Tommy was confused. He had been living peacefully until then, but Tubbo was being unusually insistent. Tubbo wanted the two of them to join Wilbur's drug van, even though it would probably flunk. Blaze rods and cobblestone weren't too hard to get, cobble was easy, and pretty much everyone knew where the main nether fortress was.

Despite that, Tubbo insisted. So Tommy agreed. And now he's here, standing on the slightly unsteady blackstone bricks, right at bedrock. Here he was, looking into the eye of death, but it was not as kind as his dad. No, this death was the unholy greed and rage of a man who called himself a god.

With pace and a fury defiant,

Clothe yourself in beauty untold.

And see life as a means to a triumph.

Today, of all days.

Achilles, come down.

The sun was rising over the mountain to the east. Tommy knew he should get up, but he didn't want to.

His dream the previous night had made no sense. He had been standing in a van, with many brewing stands and potion supplies scattered around, and a moment later, at bedrock in what seemed to be a blackstone vault.

Henry and a blue sheep were in pens at the end of a hall, and he had been holding an axe, but had dropped it moments later. He remembered looking into the eyes of the man who would bring his end, he knew it. The word "checkmate" on his lips. The miserable, pleading look in Tubbo's eyes. The feeling of that being his own final breath.

He didn't like the feeling.

So he rose up out of his bed, got ready for the day, and headed outside. His wheat needed tending to, and he was hoping to run into Tubbo. As he was packing away his bread and wheat, he was startled by a somewhat squeaky, but kind voice. "Tommy! Tommy, please, listen!"

He turned around to see Karl, in an unusual dark grey sweater. "Hello, Karl. Is that a new sweater?"

Karl shook his head, "That's irrelevant, right now, Tommy. Please," Karl grabbed Tommy's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Listen to me. Don't let Wilbur start L'Manburg. If that fails, don't let Schlatt get elected. If that fails, RUN. Take Wilbur to Technoblade and Philza, and don't let either of them near L'Manburg. Keep Tubbo safe. And promise me, you will never, EVER, exile Tubbo from L'Manburg, if it all comes to it. Please."

Tommy was speechless. What the hell was a L'Manburg? It sounded cool, but what? And Schlatt was an old friend of Wilbur's, from what he knew. Why would he separate the two? Why couldn't Techno and Phil go near L'Manburg? And why would he ever exile Tubbo? "Of course. I mean, I'll try, but why? And how?"

Karl looked around as he let Tommy go. "I don't have time to explain, I'm sorry. I don't think Dream would be pleased that I spoke with you about this."

"Why? What's going on?"

"I- I don't think there's time to explain. I'll try to write it down for you, but I don't know when I could get it to you. I'm sorry."

And so Karl left Tommy, who was still confused.

"What the hell?"