The New Order, page 32
“. . . we are on uneven terms, and we will continue to be until you hold up your end of the deal.”
“Don’t fret, my esteemed Chief. It is being attended to. As we speak, an entire legion of the Noctem Alliance’s finest troops is headed this way, bound for the Lesser Mushroom Island.”
Stan’s stomach clenched, and he began to sweat in panic as he continued to listen.
“Once they arrive, we will help you overthrow the police and declare martial law on the island. The Noctem Alliance will capture the citizens of Element City still on the Lesser Island and hold them hostage. Then, the Lesser Tribesmen are yours to do with as you choose.”
“I can’t wait. Those traitors have had it coming to them for a long time.”
“If you would like, Chief, the Noctem Alliance would be happy to destroy the city. I know that it is your wish to return the islands to their rightful state of nature, and as your newfound allies, it would only be right for us to help you.”
“Thank you, Blackraven. That would be very helpful to us.”
“It is my pleasure, friend. Now please do me a favor and see how your men are faring down below. I have a feeling that our captives will be awakening soon.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the chief, and Stan heard a pair of footsteps grow fainter and fainter.
Stan continued to lay on the ground for a few minutes. His heart was racing as he processed what he had just heard, but he was determined not to reveal himself. Blackraven had assumed that he had been unconscious. Stan wouldn’t let him know he had heard such valuable information.
Finally, after about five minutes, Stan pulled himself up to his knees, and then to his feet. He could now see a set of iron bars on the back wall of the cell, behind which were blue skies and clouds. He was clearly high up in the sky. Then, Stan turned around. He stared through the small window atop the iron door, and the beaked face of Blackraven was staring back at him.
“Hello, Stan,” said Blackraven with a devious smile.
Stan did not respond. All he could do was stare Blackraven down through the iron cross over the window, daggers of contempt shooting from his eyes.
“I see that you’re awake,” Blackraven continued with a smug grin. “I hope that your cell is to your liking.”
Stan still refused to answer. He didn’t think that he could. It felt like a sea of acid was building up in his stomach.
“Oh, and if you were by any chance thinking of punching your way out of here, I’m afraid that you’ll be severely disappointed.” Blackraven’s smirk grew larger still. “We have Greater Tribesmen standing guard over every block of the tower. If you try to run, you will get nowhere.”
“I’m not going to run,” Stan finally spat out.
“Oh, I’m sure you’re going to want to reconsider that,” replied Blackraven with a chuckle. “Especially when you hear what we’ve done to your friends.”
That was all it took. Stan flew forward, smashing his face into the window of the door, snarling like a rabid animal. “What are you talking about? What did you do to them? Answer me!” Stan demanded.
“Oh, don’t fret,” chuckled Blackraven, outrageously whimsical in tone. “They’re still alive . . . for now.” His grin grew even larger as he spoke, while the horror on Stan’s face quickly grew in poignancy.
“We’re not going to kill any of them until they give us some information that we dearly need. And you will not suffer at all, Stan. I know you’re far too unintelligent to know anything of true importance. You’d rather just let your friends do all the planning for you, assuming that what they decide will be for the best. That, my friend, is the sign of a truly pathetic leader.
“So, for that reason, you will not be tortured. However, I know for a fact that all three of your comrades know valuable information about the security of Element City, information which I was unable to coax out of them when I sat alongside you all on the council. And so now, I am forced to obtain the information the hard way. I must admit, Stan, that Charlie has proved himself to be quite resistant to the torture so far. We haven’t gotten a word out of him yet. Rest assured, however, I shall break him eventually. Charlie, as well as DZ and Commander Crunch.”
Words could not describe the sheer, undiluted levels of rage and hatred swelling within Stan. The revulsion threatened to send Stan’s body into spasms while Blackraven casually discussed the malicious torture of Stan’s friends. And the fear and horror were real too, as Stan imagined all the terrible, terrible things the Noctem Alliance was surely doing to Charlie at that very moment.
“What about the others?” choked out Stan, his breathing shaky and a sob of pure malice caught in his throat. “My men? What have you done with them?” bellowed Stan as Blackraven held his entertained smirk.
“We’ve been teaching the Greater Tribesmen how to use bows and arrows to take down moving targets,” replied Blackraven happily. “You’ll be happy to know that they’re getting quite good at it. I suspect we’ll be out of targets within the day!”
Stan’s heart clenched yet again. His men were being shot down as he spoke, his best friend was being subjected to persecution, and DZ and Commander Crunch were surely in cells just like his own, awaiting the same fate. And it was all because of the player staring at Stan through the window.
Finally, Stan stopped stewing in despair for long enough to return the glare. There were no words to describe what he longed to say to Blackraven, the player he now hated more than Caesar, more than Leonidas, more even than Minotaurus. Finally, Stan willed himself to speak.
“Why, Blackraven?” Stan asked, trying not to let his feeling of utter defeat sound in his voice. “When I first met you, five months ago, you took me in, along with Charlie and Kat, when nobody else would. How did you go from that . . . to this?”
Stan was then genuinely surprised to see a shadow cross Blackraven’s black-and-yellow face. He took a deep breath, and then spoke.
“As I’m sure you know, Stan,” Blackraven said, his voice sounding oddly solemn, “I was nearly killed by a lynch mob the day after I took you in. I had prepared for such an occasion when I built my store, and I sought refuge in an underground bunker I had built. What I had not expected was to be discovered by riot control when they looted the remains of my house after dispersing the mob.
“I was brought before Minotaurus, and he sentenced me to execution after the Proclamation Day ceremonies. My crime was evading arrest, but I knew they really just wanted me dead for harboring lower-level players.
“I’m sure you remember the events of that Proclamation Day quite clearly, Stan. After you shot King Kev, and riot control burned down the Adorian Village, King Kev knew that he had to do everything he could to find you. When he learned that I was the one who had protected you, and I was in his custody, King Kev waived my death sentence on the condition that my life now belonged to him.
“With all his vast resources, it wasn’t long before King Kev discovered the resistance forces massing in the ruins of the Adorian Village. He sent in a spy who determined that they were working with you to take him down. King Kev saw his opportunity to use me, and sent me into the militia as a spy whose goal was to gain the trust of the militia and report information back to Element City.
“At that point, I was still under the misguided and preposterous notion that lower-level players were equal to the upper-levels, and they were worth preserving. For this reason, I only fed King Kev false information, or else information which I deemed to be trivial. And as you know, the battle was won by the Adorians, and you took over Element City as president. I was quite pleased with myself. I was in a position of great comfort. I was on the winning team, and could easily gain the trust of the enemy should King Kev’s remaining followers return.”
“But why did you turn, then?” asked Stan, utterly bewildered. “Why did you join the Noctem Alliance, instead of becoming a spy for the council?”
Blackraven’s face took on an ugly look, and now it was his turn to glare at Stan in contempt.
“The fact that I joined the Noctem Alliance, Stan, is one hundred percent your fault.”
Stan was shocked and mortified. “What are you talking . . .”
“You had so much power, Stan,” Blackraven cut in bitterly. “You were in control of an entire world, and your only enemies were too weak to do a thing to oppose you. Your citizens were so enamored by your leadership during the rebellion that they would have blindly followed any command you gave them.
“And what did you do? Did you put all your citizens to work to gather enough resources to make Element City a powerful force? No! Did you give yourself enough power to ensure that you could accomplish any of your goals on a whim? No! No, you didn’t, Stan! You were so focused on protecting the rights of your people that you became blind to the possibilities you had at your fingertips!
“Compassion is a blinding thing, Stan. As admirable a quality as it is, there are times when it must be shelved for the greater good. You have never done that! You are a weak leader who would rather empower your people than your country! People are ephemeral, Stan. No person will last forever, because they will die, they will leave Elementia, and they will leave you! But empires . . . empires can last forever! You had the ability to strengthen Element City to the point where it would never die! You had the resources, you had the capabilities!
“And what did you do? You sacrificed that chance in order to promote kindness. Fleeting, mortal kindness. And you refused to let your compassion go for the sake of empowering your nation! And now it’s too late, Stan. We now live in the age of the Noctem Alliance, and the republic will soon be overshadowed by an organization to which compassion is alien!
“I tried to help you, Stan. I tried to convince you and your friends to pass laws that would enable you to build Element City into a superpower. I tried to convince you, for once in your life, to put your ridiculous care for the lower-level players and the NPC villagers aside. You wouldn’t, though. And I soon realized that you never would. I knew I had to try to run for president. I knew that others would be bound to see it my way. But no. You were reelected yet again, by selfish, lower-level players who would rather live empty, unfulfilling lives than to build an empire that would last for years.
“It was then that I knew I had to turn. I had received a notification from Caesar in secret a few days before the election, telling me to join up with the Noctem Alliance in Nocturia. I didn’t want to. I truthfully disagree with many ideals of the Alliance. But the Noctem Alliance has ambition. They aim to create an empire that will last for eons in this fair land of Elementia. And if I couldn’t turn your country into my vision for the future, then I knew the Noctem Alliance would. They won’t halt greatness for the sake of protecting their people. And that, Stan, is the reason the Noctem Alliance is the greatest organization in the history of Minecraft.”
There was a moment of silence as Stan processed all that Blackraven had just said. Finally, he managed to speak. “So . . . that’s all you wanted, this entire time? To create an empire that would last forever?”
“That is all I have ever wanted,” replied Blackraven darkly.
“And . . . you’ve been working against me and my friends from the inside this entire time?” Stan asked weakly.
“Oh, Stan,” replied Blackraven with a dry chuckle. “You truly are in your own tier of ignorance. Surely you must have noticed that I was the catalyst for all that has weakened Elementia and strengthened the Noctem Alliance. Whose idea was it to add the reenactment of the battle to Elementia Day, allowing the perfect opportunity to strike fear into the heart of the city? Who handed control of Brimstone Prison to the Wither Skeletons, knowing full well that they would revolt against you at the slightest provocation? Who slipped materials to Count Drake in secret, so he could escape when you entered his room? Who helped you develop your plan for striking the Specialty Base, knowing full well that Caesar would be told exactly what was coming, and how to counter it?
“I must admit, though,” said Blackraven, a cocky look on his face, “that my most brilliant idea was to leak council information into the city. The general public is a fickle animal, Stan. It can build you up and tear you down on a dime, depending on how you use it. And leaking your secret plans to the people ensured that they would never trust you again. And so it was that your people, who you had worked so hard to help, were now against you, and fighting among themselves. The order of chaos in Elementia was complete.”
As Stan reeled in shock, Blackraven’s smile grew back to maximum size, enjoying every moments of his ex-leader’s struggle. Finally, Blackraven spoke again. “It is time for me to go, Stan,” said Blackraven. “I have an audience with Lord Tenebris, and then I must oversee the end of Charlie’s . . . er . . . persuasion. I shall take care of DZ next, and Commander Crunch soon after. And then . . . well, let’s just say that Lord Tenebris has special plans for you.” And then, with an amused chuckle, Blackraven turned on his heel and walked down the hallway until he was out of sight.
Stan was too overwhelmed to think properly. So much information had been thrown his way—so much was falling into place—and Stan was furious with himself for being blind to this plan, this horrible plan that had taken place right under his nose.
“Hey . . . Stan . . . Can you hear me?”
The voice was near silent, barely audible over the constant stream of gale winds outside the iron bar window, but Stan would recognize that voice anywhere. He bolted upright.
“DZ? DZ, where are you?”
“I’m over here,” came the muffled reply. “In the cell to your . . . uh . . . left, I think.”
Stan immediately scurried over to the left wall of his cell and pressed his ear up against it. “DZ? Can you hear me?”
“Yeah, I can hear you,” the voice sounded out, still muffled but much clearer. Stan could now hear that DZ sounded tired and hurt, and lacking all his usual vivacity.
“DZ? What happened to you?”
“Nothing, I’m fine . . . ,” and Stan heard a grunt of pain come from the other side of the wall. “Well . . . actually, no, I’m not. Those tribesmen messed me up pretty bad during the fight.”
“Just hang in there, DZ, you’re gonna be okay,” said Stan, his heart beginning to race as he realized what must have happened. “Um . . . DZ . . . how much of that talk with Blackraven did you just hear?”
“All of it,” replied DZ weakly, followed by a series of powerful coughs. Stan winced as he imagined DZ’s body racked with spasms. “So they’re planning to torture me, eh? Well, they’re outta luck. I’m not gonna break easily.” It sounded like every word was painful, but Stan needed to keep the discussion going. Time was running out quickly.
“DZ, we’ve got to get out of here. We need to find Charlie and Commander Crunch. Do you know where Crunch is?”
“No idea,” rasped DZ in response. “And Stan . . . I don’t think we’re all gonna be able to . . .” Another round of coughs sounded off. “. . . escape. I’ve watched . . . the guards patrolling this place while you were unconscious. There are a lot of them, and neither of us is in any condition to fight.”
“So you’re just gonna give up?” cried Stan in horror.
“No. I’m gonna compromise instead . . . there’s a difference . . . ,” DZ replied weakly.
“Wait . . . what does that . . . ?”
“It means,” replied DZ, “that I have a way to escape. But it’ll only work for you . . . me, Charlie, and Crunch are gonna have to stay here.”
“What? What’re you . . . how will . . . ?”
“It’s pretty simple, really.” Another round of coughs echoed around the chambers. “They frisked us when they put us in here to take all our items away. But I used . . . this old trick I know . . . and managed to sneak some stuff in. Unfortunately . . . it’s only enough stuff to get you out. Just you.”
“No!” cried Stan. “I’m not letting you do that! You can’t just sacrifice the three of you for my sake!”
“Shut up!” rasped DZ, followed by more coughing. “Do you . . . want them . . . to . . . hear?” His voice was wheezing now. He was clearly in a lot of pain. “You’re not . . . sacrificing yourself, Stan. Charlie and Crunch are both . . . pretty tough players. I’m sure . . . they’ll manage to survive. As long as . . . Lord Tenebris needs info . . . outta them, he’ll keep them alive.”
“But I can’t just let them live on in misery like this when I walk free! And what about you?”
“Listen to me, Stan!” said DZ, his weak voice suddenly very stern and authoritative; Stan was compelled to obey. “You are the president of Elementia. It’s your job to . . . be there for your citizens in a time of need. And they have never needed you . . . more than they do right now.”
“But . . .”
“No buts, Stan. We came here with the goal of destroying the . . . Noctem Alliance. You need to escape from here. . . . We may have lost today . . . but the war isn’t over yet. As long as you’re here . . . you’re our only hope, Stan.”
“DZ, don’t make me . . .”
“Stan, I want you . . . to listen to me . . . very carefully.” There was a moment of silence before the gasping wheeze of DZ’s voice came back. “In all these months . . . that I have known you . . . when have I . . . ever . . . let you . . . down?”
There was yet another moment of silence. Then . . .
“Trust me, Stan. Crunch and Charlie . . . they’ll be fine. And as for me . . . this is what I want. You’re my . . . best friend, Stan. Please . . . do as I say.”
There was a long, poignant pause, filled with the loudest silence Stan had ever experienced. And then . . .
“Okay, DZ,” replied Stan, his voice defeated. “Tell me the plan.”
“You’ll know what you need to do . . . when the time comes, Stan. All I need you to do now . . . is back away from the wall,” DZ wheezed.
