping on it. “I am a member of the governing council of Element City, and a friend of President Stan2012. I have been living undercover among you for these past weeks, working to free the hostages you have taken from us. Now, my work here is done.” A manic smile crossed Jayden’s face as he pumped his fist into the air and, with patriotic fervor, he bellowed, “LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC! LONG LIVE PRESIDENT STAN!”

  G’s mind was still reeling from what was going on. He was hardly able to comprehend that Jayden had just revealed himself for no good reason, and that soldiers were drawing their bows and taking aim at him. Suddenly, a lightbulb clicked on in G’s head. There was at least one good thing that could come from this turn of insanity. G leaped forward and into the ring, letting the overwhelming despair that was boiling inside him burst from his mouth.

  “How could you do this?” G shouted, tears streaming down his face as he let all the white shock he was feeling burst through his voice. “You were my friend! I trusted you! How could you work for that evil president?”

  Jayden glanced back at G, and caught his eye. For an instant, he looked miserable, as if all he wanted was to be able to say “sorry.” However, the look soon vanished, to be replaced by nothing but zeal.

  “I’d never lower myself to the level of calling myself the friend of a Noctem!” Jayden spat in disgust.

  There were so many things that G longed to say but knew he couldn’t. He was forced to simply stand still, quiet and motionless. It was all the same, though. Words could not describe the agony that wrenched his heart as two soldiers pinned Jayden to the ground, and a third raised a bow to his head. G looked away, preparing for the arrow to fly.

  “Hold your fire!” Tess’s voice rang out from the balcony above.

  G looked up, hardly daring to believe his ears. The collective group of soldiers, including those who were restraining Jayden, seemed to follow suit as their eyes locked on Tess. She was staring back and forth between Jayden and G, an intrigued look on her face. G’s heart skipped a beat. Did she suspect something?

  “Executioner, stop,” Tess said again, holding up her hand. “I have a better idea. All troops, move out. Leave this rotunda. Guard and MasterBronze, stay put.”

  G was petrified as the troops began to move out around him, giving him uncomfortable glances as they flooded through the doors. The executioner put his bow away and drew a glowing diamond sword, jabbing it up against Jayden’s back and grunting, “Hands in the air, dirtbag.” Jayden complied, and his eyes darted to
the side and met G’s. He could tell they were both thinking the same thing.

  Tess knows, G thought in a panic. She’s got to know. Why else would she have singled me out? All the recruits probably realize that Jayden and I have been talking this entire time. And why did Jayden reveal himself anyway? She might not have ever guessed it was me. He didn’t need to sacrifice himself!

  The sounds of footsteps on the stone-brick floor echoed throughout the cavernous rotunda as Tess made her way to the center. G and the executioner snapped to full attention as Jayden scowled at her.

  “General Tess,” the guard asked in disbelief, “why did you tell me not to execute this spy?”

  “Trust me,” Tess replied, a devious grin creeping across her face, “I know what I’m doing. Guard, you are dismissed now.”

  The guard stared at Tess with a total lack of comprehension, and then turned around and made his way to the door, grumbling the whole way. Jayden watched as he went, hands still raised, and Tess drew a glowing diamond sword from her own inventory, pointing it at Jayden.

  “MasterBronze,” Tess said slowly, turning to face G, “I understand that you are friends with this traitor. Is this correct?”

  “I thought I was,” G grunted, trying to sound hurt and betrayed, and not let his true dread be too obvious. “He always seemed like such a nice guy, I can’t believe that he’s been working for President Stan this entire time.”

  “Well, I hope that you can bring yourself to believe it,” Tess chuckled, “because you’re going to be the one who kills him.”

  G heard, but he didn’t understand. “I’m . . . sorry . . . ?” he finally croaked.

  “For the past few weeks, I have been training you as my apprentice, MasterBronze,” Tess continued matter-of-factly. “I must say that, so far, I am quite impressed by your progress in combat and skills training. However, if you are truly going to become a great leader of the Noctem Alliance, you must learn to make sacrifices for the sake of our cause . . . even if it means stabbing your best friend in the back. And besides, if your loyalties are in the right place, then you should be able to get over it quickly.”

  G stared blankly at Tess, still not understanding what he was being asked. Then, out of the corner of his eye, G saw Jayden staring at him with wide, fearful eyes, and finally snapped back to his senses.

  “Um, well . . . ,” G sputtered, trying to think fast. “I mean . . . General Tess, ma’am . . . can I at least kill him in private? It’s . . . going to be difficult enough without you watching.”

  Tess sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. We’ll go to the holding chamber. Move it, you worthless piece of trash!”

  Tess poked the diamond sword into Jayden’s back and he began to walk forward, hands still raised above him. G followed Tess down the hallway. He realized that they were headed toward the room where Sirus and the others had been imprisoned. G glared with contempt at the back of the general who was walking in front of him, and his hand started to crawl toward his pickaxe before he stopped himself. As easy and satisfying as it would have been to strike Tess down right then and there, he knew that he couldn’t do that. They were the only ones in the room, and Jayden was unarmed, so the rest of the Alliance would know that he had done it. And regardless of what happened, he still had to cure Mella and Stull, something that would be much easier if the Noctem Alliance trusted him.

  It wasn’t long before they reached the obsidian room. At Tess’s command, G pressed the button to open the iron door. Once it had swung all the way around, Tess gave Jayden a kick in the back, sending him tumbling. He face-planted on the floor of the now vacant obsidian chamber. G glared at Tess with burning hatred but forced himself to curb his anger as she turned to face him.

  “I’m coming back shortly,” Tess decreed sternly. “And I will expect you to bring me his weapon.”

  And with that, she stepped back into the hallway and pressed the stone button again, swinging the iron door shut.

  “What were you thinking?” bellowed G, spinning around to face Jayden the second the door closed.

  “Don’t yell at me!” Jayden retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you have any idea what I just did for you?”

  “You almost left me without a best friend?” spat G. “You made Tess expect me to kill you? You put me into an incredibly difficult position? Take your pick, they’re all true!”

  “Oh, open your eyes, man!” cried Jayden. “It was only a matter of time before Tess realized that you let those prisoners go. Since I took the fall for you, you can stay in Nocturia for as long as you want! You can free the villagers, you can find out so much information, do so much damage to the Alliance. For the first time since we started fighting this war, Element City has eyes on the inside of the Noctem Alliance, and that’s not something worth giving up, even if it means I have to die. Actually, the fact that Tess ordered you to kill me makes all of this so much better!”

  “How do you figure that?” exclaimed G incredulously.

  “Because now she’s going to have total faith in you!” Jayden said, sounding as if this should be incredibly obvious. “She’s already rearing you up to be her little lackey. If you do this, then she’s going to trust you with anything and think that you’re totally devoted to the Noctem Alliance, and to her.”

  “Oh, my apologies. You’re right, Jayden!” G replied, a mock cheerful tone in his voice. “I mean, gee whiz, why didn’t we do this in the first place? Oh, yeah, that’s right! Because in order for this plan to work, it still required me killing you!”

  “Oh, don’t be so sure,” Jayden replied with a smile. And with that, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a bottle. The potion within it was transparent, almost clear, but it had a definite gray tint to it. G gasped.

  “Jayden. Where did you get that?”

  “I swiped it,” he replied, taking the bottle and tipping it down his throat in one giant gulp. “Yesterday, we went to the Brewing Plant in the Nether while you were surveying the grounds with Tess. Here, catch!”

  Jayden’s hand plunged into his inventory for a second time and out came his diamond axe, which he tossed through the air toward G, who caught it. “Just wait until the potion takes effect, then show the axe to Tess, and I’ll slip out through the door, invisible, and make my way back to Element City!”

  “Wha . . . wait,” G said, as he put together what Jayden was saying. “You’re . . . you’re leaving me?”

  “Well, the alternative is that you kill me, and I think that option is considerably less appealing to everyone,” Jayden replied, sounding a little annoyed.

  “But . . . you can’t leave!” cried G. “I need you here! Tess has been working me into the ground, never leaving me alone, making me be with her all the time, taking me away from everyone else so she can train me. The fact that she’s so nice to me isn’t even cool anymore—it’s just uncomfortable! I can’t lose the only person that I can still talk to!”

  Jayden simply stared at him for a moment in disbelief. Finally, he managed to get out, “Dude . . . do you . . . realize what you’re saying? Do you see any hint of irony at all in anything you just said?”

  G stared back, looking confused. Then, without warning, Jayden began to fade away, becoming dimmer and dimmer by the second.

  “The potion’s taking effect!” exclaimed Jayden, pulling off his armor and frantically reaching into his inventory and tossing random items to the ground, making it look like a player had died. “G, go open the door now, and hurry! I don’t have much time before the potion wears off, and I have to get all the way into the tundra. I’ll say hi to Kat and the others for you when I see them . . . bye!”

  And with that, Jayden disappeared.

  G stared at the place where his best friend now stood, invisible, and then down at the diamond axe in his hand. He knew that Jayden was right. He forced himself to walk to the iron door. He gave three sharp knocks on the iron face, and seconds later the door swung open. G stepped out and felt a rush of w
ind behind him, indicating that Jayden had silently taken off down the hallway.

  “Did you finish the job?” Tess asked.

  G took a deep breath, reached into his inventory, and pulled out Jayden’s diamond axe. He handed it to Tess, who took it, looking thrilled.

  “Well done, MasterBronze!” Tess exclaimed, patting him on the shoulder, which made his skin crawl. “In honor of your loyalty to the Noctem Alliance and to me, I am promoting you to the rank of Corporal. You will, from now on, have the duty of being my assistant commander in the training program.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” G replied. He knew he ought to be thrilled at this promotion, which would allow him access to even more high-level secrets, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of total isolation now that Jayden was gone, and he was stuck with this Tess, this player who had total control over his life.

  “Now, come with me, Corporal MasterBronze,” Tess continued, a grin crossing her face. “It’s time to go and see your fellow trainees, and present their new second-in-command to them.”

  G’s stomach churned as he followed Tess down the hallway. She was talking to him so affectionately, like he were her prized show dog instead of another person. It made him feel powerless, degraded, and humiliated. G shuddered and wished that somehow, he still had Jayden to talk to.

  “Charlie, please . . . let me take a turn, I can see how bad you’re hurtin’ . . .”

  “Leonidas, for the last time, I am fine!” Charlie bellowed, whipping around to face him. “Stop interrupting me or we’re never gonna get to Element City!”

  “Okay, fine, calm down, man!” Leonidas cried out, raising his blocky hands defensively.

  Charlie shot one last steely glare at him before turning back around, and continuing to hack away at the solid cave wall with his stone pickaxe. Leonidas stared at Charlie’s back, illuminated by torchlight. He had been baffled by the hostility Charlie had been showing toward him. Since they had joined up with him and Stan, Leonidas had been pleasantly surprised by how quickly everybody had warmed up to him. Everybody, that was, except Charlie. And even as Leonidas watched Charlie mining, it was clear that he was hurting. Every swing of the pickaxe brought another grunt of discomfort, and every step he took through the newly mined cave saw another limp.