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...

The End?

     When I woke up, I found myself in the base, slumped in one of the chairs in the discussion room, with my wrist bandaged up. I was sore, and the parts of me that weren't were either in pain or numb... Using my elbows, I managed to struggle up into a sitting position. From where I sat I could see many guards and other people around, likely scientists and other civilians. They easily numbered forty or more... A lot of them seem injured, either due to the tower collapsing or battling with the creatures from the Nether. It didn't matter now, only that we were all safe, and the master portal was destroyed. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I was able to actually relax, and sit down knowing full well there were no more dangers around the next corner.

"Syeonyx, you're awake. Good! How are you feeling?"

I told AMPHIS that I felt like death warmed up, and he just laughed. He asked me about the wrist, and then other aches and pains I had. I hadn't experienced pain like this before in my life, but I thought I was coping with it okay.

"More than okay. You've been thrown about in the air, tossed at trees and then fell out of them, not to mention being within the blast of the portal before the implosion began. The most I've seen you do is wince, and that's a lot less than some of these others are doing."

I asked him how everyone was coping, and what the extent of their injuries were. Some looked like they had seen their fair share of combat, and been through hell and back, but I realised that was a little to literal for anyone else to believe. Some were covered in bandages, but most of them seemed to be okay, just sitting on the floor either moaning or talking to others.

"You're not the worse, but we all think you should have been after all that. The casualties are lower than we expected; the only deaths came from when the tower collapsed. Everyone else either suffered minor burns or lacerations to their limbs or body. If you're up for it, you can come to the lab. The rest of us are there, Amie included."

Slowly standing up, AMPHIS helped me to navigate around the chair before accompanying me on the slowest walk to the lab I had ever achieved. There was no need to rush any more, and the slow pace suited me a little better. That and it induced less pain throughout my body if I kept movements slow and predictable.

"Ah, Syeonyx! How are you? Hope that wrist isn't giving you too much trouble...?"

I shook my head and greeted everyone else. They were all in high spirits and there was a reason for it. OROTHO was talking with one of the members of the Elite soldiers that HoN Co. had, apparently something to do with broadcast messages, or something of the like...

"Thanks to you, we've got a lot to celebrate!"

"Yes! After you destroyed the portal, the Nether creatures were pulled back through. We haven't seen the Paragon since the implosion, but the Endermen are keeping a watch on the surface in case he attempts to seek revenge... again..."

I asked them about HoN Co.; now that everyone knew the entire company was built around the purpose of finding portals, there was no real company to keep going. I suppose if they continued with the actual job of finding and mining resources that were actually needed, things might pick up again. One of the Elite soldiers who was listening came over to us, shaking his head.

"I doubt it. Everyone within HoN Co. has heard what happened here. The news has spread like wildfire, and there doesn't seem to be much effort in place in trying to keep it quiet. It won't be long until the public hear about this and the company begins to crumble on that front as well. No-one will put any resources into a crippled company that can't manage its employees, especially the C.E.O..."

"So what happens to you now? If HoN Co. is gone then presumably the security and Elite are disbanded?"

"Oh yes! They collapsed the moment it reached the main headquarters! Everyone's leaving. The guards and some of the Elite are quitting instantly, just leaving the company behind and looking to start anew. Some are remaining to help the others find out what to do with what's left. Still a lot of civilians left in the other bases and HQ's that need to be moved back to the cities. Comes as a big surprise to a lot of us how this went down. We all thought it was the start of the end of the global energy crisis... Humph, so much for that..."

"What about the scientists? What happens to them, and their research? A lot of it is controversial stuff!"

"Anything immoral or unethical is to be destroyed; this includes everything from portal technology to studying and developing Affinitas cages. Some of the other experiments are world firsts though, so they would be transferred over to whichever company pays out the most. Some of the scientists are likely to strike it very rich with their research."

"Like what? I assume the Elite armour is something new and unexpected?"

"Oh yes, that's one of the finest successes of experimentation with light-bending technology. That'll be up for the highest bidder. I just hope it doesn't end up going to the military, but I can almost guarantee it will... Some improvements in energy efficiency and alternative energy resources are on the table for future development. That, strangely enough, was a bi-product of one of the portal projects."

"It's good to know that so much good can come of all that has happened here though... What about all the miners that spread out? Surely they won't have heard anything about the collapse of HoN Co.?"

"Don't worry, we've got that covered. They'll receive a message from their PDA's about a pickup request. They'll know what happened and we can go and get them from where they're based. That's if they want to. I've been talking to a lot of the guards here, and those without families want to stay here..."

"What? With us? We haven't discussed what our next..."

"No, not here with you. They want to remain here in Minecraftia and become miners. Strange I know, but I have to admit, even I found the idea compelling..."

"Are you going to stay then?"

"Like I said, I'd love to but... I've got a family back home waiting for me. I just want to get all this legal bull out of the way first and then I'm free to see them for as long as I like. Until I find another job that is..."

"What about a way of life instead? Rather than go home, why not get your family to come up here and start your life anew! Try out the miner's way of life for a change."

"I suppose it's something to consider... Have to run it past the wife..."

We all laughed, confident laughs. One of the Endermen entered the lab, having to duck through the corridor. We stopped laughing, assuming they'd come back to tell us of the Paragon returning. I felt my stomach tense up, waiting for the inevitable.

"Hey. How's things on the surface?"

"We have the entire area cleared. We have managed to bring one hundred of us from our city to here to be able to safeguard this place until such time as we are no longer needed. The Paragon has left the area, and it is doubtful he will return. There is nothing here for him now."

"It's weird to think that all those years ago we were working towards this point and thinking it would never come. Now it's here I... I don't know what to do. The only master portal is destroyed and the Paragon has no way of accessing the Nether again..."

"Only...? No there are others..."

There was silence in the room; everyone who had been talking quietly to others turned towards the Endermen. The tension in the air... You could cut it with a knife!

"What do you mean there are others?"

"Yes, there are others. Not on this planet, but there are others. We aren't restricted to this planet. Many millions of years ago, we used the portals as a means of transport around the galaxy. The distance travelled in the Nether is greater than travelling anywhere else. Stepping forward one foot in the Nether equates to eight here. And the temporal effects within the Nether also allow for easy movement between planets."

"So... So the master portal we destroyed wasn't the only one? That means the Paragon has access to the others then! Can he reach the others?"

"It is possible, but it will take many years. He is resourceful and does not give up..."

"But I thought the point of it was to prove a point to you that he wasn't useless because of his individuality...? He wanted to destroy this world by merging the dimensions..."

"No, you misunderstand... He is willing to destroy any planet in this manner to prove his point. Life has no meaning to him."

"Well... Where is the nearest portal to this planet?"

"On your moon... The far side, hidden beneath the craters and dust. It has not been used in some time, but it can be activated again. And the Paragon knows this..."

Syeonyx signing off

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