Day 87: UOPETA's back!!!

     UOPETA came back late last night it seems... He slipped through under the cover of darkness, and we woke to find him there waiting for us! A little creepy, but it just shows he's good at what he does. He's taken hundreds of images, a few of which he took for me to put into my diary, but the ones for use with the additional information are incredibly detailed! Just like I mentioned, he was able to scale the cliff at the far end of my area and has taken some brilliant surveillance images. He's also made a mental list of the guard locations and routes they take, but has since noted them down. We're all excited to see what the current state of the house is in, especially myself! I was half expecting to see my house in ruins, with destroyed walls, but everything seems like nothing has happened... Everything is still in place from when I left it a few weeks back, although the number of guards posted there seems to have increased... It looks as though they're still expecting me to come back. Not likely!

     We've all been crowded around the discussion table now for a few hours, discussing the situation displayed in the images:

"I don't know how many guards were there when you left, but they are mainly concentrated around the house. It would make getting the book very difficult. It was pretty much as you stated: the house was easy enough to spot from my elevated position, and the wall runs around the entire area. The beached HoN Co. ship is still there, but it seems that the guards are utilising it for some reason, maybe supplies... Excellent architecture on that house by the way! Brilliant location to look down on everything..."

"What about the guards? What are the patrols like? What areas do they cover?"

UOPETA took the map he had been given and began drawing over it, concentrating on the areas around and on the walls. Eventually he handed it back

"There are guards posted on every wall turret - another nice addition! - and a few along the wall itself. Two guards are posted at the entrance of each interior gate, at the front and back, and there is a guard wandering around the ship almost all of the time. As far as the house goes, I spotted a minimum of four separate guards within the house itself, and a few posted on the outside porch area. I think some of the guards may rotate shifts between the house and the mineshaft, but if we're going to get that book, we're going to have to take out a few guards, get in quick and then make a run for it! There's no way anyone is getting in and out without being seen!"

"We had better hope that OROTHO makes some headway with the experiments then, otherwise we could be facing a rather dangerous mission ahead of us!"

"Oh? Did something happen when I was away then?"

We all burst out laughing, apart from OROTHO who was totally oblivious to all of this and was starring intently at a particular image.

"OROTHO had a 'breakthrough' yesterday involving Creeper blood and lapis lazuli! He's on his way to finding the root of its use, and maybe removing the need to get the book!"

     I've spent the time looking through each image and the only noticeable change in the area I can spot is something has happened to the gates... It looks like they've been improved! Instead of the South-facing gate having a series of pistons push up a layer of sand, both gates now have secure cobblestone doors! What have they done? What have I done? Had I inadvertently given them a secure compound to use? I had set them up in a secure, defensible location with access to supplies, a fall back point and to top it off, there was a welcome cake there when I left! I had practically left them everything they needed! I'm feeling really bad now... COLUS has reassured me that I wasn't to know this was to happen. I'm just kicking myself at how many signs I ignored which were staring me in the face... I followed him to the science lab to watch OROTHO, and maybe help out where necessary. OROTHO was entirely engrossed with a series of glass tubes with odd coloured chemicals contained in them. COLUS told me he was trying to extract the constituent elements of the stone, along with any impurities to determine the cause of the explosion. He then would add a small amount to a few drops of Creeper blood, and add some synthetic adrenaline. If an explosion ensued, we would know the element or chemical that caused Creepers to be volatile, and then we could work towards a way to suppress it. So far, nothing had been found that created this reaction, and even when it did, OROTHO would need to locate the areas where the Creepers secreted the substance in the first place! We all had our fingers crossed that OROTHO could manage it so there was no need to retrieve the book. I had my doubts though...

     AMPHIS, UOPETA and THEROS have been working together to compile the images and maps to ensure there is a record of it, although I hoped there wouldn't be a need to bring them out for some time! COLUS is still with OROTHO, and I've joined THEXIS to help with cataloging the intel. THEXIS needed to know everything about the guards in terms of defenses, armour, weaponry, patrol routes and other finer details. With all of this information, THEXIS is very good at predicting future routes, and where it is best to go during specific moments in time to avoid being discovered. UOPETA swears by THEXIS' methods so everyone is very good at their allocated job. It seemed I however still need to find my niche...

Syeonyx signing off

Day 86: Exploding stone!

     I spent the day with THEROS today. Mainly because I felt like trying to help out, and he might need the most help. OROTHO seemed content on working alone - more than content! - AMPHIS was happy to spend his entire time in the library, THEXIS was mainly monitoring the radio, but doing little else and COLUS was usually with OROTHO. I found THEROS on the second floor of the library in a small alcove where every table was buried beneath maps and papers! I remembered that THEROS was the cartographer, and I wanted to know how he knew so much of the area. His maps were so detailed, and from the looks of the desks, he had drawn numerous maps of different areas:

"I often go out with UOPETA as a scouting party, looking for HoN Co. activity. As I go I draw a very basic area on paper; the coastline, significant landmarks like cliffs, large trees etc. Then I come back here and add meat to the bones, so to speak. I have an eidetic memory... It means I can recall images from my surroundings with incredible accuracy. It usually helps if I'm in a quiet place, and I have a large blank area to focus on. My mind sort of projects the area I'm remembering onto the wall, and I just record it on the paper. I suppose it also helps that I was good at orienteering back in training."

I was terrible at it! Well, I wasn't terrible, but I wasn't good. I was OK at it... I looked at the maps on the desk, picking a few up and realised that a few of them were copies. Not like basic rough duplicates, but almost exact copies! THEROS explained that he could draw things to the exact scale if he had an original version present. On three separate pieces of paper, he had the same map drawn out perfectly, as though they had been scanned and printed off! If it wasn't for the paper it was drawn on, I'd swear I was seeing double! Well, triple... I found the duplicate of the map THEROS sent me, and was able to find the other section that he sent me a few weeks ago. I put them together, and realised this was the same map that UOPETA had taken with him. THEROS must have redrawn the map just for that purpose; every other map was almost the same size! Putting the maps down, I eventually asked if he needed any help. Knowing a bit more about him, I doubted he did but it turns out I was more use to him than I thought...

"Actually, yes. I do need some help... As you can see I'm not very good at keeping things tidy, and it sort of messes with my head... I've labelled the maps from 1 to 20, this one I'm doing right now. Could you order them for me? Bearing in mind that all of them have two copies labelled "a" and "b"... So like 1, 1a, and 1b, then 2, 2a and 2b and so on... Put them in those three piles and we'll see where to go from there. Thanks!"

I set to work ordering the maps, placing the single digits in a pile, separate from the a and b piles. It took much longer than expected; there were about sixty maps in total, and I just wondered how far they had adventured to get all this data!

     I finished with the map ordering, and took each pile up to AMPHIS to log and store away. He chuckled as I lumbered up the stairs, my arms full of papers, commenting that at the rate OROTHO and THEROS were going, it was likely a fourth lower floor was going to be needed! I still couldn't understand why all of these maps were needed...

"Well we need to cover as wide an area as possible. Whilst THEROS and UOPETA are out scouting the areas and plotting the maps etc., they keep the Solus stone with them. They're basically covering as much ground to look for portals. As you know the stone glows when it detects the radiation emitted from one, and that's what they looking for. That's why most of the maps are standard maps. Some of them have little purple marks on them; that's where a portal has been found and destroyed. Seventeen in total I think... Not counting the ones you destroyed..."

That made it about twenty six then... Twenty six portals, and HoN Co. was still a threat! I asked how many portals were needed and AMPHIS shrugged. He explained that as long as we destroyed the portals as we found them, it wasn't a problem.

"If you make another trip to the master portal, you might be able to gain some more valuable information concerning that. But even then there's no way for us to know how many are currently active... I suppose, the master portal isn't active, so that's a plus for the moment..."

I'm a little nervous now; how did they know when to stop? Could they stop? Or was this a constant thing? Did they have to keep recruiting new miners to take their place? I hope not! Then again, I couldn't see me ever settling down into a stable routine ever again...

     THEXIS has just come into the library to find me and THEROS. Apparently UOPETA is already on his way back! I was shocked. THEXIS said that he's taken the necessary images and has a good idea of the guard's routine and patrol routes. He's not saying any more though... Suddenly, without warning, an explosion was heard from above! A fraction of a second later, AMPHIS, THEROS and THEXIS were all holding swords! I felt a little out of place, but I followed them with a mixture of keen interest and terror welling up inside me! What was that? Were we under attack? We got to the top of the library and entered the discussion room which was slowly filling with smoke... What the? OROTHO and COLUS came running from the science lab, coughing slightly. Had a Creeper blown up then...?

"Whoops..."

     A while has passed since the initial shock of the explosion! Turns out we weren't attacked at all... It was OROTHO experimenting! He had mixed crushed lapis lazuli with the blood from a deceased Creeper, which had caused the minor explosion and copious amounts of smoke! He was following up on an experiment, trying to find the link between Creepers and the apparently inert stone. Well, it turns out that lapis lazuli is a little more volatile than any of us expected! OROTHO spent most of the time sitting with his head in his hands saying "It can't be!" over and over again... He says that what occurred cannot possibly happen, due to the nature of the stone itself. It was non-reactive. Maybe there is a little more to this than we realised... Not only this, but if this is how the Creepers can explode, how is it controlled? It can't just be raw lapis lazuli powder excreted into their blood! After the smoke cleared, OROTHO found that only a small amount of the table had blown up, and promptly set to work trying to figure out the chemical composition of the stone. He believes that something that makes it up is being excreted and then triggered by the adrenaline, and not the stone itself... Despite the huge shock that everyone was put through, everyone - but OROTHO - seems to see the funny side of it! No-one was hurt, and nothing important was damaged. However there is a small amount of concern about the surface impact the explosion might have had. Hopefully no guards were near the entrance, otherwise they may have heard a rather odd sound! We're all hoping that OROTHO can make some headway with the investigation so we may not need to go back to the house to retrieve the book at all!

Syeonyx signing off

Day 85: Creeper watching

     Waiting has never been one of my strong points... We would have to wait for at least three days before UOPETA returned to see the current situation regarding my house. I'm not entirely sure what the expedition has to do with the actual plan to stop HoN Co. and the portals... Except that Creepers usually live in the Nether and pass into Minecraftia through the portals. I hadn't actually seen a Creeper in a long time, but that didn't mean they weren't still a threat, especially if they were indeed under the control of HoN Co. ... Or the figure... Maybe if we can get the book, OROTHO can find the link between the Creepers, lapis lazuli and the Solus stone, and we may have a weapon to combat them, or at least make them docile... THEXIS was present at the radio at all times, waiting for any response from UOPETA, but we had heard nothing since late yesterday afternoon. This didn't mean anything, and I had been reassured by COLUS that UOPETA was the best man for the job! He had the ability to sneak around anywhere undetected and gain access to vital information without anyone knowing he was even there! Well, we'll see when he comes back... If he comes back...

     As I made my way to the library again - I was looking for information about the portals - THEXIS stopped me, the radio in his hand:

"UOPETA has made it to your wall! He's on the outside of it now, the North Western corner. I just thought you would like to be kept informed. He says that he'll be spending maybe a day scouting out the area, watching the guards and looking for areas to exploit. Oh, and he complements you on your wall-building skills!"

I thanked THEXIS before he went off to inform COLUS and the others. Apparently I could build a good wall! Nice to know... Not that it helped in any way... I entered the library and found AMPHIS. I inquired about information regarding portals, but once again he pointed me in the direction of the bottom floor:

"The portals are not public knowledge; HoN Co. never released any information about them. As far as the public knows, the portals don't exist. The only data we collected was written in reports by OROTHO... Again. He's quite thorough though! I think he co-wrote some of that with THEROS... Seems THEROS knows his way around networks and the like! First wall on your left as you exit the stairs..."

     Making my way down the stairs, I easily found the right shelves, and began searching through the folders, files and documents for anything that might add some meat to the bare bones of what I already knew! Once again OROTHO had named everything in the most complex way possible, but I eventually found one that had been written with THEROS helping with the content. Flicking through it, I noticed that as each part was written by OROTHO, a more simplified version followed, presumably written by THEROS. This was a great help to me, and allowed me to understand it better. As I read it, a lot of it became familiar; in fact almost word for word! This was taken more less exactly from the note THEROS had given me about the portals a long time ago! Specific elements to it had allowed me to reach this conclusion, especially the bits about how the portal operates in terms of the "rift" and the "obsidian frame"... I finished the report, and realised I had learnt nothing new. Putting it back, I pulled out another binder that had the title "Portal Network Thesis" stamped across it, and sat back down to read. This one had not been co-written by THEROS, so I found it a little difficult to understand. With it being a thesis as well, OROTHO was making wild guesses and obscure stabs in the dark. However he backed each one up with a page or two of potential evidence. The last few pages summed up the entirety of the report. From what I could understand, OROTHO believed that the master portal did indeed allow something bad to enter into Minecraftia from the Nether. He believed it was a way of transforming any world that accessed the Nether through the master portal into a similar environment, composed of the same hellish materials and monsters! "All that we know and understand in our world will be obliterated to make way for that which pours through the master portals!"... However, there were extremely rigid requirements for the master portal to be activated! This was where the network came in. He theorised that every portal buried beneath Minecraftia is linked to each other and to the master portal. Even if the portal is inactive, the link remains constant. Only when the portal has been removed entirely does it remove the link. The master portal requires a specific number of normal portals to be active before it can be activated itself, and even then it requires the energy from a bolt of lightning! OROTHO put a small side-note in saying "COLUS believes this may be why each miner is assigned a specific quadrant: to maximise the chances of finding a portal, and thus increase the chance of activating it. I am dubious as to this... It may be mere coincidence". Thinking back, I do remember questioning the purpose of spreading miners out. It would be far more profitable if miners were to stick together in at least pairs for morale purposes, and to increase the chances of finding more precious minerals! Spreading the miners out was like taking the "needle in a haystack" and scattering the haystack over a field!

"How goes the research?"

AMPHIS startled me! I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts... I told him what I learnt and he shared his views with me. It turns out everyone agrees with COLUS's thoughts about the quadrants. I nodded, explaining my reasoning and he nodded in agreement.

"I suppose, with OROTHO being a scientist, he doesn't want to commit himself too much to a single idea, especially when he's not working with solid facts. It becomes harder to change your viewpoint if you are already dead set on one initial theory..."

I had to agree with AMPHIS on that... I couldn't relate to the statement, but I understood the logic. He left me to go back to the second floor, and I continued through the folders and files. There was lots of information down here... I wonder if any of them had read it all...? Aside from OROTHO that is...

     I eventually decided to leave the library and go and see what OROTHO was doing. I entered the lab, and as usual he didn't seem to notice me. I walked over to the glass with the Creepers behind and sat there starring at them... I did this for quite a while, all the while growing more and more sorry for them... What had happened to them was no fault of their own. They were innocent victims of this entire thing... But then again it's hard to think of them as victims when a volatile exploding creature comes looming towards you! Eventually OROTHO noticed me...

"Oh! Erm... Can I help you with anything?"

I told him I was just observing the Creepers... Something I had a feeling OROTHO didn't do. He was far too busy experimenting with them to just sit down and observe them from an unbiased perspective.

"Well... Don't bother me... I'm doing important work here!"

After a while of sitting and watching them, I got up and left the lab... I noticed that OROTHO was watching me leave... After I did leave, he closed the barricade behind me! I thought this was a little odd, but maybe I was bothering him by just being there... I made my way to my room... "My room"... It seemed strange to think of it like that... I had been here less than a week and I had been welcomed into the Lone 7 as a fellow brother as though I had been here years! I still felt a little uncomfortable about the armour as well. It just seemed wrong to take Jonas' room and armour... As I entered, I saw Chiron sitting up on the floor, next to Hermes. As I stood there, I still couldn't believe how alike they were! If it wasn't for Chiron's predictable bark when I entered the room, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart!

     Another day gone, and I'm still no better at waiting! Everyone else seems so busy, and I've got nothing to do! I might try and involve myself in something tomorrow whilst we all wait for UOPETA to return. There has been no more news since THEXIS told me about him arriving there. Presumably he's maintaining radio silence for safety. I'm just wondering if there is anything else I could have told him that would have made his job easier. I don't think he's going to gain entry to the house, but he may try to do so. In which case he'll need to be careful. When I was last there, I heard the guards say they were posting the majority of their men in and around the house... He'll have to be very careful, especially as I left the breach in the wooden barricade to the mineshaft exposed.... I wouldn't be surprised if they had removed that entirely now... I just hope he comes back with something we can use if there is need for a further expedition... Images are fine, but they're not going to get us past the guards!

Operation: "Shakedown"

     I must say, OROTHO has been very thorough with this paper! No expense in detail has been spared. He mentions numerous theories regarding the bizarre behaviour change in the Creepers, documenting the science behind them very accurately. Although I must say he seems to be pointing his finger in the direction of genetic enhancement quite a bit! Is it possible? Were the Creepers really altered on a genetic level to explode? I mean, what's the point? It's the total antithesis for the purpose of life! I ha to skip quite a few pages; a lot of the file was just page after page of numbers, calculations and equations... Some of them however seemed to be summaries of the equations, possibly for the benefit of the other Brothers. Seeing the usual writing style of OROTHO, I could tell he had "dumbed down " the language to allow the others to understand. I'm glad he did otherwise I wouldn't have a clue what any of this meant!
"The Creepers may have changed in accordance with a modification to their DNA, but the cause of which is currently unknown. A possible attempt at capturing and studying a Creeper in detail may be required."
Later on, OROTHO makes mention of the use of a chemical that acts as a catalyst to allow the Creeper to self destruct, however he doesn't mention what it is. He does say that it was likely to be a hormone which would be secreted when stimulated by a particular event or change in the state of the Creeper. AMPHIS came down the stairs with Hermes following close behind:

"Any luck then?"

I told AMPHIS what I had found so far.

"Yeah, OROTHO is absolutely obsessed with science and biology! If he finds out that the change in Creepers is due to a genetic alteration, we won't hear the last of it! I think a few weeks after that report, he pinned down the use of adrenaline as a precursor to the chain reaction. He was elated for weeks after that! Said it practically proved his initial thesis."

I hadn't realised, but I had been down in the library for a good hour or two, and AMPHIS had come to check on me to tell me of progress with the next stage of the plan.

"Do you think there's anything to this book then? The book you found I mean? It has us all stumped, especially OROTHO. We can't seem to understand the role of lapis lazuli in all of this. I think OROTHO is a few steps away from pulling out his beard hair in frustration! Anyway, I only came to tell you that the others are meeting in the discussion room. I think they've finalised another stage. I think UOPETA's getting ready to move out again!"

I followed AMPHIS back up the stairs and out of the library, back to the discussion room. There's always something happening around here!

     When we got there, everyone but OROTHO was present. They were all huddled around the table, looking at a large piece of paper, which I later realised was a map. As I got closer, I noticed it was comprised of the two map pieces THEROS had sent to me via Hermes. One was centred around my house, whilst the other side was centred around the base. It had a key on it indicating my house, the conducting tower above the master portal, and something labelled "HoN Co. tower".

For safety's sake, the location of the L7 base wasn't indicated.

"Right! This is Syeonyx's house! It covers a large area, but the house is located more or less in the centre, and to the East of this walled off area. Getting to the wall is the easy part; luckily the entire journey crosses the water over land, so there's no need for a boat. This'll make UOPETA's job easier! Right, once he gets there, what will he be expecting?"

I told COLUS about the wall only having access at the beach side and the cliff side near the rear. Although they were both locked down using gates, and the only way in was either over the top of the wall, or through the mineshaft. I told them about the small shaft I had attempted to dig down in the main mineshaft that was beside the HoN Co. ship. From there, he had access to the house via the basement. There were only two floors, and if I remember correctly, the book was upstairs in the chest beside my bed.

"What about the HoN Co. guards? How many were there when you left the area? It doesn't matter I suppose... I doubt UOPETA need to get that close. In fact he could probably scout the area without having to get into the house at all!"

I then told them about the overhanging cliff that loomed over the entire walled off area. UOPETA put forward an alternative idea:

"That could be better; instead of gaining access to the house over the wall, I could scale the cliff and look down on the area... That would give me a good indication of the HoN Co. defenses... Syeonyx, I may have to borrow your camera? The zoom feature will allow me to see things up close from a distance, and it will give us a greater advantage if I'm able to take some shots of the area to aid the actual operation later on!"

Not a problem! I handed the camera to UOPETA and he took a few moments to familiarise himself with the controls. He then put it in a small pouch strapped round his waist.

"Operation: Shakedown is finalised then. UOPETA? Get ready to head out. Take the map with you and make haste to the South West. How long will it take to get there, gather the necessary data and come back?"

"If I'm lucky, and I get the images I need, I could be back within three days, maybe four."

"Good. The sooner, the better. Take a radio with you as well. THEXIS will keep in contact with you, but when you get to the wall, maintain radio silence. The last thing we need is to mess up at the final stage!"

THEXIS moved forward, carrying two basic radios with him, and passed one to UOPETA, who clipped it to his belt.

"Keep it to channel four at all times if you need to contact us. Channel three is reserved as a distress channel so don't use it unless you need to... Knowing you you won't need to! Whilst you're there, try and get an idea of the guard hierarchy and patrol routes. More intel is bett..."

"Better than no intel! Yes, I know."

COLUS rolled up the map and passed it to UOPETA who secured it to his back.

"As this is only a scouting mission, don't take unnecessary risks! The information you gather is pivotal to any further operation in that area, so be thorough but don't endanger the mission! We'' see you in a couple of days. Good luck!"

UOPETA bowed and then turned and ran towards the exit. I hope he can gather some decent information whilst he's gone. Although a small part of me was hoping that I could move back... It was impossible though. I knew it deep down. I was too far involved in the mission against HoN Co. ... Moving back would be stupid and suicidal. It'll be good to see images of the old place again. See what those guards have done to the place. Well, if this mission is a success, I might be going back there in person anyway. I wonder if I'll be able to cope? Oh well... Good luck to UOPETA! I hope operation: shakedown is successful!

Day 84: Bad nightmares and "behavioural genetics"...

     I had very little sleep last night, considering... I had a bad dream... Well, it was more like a nightmare, on a par with the ones I had about the temple that eventually turned out to exist! So I'm a little apprehensive... It was thundering... It was also raining, and I was standing before the strange tower we had found yesterday. The entire Lone 7 was there, all standing in a line staring up at the sky. It was inky black... Lightning streaked the night sky like scars... Then as another bolt of lightning illuminated the surrounding area, we saw a figure atop the tower... THE figure... I couldn't tell if it was male or female, but they were wearing some form of armour, with a Knights' Templar type of helm, with a 'T' shape exposing an inky black face with piercing red eyes... He threw his hands into the air and several bolts of lightning struck the antennae at the top of the tower. Blue energy coursed through the conducting rod, entering the tower... Nothing seemed to happen; the figure lowered their arms, and it continued to rain. Then the ground began to shake violently! After a few moments of regaining our balance, the ground still tumbling, the sand was split in two, and the master portal erupted from below, the obsidian frame barely visible against the night sky! It rose high into the air; it was at least five or six times bigger than a standard portal, and the centre was already active! The tower began to collapse into the fresh hole, whilst the master portal continued to rise! It stopped a few hundred metres above the ground, the iridescent purple rift warping and coalescing. Then hundreds of Creepers began to pour from the portal, followed by other creatures of unimaginable scale! As the creatures entered Minecraftia, the surrounding area began to change from dirt and sand to horrid blood stone, and glowing minerals. The creatures kept emerging from the portal, growing in size and number! It was at that point I woke up... I really hope there is nothing to that nightmare...

     After waking up, I went with THEROS and the others to see OROTHO, and see if he made any headway with the data UOPETA managed to collect yesterday. As we approached, we could all tell he had managed to understand something; he had a smug expression on his face, and he wasn't rambling to himself or rushing back and forth...

"So did you manage to make anything of the data, OROTHO?"

"Yes, and some more! The data in this report seems to be related to electrostatic equations... This is a definitive link to our previous theories, and ties in with the paper I wrote awhile back on the uses of lightning. I doubt you read any of it, but it relates to Coulomb's Law which..."

"If you would, can you stick to the matter at hand?"

OROTHO looked a little put out by COLUS' statement, but nonetheless got back to the topic in question:

"Yes, well... It seems that our initial theorem was correct; this is the master portal, or some more significantly powerful one... It requires electrostatic discharge to activate it, which is provided in the form of a bolt of lightning using the iron rod as a conducting medium. However, there are some aspects to this paper I don't quite yet understand, but from what I can guess, they appear to suggest some form of network... The master portal can only be activated when this network is established, but I cannot understand what the network refers to. I require more data in this area to do so..."

OROTHO barely paused to breath, and was subsequently light headed afterwards. Gaining his breath, he turned and put the paper down on the desk...

"Anything else?"

COLUS probed further, in the hopes that OROTHO had managed to uncover more vital information:

"As a matter of fact, yes! I believe I have found a possible theorem regarding the behaviour of the Creepers when they are within range of the Solus stone! As SYEONYX informed me of, Creepers show a noticeable fear of this stone, and will recoil at the sight of it, however my initial thoughts couldn't pinpoint any reason for this... I conducted a series of tests; putting the Creepers under various forms of stress and then exposing them to the stone, and every time they showed greater fear to the stone than any of the experimental scenarios. So much so, in one experiment, all of the contained Creepers attempted to drown themselves to get away from it, despite it being behind the glass!"

"What does this mean? What did you conclude?"

"It's genetic! There is no reason why the Creepers should be afraid of this stone; testing on the zombies showed no promising results, which leaves me to believe it is linked to the Creepers on a genetic level!"

"How so?"

OROTHO shrugged. He wandered over to the table with the stone on it and picked it up, staring at it up close from numerous angles.

"There are a number of theories: they could have been conditioned to be afraid of it, or more likely it was used in some way to alter their genetics, although the details of which I cannot say. However, I can almost guarantee that it has a link to the time when we noticed the change in behaviour of the Creepers."

I thought back and remembered reading in Jonas' diary about the group coming across the Creepers, but initial interaction showed that they posed no threat. After disappearing for awhile, they returned, and Jonas was injured in an unprovoked attack, when one of the Creepers blew up! Then it hit me! The book! The 'Codex Solis'! I had found a book within the first few weeks of arriving and found in contained data about the Creepers, and some form of transmogrification experiment! I told the others of this:

"What? Where is this book?"

I told them it was back at the house. It was likely to still be there; if the figure and HoN Co. were behind the behavioural change in the Creepers, then the book was unlikely to be of any interest to them. They asked me what it said, but I told them it was written in Latin, and I had to have some of it translated by HoN Co. ...

"Did they seem overly interested in this when you informed them?"

They seemed to think it was just another random find of no significance, but then again they didn't seem surprised... Had it been staring me in the face the entire time? I hadn't even questioned their lack of surprise at the time, and yet it was an incredibly significant lack of interest!

"Don't worry, you weren't to know. That book could prove to be invaluable though. Can you remember anything that might help us? Anything that might prevent us from having to retrieve it? The journey to your house would be dangerous enough, without having to gain access and then find it!"

I said that the book mentioned 'lapis lazuli', some form of decorative stone that seemed pivotal to the entire experiment...

"Lapis lazuli? But that's just a useless ornamental stone... It has no elemental or chemical properties that make it useful in any form of experiment... It's inert... Why would the book mention it?"

I shrugged. I knew about as much as they did. But now I knew that a quest to retrieve the book may be next on the list... I was definitely going on that expedition!

   nbsp; After we all left the lab, I headed off to the library to talk to AMPHIS. I needed to know if there was any data in the Creepers that was stored there that I might be able to use or compare to what I remember from the Codex Solis. When I got there, AMPHIS had his back to me with a wolf at his feet, which I initially thought was Chiron. As I entered, the wolf came straight over to me, panting, tail wagging. AMPHIS turned to see where the wolf had gone and spotted me:

"Ah, I see you've met Hermes then? Seems we have similar tastes in names for our companions! Named him after the Greek messenger God. You know? Because he's very good at delivering notes, as you know too well!"

Hermes seemed delighted to see me, but after some affection, he wandered back to AMPHIS' side.

"So, what can I do for you? Anything of interest?"

I asked AMPHIS if he had any books or papers written about Creepers in relation to the new information OROTHO had informed us of.

"Erm... Well, I know OROTHO has written tons about the Creepers... He's obsessed with them, although I don't know how much use to you they are. They're mainly papers explaining behavioural patterns, anatomy and responses to experimental scenarios. If is is any use to you, it's on the bottom floor, on the walls to the left, right and straight ahead from the stairs."

I thanked AMPHIS and made my way down. I was still astounded at the mass amount of information they had stored here, and even more so by how much OROTHO had written himself! I got to the bottom, expecting a huge mess of papers and records. But each shelf was neatly stacked and catalogued, presumably by AMPHIS. I scanned each shelf carefully, looking at the titles of some of papers: "Genetic variation in allele frequency", "Creeper #013 dissection and internal anatomic study", "Cognitive processes or a Creeper" and hundreds more... Eventually I found a paper that seemed to contain the data I needed: "Theorems to Creeper behaviour change". Finding a table, I sat down, opened the file and began reading. Well, the bits I could understand, at least...

HoN Co. recon done. Back to base!

     How do we approach this? There were at least three guards wandering around the base of the tower, and who knows how many inside. If there was an inside! We hadn't yet managed to locate an entrance, and THEROS was worried that it may be hidden around the treeline to make it more secure. If that was the case, we would be considerably more exposed than initially thought. After some thought, UOPETA spoke up:

"We have a number of options: 1. We can take out the guards with a mild sedative in dart form. It's quick and effective, but would instantly alert them to something strange going on when they regain consciousness. 2. We can attempt to locate an entrance from the tree line and make a rush for it, or 3. We could return to base and inform the others of what we've found. SYEONYX has the photos to prove we found it, and further analysis can be taken from there..."

"Well what do we know? We know that HoN Co. are guarding a huge metallic tower, presumably iron with a giant antennae at the top. This is likely to conduct electricity down through the base to the master portal, but we can't prove that unless we get inside."

They both looked at me, as if they had given me the final decision. I argued that the first plan was unlikely to work the reasons already stated, and the latter seemed to make the entire journey pointless. As I mulled over the second idea, I starred at the tower. How would we get in if we were to go with second plan? There was no obvious entrance; each side was smooth stone with torches placed at set distances along each wall. As I continuing starring, my mind leaning more towards the latter idea, my eye was caught by something... On one of the sides was a small wooden lever, very small. At this distance it was practically invisible, but just there I could see a small wooden protrusion from just under the stone lip of the wall. I pointed this out to THEROS and UOPETA, who starred back at the tower.

"I think we're in!"

     We watched and waited in the shadows of the trees, making a note of the guards patrol pattern. It seemed as though as one turned the corner, another came around the other side, so no wall was ever left exposed. There was a small opening in the patrol; there were only three guards so only three walls were being guarded at all times, but with the speed they moved, it seemed hardly an option. However UOPETA decided it was worth the risk. There was another flaw: we would have to follow the last guard around the corner to get to the right wall in time to try the lever. If it didn't do anything, we would have to continue following the patrol and then make a made dash back to the shadows! We all settled on the plan, and waited until the time was right. We had to be very fast, but also silent! We would be less than twenty metres behind and in front of two different guards, and one slip up would jeopardise the entire plan! UOPETA counted down from three on his fingers, and then gestured for us to proceed. As quickly and quietly as we could, we bolted to the wall, ensuring we weren't seen. We then proceeded to follow the guards around, keeping out of their peripheral vision until we cam to the right wall. Once we got there, UOPETA stood up and flicked up, before going prone again, ready to move out if necessary. What happened next took us all by surprise! A section of the stone wall slide backwards a metre or so, before then being dragged to the side, exposed the interior of the tower. There was no more time to hesitate, and me and THEROS move through, with UOPETA behind us. Before passing through, UOPETA flicked the lever again, and we watched as the section of wall slide back into place seamlessly!

     There was a small alcove just behind the section of wall through which we had entered, and we crouched silently in the shadows whilst UOPETA peered out. Eventually, he stood up slowly, turning around and beckoning to us. We moved inside... There was no-one here! The inside of the base was constructed of the same stone as the exterior, but from about 3 metres up, the entire structure was made of iron, extending high into the air! That must be the main tower. What caught mine, and the other two's eye was the huge metal rod that projected down from the ceiling, and into the floor, where it was surrounded by glass! That must go all the way to the master portal!

"This was more or less what we were expecting. The master portal was unlikely to be on the surface, so they would need a way to get the electrical energy down there. What better way than a giant conducting rod! Like those on the sides of large buildings, like cathedrals."

We all moved around the large room, taking in different parts of it. I took as many photos as the time would allow, cursing at the lag time I had to wait for the image to be printed, before using it again.

     There were books all over the place, with seating and other empty shelves. There were a few chests which turned out to be empty. We were hoping to find a few papers or reports we could utilise, or help to fill in the gaps. We were unsure as to how close to activating it. All I knew was that they needed a certain number of normal portals activate before the master portal could be activated. Even then they would need to wait until a thunderstorm occurred, and more remotely, a bolt of lightning to hit the tower. As we looked around I noticed a strange mechanism in the centre positioned around the conducting rod. I called the others over. THEROS spoke up this time, theorising that it was likely to be some form of control mechanism:

"Looks like they can control when the conducting rod conducts energy down to the master portal by shifting this part of the rod out of the way. I wonder why they would need to do that? Could it be activated prematurely?"

UOPETA shrugged, before returning to the bookshelves. As I went around, I noticed that around the glass column hugging the rod was a stairwell that wound round. Looking down, I could see a guard coming up the stairs. The conducting rod went down quite a way, before taking a sharp turn and going beyond my vision through a wall.

"Looks like we've got company!"

     UOPETA took a few papers from a nearby desk before rushing past the stairwell over to me and THEROS. We needed to get out now, otherwise we would be in a tight spot! We needed to escape the tower without being spotted by any of the guards patrolling the outside, or by the guard now coming up the stairs. Eventually, UOPETA found a control lever, and the wall slide open again. Peering around, he gave them thumbs up, and we dashed out and circled around to the right side of the wall. UOPETA joined us after knocking the outside lever, causing the wall to slide back into place, seamlessly. We turned around to the right and saw the back of one of the guards... We must have got lucky! It was the guard we were following to get in! As long as sequence was still the same, we could make a dash for it! After following the guard around, we got to the wall closest to the treeline, and we made a break for it! Rushing beneath the tree canopy, we hid the shadows for awhile, checking that the guards hadn't noticed. They were none the wiser. UOPETA gave the thumbs up sign, and we continued off to the South, back to the base. Phew, that was nerve wracking!

     We got back within the same time it took to get out to the tower, maybe a bit quicker. It had started to get dark as the walkway extended and we crossed over to the hatch. Descending down the ladder, we each made out way over the lava walkway and through the barricade. Chiron was lying in a ball next to another wolf, under the discussion table, but as soon as he saw me he ran straight at me. After some affection, he calmed down, and sat there panting as THEROS and UOPETA sat down. UOPETA took the papers from his armour and laid them out on the table.

"It seems to be test data... Some notes as well... 'Portal #0172 is inactivate despite numerous attempts to energise it. We've been told to be patient, but for no given reason. Construction seems to be similar to standard portals previously encountered.' Then it's just a load of numbers and equations..."

"We'll see what OROTHO makes of them..."

THEXIS picked up the papers and took them down to the science lab, whilst COLUS studied the images I had managed to take.

"What did you find?"

"The exterior of the tower is defended by a minimum of three guards at any one time. A concealed entrance secures the interior. We eventually made our way inside, and found no resistance, but we had limited time. I think multiple guards are placed on the stairwell to the base where the master portal is likely to be located."

"What about the instruments? The construction of the tower?"

"Iron. The entire tower is constructed of iron, with a large antennae on top. A conducting rod runs throughout the interior from the top of the antennae. It goes into a shaft with a stairway winding around it, and then it juts off at a perpendicular angle."

"Looks like we found the place then. We'll need to wait to see if OROTHO can make anything of those papers, and then make an informed decision. It sounds dangerous, but the next stage may be trying to find a way to the master portal itself. You'll have the option to sedate any and all resistance, but I'll leave that up to you. For now, just get some rest and hopefully we'll have a better knowledge of the full picture in the morning."

COLUS followed THEXIS to the lab, whilst myself, UOPETA and THEROS went back to our rooms. I was exhausted!

     I think I may visit AMPHIS tomorrow down in the library. It's the one room I haven't really had a good look at yet that I'm allowed to! I remember someone mentioning the bottom floor being mainly reserved for the research papers that OROTHO has written. I might try that floor first, see what he's made of the Creepers. I might need to visit him tomorrow and see if he made any headway with the information I gave him in relation to the Solus stone and the Creepers. I also hope he manages to make some sense of the stuff written on the papers UOPETA took. Anything that can help us to stop the master portal from being activated, the better. For now, I'm going to get some rest! With all the running around I've done today, I need it!

Syeonyx signing off

Day 83: We're in way over our heads...

     Despite everything that has happened within the last few days, I slept remarkably well! Yesterday I was made a Brother of the Lone 7 to take the place of Jonas McElderry, also known as SEVERE. Now that the L7 is back up to strength, COLUS says it is time to begin the hard work to bring HoN Co. down! I don't quite get what he means by this, but I assume it just means to stop them acting out their evil plan... After learning what HoN Co. does to miners who have lost their usefulness, I'm game!

     After another delicious breakfast, we all met in the discussion room to finalise the plan for today's mission. Well, all except for OROTHO who never seems to eat, sleep or do anything else apart from experiment and gather research! ME, THEROS and UOPETA are going to set out towards the North to find a tower that is rumoured to be placed near to the master portal. After learning about what the master portal is used for, I'm definitely ready to go! If it can really do what is theorised, the safety of all Minecraftia, and everything that lives here is at stake! If it is activated, Minecraftia will mutate into the Nether, where HoN Co. would have access to powerful energy resources, literally untapped! COLUS spread out a map across the table, and ringed through main locations to the North of us. From the map they all seemed like natural locations: sandy beaches of dark stone for cliffs or bare floor. It was difficult to determine the location of much from an aerial view map, but it was the best we had. It would have to do.

     We had decided that it would be best to take as little as possible, being able to travel faster if we traveled light. We would head to the first location due North of the base, head East to the second, and then proceed North East to the last location. If we found nothing at any of the sights, we would assess the map in the field, and attempt another search. UOPETA was keen to see how I performed by being stealthy and when under pressure. But they said I would be fine if I followed their instructions to the letter. Well, if UOPETA had really been following me for many weeks without me knowing, it would be best to listen to him! He obviously knew what he was doing.

"If we move fast, we should be able to check all three locations before nightfall. We might even manage to get back as well. The more time we spent out there, the more risk we expose ourselves to. THEROS, you know what to do. You've been along with me before. SYEONYX? Just follow us!"

I understood that the success of this mission would be a pivotal point in the battle to stop HoN Co., and I didn't want to be the one to mess it up! After finishing up, we headed off to our rooms to fetch the vital supplies we needed. Turns out, the only things I needed were the bow and quiver! I ensured it was fully stocked and threw it over my shoulder. Chiron was intrigued by what I was doing, and wanted to come along, but I managed to keep him in the room. He looked a little down, but he would brighten up when I got back. If I got back... Maybe Chiron can play with the other wolf... Which I still hadn't seen yet! I met THEROS and UOPETA in the discussion room, before heading towards the exit. A flick of the switch and the barricade shifted into the ceiling. We passed over the lava river and then everything settled back into place; the barricade came back down, and the sand slipped back beneath the lava. THEROS pulled another lever, and we waited at the base of the ladder.

"We need to give the walkway adequate time to drain. The last thing we need is a flood down here!"

After a few moments, THEROS gave the all clear, and one by one we ascended. As we got closer to the hatch, sunlight streamed down through the little glass windows in the hatch. Today was going to be very interesting!

     THEROS and UOPETA are fast! I mean really fast! I don't know how they do it. They sprinted from cover to cover, always effortless and without a sound! I cringed at every noise made by my footsteps, but I was never pulled up about it. They waited patiently behind trees, under outcrops and small sand dunes, allowing me to catch up. It really put into perspective how out of shape I was! I eventually got into the swing of things, and despite being short of breath, I was finding it easier to keep up. We continued heading North... I think... I couldn't tell. UOPETA seemed to know where he was going all the time, and we hadn't brought a map or a compass! Then again, if you spend enough time hiding from someone, having to constantly move around, you get to know the lay of the land. I don't know how much time elapsed until we reached the first location. I don't think it was long; with all the running and hiding, and the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I lost track of time very easily, however the position of the sun put it at about 10 o'clock maybe. From this, I was able to confirm we were heading North, not that I was doubting UOPETA's sense of direction! When we got there, I could tell that we weren't in the right place. If the master portal could only be activated by an electrostatic discharge from a thunderstorm, there would need to be a huge metal tower nearby. Where we were was a small secluded patch of sand and gravel, surrounded by trees. There wasn't any hint of a tower or any other metal structures nearby, so we quickly moved on, ever vigilantly looking out for guards. I knew that if this master portal was as important as they made out, they wouldn't leave it open. There would be guards crawling all over the surrounding area! That, or the tower was on a remote island which was impossible to get to without being spotted! After thinking about this, I eventually went with the former...

     We've been going now for about two to three hours, a considerably shorter time than if I was doing this alone! We had headed off East immediately after finding nothing at the first location. This next one was located on another sandy beach area, closer to the shore than the previous one. Close to the water was an actual island, which we would be able to see from the shore. If there was a tower on there, we would see it! The tree line grew incredibly dense, and UOPETA had slowed down. If I didn't know any better, he was on to something! After a short while, there was a gap in the treeline, and sunlight poured through the opening. As I gazed up into the sky from my hidden location to check the time, something caught my eye. I thought it was a strange reflection fro something far away, but turning to look in the direction, I saw what could only be described as a claw grasping at the sky!

     I pointed this out to THEROS and UOPETA, but they just nodded silently. Had they seen it too? Or was something else making them act more quietly than usual? We slowly proceeded in the direction of the strange object, darting from tree to tree, never getting up from a crouching stance. As the treeline grew thinner, we slowed down to a crawl. From where I was, I could hear voices. We passed the last few lines of trees until we were only a hundred metres of so from the structure. From where I was I could see a huge stone base, with a metal tower extending high into the sky, ending with a giant claw-like antennae. UOPETA motioned to continue round, and we navigated around the entire stone base, remaining hidden behind the treeline. As we went around, I kept an eye on the guards and the location of an entrance. Eventually we came around to the last side. There were three guards nearby, but still no entrance. How were we to get into something that had no door?!?!

Syeonyx signing off