"Who goes there?" Lucan snapped awake and grabbed his sword. Inside their hastily dug hideout, even though it had been months since Feldon's fall, they have had little time to furnish it. Nikka snored lightly next to him, her eyes flitting from side to side, sending her long eye lashes waving about. She was smiling in her dreams.
"I hear you want to start a rebellion?" A gentle voice answered. It sounded like a woman's.
"That depends on who you are." Lucan moved towards the entrance. He could see a faint purple glow.
"May I enter?" The voice said, "I am an Ardoni. I come on behalf of the Knights of Ardonia."
"And what do you want?" Lucan came out of the cave, sword still raised. There he saw a light purple Ardoni with golden wings on her back.
"I come with a battle plan." Val said. "We will move to take back Meridian in a couple days. If we succeed, we can launch another assault on Feldon. Gal…I mean, our chief of intelligence, told me that I may find you here and assist us."
"And how will I do that?" Lucan lowered his weapon a bit.
"With this." Val held out a Nether Star. "It was freshly harvested from a Wither last night. Sneak this into the beacon at Felora and our forces will be able to come in."
"Alright." Lucan put his sword away and took the Nether Star. "How do I know which ones are my enemies?"
"We will be an army of Ardoni, Magnorites, dragons, and purple knights." Val replied, "but the red Ardoni are against us."
"Okay. One final question. How do I know if you have captured Meridian?"
"We will send our best messenger bird to find you here, in this…uh…secret base. Although" Val leaned in, "He's very cocky."
"Do you mean he looks like a chicken or..."
"Oh, you'll see when you meet him." Val prepared for takeoff. "If all goes according to plan."
Nikka parted the leaves. A convoy of humans and Felinas from a nearby village were pushed along the path of purple Netherrack and orange lava.
"This is the third convoy this week." Lucan joined her at the peephole.
"And it's about to be the last." Nikka drew her katanas.
"Nikka!" Lucan pulled her back. "We can't just charge in there!"
"Of course we can!"
"What if we hurt the civilians?"
Nikka replaced her weapons on her back. "You are right. I think we need to make a plan." The two retreated into the woods.
They approached a tree whose roots extended out for meters around. Between the convoluted vines, they found a small hole in the ground, the entrance to their base.
"They must be herding people from the smaller towns into the capital cities." Nikka observed. "I've heard similar things happening in the other kingdoms. We can't make a massive assault when civilians are in the way, nor do we have an army."
"You know, I've been thinking…" Lucan started.
"Uh-oh."
"I've been logically reasoning…" Lucan rolled his eyes. "The tunnels created by the Necromancers don't show up on any charts. I bet the Nether don't even know they exist. That could be our ticket in."
"Oh, getting in won't be a problem." Nikka smirked. "Both of us had our fair share of sneaking through those tunnels. But getting others out? The Nether will notice if we evacuate the entire city through a tunnel, secret or not."
"Last night, while you were smiling in your sleep," Lucan saw Nikka blush, her face turning a peachy pink. "An Ardoni approached our base. She gave me this."
"A Nether Star?" Nikka gasped,
"Yes." Lucan put the Star back in the inner pocket of his jacket. "I'll explain the plan later. We are not alone in this fight."
"Indeed, you are not." A man's voice came from the entrance. They both snapped to attention. The voice was too familiar to be good.
A figure walked in. He wore a faded black robe with a mask. On it was inscribed a red skeleton. He walked a bit limp as he carried the Wither staff in his hand.
"A Necromancer!" Exclaimed Nikka.
"Xaria." Hissed Lucan.
"The Felina girl and the imposter." Xaria said. "You are too easy to find. Perhaps the Necromancers can teach you how to build a secret base." He stopped at the gateway, blocking the slimmer of sunlight.
"But I am here to talk business. The Nether killed His Lordship, which makes them my enemy as well. Xan Voltaris, or the Necrolord as he was known to most, recruited people like myself. People without wealth, land, or family. He promised us all that and more when we conquered the world. You cannot blame us for seizing such an opportunity." His voice took a dark turn. "But when His Lordship was murdered, the cowards all scattered. I alone remained and vowed revenge."
Nikka scoffed, drawing her katanas. "We can blame you for all of the innocent people you killed during your 'conquest!' So what? You help us, we overthrow the Nether. What will you do then, Xaria?"
"When His Lordship first found me, he gave me this opportunity and made me who I am today." Xaria caressed the staff, mourning. "I will put the Undead to work for the benefits of others, so that I will find my wealth away from all the bloodshed." He looked up. "Although we were united under the Necromancer name, many of us felt uncomfortable with our ways. The Nether showed me what I would become if I continued down this path. And I do not want that."
"So do we have an agreement?" Lucan tried to calm Nikka, but she didn't budge. He extended his hand to Xaria. "We defeat the Necromancers, and you will live peacefully."
"You have my word."
Nikka was sour for the rest of the day. She barely touched her porkchops, which even by her standards, was one of the best dinners Lucan made. Finally, as they settled for the night. She spoke.
"There has to be another way. We shouldn't need to fight monsters using monsters of our own." She fidgeted in her sleeping spot.
"We need everyone." Lucan tried to comfort her. It was so small in here, he wondered why they never took the time to expand it even a little bit, not that he would complain, but breathing in Nikka's scent every night is just…a bit too much.
"Do you trust me?"
"I do trust you." Nikka turned over to face him. "But I'll never trust a Necromancer. They took my family away. Let's just get this over with."
Morning came. Lucan rushed out to take in the fresh air and patrol the surrounding forest. He was surprised to find a zombie wearing a leather cap waiting at the door, its eyes shining white.
"Good morning." It growled through its rotting teeth. The foul stench issuing from its nostrils almost made Lucan puke. "I am here to discuss our battle plans."
"Xaria?"
"Yes. Nice little trick, isn't it, Lucan?"
"How did you…"
"Let's just say no one pays attention to a few mice here and there."
"Okay. I received word and support from the Ardoni clans a few days ago." Lucan did not want to mention the embarrassment that two people found their "secret" base in two days. "They will mount an attack on Feldon in a week, if they secure Meridian and open the borders to K'arthen."
"And how will we know if they succeed?"
"They will send a messenger bird."
"Alright. I shall prepare my troops." The zombie growled. "If you wish to talk to me, put a sign in front of this zombie and I'll be in touch."