by Matt Forbeck
Secure with the Orb hovering at the top of his staff, Archie marched over to the redstone golems and let the Orb eradicate any of the husks too stubborn to leave once their friends began turning to ash. In the end, three of the golems stood next to Archie, tall and mostly unharmed. The others remained crumbled in the sand, unmoving.
Some of the Undead mobs moved in the direction of the Illager raiding party, but they did so as individuals rather than as a group. The Illagers picked them off one at a time as they came closer. Between that and Archie lancing away any Undead that came near him, the area was soon emptied of such mobs.
It was then that the leader of the raiding party came over to introduce himself to their savior. Archie let the glow of the Orb of Dominance return to its standard intensity so the Illager could stop shading his eyes. When the leader lowered his hand, Archie immediately recognized him as Thord, who gawked up at him as if he had returned from the dead.
“Archie?” Thord said in awe. “Is that you?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
If Archie thought the Illagers in the raiding party had been happy to see him before, they were flat-out thrilled to discover that he was one of their own. They smiled from ear to ear and clapped him on the back and congratulated him on having done so well for himself. They were too astonished at being alive to summon much jealousy of him, at least for the moment.
None of them mentioned the fact that he had been banished from the Illager camp for having supposedly ruined the last raiding party. Archie wasn’t foolish enough to think that was due to them realizing Thord had lied about that. They were just too craven to dare to disappoint their new Illager hero.
He had to admit, he enjoyed every bit of their praise and attention. He’d known many of them for years, but before this, few of them had been willing to do more than sneer at him as they walked by. To have them give him unreserved adulation warmed every bit of him.
Thord, for his part, remained silent. At first he simply seemed to be in shock—perhaps from having nearly been killed in battle once again—but later Archie caught the evoker looking at him and shaking his head in disbelief. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Archie had gone from such a weakling to becoming the most powerful Illager ever.
Archie decided not to lord this over Thord—yet. It was more satisfying to pretend he didn’t notice the Illager’s evident dismay rather than rub his nose in it.
He is jealous of you. He believes he should have control of me instead.
Archie gripped his staff tightly, with both hands. He would never let anyone take the Orb of Dominance from him. Never.
Do not worry. My destiny is intertwined with yours, not his.
That allayed Archie’s reflexive fears, at least for the moment.
When the hubbub all died down, Archie beckoned Thord over to speak with him. The evoker hesitated for a moment, unsure of how it would look for him to be showing Archie such respect, but he complied.
“Thank you for saving us,” Thord said reluctantly. It clearly hurt him to say out loud that he had needed Archie’s help. “Walda will be happy to hear of our triumph.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve had one,” Archie said. He discovered he was unable to resist needling Thord. The Illager had bullied him for so long that he certainly deserved it. “I seem to recall your last raiding party was a total disaster.”
Thord coughed in surprise and then immediately changed the subject. “We need to get back to the camp to report to Walda.”
We can’t just let them walk away. We need them on our side. Invite her to meet with you.
Archie nodded to Thord, as if he’d been considering what the Illager was saying rather than listening to the Orb of Dominance. “Please tell her that I would like to speak with her in my fortress.”
Thord nearly choked. “Fortress? You have a fortress?”
Archie pointed off to the north. “It’s called Highblock Keep. It’s on the northeast coast. Head north from here but keep well away from the Desert Temple. You can’t miss it.”
Thord frowned. “Didn’t your monsters kill the necromancer already?”
Archie stopped to ponder that. If the necromancer was dead, maybe Thord had a point.
The Desert Temple is the home of many necromancers. Killing one of them is hardly enough to put an end to their reign of terror.
“Don’t be foolish,” Archie told Thord. “That was just one necromancer. The desert is lousy with them.”
Thord grunted. He might have sensed that Archie wasn’t being entirely straight with him, but he wasn’t about to call him a liar—not in front of all the other Illagers he’d just saved.
“All right. I’ll let Walda know.”
“I expect to see her—and the rest of the tribe—soon,” Archie said. With that, he turned on his heel and marched back into the night. He made a point of not looking back as he went.
Archie led his three remaining redstone golems back toward Highblock Keep. He surveyed them as they trundled after him, and he felt dismay that he’d already lost so many of them in the battle with that necromancer.
If the Desert Temple was the home to several necromancers, Archie was in trouble. It wouldn’t take too many more fights like that before he ran out of his redstone golems.
“You said we could make more of the golems,” he said aloud, once they were long out of earshot of the remnants of the Illager raiding party. Even so, he kept his voice low. He didn’t want anyone to know he was speaking with his Orb.
We just need a source of redstone—and incredible heat. Then we can build the Fiery Forge, where crafting such golems is done.
Archie thought once again of the river of lava that he’d raced past while trying to avoid the Undead on his way north. That seemed like maybe it would fit the bill. If lava wasn’t hot enough to feed this special forge the Orb was talking about, what else could be?
Yes. The lava fields to the west should work nicely. Well done.
Archie felt a little glow at the fact that he’d brought something to their partnership that the Orb of Dominance hadn’t expected. Perhaps there was a good reason the Orb had wound up in his hands after all. It was easy for him to doubt his good fortune, and bits like that made it feel more like he actually deserved it.
He was eager to head straight for the lava fields and get to work, but he worried that Walda and the Illagers might show up while they were there. If that happened, he didn’t want them to turn around and leave. After all, he needed them for his army, right?
We will prepare Highblock Keep for their arrival. They can help us build the Fiery Forge.
Archie liked that plan.
The sun was high in the sky before they made it back to Highblock Keep. Once they were over the drawbridge and back on the island of the Obsidian Pinnacle, Archie finally felt safe. He returned the remaining redstone golems to their dungeon and then went looking for a place to rest.
The Orb led him to a fantastic set of chambers in the highest tower of Highblock Keep. It featured windows that looked out over the lands to the south so that Archie could always see anyone coming his way. To his relief, no one was heading in his direction, so he felt like he could finally relax.
The Orb showed him to a bed that seemed so fresh and new that the Orb must have crafted it for Archie on the spot. He wanted to discuss the plans for furnishing the remainder of Highblock Keep in appropriately grand fashon, hopefully before Walda and the rest of the Illager tribe arrived. He wanted to stun them with his wealth and power, after all.
The moment his head hit the pillow on his massive new bed, though, Archie instantly fell asleep.
When he awakened, he saw the rays of a new dawn breaking. He had slept throughout the entire night and into the next day. While the good rest left him feeling ready and refreshed, he worried that the Illagers would be knocking o
n his door at any moment.
He spent the rest of the morning working with the Orb of Dominance to get as much of Highblock Keep in order as he could. While the Orb was immensely powerful, there was so much to do that it felt like an impossible task. For the first time, he understood what the Orb meant when it said that Archie needed an army. Even when it came to furnishing Highblock Keep, he couldn’t do it alone.
The moment his ambitions went beyond that, he’d run into disaster, at least as far as his redstone golems were concerned. Sure, he’d beaten the necromancer, but it had cost him dearly. If he couldn’t replace the golems—or, better yet, increase their numbers—he wouldn’t be the ruler of Highblock Keep for very long.
Archie labored all day long to get the keep in shape. With waves of his staff, he summoned rich, thick carpets to cover the floors of the largest rooms. He put beds in the rooms and barracks, waiting for Illager heads to rest upon their pillows. He conjured up countless blue banners to hang on the walls, lending a badly needed splash of color to the place. To that end, he also designed stained-glass windows in many rooms, which filled the place with dazzling patterns when the sunlight hit them just right. He even spent time crafting statues of himself in strategic areas—all of them a bit larger than life, to make him seem even more impressive—if only to remind his guests who owned the place.
It was hard work and seemingly endless, but Archie wanted to make a good impression on the other Illagers. If they showed up to a dump that felt like little more than a pile of rubble stacked up against the sea, many of them would start to wonder what they’d gotten themselves into—and how soon they could leave. When they arrived, he wanted to stun them with the luxury of his home and inspire in their hearts both jealousy and awe.
After all, his Illager clan wasn’t the only one in the land. Once his tribe settled in, he would send some of them back out into the world to spread the news. To tell every Illager they could find that there was a new place they could gather. A new banner under which they could rally. A new Illager ruler who was sure to lead them all to untold glories.
At the end of the day, the Illagers still hadn’t arrived at Highblock Keep. In retrospect, Archie should have realized that would be the case. Thord and his raiding party would have to limp all the way back to the Illager mansion and then convince Walda they weren’t lying or at least hallucinating about Archie having become so powerful since his banishment began.
Then Walda would want to pack up all of the Illagers and their things and bring them along with her. She never went anywhere without her people. Sure, she would send the raiding party out to attack things, but she never departed from the mansion. Her place was there, she always said.
And moving that many people at once always took longer than it should. They’d get there, but it would take time.
We can be patient. We will need them all.
Archie agreed with that. However, he didn’t want to sit around the keep for days, even if there was plenty for him to do. He wanted to ignite the Fiery Forge.
So we shall.
Archie was so excited about it, he decided to start out that night. He no longer feared the Undead or any other mobs that might be wandering around in the dark. Not while he had the Orb of Dominance at his side.
The Orb insisted that they bring along one of the remaining redstone golems on their trip, and Archie wasn’t inclined to argue. A part of him wanted to leave them all behind to protect his new home, but if he was killed while strolling about, what good would control of the keep do him then?
This time, he—rather than the Orb—led the way. He strode out of Highblock Keep and turned west. After skirting around the hollow mountain, he followed his old path back toward the lava rivers he’d spotted on his way there.
It seemed like perhaps the sun had decided to rise in the west, but he knew that the glow came from the heat of the molten rock flowing through that land. Soon after that, the lava flows heaved into sight, and Archie came to a halt to take in the view in all its awe-inspiring glory.
The last time Archie had been in the area, he’d been too busy fleeing the mobs hounding his steps to take any time to appreciate the stark beauty of the area, especially at night. The glowing lava lit up the region, casting a reddish glow over everything around. It flowed from the tops of the mountains that ranged before him all the way down to the level on which Archie stood.
The light, the heat, and the stench of ash and sulfur in the air gave the place an otherworldly feel. It seemed so far removed from the plains the Illager tribe generally wandered, and Archie had to wonder what—if anything—could actually live there.
Creatures made of redstone can live here. They can be crafted here. They can thrive here. But they require your protection from heat like that.
At first, Archie wasn’t sure what the Orb meant, but when it pulsed with power, he realized its intent. “Ah,” he said as he waved his staff at the redstone golem he’d brought with him. A bit of the Orb’s glow seemed to separate from it and drift out to the creature. There it settled upon it, coated it from one end to the other, and then seemed to be absorbed into its rocky skin.
Immediately thereafter, the redstone golem strode forward, right past Archie. The fact that it had begun moving on its own surprised him, and he scrambled to catch up with it. The massive creature walked straight down to the nearest lava flow and stood by its edge as if it was contemplating walking straight in.
Then it did just that.
Archie gasped, afraid that the redstone golem would be destroyed. Rather than melting into the lava, though, it stood there, knee-deep in the glowing rock, as if it had just waded into a delightful hot spring. After a moment, it turned around to regard Archie again.
It knows where you need to go. Let it take you.
Archie didn’t understand what that meant until the redstone golem reached out over the edge of the river of lava with its massive hands. When the hands came down to Archie’s level, he carefully climbed up on top of them. As the redstone golem straightened back up, he scrambled onto its shoulders without any concern for how undignified he might look.
Without prompting, the redstone golem turned and waded farther into the river of lava. As the lava rose over the creature’s waist, Archie began to question the wisdom of letting the golem haul him deeper into the withering heat. He glanced back at the shore with a longing look.
Over his better judgment, he let the golem forge ahead. At no point did the lava rise higher than the redstone golem’s armpits, which was plenty close enough for Archie. He began sweating profusely and wondered how far into the region they would have to go before they found what the golem was after.
After the redstone golem made it across the river of lava, it turned and headed toward the deepest crevasse in the region. Once they reached the edge of it, the golem carried Archie down a series of switchback trails that led deep below the surface. Eventually, as dawn broke in the sky high above them, the golem found the entrance to a cave, and it stopped for Archie to climb down from its shoulders and stand on his own feet.
That is where we need to go.
Archie wasn’t fond of the idea of exploring whatever lay beyond the cave’s entrance, but with the Orb at his side and the golem right behind him, he felt as safe as he could possibly be. He passed through the mouth of the cave and found himself in a massive cavern that extended as far as the Orb’s glow could reach. Redstone and diamond lined the walls, and he realized he’d discovered a place filled with more riches than he could ever have conceived.
This is exactly what we need.
Archie strode into the cavern, straight down its sloping floor, where he discovered a gigantic pool of lava formed by a cataract that tumbled down from the chamber’s distant ceiling.
Here is where we can start to build the Fiery Forge.
Archie was relieved to hear that. Now that they’d
found the location, though, he wasn’t sure how to start.
First you need to build a mold. Then we can mine redstone to fill it.
That made sense to Archie. He just needed to find something strong enough to craft the mold out of. It needed to be tough enough to withstand the heat and the power he would have to bring to bear on it. Only one substance would do.
He raised his staff and waved it at the nearest wall. Raw diamond cleaved away from the rock there and floated over to him. He worked like this until he had enough of it, and then he began to form it into the large shape of a golem.
Perfect. Now procure some redstone to place into the mold.
Archie pointed his staff at another part of the wall. The stone there cracked and gave way, and a large chunk of redstone emerged from it. At Archie’s direction, it floated over to the diamond mold that he’d made, and he brought it down to rest on top of that. He repeated this a number of times, until the mold was full.
As he watched, the tremendous heat from the lava cataract—or the lavafall, as he thought of it—went to work on the redstone. Archie realized that while the heat wouldn’t normally be enough to melt the redstone, the diamond must have helped intensify the heat to the point at which it could. The redstone grew even redder than before, and it soon lost its form and melted into a large pool of the substance within the mold.
“Amazing,” Archie said in awe. A sense of triumph overcame him, stronger than even the one he’d felt when he’d singlehandedly defeated the Undead attacking the Illagers. It was one thing to destroy and something else entirely to create!
Allow me to help you.
The material inside the mold looked like a statue of a redstone golem, a facsimile of it that lay there entirely bereft of life. Archie held the staff up high before him, and the Orb pulsed with power. After a moment, there was a sharp flash that seemed to move from the Orb directly into the inert redstone, setting the entire creature aglow. For a moment, it flared so brightly that Archie could barely see.
