As clear as it was that Leonidas had had a change of heart now, Stan still couldn’t change the terrible things that Leonidas had done in the past. And as he led his citizens forwards in the greatest challenge that Element City had ever faced, Stan wondered just how they would take it when they found out that he had granted a full presidential pardon to one of King Kev’s most powerful soldiers.
As the frigid winds of the eternal blizzard tore through the streets of the Nocturia complex, the Noctem Capitol Building stood tall and looming. Throughout the war, the Elementia forces hadn’t come close to scratching the capital city of the Nation of the Noctem Alliance, and the Capitol was proof of that. The building was totally untouched, and still the crowning jewel of the Noctem Empire with its gothic stone-brick block design, gold and lapis lazuli block accents and beacon blocks that shot radiant pillars of light into the sky. The building was also by far the largest and tallest in Nocturia – the highest spire of the building extended out of the base castle and far into the sky.
Atop this spire, a single light could be seen. Torchlight shone from an open window, the only pinpoint of luminescence in the midst of the raging snowstorm. And it was within this one window atop the highest tower of the Noctem Capitol Building that Lord Tenebris sat on his throne of obsidian and quartz, deep in thought.
Lord Tenebris had his eyes closed, yet he could quite clearly see through the eyes of one of the Withers, patrolling the skies over Element City. Lord Tenebris had been experimenting in private, drawing energy from the server itself to bolster his power and discovering more and more new skills by the day. However, this particular new ability that he had discovered had proven to be the most useful by far. On a whim, Lord Tenebris could borrow the eyes of any player or mob, provided, of course, that he knew where they were, and see all that they could see.
In the past few weeks, during the Noctem Alliance’s drive to take Element City, this power had been especially helpful. Between clairvoyance and his ability to speak using telepathy, Lord Tenebris had been able to have direct control over the troops on the battlefield through the eyes of General Drake, while still staying hidden away in Nocturia and Fungarus. And he knew that it was for the best that he remain hidden. After all, though the Noctem Alliance now had the upper hand in the war, fear was still by far their greatest asset.
To be honest, Lord Tenebris quite enjoyed the feeling of commanding the troops from far off and tactically manoeuvering them to ensure total domination over a region. Furthermore, he was also well aware of how necessary this step was if he truly wanted control over the server. Lord Tenebris knew that, if he wanted to, he could destroy all the Elementia forces in a matter of minutes using just his own abilities. However, he fancied himself a wise leader, and he was well aware of the vast difference between destroying all the enemy forces and winning the war.
Lord Tenebris saw through the eyes of the Wither that soldiers, clad in black, with bows, weapons and potions at the ready, patrolled the streets of Element City, securing them in the name of the Noctem Alliance. He gave a sigh of satisfaction. Finally, after all these months, Element City was back in the hands of the players who had earned it, those who had toiled and struggled to raise the city after starting from nothing but a meadow.
At long last, they had done it. The Noctem Alliance had conquered Elementia.
One thing still tainted Lord Tenebris’s perfect victory, however. Although the Noctem Alliance now had military control over the entire server, they had yet to capture Stan2012. Lord Tenebris actually found it rather surprising. Drake knew exactly what Lord Tenebris was going to do to him should Stan return to Element City. If there was one thing that was certain, it was that Drake would go to any lengths to save his own neck. When added to the fact that Drake had hired a group of trained assassins to track Stan down, Lord Tenebris found it difficult to believe that Drake hadn’t delivered Stan to him yet.
Lord Tenebris stood up from his throne and stopped using his clairvoyance, looking once again into the plain stone brick–block room, flickering in the light of the torch. The time had come, he decided. The military offensive was now over, and the Noctem Alliance had a strong foothold in Element City. There was no purpose in his staying in Nocturia any longer. It was time for him to return to the city that he had worked so long and hard to conquer.
Lord Tenebris took a deep breath, focussed intently on the Council Room of Element Castle, and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
G felt disgusted with himself as he dragged himself up the quartz stairs towards Tess’s office. He still couldn’t get the image out of his mind of the wounded recruit in a blue and green jumpsuit, lying on the ground and clutching the cut on his side. He had stepped in and declared the round of the sparring tournament over, and ordered that the fallen recruit be given medical attention, but the two soldiers overseeing him had cut him off. He could vividly remember the Noctem captain in the metallic Creeper costume staring him in the eye and growling those hateful words.
“If you’re a true Noctem corporal, you’ll tell him to finish the job right now.”
Despite the fact that every fibre of his body was telling him to stand up for the fallen recruit, G found himself unable to speak. Before he could, though, a messenger arrived and told G that Tess was looking for him. As G had left to make his way to the stairs, the two corporals had turned back to the sparring recruits, and right before G turned a corner, he heard one of them say, “All right … finish him!”
G still couldn’t get the sound of that last shout out of his head. He could only imagine what they were doing to the wounded player now … and here he was just walking away. Even if that player was in training for the Noctem Alliance, he didn’t deserve the abuse and harassment that G was sure was coming his way. In fact, he had half a mind to turn around and go help that player, but he knew that he couldn’t. Jayden had been willing to sacrifice his life to keep G in Nocturia, and there was no way that he was going to risk anything until he cured Mella and Stull, regardless of what the cost may be.
Finally, G reached the top of the staircase, and was standing at the threshold of General Tess’s room. The room was beautifully designed. The walls were made out of quartz blocks fashioned into different patterns, the floor was carpeted with blue-wool blocks, and the ceiling was covered in glowstone blocks. A fire burning eternally in a Netherrack fireplace projected a warm glow into the room, and picture frames, showing pixel-art paintings, hung on the walls. There were glass windows that revealed the howling storm outside, and behind a cedarwood plank desk sat General Tess, her diamond sword hanging in an item frame behind her.
“Greetings, ma’am,” G said automatically, suppressing his self-loathing for the time being.
“You took a long time,” Tess retorted, not bothering to return the greeting. “Please try to be quicker next time, Corporal.”
“Yes, ma’am,” G replied, his disgust with himself now replaced with irritation at Tess.
“I have a task for you,” Tess continued. “I need you to patrol the grounds again.”
“Yes, ma’am,” G replied, glad that it was only a mundane task that was being asked of him, and he turned back down the stairs to go carry it out.
“Oh, and one more thing, Corporal,” Tess continued, sounding almost lazy. G turned around and watched as she reached into a chest next to her desk and pulled out a Potion of Slowness. “Tell Captain Zingster to execute those twenty Elementia prisoners today instead of tomorrow. Now that we’ve taken Element City, there’s really no point in keeping hostages any more.”
G’s