TW: SWEARING, BETRAYAL, GENERAL HOSTILITY, ANXIETY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whilst the rest of the house slept, I lay awake, bathed in my thoughts, staring at Beau's bedroom ceiling. Tubbo and Ranboo were sleeping on the bunk beds in Tubbo's room whilst I took the second single bed in Beau's room. When they built the house, Tubbo made sure that there were four beds, one for each of them. I opted for the couch but Tommy insisted that it was better to sleep in a room with Beau that had proper heating. Another pro to add to Tubbo's house, he had a heating system. Downstairs was a bit chilly, but Tommy was thick-skinned enough to take it for a night.
My only issue was that it was going to be harder to sneak out.
Beau keeps snoring as I slip on a new set of old clothes since my caving clothes from today were still damp. Though, I wear my training shirt and wrap my fists instead of wearing a loose muslin shirt. Carefully, I open my bag and pull out the invisibility potion I knocked from Tubbo's workroom earlier. It is the only one we have, and I will need all of it to get through those tunnels again.
I refuse to fail again. When we were children, Amélie teased me about being a sore loser. That was the case when I would compete with her in training, but now losing carried more weight than the approval of my parents. Whatever comes next could determine the fates of all of our lives.
My hand touches the bedroom doorknob and I freeze. Beau sleeps soundly, curls in a tangled mess and wings sticking out at odd angles. She is oblivious to the fact that I'm leaving. All of them are. A twinge of guilt pricks at my conscience, but I shake it away.
It's fine, a voice says in my mind. They'll thank me when I come back and none of them had to get hurt. I only plan to investigate the caves some more until I get answers to my questions. Once that's finished, I'll come back and we'll have everything we need for a flawless plan. I set my jaw and push the door open.
I tiptoe down the stairs, refusing to so much as glance in Tommy's direction. One look at him and I know I'll be forced to stay. Like Beau, his deep breathing indicates that he's long gone and won't wake when I open the front door.
"Just promise me that you won't do anything stupid."
The front door closes softly behind me and I turn to the caving equipment that we had left out on the porch.
"Only if you promise to let me protect you if I need to"
The metal buckles of the harness clink together as I trudge through the gate to Tubbo's farm. I head for Alifero.
"You can't just-"
"The three of you mean the world to me. I couldn't live with myself if something went wrong, and I wasn't able to protect all of you."
Sweat coats me like a second skin, I press myself to keep hiking up the mountain. One foot after the other moving further and further away from Querencia. I let the distance from my friends numb my emotions.
"Let me protect you," Tommy pauses, dumbfounded, and then hardens his expression. He plucks one pretty red and white feather to match my plain brown one.
I drink from my water flask on the edge of the reservoir, staring down into its void. An updraft from the cave makes my brain hair flutter as I tie it back and put on my harness.
"Protect yourself," he holds the feather out to me.
The rope tightens around the tree and I check my harness one last time.
It's not something I can promise, the wiser part of me says. But for you, I'll do anything.
I match his feather with one of my own.
The concrete steps of the reservoir are slick with moss and once again I'm forced to use my hands as I climb down.
His hand is warmly wrapped around my own, holding me firmly but it doesn't at all feel tight.
My feet pause at the mouth of the chamber. Below me, the black water ripples in anticipation as if it was beckoning me to enter the depths. Something begs me to look to the sky. I listen to it and greet first light as it gently warms the cool, navy night sky, gradually tucking the stars away for the next few hours. It all reminds me too much of Tommy's eyes.
"I promise," he says.
"I promise, Tommy."
・꧁꧂・
The potion slides down my throat as I stare at the first lit lantern. In the distance, I could hear phantoms talking and decided that it would be safer to down the potion now. While the potion takes effect, I touch the hilt of Amélie's sword, willing the cool metal to comfort me. I discard the bottle in a dark corner by one of the support beams and set on my way. Until now, my nerves had been made of steel, but the second my eyes settled on the first phantom, my heart leapt into my throat. The possibility of getting caught was so high, but I had years of training and stealth experience.
Phantoms of all ages had taken pickaxes to walls or alcoves that had been formed after years of mining. Some of them seemed quite old, much older than Wilbur, and others seemed too young to be working like this, their faces bright and hands smaller than those on either side of them. They toss ores into crates which are then set into rusting mine carts. All of them wore tattered clothing and dusty boots, but most evidently they were more opaque than phantoms on the surface. Had their years of working in these caves, away from the sun that burns that, caused their bodies to be more solidified?
My heart thumps so loudly that I worry if they can hear it. As I get closer and closer to the source of it all, the number of phantoms grows. I squeeze between bodies, slimming myself like my life depends on it, and try to stay behind phantoms pushing minecarts since other phantoms seemed to avoid them. Muscles bulge and stones chip as they work together, collecting materials in a constant, steady rhythm. Their trained eyes know exactly where to look and their practised hands don't miss their mark once.
I swallow harshly and my throat scratches with nerves. There must be so many generations who have lived in these caves all their lives. How long had this been going on? Since the war? I don't remember there ever being a large population of phantoms in Alifero. Did these generations stretch back to the war? They may not even realise that the war has ended. Without conflict, there's no need to be tucked away here, returning is an option for all of them.
Sweat drips down my back the further I follow the minecarts. Heat rushes up and down my body feverishly and I wish I could get out of here. It was hot like I'd never felt the heat before. The stench was something else too. Clamouring bodies all packed together reeking of dirt, body odour and some other foul smell that clung to them like a bad habit. Resisting the urge to cover my nose was difficult, but the thought of touching myself and making my face warmer put me off.
The tunnel opens into another, much wider tunnel. Instead of just one mine rail, there are more than ten, each holding tens of phantoms pulling heavy carts stacked with ores or empty carts going to the mines to be filled. I squint at the light at the end of the tunnel as it blasts my face like an oven. Breathing becomes thick and heavy and the walls start to feel much closer than before.
I step off the rails into the gap between tracks and look around. Wiping wet hairs from my forehead I trudge forward to the light. The rumbling on minecarts was loud, but not as loud as the hissing and humming and whirring of heavy machinery ahead. I look down at my feet, trying to dodge the boiling air. I gasp for breath as the stink becomes so strong that the air feels poisoned. Why does it smell so horribly familiar? I've smelt this before, but where exactly I can't place. I don't look up until I see minecarts turning onto different tracks on either side of me.
Holy motherfucking shit.
Ginormous steel pipes take up my whole vision. They were fatter and wider than any tree trunk I had ever seen in my life, some as wide as Amélie's bedroom. I step onto the platform ahead of me and clutch the metal railing as minecarts disappear down tracks that line the sides of the cavern. The pipes all go down, into the source of the heat and awful stink, a lava lake, in a unified bundle. But as they rise, they splay out in different directions, searching for the place they're meant to be. The bulkiest pipe reached the highest and tunnelled into the solid rock wall above my head.
Metal stairs and platforms littered the top of the pipes. All of them swarming with Phantoms hammering bolts bigger than me with huge mechanised mallets, sparks flying as they weld and separate metals. Sheer volume abuses my ears from the sound of the machine managing the pipes as well as the hammering and sawing and welding. The platforms follow the pipes to the cavern's walls, connecting to more platforms and stairs made of scrap metal or carved out of the rock. I track the walls with my eyes gaping at the sheer size of the cavern. The roof was much farther than a hundred paces away and structures went all the way to the ceiling.
They've been operating from inside Mount Velikan. Glancing around, I spot daylight from behind the pipes. From the edge of the platform, I could see an exit that went straight outside, likely the only direct exit in this place. It looked to be a wide cave, one that was probably there before these phantoms ever arrived. Maybe it was how they got in here in the first place and now they use it to collect materials from the surface.
I stumble, gripping the railing, as the platform under my feet rattles. Looking down at the lava, nausea fills my stomach and I'm reminded of how little care is taken for safety. These phantoms walked on giant pipes and worked with machines that could do more damage than actual weapons.
Shouting draws my attention upwards to one of the pipes. Like ants to the queen, phantoms rush to the noise, swarming together to see what's happened. I squint looking for the cause.
My stomach flips and my heart palpitates in my chest. I cover my mouth with my hands as a single sob escapes me and my eyes grow glossy.
One of the pipes had burst and water gushed into the magma below. The steaming waterfall was what we had hoped to find. Our water is here, tucked away in this mountain, hiding in plain sight. Collected by old reservoirs and redirected through these pipes that weave through the extinct lava tubes. Though this place isn't extinct; it is dying. I wouldn't be surprised if the lava in here was the only large pool left. The natural hot springs are the only other locations where lava could be.
I look around for ways to get onto the pipes. Maybe there's a control bridge up there that we can sabotage, or plans for the machine I can steal. As I scan the crowded stone walls, my I'm drawn to the methodical entrances and exits from a particular platform. Phantoms file in and out in groups whilst other phantoms point them to minecarts or to another exit. Just watching I can see that more than a hundred phantoms are moving in and out.
The invisibility potion wouldn't have much left in it even though it had prolonged effects. I tuck my wings close to my body and weave through the rickety platforms and old stairs to the groups. Pressing myself against the wall, I keep out of their way to avoid detection. My pulse thuds in my ears and the sounds of general chatter, clanking and shouting increase as I get closer.
Around the corner, a warehouse-like cave filled with phantoms bustles with activity. Even from the door, I could see the organisation of each section. Moulders take metal in their hands and bend it on their anvils and sorters along the wall and put the metal into different minecarts.
I frown as I notice something about the metal. A minecart rolls past me on some tracks to the far end of the workshop. The wall is lined with safe-like machines each boasting a large metal lock in its centre. Next to the machines is a set of buttons, operates by a phantom each. My lips purse as I watch workers load the metal into the machine and then the other phantom presses a button. As one of the doors slowly shuts, I catch a glimpse of water pouring into the machine before it's locked. A horrible grinding sound indicates that the thing had turned on, but the interesting thing was how the metal started to glow red. Are they heating the metal and the water?
Carefully, I creep around the room and eye the metal. It was a dark colour that glistened in the light of the magma. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it. My legs carry me to one of the anvils to get a closer look. The phantom hammers the metal with more might than I've ever seen somebody work metal before. Not even moulding diamond armour to so much effort.
... It can't be. I look around the room again and see metal being pulled out of the giant safes. It glowed purple with heat.
Netherite. They're manufacturing netherite, the strongest and one of the rarest substances in the world. They're using the water to fabricate netherite, essentially halving the effort that it would have taken them to find ancient debris in the nether. Water doesn't exist in the nether, that must be why it's so rare and the intense heat and pressure of the climate makes the metal indestructible.
The sinking feeling in my stomach makes me feel like I'm going to vomit. This discovery will change the world forever. It was a great gift, but also a terrible truth. With this knowledge, armies can now rise into something far more powerful than what we've seen before. So many more people would die, and the destruction could be irreparable. My fist clenches tightly around my sword as I realise one more thing. This is the beginning of an army, this is the revenge that the phantoms were talking about. They're going to annihilate the surface.
Looking around, I take everything in. They were working hard, in tattered clothes and with determined faces. Their bodies were lean with muscle, but there was nowhere on this mountain for them to train. From what I've seen, everything here is a mine or a machine or a pipe. This army has been building for generations, but thank the stars that they in no way seemed ready to go to war tomorrow. Even so, I'm not prepared to sit around and wait. I need to fix this now, or else everybody is going to die.
A flash of grey catches the corner of my eye. I'm drawn to it like a magnet. A door closes on a platform above the workshop. Thin metal stairs lead me up onto a slightly dipped platform to a set of doors. I look back down at the workshop, tracing every station with my eyes. On the opposite wall, there's another viewing platform, only it leads into a control room. Behind the glass, phantoms in less-tattered clothes work metal boxes covered in buttons and lights. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and definitely important.
I set my jaw and open the door that the grey blur had disappeared through. My teeth grind together as my anger bubbles and my suspicions come to the surface. The door opens to a hallway carved out of stone, on the other side I could see the pipes from the main chamber.
Emerging from the hallway, I shield my face from the muggy heat of the volcano and focus on the pipes. I sheath my sword and walk on the platform, noticing how much sturdier it is than the other platforms. The noise from the machine is infinitely louder here and phantoms are shouting everywhere from pipes on either side of me and above my head. I feel as though I'm an ant walking on the branch of a giant, twisted mangrove tree. Through the pipes, the exit to the outside of the mountain taunts me. The thin daylight that creeps through the shallow cave was all I needed to make me yearn for fresher air.
The sound of rushing water fills my ears along with shouting. I break into a run, my feet slamming on the metal platforms and stairs as I ascend the pipes to the water source.
"FUCKING FIX IT!" I skid to a stop when I hear his voice and look up at the source.
Typhon stands in the middle, grey wings flaring angrily as he shouts and points, directing orders. He's still wearing his fucking grey suit, save for the blazer, and he looks as assholish as ever. I nearly growl as furious bees fill my stomach. I knew it would be him, there was nobody else it could have been. It makes sense now why he absolutely reeked with cologne, he was trying to cover up the scent of molten rock and freshly welded metal. I had smelt the same thing when I was in the nether with the boys. It makes sense why he wore so many layers and never seemed to sweat; his body was acclimatised to the volcano.
I reach for my sword, but two sets of arms grab hold of me. I yelp in surprise as the two phantoms restrict my arms and shout profanities in my ears. A glance down at my feet reveals how the invisibility potion was wearing off. I flickered in and out of sight, but I was more than noticeable. Had I been so caught up in my anger that I stopped paying attention?
The struggle to get away from them was futile. Other phantoms start taking notice and gathering around us. I try to use my wings and push them off but another phantom joins the fray and grabs them.
"BOSS!" one of them shouts. I whip up and see Typhon approaching, a cool look on his face as he wipes damp hair from his forehead. I can't help but glower at my enemy. He looks down his nose at me with a cunning thought behind his eyes.
"Disarm," he commands. I feel the grip of the phantoms around me falter in confusion that matched my own. What is he doing?
"Do not make me repeat myself."
Typhon's words sent shivers down my spine. The elytrian was more than a little scary, but I was too angry to feel anything else. The phantoms hesitantly retract from me and I step away from them, my hand hovering over the hilt of my sword.
Typhon smiles. "I always know that you were the smart one."
I wanted to roll my eyes, he was so cryptic and it made my blood boil that much more. "I had hoped you would find us."
My skull felt like it was going to split in two. "What the fuck do you think you're doing with the island's water. People are dying up there-"
"Sush child," I don't know why I let him cut me off. I hoped my glare was burning holes into his head. Typhon looks me up and down again, his expression unreadable. He analysed me carefully, just as all elytrians are taught to analyse their opponents before a fight. He smiles again. "Walk with me."
My back straightens and I raise my chin. Though I wanted nothing more than to sink my sword into this sick bastard, now was not the time to fight. It would do me well to listen to what he was going to say. Nodding, I force my feet to follow him down the pipe though my hand hovered over my sword the whole time and stares from phantoms prickle my wings.
We move away from the phantoms and up some stairs to a fatter pipe. My eyes don't leave Typhon for a second, letting my guard down could be the end of my life.
"I was tasked with a very special challenge from my father, and his father before him, and his father before him, all the way back to the war," Typhon's tone was measured. He reminded me of an actor and he played his role perfectly. Not stuttering once or pausing to remember his lines, he was polished to shine like metal on a shield. He guarded every word, only letting me see what he wanted me to see.
At least he had confirmed one thing, this disaster had started back in the war. The water crisis detailed in my great, great, great grandmother's journal could have been linked to this place. The building of the reservoirs had been an issue until they fell into disuse and could be utilised to steal water rather than collect it.
Typhon looks at me through the corner of his eye and walks up another set of stairs. "I, like you, was an outsider."
I suppress my instinctive scoff. You're nothing like me I think as we reach the top of the stairs and our destination. The largest pipe didn't need a platform to walk on it, it was more than wide enough on its own that we wouldn't slip off the side.
"I was a weak child, unable to have proper training and so I was bullied, much like how you were," Typhon continues. "Even when I attended the academy and was the best in my courses it was unrelenting."
He casts a pointed look in my direction. My lips purse into a line as I try to work out his motive. Why would he be telling me this?
"Only when I became a councilman did they respect me."
"How is any of this relevant to me, Typhon?" it takes everything in me to keep myself in check. Irritatingly, he chuckles at my question. The way that his mouth turned upwards in a smile upset me, there was nothing happy in it. It was creepy and sinister.
"You never beat around the bush, do you?" he remarks as his chuckles slow, and my finger twitches towards my sword.
"I am willing to give you anything you want," he continues to smile making me trust his words even less. "The acceptance and love you've craved and the revenge you deserve."
I stop walking.
He hardly knew me, but Typhon's words cut deep. There was a time when I would have lurched for affection and then sought revenge when I didn't receive what I wanted. A time when I fought, trained and studied like a maniac, neglecting myself in the name of competition. Years ago, when my only solace was found in the lagoon and hot springs, in stories of places just out of my reach and cheeky banter that I could never win.
But that time was gone and so was the bitterness that hard formed out of the loneliness in my heart. I've found a better way to live my life and have people who mean more to me than anything else in the world.
"You don't know anything about me-"
"I know how it feels to be avoided," my words catch in my throat. "To be looked down on and rejected in every way."
Typhon turns around to face me again, his hands clasped behind his back. "People like us shouldn't have to change for this world, the world should change for us."
My hands harden into fists and I know to what he's referring. Typhon doesn't give two shits about what I want, anything he could offer me would be offcuts of his fortune. The spoils he would reap from his revenge would be the end of so many lives. I look up at him as he starts chuckling again. For once, he misinterprets my resolve as realisation, spreading his arms wide as he gestures to his magnum opus.
"That's right, this is my army. The army that will lift all of us out of the darkness so that we will rule the world, not the Elytrians and Enderians. The misfits, outcasts and rebels will finally have a place to belong and a voice to speak with."
I shake my head. "Is that worth the deaths of thousands of innocent people?"
Typhon's smile drops with his hands. "If they stand in my way, they are anything but innocent."
Repressed anger boils to rage as the faces of the innocent people in Alifero come to mind. Typhon seeks revenge against elytrians, but the merlings, inchlings and phantoms on the surface will be massacred. Elytrians won't be the only ones assembling their armies, all the island's nations will mobilize against Typhon's threats.
I look around, taking in the sheer scale of the chamber of the volcano. Whenever he decides to attack, we will not stand a chance against him. This army is yet to be trained, but they're heavily armed not just with weaponry but with loathing. Typhon has brainwashed them all to hate everybody on the surface for forcing them underground, they may think the war continues today.
Right now, I am the only thing standing between Typhon and the deaths of my friends. My hand is drawn to the hilt of my sword like a magnet.
I will stand here until I'm laying broken on the ground and bleeding to death if it means I could protect my friends.
In a flash, my sword is centimetres away from Typhon's throat. He doesn't even flinch, instead, he meets my hardened glare.
"I can't let you kill all those people."
Typhon sighs as though he's merely bored by my actions.
He tuts. "Such a shame, I'd hoped for more from you."
He draws his sword.
~~~~
Hey guyyyyyyys
I'm tired and didn't proofread haha so if there are errors feel free to point them out and I'll go back and fix them later <3 We love Grammarly for covering for me but everybody knows it's a pretty shitty app...
My life is kinda hectic right now so if I miss one of the weekly updates, I apologise in advance.
I hope you're all having a wonderful morning/day/evening/night <33333
Remember, your feelings are valid and you matter :)