Dawn of Night Chapter Six: Phantom Present

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Johanna yawned as daylight streamed into her window. As she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she was bombarded with the echoes. Every night that she slept, she had nightmares in which her boyfriend would die over and over again no matter how hard she tried to save him. And in her waking hours, she could see his face haunting her from every corner, memories popping up and cutting into her sanity. At this point, her desire for revenge was the only thing keeping her from stopping her miserable existence. Tired, she stood up and walked out of her tiny room. On the way out, she grabbed her fish and honey from the outside chest. As she walked down the bridge of her cursed home, she kept her eyes and ears peeled for anything suspicious. This was easy since most of Pandoria City simply pretended that the undead weren’t attacking. All she needed to find was someone whispering about the attacks, or just whispering at all. *You would only whisper if you didn’t want anyone else overhearing you.*

Months had passed since the Necromancer attack. Ever since then, Johanna had kept her senses sharp as she searched for proof of Necromancers. When miners came back from the mines, she would ask about what had happened below. Most gave her weird looks, but they all answered her questions. All of them denied that Necromancers existed, which of course was infuriating. *How else do you explain the heightened attacks from the Undead?! And how would you explain their gear and white eyes?!* Even worse, she was strictly forbidden from saying that Necromancers existed. *No need for unnecessary fear in the populace,* Johanna thought sarcastically. So far, she had found nothing, a fact that irked her to no end. *How are they hiding so well?*

Johanna had been avoiding the mines herself on purpose for all those months. She had been terrified of it because of what had happened there. *I might not keep my sanity if I go down there.* But that had not been an option. Her mother had needed money after the rest that came from mining had all run out. Now, in order to support her family, Johanna had been forced to go back to the mines. Because of that, she went to the Headquarters after she finished her breakfast.

Just like always, guards stood all over the place. Most were huddled in close groups while they whispered about*…the attacks!* Johanna slunk over to where a pair of guards were rolling dice as they waited for their charges. The taller one, a Human with a gravelly voice and large mustache, was whispering to the smaller Felina guard. “I’m telling you, there is something unnatural about these attacks! The Undead have never been coordinated, and yet now they are striking in key locations with what appears to be strategy. Plus, they are all armed and armored in ways they couldn’t have figured out on their own!”

Johanna smiled as she left the pair. *At least they aren’t all blind. Many know that something is up, even if they don’t know about the Necromancer.* Johanna craned her neck as she scanned the large room for her new guard. As it turned out, her brother had been chosen to be her new guard. When she found him, she did a double take. *He’s changed,* she marveled. Now Kaybeth was taller (a little over six foot) and his muscles were much more defined than the scrawniness he used to have. His dirty blond hair now had blue highlights. His kaleidoscope eyes and weary posture were the only things that had remained unchanged. When Kaybeth spotted his charge, he offered a sad smile. Every time he gave that smile, Johanna’s heart broke again. *He was the best friend of Daniel. He had broken when Daniel died!* Johanna could see her brother’s expression perfectly as she remembered that moment. *The numbness, the pain, the sadness.*

Johanna went to the lectern to sign in, then she and Kaybeth headed down the ladders leading to the mines. As they went down, Kaybeth cleared his throat. “Johanna, I know how hard Daniel’s death has been hard on you. But you shouldn’t shut out your family,” Kaybeth pleaded, “Let us help you!” Johanna stopped in shock, and couldn’t stop the snarl that came out. “Oh, just like you helped me with the mayor, shaking your head and thinking I was insane! Yeah, you did a perfect job at being helpful, Mr. Disbelief!” With a swift hop, Johanna hit the ground and turned to walk to the mines, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned around to see Kaybeth gazing at her with intense sorrow. “I know I didn’t handle that well,” He sighed, “But I was still in shock. I believe you saw something. It may or may not have been Necromancers.” Kaybeth spread his hands calmly as he continued. “But I know someone did that to him. No Undead could have beaten him! And the attacks have been too coordinated to not be led by an intelligent life form. I know that you don’t like me right now, and you have every right not to. But Daniel was my friend too, and if I can, I must find out who was responsible.”

Johanna simply shook his hand off. “Then you should have come earlier instead of months after.” Without saying another word, she set off at a brisk pace. She heard her brother heave another sigh from behind her, but he didn’t try to force any further conversation. Determined to do some investigation as she mined, Johanna went to the ravine where she had been mining on the night of the murder. She shivered as the flashbacks hit her one after another. *The look in his face, the sword through him, the black of the Necromancer, the stench of the Undead.* She didn’t realize she was shaking until Kaybeth caught her shoulder. “Are you sure this is a good idea,” He gazed into her eyes for confirmation, “We don’t have to do this if it’s too much.” Johanna rolled her eyes as she steeled her nerves. With a deep breath, she continued through the ravine and to the exact spot where Daniel had died.

From there, it was standard mining. Johanna couldn’t seem to find anything. No matter how many cave systems she found, they were never the right ones. She actually lucked out and found many ores. As usual, there was slight danger in the form of a few gravel cave inns and spiders. Each time, the problem was dealt with. With her keen eyes and ears, Johanna dodged any falling gravel, while Kaybeth used his fighting expertise to swiftly deal with the creepy crawlies. However, things got interesting when Johanna discovered an abandoned mineshaft. Kaybeth had tried to insist on going in with her, but Johanna managed to convince him to stay. “I’ll be fine,” She promised her disbelieving brother. He knew better than to argue as she would force her way if he didn’t agree.

Once inside, Johanna looked around. At first, she was disappointed. *There’s nothing here except chests with the normal stuff.* She wrinkled her nose at the rotten flesh that she saw in one of the chests. The next chest was the same, and the next, and the next. *Wait a second,* Johanna realized with suspicion. *All these chests hold nothing but rotten flesh, which means this place was already looted!* Johanna frowned as she comprehended the impact of this knowledge. *And no miner has set foot in here yet since there are no other tunnels leading her except the cave system I found.* *So who would have been here?* Unfortunately, her question was answered a second later.

Johanna’s ears perked as the metallic thud of footsteps echoed through the large cavern the abandoned mineshaft was in. She frantically looked around for a hiding spot, when she spotted a large pile of iron ore a few blocks away. Just in time, she dived behind the pile to avoid detection. A second later, a troop of Husks marched by in full iron armor. Each one carried an iron sword and had iron picks strapped to their backs. When she saw who was leading them, her breath caught as her blood roared in her ears. *The Necromancer!* Part of her, the part that was raging, wanted to jump out and kill the Necromancer, but she doubted she would last long against all those Husks. Plus*…I need to avenge Daniel, and the only way to do that is if I destroy ALL of the Necromancers for what their order did to him.* So Johanna calmed herself and waited. Once they had passed, she snuck away from the ore pile and began to discreetly follow the Undead horde. She made sure to keep distance between her and the squad up ahead to avoid being caught when they stopped.

It seemed like entire hours had passed. Up until this point, it seemed like the Necromancer didn’t know where he was going. They had passed through dripstone caves, lush caves, cave systems, and countless other places. Johanna enjoyed the view, from the golden and soft glowberries, the green particles of the overhead blossoms, to the razor sharp dripstone, to the bats and noises. But still. *They just keep walking!* That’s when she realized that the group had stopped. Johanna stopped as well and took in her surroundings. This was a biome she had never seen before, and it was rather intriguing. The area around her consisted of deepslate with strange blocks all around. The area was dark and oddly silent for a cavern. Johanna bent to study one of the mystery blocks that was right next to her. It was dark blue with shifting blue lights all over it. A few other blocks similar to it were mixed in with the terrain. One looked like a mystery block and a bone base had been combined. Another looked like a mystery block cut in half with bone spikes coming off the sides. As she watched, it let out blue waves as it unleashed a horrendous shriek. Johanna took a step back from the intensity of the shriek and accidentally set off another block nearby. This one looked like the mystery block had been turned green with waving tentacles on top. Curious, Johanna took another step, this time forward. The block immediately reacted with a click as its tentacles lit up and waved frantically. *Strange. These plants seem able to detect motion.*

As the Necromancer and his unit went in, Johanna pondered how she was supposed to get inside. The building in front of her was like no other. It was overrun with the mysterious blocks. It appeared to be made of deepslate that had been changed into tiles, bricks, smooth variants, and some even seemed to have a face chiseled into their forms. The whole building appeared to be lit by soul lanterns from what she could see. Johanna looked around and smiled mischievously as she spotted a hole in the crumbling walls of the ancient building. Crouching, she snuck through the hole. When she was in, she sucked in a breath as she took in the entire structure. *It’s large enough to be an entire city!* Much of it was open space, but it still had some structure. It had many walls and hallways, some of which looked like a ribcage. Giant pillars and redstone lanterns could be found lining some of the hallways. Dodging the Undead and Necromancers prowling around, she continued her unplanned tour of the Necromancer base. Some of the rooms were shrine-like, lit by candles. And in the center, a huge almost statue-like structure stood. It appeared to resemble a large gaping mouth on a massive rectangular face with two massive tentacle-like ears. It was crumbled and in need of repair, but it, just like the rest of the city, had a terrible beauty to it.

As she snuck through the city, going from shadow to shadow, she was horrified to see just how many Undead and Necromancers were in the base. *There must be hundreds, and this may be just one of their bases!* As she headed towards the center of the mammoth base, she heard a scratchy voice in one of the shrine rooms. With the agility of a feline, Johanna clambered up to a dark corner of the room’s wall. Satisfied that she couldn’t be seen, she crouched down and listened to the conversation below.

Johanna studied the speakers. One was an old Ardoni with red markings. On his back, a double bladed diamond sword glinted with purple enchantment. “I have been patient and have fulfilled my part of the agreement Tyrius,” The Ardoni was saying, “Where is my alliance?!” The other speaker rasped a laugh. Johanna was shocked at who she saw. It was around the average human height and seemed to be a male. He was cloaked in a dark blue robe and wore a wither skeleton skull helmet. Worst of all was his headpiece, a crown of white bone. His hands and feet were covered by bone gloves and boots. His robe opened in his chest area to show a glowing soul fire blue rib cage on a dark green chest. Slipped over his shoulder was what appeared to be a wither spine with the heads still attached. The only thing visible about the bony figure was his solid, glowing, soul fire blue eyes . Johanna watched in horrified fascination. The figure finished his laugh and addressed the Ardoni. “Nightsinger, you have yet to truly deliver. You promised us the power to take revenge on Felden and all of Ardoni for what they did to us and our leader! But I have yet to see power.” The Necromancer continued with a growl. “You have not yet gained the Prime Songs, and you have no powerful allies. The Unyielding Legion is hardly an army. And our enemies that would crush us are still at large. The Nether chief among them, and you have not the power to defeat them!” The Necromancer began to circle the Nightsinger slowly and deliberately. “I have become known as the Dark King. Do you know why?” The Dark King didn’t wait for the Nightsinger to answer. “I have harnessed the power of this city and of the strange substance of skulk and soul. Using this power, I have tamed beasts of unimaginable power, of whom I prefer to call Wardens. For ages they have been considered myths, much like us Necromancers. They were said to protect the cities of the Old Empire from the tendrils of the Nether and the fate of the End. But when it fell, the souls of its guardians became part of the very thing that destroyed them! But I have found them once more and summoned them.” The Dark King threw back his head and laughed with his arms stretched to the sky. “And now, by controlling their souls, I have managed to get an army of the powerful creatures in existence. But yet,” The Dark King shook his head as he lowered his arms, “I still do not have the strength to bring down all of Ardonia. Come back Nightsinger, when you have properly met my demands. Destroy the Ardoni who could challenge my army and find another army to aid us. Only then will the Necromancers help you, Vector Voltaris. Now, you must excuse me. It is time for my men and I to launch our attack on Pandoria. The city, according to our spies, knows too much about our order. It is time to begin to get revenge against Felden.” The Ardoni bowed his head and left, as did the Dark King a second later.

Johanna felt her body shake as she realized what all the talk had meant. *They’re planning to attack my city! My brother, my family, my friends, everyone! Her expression hardened with determination. I won’t fail them like I failed Daniel. Don’t worry, I’m going to stop this!* As she slipped off the wall and began running from the city, she couldn’t help but feel the pain from all those months ago. *I wish you were here Daniel. You were a true warrior. You would know what to do.* Johanna went quickly, but made sure not to get caught. *If they catch me, I have no chance of saving Pandoria!* Once she had reached the cities outside, she doubled over and attempted to catch her breath. In her mind she did quick calculations. *If they are going through that tunnel on the right, which I imagine they will, it will take them a mere hour to reach the city!* Off in the distant right was a tunnel. Johanna assumed it was made for direct access to the city, since Pandoria was in the direction the tunnel was leading to. *If I go through the tunnel, I might make it before most of them! But I’ll need a disguise.* Just then, a Necromancer passed. Using the sharp point of her pickaxe, Johanna bashed the Necromancer in the head. Then, as silently as she could, she donned the robe and mask of the fallen Necromancer.

Swiftly, she joined a steady line of Necromancers that were headed for the tunnel. Luckily, this was the first group, which meant there was still a chance she could warn the city before the attack got out of hand. The inside of the tunnel seemed to be a ton of linked mineshafts, all cutting through the earth and towards Johanna’s family. Johanna was deep in thought, trying to plan, when a glint towards the right caught her eye. She turned her head to see what it was, and was less than thrilled. *Water.* She shuddered at the thought of it, then thought of something. *I know this cave system. This is the one that leads to the aquifer that feeds Lake Panda. If I can swim to the Lake, I’ll shave a few minutes off travel! I’ll reach the city before this army does!* Johanna was probably the only Felina who actually liked water. This was because, when she was seven, her brother wanted to protect her. So he had taught her to swim so that she could never drown. Because of this, Johanna had never felt scared of the water. It still wasn't her favorite form of transport, but she could go into water easily. *I hope this works.* Johanna fell back in the line until the other Necromancers and Undead had gone ahead of her. Without a second thought, she ran into the cavern and swam into the stream. It did in fact lead to the aquifer she was looking for. As she swam through it, Johanna watched the axolotls and glow squids around her in wonder. Whenever she could no longer hold her breath, she would break a block in the ceiling, opening a pocket of air to breathe. Then, with a deep breathe, she would plunge back into the water. After an eternity, Johanna could see sunlight above her. I’m in Lake Panda now! She broke through the surface and swam to shore. When she reached shore, she tore off the mask and robe she was still wearing.

With all her strength, Johanna sprinted to the ladders outside the lake. Just as she had hoped, the ladder led straight to the Headquarters. When she opened the trapdoor and stepped in the room, the room fell silent. In it were Kaybeth, Mayor Lucan, Commander Nika, and several other high ranking officials. Kaybeth was the first to break the silence as he ran and crushed Johanna in a hug. “Where were you?!” Kaybeth’s voice was fierce. “I looked everywhere for you and couldn’t find you!” Johanna paid him no mind. Breaking his hug, she ran to the mayor. “Sir, I say it for myself! The Dark King,” she was gasping and shaking now, “He has sent an army of Necromancers and Undead to destroy the city and eventually take revenge against Felden!” *Please believe me! Please!* Lucan frowned at her, clearly disappointed that she was pursuing this matter. “I told you not to spread those lies!” His voice was firm with anger. “Where would you have possibly found evidence for such ridiculous claims?” Johanna shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, mayor. What matters is that we get this city safe!” Lucan was about to rebuttal, but a Felden guard runned in, doubled over with exhaustion as he gasped for breath. He delivered his message between gasps. “Sir, we are under attack!” Lucan’s face went slack with shock. “Undead, an army of them! All armed and armored beyond their capability! They have white eyes and they are burning the place down!” Lucan immediately began barking orders around. “Johanna, get the fire brigade. Nika, we need the guards ready for battle!” Nika nodded and everyone began to bustle around, until the messenger spoke in a raspy voice. “And sir, the leaders of the Undead,” his eyes were filled with fear, “are Necromancers.” Then, stunned with fear, they all froze. Terror, shame, and horror raced through Johanna as the full weight of the situation hit her. *It's too late! The Undead army is already here!* She turned her head skyward and closed her eyes. *I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry Daniel. I've failed you yet again.*

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