Tenebris… I assume that he’s the leader of the Noctem Alliance?” Arachnia asked.
A ray of zealous awe crossed Drake’s face at this question, causing Arachnia to raise an eyebrow again as Drake replied.
“Oh, he is far more than that, my friend. I would say more, but trust me, you’ll know soon enough.”
Arachnia laughed. “I’ll take your word for it. So, what brings you out here, Drake? Surely an all-powerful general of the ruling organization of Elementia must have a good reason for trekking out into the middle of nowhere.”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” replied Drake seriously. The pleasantries were over, and it was time to get down to business. “First, let me ask you this… do you still have the other members of ELM together?”
“Yes,” Arachnia said with a grin. “And we’re still the best bounty hunters in all of Minecraft. Why? Do you need us for something?”
“That I do. Actually, it has to do with the Alliance,” whispered Drake. He glanced around, making sure that nobody in the rambunctious bar was listening before he leaned in closer to Arachnia and continued.
“In the midst of our campaign to conquer Elementia, the Noctem Alliance managed to capture President Stan2012, and a few of his councilmen as well…”
“NO!” Arachnia burst out, unable to contain herself.
“Shut up!” hissed Drake, glancing around at several nearby patrons who had given them a sideways glance. “If you don’t keep quiet, then the deal is off!”
“Sorry,” replied Arachnia hastily. She knew from Drake’s tone that this mission of his, whatever it was, was important. And, in her experience, importance equated to quite a large payment.
“Anyway,” continued Drake when he was sure it was safe, “it was my job to oversee their prison. Unfortunately, one of Stan’s friends sacrificed himself so that Stan could escape. The Noctem Alliance is well on its way to breaking through the walls of Element City and destroying the last of the republic’s armies. However, Lord Tenebris is convinced that if President Stan somehow manages to return to the city, he will rally his citizens and turn the tide of the war back in his favour.”
“So… what you’re saying is…” Arachnia replied slowly, heart racing as she pieced together what Drake was saying, “… you want me to hunt down and assassinate the president of Elementia?”
“Not exactly,” replied Drake evenly. “For some reason, Lord Tenebris is dead set on killing Stan himself. To be honest, I’m not sure why, but I do trust Lord Tenebris, and I’m sure that he has a perfectly valid reason. Therefore, I’m asking you, Arachnia, to capture President Stan and return him to Lord Tenebris alive.”
“Well…” replied Arachnia after a moment, trying to appear uninterested despite the fact that she was in utter awe of what Drake was requesting. “This sounds like it’s going to be quite a difficult mission, Drake. If you have no idea where Stan is and no way of finding him, that is… and I think that you know as well as I do that no team would be capable of it other than mine.”
“That is why I came to you,” Drake said rather impatiently. He had been expecting her to accept without question.
“And… because of that… I think you’ll understand where I’m coming from when I say that the price of pulling this off will not be small,” Arachnia said in a rather sleazy fashion.
Drake didn’t hesitate. He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out something from his inventory. He revealed it only for a moment before returning it, but it was enough time for Arachnia to see the full stack of sixty-four diamond blocks in Drake’s hand.
“I assure you that payment is no problem,” Drake said simply.
Arachnia was breathing heavily with excitement now. This was it. She and her team were about to pull off the biggest job in the history of Minecraft, and become rich beyond their wildest dreams.
“General Drake,” said Arachnia with a smile, “I’m happy to announce that you now have a team.”
Drake grinned deviously. “I knew I could count on you, Arachnia. Now, assemble your team, and head to the mainland as soon as possible. President Stan is likely trekking back towards Element City as we speak, so you must make haste. Take the train line to the western wall of Element City. There, you will find one of the legions of the Noctem Army, which has laid siege to the city. They will give you all the information we have gathered regarding where President Stan may be, and then you may begin your search.”
“Whatever you say, Drake,” replied Arachnia.
“And remember, Arachnia… President Stan is not to be underestimated. Keep in mind that this is the player who bested King Kev in combat. He’s an exceptional fighter, very smart and very crafty. The last thing that we need is for him to return and lead his city once again. The fate of the Noctem Alliance may very well rest in the hands of your team, Arachnia.”
“Don’t worry, Drake,” answered Arachnia, her face showing exhilaration and a hint of bloodlust. “Stan is as good as yours.”
Drake nodded one final time, and stood up from his chair. Without giving Arachnia one more glance, he pulled his golden hood up over his head, made his way through the rabble of drunken players, and left the bar.
All five players sitting around the dimly lit council table in the stone-brick castle were silent except for the Mechanist, who was in the process of the ceremonial roll call and other formalities. Although Element Castle was a good distance away from the outer walls of Element City, the cacophony of the bombardment of the outer wall could be heard throughout the city, day and night. This council meeting was no exception, as the muffled booms of detonating TNT blocks could be heard even through the stone walls.
These sounds of the Noctem Alliance’s barrage of artillery only heightened the tension in the room. Out of the nine council members, three of them—Stan, Charlie and DZ—had been taken hostage in their raid of the Noctem Alliance’s Specialty Base. Another one, Blackraven, had been revealed as a traitor who had been working for the Noctem Alliance the entire time. And yet only four players sat around the council room table now.
They had lost someone else.
As the Mechanist finished with the formalities, he put down his papers and glanced around the table with exhausted eyes. In the faces of Kat, Jayden and G, there was no sign of sadness or grief, but rather of unkempt and wild hatred, driven by a passion that can only be wrought by the deepest sort of betrayal. Giving a soft and brief sigh, the Mechanist began his speech.
“As you know,” the Mechanist said tiredly, his Texas accent slightly slurred with fatigue, “a most tragic and unfortunate event has befallen us in the past twenty-four hours…”
“Huh, unfortunate… yeah, right.”
“Please, Kat,” replied the Mechanist,
