MCSM: Strange New Guests at Beacontown

Chapter 7: The New World

Jesse's POV

"Atlas, bring us to the world where Lindy, Nelina, and Null came from," I commanded the book. Nelina and Null looked at us skeptically as Lukas, Ivor, Petra, Axel, and Olivia approached us. "Are you sure this will work?" Nelina asked. "Don't worry, it will. Without this book, we may have been lost in the portal network for all eternity," I reassured her. Larry mooed as the book led us to the portal.

As we approached the portal, I observed it more closely. The portal frame was intricately carved sandstone, adorned with elaborate floral patterns, and the inside of the portal was a delicate shade of pink. "This is the one," I confirmed. "An interesting portal... I haven't seen one like this before in all of our travels," Ivor remarked while stroking his beard. "Personally, I think a little TNT wouldn't hurt the design," Axel chimed in as Ivor grinned. "I mean, at least it kind of looks like it might be safe, except for the whole invasion thing going on," Petra attempted to reason. "But the design must mean something. Nelina, Null, do you know what this might signify?" Lukas inquired. "Oh, well, our world is naturally very beautiful, with lots of flowers, and the sky is pink, unlike in your world, where I noticed the sky was blue. In my opinion, it was the definition of paradise before Emperor Steam invaded us," Nelina explained as Null and Larry nodded. "Well, before we go in, let's make sure we're well-equipped and prepared for whatever we may face, and let's hope for the best. We don't know for certain how powerful the forces are in this world, so it's essential to at least try to keep our hopes high, even though we'll probably face defeat. But at least we'll have high hopes!" Olivia nervously rambled on, trying but failing to sound optimistic. However, I wasn't paying attention.

Lukas' POV

"Safety is the most important thing, so we can't rush in blindly with no plan," Olivia lectured. I noticed Jesse had zoned out, which is unlike her since she usually listens to Olivia's speeches intently. "Jesse?" I called out to her, and she snapped out of her thoughts. "Guys! I have an idea!" she exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at her. "We are in the portal hallway right now, so we can try to recruit all the people we've met along our journey to help us. Based on what happened to the citizens in that world, it seems like Emperor Steam is a formidable foe that will be hard to beat. But if we can get at least some of the people we've met on our side, we could do this. Think about it, Crown Mesa, The Games, The White Pumpkin world, there might be a lot of people willing to help us in those worlds, maybe even some from our world, and perhaps some people still in the Underneath!" Jesse proposed.

Jesse's POV

That's exactly what we did. We gathered many people from our world, Crown Mesa, The Games, The White Pumpkin World, the Underneath, and even our surface world. Some of the people we recruited started getting their friends to help our cause. The gladiators from The Games, for example, gathered everyone they knew from their home world to support us. Even Xara and Romeo agreed to help our cause! Otto and Harper also joined us! We assembled our forces and charged into the pink portal, ready for combat!

Petra's POV

"I can't wait to kick Emperor Steam's butt!" I thought as I ran into the portal with the others. As soon as I landed in the new world, I quickly unsheathed my sword, ready to face an army. However, I was greeted by a field of vibrant wildflowers, a pink sky with fluffy clouds, and no civilization in sight. Everyone else was just as confused as I was when they arrived. "Nelina? Do you know where we are?" Jesse asked as the people we had gathered started murmuring with confusion. Nelina glanced around for a few seconds before a flash of recognition appeared in her eyes. "Ah yes, we area little further from town than any of us expected. We are just east of Larrysburg. I got lost around here once," she explained. "Larrysburg?" I asked. "Yes, Larrysburg. It's a town northeast of Sandy Bay, our main city. Although Larrysburg is technically part of Sandy Bay, as we're a city-state, it's still a town of its own. So, since we are east of Larrysburg, which is north of Sandy Bay, we need to head northeast," Nelina informed us. "Onward, I suppose!" Jesse said. "Wait, I have just one thing to say. This area is near the coastline, and Emperor Steam often sends patrols here to look for people trying to escape by sea. So, we should travel by that forest over there to avoid any unnecessary attention until we get there," Nelina further explained.

Nelina's POV

I led the group through the forest when the roof of a building caught my eye. That definitely wasn't there before. "Wait," I told them. "What is it?" Jesse asked. "This wasn't here before. I don't know what it is, so I'll have to investigate before we can pass it. Does anyone have any potions?" I asked. Ivor nodded and quickly gave me an invisibility potion. I drank it and instructed them to wait here. I quickly hurried over to the building and came across two people. I listened in on their conversation for any clues. "So, Sully, how much longer do you have left for your citizen duty?" a woman asked. "Millie, I've told you this before, but I originally had three months, but then they said due to suspected rebellious tendencies, it got raised to nine months, which I think is outrageous," Sully replied. I froze in horror as I realized what was happening here. This building, which I saw now had a farm attached, was another one of Emperor Steam's unpaid labor facilities. It seemed they had only gotten worse and expanded since we left. "Well, I have seven months left, but the boss told me I might get out with six if I work very hard," Millie said. The time given to these poor people to work unpaid labor was even worse than before. Before, it was one month, two months at most. I remembered how horrible it was during "citizen duty," as Emperor Steam called it. We toiled for hours in factories or farms. I couldn't imagine doing it for as long as these people had. "If only there was a way for us to escape," Sully sighed, and Millie nodded. It was a risky move, but I decided to reveal myself so we could help them. At first, they thought I was Emperor Steam's spy that heard them talking traitorously towards him, but when they realized I was Nelina, they immediately joined us, even though they were horrified to learn what had happened to Lindy and the others who had tried to rebel. They even gathered up others who worked there, and we continued our journey to Sandy Bay.