The New Order

Copyright

First published in the USA by HarperCollins Publishers Inc in 2015

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2015

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

The HarperCollins Children’s Books website address is

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright © 2015 by Sean Fay Wolfe

Cover art © 2015 by Max Gonzalez

Design by Victor Joseph Ochoa

Sean Fay Wolfe asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008152833

Ebook Edition © 2015 ISBN: 9780008152840

Version: 2015-10-16

Dedication

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

PROLOGUE

PART I: THE NOCTEM ALLIANCE

CHAPTER 1: The Second Election

CHAPTER 2: The Voice in the Night

CHAPTER 3: The Spleef Quarterfinals

CHAPTER 4: Viva La Noctem

CHAPTER 5: The Tennis Machine

CHAPTER 6: Elementia Day

PART II: THE DEVILS WITHIN THE WALLS

CHAPTER 7: The Coup

CHAPTER 8: Tensions

CHAPTER 9: The Battle of the Base

CHAPTER 10: The Villager’s Visit

CHAPTER 11: Home Again

CHAPTER 12: Clash of the Saviours

CHAPTER 13: The Nation of the Noctem Alliance

CHAPTER 14: The Spleef Semifinals

CHAPTER 15: The Labyrinth

CHAPTER 16: The Leak

CHAPTER 17: The Prisoner of Brimstone

CHAPTER 18: The Warnings

CHAPTER 19: The Spleef World Finals

PART III: NIGHTFALL

CHAPTER 20: An Emergency Meeting

CHAPTER 21: Return to the Village

CHAPTER 22: The Decisions

CHAPTER 23: The Battle of the Archipelago

CHAPTER 24: The Elementia Sea Base

CHAPTER 25: The Two Tribes

CHAPTER 26: The Greater Mushroom Island

CHAPTER 27: The Traitors

CHAPTER 28: Atop Mount Fungarus

CHAPTER 29: The Hostages

CHAPTER 30: Lord Tenebris

The Quest Continues …

From the Author

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

PROLOGUE

Leonidas gritted his teeth and shook off his discomfort. Having been raised in the desert, he was foreign to the frigid wind and snow that now racked his body with shivers. He resented that, of the three generals of the Noctem Army, Lord Tenebris had assigned him to oversee the construction of the tundra base. Leonidas turned and looked at the marvellous stone complex rising from the snow-hardened earth. He couldn’t help but take a little pride in the fact that the Noctem Alliance’s first true base was now in its last phases of construction.

It dawned on Leonidas that it was probably time for another patrol. He pulled out his watch to confirm this. He had to squint to see the golden clockface through the heavy snowfall, but he could still make out the time as midday. It was time to send two of his ten men out to circumnavigate the construction zone, searching for trespassers. Leonidas found these patrols to be pointless. They were in the middle of the most expansive and desolate biome on the server, so the chances that anybody would run into them out here were slim to none. However, on Caesar’s last inspection of the base, he had made it very plain to Leonidas that Lord Tenebris felt the perimeter patrols were vital.

Ever since it had been founded on Spawnpoint Hill, the New Order had gathered almost a hundred and fifty followers, and had since been renamed the Noctem Alliance. Lord Tenebris, however, remained in a foul mood. He refused to let go of his anger that Element City had been so successful since King Kev had fallen. He had expected the city to struggle to support itself under the rule of Stan2012. However, Element City was now thriving to a level not experienced since the Golden Age of King Kev’s rule, and Stan had only been president for a few months. Tomorrow was the day of the second election of the Republic of Elementia, and Stan was expected to win in a landslide.

Given Lord Tenebris’s foul mood, Leonidas reasoned that his own head would be on the chopping block if Lord Tenebris somehow found out he had missed a patrol. Therefore, Leonidas called out to the two nearest workers, “Corporal! Private! Get over here!”

Immediately, Corporal Emerick and Private Spyro pocketed the stone bricks they were building with and hastily hustled over to Leonidas.

“Yes, sir, General Leonidas,” the two soldiers responded in full salute.

“It’s twelve hundred hours now, and it’s time for the midday perimeter check. Ya know what to do,” said Leonidas.

“Sir, yes, sir!” said the players. They spun on their heels, drew their bows and arrows, and marched off until they disappeared into the heavy snowfall.

Leonidas sighed. With two players gone, work would be slower for the next hour. He turned back towards the construction, about to continue his work, when something caught his eye. There, approaching from the general direction that Emerick and Spyro had just disappeared, a light flickered through the snowfall, getting brighter and brighter. Leonidas briefly wondered if one of his men was coming back, but he quickly realized that this was neither the corporal nor the private. A figure adorned in flowing white robes came into view, a jack-o’-lantern clutched in his hands.

“I need food, Leonidas,” came Caesar’s battered voice, breathing heavily from his long trek through the barren plains. Leonidas was taken aback, seeing his comrade and equal-in-command here when Caesar was supposed to be catering to the personal needs of Lord Tenebris. He pulled two pieces of bread from his inventory and quickly handed them to Caesar.

“What brings ya here, Caesar?” asked Leonidas, showing Caesar into the modest dirt-block shack, lit by torchlight. The structure served as Leonidas’s personal quarters during the construction of the new capital. “I thought Lord Tenebris told ya to stay with him, and help with whatever he needed.”

“He did, and I am,” replied Caesar. Even through his mouthful of bread, his upper-class Element City accent was prominent. “Lord Tenebris is displeased that he has not received word of the completion of Nocturia. He wishes to know why you have not completed our new capital yet, and how long it will be before it is completed. He has sent me to ask you this.”

Leonidas sighed. “Don’t actually say this to Lord Tenebris, Caesar, but if it weren’t for these stupid perimeter patrols, we would have completed the capital a week ago. With only ten guys workin’ on construction, the patrols really slow down the work.”

Caesar gave a slow, emotionless nod.

Leonidas finished his report. “Nevertheless, we’ve entered the final phases of the construction of Nocturia. We should be done by the end of tomorrow.”

“Now, that is what Lord Tenebris will want to hear,” replied Caesar, standing up. “I shall give him the report.”

“Do ya really have to leave so soon?” asked Leonidas. Since all the players out here were subordinate to him, Leonidas found himself with nobody to talk to, and he was truthfully becoming a little lonely. “Can’t ya stay for at least a little while?”

“No, I’m sorry, Leonidas. Lord Tenebris made it very clear that I am supposed to survey the premises hastily and report back to him, no delays. Otherwise, I would be quite content to stay, but you know how Lord Tenebris is when he gets angry.”

In fact, Leonidas had never seen Lord Tenebris angry. The one and only time he had seen Lord Tenebris was on Spawnpoint Hill, the night they had lost to the Grand Adorian Militia in battle. On that day, desperate and with nothing to lose, Leonidas, Caesar and Minotaurus had pledged themselves to a new leader. Since that day, Lord Tenebris had ordered Leonidas to build the Noctem Alliance’s capital city of Nocturia out here in the Southern Tundra Biome. His only contact with the founder of the Noctem Alliance since then had been through messengers.

Leonidas rarely saw his fellow generals. Lord Tenebris had ordered Caesar to act as his own personal adviser and servant, and what he had ordered Minotaurus to do, Leonidas could only guess. Regardless, Leonidas was well aware of what Lord Tenebris was capable of, and he did not imagine he would be very agreeable when angry.

“Then have a good return trip, Caesar,” Leonidas responded, handing his friend three cooked pork chops for the hike back to Lord Tenebris’s base. Caesar nodded his thanks, and was about to exit through the wooden door when three players burst into the dirt shack.

The three players were covered in snow, so it took Leonidas a moment to distinguish two of them as Corporal Emerick and Private Spyro. They had their bows raised and were nudging a third figure forwards. This player, Leonidas did not recognize. It appeared to be a girl, dressed in a full snowsuit with a red ponytail running down her back. The moment she entered the building, she fell to her knees, overwhelmed with fatigue. Leonidas stood up.

“Who is this?” he asked his corporal harshly.

“We found this player wandering around, not far from our border, General,” replied the corporal. He seemed quite proud that he had led the effort of capturing a trespasser.

“What’s your name?” Leonidas asked.

The girl seemed unable to respond. She whimpered. It was then that Leonidas noticed the arrow protruding from her left shoulder. One of his men had shot her.

“Answer him, you pathetic worm. He asked you a question!” bellowed Caesar, and all in the vicinity jumped from his sudden outburst. “What are you doing here?”

The girl gave an almost inaudible whisper, and Leonidas thought he heard the words “lost” and “community” in her answer.

“So there’s a community out here? Where? I thought the colony of the King’s banished criminals died out a long time ago,” inquired Leonidas.

Another dubious whimper escaped the girl’s mouth, and Leonidas heard the word “survived” in her response.

“So the community still exists? And you are a member of this community?” Caesar asked gruffly.

The girl, still kneeling and unable to stand, gave an almost imperceptible nod before her head sank to the floor and she dissolved into desperate sobs.

“That’s all I needed to know,” responded Caesar with a sly grin. An instant later, there was a flash of diamond. The girl fell backwards, a slash across her chest and her items lying in a ring around her. Caesar slid his sword back into its sheath.

Leonidas opened his mouth in horror, but quickly closed it again. It was necessary, he reminded himself, trying to keep his breathing steady. She knew too much, and she was a danger. Still, Leonidas couldn’t bring himself to look at her body, and he felt unable to look back towards Caesar until he heard the faint noise indicating that the girl had vanished.

“I’ll tell Lord Tenebris not to expect the capital completed for a few more days,” said Caesar, a smile appearing on his face. “But when I receive the next report, I expect that not only will the building be finished, but every member of the old community will be dead.”

Caesar threw back his head and laughed, and before Leonidas could open his mouth to object, he had swept out the door.

Leonidas stood looking at the floor for a moment, then realized that Corporal Emerick and Private Spyro were still looking at him, waiting for a command. He cleared his throat and, trying to keep his voice steady, gave the order.

“Private, you’re stayin’ with me and finishin’ this capital. Corporal” – Leonidas took a deep breath – “take half the men and find the village. Leave no survivors.”

“Yes, sir,” came Corporal Emerick’s response, and he left the room without another word.

There was silence as Leonidas stood in the room lost in thought, Private Spyro standing beside him. After a minute, the private spoke. “Is it really the right thing to do, General? Those players, they’re not hurting anybody, so how can it be right?”

Leonidas, ignoring his own strongly conflicted feelings, gave Spyro the response he was supposed to give. “It doesn’t matter if it’s right or not, Private, it’s what has to be done.” Leonidas let out a raspy sigh and fought the urge to vomit. “Come on,” he said, “we have a base to finish.”

And with that, General Leonidas and Private Spyro of the Noctem Alliance left the dirt shack.

CHAPTER 1

THE SECOND ELECTION

Stan knew that technically, this was Elementia’s first real election for president. There had not really been a vote when he first became president. Everybody had been so euphoric at the downfall of King Kev that they had immediately wanted the one responsible for their freedom to be the new head of the Minecraft server Elementia.

Now, however, it was time for Elementia’s first true presidential election. The entire voting population was crammed into the square of Element City. Over three months ago, King Kev had stood above this very courtyard and made the announcement that it was time for the lower-level citizens of Elementia to leave Element City. Stan’s all-consuming rage at King Kev’s proclamation and the arrow he’d sent at the King to show it were the reasons he stood on the bridge of Element Castle now.

That fateful arrow had started an uprising among the lower-level players of the Minecraft server Elementia, and their rebellion had resulted in the death of the tyrannical King Kev. The majority of the King’s supporters were now dead or imprisoned, with the rest living as fugitives of the law. In their joy at the fall of the evil King, the citizens of Elementia were quick to jump on Stan’s idea of Elementia being turned into a republic. Stan was unanimously elected to be its first president.

Now, however, his first term was up. He had been president for four months, and it was time for another election. The councilmen, who assisted Stan in making the laws of Elementia, had already been elected. Stan’s good friends Kat, Charlie, Jayden, Archie, Goldman (aka G), DZ and the Mechanist had all been unanimously re-elected to the council.

The eighth seat on the council, however, was now filled by the former mayor of Blackstone, Gobbleguy. The seat’s previous holder, Blackraven, was running against Stan for president of Elementia. The majority of the players believed that Blackraven had been stupid to give up his seat on the council, as they believed there was nothing he could ever say or do to convince them to elect him to office over Stan.

Stan, however, felt Blackraven was a formidable opponent. He believed Blackraven was wiser than he was. If Blackraven played his cards right, Stan thought that his seat as president of Elementia may well be in jeopardy. This idea made him nervous as he sat on the bridge of Element Castle, preparing to give one last speech to his people before they voted.

Stan and Blackraven would both be asked five questions. These five questions, dealing with the most important problems in Elementia, would be Stan’s last chance to assure the population that he was the right player to continue leading them.

Stan’s stomach was in knots as he was called to step forwards and begin to speak. As he walked out onto the bridge of Element Castle, the crowd received him with hoots and cheers. Stan’s anxiety vanished. There was nothing to be nervous about, he realized. As long as he answered the questions honestly, he believed that the people of Elementia would agree with him.

The first question rang out, echoing around the spacious courtyard. “Stan2012, if elected president, how do you intend to handle the diamond shortage we have in Elementia right now?”

Stan, whose views on this matter were firm, responded confidently. “I know that diamonds are a very important resource for creating the best gear possible. However, I don’t think that diamonds are nearly as important as iron ore, which is way more common and equally useful. Right now, we don’t have access to a good diamond mine. If we find one, then Elementia will have more diamonds to go around. Right now, though, I think that we’re much better off mining more iron ore, rather than searching for diamonds.”

There was general applause as Stan finished. Although the players of Element City certainly did like their diamonds, they felt that Stan had a very reasonable view of the issue. As the applause died down, the next question sounded out.

“Stan2012, if elected president, how do you intend to fulfil Elementia’s coal needs now that the mines of Blackstone have been declared unsafe?”

Stan smiled. One of his most recent acts as president had been to close down the coal mines in the mining town of Blackstone after inspecting them firsthand. He had found that the entire mining system was situated around an underground lava lake. Though he was quite happy with the decision, one of the biggest concerns was how Elementia was going to keep up with the ever-present demand for coal after the city’s reserves ran out. Stan now, once again, shared his plans to resolve this issue.

“Well, let me first say that I have no regrets whatsoever in declaring the mines of Blackstone unsafe. The safety of our miners is much more important than any coal that we may find. However, because we do need coal to fuel our ever-growing population, let me tell you about a new opportunity that has come to light. Councilman Charlie has recently started exploring the Southeastern Mountain Range, trying to establish an Elementian outpost in the far reaches of the server. During his exploration, he found extensive coal veins inside and beneath the mountains. It would not be difficult to extend the Blackstone railway to reach these mountains. We’re currently putting together plans to do just that, and so I see plenty of coal in Elementia’s future, even without Blackstone.”

The applause for this response outstripped the last round by a mile. Stan had received praises for closing Blackstone and for supporting exploration of the Southeastern Mountain Range.

“What are your thoughts on the recent ideas of taxing the NPC villagers, now that they can grow carrots and potatoes?”

“Oh, no way!” cried Stan. “I will never put any sort of tax or quotas on the NPC villagers! I’ve lived with the villagers before, but they typically just want to be left alone. I do think that we should get carrots and potatoes from the NPC villagers, but we should do this by offering them a fair trade. We know how to grow crops. If we trade with the NPCs, they’ll be happy, and we’ll have our own carrots and potatoes to grow. If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that we’re smarter and more powerful than they are, so it’s our responsibility to make sure that nothing bad happens to them. We certainly can’t put taxes on them!”

There was healthy applause for this statement. Almost none of the citizens of Elementia understood NPC villagers the way that Stan did, and they knew that. All they saw was that Stan was trying to stand up for those who could not stand up for themselves.

“Stan2012, what are your thoughts on the emerging organization calling itself the Noctem Alliance?”

In the past month, there had been a growing number of protest rallies in Element City staged by members of a group called the Noctem Alliance. Despite the fall of King Kev, they still believed that the lower-level players of Minecraft didn’t deserve the same basic rights as the older, upper-level players.

“The Noctem Alliance is, as of right now, just a protesters’ group, so I have no control over them,” Stan said calmly. “Everyone is free to voice their own opinions, regardless of how I, or anybody else, might feel about it. However, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on them. Any group that threatens the equality of the players of Elementia won’t be tolerated. The Noctem Alliance can say what they want, I won’t stop them, as much as I disagree with them. However, if the Alliance acts on any of their views, there will be no hesitation in putting the group to rest.”

The applause shook the courtyard. Although all present were aware that Stan was vehemently opposed to the views presented by the Noctem Alliance, it was encouraging to know he believed in their laws to a point where he would not actively stop the Alliance unless they took action.

“Stan2012, here is your last question: What are your thoughts on tracking down and neutralizing any of King Kev’s remaining allies?”

“Well, I think my thoughts on that should be pretty obvious,” replied Stan with a chuckle, and a charged laughter rippled through the audience.

“I don’t know where King Kev’s remaining supporters are, or what they are doing. Our army has devoted almost half its resources to catching any of King Kev’s followers who are still out there. I think that we are giving all that we possibly can to the search right now, but I’m ready to send more soldiers out if the traitors don’t reveal themselves soon. Rest assured, however, as long as I am your president, there is no danger in Element City from King Kev’s supporters.”

The applause the crowd was barely holding back now surged forwards as they sang the praises of their president who they fully trusted to keep them safe and happy. Stan was elated. The applause was still strong as he left the platform and entered the side tower to watch Blackraven’s interview.