Day 55: Who ever said doing nothing gets you nowhere?!?

     Despite the message from THEROS yesterday, I didn't expect to receive another so soon! I thought today was going to be more like yesterday morning, with me getting back into a routine! It seems that THEROS really needs me for some reason...

     As soon as I woke up, my mind instantly began thinking about the recent note from THEROS... "HoN Co. cannot be trusted! You must destroy the portal before it is too late! THEROS"... The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that the last part was referring to HoN Co.... The worrying thing was how did THEROS know about HoN Co.? But I was too busy trying to comprehend the link... I know HoN Co. can be difficult at times, but surely they can't be involved in all of this... Can they? It was an impressive company which provided the world with the majority of metals, fuels and precious stones! It is trusted by everyone, to fulfill the requirements of the world! And it does it brilliantly! They have never had any hidden or dark secrets... Not to my knowledge... I tried to cast it from my mind, wanting to concentrate on other things... Mainly distracting myself with useful tasks... Adding the shed onto the greenhouse had been a great distraction, but now there wasn't really anything left for me to do... I didn't want to go back into the mines just yet... This included the open-cast mine... I went across the room to the bookshelf where I had put the notebook containing all my findings, and leafed through it. I had drawn little sketches, with annotations. Page after page of findings, and even more on speculation. I closed it and put it back. There were a lot of things that I didn't know or understand in this world, and the more I delved into it, the less I was able to differentiate between reality, and the unknown...

     I decided to pick up where I left off, quite some time ago! It was meant to have happened yesterday, but once again, THEROS thought it a good idea to distract me! I went back to the forge to pick up the items I had casually thrown to one side, and went to the back wall, near to the forge. I dug up some soil, planted the sapling in, before filling in the remainder of the hole. I then took out a few bones, and placed them around the sapling and stepped back. I loved watching the trees grow instantly! It was brilliant! I didn't understand how it worked, but I had a feeling it had something to do with energy stored in the bones being released into the soil... If so, that was a lot of energy!

     I spent the entire afternoon replacing the forest, making sure only to place torches on the trees near to the path, and to ensure they were low enough to not burn the leaves. It was probably the cause of the previous fire, and I didn't want it happening again! The only good thing about it was the forge; it was made from stone so it hadn't burnt down! Then again, someone had tried blowing it up, so maybe it wouldn't have mattered... After finishing, and admiring my work from the forge rooftop access, I climbed down and decided to inspect the greenhouse. After finishing the storage shed add-on, I hadn't harvested the wheat from yesterday, so I decided that it would be best to do it now. Despite it being hard work, I found it all very therapeutic... After harvesting the wheat and tying it into sheafs, I put some aside and the rest into the storage shed. I then took out the how and leveled the ground to take some new seeds. Whilst I waited for the soil to become hydrated again by the flowing water, I took the wheat up to the house for later. I was planning on making some bread, and I had plenty to make a few loaves! I came back down and began reseeding the furrowed ground. After half an hour, I had finished the job, and it was barely past midday! How else was i going to amuse myself? Still no word from THEROS or HoN Co. either...

     Before returning to the house, I went back to the forge to put some of the bones and saplings I had taken with me back. I don't know why, but I seemed more absent minded when I was doing these types of jobs. Probably because they were so relaxing it allowed me to have my head in the clouds the entire time! Despite this though, I hadn't thought about anything portal-related all day! I was beginning to enjoy it, and wondered if it was possible to completely ignore HoN Co. and THEROS altogether! Before going back to the house, I went to check on the back gate; it was still secure. It wasn't going to be letting anything through any time soon! On my way back, I noticed an abundance of wildflowers and wild grass that had sprung up around some of the trees. I hadn't noticed it before, but maybe constantly planting the saplings, and disturbing the earth was making it more fertile for other plant species! I noticed a few wild roses and daffodils growing and wondered if it was possible to make a dye form them... I picked them all the same. They looked and smelt fantastic, and I took them back to the house. I'd try to extract a dye from them later. I'd do it the natural way with rocks and water, not the synthetic way with centrifuges and whatnot!

     When I got to the house, I put the flowers into one of the available chests and set to work making the bread! As I've probably said before; I;m not a very good cook, but I'm happy with what I make, and it makes me feel calm. What better way to relieve stress than making bread! I spent most of the afternoon kneading, mixing and baking, and the entire house smelt wonderful all day! After all the work was done, I sat down and took a bite of the still warm fresh bread... There's nothing that tastes sweeter than the final product of your own work! From seed to loaf, it was all homemade! No fancy additives, pesticides, and fertilisers. Just hours of care and attention. I sat there for some time, watching the sun slowly creep towards the East. It was a magnificent sight, as the colours of the afternoon began to blaze a fiercer shade, and the shadows seem to lope across the hills, into the distance... I got up to go to the rooftop access, and watch the sundown from there. I went to check the front door was secure first, when I saw something on the ground near the door. It was slightly ajar, but I opened it wider and saw that it was a piece of paper... Even from this distance, I could see the bold letters spelling out "THEROS" scrawled across the bottom of the page. I stooped to pick it up, noticing this time it was considerably more than a short message.

     I went back to the chair, putting the remainder of the bread down on the table. Glossing over the piece of paper, I checked for anything unusual, but apart from the length, it was the same as before; a single sheet of paper with the same ink and writing style for the words. It began...

Syeonyx signing off

Day 54: Back to my routine... sort of...

     I don't think HoN Co. can be trusted... I don't think THEROS can be trusted either, but something changed my mind last night, and I seem to be more inclined to side with them now...

     Despite the events of yesterday and the past few days, I seem to feel a lot happier today... I don't know why, but I just do. I woke up early this morning and decided to do what I wanted to do for a change! I had spent the better part of a week being told what to do, but no more! I was going to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it! I looked out from the balcony and down onto the wall looking over the sea. My eyes were then drawn to the greenhouse; the farm was doing spectacularly! In fact, from the balcony I could tell the wheat was ready! I suppose that could be the first job, and then I had another lined up for myself. When I made the greenhouse, I had thought about making a wooden shed attached to it to store the wheat and tools. Sort of like a silo. Well, seeing as though I wasn't taking orders any more, today couldn't be a better day! I went down to the greenhouse with the tools I needed, including wood to make the actual shed. I had to first clear away a large amount of soil and stone to make space for the shed. Unlike how I initially planned it, the shed be attached to the left side, and not the back of the greenhouse. After about an hour, I had cleared a large enough space to begin building, and laid a wooden foundation. This set the dimensions of the shed, and ensured the shed remained dry.

     I then used the wood I had brought with me to begin making the walls. It didn't need to be bomb proof, but it needed to stand up on its own. Due to this, I made thin walls from wooden planks, which dramatically reduced the build time. Within another hour I had the basic walls finished, and was starting on the roof. I decided that it would be easier and more advantageous for the storage if there was a source of natural light coming into the shed. Instead of an all-wood roof, I decided to make use of an over-sized roof window! I had a few glass panes left over from building the greenhouse, so I went back up to the house to fetch them and then fixed them into place. As only one wall was exposed, I only had to put in one window. I then made my way back to the house to make the chests. The entire time I was making the shed, my mind was kept on the job. I didn't think about the recent events at all! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed crafting things with my hands! It gave me purpose, and the sudden increase in crafting generated a very calming and therapeutic effect for me! I was incredibly relaxed, for the first time in weeks!

     I had learnt that chests made from sturdy wood made better chests than flimsy ones. This meant taking time to make each one, with an iron latch to secure them. It also meant having to carry each one down individually to the shed. I didn't mind as it gave me time to think about all the things that I missed. Before all of this, I had enjoyed my job, all aspects of it. Mining, crafting, farming, building... The list was endless... But it had to be ruined... This figure, this person had to ruin the peace by bringing mystery and horror into my life! I don't know why I had even investigated it. It wasn't really even me! At heart, I was a coward... I know it sounds bad, but I prefer to leave the unknown alone, or to the people who feel like going on adventures. But for some reason, that small part of human curiosity, that is stored away in all of us, took control of my better judgement... I had to admit that it wasn't all bad; I had learnt how to fight, how to defend myself, and I was considerably braver than before! I secured the last latch into place with guiding pins and then hammered it into place. Standing up and admiring my work, I then picked it up and took it down to the shed. When I got there, I placed the last storage chest onto a mounted bracket above a sign which I had pre-made. Standing back, I admired my handiwork in all its glory! I had to admit, I had missed this!

     Dusting my hands off, I collected the tools and returned to the house. Now I had to transfer the farming stuff from the house to the shed. I managed to take all of the sheafs of wheat in two runs, and put them into the allocated chest. I then took a few bones, the seeds, reeds and hoe down and placed them into each applicable chest. I had left two chests empty as the amount of wheat I could harvest at once was rather a lot. Within a few weeks, I could easily fill another chest with wheat, so I needed the space. This freed up a lot of space back in the house, where I kept the "finished products" of my labour. This just meant food stuffs such as bread, meat, cake etc. I went back up to the house to have a rest; I hadn't had any breakfast. For some reason I had taken to skipping it out altogether for the past few weeks, but the building of the shed had given me an appetite, and I settled into a chair with a steak sandwich! As I ate, I began to look at the map that the strange wolf had given me a few days earlier... I hadn't really had time to process it, but the wolf, it looked a lot like Chiron! There were a few differences, but I suppose a lot of animals look the same to humans. I bet we all look the same to them! I then began to wonder; did the wolf belong to THEROS? Well,. it had to! Every time I had seen the wolf, it had brought me a message from THEROS and it had a red collar around its neck... The same type of collar as Chiron... I pushed it from my mind and looked back at the map... It seemed a relatively normal map; there were signs of beaches, forests, small desert areas and even some snowy areas to the South! I decided that today would be a day where I would think no more of portals, and maps and mysteries! I was going to do what I wanted to do. And right now, I felt like growing a forest! Well, continuing where I left off...

     I returned to the forge, where I had left the saplings and bones from the previous time, with Chiron in tow! He seemed rather jumpy for some reason, so I thought it was best he came with me. Better him being jumpy with me around than out of my sight! I went into the forge, but he did not follow. Instead, he sat near the entrance, looking at the rear wall gate, panting. I thought it might have something to do with the lava, so I left him there whilst I ventured upstairs to take the necessary items from the chest. As I was rummaging, I heard Chiron bark, and I leaned out of the window. I couldn't see much, but I could just about see Chiron looking towards the forge for some reason... I quickly found the saplings and bones and went back downstairs towards the forge entrance. As I exited, I couldn't believe my eyes! There before me was proof that Chiron wasn't the random wolf I had seen! I had thought about it being a possibility, but now here was proof of otherwise...

     Chiron was sitting next to the other wolf, staring at it, but not attacking, barking or even growling at it! He just sat there, panting, as did the other wolf! I walked closer and both of them looked at me. I could barely tell them apart; one looked older than the other. Was it possible that Chiron and this other wolf were taken from the same family, or pack? If so, it was spooky that THEROS had chosen the same wolf! One of them barked, looked down at it's feet and then stood and ran towards the rear wall gate. The other, presumably Chiron, sat there watching the other wolf run off. I called Chiron, and he came to my side. At least I still had the right wolf! I then saw it; another piece of paper lying where the other wolf had been! I walked over and picked it up. It was from THEROS again! Once again, it was a simple message: "HoN Co. cannot be trusted! You must destroy the portal before it is too late! THEROS"... What did that mean... "before it is too late!"? Before what was too late? I stood there staring at it for some time, trying to remember everything that had happened recently, but unable to make any connection. Why would it be too late, I didn't get it! If THEROS wanted my help, why were they being purposely economical with the details! I needed to know more than a single, two phrase statement! I screwed up the piece of paper and threw it to the floor, and walked off back to the house. Chiron followed behind, still panting... Today was meant to be a day to forget all of this... But it seems I'm never going to get any rest until the portals are destroyed... Or the figure kills me...

     I've since gone back to the forge to pick up the piece of paper. I'm looking at it now; the simple message "You must destroy the portal before it is too late!"... I still can't understand what it is referring to... THEROS needs my help, and yet they aren't attempting to give me the information I need! I've decided to postpone contact with HoN Co. for awhile... If things blow up in my face, they're more likely to pick me up for transport back to the mainland if I don't further annoy them with my findings. Well, that and I'm starting to distrust them... I'm starting to think the "before it is too late!" reference is linked to HoN Co., but it could just be my mind making random connections with the small amount of information I've been given. It does that... Annoyingly... I'm refusing to help THEROS until I get more information. I think they'll get the point when nothing happens...

Syeonyx signing off

Day 53: Conflicting messages

     Why must my life be so complex...? Throughout the past few weeks, I've experienced more confusion than I have in my entire life, and I did A level Physics! I came to Minecraftia as an employee of HoN Co. to extract rare and valuable ores and metals, which could be sold on for profit. I haven't been mining, or performed any employment-related tasks in weeks! I've had too much confusion and intrigue to face... The figure, the temple, the creatures, the portals... THEROS... I had a long think... And I had decided to leave... Until I got a message...

      I woke up late today... Well, I say "woke up" I hadn't really been to sleep. I had been thinking... About Minecraftia... About THEROS... About the portals... I had spent the entire night thinking about what I should do, and in the early morning I had reached a decision. I think the decision was what put my mind at enough ease to actually get what sleep I got... I was leaving... I was leaving not only Minecraftia... But HoN Co. altogether! I couldn't take all of this anymore! I swung my legs out of bed and buried my head into my hands... My life was so screwed up right now, that the only way to get it back on track was to leave the cause... Leave it far behind... I got dressed and went downstairs... I noticed that I had received a message from HoN Co. in the night... I opened it and read it:

Thank you for the images and the report, Syeonyx. We are aware of these "portals" and as you stated, yes we have encountered them before. They are dangerous! They are not to be messed around with! The last time one was found, we lost many miners! We cannot have a repeat of this! That is why we have discussed it thoroughly and think it best for you to leave the portal alone! Do not return to the portal for any reason, it will only bring problems! It is unlikely to disturb any HoN Co. operations in your quadrant because of the distance. Leave it alone and get back to your job! We know how you are feeling, and we are not saying we don't believe you. We just believe it is in the interests of everybody if it was forgotten! HoN Co. out

     "get back to your job"!!! Who did they think they were? I had calmed down since last night, but seeing this message dredged up the rage! I had experienced all of this confusion and horror and they wanted me to continue my job as though nothing had happened! If I hadn't come to a decision last night, this message would have made my mind up for me! I was about to start sending a request for a pickup from HoN Co. when I heard a bark... I stopped and looked towards the door, assuming it was Chiron, but hat I saw wasn't him! It was the other wolf! The wolf I had seen two days ago! It stood in the doorway with a piece of paper in it's mouth, looking at me. It dropped the paper onto the floor, looked back at me, barked once more and ran off! I quickly ran to the door, but I was unable to see which way the wolf had gone! The wolf... The same wolf that had given me the map! The wolf that presumably belonged to THEROS! I stepped back inside, and bent down to pick up the piece of paper...

     The note was short and simple: "Return to the portal, and destroy it! THEROS"... I walked out onto the porch and shouted "HOW CAN I DESTROY IT!?! IT'S ACTIVE!!!"... I looked back at the piece of paper, not knowing what to do... I was a mixed bag of emotions, flitting between confusion, rage and hopelessness... I couldn't destroy the portal so I had returned and told HoN Co. about it. They informed me to leave it alone, but now I've just got a message telling me to go back and destroy it from THEROS! What did I do? I thought about it for some time, going back into the house and sitting in a chair, trying to determine the outcome of each of the possibilities... If I stayed here, HoN Co. would tell me to continue mining and ignore the portal. THEROS would tell me to go back and destroy it... How could I destroy it though... Diamond did nothing... I assumed that it couldn't be destroyed whilst it was active, but maybe it was because my diamond pickaxe was beginning to weaken... Was that a possibility? No, it was diamond! The other option was to contact HoN Co. to pick me up and take me back to the mainland, but I had the feeling they would refuse... I had only one choice... I had enough diamonds left to make another pickaxe, but I would have to unseal the barricaded cellar! I hadn't heard or seen anything suspicious about it since boarding it up, so I assumed it was safe! I took a hammer and began to peel back the nails embedded into the wooden barricade, until I was able to pull the wooden planks off! I then took my bow and quiver in hand and descended the ladder... The chest holding the diamond was right next to the ladder, but I never take chances any more! Going into the chest, I found the diamonds and returned to the house... I left it without boarding it back up again, in case I needed to go back down. I then went to my crafting table and made a new pickaxe. I made the shaft out of iron this time so that it was considerably stronger, and would fit better into the diamond head. With the new pickaxe finished, I sat back down going through the possibilities but always came back to the only option. I would have to destroy the portal... Even if it killed me!

     I decided that this time I would travel light, and was only taking the pickaxe and the bow and quiver. I was taking the map too, of course. I got to the boat on the far side of the beach and pushed it into deeper waters. I then began rowing back to the portal, trying to think of ways I could destroy it. Maybe I could bury it? It wouldn't destroy it, but it might prevent it from being used. But then I remembered the other portal I found; it had been encased in obsidian deep beneath the earth. Burying a portal wasn't going to achieve anything! Maybe I could weaken it structurally by undermining it, causing it to collapse...? It was the best idea I had, seeing as though the direct approach didn't work... I reached the island in a short time, tying up the boat and taking out the map. I had marked the more precise location of the portal when I got home anyway, so following the route was much faster. After a few minutes, I heard the distinctive sound of the portal, still active... I knew it was practically impossible, but I had hoped that it would have somehow become inactive... I followed the curve of the hole where the portal was located, and stopped... I crouched quickly, and then peered over the edge of the hole... What in the world...?

     There were Creepers down in the hole, near to the portal! They hadn't seen me, which allowed me to peer closer and see what they were doing! There were about nine of them, wandering around the hole. And then I noticed it... The cage! There was another one of those strange cages sitting in the centre of the hole, with the Creepers wandering around it! What was it? It hadn't been there yesterday when I was here! I looked closely and saw the same small zombie in the middle of the cage. It was lit on fire and the Creepers seemed drawn to it! What was going on? I couldn't kill those Creepers! And I couldn't get anywhere near the portal either! Could I distract them maybe? It didn't seem possible. They were incredibly distracted by the cage in the centre of the hole. They didn't seem cautious towards it at all, but it looked like they were comfortable with it being around.I stood up a little more to get a better view when one of them looked up at me. It opened it's mouth and began to hiss loudly. I didn't stay long enough to find out what happened next! I ran back down to the beach, pushing the boat and out and jumping in! As I rowed away, I looked back at the island, but I couldn't see the Creepers following me! I kept rowing until the island shrank from sight... When I was far enough away, I slowed down to try and grasp what had happened... The portal needed to be destroyed, but it was being... Guarded...? By Creepers? And that cage with the small zombie in it... Why did they keep cropping up? What was the origin and significance of them? I kept rowing until I reached the small bay, and got out. I needed to destroy that portal... Hon Co. wasn't going to help me, and they weren't likely to come and fetch me either... THEROS was incredibly illusive... I needed to contact them somehow, but it seemed to be a one way thing... I began the slow walk back to the house, round the beach-side gate, trying to think about the next step...

     I don't know who to trust... HoN Co. is telling me to ignore something that can't be ignored, and THEROS is telling me to destroy it, but not telling me why. Both are being elusive and avoiding telling me the truth... I'm beginning to suspect that this THEROS might be the figure... It all points that way; they know where the portals are, I've never actually seen them but they seem to know a lot about me... But if THEROS is this strange figure, why would they want me to destroy the portals? The figure used one of the portals in the temple, right in front of my eyes! If these portals were what THEROS said they were, they had to be destroyed! But I can't destroy this one... I'm still only assuming, but it has to have something to do with it being active! There's no other difference between that and the other portals. Well, its state and its location obviously. But it can't be the location because the second portal was easily destroyed... It had to be because it was active! What if I traveled through the portal...? Would it deactivate? That's probably not a good idea, because I could get stuck in a location I haven't a clue about... There's so little I know, and even more that I'm not being told about! Those Creepers... They were too numerous... Had they come from the portal...? And the cage... Someone had put it there! But who...? The figure... THEROS...? I'm pretty sure it didn't randomly appear. Someone wants me dead... And the more I think about it, I keep coming back to the same conclusion; THEROS is the figure. The Creepers could have been a trap to kill me... But what made no sense at all was this person could obviously kill me at any point... I wouldn't even know about it until it was too late... Maybe they were toying with me... Despite HoN Co. being incredibly unhelpful, I was inclined to side with them. They were the ones who said to leave the portal alone... Then it hit me... Why would they tell me to leave it alone, and then all of a sudden, a load of Creepers and a cage appear...? Maybe it wasn't a trap... But a warning... Something to make sure that I stayed away... After this thought, I was back to square one, not knowing who to believe or trust...

Syeonyx signing off

Day 52: Okay... What now?

     I woke up incredibly early today, just as the sun was coming up actually. I had a new mission to do; destroy the portal that this THEROS had found! After the last one, I knew I didn't need to have TNT to destroy a portal. I just needed my trusty diamond pickaxe! I got down to the pier, and the first problem arose as to how to get the boat to the other side of the island? From the map, the landmass didn't have a small body of water running from North to South, so I had to take the boat to the other side! The boat itself was made of sturdy wood, which made it heavy. Dragging it wasn't really an option, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it, so I improvised. Going back to the house, I fetched all of the tools from the crafting table and put them into my bag. I then went back to the pier and managed to drag the boat onto the beach! After that it was far too heavy, so I did the next logical thing; I cut it in half! I say "logical" but looking back, it might not have been the best idea... After a few minutes, I had sawn straight through the boat and had attached a simple rope to the front end of the it. I then dragged it up the slight incline of the beach. It was by no means as heavy as the whole boat, but it still took a long time, and put strain on my back and legs! The things I do...

     I got the first half of the boat around the outside of the wall, and to the small bay the map had indicated on the opposite side. After positioning the boat piece, I stopped and looked around, noting how good this location was for possibly making a pier. It was protected from the main body of the sea, and had good cover from the land. But I had more important matters than making new piers. I untied the rope and went back for the second half. It was only a short walk, literally a few hundred metres, but with a boat piece to drag, it didn't half take a long time! Getting back to the other boat piece, I tied the rope around the front and began dragging it to meet the other half. After this I was probably going to have back problems... If I survived... After what seemed like ages, I reached the bay where the sand sloped gently downwards, making my job slightly easier. I lined up the boat pieces and untied the rope. Now all I had to do was reattach them again!

     I went back to the house to fetch some wooden planks, and returned with a few nails as well. I then proceeded to hammer the planks to both the inside and underside of the boat to put it back together again! It was crude and sloppy, but I hoped it would work. I pushed the boat out into the shallow water and waited a few minutes, looking into the boat to see if it leaked. After I was content with it not likely to sink, I went back to the house to retrieve the things I would need and to put the tools back. I was going to take food, my bow and quiver, the map and the diamond pickaxe. I needed it all to ensure the job was done. The sun hadn't even reached a third of the way into the sky yet, it was still mid-morning, which gave me a good chance I'd have the portal destroyed and be able to row back in a single day! Well, I would have to anyway; I had nowhere to stay even if it did get dark!

     I put the bag of necessary items into the chest I had carried across, and slung the bow and quiver over my shoulder. I left the map at the bottom of the boat so I had a good idea where I was going and I then pushed the boat out into deeper water. Getting in, I took up the oars and began rowing in the general direction the map indicated. The distance seemed similar to that between the ship and the campsite back on the island, however I didn't know if the map was entirely accurate in terms of scale. I kept stopping to take account of my surroundings, and compared it to the map. So far, everything seemed to match up, relatively accurately, so I continued rowing until I noticed a sandy embankment further along that appeared on the map. The embankment was quite close to the red circle, so it would merely be a matter of travelling North until I found the portal, destroy it and return. Then it hit me: what if the portal was buried? The map and the note hadn't mentioned if the portal was on the surface or not... Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that I would have to dig the portal out like I did with the last one. It wouldn't be exposed on the surface at all! I stopped the boat and dragged it onto the beach and then looked back at the map; a short walk North and then it was a case of matching landmarks. It seemed that there were a few pools of water to use as reference points, so it shouldn't take too long.

     I took the equipment and food from the chest and carried it, whilst holding the map in the other hand. I headed North, comparing the direction to the current position of the sun. After awhile, I noticed a small pool of water and instantly found its representation on the map. I was too far West, and would have to travel to the East a bit to compensate. After walking East for a few more minutes, I still hadn't seen anything to suggest a portal, or the presence of humans. It was actually rather frustrating. I stood still, looking around trying to do a comparison with the map, but the were so many trees around it was hard trying to get the lay of the land! Everything looked the same! I decided that it would be best to find a slightly higher point of view and began to walk towards a hill! At the top, it made absolutely no difference at all; the view seemed the same as it did back on the flatter parts. I stared at the map hard, trying to pick out any unique bits of detail, but the map was only being so helpful. The rest was up to me. I decided that it would be best to work my way back to the pool of water I had found, walk East for a few hundred metres and then start digging. I could expand the area outwards rather than down as I went, but if I didn't hurry I would have to make a return journey without finding it!

     I got back to the pool and began to look around. The sun was high in the sky, probably at its highest point, and I was having trouble finding East! Because of the trees, every direction looked identical, so I gave up trying and picked a random direction. After a few minutes, I noticed small details that told me I had been this way before; arrangement of wildflowers and boughs of trees. I decided to stop and I put the bag and the map down. I sat down and caught my breath; it was exhausting with all the rowing and walking. I'd need my strength if I was going to be mining as well! As I sat there, I noticed a strange noise coming from the South. It was an odd noise I had heard once before but couldn't quite place. Standing up, I removed my bow and readied an arrow, not knowing what to expect. I followed the direction the noise seemed to be coming in; a strange liquid noise, as though it was dripping into a well. There was an echo to it... It sounded like water, but not like water at the same time. There was also the sound of high-pitched rasping, or wind... Or something I couldn't describe! As I continued I came across a large pit in the ground; it was surrounded by high dirt walls, and had a cobblestone floor... Was it here? I couldn't see it, but I could still hear it! I walked around the edge of the pit until I saw the distinctive purple obsidian stone. The portal! I had found it! But... It was... Active? the sounds erupting from the portal were the same sounds that I had heard back in the temple before the figure disappeared through one. It also had the same shimmery purple liquid in the centre of the portal frame! Why was it active? How was it active?

     I got closer to the portal, and the sounds grew louder. I stood in front of it, mesmerised by the iridescent purple liquid effect of the actual portal! From the portal, small purple particles floated out and slowly faded, like ash crumbling in the breeze. I stepped up to it and put out a hand to touch the shimmering purple, but it was like touching air; it had no texture or feel to it! It was like it didn't exist! I withdrew my hand, worried that it might disappear or begin to burn, but nothing. I stood there for a very long time, trying to contemplate the gravity of the situation. Here before me was a working portal that was said to allow anyone to move between dimensions! Here was an opportunity to explore a whole new world, and I'd been instructed to destroy it! If I contacted HoN Co. they could investigate it and send a team through! Then I remembered what I had read in the book, about the first portal they had found. No-one had returned after entering it! But still, this was a huge opportunity for mankind! I stood there, weighing up the pros and cons of the portal. It could be used to solve many problems. The dimension could hold compounds to treat diseases, new fuel sources, tougher metals and materials... The list of endless possibilities went on and on... But then the cons started to stack against the pros... If it got into the wrong hands... The world as we know it could be destroyed... We didn't know or understand the ramifications of dimension hopping... Were there even ramifications...? In the end, I decided that the cost to humanity would be too great if it were to remain... I dropped the bag and took out the diamond pickaxe... This portal... It had to be destroyed, like the others... I raised the pickaxe high into the air, and brought it crashing down onto the wall of the portal...

     The pickaxe collided with the obsidian, but did no damage to it... I tried again, raising the pickaxe and bringing it to bear on the surface of the obsidian... But again, no effect! I brought it up again, this time putting as much might as I could muster into the swing. The head of the pickaxe collided with the obsidian surface... And then shattered! The diamond head split and flew apart in a rain of rainbow shards, as light reflected and refracted from the many exposed surfaces! I stood in shock, starring at the remains of the pickaxe; the shaft no more than a stick, with no trace of diamond left affixed to it. The diamond shards littered the ground for a few metres. Diamond! The hardest substance known to man... defeated by obsidian... The portal... It couldn't be destroyed! But why? I had destroyed the previous portal in the exact same way, and yet this time it resisted! The only difference between this one, and the last... Was the state... This portal... Was active! You can't destroy an active portal! If an active portal repelled diamond, it would definitely repel explosives! How was I going to destroy it? I stepped back, slipping slightly on the diamond shards... There was nothing I could do... I couldn't contact THEROS to say I had failed... HoN Co. would tell me I'm lying again... I did the only thing I could do... I ran! I ran back to the boat and pushed it to deeper waters! I wanted to be as far away from this portal as possible!

     I slowed the boat as I got to the bay, and pulled it to shore. I then sat there panting, trying to get my mind straight... The portal couldn't be destroyed... What more could I have done? I stood up, and ran towards the gate, and up towards the house... The only thing I could do was send the images to HoN Co. and to plead with them to bring a team down! I had proof of an active portal! They had experienced them before, they knew how to deal with them! It occurred to me that the finding of the portals might be why they didn't believe me; they didn't want to believe that another had been found. But I pushed it from my mind and continued with the message! If HoN Co. denied me an investigation team now, I was leaving this land!

     It's been a few hours since I got back. I've managed to calm down, and I've written a few things down in a notebook I made quite some time ago. I'm trying to recall all of the things in this land that haven't been documented. If I'm leaving, I'm going to make sure every miner going into Minecraftia knows about the perils of this land! HoN Co. should add protection to their training program; give the miners an opportunity to defend themselves, and learn how best to defend themselves from Creepers and other creatures... They should also include information about portals... And what to do if one is found! There should be a protocol about them, but when I learnt, we weren't even taught about obsidian. I learnt about it separately in my own time! Other miners won't have a clue! HoN Co. needs to send a team in to investigate this portal so they can learn how it works. It has been some time since they encountered the first one... They would have better instruments, and a better understanding... If they denied me an investigation team... I was leaving Minecraftia!

Syeoynx signing off

Day 51: Mystery, adventure and intrigue back on track!

     I couldn't have predicted what happened today, even if I had a million guesses! It seemed so bizarre, and slightly worrying. I am actually worried about who or what is watching me! From what I found today, they know more about me than I gave them credit... They've got my entire life "mapped" out!

     Today started a little like yesterday; I didn't really want to get up, but a small part of me was able to force me out of bed and downstairs. I still didn't feel like returning to normality, and the prospect of going back into the open-cast mine scared me a little... I was also still rather reluctant to do any mining because of the message I received from HoN Co. yesterday! They had sent me a message, which summed up, pretty much told me "you're a liar, and we don't believe you"! I honestly didn't know what I had to do for them to take notice of the strange goings-on that had happened recently! The disappearance of the ship's crew was surely mysterious enough for them to take notice, but then the zombies, Creepers, mines, dig sites, portals and this "THEROS"... The evidence was stacking up, but apparently not in my favour. Trying to put my mind onto a more pleasant train of thought, I decided what would occupy my day. I might get back into mining tomorrow, maybe level out the top of the open-cast mine, but for now, I was going to do something relaxing. As I looked out of the window, I could see the farm; I was rather proud of that little plot of land. The only problem was that animals would often find their way through the gates and wander onto the plot. Then they'd either eat the crops, or trample it back into the ground! I sat there and thought; is a greenhouse a viable option? Well, it was something to do, and so I got to work. I went to the mine, put a load of excavated sand and put it into carts and sent it along to the forge. Some glass panes were in order!

     I spent a good hour crafting hundreds of panes of glass to make the greenhouse, but I would first need a framework. This would easily be created using long sticks made from wood. This would provide support and act as a guide to ensure that the greenhouse was built perfectly. I took the glass panes from the forge to the outside of the farm in shuttle runs, and the came back for the wooden sticks. I had the basic framework finished in a matter of minutes, and then I began to fix the glass panes into place. As I placed the lowest layer of glass panes into place, I began to think about the water source, and thought it would be more feasible to have a way to access it. I removed the fences surrounding it, and added small stone steps leading up to it, around the back and down the other side. I then continued the base layer of glass panes, back round to the entrance, leaving enough space for the doors. After an hour, I had made impressive progress; the majority of the walls had been constructed, and it was simply a matter of finishing off the roof. I had already decided, awhile ago, that the roof would be the traditional two-peak roof for the greenhouse. I don't know why, but it always seemed to look good, and I had the glass panes to build it! Another hour later and I had finished the greenhouse! It had taken up until midday, but it looked spectacular, and once again it possessed a rather handy purpose. The glass walls and ceiling not only provided the plants with protection from wandering animals, but also allowed light in throughout the day. The door provided access and security. I was tempted to put a small wooden storage shed round the back to store the farming tools and the reeds, wheat and seeds, but that could be done at a later date. I had just thought of something else to do!

     With the greenhouse finished, I took the tools and remaining glass panes back to the house. Before I left, I took the saplings I had kept in a chest, along with a few bones. I was going to replant the entire forest that burnt down when I was back on the island. I was just hoping that it didn't happen again. I went down to the small area near the forge and began to plant the saplings. I planted them a reasonable distance from each other, the path and the forge, and then I added the bones to them. Just like magic, the bones began to dissolve and the sapling grew, in front of my eyes, into a fully grown tree! I loved watching them grow; it reminded me of those nature programs where they would take a camera and film a flower growing over the course of a week! It was brilliant, except now it was for real! I affixed a few torches to the trees and then stopped... The torches... I had placed torches onto the trees last time... Had that been the cause of the fire? All this time I had blamed some strange figure for destroying my wood supply, when it was more than likely me being careless! I removed the torch, and placed it onto the bark of the tree, but lower down where the flames could not lick at the leaves. I wasn't going to have a repeat of that! After while, I had planted and grown quite a few trees, but I had ran out of bones. I went back to the house to get some more. By the end of the afternoon, I was going to have a brand new forest!

     As I walked back to the forest, I began to think about collecting more bones. I was running low, and we could always use the meat from the animals as well! As I got the stairs leading down to the forge, I stopped. Up ahead, on the path near the new trees was a wolf. It was wearing a red collar and looked a lot like Chiron. Was it Chiron? Had he ran past me and decided to wait for me back at the forge?

     As I got closer, I noticed small differences and began to think it wasn't Chiron. Also, I noticed that it wa sitting next to something lying on the ground... a bit of paper... As I neared, it looked at me, and then towards the paper. When I was a few feet away it looked back at me, and then barked a few times. It wasn't aggressive and it didn't attempt to attack me. It stood up, barked once more and then ran off towards the beach at the front end of the wall. I looked at the direction the wolf had gone to, and stood there confused... what was going on? Was that dog actually wearing a collar?

     I then turned my attention back towards the paper on the ground. Stooping down, I picked it up and realised it was actually two pieces of paper, clipped together! On the front piece of paper was a simple not with the words "Seek out the second portal" with the name "THEROS" scrawled at the bottom. It was from THEROS! The same person/people/thing that had put me on the right track to destroy the first two portals! I tore off the note and looked at the second piece of paper underneath. What I saw I couldn't believe! It was literally impossible!

     It was a map! A map of the surrounding area! On the far left-hand side was a small red circle, drawn on separately, indicating a location. Was the note referring to the circle? It must be! That must be where the next portal was! I looked back at the note... And then back to the map. I quickly found my reference point! My small walled area was cleared marked in the centre of the map! It was hard to miss! Someone had put in so much detail that they had even shown the farm on the inside of wall, including the forge and house! Someone had got close enough to inspect the area! And I hadn't noticed them! According to this map, the area I was located was the largest landmass, with a series of smaller islands dotted around. After a while of looking at it, I located the small island I had found the camp site on, but it didn't seem right. The map hadn't been drawn as conventional maps are drawn. It was drawn with the top of the map indicating East! This at least correlated with the rest of the area I knew, as the dig site was indeed on an island to the South of my wall! I stood there for a long time, in awe of the detail of this map! Someone had spent a lot of time on this, and spent a lot of time exploring! They really wanted me to destroy these portals!

     I'm back at the house now, and it's starting to get dark. I've been looking at the map for ages, a whole new series of questions popping into my head. The most obvious one had already occurred to me awhile ago: if this THEROS knew where they were, why didn't they destroy them? Why contact me? Why did I have to be involved? Those questions slowly lead to "who is THEROS?" and to further questions such as "is THEROS a group?" and "why not contact me directly?". It had taken some time, but I had taken it all in, and I had decided that this was a good opportunity to explore the area around me. It might even lead to where THEROS might be hiding, although if I hadn't seen them yet, it was unlikely. From the map, I would need to travel by boat, to the island, where the red circle was. But there was no way of getting the boat down on the pier all the way around to the island without taking it over land! It was pointless making a new boat, but it meant I would have to haul it from the beach, past the wall to a small bay on the opposite side. In fact, according to the map, at the North-Western most corner of the wall was a small bay where a dock or pier would be perfect! I would have to get ready and set out relatively early to reach the island, find the portal, destroy it and return before nightfall!

     Despite slowly trying to get back into a routine, it seems the "powers that be" have other ideas! Oddly enough, I don't begrudge them at all! I'm actually kind of glad; now I have another adventure to set out on, and I couldn't wait! I needed the sleep for the large amount of exercise that would be involved, but I didn't feel like sleeping. I was too alive! I felt too hyper! Tonight was going to be a long night...

Syeonyx signing off

Day 50: Tower renovations and hatches! You can tell I'm bored!!!

     Today was another boring day; I had successfully destroyed the second portal in my quadrant yesterday, but now there was nothing to do... Was there another portal? And if so, where was it? My quadrant is massive, as is every miner's, but if it was likely to be underground, there was literally thousands, maybe millions, of square feet to cover! I hoped that THEROS would contact me again somehow... But I saw nothing to suggest that all day...

     I nearly didn't get out of bed today; I had destroyed two portals and seen so much mystery that I wasn't sure that my mind could put up with the boredom of nothing mysterious happening! In the end, I decided against the lie-in option, and went straight down to the wall, more specifically, the South-Eastern tower! I had finished the modifications to the South-Western tower yesterday, and for security and symmetries sake, I was going to finish the other! I had left the stone on the tower from last night, so it was simply a case of retrieving the tools from the chest and making my way to the tower. As it was closer to the house, I made use of the wall access from the porch instead of the rapid wall elevator. As I was building up the corner struts for the roof, I remembered the wooden cover for the tunnel shaft for the other tower and wondered if there was an easier way to access the tunnel. I could make a latch, but I would need to craft some hinges from iron! It wouldn't take too long, so long as I could sort out the fiddly bits... Maybe even make a lock and key!

     A little after midday, I finished the tower extension, and I climbed down to admire my handiwork! It looked just as good as the other, and would provide decent shelter from the elements... And possibly anything that is thrown my way by strange creatures, although that was highly unlikely...

     I went back to the house via the wall access, taking the tools and spare stone back to the chest. I then had a walk to the forge where I stored the iron, thinking about the possible ways in which I could craft a hatch or small door. I settled with a simple wooden frame with small holes in to let enough light to enter through it. The hinges would be a simple construction, linking the hatch to the stone wall. The actual hatch was made in minutes, but the hinges were tricky! I had to craft small intricate rods of iron to place between tubes of iron with slits in. Then attach a flattened piece of iron to the rod, and another to the tube and then secure it in place with pins! It was a very crude design, and aside from a few differences in size, I had successfully constructed hinges! I affixed these to the hatch using sharpened rods of iron, and then I took it to the tower to be fixed into place!

     On the way to the tower, I stopped off at the house for a hammer and then continued to the wall. After climbing the new tower, I had hammered the new hatch into place and tested it thoroughly. It squeaked a bit, and sometimes required a bit of a tug from the tower-side, but it was much more efficient and secure than the wooden cover! Using the holes in it, I would also be able to see if there was anything that found its way into the tunnel!

     After I finished with the tower, I returned to the house, wondering what else there was to do. I had read a decent number of the books last night - hence my longing to stay in bed this morning - but didn't feel like reading anymore. My open-cast mine had more or less ground to a halt; both ways in which I had dug had resulted in something unexpected which put me off further mining! I was tempted to go back through the wooden barricade and see if there was anything else there! I had hit an excellent stash of ores and precious metals, I was stupid not to! But at the moment, I wanted to try and let things settle; a lot had gone on in the past week, and I needed time to gather my thoughts and get back into a routine. If I jumped back into it, I'd probably break down and be a sniveling wreck, rocking backwards and forwards in the fetal position, at the bottom of a mine!

     I've just received a message back from HoN Co. about the portals and the information I sent. They are "intrigued" by my finds, but are remaining reserved. They cannot conclusively prove that I haven't done any of this myself! How on earth...?!?! How stupid are they? Why would I construct a giant temple, portals and purposely create stories about monster attacks? For fun?!?! I was confused as to what they needed as proof! Maybe an image of my corpse! Oh wait, of course I'd be dead and I wouldn't be able to contact them(!) The lack of trust and respect HoN Co. has shown me recently has really made me rethink my career path. If I ever get out of here, I'm tempted to go into another field of expertise! Yes HoN Co. can promise you mystery, intrigue, treasure, a huge pay cheque, but they can't guarantee they'll believe you if you're in trouble!!! I can see it from their point of view; they've sent out an entire investigation team, who mysteriously went missing, and yet I'm still alive! But why would I spend vast amounts of time concocting stupid stories to bring attention to myself? If I wanted to leave, I could have them send a boat to pick me up... Wait a minute... Would that work...? Could I trick HoN Co. into coming to the island if I said I wanted to leave? Nah, it was a long shot... They'd see it from a mile off...

     I've done a bit of cooking to calm me down; a nice steak with bread and butter pudding for the sweet! If only I could have some custard... Maybe I could try milking a cow and getting some cream! Well, not now... I was going to wait until tomorrow to do anything like that. It's too late now, and I'm still not in the mood to do anything at the moment...

Syeonyx signing off

Day 49: Portal #2 down... is that it...?

     Today saw the second blow against the unknown! What I found today was both expected and unexpected... But I got the job done, and I now need to see if there are other portals around...

     Chiron woke me up this morning with his increbily loud and piercing bark! When I had shook off the daze I was in, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I went to investigate... Chiron was standing on the porch, leaning forward backing into the distance. It's not the first time he's done this; every time he's done it he's always been able to see something I couldn't. This time however, I had a feeling I knew what had got him worked up; in the distance were small, white figures running around just outside the gate. As I looked closer, I noticed that they were wolves... What was Chiron doing? Was he protecting the territory, or calling to them? I didn't really know, and I wasn't about to find out either; I had no interest in chasing wolves, and they weren't getting through the gate! Eventually I "persuaded" Chiron to get back into the house with some pork, and I secured the door. With pickaxe in hand, I headed towards the open-cast mine, thinking about what the day may bring. I was hoping I had got far enough through the wall yesterday to simply smash through today and find the portal. But I was jumping to conclusions; I didn't even know if there was a portal on the other side of the wall. Despite it going against everything I knew, it could just be an abnormally large amount of obsidian, where lava and water have met above me!

     The walk to the mine was reasonably quick; I had stopped taking my bow and quiver with me due to the considerable lack of threats recently, but today I had it slung over my shoulder, ready for anything! I don't know why, but when I woke up, I felt less safe than I had for the past few days! Come to think of it, it might have had something to do with the method Chiron had used to wake me up... Or the presence of wolves close to my quadrant. I got to the half-way point and began to long journey all the way down the spiral staircase that hugged the edge of the mine. Eventually, the sky above was blocked out by the stone ceiling, and the corridor became a tunnel, with less light, and noticeably less heat! Eventually I arrived back at the obsidian wall; the light cast from the torches seemed to be drawn towards the strangely smooth, dark purple stone, and then never bed reflected... It was eerie, and the sooner I found the portal the better! I placed the bow and quiver on the ground nearby and picked up from where I left off... No pun intended... After an hour or so, I noticed the familiar phenomenon that had occurred back in the dig site; the pitch of the pickaxe when it struck the obsidian had begun to decrease, until I had reached the low thunk noise I was expecting! A few moments later, when the pitch was as low as before, I broke through the obsidian wall, causing light to spill from the small hole! The chamber I had found, it was already lit! I spent a few minutes more increasing the size of the hole, to the size which made it possible to pass through it. There it was; standing at the far end of the room, partially buried into the ground was the portal, torches adorning the edges! This portal was also inactive, but this time there was no secret entrance behind it, merely the mossy cobblestone wall that framed the entirety of the room!

     I knew I didn't have any TNT to blow the portal up with, but it was made from obsidian... Maybe I could just hack at it with the pickaxe like I had done with the obsidian tunnel...? It was worth a try... I entered the room and was about to move over to the portal when I noticed something in the corner of my eye. Stopping, I went to take my bow from my shoulder... I cursed, remembering I had left it back in the obsidian tunnel, and took my pickaxe in my right hand. I slowly turned around, raising the pickaxe... and then stopped... It wasn't what I expected... I couldn't have been able to predict what I saw at all... Another cage with a disfigured child trapped inside!

     I lowered the pickaxe and stared into the cage, at the small figure inside; on closer inspection, I realised it wasn't a child at all, but a smaller version of a zombie! It had the exact smae features as the one that had come at me in the tent; it lacked a lower jaw, and the tongue flopped down crudely against the neck. It had blood-stained face, hands and clothes, and had an odd green complexion, suggesting partial decomposition! It had it's eyes closed, and was not animated in any way. I had found this type of thing a few times before, one very similar to this, another containing a madly spinning skeleton on fire! I stood up and tried to ignore it, setting my mind on more important matters! I turned to the portal and advanced, hoping that the hacking method with the pickaxe was sufficient! I began to attack it with the pickaxe, to be welcomed by small splinters of obsidian! It wasn't much, but it was enough to tell me I could destroy it with this method! I continued on hacking until te splinters became shards, and the shards became chunks and then small pieces, until I was digging out pieces about the size of my fist! It was slow progress, and within about an hour and a half, I had destroyed the majority of the portal! I removed the torches from the ground, as I was able to make use of them, and stood back, admiring the destruction! No-one was coming through that!

     As I turned to leave the chamber, I heard a strange rasping shriek and then a puff of smoke erupted from the cage! I backed off, bearing my pickaxe in self-defence, but after the smoke cleared, I noticed that nothing was there! I was on edge; I had thought that the portal was still in action, and that the figure had chosen this moment to come back into this world! The room however was the same; the portal was still in ruins, the walls were still in place, the cage... the cage was empty! A moment ago, a small zombie had sat inside, but now it was empty, with no trace of its existance! Officially creeped out, I backed out of the chamber, into the tunnel and picked up the bow and quiver. I replaced my pickaxe with the bow and turned and ran out of the mine! I didn't stop running until the stone ceiling stopped and I met the bright blue open sky! I stopped, hunched over, wheezing... I was really out of shape! Catching my breath, I stood up straight and began the walk back up the staircase to the half-way point! I didn't know what I was going to do with the rest of my day, but staying in the mine wasn't one of them!

     After returning to the house, and wondering around looking for something to do, a visit to a storage chest full of stone gave me an idea! It was actually an idea from quite some time ago, and due to unforeseen events, I had become more and more distracted, and the idea had been pushed to the back of the priority queue! Taking out the stone however, I decided that now was a better time than ever, and I took the stone to the wall! I was going to extend the towers, and put a roof onto them for better security from the elements and outside invaders! I decided to start with the South-Western tower first, as it was the closest to the house, and begun the work. I had to refine the stone first, to make sure it was in keeping with the appearance of the wall... I am picky like that! After a few minutes of wondering how I was going to structure it, I set to work on a particular design! After a few hours, I had finished the tower, and was very impressed with the effect!

     I was going to start on the South-Eastern tower, but it began to rain, so I left the stone on the wall, ready for tomorrow and returned to the house. Chiron greeted me as I came in through the front door. I dumped my stuff off in one of the rooms, took out a loaf of bread and went upstairs. I still hadn't read through all the books I had taken from the campsite, and one book in particular seemed to catch my interest; "Wildlife Revealed: A Look at Minecraftia's Lesser Creatures"... I think that'll keep me interested for the night. I might even learn a few things!

Day 48: I think I just found portal #2!

     Yesterday was rather boring in terms of solving or discovering mysteries and intrigue, but today more than made up for that! It had started off pretty much the same as the previous, but I stumbled across a wall later in the day, which I decided to explore further...

     I don't know why, but I dreamt about the minetrack from the forge to the mine! It's a weird dream, but it's acceptable in comparison to the previous dreams I had... I dreamt how I made it more efficient, but when I woke up, it left my head in a hurry! I sat there in a daze, wondering whether I had just dreamt about a minetrack... Shaking it loose from my attention, I got up and went downstairs. After yesterday's delicious "distraction", I decided that today would be a good time to get back into the mine and look for the other portal! I felt like today was a day to get things done, but my only worry was how I was going to destroy the portal... I had used a rather potent TNT mixture - apparently - last time, and it had more less obliterated the portal, but then again I had used all that I had been given... If I was going to destroy the other portals, I was going to have procure some explosive from somewhere, but I would cross that hurdle when I got there...

     As I got to the forge, I had a revelation! It wasn't a very big one, and now I think about, it probably wasn't a very efficient introduction to the minetrack, but at the time I thought it was brilliant. I hated the way the minetrack crossed over the cobble path I had already laid out that went towards the back gate... I had two ways of getting round that; either go under the path or go over it! If I went over it might be an eyesore, and might be dangerous, however going underneath might reduce the structural integrity of the path! In the end, I went with the former, and headed towards the After half an hour or so, I had pulled up the previous track and erected a small bridge for the track to go over. I left enough room to pass underneath the bridge comfortably...

     After a thorough test from both directions, I was happy with the structure and decided that the time for procrastination was over! I went over to the mine and descended the winding staircase, past the barricade, until I reached the section I had got to yesterday; I had decided against the aesthetics of keeping the top totally exposed, and now left the majority of the new tunnel with a stone ceiling! If and when I found the portal, I could continue the work on the aesthetics and expand the mine out further. With my trusty diamond pickaxe in hand - which the handle of which was beginning to look rather shabby - I continued my quest to find the remaining portals! I was working on the wall for a considerable amount of time, and had shifted lots of stone, dirt and gravel! I had found the same types of ore I was intially expecting to find, but nothing that I wanted. I really wanted to find some gold, because then I could look into a powered minetrack! I would need to look into the mechanics of it, and probably contact HoN Co., but I'm sure I would have all the available resources to construct it! As I was distracted by this thought, my pickaxe made a low, resonant thunk sound, and I stopped... I continued mining around the wall for a bit to see if the same noise was produced, to find it was. After picking at the hole I had made, a dark purple material became exposed from beneath the stone, and I stood back... I had found obsidian! Obsidian was an incredibly rare stone, occurring in locations where the needs were met! It was unlikely I had just mined into a place where lava and water met, and I continued mining around until I had exposed the entire tunnel-sized section of the wall! I had definately found something...

     I didn't have any TNT... just my diamond pickaxe! I would need to mine this out manually, and it may take some time! The other obsidian wall I had found back on the small island had been quite thick. It had also travelled in a downward direction... however, after a few minutes mining, I had deduced it would likely only go in a single direction. After an hour I had made a sizeable chunk in the wall, but progress was slow, hampered by the fact that my arms ached from yesterday... I continued nonetheless, all the while waiting for a familiar low hollow thunk sound to indicate the end of the wall!

     As the hours passed, I gave up mining the entire exposed obsidian wall, and began to mine a small shaft into the wall, big enough for me to fit into... It didn't seem to take any shorter length of time, but it meant that the shaft of the pickaxe would be preserved for a short while... Then, as if by some cosmological force of irony - Sod's law probably! - the pickaxe handle snapped! The head had barely worn down at all, so I took it back to the half-way point to fix it. Luckily I had a stockpile of wood in one of the chests and I had a brand new handle for the pickaxe! I had begun to wonder if there were other varieties of trees in the area! I had mainly only used oak and pine, but I had sometimes seen leaves of other trees float past. It might be worth exploring at some point! I went back down to the wall and continued, but a few minutes into it, it began to rain... I didn't really want to get back to the house in the dark whilst it was raining, so I decided to call it a day at where I left off; the wall had a decent chunk missing, and it was only a matter of time before I got through!

     I returned home, admiring my new minetrack bridge as I passed, and then I remembered something missing; the forest... When I was on the island, the forest had disappeared, burned down more accurately, and I hadn't replanted it yet! Maybe, if I found time tomorrow, I would replant it then... I mean, with the bone instant grow method, I could regrow the forest in a matter of minutes rather than years that it would normally take... As I got home, I took the last slice of cake upstairs to my bedroom and ate it whilst staring out across the sea from the balcony. There was no visible sight of anything left on that island, not from this distance anyway... From here it looked like another bit of island that had an arbitrary amount of life and interest... I finished the cake and went in to contact HoN Co. about the portals and the book I received. I still don't know who THEROS is, and it seemed like they were unlikely to reveal themselves, so if I needed TNT I was stuck! They can't exactly give me anymore... They probably don't know I used it all on the first portal, so I will probably need to go and procure some myself. This my involve getting up close and personal with a Creeper! If I could trap one, maybe I could study it, or let HoN Co. study them! I don't know how I'd trap one though...

     The message has been sent, along with all the information I have found out or discovered within the last few days... They will know about the storyline stated in the book, they will know about the figure, THEROS... surely enough to send another team down! I'll probably have to wait a few days whilst they "check the records" but at least I have something to busy myself with!

Syeonyx signing off

Day 47: A long day...

     Today was a very slow day; I spent the entire day mining at the open-cast mine. However it is not really much of an open cast mine any more as it takes far too much time to dig out the entire area of exposed ground! Instead, I am simply digging a tunnel that follows the outline of the mine. I still cover a decent amount of ground, but I will need to mine out the rock and stone above at a later date if I can procure some sulphur for TNT! It actually got me thinking: I've got almost irrefutable proof that Creepers leave behind an explosive residue when they die, so maybe they can provide a healthy source of sulphur, or other explosive agent! I would need to either capture one alive - which seems practically impossible! - or kill one and extract the necessary agents from the corpse! I will only need to do that at a later date though, because I haven't found the other portal yet...

     As I got closer to the barricade that I had put up to block the strange tunnel, I thought about breaking through it and exploring again! If the portal was likely to be anywhere, surely it would be near to that strange cage thing was with the zombie! But the book had seemed to say that the portals are not usually protected, and are more than likely sitting dormant in enclosed caverns until activated by the figure from the other dimension! It was all gobbledee gook to me, but I tried my best to keep up with it... I spent many hours hammering away at the wall, favouring speed and efficiency over aesthetics... If I didn't have a job to do, I wouldn't be continuing this tunnel until I had finished removing the entire top layer of stone from the mine! At the moment however, it was a giant hole in the ground with a long staircase leading to a rather long and windy tunnel! I found masses of iron ore and coal, and I thought it would be a great time to make use of my new railtrack system! After returning to the half-way point, I smelted the ore down into blocks, and placed them into the cart. I then made use of a very basic steam engine which pushed the iron-laden cart along the tracks! I followed it along its path until it reached the forge, and was content with the result! The only problem with this system was it cost coal! If I could find a way to create a powered railtrack rather than a powered cart, I might be able to save on fuel!

     As it got later into the afternoon, my mind had wandered, and I began to look back on the past few days... I realised that, in reality, I was lucky to be alive! I don't think I had seen it in that light before, but in truth, I had battled strange creatures, made use of TNT in cramped places, braved lava pits and traps, and fought off zombies with arrows! I had a lot to celebrate! I deserved a break! I was about to walk off back to the house, when I heard rushing water, just beneath the surface of the rock... I picked up the diamond pickaxe again, and began digging again! Within a few moments, water began to pool at my feet... I continued until I made a sizeable hole in a wall which lead to a cavern! Was this the same type of cavern I had found before? Was it part of the other cavern, perhaps? Unlike the first one, it was dark; not lit with candles, fire or lava... I took out a torch, lit it and began to walk down into the small cavern... I found the water source; a spring had erupted from between some stone a few feet into the wall... After a bit of exploring, the cavern ended abruptly! After I checked each wall for ore, or possible tool markings, I was happy it was just another naturally formed cavern, and returned... I decided to call it a day there, and returned to the house; my arms were aching and I was still in a very lazy mood after realising my luck! After I got to the house, I rooted around in the chest in the kitchen, and found the ingredients I needed! If I was going to celebrate, I was going to do so in style!

     I spent quite awhile in the kitchen; I wasn't a very good cook, but I knew what I liked! Chiron was most intrigued by me when I kept dashing past the window covered in flour, and eventually joined me! He's already white, but the bits that weren't got a dusting for getting in the way! It had started to get dark when I finished it; a cake! A big, delicious cake made from nature's finest! I cut it into slices, and me and Chiron sat there eating it until I felt rather sick! I may have slacked off somewhat today, but tomorrow I will concentrate on the second portal... I was merely celebrating how good it was to be alive!

Day 46: Today saw the first blow against the unknown!

     Today is the day! Today is the day I destroy the portal at the temple, and begin the end of this mystery! This figure - whoever it is - will know that I am not going to take any more of this! If I can manage to to destroy this portal and then find find the final ones, I may be able to prevent them from coming back into our world! To be honest, I was a little bit scared...

     I woke up early, with my mind set on a single task: to destroy the portal! I packed my bag; some food, the TNT, a redstone fuse and lever, the book I found (for some reason...), the diamond pickaxe, and then I took up my bow and quiver! I left Chiron at home this time; with him running around, and me making use of explosives, I couldn't guarantee his safety. I said my farewells, hoping they would not be my last and locked him in the house after securing the porch. I then moved towards the pier, with only one thing in mind. I think it's the most concentrated I've been for a very long time! I placed the bag into the chest already on the boat, picked up the oars and began rowing to the island. It was like I was on autopilot; I was adamant that at the end of the day, there would be no portal, and no way back into the temple! After just under an hour, I had made it to the island; the tents were still there as if nothing had happened; no sign of any zombies of creatures spilling from the entrance! My only hope was that they didn't know what I was doing and stayed in the temple! I stepped from the boat, taking the bag from the chest and ensuring I had everything! Today was going to start with a bang!

     Remembering that the entrance at the dig site had collapsed due to my intervention, I made my way to the other entrance on the far side of the island. This entrance was easier to access as well because of its location to the surface and there was no need to go through loads of tunnels and traps to get to the portal. As I got there, I remembered how I felt when I had first emerged from it. It had taken me awhile to understand that this entrance had put me out on the same island, just on the other side! I felt elated; I thought I was never coming back here, but here I am! I vow now that this is the last time I shall come here, and before I leave I shall burn the tents too! There will be no evidence of people being on this island at all! Not on the surface at least...

     I descended the stairs, seeing the light at the base of the tunnel. This staircase, I recalled, lead directly from the back of the portal. All I had to do was rig up some TNT, blow it up and ensure that it was out of action. The return to the surface and destroy the entrance... easy! As I got closer, I noticed the dark purple surface of the obsidian, and I readied the TNT! The whole place made me shudder with fear; I wanted to do this as quickly as possible. I positioned the TNT atop the main platform of the portal and wired it up, placing the lever a few feet back up the staircase! There was enough TNT there to ensure it never worked again, but I had my doubts; TNT was largely ineffective against obsidian at the best of times! If it failed, I could hammer away at it with the diamond pickaxe to ensure it was never repaired! After a few minutes, I had everything prepared, and I attached the other end of the redstone fuse to the flint lever! Pulling it, I closed my eyes and covered my ears and waited for the bang! When it went off, it was like music to my ears!

     After the shaking had stopped, I opened my eyes and looked down where the portal had been! Nothing! There didn't seem to be a trace of the portal at all! Standing up, I removed my hands from my ears and looked around the base of where the portal had been, only to see a sizeable hole in its place! I walked down the remnants of the staircase, and observed the portal from the other side; the only remains of the portal hung precariously from the ceiling! This portal wasn't going to be used ever again!

     Content with the amount of destruction that I had wrought, I ascended the staircase, back to the entrance. Within a few minutes, I was back at the top, with one less thing to worry about. After I destroyed the entrance, there would be no way for the figure to gain access to my quadrant from this island! I just had to find the remaining ones and then I would be entirely secure... so long the hooded figure didn't create any more! I don't know how to create them; it is more than just an arrangement of obsidian... Something is needed to give it power... like the bolt of lightning did for Frankenstein's monster! Was that it maybe? A bolt of lightning? It can't be... channeling electrical energy so remote like that is nigh on impossible! But then again, I had never imagined creatures could commit acts of great destruction by blowing themselves up! I took the remaining blocks of TNT from my bag and placed them just inside the entrance. If I got this just right, I could not remove the entrance entirely, but also flood the internal workings of the tunnel! I readied the fuse wire with the TNT and flint lever...

     I pulled the lever and took cover behind the tree, eyes closed, and fingers in ears! Once again, a huge roar managed its way past them and a thunderous shaking began and then eased off! After awhile, I opened my eyes and looked at the remains of the entrance! I could hear running water, and went to investigate!

     The entire entrance had disappeared completely! All that remained were the two torches which stood as reminders to its existance! I dug these out of the ground, and watched as mass amounts of water poured down into the tunnel! In a matter of minutes, the entire tunnel network would be flooded and there wouldn't be anything left alive down there! I made my way back to the tents, and readied my flint lighter! I had decided that I was going to burn them this time. I didn't want there to be any trace of their existance, nor that of any people being here at all! When I got to the tents, I went back through the chests that were there, making sure I had taken everything of use, and then I set fire to the fabric of both tents! I watched awhile as the tents quickly went up, along with the contents! After an hour, there was nothing left of the tents apart from a smouldered patch of grass that would easily regrow in time! Before I left, I went over to the dig site, wondering if it was necessary to fill this in with water as well, but as I peered down, I noticed a trickle of water had already begun seeping through the ruined entrance! The water from the entrance had seeped through to the other side already! I didn't think it possible, but the amount of water, combined with the pressure must have forced it up the numerous passageways and stairs! I left the site and went back over to the boat, putting the useful stuff into the chest and getting in. It was going to be a boring journey back, now that I didn't really have anythign to do.

     I've just read through the book again, and this THEROS mentions my mine! I think they're referring to the open-cast mine I started awhile back, but never really managed to get into! They said that there is likely to be another portal near to the mine! Are they referring to the small tunnel I found which I barricaded off? No, wait they can't be... They said that only the portal I destroyed was protected. The other portals were likely to be contained in small chambers that were not protected... This is probably to reduce the chance of them being found... which meant I had to continue digging! At least I have something to do for the next few days... So long as the hooded figure doesn't know what I've done, and tries to come after me! For now, I'm going to rest with Chiron; I think I've earned it!