Diary of Jonas McElderry (presumed deceased)

Day 343      The time is coming... It has been foretold, and we must, as a group, put a stop to the evil that is causing such an event to unfold. If they succeed, all that we know, all that we love and hold dear, will perish in a maelstrom of evil and corruption. We have but one chance to stop them, and there is nothing of higher stakes than this. They must be stopped... He must be stopped... Before it is too late... Day 347      I have received confirmation from one of the L7 as to the location of another portal. It is concealed beneath the ground far to the East. It has been marked on the map, and I will be receiving it in a few days via the usual method. We are having to be more careful with moving vital information around. There is talk that they are aware of our communications. If we are to maintain our strength and integrity, we will have to be more cautious. It has been suggested however, that all communications are ceased for a short time until it is safe to continue. Day 348      I fear that they may be aware of my location; whilst acting out regular duties to seem inconspicuous, I saw a shadow move across the back wall of the house. After going around to check, I saw nothing there. Am I becoming paranoid? It is irrelevant, I need to remain vigilant no matter what. Day 350      As instructed, the S stone has been sent to one of the L7 to allow them to destroy the portal they found. When they are done with it, they will keep it. It is in discussion as to the recommended silence of communication until it is safe. I hope it will help to ease my mind... Day 352      With a vote of 7 to 0, it has been decided that all non-vital communications will cease for a minimum of 100 days. I am growing more anxious by the day, and the last thing I need is one of wolves bringing back one of them, along with the message. The last message I received was from one of the L7 indicating the destruction of the aforementioned portal to the Nether, and the safe storage of the S stone. Now we wait... Day 353      I have recently started seeing strange green shapes off in the distance. I cannot truly say, with any clarity, what they are, but I have never seen them before. From a distance, they appear to be walking cacti... This is stupid... They do not have such powers to transform flora and fauna! Do they...? Day 355      I saw another, much closer than the last! It was approximately 5 and a half feet tall, with no arms, and four feet. It's body consisted of various shades of green, perhaps a camouflage technique. The face is always the same; a vacant stare, with a gaping mouth. They do not appear to make any noise at all; they even seem able to walk silently regardless of the terrain or speed. What are they? They do not appear hostile, however I have not let one see me yet... Is it sensible to attempt communication? Day 356      I believe I see a pattern... Whenever I see a strange, green creature, it never sees me because it is always hidden beneath a rocky outcrop, or under dense foliage. A number of theorems have entered my mind, the main being an allergic reaction to the intense UV rays emitted by the sun. This leads back to the possibility that this creature is the result of a mutant cacti plant, or some other relative species of flora. I have yet to determine the possibility of this, let alone understand it. Maybe the capture of one of these creatures would allow for sufficient experimental investigation. Day 360      One of the L7 has broken the silence and sent a message to me, and presumably the others. They seem to be experiencing the same strange creatures as well! This is more serious than I thought. If there are more out there, could they pose a potential threat? They seem to be docile, much like the other mammalian species of this region, even interacting with other creatures. However, there has not been an interaction between a human and one of these... Not as far as I know. I will prepare an experiment to attempt communication and interaction with one, in the hopes it will prove passive in nature. Day 362      The attempted communication and interaction with one of these creatures has hit a problem. Whenever I have approached them, the reaction displayed is often that of aggression. The creature puffs itself out and begins hissing, but does not advance or attempt to attack me. This is possibly a method of deterring me from attempting to eat it. I am unable to determine if it is capable of attacking in self defence. Of note, however, was the unusual reaction of a small number of them. When approached, they would either completely ignore me, or run away at incredibly fast speeds. This variation in behaviour leads me to believe that they are as unique and complex and humans, demonstrating various moods and personalities unique to the individual. The ones I can get close to do not hiss, nor do they make any other noise, let alone attempt communication in a form I would understand. More thorough investigation is needed. Day 363      The individual creatures who seem docile in nature allow for me to physically interact with them. They do not appear to display any apprehension towards me at all. Of additional note however, one of the previously assumed docile natured creatures began to display the same aggressive tendencies as the majority. After backing away, the creature returned to its normal behaviour, but was weary of the distance between me and itself. Day 365      For the first time, I have studied these creatures at night. They actually wander around, and even display frolicking natures in the absence of the sun! Each creature, when approached, seemed intrigued as to my presence, and allowed me to approach. I believe it is the sun that makes them edgy and aggressive. This leads me to assume they are nocturnal, and yet it leaves me confused as to why they are still awake during the day. Day 370      I have noticed a dramatic decline in the number of these creatures within the last few days. I have also noticed a strange figure skulking in the shadows around my area for some time. Like the other creatures, when approached the figure disappears. Could this be one of them? Could this be him? It was unlikely, and as far as I could tell, I presented nothing behaviour-wise that suggested I was anything but a regular miner. I hope this is the case. Day 389      The strange creatures seemed to have returned, in their droves! There are loads of them, and they are now wandering around fully exposed during the day! This is of significant interest to me, and a new attempt at interaction is called for to determine the cause of this new display of unusual behaviour. Day 390      The creatures are now considered hostile! When approaching one, it turned to look at me, and began the usual display of defence. It puffed itself out, began hissing, and then did something purely random and pointless which I have been injured by, as a result. The creature seemed to blow itself up! I am not fabricating the truth, the creature literally detonated itself when I was within a few feet of it! I was blown backwards approximately 15 feet, and received a shattered ulna, and cracked radius. I will need to inform the others of this development, and caution them about interaction with the creatures. That is if they haven't already done so... Day 396      One of us have been attacked! The one holding the stone for safety was attacked by multiple creatures, causing severe damage to their house and area. They believe it to be a coordinated attack, with a hidden commander... Could it be? Are they able to control these creatures? They have sent the S stone to me and I hope to receive it in the next few days. So much for communication silence... Day 397      I have received the S stone, and have placed it within the usual hidden place when I am entrusted with its safety. With a diary being an easy-to-misplace item, I am leaving out the location of this hidden place for obvious reasons. It has been a week since the incident, and my arm is beginning to heal well. I hope to revert to normality within the following weeks. Day 404      The creatures have begun to get a little too close to my house for comfort. If they get too close, I am worried they will destroy it. I am likely to have to begin killing them, in the hopes it keeps them from my house. It's a good job my arm is almost back in shape. Day 407      I've had to build a wall around my house for protection. The two metre high construction is enough to prevent them from getting too close. I will probably have to make a gate to ensure the entire wall is secure, as at the moment there is a single entry point which is rather large. Day 412      A creature blew up the gate I installed a few days ago! A totally unprovoked attack leads me to believe that this was coordinated... Either that, or the door got too close... Numerous creatures then advanced through the hole, and I was forced to put them down with a bow I have recently constructed. It is primitive, but effective, leaving the option to add additional effects to the tips such as poisons and suppressants. I have burned the carcasses of the few that got through, except one. I am hoping to conduct an autopsy on it to determine the cause of the new volatile nature. Day 423      I have been much to fascinated by the anatomy of these creatures to enter any entries! It is amazing! The biology of these creatures is totally alien to anything I have ever seen before, leading me to believe that they are otherworldly! As for the cause of the new volatile nature, I am unsure. Seeing as though the communication silence isn't working out, and no new developments have occurred, I have sent a message to one of the L7 instructing them to kill and study one of these creatures. His knowledge of the anatomy of animals is much greater than mine, and I'm hoping they can shed some light on this. Day 433      I have received information stating that the volatile nature is due to a change in the biology of the pigmentation in the skin. Certain "foreign" substances have been genetically implanted into it to cause the skin to produce a chemical which is volatile when exposed to increased levels of adrenaline in the blood, shown by increased levels of stress. Hence, when moving too close to one, the stress generated causes the release of adrenalin and acts as a catalyst for the "explosive" pigment. They also believe this may have affected their brain chemistry, which allows them to be fully exposed to the sun. Maybe this change in their DNA has caused a side effect which has proved beneficial. To them anyway... If this is true, then we may be drastically underestimating the power of these people. If they can make DNA cause a reaction in your body to start an explosive chain reaction, who knows what they can do... I'm beginning to wonder why I ever signed up to them in the first place. I never wanted to do this... Day 434      I've just heard the sounds of helicopter blades and a plane... I think they're coming for me! I couldn't see anything, but I have taken refuge in my hidden place. The stone has been hidden deep within a seemingly random location, and they are unlikely to find it. The others know the protocol that we enforced: if there is no contact from us after directly communicating to one of the others, we must assume something has happened to them, to wait the customary 100 days, and then return to their area and search for any evidence. The bad thing is that I happen to have the S stone in my possession, so I could be putting everything we have worked for in jeopardy! I have secured it in a place I hope is safe, but only time will tell. I will be hiding this diary as well so the others will know my side of the story. Day 435      They've got in! I'm doomed! It is them! I am hiding the diary in a few minutes, in the hopes it will survive. I will remain outside the hiding place however, in the attempt to deter them from the hidden location. God, why did I have to get caught up in this? I found a portal, HoN Co. tells me to leave it, and then I get caught up in the L7! If I had ignored it... If I had never found the portal, I would still be a miner to this day, doing my job! I learnt the truth about HoN Co. About what they had done, and to who. The others had found out in similar ways, and had slowly recruited others. Only 7 of us were lucky enough to be part of the L7... And I was one of them. The others who ignored us were quickly removed by HoN Co.! Even warning them didn't seem to sway them... To be honest... I kinda wish I had chosen death a long time ago...