Welcome to "The Diary of a Miner"; a blog detailing the adventures and mysteries that I, Syeonyx, embark upon in my quest to further my mining and survival skills! It'll be tough, there will be good times and bad times, but I'll always be alive to post my adventures... probably...

I've got to break free!

     From here on, our journey should be considerably easier; if SERVERE had managed to lower the bridge for us, it wouldn't be long until we would be on the other side and moving back East towards the base. From there we would gain entrance to the iron mine and go through to The End via the portal. We still had a long way to go, but after crossing the bridge, we'll be a long enough distance away from the frenzy of HoN Co. activity to be able to move around quickly without being detected. We could hear voices above us, as we began to make our way onto the boards of the platform beneath the bridge, although they didn't sound like they were searching for us. It was hard to tell, but it put me at ease a little that they weren't shouting, which could be a good thing. The fog had returned, and teamed with our dark surroundings, and the glare from the rising sun to the East, it had become a little awkward crossing quickly over the wooden boards. In single file, we kept it to two people on one board at any one time to prevent the chance of them collapsing on us and plunging us into the icy water a few feet below. Not only would that give rise to the possibility of one of us drowning or dying of hypothermia, but the splash would almost definitely attract the guards above us, plunging the rest of the team into ironically hot water...

"I think SERVERE managed to lower the bridge. It's hard to tell through the fog, but I can still see shadows across the water way out ahead of us. Either the fog is incredibly thick, or the bridge has been lowered..."

As we neared the end of the walkway, indicated by the instant lack of boards spanning the distance, we could see that COLUS was right. The bridge had been lowered; the shadow cast over the water was made by the platform that had been lowered into place on both sides, showing the underside of each, and the plumb lines we needed to access to get back to the other side.

"How long do you think we have to cross over? It took quite a while last time for us all to get across, not counting the time when it was raised again..."

"Well SERVERE said he was going to stall the bridge crew as long as possible, giving us as much time as possible to get over to the far side. How he determines whether we're across or not I don't know, but presumably he'll come up with something convincing. he managed to get us into and out of the HQ, and with the five Eyes we need to open the portal."


One at a time, with UOPETA in the lead, we began to make our way across the bridge. Just like before, we only had two people crossing at any one time to limit the stress put on the plumb lines. We couldn't determine how secure they were, but we needed to get everyone across without anyone left behind. My turn soon came, and I traded my rifle for two bags, which I slung over each opposing shoulder, creating an X shape across my chest. They wouldn't fall off unless I fell, and I had no desire to go for a quick dip! Remembering what UOPETA said, I kept my gaze fixated on the figure just ahead of me, which happened to be THEROS. I didn't look down, instead concentrating on putting one hand in front of the other and keeping the momentum up by swinging forwards as I went. It was a great strategy, and it wasn't long before I was jumping to the concrete strut just after THEROS. Once there, I placed the bags down and began to help the others down as they crossed to the end. Next to come was Amie, followed by Joe, then AMPHIS, then OROTHO, until we were all across. COLUS was the last to come across again, bringing up the rear to ensure no-one got left behind.

"We owe a lot to SERVERE. If he hadn't managed to get the bridge lowered, we would likely have been caught by now. Let's hope we get a chance to thank him la..."

COLUS didn't finish the sentence; the still, quiet air around us was interrupted by the harsh, metallic sounds of machinery activating. We all turned towards the source, watching both sides of the bridge slowly and inexorably climb towards the sky. The whole process of the bridge sections raising, from parallel with the main walkway to at least a 45o angle took about a minute, all of which we stood transfixed. When it stopped, the loud clang of the brakes locking into position snapped us all out of our stupor. I could guarantee everyone was watching it thinking how close of a shave that had been, rather than the marvel of the machinery.

"We're cutting it a little close there... Let's go before more obstacles catch up with us..."

We made our way across the walkway on the Eastern side of the bridge, to where we would meet land again, and continue our journey back to the iron mine. We were likely to encounter some more resistance from HoN Co., but with the bridge lowered, that should at least slow down anything that was following us.


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     We did it! We managed to take both the Eyes of Ender out from under the noses of the HoN Co. guards and the director. I didn't want to jinx it, but it had been easier than I thought. Don't get me wrong, there were times when I feared for my life. But the process of taking the Eyes and escaping seemed to go a lot smoother than I had anticipated. We reached the far side of the bridge and continued our escape to the East, travelling as far and fast as we could. We had timed our escape perfectly as the sun had only begun to rise when we reached the far side, but it didn't seem long before it was setting again. In that time we made massive headway! We were taking so many precautions; UOPETA and COLUS were no longer scouting up ahead. Instead we headed up in one large group, not stopping even for a break, pushing on until we were sure we had travelled far enough until they wouldn't be able to find us. Eventually we stopped for the night, settling down for the most rewarding rest we had ever earned!

"We should be able to cover the remaining ground by tomorrow if we're quick, the next day at the latest. We need to ensure that whenever we stop, we make it hard to spot us, and leave no trace of our presence."

Sitting around the fire in silence, we just appreciated the rest that would could now enjoy without worrying about being spotted by HoN Co.! I have a feeling this may be the last relaxing moment we'll have for some time.

Syeonyx signing off

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